Ranma 1/2

Disclaimer: I don’t own Ranma, Rumiko Takahashi does. I just borrowed some of the characters. Rated: NC-17

Shades of Home

Chapter 37

Ranma grumbled. It was afternoon and he didn’t have a place to stay the night. At least, he didn’t think he did.

At the motor pool, he found that Steven had been better than his word. He’d gotten him a nice extended cab pickup with a bed cover. He liked the look of it and asked the Corporal he got the keys from if he knew how he could get some camping gear.

“Now what kind of inefficient morons do you think we are? The Captain went over to supply and got you everything you need. Nice two man tent, geodesic so you can set it up easy. Sleeping bag, camp stove; you name it, you got it. Bunch of MRE’s too. But I’d advise eating out as much as possible.”

“Nani? You think I can’t cook. My heart’s broken. Besides, I like MRE’s. Yeah, yeah, I’m crazy. Tell me something I don’t know.”

Ranma smiled at the man to take the sting out of his words. He grinned back, being one of the sort who was happy just because. Ranma envied him.

“Here, while I’m giving bad advice. You shouldn’t carry more than Five hundred dollars American, watch where you sleep and don’t have sex with anyone you have to pay. If it’s not classified, where are you going? I could find you some attractions to see.”

Ranma chuckled in delight, this was more like it. The man might not know him from Adam but he was friendly and wanted to help.

“I haven’t got the faintest idea, I’m going walk about. Too much has happened too fast and I need some private time to get my feet under me again. I can’t get used to the idea that people are scared of me.”

“Scared of you? You’re not scary. What makes them. . . . naw . . . don’t tell me. Just because you’re Saotome? Chicken shit.”

“Yeah, they are or else they just see a kid and disrespect me. I’m a civilian and I just . . . well, I’m not sure. I’m just tired.”

“I can see why. You do just need walk about. When did you get to Australia?”

“Never been, just heard the phrase somewhere and it seemed to fit. Just go out and see what there is to see. I traveled all over with my pop. I never really had a stable home. Now I’ve been kicked out of my room by that ass they assigned me. So everything’s spinning out of control and I just need to get away for a while.”

“Well, after everything I heard about; you’re due a real vacation. By the way, I got in on your show. Very dramatic. Made a real impression on those that needed it. Myself, I’m just glad you’re good natured.”

“You saw my demonstration and you’re not scared of me?”

“Hell no, why should I be? I’m not starting anything and you ain’t crazy. So . . . no worries, mate. Just go, travel around, have some fun. Come back a little happier. Ok?”

“Thanks. I got to see a man about a dog. I’ll be back in a while. No . . . never mind. I’ll call him when I feel better. I’m just gonna hit the road. See ya on the flip side.”

Ranma stopped at the Bursars Office and got some more cash, checked on his account balance, and made sure his credit card was valid. It wouldn’t do to find out that it wasn’t by trying to pay and having it rejected.

After leaving the office Ranma counted his money. He had a little over 250,000 yen (current rates of exchange are 113.4 yen=$1 American so he had a little more than 2204.58) that should hold him for at least a month if he was careful, then he realized he didn’t have to be careful. He’d made arrangements for his card to be paid off out of his savings each month and he had a high balance in it because he hardly ever bought anything. The Compound had provided him with everything he’d needed for more than a year now as well as paying him a salary that still boggled his mind. He’d been saving that for an emergency and he didn’t know what his need to get away was if not an emergency.

~ * ~

Vignette

“Housing office. How may I direct your call?”

“Head of Housing . . . .You want to tell me how Saotome wound up with a room mate?”

“I heard about that mess and already checked into it. The Sergeant in charge of assignments just decided in his own special space that it wasn’t necessary to follow orders. I’m not sure what his problem was, hemorrhoids must have acted up or something. He’s getting an official reprimand.”

“Lot of good that does us now. Ranma wants a house. See he gets one.”

“Where the hell am I supposed to get a house for a single male. I’ve got married couples now and not enough houses to go around for them.”

“I don’t care, get him a house if you have to build it . . . he said he would take that little cottage half way up the mountain. The one on that goat road.”

“Ok, he can have that one but I’d like to know how he’s going to get up and down from there.”

“Run.”

“Huh?”

~ * ~

Day one:

Ranma drove down to Nerima and cruised around for a while trying to decide what to do. It was late and he didn’t want to be trying to find a camping place.

“Hey! Doc Tofu. Hi ya.”

“Ranma, how are you? You look well. I take it you don’t need my professional services.”

Ranma gave Doctor Tofu a small sheepish smile. He knew Doc Tofu would let him stay the night and even have some suggestions as to what he might do with himself for a while.

“No, I’m good that way but I need some advice and I trust you. Ryouga is a little too close to the problem maybe. Anyway, he’s been trying to do something with Kodachi, so he’s not here; should get back early tomorrow, was supposed to be here today but his flight was delayed. Uh . . . can I stay here tonight?”

“Certainly. I can tell you’re upset. I don’t believe you’ve used a complete sentence yet. Is that something you learned in the military? Come in and sit down. I was just getting ready to have dinner. I know it’s a little early but I skipped lunch so I’m a bit hungry.”

Ranma followed the doctor into the kitchen and sat down opposite him at the table. There was a bowl of rice and a smaller bowl of steamed mixed vegetables. Ranma took a plate and put a spoonful of rice and a few vegetables on it. He looked for some pickles or some other dish but there wasn’t one.

“Well Doctor. One, I’m not in the military. I’m a ‘civilian consultant’ and get paid a hell of a salary. If I don’t get dead, I’ll be well off. But that’s not the problem. I did something I’m not real proud of and I’m not handlin’ it too well.”

“You don’t have to tell me about it in detail, I saw you on TV. It was sad to see what you did to the animal. But one question; how did it make you feel?”

“Frankly Doc, it made me sick to my stomach. I couldn’t figure out anything else to do. I couldn’t let it fly. If it got into Tokyo . . . well, I don’t even want to guess at how many people would have died . . . Oh! But that don’t excuse me. I should have found a better way.”

“Yes, perhaps. But you’ve had some time to think about it. Have you found any other way you could have handled it . . . ” Tofu held up his hand, “and I don’t want to hear if I’d had this or that; you didn’t. If you found a better way to handle it with the materials at hand, I want to hear it; if not, give yourself a break.”

“Say! I never thought of it in quite that way. I was always thinking-- if I’d taken the time to get this or that; but I didn’t, I guess, now that you bring it up, I couldn’t have done any different. But I still don’t have to like it.”

“I never said you should like it. Just that you should forgive yourself. You did the best you could.”

“Thanks Doc. I really needed that. . . .Um, Doc? Why are you eating rice and vegetables? I know you always said you should have a little meat of some kind. And no pickles. Not that I’m complaining, just making conversation.”

Tofu looked embarrassed. He didn’t have much in the way of hospitality to offer Ranma.

“Well things are kind of hard right now.”

Tofu proceeded to tell Ranma about his troubles. Ranma’s open expression led him to tell more that he’d intended.

When the people in the neighborhood found out about the way Akane and Genma had been treating Ranma they were all outraged. Unfortunately that outrage had extended to the dojo, for a while, but it had particularly impacted on the doctor. When they found out that Genma was the trained panda that he’d had around the clinic they’d abandoned him in droves, going to the new clinic instead.

“So I’m kind of hard up for a while. I’m sure they’ll come back eventually, all I have to do is hold out until they do. Unfortunately, it’s taking longer than I thought it would. I even had to let Kasumi go. “

“Scuse me? Let her go where? Or . . .”

“Not where. She took over for Genma when he went to jail. But I can’t even afford the pittance she would accept. It was very good for me. With her around so much, I finally got over being so shy around her. She’s a very good nurse too. I hated to see her pretty face fall when I told her she couldn’t work here anymore. She offered to do it for free, but I can’t take advantage of her like that; even if she doesn’t think of it that way.”

“Doc, ya ever think that she just likes being around you and was using that as an excuse? Geeze, for a smart man sometimes you’re really thick.”

Tofu stopped eating with his chopsticks still between his lips. The arrested look on his face was priceless.

“Well, I never . . . I thought that . . . well . . . um . . . hmmm.”

“Doc, pick a thought, any thought. She likes you as much as you like her. She’s just too much a lady to do more than hope. Besides the fact that she thinks that you’re too smart to want a homemaker like her . . . you break her heart and I’ll break your neck. ‘Nough said.”

Tofu didn’t take offense at what Ranma had said, in fact it made him feel happy that someone with sense was watching out for Kasumi.

“Here Doc, chuck that mess and I’ll take ya out for supper.” Tofu eyed Ranma doubtfully for a second. “Hey, I said I got paid and I do, I can afford to take you anywhere you want to go. Come on, we’ll go to the Neko-Hanten and have ramen.”

“It’s closed. They all went back to China. There’s a nice place just opened down the street, the food is good and the prices are reasonable. We’ll go there if that’s ok.”

~ * ~

“Bye, Doc, I’ll see you soon. You do what I said and call Steven. He’ll be so glad to get a good doctor like you he’ll probably fall on your neck I’ll give him a call and tell him you’re comin.”

Ranma climbed into his truck and drove off, calling Steven while he drove.

~ * ~

Day two:

Ranma started for the north of Japan. He didn’t have any real destination, he was just going.

As he drove he wondered if Tofu and Kasumi would ever do more than look at each other.
Late afternoon found Ranma looking for a place to camp.

.o.

“Wow! Look at that view. I’m stayin’ right here for the night.” Ranma yawned, stretching his arms over his head and cracking his back. He started unloading his camping gear, tossing his tent on the ground and rummaging around to find the pegs and hammer.

Realizing he was hungry, he decided to put off setting up camp until he’d eaten something. Scrounging around in the supply box he found an MRE, opening it, he started to eat as he admired the view. He was looking forward to the sunrise over the valley.

“Excuse me. I’m a park warden.” The uniformed man pointed to his badge. “I’m sorry. You can’t camp here. It’s too dangerous. The cliff is undermined.”

“Damn, I was looking forward to the sunrise. I wanted to see it from my tent door. Call me lazy.”

“I’ll do no such thing. If you want to see the sunrise from your tent that’s just common sense, it’s warmer. Go down the road three kilometers, turn right, and go to the end of the road. The campground there offers several places where you can see the sunrise and, fortunately for you, they’re not popular because they’re on the fringes. Just ask Hiiro, he’s the ground supervisor.”

Ranma started tossing his things back into the truck bed. The Warden helped him, chatting pleasantly about the amenities the park offered.

“There is a tub available but you have to reserve it two days in advance or wait until the free hours, then–I’m afraid–you have to share it.”

Ranma snapped the bed cover down and held out his hand to the Warden.

“Sorry I caused trouble, thanks for helping me reload my stuff. I’ll see Warden Hiiro and see what he has to say about finding me a camping site.”

“No trouble. It’d be trouble if the cliff collapsed and dumped you into the valley. If you want something to eat besides that MRE; you might look hungry. He’ll invite you for supper. He’s a good man and his wife is a good cook.”

Ranma laughed. What was it with everyone? He was a good cook. At least he was better than Akane by a long shot.

At the camp ground, he just drove to the back and parked, looking for the least desirable plot with a good view. He could and had camped on the almost vertical side of a mountain. All he wanted was a good view of the sunrise over the valley.

“Hello! Oi! That’s a really bad place to camp; the ground is hard and the plot is really small. If you’d rather, I can find you a nicer place farther into the grounds. Oh, by the way my name’s Hiiro.”

Ranma looked the older man over. He was lean and compact; not an Artist, more like a runner. His smile was open and friendly, without the crinkles around the eyes that said he was sizing Ranma up.

“This one is fine if it’s okay with you. I want to see . . .”

“. . . the sunrise over the valley. Ok, the Topside Warden called me about you. That’s the best place to camp for the view. Just remember, if a high enough wind comes up your tent might take off on you, so peg it down good. If you need anything else, the office is right over there. Drop in anytime and visit . . . oh. How long do you think you’ll be here? I just like to know so I don’t let your spot if you leave for the day.”

“I didn’t think I’d have to pack my gear if I wanted to go somewhere for an hour or two.” Ranma was used to Nerima. There wasn’t much crime there, other than the excessive assault and battery on a certain Wild Horse.

“Oh. Well, you really don’t, but so many people are suspicious these days and pack up every day unless they are going to stay. But you can trust your gear with us. I walk the grounds almost continuously from eight in the morning til seven or eight in the evening. I know almost everything that goes on here and I keep an eye on things. What’s your name?”

“Gah! Sorry! Really, I don’t know where my manners are. Name’s Saotome Ranma. Pleased to meetcha.”

“Well, you young things weren’t raised the way my generation was. That’s okay. Pleased to meet you also. . . . Well, I’ll get on my way and let you get your camp set up in peace. Unless you need some help with that tent?”

Ranma, glad that he didn’t have to try to zip two one-man tents together, shook his head remarking that it wouldn’t take him more than ten minutes to get the job done.

After setting up camp, Ranma decided to see the rest of the grounds and maybe try to locate a fire pit so he could cook something rather than dipping into his supply of emergency rations.

~ * ~

Vignette

“Steven, you better come. There’s a nun here and she wants to speak to you. I know you don’t hold with all that ‘stuff’ but she seems very intense.”

“I’ll see her. Show her in…You’d better stay. too.”

“I am Saotome Nodoka. Thank you for seeing me. I have brought this for you to present to my son. It is the family sword. Please tell my son that I am entering the Fukuda monastery where I will spend the rest of my days in prayer and fasting. Praying for his health and well being. I will not pray for his forgiveness as I know that is not possible.”

“Holy shit!”

“Oooh, yeeeah.”

~ * ~

Ranma woke the next morning and saw his sunrise. It was as beautiful as he had hoped it would be. It filled the sky with streamers of cloud in shades of pink, peach, and yellow, spreading itself over the valley below; the valley was still hidden in shades of gray; from the gray green pine trees to the filmy gray of a light ground fog.

Ranma watched in silence until the rising sun started dissolving the fog. Then he started for the bath house. If he got there early enough he could get in a quick soak before anyone else got there.

No such luck. “Hello? I’m sorry. I think there has been a mistake. We reserved the tub for this morning to watch the sun rise. Unfortunately, we didn’t get up soon enough.”

Ranma thought quick. He sank down until he was neck deep in the tub and waited for the rest of the family to arrive. In the confusion of getting several other people, some of them children, into the tub, he could get out and away before he had to answer questions he didn’t want to.

“Hey, look sweetie, here’s a young man just your age. You can talk to him while we have a nice soak.”

The older woman gave her husband one of those looks only a wife could give a man. A combination of exasperation and love that made Ranma smile to himself.

“What if the young man wants his privacy? He might not want to share the tub with a bunch of rude Americans.”

“Well, he’s stuck now, unless he wants to get out starkers and run. Kelly will be here in a second. Sorry about this. But we did reserve the tub first.”

Ranma bit his lip for the split second it took him to decide. “I just assumed that since no one was here, it was free. I don’t mind sharing but you might not want your daughter to see me. I got a few scars that tend to freak sensitive people out.”

Ranma stood up enough that the couple could see his shoulder and turned sideways to show part of his back. To his astonishment the woman just blinked and the man squinted slightly pulling at his lower lip.

“Hmmm . . . nasty. How did you get . . . never mind, not my business. Kelly won’t get upset, I’m sure she’s seen worse. Ah, here she is now.”

A girl about Ranma’s age popped her head in the door and asked if there were enough towels because she wasn’t getting out and getting cold to go find more later. Her expression changed. “I heard you say that there was a geek for me to ignore. That’s no geek. Hey! Nasty set of scars there. Have a run in with a lion?”

Ranma submerged himself but he could hear her mother telling her that she’d been rude; that maybe he didn’t want to discuss it. Ranma held his breath until his head started to sing. When he was sure he wasn’t six shades of red he started to surface but before he could do more than form the idea he felt hands under his arms as the man scooped him up into his arms and surged to the surface.

“Hey whadja do that for?”

“Damn it boy, you scared the life out of us. I thought you’d had a seizure or something. How long can you hold your breath?”

“I dunno. I’ve never been pushed beyond having my ears start to ring. Um . . . sorry I scared ya. And I’m not especially sensitive about my scars, I just get tired of people pukin’ and stuff.”

Kelly chose to interject at that moment. “Well, that’s not good. I mean the scars are gross but that’s no reason to be stupid about it. You ought to get a keloid reduction done on that shoulder. Your back won’t respond too well, the scar is too large. But something could be done. Right, Daddy?”

“Kelly. Perhaps the young man doesn’t want anything done. And if I’m not mistaken, we’ve all forgotten our manners.” The man turned back to Ranma and introduced himself and his family. “This is Kelly, I’m Jeff and that’s my wife, Grace. Parker. And you are?”

“Saotome Ranma, sorry about this.”

Ranma ducked his head, he needed to get out of the tub and away from this family before they realized who he was and got scared.

“HEY!” Ranma yelped and jumped half way across the room, then he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around his waist. “You’re the guy who killed that wyvern. I saw it on tv. That was really cool! I wish I could do stuff like that. I’m gonna be a daemon hunter when I grow up. Just like you.”

Ranma eyed the kid with more than a little disfavor. He was way too flinchy to have people yelling behind his back and said so.

“Look, I’m minding your business with that kid, but I think I need to have a talk with him. If you don’t mind.”

“What will you tell Mike?”

“All about the down side of being what I am. It’s not all fun and games; in fact most of it isn’t.”

“I think I’d prefer to sit in on this, if you don’t mind.”

“Sure.” Ranma shrugged. He wasn’t pulling any punches with this kid; so if the rest of the family wanted to sit in on it--fine.

Ranma dried off and got dressed, meeting the family in the engawa

“Come with us and have breakfast. We’ll talk over coffee.”

.o.

“OK kid, tell me why you want to be a George.” Ranma eyed the kid with little hope. He was about twelve and full of himself. Ranma wondered if he’d ever been that stupid.

“Well, I want to get on tv, I want everyone to respect me, I . . . well, you know.”

“No, I don’t know. Here’s how it really is. It’s hard; I train hard, I fight, I get hurt, friends die and no one wants to know me. Everyone I work with is either scared of me or wants to make a rep by beatin’ my butt. The only people I have are my secondary team, my girl friend, and the other members of the George team. Actually, there are quite a few of them, but that only leaves me open to the pain of having one of them get killed.”

Ranma eyed the kid, he didn’t think he was getting through at all.

“So you train hard. I practice the arts myself. I can take it.”

Ranma wanted to bang his head on something hard, this wasn’t going the way he’d hoped at all. If he didn’t get through to this kid, he’d spend the rest of his life trying to be something he couldn’t.

Kelly smacked Mike in the back of the head and grumped, “You’re not listening to him at all are you? You can’t even get yellow and you want to be a . . . what did you call it?”

“A George. After the Christian Saint George the Dragon slayer.” Turning to Jeff, Sr. Ranma made his offer. “I’ll tell you what. I haven’t done my training yet. So what do you say he trains with me? I’m on vacation, so I’ll just run him through the same routine that I went through at his age.”

“Sounds ok to me, but I’ll go along too. If you don’t mind.”

“Sure . . . anyone else want to come?”

Kelly decided to go too, but Grace shook her head saying she was only around to pick up the pieces.

“Ok, first we’ll run; then we’ll do kata, after that; striking board and cool down. Maybe an hour of yoga. Can’t get stiff.”

Ranma started out up hill, with Jeff, Mike, and Kelly right behind him. They managed to keep up for about half the distance, then Mike started flagging.

“Slow down some.”

“Nope. Ya gotta keep up.”

“I can’t! How did you keep up?”

“I learned to keep up from the hard end of a strap. Run or get hit.”

Mike looked startled, gasping, “You mean your Sensei hit you? What did your parents have to say about that?”

Ranma shrugged. “Mom wasn’t around and pop was my teacher. Now, you gonna run or cry?”

“Neither. It’s too hard. I’ll admit I’m not in that kind of shape. What’s next?”

Ranma decided to cut the kid some slack telling him that he’d finish his run and then they’d do kata. Kelly, who’d been jogging in place along with Big Jeff, said she’d go as far as she could and wait for them to swing back.

Kelly and Big Jeff had to quit at the same time so Ranma finished his run and caught them up where they’d dropped out.

“We need to head back to the camp, there’s a striking board there and I want to see how good he is at controlled strikes. Then I’ll show him my hands and see what he thinks. Let’s go.”

.o.

At the striking board, Mike watched as Ranma went through a short exercise and then refused to even try.

“Look, I know you’re trying to convince me that I don’t want to do this. But you aren’t going to succeed, I know all the scare tactics and I’m not worried. You’re doing it after all. Why are you doing it?”

Ranma shrugged. “Ok. Why am I doing it? . . . I kinda fell into it by accident. There’s a long sad back story that you aren’t going to hear. But I do it so kids like you can live long enough to get over being stupid. I don’t figure I’ll see thirty.”

“Yeah right! You’re stronger than anyone else in the world. So what do you have to be scared of?”

Ranma rubbed the back of his neck in dismay. This kid just wasn’t going to learn. Not unless he really got harsh.

“No. You don’t get it do you? There’s always someone out there stronger, faster, better, meaner than you. I’ll run into somethin’ that eats me, sooner or later. Unless I’m really lucky, have good backup and keep my head; chances are I’ll go down hard. I really don’t like the odds one bit. That’s one of the reasons I’m out here.

“And you think killing the wyvern was so cool. Well you didn’t think about it or you didn’t see the whole thing. I had to cripple it first and that was because I got careless. I didn’t have simple stuff that I should have had. I wasn’t armored like I should have been. I knew that thing was out there but I didn’t wait for reconnaissance or anything like I should have. I just went off half cocked, so I had to hurt it before I killed it. That’s the other reason I’m out here running around trying to figure out what kind of fool I am. I’m seventeen and I feel like I’m a hundred. I’m just a kid myself and grown men are lookin’ to me for answers and I’m not even sure what the questions are.”

Ranma looked up from picking at a callous to see three sets of astonished eyes looking at him.

Jeff reached out and patted him on the shoulder.

“I think you’ll do well. You’ll probably live to see grandchildren. You’re learning from every mistake you make. And I know grown men who can’t do that. Just try to lighten up on yourself a little.”

“Can’t. If I lighten up, I’ll get someone else killed. If I screw up my life – well it’s not that big a deal. It’s so screwed up already, it can’t get much more FUBAR.”

Kelly was eyeing Ranma with a mixture of dismay and amusement.

“Wow! You’re really full of yourself, aren’t you?”

Ranma blinked at her and could only come up with the really inelegant retort of ‘Huh?’

“Well . . . you said that there is this whole organization behind you. Aren’t there lots of other people – you said grown ups – with jobs they’re supposed to do? Why do you have to do it all? They do their jobs, you do yours; everybody watches everybody else’s backs and it should work out fairly well. After all, they’re grown up men with minds of their own. Why are you responsible for what they do-- you hold a gun to their head and make them? They chose. You’re not responsible for the consequences of their choices. Only for your own. Right? . . . Daddy, tell him. You’re always tellin’ us.”

Ranma had the most arrested expression on his face. He’d always been told or at least had it implied that he was responsible for whatever happened around him. It was always his fault – not.

Mike suddenly reentered the conversation with a question. “How come it’s all your fault if something goes wrong. Like with that wyvern. Where was your backup and stuff?”

“Didn’t need any–I thought--it was just a quick job. But the wyvern turned out to be bigger than what we thought it would be, and it . . . and I… Shit! Just rub my nose in it, why don’t ya?”

“I’m sorry, son. But you need to be careful. You’re developing a real god complex and that will get you killed.”

“How come you’re so smart? I mean . . . damn, that didn’t come out quite right.”

“I’m a policeman from Chicago. We get freshmen like you all the time. You’ll get yourself killed, sure enough, if you don’t learn you’re not responsible for everything. You got one good thing going for you in that you realize that there’s always something badder than you around, somewhere, but you need to learn to lean on others. You’re wearing yourself out trying to do other people’s jobs, as well as your own. Think about it. When it comes down to the crunch, you go out and mash it all by yourself.”

“But how can I ask others to risk their lives? It’s my. . . .”

Kelly reached out, swatted Ranma on the shoulder and nearly got her arm broken as Ranma blocked it and turned her wrist back on itself.

“Don’t do that! Damnit, here let me see it.”

Kelly had cradled her throbbing wrist against her chest with a pained cry.

“I’m really sorry. I didn’t expect that or I wouldn’t have hurt you. You can’t be doing things like that to a combat vet. You never sneak up on me, either.”

Ranma didn’t see the look on Mike’s face as he was busy stroking Kelly’s wrist to see what he’d done to it.

“Well, it’s only slightly strained. I’ll heal it for you. Hold still. This’ll feel a little hot.”

Kelly hesitantly let her wrist stay cradled in Ranma’s hands and then smiled as she felt the gentle heat of Ranma’s healing.

“How’s that? Better?”

“Yeah. And see? No one’s getting on you for it either.”

“No, young lady, but I’ll be having something to say to you later for your little . . . gaffe. You don’t smack straingers. You don’t smack your brother either. Hitting is bad. You know that. Outside the dojo and a match or exercise, what have I told you?”

“No smacking people. I’m sorry, I forgot. You gonna punish me?”

“Of course I am.”

“NO!! Don’t . . . it was my fault . . . I’ll take the punishment. Don’t hurt her. Please.”

Again three sets of eyes looked at Ranma like he was slightly off somehow.

Jeff eyed Ranma for a long time looking him up and down with a funny expression.

“What would your father have done to you for that kind of action?”

Ranma considered for a moment, “Well . . . he’d have taken a strap to me until I near passed out and then hung me from a tree to teach me what to do with my hands. Like . . . um . . . Kelly! Hey!”

Kelly was headed for camp at a dead run and Mike was looking sick.

“I don’t like your dad. I wish he was here so I could tell him so. Our Dad never hits us. I mean not like that. A smack on the butt with his hand is as far as he’s ever gone and he was really mad. He says that if you have to hit a kid, you’ve already lost control. I better catch up with K-k-k-elly.”

Ranma stared after Mike’s retreating back.

“Was he cryin’ over me? I don’t get it. You people don’t even know me and he’s . . . well, hell.”

Ranma turned to see Jeff looking at Ranma like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to punch someone or cry himself.

“You still live with him? You should report him to the authorities. Or at least your commanding officer.”

“Pop’s in the prison place. I’m a civilian advisor, so I don’t really have a commanding officer. Steven knows all about it and that’s one of the reasons I like it at the Compound. They don’t smack me around for nothing. I get punished for doing bad things but I know exactly what I’m being punished for and what it’s going to be. Got a book and everything. They can get a little harsh but I’m used to that.”

“Uh, sorry about freaking out there. But could you tell me– what is Kelly’s punishment for smackin’ me? If you don’t mind.”

“Well, she hates doing dishes; so I think she’ll do dishes for a week. All by herself. That’ll make Grace happy too, she doesn’t like dishes either.”

Ranma laughed so hard he nearly fell over.

~ * ~

Vignette

“I know why that poor kid is messed up.”

“Yes, dear. He’s a good boy in a very odd situation.”

“Indeed he is, he went from having almost no control over himself or his life, to being completely responsible for himself, as well as others. It’s no wonder he’s feeling stressed and confused.”

“Yes, but he seems to be handling it fairly well. At least he has so far.”

“Well he said he had someone to talk to. I just hope he gets over the idea he’s responsible for everything that happens.”

“He looked like he was thinking seriously about what you told me, Kelly said. I hope it helped.”

~ * ~

Ranma packed up and left the camp ground at noon. He’d a lot to think about and had decided to spend the afternoon driving to the next camp ground (I just hope that kid listened to me.)

Eyeing the next campground, Ranma decided to rent a room instead. The grounds were dirty and crowded with camps.

“Hey! Anybody here?”

Ranma rang the bell again and was rewarded by a clean looking elderly lady coming out of the back.

“You want a room for yourself? Anyone else? No. Aren’t you a little young to be running around the country side by yourself?”

“No ma’am. I’m older than I look. I’m quiet and clean and don’t want any trouble. I just need a room for the night. If you don’t want me, just say so and I’ll move along.”

“No. I’m sorry. I’m just a nosy old lady with too much time on her hands and a big bump of curiosity. I’ve got a really nice room right by the office. That ok?”

Ranma realized that if he wanted a room that was the one he’d take and like it. He didn’t care. He’d meant what he’d said. He wanted to sleep in and spend some time thinking about what he’d learned from the Parkers.

“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll be here a couple of days. I . . . um . . . is there a good restaurant nearby? I can cook but . . .”

“Sorry. No cooking in the rooms, too much chance of a fire. Go down two blocks and turn right-- nice place; beef hot pot. My son-in-law runs it. But the food is good and prices are reasonable or I wouldn’t recommend it no matter who ran it.”

The lady finished up the paper work and took payment in advance.