A flash of lightning split the darkness, muted thunderclaps rolling
in seconds behind. From his position on the worn wooden floor of the
dojo, Ranma flexed his hands.
Ki. That was the secret to this battle.
It was all about ki, and the confidence to use it right. He had the
confidence, and the strength; all that remained was to prove it.
--------------------------------------
Diamonds in the Rough -- Chapter Sixteen -- Distant Lands, Distant Troubles
Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Rumiko Takahashi, Viz
(Ranma 1/2), TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa
(Goldenboy). The easel is mine. That's all.
Note: I screwed up and thought that Ranma was introduced to his
mother before the Shishi Houkodan arc. Erm. Assume that it's an alt,
and my thoughts are correct for this story (because they are). -_-
--------------------------------------
Mutsumi could tell that Ranma's eyes were on a faraway point, not
seeing the desert around them. Not feeling the heat, the angry sun
beating down on them mercilessly.
Finally, he spoke, though his words were just as distant as his gaze.
"I ... was challenging someone to a duel. I had ... had just created
my first ki attack. I'd made...." He shrugged, and his eyes snapped
back to the present, meeting hers. "I made the Mouko Takabisha. It
was because my rival learned another attack, first. And I needed to
make that move just to counter him."
"But it didn't work quite that way, did it?" Mutsumi asked, the
memories she'd gotten from him during her one drain of his battle aura
suggesting what happened.
"No, it worked perfectly," Ranma disagreed, shaking his head. "We
just canceled each other out. It was stupid, really. But I was
practicing. Waiting for him to show up for the rematch. I ...
couldn't sleep, so I went into the dojo to practice one night. It was
raining...."
***
"P-chan?" he asked incredulously. "What is this, a miracle?"
"What are you talking about?" Ryouga asked from the doorway,
befuddled. "And what are you doing in Okinawa, Ranma?"
"This is the Tendo dojo, idiot," Ranma said, rolling his eyes. "Come
on. You're like, almost three days _early_ for a duel for once.
_Too_ early -- want your beatdown now?"
"Oh, is that how it's going to be?" Ryouga asked in a tight voice,
unslinging his backpack from his shoulder and sending it sliding into
one corner.
"I think-"
"Save it," Ryouga snapped. "That was rhetorical, Ranma. When
_aren't_ you trying to start fights?"
He considered for a moment, and then grinned. "When I'm-"
"That was rhetorical, too!"
"Man, I didn't realize how annoying the Shishi Houkodan made you,"
Ranma sighed, rolling his eyes. "You ready to get smashed, or what?"
"I-" Ryouga's angry protest was cut off by a disappointed, muted
sigh. "Fine," he managed, nearly listlessly. "I see how this is
going to end. Let's just get this over with."
"Fine by me!"
***
In the house, Kasumi listened to the raindrops beat on the roof, and
glanced to the ceiling of her room. Slumber eluded her for some
reason; usually the sound of falling rain lulled her into a deeper
sleep, but tonight it simply wouldn't come.
She blew out a small sigh of irritation and rose, wondering why.
It felt like ... the home's 'wa', that delicate balance between the
house and the family within, was becoming horribly tilted. Not
breaking, at least, not yet. But it was stretching, and would soon be
lost entirely.
And this time, she hadn't a clue what was causing it. On silent
feet, she padded to her door, pausing to cinch up a warm robe before
stepping into the hallway. Her sister's doors were both snugly shut,
and the guest bedroom door was open. The light from the hall
illuminated the bulk of Genma's sleeping form, and ... Ranma's empty
futon.
"Oh dear," she murmured at the vacancy. Was Ranma trying to make
himself suffer, so he could use Ryouga's move again?
Sighing, she headed downstairs, wondering what she would find. After
she reached the house's main room, she paused, looking about again.
There wasn't so much as a sound from her father's room, and Happosai's
room was equally silent.
Steeling her resolve, she made her way to the kitchen, prepared for
the worst. To her relief, it was as pristine as she had left it,
nothing appearing disturbed. A pair of filled kettles sat on the
stove and she turned those burners on. Hot water was always useful,
and if she tried to make tea, undoubtedly Ranma would appear and ask
if there was any hot water to spare.
As she finished adjusting the burners, she saw a flicker of light
from the kitchen window and frowned, counting. But after a handful of
seconds, there was still no rumble of thunder. Curious, she opened
the back door from the kitchen, the one that led beneath the covered
walkway to the dojo. Outside, the sound of rain was louder, and she
could hear other noises, too.
From the dojo, of course, and then there was another flash of light.
"Ah," she murmured quietly. "Ranma-kun must be practicing." Surely
that was all that it was. But still....
Something told her that her precious wa was going to be broken by
events within the dojo, and she steeled her resolve again, walking to
the training hall's door. As she reached to touch it, she paused,
hearing Ryouga's sad, rumbling voice, "It's hopeless," he groaned. "I
can't ... you just saw my move and learned it." He sounded near the
verge of tears, Kasumi thought, surprised, as her hand fell to her
side and she took a step closer to the door. "And then when it was no
good for you ... you just made up a new one that's even better." He
sighed morosely. "I guess I can never win."
"That's right, pig-boy!" Ranma replied, more cheer and energy than
normal in his voice. "In fact, take-"
"Perfect Shishi Houkodan!"
Something then told Kasumi that she needed to turn, to run away, to
flee.... But a heavy force weighed down on her, pinning her in place,
and she saw the rain in a great ring around the dojo suddenly get
shoved away, as though something huge were above the structure,
blotting out the falling drops of water.
And then it crashed down, and Kasumi only saw green fire. She had
enough time to scream before the emerald inferno gave way to soothing
darkness.
***
Her hands were raw from the splintered lumber she was pulling aside,
remnants of the dojo -- it was only a building, and she'd been able to
take the worst of it. Rain from the storm had quickly soaked her,
activating her curse.
"Oh no, oh no, this can't be happening!"
Who was wasting breath on the litany, when more work needed to be
devoted to removing the obstructions?
"Please, please, please be okay, I didn't mean for this to happen!"
She wished she could tell whoever was babbling to shut up, but didn't
waste the effort. Heavy timbers were levered aside and heaved into
the yard.
"Come on, come on, Kasumi, you have to be alright, you can't have
gotten hurt by something so stupid!"
The voice hiccupped, almost on the verge of a sob, and she realized
that it was her own.
There! One of the timbers shifted; Ranma threw all thought aside and
began tearing the rubble away with reckless abandon. "Kasumi!" she
called, as distant lightning flashed. "You gotta be alright!"
Then the rumble of thunder sounded and the shattered wood lifted,
revealing a small, living form. Ranma swore loudly, seizing the
piglet in one hand. "You idiot," she seethed at the unconscious
animal. "This is all your-" She broke off, glaring at the creature.
She didn't have time to worry about the pig. Tossing him aside
carelessly, she focused on the pile of rubble, finally uncovering the
form of the eldest Tendo sister. "Oh, no," she groaned, when she saw
how still Kasumi was. Why had she been outside? Had she just come to
investigate a noise? What was it that had brought her-
"Ranma!"
The thoughts died a swift death, and Ranma spun to face her fianc�e.
"I can explain everythin-"
"No," Akane said, her voice cold, eyes filled with raw hurt and
anger. "You can't, Ranma. Get out."
"But-"
"Get out!" she screamed, stepping away from him, while her father
stepped forward, just as much anger visible in his gaze.
"This is too far, Ranma," he growled. "I've abided much, but
bringing harm to Kasumi crosses a line I cannot forgive. I think you
had best leave -- now."
"I...." But they had no reason to listen. Not bothering to face
either of them any longer, and unable to bear the sight of Kasumi, or
Akane's anger, he turned and fled into the night.
***
"Was that ... how you left your old ... life?" Mutsumi asked gently,
staring deep into Ranma's emotion-clouded eyes.
"No," he said hoarsely, after a moment. "That was just the
beginning. I did something even dumber after ... after that."
"What could it have been?" Mutsumi asked, genuinely puzzled. Being
indirectly responsible for Kasumi's injury was the deepest hurt she
had felt from him when she'd used the 'good girl's exercise'.
Ranma heaved an unsteady breath, and closed his eyes. "When I was
just a child," he said, suddenly changing the subject, "my...." He
shook his head. "The man who I called my father and the woman I
called my mother drew up a contract that said I would be a 'man among
men'. If I wasn't ... raised to her satisfaction, I would end my
life. She meant seppuku."
"Oh, my," Mutsumi murmured, her eyes widening. "But you obviously
didn't...." She trailed off and looked at Ranma, leaving the question
unspoken.
"She ... didn't know about the curse," Ranma said quietly, looking
away. "She thought my curse was just some girl. I ... I used that to
ask her if she thought I was good enough, and...."
Even though Mutsumi knew that it was old, she could see that it was
still a very deep hurt, and one that Ranma hesitated to share. But
the pain in his eyes....
"Oh," she murmured, dropping his hand, and scooting closer, putting
her arms about him and holding him close.
He sniffled, and she shook her head, soothing, "It's alright.
Please.... Just let it go, Ranma. You can't hold your hurt inside
forever."
***
The sun was rising, somewhere. Ranma assumed it was east of her, but
hadn't really stopped to care since it was bright enough to easily
read street-signs. Not that she really had; she'd merely looked for a
sign that said 'bridge'.
Eventually, she'd found one, and now stood over an impressive segment
of the Tokyo harbor. She doubted the fall would do more than bruise,
unless she landed just so. She also doubted that her reflexes would
help her in the endeavor. "Just think positive," she mumbled to
herself, climbing up onto the suspension bridge's railing, and staring
at the water, far, far below. "Even Akane could do this."
"Er, excuse me," someone said from behind her. She turned slowly,
releasing the cable she'd been holding for balance.
It was a young man, probably in his very early twenties. He wore a
distinctive dark brown jacket with a fur ruffle around the collar and
sleeves, and a red baseball cap.
"Yeah?" Ranma asked tiredly.
"Are you planning on jumping?" he asked.
"Yep." She forced a smile she didn't feel. "You want to go next?"
"Not really," he said, shaking his head. Ranma frowned. Her shirt
was torn open, nearly exposing all of her chest. But the man's eyes
were locked firmly on hers, not straying for the slightest moment.
"Then what's your deal?"
"Just here, I guess," he said, shrugging. "Do you see anyone who
needs saving? I ... got a feeling someone did."
Ranma turned around again, and stared at the water. "It's not even
proper seppuku," she murmured. "I'm supposed to die. For family
honor."
"Why not wait until after the sun finishes rising?" the man asked.
"Go with that last sight, if you have to."
"You sure don't seem much for talkin' me out of it," Ranma muttered,
staring at the horizon, where the first bits of fiery gold began to
crest.
"A man makes his choices and lives by them," he said, shrugging. "Or
dies, I guess. But...."
Ranma turned back and raised an eyebrow. "Well?" she finally asked,
when he said nothing else, now watching the sunrise.
"I once had a family," the man said distantly. "But ... I had to
leave it. A bad man married my sister. I couldn't stand him, so I
left. But I made a promise then. I promised that no matter what, I'd
always try and make sure that bad things didn't happen to good
people." His eyes slid from the sunrise to lock on hers again, and
this time, Ranma felt herself somehow pinned to the bridge's railing
by his gaze. "I think you seem like a good person. Is there anything
I can do to make sure that nothing bad happens to you?"
"A bit late for that," Ranma managed, trapped in this stranger's
eyes. "Why do you care?"
"Because I failed terribly, once," he said quietly. "And I'm trying
to make up for it."
Ranma said nothing, merely feeling the winds that caused her to sway,
momentarily nearer the brink, momentarily nearer to safety.
Eventually, she turned around, just in time to watch the sun clear the
horizon entirely, though tearing her eyes from the man seemed
unnaturally difficult.
"Do you think ... you can make up for any failure?" she finally asked.
"I do," he said, smiling warmly. "And that's what I live my life for."
"So ... you still haven't really explained your deal yet," Ranma
murmured, shaking her head, and then looking across the harbor, as
boats began to sluggishly creep from their moorings, spreading ripples
and wakes across the water.
"If you come with me, I'll teach you everything I know about living,"
the man offered.
Ranma hesitated, but.... She'd already thrown away her honor by
coming here instead of committing seppuku. It wouldn't find a way to
somehow become more stained. "Sure," she finally said, turning
around. "But if you think I'm just some girl, you got another thing
coming, Pal. Some hot water, and we'll see if you still want to teach
me."
He grinned, and extended a hand towards her. "I'm Oe Kintaro.
Partners?" he asked.
"Sa...." She trailed off, then shrugged, and accepted the handshake,
which he used to pull her back to the level of the sidewalk. She
allowed him, and then said, "Ranma."
"No last name?" the man asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Not right now," she said quietly.
"Well, let's go get you that hot water you seemed interested in," the
man decided, releasing the handshake. "Come on."
***
Mutsumi smiled, as the tension drained from Ranma. "Aniki saved my
life," he said quietly. "If it weren't for him, I think I would have
jumped."
"But you didn't," she said, shaking her head. "And I'm glad for that."
He blushed slightly, looking away, though he didn't try to escape
from her embrace. "I am too," he said quietly. Then he looked across
the desert, his expression hardening. "It's just.... All of that
hurt, I blame on ... on Ryouga. If it weren't for him...."
"Then this never would have happened?" she asked.
"I...." Ranma didn't even know what he was going to say, and let the
attempt at speech die. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed and
admitted, "No. It's my fault, too. I picked the fight with him. I
was the one that thought we could do it in the dojo. All because I
was impatient and it was raining."
"But you said that he sometimes vanished for weeks," Mutsumi
protested. "You might not have seen him for a month after that
night."
"Yeah that's--" Ranma suddenly broke off, and edged out of Mutsumi's
grip, looking at her strangely. "No, actually, I didn't mention
that." He swallowed nervously and asked, "How much ... do you
remember of ... of my life?"
Mutsumi looked thoughtful, and tapped her lower lip with the tip of
one finger. "Well," she said after a moment. "Bits and pieces.
Mostly I remember that night where you fought with Ryouga. But I
remember you looking at a girl, and her asking if you would be her
friend. I remember you telling Ukyou-kun that you thought she was
cute. And I remember you saying goodbye to your wife."
Ranma flinched.
"And I remember when you first took a bath after you got your curse."
Color drained from Ranma's face momentarily, before it turned bright
red, and he stared at his feet intently.
"But I don't remember a lot of things, like your...." She trailed
off, and sighed. "Well, most of them fade. I think they're not my
memories, so they'll go away. But I think I only got them because
they're all memories which seem very important to you."
"Oh," Ranma coughed, his blush diminishing, but not entirely
subsiding. "Well. Um, yeah. I could see that."
Then Mutsumi smiled, and waggled a finger at Ranma. "Naughty," she chastised.
His blush deepened, and he stared at the horizon. "I'm gonna die,"
he muttered. "That's so embarrassing."
The woman giggled, and said, "I won't tell anyone, I promise."
"Erg."
"Are you feeling better now?"
"Yeah," he said, after a moment. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to ...
to dump on you."
"I thought we were dating, Ranma," she chastised. "Isn't this how we
should help one another?"
"Oh yeah," Ranma said quietly. "Man. I'm dumb about stuff like this."
Mutsumi giggled again, but didn't correct him.
"Only thing I can't figure is ... er ... why you remembered some of
the stuff you did," Ranma mumbled.
"Oh, that naughty one, I didn't," she said, her smile widening. "I
just guessed. That's what I'd probably do if I were a boy who got
turned into a girl."
"Oh, damn," Ranma muttered, covering his face with his hands and
chuckling. "You're gonna be a bigger handful than Kitsune, aren't
you?"
"Well, I got you to laugh a little, so maybe! But, Ranma-kun, let's
go down to the beach. It's hot here, and you should get something to
drink."
"Yeah," he agreed, climbing to his feet, and then helping Mutsumi up.
"And ... me and Motoko-chan are gonna have to stage a raid on that
bandit fortress to get enough gas to get back to town. We'd better
start getting ready." Nodding decisively, he began striding towards
the oasis.
"Ranma-kun?"
He paused, turning around, a few steps down the slope from Mutsumi.
"Yeah?" he asked, turning back.
As she stepped towards him, she stumbled slightly, and he moved
forward to catch her carefully, the two ending with faces a
hairsbreadth apart. His eyes widened slightly, as she smiled up at
him, her breath tickling his jaw line. Her lips pursed slightly, as
her eyes drifted closed. He leaned towards her to-
"...Oe-sensei!"
He broke away and spun around nervously, just in time to see Motoko
clearing the trail that led up the cliff, her hat tied to her cloak
and trailing behind her in the breeze of her passage. "Oh, damn," he
growled. Turning back to Mutsumi apologetically, he said, "Look, I--
MMPH!"
She didn't release him from the kiss until he could hear Motoko's
footsteps drawing close, and then faltering. "Gah," he gasped. "Urk.
Don't kill me!"
"I'm fairly certain I know who the aggressor was," Motoko replied,
standing a short distance downhill and peering up. Her expression was
unreadable, shadowed somehow beneath the wide brim of the hat she had
put on when Ranma was ... distracted.
"Uh. Wait! What are you implying? That was totally me!"
Mutsumi giggled, and Motoko snorted. "Sensei," Motoko said, "I'm,
er, glad for you. Really." There was a moment of awkward silence,
before Motoko added, "But we have good news! Shinobu and Keitaro
managed to find more fuel."
Ranma blinked. "Oh," he said. "That is good. I think. Wait! No
bandit beatdown?"
"Well, passenger space is somewhat limited in Noriyasu's vehicle, but
I suspect that those of significant martial skill can simply cling to
the roof," Motoko opined.
"We'll figure it out back at the oasis," Ranma decided.
***
Something had changed, Shinobu realized, as she dabbled her feet in
the pond at the base of the waterfall, looking at the trail behind
her. Motoko descended first, a handful of bounding leaps that carried
her down, and then across the valley floor to Keitaro. Ranma had left
in a fury, but walked back holding hands with Mutsumi, the two of them
taking their time.
She blinked, and then looked at Mitsune sidelong. The woman stared
for a moment at the couple in surprise, and then shrugged, smirking at
Shinobu. "Took 'em long enough," she said with a wink.
"I guess so," Shinobu murmured. She'd never really noticed that
anything was going on between Mutsumi and Ranma, as focused as her
attention had been ... elsewhere. "We should pack," she decided.
"Pack what?" Mitsune asked. "Most of our luggage still hasn't made
it to the island."
"Well, clean, then," Shinobu decided. "We'll leave the oasis neat
for the next people who come here."
"But ... who else would come here?"
Keitaro glanced up from where he was busily packing up some of Seta's
equipment, Naru watching him curiously. "We're coming back," he
offered. "Or sending someone back. We're not done with this site, we
just ... er ... need to get back to town in time to submit our exam
tickets."
"Yo," Ranma called as he and Mutsumi reached the base of the cliff,
Mutsumi finally releasing his hand. "So, is there enough gas to get
back to town?"
"Plenty!" Seta yelled back. "We should all be able to fit, too.
We're going to need to leave Koara's toys behind, though."
"They're not toys!" Suu protested. "Toys are more important!"
Ranma blinked and scratched his head. When he was a handful of steps
away from Shinobu, Mutsumi standing beside him still, he shrugged. "I
guess everything's gonna work out after all," he decided.
***
Minami had generally learned to mind her own business, and understood
that for whatever reason her employer didn't like to discuss some
parts of her past. But she was relatively free with information when
Ranma was around, especially on those rare occasions he came alone,
instead of with all of his friends.
And business was slow enough that she could sip at her drink a few
spots down from Ukyou and Ranma and hear them both. She was turned to
face the door, away from the pair, but she listened intently to the
conversation anyway.
"Are you serious?" Ukyou asked, stunned. "Ryouga lives on some
tropical island now?"
"Pararakelse," Ranma replied, nodding. "It ... made me deal with
something I'd been ignoring for a while."
"Ah," Ukyou said quietly, flipping an okonomiyaki onto the plate
before Ranma. "Well, what about good news? Has anything positive
happened lately?"
Ranma fidgeted for a moment, and Ukyou heaved an exasperated sigh.
"Come on, you lug. Who is she?"
"Erm. Mutsumi," Ranma managed very quietly.
Minami took that opportunity to peek behind her. Ranma stared into
his plate, face slightly pink. Ukyou looked at him, and was smiling,
but Minami could see that it didn't completely reach her eyes. She
turned away quickly, before she was spotted.
"You'll need to introduce me to her better at some point. And good
for you, Ranchan. You should be happy."
"Well...."
"Don't worry about it! So, how did you do on the test to get into Toudai?"
"I passed, actually."
"I thought you'd be okay," Ukyou said, giggling quietly. "I've never
seen you fail at anything you really had your heart set on. Remember
when you got hit with that Ultimate Weakness Moxibustion?"
"Don't remind me!" Ranma grumbled. "But yeah. And ... thanks,
Ucchan. For believing in me. I ... gotta go. I'll come by again on
Friday."
"Looking forward to it," Ukyou replied earnestly. "You be sure to
bring your new girl along so I can get to know her better, alright?"
"'Course! I'm glad that everything seems to be working out so well
for once. Anyway, you take care of yourself, Ucchan. See you
'round!"
Minami turned around again, but Ranma was gone. She felt a breeze
tug at the loose hair that had escaped her ponytail and turned to look
back at the restaurant's door, which was just swinging shut. "That
guy sure knows how to move," she opined to Ukyou.
"You said it," Ukyou replied quietly. "Minami, why don't you take
the rest of the evening off? I'm going to close up shop here."
"Are you sure, Boss?" she asked. But the question was a formality;
Ukyou may have kept a close eye on the restaurant's budget, but she
wasn't terribly strict about the schedule.
"Yeah." The chef flashed her a smile. "I need some time to think.
I'll just clean up while I'm doing it. There's no one else here right
now anyway."
"Okay, Boss," Minami agreed, thinking of her plans for after work.
"I'll just turn off the sign on my way out."
"Thanks. Walk home safely!"
Minami giggled and nodded; the area was low on crime in general.
When a handful of thugs had actually appeared within shouting distance
of the restaurant once, Minami had gotten to see her employer's
'combat' spatula in action. It was swift and brief, and Minami felt
perfectly safe from that point on. Of course, it hadn't happened
since, and that was weeks ago.
After taking down the store's signs for the evening and closing the
door, Minami took a deep breath and sighed, strolling slowly down the
street, hands in her skirt pockets. Three streets down, she peeked
into a darkened alleyway, seeing a feminine form leaning against the
wall there. "Hey," she called quietly, not quite willing to leave the
pool of light and safety that projected a step from the alley
entrance. "I thought you might be early."
"When I want something, I generally get it," the woman said,
straightening up and striding towards Minami. She reflexively took a
step back, stopping when the other woman did, still shrouded in shadow
and somehow more ominous apart from the walls of the buildings around
her. "What do you have for me?"
"Well ... what do you need to know?"
"Everything," she said humorlessly. "Is he ... seeing anyone?"
Minami nodded. "Ukyou said he was dating ... Konno-san. But now
he's seeing someone named Mutsumi. I don't really know her."
"He broke up with this Konno?" the voice asked, suddenly eager and demanding.
"W...well...." Minami trailed off uncomfortably. "You promised me
money," she said, shaking her head. "Why do you want to know this,
anyway?"
"Standard rates, darling," the woman said flatly. "Are you going to
buy answers from me?"
"I suppose you think you're shrewd, but you don't hold all the cards
here," Minami warned. "I've seen your type enough; you think you know
everything about how this works. Look, Ukyou is my boss. I'm not
telling you anything else, unless you can promise me that you're not
trying to hurt her, or me, or the restaurant."
"In all honesty, I couldn't care less about those things," the woman
said angrily. "If that's all you need, you've got it. As long as I
get what I want, I give you my word that I won't try and harm you, or
Kuonji."
"Now that we're starting to get that out of the way, what's your name, anyway?"
"Yamada Nonoko," came the answer after a moment.
"Well, that was a poor choice for a false name," Minami said,
suddenly smiling. "Couldn't you come up with something just a little
less generic? Now I know not to trust you until I can see some
identification."
Then the woman moved, emerging from the shadow, and Minami saw the
hand reaching for her shoulder. There was a brief notice of the
woman's clean business suit, shoulder-length brown hair, and then an
immeasurable anger burning in her eyes. Minami spun violently,
dizzied, and not sure what had happened until she felt an arm snake
around her neck from behind and yank her back in a chokehold. She was
dragged into the alley, drumming her heels on the sidewalk but not
able to make a noise louder than a whimper.
"You said you know how this works," her captor said tonelessly. "So
now that you've gotten yourself in this deep, you're just going to
_give_ me what I want to know." Minami struggled for a moment, and
the woman holding her chuckled menacingly. "But I'll give you what
you think you want to know anyway. My name is Tendo Nabiki. Now
let's talk about Ranma...."
***
Humming quietly to herself, Kasumi finished hanging the last of the
laundry, glad for the clear skies. She turned around, and nearly
collided with her husband. Her bad leg gave way as she tried to catch
herself.
His arms encircled her in a protective and welcoming hug before she
could fall more than a handful of centimeters. "Morning,
Kasumi-chan," he whispered to her.
She smiled, looking up at him. "Good morning, Tofu," she whispered back.
He helped her stand up straight again and she blushed slightly; even
after years of marriage, it simply seemed so ... unbelievable and
fantastic to her. "How are you doing?" he asked, his smile faltering.
"Ah," she said, sighing. "That last phone call. Father is demanding
grandchildren again?"
He winced and nodded apologetically.
"When we're ready," Kasumi said, glancing in the direction of the
Tendo house, though it was a good kilometer away from the home she
shared with Tofu.
"Yes, of course," he agreed, smiling brightly. "It's just ... ever since...."
Kasumi nodded and took Tofu's hand. "I think," she decided, "it's
time we had a talk with Father. He needs to get over this, and it's
been ... too many years. He can't add the wedding of Ranma and Akane
to mother's shrine, but the way he behaves...." She sighed. "We need
to speak with him."
Tofu hesitated. "I can call Akane," he said after a moment. "I'll
ask if we can go over for dinner."
"We really should invite them over here," Kasumi said, shaking her head.
"If it breaks down into an argument again, I'd like us to be able to
leave, instead of needing to fight your father," Tofu said quietly.
Kasumi winced at that. "You're right," she agreed. "I will call
Akane, then. I'm certain she'll welcome the break from the
responsibilities around the house."
Tofu nodded and released Kasumi from his embrace. She strode
forward, trying not to visibly favor her good leg. It didn't hurt,
usually, it just wasn't as strong. After the collapse of the dojo had
crushed her ankle, it'd healed awkwardly, no longer a joint, but a
more-or-less solidly fused mass. Tofu's acupuncture couldn't restore
it, and she thought the surgeries that involved transplants from ...
the recently deceased ... were simply repulsive.
She clucked her tongue once to herself, as she reached the phone and
dialed home. "Tendo dojo," Akane answered unenthusiastically.
"Good morning, Akane-chan!" Kasumi replied, forcing more cheer into
her voice. "How are you doing today?"
Akane's mood seemed to lighten, and she said, "Oh! I didn't know it
was you, Kasumi. Um ... how are you and Tofu doing?"
"Very well, Akane-chan. But Tofu tells me that Father called him
this morning. Did he speak with you, as well?"
"Ugh," Akane sighed. "Yeah. He's still trying to convince me to
find someone and make a bunch of babies for the dojo."
Kasumi shook her head, realizing too late that her sister would not
see the gesture. "Akane-chan, I think that you and I need to speak
with Father about this. He needs to let you get on with your life,
too."
"Yeah," Akane said slowly, hesitantly, "but ... how are we going to
get that to happen? I mean.... You _know_ how he is. And...." Her
voice dropped to a whisper. "Even if we do talk sense into Daddy, how
are we going to keep Saotome-san from breaking down when we tell Daddy
that ... er ... I'm not going to just marry some guy for the dojo?"
"We can only try our best," Kasumi declared. "I think I will let
Tofu speak with Saotome-san."
"Okay, then. What time are you going to come over?"
"This afternoon, I think. I'll make dinner, so you don't need to
rush yourself through your classes."
Akane paused for a moment, and then said, "Well, I don't usually cook
after I teach.... But if you're sure, I could really use a nice long
soak after lessons."
Kasumi laughed aloud. "Oh, Akane-chan, that's the least I can do!
Isn't Nabiki with you?"
"Hardly," Akane replied with a groan. "She showed me how to handle
the books myself, at least, but she's so busy with college that she
never really has time to help out anymore. I haven't even seen her
since she left for classes yesterday."
"Oh, dear," Kasumi sighed. "Well, you must remember to ask me for
help once in a while, Akane-chan. You're not carrying the dojo on
your shoulders alone."
This time the pause was much more marked.
Wincing, Kasumi said, "You shouldn't have to, at least."
"Thanks, Kasumi," Akane said. "Everything's going to turn out
alright, one way or another. See you later today?"
"Oh, yes, Akane-chan. I will, and please don't let Father bother you
too much."
"I won't. Goodbye, Kasumi."
"I'll see you later, Akane-chan."
Setting the receiver back on the cradle, she turned around in time to
see her husband re-enter the house, dusting his hands off from his
yard work. "Tofu?" she asked anxiously.
"Yes, Kasumi-chan?"
"When we go to see Father tonight ... and I'm sorry I must ask you
for this ... but could you keep Saotome-san occupied?" she asked.
Tofu looked surprised at the request, and then considered,
straightening out his spectacles before he shrugged. "That's not a
problem," he said. "Do you need me to take him out of the house, or
just away from your father?"
Kasumi bit her lip and stared at her feet.
"I'll stay within shouting distance," he decided.
Kasumi's smile blossomed, and for a moment her husband looked as
stunned as he had before he'd summoned the courage to ask her out, all
those years ago.
***
After getting the information she needed, Nabiki saw to it that
Minami would be occupied for a while; at least long enough for her to
get everything she needed set up. The first thing, of course, would
be to see what information could be gleaned from this 'Konno Mitsune'.
If she was a bitter ex-girlfriend, or a jilted fianc�e, Nabiki might
find an ally to her cause.
If not, she might just be able to get more information. But Mitsune
lived in the same building as Ranma, and while Nabiki was eager for
the conflict, a frontal assault would gain her nothing. So she'd
managed to get Mitsune's working address from Minami before she'd been
sent away.
After the woman's shift finished, Nabiki 'accidentally' bumped into
her, knocking Mitsune from the curb and into the street. Or, that had
been the plan; Mitsune made a startled noise and rolled with the
motion, tumbling to her feet and then scurrying out of the way of an
oncoming car. Nabiki blinked in surprise, suddenly glad that the
woman had enough skill to evade the vehicle. Her plan had involved
the dirty water in the gutter and a hot cup of tea to apologize for
the mess.
"Um, I'm sorry," she said to the woman. "Are you ... okay?"
"I'm fine," Mitsune said, somewhat testily. "What do you think you're doing?"
Nabiki wracked her mind, trying to think of what she could say that
would lead to being able to drill the woman for information.
Desperate, she said, "I'm sorry. I'm.... My boyfriend just dumped
me."
"Aw," Mitsune said, sudden sympathy in her eyes. "I know how much
that sucks. You'll be okay. Chin up, ya know?"
"I ... guess," Nabiki said, hanging her head and sighing. "Um. I
was just headed out to get a drink ... do you think ... I could buy
you one to apologize?"
"Eh?" Mitsune noised. "Well.... Sure!"
Nabiki hid an internal sigh of relief. It wasn't her original plan,
and it was lacking in the subtlety she preferred, but if it came down
to it, she could try and get Mitsune liquored up enough to talk. It
might even be faster than what she had originally intended.
Nabiki smiled gratefully. "Do you know a place around here that
serves alcohol?" She forced down an uncomfortable shiver at the gleam
in Mitsune's eye at that question.
***
After her last class finished and she'd sent the students home, Akane
sighed wearily and trudged into the house. The new dojo was nicer
looking, and perhaps even slightly larger than the one her father had
built some years ago. But it wasn't the same, and she couldn't help
but feel a certain sense of nostalgia whenever she looked at it.
She passed her father and Genma playing go on her way to the bath.
"You need to eat more," she chided Genma in passing. Ever since
Ranma's departure, the man hadn't sparred as much, and found himself
burning less energy. Because of that, he'd fallen behind in practice,
eating less and less.
At first, Akane had worried that the man was wasting away. To a
small degree, she'd eventually realized he was. A vital part of
himself had been lost; after he'd spent six months on the road looking
for his son, he'd come back gaunt and with a haunted look in his eyes.
After that, he'd been quiet and polite, simply trying to stay out
from underfoot. His skills had atrophied, but Akane had managed to
rope him into teaching the beginner classes. He still had more than
enough technique for that, and after a week or two, he'd started to
rebound, improving again.
Her own daily sparring matches with the man brought a spark of life
to his eyes, but she knew she couldn't push him as hard as his son
had, and that he was living a pale reflection of the life he'd once
led. She sighed and stepped into the bathing room. She scrubbed
herself quickly, rinsing, and then sighed, settling into the furo for
a long soak.
"Ranma," she mused quietly, staring at the ceiling. Everyone had
been numb when it had happened; it just seemed beyond Ranma's nature
to demolish the dojo, and especially to cripple Kasumi. Tears came to
her eyes as they always did when she remembered Ranma leaving.
She hadn't thought about what was going on; it was raining, she was
cold, it was wet. Somewhere, beneath the crumbled remains of her
family legacy, her sister lay, maimed and quite possibly dying. When
she'd finally managed to scramble her way to where she could see
Ranma, she saw the redhead growl at her piglet and toss the creature
over one shoulder.
Blinking away the tears that were obscuring the ceiling, she could
only remember the raw horror that had burned through her; had Ranma
gone mad? But then her father was there, and Ranma uncovered Kasumi.
She was angry and confused over Ranma's treatment of P-chan, but to
see Kasumi so injured....
She wished with a sigh that she'd demanded an explanation. It wasn't
the first time she made the wish, but she realized uncomfortably that
Ranma had tried to offer one. Akane now knew where she got her temper
from, and her father was in no mood to listen to reason at the time
either.
"Akane-chan?" a voice from the changing room called.
"Ah, sorry, Kasumi," she mumbled, pulling herself from the furo.
"What time is it?"
"Dinner will be ready soon."
Akane began toweling herself dry. "Already?" she asked, surprised.
"Did you order take-out?"
"You've been in there for more than an hour, Akane-chan," Kasumi
chided, as Akane wrapped the towel around her chest and opened the
door.
Her older sister wore a look of amusement and sympathy. Akane
couldn't help but blush. "I lost track of time completely," she
admitted. "I'll just dress, then."
Kasumi nodded and stepped out of the changing room to give Akane some
privacy. After changing, she put all of the dirty clothes in the
hamper and checked her reflection to make sure that no shampoo or the
like was still in her hair. The image in the mirror eyed her
critically, and she stuck her tongue out at it. It returned the favor
and Akane snorted, turning away.
In the living room, Akane could see that Tofu and Genma were
strolling across the back yard, quietly discussing something. Kasumi
and Soun sat at the table, where Kasumi had set out some of the
dinner, but not enough to warrant calling Tofu and Genma in. Akane
took her seat and frowned at Nabiki's absence.
"She called to say she had to move a package to Hokkaido for a
project," Kasumi offered, before Akane could ask. "Then she said she
had to catch a flight to an island in the south."
Akane blinked, imagining her expression displayed her incredulity
fairly clearly.
Kasumi shrugged and said, "I don't know what she's up to. But if
she's busy...."
"Well, what's this all about, then?" Soun asked, setting down his
newspaper, seeming to only just then realize that he wasn't alone. He
grinned and looked between his daughters. "Ah! Akane, you're looking
well. And Kasumi! It's good to see you! You know, just this
morning, I was talking to-"
"I know, Father," Kasumi overrode him gently. "He told me."
"Ah," Soun said, his cheer slightly diminishing. "Well, then ... how
about it?"
"We will have children when we're ready, Father," Kasumi said in the
same gentle tone. "That's not going to change."
"But ... we need an heir for the dojo," he protested. "I mean-"
"That I'm not good enough?" Akane asked.
"What?" Soun looked genuinely confused. "Why would you think that?"
"Because I'm here, Daddy," Akane sighed. "Because I'm here, and I've
been here over two decades. I'm the one who uses that new dojo -- the
one Nabiki and I built. Me and Saotome-san teach there, and you
don't. Ranma's gone. I wish I knew more about why ... he did what he
did. Why...." She trailed off and shrugged uncomfortably.
The accident was something that they had never discussed in detail.
"I know some of it," Kasumi offered, frowning. "I heard him arguing
with Ryouga-kun before...." She shrugged herself, one hand going to
her fused ankle.
"What?" Akane asked, somewhat surprised. "But he wasn't there -- I
got to the dojo first. It was dark, but Ranma pulled P-chan from the
rubble. I never saw Ryouga at all." She frowned. "He probably hurt
P-chan when he threw him across the yard," she murmured. Swallowing,
she added, "I ... never saw P-chan after that. Do you suppose that
... that Ranma ... killed him?"
Soun blinked, looking rather as though someone had dropped a freight
train on him. "Excuse me?" he managed in a wavering voice. "Ryouga
was there?"
"Yes," Kasumi said. "But Father, that's not what's important right
now. We need to explain why you have to stop-"
"Wait," he said, unnatural force in his tone silencing both Akane and
her elder sister. "This is critical." He turned to Akane, and she
felt suddenly intimidated by the glow in his eyes. "You saw your pet
pig. Ranma pulled it from the wreckage of the dojo?"
"Y...yes," Akane said falteringly. "But how is this-"
"If we are lucky," Soun growled, "then Ranma did kill the pig."
"Father!" Kasumi yelled, while Akane reeled. "Please! Don't play
games like this!"
As soon as she raised her voice, Tofu was inside, crouching nearby
protectively and checking to make sure she wasn't hurt before shooting
an angry look at Soun. Genma ambled in and waited in the entryway,
watching with silent curiosity.
"Saotome," Soun said in a quiet voice, closing his eyes, and placing
a hand across his face. "I ... may have accused your son in error.
He may not have been responsible for what happened those years ago."
Akane recovered herself, but if anything, the situation was only
becoming more confusing. A glance at Kasumi showed that her older
sister apparently felt the same way, and the two exchanged a shrug
before turning to look at Soun curiously.
Taking a deep breath, Soun motioned for Genma to have a seat.
"Saotome," he continued in that quiet, solemn voice. "Can you tell my
daughters about Ryouga's Jusenkyou curse?"
"Ryouga's curse?" Akane asked in shock. "What?"
Genma nodded. "Certainly!" he said agreeably. "Ah ... as I recall
it, when Ranma and I had just gotten our own curses in China and we
were sparring, Ranma accidentally...." He trailed off suddenly and
blinked, turning to look at Akane. "Ah, actually, Tendo, if you think
about it-"
"I think it's time to let them know that truth," Soun said with iron
in his voice. "It makes certain others clear."
"Er.... Alright then," Genma said, shrugging uncomfortably. "Ranma
accidentally knocked Ryouga into the spring of drowned pig. I didn't
know until after I picked up a little black piglet and brought it to
the guide to boil. Of course, I didn't recognize Ryouga at the time,
but...."
Akane felt the world around her grow diffuse and unfocused. Her
father and Genma loomed before her, giant in her field of vision, yet
meek, and cowering away. She was aware briefly that the table with
the dinner Kasumi had made was gone, and that Tofu had retreated to
the far side of the room, his wife held in his arms. The fear in
Genma and Soun's eyes wasn't enough to overshadow the anger reflected
back from her own gaze, an emotion that Akane knew she showed, if she
didn't let herself feel it. The hole in the floor approximating the
table's size kept her from easily stepping forward and throttling her
father; that second of delay gave her enough time to reconsider her
course of action.
"You're telling me," she heard her voice say, from very far away,
when her body stopped moving towards Soun, "that Ryouga was P-chan."
Genma and Soun both managed a jerky, hesitant nod to her non-question.
"And you -- both of you -- for whatever reason, decided that even
though you knew, I shouldn't?" she asked.
"W...well..." Genma began, cringing away, but not turning to flee.
"It ... was my decision," Soun said, shaking his head, unshed tears
shining in his eyes. "I ... I thought that Ryouga as a rival would
force ... Ranma closer to you. To protect you from ... Ryouga."
"I see," her voice came, still from across that great distance. "I'm
going for a walk now, Daddy. Saotome-san. I need time to think."
She plodded slowly to the doorway, but paused there, and turned back.
>From a distance, her father seemed tiny, and inconsequential. "Daddy?
You've done enough meddling in our lives when it comes to love and
marriage. I think this should show you why I'm not going to allow you
to bother Kasumi and Tofu before they're ready anymore."
She heard someone calling for her, but didn't heed it; she was out
into the yard and then leaping over the wall before she let the tears
of betrayal flow.
***
Motoko easily deflected the first three strikes and slid to the side
of the fourth, kicking out and catching her sensei in the stomach. He
grunted and stepped back, then surged forward, pinpoint accurate
pressure-point strikes numbing her arm.
She let her sword fall and used a palm-strike to shove Ranma back,
granting her distance. While Ranma flipped backwards, away from her
reach, she activated the counter-points, waiting for feeling to
return.
"Oe-sensei!" Shinobu called from the doorway to the kitchen.
Ranma held up a hand to signify that the fight was over for the
moment and turned to look at the girl curiously as she jogged across
the lawn. Motoko picked up and cleaned her blade before sheathing it.
"What's up, Shinobu-chan?" Ranma asked, grinning at the girl.
Shinobu looked upset, concern etching her features. "Kitsune's in
trouble," she explained, offering Ranma a piece of paper.
"This is the address to a bar?" Ranma asked, scratching his head
before copying the note into his book. "What kind of trouble is she
in?"
"I'm not sure," Shinobu said tremulously. "But the bartender said
she passed out."
Ranma grunted. "You stay here with Shinobu, Motoko-chan," he
decided. "I'll go get Kitsune." Motoko nodded, stepping back when
Tama lit upon Ranma's head and chirped. "I--" He paused, and glanced
up at the turtle. "We'll be right back," he decided.
And then he ran off, not even grabbing his bicycle, vanishing into the trees.
Shinobu sighed, watching him leave. "I'm so glad he's here," she
finally said. "He really seems to handle emergencies so well."
"I'd almost think he enjoyed it," Motoko said quietly. "I think that
it's when things seem most wrong, that he seems to be most alive."
"What does that mean?" Shinobu asked, blinking.
"It means," Motoko said slowly, "that I think Oe-sensei tries to do
good things and fix problems because of a mistake he mentioned he made
once. I didn't see it before, but I know now that Oe-sensei lives to
right wrongs. This is a more noble goal than my own, which is simply
to destroy evil."
"Destroying evil is good, though," Shinobu opined.
"But righting wrongs is also very important," Motoko countered. "It
becomes clear to me that what my sister wished me to learn was not
combat skill, but wisdom."
Shinobu blinked at that, but said nothing until a bounding blur lit
on the yard and streaked towards them. Motoko's sword was quickly
drawn and held loosely at her side: ready but not menacing. The new
arrival slowed down, stumbling to a halt outside of Motoko's reach.
Motoko sheathed her sword with the same alacrity it had been bared.
"Kuonji-san?" she asked. "Are you well?"
Shinobu's eyes widened; the chef looked a mess. Her eyes were red
and her hair was mussed. Her clothing was disheveled, as though she'd
been running for a long time. "Is Ranchan around?" she asked, one
hand rising to try and rub some of the fatigue from her eyes.
"He just left to take care of something," Motoko said apologetically.
"I expect he'll return shortly. What seems to be the problem?"
Ukyou opened her mouth to say something, and then glanced from Motoko
to Shinobu and closed it. Swallowing, she offered, "I can tell you
that I think that Minami was kidnapped, but that's all I've got.
Ranchan's a good tracker, so I'm ... hoping he can find her for me."
"What makes you think she was kidnapped?"
"Because Minami's a good girl, and wouldn't abandon her little
sister," Ukyou said, shaking her head. "I checked with the police.
I've filed a missing person's report. I spent all of yesterday asking
after her. When her sister called at lunchtime to ask if Minami was
there, I knew something was wrong. I've been searching since then."
"Who's taking care of the girl?" Motoko asked.
Ukyou waved a hand dismissively and said, "My father came into town
yesterday. I got Noriko and left her with him. He also took over the
store so I could look for Minami."
"Let's go inside," Shinobu suggested. "Ranma will come back soon,
I'm sure. I can make you some tea while you wait."
"Yeah," Ukyou said after a moment, nodding with a sigh. "Tea would be good."
***
The mists had vanished for the moment. That curious month of no
mystery sat heavily on the inn, and Haruka wondered what changes they
would bring. In a week, possibly two, they would come back, and play
with the sakura blossoms, wrapping the ward once more in its cloak.
But something ... the wa of the inn was shifting curiously. Enough
that she could feel it from where she sat.
Grunting, she pulled a cellular phone from her pocket and pressed a
single button. After a trio of rings, she heard, "Noriyasu. You
point, I dig. What do you need?"
"Ah, I thought you'd quit the artifact retrieval gig," she murmured
around her cigarette.
"Haruka-chan?" Seta asked. "Oh, well.... I require paperwork to
authorize anything I do, but yes. A job is a job."
"And a legit one is a better one," Haruka agreed. "Listen, things
are heating up. I don't know what's going on, but I'm worried about
Keitaro and the girls."
"And Oe?" Seta asked.
"Well, not nearly as much as you, but yeah," Haruka admitted. "Can
you come down and stay around the inn for a week or two? I think I'd
... feel a little better if you were nearby."
"Wish it, and it will be done!" Seta enthused, before a momentary
crackle of static sounded. Haruka checked her phone's reception
briefly.
"You're breaking up," she said. "You're coming to Hinata, right?"
"Once I'm done with this minefield, sure," Seta agreed. "Give me a bit."
"Good. See you then." She hesitated, and then narrowed her eyes,
glancing around to ensure no one was looking. Bad enough they see
that she was plotting behind everyone's backs. For the moment, she
had a greater secret to keep. "Take care, Anata," she murmured, using
the familiar term of endearment.
He chuckled and said, "Okay. You too, Haruka-chan."
Then she hung up before she said anything else. "I'm not sure how,
but this is Keitaro's fault," she mumbled. After a moment of
hesitation, as she saw Ranma bounding up the steps carrying Mitsune in
his arms, she added, "Or Oe's."
She closed up the empty teashop quickly, and got to the main room of
the inn to catch the tail end of a conversation between the tenants
and ... Ukyou? Haruka masked a frown. She liked the young woman well
enough, but how did she fit into this?
"...help you track her, no problem," Ranma said. "I'm just worried
about Kitsune. She looked kinda bad."
Haruka stepped closer, surveying the room. Keitaro and Naru stood
together near the television, looking at Ranma and Mitsune curiously.
Motoko leaned on a nearby wall, Shinobu standing at her side. Mutsumi
sat on the couch, Mitsune's head in her lap. Ukyou stood just behind
Ranma, arms crossed beneath her chest. Ranma knelt next to the couch,
peering at Mitsune in consternation.
For her part, the young woman was slack-jawed, not quite drooling in
her sleep, but obviously slumbering deeply. Haruka's eyes narrowed
and she brushed past Ranma, pushing the young woman's eyelids up, and
then checking her pulse. "Hmm," she mused. "She's not waking up.
Her skin is turning slightly blue, and it's a bit cold to the touch.
She's breathing at just under nine breaths a minute, and not very
regularly."
A cautious sniff at her breath confirmed Haruka's suspicions. "She's
drunk an awful lot, it seems. I think she's probably suffering
alcohol poisoning -- we should call an ambulance."
"What?" Ranma asked, blinking. "Why would she-- Never mind." He
motioned Haruka back and placed one palm on the woman's forehead, the
other resting flat on her stomach. He concentrated for a moment and
then shook his head. "I need a drink or else I can't do it."
"I can help!" Shinobu called eagerly, vanishing into the kitchen.
She returned with a sake bottle a moment later, Sara and Suu in tow.
Ranma accepted the bottle and downed it in an instant, grimacing
afterwards.
"Here goes nothing," he murmured, placing his hands on Mitsune again.
This time, he erupted in blue fire, which quickly spread to surround
Mitsune. Even though the flame touched her, Mutsumi seemed
unaffected, merely putting a hand on the younger woman's shoulder.
The fire around Ranma winked out quickly, but the one around Mitsune
intensified into a blinding blaze. It took nearly a full minute to
vanish, and when it did, Mitsune was sweating profusely, but still
unconscious.
"Are you sending her into shock?" Haruka asked critically.
"Ain't done yet," Ranma said, catching his breath, and then crossing
his arms. He mumbled something Haruka couldn't catch, and drew his
hands apart. The dragon-scale bracers grated across one-another,
tendrils of what looked like writhing white lightning erupting from
the contact points and linking them. That white light surged across
his bracers and up into his hands before vanishing.
Placing his hands on Mitsune once more, he said, "Third time's a charm."
And then he burst into flame, white, green, gold, and black. The
colors swirled about him, white concentrated at his hands. The green
quickly faded, but the black seemed to migrate and concentrate over
Ranma's heart, streaks of it threatening and driving towards his
hands.
"Ranma-kun," Mutsumi murmured quietly. Haruka doubted anyone but she
and Ranma could hear it, especially as they were distracted by the
pyrotechnics. The black receded to a tiny pinprick, and then Mitsune
was wreathed in a halo of white fire. It faded, leaving her looking
clean, comfortable ... and still unconscious. The light vanished from
around Ranma and he sat back on his heels heavily.
Haruka peered at her critically. Her color was normal, and her
breathing settled into a more normal pattern for a sleeping woman.
She couldn't smell any alcohol in the air anymore, and a cautious
touch showed that Mitsune's temperature was back to normal as well.
"Nice work," she decided. "How long will she be out?"
"A while," Ranma panted, collapsing to lie on his back on the floor.
"Someone ... shake her until she wakes up and make her drink some
water before she passes out again."
"Oe-sensei?" Motoko asked. "Are you well?"
"Will be in a bit," he mumbled. "Ucchan. Mind if I ... catch my
breath before we hunt for Minami?"
"That's fine, Ranchan," she said agreeably. "Um. Just to let you
know, my father's in town, so-"
"I'll just splash myself before we go, then," Ranma murmurred, his
eyes drifting closed.
Ukyou nodded, and Haruka surveyed the tableau for a moment. "Okay,"
she announced. "Ranma's going to be out for an hour at least.
Shinobu, could you please get me a pitcher of water for Kitsune?
Motoko, would you and Kuonji-san be so kind as to take Ranma to his
room? Once you're done, I've got a futon in the guest bedroom at the
teashop you can use until he wakes up. I'll show you to it,
Kuonji-san."
"Thanks," Ukyou mumbled tiredly, gathering Ranma up in her arms
before Motoko could offer to assist. Turning to the kendoka, she
asked, "Which way?"
Motoko frowned slightly, but shrugged. "Follow me," she said, while
Shinobu rushed to the kitchen for some water. Sara and Suu both
melted into the ether after Shinobu, leaving Haruka alone with
Mutsumi, Keitaro, and Naru. And Mitsune, but she didn't think the
newly healed young woman was cognizant enough to matter at the moment.
"Keitaro," Haruka said, narrowing her eyes. "I know you've been
practicing with Seta while you were on that island. I'm going to let
you have that sword you used during the play." His only response was
to look very confused. "Mutsumi, thank you for watching over Oe. I
doubt he pays enough attention to his own well-being."
"I think it's charming," she murmured in reply. "But yes. If he
won't take better care of himself, I suppose I'll do it for him."
"What ... about me?" Naru asked, glancing between Keitaro and Mutsumi.
"Keep your eyes open," Haruka advised. "I think things are about to
get very interesting."
--------------------------------------
Author's notes: Previously, this was chapter 17. The previous
chapter 16 was simply added to the existing chapter 15 (Pararakelse is
an extended OAV ep, instead of a two-chapter arc. Meh.). And now,
one, maybe two more chapters to conclude. I think just the one!
And then maybe some epilogues.