jorgepratt@prodigy.net.mx
Song of the Phoenix: Aria, by Jorge A. Pratt
The door closed with a slam, and she ran.
She had so very little time. Even though she knew they
would still be sound asleep, she was sure they would find out in a
matter of minutes. Already they had thwarted her several times,
and she was not going to let anyone stop her now.
The patter of her bare feet was the only sound in the
darkened streets. Sunrise would arrive soon, and with it, she hoped,
a new chance to set things right... to make sure everything was
back to the way it was so many years ago. In light of this, despite
the dread of almost-certain death that plagued her, she couldn't
help but feel giddy with expectation, grinning a bit wider with each
of her strides.
A light, almost imperceptible drizzle descended to cleanse
her as she arrived at her destination. For one instant, she felt an
overwhelming chill wash upon her --she knew, at that moment, that
she was alone. No one would be near to hear her cries if anything
went wrong. No one would assist her with the slightest
encouragement, or even a whispered cheer. And for that brief
eternity, she felt truly afraid.
But the fright was swept away by the rain, as quickly as it
had come. Even if she were alone, all for the better: no one would
try to stop her, to keep her from her goal... and, if she succeeded,
sharing this solitude would be a reward for both of them.
Elated by this knowledge, she armed herself with all the
courage she could muster and stepped into the vacant lot. Every
step she took forward, her feet oblivious of the ground beneath
them, increased her confidence. How she wished to see that person
again, to say that everything would be all right now, that she had
no more doubts about anything anymore...
As she reached the center of the lot, she spared a final
glance around the vicinity to make sure nobody was near. Satisfied,
she spread her arms, dropping the small satchel she had brought.
With a huff, she fastened the sash around her waist and rolled up
her sleeves, pausing only to run her fingers slowly over the inch-
wide bracelet of gold that hung from her left wrist. With a sigh, she
dismissed whatever thoughts had passed through her mind and
knelt, opening the satchel.
Carefully, almost in reverence, she retrieved a worn, dog-
eared photograph --a picture taken at the Tendou Dojo, before it all
started going wrong-- along with a small harp that seemed to have
been fashioned out of sunbeams and starlight. She knew it to have
been that person's most prized possession --and hers as well, for the
past few weeks. But the instrument would not evoke music from
the past anymore: it would only help her bring forth a new dawn.
She set the harp on the ground before her, the photograph
at its base, and stood up. Its strings glistened: shimmering tears
suspended in gossamer threads. With one last nod of reassurance,
she stepped back and closed her eyes, invoking that song she knew
by heart.
It was almost instantaneous. The music flowed around her,
through her; she could immediately remember the voice, the scent.
The magic of the song, bolstered by the echo from the harp,
suffused her entire world, turning it into a golden radiance of
potential and possibility. She grasped it tight and then, with her
memories as a backdrop, she let her own inner light surge out from
her body in the shape of a majestic aura of chi.
Everyone in the family, awake or not, would have noticed
that. Time to hurry.
The aura that spread from her figure soon illuminated the
entire lot. The harp rose from the ground, causing the photograph
to flutter in the intense winds caused by her vital forces. Then, as
though the music itself took material form, soft breaths of every
shade of the spectrum spread out from the strings. They spiraled
around her, tugging at her clothes and hair; pulling her arms this
way and that; pulling her free of gravity and lifting her face to greet
the heavens.
Distantly, she could feel Ranma's presence. He and her
sister had finally realized she was missing --no doubt they would
be here any moment. And? _she_ was with them, too. But it didn't
matter... she was so close to the end, she could almost touch it...
There was a soft rumble that shook the vicinity, and she
grimaced in discomfort. Her forehead throbbed like a second
heartbeat as the chaotic strands of magic tried to ground
themselves there. Instants later, her shirt burst open as a radiant
flame burned from her chest, and she cried out in pain as if she
were being torn asunder. It was so intense! She never thought it
would be like this. Her body almost failed her then, and she
faltered in her confidence, yet it was too late to stop now.
Something deep in her soul shrieked, and her voice could no longer
sing but scream, her mind a world of endless, burning pain. But
then, as the... was it a technique? Or a spell...?
No, it was neither. It was simply a call. A call devised to
pierce through the veil and that which lay beyond the ether. A call
meant for one person alone.
And she was the Caller.
As the Calling reached its critical point, its energies could
no longer remain confined to the mere spectacle of light and
matter. She distinctly heard Ranma arrive at the vacant lot, his
voice almost breaking as he cried out to her. And at that precise
moment, the harp dropped like a stone and all sounds, all light, and
all energy surged back forcefully into her small, frail body, igniting
it like a small Sun.
She screamed out yet again, every cell that composed her
crying in unison. Only Akane's shriek of horror matched her own.
A great column of blinding incandescence erupted
beneath her feet, reaching far beyond sight and flinging all those
around like leaves in a storm. There was one final shout of "NO!"
of voices male and female, but she no longer heard it. She heard
nothing more, as the spark upon her chest consumed her in a
bonfire of golden flames.
And thus, with the first lights of aurora, a bird of pure fire
rose upon the ward of Nerima.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Song of the Phoenix
First Movement:
Aria
Ranma 1/2 created by Rumiko Takahashi. (C) Rumiko Takahashi /
Shogakukan. English version copyright Viz Communications.
Final Fantasy, Final Fantasy VI created by Hironobu Sakaguchi /
Squaresoft. (C) Square-Enix.
No profit is made from this work of fiction. It is for the
entertainment of fellow fans only.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Part One: Apertura
Chapter 1:
Dreaming
First, there was the burning.
Dancing flames crackled around her, threatening to scorch
her with their lashing tongues. Like liquid, they flowed through the
ether of the darkness in which she found herself; blazing serpents
slithered close to her feet, while angry coronas rose from the
ground as the most ardent sunfire. Yet, she would only feel
welcome in such a place --a haven where the fire would only
comfort her, as though it didn't dare harm her.
Akane Tendou had always had strange dreams.
Everywhere she turned, she saw only fire. It ate away at
the blackness of her dreamscape, illuminating it and showering it
with warmth. Eventually, all things around her shone the color of
gold and ruby, except for one body: the Moon, which hung from
the brilliant blue skies as bright as a silver star.
Hesitant at first, she tried to walk through the
conflagration; she didn't know where she was, but there was
something deep in her soul which drove her to move, to find a goal
amid the gentle inferno. She was being called onward, but by
whom, she did not know. It was a familiar presence, loving and full
of tenderness, though she had never felt it before.
Her hand clasped another. The touch was soft and
unassuming, it insinuated itself into her grip and nestled there
comfortably. For a moment, the flames around her flickered and
sputtered in a commotion, but she smiled at the contact
nonetheless. There was a girl by her side, with a shining face
shaped like a heart and framed by a dark pageboy cut, setting off
her bright brown eyes. She looked sideways at her and Akane
returned the glance, amused only for a moment. The girl that was
her and that walked beside her smiled back, squeezed her hand
gently, and began to pull her back.
Akane was surprised. The flames, previously inoffensive,
roared loudly in response to her other's intrusion. Cold blue sparks,
the color of cobalt, rose amid the blaze to overwhelm its previous
warmth. And as the other gripped her hand tightly, struggling
against an unseen force to pull her away from the fire, a terrible
wind swept through her body and tossed them off their feet.
Her head swam. She had fallen face-first on the unyielding
ground. Crimson hair clung to her face, obscuring her eyes and
dizzying her as the wind tugged at it every which way. She looked
up through the fog and saw that the other, the girl that was her and
at the same time wasn't, was caught helplessly in the fury of the
blue flames and merciless storm.
Her plight drove a spear through Akane's mind. She had to
save her. Damn this wind and this fire, nothing else mattered but
getting her to safety. Struggling against the gale and her own
weakness, she tossed her braid over her shoulder and stepped
forward.
The ground gave way under her feet. A strangled yelp
came from Akane's lips and she fell down, down a long shaft that
ended with a shock of water, icy and penetrating like death. Her
head sank quickly beneath the surface, and the fire was there: blue,
deep and filled with sorrow.
She thrashed wildly with her arms and legs, and by some
miracle she managed to bob her face above the water. She saw the
bamboo, and instinctively clung to it to try and pull herself up from
the pool. Akane, the other Akane, was kneeling by the edge of the
well and kept shouting and screaming at her, trying to stretch her
hand down for her even though she was too far out of reach. The
flames all around the pit were gold and lively, but there was an
unknowable desperation in their dance.
She pulled herself up with all her might, but the water
clung to her, made her heavy, and dragged her down like tar. Her
hands slipped over the shaft of bamboo, and her legs kicked
violently under the surface. The water burned her, her feet were
frozen, and the flame in that abominable spring was like a million
voices, one hundred and forty-four voices that shrieked death and
sadness at her. And, all the while, Akane's screams and the roar of
the fire overhead filled her ears with the need to break free.
The spring was no longer deep, she could almost paddle
to the edge. Akane was almost in reach of her other. Then, a figure
as large as a man leapt from a place beyond the golden fire and
stepped atop the bamboo pole. Akane called out --she knew him!
He was going to help!
No. He fell, his black braid whipping venomously behind
his head. She saw him drop towards her and was prey of
immeasurable fear, and the cry she let out when he crashed into her
was more of betrayal and pain than surprise. Pinned beneath his
dead weight, she was powerless; she felt the spring water, that cold
blue flame, rush through her nose and mouth and into the deepest
recesses of her body. However buoyant she had felt earlier, she felt
herself sinking instantly upon the onrush, and her terror was even
greater.
The spring had no bottom; the bamboo had no substance
to cling to; the walls were high and unscalable. The water filled
both him and her, pulling them down to unreachable depths. Her
chest ached with a pressure she never thought possible, and her
limbs had become leaden, dead with panic and exhaustion.
Akane was no stranger to drowning; the impotence and
panic were more than familiar. But this was much, much worse.
She didn't sink as much as fall into endless, paralyzing darkness.
Instead of the muted drone she heard in pools and bathtubs, she
could hear nothing in this water other than interminable shrieking.
And when she at last found the strength to open her eyes, she didn't
see anyone reaching down to pull her out--
She saw her own braid, flaming red and unraveling in the
water, and beyond it a pair of eyes that burned as hot and intense as
embers.
Then, there was nothing but the dark.
* * *
Akane rose from her bed drenched in sweat, still panting from the
nightmare. To her side, P-chan groggily sat up, half asleep. As her
heart pounded furiously in her chest, she put her head in her hands,
trying to calm down. Her face was covered in tears, probably
because she still remembered the outcome of the dream.
That had been the fifth time in as many nights Akane had
had a nightmare related to Ranma in some way or another.
Sometimes, it involved him dying because of his curse; often, it
included the same feeling of dread, of helplessness that haunted her
now. Every time, though, she had been shaken gravely by the end
of the dream. But she couldn't help being frightened. It was... as if
her heart were being rent asunder by the horror that came to her in
her sleep.
Trembling, Akane took P-chan in her arms and stood up,
feeling the hard thumping of her own heart against the body of the
small piglet. With a sigh, she walked to the door and stepped out to
the dark hallway, then made her way slowly, on tip-toe, to the
Saotomes' room. She was hesitant at first, thinking it silly to feel
the need to check up on its inhabitants, but opened the door
nonetheless. And yet, while the huge panda within was blocking
most of the moonlight, what it allowed to see was enough to set her
at ease.
Letting out a deep sigh, she began to walk back to her
room.
However, she found it difficult to head in that direction. Her feet
made their way forward out of their own volition, taking her
towards the balcony. Akane shivered as she came out into the cool
night air. With silent steps, she headed towards the railing,
grasping it as though it were a lifeline.
The sky was completely clear, a rarity at this time of year.
The stars were unusually bright as well. Akane took a breath of
fresh air, waiting for her lungs to fill up completely before
releasing it. Gently, she placed P-chan on the floor and leaned
against the railing. The night was so peaceful; it was hard for her
troubled heart to acknowledge the pain that it had felt just moments
ago. Under the pale gaze of the moon above everything seemed to
disappear... the world became, even if just for a few moments, a
normal place once more, making all the insanity around her life
appear to be nothing but a fleeting fantasy.
Suddenly a shooting star, the brightest she had seen in a
long time, appeared exactly overhead. Quickly, Akane closed her
eyes and began to make her wish. It was different this time, though.
She had always wished half-heartedly that Ranma could finally
stop being a jerk, knowing all the while that it was just a silly
superstition. But this time, she allowed herself to transcend her
rationality. She poured her soul into the wish, hoping that, in spite
of all reason, it could come true. Soon, the strength of her request
became so great, so insistent, it was more of a prayer than a mere
wish.
Opening her eyes, she followed the shooting star as it
continued its journey. Oddly enough, it was almost as though it
shone even brighter than before. Turning away, Akane picked up
her pet pig and headed back inside. She just stood in the entryway
for a moment, catching her final glimpse of the star until, with a
sigh, she went back to her room.
"Please," she continued, "this time it has to work."
* * *
Lost deep in the rugged peaks of the Bayan Har Shan Mountains,
in the Tibetan region of China, lay a secluded valley forever
shrouded in mist. Set at the foot of Mt. Kensei, it shone with a
silvery light, glittering like a sea of stars to mirror those in the sky
above. Bestrewn with springs and pools that numbered well over a
hundred, the valley of Jusenkyou was unusually quiet that night.
If only the wind could howl, the Guide considered,
looking over the springs from his doorstep. At least then he could
get a decent night's sleep. The absolute silence that pervaded the
night was far more dreadful, and it set his teeth on edge. It seeped
into the ground and through the walls to still them, and so any
sound louder than his own breathing would quickly fade away as if
embarrassed for making such a racket.
The springs, his constant wards, felt just as alien to him.
Normally, they would ripple and surge even in the lightest breeze,
and the bamboo would sway and dance along with them. Tonight,
the poles were cast in steel, driven through icy mirrors that shone
with the very same faint, spectral light that ordinary water isn't
supposed to have. And even though they were haunted springs, and
some leeway was to be expected, the Guide was familiar enough
with Jusenkyou to know what passed for normal, and what was
definitely not.
A silence so deep that it extinguished all sound, allowing
for a sensation of hundreds of voices, wafting wraith-like from
every single pool... That was not normal. None of the previous
Guides had ever mentioned them in their journals. And that was
because, for all its horror and tragedy, Jusenkyou was nothing
more than an amazing sight at daytime, and a foreboding presence
at night. As he closed the door shut and tried to return to his cot,
the Guide was overcome by the feeling that, this night, Jusenkyou
had grown infinitely larger --and infinitely more fearsome.
Thus, when he heard the crash, he nearly jumped up out of
his skin and through the roof of his house.
Clutching his chest to keep his heart from bursting out, the
Guide stumbled over to the door. He fumbled with the doorknob,
rattling it in the wood in his anxiety, but he managed to crack open
just enough of a gap to peer through.
There was very little he could see, however. The mist over
the springs was fainter, as though it had been blown away, but it
was quickly roiling back into place. He could hear, though, that the
springs were agitated; the water churned and bubbled as if boiling,
and a few of their bamboo shoots were slapping noisily against
each other. There was something shining nearby, though, and that
caught his attention: it was a bright, pulsing light, which cast
flickering shadows across the ground. For an instant, he thought
that it was a car that a new customer had arrived on; he quickly
dismissed that thought, knowing that the roads leading to and from
Jusenkyou were far too rugged and narrow for any vehicle larger
than a wooden cart. Curious, the Guide armed himself with a frying
pan and a cowardly disposition, swallowing in worry before
stepping out of the house and into the countryside. Then he found
the source of the glow, hanging in the air just above the pools, and
he decided that the immense, glowing spark of devilish light was
one of those Jusenkyou things that were _not_ normal.
He scrambled into his house and under the cot in record
time.
After a few minutes of waiting for another terrible,
Jusenkyou-created beast to slither or stomp or sweep into his
abode, the Guide risked a peek from under the cot. The table was
still in one piece, which was good. The house was still standing,
which was better. The door was still closed, and the evil light that
came in through the gaps around the doorframe was quickly fading
into darkness. Likewise, the trail of smoke coming in through the
window was weakening from a furious red into a rather ordinary
shade of black.
Wait.
Slowly, the Guide crawled out from his humble hiding
spot and peered out the window. Sure enough, there was a faint
trail of smoke leading into the forest behind his house, where the
ground had been rent into a wide, deep gash. Low moaning came
from the woods as well.
He decided that, finally, enough was enough. Cowardice
or no cowardice, Jusenkyou beasts or no Jusenkyou beasts, he was
fed up with customers arriving at the strangest times by the
strangest means to end up transformed into the strangest things by
the cursed waters. Especially when they ruined his backyard.
Running out the door, the Guide raised a lantern over his
head to light the way along the groove. The strange light above the
springs had vanished, leaving no traces save whatever it was that
had crashed through his garden and was currently emitting a pained
moaning. After reaching the end of the trench, though, the Guide
decided that he would have preferred to find no traces at all.
It was an enormous egg, nearly six feet wide and eight feet
long. Colored bronze, it gave off a metallic glint in the moonlight.
Sure enough, when the Guide tapped it with a knuckle, he
confirmed it was metal, and hollow. Also, he noticed, it was
extremely cold.
There was another moan, almost as if in response to his
knocking. For a moment, he recalled that a tribe from the vicinity
of Jusenkyou used eggs similar to this for capturing enemies.
However, even those people didn't use metal ones, much less leave
them unguarded. Curious, he peered around the shell to try and
find a way to open it.
He didn't need to search for long, though. After just a few
seconds, the egg itself evanesced quietly into thin air. A few
purplish-blue sparks ran across the fading surface, lighting up the
forest, until finally the shell vanished to leave the Guide staring
agape at the figure within...
...and at the wondrous beast that lay beside it.
Unbeknownst to him, the water of the springs of
Jusenkyou began to ripple, shedding a faint azure glow, almost like
a blue flame, into the silent darkness.
Chapter 2:
Family
Akane looked on wistfully as the landscape slid at high speeds
outside the window. Far in the distance, the mountains slowly
rolled past her, disguising the swift pace of the train as it hurried
onwards.
She had always enjoyed train rides. They gave her a
chance to see much more of her country than she usually had the
chance. And, unlike training trips, they allowed her to sit in her
own, peaceful world while the rest of the world blurred in and out
of existence. However, she was much too distraught at the moment
to bask in her personal pleasure.
That dream had come again last night, much more intense
than ever. This time, though she hadn't had anything as distinctly
horrifying as the nightmare about drowning, it had flooded her
heart with such deep melancholy she found it hard to enjoy even
such a simple pleasure.
She had been standing outside the Dojo, with Mrs.
Saotome and another, unfamiliar woman behind her. In the
distance, she beheld an enormous tree, taller than even the Tokyo
Tower. She knew she was crying: her cheeks were red and wet, and
her eyes were dry. Beyond the tree, the sun glowed brightly, its
rays falling like golden columns amid the thick foliage.
Ranma was running away from her. Akane could still feel
her heart twist horribly in her chest at the sight of the slender,
almost wispy redhead leaving home, her hair waving freely like a
solar flare. Akane reached out; she tried to stop Ranma from going
towards that tree, but her fiance would only turn back at her, smile,
and continue to run. Then, when the petite figure had faded from
sight, there would be a great burst of light at the root of the tree,
and a gigantic, armored creature would rise and let out a bellow as
frightening and powerful as the roar of the earth itself.
She shook her head, wishing away those images before
they could bring about more tears, and concentrating on the
panorama outside her window. It had been two months since she
had had a dream as appalling as this; but as terrible as the images
of the fire and drowning in the spring had been back then, even
they hadn't conjured the awful heartache that last night had left her
with. It was as if a part of her soul were being ripped from her,
even now.
Turning around, Akane peeked through the gap between
the seats to glimpse at the back of Ranma's head, his attention
barely caught by a martial arts magazine someone had abandoned
on the train. Uncle Saotome, in the opposite seat, was snoring the
trip away, a snot bubble in his nostril being the only indication that
he wasn't a particularly lumpy mannequin.
With a sigh, she dumped herself on her seat and closed
her eyes. They were just nightmares, she told herself. Maybe...
maybe something in her heart was trying to give her a warning; the
visions always ended with Ranma and her being torn apart in one
way or another.
But... she had not had those dreams in a while. She had
seen the beginning of summer, and the trips to the beach and to that
villa by the lake without the slightest image in her sleep. Then
again, maybe the business with that gigantic jellyfish, and what
Ryouga-kun and Akari had gone through yesterday had reminded
her that she wouldn't be able to deny her true feelings for much
longer... hence the dreams about Ranma leaving.
Nonsense, she told herself. True, she and Ranma had been
getting along much better now, and maybe they did feel
something... but it was certainly not _that_. Why, the pervert still
held on to those other girls and kept insulting her like the immature
jerk he was. Especially that last time Auntie Saotome visited... Oo,
the idiot was actually glad his breasts were bigger than Akane's
own! And then that mirror-copy last month...
She stood up and slapped her hands to her cheeks a couple
of times. There she was, trying to avoid getting upset at the dreams,
and she ends up angry anyway. Stop, think about school, think
about martial arts, think about that lady with the long wrapped
bundle over her shoulder, very much like Mrs. Sao--
Akane froze, her hands on her cheeks, in a pose that could
have inspired Edvard Munch.
Mrs. Saotome! But what was she doing here? Had Auntie
heard that Ranma and Uncle would be going to the beach along
with the Tendous? Was she visiting relatives? Why was she still
carrying that stupid sword around?
At least she was walking away, towards the restroom at
the front of the car. Otherwise... No, wait. Ranma! Gotta warn
Ranma that his mother was here!
Ducking behind the seats until Mrs. Saotome entered the
lavatory, Akane suddenly pulled herself around and whirled to face
Ranma straight on. Across the isle, her father had a newspaper
draped over his face while Kasumi contentedly read a book. Only
Nabiki had taken notice of what had surprised Akane, and was
smirking devilishly as if questioning her ability to get out of this
mess.
"Ranma!" she whispered fiercely, earning a wide yawn
from the pigtailed boy. "Get up, stupid! Your mother is here!"
With the trained reflexes of a life on the run, Genma blew
out his snot bubble, grabbed his son and leapt out the nearest open
window --realizing a second too late he was on a moving train
rather than in the Tendou living room. Akane and Nabiki nearly
fell over in surprise.
"YOU STUPID IDIOT!" a rather angry male voice fought
over the loud roar of the wind outside. "What the hell are you
doing?!"
"A martial artist must... ungh! ...always be ready for
anything!" contested another voice, and a large hand clamped itself
over the edge of the window. Akane immediately grabbed hold of
it and pulled --taking Genma back into the train. He wasted no time
in dashing towards the restroom at their end of the car and hiding
himself inside.
Meanwhile, a farmer and his cow were somewhat
surprised to see a train speed by in the distance, a red and black,
human-shaped banner hanging from the side of one of its windows.
The cow mooed appreciatively.
"Ranma!" Akane cried, leaning out the window. "What
are you DOING?! Get back in here!"
"Thought I'd get some fresh air, you idiot, what do you
THINK I'm doing!" He managed to pull his torso back into the car,
his limbs flailing at any handholds and finding none. "Gimme your
hand!"
"Oh? Why, hello, Akane-chan!"
Both teens froze at the voice --a decidedly stupid thing to
do when your lower body is flapping like a flag outside a fast-
moving vehicle-- and Akane shut the window, trying to hide her
fiance from the also fast-moving mother that had spotted her and
was rapidly approaching.
"A-auntie Saotome!" Akane's eyes had taken that deer-in-
the-headlights look again. "Wh-what a coincidence to meet you
here!"
"Indeed. Are you on vacation too?" was Mrs. Saotome's
cheery reply. The matriarch seemed even more spirited than ever,
and her smile was dazzling. All of Akane's anxieties were allayed
at the sight.
Even those related to her fiance cum windsock,
unfortunately.
"Y-yes, we're going to an inn by the beach," Akane said,
smiling back at the older woman. "And you, obasama?"
Mrs. Saotome shifted her wrapped sword to the other arm,
"I'm visiting some relatives. I also wanted to drop by the memorial
of the Saotome family to ask my ancestors for advice regarding my
son." She suddenly looked hopeful, "Did he come with you? Is he
here?"
The dreaded question had finally come again. Akane
could only sigh ruefully and shake her head, "I'm sorry, Auntie. He,
um, he and Uncle Saotome had to stay home to take care of the
Dojo. And, uh..." she added as an afterthought, "...they said they
would probably leave soon anyway on another training trip."
Nodoka let out a sad breath. "I thought so. Really, I must
have the worst timing. They never seem to be around when I
visit..." She suddenly brightened, and said, "Well, it doesn't matter.
I finally caught up with him last time, even if I didn't see his face.
Tell me, Akane-chan, are you enjoying the summer?"
Akane thought she had nodded; her mind had finally
recalled her fiance's predicament, and she devoted little attention to
the twenty minutes of small talk that followed. She winced in
particular when the train went inside a tunnel almost two minutes
long.
Of course, the thunderstorm that waited for them outside
the tunnel was quite bad too.
Then, almost in passing, she recalled how resourceful her
fiance was. By now, he had most certainly climbed down the cars
and gotten back in through another window. Yes, he must be inside
already, and he would probably sneak up behind her in a few
minutes, all disheveled and wind-swept but otherwise fine. Thus
relieved, it was until she and Nodoka had had some tea, talked
about school and debated about the finer points of a good curry,
that Mrs. Saotome left to bring over her baggage --and Akane
finally noticed the red fabric caught in the window frame.
When she finally composed herself and managed to pull in
a ghastly, soot and mud-covered redhead whose skin was making
an excellent impression of polished marble, Akane realized that
cats were probably no longer Ranma's only fear.
"F-fa-fast..." Ranma mumbled, her eyes bloodshot, "T-too
fa-faast... Big tunnel... Light at the end..."
Akane grimaced, then tried to push her frozen fiance
towards the back of the car, trying to find a hiding place before
Mrs. Saotome could--
"Dear goodness! Ranko-chan, what happened to you?!"
"S-so... co-coold... Everything... dark..." chattered the girl.
Akane flinched, and tried to distract Nodoka with a nervous grin
while trying to pull Ranma away.
"Sh-she just slipped in the bathroom and got wet, right,
Ranko-chan?" she tried, laughing foolishly.
The matriarch would have none of that, though. "But look
at you! Your clothes are all dirty, and look at your hair!" She easily
took Ranma from Akane's grip and pulled her along to the lavatory,
all while bringing along one of her bags with her other hand. With
a motherly tone, she soothed the tottering girl while leading her
away to the end of the car. "It's a shame we only have cold water in
that tiny restroom," she said, "but we can't have you dripping mud
all over the train, now, can we?"
"W-wait, Auntie...!" Akane reached out, but there was no
getting through to Nodoka while she was in full-blown Protective
Mom mode. She could only watch and wait as mother and
"daughter" disappeared behind the restroom door.
A few minutes later, they reemerged --to Akane's great
surprise.
Nodoka smiled at her charge, "There, now. Don't you feel
better in those clean clothes?"
Akane stared, and bit her lip to suppress a wry giggle.
Ranma was wearing a flowing white sundress, tight as a glove at
the torso but with a skirt that flared widely below the hips, with a
revealing off-the-shoulder neckline that exposed just enough
cleavage to boast of healthy femininity while remaining decent.
Even her hair, still moist and heavy, had been rearranged to a more
feminine style, though it still sported its usual braid. Matching
white shoes and a bow at the end of her new ponytail completed
the ensemble. The only thing that marred the look was the
mortified grimace cast on the face of a very conscious, and very
red-faced redhead.
"You look so cute and feminine, Ranko-chan!" praised
Nodoka happily.
Akane was having a very hard time keeping herself from
exploding in laughter. As crimson-cheeked as her fiancee, she
asked, "Uh, um... Auntie? Where did you get the dress?"
"This?" Nodoka smiled, leading a rather reluctant Ranko
back to their seats. "It's something I wore when I was your age. It
fits Ranko-chan very well, don't you think?"
Akane regarded her for an instant, trying to reconcile the
tight, almost risque outfit with her kimono-clad mother-in-law. A
raised eyebrow was all she could manage. For her part, Ranma was
trying her damndest not to gag.
"So, um, you were saying you were visiting relatives,
Auntie?"
Ranma perked up visibly, and turned upwards to glance at
her mother. Relatives? She had never heard of her family save for
the immediate one, and she realized, to her surprise, that she had
not worried much about this fact either. Her curiosity piqued, she
listened attentively to Nodoka's words.
"Yes, I am," the Saotome matriarch nodded and sat,
followed by the two girls, who sat opposite to her. "I'm visiting my
sister, Mayumi." She reached forward and patted Akane's hand.
"You might want to come along, Akane-chan. Ranma's uncle has
been wanting to meet you for some time now." Turning to the
redhead, she added, "And I'm sure you would love to meet Ranma's
cousin, Ranko-chan. I think you two would get along nicely."
Ranma winced, hoping to the nearest available deities that
her mother wasn't trying to set her up with her own cousin.
Nevertheless, the wistful look on Nodoka's face, combined with her
own aroused curiosity, pushed her forth with a question. "A-auntie,
can we go with you?"
"Of course, Ranko-chan!" Mrs. Saotome replied cheerily,
then blinked as Akane suddenly grabbed the redhead's pigtail and
pulled her towards the back of the car. "Akane-chan?"
"Would you excuse us for a second, Auntie?" Akane
smiled sweetly and dragged a protesting Ranma along.
"What's the big idea?" screeched the shorter girl, out of
earshot, as she rubbed her abused scalp.
"Didn't you say you'd show yourself as a man the next
time Auntie came over?" Akane said. "Now you'll get your
relatives into this whole mess too!"
Ranma sighed, and slumped her shoulders. "I know, I
know. I just didn't think we'd run into her so soon, and... well... Pop
never said anything about me having a cousin..." She looked up at
Akane with an odd, yearning expression that the Tendou girl had
never seen in her fiance.
"Fine, I guess it's all right," Akane finally conceded. "But
do you really want your relatives to meet you as 'Ranko'?"
"I'll think of something," Ranma said. "I dunno, I'll tell
them the truth when Mom's not around. Who knows, maybe they'll
help me out," she finished with a smirk.
Though she was still dubious, Akane agreed. Perhaps
Ranma was right for once; if his relatives learned of his curse, and
heard his side of the story, they might help him become reunited
with his mother. But still, even if they weren't so inclined, this was
nevertheless a chance for Ranma and Nodoka to become closer,
and maybe allow him to reveal himself to her.
Whatever the outcome, Akane was sure that this would be
a very, very awkward holiday all the same. She just hoped it
wouldn't be as disastrous as Mrs. Saotome's last visit?
* * *
It seemed only a few minutes had passed before they arrived at the
station. Having decided to accompany Nodoka, Akane and Ranma
went to claim their baggage while the elder Saotome hailed a taxi --
causing her to completely miss a panda wearing a straw hat and
sunglasses inconspicuously prancing out of the train station. The
rest of the Tendous followed, leaving the two girls in Mrs.
Saotome's care while they left for their beachside inn.
For their part, the three women were headed for an inn
themselves: the Hisame Hotel, owned and maintained by Nodoka's
sister Mayumi and her husband Ryousei. Ranma's mother had
refrained from saying much about it, or about her sister's family,
and Akane was left with the impression that it was a sensitive
subject even for someone with Nodoka's frank demeanor. All that
she revealed was that Mayumi, unlike her older sister, had married
into her husband's family, and that he was a doctor while she was a
part-time teacher at a local grade-school.
When the cab arrived at their destination, a resort set on a
cliff overlooking the ocean, she began to understand Nodoka's
diffidence
The Hisame Hotel was relatively large for its type, a
dozen bungalows arranged between the precipice and a large
manor, all built in a grove of lush and humid broadleaf trees, which
were clumped together so tight it was difficult to see more than two
cabins at once for all the thick foliage. And while said bungalows
were built in an eclectic variety of styles --from Caribbean palapas
to wooden villas and even an adobe hut-- the manor itself was
distinctly Japanese, a two-story rectangular building enclosing a
beautiful garden, which was visible through the front gates.
Sadly, Akane noticed, there were tell-tale signs of neglect
all around the property. There were wide cracks in the plaster,
more than a few rotted floorboards, missing roof tiles, and a
noticeable amount of undergrowth which obscured the roads and
walkways across the grounds, giving the impression that the inn
had been all but abandoned. There were gardening and
construction tools leaning against the outside wall, but even those
were rusted and cobwebbed.
"Geez, what a dump," Ranma muttered under her breath.
Akane silenced her with a precise elbow to the gut.
Nodoka didn't appear to have heard her, though. Her
expression, though projecting an outwards smile, was completely
unreadable, and was so out of character for her it bothered Akane.
Before she could try to understand Nodoka's attitude,
however, a tall, auburn-haired woman stepped out of the manor to
call, "Nono-neechan, hello!"
"Good morning, Mayu-chan," replied Nodoka with an
honest, filial smile, while the two girls stared at her oddly over the
"Nono" moniker. "I brought along two more guests that wanted to
meet you, if that's all right..."
Mayumi faltered for a moment, but quickly returned the
smile with equal fervor. "Of course it is, now come in, come in!
Ryo will come down shortly too."
Nodoka agreed, and pulled Akane and Ranma forth to
introduce them. "Mayumi, these are Akane-chan, Ranma's fiancee,
and Ranko-chan, her cousin. Girls, this is my little sister, Mayumi
Hisame."
No sooner had the introductions finished that Mayumi all
but squealed in delight, gushing over both girls incessantly. They
both grinned nervously at her reaction.
"N-nice to meet you, Hisame-san," Akane croaked out.
"I finally met my nephew's fiance!" Mayumi said. With a
knowing smile, she turned to Nodoka. "And you were so worried
about the agreement between Genma and Tendou-san. Oh, I can
just tell she'll be perfect for Ranma."
Akane blushed, while Ranma suddenly became fascinated
with the caterpillar crawling across her foot. Her thorough
zoological analysis was interrupted when Mayumi took her by the
shoulders and fixed a critical eye on her.
"So this is Ranko-chan, hm?" she said with a hint of
amusement. "I see what you mean, Nono-neechan. She and Rui-
chan would get along wonderfully." Pointing at Ranma's pigtail,
she snickered and added, "They'd be a perfect match, ne?" Nodoka
giggled, setting Ranma even further on edge.
At that point, the redhead gazed up at her aunt, the briefest
hint of recognition crossing her face. A hair shorter than her elder,
Mayumi was clearly Nodoka's sister, with seawater eyes and
copper-colored hair that hung freely down her back. Her style of
dress was also much less formal, however, consisting of an
ordinary pastel blouse and loose slacks.
For her part, Akane instantly saw the resemblance.
Between Ranma, Nodoka and Mayumi, it was obvious where the
dominant genes went. Ranma's cousin was probably a younger
version of her fiance's male form.
Mayumi led them into the manor proper for a quick tour
of the facilities. As she had thought initially, Akane saw that the
manor was indeed built like a rectangular enclosure: the first floor
contained the utility rooms, kitchen, individual rooms for the
Hisame family, and a large open-air bath, built around the central
garden. Guest rooms were located in the upper floor. A rather
spacious hall, fashioned as the hotel's recreation room, dominated
the center of the manor directly opposite to the gates. Both floors
of the manor had wooden walkways --with handrails to prevent
people from falling into the garden's koi ponds-- that ran all along
the interior of the compound. Though the corridors and the rooms
weren't as decayed as the rest of the inn, and the garden appeared
impeccably cared for, there were still more than a few signs that
the manor itself had seen better times.
It was when they returned to the recreation room that
Mayumi's husband, Ryousei, came out of what seemed to be the
inn's staffroom, wearing drawstring pants and a T-shirt and wiping
his hands on a towel. Akane noticed immediately that he was about
her father's age, also dark-haired and with a fairly unassuming
expression. His stride, and the manner with which he carried
himself, however, denoted confidence and aplomb. After
introductions had been made, her impression was reinforced, and
she recalled the comments Mrs. Saotome had made, during the cab
ride over, about her sister and brother-in-law.
"So, Neechan, have you met Ranma yet?" asked Ryousei,
honestly curious, while he and Mayumi served tea for their guests.
"No, not yet," Nodoka replied, and added with a glimmer
of hope in her eyes, "But I finally caught up with him the other
day. I have a feeling I will meet him soon." She turned to Akane,
"And I know I can count on Akane-chan to keep him in place when
that happens."
Oblivious to the nervous sweat rolling down Akane's
forehead, Ryousei continued. "It's too bad Rui's not here yet.
Something to do with training, I think." He then turned to the
Tendou girl and, with a knowing grin, asked, "So, Akane-chan,
how's your father? Did he finally get rid of He-Who-Musn't-Be-
Named?"
"Er, no, not yet..." Akane stuttered, "Um, so it's true you
trained with my father and Mr. Saotome?"
A wistful look crossed his eyes, "I tried to, anyway. We
were pretty close back in school. But then they went on to train
with the Old Master and I somehow lost track of them..."
"'Somehow' being that he wasn't fast enough to escape
from all the girls they stole panties from," Mayumi quipped
helpfully. Ryousei slapped his forehead while the others laughed.
"Uh, yeah," he admitted. "But that's the way I met Mayu-
chan."
"He stole your underwear?" Ranma asked her aunt.
"And right out of the laundry basket!" Mayumi smiled,
and added with half-lidded eyes, "Maybe he was peeking at me at
the time...!"
She and Nodoka giggled, with the latter adding a couple
"How manly!" every now and then. Akane and Ryousei forced
smiles while Ranma just stared in shock --realizing with each
passing second that her father might actually be the sane one in the
family.
Further small-talk followed, letting Ranma see a side of
Nodoka she had never imagined. In this environment, with her
sister and her brother-in-law chatting animatedly with her, Mrs.
Saotome nearly became a different person --one that was far
stronger of mind and heart than what she had seen during those
brief visits to the Tendous'. Ranma could easily tell what her father
had seen in Nodoka, aside from her family name: she was very
energetic, controlling all conversations and with a fleetness of
mind uncharacteristic of the Saotomes that Ranma knew, both in
attention (which she easily diverted from one topic to another) and
in thought (it wasn't rare to see even Ryousei bow down to
comments or suggestions made to him by his sister-in-law.)
Akane, for her part, watched in fascination as Ranma
became engrossed with her mother's revealed personality. She had
to admit --she had never seen Mrs. Saotome unfold so smoothly,
even considering that this was her close family. But the way Ranma
hung to her every word, no matter the topic at hand, let her know
that things were not as bad as they had seemed; indeed, under this
new light, Mrs. Saotome appeared perfectly capable of
understanding, and likely even accepting, Ranma's curse.
Unwittingly, Ranma smiled. Akane reached out and held
her hand for reassurance, startling the redhead but without
interrupting her smile.
The remainder of the day was spent quickly and in the
cheer of a close-knit family, leaving both teens lighthearted and
astounded at how different the Saotome/Hisame branch was from
their own. Unfortunately, Ranma's cousin had not yet arrived, and
she silently dreaded the idea that her uncle might pull a Soun
Tendou and fix her up with him. All she had heard of this
mysterious cousin was that "Rui" was fond of rough contact sports,
had more than a few unrequited suitors at school, and, most
notably, was a bit of a martial artist as well.
Thus it came as no surprise when, by nightfall, she and
Nodoka entered the room only to be assaulted by a Bruce
Lee/Jackie Chan tag-team.
Actually, it was only in poster and wallscroll form --nearly
every available surface in Rui's room was covered in some sort of
martial arts or Chinese paraphernalia. Aside from said posters,
there were pictures of tournaments, magazine clippings and the
occasional yin-yang lithograph. As she squinted at a framed photo
on top of a dresser, Ranma guessed that his cousin was the guy
standing on the third-place platform, along with that blonde on
second-place and the chubby old man on first.
So her cousin was a decent, if normal, martial artist. Must
run in the family, she figured. On the other hand, the countless
books on meditation, mythology and... locksmithing? Those threw
her off somewhat.
"You'll be sleeping here tonight, Ranko-chan," Nodoka
said. Ranma eeped and stared at her in shock.
"B-but, but, but..."
"It'll be all right, dear," her mother reassured. "Akane-
chan and I will take the guest room, but if Rui-chan comes back
you two will have to share the bed..."
A look of sheer horror was Ranma's only reply.
* * *
The first rays of dawn greeted Akane with an orchestra of crashing
waves as accompaniment. A hundred feet above, in the house atop
the cliff, the adults still enjoyed the sleep of the dead. Ranma, clad
in a simple one-piece swimsuit stood in the water, stretching both
hands out to her; an amused smile adorned the redhead's face,
irritating yet endearing at once.
"Okay, this is it!" Akane said to herself, "Now or never!"
"What, the complete ruin of any fashion sense you coulda
ever had?" Ranma quipped.
"Shut up and give me your hands!"
Akane fumed at her snickering fiancee and waddled over
to her. However, the huge flippers on her feet, the pair of inner
tubes around her waist, the inflatable pads on her arms, the life-vest
and scuba tanks on her torso, and the visor on her face made her
stride rather... gauche.
"I *will* learn to swim today, and that's that! And stop
laughing, Ranma!" With a vein nearly popping on her forehead,
Akane forcefully grasped Ranma's hands and let herself flop down
into the water. The redhead just rolled her eyes and played along.
This lighthearted game (or test of fire, in Akane's eyes)
served perfectly to set them at ease. Night at the Hisames' had
proved itself a memorable affair. The wind chimes had been a nice
touch, at least until the ferret knocked them down and turned their
breaths into wailing choirs. But at least the feline philharmonic that
followed was right on tune outside Ranma's window. And the trees
outside Akane's performed a delightful shadowplay of twisted
fingers that scratched silently at her and Mrs. Saotome's faces.
In hindsight, the tofu man shouldn't have blown his horn
at full blast when he came by in the morning. He barely escaped
alive from the two girls with the bloodshot eyes.
At least, it wasn't as bad as it could have been --or so
Ranma thought. The (in)famous cousin she kept hearing about
hadn't shown up yet. Due to the lack of worry from his parents'
side, she assumed he was as fond of long training trips as she was.
Finding herself unusually calm, Ranma looked up at the
violet and pink clouds and smiled. Pulling Akane along only
halfheartedly, she considered the revelations of the previous day.
Meeting not only relatives she didn't know she had, but also a
Nodoka Saotome that was very different from the traditional,
oblivious one she was used to.
Briefly, she remembered the incident of Ryuu Kumon --
the warrior that, by impersonating Ranma Saotome, had made his
way into Nodoka's heart. Now that she thought about it, it was then
that her mother first showed hints of this revealed personality.
Despite her happiness at having found her "son," Nodoka had
remained very close and protective of her extended family, and
eventually discovered the ruse while leaving no room for reproach
towards Ryuu.
The person Ranma had seen last night was far beyond
that, imbuing her with the warmth of a great pride and love for her
mother. It even washed over the shock of realizing what Nodoka's
definition of "manly" was.
A grunt and the spatter of legs in the water brought her
down to earth, and for a few instants Ranma glanced wistfully at
her fiancee. Akane wouldn't be able to experience these feelings,
and all of a sudden it saddened her.
"Brr... the water's pretty cold here," Akane said.
Absentminded, Ranma continued to pull her along. How
old had Akane been when her mother passed away? At least she
still remembered her...
"Uh, Ranma? It's getting deep and cold in the part. We
can go back now."
Had Mrs. Tendou been like her own mother? Maybe
Akane took after her, what with her strong personality and all.
What would things be like--
Hmm, the water was deeper there than at the beginning.
She could barely stand on her toes anymore. And it was freezing,
too!
Anyway... what would things be like now, if Mrs. Tendou
was still alive...?
"Ranma!"
The surprising fright in Akane's voice ripped her back into
reality. Ranma barely had enough time to listen to the deafening
crash of the wave that loomed above them, finding herself tossed
forcefully at the cliffside, after which all was silent.
* * *
The constant crashing of the surf was softer now, even though it
had been unbearable a few minutes ago. That was good, because
the cavern was a magnificent resonance box --all sounds, even the
rhythmic dripping of limewater onto the ground, were amplified
tenfold by the solid granite walls.
Now all that remained of the powerful wave-breaking was
a soothing, almost lethargic breath that pulled the sea breeze into
the darkened hall. It was almost as if the previous watery assault
had been intended, or so Akane thought.
Turning away from the mouth of the cave, through which
light surged with blinding intensity, she faced her fiance as well as
their savior, who had finished wrapping Ranma in a fluffy white
towel.
"Really, thanks for helping us out there," Akane said.
The girl in the white swimsuit waved her off, smiling,
"Told ya already it's okay. But y'were lucky I was 'round 'n' saw
ya." She placed her hand on Ranma's forehead, and paused for a
second before leaning away and sitting on her heels. Akane, for her
part, stepped around the unconscious redhead and sat behind her,
lifting Ranma's head to let it rest on her own lap.
"How did you do that, anyway?" Akane asked, fixing her
eyes on the girl opposite her. "It was... incredible."
Said girl faltered for a moment, as if embarrassed. "Oh,
that? Uh... that's... that's sum'thin' I came up with a couple of
months ago. Never thought it'd actually be useful." She scratched
her head in discomfort.
Akane stared at her for a few instants, trying to understand
why this girl was uncomfortable. The way she had caught them,
and how she had rescued them from the raging waves, had left her
speechless. And where had she come from, anyhow?
But at least she was sure of one thing: her earlier
suspicions had been correct. Why, bearing in mind that this girl
was two years younger, only the hair and eyes were different.
"Uhh..." came a low groan.
"She's waking up!" the girl said.
At first, Ranma knew nothing but darkness. All of her
body felt numb, frozen. She could remember nothing of what had
happened, aside from a sensation of dread that blanketed her mind.
Then, slowly, a vague source of light appeared before her,
along with a soft murmur, as if that of a crowd. She let out a groan,
and tried to open her eyes.
"It's all right... you're okay now..." she heard a distant
whisper.
Her entire being felt heavy, but after a brief struggle she
managed to open her eyes. And when she did, she stared in silence
at the sight. A dark, long tunnel stretched beyond her, filled with
chanting voices. She wore pristine robes of white, and she could
feel warmth around her still form. But before her, was a creature
that let her know exactly where she was.
It was an angel, she thought. Golden hair, crystalline, yet
with a reddish hue that turned it into a cascade of flames. Eyes like
twin sapphires, of such depth it seemed she might fall inside them.
It also wore white robes, but of such a substance that it was alive
with soaring birds. And it had an ethereal, enigmatic beauty that
shone further still with the round halo that framed its figure.
"I-I'm..." she managed to stutter. Her thoughts then
completed the words, "I'm dead. It-it really happened this time. It's
not like the train. I'm really dead now. I-it can't be..."
"You'll be safe now," the angel said. "Everything's okay."
No wonder her body felt cold; it was probably a remnant
of what having a body had felt like. And the warmth must be
coming from this angel. But... funny. She had always thought that
these guys showed up only in girl's comics and on the weird books
and rituals of foreigners. If anything, it should have been a family
spirit or something who welcomed her.
The angel just stared at her, quizzically.
She was about to try to speak again when she became
alarmed. What had happened? Where was Akane? Would... would
she never see Akane again? H-how was she supposed to deal with
that? Did this mean she would not get to tell her that... that she...
"Akane..." Ranma whispered, the name flowing unbidden
from her lips.
"Ranko-chan? Are you okay?" responded said fiancee's
voice.
Ranma suddenly rose to her feet in shock, spinning around
to find Akane sitting in the darkness of the tunnel. She also wore
white, her skin pale and cold. "Akane?!" she yelped. "A-Akane?!
W-what are you..." Her face then became white as a sheet. "Oh n--
Akane, don't tell me you're... that you also..."
"Uh, yes..." Akane replied, as if confused. "We ended up
here together, remember?"
If it had been possible, Ranma would have paled even
further. "Then it was my... fault...?"
A look of annoyance crossed Akane's brow. "Well I kept
telling you to go back! You just kept on going until wham! We got
hit!"
Seeing Ranma pause, Akane thought she was going to
retaliate with the usual barrage of insults. That jerk! Acting like it
wasn't his fault, like he didn't know what happened! However, she
was more than slightly surprised to see the redhead drop to her
knees and yell out a shrill "Nooo!"
"What's going on?" the blonde girl was severely confused.
At the sound of her own voice, Ranma looked down --
only to discover she wore a female body. She screamed even
louder this time.
"Aaaah! Why am I still like this?!"
"Ranko, calm down!" Akane said, covering her ears.
Ranma turned around, and saw the angel again.
"Aaaah!"
"Ranko!"
And Akane was dead too!
"Aaah!"
"You'd think she saw a ghost," quipped the angel.
"AAAAAH!"
A mallet fell, and so did silence. Ranma now lay, face
down, on the hard stone of the cavern. Akane quietly fumed while
the blonde tried to figure out what had just happened.
"O...uch..." uttered the redhead as she gingerly touched
the bump on her head. "That... hurt... wasn't supposed to... up
here..."
"What the hell was that all about, Ranko?!" Akane pulled
her up by the pigtail and shouted in her face.
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry I got you dead, Akane! Don't kill me
again!"
"_What_ are you talking about?! I'm not dead! Now tell
me what that was supposed to mean before I kill you!"
Ranma calmed down somewhat, and blinked. "You're not
dead?" Akane shook her head. "B-but what are you doing here?
Ain't I dead?"
"Not yet, anyway," Akane said, irritated, and almost
reaching for a handy stalactite to smash Ranma with.
"Um, did I miss something here?" asked the remaining
girl.
Ranma whirled to face her, and at long last her eyes
focused; her resulting facefault resounded all throughout the
cavern. What she thought of as an angel was actually a very cute
girl, about fourteen or fifteen, wearing a one-piece white swimsuit
with a phoenix design printed across the chest and stomach so that
its tail went around to her back. The white robes were also actually
towels, the tunnel was a cave cut into the cliffside, and the round
halo was just the light coming in from outside.
Oh, and the choir was simply the surf that came into the
cave.
Blushing the same color of her hair, Ranma sat up and
rubbed the back of her head, grinning stupidly in embarrassment.
"Uh, guess I'm not dead, then, huh?"
The blonde chuckled, comprehension dawning on her, and
she said, "No, but you almost were. I had to take ya out of the
water before y'drowned."
"She saved our lives, _Ranko-chan_," Akane said, poking
the redhead in the ribs as she emphasized the name.
"Why do you keep callin' me that?" Ranma said. "Mom's
not around here, is she?"
"Anyway," the other girl said. She wiped her hand with
the towel, and extended it. "I'm Ruiko Hisame! Nice to meetcha,
Ranko-chan!"
(tbc)
--------------
That's it for this post! From now on, all SotP posts to the FFML will also be hosted at http://www.baelastria.net (in construction) and I
will make regular announcements on my blog. C&C is welcome both as email (private or on the list) as well as the related blog posts.
Strangely, I used to be able to send these out to the list as plain-text attachments. Even double-checked with the latest FAQ to see if it could be done (direct C&P from Word destroys the tabs, which is why I export to Notepad.) But the list software still stripped off the attachment, and looks like now I'll be replacing all those tabs with spaces which still don't show up on my Prodigy webmail. Weird. :/
Thanks for reading!