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A Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction/Danny the Dog by S³
Circle that Binds – part 5.0
The morning following the incident in the dojo was a quiet one. As promised, Soun and Genma had kept themselves occupied over the shogi board once breakfast was finished. While they might have appeared hard at thought, the two were also quietly discussing the events of the previous night.
The Tendou patriarch took his time moving his next piece, "Saotome, it seems to me that you outdid yourself in training your son. He is truly one with the Art, that much is unquestionable."
"Why do I sense a but coming," the elder Saotome frowned, not particularly caring for the backhanded compliment his friend was laying out.
Soun continued on, not wanting to mince words at this point, "My own daughter, while she does carry the Tendou pride, is not quite at the level of mastery that your boy seems to possess. This is something that falls heavily on my shoulders, more so with each passing day. The dedication is there, but perhaps it is the teacher who has failed the student," the long-haired martial artist paused a moment in his speech to set down the piece he'd been deliberating over. "With things as they were, I was unable to make the trip along with you as we'd often discussed back then."
Genma frowned, wondering at the other father, "Where are you going with this, Tendou?"
"Bear with me a moment, Saotome. While I might not agree with all of your training methods, they are nothing more than what we underwent in our own time as students," Soun left the rest of that particular sentiment unsaid, as it went down paths he didn't care to remember just now, if ever. Memories of the Master were never pleasant, but that didn't mean he regretted all of the training, just most of it.
Adjusting his glasses, the heavier man nodded in some understanding. "I stand by my methods, rough as they were, I did my best for the boy. Perhaps, just perhaps I may have overextended myself as his instructor. However, I can look back and say I gave my all," he looked out into the yard for a moment, as if reflecting on the past.
"Even with your boy, as he is now?"
"Even with that, my intentions were solid. The consequences, I-we both live with every day. As things stand, I cannot return to my home. The reason, of course, why we are intruding upon yours."
The mustachioed man shook his head, "It is no intrusion my friend, but an honor for you to be here with us. I only wish something more could be done for the pact we made."
"You words move me, Tendou. I too long for the day our schools can be made one, made whole. Seeing my wife, too is deep in my heart. For now," he cast his gaze toward the kitchen, where Kasumi was keeping Ranma busy. "My wife is as far beyond my reach as yours is to you," Genma bowed his head, "I mean no disrespect old friend."
Soun apparently was too distracted to notice Genma's self-reproach, "Ah, Kimiko!" Now, even years after the fact, the thought of his late wife brought him to tears. It was enough to distract him both from the conversation and game at hand.
"Yes," the boy in question deftly snagged the cloth the tall girl had requested. He placed in in her waiting hand, happy to be of more help. It had taken a few days, but he mostly understood where things in the kitchen were kept now. Which made it easier to be of some help. Even if it was a little bit, it made him happy, and that was something that was very seldom in his recent memory.
Kasumi hummed a little to herself as she dried the remainder of the dishes, the morning had been pleasantly uneventful, especially when given the spectacle of the previous night. Still, the conversation she'd had with her sister weighed on her mind. She glanced over at the shaggy head of hair as Ranma moved back and forth across the kitchen, possibly attempting to wipe up some mess she couldn't see.
He was a puzzle that was for sure, and even more, the elusive redhead he sometimes became. She'd been watching the whole fight in the dojo very carefully, if not just for personal reasons. The redhead, no Ranma, had acted quite different, the moment she'd started fighting in earnest. It had something to do with the ever present collar around Ranma's neck, she and Akane had come to that much of an agreement.
They'd both watched in amazement as one moment Ranma transformed from lifeless rag doll to a whirling dervish, moving almost too fast for her eyes to track, though afterward, Akane had admitted much the same to her obvious chagrin. Coming from a martial artist background, no matter how long ago, Kasumi had to admit to herself that what little she'd caught, belied a kind of grace; but the sheer brutality nearly overshadowed anything she could appreciate about the redhead's movement. Akane, however, had been struck speechless, something very rare for the younger hot-tempered Tendou. Either way, they had agreed that there was definitely something different about the female Ranma. Even in that all too brief spurt of violence, there was a life that was missing, or maybe buried, in the boy now helping her clean up after breakfast.
Resting one arm across her face, she breathed out a sigh. "Why is everything going so against me lately," she peeked out from beneath her arm, staring up at the empty ceiling. "First the mess with Upperclassman Kuno," her mouth twisted into something approaching a sneer before than too faded, "then this mess with daddy's houseguests." She lay there for a moment, just quietly mulling everything over in her mind, dwelling on one overly amorous schoolmate far less than matters with her current troubled guest.
For the moment, she was satisfied with how she'd kept Tatewaki Kuno at bay. He was an eyesore, well…his personality was at any rate. Even she could admit that he wasn't that bad on the eyes, until he opened his mouth. That was a deal breaker for sure in her book. There just wasn't an easy way to handle him, not that she could see anyway. Nabiki would have known what to do, for better or worse.
"Damn you, why couldn't you just butt out of my problems for once," Akane bit her lip, beginning to get angry at herself more than anyone else. After all, it was her fault. Wasn't it? She knew, no matter what Kasumi or her father said. She was the one who'd killed her own sister. Wasn't she?
