That was why Soun took a few minutes before he recognized what it was that his 'nagging feeling' was telling him he'd misplaced. "Saotome? It is quiet, is it not?"
"Really?" Genma began, whatever he'd been about to say lost to the moment. "You know, I didn't notice it before, but I have to agree. But why would that be...."
"You can't tell?"
"What I do know is that our children should be making more noise than they are," the rounder man murmured.
"That's exactly it!"
"Oh?"
The Tendo patriarch sighed. "Where did the children go?"
"That... is a good question. They obviously aren't out here with us."
"Perhaps they went inside...."
"What? To relax while we talked out here?"
"Could be, though not letting us know wouldn't be all that proper...."
"Well then, you can give them a good talking to," Genma suggested as he looked to his friend. "Once we find them, of course."
"But where would they go...."
"You did say that they might go inside...."
"True.... Well then, let's see if we can join them," Soun told his old buddy.
"After you."
Nodding, the taller man led the way inside, and headed for the family room, certain that if his daughters had gone inside, they'd be there. He could already picture them seated at the table and making polite conversation with their possible fiance. They'd be seated and waiting for the arrival of the two fathers, and the dignified work of settling one of them down into an engagement.
Instead, he got to see a single bottle on the table, and no teenagers in sight.
"Sake? You bring it out for our arrival?" Genma asked.
"No, I didn't think of that. I recognize the bottle though. But I don't know why it's here...."
"I don't know either. Still, that sake looks good.... And there's a piece of paper here."
"Let me see," Soun muttered, and took the paper into his hands, immediately recognizing the handwriting.
Daddy-You look to be really taken with your friend, so we're going to be taking Ranma to a restaurant that we like, and be friends to him. Kasumi got out the special sake so that you can have fun and celebrate with your old buddy. Enjoy yourself.
- Nabiki
"My daughters have taken your son out to eat."
Blinking, the Saotome patriarch looked towards his friend. "Is it bad?"
"No, actually, it seems to be pretty good. It sounds like they are trying to be nice and friendly with him, which means that they've accepted him as someone to like."
"Then they'll be all the more welcoming of the chance to marry my son...."
"Exactly!"
"That's a reason to celebrate! Shall we open this bottle?"
Soun waved the piece of paper at his old training partner. "They took it out for that specific purpose, Saotome."
"Perfect. As far as I can see, you have raised them well."
"They are my pride and joy...."
"As they should be, Tendo. As they should be," the barrel bodied man intoned. "Let's toast them and their future marriage to my son, shall we?"
"But of course," the mustached man agreed, and the pair plopped down to sit at the table, each of them taking a cup to drink their sake from.
There was a point when a girl found herself unable to do anything more to 'get ready'. Once all the natural things were taken care of, and nothing more could be made up, the person was left with nothing else to do. As a result, she would be lost, and unable to do something to keep herself busy, other than to wait for what was going to come.
That was the place that Ukyo was in at the moment. Having straightened her restaurant up as much as she could, and taken time to make the best of her appearance, she didn't have much work to do. She could have merely done some goofing off, but she was too tightly wound up to relax properly.
She even jumped a little when she heard the door to the restaurant open behind her. "I'm sorry, but we're closed.... Ranchan?"
"Hi, Ucchan," the pigtailed boy said as he came inside and opened his arms.
No other invitation was needed, as she welcomed what he was silently suggesting. Running into his embrace, she hugged him right back, almost as if she was afraid that he was going to evaporate on her. But he was quite solid, and she tipped her head, with tears of joy beading at the corners of her eyes. With the upswing of happiness bubbling in her heart, there was only one thing that she could do.
As a result, Akane, Nabiki, and Kasumi smiled their own little smiles at the sight of Ukyo pressing a deep kiss to the lips of the boy that she loved, while:
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(Posted Wed, 02 Aug 2006 07:01)
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