[Episode 201857] [Episode 201857]Ranma woke to the sound of his father snoring. A quick look out the window told him it was barely sunrise, probably five or so in the morning. He quietly got off his futon and made his way out to the back, where he began his katas.
He started with those of the Saotome Ryu, and found that he needed slightly more concentration to perform them. It felt… unusual, as if he had slacked off for a month or two. It took him a while to realize it was because even though the body knew them, it was only the ‘Ranma’ part of his mind- that part that had been his whole being until last night- that had learned them; the ‘Prince Ran’ part of his mind, now the dominating aspect by the sheer amount of experience it had gone through, had never learned them. Indeed, he had died before the Saotome Ryu was even conceived! Of course he wouldn’t know it… though he DID know a few schools that were quite similar. Perhaps his ‘family school’ (he intended to change that as soon a possible- the Saotome name had no honor to it anymore, thanks to the old bastard that was currently snoring away in their shared room, so it would be in his best interest if he cut off all ties from it) was a remnant of one of these long dead schools?
He finished the last kata of the Saotome Ryu, then went on into those he had learned during his days as Prince Ran. It was harder this time, seeing as how he now had lack of muscle memory and lack of experience working against him. But he endured, and by the end felt he at least rudimentary elemental energy manipulation down again. It would be quite a ways to go before he was as good as he was before his death, though.
But it just meant he had to push through those barriers again, something he was quite looking forward to. He remembered the joy, the triumph he had felt when he broke a limit and became more for it. He would experience it again. He grinned at the thought.
His workout done for the morning, he went into the bathroom and went through his morning toiletries with the efficiency of the trained soldier he was (he was a soldier of fortune, yes, but a disciplined soldier nonetheless). His bath revealed that he curse was still activated by water, but now that he could recognize just how the magic was integrated into his body, he knew that soon he would finally achieve his goal and be rid of it… though the “Onyx” part of him, the part of him that had been a semi-ruthless mercenary (he could never bring himself to hurt or kill children, while he only hurt women when they attacked or pissed him off) saw the potential in having another, more innocent form. Maybe if he moved the trigger to something more controllable…?
After he finished, he dressed in an old gakuran Kasumi had bought him when he first arrived. He had first seen it was restrictive and pointless, but he had since come to realize that one had to be ready and able to fight in anything, whether it be restrictive or not. The uniform would give him good practice, seeing as how it was a bit tight, but not so tight as to tear if he were to do anything too strenuous.
Practicality aside, though, he had another reason for breaking from his tradition of Chinese silk shirt and kung-fu pants: he was a different person now, a person no longer prone to childish acts of defiance or pettiness. His old clothes symbolized that old him, and he no longer wanted any part of it.
As a finishing touch, he undid his pigtail and retied it into a low ponytail, the way he had worn it in his past life. He ran his hand through his hair a few times to get some of the knots out, before stepping out and heading for the kitchen. He was planning on making a quick breakfast for himself before heading out. He was going to school on his own today; he didn’t feel like punishing himself with the company of that violent bitch, Akane.
Seriously, what in the world had he seen in her before? So what if she had a cute smile? Or that she’d been with him for most of his misadventures? He might have been lacking the emotional and social capacity before, but now he saw those seemingly caring acts as what they really were: she was only looking out for her own interests. She didn’t give damn about him, only that he wasn’t stolen from her or broken before she had a chance to get tire of him. And that cute smile? Not much good if she was trying to kill him for every perceived wrong. And to think he had killed for her, given the last of his innocence to protect her…
She had been nice to him after the wedding, he’d admit that. Even though he had done his own part to ruin it, she had still been civil, and even friendly towards him. He’d hoped then that it would only get better. On hindsight, he should have known that there was no way that was going to happen.
But it had only lasted a week, before she slowly, but surely, started drifting back to her old ways. Recently she’d somehow become even WORSE then before, if that was possible. There was nothing he couldn’t do that would either earn him an insult or an outright attack. He’d actually been smashed into LEO more times in the past WEEKEND than he had the entire previous month!
He stopped just before the door to the kitchen. But despite all that, despite the fact that he was now a completely different person, he still felt something for her, some illogical, residual affection. Oh, he now knew there was no way in hell they were ever going to work out, especially now, but… a small part of him still wished it would.
He sighed and indulged himself in wondering just what might have been if things had been different, before shoving those thoughts from his mind and walking the rest of the way into the kitchen…
…Only to find Kasumi already there, starting breakfast. He blinked; had he been so into his thoughts? He hadn’t even felt her there! He really needed to step up his training- this just would not do!
Kasumi chose that moment to turn around, holding a pot of something or another. “Oh, good morning, Ranma- eep!” she got out before she finally noticed his new appearance. In her shock she dropped her burden, and it was only his quick acting that saved them both some unnecessary clean-up, as he rushed over and caught it with his foot, a small flick, and the pot landed lightly in his hands. He handed it over to the flustered girl, who spared a second to put it on the counter before turning back to stare.
“R-ranma-kun? What-?” She managed stuttered out.
“Good Morning, Kasumi-dono. You approve?” He asked with a smile, holding out his arms for inspection.
“I… you look so handsome in it! But why are you dressed like that?”
Ranma thought about his answer for a bit, trying to put it into words that wouldn’t reveal too much. “I guess I finally realized it was time to grow up…” he finally decided on.
“Ranma?”
“I looked at myself last night… and saw before me a child. An immature, irresponsible child. A child that, despite his bravado, only knew how to follow, and so was led around by others, always for their own gain, but never for his.
“I looked at this child, this lamb… and was disgusted.
“I am supposed to be the best of the best. Yet, because my only skill is martial arts, I am tricked, guilted, and generally pushed around by everyone… I am their servant, their plaything, their slave. And it was only now that I realized that.
“Well, not anymore. I will be no one’s slave. I will be no one’s plaything. I will be no one’s servant. I will not be tricked, guilted, or pushed. I will expand my skills, put my all- my drive- into everything I do. I will hone ALL my skills, and I will be my own.
“It’s time I grew up, and truly be the best of the best.”
Silence stretched on after he ended his speech. His attention had drifted down to his crossed arms, so he looked up at Kasumi again, and was shocked by what he saw: tears ran down her cheeks in rivulets, but she was smiling. As soon as theirs eyes met, he was engulfed in a warm hug, even as his jacket began to get soaked from tears.
“Kasumi…?”
“I’m proud of you, Ranma. I’m so very, very proud of you. You’re finally growing up, becoming that man amongst man you always wanted to be. You’re like family- no, you ARE family- and it makes me happy that you’re finally coming into your own.
“But… I can’t help but be a little jealous, too.
“I know it’s selfish. You have so many doors open to you now, Ranma-kun, while I… just as those doors are open for you, so they are closed to me.
“Sometimes I wonder what might have happened if I continued my schooling, gone to college, then medical school, like I’d planned. But I had to take care of my family, and it was impossible to do both. I had to give up one or the other, and in the end I gave up my plans so that I could become the mother my sisters needed me to be…
“I know this shouldn’t be something I regret. I know it was needed, and I should be happy to be helping my family. But I can’t help but wonder at those closed doors, and regret my decision a little
“And that’s why I’m jealous, because you have been given the chance I no longer have. So promise me, Ranma, that you’d make the best of it. That’s you’ll keep your promise to be the best of the best. That you won’t waste this opportunity.
“…If for no other reason so that I could live a little bit of my dream through you. So that I’ll stop regretting, stop wondering about those forever closed doors.”
By the end of it she was shuddering against him, and every so often, during the pauses, he could here a small sob or hiccup. He could only hold her as she broke down.
In all the time he’d been there, he’d always admired Kasumi. She was always calm, never letting anything get to her… and it was all too easy to forget that she was still only nineteen, and still human, with desires and selfish wishes, just like the rest of them. She’d taken care of all of them for so long… he’d never realized just how many of her dreams she had to let die to be able to do that.
“But what if those doors weren’t closed forever, Kasumi?” he suddenly found himself asking. Even as he was wondering what the hell he was thinking, more words were coming to him, and his plans began to modify themselves. “What if you could have a second chance?”
Kasumi looked up at him, confused and still crying. “What?” was all she asked.
“If another chance came your way, would you accept it? If another door opened, would you go through it?”
“Why are you asking, Ranma-kun?” She was now staring intently at him. He didn’t flinch from her gaze.
Ranma debated with himself, wondering just how much he could tell her. He finally said, “I have a plan. If it works, I will be severing all ties here and leaving for some place else. I would like you to come with me.”
Kasumi gasped as the implications of what he was asking sank in. “But… my place is here! I can’t leave! I cannot abandon my family! They need me here!”
“Do they, Kasumi-dono? Your sisters are old enough to take care of themselves, now, and your father should have been taking care of you three in the first place. You don’t have to stay here anymore.”
“But-!”
Ranma placed a finger on her lips. “No buts. Think about it. You have plenty of time.”
Then, feeling daring, he proceeded to place a kiss on er forehead before letting her go. “Now go clean up, Kasumi-dono. I’ll finish breakfast. Nabiki?”
The other girl, who he’d sensed at the door for the last several minutes, jumped and gave a small “eep!”. Ranma smiled at getting the drop on her once again.
“Can you help Kasumi to the bathroom?” he asked as he started on breakfast. Nabiki had probably heard quite a bit of the conversation, and now Kasumi knew she probably had. They would have to talk, sooner or later, and it was better if it was sooner.
Nabiki gave a nod. “Sure. C’mon, onee-chan, let’s get you cleaned up.”
Ranma smiled as they left, and continued cooking with Amaguriken-level speeds.
Ten minutes later, the two sisters returned to find breakfast laid out, with a little note held down by a pot of rice. Kasumi picked it up and read it in a whisper:
‘Grabbed a bite to eat. Heading out early. And remember, Kasumi-dono: keep heart, for no matter how bleak it may seem, there are ALWAYS second chances. –Ranma’
She smiled, and brought it to her heart. “Thank you, Ranma-kun,” she whispered.
Next to her, Nabiki couldn’t help but smile, too; Ranma might have been blackmailing her at the moment, but she had to admit that whatever he’d done, it had done her beloved older sister a lot of good. She had seemed happy and serene before, but now… it was like an unseen weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
‘Heh. Didn’t know you had it in you, you lug… even if you’re a reincarnated prince, now,’ she thought to herself as she sat herself down and began to eat.
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(Posted Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:26)
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