[UY/Ranma/SisPri][FanFic] Lonely Souls - Part 6, "A" Side (3/3)
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"We are not sure, Otako." One of the factory unit's "volunteer"
technicians shook her head. The small group of Avalonians, all of
whom bore the racial features of the "Invaders" -- what the bioroid
race always, in private, addressed their "masters" as -- stood in the
gestation unit where Miree and her children had obtained their new
bodies. "Internal security monitors for this chamber were disabled
shortly before we departed Phentax Twelve. We didn't learn of it
until routine diagnostics were per- . . . "
Her report was cut off as a blinding flash of light filled the
chamber. The Avalonians screamed as they clapped their hands over
their eyes, turning away from the direction of the gestation units.
The light soon faded, allowing the bioroids to pull their hands away,
blinking rapidly to restore their sight. "What was . . .?" The
technician turned to the chambers . . .
Her jaw then dropped in shocked disbelief on seeing that ALL FIVE of
the gestation units were empty! " . . . that?!" she finished.
* * *
"***WHO'RE YA TRYIN' TA BE, HINAKO?! SAILOR MOON?!***"
Mamoru's shout echoed through the living room as people covered their
eyes from the burst of blinding light the Staff produced. Within
seconds, the light faded, allowing people to rub their eyes and blink
their vision back to normal. Suddenly, Yotsuba's delighted shout of
"Oh, BIG checky here!" made everyone turn to where Nabiki had stood.
She was no longer alone.
Kasumi gaped. "Nabiki-chan . . . "
"With . . .?" Akane sputtered.
Yuka covered her mouth. "Shinshi-kun . . .?"
A pair of groans escaped the people standing beside a gushing
Yotsuba. Hinako gazed on the Staff's work, and then she smiled.
"Hai, hai! All fixed up!!" She turned to the others, and then she
perked as the Staff whispered something to her. "Huh?! Oh, okay!"
She gazed on Shirayuki. "Shirayuki-chan, Bou-san says that Shinshi-
san and Nabiki-san'll need soft food for their first meals in their
new bodies," she reported.
The chef stared wide-eyed at the middle Tendou daughter and the young
man born of her memories and spirit thanks to Jusenkyou, and then she
caught herself. "Oh . . . OH! H-hai desu no! Hime'll make something
now!"
She raced off. Kasumi and Akane exchanged a stunned look, and then
they walked over to stand before their siblings. "Nabiki-chan . . .?"
the former prodded Nabiki, and then Shinshi. "Shinshi-chan? Are you
two alright . . .?"
Both jolted, and then they exchanged a look before gazing on their
sisters. "Um . . .!" Nabiki began. "I . . . " She felt her
forehead.
Yotsuba gazed intently at Shinshi through her spyglass, and then she
turned to Kasumi. "Yotsuba thinks that Shi-chama and Nabiki-san need
to lie down and get some sleep before doing anything else," she
reported.
"That . . . " Shinshi grunted, and then he blinked on feeling
Yotsuba slide up to support him. "Sounds like a good idea, Onee-
chan . . . "
Kasumi then sighed. "Alright, then. Shirayuki-chan?!"
"Hai desu no?!" the younger chef called out from the kitchen.
"Can you put whatever you're making into a bentou, please?!" Kasumi
called out. "We'll take it with us back to our place! Nabiki-chan
and Shinshi-chan're going back with us to our home to sleep for a
while, alright?!"
"Hai desu no!"
"Yotsuba wants a bentou, too!" Yotsuba called out.
"Hai desu no!"
Noting the would-be detective's behaviour concerning Nabiki's twin,
the other sisters exchanged knowing looks and muffled snickers.
* * *
Minutes later, as the Tendou family walked off the grounds to return
home, Inu Chigaiko stepped out. She was dressed properly in a
Fuurinkan High girl's uniform. In her hands were her book bag and a
lunch bentou from Shirayuki. "You sure you're gonna be okay, Chigaiko-
san?" Karen wondered as she followed Ataru's former classmate to the
front gate. "Onee-chan warned us things at her old school can be
pretty rough . . . "
"I'll be fine, Karen-chan." The Tomobiki High junior-turned-
Fuurinkan High senior winked at the pianist before she turned to
leave. "Even if I now seem to be free of whatever it was that made
everyone around me back at Tomobiki High forget my name, I'm no alpha-
type personality by far."
Karen nodded. "I hope so. Gambatte, Chigaiko-san!"
"Isn't that what Kaho-chan's supposed to say?!"
Both laughed, and then Karen headed back inside. Chigaiko watched
her go before turning to jog down the street to the nearest bus stop
for the trip to Fuurinkan High School. Arriving just in time to catch
the next ride, Chigaiko took her seat and relaxed before gazing on her
hand. There was more colour in her skin than what she had seen not a
week before when she was still living with her family in Tomobiki. By
the looks of it, whatever Negako was doing to help her finally
overcome her anaemia -- the ninjutsu grandmaster had yet to tell her
the exact details about Chigaiko's treatment; no doubt, that sort of
explanation would have entailed the use of scientific terms whose true
meaning would just fly WAY over her head -- was working. Taking
another breath, she sat back in her chair, glancing out the window as
the scenery passed by. Well, a couple more weeks -- a month at the
most, Negako had told her last night after entertaining Nabiki, Akane
and Yuka -- and she could look forward to transferring once more, this
time to Stargazer West College on Promised Island.
The bus turned down the street passing by Fuurinkan High's front
gate. Chigaiko rang for her stop. She stepped off just as Asano
Sayuri, Bosabosa Daisuke and Chanpatsu Hiroshi walked up. "Ah,
Chigaiko-chan! Ohayou!" Sayuri called out on spotting her, she
waving.
Chigaiko turned, shuddering as the thrill of having a fellow student
calling her by name raced through her. Waving back, she jogged over
to them. "Ohayou, Sayuri-chan, guys!" She turned to walk with them
towards the school. "Ready for a new school year?" she then asked.
"Got no choice," Hiroshi lamented, and then he glanced around.
"Ara?! Where're Yuka-chan, Akane-chan and Ranma?!"
The others perked, and then they quickly glancing around for their
classmates. "Yuka-chan and Akane-chan will be in later," Chigaiko
reported as the others gazed on her. "Something happened at the
Tendou place last night."
Sayuri tensed. "What happened?"
"Nabiki-san got cursed by water from that Jusenkyou place."
Silence.
Hiroshi gaped. "No way . . .!"
"How?!" Daisuke demanded.
Sayuri fretted. "What spring?!"
"Yes way." Chigaiko stared at Hiroshi, and then at Daisuke. "No
thanks to Nabiki-san's bakayaro father. And it was Nanniichuan
water." She then stared at Sayuri before she held up a finger. "But
there's now no need to panic! Negako-san arranged to have Nabiki-
san's cursed side severed from her normal side. So, as of this
morning, she's got one real hottie of a twin brother now calling
himself Tendou Shinshi."
The others took in that explanation. Hiroshi then snapped his
fingers, turning to Daisuke. "That cask of Jusenkyou water from the
wedding, remember?! Old man Tendou must've pulled a switch before
Ranma's old man got hold of the damned thing!" he said as the most
likely explanation for this came to him.
"Oh, right!" Daisuke nodded, and then he gazed on Chigaiko. "But
why the heck would he tried to curse Nabiki, for heaven's sake?!"
"Maybe she tried to bilk the guy for her allowance," Hiroshi
proposed.
Chigaiko gazed on them, remembering Negako's warning concerning
revealing the truth about Ranma's emotional change of gender to her
old classmates. "Who knows!" She turned to look past the school's
front gate to see a crowd, all dressed in various sports uniforms,
forming. "What's this?!"
The others looked. "Kunou-bakayaro's 'beat Akane-chan to date her'
ritual, Take Two," Hiroshi reported as he shook his head in disgust.
"Forget about it, Chigaiko-chan. You DON'T want to get involved in
this, believe me! C'mon, guys, let's head in and get to class!"
Daisuke, Sayuri and Chigaiko nodded as they crossed the street and
slipped through the gate. Walking around the mass of boys in sports
gear or martial arts uniforms, the former Tomobiki High student was
quick to sense the aura of determination they exhibited concerning
Saotome Ranma's former fiancée. *Ye gods, and I thought everyone's
mooning over that Oni was bad?!* she mused to herself as she and her
new friends made their way back onto the main walkway. *Wonder what's
going on back in that loony bin, anyway.*
* * *
"So where've YOU been all this time, Ryuu-chan?!"
Miyake Shinobu's foot tapped impatiently on the concrete pathway
before the front gate of Tomobiki High School as a yawning Fujinami
Ryuunosuke walked up to join her. The latter had no sarashi under her
shirt, having replaced that with a sports bra. Despite her STILL
wearing the boy's uniform, the shapely humps on her chest were a dead
giveaway concerning her true gender. "Where the heck do you think
I've been, Shinobu-chan?" She gave Shinobu a knowing wink as they
turned to walk through the front gate. "Your mom and dad say anything
about it at breakfast this mornin'?" she then asked.
Shinobu shook her head. "Iie. I told them you were spending the
night with a friend. They didn't need to hear anything more than
that, but if you keep this up with Sakiko-san, Mom and Dad are going
to get pretty curious."
"Yeah, true." Ryuunosuke stretched herself, and then she stared at
the repaired school. "Man, Mendou's people do good work." She
whistled on seeing the northwest wing properly restored. A glance
further to the left revealed a larger amount of flowers and other
private gifts surrounding the wrecked remnants of Lum's statue.
Standing there were several first-year and second-year students, black
mourning bands wrapped around their jacket sleeves. "Who d'you
suppose they're praying for?" she wondered.
"Himiko-san and Mikiko-san, I think. I don't think the guys had any
real friends in school," Shinobu whispered as the pair walked past the
statue, and then they moved to step through the front doors. "Well,
ready to climb another floor in our scholastic lives?" She stared at
her friend as they slipped off their shoes at the assigned lockers
before putting on their uwabaki.
"Race ya!"
Both sprinted up the stairs to the third floor, and then they turned
to head to their homeroom. As with the previous year, they got Class
Four. Stepping through the main doors, they stopped on seeing Hanawa
Mitsu standing there, a bright smile -- *As if there could be any
other type of smile?!* Shinobu wondered as she reflected on his always-
genki disposition -- on his face. "Ah, Miyake-kun! Fujinami-kun!
There you are!" he announced. "Ready to crack the books and climb to
new scholastic heights this term?"
Both girls nodded. "Hai, Sensei!"
"Well, take your seats! Not all of us are here just yet."
He waved them to their places. Shinobu and Ryuunosuke took their
seats. About half the class had come in by this time, including most
of the girls. As Ryuunosuke hung her bag on the hook dangling under
her desk, she blinked on sensing several people approach her. "Um,
Ryuunosuke-san?" a girl then asked.
The tomboy turned to see several of the girls, led by Gekasawa
Kumiko, staring at her. Noting the confused looks on many of their
faces, Ryuunosuke fought down the urge to gulp as she asked,
"Something wrong?!"
"Well . . . " One girl twirled her thumbs nervously. "You see,
we . . . um, ah . . .!" She then fell silent, she bowing her head.
"Everyone knows about you being a girl and what your father did to
make you act as a boy," Kumiko cut in on the other girl's behalf.
"Momoe-chan is arranging with the other girls in the class to collect
some money so you can get yourself a few proper girl's uniforms."
Ryuunosuke's jaw dropped in shock on hearing that. "Ah, c'mon,
Kumiko! You don't have to do anythin' . . .!"
"We do!" Kumiko cut her off, and then she sighed. "Ryuunosuke-chan,
the fact that your father went to such lengths to keep you from being
what you really are . . .!" She shuddered as the times she looked on
the tomboy and believed her to be a boy flashed through her mind. "It
was wrong, Ryuunosuke-chan. What he did to you was plain, flat-out
WRONG! And now that he's finally gone and you have full control over
your life, I think it's time for you to show everyone who and what you
really are!"
The other girls readily nodded. Ryuunosuke blinked before she sat
back in her chair. "I'm not one for charity, Kumiko . . . "
"I guessed that." Kumiko sighed. "But you're one of us!" She gave
Ryuunosuke's shoulder a squeeze. "And even if Ataru-kun's finally
gone from this place, we Tomobiki girls've got to stick together!
Right?!"
She stared at the girls standing with her. "Hai!" they chanted as
one.
Ryuunosuke blinked, and then she shuddered as her cheeks started to
heat.
* * *
"So this is the final list of everyone for Class Four?"
Onsen Mark stared at the print out the secretary just gave him.
"That's it." Sakura nodded; both teachers were in the staff lounge on
the first floor. "Few names missing given what's happened over the
last few weeks, ne?"
"Agreed." The vice-principal/English teacher grimaced, noting the
names crossed out on the list. One particular name that should have
appeared on this list had not been typed in. "By the way, did we ever
find out which school Moroboshi's gone to?" he then asked the school
nurse.
Sakura sighed. "I called to ask the Ministry about it."
"And?"
"They politely told us to mind our own business and . . . " The
nurse/priestess' eyebrow twitched before she added, "They also
politely told us that they do not wish to have their staff infected
with cases of 'Lum-itis' if we continued to press them about
Moroboshi."
Onsen gave her a look. "'Lum-itis?!' What did they mean by that?!"
"Couldn't tell you." She perked. "Oh, by the way, about
Mendou . . . "
"I know, I know." The vice-principal nodded. "His father asked us
to say nothing about his withdrawal from the school. Believe me,
there's another one I won't really miss in the long term." He scanned
the list before him, and then he blinked confusedly. "What happened
to this girl?"
He pointed to one of the names that had been crossed out. Sakura
stared at the name. "'Inu Chigaiko?'" she read, and then she paused
as she tried to place a face to the name before shaking her head.
"Don't know her. I'll take a look at the files, then call her parents
and see what's happening with her."
"Fair enough." Onsen nodded before taking up his papers and heading
out.
Sakura watched him go, and then she headed over to a cabinet.
Drawing out the previous year's student lists, she flipped the pages
before arriving at the list for Ataru's old class. Walking over the
phone, she unhooked it, and then she scanned for the number in
question. That took her a minute or two as she tried to recall the
girl's name. By the time the nurse/priestess deduced which name she
was interested in -- Sakura was forced to hunt for the name by
eliminating all the other names on the list -- a warbling tone echoed
from the phone receiver. Stabbing the studs to get the phone back on-
line, Sakura dialled the number. As she placed the phone against her
ear, the flipped pages fluttered down against the page listing the
people of Ataru's old class.
A moment later, the other end answered. "Moshi-moshi, Inu
residence."
"Ah, Mrs. Inu, good morning." Sakura perked. "This is Tomobiki High
School calling. We're concerned about your daughter . . . "
"I strongly doubt that."
Sakura stopped, surprised by Inu Kindan's curt statement. "Excuse
me?"
The ice in Kindan's voice sent shivers down Sakura's spine. "My
daughter was withdrawn from your pathetic joke of a high school last
week, right after that rude idiot you happen to call a vice-principal
berated my poor girl **IN FRONT OF MY HUSBAND AND I** because she
chose not to attend that farce of a memorial for that Oni monster you
all care for so much. A memorial, it later turns out, that few others
didn't want to see happen, like that Alhamzi fellow. You all remember
who that man was, don't you?" A pause. "So if you think you can try
to deceive me into believing that any of your staff has my poor baby's
'best' interest in heart, you're all on drugs."
Sakura gaped, stunned by the tidal wave of disdain and outright
hatred that just washed over the phone line. "Mrs. Inu, I . . . "
"What's my daughter's name?"
"Excuse me?"
"You're supposed to be an educator," Kindan flatly stated. "That
means you should have developed a faculty for remembering the names of
those students you interact with on a daily basis. Therefore, this
should be an easy question for you to answer. WHAT'S HER NAME?!"
Sakura blinked, and then she quickly turned to flip open the folder
containing the previous year's student lists. "I . . .!"
"I'm hearing you flip papers." Kindan's voice made Sakura stop.
"Now you know why my child doesn't attend your *school* . . . " -- one
could coat the office floor with the scorn that word evoked -- " . . .
anymore. As to where she is now, that's none of your business. I
find it strangely ironic that in THIS situation, Moroboshi Ataru is
worlds ahead of you all, staff and students combined. Don't call
again." Click. Dial tone.
Sakura blinked as she thought about what Kindan said.
"Moroboshi . . . "
* * *
"Nee-sama, is Nii-sama . . .?"
Shirayuki fell silent as she stepped into Ataru and Ranma's room.
Her brother was asleep, his head cradled in Ranma's lap. Ranma looked
up, shushing the chef before indicating a clear spot on the floor for
the tray in Shirayuki's hands. "Thanks," she whispered to the chef.
"Soo desu no," Shirayuki whispered before she quietly withdrew.
Ranma sighed as she turned her attention back to Ataru. By then, his
eyes were opening. "Who just came in here?" he whispered.
"Shirayuki-chan brought in some tea," she reported.
Ataru took that in, and then he nodded, sliding himself up into a
sitting position. Ranma poured them tea, casting a glance toward the
living room. "The Tendous've left. So've the Doc and the panda.
Ditto with Yotsuba-chan. She's really got it in for Shinshi," she
then warned.
"Well, she's of the age when that sort of thing starts to haunt her
whole outlook on life." He nodded thanks as she handed him a cup of
tea. "Let's just hope he doesn't do something that'll hurt her in the
long run. Yotsuba-chan certainly doesn't deserve that."
She poured herself a cup. "I think they'll have to work on some way
of giving Shinshi his own legitimacy."
"Well, the Court of Special Appeals can help there, especially if
Onee-chan is asked to give testimony about how Zhòuquán-xiang came to
affect Nabiki in this situation," he mused. "Besides, if Judge Nozawa
learns about what Souun intended for Nabiki . . . " A shudder raced
through him, and then he shook his head. "Chances are we might have
to get the SCAA involved also since Shinshi IS, in a way, an alien,"
he then added.
Ranma considered his words, and then she nodded. Last night, Ataru
had given her an explanation concerning the Avalonians. "That's
true." She sipped her tea. "Would Nabiki be seen as that now? What
about Himiko and Mikiko?"
"Hard to say. I'll call Zed and ask his opinion about this soon
enough. We . . . " He then shrugged. "Well, we certainly don't want
to advertise that we have an easy way to give someone practical
immortality."
She perked. "How long do Avalonians live?"
"Eight hundred to a thousand years."
Ranma winced. "Ai-cha . . .!"
A knock. Both looked as Karen peeked into the room. "Gomen nasai,
Onii-chan, but Tokoro-san wants to talk to Onee-chan."
Noting that an anxious-looking Yuka was standing behind Karen, Ranma
sighed. "Right." She set the tea aside, and then she stood up.
"C'mon." She waved Akane's friend with her to the front porch.
Karen watched them go. She then blinked as Ataru stood, moving over
to her side. Seeing the pensive look on his face, she flustered and
then she sighed. "Do you blame yourself for what happened on Miree-
san's planet?"
He considered her question for a moment before slowly exhaling. "I'm
not sure what to think right now, Karen-chan." He reached for her
hand. "On the one hand, if the Staff didn't get the information about
Lum's death from me, it could've gotten it from somewhere else. What
could've happened then . . .?" His voice trailed off before he
shrugged. "Hard to predict, I guess."
"But . . .?"
"Well . . . " He shook his head. "I've been haunted by bad luck for
so long that . . . " He paused before staring heavenward. "That when
I came to live with you guys, the Fates that were fooling around with
my life couldn't stand the thought of me experiencing some *good* luck
for a change. So they . . . " He shrugged, shaking his head again.
"Damn . . . "
"Onii-chan," Karen whispered as she embraced him.
* * *
"So you're really a girl now?" Yuka asked. "Everything that Negako-
san said about you last night is all true, right?"
She and Ranma stood on the front porch. The latter was gazing at the
bright sky over the Tokyo area, her arms crossed. "Yep," she replied,
turning to gaze on Yuka. "So why are you concerned about what happens
to me?"
Yuka winced. "Akane-chan . . . " She paused. "Akane-chan cried
about it last night. About what Negako-san said about you and Ataru-
kun . . . " Her voice trailed off, she hugging herself. "In all the
time I've known her, I've never seen her that hurt," she then
reported.
Ranma looked away. "I'm sorry it had to come to this, then.
But . . . " She took a breath. "If you think I'm going to do
anything to try to reverse all this, Tokoro-san, you're wrong." She
shook her head. "Very wrong."
Yuka winced, and then she gazed pleadingly at her. "She loves you!"
An annoyed shudder raced through Ranma on hearing Yuka's assertion.
She then closed her eyes. "That's not going to change anything,
Yuka. Nothing will now. It was too late long before I ever met
Akane."
Yuka took that in before she looked at the patio deck. "So you're
running away, are you?" she asked in a hoarse whisper.
Silence fell. Yuka stared at the other woman, surprised that her
comment did not provoke Ranma's usual reaction to being referred to as
anything less than brave. A tremor raced through Yuka as she tried to
determine what to say to make Ranma bend for Akane's sake. She then
jolted as the other woman turned to glare at her. "Is that all you
can think of saying to me?" Ranma snapped, the emotion draining from
her face. "That just because *your* friend is in love with me, *I*
have to be the one who has to ALWAYS bend for her? To make her
happy? To make her feel content? What about MY happiness, Yuka?
What about my desires, my dreams? Don't they count? Didn't they EVER
count?!"
Yuka quaked as Ranma's piercing gaze seemed to bore right into her
soul. She then took a deep breath. "You never gave her a chance!"
Ranma slowly nodded. "I know." She turned away from Yuka, leaning
against one of the pillars holding the roof up. "I know." A deep
breath, and then she reached up to rub the bridge of her nose. "I
know . . . "
"Ranma . . . " Yuka placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why did you
just give up? Just . . . " She shook her head. "Just turned around
and let this happen to you? Surely, there must've been some way to
stay as a man even with this bond you have with Ataru-kun . . . "
"Maybe." Ranma reached over to guide Yuka's hand away from her.
Sensing that the redhead didn't want her to get any closer, Yuka took
a step back. "Did you want to hurt her?" she then asked.
"Akane?"
"Hai?"
"No." Ranma shook her head, taking a deep breath. "Actually, Yuka,
I . . . " She grimaced. "I wanted to STOP hurting her, once it
finally dawned on me how much I really WAS hurting her in the long
run. But how the hell was I supposed to do that?" She shrugged.
"Oyaji never wanted me to think for myself. All Souun ever really saw
in me was the person who'd guarantee his family's so-called 'legacy.'
Mom was useless in the long term. I had no friends to turn to for
help. My fiancées all had their own agendas. Those who were helping
them, like Kelun or Konatsu, couldn't really do anything . . . " Her
voice trailed off. "And I just got so tired of it all, Yuka."
"All the fighting?"
"Yeah."
Yuka blinked, and then she tried to smile. "I guess it would get
tiring. I suppose none of us really appreciated how much all this was
weighing you down. You . . . " She bit her lip. "You always seemed
to enjoy it."
Ranma smirked, closing her eyes. "Yeah, I did, didn't I?"
"Please stay."
Silence fell as Ranma seemed to consider Yuka's plea. She then
sighed, pulling herself away from the pillar as she shook her head.
"No." She turned to gaze on Yuka. "Look. You're Akane's friend. And
Akane's pretty fortunate to have you as her friend. I know about the
three times she hit you with that mallet of hers in the month before I
showed up at Fuurinkan . . . " Her voice trailed off on her seeing
Yuka's face pale. "Yuka . . .?!"
"HOW DID YOU FIND OUT?!" Yuka shrilled as she leaned into Ranma's
face.
A flash of panic tore through the redhead, and then she calmed
herself. "Negako told me when I was training with her in Sanctuary."
Yuka took that in. She then turned away from Akane's ex-fiancé, a
hand clenching over her heart. "I . . . " She paused before taking a
breath. "Oh, damn . . .! That shouldn't have surprised me, ne?" She
relaxed before gazing on Ranma. "What do you know?" she asked.
Ranma took a deep breath. "First time it happened was a few days
before Kunou made that idiot speech. He came into class one day
dragging in this massive bouquet of roses to 'demonstrate' his love
for Akane. But it turns out that two of the guys in class were
allergic to the things and nearly died right then and there. When
Akane tried to make the idiot see what he was doin', Kunou brushed it
off. After all . . . " A sarcastic smile crossed her face. "Those
guys might've been potential 'rivals.' After hearing that, Akane lost
it, hauled out the mallet and nailed him. You got caught in the back-
swing before Kunou went flying." She pointed to Yuka.
"Second time was the morning after the speech. The fight started on
the front lawn. Akane tried to brush it off; she was running late.
The Horde followed her right into class, where you and everyone else
were. Some of the girls got punched aside when the Horde stormed in.
Akane went to town with the mallet. You got nailed when one of
Kunou's friends got Akane on the wrist with his shinai to disarm her,
that sending her mallet into your face.
"The third time was two days later. By then, the teachers clued in
to the idea of locking the school to keep the fight outside. The day
before, Akane ended the fight with a few swings of the mallet." A
smirk crossed Ranma's face. "Kunou didn't take too well to seeing his
challenge dealt with THAT way, so he popped a surprise on her that
day . . . "
"Akane's father was called to school," Yuka breathed out.
"Yeah." Ranma crossed her arms. "Then, in what had to have been one
of the stupidest things he ever did when it came to her, Souun grabs
the mallet from Akane and tosses it aside, where . . . " She pointed
at Yuka. "You just happened to have been standing, supposedly
'safe.'"
"Hai." The other girl nodded, smiling. "They were accidents,
Ranma."
"I know that, Yuka. But what I don't understand is why you have
never made her face up to what she did . . . "
"Because she's my friend, Ranma!" A quiver ran through Yuka's body.
"And I know she would've never intentionally hurt anyone else!"
Ranma then sighed. "Did she now?"
The other girl balked, and then she winced, remembering what had been
discovered over the last week concerning what Akane's temper-tantrums
might have ultimately done to the redhead. "You don't trust her," she
whispered.
"After all she's done to me since we met? Why should I trust her?"
An eyebrow arched, and then Ranma turned away. "Yuka, I don't deny
for an instant that Akane has her good points. But ever since SHE
walked in on ME in the furo at her house, she's rarely demonstrated
any of those good points to ME!" She turned back, thumbing herself.
"And what's worse, everyone in this place who knows her -- her
sisters, her bastard father, Doc Toofuu, you, Asano, Kunou and the
rest of those clods -- have just stood by and brushed it off. 'Oh,
Akane's a really nice person. She's just violent at times.' You
wanna know who said that about her, Yuka?!" Her voice picked up. "It
was KASUMI!"
Yuka gaped. "Kasumi-san?!"
"Yeah! The one person who had more than enough chances to show Akane
what she was doing wrong! And you wanna know something, Yuka?! You
wanna know how much Kasumi TRIED to show Akane what she was doing
wrong?! She only did it ONCE! Just ONCE! And that was to make Akane
promise to keep her damned temper under control! Well, you know as
well as I how much Akane really cared about that promise, ne?!" She
perked, holding up an objecting finger. "Oh, excuse me! I forgot!
None of YOU ever cared about what Akane was doing, especially to ME!
After all, who the fuck was I, anyway?!" She thumbed herself. "The
stupid, sex-changing, selfish, arrogant PERVERT who DARED presume he
had the right to try to show up Akane in everything she tried to do!"
"That's not true!" Yuka screamed.
"***BULLSHIT!***" Ranma roared, making the other girl automatically
duck. "***IT'S TRUE AND YOU DAMN HELL KNOW IT, TOKORO!***"
As Yuka started to shake, her eyes tearing as the redhead's words
seared right into her heart, Ranma held up a shaking finger. "I don't
trust her, you ask?! You're damn right I don't trust her!" Her voice
started to pick up. "To be honest with you, I don't trust ANY of you
in this garbage heap! Not you, not Asano, not Hiroshi, not Daisuke,
not Kasumi, sure as hell not Nabiki and DEFINITELY not Akane! Why
should I?! Yeah, I've made a whole fuckin' mountain's worth of
mistakes since Oyaji dragged me to this place! I admit it! But do I
see any of YOU admitting your mistakes, especially when it comes to
Akane?! NO! Of course not! You don't WANT to admit any of that!
Why?! Because you're afraid to realize that THIS TIME, I'm actually
RIGHT for once! And no! No! NO! We just can't have something like
THAT now, can we?! Isn't that the truth, Tokoro-san?! Well?! Isn't
it?! WELL?!" she shrilled, and then she leaned up into Yuka's face to
scream, "***ANSWER ME!***"
Yuka screamed out, collapsing to her knees as sobs stole her voice.
Ranma glared down at her, her fists clenching and unclenching as she
watched the other girl weep. Finally, as Yuka's head bobbed, blearily
staring at the front porch's wooden boards, the redhead sighed, "If
you were REALLY Akane's friend, Yuka, you would've realized what she
was doing wrong AND told her about it! Isn't that what TRUE friends
do for each other?! Make each other realize their mistakes?! Say to
each other when something bad happens, 'You're not supposed to do
that!' Well?!" she snapped. On hearing no response from her ex-
classmate, Ranma breathed out, "I see, then." She turned to head
inside, pausing at the door. "Tokoro-san, you've made your choices in
life when it comes to Tendou-san. I've no right to object to them.
But I will not allow those choices YOU'VE made to hurt ME whatsoever
from this day onward!"
Yuka looked up, wide-eyed. "Ranma . . .!"
"I've given all of you my kindness, trust, friendship and
solicitude. As much of it as I could given what Oyaji did to me when
I was a child," the martial artist continued. "My kindness was
constantly paid back with scorn and hatred. If not directly expressed
to me, then through your influence with Tendou-san. If that's the
ONLY way you wish to express anything towards me, fine. Do not expect
any kindness or trust from me from this day forward. You -- all of
you at Fuurinkan -- are now strangers to me, Tokoro-san."
She opened the door and marched in, slamming it shut behind her.
Yuka remained frozen in place, stunned that Ranma had said all THAT to
her, and then she staggered to her feet. Stumbling over the edge of
the front porch, she nearly fell onto her backside. She then stopped,
staring once more at the closed door to the old shrine. Shuddering as
the finality of Ranma's words roiled through her mind, Yuka turned and
walked away. As soon as she was past the main gate, she broke out
into a run toward Fuurinkan.
* * *
"You okay?"
Ataru gazed knowingly at Ranma as the latter staggered into his
bedroom. Seeing the flash of pain in her eyes, he rose, walking over
to draw her into a comforting embrace. "I . . . well, I . . . " the
redhead began, and then she closed her eyes, leaning against his
shoulder.
"You told her -- and by extension, everyone at Fuurinkan -- off."
"I . . . " She bit her lip, and then she sighed. "Yeah."
They remained still, not saying anything more. Ataru then gazed to
the ceiling. "Can't wait to leave this place finally?"
Ranma stared at his face. "Damn right about that."
* * *
" . . . just transferred in from Tomobiki High School in the wake of
last week's tragic bombing," Ninomiya Hinako stated as she introduced
Chigaiko to her classmates in Class 3-F. "Further, it turns out that,
save for Moroboshi Ataru, NO ONE at Tomobiki High ever bothered to try
to learn Inu-kun's name, much less try to REMEMBER her name once they
heard it." The teacher gave her other students a sweet smile. "I
trust all of you here can demonstrate that students of Fuurinkan High
are much BETTER in that regard?!"
A determined chorus of "Hai"s echoed from the people in front of
her. Chigaiko felt her cheeks heat as many girls in class gave her
sympathetic stares. Even some of the boys -- those not drained by
Hinako when they arrived late for homeroom; they were members of the
Horde o'Hentai -- appeared concerned. "Yoroshiku onegaishimashita,"
Chigaiko hailed as she bowed.
"Please take your seat, Inu-kun." Hinako waved her to an empty desk.
"Hai!"
Everyone watched as Chigaiko took her seat. Hinako then glanced
around the room, noting an additional empty chair. "Now, we seem to
be missing Tendou-kun. Does anyone know where she might be . . .?
Yes, Inu-kun?"
Chigaiko lowered her hand. "There was a family emergency at the
Tendou home early this morning, Sensei," she then warned.
Hinako's eyebrow arched. "What sort of family emergency?"
"Would you believe that Nabiki-san now has a twin brother?"
Silence.
"SAY WHAT?!" everyone screamed out . . .
As a flash of energy heralded Hinako's reversion to her child-state.
"WAI!" She bounced over to Chigaiko's desk. "Nabiki-chan has a twin
brother! I didn't know Nabiki-chan has a brother, Chigaiko-chan! How
did that happen?!"
Chigaiko's eyebrow twitched on experiencing the teacher's wild mood-
swings for the first time. She then felt a reassuring hand on her
shoulder. "Relax, Chigaiko-chan," one of her female classmates
whispered from behind her as she winked at the newest student at
Fuurinkan. "You get used to this!"
"Right . . . " the ex-Tomobiki High student drawled as, unseen by
anyone else, another girl slipped out of the classroom.
* * *
" . . . my son . . .! Marry . . . Ranma-kun . . .! He-he-he . . . "
The paramedics ignored Souun's babbling as they lifted his stretcher
to carry him out. Standing by the kitchen doors with Kasumi were Ono
Toofuu and several members of the Nerima district board, including the
ward manager. "Such a terrible thing to occur." He, a man in his mid-
fifties, shook his head. "For so long, we believed your father was
such an upstanding member of the community. Then . . . " A shudder
stole his voice.
"Yes, it is unfortunate." Kasumi dabbed her eyes. Even if Souun's
actions several hours before -- that added to all the other times the
Tendou patriarch's choices had come to reflect badly on his children,
admittedly -- were wrong . . .! "Much that I did my best to respect
Father's wishes and desires, that he . . .!" She stiffened for a
moment. "Oh, dear . . . "
"Your sister is well?" one of the ward councillors asked.
"Hai. She's resting now, as is our new brother." Kasumi nodded, a
smile slowly crossing her face as she gazed on her guests. "Well,
perhaps this'll be for the best. All we have to do is contact the
Family Registrar to give Shinshi-chan some legitimacy, then we can
proceed from there."
"Whatever help we can provide towards that end is yours for the
asking, Tendou-san," the ward manager vowed with a deep bow, the
councillors bowing to Kasumi at the same time. He then asked, "But
what of young Saotome?"
Kasumi perked. "Ranma-chan? Is there a problem, sir?"
"Yes. We've just heard that he has transferred out of Fuurinkan
High, heading to a school in Kanagawa," the ward manager reported.
"Isn't there any way to persuade him to remain in Nerima? After all,
if he leaves . . . "
His voice trailed off. "I'm afraid that's impossible, sir," Toofuu
spoke up. "Saotome-hime, when she elected to break ties with her
family as a way of putting an end to all her multiple engagements,
petitioned one of the highest courts in the country to aid her in that
effort. In that effort, she had the help of a family that has
maintained very close ties with the Imperial Household for a long
time. I don't think any sort of persuasion by anyone here in Nerima
will force her to stay if she chooses to live on Promised Island."
"But what about the underwear-thief?" One of the councillors
fretted. "What of those Chinese Amazons? What of that one fellow who
turns into that goat-monster? Who'll stop them when they decide to go
on their next rampage through town?! If Saotome leaves . . .!"
"I personally think that's part of the reason Ranma-chan has chosen
to leave," Kasumi cut in, a disapproving frown crossing her face.
Toofuu nodded. "I agree with that, Kasumi-san."
The Nerima councillors were speechless. "B-but, S-sensei . . .!" one
sputtered. "Who'll stop all the fights, for heaven's sake?!"
"There are people willing to help out in matters like this." Toofuu
held up a reassuring hand. "I suggest we simply leave Saotome-hime be
and wish her and her sisters the best from now on. If there is a
problem, I assure you gentlemen that it will be dealt with. Now, I
suggest we allow Kasumi-san and her family a chance to recover from
what happened last night and this morning."
"I . . .!" The ward manager then nodded. "Yes, Sensei, you are in
the right. Please excuse us, Tendou-hime." He bowed to Kasumi.
They turned to leave when a knock echoed at the doorway. Everyone
turned to see Miree standing there, an overnight bag in hand. Kasumi
brightened on seeing the alien priestess. "Ah, Miree-sama, please,
come in!"
The other visitors perked on seeing Miree's ears. "You're an alien!"
the ward manager gasped before he quickly composed himself. "Er,
pardon me, Madame, but aren't people like you supposed to be residing
in Tomobiki?"
Miree looked indifferently at him. "That restriction only applies to
citizens of the planet-states of the Galactic Federation. My
citizenship was stripped from me when I was accused by the government
of my home planet of gross heresy. Since I -- along with my children
-- are, in effect, stateless, I'm sure your planet's Special Committee
on Alien Activities would allow us to reside wherever we so choose."
A beautiful smile then crossed her face, one that caused the other
visitors, even Kasumi and Toofuu, to hang off every word she said.
"And seeing that Nerima IS such a beautiful part of this ancient land
of yours, why should I NOT choose it as a future home?"
"I . . . " the ward manager stuttered. His heart then nearly froze
as Miree's eyes locked on his. "Ah . . .!" He composed himself
before bowing towards her, his companions doing the same. "I
apologize, Ojou-sama, for making such a presumption in the first
place. Please, feel most welcome here."
Miree nodded in return. "I accept your welcome with thanks."
With that, the representatives from the ward office left. As soon as
they had filed through the gate, Kasumi gazed curiously on the
Niphentaxian high priestess. "Miree-sama, what WAS that you just did
to us?!"
"Some sort of broadcast empathic wave, I think . . . " Toofuu mused.
"You're quite correct, Doctor." Miree placed the overnight bag on
the floor. "It's an inherited ability all Avalonians possess."
"All . . .?" Kasumi's eyes widened. "Then Nabiki and
Shinshi . . .?"
"Have it as well, yes." Miree grimly nodded. "That is why I've come
here now. Both your brother and your sister will need to learn how to
properly master their powers. I don't believe you'd want either of
them to psionically bond themselves with an unsuspecting stranger by
accident, much less force Shinshi-kun into a premature relationship
with young Yotsuba-chan, ne?"
"Psionic bond?" Toofuu blinked, and then his eyes widened. "Like
what happened to Ataru-kun and Ranma-chan when they were children?"
"Exactly. The same type of bond, to be precise." Miree raised her
hand. "Before you ask, I've no idea how to sever the bond." She
lowered her hand. "Besides, from what I sense, Ataru and Ranma seem
willing to let things be."
"Understandable." Toofuu nodded. He blinked as footsteps heralded
the arrival of a certain would-be detective. "Oh, Yotsuba-chan!"
"Are they alright?" Kasumi asked.
"Hai, Shi-chama and Na-chama are all checky! Akane-san's all checky,
too! Yotsuba thinks Akane-san'll need a day off." Yotsuba held up a
measuring tape. "Yotsuba's gonna go to a nice boy's shop to get Shi-
chama some clothes for him to wear. Yotsuba doesn't think Shi-chama
wants to walk around in those magical clothes Chikage-chan whipped up
for him."
"Well, if you need some money . . . " Kasumi offered.
Yotsuba shook her head. "It's checky! Yotsuba's got loads of money
to spend for Shi-chama. Best thing about being related to someone
like Grandmamma. Anyhow, Yotsuba'll be back to check in on Shi-chama
soon!"
Miree smiled as the younger girl left. "Have a good time, dear."
"Oh, my!" Kasumi covered her mouth, a knowing grin crossing her
face. "She really IS infatuated with Shinshi-chan, isn't she?"
"Her attraction for him's like Hito-Phentax in sun storm season."
Miree ruefully smiled. "I think I came just in time. I don't believe
anyone would approve of the poor dear becoming pregnant so soon in
life."
Kasumi paled as Miree's warning sank in. "Oh, MY!"
A knock was heard. "Hey! Boss, you in here somewhere?!"
Toofuu blinked. "Who . . .?"
Kasumi smiled. "One of Nabiki's friends! Come in, Chieko-chan!"
Into the room walked a second-year student with beautiful amethyst
eyes and rusty red-brown hair shaggily styled to her shoulders, a book
bag in hand. Fujii Chieko, one of several students who worked as
Nabiki's assistants at Fuurinkan High School, was a member of Akane's
class. "Ohayou gozaimasu, Kasumi-san . . .! Ara?! Ah, Toofuu-
sensei!" She beamed on seeing the chiropractor. "The Boss told me
you finally decided to come back . . . " Her voice trailed off as her
eyes focused on the third person in the room. "Who . . .?" She then
gave the Tendou matriarch a curious look.
"A new friend." Akane stepped into the sitting room. "Did Sensei
send you? Did Yuka-chan made it back to school on time?"
"Ah . . .!" Chieko flustered. "W-well, I came here as soon as I
heard what the new girl in the Boss' class told Hinako-sensei . . . "
"New girl?!" Kasumi perked. "Oh, Chigaiko-san, you mean!"
Chieko nodded. "Hai! Well, she told everyone that something really
weird just happened to you guys! Something about the Boss getting a
twin brother or something . . . " She gazed at the ceiling. "Soon as
Ryonami passed that on, I came here as quick as I could to get the
scoop."
Kasumi gave the younger girl a pained look, and then she glanced at
Akane. "Yes, something DID happen today."
"Got that right," Akane moaned.
Chieko perked. "So what's going on?"
"I think it's best you make some tea," Miree proposed, gazing at
Kasumi, and then she turned to Chieko. "This whole matter will take
some time to explain to Nabiki-san's friend. And before we can
actually allow her to see Nabiki-san, I best get to work."
"Yes, that does seem best!" Kasumi then turned to the kitchen.
* * *
"Yo, Luf! We're comin' in on Phentax Twelve now!"
The suntanned blonde with the green streak in her hair and the red
star tattoo under the corner of her right eye looked up from the book
she had been reading. Grunting, she rolled herself out of her bunk,
and then she headed to the pilotage, where her best friend and the two
others who had come on this trip were. A glance through the forward
view ports revealed the star field morphing from the blurred streaks
of warp space to the glittering dots of normal space. "'Bout time,"
Lufy muttered. "How soon, Pri?"
Priss glanced at the astrogator, she glad that Lufy and Catty Ray had
overhauled the avionics of the RSS/C "Konggh'cha" to modern
standards. "A few more minutes," the first officer of Pathfinder
Troop Six reported, and then she glanced at the "Konggh'cha's" owner.
"Anxious to get this over with?"
"Damn right I am," Lufy said as she grasped Catty Ray's hand.
Feeling her lover's grip, the lavender-haired Tritonian-born Sagussan
with the soft gold eyes swooned, shifting to lean against the
Yehisrite-born pilot's arm.
Priss glanced at her sister Pirpirsiw'r, a knowing smirk crossing her
face. She turned back to her controls. "Anythin' out there, Ayumu?"
she asked the person at the sensor officer's station of the old Type
48 cargo carrier. "We know how much most of the natives of this place
like Ataru-sama. Even if this old tub's got a cloak now, we don't
wanna risk something stupid . . . "
"Asteroids."
Eyes locked on Ayumu, a raven-haired girl -- she had been born on a
planet named Yiziba, located in a star system near Elle and
Karasutengu -- with very wide, dark brown eyes. She was dressed, like
the others aboard on the "Konggh'cha," in casual civilians in lieu of
her dark blue-and-red duty uniform. "What did you just say?" Lufy
demanded.
"Asteroids," Ayumu repeated as one of her hands adjusted the sensor
control. She then sighed. "Someone really has to get the Rovers to
update intelligence information on the solar systems around Earth.
There was no asteroid field charted in this system . . .!"
"Shields!" Lufy barked.
"Shields up!" Priss reported as her hand tapped a control.
Barely just in time; within seconds of the fields forming around the
"Konggh'cha," several car-sized rocks soared in their direction.
Priss, who had as much small-ship helm time as Lufy despite her
primary job as a specialized warfare trooper -- Pathfinder Troop Six
had its own base ship, the RSS "Kiboo'cha," to help with deployments
-- adjusted controls to allow the boxy cargo carrier to dart clear of
the oncoming meteor storm. "Damn! Where's the planet?!" Priss
demanded as she tapped controls to call up a small holoscreen before
her, that displaying an image of the "Konggh'cha" and everything out
to fifty thousand kilometres around the cargo carrier.
"It's not there!" Ayumu asserted.
"Do a diagnostic on the damned thing!" Lufy ordered.
"I did!" Ayumu protested. "It's not there! See!"
Lufy and Catty Ray looked over Ayumu's shoulders. "There're Phentax
Eleven and Thirteen, plus the heliopauses surrounding Niko-Phentax and
Sanko-Phentax." Catty Ray pointed out details. "Phentax Twelve isn't
there."
"Only thing there is an asteroid field . . . " Lufy's voice trailed
off as the implications of Ayumu's findings sank in. "Oh, Lyna . . .
"
"I'm putting us over this mess," Priss advised as she guided the
"Konggh'cha" into a vertical climb away from the horizontal axis of
the Phentax tri-star system. "Ayumu, see if you can pick up any scans
of the bioroid factory. Let's try to find that at least."
"Okay."
Ayumu tapped controls. Watching her work, Lufy breathed out in
relief, and then she tensed on feeling Catty Ray's android-hard grip
squeeze her hand. Staring at her lover of over a decade, since the
day the organic Catty had bonded with Noa, Lufy closed her eyes as she
leaned over to kiss Catty Ray's forehead. Losing Catty to Sagussa's
Elder Mother, two years after Ataru's epic visit to Sagussa, had hurt
so much. Hurt her in ways that the woman first born over eight
centuries before on the planet Yehisril as Hifpira of Falcros had
never experienced in either of her lifetimes. Catty Ray -- built as
the companion android replica of Daishi'cha #40435 as part of a system
that allowed Sagussa's natives to "date" would-be lovers without
risking embarrassment in front of the real person -- had saved Lufy
from descending into a dark pit of heartbreak and despair. But given
that she was an android, regardless that she had achieved sentience,
meant that, unlike many other couples among the Daishi'cha, there was
one thing neither Lufy nor Catty Ray could ever enjoy.
Marei'cha.
Bond-mating.
Becoming a couple in all aspects as seen in Sagussan society.
"It's not there anymore."
Lufy jolted, and then she loomed over Ayumu. "Whattayamean, 'it's
not there anymore?!'" she bellowed.
Ayumu stared at the "Konggh'cha's" mistress. "The factory. It's not
there anymore. No fragments or anything like it. It's gone."
Silence fell over the pilotage as the others took in those details.
"If there aren't any fragments left, the damned thing must've escaped
the system unscathed," Priss mused. "Nene told me that the people in
charge of Project: Avalon built in a planetary self-destruct system
into the factory. Someone must have triggered it and blown the planet
before they took it outta here."
Lufy stared at her before she looked out the view ports. "But
where?"
* * *
"So will you be coming back to school?"
"I'm not too sure about that, Sensei." Seiko sighed as she and
Sakiko enjoyed tea with Sakura in the nurse's office at Tomobiki High
School. "Much that I'd personally love to come back here and try to
fit in again . . . "
She shrugged. "You're afraid you'll slip and someone might recognize
you as Lum," the nurse/priestess finished, a knowing grin crossing her
face.
Seiko nodded. "Hai. Besides, Darling doesn't come here anymore. It
would . . . " A shrug twitched her shoulders before a sad look
crossed her face. "Just wouldn't feel the same, I guess. And I don't
think he'd really like me following him to whatever school he might be
attending now."
"You never seemed to concern yourself with whatever he was thinking
before," Sakura noted, and then she held up an objecting finger.
"Save for when he decided to go chase girls or verbally object to you
being 'married.'"
The woman who was, in part, Redet Lum nodded. "I know. And that was
part of the main problem between Darling and I, Sensei."
Sakiko gave her sister a knowing smile. "If only you really noticed
it before you got booted off the planet, ne, Seiko-chan?"
Seiko nodded. "Hai, Sakiko-chan, if only I did. Then again, there
is that bond between Darling and that other girl he's with now."
Sakura blinked. "What bond?! What girl's he with?!"
"Some sort of psionic bond, a real strong one, between Darling and a
girl named Saotome Ranma, from over in Nerima," Sakiko explained.
The nurse's jaw dropped in shocked disbelief. "Saotome . . .
Ranma . . .?! Sakiko, you must be mistaken! Ranma-san's a boy, not a
girl!"
The two Nendo-kata shook their heads. "Ranma might have been a boy
at birth. She isn't that now, Sensei," Seiko warned.
Sakura took that in, and then she tittered, covering her mouth.
Sakiko's eyebrow arched. "What's so funny, Sensei?!"
"I . . .!" Sakura set her cup aside, taking a moment to collect
herself. "Oh, that is SO ironic!" She shook her head. "To believe
that a woman-crazed man like Moroboshi Ataru would actually be bonded,
mind to mind, with another MAN! Especially one like Saotome Ranma!
It . . . " She stifled back a laugh. "Oh, the gods MUST have a sense
of humour if they actually let something like THAT happen to those
two! Indeed . . .!"
She snickered. Seiko tried not to scream out, much less drop a rock,
at Sakura for the nurse's continuing dismissal of Ataru as a genuinely
good person. Even as Lum, Seiko knew that most people in Tomobiki
felt little if any good thoughts when it came to her Darling. Indeed,
as Seiko once reflected on it, one of the reasons Lum wanted to get
married to Ataru as soon as matters could have been arranged was so
she could pull him away from this place, take him somewhere where he
wouldn't be sneered at, spat upon or treated like so much garbage.
Even if Ataru's behaviour wasn't often the least bit excusable, the
fact that his friends, schoolmates and even his own FAMILY . . .
Seiko caught herself, and then she nodded thanks on feeling a hand
squeeze from Sakiko. At least the family part had been dealt with.
Ataru's parents were gone and he lived with thirteen devoted sisters,
people who cared very much for him and his future. And then, there
was Ranma. Ranma . . .
"What do you know about her, Sensei?"
"About who?" Sakura asked.
"Ranma-san?"
"Saotome Ranma?" the nurse mused. "Not really that much. All I know
of him comes from what the gossips in Nerima say about hi- . . .!"
She stopped, and then she moved to correct herself, "Excuse me,
'her.'"
"And that is?" Seiko asked.
* * *
Sometime later, the Izumo sisters stepped out of Tomobiki High,
heading to the apartment building they shared with Kitahara Yukimi,
her lover and her sister Avalonians. Giving Lum's old homeroom a
brief glance, Seiko took a deep breath before she turned away. Sakiko
watched her, a light smile on her face. "You can't wish for things to
go back to the way they were." She shook her head. "Too much has
changed, Seiko-chan. WAY too much!"
"I know!" Seiko nodded, throwing up her arms as they passed through
the gate. "But what in the Mother's name could it be, Sakiko-chan?!
I can understand the part about Darling wanting to leave Tomobiki!
Why would he risk losing or alienating what family he has left if he
let people here get close to them?! But . . . " She shook her head.
"Why?! Why's he so mad at ME?! I know I did a lot of stupid things
when I was with him! I know that! But he said when I left that he
actually WANTED a chance to love me!"
"Yeah." Sakiko squeezed Seiko's hand in sympathy. "Well, we'll
probably learn that sooner or later, ne? 'Sides, I know for a fact
that you're also pretty upset that there's a girl who's sinking her
claws into Darling and there's nothing you can do about it!"
Seiko shuddered, and then she deflated. "Hai, that's true . . .
eh?!"
She stopped, her eyes glowing as her head canted in the general
direction of what had once been home to her. "What?!" Sakiko gazed
on her, and then she extended her powers to lock in on what Seiko had
just sensed. "Oh, Blessed Mother . . .! It can't be!" she gasped.
"It IS! C'mon!"
Seiko bounded into the sky, using her telekinesis to propel her
straight to the old Moroboshi home. Sakiko cried out as her sister
flew off. Grunting, she leapt off after her. "Wait for me, Seiko-
chan!" she screamed out.
In a New York minute, the Izumo sisters landed on the front lawn of
the two-floor edifice Moroboshi Ataru once called home. Gazing at her
Darling's old bedroom, Seiko grimaced, and then she ran to the front
door. Feeling it locked, she snarled as a telekinetic cutting bolt
shattered the lock, and then she raced inside. Sakiko was hot on her
sister's heels as Seiko lunged up to the bedroom door. Flinging the
door open, she looked inside, and then she stopped, her eyes nearly
shooting out of her head on seeing who was within.
"Blessed Mother!" she exclaimed.
Sakiko squeezed past, looking herself before her jaw hit the floor.
"I . . .!" She shook her head, a wry grin crossing her face. "Gee,
Seiko-chan! I don't recall either your dad or my mother ever
mentioning we had twin sisters!"
"Much less Benten and Oyuki . . . " Seiko returned her look. She
then tensed on sensing who else had come with the four doppelgängers
passed out on the floor by the open closet doors. "No . . .!" Her
eyes locked on a miniature cryo-stasis chamber between the ersatz Lum
and the ersatz Benten, it containing the body of a young Oni boy.
What was left of it, unfortunately. "Oh, Sweet Mother, no!" Seiko
sobbed on recognising him. "TEN-CHAN!"
Seiko raced over to kneel beside the glass tube, fighting back a
sudden surge of nausea on seeing the scarred, sickly skin of her
beloved cousin's face and body. A glance at the chamber's control
unit revealed that Ten was in perfect cryo-stasis, his bodily
functions frozen solid until such time as he could be freed.
Preferably in a well-equipped shock-trauma centre, Seiko grimaced as
she turns to her Oni-self's replica.
"Hey, wake up!" She jostled the other woman. "Hey! Wake up!"
A pained groan escaped the ersatz Lum as her eyes fluttered.
"Tcha . . . " she muttered in a perfect rendition of Lum's accented
voice. "Please . . . " She tried to focus on Seiko. "Help
us . . .!" A hand reached over to grasp her shoulder. "Find
Darling . . . please . . .!"
The energy drained from her as she passed out. Seiko blinked, and
then she stared wide-eyed at Sakiko. The latter shrugged.
* * *
To be continued . . .