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Random Anime Heretics Quote
"He has no perception!"
Newsletter
February, 2002
Like the newsletter? Want to be in it? Submit an idea!
You know, it figures....right after I say that we haven't missed a month yet, circumstances come up to keep us from getting the January issue out, and we miss a month. Oh well, at least this time we've got plenty of stuff to make up for it. A couple of people have generously agreed to do regular columns for us, and I have permission from the author of one of my current favorite fanfics to reprint his work, so we'll have a change of pace for a while in the fanfic section.
February is usually looked at as the month of love, thanks to Valentine's Day being right smack in the middle of it. So we went for a shoujo month theme. Melissa of Chuck & Charles even wrote a column....be afraid...be very afraid....
(insert usual begging for submissions for next time here)
Enjoy the issue!
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by Melissa (ghost-written by Deanna Baron)
Waiiiiii!
OK, so, anyhow, I'm sooooooo happy. I've been asking and asking and asking, and I finally got my own column! I dunno, I think maybe--- just maybe--- those brownies might have swayed their opinion. And they were sooooooo yummy.
But that's not what I wanted to talk about. Right. Not brownies, even if they are soooooo yummy, and I like to eat them. Well, they're kind of related to anime, 'cause I eat them when I watch my anime, and the sugar really helps me keep pace with what's going on on tv. So, I guess, maybe, those brownies MIGHT be considered on-topic. And I highly recommend them to anyone, if they need a sugar rush. And, y'know, I like the ones with walnuts in them, too, 'cause the brownie is soft, and the walnuts are crunchy, and it's just soooooooo yummy.
But what I really wanted to talk about was shoujo anime! I get to review one each month, 'cause Chuck and Charles sort of tend to stay away from it. That's 'cause they just watch guy stuff, with the explosions and the robots and stuff. Who needs a sugar rush to keep up with THAT? C'mon!
So, to kick things off, I'm going to talk about. Marmalade Boy! Yeah! Y'know, I could dedicate each month to an episode, and that would be 76 months' worth of column, and that would be. I dunno what it would be in years, 'cause I got a C in math. but. that's a long time. So I'll just tell you what it's about, and you go watch it, 'kay?
The main character is a girl named Miki, and she has a mom and a dad. And the main male character is a boy named Yuu, and he has a mom and dad. And it sounds all right, 'cept, their parents go on a tour to Hawaii, and Miki's mom falls in love with Yuu's dad, and Miki's dad falls in love with Yuu's mom, and they're all OK with this, and they decide to do a permanent partner swap, and everyone decides to divorce and remarry. And so they all decide to buy a big house and everyone moves in together, 'cause Japanese women can't remarry until 6 months after their divorce, and everyone's exes are still friends, and it wouldn't be nice at all to break up the families, right?
Anyhow, Yuu's cute, and Miki thinks so, and she falls in love with Yuu. Except, Yuu has an ex-girlfriend lurking in his past who wants to go out with him again. And there's this guy Yuu meets in the library who offers Yuu a chance to go home with him to look at a book, and that really creeps Yuu out, and I don't blame him, 'cause it WAS kinda one of those moments, but, y'know, I was still kinda disappointed 'cause I didn't have my dose of yaoi the day I watched that episode, and the guy WAS cute. I could tell you what's up with that, 'cept, it would be a spoiler, and I can't do those.
And Miki, right, I said Miki is in love with Yuu, kind of, but she's kind of torn, because she used to be in love with this other guy named Ginta, but their potential kind of cratered right off the bat. But when Ginta sees Yuu paying attention to Miki, he gets jealous, and so he makes Miki even more confused when he tries to get her back.
And that's just the first two or three episodes. It gets reeeeeeally complicated after that, 'cause almost everyone has at least one person they love, and usually has two or three people who are in love with them, too, and as soon as you meet someone new, you KNOW that they're going to try and muscle their way into a relationship with either Miki or Yuu most likely, or maybe someone else. I could draw it out, but I'd have to do it in 4-point font to fit it in the newsletter. I'd need something, like, a wall to do it right, and it's not nice to draw on walls. Maybe a chalkboard, but again, how can I submit a chalkboard to the newsletter?
Anyhow, it has all the cool stuff, like hidden pasts and love dodecahedrons and massive quantities of secrets and misunderstandings and confessions and angst and drama. Plus, it has really good music that's sooooo catchy. The ending theme's kinda boring, but the opening music is spiffy, and so's the background music. The animation, I'm thinking it looks kinda early 90's, so it's not as bad as some of the 80's stuff with the icky hair and blah character design, but it's not as good as a bunch of the later stuff that's come out since the mid-90's.
So, go ahead and bake up a bunch of brownies, and camp out in front of your tv, and do a Marmalade Boy marathon! C'mon. it's only 76 episodes. And, uhhh, if each episode's, like, 22 minutes long, and you factor in a few bathroom breaks, that's only, um. well. like I said, I got a C in math.
But your brain will be too fried to care.
Anyone notice a surge of recurring themes and settings lately in anime? It seems that the moment anyone comes up with a hit, everyone and their dog springs for their own cheap take. Take the Tamagachi craze in the early nineties. Who doesn't remember that little headache? Unclear on what I mean by headache? Thanks to a tacky toy from the end of a key chain we had the birth of Nintendo's Pokemon empire. After the game and then the anime we had the Land of the Rising Sun's own salute to Time Warner (Bandai) get into the act with Digimon, which, ironically enough, was originally a key chain battle game of little popularity long before Pokemon Red/Blue were even on the drawing board.. Other less memorable clones of this trend are Flint the Time Detective, and Monster Rancher.
The cloning theme in anime is hardly new. The largest example of this was the giant robot genre of the eighties. Every anime fan worth his salt knows where this one begins: Mobile Suit Gundam -- a decent war story with a pre-teen pilot and a mostly civilian crew holding off a large violent rebellion far better than the regular military. The first major clone of this one that was not a spin off was ironically done by part of Gundam's original production team that was angry at Bandai for taking the rights to Gundam and spinning off the series, with minimum payment of royalties. This lead to the creation of a fan favorite here in the states: Macross.
You want someone to thank / blame for the magical girl explosion? Look no further than Naoko Takeuchi, creator of Sailor Moon. Until Naoko came along Mahou Shoujo was by and large a fairly unexplored area. The first magical girl known was, ironically, Go Nagai's ultra-stacked überbabe: Cutey Honey! Ironic, being that she was a strong, emotionally and physically, android with a tragic past. Until recently this genre was relatively untouched, except for Minky Momo, until a previously unremarkable writer decided to make a story involving every couples' favorite celestial body: the moon. Her first barely noteworthy attempt was Pretty Soldier Sailor V, which received scant interest. She hit it big with a spin off loosely based on an old Greek legend. This story also starred a highly sympathetic character, an ultra-clumsy, blue-eyed blonde ditz loosely based on the author. This series has spawned more clones than anyone can ever imagine but I will try to list a few: Magic Knights Rayearth, Saint Tail, Wedding Peach, Galaxy Fraulein Yuna (an insane favorite of mine), Ninja Girl Jubei-chan, Tenchi spinoff Magical Girl Pretty Sammy, Shadow Lady, Miracle Girls, and if you want me to list anymore…heh, heh, heh…well some things are better left unsaid.
Yeah cloning happens a lot once one idea gains enough popularity, as I said earlier with Pokemon, it doesn't even have to be another anime to start the ball rolling Magic the Gathering is responsible for both Yu-Gi-Oh! and Mon Colle Knights. Another example: the popular sport Battlebots inspired Zoids and Medabots. Don't attempt to correct me: the Battlebot sport has been around for years -- only now is it getting televised in the US. This door of influence swings both ways. Transformers even had Japanese spinoffs of it made as we now see with Transformer: Robots in Disguise. Without one of these series an, OVA called Transformers Masterforce, the Movie wouldn't be the same because the Transformers Hot Rod, Ultra Magnus, Arcee, Springer, and Kup wouldn't exist. Although I am mad at the Macross people for making Starfire have to suffer a character death simply because he was inspired by one of their Valkyries.
Then again, popularity trends and the entertainment industry have had a bedroom relationship since the days movies got sound. If it wasn't for this factor the movies Mortal Kombat, Men in Black, and X-Men would have never been made. So this issue is in turn like a broad sword cutting both ways. Still, the audience should try to be a little cautious: buyer beware and all when it comes to anime. Oh, by the way, no, I will not start talking about Sentai series -- I just ate.
The Anime Dating Game
Hiroshi (Host): It's time for another exciting episode of the Anime Dating Game! Today's eligible bachelor is Tenchi Maski. Will he find true love with one of our lucky bachelorettes?
Tenchi fumbles around and blushes.
Tenchi: Hi there Hiroshi.
Hiroshi: Let's bring out the lovely ladies! Bachlorette #1 comes to us all the way from outer space...(pauses as he looks at his card)...oookkkaayy....(pulls himself back together)...Let's have a warm welcome for the notorious space pirate Ryoko!
Tenchi: (looks surprised) Huh?
Hiroshi: Bachlorette #2 comes to us from Nerima. She loves gymnastics, and says she always gets her man. Wow. I'll date her if she's not chosen! Let's hear it for Kodachi!
Kodachi (jumps across the stage and throws a black rose in the general direction of Tenchi) (maniacal laughter) OHHOHOHOHOHOHOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tenchi (thinking that this one could be trouble) Hello....
Hiroshi: Bachlorette #3 also comes from Nerima. She loves to keep house and cook. Let's hear it for Kasumi!
Kasumi (comes out very humbly carrying a laundry basket and starts to fold the clothes as she sits down) Thank you.
Tenchi: (hmmm...she's kinda quiet) Hi.
Hiroshi: Without further ado, let's get the matchmaking started! Tenchi, you get to ask our lovely ladies here questions so you can get to know them, and get a feel for their personalities. Then you get to pick the girl you think is best suited for you. Tenchi, are you ready to pick your dream date?
Tenchi: I....I guess so.
Hiroshi: Okay Tenchi, ask away!
Tenchi (looks very nervous and flustered) Bachlorette #1, I'm going to your house for dinner. What will you be serving?
Ryoko: Sushi, with me as the serving platter.
Tenchi: (turns bright red). Uhhh...Thank you. Bachloretter #2? Same question.
Kodachi: I don't cook. My personal cook would prepare everything. That way, it would give us some time to get to know each other.
Tenchi: Bachlorette #3?
Kasumi: Well, I'd find out what all your favorite dishes are, and prepare them.
Tenchi: Thank you.
Tenchi: (looks at card, rolls his eyes and mutters) Who writes this stuff? (louder) Bachlorette #2, If I were a sundae, what would you top me with before eating me?
Kodachi: OHHOOHHOOHOHO. Nuts...lots of nuts....
Tenchi: (mutters to himself) Somehow that seems fitting... (louder)...Bachlorette #3?
Kasumi (blushes) Oh my! I had no idea these questions would be so naughty! Um...chocolate?
Tenchi (gulps) Bachlorette #1?
Ryoko: The works baby! Especailly LOTS of cherries.
Tenchi: Thanks.
Tenchi: Bachlorette #3, describe your dream date.
Kasumi: Well, I haven't really been out much, I'm not sure. But I know that walking on the beach is supposed to be romantic....
Tenchi: Bachlorette #1?
Ryoko: You and me in a cave with you rescuing me...Wait, we already did that. Nevermind.
Tenchi (mutters) She's crazy... (louder) Bachloretter #2?
Kodachi: A nice romantic dinner, with some of my brother's poetry being read in the background, a little music, a little wine, and of course to top off the the evening, the perfect kiss!
Tenchi: Thank you.
Hiroshi: Time to make your decision, my lad!
Tenchi: I can't....can't decide.
Hiroshi: Ohhh....You want ALL of them? You can't be greedy. You need to choose!
Tenchi: No! I don't want any of them!! They're all crazy!!! (runs off the stage as fast as he can)
Hiroshi: Well, THAT'S never happened before!
(camera goes to the girls...Ryoko looks outraged, Kodachi looks confused, Kasumi keeps on calmly folding the laundry)
Hiroshi: Well, I guess that wraps it up for this week. Tune in next time for another exiting episode!
Shoujo Showdown
Click here for a print-friendly version of the puzzle.
| WORD LIST | |
| Card Captor Sakura | Oh! My Goddess |
| Child's Toy | Pretty Sammy |
| Creamy Mami | Rayearth |
| Fushigi Yuugi | Rose of Versailles |
| Galaxy Fraulein Yuna | Sailor Moon |
| Hana Yori Dango | Saint Tail |
| Jubei-chan | Shadow Lady |
| Kimagure Orange Road | Utena |
| Kodomo no Omocha | Video Girl Ai |
| Maison Ikkoku | Wedding Peach |
| Marmalade Boy | Whispers of the Heart |
| Minky Momo | Yawara |
| Miracle Girls | |
Process of Elimination
Not too long ago, on the Fanfic Mailing list, I ran across this little gem. My particular favorite shows to see fanfics of are Ranma and Tenchi Muyo, and this one was not only a good crossover, but a great story as well. What was it's appeal to me? I dunno...maybe as a wise man once said, "I've always wanted to fight a desperate battle against incredible odds!" (brownie points to those who know where the quote is from :)
So I checked with the author, and he was happy to help, so now I present Process of Elimination, part 1. Go check out his other stuff, too!
Process of Elimination -- Chapter One
Disclaimer: The paints belong to Takahashi, and Viz (Ranma
1/2) and Pioneer (Tenchi Muyo!), the easel is mine.
Notes: Diverges from Ranma after volume 24, continuation for
OAV 2 in the Tenchi universe (well, one of them). This fic uses the
bizarrely vague 'Pick One!' scenario. Enjoy.
-----------------------------
"That is not to say, of course, that he was human, or not.
If anything, he was better than us. Not because of what he did for
us in his services and his aid, not because he saved us... but
because he never stopped believing that we could win."
Captain Norris, CINCPAC -- Interview for G.N.N., Old Terran
Year 2005, July 27th.
"Choose one," Ranma muttered to himself, his breath rasping
with the pain he no longer acknowledged. "Yeah, right...."
Slumping to his feet in the otherwise deserted corridor, its
gleaming steel and cold empty stretches echoing too-loudly in his
ears, he groaned. Either they would come and find him dead, or he
would kill as many of them as he could before he died. It was that
simple.
He smiled grimly at the deep, resonating roar that shook the
complex, rattling his teeth and telling him that _that_ at least had
gone as planned. "I win," he whispered, the pain slowly beginning to
fade as his vision darkened. "I win...."
***
Ranma eyed the folded note distastefully. "So..." he said,
the entire assembled Tendo and Saotome families, in addition to the
normal tagalongs staring at him. "What's this all about?"
Nabiki shrugged uncomfortably, clearly looking unhappy about
something or another. "Ranma," she began, pointing to the note.
"They're not assigning any more spaces. Basically... you won."
He blinked, staring at the slip of paper on the table,
suddenly frighteningly aware of the eyes on him. He had gotten a
pass. Not Kuno, with his wealth, nor Nabiki with her grades, or
anyone else... but him.
"Uh..." he started, suddenly nervous with the number of eyes
locked on him. His parents, his fiancees, and his rivals. "What does
this mean?"
Nabiki stood slowly, taking the paper and striding
purposefully across the room towards Ranma. "It means," she stated,
"that because of your... 'unique'... position, that you can take one
person with you. Just one. But... _any_ one."
Ranma swallowed involuntarily, taking the note as Nabiki
pressed it into his chest. "Pick one. And make it a good choice,
Ranma."
***
He sat on the roof of the house, alone, and thinking. Who to
take? Just one person? That wasn't fair. Not for him -- not for
anyone, really.
Sensing another presence at the edge of the roof, he looked
over, waiting patiently as she approached. "One at a time," he
muttered to himself, wondering how they would take it. Maybe really
only three choices, but that didn't make things easier.
***
Ukyou lounged at the counter, idly poking at a half-finished
okonomiyaki, before sighing moodily, and pushing it away. She
glanced over as another girl entered the shop, nodding before taking
a seat near Ukyou. "Hello."
"Hello, Shampoo. What'cha doing here?"
The Amazon fidgeted for a moment before admitting, "Airen
not going to choose Shampoo, Shampoo think."
Ukyou nodded. "He's probably going to choose Akane."
Shampoo nodded, pulling a note from a pocket. "He give
this..." she trailed off, handing over the note.
"Three days?" Ukyou commented, reading the note. "So he's
gonna tell us in... but that's...."
"Last day?"
"Yeah...."
***
Shampoo peered nervously into the dark alleyway. People were
acting less... restrained... this close to the end, doing things
that they never would, were it not for the impending disaster. She
shivered, suddenly afraid, and spun, seeing a shadowy figure before
her.
There was only enough time for her to open her mouth in
surprise, before she was silenced.
***
Akane followed the pigtailed boy doubtfully, intimidated by
the expanses of bare corridor before her as Ranma marched forward
knowingly. "Where are we going?" she asked.
He glanced over his shoulder and flashed her a smile. "Got
some good news, and some bad news. After a bit of arguing, I got
them to accept one boy, one girl, and one pet."
"You're kidding?" She adjusted the handle on her suitcase as
her arm began to tire.
"Nope."
Had he chosen her? He still hadn't announced who he was
going to pick, and time was running critically low. "One pet?"
"Don't worry about it."
She frowned, wondering why Ranma would have gone through the
trouble... P-chan? But that would mean that Ranma had chosen her --
as far as she knew, none of the other girls had pets....
"Here." He announced, gesturing her forward.
She passed through a giant secured door with slight
trepidation. "What's this, Ranma?"
He said nothing, merely gesturing her forward. She stepped
forward slowly, entering a room with an equally confused and nervous
Ukyou -- in her boy's school uniform. "Akane-chan?" she asked,
disbelieving.
"Ukyou?" Akane turned to question Ranma, only to see the
heavy door she had passed through slam shut, sealing the two
together. "Oh no..." she whispered, piecing the clues together.
The okonomiyaki chef blinked, realizing what had happened.
"But..." she started, looking towards the door.
Gasping suddenly, Akane stared at her suitcase, as a
crackling voice over the intercom asked, "Saotome Ranma?"
Swallowing nervously at the suitcase, Akane whispered, "And
one pet...."
***
Ukyou ran for all she was worth, Shampoo -- human again, and
dressed in one of Akane's spare outfits -- towing Akane along behind
her. "Airen brave," she panted, "but Shampoo not leave alone like
this."
"He knows it, though," Akane grated out, trying to pace the
other martial artists.
Ukyou nodded, darting a single glance back at the ship and
its promise of safety. "We'll find him, then... then..." she trailed
off, not having the slightest idea what she would do afterwards.
***
"But--"
"NO!" Ranma roared, shoving her back through the final door,
pressing her into the other two girls, and sealing them in as they
struggled to regain their footing. "I owe...." He trailed off,
leaning against the thick pane of glass in the center of the steel
barrier. "I owe all of you... I ain't... I ain't gonna just pick
one." He looked up suddenly, standing straight, and letting the trio
actually see the reddening patch on his shirt, and the wound he had
taken earlier being more than he had hinted.
"You owe me," he announced. "I gave up what I got for you,
and you... you owe me bein' safe. So... go." He coughed, turning to
the panel on the side of the door, and smashing the protective glass
covering a large red button. "Go...."
"Ranma!"
***
Ranma's eyes drifted closed, and he nodded to himself
weakly, the feeling of cold settling into his bones. "I win...."
***
One desiccated hulk of compacted and compressed alloys and
biomaterial, slowly secreting a thick toxic sludge that ate through
the steel corridors beneath it.
Washuu blinked at that, surprised, and smiled hopefully. It
took a lot of power to destroy reavers, and she hadn't thought that
the Terrans possessed anything short of nuclear weapons that could
manage the feat.
The probe adjusted its visual settings, tracking multiple
footprints in the steel, residual heat from some of them stating
their relative freshness.
She paused for a moment, staring at the gargantuan hulk,
stuck halfway in a wall, though the ichor was slowly eating through
the confining metal. Its claws were splayed loosely around it,
leaving the monster looking deplorably stunned, despite the twisted
metal of the walls opposite it, slashed to pieces by the thing's
massive piercing limbs, which easily evidenced its raw power.
The view screen focused inwards for a moment, showing a
reddish coat on one claw, fresh blood slowly congealing on the
appendage. Something she had seen more than enough of the last few
days. Sighing, she traced the footsteps, noting one of them was
accompanied by occasional splotch of blood every few meters.
"Hmm..." she wondered, watching the footsteps recede into
the distance. Someone had gotten attacked, killed the reaver, and
then been able to run? That _was_ impressive....
The probe came to a sudden halt, catching up to a boy,
likely younger than even Tenchi, slumped against a wall, unmoving.
He wasn't dead. She knew, instinctively without referring to
any of her machines that he _should_ be dead. But at the same time,
she knew that he wasn't.
"Well," she mused to herself, brushing aside a stray lock of
red hair. "I'll be...."
She bit her lip, seeing the probe's view of the corridor
darken slowly. It was time to pull the probe back and hide again,
but... but....
His hand twitched slightly, falling limp at his side, palm
upwards as though in a supplicating gesture, begging her to help.
Slumping, she moved to press the recall button. No
exceptions could be made; trying to help him would jeopardize her
position.
"Damn it."
She watched, surprised, as her hand did not hit the recall
button, instead activating another function.
"Uh-oh."
Another hand fell upon her shoulder, prompting her to turn
around. "Yosho?" she queried.
The young-seeming man behind her nodded, staring at the
monitor. "What are you going to do with him?"
She fidgeted, blinking lights and subtle alarms notifying
her that they had been discovered. "Nothing much I _can_ do, now.
He's going to need help, and let's be honest, so will we."
"I see."
***
"Interesting."
The machine swept across the boy twice, informing her
clearly what his vital signs were.
It would take every iota of her skill to bring him back from
the brink, every ounce of knowledge she had available, and more
likely than not, need almost every bit of equipment her lab could
still provide.
"Very interesting...."
Were circumstances otherwise, she would have been thrilled
at the prospect, but now... this was simply not the time for such
things. Sighing, she set to work, placing a net of wires and diodes
to the boy's head. First things first....
***
Stability, if nothing else. She frowned, surveying the
latest readouts. Logically, she knew that she needed to make him
better -- replace the damaged parts that were too heavily infected
to repair. But she also knew from a personal standpoint that it
would be a horrible thing to do... she had no spare human internal
organs, and the cloning facilities were already under attack. The
only replacements she could give him would mean....
"Having trouble, Washuu?"
She jerked, startled -- and annoyed at being surprised.
"What? Hmm.... Maybe you can help me, Yosho. You are a priest after
all." She smirked at his frown, then gestured to the boy. "I've
found some other interesting things out about him... but what should
I do with him?"
A distant alarm sounded, and a light flared red briefly,
before fading into blackness.
The pair stared at the spot where it had been for a long
moment, before Yosho responded, "I don't know how to answer that
question right now... the choice is yours, Washuu. You're going to
have to decide for yourself... unless you can ask him?"
***
Washuu stared at the boy before her, and then glanced over
towards the still-sealed tank containing the Masu. "Well," she
muttered to herself, sitting before her computer, and retrieving
some of her older files. "It's an edge. Better than nothing...."
Another scanner passed slowly over him, illuminating some of
the more damaged areas, infected with toxins from the reaver he had
killed. She shook her head, glancing back at him in admiration
before turning towards the computer again. To be able to destroy one
of them alone -- he had to possess great willpower, not to mention
his physical abilities.
"I know," she commented to him, "that on one level, what I'm
doing is wrong, so I'm just going to have to hope you can forgive
me... but this time, I can honestly say that this is for your own
good. It really is...." Sighing, she deactivated some of the less-
used portions of her lab, diverting power to her current project --
and the lab's steadily deteriorating defenses.
She rubbed at her forehead, sighing mournfully. "I _really_
hope you can forgive me."
***
Washuu sighed, glancing around the area at the calm, still
surface of the pool surrounding the shrine's great tree -- and the
means by which Yosho was able to live such a long life.
She leant her forehead against the tree, suspecting that
Yosho was nearby but dismissing it for the moment. "I've already
done all the modifications I can. I still need a power source, and
too much of the lab is already gone to build one right now. I need
to devote too much attention to maintaining what's left -- and the
systems to finish him -- to build it myself. We're in pretty dire
straits."
There was a faint humming noise, echoing across the pond
before a sudden beam of light coalesced, revealing a demure woman
standing on the still surface of the pond. "Hmm...." Washuu smirked,
turning back to view the newcomer. "Any good news, Tsunami?"
"I'm sorry, Washuu-chan." The woman looked to her feet,
towards the reflection beneath her, much younger and with a lighter
shade of hair. "We are attempting to assemble a fleet. The border
still requires a certain amount of attention, and the Galaxy Police
have already dispatched a sizable rescue convoy. They will bypass
the Terran refugees, and attempt to evacuate survivors as swiftly as
possible... how are things going there?"
Washuu shrugged, sitting against the base of the tree as
Tsunami drew closer, pausing at the edge of the water, not stepping
onto the shore. "Not that well," she said. "I'm tracking them now,
though. The Terrans actually managed to stop twelve of them."
The woman blinked in surprise, stunned. "How?"
Washuu rubbed at her chin thoughtfully. "Well, from what I
can tell, they dropped a nuclear explosive on a group of them... the
radiation looks to have killed six of them."
Wincing, Tsunami shook her head. "That's a very poor
answer... how many remain?"
"Two hundred and eighty eight, last count."
"How were the other six stopped?"
Washuu shrugged again, crossing her legs idly, lounging
against the tree. "The American military developed a toxin for the
reavers. That stopped three of them before they became immune."
"Immune?"
The scientist nodded knowingly. "They have a form of
telepathy, even though they don't really have sentience. So they
figured out what to change, and are no longer vulnerable to the
toxin."
"I see."
"One of them ate a piece of radioactive metal... I'm not
sure if it died from radiation poisoning, or the nuclear reactor's
explosion, yet."
Tsunami drooped visibly, her expression becoming more
apprehensive. "I see... there's no hope for stopping them, then?"
"One of them fell into a volcano, and died in the lava...
unfortunately, it took several hours to be fatally wounded, and
countless Terrans died to get it into such a situation."
Wiping at the corners of her eyes, and what looked to be
forming tears, Tsunami nodded again. "I see." Her voice had slowly
become colder and more terse, the more bad news that she heard. "And
the last one?"
Washuu sobered instantly, frowning, and folding her arms
beneath her chest. "That one..." she sighed, shaking her head. "As
impossible as it should be, a single Terran killed it."
Tsunami blinked at that, shocked. "How?"
Washuu shrugged again. "Not entirely sure of that one myself
yet... apparently he's just got such drive and will that he was able
to beat one to death with his bare hands."
"Amazing!" Tsunami shook her head, rubbing at her temples
and sighing. "I wouldn't have thought anyone but Tenchi-sama or
Yosho-sama could do that.... So there is a way for you to fight them
after all?"
Washuu sighed, staring at the moon's reflection on the still
pond. "Somewhat. But, as I said earlier, I don't have the power
myself."
"What do you mean?"
"He took considerable damage taking out the one he did. As I
said before, I've done what I can, but he was badly wounded in his
battle. I need more power, and with the reavers actively eating my
lab, that's not going to happen."
Tsunami stared at Washuu for a long moment, then nodded
curtly. "I will help. In the meantime, the Throne is preparing to
send a lead convoy of our ships for evacuation through a gateway,
along with any capable Galaxy Police ships. Currently, we've only
managed to assemble a few of their ships, supplemented with some
volunteers from the Home Fleet. Despite Tenchi-sama's requests,
Auzua is making it a volunteer only mission... the reputation of the
reavers worries many Jurians, even to this day."
Washuu nodded knowingly. "Most Juraian warships aren't
really fit for this battle. It would be about the same as using
nuclear weapons, in terms of collateral damage."
Tsunami bit her lip, unsure. "That is one of the primary
arguments going on in the Council at the moment. And the Galaxy
Police do not have that many ships close by. Truthfully, the most
deployable vessels are actually closer to Earth, than Jurai, so they
are racing towards Earth as swiftly as possible, but that is still a
month before they arrive... they lack the teleportation abilities
that out fleet possesses." Tsunami frowned worriedly, seeming to
hedge on saying more, then finally blurted out, "There was some hope
that you could, perhaps, create a virus that could destroy them."
Washuu frowned distastefully. "Well, the reavers are part
Masu, which makes it hard, even for me. They don't breathe, and they
already know not to travel near each other because of the nuclear
strike, so it doesn't matter how communicable the disease is, we'd
have to administer the virus to them directly. And then they might
adapt and transmit the information telepathically before they die,
anyway... aside from which, do we _really_ want to try that? That's
part of where the reavers came from in the first place."
Tsunami bowed her head again, sighing deeply. "I will arrive
in a moment, Washuu-chan, then I will try and help you. Is there
anything I should do before I do so?"
Washuu nodded, standing and leaning against Funaho. "Yes,
actually. Can you bring one of my daughter's gems?"
Tsunami furrowed her brow, then shrugged. "I will ask. I
will be there shortly, Washuu-chan."
"Great, meet me in my lab."
***
"Ah, Tsunami, good to see you again." Washuu smiled
crookedly, peering down at her latest project. "There he is," she
commented, patting the clear glass-like shield covering him and
protecting him from being disturbed, "in all his glory."
The Juraian woman studied the apparently sleeping boy
closely, before narrowing her eyes. "He is still wounded?"
Washuu grimaced. "As much as I would wish otherwise. I can
only keep him stable, and wanted your help before the next phase.
Were you able to get a gem from Ryouko?"
Tsunami shook her head. "Only for a moment. She insisted on
keeping them nearby to protect Tenchi-sama." The woman clasped her
hands together, frowning and concentrating intensely, as a bluish
aura flared to life around her, an intense glow emanating from her
and illuminating the far corners of the room. Washuu raised an
eyebrow speculatively, thinking for a moment that she could see the
Wings of the Light Hawk, but blinked, and the image vanished.
Smiling weakly, Tsunami held out a hand, presenting Washuu
with a nearly perfect replica of one of Ryouko's gems. Washuu
sighed, taking the gem and examining it closely. "Tsunami... blue?"
The woman frowned. "That's not going to be a problem, is
it?"
Washuu shrugged, gesturing towards the boy. "Not really, but
I don't think he'll be able to use Ryouko's gems... not that _that_
should be an issue. Hmm...." Shaking her head, she pocketed the gem,
and padded over to a control console. "I'm ready for the next
step... are you?"
"Yes, but we'll have to hurry, the Council reconvenes in an
hour, and I didn't warn Tenchi-sama that I would be away for long."
"Right. Let's get to it!"
***
Dizzy. He felt very dizzy.
"Mm..." he managed, sitting up quickly, and staring around
himself in confusion. "Wha...."
"Careful," a voice warned. "I've temporarily blocked away
your memories, so that the shock won't throw you off completely. We
need to get you adjusted to your new powers."
"Huh?" He twisted around, seeing that he was sitting on a
low table -- the kind usually associated with surgery. Had be been
operated on recently? "What... what happened to me?"
A tallish woman with long red hair stepped out from behind a
panel, jotting notes down on a clipboard and nodding herself. She
clicked her tongue, lowering the board and eyeing him thoughtfully.
"Well," she sighed, crossing her arms beneath her chest, "that's a
long story, but it's also not important at the moment. I needed to
blank your memories to keep you from going into shock at your
changes." Nodding, she produced a mirror, and handed it to him.
"Here, take a look at yourself."
He stared at his reflection in the mirror for a long minute.
Generally handsome features, he supposed, though he couldn't
remember what it was in relation _to_.... He had medium-length spiky
black hair, though he couldn't guess at the reasoning behind the
style, spiked upwards and back as it was. He ran a hand through it,
surprised as it sprang back up into spikes after he pressed it down.
The woman smiled apologetically. "Masu aren't even supposed
to have hair at all, really, they just emulate it to the best of
their ability," she explained, "and I suppose that could be
considered a weak point in the emulation... at any rate, that's the
best I could do with the time that I had. Hmm.... Sorry about the
body suit, but I didn't know what colors you would like."
He looked down at himself, noting for the first time the
one-piece jet-black form-fitting suit he was dressed in. Pants and
sleeves that melded into shoes and gloves seamlessly. "You have a
normal mode, and a battle mode. Currently, you are in 'battle' mode.
Since you don't have your memories, pay attention to the things you
do instinctively, so you'll remember them when your memories are
unblocked."
He nodded acceptance, still confused. "What's your name? And
who am I?"
"You can call me 'Washuu-chan', and we don't know your name
yet. Worry about that later. Firstly," she commanded, "try to
levitate."
He did so, needing to take a moment to understand _how_ he
did so, hovering a few inches above the operating table.
"Excellent," she noted, marking her clipboard briefly before turning
back to him again. "Now, try and phase through something."
"Huh?"
Washuu sighed, pointing towards the table. "Try reaching
through that surface."
He nodded, punching through the table with ease.
The woman sighed, shaking her head. "Doomed," she commented.
"Maybe it's a side effect on the brain from the Masu... Ryouko did
the same thing when-- Bah. Try again, see if you can reach through
it _without_ damaging it."
"Oh," he said, prodding at the table experimentally, before
finding a way to... slide... through it. "Like this?" he asked
nervously.
"Excellent," the redhead crowed, marking off another point
on her clipboard. "Now... those are your most basic abilities. The
more time you spend in your new body, the better you will be able to
control it. Here." She fished a small blue stone out of her pocket,
and tossed it to the boy, who belatedly caught it. "Integrate this
gem."
He blinked, needing a moment to understand how, before it
melded into his wrist and a blaze of blue skin-tight material seemed
to erupt from it, covering his arm and part of his torso before
halting suddenly. "Very good." Washuu noted something on her
clipboard. "When you aren't in battle mode, you will be able to
leave the gem near your ear, though you can also just keep it on
your wrist, dormant. Try and relax a little."
Nodding, he watched the blaze of blue seem to creep back
into the gem, leaving his wrist bare as it popped out, floating
above his hands. "Hmm..." he nodded to himself, letting the gem sink
back into his wrist again, reforming the blue blaze across his arm
and torso before it stopped. "What next?"
Washuu sighed, rubbing her head worriedly. "Well, there's
more, but I'm going to unblock your memories. They should return
over the next few hours, to keep things manageable. Until then, why
don't you stay with me, and ask me any questions you have?"
He nodded, as she thumbed a switch on a console, smirking to
herself in satisfaction. "Good enough," she mumbled, gesturing him
to follow, and suddenly shifting to a much smaller form. "Let's go
take a soak in the baths, hmm?"
He stared at her dumbfounded for a long moment. "I knew... I
knew someone who did that," he said slowly, trying to put things
together in his mind.
Washuu arched an eyebrow curiously. "Oh?"
"Yes... she.... She was a child, but she could turn into a
woman... can't remember everything though..." he followed after her
for another long moment, through a door, and into what looked to be
a moderately sized dwelling. He glanced up at the crab-shaped bell
as it clanked, then frowned. "My name is Ranma...."
Washuu frowned. "Ranma? Hmm. 'Ran-oh-ki'? It works."
"What?"
Washuu shook her head, leading Ranma into a vast bath. "You
can worry about that later. He won't be mature for a bit, since I
started him a bit later."
He halted suddenly, glancing around worriedly. "You want me
to take a bath with you?"
Washuu shrugged, pausing at the entrance to the girl's side.
"It's... better for everyone involved to avoid being alone around
here with the reavers loose."
Ranma staggered to his knees for a moment, clutching his
head. "Big," he gasped out, "I remember... I thought it killed
me...." He trailed off, staring at his hand, enclosed in the tight
black material, with a certain morbid fascination. "What... I should
be dead?"
Washuu winced. "Yes... you should be. But I thought you
would be able to help us, if anyone could. And... it was the best
way to keep you alive."
Ranma nodded slowly, regaining his feet, only to stumble
again as another memory came back to him. "I turn into a girl?" he
said, worry tingeing his voice.
Washuu frowned. "Hmm... yes, there were irregularities...
Tsunami said that you should have more control over that now,
though. Masu are more... mutable... than the average Terran, so you
shouldn't have as much of a problem with it.
Ranma nodded, stepping forward uneasily. "I don't want to
change," he said, stopping before the curtain.
The scientist crossed her arms over her chest, frowning at
Ranma. "Well, there are some things to consider... your other form
is much faster, and if you're damaged severely, you will revert to
the lesser mass to repair yourself."
"So I'm still cursed?"
"Cursed? Hmm... for the time being. I could probably find a
way to work around it, but until then, you're stuck that way.
Anyway, come with me. I want to take a bath, and it's not completely
safe alone."
Hesitantly, Ranma followed Washuu, looking away as she
stripped, nervously examining the huge structure. "I think," be
began, "there was something about baths...."
The girl nodded, wrapping herself in a towel, and wading
into the pool. "Your memories will come back, slowly but surely.
Sorry about that, but it was the best way to deal with the shock...
severe physical trauma, and I needed to teach you your new powers
safely...."
Ranma winced, running a hand through his hair. "My hair got
cut," he complained. "It used to be longer."
Washuu nodded again, running a hand through her own hair.
"Yes, well, like I said, Masu and hair don't mix very well." She
gestured towards the water before her. "Aren't you going to climb
in?"
He shook his head. "Um... I remember something about baths
and girls... something about getting hit."
Washuu snorted, shaking her head. "I won't hit you as long
as you behave yourself. If you try anything with me like this," she
warned, gesturing to her small body, "you deserve what you get.
Anyway, I've been operating on you for the last two days, I already
know your bodies inside and out."
Ranma frowned, hesitantly searching for another towel. After
finding one, he asked, "How do I take this off?"
Washuu glanced up from her own ruminations, and smirked.
"Right... needed to explain that one to you. Hehe.... Try and will
it away, and it will automatically phase into a subspace pocket."
Ranma focused, moderately surprised to note that the suit
did just as she said, leaving him exposed. He hurriedly hid himself
behind the towel, securing it about his waist, and entering the
water cautiously, sitting some distance away from Washuu. "Um...
thanks." He stared at his hand, the gemstone in his wrist seemed to
glow a faint blue, pulsating nearly imperceptibly with his
heartbeat. "Do I need the clothes to fly?"
Washuu snorted, shaking her head. "No, you don't. The only
difference between 'battle' mode and 'normal' mode is that you have
better armor in battle mode. There's no real difference in your
offensive capabilities, so you don't need to worry about that.
There's more you can do, but worry about learning the rest later."
Ranma nodded slowly, feeling his hair again curiously.
"So... what am I?"
The scientist sighed, explaining, "You're a little more than
half Masu. The reavers are partly Masu as well, so you'll need the
ability to phase to counter them, though they can't teleport or
levitate."
Eyes unfocused, Ranma nodded. "It attacked us through a
wall. It... almost got... got.... Who was she?" He sounded puzzled
even in his memories. "I think she was... one of my fiancees." He
shook his head dismissively. "It doesn't matter, I got them into the
ship, so they could escape."
Washuu arched an eyebrow at that, summoning a cold, damp
washcloth from somewhere to set upon her forehead as she soaked.
"'One of'?" she asked.
Ranma furrowed his brow in thought. "I had more than one, I
think... I sent them away to be safe... sent them...." He trailed
off, staring upwards through the dome above him, at the faintly
twinkling stars. "I wonder where they are..." he mumbled.
"On their way to Jurai? They'll probably be rounded up by
the Galaxy Police, or the Home Fleet, and taken to Jurai. Tenchi-
dono has an interest in preserving his people, after all. Why?"
Washuu cocked her head to one side curiously.
Ranma frowned. "I don't know," he admitted. "I just wanted
them to be safe... I... I don't know. What... what am I supposed to
do, and what..." he stared at the gem in his wrist again. "What am
I?"
Washuu stared into the pool, face clouded. "You're part
Masu, like I said. I'm sorry. It probably wasn't the only way to
save you, but it's what I did. I wanted you to be able to fight off
the reavers, and... hopefully help us." She sighed, rubbing at the
side of her face moodily, and shifting to her adult form again.
"What I did was wrong, I knew that before I started. I'm sorry, I
really am, but... this is the best chance we have, all of us."
The boy nodded, shrugging uncomfortably at being in the bath
with a much more mature Washuu. "It's a martial artist's duty to
protect... protect the weak. Yes. I guess...." He stared at the gem
for a silent moment, collecting his thoughts, then sighed. "I guess
I would have been dead anyway, right? So it's better than nothing."
Washuu sighed again. "Unfortunately," she commented, "that
doesn't make me feel much better."
Ranma smiled crookedly, staring into Washuu's eyes from
across the pool. "What do I do, though? I'm supposed to protect you,
right?"
***
Washuu winced at hearing that, feeling the guilt intensify.
"No... no, not... I mean, I didn't change you just to protect me. I
mean... as selfish as that is, that's part of it, but it's also to
protect yourself, and help all of us fight the reavers."
He nodded, his blue eyes still focused on hers. "I'll
protect you, then. I mean... I'd be dead if it weren't for you."
Washuu cleared her throat, shifting to her child-form again,
and adjusting the washcloth on her head in an attempt to cover a
slight blush. She knew she was a genius -- the greatest scientific
mind in the universe -- but this young boy was going to protect her,
a woman of more than twenty thousand years? "Well," she commented,
"that makes me feel better. Yosho should be around here, too. Though
I don't have a real plan for dealing with the reavers yet. Planning
actually works poorly against them, since a given tactic usually
only works once."
Ranma cocked his head to one side, blinking. "What... yes,
what are they?"
Washuu grimaced, explaining, "An old genetically engineered
weapon. Nasty things. But whoever found them on this planet
apparently managed to remove their capacity for breeding, or we'd
all have been dead, and this planet probably scoured of all matter.
Come to think of it, they might have been adjusted before they got
here.... Anyway, reavers are lifivores, Ranma. Do you know what that
means?"
He shook his head, watching her raptly. "No. I've never
heard of it... that I can remember."
She couldn't help but smile at that small joke. "Hehe...
very funny, Ranma. A lifivore is a being that is able to subsist on
any material -- any material whatsoever."
"Subsist?"
Washuu sighed, rolling her eyes. "It can eat anything, and
live off of it, Ranma. They're also able to learn, and if you kill
one, the others may have learned to avoid the attack you used." She
was silent for a moment, considering, then brightened. "Ah, here's
an example. When they were first created, they were very soft, and
vulnerable to conventional Terran ballistics." At Ranma's blank
look, she amended, "They could be hurt with bullets.
"They are too tough to be killed that way though, and
learned to defend themselves from bullets easily. They just ate
metals, heavy ceramics and the like, and added the new materials to
their exoskeletons. The heavy ceramics allow them to withstand
incredible amounts of heat before they die, and most weapons can't
hurt them.
"You were, however, able to kill one of them. How?" Washuu
leaned forward, as Ranma's head drooped, staring at his reflection
in the water.
After a moment, he heaved a sigh, and stared upwards,
watching the stars through the dome. "Ki...."
Washuu blinked at that, confused. "What?"
Ranma blinked again, focusing on Washuu, and raising a hand.
"I... gathered my confidence, and my willpower, and threw a ball of
ki at it when it attacked me. I think it... it got stuck in the
wall. Like I knocked its... phasing?" He paused, while Washuu
nodded, motioning him to continue. "I hit it while it was coming
through the wall, and I think it got stuck. So I... I used the soul
of ice. I made it cold... but it stabbed me with its claw when I
touched it...."
Washuu's jaw dropped, and she found herself more interested.
"You made it cold?"
Ranma shivered, nodding. "I made it cold, and it froze, then
I hit it, and... part of it broke, but it bled on me... bled to
death, I guess. The blood ate through the floor, and I think I
breathed some of the smoke, but I... I kept the girls safe." He
shivered again, staring at the water blankly, and dropped his hand
back into the water with a soft splash.
Washuu recovered herself, remembering that there was plenty
of time to examine Ranma's abilities later. "Yes, a good portion of
the damage was the toxic fumes in your lungs. Some of the other
toxins got on you, also. They're very powerful -- they have to be in
order to break down the things that they eat. You're very lucky...."
Ranma raised his head, studying Washuu closely. "Yes," he
said slowly, "I am."
The scientist fell silent, only able to stare at Ranma and
wonder.
***
Ranma fell silent after that, brooding about something or
another. Washuu didn't feel the need to pry, though the return of
his memories probably caused the boy to shift the way he was
thinking, from the first few minutes she had started to know him.
But those few moments told Washuu about his core
personality. He was a somewhat self-assured person, but seemed eager
to look for direction.... He had a strong will, but he also had a
very vulnerable portion of himself, one that desired closeness. Not
that she could fault him. Years upon years of time alone in...
exile... told her that solitude was vastly overrated.
Though Mihoshi could make her wonder... she shook her head,
dismissing the thought, and climbed out of the bath, humming
slightly as she redressed. Ranma emerged a moment later, shadowing
her silently, and re-clothing himself in his battle apparel.
Washuu clicked her tongue appraisingly, observing, "We'll
have to find you some clothes... hmm... it's getting late -- we
should probably find Yosho and discuss plans."
He nodded, asking, "What happened to my old clothes?"
The redhead snickered, already walking towards the house
below the giant floating bath. "Well, there's a big hole in the
chest from where some big monster made a hole in _you_, and then
there's the blood-stains, and the toxic sludge from the reaver... I
could fix them for you, but we don't have a lot of time. It would be
faster to grab some old clothing from Yosho. Now let's hurry."
She trotted to the house easily paced by Ranma, then paused
suddenly, startling the boy. "Oh yes," she added, smirking, "you
need the practice, so try levitating more, hmm?"
He blinked at that, then nodded, muttering, "I guess I'd
better get used to it...." Washuu rolled her eyes as he lifted
slightly off the ground, and began trailing after the scientist,
apparently unconcerned with his new power.
Washuu frowned, considering that. "You adjusted to that
quickly enough...."
Ranma nodded, scratching behind one ear irritably. "Yeah,
well... our style specializes in adaptation...." He paused for a
moment before smiling ruefully, and adding, "Guess the hard part is
just getting used to the whole 'not landing' thing."
The scientist nodded again, pausing one final time at the
entrance to the house. "Hmm..." she mused, pointing towards the edge
of the property. "Looks like we'll lose the bathhouse sometime
tomorrow...." She sighed, shaking her head.
Ranma stared towards the spot she indicated for a long
moment, then frowned. "I think... I kind of see something there...
what is it?"
The woman shrugged, gesturing towards it dismissively. "You
can probably sense the reaver out there. You remember the lab,
right?" At Ranma's blank stare, she added, "Where you woke up?"
Rewarded with a nod from the boy, she continued, "The reavers are
able to breach dimensional barriers to a certain degree. My lab was
placed here, but is actually five times the size of this planet."
Ranma stared at her for a long moment, then frowned. "I...
kinda... feel it. Like it's... like it's there, but... it's not." He
sighed, scratching behind his ear more roughly. "It's... weird."
She blinked, surprised. "You can feel it?" She shook her
head again, frowning in confusion. "Anyway... the lab sits roughly
on top of this property, no more than a few miles in any direction
from the door in the house." She gestured towards the interior of
the house, before pointing towards the edge of the property again.
"The reavers are able to occupy the overlapping spaces
simultaneously, but this means that when they see pocket dimensions,
like the one the lab is in, they have to interact with them all at
once. Do you understand?"
Ranma furrowed his brow in thought, squinting his eyes and
sighing. "Um... so it's kind of like... playing a game where you
have to cross a playground using the lines on the ground, and even
though they're not real you can't touch the shadows? The things that
are there, but aren't?"
Washuu blinked again. "Actually," she said, "that's not a
bad analogy... it's more complex than that, but you understand it at
least... but it's more than just one set of lines and shadows, it's
several thousands of them. They have to interact with _all_ of them,
which means that they have to smash their way through almost every
defense that the lab has before they can get anywhere, not to
mention all of the solid objects in their way.... Also, from inside
the lab, it seems like each one reaver is actually several thousand,
because of the overlapping spaces.
"Now, normally the lab would stop any threat like this
easily, but these are a special case..." she trailed off, frowning
and staring at her feet. Sighing, she began again, "They were
designed to destroy Juraian cities, and dimensional pockets in
particular. So this place attracts them... but they also know not to
congregate, or they would be destroyed with nuclear explosions."
Ranma startled at that. "Nuclear explosions? Here?"
Washuu shrugged, "Nuclear energies were not in use when the
reavers were developed, but they actually seem to be somewhat
effective."
The boy blinked, confused. "What... what's the story behind
that? How old are these things, and what's a 'Juraian'?"
Sighing, Washuu turned, and opened the door to the
household. "Hmm... do you remember the announcement after the
reavers started to spread out, and the news got to the public?"
Ranma nodded slowly. "I think so... it was a few months ago,
and there was some blonde girl on the T.V. saying that there was a
safe planet for everyone to go to... or something about a 'Galaxy
Police'... something...."
Washuu pursed her lips as she took a seat before the
television screen. "Mm... yes, that. One of the places that she said
to send ships to was Jurai, which happens to be the planet where
everyone else who lives here went to get aid. Unfortunately,
litigation, red tape, and who-knows-what-else have slowed things
down substantially... as things stand, though, some Galaxy Police
and Juraian craft are on the way." She sighed, rubbing at her
forehead. "In the meantime, I'd like to find a way to deal with the
reavers. I simply don't have the time to prepare a counter for them,
and anything I can do is suspect anyway."
Ranma nodded, bobbing slowly in the air above the table.
"Oh. Is that what I'm for?"
The scientist winced anew at that. "I... no, I didn't save
you to be a weapon, Ranma... I brought you back to ask you for help.
You can say no, if you wish." The scientist crossed her arms beneath
her chest and sighed. "I'm sorry..."
The boy seemed hesitant for a moment, then drifted away from
the table and lit upon the floor. "I guess..." he said slowly. "I'm
not... I mean, I would have been dead otherwise, so complaining
would be silly." He nodded decisively. "I'll do it. They tried to
get... to get...." He trailed off, frowning. "I can't remember," he
admitted, "but I'll do everything I can to help anyway."
***
He stood near Funaho, resting one hand against the smooth
bark, head bowed. "No," he said softly, "I love this world too much
to abandon it."
The tree hummed softly, bright points of light twinkling
among the leaves as they swayed against the wind, then pouring
downwards, and reflecting off of the pool surrounding it.
The man nodded slowly. "I... I am glad, then, that you too,
love this world...."
Sighing, he turned his back to the tree, resting his back
against its trunk, and slipping to rest between two large roots.
"They were made to hunt you, I think."
The tree's message played out in soft lights, spelling out
its thoughts in a method to complex for mere words to convey.
"I will do everything within my power, but... I do not know.
I am loathe to let them harm you."
The tree hummed softly once more, then fell quiescent.
Rising to his feet wearily, Yosho nodded. "Tenchi has the
Tenchi-ken with him... I am left with nothing...." Sighing bitterly,
he shook his head. "I will do what I can though, I promise this...."
Trailing off, and realizing the futility of his words, he trudged
away, barely able to muster the will to hop from stone to stone
across the quiescent pond's surface.
***
The door to the main room slid open, and Yosho entered,
kicking off his shoes before stepping out of the entryway, frowning
at the sounds of hushed conversation and a pleasant smell from the
kitchen.
Nodding to himself, he wended his way to the source of the
noise, momentarily thankful for the noise and brightness against the
oppressive darkness of the inevitable and encroaching reavers.
He frowned, upon entering the kitchen, seeing the boy that
Washuu had rescued previously floating near the scientist as she
wandered around the kitchen, lecturing him about 'parallel space'
and 'dimensional pockets'.
The boy's eyes flashed towards Yosho, and he grounded
himself instantly, coming to rest in a loose, relaxed stance, but
one that the older man knew instantly meant 'readiness'. He came to
a halt, raising one eyebrow, and both of his hands. "Hello,
there...."
The boy relaxed very slightly, seeming to wait on
confirmation on something from Washuu.
At that moment, Washuu was scrutinizing a small sample of
her own cooking and nodding to herself. Turning towards the man, she
smiled, pointing a wooden spoon at Ranma. "Yosho-dono, meet Saotome
Ranma, our newest ally!"
Yosho let his grave air slip, trying to relax, and
desperately hoping that he would get along with the boy. "Nice to
meet you, Saotome-san." He offered a sincere smile, and extended one
hand.
Ranma's eyes flickered once towards Washuu before he
accepted Yosho's extended hand, offering a nervous smile in return.
"Um... nice to meet you too, um... Masaki... san. But you can just
call me Ranma."
Yosho nodded, as Washuu turned back to a merrily burbling
pot. "Then for now, you can just call me Yosho, Ranma." He
considered very carefully what was going on. It was odd enough for
Washuu to not refer to the boy as a project, considering what she
had done for, and to, him, but it was even odder for her to busy
herself about the kitchen. The last time she had done that....
He pushed the thought from his mind, taking a seat on the
stool near the kitchen's small island, currently littered with
vegetable remnants, and a discarded vegetable knife.
Ranma relaxed, drifting slightly upwards, and resting in the
air. "You guys sure seem to like carrots."
Washuu snorted, shaking her head, and turning off a burner.
"Oh, that's mostly Ryo-oh-ki."
Ranma furrowed his brow in thought, muttering softly, "'Oh-
ki'.... What about Ran-oh-ki? You mentioned that name before, too."
The scientist clucked her tongue, herding both Ranma and
Yosho out of the kitchen with the spoon. "I told you," she chastised
him, "he's not mature yet. Now help Yosho-dono set the table."
Ranma lit on the ground and padded after the older man, as
he retrieved a small pile of dishes. "Don't worry," he commented,
glancing out the windows towards the darkness. "I think we have a
few days yet, before they get this far." Ranma's demeanor darkened
instantly at that.
***
Washuu stood before the doorway to her lab, her habitual
sleeping quarters lying deep within. On occasion, she slept in
Tenchi's room, when the fear of loneliness got to be too much to
bear, but that was no longer an option, and something seemed...
odd... about requesting to sleep near Yosho, even if it was for a
legitimate reason, like avoiding the reavers.
Sighing, she rubbed at her temples, and stared at the door.
The problem wouldn't go away on its own, and despite the fact that
she did not need to sleep for days at a time, she had gotten
precious little rest of late. Nodding decisively, she turned her
back to the door, aware in a peripheral sense of Yosho nearby, and
marched to the couch. She could sleep there easily enough, and avoid
the horrendous emptiness of the lab, and its erosion.
***
"This used to be Nobuyuki's room, but he gave it to Mihoshi
when he left for his apartment." Yosho fell silent for a moment,
glancing out the window and towards the faint glow of light on the
horizon that Washuu had identified as Okayama. "At any rate, make
yourself comfortable, and rest here tonight. We'll meet up in the
morning and discuss what happens next."
Ranma nodded, waiting for the older man to leave before
eyeing the bed uncomfortably, and finally pulling the blankets onto
the floor.
He lay in the darkness, staring at the ceiling for a long
while before his eyes drifted shut, and a tremulous tapping at the
door gained his attention. Frowning, he rose, and answered the
knock.
Slightly disheveled, and more than a little sheepish, Washuu
stood, wearing a pair of light-blue pajamas patterned with small red
crabs. "Um," she started slowly, glancing nervously at the open
window, "my bedroom is in the lab, and I wondered...."
He nodded silently, gesturing towards the bed, still empty.
Washuu smirked, dragging a heavy blanket and a spare pillow from a
closet onto the bed before curling up on it, facing Ranma as he lay
on the floor staring at the ceiling. "Are you okay?" she asked, her
voice sounding uncertain.
He nodded again, turning to glance towards her before
looking back to the ceiling as it faintly glowed from the reflected
moonlight off of the lake. "I'm..." he trailed off, frowning. "I'm
not used to sleeping alone," he said at length. "I usually sleep
near... Pops...."
Washuu smiled at that. "You miss him?"
Something in her expression said that she knew the answer
before he spoke. "I... I think so. My head still feels like it's
muddled, though. I'm not sure."
She said nothing for a long time, simply relaxing, her
breaths coming deeper and more slowly. "Well, maybe we can arrange
to find him. I don't think we can stay here much longer." She shook
her head, yawning. "We'll worry about that tomorrow..." she mumbled.
He smiled softly. Being alone could be unsettling, and the
comfort of her presence warmed him. It wasn't the same as his
father, but he knew even with his fuzzy memories that he needed
something to protect, more than anything. If he could protect
her....
Yawning tiredly, he turned his back towards her, and allowed
himself to drift to sleep.
***
Tenchi sat very still, trying his best to look imposing in
the Juraian formal clothing that Ayeka had picked out for him.
Before him, placed evenly about the great oval table of the Juraian
Supreme Council's table sat the governing bodies of Jurai, the
Emperor himself at the far end, his wives at his side. Funaho's
position as the Inspector General of Information gave her a seat to
the Emperor's left, while the lady Misaki sat to his right, in her
role of Supreme Commander of the Royal bodyguard.
He wouldn't have thought it from his initial meeting with
the woman, but Misaki's demeanor turned very cold and professional
in the political arena. Funaho, on the other hand, seemed more
relaxed, and casual... perhaps it was more fitting, considering her
role. The Emperor himself wore the same grimly set features that
Tenchi had grown used to after their initial meeting.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, the boy relaxed at
the feelings of reassurance that he felt from Ayeka. Ryouko herself
was forbidden entrance to the Council chamber, and instead remained
in the quarters that Tenchi was issued. Opulent as they were, they
could easily house the entire population of Tenchi's high school,
but Ryouko had termed it 'confining'. Despite her complaints, she
remained there attended by Ayeka's guardians. The Juraian people
were nervous of Ryouko, and Ayeka had suggested she remain as subtle
as possible, less they risk the fate of the Earth.
To Tenchi's right sat Tsunami, and while Tenchi knew that
she meant well, the ruby-eyed woman made him nervous. Clearing his
throat, he placed his palm on a small blue disk on the table,
indicating that he wished the meeting to continue.
His right as a supplicant could not be denied, giving the
majority of the council cause to sigh and hang their heads as the
meeting was extended again.
One of the councilmen nodded wearily, indicating that Tenchi
should continue. "Now, Tenchi-san, we do share your concern for
colonial planer 0-316 -- "
"You mean colonial planet 0-315, and it's _Earth_," Tenchi
corrected, overriding the man's speech. "What reasons are there to
_not_ help as much as you can?" He stopped himself off there, trying
to retain control over his temper, and rubbing at the trefoil symbol
on his forehead that he knew would be there. Tsunami's presence
seemed to call it, but he was afraid it would glow with the
intensity of his emotion.
Ayeka cut in smoothly, stating, "We have decided to rethink
our stance, and would request to reconvene tomorrow, after everyone
has had a chance to rest." Her soft voice made the request seem meek
-- almost pleading. The Council agreed after a moment, everyone
rising to their feet and stretching, groaning and muttering amongst
themselves at they wandered off, attending whatever other duties
remained to be dealt with.
The Juraian princess smoothed back her hair, her experience
in the political arena allowing her to retain her composure as
everyone -- including her parents -- slowly departed. Tsunami rose
to her feet silently, and stepped a few paces away from Tenchi. He
was unsure why she did so, but was comforted none-the-less.
***
Tsunami trailed behind Ayeka and Tenchi as they whispered
together. She could have heard them, but respected their privacy, as
they slowly wended their way towards the quarters that Tenchi had
been assigned. The Emperor did not approve of Ayeka or Sasami
sharing quarters with Tenchi, but Funaho had overridden his
objections.
And Tsunami... they had no obvious opinions on that --
Tsunami was Jurai, and could do as she wished. Except order that all
of Tenchi's demands be met. Certainly, they seemed to kowtow to her
every other whim, but when the Emperor was concerned, things became
strained. He was a politician, and she was a goddess... but in part,
she was also theoretically his daughter, and hence, he held power
over her.
Added to that, he did not respect her opinions as much as he
respected _her_, meaning that he sided with the Council in most
matters, even sending more aid to Earth.
She slowed slightly, as Tenchi and Ayeka drew ahead,
realizing that she was dodging the issue. As Tsunami, she had her
own quarters, or could reclaim her old quarters, should she wish it.
But then... she wanted to be with Tenchi, with Ayeka and Ryouko...
she felt so terribly alone and distant from people. Respect was one
thing, but affection was almost nowhere to be found.
She was unhappy with the way that the turn of events had
pushed Tenchi, causing a rift to form; a rift she feared he would be
too frightened to cross. Ahead of her, where she had stopped at an
intersection of corridors, Tenchi gestured absently, muttering
darkly, and shooting a glance behind him at something behind her, as
the door to his apartments opened, then shut. She sighed, unhappy,
and stared at the closed wooden door for a time, trying to distract
herself with the structure of it; thick vines wrapped around narrow
logs, giving it a very soft, friendly feel. Just like the doors to
Ayeka's room. Or Sasami's.
Swallowing to herself, she turned away, walking slowly and
sedately down the corridor. Of course, she had been foolish to make
such an assumption -- that the invitation would extend to her --
but... Tenchi had never seemed _that_ distant to her before, and had
always been so kind and friendly to Sasami, but....
Closing her eyes, she walked down the corridor, a path that
was firmly etched in her memory, one that she knew would be with her
forever. Following the path engraved in her heart to its end, she
opened her eyes before her tree. The First of the Ouke-no-ki. She
lay a hand on the smooth bark of the tree that was also her,
contemplating. With her powers, she could enter the tree, and exit
any other Ouke-no-ki in the universe.
It would be oh-so-easy to escape, and simply run away, but
she couldn't... even if he was afraid of her, she loved Tenchi too
much to let him go without at least trying. But what could she do?
Even as Sasami, her extended time as Tsunami would make them
nervous, and Sasami's fears of Ayeka seeing her as not being the
'real' Sasami were slowly coming to pass.
Such a sad, silly thing... and it created a rift between her
and all she loved. She had Ryouko's continued mistrust, though the
woman was no less kind to Tsunami than she had been to Sasami, she
was largely just indifferent. Ryo-oh-ki seemed to not mind at all...
but Tsunami had no place in Jurai. She was a symbol, and the Juraian
people grew nervous when she drew near.
Sasami was used to odd reactions from the palace staff,
usually most respectful... but they were nearly reverent to Tsunami,
because she was so much to their society.
Tsunami knelt on the ring surrounding her tree-self, and
stared at her hands, musing. Possibly one of the greatest powers in
the universe, and it robbed her of everything she treasured. It
simply wouldn't be seemly for the 'Goddess of Jurai' to cook. It
wasn't appropriate for her to play with small animals, like Ryo-oh-
ki, or any of the countless other creatures that she had loved.
Tenchi was nervous of the figure that was so revered. Ayeka
saw a being that had replaced her sister, as did Misaki. The
Emperor, Sasami's father, was more understanding, perhaps, but was
simply too cold to be of any comfort.
The aching loneliness bit at her -- she was, perhaps, a
simple creature, with simple needs. She simply wanted to be...
wanted. And no one _here_ wanted her....
There were then, two people that Tsunami could go to, even
as Sasami. Washuu, and maybe Yosho, despite the obvious danger it
posed. Steeling herself with a deep breath, she stepped into the
tree, willing herself to be _elsewhere_. She could return in the
morning....
***
Tenchi sat at the small table in the foremost sitting room,
poking idly at the dishes Ayeka had ordered brought, and made moody
by the tremendous responsibilities thrust upon him. Ayeka sat
opposite him, while Ryouko sat at his side -- nearly in his lap.
Ryouko pouted nervously, trying to draw the boy into a hug,
which he only partially resisted. "What's wrong, Tenchi?" she
purred, trying to mask her nervousness.
Ayeka, for her part, restrained herself remarkably, settling
for clearing her throat, which in turn caused Ryouko to back off,
pouting more deeply, but with less nervousness.
After a moment, Tenchi shook his head, pushing his plate
away. "I'm just... confused... and there's so much going on, and I'm
worried about Jiji, and Father, and...." He trailed off, sighing. "I
need to sleep, I'm tired."
He hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should track
Sasami -- Tsunami, he corrected himself. If he should track Tsunami
down and apologize, and tell her that he just wasn't sure how to
deal with the... difference... between her and Sasami. And that he
missed Sasami, but....
He shivered, knowing somehow without looking that the
trefoil mark on his head was gone, and that he had lost his chance.
"Damn it," he whispered, climbing to his feet and trudging towards
the sleeping quarters. Well, there would be tomorrow, after the
meetings....
***
Slipping into the room, and no longer Tsunami, but not truly
completely Sasami either, a young girl slipped into the Masaki
house, creeping towards the stairs, and Tenchi's room. She halted
before his door, half-remembering from her extended fusion, and
blinked.
Her pink eyes flashed in the darkness, brimming with
moisture at the dim recollections of rejection. "No," she whimpered,
sinking to her knees. She had come here for help, and Tenchi had
promised... promised....
"No...." Shivering, she moved down the hall, and balked
again before the room she habitually shared with her sister. Her
sister was not here, and... and she acted as though Sasami were no
longer her sister.
Swallowing, she spun, seeking desperately for something to
chase off the loneliness before she remembered, half on her own, and
half through that strengthening, but fuzzy veil that seemed to chase
her thoughts so often....
Washuu. Washuu would accept her, or Katsuhito, if he were
around. But even Ryo-oh-ki was missing.... Where was everyone?
"Hello?" she called out tremulously. "Is... is anyone home
at all?"
Shivering again in the darkness, she crept down the stairs,
towards Washuu's laboratory, pushing away the odd sensations behind
the veil in her mind. Washuu was probably still awake, since she
rarely ever seemed to sleep.
Humming happily to herself, she pushed open the door and
entered the lab, unmindful of the clanking of the crab-shaped bell,
or the flashing red lights within its eyes, and their silent
warning.
***
Ranma woke suddenly bolting upright, and sinking through the
floor before he collected himself. Drifting down through a library,
he stopped, floating amidst one of the largest collections of shoujo
manga that he had ever seen. Washuu's voice called out to him as she
swiftly descended the stairs, "You felt it too? It's the lab --
let's hurry."
He nodded, drifting to the lab door and waiting impatiently
for the diminutive scientist to arrive. He scowled, as she pushed
the door open, feeling a tingling sensation along his spine as the
parallel space was moved into closer alignment. Brushing past
Washuu, he drifted through the doorway, following the growing sense
of urgency emanating from....
He frowned, rubbing at the gem on his wrist, scowling as it
suddenly flared a deep green, twinkling. He heard Washuu exclaim
something as he darted forward, a faint and distant shriek of terror
echoing from deep within the laboratory.
***
Sasami's eyes widened, and she pushed back at the veil in
her mind -- something was changing behind it, urgently calling to
her, but she ignored it, backing away in a panic. Before her, a mass
of shiny black armor coated... thing... seemed to struggle with the
air, giant claws sweeping towards her, only to come to a halt
suddenly. The grinding of metal raking across metal sounded, and the
monstrosity seemed to mimic clawing something apart, then backing
away, and... eating something?
Sasami swallowed nervously, unsure and only knowing for
certain that the creature was inching forward, already cutting into
her path to safety. Washuu was nowhere to be seen, and this monster
was not helping matters.
Slinking away from the monster, she huddled away in a
corner, whimpering. "Tenchi-niisan!" But he was nowhere to be seen,
having disappeared like Washuu had.
The monster kept its mechanical motions, varying slightly
upwards, or down, but moving forward ever so slowly, inching towards
her. Shivering in fear, the girl let a shriek of terror escape, not
knowing what to do.
There was a sudden flash, then, and Sasami bounded to her
feet, still pressing herself to the wall. "Ryouko --" She cut
herself off suddenly, staring at the newcomer, so much like Ryouko,
were she to be a boy. She had seen Ryouko don a similar outfit, at
one time, but.... The boy snarled fiercely at the creature, dropping
into a crouch, then _leaping_ at the monster, feet lashing out to
smash into its carapace.
The monster shrieked, then backed away, waving the larger
pair of forward claws menacingly, and squaring off with the boy. He
snorted, smirking, and took a loose, relaxed stance, eyeing his
opponent. The monster, Sasami realized, was more then equipped to
hurt the boy -- he had only bare hands and feet, while the...
thing... had eight appendages, all of which were tipped with nasty
and dangerous looking points and jagged barbs.
***
Ranma relaxed, allowing his memories of proper stances to
flood back into him. But how to fight the creature? It was huge! And
to keep this new little girl safe, of course....
It snarled again, sweeping a pair of appendages towards him
like a giant pair of scissors, each tipped with wickedly jagged
barbs. He ducked, throwing himself to the ground and only narrowly
avoiding being caught, then lashed out with a foot, aiming for the
thing's... face?
Head-like-area, at any rate. It recoiled from the force of
the kick, but seemed otherwise unaffected, sweeping its claws back
open. Ranma pushed himself off of the floor, momentarily winning the
battle against gravity, and dodged another attack, landing another
fierce kick to the creature, which succeeded in temporarily
staggering it.
Scowling, he realized that he wasn't making any headway --
he simply wasn't able to do enough damage to the thing. Yelling, he
rushed, ducking under an attack and attempting to grapple the thing.
It looked like he might be able to flip it over onto its back, like
a turtle. He knew he could make it cold, but was worried that the
backlash from such an attempt would hurt the girl.
He grunted in pain when he closed with the thing's leg -- it
was covered in sharp, spiny protrusions, some of which seeped pale
colored and stinging ichor. Heaving, calling upon strength he did
not know he possessed, he raised the monster into the air, wincing
as a pair of claws rent the space near him, coming perilously close.
He paused, momentarily stunning himself with the fact that he was
able to lift the monster above him, since he was certain the thing
had to weigh more than most small cars, before slamming it into the
ground. It screeched, floor-plates buckling upward around it as
Ranma drove it down.
Staggering back, out of reach of the flailing limbs, Ranma
rubbed at the bloody streak running from his shoulder to his hip,
then noticing his hands. He hissed, seeing the raw wounds, some of
them discolored with the pale ichor.
Spitting towards it derisively, he took a deep breath,
allowing the adrenaline to fade from his system, and the pain to
slowly come through. A wave of dizziness swept through him,
reminding him of what Washuu had told him earlier. Their blood was
toxic, and so were the fumes from it. "Aww..." he bit his tongue,
eyeing the girl.
Her eyes remained fixed on the monster, and he turned
belatedly to look at it. The legs had stopped thrashing in the air,
instead arcing downwards and bending its joints backwards. Ranma's
eyes widened in disbelief, as the limbs fully reversed their
orientation, allowing the reaver to rise again. "No way!" he
breathed.
Washuu rounded the far corner, backpedaling as she saw the
monster. "Oh!" she exclaimed, her eyes quickly scanning over to
Ranma, and her expression twisting to confusion as she saw the girl.
"Sasami?" she asked.
The girl nodded, still staring at the creature in horror.
Ranma waited, but the creature seemed bent on attacking the space
before him, still a good half-meter away from him, and at least
twice that from the girl -- Sasami. He relaxed slightly, wincing as
the soreness caught his attention again. "Washuu, what the heck am I
supposed to do with this thing?"
The diminutive scientist shook her head, remembering the
situation at hand, and turned to Ranma. "Beat it the same way you
did the last one! Remember?"
He stared at the monster, then frowned. "Uh... I don't want
to hurt the girl, she's kinda in the way...."
Washuu stared at him, hard, then shook her head, setting her
hands on her hips as though the monster weren't an immediate threat.
"Then pick her up, and bring her to safety!"
Ranma nodded belatedly, turning, and gathering up the
entirely unresisting girl in his arms. He turned again, eyeing the
monster, and frowned, calculating. Taking a deep breath, he
muttered, "Hang on tight!"
The girl did just that, her arms circling his neck as she
curled herself into a ball, huddling into his chest. Darting along,
making sure to shield the girl with his own body, Ranma leapt across
the corridor to where Washuu waited, tapping her foot impatiently.
The creature lashed out, one lightning-fast strike that Ranma _knew_
was going to hit him making a high-pitched keening whistle as it
cleft the air.
Struggling frantically, he willed himself to somehow move
faster, and momentarily surprised both himself and Washuu when he
sped up, flipping over and slamming into the wall behind her.
The girl coughed, shaken up, but Ranma had absorbed most of
the impact himself. "Ow..." he groaned, still stuck into the now-
cratered wall, and Sasami held to his chest protectively. Washuu
stared at him, incredulous, then stepped forward and helped the girl
down.
"Ranma?" she asked, her voice confused.
"Uh... yeah?" he responded, pushing himself out of the wall
and remembering -- this time -- to float to the floor.
"What are you doing?"
"I... uh... kind of forgot about the entire... power...
thing." He sighed, raising a hand to his head before belatedly
realizing he would smear blood through his hair. Grumbling, he shook
his head. "Those things are nasty!"
Washuu nodded, eyeing the wounds dubiously. "Right... maybe
you should try not to use your bare hands, Ranma."
He stared at her dumbly. "Huh?"
Wincing, Washuu held a hand towards him, and clenched it
into a fist, causing him to step backwards as a red, blade-like,
glowing bar of energy sprang from her hand, humming quietly in the
air. "I forgot to mention it to you, but you can generate these,
too. And right now, you probably should."
She shook her head, gesturing towards the creature. "I'm not
fast enough to handle it myself, or I would. Ranma... try and be
careful, okay?"
He nodded, staring at his hand and wondering... "Uh..." He
nearly asked, but shook his head, stubborn pride temporarily
overriding common sense. If she could make a glowing sword out of
thin air, so could he.
Gathering himself, he focused. How did one go about
generating glowing sticks of light? He clenched his fist in
frustration, willing it to happen, but... _there_. It was a
sensation... he closed his eyes, relaxing, and sought the sensation
out. It was like a muscle he had never flexed before, how did he....
He cleared his mind, trying to reach it, but it slipped from
his grasp, elusive. Heaving an exasperated sigh, he opened his eyes,
seeing both Washuu and Sasami staring at him expectantly.
Swallowing, he managed a smile, knowing that the reaver was inching
ever closer. "Oh... boy," he whispered.
Soul of ice. He calmed himself, throwing his focus into that
single moment of perfectly centered self, seeking out the ice that
lay within, and the control it yielded to him. In a heartbeat, he
had it, and a blazing ball of shimmering blue lay across his
outstretched hand.
He grinned, not letting the soul of ice slip, and clenched a
fist around it. As though obliging an unspoken request, the light...
shifted... a bar of it before him, like a long dagger, and below, a
shorter bar and an odd sphere. He waved it experimentally, surprised
at its weight, and resistance to movement.
Shaking his head, he swept past the girls, not really
noticing as he formed a second blade in his other hand. The reaver,
sensing his approach, backed off slightly, allowing itself more room
to maneuver.
He leapt towards the reaver, arms held behind him as he flew
towards, it like a bird of prey. It raised a claw to block his
passage, and another in an attempt to spear him. The claws met with
his blades, neither yielding immediately. Ranma gritted his teeth,
willing himself to move _forward_, trying to force his levitation to
become more a part of the attack, and lending its power to his.
Sparks flew from the contact, as the energy of the blade
slowly carved through the thick reinforcements of the reaver's
carapace, and behind that, frost slowly spread across the creature's
limbs.
Snarling, Ranma pressed his advantage, sensing that his
victory was near. He was only able to gawk, stunned, when one of the
reaver's rear legs suddenly whipped around, slashing him across the
face as he narrowly evaded being cleft in two.
He shook himself, wiping at the blood irritably, and
scowling. The monster had learned to fight him quickly!
Leaping upwards again, Ranma avoided another series of
strikes, descending on the monster's back, and driving his twin
blades against the carapace.
The creature howled, and Ranma rolled off of its... back?
The creature had flipped over, Ranma remembered, so that must be its
underbelly. A claw descended towards him, narrowly missing the boy,
and instead driving itself deep into the monster's own carapace.
Ranma stared at it dumbly, stunned that it would do such a thing to
itself. Shaking his head, he took advantage of the opportunity, this
time hacking at the leg's joint, hoping the armor would be weaker
there.
With one of its own legs pinned in its own hide, the monster
was not effectively able to counter, and Ranma drove his blades
against the joint, managing to slowly sever the trapped limb.
Yanking savagely, he pulled it off, revealing a frozen mass of pale
yellow tissue behind it.
Grimacing, he let his blades vanish, remembering how he
killed the last one. Yelling savagely, he struck the creature,
driving his fist through the frozen mess, and unleashing a deluge of
its ichor upon himself.
Gagging, Ranma staggered away, trying not to scream at the
pain as it ate into his flesh. He stumbled towards the wide-eyed
Washuu and Sasami, sinking to his knees. "Damn it!" he cursed. "This
hurts!"
Washuu blinked, and Ranma felt an odd... tingling...
sensation reverberate through him. When it finished, the pain was
gone. Surprised, he got to his feet and looked himself over, noting
that he had changed.
"Hey," Ranma said slowly, looking down at his -- now 'her'
-- body. "What happened?"
Washuu shook herself out of her reverie, and motioned Ranma
to follow her. "Like I said," she explained, "when you take too much
damage, you convert to your smaller mass form." Sasami stared at
Ranma in a bemused sort of shock, even as Washuu led her away down
the corridor. "You could change back now, but if you know what's
good for you, you won't. You'll need to replace some of the mass you
lost in the battle, first...."
Ranma blinked, thinking she understood. "Uh... okay. So...
who is she, and how did she get here?"
Washuu frowned, still leading Sasami away. "This is Sasami,
and she's a Juraian princess. I'm not sure why she's here, but I
think she's in shock from the reaver attack... at any rate, let's
find Yosho-dono, and have some tea. I doubt I'm going to get back to
sleep right away." The last was said with a bit of disappointed
regret, causing Ranma to wince.
"I know what you mean... hard to sleep after seeing
that...." Ranma frowned, feeling herself over. "Why aren't I hurt
anymore?" she asked. "I mean, I can understand that I shouldn't be
hurt as much, but... not at all?"
Washuu smirked, nodding to herself. "I am the greatest
scientific genius in the universe, after all. Why would I make it so
you kept the damage if you didn't need to?"
Ranma frowned again. "Doesn't that mean that I can change at
will if I want to get rid of a bruise or a cut, or something?"
Washuu nodded. "Of course. Once you learn the trick of it,
you should be able to heal without changing, too."
Nodding, Ranma ran a hand through her hair, grimacing at its
spikiness as it resumed its previous shape after her hand passed
through it. "Anyway... what's going on with the, er.... What's going
on with Sasami?"
Washuu frowned, tapping one finger against her lower lip
thoughtfully, as she reached the lab's exit. "I'm not sure, we'll
have to ask her... when she's feeling more up to it, I suppose."
Ranma nodded, moving to sit on the couch in the living room, but
halted by Washuu's warning call, "Wait, Ranma!" At Ranma's
questioning gaze, she explained, "You're going to need to wash up,
before you touch any of the furniture.
She blinked, looking down at herself, then again at Washuu.
Washuu frowned, shaking her head. "And of course, ladies first,
so... you'll have to wait for Sasami and I to return." She nodded to
herself, and led Sasami away. Ranma winced, seeing the bloodstains
she had inadvertently gotten on the girl's clothing, and her long,
aquamarine hair.
Sighing, she folded her legs beneath her, floating a half-
meter or so above the table. "Wait..." she muttered, looking over
her shoulder to the giant floating outdoor bathhouse. Blinking, she
turned, noting that Washuu had led Sasami down a hallway. Tentative
investigation revealed sounds of splashing water and hushed voices
behind one of the doors, but she elected not to pursue further,
dimly remembering an association between baths and violence.
Shrugging, Ranma exited the house and drifted towards the
outdoor onsen. If they wanted to use the one, when there were two,
then there shouldn't be a problem with her using the other....
She lit upon the entrance, pleased to note that it was still
brightly lit within. She peered in, seeing no one, and focused for a
moment, willing her bodysuit to disappear. That done, she wandered
over to the washing area, frowning at the steaming water of the
baths as she grabbed a rag and began to scrub herself.
***
Slowly coming to her senses again, the first thing she was
aware of was fingers pressing down into her scalp, gently scrubbing
shampoo into her hair. She blinked, noticing a few faint streamers
of red in the water over the tile on the floor of the bathing area,
and knowing that whatever it was, it had been taken behind that
clouded veil in the back of her head.
Probably not important, really. She heard a mutter behind
her, where whoever was helping her bathe was kneeling. She turned
her head slowly, managing to get a bit of shampoo into one eye.
"Ack!" she exclaimed, blinking the tears away as she saw the
diminutive redhead smiling sardonically at her.
"Feeling better, Sasami?"
The girl nodded, wondering what had felt unwell in the first
place. "Washuu-chan? What happened?"
Shrugging, Washuu dumped a pitcher of cold water over
Sasami's head, rinsing the lather out of her eyes. "Oh, probably
nothing to worry about at the moment, really. Do you remember
meeting Ranma?"
She nodded slowly, dimly remembering some things that the
veil was not strong enough to hide. There had been a monster... a
giant, horrible creature, and a boy with midnight-black hair and
frighteningly blue eyes.... "I think so... he has blue eyes?"
Washuu snorted, hiding a smile and nodding. "Oh, then you
remember him well enough. I'll reintroduce you to him later, though.
Now, turn around so I can scrub your back!"
***
Ranma sighed, eyeing the warm water suspiciously. Washuu had
said that she had best remain in female form until she could replace
the lost mass, and that probably meant eating, which suited Ranma
just fine. Healing from eating was a definite plus in her book,
since she liked both being healthy, and eating. And if the one lead
to the other....
Shaking her head, she tried to focus, remembering what
Washuu had said about control. Someone named Tsunami had told _her_
that Ranma should have better control over the curse. Well, control
at all would be an improvement....
Steeling herself, and smirking at the irony, she dipped one
leg into the hot water, feeling a tingling sensation that swept
through her, seeming to collide with her steeled will, as though she
were keeping the change at bay. Her smile widening, she sank into
the water, releasing a contented sigh.
It was odd to force the curse at bay, especially since she
wanted nothing more than to do away with it... but the novelty of
control was intriguing. Perhaps less a curse and more a tool.... She
giggled, stifling the noise and looking about herself, mortified
that someone might have heard the... girlish... noise.
Realizing that she was still alone, she relaxed, sighing. A
discarded hand-mirror lay near Ranma's hand, on the edge of the
bath. A bright pink plastic frame, and a small smudge on one corner.
She rubbed at the smudge absently, before turning the mirror over
and examining it.
A crudely scrawled, 'Mihoshi,' was inscribed on the reverse
of the mirror, and the smudge came off easily. Nodding to herself,
Ranma flipped it over again, studying her reflection. Her face
seemed the same as it had, perhaps a little more weathered, but....
No, it was the same, she decided.
Still disgustingly 'cute,' still with red hair, though no
longer in the boyish pigtail, and instead.... She grimaced, holding
her breath and sinking below the surface of the water. She emerged a
moment later, shaking the water out of her eyes, and noting with
some interest that the spikiness was gone, leaving her hair to lie
straight down her back, hanging slightly past her shoulders.
"Hmm..." she mused, running her hand through it.
As she watched, it seemed to dry itself off, reassuming its
previous spiky configuration. Sighing, Ranma set the small hand-
mirror on the side of the bath again, staring upwards and musing.
The still-blurred images of the girls she had fought for danced
through her head, vying for dominance. She remembered a pair of
eyes; eyes that could sparkle with a luster that put jewels to
shame, and a smile that framed a face....
But she couldn't remember the color of the eyes, or anything
about the smile other than it being one of the most heartbreakingly
beautiful things she had ever seen. Gone, now. Sent away beyond the
stars.... Grimacing, she looked upwards, seeing the stars still,
twinkling in the sky overhead.
And that smile was gone, leaving Ranma alone. She sighed,
deciding that it was for the better. She would be safe, at any rate.
Safe from the monsters, and some day, perhaps, Ranma could find her
again.... She nodded to herself. Until then, Ranma had someone to
protect, and a world to cleanse for her return.
Stretching against the heat, Ranma leaned back into the
wooden rim of the bath, allowing herself to slowly doze off.
***
Waking with a start, Ranma blinked, looking around, and
feeling drained.
He grunted, climbing out of the water, and pausing to look
down at himself. A wave of dizziness passed through him, tingling,
and he shifted. As she regained her balance from the unexpected
change, her head cleared, reminding her of Washuu's warning.
"Of course," she muttered, eyeing the water mistrustfully.
Perhaps that had been a bad place to try and sleep. Shaking her
head, she summoned her clothing to her again. Frowning at her once-
again gloved hands, and covered feet, she shook her head, allowing
herself to drift outside, and wheeled abruptly, a sharp sensation
ringing on the back of her neck.
Like an abscess of moonlight, though she could faintly make
out the glow of the pre-dawn, she felt more than saw it. A shadow,
creeping inexorably closer to the onsen, which had dropped to the
level of the lake's surface while she had slept. Steeling herself,
Ranma glided forward, preparing to meet yet another reaver.
----------------------------
Author's notes:
This is, in fact, the fic that got me (however temporarily)
out of fanfiction. I was told that I could not, _could not_, _COULD
NOT_ write it the way I wanted to.
Well, whoever says I can't is welcomed to believe that. I
will simply try my best, and if that isn't good enough, then I'm
just going to have to get better. Thank you for your time and
patience, and thank you most of all for bearing with my horrible
temperament -- and myself. ;)
Revised: 01-09-02
That's about it for this month. E-mail your submissions (articles, columns, songs, artwork, poetry, fiction, whatever...) to me at throkda@swbell.net.