On 7/26/05, David McMillan <skyefire@skyefire.org> wrote:
Brian Randall wrote:
No problem! Here it is:
What, free? Gee, you're easy. :) Well, here's some free C&C, right
back atcha.
Sweet! Like a soothing balm for my aching soul.
Disclaimer: The paints in this story are from Takahashi, Viz (Ranma
1/2), and Kitty Films, Naoko Takeuchi (Sailor Moon). They are used
here on this easel without permission.
But what about the BRUSHES?!? Don't they get a shout-out, here?
Aaron Nowack is holding my brush collection hostage. ;_;
Snipped outline. Not sure why it's there, but maybe I'll figure it
out. Your surreal fics are like onions, you know -- always another
layer...
One reason is that some of the segment headings are misleading. The
other is that the final two segments are not listed, so even though it
tells you everything in the outline, that's conveniently ommiting the
final two doors.... But there's a gap between the outline and the:
~Fin
That should make you wonder. ;)
But even though you've seen this story before, it's not, necessarily,
the one you're familiar with.
Then, this isn't a story of the destination at all; you know that
heading in. This is a story of the journey. Unless it isn't.
Have you been hanging out with Eric Hallstrom again?
If I could I would! I've instead been studying necromancy so that
when all the great authors kick the bucket, I'll be able to summon
them back to finish their fanfics.
On an, er, entirely unrelated note, does anyone know where I can get
some of D.F.R.'s blood? I'm kind of worried about future chapters of
Heart's Healing....
"Lies, I assure you," he said quietly, turning his back to her, and
staring into the cold marble fireplace of their shared quarters. "I
have feelings, Milady. I am but a Guardian, pure in deed and word
only. My spirit is not so great as yours."
"...cold marble fireplace..." ah, imagery.
This guy seems to be a master of the "soft words turneth away wrath"
technique.
He's just using big words to say: "Yeah, I look, but I only look.
What's the problem?"
Do not mistake, husband, my respect for you for an
inability to use my powers--"
Well, now, that last line is a bit self-contradictory, now innit? If
she *really* resected him, would she threaten him this way?
She's young yet. :p
"Is it so great a
thing, from so small a man, that it cannot be forgiven?"
<taking notes>
^_^;;
And then she understood, well and truly, why her
husband would never reveal who his heart belonged to.
What? Who? WHO? Oh, right, this is a BR Surrealfic -- never mind. :)
"All will become clear in the course of time."
Time had hardened her where her husband's unfettered heart had not.
She had spent ages beyond mortal perceptions merely studying the
future, watching the effects of a single change like ripples across a
pond.
That's the kind of thing that could drain the humanity out of anybody.
I imagine so. I've never done it myself, though I'd welcome the
opportunity to try. :D
Except that skills need to be used, in order to be maintained. And
her humanity, compassion, sympathy, and plain old human interaction
have gotten pretty rusty over the past several millenia...
Yeah, but it's all the same to her. Reading people is kind of
superflous when you can just check the timestream and see how you
should act to get them to behave however you want.
Of course, what if she's not *taking* Ranma away from you -- what if
Ranma's *walking away* of his own will?
Well, that would be even worse, from Shampoo's perspective...
I'll agree!
Urusei Yatsura? Nyarlthotep? An ICBM?
Mystery!
"That ain't it!" he protested, shaking his head. "Look, Ucchan,
you're my friend, and one of my better friends at-" He cut off
suddenly, eyes widening as he gasped, reeling as though physically
struck. "No," he breathed shakily. "Saffron!"
Oh. NOTB.
'NOTB'?
Smoke and dust billowed upwards in clouds that cloaked the
city in darkness.
Tinder.
Well, the match has been introduced.
Crafting a weapon, Setsuna knew, was a task that required the utmost
attention to detail. And one of the most critical details was to burn
away all of the impurities in your stock before you began.
Oh, *that's* not good.
One of F Paul Wilson's "Repairman Jack" novels implies that Jack is
being shaped into a Cosmic Weapon by a powerful entity, which mentions
that "a spear has no branches." With ominous overtones for Jack's
girlfriend and her daughter.
Note to self: Read this series.
Ranma's mind had cast aside everything but the immediate battle.
And, of course, some weapons craft themselves.
Well, from that standpoint, Ranma's already a weapon. ;)
There was more, of course, but he couldn't afford to consider it, not
now. He couldn't think about the exploding remains of buildings he
crashed through. Konatsu's cry of agony before nothing, or Ukyou's
pained gasp.
Maye "collapsing" rather than "exploding"?
Probably more accurate to the situation. Good catch!
The school was intact. He moved forward, drawing a breath of
thankfully smoke-free air, and leapt to the peak of the roof. The air
Technically, flat roofs don't have peaks.
Oops. -_-
Revised.
In the distance, the phoenix god hovered, the molten sunlight pouring
from his hand erasing the Neko-Hanten from Tokyo, and leaving a
streaked green spike across Ranma's vision. He looked away, closing
his eyes, and tried to take stock of the situation.
Saffron... appears to have gotten an upgrade, since last time.
Slightly. <_<
That one was me, not Setsuna. >_>
"Heh," he managed, through cracked, dry lips. "That's rich."
Always time for one last wisecrack.
A jovial attitude always helps when denying reality. :)
Something dangerous flashed in the boy's eyes, a flicker of bright,
colorless energy, and he turned his back on Setsuna. The others were
transfixed with the boy, so only Ami watched the Senshi of Pluto.
Only she saw Setsuna flinch. A curtain of fire exploded towards them,
but came short, a wave of heated air still blasting across the
rooftop.
She still feels something, at least.
Of course, this is because Ranma turned his back on her ... just like
in Setsuna's dreams of yesterday.
"What was once forbidden shall be no more," Setsuna said, smirking.
"You need a magical staff, Ranma? Take one." Setsuna pointed behind
herself, a finger extended unerringly towards Hotaru.
Urk!
This scene seems to have evoked this reaction from a great number of people....
Ranma's gaze rose from his smoking hand, to stare at Setsuna, rage
lighting in his eyes.
He's figured... something out.
The 'magical staff' setting him on fire helped. Go-go magic phoenix-pill!
"You bitch," he spat at Setsuna suddenly, his hand now aflame. "I'm
outta here."
Like I said. The sword you forged has two edges, Setsuna... if not more.
She's forging more than a weapon, though. ;)
When a true masterwork sword is crafted, stock is drawn for two
weapons. One weapon will house all of the positive qualities, and the
other will house all of the negative qualities. The true sword will
remain loyal to its wielder, so long as the anti-sword is safely
sealed away.
Huh! Does this come from any particular mythology?
I found information on this on the website while researching Japanese
sword-creation. It seems to be relatively obscure, so I stuck it in
trying to treat it more as folklore than actual practice (which is
probably the case).
Within the Thief's Mantle, he rose to the rooftops, what shattered
few remained, and caught the hot wind on his cloak, rising to face his
enemy.
Sug "in his cloak" rather than "on" -- suggests more of a lifting
force, to my mind.
Good call.
Setsuna collapsed, lying prone on the field.
<!>
Good distraction.
The Yamasen-ken did nothing to Saffron, his attempts at throwing
spears and javelins meeting failure. The glaive wouldn't let him form
vacuum blades, and he couldn't get close enough to use the polearm as
a weapon itself.
He just needs to find the "Earth-Shattering Kaboom" button.
Well, it'd probably be a bit TOO Earth-shattering....
So instead, he worked on deflecting Saffron's fire into the ground,
slowly carving out a great spiral.
...whoah. But can he produce enough cold?
It didn't work at Jusendo even when he did. Probably not, but what
else has he got at the moment?
"with all her might" feels... awkward.
Sug: "the thing attacking the city"
Sug: "searched" <> "ran"
"with all the speed she could muster"
Other suggestions all used. :D
What she found, was Setsuna, though as she skidded to a halt and
Sug dropping the first comma.
Will do.
"I follow orders," Setsuna said quietly. "You must listen to me.
Makoto will survive, as will that girl -- that Ukyou. But not in the
sense you think. In order for the best possible future to be
achieved, everything must proceed in order. And that means you must
heal that boy," she said, pointing to the ruins of Nerima, where a
giant swirling gout of flame began to erupt.
"Pointing to" -- they're still *in* Nerima. Maybe "pointing across"?
Good catch.
"How? I can't even reach him from here!" Usagi protested, part of
her mind urging her to ignore Setsuna, and simply run for Makoto.
Sug: "run to"
Gotcha.
Nodding, Usagi did as she was told, uncertainty causing her aim to
waver ... and miss.
Like she was supposed to?
Yep.
He intercepted the energy, trying to catch it in the canvas, and
fling it at Saffron. But the Soul of Ice extended into that foreign
power, which slammed through him, and sent him tumbling into the
darkness.
Tough love, hard healing...
When you're healed so thoroughly you start remembering other people's
lives, it may be too thorough. When it comes attached to vast
mystical powers, it's all good. :)
After a weapon is forged, it must be quenched.
Ooog. Didn't see that coming. Should have.
Could you really see Setsuna trying to stop Ranma now? :p
But then, something from Usagi struck him, and then he'd exploded in
white light ... and when the light had faded, he was wearing a great,
deep purple cloak, and he yelled, "I am the Guardian of Saturn, and I
am your *destruction*!"
Making a cameo appearance from Biles' "Children of Fire"....
Must read that some day....
And then, he seemed to flit about near the flaming god, and carve
dark spirals of nothingness into the air itself. These dark spirals
all suddenly exploded inward, shadow and fire combating, but fire
ultimately emerging triumphant.
The explosion compressed into a tiny sphere, which the Guardian
snapped his cloak at, six times, before gliding away. Then the sphere
blossomed into a column of light that seemed to stretch on to
infinity, and at the height Saffron had been, an expanding disc of
flame washed out, clearing the air of clouds entirely.
The geometry is a bit confusing -- the first paragraph seems to imply
that Ranma was flinging shadows at Saffron, but the second makes it
seem that he was squeezing together the ground-level fire *below* Saffron.
Er. The fire in that came from Saffron (he burns when he regenerates).
Ranma was at Saffron's height (up in the air) for the battle; he'd
never actually gone to ground to make the hot spiral, either, he was
just deflecting fire with the Umisen-ken.
Will clarify.
"Quickly, now," Setsuna said, approaching from the shadows, a massive
egg held in her hands. "There is a way to save them. I know how much
awakening the Guardian drained you, but I knew that this was the best
possible way things could be made to go. Use the power of this, and
heal them both."
Pawns. All just... pawns.
When the entire world is a chessboard....
He had black Chinese slacks, and his hair was the same color, running
nearly to his waist in a queue. Purple eyes sparked with energy as he
looked around a second time.
Purple eyes. I sense a Saturnian theme, here.
For the moment.
Not seeing what he was looking for, he cast the Silence Glaive away,
letting it fall to the ground carelessly. His eyes suddenly became
Which accidently triggered the "Earth-Shattering Kaboom" button,
something Setsuna had failed to forsee. Which only served her right.
Well, "everyone dies" gets more than just her, though. :p
"No 'but's," Setsuna overrode. "What will be, must be. Now, in a
few minutes I will need to fetch back our wayward Guardian."
"Must be" only on your say-so. And you'll forgive me if I find your
credibility less than stellar, right now.
On second thought, I don't care if you forgive me or not. Which
probably makes us eve.
Of course, not all of the reasons for her actions are clear yet....
Setsuna shook her head. "She's still there," she said quietly. "If
you know where to look. Makoto is going to require a lot of attention
until she recovers." Then she turned around, and walked away.
I was afraid of that.
Mmmhmm.
The woman halted, one foot across a line of rubble leading deeper
into Nerima's ruined heart. "Yes?" she asked, turning around, and
smiling pleasantly at Ami.
Hard to type with clenched fists.
Er. Sorry? ^_^;;
"Oh," Setsuna said quietly. "Don't mistake me. This isn't the end,
Ami. Merely a step across the path. This outcome is not what I'm
looking for. We need to come here to get to a better place."
Maybe you're right. But you never gave anyone a CHOICE, now did you?
That's the problem with assuming that you know everything.
"It was. Oh, but it didn't need to be. You must understand this,
Ami-chan. It was Makoto. This time." She smiled then, though her
eyes didn't show it. "It could have been you."
"This time"...?
I was considering alternative stories focusing on different fiancees.
Ami/Akane was the obvious candidate. Minako/Shampoo would have been
much harder to work, but probably could also be done. Setsuna's
basically saying that the stories are out there, but that this author
probably won't be the one who writes them. :p
"A dark day, Son-in-law," she said quietly.
Not really... the sky is perfectly clear now, after all...
Low-lying ash clouds? :p
He ran into her just after he'd passed the remnants of the dojo,
while he was in the shadow of a partially remaining wall. For a
moment, he considered trying to speak to her. To ask her what she'd
done. To ask what _he'd_ done.
And then he decided to just kill her.
Ranma: DIE! Huh. Didja see that coming? DIDJA?
Setsuna: Yes. In a few years, cloning becomes legal.
Ranma: Er....
"I'm not going to seek you out until I know I have your word. And I
_know_ what your word is worth."
...you know, Setsuna, you can take advantage of *anything* just once
too often....
She's banking on him realizing his personal honor is one of the few
things remaining. But yeah, her goal is (as becomes obvious later)
not to really try and appeal to Ranma.
Of course, once he remembers everything anyway, things will become ... messy.
Makoto blinked, and then her eyes opened, light brown and plainly
confused. Rei bit her lip, and asked, "Hey, are ... you okay?"
Wrong eyes. Except, of course...
Yeap. Though, it turns out that Ukyou's eyes are apparently blue in the anime.
Dangit.
Rei stared, and then 'Ukyou's' eyes seemed to go distant, and ...
turned green. She wobbled unsteadily, but retained her feet. "I feel
kind of dizzy," she said quietly. "What happened?"
Tag?
Yeap.
Ukyou looked like she was about to punch Setsuna, and Ami wasn't in a
mood to try and stop her. "What's your deal," she growled. "I....
Me either.
I couldn't imagine any of the Senshi being particularly happy with
what happened, and after their last conversation, Ami's respect for
her is probably at an all-time low.
"You can meet and be with your 'Ranma' again if you agree to
cooperate with us. Use your skill in league with our own, and Ranma
will protect you. In doing so, he will aid all of us. Is this such a
terrible thing to ask?"
Not if you hadn't set the whole thing up from start to finish, no.
It's the dialogue; remember Setsuna's husband's speech? The one you
took notes on? :p
She's not as good as he was, apparently. But good enough!
"What is your life, Ukyou, beyond Ranma? I'm offering him to you."
Hook, line...
"But...." Ukyou shuddered, and stared at her feet, hands balling
into fists. "Fine," she muttered.
...and sinker.
I can't really see Ukyou turning that offer down unless it hurt a lot
of people very badly. (Of course, if Ukyou had known how much it
would hurt Setsuna, that probably would have counted as a bonus to her
at that point.)
I guess I just showed up and stole half of your life, and I'm not
really sure what good I do with it. Anyway. I 'woke up' in the
middle of class today, and I tried to take the rest of your notes as
best as I could. May have flubbed the math test, but I think history
is good.
Your life get ripped to shreds, but school keeps on going. Like
death and taxes.
Well, Ukyou wouldn't bother, but it's important to Makoto. :p
The other
time he was just introducing his great-grandmother, that really old
lady with the stick, to Rei.
Oh, THAT must have been interesting.
Probably! But not terribly relevant beyond implying that the Senshi
at least know some of Ranma's past. And that Makoto would eavesdrop
to find out more about him.
He seems very sad. He smiles at me, when he thinks he's seeing you,
just a little. Thanks for your help with the homework, too. I made
breakfast for tomorrow, and left it in the same spot -- the girls came
over for okonomiyaki. But don't forget! They're your friends, too.
Heh. They *do* match up rather well, don't they?
I always thought so. <_<
Occupational hazard of living in a time-share skull.
"kiss you". Makes perfect sense in context.
I had a lot of fun with name carnage later. :)
I told him I had betrayed him, and then he got all
weird, his eyes turned kind of green, and he mumbled something about a
betrayal that could never happen, and ran off.
Green?
For the moment.
I think since you suggested it, I'll go ahead and ask, even though
the question makes me nervous. Since we're going to be the same
person, Ucchan, why don't we both go after Wataru?
Puts a new spin on polyamory, if nothing else.
I'd hoped the story would accomplish a bit more than that. :p
I think it's best this way. And honestly, it's hard not to like
someone who fights as well as he does for us.
Making lemonade.
Hmm?
Busted! You aren't mad at me, are you, Ucchan?
PS: remind me to kick Rei's hiney.
*snicker*
"This is good training," she promised. "When I'm done with you....
Well. It'll be a sad day for Saffron if he can come back from what
you did."
Which implies Cologne might have been able to handle Saffron, in her
own heyday. Scary.
I've always seen her as the most powerful character in the manga,
generally speaking. Late manga, when Ranma tries to fight her after
the 'strength of 100-men' noodle thing, she lays him out with one hit.
Admittedly, the noodle didn't help him, but he didn't even manage to
hit her once.
"Indeed," she sighed. "Then let me leave you with this advice,
Ranma. Never stop growing. Sometimes, you may need to set parts of
the past aside, and just move on with your life."
Hate to admit it, but the old ghoul is right.
I've always thought so.
"No," she said quietly. "You remember another life, when you were
another you. The Guardian of Jupiter."
Oh, right. Makyou-chan isn't the only one cramming multiple people
into one skull.
He's still mostly himself, though (as much as he can be, post Saffron
round II). Just with more memories.
"It's a kind of ... gadget ... that people would use in the Silver
Millennium. It takes notes, and keeps appointments. It gives you
directions when you get lost. It's a more advanced version of a toy
for children to educate them."
Sug: "educational toy for children."
Good idea.
"Similar," she said. "This one has been programmed painstakingly by
your wife since the day you died to see to it that you found
happiness."
...okay. Fine. She gets some points back for that. But I'm still
not happy with her.
"Happy for Setsuna" is not a theme that any segment of this fic really
seems to evoke. <_<
Following the toy's instructions was proving to be interesting. As
the thing had originally instructed him, it was programmed with
messages from his supposed wife, and included such things as
appointments for months in the future, and notes on what he should
call and say to the girls he was now to be working with.
Pawn, again.
But a kinder, gentler pawnship.
"But don't flinch; I see the future from where I lay
... I see what will become of you, and I do all that I can to ensure
you that your true desire is granted. Your loyalty must be rewarded."
...yeah, you're doing a BANGUP job so far.
You gotta break someone down before you can build 'em back up. Yeah,
it lacks compassion. But you have to admit that Setsuna's methods get
results!
But it had felt awkward, and distant. He knew it was Ukyou, inside
Makoto's body.... But somehow, he couldn't bring himself to meet her
eyes, the one part he couldn't deny was her, the reason he remained.
Survivor's guilt?
That, too.
Ukyou: Now that we're intact, can we go to where we just were?
Ranma (thinks): Dumping you for Akane. Who is now dead.
Ukyou: Ranchan?
Ranma: So. How 'bout [Area Sports Team]?
She was all he could save ... all he had left to protect, outside of
his supposed late wife's insistence that he should love 'the Queen'
above all others.
...okay, NOT going there.
Well, we know that Setsuna means to protect Serenity, but...
Once they were there, he peered at her face for a moment,
ascertaining that her eyes were brown, not green. "How you doing,
Ucchan?" he asked, looking away.
Ah, I'd wondered about the eyes.
Windows to the soul, they is.
But suddenly, he remembered another time, another woman ... the same,
but not _quite_ the same ... and she said, "Love, I will betray you,
and it pains me. I tell you first, to give you one last chance...."
There was a time when she gave people choices?
Not Setsuna. The 'same' comment was supposed to imply familiarity
with the Princess of Jupiter. Who was, of course, Makoto(and Ukyou)'s
prior incarnation.
He scratched his head in confusion. "Is that all?" he asked. "No
problem. On my honor."
He STILL does it. Oy. "Good care" may not mean what you think it
means, Ranma...
Extra memories or not, Ranma is still Ranma. At least, I hope. :p
"I don't fight girls," he muttered, walking into the room she'd set
aside for him.
Not that way, moron.
^_^;;
Waking after the dream had been peculiar. Makoto woke up, and Ukyou
remained asleep. She was uncomfortably aware of the fact that part of
her mind ... herself, she supposed, in some sense ... wasn't getting
up, but shrugged it off. It was time to get ready for school, and
that meant the first order of the day.
Oh, sure, Ukyou gets to sleep in. Sweet deal, if you can swing it.
Mighty big if. :)
And suddenly she felt as though someone had grabbed her, and then
pushed her into the back of her head to watch, while Ukyou woke up.
"What?" Ukyou asked tiredly, blinking, and looking around.
"Mako-chan?"
Tag!
These sequences were among the most fun to write.
"But it's better than it was!" Ukyou opined. "Now we can at least
see what's going on all the time!"
Important for those mid-battle switcheroonies. Or during more...
private moments....
^_^;;
And those dreams involved a lot of staring at odd
vistas without doing or saying much of anything. Whatever his
dream-self had thought while enjoying the views, he hadn't been privy
to.
Admiring the scenery not being manly, y'know.
*snicker*
She was kneeling on the floor and
sobbing into her hands. Whatever she had been cooking was a ruined,
blackened mess, removed from the stove and now in the sink.
...say what? Two master-class chefs in the same... kitchen.... oh.
*Oh.* I see now.
Riiiiight. :)
Then her eyes were brown, and Ukyou complained, "I can't do anything right!"
And this was supposed to make things *better* for them.
Adjustment periods are always a pain.
"Oh, I don't think they'll let you into the school," Makoto said
apologetically.
Like they could STOP him.
His thoughts exactly. >:)
Ranma flicked his canvas cloak about and vanished. "They don't need
to see me," he replied.
He *has* learned a bit more subtlety, though.
Well, that whole "You're on the run from the law" thing....
"It's a martial arts technique," he replied. "My father's legacy.
I'll make sure people get distracted if something happens."
Why am I suddenly having Full Metal Panic flashbacks?
Ah ... that's about right, I imagine. Over-protective high-powered
warrior watching over a seemingly average schoolgirl who doesn't
really respect normal social conventions.
Just give Ranma acess to the "I Want It Real Bad!" drive, (or, in our
case, the Silence Glaive)....
Makoto was not
familiar with the lesson, and tried to pay attention, but ultimately
found her mind wandering with Ukyou's.
Instead of being able to piggyback off Ukyou's previous knowledge.
Figures.
Ah, just for the moment. :p
Ukyou scrambled for control while Makoto panicked, and then said,
"Um, yes, Sensei. I was wondering, you've mentioned exactly why the
embargo was instated, but you never mentioned what it was against
specifically."
Of course, you *can* make it work for you...
There you have it. :)
The teacher cut off suddenly, as an explosion rocked the school, and
all students went to the windows, seeing nothing more than a shadow
drifting from the remnants of the gates.
SOSUKEEEEEEEE!!!!!
^_^;;
"Not for now," he said, shaking his head. "I don't want to hurt
you." After a moment, he looked away. "Either of you."
Talk about having liens on your soul...
Assuming that there's a kernal of truth in Setsuna's comments about
Ranma's interaction with the Senshi when they talk in the teashop, you
don't know the half of it.
While Makoto had better control and accuracy, she knew that Ukyou had
better balance and higher speed. This meant that when the attack
came, Makoto had transformed, and then Ukyou had leapt to the rooftops
to chase towards it.
Ultimate tag-team battle tactics.
Sug: The "Makoto... knew" bit makes it sound as if Makoto is in
charge, while ISTM that they're operating on a much more equal
footing. Perhaps "Makoto...accuracy, Ukyou had...".
Good idea!
"Hey," she called, between huffs of breath while Ukyou focused on
running, "why don't you change?"
But does her left hand know what her right is doing? :)
Gettin' there.
She nodded wordlessly, as they came upon the scene. Minako was
already embattled with a horde of massive, writhing plants, and Ukyou
leapt down to assist her. The Guardian flashed overhead, sporting the
Chinese shirt that Ranma did not wear, and the long braid that Ranma
had cut off. This time, he was dressed in red, and Ukyou watched him
while Makoto began to attack.
"Um, Ukyou? Eyes, *thattaway,* please?"
Nah, she's admiring the view too. :)
If she falls, Ranma will catch her. Right?
He raised one hand, and clenched it into a fist, so tightly that the
creaking of bone and tendon could be heard. When he relaxed his hand,
blood stained his palm, though none of it dripped to the floor. "The
dojo," he said quietly. "School."
"Life."
Essentially. :/
"And we can both talk to you at the same time," Ukyou added. "I ...
guess you don't.... You don't want to marry me, and I can't blame
you."
But do their eyes still change color?
Right now, yeah.
Ukyou wiped Makoto's tears from her eyes, and growled, "Listen, you
jackass. If you're gonna keep being a jerk to me, then fine, but at
least be nice to Mako-chan for puttin' up with all your crap!"
This relationship just keeps getting weirder. But still touching.
I kind of liked the idea of Ukyou berating Ranma for not being nice to
another girl. Though, she's got ample reason, here.
He read manga. Usagi liked manga, too. A tentative plan to get the
two to be friends was slowly being assembled in her mind. She was
still wondering how she could get Ranma to open up to other people
when Ukyou stirred the pot on the stove, as she had forgotten. "I'm
sorry," Makoto sighed.
Sug: while<>when
Right.
"I don't know," Makoto admitted. "I think I feel for him a lot,
Ucchan. Maybe it's you ... maybe it's something else. It's like
there's something about him ... I can't ... quite remember. There was
a certain...." She sighed in exasperation. "I don't know! But
there's something about him."
...wow. Her "old boyfriend" was *really* old. Er, you know what I mean.
Well, I thought it would be fun to explore from the angle of Ranma not
at all reminding Makoto of her "old boyfriend". Of course, once she
and Ukyou merge, and she gets Ukyou's memories, that becomes a moot
point. :p
"Well, I.... Um...."
Not like she can stick her fingers in her ears and hum real loud.
Well, she *could,* but I don't think it would do any good...
And most guys would probably consider it a real turnoff.
Makoto: That means it's working.
Ukyou: Grrr....
"You two getting along?" Ranma asked, appearing in the kitchen
suddenly, peering over her shoulder at the stove. "Smells good."
EEEEEEEEK! <splooosh>
Hah! Actually, if Makoto didn't take over, Ukyou would probably have
reflexively whalloped Ranma.
"Gah!" Ukyou yelped, spinning around before Makoto clasped her hands
over her heart.
I *love* the way you're handling the proper-noun entanglement in this
narration.
It was so much fun to write, too!
"You scared me," she managed.
More important, did he *hear* you?
Apparently not. :p
As Ukyou had explained it to Makoto, the boy should ask the girl out
in a normal relationship, but theirs was hardly a normal relationship.
Ukyou Kuonji, Mistress of Understatement.
^_^;;
Ah. Green. The color of Jupiter. And purple for Saturn, and red
for Mars.
'zactly.
"Say yes when she asks," it read. He frowned, and pocketed the toy.
Darn it, Setsuna, stop earning my forgiveness! I'm still mad at you!
^_^;;
Oh, GIVE them an opening!
Two girls, gunning for Ranma, and *cooperating*? He doesn't stand a
chance.
I'll agree!
"Finally got two girls after you who are willing to share," Ukyou
said, winking. "How do you feel?"
Heh. That's our Ukyou.
^_^
"I could be," she said earnestly, smiling at him. "At least ... I
think so. Ranma-sempai.... I ... know that you don't know me very
well.... But I'm friends with Ucchan, and from what I've heard, I
like you very much." She blushed, and stared at her feet. "I won't
make you go out with us if you don't want to."
Ukyou: But *I* will! So don't try to back out, jackass!
*snicker*
Makoto swallowed, and said, "We want you to know, if you need
anything ... at any time.... The door to our room is never locked."
....you know, I'm just not gonna say anything. At all.
It's an open invitation. ;)
Not knowing where her father
was, but knowing in her heart that it was the truth of things, she
spun around, declaring, "That is the man I will marry!"
It's hard to stay mad at her, seeing her like this... wondering how
she lost so much of herself... and whether things could have gone
differently.
That's pretty much one of the two halves of this story.
She turned, coming face-to-face with the Princess of Jupiter, who
stared at her for a moment, as though horrified, and then quickly
smiled. "That ... will be quite wonderful for you, Setsuna," she
offered. "My brother is a truly amazing man."
...oh.
Yeaaaahh....
"I'm sorry," Setsuna said with a sad smile. "The one who made
that...." She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Guardian."
...truth. All of it. Damn.
Time for the training wheels to come off, then.
'zactly. The PDA was meant to be Ranma's advisor, basically. Hence
the transition from Cologne to it.
It spelled out, "She is. Probably as sorry as I am, dearest heart."
That... hurt to read.
And I forgot to capitalize "Dearest Heart".
"You're my old life," he said. "But
I'm still me. And Cologne said sometimes.... Some parts of your past
you have to let go of."
Symbology. Like I said.
Yeap.
The hole was filled, and he patted it down before rolling a great
boulder atop it. He drew the naganita he had learned to hide on
himself from Cologne, and then from a few paces away, attacked the
Sug: "on his person"
Yeah, that's clumsilly written.
"I was adjusting to other things," he said. "I was pretending....
And ignoring things. It's hard to explain. But.... If.... If I'd
be welcome ... if that door was still unlocked when I got back if I
needed someone to talk to.... I'd like that."
....
He just means to talk to.
Really!
"My schedule is clear for a while," she said. "I have nothing better
to do than stand here. You, on the other hand, have an appointment.
One that you are about to miss."
So he won't have an opportunity to ask more questions. Hmph.
Among other things.
It was just one very confusing girl instead of two mildly confusing ones.
I propose a new universal law: The Law Of Conservation of Female
Incomprehensibility.
I'm sold on it already. :p
She knew whom her husband loved ... and she knew it hadn't been her
... so she'd see to it, in the end, that he found the happiness in his
next life that simply couldn't have been when he had died.
...okay. I'm sorry, all right? I take it back. Which doesn't mean
I *approve,* mind, but... I suppose I can forgive.
Eventually.
Let's hope Serenity thinks the same.
And she'd fled, not able to watch, to know if her husband had
remained as loyal as he had claimed, unable to even think that he'd
betray her for his own sister.
....sorry.
I'm not done yet!
When she'd gotten to the dance floor, her Guardian's wife was absent,
so she'd asked him to dance.
He accepted.
Setsuna... have you been editing people's memories again? Or are
they doing it to themselves?
Nope. This is how it happened. They just only remember bits and pieces.
Setsuna looked away from Makoto and the Guardian, banishing the view.
"Ah," she breathed, closing her eyes. "Why does it still hurt?"
Maybe because love doesn't die... at least, not easily.
I'd like to think that.
"No!" Setsuna cried. "Not like this!"
All the manipulations. All the betrayals, of self above all. All
the lies, all the plots, all the plans... all for nothing.
That's got to be a taste of hell.
And it's all of her own making.
I suppose *this* is what was always behind the other door, wasn't it?
Well, no, unfortunately.
"Oh, no," she whispered, as she could feel herself falling into that
place where she became Serenity. "Setsuna, what have you done?"
Everything. Nothing. Too much. Too little. Take your pick.
Usagi will forgive her, I suppose. She always does. But that
doesn't change the outcome.
I'm not angry anymore, Setsuna. There's really not any point, is there?
Not really. It appears my work here is done!
I'm not sure if Usagi would forgive Setsuna, or it she'd ... well, to
put it politely, have Setsuna be reborn to start a new life.
Admittedly, once she started recovering memories of her former life,
there would be problems, but does she start over with a clean slate,
or does she atone some other way?
That, I'm not sure about.
And neither is Setsuna.
[~Fin]
Yow. That was... just yow. I lost count of the number of
bait&switches, whiplashes, and hidden layers. I've got a headache now.
This one's a keeper.
Awesome -- and thank you very much for the comments, you caught quite
a few things I'd managed to miss. :)