Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Rendezvous with Fate ❯ April ( Chapter 3 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Ranma is on a trip doing errands for Happosai and before he comes home, he stops by an old friend's house.

Meanwhile, Akane discovers the situation that she's in, the people that she has to talk to and things that she has to change.

Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Samurai / Romance / Drama | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 10.12.2003 | Updated On: 04.03.2006 | Pages: 6 | Words: 15.9K | Visits: 921 | Status: Completed

Revision History:
04/02/06 - common mistakes in the English language
01/14/06 - punctuation revision, revised hads
10/18/05 - not so minor grammar
10/13/03 - minor grammar
12/25/01 - minor grammar

Special Thanks to:
MJ, Maurice Phillip, Tony Loco , Tin and Angel, Jourdan Bickham, Jose Aragao, Byooki Desu, Anno Nimus, C. Jones Richard, Robinson, David Bateson, David Stanley, Jitou,King Chan, Lawrence Chu, Bert Miller, The Dragonbard, Darthcwader1, Erin, Outlawone1, David Calvarese, Larry F

And to the person reading this.

Little note before you start anything:

This chapter is contains some mature concepts. Implied adultery and bastards type mature.

Ranma, Ranko and Nabiki... Nabiki in her cursed form will be referred to as Nabiki-kun in scenes that show the perspective of people who know about the Jusenkyo curse. (Ranma-chan in Ranma's case). When this is shown in Akane's point-of view, Ranma will be called Ranko and Nabiki will be called Ranma. I hope this doesn't cause confusion.

I only do this in the FIRST paragraph. After the initial paragraph, they are referred to as Ranma and Nabiki (even though they are cursed) since it's narration and Ranma-chan and Nabiki-kun isn't really good for the flow.

I also switch from gender to gender in the middle sometimes. (Arghh sorry, sometimes Ranma gets referred to as he when in cursed form and Nabiki gets referred to as she in cursed form.) Please tell me when you spot this as it's an honest mistake

A whisper, and then a silence,
Yet I know by their merry eyes,
They are plotting and planning together
To take me by surprise.
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Children's Hour

Rendezvous with Fate V.3
by iCe
Chapter 3

...It turns out there was a child, it was devastating to know that she wasn't mine...

Ranma tugged on his sleeves as he started to get up from the blanket he and Ukyo were sitting on. He learned early on never to stay too long with her. Experience told him that things turned complicated if he did.

He brushed the specks of dirt his hakama picked up from sitting on the grass. He turned to Ukyo who was starting to stand up. She frowned at him prettily then brushed flecks of imaginary dust, which he already took off. "Must you go soon? Hanae so looks forwards to your visits."

Ranma rolled his eyes as Ukyo pouted. Ukyo, he thought, always pouted when she didn't get what she wanted. She stood there fingering strands of her brown hair that fell across her shoulders waiting expectantly for an answer.

"You know I only stopped by to say hi, Ukyo. Besides, she does go home with me every time Kodachi isn't." He turned to get his two swords lying on the grass. Although it was Ukyo's duty to take care of Hanae as her 'foster mother', he tended to look after her when he found time. Ranko was still the formal foster mother of the child. Ukyo was just a friend who took care of her for appearances' sake. The set up was needed because Ranma wasn't usually around to take care of Hanae. "I have got to go to Kodachi. It seems she has concocted one of her little games again."

Ukyo raised an eyebrow as she stood up to help him with the short sword. She knew how troubling Kodachi could be when it came to schemes. The only person she could think who could come close was Nabiki and Nabiki was already one of the best. "What is she up to this time?"

Ranma made a face and said, "It seems as if my lovely wife is trying to convince everyone she has amnesia." He muttered more under his breath but Ukyo only caught the words angel and crazy.

Ranma settled the Happosai's orders in the two months that Ranma spent out of Rose Brier. He buried Kodachi as far as he could under duty, trying to think of her as little as possible. The troubles at the border and his fiefs were enough to keep his mind occupied. The Regent's move another.

He always tried to avoid the Kodachi topic around Ukyo since she did tend to go overboard on the subject. More often than not, however, he couldn't stop his mouth from speaking before he could think. "Wife?" She almost laughed. Almost. "You call that woman a wife? You should have married me."

Pushing her gently away, he said, "You know I can't marry you Ukyo." But then ... sometimes ... he really did wish he married to her instead of Kodachi. She had been one of his numerous fiancées and a very close friend when they were young. But that was part of the problem. Ukyo was just a friend.

She also wasn't samurai, and samurai cannot marry out of their class... Another was Lord Happosai's orders. A host of other things complicated matters. When he did think about it, he resolved that she could never be his wife. It wouldn't be fair, not to her. "It's a little late for that."

She laughed a little, not like Kodachi's laugh, but a singsong laugh that she usually used to tease him with. "You call six years a little late?" She patted his shoulder and her eyes twinkled a bit. "Has she met 'Ranko' yet?"

Looking at her Ranma frowned dubiously. "Don't tell me you believe she has amnesia! Of course she's met her."

"Mmmmmmm, but wouldn't her reaction be nice to watch?" She was looking at the sky, imagining the meeting and let out a little giggle. "Even if it is pretend. Kodachi is a damned good actress."

"You know very much how I hate to play Kodachi's little mind games. As I told her I was and I still am sick and tired of it," he said as Ukyo began to fix his hakama again, although he honestly didn't see anything to fix.

She flashed him another one of those impromptu smiles of hers. Ranma mentally steeled himself for another one of her marriage suggestions. She smiled too much when she was plotting for 'Ranma get together schemes' and giggled too much when she talked about Kodachi. "You could take me in for a consort."

Part of the reason Happosai ordered him to become Christian was that a doctrine stated that a man was to have only one wife. As samurai, he was allowed only one legal wife but could take as many consorts as he wanted. Christian laws safeguarded him from his many engagements because it forbade polygamy.

Of course as samurai, he could just disregard the laws, as a bunch of crap given by gaijin men who came from the West, but he didn't want any consorts and the Christian laws did solve his fiancée problems.

His fiancées did not follow him afterwards.

The whole reason behind the mess was his foster father Genma. Another reason was that Ranma simply refused to take a consort. Women -- he thought, with the exempt of Nabiki -- were a whole bunch of trouble... and having consorts was inviting more trouble into the house.

Nabiki took up most of the wife's duty and the others she couldn't, he himself did. He has little want for consorts and even less use for them. "You know the answer to that, Ukyo."

"Hanae really misses you." She pointed out, shifting the subject again since it was not going her way.

"You spoil her." Ranma pointed out, though Hanae seemed to have impeccable manners. Ukyo pouted at that, and he wondered if women in general really did pout if they didn't get what they wanted. Women are trouble, they take what they want and then take it for granted. 'Why do they even pout in the first place?' He thought to himself.

She turned the conversation around again, "What do you have in Rose Brier?"

"I told you, my wife..." He sighed as he thought about that particular problem. When he saw Ukyo wasn't about to let him go for that reason alone he began to enumerate, "And my fief, and my sister and my vassals... do we really have to list it out?"

"You can turn her away." She smiled at him sweetly turning her brown hair over her fingers again, another mannerism Ranma noticed. Divorce was out of the question. There were still reasons why he keeps the sham of a marriage with Kodachi.

Ukyo looked at Ranma in the eye for some time then asked, "Why do you let her get away with all of this Ranma? She's crazy! Why can't you leave her?"

He shifted uncomfortably. He didn't want to get into this subject again. It seemed that, for the past visits, Ukyo always dragged conversation to that topic. "Ukyo, there are a lot of reasons you wouldn't understand. If you truly want the best for both of us...you would let the issue drop."

She reacted to this as if she were slapped. She knew Kodachi has a hold on him. What, she didn't know, and she fully intended to find out. "For both our sakes." She almost didn't hear the last part.

Turning her back to him, she sighed looking wistfully back at the house. In some ways, she envied Kodachi. At least Kodachi was close to Ranma, and she didn't even have to meet him in secret. "I'm not the one who tortures myself with visits, Ranma. Why do you come here? Are you such a glutton for punishment?"

That question was left unanswered. He didn't need to respond. Ukyo knew the reason. He was here for Hanae. Even now the only reason why they were alone together was because Hanae put away the gifts her father brought. Ranma loved that child so much that he continually called on her regardless of what the others thought. He went to visit the child. But then, why leave the child with her in the first place? Why do it when they both knew that it would do more harm than good?

Ukyo sighed. She really did like her charge. She has the same enthusiasm as her father, and she was intelligent too. She often wondered why Ranma let her take care of the little one, because it was obvious that he adored the little bundle of energy. Leaving her with Ukyo did not seem like the best solution when he could just take her with him.

He never gave her an explanation and she never asked for one. She also hasn't asked the vital question: Who Hanae's mother was. Ranma never brought the subject up, and she was uncomfortable to initiate it. Sometimes she thought that other than Ranma, no one truly knew.

"Kodachi visited you," he said quietly, changing the subject. "How long were you going to hide it from me?"

She whirled around to stare at him with wide eyes. 'He couldn't possibly know that.' It happened more than six years ago, just before Hanae turned one. Yet, she recalled the memory vividly, as if it happened yesterday.

Ukyo had been surprised to meet Kodachi, a beautiful woman that Kodachi. Back then, she still was beautiful. Back then, Ukyo hadn't known who she was. She didn't know Kodachi was Ranma's wife.

When Ukyo entered her small house coming from peddling okonomiyaki it was Kodachi's unnatural beauty that stopped her. The almost translucent white skin and long dark curling hair branded her immediately as an aristocrat. She commanded attention as she stood there regally her black kimono a stark contrast to her skin.

She was testing the sharpness of Ukyo's spatula with the tip of her nail. When she deemed it worthy, she laid it gingerly down the table where the rest stood. She raised her eyes towards Ukyo a wicked smile on her lips. That smile, among many others told Ukyo that Kodachi Kuno was one demented soul. "Kuonji Ukyo?" Kodachi inquired with the soft tones that did not become her.

Ukyo frowned at that sadistic smile, at those glinting eyes, telltale signs of a person who was not rational with her angers -- but then, who was? "Yes, I am Ukyo. Who--"

"Stay away from my husband." She pulled out a black rose from her sleeves, holding the flower against Ukyo's face all the while maintaining her smile even though her next words were clearly meant to threaten, "If you so much as touch him I will kill you."

"Who are you?" Ukyo demanded as she took a step back. She just recovered from the sickbed then and was in no position to fight. It was possible that Kodachi was informed of it and she mildly suspected that was the reason why the woman picked the day to confront her. Cowards tend to threaten when they are safe.

"Saotome Kodachi-noh-Ranma." She walked towards Ukyo and unconsciously Ukyo moved another step back. There was a hard gleam in the Kodachi's eyes when she said her words, venom dripping all over it, "You know, Ranma's wife?" She did nothing to Ukyo. But when she placed the black rose in her hair, there was a stinging sensation and a trickle of blood ran down her face.

"Remember me well, Kuonji." She let out a series of laughs challenging Ukyo to take off the flower. Ukyo didn't, at least, not while Kodachi was still present. "I saw him first."

"On the contrary I knew him since we were six." Her mind's eye flashed a picture of Ranma. Ranma wouldn't like that. He didn't like it when people talked about him like a prize to be won. But she couldn't help herself, not when she was at her weakest and her enemy was close.

"It's who sees him last that counts," Kodachi threw at her face.

What's said in anger is often repented in compliance. Without thinking Ukyo flaunted the only thing she could, the only thing she was sure Kodachi did not know. "I have his child."

It did not give Ukyo the reaction she desired, Kodachi's smile widened. "So you're the mother of the little runt? I thought he would remain faithful. It does not matter if you have his child or not. I will not let him acknowledge the little bastard. I am still his wife. I will always be his wife. I come first before any of his consorts."

She paused to let those facts sink home and continued, "Do you not think that if he is capable of having one, he can't have another? What makes you different from all those whores? Nothing. However, I am wed to him before the Shinto gods and before the Christian one. He will forever be mine." She took another rose and left it at a small table. It was black.

"I do not need his love, but you do." She didn't look back as she left. "And your child is born a bastard and will die a bastard. Raised in humiliation and shunned by peers. The child will remain one as long as the little monster lives."

Kodachi was a ruthless opponent. Sharpened by age and made deceitful by time. Ranma's voice brought her back to reality. "Why?"

"I never wanted you to know."

"Don't you think I have the right?" he demanded.

"It was between Kodachi and me." She shifted uncomfortably under his angry gaze. "I didn't want you to worry needlessly."

"Needlessly?" Ranma tested the word shaking his head, knowing that Ukyo did not understand the danger she. He sensed she would never understand. "Kodachi uses extreme measures to get what she wants, to take on whoever was in her way. You are an obstacle."

They stood there uneasily for some moments before Ukyo spoke up, "Well, good for you then." She muttered under her breath then sighed. "Look, you know I'll be out of town and can't very well drag Hanae with me. You have to take her... even if Kodachi's home."

Hesitating for a second, Ranma finally agreed. He could have ordered Ukyo to stay. He could have ordered her anything and she would have obeyed, regardless of what she wanted, but he didn't. He wasn't that kind of person. He winced at the thought of letting Kodachi see Hanae. The first time was terrible enough and Hanae had only been a few weeks old. Now, if Kodachi went on her tirade, Hanae would remember.

It was then that the girl they were talking about appeared running across the grass to his arms. She had a beautiful green kimono on that set off her jade eyes. Her unkept red hair flew in the wind as she laughed her excitement showing. She overheard part of their conversation. "Daddy! I'll be going home with you?"

Ranma smiled kneeling down to scoop her up in his arms. "Yes." He was just scared of what might happen, especially with an uncontrolled variable like Kodachi at home.

Hanae was giddy with happiness at the turn of events. They saw each other for only for the briefest of moments. Bringing her home was a rare event. It was a wonder that Nabiki managed to get Hanae and her son to train together at all. "I'm all set, daddy."

"Well then, say your good-byes to Ukyo now and we'll go," Ranma said patting her head. Ukyo came forward to give and collect her goodbye.

Taking the child's sunscreen which Hanae dropped when running towards her father, Ukyo put it on the girl, fixing her red curls. "Be a good girl and don't give your father headaches," her hands went on to the kimono. "Be careful of that dreadful Kodachi." She tucked in the handkerchief that was peeking out of the child's obi. "Eat nutritious foods." She dusted the child's skirts. It would be unseemly to show affection in front of Ranma. While they were in the open, one of Ranma's samurai was nearby, as a custom, important people were never unattended.

The child smiled and gave Ukyo a hug, which Ranma just watched. It was an awkward scene, especially since he was carrying the child. He hated long good-byes.

Ukyo switched her attention to him. "Take care of her."

"I will." Ukyo didn't need to tell him that.

It was then that they parted, Hanae bobbing happily in his arms, Ukyo standing in the middle of the garden looking at them wistfully. It became silent. The breeze blew softly against their backs. Ranma wondered if it was urging him to go on.

"Lady... Akane, the doctor is here to see you," Ifuku said from the doorstep, after Akane finished walking around the estate.

As she entered the main parlor, she greeted Doctor Kinzaki and thanked him for coming over. He was surprised that she remembered him and that she rebounded from the accident as if nothing happened.

As he started the checkup he asked, "Has your headache returned? Dizziness? Nausea?"

"Nope," she answered cheerfully.

"Remarkable," he commented mostly to himself. "Follow my finger without turning your head, Lady Akane." Akane easily followed his finger when it moved from side to side.

"What about your memory, has it returned?" he asked after finding nothing wrong with his patient.

"Nope, and I don't think it will. I don't think they're memories I want to have anyway," she said cheerfully as she nodded her head towards Ifuku and said in a low voice, "They don't even like me."

He looked at her and was amazed at how casually she was treating this. Most of the people he saw were confused, and have tantrums. They always wanted to know what was happening to them and when their memories would come back.

Never the less he assured her, "It will come back Lady Akane, it usually does."

"Oh, I'm not really worried about it." She meant to reassure him, but he still looked skeptically at her.

"I couldn't believe your remarkable recovery. Have you any idea of how serious your injuries were?" He was clearly baffled by her improvement.

"Oh, I think I do." Akane almost laughed, truth be told, it was the doctor who had no idea of just how injured she had been. "In fact, you're talking to a dead woman."

The doctor raised an eyebrow at what must seem like her odd humor to him. "I don't see why you should stay in bed..." He was uncomfortable at leaving a patient whose condition was so dire just a few days before alone so he followed up with, "But if you feel anything, you call for me."

"Yes, doctor." Tilting her head she asked, "Do you know how old I am, doctor?"

Dr. Kinzaki smiled kindly, he must have thought it was horrible not to know your name, and age. But Akane was dealing with this very well. "I believe you are twenty-five."

"Really? I look like hell," Akane said, looking at the polished silver that stood as a mirror and stared at the reflection of the person she did not know.

Dr. Kinzaki chuckled after he got over his mild shock at hearing a lady curse.

After he left, she realized what she told the doctor about her memories were not entirely true. She did want to know about her past and the only way was through people who knew Kodachi...

The only person that could come to mind was Ifuku. But then, the maid was terrified of her. Something made Ifuku as uncomfortable around Akane, as Akane felt around her.

Akane motioned for her maid to come forward after leading the young doctor out. The maid was obviously confused, terrified and nervous. Talking with Kodachi was something the servants obviously did not do. She showed all the signs of worry, and had Akane been Kasumi, she would have put her at ease easily. Now, Akane could only wish she has her older sister's soothing voice and comforting hand, and hope for the best.

Ifuku's face was paler than usual, close to the shade of gray in her uniform, and her fists clenched tightly around the cleaning rag she held. Akane motioned for the young girl to sit down in front of her, to which she complied.

"Ifuku... you know about my head injury?" Akane started, gently imitating Kasumi when she was trying to calm their overly hysterical father. Ifuku bobbed her head up and down, and suddenly Akane thought of springs. She sighed again.

"Honestly, I don't remember anything." It didn't seem possible but her maid's eyes grew wider and started to border on disbelief.

"Well, it's true." She wondered at ignorance... or was it just that century? She was about to explain mental health to a person who was not about to believe her. Great. She heard of one of the maids saying that rich husbands who didn't want anything to do with their wives sent them back to their families. She didn't know what was or wasn't known about amnesia and the little knowledge she has, came from watching TV.

"Ifuku," The woman winced! She continued more gently all the while cursing Kodachi who was obviously a tyrant. She tried a different approach, small talk, "How come your name means clothes and Sara... well isn't Sara... a..." she thought a moment for a synonym to tray, "bon?"

The maid's eyes widened at her mistress' ignorance. "Only samurai are allowed to names, my lady. We're called by what we do. The fisherman by the lake, or the first son of the fisherman. In my case, my mother tended to the house of Saotome -- for a long time, lady -- and she was a servant towards Lady Nodoka. She knew I'd be given to Lord Ranma's wife as a maid... it is natural for a lady to care for her rich kimonos... and well..."

Akane smiled, the maid seemed to relax at the light talk that started... she paused she wanted to integrate what she wanted as well. When she sensed the ending of the conversation she started another, "I need to know some things... do I have children?"

After recovering from the shock of the said question, she answered no.

"Are my parents alive?"

"No, my lady." Ifuku paused for a moment before recalling, "You have a brother, my lady."

"Do I have relatives other than him?"

"You have a whole Clan of them, my lady. You do have a mother-in-law, a sister-in-law and her husband, and their whole clan, too. Oh, and a nephew, plus that little girl Lord Ranma has."

"What little girl?"

Ifuku's eyes got wider again. "No one knows, ma'am. Lord Ranma just arrived one day after he went out... some days after your marriage... The Lord Happosai sent him on one of his year long errands... carrying a child."

Akane wondered about the child a little before she shrugged, she would have to ask Ranma about that later. At least there was no immediate family to deal with.

Now the hard part, Akane thought to herself. "I can tell by your reaction, by the other workers' reaction and by my husband's reaction, that, uh, I used to be difficult."

Ifuku looked stricken but her lips still remained compressed and in an ill shade of gray. "I... Lady Akane, no one believes..."

Akane interrupted, "Ifuku I'm not stupid, and I'm not blind. I think something is very wrong in this house, and I think that is me. Now I need your help." She leaned forward and Ifuku saw that her eyes were direct and honest.

"I must know what she, er, I was like. What she did to others, who hates her...maybe if I knew it, I could correct it."

"Lady Akane, what you're asking of me is very difficult." Her face was lined with worry and voice shaking slightly. "I'm sorry but I don't think I can. You can send me away if you wish, but I can't."

What kind of monster had Kodachi been? No one could be that bad. How could she tear the barriers Kodachi erected if she did not know where they stood? "Just answer this. If I decided to change, how would other people react?"

Ifuku weighed what she was going to say then took a deep breath, as if preparing herself for the worst and said, "Lady Akane, I'm sorry to say it, but no one would believe you, no one. They'd think you were playing a game, a mean game." She sat up straight and lifted her chin. "You can kill me off if you want."

Akane wanted to cry and for a moment. Ifuku felt sympathy for her lady, but she reminded herself of her many sins not only against her but also against all the servants of Rose Brier and most of all, against Lord Ranma. He was no saint, but he was a good fair man and he deserved better.

"What if it lasted?"

"Well, maybe then." Ifuku still sounded doubtful and added, "But people Lady Akane, they have long memories. They would not forget easily." She gained more confidence since her employer didn't rant, rave or draw her dagger.

Akane stared out the window. "Oh, yes. You can go Ifuku and thank you." The younger woman paused at hearing her say thank you and left her alone.

"Why me?" She sighed it seemed as if her other life was just a delusion that was rapidly fading day by day. She fell off a horse and head injuries were a very tricky thing.

Perhaps she was Kodachi and made up all of those things in her overwrought mind. But she didn't, she knew she didn't. The constant reminder was the language she knew, Prime Ministers that have -- would be in position. She really was Akane, who P-chan or probably even God, given another chance. It just wasn't the best situation she's experienced.

Usually she would think of another person who were given worse lots in life than her, but then she was certain nothing was worse than what happened in the two months.

She lost everything in that car crash -- her life, her baby, her husband, her family, her friends. She was sent to replace a terrible woman, was given a husband who loathed her, servants who feared her and a terrible headache.

She was lonelier than she has ever been. Before she had Kasumi, Ryoga, her father, friends...Who did she have now? No one would believe her. She knew telling Ranma was a big mistake and she didn't know if he believed the truth. She prayed he did, because if he didn't he might think her crazy.

All her life she overcame obstacles. Beaten a ton of boys to prove she was just as good as they were, gained respect as the heiress of the dojo, run the very low dipping funds with the help of Kasumi and forced her way out of an arranged marriage with a guy named Shinnusuke.

She was daunted by nothing, a woman who would try everything once, just to say she did it. She was a person who never let life overwhelm her, remaining optimistic in trouble. Her friends were amazed.

She wasn't about to stop now. She couldn't let another person's problems get the better of her. Akane decided to do the thing she always did when she felt down -- exercise.

Standing up, cheered by her resolve. She walked and almost stumbled with the cloth that held her knees together and decided that the knee-bindings would be the first to go. From what she saw, Kodachi has nothing in her closet remotely suitable for a good workout. But with all those dresses, she was sure she has enough material for a shirt and shorts.

She frowned at the thought of sewing. She was never good at it, but she could not tell Ifuku to make her the articles of clothing she wanted. The household would surely think her crazy then.

She just told Ifuku to gather the materials she'd needed and selected which dress should be sacrificed. Picking the skimpiest, thinnest and the ugliest kimono in the wardrobe, she ripped it apart with glee.

After five hours she made a pair of ill fitting oversized black shorts cut to the knees of a modest concession to the ages and a simple pullover shirt. Using some left over cloth, she tied her hair back in a high ponytail.

She looked at her ensemble in a full-length mirror and decided that the shorts were very very uneven and the shirt fit like a rice sack. 'At least I won't trip over anything.'

She was about to set out when she realized that she has nothing on her feet, and she certainly could not run in those torture devices she has been wearing -- the Japanese clogs were not the the softest devices for the feet. After a moment of thought, she decided running barefoot would be best, especially if she decided to run by the beach despite the cold. By the time she stretched Kodachi's muscles, dusk was approaching, a nice time to go out running. With another quick glance at the mirror and a frown at her yellowing bruise, Akane headed out of the house, ignoring the stares of the servants.

Akane has little time to explore the grounds. When she opened the shoji and looked inside the training hall, she decided the plainest room in the grounds would be her personal haven.

The dojo was rather simple, with wooden paneling for the floors and walls. Unlike the dojo her father owned, there was no wall dedicated for students that trained under it. There was a big box to one side that she didn't notice with her earlier tour. She opened it, and was surprised to find out that they contained what seemed to be gymnastic materials. She took out a green ribbon. It was dusty. No one used it for ages. When she turned the box, the name Kodachi was written across it in Kanji.

The other weapons, she attributed for the use of samurai who needed to defend the place. There was nothing useful to her. Not even blocks or wood to break. She shrugged, and promised herself she would find some later. She did acknowledge that finding cinder blocks in this age would be a tad difficult. She left and closed the paper doors behind her.

After that, she walked around the mansion, the cool grass sticking against her feet. She searched for a way to the beach. It was colder than what she expected.

She followed a stonewall that ran along the bluff's edge until she came to an opening that led to the stairway dropping to the beach. She walked down the steep but sturdy wooden steps to the sand below and began running on the soft sand. She never learned how to swim, and the allure the sea probably stemmed from it. It was fascinating that there was life living in the endless blue, which she could almost never survive in if it was more than her height.

She breathed in the salty-fishy air and braced herself for the memories of Ryoga she knew would come, for they spent some time in beaches. He always conceded to her want to go to the shore, even though he knew she was hopeless at ever learning how to swim.

She closed her eyes and tried to remember Ryoga and their times together, suddenly wondering why she did not miss her husband, why she did not mourn him. It was as if her time with him was nothing but a fond memory all together. She suddenly realized that P-chan somehow took away all those memories, so she could live on.

She became angry for a while, because she wanted to mourn her husband and the life she lost, but realized that they have let her. For the first moments she spent in Kodachi's body crying, she mourned her husband and her family.

She quickly tired, as her leg muscles labored to keep pace with Akane's ambition to run across the beach, for Kodachi has not trained in a while. She was gasping for breath, her lungs aching from the sharply cold air, she walked until she felt she was rested and ran some more, ignoring the cramp on her side.

Trudging up the steep stairs after her run, Akane felt lightheaded and shaky, her clothes filled with sweat.

That was what Akane did over the weeks. Her clothes, which before had been immodestly tight, were now so loose that she had to have a million pins to hold them in place.

At first, it was difficult to convince the cook that she did not need a mountain of food and five different courses each meal but she finally got her way. The cook servicing them knew how to cook meat, something rare in feudal Japan she wagered and she briefly wondered if it was the Portuguese influence. A maid under questioning said that Kodachi liked her food with meat rather than fish.

Akane quickly ordered a change in her course to what she was accustomed to. In their way of thinking, the Lady Kodachi was trying to starve herself. Even though she changed her diet to what was the norm, she ate barely an eighth of what Lord Ranma took in. It was an unknown fact to the servants that an eighth of Ranma's food consumption was normal standards to those outside the clan. It was a fact that many in the kitchen met with glee rather than concern.

Akane's blanched skin tone got a glow from walking in the sun along the shore. Akane felt healthier than that fat old thing she had been a month ago. The sluggishness she felt was gone, her face lost its puffiness and her hair was clean and shining. Even her teeth, which Kodachi abused, were beginning to whiten from the tooth powder she began to use. The tooth powder was expensive since she needed to buy it from the Portuguese, but it was worth it. She did not agree with the current Japanese trend of blackening her teeth.

She was beginning to think that she was in an endless vacation with nothing else to do but train the rusty body she was in and have fun. Since there was no electricity, the library was where she spent her nights when she became tired. Other than that, she was not affected by the lack of technology.

She didn't mind the lanterns, besides she has to rough it with lamps at training trips, why not now? The telephone? Who would she call? What would she tell? No one would believe her.

Sometimes, when she paused to think about her situation, she remembered the man she was married to. Since that was her only distress, she put it back in her head.

Once she sneaked into his room, to get a feeling of the man he was, but found nothing. She stood there staring at the walls. 'He did have better taste than Kodachi though' she thought as she looked over the contrast to Kodachi's dreadful room.

The only thing that caught her attention in the room -- though it was beautiful -- was a sword lying down on the futon. It was well balanced and fit solidly in her hands. A good sword with a beautiful hilt.

She opened his closet (1) and found some old-fashioned 1600-ish kimonos, hakamas, loincloths and all. But then, for him, it wouldn't be old-fashioned. There were some Chinese shirts and silk pants folded to the side of the dresser, similar to what she saw him attired when she woke up. Later she would learn from the servants that he wore the Chinese clothes only in Nerima or in the presence of other Saotomes.

As days progressed, she found herself drawn to the servants gossiping (2). Although it was hard to catch them doing so, they have their rare moments where they talked about what happened on the other village, about the sick boy in town, about their curiosity in the sudden surge of cats... they talked about little things and it was rare that one would mention political matters... but it was enough for her. It was her window to the outside world. It was proof that it wasn't something she dreamed overnight. Proof that this world was real.

Comfortably set in her new life, Akane was starting to come to terms that the pretty face that stared back in the mirror was her own. It took some time, but she wasn't startled to see another face staring back when she looked at a reflective object.

At first, she was reluctant to have the servants do everything for her. Being born to parents who were saving up every coin for their education tended to have that effect on you. She wasn't rich and she wasn't accustomed to it. But when she saw the look on the servant's face when she put away the futon, she decided just to let them do their job.

She didn't know how to act around them, and after much debate, decided she should just be herself. And that, more than anything, has the servants of Rose Brier confused. Half of the servants thought she was playing a joke, half thought she was losing the rest of the bolts that held her mind together, but all agreed that she was up to no good.

Rose Brier has always been a tense place to work with Lady Kodachi always flying from one tirade to the next. She dispatched maids for the simplest offenses of having given her the wrong quantity of ingredients with her potion -- when it was as minute as a pinch. That her roses weren't watered enough when they went through the trouble of measuring everything to the point of her orders.

Ranma managed to track down the vassals that Kodachi sent away and managed to get them back or compensate. He usually succeeded, Kodachi wasn't usually at home and when she was, she became drunk frequently. He was just thankful she never saw the need to take their own lives in her hands. Of course, this didn't include heavily scarring them. She was just as entitled to a sword as he was... though she found it bloody and messy.

Most of the time, she acted as if she didn't care for Rose Brier except for her hideous bedroom, the black roses and the potions she was constantly brewing in one of the rooms -- which one they still have yet to find -- the mistress was good with hiding things she did not want to be seen.

This unpredictability kept the servants from pleasing their mistress.

Now they were seeing a completely new side of her. She was completely different from the Lady Kodachi they were accustomed to. Mostly they wanted to see what the Lady Kodachi -- now the Lady Akane as she preferred, would do. How their lord would react to her. The day the master came home... it would be an interesting day.

Contemplating on whether to wake his daughter or not when they reached Rose Brier Ranma tightened his grip protectively around his daughter. Finally deciding that a big home coming with her awake wasn't something he wanted her to experience he left her peacefully asleep on his lap. Especially since Kodachi might still be home. She certainly showed no signs of leaving the last he saw her.

He absently stroked her reddish hair gathering the child into his arms as gently as possible. Homecoming was one of the events in his miserable life that he really didn't look forward to. There was simply nothing to come home to.

There were no children. He hated his wife. If it wasn't for Hanae, Nabiki and Sei, he didn't know what he would be doing. Frankly, he thought they did more for him than he did for them.

He loved Rose Brier and the Dojo, although once it was named very differently. He forced himself to forget that now. It was difficult to dwell on the past, especially since they could do nothing to change it. All that mattered was that he has his daughter with him. Rose Brier was his responsibility along with Nerima and the whole of the han, Sagami. It was his duty to his liege lord -- he needed to come home.

His thoughts wandered to the problem that drew him away in the first place. For the past six months, the enemies of Ieyasu Tokugawa were mobilizing. Ieyasu was Happosai's ally therefore also his liege lord, higher up than even the head of his clan, it was also important to be noted that Ieyasu was a major daimyo.

It was worse for him because they were tampering with his land. He needed to report this to the Lord Happosai at once. If this continued, he woud be forced out of Nerima.

Armed with enough proof to convince the biggest skeptic, Ranma decided to go to his sister Nabiki for a long discussion about the problems.

He was brought back from his musings with Hanae's jerk and looked out the palanquin; Rose Brier was coming into view now. Fleetingly, he wondered about Kodachi and her so-called-amnesia. He hoped she gave up on it and that she went away and returned to her miserable life. If that was true then she wouldn't be home, but somehow, he knew she would be. She always was where he didn't need her.

It was good though, despite everything, to be home.

As the palanquin stopped, he carried the still sleeping child out. He hated the use of kagas (3) and preferred horses or a good run but Happosai upon hearing about Kodachi's insult re-called all his horses. He grumbled a little at the old man, he was the one who ordered him to marry the harlot knowing Kodachi's nature, but he still reclaimed his horses to appease his pride. Happosai recalled them so that he wouldn't lose face.

Only a select few were allowed to use carriages, and even then only on a very special road. Sometimes the very sick were allowed by their liege lords to use it and the doctors were given leeway because of their perpetual emergencies. He was prepared to travel by foot but since Hanae joined them home, and he was officially doing Happosai's business, he allowed the travel arrangements.

Sasuke, who accompanied Ranma, brought their things to their respective rooms quickly using the trees and windows as stairs towards the chambers. Ranma would have followed had he not heard a woman shouting. The words made little sense, so he did not pay attention to their meaning but instead tried to focus on the sound. "...is neck in neck with her opponent. It looks like Akane Hi--errrr Saotome is once again going to capture the gold. The crowd goes wild! Yaaaaaaaaay!"

Kodachi, her hair in a ponytail, her face dripping in sweat stopped at the door when she realized she had an audience. She leaned against the door huffing and puffing. "Whew, I just won the gold medal in the hundred yard dash! Congratulate me?" She smiled but didn't wait for Ranma to snap out of his puzzlement. "Welcome home, Ranma."

She squinted then brought her hand against her eyes. "Was that Sasuke entering the window?" She was surprised to see that leap and thought she was seeing things. As she turned to him, she noticed the little girl sleeping in his arms. Akane leaned closer, glad that Ranma didn't move away as she peered at his lovely charge. "What's her name?"

"Hanae," Ranma said simply. An introduction between Hanae and his wife was something he foresaw. He has always known it would not go well.

"May I..." Kodachi started tentatively, knowing the child wasn't a baby, but she missed her own so much. "May I carry her?"

"You told me six years ago never to let you see her again." Ranma's eyes hardened. "I am merely obliging you your wishes."

Kodachi looked stricken and backed up. For the first time, Ranma saw her face. He couldn't believe it was the same woman he left weeks ago. On some level, he understood that she has to be Kodachi, but his eyes tried to dispute him. Standing before him was a beautiful slender woman with surprisingly bright eyes. She was completely different from the feverish woman he left two months ago. It was the face Kodachi presented at Nerima, and the face he quickly grew to despise. "Kodachi?"

"That's Akane remember?" She regained her smile again and for some reason her heart was beating faster than it was supposed to after a four mile run and breaking driftwood. Seeing him apparently caught her off her guard. She also forgot that he was handsome.

"Akane." He glared at her. "Why choose that name, Kodachi? You know very well Nabiki liked that name for her child."

"I--I didn't know." She hadn't understood when she woke up why it would upset him to take up the name. Now, it looked like she wished that she chose something else. "I could change it if you want."

"Whatever you like."

She looked different. Coincidentally enough it was what she picked up next for a topic, "I started running and practicing in the dojo. I also got some wood, breaking and stuff. I eat less of the food too."

Ranma gave her another once over then locked his eyes on her face, she deeply tanned her skin and frowned, Kodachi never went out without a sun guard, parasol and gloves. She treasured the whiteness of her skin. The darker the skin was the more common, and she hated commoners worst of all. "You... darkened your skin tone..."

"Yes... I had a very unhealthy pallor..."

His eyes traveled down from her face to what she was wearing, he voiced it out loud, "What do you think you're wearing?"

Akane paused and her eyes looked down on her shirt and shorts. "It's a running thing. You really don't expect me to run in my kimono do you?" When she saw a yes being formed in his lips she interrupted, "Don't answer that. If you don't like what you see. Don't look. Don't be such a prude. Ugh. What a century!"

Ranma stared at her. The dress shouldn't have bothered him, after all in a time where public baths, or when in a battle men were forced to relieve themselves in the midst of everyone, nudity wasn't uncommon. Peasants took all human manure and mixed it with water... nothing was taken to waste. Men and women swam naked together, and Happosai ordered all his samurai to know how to swim, among other things.

Because of his unique curse though, Ranma didn't like of the lack of privacy. After growing up in China with Nabiki for company and such an 'un-Japanese' foster father didn't change his views. It didn't sit well that Kodachi was running around half-dressed for everyone to see.

Ranma stood there for a moment then followed her inside. "I'm calling for the doctor."

"What? Why?" Kodachi asked whirling around to look at him. He was already ready to summon someone to bring the good doctor in. "I'm healthy. See? I have been for days!"

"You're crazy," he said as he went up the house to deposit Hanae to her room. She guessed the room that was guarded beside his was the girl's. As she looked at his retreating back, she has a sinking feeling that her mission here was not going to end any time soon.

Footnotes:

(1) Is this what's really inside a traditional 1600's Japanese home?Okay, to answer that, I've never seen any traditional 1600'sJapanese home, so I wouldn't exactly know where they put theclosets and stuff like that. History books tend to go more on allthe persona than the details, you know. If anyone ever finds outdrop me a line :)

Yes, they don't have permanent rooms back then... but humor me in this one.

(2)After much convincing I changed it :) I just didn't want to take the footnotes because it's so tiring to move everything. (imagine moving from 20 - 100 and see how you feel).

(3) What are kaga? Kagas are sorta like palanquins, it was the usual mode of transportation for samurai with station. Usually four kaga-men, carry this, but there are variants for two. Japan preferred kaga over carriages because 'There are simply too many rivers and streams to bridge over for carriages.' (quote from some book)

Only the emperor was allowed on a carriage and only on this special road. Some of the very sick (but only with the permission of the liege lord) sometimes can use kaga and doctors are allowed to because of their perpetual emergencies. Therefore kagas and horses were a sign of rank and status. Even if a wealthy man wanted a kaga, he couldn't have it if he isn't the right status.

Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2 and the book I based it from Which is When there is Hope, and if you sue me you can't possibly get money from me.

Author's notes:

Divorce is rare in modern Japan, but from what I read, in the olden days Japanese people could divorce as much as they like, although divorce isn't the term then... the husbands could send away their wives, banish them, order them to commit seppuku and generally boss them around. It was the Western countries (because of Christianity) that remained faithful to one partner.

Why doesn't Ranma boss Kodachi? Well, he does, when he's allowed to... that damned Happosai.

This part of the fanfic hasn't deviated much from When there is Hope except for Hanae and Ukyo. As chapters progress, we are going to be increasingly leaving that and move on to the story I'm weaving. Try as I might to re-write this, it hasn't been cooperating.

Anyway... whew, I think the whole author's notes and endnotes are at least half of the whole story, sorry, I'm just too talkative I guess.

iCe

website: ice dot esmartdesign dot com
e-mail: siuane at gmail dot com
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I write when the spirit moves, and I make sure it moves everyday.
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