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NOTE: This story is by Erin Mills, not myself.
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Editor's Introduction:
Knowledge is power, it is said... Then what of knowledge of our most
intimate thoughts and longings? Of our dreams?
In the following vignettes Mills jumps into the minds of the R2096
cast in ways which I would never have thought of, and which are, quite
frankly, beautiful. And nifty.
Enjoy! (And don't forget to comment!)
-Chris Willmore
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Created by Christopher Willmore. / \ \ /
4cw6@qlink.queensu.ca / / \/
Based on a story by Rumiko Takahashi and /
Developed by C. Michael Schumacher / /
[Kensu: cschumac@waun.tdsnet.com] \ /
R2096 pages: http://qlink.queensu.ca/~4cw6/ \/(Logo:Armakuni)
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D R E A M S
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A Ranma 2096 side-story by Erin Mills
<emills@weber.edu>
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with additions by Jeff Hosmer <jhosmer@ix.netcom.com>
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R2096 characters and situations used with permission.
Takahashi's aren't.
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"Now the wasted brands do glow,
Whilst the screech-owl, screeching loud,
Puts the wretch that lies in woe
In remembrance of a shroud.
Now it is the time of night
That the graves, all gaping wide,
Every one lets forth his sprite
In the church-way paths to glide."
-William Shakespare
"A Midsummer Night's Dream", V,1
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Tokyo, 2096. A city of several million people and at least twice that
many ghosts. A city of hopes, fears, stories, and dreams. Ah, dreams,
the mind's flights of fancy. They're a journey into what may be, what has
been, and what could not happen. For one spirit in Tokyo, dreams also
have another power. The power to invigorate.
Ukyou stood on the roof of the administration building of the
University. It had become her customary "haunt" at this time of night.
She inhaled with her remembered lungs. The air was thick tonight. Thick
with the threads of spiritual energy being used to bring forth dreams.
All positive feelings and emotions. True, the occasional nightmare
tainted the atmosphere somewhat, but by and large, the ki flow was
peaceful and serene. Perfect nourishment.
Ukyou closed her eyes, tilted her head back and extended her arms.
Concentrating. Willing the energy to be channeled towards her. INTO her.
The powers of an Envoy required constant ki influx. Ukyou managed to get
the minimum required daily from her classes. Not as much as her taken
name had, of course. Not enough to cause damage, but enough so that she
could survive.
However, lately she had sensed that the minimum was not going to be
enough. That she would need more power before her task would be complete.
She knew that dealing with Sable was going to be difficult, but add
Skeride and Ryouga to the mix and that was going to put a serious
drain on her reserves.
So, she had decided to use a technique Miller had told her about
before her second resurrection. She could use the energy created from
dreams to increase her reserves. But it was only a one time "recharge"
and the conditions had to be just right.
Those conditions had finally occurred, and Ukyou was fully prepared
to take advantage of them.
From the city, a wave of yellow ki burst from an apartment building,
heading towards the University. Soon after, a red and violet line
followed, then more, reflecting every colour of the spectrum,
illuminating
the night sky so that even the least perceptive could see it. A
luminescent rainbow streaking across the city skyline.
Ukyou shuddered as the first wave hit her. It felt as if a lightning
bolt had charged every particle of her essence. Then two more waves,
repeating the feeling twofold. Then more and more, the energy lifting the
Envoy off the roof and causing her to float. Ukyou reveled in the
sensations, feeling energized, rejuvenated...
ALIVE.
The waves continued pouring into her, filling her soul with feelings
of joy, rapture, peace and serenity. Then, there was another jolt,
different than the others. This felt as if a dam had been broken and a
torrent of emotions washed over her, the force of the sensations greater
than that of the mightiest river. She was forced to gasp as, for the
first time in decades, she experienced orgasm.
Her body writhed as the pleasure of the dreams overwhelmed her,
causing her thoughts to be overrun by the energy. Her hair was flowing
upwards behind her, vibrating as the ki flowed through it. Then, just
when the waves seemed to reach their peak, a third jolt rocked her body,
and she began to share Tokyo's dreams...
* * * * *
Ukyou's essence had dissipated somewhat so that she was now a non
corporeal intelligence. She began to traverse the ki pathways, sharing
the dreams of those she found at the other end, staying for only a minute
or two then returning to the university to wander another path.
Suddenly, she felt a pull from five distinct pathways. Three from on
campus, one not too far away and one from somewhere in the marketplace.
She decided to start with the marketplace. This particular one had
familiar feel to it. Odd, here in the future. The nonentity let herself
be taken down the pathway...
* * * * *
She reformed herself upon entering the dream. She was in a place
very familiar to her. If not through actually being there, then certainly
from the many times the place had been described to her.
Jusenkyo.
She looked around and spotted a ramshackle hut near the edge of the
pools. Perhaps the dreamer was there. She began walking towards the
shack.
As she got closer, she began to feel the same pull of familiarity.
Only it wasn't a pleasant feeling. More like one of hatred.
<No,> she thought. <It couldn't be him...could it?>
She strode boldly up to the door. As she was about to knock, there
came a shriek. Forgetting etiquette, Ukyou materialized her combat
spatula and kicked the door open, ready to fight Chia on his own turf.
Chia wasn't behind the door. What WAS behind the door was no less
shocking, however.
Ranma...
And Shampoo...
Naked...
In Shampoo's bed.
The amazon had been shrieking in delight. The delight was gone from
her face, however, when she turned to see who had caused her coitus to be
interruptus.
Her look of annoyance turned to outright hate, as did Ukyou's own
countenance.
"What are you doing here, Ukyou?" Shampoo demanded, pulling a sheet
over herself. Ranma, luckily, was out cold from physical exertion. Ukyou
was startled to hear the perfect Japanese come from Shampoo's mouth.
"What am _I_ doing here?" Ukyou repeated. "What are you doing here?
With RANMA no less?"
Shampoo stood up and their surroundings shimmered and changed . Ranma
disappeared, as did all the evidence of Shampoo's love-making. A dark
cloak materialized around the Chinese amazon and she aged, going from 16
to a very well-preserved middle age. A bright purple aura surrounded her.
"I was enjoying my time with my groom, thank you very much. I have no
need of a dead voyeur interrupting me."
"Why you-- I always knew you were sick, Shampoo, but having sex with
a dead man goes beyond even what I always thought you'd do."
Shampoo threw her head back and laughed. Ukyou felt a bitter chill as
she recognized the sound. The sound of one who has teetered on the edge
of madness, but managed to step away from the abyss. Ukyou had not only
heard the sound before, she had used it on many occasions.
"It just goes to show you, Ukyou. I brought Ranma back from the
dead," the amazon said with a smug grin. Ukyou fought the desire to smash
Shampoo's face to the other side of her head. Shampoo leaned forward to
peer at Ukyou.
"You are really here, aren't you?" she shook her head. "Another
ghost. So this is how the circle completes." She shook her head. "I will
not tolerate any interference, Ukyou. Stay away from me and Ranma. You
are dead. You no longer have a claim on him. If I EVER see you again, I
will send you to your rest."
"Been there, done that." the chef responded. "I didn't find Limbo to
be a great vacation spot." She advanced on Shampoo, spatula at the ready,
but the aged amazon merely smiled. The dreamscape suddenly shifted again,
to reveal a stark white room with padded walls. Ukyou was now clad in a
straitjacket and Shampoo, once again young and wearing a nurse's outfit,
bent over her with a syringe. "Just a few more tests, Ukyou," The amazon
nurse said with a syrupy sweet smile. "You should not have challenged me
in my own dream."
Ukyou's eyes narrowed, and began to emit red light. The green ki
flames of her hatred grew around her. Shampoo backed off as Ukyou burst
from her restraints. The Envoy turned to glare at the Witch of Jusenkyo,
bathing Shampoo in a wave of red light. A tongue of ki flew from the aura
around Ukyou and surrounded Shampoo, slamming the amazon against the
wall. Ukyou strode up to her and looked the other girl right in the face.
"Now, you listen to me," she began, her voice low and ominous. "I
don't give a damn what little plots and schemes you have. I don't care if
you've resurrected half of Nerima for your own sexual urges. But I've
been through the whole exorcism bit before, and I'm not going to go
through it again. So let me give you a piece of advice. Stay OUT of my
way!"
With that, Ukyou dropped Shampoo and started off.
"Ukyou..."
The Envoy turned to face her most hated rival. Shampoo was holding a
bare arm in front of her.
"Don't forget whose dream this is..."
With that, Shampoo pinched her arm and everything vanished in a
blaze of white light. Ukyou soon found herself back on the rooftop.
* * * * *
<Ranma's back?> she thought. <Shampoo's still alive, that's for sure.
Ghosts don't sleep, much less dream. And Shampoo's NEVER missed an
opportunity to brag. Could he be--?> She halted her train of thought. She
had discovered something. She believed what she had told Shampoo.
She didn't care. She'd fallen out of love with Ranma as well. It
didn't matter.
Well, it DID matter, except now her feelings for Ranma were those of
a very old and close friend. She wasn't in love with him. She figured
that was all for the best. The last thing she needed was some silly
schoolgirl crush getting in the way of her redemption.
Another idea struck her. Of the five strongest pulls, the first had
led her to Shampoo. Perhaps one of them would lead to someone who knew
about Ranma. At least enough to see whether or not Shampoo was just
having a very vivid fantasy.
She decided to look into the on campus pulls next and dove into one
of the pathways...
* * * * *
When she arrived, she decided to remain as a nonentity, at least
until she found out who this particular dream was about.
She was in a cafe...wait, no, not a cafe...a restaurant...
HER restaurant.
Why would someone in 2096 dream about her restaurant, which closed
over ninety years ago? She decided to watch and see if the answers
presented themselves.
There was only one customer, a young woman in her mid-20's with short
blonde hair (obviously bleached). She was dressed in dusty hiking clothes
and had a paisley handkerchief tied around her neck. She appeared to be
waiting for someone.
The door to the restaurant opened. The woman turned to greet a
handsome young man with a slightly confused expression. He was dressed in
black, and had equally dark sable hair.
"Ishido!" the woman said, and rushed to embrace him. The man
awkwardly returned the embrace.
"I've missed you." the woman continued. Ishido was about to speak but
the woman silenced him with a kiss.
Ukyou felt a pleasant sensation. If she had a face currently, she'd
have been smiling.
After a long moment, the two broke the kiss.
"I've...missed you too, Childra."
Ukyou's non-existent eyes widened. Childra? This was Childra Jansen?
The one she'd spent her time looking for? Ukyou had known she was a
student, but never once thought to check the dormitories.
She mentally kicked herself for being so dense.
Childra's voice brought her back to the scene at hand.
"How did you find your way here?" she asked. "I thought I'd lost
you."
Ishido frowned. "I'm...not sure." he said. Childra giggled.
"That's all right, Ishi-chan. I really don't care. All that matters
is that we're together--"
"SO!"
All eyes, existent or not, turned to see the raven-haired female in
the doorway. Childra's face paled.
"Za-Zannen," she gulped. Zannen's face held a look that Ukyou knew
very well. Very well indeed.
The Hibiki rage coupled with betrayal.
"All this time," Zannen began. "All this time that we held each
other. That we shared our passion. That I told you I loved you, you were
sneaking around with this...this..MAN!"
"No, Zannen!" Childra said, looking panicked. "I--I--" Words were
failing her.
"You love him." Zannen said coldly. "You used me. I don't like being
used, Childra."
"No, Zannen," Childra repeated, weakly this time, still searching for
the right words. Zannen turned.
"I never want to see you again." With that, the Hibiki was gone.
Childra stared after her, then turned to Ishido.
Who wasn't there. Instead there was a boy of about nineteen, who,
Ukyou noted, bore a striking resemblance to Ranma. The boy looked at
Childra.
"He doesn't belong here." he said. Then, he closed his eyes and
concentrated, vanishing in a flash of blue light. Childra sank to her
knees.
"Ishido," she whispered. Tears began to roll down her cheeks. The
Exploratory History student buried her face in her hands. Ukyou felt a
strong urge to reform and comfort the young woman, but it proved to be
unnecessary, when another familiar face appeared, dressed in a blue and
yellow pastel dress.
"Akane," Ukyou thought in awe.
Akane entered the restaurant, and knelt down to her friend. She
cradled Childra in her arms. Soon, the historian stopped crying. She
broke from Akane, and took her hands.
"I--" Childra swallowed. "I love you, Tendo Akane."
Akane gave her a small smile. "I know. I love you too, Chi-chan."
Childra's face lit up with joy, and she embraced the younger girl.
Ukyou decided it was time to leave. This was Childra's moment, and the
Envoy felt like a voyeur.
* * * * *
Back in the real world, Ukyou took a moment to think. What she had
seen so far was two faces from her past being dreamed about in the
present; Akane and Ranma. Shampoo could quite conceivably still be alive,
Cologne had lived to be three hundred, after all. She still had three
pathways to explore. Could they also have links to her past?
Her mind reeled with questions. Why was Jansen dreaming of her
restaurant? Why was she dreaming of Akane? Akane had killed herself long
before Jansen was born. Ukyou decided to explore the paths open to her
and worry about what she had seen later. Dawn was coming and she had very
little time left to get the answers she needed.
She tried another on-campus pull...
* * * * *
And found herself in a VERY familiar place.
The Nerima Graveyard. The place where she was buried, and where
Skeride had taken her life...again. Ukyou had no doubts as to who this
dream belonged. She decided to remain a non-entity for protection.
She heard the sounds of fighting some distance away. She "floated"
in the direction of the sounds.
Skeride was fighting with a cloaked and hooded figure. Ukyou
recognized the form as Ryouga, or rather, the Wanderer. Skeride had her
pur'bu out and ready. The Wanderer had his umbrella. The two combatants
faced off.
"Now, you pay for cheating me of my rightful prey. Twice, you have
prevented me from putting Minnako to rest and now, she is loose! I will
have revenge!" Skeride snarled.
"The 'rest' you speak of is oblivion!" the Wanderer retorted. "I
will not permit you to send any more of my kind there!"
Skeride charged forward, swinging her knife upwards. The Wanderer
leaped over her and thrust his umbrella into her back. Bolts of ki energy
flowed into the young ghost hunter. Skeride writhed in the energy, like a
victim of electrocution. She forced herself away from the umbrella and
rolled to safety. Her hand went to her side and found...
Nothing. The pur'bu was gone!
"Looking for this?" The Wanderer taunted, holding up the ceremonial
dagger. He clenched his fist around the handle, his hand glowing
brightly. Skeride watched in horror as her weapon crumbled to dust. She
felt the rage build. Even though she could not see his face, she knew her
adversary was laughing at her, mocking her. She concentrated, and the
purple sphere of the Tamashii Wana Ara began to form around her fingers.
Suddenly, the wanderer rushed forth and jabbed the point of his
umbrella into the sphere. The two forms of energy reacted violently and
exploded in a blaze of ugly purple and red light. Skeride was catapulted
into the air and landed hard on the steps of a nearby crypt.
<I--I can't feel--> she thought as she attempted to stand. Her legs
were unresponsive and rubbery. Like they had fallen asleep. The Wanderer
strolled up to her, hand on his chin.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." he began. "It would appear that your spine seems
to be damaged. I would say that it's highly unlikely that you'll ever
walk again. In fact," his voice changed from mocking to anger." I'd go as
far as to say that you'll NEVER do ANYTHING again!"
"Who--who are you?" Skeride asked, realizing that her time had come.
The wanderer laughed and cast off his hood. Ukyou stared as she saw...
Her own face under the hood. Skeride screamed.
Ukyou's look-alike knelt down next to the Gosunkugi and cupped the
girl's chin in her hand.
"I said not to mess with me, sugar." said the doppelganger. She rose
up, green flames coalescing into a sphere similar to Skeride's own.
"HUMAN BODY ANNIHILATION!!!" cried Ukyou's twin. The ball of green
energy flew forth towards the girl...
And Ukyou was blasted back to the roof of the administration
building as Skeride awoke from her nightmare.
* * * * *
<That was...that was...> Ukyou found she couldn't finish the
thought. Did she really intend to go that far where Skeride was
concerned? Was revenge that important? Would she really...?
<Later...think about it later. Dawn's coming.>
The sky was already beginning to lighten in the east. A few of the
ki pathways were cutting off as their owners awoke. There were still the
two paths she had yet to explore, one a bright crimson, the other shifted
from blue to white and back again. Ukyou decided to follow the crimson
path, as it led to off campus and she had no idea when the owner was
planning to awaken.
* * * * *
She found herself fully formed in a hallway in what appeared to be a
rather posh hotel. Ukyou saw that there was only one door at the end of
the hall. A plaque read "Penthouse." She willed herself through the door.
It was a room done in black leather furniture and white mink carpet.
There was a bar off to one side, littered with empty bottles and broken
glasses. Ukyou noticed the trail of clothing leading from the bar up the
spiral staircase to the upper floor of the penthouse.
She began to follow the path. <Hmmm...two pairs of high heels, one
pair of dress shoes...two pairs of stockings...a sport jacket and two
shawls...a tuxedo shirt and bow tie...two formal evening gowns and a pair
of dress trousers...two garter belts...two bras, one white lace, the
other black lace...two pairs of panties, each matching one of the bras,
and a pair of boxer shorts.>
She had reached the bedroom door. On the other side she could hear
the wild sounds of love-making...and what vaguely sounded like the
Village People. Ukyou opened the door a crack and looked into the
room...
And immediately closed it again, furious.
Ratiko was in there. With Nabiki and...and...herself!
<How the hell does he know who we are?> Ukyou said, trying to quell
the fury that was welling up inside her. <How did Jansen know about my
restaurant? How...How...OOOOOHHHH!!!!>
Ukyou materialized her combat spatula and kicked the door open. In
the large bed, the three components of Rat's fantasy stopped in
mid-activity, looking for a moment like something out of the Kama
Sutra...or a really sick Twister ad. Ukyou's anger increased when she saw
that both she and Nabiki had enough make-up on to put Tammy Faye Bakker
to shame.
And she REALLY didn't want to know why Ratiko was wearing a
skin-diving suit adorned with Christmas lights or what the crate full of
cigar-smoking chickens was doing hanging from the ceiling.
"What the--?" Rat said, staring at the apparition in the doorway.
The two girls in bed with him screamed and tried to cover themselves.
"Right!" Ukyou said sharply, looking at the sheet clad version of
herself. "You! You're outta here!" The Ukyou in the bed vanished in a
puff of smoke. Nabiki hid behind Ratiko. Ukyou glared at her.
"Get out." she said coldly. "Unless you want to end up like your
friend." Nabiki immediately complied, becoming a pink blur as she dashed
out of the room. Ukyou closed and locked the door behind her. Ratiko was
making moves to vanish himself, wrapping a sheet around his waist.
"Don't move." Ukyou commanded, brandishing her spatula. "Or I use
this in ways that the manufacturer NEVER intended."
Ratiko put his hands up and sat back down on the bed. Ukyou stared
at him, trying to decide what to do to him as punishment.
<Hmmm...so my great-grandson is an incestuous pervert. Perhaps I
should teach him a lesson about why incest is a bad thing...>
She smiled evilly. She was going to hate herself in the morning, but
for right now...
Ratiko gulped as he saw Ukyou's spatula dematerialize. Then he felt a
trickle of blood flow from his left nostril as her clothes began to
vanish, leaving the ex-chef completely naked. She strode over to the bed
and pushed him down onto his back.
Rat swallowed again as Ukyou climbed on top of him, the sheet being
the only barrier between them. Ukyou gave him a wry grin.
"Why, Rat-chan," she said, sweetly. "I would have been more than
happy to show you what a REAL Hibiki woman can do. All you had to do was
ask." With that she clamped her mouth over his and began kissing him
deeply. Ratiko felt himself rise to the occasion as Ukyou's tongue did
things that are illegal in most countries except Denmark. His eyes were
squeezed shut in ecstasy, and it took him a moment to realize that he
couldn't feel her weight on him anymore. Yet something was wriggling
around in his mouth...no...a whole lot of somethings...something small
and--
Ratiko's eyes bulged and he spit out a mouthful of maggots, which
began writhing around on the bed-sheets. Rat leaped into the air and
grabbed onto the light fixture, looking down at the maggot-infested bed.
There was something under the sheets now, something larger.
Suddenly, a greyish toned arm burst from the covers and grabbed Rat's
leg. He looked down and saw a corpse yanking on him, trying to pull him
down onto the bed. The corpse was female, and had long brown hair tied up
with a white hair ribbon.
"Rat-chan," the corpse whispered in a raspy voice. "Come back to bed.
We're not finished yet."
"Nononononononononononononono!!!" Rat yelled, terrified.
"I SAID GET DOWN HERE!!!" the corpse bellowed with a voice like some
terrible thing from the blackest pits of Hell. It twisted the arm in
which his leg was being held and pulled. Rat fought to hold on, but to no
avail. The corpse's strength was too much and Rat tumbled onto the bed,
where the maggots waited...
* * * * *
<Well,> Ukyou thought, back on the roof. < That'll make him think
twice before he decides to have hentai dreams about his family.>
The sun was beginning to peek above the horizon. More of the pathways
were vanishing with every passing second. Ukyou knew she had very little
time left and dove down the final path.
* * * * *
"Steady, men! She has to be around here somewhere!"
Ukyou found herself on a ship. An old Spanish galleon. There were a
number of men dressed in the costumes of 17th century soldiers holding
bayonets searching the apparently deserted ship. Ukyou willed herself
invisible and watched with interest.
The leader of the soldiers (evidenced by the white plume in his hat.)
looked around and yelled so that the whole ship could hear him.
"You can't hide forever, my dear Kimberley Thompson. Your days of
piracy are at an end!"
"Oh, I think not, Captain!"
The voice came from above them. Suddenly, a young woman with long
brown hair slid down a rope hanging from the yardarm. She was dressed in
a flowing white blouse, black pants and knee high leather boots. In one
hand she held as cutlass of glimmering steel. She landed right in front
of the Captain and brandished her weapon.
"You see," she continued. "My days of piracy have only just begun!"
The Captain withdrew his own sword just a Kim brought down her blade.
There was a clang of metal as the two combatants faced off, the Captain
with stern resolution on his face, counterpointed by Kim's expression of
a woman who knows she's in charge and likes it.
"Now, boys," she called. "Let's show these lubbers what we sea folk
can do!"
An entire horde of pirates burst from the hatches and doorways around
the deck and began engaging the soldiers in battle, while Kim dealt with
the Captain.
Kim parried a blow from the Captain's sword with ease, and countered
with a flurry of thrusts and slashes. Ukyou watched in amazement at how
well the young woman handled the sword. Thrust, parry, thrust, forward.
It was almost like a dance. Every movement was well executed but
strategically designed to break through the defenses of her opponent.
The battle between the Captain and the "pirate queen" had moved to
the helm. The Captain had gained the upper hand in the battle, but Kim
apparently let him do so, ducking behind the wheel whenever the Captain
executed a thrust. The Captain drew back apparently exhausted. Kim rose
from her crouch behind the wheel, struck an arrogant pose and smirked.
"Feeling a little winded, Captain?" she asked amusedly.
"Not at all," the Captain said with menace. He pulled out a whistle
and blew. Out on the dock, several dozen fishermen threw off their
disguises, revealing their military uniforms and charged onto the ship.
Kim and Ukyou watched in horror as the entire crew of the ship were cut
down by the soldiers. Within seconds, Kim was the only living member of
the crew.
The Captain sneered. "Now then, Captain Thompson, will you surrender
or do we strike you down like your lowly crew-mates?"
Kim frowned in anger and frustration, and tossed her sword to the
deck...
"Oh, no you don't!" came a male voice. Kim, Ukyou and the soldiers
looked up to see a man standing on a yardarm dressed in loose fitting
clothes. His face was masked but he had a head of tousled black hair and
a long braided pigtail.
"The Oriental!" cried the soldiers.
<Ranma!> thought Kim and Ukyou.
Ranma leaped down from the yard arm into the mass of soldiers. Kim
took advantage of the confusion to place a well aimed kick at the
Captain's groin and reclaimed her sword before jumping into the fracas.
Ranma fought with incredible skill, managing to disarm or severely
injure several of the soldiers. Unconscious men fell left and right.
Kim's confidence with her sword had returned and many more were falling
from exhaustion or pain.
Ukyou watched in horror as she saw the Captain rise from his position
on the deck and take aim with a fallen rifle. Instantly the Envoy
summoned a garb similar to Kim's and leaped into the air, her combat
spatula materializing en route.
The Captain took aim with the discarded rifle one of his men had
dropped. Not this time. The damned Thompson woman would not escape!
"I don't think so, Captain!"
The Captain looked up to see another oriental. A woman dressed all in
black coming down from the sky, holding a VERY unusual sword in her
hands. The Captain raised his gun, only to find himself being spatulated
out to sea and landing in a fishing net.
A fishing net filled with hundreds of angry lobsters...
The battle was short lived. Kim and Ranma had managed to take the
rest of the soldiers down with no trouble. Ukyou had seen that there was
no further need for her and went invisible again.
"Next time, try to be a little more careful." Ranma said, smiling.
"Me be careful?!" Kim retaliated. "Where were you, you hentai jock?
Sleeping in the galley again?"
"Hey, is that anyway to treat the man who just saved your HMMPH."
Ranma was cut off as Kim pressed her lips to the martial artist's.
Ukyou's eyes widened and she felt something, an old spark of jealousy,
perhaps. She shook her head and extinguished the flames. It was only a
dream, after all...
* * * * *
Dawn had finally broken, and all the ki pathways were gone. Ukyou sat
on the roof of the administration building in thought.
There was definitely more going on here than she initially thought.
She had seen five people from her past who were being dreamed about in
the present; Akane, Shampoo, Nabiki, and Ranma. She had already known
about Ryouga. The Three had told her about him.
There was only one logical reason why these people could be dreaming
about people from her past. Ranma, Akane and possibly Nabiki were _here_.
Either as ghosts or something else. But they were here.
Ukyou felt a premonition. Something was happening. There had to be a
reason why they would all be here now. It was too much, too soon to be
just a coincidence.
Ukyou frowned in anger. She was being used again. The Three were
using her. She knew it now more than ever. They had deliberately withheld
the information about the others. So why did Miller tell her about the
recharge option? He must have know what would happen.
So was Miller working for the Three or was he some sort of outside
influence, or maybe...
Ukyou shook her head and told herself to snap out of it. Right now,
all she had to worry about was talking to Childra Jansen and helping
Sable. That was the immediate goal; her redemption.
But afterwards, she and the Three were going to have a long chat...
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"If we shadows have offended,
Think but this, and all is mended,
That you have but slumb'red here
While these visions did appear.
And this weak and idle theme,
No more yielding but a dream ..."
-William Shakespeare
"A Midsummer Night's Dream", V,1
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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RANMA 2096 PAGES: http://qlink.queensu.ca/~4cw6/2096a.htm
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