Ghost at a Funeral

He woke up in his apartment with a groan as the alarm on his phone blared and the screen repeated '5:30 AM'. He looked at the ceiling noting the cobwebs and small bits of mold. Damn humidity. Gonna have to get at it with bleach this weekend.

Sitting up on his futon, he felt his muscles groan as he scratched his stomach hair. His back hurt and his chin itched. He never got used to the feeling of stubble growing on his face and unless he either shaved daily or grinned and beared it for a week, he'd be perpetually scratching his chin and neck until they were raw. It was a shame, really. He always thought the stubble gave his round face a bit of Han Solo-esque ruggedness.

He got up and used the toilet, then washed his face. He looked down at the faded lines on his chest briefly, noting them for only a second before putting on deodorant and turning his attention to shaving. Gotta pick up new razors. Maybe I should go to an actual store this time instead of the Donki.

After his morning routine of putting the futon away and making a cup of bitter black coffee and burnt toast, he rummaged his messy closet for his work uniform: a clean, but used tracksuit. Finally, he opened a drawer and pulled out a silicone packer, placing it in his pants underneath his boxer briefs. There had been a time where he had been nervous or afraid of what ifs, but that was in the past and now it was a matter of fact action that preceded him grabbing his leather briefcase, phone, and keys as he headed out.

Urawanishi High School was an average high school near the center of Saitama City. He was the head gym teacher and coach of the UWFC, the Urawa West Football Club. He enjoyed working with his students and with his help, Urawanishi has made it to nationals 3 years running. Half the reason he was heading to school so early was that the team would be starting their practice for the season and, if things went according to plan, December Nationals here in Saitama.

He was on the train to Kita-Urawa station when he felt the phone in his pocket buzz. Confused, he pulled out the phone and saw a Twitter DM. He sighed. Aside from LINE, he only let himself have a Twitter account because it seemed like one day, everyone around him had one. He only really used it to retweet some stuff about Tokyo Pride and post the occasional rambling thought about soccer or school system budget cuts or the Keihintohoku Line.

He opened the app and saw the message.

Is this Akane?

Who is this?

Is this Akane Tendo?

I don't go by that name. Who is this

Nabiki
Dad Died.
The wake is tomorrow.
At the dojo.
Funeral the day after

...okay. This an invitation?

Yes. Come when you can.
We need to see you.

... I have work. I'll need to arrange time off.
I'll try to get there before the evening rush.

Fine. whatever you can do.

...

Thank you Akane

He set down the phone to his side, taking in the early morning sun coming up behind the building of Saitama City, he then brought the phone back up and quickly added:

It's Akihiko now.

Akihiko put the phone back in his pocket and let out a sigh.

In the morning, he spoke to the club captain and co-captain and explained they'd have to run drills this week after today as something came up.

"Somethin' up, coach?" the club captain asked.

"Personal business, Amano. I should be back next week. Just get everyone back up to speed with conditioning and passing drills. Make sure you get the manager to keep the water jug filled. The weather is too hot this time of year and I don't want any of you to get heatstroke because of some notion you have to 'tough it out', okay?"

"Yes coach!" The boy bowed deeply and jogged off. Akihiko smiled a bit and walked away towards to the teachers' room and found the vice-principal's office.

"Setsu, are you free?"

"Oh, Aki-kun." the middle aged woman smiled at the thirtysomething teacher. He noted a familiar probing in the almost hungry look she gave him for a moment before continuing. "Something up? No one put gum on the bleachers in the Gymnasium again, did they?"

Akihiko let out a light tenor laugh. "I don't believe so. I know this is sudden and I don't wish to be a burden, but..." He bowed deeply. "My father has just passed away, it seems."

The woman gasped a bit. "Oh goodness, I'm so sorry... though I thought you weren't on speaking terms with him?"

"I thought so as well, but it seems one of my sisters has decided to ignore my father's wishes by contacting me this morning. The wake is tomorrow and the funeral is the day after. I will probably need the rest of the week to manage affairs. I should be back by Monday." Akihiko bowed again. "I'm sorry for doing this. I can provide substitutes with emergency lesson plans for the sections and I've already instructed the soccer club on what to do."

"Okay. Once you have those arranged, go ahead and take your leave... and, Aki-kun?"

Akihiko stood up and nodded. "Yes?"

"My condolences. I lost my father a few years ago myself so I understand a bit what you're going through. My door is open if you want to talk."

"Thank you, Setsu. If I can be frank, I'm not quite sure how to feel about anything yet."

"Well, it's still fresh, you should head off to make your preparations."

Akihiko nodded and went to his desk to work.

It was close to twelve-thirty when Akihiko got back to his place and gathered his things. He brought out a black blazer, two matching suit pants and dress shirts and ties. After dressing up, he gathered the rest of his clothes for the next few days into a carry-on bag and looked at himself in the mirror as he adjusted his tie and ran his hand through his cropped hair, frowning that it was getting a bit too shaggy for his taste. Grabbing his toiletries and stuffing them into his makeshift bag, Akihiko walked back to the station and towards Tokyo. A bit more than an hour later, after a transfer in Ikebukuro halfway through, he found himself stepping out of Nerima Station.

Walking towards the familiar streets, Akihiko first found a kiosk next to the station and purchased a cheap black tie to wear with the suit. He then ducked into a new french style bakery and bought about a dozen cream puffs. As he walked out of the place, holding onto a white box that was wrapped in string, he took in the old neighborhood. There were a few landmarks that had changed, a new building here, an old business gone. The old-fashioned candy shop had been replaced by a cell phone store, the bar on one corner had become a Tully's Coffee. Otherwise, things seemed to have stayed mostly the same.

Once Akihiko rounded the corner into Furinkan, things began to feel surreal again. He spotted the sign for Ucchan's on the main commercial drag, though it was a different color scheme than before. The building where the Nekohanten was housed had been renovated, now three stories tall. The restaurant itself was still on the first floor, but there was a sign advertising a "Western China Cultural Center" on the second floor.

Akihiko quickly walked past these landmarks, thinking I better get the hell out of here, just looking at this street has me worried I'm going to get sucked in deeper than I'm comfortable with. After about 500 meters, he passed over the canal and, after taking a calming breath, turned left to the street where his childhood home was. He noted a parked car by the house. Wonder who that is? God, there's gonna be a whole procession tomorrow, isn't there? You can do this, Aki. Remember what Dr. Jion said, Just keep breathing and listen to what is being said beyond the words.

He stepped up to the threshold. He recalled an eye swollen shut and a bruised jaw. He closed his eyes, remembering choice words said the last time he looked at this door.

Get out! You disgrace. I cannot believe you would ruin us this way!

Akihiko shook his head and knocked on the door. He had barely knocked on the door once when it quickly slid open, making a slamming noise as it did so. He was surprised to see a young girl, maybe eleven or twelve years of age. She had piercing blue eyes behind brown-black hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Who are you?" the girl frowned at him, but he got the impression she was more worried than upset, though she put on a brave face. It was all he could do to not chuckle at the situation.

"Uh..." Akihiko started, "I'm Akihiko Tendo."

"Oh!" she gaped in surprise. "Auntie told me to tell her when you got here." The girl turned and yelled from the genkan, "Aunt Nabiki! Uncle Akihiko is here!" Akihiko grabbed at his ears.

"Jeez kid, did ya really hafta yell?"

"Sorry. Auntie's always on her bluetooth so you gotta yell so she hears you over her business calls. Or audiobooks. Or YouTube videos or—"

"I see. So what's your name?"

"Reiko! Reiko Tendo!"

Akihiko blinked. "Well it's nice to meet you, Reiko-chan. Where is everyone, er, besides Nabiki?"

"Aunt Kasumi's still driving in from Nagoya, Auntie Konatsu and Uncle Ukyou are coming later and Mom and Pop are in the dojo." She sighed and rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Do you want to see them now?"

Akihiko looked down at the little girl and whispered. "Actually, I'd rather just get something to drink."

Reiko nodded and gave Akihiko a conspiratorial wink. "Yeah, I get you. Sometimes, I like to just stay quiet and out of the way, especially when Mom n' Pop are training. They get oogy eyes and it's just 'ugh, I thought you were sparring'!"

Akihiko nodded sagely. "Well, we grownups are prone to bad cases of 'oogy eyes'." He gave his apparent niece a wry smile, to which she shook her head, stuck out her tongue and led him to the kitchen.

"Okay, I'll make tea for you. Mom said now that I'm eleven, I'm old enough to use the electric kettle unsupervised." She beamed with pride as she filled the kettle with water and hit the button.

Akihiko sat in the kitchen with the young apparent niece. he noted the extensive renovations. The space overall seemed a bit larger. The appliances had all been upgraded to fancy stainless steel models. Most obviously different was the long and wide magnetic knife block mounted onto the wall opposite the stove over the a butcher block table that served as an island. The strip of magnetized metal was barely visible under the row of sharp implements of all shapes and sizes that were attached, including a meat cleaver straight out of a horror movie and a long 40cm curved knife that almost looked more like a falchion than a kitchen tool.

"Wow... that's a lot of cutlery," Akihiko remarked idly, as he set down the box of cream puffs.

"Yeah, Mom and Pop like to cook and they're both really picky about what they use."

"Oh, Is that so?"

"Sometimes Aunt Konatsu or Uncle Ukyou come by and cook too. They're cooking geniuses!"

Akihiko struggled not to laugh at the idea of those two coming by, after a hard week of cooking, just to cook some more.

"Do they come by a lot?"

Reiko nodded. "Uh-huh. Usually on Sundays. Sometimes Aunt Konatsu comes by to train in the dojo or to help mom with the garden."

"What about Nabiki?"

"Oh, I usually manage every once in a while, work permitting."

Akihiko's smile stopped as he looked back at the entrance of the kitchen at his elder sister. Nabiki at thirty-one seemed to have put on just a bit of weight since he last saw her his last year of high school. In her suit skirt and blazer, her air of seeming omniscience had been honed and intensified to a powerful aura. While, on the surface, Nabiki didn't look so different from an average businesswoman, Akihiko felt as though if she made the right phone call, his life would be forfeit. Indeed, Akihiko currently felt his sister size him up, as though he was being deemed unworthy enough for such a fate when Nabiki walked up to him. He was almost surprised when, instead of saying anything, she gave him a deep hug. Akihiko froze up, unsure what to do.

"I was half-worried you wouldn't show," Nabiki whispered into his blazer.

"Only for a second. And only because I wasn't sure who was contacting me out of the blue," Akihiko replied. Nabiki laughed.

"You sound a bit like him now, you know. Less stentorian, but the tones are similar."

"I'm not sure how to feel about that," he answered with a shrug. He took a look out of the kitchen door and saw it was empty. "Okay, Nabiki. So who exactly is showing up today and should I be on my guard? Any martial artist vows for revenge or anything weird?"

Nabiki thought for a moment, "I mean Ranma's parents are coming, though frankly if they put up any fuss, I'll keep them in line." She turned to the young girl with them, "Sorry, Reiko-chan. Just trying to keep the peace."

Reiko nodded in kind. "It's okay. Mom and Dad always get tired when they show up for too long, too."

Nabiki smiled, "You're a smart kid, you know that. I'm gonna have to thank the educational system because you definitely didn't inherit that trait." She patted Reiko by the wrist. "Aka-kihiko and I need to talk a bit alone. Boring grown-up stuff."

"I'm not seven, Auntie. I understand privacy, gosh! Oh and you're welcome." Reiko rolled her eyes as she walked away, pointing at the two cups of tea on the table behind them.

Akihiko let himself chuckled as the little girl left the kitchen. "She's quite a little spitfire,"

"Yeah. Reminds me a bit of you at her age."

Akihiko shook his head, "Okay, so what do you need to say?"

"I'll get to that. First off, how are you? I had to reach out to you out of the blue because I didn't know where else to find you. You didn't exactly make it easy. I had to spend six hours scouring online for possible matches. How are you not on Facebook?"

"Because I keep my life to myself? I'm on LINE if you need to chat." Akihiko grabbed his phone and started to turn it on when Nabiki put a hand over his.

"Later. Where do you live these days?"

"Not that far. I'm in Saitama, up by Imaizumi, but I work in Urawa. I teach gym at the high school."

Nabiki nodded. "Figures..."

"I'm content with what I do," Akihiko replied, a bit forcefully. "I like my students. I don't have too much else going on, but I'm happy to be there for them."

Nabiki nodded. "I get it. Sorry, you got to understand things have changed a lot since you left home. A lot."

Akihiko looked away. "I can see that." He pointed to the knives.

"Well, more than that, it's—"

"Yo, sis, who-ya talkin to?" A familiar voice echoed as Akihiko saw a familiar face walk in. He was a hair taller than he last saw him. His hair was longer too, though still braided. His form was more toned with a broad chest Akihiko envied a bit, and a face that was older, angular with a bit of stubble, but somehow he still looked closer to 25 than 30. The deep blue-grey eyes Ranma had in this form were still just as piercing as they were in high school as Akihiko's former fiancé regarded him. There was the feeling of his chest tighten and his breath was caught short. Oh.

"Damn it..." Nabiki muttered to no one in particular, placing a hand on her face.

"Ranma..." There was a feeling of breath being pulled out from him as he spoke, as though the word was evoked in the air beyond his control.

"Who'r—" there was a sense of confusion before the gears in his head turned and Akihiko saw the look of recognition come into being as the face turned into a grimace. Ranma stared daggers at Nabiki for a second, then turned away and walked out with quick, marching steps.

Akihiko stood there, mouth agape and, for a brief moment, unsure of how to say anything or even when to finally breathe again.

There was quiet again. Nabiki let out a sigh.

"Okay that went better than I expected. For a moment, I thought he—"

"KIJIN RAIJUU DAN!" could be heard followed by a small explosion as the muffled sound of splintering wood and breaking concrete was audible where Nabiki and Akihiko stood.

"...would break something."

Akihiko closed his eyes and shook his head, "I shouldn't have come. I'm just going to upset people when it's supposed to be about d-... the old man."

"No!" Nabiki said sternly. "This bandage needed removing years ago. I—I should have put the work in, but I was fine pretending nothing was wrong and fine with father ranting as he did. There were so many fires to put out at first and then it felt like I needed time to breathe and live my own life and..." Nabiki stopped herself. "Truthfully, I didn't know how you'd respond. I would have understood if your feelings about Dad would have stopped you from coming. "

Akihiko shook his head. "Doesn't matter how I feel. I hated him, but..." he felt himself taking a shallow breath as the reality of the situation began creeping into his mind, "I will always hate what he did, but he was still my... we're still related. I need to see this through." He looked back at Nabiki, "as long as nobody outright tries to kill me as well."

Nabiki nodded. "Fine. Well, just be prepared for some shocked faces. Ranma's not the only one you're gonna have to watch for, as far as flared tempers go. But Ranma... it's not my place to say, but she's, he's been through some things."

Akihiko looked confused for a second, "...I suppose so."

Nabiki gave him another hug. "Here, there's the guest room we can put your stuff in for now. Hope you don't mind if it gets a bit cramped with guests."

"Nah, I mean I live in a small apartment. Not even 20 jo in size."

Nabiki nodded and led Akihiko upstairs. He saw the rooms of his youth. What was Kasumi's room had been repurposed into an office, with two corner desks at opposite ends and fairly new looking computers atop of each. Nabiki's room had a small door plaque with what Akihiko recognized as Chococat and, in marker, "Reiko" written in furigana. He caught himself smiling at the idea of a cat, even a cartoon one, residing at the house. Nabiki led him to his old room.

"This is the guest room? What about the other room?"

"That was Dad's. He gave the master bedroom to Ranma and— well to Ranma and his spouse."

"I noticed you were coy about that before. Who did Ranma marry? I know it wasn't Ukyou... or you or Kasumi, now that I think about it."

Nabiki let out a laugh. "Reiko's a sweet kid, but like her parents, she's an open book."

"So who? Shampoo?" Nabiki shook her head.

"Kodachi?" Akihiko asked skeptically. Nabiki shook her head again.

"...Ms. Hinako?" Akihiko asked and Nabiki put up her hands in an X.

Akihiko listed more, "Uh, Rouge?, Sayuri? Uh... what was the name of that martial arts cheerleader?"

Nabiki shook her head. "You're soooo going off course. I'm almost tempted to say Ranma married Pink *and* Link."

"Okay, now you're being ridiculous. Next you're gonna tell me Ranma married Ryouga!"

Nabiki stood stock still and said nothing for a moment. Akihiko's eyes widened.

"Wait... you don't—"

Nabiki raised a finger and mimed the correct bell from a game show, "Pin-pon!"

Akihiko sat down on his old bed. "Oh, jeez. Are they... are they happy at least?"

Nabiki waved a hand. "Okay enough. They're friends first, but you know them. They have good days and bad days. One nice thing is Ryouga doesn't get as lost anymore. Part of it is just good GPS and part of it is having a home and a kid to come home to."

"Right, Reiko is a nice kid and..." Akihiko paused again, "Oh shit. Ranma's a mom."

Nabiki let out a small chuckle. "That's how it works, little brother. Ranma's pretty comfortable being seen as a woman these days. I mean, by the usual societal measures, he's a better woman than me. When you're listed as the mother on the kid's birth certificate and do the PTA stuff and all of the other mom stuff, it just sort of happens. He's let himself be more of a guy around the house now that Reiko's growing up." She patted Akihiko's shoulder. "It's a bit complicated, I know. I had to pull a lot of technicalities and pull a few fast ones from Dad and Ranma's parents to get this to work out as well as it did."

"I guess you would've had to," Akihiko sighed, feeling his shoulders feel heavy and weighed down. "I don't suppose apologizing for what I did now would be enough, would it?"

"Look, I get why you left home after high school. It was already a pressure cooker on you even without you becoming... well, yourself. That whole baggage probably didn't help either, did it?"

"I always had a bad temper," Akihiko said, shaking his head. "Still do, though working with high schoolers has helped, weirdly. Having to literally be the adult in the room mellows you out."

Nabiki quirked an eyebrow. "Oddly, dealing with writers had lessened my patience for bullshit. I don't know how they're going to act around you, just keep it civil and it should be okay."

"Okay. Anything else I should know? No more surprises right?"

"Unless I missed something, I think that was it. Look I should go man the phone and such. We'll be getting other guests soon." Nabiki turned to leave.

"Nabiki, wait!" Akihiko called out and his older sister stopped and turned back.

"Are you okay? How are you feeling... about all this? Dad and me coming and, and I don't know what else is going on in your life. Are you happy?"

Nabiki shook her head, but gave him a smile. "I'm okay enough. I'm okay with being the 'wine aunt'. I have a good job. I don't have a house husband at home waiting for me. I've never been one for those kinds of attachments. But... Like I said, I could have reached out earlier too... I think I was okay with letting things stand pat."

Akihiko nodded. "Okay... just. I'm here for the next few days. And you have me on LINE now, so..." he trailed off as Nabiki nodded and walked out of the room.

Akihiko took of his jacket and set in on the back of the old desk chair in the room. He lay back on the bed and wondered what else was going on.

"Dad! Pop! Heads up!" Akihiko could hear the voice of Reiko yelling downstairs, sounding as though the family were practicing an earthquake drill, "Grandma and Grandpa are coming!"

He heard furious rustling sounds and raised voices coming from downstairs. Akihiko strained to hear the muffled conversation. He remembered there was a spot under the bed where the floorboards were thin. Quietly moving bed back, he leaned his ear to the floor and listened.

"Damn it. 'sif this day wasn't already shitty enough. I just got my balance back, too."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll make it up to you and cover your classes, when we start back up on Monday okay? I'll even do the bake sale for Reiko's school."

"Aww, thanks, Ryo. You're the best husband a guy could ask for."

"Well, I hope you feel that way after you've had to put on the 'Yamato Nadeshiko' act for the next two days."

"Don't remind me... After so long, being a guy's like wearing perfectly worn pair of shoes." Akihiko noticed Ranma now spoke in a higher register than before, "help me with the damn obi on this thing."

Akihiko sat up and quietly moved the bed back. He thought for a moment to walk outside, but he recalled what Nabiki had said about "technicalities" that he decided lying low was a good strategy for the moment.

Still, Akihiko's curiosity got the better of him and he opened the door of the room and, avoiding the creaky floorboards, he stepped close to the top of the stairs and crouched down near the entrance to Kasumi's old room.

"Mother, Father, we are grateful you came at your earliest convenience," She heard Ranma speak. Akihiko was almost floored to hear Ranma speak so formally without either a challenge or drugs involved.

"And we are grateful for your presence in this trying time. Father would have wanted his best friend and his wife to be here," Akihiko blinked. That was Ryouga's voice indeed.

"It's no trouble. Oh, it's such a shame seeing Soun go just like that," Nodoka spoke.

"Here, mother, sit down," Ryouga said. "We haven't heard back from the mortuary yet, but they will bring Soun here sometime tomorrow morning so we can have the wake."

"Yes, mother," Ranma added, "Nabiki was helping prepare the dojo to take him there. We're getting the flowers brought in tomorrow morning as well. And Kasumi should get in a bit after dinner."

"Yes, well, good." This was Genma's voice Akihiko noted, though it seemed a bit more hoarse than before. "I suspect folks from the Ward Office will come by as well as the Chamber of Commerce. Soun meant something to this town."

"Yes, father. Of course," Ranma replied. Akihiko felt his eye twitch. He knew Ranma well enough and caught just a twinge, just a mark of tiredness.

"Why don't I take your things upstairs?" Ranma asked, "We can put Mother and you in Soun's room."

"Oh no, dear." Nodoka replied, "Let your husband do it. We should talk a bit on our own."

There was a rustling sound and Akihiko, deciding to stay scarce quickly darted back into the guest room and closed the door. He sat on the bed and caught his breath. Shaking his head to try and chase away the dizziness he was feeling. He decided it was best to stay scarce and he lay back down, letting himself drift off to nap.

Akihiko was awoken when he felt a poke at his nose. He wrinkled his nose a bit and felt a sneeze coming on and his head shook as he went "achoo!". Akihiko blinked and saw Reiko there.

"Hi, Uncle Aki."

"Whaddya do that for?" Akihiko asked groggily. He felt his voice strain a bit and cleared his throat.

"Aunt Nabiki said it was time to get up. Dinner time and Mom did the cooking this time."

"Oh, she doesn't cook normally?"

"Nah, Dad does it during the week. He makes the best bentos! Mom likes to do it Fridays and Saturdays and Sundays when Auntie Konatsu and Uncle Ukyou don't come by."

Akihiko stood up, fixed his tie, and straightened the sleeves of his jacket before patting the young girl on the head and following her downstairs. He took a breath and entered the living room.

There was still light out, even though it was well past seven pm. The room itself was still kept Japanese style, with the only real change being the small tube TV having been replaced by a somewhat larger flat screen one.

The muted conversation between people gave way to silence when they saw him bow to everyone.

"He-hello. I trust Nabiki informed you ahead of time," Akihiko said, unsure where to look, save for his elder sister, who pointed at a space next to her at the foot of the table. He sat down and saw Ranma, female, and Ryouga in black mofuku-style kimonos. Akihiko was a bit surprised to see Ryouga sporting a well-kempt beard these days. To their right was Genma and Nodoka, neither of whom paid any attention to him and to their left, Reiko sat close to her father.

At the table was a spread of dinner items: grilled mackerel, nikujaga, brown rice, sunomono, and soup.

It was dead quiet for a second after Akihiko sat before Ryouga cleared his throat and said, "Yes, um, Aka—" he paused and hit himself in the forehead, "Akihiko, right? It's good that you were able to come."

"Is it now?" Nodoka chimed in, almost as an aside, "What is so good about this prodigal daugh—"

"Mother!" Ranma whisper-yelled, "This isn't the place for this."

Nodoka glared at her child, who to her credit glared back until Genma intervened, saying, "Now, now. This is a solemn occasion. There will be time later to discuss where things stand. We're here now to see my dear old friend and your father in-law off to the spirit world."

Ranma sat back down, exchanging a glance with her husband. Meanwhile Akihiko saw Nodoka giving him the stink eye. It was quiet again until Ryouga spoke.

"Oh, Nabiki. Did they send you the death certificate yet? What did they say was the cause?"

Nabiki said, "The actual form will probably get here by Thursday-Friday. They're stating the official cause as 'myocardial infarction'."

"What is that?" Nodoka asked.

"Heart attack," Akihiko piped up before he stopped, "rather..."

Nabiki nodded, "Nono, that's right. The autopsy found a blood clot in the coronary artery. Pretty much an instant killer unless you dial 119 as soon as you feel symptoms. He probably didn't even know it was happening, given how late at night it happened. The doctors say there's a good chance he died in his sleep..." Nabiki paused. "...and that the cigarettes probably did it."

Everyone in the room seemed to nod sagely at that. Akihiko remembered the days where his father would take a cigarette out on the engawa. He hadn't thought much of it, but perhaps so many years of an evening cigarette took their toll.

There was a pause as people went back to their dinner.

"This... this is very good," Akihiko remarked as he took another piece of simmered taro and ate it.

"Yeah Da- I mean Mom made it!" Reiko piped up, having stopped herself when she saw her grandparents looking at her. "She's the best."

Akihiko nodded and smiled at Reiko. "That's great. She was always a good cook. Better than I ever was."

"You don't do a lot of cooking these days?" Ryouga asked.

"I live alone and... well let's say the local restaurants and convenience stores know me well," he looked embarrassed. "Thankfully my job keeps me active."

"You don't train anymore, do you," Ranma did not ask so much as make a statement.

Akihiko shook his head. "Not like before. I've helped coach the kenpo club during the off-season, but my main job aside from teaching phys ed is coaching soccer." He noticed the disappointed look in Ranma's eyes. "I like teaching them. Two of my students are playing in the J1 League for Urawa Red Diamonds and one of my first students did a stint in La Liga playing for Seville before joining Kawasaki."

Reiko looked at Akihiko, "Ooh! I love playing soccer at school! I wanna join the team when I get to junior high!"

Ryouga quickly added. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Seeing kids grow into their interests like that is rewarding. We have a lot of good students at the dojo."

"Good is... relative, dear." Ranma said. "There's no one at the level I would call good. There's a few that are acceptable."

Ranma nodded, looking at Reiko, who pretended to be oblivious as she kept eating her dinner quietly.

Akihiko nodded solemnly at Ranma. He wanted to ask Ranma so many questions, but with Nodoka and, perhaps more treacherously, Reiko sitting there, he decided another time would be better.

Akihiko could hear the door open and Ranma and Ryouga stood up as someone new entered the house.

"Sorry I'm late, everyone. I had to find someone to watch Lisa while I was gone and the traffic coming in was so bad. I should have just taken the bullet..."

Akihiko looked behind him and his eyes widened in shock.

Akihiko's very first thought to himself was amazement at the woman's hair which was buzzed short enough to pass military inspection. He noticed that she was also, not to put too fine a point on it, ripped now. At his peak of his martial arts training, he was probably stronger than her, but not as obviously toned and muscular. Finally, he took in the familiar face. It was the same in terms of its features, but the expression of frustration and anger seemed so out of place with the figure he remembered.

"K-Kasumi?" Akihiko asked aloud.

Akihiko barely had time to stand and defend himself as his eldest sister charged at him, throwing a punch towards him as she yelled in rage. Akihiko pulled back reflexively, the punch barely missing his face.

"You motherfucker! How dare you show your face!"

Akihiko grabbed Kasumi's arms by the wrist, holding her back and she yelled at him.

"Who said you could come here! YOU broke this family, Akane!"

Almost as fast as it started, Akihiko saw Ranma and Ryouga grab Kasumi by the shoulders and drag her back. Akihiko let go of Kasumi as he felt Nabiki pull him away as well, putting herself between them.

"Stop it, Kasumi! I asked him to come, Kasumi!" Nabiki called out, "This is neither the time or place for histrionics!"

"Oh, of course! Father's body is still warm, so let's bring in the homewrecker! What for? What good do you think she will do!?"

Akihiko felt his eye twitch, but took a short breath, counting to himself and being thankful he burned most of that piss and vinegar in college, even if being misgendered still stung.

"He's still one of us," Nabiki asserted, "however you may feel. We're still siblings and Akihiko is our younger brother."

"The only brother I have is Ryouga-kun!"

As though on cue, the phone where Ryouga was sitting began to ring. Kasumi jerked her hands out of Ranma and Ryouga's grip, their guards let down, and she spat at Akihiko before stomping off to the engawa.

Ryouga ran off and picked up the phone.

"Yes... yes, this is Ryouga Tendo... I see. Okay. 7:30? Okay. Thank you."

Ryouga ended the call and put down his phone. "It's the funeral home. They'll be bringing Soun for the wake tomorrow morning."

"7:30?" Nabiki repeated. "Okay, the florists should have things set up shortly thereafter. Then we can expect the local glitterati to arrive," Nabiki sighed and added in a slight whisper audible only to those at the table still, "assuming we can all stay on our best behavior."

The door slid open and a pair of adults walked in, holding a takeout box. The slightly taller woman of the pair wore a mofuku kimono similar in cut to Ranma while the slightly shorter man had on a severe black suit. They had an easy look about them as they entered the living room.

"Hey guys, sorry we're late. We had a bunch of..." Ukyou spoke in an apologetic tone, putting a hand behind their head as he held onto Konatsu's hand.

"I..." Akihiko began, "I think it's best if I retire for the evening." He began walking towards the stairs when he heard Ukyou say, "Akane? Is that you!?"

Akihiko sighed and looked back, "It's Akihiko. But yes. You look well. You too, Konatsu. Please excuse me." and walked upstairs.

Akihiko made it back to the guest room and sat down on the bed, doubling over. He took a few deep breaths to center himself. "I don't need this. I'm just in the way, after all." he thought to himself, "I'm just a distraction. This is supposed to be about the old man."

There was a quick knock and the door opened. Akihiko didn't even check to see who it was, expecting if it was the raging bull that was his eldest sister he'd just let her take the anger out on him. Instead he felt a hand on his back.

"Sorry about that," Akihiko was slightly surprised when he realized that it was Ryouga and not Nabiki who had come upstairs to see him. "I hope I'm not pulling you away from something important, especially since you have guests over just now."

"Ucchan and Konatsu? They're here almost every day, if possible. Ranma and them will keep everyone entertained until Reiko's bedtime."

Akihiko looked into his eyes. They were still the hazel brown he recalled, but he could see the beginnings of crows' feet and, in some ways, he seemed to look older. Perhaps it was the hard life and long travel that aged him, though he looked more distinguished than haggard and Akihiko had to admit he still had a bit of the boyish charm, though he set that aside to finally speak up.

"I, I don't know what Nabiki was thinking asking me to come when all it's doing is making everyone upset."

"She asked because I asked her to."

Akihiko looked puzzled, which forced a chuckle from Ryouga.

"Truth is I've wanted to reach out for a while now, too long, but I was always unsure how to do it. Soun... the man was stubborn. I was afraid sometimes if I suggested it, he'd have considered throwing me out as well. And Kasumi was out of the question. When Soun passed, I begged Nabiki to make it happen. It turned out Nabiki had wanted to find you as well, but had the same worries. We decided we needed to reach out and have you here if at all possible." Ryouga gave Akihiko a small smile, "We're brothers, after all."

"So it seems. Father's doing?"

"It's a long story, bro. Maybe after the ceremonies are done with, we can talk about it? Long story short, yes."

Akihiko let out a loud high tenor of a laugh. "You know, when we were kids, I don't think this is how you imagined you and I becoming family."

Ryouga looked shocked and he stood back away from Akihiko, rightfully embarrassed and letting out a sudden cough, "Well... let's say I was lost in more ways than one. But you do cut quite a handsome figure. Not quite SMAP handsome, but do women... or men come calling?"

Akane waved a hand, "A bit of both. I've dated somewhat, men and women and others. Longest was with a guy for about a year. It seems that kind of 'happily ever after romance' eludes me."

Ryouga shook his head, "I always hated that part of the story. It makes it seem like the couple goes off and dies in a car crash and the way to the honeymoon from the wedding reception. They never wanna show the work of being in a relationship unless it's the first part of a movie where they break up and find exciting new romances." Ryouga rolled his eyes. "Sorry, it's a bit of a pet peeve since Reiko is at the age where she's up to her eyes in shoujo manga."

"Speaking of shoujo... is Ranma okay?"

"Ranma?" Ryouga let out a long sigh. "Yeah. Yeah, he's good. Most days."

"Most days?"

Ryouga sighed, "Just that... Nodoka is a hard woman to get to know. Honestly have no idea how Genma hasn't run away screaming. It's always 'propriety' and 'roles of the household'. It just makes Ranma anxious and tense and there was a time he was worried that he would hate his girl side and it would break him." Ryouga sighed, "We had a good while where she didn't come meddling, but that was Soun who ran interference and now... Ranma's stressed out."

"And I added to that."

Ryouga lightly bapped Akihiko on the head, "Hey, just because Ranma and I were your closest guy friends in high school doesn't mean you can get away with the low self-esteem we deal with, too! Ranma didn't even think you wanted to come. That you'd even be here."

"But he was so angry earlier when he saw me."

Ryouga thought for a moment. "There's a lot of baggage he's dealing with. Dealt with, I guess. Honestly, it's Nodoka that is more of a trigger than you. Honest, okay?"

Akihiko tilted his head and gave Ryouga a half-smile, his eyes unsure.

Ryouga mused quietly, glancing towards the door. "I swear. All of our parents need their beliefs coddled so much that we had to become the parents while we were still kids. It's really unfair when I think about it, sometimes."

Akihiko pondered on that a moment. "I should turn in early, especially if the formalities of the wake are tomorrow. I'm going to have to steel myself to say empty platitudes about Dad to strangers and correct them when they ask if I'm 'Akane.'"

Ryouga nodded. "Not a bad idea. I like your name, though. Can I call you Aki? Since technically, you're my younger brother by about... four months if I remember your birthday right."

Akihiko nodded, "That's fine, Ryouga. The vice-principal at the school I work for calls me that, so I'm used to it."

Ryouga nodded and stood. "Good. I'm glad you're here, Aki. I'll try to see if I can show Kasumi at least why. Anyway, I'll see you in the morning, I may need to remind my precocious child to brush her teeth and head to bed."

Akihiko chuckled. "Your daughter is great. I'm not sure how to process the fact I'm an uncle yet."

"Bring a soccer ball next time and she'll love you forever. Goodnight, little brother."

"Night."

Akihiko changed into boxers and a tank top before laying back on the guest bed.

"Strange," he mused to himself, "I came only expecting the loss of a father. You stupid fucking old man. What else did I miss out on because of you?"

Akihiko woke up. It was only 2 in the morning. He kicked himself for napping then turning in early; now it was the dead of night and he was dead awake. He walked downstairs and used the bathroom. He then stepped out into the living room. It was dark, but the city lights as well as a waxing gibbous moon illuminated the room with a dim, blue-tinged light. He noticed the door to the engawa was slid open.

Akihiko walked out to the engawa. His skin felt refreshed by the evening breeze as he sat at the edge, letting his feet dangle as he gazed up at the moon. He traced the light of the moon with his eyes down at the koi pond. He jokingly wondered if any fish still lived there given the probable number of times one or more people fell in there since he left. He almost stood to check when he heard raised voices from the bedroom. Akihiko couldn't make out the words from the engawa. It sounded like arguing, but not an angry one, more a back and forth between naturally expressive people.

Akihiko heard a door slide open and he noticed a small figure step out. The moon illuminated her face and flowing red hair that, let down, seemed to come down almost to mid back. She had a robe loosely draped around her and Akihiko looked away with a gulp as soon as he noticed a glimpse of her collarbone, neck and almost bare breast.

"Oh, Aka... Akihiko," Ranma said in hushed tones. "Whaddaya doin' out here so late."

"Couldn't sleep," he replied, still looking away as he heard her light footsteps approach.

"Can I sit by you?" Ranma asked.

"A-are you sure about that?" Akihiko sighed, "I, I mean I don't mind, but you gotta tell me if you're planning on murdering me right here and now. It's only fair."

Ranma let out a snort, "I'd kill you in your sleep and you know it." She slumped down next to him.

"Nice night," Ranma said.

Akihiko nodded, but didn't say much.

"Oho?" Ranma noted playfully, "What's this? You go all 'strong silent type' on me? Well it suits ya."

Akihiko replied, "Well you seem rather comfortable yourself in your present state?"

"Oh, This?" Ranma scoffed, " It's more 'cause Mom's around upstairs with Dad sleepin' in Soun's room. I usually stay like this when they're here. Kinda sucks since I was enjoyin' a 'guy week', too."

"Hmm?"

"Oh, I'm just kinda goin' back n' forth as I please. Been feelin' pretty guy lately. Funny thing's that Reiko doesn't really care. I got worried after she was born she'd worry is 'mommy' went away and... anyway, long story short is that I think Nabiki is her female role model more than 'mom'."

"Hey, she told me she liked your cooking, and I agree with her." Akihiko chuckled, "still... I'm glad you found something that works for you." Akihiko faced Ranma and took her in. She was still breathtakingly beautiful in a way that still irked him, just a bit. She was feminine in her form and posture, but it was no longer that weird mix of unconscious behavior and broad theatricality it was when they were teens. It was natural, and breezy, and... womanly, Akihiko finally thought.

Ranma, with that womanly demeanor, looked up at Akihiko. "What about you, Aki? You okay? You livin' a good life?"

Akihiko paused, then nodded. "I think so. I like my work. I like myself. There's a sense of inner peace I was missing."

"Got somebody to share that peace with?"

Akihiko shook his head, "It's... it's tough to let people in, even when you want to. Even if you find a woman or a man who shows an interest, it's always a crapshoot how they'll react when the moment comes. I've had a few bad blowups."

"I know that feelin'..." Ranma hemmed for a bit and Akihiko noticed her cheeks puff up in annoyance. He poorly stifled a laugh as he covered his mouth and ended up making a slight puffing sound. Ranma looked at him and frowned.

"Do you really resent me that much?" She asked, annoyed, but undercut with worry.

Akihiko froze. "I don't hate you."

"Then why did you go away? Like go away completely?" Ranma massaged her temples. "I've gone over this in my head over and over again and the only thing I can think is that I must have been so damn awful or did somethin' so unforgivable that you needed ta get away from here."

Akihiko sighed. "Ranma I didn't hate you! I envied you! I hated myself. That's why I had to leave everything behind. I hated what I was, what I was being forced to be. I needed to be alone and get myself straightened out. The fact that Da- that Soun saw fit to kick me out of the house was just an extra push. If I hadn't left... I'm not sure I'd be here sitting with you today."

"...wasn't ...wasn't there anything I could have done to help?"

Akihiko shook his head "Not unless somehow that last barrel of Nannichuan at that sham of a wedding fell on my head... Even then, I don't think I'd have been mature enough to process that that it was what I wanted."

"Couldn't you have taken me with you? I would have come along."

"Would you? I don't know much of what's gone on since, but I remembered thinking it would have been difficult to leave here. You cared about meeting your obligations because you wanted them to accept you after being away all your life. The marriage proposals wouldn't have gone on as long as they did if that wasn't the case. We were all running around in circles because we were betrothed, but Ukyou was also betrothed, and Shampoo was Joketsuzoku married to you and... whatever other nonsense we were all dragged into."

Akihiko sighed. "The sad thing is, there were a few times where I thought 'if I were Ranma, I'd know how to solve this.' I had grand plans about being strong and fast like you, which led to thoughts about being as confident and, hell, as charming as you to... realizing I wanted to be you as much if not more than wanting to be with you and... for a seventeen year old, that was just too much. I could have kept lashing out, could have seen everything as a slight on the femininity I supposedly had and was supposed to hold on to. Feh!" Akihiko mimed tossing something in a wide arc towards the pond. "Letting that shit go was the healthy thing, Ranma. It wasn't about you, not really. It took a lot of work on my end to find myself. I was not going to find salvation in spring water. Thankfully modern medicine gets me a good way there, as does a healthy attitude about the whole thing. Saving up about one and half million yen doesn't hurt, either."

Ranma nodded along as Akihiko spoke, but she kept her gaze looking away and he could see her eyes reflecting the moonlight and a few tears slip past her defenses.

Akihiko frowned. "Ranma I loved you, still do perhaps, but... I wasn't ready to let anyone in. I know it was selfish and I caused problems for everyone, but..."

Akihiko felt Ranma's hand rest on top of his. He noticed how, even though he could feel the callouses from decades of training, the back of her hand felt soft and delicate. It took him a moment to realize what was wrong with this tableau as he noticed Ranma lean close. They locked eyes with each other and Akihiko froze in fear.

A dog could be heard barking in the quiet early morning.

"You look good, Aki. I don't think I said that yet. You're... incredibly handsome and I'm glad I'm a woman right now, so I don't make an obvious embarrassment of myself."

Ranma leaned away and took off her hand. She quickly stood and walked back to her room, leaving Akihiko alone again on the engawa bewildered as he absently touched the hand that Ranma grasped.

Akihiko sat alone. When the sky began to just turn from inky blue to the hint of light purple, he stood and went back to the guest room to prepare for the day.

Akihiko was roused from sleep by a few quick, but heavy knocks at the door.

"Hey, Aki?" It was Ryouga.

"Yeah, come in." Akihiko replied, clearing his throat and sitting up in bed, scratching his chest as he looked at the time. Thankfully it was barely past seven.

Ryouga entered the room. "Oh, hey. Sorry, I wasn't sure if you were up yet, but..." Ryouga stopped and looked confused.

"What's up, Ryo?" Akihiko asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry. It's not important. Just, we'll probably need some help getting Soun set up in the dojo and Ranma's going to be stuck keeping an eye on Nodoka and Reiko so I was wonderin'..."

Akihiko nodded. "Yes, of course I'll help... Thank you for including me."

Ryouga smiled, though his expression grew more sheepish. "N-no, I meant what I said yesterday. We're family. You should be included..."

Ryouga moved his head away, trying to look casually elsewhere. Even in this new role as 'adoptive brother', Ryouga was still bad at subtlety. Akihiko glanced down at himself and realized that because of the summer weather, he had taken off his tank top sometime after he fell back asleep and had slept in just his boxers.

"Oh, are you okay?"

Ryouga shook his head. "I'm sorry, I know you're a man. I really do, but... it's hard to leave childish thoughts behind sometimes. I'm sorry, Aki."

Akihiko sighed. "Ah... I thought it was the scars you were wondering about."

"Well, a little bit I guess?" Ryouga rubbed the back of his head. "How long did it take you to, um, recover from things?"

"I had my top surgery a few years ago. Took me, honestly, about six months to fully heal and maybe a year to not be reminded of it. I had hoped the scars would have faded, but they're a small price to pay to feel right. I don't feel weird when I've played pickup basketball and I went to the beach last year and it felt great just to be out in the sun."

Ryouga considered it. "That's great, Aki. Really." Ryouga crossed his arms a bit around his chest. "Inner demons are tough opponents, aren't they, Akihiko? We've fought strong enemies, magical powers, and yet the stuff we grapple with on the inside is the hardest thing we do..."

"Ryouga?" Akihiko began to ask.

Ryouga turned to leave. "Be ready for the funeral home people to show up in half an hour, okay? Ranma made some food so grab a bite to eat, little brother."

Akihiko smiled a bit. "Should I worry about being cold-cocked by our eldest sister?" he quipped.

"Ranma and Nabiki spoke to her. I wouldn't be in a dark room alone with her..." Ryouga said cautiously, "but she'll behave. She... she had a rough time of it as well after you left. I don't think life has gotten any easier for her since then."

Akihiko gave a painful frown. "Stupid old man..."

Ryouga nodded sagely as he started out again. " 'No fool like an old fool', even if he was only fifty-nine."

As the door shut Akihiko looked at himself in a mirror perched above a small desk. His hair was a bit of a shaggy mess and he looked a bit rough. He shook the cobwebs of the morning and got dressed.

The people from the mortuary came and, with them, Soun's body, already in its coffin. It was a bit odd (not to mention expensive), to hold a viewing in the home, given the average space of a Tokyo home. That said, it was already enough that Soun had the clout and the savings to set aside for a funeral. Akihiko briefly wondered if that money could have been better spent on upkeep of the dojo or on charity or on something else than posthumous burnishment. That thought was set aside as he, Ryouga, and Genma came to receive the coffin and help move it to the dojo. Ryouga and he were in black suits while Genma was wearing mofuku. Akihiko had to extend his arm a bit longer than his two fellow pallbearers but he managed until he felt a slight droop towards the opposite corner where Genma was holding on to the coffin. He heard a loud, sharp intake of breath and, for an instant, Akihiko worried Genma was going to drop dead right there. A follow-up sniffle allayed those fears, but the coffin was unbalanced.

"Damn it, Pops! Hold it together!" Ranma yelled as she ran out, somehow resplendent in the otherwise reserved mofuku and over towards the side of the coffin Genma was holding up, offering ballast to level out the coffin.

"Ranma!" Nodoka yelled out, shocked as the red-haired woman walked the coffin to the dojo and set it on the dais that was brought in for this purpose. All around it were arrays of lotus blossoms and other white flowers.

Once the coffin was secure, Ranma pulled her father away. It was then Akihiko saw the heartache in the older man's expression as Ranma patted her father on the shoulder. He turned his attention back as the mortuary company set up the coffin for the viewing, placing containers of dry ice underneath the dais to keep the body preserved. As the coffin lid was opened, Akihiko steeled himself to see him.

His hair was much grayer than he expected, the mustache in particular. He hadn't even been sixty and he looked ten years older. His body wasn't much more frail than he recalled and he wondered if some hair dye and fewer wrinkles around the eyes and laugh lines would make him relive the moment of castigation and the last time he saw Soun.

Ryouga nodded, "Okay. We should be receiving guests in a bit," he muttered as an aside, looking back at the dojo's entrance. "Gonna be a long day."

As the day progressed, it was a blur of older, gray-haired men who came, sometimes with wives in tow, other times not, as they arrived, said their greetings, and sat down, sometimes solemnly, sometimes sharing a fond memory of Soun to their fellow gray-haired friends. Off to the side, Akihiko sat next to Nabiki on one side and Ranma on the other. This conveniently provided a buffer between Kasumi and Nodoka, respectively.

Akihiko was struck by how much Ryouga has been playing doorman. There was a dramatic, if welcome, irony in the man he remembered best as being unable to find the restroom without assistance lead guests from the entrance into the dojo.

In the late morning, an older gentleman, maybe just a bit younger than Soun arrived in the dojo after speaking with Ryouga and bowing to one another. Akihiko noticed, just outside the door, a few folks with large cameras were taking photos. They were barred from entering by Ryouga, who stood watch at the door. The man walked up to the assembled family, beginning with Nodoka.

"Mrs. Saotome," the man said with practiced charm. "I thought it best to come and offer my condolences as I pay my respects to Tendo Soun. You all must be grieving terribly."

"Oh, Representative Sugawara." Nodoka perked up slightly and bowed to him. "We are humbly grateful you came out to pay respects to our departed relation. You do us great kindness."

"No, no. Not at all. I am grateful to the work Soun Tendo did in aiding my campaign. His donations to the LDP were appreciated."

Akihiko rolled his eyes and looked away, he realized he locked eyes with Kasumi of all people who was staring daggers. Akihiko was frightened for a second, until he realized Kasumi's ire was not aimed at him this time.

"And this your lovely daughter?" Sugawara asked. Akihiko looked back and saw Ranma bow in a way he only ever saw decades ago when she had participated in Martial Arts Tea Ceremony.

Nodoka continued, "Yes. She was dutiful to her husband and father-in law until the end."

Akihiko made a fist with his hand as the man passed over Ranma and moved to Akihiko.

"Ah, I don't recall you. Are you Nabiki's husband?"

"Soun Tendo was my father. I'm the youngest son."

"... I see. I never heard him speak of a second son."

"I suppose not." He bowed slightly. "My name is Akihiko Tendo, the last child between Soun and Himeko Tendo."

The politician froze and paused a moment. "We—well, I'm grateful to know any constituent and party supporter."

"I live in Saitama, to be honest..." Akihiko gave the Representative a wry smile. "...and I voted for Motomi Tsuji. I'm a member of the JCP."

Representative Sugawara looked like he was sucking a lemon as he moved on to speak with Nabiki.

Akihiko looked around. Nodoka was predictably shocked, but he caught a note of what he hoped was respect from Kasumi as she gave him a simple head nod.

Twenty minutes later, the priest walked in front of the coffin and began to read a sutra.

It was in the early evening, after the wake ceremony and most of the guests had left the dojo. Akihiko had stayed behind to watch over Soun while the rest of the family went to eat a meal or rest a bit. A few guests had remained, mostly older folks Akihiko remembered as part of the town council back in the day. Many of them had fallen asleep. Other guests, including the representative, had said their peace, offered respects and the customary funeral money while receiving the also customary thank you money, and then left.

Nabiki and Kasumi had just returned to the dojo from the house. Kasumi in particular had given Akihiko a stern staring down, but he thought perhaps she wasn't quite so out for blood this time. Suddenly a loud, matronly scream could be heard from the home followed by some rustling sounds.

"What now?" Nabiki moaned. Akihiko stood up and raised a hand.

"I'll check it out!" and ran off before either of the sisters could respond, though he heard Kasumi groan exasperatedly at his departure.

He made it back to the house and had to stop himself as he saw an odd scene. Bits of broken glass and pottery littered the living room Nodoka held up a teapot, still dripping and a plate and, across from her, Genma held his arms up. Behind Genma, Ranma and Ryouga stood by the kitchen door and, near Akihiko, Reiko sat, her head buried in her knees.

"You... traitor! Monster!" Nodoka went off. "How many times did you... consort with each other!? I know that in the old days these were schoolboy things and he was a widower, but you're my husband! You—" Nodoka threw the teapot at Genma who did it do much to block it other than shield his eyes, the scalding hot liquid still landing on his face and lower arms.

"Woah!" Akihiko yelled, dumbstruck.

Ryouga stepped in in front of his father-in-law. "Nodoka! What is wrong with you!"

"There is nothing wrong with me. This whole family is rotten! I have been pushing and pushing and keeping things according to propriety, even though the men no longer understand their role in the household leaving the women all play at being men! I've tolerated Ranma's indiscretions as she has tried to learn and I thought Soun had taken my side, but he was as rotten as the rest of them!"

"Now wait, just a damn minute, Ma!" Ranma walked up to her mother and poked her at the front of this, "Yer gonna come here and strut about, when Father Tendo is, may I remind you, lyin' in state in the damn dojo!? Cause we don't live ta yer weirdo ideas 'bout what's proper? Yer—yer—" Ranma paused. "That's crazy!"

"Boy..." Genma began.

"I'm defendin' ya, stupid ol' man... though thanks for keepin' me in mind."

"I cannot believe this! You! Who I sacrificed everything I had wanted for you to... tolerate your own indiscretions. If it were not the for fact I got a grandchild from it, I would have called in the contract! You should be grateful I'm such a forgiving mother!"

Ranma fell back at that, feeling her father stand behind her in support. Still her face was defiant, looking up at her mother and giving no indication she would give quarter to her.

Akihiko looked at the hysterics on display and saw Reiko, huddled nearby him. Akihiko looked at Ranma and motioned down towards Reiko. She nodded at him and, immediately, Akihiko scooped up his niece and moved up the stairs. From behind him, he could hear running and a sound and a new voice, full of familiar rage.

"What kind of fresh hell are you stirring up, Nodoka Saotome? Father is lying in state, if you've forgotten!"

"Oh, if isn't the other prodigal daughter. The one who let herself be defiled by a foreigner and keep his bastard child! What would you know of proper be—" Nodoka's voice was silenced by a loud thump as Ranma yelled out "Oh shit, Kasumi!"

Akihiko shut the door to Reiko's room behind him and set his niece down on the bed.

"Are you okay, Reiko?" he asked. Reiko didn't say anything but she nodded, her body still wrapped up in a fetal position and her eyes screwed shut.

Akihiko patted the little girl on the forehead. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"..." the girl let out a sigh. "Grandma was looking around Grandpa Tendo's room. She found his diary and then she got so mad at everyone. She started yellin' at Grandpa Saotome about things. Why is she so mad? Why did she yell at mom and dad, too? What was she even talking about?"

Akihiko nodded. "Are you okay? Did you get hurt?"

Reiko shook her head vigorously. "Nuh-uh. I'm okay, uncle Aki... Did something bad happen?" she asked.

"I don't know. It sounds like a lot of it was from a long time ago, but I can't say for sure. I can go find out, unless you want me to stay with you."

"I want to see Dad... Mom Dad, not Dad Dad," she said.

Akihiko nodded and patted Reiko on the head. "Okay, I'll tell him. Hang tight, kiddo."

Akihiko left the room. As soon as he entered the living room, he could hear muffled yelling, Nodoka now crying softly into her husband's shoulder as he held up and helped her to stand. Ryouga was sweeping the floor as Ranma stood there, a bit agape and Kasumi no longer in the room. Akihiko tried to stealthily move around the older couple and the mess to reach Ranma.

"Hey."

"Hey yourself." Ranma replied, still looking pale and a bit lost.

"Are you okay?" Akihiko asked.

"...I'm okay.. I think. Just confused as hell. Maybe this is what the PTA was like when they found out about me after I spilled soup on myself during that fundraising event." She pointed at the floor towards Genma and Nodoka and gave Akihiko a nervous smile, her face half-upturned. "Ma's the one who's not doin' too hot. Kasumi socked her, but good." Akihiko needed a moment to parse everything said and then remembered why he had come.

"Reiko said she wanted 'Mom Dad not Dad Dad'. I think that means you."

Without a word, Ranma loosened the obi on her mofuku and walked upstairs.

Ryouga looked at Genma. "Are you two staying then?" he asked.

Genma gave a sigh, "We're no longer as young as we used to be and... given what happened, perhaps it is best to let you all see Soun off than stay and upset Nodoka further."

Ryouga gave a slight bow, broom in hand. "Thank you for coming, Father. Mother."

Genma gave a nodding bow and the two headed out of the house.

"You want me to get the vacuum cleaner?" Akihiko asked.

Ryouga shook his head. "I got it. You came in to get something right? There's onigiri, soup, and some simmered vegetables in the kitchen."

"What the hell happened?"

"Oh you know, Nodoka figured out that two men who were lifelong friends, trained together, lived together, and after fifteen years apart, came back together, and had been sleeping with each other the whole time. I think that broke fifty years of keeping her ass as tight as possible."

Akihiko blinked and did a surprising imitation of Ranma's expression from five minutes previous.

"I mean, I'm not surprised Soun and Genma did it, but I guess 'takes one to know one', right?" Ryouga walked over to pick up a dustpan.

Akihiko grabbed a small plate of food and sat to one side of the room as Ryouga finishing cleaning up the mess and rearranging the furniture of the living that had been thrown all around.

A bit later, after having eaten, Ryouga stopped him as he was walking back to the dojo.

"Hey, can you check on Ranma for me? I should go see if the guests need anything," Ryouga asked.

Akihiko nodded and went upstairs. He found Ranma sitting with Reiko on the girl's bed, playing a fighting game. Ranma was back to his male form, sitting in the now loosely draped mofuku, but with his daughter seated on his lap

"You two seem to be having fun," Akihiko remarked, recognizing the game since some of the soccer team had been playing it on a club retreat last year.

"Ah, hush Aki. I'm having father/daughter time," Ranma said as he winced. "Ah, noooo!" Ranma said as he brought his hands and the controller to his head, "Jeez, kid, you're too good at this, but you know you have more free time than I do so it only stands to reason."

"Daaaaad," Reiko said rolling her eyes. "It keeps track of how long you've played and I'm pretty sure I haven't played this for 200 hours all by myself."

Ranma looked away. "... okay, fine. Just stab your old man in the heart like that." Ranma said, dejected. "No! Worse, betray your dear old mother. In front of family, too!" He put a hand to his forehead pausing dramatically for a moment before he couldn't help but crack a smile, eliciting a laugh from his daughter, which caused him to laugh as well.

"Daaaaaad! Stop!" Reiko said giggling. "You're so weird you know?" She looked to Akihiko. "Has Daddy always been weird?"

Akihiko finally burst out laughing. "Your father has never not been a weirdo, Reiko-chan." He paused, wiping his face from tears of laughter. "But he's a good person and he loves you very much, it seems. Your other Dad, too."

"Is Ryouga okay?" Ranma asked.

Akihiko nodded. "Yep. Just checking to make sure the guests are okay as well. He asked me to check on you two."

Ranma lifted his daughter from his lap and placed her on the bed. "Well then, I probably should go back and play the dutiful wife."

"Your mom and Genma left."

Ranma quirked an eyebrow. "... tempting, but I should probably just keep it up until tomorrow." Ranma turned and kissed Reiko on the forehead. "If you get bored, you can hang out downstairs. One of us at least will be there to take a break from watching over Grandpa, okay?"

Reiko nodded as she was already playing the game again versus the computer.

Ranma walked out followed by Akihiko.

"She got a bit spooked, but she's tough. That's Ryouga's doin'..."

"Are you okay, though? Has this happened before?"

Ranma shook his head. "Ma's gotten mad before, even yelled once, but that was the first I seen her throwin' crap at Pops and lookin' like she wanted ta hurt people."

"I notice you're speaking a bit more... like I remember."

"Ah well, I gotta be all proper n crap for Ma. And I try ta keep it clean for Reiko's sake. But when I can, especially when I'm a guy I just like ta be myself, ya know? Ryouga gets it, thank goodness. I don't know why he stays with me some days, I feel like I'm the worst parts of havin' a wife and a husband in one loud package."

"He loves you. That much is clear and, from my limited view, it seems like you love him as well."

"... course I do... I wouldn't have agreed to all that crap if I didn't. Even if it meant... a lot of shit got tied up in marryin' Ryouga. I'm just glad... I'm grateful to him and he's the nicest guy I saw myself bein' with... I mean after ya, of course."

Akihiko paused. "Wha—"

Ranma chuckled. "It's funny. After you came out and old man Soun lost his head over it an' you left. A lot of the weirdness I felt made sense. I loved you, but there was always a barrier and when you were a guy after all, I had ta question a lot of things about who and what I found attractive and I realized that I liked guys... I mean women are attractive, I guess? But I dunno, maybe I was always gay n' the curse gave me a 'get out of jail free' card ta deal with it, or maybe it just that the girls that liked me ruined my interest in 'em or what. But yeah... that took a lot of squaring circles. 'Specially with Ma. We made compromises. I'm just glad they worked out for me n' Ryouga..."

Akihiko listened, almost sensing there was more to be said as though it was so much humidity in the Tokyo summer.

"...but I still carry a torch for ya. I... wanna believe I woulda followed ya if you asked, but maybe... some days I wonder if I woulda been too scared ta say the shit that needed sayin' and screwed it up anyway." Ranma let out a deep breath as they both stood on the staircase, halfway down to the first floor.

Ranma turned around, putting his hair behind him as he looked eye to eye at Akihiko from the step below.

"You look good, ya know. You cut a handsome figure as a guy."

"So do you," Akihiko countered.

Ranma let out a laugh. "Still getting used to it. Not too long ago, this was still shelved. Ya think it'd supposed ta be like ridin' a bike, but Pops never taught me how."

Ranma then suddenly embraced Akihiko and took in a shuddered breath, his head against the other man's shoulder. Akihiko decided to not say anything and brought a hand to Ranma's back, patting it softly as Ranma cried on his shoulder for a while.

It was late at night. The guests who had come from the neighborhood association, chamber of commerce, and other local concerns Soun had been at least tangentially involved with had all left. Sitting in front of the coffin of the late Tendo patriarch was Akihiko, Nabiki, Ranma, and Ryouga. It was quiet as they sat there and, as the hours dragged on, Nabiki had fallen asleep. Akihiko had just taken his suit jacket off to place over Nabiki when he noticed Ryouga do the same thing to Ranma with the haori of his mofuku.

"Sheesh. I hope there's not this much pomp and circumstance when I die..." Akihiko sighed, "Probably will be fewer people to watch over my spirit."

Ryouga nodded. "Yeah... Ranma talked about maybe having another kid before we get too old, but..."

"Life gets in the way sometimes?"

Ryouga nodded. "I feel guilty putting him through that again. He says it's fine, but I'm just thinking if I had to be the pig for a whole year, I'd lose my damn mind..."

"So how did it happen the first time?"

Ryouga laughed, lightly caressing Ranma's cheek. "Teenage hormones, teenage emotions. After you came out and the old man kicked you out of the house, Ranma was lonely. I was lonely too. Ranma didn't really have anyone to turn in the weeks after, when the engagement was shifted to Nabiki, and Shampoo and Ukyou coming in thinking they had a chance. We talked a lot, Ranma and I both realized we had feelings that ran deeper than middle school rivalry or friendship and that we had both crushed on you because you were really a guy and not despite that fact. That emotional comfort became physical."

Akihiko nodded. "That must have taken a leap of faith."

"We only slept together once at the time, but as they say, it only takes one time. A month later, Ranma became stuck in his girl form and everything broke apart. The day we had to explain what happened to Nodoka, Soun, and Genma was... it was a bad day." Ryouga paused before growing red and raising his hands, "Not that you didn't have it rough, Aki. It was probably bad for you too."

Akihiko shrugged. "I mean the first six months were bad. I found a job, but it took a long time to find a boarding house that would take a 'single young woman' with no guarantor. I almost missed some of the college exams, but I muddled through it enough to get a scholarship. I cut my hair and bound my chest, so while the records had me listed as female, for the most part I got to live as how I wanted. During college I found a doctor who was willing to prescribe me hormones and helped me figure out how to get the surgeries I needed done. It was not fun or cheap, but I got things changed... Part of me wishes there was still Nannichuan water around, though now I'd probably want you to have it first, Ryo."

Ryouga nodded. "I'm used to my curses... the pig is the pig. It happens when it means to... The other curse... I still get lost, even with GPS. Thank goodness Reiko didn't inherit my problems, though Ranma says it's all the video games that trained her mind better at getting directions and reading maps... but being with Ranma grounds me somehow. Knowing he's here and that I have a place to come home to... It means a lot."

Ryouga slumped his head down, looking at his spouse. Akihiko saw the flickers of tears fall from Ryouga's face. "I... I don't want to presume, but if anything happens between you and Ranma, I—I gave him my blessing. I understand how he feels and if you still had lingering feelings and things... went there, I understand. I just... I don't want to lose him. I don't care if Ranma wanders, I just don't want to lose what I have."

Akihiko sat quietly as he heard Ryouga sniffle quietly.

"Hey..." Ranma's voice weakly said, "you guys shouldn't talk 'bout me cause ya think I can't hear ya..." Ranma turned her head to look up at Ryouga sleepily, taking a hand and placing it on his cheek, wiping tears away with her thumb.

"Idiot," she said softly. "This ain't the time or place ta be cryin' like that." She slowly sat up and straightened out her mofuku. She put her hands together and closed her eyes.

"Sorry, Old Man, ya did the best ya could. We're just not the kids ya wanted." Ranma opened her eyes and stood. "I need a break for a minute. No drama over me while I'm gone," Ranma advised in a theatrical voice as she began sauntering away.

"Hey! I haven't said a—" Akihiko began, a touch annoyed but stopped as Ranma had walked away. He clicked his teeth, "dammit. He's such a..."

"Pain the ass, yeah. Try being married to her." Ryouga wiped his face, smiling.

Akihiko froze. He wanted to say something, a joke, a denial, something that wouldn't escalate the tension. He settled on a simple, "touché."

They turned their attention back to the coffin.

"So after I left... how was the old man? Did he even mention me?"

Ryouga replied, "Not really. Ranma tried to change his mind, but... He had considered it a matter of pride. You know about Tendos and pride."

Akihiko considered it a moment. "I suppose he went to his grave not thinking he did anything wrong, then."

"...in a way, a pretty torturous way if you ask me, he tried to make up for it with Ranma and I."

"How so?"

"After Ranma got pregnant and we told them all, Nodoka threatened the contract and its stipulations. I wasn't going to let it happen of course, but Soun, surprisingly, was on my side as well. He's the one who suggested adopting me into the Tendos to satisfy the arrangement. I mean, I hadn't seen my birth parents in almost a decade by that point so and if it meant Ranma's life, of course I'd do it. Agreeing to it fixed things, though doing so made Nodoka have to reevaluate the agreement and, in a sense, she altered the arrangement so that Ranma would have to be the 'ideal wife' to me or some nonsense... Ranma and I played along mostly and Ranma was okay being female for a long while, mostly for Reiko's sake. But when she got older, Ranma started feeling trapped and needed room to be himself again. Soun was the one to give him an out; he distracted Genma and Nodoka from us and we got time to be ourselves again. So, as much as I can't forgive what he did to you, I can't fully hate him. I understand if you do, though. He had it coming."

Akihiko pursed his lips as he reflected on the photo of the unfamiliar older man that was his father in front of the coffin."Yeah, I still do. I thought for a bit that being here and seeing him lying in state would create some feeling of loss or sympathy, but I still hate the bastard. Not simply because he wanted to deny me my manhood, but now that I'm here, I realize how much time was stolen from me. I hear what happened with you guys, with Kasumi, Nabiki, and I'm trying hard not to outwardly curse him for missing out on helping everyone. He broke me away from everyone and now..." Akihiko felt his shoulders slump. "Now, I need to worry about fixing that break. Can I even begin to repair it?"

"Dumbass." Akihiko and Ryouga turned to see Ranma, male, and in a slightly loosened mofuku. "Just be around from now on!" Ranma walked over to Ryouga, leaned down and kissed him on the forehead and nuzzling his bearded cheek. He then sat down between the two of them. "Sorry old man," Ranma leaned over and grabbed Akihiko and Ryouga's hands. "Just be around for a bit." He closed his eyes, still holding on to the two of them.

"Mrrrph...Men are too loud," Nabiki muttered, rolling over and pulling Akihiko's suit jacket up closer before falling asleep again.

The next morning, the family headed east, towards Nerima Station as they headed to the temple, Juyou-in. Akihiko walked in behind the assembled members: Ranma and Ryoga, both in black suit and tie, at the front each taking turns holding Reiko's hand. Behind them were Nabiki and Kasumi, Nabiki talking a bit about a contract for a book supposedly by a popular baseball player but was being ghostwritten by a co-worker at the publishing firm. Kasumi seemed to nod along, her expression still hard to suss out though the mask was one of probing sternness rather than soft placidity.

As Akihiko entered the temple, he noticed the group had paused. Up ahead, alone in a back suit and grasping a flat cap with both hands, was Genma. Ranma let go of Reiko's hand, adjusted his tie, and buttoned his suit jacket before walking up to his father.

There was a pause and the main hall of the temple echoed with the steps of distant movement.

"...boy," Genma said slowly.

"...old man."

For a moment, Akihiko looked around for alternate exits and places to get Nabiki and Reiko behind cover. That stopped when both father and son stiffly acknowledged each other with a small bow.

"Let's see old man Tendo off, shall we?" Ranma asked. Genma began walking forward towards the the funeral hall.

The funeral hall itself was not a very large space, befitting the surprisingly modest temple in the area. Still, it fit those who had gathered one last time: the family, one or two acquaintances from the neighborhood who could not make it to the wake and, quietly standing behind everyone else, Ukyou and Konatsu.

The priest who arrived was a genial older man, perhaps ten years older than Soun was. He walked near the front of the room by the white coffin, raised a set of prayer beads, and began reciting the Amitabha Sutra. One by one, the family offered incense and prayed over Soun, repeating the motions of the wake, but in the more intimate space.

Akihiko noticed Nabiki and Kasumi began to visibly tear up. He even found himself begin to be overcome with a sense of loss when it was his turn to proffer up lit incense to his father. He was thankful there were not enough to make him cry. Not yet. The feelings he had were multitudinous and not easily reconciled. Walking back to where he was standing, he noticed Ryouga give Genma a handkerchief from the breast pocket of his suit. He saw Ranma holding tightly onto Reiko's hand.

As the family completed the offerings, the priest finished his chant. He placed a stone ihai tablet revealing, in ornate yet legible calligraphy, Soun's kaimyou: his death name.

「受用院誠岳流庵挿雲居士」

Akihiko considered the amount Soun must have donated to the temple, probably around five-hundred thousand yen, that his father had given to the temple to afford the name. Akihiko thought about the personal name he had given himself: 挿雲. Like many cases, it still was pronounced the same and even still had the "cloud" part of his earthly name, but changed the first character from 早: quick, early to 挿: attach, affix, to plant. Akihiko wondered if his father had chosen it with much self-reflection. He hoped it was so.

Each family member then approached the coffin and placed lotus flower in the coffin, surrounding Soun's head and shoulders, saying their final goodbyes. When Akihiko went to him, he quietly looked at his still face and closed eyes. He slowly placed the lotus blossom over his folded hands. Once he walked back from the coffin, the priest turned and, muttering the Amitabha Sutra, closed the lid.

Akihiko screwed his eyes shut. Stupid old man. Couldn't even be here long enough to— His thoughts were disrupted as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to see Nabiki, the tears having left a trail through her made up face. Kasumi walked up towards the two as well. She put a firm, but gentle hand on Akihiko's shoulder. He looked up and saw she had, like him, had tried and failed to not cry. Kasumi's eyes were glassy, a few tears around her eyelids. At that moment, the three Tendo siblings clasped hands and squeezed tightly before Kasumi, with surprisingly brawny arms, brought Nabiki and Akihiko together in a protective group hug.

"I hope he's with Mother now," Akihiko heard Kasumi whisper.

"Yeah," Akihiko said. "Me too, Kasumi."

When they broke the hug, Akihiko saw that the few guests had already left, with only Ukyou and Konatsu remaining briefly to tell Ryouga and Ranma that they would come by in the evening. After their departure, the family was, thus, left together for one more task.

They all arrived at the crematorium, located on the floor below where the funeral was held, about half an hour after the funeral ended. The temple had moved the coffin while they all took a moment to collect themselves. The room was well-decorated, given its somewhat utilitarian purpose. At the back of the room, the actual furnace was there, the metal door closed. Akihiko was surprised how little heat there was radiating from them. He realized the chamber itself was not lit.

The coffin containing Soun sat there. It felt anticlimactic to Akihiko as the coffin was raised, and then slowly placed into the furnace. Akihiko heard Genma whisper, "Thank you old friend. I'll see you soon."

As the door closed, technicians went to work and the family left. Not wanting to go home, and knowing they'd have to come back in a few hours, they ended up at a nearby Doutor coffee shop. Ranma and Ryouga busied themselves tending to Reiko. Kasumi and Nabiki were having another conversation. Akihiko found himself sitting between Ranma on one side and Nabiki on the other. In front on him was Genma. Genma's age had begun to creep up on him, just as it did with his father. Akihiko noticed the still small, but noticeable liver spot or two on Genma's face, as the wrinkles, especially around the eyes. Genma's despondent look as he sat, hands around a paper cup of sencha that Ranma got him. Akihiko felt a bit stuck as he listened to two different streams of conversation.

"Chie is bringing in your worksheets, right? So you won't be too behind when you go back to school Monday?"

"Ugh Dad, you're doing the 'mom' voice again."

"Well I'm your mother, I have that privilege."

"Since we have a moment, I should step out and call Erika to make sure Lisa is okay. I called this morning before she went to school, but... maybe I'm worrying too much. Jiro and Pedro hopefully haven't burned down the place yet."

"Still the team mom, eh Kasumi?"

"I know where my talents lie, sister. I can mix them with my passions these days."

Akihiko looked to Genma, who seemed to be looking distant.

"Boy..." Genma whispered. For a second Akihiko wasn't sure if he was trying to call Ranma or not. When Genma said, in a louder, but raspy voice, "Akihiko-kun."

Akihiko blinked and returned his attention on the elder Saotome.

"...you know, boy... you remind me of him... when we were young. You had your mother babyface before, but now... you look like Soun did." Genma chuckled weakly. "Your hair is a bit short compared to his, but it was the 70s and he was all into the student scene in Jimbocho and the women seemed to adore it. Even at that age, my hair was already growing a bit thin," he doffed his cap and rubbed his head for effect.

Akihiko considered what Genma said, before asking, "What was he like then? I don't think he ever talked much about his life before he married, save for his training with you and..." he finished with distaste, "the old freak."

"Not too different, I suppose. He was quiet, listened to people, but was stubborn in his own way. I was the loudmouth, but I could convince people to give me things. Your father... he seemed to be able to cow others with just a stern look sometimes. He had his pride. Even when he had to sit by Himeko's side as she passed... he was too stubborn to admit anything."

Genma shook his head and grabbed the tea, down the still rather warm liquid in a few gulps. "I told him he was a damn fool for letting you go, but he was stubborn. He let a perfectly good son go because of his nonsense. But he and Nodoka..." Genma chuckled, "maybe I'm drawn to the same type of person. He ended up using her as much as she did him, for their own ego. I sat back, happy I didn't have to make the hard choices. There's no excuse for it, but I'm sorry, kid."

Akihiko looked surprised. Moreso when he realized the side chatter had stopped, everyone in the family having turned towards Genma and Akihiko.

"I... I acknowledge what you're saying, b-but..." Akihiko shook his head, looking around for any help.

"Jeez Pops, don't dump your crap on Aki, just cause he's here for you ta unload on," Ranma said. He put a hand on Aki's shoulder, "Don't worry 'bout Pops. Ya know how bad he is at readin' a room."

Akihiko shook his head, "N-no. No, it's fine. I just..." He stood up, "I'll b-be back. Please excuse me."

Akihiko stood and, in a robotic, efficient manner, made his way to the washroom. He stopped at the mirror and looked at himself in the face. He traced the lines around his eyes, his cheeks. He tried to see what Genma had apparently saw. He wondered about those words: 'pride', 'stubborn', 'ego'. He felt something well up and, just before he felt it pop, he turned on the sink and splashed his face a few times. He wiped his face and looked up to see Ranma standing behind him.

"Ack!" Akihiko panicked, throwing wet hands up and lightly spraying Ranma in the face with water, though not enough to do much more than get his tie and shirt slightly damp.

Ranma chuckled. "You let yourself get soft."

"I don't need to fight anymore. Not like that. All it did was build up my anger."

"Is that what you feel right now? Angry? At Pops or Ma or... me?"

Akihiko shook his head. "I'm not sure what it is I'm feeling. Numb perhaps? Confusion? Everyone here seems to be in tune and I still feel like... I feel like a ghost... I feel like I killed Soun or... I killed the family or your life... I missed so much, but it also feels like I just ruined people and—"

"Hey! What did we tell you!" Ranma said sharply, prompting Akihiko to freeze. "Damn it all, Aki... don't need ya bearin' other folks' crosses for 'em. Don't be so damn presumptuous. We're on the hook for our own lives: Nabiki, Kasumi, Me n' Ryo... even your Dad. Soun was damn wrong for what he did ta ya... Maybe it was the cigarettes or maybe he nursed some secret regret about what he did ta you." Ranma shrugged. "I dunno. Can't say. Either way, it was his time."

Akihiko nodded slowly, though his eyes were drooped and his lips were twisted, unsure. "Is... is there a place for me? Can I find a way back to everyone?"

"I want ya here now. I know Ryo n' Nabs want ya around. Even Kasumi's kinda warmed ta you, somehow. Well she don't look like she's gonna cold-cock ya anymore, like she did ta Ma."

Akihiko facepalmed. "Oh God, your mother. What is going to—"

Ranma walked closer to Akihiko and wrapped an arm around his shoulder. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there. No sense borrowin' trouble. It'll come ta us tomorrow. Today we lay Soun ta rest, okay?" Akihiko nodded to Ranma, who patted him on the back. "Like I told ya, just be around okay? I want ya ta be around."

Akihiko looked at Ranma, his head slightly tilted, "do you mean, as..."

Ranma held up a hand, "We'll take things as they come. But only if you want to and only if Ryouga is still okay with it. We're grown men... usually in my case."

Akihiko chuckled. "Usually?"

"When I can, anyway. You'd be surprised the things they expect ya to be a woman for when you have a kid. Not even the obvious stuff like the gynecologist or 'mommy and me yoga'. I tried goin' ta the mom of one of Reiko's friend's baby shower as a guy and it's awkward as hell. Though I got an extra piece of cake after the mom ta be spilled her sparkling grape juice at me."

Akihiko shook his head. "Okay, let's get back to the others before we worry people."

Ranma nodded and the left the washroom. Ranma whispered as they walked back to the table, "I'm gonna take Reiko home. She don't need ta be there for the kotsuage. I'll be back in time. Just... watch Pops for me. I know he was kinda goin' on, but... make sure he don't get too jumpy or start gettin' stinkin' drunk on us. Ryo's got his hands full with the paperwork and I can't keep askin' Nabiki ta watch things."

"Yeah, sure."

Ranma gave Akihiko a smile a quick hug as he ran towards the group. He picked up Reiko in a sudden hug as he propped her in the air.

"Daaad! Don't embarrass me. I'm also full of milk tea."

"Well nobody dared ya to drink the whole thing!" He set his daughter down, "Let's take ya home and see if you can't use some of that sugar to practice your kata in the garden."

Reiko rolled her eyes, "Okay Dad. I can watch the house while you and Dad Dad are at the kotsuage."

Ranma sighed, "I'm not lockin' ya away, okay? I just wasn't sure if you wanted to be there. I think at your age I would have a bit scared."

"Are you just pulling my leg, Dad?"

Ranma shook his head, "I mean, it's not...cat scary, but if I was 11 and had to see the ashes being placed... You don't have to, okay?"

Reiko nodded. "Okay." There was a pause. "I'll stay home then."

"And practice your kata."

Reiko groaned, "Do I have to?"

Ranma nodded. "Do all the forms and Practice the 'Darting Fingers' form three times, and I'll play Guilty Gear with you after bath time, before bedtime."

"Okay!" Reiko seemed excited again as the two of them left the coffee shop.

Akihiko stood outside the temple, wiping his brow, sweaty from the late June afternoon. He checked his phone. Work email... Twitter... cute cat... He noticed a middle-aged man nearby walk by, a cigarette in hand. Stupid old man. Before he could say anything else in his he heard his voice.

"Sorry! I got distracted!" Ranma yelled as he ran to meet up with Akihiko. "Did they start already?"

Akihiko shrugged, "I can't say. Probably took them a bit of time to put everyone together for the kotsuage. For once, Ryouga wasn't the only one confused on how to get to the room. I thought it would be good for someone to wait for you or you'd get lost yourself."

Ranma smiled. "Thanks. If it was Nabiki who was waiting she'd be passive-aggressively telling me how much she was annoyed."

They entered the temple and, with only a minor hiccup, Akihiko led them to the room where the kotsuage was occurring. This was perhaps the most morbid part of the process. on a metal sheet were the ashes and bits of bone left over from the cremation. Nabiki sat near the center, managing a large urn and three smaller ones. Genma was to her left.

Ranma and Akihiko came at sat at different side of the sheet, Ranma sitting at Nabiki's right. Akihiko found himself in the middle, across from Nabiki and in-between Kasumi and Ryouga

Akihiko took the long metal chopsticks and the group began the process of sorting and placing Soun's bones into the large urn. Akihiko would take pieces from Kasumi's chopsticks and pass them to Nabiko who placed them in the urn. This pattern alternated with everyone as they slowly collected the remains of bone from Soun's body.

Near where Soun's head lay, Genma picked up an irregular shaped bone near the head. It looked a bit like a crescent moon. Akihiko realized it was the lingual bone as Genma passed it to him with his metal chopsticks. Akihiko examined it for a moment. He contemplated that crescent shape and its off-white color. He then motioned to Kasumi with his free hand and moved so that she could grasp the bone as well, They both then leaned forward so that Nabiki could grasp the bone with her chopsticks. For a moment the three siblings closed their eyes and said a quiet prayer before Nabiki placed it in the urn.

Once the bones had been sorted, Nabiki opened one of the smaller urns and handed it to Kasumi who placed some of the ashes into it. Nabiki turned to Akihiko, "Would you like some of Father's ashes, too? I brought an extra urn just in case."

Akihiko found he was surprised the answer wasn't an immediate 'no'. He considered it a moment, looking at the larger urn which now held his remains.

"N-no. I think... for now, I will just make an effort to visit. Maybe that is best."

Once all of ashes that had not been divided for the altar at home or for Kasumi were placed in the large urn, it was taken to the temple for placement in the family grave.

When they left the temple Genma stopped them.

"I should be heading back," he said, addressing Ranma principally. "Nodoka will wonder if I've gone off somewhere."

Ranma nodded. "Yeah. Maybe after a while..."

Genma nodded, "Perhaps, after a while." He walked up to Ranma and, after a second, patted him on the shoulder. He was a bit surprised when his son came and gave him a gentle, but earnest hug.

"Sorry, Pops."

Genma nodded. He gave Akihiko one last look, scrutinizing the man before he put on his flat cap and walked towards the station.

The others stopped at Koyama Park on the way home. It was late in the afternoon, though the summer sky was still bright and sunny. They sat down around some benches. Akihiko noticed the "No Fireworks" sign. Tanabata's coming up soon. He looked over at Ranma and Ryouga, who sat next to him on the bench. They held hands and Ryouga seemed half-asleep resting against Ranma's shoulder. They're so good to each other. Akihiko scooted over a bit away but was stopped when Ranma grabbed his wrist.

"Hey, you're gonna fall off if ya do that." Ranma lightly tugged Akihiko closer. Ranma then shifted his hand to hold Akihiko's. "If you want to be here, you're welcome to stay."

Akihiko glanced along at the other bench where Kasumi and Nabiki sat. Kasumi met his eyes with a narrowed, glaring expression.

"I... I don't want to ruin things. I've already changed things once before... I don't want to prove them right."

"Mmmm, he's still on that?" Ryouga's tired, deep voice resonated , muffled by Ranma's suit jacket.

Ryouga's hand stretched out past Ranma and tucked a bit of Akihiko's hair behind his ear.

Akihiko felt nervous. He placed his hands on his lap and sat there a while longer, until the clouds sudden began to darken and the wind kicked up.

"Okay, looks like it's gonna be a bad storm," Nabiki announced as everyone stood.

"Yeah," Ryouga said. "Let's head back."

"Here," Kasumi reached into the pocket of her jacket and handed a card to Akihiko. He looked down and read it:

Kasumi Tendo, Proprietor
Pankration Gym and Dojo
Meikiminami 1-Choume-14-3, 1F
Nakamura Ward, Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture

"You teach high school, yes?" She asked. "Come by in August to see Lisa. I'll see if my boys can put you through some physical rehabilitation. Jiro and Pedro can set up our homemade octagon." She gave Akihiko a slight smile that reminded him of the way she announced breakfast was ready back when they were younger.

"I..." Akihiko felt his collar tighten a bit. "That's a bit... scary to be honest, Kasumi."

"Only if you're afraid of a bit of heavy lifting, little brother." She gave an arm flex with her free hand.

Akihiko felt a little worried as he put the card away, but he said, "Okay, okay. You always know how to play to my ego."

Kasumi gave him a very familiar placid smile, "Well, I suppose you haven't changed as much as I feared... Perhaps things are as they needed to be." Kasumi tightened her grip on the urn in her possession. "I am... foolish. I thought you had ruined everything I wanted and gave up for, but I was being foolish and when I was shown what a fool I was, I became angry and stayed foolish..."

Nabiki replied, "We're Tendos, we're all idiots." She pointed at Ranma and Ryouga, who were walking ahead, Ryouga currently mussing Ranma's hair as Ranma leaned near him brushing a hand against Ryouga's beard, "Those two in particular."

"Yes, it seems the Tendo men in particular are prone to a particular brand of silliness..." Kasumi gave one more glare at Akihiko, though it was softer and a bit more playful as he could see her upturned mouth. "This generation seems less stubborn, however."

Akihiko wasn't quite sure what had happened, but he had the sense to feel a bit embarrassed as they rounded the corner and got home a scant ten minutes before the rain and thunder kicked up.

Back home, the Tendos came together in the master bedroom. Ryouga lifted the sheet on the family altar and the small urn containing Soun's ashes were added to the family urn, along with a small photo of Soun, placed in tandem with Himeko. He lit some incense and then stepped back to sit next to Ranma. As he did so, everyone else closed their eyes and offered a small prayer.

I hope Mother is happy to see you, old man. Akihiko thought for a moment. He opened his eyes and remarked on the five other people assembled here. This is... it's solemn, but warm somehow.

Akihiko was gripped by memories of recrimination by his father. The motion of an arm towards the front door. The threat of physical violence and challenges to his nascent manhood. He had fought, gave as good as he got in the dojo the night before he ran off. Compared to the stubborn anger Soun had, which had initially surprised him, the stillness of the room he was in now, now that his father was gone, was almost unsettling. He found himself tremble slightly, growing overcome with an anger and a regret. Am I mad I couldn't rub it in his face or am I mad because the bastard die without thinking he was wrong? Why couldn't he have the decency to let me say something, anything, anything, any-any—

Akihiko closed his eyes and began to breathe erratically as he bent down, placing his hands to stop himself from falling over. Akihiko could hear the dripping sounds on the tatami and hands picking him up. He thought at first it was Nabiki or maybe Kasumi, as they were a strong grip, but as he wiped his face, he saw it was Ranma who had helped him up. Everyone else was nearby and he realized everyone had come to his side. Even Kasumi.

"Why?..." Akihiko asked, in a croaking voice, "Why was father the way he was? He was so kind, but then... why do I still feel awful he died, despite what he said and did?"

Nabiki sighed, "Because you have a heart. Father was only human and flawed and he died. No matter how we felt about him, it's okay to feel bad about his passing."

Akihiko sat up and wiped his face. He looked at his sisters then at Ranma and Ryouga. "I don't want to see any of you go without saying a proper goodbye first. I won't forgive you."

That night, the rain had kept going even after the thunder and lightning had dropped off. It was evidenced by Ukyou and Konatsu, who were soaked by the time they arrived as promised. They brought over a few bags of vegetables and meat from the shop, which they let drip a bit in the genkan before stepping inside the house.

Akihiko was in the living room, helping Reiko with homework.

"Oh, I remember this," he said. "I was always good at math."

"Then why are you a gym teacher?" Reiko asked, confused. Akihiko was stymied and about to answer when he noticed Ryouga walking by, towels in hand, which he brought over to the new arrivals.

"Sorry you got soaked, guys... but better you two than us."

Reiko jumped up from the chair and gave Ukyou, then Konatsu a hug. "Uncle! Auntie!"

As the two gave the girl a hug in return, Ranma poked his head out of the kitchen.

"Hey Ucchan, you need some paper towels, too?" He asked from the kitchen.

"Yes, please," he said.

Ranma came out, wearing a frilly apron and carrying a well-worn electric griddle which he set down on the table. Seemingly from the apron's decorative pockets he pulled out a roll of paper towels and placed it on the table by kicking the roll as he turned to walk back into the kitchen, the roll landing perfectly upright by the griddle.

Ryouga came back and sat at the table next to Akihiko, putting Reiko on his lap, the girl crying out annoyed, but then giggling as she returned to working on the math assignment Akihiko had been helping her with.

Finally Ranma came back to the kitchen with a few tools and plates he set aside next to the griddle.

"Yo Nabs!" He called out. "If you're not stuck on a call, we're about started. Can you get Kasumi from the dojo, too? Knowing her, she tired herself out from working out or cleaning it." Ranma rolled his eyes. "She better had left it ta me. We'll get it set up tomorrow."

Ukyou and Konatsu sat behind the griddle, plugging it in and preparing it for use.

Ukyou gave Ranma a speculative glance as he oiled the griddle."Well, you're looking... taller, Ran-chan." Ukyou noted. "It's a good look." Ranma smiled, tugging at his pigtail slightly.

"I can't help but think your eyes are wandering again..." Konatsu looked away and put a hand to her face, feigning hurt.

Ukyou turned to his wife and rolled his eyes. "I know I gave that Natsuko a discount, Kona-chan, but it was because she wanted us to cater her wedding reception, that's all." Ukyou gave a grin, "Also, don't tell me you didn't eye Aki-kun when we came the other day."

"Huah?" Akihiko let out a squeak, looking up from Reiko's homework.

Konatsu darted her eyes. "I... was merely concerned. He seemed distressed at the time." Konatsu place an arm around her husband. "My heart only belongs to you."

"Me too..." Ukyou gave Konatsu a peck on the lips, then whispered, "though I think you hit on something, Kona-chan."

"Yes, dear?"

Ukyou subtly motioned to Ranma, Ryouga, and Akihiko with a spatula between his fingers. Ranma was busy giving silly smiles and chatting with Ryouga while, between then Akihiko was showing Reiko how to do basic algebra. "Never expected to see this tableau. Feels nostalgic, somehow."

"Do you think so? I was thinking it was peaceful." Konatsu noted.

Nabiki, wearing sweats and a bluetooth earpiece came into the room. Kasumi followed her, drenched in sweat and rain, clad in a sports bra, training gloves, and boxing shorts.

"Looks like we're all here," Ryouga announced. "Let's eat!"

And so they did. The food was good and the company was even more filling.

After a while, Kasumi stood. "I should get my things ready to head back first thing in the morning. If I don't, my fighters will eat me out of gym and home." She shook her head. "It was hard enough feeding four martial artists here. I had the bright idea I could feed a dozen and make money doing it. I really am foolish."

"The margins are shit, but you enjoy seeing people smile, don't you?" Konatsu said.

"Perhaps that's so," Kasumi considered as she left.

Nabiki stood as well, "Yeah. I got a few more days banked, but I'm worried about this stupid ghostwriter flaking on us. I'll probably get back sometime tomorrow, too."

Akihiko thought. "Well, I suppose I should get my things as well." He stood up, preparing to get his things when he felt a small hand grab his hand.

"Will you come back soon?" Reiko asked. Akihiko looked up at Ryouga who gave him a hopeful smile, then at Ranma, who did the same, reaching out and touching his other hand.

"Yeah, I'll bring a soccer ball next time and we can kick it around the garden, too."

"Pinky swear?" She asked. Akihiko laughed and stuck out his pinky at the young girl.

"Yep. Of course," Akihiko said. "I'll be around."

End