Permanent

Part 33

Mother dearest.

++++++++++++++

Ranma felt the cold steel against her throat, she paused and
glanced at the woman holding the blade to her throat.

"I'll ask you one last time. Where is my son?" the woman pressed
the blade slightly drawing a small amount of blood.

Cologne was the first to speak. "Your son is gone. Killing this
girl will not bring her back."

The woman glared at her and said nothing Ranma did not move.

"What do you mean?" she said coolly.

"Your son was taken from us by the cursed springs of Jusenkyo, no
one regrets this more than her."

"Cursed springs?" Nodoka narrowed her eyes. "If what you say is
true and my son is dead, they why is this girl using his name?"

"Because I am Ranma Saotome," replied the young sorceress calmly.

"Explain," said the woman.

Cologne held her hand up and silenced Ranma before she could
speak. "In our tribe, a woman may take the name of her husband if he dies
honorably."

Nodoka stared at the girl for a moment, but she did not remove the
blade. "Husband?"

Ranma said nothing. She merely stared the woman dead in the eyes.

"My son is dead?"

"He is no longer among us," said one of the young girls next to
Cologne carefully.

Nodoka relaxed her arm slightly, it was all Talcum needed. She was
standing opposite Nodoka and had moved behind her while her attention was
on the elder. Her arm snaked up and pressed the back of the woman's neck
sending her to the floor unconscious.

"You never said anything about your mother being alive," commented
Cologne as Ranma stepped away from the woman.

"Mother?" she was ignoring everyone around her and staring at the
sleeping woman before her. "I...have a mother?"

Everyone in the room reacted in shock. "This is most unusual,"
commented Ko li.

++++++++++++++

Nodoka woke up about an hour later with an exploding headache. The
young red head bowed deeply before her. "I apologize, Pop never said
anything about his wife. I would have contacted you long ago had I known."

The woman sat up slowly and stared at her in shock. "Who are you?"

"Ranma Saotome," replied the girl simply.

"Who are you really?" she said calmly.

"That is the only name I know," replied the girl simply.

"Where am I?"

"In my room, you've slept through the day. It's evening again,"
Ranma looked at the woman and sighed waiting for more questions.

Nodoka looked around the room and took in her surroundings; she
was in a small room in the upstairs portion of the Cat Cafe. She looked
back at the girl and sighed deeply. "My son is gone?"

Ranma simply nodded slowly and carefully. She knew that the woman
was telling the truth. Her wallet had told her enough, and a magical
background check had finished the story while she slept. Her eyes went up
and down the woman's face over and over. Her feelings where numb and
uncertain.

Nodoka stared back at her, tears forming in her eyes. Still she
remained in control, "What of the agreement with Soun Tendo?"

"Your son knew nothing of that. I found out only after coming to
Japan," replied the red head quietly.

"He died honorably?" asked the older woman with a distant look in
her face.

Ranma stood up and faced away from her towards the window that
overlooked Nerima. "I still search for a way to bring him back to us. It
is all I live for."

Nodoka felt a cold shiver run down her spine at those words. She
glanced around the room and noticed the unusual things that seemed to fill
it. Rows of books, an unusual chest that sent cold waves into her body
just looking at it, various crystals and bottles lined the walls. "Who are
you?"

Ranma slowly turned around and recognized the look on the woman's
face. Terror seemed to cross her features. "After your son left me, I
began to search for a cure to the curse of Jusenkyo. Thus I began my path
into the mystic arts."

Nodoka merely nodded, still numb from the news. "What of my
husband?"

Ranma winced visibly at this, "He shared the same fate."

Ranma merely watched without words as the woman broke down into
tears on her bed. She was uncertain of what to say or do. She wanted to
scream the truth, but it would be a little too much for the woman to take
at the moment. A small burning hatred formed in the back of her heart.

"Genma Saotome, for making that contract with my mother...I will
make you suffer as she has." She walked towards the door with a
distasteful scowl on her face. The probe she had done to the woman to find
the truth in her words had also revealed that important fact.

Nodoka stood up and grabbed her arm as she tried to leave the
room. "Wait!"

Ranma looked back at her and saw unfathomable pain in her eyes,
but also something else, a small light of hope. "Yes?" The words flowed
from her mouth gently, but the grating emotions were still evident in her
voice.

"Daughter...please, help me mourn my son," Nodoka pleaded with her
and grabbed her in a rough hug.

Ranma felt tears begin to flow down her face as she returned the
embrace. Not tears of sorrow, but of rage and pain. To hold the woman who
gave birth to her, and not be able to speak the truth. It was almost too
much to bear. She paused and stared at the wall opposite her. She wanted
desperately to scream the truth over and over, but the angel's final words
crept into her mind. She could not throw her life away yet; she had too
much to do still. Genma Saotome would suffer for this indeed.

+++++++++++++==

Below Cologne sat with her two charges patiently. She turned
towards the pair as they waited anxiously. "You will not interfere with
her. Allow her to do what she needs to do. She showed me what she saw in
that memory crystal, and Genma Saotome will be lucky to survive the day
tomorrow." She sipped her tea quietly. She knew that Ranma could tell the
woman the truth, and also that she could very well die if she did.
Unfortunately she also knew that it was her decision alone. She left her a
way out, and hoped desperately that she realized that she was far too
important to throw her life away on a promise.

"I wish I could say something in his defense, but I doubt if Ranma
will kill him," said Ko li with a small smirk.

"Hope lazy panda die," snarled Talcum.

"My dear sister, Ranma knows many things are worse than death,"
said Ko li with her smirk growing into a full-blown grin.

++++++++++++

Soun Tendo looked up at his daughter quietly. There was nothing he
could say. Ranma had betrayed them, lied to them. Nodoka had confirmed
that Ranma Saotome was indeed Genma's son, and that she had never had a
daughter. Watching her leave in a blind rage was more than he could take,
he passed out on the spot.

He had no love for the honorless girl; she had almost gotten Akane
killed. Now his daughter was cursed and he suspected his middle daughter
was going out with a giant bird. Kasumi was also changed, albeit more
slightly. She had learned a few spells of healing, but that was as much as
he could tell.

Still, he could not get her out of his life. Akane was dangerously
loyal to her, and the engagement with the Hibiki boy still stood. Whether
he liked it or not, giri demanded that he follow through with the
agreement.

At least he was an honest and honorable soul, even if that soul belonged
to the witch. He had finally decided that Ranma Saotome was indeed evil.
He had to do something, but what? Only one force on the planet scared him
more than her. Getting rid of that had been the one positive thing in his
life since she came along.

"Hello Tendo."

Soun slowly turned and almost paled completely. "What?"

"You and I need to have a little talk Tendo..."

++++++++++++++

Akane sat on the roof watching the moon. No more magical girls
assaulted her; in fact, they actually seemed to be avoiding her now. The
Sailor Stars ignored her completely, and Keiko seemed to have lost her
powers for some reason. It was almost normal again.

She paused when she heard a familiar rustling above her. "Hello
Kuno, what are you doing here?"

"I merely came to see how you were, it has been remarkably quiet
since last night. I take it you have solved your problems?"

"Most of them," the girl nodded her head and lay back on the roof.
"Things just seem to be going our way."

"I'm glad to hear that, my home is quiet as well. It bothers me at
times."

Akane felt her face tense up. "You miss her don't you?"

"At times, I think I miss Sasuke more though," he stared up at the
sky.

"Really?" Akane seemed surprised at this.

"My sister was never close to me, I loved her, but he has always
been at my side. Loyal, steadfast, always ready to serve. I know it sounds
like I had a dog or something, but Sasuke was more family to me than my
own father."

"I think I understand," said Akane quietly.

"Indeed, I fear I must be going now..."

"Have a good time with Nabiki," said Akane with a small smile on
her face as she continued to stare at the moon.

Kuno froze and stared at her in shocked horror. "Wh..h..how?"

"You really think she can sneak by me? Come now Kuno, my eyes are
better than yours in the dark."

The middle Tendo sister cursed and walked from her hiding spot on
the roof. "You'd better not tell anyone about this."

"I won't, but you'd better start talking. What are you doing out
here so late? Or should I ask?" Akane gave Kuno a careful glare and he
blushed.

"I am an honorable man Akane Tendo!"

"Then why were you trying to sneak off with her in the middle of
the night? You two were hoping I'd already be gone."

Nabiki raised her eyebrow. "Please Akane, this is Kuno we're
talking about here. I'm dating a giant bird."

"Well, just don't force me to make you marry I giant bird. My
sense of smell is better now too. You two have behaved yourselves so far.
I've been keeping an eye on you for the past two weeks."

Both teens paled slightly and Nabiki blushed. "You have any idea
what would happen if anyone found out I was dating Kuno?"

"Probably nothing, he used to be a complete moron, but now..."

Nabiki scrunched up her face and stuck her tongue out at this.
"Please, I wouldn't have touched him with a pole, even if he paid me."

The boy in question coughed into his hand. "I am still here you
know."

"But, he did get better," said the middle Tendo. This seemed to
satisfy Kuno and he ruffled his wings.

"Have fun you two, and behave yourselves or I'll rip your wings
off Kuno," said Akane as she continued to watch the moon.

The boy spread his wings and was about to take off with Nabiki in
his arms when a terrible scream followed by an explosion came from inside
the house. The portion of roof where Akane sat collapsed in and she
screamed as she fell into the home.

"Akane!" cried Kuno as he turned and jumped off the edge with
Nabiki still in his arms.

The girl gasped and clung to his neck as a glowing blue light
shone through the smoke inside. Akane stirred from her place in the rubble
and slowly sat up shoving a board off her chest.

"What hit me?"

The three teens simply stared as a laugh filled the room.

"Heh heh heh heh heh. Well, look what we have here..."

+++++++++++

Ryoga Hibiki wandered through the streets of Nerima. On his
shoulder was a large sack of rice. "Honestly, sending me out this late at
night for rice. If she wanted to be alone with that visitor she should
have just said so." He cocked his head and stopped his monologue as an
explosion sounded in the distance. "This place sure is getting weird."

TBC...