(A/N: Don't know if this will be interesting or not, but i'm going to give a little background on Meeka here.)
Chapter Ten
As her father made his way out of his office, Meeka remaining where she was let out a silent sigh. 'That wasn't the reaction I expected, considering everything I told him. Maybe I should do some more digging around.'
Making her way over to the door of her father's office, Meeka did a quick sweep of the hallway, making certain that no one was in the immediate vicinity. Returning to the office she closed, and made her way over to her father's desk. Working silently she began to open the desk drawers looking for an item that she needed. Ten minutes later, she let out a relieved sigh and picked up the letter opener that she found. 'Gonna have to hurry, since Father doesn't know about this part of me.'
Using the letter opener, she made a small yet deep cut upon her left hand. Working quickly she used one of her fingers, and the blood from her hand to draw a small sign upon the wall of the office. Once she was finished, she called out. "Azul, I need your help."
As she stepped back, the sign she had drawn upon the wall glowed. A few moments later, there was a puff and smoke and the sound of something coughing was heard, from inside the smoke. As the smoke cleared away, a small winged creature was revealed. "You know Mistress, while I do like helping you, you sure take a long time between summoning me. I mean, being your demonic..."
"Not so loud Azul." said Meeka, interrupting him. "No one else knows about that part of me, and I wish to keep it that way."
"Sorry Mistress." said Azul, in a lower voice. "But as I was saying, with me being your demonic familiar, it wouldn't hurt if you summoned me much more often." Meeka sighed and crossed her arms at this. "Anyway, since I doubt you summoned me just to hear me complain, I take it that you need me to do something?"
"That's correct, Azul." said Meeka. "Right now my nephew Ranma Saotome is missing, and I have been asked by his mother to find him, and return him to his abusive fiancee."
"Surely you are capable of finding this Ranma person, Mistress." said Azul. "After all, since when have you ever called me to find someone?"
"You're right Azul." said Meeka. "I didn't call you so you can look for Ranma." Azul started to ask her why she summoned him, but Meeka broke it off, by telling him that she needed him to go to the Tendo home, and look around for anything pertaining to Ranma's stay with the Tendo's.
"Uh ok, but wouldn't that be considered... you know illegal, Mistress?"
Meeka just shrugged her shoulders, and told him that it all depends on what he finds. "And truthfully Azul, since this most likely involves Ranma's safety, I don't really care if it is legal or not."
Seeing that he wasn't going to change her mind on the matter, Azul asked Meeka what exactly he should look for. Meeka told him, to just look for anything that would involve Ranma, no matter how small it is. She also informed him about what she was told at the hospital, on Ranma being able to change into a girl, and to also focus on anything pertaining to that as well. Giving her a nod, Azul snapped his fingers and vanished in another puff of smoke.
Soon as Azul had left, Meeka raised her left hand and looked at the cut she had made there. Sighing since the cut wasn't healing fast enough, she thought. 'And Azul wonders why I don't summon him more often.'
Being so focused upon the cut to her hand, Meeka didn't realize when the door was opened behind her. "Guess I should get going, before someone sees me."
As she started to turn around so she could leave, the person who had entered the room asked. "And why don't you want anyone to see you, Meeka?"
Whirling around, Meeka came face to face with her father. "Father, I ..."
As she tried to say something, she noticed that her father was looking towards her left hand. Moving quickly, she placed her hand behind her back, and started to make her way past her father. However, before she could do so, he had reached out his own arm, and gently took a hold of her wrist. "Open your hand, Meeka." he said in a gentle voice.
Not wishing to disobey or upset her father, Meeka did as he asked and opened her hand, revealing the cut she had made. After a few moments of looking over the cut, Meeka's father started to ask what had happened. However, before he could do so, the cut was enveloped in a dark glow. As he watched, the cut sealed itself, and a few moments later was gone. Raising his head, so he could ask her what had just happened, he was surprised to find tears running down Meeka's face. "Meeka, what's wrong?"
"You're going to send me away."
-
Giving a quick glance over at Cologne, Ranma made his way into the room, stopping just inside the door, when he saw three people sitting in the center of the room, who looked like and was dressed like Cologne.
"Ah Mr Saotome, so good of you to join us." said the person sitting in the middle of the other two. "Please have a seat, and we can get started."
As he made his way over towards the chair the person had indicated, Ranma asked them what was going on.
"All will be explained soon enough, Mr Saotome." said the same person as before. Once Ranma had been seated, Cologne closed the door behind herself as she made her way into the room. Moving to stand off to the side of the other three, she noticed when Ranma looked over towards her.
"Is this another one of your tricks, to try and get me back to China, old ghoul?" asked Ranma. Cologne said nothing, and looked towards the three people sitting in the center of the room. Sending a dark glare towards Cologne, Ranma turned his attention towards the three as well. "Just to make this clear, I won't be going to China by force."
"Mr Saotome, that is part of the reason why we three are here." said the person sitting in the middle of the room, as she motioned towards herself, and the two sitting on each side of her. "And you have my assurance, that no one is going to be forcing you to do anything. Now then, before we go any further, please allow me to introduce the three of us." She motions to the woman sitting on her right. "This is Bra Zir, she is the third highest ranking elder in the village of Joketsuoku." She then motions to the woman sitting on her left side. "This is Pan Te, and she is the second highest ranking elder. As for myself, I am Lo Shin and am the senior elder of our village." Lo Shin paused for a few moments to let this sink in, then asked Ranma if he had any questions, so far.
"You said you was here concerning me returning to your village." said Ranma. At Lo Shin's nod, he asked her how she was going to accomplish that?
"You seem to be misunderstanding me, Mr Saotome. While we are here concerning the kiss of marriage, made between you and Xin Pu, it is not to make you return to the village. At least not right away."
"Sorry to interrupt Elder Lo Shin, but I have a question about the whole kiss of marriage and kiss of death stuff."
"What is it, you wish to know Mr Saotome?"
"Well, after Xin Pu had given me the kiss of marriage, she gave us a book explaining the rules or laws of her village. Well, it stated that if I defeated her, she became my wife. As for the kiss of death, it was given after I challenged her concerning the prize my pops and I had eaten, that was supposed to have been given to the winner, of the tournament that was going on."
Lo Shin nodded, and told him that he had pretty much summed it up. "As you said Mr Saotome, for the kiss of death, you challenged Xin Pu and beat her while you was a girl. And based on our laws, she was sworn to hunt you down and kill you."
"I get that part." said Ranma. "What I need to know is, how can I be considered married to Xin Pu, when I never challenged her for her hand in marriage?"
Soon as Ranma had finished speaking, the three elders looked at one another for several minutes, before turning their attention to Cologne. "Khu Lon, go fetch your great-granddaughter." said Lo Shin.
As Cologne made her way towards the door, Ranma who was watching her, noticed a slight change in her aura. As Cologne reached the door and pulled it open, Ranma turned back to the other three elders, and asked them what was going on.
"All will be explained, once Khu Lon and Xin Pu have returned. "said Lo Shin.
-
There was several tense minutes, as Meeka waited for her father to say the words she new was coming. When her father took a hold of her arm, Meeka offered up no resistance, as he began to lead her. Some minutes later they came to a stop. However, instead of the sound of a opening door like she expected, Meeka heard the sound of someone sitting down on something made of leather. Raising her head, she looked at the place she was at, and found her father sitting down on the leather sofa, that he had in his office.
"Meeka, please have a seat."
Doing as she was told, Meeka sat down at the opposite end of the sofa, and wrapped her arms around herself.
Letting out a sigh at her actions, Meeka's father asked. "Meeka, why did you say I was going to send you away, because of what I saw?"
Meeka merely told him, that it is what everyone else had done when they found out what she could do.
"What do you mean, by everyone else Meeka?"
"Father, you're not the first parent I have had. Before you adopted me, I had three other foster parents. Each time they found out I could heal myself as you did, they returned me to the orphanage, saying that I was weird and stuff."
"I don't know if I would call it weird Meeka. After all, I have seen it used a few times before." Raising her head to look into his eyes, Meeka asked him what he meant by that. "It is called Chi Manipulation."
"Chi Manipulation?" asked Meeka. "What is that?"
"I don't know the full details, but martial artist with enough skill are able to do amazing things, by using their chi. Healing is one of these things."
"So, you think what I did was using chi manipulation?"
"That's right. Unless there is something else involved."
As her father pondered this, Meeka let out a held breath. "I'm pretty sure that is all it is Father."
"I suppose you're right Meeka. Anyway, wasn't you supposed to be searching for Ranma?"
"Yes Father. But I remembered that I needed to return to the hospital, and pick up a couple of items, that one of the Tendo's was supposed to get for me."
Giving her a nod, her father got to his feet and held out his hand to her. "Then shall we be going?"
Giving him a nod, Meeka took his hand, and was pulled to her feet. Releasing Meeka's hand, her father began to make his way towards the door. Meeka took off after him a few moments later. 'Sheesh that was a close one. But who would have thought some kooky martial arts skill, would be used to explain what I did? Oh well, I'm sure not going to correct Father's assumptions and tell him what really happened.'
Several minutes later, Meeka and her father were seated in the back of a limo, heading towards the hospital.
Several minutes after Khu Lon had left the room, the room door was opened and she made her way back into the room, followed by Xin Pu. Xin Pu started to ask what was going on, but before she could do so, Lo Shin ordered her to remain silent, and to have a seat before them.
Xin Pu remained where she was inside the door, and looked over at Khu Lon. Before she could say anything, Khu Lon spoke with a voice of authority. "Do as your told. Xin Pu." Doing as she was told but with a slight hint of rebelliousness, Xin Pu made her way over to the center of the room, and sat down so she was facing the three elders.
"As I am sure you are wondering Xin Pu, we called you here to discuss the kiss of marriage you made to one Ranma Saotome." said Lo Shin.
As Lo Shin finished speaking, Xin Pu looked back over her shoulder at Ranma, and sent him a smile before turning her attention back to the elders. "What to talk about? Ranma is Xin Pu's airen and nothing changes that."
"You might be wrong on that aspect, Xin Pu." said Lo Shin.
Glaring at the elders, Xin Pu in a voice hinting of danger, asked them what they meant. Ignoring the dangerous tone, Lo Shin looked towards Ranma. "Mr Saotome, please tell us everything that happened between yourself and Xin Pu, that caused you to be given the kiss of marriage."
Nodding to the elders, Ranma began to explain how Xin Pu had showed up at the Tendo dojo looking for his girl half. He went on to tell them, how he tried to explain to Xin Pu that he was a guy and engaged to Akane. He paused long enough to take a breath, then told them on how Xin Pu had tried to attack Akane, and on how he had stopped her by kicking her weapons out of her hands, which landed untop of her head knocking her out for a few moments. "When she came too, she gave me the kiss of marriage."
"This changes everything." said Lo Shin.
Before Lo Shin could say anything more, Xin Pu shouted. "Nothing changes. Airen is Xin Pu's husband."
"Be silent girl." shouted Lo Shin. "You are in enough trouble already. Don't mak..."
In a fit of rage Xin Pu lept to her feet, with her chui in hand. "Ranma is mine, and you three is obstacles. Obstacles is for killing!"
As Xin Pu leapt towards the thee elders, there was a shout from Khu Lon, that went unanswered. Faster then anyone could blink, the three elders disarmed Xin Pu, and pinned her to the ground with their staves pointed at her throat.
As tears ran down Xin Pu's face, Lo Shin looked up at Ranma. "Mr Saotome, I want to thank you for clearing up this matter for us. If we will please go wait downstairs, we have some things to deal with here, before we talk to you again."
Nodding, Ranma got to his feet, and started to head towards the door. As he neared Xin Pu he paused only for a moment, to look down at her. As he continued on his way a few moments later, Xin Pu called out to him. "Airen, please don't leave me."
Ranma didn't look back, and continued out of the room, closing the door behind himself.
End of Chapter Ten