Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Forever Bound ❯ We are all actors and the world our stage... ( Chapter 5 )

[ P - Pre-Teen ]
Forever Bound
Chapter 5, "We are all actors and the world our stage..."

Author's Notes: I'm sooooo happy, this chapter is finally out! Now, some of you may be confused on me using names from other anime, I would like to state that although I use names from other anime, Belldandy, Keichii, Ryoko, etc... this does not have any relation to the other anime, okay? Well maybe one or two characters do....wait stop! I'm sorry I have said far too much already. Hope you like this chapter and remember all comments and critisism goes to silverflame_maiden@hotmail.com. (I'd really like some e-mail and I promise I'll write back!).

Disclaimers: I do not own Ranma 1/2, Rumiko Takahashi does.
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The white hospital room although small gave whoever looked upon the scene to have a warm feeling spread through them. Ukyo lay sleeping on the hospital bed with Shiro sitting on a chair next to her while holding her hand and having little Ryoko sleep in his arms.
To the left of the hospital bed by the large illuminating window was a red sofa and couch. On the sofa lay a sleeping Tofu with his wife Kasumi sleeping soundly on his lap. On the two sides of the couch lay a sleeping Soun and a snoring Panda; both are laying their heads on the shoulder of a sleeping Nodoka still holding tightly onto her katana. The floor near the corner of the room showed a sleeping Ryoga with Akari in his arms and finally sleeping peacefully on a small chair in the corner was Akane and Belldandy.

Ukyo stirred coming out of the oblivious sleep she was having. Her first thought was *the baby...! * and she instinctively touched her flat stomach. Ukyo started hypervenalating before she remembered the baby was in its crib in another room. Ukyo walked silently from her room, her waist lower still aching from giving birth, but she managed to walk to the room filled with babies. She did not even have to look at the name to know which one was her son. Ukyo went into the little bright room and had the nurse help her push the sleeping baby's crib into her room. The nurse gave a genuine smile at Ukyo before she left *That girl really is lucky to have such a large caring family...* she thought.

Ukyo breathed a sigh of relief and overexertion until finally noticed the sleeping form of her husband and daughter besides her clutching at the place where her hand had been. She smiled fondly and kissed them both on the forehead. Suddenly the large snore of a sleeping panda (which by the way could have awoken a deaf alien on the other side of the black hole could hear) awoke everyone, but remained asleep itself. Nodoka took the hilt of her katana and bopped the panda awake with it.

Ukyo smiled as everyone got up tiredly and smiled back at her. "You guys didn't have to sleep here all night you know. You could have gone home. I would have been fine."
"It's no problem Ukyo-chan, we all just felt better knowing you were safe, " Kasumi said kindly as she got up off of Tofu.
[Yes Ukyo, we couldn't possibly bare to have our best Okonimaki chef hurt...] Genma-Panda signed leaving everyone bewildered at Genma-Panda's sudden boost of care for another [...besides who would feed me free Okonamiyaki if you weren't here]. Everyone facefaulted, but then again...maybe not.

Ukyo just laughed knowing everything would be okay if Genma could still think of food. Ukyo suddenly remembered something and decided to get everyone out of her room before she got everyone's hopes up.

"Kasumi, do you mind going home and cooking me something? I am awfully hungry and only your home cooking could make me feel better, " Ukyo said as Kasumi's eyes brightened up as she nodded as she left. Ukyo then turned to Genma-Panda and Soun, "Oh Mr.Tendo, Mr.Saotome I forgot to tell you, but when I was walking home I saw them open up a new Tournament for Go players, if you hurry, maybe you can join." Before she even finished the sentence however Souna and Genma-Panda were already out the door.

Ukyo turned to Ryoga and Akari, this should be easy, "Ryoga do you mind getting me a glass of water from the nurse's office down the hall and Akari do you mind letting him lead the way this time? After all Ryoga has to work on his sense of direction sometime, dontcha think?" Ryoga and Akari left not to be seen again for a couple of days.

Ukyo finally turned towards her husband and daughter, "Shi-chan, honey, can you take Ryoko and Belldandy home and put them to bed, I think their bushed out." Shiro was about to protest until he saw the determined look in his wife's eyes and so he ended up picking Ryoko and Belldandy up in each arm and carrying them back to Ucchan's. Ukyo turned towards Dr.Tofu, intending to just say what she wanted, "Dr.Tofu can you leave Akane and me alone for awhile. There's something I need to talk to her about." Dr.Tofu nodded understanding and so he left to discuss medicine treatment with a doctor on the 4th floor.

Ukyo turned to find Nodoka standing, but before she spoke Nodoka smiled softly and said, "I know Ukyo, your going to ask me to leave too, but before I leave I need to ask you a question. Do you forgive me?" Ukyo looked at Nodoka's proud form and she desperately searched for the anger and hurt pride she always felt towards this woman, but found nothing. "Yes, Nodoka, I forgive you." Nodoka smiled again and left quickly.

Akane who was watching this whole exchange take place looked at Ukyo curiously. *What does she want to tell me? * She wondered. After Nodoka exited the room Ukyo got up off of the bed and closed the hospital door. When Akane saw Ukyo again, her eyes were sparkling and glimmering with something that until a few years ago made Akane flinch. Akane saw hope there, hope that she saw in her own eyes as she thought time and time again someone was Ranma only to be dragged roughly back into reality.

"I saw *him* Ne-chan! I saw Ran-chan! He's back, I know it!" Ukyo squealed.
"W-what?! W-where?!" Akane whispered shakily.

"He was the driver, Ne-chan. The one that drove us to the hospital... When you went to get me that wheel chair I saw his eyes! Don't you go telling me that eyes are the same, you know as well as I do that they're not. You know how his blue-gray eyes just makes you just want to jump and drown in them. It was *him*, Ne-chan. I'm not lying. He's back!" Ukyo started to sob as Akane went and hug her although her own heart was wrenching. *Oh Ucchan...I hope your wrong, Ucchan... I really hope your wrong...*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Nabiki sat in her leather office chair as she stared out of her large window into the city of Tokyo. She brushed a stray, brown hair from her face and licked her wet red lipstick lips. Her black Chanel suit and expensive European perfume gave her a sophisticated air. Akane finally called and told her that Ukyo had delivered a beautiful baby boy named Tenchi {Please don't kill me, I couldn't think of another Japenese name that I actually liked}.

Nabiki laughed dryly, she was happy for Ukyo, but business demanded that she stayed and her business partners frankly didn't care if her sister's best friend just had a baby. *Oh well...that's life* she thought. Nabiki rocked back and forth on her chair as her manicured nails tapped her large wooden desk. Nabiki suddenly heard her secretary, Kyoko, tell her someone was on the other line.

"Hello," Nabiki said calmly as she picked up the phone. The voice on the other line was colder then hers.
"Nabiki, meet me downstairs, I have a few things I need to discuss with you," Ranma said before dropping the line. Nabiki's mouth twisted into a thin smile, one that frightened all her co-operators, it meant that Nabiki Tendo Kuno was about to make a lot of money from some poor sap.

As Nabiki walked out the gates of her company she felt someone grab her wrists and pull her into a car. She wasn't frightened, however, Nabiki Tendo was rarely frightened, being an unemotional mercenary and having martial artists for family and friends. After over a year with Ranma, nearly nothing could frighten Nabiki anymore. Besides that she already knew it was Ranma.

Nabiki straightened out her Chanel suit and said as she checked her nails, "Geez, Ranma, you really are desperate for a woman if you have to snatch one from straight in front of her company."

Ranma just growled and Nabiki could almost swear she saw a faint dark blue aura around him, "Nabiki! I am not very happy with you right now so I suggest you cut the sarcastic remarks." Nabiki just shrugged off his remark and said calmly, "What do you want, Ranma? I have to get back to my company soon."

Ranma turned his furious gaze towards Nabiki, "Nabiki, you lied to me! You told me...A-a-akane wasn't here."
"So, she wasn't," Nabiki spoke as if talking to a 2-year old child.
"What do you mean she wasn't here? I just drove her and Ucchan to the hospital. Ucchan was giving birth!" Ranma yelled. Nabiki just leveled her gaze at Ranma giving him a stone glare that would have made the bravest of men cower...it didn't even faze Ranma.

"Oh, so Ukyo is suddenly Ucchan all of a sudden, is she Ranma? Do you think you are still her Ran-chan, though? It was exactly that Ranma, Ukyo was giving birth, she's given you up and married someone else Ranma, in fact even Akane..." Nabiki said coolly.

Ranma internally flinched at her words, but he interrupted her with an equally cool tone, "Stop, Nabiki! I don't want to hear it! I don't want to hear you say that Akane has moved on, or married, or whatever because I don't care! She isn't married Nabiki, I didn't see a wedding ring on her hand. Now, tell me why did you lie?"

"I didn't lie Ranma, you asked me, "'Is A-a-akane still in Nerima, Nabiki?'" She wasn't *still* in Nerima, in fact she had arrived the same day you had." Ranma decided that if he had killed Nabiki she wouldn't be able to tell him where Akane was so he calmed himself down with difficulty.

"Fine, Nabiki I don't need anymore of your twisting truths. Just tell me where Akane is right now." Ranma said through a strained voice.
Nabiki laughed, "She's in the Chiba Memorial Hospital Ranma, with Ukyo. Didn't you already know that?" Nabiki tried feigning innocence.

Ranma's aura flared for a minute before it calmed again. Nabiki just blinked at the change in the lighting. "Na-bi-ki! I want you to tell me where Akane is living right now?" Ranma said his voice indicating he wanted a satisfiable answer. Nabiki didn't even flinch.

"No," she said plaintively.
"W-what?!" Ranma asked shocked. He had used his best tactic to try and scare her and she refused. Ranma briefly entertained the idea of forcing Nabiki to tell him where Akane lived.

"Like I said, Ranma, no! I will not tell you where my little sister lives. She leads her own life now, Ranma, and you should leave her and allow her to be happy," Nabiki said matter-of-factly. Truthfully, Nabiki was still angry with Ranma. Nabiki atill remembered how much her sister had cried day and night trying to forget only to break down time and time again. When Nabiki remembered how pale Akane and Ukyo had looked, how disappointed Kasumi and her father had been, and angry she was at Ranma for ruining her family. Ranma had came in like a tornado sucking everyone into it's whirlwind, only to departure abruptly and leave destruction in its wake. Nabiki wasn't about to let Ranma hurt her family ever again, not now, not ever.

Ranma felt the darkness beckon to him once again as Nabiki said this. He had to hold on to not drown, hope there was always still hope. "Nabiki, how much would it cost to get this information from you?" Ranma asked using his last idea.

Nabiki looked and saw the desperation in Ranma's tone and voice. *Maybe I should...no, he's just going to hurt her again...but...but...look at him...* Nabiki finally breathed a sigh of defeat.

"Listen, Ranma, I'm not going to tell you where Akane is staying, but if you would be kind enough to take me back to my company I'll give you some information on Akane's whereabouts, okay?" Ranma just nodded silently and made a turn. After Ranma arrived at Tendo&Kuno Incorporated he stopped. Nabiki just smiled wryly at Ranma's impatience and opened the car door. Just before Nabiki walked back into her large company she threw an envelope into Ranma's lap.

Ranma looked at Nabiki's retreating form and picked up the envelope. Ranma ripped open the envelope and stared confused at what he held in his hand. Laying in Ranma's right hand was two tickets that read:

Beauty
A Retelling of Beauty and the Beast
Based on Novel by Robin Mckinley
Tashi's Theater of Arts
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A uthor's Notes: Okay, the play that's about to be put on Beauty is based on a novel I read called BEAUTY by Robin Mckinley. Great novel, you should check it out, highly recommended. Remember all comments and criticism to silverflame_maidn@hotmail.com.
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