Disclaimer at end of chapter: Also, no gerbils were harmed in
the writing of this fanfic. Trust me.
ASHES - A Cinderella Story
Chapter Nine
Mommy Dearest
We've had fun weaving words that rhyme
But we don't mess with Father Time
While everybody's doing fine
Let's rock and roll with Chapter Nine.
HIROSHI:
That evening, Kidori, or rather, Primrose and the Path, performed
at a local concert hall. Naturally, I attended, after scrounging
the money for tickets from Daisuke. Daisuke had plenty of money,
since his two dates were paying for his way. I was not jealous.
Not at all. Why should I be jealous that he had two girls
hanging on him while I had only...Kidori.
Kidori began her performance with her usual warmup. She seemed
to have recovered from her ordeal the night before. However, as
she vamped into her routine she was not putting a lot of energy
into it. Listlessly, she looked around, saw me as Hiroshi, and
immediately turned away, stumbling over the next line of her
song.
When she finished, she faced out over the audience and started
another, one the group had not recorded. The members of the band
swung into the backbeat, Guapo soft on the drums and Sakko-chan
easy on the sax. JuuPooku, the bass guitarist, started off
playing a different song, one they had been practicing, until she
realized she was all alone. She frowned hugely, as if
displeased, but segued in.
Feels like centuries,
lost without a clue
Traveled the whole world over,
trying to find you
But now that I've found you,
you are so far above
Climb nine and ninety steps uphill
tryin' to win your love.
But when I reached for you,
I stumbled to the ground,
Took ninety-nine steps to reach your heart
but only one step to fall down.
The first time that I saw your face,
it almost broke my heart
Oh, you're so far above me,
we'll always be apart
The chances that I'll share your love
are looking very pale,
Only one way to win your heart
and ninety-nine ways to fail.
And so, I know, our love is only
letters written in the sand,
There are shadows on the ground
between us you don't understand.
It was a moment of weakness. I have no other excuse. The music
called, she sounded so sad, and I rationalized that she needed
someone to help. Slipping behind the privacy of a fold of
curtain, I transformed into my alter ego, grabbed a mike and
stepped out on the stage behind her, to join in the chorus to
which I somehow knew the words.
You and I both know we'll
never make it in this town,
Ninety-nine steps up to your heart
but only one step to fall down.
Kidori brightened when she saw me, as if they had thrown another
spotlight on her. I ached to touch her, but it would not be
right. Doubly so, while I was in my shape. So, I did the only
thing I could do, which was to sing along with her. As our
voices blended, the audience stopped shifting and muttering in
disappointment and began to liven up.
I show my heart but you don't stop
and I tumble like a clown
Ninety-nine steps to win your heart
but only one step to fall down.
So I sing my songs and hide my heart
and travel with my band
'Cause there's shadows on the ground between us
you don't understand.
You and I both know we'll
never make it in this town,
With nine and ninety steps to climb
and only one step to fall down.
You know how I love seeing you around,
But it's ninety-nine steps to win your love
and only one step to fall down.
The audience exploded in cheers for Primrose, and I basked in the
reflected glory. Ahhhh. Fans. Applause. Adulation. I loved
it, even though I was so weak in the knees I could have
collapsed. Kidori rushed over to me and begged me to sing
another song with her. I let her pursuade me. Hah! As if I
would have refused! In case you haven't noticed, my ego is
pressurized.
And so, we performed. The music was flawless, driving and
compelling, and we danced a duo to make the stars swoon. For a
finale, Kidori popped out her flower petals and I snapped a bunch
of blue ribbons into the audience. I even forgave Daisuke for
being so dense and I sent one his way. The theater was packed
and the thundering applause left me weak and made my head spin.
It was perfect. Everything was perfect.
Kidori and I were swept from the stage by adoring fans, cheered
and applauded for encores, which we had to deny because we were
both so exhausted. Finally we ended up in her dressing room,
where things started going wrong. Not 'wrong' wrong, at first.
At first she started changing out of her costume, while I made
excuses. Then as she turned away to strip I saw enough that I
had to stare at the wall in a panic, to avoid nosebleeding.
There was no doubt in my mind that she was female. And there was
no doubt in my mind that I was a louse, betraying her trust in me
for my own pathetic desires.
"Ah...what's in this office?" I asked, trying to find something
to get my mind off clothes.
"You really shouldn't...." she began, but I had already opened
the door.
And stopped, immobilized, by the face that greeted me. It was a
horrible face, distorted beyond recognition by age, harsh times
and fierce determination. Glittering eyes challenged me through
slits in the leathery surface, separated by a gargoyle nose. I
had to be confronting the person with the ugly mask.
While I stood frozen by the sight, the person in the mask
attacked. With the heel of my hand I countered a sidearm slash,
batted a four-finger thrust away with my other elbow, danced over
a leg sweep and tumbled backward out of the office.
The door slammed, and I was relieved to hear the bolt slide
closed. The relief was two-fold, for now I could relax. Kidori
could not be the person in the mask, the one who had been
attacking the female martial artists in Nerima. She was
innocent!
I regained my feet, shaken by the memory of a face too ghastly to
behold except on the evening news, and I sputtered, "Who...who...
who was THAT? What a horrible mask!"
"I was trying to tell you. That's not a mask. That's my mother.
Actually, she is not my REAL mother. She's just a stepmother.
She does not like to talk to visitors. Honestly, you would like
her if you get to know her. She can smile. Sometimes. At
least, that is what I have heard."
"Argh," I said. Must breathe. Must remember to take a breath.
Keep moving. Sharks die if they do not keep moving. "But, why
did she attack me?"
"Mother wants to know if people have martial arts abilities,"
Kidori said. She had already dressed in shorts and sweater.
"Don't worry. You are far too skilled to allow her to hurt you.
Aren't you going to change?"
I hesitated. In order to change my clothes, I would have to take
off my clothes. I would have to face a me without even a skimpy
costume over the most critical of areas. Argh! No. I would
not. I could not. I quickly covered up with my 'boy costume'
again and headed for the door.
"I gotta go," I said.
"Oh, please, stay around a while! I need someone to talk with!"
she begged, touching my arm. Pulling away from her tender grasp
was the most difficult thing I have ever done, but I had to go.
I was beginning to feel exposed, as if someone was watching me
from within the office, and my nerves were beginning to scream.
Not only was I about to revert to boy status, I had this
terrible, sinking feeling that Kidori wanted me in my girl shape,
and that was almost as bad as knowing that she would never give
the boy me a second glance.
She waved a weak farewell as I hurried out of the dressing room,
giving the office door a wide berth.
Something teased my heightened senses, following me, shifting
through the dark places and back streets, until I managed to duck
into an unlocked booth in the deserted marketplace. As I hid and
waited to be poofed back to normal dullness, I felt the presence
questing about until it gave up in frustration and left. When
the change came I wandered aimlessly for a while until, unable to
avoid it any longer, I slumped back home in a melancholy stupor.
Mom was home, much rested and bustling about, fussing and smiling
as if nothing was wrong with the world, pretending that she had
never been sick. After Mom had reassured Hainoko that nothing
was wrong for the umpteenth time, the packrat quit clinging to
her and simply stared at me.
--------------
I was sitting at my desk, chin propped on palms, when I heard the
door slide open. I did not turn to look. My misery was
complete. Kidori was some kind of a two-faced sociopath,
outwardly a kind, beautiful, smiling girl, but inwardly a beast
who used her hidden strength to brutalize other girls. I could
almost accept that. I mean, at least she had _some_ redeeming
qualities. But if she beat up on girls because she liked girls
and not boys.... I was miserable. Either way I lost. I sighed
morosely. What else could go wrong?
Small socks scuffed the floor to stand behind me.
I sighed again and tried to squeeze the pain out of my temples,
waiting for her to go away and leave me alone.
Finally, Hainoko whispered, "I know you are Cinderella."
Before she could finish the statement I arose from the desk, flew
across the room and clamped my hand over her mouth. "Don't tell
anyone!" I begged, "Please! You won't tell anyone? Will you?"
She shook her head, as well as she could with my hand restricting
her.
"How did you find out? Oh, Kamis! Now everyone will know! I
won't be able to go to school! They'll mob me! Did you tell
anyone? How did you find out?" I repeated.
"Mmmmpphmmmphh," said Hainoko around my hand.
"Oh," I said, and I took my hand away.
Hainoko brought a bundle around from behind her. "Here," she
said, handing me my Primrose poster. With it were the clothes I
had dropped in Ucchan's.
I looked at the poster numbly, shifting it from hand to hand.
"Why? What do you want?" I asked, "Are you going to tell?"
"No."
"Why not?" As much as I wanted to, I could not believe she would
let me off this easy.
Hainoko rubbed her nose and thought. She backed out and started
to slide the door closed, then admitted, "I don't know."
Later, I knocked and watched through the half-open doorway as she
looked around, uncertain. Mom was the only one who ever knocked
on her door. She slid the door the rest of the way open and
gazed up at me.
"Thanks," I said. I gave the Primrose poster back to her,
feeling slightly foolish. Here we were, mortal enemies,
exchanging a poster.
She took the tube and verified that the paper rolled up in it
was, indeed, Primrose, before she ventured the ghost of a smile.
She did not put it away, but held onto it. "Could you get me
another Cinderella poster, too?" she asked. Instantly abashed,
she added, "I'm sorry. I lost yours."
I stopped, frowning. "You lost it?"
She nodded, with large sad eyes. "I took it to school 'cause I
liked it so much. A teacher got it."
"Was it a good teacher or a bad teacher? We could go ask for it
back," I said, trying to keep a stern face.
"I wasn't s'posed to have it there."
"Oh. I could go buy another one. But why should I give it to
you?"
"If you don't, I'll probably steal it, anyway," she said. Cute
smile. Wonder why she had never showed it before?
"Okay, then," I said, extending my hand. "It's a deal. Truce?"
"Truce..." she became somber for a moment as she tried to match
my grip with her small hand, then a shy grin stole across her
face. She held her hand up, palm toward me. "High five?"
I brought my palm up to meet hers. "High five. Awright."
She added, "...Wart Hog!"
I came back at her, "Tarantula!"
"Bug-eater!"
"Spider monkey!"
"Children!" cried Mom from downstairs, "Are you _fighting_ again?"
Hainoko and I stared at each other in chagrin. Mom always broke
up our shouting contests and then had to suffer in silence while
we tried to blame each other for starting it.
"Yes, Mom!" I said. "Sort of."
"Don't fight. Be _nice_ to one another," she commanded. There
was something different about her voice, something abnormally
cheerful. It was frightening.
"Okay, Mom!" I called.
"Yes, Mommy! I'm sorry!"
------------
With my homework finished early, I had time to kill. At the
door, I called, "I'm going out, Mom! Are you feeling okay?"
"Of course I am feeling well, Hiroshi! What kind of question is
_that_?"
"Just asking, Mom. I'll be back in a couple of hours."
"Hiroshi, dear. There _is_ something I have to ask you about,"
Mom said with a dramatic pause. "Have you been seeing _that
girl_ again?"
"Huh? Ah...oh...no! No, Mom! Not at all! I haven't been
seeing anyone! No one has been around to see me, either! Just
sitting up here, all alone, all by myself, being quiet! Ah. Was
there anything else?"
"Yes, there is, and it is terribly important..." _Hesitation.
Distinct Concern_. "...but it can wait. I am not sure what I want
to say. I have so much on my mind. I want to think about it."
All I could hear was the 'terribly'. "Is it - is it bad?"
"Of course not!" Mom giggled, turned a little pale and sat down.
Then she gave me THAT look. The one Pops and the doctor had
used. I left the house in a state of unease. Halfway down the
street I stopped and went back to close the door that I had left
open.
-----------
I suppose I could have kicked a can down the street all night
long, but I was lonely, so I went to look for people. At the Cat
Cafe I came across Daisuke.
Don't get me wrong. Dai and I were pals. We had always hung out
together. This time, however, he could only spare a few moments
to talk to me before his companions demanded more of his time.
One of them was Yuki. She was looking tired, exasperated, and
determined, yet still she clung to one of Daisuke's arms as
tightly as Niko clutched the other. I went on to find Mousse to
place my order, and looked around for someone who had time to
talk to me.
"Yo, 'Roshi!" Ranma said around a mouthful of noodles. He was
just polishing off a bowl of ramen, while Shampoo and Akane
watched each other across the table. I collected my own bowl of
'Chicken dancing in Spring Herbs' ramen from Mousse and went to
join them.
They were discussing the recent fights. Cologne had been
listening, balanced on her staff at the entry to the kitchen, and
she hopped over to join the conversation. "It could have been a
haunted battle mask," she mused.
"Huh?" Shampoo looked up from her staring contest with Akane,
"Battle mask?"
"To you youngsters, a mask may seem a hindrance, but some
warriors in the old days wore a mask to protect their face and to
enhance the fearsomeness of their appearance. There are cases in
my books of these masks actually picking up some of the
personality of the warrior who wore them...a kind of 'psychic
signature', reflecting the tremendous emotional charge the
warrior was experiencing at the height of conflict."
"What 'signature' have to do with monster masked girl?" Shampoo
wondered.
"Actually," interposed Akane, who was the only one who had seen
their opponent in daylight, "it was more like the mask a drama
actor might wear."
"That is something about your description which puzzles me," the
old woman frowned. "However, this is what I am saying. A truly
gifted warrior might have imbued his battle mask with enough of
his own spirit, his 'residual chi', that whoever wore the mask
afterward would pick up some of the original owner's abilities.
They could even have their own martial arts capabilities
multiplied many times over."
"You mean, like the 'battle suit' that I wore to defeat Ranma
that time," Akane said, watching Ranma from the corner of her
eye. Ranma's smile darkened slightly and he harrumphed to
himself.
"Precisely, child. However, in this case, the personality of the
original owner could be overwhelming the person now wearing it.
That person would have to be extraordinarily susceptible to the
influence for this to happen."
"Y'mean she don't know what she's doin'?"
"Oh, yes, Son-in-Law. She would be aware, all right. But she
could not stop herself. The influence would be occurring at a
subconscious level. She would be controlled by the warrior
impulse - much as you are controlled by the impulse to dodge
blows in fighting, or a girl like Akane would be controlled by
the impulse to care for a loved one."
"Heh. Guess I'm safe, there." Ranma glanced over at Akane, who
sniffed and looked away.
"At any rate, this 'masked girl' could eventually learn to
overcome this warrior impulse, but to do so, she would have to
change her own inner nature, until she was as powerful as the
warrior. Ultimately, that would mean that she would be absorbing
the warrior into herself."
Kidori's mother's face loomed in my mind. She wanted Kidori to
master martial arts, while Kidori was indifferent. Her mother
had a horrible face, but she was not the person who was using a
mask to attack people. With a sick certainty I knew who the
'masked girl' was.
"Are you saying that she would no longer be Kidori?" I blurted,
more a statement than a question. Everyone turned to stare at me.
Cologne sighed with a dismissive gesture and said, "No. She
would not, Boy. Not as you know her, today."
"I can't let that happen!" I cried, before I could clamp a lock
on my runaway mouth.
"I know you swore she wasn't the masked girl," said Ranma. "But
ya gotta face it - there's something missing, there."
"It can't be Kidori!" exclaimed Akane. "She is too tender-
hearted!"
"I hope it isn't," I said, glumly. "But if she is, I will do
everything in my power to help her get free of it!"
"Oh. Yeah. Guess ya would feel that way about it." Ranma
returned to his meal without his customary vigor.
"I have to help!" I cried, "I lo...lo...like her! And I am the
only one who can help her!"
I was aware of the sympathetic looks they gave me. Goofy old
Hiroshi. They thought I was crazy. At least they did not laugh
at me. But, then, they did not understand. Kidori was too meek.
Kidori was too kind. Kidori would never do a thing like that.
Would she?
I found myself eased to the outskirts of their circle, as they
huddled closer to discuss the 'masked girl', then Cologne took
them upstairs to look up something in her old reference books.
I saw Daisuke again as he broke free of his companions, but he
had his own campaign to run. He only came over to me to gloat.
"Hey, check it out!" he crowed, "I got my own ribbon! See? It
says, 'To Daisuke from Cinderella'. Cool, huh? I was at the
concert when, heh, she and Primrose did a double act!"
"Yeah, sure!" I growled. [I ought to know, you knucklehead!
I practically had to make you eat it before you saw it!]
Then he said the words which made me turn cold inside.
"This goes with my airbrushed nude Cinderella poster!" No, no.
Those weren't the words which brought me the most grief. Well,
they made me want to throttle him, but then he also said,
"Where's yours?"
"Mine?" I wondered. "Should I want a length of blue fabric with
some dumb words scribbled on it?"
"Sure! Everybody got one! Didn't you, of all people? I'm
surprised!"
I had souvenirs from all my favorite artists. My collection was
complete, up until the day that Cinderella came to town, and now
it was flawed. I had a reputation to uphold. I had to have my
own ribbon, and as Cinderella, I could not snap one out!
Oh, I had tried. I could not produce a ribbon for myself. At
first I told myself that I had no need for it, it was only a
gimmick. It would be the same as saying, 'From myself to myself.'
After a while it had become an obsession. Someday, Cinderella
would go away. There would never be a blue ribbon inscribed, 'To
Hiroshi from Cinderella.'
But I had snapped one out for Daisuke. I looked him in the eye
and threw a ribbon straight at his face. "I was at the concert!"
I answered, "Don't you remember?"
"No, I don't recall seeing you anywhere," he said, blinking as if
he had something in his eye.
"On the stage, Dumbass!"
"No kidding? You weren't on stage! That was one hot show! But
I only saw Primrose and Cinderella!"
I grabbed his collar and growled down at him, "Didn't I tell you
about me and Cinderella?"
With uncertainty clouding his eyes, he shook his head. I watched
as his eyes shifted and he appeared to be debating something with
himself. He came to a decision. "Man, you never said _anything_!"
"Oh, hell," I hissed. "You forgot?"
"No, I didn't. You are being awfully secretive, lately, Hiroshi.
Is there something you aren't telling me?" He seemed to get
something in his other eye, blinking and winking outrageously.
It was a minute before I could draw a breath. When I did, I
said, "You idiot!"
"Takes one to know one," he agreed cheerfully, turning back to
his appreciative, though long-suffering, female audience.
It was then I remembered. I had wished that he could forget it,
and apparently, he had.
Maybe it was a good thing, not having that information rattling
around unprotected. I listened to Dai enthrall his audience,
expounding on his knowledge of the great baseball players and
what he thought of romantic movies, like 'Matrix' and 'Perfect
Storm'. Yuki and Niko were both looking weary.
Yep. Definitely a good thing.
I got to wondering. What safeguards did the wish have to keep me
from exposing myself? In a figurative manner, that is. There
were subtleties to this condition that I had to learn more about.
Nabiki stood to lose a lot of money if she told - a powerful
persuasive technique, although I shuddered to think what kind of
pictures she would expect to take at the 'sessions'. Hainoko
knew. Would she remember? Daisuke knew about my secret, but he
seemed to have forgotten what I had told him after I had wished.
Who else could I tell? Could I shout it out, here in the Cat
Cafe, assured that all the customers would forget by the next
morning? Somehow, my confidence ran away like water when I
considered it.
Why had I ever made such a stupid wish? Why did I want to be a
'rock star', for Kamis' sake? I counted off the reasons:
1) To meet girls? Scratch that. What good did that do when I
_was_ a girl at the time? Although, I admitted dreamily, because
of the wish I had met Kidori. I sighed. Such a beautiful girl.
If only she would stop trying to kill people.
2) To have a bunch of people cheering me? Scratch that. I did
not care if nobody ever applauded me again. The applause was
nice, though. But not worth it.
3) To get attention, to have people notice me? Right. Like I
wanted that kind of attention. If I were to even whisper the
triggering phrase, the magic would attract more attention than I
could ever want.
I became dimly aware that Dai was telling Yuki and Kiko about his
date with Cinderella. "What a wonderful life she must live!"
cried Yuki, and I sneered. If only she knew. Then she said
eagerly, "That would be so thrilling! I want to be a rock star,
too!"
-poof-
The world looked subtly different, somehow, and I decided that it
was because I was back to being Cinderella again.
Daisuke saw me immediately, his eyes venturing up and down until
they lighted on my chest. I tensed, expecting him to rush
forward and become a nuisance. Instead, he flung himself forward
onto his face.
"I am not worthy!" he cried.
A drop of 'glow' began to trickle down my hairline.
"I have kept your secret!" Daisuke cried, "But I have had impure
thoughts! I am not worthy! Forgive me! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"
"Wow," said Ranma over my shoulder, as the rest of his gang came
down the stairs. "I've never seen anyone master the 'Crouch of
the White Tiger' so quickly!"
"I've never seen him so sincere!" added Akane, "But, what was
he going to do with that tape measure, Cinderella-chan?"
"Err...I'm sure I don't know," I lied, hoping that she had not
caught my quick glance from her bosom to mine.
It was a busy night. There were a lot of other patrons in the
Cat Cafe. I felt the magic attraction kick in as their eyes
began to light up. We stared at each other for a few seconds
before recognition flared, and then several guys came at me.
"I want an autograph!" they demanded, "Souvenir! Soul Kiss!"
I barely made it out of there with my skin and costume intact,
leaving the old ghoul, Ranma and his group, and the customers
staring wide-eyed after me.
Away from the crowd at the Cat Cafe, shivering with the night air,
I started walking home. Naturally, with everything else going
wrong, things had to get worse.
"Blue-clad Venus!"
"Oh, great," I groaned. "Kuno. Like a moth to a flame."
"Blue Venus! You have smitten me with thy enchanted beauty! I
would date with you!"
"Yeah, I am enchanted," I snarled, totally out of empathy.
"It's all part of the magic. Go away!"
I should have walked away and let him expostulate. Did I? Of
course not. I shoved him away from me. After all, he was
assuming the stance of the 'wide-arm breast glomp' and I did NOT
want to experience that, first hand. Perhaps I used too much
muscle shoving him, for when he pulled himself out of the
cratered wall, he seemed ecstatic.
"A challenge! I will conquer your body and your heart, and then
you will date with me! Hear me, oh glorious vision! I am
Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furenken High! Undefeated
Kendo Champion and rescuer of lost damsels!"
I searched for clouds, but there were none. Where did he get
that thunder? By the time I looked back, he had donned a black
silk hood and had drawn that wooden stick he always carried
about.
"My Love! To prove that I wish my own defeat, I will blind mine
eyes with this Hood of Death! Only conquer me, and you may date
me!" With the silken hood covering his face, he advanced.
"Strike! Strike! Strike!"
"I'm dead!" I said. He was on me before I could think, rushing
me and forcing me backward. I gulped and retreated. However, a
funny thing happened on the way to the slaughter. My feminine
body anticipated the path of the bokken, allowed me to weave
between and around the deadly thrusts.
"Heh," I said, "I forgot I had martial arts ability. I'm better
than _he_ is!" I remained complacent, easily evading Kuno, until
a wild swing stung my bottom where the costume did not cover.
Brushing aside the bamboo weapon, I moved through the rapid
strikes as though they were forest undergrowth, to snarl into
Kuno's hidden face, "Hey! That HURT, y'know!"
Kuno released the bokken, allowing it to clatter across the
pavement as he ripped the concealing hood from his head. He
chortled ecstatically, "You have penetrated my defenses with the
ease of the stooping falcon! And now these eyes can perceive
that your beauty rivals the fairest of the fair! You are - dare
I say it? - as clear and desirable as the morning over the misty
lake, yea, even the flowers that adorn the hanging gardens of
Babylon (though of course not so fair as the loves of my life,
enshrined within my strong breast). It is my wish - nay, it is
my duty, to allow you to date with me!"
And with that, he glomped. I found myself in a bear hug, my
breath squeezed out, my eyeballs bulging. Only by using an elbow
to his throat was I able to pry myself loose.
"I. do. not. want. to. date. you!" I gasped, before Kuno
grabbed me again, giving preference in his handling to the
vicinity of my chest.
"Oh, the noble agony of it all!" wailed the eldest Kuno sibling,
"To find this delicate flower, yearning for love, and yet I must
give her up!"
"It's better in the long run, believe me," I panted, struggling
free by prying his arms apart.
"To walk away, leaving her pining for my masterful touch! Oh,
the cruelty of fate! Should I deprive her of her heart's desire,
because I am so shallow as to be content with my present loves?"
"Oh, please do!" I gasped, somehow hauled back from near freedom.
"But hold! Is it possible to spread myself so thin as to serve
all three lovely damsels?"
"No. Not really. Really, you should not!"
"Yet, could I hesitate to do this, knowing the tortured
loneliness she must endure without my affection?"
"Look, you moron!" I cried, "You are already after Akane and the
Pig-tailed girl! Do you really think you can handle three girls
at once?"
I thought I had him, there. Wrinkles formed on his majestic
brow as Kuno considered the question. You could almost hear the
arguments rumbling back and forth in the empty space between his
ears, causing him no small amount of pain as he debated the
morality of his actions.
"I love the noble Akane, for she attacks with the grace and
power of the foraging lioness! Yet, too, I love the spirited
Pig-tailed Girl, for she has cuteness and charm on her side.
Could I dare to presume to impose my desires on yet another
adorable Venus, this blue-ribboned girl, deserving of my
attention as she may be? Oh, the agony! To hold such sway over
such gentle flowers, to be saddled with such noble
responsibility! I must harm none of them, but one of them is
destined for loneliness, for I cannot possibly spread my noble
self to nurture all three!"
He wept on with the struggle, burdened with the decision. As I
tried to ease away, he debated, "Or can I? Is it possible? Can
the noble Tatewake Kuno handle three girls at once?"
And shortly the answer came floating to him, sweet and clear. The
corners of his mouth tugged upward as he accepted his grace and
turned to embrace his destiny.
"Yes! Yes I can! Come to me, my blue-ribboned girl!"
In retrospect, I had to admit that it had been the wrong question
to ask. "Listen, Kuno!" I cried, "You don't really want me!
That desire is only magic! It will go away! It isn't real!"
"Tear not my heart with warnings of enchantment!" cried Kuno,
"For my very soul has already been ensorcelled by your beauty!
I adore thee, I love thee, O' My Blue Ribboned Venus! I would
give my life for thee!"
A wave of weariness broke over me and I stumbled. Struggling
free from his clutch took great effort, my strength fading as he
pursued. I was cornered, unable to lift a finger to protect
myself and too weak to jump to the roof above.
However, as Kuno swooped to clench me in his arms, someone
stepped between us.
"Get a clue, Kuno!" she cried. "You're not wanted!"
Kuno turned to the newcomer with glad welcome in his eyes, only
to be booted into the next prefecture.
I could agree with Kuno about one thing. Akane's high kick was a
joy to behold.
-----------
"Really! You'd think he'd learn," Akane huffed as she helped me
to my feet.
"I've had a rough night," I said as I smoothed creases from my
blue jacket. "I don't know why I felt so weak. Thanks."
"Glad to help," Akane said cheerfully, then she tensed, looking
beyond me. "Oh, no!" she whispered, "You have to get out of here!
Can you run?"
I did not answer, for I had followed the direction of her glance.
All my attention was on a lighted doorway which silhouetted the
slim shapely figure of a girl, glowing at the edges with pale
yellow fire. The girl's eyes emitted a dull red gleam through
slits in a wooden mask.
My skin crawled with alarm, my hair stood on end, and I felt the
first real fear since I had found myself alone on stage the night
the madness had begun.
A booming gust of wind sent sand and leaves flying, but it was no
natural gale. It was the voice of my true love, filled with an
awful power as she cried, "-Cinderella! I challenge you!-"
END: CHAPTER NINE
http://www.wanderway.com/cinder/ashes.htm
comments to: jeeades@wanderway.com
or kamesakka@wanderway.com (please and thankew!)
The talented and beautiful Rumiko Takahashi and Viz and a whole
bunch more have dibs on Ranma et al, Fujishima Kousuke and
Animeigo take credit for associating Urd of Norse mythology with
kawaii features and a computer engineering degree, Cinderella is
an old fairy tale, which leaves me with Hainoko and Kidori, who
are derivative and probably belong to everyone. Basho belongs to
himself. No reference to any present or past singing group, rock
star, entertainer, or agent is intended. Not to worry, since I
don't intend to make any money off this, anyway.
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