Generations and Okonomiyaki
Niki 'NeeP' Paradis
Iikiba Hibiki was lost--again. He noticed that he was located in a rural town, somewhere, and he was sure that it wasn't part of Tokyo. He sighed. What a day, he thought. Where am I anyway?
It started as a mediocre morning and
went rapidly downhill from there. First off, his 'best friend', Kanaeda
Saotome, had forgotten, again, to show up and walk with him to school.
And Yoiko had left already, and Takashi hadn't shown up as the truant officers
probably had him tied to his desk again. So he had to find his own
way. About an hour later, he found himself near the Nekohatten, where
he was enthusiastically greeted by Mascara.
"Aiya! I so happy to see you,
Iikiba. We go on date now, yes?"
"Actually, is Gel here?"
"Why you want to see Purple-hair hussy?
You got Mascara!"
"I need her to take me to school.
I have a exam today."
"Gel at school. Take Mascara on
date instead."
"Maybe some other time, I can't afford
to miss that exam. The make-up will mess up my week-end."
"You shun Mascara?!?" Iikiba will
pay for that." A dark aura formed around the green-hair Amazon.
Then she took a step towards her victim. Iikiba turned tail and ran.
He ran until he was sure he lost her, then he realised that he WAS lost
as well.
"Chikushou..." he muttered under his
breath as he took in his surroundings.
He decided as that first things first,
he should find out where Nerima was from his present position, then he
would try to reach it.
However, his stomach had other ideas...
Iikiba looked down as his stomach rumbled.
Alright, then. Food first, then Nerima.
That was when he noticed the smell of
cooking in the air. His stomach gave its opinion as it rumbled again.
Iikiba agreed, it DID smell good. Not trusting his eyes, he closed
them as he followed the smell of cooking okonomiyaki.
He came to a spot at the side of the
road where an elderly man had set up a cart. Iikiba stood by a tree
and watched for a bit while the man worked. The old man sold freshly
grilled okonomiyaki on the spot and served it to eager customers.
The old man, himself, was huge, and
muscular, perhaps a bit bulky, with a bristling beard that made him look
more fit for a street thug that a cook, but that didn't affect the professional
way that he plied his trade. He noticed Iikiba watching, but continued
his business, not at all ruffled by Iikiba's critical eye. When the
last customer went on his content way, the old man looked up and gestured
to Iikiba.
"Come here, boy," he said.
"Me, sir?" Iikiba was a little
surprised.
"Who else is there? C'mere and
talk to me, boy."
"Is there a problem?" Iikiba walked
up to the cart hesitantly.
"Hell, no!" The old man laughed.
"You're a nervous one, ain't ya? I noticed that you were watchin'
me, and the way that you were lookin' says that you were trained in the
ways of okonomiyaki."
Iikiba blushed.
"My mother taught me, she's a great
cook, but I'm nowhere up to her skill level."
The old man looked thoughtfully at Iikiba.
"Tell you what... You cook yourself
a dish here and if I like what I see, you can have it for free."
"And if I don't...?"
"Then, boy, you will have to pay for
one done right, won't you?"
"I guess so," Iikiba chuckled.
He took off his backpack and rummaged
around until he found his favourite cooking spatula. He checked it
for dents and for any sign of a warp which would affect its effectiveness.
There was none. The old man nodded at him, like a sensei watching
his student's technique. Iikiba walked to the cart, looked over all
of the ingredients, and decided to make a combination special. He
measured by sight the appropriate ingredients, mixed them in the bowl.
He efficiently oiled the grill and poured the batter onto it. He
let it cook for a bit, then checked the edges and flipped it over.
He added the sauce and the remaining ingredients, and when it was done,
he took it off the grill and served it to the old man.
"Very good, boy, but how does it taste?"
"You'll have to find out, sir..." Iikiba
felt confident. The Combination Special was one of the first dishes
that his mother had taught him. The old man pulled out a pair of
chopsticks and tore off a piece. He put the piece in his mouth and
chewed. He looked thoughtful, and Iikiba waited.
"This is very good, son. You'll
do well."
"Thank-you, sir."
"Seems familiar, though..."
Suddenly a group of local street thugs
turned around the corner and approached the cart.
"We're here for your money, old man,"
said the leader--a tall gangly youth with scraggly dirty hair. "Give
it to us or we'll trash your business."
"I told you, you low-life punk, that
I will beat you up again and harder if you tried this stupid-ass stunt
again." The old man was livid.
"That's why I had to bring my buddies.
To help convince ya."
Iikiba stepped in front of the cart
and walked up to the leader.
"You threaten an old man, to take his
livelihood. You gang up on him to do it... Where the hell is
your honour?!?"
"Listen, shorty. This is between
the old man and us. Stay outta it."
"You listen to me, jackass. You
and your dumb-ass buddies are going to have to go through me to get at
him."
The leader charged at him. Iikiba
delivered a blow to the leader's stomach with a well-aimed punch.
The rest of the bullies charged in to help their leader. Not that
it was much of a challenge. Apparently the bullies relied on scare-tactics
and brute strength to get what they wanted. Well, Iikiba Hibiki had
brute strength too, and the skill of a martial-artist. After a few
minutes, he managed to deliver some form of damage to each of them.
"Time to get serious, Boys!!!" yelled
the leader. Out of what appeared to be nowhere, the gang pulled out,
pieces of pipe, wrenches and other heavy metal objects and closed in on
Iikiba again.
Whoops! he thought. This
is not a good time to fight barehanded.
"Can you throw me my umbrella?" he yelled
to the old man.
"Hang on, son," the old man called back
as he wrestled with the heavy umbrella. It became quickly apparent
that the umbrella was too much for the old man.
Shit! Iikiba thought to
himself, as a bit of pipe hit him in the shin. "Throw me anything!!!"
"Here! Catch!" The old man
threw something towards Iikiba.
Iikiba caught the object and swung it
around. Knocking the bullies away and buying him a little more time
to study what he was holding.
It was a giant Spatula.
Figuring that he can think about what
the huge spatula meant later, he swung it is a wide arc the way that his
mother taught him to. He clobbered one gang member on the head with
the flat of the weapon. He shoved the handle end into the gut of
another, then spun around and flattened the guy with the flat. The
bully went out like a light. And so it continued until the leader
was the only one left standing.
"Go." Iikiba growled. The
former tough guy turned around and ran.
He turned around, gave the spatula a
baton twirl and stepped over the prone bodies as he walked back towards
the cart.
"I don't think that they will be bothering
you for a while, sir."
"That was great, boy!" The old man was
howling with laughter. The last time I saw anything like that was
when my little girl chased off some thieves years ago."
Iikiba started.
"Your little girl...?" he asked.
"Yeah. I engaged her to the son
of a conniving bastard and the two of 'em, the jackass and his son, ran
off with my cart, which was going to be her dowry. They left my little
girl behind. This is my second cart, and let me tell you, it wasn't
easy to save enough to buy it."
"Your daughter...?"
"Yeah. She went after them for
revenge, when she was old enough, but the last I heard, she married some
other lowlife, and even forgave the scum that stole her dowry."
"Lowlife scum?" Iikiba blinked.
"Yeah, I was sent an invitation to their
wedding, but I would have none of it. I was sorta ashamed that she
gave up on Saotome's son so easily.
He's talking about Okaachan and Tousan,
Iikiba thought to himself. Is this who I think it is?
"I even hear that the guy that she married
isn't even home half the time..."
Iikiba lost it. I don't care
who he is. He's not gonna trash my family and get away with it!
"That's because he gets lost!" he shouted
at the old man. "And he is NOT a lowlife scum! He loves her
very much, thank-you very much!"
The old man was startled at the outburst.
He could've sworn that the boy had fangs.
"I beg your pardon?" The old man
looked confused.
Iikiba took a deep breath, and spoke
slowly, in a even voice.
"If your daughter, Kuonji Ukyou, married
Saotome Ranma, I would not be here today. My name is Hibiki Iikiba,
and I am your grandson."
The old man looked at him in a stunned
sort of way.
"You don't say..." He slapped
his knee and pointed at him. "I thought that the okonomiyaki tasted
familiar. It's similar to the way that Ukyou-chan made it.
So you're her son, eh? Sit down and eat your okonomiyaki."
He pushed Iikiba towards a stool and
handed him the dish that Iikiba just made before the fight began.
Iikiba was about to protest, he was mad, after all, but his stomach made
him change his mind. He sat down and began eating.
Kuonji studied his new-found grandson.
A strong looking boy, with his daughter's brown hair, he was concentrating
on his food, with the air of a gourmet okonomiyaki diner. Serious
hazel eyes regarded him as he ate.
"The thing is," said the boy with his
mouth full, "you've never met my father, so you don't have a right to call
him scum."
"You're right," replied the old man.
"I had no right to call your father scum. If I apologise, would it
be all right?"
"It'll help," said Iikiba, still chewing
on his last bit of okonomiyaki.
"I'm sorry, then." The old man
looked at Iikiba critically. "Iikiba, eh? My grandson...?
Do I have anymore grandchildren?"
"There's Yoiko. That's about it."
"I'm going to have to meet her then,
won't I?"
"It might make Okaachan happy."
"Well, I have another customer.
After the day is done, why don't we go visit your mother? You can
lead me to her and your family."
"Um, that's not a great..."
"Hang on, son," he turned to the coming
customer. "Irrashaimase! Long time no see. Found your
way home yet?"
"I did once, then I went for milk and
got lost again. Crazy world, isn't it?"
From his sitting point behind the cart,
Iikiba couldn't see the customer. But he was sure he recognised his
voice.
"It sure is, Hibiki-kun. How's
your son and his family?"
"The last time I saw them, they were
fine, but that was four months ago, and my grandson was lost at the time..."
Iikiba stood up. "Ojiichan?!?"
he asked in amazement. He looked over the edge of the cart to the
person that his newly found grandfather was serving.
On the other side of the cart, stood
an elderly man. He seemed to be in his late fifties or early sixties,
yet in fine shape. He wore well worn travelling clothes, battered
hiking boots and carried a large backpack on his shoulders. His greying
yet thick short dark hair was secured by a simple black bandanna.
He looked at Iikiba with surprise.
"Iikiba-chan?" he asked. "What
are you doing here?"
The old man didn't catch on as he introduced
the boy to his friend.
"Hibiki-kun, I want you to meet my grandson,
Iikiba."
"Iikiba's your grandson?" asked Hibiki-san.
"He's the son of my daughter, Ukyou."
"Ukyou's your daughter?" The elder
Hibiki started to chuckle.
"What's so funny?" asked Old Man Kuonji.
"My son, Ryouga, married a nice girl
named Ukyou, and Iikiba-chan there is his son."
"You mean...?"
"Yes, Iikiba-chan's my grandson too."
Then Kuonji-san started to laugh.
"You don't say..."
Iikiba was confused. He looked
at the two old men, trying to figure something out.
"Ojiichan?" he asked.
"What is it, son?" asked Kuonji-ojiisan.
"What's wrong, Iikiba-chan?" asked Hibiki-ojiisan.
"Let me get something straight.
You two apparently have known each other for a long time, right?"
Both old men looked thoughtful.
"Let me see..." mused Hibiki.
"About twenty-three years now, isn't it, Kuonji-kun?"
"That seems about right. Why do
you ask?" Kuonji aimed the question at Iikiba.
"And neither of you were aware that
your children have gotten married to each other?!?" Iikiba was incredulous.
"When you put it that way, it does seem
funny." Kuonji chuckled at the thought.
"When considering that they have been
married for about seventeen years now, I guess it does." Hibiki also
found the idea funny.
Iikiba shook his head in despair.
And here I thought that Kanaeda's two grandfathers were slow.
But this is ridiculous.
The two men talked to each other for
a bit then they both faced Iikiba.
"Tell you what, son," Kuonji said to
him. "Why don't we find you a phone booth so you can call your mother
and let her know that we're coming. Then you can take us home with
you."
"I can't do that!" yelped the boy.
"Why's that?"
"He's a Hibiki," replied his paternal
grandfather. "Tell Kuonji-kun why you're way out here, Iikiba-chan."
Iikiba blushed.
"I was on my way to school, and I got
lost."
Kuonji blinked.
"Then how the hell, do we get there?!?"
he asked, exasperated.
Hibiki slammed a fist into his palm
and chuckled.
"I got it. I have the great fortune
to have adopted a daughter with an excellent sense of direction some years
back. Have Iikiba call home, and tell his mother to have Jiro to
come and get us."
"That sounds like a good idea," replied
Kuonji.
"Okay," replied Iikiba.
"Right," agreed Hibiki. "So where's
a phone?"
Everyone else facefaulted.
Back at the Restaurant, the phone began
to ring...
*Ring ring*
Ukyou Hibiki picked it up and put on
her best customer relations voice.
"Moshi-moshi! Ucchan's Okonomiyaki!
What can I get for ya?"
The voice on the other end seemed embarrassed.
"Okaachan?"
"Iikiba?" Ukyou was surprised
to hear her son on the phone.
"Yeah, it's me..."
"Where are you? --Wait, scratch that.
Are you aware that the school just called? They said that you missed
your exam again."
There was a sigh on the other end of
the phone.
"I know. I guess that I'm going
to have to make it up this weekend."
"Well, they're used to it. Is
there anything wrong?"
"No, no. There's nothing wrong.
I just wanted you to know that I'm okay, and that I'll be coming home soon."
"That's good to hear, Kiddo."
"Um, Okaachan? Is Auntie Ji there?"
"Jiro? Yeah, she is. Hold
on a sec..."
Ukyou covered the mouthpiece and called
out to Jiro. "Iikiba would like to talk to you."
"Really?" Jiro walked over and
took the phone from Ukyou.
"Hi 'Kiba. What's up?"
"Hey, Auntie. Listen, um, can
you come and get us?"
"Us? Who's 'us'?"
"Me and Ojiisan and Ojiisan."
"Hold up a bit. You're repeating
yourself."
"No, I'm not. I met up with Hibiki-ojiichan
AND Kuonji-ojiisan."
"REALLY?" Jiro was surprised,
she practically shouted. "What are the chances?" she whispered to
herself, trying to convince herself to get a grip. "IIKIBA!"
"OW! Get a hold of yourself, Auntie
Ji! Any louder and we won't need the phones. Remember what
you keep saying about yelling in other people's ears."
"Sorry, sorry. Yeah, you do have
to bring 'em home. I'll come and get you guys. But first you
have to tell me where you're at."
"......"
"Iikiba-chan? Where are you?"
"Um... There's a couple of buildings,
...I'm on a street, ...there's a lamppost nearby..."
Jiro facefaults.
"That's not much help, Ga-chan. Is there
some one who could tell me where you are?"
"Yeah, hold on..." There were
sounds of the phone passing into other hands when a new voice came on.
"Jiro-chan?" asked the gruff sounding
voice.
"Yes?"
"This is Kuonji. Listen.
We're in a small town, East of Kyoto, but before Nagoya. You got
that?"
"Yes." Jiro listened for the rest
of the directions.
"Oh, and another thing, Jiro-chan?"
"Hmmm?"
"Don't tell Ukyou-chan that I'm coming.
I'd like to surprise her."
"I can do that. I'll be there
as soon as I can. I think I have enough for bus fair, so it won't
take to long."
"Good. We'll see you then."
*click*
Jiro hung up the phone. She walked
over to the drawer with the map book in it and looked to the page of the
town that she was suppose to go to. She found the right map without
any problem. With North being at the top of the page, the town that
she was looking for appeared to be to the right side of Kyoto. She
nodded to herself and started to get ready to leave.
"Where are you going?" asked Ukyou.
"To get your son. Can you tell
Jakku to put the roast in at four o'clock at 200 degrees for me?
I'll be back as soon as I can."
"Sure," replied Ukyou. "And if
you happen to come across Ryouga, can you bring him home?"
"That, I can do."
Hours later...
'Kiba's gonna owe me big time,
thought Jiro while the bus pulled into the station, in the small town.
But I wonder why Kuonji-san wants to keep his visit a secret.
But then, Ukyou always said that there was no love lost between her and
her dad. She stepped off the bus, retrieved her backpack and
umbrella, and headed down what appeared to be the main street of the small
town.
Iikiba was eating his sixth helping of
okonomiyaki, when he saw a familiar person walking up the street.
With his mouth too full to speak, he resorted to grunting and pointing
in the general direction.
"Mmmmph!" he shouted.
"Hmm? What is it son?" asked Kuonji.
Hibiki looked down the street.
His face brightened.
"It's Jiro," he grinned. "Now
we can head on out. Jiro-chan! Over here!"
Jiro practically ran into the arms of
her adoptive father.
"Otousan! It's so good to see
you!" She gave him a bear-hug that came close to crushing Hibiki's
ribs. "The kids will be so glad that you're gonna visit!"
Then Jiro turned to Iikiba.
"Hi, Auntie."
"Iikiba-chan, you owe me big time,"
Jiro said sternly to her nephew.
"I-I do?!?"
"I spent the last of my coin to get
here in a hurry... Aw, the hell with it! I'll take it
out of your 'Search and Rescue' fund. It's just good to know that
you're safe." She gave Iikiba a bear-hug that rivalled the one she
gave to her father.
"Jiro-chan," stated Hibiki. "I
want you to meet Ukyou's father."
"Hajimashite," replied Jiro. "So,
you're Ukyou's father?"
"That I am. Guilty as charged.
I just met my grandson today, and we all decided to go and have a 'little
family reunion', if you will."
"I have no problem with that.
But I hope that you guys don't mind walking to Tokyo--I spent all my money
on bus to get here."
"Bus?" asked Hibiki. "And here
I've been using the hard way to get lost. Just think, all this time,
I could've ridden my way to unknown destinations, instead of walking."
"And I can't take my cart on a bus,
so walking's fine," replied Kuonji. "But let me close up first."
Soon, after Kuonji had packed
up and secured everything that had a chance to rattle, they were on their
way. Kuonji was pulling his cart along, refusing all offers of assistance
from everyone else. The dirt road that they travelled was empty of
traffic and other travellers.
About an hour later, Jiro stopped the
party. She stood perfectly still for a moment, then turned to the
rest of the group.
"Wait here for a bit," she said.
"I'll be back as soon as I can. Otousan, Iikiba... DON'T
MOVE!!! Kuonji-san, please watch them both for me." Then
she dashed off into the woods at the side of the road.
"Where's she going?" asked Kuonji.
"..."
"..."
Both Hibiki and Iikiba gave him blank
stares.
"Oh. Forget that I asked."
Jiro was walking quickly through the
woods. She knew what she was looking for, and she knew that it was
close. It wasn't long before she came upon a camp that was in the
process of being packed up. It the centre of the remains knelt her
brother, who was busy cramming what he can into his backpack.
"Hey, Jiro." Ryouga didn't even
bother to look up. "I kinda figured that you were coming."
"I'm not alone, you know..."
"Really?" Ryouga shut his eyes
for a moment. "Um, you've got Iikiba with you... and Otousan?"
"You got it, Niichan." Jiro was
still proud of the time she finally managed to teach Ryouga to 'Track'.
It made his getting home a little easier--sometimes.
"Okay, just hang on a moment.
I'm almost done." He finished packing up, pulled on his backpack
and looked to Jiro expectantly. "Let's go!"
"I should warn you, that we have someone
else with us, Niichan..."
"Oh?"
"You'll see..."
Kuonji waited. And he waited.
He wasn't quite sure that he believed that Hibiki and his grandson had
such an extreme directional problem, but as he figured that it was best
not to take chances. So when it seemed that either one was starting
to wonder off, he would grab them literally by the neck and haul them back.
What a strange person, he thought,
looking to the woods where Hibiki-kun's adoptive daughter went.
He thought about the strange woman,
Jiro. He wasn't sure what to make of her. A tall, yet slender
woman in her mid-thirties, with odd pointed ears and thick blonde hair
that was starting to grow out, she appeared to act more like a man than
a lady in some of her mannerisms. Like a girl who grew up without
her mother...
Like Ukyou. Kuonji sighed.
It has been over twenty years since he last saw his daughter. What
was he going to say to her, when he finally saw her? What was he
going to say to the man that she married? The one who he had once
thought wasn't good enough to marry his daughter?
Too many questions... thought
Kuonji. Twenty years worth, at least. Then he reached
out and grabbed the collar of his grandson, who seemed to be inching away
from the cart.
Iikiba was looking towards the woods
where his Aunt had taken off to, but he wasn't going anywhere as his grandfather's
hand had a firm grip on his collar. He saw some movement and he got
his grandfathers' attention.
"Someone's coming," he said.
"N?" Hibiki looked towards the direction
that Iikiba was pointing.
"You're right," he said. "Heads
up, Kuonji-kun. Jiro-chan is coming back."
Kuonji looked to the woods. Jiro
Hibiki was coming out, but she wasn't alone. Another person walked
with her. He watched as the two walked up to the cart.
The other person was a man in his late
thirties. He was broad across the shoulders and looked to be the
healthy outdoors type. He had thick black hair that reached the back
of his neck and was kept out of his serious hazel eyes by a colourful yellow
and black bandanna. He reached Hibiki-kun and gave him a crushing
hug that appeared to be even more powerful than the one given to him by
Jiro.
"Otousan!" he cried out. "How
have you been? Where were you heading?" He then turned to Iikiba.
"Iikiba, isn't this a school day for you?"
Kuonji then realised that this was Hibiki's
son--the one who married his daughter.
"Sorry, Tousan," replied the teen-age boy
to his father's question. "Kanaeda didn't show up."
"Just like a Saotome," muttered the boy's
father.
"Kuonji-kun," started Hibiki, "this is my
son, Ryouga."
Ryouga Hibiki looked up from ruffling
Iikiba's hair, faced him and bowed. "Hajimashite." He then
blinked. "Excuse me, he said. Your name is Kuonji?"
"It is. So you're the one who
married my little Ukyou? You are the father of this fine boy?"
"I am." Ryouga's voice was distant.
"Look son, I'm not proud of what I have
done, so I am going to try and make it up to Ukyou, you and my grandchildren.
You don't have to like me right now, but give me a chance to make amends.
Understand?"
Ryouga looked thoughtful. "Seems
reasonable." He turned to Jiro. "Shouldn't we get going?" he
asked her.
Jiro nodded. "You're right.
Let's go, everyone."
And without further ado, they set off
on down the road--again.
Ukyou Hibiki watched as her daughter
deliver okonomiyaki to the waiting customers. It was the busy hour
of the following day and Ukyou reverently wished that Iikiba and/or Jiro
was there to help out. Yoiko was doing okay, but the restaurant was
much busier now days than it was when she first opened twenty years ago.
It was also bigger. On a busy day like this one, it was preferable
to have the whole family helping out.
"Tadaima!" called a voice from just
outside the restaurant. Iikiba stumbled in. "Hi Okaachan!"
he called out.
"Hey there, Kiddo," Ukyou called back
as she cooked up another order. "Go change. I need your help
down here."
Iikiba walked to the back of the restaurant
and into the house. He had no problem finding his way--the restaurant
and the house were the only places that he could find his way around.
Ukyou glanced at him as he went.
Jiro came in next. She nodded
to Ukyou, took a look at the situation and started to the back to change.
"I found them all," she said in passing.
"Huh?" asked Ukyou.
Jiro stopped.
"You'll see." And she stood there.
"Here they come now…"
Ukyou, and the rest of the restaurant,
looked up as they heard some crashing from the entrance. All they
saw, at first, was a hand gripping the doorframe. Then a head came
into view.
"I finally made it," gasped Ryouga as
he pulled himself into the restaurant.
"Overly dramatic, ain't he?" asked Jiro
to Ukyou.
"No more than usual," was Ukyou's reply.
"Who else is out there?"
"It's s'pose to be a surprise.
Just wait..."
Iikiba came back down, wearing his red
uniform wrap. "What's keeping them?" he asked.
"Probably your father in the doorway,"
replied Ukyou. "Ryo-chan, get a move on. I've got a pile of
dishes in the back."
Ryouga walked through the restaurant,
he went up to Ukyou.
"What...? No kiss?"
"Jackass," she chuckled, and reached
up and kissed him. "Now get goin'!"
"Yes'm." Ryouga scooted to the
back.
"Hey," called a customer, " where's
my order?"
"Hang on." Quickly, she cooked
up the order, handed it to Yoiko, who delivered it promptly.
"Iikiba, go clean off the tables."
"Right."
Outside, Kuonji waited with Hibiki-kun.
He watched as new customers kept entering, and satisfied ones were leaving.
He listened as she gave commands and talked with her customers. She
seems to be really successful, he thought.
"Hey, Hibiki-san?" called out a customer.
"Yeah, sugar?" answered his daughter.
"Are you aware that there is an okonomiyaki
cart sitting outside?"
Suddenly, there was a dead silence in
the restaurant, as everyone realised the most probable implications of
the situation.
"You mean to tell me that some
dumb Jackass is attempting to steal MY business."
Kuonji heard the stomping of feet coming
towards the door--and him.
Hibiki chuckled. "Not the way
I'd want to meet my family after twenty tears, but here she comes..."
Kuonji swallowed.
A angry woman stomped out of the front
door, gripping a large spatula. There was a cry of "Okaachan!
Noooo!" from Iikiba, but that didn't stop her. She stopped in front
of Kuonji and Hibiki, and glared at them.
"So which of you two Jackasses own that
cart?!?" she asked. Then she stopped as she recognised Ryouga's father.
"Hibiki-tousan? What are you doing here?" Then she faced Kuonji.
"Papa?" she asked weakly, with wonder in her eyes.
"Ukyou-chan..." he said with tears in
his eyes. "How have you been?"
Ukyou's eyes hardened.
"Doing better than you think.
You didn't think your little girl could make it on her own, could you?"
she snorted. "You're here to steal my business, aren't you?"
Kuonji was taken aback. "No! No.
I just wanted to see you."
"Like you couldn't have visited back
at your own daughter's wedding?!?"
Kuonji winced. "I deserved that,"
he said.
Hibiki shook his head.
"This is not going well, is it?" he
sighed.
"What do you mean?" asked Ukyou.
"He came all this way to make things
up to you..."
Ukyou was suspicious. "Oh?
And why would that be?" she asked her father.
"I met your son yesterday. And
I took a liking to him and when Hibiki-kun here said that the boy was his
grandson as well--I figured that it was about high-time to make amends."
Iikiba poked his head out of the restaurant
door, and gave his two-bits worth.
"It's kinda stupid, Okaachan.
They known each other for about twenty years and just found out yesterday
that their children have married each other."
"Anyways, Ukyou-chan. I realised
that I have been a stupid jackass of a father and I want to make it up
to you."
"Uh huh, right..." replied Ukyou sceptically.
"Then why is your cart here, if you're just here to visit me?"
"I couldn't leave it behind. I
don't want it stolen like the last one."
"Hey!" cried a voice from inside.
"Where's my meal?!?"
"Hang on for a sec, will ya?!?"
Ukyou yelled into the restaurant. "Iikiba! Get back inside
and start cooking."
"Right." Iikiba's head disappeared
from view. Ukyou turned back towards her father.
"That's it? Honest? You
just want to visit?" asked Ukyou.
"That's it. Honest. I want
to meet your family."
Tears filled up in Ukyou's eyes.
She went and hugged her father.
"I missed you soooo much," she sobbed.
"I missed you too," replied Kuonji.
The tender moment lasted for a moment...
"Kaachan!" called out a young girl's
voice. "We've run outta hot water and Touchan has changed."
"How bad is it?" Ukyou called back.
"I managed to turn the water off, but
the floor's covered with water, and it's starting to seep towards Oniichan.
And I can't find the mop!"
"Hold on." Ukyou looked towards
the two older men. "Come on in. Things are a little hectic,
but I welcome you both to Ucchan's Okonomiyaki." She winked at them
both as she went back inside.
Inside the restaurant, things were very
busy. Kuonji almost had trouble believing the size of the restaurant.
He watched as Ukyou went into a backroom, came back out with a mop, which
she handed to a black hair girl. She gently pushed her son out of
the way and resumed cooking. Her son, Iikiba, appeared grateful as
he leaped over the grill and onto a dry section of the floor. Not
to be idle, he went to clear the tables and take orders. He watched
as Jiro, wearing similar wraps like his daughter's, came out with clean
dishes. Despite the busyness, and the small accident, Kuonji was
more than impressed with his daughter's business.
Soon enough, the business day was over,
and after the doors were locked, Ukyou and her family started to clean
up. Kuonji helped out and met the rest of the family. Yoiko,
his granddaughter, was more than pleased to meet him. She appeared
to be an excitable fourteen year-old with Ryouga's fangs and dark hair
and his daughter's teal eyes.
Joining them in the cleanup was a man
with brown hair and intense green eyes, named Jakku Mizuno. Hibiki
introduced him as Jiro's husband, even though the man had a different last
name than his wife. The children of strange couple were also there.
There was a fourteen year-old girl with brown hair and green eyes named
Mizuko, and a ten year-old boy with blonde hair and blue eyes named Oyu.
They appeared to be really excited to see that their grandfather Hibiki
came to visit. There was also another boy by the name of Takashi,
who apparently came by often to help out.
Supper was prepared and served in the
house which was attached to the restaurant. Kuonji was a bit surprised,
after all, such restaurants like the ones in the neighbourhood, were usually
small, with smaller living quarters over the restaurant itself. He
learned that Hibiki-kun's son, Ryouga, had worked to earn the money to
buy the restaurant next door and used it to expand the okonomiyaki shop
and to covert the rest of it into living quarters. Apparently, Ryouga
worked as a one man demolition team and tore down whole buildings with
one finger. Companies found his fees cheaper and only had to hire
crews to take the debris away afterward. And he did this was before
he reached twenty. Kuonji's original opinion of the supposed 'scum'
that his daughter had married has definitely changed.
Kuonji stayed for a week, getting himself
aquainted with his daughters family. He found them all to be well
adjusted despite the fact that the males of the household would repeatedly
get themselves lost. He got to meet Ranma Saotome and his family.
However, Kuonji was disappointed when Ranma told him that his father, Genma,
was out of town on an impromptu training trip. But finally it was
time to leave. He had a regular clientele and he had a duty to them
to make sure that they were fed. He packed up the few things he brought
and the gifts that were given to him, and fastened them onto the cart.
He turned and faced the family. He shook hands with Ryouga, clasped
the shoulders of Iikiba, and gave a hug to Yoiko. Then he turned
to face his daughter. He put his hands on her shoulders, and looked
her in the eyes.
"Ukyou-chan," he said to her.
"I want you to know that I love you and that I'm very proud of you.
You got that?"
Ukyou fell into his arms, crying onto
his shoulder.
"I love you too, Papa! You're
gonna have to come back and visit, right?"
"You bet I will." Kuonji looked
at Ryouga. "You've done a fine job, Ryouga. But I want you
to keep on taking care of my daughter."
"I will," replied Ryouga.
"Well then, I guess I should be on my
way." He went to the cart, took the handles in his hands and started
to make his journey homeward. As he went, he heard the calls of farewell
from behind. Well now, he thought to himself, I guess that
my little girl will be just fine. With that thought, he whistled
a cheerful tune as he walked away towards home.