Ranma 1/2
Altered Destinies: A scary thought
What's happened so far: Kasumi Tendo and Ranma
Saotome were switched at an early age and raised by the other's
parents. Now Kasumi is cursed to change to a man and has just
recently returned to Nerima with Genma after a training trip in
China. She is now engaged to Ranma, who isn't pleased, has
attracted Kuno's attention, and has to deal with a very upset
Ukyo who turns into a wolf (which is often mistaken for a dog)
and guess who's fault that is. Then there's the matters of Ranma
taking Ukyo-wolf as a pet and Akane taking C-chan as a pet.
That's right, I haven't mentioned her yet, C-chan is a pink furred
cat who's lost her memory but at the very least knows she's
human. She's also met this other cat named Artemis who's
taken an interest in her. Most recently Kodachi entered the scene,
and poor Kasumi has caught her interest but doesn't know it yet.
%Chapter 9
Earlier Morning: Hikawa Jinja shrine
"Usagi!! Would you please try to stay awake for more
than five minutes! We only have a little while to discuss this and
you're snoring is distracting us!" Rei yelled. "Hu...wha..."
Usagi forced opened her bleary eyes and stared at Rei. "Just a
little longer mom, I'll get up... Owww!!"
"Pay attention meatball head." Rei hissed at her after
giving her a wack across the back of the head.
"Gees Rei, why'd you have to go and do that?" Usagi
rubbed the back of her head while glaring at Rei. "I was having
the most wonderful dream, and you had to go and spoil it"
"This is serious! You know Ami has been scanning all
week trying to discover if Artemis's friend was another moon cat,
so pay attention or else." Rei picked up the wash bucket and
mimed throwing it at Usagi.
"All right, all right, I'm up. Gees, you're such a grouch
Rei."
"I AM NOT A GROUCH!!!" Usagi was blown over by
Rei's yell and fell off the back of the narrow stool she had been
sitting on. As she flailed about, trying to get back on her feet, Rei
turned to Ami and said. "Go ahead Ami. _Some_ of us are
interested in what you have to say."
"Yes Ami, did you find anything?" Artemis eagerly
asked.
Ami started to go over her findings. "The results were
very inconclusive. There is definitely something strange in that
area. I get strong pulses of magic registering at random times
and places. All I can say for sure is your friend is not like you or
Luna."
"Well I could have told you that. Ill bred little tramp..."
Luna muttered, still smarting from the smack C-chan had given
her.
"Don't be like that Luna." Usagi had finally gotten back
up and now scolded Luna. "You did say some nasty things about
her after all." Usagi admonished the sulking black cat, secretly
glad to have a chance to do the lecturing for once. "She had a
right to defend her honor."
"Well I still say she's an agent of some evil organization.
They knew Mr. Hormone there would be a sucker for a pretty
face and they were right. He was so busy trying to impress her he
spent days locked up in that horrid place. What if Minako had
needed him? He was so busy trying to UUMMPP."
Artemis looked over at Ami after he had placed a paw
over Luna's mouth. "Please, go on Ami."
"Thank you Artemis, as I was saying, you and Luna have
a very distinctive energy reading. My computer is calibrated to
read you both and I can find nothing similar to either of you in
that district."
Rei frowned. "Do you think the magic you're registering
is evil. I did a fire reading and got a very strange result. There is
a great disruption coming to that area but I could get no feeling
as to whether it was good or evil. If only we were closer so we
could personally monitor the situation."
"Uh guys..." Every one turned to Makoto who had been
unusually silent all through the meeting. "I, uh, had to go see my
student advisor today. They're worried about that fight I had last
week."
"What, no way was that your fault Makoto! Those grotty
boys were just asking for what you gave them." Usagi said in
outraged tones.
"Thanks, I know, but it's just one more fight on my
record." Makoto sighed. "My advisor said she was very worried
about my temper. She's afraid I lack control."
"That's silly Makoto. You're one of the nicest people I
know." Ami said.
Makoto threw her a grateful glance. "Thanks, but you
have to admit it looked bad when I clobbered those boys the other
day. The councilor didn't see the start. All she saw was me
beating up three boys. Then there are all those absences. Ami
might be able to get away with a missed period because of
Youmas but my reputation makes the teachers note every time
I'm even a minute late for class."
"But your reputation is just a rumor among the students.
We know you weren't actually kicked out of your last school for
fighting." Rei said growing angry at the thought of Makoto
being unjustly accused.
"The problem is that teachers hear rumors too. They've
been watching me closely ever since I transferred to Usagi's
school. I'm afraid fighting Youmas interferes with my studies at
times, and it shows up in my work and in my attendance."
"I'd be happy to help you Makoto." Ami offered.
"Thanks, I may take you up on that." Makoto said with
smile. "In any case, that's not why I brought up the matter. The
advisor mentioned a project their running at another school. It's
a class for students who's physical ability makes it hard for them
to conform to student life."
"In other words," Rei said angrily, "it's a class for
bullies. You can't let them send you there Makoto! You haven't
done anything to deserve that."
"Ya," Usagi chimed in. "No way will we let them
railroad you. We'll get a petition going."
"Aa, Usagi-" Makoto tried to break into Usagi's rant, to
no avail.
"We'll hold protests. I know, we'll have a sit in. No way
are they going to send one of our friends off to some grotty reform
school."
"USAGI!!!" Makoto yelled in Usagi's ear.
"EEE!" Usagi yelled and jumped into Rei's lap in shock.
"Do you mind meatball head." Rei said with a frosty
voice before pushing Usagi off her lap.
"Ouch, why did you yell at me Makoto." She whined. "I
was only trying to help."
"I already told the advisor I didn't want to go." Makoto
explained. "I can't afford to get too far away from my duties as
Sailor Jupiter. She said I didn't have to go if I didn't want to. It
was completely voluntary and if I did not want to go I did not
have to."
"What!!?" Usagi, Rei and Minako screamed as one.
"Then why did you even bring it up." Usagi continued.
"You had us all upset over nothing." She whined again.
Makoto rubbed the back of her head in embarrassment.
"Aa, well... you see... the school she wanted me to attend was in
the same district as the pound Artemis was at, and where those
readings Ami is getting come from." She said.
Makoto took a second to compose herself before
continuing. "I've been thinking about it. Don't you think it's a
little peculiar all these things happening in the same place at one
time. First Artemis finds a cat who is as intelligent as he and
Luna even if she can't speak. Then, when Ami investigates she
finds strange readings in the same area. Now there is this new
program that is collecting all these physically strong people in a
single class in a school in the same district. As well, according
to my advisor the teacher who will be in charge of this class has
reduced the violence at this school by over eighty percent since
she started."
"Hmm," Ami considered. "You have a good point. If
this teacher was draining energy the way the dark kingdom
generals use to, you would expect the students to be tired and
lethargic. She may be a Youma."
"Then let's dust her!" Usagi yells, jumping to her feet.
"Moon..."
"Hold it meatball head, we can't go off without
evidence." Rei yelled, pulling Usagi back down to her stool.
"Rei's right Usagi." Ami said. "We have only
coincidence to go on. The teacher could very well be very good at
her job. There is no real evidence at the moment to suggest that
she might be a Youma. I think we should investigate... I think I
should go over there tonight and take some readings from closer
in. I may be able to get a clearer idea if I can get more detailed
scans."
Artemis hopped up onto Ami's lap and said, "good idea
Ami. I'll come and keep you company. Things are quiet here,
and if Minako can spare me..." He directs a questioning look at
Minako.
"What? O sure, no problem. As a matter of fact, maybe I
should come along as well. You know what you're like Ami,
once you get your nose buried in your computer you won't notice
a Youma if it stood in front of you and yelled."
Luna was not so easily swayed. "You just want to visit
that Alley Cat. You couldn't care less about Ami."
"It's true, I want to see C-chan again. She saved my life
after all." Seeing Luna about to object he continues. "I know, I
know, you were coming to let me out, but she had no way of
knowing that. I owe her. She _is_ intelligent." Here he glared
at Luna who sniffed and turned her back on him. "She has no
memory of who she is."
Usagi interrupted him. "I thought you said she couldn't
talk? How do you know she lost her memory?"
"When you spend four days sharing adjoining cells with
nothing to do you can get really good at twenty questions."
Artemis replied.
"Just as well you weren't in the same cell or you would
have found something else to play." Luna said with a
disparaging sniff.
Artemis scowled, but said nothing to her. He turned back
to the girls and went on with his reasoning. "It can't be a
coincidence that Ami is picking up strange readings from the
same place I found her, there has to be a connection. I'm the best
one to go with Ami. I can blend in, no one will notice me, and
C-chan should trust me, and she may be the key to this mystery.
You can't go Luna. C-chan would never trust you."
"I think it's sweet, you wanting to go and protect your
girlfriend." Usagi gushed, "I think you should go. As Sailor
Senshi it is our duty to see that the path of true love runs smooth,
just like with me and Mamoro."
Everyone big sweats. Minako finally recovers and said.
"All right, it's settled. I'll meet you after school tonight Ami and
we'll go and see if we can discover what's going on." She gave
Usagi a wink and continues. "And, Artemis will come along to
question his friend." Luna gives a sniff of disgust at this but said
nothing further.
Ukyo dashed from her classroom as if life itself depended
on it. In fact she was urgently seeking out Ranma. Today was
one of those rare days when she could catch him alone without
Akane or Kasumi nearby. Kasumi would surely do everything
she could to mess things up and although Akane hadn't done
anything she would still be a problem. She was Kasumi's sister
and still believed in this act her sister was putting on. She would
be an unpredictable complication that Ukyo couldn't risk. In any
case, none of that mattered today. Akane was spending the
afternoon in training and wouldn't be with Ranma, giving Ukyo
a window of opportunity should she reach Ranma before Kasumi
could. Apparently, she was going to get lucky this time. She
rounded the corner to Ranma's locker and there he was, with no
Kasumi or Akane in sight. Ukyo skidded to a halt next to him
causing him to start from her sudden appearance.
"Ukyo!" He blurted out before composing himself and
edging away a bit. Damn that Kasumi anyway, because of her
Ranma had a wonderfully bad impression of her. "What are you
doing here?" He asked as he returned his attention to his locker
but he clearly still had his guard up.
"Well, I... umm... came to see you." Ukyo answered.
"Me? What for?" He asked as he finished stowing his
school supplies and closed his locker.
"Ahhh.... To talk to you... sort of." Ukyo scowled and
tried to calm her nerves which were getting rapidly more shaky
by the second.
"Okay. So, what did you want to talk about?" Ranma
asked and started walking down the hall.
Ukyo hesitated a second then made a quick few steps to
catch up and started walking beside him. "I... kind of... wanted
to tell you I... I... I..." Ukyo's nerve faltered under the pressure.
Too soon, too soon, she thought, need to work up to it. "I wanted
to thank you for... taking care of me that time."
"Didn't you already do that?"
"Sort of but I want to do it again, properly."
Ranma looked at Ukyo with questioning eyes. "Right,
sure, whatever, you're welcome. Look, I really got to get going
home."
"Oh, I can walk with you, it's on my way."
"It is? Where exactly do you live?"
Ukyo turned away and bit her lip. Stupid, stupid,
shouldn't have brought that up, she scolded herself. She turned
back to Ranma and said the first thing that came to mind. "I...
live with my parents."
Ranma looked at Ukyo in confusion. "They live close by?
But I thought Kasumi and you met in-"
"We moved." Ukyo quickly added.
"Oh. So, you get along then? I kind of got the
impression you weren't on speaking terms with your parents."
Ukyo looked away, this time slightly angry. That was
true, she and her father had not really spoke to each other for a
couple years now. Yet another thing she could thank Kasumi for.
All he could talk about was Kasumi. Kasumi this... Kasumi
that... Oh, how wonderful Kasumi is. It was enough to drive
Ukyo up the wall at the time and now the very thought of it made
her feel sick. How could her own father ignore her like that? She
did everything she could to gain his respect... his attention. She
spent hours learning to improve her cooking, hours more training
to the point of exhaustion in the family's special style of fighting,
everything, but he never seemed impressed. He always compared
her to Kasumi and she always got ranked second best to that...
that... that...
Ranma started to notice Ukyo's face was twisting in
anger. Way to go smart guy, now you got her mad, he thought.
"Ah, sorry to bring that up." He said nervously, causing Ukyo to
start. She turned to look at him, remembering just then that she
had been walking with him.
"It's all right." Ukyo replied with a forced smile. What
was I doing again, she asked herself as they continued down the
hall on their way to the main entrance.
A short distance away Kasumi was coming down an
adjoining hall on her way to meet Ranma. She still had some
work to do here and the vice-principle had informed her that her
assistant would arrive sometime this afternoon. She would have
to meet this woman and welcome her to the school. If they were
to work closely together they would have to get to know each
other well. She'd have to tell Ranma this since he usually waited
for her.
Kasumi mussed at that. A formality of their
`engagement'. She wondered if he had ever even considered
giving this engagement a real chance. Probably not, she
concluded. He seemed to like Kodachi, heaven knows why. Of
course, when she looked at herself in a hallway mirror she could
see why he wasn't really interested. Would others see her the
same way, as some kind of tomboy? Unfortunately she had to
conclude yes.
If only she could change her style a bit. It wasn't that she
liked looking this way. It was necessary for the curse. Even a
new more feminine haircut would look exceedingly silly when
she transformed, the same went for girl's clothes. The only way
she could get away from being seen as... strange in one form was
to look a little odd in the other. Unfortunately, it was much more
acceptable for a woman to dress in a masculine manner then the
other way around. It was a compromise that did nothing for her
social life however.
Kasumi sighed and pushed away the thoughts. She
couldn't keep feeling sorry for herself. She had to press on and
live life instead of complaining about it.
Kasumi pulled to a sudden stop when she nearly tripped
over a bucket of water. She shook her head in irritation, both at
her own lack of attention and some student's thoughtlessness at
leaving the bucket in the middle of the hall. She picked it up and
headed off to properly dispose of it's contents.
Ahead and around the corner, Ukyo and Ranma were fast
approaching. Ukyo had finally broken her mental block and was
now trying to figure the best way to tell Ranma how she felt.
Finally, she decided to just spit it out and be done with it.
"Ranma, I really have to tell you something."
"Yeah?"
"I... I... lo- AHHHH!!" Ukyo shouted out suddenly as a
bucket worth of cold water came flying her way. Fortunately she
acted quickly enough to avoid getting hit, diving off to the side
and hitting her shoulder rather roughly against the wall. She
looked up to see Kasumi, holding a bucket, and Ranma tangled
together by the corner. Ranma had been looking at Ukyo as he
had rounded the corner and Kasumi had been lost in her own
thoughts. Ukyo, of course, thought of none of that.
"YOOOOOUUUU!!!" Ukyo snarled out as she leapt to her feet.
Kasumi, who up till now hadn't noticed Ukyo, looked
over at her in confusion. Seeing the fury written on her face, the
puddle of water on the floor, and knowing that she was holding a
bucket she quickly wished she hadn't gotten out of bed this
morning. "Ukyo, it's not what you think. I didn't see Ranma
and-"
"THIS IS HOW YOU KEEP YOUR PROMISES,
YOU... YOU... YOU..." Ukyo drew her battle spatula and
readied herself for the attack. Then she caught the confused look
on Ranma's face and her outrage gave way to extreme anxiety.
She looked between Ranma and Kasumi, fumed, lowered her
weapon then began to run off. "You won't get away with this
Kasumi!" Ukyo shouted over her shoulder.
"What was that all about?" Ranma asked. Kasumi gave
Ranma a nervous smile and shrugged. "Guess we better get
going before she decides to come back."
"Actually, I have some work to do here. You'll have to
go on without me."
"Sure." Ranma said then dashed off the remaining
distance to the exit, giving a wave goodbye. Kasumi watched
him go then turned to head back to the office, her mood far more
gloomy now than a mere few moments ago.
Time passed as Kasumi caught up with some back paper
work and socialized a little with the other instructors. She had
just finished the last few papers and had gone to get herself some
more tea in the lounge to pass the time when the vice-principled
walked in followed by a little girl with long brown hair.
"Ah, Kasumi, here you are. I was looking for you. Your
assistant just arrived."
"Oh, where is she?"
"Right here." The vice-principle replied and stepped to
the side to fully reveal his young companion. "Ms. Hinako
Hinomiya, this is Kasumi Tendo."
The little girl jumped forward and shook Kasumi's hand
vigorously. "Nice to meet you."
Kasumi looked at the little girl, understandably shocked.
"I expected someone a bit... older." She finally managed to get
out.
"Oh, I look really young for my age." Hinako responded
with a happy childish grin.
"Indeed." Kasumi took a second to re-examine this... girl
but every indicator, from appearance to behavior, said she could
be no more then 12 years old. She looked at the vice-principle
questioningly but he smiled, completely sure of himself and,
apparently, the identity of this girl. "Ah, well then, I suppose we
should go somewhere and talk."
"Oh, goody, goody, goody! Can we go to a restaurant,
I'm really hungry?"
"I... suppose." Kasumi answered, still shaken that this
was her assistant. "I think I know one you might like."
"Great! Let's go." The little girl replied cheerfully.
Kasumi walked down the hall, her eyes turning every few
seconds to her companion. Ms. Hinako skipped merrily along
beside her, seemingly with no more care than a child of her
apparent age. Kasumi expected any moment a crowd of teachers
to jump out and shout, "gotcha," but that didn't happen. How
could this girl possibly be a teacher? It was beyond reason. Then
again, how could a woman change into a man spontaneously?
Perhaps a similar fate had befallen this girl.
"So, Ms. Hinako, have you always looked this... young?"
Kasumi asked.
"Oh yes. You wouldn't believe the discrimination."
Hinako responded, her skip changing into a more subdued walk.
After a second she began skipping merrily again. "I don't have
that problem anymore, nope."
Kasumi smiled just to remove a bit of her nervousness.
She opened the front door of the school to allow Ms. Hinako
through then began to follow her outside. She made about 3
steps when her sense of danger rang out. She dodged to the side
just in time to avoid Ukyo's battle spatula which imbedded itself
in the ground. Ukyo jumped down and retrieved her weapon,
staring at Kasumi with all the anger of her previous battles with
Kasumi and more.
"I should have known you'd try something that low
Kasumi Tendo. Now you're going to pay." Ukyo pronounced
and lifted her spatula to the ready.
Kasumi backed off, trying to distance herself from Ukyo
while at the same time drawing the inevitable confrontation away
from Ms. Hinako. "Ukyo, you don't understand-" Kasumi
began in vain hope of solving this nonviolently.
"I understand perfectly! You just can't stand the thought
of me and Ranma together! Well, I'm not going to let you
interfere anymore." Ukyo rushed forward and sliced down with
her spatula. Kasumi caught the spatula between her hands and
struggled to match strength with Ukyo.
"Hey you, you can't do that to your teacher!" Ms. Hinako
shouted causing both girls to turn their attention to her.
"Not now kid, you have no idea what she's like." Ukyo
said then turned her attention back to Kasumi. "You better run
off. You don't want to get hurt."
"Oh, you really are a delinquent, a disrespectful
delinquent at that." Ms. Hinako replied then started rummaging
through her pocket. After a second she came up with a 5 yen
coin. "I'll teach you."
"Huh?" Ukyo looked back at the girl in confusion.
"Happo-Go-en-Satsu!" Ms. Hinako yelled out as she held
the 5 yen piece between her index and middle finger, the hole
directed at Ukyo. Kasumi's danger sense rang out strongly and
she released her grip on the spatula and rolled aside as Ukyo
stood in shock. A flash of light forced Kasumi to cover her eyes
but then quickly subsided. She unshielded her eyes to find a
woman standing in Ms. Hinako's place and Ukyo, or at least
some...thing that looked like Ukyo, crumbling to the ground.
The woman stepped forward to the crumbled form and
smiled. "Now, delinquent, you will show proper respect to your
elders." Ukyo could only respond with a weak mumble that
Kasumi couldn't make out.
Kasumi returned to her feet and examined the woman.
Same clothing, hair style, roughly the same features given the
massive age difference... "Ms. Hinako?" Kasumi asked in
uncertainty.
The woman turned and nodded. "Yes, sorry it took so
long. I usually keep my coins more easily available for faster
access." She replied in a much more mature fashion.
Kasumi blinked in shock then looked down at Ukyo.
"Will she be all right?"
"She'll recover in a little while. I only partially drained
her. Shall we be going?" Kasumi again blinked but when Ukyo
managed to reach a sitting position, all be it with great difficulty,
she nodded and continued on her way with her new assistant.
Ukyo watched them go with a strange feeling in her. She
wanted to be infuriated. She should have been infuriated.
However, she was too damned weak to be infuriated. She
struggled to her feet then set off on her way to the Tendos'. This
wasn't over, not by a long shot. However, she was already late
and she was in no condition to do anything about it today.
In his mind he was a tiger stalking the jungles of his
imagination. Lightly he leaped over the wall. Pausing to wipe
the mud from his face he continued. There, there was his
objective. Quickly he dashed across the open area and made it to
cover. Looking all around he confirmed that his presence was as
yet unsuspected. Cautiously he climbed till he reached the
window to his love's chambers. "Damn," he exclaimed when he
saw the drawn curtains. But wait, all was not lost. There was a
narrow gap between the two halves of the window covering.
Pressing his face tight to the glass he was able to make out a
narrow band of the room on the other side of the glass. Sliding
his head along the window he was able to shift his narrow field
of vision, swinging it across the room until it reached the bed.
Yes!! She was there in all her sky clad glory. Her delicate form
sleeping on top of the bedspread, her breath gently raising and
lowering her chest. O how he longed to feel that sweet breath
caressing his features as he lightly licked her face. Every thing
about her was perfect, even the way her cute little nose played
peek a boo with the pink tinged tip of her tail.
"Scat!"
Artemis started and almost fell. Looking down he saw an
attractive brown haired woman. She was frowning up at him.
"I said Scat!" When Artemis still did not move she
reached down into the garden and picked up a hose that had been
laying in among the plants. Artemis, realizing what was coming,
tried to escape but he had left it too long. The stream of water
caught him in mid leap and sent him tumbling across the lawn.
Disoriented Artemis staggered to his feet and turned to
flee. He ran into a solid obstruction, and once again fell.
Looking up he found himself gazing into the jaws of death. He
had just run into the leg of one of the nastiest looking dogs it had
ever been his misfortune to see up close. He could not help
himself. He screamed, not like a cat but like a human. Terrified
he bolted and this time he made it to the wall. Up and over he
went and was lost to sight.
Ryouko stared after him, replaying the sound he had
made as he had looked her in the teeth. There was something
strange in that noise. She had never heard a cat make a noise
quite like that before. She had thought she had heard every panic
stricken noise a cat could make. She seemed to inspire them to
heights of eloquence for some reason. This was diff...
"Ryouko, come over here girl." Ryouko looked over to
where Nodoka was standing near the washing line. She
obediently trotted over to where Nodoka was standing and was
rewarded by having her ears scratched. Ryouko felt a twinge of
guilty pleasure as she leaned into Nokoka's hand. She was a
girl, not a wolf. She should not degrade herself this way. A
Mmmm of appreciation escaped her, however, as Nodoka's hand
found a particularly sensitive spot. Maybe it was undignified but
damn it felt sooo good. She almost fell over when Nodoka went
back to hanging up the laundry. Sighing she slumped down and
idly watched Nodoka work.
Nodoka, as was her habit, spoke to Ryouko as she
worked. "You certainly put the fear of God into that cat, girl. I
don't think he'll be around again any time soon. Between me
and you we'll keep Kasumi safe." Ryouko started at this. Damn,
another chance blown, she thought. After what happened earlier
she was just itching for some way to get back at Kasumi.
Thankfully the effect wore off after just a few minutes but for
those few minutes she had been so weak she could barely
manage to walk. What if something had happened while she
was in that condition? She would have been utterly helpless.
She hated that feeling. It was bad enough when she thought she
was trapped in this form but even then she had some defenses.
That wasn't the case this time.
Ukyo turned her mind from complaining about the
problem to dealing with it. How am I ever going to show them
the true Kasumi if I keep missing the obvious things, she
thought. There has to be some way to show them what sort of
person Kasumi really is. A noise of dismay from Nodoka
redirected her attention back towards Ranma's mother.
"I swear," she was saying. "That laundry machine must
eat delicates. I may have to go back to hand washing things. I
know I put a dozen panties in here and now there are only
eleven." Nodoka searched through her laundry basket for a little
while longer before giving up and hanging the ones she had
found up to dry. Ryouko went back to her brooding.
A very unhappy Artemis made his sodden way down the
street accompanied by Minako who was trying to conceal her
mirth from the deeply offended cat. They finally reached the alley
where Sailor Mercury was concealed. Ami did not even notice
their arrival. She was too busy scanning the interior of the Dojo.
Finally she looked up from her computer and said. "I'm getting a
constant low reading on the same frequency as those spikes we
discussed this morning. It is a constant background noise and is
so weak that it can only just barely be detected. My guess is that
it is the inactive stage of whatever is causing the spikes."
Artemis came out of his sulk long enough to ask, "do you
think Makoto might have been right about all the events
happening in this district being connected: C-chan, those spikes,
and that special class at the high school?"
Ami looked thoughtful for a minute before replying. "I
would have to say there is a very high probability that C-chan is
related to at least those energy spikes. As a matter of fact I'm
sure of it. On my previous scans I had noticed that a large
number of the spikes occurred in a relatively small area. That
area is as near as I can tell the grounds of the house C-chan is
living in. There is also a pattern here that occurs no where else.
Every day in the morning and in the evening there is a spike. It is
always within minutes of the same time each day. However, I
can't come to any conclusion regarding the special class at the
local high school without more proof."
"Do you think we should have Makoto enroll in that class
after all then?" Minako asked.
Ami shook her head. "I hesitate to suggest it. We have
no evidence at all that there is any connection and without at least
a little proof I don't see how we could justify asking Makoto to
throw her life into turmoil." Ami looked thoughtful for a minute.
"I think we should gather more data first. I will plant a monitor
on the school grounds and keep a scan going that will indicate if
any energy drain takes place there. If these spikes are an
indication of some new sort of Youma activity we will be able to
move quickly then."
"Sounds good to me. Let's plant the monitor and get
home, I need a warm towel badly." Artemis said grumpily.
Minako could not help but tease him a little. "What,
you're going to leave your girlfriend a prisoner? Have you no
adventure? Have you no passion?"
"What I have is the start of a cold. My `girlfriend' has all
the protection she would ever need, believe me. Now, let's get
going before I start to sneeze." With that Artemis stalked off, tail
high, gathering what dignity he could muster looking like a
drowned kitten.
C-chan could not help but feel a little sad as Akane
carried her down the stairs. She had finally come to the
conclusion that she would never recover her memory if she stayed
locked up in Akane's room for most of every day. She had
decided that she would have to run away during their daily visit
to the park today. It pained her to think of the hurt Akane would
feel, but she had no choice. So, with a heavy heart she began to
run through her plans once she was free. First she would have to
double back and try to get close to Akane's sister Kasumi. There
was something about that name. She was sure she had heard it
before. Just hearing it brought memories to the surface of her
mind. If she could just see Kasumi, touch her even, she was sure
it would help her recover her memory.
"Akane."
Both Akane and C-chan looked over to where Nodoka
was standing. She had just come in from hanging the laundry
and she held the basket in one hand. Having attracted Akane's
attention she continued to speak. "Akane, do you remember that
talk we had about spaying C-chan?"
C-chan was not sure of the meaning of the word spay but
from the conversations she had overheard at the animal shelter it
was something that new pet owners were encouraged to have
done to their pets, as a matter of responsibility. However, from
the way Akane's arms tensed when Nodoka mentioned the word
she at least did not believe it to be a simple thing.
"I'd really rather not do that to her Aunty."
"I understand dear, but not doing it raises concerns, and
I'm afraid one of those is about to come up. I would not let C-
chan run free today if I were you."
"Why not?" Akane asked.
"I caught a Tom cat trying to find his way into your
bedroom just now. I'm afraid little C-chan is going into heat. If
you are not careful in the park you could be hunting for homes for
a basket of kittens."
C-chan felt a shock run through her at this.
Unconsciously she cuddled deeper into Akane's arms. Maybe
I'll stay a little longer, she thought to herself. After all, I can feel
my memories sitting there. Maybe what I really need is peace
and quiet to recover. Trying to crawl even farther down into
Akane's embrace her decision firmed. Yes, that's what I'll do.
I'll stay here in peace and quite. And solitude, she could not help
but add.
Michiru and Haruka sat together at a table in a beach side
cafe, dressed appropriately for the beautifully day and location.
They looked off at Hotaru who was soaking her feet in the surf,
peaceful looks on their faces as they enjoyed the good weather
and scenery. "Such a nice change of pace." Michiru idly
commented as she took a sip of her drink.
Haruka nodded. "It's best to enjoy such things when we
have the chance. At anytime we could be called on."
"True, but not today." Setsuna said, appearing seemingly
from nowhere to stand behind the others to look out over the
ocean. The other two women looked back at their new visitor.
"It's been a while. Where have you been hiding?"
Haruka asked.
"I still have other duties to attend to, even at times such
as these. Hotaru seems well."
"Yes, but I have the funny feeling you aren't here for just
a visit." Michiru commented then looked at Setsuna seriously.
"Is there-"
"No. Your services are not required this day." Setsuna
answered before the question could be asked. She paused a
moment to scan the horizon then looked at the two women.
"Have you two plans this evening?"
"Not really." Haruka answered.
"Good. I think you should take Hotaru to a place I just
found. It seems to be a fine restaurant. You are sure to find
something of interest." Setsuna dropped a piece of folded paper
onto the table. "That's the address. I'd join you, but, as I said, I
have other duties." Without waiting for a response Setsuna
turned and began to walk away.
Michiru and Haruka exchanged confused glances then
Haruka picked up the piece of paper. She unfolded it and looked
over the writing. "Why do you think she wants us to go here?"
"I do not know, but I doubt it's anything dangerous."
"Do you think we should go?" Haruka asked, handing
the paper over to her companion.
"When that one drops us such an obvious invitation, I
think we should accept."
Kasumi walked down the street on her way home,
shaking her head in wonderment. Ms. Hinako had explained her
condition once they were at the restaurant and what a mess that
was. Some odd old man that she could barely remember had
come to her in a hospital when she was very young. At the time
she was quite ill and weak but that old man had somehow given
her a new constitution by allowing her to use this power. The
only price to this was that although she was indeed quite old her
body regressed to this younger form once she used up the battle
aura she had drained off.
Kasumi could now see why she held such promise. With
such an ability she could quite literally drain the fight right out of
someone. It was a rather crude method, and something Kasumi
wasn't too sure she approved of but it was effective. Used
properly and only when necessary it could be a very valuable tool.
Kasumi hopped up onto the fence to walk past a small
crowd walking the opposite way. She smiled with some
embarrassment as some boys in the group looked up at her and
gave her odd looks. She scolded herself as she hurried on for so
flaunting her skills. Every time she did something like that she
got those same looks. It seemed like everyone thought she was
some kind of weird woman to be avoided.
Kasumi didn't have time to regress further into self pity.
Her danger sense again rang out for the second time that day.
She dodged off the fence and down to the now open street. She
turned, expecting to face Ukyo but instead looked at the
wrinkled, tiny form of an old woman balanced on the end of a
long wooden staff, that was in turn balanced on top of the narrow
fence.
"Who are you?" Kasumi asked, this time absolutely sure
she had never before encountered this woman. The old woman
replied with a smile that seemed to split her face. Then, she leapt
forward, striking with her staff. Kasumi blocked each blow but
with great difficulty. The speed of the attacks increased, pushing
Kasumi right to her very limits. Just as she thought she would be
overwhelmed the old woman withdrew and again balanced on
her staff, smiling.
"Very good. You are impressive." She said.
"Who are you?" Kasumi repeated as she held a defensive
stance.
"We'll discuss that later." The old woman suddenly
rushed forward with a single strike. Somehow Kasumi managed
to grab the end of the staff before it made contact with Kasumi's
chest. "Very impressive." The woman said then pulled her staff
free of Kasumi's hand, struck once at each of Kasumi's arms in
spots Kasumi knew would temporarily disable her, then stuck
again at the spot on Kasumi's chest. The old woman pulled back
and smiled once more. "A little work and you'll do just fine.
We'll meet again, very soon." The old woman said then hoped
up to the fence, onto a roof and then into the air and out of sight.
Kasumi watched her go with increasing confusion. Once
her arms recovered she touched the spot on her chest where she
had been struck. "I have a bad feeling..." She said as she
continued on her way.
"Dr. Tofu?" Kasumi called out as she entered the clinic
and found the waiting room empty.
"Back here. Be out in a second." He replied from one of
the other rooms.
Kasumi sat down in one of the empty waiting room chairs
and nervously touched the spot the old woman had struck. There
was no doubt in her mind that the woman had done something to
her. She had very purposefully aimed for this point and the blow
was not one meant to cause just physical damage. Kasumi had
trained enough in pressure point attacks to know one when she
saw it and this was one. The fact that Kasumi hadn't noticed any
effects yet only added to her worry.
Dr. Tofu came out from the back room, his usual friendly
smile on his face. "So, how can I help you Kasumi?"
"I need to know something." Kasumi began then
recounted her attack to the doctor, with as much accuracy as she
could remember.
His smile vanished once he realized the possible
implications. "You were right to come to me right away. Come
on, we'll see what we can find." He led her into the examination
room. About half an hour later, after a thorough check over, and
much consulting of obscure manuals he poured himself a cup of
hot water, then walked over to a chair across from Kasumi and
sat down.
"I think I know what it was, but there is only one way to
be sure." Dr. Tofu said, the solemnity in his voice causing
Kasumi to sink deeper into uneasiness. "Here, take this." He
said, offering Kasumi the cup. Kasumi reached out, touched it,
and snatched back her hand with a yelp of pain. The cup felt like
a red hot skillet and when she looked down at her hand she was
momentarily surprised to find no charred skin, just redness.
"I was afraid of that." Dr. Tofu said as he sat the cup on
a nearby table. "The Cat-Tongue point."
"Cat Tongue point?" Kasumi asked in a distracted tone
of voice as she tried to shake the pain out of her hand.
"It's a rare and difficult to manipulate point that regulates
the sensitivity of the human body to heat. By setting it into dis-
balance one's body will become hyper sensitive to even moderate
temperatures above normal body temperature. In effect, your
whole body turns as sensitive as a cat's tongue."
"But why..." Kasumi began to ask but the reason became
quickly clear. She shook her head in denial. "No, this can't be.
It must wear off."
"No, it does not." A voice said from the doorway. Both
Kasumi and Dr. Tofu turned to see the old woman, balanced on
her staff, grinning at them. "There would be little point in me
using the technique if it did."
"Who are you?" Kasumi asked.
"Why have you done this?" The doctor asked.
"One question at a time, please. I'm getting on in years
and can't always be keeping up with you youngsters." The
woman hopped over to them then smiled at Kasumi. "You
haven't met me before, but I believe you know a relative of
mine."
"Relative?" Kasumi asked in confusion.
"Shampoo." The woman responded. The name
immediately sent Kasumi into shock. "Yes, I see you remember
her. She's my great grand daughter."
Kasumi became nervous as she began to recall her
encounter with the Amazon. After a second she looked at the old
woman in confusion, and was noticeable less composed. "But,
you must know-"
"About your curse and how it works, of course. I am well
aware of the powers of the springs of Juzenkyo."
"But then-"
"It is unimportant. Whether you are male or female is
purely subjective now, particularly since you'll be living your life
as a man from now on."
Kasumi blinked and tried to sort through all the thoughts
that were rushing through her head. After a moment she touched
the point where she had been struck and fully understood. "You
can't. I'm a-"
"Not anymore!" The old woman said firmly. "It's best
that you just accept your situation."
"I will not!" Kasumi responded. "I will not live some
lie."
"Ah, but it's not a lie in your case, is it, or did the curse
forget a few parts?" She asked with a chuckle.
Kasumi blushed and turned away to conceal her shaky
emotions. Dr. Tofu took this moment to step in. "What exactly
is this all about?"
The old woman looked at the doctor with mild surprise.
"She hasn't even told you?" Dr. Tofu shook his head and the
woman turned back to Kasumi. "I'll leave that explanation to
her, but before I leave, where is my great grand daughter?"
Kasumi looked up in confusion. "What? I don't know. I
haven't seen her." "Odd, she should have arrived some time
ago." The woman said with a frown but her face quickly
smoothed over, and returned to a passive expression. "It matters
not. She'll arrive soon enough." Despite her words Tofu
detected a small expression of anxiety and uncertainty before she
regained her calm demeanor. "I would suggest you take care of
matters while you still retain your female form." She said then
hopped out before either person could respond.
Dr. Tofu looked over at Kasumi who was staring at the
doorway, still shaken. "Do you want to talk about this?" He
asked. Kasumi looked at him with uncertainty. "I am your
doctor. I'll keep anything I hear between us and if something did
happen with this Shampoo-"
"No!" Kasumi blurted out then looked down at the floor
to collect herself. She took a moment to consider then with a
sigh nodded. "I suppose you should know. It will help you to
understand the situation I am in." Kasumi said then started into
her tale.
Dr. Tofu stayed silent and listened attentively to what
Kasumi could remember of the events surrounding her encounter
with Shampoo. Once she finished he nodded and sat back,
beginning to understand the predicament.
"Her great grand mother must believe something did
happen that night and intends to..." Kasumi said.
"See you marry Shampoo." Tofu completed and Kasumi
nodded. "Are you absolutely sure-"
"Yes! Nothing happened!" Kasumi responded
vehemently.
Tofu nodded then thought for a moment. "Well, it would
seem your only option is to talk to this Shampoo and straighten
this whole mess out. Once it becomes clear that nothing
transpired you should be able to convince her great grand mother
to undo the Cat Tongue point."
"Is there nothing you can do?"
"I'm afraid not. This point is beyond my ability to
manipulate safely. I do know of a one time cure that might work
but I would save that for a time when it is important that you
have your true form." Kasumi nodded and then hung her head.
"In the meantime I would take her advice and sort things out.
Have you told the people at the school about your curse?"
Kasumi shook her head. "No, but you are right, I will
have to now. Fortunately, I have recently come to believe they
are familiar with the unusual." Kasumi said with a weak smile.
She stood up and looked at the doctor with the best smile she
could manage under the circumstances. "Thank you Dr. Tofu."
"It's no trouble." He said and escorted Kasumi to the
door. After watching her go he poured himself a cup of tea and
sat down to think about what he had heard. He had over the last
nine years learned to read between the lines when listening to his
patients' stories. Sometimes what they did not say was as
important as what they did say. Kasumi had given him the facts
as she knew them, he was sure of that. He was also sure that she
was hiding something, maybe just from him, but maybe even
from herself. It was not unusual for a patient to deny something
they found unpleasant to consider. He went over Kasumi's story
in his mind trying to remember how she had looked while telling
her tale, how she had phrased the words, where she paused and
where she rushed through a section of her story. He pondered for
a while then thought to himself, it could be, it just could be.
Then he smiled a sad little smile, and would that not put the fox
among the chickens if it was.
%End Chapter 9
Now it's heating up. C&C is, as always, very welcome.
Special thanks to T. H. Tiger for his creative assistance
which has been and continues to be extraordinarily helpful.
Mental torment is our game. Everyone better watch out.
For you heathens who don't know who Artemis and the
others are check out Sailor Moon.
If you wish to check out my other works look at:
http://www.mala.bc.ca/~tritscwa
I'm presently off for the summer but I just got a ftp
service so my page will get updated more regularly now. If you
missed a chapter just check there, all chapters to date are stored
there for your convenience.
Bye for now.