[UY/Ranma/SisPri][FanFic] Lonely Souls - Part 4, "A" Side (3/3)
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Ryouga's eyes fluttered as he found himself staring at a strange
ceiling, a fan whirling overhead. The wetness encompassing him from
chest down seemed a relief. Well, it was hot water and he was human!
Looking around, he jolted on recognising the room he was in. Before
he could determine a path of escape, a voice called out, "You okay?!
The girls didn't freak you out, did they?!"
He turned to see Ranma soaping herself in the shower stall. Seeing
her hair was mid-back length -- he remembered that Toshiko and Kumiko
had their hair cut to a taper at the middle of the neck -- he relaxed
before jolting on realising something else. Something that sent
chills down his back.
Ranma was bathing in HOT water.
And she was not a man.
His jaw dropped in shock. "Ranma . . . "
Ranma blinked, staring at him for a moment before turning back to her
ablutions. "I'm locked for the time being as a girl," she explained.
"You met Aria-chan when Mamoru-chan brought you here, right?" On
seeing the wanderer hesitantly nod, she continued, "Aria-chan's got a
big enough problem seeing me turn into a guy, so Ataru's elder sister
Negako locked me as a girl while I'm with them. That's why Mamoru-
chan told Aria-chan you were my pet. You didn't want to end up
changing in front of her, did you?"
"I . . . " Ryouga blinked before shaking his head. "No, of course
not! I . . .!" Here, he paused, and then he peered intently at
Ranma. "Wait a second! How many sisters does Moroboshi have in the
first place?!"
Ranma sprayed herself down before shutting off the shower.
"Thirteen. Twelve half-sisters, including Mamoru and Aria. Same dad
but different moms. Then there's Negako. She's adopted. The best
martial artist I've ever met, even better than Jijii or Elder Kelun
COMBINED! I'm YEARS behind someone like her!" She stepped out of the
stall. Checking herself in the mirror to ensure she had no suds on
her, she moved to step into the furo. "Shove over, Ryouga." She sat
down to relax. "Aaah, that feels so good!" she then breathed out.
Ryouga blinked, his mind whirling over those facts. He then pointed
to the doorway. "What about those mirror-clones of yours?!"
"I didn't like the idea of Nabiki putting them back in that mirror,
so Jijii and I busted them out, then we sent them on their way . . . "
"Wait! Wait!" the wanderer cut her off. "Go back a bit! You said
that some sister of MOROBOSHI ATARU of all people . . . "
Ranma nodded as a headache started to arc through her brain. "Yeah."
"Whom YOU say happens to be a better martial artist than Cologne AND
Happoosai -- not to mention YOU of all people acknowledging she is
supposedly BETTER than YOU! -- just waves her hand and you're frozen
as a girl . . .!"
Tendons spasmed. "She used leftover energy from the Chiisui-
ton . . . "
"***AND YOU DON'T EVEN CARE!***" Ryouga shrieked, frantically waving
his hands. "What the HELL else did sh- . . .?!"
Ranma spun on him, her battle aura instantly flaring as she loomed
over her friend/rival. "***OH, SO I'M SUPPOSED TO SAY 'NO' AND
FRIGHTEN A TEN YEAR-OLD GIRL TO* DEATH, *AM I?!***" Before Ryouga
could try to conceive of what to do or say next, Ranma made a
dismissive wave with her hand as she sat back in the hot water.
"Hell, you'd probably WANT me to do that to prove how much of an
'honourless, selfish, cheating bastard' I am, like you've accused me
of being ever since we were in junior high fighting over bread at
lunchtime!" She passed him a snide glare that made Ryouga wilt. "I
apologise for presuming I have the right to attempt to redeem myself
in your eyes, Hibiki-san."
A waterfall of scorn echoed every word she spoke. Silence then fell
as Ranma sank herself into the furo water, water than no longer seemed
warm to the man sitting beside her. Ryouga remained frozen in place
as he tried to figure out what the heck was happening with the
transformed martial artist beside him. Quickly realising that in this
instance, his usual approach to dealing with Ranma was not going to
produce any tangible results, the wanderer sighed.
"Sorry."
Ranma perked before she leaned against the rim of the furo. "'S
okay."
"Still . . . I mean, you letting someone freeze you as a girl . . .!"
"It's not me? Is that what you're trying to say?"
"Well, y-yeah!" He nodded, pointing to the bathroom door. "Besides,
how the heck can you trust MOROBOSHI ATARU of all people?! Much less
any relative of his?! Don't you realise what sort of guy he is, for
Heaven's sake . . .?!"
Ranma sighed before staring impatiently at Ryouga. "Don't tell me
you're still angry at him because he smelt your curse out at first
glance, then used it against you before you could've started a fight
with me on Sunday morning?!"
"***HE THREATENED TO KILL ME! HOW ELSE WAS I SUPPOSED TO REACT?!***"
"Oh, so he was supposed to just stand there like a dumb tree and let
you wreck his friend's restaurant just because YOU were peeved at
ME?! And by the way, Ryouga, the person who owns that restaurant
happens to be MY friend, too!"
Ryouga jolted at Ranma's retort. He then moved to retaliate before
stopping. "What friend are you talking about?!" he demanded.
Ranma sighed. "How do you think I've been earning all that money
these last few weeks?!" she wondered. "I've been off modelling from
here to Korea to Hong Kong to Singapore and everywhere in-between to
get some independence in my life! Tampopo-chan -- she's the one who
owns the restaurant you nearly tried to trash on Sunday -- arranged
it! She's one of the few friends I've got! And I'll be DAMNED to the
lowest pit in Hell if I'm going to allow you or anyone else to take
that friend away from me!" She then shrugged, turning away from the
wanderer. "Oh, forgive me! I forgot! Saotome Ranma's not supposed
to HAVE friends!" A snide grimace crossed her face. "All he's
supposed to have are selfish fiancées, self-centred rivals and no
sense of peace whatsoever!"
Silence. Ryouga stared wide-eyed at Ranma, stunned that he had just
heard THAT come out of his friend's/rival's mouth. The wanderer
slowly turned away, his gaze focusing inward for a moment as his mind
whirled through what Ranma just said. He then glanced once again on
her, his voice surprisingly subdued. "Um . . .! Ah, so . . . this
friend of yours helped you get all that money that you gave to Kasumi
and Nabiki, right?" Seeing her slowly nod, he then asked, "So what
was all that money for, anyway? I mean . . . "
"It was to pay back the hospitality they extended to me since I
arrived at the doojou, plus give them a chance to get out of that
place and get on with their lives without that pimp they call a father
trying to stop them," she neutrally replied. "There's enough money in
the account to even give a tidy sum to Akane-san should Nabiki choose
to do so. All I asked of Nabiki was to ensure that Souun never gets
his hands on any of it, even if it is to just repair their doojou from
the wedding." A pause. "Before you ask, I've also paid back Ukyou-
san and Shanpú for all the free meals they've given to me since they
first came to Nerima. And I think you know about Ukyou-san's yatai."
"Er . . . y-yeah, I do know about th-that!" he sputtered before
taking a deep breath. "Ranma, look! Even if he was looking out for
his friend's establishment and all that, how the heck can you trust a
guy like Moroboshi Ataru, much less a sister of his . . .?!"
"Do you know how old Negako is?"
"Eh?!"
"Eight hundred years, give or take a few decades."
Silence.
"'Eight hundred years?!'" Ryouga eeped, his jaw dropping into the
furo.
"Yes. And for over 600 of those years, all Negako could claim to be
was a slave. Nothing more than a databank of martial arts knowledge
that was shuttled from one grandmaster of her family's Art to another
like you'd pass on a clan's honour sword from father to son! Hell, if
you don't believe me, ask Jijii or Elder Kelun if you want! They can
tell you a lot about Negako!"
"So what the heck is she up to, anyway?!"
"I told you, already! Aria-chan was scared to see me change into a
guy!"
"Then why are you staying with these people anyway?!"
"Because they want to be my friends and they're willing to let me
stay with them! What's so wrong with that?!" Ranma snapped back
before she took a deep breath. "Besides, I don't feel welcome at the
Tendou doojou and I sure as hell won't stay with Ukyou-san or Shanpú
for that matter!"
Ryouga waved his arms. "Of course you're still welcome at the
Tendous!"
She stared in stunned disbelief at him. "Don't you remember
Tuesday?!"
He jolted, shaking at the chill in her voice. "You could've DIED
that day!" Ranma snapped. "If it wasn't for Tampopo-chan and the
special anti-toxin powder she gave me to guard against the garbage
Akane calls her 'cooking,' you MIGHT have died that day! And look
what the hell happened next?!" A pause. "This ain't got nothing to
do with me keeping your curse a secret from her! You know that! I
saved her pet and what does she try to do to me?! She tried to HIT
me! I saved your bacon from potentially being fried permanently and
THAT'S the way she 'thanks' me?! All most likely because she couldn't
hack the fact that I proved that, once again, she can't cook without
someone standing over her with a goddamned hammer to make sure she
doesn't screw up!"
Her eyes turned away from Ryouga as she crossed her arms, an
exasperated breath escaping her. "You broke her arm!" he reminded
her.
She turned once more to stare at him. "Do you think I've forgotten
that?" she wondered. "Yeah, I know what I did. Do you want to know
WHY it happened?! Do you want to know what Negako has to do to me to
help fix MY mind up from shit Oyaji unleashed on me when I was just
FIVE?!" She pointed to her head. "You want to know another reason
why I have to stay as a girl?! Because for the next two weeks, Negako
has to put all her knowledge to use into helping me be able to think
straight for a change! To make me stop thinking of EVERY DAMNED THING
I face as a fight! To make me STOP being the brainless 'best martial
artist in the world' Oyaji wanted me to be! I'd think that after all
the shit that's happened between us, you'd WANT that to happen to
me . . .!"
The door opened. "Onee-tama . . . OOOPS!" Hinako's cheeks reddened
on seeing a strange man beside Ranma. "Um, g-gomen ne . . .!"
Ranma spun on her. On seeing the youngest sister shy away, she
chuckled. "Try knocking next time, Hinako-chan. What's up?"
"Ah, y-yeah." Hinako laughed. "Kumiko-chan told Hina that Hibiki-
san's clothes are gonna be done in an hour. Could Onee-tama come back
to the House after? Hina and Kaho-chan have got a big, big, BIG
surprise for Onee-tama!"
"A surprise?! For me?! Sure thing!" Ranma beamed, waving Hinako
out of the bathroom. "Now scoot, Hinako-chan!"
"Hai, hai!"
Hinako left, closing the door behind her. Ryouga blinked, blinked
again, and then he pointed at the door. "Is she . . .?"
"Ataru's youngest sister? Yeah." Ranma nodded. Sighing, she rose
to stretch herself. "Oh, that felt good. Anyhow, I'm gonna help make
lunch with the girls. Try not to turn yourself into a prune, okay?"
"Um . . . r-right. Th-thanks." Ryouga nodded as Ranma stepped out.
After she dried herself, she headed out. Ranma stopped at the door.
"Oh, by the way." She glanced slyly at him, giving him a seductive
wink along the way. "If you DO happen to BE seduced by my sisters,
please treat them with kindness. They deserve it for all their
sufferings."
Ryouga acked, ducking under the furo water. Ranma laughed as she
headed out. A second later, he burst out of the water, his body
quivering as a familiar anger again welled up from the depths of his
heart. It just as quickly went away as the words Ranma spoke to him
came back like a relentless tide. Confusion settled on his mind like
an all-encompassing cloak as he gazed absently at the door where his
friend/rival just walked through. Ryouga then shook his head as a
claw of -- well, FEAR! -- grasped his heart.
"Ranma . . . " exhaled from his mouth as he sank into the furo water.
* * *
"Why isn't he here?!"
Ryuunosuke looked around. While the memorial for Monday's victims,
hosted by the only Buddhist temple located in Tomobiki, had just been
organized by the PTA yesterday afternoon, attendance this day was
huge. An honour guard from the Mendou Panzer Division lined the
pathway to the shrine. Behind them were representatives from the
town's schools, all of them wearing black armbands in solidarity with
their grieving peers from Tomobiki High.
"Guess he didn't want to come." Ryuunosuke shrugged, she standing
beside Shinobu and the others of Class 2-4 near the entrance. "After
all, he didn't really care for Megane and his pals. Probably didn't
really care for Nagisa either, much less Oyaji. And we KNOW what he
felt about his mom and dad. And . . . well, I doubt he really knew
the other girls who got killed on Monday."
Shinobu blinked before lowering her head. "Oh . . . "
A bell rang. Everyone turned as the memorial procession walked into
the grounds. Cherry lead the procession, he followed by the senior
cleric of Niiza Temple. Junior monks lead each memorial party into
the grounds next. Each party was composed of two Tomobiki High
students holding a picture of the deceased. They preceded the
deceased's parents, who were carrying their lost relative's ashes. As
the procession passed the assembled students, they bowed
respectfully. The temple's bell began to toll as they headed inside.
Shinobu shuddered, her tears flowing. Until that very moment, a
cloak of unreality had rested on her heart concerning the outcome of
Monday's events. As if she kept asking herself, "Is this REAL?!"
There was no doubt now with the parents carrying the ashes of their
children into the temple.
Aisuru Satoshi.
Urayamu Akira.
Kawamura Himiko.
Shitto Koosuke.
Serizawa Mikiko.
Daremo Hiroyuki.
Six lives -- ten when you counted Ataru's parents, Ryuunosuke's
father and fiancé -- snuffed in the roar of Semtex, trigged by someone
who looked on what had happened in Tomobiki over the last two years as
the Devil's handiwork.
A hand rested on her shoulder. She turned to see Ryuunosuke gazing
at her. Shinobu nodded, wiping her eyes as she turned to watch the
procession.
* * *
The ceremony was short. The victims' ashes were taken out of the
shrine for internment in the town's main cemetery. Along the way came
an announcement from the chairwoman of the Tomobiki Parent-Teacher's
Association, Hozumi Ayane: A memorial to Monday's victims would be
erected at Tomobiki High, on the very spot once selected for Lum's
memorial. Watching the crowd, Shinobu was quick to notice the
frustrated looks etched into the faces of many of the Tomobiki High
boys. No doubt, they felt, even in the light of Monday's tragedy, Lum
still deserved her own memorial. Would Mendou try to do something
about it?
As the crowds broke up, leaving Niiza-ji for home, Shinobu and
Ryuunosuke walked together. "He didn't show up," the latter noted.
The former nodded. "I know."
"Shinobu, ya gotta let him go."
Shinobu stiffened. She then relaxed, reaching over to gently grasp
Ryuunosuke's hand. "It's hard," she admitted.
The tomboy looked at her. "How come? You dumped him long before you
and I ever met. Why are you still pinin' for the guy?"
"I . . . " The other woman shook her head. "I don't know, Ryuu-
chan. I just don't know. I mean . . . I didn't like a lot of the
things Ataru-kun did, just like everyone else, but . . . there were
times he was . . . well . . . "
Her voice trailed. "He wasn't being a jerk, right?" Ryuunosuke
finished.
Shinobu nodded as she crossed her arms. "Hai. Especially before Lum
came to Earth. I've cared for Ataru-kun for a very long time, Ryuu-
chan. Ever since kindergarten, when my cousin Hitomi and her family
moved to Nerima. The day she left, I thought the world had come to an
end. Then Ataru-kun came along and told me that Hitomi-chan wouldn't
be gone forever. I'd eventually see her again. I . . . " She
grinned. "That's the day I fell in love with him, I guess. Or at
least, I decided I wanted him to be part of my life."
"By the looks of it, he don't agree to that anymore."
Hearing that, Shinobu bowed her eyes. "Hai. It hurts, Ryuu-chan."
"Maybe he's hurtin', too."
Shinobu blinked. "What do you mean?"
"I was thinkin' about what Yumoa-san said to us. About Moroboshi
feelin' he had no friends here, how happy he felt on leavin'.
Personally, if he wants ta go, Shinobu, I wouldn't hold him back. And
really, you shouldn't think of holdin' him back, either. But
maybe . . . " She paused to take a deep breath. "Under all that
happiness, he's hurtin'. Maybe he's wishin' things could've been
different, but he's afraid that we won't bend for him anymore."
Shinobu considered that for a moment, and then she nodded. She
looked across the street before stopping, her eyes widening. "Ryuu-
chan, look!"
Ryuunosuke looked. "I'll be damned!" she gasped on seeing someone
standing before the middle-aged couple the tomboy recognised as
Kawamura Himiko's parents. Then she noticed Ataru was not alone.
"Who're those girls?"
Shinobu jolted. A flash of jealousy ripped through her before she
calmed herself. While both women, appearing to be about their age,
had wrapped their arms around Ataru's, they didn't seem to be
projecting an aura of intimacy at him, certainly nothing like what Lum
did whenever she was around her Darling. In fact, it seemed as if the
two young women were close friends, if not . . .?
Shinobu shook her head. *Oh, no! That's impossible!* Ataru was an
only child, though Shinobu remembered him having a cousin, Nokoko,
living in Sendai. And he had Negako, though she felt a profound sense
of shock and disbelief as what Marubeya Momoe said about Negako echoed
again through Shinobu's mind.
As they watched, the girl with the long ponytails handed Mrs.
Kawamura a floral bouquet. Respectful words were exchanged, and then
the parties parted. Shinobu and Ryuunosuke watched the Kawamuras head
towards their own home. They then noticed Ataru and his companions
head off down a side street. "C'mon." The former beckoned the latter
with her as they crossed the street to follow.
"Shinobu, this ain't a good idea," Ryuunosuke warned.
Shinobu shushed her. They remained a respectful distance behind
Ataru and his companions. Too far to overhear their conversation,
though it seemed the pony-tailed girl was the only one speaking to
Ataru. The purple-haired girl wearing the cape with the stylized
Gothic crosses kept quiet. Why?
A few more turns passed, and then Ataru pointed at one house.
Shinobu and Ryuunosuke watched as they walked up. The pony-tailed
girl pressed the doorbell. An older woman in formal dress -- Serizawa
Mikiko's mother, Shinobu and Ryuunosuke realised -- stepped out to
greet them. The caped girl drew out a bouquet like the one Ataru just
gave the Kawamuras. Greetings were then exchanged. "He's visitin'
them privately," Ryuunosuke mused.
"I guess so." Shinobu sighed, a sense of relief flooding her heart.
Yes, Ataru had NOT truly walked away from Tomobiki. No doubt, her ex-
boyfriend was concerned about what people like Mendou might do to him,
but he had not forgotten his hometown. *If he really hated everyone
in Tomobiki, he wouldn't have come at all,* she then mused, a
delighted smile crossing her face.
"You okay?" Ryuunosuke wondered.
Shinobu nodded. "I'm alright."
Finally, Ataru and his companions bowed to Mrs. Serizawa before
turning away, they heading up the street. As Mikiko's mother headed
into her house, the pony-tailed girl drew out a cell phone and made a
call. Once that was made, she went back to hugging Ataru's arm. They
headed to one of the main streets, stopping under a leafless cherry
tree. Shinobu and Ryuunosuke placed themselves behind a telephone
pole several metres away, doing their best to not make any noise. At
least here, they could overhear them.
" . . . PTA contacted Reigi-kun about your absence."
"Oh? They didn't vow Heaven's vengeance on me for my ignoring their
wishes to go to that memorial?" Ataru sarcastically wondered.
"Not really." The pony-tailed girl smirked. "They were saddened
that you didn't feel safe about coming to the service. Apologised
Reigi-kun's ears off for that. But they do want you to come see them,
Onii-sama."
Shinobu's eyes widened. *'Onii-sama?!'*
Ataru snorted. "In a million years. I've got other things to worry
about. Did Reigi tell them about how I felt about those people?"
The pony-tailed girl shook her head. "I don't think so."
"Maybe you should've told Reigi-kun to speak of Megane and his fools
as 'traitors to the human race,' Ani-kun?" the other girl mused.
Shinobu's eyes widened even more. *'Ani-kun?!'*
"That might've made them shut up." He chuckled before tensing on
hearing a *toot!* echo through the streets. "Ah! There we are!"
Shinobu and Ryuunosuke watched as a stylized tractor, shaped like an
old-fashioned train, stopped before Ataru and his companions. He
helped the girls get aboard the passenger compartment being towed by
the tractor, and then he moved to board. Taking a step up the ladder,
he stopped. "By the way, don't you have something better to do than
follow me?! Miyake-san?! Fujinami-san?!"
The Tomobiki High sophomores gasped as he gazed their way. Before
either could respond, he leapt into the compartment. The tractor
moved off downtown. Shinobu and Ryuunosuke watched it go. The former
moved to follow. "C'mon!"
She beckoned her friend with her. "No, Shinobu!"
The tomboy remained still. "Ryuu-chan!"
"Forget it." Ryuunosuke shook her head, her hand keeping Shinobu in
place. With the latter's superhuman strength having vanished after
Lum went home, there was no fear of Shinobu tearing her friend's arm
off. "Didn't you see the look on his face, Shinobu?" She pointed
where the road-train had gone. "It's over. He doesn't see you as a
friend and he sure doesn't see you as his girlfriend anymore! Leave
him alone! You're only gonna hurt yourself . . . "
"I . . . n-NO!" Shinobu screamed as she tried to pull free before she
collapsed on the sidewalk. "No! No . . . n-no . . . Ataru-kun . . .
"
Ryuunosuke moved to help her back up before walking her home.
* * *
"A wedding dress party?!"
Hinako nodded. "Hai."
Ranma was sitting with most of the sisters in the dining room.
Shirayuki was busy preparing late afternoon tea in the kitchen. Much
to her annoyance -- though it didn't really surprise her these days --
Ryouga had vanished after his clothes came out of Toshiko and Kumiko's
dryer and they had lunch. The mirror-twins were busy tracking the
wanderer down. "We liked playing 'wedding' with Onii-tama before he
went to Sanctuary to train with Onee-tama."
"It should be enough to make Anigimi-sama relax after what happened
on Monday," Haruka added as she fanned herself with her gunsen. "Not
to mention what he must've endured when he spent a whole week away
from the Island."
"Yotsuba only wishes she could've gone to Sanctuary with Ani-chama
and Ane-chama to check up on them," Yotsuba lamented.
"What DID happen to him?" Mamoru asked before she stared hopefully at
Ranma. "Hey, Anee! Did Anii tell you anything?"
Ranma sighed.
** ** **
"And . . . "
Ranma shuddered. "And what, Ataru?" she soothed. "Tell me."
Ataru took a deep breath before closing his eyes.
"And three billion people died . . . "
** ** **
"I'm sorry, Mamoru-chan. I can't say anything."
"Why?!" Karen pleaded. "He's our brother, Onee-chan!"
"I know, I know," Ranma assured her before taking a deep breath.
"It's just that . . . well, first of all, I don't feel at liberty to
say something your brother told me in confidence. There's no honour
in that. And . . . "
"What?" Marie prodded.
"It . . . " The martial artist paused. "Well, it's just that it was
something that . . . it was so awful! Unlike ANYTHING I could ever
hope to describe to you. I don't think it's something that could hurt
you. At least, Ataru HOPES it won't come back to hurt you. You girls
are so precious to him. He doesn't want what happened to him to hurt
any of you. I know you love and care for him, but PLEASE don't ask me
about that anymore. He . . . "
The doors opened, revealing Shirayuki with a tea tray. "Tea's
ready!"
"Thanks, Shirayuki-chan." Ranma smiled, grateful that the younger
woman had come in, thus distracting the other sisters from pestering
her.
As tea was served, Karen walked over to kneel beside Ranma. "Onee-
chan?" she prodded. As the martial artist looked at her, she smiled.
"I understand, Onee-chan. Onii-chan is so lucky to have you as a
friend."
Ranma gave her a knowing look. "You girls would like it if I became
more than just Ataru's friend, wouldn't you?"
"Hai, we would. Please don't think we're pushing you into Onii-
chan's arms, Onee-chan. But we care for you just as much as we care
for him. We want you to be happy. You deserve it after all you've
been through. And . . . "
She paused, looking down. "You know about what Zhòuquán-xiang's
gonna do to me once Negako fixes up what the N-n-n-Neko-ken . . . "
Ranma stopped, her body quivering as a cold feeling fell on her
heart. "Did to me."
Karen gazed at her, squeezing Ranma's shoulder. "How could that
awful man do all those things to you?" she wondered.
"He wanted to create the perfect martial artist." Ranma shrugged.
"In a way, I can understand. Martial arts are pretty important to
Oyaji and he does have a lot of knowledge he wanted to pass on. It's
just . . . " She sat back in her chair, nodding thanks as Shirayuki
handed her a cup of tea. "It's the things he did to make me that
perfect martial artist . . . " She then sipped her tea before
relaxing. "That's what's bugging me. I mean, if he tried to do
something to make things right in the long term, that'd be okay. But
no! He just turned around and shoved it all onto me, telling me it
was my 'duty,' my 'responsibility' to make it right. Idiot . . . "
She shook her head.
"Pass the Buck-itis."
Both looked as Yotsuba relaxed beside Ranma. "That's an interesting
way of looking at it, Yotsuba-chan," Karen mused with a giggle before
nodding thanks as Shirayuki handed her a cup of tea.
Ranma shrugged. "Never heard it called that before."
"Way Yotsuba checks it, everyone Ane-chama's dealt with has got it,"
the detective mused. "'Oh, no, it's not my fault! It's his fault!'
And it always checked right back to Ane-chama." She flipped out her
spyglass to give Ranma an inspection for a moment. "Now Ane-chama
wants to get away from that, but all of Ane-chama's so-called
'friends' won't let her."
Karen shook her head. "Selfish people."
Ranma nodded. "Yeah, you got a point, Yotsuba-chan."
"Onee-tama?"
"Hmm? What is it, Hinako-chan?"
The youngest sister paused as she glanced down at her teacup. "Can
Onee-tama be Onii-tama's bride today?" she asked.
Ranma blinked, staring wide-eyed at Hinako as her question rolled
around her mind. She then sat back in her chair. "Well . . . "
"You don't have to if you don't want to, Onee-chan," Karen prodded.
Ranma blinked before she sensed the others gaze on her. "I . . . "
"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," Marie said. "But I have to
confess, you WOULD look so beautiful in a wedding dress."
"Aria wants to see Nee-ya as a bride."
"Kaho thinks Onee-chama will be Onii-chama's perfect bride!"
"Please, Onee-tama?!" Hinako pleaded.
Ranma shuddered as a scream of denial surged up from deep within her
heart. On seeing the look on Hinako's face, she looked down. *I'm
still a guy,* she lamented before blinking as Chikage's words from
last night echoed through her mind once more. *Am I?* Tears brimmed
her eyelids as the potential implications of her embracing womanhood
in its entirety sank into her heart. *I'm still a guy.* She
shuddered. *Am I?*
"Onee-tama . . . "
Ranma rose. "Excuse me."
She walked out of the dining room, breaking into a run as soon as she
hit the doorway. "Onee-chan!" Karen called out.
Silence fell over the dining room. Rinrin sighed. "We pushed her
too hard." She shook her head. "We pushed her WAY too hard."
"But she can't run away from it, Rinrin-chan," Karen warned.
"She can't think of going back to those people," Mamoru protested.
"After all the crap they heaped on her? Would she go back?!"
"I don't believe she will go back," Haruka said. "If we're not
careful, we might make her feel she has no home here. And if that
happens . . . "
The other sisters nodded. Hinako then rose to run out of the room.
"Ah! Hinako-chan, where are you going?!" Karen called out.
Hinako stopped by the doorway. "Hina'll bring Onee-tama back!"
She raced out of the rotunda. The others watched her go.
* * *
"So this is the only way on or off the island, huh?"
"Hai, unless you want to wait for low tide and cross on foot. Or
perhaps convince Chikage-san to let you travel using one of those
magic rainbows of hers. Or you can ask Rinrin-san if she'll give you
a lift on her submarine." Jii-san puffed his pipe as he relaxed on
his boat's quarterdeck.
Ryouga, wearing clean clothes for the first time in a while, stood on
the dock, gazing at the Plato-Mecha. "Right." The wanderer nodded,
and then he turned around just in time to see a red-haired woman walk
past the dock from the direction of Welcome House. "Huh? Ranma?" He
then looked at the old fisherman. "I'll come by a little later, Ojii-
san. I hope."
Jii-san nodded as Ryouga raced off. "Take your time, son."
Fortunately for the wanderer, he was able to get to the steps leading
to First Street without taking a wild detour to the Amazon rain
forest. "Ranma!"
Ranma stopped, staring quizzically at Ryouga before looking away.
"Aren't you trying to get back to the mainland?" she muttered.
That pained look was enough to tell him something was VERY wrong with
his transformed rival. "Hey, you okay?!" He reached First Street,
moving to grasp Ranma by the shoulder. Sensing that, she tensed
before relaxing, reaching up to squeeze his hand in thanks. Ryouga
blinked. "Ranma . . . "
"Sorry," she whispered before smiling. "What? Did you expect me to
pound the daylights out of you like I did Akane on Tuesday?"
He sighed. "What's happened to you?"
"Oh, nothing. Everything. My whole life's being turned inside-out
as usual. Par for the course. But . . . " She took a deep breath.
"I'm just tired of it all. I'd think that after the wedding, things
would finally calm down." She rolled her eyes. "Boy, was I wrong."
"Want to talk about it?"
Her eyebrow arched as she turned to gaze at him. "Surprising,
hearing that from someone like you. Not that I don't mind having a
chance to talk."
Ryouga drew his hand back. "You want to know what's really
surprising?" he declared. "What's really surprising is that there's
this person named Ranma. And yet this person is nothing like the
Ranma I used to know. What you told me in the furo made it obvious.
Much that I always hated the old Ranma . . . " He looked down. "The
new Ranma scares the living daylights out of me."
She stared at him before letting out a deep breath. "I can accept
that. Not that I would intentionally want to make you scared of me.
Despite all that's been there between us in the past, I do want to be
your friend, Ryouga."
"Then tell me what's going on," Ryouga pleaded.
"You got an hour or so? It's a long and VERY complicated story . . .
"
"Onee-tama!"
Ranma looked as Hinako jogged up. Seeing the worry on the girl's
face, she shuddered as a surge of guilt roared up her spine. She
lowered herself, opening her arms as Hinako raced into her embrace.
Ranma boosted her into the air. "Hina's sorry!" Hinako cried, burying
her face into Ranma's neck. "Hina didn't want to scare Onee-tama!
Hina only wanted Onee-tama to be happy . . .!"
Ranma ruffled her hair. "It's okay, Hinako-chan. Onee-tama wants to
be happy. But . . . " She pulled Hinako away from her so they could
gaze into the other's eyes. "Onee-tama just doesn't know how to BE
happy."
Hinako sniffed. "Has Onee-tama EVER been happy?"
"I don't know. I just don't know anymore." Ranma shrugged. Gazing
up at the statue in Stargazer Park for a moment, she then smiled.
"Hey, you know what, Hinako-chan? Ryouga and I are hungry. You want
to go to the snack bar on Third Street and have some fruit parfait?"
Hinako cheered. "Waaai! Fruit parfait! Fruit parfait! Fruit
parfait!"
Ranma laughed. Grabbing Ryouga by one hand and keeping Hinako
cradled close to her with the other arm, she headed downtown.
* * *
"Ryouga-san, say 'Aaaah!'"
Ryouga opened his mouth. "Aaah!"
Hinako giggled as she scooped some parfait into the wanderer's mouth,
and then she turned back to her snack. Watching this, Ranma smiled.
She knew that lying underneath his gruff exterior, Ryouga was a
softie. *Hell, he's really no different than me! 'Sides, Hinako
could melt the heart of anyone. 'Cept maybe Negako,* Ranma ruefully
mused before sipping her milkshake. "You okay?"
Ryouga sighed. "Hard to believe." The explanation had taken an
hour.
"Yeah, tell me about it."
He gazed on her. "Do you believe it?"
"I may have no choice," she admitted after taking a deep breath.
"After all, the person who told me that is an entity born from the
accumulation of almost a MILLENNIUM of martial arts knowledge. She's
backed by a woman who struck me from the start as being quite honest
when it comes to magic. And . . . " She shrugged. "In a funny way,
I almost WANT this to happen."
"Yeah, it would shake a lot of people up." He nodded before giving
her a curious look. "Some would accuse you of running away."
"**I** don't see it as running away." She hummed. "If you want to
get technical, I'm using a revised version of the Saotome-ryuu's Final
Manoeuvre."
"Searching for your destiny." Ryouga then nodded in understanding.
"I can see that. By the way, about what you said about you modelling;
I just remembered that I saw some magazines that had some pretty good
photo layouts of you in both your bodies. Is that how you earned all
that money?"
"Yep. Gotta admit, it was loads of fun, especially meeting all of
Tampopo-chan's friends. They . . . " She paused. "They made it
really easy for me. They didn't push me, didn't try to make it a
challenge or anything dumb like that. You know what, Ryouga? That
was the first time since . . . " She shrugged. "Well, since I can
remember that I did something I felt *good* doing. It wasn't like
martial arts training, though. It was a load of work. Believe me, it
WAS work! But I felt really good doing it."
"Will you keep on doing it?"
"You bet."
"What'll you do when he finds out?"
Ranma snorted. She knew which "he" Ryouga was talking about. "After
what he did, I don't care about Oyaji anymore, Ryouga. If there's one
thing I've decided about over the last month that I know was the right
decision, it's to leave the panda. If he tries anything to stop me,
he's in for a very RUDE surprise." A pause. "Besides, Mom's moving
to divorce him. Even if I choose to keep the Saotome name, I won't go
back to the fool. But right now . . . "
"You're not sure if you want to go back to her, either?" he asked.
"Yeah. She's my mom, but she wasn't part of my life for ten years!
I . . . " She sighed. "You've seen your mom, haven't you?"
"Rarely," he admitted.
Hinako gazed at him. "Why?"
"Almost all my family's got a curse that makes us get lost every time
we go anywhere, Hinako-chan," he explained as he stared at her. "I
got it from my mom. Dad doesn't have it, so we at least have SOMEONE
at home to keep the place intact for when we DO get home. But . . .
" He then shrugged.
"Don't you miss your mom?" Hinako wondered.
"Yeah, I do. A lot. In a way, I'm lucky compared to Ranma. I've
always known Mom's alive. When she was on her training trip, Ranma
had NO idea if her mom was alive. Her dad didn't tell her anything.
In fact, he even strongly hinted at the idea that her mom was dead.
And when she *did* come back . . . "
He grimaced. "How'd you learn that? From Akane?" Ranma asked.
He nodded. "Yeah. Speaking of which, what are you going to do with
Akane, Ukyou and Shampoo? If they find out about this . . .?!"
She shrugged. "If Negako and Chikage are right and this can't be
changed, there's nothing they CAN do, Ryouga. 'Sides, if it happens,
all the engagements fly out the window. When that happens, they
finally get control of their lives again. After all they've been
through because of me, it's what they deserve, man. You can
understand that, can't you?"
"For Ukyou and a lesser extent Akane, I can certainly agree. But
Shampoo's a whole different story, Ranma."
"Not as bad as you might think. Shan's tribe has a special law she
can use in that case to avoid dishonour when she goes home. I'll
still be bound to the tribe, but as an adopted sister, not a husband."
"Really?"
"Really. And don't repeat that."
"Right, right. Well, that's good. But what about Kunou?"
Ranma gave him a disgusted look. "What do you think, Ryouga?"
He chuckled. "Sorry! Then again, it WOULD be like your old man to
get you engaged to Kunou if you do become a girl!"
A shudder ran through Ranma. "Yeah, it would be, wouldn't it?"
"Does Ryouga-san want Onee-tama to stay as a boy?" Hinako asked.
He considered that. "Well, I admit that I'm used to Ranma as a boy.
And I can guess what sort of trouble she could be in for when this all
happens to her and everyone realises they can't change it. I'm glad
that Elder Cologne and Happoosai know about it and are trying to help
ease it along. But . . . "
Ranma wagged a finger. "Doesn't mean I'll go easy on you next time."
He glared at her. "And you think I'll go easy on you?"
Hinako laughed. "Onee-tama has some funny friends!"
The martial artists smiled. Ryouga then asked, "Hey, Hinako-chan, do
you and your sisters REALLY want Ranma to marry your brother?"
Much to Ryouga's surprise, Ranma didn't seem to balk on hearing him
ask Hinako *that.* Hinako nodded. "Un! After all, Chikage-chan says
that Onee-tama and Onii-tama are going to get married. And Negako-
oneetama says that Onee-tama and Onii-tama are bound together. Hina
doesn't understand what that means, though. And Onee-tama and Onii-
tama are friends. And besides, if some creep like Kunou-san or Mendou-
san tries to hurt Onee-tama and Onii-tama, they can help each other
and make the bad people go away."
Ryouga chuckled. "The impeccable logic of an eight year-old."
Hinako giggled. Ranma blushed. "Yeah, that's true, isn't it?" She
then stood up. "Well, what say we get back to the House and have a
party? When do you want to go back to the mainland, Ryouga?
Tonight?"
"Yeah, but I can stick around late. The guy running the ferry
doesn't make the last round trip until eleven o'clock."
"Let's go!" Ranma beckoned as she held up a hand for the cheque.
* * *
Ten minutes later, they walked hand-in-hand towards Welcome House.
Ranma was quick to see the crowd standing by the rotunda. Aria was
the first to notice. "Nee-ya!" she called. "Everyone! Hinako-chan
brought Nee-ya back!"
The others raced over to confront the martial artist. A teary-eyed
Karen was in the lead. "Onee-chan, please! I'm so sorry . . .!"
Ranma embraced her. "It's alright, Karen-chan! It's alright!" She
then pulled back to stare at everyone else. Seeing the expectant
looks on their faces, she took a breath, her eyes sparkling. "Hey,
aren't we supposed to be having a wedding dress party or what's the
story?!" she then asked.
Hearing that, the sisters cheered. Hinako leapt up and down.
"Wedding dress! Wedding dress! Wedding dress!"
"Hold it, guys! We got a problem!"
Everyone turned to stare at Rinrin. "What problem?" Karen asked.
"Who's gonna play the priest?! We had Aneki play the priest when we
had our first wedding dress party, but she's in Nerima!"
Ranma looked at Ryouga. "Hey, Ryouga, guess what?"
The wanderer jolted, paling. "WHAT?! You want ME?! NO WAY!"
"Please, Hibiki-san?!" Karen pleaded.
Now, as everyone in Nerima knew, it took a LOT to convince Ryouga to
do something he would normally be uncomfortable with. But when said
fellow was confronted with TEN cute girls giving him a chorus of
pleading stares -- with obligatory "Kusun!" from Aria -- even Ryouga
could be laid low. "Oh, alright! All right! I'll do it!" He
deflated. "'Sides, it's only make believe!"
"For now."
Surprised looks locked on Ranma. Seeing the light smile on her face,
the sisters shuddered. Yotsuba turned to Rinrin. "Call Sakuya-chan
and Chikage-chan! We have to check Ani-chama's return until after Ane-
chama's ready!"
"RIGHT!" the other sisters cheered.
* * *
"Honestly, Sakuya-chan!" Ataru muttered as he carried two large bags
for Sakuya to the House, following her and Chikage to the rotunda.
The sun had long since dipped down below the western horizon behind
distant Fuji-san. "If you guys were gonna pull a surprise on me, you
could've chosen to keep me in town instead of dragging me off shopping
in Shinjuku!"
"Onii-sama, relax!" the eldest of the sisters scolded, and then she
shuddered. "Besides, I just COULDN'T walk away from that sale!"
His eyebrows twitched. "Women!" he muttered under his breath. "And
to believe I once wished to have a harem of them?"
Sakuya and Chikage gazed on him. "We HEARD that!"
The door to the rotunda opened, revealing Toshiko dressed in her
kimono. "Ah, Sakuya-chan! Chikage-chan! Ataru-kun! You're back!"
Ranma's crimson-haired mirror-twin beamed. "We're almost all ready!"
"Ready for what?" Ataru wondered. He glanced in to see a sea of
white and loads of flowers. "Oh!" He sighed before giving them a
knowing grin. "Girls, if you were going to do a wedding party, that's
hardly a surprise!"
Sakuya smirked as she took the packages from him. "Bets? Now, get
to the chapel and wait for us, Onii-sama! C'mon, Chikage-chan!"
The sorceress nodded. "Hai."
"You mean I finally get to see Chikage in a wedding dress?" Ataru
asked.
Chikage jerked before flustering, and then she gave Ataru a knowing
look. "Well, if you MUST insist, Ani-kun," she sniffled.
"EH?!" a half-dozen voices cried out.
Hinako, all ready for the big "moment," raced out to give Chikage a
hug. "Wai! We're gonna see Chikage-chan in her wedding dress!"
Laughter echoed around the rotunda. Ataru shrugged. "Well, what the
heck! We need something to make us smile! But first . . . "
He stepped back. Relaxing himself, he extended his right arm
parallel to the ground. A ball of ki billowed in the hand. Ataru
made a circular motion with it, leaving a trail of sparkles to form
something like a cocoon around him. Watching this, everyone was
spellbound. "Wow . . .!" Hinako gasped, her eyes sparkling as the air
around Ataru warped into a vortex.
"***JINFUKU HENSENKAZE KITEI: TAKISHIIDO FUKU!***"
In a flash, Ataru emerged in a perfectly tailored white tuxedo,
complete with obligatory rose on the lapel and dress gloves covering
his hands. The girls gaped at him. Rinrin squealed, "Wow! Aniki,
where did you learn THAT?!"
"Sanctuary," Ataru replied. "Took me over twenty tries to get it
right! Lucky thing Yotsuba wasn't there with her camera!"
"Yotsuba HEARD that, Ani-chama!"
Laughter echoed as Ataru gave the sisters a wave before heading to
the chapel on the other side of Welcome House. Stepping in, Ataru
then stopped, his eyes widening on seeing who was at the altar.
"Hibiki?!"
Ryouga, in a sombre black cassock sans clerical collar, waved as
Ataru approached. "Ah . . . h-hi there, Moroboshi-san!"
Ataru crossed his arms. "How'd you get here? Ranma told me you
could get lost pretty easily, but I never suspected you'd come here!"
"I'd love to know the answer to that one." The wanderer chuckled
before sighing. "You know, you really got some nice sisters."
Hearing that, Ataru then smirked. No doubt, what anger Ryouga might
have felt towards him because of that incident in Tampopo's Sunday
morning had been pretty much washed away -- or at least set aside for
the moment -- thanks to his meeting Ataru's sisters. "Who was it?"
Ataru asked.
"Um, first Mamoru-chan, then Aria-chan -- why is it she can't take
seeing Jusenkyou curses, anyway? -- then Hinako-chan . . . " Ryouga
then jerked, turning to stare at the main doors of the chapel.
"Ah . . .!"
Ataru blinked before smiling as a stream of flower-bedecked white
passed through the doors. Counting off the ten of his sisters who had
been waiting at the House while he had been in Tomobiki with Sakuya
and Chikage, Ataru greeted them with a quick unveiling and a chaste
kiss to the cheek before they were re-veiled and they took their
places in the pews. As the last took her seat, rapid footsteps
heralded Sakuya's arrival. No doubt, she had her wedding dress ready
to go in her bedroom before she left the Island. As the eldest of the
sisters came up to embrace and kiss her Onii-sama, she whispered in
his ear, "I don't know if Chikage's going to come to this party, Onii-
sama . . . "
Suddenly, a thunderous fanfare rang from the chapel's organ. The
sisters gasped, and then they turned as one to gaze on the main
doors. Standing there was a lovely vision in pure crimson and gold,
an opaque lavender veil held down over a head of dark purple hair with
gold chains. "Waaaa!" Hinako gushed as Chikage stepped up towards
Ataru. "Chikage-chan's so pretty!"
"Red's definitely her colour," Ryouga whispered to Ataru as Sakuya
made way for the sorceress at the altar.
Chikage reached the altar before looking at Ataru. Unlike the
others, she didn't carry a bouquet. Instead, she carried a
painstakingly crafted Celtic cross pendant, the crucifix topped with a
rose. "Here, Ani-kun." She took it and placed it in Ataru's hands
before whispering in his ear, "It was not meant to be between us this
time. I will pray for it to be so next time."
Ataru blushed. "Chikage . . . "
"No matter what, I'll not let your heart to be sundered, Ani-kun."
She made her way to the pews. Ataru remained in place, and then he
blinked as a new fanfare started. Turning to the door, he gaped on
seeing Toshiko and Kumiko step inside. The mirror-twins walked in,
preceding someone in white. The new arrivals only had to walk halfway
to the altar before Ataru realised who they were presently escorting.
"Ranma . . .?"
Ryouga whistled. "Oh, man . . .!"
Toshiko and Kumiko parted, revealing a simply stunning vision in
white and pale blue, a coronet of roses holding her veil down. A
single red rose served as the clasp for her top. Her bouquet was the
same as the sisters'. Ranma had little makeup on beyond lipstick and
a touch of eye shadow.
Clearly, less was best with her.
"Ranma . . . " Ataru repeated.
Her cheeks reddened. "They talked me into it," she admitted, a shrug
rolling her shoulders. She then blinked as Ataru walked up to slip
Chikage's pendant around her neck. "Hey," she gasped. "What're
you . . .?"
"Something to make it complete." After saying that, he gave Chikage
a quick glance. Seeing the sorceress nod in approval, Ataru turned to
Ryouga, a knowing grin crossing his face. "Okay, Reverend! Let's get
on with it!"
"Hai!" Ryouga then cleared his throat before starting, "Dearly
beloved, we are gathered here this beautiful evening . . . "
As the wanderer did a good rendition of a normal wedding benediction,
Chikage gazed on Ranma, a touch of sadness in her eyes. *The die is
cast.* The sorceress closed her eyes. *There's no turning back.*
* * *
To be continued . . .