<Our amateur sleuths make a discovery...>
"What... what is
it, Sayuri-chan?"
"Ran... Ran..." Sayuri trailed off.
]] I LOVE this little tiny subplot.
This brochure was in Japanese.
She flipped through it. It was all there: about the pools, about
the curses, some history, even a map of the pools, with...
with...
With the Nyannichuan and Shonmaoniichuan circled in pencil.
]] Now THIS is interesting! Planned or a souvenir?
]] And if planned, WHY a Panda?
She found Ranko kneeling on the floor, the contents of a spilled
drawer around her, crying over a photograph. She gently took the
photograph from her daughter's hands and embraced her. How
wonderful it was to be a mother again, to be able to comfort her
child.
"What is it, dear? What's wrong?"
"It's... it's Pop. I mean, Father. How... how could he have lied
to me about so much? I... I thought he loved me! How could he
have done this to me if he loved me? I miss him so much..."
]] I like the fact that she cries over the photograph.
]] The meeting will be very interesting. I can see Ranko really
]] torn. Her friends and family must be careful... I HOPE
]] nobody gets cursed. BTW, I could see Genma bringing some
]] water... BUT he would have no motivation, as Ranko was still
]] a boy when he left.
Nodoka didn't know what to do about this issue. She had guessed
that Ranko would not be able to stand cutting off all contact her
father.
]] Hmmm... This is almost surprisingly perceptive of Nodoka.
]] This scene is very important, as it shows that the situation
]] is far from Nodoka's cut and dried, black and white
]] perception of honor. Ranko still loves Genma, adding another
]] wrinkle...
Who was teaching
him to talk like a girl, and was calling him "Ranko"? Yuka
whispered to Sayuri, "Gomen, Sayuri-chan. No movie could top
this." Sayuri nodded in satisfaction.
Akane, Ranma, and her mother set off, and Sayuri and Yuka trailed
them at a discreet distance.
]] Cute...
<snip>
Sayuri and Yuka looked at each other. "Tomorrow morning, Watson.
The game is afoot." They giggled.
]] Cuter...
Her behavior seemed natural,
unforced. Ranma's manhood had always seemed a little exaggerated;
he had always leapt to defend it.
]] Interesting observation.
*flash*
"Perfect!"
In short order, they were walking away from the booth with a set
of printed stickers, which they divided evenly among themselves.
]] The bonding scene.
Had martial
arts taken up so much time as to exclude everything else, or...
had she used it to take up all her time so as to exclude
everything else?
]] Now this will be interesting to explore...
Her mother nodded. "I think it's something everyone should learn,
though the men seem to want to leave it all to us." She made a
face herself. "If you ever get married, your husband will
probably expect you to do it."
]] Aye, there's the rub...
Ranko's eyes started to glaze over. The idea of being someone's
wife... of cooking for them... of being a moth... being a moth...
]] Yes, moths are usually rather ugly :) I think Ranko's
]] more like a butterfly.
"Nodoka-chan... could this possibly be..." She
seemed very excited.
Nodoka nodded happily. "Yes, this is Ranko, my daughter. Ranko,
this is Tanaka Reiko. We went to high school together."
]] Another important trip...
She had been on the women's side before, of course, but only as
part of the usual chaos that surrounded her curse, and then only
for a short time. It had always been terribly embarrassing when
it had happened. Now... now she was going to be on the women's
side from start to finish. And possibly for the rest of her life.
]] Good observation. Rest of her life is a LONG time.
Akane sighed. How was Ranko going to be able to be a girl if
something like this terrified her? She had to help her get used
to it, somehow. And there was only one way to do that... She went
over and took Ranko's hand. "It's OK, really. See? I don't mind."
She grinned. "I'm not going to pound you for looking at me."
]] But, you ALREADY DID once... Of COURSE Ranko's scared!
The two girls looked embarrassed. "I... I'm sorry for the
intrusion." They turned to go.
Something made Ranko speak out. "No... No, that's OK. Do... do
you want to sit here for a while?"
The girls looked at each other and smiled. "Sure!" They made
there way back, and sat down.
]] their, not there
"Say, Ranko-san, Akane-san," said Yuuko, "do you have any boys
you're dating right now?" Akane and Ranko both turned red. Akane
spoke first. "Um, I... I did have a boyfriend, but... but the...
relationship ended recently..." She looked sad.
Shiho and Yuuko were all concern. "Oh, Akane-san, I'm so sorry.
That must be hard."
Akane managed a smile. "Don't worry. He and I are... very good
friends. It's OK." She and Ranko smiled at each other.
]] Interesting. I could easily see how Ranko and Akane's
]] relationship could grow to be something neither Nodoka OR the
]] fathers want...
Ranko nodded. The bath was so relaxing, it was hard to get
nervous about anything. She looked up at the stars, and noticed
there seemed to be more of them than before. And they were
getting fuzzy...
The next thing she knew, she was lying on a towel in the wash
area, with a bath attendant applying a cold washcloth to her
forehead. Her mother, Auntie Tanaka, and Akane stood nearby,
looking worried. "What... what happened?" asked Ranko. She still
felt woozy.
The attendant smiled. "Nothing to worry about, Ranko-chan. You're
such a small, light girl, the hot water got to you; your body
temperature went up and you fainted. But you're fine now."
]] Now THIS is a blow to Ranko. Her body isn't as
]] all-powerful as it had been.
Ranko's eyes were downcast. "It's... it's my father. He... he
often wears a washcloth like this on his head, and it reminded me
of him..." A tear slid down her cheek.
]] A tear for what he took from her long ago AND more recently,
]] perhaps?
"But I still love him... he's still my father."
Ranko nodded silently, more tears streaming down her cheeks.
]] Again, the Genma relationship is much more complicated than
]] Nodoka probably perceives it...
Perhaps
I can talk my son into coming; he thought it would be as dull as
drying paint, but he might change his mind if he knew there were
two girls his own age here. Especially two girls as pretty as
you!" She winked at Ranko and Akane, and Ranko blushed deeply.
]] Scary.
Ranko looked pensive. "I... I don't know, Akane. So much of my
life has been nothing but martial arts. Father drilled it into
me, and it was like there was no time left over for anything
else. Last week, when we were talking with Yuka and Sayuri about
our interests, I realized that I didn't really have any others.
I... don't like that." Her face grew glum. "And it's a reminder
of Father, and what he did to me... But..."
]] This one is harder for me to take. There are many martial
]] arts challenges ahead. I think Ranko must decide that the
]] Art is HERS, not Genma's. That it is important.
]]
]] A thought on WHY Happi was a WILLING accomplice...
]] His peculiar school REALLY needs a MALE heir...
They resumed, and Akane was overjoyed to see that Ranko took her
seriously as an opponent, testing her defenses, but holding back
to avoid overwhelming her. Finally, she was being treated
seriously by Ranko! She had wanted this badly, ever since their
first session together.
]] This reminds me of Akane and Ranma's stay in Jadeite's
]] dimension in Fire's "Sailor Ranko". Being the same gender
]] is a great equalizer...
Ranko looked more hopeful. She was about to dig into her
okonomiyaki, but seemed to remember something. She reached into
her purse, pulled out her wallet, and put some money on the
table.
Ukyou was surprised. "Ranchan... what... why?"
Ranko's face grew serious. "Ucchan, I... I don't want to be like
my father any more. I don't want to be a freeloader any more."
Ukyou's eyes widened a little. Ranchan is changing so much... She
smiled, and pushed the money back. "Sugar, you're like family to
me. Both of you. I don't charge family." She put her hand on
Ranko's. "But... thanks." Ranko smiled a huge smile again, and
nodded.
]] I like this little 'scenelet'.
"I... there are things I'd
like to do... if I had the time."
Akane was intrigued. "Like what, Ukyou?"
Ukyou looked embarrassed. "Well, I... I like to sing."
]] Making up for being left out of Doco, eh?
It was a bizarre mix
of the dilapidated and the chic. Newer inns were under
construction, and Nodoka was sure that in just a few years the
place would be totally overrun, like the rest of Ibaraki's
beaches.
]] Like a lot of resort areas, actually!
The cottage looked unusually modern and luxurious, but then
Nodoka's cousin's family was very well off.
]] I always wondered how Nodoka survived with no visible
]] income...
Yuka looked around. "I don't care, Saotome-san. It'll be like a
big pajama party!" Nodoka suddenly felt nervous.
"Ranko, dear, you can sleep with me in the bedroom, if you like."
Ranko looked around at her friends, and she smiled. "No thank
you, Mother. I... I invited my friends so I could be with them,
and... and I want to sleep out here with them." Akane, Ukyou,
Yuka, and Sayuri all smiled. Nodoka did, too; she was overjoyed
to see that her daughter had so many close friends already.
"Whatever you wish, dear."
]] Nice.
Akane looked up for a moment, and found Ranko standing there with
her hands over her eyes. She suppressed the urge to laugh;
apprently, some habits really do die hard. She went over and took
]] apparently
As Yuka was putting on her suit, she looked over and found Ranko
struggling to get into hers, and repressed a giggle. Eventually,
all five were ready, and Nodoka came out, still clothed; she
didn't feel like a swim just now. They filed out the front door
and looked out over the Pacific.
]] Hmmm... Ranma goes to the beach more than once in canon.
]] I presume the struggle is due to the changed situation.
Hibiki Ryouga suddenly sneezed, and narrowly averted falling into
a rice paddy. That was too close, he thought. He looked around.
"Where am I now?" he asked plaintively.
]] Ah the (modified) proverbial bad yen...
She and her friends had been sunbathing, and she had felt
restless after lying around for so long; she wanted to get up and
walk a little. The rest had waved lazily as she wandered off. She
was wearing the teal bikini she had picked out for sunbathing. It
had taken her more than a little courage to put it on earlier;
she had never felt more exposed in her life.
]] True, especially after the shower room incident.
The swimsuit left
little to the imagination; it was like walking around in her
underwear, and she had only just gotten used to wearing that!
Only the encouragement and praise of her friends had persuaded
her to venture outside in it. If she had known she was the cause
of at least one nosebleed casualty among the locals, she probably
would have run back inside and refused to come out.
She came across a piece of driftwood. Fascinated, she squatted
down, and lost herself in examining it. The water had carved the
wood into an intricate and beautiful pattern.
She was so absorbed in it that her danger sense almost didn't
warn her in time. She tried to leap away, but her squatting
position and lack of practice hampered her. She stumbled out of
the way as she heard the cry, "Ranma! Prepare to die!"
Ranko shook her head. "No... Ryouga... please, you don't
understand... I'm not..."
<snip>
Ryouga was enraged. "Fight me, Ranma! You coward! How can you
call yourself a man?"
]] Actually, SHE doesn't!
Ranko closed her eyes and waited. Suddenly, she heard a *thwack*,
and a voice. Akane's voice.
"Ryouga! How dare you pick on Ranko! You leave her alone! And I
thought you were a gentleman!" Ukyou's voice added, "You have no
right to beat up on Ranchan!"
]] CUTE turn of events... But, Ranko HAS to get her confidence
]] in the Art back. I just don't see HER as screaming
]] kidnap bait...
Ryouga sat on the sand facing five teenage girls, four of whom
were glaring at him and one of whom looked very nervous. He
didn't know what was going on, but he was sure Ranma was up to
something. He could tell by the way the other girls were all
protectively clustered around her; clearly she had trapped all of
them in her web of deceit.
]] Ah, a student of the Kunou School of Observation.
"All right, Ranma," he said. "Let's hear what you have to say."
Not that I'll believe a word of it.
"But... but you're engaged to each other! How can you be engaged
if Ranma's a girl?" Ha! Let him wriggle out of that!
]] EASILY DONE!
Ranko's face fell, and Ukyou put a hand on her shoulder. "Ryouga,
I... I'm not engaged to Akane any more. Or Ukyou. Or anyone.
When... when my mom found out about it, she ended all the
engagements."
Ha! There it was! Ranma's evil plot to... "Wh-what?"
"I said, I'm not engaged to anyone. Mother won't let me marry
another woman, and to be perfectly honest I... I'm not sure I
want to. Akane and Ukyou and I, we're friends. Good friends." She
smiled. "I... I think I like it better that way." Akane and Ukyou
smiled too.
Ryouga was seriously confused. Apparently, Ranma's latest
nefarious scheme to keep him away from Akane involved leaving her
available to be someone else's girlfriend. Like his. Two
different parts of his brain were at war: the part that didn't
trust Ranma, and the part that wanted desperately for this to be
true so that Akane could be his.
]] ASSUMING it to be true MAKES Akane his...
"Why... why should I believe this? You've lied to me more times
than I can count!"
"Young man," came another voice, "you had better have a good
reason before you accuse my daughter of being a liar."
]] Cue "Dragnet" theme...
Ryouga turned a pasty color. "Um, well, Ma'am, I... I ummm, kind
of attacked her. I... I usually attack her when I see her." He
winced. Maybe he could have put that better. All the girls were
glaring at him again.
]] OOPSIE!
Ranma... Ranko... was a *girl*? His
sometime rival, sometime friend, the person he had fought
viciously innumerable times, but whom he had sometimes helped,
the person he had tried to... kill on occasion, was a *girl*? A
real, live, honest-to-goodness, sugar and spice and everything
nice *girl*?
]] Well, let's not go TOO far...
Ryouga didn't know how to react. How do you react when you find
out the sky is orange? That things fall up? That ice is hot?
]] I liked the metaphors.
Ranma being a girl and crying seemed like a violation of some
natural law. But... this was too elaborate to be one of Ranma's
deceptions. He had never carried off anything on this scale
before, and his... her mother would certainly know her own
child's sex. Something caught his curiosity. "Ranma... Ranko...
are you going to be a girl from now on? Just because you were one
when you were born?"
]] Well... Do YOU want to be a PIG???
I might stay this way, but I might go back to being a
guy, too." Sayuri and Yuka looked at each other and rolled their
eyes, but said nothing. Akane was smiling a very Kasumi-like
smile.
]] Awfully Observant, Akane. Notice anything peculiar about
]] RYOUGA'S BANDANA???
Even stranger was his rivalry with Ranma for Akane. It was gone,
like a soap bubble. Akane was unattached, his to try to woo
without worrying about the engagement, or even competition (Kunou
didn't count). It was such an unexpected situation, he didn't
know what to think. He gathered from what he had heard that Akane
and Ranko had been very close since early childhood, like twin
sisters. Realization dawned in Ryouga, that that put Ranko in a
new role: Akane's sister, someone who would be looking out for
her; someone he, Ryouga, should try to make a good impression
with. Ryouga thought about all the efforts that Ranma had made to
disrupt his pursuit of Akane; he knew that Ranma had not approved
of him. Maybe... maybe it wasn't a new role after all. He
wondered how he could overcome the hostility there had been
between them and make her see him more favorably. Deep-sixing
P-chan was probably a given if he was going to do that.
]] He HAS to come clean some day... Not make P-chan go away,
]] but ADMIT to it.
Nodoka tilted her head. "That hardly seems like reason enough to
attack someone constantly the way you mentioned. Are you sure
there isn't anything else?"
Ryouga sweated profusely; of course, Nodoka was right. But he
couldn't talk about Jusenkyou here, in front of Akane. Or Akane's
friends. Not if he wanted to live.
]] But again he must, someday. Not being able to say
]] anything DOES make him look like a fool, though.
Ranko piped up. "Oh, I used to like to tease him. I bounced off
his head sometimes to grab the bread that was being thrown to
us."
"Ranko! Dear, that wasn't very nice."
]] If you only knew...
He spoke again. "I... I think I'd like some fresh air. Would you
mind if I stepped out for a moment?"
"Not at all, Ryouga-kun."
Ukyou leaned over to Akane and said sotto voce, "Well, that's the
last we'll see of him for a few weeks." Akane nodded.
]] True enough... maybe.
Once again he looked up to enjoy the beautiful sight of the ocean
waves crashing. They were quite large now, especially the one
that was about to...
"Bweeeee...."
]] Sigh...
"What is it, Auntie?" asked Akane.
Nodoka looked back down at the piglet, who was looking up at her
expectantly. "For some reason, there is a small black piglet on
our doorstep, and he appears to want to come in." She looked more
closely. "He's soaking wet, too."
Akane came rushing up. "P-chan! What are you doing out here in
Ibaraki?" She scooped him up. "Oh sweetie, you're all wet!
Auntie, this is my pet pig, P-chan."
Nodoka looked at the pig. "Are you sure, Akane-chan? There are a
lot of farms around here."
]] Clueless as usual.
She was giving
him a cold glare, letting him know exactly what she thought of
this habit of his. She "hmphed", and rolled over on her side,
looking away from him.
Funny, he thought. That look hurt more than anything she ever did
to me before. He sighed inwardly. What a stupid situation. How am
I ever going to get out of it?
]] With luck, the authors will show us, RSN...
She turned to face him, a stern look in her eye. "Ryouga, Mother
says I mustn't fight you, so I'll have to use words instead. I'll
be frank. I don't like what you are doing with Akane as P-chan.
It's not right, and you know it. I... I know you're in love with
her, and to be honest that makes it even worse. How do you think
she will react if she ever finds out?" Ranko knew that Akane
would marry eventually, but even so, contemplating that was still
upsetting. She hoped that she and Akane would remain close no
matter who... A-Akane married. Letting go of the engagement was
still hard, but she had no right to tie Akane up or choose her
boyfriends for her, and... and she didn't really need to, not any
more; their relationship was now something different. Still, the
idea of Ryouga as Akane's boyfriend upset her. If Ryouga was
going to even try, she was going to make damn sure he cleaned up
his act and was worthy of Akane.
]] Well said... Perhaps a bit TOO well said, for Ranko.
She cocked her head and looked at him. "Ryouga, Akane is going to
marry a man, not a pig. If you want a chance at being that man"
she faltered slightly, "you have to start showing her less pig
and more man. Do you understand? You are not stupid, and I'm sure
you can figure out a way out of this." She put a little edge in
her voice. "If you are motivated."
]] A threat, perhaps?
He gulped, and nodded. "O-OK."
She winked at him. "Good. Why don't we go back and have some
breakfast?" She turned around and walked back towards the front
of the cottage. Ryouga watched her retreating form the whole way.
"How did she do that?" he wondered aloud. He picked up his pack
and followed her.
Twenty minutes later, Ranko sighed. I guess he's not coming for
breakfast after all, she thought. I really should have led him
back. Well, he'd turn up again... eventually.
]] Another good scene.
"That... that's very sweet of you, Hiro-kun. B-but I... I came
here to be with my friends, and... and..." she thought furiously,
"I already have a boyfriend back in Tokyo!" She heard rather than
saw the impacts as several bodies in the vicinity fell over.
The boy looked disappointed, but seemed to relax as well. He
smiled, and she found herself smiling back. "I'm sorry to hear
that, Miss...?"
"Saotome... Saotome Ranko."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Ranko-san. Your boyfriend is a lucky
man." He winked, turned, and walked away. He... he knew it was a
white lie, she thought. How did he know?
]] Interesting.
Ranko looked deep in thought. For a minute, she looked into the
fire as the others waited. Finally, she spoke. "I... it hasn't
been like I expected. I... I haven't had the feeling that I've
been changing into another person." She paused a moment, then
continued with wonder and realization in her voice. "I... I feel
like I *was* another person, and... and I'm becoming *me*. Like I
was a puzzle put together the wrong way, and now I'm slowly being
put together the right way." She stared at the flames,
mesmerized.
There was a long silence as everyone considered the meaning of
Ranko's words, Ranko herself most of all.
]] Wow.
<Uh oh... Akane... Kitchen... RUN away!>
Akane piped up. "I'd love to help too, Ranko! We can all do it
together!"
Nodoka nodded. "You've been very patient, Akane-chan, and I'd
love to have you help."
Oh great, thought Ranko. I was looking forward to a nice quiet
day tomorrow, and what do I get? Armageddon.
]] Yep.
Ranko and Nabiki exchanged one last glance of despair, then
headed for the table. Kasumi went back into the kitchen, and then
reemerged carrying a dish, followed closely by Nodoka and Akane,
both carrying dishes and both looking somewhat grim. They
returned for another trip to bring the rest out.
Finally, they were all seated, and the meal began. Ranko examined
the dishes; they looked moderately normal, though with Akane that
did not imply safety. She and the others served themselves, and
she lifted her chopsticks to her mouth, took a deep breath, and
ate. Akane watched everyone intently, desperate hope written on
her face.
Ranko stopped short. This... this was something new and wonderful
in Akane's cooking: it was bad. *Just* bad. The kind of food
you'd find in a hospital or a bad restaurant, not the kind of
food you'd find at a toxic waste site. For Akane's food to be
merely bad was an amazing accomplishment. Apparently, having two
experienced cooks watching her every move had prevented the most
dangerous mistakes.
]] Cute. Just bad, Huh?
Ranko spoke up. "Akane... this is... this is... edible!" Nodoka
frowned. She had told Ranko last night to be positive. Still,
maybe that remark qualified, considering the food...
]] She's learning!
Akane was confused. She wasn't quite sure whether this was an
insult or a compliment. She noticed that everyone was eating, if
not exactly with gusto. Since they were usually rolling around on
the floor in excruciating pain by now, she decided to take it as
a compliment. "Th-Thank you, Ranko. I'm glad you like it!"
Let's not get carried away, hon. "Umm, you're welcome."
Later that night, as Ranko was in her pajamas and getting ready
for bed, and enjoying the fact that she had actually eaten a meal
made by Akane without violent aftereffects, there was a knock on
her door. She opened it to find her mother.
"Ranko, dear, I would be very grateful if you could massage my
shoulders a bit. I... I seem to be a bit tense tonight."
Ranko's eyes widened. "I'll bet."
]] Another nice scene.
She was enjoying the water when she felt a strange twinge in her
body. She sat bolt upright. She looked at herself, and saw she
was changing, but in the most peculiar way. It was happening in
slow motion, tentatively, almost as if the curse wasn't quite
sure what to do to her. It didn't hurt in the least, but it was
most definitely not the normal way her curse operated. As she...
he got closer to his male form, the transformation sped up, and
the last little bit was quite rapid.
]] Iris. In reverse. Less Angst, too! (I like Nick's story, BTW)
Doesn't he realize he's still acting like Ranko?...
He did. Ranko sat down on the bed and sighed. "I'm not him, am I?
Wearing Ranma's clothes and being male doesn't make me Ranma."
Akane shook her head, sadly. Ranko's head drooped. "I'm
uncomfortable being a boy, and I... I hate the way I look, but
I'm still so scared about being a girl for the rest of my life."
He looked up at Akane, tears in his eyes. "I've been thinking
about how I would marry and have a family if I were a girl... or
rather, I've been trying *not* to think about it. I... it's so
alien. When I was a boy, I understood my life, I knew how it was
going to go. Now, everything is up in the air, and there are so
many unknowns. I... I've really enjoyed being a girl this summer,
but... but can I be that way for the rest of my life?"
Akane went over and sat next to Ranko on the bed; she took one of
his hands. "Ranko, none of us really know how our life is going
to go. We may think we do, but life has a way of being full of
surprises. I... I know the idea of... of having a relationship
with a man scares you. Do... do you want to have a relationship
with a woman, instead? There's nothing wrong with that, though I
don't know how Auntie would feel."
]] How would YOU feel, Akane?
"They started calling
him all sorts of horrible names, and Ranko, she... he started to
cry, just a little. That only encouraged them, and they said
some... some really awful things. Thank heavens I was there." Her
expression turned steely. "I took care of them."
]] A painful scene. Thanks for sparing us.
Ranko had his head in his hands, and was staring at the floor.
"I... I can't go back, can I?" Akane felt like crying herself.
She had had a hunch this was going to happen. No, more than a
hunch. And not just her; she, Ukyou, Yuka, and Sayuri had all
expressed the same feelings to each other. Ranko, however, was
just coming to terms with it.
]] The explanation on the three spells interacting was well
]] done, but I'll refrain from comment...
*****
A few days later, Cologne looked up from the counter at the
Nekohanten. Once again, Ranko and Akane had walked in the door;
this time, Ranko was in a jean skirt and sleeveless top, rather
than the boy's clothes she had worn last time. The two girls
walked up to the counter where Cologne stood.
Ranko spoke. "Cologne, I came to return something." She reached
into her purse, and drew out the spell jewel, holding it out in
her hand. It was dark. Cologne nodded, and took it from Ranko's
hand. "I see. When was the last time you changed, child?"
]] The end of an era? We'll see.
She turned to Ranko and tugged at her sleeve. "We should be
going, Ranko. We need to get you ready for school." Cologne
noticed that Ranko took on a paler color at that. She waved her
hand at them. "Well, off you go, then. I'm sure we'll see you
again." Ranko nodded, and they moved to the door, where Ranko
stopped. "Goodbye... Great-Grandmother." She smiled timorously,
and they left.
Cologne smiled after them. She had longed to hear those words,
though admittedly under different circumstances. Fate moves in
mysterious ways. She shook her head.
]] Well, Great-granddaughter in law's not TOO bad...
]]
]] I wonder if Ranko might be offered honorary
]] membership in the tribe?
They followed Kimura-sensei into a back office, with all eyes
following them. Inside, there were even more filing cabinets. She
opened a drawer, and leafed through the hanging folders there.
"Here it is." She took it over to a table and spread it out; it
was Ranma's folder. She flipped through the documents inside,
then did a double take. "Where are the birth records? They're
missing!" She looked through the folder some more. "We make an
unofficial copy of the birth records when a student registers; I
can't find them anywhere." She paused, perplexed, then held up
some hairs. "What are these doing in here?"
Ranko took a closer look, and sighed. "Panda fur." She knew it
well enough; it got into everything. Why couldn't her father stay
human when it was shedding season?
]] Uh... PANDA fur? Well... if you say so!
"Ranko-chan,
ganbatte kudasai!" They looked back at her with affection, and
she felt her spirits lift. A smile came to her face.
]] UH... translation please? Sometime Japanese provides
]] a nice decorative touch, but I'd like to know what
]] sign says...
Hinako-sensei began calling the roll, and soon reached her name.
"Saotome Ranko?"
Her hand shot up. "Here!" she called, and beamed.
*****
End Part 2
]] Thanks!
Kevin D. Hammel
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khammel@anime.sobhrach.com
kevinsff@pacbell.net
http://www.anime.sobhrach.com/~khammel/
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