Progeny
By Jeffrey Vasquez
Disclaimer:
The characters of Ranma ½ and Sailor Moon are the express
property of their
respective creators, or whoever is currently holding their leases.
I don't
own them, but I'm practicing for when I do!
The rest belong to me.
Author's note:
Things are going well! Thanks to everyone that has sent me
a review, and
for those of you who are hosting Progeny on your sites (or would
like to)
Please drop me a line so that I can get you the new chapters.
Thanks for
reading!
What has gone before:
Alot. Too much to really recap here.
**************
Near Saotome Dojo
Juuban
Ser-en-dip-i-ty, n. the faculty of making desirable discoveries by accident.
Also known as: happenstance, a twist of fate, etc.
Ant: coincidence, luck, fluke, etc.
Intrinsically tied to Fate, Destiny, and the Kharmatic Order
of the
Universe.
There are those that believe that there is no such thing as
coincidence.
They believe that all things happen because they are meant to
happen. In
someway they would be correct, yet on the flip side there are
things that
happen just because.
In the case of a young orphaned woman, traveling with a group
of her
friends...well, her life it seemed was ruled by Fate. She had
also seen more
than enough serendipitous events in her short life, not to discount
Destiny.
She just wondered when Fate and Destiny were going to bring her
a hunky boy
to share her life with.
Tonight Fate was going to bless her with a beautiful gift.
It might not be
the boy that she wanted, but it was going to be someone almost
as good..
**************
Makoto felt an uneasy sense of déjà vu as she
walked down the street with
Dr. Mizuno and her friends. Everything felt oddly familiar as
she passed
signs and shops, almost as if she had been down this street many
times
before.
Usagi had coaxed Ami out of her stupor, by giving her rather
rousing (if not
wholly accurate) recount of their rescue. Yuriko didn't even
bat an eye
when Usagi came to the part about him glowing, or at the end
when he
supposedly jumped up two stories from a dead stand still. If
Ami hadn't
confirmed it, Makoto would have chalked that part up to Usagi's
flare for
drama. Ami was still a little suspect though.
If some really hunky boy had just come to her rescue and swept
her off of
her feet, she didn't think that she would be all that coherent
either.
Makoto sighed, wondering when it would be her turn. She was so
lost in
thought that she nearly plowed into Yuriko as the woman stopped
before a
gate.
"Well ladies, here we are." Yuriko fussed a bit
with the collar of Ami's
blouse, much to her daughter's silent annoyance. "Is everyone
ready?"
Usagi seemed to glow with eagerness, but Ami looked like she
was about to
bolt. Makoto couldn't say that she blamed her; looking up at
the sign above
the gate, the tall young woman felt a chill run down her spine.
Bittersweet memories flooded her mind as she studied the faded
wood of the
gate: memories of a beautiful woman that she had wanted more
than anything
to be her new mother.
*********
Marut had found them easy enough. The purity of their magic
stood out like
a beacon in this gray, technological world. The only question
now, was how
to proceed. Indra's orders had been explicit: watch, nothing
more and
nothing less. But in light of who he had discovered, the leopard-headed
Rhakshasa wondered if that was even possible.
The Rhakshasa were known to take many forms, and legend had
it that they
could not be harmed by conventional means. Magic however, was
very
effective in damaging them; so much so in fact, that such wounds
once
inflicted, could not be healed.
Marut had come to understand this fact intimately, when a
young Senshi of
Mercury had faced off against him. Her weapon had scarred him
for eternity
leaving a jagged, never healing wound on his beautiful face.
His right eye
was forever blind, and forever experiencing the pain she had
inflicted upon
him when the wound was made.
He loathed her, and everything that she stood for. Were it
not for the
tenuous orders that bound him, the beast would have long since
taken her
heart. Or so he told himself. In truth, it was the presence of
Jupiter and
Serenity's whelp that kept the demon at bay.
There would come a time, when she was alone preferably, that
he would
arrange for an accident to befall the Ice Witch. He smiled hungrily
at the
thought.
********
Nerima
"Mirror, mirror."
Nabiki stared into the hand mirror and examined her almond-shaped
eyes.
Their hazel color seemed more vibrant than it had been.deeper
and keener in
more ways than they should have been. They reminded her of deep
forests,
and secret places that time could not touch. It was terribly
unnerving.
For eighteen years, she had woken up and been greeted by a
pretty, human
face in the mirror. The face that looked back at her now wasn't
the one
that she had grown up with. There were familiarities though:
the shape was
vaguely the same, though a tad leaner than she remembered. Her
trademark
grin remained, although her lips seemed a bit fuller. Yet for
all the
familiarity, the elf woman in the looking glass was a stranger.
"Who are you?" She whispered. Her ears twitched
subconsciously as she
settled her chin atop her hands.
She felt like an alien inside her own body.
"A beautiful young woman named Nabiki Tendo." Kasumi
said matter-of-factly,
setting a bundle of folded laundry on the bed.
Nabiki exploded. "How can you be so damn calm about this?"
"Do you have to ask?" Kasumi smiled. She stared
at her sister for a moment
and then shrugged.
After having lived with an aquatransexual and being subject
to all of the
insanity that followed Ranma, Nabiki could see her point....
Still...
"I talked with Mrs. Harada's dog tonight." Nabiki
said casually. Kasumi
nodded and started hanging some of Nabiki's clothes up.
"What did he have to say?" Nabiki shook her head.
Leave it to Kasumi to
take everything in stride.
"He complained about all the noise. Then he started ragging
on Ranma, and
asking after Akane."
"Well, he is an older dog Nabiki. The noise must hurt
his ears." Nabiki
couldn't help herself. She burst out laughing. Kasumi paused
and looked at
her sister with a raised eyebrow. "Did I say something funny?"
Nabiki did her best to calm the giggles, but for a full minute,
found that
she could only wave at her big sister. When she finally brought
herself
under control, the pointy-eared Tendo, smiled lovingly at her
sister.
"Has anyone told you how great you are?"
Kasumi blushed and resumed her task. "I don't feel so
great." She
whispered.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Kasumi paused again and sat herself down on the corner of
the bed. She
studied her little sister for a very long time before sighing
and standing
up again.
"Oh, no you don't. I'm not letting you get away with that. What is it?"
Kasumi began to wring her hands in her apron, and shook her
head. Nabiki
was afraid that Kasumi was going to close up again, but the oldest
Tendo
daughter slumped back to her seat on the bed.
Nabiki could read the posture well enough; not to mention
the errant
thoughts that were slowly seeping through the heavy mental wall
that she had
erected.
"I can't believe it!" Kasumi's eyes widened. "You're jealous!"
Kasumi blushed and her agitation grew. "Not at all. That's preposterous!"
"Don't even try denying it Sis. It's written all over
your face." Nabiki
nudged Kasumi playfully.
"Well, okay. Maybe a little." She smoothed her apron
absently, trying her
best to avoid looking at Nabiki.
"Incredible." Nabiki said shaking her head.
"What?" Kasumi looked up at her sister curiously.
Nabiki stood and moved over to the full-length mirror on her
door. The
expression on her face was carefully neutral, but she couldn't
hide the
dissatisfaction in her eyes.
"I can't believe that you're jealous of this." She
gestured at the stranger
staring back at her in the mirror. Kasumi smiled and moved up
behind her
sister, resting her arms lightly on Nabiki's shoulders. "I
can't even go
out in public any more! My career is shot! What's there to envy?"
Her
ears seemed to wilt with her mood.
"Well now, let's look at this picture. Shall we?"
The elder Tendo daughter
ran a delicate finger over Nabiki's right ear. "Number one:
you can
converse intelligently with animals. Number two: You've got a
better figure
than Shampoo ever thought of having."
Nabiki blushed a bit but consented the point. She had shed
fifteen pounds
and it was all in the right places, and her body had sculpted
itself to near
perfection. She turned slightly, appraising herself in the mirror.
"Number three:" Kasumi said quietly, returning to
her seat on the bed.
"Since becoming Ranma's fiancée you've had more adventures
than I will ever
experience in my lifetime."
Nabiki could only stare at Kasumi for a long time. More of
her sister's
secret thoughts began seeping into her mind. Dreams, fantasies,
and quiet
regrets; but none impacted the Huntress more than the lack of
freedom that
Kasumi's heart yearned for. Being shackled to the sidelines,
while she
played the responsible one. Couldn't they see that she wanted
to be in on
the fun too?
"Careful what you wish for Kasumi-chan." She couldn't
suppress the shudder
that went through her body. "Careful what you wish for."
*********
Saotome Dojo
Juuban
"Welcome to our home." Nodoka's smile was warm and
welcoming as she opened
the door to admit her guests. Yuriko's grin was a giddy mix of
silliness and
excitement that made Nodoka want to laugh. The group of women
bowed
politely, as Nodoka ushered them into the house.
Yuriko entered first, leading the procession. As she passed
Nodoka, she
gave her friend a warm hug of greeting. Ami followed demurely,
carrying a
small present; and Nodoka made it a point to hug the young woman
as well.
"Ami-chan you've become such a lovely young woman!"
She said, pushing the
young woman out to arm's length. "The last time I saw you,
you were still
wearing overalls and making sand castles!"
"Thank you Auntie." Ami blushed as Usagi giggled
behind her, but took
everything in stride. Nodoka looked a little ashamed, and quickly
changed
the subject before she embarrassed Ami further.
"Please, introduce me to your friends." Ami was
more than relieved to
direct everyone's attention onto someone else.
"This is Usagi Tsukino Auntie," Usagi bowed politely,
smiling brightly.
Nodoka returned the gesture and smile, then turned her attention
to the
second young woman. ".And this is Makoto Kino. Both attend
classes with me
at Juuban High School."
Nodoka's eyes grew wide as the name registered. She examined
Makoto from
head to toe, finally settling on the bright teary eyes that smiled
back at
her.
"Ayame-chan?" Her throat was constricted and so
the words tumbled out in a
whisper. Makoto nodded and bit her lip in order to keep from
losing what
little control she had left. Nodoka reached up to touch the young
woman's
face, to be sure that she wasn't dreaming.
Behind her Usagi and Ami looked at Yuriko who simply shrugged.
The good
doctor had no idea what was.. Wait a minute. "Ayame-chan?"
Recognition
hit home immediately. How could she have been so blind? She laughed
happily, causing everyone to jump. Nodoka and Makoto looked at
each other,
then looked at Yuriko. There was a moment of silence, as all
three seemed
to share some private revelation, before the laughter started
anew.
"What's going on?" Usagi asked Ami plaintively.
She hated feeling left
out.
Ami shrugged her shoulders and smiled happily. "Something
good." She
sighed and settled herself on the step that led into the house,
watching the
scene unfold. She smiled at the three women and rested her elbows
on her
knees. Her chin plunked down to rest in her palms as she watched
the
reunion. Usagi plopped down beside her, mimicking Ami's posture.
"What did I miss?"
A sudden chill swept down Ami's neck and back, causing her
to shiver
uncontrollably. Usagi shrieked and leapt off her seat, backpedaling
until
Yuriko was forced to catch and steady her. Ami looked up slowly,
and met a
pair of blue gray eyes that had started to haunt her dreams.
**************
Ranma looked down at the young woman seated on the steps and
stiffened
immediately. He had long ago learned not to believe in coincidences,
and
the fact that he had met up with this same girl, three times
in so many
days.well, it was a sign of sorts.
He wasn't sure if it was a good sign, but it was still a sign.
The young martial artist tugged at the low collar of his black
silk shirt,
and took a deep breath. Okay, two girls from yesterday, plus
a third that
he wasn't familiar with yet; not exactly okay in his book, but
manageable.
The fact that one of these girls was Mizuno-san's daughter.now
that was
cause for worry. Mothers tended to like window-shopping for husbands,
and
Mizuno-san had been giving him "the eye" the other
night. Pieces started to
fall into place.a bad sign. Best to find out who the girl was
and set this
whole thing straight as soon as possible. The blonde girl bore
no
resemblance whatsoever, so she was out. The tall girl didn't
have the
build, and the facial structure was all wrong.
Which left one person.
A really eerie chill ran down his spine as he looked down
at Ami. She
smiled demurely and blushed, but for some reason she didn't look
away.almost
as if she couldn't..
Oh, crap.
Ranma swallowed visibly and smiled back. A vague memory surged
to the
forefront of his mind, giving him the most disturbing feeling
that he knew
this girl. Something about a library..
He looked to his mother, Dr. Mizuno, and the other girls;
everyone blinked
once, twice, three times. It was such an eerie impasse, that
Ranma decided
that it would be in his best interest to simply make himself
scarce; the
small room was so full of estrogen at the moment, that he feared
they would
somehow trigger his curse without even resorting to cold water.
Yup. Definitely time for the Saotome Final Attack.
He smiled at them, they smiled back, and then he pointed to the kitchen.
"I'll finish setting the table."
Everyone nodded, watching him depart.
Nodoka shook her head and sighed. "Ranma, Ranma.the dining
room is the
other way." Ami looked to Usagi, and both exploded into
fit of giggles.
**************
Hikawa Jinja
Rei sat before the Great Fire and chanted the prayer. The
flames seemed to
sense her agitation, and danced wildly in the fire pit. She had
been at
this for over an hour now, and her voice was weak and raw with
the effort.
Setsuna had set her the task of looking for the aftermath
of Ur's actions,
rather than find the man himself. It was draining to see all
the
destruction, especially of the village of women that the Rhakshasa
had
destroyed.
"How much longer shall we look?" Michiru said calmly,
looking into her
mirror.
"Until I see some pattern that we can exploit." Setsuna said coolly.
Haruka snorted and took hold of Hotaru's hand. The little
girl that had
grown much over the last two years and looked more like a sixteen
year old,
than the thirteen year old that she was.
"Call us when you find something worth while." Haruka
called over her
shoulder. "Hotaru-chan and I are going for something to
eat."
"Traitors." Michiru mock pouted. Hotaru smiled at
the aqua-haired woman
and waved, knowing full well that there was no way that she could
get out of
going. Haruka for her part grinned at her lover and blew her
a kiss.
The pair almost made it through the door, when Rei screamed
and threw her
head back in agony. The fire before her collapsed in on itself,
plunging
the room into complete darkness. Setsuna scrambled over to Rei's
side
immediately, and placed her fingers on the young Miko's wrist
to check for a
pulse. The green-haired woman hissed and drew her hand away from
the young
priestess.
"Is she alright?" Hotaru asked quietly.
"Her skin feels like a burning coal." Setsuna whispered.
As if on cue, Rei
's clothing burst into flames, immolating them. A high-pitched
bird's cry
echoed throughout the hall, then sounded a second and third time.
There was
a rush of air then a sudden stillness that made everyone nervous.
Michiru tackled Setsuna away from Rei's prone body, just as
a fountain of
flames erupted from Rei's naked body. The fire danced above her
for a
moment, forming itself into a highly detailed bird of flame,
before jumping
back into the fire pit. Soon the flames had returned to normal,
leaving Rei
to shiver on the floor from a slight draft coming through the
open door.
Setsuna looked up to Haruka and Hotaru. "Go to Rei's
room and get as many
blankets as you can." Hotaru disappeared immediately.
When Haruka had left, Setsuna began stripping.
"What are you doing?" Michiru said in confusion.
"The fire's stolen most of her heat. If we don't hurry,
hypothermia will
set in." Michiru blinked. "Well?" Setsuna said
crossly as she slid out of
her long skirt. "Hurry up! Do you want her to die?"
Michiru blinked once more, the calmly began to disrobe. When
both were down
to their underwear, they sandwiched Rei between them and draped
their
clothing over them.
"What was that all about?" Michiru asked when they
had finally settled
themselves. Setsuna was rubbing Rei's arms to get the blood moving
a little
faster.
"Phoenix Mountain." Michiru blinked, uncomprehending.
Setsuna sighed,
wishing that her teammates had full access to their memories.
"There used to be many kingdoms under Serenity's rule,
all of them scattered
across the solar system, residing on the planets that we represent.
Each
world had its own nations, many of which you would deem mythical:
Mercury's
most notable was the Horus, a class of winged Demi-Human that
relished the
heat that the planet naturally provided."
Michiru was fascinated, and began to wonder what denizens
had lived on
Neptune.
"The Horus, like many of the other planetary races worshipped
their princess
as a goddess, with Serenity being the Great Mother of all."
Setsuna wrapped
her arms tighter around Rei, motioning for Michiru to mimic her.
The
elegant woman complied.
"Ra was their last king, and in an effort to further
his goddess' influence,
he set up colonies throughout the solar system. On Earth, most
of what is
now Egypt was under the governorship of Ra's middle son, Saffron.
When Meta
'lla was freed, and Beryl's army advanced, Saffron himself wiped
out a full
legion of the Witch's forces, then was driven to retreat with
what little
remained of his people to a mountain in Northeastern China."
Michiru was fascinated beyond words.
"The most interesting aspect of the Horus was their immortality.
They were
literally a race of phoenix.dying, only to be reborn from the
ashes of the
old. Saffron has been alive, and along with a few other appointees,
guarding Ur's prison." She sighed. "It seems that Prince
Saffron has died
and been reborn again."
"Well," Michiru said hopefully. "This is good
news, right? We have an
ally against Ur and these demons of his."
Setsuna shook her head. "Not as simple as that. Saffron
has since become a
little.unbalanced." Michiru groaned. Setsuna fixed her with
a cold glare.
"You try living ten thousand years in the main time stream,
and see how
stable you remain. The Horus has lived countless life times.
After a
while, it starts to weigh on you."
Michiru blushed and shifted self-consciously.
"Eeep!" Hotaru squeaked from the doorway, dropping
her load of blankets
into a massive pile at her feet.
"Hotaru! Come on!" Haruka growled from behind. Another
large pile of
blankets started nudging the girl forward, even as she tried
to pick up all
the spilt blankets.
"Drape the blankets over us, then strip and join us." Setsuna ordered.
Haruka's tower of linen toppled. She and Hotaru simply stood
in the
doorway, frozen. Both women looked at each other and blinked.
"I had a dream about this once." Haruka said with a blush.
Hotaru and Michiru snickered.
"Haruka," Setsuna's voice seemed to drop the room's temperature.
"Yeeesss?" The shorthaired blonde said as she pulled
Hotaru over to blanket
the trio on the floor.
"Shut up and do as your told." Setsuna was all but growling.
"Kinky." Haruka purred.
By the glare that Michiru offered Haruka, the racer knew that
her lover wasn't
enjoying her jokes as much as she was.
*********
Pheonix Mountain
Indra staggered out of the rubble of Phoenix Mountain. It
was evening, which
made him wonder just how much time had passed. It didn't matter
in the end,
Ur was going to be terribly displeased regardless. The Hunt leader
began
collecting the straggling remains of his people.
The Adityas, what was left of them, were all noticeably injured,
save for
one figure: Yama. Mitra was dead, Dhatri was blind, and Daksha,
Varuna, and
Ravi are nowhere to be found. A full three quarters of their
force is dead
and gone.
"RAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Indra threw back his tiger's
head and vented his
outrage on the hapless stones that littered the ground around
him. Great
slabs of granite exploded showering the monster and kicking up
a huge cloud
of dust and debris. The devastation lasted only moments, but
the effects
hung in the air like a funeral shroud.
"Temper, temper." A deep, guttural voice whispered from behind Indra.
Indra growled at the sound of the voice, and slowly turned
to face the
Rhakshasa. ".Yama." Savitri and Surya instantly appeared
at Indra's side.
"Are you finished yet, or should I come back latter?"
The bull headed beast
looked down upon his brothers disparagingly; his body held no
evidence of
damage or dirt.
"YAMA!"
"Such drama brother! Such passion! Perhaps you should
have been a Kisseki
Dancer instead of a General." Yama growled as he casually
stepped through
the debris and dust. "Our brothers might still be alive."
"TRAITOR!"
Indra threw himself bodily at the bull-headed Rhakshasa, intent
on
destroying Yama. The ground shook with the fury of his passing,
but the
tiger-headed demon was stopped within a foot of his tormentor
Savitri and
Surya. His burnt fur caused the horse-headed twins to turn their
heads away
in disgust.
"Do not seek to push your failures off on me whelp!"
The beast rumbled.
"Your plan failed and cost us dearly."
"BECAUSE OF YOU!" Indra roared.
"Enough in-fighting!" Dhatri chastened. The beast's
head was a mangled mess,
and no longer resembled anything remotely like the Eagle's head
that he had
worn before. "Ur calls us to report."
Yama reached forth one massive hand and clutched Indra by
the throat. "Your
Master calls whelp. Go lick his boots." Savitri and Surya
immediately
released their hold on Indra, allowing the demon the opportunity
to rake his
deadly claws up Yama's midsection violently. Blood sprayed the
ground and
hissed evilly, blackening the dirt with its poison.
Yama howled enraged and raised his fist to crush Indra, only
to be held at
bay by while Ansa, Aryman, and Bhaga. Indra's ears flattened
against his
skull and his eyes began to fade to black pits.
"You tempt a war whelp." Yama snorted. "A war
that you cannot hope to
win." A flash of black fire burned the three Rhashasa restraining
Yama, and
then the bull-headed demon was gone.
"I may not live through it Yama, but I will see you dead before I fall."
"Ur calls Indra." Savitri whispered. "We must
go before Yama can undermine
us in the Master's eyes."
"So be it." Indra hissed and then the remaining
Rhakshasa vanished in their
own pillars of black fire.
None of the beasts noticed the group of winged forms pulling
themselves from
the rubble a few hundred meters up wind. Kiima carefully waited
before
dragging the fully-grown form of her king from beneath a large
stone.
"How is he?" Jhuy, one of Saffron's elite asked with concern.
"Asleep, nothing more." Kiima assured. "How are you and the others?"
"Bruised. A bit singed, but nothing more."
"Good. Take Fehi and scout for survivors. We must be
ready to move in an
hour regardless." The warrior nodded and immediately took
off.
"They may have left someone to watch for survivors Lady
Kiima." Luong, a
grizzled veteran of Saffron's guard moved forward and helped
her lay their
monarch out flat.
"That is my hope Luong." She smoothed back Saffron's
hair and sighed. "If
a small contingent were to act as decoys, then the rest of the
survivors can
move Lord Saffron to safety." The grizzled soldier frowned
but made no
comment. "Speak your mind warrior." Kiima was open
to suggestions, to
keeping the bulk of her people alive.
"A foolish and wasteful plan Lady." He grumbled.
"Dividing ourselves into
smaller numbers may not be such a bad way to go, but to send
a group out as
a decoy is murderous."
"What are you suggesting then?" She asked quietly.
"Pick a place that we might rendezvous and then separate
into groups no
greater than five." He made a scurrying gesture with his
hands. "The
smaller the group increases the chance of survival. A hundred
tiny groups
are a lot harder to track than two or three large groups. It
would ensure a
larger number of people saved in the end."
"He is correct Kiima." Saffron's voice was weak and tired, but was assured.
"My Lord!" Kiima and Luong bowed their heads reverently.
"Stop prostrating before me." He said quietly. "I
do not deserve your
reverence."
Kiima and Luong shared a worried glance, then turned their
attentions back
to Saffron.
"Look about you." The king gestured. "There
are no fires of rebirth!"
Luong's brow furrowed, not understanding. Kiima herself felt
confused,
which only heightened Saffron's depression. "I have killed
my people! The
Horus have forgotten their eternal natures!"
"My lord! I do not understand.." Kiima looked at
Saffron directly, hoping
to catch a glimpse of his meaning. All that she found there was
a deep
self-loathing.
"Of course you do not." He said bitingly. "But
in the name of Isis I will
teach you!" Saffron pushed himself to a sitting position,
and clutched his
head against the sudden vertigo.
"Gather the survivors Luong, and see to it that they
are paired in groups of
six. One healthy body for each of the injured." Saffron
settled himself
back on his hands and breathed deeply. "Send them off immediately."
Luong bowed. "Their destination sir?"
"Tokyo. That is where Isis is, and that is where we shall
find Hope."
**************
Saotome Home
Dinner was a quiet, yet tense affair that had Ranma on his
toes the entire
time. Dr. Mizuno kept staring back and forth between him and
her daughter
the entire time, confirming his earlier suspicions. It wouldn't
have been
so bad if had been just her, but the blonde chick from the night
before was
doing the same thing.
Then of course there was Ami herself, so cute and self-conscious,
sneaking
glances every no and then. Ranma had caught her three times now,
and each
time their eyes met he felt his heart skip a beat. The feeling
that he had
met her before the train station grew each time she laughed,
or when she
would pull her hair behind her ear. It was really starting to
creep him
out.
The of course there was that Makoto chick. She was the only
one that
offered him any familiar ground at all. She didn't hide her dark
looks, or
disapproving glaring at all. It was a hostility that made him
feel...well,
at home.
Damn. He must be more screwed up than he thought.
It wasn't as if he didn't deserve the grief. This was the
girl that got
jilted out of a loving home because of him. He didn't know the
rest of her
story, but he could tell that she resented him for being here.
He hated fighting a battle on so many fronts.
"So tell me Ranma." Makoto's voice was cold as a
winter breeze. "Why'd you
come back?"
"Makoto!" Ami looked at her friend scandalized.
Usagi gasped and Yuriko
looked at Nodoka who simply sipped her tea in silence. Ranma
almost smiled
at the bluntness of the question, as he set his glass down.
"Does it matter?" He asked quietly. "I'm here now."
"It sure as Hell matters you insensitive Jerk!"
Makoto said coldly. "Do
you have any idea how much your mother suffered without you here!"
Ranma
had the decency to lower his head in shame.
"Makoto! That's enough!" Ami said. Usagi just bit
her napkin
uncomfortably.
"It is not enough Ami! Do you know how many times Saotome-san
cried herself
to sleep over this guy and his dad?" Ranma made no move
to defend himself.
"Everyone suffers Ayame-chan." Nodoka's voice was
quiet, and filled with a
deep understanding that made Ranma wince. He drained his glass
of water and
clutched it tightly to keep control of the pain. The loaded statement
silenced Makoto's protest even before it found its voice.
"Please do not judge Ranma too harshly."
Ranma's glass shattered in his hand at the pity in his mother's
voice, and
the overwhelming emptiness in his soul. He wanted scream and
yell, but kept
everything silent.silent as death.
He felt someone tugging lightly on his arm and looked over
at Ami's
concerned face. He blinked a few times before the pain registered
in his
palm. He looked down at the gash dumbly and sighed. Yuriko immediately
stood and moved to her daughter's side to look at the wound as
Ami gently
began to pick out the glass.
Ranma couldn't help but marvel at how soft and gentle her
hands felt. Her
skin was cool against his, and her brow was furrowed in deep
concentration
as she carefully cleaned the glass from the bloody gash. Usagi
took one
look at the red liquid and turned white, before turning herself
away.
"Sorry Mom." He said sheepishly. "I better go clean this up."
Nodoka's concern melted away at Ranma's nonchalant attitude
and smiled in
understanding. Makoto blinked at Ranma, then looked at Nodoka,
who merely
patted her arm softly.
"Come on Bruiser." Yuriko said softly. "Let's
see how many stitches this
is going to take." Ranma winced and sighed. The doctor smiled
at how Ami
refused to let go of the boy's hand as the led him to the kitchen.
When the trio were gone from the room, Usagi slapped Makoto
upside the back
of her head.
"Ow! What was that for?" She demanded.
"And people call me dense!" She hissed.
"Girls please." Nodoka's voice was quiet, but firm,
causing both young
women to calm themselves. "It's best that this comes out
now, rather than
fester."
Makoto didn't quite know what to think of that, but held her
peace. She
didn't think much of Ranma, and if she opened her mouth again.well,
there
was no telling what might come out.
"Saotome-san?" Usagi's timid voice broke the moment of silence.
"Yes Usagi-chan?"
"Why does Ranma-kun look so sad?" Makoto looked
at her friend, genuinely
puzzled. Had he looked sad? She couldn't remember.
Nodoka looked towards the kitchen and took a deep breath.
"That is Ranma's
story to share Usagi-chan." She sipped her tea quietly for
a moment, before
looking directly at Makoto. "But suffice it to say, that
Ranma has suffered
greater loss than I ever did."
**************
Ami was so focused on Ranma's hand that she barely registered
her mother's
presence at all. It was so strong and callused, yet she knew
from
experience how gentle his touch could be. She felt Ranma tug
gently, trying
to get his hand back.
"Hold still please." She said firmly. "There's
just one more piece."
Ranma winced as she pressed on the wound enough to push the piece
to the
surface.
"Gently Ami." Yuriko chided. "You don't want
to make the cut worse by
stressing the wound."
Ami pursed her lips and furrowed her brow. Her mother was
right of course.
She reached for the damp, bloody dishtowel and dabbed at the
wound gently,
soaking up the blood.
"Look, you're gonna get your blouse all messed up."
Ranma protested. "This
is nothin' ta worry about. Just let me get the first aid kit,
and
everything'll be fine."
"Good idea." Yuriko patted Ranma on the shoulder,
affectionately and
smiled. "Tell me where it's at and I'll bring it down."
Ranma slumped dejectedly and pointed back towards the dining
room. It had
been worth a try, but he should have known better. No use fighting
it,
sooner or later he'd get stuck alone with Ami. Might as well
be now, before
she got any funny ideas.
"Mom can tell ya."
Yuriko patted Ami on the shoulder and winked, causing Ami to
blush and focus
on Ranma's hand again. On her way out, the doctor gave her daughter
a
furious thumbs up, before disappearing through the door.
Ami did her best to ignore the gesture.
Yuriko popped her head back into the kitchen just long enough
to leave some
parting advice. "Make sure you wash the cut out again Ami."
And while she
had her daughter's attention, she added a silent and emphatic
"Talk to him!"
for good measure.
Ranma tried to retrieve his hand again, but Ami refused to
let go. "Please
Saotome-san. Try not to move so much."
"It's just a scratch." Ranma said with a smirk.
Ami sniffed at Ranma's machismo. "A scratch that could easily scar."
"I've got lots of those." Ranma shrugged. "What's one more."
Ami rolled her eyes and picked up the bowl of warm, red water
and glided
over to the sink where she dumped it. Ranma couldn't help but
notice how
smoothly she walked, or the graceful way that her skirt swayed
back and
forth.
Ranma shook his head and looked at the refrigerator. It was
jam packed with
colored scribbles and childish drawings. Yet another reminder
of his sins.
"Your mother is a wonderful woman." Ami said from
the sink. She held a
hand under the tap, testing the water's temperature.
"Huh?" Ranma turned his attention back to the young
woman. Ami smiled and
shook her head.
"Auntie. She's wonderful."
Ranma nodded and smiled. "She's more than that."
Ami started filling the bowl, nodding. After a moment, she
dumped the water
and looked at Ranma. For a time she seemed to lose herself, simply
staring
at him.almost as if she were remembering something from long
ago. Her brow
furrowed.
"What?" He said nervously. His statement seemed
to jot her from her
reverie.
"N.nothing." She stammered, returning her attention
to filling the bowl
with clean water.
"C'mon. A girl doesn't give a guy that kind of look for
nothin'." Ranma
scooted to the edge of his chair and grinned roguishly. "Spill."
"Really it's nothing." Ami protested. She set the
bowl aside and turned
the tap off.
"Can't be nothin'. You're blushing."
Ami's blush deepened as she quickly picked up the bowl. A
little water
splashed on the floor in front of her, and she stepped onto the
wet spot
blindly. Her socks were immediately soaked, and slid out from
underneath
her on the slick tile.
Ranma blurred, catching her before she could hit the floor.
The water bowl
was miraculously balanced on the index finger of his wounded
hand. The
casual strength with which he supported her sent shivers down
Ami's spine;
that and the proximity of his face to hers.
"You okay?" His breath was warm against her chin,
and Ami gripped his silk
shirt unconsciously. His shoulder muscles were taut, yet steady.
Good
Heavens! He held her as if she weighed nothing at all!
Ami could do nothing but look into those stormy eyes. Something
about this
all felt so right, that she couldn't bring herself to move. So
why, if it
was so right, did he look so sad all of a sudden? Without thinking
she
reached up and caressed his cheek. Her logic centers threw up
their hands
in frustration, even as Ami's libido did a victory dace. Finally
they were
starting to see some results!
Balanced as he was, Ranma could do nothing but stare back
at Ami in shocked
wonder. Her hand seemed so familiar against his flesh.as if she
had touched
him a thousand times. It was so natural.so right.so.so..
"Here are the banda...Oh!"
Ranma jumped at Yuriko's voice. The bowl slipped from its
precarious perch.
He cursed and scrambled to stabilize it again, but it was too
late, the
water hit anyway. The icy liquid soaked his hair, and his view
of the world
changed. His clothes became baggy and his body shifted and redistributed
its mass. The waist and shoulders shrank, the bust and hips expanded,
and
his face rounded itself out and softened.
Ami coughed once as the water drenched her face and chest.
When she could
see again, the young, handsome man that had been holding her,
had been
replaced by a busty, fiery haired, young woman.
The bowl clattered noisily to the floor, causing Ranma to wince.
Yuriko's eyes rolled up into her head, and she passed out
on the hard floor.
Ami wanted to join her mother, but all that she could see, were
the same
stormy blue eyes from before. Only this time, the pain and sadness
were
more evident, and tempered by an expectation of rejection.
She had never seen anyone so lonely in her life.and it hurt.
With a shaking hand, she reached up and touched the red head's
cheek again.
When those blue eyes grew wide with surprise, she smiled. The
soul was the
same...she could tell.
**************
Idzumo
Mother's Grove
Idzumo, or rather, "The Land of the Reed Plains', was
supposedly the first
part of the earth to be inhabited after the gods finished their
creation. In
those days the whole earth was full of voices, singing and speaking
the
praises of the gods. After a time, the Lords of the Earth no
longer spoke
the languages of beasts or trees, and thus the language of the
Earth was
lost.
Lost.but not forgotten. In the vastness of Idzumo, the trees
and flowers
still spoke, and the songs of beasts still glorified their gods.
The old
ways were revered and ancient pacts were kept.
<He advances Mother. Like an avalanche he moves forward>
The voice was
ancient, almost as old as Mother's; yet, it held a harder edge
to it. This
was a meeting of equals, a summit where greater powers played
their Great
Games.
<This is already known to the Clan Othepsis. Envoys have
been sent to find
Serenity's Hope.> Mother's voice was calm and confident as
she responded to
the large creature before her.or at the very least its spirit.
It's kind had not walked the face of the earth in their bodies
in a very
long time, and their descendants had long since locked themselves
away in
hibernation to await the return of their queen. Yet even in sleep,
dragons
dream a waking dream.walking amongst the sons of Adam and the
Daughters of
Eve.
Othepsis had seen the advent of Sahadriel, the Great Mother,
in many of his
dreams, but until Shemue's breath woke the Queen of Storms none
of his
people could leave their prison home.
<I felt the Huntress' rebirth.> Another voice conceded,
looking up to the
sky. <But will he wake to his role?>
Mother turned to address the third power pointedly; her voice
was filled
with warning. <The choice will remain his Uthiad. To force
him would be a
worse calamity than the one we now face. Proceed carefully if
you must, but
do not push him farther than he is willing to go.>
<Saturn's daughters know their place Mother.> Uthiad's
voice took on a
haunting echo as she addressed Mother's concern. <We are the
beginning and
the end, you and yours can dance as you will in between.>
Othepsis sighed
and shifted uneasily, as did many of the other representatives.
<We can be patient Mother. We will avoid his dreams.>
The dragon's form
shimmered and started to fade. <There are others that we can
focus on to
give your Daughter aid.>
<As you wish Othepsis.> Mother said. <Wake those
that you can.> One by one
the entities began to fade, leaving Mother feeling empty.
"They don't seem to understand the dilemma very well,
do they?" A young
Kenku said from the side of the grove. The other trees looked
down on the
brash youth and rustled indignantly. The obscene gesture that
he threw them
didn't go over well.
<How could they Kawasemi?> Mother said tiredly. <Their
tribes are still
trapped until their Avatars are awakened. Nothing is certain
for them, any
more than it is for us.>
"So why not just bring Saotome here?" The young
Kenku settled his body down
on one of Mother's great roots and looked up at her mammoth trunk.
<All metal must be tempered Kawasemi. If Serenity's Hope
is to succeed, he
must learn. And it is not just him either.> Mother's branches
shifted,
making a magical sound that seemed to calm the grove. <Ranma
must confront
Ur alone, but the others will be the vanguard that get him to
that battle.>
"So, when can I expect them to come knocking on my door?"
<I can only pray that it will be soon.>
**************
The Palace of Seven Clouded Heavens
China
The storm that raged over the Banyankala mountain range matched
its
creator's mood perfectly: dark and violent. It had been countless
millennia
since the former Lord of Atlantis had abused the elements in
such a manner,
and the night's events gave him a reason for releasing some of
his stress.
Rivers flooded and a forest in the eastern valley burned to
mimic Ahbrim
Ur's blazing anger. Yet, to look at the despot, one would never
make the
connection between the storm and the calm man standing before
the window.
A fatal mistake indeed.
Somewhere high above him in the mountains, a lake boiled sending
up gouts of
steam, creating a cloudbank that surrounded and obscured the
peak. Forks of
lightning dug hungrily into the earth, and various other objects
- living
and dead, with furious abandon. The man, dressed in a long red
robe, stood
unmoving as he looked out onto the scourged countryside.
The wind drove sheets of rain and hail down upon the unsuspecting
refugees
that yet hid within the valley's confines. Their struggle for
survival had
become that much harder since the breaking of dawn. Ur didn't
care about
those that he had already crushed. He had the Hunt to monitor
what he
considered pests and vermin.
His mind was occupied with other concerns; namely the Horus.
The issue did
little to change his plans for domination and conquest, but it
did add a
certain... something... to the mix. He just wasn't sure what
it was, or
what it meant.
He could still feel Saffron's flame, burning brightly, and
knew that the
Phoenix King yet lived. Which meant that there would be resistance.
But
what could he do now? Indra was wounded, and his other trusted
generals
were detained elsewhere.in short, there was nothing to do. So,
for the time
being, he vented; not openly, for he had learned long ago that
to lose one's
temper meant losing the battle. And one never knew which battle
would win
the war. He would wait, and allow his anger to build into something
more
constructive.
The Lord of the Hunt was torn from his thoughts as a presence
silently
entered the room. The power and scent of the new comer was familiar,
and
strangely welcome, despite the irritation that Ur felt towards
him.
Nothing suited Ur better, than when a good dose of synchronicity
appeared in
his life. One window closed, only to have another door open.
It was not the
person that he needed, but it was an agent that would suffice.
Perhaps this
was a sign? He just hoped that the information that Kali had
procured about
the current state of technology in this world was worth the wait.
"You are late." Ur's voice seemed too controlled, even to his ears.
For those that knew him, it was a warning sign; luckily for
him, none of his
new allies had gotten close enough to know him; a practice that
he meant to
maintain. He did not turn to face the demon that knelt at his
back, much to
Kali's shame and frustration. Instead, Ur kept his eyes focused
on a
mountain far in the distance.
"Forgive me my Lord."
The black, panther-headed Rhakshasa bent herself lower to
the floor, in the
hopes of at least appearing humble. No matter what the Pashas
said, she
could not truly accept this man as her leader. Humanity was a
food source,
not and equal. The fact that this "human" was leading
the Hunt said
something to Kali. Ur knew this, Kali had no doubt.
Somewhere off in the distance over three hundred bolts of
lightning blew the
cap off a mountain. "What do you have to report?" Again,
Ur's voice seemed
too calm; much like the eye of the hurricane.
"Magic is all but dead in this world, and the sheep have
created weapons
based on the elements of fire and earth. Some are called 'guns'
while others
are more volatile." Kali's report was delivered in a contemptuous
voice for
the pitiful weapons that humanity had developed for their defense.
Or was the contempt directed at humanity itself? It mattered
little to Ur,
just so long as he received the information that he needed to
reclaim all
that he had lost. He would deal with Kali's veiled arrogance
after he had
gleaned all that he could from the pathetic creature.
A plan began to form as Kali droned on about some of the more
impressive
devices that she had seen.
"... the only true weapon that has been created, is called
a thermo-nuclear
device. Its destructive power rivals that of the Rhuk himself,
and could
easily wipe out one or more of the larger cities." There
was true respect in
Kali's voice as she spoke of this weapon, which intrigued Ur.
"How is it employed?" Ur's voice was almost casual
in its inquiry, a
subtlety that the feline-headed Rhakshasa didn't miss; and though
Kali
wasn't intelligent enough to read the gesture for what it was,
she knew
enough about the man before her to be wary.
Not that she thought the great and mighty Ahbrim Ur posed
a threat for one
such as she... not in the least.... Still, she was smart enough
to expect
the unexpected. It was a shame that her expectations were nowhere
near the
mark.
"The device comes in one of two forms: a projectile,
and a stationary
artifice known as an explosive." Ur nodded and turned to
face the falsely
humble Kali.
"This is good to know Kali. You have done well."
The feline purred
irreverently, an act that Ur chose to ignore. "In light
of your success, I
have decided to grant you time to hunt and feast as you will,
until I call
on you again." He turned away and ignored the female Rhakshasa
until she
grudgingly left his presence.
One last item of business reared its head, demanding to be
attended to, in
the form of a truly humiliated Indra. His General's blackened
fur could not
be cleaned, leaving him patchy and gray, rather than the resplendent
white
it had been. The poor beast waited patiently for the deathblow
to come.as
if Ur was stupid enough to cripple himself in such a manner.
His favored general was not the root of this problem, and Ur knew this.
"Rise Indra." Ur did not turn away from the window,
but heard the demon
stand. "You expect me to kill you now."
"Yes Lord."
"You feel accountable for the failure at Phoenix Mountain."
Ur turned from
the window and looked down at Indra expectantly. The tiger-headed
general
nodded simply.if not humbly. "You are acting blind and foolish
then."
Indra made no move to agree or disagree with the Lord of the
Hunt. He
simply remained bowed and silent. His heart however leapt with
joy.
"Did you honestly believe that I would not know of Yama's
treachery?" Ur
stepped away from the window, and drew closer to his servant.
"You do your
family honor by protecting him from my wrath, but that does not
mean that he
will escape."
If Indra could have smiled, he would have. Ur motioned for him to stand.
"Go. Return to the others and bring me news of their
progress." Indra
nodded and seamlessly melted into the shadows. It was only after
Ur was
certain that Indra had departed, that he seated himself on his
throne and
called for Yama.
There was no response to his summons.
"Yama. Attend me." He called again. The storm's
fury grew when there was,
yet again no answer. Ur's eyes narrowed dangerously, and the
Palace shook
with his rage.
He clapped his hands twice and the air split with a loud thunderclap.
The
stench of ozone hung heavily in the air, clinging to the cursing
form of the
bull-headed Rhakshasa. Yama cursed and struggled against invisible
bonds
that held him suspended, high above the shadows that promised
freedom.
Shackled and bathed in a pillar of light, the demon could do
nothing but
scream his curses at his captor. Not that it did him any good.
"You have challenged me for the last time Yama."
Ur's voice was even,
devoid of malice or anger.
"I SPIT ON YOUR FETID SOUL HUMAN!" The beast made
as if to fulfill his
threat, but Ur gestured and the bull headed Rhakshasa found it
impossible to
breath, let alone move.
"I cannot understand your impertinence Yama." Ur
stepped down from his
throne and walked around the demon. "With my freedom, you
gained release
from your own prison. Have you not feasted upon the terror and
souls of
mankind, as you were promised? Were not the shackles thrown off?"
"YOU BOUND US!" Yama roared defiantly. "You
bound us away from our
brethren and your whore sent what remained of our empire to their
doom
against Serenity!"
Ur paused to study the demon thoughtfully before resuming his pacing.
"I see." He shook his head and pursed his lips. "This is about revenge."
Ur circled Yama until he could look fully into the demon's
black in black
eyes.
"Do you know from what emotion vengeance stems Yama?"
The man clasped his
hands behind his back and pursed his lip. "No? Allow me
to enlighten you.
This is a subject that I am well acquainted with. I will do so
in reverse so
that there can be no denying the truth of my words."
The beast struggled against his bonds, thrashing against the
compressed air
that held him in place.
"You have an obsession, a hunger to right the wrong that
was done to you.
This obsession was birthed in the fires of your sorrow, and that
sorrow was
birthed at the loss of something that you held valuable.something;
dare I
say that you loved?"
Yama snarled, and his great bovine mouth frothed with the
need to savage his
tormentor.
"Yes dear Yama. I accuse you of such profanity." Ur said smoothly.
"LIES!"
Ur nodded his head and placed his arms behind his back, again
bowing his
head.
"What would you call this attachment that you have for
your kind? Pride?
In order for a being to entertain the notion of pride, must they
not first
esteem something to be of great worth? Esteem is a positive notion
Yama."
"I DO NOT KNOW OF LOVE!" Yama roared.
"Such protestations demon, against which I wholly contend.
I offer that you
do know the emotion, but choose to lie to yourself to hide the
truth: that
indeed, you are not so very different from humanity as you thought."
Yama roared again in denial, his mighty muscles again flexed
against the
unbreakable bonds of Ur's magic.
"There are many forms of esteem Yama. One is a condescending
sense of
superiority that comes from possessing a thing: a weapon, a favorite
slave,
etcetera. This is the foundation of obsession, and for the most
part is
celebrated by your people.
"A second is a perverse sense of patriotism. It is an
extension of the
first example, reveling in the superiority of the race or individual.
This
esteem is commonly known as pride: the love of self."
"You love yourself Yama. You love your people. You feel
the emptiness of
their loss, so you seek to revenge yourself against the one that
stole them
from you. Did you not weep and wail and gnash your teeth, when
you learned
that it was I that had set you free; I, the very man that prevented
you from
being consumed in Serenity's last blow? I, the man that had originally
bound you away?"
Yama fell silent.
"I can see that you did. But it is not for your people
alone that you wept,
but for what humanity stole from the Rhakshasa. They drove your
forefathers
into the shadows. They bound you and hunted you. Humanity made
you the
monster that you are today. You mourn for that time before time,
when the
world was young, and you reigned supreme."
Ur needed no confirmation as he continued to plunge forward.
"I will tell you something more, before you are punished
Yama. I will
reveal to you another dark truth. Have you ever wondered how,
after so
long, that I was able to bind and seal your clan away, when no
one else
could have hoped to defeat you?"
Yama's eyes widened as Ur moved past.
"I see that you already know some of what I will reveal."
Ur said smugly.
His arrogant grin nearly drove Yama insane with the need to kill
the man.
"I spoke with Pluto before my defection in the hopes of
uncovering a fatal
weakness in your kind."
His smile turned cold.
"It was here that I first saw the Moon Kingdom for what
it truly was: an
empty, fulsome husk of arrogance and self-righteousness. Did
you know, that
the first Serenity was an even more pompous woman than my Serenity?
She was
a jealous ruler, paranoid of losing her power to any. It was
one of the
ironies of life, that she was killed by her own husband defending
the
daughter that would one day inherit her throne. It was she that
created
your people Yama.the author of all your violent pride.
"In the later years of her life, when the madness settled
in, Serenity found
a man whispering in her court. He had been telling his colleague
about a
humorous incident with his daughter the night before. The mad
queen thought
he was mocking her, and then later plotting against her rule.
In her
madness she had his family, every last one from elder to newborn,
brought
before her.
"And with the power of the Ginzuisho, she banished them
to a place where
they could never threaten her. But that was not all that she
did. She
changed them, stealing their humanity and marooning them in a
dark, evil
dimension. A place that I believe you are familiar with."
Yama screamed his denial, mourning the horrible truth that
had been
revealed. Ur turned away and returned to his throne.
"Give my regards to the Silence."
And then, without warning, the pillar of light became a pillar
of fire. Yama
's screams echoed long after his flesh had been consumed. Ur
contemplated
the pile of ashes for quite some time, before he finally turned
his
attention to other concerns.
"Savitri, Surya..." The pair solidified immediately
from the cool, dark
shadows.
"Yes Lord?" They said in unison. Their equine heads
shivered causing their
manes to ripple nervously.
"Aditri has lost a son today, and the remnant of the
Twelve shall suffer for
Yama's pride." Both nodded solemnly. "I give you the
chance to redeem your
family of your brother's arrogance."
Both nodded again, consenting to their master's desire, and
the chance to
redeem their family's honor. It was enough to appease Ur, for
the time
being; both brothers understood that they would have to sacrifice
much in
order to work their way back into Ur's good graces.
"I am glad that you understand." He motioned and
the two stood before him.
"Savitri, I charge you to acquire for me a number of weapons
called
'thermo-nuclear devices' and the knowledge of their use."
Savitri bowed once and after a moment, with no further instructions
from Ur,
left the room in the same way that he had entered.
"Surya," the chilled wine felt good tumbling down
the inside of Ur's throat;
like the taste of victory after a hard battle. "... you
will go throughout
the nations of this world and plunge their governments into chaos.
I care
not how, but do not reveal yourself. Let the world governments
fall upon
themselves while we solidify our position. Do I make myself clear?"
Surya
nodded once, and when Ur waved him away, he mimicked Savitri's
earlier
departure.
Ur paced over to the windows again, and began planning his next step.
**************
Saotome Home
Nodoka looked up in horror at the sound of the splash, pushing
Makoto's
story into the background. A thousand images passed through her
mind at the
thought of her son-turned-daughter facing off against her best
friend and
her best friend's daughter. She couldn't just up and leave Makoto
and Usagi
either. Not without making matters worse at any rate.
She'd have to run damage control somehow..
The strangest thing was the fact that the normal sounds of
panicked shock
were conspicuously absent. Either both women had fainted dead
away, or
Ranma had somehow managed to evade the water.
*Please! Oh, please! Just let it be the latter!* She prayed
fervently.
Usagi laughed reluctantly drawing Nodoka back into the conversation.
There
was nothing for it, Ranma was on his own.
**************
How do you find meaning in the impossible? This was one of
the questions
that an rather unorthodox instructor had posed to Ami, while
their Juku was
studying the Holocaust. When the world itself could no longer
fit the terms
of reality, how could humanity define itself?
Since becoming a Senshi, she'd had ample opportunity to ponder
the question,
and come to the conclusion that you had a choice: to ignore the
new reality
and valiantly cling to the old, or you could embrace the new
reality and
adapt.
Time and again, she had followed the second path; adapting herself
to each
new situation with controlled efficiency. Anything less often
resulted in
pain, and in some cases even death. Feelings and emotions could
be ascribed
later; the important part was fitting yourself into a new reality
as
smoothly as possible.
So...how did you adapt to a situation like this?
Her extremely handsome savior had just become an extremely
attractive, buxom
young woman. Her logic centers rallied to the new problem with
gusto.
After feeling so neglected, they were more than ready to put
themselves to
task.
Her mind worked double time as the young red headed girl helped
Ami to
stand. Okay, so what if he turned into a girl? That meant that
he had a
unique perspective on women right? He could understand the difficulties
and
social idiosyncrasies that the modern Japanese woman faced on
a daily basis.
That was a plus.
Ranma settled her into a chair and turned to the sink.
Ami was amazed at the change that had come over the young
man...girl...person
before her. The predatory grace that Ranma had displayed before
became
more fluid, if that was possible. The little red head reminded
Ami of a ballet
dancer, or perhaps a deer. It was an unnatural grace, more beautiful
than
threatening.
Okay! Point two: Ami could have a boyfriend and a girlfriend
at the same
time.
It took her mind a whole minute to wrap around that concept.or
at least to
sort out the true meaning of that statement. After careful inventory,
she
safely determined that she was not homosexual, and that the intent
was to
have a well-rounded relationship...
Well-rounded? Relationship? Ami blinked. Her logic centers
blinked. Even
Ranma blinked as she turned on the hot water.
"Everything okay?" The aquatransexual asked with
genuine concern. She
tried her best not to look at Ami's sheer, wet blouse. And to
some extent
she succeeded. Ami's eyes were a nice distraction.
Ami blushed and nodded. Then watched in fascination as the
red headed girl
upended a glass of hot water over her head.
The change was no less amazing than before. Limbs elongated,
and the chest
sculpted itself accordingly. Feminine charm traded itself for
handsome,
masculinity. It was a magic that Ami was familiar with and yet
was
completely foreign to her. She must have been staring, because
the now male
Ranma began to pat himself down.
"What? Did my clothes rip?"
Ami smiled and shook her head. "No. I just find it fascinating."
She turned
her gaze from Ranma as he adjusted his pants again. "I'm
sorry. It's rude of
me to stare." Ranma shrugged as sat across from her.
The tabletop suddenly became very interesting to its occupants.
"I'm used to it." He looked uncomfortable for a
moment before turning his
attention back to her. He explored her face intently, probing
for what she
didn't know. His scrutiny seemed to last forever, and was beginning
to make
her feel self-conscious. The room's temperature seemed to raise
a few
degrees as well. She needed something to divert his attention.
"May I ask you a question, Ranma?"
Ranma looked at her, and then shrugged. "Go ahead."
"Are you a boy that turns into a girl, or is it the other way around?"
Ranma looked at Ami's blushing face in surprise again. There
were a hundred
and one different reasons for that question, and only two of
them seemed
anything but innocent. The question was: which form did she prefer?
Ranma wanted to slap himself for even thinking that. Not everything
revolved around women and men wanting him.or her..
"Huh, That's a new one," He answered. "Boy
to girl." He assessed Ami's
reaction carefully, but wasn't prepared for the relief that washed
over the
other girl's features. He tried his best to push aside the hidden
meaning
behind the look and proceeded to dress his cut. If he didn't
make a big deal
out of it, maybe.just maybe the whole situation would just go
away.
Distracting her couldn't hurt either. "Next question."
"Pardon?" Ami asked, confused.
"Don't worry I don't mind. I know you're curious, so
go ahead and ask."
Whew! It worked!
"I wouldn't want to pry, Ranma."
He snorted and flashed her a grin that pretty much put him
back at square
one. Her blush seemed to heat up the room, forcing Ranma to cough
and turn
away.
"Ami-chan, it's bound to come out sometime or another.
I'd just as soon you
heard it from me than some rumor mill." Ranma returned his
attention to the
makeshift bandage, and so missed Ami's blush deepening further.
*He just called me 'Ami-chan'!* A flock of butterflies started
squirming in
her stomach. She had to do some hard thinking before she was
even able to
respond coherently. She had to focus! Focus on something safe!
She had to
distract herself.uhm.science! Yes! She needed to collect data
on the
transformation. Data.
"What does it feel like?" She couldn't hide her
eagerness. But she really
wasn't sure what made her feel more excited.seeing his winter
eyes looking
at her again, or getting insight on such an amazing transformation.
After
all, he wasn't a Senshi.then again, Sieya and the other Starlights
changed
gender.hmmm. New angle.
Ami's logic centers went into overdrive.
Ranma looked thoughtful for a moment. "You know the feeling
you get when you
foot falls asleep and you try to walk on it?" Ami nodded.
"Well, that's what
it feels like when the water hits. Then." the small red
head gyrated her
hands dramatically in a churning motion. ".It's like everything's
swapping
places."
"What happens to all the excess mass?" Her question
drew a confused look
from Ranma. "I mean, what happens to all the extra weight?
You don't look
like you weigh the same as when you're a boy." She'd always
wanted to ask
the Starlights about that, but they didn't seem to change all
that
drastically. Ranma's shift was amazing to say the least.
Ranma laughed. "You know I don't know. But it's a great
diet program." Ami
chuckled a bit before Ranma continued. "I lose about seventy
pounds with the
change, and I've noticed that I'm much faster. It's an even trade
I suppose:
strength and weight, for speed and quicker reflexes." She
shrugged.
"Fascinating." She whispered. She took a deep breath,
causing Ranma to
blush as deeply as she had earlier. He coughed once into his
hand and
quickly turned away. "What is it?" She asked. It took
only a moment for
her mind to notice the wetness of her chest.
"Oh! Oh...Oh my!" She cast about wildly for something
to cover herself with.
She felt terribly embarrassed. Ranma seemed even more so, as
he dug into a
drawer and found a small hand towel. He tossed it to her without
looking.
"Sorry. I didn't look on purpose or nothin'...really."
Gah! He hated it when
stuff like this happened. Ami didn't know whether to feel flattered
or
insulted. "Uhm. You can use one of my shirts, or my Mom's.
I'm sure that
she wouldn't mind." Ranma finally noticed Yuriko and rallied
to a way to
save face.
"You go on upstairs and change in`ta somethin' dry while
I take care of your
Mom."
Ami blinked at the offer, then followed Ranma's gaze to her
prone mother.
"Mother!" She quickly scrambled over to Yuriko's side
and began checking
the woman over for injuries. After a moment's inspection, she
found nothing
serious, much to her relief.
"Go on." Ranma placed his hand on her wet shoulder,
and immediately felt a
shiver at how warm her skin was beneath the cool silk. "I'll
handle things
from here. My room's up the stairs on the right. Just grab whatever."
Chills ran up and down Ami's spine at his touch, as she turned
to look up at
him. She nodded once and then quickly left the room. Her heart
was
pounding fiercely in her chest, leaving her feeling weak in the
knees. So
much so that she had to take the stairs very slowly.
This was insane! How in the world could a man do this to her?
She tried to
push her emotions aside and think about the whole situation logically,
but
the fiery warmth of his hand still radiated on her shoulder.
As she entered Ranma's room, she absently noted that it was
very Spartan.
No posters, a few half full bookcases, some weights and a couple
of framed
pictures on the desk.but little else. Ami idly opened the closet,
deeply
curious as to what she would find there. To her surprise, it
was almost as
empty as the room.
*He must be so used to traveling light.* she mused. She browsed
through the
limited selection of shirts, noting how utilitarian his wardrobe
was. The
casual, comfortable silk shirts were all of the same style and
loose fit.
*A lot like Einstein.* she thought with a smile.
She picked out one of the white shits and promptly took off
her wet blouse.
She continued to examine the room as she slid into the shirt.
It swamped
her, making her feel like she was wearing more of a dress, than
a shirt.
Her eyes settled on the photographs as she started to fix the buttons.
"Oh my word!" She paused half way down with the
buttons to pick up a
particular picture, and simply stared. The young woman, in the
picture
stared back at her. The resemblance was uncanny.
No wonder Ranma tended to stare at her!
Ami wondered who the young woman was as she set the frame
down and finished
buttoning the blouse. From the looks of it, she was someone special.
A
deep sense of disappointment filled her heart at the thought
of Ranma having
a girlfriend.
*I should be happy!* She shook her head.
"It's not like I have time for anything else right now."
She whispered,
smoothing out the invisible wrinkles in the shirt. So why did
she feel so
empty all of the sudden? A light rapping on the door caused her
to jump.
"Yo, Ami-chan?" Ranma's voice quietly drifted through the door.
"I'm decent." Ami marveled at how odd that sounded.
It was almost as if
she were at home. A brief daydream flittered through her mind
as Ranma
entered the room. A home where she and Ranma. The logic centers
immediately shut off all access to the libido. This was way too
soon for
anything like that to be roaming around.
Too soon indeed.
"Looks good on you."
".huh?" Ami was still disoriented from the small
coup on her warm and fuzzy
fantasy to respond with any intelligence.
"The shirt." Ranma pointed out. "It makes you look real cute."
Ami's mind nearly shut down. There was only so much sexual
tension and warm
fuzzies that a girl could take in one night. Then Ranma shrugged
out of his
own wet shirt.
Overload.
"Thanks." She said weakly.
Alarms went off in her brain as hormones began to flood the
system. Wet
blanket after wet blanket was thrown on the raging fires that
were starting
up everywhere. The logic centers enacted the emergency protocols
and tapped
into the backup. They needed to work fast before they lost the
host system
altogether to these barbaric hormones.
"Who is the young woman in this picture?" Ami blinked,
wondering where that
question had come from. When she saw the empty pain on Ranma's
face, she
immediately regretted opening her mouth. Still the question was
out. Ami
wondered if this was the "Akane" that he had mistaken
her for at the train
station.
"Is there something wrong?" She asked. Ranma simply shook his head.
"You look so much like her. I mean you coulda been her
twin sister. So
close, and yet so different. Kinda like night and day."
Could have? What did he mean.?
"So who is she? A girlfriend?" Somewhere deep inside
of her, a part of Ami
was praying that this girl was just a friend. Ranma's laugh was
bitter, but
not grating.
"Naw, fiancee."
"Fiancee?" Ami almost slumped in defeat. That something
from before
rallied behind her and forced her to not just roll over and give
up. She
hadn't against Beryl, or any of her other challenges for that
matter, why
start now?
"Pardon me for saying this, but don't you think that
you're a bit young for
that?"
Ranma laughed again.
"I told Pops the exact same thing when he arranged the
whole deal. He didn't
seem to think so." Ami looked at the boy across from her
with sympathy.
"An arranged marriage. Doesn't sound very romantic."
Ranma shrugged his shoulders.
"I ain't much into romance. It was an honor thing. Marry
a daughter from the
Tendo clan to join the two schools." Ami's interest perked
at the mention of
school.
"Schools?"
"Yeah the Musabetsu Kakutou Ryuu; the Tendo and Saotome
schools of
Indiscriminate Grappling. Though I don't much care for the name.
I'm kinda
partial to Any Thing Goes Martial Arts."
Ami quirked her brow at the name, but didn't say anything about it.
"So you're a martial artist?"
The question didn't phase him.
"Yeah." There was no blustering pride in his statement.
It was just a fact.
It's what and who he was.
"Is your fiancée a Martial Artist as well?"
This question seemed to darken
Ranma's mood.
"She thought so." Ranma turned his back to Ami,
finishing up the rest of
the buttons. A sinking feeling settled in the pit of her stomach
as she
instinctively stepped closer to the young man.
"Something happened." She didn't want to go here.
This was his business.
She didn't need to know the details.
"Yeah." His voice was quiet and taut with emotion.
"One of my opponents."
He sighed. It would all come out eventually. He needed to start
talking
about it; otherwise it was going to kill him.
"My opponent used her as leverage against me in a fight.
I couldn't save
her in time."
Ami gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. Tears started
to well up
in her eyes, and she gingerly reached out a trembling hand that
never quite
reached Ranma's back.
"I...I'm so sorry." She stammered. Ranma shrugged and turned back to her.
"Don't worry about it." Ami couldn't meet his eyes.
"Really. It's okay.
I'm working through it." He tried to sound positive, but
somehow he knew
that his words had come out hollow.
Ami hugged herself. Here she was, a living reminder of everything
that he
had lost.how cruel. "I...should go." She said quietly.
Ranma gently took her arm as she passed, and somehow ended
up holding her
hand. Looking at her then, he knew that he didn't want her to
leave. She
filled something inside of him that had been dead for a very
long time.
When he looked at her, the pain didn't hurt so much either. He
smiled
warmly, causing the butterflies to return to Ami's stomach. His
touch was
so firm, and those eyes seemed to come alive again for an instant.
"It hurts." He reluctantly released her hand. "But
not so much when you're
around."
The libido threw up its collective hands and gave in. It had
already lost
this war...that much was certain. Ami blushed and awkwardly turned
away.
"Friends?" Ranma's hand slid into her line of sight,
causing her to look up
at him.
"Friends." She said quietly, accepting his proffered
hand.
**************
End Chapter Five