Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction, based on the works of Takahashi Rumiko and The guy who created Tenchi Muyo. (The OVA) The characters herein do not belong to me. I have seized them and am using them for my own nefarious purposes. BWAHAHAHA! (Sweatdrop) Sorry.
No Need for a New Start!
A Ranma ½ / Tenchi Muyo fanfiction
Chapter Five
'Let's Get Ready to Rummmmble!'
Ranma jumped backwards, still holding his plate, as Ryoga charged toward him. The Lost Boy's fist collided heavily with the dining room table, splitting it in half. Sasami, still safely wrapped within the confines of her sister's log generated force field, squeaked with fear as shard of wood bounced harmlessly off the shield. Ranma looked over, worried, but saw she was all right. He frowned at the Lost Boy.
"Baka! This ain't my house! Quit it, yer gonna hurt somebody!"
Ryoga sneered at him. "Quit whining and take your punishment like a man, Ranma!" he snarled, pulling off several headbands.
Ranma tensed. Those can do serious damage. I gotta take this outside, and quick! Ranma dashed toward Ryoga and jumped into a flying stamp kick into the Lost Boy's chest, the impact knocking Ryoga out the hole he had made in the house wall. Ranma followed him out the hole, still carrying his plate. Incredibly, not a single item had been dropped.
Ryoko blinked at the suddenly breezy dining room. "What the hell just happened?" she asked.
Tenchi frowned. It wasn't exactly the same, but he was beginning to see that he and Ranma should really swap stories about this kind of thing too. He sighed. "It's a good thing Dad's left for work already," He commented. He looked over as Washu moved to follow the two combatants.
Ayeka glanced nervously at the red headed genius as well. "Washu-sa…erhm, chan?"
The genius looked back at Ayeka and smirked.
"Now, now," she said, gesturing to her new age, roughly equivalent to Ayeka's own, "Washu will do fine,"
Ryoko smirked. "Yeah, calling her Washu–chan is Ranma's job." She had the satisfaction of watching her 'mother' blush darkly, but Washu refused to comment. Mihoshi simply blinked, looking back and forth.
Tenchi, sensing a tense moment, changed the subject. "Is it safe out there, Washu? And what about Ranma? Will he need help?" he asked. Washu looked relieved that she didn't have to deal with the other comment.
"It should be," She shrugged. "Ranma's control over his power is nothing short of astonishing. And, if his little battle with Ryoko the other day is any indication," she said, smiling slyly as Ryoko frowned suddenly, "he should be able to handle this himself."
Tenchi sighed. "Well, OK. Let's go watch," he suggested. Ryoko and Washu nodded, and the three exited through the newly created door. Ayeka frowned, but powered down her force field, and she, Sasami and Mihoshi followed.
* * *
Ranma faced Ryoga on the lawn, rubbing wearily at his forehead.
"What did I do now, Ryoga?"
"Don't play innocent, you bastard! How could you leave Akane alone again!"
Ranma began to scowl. "Like that's any of your business, jerk!" he snapped. Ryoga seemed unimpressed by his anger.
"You got sick of Akane and moved on to take advantage of other women, you cad! I'm going to send you to hell!"
Ranma flinched at the vehement accusation, even though it was a tired echo of countless others. He was very aware of the presence of the rest of the household watching the proceedings, and he didn't want his grandfather's family to get the wrong idea, but then Ryoga had to come in and mess it up like this... The memories of the stress of living in Nerima came flooding back, but this time, instead of a bone-weary depression, a tense anger filled him.
"Shut up, baka!" he snarled as he burst into motion. He slammed into Ryoga like a freight train, fists and feet in motion, and was only slightly surprised when Ryoga turned into his charge and casually threw him over his shoulder one-handed.
"Feh. Did I hit a nerve, Ranma?" Ryoga asked as Ranma alighted on both feet and turned to face him. Ranma cursed himself for letting his anger push him into a mistake.
"Gaah! It didn't work out! Akane is free now! You should be happy I left! Why won't you leave me alone?!" Ranma grated.
"As if I could leave you alone with all these defenseless women!"
Ranma blinked at that. "Defenseless?" He echoed. His anger evaporated as images of the things the extraterrestrial women of the Masaki home could do filled his mind. "BWAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Ryoga scowled even deeper. Ranma was acting differently…"Shut up, Jerk!"
Ranma straightened. "Look, man," he began, still smirking and wiping his eyes, "You got the wrong idea again. Just--,"
What Ranma would have said was lost, as the other boy yelled and charged forward with one fist extended. Ranma smiled thinly. He's faster than usual. Ryoga's been training again…he got this good in a week? …Excellent. As quick as the Lost Boy moved, Ranma was much faster in blocking his thrusts, dodging and avoiding them before twisting his body around and propelling Ryoga to the ground with a spinning kick to his backside.
Ryoga recovered almost immediately, performing a one-handed arm spring, then renewed his attack as soon as his feet touched the ground. Again, Ranma's speed proved superior as he avoided the attack, spinning around again and punching Ryoga in the back of the head. Ryoga, to the amazement of the spectators, was unfazed. He merely turned, growling, and attacked again. Ranma grinned.
"Still too slow, man!" he taunted his opponent before catching the next lunge and using it to throw Ryoga over his head so that his finger first hit the ground a couple paces beyond where he had been standing.
The familiar explosion effect of the Bakusai Tenketsu drew gasps from the Masaki family, but Ranma had expected this. He backflipped out of range, his hands blurring to catch the shrapnel. Ranma grinned suddenly and began throwing the pieces of rock back at the Lost Boy, each one hitting Ryoga square on the nose.
"Damn you, Ranma!" Ryoga screamed and swung wildly.
"Man, don't you ever learn?" Ranma asked sarcastically, dodging.
"You want a new technique?" Ryoga roared. Ranma shrugged.
"Well, it'd be nice," he commented mildly. "The stuff you're doing now is old hat. I could dodge it all day,"
"Shut up and FIGHT!"
Ranma grinned toothily at Ryoga's annoyed roar. He fell into a defensive stance as The Lost Boy removed his ever-present umbrella from his pack and rushed toward him, using his improved speed to launch a barrage of thrusts. Ranma however, was as elusive as a wisp of smoke. No matter how fast Ryoga was, Ranma flowed around every strike.
"C'mon, man," Ranma taunted, "This ain't even original! This is Kuno's technique!" Ryoga said nothing, grimly pressing his attack. Ranma continued to dodge, until the Lost Boy backed him against a tree. Changing tactics, Ranma leapt toward his attacker, reaching for his umbrella in and attempt to use the weapon to vault over Ryoga's head.
At this point in time, two things happened. The first was that Ranma seized the umbrella to vault over Ryoga's head, burning his hand in the process. The second was that the umbrella impacted, point first, with the tree.
The tree exploded.
The force of the blast caught Ranma in midair and flung him several feet farther than he had intended. He landed in a heap, coughing. Ryoga turned around, grinning nastily.
"Bakusai Tenketsu Revised: Kasa Yakedo Bakuhatsu," he said simply.
Ranma grinned as he picked himself up off the ground, spitting out dust. "Burning Umbrella Explosion? 'Sa little longwinded, dontcha think?"
"I'll name it after you then, when I kill you with it," Ryoga affirmed grimly, beginning to smile darkly.
Ranma's grin widened.
"Never happen, Porky," he fired back.
Ryoga didn't reply with words.
Ranma dodged Ryoga's renewed attacks swiftly, careful not to let the burning weapon contact his skin. Now that he knew what to look for Ryoga's new technique was painfully simple. He was simply charging this umbrella with hot ki and expelling the ki into the breaking points of the objects he struck. While this technique was marginally more dangerous than the original, as it worked on more than just stone, it would still have no serious effect on the human body. But still, if he got too close to one of those explosions…
He shook off the thought as he began searching for a counter. He considered the Hiryu Shouten Ha, but found it likely that Ryoga would simply release his weapon. He discarded that line of attack, but began summoning cold ki anyway, as a defense against the burning heat of the umbrella.
Ranma thought carefully as he evaded the attacks. While the Hiryu Shouten Ha would be too much effort for too little return, he needed to divest his opponent of his weapon to have a chance to counterattack. After he had discarded several possibilities, a thought struck him.
Earlier in the day, as Washu was scanning him for her search for a cure, She had brought up his battle with Ryoko. Ranma was surprised to find out that she was nearly as knowledgeable about the mechanics of hand to hand combat as he was. She'd asked questions about all his attacks, but had seemed most interested in the Hiryu Shouten Ha.
"How do you shape the bio-energy into the dragon?" She'd asked.
"Huh? Bio-energy?" he asked, puzzled.
"Sorry. The Ki." She amended.
Ranma shrugged. "Oh. Well, I just visualize the shape in my head, and let the Ki flow out through my fist, and it sort of happens," he explained.
"So you could make it look like anything you wanted?" she suggested.
"I guess so," he agreed. "I just do it that way 'cuz that's how I was taught to do it."
"Your teacher taught you to shape it into a dragon?"
Ranma grinned. "Not really. I just saw it that way, I guess. It IS called the 'Dragon Ascension Strike'," he explained.
Washu smiled. "Makes sense. So, you use your hands to shape it, hmm? Interesting,"
"Why's that?" he'd asked curiously.
"Well, The technique is similar to how Ryoko and I make our swords, though not quite on the same scale," Washu explained.
Ranma blinked. "You can do that too?"
"Sure. All it is," she said, "Is using will to shape internal energy." Quickly, she demonstrated.
Ranma examined the gleaming shaft of energy interestedly. "Wow," he murmured. The possibilities of a self created weapon were pretty staggering…
Ranma grinned as he brought his full attention back to the fight. I got no idea if this'll work, he thought, But the look on Ryoga's face should be priceless if I can pull this off…
He backflipped away from Ryoga to gain some room and began summoning ki to his right hand. The Lost Boy charged, looking to press his advantage, and pulled his umbrella back to strike. Ranma closed his eyes and visualized a sword in his hand, then curled his hand around the ball of ki. A peculiar snapping sound issued forth, and Ranma met Ryoga's charge, aiming for the weapon that was rapidly closing. The two boys clashed with a flash of light.
Ranma grinned to himself, and turned around. Ryoga stood there, gaping at the charred wooden handle in his hand. A moment later, the rest of Ryoga's weighted umbrella fell to the ground with a resounding thump.
"What the hell was that, Ranma!" the Lost Boy yelled.
"Pretty damn cool, that's what it was." The pigtailed boy grinned, bouncing up and down on the balls of his feet. "Whatd'ya think? I was gonna call it just 'Moko Ha' but since you made up a long name for yours, maybe…I dunno? Moko Tengoku Ha? Pretty cool, huh?" Ranma gestured to the sizzling azure ki sword in his hand. Unexpectedly, it suddenly disappeared with an audible pop.
Ranma sweatdropped. "Oops." He mumbled. "Kinda hard to keep up, though," He didn't have time to dwell on what he'd done wrong as Ryoga charged again.
Tenchi looked away from the fight as he heard strangled noises from his left. Ryoko was gaping in Ranma's direction, an incredulous expression on her face.
"He can...do that...?"
"Hmm. He figured that out a lot more quickly than I thought he would," Washu mused with a VERY interested smile on her face. "He's a very quick study. I think he's much more than he seems, at least in terms of intelligence."
Ryoko whirled around. "You TOLD him how to do that?"
Washu looked at her and shrugged. "Mmhmm." she affirmed. "What's the matter, Ryoko-chan? Don't like having your act stolen?"
"I think I have the grounds for some sort of lawsuit here," Ryoko huffed. Washu chuckled, then looked over at Tenchi. The young prince of Jurai was watching the fight with intense interest.
"What's up, Tenchi?" she inquired.
"I wonder if I could get him to teach me some of that?" Tenchi mused, both to himself, and in answer to the redheaded scientist's question.
"I don't think you'd have any trouble there," Washu smirked. "He's a natural teacher. He has a gift for explaining things in easily understood ways, and he's very…talented,"
"I hope so," Tenchi replied. Suddenly, their attention was drawn by Sasami's alarmed gasp. Tenchi, Washu and Ryoko turned to look, and Ranma's opponent was lifting a large boulder into the air. With a growl of rage, he hurled it at Ranma. A large lump formed in Washu's throat. In short order two more boulders quickly joined the first, speeding directly toward Ranma, and behind him, the Masaki home…
Ranma couldn't believe his eyes. Unlike the weary anger he had felt before, a raging furnace began to burn in his gut.
"BAKA! There are people here!" Ranma yelled. He stood his ground and began summoning ki for a blast, but realized he couldn't hit all three in time. Suddenly, inspiration struck. Instead of pushing the ki away into a blast, he slammed both hands down on it. "Moko Takabisha revised! MOKO SHINIGAMI!"
A coruscating arc of blue ki fanned out from his hands and slammed into the boulders, detonating them in a shower of tiny pebbles. Ryoga gaped as his projectiles showered down on him.
"Wh-!" was all he managed as in the blink of an eye, Ranma was upon him. Ranma, for his part, had nearly seen the disaster with Nabiki repeated, and he was NOT happy.
"Baka!" he snarled again, his fist blurring as he struck Ryoga in the gut in the modified Amiguriken he'd devised especially for the Lost Boy. Ryoga flew backward and into a tree. Ranma stalked after him. "I don't mind fighting you, man." Ranma ground out, "But it's between you an' me. You leave my family out a' this, or you an' me are gonna have a serious problem,"
"Feh." Ryoga sneered, "You talk big, Ranma, but you're a coward at heart."
Ranma struggled to contain his temper. Why was Ryoga being such a jerk? He'd thought that they'd come to an understanding of sorts at Jusendo, but his relationship with the Lost Boy had deteriorated to a point worse than before, much as the situation with Akane had. A flash of sadness passed over him. Maybe that's just how my life will be, he thought bleakly. I'll never have any real friends, just temporary allies. Everybody I've ever been a friend with has turned against me, or just plain used me for what they wanted. Ranma forced the thought out of his mind.
"C'mere, jerk," Ranma snarled, assuming a serious combat stance, and beckoning with one hand. "I'll show ya how much of a coward I am."
Ryoga smiled nastily. "Get ready to die," the Lost Boy asserted calmly.
"Better men than you have tried, pig. Less talk, more fight," was Ranma's icy reply, cracking Ryoga's calm expression.
"I'm gonna rip your stupid head off!" he roared, charging.
The two young met in a flurry of blows that had been bled of all semblance of comradeship.
Tenchi and the others observed in dismay, catching every word. Mihoshi wore a teary expression, as the emotional drama of the fight was unmistakable. Ayeka and Sasami were not as upset as Mihoshi looked to be, but clearly concerned for the pig-tailed free spirit that had made such an impact on their household in such a short time. Ryoko was less emotional too, but still frowning at the spectacle.
Washu was watching the battle, biting her lower lip in worry. She knew Ranma would win the fight. That seemed certain, as his opponent was strong, but not as powerful as Ranma, or anywhere near as controlled. She winced as Ranma landed a hammer blow combination that looked amazingly painful. She simply hadn't considered the emotional impact. Though Ranma was landing dozens of hits, he looked as though the other boy was beating him up. This was a different side of the happy go lucky young man who had arrived at the shrine, and it put the letter from his mother into perspective. Her thoughts were interrupted as she sensed a presence behind her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Yosho standing there. Tenchi turned to look too, and recoiled in surprise.
"Grampa!" he blurted.
"How long have you been there, Lord Katsuhito?" Washu inquired, raising an upswept eyebrow.
"Long enough," Yosho said calmly, a hint of steel in his voice as he stared grimly at the two combatants. "That's an interesting look, Washu-san,"
Washu's head whipped around completely. She stared at the elderly priest, and grimaced. How is it that I'm far, far older than he is, and he still manages to make me as though he can see right through me? She wondered. She looked away just in time to see Ranma hammer his opponent to the ground with a descending stamp kick. Ranma was about to strike again, and then he looked down at the other boy as he struggled to get to his feet after Ranma's relentless barrage. Washu's heart nearly broke as she saw the pain in his expression. With a grimace, Ranma made an astounding leap, vanishing into the trees.
Ryoga finally managed to get to his feet, wiping a trickle of blood from his mouth. "Curse you, Ranma!" he rasped. "I'll kill you!"
"No," Yosho's voice rang out in the now still air, "You will not." The ancient priest moved away from the house and the startled looks of the rest of the spectators to stand a few paces away from the Lost Boy.
"Who are you?" Ryoga snarled angrily.
"I am Katsuhito Masaki, priest of the Masaki Shrine, and Ranma's grandfather."
Ryoga stance softened a little, as even he had trouble screaming at a priest. Still, he protested. "You don't understand! He's cost me both the women I love! I've seen hell, and-," Yosho cut him off with a look.
"I do understand, young man," said the priest calmly, with an undercurrent of disdain. "You came to shrine lands with intent to kill. You are not welcome on these grounds. Leave now, and do not return."
"But-!" Ryoga's protest died in his throat as he noticed that others had joined the older man, mostly girls, and they were all giving him dirty looks. He couldn't figure out why they were taking Ranma's side. Everything was Ranma's fault! Even Akane always said so! "Aargh! Ranma! I'll never forgive you for this!" he shouted, and ran off into the forest, in the general direction of Kyoto. The assembled Masaki household collectively sweatdropped.
"Jeez, what a weirdo," Ryoko muttered.
Ayeka nodded. "Indeed, He was the rudest person! I hope Lord Ranma is all right," Ayeka commented. Ryoko and Ayeka blinked and looked at each other. They were about to remark on the strangeness of agreeing with each other when Mihoshi interrupted them.
"WAAAAAH! That was sooo sad!" she bawled.
Sasami smiled a bit and patted her taller friend on the back.
"It's ok, Mihoshi, it's over now," she soothed. Tenchi looked worried.
"Shouldn't we go find Ranma, Grampa?" he asked.
"It's all right, Tenchi, it's been taken care of," Yosho replied.
Tenchi blinked, and looked around.
"Huh?"
"He's right, Tenchi. Let's go back inside," smiled Ryoko, tugging on his arm. She, too, had noticed that Washu hadn't stuck around for long. She gently led the confused boy back to the house, grinning to herself.
As long as it's not Tenchi, anybody she likes is ok by me. Besides, he's actually an OK guy, and bugging her about this could be good for a few laughs. Heh. Should be interesting, anyway.
* * *
Elsewhere...
Captain Darkash stared intently at the screen as the search for the distress call continued. He clutched the armrests of his command chair as the Indomitable continued through the debris field, shuddering under the impact of another large piece of junk.
"What's the condition of the armor?" he asked tactical.
The broad shouldered ensign looked briefly at his instruments. "Still holding, sir. However, if we plan to be here much longer, it won't hold up forever,"
Darkash nodded. He toggled the comm. switch on his armrest. "Bridge to hangar deck,"
"Hangar Deck, Commander Starlyghter."
"How are the mechanics coming with your fighters, Tel?" he asked.
"Well, most are still pretty banged up from the patrol battles, but we have three or four at full strength, sir," came the reply.
"Good. Scramble three of them and send them to ahead of the ship. We're having trouble here, and we'd like to clear the road a little. Tell them to use the bigger chunks for target practice,"
"Acknowledged. Hangar deck out,"
Darkash leaned back in his chair, watching the viewscreen. After a few moments, three sleek fighters burst out of the underbelly of the ship, firing their blaster cannons at debris. Almost immediately, the impacts on the ship lessened. Darkash allowed himself a tight smile.
Now that that's out of the way, he thought, a little smugly, Where are you, Detective Makabi?
His question was answered several hours later by an exclamation from his tactical officer.
"Sir! The signal is coming from this area!" The young man said sharply. "Triangulating location…There! Two hundred meters to our stern!"
Darkash nodded once. "Right. Pass on the location to the nearest fighter, and tell him to use his grapple to bring her pod, or ship in," he ordered.
"Aye, sir."
"Then recall the other fighters and get us the hell out of this junkyard," Darkash said sourly.
"Aye, AYE, sir," responded the helm officer with a grin. Darkash couldn't help but smirk.
Moments later, the call came in.
"Infirmary to bridge."
Darkash punched the comm. button.
"Bridge," he said shortly.
"We've got her, Captain. Just in time, too. The stasis pod she was in was on its last legs. The pilot who brought her in had to carry her most of the way. There's no telling how long she's been out there."
Darkash frowned. A stasis pod was designed to last at least a year. It was a staggering amount of luck that they had received her call in time to do any good.
"What's her condition?"
"Not too bad, considering. A little anemic, and getting dehydrdrated, but she'll be back on her feet in a couple of hours. She must have been in excellent shape," The Doctor speculated lightly.
Darkash nodded to himself. That fit with the Galaxy Police's reputation. It was time to put in a call to the unfortunate woman's superiors.
* * *
"WHO???" Darkash winced at the astonished tone of the middle-aged Chief Inspector.
"I told you," Darkash replied patiently, "Her name's Kiyone Makabi. The distress call said she was an operative of yours. You know her?" He stared at the Chief Inspector. A perfectly ordinary middle-aged man, if you discounted the elfin points on his ears. And the flummoxed expression he was currently wearing.
"She…but…Mihoshi…KIA…"
Darkash paled.
"Mihoshi…That would be Detective Mihoshi Kuramitsu?" he asked, dreading the answer.
The GP officer snapped out of his stuttering, a curious expression on his wide face. "Yes…"
"Jeez," Darkash murmured. "No wonder she was in such sore straits. That twit…"
"Oh," The GP man nodded. "You've met her, then,"
"You might say that," Darkash mumbled, thinking about a diplomatic incident when he had been the first officer of a frigate, involving a visiting dignitary, Mihoshi (Who had been part of an accompanying GP security detail) four gallons of Antelian Ale and a rather strange looking Felinoid. "Anyway, what about her?"
"She was detective Makabi's partner," the heavyset officer confided. "About ten months ago, she, Kiyone and a few VIP civilians encountered a mad scientist while on the trail of a kidnapped police inspector from one of the local systems. Mihoshi's report on the incident seems a little far fetched, but it did state that Officer Makabi disappeared while attempting to stop some sort of doomsday device. We'd always assumed she'd gotten that right,"
Darkash wisely refrained from offering his opinion.
"Well, she's alive, and we've got her," he said easily. "What arrangements would you like to make for her retrieval?"
"Hmm." The GP officer looked at his display a moment, tapped something into it, and looked up. "The Okisugiru is in the area," He offered. I've sent them orders to meet with you to retrieve her,"
Darkash nodded.
"That should be fine. Tell them to come in with their ID beacon on, too," he added placidly.
The GP Officer blinked. "Why would you need…?"
"Do you really have to ask?"
"That was a long time ago, Captain!" the officer protested. "Surely the Coalition isn't still…"
"No," Darkash interjected, "But I am. A friend of mine was in command of the freighter your cruiser destroyed. I know it was 'officially' an accident, but I have my doubts about the competence of some of your officers. I am doing you a favor here, so just humor me, OK?" he said, just a bit more forcefully than he had intended. The GP officer stared a moment, indignation warring with understanding on his face.
"Very well, Captain. I'll relay your request. The Okisugiru will be in your area in about twelve hours," he said stiffly, after a moment.
Darkash inclined his head. "Thank you very much," he said politely. "We'll be waiting. Indomitable out,"
With those words, his screen went black.
Kiyone Makabi awoke with a groan, wondering what happened. She remembered the explosion, and being stranded. She'd been lucky to find the stasis pod but it didn't seem like she was in it any more. She opened her eyes slightly, and gasped at the sudden brightness. She sat up weakly.
"Wha-?" she croaked. Where the heck am I? On second thought, who cares! I was rescued!
Her sudden motion drew the attention of a young woman at her side.
"Doctor! She's awake!"
"Already?" came a gruff voice. Kiyone blinked slowly and felt her eyes adjust to the light. She found herself staring into the face of a young blonde woman. She sat bolt upright in the bed, weakness forgotten.
"AAGH! MIHOSHI?!"
The young woman backed away, a startled expression on her face. Kiyone slumped in relief as she realized that she was not, in fact, her old partner. She blinked tiredly as a grandfatherly man approached her bedside.
"Who-?" she rasped. The older man smiled gently.
"Easy does it, Ma'am," he drawled. "You've been cooped up for quite awhile. Would you like some water?"
Kiyone nodded. He picked up a glass from a nearby table, but before he could assist her, she took the glass from him. Slowly, she brought it to her lips and sipped delicately, shuddering with pleasure as the cool liquid trickled down her throat. She fought the temptation to guzzle the rest of it. There would be time enough for that later, she hoped.
"Thank you," She said, smiling a little as her voice sounded with more vigor this time. The doctor nodded, smiling, and took the glass and put it on the table beside her. "Where am I?"
The doctor looked at her calmly. "On our ship, the COP Indomitable," he supplied. "We caught your distress signal and detoured to find you."
Kiyone's eyes grew wide. "The COP?"
"Easy now. You aren't a prisoner or anything. Relations have been a little strained, but so far, everything's worked out. The Captain's making arrangements for your return even as we speak."
Kiyone relaxed a little, slumping a little.
"Right. Well, that's good, I guess…" The doctor grinned easily at her relief.
"But you have trouble believing it's going to be that easy?" he asked. Kiyone shot him a look, then nodded. "I wouldn't worry. I think the Captain wants to use this."
Kiyone frowned.
"How so?" she asked.
"Well, He's the type to rush in, 'where angels fear to tread', if you know what I mean," the doctor explained. "But he's smart enough to know that he's not always going to be able to salvage a situation by himself. So he always makes sure he has a few…favors to call in,"
Kiyone blinked, then frowned.
"Well, there's a surprise." She grimaced. "But, it's better than being a prisoner. I can live with that, I guess." she admitted.
"I thought you might be able to. Now," he said, gently pushing her chest, "Get some rest. You've got a lot of lost nutrients to recover."
Kiyone opened her mouth to protest, but thought better of it as it turned into a huge yawn.
"'Kay," she murmured. She settled back on the mattress and closed her eyes. She heard the doctor walk away, and she drifted off into an uneasy sleep.
* * *
Nabiki scratched at the bandage on her head absently as she stared out the train window, not really seeing the scenery as they sped past on their way to Nodoka's father's shrine.
"Nabiki-chan?"
Nabiki turned to look at her seatmate. Nodoka was looking at her with concern.
"Yes, Auntie?" she replied.
"Are you all right? I know this can't be easy for you..." Nabiki smiled. She liked the Saotome matriarch. It wasn't easy to be a traditional woman and still be as...authoritative as she was. That alone merited respect. And, on top of that, on any subject that didn't involve her husband, she was pleasant and warm. Nabiki speculated absently that maybe this was where Ranma's fabled charm came from.
"It's all right, Auntie. Father and Mister Saotome are up to something, and I don't like it. Somebody's got to bail Ranma out when they get him in over his head, ne?"
Nodoka smiled ruefully.
"There's something to what you say, Nabiki-chan. I...Dearest does dissapoint me sometimes," she admitted.
Nabiki blinked, then shifted uncomfortably.
"Um, Gomen, Auntie. I didn't mean to bring up..."
"Oh, no. I'm sorry, dear. It wasn't you. I've been thinking about it ever since I sent Ranma to see my father. He opposed my marriage to Genma." Nodoka smiled. Nabiki bit down on the impulse to comment, but Nodoka smiled at the expression in her face. "Go ahead, you can say it," she invited.
Nabiki looked dubious, but said the first thing that sprung to mind anyway.
"Smart man."
Nodoka's laughter resonated in the small seating compartment.
"Yes he was. I can look back on it now, and admit that. Love does make fools of us all, I suppose," she confided, still smiling. "Dearest has given me some of the best moments in life, not to mention my son, but also some of the biggest heartaches." Her smile at this point became rather sad.
Nabiki frowned. "I'm sorry," she said, uneasily. Nodoka nodded.
"Thank you. I'm sorry, too, Nabiki-chan. I hadn't meant to burden you with that..." The older woman looked down at her hands, folded in her lap.
On impulse, Nabiki put her hand on top of Nodoka's.
"It's Ok, Auntie. After not seeing your son for years, it's to be expected, I think," Nabiki never changed her expression, but inwardly she wondered. What the hell? I never would have done this before...How much have I changed just by living with Ranma?
Nodoka nodded. Seemingly sensing Nabiki's discomfort, She withdrew her hand and looked out the window a moment.
"Thank you," she said quietly. Nabiki nodded. After a longer pause, Nabiki changed the subject.
"So...what's this shrine like?" she asked.
Nodoka looked up, smiling a little.
"It's in one of the more scenic areas of Okayama," She informed Nabiki, looking wistful. "When we were young, my sister and I spent many hours playing in the forests nearby."
"Sister?" Nabiki asked, surprised.
"Yes," Nodoka affirmed. "My older sister, Achika. She...passed away some time ago."
Nabiki winced.
"Sorry," she said again.
"That's all right, Nabiki-chan. It doesn't pain me as much any more," Nodoka smiled easily.
Nabiki nodded. "If you don't mind, Auntie…what was your family like?"
Nodoka's smile grew wider as memories of happier times began to return to her. She took a deep breath and began to speak.
"My father was a very wise and kind man. I remember once Achika and I..."
Nabiki smiled as Nodoka warmed to her tale. The time on the train seemed to pass much more quickly as the older woman became more animated as she told stories of a happier time in her life.
* * *
Ranma grimaced as he leaned against a tree. Despondency filled him as he looked up to the sky. It was hard to fight the sense of betrayal he felt. He and Ryoga had never been close friends, but he had always thought that they had been friendly rivals, or...something. He definitely hadn't expected the treatment he had received, but on second thought, the way things had been going after they returned from China, he supposed he really shouldn't have been surprised.
He shook his head wearily. Maybe it was all some sort of cosmic joke. He'd done something wrong somehow, and wasn't allowed to have friends for some reason. Everyone he tried to make friends with ended up hating him. Maybe it had been stupid to think he could start over here. They couldn't be happy with him about that hole Ryoga made in the wall. They'd probably ask him to leave after this. He bit down hard on the tears that threatened to emerge. Men don't cry! He chanted to himself over and over again. He had just gained control when he heard a tentative voice to his left.
"Ranma?"
He blinked and looked. Standing near a tree, Washu was watching him with concern. She walked up to him carefully, as he rubbed one eye. "Are you all right?"
Ranma blinked. "H-Hai," He said lamely. A set of concerned emerald eyes locked with his blue ones. Ranma stared into her questioning eyes for a long moment. "No," he admitted.
Washu smiled softly.
"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked.
Ranma sighed.
"It's nothin'," he murmured, his tone stating otherwise.
Washu simply waited, and she wasn't disappointed.
* * *
Next time: (Washu Voiceover) Ranma and I are growing more comfortable with each other, and the Masaki residents have found out exactly what Ranma's life used to be like. What new problems do the arrival of Nabiki herald, and what are our villains up to? Next time, on NO NEED FOR A NEW START!
#####
AN: Ooh Boy. Two months. It would have been longer but someone convinced me this chapter was long enough where I cut it off. I didn't really get much done this chapter, I realize, but I'll do better next time, I swear!
BTW, I'm working from the Mihoshi special OVA ep. to write the Kiyone sub-plot. Any questions are best answered by viewing it. Let me know if I made any mistakes.
Now, It's time for thanks. First of all, thanks again to Thermopyle for meticulously pre-reading. He is the reason my quality has improved drastically. The mistakes are still my fault though. Also, thanks to all you who reviewed repeatedly, asking for more. You guys were the motivation I needed to keep going. THANKS!
One Last thing: Moko Tengoku Ha-Heavenly tiger blade.
Moko Shinigami-Tiger Death Scythe. Whoops! Actually, it's Tiger Lord of Death (I know it doesn't make much sense. I just like the name!){Thank you to the people who pointed out the mistake}
07/18/01-Translation errors revised. Changed the name of Ryoga's new special technique. I'm using an old Japanese/English dictionary, so don't keep quiet if I screw up. Which I will. Repeatedly.
