Process of Elimination -- Chapter Twelve -- Part B
Disclaimer: The primary colors in this story are from Takahashi, Viz
(Ranma 1/2), Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!), and Kitty Films, Naoko Takeuchi
(Sailor Moon).
Additional tinting provided by: Takada Yuuzou, and Kodansha (3x3
Eyes), Takada Yuuzou, and A.D.Vision (Bannou Bunka Nekomusume
Nuku-Nuku), and of course, Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy). The easel is mine.
That's all.
Notes: Diverges from Ranma after volume 24, continuation for OAV 2
in the Tenchi universe (well, one of them). Nuku Nuku is from the OAVs,
not TV. Sailor Moon occurs, well, at some point in the series, but it's
something of an alt anyway. 3x3 Eyes diverges before OAV2. This fic uses
the bizarrely vague 'Pick One!' scenario. Enjoy.
-----------------------------
"I have heard it said that 'pride goeth before a fall', and have
found this to be true. For that, I would consider humility to be one of
the greatest wisdoms that we can learn. I find solace in the face that I
was not the only one who had difficulty learning this lesson."
'Prince' Herb, former dignitary of Old Terra -- Old Terran Year
2005, July 27th.
While Washuu plucked the creature from Ryouko's hands, she allowed
herself to rotate -- still floating off the ground -- to face the
strange man who was still staring at her. "Something wrong?" she asked,
baring her teeth in a grin.
He shook his head, ignoring Washuu as she strode away. "Not at all,"
he said quietly. "You look much like Higurashi Ranma. Are you related to
him?"
"No," Ryouko answered flatly. "We're both Masu, if that's what
you're asking."
"Masu," Herb mused, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Is that some
form of demon?"
"I've been called that," Ryouko responded, frowning at Herb darkly.
"Why? What's this all about?"
Herb shrugged, hiding a small smile. "Merely idle curiosity, I
assure you." At Ryouko's blank stare, he conceded, "Ranma has always had
something that's earned my grudging curiosity."
"What's that?" Ryouko asked, furrowing her brows.
Herb paused, as though unsure that Ryouko was worthy to hear his
reasons, before allowing, "Ranma is not one who is given to allowing a
fight to end if he doesn't believe that the battle is resolved. I
threatened him with death and worse, at one point, and yet, he wasn't
refusing to give up the fight. Even when his life ran weak in a battle
that neither of us could control last night, he clung to what he had,
and refused to give in."
Ryouko nodded grudgingly. "I know what you mean," she mumbled,
remembering her own fight with Ranma with some regret. "So, what's wrong
with him right now?"
"I am not completely certain," Herb admitted. "We both came near
doing something foolish, but I conceded the fight to him. I believe that
Washuu said he had pushed himself too hard."
Blinking in understanding, Ryouko nodded. "That would be bad," she
said quietly. "Well, you take care of yourself, and him, too. I need to
talk to Washuu about something."
Herb opened his mouth to comment, but Ryouko sank through the stone
floor, pretending to not notice, and give herself some time alone with
her thoughts. Whatever else Kohito had said in the single heartbeat
she'd had to grab him, she clearly heard him say, "Sabotage." Someone
needed to be talked to about that, but Ryouko wasn't sure where it
should begin. Probably with Ayeka, or Funaho. That would be a good
start, yes....
***
Kiyone rubbed at her eyes tiredly, her ship on autopilot for the
time being. Queries from the other ships had come, leaving Kiyone and
Yohito alone to figure out what to say.
Thinking quickly, Yohito suggested, "Detective Makibi, why don't we
simply say that we believe it to be an accident or a malfunction, until
you can launch a more thorough investigation? Once the Home Fleet leaves
the system, I will return through conventional space as soon as possible
to aid your own work."
She nodded grudgingly. "It's hardly by the books, but if there was
ever an operation that required a certain amount of secrecy, then this
would be it. I'm going to have a lot of questions for you later, but
since I'm going to be leaving the system with as many refugees as I can
carry, the investigation will need to be passed on to Detective Kuramitsu."
"Right," Yohito confirmed. "I'll tell the Home Fleet what happened,
Makibi-san."
Kiyone allowed a bitter smile to cross her face. "Cheer up,
Yohito-san, there was another ship before your brother's ship got
destroyed -- he might have lived."
"I remain ever hopeful," Yohito said softly, severing the connection.
Relaying the explanation to the rest of the fleet without breaking
from formation, Kiyone turned her attention back to the girl with the
phase dispersion cannon. Whoever she was, she had access to ordinance
that violated more treaties than she could think of. Kohito called her
'Amatera', and that name was something Kiyone thought should ring a
bell, though it didn't. More than likely it meant it was one of the
things that Juraians didn't like to talk about.
That girl, for the time, was also likely a part of the mess, and
would need to be found and questioned about those weapons. Until then,
there was a lot of work to be done. "I sure don't envy you, Detective
Kuramitsu," Kiyone mumbled to herself, drawing up a file on her computer
and preemptively labeling it 'secret'.
***
"Kintaro, why didn't you try to contact that ship?" Mihoshi asked,
frowning as she leaned over him to peer at the screen.
"Oh," he said belatedly, shaking his head. "Sorry, Kuramitsu-san,
but the guidebook said that since she was commanding the fleet
containing the ship, Detective Makibi had the prerogative on contacting
us. Or not contacting us." He frowned, considering that, then shrugged.
Mihoshi nodded slowly, a thoughtful expression on her face. "That's
right," she said quietly. "I forgot."
Kintaro smiled, turning his attention back to the battery of
tutorials that the computer was throwing at him. "Oh," he called out, as
a flag appeared on one corner of the screen. "You have a message,
Kuramitsu-san."
Her voice was distant as she puttered about the living area in the
booster section, "Can you check it for me, Oe-kun?"
He nodded absently, punching in the buttons that would retrieve the
message, and decrypt it, absently checking some scans of the fleet as it
continued in formation, minus one Jurian dreadnought. After a few
seconds of the computer ticking away the time, the document popped up,
spelling out the situation in bold letters.
Kintaro blinked, his brows furrowing as he scanned through it.
"Sabotage?" he murmured. "Who could _do_ such a thing?"
Moreover, what should he do about it? He was not entirely willingly
introduced to his role as Mihoshi's assistant, but hadn't been
disappointed in the chance to learn more -- and he'd learned quite a
bit, too. But working on the case that Makibi had sent him.... That
would entail more than a brief stint learning about Galaxy Police law
and piloting.
Was that a career move he had wanted to make? On Earth he had left
college after gathering all of the credits needed for a Law degree, and
set about learning. Learning everything. The end result was that as much
as he knew of science, of laws, of martial arts, and more.... He knew
his education was lacking in some areas, and one of them was the basic
art of 'life' that many seemed to take for granted. It hadn't taken him
long to see that Mihoshi, despite her subtlety, was a master of that art.
So many choices to weigh. He had always been a big fan of justice,
and this would further a number of goals for him. Firstly, justice, of
course. Secondly, he would be settling down into a career, and that
meant if he could find his father, that Kintaro might eventually be able
to go home. Lastly, of course, he would get the chance to study the
thing he understood the least, through Mihoshi.
These thoughts distracted Kintaro as his eyes scanned across the
missive, unseeing for the moment. He was distracted by Mihoshi peering
over the top of the chair, staring down into his eyes. "What's wrong?"
she asked out of the blue.
"Just been thinking," Kintaro responded honestly, craning his head
back to stare upward into the innocent pools of blue that Mihoshi
directed down at him. "Um, Kuramitsu-san, I know that you made me a
cadet, but I wasn't sure how serious you were about me joining the
Galaxy Police."
"Oh?" She frowned worriedly. "Are you having second thoughts?"
"Yes, but in a good way. Kuramitsu-san, if it's possible, I really
would like to learn how to be the best Galaxy Police officer I can. With
you." She blinked at him, eyes widening very slightly. "And I'd like to
start by figuring out what happened here, if we can," he finished,
indicating the document that was onscreen with one finger.
She smiled, eyes narrowing joyfully. "I knew you'd want to join!"
she exclaimed happily. "I knew it! And you've done a really good job of
learning, too! You want to work on this case with me?" she asked,
leaning forward precariously, squinting at the screen.
"Um, that's the one," he mumbled, eyes fixed upward as the chair
leaned back under Mihoshi's weight. "Kuramitsu-san, if you're not
careful--" His warning came too late, and Mihoshi leaned against the
chair a trifle harder, which caused the reclining back to knock her legs
out from under her, sending her sprawling atop Kintaro. "Mrph," he
concluded, unable to speak as Mihoshi's body muffled him, a pleasantly
suffocating weight.
"Oops!" she exclaimed, crawling about as Kintaro extricated himself.
"Eh, not a problem!" he dismissed cheerfully, his attention
momentarily distracted from thoughts of great justice by thoughts of
supple female Galaxy Police officers, and close quarters while training.
"Don't worry about it at all! I'll make some tea while you read that."
He spun in the narrow walkway between the sections of the ship. Mihoshi,
he'd learned, loved warm drinks. He'd learned a great deal about making
tea, once, shortly before he challenged a girl on a motorcycle to a race
on his bicycle....
***
"...ko, if you can, ask her to take us to the platform."
"Not a problem, but...."
Again the encompassing darkness, and the warmth, but the voices
quickly faded. A dull roar ripped the sounds to shreds, leaving him to
wander about, lost.
His wandering lasted only a moment, before he staggered free of the
cloying black, bracing himself against an all-too-familiar ivory column.
The barriers between the sealed off memories corroded slowly as he
stared at the pillar in dumb shock. "What's going on?" he asked tiredly,
his tongue working, but slowly.
"Hush, Higurashi-san -- she is coming, and I can't allow her to find
us here like this. Please, sleep."
Ranma turned to regard the woman in the pristine white, her face
marred with a vicious cut beneath one eye, slow trickles off blood
working their way across her face. She moved slowly, cautiously. As
though she had worse hurts that she refused to show. "I remember you,"
he mumbled, wishing he could banish the muzzy, thick feelings that
suffused his head. "Hurt, for me?"
She nodded solemnly. "I don't know what time I have, Higurashi.
Please, let me send you away, to sleep."
One of his hands reached out, seemingly of its own accord, and
brushed gently at her wounded cheek. She flinched away as a spark of
blue leapt from his fumbling fingertips to her cheek, the actinic spark
bearing the blood away. A thin streamer of crackling blue force
connected them, flowing into her and repairing more of the damage.
"Higurashi!" she protested, crystal tears welling up in her eyes, as
she clasped her hands over his, pushing it away from her face. "You
can't do that here! She will know, and if she knows, she will come!"
Ranma shook his head belligerently. "I'm not going to have some lady
send me away to fight in my place," he warned. "I don't know who you
are, exactly, but I don't think you're dressed for combat."
"You must leave here!" she pleaded, voice edging into hysteria. The
diamond tears spilled from her cheeks and sailed through the air, oddly
crystalline tinkling noises echoing from their impact with the floor.
"Then come with me," he said simply. "Let's go somewhere else. I'm
not going to let you fight the crazy chick alone."
The blonde's eyes widened, and she gasped, but only hesitated a
moment. "Very well, I will go with you -- but we must leave now, Higurashi."
"Okay," he said, drained from aiding her, and collapsing once more
into the darkness.
***
The Amazon village was oddly quiet and subdued while Ranma was still
gone. Ryouga found the stillness was not to his liking, and sat atop the
lodge that had been set aside for the Marines, and any other hangers-on.
Part of the reason he had chosen to climb the thing was his fear that
his direction sense, which he'd evaded problems with for so long, would
strike back with a vengeance.
Another part of it was just that Ryouga felt restless once the
fighting was -- for the moment -- dealt with. There would be much more
fighting, he was sure, but just then, it felt so far away as to not be
an issue at all. Still, there had been days of peace on the ship, and
Ryouga had enjoyed those, as the Kitty Hawk was simply too small to get
completely lost on, and the crewmen were all more than willing to escort
him to the deck if he had wandered too far.
In Shanghai, it had been easier still, since he hadn't had to move
at all, save to pace alongside the refugees. But only the day before,
his curse had finally caught up with him. The timing was harmless, as
there were no reavers nearby, and there were other immediate dangers...
but it did serve to highlight just how vulnerable he really was.
A few inopportune minutes of wandering around, and a stray rain
storm, or a puddle, or any of the other countless things that his curse
nearly seemed to call upon to happen, and he would be snout to claw with
a reaver. As strong as Ryouga was, and as badly as the last few fights
had gone, he had no illusions as to how that fight would go.
He sighed, rubbing at his temples. The irony. Even his dog was lost,
somehow. He couldn't remember the last time he had seen her clearly. "I
hope she's safe," he mumbled aloud.
"Thinking, are you?" a voice called out from behind him.
Ryouga twitched slightly, but allowed a rueful smile to come to his
lips, and glanced over his shoulder at the old woman. "Yeah, I guess
so," he admitted, studying Cologne for a minute before turning his
attention back to the other houses he could see from his thatched perch.
She snorted, and ambled to sit a short distance away, leaning
against the slowly smoking chimney. "What about?" she asked. "Normally
you've been hanging about Mousse, or Ranma, lately."
"Stuff," Ryouga replied evasively. "Mousse is hiding from someone he
knows from the village, I think, and Ranma's gone at the moment. So I'm
sitting here and thinking."
"Ah," Cologne returned, allowing silence to dominate as she gazed at
a particular distant mountain.
"What are you doing here?" Ryouga asked, frowning.
"It's said that the source of Jusenkyou is somewhere beneath that
mountain," Cologne replied, not answering the question. "We, as Amazons,
don't go there, of course."
"What else is there?" Ryouga asked, interested.
Cologne made a thoughtful noise, her eyes still fixed on that
distant peak. "Well, it's said the Phoenix people live there -- so it's
Mount Phoenix, of course." She sighed, sparing a glance towards the boy.
"The truth of the matter isn't honestly known," she murmured. "But it's
said that a phoenix-god lives there, and uses the waters that feed
Jusenkyou to provide for his people."
Squinting to see the mountain in the distance, Ryouga asked, "Is
that true?"
"Who's to say?" Cologne asked, shrugging. "It's likely a legend, and
not a very popular one, at that. Most of the children wouldn't even know
of it -- only a handful of my own generation would, honestly."
"Why's that?" Ryouga pressed. Cologne must have brought it up for a
reason, after all.
"Ah, well, that's where it is said that the hyruu shouten-ha was
created," the woman offered. "But the truth may be much more mundane. I
hope to never need to find out." A smile played about her lips, and she
eyed Ryouga. "Of course, I bring it up because once, when I was a child,
a woman of our tribe tried to scale that mountain."
Ryouga raised an eyebrow, turning to regard Cologne curiously.
"She returned a few days later, claiming that the climb was
impossible," Cologne said. "And for many months, the contest to prove
who the strongest warrior was to see who could best that mountain."
"Who finally did it?" Ryouga asked, frowning.
"No one ever did," she admitted. "The technique I taught you,
Ryouga, that was devised to defeat the mountain, but before we foolish
girls could throw ourselves at it, a better use was devised, and we used
our newfound skill to battle the People's Republic of China. This
distracted us, and by the time it was over, none of us warriors had time
for foolish little mountains and false legends."
Ryouga scratched at his head in confusion. "What are you saying?"
"Ryouga," the woman said levelly. "When we are at peace, we train.
When we are at war, we fight. Right now, we prepare for war, and this
means the time for training is over, and whatever disabilities we have,
we must get rid of, if we can."
"My curses?" he asked bluntly. "You said that you would get me and
Mousse water from the spring of drown man, right?"
The woman nodded, drawing a small wooden cask from her robes. "I had
someone run to fetch this last night," she admitted. "Along with some
spring of drowned dog, and a few other harmless springs. This cask is
for you, and there is another for Mousse. The rest, I expect, we'll have
to use on the reavers."
Ryouga accepted the cask with trembling hands, staring at it in
wonder. "Do you know how often I fought and battled just for a chance at
some of this?" he asked quietly, setting the cask between his knees
before the trembling in his hands grew too violent. "Of course you do --
you saw some of it. But.... But this..." he said hoarsely, clenching his
eyes shut. "You know what, Cologne?" he asked suddenly.
"What's that?" the woman asked gently.
"This isn't fair," he said quietly. "I fought and battled and
stabbed someone who called me a friend in the back--" he cut off,
laughing, hysteria cutting into his voice deeply. "I betrayed Ranma for
a chance at a cure, to leave him stuck as a girl forever!" He shook his
head, eyes still closed. "And after that, he forgave me, and saw to it
that me and Mousse got our curses unlocked first, when he could
have...." He swallowed. "I don't deserve this," he concluded in a
monotone, opening his eyes to regard the cask. "If anyone does, it's Ranma."
"While you may feel it's true," Cologne warned, "your curse is too
much of a liability here. We need you to fight, and I don't think you
can do it nearly as well with your curse."
"And Ranma has to keep his, because it makes him stronger," Ryouga
said softly. "It's not fair."
"Not at all," Cologne agreed quietly. "But don't take too long,
Child. What must be done, must be done."
***
"She cannot protect you any longer," the woman said, irritation
echoing in her voice.
Ranma blinked, the motion seeming unreal somehow -- he was certain
that he hadn't even been there a moment ago, and yet the strange woman
from before was addressing him as though he'd been there for some time.
The hall was as pristine and undamaged as the first time he had seen it,
and the woman lounged in her customary position on the dais.
Ignoring her, he turned, squinting at the pillars in the distance.
He remembered shattering a number of them with his own body clearly
enough. But the pillar was restored, somehow. No sign of damage. The
only trace of any disturbance was from behind the woman, where a pair of
chains dangled from a pillar, a thick red liquid oozing down them
slowly. He didn't need to guess to remember what the blood was from.
"She was in your way, so you beat her up?" Ranma asked, staring at
the chain.
"Your mind is weak, and changes the actions from what I do to
something you can more easily comprehend," she offered. "It is a fault
of your own weakness."
"So whatever makes sense to me is right?" he mumbled, furrowing his
brow.
"Something like that." The woman pursed her lips in a smile. "You
realize, of course, that by now I've already won. All you can do now is
delay the inevitable. Unless you can bring my sister to me."
"Save it," Ranma advised. "You say that this place makes things so
that you can understand them, right? So does it work both ways?"
"Of course not," the woman said, straightening to sit atop her dais,
and scowling distastefully. "I understand you as well as I need to."
"Yeah, well, I don't speak 'crazy bitch', so I'd disagree," Ranma
grumbled.
The woman stared at him blankly, then began to scowl darkly. "You
disobey me still?" she seethed, raising one hand.
Ranma shook his head quickly, taking as step back. "Wait up a
minute!" he protested. "You said you understand me well enough, right?"
The woman nodded, her hand not moving, her expression unchanging.
"So you understand that I'm never going to do what you ask me to do,
right?" he pressed.
She scowled, shaking her head, but dropped her hand back to her lap
harmlessly. "You confound me," she said at length. "What must I do to
convince you to do as I wish?"
Ranma shook his head. "The way you're asking me, I ain't _ever_
going to do what you're asking. If you're so smart, then tell me this.
Do you know what loyalty is?" He stepped towards her menacingly, doing
his best to look imposing despite the woman's superior height.
"Loyalty is devotion," she murmured. "My servants are all devoted to
me, and you should be too."
"That's not right," Ranma protested. "Yakumo said... said.... Yakumo
told me that they only have fear and hate. I got a lot more than that,
so what you're asking for.... I ain't never going to do it, plain and
simple."
"Ah," the woman said, nodding knowingly. "Then I must remove from
you the capacity to do more than I need. Intriguing."
Ranma shook his head swiftly. "You still don't get it!" he
protested. "You think for a heartbeat that you can just grab me 'cause
I'm not doing exactly what you want, and then fuck around with the way I
_work_ until you're happy?"
"You _are_ mine to do with as I see fit," she noted, scowling. "Your
rebellious nature only serves to irritate me. It is a flaw that I must
remove to make you the perfect tool."
"I guess this whole 'talking' thing is way overrated," Ranma
grumbled. "So you just think you can force me into doing what you want?
Answer me this question, if you can, then."
The woman was taken aback by Ranma's directness. "You would ask a
question of me?" she managed, shocked.
"Yeah," Ranma answered, grinning. "If _making_ people to do what you
want is the answer, how come it's not working?"
And then the dream ended.
***
Kintaro eyed the controls, Mihoshi puttering about in the back room.
Getting ready to ask some questions, she had said. While the Galaxy
Police ships and the remnants of the Home Fleet worked on sweeping up as
many refugees as they could, he turned his attention to the orbital
platform that had been stationed over Earth's atmosphere.
The investigation was likely to be quite difficult, given that he
was only a cadet, but Kintaro had faith in Mihoshi's skills. "Attention
orbital platform," he announced to the communications system. "This is
Cadet Oe of the Galaxy police, assistant to Detective Kuramitsu."
A voice answered, the accompanying image springing to life in one
corner of the screen instantly. "Greetings Cadet Oe, this is Maintainer
Shiname. Are you in need of medical attention?"
"Negative," Kintaro answered, smiling. Nice to see that they were
concerned, at least. "We need to make some inquiries and check some data
against the observation gear on your platform."
"Understood, Cadet Oe. Please allow the auto-piloting system to
bring you in."
"Auto-pilot engaged," Kintaro responded, relaxing. "Thank you for
your assistance, Maintainer Shiname."
The channel's security increased a notch, and the woman on the
screen bowed her head slightly. "If you and Detective Kuramitsu don't
mind, Cadet Oe, one of the Jurian delegate aboard the platform wishes to
have a conference with you in private once you arrive."
Kintaro nodded his understanding. "That would be good," he replied
politely. "I think we've got a lot to talk about. I look forward to
meeting you in person, Oe out."
The woman flashed him one last smile before her image vanished, and
the connection was terminated.
"This should be interesting," he mused quietly.
***
His eyes fluttered weakly, finally gaining the strength to part, and
leaving him staring at a leafy copse. He blinked, finding his energy
flowing back into his limbs as he waited. The tree-leaves above him
rustled very faintly in an invisible breeze, and a faint humming echoed
through his hearing.
"Hey," he said tiredly, allowing his eyes to drift shut as he
gathered himself.
"Ranma-dono?" a voice called to him worriedly. "Are you awake?"
"Yeah," he answered, opening his eyes. "Where am I?"
"You're aboard an orbital platform, Ranma-dono." The speaker came
into his sight, peering down at him... apprehensively. He squinted,
blinking. Her hair was darker than Sasami's, and slightly than
Tsunami's, but there was some undeniable feature of her that was _both_.
"Tsunami?" he ventured, struggling to a sitting position.
The girl positively beamed at him, nodding happily. "You know who I
am!" she said excitedly. "I was afraid you would forget, and then, that
you would forget what I gave--"
"I remember," he said cautiously, completely alert.
She was silent, hope fading from her eyes, and worry taking its place.
"And.... And what do you make of my gift?" she asked quietly.
Ranma fidgeted for a moment, realizing that the blanket covering him
had fallen about his waist, and he was otherwise naked. He concentrated,
summoning the skin-tight battle suit to him, and managed a weak smile.
"It's something I can't have, because of what I am," he said softly. "I
wish I deserved it, but I don't."
She relaxed very slightly, raising her eyes to meet his again. "But
it is for me to decide if you are worthy or not, Ranma-dono."
He winced, unable to deny that, at least. "I made a promise, didn't
I?" he asked quietly. "To you, and.... I.... I can't answer your
question yet," he said apologetically, dropping his gaze to the floor.
"But I promise you that I will have an answer for you once this is all
over."
"No," she insisted, stepping forward, wrapping her arms about him,
and pressing his face to her chest gently. "That won't do at all. You
must promise me that you will tell me before it's all over -- if you
wait...." She sighed, her voice thick with tears, and when she spoke
again her voice was slightly subdued. "You must tell me before it's
over, or you must tell me that you don't accept me. That you don't
accept my gift," she amended.
"I will tell you," he said quietly, raising his arms to hug he girl
gently. "I don't...." He sighed, closing his eyes, and allowing her to
comfort him for the moment before rising from the bed suddenly, catching
the girl before she could fall. "Okay. I don't like being put on the
spot like this, so I'll answer you when I can, and I promise that it'll
be before this is all over. Is that good enough?"
She nodded, hugging him tightly, and relaxing. "It's been so
horribly, Ranma-dono," she murmured. "I was.... I was so afraid you'd
reject me right away."
He struggled, wanting to answer, but knowing he couldn't. "You're
not alone," he said after a moment. "There's.... There's lots of people,
you know."
Still leaning against Ranma, standing on her tiptoes, she sighed,
eyes closed, and the side of her face pressed into his chest. "Please,
Ranma-dono.... Please just let us be like this for a moment."
He sighed, arms still supporting her. "It wasn't supposed to be like
this," he breathed, too quietly for her to hear. Blinking, he tried to
distract himself by studying the room. The entire thing looked to be
made out of a single living tree, and a window near the foot of his bed
revealed a sea of stars swimming slowly past.
The walls were covered with leaves, which rustled softly, as if in
the passage of an errant breeze. A single open doorway betrayed a
fleeting hint of red hair, and echoed faintly with hurried footsteps.
"Oh, no," Ranma groaned, pushing away from Tsunami.
She gasped in surprise, and backed away, eyes bright and vulnerable.
"Ranma-dono?" she asked tremulously.
"Gods above, this is not what I wanted to wake up to," Ranma
grumbled. "I'd rather still be fighting Herb! I promised I would answer,
but I need time! I'm sorry." But he could tell his words hurt the girl,
even as another had already been hurt. "This really sucks," he swore,
concentrating for a moment, and finding the power to teleport.
His senses -- and Ran-oh-ki's -- allowed him to do so flawlessly,
and he appeared before her just in time for the scientist to crash into
him, sending the pair sprawling headlong. "That didn't feel too good,"
he noted, using his own body to break her fall.
The woman scowled at him, climbing to her feet in the otherwise
deserted corridor. "Why are you here?" she asked, crossing her arms over
her chest.
"Because I saw you running away?" Ranma hazarded.
Washuu relaxed slightly, allowing her arms to hang at her sides.
"Normally you're supposed to deny that what the woman ever saw happened."
"Why?" Ranma asked, scratching his head. "I don't really get a lot
of this stuff -- Tsunami's hurting and alone, and she wants me to say
something I'm not ready to say yet." He sighed, shaking his head, and
pointed accusingly at Washuu. "You wanted me to say something too, but
you said you'd wait, and that's what I need. Time, you know?"
The scientist smiled slowly. "Of course," she admitted. "I suppose I
was jumping to conclusions a bit."
"Uh," Ranma answered, frowning. "I get the feeling I just made
things worse. Um, look, I don't want to hurt anyone, you know?" He
sighed, floating a few centimeters over the floor, and called his
partner to him. The furry creature darted from near Washuu's ankle, to
leap into his hands. "So, let's not worry about this now, okay."
"Of course," Washuu replied, frowning. "This has to be the strangest
relationship--"
"No! No! Not that word," Ranma protested. "We ain't, uh, nothing.
Yet. Um. You know. Time. Reavers to kill. Stuff like that?"
The redheaded scientist actually burst into laughter, unable to deny
the humor of the situation. "Okay, Ranma," she said agreeably, voice
tinged with amusement. "But.... It occurs to me, aren't you already
making a choice by chasing after me, instead of speaking with Tsunami?"
Ranma grinned, waggling a finger at Washuu. "Ah! Way ahead of you
there. See, I can be in two places at once." He frowned slightly, then
shivered. "Didn't used to be quite so tiring, though."
"Stop that right now," Washuu chastised, the humorous glint
vanishing from her eyes. "You are not allowed to strain yourself after
what you nearly did while fighting Herb."
"Uh," he mumbled, scratching the back of his head. "What did I do?"
"You pushed yourself _far_ too hard," she accused, grabbing his hand
and leading him purposefully down the hall. "There are limits to your
abilities that you're going to have to respect, unless you want to end
up killing yourself."
"What limits?" he asked. "I'm the best!"
"Not for long, if you're careless! You have to take care of
yourself, Ranma. You promised."
"But Herb's a damn good fighter," Ranma protested. "And he's got way
more ki energy than anyone else I've ever met! The risk is worth it." He
frowned, allowing Washuu to tow him down the corridor. "Where is he,
anyway?"
"He's with Yosho, leading Herb's men to the Joketsuzoku village. And
_you_ are recuperating from what could have been permanent damage to
yourself, if I hadn't gotten to you faster," Washuu grumbled, shooting a
dark glance at Ranma over her shoulder.
Ranma shifted uncomfortably, holding Ran-oh-ki in one hand. "Um,
Washuu, you worry about me too much."
The woman stopped suddenly, and turned around to glare at Ranma. "I
seem to remember a certain speech about someone who wasn't strong enough
and had to push themselves harder. Do you remember that?"
Ranma nodded uncomfortably. "Yeah, I remember."
"So why is it that you can push yourself as hard as you can to try
and save a life here, a life there, and I'm not allowed to fret over you
when you do something stupid and put your own life on the line for what
could be no good reason at all?"
"Hey, that's different!" he protested. "I mean, it was a fight,
Washuu. I don't lose."
"Of course not," Washuu noted acidly. "I trust you remember what
happened when you fought Ryouko?"
"That was a fluke!"
"And never mind all the wounds and close shaves you've had in combat
with reavers--" She broke off suddenly, smiling grimly, and began
reciting from memory, "Lacerations, shoulder, left, twenty. Lacerations,
upper arm, left, forty-six. Lacerations, lower arm, left, thirteen.
Lacerations--"
Ranma flinched, somehow trapped by Washuu's hand, and looked away.
Ran-oh-ki studiously cleaned non-existent grit from between his toes,
pointedly not meeting Ranma's eyes. "Okay," he said quietly, prompting
Washuu to stop. "So I get scratched up from time to time."
"Hurting yourself so badly that even Tsunami can't fix it without
spending hours working on you is _not_ 'scratched up from time to time',
Ranma. Need I remind you of how I found you?"
He flinched again, and admitted, "I... I don't remember."
She tapped his torso gently, shaking her head. "Right about there,"
she indicated, tracing a ragged shape against his bodysuit. "And the tip
of the reaver's claw came out the other side. You're lucky you made it
too cold to flood your body with its toxins. You took major internal
damage because the fumes degraded your lungs to the point where they
just couldn't provide enough oxygen." She shook her head resolutely. "No
one else on Earth, or even throughout most of known space could have
saved you at that point, Ranma. You simply _cannot_ take surviving
something like that for granted."
"Why not?" he countered. "I've always been pretty lucky."
"You can't take it for granted because it's disrespectful to the
people who didn't make it," she said quietly. "Like Terry. Or your father."
Ranma reeled from the words, which struck him harder than any
physical blow, leaving him to collapse to his knees and gape at the
woman in shock. Not releasing his wrist, she knelt before him, staring
directly into his eyes. "Do you understand what I'm saying, Ranma?"
"Life is a gift too precious to throw away," Tsunami said, emerging
from the doorway behind Washuu. "Washuu is right, Ranma-dono. You must
take better care of yourself."
"But--" he protested, choking, and unable to continue.
"Your other half disappeared," Tsunami offered, kneeling at Washuu's
side, and taking Ranma's other hand. "Please, Ranma-dono, respect my
sister's words."
Ranma closed his eyes, Ran-oh-ki scurrying up his arm to nuzzle
against his cheek. "Yeah," he said quietly, a pair of blazing sigils
appearing to his still-closed eyes. "I.... I guess I screwed that one
up. Oh, man, I'm.... I'm sorry." He opened his eyes, regarding the pair
-- one woman, one girl -- and offered a weak smile. "You're sisters? I
never.... I never would have guessed."
"Sisters?" Washuu asked, frowning, then dropping Ranma's hand to
regard Tsunami. "Well, we're close, but we're not related that I know
of, Tsunami."
"And ever we forget what we once took for granted," Tsunami noted
sadly, shaking her head. "It's not important, Washuu. What's important
is that Ranma-dono understands."
"Of course," Washuu agreed, nodding.
Ranma scratched his head, confused. "Okay. But, uh, Tsunami, you
really _don't_ need to call me Ranma-dono."
The girl dropped his hand, laughing lightly. "As you wish, Ranma...
Ranma. Yes." She giggled again softly. "I like the sound of that."
"Er," Ranma mumbled. "I guess. I'll take better care of myself, but
I can't stop fighting." He turned to regard Washuu frankly. "When can we
go back to Earth? Even if I can't fight today, Ran-oh-ki is great at
detecting where the reavers are."
"Agreed," Washuu said after a moment, looking less pleased than her
words suggested. "I prefer to be where I can monitor the tactical
situation more closely, and the Galaxy Police is going to need days with
the next few waves of carriers to evacuate the planet."
"Right," Ranma mused softly. "So one way or another, this is going
to end in a few days, huh?"
"I believe so," Tsunami allowed, nodding. "I will, of course, remain
here and help aid the medical facilities. If you have any wounded,
please bring them here, Ranma." She smiled again, at his name. "Just a
few more days."
"Of course."
***
Upset by the loss of one of the Home Fleet, Tenchi sat on the great
seat beneath the Throne, rubbing at his temples and listening to
Funaho's whispered explanations. What he was hearing didn't please him
at all, but he knew better than to react loudly with so many of the
Court scattered about within hearing distance were he to shout.
"So the Galaxy Police will take care of it?" he asked quietly.
"Yes, and when we find out who is responsible, we'll deal with
them," she responded, her mouth hidden behind a small folding fan.
Tenchi guessed there was a reason for the fan, and chose his words
with care. "And how is this normally dealt with?"
"The murder of an Ouke-no-ki is usually something that Tsunami will
define a punishment for, Tenchi." Funaho paused, considering something,
then added, "No Juraian lives were lost, though we would prefer to keep
Kohito's condition secret for the moment."
Offering a slight nod, Tenchi rubbed at his chin, momentarily
concealing his own mouth. "Just a costly setback, and more treason."
Funaho nodded curtly, snapping her fan shut. "I'll go ahead and
start working on that immediately, Tenchi-sama."
Tenchi nodded at her as she walked away, sighing softly. Ayeka
trailed after the woman, shooting Tenchi a smile before the pair
vanished through a stairwell, and into the interior of the ship. Misaki
stood a short distance away, unobtrusively watching the Court, while
Ryouko hovered over the woman's shoulder, far less subtlety evident in
her scan of the crowd.
***
Juggling a trio of rocks anxiously, Ryu focused his attention on
balancing, maintaining an easy rhythm while balancing on a slim bamboo
pole someone had stuck in the earth before the Marine's lodge. Though it
wasn't just for the Marines, of course -- it was also for the girls, and
himself, and Ryouga. Likely Ranma, once he came back.
"Hey," someone called out.
Ryu grunted, ignoring the voice, and closing his eyes. Juggling with
closed eyes was a difficult exercise in concentration, but rewarding in
terms of coordination.
"Hey!"
"What," he asked, not opening his eyes, but sure that he was going
to drop a rock at any moment.
"Ryu, we've got to get moving. One of the scouts said that they saw
some kind of movement not far away, and we need to send some people to
check it out."
"Oh," Ryu answered, still continuing his practice. "Who all's going
with us, Fearless Leader?"
"You, Kino-san, Mousse, Aino-san, Hino-san, Ray, the three Amazon
women we met yesterday, and me."
Ryu missed a catch, and bounced a rock off of his wrist. "Right," he
drawled, opening his eyes, and turning to face a slightly more somber
than usual Ryouga. "Something bothering you, Fearless Leader?" he asked,
frowning.
"No. We should gather everyone here and get going, though. Kura-Wan
will lead the way."
Ryu frowned, watching Ryouga stand across from him. The boy still
had the masses of white linen wrapped around his arms -- within easy
reach for reaver attacks -- but his shoulders and hair looked oddly
damp. "Uh, yeah," Ryu mumbled, unsettled. "I'll go get everyone else, I
guess. Where are the weapon chicks?"
The other boy snorted at that, shaking his head. "Kura-Wan will be
here in a minute, Ryu. I'll wait here until you get everyone else."
"Right." Ryu dropped the two rocks he had caught, jerking his head
in a nod at some of the Marines that were loitering outside the lodge,
watching him practice his balance. They nodded back, trading some money
between them. He hid a smile at that -- likely the men knew just how
little value the green pieces of American money were, but they still
chose to gamble it on something as frivolous as his ability to balance
on a pole.
Shaking his head to banish the distracting thoughts, he trotted
towards the back of the lodge. The girls -- and women -- had set up
their own little area there to get some privacy from the men. Makoto
spotted him the second he rounded the corner, jumping to her feet from
her discussion with the other girls, and waving cheerfully at him.
"Hello, Ryu!" she greeted happily.
"Yo," he replied, drawing to a halt and surveying the rest of the
girls. Rei was there, apparently fascinated by the still-sheathed weapon
on her lap, and not far away Mamoru sat, Usagi asleep with her head in
his lap. "Hey, girls, Fearless Leader says that there are some bugs we
need to smack around." Ryu paused, as though he were considering
something, then added, "So, Mako-chan, you, Minako, and Rei are with us.
And some others."
"Okay," Makoto said, her voice becoming slightly more subdued. "Why
do they think there are reavers there?"
"Because I can feel them," Yakumo answered, drawling close to the
group, Ami at his side. "I'm playing messenger boy for the old women,
and they asked if Hotaru and Usagi could go to the main hall to be ready
to work whatever healing they can."
Usagi roused at the mention of her name, obviously still groggy, and
mumbled something about a snooze button before dozing off. Mamoru
sighed, and set about waking her.
"Where's Meiou?" Yakumo asked, frowning. "Cologne wants her in on
the planning."
Makoto nodded, while Minako and Rei climbed to their feet, moving to
stand behind Ryu. "Setsuna is... ah... discussing something with Artemis
and Luna, Fuji-san," Makoto offered.
"Oh, hey, I hear you can summon monsters," Ryu commented. "Is that
true?"
"Yes," Yakumo said quietly. "Tou-Chou and Chin-Kuu. Why do you ask?"
Ryu grinned, nodding slightly. "So they're like pokemon, only evil,
right?"
"Pokemon are already evil," Yakumo returned flatly. "My servants are
merely vicious."
The boy was left blinking, as Yakumo wheeled, and marched away.
"Uh," Ryu managed. "Well, let's get going."
***
Banishing the sword as she followed Ryu around the lodge, Rei
sighed, closing her eyes. "I still never managed to tell Ranma-san about
the dream," she murmured.
Minako turned to look at her curiously. "What's that?" she asked.
"I had a dream about Ranma-san..." she trailed off nervously, and
offered Minako an embarrassed smile.
"Oh, I don't know if you want to tell him about that," Minako said,
shaking her head resolutely. "I mean, boys like hearing about those
kinds of dreams, but it gives them the wrong idea, doesn't it?"
Rei rolled her eyes, sighing. "Not like that, Minako," she
chastised. "I dreamt that he... that he...." She shook her head,
swallowing nervously, and in a quiet voice, finished, "I dreamt that he
froze the world to stop the reavers."
Minako's eyes widened, and the girl stumbled in her steps. "Freeze
the whole world?" she asked quietly. "I thought that would take a lot of
power. A _real_ lot of power. Does he have that much?"
"No," Rei said, shaking her head, and urging Minako to continue
walking with a gentle push on the back of her shoulder. "At least, I
don't think so. He needed the help of Hotaru, and... and a man with wings."
"Oh, I guess. Who's the man with wings?"
"No one I know of," Rei said, shaking her head. "Hopefully, we'll
never find out."
Ryu glanced back at the pair of them, Ryu frowned, then stated,
"I've seen enough weird stuff for a lifetime already, thanks. Let's keep
winged men that let Ranma freeze a whole planet out of it, eh?"
Rei nodded, rounding the final corner, and stopping next to Ryouga,
who was already conversing with the three Amazon women they had met near
the destroyed tanks the previous day. "Okay," Ryouga said, his voice
rumbling with a slight, sullen edge. "Kura-Wan, you, Pei-Lin, and
Jian-Di will lead the way. Ryu, you're pretty sneaky from your training,
so I want you to scout ahead about fifty meters. If you find anything I
want you to come back to us so we can coordinate. Aino, Hino, Kino-san,
I want you to follow about ten meters behind me and Ray. You're used to
fighting together, so you'll be a group if it gets down to it."
"Sure thing, Fearless Leader," Ryu grumbled, unfurling the bolt of
cloth at his wait about himself, and vanishing from sight. His voice
called out, disembodied, a moment later. "Where'd you get so good at
this, anyway?"
"The world's a lot different if you stop and think about things
before doing them," Ryouga offered simply. "Let's start moving --
Kura-Wan, can you lead us?"
The Amazon woman nodded, her spear in her hands. Her red locks of
hair flowed loosely about her, as she gazed upward at a distant
mountain, gaining her bearings, then lowered her face to regard Ryouga.
"This way," she said, stabbing southward with her spear. "Many trees,
some valleys, a stream. Maybe three kilometers to the enemy."
"Okay, um, let's stick to the trees. If we're lucky, the reavers
will have trouble -- all living things have ki in them, and if the
reavers can sense ours, then the trees might hide us." He smiled,
shrugging, and gestured towards the direction that Kura-Wan had
indicated. "After you."
Kura-Wan grinned, and broke into a sudden run, Pei-Lin and Jian-Di
pacing her a few steps back and to either side. Ryouga dashed behind
them, Ray keeping up with him. Sighing, Rei offered a hopeful smile to
Makoto and Minako before holding up her henshin wand. "I hope we can
keep up with them," she said quietly.
***
Enveloped safely within the cloak of the Umisen-ken, Ryu scouted
back and forth between the trees ahead of Kura-Wan and her
spear-sisters. It was interesting, he thought, that Ryouga trusted him
enough to send him off on his own, since there was nothing truly binding
him to the group.
He might die on his own, but he expected the Umisen-ken would hide
him from the reavers. It had worked in Shanghai, after all. But he
remained where he was, ahead of the Amazons, and trying to see if
anything were amiss. He could vaguely feel something, when he remembered
fighting the reaver beneath the hotel in Shanghai. The strange feeling
that he got when he was near a reaver in Shanghai wasn't immediately
present, though.
So there were no reavers immediately nearby, though there might be
some further off.... He tried not to think about that, instead wondering
why he was staying with a group he knew he could escape without worry.
Not honor, though he had told Ranma that he would fight, because
watching the world die didn't appeal to him. Still, there was something
to seeing all of the refugees through the Gate that warned him of the
finality of the situation. Things were bad, and there was no way around
that fact.
There was every possibility that everyone who was fighting would
die. But what good would running do, now? He couldn't get to Australia
very quickly, and he had no idea how long things would last -- Ranma had
disappeared to seek out 'Herb', whoever that was. That might help the
tide of battle, but Ryu wasn't certain. Even if they could win, there
was still the risk and chance of failure.
He shook his head, glancing back at the Amazons. And behind them, to
Makoto.
It wasn't something he wanted to think about, but the girl was too
damnably likable to simply forget. She had remained loyal to the idea of
him for longer than he would have thought possible, still thought highly
of him, and... and seemed to like him. A lot. Even if the odds were
against them, and even if he knew he could get away, he wasn't sure if
he could just abandon that.
Smiling, he shook his head and sighed. It would be interesting, one
way or another.
He froze, as he sensed something, something that stood out against
the ki surrounding him. The faint energy passed through him without
touching him, thanks to the Umisen-ken, but it left him able to sense
things without ki even more easily, and the reavers, as Washuu had said,
completely lacked it. He leapt back landing a few paces before the
Amazons, and dropping the guise of the Umisen-ken.
The three women stopped abruptly, glowing at him. Ryu merely flashed
them a grin, waiting for Ryouga and the others to catch up. They did,
Ray, Makoto, and her friends slightly winded, everyone else unaffected
by the exertion. "Got something ugly about thirty meters that way,
Fearless Leader," Ryu said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. "Don't
know why they're just sitting around, but that's what's going on."
Ryouga nodded, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning,
staring at his feet for a moment. "How many?" he asked, looking upwards
to regard Ryu frankly.
Ryu grimaced. "At least four," he said, concentrating. "I can go
closer and look, if you want."
Hedging uncertainly, Ryouga considered the offer. "It's not a good
idea to put yourself in too much risk," he said quietly, staring in the
direction of the reavers, though Ryu doubted he could see them at that
point. "Okay. Aino-san, you and Hino-san wait over there," he said,
pointing at a nearby clump of ferns. "If plants mask our presence, we'll
hope that you can hide there. Kura-Wan, you and your, uh, spear-sisters
should wait over there with Ray," he said, pointing to another stand of
ferns. "I'll wait right here," he said, marching to a point between
where he had ordered the other groups, but tending towards the Amazon
village.
Ryu raised an eyebrow. "We're going to try and ambush them?"
"No," Ryouga said flatly. "At least, not yet. But if they chase you,
we'll try and make a stand here. If things get bad, then I'll try and
hold them off while everyone else runs. Go ahead and scout, but if they
see you, come back here as quickly as you can."
"Gotcha, Fearless Leader," Ryu said, offering Ryouga a mocking
salute as the other groups hustled to hide where the boy had indicated.
Shaking his head, he turned away, swirling his cloth about himself, and
once more disappearing into the cloak of the Umisen-ken.
He heard Makoto protest loudly, demanding, "How can you send
Ryu-chan out there alone? Hibiki-san--"
"Hey," Ryu cut her off, dropping his cloak before Ryouga could
defend his decision. "I offered. Don't worry about it, Mako-chan. I'll
be back before you know it." She closed her mouth, unhappy about the
decision, but nodded her acceptance. Ryu offered her a grin, winking
before he assumed his cloak once again.
Clearing his mind, he leapt upwards, bounding off a tree branch, and
giving himself a little extra height for his scouting. Likely, the
reavers couldn't manage to climb the trees, as much as they weighed. If
they spotted him, it would give him that much more time to get away.
Hopefully.
Then again, he had no idea what the reavers were doing, just sitting
around idle. That part worried him, too. He paused, clinging to a
branch, and keeping the loose, natural aura of the Umisen-ken to
maintain his cloak. From his position he could just sense the blight of
ki of the reavers, though they were out of sight.
Through the foliage, he could glimpse what looked like the exterior
edge of a crater lip, which would put the reavers at the center, if his
estimation were correct. He slipped forward a few trees, timing his
leaps to roughly coincide with the slight breeze. He could sense them
only vaguely. At least four of them, but something... a larger mass,
devoid of ki at their center.
Unnerved, he slipped forward again, stopping at the tree at the edge
of the 'crater'. Not a crater, really, as much as a bowl-shaped pit that
the reavers had carved in the soft earth of the forest floor. Four of
them stood at corners about the center, where another two milled about
slowly.
Ryu narrowed his eyes, leaning forward to peer at what they were
doing. Between the central pair, like giant black marbles, easily a
half-dozen spheres lay, clumped into a pile. One of the black orbs
shifted suddenly, rolling off of the pile, and towards the exterior of
the pit. The nearest reaver deftly caught it with a pair of its spindly,
dangerous limbs, and herded it back onto the pile.
Numbing in shock as he realized what he was seeing, Ryu's grip
failed him, and he slipped off his perch, cursing under his breath and
catching himself on a lower branch. Dangling by one arm a few meters
over the forest floor, he concentrated, his control of the Umisen-ken
slowly escaping him. The nearest reaver had shuffled about to face him,
and emitted a brief, low, keening noise.
"Fuck it," Ryu muttered, yanking himself up and flipping over.
Planting his feet against the trunk of the tree as he tumbled, he
yelled, launching away and narrowly evading a pair of reavers rushing at
him. He flew true, rolling in midair, and bouncing off of one of the
central reavers before slamming into the pile of what he guessed to be
reaver eggs. Unlike the reavers themselves, the eggs were soft, smooth,
and without jagged edges. He twisted his body around, finding cautious
purchase, and knee deep in the morass. Drawing in a deep breath, as the
reavers paused, he roared, "Kijin gun-dairanbu."
***
Ryouga flexed his hands about empty air, wishing that he had his
umbrella with him. Still, he was nominally in charge of the group, and
he felt it was his duty to present a confident image. As impossible as
that really was.
He shook his head, glancing to either side. Makoto and her two
friends crouched in the ferns, peeking out at him dubiously, the bright
colors of their uniforms standing out easily against the forest's soft
green. Opposite them, Ryouga could see Ray, already kneeling, his gun at
the ready. His uniform stood out much less, but the bright colors that
Kura-Wan and the other Amazons wore had vanished completely.
Ryouga frowned, considering that, and unwrapped some of the white
linen wrapped about his arms. It was there for easy access, should he
need a weapon, but allowing it to dangle loosely provided what would
hopefully be a good distraction for the reavers.
Sighing, he tried to banish that thought. The only reason that the
reavers would attack them would be if Ryu were to be caught. Ryouga
didn't believe that Ryu would have offered to do something he wasn't
confident he could do.
As that thought crossed his mind, the forest half of a kilometer
away exploded. Ryouga blinked, unsure of what he was seeing, as a
massive column of dust was sent up, and the all-too-familiar shriek of
the reavers rang out. "Ryu-chan!" Makoto yelped, jumping to her feet.
Rei and Minako restrained her, turning questioning eyes on Ryouga.
He glanced over his shoulder to see Ray, too, looking at him in worry.
"Okay," he said levelly, "let's wait for a bit -- Ryu's not dumb.
Let's give him about thirty seconds. If that fails, we'll go in."
Ray nodded, tapping a wristwatch silently. Makoto trembled with an
emotion that Ryouga couldn't immediately identify, but nodded at him,
and stared at the source of the dust. Clearing his throat, the boy
knelt, closing his eyes.
He was a horrible leader, he realized. He had probably just
consigned one of the few people who trusted him to death. A failure --
unable to do anything right, and undeserving of the role he had been
given. Undeserving of the cure he had finally accepted for his curse.
The burgeoning clouds overhead chose that moment to release their
loads, as if to emphasize the point, and cold droplets of water began to
sprinkle onto him through the thick foliage of the forest. "Time!" Ray
announced, rising to his feet.
Ryouga nodded, turning once again to regard the direction that Ryu
had left in. "Stay where you are," Ryouga managed, feeling the tiredness
entering his voice as he spoke. "I see him."
Indeed, in the distance, bounding through the tree branches, and
clutching an arm to his chest, Ryu bounded along, chased by six reavers.
Six of them. Ryouga knew that was more than they could handle -- far
more. He had consigned them _all_ to death. Ryu made eye contact as he
drew close, crimson droplets of blood trailing behind him as he leapt,
passing Ryouga, and the reavers approached, crashing through the forest
and knocking down the trees in their rush.
They ignored Ryouga, stampeding directly after Ryu. He wasn't even
worth their notice, standing there like he was. "Perfect Shishi
houko-dan," he said quietly, a haze of green fire obscuring the world
from him, as a deep pain bit into his soul.
***
Trotting across the landscape towards the Joketsuzoku, Yosho drew to
a sudden halt, staring at a nearby forest, as a column of dust billowed
upwards from it. He turned to look at Herb, who scowled at the sight.
"Something wrong?" he asked, as the assorted Musk warriors drew to a
halt, staring about curiously.
"I sense someone's ki," Herb said slowly. "Someone familiar, and
someone who I don't know... nor can I tell what he's doing." The prince
scowled. "This troubles me greatly, as I am the master of all ki
techniques. There should be no ability that I do not know of."
Yosho grunted, surveying the warriors, then turning his attention to
Herb again. "Let's go see what it is, then. Someone might be in danger."
"Yes," Herb said, breaking into a run, and trailed by his warriors.
Yosho paced him easily, and Herb grinned, adding, "This will be
interesting."
[End, Process of Elimination, Chapter Twelve]
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Author's Notes:
This chapter was shortened from what was originally planned.