al709382@campus.ccm.itesm.mx
The Caller's Plight, by Jorge Pratt
Fourth Test, part B, section 3
Childhood lost... madness regained (continued)
DAY 14
"At last!"
Yuannyan stretched her arms as she returned to her normal
almost-sixteen years of age. Beside her, Nodoka and Ranko
acknowledged the change. "Now it's your turn," Nodoka turned to
the other girl.
"Okay," the redhead closed her eyes as the staff touched
her head. "Mom, how old are you?"
"Hm?" Nodoka blinked, "Thirty-seven, why?"
"I wanna check if I'm right about something..." Ranko smirked
and used the staff on herself. After several minutes, when the
change was complete, she removed the staff and faced Nodoka.
"You... you're..." Yuannyan giggled at the sight.
"Like looking at a mirror..." Nodoka smiled.
Ranko smirked mischievously as those words gave her an
idea.
* * *
"Ah, what a meal," Genma rubbed his belly and sat back,
catching a glimpse of the food that Ranma still had on his plate.
"You really outdid yourself," he turned to Nodoka, who smiled and
said nothing.
"Yeah, Mom. This is great!" Ranma filled his mouth, "Too bad
sis isn't here. Where is she?" he turned to Yuannyan, who giggled
to herself and shook her head. Ranma blinked at her behavior,
but shrugged and continued to eat. Nodoka also giggled a bit,
silently bringing another dish. Genma's eyes widened to cover
half his face as he grinned manically.
"Yeah, that's right," Ranma suddenly said, "That's why I
wanted sis to be here. You know, Akane said that the gymnastics
team has a couple of places open."
"Gymnastics?" Yuannyan's attention was aroused. "At your
school?"
"Yep. And Akane asked me to tell you guys because there's
a guy called Endo or something like that, and he's recruiting
people for his school."
"Endo?" Nodoka blinked, "As in _coach_ Mitsuo Endo, the
olympic medal winner?"
"Wow, where do I sign?" Yuannyan said, astounded.
"How would I know? I'm not really into that stuff," Ranma
replied, "Come with us today and you'll see. But I really wanted
sis to hear this."
"She _could_ be interested," Nodoka smirked.
"Wait, _I'm_ interested," Yuannyan leaned towards her
brother, "Who is this guy? When are the tryouts? How do I join?"
"Whoa, whoa!" Ranma defended from the barrage of questions,
"Ask Akane! I just know he's at school."
"And speaking of which, you're gonna be late," Nodoka said,
then gulped and repeated, "I mean, you're _going_ to be late."
"But shouldn't we wait for Ranko?" Ranma stood up and
grabbed his pack.
"I think she's aready there," Nodoka said, making him and
Genma blink in confusion. She nodded to Yuannyan, who giggled
again. Shrugging, Ranma began to head out.
"Oniisan, wait up!" Yuannyan stood and followed, tightening
the ribbon on the back of her uniform. For an instant, Nodoka
looked at her silently.
"She doesn't look _that_ bad... I wonder why I'm always
complaining about it."
Shaking her head, she sat at the table and sipped her tea,
calmly enjoying the peace around the Saotome house.
* * *
"About time you showed up!" Akane said as four people
dashed for Furinkan High, "We're gonna be late!"
"Yo, sis, where were you?" Ranma turned to Ranko.
"Hm? Oh, I went to Akane-chan's house for a while."
Ranma blinked at her. She never called Akane that way.
"Oneechan," yes, but never "Akane-chan." There was something odd
here. And now that he noticed, she was smiling strangely, running
as quickly as she could.
"Hey, slow down or else you'll run right through the guys
at school," a bright flame blazed atop the fence as Phaeron's
Blazing Bullet slowed down.
"Good morning!" Ranko waved happily, making everyone but
Yuannyan blink in bewilderment.
"Uh, good morning," Phaeron replied, leaping down from the
fence. He turned bright red when Akane nudged him, "I thought
you weren't gonna say anything."
"And I haven't. Maybe she's starting to remember," Akane
smiled.
Ranko giggled as she heard the two people talking behind
her. Should she tell them the truth? She knew exactly what
Phaeron wanted "her" to remember, but...
"Here goes..." Ranma began to gather up speed.
"How did they find out she was coming?" Akane wondered.
"What?" Yuannyan asked. Phaeron filled her in about what
happened every morning at the school's front yard. "Oh. Jeeze,
oneechan. You're popular," she giggled.
"Oh?" Ranko blinked, then fell back to let Ranma and Akane
dispatch the students that waited for her arrival.
"There she is!" a boxer yelled.
"Let's go!" the others dashed, readying their attacks.
"HUH?!?!" they stopped on their tracks upon seeing Ranko
and Yuannyan together.
"She's got a twin sister!" somebody cried in joy.
"Uh-oh," Yuannyan sweated visibly as the mob split, each
heading for one redhead.
"Those idiots," Phaeron leapt forward and stuck his feet to
the ground, morphing into a phoenix. "Hold on!" he said, soaring
over Ranko. She gulped and grabbed his claws. Half the students
moaned in disappointment, then set their sights on Yuannyan.
"Hah!" Ranma tackled several of the guys, knocking down a
clear path. Akane leapt up and jumpkicked others. But then the
following students scattered and came up behind Yuannyan. "Wah!"
she jumped up, yelping as somebody grabbed her legs.
"Hmm..." next to a tree, a man in a trenchcoat analized
Yuannyan very carefully.
"Hmph!" she reached down and grabbed the boy's wrists, then
lifted her legs and flipped forward, extending her left leg
towards her back and stretching her right one to her front. She
landed with her left foot and immediately leapt up, sumersaulting
towards a tree and grabbing a branch. She performed an entire
turn around the branch and let go, somersaulting again, but with
her body completely extended. She landed on the ground and
dashed towards the second wave of students, who were already
tossing fists and kicks. Smirking, she suddenly cartwheeled
forward, the fists and feet sailed right between her limbs and
the students hit each other. At the end she planted both hands
on the ground and flipped five times towards Kuno, who waited
with arms open. She shrieked when she saw him and leapt up with
her arms, spinning in midair and landing on Kuno's head with both
feet. She stood up and raised her arms in triumph.
"Wow. Now I see," Ranma clapped his hands.
"What?" Yuannyan brushed her hair.
"Why you wanna join the gymnastics team. You're really
good!" he and Akane clapped and she bowed, blushing modestly.
"Aww, c'mon. Oneechan's better than me."
"Maybe..." Akane thought about the battle versus Kodachi,
"But you're going to leave the school speechless if you join the
team!"
"You should do it," Phaeron said, setting Ranko on the
ground and landing. He morphed back immediately.
"You are very skilled," Ranko smiled.
"Thanks," Yuannyan said, "But I'd like to hear it from
oneechan."
"You just did," Ranma said.
Yuannyan and Ranko gulped, "Uh, right. Sorry," Yuannyan
rubbed her head. Ranko looked hopefully at her, then joined the
others as they went inside.
Meanwhile, the man in the trenchcoat was busy scribbling on
his notebook. He hadn't even seen Phaeron and Ranko come into
view, he was too concentrated on his notes.
"So..." he said to himself, taking out a scrapbook. He flipped
the pages, finding a newspaper clipping. He analized the two
figures, Ranma-chan and Kodachi, and smirked. "Then... that
student's name is Ranma Saotome..."
He compared the clipping with the school's archives. "Oh,
that's it... she and her brother have the same name... But her
nickname is Ranko..."
He smiled to himself and put his notes away, then began to
walk towards the P.E. administration office.
* * *
Nodoka sighed as she washed the dishes, muttering mildly at
having to do this housework. She rolled her eyes, she would much
rather be watching those gymnsatics tryouts. Hmm... The thought
gave her an idea.
Finally finishing up the dishes, she headed upstairs. She
caught a glimpse of the panda, who was dozing off next to the
garden's door. She smirked mischievously at seeing him.
She went to the twins' room. Searching through the closet,
she found a uniform that fit her perfectly. Before changing into
it, she reached up and loosened her long hair. When she had
undressed and put on the scarlet Mandarin shirt and trousers,
she looked at herself in the mirror. With those clothes and her
hair flowing freely, she looked as young as Kasumi. She shook
her head, smiling, and went to Ranma's room. There was only a
futon and a low dresser, thus it was the most spacious room in
the house. She closed her eyes and lifted her hands. She swiftly
flung several kicks and punches, her attacks were still as
strong and swift as a fifteen year-old's. There, her curiosity
had been satisfied, but she didn't feel like trying ki-techniques
for the time being.
She returned to the twins' room and changed again, but
then took the Astbrindel gem and smirked, using it. She expected
her body to shrink, but amazingly she remained the same. The
only change was the warmth that spread over her as the large
limbs grew from her back and she started to glow. She sighed and
headed for the mirror, but held herself before reaching it. She
turned away without looking at her reflection and changed back,
then quickly braided her hair and pulled the pigtail upwards,
then put the pin in her hair to make the braid stay put. Nodoka
turned back to the mirror, making sure her hair looked the same
way as always, and went back down.
"Huh?" she noticed the panda was awake, and playing Go.
"Oh, good. You woke up. I want to talk to you about something."
She sat down next to the panda, smoothing out her kimono.
"Genma, we have to talk about Ranko-chan."
The panda shifted an ear towards her, looking at her
through the corner of his eye.
"Well, it's like this. Ranma is already engaged, and Herb can
take care of Yuan-chan when the time comes, but Ranko-chan will
need a husband."
The panda shuddered mightily, tossing away the Go board
reflexively, "Growf?!"
"Yes. We must find a good husband for our daughter,"
Nodoka took a series of pictures from a nearby table, "These
are a few of the young men I have selected. Look," she gave him
the photos. "One is a very wealthy man, I think his father is a
drug-dealer but that's all right. Another one is a martial artist,
but since he's a movie star he has an ego the size of Hokkaido.
Oh, well, Ranko-chan will have to put up with him. Oh, and this
one! This one is both rich and skilled. Too bad he is a sex-fiend,
but that way we can get many grand-children..."
The panda stared at her, outraged. "How..." he showed a pair
of signs, "...can you even say that!"
"Huh?" Nodoka blinked at him, "I thought you wanted to sell
off-- I mean, engage our daughter in marriage!"
"WHAT?!" he wrote on a gigantic sign.
"Look! With these rich fellows we will never have to worry
about the future, and if we choose the martial artist then the
Saotome school will be insured!"
"No way!" the panda ripped the photos to shreds. "I won't
let you engage my daughter..." he flipped the sign, "..in marriage!!"
Nodoka blinked, then laughed good-heartedly, "Good boy,
Genma!" she petted his head, "I knew you would say that!" Smiling
warmly at him, she stood up and left for the kitchen.
"What was that all about...???" the panda wondered. He
turned to his solo game of Go, which was sprawled all over the
floor.
"GROOOOWL!" he cried.
* * *
"Hey, we're back!" Ranma called from the door.
"Hi, Auntie!" Akane came inside, taking off her shoes.
"Uh, hi!" Nodoka welcomed them, "How was school?"
"Boring as always," Ranma headed for the living room. "What
the..." he found a small pond around the panda.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Saotome," Phaeron also came in,
following Ranko and Yuannyan. Nodoka blushed slightly, but then
saw Ranko and messed up her hair, "Everything okay?"
"Hai!" she beamed, "I wish I could do this everyday!"
"Oh, come on, 'oneechan,'" Yuannyan rolled her eyes. The
three of them giggled. "Guess what," she turned to Nodoka, "I got
an invitation to join the gymnastics team!"
"Good for you," Nodoka slumped down slightly. Ranko noticed
and took her hand, "Don't worry, you'll get another one too."
"Huh?" Ranma, Akane and Phaeron blinked in confusion.
"Uh..." Ranko and Nodoka looked nervously at them, "Eh, how
about dinner?"
"You bet!" Ranma began to salivate.
"Yuck," Akane winced and edged away from him, "I'll help,
Auntie!" Ranma stopped salivating and went pale.
"N-no, thanks," Nodoka shuddered slightly. Ranko giggled
again. "Now, you better go wash. I'm almost done with dinner."
"_You_?" Yuannyan stared at her, then noticed everyone
else but Ranko was now gawking oddly at her. "I mean, I wanted
to help, right 'oneechan'?"
"Right. But let _me_ help, all right?" Ranko turned to
Nodoka.
"Uh-uh. Today's your chance to rest, got it?" Nodoka smiled
and went into the kitchen.
Ranma shook his head, "Did anyone understand what just
happened?"
"They're acting strange if you ask me," Akane said.
"I'd say," Phaeron thought, "Ranko-chan is just not herself
today."
"Okay, here it is," Nodoka said as she brought the dishes
to the table. Ranko looked up at her with large eyes, almost as
if putting her on test. Everybody gasped in delight when they
set eyes on the food. Nodoka beamed and sat down, waiting for
the others to begin.
"Hmm, this is great," Ranko said, "You are improving."
"You taught me, right?" Nodoka smiled again.
"HUH?!" everyone stared at them again.
"Never mind..." they both said, giggling. "So..." Nodoka turned
to Yuannyan, "What happened with those tryouts?"
"Eh? Oh, they haven't started yet. Today they just gave
out the invitations. Akane got one too. But oneechan can still
get into the team if she goes tomorrow."
"I've been thinking about it..." Phaeron said, "Maybe you
better stay out of the team," he turned to the redheads.
"How come?" Nodoka looked oddly at him.
"Because you'll leave everyone out," he smirked. Yuannyan
and Nodoka turned mild red and smiled. Ranko just flashed a
bright smirk to him.
"Yo, sis," Ranma turned to Ranko, "Didn't you want to be in
the team too? Where were you when the coach handed out the
invitations?"
"Hm? I, uh, I was talking with..." she turned to Yuannyan,
who whispered something, "Oh, that's right. With Kuno-sempai."
"What?!" once more, everybody but Yuannyan stared at her.
"What are you surprised about? We simply talked, he asked
me out on a date but I said no. He-- uh?" she noticed Nodoka
had put a hand on her shoulder.
"Excuse us," Nodoka pulled her up and towards the kitchen.
The others blinked in confusion.
"Ranko _talked_ with Kuno?!" Ranma shuddered.
"What's going on here? She usually gives him the boot
whenever he asks her for a date!" Akane cocked an eye.
"As I said, she's just not herself today," Phaeron shook his
head.
Meanwhile, Nodoka had taken Ranko into the kitchen. "Okay,
what did you say? You talked with Kuno?" Nodoka shivered
slightly.
"I don't understand why you're acting like this," Ranko
shrugged, "Kuno-san is just a boy from your school. And he
seems to be in love with you."
"That's not love. That's madness. Nothing I do ever gets him
away."
"Well, I talked with him and he seemed nice enough," Ranko
said, "Maybe you should talk to him too. If you don't want him to
go on thinking you love him, just say it to him carefully."
"You don't hafta deal with him all the time."
"Just try it," Ranko took her hand, "and try to remember
about China, okay?" she smiled and headed back.
"Wait!"
"Hm?"
"What do you mean?"
"Ranko" sighed, "You have to remember." And with that, she
went back to the dining room.
The rest of the meal went on without any interruptions.
>From time to time, Ranko would look back and forth between
Nodoka and Phaeron, sighing sadly at them. He noticed, but
misinterpreted what was happening and decided to keep quiet.
"Well, I better take these back," Nodoka said, picking up the
dishes to wash them.
"Wait, Mrs. Saotome, let me," Phaeron stood up and helped
her. She blinked for an instant, but smiled and allowed him to
help her. Meanwhile, the others engaged in a table-talk as they
watched the news on TV.
Nodoka nervously sneaked glimpses of Phaeron, who was
beside her helping her wash the dishes. She identified this
pattern perfectly: he had gone with her because he needed to
talk. But what was it?
"Mrs. Saotome..." he finally said, "You said you watched over
the girls when we were in China, didn't you?" She nodded silently.
"And the other day, you said that Ranko-chan would probably
remember soon..." She was startled slightly by that. Maybe he was
going to talk about what had happened in China. "I just wanted
to ask... Don't you think she's acting strange lately?"
"Hm?"
"I'm sorry I said that," he quickly corrected, "But..." he
shook his head with a sigh, "I was thinking that she might have
remembered about it." He turned to her, slightly hesitant, "You...
know what happened with us before Jusenkyo, right?" Nodoka
nodded again. "Do you think she... you know..." his voice lowered
in volume, almost became unaudible. But before he went on,
Nodoka quickly shook her head and faced him, "Phaeron-kun, calm
down. What's wrong?"
"Nothing," he shook his head, "I already told Akane and
Coldfire about this. But I was hoping that growing up again would
help her remember about... about how it was in China."
"What _do_ you want her to remember?" she asked, hoping he
would say it.
"You know..." he said, turning deep red. She fell silent,
trying to figure it out but not wanting to jump to conclusions.
"Well, let me ask you a few things. Why did you give her
that necklace?"
"Because... because I... You know..." he cursed himself. Why
didn't he just come out and say it? It was obvious Nodoka knew,
but somehow he wasn't sure about telling her.
"I think I do..." Nodoka blushed mightily and stared at him.
Could it be? Could he have meant that? "Pha... Phaeron-kun..." she
took his hand.
"Huh?"
She smiled warmly at him. In his entire life, he had never
seen such a tender smile, so filled with emotion. It seemed it
was Ranko who spoke through her. "Don't worry. I will make sure
she remembers."
Ranko walked into the kitchen, holding a couple of glasses
of water. The other two didn't notice her.
"No matter what happens in the future," Nodoka continued...
"Oop!" Ranko slipped on a small puddle of dishwater. One
glass went flying towards Nodoka's head, the other fell on her
own.
"...You should know that... Ranko-chan..." she began to turn
deep red, "she lo-- WAH!"
The glass hit her head, the water drenched her.
"Heh..." Nodoka grinned nervously as her hair, dyed brown,
began to turn to its original red.
"EH?" Phaeron stared widely as all of Nodoka's hair turned
red. Suddenly he whipped around, realizing Ranko's own hair had
become brown, now that the red dye had been washed off. And it
was until now that he realized "Nodoka's" eyes were blue...
"Eh heh heh..." a thirty-seven year-old Ranko snickered in
embarassment.
"Oops..." a fifteen year-old Nodoka giggled.
Phaeron had only one thing to say:
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGGGGH!"
* * *
"Wow, this is amazing," Akane said, now that Ranko and
Nodoka had let everyone in to their little "switch." But really,
even now they were identical! Thanks to Andellia's staff, Nodoka
had become a fifteen year-old, while Ranko had grown to her
mother's age. And since they dyed their hair, it was no wonder
everybody had mistaken them for one another.
"Talk about dominant genes," Akane snickered, looking at the
mature Ranko and the young Nodoka.
"I'd say," Ranma smirked, "Thank goodness I take more after
Mom than Pop."
"Sorry about the joke," Ranko said, releasing her hair, "I
just wanted to see how I would look like at this age."
"And I wanted to be a young girl again," Nodoka looked up
at her daughter, "I wish this could last forever."
"But Phaeron-kun..." Akane pointed at the unconscious Esper,
who still had a shocked _and_ embarassed look on his face.
"He fainted when he found out," Nodoka grasped the staff
and used it on herself, growing back to normal. "Ranko-chan, what
were you talking about?"
"Uh, nothing..." she took the staff also and used it to
become younger, until reaching her normal age.
"No wonder you were acting strange," Akane giggled, "Maybe
you've watched 'Viceversa' one too many times."
"Hey, I just wanted to see how I looked like," Ranko said,
taking off the kimono to put on her usual clothes. "Besides, I
deserve an Oscar for that performance."
"Oww..." Phaeron began to wake up. He fixed his eyes on
Ranko. "I am going to kill you," he calmly said, smirking as he
tried to suppress a snicker.
"Sorry," she stuck her tongue out at him. "But... about what
you were saying..."
"Uh..." he turned deep red. "You... know?"
"Hm-hm," she nodded, also blushing, then turned to the
others, "Could I speak with him alone?"
"Oh, I see," Akane nudged her. She fumed mightily and yelled,
"It's NOT like that, okay?!"
"I'll never understand you," Ranma smirked, then joined the
others as they left the room.
An embarassing silence filled the dining room, with both of
them avoiding each other's gaze. A loud thumping sound was
heard: their hearts were beating very rapidly. "So..." Phaeron
said, "I..."
"Just let me ask you something..." Ranko turned away, "Do
you mean it?"
"M-mean what?" he looked up at her.
"Y-you know..." she nervously took out her necklace, fiddling
with it, "D-did you mean it?"
Phaeron felt as if he were an ant facing a mountain.
Nothing in his 1500 years of training had prepared him for this.
He was so nervous he was covered by a flickering aura of white
fire. He took a deep breath, gathering all his courage. Seeing
him about to speak, Ranko held her breath and sat absolutely
still. She didn't dare blink, lest she mishear his words.
"This is it," he thought.
They gazed directly at each other. Both turned red as
garnets.
"Ranko-chan, I l--"
"EARTHQUAKE!!!" somebody yelled.
"Gaaaaaaah!" they tumbled to the ground and fell in each
other's arms, in a rather compromising position.
"Eh..." Phaeron felt something round and squishy inside his
hand. His eyes opened widely and he turned as red as his ruby
medallion. He immediately tried to apologize, "Ran--"
"YOU PERVERT!!!" Ranko punted him all the way back to Esper
World.
* * *
"Wow, Brain, that was great! Narf!"
"Yes, Pinky. My earthquake machine is finally over! We will
take over the wo--"
He was interrupted by the shriek of a bird of prey. A hawk,
to be exact.
"Pinky..." Brain said calmly, "RUN FOR YOUR LIFE!"
Seeing the two mice run away, a feathery Mink shrugged and
headed back to her restaurant.
DAY 15
English class, as always, was as exciting as a chess match
between two politicians. Even Miss Hinako was drowsy as she
wrote on the blackboard. Then again, winter break would begin
tomorrow Friday, and the last two days of class are never
something you keep awake for.
However, there were at least two students that were too
nervous to even blink. Akane whispered to Seraphim, who giggled
when she saw Ranko and Phaeron sitting straight up, taut as
bowstrings. Whatever had happened last night had really kept
them tense, neither had said a word all day.
Yuannyan groggily turned to her twin and giggled: despite
her nervousness, she was blushing deeply and had a microscopic
smile on her face. Phaeron, on the other hand, was sweating so
much it seemed he would lose all the water in his body. Slowly,
he turned to Ranko. She noticed his gaze and turned away with a
"Hmph!" also fuming angrily. Yuannyan giggled again. Ranko kept
muttering under her breath, she soon resembled Akane and
repeated, "Baka... pervert... jerk..."
"Huh?" Ranma woke up in the desk next to her, "Akane, cut
that out..."
"It's not me," she bonked him upside the head.
Finally, the students groaned back to consciousness as the
bell rang. Miss Hinako fell on the desk and dozed off while the
teenagers flowed out to the halls.
"Hey, what happened to _you_?" Ranma blinked at a bald
Daisuke.
"Remind me to NEVER let Konatsu cook," Daisuke glared.
"Remember girls!" Akane called with a megaphone, "The
tryouts for the gymnastics team will start in ten minutes. Be
there and remember to wear your leotard!"
"Let's go, oneechan!" Yuannyan excitedly bounced for the
door. She had been looking forward to the tryouts, she could
hardly wait to try her hand at the acrobatic flips and twists.
"Uh, sure!" Ranko returned to her usual mood and followed.
She wasn't as excited as her twin, but she _had_ been interested
in joining this team for quite a while.
"Eh, Ranko-chan...?" Phaeron meekly approached her.
"Look," she turned to him, a serious look on her face. But
that look soon became a very-red smile of intense, calm joy. Too
embarassed to notice her state, Phaeron just sweated nervously.
"Phaeron-kun, it's okay." She blushed even further, "I... I also...
I... I mean... It's like, uh..." She breathed in, rearing back. "Let's
just go out and say it," she thought, "I l-- UGH!"
"HOhOhoHohOHohOhoHo!"
Kodachi had landed on her head, knocking her out.
"Get off her NOW," Phaeron glared at the younger Kuno.
"Why, if it isn't the pigtailed girl!" Kodachi looked down at
the head she had squashed. "I'm so sorry... Sorry I wasn't wearing
my metal boots! HohOhoHohOHoHohoHohOhoHOhOhoHohoHohO!"
"For your sake, I hope you didn't mean that," Phaeron
changed his glare to a scowl.
"Kodachi, what are you doing here?" Akane and Ranma blinked
at her.
"Heh," she brushed her hair, "I had merely come to warn
you: coach Endo has also come to Hebereke. He will only choose
two girls from each high school. If any hussy from this place
thinks she has the skill to be chosen, better think again." She
smirked evilly, "Of course, with the clumsy girls in this school, I
will probably be coach Endo's star student!" She bounded away
through the window, "HohOhohOhohOhOhOhohoHo!"
"Why that... She can't talk to us like that!" Akane clenched
her fist.
"Uuhhh..." a spiral-eyed Ranko staggered from the floor.
"You okay?" Phaeron asked.
"Uhh... sure... okay..." she said, her head spinning. "Say..."
she fixed her eyes on him, "Who are you?"
"EEEHH?!"
She turned to Ranma and Akane, "Oniisan, who is he? A
friend of yours?"
"You... Amnesia!" Akane stared at her.
"What? I still remember you, oneechan. But who is this
guy?" she pointed despectively at Phaeron, who was frozen like
ice.
"Kodachi... she landed on her head!" Ranma said.
Phaeron turned to stone _and_ screamed inwards.
"Just kidding!" she grinned, bonking him playfully. "Really,
you're so naive, Phaeron-kun."
He sighed in relief, "Then you forgive me?"
"Forgive you? For what?"
"For last night."
"What happened last night?" she blinked sincerely.
"Hm," Seraphim put her hands on top of Ranko's head. "She's
honest about that. She really _did_ forget _everything_ about
last night."
Everything about last night... Everything about last night...
Everything about last night... Everything about last night...
Everything about last night... Everything about last night...
Phaeron turned to stone _and_ screamed inwards. Again. And
again and again.
"What? What happened?" Ranko asked, seeing him drag his
depressed form away.
"Never mind..." he groaned, skulking away.
"Ah!" Akane looked at her watch, "We'll be late for the
tryouts!"
* * *
Ryouga slowly trudged along the street, looking downwards
in his despair. Where on Earth was he? He could remember
yesterday, when he found that incredibly-tall building, CN Tower
or something like that. He also recalled something about a place
called Toronto, but he wasn't sure.
"Where am I?" he asked rethorically. "Oh, if only I could
find Ranko-san's house--"
"Oh, good morning, Ryouga-kun!" Nodoka greeted as she swept
the porch.
Ryouga could have cried. And he did.
"Uh, good morning, Mrs. Saotome," he replied, rubbing his
head in embarassment.
"Would you like to come in?" she asked, "You're probably
very tired after all your trips."
"Uh, sure," he smiled nervously as he accepted her offer.
"Ah, this must be heaven," he thought, "All I want now is to be
her son-in-law..." But his thought was disrupted as he considered
that other matter, "But then I would be Ranma's brother-in-law...
Aaargh! But it would be worth the pain if I could marry her..."
Nodoka blinked quizzically as Ryouga half-laughed in his
reverie. She snickered a bit, then set a cup of tea on the table
in front of him. Carefully, she also set a handwritten letter on
top of the cup. "Ryouga-kun, the tea is ready."
"Eh?" he woke up, "Uh, thank you, Mrs. Saotome," he
sheepishly looked down at the table. He looked oddly at the
envelope, taking it in his hands.
"AAAAAH!" his eyes widened. The envelope read "Dear Ryouga-
kun," in Ranko's handwriting. With shaking hands, he _CAREFULLY_
opened the envelope and took out the letter.
"Hi! This is Ranko and Yuannyan. We're having a birthday
party today and we'd like to see you! Come to our house at six.
If you're Ryouga-kun and you're already there, don't even DARE
move. See you there!"
"Sh-she wants to see me..." tears streamed down Ryouga's
eyes. "BWAAAAAH!" he cried out loud, breaking down. He tried to
find a way to release the tension, to find an escape... but
Nodoka had stealthily chained him to the floor.
"Okay, now to send the other invitations," Nodoka said, then
headed out for the Tendo dojo.
* * *
"Okay, girls," the gymnastics coach called. Around her, in
the gym, all the students were already wearing their leotards,
waiting. "Now, coach Endo will arrive in just a few more minutes.
You still have time for warm-up excercises if you need to. Since
we've already chosen all of you for the school's representative
team, he will select two of you for his private Olympic school."
"I've never been so nervous!" Yuannyan said excitedly,
tugging at her twin's arm while bouncing up and down.
"You really want this, don't you?" Akane asked, stretching a
leg upwards to practice.
"Uh-huh," she nodded forcefully, a big smile on her face.
"Come on. You'll be a natural at this," Ranko said, grabbing
her and giving Yuannyan a noogie.
"Thanks, oneechan. But you're pretty good at this..."
"Don't worry. You'll make it!" she flashed her an encouraging
smile.
Yuannyan clenched her eyes in happy nervousness. She knew
she had to do well at this. Not that she resented it, but her
sister had always surpassed her. She was the better martial-
artist, the better cook, she was even _more_ childish. Yuannyan
wanted to prove her worth, to both herself and her sister. Yes,
she would show them. She _had_ to show them!
Ranko smiled at her sister's excitement. Really, you could
hardly believe she was almost sixteen. Maybe she was stuck at
eleven when they were growing up. Then again, she envied
Yuannyan's child-like manners. Like a little girl, she easily let
her feelings surface. But it's not as if she had anything to
worry about. True, Ranko's martial-arts training had made her
quite an acrobat, but Yuannyan had been saved from Nyannichuan
by a monkey. Like Herb had said long ago, she still had some of
the monkey's mind. That would probably allow her to perform very
agile and complicated routines, since monkeys are considerably
more flexible than humans. That's why Ranko said this would come
naturally for Yuannyan, her "monkey-girl" sister.
"Come on, let's warm-up," Ranko said, motioning for her to
follow. She suddenly dropped to the floor, splitting her legs to
the front and the back. Yuannyan mimicked. Ranko planted her
hands on the floor and pushed, then spun her hips to make her
legs whip around in circles. After five turns, she kept her legs
still, lifting them high over the floor. She then continued the
motion until she was on a handstand, then bent her elbows and
fluidly slid her torso over the nylon on the floor, like a snake.
Not breaking the rythm, she brought her knees below her and sat
on her calves, bending her back so her shoulders touched the
floor. She then pulled her feet from under her and spread her
legs in a 180 degree angle, pushed off the floor and leaned
forward, putting her hands in front of her. She handstood again,
still with her legs split, and moved her hands so her entire body
spun in place. Then she switched the split from side-to-side to
front and back, her right leg on the front. She arched her back
so her left foot touched down, then reared back up and stood
tall while lifting her arms. Akane clapped from the sidelines,
Ranko took a deep breath and turned to see Yuannyan follow her
to perfection.
"Okay, now for jumping," Ranko said. This time Akane also
joined the excercise. A group formed around the nylon-covered
floor as the threesome performed an artistic routine, graceful
as ballet and agile as Chinese acrobatics. Suddenly the three
leapt up, legs split forward and back, then landed and rolled
forward, leaping up with both feet in a quick motion. They landed
again and stood on one leg, spinning on their toes while shaping
a circle with their arms over their heads. Without a sweat they
jumped with that leg, flipping over and landing on the same foot.
The crowd applauded. Then the three slowly followed the motions
towards one of the corners. They stood still for a second, then
dashed forward to the opposite corner. They had reached the
center of the floor when they leapt up, spun in midair with their
body completely extended, then leapt up again the nanosecond tey
touched down. But for the second leap they split their legs
forward and back once more, landing on the split and quickly
joined their legs. Then they bent a leg and kneeled, quickly
getting up on one foot but almost sitting down, with the other
leg extended and parallel to the floor. They spun on their toes
and quickly changed legs, then brought the extended leg up and
over them, flipping backwards and standing on that leg, lifting
their arms and flipping forward to land on both feet.
"Phew..." Akane wiped her brow, "I think that's enough. Let's
just wait for the coach to arrive, 'kay?"
"Sure," Ranko followed her towards the bench, taking a long
swig from a jug of water.
"I'll just practice a bit on the beam, right?" Yuannyan said.
Ranko and Akane snickered, she was still so worked up she wasn't
even beginning to tire. Seeing the trio had broken, the rest of
the students dispersed and went back to their own excercises.
"Hah!" Yuannyan bounced off the vault and landed on the
beam in a handstand. She turned to the left, putting her hands
on either side of the beam, and slowly lowered her feet to land.
She stood up proudly, her left foot slightly forward. Rearing
back, she flipped forward slowly, then backflipped again. But
instead of touching down with her toes, she split and leaned
forward to mantain her balance, setting herself down with the
beam between her legs. She then brought them up again and lied
with her belly on the beam, brought her right knee in and set it
on the beam, lifting her left leg. She handstood on the beam
again, then arched her back to flip to her feet.
She sweated nervously for an instant. The next step was a
difficult one. She replayed in her mind what she would have to
do: it was a leaping backflip, without using her hands. She would
have to split her legs forward and back, landing in the same
split on the beam. But the problem is that the flip was very
fast, and she could not use her hands in the entire motion.
Okay, first she would lift her right leg, extending it until it
were horizontal. Then she would leap backwards with her left leg,
spin in midair, and land with the right foot without ever moving
that leg or the arms.
"What's going on?" Akane turned to Ranko, who shrugged.
"Okay," Yuannyan thought, "Here goes..." she clenched her
eyes shut for an instant, then suddenly opened them again and
lifted her right leg. She lost her balance a second, her left
foot nearly lost grip on the beam. She leapt.
"Too low, too low!" Ranko repeated, seeing her sister spin
in midair. But when she tried to land with her right foot, she
misjudged the height and landed lopsidedly, her foot slipped right
off and she fell, her body hit the beam hard and then she slid
off, her right foot twisted as her right leg was still extended.
"Yuan-chan!" Ranko dashed for her. She didn't have her
Brindstone but she could still use the healing spells she learned
from Crystallus. She immediately put her glowing hand on
Yuannyan's ankle.
"Ouch..." she rubbed her chest, where her sternum had hit
the beam.
"You gotta jump a little higher," Ranko said, "practice it on
the ground first."
"But that's a basic step!" Yuannyan chided herself, "I
_have_ to get it right!"
"Tell you what," Ranko said, "Why don't I help you practice
it until the coach gets here?"
Yuannyan sniffled a bit and nodded. Ranko helped her to her
feet. Being her twin, she could feel Yuannyan's plight and knew
she had to help her. She was very excited about the team, and
Ranko would not abandon her.
The pair spent the remaining minutes practicing the same
step, over and over. They moved with such coordination that
even Akane suddenly thought she was seeing double. Finally,
Yuannyan landed perfectly. She wouldn't say it, but her ankle
still hurt. Especially when she landed. She could only grit her
teeth as she touched down.
"Okay, one last time," Ranko said, standing on the front end
of the beam while Yuannyan stood on the middle. "One... two...
three!"
The twins lifted the right leg and flipped back, landing
gently. Even as Yuannyan silently endured the pain, she could
hear an applause come from the gym's door.
"Good, good. But can you do this?" a man, in his late
thirties, threw off his trenchcoat to reveal his uniform and
dashed for the nylon floor, flipping forward eleven times with
amazing speed. He then leapt up and delivered a hail of midair
kicks to all directions, landing on his shoulders and executing a
"scissor" gymnastics technique by spreading his legs and spinning
on his shoulders. Then he flipped over and planted his palms on
the floor, handstood and split his legs, then dropped and rolled
to his feet. All the girls applauded as Mitsuo Endo, Olympic gold
medal winner, lifted his arms in triumph.
"Okay girls, this is coach Endo," the team's own coach said,
"Let's get started."
The twins rested while the other girls began to show their
finest routines on the floor, the beam, the asymetrical bars and
of course, the vault. Endo silently observed, taking notes from
time to time. Finally, only the twins and Akane remained.
"I know you," he said to Akane, "You were going to face
Kodachi Kuno in the rythmic gymnastics competition, no?"
"Yes, but I hurt myself and she had to fill in for me," she
pointed at Ranko.
"She's the one? Pink leotard, right?" Endo cocked an eye,
"Then who was the girl that performed those stunts yesterday?"
"That was Yuannyan," Akane pointed at the other twin.
"Yuannyan... Green leotard. Got it," Endo anotated on his
notebook. "Okay, Tendo, show me your stuff."
Akane nodded eagerly as she first tried the vault. She
bounced off it and grabbed the horse, using her momentum to
fling herself up and spin several times before coming down with
both feet on the floor. While she went towards the nylon base,
Ranko kept reminding Yuannyan about leaping higher during that
step. Yuannyan nodded silently, rubbing her ankle.
"You okay?" Ranko asked, noticing what she was doing.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Just nervous, that's all."
"Hah!" Akane bounced off the vault to grab the lower of the
asymetrical bars. She performed her routine quickly and
gracefully, she only bounced a little when landing. The same
happened with the balance beam, unfortunately taking a few
decymals of a point off, although she was still on top.
"Okay, your turn," Ranko said. Yuannyan smiled happily and
headed for the coach.
"Green leotard, you're Yuannyan Saotome?"
"Yes," she bowed.
"I saw you yesterday. You were very good!" Yuannyan smiled
modestly. "Now, if you can improve upon what you did yesterday,
you might get a scholarship at my school!"
"YES!" Yuannyan's face lit up like a lightbulb, she hurried
to the vaulting horse, then the asymetrical bars and then the
floor. She left the balance beam for last.
"Okay, so far you're the best. Do well on the beam and
you're home free!" Endo smiled at her.
"Well, here goes..." she thought, but by now her ankle hurt
like hell. Enduring the pain, she bounced off the vault and held
the beam, splitting her legs. Once more she switched hands to
grab the sides of the beam, then she leaned forward and set her
belly on it, still spreading her legs. She pushed up, sitting on
the beam and laying down on it. She grabbed it again and pulled
her legs upwards, handstanding, and split forward and back. She
arched to touch down with her left foot, avoiding at all costs
to set any weight on her right ankle. She stood on one leg,
spinning slowly on her toes, then leapt forward and flipped,
landing on the same foot. She then leapt straight up, inverted
herself and landed with her hands. She stretched her left leg
forward and the right upwards, then bent her left knee and
constantly switched hands to spin in place. Then she bent her
elbows and set her back down, the beam touched exactly between
her shoulders. Rolling, she rested her entire right leg up the
length of the beam and put her left foot on it, then rested on
that foot and lifted all of her body. With a quick motion she
flipped horizontally and ended up on her hands and right knee,
stretching her left leg backwards.
"Okay, now just do that backflip you were doing a while
ago," Endo said. Yuannyan clenched her eyes, but steeled herself
and stood on her left leg. Very slowly she lifted her right.
"You can do it, come on!" Ranko thought, as if she wanted
her thoughts to reach Yuannyan.
"Hah!" Yuannyan flipped backwards, landing on her right foot.
But the pain was too much, her leg shuddered and she lost her
balance. She had to lean forward and handstand, then leap
backwards with her arms and land on the floor with only her left
leg. The landing itself wasn't too perfect, since she only used
one leg she stumbled slightly to her right.
"What happened?" Endo asked, patting her shoulder.
"I think I twisted my ankle," Yuannyan replied, a few tears
gathering in her eyes.
"Don't worry, You still did better than the others," Endo
smiled at her, with a encouraging thumbs-up.
"Your turn, oneechan," Yuannyan slumped down and sat next
to Ranko, burying her chin in her hands. Ranko couldn't think of
any words of encouragement, she just patted her back and went
ahead.
Her routines on the floor were almost as perfect as
Yuannyan's, if slightly more agile and graceful despite being
slower. When she finished, she took half a second to look over
towards Yuannyan. The poor girl was looking sadly at her, sighing
in defeat.
"She's won already," Yuannyan thought, "Just like always."
"Yuan-chan..." Ranko couldn't stand to see her like that, and
would never forgive herself if she robbed her own twin sister of
this dream. With determination on her face, she headed for the
asymmetrical bars.
After a running start, she bounced off the vault and
grabbed the lowest bar, then spun around it and lifted her legs
to slide them between her body and the bar. She sent her legs
back again, boosting herself towards the taller bar. At the last
second, she pulled her right hand. Her other hand slipped right
off and she fell on her bottom quite clumsily. "Uh, can I try
again?" she asked. Endo and her classmates blinked in confusion.
She tried again, deliberately making very small mistakes,
mistakes unnoticed by normal people but easily seen by an
Olympic gymnast. She did the same with the balance beam. Finally,
for the vaulting horse, she hopped towards the vault a bit too
late, she bounced off its very edge. Consequentally, her hands
touched down on the edge of the horse and she slipped again,
with her momentum she crashed head-first into the floor.
"Eeeehhh..." her eyes rolled in spirals as she toppled,
stretching her index and pinky in her hands.
"Ranko-chan!" "Oneechan!" Akane and Yuannyan rushed to help.
"What a strange girl..." Endo thought, "Those were very
basic mistakes. Judging from how she did on the floor, she could
have easily avoided them." He shook his head, "Too bad. If she
hadn't made those mistakes she would have been on top..." a smirk
appeared on his face as he realized it. "Oh," he snickered.
"Oneechan! Oneechan!" Yuannyan shook her.
"Eeehh? Whozzat? Who am I?"
"Don't joke around, you baka!" Akane slapped her awake.
"Oww..." Ranko sat up, rubbing her head with both hands.
"You idiot!" Yuannyan yelled, "You could've won! Now go back
and try again!"
"Okay, I'll let you know the results later," Endo said,
addressing the entire team, "Keep training!" he sent a smirk
towards the twins and left the gym, escorted by the regular
coach.
"See?! You blew it!" Yuannyan yelled, "Now I want you to try
again and we're not leaving until you get it right!"
"Yessir!" Ranko quickly stood up and ran back to the vault,
leaving Yuannyan and Akane blinking.
"Ranko-chan..." Akane thought, seeing Yuannyan coaching her
twin, "You let her win. That was very beautiful thing to do." She
smiled warmly at the twins, waiting for them to finish before
joining them as they went to the lockers.
* * *
"Okay, hit the lights," Akane said.
"Got 'em," Phaeron turned off the switch.
"Aaaand..."
"Happy birthday to you..." Nodoka and Akane came out of the
kitchen and into the dark dining room, bringing a cake of
legendary proportions. The twins, sitting at the table, smiled
excitedly as it was set down before them. All around, Ranma,
Genma, Phaeron, Raphael, Seraphim, Shampoo, Ukyou, Cologne,
Mousse, Mink, Mog, Konatsu and the Tendos joined in the "Happy
Birthday" chorus. A soft reddish light rose from the table,
illuminated by the thirty-two candles on the cake, sixteen for
each girl.
"...happy birthday, Ranko and Yuannyan, happy birthday to
you," the singing ended.
"Go on!" Akane said. Taking a deep breath, the twins reared
back and blew out the candles. Everyone cheered.
The candles were lit again.
The twins blew them out.
They lit again.
The girls fumed and blew them out.
They lit again.
The girls gagged and blew them out.
They lit ag--
"Cut that out!" Akane saw Ranma using his Fire magic and
promptly malleted him.
"So, what did you wish for?" Ukyou asked.
"Wait! Don't say it or else it won't happen!" Akane reminded.
Ranko snickered but sighed. She only had one wish at this
time, but very probably it wouldn't come true. Smiling sadly, she
turned to Phaeron, still wishing he would stay alive.
"So, you're finally sixteen, eh?" Raphael smirked. "But you
should know, today isn't your real birthday." Across the table,
Phaeron winced and tried to shush his twin.
"Why? When is it then?" Ranko asked.
"It's on April 23rd," Phaeron replied with a sad sigh. The
redhead shuddered: according to the time-watching artifact in
Phaeron's house, that was the day when they fell in Jusenkyo...
"T-then we... on our birthday?" the twins asked, shuddering.
Phaeron nodded sadly.
The group moved on to a pair of larger tables that Ukyou
and Konatsu had brought from Ucchan's. As Nodoka began to deal
out the cake, the room erupted in conversation.
"So, where Mousse go other day?" Shampoo scornfully turned
away from him. He didn't deign answer, he just kept looking back
and forth between her and Mink.
"And how's Cordis?" Cologne smirked mischievously as she
nudged the twins.
"Eh?!" they stared at her.
"Don't be surprised. I found out the very day Herb used
that Mind Blast to awake you," she smirked at Ranko.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY," Genma's voice boomed as he made a
beeline for his slice of cake.
"Uuhh..." Ranma looked nervously at it. "A-Akane, did you...?"
"Must you always doubt of her food?" Raphael glared at him.
"Try it and weep, pal," Ranma glared back.
"Now, now, don't fight," Seraphim said.
"Just try it, will you?" Akane scowled at him. Hesitant,
Ranma speared the cake and took a bite.
His eyes widened.
He stopped breathing.
He could not believe it.
"This is delicious, oneechan!" Ranko called from the other
table. Akane beamed in pride.
Ranma passed out in shock.
"Sheesh, you'd think he'd stop overreacting," Yuannyan said.
"It's in his contract to overreact," Phaeron said.
"I'm eating Akane-san's home cooking..." Ryouga sighed
slightly.
"Hm, guess everyone was hungry," Ranko saw the cake had
been completely devoured. "I'll go bring the one I made."
"AAAAAAHHH!" Ryouga cried. Yuannyan and Phaeron blinked in
confusion.
"Guess his affections switched," Cologne took out an
umbrella to protect from the rain of tears.
"What do you mean?" Yuannyan asked, seeing her sister was
still in the kitchen.
"He used to be in love with Akane," Cologne smirked, "What
would he have said four months ago if someone had told him he
would someday be infatuated with his mortal enemy?"
"Aghh..." Ranma gagged, overhearing. "That fishing-rod thing
is too disgusting to even remember, old hag."
"Okay, here it is," Ranko came out of the kitchen, bringing
out another cake.
"The heavens bloom and the seas sing as the sixteen flames
light up to greet the beginning of true womanhood which my
goddess now enters..." Kuno suddenly glomped onto her from
behind.
"How does he do that?" Phaeron wondered as Kuno sailed
over the Sea of Japan.
"I just punt him away," Ranko shrugged.
"No, I mean, how does he appear out of nowhere like that?"
"Okay, present time!" Akane called, taking out a box, "This
is from me."
"Very funny," Ranko glared at her, seeing the M. K.
RayEarth OVA in the box.
"Here," Cologne handed her a flask, "That is the last of
Nyannichuan water."
"I only want one thing..." Yuannyan sighed.
"Happy birthday, Yuannyan," somebody touched her shoulder.
"HERB-CHAN!" she immediately stood up and flung herself to
him.
"I wrote this," red as his ruby, Phaeron slipped an envelope
to Ranko, "Don't open it yet. Read it after the party."
"Sorry I couldn't get you anything..." Ryouga said sadly as
he looked downwards.
She patted his back, "That's okay, Ryouga-kun. If you didn't
get lost on your way here, that's good enough." She flashed him
a bright smile.
"BWAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" he couldn't hold himself anymore as he
ran out of the house, a picture of that smile filled his mind.
She sweated visibly.
"The greatest tresures from the farthest reaches could
not be enough to equal the magnificence of the gift I hereby
present to you," Kuno stood next to her, "A date, with Tatewaki
Kuno."
"Where did he come from?!" Phaeron stared widely in
surprise.
"No, thanks!" Ranko punched him through the roof.
"And I give you this," Nodoka gave a large flat box to each
of the girls, although Yuannyan was too busy attaching her face
to Herb's at the moment.
"Huh?" Ranko opened the box to find a load of whiteness.
She took it out, revealing a bright white dress.
"I know that," Akane pointed, "Isn't that the dress you
bought for her, Auntie?"
"You mean..." Ranko blinked, "Way back in the first fanfic?"
"That's right," Nodoka smiled. She recalled that day, distant
in time, when she took Akane and "Ranma-chan" shopping, and they
both tried on a white gown. But Nodoka had fixed it herself,
making a few changes on the design. She eagerly prodded her
daughter, trying to get her to wear it now.
"Ah, I don't wanna get it dirty now," Ranko escaped that
trap, blushing slightly at recalling how she looked in it.
"Um, okay..." Nodoka smirked, she wasn't beaten yet, "Then
you better wear these, girls!" she took out a pair of elegant
kimonos.
Yuannyan detached herself from Herb, blushing brightly and
trying to get some air even as a large smile appeared on her
face. She noticed the present and cheered slightly, catching her
sister before she ran away. Herb had a stupid grin on his face
as the twins went upstairs to change.
"Hey, leggo!" Ranko complained as Yuannyan pulled her into
their room. "What's all the rush?!"
"Oneechan..." Yuannyan suddenly released her. Her voice
sounded grave and serious, Ranko gulped without even noticing.
But then all of a sudden Yuannyan whipped around and hugged her
tightly, "Thank you!"
"Wha..."
"You think I didn't notice?" Yuannyan said, releasing her,
"But I still have to say, you didn't have to do that."
"Do what?"
"Come on, you know. Letting me win at the tryouts,"
Yuannyan's smile vanished for a moment, "You really didn't have
to."
"Yuan-chan, I..."
"Look," she interrupted, "I know you lost on purpose. I
appreciate it, oneechan, but you shouldn't have! If I'm going to
get into the team I want it to be by myself!"
"You did get in yourself. But I couldn't watch how a small
mistake ruined your big chance!"
"Then please, just help me train." Yuannyan took Ranko's
hands in her own, "You're my twin sister, and I love you, but you
gotta let me do this myself. You're always doing this sort of
thing. For once, forget I'm your sister and stop being noble with
me!"
"But I thought you wanted to get into the team..."
"I _do_ want it! That's the point! I want to get into it by
myself or not at all." She turned away, sighing. Although the
lights were turned off, Ranko could swear she saw Yuannyan
close her eyes sadly. "Tomorrow, I'll ask the coach to test me
again."
"What? But you're already on top!"
"No, not yet..." Yuannyan slowly turned to face her,
"Oneechan, I challenge you!"
"You what?!"
"You heard me. Tomorrow, we'll see who's best. And if you
make even one mistake, I'll turn down the entire offer
altogether."
"Are you nuts?! Don't risk your chance like this!"
"Ranko, if you're my sister and you love me then you'll do
your best tomorrow!" Yuannyan gazed directly at her. Ranko
gulped, Yuannyan had never called her by that name before.
"She's serious," Ranko thought, "She's really going to do it."
Taking a deep breath, she thought about this sudden happening.
Deep down, she was proud of her sister. She might act like a
little girl half the time but this time she impressed even Ranko.
And she also knew Yuannyan was correct. She couldn't keep
avoiding obstacles all her life, it was time she challenged
herself.
Ranko sighed. If she beat Yuannyan she would never forgive
herself. But she had to accept the challenge.
"Okay," she agreed, "I'll do my best. Get ready, Yuan-chan."
She smiled, "Don't worry, I'll be ready." Suddenly she
brightened up again, as if forgetting everything that had just
happened, "Look at these!" she exclaimed, taking one of the
kimonos from the box. Ranko rolled her eyes amusedly, snickering
a bit, and took the other kimono.
"Wait," Yuannyan looked closely at her, and smirked, "I have
an idea..."
After just a few minutes, they came downstairs again.
Nodoka smiled happily at them, "Now you look more like a girl,
Ranko-chan!"
"Uh, right..." she said, still out of view.
"Come on, oneechan! Let's go!"
"Okay, okay! Just a sec, okay?" muttering slightly, she
followed Yuannyan into the dining room. Most heads that turned
to see them were surprised. Aside from the kimonos, both twins
had unbraided their hair, which now flowed down to their
shoulders. Yuannyan was used to this style, she simply showed
off her kimono, which was a very faint, nearly-white shade of
green and had a modest pattern of small flowers. Ranko, on the
other hand, was a mild red as she came down with a white kimono
which had a large motif of lilies.
"You look pretty good!" Akane complimented.
"Okay, everyone saw us. Can we take them off now?" Ranko
asked, annoyed.
"Just a second," Nodoka seized Nabiki's camera before she
could shoot. "You probably won't want to wear that again, so..."
Nodoka took a picture of the twins. "Now, Ranma and Ranko-chan!"
she said, standing back to capture them in the same shot.
"Uh, Mom?" Yuannyan smirked a bit. Nodding, Nodoka took a
picture of Yuannyan and Herb together. She smiled and them, and
almost immediately caught Ranko off guard as she took a picture
of her next to Phaeron. Both turned red and looked away.
"Well, you do look good..." he stammered. She turned an even
brighter red.
There was a knock on the door. As Nodoka put down the
camera and left to see who it was, Akane sat next to Ranko and
nudged her, "Didn't you want to take that off?"
"Hm? Uh, maybe I don't hate it that much..."
"Hey, no fair beginning without us!" a voice came into the
room. Everyone turned to see the newly arrived couple, a pair
of tall humans clad in Esper clothing. "Happy birthday, you two,"
Crystallus bowed, followed by a timid Shugo-kou.
"H-ho-ow a-are y-you?" she asked with a fragile voice.
"You can talk!" Mink hurriedly stood and faced her with a
big smile.
"I taught her," Crystallus beamed.
"I-I still no talk well..." Shugo-kou said, "B-but I learn
fast!" she beamed.
"You look different," Phaeron said. "You sly fox, you..." he
nudged Crystallus, "You keep to yourself, you know?"
"Very funny," he turned red, "Anyway, we're going to Esper
World for a couple of weeks, to show her my place there. We
just came to say good bye."
"When will you be back?" Mink asked, worried.
"B-by first day new year," Shugo-kou said. Crystallus
nodded, "On January 1st. I guess we'll miss Christmas, but we'll
be back in exactly two weeks. After all, we're already looking for
a place to live here..." he put his arm around Shugo-kou's
shoulders, she blushed mildly.
"I happy for you," Mink smiled at her, "Be careful, okay,
Shugo-kou?"
"N-no," she shook her head, "No call that. I have new name."
She looked up at Crystallus, "He help choose name from his
language."
"Oh?" Phaeron blinked, "What name is that?"
Both Crystallus and Shugo-kou blushed, "Her new name is
Melaia."
"Melaia..." Raphael knit his brow in thought, "In Esper
language, that means 'well loved,' doesn't it?" They nodded.
"It also means 'to love well,'" Crystallus hugged her from
behind, she took his arms in her hands and smiled.
"We're happy for both of you," Akane said. Due to their
animal innocence, their love was free from any harmful prejudices
that humans usually have. That meant they would be together for
a long time.
"Thank you," Crystallus smirked, "Well, we'll be seeing you.
We'll be back soon."
"Take care," Mink said, smiling at how happy Melaia was with
Crystallus. They nodded to each other and he morphed to phoenix,
then covered her as Crystal Armor. Melaia waved good bye, while
the Armor waved with its own wing. With a jump, she took to the
air, the Armor immediately began to summon a spell to take them
to Esper World.
As the crystalline glimmer rose into the night, disappearing
in a bluish flash, the people below smiled. Of all the couples
they had ever met, this was the most natural of them all. They
had met so easily, they practically had no obstacles between
them. No last-minute fianc�es. No dark enemy bent on separating
them. For Crystallus and Melaia, everything was perfect.
"They'll probably want to be married in Esper World,"
Raphael said. "Heh. Maybe Maduin wil finally start letting people
marry without having to save each other's life."
"I hope they're all right," Phaeron said, "Well, we'll see
them again on New Year."
Ranko shuddered slightly at that remark. Suddenly, a
dreadful memory returned to her mind, making a freezing chill run
down her spine.
She had completely forgotten!
What the heck was she thinking, wasting two weeks as a
little girl! Phaeron was going to die soon and she had
forgotten!?
"Now what do I do?" she thought. What good would it do to
tell him now, especially if he only had two more weeks of life,
at most! If she thought she would be betraying him by telling him
when they talked on Valran's cliff, he would probably be crushed
if she told him _two weeks_ prior to his death!
"But I have to..." she thought. Shaking her head, she turned
to him, seeing him laugh as Mog talked about Azusa's chase. He
noticed her gaze and returned it, smiling at her. She turned
away, she felt guilty before his eyes. It was as if she wanted
to hide, to never have to reveal the bitter truth, somehow
hoping that hiding would keep the tragedy from happening.
"No," she said to herself. She had to tell him. She sat next
to him, drawing a confused look from him. Smiling, she took his
hand and thought, "Phaeron-kun, I'm sorry. I wish this could
never happen. But you were always so nice to me I could never
tell you." She sighed, she didn't notice her hold was causing him
to turn a very bright red.
"But I have to tell you," she thought again. "Please forgive
me when I do. I promise, no matter what, tomorrow I will tell
you."
"R-Ranko-chan?" he blinked at her.
"I'm sorry," she said, then stood and left the party.
Her movement caused the sleeves of the kimono to send a
mild current of air. The letter he had given her simply slipped
off the table, carried by the winds and cast away from the
house.
Warning:
This is where the sorrow begins.
The TerBril
(who hopes that comment doesn't scare you off.)