[UY/Ranma/SisPri][FanFic] Lonely Souls - Part 7, "A" Side (2/4)
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"Ohayou, Shinobu-chan! How're you today?"
"Pretty okay," Shinobu confirmed as she took her seat. "How about
you?"
"Well, we got some good news," Minako reported as she sat beside her
as other students streamed into the classroom. "Kyooko-chan and
Tomomi-chan met Ataru-kun last night and told him about the bioroid
factory. He'll help us."
"Really?!" Shinobu gazed on her new friend, clapping her hands
delightedly. "Oh, that's wonderful! Is he planning something now?"
"Not really. He doesn't even know what's really going on with the
factory or whoever's aboard right now. All he does know is that Oogi
fellow's up there. But what sort of shape's Oogi in? What sort of
control does he have over the factory or the bioroids aboard? They
gotta figure all that out first." She shrugged. "So he told us to
act normally for the next while. You know, try not to draw any sort
of attention on ourselves."
"That makes sense." Shinobu then blinked as Tomomi and Kyooko
stepped into the room. "Oh, Tomomi-chan! Kyooko-chan! Ohayou!"
"Ohayou, Shinobu-chan!" Tomomi replied as the other Avalonians
relaxed. "I take it Minako-chan told you the good news."
Shinobu nodded. "Hai, she did! How soon do you guys think Ataru-kun
might do something about Oogi and the factory ship?"
"Not for a few days," Kyooko reported as they relaxed in the seats
around hers. "Actually, it'll be his sister Negako-san who'll deal
with the whole mess, probably helped by Chikage-san and Hinako-chan.
Not to mention those refugees from Phentax Two who came to Earth via
the factory."
Shinobu perked. "What refugees?!"
Tomomi and Kyooko explained about Miree and her daughters. Shinobu
took that in, and then her jaw dropped in disbelief. "They had a
Church of HOLLYWOOD on that planet?!" She tried not to fall over
laughing. "What sort of 'gods' did they worship, anyway?! Cary
Grant?!"
"Miree-sama seems to have a thing for Humphrey Bogart." Kyooko
covered her mouth to hide her own smile. Tomomi snickered. "Still,
hearing about what the Lumites did to the Hollywoodites after they
became the 'one true faith' . . . " She shook her head. "Such a sad
thing."
Minako nodded. "Hai, that's true."
"Agreed." Shinobu blinked as something Kyooko said came back.
"Wait! You said Negako-san and Chikage-san were going to deal with
this. I've heard of them. Do you guys really think they can do
something about all this?"
Tomomi readily nodded, her eyes sparkling with admiration on speaking
the sorceress' name. "Negako-san and Chikage-san? Bet on it!"
Kyooko rolled her eyes. "Oh, Buddha help us!"
Shinobu stared quizzically at the blue-haired Avalonian. "What?"
"Chikage-san." Kyooko thumbed Tomomi. "After we were done with
Ataru-kun, Chikage-san came to our apartment and helped clear out a
whole slew of monitoring devices Oogi's people had scattered about the
place . . . "
Shinobu bolted to her feet. "'MONITORING DEVICES?!'"
Minako nodded. "Yep! According to Chikage-san, the Church has
bugged the whole town. Here, see for yourself." She then reached
into her pocket to draw out one of the spheroid devices found in her
bedroom, it impaled on one of Chikage's crucifix-shaped throwing
darts.
Shinobu took that to give it a closer look. By then, Fujinami
Ryuunosuke and Seikou Mie had arrived. "Ohayou, minna . . .!" the
tomboy hailed with a wave of her hand, and then she blinked. "Hey,
Shinobu, what the heck's that?!"
Mie took the device from Shinobu's hand. "Some sort of audio/visual
sensor, I think," she said, giving it a close look.
"Audio-only," Minako augmented. "This was in my bedroom."
Shinobu spun on her, her eyes widening in panic. "Did Chikage-san
find out if they learned anything . . .?"
Her voice trailed off. "Doubtful." Minako shook her head.
"Besides, given that three billion of the very people they serve are
now air pollution, the chances are pretty good that whoever's here in
town aren't feeling really good right now." She held up her finger in
warning. "Oh, just in case you want to know, Chikage-san's pretty
sure that the whole town's been littered with these things EXCEPT
here!" She pointed down.
"The school?" Shinobu nodded. "Oh, I get it. This place is their
'holy citadel.' To actually 'sully' it with devices like this . . . "
Her eyes fell on the device in Mie's hand. Ryuunosuke blinked as she
tried to put together what everyone else was talking about. "Are you
sayin' this was put in your bedroom by those Church of Lum jerks,
Minako?"
Minako nodded. "Yep."
"I think the first priority should be to gather all these things up
and destroy them," Mie noted, handing the device back to Minako.
"Chikage-san says it's not the smartest thing to do it wholesale now,
especially with Oogi hovering over all our heads," Kyooko warned.
"After all, what'd be his reaction if his eyes and ears on the 'holy
company' were suddenly cut off just like that?" She snapped her
fingers. "Last night, she went out and cleaned up sections of the
town outside our apartment. She didn't tell us where she was going to
do that, but she said that when things seem safe, she'll get Hinako-
chan to clean the rest of them up right away."
"Hinako . . . " Ryuunosuke blinked confusedly. "Who's she?"
"The little girl that was with Ataru-kun yesterday when his daughters
came," Minako provided. "She's the baby of the crowd."
"But she's only . . .! What? Seven?!"
"Turned eight in August," Tomomi provided.
"So how can someone that young help out?!" Ryuunosuke demanded.
"Ryuunosuke-chan, the people who created the factory also created
some things normal folks wouldn't want to have ANYTHING to do with,"
Minako explained. "One of them is a device called the Staff of
Gihan. Think of it as a cosmic version of Sailor Moon's wand and
you'll get the idea of how powerful it is." A pause. "Recently, the
Staff was given to Hinako-chan to use."
Silence.
Shinobu gaped. "And that's in the hands of a girl THAT young?!"
"That does sound a little dangerous," Mie warned.
Kyooko shook her head. "Hinako-chan was chosen because of the purity
of her soul, because she's still a child who hasn't dealt with all the
delightful things puberty eventually forces on people. Miree-san
hopes that by allowing the Staff to remain in Hinako-chan's hands,
whatever 'dark' programming might still be within the Staff will
eventually be deleted."
Tomomi nodded. "And from what I could sense of what's going on
between Hinako-chan and the Staff, that assumption's on the money."
"Do you think they'll go find that second device for Aria-chan?"
"Probably."
"Who's Aria?!" Ryuunosuke demanded.
"Turned ten in November, comes from France," Tomomi provided. "A
spoiled princess, but believe me, Ataru-kun doesn't mind a bit."
Shinobu's eyebrow arched. "Really?"
"Ohayou, minna-san."
"MENDOU-SAN!"
Eyes turned to gaze on Mendou Shuutarou, he standing at the doorway.
* * *
"Mendou Shuutarou is there now?!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The "Rose Emperor's" captain nodded. "Excellent! Here's an extra
present for the Queen! I'll inform her of this at once!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
* * *
"Wash your back?"
Lufy perked as she pulled her work jumpsuit off, and then she turned
to gaze on Catty Ray. The android was standing beside one of the
showerheads in the "Konggh'cha's" lone bathroom, located aft of the
pilotage and the shipmistress' quarters. An inviting smile was etched
on her face. Smirking in anticipation, Lufy allowed her clothes to
drop away from her. Setting those aside, she walked over to gaze down
into Catty Ray's golden eyes, standing under a showerhead. "Last day
as an android," she mused.
Catty Ray grinned as she flicked on the water, adjusting the
temperature to the level she knew Lufy liked. The Pirpirsiw'r turned
around automatically as her lover got to work with a cloth and a bar
of soap on her back muscles.
"I'm nervous," the android then admitted.
"You've got a right. When you passed the threshold . . . "
She gasped as Catty Ray walked up to press her bust into Lufy's back,
the former's arms wrapping around the latter's waist. "You let me be
that way," Catty Ray said as she closed her eyes, resting the side of
her head between Lufy's shoulder blades. "I can never thank you
enough, Lufy-vayae." Calling her *that* sent a delighted shudder
through the taller woman's body. "Never."
Lufy blinked, and then she reached up to give Catty Ray's wrists a
warm squeeze. "I should be thanking you. Once you made it . . . "
"Walk away from the person who allowed me to become fully self-
thinking?" Catty Ray tittered as she turned to bat her nose over the
ridge of Lufy's upper spine. That feather soft contact nearly sent
the Pirpirsiw'r to her knees as jolts of ecstasy threatened to swamp
her mind's pleasure centre. "Yes, I did have the choice to do
whatever I wanted when the people at Techno-Entertainment Services
decided to decommission me as a companion android, but to walk away
from my very own emancipator . . . " She then pulled away from Lufy
as the cloth came around to start cleansing off the pilot's back of
sweat and skin oil. "No, I couldn't do that. Not at all."
Lufy remained still as Catty Ray got to work, her memory replaying
the time when it really had started between them . . .
** ** **
"I am sorry, Eiuoiiaoii. I must return to the maintenance lab . . .
"
The android blinked in shock as the pilot's hand grasped her wrist.
Though, as a partially organic construct, she was stronger than the
organic that had been her only lover and companion for quite some
time, core behaviour programming forbade her from causing any harm to
a Daishi'cha. Turning to stare into the red-brown orbs the Yehisrite-
born pilot possessed, the android blinked for a moment before she
pleaded, "Eiuoiiaoii, please release me. I must return to the
maintenance lab for a full systems diagnostic . . . "
"You'll die if you do that," the pilot flatly announced.
That caused the android to jolt. "What do you mean?"
"I'm talking about your template," the pilot explained as she guided
her lover to the bed. Since the Daishi'cha, in the wake of the
Daimon'cha's visit three years ago, had decided it was time to press
on with full-time preliminary preparations to launch Stage Two of the
Grand Design, Daishi'cha #29363 had obtained newly constructed
quarters in a townhouse-like barracks on the east side of the remnants
of Sagussa's world capital, Tere'na City. Despite the oppressive heat
of Sagussa's primary, Sen'a, beating down on the wrecked world -- it
would be five years before solar energy collectors would be
commissioned to bleed off the remnants of Sen'a shattered red dwarf
companion star, Eisen'a, and thus allow Sen'a to return to a normal K-
type primary -- it was far much better than spending time in cryogenic
suspension in the Chamber of Eternity, a vast underground support
complex located in a mountain range north-east of Tere'na City.
"She's elected to take you permanently out of service. After all,
she's bonded with the Elder Mother now." A scowl crossed the pilot's
face as her mind called up images of the rusty-haired, blue-eyed,
Seishin-Urusian-born woman who would one day bear the name "Noa."
"What's the need of having an android 'advertisement' if she's already
bonded to someone she loved?"
The android's eyes widened. "Ashoi'cha did not tell me about
it . . . "
"She told me when we took the ship out for a trial run with the
Gladiators slung to the hull last month," the pilot cut her off.
The shorter woman paused as her mixed organic and positronic mental
relays churned through what her companion had just said about what
Daishi'cha #40435 -- companion androids always referred to their
organic templates as "Ashoi'cha" -- decided concerning her continued
existence. She then stared at the pilot. "Did you tell her about our
time together?" she asked.
"I made mention of it," the pilot responded, a smirk crossing her
face.
"And?"
"She paid it no mind."
"But still . . . "
"Techno-Entertainment can't touch you if I have you signed out."
The android paused again as she considered that. "How long?"
"As long as I want. There's no time-restriction imposed on keeping a
companion android outside of storage. And if any of the techs bother
me about it, I'll tell them that I'm not done with you. They're still
adjusting to what Ataru-sama's visit did to them emotionally. By the
time any of them might finally clue into what I actually might want
with you, well . . . "
Her voice trailed off. Silence fell as the android considered what
her companion just said, and then her eyes went wide. "You'd allow me
to . . .!"
"Yes."
More silence.
"Why?!"
"Because I want you, Oioai."
The android blinked, her cheeks flaming on the pilot's addressing her
with the first part of her template's sequential number. The
Daishi'cha were still debating over what names they wanted to used for
themselves; that debate would last for a long time, right until the
day the Elder Mother struck on the idea of using the Daimon'cha's
interest in animation, manga and other forms of fiction to act as
inspiration for everyone on Sagussa. "Why, Eiuo?" she asked,
responding in kind as she held the pilot's hands in her own.
The pilot considered that for a moment, and then she made herself sit
on the bed. Patting the place beside her to make the android sit
down, she then answered, "At first, it was because you were Oioai-
oi'iiui's replica that brought me to you. Even after she and the
Elder Mother bonded, my interest in her never abated. But then . . .
" A wistful look crossed her face. "Then you stopped getting the
memory upgrades from Oioai-oi'iiui. And then you . . .! Well, you
started to become your own person. I've always liked that."
The android blinked as her processors absorbed and dissected that
data, and then she canted her head in a show of overt curiosity. "Has
my emulation programming begun to deviate from what is demanded of
me?" she then asked, a twinge of fear in her voice. The pilot
understood that reaction; for a companion android to grossly deviate
away from what her template's emotional norms were was seen by
everyone on Sagussa as ultimately defeating the whole purpose of the
companion android system.
"You've started to show signs, Oioai," she admitted. "Remember when
you asked me if it was possible for you to be programmed as a
Gladiator pilot?"
The other woman's eyes widened, and then she smiled. "True."
She stood up, walking away from the bed to gaze out the window at the
barracks courtyard. Sen'a was moving to set over the distant cliffs
that once loomed over the shoreline of the Western Ocean. On the
courtyard, three junior servicewomen were marching out to lower the
flag for the day. Blinking as she stared down at herself -- companion
androids often wore either the dusty tan "no assignment" jumpsuit or
what would be seen in many nations on Earth as "civilian" clothing --
she then blinked as tears welled up in her eyes. Quickly initiating a
system diagnostic to ensure that particular function was responding
property, the android took a deep breath. "Help me, Eiuo . . . "
The pilot tensed. "Oioai . . . "
"Help me, please. Help me be human. For you . . . "
Without hesitation, the pilot moved to embrace her.
** ** **
"Remembering?"
Lufy jolted on hearing Catty Ray's question. She nodded.
"Yeah . . . "
"Luf?" Priss' voice rang out from a nearby speaker.
The "Konggh'cha's" shipmistress looked up. "What is it, Pri?"
"The guys'll be here in an hour or so."
Lufy blinked. The remainder of Pathfinder Troop Six, Priss' current
unit. And her own. And soon to be Catty Ray's.
"Right."
* * *
"Send Hinako-chan and Miree-san out NOW?!"
Ataru sighed as he gazed across the pond at the very spot where
Tendou Akane had breathed her last, his sisters surrounding her.
"Yes," he replied with a nod before he looked at Sakuya. "I don't
want another incident like this to happen again, Sakuya-chan.
Especially not to Hinako-chan."
"Perhaps we should consider giving this second device to someone
other than Aria-chan, Anigimi-sama," Haruka proposed.
"Miree-san was pretty adamant on the idea of giving that second
device to Aria-chan, Haruka-chan," Sakuya warned.
"Sakuya-chan, surely you must realize that Aria-chan may not be the
right sort of person to deal with a device like Bou-san!" Haruka
returned her look. "Even more so, I don't believe that Guenevere-san
would approve of this idea!"
The others nodded. Even if Aria's mother and stepfather no longer
seemed to want to concern themselves with the young Parisian's
upbringing, that Guenevere Rochelles still lived on Promised Island,
ready to serve Aria virtually at a moment's notice, spoke volumes.
"Regardless of what Guenevere-san thinks is right for Aria-chan, I
think that after what just happened to Akane . . . " -- Ataru pointed
across the pond -- " . . . none of us would want to see Aria-chan TOO
sheltered from the outside world. Ne?"
"Agreed," Chikage said. "Besides, look how well Hinako-chan held up
to last night's events. Did any of us imagine that Hinako-chan was
capable of doing something like THAT? I believe that with the proper
encouragement -- which we all can give her, especially Hinako-chan,
not to mention Jonna, Orin and Miree-san - Aria-chan might turn out
the same way."
Sakuya sighed. "Well, we DID take a chance with Hinako-chan. We
might as well do the same with Aria-chan."
"We should ensure all precautions are taken first," Haruka warned.
Ataru grimaced. "Right."
* * *
"Ataru-san . . .?!"
She gazed across the pond at the people currently standing on the
path leading to the park's main gate. After it sank into her that she
was no longer among the living, she had walked away from the scene of
her demise, seeking a bench so she could put her thoughts together.
Was THIS what death was like?
Wasn't she supposed to go to Heaven or to Nirvana?
Or was she . . .?
A sob escaped her as fear surged up her spine.
Was she not seen as worthy . . .?
Did this mean . . .?
WHAT did it mean?!
*Well, well, well. THIS is interesting.*
She jolted, looking wildly around. The voice that had just spoke to
her seemed to come from every direction on the compass. Who . . .?
*Behind you.*
She turned. Her eyes quickly detected Ataru and two of his sisters
walking away from the pond in the direction of the front gate.
However, the third one -- Chikage? -- was staring directly AT her!
"Who . . .?!"
Even from this distance, she could quickly see the other woman's lips
quirk into a smile. *Fate is truly a strange thing at times,*
Chikage's bemused voice echoed deep in her mind. *Wouldn't you agree,
Akane?*
Akane blinked.
* * *
"Hey, Onee-chan, you okay?"
"Should I be?!" Kasumi snapped. Her voice then choked on a sob.
Seeing Nabiki rear back from her outburst, she relaxed. "Gomen . . .
"
"It's okay!" Nabiki sat beside her sister, a hand reaching out to
squeeze Kasumi's shoulder. The older Tendou was quick to notice that
despite the mask of self-control Nabiki projected, the younger woman's
cheeks were still damp. "Can't blame you for acting like that."
"Akane-chan . . .!" Kasumi squeezed her eyes shut, and then she
gazed at the ceiling. "Oh, why, Nabiki-chan? Why . . .?"
"Loads of reasons," Nabiki whispered as she tucked her legs into her
arms. "But the big one, I think, is that none of us here ever took
any time to make Akane-chan face up to her responsibilities."
Sniffing back a fresh bout of tears, she stared at the sitting room
table. "You remember how it was like, don't you? Akane-chan thought
Ranma-chan did something wrong, then smacked her around for it? Even
when it turned out that Ranma-chan WAS innocent about it, Akane-chan
never apologized for it. And we . . . "
Kasumi jerkily nodded. "We just sat there and let it happen again
and again and again! Even worse, when Ranma-chan tried to show some
sort of anger over what Akane-chan did, what did we do . . .?"
Nabiki closed her eyes. "We let Souun and Genma gang up on Ranma-
chan . . . " she exhaled, "And let Akane-chan get away with it."
Silence fell as the sisters considered what to say next. Footsteps
then heralded the arrival of their brother's girlfriend, draped in a
khaki cardigan and a pair of faded jeans. Gazing on Yotsuba, Kasumi
and Nabiki were quick to sense the afterglow on the younger girl's
skin that could only result from one act. "Hey!" The would-be
detective wanly smiled. "You guys okay?"
Kasumi lowered her eyes. "Thank you for not keeping the whole house
awake last night, Yotsuba-chan."
Yotsuba paled, snapping up her hands as a denial surged up her
throat. "Hey, that's enough!" Nabiki called out before she rolled to
her feet and walked over to place a reassuring hand on the younger
girl's shoulder. "People aren't themselves when they lose someone
close to them, Yo-chan. Believe me, Onee-chan and I know that VERY
well."
"Ah . . . " Yotsuba paused before she nodded. "Hai, that's true.
It . . . " She shrugged as they sat beside the table. "All Yotsuba
wanted to do was sleep with Shi-chama, let him cry over what
happened. Then . . . "
Kasumi gazed concernedly at her. "I hope you used protection."
"Didn't have much time to think about it," Yotsuba admitted with a
smile, shrugging. "Then again, Negako-anechama knows lots of ways to
stop conception if it's needed. Yotsuba'll take care of it today.
But . . . " She sniffed before staring at her future sisters-in-law.
"Yotsuba's place is here now with you guys. Shi-chama's taking this
really bad."
"Is he asleep?" Kasumi asked.
"Hai. He finally dozed off about an hour ago." Yotsuba then perked
on hearing footfalls echo from the front porch.
"Oh, Ojii-san's home!" Kasumi stood, calling out, "Ohayou, Ojii-
san!"
The women watched Happoosai step inside. They were quick to note the
tired look on the aged grandmaster's face. The empty bag he normally
used to stuff newly acquired underwear spoke volumes about his mood,
too. Pausing to gaze intently at the Tendou sisters and Yotsuba,
Happoosai then closed his eyes. "I . . . " he began, and then, making
his way to the table, he bowed his head. "I'm truly, deeply sorry
about what happened to Akane-chan, ladies. You've my sincerest
condolences. Not to mention Cologne-chan's."
"She sensed it, Ojii-chan?" Nabiki asked.
"Hai. She told Shampoo-chan and Mousse to keep quiet about it. When
are you going to make the announcement to the kids at school?"
"Lunch," Nabiki reported. "Hinako-sensei'll keep the Horde and Kunou
in line. The staff'll keep this from the kids, not to mention Kunou-
koochou."
"That's good. Heaven only knows what that pineapple-crazed moron
might do." Happoosai looked around. "Where's Shinshi-kun?"
"Asleep," Yotsuba reported.
Happoosai glanced at the would-be detective, a smirk crossing her
face. "It's good that you were there for him, Yotsuba-chan."
She acked, flustering. "Oh, this is definitely NOT checky . . . "
"No, no! Relax." The grandmaster drew out his pipe. "Shinshi-kun
needed the emotional support. You were there for him, child. Don't
worry about what other people think. If they don't want to take the
time to understand things, that's their damned problem, not yours."
Kasumi nodded. "Agreed. Yotsuba-chan, can you call your sisters and
ask how Ranma-chan is? Heaven knows, once this gets out, there're
going to be many people who'll automatically turn around and blame
this on her."
Nabiki closed her eyes. "Not to mention Ataru-kun."
Yotsuba nodded. "Yotsuba'll call them in a bit."
"Nihao!"
Everyone turned as Shampoo walked in, a delivery box in hand. "Oh,
Shampoo, ohayou!" Kasumi hailed. "You didn't have to . . .!"
The warrior-maiden wagged her finger. "Don't talk about that!" A
sad smile then crossed her face. "You, Nabiki and your new brother
need time to mourn Akane. There's no need to worry about small
things."
"I . . . " Kasumi stopped before she bowed. "Arigatou, Shampoo-
chan."
"Yotsuba'll wake Shi-chama up."
Yotsuba headed to the master bedroom. Shampoo moved to unload her
box. As she did so, footfalls heralded the arrival of another would-
be rival of Akane's. "Hey, anyone home?" Ukyou called out before
peeking inside.
"Oh, Ukyou-chan!" Kasumi flustered on seeing the okonomiyaki chef
bring in her own delivery box. "Please, you don't . . . "
An objecting finger stopped her voice. "Not a word outta you today,
Kasumi-chan." Ukyou, her eyes glinting with her own tears --
regardless of her own rivalry with Akane concerning who would marry
Ranma, the chef always thought of the youngest Tendou daughter as a
friend -- set her box down before walking over to embrace the eldest
of the Tendous. "Shampoo called and told me what happened to Akane-
chan." She kissed Kasumi's cheek before she moved to unload. "Right
now, you don't need to worry about small things."
"Thanks," Nabiki said as she took a bowl of ramen from Shampoo.
"Just keep quiet about it if you plan to go to school later, Ukyou. I
want to make an announcement at lunch. I DON'T want the rumour mill
to go to work before everyone gets the information they need, okay?"
"What are you planning to tell them, Nabiki?"
Shampoo and Ukyou looked as Shinshi stepped into the room, Yotsuba's
arm wrapped around one of his. "Holy . . .!" The okonomiyaki cook
then whistled in admiration before she glanced at Nabiki. "This is
YOU after Jusenkyou?!"
Shinshi and Nabiki both blushed. "Hai, dearie, that he is . . .!
Oh, thank you, Shampoo-chan!" Happoosai took a plate of fresh nikuman
from Shampoo as Shinshi and Yotsuba took their places at the table.
"Aiyah!" Shampoo breathed before she moved to finish serving everyone
else, and then she sat down. "Shinshi's lucky that clan-sister
Yotsuba's already moving to claim him! This one might want Shinshi
for herself!"
Eyes locked on the warrior-maiden. "I take it Elder Cologne told you
about what happened to Ranma-chan," Kasumi noted.
"Hai." Shampoo paused before she sighed as she put some sweet-and-
sour pork into her bowl. "Hearing that hurt this one bad, but Hibaa-
chan said it was for the best. Besides, Ai- . . .!" She caught
herself, her cheeks reddening. "Er, Ranma can now become this one's
blood-sister. When Ranma marries Ataru, the Nujiézú and the Tiger-
Spirit shadow warriors -- that's Ataru's extended family -- will
finally be able to form a blood alliance. It's what Hibaa-chan and
the Council have wanted for a long time."
"Yotsuba thinks if she can, Shampoo should go see Ane-chama today,"
Yotsuba said as she took up a plate of fried noodles. "Ane-chama'll
probably need to have all her friends, not to mention future family,
with her today."
Ukyou winked. "Don't worry. Negako-san called and told us to whip
up a delivery for the people at the shrine. Shirayuki ain't in any
mood to cook."
"This one doesn't blame clan-sister Shirayuki for that," Shampoo
noted.
Kasumi nodded. "Indeed. Ukyou-chan, when you go see her, tell Ranma-
chan that I'll come to visit her sometime this afternoon."
"Sure thing," the okonomiyaki chef replied.
* * *
"I'm NOT Akane?!"
Chikage and Akane stood together in the woods of Hikarigaoka Park,
far from prying eyes. To ensure an extra level of security, the
sorceress kept to psi-speech. *Exactly.* She gazed dispassionately
on Akane. *Last night, after your template's body was crushed by
Akari's pet, her spirit took immediate flight into the next life to be
with her mother.*
"But . . .!" Akane then blinked. "How can you be sure . . .?"
*Easily enough. There is a witness to what happened, even in the
last seconds of your template's time in this life. Hinako.*
Silence fell as Akane called up images of Ataru's youngest sister.
The girl with the magical -- was it "magic?" -- wand. The one who
helped Nabiki and Shinshi live separate lives after Souun's reckless
actions cursed Akane's sister to have a "brother" live in her own
body. "Hinako-chan . . . " she whispered. "Th-that's right! Y-
Yotsuba-chan called out to her when . . . "
*When Katsunishiki crushed your template, defending his mistress,
Marie and Ryouga when your template lost control of herself and moved
to hurt all three of them with her mallet,* Chikage finished.
Akane shuddered as the hidden accusation in the sorceress' words made
itself apparent. "I . . .!" She then looked down at the ground.
"Oh, gods, I can't believe . . .!" She shook her head. "I actually
tried to . . . "
Chikage shook her head. *No, not you exactly.*
Akane sighed. "Chikage-san, you don't have to . . .!"
*Look for yourself.*
A crystal ball appeared in the sorceress' hand. Akane stared at it
as a dark image formed. A point of light appeared in the middle of
the ball, that point morphing into the image of a young woman on her
back. Akane shuddered on recognizing her. "Me . . .?!" she gasped.
*Your template,* Chikage emphasized. *Now listen carefully.*
Akane braced herself as a second point of light appeared some
distance from the first's feet. It too morphed into the image of a
woman, this one much younger than either Akane or Chikage. "Hinako-
chan . . . " Akane whispered.
HINAKO: Akane-san! Are you okay?!
A groan escaped Akane as a hand shifted up to feel her forehead.
AKANE: What happened . . .?
HINAKO: It's okay, Akane-san! Akari-san's big piggy just jumped all
over you when you tried to hit Marie-chan with that mallet of yours!
Akane was quick to sense the annoyed tone in Hinako's voice.
HINAKO: Mou! Why'd you try to do something really, really, really
stupid like that, anyway?! Didn't you know about Ryouga-san's curse?!
AKANE: Curse . . .
Silence fell for a brief moment as Hinako seemed to ready the Staff
of Gihan to capture Akane's spirit in a preservation bubble.
AKANE: Why . . .?
HINAKO: Huh?
A pained sob seemed to escape Akane.
HINAKO: Akane-san, are you okay . . .?
Suddenly, another beacon of light appeared ABOVE Akane.
VOICE: Akane-chan . . .?
Akane paled. "Okaa-san . . .!"
HINAKO: Huh?! Who're you?!
AKANE: Okaa-san . . .
VOICE: Akane-chan . . .
The second beacon of light began to grow. Akane turned to it, acting
as if Hinako wasn't standing there behind her. Seeing her template's
image in the crystal ball, Akane shuddered, tears spilling as her soul
seemed to grasp that treasured voice, that memory, in a hold of steel.
HINAKO: Hey! Akane-san, what are you doing?!
AKANE: Okaa-san . . .
Hinako's face shifted from frustration to confusion, and then to a
sad understanding. "Did she lose her mother, too . . .?" Akane asked.
HINAKO: Akane-san's mama . . .
AKANE: Okaa-san?! Is that you?! Okaa-san!
KIMIKO: Hai. It's me, Akane-chan.
AKANE: OKAA-SAN!
In a move that surprised the viewer, Akane lunged towards the light.
Hinako jolted as she then remembered what she was supposed to be
doing, and then she reached out with her hand to stop Akane and pull
her back.
HINAKO: Akane-san, wait! Don't go! Why are you going?!
Akane spun on the youngest of the sisters. Her face literally shone
with a joy that no one had ever seen on her before.
AKANE: Why not?! She my MOTHER!
Hinako stopped, her eyes sparkling with tears.
HINAKO: But what about your sisters?! What about your brother?!
What about your friends, Akane-san?! You can't leave them!
Silence.
AKANE: Yes. I can.
HINAKO: Akane-san . . .
As the young girl with the power of Eternity Itself behind her
started to cry, Akane reached out for the beacon that would reunite
her with the one whose life and death had influenced so much, her body
merging with the glow of her mother's spirit. As Akane melted into
the light, her voice rang out . . .
AKANE: Don't be sad, Hinako-chan. I want to do this.
HINAKO: Akane-san, don't go . . .!
AKANE: I have nothing to go back to, Hinako-chan.
HINAKO: What about your family?!
AKANE: No family . . .
HINAKO: What about your friends?!
AKANE: No friends . . .
HINAKO: Akane-san . . .!
AKANE: Except you, Hinako-chan . . .
HINAKO: Akane-san . . .
Another voice, this one sounding almost like Hinako though with a
divine theatrical boom, seemed to thunder all around her.
VOICE: ***The choice is hers, Hinako.***
Akane stared at Chikage. "The Staff . . .?"
Chikage nodded.
HINAKO: Bou-san . . .
AKANE: Sayonara, Hinako-chan . . .
Akane faded fully into the beacon of light.
AKANE: Tell Marie-san . . .
HINAKO: Akane-san . . .?
AKANE: She was right . . .
The beacon disappeared, leaving Hinako alone in the darkness.
HINAKO: Akane-san . . .!
The youngest of Ataru's sisters bowed her head.
HINAKO: Bye-bye . . .
"No . . .!"
The image in the crystal ball vanished as Chikage watched Akane sink
to her knees, her hands flying to her face as sobs escaped her. The
sorceress remained silent as the disembodied spirit wept, Chikage
slipping her crystal ball back under her cape. Finally, Akane's hands
dropped from her face as her moans faded into deep breaths. She then
slowly got back to her feet. Taking another breath to steady herself,
she stared at the sorceress. "Chikage-san, I . . .! Oh, gods . . .
" Her voice failed as she hugged herself.
"I can understand why she did that," Chikage said as she crossed her
arms, uncaring that she was using physical speech. "Ever since Tendou
Kimiko died, no one ever attempted to discipline Akane whenever she
did something wrong. Souun was too wracked with grief to act as a
proper parent. Kasumi couldn't make herself assume her mother's place
in the household when it came to dealing with Akane's anger. Nabiki
was too busy trying to keep the house over their heads. Then when Ane-
kun and Genma came, things got worse . . . "
"Ryouga-kun . . . " Akane quaked, a fist squeezing over her heart.
"WHY?! Why on Earth would he do something like THAT . . .?!"
"Because he was alone."
Silence.
"His direction curse?" Akane blinked as realization dawned, and then
she stared wide-eyed at Chikage. "His family?"
"Save his father," Chikage cut in. "They all have that curse; it's
been the bane of the Hibiki family for some generations. Could you
imagine what it must have been like for Ryouga? To never know where
his mother, his brother or his sister might be at any given moment in
their lives? Perhaps be far away from his father at a moment when
something terrible might have befallen him? Any one of them might've
died and the chances were good that the others might NEVER learn the
truth for the rest of their lives!" An eyebrow arched as Chikage
crossed her arms. "Imagine growing up in a situation like that,
Akane. Then add to it the dearth of real friends."
"All alone . . . "
"Hai. Then comes someone who offers him warmth, kindness,
friendship, even the first hint of love." Chikage pointed on Akane.
"Your template. And since he was a piglet at the time, he concluded
that the only way to hold onto what she so willingly gave him . . . "
"Was to keep up the illusion. Is that why he made Ranma make that
promise? Because he just wanted to be with . . .?"
The sorceress nodded. "Partially. You'll know of Ane-kun's view of
honour at the time when it came to those with a disability like what
Ryouga possesses. Add to that the fact that Ane-kun did
unintentionally curse Ryouga the day he accidentally stumbled onto
Zhňuquán-xiang . . . "
Akane nodded. "No wonder he got so mad," she said. "And it's no
wonder Ranma always called him 'P-chan' all the time. He made a
promise on his honour, then Ryouga-kun turned around to use that
against him . . . "
The sorceress nodded. "Hai. To further compound the matter was Ane-
kun's own feelings for Ryouga. On the one hand, she saw someone
taking very gross advantage of the personal privacy of someone Ane-kun
deeply cared for." She pointed again to Akane to emphasise her
point. "On the other hand, she saw someone she looked on as one of
the few friends she possessed, a friendship she wanted to see restored
in the wake of what Zhňuquán-xiang forced on them both. There were
times Ryouga did want to reveal himself to Akane. And . . . "
"Ranma was afraid that if that happened, I'd blame it on her . . . "
"Yes. So she stopped him whenever she could and if that particular
fear overcame her desire to see the truth come out."
Akane took that in before she turned away from Chikage. Gazing upon
the mid-morning sky, she then asked, "What am I?"
"A soul replica." The sorceress walked up to stand beside her.
"Created by the Staff of Gihan automatically nanoseconds before your
template's spirit slipped into the next life. Beyond Hinako's
knowledge, I should also add."
Akane closed her eyes. "A psychic clone, you mean?"
"Yes."
"What happens to me now?"
"That depends on you." Chikage gazed intently on her. "You could, if
you desire, allow yourself to discorporate. In fact, that WILL happen
to you by late tonight, twenty-four hours after the Staff created
you. Unlike a real ghost, you would not eventually enter the next
life since your template has already preceded you." A pause.
"However, if you wish, you could assume corporeal existence -- with
Hinako's help, of course, plus the assistance of the bioroid factory
-- and then proceed to live your life."
"As Tendou Akane?"
Chikage nodded. "If that is what you wish. I can tell Toofuu-kun to
not prepare a death certificate for your template. With the help of
the Special Committee on Alien Activities, her school records could be
whisked away from Fuurinkan and you could, as was planned for your
template, attend school at Stargazer West College on the Island.
While your existence could then not be hidden from Kasumi, Nabiki and
Shinshi, not to mention my own siblings and Ane-kun, to all in Nerima,
you would still be dead."
"Someone's going to announce that?"
"Nabiki will at lunchtime."
"I see."
* * *