To: Celeste Byrd nshampoo@gold.interlog.com>
Subject: Mirrors 11
Date: Wednesday, September 30, 1998 12:47 PM
Stripped, formatted, should be okay. Let me know if you have any problems.
Mirrors Multiplied
Part Eleven
Phantom of the Ranma
by Jared Ornstead
Our Friendly Neighborhood Copyright Monster Says On Copyright Law:
"Crunchy Chrunchies are the
best
Look delicious on your chest
Feed them to unwanted guests
Stuff the mattress with
the rest!"
And now! Yes, I have finally
stamped upon enough copyright toes by now
that I
could be sued into the thirty first and one half century!
************************************************
A Place in the Past
Organ music, omnipresent
and overpowering, echoed strangely through the
dark,
dank halls laid out in a labrythine crypt. From out of the shadows
a woman
stepped, her gown was as white as her pale flesh, the glorious cascade
of
bright
red tresses falling across her waist the only color in that dark and
morbid
place.
The woman addressed something
that wasn't there. A voice in a mirror.
But she
was used to speaking to mirrors.
"What is the price for my
redemption?"
The redhaired woman's tones
rang out with such beauty as to stop the
voice
and collapse the knees. Sirens of the sea in all their glory could
not
sing with
such beauty as this woman's sighs of despair.
A ripple of light could
be imagined beneath the reflective surface.
The woman's eyes could not
be seen through the glorious cascade of hair.
But
she lowered them anyway.
"My memory? Four hundred
years of darkness and singing, music and tears.
They
are all I have. Must I truly forget them also? I have nothing else.
Not
even...
he... knows more of my past than that. Why is that the price?"
There was no answer. It
was merely so.
The redhead raised her eyes,
they were of such blue as to evoke tears of
agony at their loveliness, standing out clearly in the perpetual night
of
the
hidden crypt.
"Very well."
There was the vaguest flicker
of light, merely an illusion of a staff
and a
woman with green hair, but when it passed the pale maiden was no longer
there. A
single hair of red floated softly to the empty white gown pillowed
on the
gray
stone floor.
The organ music came to
an abrupt and horrid halt.
*****
Universe C
There were one thousand,
six hundred steps to the Masaki shrine. The old
man
knew, because he walked them sometimes several times a day. He was
the
caretaker
of the shrine, and today his heart was happy because his daughter was
coming with
him. He knew she had a busy schedule with school. Still, it brightened
his days
when she could come and be at the shrine with him.
Achika waved her bag, her
long hair swirling in the breeze around her,
still
wearing her dark blue school uniform.
"Calmly Achika," her father
reproved, secretly enjoying her enthusiasm
and
energy. "The shrine will still be there when we get there, you know."
For a response she merely
smiled at him, lighting up the day. His child
added
an electric quality to all she did, and was one of the brightest joys
in
her
father's life.
Soon, too soon to suit him,
the thousand six hundred steps were behind
them
and the father had arrived at the shrine. He stopped rock still. His
daughter
nearly collided with his back.
"What is it, father?" Achika
asked, trying to peer around him.
"A visitor." He replied.
"A most unusual one." The gray haired man
started
forward to where a young, naked woman was passed out on the grass.
She
had red
hair, some bruises around her body, and two marks of distinction. The
first was a
beauty that went far beyond the natural, surpassing even that of
woodsprites or
water nymphs of which the legends spoke so highly. The next that the
long
and
delicate sigh issuing from between her lips had, even in sleep, a power
that
seemingly bypassed the ears and directly affected a person in ways
that
were
difficult to define.
"I believe this lady has
been wounded." The father concluded. He raised
his
head and the sun glinted off his glasses. "Perhaps there is some spirit
at work
in our forest who is unfriendly to strangers."
The maiden groaned, stirring
on the grass. She looked up at the pair
above
her and blinked.
"Are you alright?" Achika
inquired in concern, maneuvering around her
father
to touch the girl reassuringly on the shoulder.
The girl blinked. "I think
so. Where am I?" Her voice was soft and
lovely,
yet with a timbre that sent thrills of pleasure to the soul.
"The Masaki shrine." The
father replied, seemingly unaffected. "Do you
know
how you came to be here?"
The redhead blinked again.
"No."
The father frowned. "Hmm...
What is your name, child?"
The naked girl looked a
bit confused. "Name? I... I'm sure I had one."
She
blinked again. "Who am I?"
The father nodded. "It would
seem there is some spirit at work here who
has
denied you your memories. I will call you Orchid, for your hair and
for
the
mystery of your origin. Would you like to stay here with myself and
my
daughter?"
The redheaded female nodded.
"Okay."
Orchid took to the temple
tasks as if born to them. She would sweep,
clean
and polish for hours without complaint. In fact her hosts had to be
wary
of
letting her work too hard. She seemed to expect alot out of herself,
more
than
any one person had a right to.
On the second day Orchid
spent with them she wanted to help Achika in the
kitchen. She was a bit clumsy at first, but that soon wore off. Soon
she
and
Achika were preparing every meal together, and Achika was even learning
some
useful tricks and dishes from her new friend.
It wasn't long before Orchid
became indispensable to the household. The
floors and things she cleaned would stay bright and dust-free for days.
The meals
that she cooked with Achika were the best any of them had ever eaten.
Well,
Orchid *said* they were the best. She had to have learned how to cook
them from
somewhere, and most of the recipes were not in any of their books.
She
and Achika
seemed to spend equal parts of the day learning from and teaching each
other.
The fifth morning Orchid
saw Achika and her father at kendo practice. She
didn't saw a word, merely going out into the forest, emerging a while
later with
a freshly cut wooden practice sword. She joined them at forms. Father
had
to
pause and teach her. She knew instinctively many of the proper movements,
but was
lacking in the specifics that made sword practice truly formidable.
Orchid took to things so
easily that Achika and her father might have
gotten
jealous were it not impossible to dislike her. Orchid exuded a happy
friendliness
with a complete lack of competitive instinct. She was happy when others
were and
so she labored to keep them that way. They found her a rich delight
in
their
lives.
Achika had so much time
now with Orchid helping around the house that she
began to heat extra water for their baths. A few kettles would heat
a
tepid tub
to warm enough to bathe in, but a few pots beyond that was heavenly.
The sensation of a hot bath
was delicious beyond description to the girl.
It occurred to Achika, after
she had dried off, that Orchid had never
enjoyed
one. Orchid had always used whatever was there. Tepid, warm, or cold
seemed the
same to her. She never heated water for her bath, even once bathing
when
frost
rimmed the tub, as if she'd never experienced anything warmer and had
no
idea of
the difference. This, Achika vowed, could not continue. Orchid was
far
too sweet
not to reward in turn, and the least she could do was show her the
pleasure of a
hot soak.
After putting the kettles
on, Achika went looking for the redhaired girl.
Orchid was not far away.
The ponytailed Masaki daughter sauntered up,
hoping
to surprise her. Then she saw what her friend was doing.
Orchid had one hand stretched
out, touching the limbs of a stunted tree.
A
blue aura glowed from within her palm and seemed to lick out over the
leaves and
bark. As Achika watched the tree swelled and straightened, throwing
out
straight
branches and long twigs, pulling its trunk upright and gaining a dozen
feet in
height.
Orchid began to gather apples
from it.
Achika approached her friend
cautiously. "Orchid?"
The redhead turned to her
with a brilliant smile. "Hi! I just finished
fixing
this tree. Want an apple?"
Achika accepted one of the
splendid red fruit. She tilted her head in
curiosity. "How did you do that?"
Orchid frowned at her fingers.
"I get the idea that I used to be able to
do
alot of things before. I don't know what, exactly. Kendo practice helps
some. But
I seem to remember these things only as I do them."
Achika blinked. "What about
the tree?"
Orchid giggled. "Well, I
was feeling sorry for the way it was, and pretty
soon I got an idea about how to make it better. Do you want to learn
how?"
Not trusting Orchid was
an impossible feat. Achika nodded brightly.
Orchid
frowned in thought, then seemed to reach a conclusion. She reached
out
with both
hands and touched her friend lightly on the temples.
"Now this may feel a little
weird." The redhead warned. Blue energy
flared at
her fingertips.
Achika gasped sharply as
new feelings and avenues opened up within her
mind.
They were tender, stretchy like muscles that were new and not ready
for
much work
yet, but still she felt the energy within them.
From out in the bushes two
strange figures were watching what happened.
One
addressed the other.
"We're too late, Tenchi."
The boy crouched beside
the platinum-haired female pulled a branch off a
bush
in helpless frustration.
Achika blinked and blushed
slightly. This was so... new. Suddenly she
could
*understand* the plant before her. Trying harder she got a twinge from
her new
mental muscles. So she relented, drawing her senses back in where they
belonged.
But that feeling of closeness with the plant did not desert her. She
resolved
that she would have to learn and experiment more with this strange
gift.
Achika had almost forgotten
the bath.
"Orchid... this is *wonderful!*
I... I thank you. I never felt anything
like
it before in my life. But I'm being selfish. Here I am letting you
help
*me* and
I was going to treat *you!* Come along inside. I've got water boiling
to
give you
a nice hot bath."
"Strike Two." Mumbled the
platinum haired woman hidden in the brush.
The boy alongside her raged
in frustration. "Aarrhhh! We *gotta* stop
them!"
The woman looked at her
companion, then considered. "I might be able to
do
something. Wait here, Tenchi." She stood up and teleported, appearing
in
the
kitchen of the Masaki home.
"Seeing as how they don't
have modern plumbing just yet. I'll just pour
out
what they have heating." It took her two seconds or less to pour out
all
the
water and teleport away from the kitchen. Achika entered with Orchid
in
tow
moments later. She lifted the pots, looking ashamed.
"I'm sorry, Orchid. I must
have let it all boil away. Here, I'll just
heat
some new." She began filling the teakettles from the pump, with Orchid
automatically helping her. This time they sat and talked while the
kettles
heated.
"Uh oh." Two pair of eyes
spied in the window. "I'm sorry Tenchi, but if
they're going to sit like that then I can't get to the water without
being
noticed."
"Perhaps *I* could do something
to help in this effort." A third voice
said
primly.
The pair in the kitchen were
interrupted by a knock at the front door.
Both
rose to answer. "No, Orchid, it's okay. I'll get it." Achika ran for
the
door.
Orchid sat back down, looked
around for something to do, and began
chopping
vegetables. Eyes watched her from outside.
Achika went and answered
the front door. "Um, hello?" She asked
quizzically
at the purple-haired girl who waited there.
"Hello." The newcomer beamed.
"I am Ayeka. Is this the Masaki shrine?"
Achika shook her head happily.
"No, it's at the top of those stairs
there. If
you'll just go through that gate and climb you'll go right to it."
"Uh..." Ayeka desperately
pondered about how to draw this out. "Perhaps
you
could show me? I'm not very good with directions."
Achika blinked. It would
take rare skill to get lost on so simple a
route.
Well, maybe this girl had the world's worst sense of direction. She
shrugged. "If
you wouldn't mind waiting. I have something I have to do here first."
Ayeka got flustered. "Oh."
Thinking fast. "If you could just show me to
the
bottom step? I'm sure I could make it from there."
Well, that wouldn't take
long, would it?
"Tenchi, now's our chance.
Ayeka's gotten rid of your mother. You
distract
this one and I'll make sure he doesn't interfere with our future."
"You won't hurt him, will
you?"
Platinum hair regarded him.
"What, do you *want* him becoming your
father? Do
you *want* this person to just waltz into our past and marry your mother?
We've
come back in time to stop him, Tenchi. Do you care so little for your
own
dad
that you'd prefer this stranger to him? How can your own dad compete
against this
guy? He can't do it, Tenchi."
"That doesn't mean he deserves
to die, Ryoko!"
Ryoko shrugged. "Whatever
you want. I'll just tell you that the most
effective way to take him out is probably not asking him to leave.
I
mean, *you*
wouldn't go if it was a woman *you* were in love with. Would you Tenchi?"
Tenchi sagged. He knew that
he would not.
"Just don't hurt him too
much, okay Ryoko?"
Orchid was combining vegetables,
meat, and some convenient hot water
into a
savory stew when a knock came at the back door. She put the pot on
to
cook and
went to answer it. There was a black haired boy there, about fifteen
years old.
The boy bowed his head.
"I'm sorry I had to do this."
Forgotten combat senses
flared to full life in Orchid, and she leaned
out of
the way of an energy blast from behind. The blast came within inches
of
the
teenager. He squawked and dove out of the way, giving Orchid a perfect
opportunity to dive out the door and gain the room to fight whoever
was
behind
her. She vaulted end over end over the yard, coming to in a combat
stance
facing
the door.
It nearly got her killed.
A huge blast of energy came
once again from behind her. A glance over her
shoulder as she twisted and leapt to the side gained her a glimpse
of her
opponent. A platinum haired woman about her age, who faded out from
plain
sight.
Invisibility or teleport?
Another energy blast from her most vulnerable
angle
proved it was the latter. Well, one could deal with the other. Orchid
faded out
of sight.
"Huh?" Ryoko came to a halt,
floating in air with her hands blazing with
energy. She was confused for less than a second, but that was enough.
"Fierce Tiger Ball!!!!"
A ball of bright blue energy
defeated Ryoko's defense field and impacted
her
side, tossing her twenty feet to land on the lawn.
"Ryoko!" The boy came running
out onto the field. He reached her side and
checked her. She was recovering fast. With a determined frown the young
man
activated an energy sword of his own.
"This really was nice of
you to help me out like this." Ayeka thanked.
"Who
would have known that my knee would give out halfway up? I'm sorry
to
trouble you
so."
Achika rolled her eyes,
the other girl's arm around her shoulder,
supporting
her as they climbed the last step. Her father came out to greet them.
"I thought I sensed something
out in the forest. Have you seen anything,
Achika?"
Achika shook her head, relieved
of her burden as Ayeka slid to sit down
on
the ground. "I left Orchid at the house. I was going to show her what
a
hot bath
was like."
Father and daughter looked
down in the direction of their home as
explosions
rippled the woods around it.
"Don't go there!" Ayeka
pled, leaping to her feet.
Achika looked down in disgust
at the girl's 'injured' knee. Then both
father
and daughter began running toward the disturbance.
Orchid was frustrated and
in danger. She *knew* that she knew more about
combat than this, but her skills and knowledge were returning to her
too
slowly
and she was taking punishment.
"How dare you try to molest
my mother!" The young man swept his energy
sword
through where her waist had been. Orchid had dodged out of the way
only
to catch
a blast in the shoulder from the other unidentified person.
Orchid was losing, and it
was a feeling she didn't like.
The one called Ryoko laughed
as her latest energy blast knocked Orchid
from
her feet. Tenchi brought his sword down to bite the earth as Orchid
rolled out of
the way.
The kid gloves had come
off awhile ago.
Tenchi and Ryoko, both experienced
fighters used to working together,
swept
their swords about in an inescapable arc.
The redheaded girl ceased
to be, her body disappearing in a corona of
light.
As the scraps of empty cloth
fluttered to the lawn the grimace of combat
rage
seemed to freeze on the young man's face, then fell apart in shambles.
The light
sword in his hands fizzled into nothingness and he grabbed his head
in
his hands.
"Oh! Ryoko, what have I
DONE!?!"
*****
A Place in the Future
Two officers walked down
a corridor, shoulder to shoulder. One, bearing
markings of the medical branch, was asking the other. "So what's this
all
about,
anyway?"
The taller, ginger-haired
man shrugged his shoulders. "We got a call from
fleet headquarters. Apparently there was some kind of diplomatic function
interrupted by the near assassination of one of its members."
The shorter man scratched
his hair. "Well, I can't see why they can't
handle
it on their own. Calling in a starship on such a minor issue is
insulting. Say,
what are you grinning about?"
The captain turned to confront
his officer, his grin was infectious.
"Bones,
have you ever heard of Nyuchezu IV?"
The doctor couldn't say
that he had. Then he had a flash of memory. "Say,
isn't that one of those Amazon cultures? The ones we mostly avoid?
Probably
expect us men to wear flea collars, I'll bet."
"Actually, they're participants
in starfleet." The captain keyed the
door and
a lift car opened up for them. Both stepped inside, taking handles.
"In
fact I
met one of them while in the academy. They're not nearly so bad as
you
describe."
The captain had a knowing
smirk, which the doctor studied.
"Hoping to renew an old
acquaintance?" The shorter man asked.
The smile didn't change
any more than the ginger hair. The captain
stepped
out as the doors whooshed open. "No Bones, I was hoping more to see
my
daughter."
The doctor stood still so
long he nearly didn't make it out the lift.
When he
did he rushed forward and grabbed the captain's arm, somehow acquiring
a
grin of
his own. "Jim, do you mean to say..?" The grin had spread itself from
ear
to ear.
"Well, I'll be damned! You son of a gun. When was the last time you've
seen her?"
The captain ducked a bit
and admitted. "Actually Bones, this'll be the
first
time." He stepped through the doors of the transporter room swiftly
after
saying
that.
A black-haired alien awaited
them at the controls of the machine.
"Welcome,
captain. The planet reports your party as ready to depart. Shall I
beam
her
aboard?"
"Energize, Mr. Spock." Came
the curt order.
Beams and fields of controlled
energy played across the pad of the
transporter platform, after a few moments revealing a demure young
lady
dressed
in an exotic fashion.
"Why you sly son of a gun."
The doctor was impressed.
The maiden standing uneasily
on the transporter pad was the most stunning
creature any of them had ever laid eyes on, even accounting for their
exotic and
varied travels over hundreds of worlds. Her eyes were a blue that seemed
infinite, a dazzling display of depth and color that captivated and
entranced.
The maiden's hair, while at first merely a gorgeous red, conveyed a
wealth of
inflection, adding a whole spectrum of meaning to what had previously
been merely
one color.
Then she collapsed.
"Healthiest girl I ever
examined." The doctor declared, putting away his
instruments. "Aside from residual effects from some surgery a few weeks
ago she's
the healthiest person I ever saw." He drawled. "In fact most of us
could
learn
something from her conditioning. I tell ya, if even half the folks
in
starfleet
had their organs in that kind of shape I could retire and go live on
a
beach
somewhere. And her muscle tone?"
The doctor gestured back
to the maid lying still on the table, heartbeat
and
other functions appearing on the monitor above her. He turned back
to the
other
two men. "Well, Jim, I gotta hand it to ya. Your daughter could armwrestle
Godzilla and expect to win. You must have better genes than I give
you
credit for
to turn out an offspring like that."
"But is she truly his daughter?"
The Vulcan asked.
"See for yourself." Bones
went over to another monitor, calling up the
samples of genetic code. The computer began high speed comparisons,
flashing
results as it went. "About what you'd expect for a father-daughter
relation."
The science officer found
that he had to agree. He cocked an eyebrow.
"Fascinating. Then our beloved captain is indeed fortunate in his own
genetic
structure."
"Well, *I* coulda told ya
that." The gruff doctor replied, crossing his
arms
over his chest.
Captain James T. Kirk of
the starship Enterprise went over and sat on the
edge of the bed where his daughter lay, exploring the feeling being
a
father of
such a one gave him.
Doctor turned to alien.
"I think we'd better leave them alone."
The alien bowed. "For once
you may be right, Doctor. We have analysis to
do
on the case."
It took the girl less than
a day to become the darling of the whole
ship. She
was kind and sweet and gentle. And even though she never spoke a word
she
had a
smile that would pierce you right through.
Then they got another visitor
from the planet.
"What do you mean she hasn't
spoken for days?!!" Kirk demanded.
The woman he has interviewing
was adamant, but reasonable. "That's just
it,
James. The laser wounds were to her chest and arms. There was no damage
at all to
her vocal or neural structure and the trauma was not that deep. We
thought that
if we asked starfleet to send her father around then that would supply
enough
impetus for her to speak."
James crashed his hand down
on a table. Mildly, if such a thing was
possible.
"I can hardly believe she hasn't said *anything!*"
The woman crossed her hands
in her lap. "Well, there was one thing. But
we
had to run it through the computer a few times before we could understand
any of
it. Would you believe she spoke it in ancient Japanese?"
Jim's prowling reminded
her of a caged lion. He rounded on her, coming in
intently. "What did she say?"
They were interrupted by
the doctor entering their quarters, wiping his
hands. "Well..."
"One moment, Bones." The
captain turned back to the woman. "What did she
say?" He repeated.
The woman blinked her eyes.
"She called for her daddy. Which is why we
sent
to starfleet for you." The lady got up and walked out of his quarters.
The captain sank heavily
into a seat. The doctor went to a cabinet and
began
to pour both of them a drink, speaking as he did so. "Well, I've run
every test
and analysis I can think of on that girl, even some I made up. There
is
*absolutely* nothing wrong with her. She merely chooses not to speak."
The patient accepted the
alcohol without comment. The doctor drawled on.
"She's in the cafeteria now, if you'd like to see her."
The captain was out of his
seat and out the door like a shot.
In the cafeteria there were
a line of automatic food dispensers. One
merely
inputted the code for the type of dish one wished to eat, and the
dispenser would
provide nutrigen cubes that would closely approximate its taste and
flavor.
Hey, *you* try stocking
a cupboard for hundreds of hungry people on a
five
year mission.
Right now a demure, redheaded
young girl had discovered that the keypad
where
one inputted menu choices made tones when you pushed the buttons. There
were
three to six digit codes for most foodstuffs, but with so many numbers
available,
and the inevitably limited selection, most codes were blank, and the
machine
politely informed one of an invalid choice with a low tone.
Orchid had somehow found
a way to be playing a multi-part harmony by
pushing
button after button. She had only ten choices of notes, and every seventh
one was
always the same low tone as the machine tried to inform her that her
order was
unavailable. But nonetheless the girl was managing to wrench from it
a
melody
that was almost hauntingly beautiful.
The captain ran into the
room to find a crowd had gathered to watch his
daughter play. He sidled up to Spock.
"What is she doing?" He
whispered.
The alien whispered back.
"Improvising a tune that would be a classic by
any
standards. I am having the ship's computer record this, I believe it
would be
referred to as a Jam Session?"
Kirk spared his alien friend
a look. "Right." Then he noticed the food
cubes
placed neatly in a stack to his daughter's left. "Why the food?"
The Vulcan replied. "Sour
Notes, I believe they would be called. Even
with
the number of options available your daughter does stumble across
combinations
that the machine interprets as valid. Since they were disrupting her
harmony, as
well as causing an interruption as she paused to stack them, I temporarily
disabled the food dispenser on that console."
The redhead concluded her
melody and sat down to hungrily devour the huge
stack of nutrient cubes.
The Vulcan's eyebrow shot
skyward and he crossed his arms. "Then again,
perhaps she was merely hungry and exploring her options. If you will
excuse me."
He left in a huff that had Jim heartily amused.
Right after he had left
lieutenant Uhura, the communications officer,
arrived
to drag Orchid back to her own quarters, prattling on, very friendly,
talking of
all the instruments she had there and asking if the girl wouldn't mind
showing
her just a little something on the guitar. Idly amused, Captain Kirk
followed
them out. Uhura didn't seem to mind.
Bones was passing by when
they arrived at Uhura's place. When the door
opened
and Uhura led them inside, going to get her guitar, Orchid froze utterly
and
instantly rooted to the spot. The doctor grabbed the captain's arm
to
prevent him
from interfering.
"Stop, Jim! She's have some
kind of psychological reaction. Don't
interrupt
her, she may be starting to remember to use her voice."
There was indeed a powerful
look of recollection on Orchid's face as she
took
a few longing steps forward, extending a tentative hand toward a poster
on the
wall.
Uhura came back with the
guitar and saw what she was doing. "Huh? Why
that's
just..."
"Shhh!" Came the chief medical
officer's insistent command.
The communication's officer
joined the other two adults and whispered.
"Why
that's just a poster of a cartoon character my niece gave me."
"What's the character's
name?" The captain whispered.
"Ukyo."
Orchid was weeping openly
now, touching the poster with tender longing.
From
nowhere a very soft musical score began to play as Orchid raised her
face
and
sang. When her voice was raised it instantly rooted every man, woman
and
alien on
the ship into awe-struck immobility. The beauty of her soft voice
piercing walls,
bulkheads and souls with equal impartiality.
**
"You were once my one companion.
You were all that mattered.
You were once a friend and guardian...
Then my world was shattered.
(Orchid sobbed and caressed the poster's feet)
Wishing you were somehow here again
Wishing you were somehow near...
Sometimes it seemed if I just dreamed
Somehow you would be here...
(a tear-streaked face was raised to the colored drawing)
Wishing I could hear your voice again,
knowing that I never would.
Dreaming of you won't help me to do
All that you dreamed I could!
(a flash of memory of dark halls arose to haunt her, but clashed with
the
bright memories of Ucchan)
Passing bells and sculpted angels
cold and monumental
seem, for you, the wrong companions
you were warm and gentle.
(now crying beyond control, yet not faltering in her vocal control
at all,
Orchid pressed her cheek against the image of her beloved)
Too many years fighting back tears...
Why can't the past just die?
Wishing you were somehow here again...
knowing we must say goodbye...
Try to forgive... teach me to live...
Give me the strength to try!
**
Orchid seemed willing to
just sag against the poster and cry, then
suddenly all instruments and power died across the whole ship. Darkness,
a
palpable aura, began to reach out a caressing wave.
Ghostly light began to illuminate
Orchid, all other crewmembers held
helpless. An enticing song began to sound, accompanying a compelling
voice both
dangerous and mesmerizing.
**
(Phantom, calling)
"Wandering child
So lost, so helpless...
Yearning for my guidance.
(Orchid reacted with frightened horror at this voice, but the light
of
intelligence seemed to partially fade from her eyes)
(Phantom)
Have you forgotten your angel?"
(Orchid's face had become partially hypnotized, and her song seemed
to
reply
without her conscious choice for it to do so)
"Angel... oh, speak...
what endless longings,
echo in this whisper?"
(The Phantom's voice gained triumph as it sang along)
"Too long you've wandered in winter
far from my far-reaching gaze..."
(Orchid, now rising again to her feet)
"Wildly my heart beats against you!"
(Phantom, now gloating)
"Yet your soul obeys!"
(Both)
"Angel of Music!
I/You denied me/you,
turning from true beauty...
Angel of Music!
(Phantom)
Do not shun me
(Orchid)
My protector!
(Both)
Come to me/your
strange angel!"
(Organ music had, by this point, become a dark and compelling tide
through
the hearts of all aboard, driving emotions before it in and endless
whirlwind of
longing and fear, changing mood)
(Phantom)
"Night-time sharpens, heightens each sensation...
Darkness stirs and wakes imagination...
Silently the senses, Abandon their defenses...
(Orchid began to walk along a bridge of light that was not there, going
from
the room she was to a labyrinth she did not want to be, yet unable
to
resist)
(Phantom, urging)
Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender
Turn your face away, from the garish light of day
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light
and listen to the music of the night.
Close you eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams!
Purge your heart of the life you knew before!
Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar!
And you'll live, as you've never lived before...
Softly, deftly, music shall surround you...
Feel it, hear it, closing in around you....
Open up your mind! Let your fantasies unwind!
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight.
The darkness of the music of the night.
(now completely mesmerized, Orchid walked steps through ship walls,
somehow
still visible to those who looked for her, as if she and the starship
no
longer
existed in the same reality, yet overlapped)
Let your mind start a journey to a strange, new world
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before!
Let your soul take you where you long to be!
(the Phantom continued much quieter)
Only then, can you belong to me..."
**
But the Phantom had made
a mistake, one jarring enough that Orchid
snapped
open her eyes. Unable to control her body any longer she turned pleading
eyes
back to the captain, her father.
Kirk strained against the
wall that she had passed through, but that
reality
held him. He pounded the wall and looked in sadness after his
disappearing child.
Finding her lost courage
at last those blue eyes in Orchid's face
rekindled
their fire, and she jumped off the bridge of light on which she'd been
walking...
"NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
The voice of the Phantom screamed, the
music
cut out instantly and released the darkness, the instruments, and the
crew to a
shuddering restoration to their original reality.
*****
A Universe with a Past and a Future that I will Not Further Identify
at
the
Moment
Two figures ran swiftly
through the rain. One bounced merrily off of
walls,
letting off soft giggles as she came to light on fence posts, tree
tops,
anything
and everything that might or might not support her light weight. She
was
wearing
a Chinese flower print tunic and pants.
The other struggled vainly
to keep its great mass in sight of the wee
girl
bouncing around like a happy forest sprite. Both carried great packs.
In
fact the
girl's was larger and more weighty than the one carried by the large
panda. But
she carried herself with the effortlessness of a gust of wind and the
panda had
an impossible time keeping up with her.
Mind foggy from exertion,
the great bear found that the girl had stopped
for
awhile. Catching up, the animal leaned against a wall and let its tongue
hang
out, panting, too tired to even recognize where they'd landed.
The girl rang the bell.
A moment later Kasumi answered
the gate, holding an umbrella over
herself to
avoid the light rain. The little girl beamed up at her with an expression
that
would make light in a sunless void.
"Oh, my. You don't look
very much like a fiance, do you?" Kasumi asked,
lowering herself slightly so she could look in the girl's eyes. The
child
was
somewhere in her teens, obviously past puberty, yet shed a happy
innocence that
struck a similar chord in Kasumi. The homemaker found an instant and
compelling
liking for the girl, then noticed that she was soaking wet.
Two fingers flew to Kasumi's
lips. "Oh, my. You're soaked clear through!
Why
don't you come inside? I can get you some hot tea while we dry you
off
and put
you in some clothes that aren't dripping wet."
The solar smile altered
in a very accepting and thankful way, but seemed
to
add a note of request. A slight glance aside at her panda...
"Well of course you can
bring your pet panda in!" Kasumi radiated joy.
"Why
don't we put him on our nice covered porch to rest, hmm?"
The redhead bobbed a nod
that would have made Hitler pause and try to
see the
advantages of being a nice guy. With a little gentle fussing she guided
the bear
in and let him sag on the deck under the overhang, out of the rain.
Then
the
happy girl literally bounced over to the door and allowed Kasumi to
fuss
her in.
Soun and Nabiki met their
sister just at the door, eager in their
anticipation, yet unwilling to venture out into the rain. "Kasumi,"
Soun
demanded. "Was that them? Are they here?"
Kasumi hustled in her little
water sprite, helping to brush some of the
excess water out of her clothes. "No, father. It was just this girl
with
her pet
panda. I didn't want to leave her out in the rain and so I invited
her in
with
us. You don't mind, do you father?"
If Kasumi's face and vocal
plea were the female equivalent of a shotgun,
the
radiant little girl turned the force of a 5 megawatt laser on the man.
"Well of course she can
stay! She can stay for as long as she likes! She
can
take a room with us if she wants to! What do you say, little girl?"
A lightning peck on one
cheek had Soun firmly wrapped around the little
girl's finger. Nabiki was standing in the blast radius of this enormous
storm of
cuteness and innocence and tried to shrug it off. But her wits fled
her
when a
happy smile fell on her anyway.
"Say, Kasumi." Nabiki asked
her sister. "I can go start the tub. She'll
*never* get dry in those clothes. There's even an old dress of mine
that
I think
will fit her."
"In the attic there are
trunks of things we used to wear when we were
smaller, Nabiki. I'm sure that you could find some things for her there."
Kasumi
was helping the redhead to undress, not wanting her to track water
all
over
their home. "But could you get me a towel first?"
"Sure thing, Kasumi." Nabiki
went off. Soun had already left to pace
around
wondering where his friends were. So Kasumi was left alone with the
redheaded
angel who allowed Kasumi to mother her.
Kasumi found herself singing
softly.
By the second time Nabiki
had walked through the parlor carrying a towel
Serena had finally gotten enough curiosity to look up from her comic
and
ask her
older sister why.
"For the little girl Kasumi
found, of course. Didn't daddy tell you?"
Serena shook her head, ponytails
waving. "Tell me what? There was that
stupid
business with the arranged marriage, but he hasn't said anything other
than that.
I think he's off in the dojo reading that silly postcard again. What's
up?"
"Nabiki? Do you have that
other towel?" Kasumi's cry cut off the
discussion.
"Be right back." Nabiki
informed her younger sibling, taking the soft,
fluffy
towel to where Kasumi was trying to arrange a little less water on
their
water
sprite.
In a few moments three girls
came into the Tendo parlor. Kasumi and
Nabiki
assisting a radiant young redhead with a towel tied modestly around
her
middle.
Her hair was still plastered from the rain, and now wild from Kasumi's
attempts
to dry it. The girl didn't really look all that young, either. Sure,
she
was a
little shorter than Serena, but she was better built than any girl
in the
family
and most of the ones at school. In fact Serena would have to place
the
girl at
about her own age.
Then the redhead directed
a look toward her and the blond in ponytails
suddenly realized what made the girl seem so small and young. There
was a
cheerful innocence about her that not only made her appear youthful,
even
childlike, but there was some way about her that grabbed hold of a
fistful of
feminine instincts and immediately made you want to mother her. Then
the
look
adapted itself and everyone present was overwhelmed with a desire to
play
with
her. They played catch and tag and squealed with delight when they
caught
each
other. Ribs were tickled, pillows fought with, games were made and
cast
away.
The three older girls collapsed
on the furniture, winded and happy, and
the
little bundle of energy whipped into and out of the kitchen like a
ball
of light,
emerging with a tray holding cups of hot cocoa for everyone.
There was such a warm bliss
of happy tranquility about the room that wild
deer appeared out of nowhere and began to graze out on the lawn. The
rain
had
stopped and a feeling of serene and wonderful contentment hung over
the
room. One
of the girls, soaking in the radiance, idly wondered.
"I wonder when our fiance
will get here?"
At first the redheaded girl
did nothing more than continue to sip hot
chocolate and lie around with the others. Then she rose and, giving
a
quick peck
on the cheek to everyone, grabbed her pack and her panda and was gone,
even
before the others were aware of what she was going to do.
Disappointment arose and
even as the family was sitting up there came a
knock
at the front door.
Everyone was startled into
full wakefulness. Kasumi sat bolt upright and
flew
about the room gathering up empty mugs and dishes. Nabiki became
horrified at the
state of her hair and kimono, while Serena, oddly enough, was the most
composed
of all. Soun was so glad at the presumed appearance of his friend that
he
ran to
the door without waiting for anyone else to get the room or themselves
into
acceptable shape.
There was some talking coming
from the door, then Mr. Tendo came back
into
the room leading two strangers. One was obviously a much older man,
looking tired
and winded from a great deal of running. The other was a black-haired
young man
of about their own age. Jaws dropped and even Kasumi acquired a rosy
blush.
"Sorry about this." Ranma
apologized, indicating the shredded remains of
what
had once been an open-fronted shirt. "I got attacked on the way here
by a
couple
a hundred women all trying to take a piece of me home with them."
Kasumi took a step toward
the bare-chested and splendid male figure
right out
of a woman's dreams. "Perhaps I could take that. I'm fairly good at
mending
things."
No one there could believe
the tattered rags could ever be made into a
shirt
again. Then again, that's not what Kasumi wanted it for and ever girl
there knew
it. Ranma met her eyes, and they knew that he knew it, and he handed
her
the
shirt anyway.
Nabiki's scan of the man,
with only a *little*, well *alot*, of feasting
her
eyes on the way, concluded with the information that he was dressed
in
swashbuckling attire that not only fit him well, but combined with
his own
surreal attractiveness into a whole that came close to lethal.
Then she noticed his sash
was ripped.
"Um, you know, Ranma." Nabiki
hesitated, the forged on. "I'd like to
lend a
hand myself. That sash of yours looks torn. Mind if I mend it?"
There was an eyebrow raised
for her that made her weak in the knees, but
he
removed the article in question from around his waist and handed it
over.
Nabiki
clutched it to her chest in wonder.
Serena still hadn't picked
her jaw up from the floor. Too bad for her as
he'd
run out of easily removable items of apparel. Pausing to gain visual
permission
he slid into a place at the family table.
The fathers sat down at
the table also, having concluded their
mini-discussion. "Well, now." Soun began. "This is my good friend."
"Genma Saotome." Ranma's
father introduced himself with a slight bow.
"And
this is my son."
"Ranma Saotome." Three fluttering
hearts met his introductory bow. Nabiki
helped Serena to sit down before she fell down.
Soun crossed his arms, happy
and serious. "Now, we have to determine
which of
you will get to marry Ranma..."
"I should be the one!"
"Pick me!"
"No, let *me* be his fiance!"
"Girls!" Soun practically
growled. "Please, now, let's not be
unreasonable
about this! There's only one of him..."
"Dad! Whoever marries him
will get to carry on the dojo, right? That
means a
martial artists should get chosen." Serena singsonged.
"Like *that* matters, little
sis. Ranma *already* knows martial arts,
doesn't
he? He'll need someone to do the books and take care of the economic
success of
the dojo."
"I really think Ranma is
a very mature type. He'll want to settle down
swiftly, and that means he'll need someone to take care of him and
already knows
how to care for a house."
"GIRLS!"
To be continued...
************************************************
************************************************
Author's Notes:
Been a while, longer than
I would have liked anyway. I am praise powered
in
occasional ways and this is one of them. We'd have been proceeding
much
more
slowly had it not been for all those fans urging me onward.
By now you're all tired
of hearing of the rewrite. Well, the first four
parts
are in test version right now and are ready to be web-posted soon for
feedback.
I'll be sending copies to two sources for sticking on their sites (many
thanks to
Fiona Lim for doing the maintenance and updating work on my own website,
which
should soon be ready for public viewing).
Universe C, I know you're
curious. Well, the answer is simple. I
promised you
that none of the *random* universes would ever be revisited (though
I was
pleased
by that one flashback, I may do another).
What this means, simply,
is that we will be going *back* to C sometime
soon,
I hope. This thing has a life of it's own and if it doesn't get somewhere
then
you'll know that's because it's wiggled off on its own.
It does that on me.
Since the story is becoming
a hyperactive serpent on steroids that
explains
some of the twists as well. Abide with me. I'm having fun and that's
all
I ever
set out to do.
As for the Unidentified
Universe. Well, I don't feel like telling you
anything more at the moment. Can't a man have some privacy? Sheesh.
(Pulls shower
curtain over screen).
I decided not to kill this.
I'll allow it to run (or slither) for as
long as
it's still worth chuckles. This doesn't mean that I'll not get to the
triumphant
ending that I had planned, it just means that it likely won't stop
there.
An epilogue on an epilogue
on an epilogue as it were. I suppose that
makes it
a continuing series in the appropriate record books. Congrats, it got
the
better
of me.
Skysaber
Reality is stranger than fiction, and so we
write stranger things to
compensate...
A vicious cycle.