Disclaimer: All elements from Ranma ½ belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
Troubled Sisters
This story is a sequel to Sacrifice.
Summary of Sacrifice: The Great One began to manifest in Ranma Saotome's body a year ago. Through a series of sacrifices the deity became dominant and Ranma disappeared from his body. The last sacrifice, Akane, was drowned the day of the full moon. Only Akane and Ranma did not die. They were transformed into the lion/dog guardians, shisa, to guard the Temple-Palace of The Great One.
…
The sun resting on the horizon glinted off Akane's bushy tail as it curled around her paws and under her chin. Having given up keeping her heavy eye lids open Akane let the evening lull her mind to blissful silence as she soaked up the last rays of sunlight. A slight puff of air on her shoulder meant that Ranma was beginning to doze off as well, his head resting in her mane, his body curled off to the side of her. The sudden disturbance of urgent footsteps approaching the gate caused Akane's eyes to snap open as Ranma groaned in her ear. Both sat up and the two shisa sluggishly made their way, stretching and yawning, to either side of the path that led from the gate to the Temple-Palace entrance.
When she saw who was coming, Akane immediately snapped into one of her customary responses: staring with her mouth closed. Ranma had his mouth open.
Nabiki rapidly strode into the yard then abruptly stopped just inside the gate and turned to Kasumi who was right on her heels. "I can't stand this anymore, Kasumi. A little more than a week ago our sister was killed, and I want to know why."
"Nabiki, wait! There is no need to be so hasty! The Great One-"
"Face it Kasumi! The Great One doesn't care about us! We have done nothing but honor Him our entire lives and He still uses us like pawns in a game!" Nabiki was breathing heavily, desperate fury etched on her face.
"I know, Nabiki, but I don't want to lose another sister," Kasumi's eyes had a determined look that almost overshadowed the fear.
"If you're afraid then don't follow me, but I need answers."
As Nabiki sharply turned away Kasumi grabbed her arm and pulled her back. "This is a God we're talking about. You can't just blackmail or trick Him into giving you what you want. If He doesn't want to share then He won't," Kasumi slowly stepped closer to her sister, "We have already lost Mother and now Akane, the grief is tearing Father apart, please don't let me lose you too."
Bowing her head so that Akane could no longer see her face Nabiki answered in a soft voice, "I can barely stand it, Kasumi. Maybe I should have seen the signs when Ranma started to become so distant, but I didn't and now Akane… I need a reason why all this has happened. I can't stand the thought that all this happened for nothing and…"
Kasumi looked into her sister's face, "I understand. We can go and ask the Godling, He might give us an answer, but He also might not. Perhaps The Great One will remember how we prayed to His shrine every day." With that said the two sisters slowly made their way towards the building's entrance.
Akane kept an attentive eye on her sisters. Witnessing the entire scene had caused her heart to ache to run over to them and assure them that she was alright, but she was still frozen in her place. As her sisters approached Akane was distracted out of her thoughts when she saw a smoky shadow follow them.
The closer her sisters came, the more Akane thought the shadow had only been a figment of her imagination. But then, just as her sisters were passing her and Ranma, the shadow seemed to run into an invisible wall and forcibly detached itself from the two of them. The black mist hung in the twilight air for a moment before it formed into the bloody corpse of a woman with fangs and claws. Nabiki and Kasumi, unaware that anything had happened, continued up the steps and into the sacred building.
"Curses!" The shadow woman shrieked, "how dare you shisa keep me from my hosts!"
Akane, unable to stand anymore, snarled, "what were you doing to my sisters?"
The demon opened her mouth to show off extra sharp teeth that she licked with a tongue that was far too long, "feeding off their anguish. The thirst for vengeance in the younger was especially tasty."
The crooked smile was too much for Akane. She pounced towards the evil spirit fully intent on causing permanent damage. Just as she reached her target Ranma let loose a ground shaking roar and sprung after her to join the fray.
Avoiding the demon's claws Akane bit into the spirit's arm ready to distract it while Ranma attacked. But the arm broke off and began dissolving to nothingness in her mouth. The spirit took the opportunity to flee, barely being missed by Ranma's claws, hissing her displeasure at the shisa as she left the temple grounds.
"Good riddance," Ranma snorted, "though I wonder why it ran like that-I was looking forward to a good fight!"
Akane stared at him. She had almost forgotten he was there when she saw her sisters and was startled to remember his presence when he roared. Now he served to remind her that she wasn't alone, that helped to take the bitterness out of seeing her sisters again. Looking down she softly spoke, "Ranma, thanks."
He turned back to look at her, "Akane-"
"What was that?" Both of Akane's distressed sisters reappeared on the porch. In contrast, the Godling that followed was His usual unaffected self as He lit the lanterns against the growing darkness.
To Akane's displeasure she found herself and Ranma freezing once again, this time Akane with her mouth open and Ranma with his mouth closed.
"What was that noise?" Kasumi peered out into the yard.
The puppet responded in a bored, emotionless voice, "The shisa defended the temple."
Snorting her disbelief Nabiki spun to face the puppet and rasped out, "Stop playing games with us." When the Godling didn't react she continued, "You stole our sister and future brother-in-law from us to be closer to us mortals, and then you proceed to mock us! How-"
"Nabiki," Kasumi cut in, uncertainty in her voice, "the shisa moved-before they were on either sides of the path, now they are in the center of the path."
Nabiki stared in disbelief at her older sister, "So the creep asked one of the servants to move them and play a bad joke on us, that doesn't m-"
"Their postures are different, too."
"You're not telling me you think they are real?"
As Akane listened to her sisters' conversation she dared to let her hopes grow in her chest. She also saw the corner of the puppet's mouth turn up. He almost looked smug, well as smug as an emotionless puppet could look.
"Your sister and brother are closer than you think," the monotone voice sharply contrasted with the smug appearance.
The two elder Tendo sisters turned to stare at the puppet.
"You may move," the puppet then addressed the shisa.
Akane saw Ranma's ear twitch from the corner of her eye, before she felt her frozen muscles melt. She closed her mouth and cautiously took a step forward, unsure how to react. Ranma, on the other hand didn't seem to have any such hesitations. He stretched and yawned, and when he noticed Akane watching him he walked over and nudged her side hard enough for her to stumble to keep her balance.
Akane's sisters were now looking back and forth between them and the puppet.
Kasumi's voice was filled with disbelief, "The shisa are alive."
Nabiki began staring hard at Ranma and Akane, and she slowly made her way down the steps. "A-Akane? Ranma?" her voice was soft and unsure, but her eyes were widening with realization.
Unable to find her voice, Akane nodded and approached her sister, meeting her at the bottom of the steps. She sensed Ranma follow not far behind.
Stepping down next to her sister Kasumi watched as Nabiki knelt and gently held Akane's head. Nabiki looked into Akane's eyes before speaking, "your eyes are the same… you are Akane." She stared a moment, her eyes misting, before throwing her arms around Akane and pulling her in to a hard embrace.
Akane closed her eyes and hummed; glad her sister had found her. It wasn't long before Kasumi too fell to her knees and joined in the hug, and the sisters basked in the warmth of having found each other.
A short eternity later Akane felt the arms around her loosen and her sisters let go and leaned back. Both her sisters had been crying and Akane felt some extra moisture in her eyes as well. Looking around she found Ranma awkwardly still standing behind her trying to look everywhere else. She noticed her sisters following her gaze to Ranma.
"Ranma, it's good to see you too," Kasumi and Nabiki both moved to hug him as well.
Akane suppressed the urge to giggle at Ranma's reaction; as soon as her sisters had switched their focus to him a look of slight panic washed over his features. His eyes had widened and his ears and tail had both dropped, he almost looked like he was considering bolting when they reached him. At the sight of Ranma's nervous eyes peeking out from over Kasumi's shoulder Akane did chuckle, though it came out as more of a rumble. Her sisters let go of Ranma and Akane tried not to laugh again as she watched him visibly relax.
A short silence followed before Nabiki asked, "how did this happen?"
Akane sighed, "It's a long story."
Both sisters jumped slightly, "you can talk?" They both asked rhetorically, and then chuckled a bit.
Nabiki looked up toward the steps, "what happened to the Godling?"
"He went back inside a while ago," Ranma rumbled.
"Good," Kasumi smiled, "then you two can tell us what happened."
Akane, with help from Ranma, did just that as the stars began to come out. Being with her sisters again made Akane feel on top of the world, and after scaring that evil spirit away she thought that maybe she could get used to being a shisa for a while.
…