Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2, Sailor Moon, Lost Universe, Stargate, or Ah My Goddess. This is a non-profit work of fanfiction meant only for entertainment.
Ice Squared
by Lerris Smith
-«Homecoming»-
As she rode the train to Nerima beside Ranma, Nabiki was brought out of her musings by the passing of a truck with an advertisement on the side for Tsian's sweet and sour pork. Curses passed through her brain as she was reminded of the annoying detail that had to be dealt with at home. There had to be some way to use this to her advantage. The temptation to write a book about how to exploit barnyard animals for fun and profit came to mind, but then, she could hardly sell such a book until she had thoroughly tested out the ideas, now could she?
She was beginning to think that Ranma deliberately fell asleep as an excuse to lay his head on her shoulder. She smiled at that, since, for Ranma, that was a devious plan. Now, if she could only get him to apply that tactical mind to things beyond martial arts. That would probably take a long time though, and Ranma was not really a Senshi so she presumed he would age normally, which kinda sucked. Still, even thought she knew they probably should finally talk about what to say about Ryoga, she didn't want to wake him. He gave a great deal of his strength recently so that Canal could repair so much so fast, and even now continued to give some to do the non critical repairs. Fortunately, Canal had promised to slow the pace now that the pressing need was gone. It even turned out that hiding underwater was a small net plus, as she had to make no special effort to find raw materials. The mineral rich ocean water provided what was needed with only the drain of the minimal psi barrier to protect the ship.
A call to her mother revealed the obvious, that she really wanted her home. Her mother tried to be understanding that the Tendo Dojo was also her home but in the end she was cajoled into a promise to stay at her mother's house the following night. The one surprise was when her mother suggested she invite her new friend Ranma as well. Her mother usually didn't take in stray cats let alone teenage boys. Still, that was a concern for later.
As they walked up the street that led to the Dojo, several figures could be seen in the distance. Nabiki's face tightened slightly and Ranma increased the separation between them as the figures became clearer. The priest that was sheltered behind the bulk of the Panda and her father was perhaps the worst sign, although Genma's hand painted one saying, "Time to get married boy!", combined with Akane's kimono clad form between them was a match for it. Shampoo and Ukyo's flat eyed and well armed forms felt like kegs of gunpowder decorating the landscape. The only question remained was how many kegs of gunpowder were lit?
The fact that Akane held Ryoga in pig form and that Ranma's mother had her cloth wrapped bundle in her hands was almost icing on the cake compared to the rest, after all, at least the sword was still wrapped in cloth, and that must be a good thing, right? Happosai and Cologne were actually off to the side a bit. It was anybody's guess what they had planned, but just the fact that they appeared to be together was enough of a concern. Perhaps they just decided that the situation was volatile enough without their direct addition. Nabiki heard Ranma mumble something quietly that sounded like, "Crap, not again!" to which she could wholeheartedly agree.
Nabiki waited. It usually didn't pay to make the first move when you didn't know what was going on, and certainly this situation had lots of unknowns. There was of course the corollary that when hopelessly outnumbered you must do the unexpected and attack. She was beginning to fear this was the later situation, yet she remained quiet since this situation was not even that simple. It was a matter of being hopelessly outnumbered while sitting in a live mine field. She sent a silent prayer to Serenity as they waited.
Nodoka said, "Welcome home son. I'm glad you have taken such great care of Nabiki, but it is time for you to do your duty. Honor says there must be a Saotome-Tendo heir." The word Tendo was said with special emphasis and a glance at Nabiki. P-chan growled when the words were said causing Akane to try to quiet the animal.
Nabiki cursed under her breath. Intelligence and imagination should be enough to keep ahead of these people, but who could predict obsession to this extent? Besides, she was just as much a Tendo as a Mizuno, but then to these people that must not be good enough. She mentally swore to make them pay, before realizing how petty, yet satisfying the thought was, and then swore again. She supposed the most disappointing thing was that Kasumi had not warned Ranma when he called. Perhaps she did not know then. They were probably smart enough to keep big sister in the dark.
"Airen is married to Shampoo!"
"There ain't no way you're going to marry Akane, right Ranchan?" said an obviously worried Okonomiyaki chef. A glance at the shriveled pair showed them to be simply watching. Ranma seemed to be focusing his attention on P-chan, likely thinking about how to tell her. It was a stupid thing to do, of course, since it made the others think he was more interested in Akane than he was, or at least Nabiki hoped that was how it went. She decided it was time to begin some damage control, or rather to have Ranma begin it. Yes, that was for the best. After all, a controlled fire could sometimes save the forest.
Before Nabiki could act on her plan, Ukyo asked, "What happened to the side of your face Ranchan?"
Shampoo looked closely at Ranma to see what Ukyo was talking about, "Aiyah, Spatula girl is right. Left side of Airen's face look too too pale."
"Some guy hit me with a blast that was aimed at a kid. It is already healed anyway."
Cologne and Happosai seemed to take a renewed interest in Ranma, or at least his face.
Ukyo said, "Always the hero, huh Ranchan?" Shampoo just seemed inordinately proud, as if Ranma's accomplishments somehow reflected on herself.
Genma held up a sign saying, "So the little girl has a scar."
Nabiki decided that this conversation had gone on long enough. Ranma hadn't said anything he shouldn't, but given how much stress he was under right then the topic was one she wanted changed. Hopefully this would cause the wedding to be postponed in a vaguely controlled manner. She glanced over at Ranma who was beginning to tighten his grip on his red rune covered staff, as if in preparation to use it.
She turned away from them and towards Ranma before saying, "So, Ranma-kun, do you think you can beat your father now that you have that staff?"
Ranma seemed angry for a moment and then confused. He responded absently, "I can defeat him easily. Why?" He kept looking around, noting everyones position.
Genma-panda picked up a tea kettle, perhaps set aside for Ranma, and became human again before shouting, "Boy, how dare you use a weapon! You are a disgrace to the school!"
"Ah, shut up old man! I don't need no staff to beat you!" An evil grin spread over his face before he dropped his pack and twirled the staff. "But this should make it much more fun!"
Happosai whispered something to Cologne who nodded.
Shampoo started to speak but was cut off by Nodoka saying, "Put the staff down son. Weapons have no place at a wedding." This was of course from the person who was holding a sword wrapped in a loose white cloth.
The minister tried to sneak away, but Soun kept hold of him. "Yes son, I think it is past time you married my Akane."
Genma grumbled but nodded, for once not so easily diverted. He said, "Yes boy. We will discuss your stick later, but for now it is time to get dressed for your wedding."
"No." The word was said quietly by the pigtailed boy although the kimono clad auburn haired woman seemed to mouth the word as if testing its feel and distinctly not liking it.
"You tell em Ranchan! Your going to marry me and live in my restaurant and make Okonomiyaki and then..." Ukyo trailed off when Shampoo said, "Airen is going to marry Shampoo yes?" Nabiki noted that before Shampoo said she was married, and now asked about it.
Ranma's aura glowed golden around him, with swirls of red flashing through it. Nabiki thought he was about ready to turn around and walk away. That wouldn't work of course, but then she didn't know what would either. He began a slow turn, showing no haste to leave, but resolve radiated from his form and she could see him shake with either anger, fear, or frustration. She didn't know which, but suspected they were all involved.
Akane spoke, her voice cutting through the growing darkness like a knife with its intensity, "Run away! Run off with my traitorous sister! I don't need you. I don't need anyone." She glowed blue as she said those words, her anger and frustration obvious.
Nabiki wanted to be surprised, but really her younger sister's actions were perfectly understandable. It was the fools who initiated this fiasco in the making that were responsible. Anyone would be bitter to see their supposed fiancée walk away from their second wedding attempt. By now it was unlikely she was thinking clearly enough to realize that even if Ranma wanted to marry her, he would never want to do so under these conditions.
Her father said, "There there Akane-chan. Ranma is going to do his duty and marry you, and then everyone will be happy."
Nabiki threw a look of disgust in her father's direction before noticing that Ranma had turned back around. The frustration and pain on his face were obvious. The few never before seen tears that graced his cheeks only served to emphasize the emotional pain he was going through. Shampoo and Ukyo gasped and even Nabiki had difficulty keeping her features composed.
It still seemed odd to her that Cologne and Happosai hadn't contributed anything, but perhaps they were why this had not degenerated into a fight yet. Ranma yelled, "What the hell do you want from me?" He looked from his father, to her father, to Akane and then glanced at Shampoo and Ukyo before continuing his shouting with, "If I marry her, would we be happy? What about those two and however many the heck others that just haven't showed up yet?" His ki flared red with anger, completely displacing his earlier mostly golden aura.
Nabiki tried to think of some way to salvage this situation, but any help she gave would just make it all worse. Her thoughts were interrupted by Shampoo exclaiming, "Airen!" while Ukyo followed that with, "Ranchan, just come with me. We ca-"
Akane was well beyond reason by now. Frustration and aggravation colored her words as she cut off Ukyo with, "I said just go, dangit! It is clear you never loved me, and now my scheming sister stabs me in the back. Well I don't need any of you!" The little pig was now panting for breath as Akane, in her frustration, absentmindedly strangled the little lunch entree. Nabiki's face remained impassive, not giving any indication of what she thought of Akane's words. Ranma noticed the pigs imminent demise and said, "Akane stop it! Your going to kill Ryoga!"
It may have been the alignment of the moon, or just plain dumb luck, but when Ranma lunged for Ryoga to prevent the upset girl from killing her pet, the pieces clicked or rather snapped into place. It felt like a gong was rung as realization slammed into the kimono clad girl. She looked from Ranma to P-chan with horror before dodging aside from Ranma and grabbing the tea kettle Mr. Saotome set aside and pouring it on her pet producing a very naked Ryoga to the shock and surprise of Nodoka, Akane, and Kasumi. Of course, Kasumi's shocked expression went largely unnoticed by the group more focused on the immediate goings on. She recovered quickly though and turned towards the house.
Ranma said, "Crap," as he backed up a few steps closer to where Nabiki was. Nabiki's face remained carefully neutral, but a slight tightness could be seen now to anyone who looked closely.
Suddenly two pairs of eyes alternated their glare between Ranma and the lost boy. The first spoke as a ki mallet began to coalesce in the other's hands. Nodoka voice showed disappointment and anger as she said, "Ranma. It is clear you knew about, this." Nodoka's was silent for several seconds as she pointed at Ryoga who was desperately trying to find something to wear.
"Ranma this is all your fault!" screamed the lost boy at the top of his lungs.
Nodoka mocked, "His fault!" before continuing with, "I see a great deal of blame here." Sarcasm dripped from her words as she added, "and its obvious that it is not all his fault." She said this as she unwrapped the coverings on her sword. As she reached the word all, which was itself emphasized, the final wrappings fell away and the sword gleamed in the setting sun.
The reflections off of the shiny blade seemed to deflate the anger of the youngest Tendo as the possible consequences of that blade seeing daylight penetrated her anger filled brain. A few gulps could be heard from those gathered. Happosai and Cologne looked on with obvious disapproval, yet the train continued to come.
"Put away your steel. This was supposed to be a holy day. There shall be no blood shed here today!" intoned the now very angry priest.
Nodoka looked over at him as if trying to puzzle something out before saying, "This is a family matter. I'm sure you understand." The priest gave no evidence of sudden understanding before Nodoka continued with, "A member of my family has dishonored himself. The first duty of a man is to protect his wife, or in this case fiancée's honor above all else and it is clear that he has failed in that duty."
The priest looked on with sorrow. He knew he should have never gone to that bar, could not even believe those two had recognized him, yet they had drank together for much of the previous day, and suddenly came today with news that their children were to marry and would he please come right away? What was a guy to do? He certainly couldn't risk that they would get annoyed and let the wrong people know where he spent yesterday. Now he was trying to prevent a marriage from turning into some bad scene from a soap opera. He said, "Be that as it may, shedding blood is a far greater crime in the eyes of the gods, as would enforcing that seppuku contract." He had thought that drunken ramblings, when the one mentioned it, but now he could guess that it was indeed true. Kasumi came out of the house and handed Ryoga a set of his clothing with obviously rigidly controlled calmness.
Ranma just sat there, unresponsive except for the tears running down his face. He was clearly resolved to face what was to come. He offered no defense to her charges. In his eyes, there was none and even Nabiki had insisted he tell. He moved a few steps and started to kneel down before his mother, but was pulled away by Nabiki as everyone looked on in horror.
In an angry and outraged tone Nabiki asked, "What the hell do you think your doing?"
Nodoka's lips pressed together, becoming a thin line before she turned her attention on Nabiki. Suddenly, a sonic boom was heard and then a second much louder one combined with a massive gust of air that knocked everyone down and broke out the windows of nearby houses. A roar filled the air as the sound of the boom faded away. When everyone got their bearings, Ryoga and Genma were nowhere to be seen. Those that remained save Ranma looked up from wherever the gust of wind blew them to see the white form of Swordbreaker bathed by the corona of the setting sun. Ranma just looked at his mother, tears still running down his face. A few seconds later a blue translucent beam lifted Nabiki, Ranma, and his pack into the air. Within seconds they were inside the ship and about a minute after that, the ship too was gone.
Soun whined, "Waaah! Aliens have kidnapped my daughter and my daughter's fiancée."
The priest said, "I don't know if that was divine intervention, or, well, what that was, but I do know this is the absolute last time I step in Nerima for any reason." He turned to Soun before saying, "You can just forget about coming to me the next time you need a priest. Heck you can tell everyone that I spent yesterday in the Nerima bar. I don't care." With that, he re-buttoned a couple of buttons on his now grass stained suit coat before resolutely walking off.
"Well that could have gone worse," commented Cologne.
Happosai nodded before asking, "Was that what I thought it was?"
Cologne said, "Yes Happi, I think it was a spaceship." She thought things were looking up since this had so much potential for entertainment. She waited for it. It would be anytime now. Happy shouted, "How dare that ungrateful whelp deny his master the humble transportation he needs and justly deserves to go free the silky darlings from the women of the universe?"
Cologne thought to herself that some things were entirely too predictable. Still, just where did son-in-law get a spaceship?
-«oOo»-
After they were pulled through the open door by the odd energy beam, Ranma dropped to an absentminded sitting position. Canal rushed in and bent down to look at him, but he remained largely unresponsive. Her attempt to brush a tear away earned her a brief half smile, but it faded as soon as her hand left his face.
Nabiki's fluent cursing pulled Canal's attention from Ranma.
Canal seemed uncertain and more than a little worried as she said, "I was worried. Ranma was extremely upset and I thought he might be in danger."
Nabiki looked up, her face once more returning to an almost neutral mask before she said nicely, "You did what was right and in truth getting out of there was probably the best thing that could be done under the circumstances. Thank you Canal." Seeing her brought to mind a detail that she should have thought of before. If Ranma died then it seemed so too would Canal. Still, there was no point in bringing that up now, yet she would remember.
Canal smiled faintly at the praise, yet the smile did not touch her eyes. She kept looking back at Ranma who seemed to give an almost nod as the tears continued to stream down his face.
Nabiki pulled her little laptop out of nowhere and punched keys for several seconds before showing the laptop to Canal and saying, "Can you drop us off here, while trying to attract as little attention as possible?" The engines started up as Canal nodded. Ranma seemed to be acting on automatic as he followed Nabiki onto the bridge.
Between keeping an eye on Ranma and looking around the bridge Nabiki noticed that the information screens were now in Japanese and not whatever language they were using before. The viewscreen showed the ship doing a near vertical climb at high acceleration before leveling off at several thousand feet and then traversing the sky at high speeds. Nabiki was amazed at the inertial compensation system on this ship. When they landed it had reduced the feel of acceleration to a minor annoyance, but now there was no feeling of motion whatsoever. This level of control probably exceeded the moon kingdoms finest, but then, perhaps that too was the result of its avatar. Before long the ship halted in mid air and Canal said, "Time to go."
Ranma just stood there, and seemed to resist being pulled. It was as if he had become a dead weight.
Nabiki said, "Come on. So your mother is a nut case. It is not as if that is news."
Ranma looked at her, but emotions still seemed to be absent from his visage. If anything he seemed worse now than a few minutes ago. He said nothing.
"Look, we will fix this mess, somehow, but you have got to snap out of it!" A few seconds later she added, "Please?"
"Just leave me alone, or take me back," he said morosely.
Nabiki said sarcastically, "Oh sure, that would be a great idea. With the luck we have been having, you would be working on your poetry skills before composing your death poem!"
Ranma flinched at her harsh words but did not seem to be moved by them. Canal made several tentative moves towards him only to stop and watch from a distance.
With obvious frustration in her voice, Nabiki said, "Your life is important and there is no way in hell I'm letting you die Saotome, so get over it. I need your help!" Each of the last words was said cleanly and distinctly as if to punctuate their importance.
Ranma looked up at her, a flicker of hope in his eyes. He asked, "You need me?"
Nabiki tone remained forceful as she said, "Yes, I need you. I don't know if you noticed, but we just stopped what may have been the beachhead of an invasion. Setsuna even saw the temperature of the planet drop five degrees in one possible future. Do you know what that will do, especially if the temperature continues to fall?"
Canal nodded absently as Ranma said, "I don't understand. What does this have to do with me?"
Nabiki sighed and wished once more than Ranma had a broader education. She said, "The lowering of the Earth's temperature will cause crops to fail. Millions will starve. If the trend continues it will be billions. Eventually the critical point will be reached and the majority of the population of Earth will die from exposure and lack of food. That's billions of people Ranma!"
Ranma started to say something but Nabiki cut him off with, "Before you ask how you could make a difference consider what would happen if the Senshi had to fight those aliens again, except in much greater number."
"You would be killed," stated Ranma flatly.
Nabiki said, "Yes, we would die, but with you there helping we would have a better chance. With training from you we could make better use of our abilities. In short you could easily spell the difference between all of us dying and the world following suit, or all of us living and the world living." Ranma smiled slightly at that, his pride temporarily overriding his darker emotions.
Nabiki knew she was avoiding her own growing personal involvement, but she was too afraid Ranma would doubt her there. Of course there was also Ranma's nifty new ship, but she would never use that as a reason for him to live, since if he thought that was his only use, then he might eventually give his life to make the ship do whatever it could do, and she didn't want to plant that idea. Nabiki sharpened her words and said the next with as much scorn as she could muster, hating herself for it before even opening her mouth. She said, "Or does the great Ranma Saotome want to just give up and let the world die?"
"Hey, Ranma Saotome never gives up!" came the conditioned response.
"Then let's go." Nabiki definitely disliked having to be the therapist. Still her long experience with pushing buttons at least let her know which ones to push on Ranma.
After they returned to the medium sized room where they came up to the ship, Canal picked up a pair of bracers from one of the shelves that looked remarkably similar to the ones Ranma wore normally. She held them out to Ranma and said, "I have made these as strong as I could while making them only slightly heavier than your original ones. Holographic and psi energy relays are included in them, so I can help outside of the ship, however the range is limited."
Ranma absently nodded while quickly exchanging his original bracers for the new pair. He noted the momentary ki drain when he put them on, but shrugged it off as unimportant before turning back to the others. He asked, "Where are we going?"
Nabiki said, "The ship is above Jüban park. We will get off there and walk to my mother's house for now." Ranma just shrugged and nodded.
Canal said, "The ship will be low enough to use the cargo lift to set you on the ground in a few seconds. After dropping you off, I'll head back to the ocean."
Nabiki nodded before saying, "If you encounter any Earth ships try to lose them."
Canal nodded before pressing the button to open the lower door and float them down to the ground. As she walked back to the bridge the beam finished and the doors closed with no more than a thought. She really did prefer manual controls when possible, especially when others were around, as they made her feel just a little bit more alive, as silly as that was.
Her greatest concern was of course her captain. She didn't understand the emotional upheaval he was going through, but then no one had really had time to explain to her what was going on and she was limited to emotional impressions until he put on the bracers she just finished making. With a casual thought the ship began its controlled path back to its temporary ocean home. A second thought activated the view screen with a three dimensional image of the environment immediately around her new captain. She got comfortable in the copilot's chair and tried to learn something useful beyond the little she had gathered from Nabiki's computer and the others.
-«oOo»-
Ukyo had returned to her shop. Konatsu had not wanted her to go, but had dutifully spied on them for her anyway. She supposed she should have told Akane about P-chan, if for no other reason than it would have prevented part of that fiasco, but then it was too late to change the past. There was also the fact that without that fiasco, Ranma might have married Akane, but then she knew that she would far rather Akane marry Ranma than for Ranma to die. She supposed she should have been more shocked by the spaceship that rescued Ranma from that mess, but with Ranma you just have to expect these things. She was still privately amused at Soun's theory that they had been kidnapped by aliens. Perhaps they had, but she doubted it, well unless Genma managed to promise Ranma to some alien girl. She sighed. You knew you were in Nerima when that was probably the most likely explanation.
-«oOo»-
Shampoo and her grandmother had come to about the same conclusions as Ukyo. Not about telling about P-chan though, since it worked so incredibly well to keep that pair apart, and the Amazons were never one to give up an advantage. Regardless, there was little they could do, although Cologne resolved to talk with Nodoka in the future. Cologne hoped time would solve some of this, but in the end Ranma's mother was the one person who's will they could not go against.
-«oOo»-
Akane Tendo fumed. Another wedding, well it had never gotten far enough along to be called a wedding really, but another time she had talked herself into believing in a future with Ranma Saotome. She should never have listened to her father; should never have let herself be used. Oh that galled most of all. It was bad enough to be used by her whiny father, but to be used by someone she thought was a friend made her feel dirty.
Ryoga would pay, and Ranma, well it was just hard to blame him, to blame anyone really, who seemed more than ready to get his head chopped off for the crime. She wanted to blame him of course, but every time she tried her mind flashed back to Ranma's pale form as he sat at her sister's side, or Ranma as he prepared to kneel before his mother's sword wielding hands. Perhaps it was best he was gone, since he would get no peace here, and, she amended, neither would she. Still, that exit was a good one, even for Ranma, and she highly doubted her father's theory of him being kidnapped. She would have liked to talk to Nabiki though, and she did worry for the pair. After all, Nabiki was hardly a warrior, so how could she protect herself from the chaos that surrounded Ranma? Then again, she well knew that Ranma would protect her with his life if need be.
She thought about this new much kinder, yet still fiercely sharp Nabiki, and realized a simple truth. She had lost. Strangely the thought did not bring as much pain as she thought it would, though it was indeed painful. With a smile she considered her other conclusion. A Tendo had most likely won, and if anything that brought pride to her that she was hard pressed not to bask in. With her new found calm she carefully folded the kimono and placed it in her closet. It seemed more of a final act that she could have ever expected to do today, yet it also seemed fitting. Tomorrow would be a new day. Her family was safe. No one was hounding her for a relationship, save Kuno, and he was manageable. Could she be just a normal high school girl again, if only for a little while? She hoped so.
-«oOo»-
Kasumi Tendo began to write in her diary,
"I have made a horrible mistake. I do not know if mother can forgive me for I let father talk me into something I knew to be wrong, because I thought, because I hoped that Akane and Ranma really just needed an excuse and then everyone would be happy. I was wrong. He does not want to marry her. That much was clear today. I will no longer help father in this."
"This whole scheme was stupid, especially the whole since Nabiki was no longer a Tendo it was urgent that Akane marry Ranma now. Father and the freeloader were worried that somehow their dream would be denied and I fell for it, for how could a daughter not trust her father? Still, it seems such trust must end. I wonder if they were terrified of having to pay taxes they could not afford if Nabiki eventually married Ranma? After all she no longer went by the name Tendo, even if she was still her sister. I just don't know anymore."
-«oOo»-
Ranma's hand was warm in hers. She thought that perhaps it was all that kept him from sliding so far back into depression and in truth it gave her hope as well. Before long they arrived at her mother's house. Mrs. Mizuno met them at the door, perhaps having been alerted to their arrival by the obvious security system.
"Welcome home daughter." She smiled slightly when she noted their held hands, but her smile slipped when she noted their expressions.
Nabiki smiled and pulled Ranma up even with her, but did not surrender his hand. A glance from daughter to mother and they were walking through the door and seating themselves on the opposing couches, with Nabiki and Ranma on one side and Nabiki's mother on the other.
Nabiki had expected this moment from the instant she decided to come here. Had they have managed happy faces then it might have been just an ordinary sleepover as far as her mother was concerned, but no, her mother deserved the truth, well some of it anyway. Nabiki turned and said, "Ranma, my mother needs to know if she is going to help."
Ranma nodded. He had more than enough experience with secrets getting out this night, not to want to repeat the event. And so the story was told, with Nabiki explaining most, but Ranma adding his own reasons why he had not told. He told of the code of not revealing a warrior's weakness, of the promise he had made, of how he had tried to let her know indirectly, of how he had tried to keep the pig out of there. He did not mention that technically the promise had been made to a dog. To him, it was to Ryoga, and that was what mattered.
Ann listened closely and made special note of the byplay that seemed to be growing almost automatic between the pair. That was a very promising sign, but it seemed the time had come for her to render her verdict. She said, "You were wrong not to tell her, yet you already knew that."
Ranma, if anything, seemed to grow more depressed. Nabiki squeezed his hand tighter. Her mother continued, "But it is not an unforgivable thing. It seems to me that you have been pushed and pulled by strings of honor until there was almost nothing you could do to preserve it anymore."
-«oOo»-
On the ship Canal wiped a few holographic tears from her face as she listened to her captain's story. When it ended, she made a minor adjustment to their link. His darkest emotions would have just a little less hold on him now. Perhaps it was a small thing, yet larger amounts were too much like mind control, and that too was a line she would not cross.
-«oOo»-
Ranma nodded. Nabiki's mother seem to understand and that was more than anyone else did, except for maybe Nabiki and it was hard to tell with her.
She continued with, "Honor does not tell us right and wrong. It is when you know something is right but you also know that it goes against honor that the conflict arises. You must know when to set aside honor and do what is right. Sometimes there are consequences in doing what is right, but I can assure you that even if your mother insists on her insane seppuku contract that it is very wrong to even contemplate allowing it."
Ranma looked up at her in confusion and asked, "Very wrong? Huh?"
"Do you really think the world will be a better place without you? For that matter, what about your mother? I assure you that if I find anyone's mother has killed or asked for their child to be killed then I will be reporting them to the police. Your mother would likely spend the rest of her life in jail or in a psychiatric ward. I am tempted to do so now, and will unless you promise me right now that you will never go through with that."
Ranma looked at Nabiki's mother and then at Nabiki, yet he hesitated. His mother's approval was one of the few things that mattered to him, and if he promised this, he might never have it again. Of course having her approval after he was dead was not what he had in mind."
Nabiki, as if sensing his hesitation, used her trump card. In a sad tone, she said, "Canal will die if you do." She suspected that after maybe a year or so Canal would be perfectly fine, if heartbroken. It might not even take that much time, but now was not the time to elaborate. Left unsaid, but implied by her fond tone was that she too would be greatly affected by his death. Her mother did not comment on being left in the dark about this Canal. She just mentally added another thing to the list of things to ask her daughter.
Guilt was written across his features as Ranma turned to her. In a sad, yet relieved tone he said, "So, I am not even allowed to choose that." He seemed to struggle with his next words before turning to Nabiki and smiling. It was a shallow smile, yet it was the largest one that had been seen on his face since that disaster. He touched the left side of her face with the fingertips of his right hand briefly before saying, "It is no small thing when the Ice Queen resorts to emotional blackmail to save my life. Thank you. You have my promise."
Nabiki blushed and smiled, completely surprised that he had seen through her so well. Just when had he gotten so observant?
Her mother gave the pair a small smile, convinced that her own little plans were proceeding apace, yet clearly worried as well. Of course, she would have to question her daughter about her new nickname, but that could wait.
Ranma, for his part, thought that maybe he would regret this promise less than the one he gave to the dog.
They talked for awhile longer. It seemed that Nabiki's mother and Kasumi had taken care of the remaining funeral arrangements while they were away. Nabiki had thought to spare her mother and Kasumi such details, but things had gotten ahead of her again. The funeral for Ami Mizuno would be tomorrow with the one for Nabiki Tendo the following day. She had originally planned to have them on the same day as a way to begin to heal everyone through the shared ceremony but apparently Kasumi and her mother had decided that having them separate days was for the best. In hindsight, it was obvious that they were right, even without figuring in failed wedding number two. She could hardly believe that even her father scheduled a wedding right before her funeral. It was madness.
She felt a little sorry for Akane though. To have her first attempt at a wedding bombed in the literal sense and to have her second wedding interrupted, by not only the groom refusing to marry her, but to have the groom abducted must be a very disappointing thing. Worse, Akane couldn't even tell people the whole truth, since they would assume she was crazy and making it up to get sympathy. Nabiki felt a bit guilty at the pain her sister was going though. She was the cause of some of that pain, after all. Of course, regretting the past did little more than waste time and she could ill afford to do that.
Nabiki's mother started to show Ranma the guest room but his rumbling stomach brought up a greater need than sleep.
Ranma looked hopefully at Mrs. Mizuno and her daughter. The Saotome stomach was feeling neglected lately and he hoped one of them had a plan. Nabiki's mother said, "I don't have anything ready to eat. I had takeout earlier. If you feel up to it, I know this nice all night place that has great food."
Nabiki said, "Don't worry, I don't think I've ever heard Ranma turn down food."
Ranma glared at her with mock hurt before saying, "Do they have large servings?"
Nabiki laughed and said, "The bathroom is down the hall and to the right. I'm afraid you'll have to go as a girl, since Usagi still has the other set of clothing you had with you, but I'm sure I can find you something that will fit your girl form well enough."
Ranma grumbled. He would never publicly admit that his curse didn't bother him so much anymore, except when guys checked his curse form out of course. That was annoying. After a splash, she quickly changed into the provided clothing. It was one of Ami's typical semi formal white button up shirts combined with a pair of navy blue slack pants and matching belt.
-«oOo»-
Out in the main living area her mother said quietly, "I meant what I said. It is only the fact that you came to me as a mother and not as a doctor that stays my hand, but if either of you are harmed or look in danger of being harmed by that lunatic that calls herself his mother or the rest I will go to the police. Understand?"
"I understand mother," added Nabiki in a clipped tone.
"Don't you mother me daughter. You of all people should understand the dangers here." Then more quietly she asked, "Are you absolutely sure he is safe? Such stress can be unhealthy at best."
"You saw the pale skin. He willingly jumped in front of a laser blast without a moment's hesitation to protect Hotaru-chan, who he barely knew. His eye was destroyed as was much of his face."
"I thought it must have been there before and I missed it. How was it healed?" asked the doctor.
Nabiki grinned and said, "Magic."
-«oOo»-
Ranma was almost ready to go when Nabiki's mother handed her a sports bra which caused Ranma to groan in irritation. She said, "But what if I get hit with hot water?"
Nabiki said, "You almost never get hit by hot water. We will just have to risk it." Nabiki, for her part, was used to Ranma going without a bra in female form, but doubted her mother would accept that. She absently went to freshen up herself.
Nabiki's mother said, "For now there is not much we can do. When time permits, I know an excellent tailor. She can make you as much clothing as you want, and if anyone can figure out how to make it adapt well to your change, it would be her." She paused for a few seconds before stating with firmness, "I would like you to stay here, at least until things calm down. I will not ask that you dress in a particular way other than basic modesty, which I'm afraid requires something for your chest when your like this."
Ranma sighed and nodded before going to put the bra on. Fortunately, the elastic properties of it made for a good fit. A glance in the mirror revealed a more sophisticated Ranma-chan than she had ever seen before. Clothes really did make a difference.
-«oOo»-
Canal sat and watched the goings on with interest from her position on Swordbreaker's bridge. It seemed now was as good of a time to test things as there was. She became motes of light and left a tiny portion of her conscious self there as the bulk of herself appeared on the couch in the Mizuno home and said, "Hi," just as they all turned around to get ready to leave. Canal had changed to more formal clothing, similar in cut to what Nabiki and Ranma wore, though Nabiki wore a blue dress rather than slacks. Canal's distinctive pink and white color choices remained with pink for the skirt and a white button up shirt with pink trim along the button seam and around the collar.
Mrs. Mizuno was the first to speak, "Who are you, and how did you get in here?"
"I'm Canal."
"It's Canal, from the ship," said Nabiki.
"You were forgetting to tell me something daughter?" The word daughter was said with emphasis.
Nabiki blushed and said, "We can talk at the restaurant. I'm sure our normal room will be available this late." Nabiki yawned. It was a bit of a false yawn, yet it had already been a long day and to top it off she was hungry.
-«oOo»-
Their room was available and Canal turned out to be a great help since they could order for four and then Ranma would switch plates with her midway through eating. Canal even pretended to eat, but careful observation would show that no real food ever left her plate.
In the end Nabiki and Ranma talked about the battle inside Pluto, but careful work on Nabiki's part managed to avoid bringing up any mention of the gates of time. They also went over how they had ran away in the stolen ship and how the ships avatar had befriended them after they had reactivated it by mistake. All in all, it was an amusing dance that Nabiki's mother and Canal saw through for what it was, that is to say true, just not all of the truth.
Her mother was used to people being evasive, since it was common in medical work, and Canal too had plenty of experience with such things, not to mention knowing which details they left out of the later part of their story. Of course the real give away were the occasional interruptions of Ranma-chan when she was about to add something that promised to be interesting.
Nabiki's mother said with a sigh, "I do wish you would simply tell me everything sometimes daughter. Much of what you said is difficult to believe but then I see Canal pick up a bite to eat and then look back only to see that no food is missing." The last was said with a tone of amusement, and more than a little curiosity.
"Are you sure we shouldn't?" hazarded Ranma.
"I want to, but the first rule of keeping secrets is that unless there is a need you do not tell anyone." After a moments pause she continued in a serious, yet somber tone, "I know my mother would never do anything to harm me or anyone, yet what if someday she was captured. She is as human as the rest of us and there are various technological and magical ways to compel the truth that work very well." Canal frowned slightly at the human line, yet it was a brief thing. After all, humans had given her birth, after a fashion.
"You are correct daughter. I had not thought of it in those terms." Left unsaid were the conclusions she had already reached regarding the identities of several of the other Senshi. She resolved to at least make sure all the security systems around the house were top notch. That should at least give some warning, should it be needed. She was tempted to hire guards, but then secrets had to be kept, and most guards would apparently be utterly useless against any potential threats anyway. It was yet another reason to keep Ranma around, if she possibly could.
-«oOo»-
Nabiki was yawning regularly on the drive back home. Canal had disappeared half way through the trip shortly after Ranma-chan had fallen asleep, yet again making Nabiki into a substitute pillow. A look passed between Canal and Nabiki before she vanished that seemed to indicate trust between them. Of course Nabiki had her doubts. There were far too many unknowns, yet Canal's presence had helped to liven the evening and kept Ranma from revisiting that mess in his mind and for that she was grateful.
Sleep came to those that remained with Ranma's final thoughts before its embrace being that this bed was so much more comfortable than a futon. Had she been more alert, she might have returned to her birth gender before rest, but no such higher thoughts occurred on the sleepy walk from the car to the guest room.
-«oOo»-
Morning came and brought with it the usually summary of the events of the day prior that one goes through in preparation to tackle the new day. For Ranma, this summary was an especially painful one, yet he had no more tears to shed. The sense of loss that he felt last night was replaced by something he didn't really understand. It was as if he was a piece in a massive, yet largely incomplete puzzle, where before he had been forced to fit in the place reserved for the fiancé of Akane Tendo, yet all the hammering in the world could not make his piece fit in the location chosen for it.
Now things were different, as if his piece of the puzzle had been moved to a less crowded location and the nearby pieces fit amazingly well. Still the thought of his mother was enough to bring tears once more perilously close to the surface. Finally noticing his current gender, he decided that the first thing he would do is change back. Perhaps he was not the man among men his mother wanted, yet under it all, he was still a man and intended to live as much of his life as fate would allow him that way. He mused that if Fate really was a woman, then she must be like Michiru and Haruka given the amount of cold water that seemed to leap at him.
Nabiki woke, glad once more to be in her bed here. It was softer and lately felt more like home than her bed at the Tendo's. Her thoughts were interrupted by the memory of just what day it was. Today was the day Ami Mizuno was laid to rest. She crawled back under the covers and set her alarm clock to wake her in a half hour and silently prayed it would not and that she could sleep right through the next forty eight hours.