"Akane? Where ARE you?" Nabiki cried into the receiver. Akane remained silent on the other line a moment.
"I’m at Kuno’s." she finally replied. "Can I talk to dad?" Nabiki’s jaw dropped.
"Kuno’s?! Akane stay put, I’m coming over right now!" Nabiki yelled.
"Nabiki! No!" Akane cried through the phone. "Just get dad for me!"
Nabiki hesitated. Then she covered the receiver and called: "Otoosan! Akane-chan is on the telephone!"
A crash and several thumps insured that Soun had heard. He rounded the corner and snatched the phone from Nabiki.
"Akane?! My little girl! Where are you?!" Soun bawled into the phone.
Akane almost smiled to hear her fathers voice. "It’s okay, father. I’m at the Kuno Mansion." She stated. At this Soun face defaulted, and he didn’t speak for a moment.
"Dad?" Akane questioned into the receiver.
"Ku-ku-Kuno Mansion?" he stuttered. Akane looked around the large mansion, and nodded.
"Hai." She replied. Soun looked to Nabiki, but his middle daughter was already out the door.
"Akane, stay put, I’m coming right over!" Soun called, hoping Nabiki would wait for him. Nabiki did stop and she waited.
Akane was silent and then said: "Very well." Then the phone clicked as she hung up. Soun put the phone in its cradle and ran out to the street where Nabiki stood. He called out.
"Kasumi! Take care of the house! I will be right back! I’m going to get my little girl!"
Kasumi looked up from sweeping and said: "Oh, father…"
Kuno Mansion
Sasuke opened the large oak door after he heard someone knocking on it. As soon as the door was cracked open, Soun burst in bawling, grabbing Sasuke and hugging him tightly.
"Akane! How your poor old father has missed you!" he sobbed, burying his face in Sasuke’s shirt. Nabiki poked her head in, looking left and right.
"Kuno-chan?" she called.
"Ah…sir…" Sasuke said. Soun squeezed Sasuke, and noticed the lack of breasts. He hugged again, and then pulled Sasuke away, looking at him through tear filled eyes.
"What the-" he started. "You’re not Akane!" he cried. Sasuke shuttered.
"Dad, I think they are this way…" Nabiki stated, walking though the mansion. Sasuke was instantly after her.
"Oh! No! No! Master Kuno is home! They are eating dinner!" he yelled. Nabiki paid him no mind and stopped at the great doors leading into the dinning room. "You cannot go in there during dinner!" Sasuke warned. Nabiki waved him off, and pushed the door open.
She halted, observing the ordeal transpiring in front of her. Tatewaki stood, wielding his bokken, standing on one side of the table. The other side, near an over turned chair stood Mr. Kuno, Tatewaki’s father. Akane dumbly sat, eating her rice, while Kodachi sat on top the table, her legs crossed, self-feeding herself grapes. Kuno looked at his son in dismay.
"And you call yourself a Kuno!?" the elder Kuno cried. "You try to take the seat at your own fathers home!?" he added. Tatewaki scowled.
"I am more befitting for the occupancy of that position!" the younger Kuno scowled. He advanced towards the head chair, and the elder Kuno advanced too. Tatewaki swung his bokken at his father threateningly. Kuno ducked reflexively and shouted:
"You attack your own father in his home?!"
Tatewaki laughed. "As the name of this estate may be Kuno, it is NOT the estate of yours!" he replied. The elder Kuno snorted, and reached down, grabbing a pair of chopsticks.
"You mock your father with such immodesty?!" Kuno bellowed. Tatewaki held his ground. "You shall not win this battle, son!"
Kuno lunged at his son, and Tatewaki brought his bokken down at his father. Kuno held his chopsticks up, and countered the bokken. Kodachi looked at the two fighting men and laughed. She then looked at the dumb Akane who sat silently, eating her rice. None of the four had noticed the arrival of Nabiki, Soun, and Sasuke.
"My brothers dear Akane!" she stated, rolling over onto her back, knocking an empty tea cup over. She looked at Akane. "Tell me, and why do you disgrace my home with your presence?" she added a laugh afterwards, and tossed a grape at Akane’s head.
It harmlessly bounced off and Akane looked up at Kodachi. "You call what I’m doing a disgrace?" she spoke. Kodachi raised an eyebrow, popping another grape into her mouth. Akane sighed. "THAT is a disgrace!" she called out, pointing to Kuno and Tatewaki.
The two men had each other in headlocks. Tatewaki was wildly swinging his bokken, while Kuno reached for the head chair. Unable to reach the chair, Kuno reached up, and grabbed a fist full of Tatewaki’s hair. The younger yelped in pain. "Hahahahahaha!" Kuno cried, pulling his sons head. Tatewaki squirmed, and dropped his bokken. Finally Kuno pinched his sons nose, and grabbed the head chair. He shoved Tatewaki into a nearby guest chair and hastily sat in the head chair. Tatewaki rubbed his nose and glared at his father.
Kuno looked at the door where the three wordlessly stood watching the ordeal. Kodachi sat up, ignoring Akane’s last comment. She frowned at seeing Nabiki and Soun standing, as if waiting to be seated. She glared at Tatewaki.
"You didn’t say you were inviting the entire Tendo household for dinner!" she cried. Tatewaki looked over to the door. He scratched his head and flattened his hair. Akane numbly looked over at the door as well as did Kuno.
"AKANE!" Soun shouted. Akane smiled and stood up. Nabiki looked at Tatewaki and shook her head. Soun ran to Akane and hugged her tightly. Tatewaki watched Soun hug his daughter and frowned, getting jealous. Kodachi, remembering her grapes, ate another one, tucking her legs beneath her, where they vanished in the folds of her school uniform. Kuno stood up as Soun blubbered over his daughter.
"Just what is going on here?!" he yelled. He walked over to Soun and yanked him up by his hair.
"Ow…" Soun muttered.
"You are?" Kuno questioned. Soun looked over Kuno. He kept from laughing at the goofy lei, outdated Hawaiian shirt and tacky sunglasses the man wore.
"This is my daughter! She is in your house and I am taking her back!" Soun answered. Akane looked up, wordlessly.
Tatewaki leapt to his feet. "No!" he cried. Everyone looked at him. He swallowed. "I cannot allow one such as you to take the beauteous Tendo Akane from my grasp so that she may once again be ridiculed by those fools at Furinkian High School. She shall remain here under my care and receive no harm by any outsider, for I, Kuno Tatewaki, have vowed none shall harm her again, lest I deny my family name!" Tatewaki stated boldly. Kuno’s eyes lit up.
"Harm her! Harm her!" he shouted.
Tatewaki instantly held his bokken to Kuno’s head. "You speak unwisely." The younger of the two said.
"You dare threaten your father!?" Kuno shouted. Soun cleared his throat loudly and both Kuno’s frozen and looked at him.
"Nandai?" Kuno questioned. Tatewaki’s bokken seemed to vanish. Akane stood with her mouth gapping.
"What are you two talking about!?" Soun cried. Tatewaki put his hand on Soun’s shoulder, and slowly walked him around the table, softly speaking to him, telling him what had happened to Akane.
Nabiki looked at Akane, and Akane looked back to her sister. Nabiki could easily see her sister had changed. Well actually, she was dressed in her school uniform, tattered and bloodied, but in her eyes there was a sadness. It was as if Akane almost looked through Nabiki. She knew a lot had happened to her sister in the past few weeks, and so she knew that Akane was probably in shock. Nabiki pulled up the nearest chair, and coaxed Akane to sit in it.
Kuno walked over to Tatewaki and Soun. Kodachi only sat on the table top, eating grapes.
Several Hours Later
Sasuke waved and closed the door as a smiling Soun and Nabiki left the Kuno’s. He sighed turning around. He didn’t know what the Kuno’s were thinking, taking Akane into their home. He walked down to the dining room, and began clearing the dishes from dinner away.
Master Tatewaki had convinced not only Mr. Tendo, but his father too, that Akane should live with them. After explaining, and exaggerating a little, what had happened to Akane at school last Wednesday, it was decided she could no longer attend Furinkian High School. Tatewaki had suggested home schooling, but both Kuno and Soun agreed that she should attend Saint Hebedeke School for Girls, with Kodachi.
Surprisingly neither Akane nor Kodachi had seemed upset about going to the same school, and after Tatewaki gave Soun some ’consolation money’ the two Tendo’s left, minus Akane. Kuno had easily transferred Akane, as he was Furinkian High’s principal. It was set up that Akane would be attending St. Hebedeke starting tomorrow, and should she have and troubles at that school, to just call Kodachi. Who had quite a reputation at Hebedeke as a fighter. Someone messed with the Black Rose, or her friends, you probably were in for a good fight.
And thus it came to pass, Akane attended St. Hebedeke, and finished her years of high school there. As time progressed thought of her old life vanished. She once again could hear the names Ryouga and Ranma and not be over come by grief or anger. She earned her own reputation at St. Hebedeke. She became the captain of the Anything-Goes Girls Martial Arts Indoor Color Guard team. They ranked top in their class, and even beat Furinkian High, fair and square.
She let her hair grow out, and by her senior year it was down to her shoulders. She didn’t have to worry about men, because she attended an all girls school, and those men who did try to pursue her even after she changed schools, were met only with Tatewaki’s bokken. And rumors went that she was engaged to Tatewaki, but he honorably denied it. Tatewaki had gone on to a local college, and was in his second year there. He was still ever watchful of Akane and as promised, no harm came to her.
As her senior year came to close with no further event, she began planning to attend the same college as Tatewaki, while Kodachi chose to study abroad. All went smoothly through her first two years of college.
Nabiki has gone South to college in a university, was attending a seven year course to become a successful business woman. She was in her fourth year and doing rather well. She was paying for her own tuition, and send checks home to her father and sister every month.
Kasumi stay at home and cared for Soun. Dr. Tofu and Kasumi were engaged now, however Kasumi was holding off the marriage until Akane finished college and came back to teach at the Dojo. Soun aged quickly. Alone in his house now, with only his eldest daughter, he found little to do. The days dragged by, and he drank his tea and read his paper silently. Occasionally he went to visit Akane at the Kuno’s or stopped by the graves of his to-be son-in-law and his wife. He wished for his large house to be filled with the bustling life it once had had. There were no children, no grand children as he had hoped. Although Akane was living with the Kuno’s and attending the same college as Tatewaki, she expressed no interest in him love life wise. Nabiki was a business woman, away from home, and most like would settle down with a man elsewhere. Unless Kasumi bore him grand children, it seemed as though he would die alone in his great dojo.
