[FFML] C+C QD 24

[DB Sommer]

*** Earth 0.000, 0.000

Home.

The word carried with it a winsome sweetness for most, especially when 
one had been away from it for a long time. That sweetness became even 
more poignant when one had willingly walked away from it, leaving it 
behind as a sacrifice upon the altar of necessity in order to attain a 
more valued prize. So it was with the individual that appeared on one of 
the cliffs overlooking the valley of Jusenkyo, a young man named Mu Tse 
(or Mousse as the conquerors of his people pronounced his name).

% And another old friend reintroduced.




“<Ah, Shan Pu,>” he murmured reverently. “<How I’ve missed you.>” He 
sighed longingly for her as he became lost in his imaginings. He gazed 
out across the valley without seeing it, feeling its ancient ambiance 
settle upon him like a gossamer shroud. The tranquility of the scene put 
him in a reflective mood, and he thought about the path he had followed 
and the irascible old man who had taught him so much, Master Yin.

% Yin from anything?

At a thought, shadows briefly congealed into a single blade appearing 
between his fingers and then vanished again. Mousse smiled at the ease 
with which he performed such a petty trick now, feeling the tattoo on 
his lower back seem to ripple slightly. Master Yin had been one of the 
last of the Lin Kuei, an ancient order of spies and assassins dating 
back to the first emperors of China, before they had been hunted down 
and all but exterminated by the Empire of Japan. Under his tutelage, 
Mousse had replaced the hidden weapon technique he once used with a far 
superior one. So now, like his master before him, Mousse could conjure 
forth from the shadows an infinite arsenal, no longer needing to hide 
weaponry on his person. So long as there was darkness or even merely 
shadows around him, he had weapons available to him.

% Hmm. Sounds a bit like a certain band of evil ninjas that everyone 
thinks has been hunted into extinction.


Yes, Mousse mused, destiny. And no one could change the destiny they 
were given at birth. No, one simply fulfilled the role fate cast for them.

% That's the excuse I use when I punch someone in the face. Then they 
fulfill their destiny of punching me back. Then I realize it wasn't 
destiny, but in fact bad judgment that led me to do that.

in Japanese and several of the local dialects were posted on the fence 
at regular interval,

% shouldn't it be intervals?

Mousse’s reverie was abruptly cut short as a rabbit burst into view near 
him and ran for all it was worth past him. He tracked it with his eyes 
absently, his thoughts still filled with memories, especially ones of 
his beloved Shampoo. Only moments later, a human figure appeared just as 
suddenly, charging after the animal at full speed, a beautiful girl with 
white hair. Even as quick as his reflexes had become, Mousse was 
helpless to avoid her use of him as a springboard, as she planted her 
feet on his forehead, bounced off and then continued her furious chase 
after her prey, never even once looking back at him.

% Hmm. Herb I take it?


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Nabiki woke up when her alarm went off, and she yawned and stretched as 
her body twinged slightly from yesterday's injuries. She reached over 
and slapped the palm of her hand down on the clock on the second try, 
promptly knocking it off the table where it fell to land with a single 
bounce on the floor, still ringing loudly. She suddenly remembered it 
was Sunday and groaned. She’d forgotten to turn the alarm off last 
night. Her day was not looking promising.

“Damn that little bimbo,” she swore under her breath, an ache coming 
from her injured ribs as she reached for the alarm clock beside her bed, 
seeking to stop its incessant ringing. “When I see her again, she's dead 
meat.”

Her questing hand finally found her noisy nemesis and switched it off, 
and blessed silence reigned once more. She left it laying there as she 
clambered from her bed like the newly risen dead, dressed only in a 
large, loose T-shirt. She went over to her closet and opened it up, 
pulling out a green Chinese-style shirt and black gi pants and tossing 
them both on the bed. Once that was done, she turned and opened up one 
of her dresser's drawers and briefly surveyed the tiny bundles of 
panties arrayed in neat columns and rows, each one separated from the 
others by the wooden cross-hatching that subdivided the drawer. She 
snagged out a pink one in a T-back style and flipped it over her 
shoulder in a backhanded throw to land on her bed, quickly followed up 
by a lacy brassiere in a matching shade from the next drawer down.

% Lot of detail just to describe her picking out clothing. But your choice.


Ranma paused in eating his food as a chill ran down his spine. He 
wondered what those two idiots could be plotting together and then he 
realized it was likely some stupid scheme to get him to marry one of the 
Tendo girls, probably Nabiki. He would have to keep watchful.

% keep watch or be watchful, perhaps











“I see,” Ranma said slowly, that eerie feeling coming again, a cold drop 
of sweat suddenly snaking down his neck. He was starting to feel like a 
prize racehorse that everyone wanted to put out to stud.

% Yeah, pretty much


“I think I'd prefer to take things one step at a time,” Ranma said, 
trying to be tactful, seeing his mother nodding sagely in reply. He 
tried to redirect the subject to something marginally safer. “I should 
date the girls for a good long while first before I even think about 
something like marriage. Take Kodachi for example. We haven't been out 
on a real date yet. I was thinking of asking her to go skating.”

% It might go well. Hard to say in this universe.



“You should, Ranma,” she said. “She seemed very interested in your 
career and welfare, and I believe she wants to help you go far in the 
Empire.”

% as her tool, anyway




“I like knowing what's going on with a situation before entering it,” 
Nabiki said, eyes still poring over the box.

“Will knowing its origin make you not open the box?” Kasumi asked.

“No, I don't think so.”

“Then you would probably find the answer you seek much more quickly by 
doing something you intend to do anyway first.”

% Nice exchange

Nabiki's suspicious mind had trouble using the direct approach like 
that. But what Kasumi said made sense. Still, Nabiki doubted Kasumi 
would ever go very far in the Security Directorate with that kind of 
thinking.

% But if no one expects direct action like that, Kasumi gets the 
advantage of surprise. She'll be acting while others think she'll be 
anticipating. I know I overthink things. Useful in writing, not always 
good in interpersonal relations when you need to act rather than think.

When Nabiki returned, she was almost tentative as she approached the 
living room. She asked the two women that had waited patiently for her 
return, “How do I look?”

She spun once for them to show off the whole ensemble for them. It was a 
one piece dress that had made her skin tingle as it slid down her body 
with its gentle caress. The upper part came most of the way across her 
shoulders, with only the very top of her breasts shown off. The bottom 
ended midway to her calves. It fit perfectly, molding to her body and 
accentuating her curves. It made her look more womanly than she had ever 
felt. Long white gloves made of the same material slid past her elbows, 
and the high-heeled shoes rounded out the outfit perfectly.

% Nice description

In flowing handwritten kanji that was as much artwork as a message, 
Nabiki read the letter aloud, “I had Muramaki whip up a little something 
for our date. I thought black would be a good color for you. I hope it 
meets with your approval.”

Kyoko gasped. “Muramaki? Wataru Muramaki? That's a Maki?”

% Heh



“Yes?” Shenhua stood casually, her gaze wary. The arena in Shanghai had 
taught her to be suspicious of others, especially other women. Men had 
little understanding of how vicious women could be to each other.

“I was wondering if you had considered my offer,” Mina said in a calm 
tone. She stopped a small distance from the Taiwanese girl. “Coming from 
Shanghai, you should know the value of friends, and my friendship is a 
very valued asset here.”

% True, just don't expect to be anywhere near to calling the shots



The mention of the tall Apache girl caused Shenhua to clench her teeth a 
little. Losing her debut match in Tokyo was irritating, especially when 
it was to an uncultured savage like that. Her speed was greater than the 
other girl’s, so Running Deer must have gotten lucky. One punch was all 
it had taken, catching her at the right spot on her chin. She had taken 
strong punches before and shrugged them off, but that one had hit just 
right, jarring her brain.

% It happens. The lucky blow



“I not Chinese,” Shenhua declared calmly. “I pure-bred Taiwanese, bitch. 
Much better than Chinese trash.”

The two held the tableau for several moments, taking each other’s 
measure, and then Mina smiled. Shenhua smiled as well, withdrawing her 
hand from the Korean girl’s throat. An unspoken communication passed 
between them.

“I think I like you, Shenhua,” said Mina sincerely. She held out her 
hand. “No, you’re not like them,” she said, indicating her associates a 
bit derisively with a tip of her head. “I think we could really be friends.”

% Not that it would stop Mina from beating the daylights out of her, 
just she wouldn't enjoy it as much as she ordinarily would.


“Genma, m'boy,” suddenly said a familiar voice behind him. “You don't 
call. You don't write. I'm not feeling much respect as your master here.”

% Wonder if Happi will sense something amiss


“Yeah, he's a punk, kind of like someone else I could name.” He then 
caught sight of Shampoo, suddenly toying with her top, parting it open a 
little. His eyes filled with joy. “Sweeto!”

% For all his ability, he is slave to his appetites.


Genma looked away, feeling ashamed. “I'm sorry about that, Tendo-kun. I 
was a much different person back then. If my father hadn't died, I would 
have probably turned out more like the Genma of this world. He didn't 
have the best relationship with his father either, but his father wasn't 
a great war hero like my own was.” He took a drink of his tea, and his 
voice took on a sarcastic tone. “Yes, such a great hero, except to those 
of his own family. We knew what he was really like.”

Soun said nothing, but he was startled at the bitterness in the other 
man’s voice. His own father had been a hard, disciplined man, but he 
loved his family and his only son when he was alive. It seemed that 
Genma's father was not like the biographies portrayed him.

% Intruiging




“When I went through her things after she was reported dead, I found her 
private journals,” said Soun, his gaze falling to study the board again. 
“She used my mark to approve the papers enrolling Akane and Nabiki in 
Project Phoenix, without ever telling me about it.” He shook his head. 
“Typical Kimiko.”

% Interesting as well.




A sleek blue motorcycle pulled up next to him, the rider dressed in dark 
orange leather garb, with black boots and helmet. The faceplate of the 
helmet turned towards him as one booted foot came to rest on the ground 
for support. The rider revved the engine with a gloved hand and turned 
to look at him briefly once more before facing the light.

Ranma recognized the signs of a challenge. He glanced around, not seeing 
any peaceforcer vehicles. He revved his engine in reply and grinned. The 
other rider nodded at him, and they both waited for the light. The 
anticipation was quickly over.

% As long as the head isn't composed of black smoke, he should do fine


She came across a report from a research facility in China towards the 
middle of her current stack. Three prototype replicants,

% Hmm. I thought they were Musk through and through. Were they artificial?

Both of them were part of the Blade Runner unit in the Directorate, a 
group tasked with the capture and termination of rogue replicants in the 
Empire. After the escape, the duo were the only ones left at the 
facility with the right training to deal with the three renegade 
replicants. Every other Blade Runner at the facility was dead.

% Cute


“May the blessings of Our Lord, the Holy Warrior of Heaven, always be 
upon you, that your sword arm may never weaken, your courage in battle 
remains unyielding and your victories are never-ending, in the name of 
the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.”

“Amen,” Kodachi murmured reverently alongside her mother. She arose from 
her knees gracefully, feeling spiritually refreshed, having enjoyed the 
ceremony as always. While Sukeban-Kodachi had never had much use for or 
interest in religion, and Scholar-Kodachi considered herself to be an 
agnostic, the Kodachi born into this world had grown up surrounded by 
her mother's great faith in the teachings of the Church of Christ the 
Warrior.

% Nice addition to her background


Founded in the wake of the numerous decisive victories won during the 
so-called “Christian Rebellion” led by Shiro Amakusa over four hundred 
years ago, the Church had grown and evolved, becoming a rather curious 
blending of traditional bushido ethics combined with the trappings of 
more traditional Christianity. In the centuries since its birth, the 
Church had grown to eventually come to stand alongside Shinto practices 
and the teachings of the Buddha. Together, they formed a triad of faith 
that supported the Empire among the people, and its teachings portrayed 
the Emperor as God's divine emissary upon the Earth.

% And keep any one religion from gaining too much power which might 
challenge existing power structure. A system of checks and balances one 
might say.

Many families among the nobility only paid it lip service, but some 
individuals, like Kodachi and her mother, were far more faithful 
adherents to its teachings. Over the years, younger sons without any 
prospects for inheritance joined its ranks, pledging what little wealth 
and lands they had in order to gain entry into the Church's hierarchy, 
which nowadays had no small amount of political muscle. And so the 
coffers of the Church had swollen accordingly over centuries of time. In 
addition, one of the few avenues for citizenship outside victory in the 
Arena was sufficient rank in the hierarchy, although citizenship gained 
that way was not inheritable.

% Might want to throw in military service as the other primary means of 
citizenship.


Kenseiko turned to the figure and smiled. “Cardinal Synn, this is a most 
pleasant surprise. I did not realize you would be with us again so 
soon.” She bowed to him, an action duplicated by Kodachi.

% Hmm. He from an anime?



“A few of my acolytes,” the man replied, gesturing for the trio to come 
forward and approach them. He placed a fatherly hand on the girls’ 
shoulders when they did so. He turned his head first towards the Chinese 
girl. “This is Sister Rebecca. She has recently arrived from the North 
American Prefectures and has proven herself to be an apt pupil in our 
training program. I have great hopes for her future service. Her skill 
in battle is impressive, and I feel she will make a fine addition to the 
nuns of the Tetragrammaton Order. She currently attends our local 
training facility at St. Hebereke, a first-year student.”

% From Black Lagoon. Now there's a series with no good guys. Only 
protagonists and Roc's slow descent into an abyss of amorality.

He then turned his face to the other girl. “And this is Sister Roberta, 
who comes to us from Europe. Even though she too is only a first-year 
student at St. Hebereke, she has progressed very far in her mastery of 
combat as well. Her instructors all speak very highly of her skills.” 
The girl in question reached up and casually adjusted her glasses 
slightly, a dangerous-looking glint flashing briefly off them. Behind 
the frames, her gaze was as cold as the Chinese girl’s, possibly even 
colder.

% All you need is Fry Face and the Nun With a Gun to complete the 
collection of most bloodthirsty women in anime.


The Cardinal gestured for the boy to step forward. “And this is Bai, a 
third-year student at St. Hebereke and my most promising male trainee.” 
The young man bowed respectfully to Kodachi and Lady Kuno. “He draws 
near the completion of his studies. When he takes his final vows next 
spring, he will take his place as a worthy member of the Brethren of 
Battle as a Tetragrammaton Cleric. His training has prepared him well to 
purge the unholy and the wicked from this world.”

% Hmm. Don't recognize him off the top of my head




“<I am unarmed,>” said the man as he flipped back his hood, revealing a 
weathered face of indeterminate years, the skin darkened by the sun over 
time. Removing the hood also revealed milky whiteness where pupils 
should be. “<And as you can see, quite blind.>”

Peh Fum approached the figure warily. “<How can you tell I move well?>”

“<I can hear the whisper of your clothing as you strike and move,>” said 
the man. “<They make a good snap when you strike. I may not be able to 
see you, but I can hear you just fine.>”

% Which means he's more than he seems.


“<He will present himself to win Shan Pu’s hand in the Arena, and he 
will fight her using a school of martial arts that has not existed in 
this world for over four-score years, a school he brought back from 
oblivion. That is how you will know him, that he uses this forgotten 
school of martial arts. He has re-written his own destiny as well as 
others, and he will re-write hers as well.>”

“<Re-write?>” Peh Fum looked puzzled. “<How can one re-write destiny?>”

“<If one possesses a strong enough will and sufficient courage, even 
destiny will yield.

% Then it isn't destiny. Although in this case its outside sources 
meddling with that which was once made the fabric of destiny. the 
destinies of 2 different universes coming into conflict, and only one 
will eventually emerge.

The Seer stood up. “<The Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts.>”

Feeling almost giddy at the possibilities, Peh Fum rose to her feet and 
headed back to the village. She would need to sneak out under cover of 
night, but that would be no problem for one of her skill. Behind her, 
the Seer watched her depart.

When the young Amazon was gone, a figure suddenly shimmered into being 
next to him.

“Hello, Bernkastel,” the Seer said quietly, turning to face the woman 
dressed in a kimono. “It’s been a while.”

The woman smiled. “What is time to one who dwells outside it? Why did 
you do that?”

“Because it improved our chances,” the Seer replied.

% One of the rare splits in the paths of the future. Which path taken 
dictates what destinies solidify after that branch is taken. Until 
another break comes. Paths that lead to an end are to be avoided.




“Excuse us,” suddenly said a new voice behind them. “We’re looking to 
get inside.”

The trio turned around and Hikaru got stars in her eyes when she saw two 
girls standing there, the lavender-haired one of the pair looking a 
little bit impatient (and hungry).

% Thought as much

“I-it’s Shampoo and Running Deer,” the brown-haired girl

% You use a lot of hair descriptors. I used to do the same thing. I 
recommend going more with the straight up names where possible

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


“You don’t watch many romance dramas, do you?” Yohko’s tone was dry. 
“This is the sort of plan that tends to blow up in someone’s face, and 
it’s never pretty. Not to mention you’re going to use a guy like Touga 
Kiryuu for your little scheme. From what I’ve heard, the man’s some kind 
of a womanizing legend. What if Ranma decides to drop you and go for the 
Kuno girl instead?”

“The little debutante is going to the dance at Ohtori with Miki Kaoru,” 
Nabiki replied with a smirk. “She mentioned it in her class the other 
day, and one of my spies heard. She’s not going to have the moral high 
ground on this one.”

Yohko made a strangling sound.

% Hmm


“I don’t see what the problem is,” Nabiki replied, a little irritated, 
picking up another pair of earrings. “I tell Ranma-kun about the little 
debutante going around behind his back with her “childhood friend” and 
then I show him that he needs to pay more attention to me or some other 
guy will take me away from him. Trust me, I have a good idea how he 
thinks now. He’ll take it as a challenge, and Ranma Saotome doesn’t like 
to lose when challenged.”

Yohko made another strangling sound.

% Yohko would normally be in the right of it here


“Ranma-kun wouldn’t dare,” Nabiki said flatly. “I laid down the law to 
him about the Tenjou girl after his rematch. After I beat him in our 
duel, he wouldn’t dare defy me. And as for that backwoods ninja bimbo, 
I’ve got that one covered too.”

% Someone still has a lot to learn


She sincerely hoped Ranma _was_ going to the dance at Ohtori, to save 
Nabiki from her own ego, if nothing else.

% Nice admission by an outside source

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


“Sorry about this, I-,” Ranma started to say as he looked at the person 
with Akane. At the sight of Sakura Kasugano’s angry-looking face, his 
brain went into a fugue state for a moment. Memories from the movie 
actor version of himself suddenly bubbled up in his mind from where they 
had previously laid dormant. He knew the girl with Akane very well, even 
intimately so.

% Oops




“I saw in the paper that your studio is offering dance lessons at a 
weekly rate,” Ranma said, feeling oddly that he knew this girl from 
somewhere. “I’ve come to sign up for lessons. I have a formal dance to 
get ready for.” He pulled out some money taken from his savings. “I can 
pay cash.”

Madoka blinked, not expecting that at all. He wasn’t here to fight with 
her? Then why had he been beating up her friends and associates all day? 
Was this some sort of misunderstanding? Had he just been defending himself?

% Oh. A logical conclusion. Don't get many of those here


At the end of the date, he asked her for her telephone number, and she 
gave it to him.

% How odd. He normally doesn't do that


While looking around at the signs, Shampoo noticed that one of the local 
girls was staring at her rather intently. It was making her feel a bit 
uncomfortable. She turned to face Nabiki.

“Short-haired girl want something?” she asked with mild irritation. She 
wasn’t sure why she felt that way, just that she did. “Staring is rude.”

% Well, Shampoo is famous. One would think she was used to it.


xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Ranma headed towards the door to Hinako’s apartment and absently hummed 
the love theme from the “Young Master” movie series. He checked his 
appearance in the hallway mirror for a moment and popped in a breath m
int from a package he had picked up after his dinner date with Madoka.

% Oops. Something clicked in his head, and it isn't the Ranma Saotome we 
all know


The Masaki girl had an equally impressive figure to Nabiki’s, solid of 
build but padded nicely with all the right sort of cushions, especially 
on her chest. Green hair was a turn-on for him, and wrestling with her 
in bed would probably really get that one’s motor going. Yes, that one 
was worth pursuing.

% My, he is a horndog


At that moment, the front door opened, and Colonel Gendo Rokubungi came 
into the apartment. He was holding a dozen red roses. “Hina-chan, are 
you home? You haven’t been returning my calls.”

Ranma smirked at the sight of him. “I think you have the wrong place, 
old man. Tonight, she’s going to be Hinako-sensei for me.”

“Who the hell are you?” Gendo asked, staring at Ranma.

Ranma stood up and cracked his knuckles. “I’m Hinako-sensei’s new 
student. I’ll make sure she gets the flowers.”

% Hmm. This could go poorly



A minute or so later, Ranma-chan hauled Gendo’s unconscious body from 
the pool. She wasn’t sure where she was. The last few hours were a blur. 
Before finding herself in the pool, she had been taking some dance lessons.

% Heh. Saved by water. And it is a bad think Actor Ranma is apparently 
capable of a full personality take over.


There was a sudden furious commotion, the sound of several very solid 
strikes into a body and then Gendo came sailing through Hinako’s closed 
balcony door in a brief shattering of glass. She listened with mild 
pleasure as Gendo’s scream faded into the distance during the fall into 
the pool many stories below.

% Heh

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


Touga accepted the bag, looking at it curiously. “What is it?”

The butler was already heading out the door. “I couldn't say, sir, 
though I doubt if it's what you really need. After all, how does one 
gift wrap a personality?”

% Heh


Nice work. enjoyed it a lot. Interesting developments.