"Ucchan came back?" Ranma asked, scratching behind one ear in confusion.
"She said she wanted to tell you where she was going to set up her
shop," Haruka explained quickly, while Ranma looked around, bewildered.
"I should say hello," she reasoned, before the woman reached out a hand
to restrain her, shaking her head. "Something wrong?" Ranma asked,
looking up at the taller woman.
"She's selling refreshments to the crowd. You should wait until after
the performance. She's going to be busy during intermissions."
"Oh, well, that's true." Ranma frowned, then snagged a tossed
okonomiyaki from the air when Seta flung it at him. "Thanks!"
"No problem!" Seta said cheerily. "The play seems to be going well. How
long is the intermission going to be?"
"Just a few minutes, or so," Keitaro said, tugging his belt tighter.
"Hey, Haruka-basan, where did you manage to get all these costumes, anyway?"
"I pulled them out of the attic while Oe-san was replacing some of the
bad insulation. I was hoping we'd have an excuse to put on a play," she
explained.
Ranma took an instinctive step back, wincing. "Um, Haruka-san, he does
need to be on in a few minutes," she warned.
"Oh, right." Haruka removed her foot from the small of Keitaro's back,
where she had tripped him to the ground. "Break a leg."
"If I don't, I get the idea you'll do it for me," Keitaro said weakly,
climbing to his feet.
--------------------------------------
Diamonds in the Rough -- Chapter Ten -- Winter Performance (Part Two)
Disclaimer: Paints in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma 1/2),
TV Tokyo and Ken Akamatsu (Love Hina), and Tatsuya Egawa (Goldenboy).
The story of the heroic legend of Raiko and Sakata Kintoki as presented
here is public domain. The easel is mine. That's all.
Notes: Divergences should become apparent as relevant. If you are not
familiar with the heroic legend of Raiko and Sakata Kintoki, they are
explained within these chapters (somewhat).
--------------------------------------
"You should be more careful," Naru warned. Turning her attention to the
other cast members, she asked, "Shinobu-chan, are you ready?"
"You have a minute," Seta warned. "I have to get back to the lighting
system."
Ranma waved, finishing the last bite of her okonomiyaki as Seta turned
and strolled away.
"Are we all ready?" Haruka asked, glancing towards Mutsumi and Naru as
they vanished into the costuming tent.
"I'm ready," Shinobu said bravely, nodding. "It's easier, I think, now."
Haruka peered at the girl and raised an eyebrow. "Eh? You have
stage-fright?"
"Not anymore," she giggled. "Should I go out now?"
"Mm." Haruka considered, then nodded. "You should. The lights will
change once you're out -- everyone else, that means places in a few
seconds. Let's go!"
***
The lights on the backdrop of the stage dimmed, the 'intermission' sign
fading out and leaving the theater dark for a moment.
A pool of light began at the base of the small podium, expanding until
it captured the radiantly glowing narrator. She offered the audience a
cheerful smile, and began to speak. "Thank you," she said in a voice
that filled the auditorium without echoing, "for coming to listen to our
story again."
The last bits of conversation in the audience trailed off to silence.
She bobbed her head quickly, offering another smile before her
expression became serious. "Raiko and his four retainers journeyed in
search of adventures, but one of Raiko's most famous exploits was his
fabled battle against the ground spider -- Tsuchigumo!" The stage lit
up, showing hilly, lushly carpeted terrain, Raiko and his retainers
marching along a worn dirt road.
"And this is how Raiko came to know of the ground spider's existence,"
the narrator explained, while the light on her dimmed, until she was
nearly invisible. "For one day, as they journeyed eastward, they came
across a distressed young woman, and her daughter...."
As Raiko's group reached center-stage, the right half lit up,
illuminating a woman with long dark hair in an immaculate sky-blue
kimono, kneeling at a small wooden grave-marker. At her side, glancing
towards Raiko and his band curiously, was a small blonde child, also in
a kimono.
The woman, who looked similar to one of the peasants from Suetake's
village, clasped her hands together as she saw Raiko. "Noble samurai!"
she cried, climbing to her feet, hurrying to the group. "Please," she
begged, the smaller girl trailing her. "You must heed my warning!"
"Warning?" Raiko asked, surprised. "What do you need to warn us of?"
"There is evil here, great and terrible evil," the woman warned,
shaking her head, and wobbling on her feet unsteadily. "My husband was
taken by the creatures that come by our town at night."
"What manner of creature?" Tsuna asked, stepping forward.
"I do not know, but they are great and terrible." The woman paused for
a moment, then leant to one side, as though listening to the child. She
straightened up, and nodded. "They move about in the darkness, unseen by
our town's warriors."
"Where do they come from?" Suetake asked, stepping forward next to Tsuna.
"The hills, at night -- we do not know."
"Why do they attack you?" Kintoki asked, stepping to Tsuna's side.
"They seek to rob of us all we own, and torment us," the woman said,
shaking her head. "More, I cannot say, for I do not know."
"When do they attack you?" Sadamitsu asked, moving next to Suetake.
"They attack each new moon, but our preparations for them are in vain,"
the woman sighed.
"Who leads them?" Raiko asked, one hand going to his sword.
The woman shook her head mutely, then knelt to listen to the child as
she whispered something. Nodding, the woman straightened, and explained,
"My daughter claims that the forest spirits speak to her, and tell of a
cave, not far from here."
"A cave?" the retainers said as one, frowning.
"A wicked spirit," Tsuna proclaimed, nodding. "For such as they would
do these evil deeds."
"No, it is wicked men," Sadamitsu said, shaking her head. "For they
would pretend the guise of spirits and prey on unsuspecting innocents."
"No, no! It's fools," Suetake insisted. "Because we will beat them up!"
Raiko glanced between the three, then turned to the redhead. "And you,
Sakata no Kintoki?" he asked. "What do the animals tell you?"
Kintoki cocked her head to one side, as though listening to something,
then glanced at the audience. "Animals of the forest," she addressed
them, "what manner of creature preys upon these innocents?"
The narrator quickly explained, "Sakata Kintoki listened to the animals
of the forest when she was a child, and could still hear them on
occasion, but only when they were brave!" The light on her brightened,
and illuminated her pleading gesture, hands clasped together
beseechingly. "Please, warn Raiko and his band about the ground spider,
and his army of goblins!" she begged.
There was a long moment of awkward silence, before a child in the
audience yelled, "The ground spider!"
Kintoki raised an eyebrow and cupped a hand to her ear, leaning closer.
"What was that, animals of the forest?"
More children joined in the cry, saying, "The ground spider! Smash him,
Raiko!"
"Yeah! Fight the ground spider, Raiko!" even more children cheered.
Kintoki nodded sagely, trying not to grin, and told Raiko, "The forest
animals say that a monster called the ground spider lives here."
Raiko nodded, looking like he was about to laugh. After a moment, he
did, chortling, "A lone spider?" He shook his head, grinning. "A lone
spider is no match for us!"
The narrator's eyes widened. "Oh no! Raiko doesn't know about the
goblins! Whatever will he do?" she exclaimed, looking at the band anxiously.
"Oh, well, if that's all," the woman on the stage began. "Surely you
can defeat such a foe simply, and rescue our poor town?"
"You forgot about the goblins!" a child from the audience yelled.
"Goblins!"
"Yeah! Goblins!" more of them chimed in. "Be careful, Raiko!"
Kintoki nodded, and opened her mouth, but before she could speak, the
narrator stilled the children with her voice. Her speech accented with
regret, she said, "Unfortunately, Kintoki had stopped listening to the
animals, and she failed to heed the warning!"
The redhead blinked, her eyes widening, and turned to look at Raiko,
who was equally baffled.
***
"Uh, did someone change the script?" Keitaro asked under his breath.
Ranma did not nod, but whispered, "I think so."
"Ad-lib!" Mitsune hissed, forcing a smile.
***
"We should hurry to the cave to end this menace early, then," Sadamitsu
deduced. "Surely it does us no good to wait here."
"That's... true," Tsuna managed, turning to regard the woman in the
clean kimono curiously. "Would your daughter know of the location of
this creature's lair?"
"It's the cave!" the little girl piped up suddenly. "The forest spirits
say it's to the north of here."
"Then... let us make haste," Raiko said, nodding his head. "Is there
anything else you wish to tell us?"
Before the woman could reply, a man appeared, seeming to fall from the
sky. He was tall, lean, and dressed in black, while spider-webs appeared
on the backdrop behind him. "Hah!" he exclaimed, grinning. "I am your
foe, Raiko, I am the Tsuchigumo!"
"Ack!" Raiko exclaimed, drawing his blade quickly.
"But we will not fight here!" Tsuchigumo warned, shaking his head. "No,
instead, I will give you a reason to fight me!" Leaping effortlessly
across the stage, he seized the woman and her child in his arms. Both
made surprised noises, and struggled, unable to escape the Tsuchigumo's
grip. "If you wish to rescue this woman, you must face me. But before
you can enter my lair, you must find the sword of a fallen hero." He
laughed maniacally, and the audience booed him until he bounded away,
vanishing into the darkness above the stage with both girls.
Raiko stared, openmouthed, and sheathed his sword angrily. "The nerve,"
he growled.
***
Under his breath, he added, "I bet you Haruka-basan changed this just
to trip us up."
"Could be," Suu whispered. "More fun this way!"
***
"Where do we find the sword of a fallen hero?" Tsuna asked, her hand on
her own sheathed blade. "The land is vast, and searching may take time."
"Time we don't have," Kintoki added, spinning her staff across her
hands idly. "Suetake, do you have any ideas?"
Suetake considered for a long moment, and crossed her arms over her
chest. "I think we should proceed to the town," she finally suggested.
"There, we can find more information, and restore our HPs."
The audience chuckled at that, and Raiko winced.
"To the town it is," he said. "Onward, my retainers."
The scene faded to darkness, light focusing in on the narrator. "Raiko
and his band made their way to the city where the abducted maiden had
come from, searching for more information." When the lights returned,
the stage showed a street of an ancient Japanese city, dozens of people
milling around in the background. Raiko and his band stood at the right
side of the stage, looking around in surprise.
"This is quite a city," Raiko finally said. "We should look for someone
to help us find the clues we need to finish our quest."
At that moment, a young woman with light brown hair marched onto the
stage, preceded by a pair of guards. The guards looked familiar, one
tall, and one short, but slightly rounder. "Ah!" she exclaimed, seeing
Raiko and his band. "Samurai, what brings you to our city?"
"We seek to help liberate you from the shackles of the unknown villains
that attack you by night of the new moon," Raiko offered, walking to
meet the woman mid-stage. His band stood a few careful steps behind him,
while the young woman's guards stayed behind her, looking around nervously.
"Is the city so unsafe you require guards?" Tsuna suddenly asked, frowning.
"My father insists that it be so," the woman said, bowing her head.
"But if you are warriors come to rescue us, perhaps it is not too late."
***
Ukyou warmed her hands over the grill on the yattai behind the
auditorium, still able to see across the audience to the stage itself.
"You took quite a few liberties with the story," she noted, flipping a
warming okonomiyaki.
"Ah, I'm sure everything will work out," Haruka said, shrugging. "Or
did I forget to send the last-minute changes to everyone but
Shinobu-chan and... hmmm."
***
"Ah... yes, let us go to meet your father, then," Raiko suggested,
peering about nervously. "Tragedy could strike at any moment."
"I am not afraid, the villain that attacks us does so only at night,"
the woman insisted, smiling brightly. "Please, come with--"
Her speech was interrupted, as the Tsuchigumo leapt to the stage again,
grinning in his black clothing. "Danger can strike at any time!" he said
cheerfully, causing the children in the audience to gasp.
"Ah!" the tall guardsman exclaimed, leveling his spear. "Flee,
princess, it is no longer safe here!"
"We will fight to defend you to our last breath!" the short one added.
"Be safe!"
"Be careful!" a child in the audience warned.
The Tsuchigumo simply grinned. "Another prize to claim," he said.
"Fight me then, guards! Let's see what you're made of!"
They charged together, spears forward. The black-clad man simply
stepped to one side, and slapped them away, tripping the two guards with
a comical lack of effort. The audience laughed quietly at the sight,
while the brown-haired woman jumped in fright, quickly dashing to hide
behind Raiko.
"Ah! Raiko!" the Tsuchigumo exclaimed, stomping on the stage. A
discarded spear flew into his hands, eliciting another gasp from the
audience. "Come and face me!"
"Wait!" Raiko protested, his feet plowing up furrows of dirt as the
brown-haired young woman began to push him towards the black-clad man.
"I haven't found the sword of a fallen hero yet!"
"Oh, well, then I guess this will be a quick fight," the Tsuchigumo
drawled.
"Watanabe no Tsuna!" Kintoki suddenly exclaimed, bringing her staff
before her. "To me!"
Tsuna wordlessly drew her blade and flowed to the redhead's side, the
two blocking the Tsuchigumo's way to Raiko. "Hah!" Tsuna crowed, shaking
her head. "You overestimate yourself, Tsuchigumo. Raiko-sama, take the
woman to safety, and find the blade. We will buy you what time we can
against this evil!"
"As will we," one of the guards said, the pair staggering to their
feet, murderous rage shining in their eyes.
"We'll get even!" the second added, tossing his spear to the first, and
drawing a sword.
"Er... now, we can be reasonable about this," the Tsuchigumo said,
chuckling nervously. The audience booed at him, and he looked mildly
offended. "Bah! Well, if you're going to be like that, I won't tell you
where to find the sword that can defeat me." The booing increased in
volume. In an aside, the Tsuchigumo stage-whispered to the audience,
"He'll never know it lies in a dungeon far to the east of here!"
"Are you prepared to fight?" Kintoki asked, leveling his staff at the
black-clad man.
"Always," the Tsuchigumo returned. "But if you won't listen, then you
can never defeat me. Good will never triumph over evil without wisdom!"
He hopped over Kintaro and Tsuna's heads, breezed past Raiko, and
snatched the brown-haired young woman up easily. "Hah! Another, Raiko.
If you wish to free her, you must face me!"
"No! Smash him, Raiko!" the audience encouraged him.
"I--" but before Raiko could say anything else, the Tsuchigumo had
bounded away again. "This is ridiculous!" he exclaimed. "How am I
supposed to find this sword, now?"
"The cave to the east!" the children of the audience exclaimed
earnestly. "East!"
Raiko's eyes took on a speculative cast, and he sheathed his sword,
rubbing his chin thoughtfully. The guards and retainers watched him
curiously.
"It's almost as though I can hear the wind," he murmured. "Some quiet
voice suggesting that I go...." He trailed off, raising an eyebrow, and
glancing across the audience.
"East!" more of the audience chorused. "Head east!"
Raiko took a step towards the edge of the stage, and cupped a hand over
his ear.
"EAST!" they yelled. "It's to the east!"
"I have it!" he said suddenly, turning to his retainers. "There is a
cave to the east of here, and we must retrieve the weapon there."
"Lead us go onwards, then," Suetake said, nodding thoughtfully. "But
find a save point, first."
Raiko winced, and beckoned the other retainers to follow him, while the
audience chuckled again.
***
"I hope we get a break, soon," Motoko whispered.
"Me too," Ranma shot back. "I need to check the script -- this is crazy."
***
The lights dimmed once again, focusing on the narrator. Her eyes were
downcast, and she frowned in determination before raising her head to
regard the audience. "Raiko and his band struggled onward bravely, not
stopping to rest until they reached the cave that supposedly contained
the key to defeating the Tsuchigumo." She glanced at the darkened stage,
and then turned to the audience, and begged, "Please, wish them luck."
"Good luck!" the audience cheered, as the lights came on again.
This time, the stage showed a darkened room with stone walls, a large
sarcophagus in the center, near a well. Raiko and his band stood beneath
a single shaft of light, regarding the setting curiously. Kintoki and
Tsuna stood together, regarding a scroll, which Tsuna hastily tucked
away, at Sadamitsu's quiet coughing.
"So... this is it," Raiko said doubtfully, surveying the area, and
shaking his head. "If there was ever a fallen hero, I guess he'd be
resting here."
"Yes!" a tall skeleton warrior exclaimed, seeming to spring from the
ground itself.
"Exactly right," a shorter, more rounded one added, springing up next
to the first.
***
"How many roles do these guys have to fill?" Mitsune wondered quietly.
"They should have their own play," Keitaro grumped.
***
"And what do you want from us?" Raiko asked cautiously, one hand going
to his sword.
"We will challenge...." The tall skeleton trailed off, looking over the
assembled warriors, until his eye sockets settled on Kintoki. "Ah! We'll
challenge one of you to single combat against the pair of us in exchange
for the sword."
"One of us?" Tsuna asked doubtfully.
"Single combat?" Sadamitsu added.
"Against the pair of you?" Raiko completed.
"Yes, and we challenge... you!" the short skeleton completed, pointing
at Kintoki.
The redhead blinked, then shrugged, stepping towards the guards, and
sending her staff spinning along her arm. She passed it behind her back,
over her shoulder, around her wrist, and then reversed the process,
finally spinning the thing before her so quickly it blurred into a disc
before she abruptly snapped it to a halt, pointed directly at the
skeleton warriors. "Okay," she said reasonably, taking up a combat
stance, while the audience cooed in delight.
***
"Must our plans always backfire?" Haitani asked quietly.
Shirai grinned behind his skeleton mask. "I have an idea!"
***
"You're not the real Sakata no Kintoki!" the short skeleton accused,
pointing at the redhead.
"I'm not?" she asked, surprised.
Curious noises emanated from the audience.
"No! The real Sakata no Kintoki doesn't use a staff, he-- uh, she uses
an axe, a weapon so great and heavy that most men cannot even lift it,
for only Sakata no Kintoki is that strong."
"Well, it's not like I have an axe like that handy," Kintoki grumped,
dropping her staff, and crossing her arms over her chest. As though
obliging a request, a massive gleaming axe fell from above, slamming
into the stage heavily enough to nearly unbalance Raiko and the
skeletons. Sadamitsu and Suetake clung to one another for support, while
Kintoki and Tsuna seemed to barely notice. "Oh," she said offhandedly,
seeing the weapon stuck in the ground.
Shrugging, she kicked her staff behind her, and reached to lift the
axe. She picked it up without any appreciable effort, and spun the
handle -- nearly as long as she was tall -- around one wrist, testing it
for weight before she gave an approving nod, and took up a ready stance.
The blade of the axe was almost a quarter as long as she was, and half
as wide, with a wickedly gleaming edge. "I'll fight you," she said
confidently.
"Did we say we were challenging you?" the tall skeleton asked,
scratching its skull in consternation.
"I seem to remember us saying we were going to just give them the sword
and let them be on their way," the short one supplied, nodding.
The audience laughed, and Kintoki glanced at them. "Should I let them
go?" she asked.
"Smash them!" the audience exclaimed gleefully.
Shrugging, Kintoki turned to the pair of skeletons. "Um... we'll just
leave you to the goblin hordes," the taller of the pair said quickly,
turning about and vanishing off the edge of the stage.
"Have fun!" the shorter one added, following the first as he waved
farewell.
Kintoki scowled at them, while the audience laughed aloud.
"Goblin horde?" Raiko finally asked, frowning. "And where's the sword?"
Suetake approached the well, and peered into its depths. A careless
elbow nudged a nearby bucket over the lip, sending up a resounding
clatter. Raiko and Sadamitsu winced in tandem, looking around worriedly.
Eyes widening, Kintoki backpedaled, leaping to stand atop the
sarcophagus, axe at the ready. "They are coming," Sadamitsu snapped,
holding Kintoki's discarded staff before herself protectively.
***
"Maybe I took a few liberties too many," Haruka allowed, watching the
action across the stage.
"You think?" Ukyou asked dryly.
"Hey, the kids love it," she said defensively. True enough, the
children were enthralled with the production. "Thanks for the okonomiyaki."
"No problem," Ukyou said, smiling. "These people love okonomiyaki.
When's the next intermission?"
"After the battle," Haruka replied absently. "I wonder if that goblin
projector works?"
***
As the audience watched, a number of small, ugly creatures began to
boil out of the left side of the stage, twisted little man-like forms
wearing armor and wielding crude weapons.
They gasped in terror, until a force of about twelve of the monsters
had assembled into a rough semblance of a formation, and waved their
weapons menacingly.
Raiko's band stared blankly, until Kintoki shook her head and looked to
Raiko for guidance.
***
"This is Suu's doing, isn't it?" Mitsune asked quietly.
Suu smiled brightly, but did not nod.
"It'd have to be," Keitaro hissed. "Will they go away if we hit them?"
"Yes," Suu assured him, still grinning. "They're programmed for maximum
stage-presence!"
***
Clearing his throat, Raiko announced, "Foul creatures, prepare to face
the might of Raiko!"
Sadamitsu nodded uncertainly, and swiped at one of the monsters with
her staff as it rushed at her. There was a flash of light from the
impact, and a glowing number appeared in the air over the monster's head.
"Critical hit!" Suetake exclaimed, pumping a fist in the air
enthusiastically, then snatching a bow and quiver of arrows up from the
ground.
The monster looked up at the number, and its features twisted into
disappointed surprise, before it faded away into nothingness, and the
remaining creatures charged, yelling a war cry.
The five warriors on stage swung into action together, Kintoki and
Tsuna running so quickly that trails of dust puffed up behind them. They
seemed to almost pass through the horde of monsters, quickly sliding to
a halt on the opposite side of the group. Sadamitsu and Raiko exchanged
a look of confusion, as they had only managed a few steps, and Suetake
merely pouted.
The monsters stopped, and looked at one-another uncertainly, before
they all stiffened, and suddenly fell into separate pieces, numbers
popping up over their heads.
They too faded, and Kintoki slung her axe over her shoulder, Tsuna
sheathing her blade.
"Combination attack," Suetake announced disappointedly. "You're hogging
all the XPs!"
Kintoki coughed quietly, and glanced around. "That wasn't so bad," the
redhead finally said, turning to look at the others. "So... where's the
sword?"
***
Shinobu winced, and shook her head. Had Ranma forgotten to study his
script? Now she would have to cover for him somehow....
"Ah!" she exclaimed, causing each of the players on the stage to pause,
and listen expectantly. "But what Kintoki didn't know, was what Raiko
had learned while fighting the creatures. When he had dispatched two of
the go-- of his good retainers to fight the monsters, he realized that
the Tsuchigumo was lying! There was no need for a special sword to fight
the ground spider. All he needed was his own will."
She realized how her words sounded in contrast to the action on the
stage, and quickly added, "And the support of his friends."
***
Raiko glanced across the stage at his companions, and nodded in
determination.
"I'm ready to finish this," he announced.
"What about the sword?" Suetake asked, while Sadamitsu leaned on the
sarcophagus lid. The stone lid slid to one side, and the retainer nearly
slipped.
"It's not about having a special sword," Raiko said, shaking his head.
"It's about knowing that it's really just time to finish this. For
good." He nodded emphatically at that last point.
Behind him, Sadamitsu plucked a sword from the sarcophagus, and held it
up. It suddenly seemed to burst alight, shedding a powerful blue glow
across the stage around her.
Unaware, his back turned to the retainer, Raiko bowed his head, and
balled his hands into fists. "We may get beaten down, and we may have
rotten luck with tests-- uh, that life... throws... at us." He cleared
his throat, his head still bowed.
Sadamitsu took an experimental swipe at the stone sarcophagus with the
drawn blade. It passed through the stone with no more visible resistance
than water, and a large chunk fell to the stage at Sadamitsu's feet.
"And we may be attacked by monsters and evil men, and... who knows what
else this crazy... world might throw at us." Raiko raised his head, and
fire seemed to glow within his eyes, his face a mask of fierce
determination.
The light-haired retainer behind Raiko blinked, glanced across the
audience, then grinned and sheathed her newfound blade before tucking it
into her belt.
"But it doesn't matter! By the will of the heavens, I swear that we
will overcome any obstacle in our path!"
The lights on the stage dimmed, Sadamitsu's sword glowing for a second
longer than everything else before it, too, vanished. The light pooled
across the narrator, who smiled, and said, "And thus began Raiko's
battles against the Tsuchigumo to rescue the princesses. Please wait to
see what happens next!"
She stepped to one side of the podium, bowed deeply, and then vanished
into darkness as the light on her faded, the backdrop glowing with
another 'intermission' symbol. The audience cheered quietly, and began
to murmur, first a low buzz, but quickly building up to a loud chattering.
***
Keitaro looked both haggard and angry, as he paced backstage, muttering
to himself.
"Sempai?" Shinobu asked tremulously. "What's wrong?"
He stopped, shaking his head, and sighed. "Nothing," he muttered, as
Haruka strolled backstage bearing a small pile of okonomiyaki on a paper
plate in one hand.
"Yeah, I forgot to mention, I made a few changes. Shinobu's got the
latest copy of the script," Haruka said, shrugging. "Anyway, you guys
are ad-libbing pretty well. I like how you play everything up to the
audience, too."
"What do you mean?" Suu asked, tilting her head to one side.
"Eh, just that you interact with the audience well," Haruka explained,
holding the plate of okonomiyaki out as Haitani and Shirai each claimed
one before retreating to nurse their wounds. "Your lines are good,
Suu-chan."
Mitsune frowned, snagging one of the okonomiyaki for herself. After
taking a bite, she asked, "So, since we're short on time, can you give
us some clues about the next scene?"
"Hmm?" Haruka considered for a moment, then said, "This is the final
act, so it's got three scenes. The first one will have Ranma and Motoko
playing go, while everyone else is asleep. The Tsuchigumo attacks,
there's a quick battle with no one getting injured, and he retreats. You
fight another group of goblins, and that's the scene."
"That sounds much like the original script," Motoko surmised, flipping
through her script book.
Haruka nodded, then continued, "Scene two will have you journeying
through the cave on your way to the Tsuchigumo's lair, just to give you
time to catch your breath after the battle. You're supposed to go
through your revelations about what you've discovered on the journey
before you get to the throne room, though."
"Shouldn't there be more to the story for us to have revelations?"
Ranma asked, frowning. "We really didn't do that much on stage that
leads up to this. All I really did was save Yamamba and follow Raiko.
Supposedly at this point in the legend we've been together for years,
but we really didn't show that in this version of the story."
"Good point," Haruka acquiesced. "We'll cut that scene and skip
straight to the final battle, instead."
"Thanks," Keitaro muttered dryly. Shaking his head he prompted, "And
the final scene is?"
"Where you rescue the princess, of course." Haruka looked thoughtful
for a moment, then frowned. "Though, Mutsumi-chan shouldn't have been
kidnapped."
"Looks like Seta took a few liberties with the script on his own,"
Keitaro sighed. "Um... so it's just a big fight, then I rescue
Narusegawa, and that's the end of the story?"
"Well, there's more," Haruka drawled, checking her watch. "Shinobu will
walk you through it -- we're out of time. Get ready!"
"Wait!" Keitaro protested, shaking his head. "Where are Mutsumi and
Narusegawa?"
"Later, later," Haruka insisted, hustling Shinobu onto the stage and
vanishing from sight.
"I have a bad feeling about this," Keitaro said quietly.
Suu juggled a prop skull in one hand, and grinned. "Let's go!"
***
Once more the narrator appeared, bathed in a glowing pool of light. She
bowed again to the audience, and said, "Thank you again, for staying to
listen to our story."
Straightening, she stepped behind the podium, and began to tell the
story again, "Raiko and his retainers returned to the city to recover
from their battle in the cave, and to prepare to attack the Tsuchigumo
himself."
The lights on the stage brightened from nothingness, illuminating what
looked like the interior of a large house. The forms of Sadamitsu,
Raiko, and Suetake lay beneath blankets, while Tsuna and Kintoki stared
at a go board.
Kintoki pointed to the sleeping forms and Tsuna glanced back at them.
While she was distracted, Kintoki quickly rearranged several stones on
the board. Tsuna looked back, regarding Kintoki curiously, but the
redhead merely shrugged. Tsuna shook her head, and turned to look at the
board again, frowning while the audience let out a quiet chuckle.
"While Raiko slept, some of his me-- band kept a careful watch, in case
something should happen at night," the narrator explained.
A trio of lovely women trooped onto the right half of the stage,
shimmering slightly, and nearly glowing with a radiant beauty.
"But the Tsuchigumo's forces arrived in disguise, trying to woo Raiko's
band and... um...." The narrator trailed off as Kintoki and Tsuna both
looked behind the redhead at the three glowing women.
Kintoki and Tsuna exchanged a look, glanced down at their respective
chests as though to verify their genders, then shrugged blankly,
returning to their game of go.
"However," the narrator explained, "the Tsuchigumo's forces were not
very bright, so their disguises weren't very good."
The three women flickered for a moment, then wavered, and collapsed,
vanishing, and being replaced by a pair of grinning men, one taller, and
one not as tall, but slightly more rounded.
Kintoki and Tsuna glanced at them again, then exchanged a glance before
shaking their heads quickly.
"But they succumbed to the wiles of the Tsuchigumo's servants," the
narrator added, "once they got the disguises right."
Tsuna sighed loudly, as the taller of the men drifted to her side, and
knelt there. "I have succumbed completely," she announced in a level
voice, shooting the man a glare.
***
Motoko eyed Haitani dubiously, and whispered, "Try anything...."
"I think they know," Ranma replied quietly, as Shirai knelt at her
side, trying to nod subtly.
***
"Ah, I too have succumbed completely," Kintoki announced, yawning slightly.
"Once two of the retainers were distracted, the third of the
Tsuchigumo's servants...." The narrator trailed off, while the people on
stage who were awake looked around curiously.
A small girl with blonde hair and a kimono bounced onto the stage,
waving at the audience and grinning. "I am the third of Tsuchigumo's
servants!" she announced. "And while Raiko's men are distracted, I shall
slay him in his sleep!"
She crept across the stage with exaggerated tiptoes, until she was
behind the go board. Once there, she balled her hands into fists, and
stuck them at her hips. "Hey!" she yelled. "You're distracted!"
Kintoki and Tsuna quickly turned their attention away from her, and to
the go board.
The taller of the men winked, and pointed at the board, saying, "You
should place another here."
"I'm playing black," Tsuna growled.
"Good suggestion, though," Kintoki added, playing another stone. "Atari!"
Tsuna made a face, and frowned at the board. "Devious," she said,
shaking her head. She rubbed her chin in thought, then nodded, and
placed a white stone.
Kintoki raised an eyebrow, and frowned thoughtfully.
The small female servant watched the game for a moment, then shrugged,
and walked over to the slumbering forms of Raiko and his retainers. She
grinned gleefully, and the narrator warned, "However...."
Before anything else could be said, the servant took a step back, and
produced a booklet from inside her kimono. She held it so that the
audience could not read the title, and muttered, though her voice
carried loudly enough to be heard, "Then servant three attempts to slay
Raiko, but is instead slain before her goal could be accomplished." She
looked up from her book sharply, and stared at Raiko. Frowning, she
tucked the book away, and approached one of the other disguised
servants. "Hey, guys, let's trade jobs!"
"Um... what?" the taller one asked.
"Oh, um, gee, that would be a bad idea," the slightly more rounded one
countered, checking to make sure he wasn't too close to Kintoki, as she
played another stone. "We're busy distracting Kintoki and Watanabe no
Tsuna, you see."
"Atari!" Tsuna declared, grinning, and folding her arms over her chest
triumphantly.
Kintoki nodded sagely, and studied the board, then looked up in alarm,
and pointed at the disguised servant at Tsuna's side. "What are you
letting him do?" she asked in horror.
Tsuna looked at the servant sharply, and Kintoki shuffled a number of
the stones around silently. After a moment, she narrowed her eyes and
turned her attention back.
Kintoki grinned sheepishly, and placed another stone. "Your turn!"
"Yeah, I can see how hard you're working," the female servant grumped.
Marching around the seated servant, despite the fact that she was barely
his height even while he was sitting, she kicked him with all her might.
Surprised, he bounced cleanly into the redhead's lap. Kintoki's left
eyebrow began to tic, and the servant scrambled to get away, exclaiming,
"Exchanging duties! Distract her! Distract her!"
Nodding in satisfaction, the blonde turned her attention to the servant
at Tsuna's side. The second disguised goblin crept away to join his
companion. Tsuna quietly switched some stones around while Kintoki was
distracted.
***
"This just isn't our night," Haitani said quietly.
"I still blame Kintaro."
"Suicide attack?"
"Suicide attack."
***
"Um... however," the narrator resumed, "Raiko was a light sleeper, and
woke when the servants drew near!"
The two disguised servants strode to Raiko's side as he sat up,
struggling to untangle himself from the blankets he had gotten trapped in.
"For the glory of the tribe!" the taller servant yelled, launching
himself at the hero.
"For the ground spider!" the more rounded one echoed.
***
"For crying out loud," Haruka groaned, shaking her head.
Ukyou smirked, flipping over another okonomiyaki. "The best laid plans
can go awry," she observed. "I take it that this wasn't in the script?"
"Not really," the woman said dryly.
***
"Ack!" Raiko exclaimed, as the three combatants vanished into a
writhing ball of fists, feet, and tangled blanket.
"And so, the mighty Raiko dispatched the rogue servants handily!" the
narrator cheered.
The brawl dragged on for a long minute, neither side gaining a clear
victor, though both Suetake and Sadamitsu sat up to watch, wincing
sympathetically from time to time.
Kintoki glanced to the fight, then took the opportunity to rearrange
more stones when Tsuna did the same.
The audience watched raptly, as the battle began to roll across the
stage, inexorably rolling past the go players. Neither glanced up, both
placing stones quickly, and shaking their heads, until an abrupt shift
in the fight's path rolled across the go board, scattering stones across
the stage, and launching the board skyward.
Kintoki and Tsuna were on their feet in a heartbeat, and Kintoki
expertly extracted a slightly worn Raiko from the battle, while Tsuna
simply kicked the remainder off of the stage, where they vanished into
the night. Kintoki sat Raiko down, and Tsuna dusted her hands off in
satisfaction.
"Um... after... Raiko defeated the foes, he rushed to the aid of
Kintoki and Tsuna, so they could fight off the remaining... enemy...
together."
The small blonde servant shook her head quickly, and scurried away.
Kintoki shrugged, and looked at Raiko expectantly.
"Okay," he said, putting one hand on his sword as he shook his head to
clear it. "Now we're going to settle this, once and for all. Are we ready?"
"Yes!" his retainers chorused as one.
The lights on the stage dimmed, focusing on a slightly flustered, yet
radiant, narrator.
"Not willing to forgive the Tsuchigumo's transgression, Raiko and his
men set out immediately to hunt down and deal with the menace!" the
narrator exclaimed, nodding to herself slightly. "They ventured across
the plain, and shortly came to the entrance to the cavernous lair that
housed their dreaded foe...."
The lights faded off of the narrator, and focused on the band of
warriors, now walking across the stage, through a cave. After a moment,
the light faded, and when it returned, they were walking the opposite
direction, through another cave. The process repeated for a few times,
until they appeared at one side of a large cavern, and Raiko drew his
blade confidently.
"Now," he said insistently. "We finish this!"
The interior of the cavern lit up, and a massive wooden throne came
into view, empty for the moment, but a pair of maidens -- the woman and
the princess from earlier -- were chained to either side, looking
somewhat surprised at their predicament. Once the lights finished
brightening, the form of the Tsuchigumo dropped from above, landing in
the throne, and grinning at his guests.
"So you've arrived!" he exclaimed gleefully. "Did you find the blade of
a fallen hero? Are you ready to face me, Raiko?"
"I need nothing more than my own strength, and the aid of my companions
to defeat any evil!" he said heatedly, bringing his sword to a ready
stance, and glaring at the Tsuchigumo.
Tsuna glanced at his posture, then blinked in surprise, drawing her own
blade and mirroring it. Kintoki nodded confidently, and whirled her axe,
while Suetake drew back an arrow, aiming her bow at the ground but ready
to bring it up. Sadamitsu glanced around, then drew her own blade, which
emitted a faint blue glow.
"Ah!" the Tsuchigumo exclaimed. "Then you are, perhaps, ready to face
me!" He nodded, and stepped into a martial stance, feet apart, hands
ready to strike. "Which of you shall I face first?"
"First?" Raiko asked, somewhat dumbfounded.
"Yes, first," the Tsuchigumo said.
Raiko blinked, then started, "Well, I--"
"Sadamitsu, ever brave," the narrator began, while Sadamitsu winced,
and ducked her head on the stage, shooting a fearful glance at the
audience, "volunteered to fight first."
The warrior shook her head mournfully, but gamely approached the
Tsuchigumo, glancing back at Raiko to try and emulate his ready stance.
"I will fight you!" she proclaimed. "For my master is great, and if I
allow him to fight you first, there will be nothing left for the rest of
us."
The Tsuchigumo smiled, and gestured Sadamitsu forward.
Sadamitsu swiped at her enemy with her sword, but the Tsuchigumo
possessed a fluid grace, and dodged the blade, stepping within
Sadamitsu's guard, and pushing her to the ground with a single blow. She
rolled across the stage to Raiko's feet, the sword falling from her grasp.
Raiko's mouth opened in surprise, and he knelt to examine the warrior,
while she twitched weakly.
***
"Are you okay?" Keitaro asked anxiously.
"Got... tickle... spots... can't... laugh..." Mitsune managed to get
out, still twitching with barely restrained giggles.
***
Raiko's expression flickered, then settled on a dark scowl, as he rose
to his feet.
"Next!" the Tsuchigumo called out, beckoning another warrior with one
hand.
"I'll go," Tsuna said quietly.
The Tsuchigumo grinned, and nodded. "Come and approach me," he said.
Tsuna charged, sword ready, and carving a silver flash across the
stage, narrowly missing her grinning foe. "Not bad!" he evaluated,
countering with a foot-sweep that nearly knocked the warrior down. Tsuna
held her ground, swiping at the Tsuchigumo's feet half-heartedly and
then launching a blindingly fast spin-kick to his midsection.
He had only enough time to raise an arm, but his stance wasn't able to
save him being sent tumbling. Rolling across the stage, he launched
himself at the black-haired warrior woman, reaching her before she could
recover from the surprise kick.
"Not bad at all," he said, before jabbing her once, in the ribs. Her
eyes widened, and she crumpled to the stage, not moving. The Tsuchigumo
rubbed his forearm, and eyed the remaining warriors. "Next?" he asked.
Kintoki stepped forward, but was cut off by Suetake's exclamation. "Me
first!" the small warrior enthused, dropping her bow and running towards
the Tsuchigumo.
Nodding, he ducked beneath her flying kick, and spun around for a
graceful sweep at her landing position -- however, the girl didn't land
where he had expected. Instead, she latched onto the limb, quickly
scurrying up the Tsuchigumo's leg, and then sitting astride his
shoulders, small fists drumming ineffectually at his head.
Surprised, the Tsuchigumo recovered his balance, and then adjusted his
spectacles. "Innovative," he said, nodding, before he wriggled out of
the girl's hold, and touched her side. She made a sharp noise as she
tumbled to the ground between the other two fallen warriors. "This is
kind of fun," he said in an aside to the audience.
His reward was more booing and hissing from the audience. Taken aback,
he almost didn't notice Kintoki stepping forward, axe at the ready. "Now
we fight," Kintoki said darkly, the massive gleaming edge of her blade
shining in the light.
"So we do!" the Tsuchigumo cheerfully replied.
The two rushed one another, Kintoki holding the axe high, both of them
advancing so swiftly that puffs of dust rose from the ground beneath them.
Just before the two combatants collided, Kintoki dropped the massive
axe, and slipped to one side, her arm only barely missing the
Tsuchigumo's chest. His counter was a kick in passing, which sent her
rolling, but the forgotten axe tumbled through the air, the heavy wooden
post on the back of the blade meeting the Tsuchigumo's face with a loud
thudding noise. The audience laughed, echoing loudly into the night.
The small redhead rolled across the entirety of the stage, coming to a
rest just past Suetake, at the feet of the dark-haired woman chained to
the throne. She looked down at the fallen warrior in consternation, then
turned to watch the Tsuchigumo, who had also fallen down. Climbing
unsteadily to his feet, he rubbed at his nose, still smiling. "That was
clever," he admitted. "Next?"
Raiko stepped forward and opened his mouth, but before he could speak,
the narrator overrode him. "But Raiko did not rush to meet the
Tsuchigumo's attack!" she said. "Instead, he turned to his fallen
companions, and rallied their flagging spirits."
"Rise, my retainers!" Raiko exclaimed, gesturing grandly with his
sword. Unsteadily, they did so, all four eyeing the Tsuchigumo with
suspicion, amid the audience's cheers.
The narrator waited for the exclamations to die down before speaking
again. "Raiko's retainers knew they were powerful, and mighty indeed,
but they were most powerful when they worked together," she offered.
Raiko nodded in response. Smiling, the Tsuchigumo exclaimed, "Then, I
will face all of you at once. But!" Raising his arms, he leapt atop the
throne, and pulled a large switch behind it. In a quick sequence, the
throne unfolded, and raised the chains binding his two prisoners,
suspending them over a giant cookpot. "You must hurry, Raiko, if you are
to rescue these prisoners!"
"However," the narrator warned, before anyone could move, "his plans
were even more devious than they had considered, for the Tsuchigumo had
kidnapped another princess, and added her to the prisoners that Raiko
must rescue."
Tsuna stared blankly for a moment, then produced a scroll from her
uwagi. Kintoki peered at it with her, until they came to a specific
point, while the Tsuchigumo pulled a book from one pocket, and flipped
through it, scanning quickly. Tsuna and the Tsuchigumo both looked up
from their records at the same time, and shared a shrug, throwing the
papers into the large cookpot. Sadamitsu flinched away as the papers
burst into flame instantly.
"Third princess," the Tsuchigumo murmured, frowning. "Now, where can...
er... did I get one of those?"
Sadamitsu grinned wickedly, and gestured the Tsuchigumo forward. He
approached cautiously, and she stood up on tiptoe, whispering into his
ear, while everyone else leaned close to try and listen in. The
Tsuchigumo nodded thoughtfully several times, then grinned happily. Then
Sadamitsu stepped away, cleaning her glowing blue sword and whistling
innocently.
"There is no limit to my evil!" the Tsuchigumo exclaimed. "Behold, I am
so wicked I would even kidnap...." He trailed off, stalking to the front
edge of the stage and eyeing the audience as though they were all
potential victims. After a moment, he shook his head, his grin widening.
"I've kidnapped... the narrator!"
The audience gasped in surprise, and exchanged confused looks, while
the Tsuchigumo leapt to the dark spot that the narrator hid in,
extracting her with only a mild squeak of surprise. In short order, he
had her strung up between the other two prisoners, and all three were
hanging over the cookpot.
"Now," he said, clapping his hands together. "You must choose, Raiko!"
"Choose?" he said without comprehension.
"Strike me down, or rescue one of these girls!"
"I can't make a choice like that!" he exclaimed.
"What, between fighting, or which of us to rescue?" the dark-haired
prisoner asked thoughtfully.
"Um...."
"Why make a choice?" Suetake asked. "There are enough of us to take him
down! Attack, warriors, Raiko can rescue whichever one he wants!"
"Why only one?" Raiko asked earning him a growl from the lighter-haired
prisoner.
"Because the chains will drop the ones you don't save into the
cookpot," Suetake warned.
***
Keitaro's heart froze in his chest, only to restart a moment later. Of
course, he didn't know if what Suu said was true, but even if it was,
she had promised that none of her additions would actually hurt anyone.
But that didn't change the fact of the matter that he had to make a choice.
"Uh... I don't know," he said nervously, prompting the audience to boo
him. "If I can only save one, which one should it be?"
"Oh, save me," the Mutsumi said suddenly, smiling brightly. "I have a
child to look after."
"What?" Naru exclaimed angrily, before realizing Mutsumi's earlier role
in the play. She recovered gracefully, saying, "How can you wonder at
the choice, Ke-- Raiko? I am a princess! If you rescue me, my family
will see that you are richly rewarded!"
Behind Keitaro, the retainers had gotten into a scuffle with the
Tsuchigumo, slow play fighting, which looked good, and distracted the
audience, though some still called, "Coward!" or "Choose the cute one!"
"They're all cute," he muttered quietly. "But that's not--"
"I'm a princess too!" Shinobu exclaimed, wriggling in her chains, and
glancing down into the cookpot fearfully. "Plus, I can cook, and clean,
and... if you pick me, I'll marry you!"
Naru's eyes widened at that, and her mouth hung open. She found her
voice quickly, and countered, "If you pick me, I'll marry you, too!"
Keitaro shook his head, glancing between the three nervously. His gaze
drifted up, seeing where the chains were secured. The audience wouldn't
be able to see, thanks to the positioning of the lights, but he could
see the devices they were secured with, in the side of the framework of
what had once been the throne.
Suu's trademark symbol adorned the seals, probably meaning somehow, if
he made a choice, it would be as she said.
"I don't know what to do," he said aloud, forgetting the play entirely,
in the face of the decision before him.
His sword fell from his hands, as he looked between the three, unable
to choose.
***
Ranma tried to clear her mind of what was going on in the background --
Keitaro's dilemma was, for the moment, his own, and not anything to do
with her. At the same time, she had sympathy for the manager, and wished
him the best of luck.
She blocked a blow from Seta, sliding across the stage with it, and
growling in mock anger. Suu had set her bow aside and gathered up a
staff, which she used to whack at Seta when her turn came around in
combat. The man was genial enough, taking a blow or two for the ones he
actually landed, and while powerful enough to knock the supposed heroes
around, they were also gentle enough not to cause real damage.
Ranma thought she might actually get used to stage combat, all told.
"The timer's activated!" Suu exclaimed suddenly, pointing to the top of
the framework suspending the chains. An hourglass had sprung up there,
and was trickling down, only a minute remaining at best before it ran out.
Keitaro groaned, sinking to his knees, and shaking his head.
What was taking him so long?
***
Keitaro shook his head, torn. What kind of decision was this, anyway?
No matter what Naru said, it was all about the play, not reality. Though
he had the suspicion that the entire affair went deeper, to some degree;
he already knew about Naru and Ranma, and the fact that they were dating.
His feelings aside, how could he pick her, knowing that? And Shinobu?
She was cute, certainly, and every bit as earnest as any man could want,
and good in a kitchen, and with cleaning.... And Mutsumi? She was
beautiful, and affectionate, and gentle....
Mutsumi? Well, if Ranma was choosing Naru already... but then, in the
play, how would Raiko justify sacrificing two princesses to spare a
single commoner woman? And why had they suddenly decided to put this
into a play for children?
He shook his head again, and considered for a moment. The play had been
a disaster already, so why should he bother trying to preserve it? He
could set that aside, and then concentrate on who he really wanted to pick.
But which one?
He raised his eyes, and looked at Naru. She had fallen silent, looking
down at him with a mixture of concern and fear, only a hint of anger
playing about her eyes. She was angry that he wasn't helping the play,
he supposed. And afraid of hurting his feelings if he chose her... and
concerned for the same reason. She did care, enough to try and hide her
relationship with Ranma until after the test.
His gaze turned to Shinobu next, her gaze a combination of hope and
panic, each warring for dominance. He didn't understand everything that
Haruka had done with the script, but he had a suspicion, at least, that
Shinobu had made some changes of her own. But why? Did she... want him
to choose her for some reason?
Maybe she liked him. She was also a princess, and more than that, the
narrator, which would help the play... if he still cared about that.
Should he pick someone who could return his affection?
Moving his eyes onward, he finally found himself looking at Mutsumi,
who offered him nothing more than a cheerful and encouraging smile. Did
she like him?
Probably not, though it was hard to say. She seemed to like everyone
equally, and offer him no special preference. And then, she wasn't there
entirely by choice, if he understood the changes to the script. The only
prisoner should have been Naru. Which would have made everything so much
easier. He dropped to his knees, still not able to choose, as Suu warned
about a timer.
"Just like a test," he murmured. "One I'm going to fail."
***
"What happens when the timer runs out?" Ranma asked, ducking underneath
a blow from Seta.
"They all drop!" Suu warned.
"What?" she asked, stunned enough that she nearly took the next punch
to the chin. "Well, we don't have time! All of us need to get rid of
this guy so we can rescue them!" she exclaimed, exchanging a meaningful
glance with Motoko.
"Is that so?" Seta asked, grinning. "Only the sword of a fallen hero
can defeat me, you know."
"Not with our strengths combined!" Motoko retorted, she and Ranma
charging towards the man together. He was good, but together, they
should be able to take him out, Ranma thought.
The Tsuchigumo grinned, and pulled something from his pocket, showing
it to Motoko. The Kendoka's charge broke off, and she began to
frantically backpedal. Ranma scowled, deciding it was all up to her...
and without the benefit of her bracers or her proper form. Well, she'd
just have to--
***
Shinobu winced as both Motoko and Ranma were repelled from attacking
Seta. Motoko was warded off with Tamago, and a kitten sent Ranma
panicking, to cower behind Motoko. Well, that wouldn't do any good.
She bit her lip, glancing down at the very hot looking liquid beneath
her, and then over to Naru. The other girl's gaze was fixed firmly on
Keitaro, who was still torn with indecision. "R... Raiko!" she called
out, prompting Keitaro to raise his dull-eyed gaze to meet hers. "You
must vanquish the Tsuchigumo! Your retainers can't do it alone!"
A hushed cheer met the proclamation from the audience, and Keitaro
nodded slowly, gathering up his sword, and turning around to face Seta.
Seta was fighting against Suu and Mitsune, though in truth he made it
look an easy dance, while he merely played with the pair of them.
Keitaro barked out a challenge, bristling with anger -- he was such a
good actor, she thought admiringly. He made it look like the emotion was
real!
"Fell minion! Face me!" he cried, bringing his sword to bear, and
slashing viciously at Seta. His slash missed, though barely, and Seta's
eyes widened in surprise.
"You can fight!" Seta said, surprised. "Very well, then, though you
lack the sword of a fallen hero."
"It's right here!" Mitsune exclaimed in annoyance, while Shinobu tried
to see the hourglass that warned how much time she had left before the
chains dropped her and the others into the cookpot full of hot red...
whatever it was. Surely it only _looked_ like molten steel.
Seta fought off the three attackers at once for a moment, then
unexpectedly lashed out with a spin-kick, laying all three down. "That
was disappointing," he chided, shaking his head.
Motoko and Ranma had finally climbed to their feet, and whispered
quietly to one another for a moment, before nodding and breaking apart.
Ranma ran in a curved path, one that left her standing where Keitaro
had deliberated, and Motoko crossed to the other side of the stage,
passing around Seta, and leaving the man confused for a moment. He
turned to Ranma as the redhead rubbed her hands together, then pointed
her palms at Seta and yelled, "Mouko Takabisha!"
A ball of golden flame formed in Ranma's hands, only a handful of
centimeters across, but glowing brilliantly, flecked with specks of
vibrant blue. The audience gasped collectively, and then Ranma launched
the ball of energy at Seta.
Seta set himself to receive the attack, and it dissipated harmlessly
before reaching the bespectacled man. He frowned in consternation, just
as Motoko reached him from the side, her blade slashing in front of him
and making him dance backwards, where he tripped over her extended leg.
She immediately fell backwards, rolling away, while Ranma flung herself
across the stage, reaching Seta in a heartbeat.
Shinobu's eyes widened as Seta, impossibly quickly, chuckled, and
pulled the kitten from his pocket again, tucking it into Ranma's gi. The
redhead dashed off, quickly running into a panicking circle, while
Motoko growled low in her throat, and lunged at the man again.
This time, her attacks failed to penetrate his defenses, and she found
herself the recipient of a similar attack, quickly running around the
other part of the stage, arms waving frantically, while the audience
booed the would-be heroes. "Who's afraid of a kitten or a turtle?" one
loud child asked, causing Shinobu to wince in sympathy.
"What do we do now?" she mused quietly.
"Pray for a miracle," Naru sighed. "He'll never choose."
"Oh, but he's nice anyway," Mutsumi reasoned.
"Ah!" Shinobu exclaimed loudly. "Raiko and his men have fallen! Call to
them, encourage them to fight on!"
The audience began cheering, weakly and disjointed at first, but
quickly settling into a chant of, "Raiko! Raiko! Raiko!"
Roused by the noise, Keitaro staggered to his feet, followed by Suu
bouncing upright, and Mitsune climbing up after Keitaro, leaning heavily
on her sword. "Take this blade," she said weakly, stumbling, but
remaining upright, and handing the blade over to Keitaro. He took it,
surprised by the blue glow, then nodded, features assuming a determined set.
"I didn't want to have to use this," he said aloud, frowning. The
audience gasped, certain that this was to be a truly epic battle. His
voice dropping so that only those on stage could hear, he muttered, "My
family will be furious."
Shaking his head, he sheathed his blade, and tossed the one he had used
previously to Seta. "I will fight," he said, nodding, one hand on his
sword hilt, the other clenched into a fist over his chest. "I am a man,
too." Seta caught the blade, raising an eyebrow, and Keitaro smiled
grimly, right foot kicking at the ground beneath him. Once. Twice. A
third time, while both hands shifted positions.
Then, he vanished, reappearing just before Seta, and slashing with his
sword. Seta returned the smile, his raised blade sparking against
Keitaro's violently, blue light suffusing the area as he barely managed
to parry the blow. "So I see," Seta said aloud, though probably he
hadn't meant for Shinobu or the others to hear it. "I know that style."
Keitaro nodded, and then the two began to fight.
Their sword motions were smooth, and blindingly fast. Shinobu's eyes
could only barely keep up with the action, sparks flying everywhere. The
blue glow from Keitaro's sword danced with him, and it _was_ like a
dance, full of life and grace, one that she envied deeply, wishing that
she possessed half of that fluid movement. "Wow," she said admiringly.
"I wonder how long they had to rehearse," Naru managed, wide-eyed.
"That's spectacular."
"I bet it's secret ninja training!" Mutsumi opined quietly.
The joke jarred Shinobu from her daze, and she struggled to twist and
see the hourglass. "How much time do we have left?" she asked.
A loud clunk from overhead answered her, and the audience gasped, while
the chains began to slowly lower the three into the cookpot.
"Oh," she said quietly, fighting back a whimper.
"It's not dangerous," Mutsumi said in encouragement. "Real molten metal
would have enough heat that we'd be burned by being hung over it." A
small metal clip fell from her hair, bouncing on the surface of the red
glowing surface before liquefying, surrounded by a halo of flame.
"Trust Suu to find a way," Naru groaned. In a loud voice she called
out, "Ke-- Raiko! You must rescue us!"
Nodding, Keitaro didn't look at her, instead pressing his attack,
sending Seta retreating across the field of battle, until finally the
man tripped, and raised both hands in surrender. "Spare me!" he pleaded.
"I'll reform! Honest!"
"Smash him, Raiko! Smash him! He's a bad guy!" the audience insisted.
Nodding grimly, Keitaro plunged his sword into the stage behind Seta
from the audience. "It is done," he called out, kneeling at the man's
side, and making as though to pray for his fallen foe, murmuring
something quietly.
***
"Seta-san, I need some advice! How do I pick which one to rescue?"
"Tricky," Seta said as quietly as he could. "Keitaro... follow your
heart. Nothing else."
Swallowing, Keitaro nodded, understanding the man's advice.
***
Naru wriggled about, wondering if she could swing herself past the lip
of the cookpot and escape, but that became moot as Keitaro leapt to the
rim of the cookpot, and leapt towards her. A single stroke from the
glowing blade in his hands severed the chain, and left her to fall...
into Keitaro's outstretched arms.
He landed on the other side of the cookpot and looked up in
consternation. An expertly aimed shot from Suu wedged between the links
of Shinobu's chain and the structure suspending it, halting the chain's
descent, but she had no time for another shot, as with Naru freed
Mutsumi began to plummet the remaining meter to the cookpot.
"Oh, my!" she exclaimed, eyes widening.
A yowling hiss echoed across the stage, and Ranma bounced over the edge
of the cookpot, springing off of the side, and somehow intercepting
Mutsumi's fallen form. She bounced back over the edge, and landed on the
stage, Mutsumi sprawled across her back. Once Mutsumi straightened up
and Ranma was free, the redhead began to purr, a rumbling noise that
even the audience could hear.
Swallowing nervously, eyes shining with emotion, Shinobu said, "And
Kintoki, once Kaidomaru, found strength in animals she had never known,
finding the power to become one, for a time."
"Nice kitty," Mutsumi cheered, scratching Ranma behind the ears.
Mitsune and Suu quickly managed to get Shinobu down, and removed the
chains from Shinobu and Naru -- Mutsumi's were shredded when the girl
dangled them over Ranma's head, and then the lights all shut out.
***
Ukyou wiped her hands on a small towel, and nodded doubtfully. "I'll
give you to the count of thirty," she said. "Then I hit the switch, and
run back to the yattai. Okay?"
"It's fair!" Haruka shot back, jogging towards the stage.
***
After a few seconds passed, long enough for the audience to summon a
quiet cough or two, the lights returned, illuminating all of the actors
and actresses standing in a row, holding hands, and smiling. They bowed,
and the audience cheered happily, a few of the children standing on the
benches, and waving their arms excitedly.
"Thank you!" the narrator called out, and the cast bowed again. "Thank
you for enjoying our performance!"
Another round of applause and cheering rang out, as the house lights
came on, illuminating the entire auditorium.
***
Once the play was over, Ranma sat on the side of the stage, Motoko not
far away, the pair both glad that the turtle and kitten had respectively
been ushered away. "That was humiliating," Ranma grumped, her costume
still wet from the hurried dousing Haruka had subjected her to, snapping
her out of the neko-ken.
"I know," Motoko said quietly, blushing. "I think I am happy that Aneue
was not here to witness it."
Ranma nodded knowingly, while the rest of the cast milled around on the
stage. People picking up okonomiyaki on their way out of the play would
surround Ukyou, keeping her busy for a while yet. She yawned, raising
her arms over her head, and stretched. "I think that was kind of fun,
though," she allowed.
"I enjoyed it," a man said, grinning, and giving Ranma a thumbs-up.
Ranma nodded at the man, falling clean off the earthen lip of the
stage, then scrambling to her feet and staring with wide, shocked eyes
at him.
The others broke off their chattering, looking at the man curiously,
wondering what had Ranma so stunned. He wore somewhat ragged jeans, and
a faded but clean T-shirt beneath an open brown fur-lined coat. Two
gloves were tucked into one pocket, and he had a relaxed, easy grin with
an expressive and kindly face. Dark bangs crept out from beneath the
edge of the blue cap he wore -- turned backwards though it was.
"Nice job, Ranma!" the man encouraged, still grinning.
Ranma managed to eke out an excited, "Aniki!" before scurrying to the
man's side, and pounding him on the back. "Aniki! How've you been!"
--------------------------------------
Author's notes:
And you thought he'd never have a role in this fic. Nyaha!