Disclaimer: The playground is by Rumiko Takahashi, I'm only swinging on the monkey bars. Remember to leave the grounds cleaner than you found them and please don't feed the Trolls. "Summer Lightning" and "Stars in Their Crown" are by Garnet Rogers, as before. This story is archived at http://www.kawaiikunee.com/slp/ Release 1.3 (Dec. 04, 2000) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma and Akane: A Love Story Chapter 3: The Third Day Part C: Pursuit to Destruction; East Wind, Rain. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Kodachi had been taken away in an ambulance, only one of many that day. Nabiki and Yuka were assisting the doctors that were dealing with the last of the students injured by flying debris. Both had done yeoman service to triage the wounded and traumatized, and in running errands for the medical effort that had, by now, sucked in every available doctor or medtech in Nerima ward. Nabiki had been especially active in calming and restraining those who had been injured most severely while the medics tended to them; extracting debris from their injuries, or hastily bandaging wounds and setting limbs in preparation for their transportation to local hospitals. Currently, the two girls were aiding Dr. Tofu by handing him his supplies and tools while he aligned and set a number of broken ribs belonging to a sophomore who had been trampled and kicked into a corner in class 1-D's mad scramble to quit the ground floor during the attack. Nabiki looked up from the last patient as that unfortunate was loaded onto a stretcher for transport. A very bedraggled looking Akane was dragging into Furinkan's yard, wobbling along behind Ranma, who herself appeared less than entirely perky. The two martial artists came over to where Nabiki was standing, Ranma greeting her wearily while Akane stopped walking and leaned against Ranma's shoulder, closing her eyes. "Nabiki-san," Ranma opened the conversation in a tired voice, "I see that you're helping with the wounded. Can you give me an estimate of the total casualty list, please?" Nabiki rubbed her eyes with blood-stained hands. "I don't know the full list yet, Ranma-san. The last I'd heard there were seventeen confirmed dead. I think the total of seriously injured is going to stop at 40. Minor injuries and, err, _mental_ trauma ...." Nabiki turned to where a clump of pale, shaking students were huddling against the wall, seeking comfort in numbers, and shrugged helplessly. Ranma nodded wearily. "You can add two more to the seriously wounded list then. Asano-bodou was stabbed in the chest by Our Friend, but he seems to have missed the heart, and the medics said she has a fair chance. Sayuri-chan was strangled, and while she's still alive she seems to be in a deep coma, at the moment." Nabiki glanced sideways at Yuka, who was trembling and clenching her hands together. Quietly, she asked, "Will she survive, long term, do you think?" Ranma rubbed her temples briefly. "There's no good reason why she wouldn't, I think. The physical trauma doesn't seem to be too severe. What mental trauma she may be suffering, and when she'll wake up...." Ranma shrugged in her own turn. Yuka wailed and buried her face in Nabiki's shoulder. Nabiki awkwardly attempted to comfort her and Ranma put a hand on Yuka's shoulder, saying, "Don't give up hope Yuka-chan. Sayuri-chan is very brave, and the hospital hasn't even begun to care for her yet. And I'm not out of resources myself, for that matter. But I think, for now, that it's better to let the professionals handle things. "And speaking of _things_, Nabiki, do you know what happened to Jei's corpse and his spear?" "I just saw ..." Nabiki mumbled, "Oh yes! A police van came, gathered it all up and took it away. And I'm just as glad; even dead that thing gave me a creepy feeling!" "I don't blame you at all Nabiki-san. I just wanted a closer look at the spear, but I suppose that I can do that later." She turned her hand under her gaze and considered the ichor crusted under the nails. "I'd like to get clean first, at least. Do you think you're going to need Akane or I around here any more today?" "No, Ranma, I don't think so. Go on back to the Dojo and see if you can get Akane-imouto to go to sleep." Akane snorted, weakly. "Sleep. Feh. _Bath_." Ranma grinned, "Indeed. _Bath_. I may even beg one from Kasumi-san myself." Nabiki grinned over her shoulder as she ushered Yuka to where she could sit down, and shook a fist at them. "Use up all the hot water and you answer to me," she mock-threatened. Ranma's grin turned crooked, and she half-turned from her course to sweep a bow. "We shall faithfully avoid the invocation of your wrath, Nabiki-san." She urged the wobbly Akane out the gate, and then was gone. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "Tadaima!" "Oh, my, I hope that's...." Kasumi had been beside herself with worry. Father had managed to tell her that _something_ bad had happened. From context she had assumed that something was wrong with Akane or Nabiki, but his tears had managed to short out both the TV and the radio, and he simply was not coherent enough to tell her what was wrong. She dared not leave him alone to seek out the neighbors, and Tofu-san seemed not to be answering his phone, but if they were capable of calling out then surely it couldn't be _that_ bad. Could it? Hurrying to the front room, she assessed the condition of Akane-chan and that nice young Ranma-san and rapidly revised her opinion: it wasn't that bad, it was worse. Only one comment seemed appropriate. "Oh, my!" Ranma looked up at Kasumi's entrance, steering Akane gently toward the furo. "We're both mostly alright, Kasumi-san, but we badly need a bath. Is the furo hot?" Kasumi nodded helplessly; they didn't _seem_ alright. Akane was a complete mess: dirty, scratched, her new clothes in complete ruination, and was that dark substance half covering her arms, legs and back _blood_? Ranma hardly looked better, mainly a matter of fewer areas messed up, but some of the stains were a loathsome looking green that made her head hurt just to _consider_ trying to get out. Nonetheless she nodded affirmatively to Ranma's question, then, as Ranma moved Akane along toward the bath, burst out, "Ranma-san, what happened?!" Ranma turned around briefly and saw Soun hovering at the entrance to the living room, then sent Akane on toward the bath and answered. "A monster attacked the school, Kasumi-san. We killed it, but there were a number of casualties. The authorities seemed to have the matter in hand, so I felt that Akane needed to get home immediately, and take a bath, and probably a nap. With your permission?" Kasumi nodded and turned back to Father, who had burst out in fresh tears. "Now, now, Father, you heard Ranma-san; both the girls are all right and...." She herded him back into his room to have a lie-down and thought, 'A monster. Oh, my!' ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma ignored the clothes heaped untidily on the floor, and quickly stripped. Picking up the water pail and soap, she spent several minutes firmly scrubbing out the ichor and gore that encrusted several areas of her arms and legs, then filled up the pail again and soaped the rest of her body before dumping the pail of water over her head to rinse off. Then she walked over to Akane, who was sitting on a stool, staring at her blood-stained hands and feebly attempting to scrub the stains off. Ranma took the soap and washcloth from Akane's unresisting hands and used them to quickly rid her of her unwanted decorations, then rinsed her off and put her into the tub to soak, joining her soon thereafter. Ranma settled back into the steaming water and felt her muscles relax, but she noted that Akane was not relaxing, and was, in fact, on the verge of tears. She let Akane have a minute of silence, then gently asked, "Want to talk about it?" Akane sniffed and shook her head, "N-no, Ranchan, I'll be alright, just ... could you sing for me, something ...." Ranma suddenly found her vision obscured, a gust of steam had no doubt chosen to make a wrong turn. "Sure, _Acchan_, I'll sing something. You just relax, now. Maybe try to go to sleep." That pair in the corner, They're here every Tuesday, They come when the market First opens its stalls. And it's got so that lately I'll wait just to see them, Their heads bent together, As they come down the hall. And Akane felt herself, very slowly, begin to relax. Felt the pains of the day roll away. Felt the horror, and the fear, and, what she felt was worst of all -- the strange, singing joy -- begin to fade. Felt the aches and bruises and the tiredness which denied even sleep or rest begin to heal. And her hair has grown whiter, His has grown thinner, And their pace has slowed down As the years have grown long. But they keep step together 'Mongst strangers who hurry, These two old companions, Walking slowly along. Washed away, so to speak, by steaming water. Soothed by safety and kindness, and a place to relax. Eased by an easing of stress and fear. They always take the same table And they open their menus, And I watch as his hand Reaches out to touch hers, And she, with the other, Reaches under her chair, And fumbles her glasses From out of her purse. Healed and lulled to sleep by a glorious, contralto voice. A voice that washed over her and swept through her. A voice that eased her sorrows without trivializing them. A voice that understood terror and the bloodlust she had found herself fighting, but that had triumphed over them. And she reads him the specials, He does the ordering, They joke with the waitress, About watching their weight, But the waitress says nothing, She just snaps her gum And then brings their dessert, That they'll share from one plate. She sat back, finally, and relaxed her muscles one by one. Met her fear and disgust head on, and found them to be less terrible than she had earlier imagined; and, slowly, began to master them. Sometimes I watch them too closely, They notice me staring And they smile at me vaguely, Not really seeing my face. But they know I'm a stranger, Not one of their friends Who have died, or long since Moved away from this place. And settled back into a drifting haze, and let a golden voice sink into her. And gave up her control over her emotions at last, and gently began to weep. They keep to themselves, They're each other's shelter, Two hearts grown together, Two parts of a whole. And I smile at them shyly, I know I intrude, on this Pair of old lovers, And I turn and I go. And, as she drifted further from consciousness and the cares of the day, seemed to see before her a vision. But, you know that I've seen them As they leave the cafe', He pulls out her chair, And he helps her to stand, And he holds out her coat, And he hugs it around her And together they leave, Holding each other's hand. A vision of herself, older, gray haired. Resting in another furo. And placing a hand, scarred but still strong, lovingly on the back of the head resting on her shoulder. A head in whose hair, also mostly gray, could still be seen the occasional strand of flaming, sunset red. And there's a love beyond words In their every small gesture, As the two old companions Make their way through the town There's a love beyond name, beyond years, beyond measure. And the days that they share Are the stars in their crown. And gently slipped into slumber, and dreamed of something unseen. Something which she loved with all her heart, and which brought her great joy. But what it was, when she woke up, she was unable to recall. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Akane awoke slowly, to a background of humming and soft, mumbled curses. She was lying in her bed and clothed in her nightgown, but it seemed to be daylight. For a moment she could not remember why she might be asleep so late in the day, but then memory returned and she realized that it must be later in the same day; by the angle of the light coming in the window she could see it was sometime just afternoon. Akane sat up and perched on the edge of her mattress, blinking around her with still sleepy eyes. There were, she noticed, two things about the room that were different from the way she had left it this morning. The first was the tray-table by the side of her futon, loaded with a tray carrying lunch. The second was Ranma, sitting at her desk, wearing one of her old overalls and a shirt slightly too small for her -- and, she noticed, no bra -- and bent over a homework assignment in math, which she appeared to be making heavy weather of. Akane absently ate her lunch while she tried to make some sense of the events of the day. She finished just as Ranma hissed in frustration, crumpled the scratch sheet of paper she was working with, and threw it across the room. "Stupid thing," she pouted, "I don't think it even _has_ a solution!" Turning around she grinned at Akane, "Awake at last! Did you enjoy your lunch ... Acchan?" Akane blinkied, 'Acchan? What ... ohmikami ... the furo! What'll she think of me?' Her hands flew to her face in dismay as she blushed a fiery red. Ranma's grin moderated itself into a gentle smile. "No, Akane, I'm not mad. In fact, the only other person who has ever called me that was the very first friend I ever made. I am more honored than I can say that you have chosen to be the second." This did not particularly seem to help Akane's blush, and she looked down at her folded hands bashfully. "Ar-are you sure, Ranma?" She looked up at the redhead where she sat at the desk. "I've never, that is ...." Ranma rose lithely to her feet, and crossed the room to where Akane sat, hugging her fiercely. "I'm sure, Acchan. As long as you promise to stay my friend." Akane told the sudden tears to go away and hugged her friend back, trying to place the sudden thumping in her chest. "I promise, Ranchan. As long as you promise too." Ranma stepped back and extended a pinky, her grin almost splitting her face. "I promise." Akane hooked her pinky through Ranma's and gripped, feeling a grin taking over her face as well. "I promise too." Ranma held the pinky grip a moment, and then stepped back, crossing her arms over her chest. "Which does _not_, however, get you off of getting beaten on during training." Akane's grin turned crooked, "Wouldn't want it to." Then, jerking her head at the desk, "What's got you so happy over there?" "Oh, you would remind me. Feh." Ranma blew her cheeks out and sighed. She walked back to the desk and sat down, Akane following behind her, and picked up her pencil. "It's a 'Problem of Multiple Variables in Multiple Equations' if you please. Bah!" Akane leaned over Ranma's shoulder and looked at the problem. "This one doesn't seem _that_ hard, Ranchan." "Hah! So you say, but look at this! These things don't even have the same terms in them!" Akane chuckled and took the pencil from Ranma's hand. "You're trying too hard, Ranchan. See, you take this equation here -- it reduces to _this_ variable, see? So you replace the instances of that variable in _this_ equation and then you ...." Fainter now, lower in tone "Oh, that's how... Neat, Acchan! But now how...." Fainter yet, "You just...." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Nabiki had come home soon after noon, and had eaten a sandwich before even seeking the furo. Now, around two in the afternoon, she had just come from a _long_ soak in the hot water, new clothes, and another large meal, and was beginning to feel human again. She pushed back her plate and turned to Kasumi, questioning, "Oneechan, where is everybody else?" "Father is sleeping in his room, Nabiki-chan, he took the news very hard. Ranma-san and Akane-chan are training, I believe." She turned around and caught Nabiki's eyes, "I didn't get many details, imouto- chan, how was it, really?" Nabiki shuddered violently, "If it hadn't been for Ranma-san we'd have all been killed, oneechan. And if Akane-chan hadn't _attacked_ the thing I don't know if even Ranma-san could have killed it. It just wouldn't _die_, not even when she cut its head off!" She shuddered again. Kasumi knelt by her and gathered her into a hug, "Akane-chan fighting monsters. Who would have thought?" Nabiki pushed herself back from the hug, "You said they were training, oneechan? Do you know where they are? I need to talk to Ranma-san." Kasumi frowned slightly, "Be careful, Nabiki-chan." Nabiki shook her head, "I will be, oneechan. I owe her my life, and so does Akane-chan. But we need to know more about her. I think she _knew_ or recognized that thing today. What if there's more of them?" Kasumi nodded seriously. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ranma flowed out of the way of Akane's kick and thumped her on the head, then called a halt. "Break, Acchan, I've got what I needed, and you're getting sloppy." She put her back to the dojo wall and placed one foot against it, crossed her arms, and considered Akane, waiting for her to regain her breath. "And besides, I think your sister wants something." Nabiki moved out from the entrance where she had been lurking just out of view. "Looking good, Akane-chan, what were you doing just then?" Ranma answered, "Just general assessment work Nabiki-san. I want to make sure that I know where Acchan is _now_, so I can figure where she needs to go. It's the first time I've really had a student, and I want to be sure I get it right." Nabiki raised an eyebrow, and Akane stopped panting long enough to wheeze out, "You talk to Nabiki-oneechan, Ranchan, I'm gonna lie down and pant for a while." She walked to the wall and sat down beside it, then flopped down on her back and lay panting. Nabiki raised the other eyebrow, 'Acchan? Ranchan? Geeze, what went _on_ in that furo, anyway?', but allowed no other sign to cross her face; instead she sweetly inquired, "Should we get out of your way and let you take a nap, Akane-chan?" Akane turned half over and red-eyed her, "Biiiii-da!" Ranma smirked, "Was there something you wanted, Nabiki-san, or is this just one of those sibling rivalry things?" Nabiki turned back to her, and turned serious at the same time. "Yes, Ranma-san, there was. It's about that monster this morning. You acted as though you knew him." "That would be because I did know him, Nabiki-san." She pushed her tongue into her cheek for a moment, "Mind you, the last time I saw him there was nothing left but bones, which had just been buried under the ruins of a stone tower, underneath which were several tons of gunpowder. Which went off immediately thereafter. So I didn't really suspect that I'd ever see him _again_, but...." She considered Nabiki's face for a moment, "But I suspect that what you actually _want_ is the story, ne?" Nabiki buffed her nails for a moment, "Why, yes Ranma-san, I believe it is. Unless," she added calmly, "you would prefer not to tell it?" "No, no, it's not secret. It is kind of long though. It might be a good idea to have Kasumi-san make some snacks and tea. Since I suspect that she might wish to hear it too." "For some odd reason," Nabiki refrained from smirking, "she has, in fact, just finished making some." Ranma arched an eyebrow of her own. "Preplanning. The sure sign of a conspiracy. Come, Acchan, we are summoned to Tea." Akane groaned, "What do you mean, 'We', barbarian?" "I mean _we_, shirker. As in _you_ and _I_. Because _I_ am summoned by your sister, and _you_ are summoned by me." Akane groaned again, and rolled over, coming to her knees. "Ohhhh. My sensei is a bully." "All sensei are bullies, Acchan." Ranma bopped her on the head,"It's the notable trait of the type." And Kasumi came through the door with a tray. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- The girls were seated in a circle around the tray, sitting in the middle of the dojo floor. Ranma blew softly on a teacup to cool it, and crooked a grin through the steam at the others. So. The story. I should start at the beginning, I guess. And the beginning .... (Her eyes focused on something far away, or perhaps long ago, then refocused on the girls.) The beginning starts with my Dad. Oyaji. And the things you need to know about Oyaji number three. First, he's a Martial Artist.Second, he is of Low Moral Character. And third, he's an Idiot. Nabiki *snrrked* and Akane frowned, glaring at someone non-present. (Ranma grinned crookedly.) Because he's a Martial Artist, he wanted me to be one too. Because he's an Idiot, he just knew that this noble goal could not possibly be attempted around my mother. So he took the opportunity, when I was five, to take me away on a long training trip, and never bring me back. And because he is of Low Moral Character we spent the next six and a half years running from place to place. Generally, I realize now, to escape some debt or other, or get away from the blame for some theft or scam. Now, when I was eleven or so, Oyaji found, or bought, or stole, or _something_, this book. These books, actually -- there were two of them. The first was a Chinese ... guide to training grounds, I guess. It had only been translated a little and most of the text was still in Chinese, which Oyaji didn't know how to read, but he still got all excited about 'the marvelous possibilities to seek out strengthening struggle in the service of our Art'. (Ranma's voice went very pompous for a moment, then returned to normal.) Feh. Anyway, the _other_ book was a manual of 'Rare and Forbidden Training Methods'. One of these was the 'Neko-ken', a supposed way to train a subject in an Invincible Martial Arts Special Technique. (Ranma's mouth twisted momentarily, and she sighed.) What you do, the book said, is you take the trainee, and the younger the better, and you cover him or her with fish sausage. Then you find yourself a pit, and put a bunch of starving ca-ca- ... cats into it. And then you take the trainee, and you throw him, or her, in. In the pit, in case that wasn't clear. (Ranma's face was still and far away, Akane's and Kasumi's were nearly identical masks of horror, and Nabiki's was as set and still as stone. Ranma's eyes refocused suddenly, and she continued.) Then, on the next page of the book, it says that the _reason_ this technique is 'Rare and Forbidden' is that; One - it doesn't work, and Two - only a complete idiot would try it in the first place. The trouble is, Oyaji _is_ a complete idiot, and he didn't _read_ that far. (Ranma's mouth twisted again, and she sighed.) Nabiki's face was terrible in its stillness, but her voice was gentle, "So what _does_ the training do Ranma-san?" Ranma's voice was equally gentle. "It makes you afraid of cats, Nabiki- san." Kasumi buried her face in her hands, and Akane's face began to twist in anger, as Nabiki's control broke at last. "No! I never _would_ have guessed that!" she snarled, "So what did the _genius_ do then?" Ranma smiled sadly, and quirked an eyebrow. Why he devoted the full force of his Martial Intellect to the problem, of course. And quickly determined the source of the error. It was quite clear; the author of the book had _hidden_ the critical detail! Oh, yes! It simply had to be a question of the _bait_ you used, you see. And he set out to resolve the detail in the finest scientific fashion. Oh, yes! He repeated the experiment, only using fish cakes, instead. And then he tried dried bream. And then he tried salmon. And then he tried varied sushi. And then he tried octopus and squid. And then he tried octopus _by itself_. And then.... Akane broke, and hurled herself into Ranma's shoulder, wailing. Kasumi turned her head, sobbing muffledly into her hands. Ranma gently massaged the back of Akane's neck and *hssh*d. Finally, it developed that, if you pursue your course with unrelenting intensity, you will, in fact, teach the trainee an Invincible Technique. The fact that the training will have driven her psychotic by that point is surely a minor detail by comparison, ne? "So, what happened then?" Nabiki asked, soothing Kasumi. Well, I managed to avoid killing him about three times in the next week ("Damn!" Nabiki interjected.) but I knew that I couldn't do it forever. The problem, you see, is that the Invincible Technique works by turning part of your soul into the soul of a cat. And it's the cat that controls the technique. A cat that doesn't have a bunch of stuff it wants to have -- like fur, and a tail -- and does have a bunch of stuff it doesn't want to have -- like hands, and upright posture -- and which is trying to contend with being half-human as well, and which is, therefore, Righteously Pissed Off. "So what did *snnf*, what did you do, Ranchan?" I beat him up, (Ranma shrugged) and told him that I was leaving. He'd had six and a half years to train me and see what I'd gotten from it. Then he wailed and whined until I said I'd come back in another six and a half years and see which of us had done a better job. If I could beat him, he'd acknowledge me as the head of the school, and go back to work to help support it until I got it back on its feet. If I lost I'd go back to training under him at whatever he wanted. He said he'd meet me at this training ground in China he'd just found in the _other_ book he'd got: a place in Qing-hai province up against the Byankala range. Said it was named Jhusenkyou. I promised I'd be there and left. That was five years and eleven months ago. Ranma poured herself another cup of tea and blew on it, gazing at the sisters through the steam until a measure of calm was restored. When I left Oyaji I went hunting something that could help me with controlling the cat. I finally wound up at a Zen monastery in northern Hokkaido, where I spent the next six months. When I left the monastery, I had managed to stuff the cat down under deep control and the Neko-ken with it. Although I _am_ still afraid of cats, I don't go berserk unless I can't get away from them. Then I headed into China, and made my way north, to Jhusenkyou. The idea I had, you see, was that -- if this place _was_ the wonderful training ground Oyaji was so fired up about -- then I could study there. If it wasn't I'd still have gotten an idea about the lay of the land, maybe enough to give me an edge in case Oyaji actually managed to put up a fight. There isn't much to say about the trip ... well, actually that's not true. There's a lot to say about the trip, but that's not the story I'm telling, so I won't digress into it. Ranma paused for a moment, and sipped her tea. The only item of real interest to _this_ story happened when, one day, I was walking along a road in Qing-hai itself. I was trying to find out where the bloody training ground actually _was_, and I came round the corner of a hill, and nearly walked into this girl. She had purple hair, was wielding these silly-looking mace thingies, I later learned that they were a local weapon called bonbori, and was trying to stare down a tiger. Now, it's an interesting thing to say, but the 'training' Oyaji put me through did seem to have _one_ good effect; I'm afraid of cats, yes, but only _house_ cats. Other kinds, like tigers, don't affect me at all. Plus which, the phobia about cats seems to have sucked up all the fear I have in me. On the one hand, that means that when the nekophobia hits it hits _hard_; but on the other hand, I don't have much left for anything _else_, so when I get into situations like that I don't panic. Which was a good thing, at the time. Anyway, I remembered about some animals making themselves look bigger and louder to frighten off an attacker, and figured that I didn't have much to lose. So I jumped up _way_ high and _yelled_ at the top of my lungs. And it must have worked, 'cause the tiger turned and ran off like his tail was on fire. (Ranma gave another grin) Anyway, that was how I met Shan Pu. Shan turned out to be the champion-apparent of the village of Joketsuzoku -- which is part of the ancestral holdings of the Strong-Women-Hero-Tribe, sometimes called the Chinese Amazons -- and by the time we got back to her village, she was the second friend I'd ever made. So I spent some time in the village, and learned a few tricks, and it turned out that they _did_ know where Jhusenkyou was, only they didn't want to tell _me_. It seemed, they said, that the whole valley of Jhusenkyou was cursed, and anyone who went there would probably get cursed too. Well, I reckoned that I was too smart to fall for an obvious dodge like _that_, and one night I snuck out of the village and traveled to the valley where Jhusenkyou was. I've always wished (Ranma's eyes were far away again) I'd listened to Cologne-obaasama; I might have spared myself a lot of grief. She'd been right, you see, the valley of Jhusenkyou _is_ cursed, and if you go there you probably _will_ end up cursed too. I don't know what all the curses of Jhusenkyou do, but the one thing that they _all_ do is the one thing that really makes them curses: after you go there, you live in interesting times. Ranma paused a moment and sipped more tea. And I don't mean 'nice' interesting either. _Not_ nice interesting is the order of the day, here. If you stumble, you fall down a hill. And there's a dung-heap at the bottom, too. And you don't even get to break your fall, oh no, there's a rock waiting under it, you can bet. If anything falls out of the sky, it lands on your head. If you go through a bush, you find the thorns, and if it doesn't _have_ thorns there'll be a bramble growing there, instead. If somebody shoots an arrow at you and ten other people,_you're_ the one standing in the way. Well, I already knew that the Joketsuzoku didn't have any way to cure the curses, and I was too embarrassed to go back after I ignored their warnings anyway, so I wandered back south instead. I never did find a cure for the curse in China, but I did finally end up in a place that led to my eventually finding one elsewhere, and also to my meeting that noble gentleman we entertained earlier today, and to a bunch of other stuff as well. The reason is this, (she opened her shirt slightly, and took an amulet of silver from around her neck, laying it in the center of the circle) and how and why I got it is a story in itself. Nabiki picked up the amulet and examined it, showing it to Akane and Kasumi. It was made of fretted silver, about three inches across, chased with interlocking dragons and spirits around the outside. Mounted so as to entirely take up one face of the amulet was a small, cracked mirror. Mounted on the other side was a triangular piece of pottery, perhaps two inches on a side, covered with patterns that looked like stretched cords or ropes. Nabiki turned it over and about in her hands as Ranma went on. The place I ended up was Hong Kong, and in order to understand the story I'm about to tell you have to know the one cardinal thing about my character at the time: I was a barbarian. Nabiki raised an eyebrow and smirked, "_At the time_, Ranma-san?" "Of course, Nabiki-san. Now, I'm only _uncivilized_." "Ah. I see. Do go on." Ranma smirked, herself, and did so. I hadn't been around people much at all, 'cause Oyaji'd moved around so much, and I was what you might call 'sheltered' about a lot of things as a result. So, when, just after I got to the city, I saw this girl who was wearing about half of nothing -- and that mostly torn -- all _I_ thought was, 'isn't that _cold_?' Nabiki sniggered and both Akane and Kasumi blushed. And when this guy came out of an alley (Ranma's grin turned crooked) and pushed her up against a wall, all I thought was that he shouldn't use that knife to make a girl cry like that. So I took the knife away from him and broke his arms in a couple places and ran him off. Then I went to see if the girl was alright. Her name turned out to be Masuda Kee, and she was half Japanese, a geisha -- well, a hitoyodzuma really -- and as far as _I_ could see, badly in need of someone to tell her to come in out of the rain. Now, at the time, I didn't know the difference between a geisha, a hitoyodzuma and a fish-seller; but I did know something about surviving on the road, and on the streets as well. As it turned out later, Kee-'moutochan did not, being of that temperament that fails to concentrate on business because it gets too caught up in its work. Nabiki was keeping her face straight with an effort, and Akane and Kasumi were reddening alarmingly, but Ranma merely grinned more crookedly yet. She had offended several of the local street trash by being insufficiently grateful for their 'protection' and had attracted far too much attention -- and customers -- for safety. So I appointed myself as her 'older' sibling, and began trying to figure out where to go to hook up with someone who could keep track of business for her, and put a roof over her head. In the process I managed to offend someone myself. This led to my inadvertently eating a plate of mushrooms that had been drenched in LSD and laced with about twenty grams of pure opium. Fortunately I didn't eat the whole thing, but it was enough to addict me badly, and the trip was .... (Ranma shuddered briefly) Kee-chan put me to bed and kept me off my feet when I was raving, long enough to work through the trip. And it turned out to be the solution to her problem, because she rented a room from -- and explained her problems to -- someone on the shady side who knew someone who knew someone who knew someone, who mentioned it to the okaasama of the Dream of the Jade Pagoda of the Golden Door of Infinite Bliss. Nabiki choked briefly, "The Dream of Jade? That's the best pleasure house in Hong Kong!" Ranma raised an eyebrow, "Why, yes it is Nabiki-san. And we're all wondering how it is you came to know that." Nabiki blushed, but held her chin up. "I keep my ear to the ground," she said, attempting to retain what was left of her dignity. "Of course you do," Ranma said, straight-faced, "that's perfectly sound business practice." Nabiki disdained to reply, and Ranma grinned and continued. Liang-okaasama decided that Lee-chan should go to work for her, since the best-- or at least most enthusiastic -- geisha in Hong Kong should obviously be working for the best pleasure house in Hong Kong. Or the other way 'round, depending. So that fixed Lee-imoutochan's problem, and provided me, after I recovered, with an opportunity to expand my education a bit. Ranma's eyes twinkled wickedly and Akane's blush expanded visibly. Kasumi, on the other hand, had achieved the determinedly unaffected countenance of one who Is Not Hearing This. Nabiki coughed, and squeaked "You mean...?" Ranma fixed her with a very speaking look, and asked, "What would _you_ have done? Besides, can you think of a _better_ time or place?" Nabiki muttered something about "twelve", but did not seem otherwise inclined to reply to this question. Akane was bravely fighting off unconsciousness from excessive blood drain to the face, but surprised herself with a giggle. Kasumi was still in the land of the selectively deaf, and therefore Ranma went on unhindered. That aside, however, and continuing with my story, it was at the Golden Door that I met Oniichan Kai. He was a genin for the Black Wave Yakuza, (Nabiki started) and he used to bring his wife and their daughter to the Golden Door's restaurant for dinner. He sort of adopted me at the time, and I always looked on him as the big brother I'd never had, and I was friends with Oneesan Asako too. Imoutochan Kaiko was my little sister along with Kee-chan and for a while there I thought that I'd found a family and wouldn't need to go anywhere else while I waited to beat up on Oyaji. I'd made contacts with the local Temples too, and I'd go to train there, or Kai-oniichan would use his contacts to get me some lessons with one of the wandering masters, or he'd train me himself, or Liang-okaasama would use her contacts or.... Ranma's eyes were fixed in time and space, looking at something far away. She sighed and a suspicious glimmer began to gather at the corner of her eye. I suppose I should have known better. Liang-okaasama had made the Golden Door a neutral ground in the Hong Kong underside and the city's major underworld clans were sort of united around it. Not so much in coalition, as in a mutual understanding that violence and unrest was bad for business. The Black Wave was one of the three most powerful Yakuza clans in the city, along with the Silver Skull and the Golden Sword, and they and the most powerful of the Triads enforced a sort of peace on the more ... 'established' parts of the underworld, as it were. Needless to say, some of the _less_ established parts were not too happy about that, and one day we found out that this guy named Master Po had organized a war. He had been a master in one of the older Triads, and was some kind of sorcerer too, so he had a fairish amount of support just on his own hook; and then he'd organized most of the little gangs and rings and such into an army, too. Alongside that, he'd made an alliance with the powers of Darkness, and he could command or bargain with the undead, so he had about 30 or 40 vampires as shock troops. Ranma put down her teacup and leaned forward, sighing again. The whole thing was very quiet, but it was also extremely ugly and for a while there we were hard pressed. But Kai-oniichan organized the enforcers of the major organizations into a counter-army, and the temple monks and priests made a bunch of peachwood swords and wards and things that the vampires couldn't handle, and I got the street-folk organized to use them and some basic weaponry and we killed all the vamps that didn't run and we drove the upstarts back to the wall. Then we were betrayed. Nabiki spoke up hesitantly, "Ranma-san, I'd heard some rumors about a big shake-up in one of the major Hong Kong clans a while back, but no one ever had any details. Could that have been...?" Ranma nodded, pricking tears. Oyabun Mikoji died very suddenly. It might have been natural, he was about 80, but I've always suspected that Po got to him somehow. I _know_ he got to others, 'cause Mikoji-dono's successor suddenly decided that Master Po had the secret to 'Eternal Life' and the Black Wave and the Fire Harmony Triad switched sides. Maybe Master Po was a vampire himself, and he turned the leaders, I don't know. What I do know is that suddenly the dead started rising up around our feet, vampires started coming out of the walls, and half our soldiers were on the other side all of a sudden and knew our plans to boot. Ranma shivered for a moment, eyes again far off. The only way out that I could see was to take Po down before he could consolidate, and hope that the shock dispelled all the zombies and things, or at least slowed them down. So I organized what I could get my hands on and we went through the front of their defenses. It helped that I'd gotten one of the zombies restrained, 'cause I showed the thing off to the Black Wave troops on that section and three fourths of them changed sides again. Anyway we broke the defense of Po's sanctum and went in to get him, but we discovered that he'd called all his proteges in for a conference, and they'd brought their guards. So we plowed into them, and when it was over the only two left standing were me and Kai-oniichan, who'd been commanding the guards. Akane gasped in sympathy, "Ranchan, why didn't he switch sides too? Didn't you tell him ...?" Ranma looked at her through gathering tears. "Because he was a Samurai, Acchan, and wouldn't leave his Lord's side." Akane nodded, eyes also dimmed by tears, and Ranma continued. So I knew Po and the others were just beyond him, and I knew he wouldn't get out of my way, and I knew I couldn't beat him. So I turned loose the cat, and the last thing I remember before I woke up in the middle of the pile of corpses that had used to be Master Po and his lieutenants and the traitors was batting Kai-oniichan out of the way, and he went through a wall trailing blood. Akane gathered Ranma to her, and the redhead nestled her face into her friend's shoulder for a long minute, silently weeping. When she regained control she sat back and wiped her eyes, and continued. We never did recover Oniichan's body, but the place had been pretty badly damaged in the fight and the whole thing burned down and exploded right after that, so that's not too surprising. Anyway I couldn't stay in the city after that, so I made what arrangements I could for Asako-oneesan and Kaiko-imoutochan, and got ready to leave. Then the Abbot of the Silver Mist Temple took me aside and told me that the they'd been guarding something for a couple centuries now, but he felt I was worthy and he wanted me to have it. (Ranma gestured at the amulet in the center of the circle.) Well, I didn't _feel_ worthy, but the Abbot said that it could help me find what I needed so I took it anyway. What it was, was the mirror set into that amulet there, and the Abbot said it was the, or maybe _a_, Nanban Mirror, and it was a magic mirror of travel. So I put it in my pack, and took some of the money I had, and came back to Tokyo at last. I was deeply depressed, still in shock, and had no idea what I was going to do with my life, or even if I should bother. I was thirteen years old. So, just after I got back, I took a trip to see Fuji-san. I was completely bummed out and seeing the happy people all around didn't help, and I had this stupid mirror in my pack and it wasn't doing anything at all. So I found this little clearing and took it out and yelled at it. It didn't do anything, and finally I started crying, and that was how I found out how it works. Akane frowned, "You mean...?" Yep. Tears. (Ranma nodded firmly) Tears or blood. Drop them onto the mirror and it'll take you away. _But_. You see that the Mirror's cracked? So sometimes it takes you where you ask to go. And _sometimes_ it takes you where you _want_ to go. And sometimes it takes you where you _need_ to go. And sometimes -- if you're unlucky -- it takes you where you _deserve_ to go. Nabiki asked "Can anyone use it?" as Akane overrode her with, "So where did it take you, Ranchan?" Ranma smirked and answered Nabiki first. "Maybe once, Nabiki-san, but not any more. I've spilled too much blood on it, and it'll only work for me until I die." And as to where it took me.... Well. I knew as soon as it happened that it had done _something_, but I didn't know _what_. So I started looking around, and I noticed that Fuji-san was smaller. Now I was standing in the same place and hadn't moved as far as I could tell, but still I could tell it wasn't the same place at all. So I started walking around, and I noticed that whether I'd moved or not some of the landmarks weren't there, and others were changed, and there wasn't any sign of people around at all. Eventually I found an open space in the woods, and followed that to a stream. I followed the stream along for a day or so, and finally broke out into a cleared field. Now I'd been seeing the right trees and plants for the area all around me, and Fuji-san was still there so I knew I must still be in Japan, but I also knew it wasn't _my_ Japan. So when I walked around the outer edge of the field and came in sight of the village the field was a part of and found that it was all primitive houses and stuff, and that the people in it were Ainu, I wasn't as surprised as I might have been otherwise. Nabiki started and Kasumi gasped, "Ainu! Near Fuji-san? Kami, how far back did you go?" From research I did later, Kasumi-san, (Ranma smiled her crooked smile) I figure about 2500 to 3000 years. Akane shook her head in shock and Ranma grinned at her. So I was walking along the edge of the field, not looking at the ground, and I trod on something and it dug into my foot. I picked it up, and took it into the village. Now the village didn't know what to do with me at all, and it didn't help that I was pissed off, but they figured that I must be a spirit or something and sent for the shaman. The shaman was a smart old bugger, and we figured out how to talk to each other a little bit. I asked him what the hell they thought they were doing to leave things like that out where they could bite people, and he said that it wasn't theirs. They just popped up, he said. They'd been made by somebody back at the dawn of time, and then they'd all gotten broke and scattered about when the world came to an end. Or something like that, anyway. So I said that if they gave me a place to sleep and some food I wouldn't be mad at them. So they shared what they had, which wasn't much, and it was good that they did, 'cause that night some bandit types came out of the forest and I had to run them off. I'd had to kill a couple of the bandits, (Ranma poured herself another cup of tea.) and the next morning I tried to talk to the shaman again. It turned out that the village didn't actually have anything to take except a little food, but the bandits would take anything they could get. Later that night I looked at the pottery piece I'd stepped on -- that's it on the back of the amulet -- and I noticed something. The piece had been broken off its pot when somebody hit it with an axe. If you look you can see the signs at the top. So I used the mirror to go back to Tokyo, and went to a museum. The guy I talked to there said it was a Jomon pot, and figured that it must be 5000 years old at least. And I sat down _that_ night and thought about it some more. And I realized that some poor guy had made this pot the best he could, cause he'd needed it for something. And some other bastard had come along and broken it, and probably killed the guy that made it too. And it had waited 2000 years in the ground so it could come up and bite my foot, so I would stay in a little village where little people lived who hardly had enough for their families to eat. And then another group of bastards had come out of the forest to break all _their_ stuff and kill _them_, but I'd stopped them instead. And I'd just come from 3000 years ahead of when those little people lived their lives in that little village; where I'd been living in a city with another group of little people trying to get on with their lives; and yet _another_ set of bastards had come out of the wilderness and tried to kill and mess up _them_, just so they could steal what _they_ had. And it came to me that, if I went wandering around living with groups of little people trying to get on with their lives long enough, probably any set of them that you cared to name was eventually going to have some set of bastards or other come out of the wilderness and try to kill them and break all their stuff so they could steal whatever they had. And if I was there, then I could stop them from doing it. And that was about as good a road to travel as I was ever going to get. So I took the mirror and had it mounted in the amulet, and had the guy put the pot-shard on the other side, to thank it for the lesson. And then I asked the mirror to take me to somewhere I could learn to become a protector, and cut my arm and bled on it, and off I went. Akane's eyes were bright and she leaned forward. "So where did youend up that time, Ranchan?" Well I ended up on top of a hill, and when I tried to get my bearings I tripped and rolled down it and when I reached the bottom of the hill I ended up at the feet of this tall, handsome, noble-looking guy with a samurai's swords and topknot and the clothing of a wandering ronin. Except he was a rabbit. And that was how I met Usagi. "W-wait just a minute, Ranchan. A rabbit?" Akane blinked in confusion. Ranma nodded. Usagi's world is basically Japan in 1620 CE or so, except most of the people are - what's the word? -- anthropomorphs! That's it. You know, human-shaped animals, like in a manga. So there's Bulls and Bears and Cats and Rabbits and Foxes .... Daimyo Noriyuki is a _Panda_ of all things, for instance. So, to continue, Usagi-dono, that's Miyamoto Usagi by the way, had been a samurai in the service of the Daimyo Mifune. Mifune was the enemy of Daimyo Hijiki, and about five or six years before I'd met them, in the last part of the battles for the Shogunate, they'd come to blows. Lord Mifune would probably have won, but Hijiki is a plotter, and he plotted well. Two of Mifune's allies turned traitor, along with one of his generals and the commander of his bodyguard. Usagi was away from his side acting as a courier at the time and he got back too late; Gunichi had run off and Lord Mifune was mortally injured. A samurai's loyalty doesn't end just because his lord is dead, and so Usagi wanders serving his master's cause as best he can as a ronin. Akane sniffed and wiped her eyes and Ranma smiled wistfully. It's all very sweet and touching and honorable, and Usagi-dono is handsome and noble and kind, so I was more than willing to follow him around and train with him. Nabiki grinned twistedly, "Get lucky?" Akane bopped her on the head. No, darn it! (Ranma pouted) There's such a thing as being _too_ noble. Although I see now that he was basically already taken anyway. And I did manage to retain _most_ of my dignity. But I learned a lot about combat, and honor, and the sword; and traveling with Usagi is good for putting polish on young warriors if it's good for nothing else. I met a number of his friends and acquaintances, and managed to spend a month or two with a few of them as well. After that, I left and used the mirror to go a few years later in our own Japan for a while and then jumped back and forth to here and there training in whatever Art was available wherever I went. But I would go back to the wanderer's road to check on my friends from time to time. Nabiki quirked an eyebrow. "Just to check, hmmm?" You get better adventures with Usagi and company around, and they _are_ my friends. Plus, to be honest, it's enormously liberating to be so free that the only thing that you have to worry about is if there's an inn in the direction you woke up facing, and that only because it's the direction you're walking now. At least until the first couple of times you spend a wet, cold, fireless night 'cause there _wasn't_ one, anyway. And that takes a while. Kasumi and Nabiki had acquired far-off looks, and Akane looked slightly wistful. "So what about Jei-san, Ranchan?" Jei's from Usagi's world of course. He used to be a samurai or some such. I ran into him several times and didn't enjoy any of the experiences, but they weren't like today. As for what he is? (Ranma bit her lip lightly.) The first couple of times I met him he seemed completely human, or wolf, or whatever. Mad as a monk in a morass, mind you, but human. He's always claimed to be the champion of the gods and such, but _which_ god he's never said. If he knows. Generally he speaks of a 'sacred mission',which always involves mayhem and slaughter of some type, and says that when he completes it he will be lifted up and granted divinity. He has before been shown to be fast, strong, damn good with a sword, deadly with a yari, tough, possessed of some kind of tracking sense if he's hunting you, and very hard to permanently kill -- he always seems to come back. Ranma rubbed her chin for a moment and considered. The first time I met him, he just started ranting and attacked me. Since I was with Usagi-dono and Tomoe-dono -- Noriyuki- sama's chief retainer -- at the time, that was a particularly stupid thing to do. It wasn't really much of a fight and we left him by the roadside, dead, as we thought at the time. He came back on us and kidnaped the son of the headmaster of Usagi-dono's old village to get Usagi-dono to fight him. Usagi-dono did, and sent him over a cliff with his yari in his side. The third time that I met him was the only time I ever managed to get close to Hijiki-yaro in a fight. Hijiki-yaro's not nearly the fighter that he is a plotter, and I nearly had him, but Jei-san came out of nowhere and saved the bastard. I cut Jei-san's heart in two for it, but I didn't get to see what happened to him after that, because Hijiki-yaro took advantage of my distraction and did this (Ranma indicated her throat, and the scar she bore there). Ranma tapped her chin with her index finger for a moment. The last time that I saw Jei-san before this morning ... Was about a year ago in my time-line. I had run into the little bugger unexpectedly, on the road, and had dueled with him a little. Then he broke off and started moving. I thought it was weird and pursued. It worked out that he'd been sent or moved by his patron or something, because about twenty miles away or so I ran into Usagi-dono. He was with Gennosuke-san and Zato-ino-san and about thirty or so Neko clan Ninja. They were preparing to assault this castle, the fortress of a moderately important lord named Tamakuro, and Jei had gone for the fortress like he'd been pulled by a string. Tamakuro-san, according to Usagi-dono and the leader of the ninja -- a warrior named Shingen -- had gathered together a store of about three hundred arquebuses and a couple tons of ammunition and was preparing to rebel against the Shogun. We found out later that Hijiki-yaro was behind it in some way, but as usual he didn't leave any evidence you could use. Anyway we attacked the place and broke through the wall. Usagi-dono went off hunting for Tomoe-dono, who was imprisoned there, and Gen and Zato-ino-san got pinned down holding off about half the garrison near the main gate. This left it up to Shingen-san and I to lead the ninja against the armory. We did alright for a while, but then Jei-san stuck his nose in. He smashed into the side of our assault and killed Shingen-san and a dozen or so ninja, which threw the rest into confusion, but then I went after him and chased him up into the fortress proper. Usagi-dono had found Tomoe-dono and he and she had rallied the ninja and mounted another assault on the armory; but Tamakuro-san had gained enough time to regroup and bring reinforcements to the central defense and they were driven back. In the meantime I had run into Jei-san and a samurai I knew to be one of Hijiki's chief knives preparing to lead more of the guards to trap the rest of our side inside the castle. I scattered the guards and got involved in a fight with Jei- san and Akkhoto-san that damn near killed me, but I maneuvered them into one spot in front of the central tower and called the dragon wind on them. _That_ time it worked -- it didn't this morning -- and Jei went down with the tower falling on top of him. About that time I got a very strong impulse to beat feet and so I did. Which turned out to be a good thing, 'cause something had struck a spark or something in the ammunition room and the whole damn place blew sky high. Now that was the first time that I knew A) that Jei had not only been mortally injured but had actually _died_, and, B) that the body was destroyed and not lost track of. Ranma paused for a moment and sipped the last of her tea. I don't really know how he got out of that, but his showing up _here_ just confirms what you could get from the fact that he showed up at all; which is that he has some _major_ supernatural backing. That, combined with the abilities, weaknesses and immunity to damage he showed this morning makes me think that he may have been turned into a Chiang Shih. That would mean that someone had done something to his higher 'hun' soul and then corrupted his 'po' soul ... or replaced it altogether, now that I think of it. He was definitely slower and less skilled than he should have been, which would fit, 'cause his 'body soul' would be messed up and wouldn't have all the same skill and 'feel' he'd be used to. He'd also be damn near impossible to permanently damage, which definitely fits. Normally you'd also expect him to be vulnerable to sunlight, but he obviously wasn't. This is probably due to the power he was throwing around - that green fire. It showed all the signs of being a serious yin ch'i manifestation, and from the way it acted I'm betting it was the main thing holding his body together. "Which would mean what?" Nabiki asked softly. Ranma's eyes were focused on the problem, rather than the girls. Which would mean that he was something closer to a demon than a Chiang Shih per se, Nabiki-san. He'd be using the body only as a means to move his power around and not really be connected to it at all .... (her eyes narrowed and her voice went soft). Not connected ... now that I think about it I didn't see any sign of his 'hun' soul at all did I? I cut out the 'po' soul and _it_ was in the heart instead of the lungs, but I didn't see the 'hun' at all. Which could mean that he was using the power to animate the body and the body to contain the power and the 'po' soul to control it all ... and that would explain why the body blew up like that when I took the soul out ... but the 'hun' soul had to be _somewhere_, and if it wasn't _there_ ... then he must have been given a way to run the body 'long-distance', as it were ... which would mean .... that _it_ might _not_ have been affected by the demise of the rest of his body .... which in turn would mean .... "Which would mean that he could come back, wouldn't it, Ranchan?" asked Akane very quietly. Ranma frowned worriedly. "Yeah, it would." Nabiki was also very quiet. "If it does come back, what can we do, Ranma-san?" Ranma's gaze was level. "You can hide, Nabiki-san. And if you can't hide, then you can run." She transferred her gaze to Akane, who met it levelly. "_You_, I'll work with, since I don't suppose I can convince you to be sensible and keep out of it." "No, Ranchan, you can't. As long as you're fighting it, I will be too." A quiet settled over Akane and Ranma, who were sitting with their gazes locked on each other's eyes. Nabiki and Kasumi quietly stood up, gathered up the tray and tea things and left the dojo. Eventually Ranma leaned forward and ran her thumb in a circle around Akane's forehead. "Marked with the sign. Just like me." Standing up, "Come on, Acchan, you haven't done anywhere near enough training yet." Akane moaned theatrically as she rose. "Ohhhh. My sensei's a bully." "All sensei are bullies, Acchan." Ranma bopped her on the head,"It's the notable trait of the type. Assume." "Oh, Kami." "Kumite." "Help." *Hsssh*, *shrk*, *th-thmp* *shrk* *hssh*. *rtch-THUMP*. "Ite!" "Slacker." "Bully." "Shirker. Assume." "Baka. Friends?" "Friends forever, I promise. Kumite." *Hssh*, *rtch-thp*, *th-thmp**shrk*, *thmp-thmp-SPLT* "Ite!" "Which does not, however, get you out of getting beat on." *rtch-thp*, *shrk-hshh-shrk-rtch*. "Wouldn't want it any other way." *th-thmp*, *shrk*, *thmp-thmp-THAP* *whhsh-rtch-THMP!* "HA!" "Good one." *THUMP-WHAP-WHAM* "Ite!" "Just don't get cocky." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Akane was seated in seiza in the middle of the dojo floor, eyes closed. Ranma knelt behind her with hands poised above her shoulders. "What am I trying to feel, Ranchan?" "You aren't trying to feel anything, Acchan; you're just trying to _feel_. If you try to anticipate _what_ to feel, you will feel falsely." "Now you sound like a koan," Akane said, crossly. "The master came to a yatai which was selling hot dogs. 'What do you want on your hot dog?' he was asked. 'Nothing,' he replied. Then the hot dog was enlightened." Her hands descended, slowly, to just outside Akane's theoretical peripheral vision, had her eyes been open, and around them a faint glow began to form. Akane snorted a giggle, then gasped. Suddenly, she was aware of senses she had never before known she had. All around her she sensed flows of energy; whirls and spirals and forms of intangible luminescence coexisted in her sight with the simple, everyday visions of floor and walls and dojo, and outside the dojo she could see/sense/hear/smell yet more. A flaming tidal wave of information and impressions seemed to pass over her, and she felt herself burn, as though every limb had been set afire. A wash of energy filled her; she could tell that it was her own, that in some sense it was _her_, yet it rebelled against her, fought her tooth and nail. She frantically searched for control, sought to reduce the tide of data to familiar forms and modes. In front of her she seemed to see a shadow, like a blanket to protect her from the fire, and she grasped at it desperately. It tore in her metaphorical hands and yet she somehow knew that it would heal itself, would cover her eyes and ears, would shelter them, if only she could open herself to it. She yearned for the protection the shadow blanket might offer, but how do you shelter under a blanket that tears if you touch it? Then she realized: you _ask_ it. And the shadow rolled over her, warm and enveloping. For a brief moment she welcomed the respite, and then the shadow resolved itself into visions. Ghosts long gone and barely remembered thronged her sight. Some trailed behind her like beads of light tracing out the necklace of her past; others swarmed throughout the dojo, carrying out the many roles of decades of dojo life. She saw her father's fading doppelgangers going through kata, her own following and growing taller as they did so; saw her mother bringing snacks, Kasumi playing about her feet; saw Nabiki strolling through in many guises, growing from a toddler into a teenager; saw swiftly vanishing traces which seemed to show the future, though how she could tell this she could not say. The milling horde of ghosts was no better than the waves of energy, overrunning her senses with too much input to survive. She tried to cry out, to scream, but she sensed the weak and desperate energies of the call smashed flat, drowned by the raging torrent of conflicting energies that surrounded her and foamed through her; drowned, as she was drowning; overcome, as she was overcome. Then the raging sensations weakened, parted, blew aside; she emerged into the prosaic world of normal sight and sound and touch like a diver from deep water. Slowly and cautiously she extracted herself from the sensations that had overwhelmed her, feeling them held back by a metaphorical wind generated by Ranma's softly glowing hands. Finally, she pulled the last of herself free with a sudden jerk; and wobbled painfully to her feet, staggering to the wall, where she sank down with a groan, putting her face in her hands. A soft footstep announced Ranma, who knelt at her side, putting her hand on Akane's shoulder. Weakly, Akane held up her head, turning her face to meet Ranma's gentle, sad smile. "Second birth, Acchan, and Third. Welcome to the _real_ world." "It hurt, Ranchan." Weakly and somewhat petulant, like a child who has been assured that a trip to the dentist involves candy. "Being born always does, in one sense or another. Rest awhile. You've started on a great journey, but you still have a long way to go." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- As the light of late afternoon slanted in from the west, and was obscured by gathering clouds, Nabiki was speaking with Kasumi and Ranma left Akane in the furo. Akane had entered into the spirit of the training with alacrity, and had become somewhat overheated as a result, thus returning to the bath. Ranma resumed her original clothing, which she had washed with the assistance of some mild techniques of shih manipulation and some minor magic, and returned to the hallway to speak to Kasumi. "Oh! Ranma-san, is your training with Akane-imoutochan going well?" Kasumi asked calmly. She worried about the questions Ranma's story had raised, of course, but she did so quietly. It would never do to question a guest's truthfulness, but some kind of satisfaction must be gained. Perhaps Nabiki could provide confirmation of some kind. "Very well, Kasumi-san. Exceedingly well, in fact. I retain the hope that Acchan will quickly rise to overtake my own skill level." (Nabiki and Kasumi shared a single thought, 'Nani!?') "But I did want to speak with you and Nabiki on a number of matters. The first of which involves her diet." "Oh, my! Will she be requiring special foods or drinks?" Kasumi was vaguely worried about this; Ranma-san had provided a significant fund towards household expenses, but if exotic foods were going to be joining the menu .... "No. In fact, just the reverse. A balanced and varied diet is best, but she _will_ be eating more than she has been; I would estimate about twice what was normal before." "Thank you for the warning, Ranma-san; I will adjust the amount I make accordingly," Kasumi said gravely. "Secondly," Ranma continued, "I will be involving Acchan in some activities that will be either odd-looking or even somewhat dangerous. I mention this because I am aware that the two of you have no particular reason to trust my judgement, nor any good way to acquire one. This is a problem that I wish to resolve quickly, and I would value any thoughts you might have on the matter." Kasumi winced, and Nabiki straightened. "I know," she said, "that we have to take your word for the conditions of Akane-chan's training, Ranma-san. I doubt if even Daddy has the experience to properly evaluate you in that area. The only thing I am concerned with is that your story is _so_ strange ...." "That you don't have any way to verify it. I understand, Nabiki-san." A pause as Ranma chewed her lip. "Tell me, Kasumi-san, have you begun preparations for dinner yet?" "Err. No, not really, Ranma-san. We don't usually eat until later." "Ah. Well, the problem is solved, then. Acchan will be coming out of the furo in a little while, and I've no doubt that she'll be hungry, so we'll simply go shopping. Yes." Ranma rubbed her chin. "You might want to change into kimonos, though." Nabiki and Kasumi blinked at the non-sequitur, 'Shopping?' but went off and changed anyway. When they returned they found Ranma with the Mirror in her hand, looking into it seriously. "Ahh, good," Ranma muttered, "the way is clear. Nabiki-san, Kasumi-san, I must be careful or you will over-shine me entirely." Kasumi blushed at the compliment, and Nabiki ahhed, "Ahh, Ranma-san, aren't you going to change too?" "Oh, no, they're used to me." "Oh, my," Kasumi said, "where are we going, Ranma-san?" "Well, I know a number of places," Ranma replied, "but I've a mood for Tai at the moment, so I thought we'd go to Okitsu." "Okitsu?" Nabiki queried, "That's a hundred miles away! Are you going to take a train just to get fish?" "Not a train, no," Ranma grinned, "and it's not miles we'll be traveling now." She raised the Mirror to chest height. "The past and future are the same, The present's merely but a game, A stage where players strut and stare, Nanban Mirror, take us _there_!" A breeze blew softly through the suddenly empty hall. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Akane stretched again, rubbing her hair dry with a towel. She had stayed in the tub for an indulgently long time, soaking off the bruises. Nonetheless, she could not remember a time when she had felt so good, or been so happy. She whistled happily as she dressed in the new clothes Ranma had gotten her, and indulged in a brief fantasy of training with Ranchan forever, getting better and better as the years passed and occasionally saving _her_ from some unspecified menace or other. In fact, she felt _so_ good that ... yes, she felt that she _could_ do it this time. She would go see if Kasumi was in the kitchen, and then ... she'd cook Ranchan a meal! And she'd get Kasumi to help, and _this_ time, damn it, it would _work_! She wandered out of the furo and went toward the kitchen. Then she heard Kasumi calling "Tadaima!" and wondered where Oneechan had gone out to. She went to see and found Kasumi, Nabiki, and Ranma in the dining room, unloading an array of packages wrapped in rice paper or in little boxes from which rose a whole raft of delicious aromas. "Ohh! You went off and got dinner without me! I wanted to help cook. Wait a second; Oneechan, why are you and Nabiki-oneechan in kimonos?" Nabiki and Kasumi only gave her slightly shell-shocked looks as they wobbled upstairs to change and Akane put her hands on her hips and turned to her friend. "Ranchan! What'd you do now?" "Well, after all, Acchan, you can't get good kuri-shioyaki or kuri-kinton except from Seikenji chestnuts _I_ don't think. And you certainly can't get fresh salt-steamed Tai except in Okitsu." Ranma placed the browned, salted chestnuts next to their boiled cousins in their honey- sweetened bath of yams as the centerpiece of a rapidly growing spread of foods in which large plates of filleted Sea Bream, from which a truly mouth-watering smell was rising, figured prominently. Later, around the table, Akane leaned back and patted her stomach. "I must admit, Ranchan, that you were right. I had no idea I could eat a whole plate of that Tai, but ...." She gestured to her empty plate indicatively. Even Soun had been coaxed from his lair, and had praised the foods exhaustively. It was, he said, a clear example of the superiority of the true Japanese spirit; as had been strong in ancient times. Kasumi and Nabiki just shuddered faintly, Ranma merely grinned. And ate a great deal of everything in sight too, of course. But that goes without saying, for Ranma. And Kasumi nibbled at another slice of kamo-no-kuwanamaki, licking the sweet sauce off the broiled duck. And Nabiki munched another half-dozen boiled chestnuts. And Akane eyed a plate of uzura-dango, wondering if the sweet quail patties could actually be made to fit in her stomach. And the clouds closed in above Nerima, as the sun went down. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- "What are we out here for, anyway, Ranchan? More clothing?" Akane leapt to another rooftop. The sky had darkened completely now, and the moon was hidden behind the ominous clouds, but streetlights provided adequate illumination. "No, no. We need to get some training supplies for the dojo though. And rectify a couple of glaring lapses in the armory, too. Now, if you were a criminal with a lot of money, where would you be? And if you say 'In the government,' Acchan, I'm going to hit you." "Hmm. Well, there's _something_ happening over there." "Let's take a look. Oh yes. Oh my yes, Acchan. That's a nice _big_ one. And in its natural habitat too, you'll notice. Let's sneak up on it, and see how it's doing, shall we?" "Oooh, oooh, can we lurk, instead, Ranchan? I've always wanted to lurk." "If you want, Acchan, we can even skulk." "Oooh, goody." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Akane vaulted over a leg sweep and kicked its perpetrator in the face as she went. Ranma's lessons of the day seemed to flow through her as she moved among the eight thugs she had chosen as her share, and bodies flew through the air, describing limp and sad rainbows in their haste to become one with the walls. A final slide sideways and twist, getting out of the way of a clumsy rush and intercepting it in the midriff with a backwards spin kick and it was done. Ranma's thugs, she noted, had been unconscious long enough to be half looted, already. 'Oh, well. Need to get faster, I guess. I wonder if that's a ki technique, or if it's some of her 'magic'? I suppose I should ask, at some point.' As they walked away from the heaps of unconscious bodies, Ranma remarked, "One million, forty thousand yen; that's only fifty thousand each. Pffff. Still, I guess you have to trade quality for quantity sometimes." "I still don't believe that street trash has so much cash on it, or such good stuff to fence, Ranchan." "It's the Ronin's Salvation, Acchan. Jobs may come, and patrons go, but street thugs shall be with us always; and if you ask them right, they're always willing to share." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- We are brief Summer lightning, We are swift as swallows' flight. We are sparks that spiral upwards, In the darkness of the night. We are frost upon the window, We won't pass this way again, In the end only love remains. They had fenced the loot, and spent some time finding the supplies Ranma wanted. Then they had moved deeper into the warren of Nerima's Ginza, seeking for weapon sellers. They had laughed and sung snatches of song; whistled and bought candy and snacks; ignored the gathering clouds. Then they had sent the merchandise to the dojo by delivery, and taken to the air. Well who scattered these diamonds, Through the vault of Heaven? Who drew the curve of the magpie's wing? The wind questioned, and the flame responded. The bonfire summoned,and the breeze answered. Who shaped your face, and what made you love me? Where is the heart of every living thing? The rising wind commanded, and the snapping flame obeyed. The blaze flamed higher, and the wind grew with it, and fed it, and drove it on before. Well, I guess I don't know, and I don't care either. Wind roused flame to life, dancing from rooftop to walltop, leaping empty air from power line to telephone pole; caroling across the sky, feet dancing on nothing at all but air. I know you love me, how could it not be? Flame drew wind's reply, flickering along a ridged roof, alighting a moment on the tip of the roof of a fake pagoda, before blazing across forty yards of open air to set a warehouse roof alive and singing. And I am yours, now and forever, Feeding now from each other's power. Flinging melody and harmony one to the other. Changing and exchanging the lead, to join again in rising triumph at the last ... 'Til my lips fall silent, and my eyes can't see. And the wind blew the flame into a wildfire... We are brief Summer lightning, We are swift as swallows' flight. We are sparks that spiral upwards, In the darkness of the night. And the wildfire whipped the wind into a storm. We are frost upon the window, We won't pass this way again, In the end Dear, only love remains. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- And later, in the hush after midnight, when both Ranma and Akane were long asleep, the clouds over Nerima opened, and the quiet rain began to fall. A still, silver curtain, walling off the near from the far; softening the silhouettes of wall and cornice; filling streams and watering parks and hedges; sending small animals into hiding, and pets into shelter; cleansing the stains in the yard of Furinkan and washing the blood away. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Next: Ranma and Akane: A Love Story Chapter 4: Tapestry of Shadows Part A: Requiem for Solo Voice Also look for the first RAALS Side Arc: Training Sequence, which occurs at about this time. 'Til Next, Eric Hallstrom 01/16/2001