For Ranma, it had been a major adjustment to go through to be on the road with his father. He knew that he would become the best there was, because his father said so. After all, his father wouldn't just take him away for no reason. Still, he missed his mother and knew that he would have to work really hard to become the greatest martial artist around.
But that didn't mean that he couldn't play once in a while. He knew that his dad had been saying that girls were too soft and things like that, but the three that he had found playing in the park where his father and he had been practicing seemed nice enough. It didn't matter that they all weren't his age, as he found it nice to have a chance to play once again. Even if they wanted to play something as silly as 'house'.
"Dunno why I gotta be the 'husband' anyway," he muttered irritably.
The brunette girl in front of him sniffed. "It's real simple. You're a boy. A boy has to be the 'husband'. Understand?"
"Yeah, but why d'we gotta play this game anyway."
"'Cause we played tag like you wanted, so now it's our turn. So pay up."
"'Pay'? Why?"
"That's what's supposed to happen. Boys who want to marry a girl give her and her family something for it. Used to be cows and pigs, but now it's money."
"Where'd ya get that from?"
"On TV silly! My Mom was watching one of those shows where they talk about that sort of stuff."
The pigtailed boy huffed and dug into his pocket. "Okay, but I ain't got much."
"How much you got?"
"This much."
"That's good. Now you have to sign this paper, and we'll be all good."
Scribbling his name onto the paper, Ranma scowled. "That it?"
"Yup," she told him and snagged his wrist as she dragged him along, "Now come on, and let's play."
He merely sighed as he felt himself being dragged to play the game.
Present Day:
Akane frowned as she looked around at the table. "Where is that jerk?"
"And what 'jerk' would that be sister dear?" Nabiki drawled.
"Ranma! That's who!"
"Oh my..," breathed Kasumi, "It's not like him to be late for a meal..."
"Exactly! So either he's in trouble or he's out with one of those girls."
"I'm sure that he'll have a reasonable explination when he comes," Soun told his youngest daughter.
"And if he doesn't," Genma commented, "That means more for me!"
"Don't even think about it Pop," came a masculine voice.
Everyone turned to look at the entering pigtailed boy, who looked to be supremely interested in the paper that he was holding.
"What kept you?" Akane asked him.
"This did," he replied, holding up a paper.
"So? What is so important about it?"
"I was gettin' somethin' from a closet when I found it. Dunno know why it's here though."
"Why is that?"
"'Cause the last time that I saw it, I was only a little kid."
"Hold on a second," interrupted Nabiki, "How did something from your childhood get into our house?"
"Got me."
"Could it be that it was in your pack and just got put into the closet by mistake?"
"Nah. The girls that I was playin' with took it. Wanted ta keep it for some reason."
"'Girls'?"
"Yeah. Three of 'em, wanted ta play 'House' for some silly reason."
Kasumi frowned for a moment. "We haven't played that since we were in the park for that picnic just before Mother..."
"The one with the hill with the tree on it?" the Saotome Heir asked.
"That's the one!"
"Hold on... That's something really wierd goin' on then."
Rolling her eyes, Nabiki stood and took the paper from him. "Come on Saotome, it's probably a coincidence. I mean, look, we could have just happened to have something similar."
"But that's my signature right there. I used ta be so proud that I could do write like Mom taught me."
"I never said that the possibility that there could be two papers would be likely. But let's see here," the middle Tendo told him, and then began to read from the page, "'We, the boy and girl writing down our names on this paper promise and will be a good husband and wife to each other for whatever the boy can give us.'"
"Ya can read it?"
"Umm... yeah. And I can tell you who signed it."
"Ya can? I've been tryin' ta read it for a while now."
"Yes. I haven't seen it written this way for a while, but that happens to be:
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(Posted Tue, 30 Sep 2003 03:42)
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