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"So tell us a bit about yourself, Hanzou," Akane asked nicely. She wanted to draw out the younger boy and make him feel welcome.
"Well, I guess I should start my story back when I was three. My mother, father, grandfather and I went to this place called Jusenkyo, just for a change of pace. You know go out and see the world," Hanzou started.
"That place again," Ranma groaned, Akane shoved him to shut him up.
"Well anyway, when we got there I was looking into one of the pools and kind of, well that is…" Hanzou stuttered, a deep red color coming to his cheeks.
"You fell in?" Akane guessed, causing him to blush even more and nod.
"When my parents pulled me out, one of my new found appendages knocked my mother into the spring next to it. Spring of drowned twins." Hanzou continued.
Ranma and Akane shuddered at what almost happened involving Pantyhose Taro, Happosai and that particular spring. Hanzou ignores their strange reactions as they begin to stroll around the yard.
"As it stands, Mom or rather moms," Hanzou joked as he stopped and hopped up on a branch in a tree. "Have been looking for a cure for the past 8 years."
"Maybe she'll share the wealth," Suteko commented dryly.
"Yeah, she will." Hanzou answered, giving Suteko a surprised look.
Suteko nodded and looked out over the koi pond. She was trying to decide if she should tell him about her having her own curse.
"Don't you get lonely without your mother around?" Akane asked.
"Sometimes I do, but I have my grandfather," Hanzou answered, looking sad for a brief moment.
"It's not that bad really, he took my curse pretty well, it could've been worse, I cold turn into a pig or something when I get wet." Hanzou mused.
"That reminds me, Ranma have you seen P-chan lately?" Akane asked.
Suteko sighed and chuckled very quietly, thinking, "Here we go again." She had learned of Ryouga’s curse and was still amazed that Akane hadn’t figured it out yet.
"Well," Ranma started, rubbing the back of his head; "I did have bacon this morning."
Suteko just shook her head as Akane growled and began to chase him around the yard, then out the gate with her mallet.
"That he had coming," she thought.
Hanzou just looked on in confusion from his viewpoint in the tree,
"Something tells me I don't wanna know what that was about," He said
Suteko laughed, "Trust me, it's best you don't know." She paused momentarily and then with a brief nod to herself she waved the boy down to the ground.
"Here you are pouring your little heart out and you know next to nothing about me," Suteko said the laugh still with her.
Hanzou groaned inwardly, he hated it when people referred to him as little, added chan to his name or generally thought he was unable to take care of himself. He let it slide though as he listened to Suteko talk about her journey, her meeting with Ranma and how different she found life in Japan.
The siblings and Akane arrived at the school with fifteen minutes to spare. Akane grinned over at Suteko. It was a major change for them to be able to be on time. One more thing that Akane thanked her future sister-in-law for. Things were quiet and the three chatted for the time that they had till the bell, that was they chatted until Kuno showed up and went into his usual claims of love for his pig-tailed goddess and Akane.
Suteko sighed and looked over at her brother and Akane. They had simply walked off, smiling and leaving her to deal with Kuno this time. She was in a good mood but she really didn't want to deal with the dense man today. She let him ramble on for a bit but when he decided to try and cope a feel she threw a punch at him intending to flatten him once more. She let out a yelp as she felt herself being lifted into the air. It was like she had been grabbed by the back of her uniform skirt and she managed to get herself upright as she felt herself falling and landed lightly on her feet. Her eyes darted around trying to see if there was anyone around who could have pulled that stunt on her. She straightened her uniform as she saw a familiar dark blue pony tail.
"H-Hanzou?" she said.
"Hai?" he answers innocently.
"Why, may I ask did you do that?" Suteko asked with a single brow arched and her arms crossed.
"Because I don't see anything wrong with a person proclaiming his love for someone," Hanzou answered.
Suteko shook her head, "he was not proclaiming love...besides I certainly don't want to have to have him around." Hanzou just looked blank. "But...oh..you misunderstood what I said the other day, didn't you?" she shook her head again at the boy's naivete.
"Because my pig tailed goddess, all realize the loving bond you and I hold for one another, but the young whelp doth need realize that the noble Tatewaki Kuno needs no protection," the kendoist bellowed.
Hanzou looked at Kuno with a raised eyebrow, then looked up at the clock on the outside of the school and adjusted his glasses; "We'll be late Sempais."
In a private boardroom at the Fukushuu compound, Ito was smiling from behind his steepled fingers. His granddaughter had just brought him a bit of very good information. He nodded at Atsuko with approval. Atsuko looked from her grandfather to the woman standing at his side. Something about her made her nervous.
"The Seikaze boy has made it to Nerima, Grandfather," Atsuko said once more.
"Excellent, hopefully he will not be as stubborn as his grandfather," Ito replied with clear confidence.
"We believe he will bring what you asked. He will come for this," the woman on his side said holding up a small vial.
"Yes, he has also made contact with my daughter," Atskuo said, a slight but noticeable sound of concern in her voice.
"Do not concern yourself with that, all will be well as long as Natsu does her job," Ito countered.
"Yes master, I will see to it that the Seikaze bloodline is ended and that your grand-daughter is appropriately ‘rewarded’," the woman replied, a knowing smirk on her face.
"But is it really necessary to kill her too?" Atsuko asked softly.
"Is that concern I hear? I thought I trained you better than that," Ito warned.
"No, none at all." Atsuko looked steadily into her master's eyes. She buried deep inside her mind the stray feelings for the traitorous girlchild. She had almost everything she ever desired. The loss of one child should not concern her, or so Ito had told her, over and over. But late at night she had dreams of the good times she had had as her daughter had been going up. And nightmares of what would happen to her bright honorable daughter if Ito and Natsu got their hands on her.
At the end of a long school day, Hanzou was leaning, half asleep against a tree. Writing in a journal, he was not paying attention to the world around him. Did not hear the other coming up behind him.
Seeing the small boy distracted Akane smiled. "Hey Hanzou-kun!" Akane shouted, causing him to leap onto a tree branch above.
Hanzou looked down from between the leaves to see who had just yelled at him. When he saw it was Akane, Ranma, Ukyo and Suteko he relaxed enough to be annoyed. "Don't do that!" Hanzou shouted back at Akane, clutching his journal.
Suteko smiled. It looked like the kid was not as cool as he tried to let on. "Still edgy after the incident with Hinako-sensei, eh?" Suteko teased, her voice light but not nasty.
"It's your own fault, cousin. You shouldn't have called her stuck up, in English no less," Ukyou teased him too.
"Well, no one told me about that Happo five yen thingie of hers, besides I had a bad day, do you know how many girls offered to baby sit me? Or called me kswaii?" Hanzou grumbled.
Ukyou sighed with a bit of a smile, "yeah I know. I had those same people ask me the same thing. I told them to take a hike."
"Oh they can't help it, you're just so cute," Ranma joined in, in a girly like voice.
Hanzou scowled," Saotome-sempai, if I could reach you, I would hurt you."
Suteko giggled at the expression on Hanzou's face and then sobered. "Listen, we'll catch up to you two later. Ranma, Akane and I have to go help at the dojo. Classes to teach and all."
Ukyou waved as the three ran off. She turned to her cousin with a small sigh, "we should be going too."
Hanzou nodded and walked off the branch, forgetting where he was and landing upside down in a bush, sending his journal flying.
Ukyou helped her cousin get himself out of the bush and to get his papers together as they head for her shop. Neither noticed the stray page from Hanzou's journal landing at Tetsuya's feet.
Later that day as classes were ending for the day Hanzou showed up. He waited near the door as Suteko and the others cleaned up for the day before speaking.
Suteko looked up from her sweeping and smiled. "Hello kiddo," she said kindly.
"Hiya Suteko-sempei," Hanzou waved at her. "Just thought I'd come by for a little talk, you know, and maybe a spar with one of you. I would have come earlier but I really didn't feel up till now." Hanzou returned Suteko smile. From a talk she had had with Ukyo, Suteko had learned that he jumped between an Akane like personality and a Kasumi like personality frequently.
"Yeah that's cause we'da end up beaten ya." Ranma said in his usual confident manner.
"Maybe later we can find out," Hanzou challenged.
After the clean up was done Suteko and Hanzou walked about the yard, idly chatting about martial arts styles and school. They grew quiet after a bit and Suteko tried to think of something to break the silence. "Friday, when you had to deal with those bullies, you moved pretty fast." She smiled as she praised him like she would one of her students.
"Yeah, grampa drove it into me that speed is one of the main things to Seikaze School of martial arts." Hanzou answered, looking real sad.
Suteko put a hand on his shoulder, "want to talk? Might help you feel better."
Hanzou shrugged, it would feel good to talk about his grief with another, and Ukyou knew the story already and didn't seem like the kind who was good at expressing how he could deal with it. So maybe someone like Suteko, a person who was in a way in the same boat would. "I guess. According to my grampa, this all started before I was born." He turned to stare into the koi pond. "He and a friend by the name of Ito Fukushu, used to be partners."
Suteko grimaced at the name but said nothing.
"They were going to combine their arts and start a school, that was until their feelings for the same woman, my grandmother interfered. After a while and a bunch of mushy stuff she chose my grandfather, Ito-san didn't like that at all. Considering he came from a powerful family, he had the resources to make my grampa's life a living hell. Grampa finally grew tired of it and settled in Tokyo." Hanzou continued.
"Your grandmother was a wise woman for choosing your grandfather," Suteko commented.
Hiru went on like he hadn't hear her soft comment. "A few weeks ago someone broke into our home and attacked. Whoever it was, was very skillful and tried to stab me with a dagger. But grampa jumped in the way, taking the blow himself. I believe to this day it was intended for me. But to continue I caught Grandpa as he started to fall and the person then told me that he had been poisoned. And that to get to the antidote I had to go to Nerima and wait for further instructions." He clenched his hands into fists. "I believe it was someone working for Ito." Hanzou finished, near tears.
"It seems we both have suffered from my great-grandfather's whims," Suteko said quietly.
Hanzou looked u pand over at his new friend. "Your what?"
Suteko turned and leaned against a nearby tree. With a grim voice she explained who she really was and who Ito Fukushuu was. "He did his best to make Ranma into his ultimate weapon." She sighed. "In breaking him out I found out just how strong his grip on my mother was. She is his now, heart and soul." She looked up into the leaves of the tree. "Only a truely evil person would be willing to turn her own flesh and blood into a killing machine."
"I don't believe that anyone is truly that evil, and your mom may eventually realize the error of her ways. Grampa didn't believe that anyone could be wholly evil either. Maybe if I bring him what he wants, he'll give me what I need to save my grampa," Hanzou said. He knew he should be angry with Suteko but he didn't really care if Ito was related to Suteko, she seemed to be nothing at all like her great-grandfather..
Suteko pushed off the tree, the force of her movement causing two hand shaped prints in the bark. "I seriously doubt that. Your grandfather was a fool for ever trusting Ito." She turned to face him, "and you are a fool for believing that he will simply let you go," Suteko said more forcefully than she meant to.
Hanzou's passive demeanor changed to a viscous snarl. Before she could react he slammed his fist into Suteko's stomach. She stepped back in shock, a hand to her middle.
"DON'T YOU EVER IN YOUR LIFE SAY THAT AGAIN!" Hanzou shouted, tears running down his face as he ran out the front gate.
"I ...I.. ah shit" Suteko coughed, she hadn't meant the conversation to go that way.
Ranma came outside to see Hanzou running out and Suteko leaning back against a tree holding her stomach. He went over to make sure she was okay and when he asked her what happened he got nothing from her. She just stepped past him and ran into the house, her face a mask. Ranma stood open mouthed for a moment and then looked down at the tree bark just below his hand. "Something got sis upset." He traced a fingertip around the clear mark of her hand. "Maybe I should find out."
Hanzou had become real cold to everyone the next few days after his conversation with Suteko. She tried to apologize several times but he wouldn't listen to her. In fact he would just walk past her and ignore her. After two days of that she gave up. Ukyo noticed the tension between her cousin and her friend and went to talk to Suteko. "Sut, what's going on between you and Hanzou?" Suteko mumbled something, looking away but Ukyo caught her quiet words. "You said something about his grandfather?" Suteko nodded, still not looking at her friend. Ukyo sighed and the spoke. "Suteko, Hanzou was raised by his grandfather after his dad died. He is very attached to him."
Suteko closed her eyes and dropped her head down. Not only had she insulted her new friend but she had picked the absolute worse thing to insult him about. She understood only too well the attachment that formed between a child and the person raising them. After all if he had insulted Uncle Tanto she would have acted just as strongly, or worse. She stared out into the distance, wishing she could help do something to make the boy feel better.
Across town Hanzou was about to feel worse. He came into the school yard just in time to hear Tetsuya reading a page from his journal.
to be continued
If you want to contact the writers of this story you can reach David here and Lisa here.
