[Ranma/MKR][FanFic] A Duet of Pigtails: His Prelude
Libby Thomas
His Prelude: Akane no Nichibotsu
By Libby Thomas
Magic Knight Rayearth and Ranma 1/2 belong to their particular
owners. They're not mine. If they were, I wouldn't have to say this.
~*~
In my life, I have seen some of the most amazing things. Most have
them have been magical. Many of those mystic experiences have been very
negative. I don't consider changing into a woman anything positive,
though I have learned to live with it in the 10 years I've had this
curse. But once in a rare while, there is something that happens in life
that makes things seem, well, MAGICAL. Magical in the positive sense.
In those ten years, it's only happened four times that I really
consider significant. One was my life, as short and sweet as it was,
with Akane. Two, was the birth of my son, Akama, who I named after his
mother, even as she went off to die. Three, are my sisters Nabiki and
Kasumi--and yes, I think of them that way now. And last, but never
least...
Four is my wife, my soulmate, my love. Hikaru. The person who
taught me how to love again, how to open my heart once more, and to open
my emotions before I destroyed myself, or worse, my son. As I'm here in
the dojo, I can see her now, sitting with her pet wolf, Hikari, and our
two newborns, Hikama and Hotaru.
And yet it still seems like things would never have happened this
way. Maybe she would still be in that magical land, and maybe I'll wake
up from a dream, to have Akane at my side. If this is a dream, it's one
that fills me with more joy than I've had in the years previous. But
since it's not, I'm content to know that while I love and cherish the
times I was with Akane, I do love my current wife.
Even so, my mind trails back to where it all began, at least for me,
that painful period six years ago that I both treasure forever and try to
banish from my memory. Still, it's burned in my mind, and burned forever
into my scarred soul. It was a day of gain and a day of loss. It was,
quite simply, the day that Akane came back from the hospital with little
Akama in her arms.
~*~
"Look at him, Ranma," she said, looking at me with all the love in
her heart. "Our son."
"Yes, and he'll probably grow up to be as strong as you," I said.
Kamiasama, I was such an idiot back then, using my mouth long before my
mind realized it was time to think. Looking back at it, I wish that I
could take back every nasty thing I said to her, every cheap shot and
stupid insult. But back then, those insults were words of love. I was
never one for sentimentality.
We looked at our son, cheering and enjoying that tender moment. I
turned and kissed her, as my parents and her father looked on, ogling and
cooing at our baby boy. I thought I might have even seen a moment of
kindness from Nabiki--back then I trusted her as far as I could throw
her. Little did I know--how damn little did I know. Kasumi smiled
sweetly and looked on at her first nephew, a joy on her face that made
her look absolutely beatific. It was the best moment I'd ever
encountered in my life.
I should have known right then and there that it wouldn't have
lasted.
An arrow slammed through the window, shattering the peace that Akane
and I had cherished for the last three years. Suddenly, my mind was
racing. Who was it? Shampoo, challenging Akane? She had been the only
suitor who had never given up. Ukyo, after the wedding, admitted a sort
of defeat, at least willing to remain nothing more than my best
friend--she knew I loved her in my own way; furthermore, she was in the
room, next to Kasumi. Ryoga was happy with Akari, and in any case, was
nowhere nearby at the moment. Kodachi was placed in an institution. Kuno
was leaving us alone, ever in search of the Pigtailed girl, who I swore I
"no longer had dominion over" (it's amazing that while he never listened
to me in plain speech, I got through to him--in a sense--when acting
formal). Mousse, maybe?
Nabiki picked up the letter and read it, confirming my suspicions.
"Akane for too too long have had Shampoo husband. Stupid tomboy can no
longer hide behind pregnancy of child that should be Shampoo's child.
Shampoo challenge you for final time for Ranma hand. This fight to
death. Shampoo be nice and give tomboy one week to train. Meet at
Gotembamori at noon next Saturday."
Akane looked at me, a steely glaze in her eyes. "That's it. I've
had it. I'm going to stop her, one last time."
"NO!" I shouted, even as the others joined in with fervent
agreement. Akane just completed her term. She was not physically ready,
not even remotely. She might have been as strong as an ox, but Shampoo
was ready and training. Ukyo even volunteered to fight in her place.
Nabiki offered to try to find some way around it, and I tried to think of
a way to stall it until Akane could at the very least, be ready to defend
herself against Shampoo.
Akane looked at all of us, and that was the end of that. It was her
fight, she said, and that no matter what, she had a family to protect.
She wasn't going to back down. She was going to do it, and she was going
to win. She was angry at all of us for even having the slightest doubts
in her. She would listen to no one, not my mother, not her father, not
even Tofu or Kasumi, and certainly not me, the person she stood to lose.
That night, even as her body was out of shape, even as her breasts
were weighted down from mother's milk, she trained. For the successive
days, she continued to train, fervent in the belief that she could do it,
that her confidence as a wife and mother would carry her on to victory.
She would stop only to eat, sleep, and feed Akama.
This is the first of my crimes, for which I will never forgive
myself. I let her continue. In my stupidity, and my naivete, I not only
let it continue, I helped her train as well, figuring on the "If you
can't beat them...." line of thought. I taught her every trick I could,
every stunt I knew. On my request, Ryoga came and helped out, as did
Ukyo. For a week, Akane was surrounded with more martial arts lore and
training than I had ever seen in my life.
A week passed, and I will never understand what was going through my
mind when I said that I thought Akane was ready. The kami help me if I
ever think that way about Hikaru, and I KNOW Hikaru's more than capable
of taking care of herself. Still, I deemed her ready, and I've been
paying for that lapse of judgement ever since.
Finally, that Saturday came, that day that changed my life, the day
I was plunged into hell. We left Akama with my mother, and Akane, Ryoga,
Ukyo and I headed out for that little forested area near Fujiyama. After
getting off at the train, Ukyo went to make reservations at the hotel,
while the rest of us would head to the appointed spot.
Upon arrival, the two wasted no time in fighting. Not even a
speech, or some stupid posturing, or even, "Hello old friend. Time for
you to die." Akane arrived, Shampoo attacked. Simple as that. I followed
as close as I dared, knowing that getting too close would trigger Mousse,
who looked at me with obscene hatred. He never understood, simply
thinking that since I'd had a child with Akane, Shampoo was next. Until
that moment, I never realized how he really thought of me. Still, this
was a matter of honor between the two women, and neither of us would
interfere. Take on each other, maybe, but not interfere with the girls.
The battle raged on and on, and I have to admit, Akane never looked
more beautiful. Motherhood must have done something to her, for at that
moment, she was unleashing with ki strikes on a level that approached
mine or Ryoga's. What she lacked in the training and readiness, her rage
and need to win balanced out. Shampoo fought with a level that I'd never
seen her at before, and for hours on end, both raged on, both gaining an
upper hand at times, but never holding it for long.
Then it happened. Six hours later, far from civilization and on a
ledge overlooking a river, Akane began to falter, her lack of full
training catching up to her. Shampoo, sensing an opening as surely as a
shark smells blood in the water, poured her remaining strength into that
attack. I readied, unsure of what to do. If Akane won, Shampoo would
die, and Mousse would attack her. If Shampoo won, then Mousse would
attack me, or I would kill Shampoo--I'd already decided that course of
action. I watched as Akane began to fall under multiple blows as Shampoo
attacked with the Tenshin Amaguriken--I should have known the old ghoul
would have taught Shampoo every trick possible.
I tensed and readied for whatever happened next. I never expected
what happened next. Akane, sensing defeat, threw the desperation move,
one I never taught her, one I never knew she learned from all the times
she saw me use it. The Hiryu Shoten Ha. She used her remaining
strength, standing on the edge of the cliff, buffeting Shampoo with her
own strength. Shampoo, never expecting it and letting the Amazon's rage
take a hold of her, stood no chance.
When it was over, Shampoo's body slammed to earth, battered and
broken. The light in her eyes seemed to die as she knew she was beaten,
and I was forever lost to her. I then looked at Akane. Akane smiled
weakly as she fell off the cliff.
I moved faster than I ever had, diving off that cliff. In mid-air,
searching for her, seeing where she went, I heard the inhuman roar behind
me shout, "SAOTOME!!!!! YOU AND YOUR WIFE ARE DEAD!" Nevermind Mousse
and his empty threats; Akane was my all-consuming concern. There, just
below me, as I neared the end of my dive, was a river. Akane could never
swim in the best of times. She was near death, and the river was fast.
I hit the water, immediately taking advantage of my female form as it
moved me down the river. I was going to find Akane, or I would join her
in death.
I found her, an hour later--what was left of her. As the sun set on
the day, I found her dead body, waterlogged, bruised, battered, nearly
blood-drained, and washed up against a large rock. I cried my heart out,
not caring a damn bit of what was happening around me. All I remember
was kissing her, telling her she won and begging her to wake up. My mind
flashed to that day at Jusenkyo, but this was here and now, too horribly
real. I kept hoping that she would come back, but her eyes never
blinked, her mouth never breathed.
My Akane, the rage of my life, my sunrise, was gone. Akane no
nichibotsu was all that rang through my mind. I had lost the most
important woman in my life. Despite all the battles that I'd fought to
save her, all the opponents I'd taken on to rescue her, all the
challenges I'd accepted for her, I lost her because of one battle I could
not fight.
Those thoughts will haunt me for the rest of my life.
~*~
The next two years are so vague, I barely remember them at all.
Most of the rest of that day, I'll never know what happened. Shampoo
slowly died from a snapped vertebra when she landed the wrong way; what I
saw in her eyes was more than just losing me, it was the loss of her life
as well. Mousse bellowed his challenge, intending to kill both of us,
but Ryoga intervened, taking him on and letting me search for her. Ten
minutes later, Mousse was knocked out and incapacitated, and Ryoga and
Ukyo were on the search for me.
It was they, my best friends, who carried Akane's body back to the
hotel and helped me back as well. It was they who called our families
and told them what had happened. It was they who took care of me as I
sank into a depression so deep, I refused to even live, ignoring
everything--even my son, though I'd never intended to. I came out of that
depression as the weeks went by, tending to Akama, who would never see
his mother, and feeling so empty about life.
The next major thing I remember was being at my father-in-law's
deathbed. Although it had happened a few months after we lost Akane, at
the time my mind was still in a blur, and thus it could have happened at
the same time. Never having recovered from the loss of his wife, the
death of his youngest daughter destroyed him to the point that he simply
stopped the will to live. I know that feeling, for if it was not for my
son, I would have joined him in death. It's funny: when I was younger, I
never understood why he was the way he was. Now, watching him on his
deathbed, dying in the spirit and body from the loss of his wife and
daughter, I understood him more than at any other moment in my life.
As he lay there, his last words to me were that I should ensure that
Akama had someone to be his mother. He told me that although the giri of
marrying a Tendo was fulfilled, that he would still wish to see me wed to
the last single Tendo daughter: Nabiki. Needless to say, we were both
horrified, and we agreed only to humor a dying man's last request. A
week later, the ashes of Tendo Soun sat next to Tendo Nanase and Saotome
Akane in the family shrine.
Nabiki and I sat down and talked the next day. We were betrothed
again, but it was in terminology only. We looked at each other, and knew
how we felt about the other: we were siblings in marriage and heart, if
not in blood. To her, I was a younger brother, and the head of the
household, never, ever her fiancÈ, not truly. The same went for me, as
well.
In those two years, I saw a change in Nabiki, and I can objectively
say that I was wrong about what I thought she would do. Yes, she was a
weasel, a scheming, conniving ice princess that would stop at nothing to
make a yen, and not even her family was exempt. I thought that our
re-engagement, such as it was, would end up as another money-making
scheme for her, though her main customers for that were now either no
longer interested, or dead. But after all that had occurred, after all
our family had endured, Tendo Nabiki the Yen Cobra changed into Tendo
Nabiki, my pseudo-iinazuke but more importantly my sister. She waged a
one-woman campaign to see that I didn't slide into depression, as though
it was a silent vow that she'd made to Akane at the funeral. Perhaps it
was; I don't know. All I can say is that Nabiki saved me from becoming
like Ryoga had been, and in doing so, saved herself from the same fate.
Whatever it took, she did. In a period just shy of a year and a
half, she did everything possible to keep my spirits up, even though the
task seemed impossible. She began to study Anything Goes, just so I'd
have a daily sparring partner in addition to my students. She was
constantly making dinner (yes, she learned to cook) or doing things for
Family Night: just me, her and Akama. I know that in my son's mind the
words "Aunt Nabiki" have the same reverence and love as the word
"Mother", and in some ways are indistinguishable to him. She and Kasumi
were there for me in ways I can never repay or forget. And although
Kasumi will always be a loving sister-in-law to me, it is especially
Nabiki that is my sister.
In those two years, she'd also begun to date Kuno. Two years to the
day after Akane's death, we went to lunch at the Tokyo Tower. She had
some news to break to me.
~*~
"Ranma," she commented, her tone a bit exasperated, "Haven't you
heard a word I said? Tatewaki's asking me to marry him, and I need your
blessing." As you can guess, since we never considered our re-engagement
official, she was free to marry whomever she wished, and I certainly
would never stop her.
"No you don't," I said, my voice thick as syrup. My mind was
hundreds of kilometers away from here, in a riverbed where the mud ran
red with the blood of my lost wife. I really was tuning out what she was
saying, not giving it a second thought. For all I had paid attention,
she could have told me that she was planning to take over the world and
she needed my blessing.
"Yes I do, Ranma. Like it or not, you're the head of the household.
Traditionally, it is your word that is required, and Tatewaki's coming by
tonight to formally ask you--you have no idea how hard it was to convince
him that he has to ask you. But as untraditional as you and I are, he
isn't. More importantly, I want your blessing, little brother." She and
Kasumi'd been calling me that since the day I married Akane, but it
wasn't until after Akane's death that the phrase began to have actual
meaning between us.
"And you have my blessing, Nabiki, you always have and you always
will. But could we do this tomorrow? I'm not up to visitors tonight."
I could almost hear the gears in her mind click. "Shimata...how
could I have forgotten? I should have thought about that. Ranma, I
remember now what today is, and where your mind is right now. I know
you're hurting; it hurts me, too. I loved my sister, and miss her
terribly." She took my hand in hers, adding, "But you're killing
yourself slowly and surely."
"I don't care," I said, feeling completely empty.
"What about Akama then? What about your parents and your friends?
What about Kasumi and Tofu? What about ME? We all love you Ranma, and
we hate to see you tearing yourself apart like this. Ranma, you're my
little brother and I love you very much, and I can't stand seeing that
ache in your heart anymore. Please--it's time to let Akane go."
"I doesn't matter," I replied in a dull monotone.
"It does to me, dammit, it does to me." She looked at her watch, a
sure sign she had to get back to her job, and though she'd rather be here
where she was needed, she had to climb that social ladder to continue to
get the home out of mortgage. "Please cheer up, Ranma. You're not doing
anyone any good. It's been nearly two years since she died. Let her go.
You have no idea how hard it is for me to say that, and it means
everything to know you still love her, but let her go before you destroy
yourself. Please."
"I...can't, Nabiki," My voice barely a whisper, my mind barely able
to register, much less process her request. "I just can't."
"I have to go to work now, Ranma. I'll talk to you tonight." I
nodded solemnly and looked forlornly at her as she walked away. I
couldn't believe she asked me that. I loved Akane, and I knew in my
heart that there would never be anyone like her again.
Boy was I right. But not in the way I intended.
Before I knew what was going on, a very sweet and melodic voice rang
out, asking me, "Excuse me, but is this seat taken?" I turned and looked
at the sound of that voice...
...and stared straight at myself. Well, not really. She had brown
eyes instead of my blue, and she wore a Tokyo Disneyland sweater and
pants vice my usual clothing, but other than that, she could have passed
as the twin of my female side. A thought flashed in my head: what if she
was that creature that Happosai had created so long ago? I fully
expected for her to start glowing with a green aura, coo "Come to me, my
love," and try to kill my family. But she didn't do that, instead saying
with a sweet voice, "I couldn't help but think that you looked so sad, so
I thought misery loves company. By the way, my name's Shidou Hikaru.
What's yours?"
"Ranma. Saotome Ranma," I replied, still staring at her in shock.
And, as I've done so many times in my life, mouth first, mind last. "I'm
sure I sound crazy when I say this, but are you for real?"
Surprise, surprise, she took it well. That is, she didn't hit me
immediately, instead rising from her seat and began to leave. "Well, if
you feel that I'm that kind of woman, Saotome-san, then it must have been
a mistake for me to come over here and talk to someone who seems to be in
as much pain as you seem to be. My regrets. Good day."
Something within me said, ((Stop her. Don't let her walk out of
your life. You need her.)) Without being sure of what I did next, I
reached out for her wrist, and not even I was sure that the voice was my
own as I said, "Please. Let me explain."
"Okay," was her neutral response, though I could have sworn I saw a
flash of delight in her eyes. In any case, I had her attention. Now I
had to find a way to make her stay.
Easy enough.
I grabbed a can of tea off the table that Nabiki had been drinking;
at least I think so, as my mind was still a little floaty at the time.
It was open and still full, with more than enough water in it to
accomplish what I needed to do. I poured it over my head, and in one
move that completely stunned her, became her twin. While I still had the
advantage of having her off guard, I focused my blue eyes onto those
enchanting brownish-red ones, and spoke with an emotional strength that I
hadn't felt in quite a while, "And now I hope you understand why I said
what I did, Shidou-san. Sorry about this."
In the hours that followed, we went to dinner at this nice little
place out in Yaesu-ku that she knew about. Of course, I had to explain
to Kasumi where I was, since she was watching Akama at the time; it was
hard enough to try to convince her--to convince myself--that I wasn't
going out on a date. Hikaru and I went to a nice Italian restaurant; a
cozy little place that would become a regular dining place for us. And
for the next time in my life, that special magic must have intervened,
because I found myself telling her everything about my life, even though
I wasn't sure she'd believe me, transformation not withstanding. I told
her everything, from the day I had first arrived in Nerima, to my
marriage to Akane, and my son.
She in turn told me about her life and the magical world known as
Cephiro. At first, I didn't know what to think about it, until the
candle at our table went out, and she proved her truth. She tapped the
top once with her finger, and it relit; it was the most trifling aspect
of her fire magic, she admitted. She went on to tell me about her best
friends Fuu and Kuu, though I could tell she'd left someone out.
Additionally, she told me about her last boyfriend, a Cephiran swordsman
who she could never be with, and had long since gotten past. She sighed
as she said that, and I could tell that she was not past her heartbreak.
At that melancholy tone, my heart went out to her. This was a woman
who understood me. This was a woman who understood every little detail
of my life as though it were her own. As we said goodbye at Meguro JR,
we traded phone numbers.
Something in me was different than it had been earlier in that day.
I hoped I would see her again. I wanted to see her again. There was
something about her that called to me, saying she's the one that I'd been
waiting for.
As I got home that night, I was smiling, so happy that it gave
Nabiki pause. She pestered me for a half hour about it, but I promised
I'd tell her later...and to set up that meeting with Kuno later on. And
as I slept that night, my dreams were not the nightmare of losing Akane,
but of a redhead woman with a dazzling smile, that I had met a few hours
earlier.
The next day, I called, and set up a date, and as I hung up, I heard
Nabiki, spying on me from around the corner. My initial fears were that
she'd react as though I'd betrayed everything I held dear, but she simply
hugged me and said, "It's about time, Ranma. I'm happy for you."
That date went along wonderfully, like a dream. And so did the
next. And the next. And every one we had, from the day she told me she
loved me, to the day she became Saotome Hikaru.
~*~
In the four years since we met, my life's been an absolute joy.
She's healed me in a way that I never knew I had a pain, in a way that I
never knew my soul was aching. I still love Akane, but my heart is more
than open to my loving wife; Akane would understand...after the
obligatory mallet strike, of course. Although Hikaru's been a wonderful
mother to Akama, I hope to tell him about Akane when he's older, and
about how much she loved him. And wherever Akane is, I hope she's happy
with the knowledge that I still love her, and am still living my life
with someone I love.
I'm thrilled that Hikaru's been able to adjust to my family. I know
she doesn't like Pop, and I don't blame her; I barely respect him myself.
But even if he didn't raise me right, he still raised me, and I guess I
care about him. On the other hand, she absolutely adores Mom, and she's
often said there's nothing she wouldn't do for her. She also thinks the
world of Nabiki (she married Kuno just before I married Hikaru), Kasumi,
and Tofu. She doesn't seem to ever believe me when I tell her about
Nabiki's past attitudes, and considering what a 180 my sister had done in
her personality, I'd be hard-pressed to believe it as well.
As for my best friends, she thinks Ryoga's okay (she hasn't figured
out about P-chan, though), and she gets along great with Akari. As for
Ukyo, it took a long time for those two to get comfortable with each
other. Ukyo, though she knew I could never love her more than as my best
friend, still felt protectiveness and a certain possessiveness towards
me. It was then that I found out how tough Hikaru could be: in the few
initial fights she had with Ukyo, she showed more fighting skill than I
had seen in a while. Also, as powerful as those fireblasts were,
something told me she was purposely toning down her firepower. In any
case, she eventually won Ukyo's respect and friendship, and now they're
very close.
When it comes to her family, I think her brothers Satoru, Kakeru,
and Masaru are the greatest, and I feel just like one of them at times.
I've been teaching them (and Hikaru, before her pregnancy) Anything Goes,
and they're picking it up pretty quick. Also, now that I have a much
better relationship with Tatewaki, he joins us in the training, and he
and Satoru have become the best of friends. They in turn are teaching me
kendo...or so they think. In truth (though I think Hikaru knows this),
I've learned just about everything there is to learn from them--I did
learn some swordsmanship from my father, and Mom taught me her sword
art--but I'd feel bad if I revealed it right away.
Then, there are my--our--children. Akama looks so much like his
birth mother, with his short black hair and soft brown eyes that mirror
Akane's so much; it is through him that she is still here for me. Then
there are Hikama and Hotaru. Hikama looks like my onna-side, or Hikaru.
His red hair and blue eyes are kinda different, and I think he'll follow
in his mother's footsteps. Hikaru originally wanted to name our daughter
after Akane, but I thought that the past should be the past, and I'd
already given that honor to Akama. Hotaru takes after me in every way,
shape and form, and I know she'll be just as much a bundle of nerves for
us as I was for my parents.
Taking the time to stop my training with Akama, I wander over to my
wife and hug her gently, whispering, "They're as beautiful as you, love."
She moves slightly, as though she's been jolted out of some memory or
daydream; I hope it was a pleasant one. As she turns to look at me,
she's hugged by Akama. Hikaru's been the best mother she could be to
him, and I think that Akane would approve. As he lets go, she turns to
me and whispers a silent word of love, one that absolutely lights up my
heart.
Before I get a chance to answer, the phone rings. Bad timing,
though, as I wanted to return her gesture of love, and spend a few
seconds with the whole family. "I'll get it," I comment, turning towards
the door. "It's probably Ukyo wanting to know if we're still coming for
dinner tonight." At the mention of her name, Akama jumps up and down in
delight about how he just loves his Aunt Ukyo. I've told Ucchan that she
absolutely spoils him rotten, but then again, with no prospects on the
way--and I never intended that for her--my children are the closest thing
she has to offspring of her own. As I go inside, I hear the gleeful
noises of Akama trying to play sumo with Hikari.
Wandering into the main room, I notice the base is empty--Hikaru
must've left the phone in the bedroom again. I wander into get it, and
hit the switch. "Saotome desu."
//Ranchan!// Sure enough, it's Ucchan. //Just wanted to make sure
that you'll be coming tonight, sugar. I'm workin' on a new recipe and I
want you and Akama to try out.//
"Sure thing, Ucchan," I say. I was always a sucker for her new
recipes, and I hope that Hikaru never notices (either that, or she's
ignoring, to her credit) the 'I LUV RANCHAN' comments that Uc-chan still
writes all over my okonomiyaki. "Is six okay by you?"
//Six is fine. Oh, and tell Hikaru to bring her appetite this time,
ne? She eats way too much like a bird.//
I can't help but chuckle at that one. "I will, Ucchan. See ya." I
click the off switch, and turn to step out of the room, when a light
catches my attention. The light's coming from the dresser, and in
particular, Hikaru's delicates drawer. Wondering what could be making
that glow, I open the drawer, rooting around in it and thankful that
Happosai disappeared years ago, even before Akane and I had Akama.
In a silk bag towards the back, I find the object. It's a white
glove, with a gold inlay on top, framing a fiery red ruby. Hikaru showed
this to me once, and as the ruby continues to strobe, my stomach turns.
There's only one thing that it could mean, but I hope I'm wrong.
Cephiro. That magical place where she's been; that place where
she's said a million times she never wants to return. Even now, whenever
she talks about it, I can see the pain in her eyes. I can't let that
happen. I won't let her go back. I love her too much, and I won't let
anything hurt her. I've already lost a loved one to the madness that
surrounds my life; I won't let the chaos that has been hers consume her.
Still, I may be wrong; for all I know, it could be a 'This is a Test
of the Emergency Broadcast System' kinda thing. The best thing to do is
that I ask her. However, as I walk out of the bedroom, holding the
offending item behind my back, Hikaru picks that exact moment to wander
into the house. From the look on her face, I must not be hiding my shock
that well.
"Who was on the phone?" she asks, concern in her voice.
"Just...just Ukyo," I reply, sounding a bit on the shaky side.
Smooth move, Saotome. Panic your wife, whydontcha? "She asked what time
we'll be over, and I told her sometime about 6 or so." She's looking
just past me, noticing I've got something behind my back. So much for
the casual route.
As always, I never seem to be able to hide anything from her.
"Ranma, what's wrong? Don't deny it. I know something's wrong." Caught
like a rat in a trap, I hold out the white glove.
My worst fears are realized as the look on her face goes from
concerned to horrified in a heartbeat.
They're calling her back to Cephiro, whoever they are. But it ain't
going to be so easy this time.
They gotta get through me, first.
---
*******************************************************
A Duet of Pigtails page:
http://www.bigfoot.com/~a_duet_of_pigtails