tears.

"She suddenly fell ill two weeks ago. She was taken to the hospital, but the doctors couldn't do anything.Ms. Watanabe died two days ago ... in her sleep. "

Kasumi was hit by the news too. She had known the woman as a small child. She had been there for as long as she could remember.
And now that shouldn't be the case anymore?
Tears rolled down her cheeks, just like her sister in the arms of her fiancé.

A deep sadness befell the otherwise cheerful disposition of the oldest Tendo.
With great effort she wiped the wet witnesses of her grief from her face and asked Ranma and Akane to take a seat in the living room in an unsteady voice.

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

At that time of the day, all members of the tendos and saotomes were usually home. With the exception of Nodoka, who was doing the shopping, it was the same on that day.

While Akane regained the upper hand over her surging emotions, Kasumi searched the other members of the families.

Nabiki could be found in her room. Without looking up there was a short nod and an affirmative "I'll be right there." everything she replied to her sister's request to come into the living room.As was to be expected, the two family fathers were playing Go.
They followed Kasumi's request, but not without quickly making a few 'cleverly hidden' moves without the other's knowledge.

The relaxed mood of the three unsuspecting people disappeared immediately when they saw the faces of Ranma and Akane and even Kasumi could not bring up any other cheerfulness.

Nabiki was the one who dared to ask a question first.
"What's going on? What are you looking at?"

Soun immediately suspected the worst for him.
"Akane, Ranma ... don't tell me you broke off your engagement. You can't do that to me."
A fountain of salt water underpinned his despair at the prospect.

Kasumi drove him, to everyone's surprise, with a serious voice in between.
"Please be quiet, father!"

At these words, even Genma (in the shape of a panda) put away the sign he had just pulled out, with which he wanted to give his son a few written reprimands.Ranma used the current attention of those present.
"Something very ... unexpected happened."

Three pairs of questioning eyes looked at him. But again it was Akane who brought the unfortunate news.
"Old Mrs. Watanabe died two days ago."

The reactions to this news were quite different.

Genma received her rather calmly, although even his otherwise expressionless panda eyes gave off a certain sadness.
Soun reacted in a similar way to Ranma. At first his body froze in a rigid position, but then he broke away, propped his arms on the table and buried his face deep in his hands.

Nabiki, who was usually composed and controlled in every situation, got up and went out onto the veranda.
Whoever mustered the strength and looked over at her noticed that she was trembling slightly.
She fought for self-control and against the emerging tears ...

A few minutes passed. There was absolute silence.This time was also necessary to bring the feelings back under control.

Soun was the first to speak another word.
"How did it happen?"

Ranma, who had observed the reactions of the others and was fighting an inner struggle himself, answered him.
"Your daughter said Ms. Watanabe got sick two weeks ago. The doctors said it was because of her old age. The day before yesterday she died peacefully in her sleep."

In the meantime, Nabiki had herself under control and sat down at the table.
But her voice sounded tired and sad.
"When is the funeral?"

Akane turned her gaze to the questioner.
"Next week. Ms. Watanabe said we could like to come to her mother's funeral."

Soun raised his head and looked around with a serious face.
"We'll all go."

Nobody objected to it.

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

Even Nodoka, who, despite their brief acquaintance, had been very fond of the old woman, received the news with mournful weeping.The following week an honest smile and a hearty laugh did not return to the Tendo Dojo.

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

The day of the funeral produced a cold morning.
The sky was cloudless, but it seemed as if the sun's rays could not penetrate to the earth and the blue sky was pale and dreary.

The Tendos and Saotomes gathered in front of the gate of the Tendo estate.

Her clothes and her expression reflected her mood all too clearly.
In black clothes and with sad expressions, they set off in their slow procession to the Watanabes' house.

On the way there, they met other families who lived in this neighborhood. Some returned from the direction of the Watanabes, others joined them on the march there.
And they all shared the same feelings that day.

Many now came to the family home. They all expressed their condolences and not a few stopped by the old woman's urn to say a prayer for her.A prayer for a woman they all knew and loved.

Not very much was said. No words were needed.
They all followed their thoughts.
Thoughts of the time in which the good woman was still alive, in which she was always ready for a chat at an occasional meeting, in which she often slipped the children something sweet, in which she always had a smile and encouraging words for everyone held.

The Tendos and the Saotomes were also among those people. The tendos in particular were badly hit.
On that day, Soun often remembered the time when he lost his beloved wife.
The pain of this loss had almost destroyed him at the time. Had it not been for people like old Watanabe who built him up morally and supported him at that time, the Tendo family would have broken up.

The three daughters of the Tendo family also shared a friendly love for the old lady. She had been there for as long as they could remember.They had visited her, played with her, laughed with her.

Ranma had similar thoughts. He hadn't known Mrs. Watanabe as long as the others, but the morning washing routine that had overtaken him had a special bond with her.
He had often been angry about this special treatment, and just as often had he complained to her.
In retrospect, he often regretted that he had reacted in this way, because basically he liked the woman.
With her amiable manner she reminded him of an old woman from his childhood neighborhood whom he had always considered to be some kind of grandmother.

So many fond memories ... That was the only thing they had left now. That and her memory of the old lady.

* - * - * - * - * - * - * - *

It was a morning as described in a picture book.
The sun shone from an almost cloudless sky, the birds chirped melodiously to the rustling of the wind in the trees and bushes, and the air was impregnated with the scent of flowers.At this early hour of the morning, many households were already busy.
Breakfast was prepared and eaten, things for school and work were packed and a short time later people were pouring towards their destinations.

Among them were two residents of the Tendo Dojo, who quickly made their way towards the Furinkan School.
On this way they passed the Watanabes property. They slowed their pace until they finally stopped in front of the entrance.
For a moment they stared at the empty space with depressed expressions on their faces.
They only slowly turned away and resumed their actual path.

Their faces were no longer marked with sadness, but a shadow always flickered over them as soon as they passed this property.

It was a beautiful day. The sun was shining and the birds were twittering.
Everything in this part of town seemed to be moving in an orderly fashion.
But much had changed and life would never be the same for those who remembered before they had to say goodbye to a loved one from their midst.° + ° + ° + ° + ° + ° + ° + °

Author's note 1:
I have to admit that I'm not very good at portraying intense feelings. So it might seem a bit excessive to one or the other, but that's how I imagine the characters when they lose someone they love.

Author's note 2:
As I wrote this story and read it over several times, I felt more miserable each time.
There were often moments in my eighteen-year life when I asked myself what would be if I weren't there anymore.
The world is dangerous enough that at some point you can start thinking about it.

For myself, I have come to the conclusion that I consider the people around me to be extremely important and by that I do not only mean family and close friends, but also acquaintances and people with whom one has to deal on a daily basis.

If I were no longer there, these people would probably mourn for me.But what about me if one of them wasn't there anymore?
I would also mourn this person. But I would also reproach myself for never being able to properly express my opinion, thoughts and feelings about and for him during his lifetime.

Who is so honest these days and always says what they think and feel?
I try to be I always tell myself that death can overtake you so quickly that you should never leave unexplained things behind.
You should definitely not withhold your affection from people you love, no matter what kind of affection.

Just a hug, an occasional smile, or a friendly word can make you feel important.

So if you feel the way I do, then take the opportunity to think about it and try to shape and express your actions and feelings according to your correspondences.

As always, I would be very happy to receive comments and opinions.ByeBye, JenJen aka Yalene