Where I Belong
By The Unseen Watcher
previous disclaimers, please. Ranma ½ and Rurouni Kenshin crossover
Chapter 9
Decisions, Farewells (at last!), and Encounters
--------------------------
Dr. Tofu had been unable to attend the party. He'd had to stay at his office to attend to some unscheduled problems and sent a polite excuse instead.
Now Ranma sought him out. After the extra-crazy night he'd just been through, he really needed the calm presence of the only teacher he could truly relax around.
He waited impatiently in the waiting room, leaning against the wall as he looked out the window at the slowly awakening day. It looked like it was going to be a sunny one; a sharp contrast to his present mood. He glanced up as an old woman walked out of the exam room, Dr. Tofu not far behind her.
"Thank you doctor." She said, bowing deeply. "I feel so much better." She peered up at him gratefully.
"Any time Nagisa-san. Just remember to take it easy with those baskets." He replied cheerily, waving a hand in self-deprecation, his eyes hidden beneath the double barriers of his eyelids and the shine of his glasses.
The old woman left and he turned towards Ranma. His eyes opened, his face losing its mask of cheerful helpfulness. Silently, he studied the young man before him. Brown eyes knowingly swept over the partially slumped form of the red-shirted martial artist, taking in the slight shadows under his eyes and the tenseness in his shoulders.
"Come in, Ranma." He said quietly, motioning the teen to go before him. Ranma complied, walking in and hopping up onto the examination table. He sat with his feet tucked under his knees, elbows on his thighs. One hand went up to trail wearily through his hair as he allowed himself to slump for a moment, eyes closing wearily.
Dr. Tofu shut the door and went to sit in his office chair next to the wall. Only a small window let in the outside light, presenting a problem for even the most petite of the local martial artists in squeezing through. Ranma was one of the few who knew that it was purposely designed that way. The doctor sat down calmly, seemingly at ease with his arms on the chair rests as he studied the one before him. His chair creaked slightly as he absently rocked back in it.
Ranma looked up, uncomfortable at being watched. He fidgeted slightly, studying his shoes.
Finally the doctor spoke, drawing the other's attention. "I heard a rumor today." He said. Ranma looked up. "Word has spread that you're leaving." He finished, eying him.
"News gets around fast." Ranma muttered, not even bothering to try to be annoyed. That's just how things worked in Nerima. Sighing, he nodded in confirmation and at his sensei's inquiring look he began to relate the events of the previous night, beginning with the party and ending with his arrival at the clinic. He dwelt particularly on Belldandy's warning and offer. His uncharacteristically long speech finally wound to a close, leaving him feeling even more worn out than before.
Dr. Tofu had remained silent throughout the recitation, despite the fact that he looked like he very much wanted to interrupt to ask questions more than once. The older man took his time considering what he had heard, his head tilted to the side in an unconscious gesture. Sunlight flashed off the lenses of his glasses as he shifted to return the younger man's expectant gaze.
"Well, what have you decided?" he asked gently. The question was an obvious one, but one that needed to be said in order to bring it out into the open for the boy to face it.
Ranma shifted uncomfortably, the paper sheet covering the table crackling with the movement. He silently admitted to himself that he had wanted Dr. Tofu to tell him what to do; to take the pressure off him. *I should have known better * he thought ruefully, mentally chiding himself. The doctor had never let him take the easy was out in their training. Heck, ever since he'd known him.
Letting out a resigned sigh, Ranma gripped his knees and rocked slightly on his perch in unconscious emulation of the man before him as he tried to relax. He kept his mouth shut a few more moments, knowing that when the other asked a question it was best to think before he spoke. Then his grip on his knees slackened and his head dipped slightly in acknowledgement of his own thoughts.
"I really do want to find out about my family. I Need to know what kind of folks I come from, and so find out a bit more about myself along the way." His troubled, overcast eyes lifted. "I've always felt a bit out of place. Like I belonged, yet didn't." He frowned at the garbled explanation but continued. "Every one wants a piece of me here. I've been stretched so thin I'm surprised no one can see through me yet. I guess . . . I just really wanted to be accepted." He shifted again, his frown deepening along with his eye color. "But the idea that my just being around could mess up reality and stuff doesn't make me feel too good. It was kinda the final straw after finding out I'm not the person I thought I was."
"There is more to someone than a surname, Ranma." Dr. Tofu said, still watching him seriously. Ranma waved the comment off. "I know, but it's been the standard I measured myself against my whole life. I had to live up to the Saotome name." He paused. "Now . . . it just doesn't seem that important anymore. 'Specially since I'm not really a part of it." He smiled faintly, the expression not reaching his eyes. "Also, the fact that I'm actually given a say for once makes it a lot easier to decide." The smile twisted, becoming a pained thing. "And the idea of being Years and not just miles away from a few people has its appeal too."
Ranma looked into the other's eyes once again, sad blue meeting into calm brown. Straightening, he hopped off the table, landing with a soundless, unconscious grace.
"Well!-" he announced "-It looks like I'm headed for the Meiji Jidai!"
***
When Ranma returned to the Tendo compound, the first sound to greet his ears was that of flesh meeting brick and short shouts coming from the backyard. He hesitated for a moment, perched easily atop the wall, before leaping down and making his way toward the source of the noises, hands stuffed in his pockets. He turned the corner to take in the sight he'd known he would find.
There was Akane, diligently punishing bricks. He walked to within a few feet of her, well within her line of vision, and leaned against the wall, watching. He knew she was aware of him, her obvious intention to pretend he wasn't there was spoiled by the slight tilt of her head in his direction. He didn't budge.
Finally, she glanced up, annoyance clear on her face. She had always been the most emotional of the Tendo girls. Her face was as easy to read as his own. She was as open as the day they'd met. He sighed inwardly at the anger he felt directed toward him. Too bad it had been downhill since.
"What do you want?!" she snapped at him crossly, dusting off her bandage- wrapped hands "Can't you see that I'm busy?" Her face was red from exertion.
Ranma didn't budge from his position, seemingly lost in thought. The lack of a response only annoyed the girl more. No one likes being ignored.
"Go away, Ranma." She said plainly, turning forcefully away from the young man before her.
At last Ranma broke his silence. "Akane, I've been asking around and now I'm asking you. What do you think I should do?" he said, his voice calm, trying his best not to seem at all challenging.
Akane looked over her shoulder at that, surprise clear on her face. He had seldom asked for advice, especially from her. She hesitated, feeling a bit flattered for a fleeting moment, before she recalled the first part of his sentence and turned away again, jaw tight. So, he had already asked everyone else? Why was she last in line?
"You can do whatever you want. That's what you've been complaining so much about these past few months, isn't it? I don't really care what you do. Just decide on something and do it, but whatever it is, leave me out of it." She said, her voice rough and almost harsh in her ears.
Only the early morning breeze answered her, then "Thank you, Akane-chan. Sayonara." The voice was gentle, almost . . .affectionate. Startled, she turned only to find that he was gone. The finality in those four words still hung in the air. The youngest Tendo sucked in a sharp breath in an effort to stave off the sudden hollow sensation in her chest.
**
Ranma climbed slowly up the stairs leading to his room. His eyes took in details that he had never bothered to note consciously before. The gentle curve of the ceiling, and the pleasant scent that always lingered in the air from Kasumi's cooking. He passed the duck-plated door leading to Akane's room without pausing. He smiled slightly as he noted Kasumi's.
He made it a few steps past Nabiki's before the door opened and the middle Tendo herself stepped out. Ranma stopped in his tracks, pivoting on his heels to face her. In her own way, Nabiki could be just as dangerous as Cologne. Whatever she was up to, he didn't want to turn his back on her for an instant.
The girl studied him coolly, her piercing gaze evaluating him from toes to crown. He could practically see the calculation behind her dark brown eyes. But she only looked at him, her expression revealing none of her true thoughts to those who did not know her well. Ranma was not one of those poor, oblivious few, and he waited tensely for her first move. Then she tilted her head to the side, a sign that she had come to some sort of decision. A slight smile flickered across her lips. "Take care of yourself, Ranma-kun." She said, her tone practically an order. Then she stepped back and the door clicked shut.
Ranma stood a moment longer in the hallway, his face the perfect image of stunned incredulity. Hesitantly, he stepped back, away from the door. Then he dared to turn away, his head shaking slightly, but whether in disbelief or confusion even he couldn't tell for sure. But at last he reached his room, and stepped into the small space that he had used as his place of rest for the longest stretch of time in his life. Two years of occupancy had not been kind to the place. The ceiling and floor were cracked from repeated impacts by both bodies and weapons. The newest damage caused to the windows earlier had not yet been repaired.
Tracing his way across the wooden floor, automatically avoiding the spots that creaked, he got to the closet and slid open the door. There was his pack, dumped there so long ago, but still laced up and ready. There had always been a part of him that assumed that his stay would be short, like all the other places he had stopped by in his life. But now he got no satisfaction in the knowledge that he had been right. He had allowed himself to take tentative root in Nerima. The beginning of the tearing of those thin ties was unexpectedly painful. Grimacing, he opened the sack and started removing the contents. The restraint of it on his back would hinder him when and if he had to run for it. Besides, he had since learned a more useful storage system.
Stowing the contents in his personal chi pocket, he at last crumpled up the pack itself, putting it with the rest. The practicality of keeping something just in case it was needed again was ingrained in him after years of scrounging out an existence with limited resources. Who knew when he could get something like it again?
Shaking himself out of his somber thoughts, he got up and left the room without a backward glance, pausing only to shut the door behind him, the sound of it clicking into place in its frame more meaningful than any vocal farewell.
He went down the stairs and into the house and the sitting room. Even before he slid open the door, he knew that they were all waiting for him there.
All the current residents, with the exception of Nabiki, had managed to crowd in. Ukyo and Shampoo had returned, and Ranma tensed inwardly at the determined set to their eyes and the hands that casually strayed toward ready weapons. His anxiety was relieved only slightly when he saw a resolute Nodoka trapping a desperate looking Genma in a corner. Any conversation died as Ranma stepped into the room. All eyes turned to him, and to the brown-haired visitor standing on the opposite side of the room, her face serene.
Ranma moved forward, knowing that any sign of hesitation would be taken as a weakness to be pounced on by the hovering crowd. The tension was so thick that Ranma felt like he was pushing through mud. Still he grimly moved forward, eyes ahead and jaw set. The mass of people parted before his determined steps.
He didn't stop until he was only a few steps away from the young goddess, their gazes meeting. Hers' held understanding. She had probably known his decision before he did. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to resent her for it. Still, something needed to be said, to bring it all out into the open for all to see.
"I'm ready to go now." He said quietly, the sound shattering the paralysis of those around him. But there was no yelling, only murmurs of disbelief and outrage as they conferred among themselves. Ranma took it as a bad sign.
Belldandy smiled and nodded, then turned to Kasumi, who hovered not far from her. "Would you have a large mirror in the house?" She asked politely. Her expression turned into gentle amusement, directed at herself. "It really is my preferred medium for travel, though any reflective surface will do."
Kasumi nodded and smiled, departing to get the requested item, unfazed by the strange reasoning. The older girl had just barely stepped out of the room when her father moved forward, flinging himself to his knees at Ranma's feet and bawling. "NO, SON! DON'T GO! THINK OF OUR FUTURE!" he wailed, tears flowing like water from a hose.
Ranma ignored the man crying on his shoes, his gaze sweeping around the gathering. Each moment of waiting became more and more uncomfortable. He could sense the impending violence and knew that this lingering would only cause it to build further. He was tense and waiting. Something was bound to try and interfere. It always did.
Just as he had decided to speak in an effort to relieve the inward pressure Kasumi returned, lugging a rectangular mirror that was over half her height. Belldandy beamed at sight of it. "Oh, that's perfect Kasumi-chan. Thank you so much."
But Ranma's eyes were not on the mirror. Everyone else in the room was looking at it. Even Soun had stopped crying long enough to stare. A feeling of impending doom washed over Ranma, sending prickles up his spine as he took in the intent, considering gazes that were fastened on that mirror like lampreys. Even his mother, and surprisingly enough, Akane, were looking at it as if it were about to bite them.
The feeling turned to full-blown alarm as Kasumi started wading through the crowd, the mirror held precariously over her head. The people didn't part to let her pass, a rudeness that was more telling than an open challenge. Ranma's mind registered the tightening of the hands on Spatula and Bonbori as Kasumi continued on, seemingly oblivious to any problems.
Ranma lunged forward at the same moment that Ukyo, Shampoo, and Cologne moved. Diving headlong into their midst, he blocked the Spatula with a knee, and then kicked out to divert a bonbori with a foot. The force of his defensive moves wrenched the weapons from the girls' grasps and they staggered back, momentarily stunned. A bewildered Kasumi then found herself lifted one-handed over one strong shoulder as Ranma fended off Cologne's attack with the remaining arm and one leg. Before any of them could recover he leapt over to the small space surrounding Belldandy and set the oldest Tendo girl down carefully, still on the alert. He stood between the young women and the crowd, glaring around in challenge. He wouldn't put anything past these people.
The fiancées' pouted, but made no move toward them. It was clear that Ranma was in no mood to be trifled with. Cologne hesitated as Belldandy stepped forward, smiling reprovingly at the crowd before looking at Ranma, who had not relaxed his guard for a moment.
"It's all right, Ranma-san. While it would have been sad to break Kasumi- chan's nice mirror, we would have been able to easily locate another.
The hovering crowd seemed to deflate at that. As much as they delayed and sabotaged, there was no way that they could break every mirror in Nerima.
Ranma nodded, his eyes never leaving the massed opposition. His gaze flickered briefly over to catch Nodoka's, who now held Genma back by the simple expedient of wedging her drawn katana between him and his escape route. The woman looked back at him sadly, her eyes glittering with unshed moisture, but she still managed a smile of pride for her adopted son. Ranma's heart eased somewhat as they exchanged silent farewells.
Belldandy reached out her hand, and he clasped it. Exchanging a few fond farewells with Kasumi, the goddess stepped toward the mirror that was now propped against the wall. When her free hand touched the glass the surface rippled and began to glow, becoming opaque. Then her fingers passed through the glass like it was water, and the rest of her followed. Ranma was drawn in after her. He guarded their exit to the very last moment, his last glimpse that of the dawning realization on Akane's face.
***
Ranma felt himself moving through a space. It was hard to register where he was exactly. All his senses were useless it a place that seemed made up of swirling rainbows and light. He thought he heard the soft sound of voices singing in the distance, but that just might have been a trick of his noise-starved ears.
Then there came a feeling of stillness in their journey, and he found himself in a pool of light much like a spotlight. Blinking, he realized that Belldandy's hand was still in his and that they had stopped in their strange journey. Ranma looked around. Where they stood was only emptiness. He didn't dare look down, fearing that he would see his feet firmly planted on nothing. He glanced back in the general direction of where he thought they had come.
His head whipped back around, a cold sweat breaking out on his skin as he involuntarily shuddered in fear. Behind was only blackness, a void so immense that it seemed to suck at him, pulling him toward it if he looked too long at its emptiness. He tightened his hold on the hand in his, the only anchor in a place that threatened insanity for the unwary. He swallowed and managed to find his voice. "Where are we?" he croaked, the sound muffled and hollow.
Belldandy tried to smile reassuringly, which didn't work too well since at the moment she appeared almost transparent, a light glowing from within and transforming her from a lovely girl into a mysterious being. It was only the fear of the unknown that kept him from dropping her hand like a hot rock.
"We are in the Void of Time. Where we stand now is the small space occupied by the Present." Her hair moved in a wind neither felt nor seen by her unhappy guest. She looked apologetic. "I could alter it with my mind to seem more normal for you, since it is my realm of responsibility, but your escort will be here soon anyway."
Ranma allowed himself to be distracted by that. "Escort? I thought that was you?" he said in confusion. Belldandy shook her head. "This is as far as I can go. You will be taken from here by Urd, Goddess of the Past." She said, nodding forward. Ranma risked a look forward and blinked. Everything in that direction was dim, like the worn writing on a page. He could make out shapes, but no detail. An idea occurred to him. "What's behind us?" He asked, having a sinking suspicion about the answer. Unfortunately, he wasn't disappointed.
"There lies the future, as yet unwritten." Belldandy stated calmly, and he nodded. That explained why he felt that weird pull from it. The future draws everything toward it.
Having a name for it didn't diminish his unease. He knew that the only thing keeping him whole and sane at the moment was the seemingly fragile grip of the being next to him.
Just as he was sure he was about to go completely nuts, his eyes spotted movement ahead, a white glow sparking to life in the distance. It expanded quickly, moving toward them with the speed of a rocket.
Ranma was starting to feel a different sort of alarm. At the rate it was going, it would crash right into them. He stood his ground, not wanting to risk even a single step back into that nightmare void. He was trying without luck to find some form of cover when the light was suddenly upon them. It stopped abruptly no more than an arms length away, causing Ranma to flinch in an aborted attempt to dive out of the way.
Then the brightness cleared, and Ranma got a good look at the newcomer. He felt his jaw drop. A very good look.
In front of them floated a tanned, white-haired woman, her forehead and cheek markings different from Belldandy's. She was definitely female, every line of her body practically shouting the fact. From her ornate yet revealing clothing to the smug pout of her mouth, she radiated sensuality. Ranma, as oblivious as they come to such things, found himself swallowing for some reason, still blinking in surprise.
"Ranma, this is my sister Urd, Goddess of the Past and Love." Belldandy said somewhere beside him.
The named Urd was studying him, and in a way that made he feel slightly uncomfortable for some reason. Not liking the sensation, he found himself mentally switching to defense. That look reminded him too much of those that he'd gotten from more than a few girls he'd known who had considered him their property.
After a leisurely study, the older goddess turned to her sister. Her lips curved up into a skeptical smirk. "So, this is him? Not bad. I've known better, of course, but not bad at all." Her voice matched her appearance, sultry and sensual. Her eyes returned to his, their leaf-green depths glittering with amusement at his discomfort.
That broke whatever tentative hold she had on him. She had managed to insult him twice in the same sentence, making it seem as though she was being complimentary. A few years ago-even a few month ago-it would have confused him. Now, his eyes narrowed as any lingering disorientation disappeared, replaced by irritation. Anger was always a nice thing when you were grasping for a focus. Who did this-this Bimbo think she was? Sure, she was a goddess, he admitted silently. But who cared?
Urd must have caught the thought, for her own green eyes narrowed as well. They glared at each other, neither willing to relent by breaking the stare- off.
Belldandy looked on, seemingly oblivious to any tension. "You can take it from here, sister. Have a nice trip, Ranma-san." She called, slipping her hand easily out of his grip and fading away in a matter of moments.
Ranma had turned to protest, reluctantly breaking eye contact and thus unwillingly scoring a small victory for the harpy in front of him, when a shapely golden hand grabbed his recently abandoned one, and they were off.
"Come on now, little boy. I've haven't time to linger here all day. The sooner we get there, the quicker I can get back to more important matters." She threw a smirk at him over her shoulder, the edges of her gown flapping in his face.
Irritably brushing the cloth away from his eyes, he retorted "What, like having your hair done? I hate to tell you this, lady, but it's too late for that. I've seen mops with better shape." He said smugly. Being a girl part time can really help you know where to get them where it hurts.
Urd glared at him, her eyes starting to glow. Sparks shot off the tips of her hair. Ranma didn't look impressed, returning her now vanished smirk full force.
"Listen up, you brat. We're coming close to where you need to be. Now shut that little mouth of yours so I can concentrate or I'll dump you off somewhere 500 years ago." She hissed back, looking seriously ticked off. If she had been a cat, she would be spitting by now. Ranma shivered at the thought, and fell silent. After a few minutes had passed Urd spoke up again. "Almost there. Hang on to your diapers." Ranma, already set for a fight, opened his mouth and did what he does best. He put his foot in it.
"Like you're one to talk, you freaky-haired, nightgown wearing, bony-kneed tom-!"
The world turned inside out.
**** **** ****
Three people walked down a dusty Tokyo side road, headed back toward the Dojo where two of them resided. The shortest, a spiky-haired boy that looked to be in his early teens, was talking animatedly to the other two, waving his bamboo sword for emphasis.
The tallest, a young man with even spikier hair than the boy, looked profoundly unimpressed by what the other was saying. The occasional thrown in taunt caused the two of them to come to blows more than once.
The third, and middle of the two, had the unfortunate position of being the mediator. It didn't seem to be helping. His fiery red hair ruffled in the breeze, and by the passage of fists and bodies. He was sweat dropping at the others' antics, but really didn't look too worried. Except when he ended up in the middle of a head-butting contest.
"Oroo?!" The redhead exclaimed, dodging yet another attempt by the boy to go through him in order to maim his opponent. "Come now, Sano, Yahiko. We're late enough already. Kaoru-dono is expecting us de gozaru.
The boy reluctantly tore his cinnamon brown eyes away from the stare-off he was having with his taller opponent. It was giving him a crick in his neck anyway. Crossing his arms, he sulked.
"Come on, Kenshin. It's not as though I'm all that eager to be on time for dinner today. When Busu cooks, even the flies stay away." He laughed at his own joke.
"Yeah, Kenshin." Sanosuke said, readily agreeing with someone he had been fighting just moments before. "I'd rather go to the Akabeko for some beef- pot. Tae-san would extend my tab if I told her I'd have to eat some of Jou- chan's cooking instead."
Kenshin rubbed the back of his head. Sure, Kaoru-dono's cooking was . . . not the best, but they shouldn't hurt her feelings by not trying it at all. He opened his mouth to tell them so when he stopped, his eyes losing their look of rueful sheepishness and becoming hard and alert in an instant. His casual posture shifted, and then he was in a ready stance, his hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. His friends noticed the change and immediately turned serious, warily scanning around them.
"What is it Kenshin?" Sano asked, cracking his knuckles in anticipation of a fight.
Kenshin continued to stay on the alert, though his wariness was rapidly giving way to puzzlement. "I'm not sure." He said tersely. "I just sensed something a moment ago. If feels almost like . . . something is coming."
Then out of nowhere came the sound of a voice lifted in the latter part of a scream, as though the first half of a sentence had been abruptly cut short.
"-BOY!" Any further words died stillborn as the something, or rather someOne, literally dropped out of the sky.
Right on top of Sano.
As the dust cleared, Kenshin and Yahiko got their first good look at the new arrival. He appeared to be a boy in his late teens, thick blue-black hair ruffled, with puffy bangs over his eyes. Some attempt had been made to tame the wild hair by tying it back into a low pigtail.
The boy's clothing was strange, consisting of a red chinese shirt, black pants, and slippers. Coughing up dust, his hands were braced on either side of him in an attempt at balance on his current rather precarious seating arrangement.
Both his feet were firmly planted on the back of Sano's head. The fighter himself was presently exploring the day life of the underground insect population.
The raven-haired boy was cursing up a storm as he reached up to rub dust out of his eyes. He blinked, revealing large eyes that were a deep gray- blue, like a crystalline lake on a misty morning. The newcomer found himself eyeball to eyeball with a glowering, stooped over Yahiko. He took the boy-samurai in with a glance, before glaring up where he'd come. "What did you do that for?!" He yelled, his voice surprisingly low for his youthful appearance. Kenshin and Yahiko followed his gaze, and gaped.
Hovering a good 30 feet above them, well formed hands on her shapely hips, a white-haired, tan-skinned woman glared back at the irate teen. Her clothes were even stranger than his, and left very little to the imagination.
"GET. OFF!!" At that moment, Sano gave a muffled roar and sat up, flinging the boy off of him. Instead of landing flat in the dirt, the black-haired teen flipped in midair, settling neatly to earth in a crouch. Enraged, Sano turned to pound the offender when he noticed his friends were goggling at something, and looked up.
Sanosuke, his anger passing like a summer squall, could only stand there with his mouth hanging open.
"Sano, you're drooling." Kenshin said dryly.
**
Urd ignored them, focusing instead on the target of her wrath. "You deserved it, you ungrateful wretch! NO ONE talks to me that way. I am the Goddess of Love! I am Perfection. I do not, in any way, look BONY!"
"Nuh Uh." Sano, reduced to syllables, heartily agreed.
She continued. "See if I do YOU any more favors, you self-centered, loud- mouthed JERK!" Urd said, her eyes narrowing. Thunder rumbled overhead.
"Yeah, whatever." Ranma replied, standing up and crossing his arms arrogantly. Looking around him more attentively, he blinked. "Is this really it?" He asked dubiously as he took in the rough surroundings and the old style clothing of the three onlookers.
Urd's expression altered, changing to a wicked smirk. Kenshin, more familiar with that expression, instinctively edged back.
"Yes, this is the point in history where you belong . . ." Her grin grew wider.
". . . More or less."
Ranma was immediately suspicious, eyeing her warily. "What do you mean by that, lady?" He demanded. Urd only laughed and waved, tossing a wink Sano's way. She threw some water she got from who-knows-where in the air, creating a shimmering portal through which she disappeared, still laughing.
Ranma shouted, but knew it was useless. Just typical. Now what was he supposed to do? A meaningful clearing of someone's throat brought his attention back to the here and now. *Or the then that's now. * He thought sourly.
Turning, he looked into assessing deep purple eyes that were slightly below the level of his own. His first instinct was to take the defensive, but the feeling of this guy wasn't hostile, only curious. Ranma blinked. *Whoa, this guy's hair is just like . . . *
"Excuse me." Kenshin said politely. "Are you alright?"
Ranma blinked again. He wanted to know if he was alright? What happened to 'who the hell are you?', or 'stop right there!'? No one had really been that concerned if he was OK before.
"Uh, yeah. Sure, I'm fine. I've taken worse than a little fall like that." He said, uncomfortable under that gentle gaze. This was just too weird. One minute he was at the Tendo's saying goodbye to everyone, and the next he was handed over like some trinket to a lady that reminded him of Nabiki gone kinky. Man, what a thought.
Just then, Sano came back to reality and swung around, heading for the source of his recent humiliation. Striding forward, he pulled the punk up by the front of his shirt, glaring at him when he was level with his face, his feet dangling.
"Watch where you're landing, kid." He growled.
Ranma smiled. Now this was a situation that he was familiar with. He was just about to taunt this new opponent when the redhead broke in, his tone mollifying.
"Easy, Sano. I get the feeling that he didn't really have much choice in the matter, de gozaru."
The redhead barely came up to the bandanna guy's chest, but Ranma was immediately lowered back to the ground, albeit grudgingly. Ranma cast an appraising glance the longhaired guy's way. He saw a thin man with red hair, wearing an old and much worn gi and hakama. One of Ranma's eyebrows rose as he caught sight of the hilt of the sword at his side. A real sword, too. So, he was a real live Kenkaku, not a Kendoist.
Yahiko came up, looking wary but curious. "Hey, who are you anyway?" He demanded, straightening to his full height and trying to appear fierce. Tokyo was his territory, so this guy better not be more trouble or he'd answer to the Tokyo Samurai!
Ranma looked at him, and couldn't help but grin crookedly. The kid had spunk, he'd give him that. He liked his fighting spirit.
"The name's . . ." He paused, his eyes thoughtful. He spoke again, slowly. "Well, I guess its just Ranma for now. I'm . . . kinda new to these parts."
"Are you here to challenge Kenshin?!" Yahiko demanded, getting to the meat of the matter. No One showed up out of the blue anymore unless they had a beef with the former hitokiri. (bad I know. Heehee)
Ranma frowned, looking puzzled. "Who's he?" he asked.
The group visibly relaxed. Well, maybe this guy wasn't new trouble after all. He was obviously a fighter, judging by his movements and how he handled himself. So what was that strange arrival about? Who was that woman?
"Sessha wa Himura Kenshin." Kenshin spoke up, breaking the stillness. "Myojin Yahiko, samurai in training!" Yahiko declared proudly. Silence, then Kenshin elbowed the still disgruntled looking Sano. "Huh? Oh. Sagara Sanosuke." He muttered. He was still eyeing Ranma. "So what was with the broad?" he asked bluntly.
"Sano!" Kenshin reproved his friend's rudeness.
Ranma shrugged. "She told me she was the Goddess of the Past and Love. Her sister Belldandy, Goddess of the Present, passed me over to her after I learned that my parents weren't my real parents but some people who lived about 150 years in the past. She said that there's where I belonged and so I'm here. I guess." He shrugged again.
His audience blinked, trying to process what he'd just said. "O-kay." Sano said slowly.
Ranma looked at him, surprised. "You believe me? Usually it takes people a lot longer to accept the weird stuff that happens to me."
"You time-travel often?" Sano asked sarcastically. Yahiko cut in. "With all that goes on around Kenshin, it takes a lot more to startle us." He said.
Ranma looked over at the redhead, who appeared embarrassed. "Whatever." He said dubiously.
Kenshin grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, it's kind of a long story de gozaru."
Ranma tilted his head, puzzled anew and having the strangest feeling of deja vu. "It usually is." He agreed.
Suddenly Kenshin realized that they were standing in the middle of the street, having stopped all progress toward the Dojo. He sweated slightly. Kaoru-dono would not be pleased. "Ano, could we perhaps continue this discussion elsewhere? We're supposed to be eating at the moment." Recollection dawned on his friends' faces as they remembered they were late for dinner.
Ranma eyed their nervous faces, but shrugged, his face brightening at the mention of food. "Sure. I got nowhere else ta go right now. I kinda want to search for my birth family, but it can wait a bit."
"Do you know who they are?" Kenshin asked, talking as they began to walk rather quickly toward the Dojo. Looking around, he noticed that their new acquaintance was missing, but soon located him high on a fence, keeping pace with them.
Ranma shook his head. "Not really. All I have to go on is a picture and a letter my . . . adoptive mom gave me. It's from my real mom, and says that I should go looking for my father, but doesn't give me much of a clue who he is. Just someone who was important. It also said not to show them to anyone else." He added, looking almost apologetic as he glanced at the nice man below him.
"Someone important." Kenshin mused. That didn't narrow things down too much, and he wasn't about to ask the lad to go against his mother's wishes. Any more speculating was cut short as he felt a familiar aura, heading toward them fast.
Before he could warn the others, Kaoru rounded the corner. She did not look pleased. "So There you all are!" She exclaimed, waving her bokken threateningly at the sheepish line of males. "I spent all day cooking that dinner and you guys don't even show up to eat it!"
"We're sorry Kaoru-dono." Kenshin said, backing away submissively. "But there was a small delay and we . . ."
"Ah, who would want to eat what you cook anyway, Busu?!" Yahiko cut in stubbornly, ending any chance of calming the situation down. Soon master and pupil were lost in a cloud of flailing limbs and wooden swords.
Kenshin and Sano waited off to the side, the former resignedly and the latter looking bored.
"So, this happen often?" A voice said off to the side. The two looked to see Ranma down from the fence, leaning against it with his arms crossed and one leg up. Kenshin paused, eyeing the boy. Something about him was different. His entire manner had changed. His blue eyes possessed a wary hardness that hadn't been there a minute before. Sano shrugged, oblivious. "Yeah, the brat and Jou-chan are always like this. It's just somethin' you get used to."
"I see." Was Ranma's reply, his eyes narrowing. Kenshin observed him carefully.
The fight ended, leaving a sulking Yahiko clutching his lumped up head. Ignoring the boy's mutterings, a smile of satisfaction lighting up her face, Kaoru walked toward the group with her bokken over her shoulder. She caught sight of Ranma.
"Who's this, Kenshin?" She asked, coming up to the redhead. Kenshin noticed Ranma tense, and spoke carefully. "This is Ranma. We . . . met him on the way here." He explained. Kaoru turned her smile toward him.
"It's nice to meet you, Ranma. Are you coming over for dinner?" she asked. She sighed. "You're welcome to come. It's not like one more free- loader will make that much difference."
And that, Kenshin was suddenly very certain, was the exact wrong thing to say.
**
Ranma straightened, his arms crossed arrogantly. "Naw, I think I'll pass. No way am I going to get mixed in THIS again." Turning on his heel, he started to walk back the way they'd come. Kaoru looked startled, while Sano and Yahiko exchanged puzzled glances.
"Go on ahead of me." Kenshin murmured to them, and trotted to catch up to the retreating boy. Something was wrong and he needed to find out what. It seemed very important to him for some reason.
He caught up, and the two walked in silence for a few moments. Finally Ranma stopped, hands in his pockets and shoulders hunched. He avoided looking at Kenshin as he spoke, his gaze still on his feet. "I just spent over a year in a household that just brought me one disaster after another. I was trapped with no way out. I was also engaged to a violent tomboy whose cooking has been banned in every civilized country, and even some places most people have never heard of. I was nothin' but a freeloader who everyone used like their own moneymaker. I got out of that by a miracle, and I ain't going back."
Kenshin listened, his heart twisting at the undertones of pain in the young man's voice. There was nothing he could say. Any excuse of their being different would fall flat.
"Will we be seeing you around sometime?" He asked quietly. Ranma threw him a grateful glance. "I dunno. Maybe." He said. "See ya Himura-san."
Ranma continued on until he disappeared around a corner. Kenshin gazed after him a moment longer, hesitation clear in his stance, before his shoulders drooped and he turned to rejoin his friends, his mood somber.
-------------------
Thanks for all the threats to finally get me this far. We're going to start to get into pre-made clips soon (the last part of this chapter is one). Thanks also to my polite editors. Pointing out mistakes appreciated. I like to do my best. Decided on 's/he', while still using him/her. If it gets too annoying, let me know. Oh, and the 'Sessha' and 'de gozaru' are best left in more knowledgeable hands. Let's just say that Kenshin is most likely using it every time he says 'I' (except in Battousai mode of course :D), and so on. Will use it occasionally, especially to make a point, though. . . . .Lessee, I knew I forgot to apologize for Something. Oh, well. It'll be pointed out, I'm sure. ^_~
By The Unseen Watcher
previous disclaimers, please. Ranma ½ and Rurouni Kenshin crossover
Chapter 9
Decisions, Farewells (at last!), and Encounters
--------------------------
Dr. Tofu had been unable to attend the party. He'd had to stay at his office to attend to some unscheduled problems and sent a polite excuse instead.
Now Ranma sought him out. After the extra-crazy night he'd just been through, he really needed the calm presence of the only teacher he could truly relax around.
He waited impatiently in the waiting room, leaning against the wall as he looked out the window at the slowly awakening day. It looked like it was going to be a sunny one; a sharp contrast to his present mood. He glanced up as an old woman walked out of the exam room, Dr. Tofu not far behind her.
"Thank you doctor." She said, bowing deeply. "I feel so much better." She peered up at him gratefully.
"Any time Nagisa-san. Just remember to take it easy with those baskets." He replied cheerily, waving a hand in self-deprecation, his eyes hidden beneath the double barriers of his eyelids and the shine of his glasses.
The old woman left and he turned towards Ranma. His eyes opened, his face losing its mask of cheerful helpfulness. Silently, he studied the young man before him. Brown eyes knowingly swept over the partially slumped form of the red-shirted martial artist, taking in the slight shadows under his eyes and the tenseness in his shoulders.
"Come in, Ranma." He said quietly, motioning the teen to go before him. Ranma complied, walking in and hopping up onto the examination table. He sat with his feet tucked under his knees, elbows on his thighs. One hand went up to trail wearily through his hair as he allowed himself to slump for a moment, eyes closing wearily.
Dr. Tofu shut the door and went to sit in his office chair next to the wall. Only a small window let in the outside light, presenting a problem for even the most petite of the local martial artists in squeezing through. Ranma was one of the few who knew that it was purposely designed that way. The doctor sat down calmly, seemingly at ease with his arms on the chair rests as he studied the one before him. His chair creaked slightly as he absently rocked back in it.
Ranma looked up, uncomfortable at being watched. He fidgeted slightly, studying his shoes.
Finally the doctor spoke, drawing the other's attention. "I heard a rumor today." He said. Ranma looked up. "Word has spread that you're leaving." He finished, eying him.
"News gets around fast." Ranma muttered, not even bothering to try to be annoyed. That's just how things worked in Nerima. Sighing, he nodded in confirmation and at his sensei's inquiring look he began to relate the events of the previous night, beginning with the party and ending with his arrival at the clinic. He dwelt particularly on Belldandy's warning and offer. His uncharacteristically long speech finally wound to a close, leaving him feeling even more worn out than before.
Dr. Tofu had remained silent throughout the recitation, despite the fact that he looked like he very much wanted to interrupt to ask questions more than once. The older man took his time considering what he had heard, his head tilted to the side in an unconscious gesture. Sunlight flashed off the lenses of his glasses as he shifted to return the younger man's expectant gaze.
"Well, what have you decided?" he asked gently. The question was an obvious one, but one that needed to be said in order to bring it out into the open for the boy to face it.
Ranma shifted uncomfortably, the paper sheet covering the table crackling with the movement. He silently admitted to himself that he had wanted Dr. Tofu to tell him what to do; to take the pressure off him. *I should have known better * he thought ruefully, mentally chiding himself. The doctor had never let him take the easy was out in their training. Heck, ever since he'd known him.
Letting out a resigned sigh, Ranma gripped his knees and rocked slightly on his perch in unconscious emulation of the man before him as he tried to relax. He kept his mouth shut a few more moments, knowing that when the other asked a question it was best to think before he spoke. Then his grip on his knees slackened and his head dipped slightly in acknowledgement of his own thoughts.
"I really do want to find out about my family. I Need to know what kind of folks I come from, and so find out a bit more about myself along the way." His troubled, overcast eyes lifted. "I've always felt a bit out of place. Like I belonged, yet didn't." He frowned at the garbled explanation but continued. "Every one wants a piece of me here. I've been stretched so thin I'm surprised no one can see through me yet. I guess . . . I just really wanted to be accepted." He shifted again, his frown deepening along with his eye color. "But the idea that my just being around could mess up reality and stuff doesn't make me feel too good. It was kinda the final straw after finding out I'm not the person I thought I was."
"There is more to someone than a surname, Ranma." Dr. Tofu said, still watching him seriously. Ranma waved the comment off. "I know, but it's been the standard I measured myself against my whole life. I had to live up to the Saotome name." He paused. "Now . . . it just doesn't seem that important anymore. 'Specially since I'm not really a part of it." He smiled faintly, the expression not reaching his eyes. "Also, the fact that I'm actually given a say for once makes it a lot easier to decide." The smile twisted, becoming a pained thing. "And the idea of being Years and not just miles away from a few people has its appeal too."
Ranma looked into the other's eyes once again, sad blue meeting into calm brown. Straightening, he hopped off the table, landing with a soundless, unconscious grace.
"Well!-" he announced "-It looks like I'm headed for the Meiji Jidai!"
***
When Ranma returned to the Tendo compound, the first sound to greet his ears was that of flesh meeting brick and short shouts coming from the backyard. He hesitated for a moment, perched easily atop the wall, before leaping down and making his way toward the source of the noises, hands stuffed in his pockets. He turned the corner to take in the sight he'd known he would find.
There was Akane, diligently punishing bricks. He walked to within a few feet of her, well within her line of vision, and leaned against the wall, watching. He knew she was aware of him, her obvious intention to pretend he wasn't there was spoiled by the slight tilt of her head in his direction. He didn't budge.
Finally, she glanced up, annoyance clear on her face. She had always been the most emotional of the Tendo girls. Her face was as easy to read as his own. She was as open as the day they'd met. He sighed inwardly at the anger he felt directed toward him. Too bad it had been downhill since.
"What do you want?!" she snapped at him crossly, dusting off her bandage- wrapped hands "Can't you see that I'm busy?" Her face was red from exertion.
Ranma didn't budge from his position, seemingly lost in thought. The lack of a response only annoyed the girl more. No one likes being ignored.
"Go away, Ranma." She said plainly, turning forcefully away from the young man before her.
At last Ranma broke his silence. "Akane, I've been asking around and now I'm asking you. What do you think I should do?" he said, his voice calm, trying his best not to seem at all challenging.
Akane looked over her shoulder at that, surprise clear on her face. He had seldom asked for advice, especially from her. She hesitated, feeling a bit flattered for a fleeting moment, before she recalled the first part of his sentence and turned away again, jaw tight. So, he had already asked everyone else? Why was she last in line?
"You can do whatever you want. That's what you've been complaining so much about these past few months, isn't it? I don't really care what you do. Just decide on something and do it, but whatever it is, leave me out of it." She said, her voice rough and almost harsh in her ears.
Only the early morning breeze answered her, then "Thank you, Akane-chan. Sayonara." The voice was gentle, almost . . .affectionate. Startled, she turned only to find that he was gone. The finality in those four words still hung in the air. The youngest Tendo sucked in a sharp breath in an effort to stave off the sudden hollow sensation in her chest.
**
Ranma climbed slowly up the stairs leading to his room. His eyes took in details that he had never bothered to note consciously before. The gentle curve of the ceiling, and the pleasant scent that always lingered in the air from Kasumi's cooking. He passed the duck-plated door leading to Akane's room without pausing. He smiled slightly as he noted Kasumi's.
He made it a few steps past Nabiki's before the door opened and the middle Tendo herself stepped out. Ranma stopped in his tracks, pivoting on his heels to face her. In her own way, Nabiki could be just as dangerous as Cologne. Whatever she was up to, he didn't want to turn his back on her for an instant.
The girl studied him coolly, her piercing gaze evaluating him from toes to crown. He could practically see the calculation behind her dark brown eyes. But she only looked at him, her expression revealing none of her true thoughts to those who did not know her well. Ranma was not one of those poor, oblivious few, and he waited tensely for her first move. Then she tilted her head to the side, a sign that she had come to some sort of decision. A slight smile flickered across her lips. "Take care of yourself, Ranma-kun." She said, her tone practically an order. Then she stepped back and the door clicked shut.
Ranma stood a moment longer in the hallway, his face the perfect image of stunned incredulity. Hesitantly, he stepped back, away from the door. Then he dared to turn away, his head shaking slightly, but whether in disbelief or confusion even he couldn't tell for sure. But at last he reached his room, and stepped into the small space that he had used as his place of rest for the longest stretch of time in his life. Two years of occupancy had not been kind to the place. The ceiling and floor were cracked from repeated impacts by both bodies and weapons. The newest damage caused to the windows earlier had not yet been repaired.
Tracing his way across the wooden floor, automatically avoiding the spots that creaked, he got to the closet and slid open the door. There was his pack, dumped there so long ago, but still laced up and ready. There had always been a part of him that assumed that his stay would be short, like all the other places he had stopped by in his life. But now he got no satisfaction in the knowledge that he had been right. He had allowed himself to take tentative root in Nerima. The beginning of the tearing of those thin ties was unexpectedly painful. Grimacing, he opened the sack and started removing the contents. The restraint of it on his back would hinder him when and if he had to run for it. Besides, he had since learned a more useful storage system.
Stowing the contents in his personal chi pocket, he at last crumpled up the pack itself, putting it with the rest. The practicality of keeping something just in case it was needed again was ingrained in him after years of scrounging out an existence with limited resources. Who knew when he could get something like it again?
Shaking himself out of his somber thoughts, he got up and left the room without a backward glance, pausing only to shut the door behind him, the sound of it clicking into place in its frame more meaningful than any vocal farewell.
He went down the stairs and into the house and the sitting room. Even before he slid open the door, he knew that they were all waiting for him there.
All the current residents, with the exception of Nabiki, had managed to crowd in. Ukyo and Shampoo had returned, and Ranma tensed inwardly at the determined set to their eyes and the hands that casually strayed toward ready weapons. His anxiety was relieved only slightly when he saw a resolute Nodoka trapping a desperate looking Genma in a corner. Any conversation died as Ranma stepped into the room. All eyes turned to him, and to the brown-haired visitor standing on the opposite side of the room, her face serene.
Ranma moved forward, knowing that any sign of hesitation would be taken as a weakness to be pounced on by the hovering crowd. The tension was so thick that Ranma felt like he was pushing through mud. Still he grimly moved forward, eyes ahead and jaw set. The mass of people parted before his determined steps.
He didn't stop until he was only a few steps away from the young goddess, their gazes meeting. Hers' held understanding. She had probably known his decision before he did. Somehow, he couldn't bring himself to resent her for it. Still, something needed to be said, to bring it all out into the open for all to see.
"I'm ready to go now." He said quietly, the sound shattering the paralysis of those around him. But there was no yelling, only murmurs of disbelief and outrage as they conferred among themselves. Ranma took it as a bad sign.
Belldandy smiled and nodded, then turned to Kasumi, who hovered not far from her. "Would you have a large mirror in the house?" She asked politely. Her expression turned into gentle amusement, directed at herself. "It really is my preferred medium for travel, though any reflective surface will do."
Kasumi nodded and smiled, departing to get the requested item, unfazed by the strange reasoning. The older girl had just barely stepped out of the room when her father moved forward, flinging himself to his knees at Ranma's feet and bawling. "NO, SON! DON'T GO! THINK OF OUR FUTURE!" he wailed, tears flowing like water from a hose.
Ranma ignored the man crying on his shoes, his gaze sweeping around the gathering. Each moment of waiting became more and more uncomfortable. He could sense the impending violence and knew that this lingering would only cause it to build further. He was tense and waiting. Something was bound to try and interfere. It always did.
Just as he had decided to speak in an effort to relieve the inward pressure Kasumi returned, lugging a rectangular mirror that was over half her height. Belldandy beamed at sight of it. "Oh, that's perfect Kasumi-chan. Thank you so much."
But Ranma's eyes were not on the mirror. Everyone else in the room was looking at it. Even Soun had stopped crying long enough to stare. A feeling of impending doom washed over Ranma, sending prickles up his spine as he took in the intent, considering gazes that were fastened on that mirror like lampreys. Even his mother, and surprisingly enough, Akane, were looking at it as if it were about to bite them.
The feeling turned to full-blown alarm as Kasumi started wading through the crowd, the mirror held precariously over her head. The people didn't part to let her pass, a rudeness that was more telling than an open challenge. Ranma's mind registered the tightening of the hands on Spatula and Bonbori as Kasumi continued on, seemingly oblivious to any problems.
Ranma lunged forward at the same moment that Ukyo, Shampoo, and Cologne moved. Diving headlong into their midst, he blocked the Spatula with a knee, and then kicked out to divert a bonbori with a foot. The force of his defensive moves wrenched the weapons from the girls' grasps and they staggered back, momentarily stunned. A bewildered Kasumi then found herself lifted one-handed over one strong shoulder as Ranma fended off Cologne's attack with the remaining arm and one leg. Before any of them could recover he leapt over to the small space surrounding Belldandy and set the oldest Tendo girl down carefully, still on the alert. He stood between the young women and the crowd, glaring around in challenge. He wouldn't put anything past these people.
The fiancées' pouted, but made no move toward them. It was clear that Ranma was in no mood to be trifled with. Cologne hesitated as Belldandy stepped forward, smiling reprovingly at the crowd before looking at Ranma, who had not relaxed his guard for a moment.
"It's all right, Ranma-san. While it would have been sad to break Kasumi- chan's nice mirror, we would have been able to easily locate another.
The hovering crowd seemed to deflate at that. As much as they delayed and sabotaged, there was no way that they could break every mirror in Nerima.
Ranma nodded, his eyes never leaving the massed opposition. His gaze flickered briefly over to catch Nodoka's, who now held Genma back by the simple expedient of wedging her drawn katana between him and his escape route. The woman looked back at him sadly, her eyes glittering with unshed moisture, but she still managed a smile of pride for her adopted son. Ranma's heart eased somewhat as they exchanged silent farewells.
Belldandy reached out her hand, and he clasped it. Exchanging a few fond farewells with Kasumi, the goddess stepped toward the mirror that was now propped against the wall. When her free hand touched the glass the surface rippled and began to glow, becoming opaque. Then her fingers passed through the glass like it was water, and the rest of her followed. Ranma was drawn in after her. He guarded their exit to the very last moment, his last glimpse that of the dawning realization on Akane's face.
***
Ranma felt himself moving through a space. It was hard to register where he was exactly. All his senses were useless it a place that seemed made up of swirling rainbows and light. He thought he heard the soft sound of voices singing in the distance, but that just might have been a trick of his noise-starved ears.
Then there came a feeling of stillness in their journey, and he found himself in a pool of light much like a spotlight. Blinking, he realized that Belldandy's hand was still in his and that they had stopped in their strange journey. Ranma looked around. Where they stood was only emptiness. He didn't dare look down, fearing that he would see his feet firmly planted on nothing. He glanced back in the general direction of where he thought they had come.
His head whipped back around, a cold sweat breaking out on his skin as he involuntarily shuddered in fear. Behind was only blackness, a void so immense that it seemed to suck at him, pulling him toward it if he looked too long at its emptiness. He tightened his hold on the hand in his, the only anchor in a place that threatened insanity for the unwary. He swallowed and managed to find his voice. "Where are we?" he croaked, the sound muffled and hollow.
Belldandy tried to smile reassuringly, which didn't work too well since at the moment she appeared almost transparent, a light glowing from within and transforming her from a lovely girl into a mysterious being. It was only the fear of the unknown that kept him from dropping her hand like a hot rock.
"We are in the Void of Time. Where we stand now is the small space occupied by the Present." Her hair moved in a wind neither felt nor seen by her unhappy guest. She looked apologetic. "I could alter it with my mind to seem more normal for you, since it is my realm of responsibility, but your escort will be here soon anyway."
Ranma allowed himself to be distracted by that. "Escort? I thought that was you?" he said in confusion. Belldandy shook her head. "This is as far as I can go. You will be taken from here by Urd, Goddess of the Past." She said, nodding forward. Ranma risked a look forward and blinked. Everything in that direction was dim, like the worn writing on a page. He could make out shapes, but no detail. An idea occurred to him. "What's behind us?" He asked, having a sinking suspicion about the answer. Unfortunately, he wasn't disappointed.
"There lies the future, as yet unwritten." Belldandy stated calmly, and he nodded. That explained why he felt that weird pull from it. The future draws everything toward it.
Having a name for it didn't diminish his unease. He knew that the only thing keeping him whole and sane at the moment was the seemingly fragile grip of the being next to him.
Just as he was sure he was about to go completely nuts, his eyes spotted movement ahead, a white glow sparking to life in the distance. It expanded quickly, moving toward them with the speed of a rocket.
Ranma was starting to feel a different sort of alarm. At the rate it was going, it would crash right into them. He stood his ground, not wanting to risk even a single step back into that nightmare void. He was trying without luck to find some form of cover when the light was suddenly upon them. It stopped abruptly no more than an arms length away, causing Ranma to flinch in an aborted attempt to dive out of the way.
Then the brightness cleared, and Ranma got a good look at the newcomer. He felt his jaw drop. A very good look.
In front of them floated a tanned, white-haired woman, her forehead and cheek markings different from Belldandy's. She was definitely female, every line of her body practically shouting the fact. From her ornate yet revealing clothing to the smug pout of her mouth, she radiated sensuality. Ranma, as oblivious as they come to such things, found himself swallowing for some reason, still blinking in surprise.
"Ranma, this is my sister Urd, Goddess of the Past and Love." Belldandy said somewhere beside him.
The named Urd was studying him, and in a way that made he feel slightly uncomfortable for some reason. Not liking the sensation, he found himself mentally switching to defense. That look reminded him too much of those that he'd gotten from more than a few girls he'd known who had considered him their property.
After a leisurely study, the older goddess turned to her sister. Her lips curved up into a skeptical smirk. "So, this is him? Not bad. I've known better, of course, but not bad at all." Her voice matched her appearance, sultry and sensual. Her eyes returned to his, their leaf-green depths glittering with amusement at his discomfort.
That broke whatever tentative hold she had on him. She had managed to insult him twice in the same sentence, making it seem as though she was being complimentary. A few years ago-even a few month ago-it would have confused him. Now, his eyes narrowed as any lingering disorientation disappeared, replaced by irritation. Anger was always a nice thing when you were grasping for a focus. Who did this-this Bimbo think she was? Sure, she was a goddess, he admitted silently. But who cared?
Urd must have caught the thought, for her own green eyes narrowed as well. They glared at each other, neither willing to relent by breaking the stare- off.
Belldandy looked on, seemingly oblivious to any tension. "You can take it from here, sister. Have a nice trip, Ranma-san." She called, slipping her hand easily out of his grip and fading away in a matter of moments.
Ranma had turned to protest, reluctantly breaking eye contact and thus unwillingly scoring a small victory for the harpy in front of him, when a shapely golden hand grabbed his recently abandoned one, and they were off.
"Come on now, little boy. I've haven't time to linger here all day. The sooner we get there, the quicker I can get back to more important matters." She threw a smirk at him over her shoulder, the edges of her gown flapping in his face.
Irritably brushing the cloth away from his eyes, he retorted "What, like having your hair done? I hate to tell you this, lady, but it's too late for that. I've seen mops with better shape." He said smugly. Being a girl part time can really help you know where to get them where it hurts.
Urd glared at him, her eyes starting to glow. Sparks shot off the tips of her hair. Ranma didn't look impressed, returning her now vanished smirk full force.
"Listen up, you brat. We're coming close to where you need to be. Now shut that little mouth of yours so I can concentrate or I'll dump you off somewhere 500 years ago." She hissed back, looking seriously ticked off. If she had been a cat, she would be spitting by now. Ranma shivered at the thought, and fell silent. After a few minutes had passed Urd spoke up again. "Almost there. Hang on to your diapers." Ranma, already set for a fight, opened his mouth and did what he does best. He put his foot in it.
"Like you're one to talk, you freaky-haired, nightgown wearing, bony-kneed tom-!"
The world turned inside out.
**** **** ****
Three people walked down a dusty Tokyo side road, headed back toward the Dojo where two of them resided. The shortest, a spiky-haired boy that looked to be in his early teens, was talking animatedly to the other two, waving his bamboo sword for emphasis.
The tallest, a young man with even spikier hair than the boy, looked profoundly unimpressed by what the other was saying. The occasional thrown in taunt caused the two of them to come to blows more than once.
The third, and middle of the two, had the unfortunate position of being the mediator. It didn't seem to be helping. His fiery red hair ruffled in the breeze, and by the passage of fists and bodies. He was sweat dropping at the others' antics, but really didn't look too worried. Except when he ended up in the middle of a head-butting contest.
"Oroo?!" The redhead exclaimed, dodging yet another attempt by the boy to go through him in order to maim his opponent. "Come now, Sano, Yahiko. We're late enough already. Kaoru-dono is expecting us de gozaru.
The boy reluctantly tore his cinnamon brown eyes away from the stare-off he was having with his taller opponent. It was giving him a crick in his neck anyway. Crossing his arms, he sulked.
"Come on, Kenshin. It's not as though I'm all that eager to be on time for dinner today. When Busu cooks, even the flies stay away." He laughed at his own joke.
"Yeah, Kenshin." Sanosuke said, readily agreeing with someone he had been fighting just moments before. "I'd rather go to the Akabeko for some beef- pot. Tae-san would extend my tab if I told her I'd have to eat some of Jou- chan's cooking instead."
Kenshin rubbed the back of his head. Sure, Kaoru-dono's cooking was . . . not the best, but they shouldn't hurt her feelings by not trying it at all. He opened his mouth to tell them so when he stopped, his eyes losing their look of rueful sheepishness and becoming hard and alert in an instant. His casual posture shifted, and then he was in a ready stance, his hand hovering over the hilt of his sword. His friends noticed the change and immediately turned serious, warily scanning around them.
"What is it Kenshin?" Sano asked, cracking his knuckles in anticipation of a fight.
Kenshin continued to stay on the alert, though his wariness was rapidly giving way to puzzlement. "I'm not sure." He said tersely. "I just sensed something a moment ago. If feels almost like . . . something is coming."
Then out of nowhere came the sound of a voice lifted in the latter part of a scream, as though the first half of a sentence had been abruptly cut short.
"-BOY!" Any further words died stillborn as the something, or rather someOne, literally dropped out of the sky.
Right on top of Sano.
As the dust cleared, Kenshin and Yahiko got their first good look at the new arrival. He appeared to be a boy in his late teens, thick blue-black hair ruffled, with puffy bangs over his eyes. Some attempt had been made to tame the wild hair by tying it back into a low pigtail.
The boy's clothing was strange, consisting of a red chinese shirt, black pants, and slippers. Coughing up dust, his hands were braced on either side of him in an attempt at balance on his current rather precarious seating arrangement.
Both his feet were firmly planted on the back of Sano's head. The fighter himself was presently exploring the day life of the underground insect population.
The raven-haired boy was cursing up a storm as he reached up to rub dust out of his eyes. He blinked, revealing large eyes that were a deep gray- blue, like a crystalline lake on a misty morning. The newcomer found himself eyeball to eyeball with a glowering, stooped over Yahiko. He took the boy-samurai in with a glance, before glaring up where he'd come. "What did you do that for?!" He yelled, his voice surprisingly low for his youthful appearance. Kenshin and Yahiko followed his gaze, and gaped.
Hovering a good 30 feet above them, well formed hands on her shapely hips, a white-haired, tan-skinned woman glared back at the irate teen. Her clothes were even stranger than his, and left very little to the imagination.
"GET. OFF!!" At that moment, Sano gave a muffled roar and sat up, flinging the boy off of him. Instead of landing flat in the dirt, the black-haired teen flipped in midair, settling neatly to earth in a crouch. Enraged, Sano turned to pound the offender when he noticed his friends were goggling at something, and looked up.
Sanosuke, his anger passing like a summer squall, could only stand there with his mouth hanging open.
"Sano, you're drooling." Kenshin said dryly.
**
Urd ignored them, focusing instead on the target of her wrath. "You deserved it, you ungrateful wretch! NO ONE talks to me that way. I am the Goddess of Love! I am Perfection. I do not, in any way, look BONY!"
"Nuh Uh." Sano, reduced to syllables, heartily agreed.
She continued. "See if I do YOU any more favors, you self-centered, loud- mouthed JERK!" Urd said, her eyes narrowing. Thunder rumbled overhead.
"Yeah, whatever." Ranma replied, standing up and crossing his arms arrogantly. Looking around him more attentively, he blinked. "Is this really it?" He asked dubiously as he took in the rough surroundings and the old style clothing of the three onlookers.
Urd's expression altered, changing to a wicked smirk. Kenshin, more familiar with that expression, instinctively edged back.
"Yes, this is the point in history where you belong . . ." Her grin grew wider.
". . . More or less."
Ranma was immediately suspicious, eyeing her warily. "What do you mean by that, lady?" He demanded. Urd only laughed and waved, tossing a wink Sano's way. She threw some water she got from who-knows-where in the air, creating a shimmering portal through which she disappeared, still laughing.
Ranma shouted, but knew it was useless. Just typical. Now what was he supposed to do? A meaningful clearing of someone's throat brought his attention back to the here and now. *Or the then that's now. * He thought sourly.
Turning, he looked into assessing deep purple eyes that were slightly below the level of his own. His first instinct was to take the defensive, but the feeling of this guy wasn't hostile, only curious. Ranma blinked. *Whoa, this guy's hair is just like . . . *
"Excuse me." Kenshin said politely. "Are you alright?"
Ranma blinked again. He wanted to know if he was alright? What happened to 'who the hell are you?', or 'stop right there!'? No one had really been that concerned if he was OK before.
"Uh, yeah. Sure, I'm fine. I've taken worse than a little fall like that." He said, uncomfortable under that gentle gaze. This was just too weird. One minute he was at the Tendo's saying goodbye to everyone, and the next he was handed over like some trinket to a lady that reminded him of Nabiki gone kinky. Man, what a thought.
Just then, Sano came back to reality and swung around, heading for the source of his recent humiliation. Striding forward, he pulled the punk up by the front of his shirt, glaring at him when he was level with his face, his feet dangling.
"Watch where you're landing, kid." He growled.
Ranma smiled. Now this was a situation that he was familiar with. He was just about to taunt this new opponent when the redhead broke in, his tone mollifying.
"Easy, Sano. I get the feeling that he didn't really have much choice in the matter, de gozaru."
The redhead barely came up to the bandanna guy's chest, but Ranma was immediately lowered back to the ground, albeit grudgingly. Ranma cast an appraising glance the longhaired guy's way. He saw a thin man with red hair, wearing an old and much worn gi and hakama. One of Ranma's eyebrows rose as he caught sight of the hilt of the sword at his side. A real sword, too. So, he was a real live Kenkaku, not a Kendoist.
Yahiko came up, looking wary but curious. "Hey, who are you anyway?" He demanded, straightening to his full height and trying to appear fierce. Tokyo was his territory, so this guy better not be more trouble or he'd answer to the Tokyo Samurai!
Ranma looked at him, and couldn't help but grin crookedly. The kid had spunk, he'd give him that. He liked his fighting spirit.
"The name's . . ." He paused, his eyes thoughtful. He spoke again, slowly. "Well, I guess its just Ranma for now. I'm . . . kinda new to these parts."
"Are you here to challenge Kenshin?!" Yahiko demanded, getting to the meat of the matter. No One showed up out of the blue anymore unless they had a beef with the former hitokiri. (bad I know. Heehee)
Ranma frowned, looking puzzled. "Who's he?" he asked.
The group visibly relaxed. Well, maybe this guy wasn't new trouble after all. He was obviously a fighter, judging by his movements and how he handled himself. So what was that strange arrival about? Who was that woman?
"Sessha wa Himura Kenshin." Kenshin spoke up, breaking the stillness. "Myojin Yahiko, samurai in training!" Yahiko declared proudly. Silence, then Kenshin elbowed the still disgruntled looking Sano. "Huh? Oh. Sagara Sanosuke." He muttered. He was still eyeing Ranma. "So what was with the broad?" he asked bluntly.
"Sano!" Kenshin reproved his friend's rudeness.
Ranma shrugged. "She told me she was the Goddess of the Past and Love. Her sister Belldandy, Goddess of the Present, passed me over to her after I learned that my parents weren't my real parents but some people who lived about 150 years in the past. She said that there's where I belonged and so I'm here. I guess." He shrugged again.
His audience blinked, trying to process what he'd just said. "O-kay." Sano said slowly.
Ranma looked at him, surprised. "You believe me? Usually it takes people a lot longer to accept the weird stuff that happens to me."
"You time-travel often?" Sano asked sarcastically. Yahiko cut in. "With all that goes on around Kenshin, it takes a lot more to startle us." He said.
Ranma looked over at the redhead, who appeared embarrassed. "Whatever." He said dubiously.
Kenshin grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, it's kind of a long story de gozaru."
Ranma tilted his head, puzzled anew and having the strangest feeling of deja vu. "It usually is." He agreed.
Suddenly Kenshin realized that they were standing in the middle of the street, having stopped all progress toward the Dojo. He sweated slightly. Kaoru-dono would not be pleased. "Ano, could we perhaps continue this discussion elsewhere? We're supposed to be eating at the moment." Recollection dawned on his friends' faces as they remembered they were late for dinner.
Ranma eyed their nervous faces, but shrugged, his face brightening at the mention of food. "Sure. I got nowhere else ta go right now. I kinda want to search for my birth family, but it can wait a bit."
"Do you know who they are?" Kenshin asked, talking as they began to walk rather quickly toward the Dojo. Looking around, he noticed that their new acquaintance was missing, but soon located him high on a fence, keeping pace with them.
Ranma shook his head. "Not really. All I have to go on is a picture and a letter my . . . adoptive mom gave me. It's from my real mom, and says that I should go looking for my father, but doesn't give me much of a clue who he is. Just someone who was important. It also said not to show them to anyone else." He added, looking almost apologetic as he glanced at the nice man below him.
"Someone important." Kenshin mused. That didn't narrow things down too much, and he wasn't about to ask the lad to go against his mother's wishes. Any more speculating was cut short as he felt a familiar aura, heading toward them fast.
Before he could warn the others, Kaoru rounded the corner. She did not look pleased. "So There you all are!" She exclaimed, waving her bokken threateningly at the sheepish line of males. "I spent all day cooking that dinner and you guys don't even show up to eat it!"
"We're sorry Kaoru-dono." Kenshin said, backing away submissively. "But there was a small delay and we . . ."
"Ah, who would want to eat what you cook anyway, Busu?!" Yahiko cut in stubbornly, ending any chance of calming the situation down. Soon master and pupil were lost in a cloud of flailing limbs and wooden swords.
Kenshin and Sano waited off to the side, the former resignedly and the latter looking bored.
"So, this happen often?" A voice said off to the side. The two looked to see Ranma down from the fence, leaning against it with his arms crossed and one leg up. Kenshin paused, eyeing the boy. Something about him was different. His entire manner had changed. His blue eyes possessed a wary hardness that hadn't been there a minute before. Sano shrugged, oblivious. "Yeah, the brat and Jou-chan are always like this. It's just somethin' you get used to."
"I see." Was Ranma's reply, his eyes narrowing. Kenshin observed him carefully.
The fight ended, leaving a sulking Yahiko clutching his lumped up head. Ignoring the boy's mutterings, a smile of satisfaction lighting up her face, Kaoru walked toward the group with her bokken over her shoulder. She caught sight of Ranma.
"Who's this, Kenshin?" She asked, coming up to the redhead. Kenshin noticed Ranma tense, and spoke carefully. "This is Ranma. We . . . met him on the way here." He explained. Kaoru turned her smile toward him.
"It's nice to meet you, Ranma. Are you coming over for dinner?" she asked. She sighed. "You're welcome to come. It's not like one more free- loader will make that much difference."
And that, Kenshin was suddenly very certain, was the exact wrong thing to say.
**
Ranma straightened, his arms crossed arrogantly. "Naw, I think I'll pass. No way am I going to get mixed in THIS again." Turning on his heel, he started to walk back the way they'd come. Kaoru looked startled, while Sano and Yahiko exchanged puzzled glances.
"Go on ahead of me." Kenshin murmured to them, and trotted to catch up to the retreating boy. Something was wrong and he needed to find out what. It seemed very important to him for some reason.
He caught up, and the two walked in silence for a few moments. Finally Ranma stopped, hands in his pockets and shoulders hunched. He avoided looking at Kenshin as he spoke, his gaze still on his feet. "I just spent over a year in a household that just brought me one disaster after another. I was trapped with no way out. I was also engaged to a violent tomboy whose cooking has been banned in every civilized country, and even some places most people have never heard of. I was nothin' but a freeloader who everyone used like their own moneymaker. I got out of that by a miracle, and I ain't going back."
Kenshin listened, his heart twisting at the undertones of pain in the young man's voice. There was nothing he could say. Any excuse of their being different would fall flat.
"Will we be seeing you around sometime?" He asked quietly. Ranma threw him a grateful glance. "I dunno. Maybe." He said. "See ya Himura-san."
Ranma continued on until he disappeared around a corner. Kenshin gazed after him a moment longer, hesitation clear in his stance, before his shoulders drooped and he turned to rejoin his friends, his mood somber.
-------------------
Thanks for all the threats to finally get me this far. We're going to start to get into pre-made clips soon (the last part of this chapter is one). Thanks also to my polite editors. Pointing out mistakes appreciated. I like to do my best. Decided on 's/he', while still using him/her. If it gets too annoying, let me know. Oh, and the 'Sessha' and 'de gozaru' are best left in more knowledgeable hands. Let's just say that Kenshin is most likely using it every time he says 'I' (except in Battousai mode of course :D), and so on. Will use it occasionally, especially to make a point, though. . . . .Lessee, I knew I forgot to apologize for Something. Oh, well. It'll be pointed out, I'm sure. ^_~