[Fanfic][Ranma] The Four Birds of Fire, Step One
Jorge A. Pratt
===================================================
The Four Birds of Fire, by Jorge Pratt
Foreword:
Some of you might remember this fanfic, as I posted it about a
year ago. It was my very first attempt, and as such it contained many
imperfections that are now fully corrected. However, this isn't the
reason of TFBOF's reposting.
In the previous version's afterword, I mentioned the possibility
for a sequel. Well, I wrote it. Thanks to all the people that asked me
to follow up to this story, the fanfiction "The Caller's Plight" was
born as TFBOF's sequel. But since it took me about nine months to write
TCP, it's very likely many of TFBOF's readers forgot about the story,
and that's why I'm reposting it (aside from the drastic revisions, of
course.)
If you *do* remember about this fanfic, then I suggest you read
this new version anyway, as several changes have been made in order to
keep a correct flow with the sequel. I've added a lot more, and included
new mysteries that are to be answered during the sequel. So, if you find
yourself with questions after you read this, don't worry, it'll all be
uncovered in TCP.
By the way, this story is set just after volume 33 of the manga,
so there are still situations, like Ranma and Nodoka's relationship,
that haven't resolved yet. There has been no mirror copy, nor Konatsu.
And for the plot's sake, Ryouga hasn't met Akari yet.
Well, that said, enjoy the new and improved TFBOF!
PROLOGUE
She closed the door and locked it.
But not that she needed to, anyway. Everybody else had gone to
the festival. Knowing them, they wouldn't be back in less than two
hours, but you never knew...
Turning off the lights in her room, she moved away from the door
and toward the window. A faint gust of hot air hit her face as soon as
she opened it. She became sad for a moment. This could be the last time
she felt the gentle breeze of summer, which she and her brother liked so
much.
She shook her head, trying to avoid such thoughts. She had been
preparing for this for nearly three years, and had become quite skilled
by now. Sure, there was a small chance the technique might backfire, but
she had had plenty of time to master it. Still, she felt uneasy. That's
why she wanted to be alone: if anyone else were at the house, they would
stop her or die trying -- literally.
She looked out towards the distant lights of the festival, and
many memories came back to her. She remembered the accident near the
cursed springs over a thousand years ago. How her brother had
--unwillingly-- saved her. Meeting the Tendos. All that had happened
after that... And the moment when _he_ returned. How he had come...
Then Coldfire's arrival... She was still angry at him for dying on her
like that.
But that's not the way she really felt. He had been a good
friend, her _best_ friend... no, he was _more_ than just a friend. She
needed him back. Ever since Ranma and Akane became closer she had been
more lonely than ever, a stranger in her own house.Worse yet, most of
the people she knew were still busy trying to drive the couple apart, as
they had always been doing. Sure, there was always Kuno, but that
babbling idiot wasn't much help, had never been, even though he was one
of her closest friends.
No, she needed more than a friend. There was only one person she
could rely on this time. And there was one way to bring him back.
Determined, she headed for the mirror, leaving the window open.
As she kneeled before the low-level dresser, she sighed. This could
still be the last time she saw herself like that. She wore a yellow
Chinese outfit she had borrowed from Shampoo. Her long, red hair flowed
freely down her shoulders, which made her look exactly like her sister.
That made her smile. Even though they were identical twins they were
completely different in most other aspects. And even after all that she
had been through, she still looked as young as she did when she was 16.
All the fighting, the sorrows, all the pain... none of that had any
effect on her, at least not a visible effect. That's the reason most
people trusted her on sight. But then again, everyone knew she and her
sister were very strong of heart, probably thanks to their relationship
with Ranma. Funny. None of them, not even her own sister, was truly
aware of the struggles she had to face every single day, with herself,
and with her feelings.
She got to her feet and headed for a large wooden trunk in the
other side of the room. Easily breaking the metal lock that protected
it, she opened the heavy lid. Inside there were many odd items. Most
were simple gifts and souvenirs from Ranma's many adventures, while
others were dangerous artifacts placed there for safekeeping: a string
of Dragon's Beard hair; a martial rythmic gymnastics trophy; a pair of
steel chopsticks; Happosai's incense burner --she shivered at the sight
of it--; a little moss from Yamata no Orochi; a collection of salt
shakers (which contained most of the spices Shampoo had used on Ranma)
complete with antidotes; a few other items, and a small black box. That
is what she was looking for.
Carefully taking it out of the trunk, she sat on the floor and
took a small key from her pocket. Slowly, she opened the box' lid with
the key, and a weak green glow came from within. She rummaged through
it, making sure everything was there. There were very few things inside
though. Five strange feathers, three pure white, the other multicolored;
a small black gem; and an hexagonal stone. This stone looked even
stranger than the rest of the items in the trunk, for it seemed to an
emerald, but had a bright red ruby placed in its center. The green glow
that came out of the box was shed by this artifact.
She remembered how she had received it. It was a very special
artifact, called a "Magicite." In a way, it made her shudder --as she
had heard, Magicite was a symbol of slavery... like her own experience
with Jusenkyo. But on the other hand, it was the only artifact that
might help her now.
She took the stone and placed it gently on top of a pillow. Then
she stood up, facing it. Taking a deep breath, she moved her hands
together, making a small circle with her palms. Although she had been
doing this for a long time, she still hesitated a second before
summoning her ki. She was about to create the most powerful aura in her
life, and her body could not endure it. Closing her eyes, she began to
gather her inner energy between her hands.
A faint blue surrounded her body. That was the first step. She
was used to it now, for she and her brother had used it many times. Even
Akane glowed blue when she got angry at Ranma.
Half an hour later, the blue aura became orange, then bright
red. That was the aura _he_ had always used. The aura created by the
strongest emotion. She thought about what her family would say when they
arrived. Her brother would either kill her or cheer her, that's for
sure.
After a while, she began to grow tired. But there was one last
phase before she reached the final stage. She pressed harder, causing
her aura to flash and shed an intense white glow. At this point, the
energy released was so great it created a small, yet powerful whirlwind
around her, even lifting her hair. The ki ball in her hands was so
bright it seemed about to explode.
But that wasn't all: the green stone in front of her had begun
to rise in coordination with her aura, and now it danced wildly around
her.
"I'm gonna make it," she thought, then concentrated on her
family, "but if I don't... I- I'll miss you."
Any moment now, the aura would become golden.
* * *
The Tendos and the Saotomes were now walking back home from the
festival. As usual, Ranma-kun and Akane turned a minor quarrel into an
all-out war, so the two families had to leave rather early.
"It's a shame she had to stay at home," Kasumi Tendo said, "she
would have liked coming."
"She said she wasn't feeling very well," youngest daughter Akane
said. "But it's not like her to miss a fair even when she's sick."
Ranma said, "Maybe it's a good thing that girl's sick. She'd
probably end up doing that crazy trick of hers again."
His mother, Nodoka, nodded "She's a very strange girl. Sometimes
even I don't understand her." she said, shaking her head.
Still a few yards away from the front door, Soun suddenly
stopped."Saotome-kun, do you feel that?"
Genma looked around for a moment before answering, "The master
must be using his battle aura again."
"No, this one is far stronger than the master's. I've only felt
it once, when..."
"Tendo-kun, you don't mean..."
"Look! Look up there!" Akane cried, pointing towards the open
window. A powerful white light glowed from inside the room.
"That idiot!" Ranma yelled. "She's gonna get herself killed!" he
said as he dashed toward the door.
"Ranma, stop!" Akane cried desperately, following her fiance.
But it was too late, when they came into the house, a large blast of
golden light exploded inside the room.
There was the shout of a female voice:
"I am the CALLER!!"
And a gigantic flaming bird engulfed all of Nerima ward.
* * *
* * *
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
TerBril Productions
present
Song of the Phoenix
Book I:
THE FOUR BIRDS OF FIRE
By
Jorge Pratt
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
First Step: BlueBird
Dreams of premonition
Akane walked down the streets of Nerima, as so many times
before. Only this time, it was different. In her mind she could hear the
thoughts of the people around her. But this didn't surprise her, for she
could always read other people's minds in her dreams.
Her dreams were always very strange, even for someone who lives
at the Tendo dojo. Still, they were more normal than reality by far. A
few flying fish here and there, Kirin's barge appearing out of nowhere,
a green-haired alien princess pursuing a stupid-looking young man (now
where had she seen them before?), she was used to seeing that kind of
apparitions in her dreams. Until she saw Ranma appear behind her.
"Akane..." he said, without stopping.
"What?"
"I, uh, I got something to, ah, to tell you."
She slowed down. He was nervous about something, and she noticed
it."What is it?"
"You know, I mean, you've been really watching out for me these
weeks and everything," she heard him swallow hard, "and, um, I guess
I've always been a jerk with you and all, but..."
Akane turned bright red, "W-What are you talking about, Ranma?"
Both of them stopped walking and looked at each other. A
ten-foot dragonfly flew past them. Ranma dropped down from the fence,
landing a few inches away from Akane.
"What I mean to say is," he turned the same shade as his
fiancie, "I, uh, I... I...I l--"
A black and yellow bandanna cut him off in mid-sentence,
severing his pigtail as well. "Ranma, prepare to die!!"
"Ryouga!" he said, backing away into a defensive stance. "What
the hell are you doing?!"
"Saotome, prepare to defend yourself!" a bokuto sliced the air
in front of Ranma's nose. When he turned to the left, Kuno began raisng
his wooden sword for a second blow.
"How could you, Ran-chan!" came the voice of Ukyou as she leapt
over a wall and delivered a barrage of small spatulas.
"Ranma no say that to Akane!" Shampoo yelled, crushing the
sidewalk next to Ranma with her bonbori.
"W-wait! You don't--" Ranma said, waving his arms wildly.
"We've had enough of you, Ranma," Ryouga said pulling out his
umbrella.
"Now we shall finish you off, demon, and release both Akane and
the pigtailed girl from your lowly hands!" Kuno concluded.
Both of them charged towards their enemy, weapons in hand. Ranma
leapt away onto the fence and was nearly smacked by Ukyou's large
spatula. "We'll never forgive you for leaving us behind, Ran-chan!" she
said. "Ukyou right, Ranma now pay!" Shampoo threw one of her bonbori at
him. It collided with one of Ryouga's bandannas as he made another
attack.
"Face it, Saotome," he shouted, "you can't beat all five of us!"
Ranma leapt away from Ryouga's bandannas, then landed on Kuno's
bokuto and kicked him on the chest. Bouncing away, he jump-kicked
Ryouga, knocking him into a wall, all this while doing his best to avoid
Ukyou and Shampoo.
"Please, stop it!" Akane cried, unnoticed by the others. Before
she knew it, Cologne had already seized her. Akane was completely unable
to move once the old maid tapped a nerve on her back.
"We won't have you interrupt until this is over," Cologne said.
Meanwhile, Ranma was doing quite well against his opponents.
Only Ukyou and Shampoo were unhurt, but both of them had already lost
all their weapons.
"Shishi hokodan!" Ryouga launched a ki blast at Ranma. He moved
to the side to avoid it, only to land just within Kuno's reach.
"Atatatatatatatatatata!" Ranma took some of Kuno's blows, being
pushed with his back against the fence. "Die!" Kuno thrust with his
sword, knocking Ranma through the fence and into the river below.
"Ah! pigtailed g--" he began to say before being thrown away by
Ryouga. Ranma-chan made her way to the other side of the river, trying
to climb the fence while avoiding more of Ryouga's bandannas.
"C'mon, piggy!" she taunted. "Can't get past all this COLD
water?"
"What have you done with Ranma-sama?" a psychotic voice came up
behind her. "Great, even Kodachi's after me!" Ranma-chan thought.
"Take this, coward!" Ryouga dropped from the sky on top of
Ranma-chan, nearly hitting her with his umbrella. At the same time,
Ukyou and Shampoo jumped over the river, having recovered their weapons.
"Will you guys calm down?!" Ranma-chan said, blocking most of
the kicks and punches sent her way. Suddenly, Kodachi's ribbon ensnared
her feet and Ranma-chan tumbled to the ground. Almost immediately,
"Black Rose" pulled out a poisoned bouquet, paralyzing her.
"Heh, it seems the tables have turned," Ryouga said, cracking
his knucles. The other fighters began circling the prone Ranma-chan.
Without warning, Yamata no Orochi rose from the river with a loud
splash.
Ryouga began forming a large ki blast in his hands, saying "You
can't even die like a man!" Ukyou reared back her giant spatula. Shampoo
pulled out a scimitar and Kodachi played with the spiked clubs in her
hands. Yamata no Orochi simply licked its lips in delight.
"Swell," Ranma-chan thought "I always knew this curse would kill
me."
Akane heard that thought. She tried moving, but to no avail.
Cologne had efficiently immobilized her.
"Die, Saotome! Shishi hokodan!!"
"Ranma, no!"
Akane rose from her bed drenched in sweat, still panting from
the nightmare. To her side, P-chan groggily sat up, half asleep. She put
her head in her hands, trying to calm down. She noticed her face was
covered in tears, probably because she remembered the outcome of the
nightmare.
That had been the fifth time this week Akane dreamed about Ranma
dying because of his curse. And every time she had been shaken gravely
by the outcome of the nightmare. But she couldn't help being frightened.
Even when she would never admit it openly, Akane cared about what
happened to him. Seeing him... _her_ die was just too great a blow.
Trembling, Akane took P-chan in her arms and stood up. The
little pig could feel the hard beatings of her heart. She walked to the
door and stepped out to the dark hallway. Walking slowly, she reached
the Saotomes' room. Hesitant at first, she opened the door, just to
check on them. Most of the moonlight was being blocked by the huge
panda, but what it allowed to see was enough to calm Akane down.
Letting out a deep sigh, she began to walk back to her room.
However, she found it difficult to go back. Her feet were actually
taking her towards the balcony. Akane came out into the cold air of the
night, shivering. She tip-toed across the wooden boards, which creaked
with every step.
The sky was completely clear, which was rare for Tokyo. The
stars were unusually bright as well. Akane took a breath of fresh air,
waiting for her lungs to fill up completely before releasing it. Gently,
she placed P-chan on the floor and leaned against the railing.
Everything seemed so peaceful, it was hard to imagine anything could go
wrong. All of the strange troubles they always had seemed so distant, so
_fantastic_... Even that incident last week, with the tablet-destroying
spirit horse, seemed now like an odd dream, even while she had
participated in it as well.
Suddenly a shooting star, the brightest she had seen in a long
time, appeared exactly overhead. Quickly, Akane closed her eyes and
began to make her wish. It was different this time, though. She had
always wished that Ranma stopped being a jerk, or about her own cooking
becoming non-toxic. But this time, she only wished for her fiance to
find a cure to his curse. She wished for it strongly. She wished so
hard, soon the wish became almost a prayer.
Opening her eyes, she followed the shooting star as it continued
its journey. After making her wish, it seemed to glow even brighter than
before. Turning away, Akane picked up her pet pig and headed back
inside. She just stood in the entryway for a moment, watching the star.
With a sigh, she went back to her room.
"Please," she continued, "this time it has to work."
* * *
The shooting star kept on falling to Earth. But it didn't burn
because of the air friction, nor did it fall due to gravity. And what
could explain why it landed softly in the Quinghai province of China, or
why there was somebody there waiting for it?
That was no shooting star, but it may still grant her wish.
Arrival
A dark figure stood in the center of the crater. It's fist was
stretched forward, as if it had thrown a punch. Slowly, it staggered
away from the burning circle, shaking its head. It looked to the sides,
trying to get its bearings. The trip had left it dizzy, though. It was
very hard for it so simply stand up straight. But looking into the
horizon, it noticed several rugged peaks, like black spears jutting
against a navy-blue backbround. It had arrived, and only a few miles off
target. Silently, the being made its way to the middle of the valley,
walking past the guide's house along the way. Within a few minutes, it
arrived at Jusenkyo.
In the pitch-black darkness, it almost fell inside a spring.
Carefully kneeling forward, it stretched out a hand, almost touching the
water. Disappointed, it moved on to another spring, repeating the
procedure. This was repeated for several occasions, until it finally
reached the spring.
_Their_ spring.
Actually, it was considerably smaller than he remembered, but
after 1500 years even Jusenkyo would have changed. The spring where they
had drowned had split into four different wells since he left. At last
he had found one ofthose springs, the Shuanshontsuniichuan. "Spring of
Drowned Twins" they called it. He frowned. Although it was a fitting
name, it didn't really reveal the great legend... no, the _tragedy_
behind it. But there was no time to waste on this spring. The other one
was more important.
With the flick of the wrist the figure created a small ki sphere
within its right hand. With this new source of light, the being could
now be seen. It was a young man, clad in orange and yellow robes from
head to toe, and wearing a facemask. He appeared to be about 1.72 meters
high.
At last having a light to guide him, the man looked around
Shuanshontsuniichuan, as if trying to find something. His eyes settled
on another spring, slightly larger, and located next to the Drowned
Twins spring. He walked over to that spring, and once again stretched
out his hand towards the water, only this time the hand was holding the
ki ball.
He submerged the hand completely in the water, without being
affected by the curse. Instead, the spring began to glow along with his
ki, shedding a powerful purple light, then white. Behind the mask, the
young man smiled. This was the spring he had been looking for. And best
of all, only two beings had "disturbed" it, which means THEY were free.
Their spirit had at last escaped from Jusenkyo's magic, at least
partially.
Slowly, the spirit trapped in the spring began to stir. A weak
voice came from within, audible only to him. His eyes began to fill with
tears, joining th sad smile that formed beneath the mask. Struggling to
contain his emotions, he began to wave his hand in the water.
"Yes, it's me," he said to the spring. "I'm sorry I took so
long."
He removed his hand from the spring, not daring to shake the
water off. Not feeling his ki anymore, the spirit within the well
settled down, and the glow that came from the water disappeared. When he
turned around, the young man saw a large, bird-like figure behind him.
"Are you sure you're ready?" it asked him.
"I've waited fifteen hundred years and you ask me if I'm ready?"
"I am well aware of what you have been through, but this might
be harder on you than you imagine. Harder on _her_."
"Then let's hope Seraphim was right. C'mon, the palace of the
Musk Dynasty is only a few minutes away from here."
The avian being smiled, "She will be very surprised to see you."
"Not as surprised as her sister, I hope!" the young man smirked,
trying to hide the deep sorrow he still felt. The bird didn't get the
message at all. It simply took off from the ground, hovering above him.
With a sigh, he stood up, and looked at the horizon. It would be
dawn in only a few hours. Shaking off the dirt from his robes, he began
walking towards a nearby village, where one of the most powerful ki
masters, prince Herb, lived.
He stopped walking for a moment, and looked back towards the
spring.
"Just wait, Pandi... Zhaodi-chan... I'll help both of you.
Jusenkyo will not torment you any longer."
Making peace
"Ranma no baka!" yelled Akane, bokken in hand.
"Hey, it wasn't my fault your so-called cooking tried to eat me!
I was just defending myself!" Ranma said as he was being chased through
the garden.
"But you didn't have to destroy it, you big jerk!" she replied,
taking a few swipes at him.
"Oh, right. Maybe I should have given it to the old ghoul so she
could exorcise it!"
"SHUT UP!"
She dropped the bokken and pulled out her Interdimensional
Mallet, knocking Ranma into the carp pond. Almost immediately, her scowl
turned into a worried look as she ran to the pond.
"Ranma, are you alright?" she asked when she saw Ranma-chan
stagger out of the pool. "I-I'm sorry."
Ranma-chan stared at her in surprise, blinking. Akane helped her
out of the water. "Maybe you're right, Ranma. I think I should better
let Kasumi take care of dinner tonight." A large drop of sweat formed on
Ranma-chan's head. Akane was acting very strange, even for her.
"Akane, you feeling okay?" the redhead asked, cocking one eye.
This was _not_ the usual bloodthirsty attitude she would have expected
from her fiancee.
Akane showed a forced smile, "S-Sure!" She began heading for the
kitchen, "I'll get some hot water, or else we'll be late for school,"
she said cheerfully.
"What's gotten into her now?" Ranma-chan thought, crossing her
arms.
* * *
"Saotome, defend yourself!"
"Kuno, I don't got time for this..."
Kuno chased Ranma with his bokuto all the way back from Furinkan
High School. Ranma would have simply knocked him out if he hadn't been
thinking about Akane's behavior from before. All day long she had
acted... weird, even for her. But the worst part is that she seemed to
be condescendent every time he was splashed with cold water, and it
bothered him. He didn't like to be proteced, especially by Akane. But it
was this distraction what led him to run next to a water pipe just when
Kuno sliced it with his sword.
"Cretin!" Kuno shouted. "Do you think a mere blast of water
shall divert me?" He kept slashing into the water spout. Suddenly
something held on to the sword and pushed forward, knocking Kuno off
balance and onto the asphalt.
"Ah! Pigtailed girl!" he breathed as he watched his love come
out of the water spout, an annoyed look on her face as she held his
sword. "How I've longed to see you!" In the blink of an eye he was
already holding her in a bear hug.
"Hands off, you jerk!"
She was about to punt him into orbit when another fist connected
with his face, knocking him into the middle of next week instead.
"Akane?" Ranma-chan looked at her fiancee, confused for a
second, but after a second a frown replaced her puzzled look.
"That pervert had it coming," Akane said, beaming forcefully.
Ranma-chan just sent her another odd glance.
* * *
It had been a month now since the nightmare. Ranma was probably
going crazy, or so Akane thought. Ever since that night, she had
considered that the reason for him to be a jerk with her was because of
the curse, so she decided to make it easier for him. That's why she
acted strangely whenever Ranma turned into a girl.
For a moment, Akane thought how it would be if she turned into a
man, and nearly threw up. She believed Ranma truly suffered because of
the curse, and she had only made it worse. But her sudden change in
attitude had worked for the better, in more than one way. For one, she
found it easier to deal with him, considering she had run out of bokkens
to break on his head. Ranma was also aware she was trying to help him
out, and in turn made an effort to control his temper.
Not that they got along, though.
Now they were walking back home from school, completely silent.
Everybody who knew them was completely amazed not to see them fighting.
Even Akane herself was impressed by her fianci's silence. When she
turned to see him, he had a thoughtful expression on his face.
"Akane..." he said, without stopping.
"What?"
"I, uh, I got something to, ah, to tell you."
She slowed down. She had heard this somewhere before, but she
couldn't remember where nor when. "What is it?"
"You know, I mean, you've been really watching out for me these
weeks and everything," she heard him swallow hard, "and, um, I guess
I've always been a jerk with you and all, but..."
That's it! This was exactly the scene from her dream! "W-What
are you talking about, Ranma?"
Both of them stopped walking and looked at each other. Ranma
didn't come down from the fence. "What I mean to say is," he began,
turning the as red as his silken shirt, "I, uh, I... I... I... "
"Uh, Ranma..." Akane looked around nervously, trying to make
sure nobody was--
"Oh, good afternoon Akane-chan!"
Ranma barely jumped into the river in time. When Akane turned
around, a middle aged woman, with brown hair and a kimono, was just
coming into view. She carried a long wrapped package.
"Uh, um, good afternoon, auntie Saotome!" Akane said, waving. A
drop of sweat formed on her head when she heard somebody splash in the
river below.
Nodoka looked down as well. "Now, Ranko-chan, it isn't ladylike
to jump into a river like that," she helped "Ranko" over the fence and
back on the street.
"H-hi, auntie," came Ranko's dissapointed reply.
Daughter
"You don't say. They've gone on a training mission again?"
Nodoka asked. Ranko slumped her shoulders even more.
"Y-yes," Akane said nervously.
"At this rate you'll never see Ranma," Ranko said, in a barely
audible voice.
Nodoka looked at her, then smiled. "Don't worry, Ranko-chan.
Maybe they'll arrive while I'm here."
"Yeah, maybe," Ranko said.
"At least we're getting along better," Akane said with a smile.
Ranko stopped looking at the ground and turned to Akane. Both of them
turned bright red when they noticed they were looking at each other.
"Is that true, Akane-chan?" Nodoka said, hope was in her voice.
"Are you and Ranma truly getting along?" Akane nodded. "And how about
you, Ranko-chan? Have you found someone?" Ranko facefaulted while Akane
just gulped nervously. "Was it something I said?" Nodoka asked.
"Hey, we're back!" Ranko called as the trio came into the Tendo
residence. Out the corner of her eye, she saw a white blur fall into the
pond, to be replaced by a very nervous --and very wet-- panda. Sporting
worried smiles, Soun and Kasumi came up to greet Mrs. Saotome.
"Akane-chan tells me Ranma and Dearest have left on another
trip," she said. "Do you know when will they be back?"
"Well, Mrs. Saotome..." Soun began. Behind Nodoka, the panda
furiously scribbled down messages on the signs for Soun to read, like
cue cards. "Genma and Ranma will probably return in, ah..." he squinted
his eyes, "in about... one year, I think. They... they use a very...
very strange schedule." Nodoka and Ranko slumped down. Mrs. Saotome
quickly recovered, though. "Would you like me to cook dinner tonight?"
she asked. Pulling Ranko's arm, she said, "Ranko-chan, do you think you
could help me?" Ranko's eyes brightened, but became horrified (along
with the rest of the household) when Nodoka dragged Akane into the
kitchen as well.
"You girls get started," Nodoka said, "I still have to go to the
marketand get some things I need." She patted Ranko's head and smiled
warmly, then nodded to Kasumi and joined her as she left the kitchen.
"Jeez," Ranko said, sighing miserably. "I really hate this."
"Hey, 'Ranko,' I challenge you," Akane said.
"Huh?" she blinked in surprise.
"You heard me. I challenge you to a cooking match!"
"Again? C'mon, Akane, I can beat you hands down at everything
and now you challenge me at cooking? You already did that and lost, you
know." She followed with a smirk, "Miserably, I might add."
"If you're so cocky then prove it." Akane frowned at Ranko's
remark.
The redhead smiled mischievously "You're on."
Akane supressed a smile. Her plan had worked: Ranma had never
turned down a challenge, and whenever it came to impressing his mother
he always put extra effort. Maybe this way 'Ranko' would forget how
miserable she felt and actually have fun for a while.
Akane pulled out her mother's recipe book out of nowhere,
"Oo-kay, choose anything you want from here."
Ranko flipped through the pages, trying to find something
suitable of Akane's skills. "Nope, not that one... that one's too
difficult... I don't knowhow to do that... Wow! I didn't know you could
cook that... Nah. That one would eat US if you try to cook it..." she
didn't notice Akane starting to glow blue. "Aha! Perfect!"
"What is it?" Akane asked, annoyed.
"I'll try smoked salmon rolls. You try this one," Ranko said,
pointing at a picture of instant ramen.
* * *
Akane busily continued preparing sandwiches. She still couldn't
understand why that ramen had attacked her: all she did was add a few
extra spices to liven it up a little. But at least she had managed to
cheer Ranma-chan up. The prospect of a competition always seemed to
revive her. And since her mother hadn't come back yet, there was a
chance Ranma-chan might regain her confidence before Nodoka arrived.
Indeed. When she arrived with Kasumi, Nodoka was pleasantly
surprised to see a high-spirited Ranko. The only problem was when
Akane's sandwiches lunged to attack them. It was a good thing Nodoka
knew how to handle a sword, otherwise...
"It's good to know you're feeling better, Ranko-chan," Nodoka
said, at dinner. Everybody enjoyed the meal except for "Mr. Panda," who
sat in the garden, staring miserably at the still-twitching ramen and
sandwiches they had left him.
"Well, I guess I just needed a little help with a problem I
had," Ranko smiled at Akane, who blushed in turn.
"So, Akane-chan, you said you're getting along with Ranma now?"
Akane nodded. "I think we can finally understand each other
better now." Ranko was turning as red as her hair, as Akane already was
colored.
"In that case maybe I should help Ranko-chan now," Nodoka said.
She turned to Ranko, "I'm sure that if you become more like a girl the
boys will be more interested in you." Ranko and the panda choked on
their food while Soun splurted out his tea. Kasumi giggled a bit. Nabiki
simply broke out laughing.
"You bet," she said, "but I don't think Kuno-chan appreciates
the competition."
"'Kuno-chan'?" Nodoka asked. "So there really is someone...?"
"NO!" Ranko yelled. Her mother just blinked, confused.
"Um, Kuno-sempai is just a weird guy from school," Akane
intervened. "He's always after me and Ranko and fights Ranma a lot
because of our engagement."
"He's the prototype for a stupid pervert," Ranko added, now
calmed.
"But he isn't the only one after her," Nabiki said, adding fuel
to the fire, "there's that Sanzenin guy, the tea-ceremony guy, the
French guy..." Ranko started fuming, resembling Akane, "...plus she's a
great source of income," Nabiki finished quietly, with a wicked smirk on
her face. Nodoka blinked at Ranko in surprise. The redhead seemed ready
to explode while Akane nervously tried to come up with something to
say.
"Then you do have many admirers," Nodoka smiled. "But I'm
certain you have good reasons to turn them down." Now Ranko was the
surprised one. "Could you come shopping with me and Akane-chan? Maybe
you can tell me those reasons." Still confused, Ranko absently nodded.
* * *
They spent the entire evening at the shopping plaza. Ranko was
obviously in a bad mood. Her mother literally had to drag her from store
to store, and she was running out of excuses for not trying on the
frilly dresses that Nodoka kept showing her.. But even so, it turned out
for the better: every time Mrs. Saotome saw a young man, she would sigh
sadly for her son; fortunately, Ranko always managed to cheer her up,
despite her own depression. And every time, Nodoka seemed to become more
hopeful.
As they walked past a women's clothing store, Akane and Nodoka
stopped suddenly. They were staring at a young woman modeling a new
dress for her boyfriend.
"Wow," Akane said.
"You want to try it on, Akane-chan?"
"Geez, not again.." Ranko said, sulky.
"Don't worry, Ranko-chan," Nodoka said, "We'll find one for you
too."
Ranko began to run away, but her mother grabbed her by the collar, "And
no excuses this time, Ranko-chan. You know that deep down you want to
look pretty." Unaware of Ranko's greenish look, she thought, "Maybe I'll
finally get her in a dress."
Ranko leaned back against a wall, impatient. Why did they always
had to bring her along on their shopping sprees, anyway? She was nearly
bored to death, together with being terrified by the impending doom of
having to wear a dress. She would have escaped by now, if it weren't
because she didn't want to upset her mother.
Which was how she found herself in that store, looking around
aimlessly while her mother helped Akane try on one of the outfits. She
noticed how many people were also at the store, mostly young couples.
Funny that she hadn't noticed that before.
"Now, Akane-chan, let's go outside."
Nodoka and Akane stepped out of the dressing room into the store
itself. Ranko gasped at the sight of her fiancee. She was wearing a
long, strapless white gown. It was tight at the top, but large frills
concealed most of the upper torso. With the abundant sunlight coming
from the window behind Akane, it wasn't hard to imagine she also had
wings. Nearly every guy in the store stared at her, entranced, until
Ranko herself snapped out of it and scowled at them.
Nodoka smiled, "You look beautiful, Akane-chan." She turned to
Ranko, "Doesn't she?" Then she noticed Ranko was still scowling. "I bet
you would look just as good in it, Ranko-chan." Ranko quickly turned to
her mother, her face filled with terror, "No! I mean, I don't think they
got one that's my--"
"You asked for a smaller size, ma'm?" the saleslady appeared out
of thin air, showing Nodoka an identical gown, a little smaller. In the
blink of an eye, Mrs Saotome was dragging Ranko into the dressing room.
Akane had to smile. It was amusing to see Ranma, the premier martial
artist, being horrified so just by the thought of wearing a dress.
A few minutes later, a very upset Ranko was being pushed out of
the room by her mother.
"I am NOT going out there like this! I feel stupid! I look like
a--"
"Don't say that, Ranko-chan. Just go over to that mirror and see
for yourself."
With her shouting, Ranko quickly attracted the attention of
everyone in the store. When she came out, the same men who once stared
at Akane were now passing out all over the store, only to be slapped
back to consciousness by their very-angry girlfriends.
Akane silently watched as Ranko came out. She still couldn't see
her from her point of view, but she wondered why all the men in the
store reacted in such way. Then she found out. Ranko was wearing the
same white gown, together with white evening gloves, and Nodoka had
untied the pigtail, causing the red hair to flow down freely. When
Ranko stepped into the ray of sunlight, the effect it had on Akane
repeated itself. The men all passed out again.
Akane quietly said, "Ranm-- Ranko, you look great."
Irritated, Ranko said, "Will you cut it out? I feel like an
idiot with this thing," she tugged at the frills on the torso. "And I
can't believe she made me do THIS," she said, passing her hand through
her now-free hair. "That was my 'seal'!" She turned as red as her hair,
both out of embarassment and fury.
Nodoka smiled. "Just go to the mirror, Ranko-chan." Ranko
stomped her way across the hall, towards a full-body mirror. She didn't
look straight at it. "Okay, I'm here, now..." she saw Nodoka drawing a
circle in the air with her finger. "Alright, I'll look. But I still--"
Ranko turned around and saw herself in the mirror. She stood there for a
moment, surprised at her own reflection. She had to admit, she didn't
look so bad. She even smiled, and began to twist so she could see every
angle. Suddenly, she felt something in the back of her head begin to
stir. It caused her to be familiar with the image, as if she had seen
that girl somewhere before.
She turned back towards her mother and Akane. Nearly all of the
other women were scowling at her, mostly the ones with unconscious
boyfriends. "Okay, I guess I don't look that bad, but..." she noticed a
glimmer of sadness in her mother's eyes. She quickly rushed up to her.
"Auntie? What's wrong?"
"Nothing at all," Mrs. Saotome said, hastily wiping a tear from
her eyes. "I was thinking about.... N-no, forget it. It's just that,
sometimes, I think about Dear leaving with Ranma ten years ago, and how
much I wish I had a daughter like you." Her voice betrayed a touch of
nostalgia, her last sentence seemed almost forced. Nodoka herself was
puzzled. She felt... she felt as if she already _had_ a daughter, but...
She shook her head. What on Earth made her have those thoughts?
Ranko slumped down miserably when she heard those words. Even
Mrs. Saotome was beginning to look glum. Akane swallowed heavily and put
her hands on their shoulders. "Come on, you guys, cheer up. You look
like you're in a funeral." She quickly fell silent, wishing she hadn't
made that comment. "I... I'm sorry I said that..."
"Don't worry, Akane-chan, it's not your fault. I was the one
who..."
"No, it's not your fault either," Ranko said. "If only I hadn't
been so stubborn you wouldn't be..."
"It is my fault," Akane said.
"My fault," Ranko said, turning towards Akane.
"MY fault." Akane said, glaring at Ranko.
"_MY_ fault."
"MY fault!"
Nodoka smiled amusedly at the two girls' bickering. "It's
nobody's fault, girls. Actually, it's Dear's fault for leaving like
that." The girls stopped arguing.
Ranko grinned, "You're right about that!"
* * *
The scene repeated for the next two days of Nodoka's visit. It
was obvious to Ranko how her mother felt, and that made her even more
miserable, despite all the help she and Akane gave to her. Akane too
felt sorry for them, but there really wasn't much she could do. And
since Ranko and Nodoka were becoming closer, she wasn't able to give
much help. She could only hope that all of this could be resolved...
someday.
"So you're leaving tomorrow?" Soun said, during breakfast.
"Yes, I'm afraid. I wish I could stay longer, until Ranma
arrived, but I wouldn't want to give you so much trouble." Behind her,
in the garden, the panda started to dance in celebration. But suddenly
Ranko stood up, startled.
"There's no trouble! Kasumi, tell her it's okay if she stays!
You don't have to go!" The terrified panda leapt towards the dining room
and snagged her, carrying her off beyond Nodoka's hearing range.
Meanwhile, most of the Tendos, except Kasumi, were still frozen in
shock.
"Ranko-chan..." Nodoka said.
Nabiki came back to her senses. "Hmph. She's finally gone over
the edge..."
Upstairs, in the Saotomes' room, the panda "lectured" Ranko,
using signs.
"WHAT IN THE WORLD WERE YOU--" he ran out of space. He quickly
wrote on the other side, "--THINKING, BOY!!"
"Go on and rant, old man. I am tired of having to lie to Mom. If
I can't tell her the truth, at least I don't want to let her leave if
she's still worried about us!"
"Have you lost your mind?! If she doesn't leave, we'll have to
spend all the time like this!" the panda wrote on two signs.
"You should have thought of that before dragging me to Jusenkyo.
Now both of us have to go through this every time she comes!"
"Then avoid her! Like I do!"
"I didn't mean 'both of us' as in 'you and me', pop. I meant
this is even worse on Mom and me than it is on you! You just crawl up
into your shell and pretend she isn't even here! You have any idea what
it is to--"
"So you want to commit sepukku?"
"I don't, but maybe there's a way we can tell her..."
"Tell her what, Ranko-chan?"
Ranko and the panda froze up, suddenly covered in sweat as
Nodoka came into the room. The panda nearly fainted when she took
Ranko's hand and led her outside, saying, "I want to talk to you about
something."
They came down the stairs, Ranko's heart pounding in her chest.
Had she heard the argument? What was she going to do?
"Auntie Saotome!" Akane came up to them. "Are you going out?"
"Yes, Akane-chan. But I need to talk to her alone. You
understand, don't you?"
"Yes, Auntie." As Nodoka and Ranko came out to the front gate,
Akane watched them with a worried look. She felt uneasy. "Ranma, what
are you going to do?"
* * *
The warm summer breeze waved the branches of the trees in the
park, pulling along several of the stubborn blossoms that hadn't come
off yet. Not that it mattered, anyway. The folliage was still thick
enough to hide the two men from view completely.
They were standing on the branches, on opposite sides of the
road that crossed through the park. The man to the right stood proudly,
arms crossed on his chest. Although the leaves allowed a few rays of
light to cross, he still remained hidden beneath his long, gray
trenchcoat, his face shrouded in darkness. The man on the left, however,
was completely obscured, but he appeared to be kneeling on the branch,
putting his right hand on the trunk for extra support.
It would be a few minutes, now. They had planned this for a long
time, ever since the night he arrived at Jusenkyo. This would have to be
accomplished without a flaw, lest the entire plan be ruined. They were
so close, they couldn't afford any mistakes: if the blast were too weak,
she would notice and attack them; too strong, and she would have amnesia
for the rest of her life. Unfortunately, this was the only way.
The men heard voices coming: two females, as expected. And one
of them was the target they were waiting for. Bracing themselves, they
prepared for the First Step.
"Ranko-chan, do yo mind if I ask you a question?" Nodoka said,
as they walked into the park.
"What?"
"Well, how do you get along with your family?"
Ranko gasped at the question. "W-Why d'you ask?"
"These last few days you've been very kind to me, Ranko-chan.
Lately, I'm becoming more concerned about Dear and Ranma, considering
they are always away training whenever I visit," Ranko began to sweat,
Nodoka continued, "Sometimes I think they are avoiding me..." Ranko
turned pale white. Nodoka smiled, "Isn't that silly? If my Ranma is as
manly as his father promised, then they shouldn't need to hide. I'm sure
I just have bad timing, that's all." Ranko sighed in relief and turned
back to her normal pinkish color.
"But still.." Nodoka continued, "I feel very lonely without
them. Sometimes I don't know how I manage to go on with this. I love
Genma and Ranma very dearly. Even if Ranma wasn't as manly as Genma
promised, I'd just like to see him. It's been so long..."
Ranko looked toward the ground, feeling as lowly as an insect.
She felt so terrible she didn't notice Nodoka saying she would happily
withdraw Genma's promise to commit seppuku if she could be with her son
again. "Y-You miss them that much?" Ranko asked.
"Yes. Sometimes, when I'm alone at our house, I just break down
crying." Ranko felt like the most miserable person in the world. "But
whenever I come to the Tendo dojo, I don't feel so lonely. And do you
know why, Ranko-chan?"
Ranko looked up towards her mother. Her eyes were starting to
flood. She shook her head softly.
"It's because of you and Akane-chan." Nodoka said, smiling. It
was a peaceful, reconforting smile. A sob heaved its way from Ranko's
chest. Who was this woman that was talking to her? Even after facing so
many dangers in her life, Ranko had never seen anyone so strong of
heart. A single word came out of her mouth, barely audible, "Mother?"
Nodoka didn't hear her. She just continued, "You two girls have
always helped me. Every time I come visit, I become depressed to hear
that Genma and Ranma are away training, and they might not return until
after I leave. But somehow Akane-chan and you manage to confort me. You
can't imagine how much pain is relieved by you."
They came to a stop between two large trees. Nodoka moved to the
front, facing Ranko, who had been unusually silent for her. A faint
rustling sound came from the tree to Nodoka's left.
It was her. It was HER! He could barely contain himself. She was
alive, and right below him! He had to grasp the branches tightly, it was
all he could do to keep himself from leaping down to talk with her. But
there was no time for that now. If he ever wanted to speak to her again
he would have to restrain himself. But it was hard.
He had waited fifteen hundred years.
He could wait a few more minutes.
"These last few days have been specially hard for me," she said,
"I remember how much Genma and I enjoyed summer with our little Ranma.
But those memories are fading away. That is why I wanted to come back. I
didn't want to be alone, with so much pain." She sighed deeply, and put
a hand on the shoulder of a downcast Ranko. "It was a very good thing I
came, because you've helped me deal with this pain in a great way..."
Ranko looked up, trying to meet her mother's eyes, but quickly
faced downwards again. "Yeah. Akane is really good at that."
Nodoka raised Ranko's chin with her hand. "I didn't mention
Akane-chan.I meant you, Ranko-chan. Ever since we went to that store, I
have felt closer to you."
The man standing on the tree to Ranko's right lifted his hand.
The man opposite to him nodded, and stretched his right arm forward,
holding the wrist with the left hand. He aimed for Ranko.
Ranko didn't know what to say. Heck, she didn't even know how
she _felt_. Her eyes were almost completely flooded, any more stress
would release the watery liquid. She didn't feel right: not with her
mother, not with herself. Somewhere, in the back of her head, she heard
two voices, arguing, trying to command her attention. One of the voices
was that of her male self, the other was the female.
"Don't you DARE!" the male side said. "Don't you dare go on and
cry. Somehow, we'll get Pop for this. But don't show yourself as unmanly
before Mom."
"Don't listen to that," the female side said. "There's nothing
wrong with showing how you feel, and... if there's a good reason, it's
okay to cry."
Ranko turned towards her mother. Tears glimmered in the corner
of her eyes.
"I feel you are a part of our family, Ranko-chan," Nodoka said.
But her throat was becoming sore, her mouth was dry with nervousness.
The words would be hard to say, even if they were the truth. It was just
that she couldn't keep this to herself anymore. She had to tell Ranko.
She looked down at her, at the face of that naive child she was so fond
of, and the knot inside her tightened further. But those eyes... The way
Ranko was looking at her... No, no... She had to tell her, no matter
what. She loved Ranko as if she were her own, and it was time to show
it.
"Somehow I..." Nodoka hesitated for a second, still struggling
to get the words out, "I...I feel you really are my daughter..."
Every single restraint in Ranko's mind was torn down by that
phrase. It kept repeating itself in her mind over and over for what
seemed to be an eternity. Then, without a word, Ranko fell to her
mother's arms, crying.
"Ranko-chan?" Nodoka said, herself on the verge of tears.
"Mother," Ranko said again, tears coming from her shut eyes.
The man on the right winced, his rigid posture disturbed by such
display. He looked away, feeling too sorry for the women below to endure
it much longer. With his right hand, he signaled again to his cohort.
The man on the left concentrated. "Saotome Ranma," he thought,
"even though we were enemies..." A glowing sphere of light formed in the
palm of his right hand. In a fast motion, he quietly said, "Mind Blast
revised, step 1," and the sphere launched at full speed towards Ranko.
Nodoka didn't see it coming. Ranko didn't feel a thing.
"Ranko-chan?" Nodoka said, surprised to see that Ranko had
fainted in her arms. She shook her gently, trying to awake her. In soft
caressing motions, she stroked Ranko's hair. She was still unconscious.
It had worked smoothly. The Target would awake unharmed in a
little over 24 hours. The First Step was a success.
The man on the right looked back at the women. Something
crystalline glimmered in his hidden face. He turned to face his partner.
Waving his hand, he silently leapt twenty feet straight up, and
vanished.
The other man, the one who had sent the blast, made his way to
the ground without making a sound. Mrs. Saotome was still trying to
awake Ranko.
"Ranko-chan! Ranko-chan!" She was now starting to worry. She
knew Ranko to be a very active girl, it was extremely unusual for her to
simply faint.
On the other hand, she was still thinking about the way the girl
just flung herself into her arms. She was still just a child! If she
could accept her so openly, then it only proved what Nodoka had been
thinking for a long time: Ranko needed her. She needed a mother. But
this wasn't the way. Nodoka scolded herself for playing with the girl's
emotions like that: she had been too blunt, to harsh on the poor child.
She never wanted to hurt Ranko like this.
Then she saw him: a young, Chinese man coming up towards them.
He was tall, and had long white hair, pulled into a long ponytail. His
clothing was odd, but magnificent. He wore a flowing white cape and a
strange armor, which seemed to be made out of golden dragon scales. The
rest of his clothing was also white, except for the red cloth belt
across his waist. His eyes were slightly reptilian in appearance.
"Greetings, dear lady," he spoke. "My name is Herb, prince of
the Musk Dynasty. I am an acquaintance of your son, Ranma, and of this
young woman. May I be of assistance?"
--> End of the First Step <--