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Enjoy!
The FFML Refugee List
Here we go again. Please send comments, criticisms, and any
other feedback. Previous parts may be found at
<http://www.akane.org/gary/comics.html#ham>.
HEARTS AND MINDS
PART TWO
Ranma 1/2 manga fanfiction
by Gary Kleppe
The characters of Ranma 1/2 are the creation of and rightful
property of Rumiko Takahashi. They are used here without permission.
This story may be freely redistributed, but it should not be altered
substantially or used for profit in any way.
______
"Base to patrol four. Patrol four, report. Over."
Corporal Sauchuk spoke into his radio unit. "Patrol four.
Entering area C. Everything appears to be clear. Over."
"Roger, four. Stay alert. Base out."
Sauchuk stepped tentatively ahead. With slightly sweaty hands,
he held his AK-47 forward, ready to fire at a moment's notice. There
probably wasn't any danger; the gas would have taken out anyone the
bombs hadn't, and the other patrols had already been through and cleared
away the locals. Still, you couldn't be too careful, especially in a
village of fanatical warrior women. The place definitely gave him the
creeps. He'd be glad when his unit shipped out to somewhere, anywhere
else.
He motioned with an arm, and Corporal Rou moved up to stand next
to him. Dead silence hung over the area as the two of them advanced.
Most of the buildings stood largely undamaged by the bombardment;
obviously, these Amazons knew a thing or two about construction.
Overhead, a few clouds floated in a sea of idyllic blue. Another
day. There were only four hundred and ninety-six to go before Sauchuk's
tour of duty would be finished. Though he'd signed on voluntarily to
serve his country, he still couldn't wait for the day when he'd be able
to go back home, marry Jambyn and start a family.
"Hey, check it out," Rou said, pointing at a young woman lying
on the ground. "It's one of the locals."
Sauchuk peered closer, eyeing the girl cautiously. Badly bruised
flesh showed through the many rips in her clothes. "Is she alive?"
"Yeah," Rou replied, his hand on her wrist. "She's got a pulse.
But she's out cold."
"Good." Sauchuk had heard stories about these so-called Amazons.
Supposedly, they were taught to fight with swords and clubs before they
even learned to read and write. They held combat tournaments where even
the kids participated. The whole point of it was to make them into
complete maniacs by the time they were grown up -- so that even with a
shot-off arm and facing a dozen armed men, they'd attack, just to be
able to kill one more person before they got blown away. Sauchuk didn't
want to take any chances with people that crazy.
"She looks pretty young," Rou said. "What do you suppose she
is... twenty?"
Sauchuk nodded in vague assent. "Let's get her over to holding
with the others."
"I bet she's not married yet." Rou pulled on her long hair to
make her face him. "How about it, girl? Looking for a couple of
husbands?"
Sauchuk was confused for a moment, then understood. "Not me.
I've got a girl back home."
Rou grinned up at him. "She won't know."
"Maybe not. But *I* will," Sauchuk replied, unamused.
"Your loss." Rou hefted her limp form over his shoulder. "C'mon,
honey. Let's get to know each other."
Sauchuk silently grumbled some choice curse-words at the idiocy
of his partner. The two of them were supposed to be on watch. The
village itself was under control, but the surrounding area was bound to
be full of unfriendlies who'd love to catch Rou with his pants down, so
to speak.
By proper military procedure, Sauchuk was supposed to report Rou
to an officer. He certainly deserved whatever they'd do to him, the
crazy, stupid bastard; he was jeopardizing the safety of everyone in the
unit just to have his jollies with this girl. But squealing was
something you just didn't do to a buddy -- not when you might be
depending on him to watch your back in the next campaign. Especially
when the back he was watching made a great target.
"I'm not gonna pull your ass out of the fire if you get caught
by an officer," Sauchuk said. "As far as I know, you just went off to
use the latrine."
"Won't be lying much." Rou grinned. "Just taking care of life's
little basic necessities."
Crazy, stupid bastard.
______
"Would you like some lunch, sir?"
"Yes. Thank you very much." Tofu smiled politely as he accepted
the plastic box from the flight attendant. Flipping open the lid
revealed a cold cut sandwich, a salad, a roll with margarine, and a few
strawberries. Not exactly the height of dining elegance, but it would
satisfy his hunger nicely.
Leaning back in the chair, he spread the margarine on the bun
and watched the attendant push the food cart ahead. The cabin was
crowded, and loud conversation filled the air. Kuno Tatewaki sat next to
Tofu, with Shan Pu in the aisle seat. The two conversed in Chinese; Kuno
spoke hesitantly, but they seemed to be able to understand each other.
Across the aisle from Shan Pu was Kasumi, beside Mu Si at the
window. Tofu wondered whether Kasumi was deliberately avoiding him. Was
she angry because of the time he had visited her at her temple, thinking
he had been cured of his... problem? He understood that she'd want to
spend time with her family and the Saotomes, after not having seen them
in such a long while. But as far as he knew, she'd never been especially
good friends with the two Amazons. Why had she insisted on sitting with
them instead of him?
He stared up at the ceiling as he chewed on a mouthful of
lunchmeat, and wondered about the strange effect Kasumi had on him. Was
it love? Being near her felt like flying too close to the sun -- its
radiance blinding, engulfing, burning away his thin, fragile veneer of
rationality. But today, she had changed something. Now, instead of
flooding out everything else, her light glimmered tantalizingly at the
edge of his senses. There was something there that he couldn't zero in
on, couldn't comprehend.
He wished he could talk to her -- find out how she felt toward
him after so many years. But he didn't have the nerve. He was afraid to
find out that she hated him, for making her wait so long, for not being
man enough to overcome the demons that plagued him.
Of course, if that were true, she wouldn't be able to tell him
so directly. He was too much of a 'nice guy.' Mitsu had called him that
when they had been in high school -- and he lived up to it. He dated her
through three years of college without once discussing marriage, knowing
that she would bring up the subject when she was ready. But in the end
it was her mother who told him of Mitsu's engagement to someone else.
*You're a nice guy, Tofu,* she said when he asked her why Mitsu hadn't
talked to him about it. *People don't like to hurt nice guys.*
It was true. People didn't like to hurt nice guys. Yet, somehow,
they always managed to do it anyway.
He couldn't let the same thing happen again. Tofu promised
himself that he'd talk to Kasumi, find out how she really felt. Soon.
The attendant carried boxes to the row in front of Tofu. "Would
any of you care for some lunch?"
"I'll have one." Ranma took the plastic box from the flight
attendant. "And couldja leave one for my wife? She'll probably want it
when she gets up."
Akane lay sleeping against the window, her head resting on a
small pillow. The flight attendant nodded and gave Ranma another lunch,
which he slid under his own.
"As for my pop here, he ain't hungry. Matter of fact, I'll have
his, if that's okay."
Head bent down, Genma held a paper sack under his mouth. A low
gurgling noise issued forth as he threw up into the bag.
"Don't worry, Pop. The life of a true martial artist is filled
with airsickness. Right?"
"Perhaps you shouldn't eat a double lunch, Ranma-sama," Kodachi
called from across the aisle. "Too much food will make it harder for you
to get back into condition."
"I ain't OUTTA condition!" Ranma snapped back.
The flight attendant took the bag from Genma. "Sir, would you
like me to bring you some medicine?"
"I'll be all right. I just need to wash up." He stood, managing
to keep some dignity despite the situation as he trudged down the aisle
towards the bathroom.
"It seems you have a sick father to look after, Ranma dear. But
it's not all bad. At least that will give you something to do while the
rest of us fight alongside the Amazons."
"Shaddap, Kodachi." Ranma's teeth gritted in rage. "Just shut
up."
Kodachi laughed. "Oh, I'm only teasing!" But her voice had a
malicious edge to it that belied her words.
"I'm gonna beat you, y'know. All I need to do is figure out how
you've been cheatin'. Then we'll go at it fair and square, hard and
fast, and you'll see, I'll be the one who comes out on top." Ranma
winced, probably at his own choice of words. It was lucky that Akane was
asleep, Tofu thought.
"Whatever you say, Ranma-sama. Just phone anytime you might be
ready. Or perhaps drop me a postcard."
"Damn it!" Ranma swung his legs out into the aisle and stood,
hovering near the gymnast. "You think I'm afraid of you? Is that it?"
Kodachi's mouth curved into a predatory smile. Her eyes remained
locked with Ranma's as she slipped out of her seat to stand in front of
him. Tofu gulped. They weren't... they COULDN'T be about to....
"Ranma!" Shan Pu rose. "What you doing?!"
Ranma turned. "Huh?"
"You can no have fight here! This is AIRPLANE!"
Ranma blinked. "No duh, Shan Pu. I wasn't gonna.... How stupid
do you all think I *am?*"
Shan Pu stared back at him blankly. The others looked at the
walls, the floor, the ceiling. Ranma hmphed, and sat back down.
"Feh," Kodachi said. "I am quite capable of defeating an
opponent without damage to the aircraft."
"Now might be a bad time to put that to the test," Tofu said. He
tried to sound calm and reasonable, but his words came out rather
nervous. She had to be bluffing. She couldn't be that reckless -- could
she?
Tofu moved back away from the edge of his seat, letting out the
breath that he'd been holding. They were over their heads in this.
Ranma, Akane... Kasumi. Whatever it was that they were headed for, none
of them would have the skills nor experience with which to deal with it.
Maybe he didn't either. But at least he knew how to maintain a level
head and focus on the problem at hand. Maybe with that, he could keep
the group working with each other, at least some of the time. He
certainly had to try.
And if he survived until it was all over, then nothing would
keep him from confronting Kasumi. But for now, he couldn't let that get
in the way. Like it or not, he had to serve as the nice guy one more
time. Above all, he had to keep alert, and keep his wits about him. This
was serious business.
A passenger spoke up. "Excuse me, stewardess. There's a panda
stuck in one of the bathrooms, throwing up."
______
Ti Pi struggled to regain consciousness. Images and sensations
sped by, running past her awareness like wild animals, too quickly for
her to catch them. Cool air blew across her face. She was being...
carried?
She felt herself being thrown down onto the ground. She lay on
her back, looking up at the darkening evening sky. The man... the man
stood, watching her with eyes as hard and cold as steel.
"Don't move."
She tried to say something, anything, but all that came out was
a tiny squeal. The man put his hands to her shoulders to pin her to the
ground. Ti Pi struggled, but found very little strength left within her
injured body. It was a struggle just to keep conscious.
He flashed a sadistic grin. "That's good. Lie still, like a good
wife."
*Wife... NO! Oh, Goddesses, please, don't let him....* Ti Pi
tried again to scream, and could make no sound at all. The man reached
to her waist, and pulled her pants down to her knees.
*Nonononopleasepleaseno....*
The man began to unbuckle his own trousers. Ti Pi's hand reached
down to her leg and touched something metallic. The man leaned over...
... and screamed in pain as Ti Pi's dagger slashed upwards into
his gut. Blood leaked out of him and splattered down onto her shirt. She
twisted the knife, and the blood gushed faster and faster, and she
smiled grimly, though she took no pleasure in the act. The man's eyes
gaped in dull astonishment, as if he couldn't believe it could possibly
end this way. Then they went blank, as he stopped moving, his blood
still pouring into a crimson pool on the ground.
*An outsider cannot make an Amazon his wife without first
defeating her in combat.* Perhaps there was more wisdom in that law than
Ti Pi had thought.
Ti Pi said a silent prayer of thanks to the goddesses as she
stood. Her heart thumped forcefully in her chest. Dimly, something
reminded her to wipe her dagger on the man's uniform and re-sheathe it,
then fix her own clothes. She had to get away. Away. But to where?
She ran, not consciously choosing a direction. Soon, she came
upon a large, knobby rock formation. There were supposed to be guards on
top, ready to sound an alert if anything unusual were to approach the
village. Why had they not done so? Circling around to the back, Ti Pi
found the handholds that she remembered, and climbed up the rock. Zhen
Ben was one of those who were supposed to be on watch here. Had he
somehow failed in his duty, and allowed the attack to happen?
Reaching the rock's surface, Ti Pi began to crawl on hands and
knees. As long as she didn't stand up, the concave shape of the rock
would make it unlikely for anyone to spot her from below. Of course, if
they had flying scouts, she would be dead obvious, but she would just
have to hope that that wasn't the case. Her eyes scanned over the rock,
and saw three people sprawled near its edges. Closer examination
confirmed that all three were lifeless. Each had a hole running through
the head, narrow in back, wide and bloody in front. One of them was
Zhen.
Something shattered inside Ti Pi. Zhen was dead. Up until now,
she'd held onto hope that this would all be over soon, that the foes
would be defeated and everything would be back to normal. But Zhen --
her lifelong friend, who maybe even loved her in his own way -- would
never be back to normal... would never be again, at all. And his last
memory of her would be a blow to the head.
*Oh, goddesses... I wanted to dissuade him from trying to marry
me. But I didn't want this. I didn't want this.*
She wanted to sit down and cry, the way she had years ago when
she had skinned her knee playing on this rock. Cry, and then an adult
would come along and make everything better. Only she wasn't a little
girl anymore -- and if she didn't keep moving, didn't get to safety
somewhere, she'd surely be joining the dead.
Slowly, carefully, she climbed down the back of the rock.
______
Elder Lan entered the Council chamber, escorted from behind by
two men bearing large guns. Her usual place at the head of the table was
occupied; she took an empty seat in the middle. The two soldiers took up
positions behind her, completing a circle of gunmen that surrounded the
table, weapons pointed at the Elders.
The man leaned forward, gazing at Lan with piercing brown eyes.
"You are Lan Zhilei?" His hair showed a touch of gray, and, though
neatly combed, failed to completely cover a bald spot on the back of his
head. Evidently, this man was somewhat older than the other soldiers.
"Yes."
"I am Major Huang, commander of this division of the Mongol
Army."
Lan stared back at him defiantly. "Why have your soldiers
invaded our village?"
"Invaded?" Huang smiled slightly. "I'm afraid that you're
mistaken. We are defending a part of the Mongol Empire against an
uprising."
"What makes you believe that this village belongs to Mongolia?"
"An agreement, signed in Ulan Bator, between the General and the
Chief Elder of the Amazons."
Lan shifted in her seat. "If I had traveled there and signed
such an agreement, would I not remember doing so? And if an agreement
had been made, would not the village welcome you openly, making your
attacks on us unnecessary?"
"You? Who said anything about you?" Someone stepped through the
soldiers and took the seat beside Huang. Though her hair had turned
whiter, and her face bore many more wrinkles than it had, Lan recognized
her immediately. A ghost from the past, come back to haunt her.
"Zhen Biaozi."
"Teacher Lan." Zhen smiled smugly. "It's been a long time."
"This is outrageous!" Elder Bi shouted at Zhen. "You have no
right to--" One of the soldiers stepped forward, and the prod of his gun
cut off her words.
"Let's return to the matter at hand," Huang said, his demeanor
businesslike. "Those of you in this room are guilty of treason against
the Mongol Empire. The penalty for this offense is death."
Lan tensed as she tried to think of any way she and her
colleagues could survive. None. Though the Elders were far better
fighters than they looked, they couldn't possibly take on a
tightly-packed roomful of armed men without ending
up dead. Not that she was unwilling to die for her people, but there
would be better opportunities.
"But I'm inclined to be a little more generous than that. I
stand ready to pardon your crimes, provided that each of you pledges
allegiance to the Mongol Empire, and accepts Zhen Biaozi as your
rightful leader."
Lan nodded in understanding. So that's what they wanted from
her. "Very well." There was no choice in the matter -- for the moment.
"Very sensible." Huang sounded almost disappointed as he turned
to the next Elder, Kui.
"I also agree," she said, with a sorrowful look. "It seems we
have no alternative."
"Of course we have," Bi spat. "I, for one, choose to die if I
must do so to preserve my honor."
"A most noble sentiment. You have my respect." Huang stretched
out a finger and beckoned forward one of the soldiers.
Lan raised a hand. "Wait." Of course, no matter what question
was before the Council, Kui and Bi would have to disagree. The
pragmatist and the idealist. But an old friend shouldn't have to die for
an ideal, especially when the whole situation was probably Lan's fault
in the first place. "I believe I can persuade her to change her mind."
"You have thirty seconds."
"May I speak with her alone?"
"No."
"Very well. Elder Bi, I am going to ask you a few questions. I
want you to answer them to yourself, not aloud."
Bi nodded.
"What course of action does the law prescribe in the event of a
dispute over the office of chief elder?"
Lan paused for several seconds, allowing Bi time to think.
"What current circumstances would need to be changed before the
law could be properly fulfilled?"
Lan paused again.
"Would you be better able to assist in changing those
circumstances alive, or dead?"
Bi considered, and then bowed her head. "I yield."
"Thank you." The man with the gun stood back. Huang went around
the rest of the table, and all the other elders agreed.
"Excellent." Huang smiled. "Now, you will all follow me."
______
Huang marched them out into the central courtyard of the
village. There, a makeshift barbed wire fence had been set up,
encircling most of the courtyard. A ring of soldiers surrounded the
barrier. They stood stoically, guns pointed toward the inside of the
fence, where most of the village population appeared to be interned. Lan
remembered a term from her world history studies: "Concentration camp."
The wire, of course, would not be capable of keeping an Amazon
warrior prisoner; but getting through or over it would slow her down
long enough for one of the soldiers to shoot her. Lan could see the
bodies of several Amazons who had apparently tried to escape. One of
them was Ni -- little Ni, who had been the brightest student in teacher
Lan's class so very few years ago. She was one of the last remaining
members of the Ke family -- or rather, had been.
*No more,* Lan vowed to herself. The Amazons were warriors, but
not stupid ones. They died in battle only when necessary.
The precession advanced, and the line of gunmen parted to let
Huang and the Elders through. The circle of soldiers that had been
surrounding the Elders merged smoothly with the others to form a larger
loop, like dancers skillfully executing a well-choreographed pageant.
Lan walked up to the fence. A series of gunshots exploded into the air.
Conversation inside the fence died, and all eyes turned toward Huang.
Huang spoke into a device, shaped something like a huge flower
bulb. Amplified, his words resonated over the area. "This village is now
a part of the Mongol Empire. You have no choice in the matter. Any acts
of treason will mean death, not only for the ones caught, but for any
who might have reported them and did not." He handed the sound device to
Lan. A man stood next to her with a gun, eyeing her warily, as if to
remind her of what would happen if she were to say the wrong thing.
"Sisters. It is not easy for me to tell you that which I must
today. I hereby resign as Chief Elder of this village. That position now
belongs to Zhen Biaozi. You will follow her dictates, and those of the
major, as if they had been mine."
Lan stopped a moment, taken aback a bit at the unusual sound of
her amplified voice. Then she continued.
"Many of you are surely unhappy with this change. We Amazons are
a proud people, with a proud history. But above all, we are survivors.
We do not throw our lives away in pointless open defiance when there is
nothing to be gained in so doing. Think of our history. I am sure you
all know of the Three Years of Hell."
The crowd began to murmur. Lan looked over at Huang, who
motioned for her to keep going.
"I pledge to you today that I will not show the Mongol Empire
any resistance. The major will see nothing from me other than
cooperation and obedience. And I urge all of you to make the same
pledge. That is all I have to say."
Lan stepped back and passed the sound machine to Huang, who
returned a grim smile. Good. If he had understood....
She glanced over at Zhen Biaozi, whose expression was
unreadable. Surely she knew what Lan had really said. What was she
trying to gain from this situation? As an Amazon, she understood full
well the impossibility of enslaving their people. The ultimate result
could only be death -- to one side, or the other.
Maybe she knew that, and didn't care. Maybe she was simply out
for revenge over having been kept off of the Council of Elders. What did
she have to lose? She was probably near the end of her own lifetime
anyway. Lan shuddered sickly at the thought. So many deaths... so many
Amazons killed, for a vendetta that should've been against her alone.
At the major's direction, the troops began dismantling the
fence. The Amazons could go about their business, as long as they
understood who was now in charge. *It's not going to be that easy,* she
told Huang silently. His troops may have managed to capture the village,
but the hearts and minds of the Amazon people were unassailable
territory, and always would be.
With the fence completely down, she walked toward the people who
remained in the area. The injured needed tending to.
______
The waitress placed the plate of stir-fry vegetables and rice on
the table. "Xiexie!" Kasumi said; thank you, one of the few Chinese
phrases she'd had time to learn. The waitress nodded, smiling politely.
Kasumi scooped a helping of food into her mouth, and savored the
delicious taste. "Mmm! This is really good food, Nabiki!"
Nabiki sampled her own order, a beef dish. "Not bad." She had
arrived on a different plane from the US, and met with the group at the
Beijing luggage check. They had decided to go to one of the airport
cafes for a meal, seeing as it would take some time for Mu Si to finish
going through customs.
"Adequate," Kodachi said. Her dish was some sort of seafood and
vegetable combination. Kasumi wished she had time to try them all.
At the adjacent table, Ranma argued with Akane. Kodachi had
fought with him on the tarmac as soon as the plane had landed, and once
again beat him easily. By the time Akane had made them stop, Ranma had
been slammed into the ground chin-first, kicked in the face several
times, and slammed into the ground again. The most he'd been able to do
to Kodachi was to accidentally tear her dress, revealing the black rose
leotard underneath. Yet still, he'd wanted to keep fighting, protesting
loudly as Akane dragged him away. Kasumi admired his dedication to his
art.
"The comforts of civilization," Nabiki said, pointing at the
food with her chopsticks. "Enjoy them while you can. Our connecting
flight leaves for Xi Ning an hour and a half from now. I've reserved
hotel rooms for us there. Tonight'll be the last night before we head
out to face who-knows-what."
"I'm sure the Amazons have some excellent cooks, Nabiki," Kasumi
said.
"You are paying for all of the rooms?" Kodachi asked Nabiki.
"Some would call that uncharacteristic behavior for you."
"Moi? I'm the soul of generosity." Nabiki smirked. "Especially
when your brother is letting me charge everything on his card."
"Ah, I see. How lucky we are to have you and your business
acumen with us on this trip." Kodachi laughed. "Perhaps you will be able
to take over our enemies in a leveraged buy-out."
Kasumi giggled. Nabiki rolled her eyes, looking away. Strange,
Kasumi thought; as a businesswoman, she should have gotten the joke.
"So many non-combatants on this trip. Thirteen of us, and I can
count those who are capable fighters on one hand." Kodachi turned to
Kasumi. "What of you? Were you taught battle at your temple, or are you
here simply to pray for our victory?"
"Oh my, no." Kasumi giggled again. "I don't fight. But I hope I
can be useful in other ways."
"Don't fight at all? Pity. You should have asked them to show
you some basic self-defense, at least. It's a dangerous world out
there."
"Actually, the sensei wanted me to have something that would've
made me into a fighter. But I said no."
Kodachi seemed about to reply, but said nothing. She eyed Kasumi
cautiously, as if suspicious of something she had said.
Kasumi smiled brightly. "Anyway, I'm so glad you're with us. I
saw how good you were against Ranma. I'm sure with your skill on our
side, we can't lose!"
"Er... yes. Excuse me." Kodachi nodded curtly, and stood, moving
over to the ladies' room.
"Goodness, I hope I didn't say the wrong thing!"
"If it got rid of her, it was the right thing," Nabiki said
dryly.
The last bit of food on her plate finished, Kasumi wiped her
mouth with her napkin, then folded it up and set it on the plate. "I'm
going to go call Father and let him know where we are. I saw some pay
phones out near the entrance."
Nabiki handed her a portable phone unit. "Here, use my
cellular."
"A cellular phone? Will it work here?"
"Yup, anywhere in the world." She smiled proudly. "It works
through a global satellite relay network. The latest in communications
technology. Dial zero-one-one-eight-one-three and wait for a beep. It
takes a few minutes. Then dial Dad's number."
Kasumi dialed as she'd been told, holding the phone to her ear
and listening. Such a wonderful thing, to be able to communicate with
family and loved ones no matter where you went. She hoped someday
everyone would have one of these phones.
She was proud of her family. Akane, who was one of the best
martial artists in the world. And Nabiki, whose company was making the
world better with inventions like this phone. She only hoped her own
studies with Kaede-sensei would lead to things half as great as those
that her sisters had already done.
But not fighting. That simply wasn't the kind of person she was.
She had found that out when Kaede-sensei had given her the chance to try
out her fighting clothes. They were animated by a powerful fighting
spirit, the teacher said. The same technique, used with swords and the
like, produced so-called magic weapons. With the sensei's clothes, the
result was a battle suit that fought for its wearer. Kasumi remembered
how Akane had acquired such a thing at one time.
At Kaede's insistence, Kasumi wore her animated robes and fought
against a group of traveling martial artists. The battle suit pulled her
around like a puppet on strings. Her arms and legs moved uncontrollably,
smashing into one person and then the next, moving on before they could
hear her tell them how sorry she was. In the end, all she could do was
close her eyes and wait for it to stop.
The next day, she told Kaede that she refused to ever again wear
a set of animated battle clothes. She would learn the techniques for
creating them, if she was able, but she would never, ever make one for
herself. Nor would she create them for other people, unless they
desperately needed them for some reason. It wasn't fair to people like
Akane, who had spent their whole lives learning and perfecting their
arts, to have someone become as good as them just due to trickery.
At first, Kasumi was afraid of being defenseless. Then she
thought about the fight that she'd been in. She'd won due to the speed
and power that the animated suit had given her, of course; but there had
been something else. They had hesitated to attack her. It wasn't because
of the clothes, either; something about Kasumi made people not want to
fight her. It was a kind of aura that she had. As her studies
progressed, she learned to affect it in limited ways -- to increase or
decrease its strength.
The source of her aura remained a mystery to her. But she was
sure that the only way to keep it was to stay a noncombatant. She knew
that if she were to take up fighting -- whether or not she used magical
aids like the sensei's clothes -- the aura wouldn't remain. And the
danger, of course, was that someday she might meet opponents who weren't
affected by it, against whom she would be helpless. Still, she had to be
true to herself.
A tone sounded in Kasumi's ear. She dialed the number, and it
began ringing.
"Hello, Father?"
______
"Good bye, Kasumi," Tendo Soun said, worry apparent in his
voice. "Good luck and safe journey to you."
"They are well?" Nodoka asked as Soun hung up.
In the other corner of the room, the computer blipped and
bleeped as the children competed at some sort of game. Nodoka understood
none of it, but Ranma had told her that the kids knew enough to use the
machine safely.
Soun nodded. "Kasumi said everyone's fine, except that Ranma
keeps getting beaten up by Kodachi. They've landed in Beijing. From
there they will fly to Xi Ning tonight, and tomorrow it's on to the
Amazon village. No way of telling what they'll find there."
Nodoka thought she should say something to reassure him. "No one
knows what the future has in store. We should not spend our time
worrying until the worst happens." That wasn't it.
"Akane and Ranma will be all right. They can take care of
themselves better than any two people on Earth. And Nabiki is crafty
enough not to get near something she can't handle. But Kasumi...." Soun
sighed. "Kasumi shouldn't be anywhere near something like this."
"She's had training, hasn't she? From that aged priestess?"
"A few years. If she'd been able to start years earlier...."
Soun wiped his forehead with his hand. "I took those years from her,
Nodoka-san. She had to spend them cooking, cleaning... being the parent
that *I* should've been."
A shout came from the computer area. "I won!"
"You cheated!"
"Did not!"
"Did too!"
"Children!" Soun scolded, and turned back to Nodoka. The
argument continued, but at a lower volume.
"We are what the gods make of us, Tendo Soun. It is possible
that even if you had done all of those things yourself, Kasumi still
would have been as she is now."
"Possible," Soun repeated, his eyes downcast.
"Possible is all we have." Nodoka smiled at Soun. She wanted to
say something to make him feel better, but she seemed to be failing
miserably at that so far. What advice was she qualified to give? By all
reckonings, she was much more of a failure at parenting than he. She
still remembered well the day on which Genma had taken Ranma from her.
With the promise that he had signed, there had been no way for her to
refuse -- not without staining the family honor. But it had hurt, and
still did. Part of her always felt that Ranma had run away from her
because he had been unhappy with his mother; that Genma had had to take
him away because she didn't have what it took to be a good parent.
A smooth voice issued forth from the computer speaker. "Windows
zero-three conflict error. This application will shut down due to an
error. Please reboot your system."
Soun zipped over to the computer. "Trouble?"
"It's okay, Grampa," Hikaru said. "I know how to fix this."
"No, no, of course not!" Soun zipped over to sit at the
keyboard. "You go play, for heaven's sake! Leave this to Grandpa."
Nodoka realized that the conversation was over. "I'll get back
to my cooking."
"Cooking?" Hikaru scampered over to her, with Ririko following
behind. "But Grandma! It's Saturday!"
"Hm?"
"We ALWAYS get take-out from the Aburakkoi on Saturday!"
"Hikaru-chan, I've already started making dinner!"
"Take-out from Aburakkoi!" Ririko cried.
"Ririko-chan, I... I..."
"Mom and Dad get take-out *every* week," Hikaru said, as if he
were a lawyer arguing a case before a courtroom.
"Mommy! Daddy!" Ririko cried.
Nodoka sighed as she walked over to the stove to turn off the
burner.
______
"Skate size, ma'am?"
"Actually, I'm looking for Sanzenin Mikado. Is he out on the
ice?"
"Um, no, ma'am, I believe he and his partner are over at the ice
cream shop in back."
"In that case, I don't need to rent skates. Thanks!"
"You're welcome, ma'am. I'm sure he'll be glad to sign an
autograph for you."
Ukyo smiled at the clerk as she stepped away from the counter.
She walked along a narrow walkway led around the perimeter of the ice
rink. Skaters flew by on the ice as she passed. Pop music blared over
loudspeakers, the lyrics unintelligible. Ukyo laughed. Autograph? As it
happened, she was here to collect Mikado's skull imprint on her spatula.
The mark of a true fan.
Reaching the other side, she stopped and looked around. She
heard Mikado's voice from a balcony directly above her.
"So do you finally understand?"
"Understand what?" Azusa's voice.
"What I've been trying to explain for the past fifteen minutes!"
Mikado sounded agitated, frustrated.
"You're getting married."
"No, no, no." Mikado sighed. "I'll try one more time. PLEASE try
to listen. I am carrying out my plan for revenge on the Kuonji woman."
"Getting revenge by marrying her?"
"NO! We are not getting married at all. Were I actually
contemplating a wedding, I can assure you that Ms. Kuonji would be a
long way down the list of worthy candidates."
*Oh yeah?* Ukyo thought. *Same to you, jackass!*
"It is also obvious that she feels the same about me. Hard to
believe though it might be, Ms. Kuonji is quite repulsed by the idea of
a marriage between the two of us."
"Why is that hard to believe?" Azusa asked. Ukyo agreed.
"Never mind. The point is, she will undoubtedly tell everyone
that she has no intention of going through with the wedding. When that
happens, I will announce to all of her friends and everyone else how
cruelly she broke her promise and my heart by unexpectedly jilting me.
Everyone will blame her, and feel sorry for me. Legions of women will no
doubt want to comfort me, while no one will give her the time of day."
He began to speak slowly and emphatically. "Now, do you understand?"
After a pause, Azusa spoke. "Will your wedding cake have those
cute little bride and groom dolls on top?"
Mikado screamed.
Ukyo silently scrambled up the steps to the balcony. The song
coming over the loudspeakers faded out. A new one began; Ukyo couldn't
tell the difference between it and the last one. A new plan formed in
her mind.
The two skaters sat at a small, white, round table. A huge bowl
of brightly-colored ice cream lay before Azusa, and still more of the
stuff decorated her mouth. Mikado held a half-empty glass of cola as he
glared at his partner, speaking through clenched teeth. "All right. Let
me try one more time."
"Excuse me."
Mikado turned at the sound of the voice. His eyes fixated on the
combat spatula strapped to Ukyo's back, and his chair slid away from her
slightly.
"Can we talk?" she asked softly.
"T-Talk? What, er, what about?" His eyes held a 'please don't
kill me' look.
"Mikado, you took me by surprise this morning. Don't you think
we should've talked about an engagement before you announced one in
front of everybody?"
Mikado stammered unintelligibly.
"It's okay. I understand." She smiled warmly. "I don't have much
time before I have to be back at my restaurant for the dinner shift. I
just came here to give you my answer."
"A-- answer?"
"Yes. My answer's yes. After all, what girl *wouldn't* want to
be Mrs. Sanzenin Mikado?" It took all of her self control not to giggle.
"Mrs...."
Summoning all of her self-control, Ukyo leaned forward and
planted a kiss on Mikado's lips.
"Yippee!" Azusa shouted. "Wedding cake!"
______
The plane from Beijing to Xi Ning was a small, propeller-driven
model. The Nerima group filled most of the seats. Propellers roared
deafeningly, making it difficult for conversation to be heard. Ranma's
father slept, under the influence of some medicine he had bought.
Tsubasa sat next to Kasumi -- a dream come true for him, except
that she seemed to take little interest in his presence. She'd smiled at
him and said the customary greetings when they boarded, but after that
she paid him no attention at all, staring instead at the seat ahead of
her where Ranma sat. Typical. Women were always attracted to Ranma. Of
course, Tsubasa knew why that was.
But that wasn't important right now. What was important was
saving the Amazon village. Ever since Tsubasa had heard that such a
place existed, he had wanted to go there. Finally, there was somewhere
where the women were in charge -- the way things ought to be everywhere.
It was a basic law of the universe: women were beautiful, wise, and
kind. The source of everything good. Men, on the other hand, were ugly,
mean, and stupid; the source of all trouble. It was a truth that Tsubasa
had tried to deny at one time, but finally had to admit.
He leaned forward, trying to catch some of the conversation over
the noise. "Yeah, yeah, I know we ain't got time now. But once this
battle's over and we've kicked butt, I'm gonna be makin' a little side
trip. I'm tellin' ya, before this trip's over, I'm gonna go swimming in
a certain spring."
"Ranma, not can do that," Shan Pu said.
"Huh?"
"I talk about this with Elders. Spring of Drowned Man no will
cure curse, they all say. You get two curses, they combine. Then you
maybe splash by water and turn into her... herm...."
"Ick. You mean there's no cure?"
"They say can cure, but only for Amazon. I no allowed cure
because I fail to... because I broke law. But for outsider, they say
nothing can do."
"I dunno." Ranma shrugged. "They could be wrong, right?" He
slumped back into his seat. "Damn it, why do things always haveta get
more and more screwed up? Why can't I ever get a *good* surprise for a
change?"
"Don't worry about it, Ranma," Kasumi said, smiling
enigmatically as Ranma looked back at her. She continued to smile,
saying nothing as Ranma stared, until he finally shrugged and turned
away.
Of course, Ranma didn't understand. It was clear to Tsubasa what
Kasumi was saying. Ranma, deep down, wanted to be a woman. How could he
not? But his male insecurity wouldn't let him admit to himself the
superiority of the female sex, so he struggled against it. It was
obvious.
Would Ranma really go to Jusenkyo during this trip? Tsubasa had
no clue. But *he* would go there. He knew a good thing when he saw it.
And then all of Ranma's women would be attracted to him.
______
Arriving at Xi Ning, the group checked into the hotel Bie
Baoyuan. Some of them left to go sightseeing, with a promise to be ready
to travel bright and early tomorrow morning. Others simply retired to
their respective rooms.
Mu Si sat on the bed as he flipped through the TV channels.
Finding nothing interesting, he switched it off, yawned, stretched, and
didn't feel tired at all. What were people supposed to do alone in hotel
rooms?
>From the next room over, bedsprings squeaked violently, as
voices called each other's name in impassioned gasps. Ranma and Akane.
It was a safe bet that they weren't practicing martial arts. Mu Si
sighed. How he wished that he and Shan Pu could have....
Then there was Azusa. Sweet, childlike Azusa. It felt...
wrong... to even think those kind of thoughts about her. Originally he
had thought that with his help she might be cured of her autism, or
whatever it was, and they could get married. But as he'd gotten to know
her, he'd realized how silly that idea had been. It wasn't a disease; it
was who she was.
Mu Si sighed again as he lay down on the bed. It was bad enough
that he'd never be with the one he'd spent most of his life pursuing.
But lately, it seemed more and more likely that he'd never feel the
touch of a woman at all. *Any* woman. And he wondered, why? Had the gods
some special destiny in mind for him? Or were they punishing him for
some unknown misdeeds? Perhaps they had someone perfect for him waiting
until it was the right time to meet. He prayed to the gods for an
answer.
The telephone rang. Mu Si hesitated. It rang three more times,
and he answered it.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Mu Si?"
"Yes?"
"This is Kasumi! How have you been?"
"Uh, fine, thanks. Yourself?"
"Oh, just fine, thank you. Are you busy now?"
"Um... not really, no."
"Then would you please come to my hotel room? It's number two
hundred fifty."
"Er, all right."
"Great, see you in a few minutes! Oh, and don't tell anyone
where you're going, all right?"
"Okay." He hung up the phone, mulling everything over in his
mind. Coincidence, he told himself. It *had* to be coincidence.
______
"Akane?"
"Mmmm?"
"Wanna do it again?"
She giggled.
"I mean, this might be our last chance for a while to have a
little privacy."
"Not tonight, Ranma. Let's get up early tomorrow morning, okay?"
"Okay, yeah, that's cool."
He slid his arm around her shoulders, and she cuddled up against
him.
"I wonder how the kids are doin'."
"Probably driving Grandma and Grandpa crazy. Bet they'll be glad
when we get home."
He laughed. "That's one reason I'm glad Pop came on the trip
with us. If he was back home with Hikaru, he'd be tryin' to push martial
arts on him."
"He doesn't exactly have to 'push.' Hikaru keeps saying how he
wants to learn."
"The kid's only five. He don't know what he wants yet. He
oughtta have some time to make up his mind, 'cause once you start
training, it's not that easy to stop."
"I know. I agreed with you about that, remember?"
"Yeah."
She leisurely ran her fingers through his hair. "Ranma, I'm
sorry."
"What for?"
"For the way I acted when I saw you with Kodachi today."
"You ain't gotta be sorry for that."
"It's... I don't know. When I see you with her like that,
something just makes me get really angry... and not just at her. Even
though I know damn well it's not your fault. I don't know... something I
need to work on, I guess."
"Akane, remember on the plane today, when I said I wasn't afraid
of Kodachi?"
"No... no, I don't. I must've been asleep."
"Well, I did. But I was. And I am. I lied my butt off. I keep
thinking about Asuka, and what she did to me...." Ranma shuddered. "If
Kodachi ever got the same chance...."
"It's okay, Ranma," Akane said, trying to sound reassuring.
"It's okay... we won't let her." Though Akane wasn't sure what they
could do to stop Kodachi, given her current capabilities.
"Akane, if I'm ever stupid enough to... leave myself open...
around her, promise you'll get me away. Beat the crap out of me if you
have to."
"I promise." She purred softly as she snuggled closer to him,
savoring the warmth of his body. His hand caressed her shoulder.
Tomorrow, they'd go back to the real world with all of its conflicts and
complications. But for now, at least for one stolen moment, she felt
content.
"Akane?"
"Mmm?"
"ONLY if you have to."
______
Mu Si walked down the corridor, peering at each door through his
glasses. Two thirty-six, two thirty-eight... that meant that two-fifty
would be further down the corridor.
Abruptly, Saotome Genma walked past, barely acknowledging Mu
Si's presence. His face bore an odd, wayward smile, as if he were a cat
who'd eaten his owner's prized canary. From the numbers, he had come
from the direction of Kasumi's room. *No,* Mu Si told himself. There had
to be a reasonable explanation.
"Over here," a voice whispered. An arm beckoned Mu Si into
towards an ajar door. He followed into the dimly-lit room, and the door
shut quickly behind him.
"Kasumi? Um... hi. How are you?"
"Hello!" Kasumi beamed a bright smile. "Thank you for coming!"
Mu Si stared back at her awkwardly.
"Come over here, please."
She pointed him toward an area on the floor. The furniture had
been pulled aside, leaving bare carpet. He lay down in the middle of it,
noticing that it was damp in spots.
"You'll need to sit like this." Kasumi crossed her legs,
assuming a meditative position. Mu Si got up and did likewise.
Mu Si decided to ask the obvious question. "Why are we sitting
like this?"
Kasumi smiled mysteriously. "I'm going to teach you a new
technique."
"I haven't had much chance to practice the old ones," Mu Si
mumbled.
"I'm sorry?" she responded innocently.
"Um, nothing." He mentally slapped himself. He still had no idea
what was about to happen here, but it definitely, positively, absolutely
couldn't be... that.
"Oh my. I suppose you'll have to take off your clothes for
this."
"My--"
"I won't look at anything, I promise."
"Right." He tossed his robes onto a chair at the far end of the
room. Pulling his pants down and off, he threw them to the same spot.
This was getting weirder and weirder.
Kasumi disappeared into the bathroom, and came back out carrying
something. Mu Si stretched his neck, and saw that she had a teakettle in
one hand, and a large cup in the other. She moved around to stand behind
him. "Now, I want you to just relax, and feel your manhood."
"Excuse me?" Mu Si said, embarrassed.
"Your humanity. Concentrate on experiencing every sensation of
what it's like to be a person."
"Oh." He became aware of his legs, his arms, the heart pumping
in his chest. Without warning, water spilled onto his head, and he
became a duck. He quacked indignantly. What did she do that for?
"Now compare your duck form," she said.
Mu Si noticed the scrawny legs, the misshapen mouth, the tiny,
rapidly beating heart. Hot water burbled down, and he was human again.
And still confused.
"Now, imagine that you're *both* human and duck," she said.
"Think of both forms being there at once, as I take you from one to the
other." Mu tried his best to do what she had asked, visualizing his duck
self coexisting with his human body. "Ready? Here's the duck!"
Cold water struck Mu Si again. He held onto the mental image of
his human form, picturing it in his mind alongside his duck body.
"Human!"
Hot water poured down. This time it didn't feel like a reshaping
of his body. Instead, it was like the changing of a traffic light; the
human body switched on, becoming solid, as the duck one turned off.
"Duck!"
Cold water. Human flesh vanished; feathers and webbed feet
became reality.
"Human!"
Hot water. The duck form faded out, and the human one came into
focus.
"Duck!"
The duck reappeared. Mu Si wondered how much longer this was
going to go on.
"Human!"
Once again, the human body became solid.
Kasumi grinned down at him. "You've learned the technique!" Her
hands were empty. Mu Si looked up, and realized that she hadn't poured
any water on him the last couple of times.
In his mind, he still felt the other body's presence; reaching
for it with his mind, he changed himself into the duck, and then back to
normal. Jumping into the air, he cheered with delight as he changed
forms at the top of his leap, then again as he landed. It was like being
cured. No, it was better than being cured. "This is... incredible! How
can I thank you?"
Kasumi smiled. "Just go and win the fight."
AUTHOR'S RAMBLINGS: The bit about the nanniquan not being able
to cure the curses is not Ranma 1/2 canon. In fact, it is probably
wrong, since the instant nanniquan provided a temporary cure in vol. 8.
On the other hand, if curing the curses were so simple, why don't people
who get cursed simply jump in the curing springs right away? Anyway, the
assumption here is that Jusenkyo can't be used to cure Jusenkyo. This is
not canon, so please don't think that it *has* to be that way because
HaM said so.
Thanks to those who pre-read and/or offered comments on the
previous release of this chapter. Thanks also to you for reading, and as
always, I'd like to know what you thought.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
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Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee
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