[UY/Ranma/SisPri][FanFic] Lonely Souls - Part 3, "A" Side (1/3)
pye...@gmail.com
Ranma sighed, looking over her shoulder. "Coming!"
She turned to gaze at the angelic image in the mirror. Perfect. So
perfect! Opaque veil that covered her down to the back but could be
easily drawn away from her face. Holding that down was a coronet of
wild roses and daisies hand-made by her maids of honour the night
before. White wedding gown that discretely flashed bare shoulders,
bound in front by a red rose poised over her heart. No train behind
her for someone to trip over. Bicep-length white silk gloves and low-
heeled shoes. Result: One VERY beautiful bride!
Taking up her bouquet, she stepped out. Karen and Negako awaited
her. The former, as one of the maids of honour, was in a veil-less,
pink version of Ranma's wedding dress. The latter was in a lady's
tuxedo.
"Shall we begin?" Negako asked.
"Hai," Ranma replied with a grin as she slipped her arm around
Negako's.
Karen in the lead, they stepped into the churchyard where Ranma was
to be wed. A small crowd awaited them by the altar. Karen's sisters
formed the rest of the bridal party as they escorted Ranma to join her
groom.
As she went, the sisters sang . . .
In a country churchyard, there's a Preacher, with his people
Gathered all around, to join a man and woman.
Spring is here and turtledoves are singing from the steeple.
Bees are in the flowers growing in the graveyard.
And over the hill, where the river meets the mill,
A lovely girl is coming down
To give her hand upon her wedding day.
As Ranma kept her eyes locked on the altar, her peripheral vision
picked up a crowd kept away from the wedding. To port were her
beloved's "friends" and "family" from Tomobiki. To starboard, her
"friends" and "family" from Nerima. To ensure none caused trouble,
they were bound in chains strong enough to resist the force of a
strike from Ryouga's Perfect Shishi Hookoodan.
"Oh, the shame of it all . . . "
Ranma's eyebrow twitched. She thought all the fools had been gagged
so she didn't have to hear any of their words today.
"You failed me, Ranma! You are no man anymore!"
Ranma glared at Nodoka. "Well, I guess *you'll* have to commit
seppuku then, *Mother,*" she hissed, the scorn in her voice making
Nodoka turn away. "What sort of *mother* were you anyway, to ABANDON
me for ten whole years?"
She looked away as someone came up to gag her mother before she
focused on her awaiting groom, a glowing smile crossing her face . . .
Dressed in simple white and wearing flowers in her hair,
Music as she walks slowly to the altar,
And picking up his Bible, then the Preacher turns towards her.
"Will you take this man to be your wedded husband?
To honour and love in the eyes of God above?
Now let the people sing with me
These words to live forever in your heart."
Negako guided Ranma into place. Her eyes stinging with happy tears,
the bride gazed on her groom as the priest, a woman with green-
streaked blonde hair and a star tattoo by her right eye, began the
ceremony. The sisters sang . . .
"Let your love shine on!
For we are the stars in the sky!
Let your love shine strong!
Until the day you fly!
Fly away."
"I do," she then declared.
"I do," her groom echoed her.
The veil was drawn back. They passionately kissed as their
surroundings changed. Save for Negako and the sisters, all that came
to the wedding faded, melting into a sea of headstones in a run-down
graveyard in some wilderness village. Pulling away from her husband's
embrace, Ranma looked around.
Many years have fallen on that golden country morning.
The graveyard's overgrown. The church lies in ruins.
Ivy on the walls and ravens wheeling 'round above me
As I made my way towards the last remaining headstone.
I fell to my knees, read the lines beneath the leaves
And suddenly, it seemed to me,
I heard the words, like singing in the trees!
Husband and wife walked between the markers. Ranma's eyes picked out
the ones with names she recognised. How befitting. How sad. She
really tried to help them. Tried to make them understand she couldn't
be happy with them, binding her life to theirs. Why couldn't they
accept that?
Why couldn't they just let it go and make their own lives?
Why?
"Let your love shine on!
For we are the stars in the sky!
Let your love shine strong!
Until the day you fly!"
She gazed on her husband. "For Eternity, my love?"
He returns her look. "For Eternity, beloved."
They kissed again as the sisters sang the chorus once more . . .
"Let your love shine on!
For we are the stars in the sky!
Let your love shine strong!
Until the day you fly!
Fly away."
Without a backward glance, Moroboshi Ataru and Moroboshi Ranma turned
away from the graveyard -- and all the failed lives interred within --
for the final time. As the sisters followed them into the future,
Ranma sighed, gazing fondly on the one person who truly cared for
her. Yes. For Eternity, indeed.
** ** **
Ranma's eyes fluttered open as she found herself in a dark bedroom.
Disorientation seized her for a moment as she absorbed her
surroundings, and then she relaxed as the previous day's events flowed
back into her mind like an incoming tide through the Bay of Fundy.
Shuddering as the dulled images of burned and broken bodies half-
buried in the wing of a wrecked high school passed her mind's gaze,
she stood, heading to a window to gaze outside. It was near dawn, the
full moon brightly shining in the greying sky overhead.
The dawn of a day far different than any she'd known before.
"Strange dream," she muttered under her breath before she headed back
into her bedroom to get some more sleep. After yesterday's events,
she needed that more than anything else. They all needed it, in fact.
Pausing before slipping into her futon, Ranma's hand drifted up to
gently rub her lip. It tingled at her touch as the surging warmth of
that dream-kiss flowed through her once more. Odd. Why would she
feel something like THAT after being kissed by a man? Hell, why was
she dreaming of marrying a man? And why was it a dream and not a
nightmare? If she had been "engaged" to Hibiki Ryouga or -- Ugh! --
Kunou Tatewaki . . .! THAT would have been a nightmare ranking with
the ones she had about the pit of c-c-c-c-cats!
Was it because her "groom" was Ataru?
Why?
She shook her head as she slipped under the covers. "Too weird."
* * *
Chikage stared at her crystal ball.
"No, Ane-kun. Soon, it will NOT be weird at all."
**** **** ****
"Lonely Souls"
By Fred Herriot
pye...@hotmail.com OR fher...@yahoo.com
**** **** ****
"In A Country Churchyard," written by Chris de Burgh.
**** **** ****
Based on "Urusei Yatsura" and "Ranma 1/2," created by Takahashi
Rumiko; and "Sister Princess," created by Tenhiro Naoto and Kimino
Sakurako.
**** **** ****
Set in the universe of the fan-fiction series "Urusei Yatsura - The
Senior Year," created by Mike Smith and Fred Herriot
**** **** ****
NOTE: The writer's notes are in a separate text file.
**** **** ****
THE THIRD PART, "A" SIDE - FAMILY NO MORE
"Oh, dear."
"'S up, Kasumi?"
Kasumi stared at Nabiki before her eyes turned back to the disaster
zone that had, not last night, been a perfectly spotless kitchen. The
middle Tendou daughter joined her sister at the doorway to take a look
herself. She stopped brushing her teeth. "Akane made breakfast?" she
warily asked.
"No, I think she made something to take to Ranma-kun," the elder
daughter replied with a tired sigh, remembering that a large saucepan
was missing from the pile of cooking cutlery she kept under the sink.
Nabiki grimaced. She just noticed bottles of linseed oil and drain
cleaner by the sink. "Oh, shit!" she then spat out before she
helplessly gazed at Kasumi. "What the hell's wrong with her, Onee-
chan?! She should know by now that Ranma-kun ain't gonna touch
anything she makes on her own!"
Kasumi shook her head. "This is not good."
* * *
"WHY?!"
Cologne sighed. "Moroboshi Negako discovered that fool Genma
manipulated certain of Son-in-Law's shiatsu points to inhibit his
ability to learn on his own free will. For YEARS, Son-in-Law was
deprived of his free will to do what he might desire. An effective
form of enslavement, I confess." A pause. "Negako needs two weeks to
affect repairs to Son-in-Law's mind. If Son-in-Law acquires Negako's
aid in eliminating his ailurophobia, you can add a month. Until that
has passed, you will NOT harass or do anything that Son-in-Law might
constitute as an attack on his person, Shan. Is that understood?"
Shampoo shuddered. Both conversed in Mandarin as they sat in a
window booth in the Nekohanten. It was sometime before they would
open for the morning crowd. "Great-grandmother, we have the means to
help fix Airen's mind ourselves," she then asserted. "Even more so,
we can take the chance to fully win Airen away from Akane and Ukyou,
not to mention that honourless panda! Why are we letting the
Moroboshis deal with this?! We could lose Airen . . .!"
An eyebrow arched. "Do we?! Shan, you know as well as I why our
tribe enters into alliances with clans like the Moroboshis and the
McTavishes. In certain areas, THEY possess the greater knowledge.
Believe me, Negako knows what she is doing, Shan. Let her do her
work."
Shampoo considered that before she sighed. "Great-grandmother,
please. I mean no disrespect, but I've never even HEARD of this
Moroboshi Negako! Who is she?! How does she have all this knowledge
in the first place?!"
The elder nodded in acknowledgement. "Alright, you deserve to know
that much. Negako is none other than the living spirit of our allies'
Art brought into physical form five years ago at the behest of Ataru.
Her last host."
Silence.
"***WAS HE OUT OF HIS MIND?!***" Shampoo shrilled, eyes wide.
Her fear was something Cologne understood. Nujiézú annals rebounded
with tales of the Saikoo Jinseijitsu, a non-corporeal database of
combat and martial arts knowledge built over many centuries by the
Moroboshi Clan. Those annals spoke of how the Saikoo Jinseijitsu, two
centuries ago, acquired free thought, and then began a quest to seize
control of its hosts so it could live its own life. The first time
the Saikoo Jinseijitsu freed itself, in the 29th year of the reign of
the Japanese emperor Kookaku, half of Hokkaido had been levelled.
"No. He was only twelve." Cologne shook her head. "And in his
innocent way, he understood something we, with all our knowledge,
experience and wisdom, couldn't accept: The one inside him only
wanted to do things those such as you and I take for granted. With
the help of Nagaiwakai's friends on Zephyrus, that happened." A sneer
crossed her lips. "And because of that act of good will, Ataru's
honourless parents decided to destroy not just his life, but
Nagaiwakai's, by manipulating an equally naive Negako into erasing
those parts of Ataru's memories which centred on the other elements of
his family."
Shampoo took that in, paling. "You must be joking!"
Cologne mournfully sighed. "Believe me, child, I wish I was not."
Shampoo was barely able to fight down the urge to sweep her great-
grandmother into a comforting embrace, allow Cologne the chance to
weep for the loss of one of her oldest and dearest friends. But that
wasn't done in the Nujiézú. It was seen as a sign of weakness,
something members of the warrior tribe didn't consider proper.
Especially when it concerned the honoured dead.
"So what is Negako like?" Shampoo wondered.
Cologne inwardly smiled as she sensed that Shampoo was still
determined to chart her own way, analyse the new situation to
determine what, if any, sort of advantage she could take to press her
ends. "Cold, analytical, possessing a skill level all the elders in
the Council COMBINED cannot match. And she is also protective of
Ataru for more than understandable reasons. I caution you STRONGLY to
not cross Negako on this matter with Son-in-Law. Now is the time to
wait, not advance. Besides, the chances are there that Happy might
decide, as is his right as the grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu,
to ask Negako to become Son-in-Law's new teacher. You know what that
means, do you?"
Shampoo's eyes swirled. "Aiyah!" To have children trained in BOTH
the millennia-old traditions of the Nujiézú AND the Path of the
Supreme Life, daughter-school to the legendary Star of Heaven Path
charted by the immortal Master Hosan Hirosuke over nearly five
thousand years?! That would be as inspiring as if one of the Nujiézú
married one of the McTavishes, their child winning the right to wield
that clan's mystic honour blade, the Sword of Scotia. Much less
perhaps locating one of the lost Talismans of Angus . . .!
Taking a breath, Shampoo sighed. "Alright, I'll back away," she then
affirmed. "Airen needs time to heal, not more pain! CERTAINLY not
from that honourless panda or Akane! I can direct myself that way for
now."
"Wise choice. Anyhow, we best prepare for the morning run."
"Hai!" Shampoo switched to Japanese. Moving to step into the main
restaurant, she paused, staring back at Cologne. "Hibaa-chan?"
"What is it, child?"
She took a deep breath, and then she sighed, reverting to Mandarin.
"Do you think that even if Airen is healed, he might still want me?
You heard what he said yesterday when he helped Ataru save those
people at Tomobiki High."
"I did." Cologne nodded. "It's too hard to speculate now given how
much is up in the air concerning Son-in-law. Don't panic. You'll
disappoint yourself. And even if Son-in-Law might reject you, there
are other ways to bring him into the tribe even if we don't have him
come to the village. You know how much Son-in-Law's willing to help
when it comes to people in need."
"You're right," Shampoo acknowledged that with a nod before heading
out.
Cologne watched her go. "You may have to keep that in mind when
Ranma finally accepts what she's become, Shan," she whispered.
* * *
"Here you go. That must've been hard work yesterday, ne?"
Ranma grinned, accepting the plate from Yamada Fred, Nerima's
hamburger expert. "Hai, Fred-san, it was." A retired Ground Self-
Defence Force signals sergeant, Fred owned his own yatai, keeping it
in Hikarigaoka Park to solicit customers. To better understand his
newly-chosen trade, Fred had spent time in the United States to learn
how to create the fast-food delight places like McDonalds, Burger King
and Wendy's made famous (that was also the place where he had gained
his current *nom de cuisine;* Fred's real name was Yamada Fujimaro).
Fred was also a martial artist, practising a variation of what the
Kuonji family long ago perfected using spatulas and other kitchen
tools.
Fred got to work on Ataru's order. "So you decided to leave Tomobiki
and come live here, eh?" He put a patty on the grill. "Think it'll
be a change? I've heard of how crazy things in Tomobiki got when Lum
was living there."
Ataru shrugged. "To be honest with you, Yamada-san, I don't know.
Personally, I just want to put those people behind me. I sure as hell
don't want any of them dead, for Heaven's sake, just out of my life!"
Fred snorted. "You proved that yesterday, even if the papers in
Tomobiki are giving Ranma-san sole credit for rescuing everyone."
"How'd you learn that, Fred?" Ranma asked.
"Tampopo-san told me." Fred's apartment was located a half-block
from Kamekichi Tampopo's restaurant and the two, after getting to know
each other, had come to exchange cooking tips. "Papers outside
Tomobiki got everything dead on. Why'd they do that, anyway?" he then
asked as he stared at Ataru.
Ataru snorted. "Typical Tomobiki mentality when it comes to me. If
I do something wrong, it's in every newspaper from Naha right up to
Wakkanai. If I do something right, it's not reported or someone else
gets credit. I guess I'm just used to it. Besides, most of those who
tried to play volleyball with my life are dead thanks to whoever blew
up the school yesterday."
"Pretty raw thing to say, isn't it?" Fred mused as he placed Ataru's
order on a plate before sliding that before his customer.
"That it is," Ataru acknowledged with a smile. "Itadakimasu!"
The two demolished their orders in rapid succession.
* * *
After paying Fred, Ataru and Ranma headed for a walk around the
park. "So the girls want me to come visit them on the Island, eh?"
she mused before slurping the milkshake she got with her burger. "Is
that gonna be a problem?"
"The family finances the House. It'll be okay. 'Sides, we'll only
be there until Sunday." He stared at her. "School starts next
Monday, remember?"
She sighed. "I forgot. I just hope I can continue modelling. It
feels good to have my own money, instead o' borrowin' it from Nabiki
all the time."
He shook his head. "Not to mention being on the lookout for her and
a camera wanting to snap photos of you *au natural,* ne?"
"How'd you know?"
"Rinrin-chan found a site on the Internet that splashes some pics
Nabiki took of you to anyone who logs in. I told her to whip up a
virus to destroy it, plus any hard copies whoever set it up might have
in reserve. If you want her to, she'll trace down the name of whoever
it was that set up that site."
"Good. I'll pound the creep when I get the chance." Ranma then
blinked on sensing someone coming into close range. "Oh, no . . . "
"What . . .?"
"Ohayou, Ran-chan! There you are!"
Ataru turned as a brown-haired girl in an okonomiyaki-ka's gi walks
up, a covered plate of hot food in hand. "Ukyou, I assume?"
"Yeah." Ranma then called out, "Ohayou, Ukyou-san. Is there a
problem?"
The chef shuddered before she calmed down and shook her head. "No,
there's no problem, Ran-chan! I just brought you some breakfast! I
bet after what happened yesterday, you really worked up an
appetite . . .!"
"No, thanks. I just ate," Ranma reported.
"So I made you your . . .!" Ukyou stopped. "What did you just say?"
Ranma gazed levelly at her. "I said, 'No, thanks. I just ate.'"
Silence fell as Ukyou's mind tried to absorb what had just been said
to her. Her jaw then dropped in disbelief. Ranma? Her Ran-chan?
REFUSING to eat her cooking? What the HELL was THIS?! "R-r-Ran-
chan . . .?"
Ranma slurped down the rest of her milkshake. Tossing the cup away
in a nearby garbage can, she reached into her pocket to draw out a
wallet. Ukyou's eyes went wide on seeing it was bursting with 10,000-
yen bills. Ranma paused as she did a quick mental calculation. She
then sighed, reaching into her wallet to draw out all the large bills
she then had in her possession. "Hey, Ataru, can you spare me about
twenty man-en now?" she asked. "I'll pay you back when I hit the ATM
later on today before we head off."
"Sure."
Ataru drew out his own cash-filled wallet, pulling out 200,000 yen.
"Thanks," Ranma replied as she took that. She then counted off fifty
10,000-yen bills before handing them to Ukyou. "There you go, Ukyou-
san."
"I . . .!" Ukyou stammered. "What the hell's this?" she spat out.
"That's to pay for the okonomiyaki I ate while I visited your shop.
I'm sorry for not having considered paying for your services before.
That will not happen again." Ranma slipped the bills into Ukyou's
pants pocket before the latter could refuse. "If it's not enough,
I'll get you the rest of it as soon as I can. In the meantime, I want
to spend the day with my friend." She then bowed to the chef. "Have
a good day, Ukyou-san."
She headed off. Ukyou remained in place, unsure of what to say. She
then jolted as Ranma called out, "One other thing, Ukyou-san."
Ukyou stared at her. "Friend or fiancée. Not both." Ranma held up
a finger before she vanished under the cloak of the Umisen-ken.
The chef shuddered before she dropped to her knees, sobbing. Ataru
gazed at her. His eyes narrowed as he turned around, ki senses
quickly picking up the disturbed patterns marking an Umisen-ken-
cloaked martial artist. Noting where Ranma was going, he then knelt
beside Ukyou. "Hey, you okay?"
Ukyou stared helplessly at him. "What do you think?" she muttered.
She then reached into her pocket to draw out the cash. "Here! Give
it back to him . . .!" She stopped as Ataru shook his head.
"Wha- . . .?!"
"I'm Ranma's friend, Kuonji-san. Believe me, I don't want to get
dragged into your petty little fight over who ends up getting to go to
the altar with her. Besides, she's right. From what I've heard,
you're a very successful businesswoman. Much that I do understand
your reasons for being so forgiving when it comes to Ranma, it IS an
unwise thing to be giving away freebies."
"I have no choice!" she hissed. "If I don't marry Ran-chan . . . "
"You'll be thrown out of your family. Yes, I happen to know about
that, too. Believe it or not, there's a way around it."
She stopped, blinking. "What do you mean?"
"Let's just say there are families who have, for a very long time,
strove to care for near-orphans like you. Give them a home, a family
who would truly love them, a base to work from to keep their lives in
order. My family's one of them. If you really want to keep your
family name, plus continue on in your chosen field of work, we can
help." He reached into his wallet, drawing a business card. "If you
feel you want to do that, go speak to this person. My uncle Komeru's
his legal guardian. He can tell you more." He handed her the card
before standing and turning to leave. "Ukyou-san, you're a bright
person. You feel you're doing the right thing, trying to honour your
father's wishes. But in my eyes, what happened to you is called
'child abuse.' And on certain planets I know of, child abuse is a
capital crime. Have a good day."
He walked off. Ukyou watched him go before staring nowhere in
particular. "'Child abuse is a capital crime,'" she whispered.
* * *
Nearby, Ranma sighed as she sat near a fountain. Shaking her head as
she remembered what Ukyou just tried to do, she took a deep breath.
"Damn you, Oyaji . . . " she hissed. "And damn me for listening to
you . . . "
"Ranma! There you are!"
Ranma perked, turning to look left as Akane walked up. Cradled in
her right hand was a large saucepan covered with a tablecloth. Tucked
in her left arm was P-chan, a snickering look etched on the piglet's
face. Seeing that, Ranma tensed, a chill warping through her body.
"Ohayou, Akane-san," she then hailed. "What brings you about this
part of Nerima this morning?"
Akane stopped, placing the pot on the seat. She cradled P-chan close
to her as she sat beside the breakfast she made. "I came looking for
you, silly!" she answered, though she was trying not to shiver at
Ranma's addressing her so formally. "I made some beef stroganoff for
you today! After what you did yesterday in Tomobiki, you deserve
something special!"
Ranma stared at the pot. Her nose was quick to pick up the odour of
linseed oil, an agent that, for some inexplicable reason, almost
ALWAYS wound up in Akane's cooking. Plus there was the faint scent of
a bleaching agent. Odd. Kasumi didn't keep bleach in the
kitchen . . . unless Akane had got her hands on drain cleaner
instead? "Aren't you going to try it?" Akane asked.
In her arms, the transformed Ryouga grinned. Oh, here we go . . .
Ranma gazed at her. "Akane-san, have you tried it yet?"
Tee-hee-haw! Can't run from this now, Ranma . . .
"I made it for you, you dummy!"
Oh, yes! Open mouth and insert foot time . . .
"Did you get Kasumi's help? Or Mom's for that matter?"
Keep digging your grave, you bastard . . .
"Hey, I can cook! I don't need their help!"
Yes! Yes, let it come . . .
"No, Akane-san. You cannot cook."
P-chan jolted. Ranma's last words had been delivered in a neutral
tone, one that froze everything around them in place. A glance up to
Akane sent a chill down his back; she was staring at Ranma as if the
slime was about to unleash Souun's Demon Head attack. "B-but you s-
said . . . " she sputtered.
"I told you once that you were *improving,*" Ranma barked as she
bolted up, that movement causing Akane to duck. "I said NOTHING about
you being able to cook. Don't put words into my mouth! I'm tired of
that, atop many other things you've done to me. Besides, I've already
had breakfast over at Yamada Fred's yatai. And since you don't seem
to trust your own cooking, why the hell do you think *I* should trust
it? Hell, would P-chan want to eat it?!"
She contemptuously indicated the piglet in Akane's arms. Akane
shuddered as a familiar, almost welcome, rage billowed inside her.
"Fine! I'll show you how good I've become!" She grabbed a pair of
chopsticks from her skirt. Flipping the tablecloth off the pot, she
grabbed some of the contents between the chopsticks. Cradling P-chan
in her hand, Akane waved the morsel before him. "Here you go, P-
chan!" she then cooed. "Open up!"
P-chan opened his mouth, not realising the danger. As he swallowed
the food, his body locked up. His fur morphed into a psychedelic
array before a pained "Bweee . . . " escaped him, his strength
failing. As his consciousness faded, his last thought was, *I'll get
you for this, Ranma . . .!*
"P-chan!" Akane gasped.
She then cried out as Ranma snared the piglet. She watched as her
transformed fiancé drew out a packet of some powdery substance, and
then she dumped that into P-chan's mouth. Scooping up water from the
pool, Ranma poured that down the piglet's throat. Instantly, the
transformed Ryouga's fur colour reverted to normal black, a weak
"Bwee . . . " escaping him as Ranma handed him back to Akane. She
gazed at P-chan as he tried to move again before staring at Ranma.
"Ranma . . . " she whispered, unsure of what to say.
Ranma held up the empty packet before she moved to toss it into a
nearby garbage bin. "I got this from a friend of mine. It's a
universal antitoxin that can protect people from bad cooking, like
what you create. Let P-chan rest for the remainder of the day. He
should be back to normal by tomorrow."
Hearing that, P-chan blinked as a pained moan escaped him. *Damn
you, Ranma! WHY do you keep doing these things . . .?* he mentally
railed. *How can I keep on hating you after you keep doing THIS to
me, you bastard . . .?*
"Ranma . . . "
Akane shuddered. Staring at P-chan before she sets him on the bench,
she stood up. Slowly approaching her transformed fiancé, Akane seemed
to bow her head, burying her eyes under the bangs of her hair. Ranma
gazed neutrally at her, arms crossed. Akane stopped before her,
glaring into the false girl's eyes. Ranma did nothing. Seeing that,
Akane screamed out, "YOU JERK!"
Her fist lashed out at Ranma's cheek. Before it could come close,
Ranma's hand caught it, and then she twisted it violently to one
side. Akane's scream of rage turned into a shocked cry of pain as
Ranma's free hand lanced at her right elbow. A solid *CRACK!* was
heard as the fist slammed into the lower part of the upper arm bone,
shattering it. Akane howled in pain, her eyes widening in disbelief
and stunned horror as Ranma tilted herself to her side, cupping her
free hand to form a ball of ki. A GREEN ball of ki.
"R-r-Ranma . . . " she sputtered.
"Good-bye, Tendou-san. We're no longer engaged. And you're a
stranger to me," Ranma announced. "***SHISHI HOOKOODAN!***"
* * *
In another part of the park, a silent Kuonji Ukyou sat on a bench,
her mind rolling over what Ataru just said to her. She then perked on
hearing the quasi-sonic boom that normally accompanied a high-
intensity ki attack. Her eyes picked up something flying away from
the park. Watching it, the chef was quick to notice that the hapless
victim -- it sounded like the poor sucker just got nailed by Ryouga's
Shishi Hookoodan -- was female. Then she got another quick look
before the victim began to descend somewhere in the distance.
Wait a minute.
That wasn't Ran-chan at all!
That looked like . . .!
Akane?
No WAY!
What the HELL just happened?!
Standing, she raced to the part of the park where she assumed the
blast originated. No matter what, she had to find out.
* * *
"Damn her . . . damn her . . .!"
P-chan stared at Ranma. Even though his body was still recovering
from Akane's cooking, he had seen what his rival did to his fiancée.
Or was that now EX-fiancée? Ranma shuddered as she lowered her head,
tears streaming down her cheeks. Seeing that, the transformed
Ryouga's eyes went wide. No! It wasn't possible! NOT possible!
Ranma NEVER cried, especially in public . . .!
"So why aren't you attacking me now, Ryouga?"
The piglet stared at Ranma. She looked at him with pained eyes.
"Well?" she wondered. "What's wrong, *friend?*" A sneer twisted her
lips as the scorn poured like Niagara Falls from her lips. "Too
shocked to believe I could master something only YOU could do?
Shocked to see me hit Akane after all the times she hit me? Shocked
that I told her the engagement was off?"
"Ran-chan! What happened?!"
Ranma tensed as Ukyou ran up. The chef slowed down as she analysed
the scene. Uh-huh. Pot of SOMETHING there on the bench. No doubt,
Akane had the same idea Ukyou had after what went down yesterday in
Tomobiki . . . wait a minute! Ran-chan could do the Shishi Hookoodan
these days. She doubted Ryouga could do that when he was in his
cursed form. Then . . . that meant . . .!
Oh, no!
No WAY!
Her jaw dropped in shock. "Ran-chan?"
Ranma relaxed before she gazed at the chef. "Ukyou-san, feel free to
tell anyone who might be interested that I no longer recognise my
'engagement' with Tendou Akane. Nor will I pursue an engagement with
Tendou Kasumi or Tendou Nabiki. I no longer desire to associate with
that family."
Ukyou took that in before she grimaced. "What happened?"
"Simple," a voice echoed from behind her as footsteps heralded
Ataru's arrival on the scene as he moved to stand beside Ranma. "It
appears Tendou-san didn't appreciate having her culinary shortcomings
shoved into her face, even after her 'pet' nearly died because of
those very shortcomings."
Ukyou stared at him before turning to Ranma. "So even after you save
that jackass' life . . . " She indicated the transformed Ryouga, who
perked on realising the okonomiyaki chef obviously knew about his
secret. "Akane tried to hit you?" she asked. "What the hell did you
do to her?"
"Broke her arm and ki-blasted her home," Ranma replied before she
stared at Ataru. "Can you get Negako to work a little faster on
fixing me up, Ataru?"
Ataru shrugged. "I'll try."
Ukyou tensed. "Fix you up for what? What happened?"
Ataru gazed quizzically at Ranma. The latter blinked before shaking
her head. "No," she announced. "If you want to get the story, Ukyou-
san, talk to Elder Kelun or Jijii about it. I'm not in the mood to
talk about it now."
She headed off. Ukyou turned to pursue. "Hey, wait a minute . . .!"
Demon Head. "***LEAVE ME ALONE!***"
Ukyou screamed before she ran off in a cloud of dust. Watching her
go, Ranma muttered something under his breath before she turned and
stormed off. Ataru watched her, and then he gazed on the pot of "beef
stroganoff" Akane had made. Taking a deep breath, he concentrated his
ki into his hand. "Kontou!" he whispered as the soulsword blade
formed, and then he thrust it into the pot.
As soon as the blade made contact, a wailing shriek escaped from the
pot as SOMETHING tried to break free. Once the cut was made, the
object sank lifelessly into the pot. He straightened himself,
allowing the burning killer energy blade to rest on his shoulder.
"'It's aliiiiiiive!' NOT!" he drawled before laughing, waving
nonchalantly at P-chan. "Have a nice day, Hibiki-san!"
Ataru headed off, dispersing the blade. P-chan watched him before
his eyes swirled, a pained "Bweeee . . .!" escaping him. *It's the
end of the world!* echoed deep in the transformed Ryouga's mind before
he fainted.
* * *
"OH, MY!"
"What is it, Kasumi . . . eh?! MY LITTLE GIRL!"
Hearing that, Nabiki, Genma and Nodoka charged downstairs, they
looking onto the front lawn to see Kasumi tending to a bruised and
burnt Akane. She had just smashed through the cherry blossom tree to
crash into the rocks beside the koi pond. Souun knelt beside his
unconscious child, jets of tears dousing everything as he bewailed how
badly his precious little baby had been hurt.
"What on Earth happened to her?!" Nodoka demanded as she moved to
help Kasumi carry Akane into the doojou, they laying her down on the
floor.
"I . . . " Kasumi then fell silent as she scanned the wounds,
immediately noticing the bruising around Akane's right elbow. A
gentle touch with her finger caused Akane to moan as she automatically
rolled onto her side. A glance to the youngest Tendou's eyes revealed
a semi-lucid look. Too dazed to answer questions. Sighing, Kasumi
raced into the kitchen. "Don't move that, Akane!" she warned. "It's
broken!" She soon returned with a splint in hand. The others watched
as the arm was properly bandaged and tied against Akane's side to
restrict motion. "Nabiki, summon the ambulance, please! We need to
get her to a hospital to have X-rays done on the arm just in case!"
"Right!" Nabiki said before she raced off to make a call.
Akane was eased onto her back. That movement was accompanied by
another moan. By then, Genma was examining the wounds. "A skilled
martial artist did this," he reported. "No doubt, it was a surprise
attack of some sort."
Nodoka gasped. "What sort of monster could do this to her?! WHY
would she be attacked this way?! Akane-chan's such a nice girl!"
"My little baby . . . " Souun burbled from the front lawn.
* * *
An ambulance's siren echoed through the neighbourhood. Kasumi rushed
out to guide the paramedics in, they carrying a stretcher. Akane was
quickly taken away, Souun and Kasumi accompanying her. The Saotomes
stood at the front porch. As soon as their hosts had left, Nodoka
sighed. "Come, Genma. We best get to the hospital to ensure Akane-
chan is well. Nabiki-chan!"
"What?!" Nabiki called down from her room.
"Are you coming with us?!"
"Tell Dad and Nee-chan I'll be there in a while!" Nabiki assured
them. "I gotta check out the health insurance and all that!"
"Alright! We're heading out now!"
They departed. Nabiki relaxed by her phone, she dialling a number to
contact the family's medical insurance agent. Once arrangements were
made, she hung up before sitting back in her chair. "Who the hell
attacked her, anyway . . .?" she whispered before perking as the phone
rings. "Moshi-moshi, Tendou residence, Nabiki here," she replied
after picking it up. She then perked on recognising the caller.
"Ukyou? What's wrong?!" she demanded before her eyes widened on
hearing the chef's answer. "What . . .?"
"It's true," Ukyou replied. "Put simply, Akane just blew her last
chance with Ran-chan. And he said he wasn't gonna marry you OR
Kasumi. I don't know why it led all the way to THAT happening, but
Ran-chan said Happoosai or Cologne would know the answer. He . . . "
She paused. "He didn't want to talk to me about it. Heck, he used a
Demon Head to chase me away."
Nabiki sighed. "Akane, you idiot . . .!"
"Got that right," Ukyou affirmed, and then she sighed. "Look, I
didn't like the idea of Ran-chan doing *that,* but I won't say Akane
didn't deserve something like it for all the crap she's pulled on him
in the past."
"Right. Thanks for calling."
She hung up. Rising, she marched into the room where Happoosai
resided. The grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakutou-ryuu was ironing his
latest acquisitions. Nabiki sat, crossing her arms. "I need to talk
to you. It's about Ranma-kun."
"I've been expecting that," he replied, smiling as he set the iron
aside before staring at her. He then declared with a raised finger,
"Before you judge him for what he just did to Akane-chan, you better
listen to this."
"I'm listening."
* * *
"Want to talk about it?"
Ranma looked up as Ataru placed a cup of tea before her. Both were
relaxing in the living room of the Moroboshi home. There was a lost
look etched on the former's face. As if she was wondering how did she
get to this place in her life, was there a way to go back to the way
things were before this -- and most of all, did she really WANT to
return to the way things were!
"Thanks," she said as she took up the cup, sipping the tea before an
absent look focused her eyes on the liquid inside. "I can't believe I
just did that to her, Ataru," she then confessed.
"What part?"
"All of it. I . . . up to this point, I never really thought of
standing up to Akane like that. But . . .!" Her lips twisted into a
sneer. "Damn it all! I've saved her life gods knows HOW many times!
I KILLED for her once! I gave up a cure to save her from being cursed
on Toma's island! And THIS is the way she treats me, even NOW?! What
the HELL did I do to deserve THIS?!"
Ataru remained silent as Ranma stormed to her feet. "And you wanna
know what's gonna happen?!" she demanded as she began to pace. "The
instant they get wind of what happened . . . oh, hell, NO! That's not
right at all! No! No! No! No! NO! Ranma doesn't HAVE the right
to object to anything they say or do to him! If it isn't Mom sayin'
I'm not manly 'cause I hit a girl, it's gonna be Kasumi tryin' ta lay
a friggin' guilt trip on me for hurtin' her sister!" She slipped into
a faux-Kasumi accent. "'Oh, Akane's really sweet! She's just a
violent maniac at times!'" Back to her normal voice. "Then there's
Nabiki, who's fuckin' prostituted every person she met just to earn a
quick buck or two 'cause her father's so fuckin' LAZY, he can't start
teaching classes! And PLEASE, don't get me started on those slimebags
Akane and I have to call fathers! And that's JUST my so-called
'immediate family!'"
She shook her head, tears flowing down her cheeks. "I'm tired of
this shit, Ataru!" she hissed. "I'm tired of it! I never really
realised it until now, but I'm just TIRED of it all! I . . . " She
sniffed before sitting. "I want it to end! But I want to do it
right, so there'd be no hard feelings! But I can't DO that 'cause
everyone's bein' a pack of fuckin' assholes, sayin' their problems
matter first and the rest can all go straight to hell! Well, fine
then! If that's what they think, they can ALL go to hell!"
She looked away, shaking her head. Ataru sipped his tea before
sighing. "Now you know why I left Tomobiki," he then declared.
Ranma looked quizzically at him. "What do you mean?"
He returned that with a weary look. "For a long time, I pretty much
accepted all the crap that was happening around me. Even now, all
this time after I stopped doing it, I still don't understand WHY I did
what I did when I was living in that place. I just basically ignored
everything everyone was saying about me, from Muchi and Kinshou to Lum
to everyone else in the whole damned town. I liked the idea of girl
hunting. Hell, believe it or not, I liked the idea of girl hunting
with Lum howling up my backside trying to make me stop! I . . . " He
looked nowhere in particular. "What was I back then, Ranma? Right
now . . . I can't answer that. I really can't answer that."
He sipped his tea before carrying on, "Then one night, Onee-chan
comes back and I find out that for five years, I lived a virtual lie.
And that lie came about all because Kinshou really cared for nothing
more than getting her hands on Grandma's money. She never cared for
ME. She never REALLY cared for ME! What's worse, she bullied Muchi
into going along with it! What did it lead to? It led to Grandma
dying ALONE, that's what! Because of that, everything I did, good or
bad, was stained! My whole life was a LIE, Ranma!
"So I decided I was going to take a serious look at what happened
from the day Onee-chan got taken out of my head to the day she came
back. And I was going to decide what I wanted to keep and what I
wanted to let go. And you know what, Ranma? When I got done with
that, I realised that I didn't want to have ANYTHING to do with the
people in Tomobiki anymore. I really didn't. Hell, I know none of
them really wanted to have anything to do with me. After all I did to
them and all that happened that I ended up being blamed for in the
long run, I don't blame them for feeling that way. I . . . " He
paused. "In the end, Lum was the only thing that I had in Tomobiki
that I DID like. But I couldn't have her. Soon after I realised
that, she died. So I have nothing binding me to Tomobiki. That suits
me fine. Problem is . . . "
Ranma nodded understandingly. "Are they gonna leave you be?"
"Yeah. Excluding Onee-chan, I've got twelve sisters I gotta worry
about, Ranma. Chikage can protect herself. Haruka's skilled in her
own right. The rest of them, however, are vulnerable, VERY
vulnerable. Now, some of the potential problems got vaporised
yesterday, but some of them are still here. And I don't know what the
reaction will be if those dorks DO find out about my sisters. I
really don't. I don't trust ANY of those clowns. I don't want to
drag my sisters into this. I really don't. They're all I've got left
in the way of immediate family and I'll not have that taken from me.
Onee-chan, for all her knowledge, does have some weaknesses that could
be exploited. So I need help. A guarantee that I won't be doing this
totally on my own."
They gazed on each other before Ranma nodded. "I'd be happy to help
you. Believe me, if half the garbage you've been through is anything
like what I've lived through, I wouldn't want to put kids like Hinako
and Aria through that!"
Ataru nodded. "Alright. Then I promise you this: If, in any way,
you feel you have to cut ties with the people here, my family and I
can help. If you're made roonin, I can see to it you're adopted into
our family. Any threats your mother and father makes would be
meaningless. And if Nodoka tries to press things because of that
seppuku contract you told me about, I'll make DAMN sure hers and
Genma's lives become a living HELL! Ditto with the Tendous! Ukyou
can be dealt with afterward. Kodachi has no claim. And if you ARE
adopted into my family, Shanpú can no longer seek your hand in
marriage since my clan, as allies to the Nujiézú, is exempt from the
Kiss of Marriage laws."
"Really?!" Ranma gaped before she smirked. "I rather like that!"
"I suspected you would. And if she sits back and thinks it through,
Elder Kelun would like it, too." Here, Ataru winked at her. "Frankly
put, Ranma, you're not the type to marry into a clan like that one."
They laughed. "Good point," she replied with a held-up finger.
"Well, shall we wait until the storm comes down on us?"
They hooked fingers. "Let's."
* * *
"Please tell me this is some insane joke!"
"No joke."
Nabiki sighed. "How long has what Genma did been affecting Ranma-
kun?"
"Since he was five," Happoosai replied. "On the one hand, I'm
impressed Genma managed to do THAT to Ranma-chan without me noticing
it. Hell, without Cologne-chan noticing it, either?! Whoo! On the
other hand . . . "
"Your hopes for your 'heir' would go up in smoke if he was turned
into a mental vegetable thanks to my sister and everyone else."
Happoosai nodded. "Exactly."
"So what do you plan now?"
"Ranma-chan needs a chance to heal from what he's been subjected to.
What Genma did before he took Ranma-chan away from Nodoka, plus the
Neko-ken, then tack on the things Akane's done; THOSE are the worst
problems. Ataru-kun and Negako-chan will help. Once that's done,
we'll decide what to do next."
"'We?'"
"Of course! Don't you want to get back into the Art, Nabiki-chan?"
Silence. Nabiki stared wide-eyed at Happoosai before shaking her
head. "How the HELL did you know about that, Ojii-chan?!"
"I see it in your ki signature," he replied with a chuckle before
sighing. "I take it Akane had something to do with what happened to
your arms five years ago, right? That's what made you stop practising
the Art?"
Nabiki nodded. "Yes."
"Well, maybe Negako-chan might help you recover from that."
Her eyes widened even more. "But Toofuu-sensei said . . . "
"Nabiki, I told you what Negako-chan is," he warned with a raised
hand to stop her protest. "She has access to medicines and medical
knowledge Cologne-chan and I can't touch. You go talk to her about
this and she'll help you. What she might demand of you won't be so
bad in the long term."
"Which would be?"
Happoosai reached into his personal hyperspace pocket, drawing out a
picture to show it to Nabiki. "Look for yourself."
She looked. Ataru and a girl that was probably Negako, surrounded by
twelve girls, they appearing as if they belonged at the Moroboshi
siblings' side. She stared at Happoosai. "These are Ataru-kun's
sisters, right?"
"Right. Remember what happened yesterday. Imagine what some of
those lunkheads in Tomobiki might be thinking right now after what
Ataru-kun said to them. Do you REALLY want to see these girls,
especially these three . . . " -- he pointed to Hinako, Aria and Kaho
-- "Hurt by the likes of Mendou?"
Nabiki shook her head. "No, of course not! But right now, Ojii-
chan, I don't think Ranma-kun's gonna think very highly of any of us
in this house. Not after what just happened between him and Akane."
"I know. Humour an old man for a second, Nabiki-chan." He sighed.
"I'm not gonna be long for this world. I know I've done some nasty
things in my time. But I tried to make a few lives better in my own
way. I want to leave something good for people to learn from when I
go. Genma and your father wasted their chances to do something good
with what I gave them. It's a damned miracle that Ranma's come out
the way he has! A MIRACLE, Nabiki! But . . . "
"He's just one person."
"Right. Now, Akane's got potential, but she's got to learn how to
bring that temper of hers under control. And that's not to mention
take some responsibility for all her faults. However, you have the
greater potential. And all it needs for you to get back into gear is
to get your arms fixed. Negako-chan can help you. And the price for
that help isn't really so bad. In fact, if you help do that, you'll
probably go far in regaining some trust and respect with Ranma-chan.
And in both of you, Kurumi and Natsume (AND Akane when she finally
grows up a bit), I want to place the future of the Art." He puffed
his pipe. "Does that sound alright with you, Nabiki-chan?"
She sighed. "I'd have to think about it. I have to admit, I AM
tempted. I've missed working out like I did before the accident.
And . . . " A pause. "Maybe if I get back in gear, Dad might decide
to get off his butt and make our doojou viable! I know that after my
accident -- adding that to Mom's death -- whatever heart he had in
teaching was wiped out! Maybe I can bring it back."
"That's good," Happoosai acknowledged that with a nod, drawing out a
folded scrap of paper to hand to her. "Here. That's where Ataru-kun
and Negako-chan live. If you hurry, you can arrange some things with
Ranma-chan before she heads off with Ataru-kun to visit his sisters."
He then winked. "Then you'll have to deal with the rest of the people
in this house."
"That's not going to be a treat, Ojii-chan."
He cackled. "Life never is, Nabiki-chan."
* * *