(Finished version, C&C welcome and desired, but no need for spellchecking)
Ranma - Fall of the Eagle 8
by James Stone
stoner@elycion.geology.ualberta.ca
(c) 1996 Stone Age Productions All Rights Reserved
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Kitty Field
Crying bitterly, Shampoo ran through the dusty streets of the British
airfield. She was betrayed, hurt, confused. Her lover was her enemy? How
could that be? There was only one person she could turn to now. Rounding
the corner, she stumbled blindly, and crashed headlong into...
"Sh...Shampoo?" Mousse's voice broke as the slight figure careened
into him, knocking him back two steps. "Where have you been? I've been
looking all over for you. I thought maybe after supper you and I could--"
Mousse's ramblings were cut off short as Shampoo looked up at him.
His breath caught in his throat. This look.... Only once before had Mousse
ever seen Shampoo cry, the night after their first battle in Stalingrad. She
had looked the same then as she did now, tears leaving glistening tracks in
the dark dust covering her face. It had been then that Mousse had first
gathered up the courage to really talk to the girl, seeing her so open,
seemingly so vulnerable. Now, seeing her once again like this, Mousse lost
what little control he had, and swept the girl into his grasp. "Oh,
Shampoo!! Whatever is wrong with you? Tell me, please, so I can UNNGH."
The man doubled over as Shampoo's fist pumped into his face, hard, knocking
his glasses flying.
"Leave Shampoo alone!!" she cried. "I no have time for you!!" With
that, Shampoo ran off again, leaving Mousse croaking feebly in her dust.
"Sh...Shampoo..." he croaked, and fell face-first into the dirt.
Shampoo continued her flight, winding her way through the maze of
narrow streets, bowling through the crowds as shifts ended and soldiers of
all types made their way back to their barracks. Finally, she came to the
headquarters building, and the office of the Soviet Liaison.
"Great-grandmother!!" the girl bawled, bursting into the room and
collapsing on Cologne's desk. "I...I no know what to do!!" She buried
her head in her arms, and begin sobbing deeply, unmindful of the two British
officers standing at the desk beside her.
Cologne and the officers looked at the sobbing Shampoo in shock.
Cologne recovered first. Looking worriedly at her charge, the woman raised
an eyebrow at the others. Taking the hint, the two men straightened,
saluted, and walked quickly out of the office, chuckling under their breaths
at the Russian girl.
Shampoo didn't pay any attention to the actions of Cologne or the
officers. Her heart was broken. She was betrayed, betrayed by the man she
loved, whom had saved her life. How could he do such a thing? How could he
be the hero who had saved her from certain death at the hands of the German
attack one minute, and the wench who had slighted and embarassed her the
next? It didn't make any sense. How could she want to kill the man she
wanted to marry? Or how could she want to marry the girl she had sworn to
kill?
A touch on her shoulder caused her to lift her head, and stare
tearfully into the eyes above. This was the only person whom she could turn
to, her commanding officer, the great-grandmother she had never had. Those
eyes, which could be so cold to an enemy, now warm and understanding.
"Shampoo, how could you interrupt me like that?" The tone was only
mildly reproving, Cologne understood that Shampoo would never appear so...
dramatically, unless in serious trouble. "What on earth has happened to
you?"
Slowly, hesitantly, Shampoo began her story. She started from the
beginning, when the girl leaving the truck had crushed her. Cologne merely
nodded at this. She had been there after all, and while she felt that
Shampoo was sometimes a little hasty in swearing vengance, she could
understand the girl's feelings. At the mention of the American, the old
woman smiled. A man was something Shampoo needed, someone that could calm
Shampoo down somewhat, to direct her energy elsewhere. And if the American
was all that Shampoo claimed he was...Cologne made a mental note to track
this man down and observe him. Then Shampoo got to the climax of the story.
"What?!" Cologne leaned forwards sharply in her chair. "What did
you say happened to him?"
Shampoo sniffled, she could hardly blame great-grandmother for not
believing her. But she repeated the line anyways. "He..he change into a
woman." She sniffled again, fresh tears welling up into her eyes. "And now
I no know what to do!!!"
Barely noticing the wailing girl now, Cologne leaned back into her
chair in surprise. So, she mused. Once again my past returns to me. How
surprising that it should be here of all places. Cologne returned to the
present, and looked down at Shampoo. And to her life, the old lady added.
"Shampoo, listen to me." The girl looked up. "This...is a very
interesting problem."
Shampoo blinked. "You mean...you mean you believe story?"
Cologne nodded. "Of course, child. I know you would never lie to
me, so I'd believe you anyways." Shampoo blinked in surprise, wondering at
the final word. "But, as fate would have it, I have experience with the
young man's curse."
"You mean he really is man?" Shampoo wondered.
The old woman nodded her head. "Yes, he is. The story is this:
many, many hundreds of years ago, in the remote mountains of Bayankala, a
group of mysterious warriors, known as the Phoenix People, happened upon a
large source of magical power, which they named Chyuuchyuanshian. It was a
clearing, filled with many pools of water."
"The Phoenix people quickly discovered the nature of the pools: when
an animal or person drowned in the pool, whoever fell in the pool afterwards
would be cursed with the body of whatever drowned there."
"Shortly after they discovered this, the Phoenix People disappeared.
Noone knows where they went, although it is believed they all cursed
themselves with the body of the Phoenix, and flew off to find the source of
Chyuuchuanshian."
Cologne sighed. "But that is all history to me." She looked at
Shampoo. "Many have wondered about my ancestry, have they not?"
Shampoo's eyes widened, and she nodded dumbly. Cologne watched the
nod, and answered with one of her own. "Yes, I will tell you know." She
paused to take a puff of her long pipe. "I am from China, from a village
nearby to Chyuuchuanshian. It was, and still is, a village of strong
warrior-women." She paused to smile at Shampoo. "In fact, you are descended
from the village...our blood is strong in your veins."
Shampoo touched her own face hesitantly. "What you mean? Mother..?"
Cologne nodded. "Yes, in fact. Your mother came with me when I last
left the village, many years ago. She eventually settled down with a man,
your father, and raised you. Mousse's father comes from a nearby village in
China, as well. But, that doesn't explain the young man."
"When I was young, a rogue passed through our village. He was a
fiend, stealing our food, and making lewd suggestions to all the women in the
village. He was also, however, a powerful warrior, and regardless of how
much we tried, we could not defeat him."
"At last, my friends Rinse and Gel hit upon a desperate plan. We
knew of Chyuuchyuanshian, of course. Our parents had warned us often as
children never to go near there. But this was a desperate situation, we had
nothing else to lose."
"Surprisingly, our deception worked. In the late of night, I lured
the fiend to the springs, agreeing to his advances. Of course I was only
pretending...I didn't know then if what he suggested was even possible
without limbs becoming disjointed."
Seeing the confused look on Shampoo's face, Cologne quickly hurried
on. "So I lured him to the springs, where Gel and Rinse had covered one of
the ponds with brushes and twigs. I lured him to the pond, where it was
planned to push him in. It all worked perfectly."
Cologne scowled. "Except that he WAS a true warrior. Although we
thought we had duped him, he obviously had divined our plan. When Rinse and
Gel charged out at him, and I stuck my foot out, he leapt away, vanishing
into the bushes, leaving nothing behind except the echos of his laughter.
One good thing did come of it, however...he left the village for many many
years."
"But as for us...when he lept away, I tripped, and fell to the ground
beside the pool. Rince was lucky, and she fell on top of me. But Gel..."
"What happen to Gel?" whispered Shampoo, leaning forwards.
"She...fell through the branches, and disappeared into the pool.
With a yell and a splash, she vanished under the water, leaving nothing but
bubbles behind."
"In a panic, Rinse lunged towards the pool, intending to pull Gel
out. Fortunately, I was able to grab her before she could do such a rash
act. Neither of us knew exactly what to expect...while we knew the springs
were cursed, we didn't know exactly HOW they were cursed. Then...
IT appeared."
"What appear?" Shampoo asked, voice tense.
Cologne sighed heavily, and paused to take a long drag on her pipe.
She hesitated a long moment, considering her answer carefully. Finally, she
spoke. "A cat."
Shampoo overbalanced, and fell heavily to the floor. "Wh..what? I
no hear you correctly..."
Smiling slightly, Cologne nodded. "Oh, yes you did, child. I said,
that a cat came out of the spring. Yes...a small one, with large ears, and
light-brown fur..the same shade as Gel's hair. Looking at it...somehow I
knew that it was her."
Cologne continued on. "Quickly, we grabbed the cat, and ran back to
the village. There, we took Gel to one of the old women in the town, and
explained ourselves. She was angry at us for going to the Chyuuchyuanshian,
but she had seen the lech in the village, and understood. But she told us
that there was no cure for her curse. No permanent cure, in any case."
"Then she did something we didn't understand. She ordered us to heat
a pot of water to just below boiling. We did so, and brought it back to her.
Then, without a word, she took the water, and poured it on the cat. When the
steam cleared away, Gel was kneeling in front of us!"
"We were so relieved, we didn't really understand what had happened,
so the old woman explained it to us. For the rest of her life, whenever she
was hit with cold water, Gel would turn into the cat. When the cat was hit
with warm water, Gel would return to her human form."
Leaning back in her chair, Cologne smiled grimly. "Terrible as it
was, we three thought it was a small price to pay for ridding the village of
such a fiend." Taking another pull on her pipe, she turned to Shampoo. "So,
child, now do you understand what has become of your American?"
Shampoo nodded. "Yes, great-grandmother, I understand." A frown
wrinkled her forehead. "But I no understand how he get curse if springs in
China."
Cologne shrugged her shoulders. "The Americans have been in China
for some time now, Shampoo, fighting the Japanese. This American is one of
their Special Operatives,is he not? No doubt he gained his experience
there."
Nodding, Shampoo stood up. "I...have one more question." she began.
Cologne nodded, as if expecting it. "Yes, child, what is it?"
Shampoo hesitated for a moment. "Which...which feelings take
precedence? Feelings to kill, or feelings of love?"
Rocking back in her chair, Cologne laughed. "I think, child, that in
this case, your love for him is stronger than your grudge. Or else why were
you so hurt by the knowledge of the curse?"
Shampoo thought it over for a second, then nodded, a smile slowly
spreading across her face. "Yes!" she said. "I see! I love Ranma!"
Suddenly the smile disappeared from her face, replaced with a worried look.
"Oh no! I no have much time! Ranma go back to field soon!" Determination
on her face, Shampoo spun out of the room, and ran off, rubbing the tear-
streaks from her face as she went.
Watching her charge leave, Cologne chuckled quietly to herself. Yes,
she thought, this American will definitly be good for Shampoo. Now to make
sure that he knows it. Hopping to the door of the office on her staff, she
called to the Corporal sitting there, "Bring me any files on the American
Special Forces team on base!"
Kitty Field, the next morning
What a way to start the day, Ranma grumbled to himself as he and
Akane climbed the steps to the British headquarters. He had been looking
forwards to another relaxing day mostly off-duty, while he and his troops
rested from their rescue mission. So he'd been enjoying a nice, large,
leisurely breakfast, when the British Captain walked up to him, and told him
that Brigadier Shiratori wanted to see him, at 0800 on the dot. And, the
Captain had added casually, if he could find that Resistance leader,
Shiratori was very interested in meeting him as well.
Another day of lesiure shot to hell. Glancing over at the tomboy,
Ranma scowled to himself. Why did she have to be so damned grouchy about
this? It wasn't like it was his fault that Brigadier Shiratori wanted to
meet her.
For her part, Akane was in just as foul a mood, liberally shot
through with the same fear she'd felt since arriving on the base. Meeting a
Brigadier? What was she supposed to do? She'd been on her own for three
years now, in command for over a year of it. The Resistance had nothing
like this rank structure...everyone did their part based on their abilities.
This base was turning out to be as hostile as France, although everyone
tried to make her feel at ease.
Except one person. Akane glared briefly at the American. He knew
she felt trapped here, but he certainly seemed to be enjoying her
discomforture. Maybe that was why he had come to get her personally this
morning, so he could watch her fidget in front of the Brigadier in her grungy
fatigues. Turning her eyes back to the building, she straightened herself
up. No way she'd give him that satisfaction!
Glowering companionably, the pair entered the lobby of the
headquarters. "This way," Ranma gestured, leading the Resistance leader down
a narrow hallway. "When I was assigned here, I had a briefing with a...uh...
Commander Sanzenin, I think." When the girl failed to respond, Ranma sighed,
and sulked briefly, before the hallway opened out into another small lobby.
"Lieutenant Saotome, reporting to see Brigadier Shiratori," Ranma
said, standing at attention in front of the desk. Hurriedly Akane pulled
herself up to attention beside him.
At the desk, the Sergeant just stared at him. Looking fixedly at the
wall in front of him, Ranma tried again. "Uhh...American Lieutenant Saotome,
reporting to see Brigadier Shiratori, Sergeant." Damned generals aides, he
thought to himself angrily. Damn sergeants think they've got so much power,
they know so much...I'll see him on report!
The pen the Sergeant was holding clattered to the floor, breaking the
spell. Cursing under his breath, the Sergeant quickly bent down to retrieve
it. As he did so, Ranma's eyes lowered, and when the Sergeants head lifted
again, their eyes met.
The door to the Brigadier's office suddenly blew open, a whirlwind
of memos, briefing papers, and flourescent green crepe paper blowing over the
sergeant's desk, and, incidentally, Ranma, who was completely frozen.
>From the inside of the office came a squeal. "Oh, CUUUUTE! Lieutenant
Saotome, come in, come in, quickly! Ooooh, you look so CUUUTE with the paper in your
hair like that! Here! Here! Let little Azusa decorate you more!!" With
that, a tiny hand reached out of the office, and pulled the stiff American
through the door. Confusedly, against her better judgement, Akane followed
after him, the door slamming shut behind her as soon as she had stepped
inside.
Whatever Akane had expected of a Brigadier's office, lace doilies
and stuffed animals were definitely among the last things she would have
expected, somewhere behind swastikas and portraits of Hitler. The
Brigadier herself was even more unlikely. A tiny little girl, looking
younger than Akane herself, bounced around the room, seemingly teleporting
instantaneously from place to place, grabbing more fluffy and frilly items to
decorate the American with.
Stunned and overwhelmed as she was, Akane was clearly more capable of
handling this briefing, or whatever it was, then Ranma was. Clearing her
throat, she began timidly. "Um...excuse me?" The Brigadier took no notice,
now finished with Ranma, and redecorating her bookcase. "Excuse me?" Again,
nothing. Akane was beginning to get upset. If someone in her cell
behaved like this, she'd shoot him herself, and save the Nazi's the
ammunition. "HEY!!! Are you LISTENING to us?!"
The force of the blast bowled Ranma over, and seemed to shake him out
of his shock. More importantly, it attracted the Brigadiers attention.
Looking at the young Resistance leader, her eyes grew wide and shiny.
"Oooooooh!!!" she began, drawing a deep breath. "You're so CUUUUTE!!" She
launched herself full tilt at Akane, who just barely managed to dodge out of
the way. Unfazed, the Brigadier began bouncing all around her. "You must
be the Resistance leader! Miss Tendo, right? right?"
Hesitantly, Akane stammered her consent. Shiratori stopped bouncing,
and merely gazed at her, her eyes shimmering. "Oooooh...how wonderful, that
the Resistance is so cuuuuute."
Ranma stood up, looking horrified at all the frilly additions the
Brigadier had made to his best fatigues. Picking them off disdainfully, he
muttered in Akane's direction, "Don't get all swelled up...her sense of cute
is obviously screwed up." He dropped a lemon-yellow ribbon on the desk.
Akane glowered at Ranma, who glared back, sticking his tongue out.
Ignoring them both, Shiratori spun away from Akane, and suddenly was seated
behind her desk. "Please, have a seat," she said, her voice totally level,
no trace of the little girl present now.
At least briefly. She couldn't help herself from a small squeal of
pleasure as a butterfly landed on the windowsill, and she was unable to
refrain from tying a small lavender bow on Akane's finger as she seated
herself. But then she swivelled her chair to face the American.
"Mr. Saotome, it seems as if our Russian friends have some interest
in you." Ranma straightened up in surprise, a look of fear crossing his
face. Azusa peered at him intently. "You know this already then?"
"I, uh, well..." he stammered. "I mean, it wasn't my fault she
started coming onto me! I was just protecting her! I couldn't just let her
run into that building..." Seeing the look on the Brigadier's face, he
trailed off. "Uh...that's what you mean, isn't it?"
Shiratori shook her head quickly, wiping a bead of sweat off her
brow. "Er, no, but that might explain this. I take it you're referring to
Corporal, uh..." she paused to look down at her files. "Um, yes, Corporal
Shyanletsova?"
"Er...yeah. Yeah, that's her name, I guess. Everyone just calls her
Shampoo though."
Shiratori nodded, and marked that down in the file. "So, what did
you do to this Shampoo to have the Soviet's searching for any information
that anyone can provide about you?"
Ranma's eyes went wide. "Nothing! I swear! We didn't do anything!
Not a thing! We're just friends! That's it! There's nothing between us!"
He stopped, hearing the silence in the room. The Brigadier was just staring
at him curiously again, while the look Akane was giving him was murderous.
With a sniff, she turned her head away angrily. Who cares? she clearly
communicated silently.
"Well, even if you don't care about him, Miss Tendo, the Russians
certainly are interested in him, in all manners it seems," Brigadier
Shiratori said dryly. Akane flushed and looked angrily at the general, who
ignored the glare. "In any case, I thought I'd let you know about it, in
case it will cause you any problems?"
Ranma shook his head, flushing slightly. Shiratori nodded, still
looking directly at him. "We are, of course, cooperating with them in this
search, since we are allies, and it's not surprising they'd want information
about the American's best Special Ops officer." Ranma nodded stiffly again.
"And it's no problem that we can't give them any information from your last
month in China, nor your time in the United States before being transferred
here?"
His face reddinging further, Ranma sat up straight. "Ma'am, that
information is classified at the highest level, only available on a need-to-
know basis. If you want that information, you have to talk to Captain
Saotome, at Meade Air Force Base in the United States."
The Brigadier merely smiled. "Yes, I know that already, Mr.Saotome.
Since it seemingly doesn't impinge on your effectiveness as a Special Ops
leader, we have no need to know what happened in that period. We'll tell
the Russians the same." Ranma nodded stiffly. "Very well, that's all,
you're dismissed."
Akane blinked. "Dismissed? Excuse me, ma'am?" The Resistance
leader leaned forwards. "Why did you call me here as well?"
The Brigadier smiled sunnily, the hardness gone from her eyes.
"Ohhhhh, riiiight!! Little Azusa is _so_ forgetful! I just wanted to meet
and thank you myself, since you've done us such a great service!!" The
Brigadier hopped on the desk, and whispered in Akane's ear. "And I wanted to
let you know personally that your sisters are doing just fine!" With that,
she hopped back onto her chair, and started jumping up and down. "Okay!
That's all! Bye-bye, you're dismissed." Hurriedly, the two stood, saluted,
and retreated before the strange Brigadier decided to decorate using them.
In the lobby, Ranma walked past the sergeant's desk, neither one
looking up or saying a word. But as Akane glanced over, wondering why Ranma
had reacted so strangely, she saw the other American slip a small piece of
paper into Ranma's hip pocket, and smile secretively....
As soon as they were outside the building, Akane turned to face
Ranma. "Alright, who is he?" she demanded. Ranma opened his mouth to reply,
and Akane interrupted. "And don't tell me some stupid excuse like it was
just a mistake. I saw the note he slipped you." Jamming her hands on her
hips, she stared at him, waiting. "Well?"
Ranma opened his mouth again, hesitating. When the woman made no
move to interrupt, he cleared his throat, and continued. "Hmpf. Why should
I tell you? It's none of your business who..." Seeing the glare cross
Akane's face, he quickly backed down, sulkily. "Alright, fine. If you
_must_ know, he's an old friend of mine. We went through Basic Training
together."
Swiftly, the angry look on Akane's faced passed, and was replaced
with contrition. "Oh...I'm sorry. I didn't know."
Mollified, Ranma relaxed slightly. "Anyways, lets see what -he
wants." He stuttered briefly over the pronoun as he reached around to his
back pocket to get the note. Opening the note, he read it aloud.
"'Leiutenant Saotome', my ass! I always knew your head was too big...you
musta hit it against something after you left us! ^_- Anyways, I'm off duty
at 1630 today, why don't you stop by the shacks after that and pick me up?
If ya want, bring your friend along too." As he read this, Ranma's face
reddened slightly. Clearing his throat again, he finished. "We'll go raise
some hell together, just like old times, eh, 'sir'?" Ranma's eyes widened at
the end of the note. "Then it's signed...Ukyou."
Akane blinked, thinking back to their entrance, remembering the
nametag on the sergeant's fatigue blouse. "Ukyou...Kuonji?" When Ranma
nodded, she beamed. "That's great, finding a friend here!" Her face
lost some of its cheer. "I'm, really happy for you, Monseiur American."
"He, hey! What's with that face?" Ranma demanded. "You're not still
mad at me for waking you up, are you?"
She shook her head. "Ah..no. I, um, have to go. I should go check
up on my men, see that they're being properly housed. I'll see you this
afternoon then." Quickly, she turned away, and started to run off.
"W...wait! Akane! You...stupid! You don't know where, uh, he's
staying! Idiot!" he swore as she rounded the corner. Disconsolately, he
kicked at the ground. What had gotten into her anyways? Oh well, she'd work
it out, he supposed. And when she did, he was gonna have an even bigger
problem....
Ranma walked slowly off in the direction of his barracks, Ukyou's
note, complete with a little heart beside his name, stuck back in his pocket.
Walking by herself, Akane berated herself, but her heart just wasn't
in it. She _was_ happy for Ranma, that was the funny part. He seemed to
pleased to see his old friend, although, he was certainly acting a bit
strange. Maybe he had caught a cold, it wouldn't be all that uncommon for
England. But he had been pleased, that had been easy to pick up. And his
being happy made her happy. She didn't know why yet, but she was starting to
suspect.
But when she had said that he had found an old friend, she had
realized just how alone she was. She wasn't going to run into any old
friends here, she'd never really had any. Just classmates, and she had left
school early. She had sisters, and the Brigadier's message cheered her up
a little bit, but then, how did she know? She shrugged to herself. Except
for her men, and the American, she was alone on what was now foreign soil.
Well, she thought to herself, after tonight, I'll probably know more.
But she was reluctant to meet Ranma's friend. Probably, she thought, they'd
get so involved on catching up that he'd forget all about her. Best not to
be there. Besides, she thought to herself, I don't even know where to go.
That thought brought her to a halt. Speaking of knowing where to go,
where was she? Quickly she looked around, and felt an surge of relief when
she spied the base hospital. That would have been even worse...not only
lonely, but lost on a foriegn base. But when she had been out with the
American yesterday, she had learned enough of the base to find her way to
where she needed to go...and the hospital was as good a place to start as
any.
Walking into the building, the first face she saw was a friendly one.
Looking up as she heard footsteps, Akari smiled widely. "Oh! Mis...er, I
mean, Akane! Good morning! You're here to see your comrade, I imagine?" At
the Resistance leader's response, Akari nodded, the smile fading from her
face. "Yes...well, alright. But only briefly." She looked grave. "I'm
afraid he reacted badly during surgery last night...he had an allergic
reaction to some of the anesthetics we used." Seeing the look on Akane's
face, Akari forced a more positive tone into her voice. "But don't worry!
He's stabilized now! We've moved him, however, and placed him under the head
nurse's care."
Akane nodded curtly, forcing her personal concern underneath her
professional mask. "That's good...I need him as fast as possible. Where is
he?"
Akari nodded understandingly. "This way, please." Picking up a
chart, the nurse led Akane past the minimal-care ward, through a curtain, and
into the intensive-care ward. Placing herself between the woman and the bed,
Akari spoke firmly. "I'm afraid I can't let you stay very long, or wake the
patient, Miss Tendo. Nor can you touch him. But he's recovering nicely, so
I'll let you see for yourself."
Akane nodded, letting her relief break through her mask. "Thank you,
Nurse Unryuu. May I see my man now?" Akari nodded, and stepped aside to let
the leader step forwards.
It was hard to see anything good there...the man lying on the bed was
far thinner than he had been the night before, his skin pale, and almost
hidden under ugly red blotches. A thin sheen of sweat covered his body, and
his sheets were soaked with more. Stiffening slightly, Akane forced herself
to look away, at the nurse.
Nodding, Akari answered her unspoken question. "Yes, I know how bad
he looks. But, really, he's doing just fine. The weight loss is from
dehydration, from fever and vomiting. But," and she gestured to the IV line
disappearing under the sheets, "we're working to restore that loss now. And
his fever just broke two hours ago, and his temperature is stable." She
smiled. "Nurse Tendo is very good with cases like his."
Her eyes widening, and her legs going weak, Akane missed the end of
Akari's statement. "Ex...excuse me? Nurse...who?"
Akari blinked slightly in confusion. "Nurse Tendo....ooooooh!!" The
girls eyes widened in surprise. "Akane...Tendo? Bu...but you're from
France! You can't possibly...can you?"
Akane grabbed Akari's shoulders excitedly. "Is she here? Today?
Now?!" Overwhelmed, Akari just nodded numbly. "Where is she? I have to
talk to her! Please tell me-"
"Akane?" The soft whisper cut her off. "Akane...? Is...it that
you?" Akane slowly turned her head, looking at the tall, long-haired
brunette, the woman whom she hadn't seen for three years. "Oh! Oh my
goodness....Akane!!" Tearfully the head nurse dropped her charts untidily on
the floor and ran into the arms of her sister, who was tearing around the bed
of her comrade to the reunion. Akari and the other nurses stood around,
tears glimmering in Akari's eyes, confusion the only thing present in the
others. First a man, and now this strangely dressed young lady? What was
wrong with their leader?
"Oh, oh Akane, we were so worried about you! Why did you do such a
thing? Where were you?" Catching herself, and wiping her eyes hurriedly,
Kasumi shook her head at her little sister. "No, wait. Go wait outside.
I'll be right there." Hurriedly she backed away and collected her charts...
"Oh..oh my...Akari? Could you please cover for me? I..." she guestured to
Akane. "I have to get caught up on something." Akari only nodded, her own
tears streaming freely as she moved to take the clipboards. "Akane...why are
you still standing here? Hurry, shoo!" She pushed her sister gently towards
the curtains, both women laughing and crying simultaneously. "I can't just
run off like this! But I'll be right out, I promise!" Akane nodded, and
quickly left the room, while Kasumi swiftly reassigned her willing, if
confused subordinates to cover for her absence, rearranged the schedule to
make up for it later, and ran out to the street, to another, slightly less
emotional reunion.
Hugging Kasumi tightly, Akane began. "Kasumi, what are you doing
here? I thought you were at working in London?"
Laughing, Kasumi wiped the last tears from her eyes. "You're asking
me why _I'm_ not where I'm supposed to be? After you ran away from home?"
When Akane stiffened, and pulled away from her, Kasumi shook her head firmly,
and hugged her tightly again. "No, no! It's okay, it is. We..." and she
faltered. "We all understand now." Her voice was subdued.
Concerned, Akane looked up at her sister. "Dad?" When Kasumi shook
her head, she drew in her breath. "No, not..?"
Smiling gently, Kasumi took Akane's hand. "Come...we'll get
something to eat, and I'll tell you." When Akane opened her mouth, Kasumi
placed her finger over her lips. "Not another word till we get there. Now
come."
Leading the way, Kasumi took her sister to the Base Store, which also
served as a small coffeeshop. Getting a coffee for each of them, she sat
down at the table, and smiled at her sister, waiting for the first question.
"Nabiki?"
Closing her eyes, her smile fading somewhat, the elder sister nodded.
"Yes...you know how adamant she was against your leaving." When Akane
nodded, Kasumi continued. "As soon as we discovered that you had run away,
she made her mind up that you couldn't take care of yourself, and went off
after you. Not to change your mind, we knew that wasn't possible by that
point, but to keep an eye on you."
Kasumi sighed. "Then we lost track of her. Father had ensured that
she got into the Armed Forces...he still has many friends there. It was only
later that we discovered that you hadn't run off to the Army like you had
threatened to after all. But by then..." She shrugged. "Nabiki was just as
strong-willed as you are, Akane. She agreed with you, you know."
Akane blinked in surprise, bringing Kasumi's smile back. "Of
course...you don't think she could ever really oppose you, do you? But she's
not as...active as you are. She knew you had to be there, and...I think, so
did she."
Akane leaned forwards, cutting her sister off. "Kasumi...is
Nabiki...?"
Licking her lips, Kasumi shook her head, tears welling up again.
"I...I don't know, Akane. It's been so long...." The two women reached
across the table, and wept briefly on the others shoulders.
Kasumi broke the embrace first, pulling back, and wiping her eyes
with her napkin. "But...you're here. And you were certainly in more danger
than she could be. She...she _must_ be alive."
Akane nodded firmly. "She...she _must_ be! She's too sneaky to get
killed!" This broke Kasumi up into infectious giggles, and the girls lost
another several minutes composing themselves.
"Oh, Akane...I'm so glad you're back. It's been hard, not knowing.
This is just such a huge relief...I don't know what to say."
Akane shook her head. "I..I know it, trust me. I've only been here
for a day, but, it's all been so strange...it's.s.." She laughed nervously.
"It's worse than where I've been."
Kasumi looked at Akane searchingly. "Can you tell me now? Where
you've been?"
Shaking her head regretfully, Akane answered, "Non, madamemoiselle."
Kasumi's eyes widened in surprise and fear for her sister, then cleared.
"At least you're here now. When...when are you gone?"
"I don't know." She shook her head. "I shouldn't be here at all...
there was some trouble. We just got...I mean, we just made it back."
Kasumi nodded. "Alright, I'm sorry, I shouldn't pry. I know better,
it's just...I'm so glad to see you again!"
Nodding, Akane changed the topic. "Kasumi, how's Dad?"
Her sister smiled. "He's well! He took...your and Nabiki's leaving
very hard, but, he managed, I think." Her smile widened slightly. "I think
reminding him of his story about how he and his old American friend made it
to France last time helped him some." Later, Akane swore her sister couldn't
have giggled, although her shoulders certainly trembled suspiciously. "After
that, he was all set to sign up again, and do it over."
Sitting forwards, Akane's eyes widened. "He didn't!"
Kasumi smiled, and nods. "Yes, but, don't worry. This time, he
didn't pass the physical examination. Unfortunately, his feet flattened over
the years...enough to disqualify him. However, because of his knowledge, the
SAS hired him on as a special consultant, so he feels like he's doing his
part."
Akane smiled, and nodded. "And what about you? When did you get
transferred?" The response was unexpected...her sister went pale, and her
hands clutched convulsively at the table. "Kasumi? Are you alright? I'm
sorry...it's alright, you don't have to say."
Her sister shook her head. "N...no, it's alright. It...it was a
long time ago." She paused a moment to compose herself. "The hospital where
I was working when you left was bombed two weeks later. It's gone."
Akane's eyes widened in horror. "On, Kasumi...were you...?"
Kasumi smiled, a bitter smile unlike any her sister had ever seen
Kasumi wear before. "Of course I was...we were one of the last targets.
Everyone was there...it was September, when the Nazis were bombing the
civilians. We were full up...they waited. It was _deliberate_. They bombed
a hospital."
She shook her head. "It was the only time they ever did that...at
least that I know of. A special squadron. I thought they were gone, but
then they attacked us again, just last week. At least this time they spared
the wounded."
She paused a moment to compose herself again. "But after I...I left
the hospital, the first thing I did was volunteer for the Army Medical Corps,
and they let me in, with no trouble. And just this year I was made head
nurse of the hospital."
Akane nodded slowly..."That's great, Kasumi. After all
that...you're doing alright."
Kasumi smiled at her sister, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "We
all are, Akane, even Nabiki. I'm sure of it." Squeezing her hand, Akane
nodded. "Now...where do you have to go next? I'll take you there."
Her feelings bouyed, Akane was only mildly surprised when she heard
herself saying, "Um, could you take me to the Base Security Barracks? I've
got a friend to meet there later today...."
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Wow, ain't it amazing what happens when your main distraction is taken away?
Like I said, here's part 8, and part 9 is already 1/3 done, so, it'll be done
quick too. Really, I promise. ^_^
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James Stone - stoner@elycion.geology.ualberta.ca
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http://elycion.geology.ualberta.ca/~stoner
http://elycion.geology.ualberta.ca/~stoner/amuck/amuck.html
http://elycion.geology.ualberta.ca/~stoner/fotw/flags
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Akane@Anime, Ukyou@Ranma, Stoner@Baka, Nabiki@Furtoonia, Geobaldi@Furry,
Mendo@AMUSH, Kylania@Delusions, Mousse@Avalon, Nanami@Fiction,
Noa@DahlingMUCK, Baradagi@ElseMUCK, Miki@ShojoMUCK, Karin@PikuMUCK
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