[Ranma][Fanfic] Fist of Orion 4-5 (rough)
Gregg Sharp
FIST OF ORION (wordsketch)
part 4/5: Return of the Warrior
trademarks owned by a whole lotta OTHER people.
http://metroanime.home.mindspring.com/
email: metro...@mindspring.com
this is just an idea sketched out that (like way too many)
started taking off on its own. The idea was to come up with
a different approach to the "Saint Ranma" thing i'd done awhile
back as it had too many elements duplicated in other people's
works.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Journal of Nabiki Tendo: April 16, 1992
As this computer is a new little thing that
Ranko insisted I start working with, I'm just commiting
electrons to magnetic surface while I try to organize my
thoughts on the whole thing.
I find myself in serious need of organization
at present.
It has been one month and three days since
I opened the door to our home and met two people who
seem as different as night and day, but are brother and
sister that were raised seperately.
Ranko is an eight year old girl who is
alternately an angel, an Amazon, and the sort of
businesswoman one can really admire. Being chewed
out by an eight year old for wasting one's talents with
"penny-ante stuff" was an interesting experience but
one I'd rather not re-experience.
Ranma isn't an angel and doesn't seem to
think much about money at all. He's roughed it most of
his life and is into a Zen sort of minimalist existence. He
is, on the other hand, a Saint.
Now THAT was a revelation. Not a saint
such as the Catholics speak of, a paragon of virtue who
dies in service to their church. Ranma is a Saint, Silver
Saint Orion to be exact. He started out as Bronze Saint
Lynx but "graduated" when his previous girlfriend was
eradicated from existence and he tapped into his full
potential.
The Bronze Saints, as I understand it, are one
step above common warriors. They typically do official
functions and duties and get sent on minor missions. The
important stuff gets the Silver Saints, the next level up in
the hierarchy. The Gold Saints guard the mortal incarnation
of Athena- a girl named Saori.
It was interesting to see Akane as she started
yelling at Ranma for bringing by a "friend" without warning
only to realize that this newcomer was someone visiting Kasumi.
Athena reincarnated and apparently quite a bit more mature
than in a previous life. After this had been explained to her,
and that Ranma wasn't "two-timing" me and bringing a new
girlfriend by, she almost swallowed her tongue.
We're all a bit grateful that this isn't the mythic
Athena who would turn a seamstress into a spider in a moment
of pique. Ranko had amused herself by reading some of those
old stories to Akane after the visit.
Oh, that's right. Kasumi was trained for a
month in aikido and pressure points. She's really really
good. There was some fallout from that little event too.
Ranma had listened to Kasumi worrying about
how her family was doing, and how a certain chiropractor
was getting by. He asked Ranko to investigate, and the
child seized the moment.
The results of which have been many and
varied. Ranma had taken the time to have a long talk
with a Doctor Tofu Ono, regarding the frailty of life
and the consequences of waiting entirely too long to
speak of love. Kasumi is frequently out of the house
now, having heard of poor Doctor Tofu's sudden inability
to cook for himself from Ranko.
Akane had been confident of Kasumi
refusing to go along with that training nonsense,
and then coming home when Kasumi realized how
impossible this all was, and then because she was
Kasumi she would of course refuse to fight, and then
she'd just do a token effort so that she wouldn't
dishonor her family or new sensei. She'd been so
confident that Akane had made a few other bets at
each stage of this. Now she's stuck learning flower
arranging, tea ceremony, meditation techniques, and...
Zen aestheticism and philosophies.
There's also the Contract that I signed
while I was still in shock about losing so much
money on the Kasumi-Kuno fight. Ranko has
apparently learned how to be sneaky and tricky
from her father and easily surpasses him in the
art of Anything Goes finance.
There's this honor agreement to link
the two families. Ranma is supposed to marry
one of the Tendo daughters (and some others,
but that's for a later entry.) As mentioned
earlier, Kasumi already has someone else.
Akane had hit it off rather badly with
Ranma to begin with. Even though Ranko pointed
out that Ranma was keeping his word to train little
sister and increase her martial arts skills. (Choosing
tutors for her in subjects that involve patience, control,
and awareness of one's environment.) Akane, on the
other hand, spends a lot of time railing against the
unfairness of it all and muttering darksome oaths of
what she will do to Ranma when she gets done with
these "useless" studies.
Anyway, back to the honor agreement.
Kasumi has her doctor, who still has the occasional
bout of silliness but as she spends time with him
this gradually decreases. Akane is jealous of Ranma's
skill level, raw power, that he is STILL mooning over
his deceased first love, and that she feels that she was
humiliated in their first fight.
So Ranko shows initiative and had made
up the Contract which I so foolishly signed. She got
me out of debt, and basically picked me up as an
acquisition. All of which I protest quite vocally and
point out has NO legal authority.
So she suggests I wear certain things
and serve tea or something. I think she's just into
playing dressup, and she DID come to my rescue
when my finances had gone so far into the red that
bankruptcy looked imminent. I wear skimpy clothing
anyway and I'll admit Ranma is a major hunk and
spending time with the barbarian isn't bad. He's a
barbarian but a nice barbarian, I guess.
Then there's this OTHER fiancee that
showed up. Her name is Shampoo. Don't laugh,
she's not that funny. When she first showed up two
weeks ago, I expected to be kicked to the curb. After
all, she's a cuddly and affectionate thing and a tribal
champion. Everything I'm not.
Ranko took the book of Amazon Law
that explained that Ranma had become her husband
by defeating her in combat, and had a friend read the
thing. In an obscure dialect of Chinese, front to back.
Apparently she's an information broker. If she doesn't
know how to do something, then she knows someone who
will. Then she went to the Library, scanned the
internet, and came back with four options that didn't
involve the termination of previous fiancees.
I'm grateful, but sometimes the chirpy
little redhead scares me. "Anything Goes School
of Information Gathering" indeed.
So I've got a new sister, having shared
blood and salt with Shampoo. Shampoo had to be
shown the requisite passages and walked through
the thing, as she's "a warrior not a lawyer" and
never gotten into the fine details herself.
Which is one reason that I'm here in
my room, typing away at a keyboard. I'm too sore
to stand with Shampoo's attitude of "no sister of
mine is going to be less than a major force of
martial arts nature." I can't walk at present, the
muscles in my legs having gone to the apparent
consistency of limp spaghetti. Kasumi's massage
has given me some strength back, but the legs
took the brunt of the workout and have shut down.
Ranko, another little force of nature,
has quite a day planned for us tomorrow. She's
taking me and Shampoo shopping. New clothes,
makeup, a few other stops.
I think Ranko scares Shampoo a little
too.
-------------close file------------------------
Ranko knew martial arts, she knew
how to bake cookies, she also knew who
to ask for info on just about anything else.
Such as the location of a little
out of the way shop, set into the back alley
of a strip mall. It was a shop that bought and
sold good quality used clothing run by a
little Chinese woman who was more than
delighted to have an Amazon shopping
there.
Nabiki sat back in one of the
chairs near the dressing rooms and tried
to catch her breath. Had she ever had that
much energy when she was Ranko's age?
"Remind me of Great Grandmama.
Once she get going, she like flood- very
hard to stand against." Shampoo slumped
against her own chair, absolutely SURE that
she'd never been that active when she had
been a young girl.
"I'm not sure that I was ever
that young."
The two glanced at each other,
identical smiles appearing.
"Well, then. What ARE we going
to do, Shampoo?"
"About Ranma? Not sure. You
now sister to Shampoo. Shampoo not know
about 'loopholes' but suppose if is Law then
is Law. Shampoo no can kill obstacle." She
didn't seem too disappointed in that.
"Want to just marry him and
go back to your village, eh?"
"No." Shampoo noted Nabiki's
expression and elaborated. "Ranma is special
warrior, trained by Lochi to step beyond chi
and tap into greater power. Ranma serve
Athena, who has aided Amazons many
year ago. Shampoo also never have sister
before. Think this bear investigating too."
"Well, I'm glad you don't have
to kill me as some obstacle then. We'll see
who wins, though."
"Is good to have challenge. Is
good not to have to kill this challenge."
"Have you killed before, then?"
"Can keep secret? Shampoo kill.
Shampoo kill rabbits, Shampoo kill pigs,
Shampoo kill when on hunt. Shampoo never
kill peoples. Want to kill stupid Mousse many
many time but no do that. Shampoo is not
blooded warrior." Shampoo noted the fashion
magazine lying on another chair and began
thumbing through it. "Womans of Japan
actually wear this stuff? Low armor value.
Some very restrictive of movement. You
would freeze in Bayankala range you wear
this there..."
Nabiki felt some amusement as
she watched the Amazon flipping through
the magazine. Makeup wasn't unknown to
the girl, but she'd never seen the range of
shades and had much instruction in their
application.
"Shampoo never see value of high
heels. Oh, Nabiki, what this?"
Nabiki wearily cracked an eye back
open to regard the page that Shampoo was holding
out. "Beyond our price range."
"Shampoo serious. Not see value
of clothing. Text is unfamiliar."
"It says it is a 'champagne teddy'
and it's lingerie. Something that you wear to
bed."
Shampoo blinked. "That would be
very very cold on some nights."
"If you or I wore that in front of
Ranma, I would think he would get rather warm."
Shampoo blinked and considered this.
"Think warm bath more stimulating."
A few yards away, Ranko pretended
to look through another rack of clothing as the
two began discussing relative values of some
means of seduction, especially as regarded her
big brother.
She'd get him to stick around, even
with the father and mother they shared. Or better
yet, take his little sister along if he DID leave.
She wasn't sure about this 'Catfist'
thing her father wanted to teach her. Now if big
brother would just show up "accidently" as she'd
arranged...
--------------------------------------------------
Ranma stopped in mid stride and began
looking around. Shampoo looked a bit puzzled at
first, then her own expression turned to one of
intense concentration.
Nabiki looked at the various people
around her, noted that Ranko was in the process
of flipping up into the branches of a tree. "Uhm,
guys, what's going on?"
"An aura. It feels familiar somehow."
"Is very powerful." Shampoo said
after a few moments. "Someone flared their chi.
Is sort of a challenge. Shampoo see some Elders
do like this."
Nabiki noted that Shampoo was
nervous. "I take it that I should be worried."
"Shampoo is worried. Very very good
fighter to do this."
"You're not scared, though."
"Fear keep you alive, Nabiki." Shampoo
was obviously quoting some old Amazon wisdom.
"To be ruled by fear is coward's way. To not feel
fear mean you not understand. Warrior knows fear
there for reason and know when to listen."
A figure stepped out into the intersection
ahead, a woman wearing the heavily stylized armor of
a Saint and some sort of facemask.
"U-Ucchan?"
Nabiki and Shampoo noticed how
pale Ranma had turned and how he had
started trembling. They turned back towards
the girl standing a dozen yards ahead of them,
who was standing in a pose that screamed
"threat."
So did the reddish aura crackling
around her.
"Ranma," said the woman's voice.
"At last I can tell you of my feelings. DIE!
NOVA FLARE!"
------------------------------------------------------
FIST OF ORION (wordsketch)
part 5/5: Ribbon for her hair
trademarks owned by a whole lotta OTHER people.
http://metroanime.home.mindspring.com/
email: metro...@mindspring.com
this is just an idea sketched out that (like way too many)
started taking off on its own. The idea was to come up with
a different approach to the "Saint Ranma" thing i'd done awhile
back as it had too many elements duplicated in other people's
works.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Journal of Nabiki Tendo: June 24, 1992
Well, it's been a little over a month since
my last entry. It's been...interesting. That's a polite
way of putting it.
Let's see, I met my iinazuke for the first
time two months twelve days ago. In that time I've
seen warriors who can severely bend what we
normally consider immutable laws of physics. I've
been kissed on the cheek in greeting by a reborn
goddess here to visit my older sister. I was made
the "blood-sister" of an Amazon tribal champion.
I was suckered by an eight year old con artist who
wants to see big brother get married, preferably to
more than one wife. I know it's illegal, tell her!
I've met a 3000 year old purplish gnome
kind of creature who sicced a new trainer on me
AND my Amazon blood-sister. I had thought
Shampoo was tough, but Ophinicus Shaina is
about my own age and tougher than a half dozen
Marines. Shaina is also a Silver Saint. Like Ranma.
Like Ukyou.
Oh yeah, Ranma's dead girlfriend isn't.
There's some serious problems though.
Turns out that for some time, Phoenix
Ikki was one of the bad guys. He was mind controlled
by a guy named Ares. Yes, THAT Ares. Ranma had
gotten involved in a War Of The Gods between Ares
and Athena. Ranma's side, Athena, won. Ukyou
turned up a little over a month ago, mind controlled
just as Phoenix had been.
Problem: Phoenix never broke the mind
control on his own. He died and resurrected himself,
one of the benefits of being Silver Saint Phoenix.
Ukyou is Silver Saint Canis Major. The Big Dog.
She can do psychometry, tracking by psychic trace.
Not self-resurrection. So the way that Phoenix Ikki
broke the mindlock is not an option for Ranma's Ukyou.
It happened right after my last diary
entry. The training and the flow of events kept me
from returning home and putting an entry in. I had
to wait till my computer could be sent here. But I
digress.
So, out of nowhere, Ranma's old girlfriend
shows up and attacks him with a "die Ranma."
Doesn't even really seem to register us, which ticks
Shampoo off to some extent.
Quite a picture, Ranko has ducked for
cover and gotten out of sight. Shampoo is looking
as nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs.
Ranma is staring at our attacker like he's going to
fall completely apart.
I briefly wondered if I were the only one
concerned about how his "Ucchan" was glowing red
and had just unleashed her "Nova Flare" attack in
Ranma's direction.
That was pretty nifty, by the way. Glowing
red aura with almost a cometary tail as she shoots
towards her target. The street melting and igniting
from the heat directly under her. Odd pieces of
paper and trash spontaneously combusting as she
passes.
I didn't fully appreciate it as I was
rather busy trying to find cover at the time. I
knew I couldn't possibly drag either of my
companions out of harms way in time. Some
little voice in my head was repeating Shampoo's
line about the difference between being brave
and being unwise.
I had partially turned away when the
rocketing Ukyou connected with Ranma and
sent his smoking figure through one of the local
walls. I could feel the wash of heat and the
shockwave and picked myself up to see a
thoroughly one-sided battle commence.
Shampoo saw me and gave me a
"Bie Lao" before starting in on trying to beat
a Silver Saint with traditional martial arts. She
was expecting to die, but would give her "sister"
a chance to escape.
It wasn't even a close battle,
Shampoo got a decent kick in, then Ukyou
turned all her attention to the Amazon.
Shampoo's strength and endurance
are incredible, the product of generations of
breeding for such traits within her tribe. Ukyou
might as well as have been fighting a baby, they
were that mismatched.
Ukyou was concentrating so much
on turning Shampoo into part of the pavement
that she almost didn't notice me picking up an
old cement block from the wall Ranma had
trashed and introducing it to the back of her
head. Almost.
At that point I realized what I had
just done and that the two best fighters I knew
had just been beaten by this girl. I see Ukyou
straighten and I'm trying to figure out an angle.
Some way to either get away or deflect this
girl's wrath.
What I get was as unexpected as it
was welcome.
Kasumi, the trainee who (of course)
would NEVER go for bonding with a totem star
or constellation, and absolutely NEVER be one
of these elite warriors...
Is suddenly standing between me
and Ukyou's "Nova Flare" attack. Wearing
what appears to be a gymnast's costume with
bits of armor. And a tiara with an oomphing big
green gemstone set in it.
So Kasumi was whirling this staff made
of some greenish-blue metal in front of her and
whispered something like "Centauri Starshield."
I made a note at that time that I had to
get me one of those, y'know. Looked damn handy.
The "Nova Flare" gets turned aside as
it hits this sparkly dome that Kasumi was somehow
generating. Ukyou turned to give it another try when the
calvary arrived.
People I hadn't met yet, but had
heard about from Ranma's talks with me about
how he got involved in a War of The Gods.
Bronze Saint Pegasus Saeya, who was
eventually expected to become Gold Saint Sagittarius.
Bronze Dragon Saint Shiryu, primary student of the
Gold Saint Libra Lochi. The bishonen Bronze Saint
Andromeda Shun with his chain weapons.
I'd met Eagle Saint Marin, who turned
out to be that woman who had shown up to be
Akane's tutor in those meditation techniques and
the carpentry. Don't tell me this was a coincidence.
Ukyou left at high speed, dodging
Shun's "Nebula Chain" attack as she did.
So father was left basically alone
with Tofu-sensei and the older Saotomes while
the rest of us head to some place in Greece known
as Sanctuary. Ranko was quite enthusiastic about
the chance to learn this esoteric and mystical
martial art.
Both me and Shampoo would later
confess that we were hoping to see the bouncy
bubbly child find out boot camp wasn't fun and
go home to safety. We should've known better.
We'd later find that she took to it like a duck to
water.
So everyone starts talking about
Ukyou as the mere mortals and the Bronzes
take plane rides. Ranma can teleport, the
schmuck. Though as he WAS the target, I
can see why he wouldn't want to be on the
same aircraft as the various trainees.
Pegasus Seiya relates how a
"Dark Pegasus" was beating the crap out
of him when Ukyou switched targets with
him. One full power "Nova Flare" and the
false Pegasus went down. The Devildog
Saint weathered a "Pegasus Meteor Punch"
but was then hit by both Ukyou AND
Seiya.
Dragon Shiryu relates how
he lost his sight fighting some Medusa
Saint named Perseus. It was Ukyou,
arriving late, who provided enough
distraction that Shiryu could use the
time and figure out how to beat Medusa.
He regained his sight later, mainly thanks
to Pegasus Seiya.
Cygnus Hyouga goes into
this story about how Ukyou had posed
as Saori briefly, as they were about the
same size and had similar auras. It was
close enough to fool some assassin
who'd come to kill Saori before the Athena
part of her could be Awakened.
Even the solemn, almost
angst-driven Phoenix Ikki had some
tender moment he'd experienced with
Ucchan. Then HE teleported so he
could go off and brood or something.
EVERYONE mentioned all
the times the two sweethearts would
lean together at a campsite or just be
holding hands or something. I think
they were trying to tell us something.
Akane expressed disbelief
that someone like that could love a
jerk like Ranma. Shampoo corrected
her, and proceeded to explain the
secret nature of her training. No doubt
this diminished its effectiveness, hey,
I've seen those martial arts movies too!
Shun pointed out that
Akane quite possibly reminded
Ranma of Ucchan and he was even
ruder to her as a way of keeping some
distance between the two.
Shampoo disagreed, saying
that Akane was the type who did better
when she was angry and focussing on a
specific goal, like getting even with Ranma.
She said it was an old Amazon training
technique that the US Marine Corps had
copied from them.
That got the argument going
between respective types of training, of
the value of philosophy as a component
of warfare, and of our chances with Silver
Saint Orion.
That was a LOOOONNNGG
plane ride.
So then the training. Akane
was gushing enthusiastically about all
the new techniques and special attacks
she'd be learning. Only to find out that
her trainer was, again, Eagle Saint Marin.
I don't think I've seen Akane
cry like that before.
Lucky me, I get physical training
and a "fast track." So does Shampoo. One of
those Gold Saints, Aries I think, thought that
we ought to be "awakened" to full potential
as soon as possible because we were Ranma's
fiancees and therefore primary targets.
So, a month and change later,
and I'm still one of Athena's handmaidens
except my days are spent in just incredible
physical training.
At least I've got my computer now.
----------------------------------
Nabiki looked up, noticing that
Kasumi had shown up with Athena. Nabiki
grimaced as being soaked with sweat and looking
a complete mess was not how she preferred to be
when greeting royalty, deities, or other important
people.
Kasumi was wearing her mother's
cross again, and Nabiki had to suppress a few
questions to Athena Saori again about the
afterlife and this whole good/evil thing. She
probably wasn't here to talk shop with a low
level trainee.
Nabiki's eyes were drawn to the
heavy box that Kasumi had carried in.
"Continue," Saori said when Shaina
paused and looked up at the two.
"Okay, Tendo-san, you've been
slacking long enough."
Nabiki winced but knew better than
to talk back. Boot camp. To be treated like a boot.
She'd been carrying thirty five pound weights
strapped to her forearms and lower legs since
6am. Then she'd been led through a workout that
would have killed her a month ago. And Shaina
still expressed the belief that Nabiki was a lazy
useless recruit who was wasting her time and
should have been sent to kitchen detail long ago.
Shampoo got similar treatment but
was carrying much greater amounts of weight.
She also didn't get threatened with duties in the
kitchen area as she'd expressed quite a bit of
enthusiasm for the prospect of "preparing her
airen too too delicious meal."
Later, Nabiki knew, she'd go off to be
trained in other techniques that Shampoo wasn't
being trained in. Things like an esoteric form of
ninjitsu. Advanced sneakery 201, as Nabiki
privately referred to it. Walking across rice paper
without leaving a foot print. Finding ways to
hide in plain sight.
Shampoo, on the other hand, was
learning how to block and avoid blows since
she was mainly into attacks.
"Tendo-san!" Shaina's face loomed
up in front of Nabiki's causing the student to
flinch. "Pay attention!"
"H-hai, sensei."
Seeing her pupil was now paying
attention to her, Shaina pulled a needle pointed
spear out of the weapons rack. "The point of
the exercise, O unworthy pupil, is to avoid
being struck. Begin!"
Nabiki yeeped and moved out of
the way as the spear jabbed through the space
her abdomen had been a moment ago. The spear
was then thrust at arm, leg, and face. Each jab
was accompanied by a snarl and a comment
from Shaina about moving faster, to pick the foot
UP instead of sliding it, to stop watching the
spear's tip as that was the last thing to move.
A thwack on her bottom was the
punctuation for a comment about her getting
her butt in gear.
The humiliation of this in front of
Kasumi, Kasumi of all people, was getting to
Nabiki. She'd get even with this, if she were
a Saint she'd reach into her cosmos, begin
drawing power and...
Nabiki blinked as she realized
the spear wasn't coming anywhere near her
and she WAS drawing on something.
"Interesting," came Kasumi's
voice from near the doorway. "Is that an
invisibility technique that Nabiki-chan's
learned?"
Nabiki looked around, still
holding the feeling of drawing power
around her. Shaina had grounded the
spear, removed her facemask, and had
a thoroughly satisfied expression on her
face.
Kasumi was looking around
the room with an expression that mixed pride
and curiosity.
Athena was regarding Shaina
with a faint smile herself.
Nabiki considered sneaking
up on Shaina and indulging in a little
payback when the satisfied expression
on her sensei's face dropped to a scowl.
"TENDO-SAN!" Shaina
started rubbing her forehead as if she
had a headache. "Remember the lessons
on the rice paper!"
Nabiki blinked, looked down,
and saw where her feet were indenting
the mat. She moved away more carefully,
not leaving footprints this time.
"Interesting," Kasumi commented.
"Each of the three Alpha Centauri
Saints embodies a basic principle of combat,"
explained Shaina. "Starshield- Defense, Starfighter-
Offense, Starshadow-Avoidance. Each corresponds
to one of the stars in the Alpha Centauri system.
As my pupil here was most obviously suited for
Starshadow, I went easy on her."
Nabiki found that she dropped the
cloaking effect during the facefault.
--------------------------------
Nabiki carried the box, marvelling at
how light it seemed to be. Her own Cloth. The
Starshadow Cloth. Black armor to fit over a
black bodysuit.
She'd taken one look in the mirror
at the black snugly fitting suit, the pieces of
gold-trimmed black armor strategically placed
at forearms, shoulders, lower legs, the upper
chestplate with its large pearlescent black opal,
and had decided that she needed a trenchcoat
or something if she went out in public like that.
Otherwise the lawsuits from all the
men hemorraghing to death around her would
be really annoying. All the workouts had given
her a tight and lithe physique that she rather
thought was nearly worth all that she'd gone
through in the past month.
Almost.
----------------------------------------
Akane hid, waiting, masking her
chi as best she could.
"Marin, how's it going?"
"Ranma. Well, I suppose. I've
seen you checking up on your fiancees."
"Yeah, well, I AM kinda responsible
for them. They seem to be doing pretty well.
Everyone thinks Nabiki's going to make her
breakthrough today."
"That'll be two of them active
Bronze Saints, even though Shaina won't
be satisfied with Nabiki's fighting skills for
awhile. She insists Kasumi could use more
intensive training too."
"I don't think so. Kasumi's just
not aggressive enough to ever reach Master
level. So what about Akane?"
"I'm quite reluctant to proceed
any further until she has more control. The
Starfighter has a devastating attack, one that
she could easily kill herself using if she fails
to control herself."
"Yeah. I take it that carpentry
ain't working out too well."
"Well, she's doing better than
with the original program of flower arranging
and tea ceremony..."
"She's that bad?"
Marin sighed "Yeah."
"Brickmasonry?"
"You know that building that collapsed?"
"Cooking?"
"You know that rash of food poisoning?"
Ranma stopped, stumped. "Well, she needs
to learn control, discipline, and how to calm herself. How
to do that?"
Akane strained to hear as the two walked
away from her position. She had control and she had
discipline. It wasn't fair that Kasumi, who'd always
been better at that traditional stuff, was now a better
martial artist and had made Saint.
She heard a faint scuffing and noticed
another woman standing in front of her. "Little one,
I've heard that they are keeping you behind in your
training. Join me, and we will overcome your limits
and allow you to take your rightful place as the
defender of your family."
Akane blinked. "Yeah right. You think
I'm an idiot?"
"Excuse me?"
"You're Canis Major Ukyou. You
attacked my sister, you bitch!"
The woman's expression turned
cold. "So you know me. The offer stands
though. Join our service and gain the training
and power you so richly deserve."
"And have to fight my sisters?"
Akane openly scoffed. "Hey, even that
jerkoff Ranma never indicated he thought
I was stupid!"
"Well," Ukyou smiled and raised
a hand. "If you won't join us, I'll have to just
say goodbye. RENDING FANG!"
Akane, not an idiot, dodged. She
was peripherally aware of the blast going
through the wall nearby rather easily. And
it was one of her better walls too.
"RENDING FANG!"
Akane's thoughts cast back to
Kasumi telling them how it felt to draw
power through one's cosmos. She reached
for it, knowing that breakthroughs often
came in life-or-death struggles just like this.
"RENDING FANG!"
It wasn't coming. No matter how
angry she made herself, it wasn't coming.
A realization DID reach Akane,
however. She was still alive. Her dodging
skills hadn't grown that much over the past
month, had they?
"NOVA FLARE!"
Akane hit the dirt, then gasped
as the heat and shockwave struck from
the close passage. She rolled, putting the
fires in clothing and hair out.
That had really hurt though.
"Ukyou, leave Akane alone.
You're here to face me." Ranma stood there,
seemingly from nowhere. "Akane, get to
safety. Besides, you need to be calm to
access the Starfighter attack."
Akane's eyes narrowed as she
considered being ordered from the field
of battle. On the other hand, it felt like she
had second degree burns over most of
her back and legs. Likewise, the smell of
burnt hair was threatening to make her gag.
Burnt hair?
"Damn him, he's not fighting
back."
Nabiki's voice snapped Akane's
attention away from hair to focus on her
sister. She noticed Kasumi next to Nabiki.
Marin and Shaina and that Hyouga guy...
They were watching for something...
"Guys, shouldn't you be guarding
Athena?" Akane noticed that Athena wasn't
anywhere around.
"Actually, we don't serve Athena,"
Nabiki said with a smirk. "I should have figured
THAT one out long ago."
"We don't?" Akane glanced back
to the battle, which still involved Ukyou
launching attack after attack on Ranma who
blocked or avoided them.
"Ah, Nabiki. The one we are to
serve and guard hasn't Awakened yet. Do
you want to tell Akane before she knows
herself?"
"Huh?"
"Think about it, Akane. Reincarnation.
The Cycle Of The Heavens. Greek myths reborn.
You've met Athena. Ares has possessed Ukyou.
Who knows who else is out there."
"Well, I know where Artemis and
Tyche are..." Nabiki paused. "Kasumi..."
"STARSHIELD!" A series of "Rending
Fangs" impacted the shield.
"Thanks, Kasumi."
"What are you two talking about?"
Akane winced as a particularly nasty attack
bounced off Kasumi's shield.
"Ukyou was probably having some
problems with sensory deprivation when Ares
fled Saga," Nabiki explained, most of her attention
remaining on the fight. "So Ares fled Saga and
possessed Ukyou who was still trapped in that
pocket dimension by the Gemini attack.
"He hasn't been trying to get Ukyou
to attack Ranma, though. Someone else entirely.
A reborn goddess who hasn't awakened. Tyche,
the one that WE are supposed to serve."
"Tyche? You know where she is?"
Akane blinked. She had known that they weren't
among Athena's Saints, technically Orion wasn't
one of those either though he fought alongside
them enough.
"Look to your left," Kasumi suggested,
straining a little as she extended her Starshield.
Akane looked. Marin, the Eagle Saint,
was over there. So was one of the big Titan children,
and a few minor warriors in the dark iron armor. She
clucked a little, noticing that someone had let Ranko
out onto the field of battle. "Where? I don't see her."
Kasumi huffed a little as a Nova Flare
impacted directly on her shield.
Akane turned her attention back to
the one-sided fight. She was in time to see Ranma
block, spin, and hold something up in front of the
possessed Ukyou.
"You see this, Ukyou? Do you remember?
When we faced Taurus Aldebaren and his attack
sliced open my arm? How you tied the bandage into
place with your ribbon?" Ranma's voice was pleading.
"Do you remember, Ucchan?"
"No, I, that, don't." Ukyou faltered, quite
clearly taken off guard by this sudden change of
battle. "I, You, No."
Kasumi edged closer to a precocious
eight year old. "I'm sorry, but I'm afraid you really
need to awaken now."
Tyche looked up with eyes far older
than a mere eight years, and solemnly nodded.
As it was within her province, victory was
snatched from the jaws of defeat.
"R-R-Ranchan?" Ukyou's voice was
tremulous. She found herself swept into a tight
hug.
"Ucchan. Fight it. Please...remember."
-------------------------------
addendum:
Nabiki leaned back against her
chair and contemplated the revelry in the
courtyard below. Sighing, she logged her
computer on and began typing.
"Journal of Nabiki Tendo. July 15, 1992.
"An eventful day. My goodness, I must
be catching Kasumi's gift for understatement.
"Tyche has Awakened but there is still quite
a lot of the rough-and-tumble Ranko Saotome
still shining through.
"Tyche, the winged goddess of luck and
victory. I wonder if I convince Ranko to go
on a quick vacation with me. I hear Las Vegas
can be fun.
"I have become the Starshadow Saint, though
Shaina tells me I've still got a LONG ways to go
before I'm ready to hold my own as even a Bronze
Saint, much less one of the three major agents of
the goddess of luck.
"Akane is still learning. When she becomes the
Starfighter Saint, the three daughters Tendo will
be united again. There's no doubt in anyone's mind
that she'll make it, and Tyche's Saint Of Offense
apparently has an attack which can shatter mountains.
That's one reason it is so hard for Akane to learn it,
sort of a survival instinct cuts in. Until she can let go
of all extraneous thoughts, all feelings, attain a soul
of ice, she won't be able to access the 'Starfighter
Heaven's Fury Attack' aka the 'Big Bang'.
"Everyone thinks that True Love allowed Ranma
to reach Ukyou, and Ukyou throw off Ares' possession.
Well, almost everyone. And to some extent that WAS
what happened. Ranma's love for Ukyou, Ukyou's love
for Ranma, a very powerful force that all of us there could
feel, beating against the iron will of Ares.
"All Tyche did was shift the odds.
"And isn't love itself something incredibly against the
odds to begin with?"
------close file------------
well, there we go people, this is how i saw the fic originally
ending. we'll see how the "positive spin on Akane" rewrite
goes, ne?
oh, cue picture of Ranma and Ukyou kissing in front of a
cheering crowd.
roll credits.
fade picture.
end...