Spoiled Brats
Disclaimer: I own neither Ranma ½, nor PGSM. I don't own Mamono Hunter Yohko, for that matter. I certainly can't claim credit for the song below, though I can take credit for tweaking the translation I found here and there for better effect.
Chapter Nine – Touch My Heart
Ranma reclined in her room at the Hilton, looking at the long list in her hand. She simply couldn't believe that there were that many school-aged girls named Ami, or some derivative, in or around the immediate area of Azabu-Juuban. There was a total of thirty-four.
Ranma tapped the first name on the list, Mizuno Ami. The girl attended the Alto Seminar, the top rated juku for junior and high school students, which was in the building where the youma attack had occurred. She'd give good money that she was the blue-haired Senshi. Too bad the girls' appearance as Senshi probably didn't match their normal appearance, if Minako was any example.
Three out of four of princess Serenity's guardians had appeared, but there was no sign of the princess herself. If she was going to find the princess, it would be better to let her guardians do the groundwork. She did have to wonder why Minako seemed to be in no hurry to seek out her companions.
'Maybe she doesn't know they are awake?'
'Could be.'
Ranma grimaced, reluctant to talk to the girl on the subject. The last thing she wanted was for Minako to think she was using her to get close to the princess, though that was definitely a danger if events continued to follow the past life, and Ranma needed to intervene. She didn't want to Minako to have to choose between her and the Princess.
'That is because you would lose. The Senshi were very devoted to their duty.'
'And for some reason, I get the feeling that Minako hasn't changed her priorities. That sucks.'
'Definitely. I just wish I knew why she was keeping her distance.' Ranma was having no luck in tracking down Prince Endymion, either. She knew for a fact that there was no way any of his guardians would be of any use right now. She'd only found one so far, and he was in service to Beryl. And it was probably against his will. Which meant that with her luck, the prince would find the princess before Ranma would find him, making it much harder to keep them apart.
And then there was Beryl. She was already a lost cause, and Ranma had no idea what to do about it. Not to mention that it had been over two weeks since the first youma attack, and Ranma had yet to take any kind of punitive action. Which was probably emboldening Beryl, if she had indeed been worried about her actions.
Absently, Ranma walked over to the sink and splashed herself. Taking out his cellphone, he dialed his apartment hunter. He circled the first name on the list as he waited for the woman to answer. "Yamada-san? Takeda Kappei. Thank you for all of your hard work. Yes, I've made my decision…"
- + - + -
Ranma looked through her closet uncertainly. 'What, exactly, does a twenty-eight year old woman wear to a fourteen year old teen idol's concert? Especially when you're dating her?'
'Fancy is right out. But you can't go too casual either.'
'Just don't try to fit into the crowd. You'll stand out enough as it is.'
Ranma pulled out a dark blue knee length dress, and a matching jacket. 'What do you think?'
'I think that'll look good.'
'Yes. Definitely a winner.'
She got dressed, giving a few twirls in the mirror to ensure that she looked good. Very faint makeup followed… just in case she needed to change back into a guy. A plan was beginning to form. 'If the prince's guardians have indeed been stolen by Beryl, then Endymion is going to end up very much alone. He would probably need a friend, a male friend, who remembers the past life. Especially if he has a connection to Sailor V. If I can pierce the veil of secrecy around the other Senshi…'
'There's a veil of secrecy? They're using their real names when transformed!'
'Which is really stupid, given that their transformations apparently alter their appearance significantly.'
Ranma rolled her eyes. 'Which is why I need to contact them, using my Megumi identity. They're in desperate need of guidance. It will also form a connection between V-Chan and the others, if we need it.'
'That has the potential of bringing Serenity and Endymion together.'
'Not to mention endangering our relationship with Minako.'
Finishing her preparations, she picked up the hotel phone by the door, and dialed the front desk. "Komban wa, this is Takeda Megumi. Would you please call me a cab?"
"Takeda-san, there's already a car waiting for you. Compliments of Aino Minako-san."
Ranma blinked. "There is? Thank you." She placed the receiver in its cradle, left the hotel room, and headed towards the elevator. 'Minako-chan is really going all out, isn't she?'
'You know, something just occurred to me.'
'What?'
'Have any of us actually listened to Minako's music?'
- + - + -
Ranma spent most of the ride to Minako's concert berating herself for that huge oversight. Which she had a lot of talent for, given that more than one version of herself was in her head at the moment. She'd known the girl for nearly a year, and not once had she thought of seeing what the hype was about.
'You've been busy.'
'Busy having a breakdown, you mean.'
Fortunately, the radio was tuned to a teen station, which played several of Minako's songs. The girl was good, but Ranma could tell that the studio wrote two of them, given that they were the standard energetic fare that dealt with subjects near and dear to the teen-aged heart. The third, "C'est la Vie," felt like Minako, though. She hoped that represented the majority of concert, but Ranma personally doubted it, at this stage of her career. The radio also played one Takeda Megumi song as well, "Touch My Heart," which had been released as a single three months earlier, in anticipation of the fourth Yohko movie.
When she arrived at the concert, they continued to give her the royal treatment. She entered through a side door, and was escorted personally to her seat. She smiled at the girls on either side of her seat, who were gaping at her. She spotted Minako peeking from the side of the stage, and turned her smile that way, but the girl had already vanished backstage.
It didn't take long for the concert to begin after that. The lights dim, the curtain raised, and the concert, designed specifically to appeal to teenagers, began. It was a loud, energetic, laser and pyrotechnic laden production, where Minako danced and sang, accompanied by a back up dancers. The musicians could be barely seen in the back.
It wasn't bad, but it definitely wasn't Ranma's preferred style, which was far more intimate. And it continued that way for a good hour and a half, until all the lights on stage dimmed, except for the one on Minako. A second spotlight illuminated the right side of the stage, where a grand piano had been pushed, unnoticed, during the concert. Ranma started when the pianist began a very familiar melody.
She looked at Minako, who met her eyes as she began to croon Ranma's very first hit, "Anata ga ita Mori," the ending theme of the first Mamono Hunter Yohko movie.
o/` Deep inside the forest, there's a fragrance that I cherish o/`
o/` As I search through the everyday faces o/`
o/` Surprisingly, I'll find your smile o/`
Minako reached out her hand, beckoning Ranma onto the stage and into the spotlight.
o/` I wanted to touch you, I wanted to see you o/`
o/` But when I reached out, you vanished into the air o/`
o/` All this time, I have always wanted to be with you o/`
o/` Passing through these sleepless nights o/`
o/` Crying in the pain left by the lights and shadows of your passing o/`
Eyes twinkling, the girl offered her sempai a second microphone. The music swelled as the rest of the band accompanied the second verse, and Ranma joined Minako in a duet.
o/` In the evening, the setting sun burns my useless self o/`
o/` My feet treat the wreckage o/`
o/` Of love, seeping red o/`
o/` I reach out to try to touch your hand o/`
o/` As if it were held out, and your voice said o/`
o/` "I love you," Now the wind has swept away the unreachable song o/`
o/` Vanished into the distance. The hourglass in the sky o/`
o/` Flies past whatever is seen, anything. The sound of that day still echoes. o/`
o/` The views that cannot be touched a second time o/`
o/` Smoothly flow out o/`
o/` "Indelible" is the atmosphere of the past, the layers of memories, o/`
o/` Those hands and hair as well o/`
o/` I am overwhelmed by the lights and shadows of your passing o/`
o/` Deep inside the forest o/`
As the lingering melody of the pianist wound down, Minako smiled at her impishly, a bundle of roses in her arms. To Ranma's confusion, Minako placed the roses into her arms, kissed her cheek, then stepped back with a bow, and began to applaud. The lights in the amphitheatre brightened, and the audience rose to their feet and began to applaud as well. Ranma just stared as tears began to roll down her cheeks.
'Bow to Minako-chan.'
Not having any better ideas at the moment, Ranma followed the instruction.
'Now bow to the audience. Very good. Blow a few kisses to them.'
This proceeded for quite some time. Fortunately, the lights on stage eventually dimmed again, allowing Ranma to withdraw gracefully before the others ran out of useful advice.
Author's Note: "Anata ga ita Mori" is, of course, the ending theme for the Fate/Stay Night anime, and is a hauntingly beautiful song. You can find the video of it on youtube dot com. "Touch My Heart" is a genuine Mamono Hunter Yohko ending theme, performed the same seiyuu who voiced Mizuno Ami in the anime, Hisakawa Aya.
