Lunch at the Nekohanten A story to be read after Bryan Neef's story "Cologne's Final Confrontation" Ranma 1/2 is property of Rumiko Takahashi. Publishing rights are held by Viz in The US and Shogakukan in Japan. My purpose is to honor the creator and her works. No infringement intended. *** Nerima, Tokyo. Twenty minutes before the lunch crowd hit the streets. A woman with black hair gathered in a short ponytail walked toward a neighborhood landmark, "Ukyou and Ranma's Nekohanten". She had walked by several times before, never gathering the nerve to enter. After a year of torture, and another of indecision, she approached the door of the cafe yet again. Toady was different, though. She sought to visit the restaurant, not to flee it. Today she would stop trying to run away. She sought the love and comfort her pride had denied her. Today she would enter that restaurant, again. She sought to continue her life in the place where she had thought it ended. Today she would reclaim what she could of her life. She hoped with all her heart she was not too late. The woman wore expression between a frown and a smile, anticipating both of the possible outcomes of the day. The next hour would be the start of a new life, or... She touched the tanto she had bought nearly two years before... The woman shivered as the cold touch of Honor caressed her for a moment. She opened the door and went in. Ranma looked up from the steaming kettles on the stove, it looked like the lunch crowd had decided to come early today. After smoothing out the front of her dress, she hurried out to greet the day's first customer. The woman looked to be middle-aged, but clearly showed the exceptional fitness of a martial artist. Of course, the gi she wore was a dead giveaway. The middle-aged woman watched the approaching girl with interest bordering on shock. The diminutive waitress-cook was wearing a shining emerald-green Chinese-style silk dress that flowed closely over the contours of her body. A slit in the front of the skirt simplified the task of walking and showed off the young lady's sturdy, well-muscled legs until they disappeared into a pair of green slippers. Long, red hair fell past her shoulders to frame her face perfectly. Ranma offered her first customer a menu. "Welcome to the Nekohanten, I'm Ranma." She bowed curtly, the woman returning the courtesy. "I take care of the ramen side of our menu and our other chef, Ukyou, takes care of the 'yaki." She looked at the woman, who seemed to be about her height. Were those tears in her eyes? "Thank you." The woman said, as she turned to take a seat at a tiny corner table by the window. "You're welcome. Holler when you're ready to order, miss!" The cook turned and walked back to the kitchen; her shining red mane providing beautiful contrast to the shimmering green beneath, and a green bow near the top. When she reached the kitchen, Ranma returned to monitoring the kettles that were cooking the noodles and broth to perfection. She glanced over at their customer occasionally. The woman seemed absorbed in the simple menu, savoring and re-reading each line. "As long as she pays... and doesn't bother our regulars" Ranma whispered to herself. "Ya got that right, sugar!" Ukyou added with a wink Ranma missed. Ranma glanced up from her work at her onetime fiancee. Negations with Ukyou's family had restored her legal gender to female, and her new outfit celebrated the fact. A shining, medium purple mini dress and black hose coursing down to a shiny pair of black flats replaced the old tunic and leggings. Ranma was proud of the role she took in helping her friend become a woman again. She knew her own problem had no legal solution, save living with it. Ranma, and Akane, lived with it. *** Just before noon, Akane, Nodoka, and Nabiki entered the restaurant. The lone customer looked up from her menu to study the new arrivals, three women and a small child. Akane carried her daughter in her arms, guided by a light touch from her mother-in-law. She wore a yellow gi, as she still exercised her birthright teaching at the dojo. Being blind was certainly a handicap, and she required an assistant, so her mother-in-law helped her out. Even with the unique joint instructors, there were many students who wanted to learn from the mistress of the Tendou School. And, with Nodoka's help at the cafe, Ranma taught the advanced classes. Nabiki limped only slightly, but still needed a cane to keep her balance. The black business suit she wore almost radiated power, while enhancing and emphasizing both her femininity and beauty. Attending University classes at night and when she could fit them in, the middle Tendou had lined up an internship at a trading firm downtown. Being partnership's first female intern in history, Nabiki was working her tail off to show some of the older partners that a woman could be more than a secretary in their office. Gone were the lazy days when she could read the latest manga while doing leg-lifts. Gone were the days she could do leg-lifts. At least she still kept up with the latest manga on the train to work. A full briefcase kept her busy on the trip home, when she could find a seat, and into the night. Nodoka wore a choker around her neck to camouflage the scar left by the cut that had nearly taken her head and life. The savage wound had taken most of her voice, however. As was her custom, Ranma's mother wore a kimono. The katana she used to carry was now safe in her neo- daughter's care. After a decade without her son, she now had a beautiful daughter and her daughter in law's family to look after. But, she hadn't wanted a daughter. Ranma neither wanted to be nor had been born a girl, but all of them had moved on. The dojo and the Art had done much to salve her scars, as both had helped heal Ranma and Akane. Helping her daughter-in-law with the School had forced her to polish up her rusty martial arts skills, but Nodoka got great satisfaction working with head instructor and her students. Noticing that they had taken seats at a table with four chairs, the woman got up from her post and moved toward the table. Nodoka and Nabiki both looked at the middle-aged woman approaching them. Deeply tanned skin showed that she spent most of her time outdoors, but carefully groomed hair showed that she was far more than street rabble. Her clothing consisted of a worn but sparkling-white gi and slippers, marking her as a martial artist, as did her muscular build and confident gait. The woman was now at the table. She bowed curtly, then asked in a soft, but melodic voice. "Is this seat taken?" Nabiki cocked an eyebrow Nodoka's way, deferring to her elder's judgment. Akane squeezed her mother-in-law's hand, wordlessly communicating her concern. Trust was not something they gave freely to strangers... since THAT night. Nodoka rose to address the shorter woman, then whispered a greeting. "No, you're welcome to sit here, miss..." The woman could not restrain her tears. "Saotome... Genma." Color fled Nodoka's face; and her whisper became ragged as she struggled to continue. "What... How? And if you are... him. Why did you abandon us?" She sought composure through deep breaths as Nabiki continued. "You're making one hell of a claim, do you have any proof?" Nabiki taunted after rising with some difficulty. The woman nodded once then called out "Ranma, could you bring a glass of COLD water and a cup of HOT?" Ranma frowned for a moment, then complied. She could think of only one reason for such a request, and it scared her. Momentary regret crossed her mind and flickered across her face. Once she could change with water. Once her wife Akane was expecting their first child. Once... was in the past. Ranma had learned to look forward with anticipation, not dwell on what would never be again. She had a wonderful wife and child. Life was actually good, as long as she kept her eyes on the present and future... what is and could be, not what was and had been. A familiar touch interrupted her musings. "It's all right, Ran-chan. All of us love you no matter what you look like." "Thanks, Ucchan." Ranma replied with a carefully crafted smile, which soon melted to a genuine one. It was wonderful that her best friend was her best friend again, no one-sided romantic love, just the deep love of two best friends... business partners... sisters. She turned the stove down a bit, no need to spoil the first batch of ramen over this. Hurriedly drawing a glass of cold water then pouring a cup of hot, she placed them on a tray and bore the two cups out of the kitchen. Ukyou followed her business partner, curious about what would happen. She considered for a moment what Genma had done to her. It seemed his punishment fit his crime. If only Ran-chan, Akane, Nodoka, Kasumi, and Nabiki hadn't suffered. If only Akane's father hadn't died that night. If only the unborn child of Ranma and Akane hadn't died in the aftermath, it might have been justice. Now it was just tragedy. Any lingering anger she had for Genma dissipated as she followed her friend to the table, stopping just behind. The good Genma's return would do for his loved ones outweighed any petty revenge she might take. Ukyou would let the Amazon's punishment serve in her stead. That didn't mean she would be the woman's friend... But the woman WAS her best friend's parent, so Ukyou would be civil... not for Genma's sake, but for that of Ranma and the rest of her friend's family... HER family. Ranma offered both cups to the woman, who took only the cold water. Looking into Ranma's eyes, she made a simple request. "Please use the hot water, after I use the cold." The woman stood and untied the belt on her gi, then dumped the water on her head. A few seconds of shifting flesh left a panda in the place of the woman. The animal pleaded with Ranma in a familiar manner, offering its question on a sign. "Hot water, please?" Ranma quickly responded to the request, restoring the woman to her normal form again. Only the gentle gurgle of boiling water from the kitchen penetrated the silence for a few moments, then the lunch crowd arrived in force. Ukyou hurried back to her position. It looked like she would have to do double duty for a while. She turned up the heat on the stove again. The woman drew the gi around her smaller form, then bowed deeply "I'm sorry, but it took two years for me to accept what happened to me." She looked up, straight into Nodoka's face. One of her hands reached into her gi and withdrew a sharpened, beautifully polished tanto, which the woman set before herself. She spoke softly as a gentle flow of tears made its way down her face. "That night, I... I... couldn't take it, so I ran away to train. That's how I fixed my problems in the past, by training. But... I couldn't run away from my new body, no training could make me a man again." She closed her eyes, seeking a bit of composure to help her finish. "I finally accepted what I am now, and want to ask for my life. I... also want to rejoin my family. I leave it in your hands, Nodo... Mrs. Saotome." The woman shut her eyes tightly, bowing deeply before the matriarch of the Saotome clan. Her hopes for forgiveness were in Nodoka's hands now, there was nothing more for Genma to say or do... She hoped her pain would be soothed today, whether by love or blade. Nodoka couldn't believe her ears or eyes. Nor could she deny her heart and what it told her to do. A missing piece of their family had been restored, and she was not going of let it go. Too much had been lost to ask questions, or pass harsh judgments. Her face announced her decision long before her voice caught up to her smile. She forced out a response in her ragged whisper, "It took a lot of courage for you to return, welcome back." She took the woman's two hands in her own and squeezed as hard as she could, not wanting to let go. "Thank you." She replied with as much emotion as she could muster with what remained of hr voice. Nabiki offered the woman a rare smile as she rested a hand on her shoulder. "I never thought I'd ever say this to YOU but, thanks for coming back." Her expression darkened "But how could you abandon your child, wife, and daughter-in-law?" Genma whispered a reply. "Because I was trying to convince myself to live at the time. Struggling just to make it through each day hating who I was." Nodoka looked with sadness into the woman's eyes. "But... we could have helped each other. It would have meant a lot for Ranma to have her father beside her as she tried to make sense of things." "At least Ranma had a chance to get used to being a girl before it became permanent." She paused for a moment, looking over at her child. Ranma struggled to keep her anger in check. "All you could ever do is laugh at my curse, question my manhood if I didn't spar with you 'just so'. Now, I ain't even a man any more." Akane looked sightlessly at her love. "Well, I haven't seen any change in you Ranma. You're still the person I married." She said with a smile. Ranma could only grin at her wife; cognizant Akane would miss the display. "Thanks, Akane. Boy do I love you!" Genma continued. "I had no respect for women. I could only hate myself." She shook her head, fighting off more tears. "But I finally realized that I wasn't weak in this body. That I could still be a martial artist, and a good one. I finally figured out I'd been wrong... I tried to move on, to live with this curse, but realized I needed some help. And I thought I just might be able to provide some, too." Akane turned toward Genma's voice, pointing the small girl she held that direction. "This is your grandf... other Grandmother Saotome. She has finally come home." She looked up where she presumed Genma to be. The woman wasn't quite as tall as Akane thought, but it was close enough. "Thanks for coming back to us." The young mother couldn't keep a wide smile off her face. *** Akane, Nodoka, and Genma walked home from the restaurant. Nabiki had to get back to work; so she had gone the other direction. Genma walked apart from the rest, head bowed with an unreadable face.. "Genma-san? Join us, please." Nodoka whispered. "Sorry, Nodoka-san I... I wasn't really ready for what happened today. I think I actually expected you to reject me back at the restaurant." she looked to her wife for a moment, then back down at the sidewalk. Akane grasped Genma's hand, trying to pull her back into the family with words as well. "I still love Ranma, because I will always see him... remember she was a man, even though my senses tell me otherwise." Nodoka moved to wrap an arm around the woman who had been her husband, only to have her arm knocked away. "No, Nodoka, it's not right. I... This..." She swallowed, trying to put words to her thoughts. At last, she looked down as she continued. "Nodoka... it... it isn't proper for two women to touch each other like that." Akane turned to the voice she had just heard. "Father-in-law, you aren't making any sense. Ranma and I do a LOT more than hold hands. We're married, and we both have... needs." Akane felt an unwanted guest returning, as anger threatened to make a mess of the situation. So she closed her sightless eyes and breathed deeply, seeking to find the peace Ranma had first shown her. Relaxed again, she turned her face toward Genma's voice again. "Ranma and I are in love, Mr... Mrs. Saotome. I don't kid myself, and neither does Ranma. We don't pretend that our marriage will be the way we dreamed it would be. We don't pretend she's a man... But I still love her, and she loves me. But... Did you ever really love YOUR wife?" Genma smiled weekly, "Once, we do have a SON after all." The smile was vaporized by anger. "But is seems that you and all Ranma's family forgot MY son. This is my body, but I try... I want to... remain true to what I was. Perhaps Ranma needs a training mission to help him remember he is a man." Akane struggled to keep from blowing up. She had worked so long and hard on reducing her anger, now this JERK waltzed in and... A light touch on her shoulder helped her focus on something besides rage. "I'll handle it, Akane-chan." Nodoka whispered with a smile her daughter-in-law couldn't see, but felt nonetheless. Nodoka glared down at Genma. She took a deep breath, to calm herself before beginning. She tried to pack as much anger as she could into the wreckage of her voice. "Your son? Were you there when Ranma grieved for all she had lost, and despaired of even living? Were you there for the funeral of your best friend? Were you there to help Ranma and Akane get their lives back on track? What about Kasumi, and all her fears, did you offer to help her? Nabiki had to learn to walk again, and I had to re- learn how to speak. And it was Ranma, Nabiki, and myself who helped Ukyou salvage her life, which you had ruined. Saotome Genma, how dare you come in here and try to wreck our lives!" At the end of the last declaration, her voice faded. Pain from her shredded larynx forced her to stop for a few moments. Nodoka breathed deeply again, and swallowed, hoping she could finish what she HAD to say. "Ranma would love to have you in her life again, as would I... But..." Somehow, she couldn't remain angry. How could she drive her husband away? "If we cannot share a bed, you are welcome to stay in our guest room. As long as you let us live OUR lives." It would HURT, and she might not be able to talk for a while, but Nodoka ignored the pain and rasped as loudly as she could, "Genma, you need to GROW UP!" A fit of coughing claimed her voice after that, and then there was silence. There was little conversation for the remainder of the walk home. Nodoka was recovering from her outburst. Genma was quiet as she considered what Nodoka had said. And Akane thought it best to remain silent, though her hands sought out Nodoka's and communicated her approval and thanks. (END) *** Well, that's it (for now?). I asked Bryan Neef, several months ago, what had happened to Genma at the ill-fated dinner described in "Cologne". I was REALLY surprised when he told me. Then I started this story. It took quite a bit of writing and re-writing to come up with a characterization for Genma which agreed with Bryan's but we are both satisfied with it now. Is there more to this story? CERTAINLY. Will *I* be writing more? Who knows? By the way, Bryan's story can be found at: http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Pagoda/3719/cologne.txt Thanks for reading! Kevin D. Hammel November 11, 1999 ======================================== khammel@anime.sobhrach.com kevinsff@pacbell.net http://www.anime.sobhrach.com/~khammel/ ========================================