[UY/Ranma/SisPri][FanFic] Lonely Souls - Part 3, "B" Side (3/3)
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Sakuya stared at Ranma. "I'm sorry, Onee-sama," the former
apologised as she placed a hand on Ranma's shoulder. Both were in
Ranma's guestroom on the third floor, they having spent the last two
hours there. Toshiko and Kumiko had gone off with Ataru to see the
sights around the Island. "I mean, we all guessed your dad was a
lunkhead, but I'd believe that if he wanted you to marry this Akane
girl, he should've given you *some* warning . . . "
Ranma rose, shaking her head before she stared out the window at
Welcome House's courtyard. "Yeah, I know," she replied before her
eyes turned to gaze down at her own stomach. "I can't believe it. I
mean, I never really sat back and thought about it. I . . . " Her
hand fell on her navel. "I can create a life here if I wanted to.
I . . . " A shaky breath escaped her. "Oh, man!"
"Yeah, it's really something, isn't it?" Sakuya noted as she stood up
to stand beside Ranma. "And your dad always said 'women are weak?'
What a dork! He doesn't know anything at all, does he?"
A snort. "More like he doesn't CARE!" Ranma spat out.
"Are you okay, Onee-sama?"
Ranma shook her head. "I dunno. You know, ever since I got to Nerima
and got deluged by the fiancée business, I've always wondered what it
was about. I mean, Ukyou and Shanpú say they love me. But right now,
I don't understand what love is. I don't think I ever really did
understand it even with what I said during the fight against Saffron
and I thought that Akane was dying! And they expected me to get
married, raise kids?! How do you do that?!"
Sakuya patted Ranma's shoulder. "Onee-sama, you're seventeen! You
don't have to worry about kids. Most people these days wait until
they're thirty to get married. Some don't even bother with marriage
when you get down to it."
"Yeah, but it was honour . . . " Ranma's voice trailed off for a
moment. "Well, it WAS honour. Now . . . I just don't know."
"Well, let's go to the basics, then." Sakuya guided her back to the
bed before she sat in a rocking chair nearby. "What is love?"
"I don't know. Or at least, I can't describe it in words right now."
"Okay." Sakuya held up four fingers. "For you to say you love
someone and to build a relationship with that someone, you need four
things. They are Truth," -- she dropped one finger -- "Trust," --
down went the second -- "Respect," -- the third -- "And Hope." She
made a fist with her hand.
"Now, Truth." Up went a finger. "You didn't start off right because
you met Akane as a girl and you didn't consider revealing the truth
until she walked in on you in the furo at her house. Then, everything
your dad kept from you piled on. Since you weren't shown the truth
about how to interact with people, you had no clear way to navigate
yourself out of that particular mess, right?"
Ranma nodded. "Right."
"Next comes Trust." Sakuya held up a second finger. "Akane assumed
right from when she first found out about your curse that you were
nothing more than a pervert. She didn't change that basic viewpoint
no matter how much you tried to explain things to her. Put simply,
she never trusted you. Trust, like Truth, is a two-way street to make
a relationship work. So, it comes to the point where you no longer
trust Akane to believe you. Even after you had to KILL someone to
save her life, she still doesn't trust you.
"Then Respect." Up went a third finger. "Since Akane doesn't trust
you, she feels she has no cause to respect you. She can't accept
you're the better martial artist because you always let her into your
guard and she got away with braining you with that mallet. In fact,
she doesn't even respect your Art since no one's forced her to see
that you have to WORK to gain a skill, right?"
"Yeah."
"Okay, then. You know if you want to learn something, you have to
work and work at it to get it right. Akane doesn't know that. She
can't bring herself to accept that." A pause. "You want to know
something, Onee-sama? Akane can't respect you because she doesn't
really respect herself!"
Ranma blinked. "Yeah, that's true, isn't it?"
"Yeah." Sakuya put up the fourth finger. "Now, Hope. Tell me
something, Onee-sama? Can you see yourself sometime in the future,
married to Akane, raising your children, living with Akane until the
day you finally die? Can you really imagine that deep in your heart?"
A long pause, and then Ranma shook her head. "Not anymore."
Sakuya shrugged. "Then there's no love between you. And unless
those things change, there could never be any love between you."
Ranma gazed at her, nodding.
* * *
On the southwest side of the island, there was a seashore house built
on poles hooding a cove, the house resting on a cliff. The cove was
bisected with a dock for small boats. Standing on the porch
overlooking the beach spread out to one side of the house, Ataru
sipped a snifter of spring water. Footsteps heralded the arrival of
the mirror-twins from inspecting the interior. "Well?"
Toshiko and Kumiko exchanged a look. "We like it," the former
declared. "Still, don't you think it's queer to let us make use of
the same house your sisters were conceived in? What do your sisters
think of this place?"
"Nice place to visit, especially come summer vacation, but the House
has more conveniences, not to mention individual rooms." He set the
snifter aside before relaxing against the rail, turning to gaze out to
sea. "Here, there's not that much room. It's a vacation cottage.
Great for one or two people or maybe a small family, but not fourteen
people or more."
"What about you?" Kumiko wondered.
"Even with the work I've done since I came here, I'm still getting
used to all this wealth Grandma left behind. I guess one of the few
good things being with Muchi and Kinshou taught me is how to not put
so much value on money. I wasn't born to the rich life like Mendou.
Neither were the girls. I think after it all gets ironed out, we'll
be letting go of a lot of things."
"Like this place." Toshiko looked around, and then she nodded.
"Well, if you're willing to let us live here, we'll move in right
away. I just hope that you and Ranma will consent to come live on the
Island full-time real soon. I'm sure your sisters would gladly want
you back . . . "
Kumiko crossed her arms. "And I'm pretty sure Ranma would like to
get away from those morons in Nerima once and for all," she added.
"Agreed."
"Soon as Onee-chan finishes fixing Ranma up, I'll pop an invitation
to her to come here full-time," Ataru said. "I suppose by then, some
solution to Ranma's fiancée problem will be worked out. With that
done, she's got nothing hanging over her head, so she can concentrate
on the college exams."
The mirror-twins stared quizzically at their host. Kumiko then
walked up to relax beside Ataru, Toshiko shifting to his other side.
"Ataru-kun, can I ask you something?" the former wondered as she gazed
on him. "How much do you know about Jusenkyou and how it's affected
Ranma?"
Ataru picked up the flute. "I know in Ranma's case, the full effects
haven't sunk in. Mostly that's because of the mental damage she took
when that fool Genma forced her to learn the Neko-ken. Why are you
asking, Kumiko-chan?"
"And your sisters? Do they know this?" Toshiko added.
He looked at her before nodding. "Yes." He then sipped some water.
"I take it that whatever explanation you gave Ranma about you being
frozen as a girl wasn't the whole truth. Was it?" He glanced at
Kumiko.
The raven-haired mirror-twin nodded. "Hai, it wasn't the whole
truth. I would've told her the truth if the Jusenkyou guide hadn't
let slip what really happened to Ranma when she and Genma went there."
He nodded. "When you fell into the Niángniquán, Kumiko-chan, how
long was it before you initially transformed back?"
"Truthfully, I didn't wait. When I jumped out of the pool, my sense
of balance was thrown off because of the change. I tripped and
smacked my head on a rock beyond the pools." Kumiko flustered. "I
was out of it for about ten minutes. Toshiko didn't want to move me
from where I fell, so the guide went off to get some hot water. By
the time he came back to me, it was too late. With general human-
based curses, the basic mental changes only need five minutes to take
full effect." She deeply inhaled. "Then again, I WAS born of a
magical mirror whose underlying spirit was female." A shrug. "So
maybe Jusenkyou DID 'set me right' when I fell into that pond."
"When we talked to the guide about it, he always wondered why it
didn't take affect on Ranma like it did to you, Kumiko," Toshiko
added, and then she frowned. "So how could the Neko-ken interfere
with that? The guide said that Ranma didn't change back for almost
twenty minutes . . . "
"The Neko-ken's not just a physical art form. It's also a spiritual
thing," Ataru said. "Remember, the dorks who created it wanted to
infuse a Neko-ken student with not just the physical attack skills of
a cat, but its fighting spirit. That's all up here . . . " He
pointed to his head, and then his heart. "And here, too. And since
Ranma was a boy when she first learned the Neko-ken, the cat-spirit
that was formed inside her was a male spirit. Suddenly, you force
something like Zhòuquán-xiang on top of that and . . . "
He shuddered. "So the Neko-ken spirit and the Nyanniichuan spirit
have been trying to fight for control of Ranma?" Kumiko wondered.
He nodded. "Subconsciously, yes. At least, that's the way Onee-chan
sees it. Think about it. Why is it Ranma's such a water magnet all
the time, both hot and cold? Yeah, that's typical of most victims of
that place, but according to what Onee-chan divined from Ranma's ki,
it's ESPECIALLY true with her. And Onee-chan found out that in most
times whenever the Neko-ken madness overcame Ranma, it was when she
was male. How did she usually snap out of it?" An eyebrow arched.
"People dunked her in water and transformed her into a girl."
The mirror-twins sighed before gazing on Ataru. "Was that why
Tampopo-san asked Negako-san to come look at Ranma?" Kumiko asked.
"Hai. Tampopo-chan doesn't have Onee-chan's knowledge base when it
comes to martial arts, but she could tell that something was REALLY
off with Ranma. I'm just amazed at myself that I was able to pick up
what else happened."
Toshiko scowled. "Stupid panda."
Ataru made a dismissive wave with his hand. "Forget him. He's
harmless. Right now, the big thing is figuring out how to break this
to Ranma."
Kumiko shook her head. "The sooner the better, I think."
"Maybe. I've hesitated in saying anything because Ranma's got enough
on her plate," Ataru admitted. "But still . . . "
The mirror-twins nodded.
* * *
Ranma sighed as she walked along the southeast seashore of Promised
Island. A full moon had just appeared, its reflected sunlight
creating eerie shadows in the small town beyond the curve of Stargazer
Hill. Her right hand was held up, the fingers going up and down as
she ran through what Sakuya told her earlier, applying it to everyone
else she knew back in Nerima.
"Ukyou?" Ranma extended the fingers. "Well, I tell her the truth
all the time of how I feel. She tells me the truth of how she feels.
But the messages never really got across. She's my friend. Is she?
I trust her . . . " She dropped the middle finger. "Well, I trusted
her until the wedding when she decided to throw bombs at Mom. I
respect her, but she really doesn't respect my opinions, so that's
out." Down went the ring finger. "And I can't imagine marrying her.
I still see her as my buddy from when we were kids. I guess that
means I don't respect her, either." Down went the little finger.
"And since she don't respect me and I really don't respect her, she
can't understand what I'm telling her. Truth is out." She dropped
the index finger.
"Shanpú?" Out went the four fingers. "She often lies to me." Down
went the index finger. "I can't trust her because her village laws
don't allow that sorta thing. She really doesn't trust me. If she
did, then she wouldn't be going hog-wild to hook me." Down went the
middle finger. "I can't respect her because she doesn't respect me
because I'm a man. If how she and her great-grandmother treat Mùsi is
any indication, men don't have any real rights among the Nujiézú."
Down went the ring finger. "I sure as hell can't see myself living
with her in that village and I KNOW she can't imagine living anywhere
else outside the village. So hope is out." She lowered her little
finger.
"Kodachi?" Out went the fingers. They then collapsed. "Forget it."
"Kasumi?" Out went the fingers. "She knows the truth . . . " Ranma
then shook her head as her fist closed up. "Nah! I can't think of
marrying someone I sorta look on like a big sister! It ain't right.
Besides, she can't really want to stay on as a housewife! It ain't
fair to her. And I don't want to really deal with that idiot father
of hers anymore.
"Nabiki?" Out went the fingers. Ranma then shuddered. "She doesn't
tell me the truth. She doesn't trust me. She sure as hell doesn't
respect me. And I think I'd rather commit seppuku than marry
her . . . "
"There is one more, Ane-kun."
Ranma spun around to see Chikage standing behind her, the latter
dressed in a flowing, black lace-up gown trimmed in red-and-silver
laurel. "Chikage-chan!" Ranma gasped before she calmed herself.
"Shit! Don't DO that to me!"
The sorceress chuckled apologetically. "I'm sorry, Ane-kun. But in
sensing your mood, I felt you'd desire a little company."
"I . . . " She sighed. "Um, thanks! I . . . " She looked at her
hand. No doubt, Chikage knew what was bothering her. "I guess I got
no one, eh?"
"There is someone else you might consider, Ane-kun."
"Who?! One of you?" Ranma quipped.
Chikage smirked, shaking her head. "No, someone else."
"Negako?!" Ranma asked, shuddering. "Uh-uh! No than- . . .!"
"I was thinking of Ani-kun."
Silence.
"What?!" Ranma eeped as her eyes went wide.
"Here." Chikage reached up to extend Ranma's fingers. "Humour me.
Take what Sakuya-chan told you and apply it to Ani-kun."
"WHAT?!" Ranma cried out, automatically shaking her head. "Uh-uh!
No way! He's a man! I'm a man, even if I'm stuck as . . .!"
"Please?"
Ranma's voice failed as she stared in confusion at Chikage. As far
as she knew, from the way Ataru and the other sisters described her,
the sorceress NEVER used the word "please" when it came to ANY request
she made!
"I . . . " Ranma looked at her hand. "He tells me the truth.
But . . . " A pause, and then she shook her head. "I kinda figured
out that he's keeping something really BIG from me. And from all you
guys, too, I guess. Is it something you know about, Chikage-chan?"
Seeing her nod, Ranma breathed out, "Well, I guess that means it's
gotta be bad. Really bad. I . . . " Her ring finger wavered. "Then
that means he respects me. And he cares for my feelings, too, right?
He . . . " A pause. "He's afraid that if I learn it, I wouldn't want
to be with him anymore, right?! I . . . " Another pause. "Jeez!
What would be so bad that he'd feel he'd have to do that . . .?"
"As far as I can presently discern, it was worse than your battle
with Saffron," Chikage explained. "INFINITELY worse."
Ranma stared at her before she nodded. "Oh." She gazed on her
hand. "And . . . " A pause. "He trusts me to understand that,
doesn't he?" She blinked on seeing the middle finger waver. "He
knows it's bad and that it'd totally blow my mind away, right? He
WANTS to tell me . . .!" Her voice caught in her throat, and then she
sighed. "But how can I make him trust me to accept what he's got to
say? I just can't walk up and . . . " Another pause, her index
finger wavering. "I can, can't I? Or maybe he can't tell it because
he doesn't know what to say! Yeah, I can understand that . . .!" Her
voice trailed off, her eyes locked on her little finger.
The one finger that had not moved at all.
"I . . . " Ranma blinked. "I want his friendship. I like being
with him. I can trust him in case we get into a fight. If what
happened on Monday meant anything, we'd be perfect partners. He
pretty much told me today that he wants to be my partner, too. I
trust him. And to trust him, I have to respect him. And I told him
the truth about me and he's pretty much done the same about himself.
Yeah! Yeah! I can do that. Then . . . " She paused. "Friendship
and love are the same, right, Chikage-chan?"
"'Love' is a strange thing to comprehend even at the best of times,
Ane-kun. There are different types of love depending on the
situation. But in the end, it is the same. People just find it hard
for whatever reason to accept that. After all, you can say that you
love a friend. Just as much, as deeply, as one can love a sibling, a
parent . . . " A pause. "Or a life-mate."
"But . . . " Ranma pointed to herself. "I'm a guy."
"What does your birth-gender and Ani-kun's gender have to do with
love?" Chikage's eyebrow arched. "Ane-kun, there are gay couples out
there who enjoy loving relationships, relationships that endure
homophobic assaults from every quarter. There're lesbian couples that
do the same thing. There are multi-partner groups who are in the same
situation. The people involved in those relationships don't find what
they do 'unusual.' They see it as a blessed thing. In light of that,
do the opinions of society matter? Of course not.
"You and Ani-kun are in the same situation. And, deep in your
hearts, you do not WANT to live in such a situation anymore. That is
why Fate brought you together. Fate can be fickle, but sometimes, She
can be kind. Especially to those who have suffered Her Wrath for as
long as you and Ani-kun have."
Chikage turned away to gaze at the moon above. "You know, when he
came to this island and we started to bond as a family, Ani-kun
started to have nightmares. Nightmares about all the times he felt
that he was totally alone in this world. About all the times Kinshou
said 'I wish you were never born!' About when Miyake Shinobu left
him, abandoning him so she could pursue a rich narcissist like Mendou
Shuutarou. About the time he came to believe Lum could not accept a
potential 'husband' who refused to bow to her every whim and desire.
About the time when he allowed Negako-anekun to live her own life --
and the betrayal that followed, which ultimately killed our
grandmother from a broken heart. About even the time when Nokoko-
anekun disappeared after she learned that she was not Ani-kun's
cousin, but his sister.
"Every time we heard him cry, it tore into our hearts. Even me."
Her eyes closed, eyelashes glistening. "Even Negako-anekun. Every
time we looked into his room, there she was, holding his hand. No
doubt feeling guilty over what her being tricked by Kinshou five years
ago had cost him, the man who gave the Saikoo Jinseijitsu her dream.
And it hurt, Ane-kun. It hurt so much."
She gazed on the moon. "So I came here. Looked up. It was a full
moon. I prayed. We all prayed in our chosen way. For someone to
come to show Ani-kun he wasn't alone in his sufferings. And that
someone could be with him. And love him. Through their shared pain,
they would enjoy a shared healing." She looked at Ranma. "And thus,
Fate brought you into Ani-kun's life."
Ranma blinked as Chikage stared at her. "I don't know . . . "
"It's alright to be unsure." She drew Ranma's hand up, holding it
between her own hands. "But know this: You have endured considerable
brain damage since you were exposed to that pit." Sensing Ranma
shiver, Chikage touched a shiatsu point to calm her. "And as Negako-
anekun strives to heal you, you WILL change, evolve into someone
different than you were. You will evolve into a whole new being. And
as you evolve . . . " Her eyes locked on Ranma's. "You will then
learn Zhòuquán-xiang's most horrible secret."
Ranma stared at her before she squeezed her eyes closed. "No . . . "
"Ane-kun, how long after you first fell into the Niángniquán?"
Chikage asked. "How long was it before you changed back?"
"I . . . " Ranma sucked in her breath, biting her lip. Tears began
to stream down her cheeks. She didn't react. "About . . . " she
began, her voice suddenly very dry. "About twenty minutes, I think.
I . . . " A gulp. "I just got so angry at Oyaji for taking me into
that place, totally destroying everything he made me believe and
accept as the right thing . . . " A shudder shook her again as her
voice started to break. "And I . . . " She blinked. "No, it was the
guide. He changed Oyaji back right away, but then I lost it and went
out to beat his ass. The guide couldn't do anything to me. So I
didn't change back until after I got done chasing Oyaji all over the
place . . . "
A sob stole her voice as Chikage moved to comfort, she shushing Ranma
as she held her close. As the strength in Ranma's body faded, Chikage
scooped her up, carrying her to a bench. Sitting her, Chikage allowed
Ranma to remain close, the latter sobbing. Time became meaningless as
Ranma wept, the words spoken at Jusenkyou by the guide repeating again
in her mind . . .
** ** **
"Oh, Honoured Customer, is too late for you!"
"What?!" Ranma demanded.
The portly guide shook his head, drawing out his pipe as he stared
out at the scattered ponds with their bamboo training poles. He had
just poured hot water on Ranma. Genma was hiding, not wanting to deal
with his child at this time. "I no tell this to you before other
Honoured Customer. I think he no understand. I also think he might
hurt you for thing that is not your fault."
"Whaddayamean?!"
"Zhòuquán-xiang give worse than body to those who no change back
right away after falling into spring." The guide waved to the ponds.
"Spirits of those who drown in springs in springs. When someone fall
in, spirits of those who drown in springs also copy into that person.
Like you, Honoured Customer."
Ranma deflated. "Wh-what?!" he stammered. "Y-you mean . . .?"
"I see it not happen. But it will happen, Honoured Customer. For
that, I sorry. I no can tell you unless it happen. It part of my
curse, see?"
"N-no . . .!"
The guide's eyes fell on the young man from Japan. Who, the guide
knew, would one day become a young woman, in body AND spirit. "No
cure for that, Honoured Customer. You have to change right away back
to normal or else spirit's copy mix with your spirit. When that
happen, you become a girl here." He pointed to his heart. "No cure
for th- . . . "
"Ranma!"
Ranma turned as Genma marched towards them, both backpacks in hand.
"C'mon, we're leaving! There's more training to do!"
Ranma blinked, nodding. "Right!"
** ** **
"No cure . . . "
Chikage watched as Ranma sat up, the latter wiping her eyes as she
took several breaths to compose herself. "Yes," the young sorceress
confirmed with a nod. "And one day soon, you will no longer DESIRE a
cure. Perhaps even come to look on your birth-form with the same
disgust you once looked on your cursed-form. You will think of
yourself in your heart and soul as a woman. How that will affect
you? Well, that is for Fate to decide. You can run from it as long
as you can, Ane-kun. But there is no escape."
"Why didn't it latch on then?" Ranma wondered.
"The damage to your mind from the Neko-ken training, that supported
by the abuse from all those you've fought in Nerima. Now, Ane-kun,
you have a choice. And it is a difficult choice, indeed. Do you wish
to live as a man? And be forever afraid of cats? Not have conscious
use of the full mental capacity you were blessed with at birth? And
perhaps one day confront someone who could easily manipulate you just
like your father did? Or would you wish to live as a woman? Heal the
wounds you've suffered from for all those years? Turn Zhòuquán-
xiang's curse into a gift? A gift of freedom and control over your
life? Then embrace the gift Nature gave you and ensure you remain
free?"
Silence fell as Ranma considered that. A shudder raced through her
as a very dim memory suddenly came forth from her subconscious mind.
"I used to like c-cats . . . " she stuttered that one word which had
haunted her nightmares for so long. "There was this one alley c-c-cat
that lived near my house. I useta take food out to him all the time,
before the trip. I . . . "
"You desired to adopt him as your pet," Chikage finished. "By the
time you were taken from your mother by Genma, the cat had come to
trust you very much. Then you were gone. And sadly, survival
eventually demanded that he turn his attention to more vital matters
as soon as he came to realise, in his own way, that you would never
come back to him."
Ranma jolted, her eyes widening. "You know . . .?"
"Negako-anekun told me." A pause. "There is more to that story.
Four years after you were taken away from your mother, yours and
Genma's training voyage returned you to the Tokyo area. That is when
Genma decided it was time for you to learn the Neko-ken. So he went
far and wide, seeking out alley cats to serve as the training
'mechanism.'"
She stopped. Ranma blinked as her skin paled. "That c-c-c-
cat . . .?"
"Yes, he was in the pit," Chikage confirmed with a nod. "But before
he and you faced the Neko-ken, he -- along with the others -- had been
starved to the point where any 'domestic' behaviour that might've been
ingrained into them was eliminated. All he saw when you were lowered
into that pit every time was the food wrapped around you. All he
wanted was the food. He couldn't recognise you -- even if he
remembered you -- because his hunger blinded him to EVERYTHING but the
food. And that is what he went after. As did they all."
Silence fell anew as Ranma shuddered, fresh tears flowing down her
cheeks as she hugged herself, the fear the Neko-ken had unleashed in
her for so long fighting the grief she felt at a lost friend who had
suffered because of her. She blinked as Chikage's hand squeezed her
shoulder. She stared at the sorceress. "What happened to . . .?"
Ranma asked before her voice faltered.
"Several days after you and Genma left, someone found the pit,"
Chikage reported. "The Humane Society was called in to investigate.
Since the pit was so deep, the sides so sheer -- and the cats
themselves so weak from hunger -- they couldn't crawl out to seek out
fresh prey. So, being carnivores, they turned on each other. By the
time they were discovered, only four were still alive. Your friend
included. But because they were so weak from being starved for so
long, it was then decided to humanely put them to sleep."
"No . . . "
Fresh sobs took away Ranma's voice as Chikage moved to comfort.
"Hush!" she soothed. "You cannot change the past, Ane-kun. You can
change the future. Seize the day, Ane-kun. Let this and all the days
ahead be yours once and for all. Be free . . . " *And help Ani-kun
be free, too,* she mentally added.
Time became meaningless again as Ranma wept. The reasons became
irrelevant to the martial artist as the many mental dams holding back
years of abuse, emotional neglect, even contempt, from Genma and so
many others, finally shattered. Chikage remained still, her hand
gently stroking Ranma's hair as the sorceress became a rock for the
martial artist to cling to. Finally, Ranma's moans morphed into
sniffles as a hand reached up to wipe her eyes. Straightening
herself, she drew Chikage into an embrace. "Thanks."
"You needed it, Ane-kun." Chikage reached up to dry Ranma's cheeks
with her thumbs before she then smirked. "What a stupid fool your
father is. He doesn't begin to realise how much he's ultimately
failed. Not just you, but his friend and Souun's children, not to
mention his wife."
A blink. "You mean about what the guide said?"
A nod. "Hai. And that transformation of your spirit HAS been
happening, bit by bit, since you left Zhòuquán-xiang. Unfortunately,
atop yours and everyone's resistance to the idea of you being a girl,
you personally do not have a proper example to template yourself from
when it comes to BEING female."
"I . . . " Ranma blinked before she gazed out to sea. "I . . .
geez, Chikage-chan, I really don't know . . .!" She bit her lip
before looking anew at the sorceress, a shrug rolling her shoulder.
"I mean, I still got a lot of trouble believing what the guide said.
Yeah, it's been easy for me to dress up as a girl and act kawaii and
all that, but geez! I do that all the time."
"True. You should remind yourself, however, that dressing as a girl
and -- as you say it -- 'acting kawaii' are very small parts of what
being a woman is about." Chikage chuckled, crossing her arms. "Since
it would be best for you to remain in one body while Negako-anekun and
Ani-kun are busy healing you, you should realise you'll be facing one
LARGE element of being a woman three weeks from now when you endure
the peak of your first-ever menstrual cycle."
"My first period, you mean?" On seeing Chikage nod, Ranma sighed.
"Kasumi told me about that when Herb froze me with the Chiisui-ton.
But I didn't go through it because I was able to unlock myself shortly
after."
"Good for her. Sadly, given that you have not had any chance to
evolve naturally through menarche into adolescence as other women
have, I suspect you'll be experiencing a particularly painful 'first
blood.'" The sorceress rose to stand again beside Ranma. "I can only
guess at how others, even those women who are 'close' to you, might
react, given their attitudes towards you."
"Oh, boy, you sure got THAT right!" Ranma winced before she rattled
off on her fingers. "Akane will have another damned excuse to call me
a pervert. Shanpú might decide that since I'm not a man, she'd have
to go back on her first mission and try ta kill me. I think Ukyou
MIGHT accept it since she's legally registered as a boy and all
that . . . "
"What is written on paper can NEVER stand up to the facts of
biology," Chikage warned. "Besides, look at what good can come out of
it. If you become a woman, your engagements are effectively rendered
null-and-void. Isn't that what you want, Ane-kun?" Seeing Ranma nod,
she continued, "And if they understand you had no choice, I believe
things will change to everyone's benefit. Didn't Akane say to you
when you met 'Let's be friends?' Yes, she betrayed her own words not
two hours later when she learned of your curse. In fact, you might
say her being forced to deal with you potentially reinforced her
attitudes towards boys as a whole. And you have to take into account
your over-protectiveness towards her as well, Ane-kun. It did not do
Akane any good."
"That's true. But what about Ukyou and Shanpú? What do I do with
them?"
"Given Genma's attitudes -- and in the worse-case scenario, Nodoka's
-- if he learns you are a woman in spirit as well as body, he might
decide enough is enough and renounce you then and there. If he does
that, Ane-kun, Ukyou effectively succeeds in the mission her father
charged her with: The break-up of the Saotome family and the end of
the Saotome-ryuu. When Ukyou's father learns of that, atop learning
what has happened to you AND what you've planned for Genma in case he
did decide to renounce you, I strongly believe there to be no good
reason for him not to release his child from what she was forced
into. In the end, you both would come out of that winners."
A smirk crossed Ranma's face. "Yeah, that's true, isn't it?" She
then sighed. "What about Shanpú?"
"As for her, there is no threat from the Kiss of Death," Chikage
said, a light smile crossing her face. "Shanpú's failure towards that
end was punished by her receiving her curse from the Maoniquán. All
you face now is the Kiss of Marriage. And when you emotionally become
a woman, her claim on you will become questionable. I don't believe
she is bisexual, so . . . "
"'Bisexual?!'"
"Attracted sexually to both men and women," the sorceress explained
before her eyebrow arched. "And there is another thing you have to
deal with."
Ranma paled. "What?!"
"Your awakening sexuality, Ane-kun."
The martial artist gargled. "M-my . . . "
"As Genma repressed your ability to learn, he affected the areas of
your mind which controls your sexual responses," Chikage explained.
"Now that that's being repaired, I think you will begin to look on
people, both men and women, in a much more *intimate* manner than
before."
Ranma gulped. "Even more so, Akane and Shanpú BOTH haven't helped
you in those matters," the sorceress added. "Akane, of course, looks
on any intimate experience, even the times when she only **suspects**
something is going on, as perverted. That has only reinforced your
own embarrassment when it comes to such issues. And with Shanpú
flinging herself on you every time she can, your embarrassment only
increases. And since that most often happens when Akane is nearby so
she could provoke her . . . " A shrug rolled her shoulders. "It's no
wonder you've avoided this topic, Ane-kun," she wryly mused.
"Um . . . " Ranma waved her hands. "Could we get back to what I can
do with Shanpú if I become a girl full-time, Chikage-chan?! PLEASE?!"
Chikage gazed at her before she sighed. "I'm sorry. Anyhow, when
you become a woman full-time, Shanpú could simply announce to the
Nujiézú Council that she cannot pursue you romantically anymore. What
she could then do if her great-grandmother pressures her into it --
since it is obvious that the Nujiézú would desire access to your
skills and abilities in case matters with the Musk or other peoples
pick up -- is employ the Blood-Sibling Law and declare you as part of
her family. When that happens, you, as Shanpú's former fiancé, could
then declare who might 'succeed' you as Shanpú's new fiancé. You
could make Mùsi very happy at that point, should you be so inclined."
Ranma hummed. "Yeah, that is true, isn't it? But then again, Shan
hates Mùsi's guts." She then slapped her head, a groan escaping her.
"Cripes, it'll be the same as before!" she moaned. "If I do it, Shan
will hate my guts! If I don't do it, Mùsi will be all over me like
before!"
"There is a third option."
"Bein'?"
"Simply declare that you respect Shanpú's freedom of choice and,
given your own experiences concerning multiple engagements -- of
which, Kelun is aware of -- you cannot morally force her into a
marriage she does not desire," Chikage explained. "You realise that
women have much greater say, gain greater respect, in the affairs of
the Nujiézú than men. By doing this, you will reinforce your image as
a woman. Thus, you simply say Shanpú has full freedom of choice when
it comes to a mate. This will not only win Shanpú's respect, it will
also win the respect of the Nujiézú AND make Mùsi realise he has to
change his attitudes considerably if he is to ever win Shanpú's hand.
Surely, you've noticed how much he pines after her, how much that sort
of pining only disgusts her in the end. If Mùsi does not, then he
makes himself a total pariah amongst his clans-people. I do not
believe Mùsi will go that far."
"I dunno when it comes to Mùsi," Ranma noted. Silence fell over them
as they gazed nowhere, and then Ranma stared at her hands. "Chikage-
chan?"
"Yes, Ane-kun?"
"You really sure that I'm gonna be a girl?"
Chikage gazed at the martial artist before nodding. "I am."
Ranma bit her lip. "And you'd like it if Ataru and I fell in love,
right?" she asked, staring anew at the sorceress.
"As would all of us," Chikage admitted. "Ane-kun, I truly believe
you and Ani-kun are fated to be together. I have already foreseen it
in various Tarot readings. Are you afraid you might be attracted to
any other man? Say your friends Hiroshi or Daisuke? Much less Kunou
Tatewaki or Hibiki Ryouga?"
Ranma blanched. "Ugh!" she gagged. "Cut it out, okay?! Geez, I
don't wanna even THINK of doing that stuff with THOSE two jerks!"
Chikage giggled, covering her mouth before she hummed. "Well,
then . . . " she trilled as she gazed on the moon briefly before
looking back at Ranma. "There is a way to find out if you can find
yourself, even now . . . " A pause, and then she finished, "Attracted
to Ani-kun."
An eyebrow arched. "There is?"
"Hai. For fairness' sake, I could even include your 'fiancées' into
this scenario." Chikage shrugged. "Would you care to try it?"
Ranma considered that. "I really don't know . . . "
"Ane-kun." A hand fell on her shoulder. Ranma gazed into Chikage's
eyes, the former quickly sensing the latter's concern and her
determination not to back down from this. "I know that many people
have tricked you before. Using your pride and your unwillingness to
refuse a challenge to force you into all sorts of utterly ridiculous
situations. Situations that, if you consider it, did you no real good
in the end. I will not demean nor insult you by following that path.
You do not deserve it. But I strongly believe if you are to EVER
enjoy an intimate relationship with anyone, you have to shake off this
attitude Genma and Akane forced on you about these matters. And very
soon, you will have no choice but to confront those feelings, Ane-
kun. And I happen to know that you are not the type to take an oath
of celibacy and become a nun." She winked. "Just like Ani-kun
certainly can NEVER become a monk."
Ranma smirked. "Yeah, that's true." Chikage pulled her hand away as
the martial artist considered what the sorceress was offering, and
then Ranma asked, "Can this be done without hurtin' anyone?"
"Yes. Further, it can be done in such a way your 'maidenhead' will
not be violated. I know you don't understand the value of that now,
but I believe your mother will be concerned if your 'virtue' is called
into question."
Ranma sighed. "Yeah, she would." She DID understand somewhat what
the terms 'maidenhead' and 'virtue' mean when it came to girls. An
eyebrow then arched. "No Kunou or Ryouga, right? Just the girls and
Ataru, right?"
"Hai."
"Well . . . " The martial artist sighed. Yes, in spite of the words
Chikage just said, this WAS a challenge. A challenge that took what
Kamekichi Tampopo once gave her some weeks ago to the nth degree. To
take the necessary steps and learn what he -- what SHE -- really was?
"Okay, let's do it," she then said with a determined nod.
* * *
"Tadaima."
"Nee-sama, you came . . .!" A pause. "Are you alright, Nee-sama?!"
Mamoru and several others looked towards the doors. Stopping, they
saw Ranma at the doorway. There seemed a confused, bewildered look on
her face. As if Ranma had just been parachuted into the Twilight Zone
and there was no Rod Serling available to tell her what she just
endured. "Nee-sama . . .!" Shirayuki, she holding up a tray of
snacks, whispered, her body quivering.
Ranma then noticed the food in the chef's hand. "Oh . . . " She
reached over to take the tray. "Thanks. I'm a little hungry."
Mamoru walked up. "Anee, you okay?!"
"I . . . " The martial artist then tried to smile. "I'm not sure,
Mamoru-chan. Um, has Ataru come back with Toshiko and Kumiko?"
"Toshiko-san and Kumiko-san are staying the night at the cottage on
the other side of the island, Aneue-sama," Marie reported as she
petted Michael and enjoyed some of her cherry tea. "Aniue-sama is in
his room, I believe."
"Oh, great." Ranma nodded, turning to head off. "'Night, everyone."
The others watched her go. Silence fell as the sisters tried to
interpret what happened. "What's with her?" Mamoru asked.
The other sisters shook their heads.
* * *
A knock. "Come in!" Ataru called from inside.
Ranma walked in. "Got some food Shirayuki-chan just made. Want
some?"
Ataru sat by the window, he gazing at the full moon beyond. He then
glanced at Ranma, quickly noting her dampened cheeks before he turned
back to gaze on the stars. "Chikage told you, didn't she?" he gently
declared.
Ranma smiled. "Yeah. How long have you known?"
"Right after we met. Onee-chan told me. I'm sorry I didn't tell
you, but . . . " A pause. "With all the crap coming down on your
head, I felt dropping THAT bombshell onto your lap would've hurt you
bad."
"Thanks." She straightened herself. Then, as a quirky smile crosses
her face, she moved her hands up to her shirt buttons.
"Please don't do that."
Ranma glanced at Ataru. "I thought you said to me that I was
beautiful," she reminded him, an eyebrow arching knowingly.
"True, but I understated it," he admitted. "You know, when Lum came
into my life, I said to myself, 'There can be no one more beautiful
than her.' I mean, the unreality of it kept hitting me again and
again. Someone like THAT actually wanting ME of all the people in the
galaxy? Even when Sakura came afterward, no one could've held up a
torch to Lum in my eyes. Believe it or not, it's the one thing I
could agree on with all the guys in Tomobiki." He looked down. "Then
I had to let her go. And then I met Sakuya-chan when I came here the
first time. I said it again. 'There can be no one more beautiful
than her.' And then I added, 'Thank the gods she's my sister.' And
then . . . "
He stared at Ranma. She stared back. "And then?" she lightly
prodded for an answer with a knowing smile.
It came: "Then you came into my life."
They stared at each other. Ranma walked over to stand beside him,
her hand reaching out to squeeze his shoulder. Ataru's hand gently
fell atop hers, he giving her a warm squeeze in return. "I wish I
knew what to say now," she whispered, a tired sigh escaping her.
"Even with what Sakuya-chan told me, I still don't understand what
love and everything about it is."
"That makes two of us," Ataru admitted with a wry chuckle. He stared
out the window at the stars. "I've been around for quite some years,
counting all the time I spent in Sanctuary, and I still don't know
what love is, Ranma."
"Then . . . " A pause before she smiled. "Let's find out together."
They looked into each other's eyes. Ataru nodded. "I'd like that."
He reached over. Ranma didn't resist as she was guided into his
lap. They stared into the other's eyes. She then reached up to
gently touch his cheek under his eye. "But before we do, can you tell
me something?"
"Well . . . " he began, and then he paused before nodding. "When you
killed Saffron on Mount Phoenix, Ranma . . . how did you feel?"
Another pause. "Outside of being relieved that Akane was still alive,
of course."
She leaned her forehead against his. "Like a part of me just died.
Like . . . " She bit her lip before sighing. "I always believed that
what I did, the Art I practised, was pure and good. It was something
noble. You know, even with all the idiots coming at me bellowing
'Die, Saotome!' all the time, I . . . " She shuddered, and then took
a deep breath to calm herself. "I never believed it would go all the
way to THAT! That I'd have to take that one final step I sure as hell
didn't WANT to take. But I had to."
"And from then on, it was sullied?" he wondered.
"Yeah."
"'S'funny." He leaned back, laying his head against the window.
"After the Second Tag Race, things between Lum and I settled down. I
just couldn't bring myself to look on another girl like I used to.
You might say I grew up a bit. Then I started to feel as if what was
going on between Lum and I was as pure as you looked on your Art. For
two weeks, it seemed like a dream. But . . . " He looked down.
"Negako-oneechan came back. And I realised how soiled my life -- and
by extension, my relationship with Lum -- was."
"But she loved you, Ataru!"
"Did she? Maybe she did. But . . . " Ataru paused. "I had to
separate from her, Ranma. When Onee-chan showed me how much my life,
my SOUL, was in such a mess, I had to break it off. And it hurt. I
didn't want to cause her, who in the very LEAST was the only real
friend I felt I had, any more pain. But I had to do it, Ranma. If
she stayed with me -- I mean, there were loads of ways of avoiding
what the United Nations decided -- I believed she'd endure a hell of a
lot MORE pain. I had no choice. Because of what happened to me.
What was going on with Lum's people and the Noukiites. And . . . "
He looked to the stars. "What I later learned what was going on out
there."
Ranma looked. "Where?"
"See, up above Cancer?" Ataru tilted his hand to allow Ranma a
better aiming point. "That light that looks like a mini-galaxy?"
"Yeah, I see it."
"Well, it's not. It's a ternary star system. The Phentax group.
Three stars and 23 planets. It's incredible to look at, you know."
He sighed. "The centre star is a big old red giant, as big as
Betelgeuse. And the two smaller stars are stacked over the poles of
the big guy. And they got planets orbiting them, all three of them.
It's so incredible to see."
She looked at him. "So what happened there?"
Ataru sighed. "On the second planet, there's this race. Humanoid
like ours. But they're a. . . " He bit his lip. "Well, they're a
very imitative lot. They mimic outside cultures when they contact
them, but really can't come up with their own culture, if you know
what I mean. Like that one classic 'Trek' episode. You ever see
that?" At Ranma's nod, he continued, "Well, about ten years ago, they
decided to mimic their culture after the Onis. After Lum
specifically. Turns out that when she was a young girl, Lum saved the
life of some kid who was the son of a magistrate on Phentax Two. And
he . . . " He shuddered. "He somehow persuaded everyone that Lum was
a living goddess."
Ranma's jaw dropped. "You must be joking."
Ataru shook his head. "No joke."
"Oh, brother . . . "
"Hai. Well, when Lum moved to Earth, the Niphentaxians kept an eye
on things. And when Megane and his crew started their fan club and
everyone got on the bandwagon, the Niphentaxians just went CRAZY!
They rebuilt ALL their cities into replicas of TOMOBIKI, for cryin'
out loud! They started callin' Megane, Mendou and that crowd the
'Holy Apostles' and all that! Called everyone else 'The Goddess' Holy
Company' or something stupid like that! And . . .!"
"Let me guess. You were their Satan."
Ataru nodded. "Yeah. 'The Great Evil!' That's me."
"Geez!"
"Yeah. Well, I was never told about any of this until Onee-chan took
me into Sanctuary. By then, I'd found out about the crap the Onis
heaped on the Noukiites, so I didn't care for what Lum's people were
goin' through at that time. Hell, they deserved it. But it didn't
take me too long to realise that if Lum got killed, the Niphentaxians
would go totally ballistic! So . . . "
"You had to stop them?"
"Yeah. It seemed so easy. Just get rid of Oogi. He was the guy
that Lum rescued who started the whole mess. He was the president of
Phentax Two at the time. It was a sweet set-up! All the leaders of
the factions in the Church of Lum were praying for a chance to unseat
him and take over. Perfect set-up for a civil war! And if they were
too busy fightin' each other, there's no way they could come help the
Onis! So, Onee-chan and I decided we'd do a little body snatch. And
since I was the 'Great Evil' as they called me . . . "
Ranma wryly smirked. "You decided to be bait."
"Yeah." He closed his eyes. "I got there, got caught. And then I
found out that underneath the Church of Lum and all the 'churches'
that have existed on Phentax Two over the years -- there was this
group that called themselves 'Guardians.' They believed if a faith
came that took the attention of all of Phentax Two, THEN if something
happened to shatter that faith, Phentax Two would be destroyed. And
SOMEHOW, they got their hands on a weapon whose power you can't BEGIN
to imagine, Ranma. The power of the Universal Tao, the Te'a Itself,
in all Its levels . . .! This weapon could tap into the Te'a Itself!
How the HELL do you fight something that has the power of the UNIVERSE
backing it up?! And . . . " He shuddered. "The head Guardian . . .
she touched me on my forehead with the weapon's power crystal, a ruby-
something . . .
"Then, I don't know HOW, It touched a part of my mind that got
sheared off when Onee-chan's soul was put into me when I was six . . .
"And . . . "
Ataru hissed, tears flowing as that period in his life rolled through
his mind. Ranma gripped his shoulders as he looked on that star,
around which orbited a planet that was the place where his innocence
was forever shattered.
His voice took on a far-away quality. "A little boy . . .
"A little boy that was me, but somehow . . .
"Somehow remembered all the bad things that happened in my life . . .
"That boy cried out, 'NO MORE!'
"And the Te'a . . .
"It responded . . .
"And I blacked out, but I saw it all. I remember it all . . .
"The boy became One with the Te'a . . .
"And in his scream, MY SCREAM, of pain, the Te'a's weapon remembered
the Guardian's fear, the prophecy they lived their lives by . . .
"And the Te'a and the weapon and **I** lashed out . . .
"And made it all come true."
With a shudder, his voice failed as sobs took over. He allowed Ranma
to wrap him tightly in her arms. Her eyes squeezed shut as her
imagination, overwhelmed by the SCALE of what he had just told her,
fell silent. Together, they held each other, sobbing for the loss of
people who had been victimised by those who held power over their
beliefs, their thoughts, their very LIVES . . .
"And . . . "
And once . . .
Just once . . .
But that once was enough . . .
By the pain and terror of one who himself was a victim.
Ranma shuddered. "And what, Ataru?" she soothed. "Tell me."
Ataru took a deep breath before closing his eyes.
"And three billion people died . . . "
* * *
To be continued . . .