"What is the matter, Dachi," her father asked. "You haven't said a word after 'Hello, Father.'"
Kodachi remained silent but shifted uncomfortably. Finally she sighed and turned to look at her father with ashamed eyes.
"I'm still finding the situation difficult to comprehend," Kodachi admitted quietly.
"Yes, I don't see what the fuss is over such a thing," her father said.
"Fuss?" Kodachi repeated. "I asked you to watch, I didn't ask you to...to..."
"But you wanted to win, right?" her father asked shrugging. "And that Ranma should not be representing the school with his grades."
"Then why didn't you use that instead of bringing bombs?" Kodachi asked tightly.
"Ah, he be out of hospital in no time," the Principal said.
"You brought bombs," Kodachi repeated. "There were numerous injuries, some among my teammates. Mimiko will need a cane the rest of her life, she can forget about the national trials!"
She sighed and took a deep breath.
"It would have been kinder to kill her," she said. "She truly loved the sport. Much more than I ever have. She could have been great."
"Should not try to embarrass Furinkan," he shrugged off the concern.
"You ruined her life!" Kodachi said. "She was starting to like me. I was starting to have friends. I was going to have a legitimate match with a worthy opponent. And...and...now they all think I planned this. And I may as well have."
"Ah, you shouldn't worry about such little people," the principal said. Then he leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "But you need worry about something. That wahini, the one that fought me."
"Kumobara?" she asked. "I believe that was the name she used."
"That's the one," her father whispered. "You need to teach her a thing or two about dealing with the Kuno family. I can't count on your brother doing this."
"Nor me," Kodachi said coldly. "She should have acted sooner. But she probably thought Ranma could handle it." And she probably didn't want to believe that it was her father doing it. Or, at least, that was what Kodachi was thinking to herself. "If she had acted as soon as you had started, then my friends wouldn't be hospitalized."
She stood up and looked down at her father.
"Why did you have to do that?" she asked, tears escaping her eyes. Why did he have to force her to fight him...and destroy the image she'd always held of him as an anchor of normality in the insanity of the Kuno family.
She walked out of the room, not listening to what he said.
*****
"What are you doing here?" Mimiko snapped bitterly as Kodachi walked into the room. "Come to gloat? And to think, I thought you were a friend!"
Kodachi flinched and cringed, but awkwardly presented the small bundle in her hand. And when the girl in the bed looked at it, she only then realized that Kodachi's long pony tail had been shorn off.
"You cut your hair and you think that makes up for this?" she demanded shrilly, gesturing at her shattered leg.
"They are making tremendous advances in medicine," Kodachi said weakly. "You could get it back."
"Not a hundred percent," Mimiko snapped. "And not in time to do anything. By the time I can walk right, I'll be too old! Because of your father!" She spat at Kodachi's feet.
"I'll make this up to you in some fashion," Kodachi said.
"You bet you will!" Mimiko said, angrily.
Kodachi flinched again at the vengefulness behind that comment as she left the room.
*****
Meanwhile, back to the present.
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(Posted Sun, 21 Dec 2003 21:07)
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