The families split soon after leaving the meeting, each heading for their respective homes. Nabiki trudged along behind her mom silently. That was a close call. Just need to tough it out until Ranma's genie comes back for us.
"That was a good thing you did for that girl," Kimiko declared carefully.
Nabiki bit her bottom lip in thought. "Yeah, well..." She was reluctant to admit she only had a selfish motive to her plan. I can't just admit that I only want her so I can stay alive until I can go home again.
Kimiko sighed and stopped. Taking her daughter's chin into her hand, she tipped Nabiki's head back so she could see into her daughter's eyes. "Sometimes, I wonder what you'd be like if your father was still around. I know that at your age, you think your immortal and everything is just innocent fun. But, you didn't think about how worried her parents would be when they found their daughter missing. I thought I raised you smarter than that. If you had just told me what you wanted to do, I could have approached them and we probably would have worked something out. Instead, you just plowed ahead heedless of consequences. Did you even try planning ahead or thinking about the consequences of you action? Did it not occur to you that a better way would be to come to me? I'm disappointed that you didn't even confide in me."
Nabiki took a step back and, once free of her mom's hand, looked to the ground, ashamed.
"Nabiki, look at me," Kimiko gently commanded her daughter. "I can appreciate wanting to make a strong team to succeed with. But honey, you ought to know that I would be proud of you, no matter how high or low you rank, as long as I knew you did your best and learned all you could have. Success is not how close to the best you are; it's the obstacles you overcome to get to where you're at. It isn't how high you are compared to others; it is how high you are compared with how deep you started. But, if to succeed and be the best, you start to do things that make you unable to look at yourself in the mirror, well then, you already failed, and you failed your family and its honor. Remember, I'm going to love you no matter what, but try not to be so stupid next time.
"So no more plotting and sneaking. If you need help, ask me for it."
Nabiki's eyes became moist as she took a hesitant step forward. Next thing she knew, she was hugging her mother around the waist.
"What's that for?" Kimiko asked in amusement.
Nabiki sniffed. Can't say, 'I've missed you.' Can I? Nabiki thought to herself. "Just for being you," Nabiki answered.
"Come along, we must get home now. And you know; you're still grounded. For the next two weeks, you are to come straight home from school. You will not be hanging out with friends. You will be doing your homework first thing when you get home, and you can not have any friends over unless it is for school or training Yakumo in the dojo."
Nabiki nodded solemnly at that.
"And you can start with cleaning the mess in your room. Also, I don't care if he's a girl at the time. From now on, when Ranma visits, you're to stay downstairs in the family room." Kimiko didn't add ‘where I can see you.’ But she knew they both understood it was implied. Kimiko's expression hardened as she asked, "You don't have any orange covered books in your room, do you?"
Nabiki shook her head in the negative.
"Good! Now hurry up. Kasumi is watching Akane, but she has plans with her boyfriend later. It wouldn't be fair to her to dawdle and arrive late."
Ranma followed his mom home, blushing the entire way. His overactive imagination was picturing everyone they passed by knowing he read the Icha Icha series. He would imagine that they were pointing at him from behind his back as he passed by. They would be saying things like, "Look, there goes the Icha Icha Ninja."
How can I show my face at school ever again? Ranma moaned mentally.
Nodoka however, walked with an extra bounce to her step. "I think I'll cook all of your favorites for dinner tonight ... and raw oysters ... Hmm, perhaps I can find some shark fin? It'll be expensive, but worth it for my manly son."
Ranma groaned. His grafted memories showed him that his mom only became gradually more obsessed about his manliness after he got cursed. This made for an awkward scene once, when Ranma insisted on being female to try to con more food when having ramen face-offs with Naruto. It seems that going regularly as a girl to eat ramen with Naruto somehow started a rumor that he was Naruto's girlfriend. Fortunately, he got that cleared up with his mom.
"Er ... since the Hokage forbade me from using Icha Icha to learn ninja techniques, do you think I can get a scroll now?"
His mother glared at him with pursed lips. "We'll see ..."
Ranma sighed. That pretty much meant when she did make up her mind, it wouldn't be to his favor. She'll probably try getting around the Hokage by writing her own version of Icha Icha Paradise and calling it something else. Shuffling along behind his mother, he tried to ignore her commentary on how pretty the grandchildren would be with Nabiki and Yakumo as mothers. He had figured his mom would be ecstatic if his teammates were both girls. No ‘him being the girlfriend’ rumors for her to squelch ruthlessly.
"So ... heh, heh, heh ... Kurama-san seems to be a nice girl." Ranma tried to make small talk, to distract his mom from her current line of thinking.
Nodoka smiled wistfully. "Yes. And it was nice of her clan to agree to keep mum about today's occurrences."
Probably more embarrassing to them than anything else, Ranma thought to himself with a sigh. After all, who would respect a clan who had their heiress kidnapped by a boy still in the Academy, from right under their noses?
"Though really, I think everyone should know how manly my son is. Figuring out ninja techniques from a book! After dinner, we'll have to list out the ones you can do already."
Ranma sighed again. I do hope I can just forget today happened. But with my luck, the only thing people will know or remember is just the stuff that embarrasses me, Ranma thought to himself vehemently. Naruto is sure to rub it in my face ... often.
Worse yet, he could see where this would lead to in this world, and not just a mother’s guidance to developing techniques. No; it was very simple now. No matter how strong and powerful he got, no matter if he topped the Four Hokages plus Madara Uchiha and all the Bijuu, combined, in terms of power and skill ... he’d always be known as the Icha Icha Ninja.
He could see it now; Naruto yelling in class about what Ranma had done. The classmates would tell their parents, who would tell their coworkers, who would tell more people ... Eventually, he’d be listed in a Bingo Book — he had to be, he was going to be the best — as Konoha’s Icha Icha Ninja.
And of course, some idiot in another village would show up to challenge him, claiming they were the one and only Icha Icha Ninja. Just like back in Nerima when the Old Letch declared Ranma his heir, it was going to do nothing but bring him pain, misery, and further humiliation. I blame Nabiki for this. And returning to Nerima wouldn't help. Somehow, someway, Akane would find out. She'd tell her precious P-Chan, but only after screaming about it at the top of her lungs at school. Soon, he'll have martial arts make-out challengers showing up at the dojo or, worse, his bed. All I wanted was help to word the wish just right, and what do I get? Screwed in two realities!
Ranma sighed, thinking of school the next day. I can only hope that the blonde ditz shows up tonight.
"When do you think you might be able to start training little Kurama-chan?" Nodoka asked.
Ranma shrugged. He and Nabiki hadn't figured that far yet before ANBU had shown up. "Tomorrow, hopefully; after school I imagine. Depends on what her folks will allow."
"Don't worry; I'll talk to them tomorrow while you're in classes. Now come along, we need to make a quick stop at the market."
Yakumo skipped along happily, singing, ‘I'm going to be a ninja’ over and over again.
Her family took one look at her happy face and no one had the desire to disappoint her.
‘Hope the Saotome kid pulls through ... or else’ was the thought on more than one mind.
But Yakumo was oblivious to this all. She found someone willing to train her and a team that wanted her. Life, suddenly, was perfect! She couldn't wait for the next day to begin. She was anxious to see Ranma and Nabiki again, and get started on her training. Sure, Ranma was a little strange. The whole turning girl thing was just weird. And, maybe, he was a little perverted too. But then again, what boy his age isn't?
"Mamma?" Yakumo still skipped along, glowing like a firefly.
"Yes, dear?"
Yakumo looked at her mother with a seriousness and intensity that she never exhibited before. "Do you think I'll ever become as good a ninja as Ranma-sama?"
Hopefully, not as perverted. However much Uroko wanted to voice her opinions, she managed to keep the words from slipping out. "I don't know, dear, but you never know." Yakumo's family were too concerned about the use of 'Ranma-sama' to give her question any real thought.
Yakumo smiled at her mother's response, and in spite of how impossible it would seem, she seemed to glow even brighter.
Nope, nothing was going to get her down. And her family was reluctant to deny her happiness.
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See other episodes by Errol Peregrinus
(Posted Sat, 17 Jan 2009 03:21)
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