[The following text is in the "iso-8859-1" character set]
[Your display is set for the "US-ASCII" character set]
[Some characters may be displayed incorrectly]
Another chapter in this tale of Cinderellas.
No "what has gone before" tonight. I'm in a hurry. Gomen.
James
Disclaimer: Hmmm. Rumiko Takahashi and Viz and a whole bunch
more have dibs on Ranma et al, Fujishima Kousuke and Animeigo
takes credit for associating Urd of Norse mythology with kawaii
features and a computer engineering degree, Cinderella is an old
fairy tale, which leaves me with Hainoko and Kidori. Basho
belongs to himself. Not to worry, since I don't figure on making
any money off this, anyway. No gerbils were harmed in the
writing of this fanfic, however, their trade union is negotiating
more screen time and a contract may be hammered out at any time.
ASHES - A Cinderella Story
Chapter Five
Mommy Dearest
Woven lies take us to task
What we hide behind a mask
Let us jump and let us jive
Here we go with Chapter Five.
HIROSHI:
Nabiki slapped an official looking parchment onto the table and
demanded, "Okay. How about explaining this to me? I didn't sign
this thing, but it has my name on it!"
I was still trying to swallow my upset, still not prepared for
the way that she had appeared out of nowhere, immediately after I
had made my wish. "Well...it's sort of complicated," I hemmed.
"Take your time. I want to hear this. Why does both your name
and Cinderella's name appear on the signatures? And why are they
both in the same handwriting?"
There was no escape. I had to tell her. "We're kinda the same
person."
"Oh?" Nabiki raised her eyebrows in mock concern. "Are you
coming out of the closet on us? I saw the video where Cinderella
disappeared and you strolled onto the camera, but you did not
look like the same person. I was on my way over here to ask you
what you knew about the incident, when suddenly I found this
contract in my hands."
"Well...." I gulped. Ryoga was not going to help. He was too
busy trying to shrink away from both of us.
If Nabiki had appeared in answer to my wish, then she would have
to be told the truth. But how could we keep her from blabbing?
I decided to take a chance.
"I want to be a rock star," I said.
-poof-
I will give Nabiki credit for this. Her eyes only bulged
for a second before greed clicked in.
"We need to discuss how much you are willing to pay to keep the
whole school from hearing about this," she said, with a predatory
gleam in her eye as she began to list the possible customers she
could approach. "There is already a Cinderella fan club in
Furenkan. Most of the boys would want to know of this, and...."
-ping-
I will give Nabiki credit for this. Her eyes only bulged
for a second before greed clicked in.
"How much are you willing to pay to keep me from telling the
whole school about this?" Nabiki smiled with predatory
anticipation as she said, "There is already a Cinderella fan club
whose members would be very...."
-ping-
I will give Nabiki credit for this. Her eyes only bulged
for a second before greed clicked in.
"How much are you willing to...."
She stopped, eyed me aslant, and asked, "I've been through this
before, haven't I?"
As I explained that I had made a wish (without mentioning Ryoga)
and the consequences thereof, I felt a weight lifting from my
shoulders.
Nabiki noticed Ryoga trying to blend with the wall, but she said
nothing, turning back to peruse the parchment. "Magic!" she spoke
the word as if it were dirty, holding the contract between thumb
and forefinger. "This thing is magic too, isn't it?"
"Yep," I grabbed a towel to wipe my perspiring brow. No, that
is wrong. Men perspire. Girls glow. I wiped my glowing brow.
"Hmmm," she hummed as she read. "There is a clause, here. It
says that I get a percentage of your gate, only.... " The
remainder of her words were unprintable.
"Only....?"
"...Only if I never, ever, tell anyone about this. I can only
help you turn down requests. And I don't get paid until I prove
that I can keep your secret, or you retire...whichever is sooner.
I think I get it," she frowned. "If I try to profit from this
transaction, other than as a representative, I get recycled!"
"It does look that way," I admitted, with great relief. There was
a way. Use her own strength against her. How very 'martial arts.'
"Right." She turned an inquisitional eye on me and drawled,
"What's in it for me?"
"Er...." I hemmed again, stalling for time. All I had wished
for was an agent, someone to represent me. Did I have to ask for
some way to pay her, too? A tiny sound interrupted my worry.
-ping-
Nabiki read the bottom of the page, where a new paragraph had
appeared. "Okay. I get concessions and Tee-shirts. That might
help. But it is still not enough. Too much work. There is one
more thing I would like to ask for."
-ping-
"That's better," she mused. "It read my mind. A full session?"
-ping-
"Wait a minute!" I cried, my voice sounding like the opening aria
for a dulcet opera. "What's this about a session? What kind of
session?"
"Full centerfold," Nabiki was smacking her lips in anticipation.
"Enough for twelve months?"
-pong-
"Sure, I'll give up the group sports shots, if we can do a beach
setup."
"Don't I get any say, here?" I yelped prettily, "The only kind of
a session I know about is a photo session and if Nabiki gets
that, it means...."
Nabiki gave me a long, lingering smirk. My blood ran cold.
"I won't do it!" I declared.
"You've already signed it. Twice," Nabiki was purring like a cat
with a bowl of cream.
"I'm doomed!" I groaned. "Okay. Okay. Now, do you accept?"
"Of course! Although, I don't mind telling you, this contract
would never stand up in court!"
"Then why don't you just throw it in the trash?"
"Because of the payoff! It could be terrific! But if I can't
arrange for you to work paying gigs, where's the profit in that?"
Her mind was working furiously as she headed for the street.
"There has to be a way around this...."
------------------
I watched her go, feeling like a swimmer watching a circling
shark depart. She was scarcely out the door before I cornered
Ryoga. "I have another wish!" I cried. "I wish my mother was
healthy and well! You gotta do this! And then I want out of
this trap!"
We both waited, but there was no answering rumble.
"It's not working! Why?" I begged, "I can't lose her!"
"I'm sorry about your mother, Hiroshi, but there is nothing I can
do about it. Maybe...maybe she'll get over it without magic,"
Ryoga said.
"You are right. I am being silly. I don't know how bad it is.
But I have this awful feeling - "
I could not get over the way Pops and the doctor had shut up when
I went to see Mom. They had given me that strange look. Come to
think of it, Kidori had given me a strange look. Was I changing?
Was I growing fangs and long ears? What was the matter with me?
Ryoga was hoisting his backpack, preparing to vanish into the
incredibly complex maze that was a simple street. "Not every
wish is granted," he said. "Sometimes, even when I really want
to help, nothing happens." He shut up as Nabiki stuck her head
back in the door.
"Hi guys! I forgot my valise!" she said cheerfully, grabbed it
and hurried back out.
------------------------------------------
Nabiki fingered the remainder of the letters from charities with
disdain. She had talked to the children's hospitals and the
orphanage, telling them that Cinderella would not be available in
the near future - never, if Hiroshi was as adamant about getting
cured as he had appeared - and promising them first chance if
'she' changed her mind. The rest of the requests were consigned
to the bottom of the heap. "Give a show to the dockworker's
union on Saturday night? I don't think so!"
She had come away from her meetings with a uneasy feeling in the
pit of her stomach. "Where's the beef?" she complained. "I will
earn 50,000 yen a day to keep them off Hiroshi's back. Barely
enough to make it worthwhile, and I don't get my big bonus until
he retires. What if he decides he likes pretty dresses and show
biz?"
The lady at the orphanage had been especially demanding, a matron
with an air of expectation - she 'expected' Nabiki to produce
Cinderella forthwith, at a dictated time and place, with
appropriate fanfare, and she 'expected' Cinderella to spring for
treats for the children, favors for the staff, and the rent of a
pavilion in a posh mall.
"Now, _that_ was a pleasure to deny," Nabiki smiled with malice
aforethought. "Kami, her daughters were brats! I wonder how the
kids at the orphanage stand her?" She tucked the letters away,
humming an expensive tune and heading for the park. She had a
feeling that today was going to turn out much more interesting
than it already was. "And that is saying something," she
said with a twisted grin.
-----------
Hainoko would have been happy to stay inside and study, but the
teachers insisted that everyone had to get outdoors because it
was so much healthier. She was sitting on the steps and reading
when someone came along and blocked the healthy sunshine.
"You think you're smart, don't you?" Deirdre sneered, while
Deirdrum took up sentry duty between them and the playground
teacher. "You sent that stuck-up lady around to make up excuses
cause you can't prove Cinderella is your best friend!"
"I didn't say she was my best friend!" objected Hainoko, trying
to hold onto her book as it was pulled from her hands. "She's
my...I mean, my brother Hiroshi can...."
"I don't want to hear your lies!" shrilled Deirdre. She waved
the book just out of Hainoko's reach, the way she always did
before she threw something over the fence. "That woman made my
mother feel bad! Do you know what happens when she gets
unhappy?"
Hainoko felt her lower lip begin to slide forward. "Hiroshi
can...." Again she could not continue. Her book was precious,
but something kept her from telling them about Hiroshi's ability.
Would he turn into Cinderella to help her? Would he be angry if
she told everyone about him?
"What's your big brother going to do, anyway?" yipped Deirdrum.
Deirdre dropped the book aside. "Have your brother meet us
before school tomorrow," she said. "We have a surprise for you
both."
"We dare you," contributed Deirdrum.
Another shadow appeared, and the two bullies began to slink away.
"Hainoko? What have I told you about throwing your books
around?" Miss Yamato picked up the book and handed it back to
her. "You will be more careful, won't you?"
Hainoko felt tears burning, but she held them in check. "Yes,
Miss Yamoto," she said, contritely.
-----------
There is a type of stare that you see only when an animal is
cornered: white about the irises, extraordinary pupils, absolute
devotion of attention to the creature that holds it transfixed.
Think of a bird hypnotized by a snake. Think of a mouse with a
hawk at twelve o'clock. Think of Ryoga and Nabiki when Nabiki
smells blood...er...gold.
"Oh, I have nothing to use against you," said Nabiki. This was
quite true, since she had no real dirt, but something about the
way Ryoga was acting made her continue to probe. "Except that I
_did_ accidentally leave my tape recorder going in my valise when
I went to see Hiroshi." Ryoga's involuntary twitch made the
corners of her lips curl upward in delicious anticipation.
"In addition...." she paused, "There have been some strange
things happening, lately. It seems you are around, somewhere,
each time, then you mysteriously disappear. It is almost as if
you had a secret identity."
"What...what..." sputtered Ryoga, turning pale, his eyes wide as
saucers, "You know about that?"
Bingo! "Of course I know!" snapped Nabiki, "Everyone in this
place who has any sense knows about it. Who can miss seeing you
disappear and someone else suddenly arrive?" She did not
question the information, or the fact that it seemed too
convenient. What mattered was his reaction. A relay clicked
over in the back of her mind, but she ignored it and the truth,
unobserved, subsided into background noise.
Ryoga seemed about to melt in panic. "But - you've never tried
to blackmail me!"
"Oh. That." Nabiki waved the thought aside. "You wouldn't
understand. I don't attack weaklings."
Ryoga sprang back to a state of indignation. "Who are you
calling weak?!" he demanded.
"You, for one." She tapped his forehead with a finger. "Mind
you, I've kept my eyes open for a way to use this knowledge, but
the opportunity has never presented itself. But, now...suddenly
you have a new secret I can exploit, without destroying life as
we know it." [I have hit something, but what? How can I use
it?]
Ryoga asked cautiously, "What weakness?"
"Oh, I don't know," Nabiki smiled to herself. She'd have to
bring up the subject carefully. Otherwise, he'd run away so fast
she would lose her chance. "Things happen around you. Some good
things, some not so good. A person might guess that you have
some kind of power to give people what they ask for. You make
wishes happen." She patted the valise.
"Not true!" Ryoga blurted, but the alarm on his face told her
she was perilously close to the truth. He was casting alarmed
glances at the shadows.
[At least he didn't just run away,] Nabiki smirked, "You were
there when I talked to Hiroshi. I know what happened to him,
when he made a wish. He's singing a different tune, now, isn't
he? Now, a few minutes ago, I was watching when a little kid
asked for a balloon, and you made some kind of gesture, and a
hundred balloons appeared. All I have to do is ask for
something, and you will have to give it to me! Okay, I wish for
a billion yen!"
Ryoga tensed and looked around. When nothing happened he began
to relax.
"Okay, so it does not work for every wish," Nabiki frowned. "What
does it have to be, an unselfish wish?"
"I don't have to answer that," Ryoga answered that.
"Wait a minute!" she grabbed him by the ear, "Get back here. You
don't get off the hook that easily."
"What?!"
"Can you grant wishes?"
Ryoga gently extricated his ear and tried to act casual.
"Why didn't you ask that before you started?" he asked.
"Well, can you? Wait. Do you have to answer my questions
truthfully?"
Ryoga glanced at his bracelet and made a sour face. "My sources
say 'yes'," he answered glumly.
Nabiki wrinkled her nose and growled, "Oh, it's going to be _that_
way, is it? Yes, no, twenty questions?" She thought for a
moment and began again, slowly.
"You have a power. Yes or no."
"Yes. Sort of. And I did not ask for it! I can't help it if
strange things happen to me! It's not my fault!"
"Oh, right. Don't try to sidetrack me. Can you grant me a
wish?"
"Sometimes," Ryoga said, evasively.
"What kind of wish do you grant?"
"It's not that simple! You have to be eligible."
"Oh, I see. Like you have to have enough credit to get a wish.
What if I wished for something small?"
"You still don't get it! I don't decide! Some people wish for
one thing, when they might deserve something else entirely, and
then they gripe because they did not get what they thought they
wanted! I never asked for this ingratitude!"
Nabiki patted his arm consolingly and said, "That's okay,
Ryoga-kun. At least you can't blame this on Ranma."
Ryoga grabbed at the possibility. "You're right! I was talking
to him when I...." He fell silent.
Nabiki tired of waiting and prodded him. "When you what?"
Ryoga covered his face with his calloused palms. "I...I...can't
talk about it."
"But then you started granting wishes."
"Well, yes. Sort of."
"Back to question number one. What kind of wish will you grant
for me?"
"I don't know! All you want is money!" Ryoga said with
exasperation, "Ask for something else!"
"Oh. Right. You want me to ask for a sweetheart? Dream on,
Ryoga-kun. I'm not that kind of girl. After all, if I asked for
a friend, maybe...not you!...I wouldn't want a bunch of sticky,
syrupy romance...."
Nabiki stopped suddenly, an appreciative grimace on her face.
"That was very subtle of you. Never thought you had it in you to
be clever."
"Clever?" Ryoga gave her a blank, helpless stare.
"You almost got me to ask for something foolish...nonprofitable.
Mind you, if I had said 'I wish for someone to care for', you
could not pair me up with a dip like, say, Kuno or some other
lame excuse for a guy. I told you, I'm not that easy to please,"
Nabiki waved away the thought.
-poof-
The ground shuddered.
She shifted her gaze about and mused, "Y'know, that was a very
circumstantial earth tremor." Turning to her companion, she
found him still shaking, with his face even paler.
"Does it mean anything?" she wondered aloud.
"Nothing! It means nothing!" Ryoga cried as he departed the
scene in third degree panic, bowling over trash cans, stone
fences and the occasional utility pole.
"Now, I _am_ suspicious," Nabiki said, eyes narrowed. "I'd better
be cautious about any boys I meet." She frowned as she scouted
the area, watching for boys on the horizon. She was alone.
Well, not quite alone. As she stood on the path, someone bumped
into her from behind. Since this someone was only a little over
a meter tall, Nabiki had to lean over to talk to her.
"Good morning, Hainoko-chan."
"Sorry," said Hainoko, somberly saluting with a finger in the
nose. Her cheeks were streaked with dried tears.
"You seem pre-occupied," quoth Nabiki, who often found herself
doomed to inform others of the obvious.
"S'nothing."
"Big problems?"
"Uh-huh."
"Want to talk about it?" [Please say 'no'. I have people to do
and things to see.]
"Nuh-uh."
[Hmmm. She knows something, and it's bothering her.] "Is this
about Hiroshi?"
Big stare. "How did you know?"
"Trust me. What have you discovered about big brother that has
you so upset?" [As if I did not know. Found out, huh?]
"I oughtn't tell."
"I suppose you are right. That is something that you shouldn't
go blabbing around. I respect you for your decision."
Hainoko ducked her head.
"Oh, you haven't decided, yet? Not to tell, I mean?" Nabiki took
tiny shoulders in hand and smiled into the doubtful eyes. "Now,
who could you want to tell?"
"Those bullies at the school. It's a big secret. It's so big,
maybe if I told them, they'd never pick on me again," Hainoko did
not return her gaze as she added, "Deirdre is so stuck up. She
told me I was a liar because I saw Cinderella and then she said I
sent a lady around to make their mother feel bad. I should have
told them. I could have told them...."
"Well, then," Nabiki released her, paced back and forth, then
struck a thoughtful pose. "How do you turn this to your
advantage? You have a terrible secret, which your brother will
probably pay handsomely to protect. You have someone to tell
that secret to. How can you lose?"
Hainoko hiccupped and eyed her. "I've heard Hiroshi talk about
you," she said. "Why do you want to help me?"
Nabiki stopped, asking herself the same question. The wheels
turned within her mind, until she said, slowly, "My reputation
precedes me. Oh, well. What if I decided it was time to train a
protegee?"
"What's that?"
"A student. Someone to carry on my life's work. And to work for
me, too. Mustn't forget that. I have several people that I am
helping. Of course, you are a bit young...."
"No, thank you," sniffed Hainoko. "I have to go home, now."
"You don't want my advice?" [Buy low, sell high. Naaww. She'd
never understand.]
Hainoko paused and frowned. "If it's free," she rubbed her nose
again.
"Look at your options. You can use what you know to boost your
school-yard status. Everyone would want to be your friend if
they knew how close you _really_ were to Cinderella. Or, you
could go to Hiroshi and say, 'Big brother, if you don't give me
such-and-such I will expose you," Nabiki said with a Thoughtful
Scowl (patent pending).
"I know. He's afraid everyone will find out," Hainoko wriggled
miserably, remembering how earnestly Hiroshi had pleaded for that
girl's safety at Ucchan's. This was a side of him that she had
never seen, and she was not sure if this new version of her
brother deserved to be threatened. "I'm all twisted around
inside, just thinking about it," she added.
"Okay. This is your first lesson, if I am going to be your
sensei. Determine the course of action which is most profitable
in the long run. I am confident that you will choose wisely.
Now, run along. I am sure your mother is waiting for you."
[There. That ought to occupy the little brat.]
Nabiki stopped when the little girl squirmed away and began to
rub her eyes.
"Don't tell me you have other problems," Nabiki scoffed. [I can
read this kid is like the morning paper.] "I suppose your mother
isn't home right now...right. You can't get in...no, you can get
in. She's shopping...no. She's at the doctor's...okay. She's
sick...yes. She's bad sick...oops."
For answer, Hainoko closed her mouth tightly while her eyes
seemed to grow larger, like water balloons approaching full
charge.
[Uh-oh,] thought Nabiki.
The water balloons began to leak, while Hainoko's chin quivered.
[Oh, jeez,] thought Nabiki. She grabbed a tissue and tried to
mop up the overflow. "That's okay, now. Let it all out. She
really is sick, huh?"
Nodnodnod.
[Damn. Me and my big....] "Here, let me wipe that - You're
worried about her, aren't you?"
Nodnodnod.
"And they won't let you get around her because she's too sick,
hmm?" The thought brought back memories. Painful memories, when
she was worried and no one would tell her anything.
"They say (gulp)...they say I might make her sicker. But they
let Hiroshi see her!" Hainoko wailed. She clasped Nabiki
tighter as the tears began anew.
Nabiki muttered some homilies, scarcely paying attention to what
she said. Hugging Hainoko seemed to ease the faintly remembered
ache in her own heart, somehow. She gathered the small child in
her arms, gave her a final hug and sent her on her way.
[Great. Just when I'm worried about Ryoga pulling a fast one on
me, I get a kid to worry about....]
Nabiki frowned. [To care about. Someone to care for....]
Realization smote her and she jerked upright, a calculating look
in her eyes and a growl on her lips.
"Ryoga Hibiki, you are _so_ dead!"
HIROSHI:
I did it. I actually did it. I went with Kidori on one of her
'gigs' and performed with her on stage, in front of a live
audience. The music was flawless, driving and compelling, and we
danced a duo to make the stars swoon. Kidori popped out her
flower petals for a finale and I snapped a bunch of blue ribbons
into the audience. I even gave one to Daisuke, who had managed a
ticket. The theater was packed and the swelling adulation left
me weak and made my head spin. It was perfect. Everything was
perfect.
Kidori and I were swept from the stage by adoring fans, cheered
and applauded for encores, which we had to deny because we were
both so exhausted. Finally we ended up in her dressing room.
Where things started going wrong. Not 'wrong' wrong, at first.
At first she started changing out of her costume, while I made
excuses, then she stripped and I had to stare at the wall in a
panic, to avoid nosebleeding. No doubt. She was female.
"Ah...what's in this office?" I asked, trying to find something
to get my mind off clothes.
"You really shouldn't...." she began, but I had already opened
the door.
And stopped, immobilized, by the face that greeted me. It was a
horrible face, distorted beyond recognition by age, harsh times
and fierce determination. Glittering eyes challenged me through
slits in the leathery surface, separated by a gargoyle nose. I
had to be confronting the person with the ugly mask.
Must breathe. -gak- I cannot continue to function if I do not
breathe....
As I stood frozen by the sight, the person in the mask attacked.
With the heel of my hand I countered a sidearm slash, batted a
four-finger thrust to one side with my other elbow, danced over a
leg sweep and tumbled backward out of the office. The door
slammed, and I was relieved to hear the bolt slide closed. The
relief was two-fold, for now I could relax. Kidori could not be
the person in the mask, the one who had been attacking the female
martial artists in Nerima. She was innocent!
As I stood frozen, petrified by the memory of a face too ghastly
to behold except on the evening news, I sputtered, "Who...who...
who was THAT? What a horrible mask!"
"I was trying to tell you. That's not a mask. That's my mother.
Actually, she is not my REAL mother. She's just a stepmother.
She does not like to talk to visitors. Honestly, you would like
her if you get to know her. She can smile. Sometimes. At
least, that is what I have heard."
"Argh," I said. Must breathe. Must remember to take a breath.
Keep moving. Sharks die if they do not keep moving. "But, why
did she attack me?"
"Mother wants to know if people have martial arts abilities,"
Kidori said. She was dressed in shorts and sweater. "Don't
worry. You are far too skilled to allow her to hurt you. Aren't
you going to change?"
I hesitated. In order to change my clothes, I would have to take
off my clothes. I would have to face a me without even a skimpy
costume over the most critical of areas. No. I would not. I
could not. I covered up with my 'boy costume' again.
"I gotta go," I said.
"Oh, please, stay around a while!" she begged. Pulling away from
her tender grasp was the most difficult thing I have ever done,
but I had to go. Not only was I about to revert to boy status, I
had this terrible, sinking feeling that she wanted me in my girl
shape, and that was almost as bad as knowing that she would never
give the boy me a second glance.
She waved a weak farewell as I hurried out of the dressing room,
giving the office door a wide berth.
Something followed me, shifting through the dark places and back
streets, until I managed to lose it in the deserted marketplace.
I evaded my shadow in time to duck into an unlocked booth, waited
for the change, then slumped back home in a melancholy stupor.
Mom was back home, much rested and bustling about, fussing and
smiling as if nothing was wrong with the world. Hainoko simply
stared at me.
--------------
I was sitting at my desk, chin propped on palms, when I heard the
door slide open. I did not turn to look. My misery was
complete. Kidori was some kind of a two-faced sociopath,
outwardly a kind, beautiful, smiling girl, but inwardly a beast
who used her hidden strength to brutalize other girls. I could
almost accept that. I mean, at least she had _some_ redeeming
qualities. But if she beat up on girls because she liked girls
and not boys.... I was miserable. Either way I lost. I sighed
morosely. What else could go wrong?
Small socks scuffed the floor to stand behind me.
I waited.
Finally, Hainoko whispered, "I know you are Cinderella."
Before she could finish the statement I rose from the desk, flew
across the room and clamped my hand over her mouth. "Don't tell
anyone!" I begged, "Please! You won't tell anyone? Will you?"
She shook her head, as well as she could with my hand restricting
her.
"How did you find out? Oh, kamis! Now everyone will know! I
won't be able to go to school! They'll mob me! Did you tell
anyone? How did you find out?" I repeated.
"Mmmmpphmmmphh," said Hainoko around my hand.
"Oh," I said, and I took my hand away.
Hainoko brought a bundle around from behind her. "Here," she said,
handing me the Cinderella poster. With it were the clothes I had
dropped in Ucchan's.
I looked at the poster numbly, shifting it from hand to hand.
"Why? What do you want?" I asked, "Are you going to tell?"
"No."
"Why not?" As much as I wanted to, I could not believe she would
let me off this easy.
Hainoko rubbed her nose and thought. "I don't know," she
admitted. She backed out and slid the door closed.
Later, I knocked and watched through the half-open doorway as she
looked around, uncertain. Mom was the only one who ever knocked
on her door. She slid the door the rest of the way open and
gazed up at me.
"Thanks," I said. I handed her my Primrose poster, feeling
slightly foolish. Here we were, mortal enemies, exchanging
posters.
She smiled bashfully, taking the tube and verifying that the
paper rolled up in it was indeed Primrose. She did not put it
away, but held onto it. "Could I have the Cinderella poster
back, too?" she asked.
I stopped to think. "Is that a wish?" I asked, with a silly
grin tugging at my mouth.
"If you don't, I'll probably steal it again," she said. Cute
smile. Wonder why she had never showed it before?
"Okay, then. It's a deal. Truce?"
"Truce..." she grinned, "...Wart Hog."
"Tarantula!"
"Bugeater!"
"Spider monkey!"
"Children!" cried Mom, "Are you _fighting_ again?"
Hainoko and I stared at each other. Mom always broke up our
shouting contests and then had to suffer in silence while we
tried to blame each other for starting it.
"Yes, Mom!" I said. "Sort of."
"Don't fight. Be _nice_ to one another," she commanded. There
was something different about her voice, something abnormally
cheerful. It was frightening.
"Okay, Mom!" I called.
"Yes, Mommy! I'm sorry!"
------------
With my homework finished early, I had time to kill. At the
door, I called, "I'm going out, Mom! Are you feeling okay?"
"Of course I am feeling well, Hiroshi! What kind of question is
_that_?"
"Just asking, Mom. I'll be back in about two hours."
"Hiro-chan. There is something I have to ask you about," Mom
said with a _dramatic pause_. "Have you been seeing _that girl_
again?"
"Huh? Ah...oh...no! No, Mom! Not at all! Was there anything
else?"
"Yes, there is, and it is terribly important..." _Hesitation_
"...but it can wait. I am not sure what I want to say. I want
to think about it."
All I could hear was the 'terrible'. "Is it...is it bad?"
"Of course not!" Mom giggled, turned a little pale and sat down.
Then she gave me THAT look. The one Pops and the doctor had
used. I left the house in a state of unease. Halfway down the
street I stopped and went back to close the door.
-----------
I suppose I could have kicked a can down the street all night
long, but I was lonely, so I went to look for people. At the Cat
Cafe I came across Daisuke.
Dai and I were pals. We had always hung out together. This
time, however, he could only spare a few moments to talk to me
before his companions demanded more of his time. One of them was
Yuki. She was looking tired, exasperated, and determined as she
clung to one of Daisuke's arms as tightly as Niko clung to the
other.
"Yo, 'Roshi," Ranma said around a mouthful of noodles. He was
there, polishing off a bowl of ramen, while Shampoo and Akane
watched each other across the table. I collected my own bowl of
'Chicken dancing in Spring Herbs' ramen and went to join them.
Cologne had been listening to their conversation and she
interjected an opinion.
"It could have been a haunted battle mask," the old crone was
musing.
"Huh?" Shampoo looked up from her staring contest with Akane,
"Battle mask?"
"Some warriors in the old days wore a mask to protect their face.
Made sense, since the rest of their body was covered up with
armor, leaving only the face exposed. To add to the impact of
their ferocious fighting abilities, these warriors would make
their masks as fearsome as possible. There are cases in my books
of these masks actually picking up some of the personality of the
warrior who wore them...a kind of 'psychic signature', reflecting
the tremendous emotional charge the warrior was experiencing at
the height of conflict."
"What 'signature' have to do with monster masked girl?"
"A truly gifted warrior might have imbued his battle mask with
enough of his own spirit, his 'residual chi', that whoever wore
the mask afterward would have their own martial arts capabilities
multiplied many times over."
"You mean, like the 'battle suit' that I wore to defeat Ranma
that time," Akane said. Ranma's smile darkened slightly and he
harrumphed.
"Precisely, child. However, in this case, the experiences of the
person who originally wore the mask could be overwhelming the
person who is wearing it now."
"Y'mean she don't know what she's doin'?"
"Oh, no. She would be aware, all right. But she could not stop
herself. She would be controlled by the warrior impulse - much
as you are controlled by the impulse to dodge blows in fighting,
or a girl like Akane would be controlled by the impulse to care
for a loved one."
"Heh. Guess I'm safe, there." Ranma glanced over at Akane, who
sniffed and looked away.
"At any rate, this 'masked girl' could eventually learn to defeat
this warrior impulse, but to do so, she would have to change her
own inner nature...until she was as vicious, powerful, and
unrelenting as the warrior."
Kidori's mother's face loomed in my mind. She wanted Kidori to
master martial arts, while Kidori was indifferent. She had a
horrible face, but she was not the person who was using a mask to
attack people. With a sick certainty I knew who the 'masked
girl' was.
"Are you saying that she would no longer be Kidori?" I blurted,
more a statement than a question. Everyone turned to stare at
me.
Cologne sighed with a dismissive gesture and said, "No. She
would not. Not as you know her, today."
"I can't let that happen!" I cried, before I could clamp a lock
on my runaway mouth. Shampoo was alert, listening with a
quizzical expression, and she was clenching her fists.
"What'cha mean?" demanded Ranma. "I thought you proved she ain't
the masked girl!"
"It can't be Kidori!" exclaimed Akane. "She is too
tender-hearted!"
"I hope it isn't," I said, glumly. "But if she is, I will do
everything in my power to help her get free of it!"
"Oh. Yeah. Guess ya would feel that way about it." Ranma
returned to his meal without his customary vigor.
"I have to help!" I cried, "I lo...lo...like her! And I am the
only one who can help her!"
I was aware of the sympathetic looks they gave me. Goofy old
Hiroshi. They thought I was crazy. At least they did not laugh
at me. But, then, they did not understand. Shampoo would have
agreed with me, that something was wrong with Kidori. She could
sense it. I glanced at Ranma. He was too caught up in his own
world to recognize the danger lurking in Kidori's past.
Kidori was too meek. Kidori was too kind. Kidori would never do
a thing like that. Would she?
They eased me to the outskirts of their circle, then Cologne took
them upstairs to look up something in her old reference books.
I saw Daisuke again as he broke free of his companions, but he
had his own campaign to run. He only came over to my table to
gloat.
"Hey, check it out!" he crowed, "I got my own ribbon! See? It
says, 'To Diasuke from Cin-chan'. Cool, huh? I was at the
concert when Primrose and her did a double act!"
"Yeah, sure!" I growled. I ought to know, you knucklehead!
I practically had to make you eat it before you saw it!
Then he said the words which made me turn cold inside, "This goes
with my nude Cinderella poster!" No, no. Those weren't the
words which brought me the most grief. Well, they made me want
to throttle him, but then he also said, "Where's yours?"
"Mine?" I gulped.
"Sure! Everybody got one! Weren't you there?"
I had tried. I could not produce one for myself. But I had
snapped one out for him. I had looked him in the eye and thrown
a ribbon straight at his face "At the concert? Don't you
remember?"
"No, I don't recall seeing you anywhere."
"On the stage, Dumbass!"
"No kidding? You weren't on stage! That was one hot show! But
I only saw Primrose and Cinderella!"
I grabbed his collar and growled down at him, "Didn't I tell you
about me and Cinderella?"
With uncertainty clouding his eyes, he shook his head.
"You forgot?"
"Man, you never said _anything_ about you and Cinderella!"
"Oh, hell," I hissed. "You forgot that I turn into Cinderella!"
"No, I didn't. You never told me! You are being awfully
secretive, lately, Hiro-kun. Is there something you aren't
telling me?"
It was a minute before I could draw a breath. "You are an
idiot!" I decided.
"Takes one to know one," he agreed cheerfully, turning back to
his appreciative female audience.
It had to be the wish, protecting me by making Daisuke forget.
Maybe it was a good thing, not having that information rattling
around unprotected. I listened to Dai enthrall his audience by
expounding on his knowledge of the great baseball players and
what he thought of romantic movies, like 'Matrix' and 'Perfect
Storm'. Yuki and Niko were both looking weary.
Yep. Definitely a good thing.
I got to wondering. What safeguards did the wish have to keep me
from exposing myself? In a figurative manner, that is. There
were subtleties to this condition that I had to learn more about.
Hiroshi knew about my secret, but he forgot what I had told him.
Nabiki stood to lose a lot of money if she told, a powerful
persuasive technique, although I shuddered to think what kind of
pictures she would expect to take at the 'sessions'. Hainoko
knew. Would she remember? Who else could I tell? Could I shout
it out, here in the Cat Cafe, confident in the assurance that all
the customers would forget by the next morning? Somehow, my
confidence ran away like water when I considered it.
Why had I ever made such a stupid wish? Why did I want to be a
'rock star', for Kamis' sake? I counted off the reasons:
1) To meet girls? Scratch that. What good did that do when I
_was_ a girl at the time? Although, I admitted dreamily, because
of the wish I had met Kidori. I sighed. Such a beautiful girl.
If only she would stop trying to kill people.
2) To have a bunch of people cheering me? Scratch that. I did
not care if nobody ever applauded me again.
3) To get attention, to have people notice me? Right. Like I
wanted that kind of attention. If I were to say the words, 'I
want to be a rock star', the magic would attract more attention
than I could ever want.
I became dimly aware that Dai was telling Yuki and Kiko about his
date with Cinderella. "What a wonderful life she must live!"
cried Yuki, and I sneered. If only she knew.
'Say the words,' I sneered again, feeling more bitter by the
minute. How loudly would I have to whisper them, to show her
exactly what happens?
Then Yuki save me the trouble. She said eagerly, "That would be
so thrilling! I want to be a rock star, too!"
-poof-
The words did not have spoken very loudly. Apparently, not very
loudly at all. And it did not have to be me who said them.
It was a busy night. There were a lot of other patrons in the
Cat Cafe. With a groan, I looked at them. I could feel the
magic attraction kick in, and their eyes began to light up. They
looked back at me. We stared at each other for a few
microseconds before recognition flared and then several guys came
at me.
"I want an autograph!" they demanded, "Souvenir! Soul Kiss!" I
barely made it out of there with my skin and costume intact,
leaving the proprietress and her guests staring wide-eyed after
me.
Away from the Cat Cafe, shivering with the night air, I started
for home. Naturally, with everything else going wrong, things
had to get worse.
"Blue-clad Venus!"
"Oh, great. Kuno."
"Blue Venus! You have smitten me with thy enchanted beauty! I
would date with you!"
"Yeah, I am enchanted," I snarled. "It's all part of the magic.
Go away!"
I should have walked away and let him expostulate. Did I? Of
course not. I shoved him away from me. After all, he was
assuming the stance of the 'wide-arm breast glomp' and I did NOT
want to experience that, first hand. Perhaps I used too much
muscle shoving him, for when he pulled himself out of the
cratered wall he seemed ecstatic.
"A challenge! I will conquer your body and your heart, and then
you will date with me! Hear me, oh glorious vision! I am
Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furenken High! Undefeated
Kendo Champion and rescuer of lost damsels!"
I searched for clouds, but there were none. Where did he get
that thunder? When I looked back, he had donned a black silken
hood and drawn that wooden stick he always carried about.
"My love! To prove that I wish my own defeat, I will blind mine
eyes with this Hood of Death! Only defeat me, and you may date
me!" With the silken hood covering his face, he advanced.
"Strike! Strike! Strike!"
"I'm dead!" He was on me before I could think, rushing me and
forcing me backward. I gulped and retreated. But, a funny thing
happened on the way to the slaughter. My feminine body
anticipated the path of the bokken, allowed me to weave between
and around the deadly thrusts.
"Heh," I said, "I forgot I had martial arts ability. I'm better
than _he_ is!" I felt complacent until Kuno managed a swing that
smote upon my buttocks, where there was very little padding.
Brushing aside the bamboo weapon, I moved through the rapid
strikes as though they were forest undergrowth, to snarl into
Kuno's hidden face, "Hey! That HURT, y'know!"
Kuno released the bokken, allowing it to clatter across the
pavement as he ripped the concealing hood from his head. He
chortled ecstatically, "You have penetrated my defenses with the
ease of the stooping falcon! And now these eyes can perceive
that your beauty rivals the fairest of the fair! You are - dare
I say it? - as clear and desirable as the morning over the misty
lake, yea, even the flowers that adorn the hanging gardens of
Babylon (though of course not so fair as the loves of my life,
enshrined within my strong breast). It is my wish - nay, it is
my duty, to allow you to date with me!"
And with that, he glomped. I found myself in a bear hug, my
breath squeezed out, my eyeballs bulging. Only by using an elbow
to his throat was I able to pry myself loose.
"I do...not...want...to do that!" I gasped, before Kuno grabbed
me again, giving preference in his handling to the vicinity of my
chest.
"Oh, the noble agony of it all!" wailed the eldest Kuno sibling,
"To find this delicate flower, yearning for love, and yet I must
give her up!"
"It's better in the long run, believe me," I panted, struggling
free by prying his arms apart.
"To walk away, leaving her pining for my masterful touch! Oh,
the cruelty of fate! Should I deprive her of her heart's desire,
because I am so shallow as to be content with my present loves?"
"Oh, please do!" I gasped, somehow hauled back from near freedom.
"But hold! Is it possible to spread myself so thin as to serve
all three lovely damsels?"
"No. Not really. Really, you should not!"
"Yet, could I hesitate to do this, knowing the tortured loneliness
she must endure without my affection?"
"Look, you moron!" I cried, "You are already after Akane and the
Pig-tailed girl! Do you really think you can handle three girls
at once?"
Wrinkles formed on his majestic brow as Kuno considered the
question. By his grimace, arguments must have thundered back and
forth in the empty space between his ears, causing him no small
amount of pain as he debated the morality of his actions.
"I love the noble Akane, the way she attacks with the grace and
power of the foraging lioness! Yet, too, I love the spirited
Pig-tailed Girl, for she has cuteness and charm on her side.
Could I dare to presume to impose my desires on yet another
adorable Venus, this blue-ribboned girl, deserving of my
attention as she may be? Oh, the agony! To have such power over
such gentle flowers, to be saddled with such noble
responsibility! I must harm none of them, but one of them is
destined for loneliness, for I cannot possibly spread my noble
self to nurture all three!"
He wept with the struggle, burdened with the decision, "Or can I?
Is it possible? Can the noble Tatewake Kuno handle three girls
at once?"
And shortly the answer came floating to him, sweet and clear.
The corners of his mouth tugged upward as he accepted it and
turned to embrace his destiny.
"Yes! Yes I can! Come to me, my blue-ribboned girl!"
"Oh no!" I moaned, backing against the wall. That was the wrong
question to ask! "Listen, Kuno! You don't really want me! That
desire is only magic! It will go away! It isn't real!"
"Tear not my heart with warnings of enchantment!" cried Kuno,
"For my very soul has already been ensorcelled by your beauty! I
adore thee, O My Blue Ribboned Venus! I would give my life for
thee!"
A wave of weariness broke over me and I stumbled. Struggling
free from his clutch took great effort, my strength fading as he
pursued. I was cornered, unable to lift a finger to protect
myself and too weak to jump to the roof above.
However, as Kuno swooped to clench me in his arms someone stepped
between us.
"Get a clue, Kuno!" she cried. "You're not wanted!"
Kuno turned to the newcomer with glad welcome in his eyes, only
to be booted into the next prefecture.
I could agree with Kuno about one thing. Akane's high kick was a
joy to behold.
-----------
"Really. You'd think he'd learn," Akane huffed as she dusted
off her hands and helped me to my feet.
"I've had a rough night," I said as I smoothed imaginary creases
from my costume. "I don't know why I felt so weak. Thanks."
"My pleasure," she smiled back at me, then something beyond
caught her eye. A rush of anger washed away her cheer.
"Oh, no! Can you run?" she whispered.
I did not answer. All my attention was on a lighted doorway
which silhouetted a slim shapely figure, glowing at the edges
with pale yellow, her eyes emitting a dull red gleam through
slits in a leather mask. My skin crawled with alarm, my hair
stood on end, and I felt the first real fear since I had found
myself out on stage.
A booming gust of wind sent sand and leaves flying, but it was no
natural gale. It was the voice of my true love, filled with an
awful power as she cried, "Cinderella! I challenge you!"
END: CHAPTER FIVE
James and the Bluejay
http://www.wanderway.com