DO YOU REMEMBER...?
By Bing

< > means someone is thinking.
Now on with the story...

Part One: The Ones to Carry On

Chapter 3 - Return to Nerima


(Note: Some of the scenes here are lime-scented. If this offends you
somehow, please don't read it. I tried my best not to make it into a
lemon, and create a "milder" scene. I should also note that it was
impossible not to include lime-scented scenes since these were very
important to the story.) 


Ranma sat on a chair that he pulled up beside the bed. He watched Soun
Tendo as he slept. He took that as a blessing. The old man refused to
close his eyes even just for a while, and Ranma knew why. Glancing at his
watch, he expected that Kasumi and Tofu would arrive very soon. 

Suddenly, Soun moved, and Ranma thought he woke up. He leaned over only to
see him asleep. Then Soun began to talk. 

"Akane...Akane...please come home," he was saying. 

Ranma let out a sigh. Soun had been asking for Akane all day. He hoped that
Kasumi and Tofu had convinced her to come home. 

The door opened and Tofu stepped in. "Ranma?" 

He stood up. "Dr. Tofu." 

Tofu approached his patient. "How is he, Ranma?" 

Ranma shrugged. "He keeps asking for his youngest daughter." 

The doctor nodded. "She's not coming, if that's what you want to know." 

"I did not ask - '' 

He looked at the younger man. "Why don't you go home? I'm sure that Michiko
is very worried about you." 

Ranma did not have to go very far to go home. His house was right across
the street from the Tendos. When he entered the bedroom, he saw Michiko,
his beautiful Japanese-American wife. 

"Ranma, sweetheart! Where have you been? I've been so worried." 

"I was at the Tendos'." Ranma smiled and kissed her. "I'm sorry. I should
have called." 

"It doesn't matter." Michiko kissed him and whispered against his mouth.
"Let's go to bed." 

They continued to kiss and began to undress each other. They fell on the
bed and just as Ranma was about to mount on her, she pushed him away. 

"Wait, Ranma. I forgot my diaphragm." 

Ranma gave her a blank look and watched her go to the bathroom. He let out
as sigh as his head hit the pillow. After a while, he called out, "Why
don't you just forget that thing for now?" 

"Are you kidding?" Michiko answered back. "What if I get pregnant?" 

"Michiko..." 

She came out and smiled. "Now where were we?" 

Ranma took her in his arms and made love to her. When it was over, she
snuggled up against him and fell asleep. Ranma looked down at her with a
frown. For some reason, he could not sleep as soundly like his wife. 

Michiko woke up at six in the morning. She watched Ranma sleep. He had such
a beautiful body.  She thought with a
seductive smile. 

Suddenly, she heard a car pull up outside. She went to the window and saw
a taxi parked in front of the Tendo house.  She wondered. 

A young man stepped out of the taxi. A woman with long black hair followed
him. The Tendos had visitors. But, why in the world would they come this
early? 


***
"Is this the house where you grew up, Mom?" asked Hikaru. 

Akane nodded as she gazed at the Tendo home. "Yes, it is."  "Come on. Let's go see
who's home." 

At that moment, the gate opened. Kasumi smiled when she saw them. 
"Akane-chan!" 

"Onee-chan!" 

They hugged each other as Kasumi said, "I knew that you wouldn't let father
down. Come inside. You two must be exhausted from your trip. Have you had
breakfast?" 

"At the train, yes," replied Hikaru. "But it wouldn't hurt to eat breakfast
again." 

Kasumi giggled as Akane said, "Please excuse my son. He has a bottomless
pit for a stomach." 

"That's okay," said Kasumi. 

"I've been so excited to come here," said Hikaru. 

"He wants to meet his grandfather," explained Akane. 

Her older sister nodded. "Father wants to meet him, too." 

Akane was surprised. "Really?" 

She smiled. "Come on. Father is waiting." 

***

Tofu was attending to Soun when Kasumi brought in Akane and Hikaru. The
moment he saw them. He tapped Soun's shoulder lightly. Soun opened his
eyes. 

"D-Dad?" Akane called out. 

Soun stared at her. For a moment, he thought he was dreaming. "Akane?" He
called out uncertainly. 

"Yes, Dad, it's me." Akane knelt down next to him and took his hand. "I'm
home." 

Tears formed in his eyes. "Akane... I don't believe it." 

"Dad, there's someone I want you to meet." She glanced at Hikaru and looked
back at her father again. "This is my son, Hikaru." 

Hikaru bowed before him. "Hello, Grandfather." 

"My grandson...I have finally met you." 

Hikaru knelt down on his other side and took his hand. "Yes." 

Soun looked up at both of them, happily. There was no place on earth he
would rather be. 

***

When Ranma woke up, he found Michiko leaving for work. She was standing by
the doorway, ordering the driver to load her suitcases in the taxi. 

"Leaving already?" Ranma walked up to her and gave her a kiss. "You should
have woken me up." 

"But you looked so peaceful." Michiko smiled up at him. 

Ranma smiled back at her. His wife was both beautiful and desirable. What
more could a man want? They shared a few kisses until they heard the driver
honking his horn. 

"See you in the weekend." 

Ranma watched her leave and waved goodbye as the taxi drove off. Then he
closed the door. Once again, on a Monday morning, he was alone; and he
would be alone for the next four days. Ranma knew that he could not stay
in the house any longer. He got dressed and left. He jogged down to his
mother's house, which was a few streets away from his own. As soon as he
stepped into the driveway, he could smell breakfast. 

"Mom!" Ranma called out as he let himself in. 

"In the kitchen!" 

He arrived in the kitchen and sure enough his mother was preparing his
breakfast. "Alright!" 

Nodoka was not surprised to see his son this early in the morning. She
expected it. It was Monday, after all. "Michiko left, I presume." 

"Yup." Ranma took his breakfast and began to eat. He saw his mother eyeing
him. "What?" 

"I just don't see how you could stay married to that girl. She's too busy
paying attention to her job than to you." 

"Her job requires her to travel a lot, Mom." 

"Even so, Ranma. You barely see each other. What kind of a marriage is
that?" 

"Real estate business is a time consuming job. Besides, thanks to her, she
found more properties where we could set up schools. The martial arts
school is expanding. We've got more schools and more students. Isn't that
what's important?" 

"Yes, but so is an heir. I have been waiting a long time for a grandchild."

"You'll get a grandchild." Ranma started to eat. 

"I hope so because I'm not getting any younger. And, you, Ranma, are
thirty-six years old." 

"Yeah, yeah, I know." 

"You need to put your foot down for once, Ranma." 

"Mom, I already have a lot to be thankful to Michiko already. Aside from
the school being expanded, you know that she's the reason why I turned into
a whole man again." 

Nodoka shook her head. "Talk to her, Ranma. There is no use for all those
schools if you have no heir." 

"Alright. I will." 

"Good. See that you do." 

As Nodoka left him alone to eat, Ranma started to think about last night
and remembered Michiko's words, "What if I get pregnant?" He looked down
at his food and suddenly did not feel very hungry.

    Source: geocities.com/tokyo/blossom/7257/dyr