[UY/Ranma/SisPri][FanFic] Lonely Souls - Part 4, "C" Side (1/4)
pye...@gmail.com
Over two billion kilometres from the Earth, a girl in a tiger-
stripped jumper crept through the control room of Triton's Central
Warp Chamber. Slowly, she shuffled along the edges of the walls,
hoping her friends wouldn't find her. Just as she was about to leave,
she saw a shadow along the other side of the glass, where the
workstations were located.
Quick!
She needed a place to hide!
But where?
She dived under the nearest table just as the person came into the
room.
* * *
Muttering, the junior warp technician reached over to his boss'
terminal and flipped off the power-switch. *Stupid senior
technicians,* he grumbled to himself as he left the room to get back
to his lunch. *Can't be bothered to double-check his terminal! Has
to send someone ELSE to check it! Who cares if a lowly junior tech
has to miss **their** lunch?*
As he turned behind him for one last spot check, he noticed a single
light still blinking. As mounting embarrassment surged from deep
inside his gut, he confirmed it was coming from the relay transporter
grid on HIS terminal. Looking quickly around the room to see if
anyone might have caught his error, he flipped that switch off too.
*Good thing I checked after all,* he thought as he shut the door
behind him. Who knows what could happen if someone bumped the wrong
button while the Chamber was on?
* * *
A few seconds later, Oyuki and her cousin Toji pounced on Lum from
two different directions, gleefully shouting "IT!"
None of the children noticed the co-ordinates inserted into the grid.
No one noticed the transport button being depressed.
Since the primary power feed had been shut down, the computer
controlling the Central Warp Chamber could do nothing.
All three shortly after ran out of the room barking with laughter
just as the senior technician returned from his lunch. Looking
inside, he was quick to notice the mess. To his relief, the power had
already been turned off.
Who knew what could have happened otherwise?
**** **** ****
"Lonely Souls"
By Fred Herriot
pye...@hotmail.com OR fher...@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
The teaser was written by David Chamberlain.
**** **** ****
Based on "Urusei Yatsura" and "Ranma 1/2," created by Takahashi
Rumiko; and "Sister Princess," created by Tenhiro Naoto and Kimino
Sakurako.
**** **** ****
Set in the universe of the fan-fiction series "Urusei Yatsura - The
Senior Year," created by Mike Smith and Fred Herriot
**** **** ****
NOTE: The writer's notes are in a separate text file.
**** **** ****
THE FOURTH PART, "C" SIDE - FREEDOM FROM DESTINY
The tunnel seemed to last forever.
Ranma grunted, adjusting her backpack as she followed Negako towards
the beacon of light that lay an eternity ahead of them. Glancing to
both sides, then up, and then down, she noted the stars surrounding
them. There was no discernible pattern to them, at least not one
Ranma could recognize. She felt as though she was walking down some
glass-lined corridor reaching throughout the Universe. The air was
breathable yet not stale, salty, misty or any other condition she
might recognize as "normal." Normal for Earth, that is.
This was clearly NOT Earth.
"Frightened?"
Ranma stopped. Negako glanced at her. "I . . . " An automatic
denial surged up her throat, and then she fought it down with a sigh.
Lies sang out to the person before her. "Somewhat. I'm trying not to
feel too overwhelmed."
The grandmaster of Saikoo Jinseijitsu-ryuu nodded. "Understandable.
Ataru was the same when he first travelled to Sanctuary."
She waved Ranma with her. Ranma picked up her pace. "How long?"
"It depends," Negako replied. "Remember, there is a profound
difference between the temporal dynamics of Earth's dimension and the
temporal dynamics in Sanctuary itself. Sometimes, the journey is very
short, a matter of minutes. Sometimes, it can last for hours.
Hungry?"
"I'm alright. Can we walk side-by-side?"
"If you wish."
Ranma moved to her right, automatically reaching for the
grandmaster's hand. The latter blinked, trying not to grin too much.
The former was quick to notice. "You know, you really are beautiful
when you smile, Negako." She winked at her companion. "Why are you
so afraid of showing emotion to other people? Ataru told me you do
have them."
"True, I do," Negako admitted. "But in most situations, I simply see
no need to express emotion, especially to the extent 'normal' people
take for granted. Until I was freed of Ataru, I never . . . " She
paused. "No, I RARELY had chances to experience the 'good' side of
humanity. Ironically, they all happened when I was with Happy."
"Jijii?!" Ranma gaped at her. "So that's why you call him 'Happy'
instead of 'Happoosai,' eh? Did he try to free you before?"
"Three times. The third time, he paid dearly for his attempt at
'stealing' me from the Moroboshi Clan." Negako sighed. "His
addiction to absorbing the ki from female undergarments was a result
of that incident."
"Damn . . . " Ranma looked down as she considered that. "I mean, he
annoys the hell out of me at times, but I'd never really wish him dead
or anything like that. Just like all the others . . . "
"Though he may not say it in the open, he deeply cares for you,
Ranma. You have the potential to become the living expression of what
he wanted to create when he created Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu. In you,
he sees what he's created preserved for future generations."
"But what if I don't want to run a doojou, Negako?"
"That is alright. One needs no physical structure to pass the Art to
a worthy student. Your training trip with Genma, for all his faults
in teaching you, did prove that." Negako looked on her, humming.
"What is it?"
"Have you ever contemplated becoming a doctor?"
Ranma's eyes widened. She stared thoughtfully at the light. "Not
really. You saying that should be something I should consider?"
"It is a possibility. Toofuu spoke of your potential when I invited
him to come to the Island to train with Chikage's grandfather Ryuuji
and myself. Even in the brief time he knew you, he lamented that your
skill level was so narrowly focused. He did not understand why until
we discovered what Genma did to you, though." A pause. "He sends his
apologies for not noticing that before. He also apologizes for the
one incident with Akane when he made your legs lose their strength so
she could carry you home."
Ranma took that in with a smile. "Thanks. And I'll thank him when
we get back to the Island." A pause. "Negako?"
"Yes?"
"Where did I go wrong with Akane?"
"That, I suggest you discuss with Sakuya, Chikage or Karen. I am
capable of many things, but emotional psychoanalysis is not one of my
stronger suits." She then stopped. Ranma halted, giving her
companion a curious look. Negako faced her new student. Then, to the
other woman's surprise, she leaned over to give her a tender kiss.
"Thank you, Ranma."
Ranma blinked, and then she stuttered, "F-f-for wh-what . . . ?"
"For rating my smile as 'beautiful.' I know you rated Akane's smile
the same way when you feelings for her were the strongest."
"I . . . " Ranma stopped. "You're welcome . . .!" She then turned
as the light ahead of them suddenly seemed to grow. "Eh?!" She
automatically shifted herself before Negako. "What the hell's going
on . . .?!" she demanded, tensing as Negako squeezed her shoulder.
"It is alright," Negako reported. "Our trip will be short this time
around. Brace yourself to jump at my command."
Ranma nodded as the light seemed to encompass her whole field of
vision. On hearing Negako call out "NOW!", she sprang . . .
To land on a rock the size of the Tendou sitting room. Quickly
rolling to her feet, she stopped on seeing the rock's edge . . .
And a black void beyond.
Ranma backed away before feeling Negako's hands on her shoulders.
Her eyes picked up a faint aura of light lying above that darkness.
She turned to Negako. "Is there an end to that?" She pointed beyond
the rock.
Negako shook her head. "No. Not until the end of Time Itself."
Ranma took that in. Gulping, she turned back, this time looking up
and away from the darkness. And upon a floating, flat-topped asteroid
about five kilometres wide, it supporting a glittering city so
futuristic in design, Ranma doubted the creators of "Star Trek," "Star
Wars" or "Babylon 5" could equal it! "Whoa . . . " she gasped, and
then her eyes turned up to gaze into a -- well, "sky" seemed the most
comfortable term for the panorama of boiling platinum, silvery,
golden, crimson and deep azure energy that laid overhead. A sky that
seemed to stretch forever and ever, yet clearly melted into the pitch
darkness lying beneath Ranma and Negako's feet. "Oh, man . . .!"
"Welcome to Sanctuary, Ranma," Negako announced.
* * *
"Onii-chan?"
"Hmm . . .?" Ataru's eyes fluttered as he sat up, blinking on seeing
Karen peeking into his bedroom. "Oh, Karen-chan . . . " he called out
before glancing at the clock on the nightstand. "What's wrong? Can't
you sleep?"
"Not really." Karen stepped into the room, walking over to sit on
his bed. "I was wondering if you were feeling sleepy or not."
"I . . . " He shuddered as a bout of dizziness overwhelmed him for a
moment. "Oh, man!" he gasped. "What the heck happened . . .?"
"Onii-chan, are you okay?!" Karen slid over to feel his head. Ataru
remained still for a moment, and then he relaxed as she pulled her
hand back. "Well, you're not running a fever or anything. Was it
something you ate?"
"Better make sure Shirayuki-chan doesn't hear that," he warned with a
chuckle before reaching over to draw her close to him.
"Onii-chan!" she squealed before sighing as he drew her into his
embrace. "Oh, Onii-chan! You miss Onee-chan already, don't you?"
He considered that for a moment before nodding. "Funny. I do miss
her. And it's worse, knowing that when she and Onee-chan comes back,
five weeks would've passed for them. And for us, it'd be . . . " A
pause. "Five hours."
"I'd love to see Sanctuary," she admitted. "We all would love to see
it, even just once. Why won't you let us go there, Onii-chan?"
He playfully ruffled her hair. "Because it's not a safe place for
nice girls like you," he reminded her. "It's an asteroid floating in
a null-time tunnel reaching all the way to this moment from the end of
Time. If you fell off the asteroid, you'd fall and fall and fall
until you'd vanish into Eternity. And THAT, I'd never wish on
ANYONE."
"Not even those jerks in Tomobiki?"
He lightly smiled. "No, not even them, Karen-chan."
"You hate them, don't you?"
Ataru blinked before he leaned over to kiss her cheek. "Not really.
I just don't have any desire to be with them anymore, Karen-chan. And
I'm worried about you guys. You and the others are WAY more important
to me, Karen-chan. You're my family now. A family that cares for me
a hell of a lot more than Muchi or Kinshou ever did. What happens if
people like Mendou find out that I've got twelve sisters, all who love
me very much? Would they accept it? Or would they decide that since,
in their eyes, I never deserved anything good to happen to me, they'd
do everything in their power to break us apart? All so they could
enjoy seeing me suffer? I don't want that. Do you?"
"Of course not!" Karen reached up to hold the arm lying on her tummy
close to her. "We'll never leave you, Onii-chan! Never!"
"Thanks."
Silence fell as they relaxed, and then the door opened. "Onii-
chama?"
"Kaho-chan?!" both called out on seeing the young cheerleader peek
in.
Kaho blinked on seeing Karen beside Ataru. "Ah, Karen-chan, gomen
ne!"
She then yelped as a foot tripped over the doorstop. Both winced as
Kaho fell on her face. Karen leapt off the bed so she could help her
sister back to her feet. "Kaho-chan, are you okay?" Karen tried not
to laugh; Kaho's tripping over something often seemed a daily
occurrence.
Kaho giggled in embarrassment as she walked over to sit on the bed.
"Kaho thought Onii-chama didn't want to be alone tonight with Onee-
chama now in Sanctuary, so Kaho came to be with Onii-chama." She slid
in to embrace Ataru.
"Kaho . . . " he whispered before kissing her forehead. "Thanks."
"Aaah!" she squealed. "Onii-chama's beard tickles!"
Laughter filled the room. Karen slipped back onto the bed. Seeing
that things were becoming crowded, Ataru sat up, reclining against the
wall. Karen sat between him and the nightstand while Kaho reclined on
the other side, draping herself on his lap. "Oh, Onii-chan, what's
going to happen if the others come in here to be with you?" Karen
asked.
"It best not become a fight," Ataru warned.
"Onii-chama?"
"Hmm? What is it, Kaho-chan?"
"Why won't Onii-chama or Onee-chama let Kaho go to Sanctuary?"
"Why?" He sighed as he considered if there was a nice way of putting
it. Finding nothing that he could use, he began, "Well, when you go
through the tunnel, you land on a rock the size of this room. But
beyond the rock is this big void of NOTHING that extends all the way
to the end of Time. If you fall of, you'll fall and fall and just
keep on falling . . .!"
Kaho quivered, and then she cried out, burying her face into Ataru's
chest. "Kaho doesn't want to fall!" she wailed.
He rubbed Kaho's forehead. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he apologised as
he kissed her, allowing her to lay her head on his shoulder.
"Anyhow . . . "
* * *
"Ranma, I DID warn you about taking a wrong step."
"I REALLY NEED TO BE REMINDED OF THAT RIGHT NOW, NEGAKO!"
Ranma grunted as she clawed her way back to the surface of one of the
small rocks leading in a chain of ten such boulders between what she
saw as the "beam in" point and Sanctuary. As soon as she was on flat
ground, she took a deep breath, and then she stood up. Her eyes fell
on the next rock in the chain. It was the size of a king-sized bed,
presently hovering forty metres away. "Damn, how could I've misjudged
that . . .?"
Negako's eyebrow arched. "Ranma, if the dynamics of time are
different here, how different can the dynamics of space be?"
The younger woman paused, staring at the grandmaster before a nod
bobbed her head. "So I can't judge distances here, right?"
Negako nodded. "Exactly. When you are in Sanctuary itself, then you
can relax since an artificial environment is constantly kept there for
the benefit of those who visit. The same is true for the asteroids
that allow people to enter Sanctuary. If they are capable, of
course."
Ranma shuddered before calming herself. "So how can I . . .?"
She then screamed out in shock as Negako grabbed her by the straps of
her backpack. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers as she was
pulled across that endless chasm to the next asteroid. Negako, at
least, allowed Ranma to land on her feet. Gasping as she collapsed to
her knees, the younger woman panted before looking up as Negako took
the measure of the next leap. "Damn it all, Negako! WARN me about
that, will ya?!" she spat out.
"Things happen here without warning, Ranma." Negako tried not to
smirk at her new student's protest. "Alright, three more jumps and we
are . . . "
Ranma screamed again as Negako grabbed her by the backpack. In a
single leap, they were flying. As they turned to make a landing, the
rock shattered! "OH, SHIT!" Ranma yelped as they slipped towards the
unending tunnel below.
"***SEISHIN KUSARIGAMA!***"
A ki-chain with a hooked end leapt from Negako's palm, soaring past
the remaining rocks in the floating archipelago to dig into the hard
rock of the Sanctuary asteroid. Ranma cried out as she found herself
yanked across the chasm. She was then flipped up to land on the flat
ground . A second later, Negako flipped up to join her, and then she
dispersed the Psychic Kusarigama. She waved Ranma with her. "We are
here," she announced.
Ranma panted. "Shit, Jusenkyou was NICE compared to this place!"
* * *
The city atop the Sanctuary asteroid was walled. Two gates provided
ground-level entrance to the city, one opening to the chain of rocks
from the "beam in" point, the other opening directly to the time-chasm
itself. The city's interior was built on a spoke-wheel design, eight
streets leading from the wall to intersect at the centre. A
lighthouse-like tower surrounded by a traffic circle marked the centre-
point of the asteroid. As they walked from the gate, Ranma noticed
the buildings lining the streets were low structures, none higher than
five floors in human terms. Still, despite the rural feel, the
structure designs were as futuristic as Ranma assumed when she first
gazed on this place. "Hey, Negako, who built this place anyway?" she
asked.
"Their identities are unknown," Negako reported. "From what I have
ascertained in previous visits to this place, those who frequent
Sanctuary refer to its builders as the 'Questors.'"
"'Questors,' huh? What were they looking for?"
"That is unknown to everyone. However, what is known is that the
Questors hailed from the very end of Time Itself."
"They were reaching back in time?"
"Yes. They reached to a point three billion years ago as we measure
time. Then, for reasons unknown, they committed mass suicide.
Sanctuary itself is all that remains of their culture. In this time
period, of course."
Ranma whistled. "Weird."
"Indeed."
They reached the traffic circle. Negako lead Ranma to the second
street to their left. Heading back towards the wall, Ranma noted some
of the lots lining this street were undeveloped. Trees -- many so
alien-looking to Ranma, she couldn't HOPE to find words to describe
them -- took up those empty lots.
"None of these are dangerous, are they?" she asked, pointing at one.
"It depends on how you define 'danger,'" Negako reported. "The fruit
they produce is incompatible to our digestive systems, but Ataru
reported that when he sat on one of the limbs, it felt as if he was in
bed. I advise you to NOT try to injure them, though," she warned with
a raised finger.
"Gotcha . . . hey! There's a doojou!"
Negako silently chuckled as Ranma ran past her to a cleared lot
bearing a simple wood and paper-walled doojou, like the Tendou's
training hall in general design. Stopping at the gate, she noted
there was no sign to indicate what Art was practised here. She headed
in. Glancing around, she quickly saw that a classical rock garden had
been raked out around the doojou. "Nice place . . . " She whistled,
and then she saw a residence located behind the doojou. "Hey, Negako,
did you build this place or did someone else from Earth come here?"
Negako stepped into the garden, waving Ranma with her to the
residence. "Someone else did come here. Around 1942 as we tell
time."
"Who? Do you know her?"
"I know OF her," Negako said. "Deannette Antonia Raeburn."
Silence.
"Major Raeburn . . .?" Ranma gasped as her mind conjured images of a
twenty-something, brown-haired, blue-eyed tomboy from British
Columbia. History books credited her with being the top "specialized
warfare" -- that was the Canadian euphemism for military operations by
people possessing metahuman or paranormal powers and abilities --
soldier operating during the Second World War. Major Dean Raeburn,
atop becoming the last heir of the immortal Japanese ninjutsu
grandmaster Hosan Hirosuke, had also won the right to make use of an
alien "power jewel" which granted her Captain Marvel-like powers. She
also gained the use of a deadly, chisel-pointed sword called a "cat's
claw" blade, said to be so tough, it could shatter the hardest diamond
in one stroke. With these weapons, Major Raeburn helped establish the
"War Hawks," a team of Canadian military metahumans who fought Axis
paranormals around the world. Major Raeburn and the War Hawks
disappeared shortly after VJ-Day, their final fate a total mystery to
the general public. In spite of Genma's assertions that women were
weak when it came to martial arts, one only had to look at Major
Raeburn's example -- Ranma learned of the Canadian when she attended
junior high -- to see how wrong he was. "Oh, man!" Ranma breathed
out.
"The same," Negako confirmed as they stepped into the residence.
Looking around the house, Ranma was instantly reminded of her family
home. "Sanctuary is most frequently used by the various Seeker Power
Jewel Warriors as a relaxation zone to help them recover from their
various battles."
Ranma blinked. The Seekers, according to an interview Major Raeburn
granted in 1944 to Allied war correspondents, were a race of
immortals, far above what Japanese might call "kami," who died out en
masse long before the first signs of life appeared on Earth. The
Power Jewels were the only physical legacy remaining of that race.
"So how did you get the 'keys' to this place?"
"Someone gave the 'key' to me two years ago. I would rather not
reveal that person's identity at this time, though."
"Oh? Sounds fair enough. So where do I sleep?"
Negako indicated one room. "Right here."
Ranma looked inside, smirking on seeing a thick futon and other basic
home necessities awaiting her. "Nice place." She slipped off her
pack, setting it aside. "What about food?" she then asked. "Where
can we get that?"
"There's a dry storage room in the basement here that has a fair
selection. If you wish to try it, there's also a replicator unit."
"Like from 'Star Trek?!'"
"The same. The unit is Zephyrite. Anything flagged in red indicates
foods you should avoid. Terran selections span Japanese, Korean,
Mandarin, Italian and American cuisines. There should be no problems
in that regard."
"Gotcha."
"One other thing." Negako reached into her own small pack to draw
out a laptop computer. "Rinrin believed you might need this."
Ranma smiled, taking the machine from the grandmaster. "Thanks. I
guess I would need it. There're no power problems here?"
"No. I will leave you to make yourself at home. Get some sleep as
soon as you can. When you wake up, we will begin training."
"Right. Um, do we try to keep time in this place?"
"In a place where normal rules of time have little effect?" Negako's
eyebrow arched. "What do you suggest, Ranma?"
"Ah . . .!" the younger woman exclaimed. "R-right! I should've
realized that!" She shrugged embarrassedly. "So how do we do this?"
"Your body's internal timekeeping mechanisms will suffice for now.
Do not worry if you feel your internal 'clock' going out of sync.
Ataru found it to be of no real concern while he was staying here.
Try to get some sleep."
"Okay."
Negako stepped out. Ranma sighed, moving to draw the shades over the
window. To her surprise, the shades blocked out all exterior light.
Overhead, a two-tube ceiling light provided what internal light there
was, though there was also a lamp on a nightstand by the futon. There
was also a worktable. Ranma set the laptop there, plugging it into a
nearby outlet. Flicking the machine on, she smiled as the programs
clicked on. She dug out her UHD diskette. Loading that, she drew up
her personal journal files:
"Journal Entry, Day 0 of Sanctuary visit,
"Dear Diary,
"I never thought I would wind up on another PLANET of all things,
even after meeting Moroboshi Ataru and his family. Yet now, I'm
writing this from a city in another DIMENSION, let alone another
planet! Wild, huh?
"Comparing this place to all the other places I've been to, Sanctuary
is in a class all by itself. There's no clear day or night here. All
light comes from a sky of burning energy above the rock where the city
stands. Have to ask Negako about that. How far up is that 'sky'
anyway? It's hard to tell distances in this place. And I HAVE to
watch my step here. If what just happened to Negako and me as we were
making our way into this place is normal, all it would take is one bad
move and I'm a goner!
"Sanctuary floats over a tunnel that, according to Negako, extends to
the end of Time. How far ahead is that? Millions of years? Perhaps
billions of years? Or is there no end of Time? That's scary. It's
no wonder Ataru doesn't want his sisters, especially Kaho, to come
here."
"Ataru . . .?" Ranma stopped, glancing at the futon. Taking a
moment to collect her thoughts, she turned back to the laptop.
"I feel weird. Tonight's the first night I'm gonna be sleeping alone
since Ataru dropped the story about the Niphentaxians and what
happened in Lumukyou on me. That was what? Three, four days ago?
And I . . . "
She paused before continuing:
" . . . I miss him already. Strange, isn't it? I just left him in
the House not an hour ago. And yeah, Negako's here, but she's not
Ataru. What does that mean to me? Does it mean that I really care
for him? Do I . . . "
Another pause.
" . . . I love him?
"I wish I could answer that.
"I know that I LIKE him! But is that enough for me now?
"Oh, well, I guess we'll have to wait and see."
Glancing over the words she just typed, Ranma sighed, and then saved
the journal entry before closing down her laptop.
* * *
"Onii-tama?"
Ataru, Karen and Kaho looked up to see Hinako peek into the room.
"Hey, what're you doing here?" he wondered. "Can't you sleep?"
Hinako shook her head. "Hina's worried about Onee-tama." She walked
into the room, rubbing her eyes, and then she crawled onto the bed.
"And Hina knows Onii-tama's also worried about Onee-tama. Hina just
wishes . . . "
Ataru shifted Kaho away from him to draw his youngest sister onto his
lap. "You wanted to go to Sanctuary too, huh?"
She giggled, leaning into his chest. "Onii-tama really, really,
really likes Onee-tama, doesn't he?" she said as she gazed knowingly
into his eyes.
"Well, if Hinako-chan likes her, then I have to like her too, I
guess," he mused, rubbing his chin on her forehead.
Hinako squealed. Everyone then blinked as the door opened, revealing
Sakuya carrying a rolled-up futon under one arm and Hinako's favourite
stuffed teddy bear, a huge toy as big as Marie's dog, in the other
hand. "I guess I'm not the only one who thought of keeping Onii-sama
company," the eldest of the sisters declared as she spread the futon
and Mister Bear on the floor.
"Waai! Sakuya-chan brought Kuma-san!" Hinako reached out for her
prized bedtime companion. "Hina wants Kuma-san! Kuma-san!"
"Ah! You have to choose, Hinako-chan!" Sakuya wagged her finger at
the youngest of the sisters. "What's it going to be?! Kuma-san or
Onii-sama?!"
Giggling, Hinako leaned into Ataru. "Hina'll always choose Onii-
tama!"
She rubbed her head in the crook of his neck. "Aaah! Onii-chama's
OUR brother, too, Hinako-chan!" Kaho wailed.
Ataru rolled his eyes to the ceiling as the sisters started arguing.
*Maybe I SHOULD have gone to Sanctuary,* he ruefully mused.
* * *
"Wake up, Ranma!"
Ranma grunted, looking up to see Negako gazing down on her. "Oh,
man . . . " She yawned, sitting up. "How long was I asleep?"
"That is a hard question to answer," the grandmaster warned. "In one
respect, you got eight hours' rest. Come. Breakfast is waiting."
Ranma watched her go. Scrambling out of bed, she followed her host
to the small sitting room located between the sleeping quarters and
the doojou. "'In one respect?' What the heck does THAT mean,
Negako?" she asked.
"Observe." Negako reached into her top to draw a hand-held
timepiece.
Ranma noted it was a gear-driven automatic device, no doubt made in
Europe. "Needs to be wound up." She took it from Negako, and then
she twisted the knob to wind the spring. The clock began to tick, and
then it fell silent. "Huh?!" She then wound it up again. Again,
only a few ticks echoed from it before it fell silent. "What the
hell . . .?!"
Negako took the timepiece back. "A null-time vacuum."
Ranma stared at her. "'Null-time vacuum?!'"
The grandmaster waved her into the sitting room. Once Ranma was
seated, she headed to the kitchen to bring out two bowls of
soulloungt'ang. "Exactly. Anything affected strongly by linear time
is halted or slowed to a snail's pace when it is brought into
Sanctuary. Your aging process, for example. As long as you remain
here, you will not age. If you so desired, you could be virtually
immortal. But since Sanctuary has little 'creature comforts' . . . "
"People'd go insane here," Ranma mused, sniffing the delicious aroma
of the soulloungt'ang as Negako retrieved kitchen utensils and a
bottle of spring water. "Then how can you cook food in this place?"
she asked.
"Cooking food, healing from injuries and other matters are not
totally influenced by lineal time, Ranma." Negako set out the
chopsticks, and then she poured Ranma a glass of water. "Take boiling
soulloungt'ang. The basic broth takes from one to two days to prepare
under normal circumstances. But if you used a microwave oven or 'hot'
ki to aid in the actual cooking . . . "
"It goes faster," Ranma concluded.
"Exactly."
Ranma shook her head. "It's hard to accept."
"Even for me," Negako mused. "Clearly, the Questors possessed -- or
WILL possess if you choose to view that situation in that manner --
such an advanced understanding of temporal science, creating Sanctuary
was child's play. I believe I COULD come to understand it . . . "
"But you'd be probably driven out of your mind doing that, right?"
"Perhaps," Negako admitted.
Ranma laughed. "Guess what? You're human, Negako!"
Negako blinked. "Should I feel complimented or insulted?"
The younger woman's laughter picked up.
* * *
Breakfast was soon done. Negako directed Ranma into a furo. There,
she received her healing shiatsu, something she had received from
Ataru before breakfast when she was staying on Promised Island. As
Negako worked on her, Ranma asked if the process could be increased
given the differences between Sanctuary and Earth. "I will attempt to
do that, but there is a danger."
"What sort of danger?" Ranma asked.
"Over-treatment." The ninjutsu grandmaster gently vibrated a finger
over a point on Ranma's scalp. "You know of overmedication, do you
not?" Seeing Ranma nod, she continued, "Well, there is also such a
thing as receiving TOO much shiatsu treatment. Your body needs all
the opportunities it can receive to adjust to any significant changes
in your shiatsu or ki patterns, Ranma, just as it must adjust to
'normal' matters like a change of diet or a change in your exercise
pattern. If that time is not allocated . . . "
"It'd be just as bad as not being treated at all."
"Exactly."
"Gotcha." Ranma relaxed. "Hey, Negako, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"Was Ataru ever bothered whenever you and he were here in
Sanctuary?" A slow flush crossed Ranma's cheeks. "You know, like
in . . .?"
"Sexual arousal?"
Ranma's cheeks instantly went cherry-red. "Um, y-y-yeah . . . "
"Sometimes." She pressed another point. "As Sakuya and Chikage
attempted to impress onto you when they spoke to you, there is no
shame in feeling that. In fact, I am aware of certain cultures that
consider sexual relations between siblings to be not only natural but
*proper.*"
Ranma gaped at her. "Really?!"
Negako nodded. "Indeed. Sexual arousal, in its basic form, is a
function of human biology. It is the obvious physical sign that you
are ready to procreate. However, the physical desire to procreate
does not always match to a compatible emotional need. So our society
considers it 'proper' to control the physical need, focus it only to
those one emotionally considers to be 'safe.' You felt that way on
occasion for Akane, did you not?"
"Um, y-yeah . . . I g-guess so," Ranma stuttered. "At least, I think
I d-d-did. I just didn't really u-u-understand it." She shrugged
before glancing quizzically on Negako. "Does that make me perverted,
Negako?"
"No, not by the definition of the term I understand," Negako
admitted. "Why are you so curious about this, Ranma? You clearly do
not wish to pursue an intimate relationship with Akane at this time,
if ever again."
"Yeah, I don't, but . . .!" Ranma stopped, and then she sighed. "I
guess I just want to try to understand where things went wrong between
us, Negako. I mean, you're right. I don't imagine marrying Akane
anymore, not after what's happened. But I still want to be her
friend. And I don't want to make the same mistakes Oyaji made with me
when I finally have kids. IF I have kids, of course!" She held up
her finger before she spat out, "Damn! Sakuya-chan was right. I AM
too young to worry about this!"
"Well, it is good that you realize it now instead of when you are
trapped in a marriage with no emotional underpinnings." Negako then
nodded. "Alright, we are done for this session. Time for the
doojou."
"Hai . . . "
* * *