Chapter 2: The Wedding Dress (Saturday 12/21/02)
Kasumi looked in the mirror at herself in the finished dress. "I don't know," she said finally. "I think it's too expensive," she fretted.
Nabiki rolled her eyes. "It's paid for in full. No returns," the middle sister said. "Mother Ono took care of the bill."
"Well, it's too fancy for me! I can't do it justice," Kasumi declaimed.
"You're kidding, right?" Akane told her. "You're one of the prettiest women in Nerima and you look like a goddess in that gown. It's a perfect fit and suits your coloring completely. Every man in the temple will have their jaw hit the ground when you walk down the aisle. Tofu will be stunned."
"Well then," the bride-to-be said quickly. "I can't do that to him…"
Shizuka cut her off: "He's a soldier! He'll be fine. Besides, he's seen Hell – let him see Heaven."
"But it's just so extravagant looking!" Kasumi said helplessly.
Nodoka put down her cup of tea and sighed. Then she got up and gently held Kasumi's face in her hands. Kasumi burst into tears. "Love, it's a wedding," Nodoka said soothingly. "You will only get married once. It's suppose to be extravagant. Do you love Tofu?"
"Of course I do!" the eldest Tendo daughter cried.
"Then let this be a true celebration of your Love. Do you want to be anything less than perfect on that day?" Nodoka prompted gently.
"Of course not!"
"Then wear the dress. You thought it was perfect three weeks ago. The only thing that has changed is that you have a bad case of nerves. You're getting married in twelve days – most brides would be throwing tantrums or throwing up," Nodoka said with a smile. "Even now you're being a saint. There's a lot of pressure here and all we have to put up with is your insecurity and a few tears? Good lord, I wish I had your composure!"
Kasumi put her head on Nodoka's shoulder and cried. Nabiki grabbed a cloth to protect the dress from the bride's tears. Shizuka looked at Nodoka with more than a little bit of jealousy. Akane said surprised: "I've never seen her like this!"
Mrs. Takeda, the dressmaker, gave a small laugh and replied: "Actually, she's right on time. Behold 'Bridezilla' – or at least Kasumi's version. She'll be fine after a good cry." The dressmaker looked at Akane with a raised eyebrow and added: "When your time comes, I'll be wearing ear plugs under a set of ear protectors." Akane blushed.
"And have structural reinforcements placed on the building," Nabiki put in. Akane became a little redder.
"Don't forget to reinforce all the circuit breakers," Nodoka teased.
"All right! All right! I get the message!" Akane huffed.
Eventually the tears stopped and Kasumi took a good look at the dress. Despite the puffy face and the red eyes, Kasumi still looked gorgeous. "It's wonderful, Mrs. Takeda!" she burst out.
Mrs. Takeda nodded. "The fit is perfect. No need for anymore changes. Now, let's have you change back. Akane and Nabiki? Why don't you help?" The two young women nodded and helped guide Kasumi to the changing area. Mrs. Takeda followed them, but before she left the room, the dressmaker looked directly at Nodoka and gave a side-nod at Shizuka. Nodoka discreetly nodded back.
Shizuka stood watching the doorway after it was shut. Nodoka went to the tea table and poured herself another cup. Then she asked: "Would you like a cup of tea, Shizuka?"
"How do you do that?" Shizuka burst out.
"Do what?" Nodoka asked innocently while pouring a second cup of tea.
"Get her to act like you're her mother!" Shizuka added with a touch of anger.
"She's not acting like I'm her mother. I could never replace Kimiko Tendo and I don't even try. I've acted like her aunt, and she's responded to it – a girl can have multiple aunts after all," Nodoka answered. She gave Shizuka a penetrating look. "You've acted like her sensei and her best friend – at least her female best friend. That's how she thinks of you; that's why you're the Matron of Honor and not me." That brought Shizuka up short. Nodoka went on: "We can't be all things to all people."
Nodoka walked over and handed Shizuka the cup of tea. Shizuka gave her a sour look as she accepted the cup. "I almost prefer you when you were out-of-your-mind," Shizuka griped.
Nodoka gave her a smirk and then sobered up. "Look," Nodoka said. "Are we really going to have a turf war over the wedding day of one of the sweetest women on the planet? That's not fair to her now. This is her day, not ours. You knew Kimiko much better than I did. Would she want us to do that to Kasumi?"
Shizuka sighed. "Of course not," she admitted.
"So, you're the Matron. The duties of the mother will be shared by me, Kin, Akane, and Nabiki most of all. Between the four of us and with your help, we should be able to get Kasumi to the altar. That's what counts, isn't it?"
Another sigh escaped Shizuka. "You are younger than I am, Nodoka. Why are you sounding so much older?" Shizuka complained.
"Hey, I've been crazy for a long time," Nodoka protested. "I'm due!"
Shizuka sniffed a little laugh. "All right, I'll behave," she promised.
"Friends?" Nodoka asked and held out her hand.
Shizuka brushed the hand aside and hugged the other woman instead. "We are already friends, Nodoka. You should see how I treat my enemies," Shizuka laughed.
Tofu looked over his three companions. "The hat goes, Daran!" he said sharply. The dark-skinned man sighed and took off his hat. He gave the fedora a shake and it became a flat piece of cloth. Daran then folded the cloth and put it in his pocket carefully.
"Take off the sunglasses, Ranma. I know it's bright out, but let me see your face and hair," the doctor pressed. Ranma did as requested, but he had to half-close his blue cat-eyes. The cat spirits were very curious concerning everything about the wedding. They had decided to tag along to the tuxedo fitting. "Hmmm…" Tofu said. "I guess the pig-tail doesn't look out of place. I give up; it's your call whether to wear a pony-tail or a pig-tail." The young man hissed a sigh of relief.
"Can I keep my beard, then?" Olaf asked. The Norwegian giant (in more ways than one) had grown a short blond beard over the last few weeks.
"Yes, it suits you," Tofu admitted. "Honestly, you tower over all of us so much that you could braid it and it wouldn't look out of place."
"That's all right. I'll keep it short, thank you very much," Olaf laughed.
"All right, let's see how we look together," the groom ordered, gesturing for everyone to stand in front of a large mirror. They complied and the Doc looked at the four of them. "Perfect!" Tofu exclaimed.
"And humans say cats finicky," Ranma hissed. The other groomsman and the Best Man just laughed.
"Hey, I'm only getting married once. I want to try for perfection. Hopefully I'll get close," Tofu said smoothly.
Daran pulled out his hat and tapped it back into shape. "So, you asked Tomo to be a Page?"
"I didn't ask him. Jakaro ordered Tomo to be a Page," Tofu said with a smirk. "He'll be on best behavior – especially since Lord Jakaro will be performing the ceremony. Besides, it's traditional in Kitsune weddings to have a young Kitsune in the wedding party to guard against supernatural intruders."
"Why Pest not here?" Ranma asked.
"He's wearing a traditional kimono instead," Tofu answered.
"I still think you're asking for trouble, even with Jakaro standing over him," Olaf said.
"Hinako will be with him in her child form as a Flower Girl. She'll keep an eye on him," Tofu said.
"And who will keep an eye on her?" Daran asked.
"It will be fine. Jakaro is arranging for two kimonos. The clothing will be enchanted to fit properly should either one of them change shape," the doctor explained.
"Definitely an optimist," Olaf rumbled with a laugh.
"Not so much – One of the settings will be a strait-jacket," Ono said smugly.
The tailor walked into the room and asked: "Is everything fine?"
"Yes, it's great," Tofu answered. "We will pick these up on the morning of the 31st."
"Very good, sir," the tailor responded. "Anything else?"
"Yes, my brother is next!" Tofu's arm shot out and pointed at the young Chinese man standing out-of-the-way. Mousse sighed. "He needs a proper suit for the wedding. His last one was destroyed back in February. While I'll admit some of his Chinese robes are suitable for good occasions, he's going to be very visible at my wedding. He will wear a suit!"
"Anyone ever tell you that you're a little obsessive with the details?" Mousse asked.
"Welcome to our world," Daran grinned. Ranma just smirked.
After another half an hour, Ranma led the way out of the tailor's – only to have Nabiki hit him with a glass of water. He, now she, felt the cats retreating, but the animal spirits were also chuckling. "What was that for?" Ranma complained as she stood in her gi.
Akane grabbed one of Ranma's arms and Shizuka grabbed another. "It's back to Takeda's now," Akane grinned.
"What?" the red-head asked confused.
Kasumi stepped behind Ranma and grabbed Ranma's shoulders, pushing in the direction of Takeda's. "You need a dress, dear sister-in-law. Let's go."
Ranma dug in, only to have Daran and Mousse sweep her legs out from under her and start to carry her away. The girl protested loudly: "But I'm wearing a tuxedo for the groom's side!"
"And the chance of you avoiding water during the wedding or the reception is zero," Tofu said. "You will not appear in over-sized clothes or wear a gi at my wedding." Ranma stretched her neck to see Tofu and Olaf ready to reinforce Akane and Shizuka. "Mousse will be properly dressed, and so will Ranko," the doctor added firmly. "You should set aside plenty of preparation time."
"Oh come on! What's my Mom going to say about her "manly" son?" Ranma pled.
"That only a true man could wear such a feminine dress without a hint of self-consciousness," Nodoka told him as stepped up from behind and marched with Daran. Kasumi walked along side of Mousse with Nabiki leading the way.
As Ranma's four bearers hoisted her up on their shoulders, Akane stole a kiss to the cheek. "It was a good try," the brown-eyed young woman told Ranma.
Ranma finally escaped from Takeda's dress shop. Akane was laughing at the young woman's expression. "Does it really have to have so much lace?" Ranma burst out.
"It's for a wedding, dummy," Akane smirked. "Of course it does."
"Mom was enjoying herself way too much!" Ranma complained. "I felt like a Barbie doll!"
"Now you know how me and my sisters feel when she 'tags' along with us!" Akane laughed. "It only takes about five minutes, and then she's in charge. If we need practical clothes, we have to sneak out and buy them."
Ranma groaned. "At least I managed to get her to back off on the underwear. It's straight-forward enough that I should be able to merge everything into the shape-change."
Akane looked thoughtful. "But the frilly dress doesn't bother you?" she asked.
"Naw," Ranma said with a dismissal wave of the hand. "It's just a costume. It's not as 'personal' as the underwear."
Akane pursed her lips. "All right, I can see that," she said. "Where to now?"
Ranma pulled Akane into an alley, pressed the other girl up against a wall, and gave her a fierce kiss. Akane gave her full attention to the kiss until Ranma stopped. The two touched foreheads and smiled at each other. "Let's see," Ranma started. "The doc paid me yesterday for two weeks of work, I'm pretty decent on my Christmas shopping, date night is on hold until after the wedding, and both of us are wearing the snazzy new outfits Mom just bought us. I think a mini-date until dinner is in order – like maybe the ice cream shop?"
"Ice cream in December?" Akane teased.
"There's no bad month for a parfait," Ranma grinned. "You can have a hot chocolate and a piece of cake or cookie. My treat!"
"You're on!"
A couple of hours later, Ranma (male again) and Akane were shopping in a manga and music store for Nabiki's present and some decorations for Ranma's new room. The new bedrooms for Ranma and Mousse were almost finished. The dojo basement had been re-done using some of the settlement money from Toshio Kuno for the wedding disaster last February. The two young men were moving there after Tofu's and Kasumi's wedding. Personally, Ranma was looking forward to his own space, something he had never had before. He was also looking forward to having somewhere to take Akane which was not next to Nabiki's room.
As they were looking at an Inuyasha poster (Akane had talked Ranma out of the strobe lights), they both felt Sasuke enter the store, despite the fact they could not see him. So, they were not surprised when he appeared in front of them. "Better and better," Ranma told him.
The little ninja looked slightly disappointed though. "You knew I was near?" he asked.
"Yes," Akane answered. "But I couldn't pinpoint your location." She glanced at Ranma who only nodded his head in agreement. "So, not too shabby," she said. Sasuke shrugged and accepted the compliment without any more words. "What's up?" Akane asked.
"My master wanted me to warn you to keep a low profile until the wedding. Tatewaki Kuno is currently in jail, but Master Toshio doesn't think he'll be staying there long. He said there was magic afoot, something you two would understand. Master Toshio said you should be able to stay out of the way if you were aware. Don't get curious, he advised. Just tend to business."
"All right, but if any of 'ours' gets involved, so will we – that includes our neighbors," Ranma said.
"We will not back down if challenged either," Akane warned.
Sasuke laughed. "Master Toshio is aware of who you are. He said the wedding should keep you busy anyway. He's hoping you won't be involved at all; he just doesn't want you blind-sided if something goes wrong."
"Fair enough," Ranma said. Akane agreed as well.
Sasuke nodded his head. "Good. I have work to do. I'll be about later."
Akane put her hand on Sasuke's shoulder, forcing him to pause for a second. "By the way," she started. "Kasumi has promised to ice your tree if you are not there for Christmas dinner."
"I'm supposed to be spying on your family – not part of it," the little ninja protested.
Ranma shrugged. "It's Christmas," he pointed out. "Just suck it up and be there, and don't bother trying to appeal to Mom. She's already placed the hose at the bottom of your tree."
(A/N: A little bit of a tie in to "The Other Side of the Looking Glass" and "Gifts" which are happening concurrently.)
Rera sat in the Cat Temple looking at a Viewing Sphere. He grinned as Ranma was carried to Takeda's. It might be fun to go 'top-side' and see this first hand, but he decided his 'big brother' didn't really need the company. Besides, the viewing was better here. As he watched, there were popping sounds as the Temple began to fill with purring and chirping cats – a sound Rera had learned to associate with feline laughter. One of them came over to him and began to meow at him. "Yes, I saw," he answered. "And it was very funny." The cat purred and chirped again, then ran off to play a game with its brothers and sisters.
Rera watched for another hour as Nodoka tortured her son until Ranma finally escaped accompanied by a laughing Akane. With a stretch, he got up and made the sphere vanish. Then he went downstairs and stepped onto the tri-temple plaza. He looked out over Ranma's Spiritual Realm and noted the clear blue sky with no clouds, reflecting Ranma's content state. Sometimes the clouds and sky would reflect Ranma's night dreams (if Ranma was not actually present in this Spirit realm), but there were not even daydreams present right now. The plaza itself was a mix of stone and plant gardens arranged in a complex symmetrical pattern. In the center of the plaza was a fountain with a statue on a pillar in the middle of the pool. The statue was of Akane dressed in a gi, although the girl was posed somewhat provocatively with the gi off her shoulders. This was something Akane had arranged when she was in Ranma's Spirit/Dream realm once.
Rera looked around satisfied at the three temples (the other two being Yang and Yin) with their connecting walkways. There were signs of repairs here and there where board or stone was new, but everything was safe and sound. "You can't get through life without a few wounds," he thought. "But you're supposed to heal and go on. Ranma finally has. So has Akane."
He walked over to a bench under a small shade tree and conjured the Viewing Sphere again. Rera then skimmed through various parts of the world looking for the tell-tale cracks of the Storm brewing. "Damn it," he swore. He still couldn't get a better prediction. "Well, at least Ranma is moving. I thought he'd tell Akane and Ryoga, but Doctor Ono beat him to it. I'm not sure how Ono found out, but at least he's on my side. Still, I need to watch and find the leak though."
Rera checked on other people he was concerned about while scanning for Ono's information source. Akari's power was blossoming causing some self-doubts, but her friends were working with her. Ryoga was his usual sober self – the idiot melancholy and self-absorption was lost in the defeat of the Oni before Rera and his Siblings arrived on the scene. Rera grinned at the chaos heading for Mousse, but he knew that the young Chinese man would be just fine. Ukyo and Konatsu were healthy and unlikely to change for now. Kasumi was….
"Oh ho!" he said to himself. "There's a yellow tint to her Chi - she's not just a Healer." He stared at her longer. "I have a Seer on my hands," he said definitively. "I'm not sure how I missed it before, but that's how Ono probably found out." He thought about that longer and decided that this was not a problem, but he was going to have to be a little more transparent than usual. "I may need to talk to her directly. If I bring her here like I did with the Fiancée Brigade, Ono might think I'm kidnapping her. I can't have that, so I may have to have Ranma act as a go-between. I need to think about that more, but there's time."
Satisfied that he had the answer, he finished checking on others and then paused for a moment with the Viewing Sphere sitting in his lap. Finally, he picked it up again and sent the view across the Sea of Japan deep into China. He located the cliff-side palace of Henna and changed the view until an image of the Sprite appeared as she lay despondent in her tank. He stared at her for a long time without smiling, and then made the Viewing Sphere disappear. Even long after the sphere was gone, he continued to stare at his hands. Finally he spoke out loud to himself: "Kaze, Hinote and Daichi are dead, Sister – and you killed them. You imprisoned me for over 800 years to feed that witch and spare you some pain. Then you conspired with others to use a corrupted Sacrifice to free me, killing me in the process. I was saved by being Bound to a young mortal. I was like a fly trapped in amber – I couldn't move, I couldn't think – I could only feel what Ranma felt. I intimately lived a mortal's life for over six months until events were manipulated to free me and our Siblings."
Rera stopped for a second and pulled his knees up against his chest, hugging himself tight. "We knew what we had to do then. We had to free the Earth from Henna. We performed the Summoning to end this Cycle and start the Next. But we were too weak. We started to Unravel in the power stream – we had lost too much of ourselves to Henna and she had burned it up." He hugged himself tighter. "I can never forget that feeling of losing myself – my personality that I had carefully built up across eons just fading away. I almost vanished completely." He closed his eyes and his body shook as he tried to get control of himself.
After an endless moment, he steadied himself and opened his eyes again. "That's when he grabbed me. Ranma thought I was part of himself and he reached out for me. Even when he recognized that I was something separate, he didn't let go. He held on tight so I wouldn't be blown apart and I clung to him. Through him, Akane and Ryoga recognized my two Siblings and grabbed hold as well. Three mortals trying their hardest not to die in that Inferno, and they still instinctively tried to help us."
Rera stared at the sky. "Ranma goes one step further; he doesn't try to enslave me, just gives me a place to be. Ranma and I are born of the same spirit – Wind. That's why he thought I was part of him. I fit in here and draw strength from his body and his connection to the Nexus. I start to grow again, but I'm different this time. I've lost a lot and all I have is Ranma, so I end up modeling myself after him. The end result is I am different – I am Rera." He smiled a little now. "Of course, same thing happened to Hinote and Daichi, except they end up changing genders as well because of who they Bind to. So now they are Apay and Suma."
He grew serious then and his face took on a resolute look. "So, the Storm is coming. Ranma's Spirit gives me a safe base of operations. No one – especially Henna – can find me here. I'm growing strong again and I've started to rally the Air Spirits. Soon I'll be the Wind King again. When the Cycle changes, I'll be the Winter Sprite again too."
He stood up then. "I can't help you Sister. I'm not sure I should, even if I knew how. You're going to have to take your medicine, whatever it may be. I'm going to concentrate on saving the rest of the World. And I'm also going to help my Humans – and the rest of Nerima survive. I owe them that at the very least." With that, he turned and walked away to check on the other two Temples.
Apay sat in her room watching Akane and Ranma shop for a while, enjoying their peace. Then she sighed and made the Viewing Sphere vanish. "Time to go to work," she thought. She jumped up from her bed and left the room - one that she had modeled on Akane's room. On the other side of the door, was a staircase that ascended through a night sky full of brightly shining stars. The staircase had no handrails (or means of support for that matter), but this did not bother the Spirit. Truth-be-known, this was just a buffer zone she maintained between Akane's soul and her own - both of them were very private people and needed the spiritual space - every once in a while that is. She climbed to the top of the stairs and opened the door into the Museum.
As she walked into the hall, she saw herself in a mirror hanging on the opposite wall. A young Akane Tendo looked back. Like Rera, the Sprite had modeled herself on her host – if Akane was ten years old. The woman and the Spirit had the same blue-black hair and the same warm brown eyes. While Akane's body had matured to be a woman's body, Apay's body belonged to a sturdy child. She wore a yellow sundress, a preference she had picked up from Akane.
She smiled at her reflection and walked down the warm, wide hallway. Along the walls were some of Akane's more "public memories"; things that she would share with friends - paintings of scenic places Akane had seen, bookcases containing her favorite books, video screens playing her favorite movies, and photos of memorable events. There were other halls and rooms off of the main one, but these were more private. Akane had taken Apay into many of them, and the Sprite had snuck into others, but even Apay knew there were some that were off-limits - and they should stay so.
Apay walked down a marble staircase and out an open door. Beyond the door was a lovely garden with a wide, well-manicured lawn. There were pretty flower beds here and there. Above, the sky was a perfect blue with fluffy white clouds. Apay walked across the garden and hopped up on a split rail fence. Beyond the fence, fields of grain stretched away to distant mountains. The girl seated herself facing the fields, held up her hands about 30 cm apart, and began concentrating.
Something wispy began to form between her hands. Threads seemed to spin out of nowhere and weave themselves together. Soon a single page formed. It looked very old, like something from an ancient text, but it was blank. "You destroyed all the ancient knowledge, Henna," Apay whispered. "You ransacked libraries and hunted down Fire Mages to get rid of anything that might be used against you. You even reduced me enough that I forgot basic magic - like how to make a Circle. So I encouraged Akane to ask Tofu about practical magic. She had seen how useful a Circle was for providing barriers and protecting people - a keen interest of hers. Tofu showed her the basics of Warding and Protections, figuring it couldn't do any harm - which was correct as far as Akane and he were concerned. But through his teachings, I recovered the basics. He also incidentally showed Akane - and me - the location of his Grimoire - which contained very advanced Magic. One Viewing Sphere later, and I recovered a lot of my missing information."
Apay looked at the page floating between her hands and nodded at it. Ink began to flow across the page forming ancient words. She continued, her words weaving a purpose into the page: "But some Fire Magic is at the very core of my Being. If any part of me exists, then it can be recalled. And the deeper that Knowledge, the more potent the power, the more likely I am to still have it, even if I can't understand it - until now." The page began to glow. "And now, dear Usurper, I'm about to share that knowledge with the World again." At that, the page vanished.
A/N: Next up: In the background...