******
ch. 4
******

You've never sent anyone to help me with the pain before.

"No, we didn't. And we didn't do it this time either.  You journied 
to them.  As you were supposed to with the rest."

There isn't any that can help with the other pain..not until this 
world...

"Yes there are, actually.  You just have to look to find them.  
Anyways, you aren't dead now, just sleeping.  Go back."

Okay.

***

It has now been two months since my brother and the old man have left 
me here.  Ryouga has shown up, infrequently, but he has shown up 
nonetheless.  I think, however, that Ranma and Genma won't 
return...at least they won't without being dragged.

Genma won't, at least.  Ranma, if he remembers me, would come 
willingly.

In the first month, they tought me meditation techniques, to help 
push the pain away.  To isolate it, when I really needed to be around 
others.  They also tought me how to let it go...that is the hardest 
part.  "You have to forgive yourself, and you have to forgive the one 
who hurt you."

Forgive myself?  That's almost impossible...especially with how much 
I hated myself before.  Oh well, I try, and that is the most 
important part.

Shampoo tried several times in the first week to ambush me and claim 
me...but each time, before she could get too close to succeeding, her 
Grandmother would appear and forbid her to do so.  With how fast she 
moves I now find it very believeable how good she was 'reported' to 
be before.  Shampoo gave up after that first week, and disappeared 
completely.  For some reason I think I know where she went.

Grandmother has asked me, and I honestly say, each time, "I have 
suspicions only, I can not prove where she went.  But my guess is 
Japan."  What, oh that? Yeah, I call her Grandmother sometimes.  It's 
harmless...it makes her smile, she's always so serious, plus everyone 
gives me a wide berth because I do call her that.  IS there a 
relationship there?  Only one of student and teacher, nothing by 
blood.   Heck, my body was made purely out of magic, there is no 
blood relation of me to anyone.

When Genma turned tail and ran, avoiding that first month, 
Grandmother began to teach me basic skills with my magic.   She was 
surprised at what I knew before, and my proficiency in them, but 
everything else was new to me.  In a way it still is, as I have to 
build the spell-forms in my head from scratch.  Grandmother chided me 
on that, "You have to do it step by step, don't leave anything out," 
she admonished me one day.

"But Grandmother, all the steps you show me form one thing only with 
the magic, and I can do that without the hand waving and chanting."

"It's the principal, child.  You have to give the opponents a 
sporting chance to defend themselves."

"But I'm not sporting,"

"Try to be,"  That was the end of that conversation.

Actually, it is fun to do it that way, and it's even more fun to 
build one spellform, and chant another...really throws my sparring 
partners off that I chant out the fireball spell, and instead fly 
over them without doing any damage.  THAT one got me 'bread and 
water' for two days...and congradulations from the entire village.

The _down side_ to how I do spells, though, is that it takes months 
of practicing and memorizing to be able to do the simple ones even 
relatively quickly...and I only have four of them memorized to that 
point so far.  The tiny spellbook in my hands, however, holds all the 
spells I know even periphially..

It's not enough to make me a super-power in the world, not that I 
want to be one.  But it will let me survive in the coming years.

I find that I want to survive now...as long as I can.

Ryouga steps up from the forest, "Can you tell me the way to 
Joketsuzoku?" he asks me...then stops, and grins sheepishly, "uhm, 
nevermind.  Hey Liath, are you ready to go?"  I giggle softly then 
turn to the village.  Only two guards can be seen, but I know others 
are watching. I raise my arm, and wave a fond farewell.  I then turn, 
grab the lost boy's arm, and lead him south.

Towards home.

*****

I check the map again, and try to compare the characters on it to the 
ones on the sign ahead of us. "Uhm, Ryouga?" I wish my Japanese was 
good enough for this, "I hate to say this, but we are going in the 
wrong direction.  How about _I_ lead us, this time?" I look up at him 
with my eyes wide open.  He shuffles his feet, looking down, "Yeah, I 
know, you don't like to talk about it.  Let's just accept it for now, 
and try to get home straight away?"  He nods.  "Good, let's go in 
here first," I grin, "I think we're getting low on food and I want to 
spend some of this money Cologne gave me."

We walk around the town looking for the marketplace.  We can hear the 
people, but it seems to be a bit far out of the way...either that, or 
the access to it is deliberately confusing.

Ryouga points to the side, "I think it's this way."  I turn and stare 
at him.  "Really, I think it is."

I sigh, "Okay, let's try it your way this time.  but if we hit 
forest, we turn back, okay?" He nods, "Let's go then."  I grab onto 
Ryouga's arm before he moves, just in case.

We slip into the side alley, and a voice behind us says, "Hey, what 
will you sell the girl for?"  A sudden feeling of vertigo assaults 
me, and I almost fall as Ryouga turns to the person.

"She isn't for sale, mister.  Get lost." His voice seems far away to 
me.  Grey clouds my vision, and I stumble...

"Hey, she's sick.  I'll take her off of your hands, then." There is a 
quiet *snick* of metal against plastic.  I fall to my knees, 
gasping..."Hey!" the man yells, then there is a *whack!* of something 
solid hitting cement.

Ryouga kneels beside me, holding my shoulder, "Are you okay?" he asks 
worriedly.  I raise my head...multicoloured spots fly past my 
eyes...it's almost a minute before I can focus on his face.

"Don't move!" I snap, as I try to pull myself up onto my feet again. 
Ryouga stands, and I again have to look up at him.  'I wish I wasn't 
so small,' I think.  I grab his hand again, "Okay, we aren't where we 
were before, Let's see if we can get directions."

"How do you know?" I glare at him.  "Right. Sorry.  Nevermind."  He 
stares at me as I stumble over to our attacker and start to rifle 
through his pockets, "What are you doing??"

"He attacked us, therefore, in honor, he forefits anything he has on 
him."

"That's not right!"

"He attacked us, right?" He nods, "He was trying to buy me, then 
steal me, right?"  Again, Ryouga nods, albeit reluctantly. "Well 
then, he is paying for me, but to be healthy this way, instead of 
paying to own me.  Does that work for you?"  Ryouga looks sullen, but 
nods again, grudgingly.

A female voice behind me makes my blood go cold, "Is spoils of war, 
of course is right."  I turn around, and see Shampoo right behind me. 
 Ryouga growls, standing up.  "Shampoo glad pig-boy take good care of 
sister."  My eyes feel like they're going to fall out of my head.

"What???" he growls, falling into a fighting stance, "What do you 
mean 'sister'?  You never liked her!"

Shampoo nods, and steps back, "Is true.  No like Li-ya." I try to 
scramble away from her, "But not Li-ya fault.  Shampoo now know Li-ya 
try to make peace with Shampoo.  Not fight. Not eat prize.  Try stop 
Li-ya father from eating prize.  Amazon law say sister no kill 
sister." I relax, slightly, "Law no say sister no _hurt_ sister." I 
squeak, and try to run behind Ryouga as a bonbori crashes into the 
cement where I was just kneeling.  Her hand flashes back to ready 
position as I scramble around my friend. "Anyway, Li-ya owe Shampoo 
for broken bones.  Shampoo break Li-ya's bones."

"Stop!" yells Ryouga, "She's innocent!  She was only defending 
herself then!"

"Matters not to Shampoo."

"She's sick right now!  Can you, in honour, attack someone who is 
helpless?"

Shampoo stops.  "Li-ya sick?"  Ryouga nods, "Shampoo see.  Will come 
back later, try again." She then jumps onto a rooftop, and away.

Nearly five minutes later, my shivering stops.  Ryouga looks down at 
me, "Are you okay?"

"I okay" I whisper.  He looks at me strangely for a second, "I need 
use Japanese here. Is Japan here." Ryouga nods, then turns at me, 
looking somewhat bewildered, "Trust me!" I grin as he groans.

"Trust a little girl that looks half my age." he grumbles.  I gasp, 
he looks up, "What's wrong?"

"Half your age?" I stumble over the words, "I shrink again?"

He looks me over, "Only a little bit.  The way you hold yourself 
makes you look older, though." I nod, breathing a quick sigh of 
relief.

"Okay.  We go find someone.  You know where Ranma is?"  he nods, 
"Good.  We ask next person we see, where that place be."

"He's at the Tendo Dojo." I nod, and then pull him towards the exit.  


I pull Ryouga out of the alley and look around.  We apparently have 
our pick of people to question, but, just out of sheer perversity, I 
walk over to the policeman standing nearby.

"Excuse," I call out, "Can please show us way to Tendo Dojo?"  The 
policeman looks at me strangely, then points to our left at a gateway 
with a sign.  I turn to Ryouga, "What sign say?" I ask.

"Tendo Dojo." he looks a bit sheepish...I wonder why?

I grin, "There, that not so hard, yes?" he shrugs and blushes.  
Turning to the man, I bow and say, "Thank you very much,"  Turning 
around, I see Ryouga walking towards the gate.  "Stop!" I yell, 
hoping...miraculously, he stops mid-motion.  I gape.

"Why stop, we're already here." he looks confused.

I grin and run over to him, "No walk without me.  Ryouga might get 
lost, yes?"  he blushes and hangs his head.  I lead the way, and 
pause at the gate, but Ryouga keeps on going straight in. "What you 
doing?"

He smiles, "They know me here, and I can bring friends along, yes?" 
his smile turns to a frown, "Ranma's a bit strange though..."

We walk to the front of the house, then we're stopped by a voice.  
"Ranma?  Is this another one of your friends?" A girl I can only 
assume to be Akane snarls, "Isn't she a little young for you?"

My brother looks at me, and voices up, "I don't even know who she 
is." he declares, "Hey, Ryouga, who's the kid?"  Pain clouds my 
vision, fills my heart...

"She's your sister, Ranma!  Remember?  From Jusenkyou?"  Ryouga seems 
to be getting angry.  Why should he?  He doesn't need to protect me.

"Jusenkyou?" Ranma looks startled, "All that happened there was me 
getting my girl curse.  I want to go back there to get rid of it, but 
the old man won't let me,"  The pain hardens, becomes almost solid in 
my heart...

"You already tried to get rid of the curse, Ranma...and she showed up 
when you did.  You told me about that when we went to the Amazon 
village, re-mem-ber?"

Ranma looks thoughtful for a second, then shakes his head, "Nope, 
can't remember at all."

The pain wells up from deep inside me.  I can barely see, I can 
barely hear...all I can feel is the pain.  Vaguely, I can tell that 
Ryouga and Ranma are starting to yell at each other.

"Ryouga," My whisper vanishes in the noise with surprising ease.  I 
try again, "Ryouga!"  Sudden silence, "We go now. We not welcome 
here,"  The lost boy nods, picks up our packs, and I lead him from 
the house.

"And don't come back!" Akane's yell shatters the silence...and my 
heart.

I reach into myself, into the wellspring...and feel, below my feet, 
yet another one.  No, not a well, more like a river...or an Aqueduct. 
 I reach to that one as well, thinking, 'away...I just want to get 
away!'  A hand touches my shoulder.

The world goes black.Shadow's Edge

The shadow is longer than the sun itself,
Its edge goes on to the light,
Walk ye at the edge of the shadow,
To finally understand the night.
(c) Liath Corrine Hidson, June 14,2002



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