[Ranma][Fanfic] The Night

[Greg Sandborn]

The Night
by Greg Sandborn

"Akane! Nabiki!" Kasumi called from the downstairs
hallway. Her 9 year old face was a mask of irritation.
"Where are you!?"
She was sure her voice could be heard over the sounds
of her father's students practicing in the dojo.
"Nabiki!!!" She called again with an impatient stamp
of her foot and her voice rising an octave.
"What is it, Kasumi?" Nabiki's voice came from
somewhere upstairs. "I'm trying to do my homework."
"Meeting! NOW!"
Wiping her hands on the little apron she wore, Kasumi
stomped back into the main room. Kasumi was always calling
little meetings'. Ever since their mother had gone into
the hospital, she had acted like *she* was in charge. Like
*she* was mother. Neither of the other two girls really
liked this too much but since they were unwilling or unable
to assume their mother's duties around the house, the job
fell to Kasumi. With it went the authority to call family
meetings. Something Nabiki thought she used entirely too
freely.
Little Akane cautiously wandered down the hall from her
room and eyed her older sister suspiciously.
"What is it, Nabiki?" she asked, her hazel eyes big and
innocent. She was carrying her little stuffed kitty, the
same one she took everywhere, except to school.
"Oneechan wants another *meeting*." Nabiki said with
some disgust. "I guess we better go. Otherwise, she'll
tell daddy again."
With a sigh, she took her little sister's hand, led her
downstairs and assumed their usual places around the table
that seemed to dwarf them. Kasumi just stood across from
them, arms crossed, tapping her foot impatiently.
"Ok, Kasumi. We're all here. What's so important you
have to call a meeting *this* time." Nabiki slouched
forward, her elbow on the table and her cheek resting on her
fist.
"Is mommy coming home?" Akane asked while cuddling her
stuffed kitty. Kasumi had tried to get her to give up
carrying that thing around with her, knowing what the kids
at school were saying and all. So far, Akane had
successfully resisted her efforts.
"Not yet, Akane." Kasumi sounded tired. This was the
same question Akane asked at every meeting. Frankly, Kasumi
was getting tired having to repeatedly tell a 6 year old
that her mother wasn't coming home just yet.
"I'm not getting enough help from you two." Kasumi said
coolly, eyeing both sisters.
"Kasumi, we've got homework to do. Inoue-sensi said I
needed to study my mathematics more if I wanted to get into
junior high school." Nabiki protested, using her usual
shocked look. It was the same look she always used when
someone asked her to do something she didn't want to do.
"Look!" Kasumi sounded more upset than she usually did
at these meetings. "I've got homework to do too, you know.
In addition to cooking, cleaning, doing your laundry, *and*
the shopping, I don't have enough time to get everything
done!" She was *really* angry now. "I *can't* do this
alone!"
"I want mommy to come home." Akane pouted looking at
her kitty.
Kasumi just dropped to her knees on the pillow in front
of her, planted an elbow on the table and rested her
forehead in her hand. "I do to, Akane. But until she does,
I need your help."
"Why doesn't father help out?" Nabiki asked, with a
stern look on her face.
"Nabiki," Kasumi sighed. This was the same argument
they'd had for the last four weeks. "Father works hard
teaching in the dojo. It's not his job to cook and clean.
That is woman's work."
Nabiki just wrinkled her nose at the term *woman's
work*. She couldn't understand why her father didn't just
cut his class schedule and spend some time cleaning around
the house. Besides, they were just children. Why should
they be expected to do grownup things like cooking and
cleaning?
Kasumi pulled a piece of carefully folded paper from
the pocket of her apron. Opening it, she looked sternly at
her sisters.
"What I have here is a list of things that need to be
done. You are both going to take a few of these and do them
each day." Kasumi eyed her sisters coolly. If nothing
else, they were going to get the idea that she was serious
about this.
Akane and Nabiki, however, just looked at each other
and made faces.
Ignoring her younger siblings reactions to her plan,
Kasumi read off the various duties, assigning them as she
went.
"Nabiki, you will sweep the walk and clean up outside
every day after school. Do your homework before dinner
because afterwards you will have to gather the laundry and
sort it. I will show you how to run the washing machine and
you can do the laundry."
"Even Akane's stinky underwear?" Nabiki protested.
"I don't have stinky underwear." Akane charged. "You
do." She might have been the youngest but she had developed
a personality trait of never backing down when challenged.
Something Nabiki constantly baited her with.
"Enough!" Kasumi was not going to let her little
meeting degenerate into the usual childish squabbling. "Now
for Akane."
"I'm too little." she looked at the table pouting.
"Daddy said so."
"Well, daddy has been busy and doesn't know just how
grown up you are." Kasumi was using something she had
learned in school called "psychology". Making Akane feel
grown up and important, she felt sure she could get her to
perform the few tasks she had laid out for her.
"You will have to clean the bath *and* the toilet."
"NO!" Akane protested, almost leaping to her feet.
"I'm not cleaning the stinky toilet!"
"Akane..."
"No, Kasumi. I don't wanna. I'm telling daddy."
Akane started to get up.
"Tell daddy what?" Soun Tendo's voice came from the
hall. He had just finished his last class of the day and
was looking for his daughters. As he came into the room,
Akane jumped to her feet and ran to embrace her father.
"Kasumi says I gotta clean the toilet." Akane pouted.
"Daughter," Soun looked at Kasumi, the lack of sleep
clearly showing on his face. "Perhaps you could find
something else for Akane to do that's a little
less...objectionable." Like all fathers, he favored his
youngest daughter. Much to the irritation of the older
girls.
Kasumi glared at Akane who just returned an "I told you
so" smile, her arms around her father's neck.
"Very well, I guess she could sweep the front walk and
dust the rest of the house." Kasumi sighed looking over her
list again. This wasn't working out like she had planned.
What little they were actually going to do was not going to
take much of the overall responsibilities from her. She was
still going to be working from before sunrise until well
after everyone had gone to bed. Refolding her paper, she
sadly returned it to her pocked.
"Don't worry, daughter." Soun said softly, sensing her
frustration. "I will clean the toilet."
"See?" Akane tossed at her oldest sister, a tiny smirk
on her face.
Soun hugged her and set her back on the floor. "I'm
going to the hospital for a little while." He even sounded
tired. "I think your mother can tell when I'm there."
"Is she getting better, father?" Kasumi asked. She,
more than any of the others, was anxious for her mother's
return. She wanted desperately to go back to being a child
again. She was even looking forward to being able to spend
more time at school. As it was now, she had to hurry home
every day to get started on the housework.
Soun just looked at the floor. He knew the truth but
wisely kept it from the girls. Their mother wasn't getting
better. In fact, she was worse than ever. The doctors had
tried everything they knew but the disease was beyond their
science and she was slowly dying.
"Tendo-san?" The voice of Dr. Nagumo from the hospital
broke the spell. "Are you home?"
"In here, doctor. Please come in." Soun hurried to
greet his visitor.
As the two men entered the room, the doctor's face told
all present that it wasn't the kind of visit he liked to
make. Kasumi bit hard on her lip to keep from breaking into
tears. She knew what the doctor was here to say and didn't
want to hear it.
"Nabiki. Akane." she said with a steady voice. "It's
bath time. I'm sure father and the doctor have things to
discuss."
Kasumi could see the relieved look on the doctor's face
as the girls excused themselves. Whatever he was here to
tell Soun, he didn't especially want to do it in front of
the children.
"Why do we have to take our bath now, Kasumi?" Akane
whined as she was herded up the stairs. "It's still early."
"Because, stupid. Daddy wants to talk to the doctor
alone." Nabiki chided. She probably also knew why the
doctor was here and, for once, was willing to help Kasumi
shield the youngest from bad news.
"I'm not stupid!" Akane pouted again, only to be
shushed by Kasumi. Obediently, she stopped her protest but
shot Nabiki a withering look.
The girls quickly undressed in the changing room and
moved quietly into the bath. As usual, Kasumi had to help
scrub little Akane who was acting more helpless than ever.
Scrubbed and doused with cold water, the girls gingerly
eased themselves into the hot water of the furo. With a
sigh, Kasumi settled back to enjoy the soak while Akane
played with her toys and Nabiki kept looking for ways to
irritate her.
For several minutes, peace reigned. Kasumi closed her
eyes and relived in her mind every school outing, every
sleep-over, every fun thing she ever did before her mother's
illness. She fought a wave of sadness when she thought how
her current situation might never change.
"Kasumi?" Akane asked. "I miss mommy in the tub. She
was always so much fun."
Kasumi sadly smiled as she thought back to all the
nights she and her sisters shared the large furo with their
mother. She *was* fun to be in a tub with. Playing little
games, doing girl talk', and sometimes singing. Singing.
For some reason, that stuck in her mind.
<What was that song mother used to sing to us?> she
thought pensively. Slowly the words matched the tune in her
head. Kasumi always had a sweet singing voice. Tonight she
started softly, almost like she was trying to remember each
word as she went.
"Yes, Oneechan." Akane clapped her hands in delight.
"That's the one." And joined in, her little voice echoing
through the room.
Nabiki just looked at the water and pursed her lips.
She wasn't much of a singer. Besides, without mother here,
it just didn't seem right to be singing her songs. Still,
Kasumi's voice was infectious. Soon, Nabiki was joining in,
timidly at first, but with growing strength and confidence.
It was a simple, childrens' song. Nothing special.
Almost repetitive in its words but beautiful when song by a
mother...or her children. In minutes the girls singing
could be heard by the neighbors.
It was just loud enough to cover the sobs of a husband
grieving for his departed wife.

The night was cloudy and ominous when Soun Tendo
returned home. He had made all the arrangements for his
wife's funeral and had gone to view her body once more
before it was sealed up for cremation. Throughout it all,
she had remained as beautiful as ever. Even on the worst of
days, she always made sure she looked good for her husband
so he wouldn't worry.
He knew of the torment she had gone through the last
few weeks and how she remained cheerful throughout it all,
always asking about the girls and how they were doing in
school. She knew she was dying but refused to give in to
the sadness. In the end, she waited until she was alone to
die, not wanting to inflict such a scene on anyone. When
she was sure the girls were alright and her husband was busy
with the dojo, she quietly slipped away, leaving the pain
and her family behind.
Soun trudged slowly up to the gate of his home. All
the lights of the house were on and the sounds of voices
carried out past the walls. A small sign in Nabiki's
handwriting hung over the "Tendo School of Anything Goes
Martial Arts" sign that said: "Closed Until Further Notice."
With a sigh of resignation, he entered to join his extended
family for an evening of mourning. It was something he was
not looking forward to.
As he entered his house, he was met by various cousins
and uncles who expressed their condolences while pushing
things to drink or eat in his hands. Gifts of money filled
a small basket on the table inside the door. He only
glanced at it, knowing he would need every yen to pay for
the funeral and shrine for his wife. With forced little
smiles he acknowledged each person who approached to speak
to him. It was the hardest thing he ever had to do.
The girls reacted differently to their mother's
passing. Kasumi went through the motions like a little
robot, fetching food from the kitchen as it was prepared by
her cousins and aunts and delivering it to the main room for
the assembled family members. She nodded an acknowledgment
to those who spoke to her but never responded. More than
once, she locked herself in the toilet to cry in silence,
not wanting to be seen or heard. She would emerge later,
her mask safely in place, to resume her duties in the
kitchen. Her worst fears were coming true, her childhood
was over.
Nabiki sat in a corner of the room, her elbows resting
on her knees, her hands balled and held in front of her
mouth. Her head was bowed but her eyes were constantly
shifting from mourner to mourner. Fighting continuously to
control her tears and her panic, she blinked and watched
until she could stand it no more. Without even excusing
herself, she fled her home. Outside she looked frantically
for somewhere to go where she wouldn't be heard or seen.
She remembered the place where she and her friends used to
hide when they didn't want to be found; under old Mrs
Suzuki's house. Seconds later, Nabiki found the loose board
only she and her friends knew about. Quickly removing it,
she crawled inside, badly soiling her best kimono in the
process. She didn't care. It was *her* place to mourn.
Mrs. Suzuki, no stranger to mourning herself having
buried her husband only two years before, was preparing to
go to the Tendo's and pay her respects when she heard a
child crying through the floor of her bedroom. Cocking her
ear, she knew immediately who it was.
Over the last few weeks, Mrs. Suzuki had become a
surrogate grandmother' to the girls; baking things for
them, preparing their lunches for school each day so Kasumi
wouldn't have to, and doing the occasional sewing and patch
jobs on their rapidly aging clothes. She loved each of the
girls, but Nabiki was her favorite. She reminded Mrs.
Suzuki of herself when she was younger; opinionated, head
strong, even a little sassy. When Nabiki and her friends
set up their little hiding place under her house, she didn't
mind at all. It was her way of showing little Nabiki her
approval.
Mrs. Suzuki slowly made her way to where Nabiki had
removed the board and hesitated. <A child needs to grieve
for a departed mother. She just needs some time alone.>
She would wait for Nabiki to emerge.
Under the house, Nabiki was sobbing uncontrollably.
Muttering how much she wanted her mother to come home, to
return and help her grow up. She alternated between words
of hate for her mother for leaving her like this and
whimpering pleadings for her mother to return. Pounding the
dirt with her fist, she cried how unfair it was and how much
it hurt. Again and again, she hit the dirt until her hands
were raw. It didn't change a thing. Her mother was still
dead.
Outside, Mrs. Suzuki heard it all and fought back her
own tears as she felt every whimper stab at her heart.
Desperately, she wanted to crawl in with Nabiki and comfort
the sobbing girl. But she knew this was Nabiki's way. It
was the way she would have grieved herself if it were her
mother. As the sky opened and shed its own tears, Mrs.
Suzuki kept to her post. Nabiki would need someone to lean
on when she emerged and Mrs. Suzuki was determined to be
that person.
Akane had fled earlier in the evening, avoiding even
the first of the mourners.. She, alone, reacted to her
mother's death with immediate anger; first directed at the
doctors and then at the disease itself. At age 6, she had
no concepts of disease but knew it was something that took
her mother away so was to be hated and fought. Unlike her
sisters, she had no dislike for the dojo and those who
trained there. When she played in the yard, her father's
students were always friendly and would talk to her as they
came and went. She was impressed by how they looked as they
drilled; so strong and forceful. The sounds of their yells
when they struck something sent chills of excitement through
her young body.
Tonight, she wandered into the darkened dojo alone. If
disease was to be fought, she would do it to rescue her
mother. With grim determination and the skills of a 6 year
old, she faced one of the dojo's practice dummies and
repeatedly struck it's padded body screaming like the other
students. Again and again, she struck the target, each blow
barely denting the fabric covered surface. Like she
remembered the students doing, she screamed as she punched
and kicked, over and over, until she collapsed on the
floor, exhausted and crying. She had failed to defeat the
disease. Her mother was still gone. By the time she had
cried herself out, her anger had returned and she would
resume the attack. Only to repeat the cycle again and
again. Hours later, her father would find her; still trying
to kill the disease with her blows; still trying to rescue
her mother.

A clap of thunder startled Nabiki from her sleep. She
sat bolt upright with a short cry, gasping for breath.
Looking around her room, she was relieved to see everything
was normal. Her books were still on her desk, her clothes
were strewn all over the floor (she was still messy), and
her precious ledger books were still on the shelf.
<I've *got* to stop eating pizza before going to bed.>
she thought. <Good grief! I'm covered with sweat.> She felt
the dampness of her covers and disgustedly climbed out of
her bed. Noticing it was only 4:30 in the morning and sleep
having been severely driven from her, she considered what to
do. <It's Sunday morning. No school. Might as well take
a bath and get rid of all this sweat. At least I'll the tub
all to myself.>
Quietly, Nabiki crept down to the bath. Inside, she
shed her sweat soaked nightshirt, grabbed a small towel, and
entered the bath. The storm was clearing and the lights of
the city cast their gentle illumination in the room. <I'll
just leave the lights off. And soak in peace.> she mused as
she closed the door.
In the furo, Nabiki sighed contentedly. Nothing like a
hot bath to make everything right.
Her peace was disturbed by the sound of someone else
opening the door into the changing room. Nabiki watched, an
annoyed look on her face, as her younger sister slid open
the inner door and switched on the light.
"Akane no baka." Nabiki growled. "Shut off that damn
light."
"I'm sorry...I thought..." Akane stammered as she
quickly switched off the light. "What are you doing up at
this hour?"
With her cheek planted characteristically in her fist,
Nabiki replied: "I'm trying an experiment. Seeing how long
it takes for everyone in the house to join me in the bath."
Embarrassed, Akane just looked at the floor. She knew
the pecking order' of the bath. Nabiki had her by almost
18 months. It was her older sister's decision whether or
not to share.
"Oh, all right." Nabiki waved her younger sister to the
furo. "If there's anything I can't stand, it's when you
pout like that."
With a tiny smile, Akane slipped into the steaming
water, making sure to stay in the farthest corner from her
older sister.
"So, what got you up so early?" Nabiki asked cradling
her head on her arms as she leaned on the edge of the furo,
looking out the window.
"I don't know. Couldn't sleep, I guess." Akane replied
sinking a little deeper in the water. "Do you know what day
this is?"
Irritated at having to play guessing games this early
on a day off, Nabiki turned and shot a look at her sister.
"Sunday, why?"
Undeterred, Akane pressed on. "It's mother's meinichi.
She died ten years ago tonight."
<Oh great!> Nabiki thought. <We've got to go through
all *that* again.>
Akane had gotten better at reading her sisters emotions
over the years. She could tell her sister wanted
desperately to avoid revisiting her mother's passing. To
her, it simply served no purpose other than getting
everyone, especially father, all riled up again.
<Why can't they just let the dead be?> Nabiki thought.
There were some aspects of being Japanese Nabiki simply
hated. Poking around in graveyards once a year was tops on
that list.
Nabiki was about to answer her sister when she heard
the outer door open and close again. A few moments later, a
naked Kasumi entered the bath and switched on the light.
Both girls objected loudly causing a startled Kasumi to
quickly switch it off again.
"What are all you doing up this early?" Kasumi
demanded.
"Actually, Oneechan, I thought we would have a
meeting." Nabiki dead panned. "Got another list for us?"
"There's room. Join us, Kasumi." Akane invited
sliding over to make room.
"You tell em, stinky." Nabiki chided. "You want your
little duckies?"
"I am *not* stinky!" Akane hissed back.
"Look, if you two are going to fight, I'm leaving."
Kasumi turned to the door. <Ten years and they *still*
can't take a bath together.>
"Just get in." Nabiki said with resignation. <All I
wanted was a quiet bath.>
Settling in, Kasumi sighed as the hot water engulfed
her body.
"So, Oneechan, what got you up so early?" Nabiki
leveled her best interrogation look at her older sister.
"Me? Why I always get up early." Kasumi protested a
look of slight indignation on her face.
"At 4:30 on a Sunday?"
"Well...maybe not *that* early."
They sat in silence watching through the window as the
storm clouds dissipated, revealing a few determined stars.
"You felt it, too." Akane finally said to Kasumi.
Kasumi looked at Akane for a few moments before nodding
and looking down into the water.
"Aw don't start that *mother's meinichi* stuff again."
Nabiki protested. "Every year, it's the same thing; get up
early, go to the cemetery, meet with a bunch of relatives we
don't see unless someone gets married or dies, and listen to
some Shinto priest drone on and on over mother's grave.
Every year, you guys."
"And every year you go with us." Kasumi quietly added.
Nabiki turned away and sighed. She had better things
to do on her day off. She didn't want to relive her
mother's death again and again. Wasn't it painful enough
the first time?
"You know, I think the furo is smaller." Kasumi noted
as she shifted her position. "It's been awhile since all
three of us took a bath together."
"Well, at least, we don't have to contend with all of
Akane's toys this time." Nabiki shot a glance at her little
sister.
Akane just stuck her tongue out at Nabiki. Nabiki
returned the favor and Kasumi, as usual, pretended she
didn't see either one.
They sat quietly for several minutes, each deep in
their own thoughts.
"You know, it's times like this I miss mother the
most." Kasumi finally said. "I miss the baths we used to
take together."
"How she used to play with us and sing us songs." Akane
sighed wistfully. "She had a beautiful voice."
<Oh no, not again.> Nabiki thought, her eyes closed
tightly. <Please...> Her body shuddered slightly. She had
kept her feelings about her mother tightly locked away for
ten years. She could feel her grip on the lock slipping.
"The last time we all took a bath together was...that
night..." Kasumi closed her eyes and bowed her head. "When
the doctor came to talk to father, I brought the both of you
in here..."
All three girls were staring off into different regions
of space, their thoughts drifting back ten years. Each
reliving their feelings at that moment in time.
"Kasumi...Are you crying?" Akane asked as she noticed a
tear working its way down Kasumi's cheek.
Kasumi sniffed quietly and used her towel to wipe her
face. "It's just sweat, that's all. The water is really
hot this morning."
The younger girls exchanged glances and looked at their
older sister, remembering how she kept the family going
through the last 10 years. How she sacrificed her childhood
and teen aged years to care for them. How she was the
mother they both needed. How she, alone, had borne the
household responsibilities.
<I really do owe you, Oneechan.> Nabiki thought. It
caused her to wince slightly. She really hated owing
anybody. <Maybe, going to mother's meinichi wouldn't be so
bad. It'll just consider it a partial payment on that
debt.>
Softly, almost like she wasn't trying to be heard,
Nabiki started humming the song the girls sang that night.
The song their mother always sang to them in the bath.
Kasumi's beautiful voice softly added the words with
Akane joining in. Slowly the volume of the song grew, the
girls holding hands in the water. For just that moment,
they were children again, with only each other to hold on
to. They were sisters, bound together the way few were, or
could be. Somehow, they had all made it through that night.
Perhaps, Kasumi and their mother's song was the reason.
What ever the case, the three now sang as one, their voices
gaining strength from each other. The song carried out the
window, across the walled compound and into the street
beyond.
Somewhere a mother smiled.

Greg Sandborn (aka: Uncle Fester)

Home on the range at: sand...@microlink.net
sand...@burnsmcd.com

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Pushing the envelope of fan fiction till my stamp gets canceled.