Project IV: Crystal Tokyo R
Chapter 03: The Oracle
Red targets suddenly appeared from behind Ranma, and the boy didn't even bat an eye, as he moved his hand towards behind his head, and a large KI blast came out of his hand. The large blast exploded into smaller pieces, and pieces went towards the targets, hitting them.
"Very good, Ranma!" Beryl said proudly, clapping her hands. It's been already a week, but Ranma's KI [now dubbed for Chaotic Energy] improved vastly. He was a natural, his focus was his great strength, and because of his focus, he thought he was tapping on some of his girl's side's powers.
Which reminded Ranma, he never knew the name of his girl side. "Beryl?"
"Yes?" Beryl replied.
"Do you know the girl... inside me?" Ranma asked. "The one who set you guys free?"
Beryl looked at Ranma, and frowned. "Why do you want to know about 'her' all the sudden, Ranma?"
"Because..." Ranma paused. "I can't help but think the fact that everything I am doing might be her doing. I don't like that. I live my own life."
Beryl smiled. "Yes, I know what you mean, Ranma. Believe me, when I say this, that you are doing things in your abilities. All your life, even before you were cursed, you had this ability that to learn things faster than anything anyone has ever seen."
"But all the things Tama is telling me," Ranma began, "that the things I am doing, like it was 'her'..."
"Tama is one of the newest recruits we have, Ranma," Beryl cut Ranma off. "The stories of Naia and her CHI were a bit blown out of proportion."
"Naia? CHI?" Ranma asked, confused.
"Oh, sorry. Naia is 'her' name, and CHI is 'her' power," Beryl said. "KI, as I explained to you a week ago, is actually Chaotic Energy, while CHI is Chaos Energy, a much more powerful and concentrated energy which allowed 'her' to do almost impossible things in Crystal Tokyo."
"Like what?" Ranma asked. Maybe he could do some of the things 'Naia' does, and maybe he can outmatch her! After all, he still, after all the things, wants to be the best.
"Well, she could fly like Superman, stop projectile attacks from reaching her, be faster than anyone could ever be. She was very fast, faster than you currently are," Beryl said, smiling. "She was such a Chaos Wielder that the Senshis took 15 years to get rid of her."
Ranma sighed dejectedly. "That wasn't out of proportion?!" Ranma asked sarcastically.
"Hehehe... Don't worry. When I met her, I was also looking up to her, hoping to do the things she does, but then, I realized that her powers came at a price," Beryl frowned a bit.
"What do you mean?" Ranma asked.
Beryl frowned deeply this time. "I told you Naia was a direct descendant of the original leader of the Freedom Movement, right?"
"Yeah, you did..." Ranma replied. "So?"
"She was never part of Crystal Tokyo to begin with," Beryl replied. "She had no port on her head, kinda like Rei."
"Really?" Ranma asked. "Then how could she enter Crystal Tokyo?"
Beryl smiled sadly. "She asked to go into painful surgery, where she had her brain partly cybernated and a port in her brain. People say they heard her scream for weeks, until the pain subsided."
"Why... why did she do it?" Ranma asked, shocked. "If it was so painful, why did she do it?"
"She wanted to do what she believed in," Beryl replied. "She wanted to finish the war."
Ranma bowed his head. The more he knew, the more confused he gets.
"Ranma," Beryl called.
"Yes?"
"I think you are ready," Beryl said.
"Ready for what?" Ranma asked.
"To see the Oracle."
=Crystal Tokyo; Juuban District=
"You know, it's been a few weeks already," Minako began worriedly. "That boy disappeared with that youma. You don't think he's dead now, do you?"
"Maybe," Makoto said sadly. "Sigh, and he looked like my old semapi."
"This... this is unheard off," Ami began. "I mean, when did we hear a youma just take a human, and not just drain him?"
"Maybe she just likes him, and maybe he just likes her," Usagi said, chopping down on an ice cream cone. "I mean, that just means that there is also love in youmas, right?"
Makoto and Minako pretended to throw up. "A human and a youma? Not on my shift..." they both said.
"What about the Outers?" Rei finally spoke. "Do they know anything?"
Ami shrugged her shoulders. "Haruka, Hotaru and Michiru don't know anything. Pluto is still... Pluto."
"Man, she never says anything!" Rei replied.
"I wish I had her power so I can see what happened to that hunk!" Minako said pleadingly.
=Ragnarok; The Real World=
"Okay, everyone patched in?" Rei asked. Five simultaneous heads nodded. "Okay, so everyone please try to be careful. I don't want any of you, my guinea pigs, to be damaged, alright?"
Mai laughed. "Don't worry Rei-chan! We'll bring your Ranma hunk back in one piece!"
Rei blushed. "Shut up!"
"Don't worry, Rei-chan," Ranma said seriously, his eyes closed. "Just guide us and we'll be back in no time."
"S-sure, Ranma-dono..." Rei replied, and began typing the commands.
=Crystal Tokyo=
In one empty apartment, a lone phone began to ring. It rang for a few times, until out of the blue, five people were on the background, each with black coats and pants and shades. Ranma blinked as he saw the obscuring opaque glasses in his eyes. He took them off.
Beryl picked up the phone, and said in a neutral voice. "We are here. Yes..." she frowned. "But Rei-chan... oh, fine... Ranma?" Beryl called.
"Yeah?" Ranma replied.
"For you," Beryl said, bringing the phone towards him. Ranma blinked, and took the phone.
"Hello, Rei-chan? Yeah... yeah... what about it? Hey... But I don't wanna...! You got to be shittin me!" Ranma cursed the last part softly. "Oh fine... fine... Alright!" and he gave the phone back to Beryl.
Mai, Tama and Rahme looked at each other, and then to Ranma. "What was that all about?" Tama asked.
"Rei 'asked' me to wear my glasses, but I don't wanna," Ranma replied, sighing silently. "But she said that if I didn't, she'd... uh... nothing."
"She was going to do what?" Mai asked.
"Nothing, hahaha!" Ranma began to scratch his head nervously. She won't do anything but tell the others that I like girls with short hair... Ranma thought nervously. He noticed that the girls would go heights to please him, and if he said that he likes girls with short hair, they would cut their real hair short, and ask Rei to cut their digital hair. He sighed. Rei had researched him well. He put on his glasses and blindly followed the girls, and thought about the Oracle he was going to meet.
During those times of thinking, he unwittingly followed the girls around the interior of the building, and only when they got out, where the sun shone on his face, did his train of thoughts were derailed. He blinked, and his irises adjusted as the sun shone brightly. He smiled. The air was so Japan, and his surroundings were the same. It was almost impossible to say that everything around him was fake. He sighed.
Ranma took a look around him, and realized something. "Hey, this is where you guys brought me from before..." and he was right. Mai brought him exactly at the same spot where they freed his mind.
"Yes Ranma," Beryl replied. "This building is our meeting point. If you get lost in CT [Crystal Tokyo] all you have to do is go here."
"Oh, okay," Ranma replied. The girls smiled. Ranma smiled back nervously. "So, uh, where do we find this Oracle guy?"
"The Oracle is a woman," Beryl replied, smiling.
"Really?" Ranma asked, surprised.
"Sigh, you still are a male chauvinist," Beryl sighed. "I bet when you first heard about me from Mai, you though I was male, right?"
Ranma froze. He slowly put his hand behind him, then began laughing forcefully and nervously. "Hahahahaha? You really thinks so? I wasn't, really!"
"Liar!" Mai exclaimed, frowning, putting her arms on her chest. "You always asked, 'When can I meet this Beryl guy?'"
"EHK!" Ranma choked, and looked at Beryl, expecting to see her angry. He was so surprised that she was actually smirking, not insulted, and enjoying the conversation. He found it weird, and a bit of welcoming from the glares of Akane.
"Okay, Tama, and Rahme, watch this place, and escape if the Senshis detect you," Beryl ordered calmly.
"Don't worry, we won't use our KI so we can cover ourselves for some time," Tama replied.
"Why won't you use your KI?" Ranma asked.
"KI is easily detected by the Senshis," Rahme explained. "They can find us much more easily if we use our KI."
"Which is why we are going to the Oracle by car," Beryl said. Ranma blinked, and looked back at Beryl.
"Huh? We won't just walk there, or jump?" Ranma asked. He was curious if his skills improved with KI, and wanted to try it out. He couldn't wait to see the face of the old ghoul that he can now jumped 10 times longer horizontally than he could before.
Beryl smiled. "I know you want to try your skills Ranma, but as Rahme said, if we use our KI, the Senshis could find us. And while walking won't arouse suspicion from normal people, they could easily recognize Mai or me."
"You guys fought the Senshis before?" Ranma asked, surprised. That was the first time he heard it.
"We did," Mai replied quickly, looking at Ranma, her eyes clearly saying 'Do not ask'. Then, she looked back at Beryl. "I called it when we arrived. It said it should be arriving around..." a taxi drove slowly towards the front of the building, in front of Beryl, Mai and Ranma. "... now."
Ranma looked at the taxi, and to Mai. He smirked. "Hey, you brought enough money?"
Rahme and Tama were awarded a sight of Mai trying to stuff Ranma in the trunk.
+++++++
Ranma watched the scene pass through the window. People living their lives, not really knowing the truth. He sighed, and looked at the other side. He saw a mob of girls chasing a diminutive form with a large bag on his back in the background, a bit far away. "Dirty old lech," Ranma chuckled. He looked towards his right again, and saw Ucchan's. "Damn... I miss them."
"Miss who?" Mai asked.
"My friends," Ranma replied sadly. He pointed at the entrance of the Cat Café, and smiled. "See that restaurant? It is owned by one of the matriarchs of the Amazon. She taught me a lot of things about KI manipulations."
"She is 300 years old," Beryl replied. "In her life, she would have more or less, able to harness KI, but not to the extent of ours."
"You mean that right now, I'm stronger than the old ghoul?" Ranma asked excitedly.
"You can wipe the floor with her, as you can say," Beryl said, smiling at his enthusiasm.
Ranma smirked. He couldn't wait... then, he realized that he'll never see them again. He sighed. "I have many memories of them. What does it mean?"
Mai stayed silent, while Beryl looked at him. "It doesn't mean anything. You lived your life, no matter how fake it is. That is one of those things which can make us human," Beryl replied.
Ranma nodded silently. He looked towards Beryl. "Anyway, who is this Oracle?"
Beryl smiled at the change of subject. "The Oracle is one of those gifted people to be able to show people their paths. She is a guide for us, a light, which can lead us to our destinies."
"Sounds like a old woman with a crystal ball," Ranma replied without thinking. "Is she always correct?"
"Don't think things like black and white," Mai replied coldly. "As Beryl-san has said, she is a guide."
Ranma blinked. "Geez, what gotten your panties all crooked? Is it one of those days?"
The Taxi suddenly skewered left, then right, then left, then right as Ranma tried to dodge every punch Mai was sending on his way...
+++++++
Finally, after a grueling chase of fist and face, Ranma, Mai and Beryl finally arrive at the place where the Oracle is residing. Looking around him, he saw he was in one of the darker parts of Juuban. The smell wasn't that bad, but the surroundings were sorrowful. People with ragged clothes, dirty skin, naked small children. He looked at them sadly.
Beryl, Mai and him passed by them without a word, and they, in turn, didn't even seem to respond to their presence.
Finally, after walking for a few minutes, Beryl and Mai stopped in front of a battered building. Ranma could see the age through the cracks in it. Entering, the three figures walked inside the building. The interior was just as shabby as the outside, and just as old looking. Walking inside the halls, Beryl pressed a button to call down an elevator. Waiting for a few moments, Ranma wondered why it seems silence was implemented. Beryl and Mai were so silent, that Ranma thought someone died.
TING!
Ranma blinked as the door opened. He first noticed that the room was small, barely large enough for him and someone else. Beryl and Mai nodded to each other, and the former proceeded towards the elevator, and motioned Ranma to approach her.
Ranma squeezed himself a bit as he entered, and tried to give some space for Mai. Mai just shook her head, and Beryl pressed one of the buttons of the elevator, making the doors close.
Ranma looked at Beryl. "Why are we leaving Mai behind?"
"She's there to stand guard. We are meeting an important person, and the risks are high," Beryl replied. "We are taking the utmost precautions that nothing goes wrong."
Ranma nodded, and waited in silence as the elevator moved up. After a few minutes though, his curiosity overwhelmed him, and asked Beryl, "Beryl, did you meet the Oracle?"
Beryl looked like she was taken aback by Ranma's question, but she smiled. "Yes, I did."
"What did she tell you?" Ranma asked.
"She said I would find the boy who held Naia's consciousness," Beryl smiled. "And the boy would be able to beat a powerful program named Saffron."
Ranma blinked, and frowned. "Program? Saffron?" he asked. "You mean, Saffron was a program?"
"Yes, and a powerful one at that," Beryl smiled. "And you, a non-freed mind, beat him, using KI to destroy him. And imagine, that that program could go toe to toe with a group of Senshis, only to be beaten by you." Beryl smiled at him widely. "Either it was Naia's doing, or your own true effort, but either one, it seems we have a powerful ally. I, like what I said from the day we finally met, am honored to have met you."
Ranma blushed, and kept quiet after that...
TING!
The doors opened, and Beryl took the first step out. Ranma followed her lead, and both walked into a narrow corridor. Time passed by faster than Ranma could anticipate. It was either of his excitement, or his fear of what he might discover after he talked with the so called Oracle.
Ranma was so busy with his thoughts that he bumped into Beryl's back. "Ow..." Ranma muttered softly. Looking up, he saw Beryl frozen stiff. "Hey, Beryl, are we here?"
Beryl looked at Ranma, and nodded. Motioning the door, Beryl began, "Ranma, before you enter this door, I must tell you one thing."
"What is it Beryl-san?" Ranma asked.
"That from here on, it will be your choice what to do. I can only show you the door, but only you can walk through it," Beryl said neutrally.
Ranma nodded, and grabbed the doorknob and suddenly pushed to open the door...
BANG!!
Ranma froze, as he felt the door bang on something hard. "Uh... what was that?"
Beryl frowned, and peaked at the narrow opening at the door. She suddenly gasped. "OH MY GOODNESS! YOU JUST HIT THE ORACLE'S CARETAKER!"
Ranma twitched, and his legs were ready to run...
+++++++
"Please wait HERE with the other gifted ones," the girl who Ranma accidentally knocked unconscious with the door ordered him with the coldest voice Ranma has ever heard. Ranma smiled nervously, and waited for the girl to walk away.
When she did, Ranma let out a very relieved breath. The girl was scary when she was angry, and more so when she had a bandage on her head [Ranma opened the door so forcefully, that a wound opened]. The way she glared at him, it was worse than ten Akane's put together.
Looking around him, he suddenly looked surprised at as the girl left him alone with other 'gifted' ones. They were a group of males, all of them looking behind a 'Playboy' magazine, and were drooling.
Ranma didn't have any idea why they would be doing so, but yet, Ranma felt something was wrong with their drooling. Ranma felt it, and was about to ask when he finally noticed it. Their saliva never seems to reach the floor.
"They are like that," a female voice said behind Ranma. Surprised, Ranma turned around, and his eyes feasted on a curvy girl, red head with a school uniform licking a lollipop. Ranma felt his jaw was hanging, so clamped it shut. The girl must have noticed, because she laughed. "Ne... how cute."
Ranma coughed, and tried to laugh with her. He didn't have a chance because the girl dove towards him, placing her face near his', staring at his eyes. Ranma stared back, and he found himself lost on the girl's blue eyes. "Uh... what are you doing?" Ranma asked.
The girl smiled, and moved her head away a bit. Ranma relaxed, and looked at the girl again. She was really pretty. "Oh, I'm trying to find out more about you..." she said with a smile. "So far, I know you are a kind man, a gentleman, and have no real lewd thoughts. You've been broken by wrong ideas, making your mind closed to other wonderful aspects in life."
"Like what?" Ranma asked, curious.
"Like sex!" the girl replied, shaking her head. She seems to feel sorry for Ranma for not even knowing! "You know love already, but sex..." she shook her head.
Ranma choked. The girl was embarrassing him! "H-hey! How'd you even say that you now know about me? We just met!"
"It's in your eyes," the girl said wistfully. She sighed. "You're going to be a loyal husband. I'm so jealous of the woman who you will marry..." The girl took another lick at the lollipop, and let some of her saliva moisten the candy. She handed it to Ranma. The boy looked at the girl with confusion, and he just waved his hand.
"Sorry, but no thanks," Ranma said nervously.
The girl giggled softly. "Watch this..." and she stared at her candy. Ranma looked at curiosity, and tried to see what she was trying to do, and then, to Ranma's amazement, the lollipop bent extended, and bent down. And it wasn't the stick! It was the candy itself!
"How...?" Ranma couldn't finish her sentence, as he watched the saliva seem to dribble out of the lollipop, drying it, and the liquid fell towards the ground. Then, Ranma watched with amazement as the liquid stopped in mid air, just a few centimeters from the floor.
"Whoa... how'd you do that?" Ranma asked. The girls just shrugged her shoulders.
"Easy. I just know the truth."
"What truth?" Ranma asked.
"Nothing is real in this world. Nothing," the girl replied. Then she smiled. "And about the liquid not going to the floor... the Oracle doesn't want dirt in her floor. She put some kind of program, which prevents dirt or any other things on the floor. Speaking of which, it seems you're going to see her now."
Ranma was about to ask about what she said, when he felt a tap on his shoulders. Turning around, he smiled nervously as he greeted the girl who he accidentally hurt. "The Oracle will see you now," she said coldly.
Ranma nodded, and stood up. Looking back at the girl with the lollipop, he waved a bit, and followed the other woman towards another part of the apartment.
The girl smiled, and looked wistfully at Ranma's back. "I wish your father hooked me up with you..."
+++++++
"Please go in," the girl woman with the banged head said coldly, and literally shoved Ranma towards another door. The boy just let everything go with the flow, and sighed as the woman closed the door behind him with a slam. Taking a look around, he saw himself in the kitchen.
"Why, hello," another female voice said from his left. Ranma jumped up a bit in surprise, and looked towards where the voice was coming from, and found himself staring to at another set of red eyes staring back at his.
"WAH!" Ranma jumped back in surprise, and fell over something behind him. He heard something shatter, and some cold liquid in his back. He then felt a tingle in his body, and sudden tightness in his chest.
"Well, the rumors were true," the woman in front of Ranma said calmly, smiling a bit. "You really do look like 'her'."
"W-who are you?!" Ranma demanded.
"What? I'm the Oracle," the woman replied. Ranma stared at the woman more intently. She looked young... mature young, sexy, and had her green hair tied in a ponytail behind her. Her red eyes were boring into him, scrutinizing him. "She really looks like you."
"You... you're the Oracle?" Ranma asked.
"Not what you expected?" the Oracle asked. Ranma-chan was shook her head.
"Well, not really..." Ranma-chan replied.
"Well you turn to a girl, and the girl who looked like Naia," the Oracle replied.
"Do you have hot water?" Ranma asked.
"Right in the sink, kid," the Oracle replied. Ranma nodded his thanks, and approached the sink. Turning the tap with the red dot, he helped himself with the pouring hot water.
"Thanks," Ranma replied, now male again.
"No problem, kid," the Oracle replied. The Oracle moved towards the oven, and bent down. "Sigh... it'll take a while."
"What will take a while?" Ranma asked.
"The cookies I'm trying to bake," the Oracle replied. "Hey, taste some before you leave, okay?"
"Uh... sure," Ranma replied, scratching behind his head. "So, um, Beryl asked me to meet you... like... I don't know."
The Oracle smiled kind of sadly. "You don't know why you are here?"
Ranma shook his head.
"Well... it all comes to this..."
To Be Continued...
NEXT: The Oracle explains everything to Ranma... or what Ranma needs to know. What will he find out?
Author's Note: This sucks... college, exams, it's taking my time away, and I can't get to improve this writing of mine! I read it all, and it sucks! Sigh, I have to get the next chapter better. Ja ne!