“Ranma, good.” He waved for the teenagers to enter. “You too, Akane.”
They sat on the floor facing Genma. “So what’s up, Pop. Who is that girl?”
Genma nervously cleared his throat and started. “Ranma, my boy, I’m not exactly sure who she is but I’ll tell you who I think she is.” He looked up at the ceiling and took the traditional storyteller’s stance. “When I was a young man, I was popular. Not quite as popular as Ranma here, but I had my share of dates.” Ranma snorted. Akane jabbed him in the ribs and Genma ignored the two and continued. “Six months before I married your mother, I was dating a young woman by the name of Atsuko Fukushuu.” His face took on a slightly glazed look. “She was lovely and sweet and a good martial artist.” The glazed looked changed into a wince as the picture of the beautiful girl smiling at him changed into an enraged woman bashing him the head with a bokken. He shook his head and continued. “We were inseparable up until my parents reminded me of my engagement to Nodoka.” Genma looked at his hands. “One evening we attended a party held by some friends of her family from America. It was a fun party with lots of games and one of those was a American drinking game. We used Sake instead of the traditional beer. After one too many cups of sake, I lost my wits. Atsuko and I went off alone, and.. well... we...” Genma trailed off.
“‘We’ what? Come on Pop, whatch ‘a do?”
“Umm, we let nature take it’s course.” Genma face turned a bright red.
Ranma snorted. “You let nature take it’s course! Ha!” Akane shushed Ranma with a shove.
Genma coughed and continued. “The next morning we awoke with serious headaches and no clear memory of what happened. We parted, ashamed, and went to our separate homes. That very morning I met your mother face to face.” Genma eyes glazed over once more as he remembered that meeting. “A few days later I broke the news of my engagement to her gently. She took the news rather well, I think.” Flash back to Genma being hit over the head.
“Did you ever hear from her again, Mr. Saotome?”
“No. She and her family moved to America not long after the break up. I heard her father had inherited some land from a distant relative in the northeastern part of the country.” He paused a moment. “I haven’t thought about her in the past seventeen years.”
“So there’s a good chance that this girl is really my sister then, Pop,” asked Ranma in a low, quiet voice.
Genma squirmed a bit before answering. “Yes, Ramna, there’s a chance that she’s your sister.”
Ranma thought for a moment. “Why does she look so much like me?”
“She looks a bit like her mother,” answered Genma.
“Really?” Ranma asked. “Was her mother related to Mom?”
Genma looked thoughtful for a moment. “Yes, I believe they were fifth cousins or something like that.”
The room was quiet for a moment as the news settled into the minds of those sitting there. “So your telling me that you were dating one girl and you were engaged to another?” Ranma was starting to glow just a little. Genma responded without thinking.
“Yes, that’s true. I didn’t know at first that they had family in common.”
“But still you were dating one girl and ‘knew’ that you were engaged to mom, right.”
Genma looked a bit ashamed at that. He knew where Ranma was going with this. He tried to stall. “I didn’t remember......”
Ranma leapt up and loomed over his father, his head sprouting horns like Soun’s would when he was mad. “YOU FORGOT!!!! YOU JERK!” BAP!!! Genma went soaring out of the house through the roof. Akane looked at Ranma in surprise. He sounded just like her when he said that.
“Ranma,” Akane started, “you didn’t let him finish.” Ranma just stood there breathing fast. Akane tried again, speaking softly. “Ranma.” She reached out a placed a calming hand on Ranma’s arm. “Are you OK?”
After a few moments Ranma took a deep breath and turned to Akane. “Do you believe that old fool. Coming down on me all this time about you and the others and he did the same thing, only worse! I never....”
“What do you mean only worse! He only had two fiancées, you’ve got the gods know only how many.” Akane started too pull back her arm to punch him.
“I have never, ever, had two girls from the same family or slept with one” Ranma reminded Akane.
“I know,” Akane dropped her fist. “Your right. Let’s go find him and get the rest of this out of him.” Akane pulled on Ramna’s arm to get him moving.
“When I find him he better explain everything or else. How could he do that to that poor girl? What’s her name? Atsuko? I thought he was better than that.”
“I don’t know. Maybe training with Happosai did it. You know how much of a pervert he is.”
“Yeah, well maybe.” Ranma replied as they set out to find out where Genma came down.
“Now just relax today. Your shoulder should be fine. Just try to stretch more before doing those pitches next time. Check back with me if it doesn’t feel better.” Dr. Tofu patted the baseball player on the back and turned to see who is next patient was. He smiled when he saw Genma standing, well leaning against the wall. “Good day Mr. Saotome. Having trouble with your neck today?” Genma just winced and followed him into the examination room.
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