[Ranma/MKR][FanFic] A Duet of Pigtails: Her Prelude

[mih...@my-dejanews.com]

A Duet of Pigtails
Her Prelude: Where I Am Today
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.

~*~

I never thought it would happen to me again. Love, I mean. I really
never
thought that things would be the way they are, and yet, somehow it
makes
sense. Magic begets magic, and here I am, almost 26 and married
with our
newborn twins in my arms, watching him train his son, my stepchild.

It's a beautiful day here at the Saotome-Tendo dojo, and we've just
gotten
back from Ono's clinic, where Tofu gave Hikama and Hotaru a clean bill
of
health. My oldest friend and pet, Hikari sits beside me, watching the
children as though they were his own.

I love my husband, and my sons and daughter. But, I can't help but
think, if
fates had worked out differently, maybe this would not have happened
this
way. Maybe I'd be back on Cephiro, with Lantis. Maybe my husband
would still
be with his first wife. But, things don't always work out that way,
do they?
They haven't seemed to work out that way since the day I was told
those
dreaded words, words spoken by someone I thought was my best friend:

~*~

"I'm carrying his child, Hikaru," she said. "I'm sorry. I didn't
mean for it
to happen."

I stared at Umi in shock. Here she was, a month after we'd returned
from
Cephiro after a casual visit--that lasted about three months Cephiro
time.
It had been four years since the final battle in Cephiro, and the
three of us
had returned to Cephiro for a special occasion. I wanted to see
Lantis
again, and Umi wanted to see Ascot, but most importantly, we had to
bid
farewell to Fuu, who would be staying behind to marry Ferio, and
become his
queen. Initially, I had thought that there was going to be a
conclusion to
the building romantic tension between Umi and Ascot, since they'd been
forever hinting, but nothing more. I had hoped for the best , that
they'd be
able to get past that and begin a true relationship. There was a
conclusion,
after all--and I didn't know about it until it was too late.

It happened the night of the Wedding Reception. There they were, in
all
their splendor, King Ferio and Queen Fuu, the happiest couple I'd ever
seen.
I sat there, hoping that Lantis would make me that happy someday.
When I
looked at him, though, he seemed as though he had a little too much to
drink.
I shouldn't have been surprised at that. He and La Farga were there,
split
between maintaining a dignified front like Cephirian nobles and having
fun
like soldiers will (in this case, having a drinking contest between
themselves, Geo, Zazu, and Ascot). Over in the corner, again, not
surprising, Umi, Presea and Caldina were doing pretty much the same
thing.

Everyone knew I didn't drink, so I was never invited to the matches,
such as
they were. Sadly enough, though, everyone else at the party was
leaving me
alone. I suppose they thought I was unapproachable, even with my
easygoing
demeanor. I mean, I was Shidou Hikaru, the Knight Commander of the
Magic
Knights, and if that wasn't enough, I was the Pillar of the planet,
regardless
of whether or not I'd abolished that system. In their eyes, I was
still the
Goddess/Queen/Whatever, and who casually sits down and begins talking
to a
Supreme Being?

I decided to take a walk before anyone took notice of my discomfort,
and I
didn't want to take anything away from Fuu and Ferio's moment.
I went out
the main hall, taking the time only to use my gauntlet to change from
the
formal kimono I'd wore to the dinner to a pair of pants and a shirt.
I ended
up walking through the courtyards for a few hours, enjoying the peace
that
Cephiro had enjoyed for so long, soaking in the tranquility that
existed
amongst the people (literally soaking it in, as though it permeated my
skin;
being the last Pillar, I was still at one with the planet in the same
way as
Emeraude had been).

Upon my return to the palace, I decided to take the long way back to
my
chambers. Over by Umi's chambers, I saw Lantis carrying Umi, who
clearly had
too much to drink. He was apparently being a gentleman, and taking
her to
the Water Knight's chambers. At the time, I should have known better;
I saw
he was still a bit drunk as well, and I trusted them both. I never
put two
and two together; I was too trusting and naïve at the time, too sure
of
Lantis' love for me and my friendship with Umi.

It never dawned on me until that moment, three months later, when I
stared at
Umi as she told me what they had done. Neither ever meant to
hurt me, she
said, what had happened that night had never meant to take place. She
told
me that she was honorbound to return to Cephiro and marry Lantis, or
to seek
his approval for an abortion here in Tokyo.

I never heard the rest. I turned and ran, tears falling down my
cheeks, never
hearing her cries telling me to stop, to come back, to forgive her. I
never
did, that day.

I never have, in the eight years since.

~*~

I never thought I'd find love, ever again. I never was going to seek
it. I
never told my brothers why I never dated, nor why I never spoke to Umi
anymore (they knew that Fuu had moved to another country, but nothing
more).
And as my older brothers married, I found myself hurting more and
more, but
unwilling to forgive Umi or to return to Cephiro. On my end, I had
never
been summoned, and though I missed Fuu, I would not return to Cephiro
if I
could avoid it. Petty, I admit, but I was the first time that I'd
ever been
betrayed, and I didn't know how to handle it.

I'll never know what called me to Tokyo Tower that day, but I thank
the kami
for it. Nostalgia, or maybe a sense of longing--there certainly was
no
demand for the Fire Knight--but nevertheless, I was there. I had just
finished looking out at Shinagawa-ku through one of the pay-viewscopes
(since
that first day, I always made sure I had plenty of 100-en pieces when
I went
there), when I when I saw HIM. He caught my mind in a way that
no other man
had, and not just because of his ravishing looks. Rather, it was the
haunted
look on his face that somehow caught my attention, as though there was
something I could do about it. He looked so empty, as though he was
emotionally dead. He was sitting there, on one of the benches with a
very
beautiful woman, and for an unknown reason, I felt jealousy. Looking
back at
it, it made no sense, but it was as though part of me knew what he
would
someday mean to me.

~*~

The woman looked as if she was at her wit's end, but she left, and I
heard
her say something to him as I walked towards the nearby soda machine,
in
search of an ice-cold can of peach tea: "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," he told her, and his voice seemed to wrap around
my soul.
"I just can't."

"I have to go to work now, Ranma. I'll talk to you tonight." He
nodded
solemnly and looked forlornly at her as she walked away.

Ranma. The name meant wild horse, but I saw nothing wild about
him, except
may be his choice of dress: something that looked fairly Chinese.
Rather, I
saw someone who was empty and hurting, who existed rather than lived,
something in his pale blue eyes that spoke of a pain deeper than
anything
he'd ever experienced. Someone just like me. Before I knew
what was going
on, I found myself next to him, asking, "Excuse me, but is this seat
taken?"
He looked at me, and said nothing.

Then he looked at me again. With astonishment. And as I looked at
him, I
noticed something as well: he looked exactly like me. Not EXACTLY,
mind you;
I'm female, and I was sure (long since confirmed, thank you) that he
was
male. Not wanting to sit there all day looking goofy, I said, "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," he said, still looking at me with absolute
wonder.
"I'm sure I sound crazy when I say this, but are you for real?"

I hmphed, though more puzzled than insulted by his words. I should
have
been, but there was too much disbelief in his tone to make me think
that I
was being insulted. However.... "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." I got up to leave.

His hand clamped around my wrist, desperately, as though I was a
lifeline.
But as that hand clamped on, I heard the sound of a voice that cut
through my
soul, saying, "Please. Let me explain."

I turned to him, and said, "Okay," not trying to catch his attention,
not
trying to let him know that there was something in me that wanted to
stay,
simply because he wanted me to (though he hadn't said so in concrete
words).

Needless to say, I was surprised by what I saw next. I mean, I have
seen
shapechangers before, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING like this. He
grabbed
my can of tea (open, but otherwise untouched) and in one move, poured
it over
his head.

There, where Ranma had been, was a woman, who with the exception of
slightly
wet Chinese clothing and pale blue eyes, looked as though she could
have
successfully passed as my twin sister. And as those blue eyes
locked on to
my own brownish-red ones, I heard her say, "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 I knew about. Something magical (even for two
such as we)
must have happened that day, for I told him everything about myself,
and
though I didn't think he was going to believe me, but he did. I then
listened to his life--no less fantastic than mine--and I already
believed
him, since he had transformed right in front of me. During that
time, he
told me that he had been married once to a wonderful woman named
Akane, and
had a child with her. Something small in my heart broke as he told me
that
she had died two years ago this day, and that he still was recovering
from
the vacuum it had left in his soul.

That night, in the center of Meguro JR station, as we gave each other
our
phone numbers, I hoped I could see him again. I wanted to see him
again.

I wanted to know if I was falling in love.

The next day, he called, and set up a date. That date went along
wonderfully,
like a dream. And so did the next. And the next. And every one we
had, from
the day he told me he loved me, to the day I became Saotome Hikaru.

~*~

In the four years since we met, I've adjusted to my life with Ranma
and his
transforming. He's made me feel even more complete than I thought I
could
ever be, and I think I've made him feel the same way. I know he still
loves
Akane, but I'd never want to take that away from him. I hope that
someday
we'll be able to tell Akama about his real mother. Wherever Akane is,
I hope
she understands that I'll take care of her family as though they were
my own.
Which they are, assuredly.

And as for Ranma's family--that's something that has been odd to
adjust to as
well. I don't like Genma, his father, not one bit--I see that man
worse than
Ranma does, and only because Ranma can't quite bring himself to hate
his own
father for what he's done to him. His mother, Nodoka, is the exact
opposite;
there is nothing I wouldn't do for her. Likewise goes for his
sisters,
Nabiki (who lives nearby with her husband) and Kasumi (and the same
extends
to her husband, Tofu, as well). The funny thing though, is that while
Kasumi
is eternally sweet and sunny (she seems to remind me of Fuu's sister
Kuu,
someone I consider one of my best friends), Ranma tells me Nabiki
hasn't
always been as sweet as she is now; that she used to be a scheming,
conniving
weasel. He has to be joking, because I look at that dear woman and
frankly,
I just can't see it. Furthermore, I know Akama thinks of Nabiki as a
second
mother (or is that a third?) for all the things she's done with him
before I
came into their lives.

As for the others in Ranma's life, there are his best friends, Ryoga
and
Ukyo. Ryoga (those two love to spar with each other, and I think
Ryoga's wife
Akari is a dear) and Ukyo (it took her a long time to accept me, even
though
she knew she could never have Ranma's love) are absolutely great.
Ryoga and
Ranma are always doing something (sparring, mostly) when he's in town,
and
Akari and I share many of the same likes. I do have to admit, though,
that
Akari's never explained her need to bring that pet black pig of hers,
though
I think it's cute.

As for my family, he adores my brothers Satoru, Kakeru, and Masaru,
and they
treat him as one of them. They've been teaching him kendo, which he
sometimes practices with me or Nabiki's husband Tatewaki; he in turn
has been
teaching them (and me) that curious karate style known as Musabetsu
Kakoto
Ryu. Now that I'm now longer pregnant, I hope to be able to resume my
training once I get the chance. Also, I suspect that while Ranma
enjoys
learning kendo from my brothers, he may have learned everything from
them
already and is simply doing it out of companionship.

Most of all, there are the twins, Hikima and Hotaru. Hikima looks
like a male
version of myself or Ranma's female variant; his red hair and blue
eyes are
breathtaking, and so peaceful. I wanted to name Hotaru after Akane,
but he'd
already done that with Akama, and he wanted to be able to move on.
Hotaru's
inherited her father's black hair and my brownish-red eyes, and
certainly his
sleeping habits (both Hikima and Akama are very light sleepers, like
me).

I'm jolted out of my thoughts as Ranma snuggles up to me, saying,
"They're as
beautiful as you, love." I turn to respond, but I find myself being
hugged by
Akama who tells me how much he loves his mother; as he says that, I
can only
hope Akane understands. As he lets go, I look into Ranma's eyes,
mouthing
silent words of love to him.

Before he can answer, the phone rings. "I'll get it," he says,
"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. Personally, I think Ukyo spoils him rotten, but
with no
children of her own, I can't blame her. Ranma then goes inside, while
Akama
decides to wrestle for a while with Hikari.

A second later, the smell hits me; it's time to change diapers. I get
up off
the tatami mats, and ask Akama to pick up the cushions and clean up
the dojo
a little bit. He nods, and heads to get the broom, though I'm sure in
a few
minutes he'll be doing some kind of martial arts training instead.
He's so
much like his father (and from what I'm told, Akane as well), but
still, he's
a well-behaved boy.

As I walk into the house, Ranma comes out of our bedroom, a worried
look on
his face.

"Who was on the phone?" I ask, worried about the look on his face.

"Just...just Ukyo," he says a catch in his voice "She asked what time
we'll
be over, and I told her sometime about 6 or so." He's got something
behind
his back, as though he's trying to hide something.

"Ranma," I say, "what's wrong? Don't deny it. I know something's
wrong." He
holds up the item behind his back, and a second later, the look on his
face is
matched only by my own.

It's my white gauntlet. The Gauntlet that makes me the Fire Knight.

The red escudo gem is glowing.

I'm being summoned to return to Cephiro.

AUTHOR'S NOTES: This came out of an earlier project that I found I
couldn't
continue. Like Her (by the Eternal Lost Lurker), the project that I
was
working on simply didn't suit me anymore, though the basic elements of
it
did. Unlike Lurker, this was the basis of an earlier Ranma-Rayearth
crossover, also based in part on Rob Barba's Tales of Shampoo series.
I
decided to discontinue Tales of Shampoo vs. Magic Knight Rayearth
because
there are things that I wanted to do with it that would have seriously
messed
up his continuity. Those random elements will end up here (along with
some
of the "canon" TOS vs. Rayearth elements. Likewise, those canon
elements
will be absorbed into TOS.

I hope you'll enjoy this little endeavor.

NEXT:
His Prelude: Akane no Nichibotsu

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