Reunited We Stand
Mousse stepped through the door of the Nekohaten a little after dark. Had the restaurant been open tonight it would have been filled with customers out enjoying the foreign food and atmosphere. Instead it was silent and appeared lifeless. Much like the girl he carried over his shoulder.
Appearances in both cases were deceiving.
Cologne rested in a chair by the counter, her cane lying across her lap as she watched the door. Mousse wondered idly if she had watched it all afternoon. If she was surprised to see the state of Petra, she didn't show it. Her expression didn't shift but her eyes followed him as he stepped inside.
She showed no more surprise when Gosunkugi walk in still wearing his business suit and carrying his brief case. Mousse felt oddly disappointed.
"Well?" was all that she asked him as her half-lidded eyes gazed in his direction. There was no mistaking the topic of her question. In truth, Mousse rather wished she had asked about anything but that.
This wasn't his fight and he wasn't looking to get involved in one. From what he had seen Petra do on the rooftops he knew this would not be an easy one should he somehow get dragged into this.
On the other hand, he had seen the gateway that Petra had been so worried about. It was no threat to anybody, Gosunkugi was seeing to that. That was a story for the old hag. As much as he wanted to know, he wasn't in the mood for it tonight.
"We found the portal," he told her truthfully as he scowled at her impatience. His blind eyes didn't waver from the old woman under her stare as they might have once. "It's sealed. I don't think we have anything to worry about."
"No, I don't suppose you do think anything of the sort," she answered without sounding impressed by his judgement. He felt his control waiver for the briefest of moments before he made his way to one of the booths. He lowered Petra on the cushioned seat, perhaps a little too hurriedly, and made his way toward the stairs. He wasn't in the mood to argue.
"And who are you, young man?" Cologne questioned Gosunkugi next as she bounced on her cane to Petra's still form. "What part do you play in this?"
Mousse listened as he headed for the stairs with half interest. He smirked at the thought that all this worry had been headed off by the likes of the Furinkan voodoo master. Gosunkugi stuttered. Somehow that wasn't surprising, considering the boy of the past. Given enough time, Gosunkugi may have even completed introducing himself. As it turned out, he didn't.
The wall exploded inward next to the stairwell. Broken boards and wooden splinters assaulted Mousse as he lifted his long sleeves to protect himself while he cursed whoever had mistaken the wall for a door.
That was when the creature made a noise that sounded like a cross between a growl and a freight train. Mousse looked over the top of his arm at the glowing power that had burst through the side of his restaurant. Once more he told himself that this was not his fight.
Not that he had much choice.
Walking in the dimly lit corridors of the old mansion was never anything less than something of a bad suspense flick. Tasuki listened to each of his footsteps as they echoed loudly along the stone floors. It was the only sound to be heard. None of the other occupants seemed to be about to break the silence this evening.
Tasuki closed his eyes and remembered back before when these same halls had been filled with laughter. Auntie Sonoda had dozens of young teens living here always ready to help each other. The house had been home then. Now it was just a roof over his head while he waited for life to start again.
Opening his eyes again he stopped suddenly to avoid crashing into another of the residents. Maeko Sachi stood silently watching him in the hall in a manor of dark contemplation. One of his sister's friends, a more recent addition. This one was forever silent but at the same time Tasuki knew that her skills were top notch. She was short tempered and a ruthless fighter.
His eyes were drawn to the midnight black choker that circled her neck. He noted the harsh edges of the massive scarring that the material nearly hid and wondered if perhaps she hadn't already killed at some point.
"Good evening, Mae," he spoke carefully so as not to provoke another battle between them. As it was, the fighting between them had been too frequent. Their fights ended up draws more often than not, but not due to any skill on his part.
Mae nodded in greeting, though her manor had not warmed up to him. The scarred fighter's dark hair roped down her back in a long black pony-tail while she dressed in likewise black clothing. It made her look pale and bloodless in even in the light of day.
With a sigh, Tasuki tried to ease some of the tension that seemed forever between them. "Do you know if Miyuki is up yet?"
Mae was still a moment before she nodded once. The corners of her mouth tipped into a frown as she did so. She lifted a hand to her ear and made like it was talking into her ear.
"Again?" he responded uneasily. It was not a good sign. His sister was becoming increasingly unstable it seemed with the passing of each day. Even Maeko had picked that up. "Okay, thank you Mae. Tea is ready in the kitchen if you want some."
Mae hesitated for a moment, staring into his eyes in a very disconcerting way. She broke the moment with a dull nod, and while still not smiling, she stepped past him and headed for the kitchen.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, Tasuki put the moment behind him and composed himself for the task at hand. Meeting Mae didn't help his beginning feelings of paranoia. This wing of the complex seemed to always be dark no matter how many lights were switched on. The shadows seemed to shift and move about on their own in search of the best spots to lurk.
On reaching his sister's room he paused at the door and listened. He could hear her speaking, as Mae had noted, but as he suspected there was no answer to her words. Had this been anybody else, Tasuki would have thought little of it. Despite the old building, he was quite familiar with the telephone. Miyuki despised technology however. Torches would still light the house had it not become an issue with the other residents.
Telephones were something that was not a necessity however. The tenants were allowed their cell phones, provided they went unseen by Miyuki. Tasuki's own was in several pieces and he had yet to replace it since it rang in her presence.
"Miyuki," he spoke as he knocked on the door. "Dinner is ready."
Miyuki's voice dropped to a whisper as she hushed her imagined companion. "I will be right out, Tasuki. Thank you."
"Don't wait too long, it'll get cold."
"Yes, thank you," she continued forcefully. Tasuki was already turning away from the closed door however. It was disheartening to hear his sister lose her mind, but she would not accept any help.
"Tasuki. Wait." Or perhaps she would, Tasuki thought hopefully as he stopped again. The thought was quickly banished again as too optimistic to be real.
"Yes, Miyuki?"
"Please, come inside."
Intrigued, Tasuki did as she asked. Miyuki's room was dark, lit only by a pair of small candles. Heavy curtains blocked the fading sunlight from the window. The items illuminated enough to see ranged from exotic perfumes to arcane objects. Shadows danced and played over everything.
Hidden in the shadows was his sister, though he could only make out her shape. He could tell that she was dressed in her school uniform, despite it being a Saturday. There was also the point that she had not been to that school in twelve years.
"Why don't you open the blind? It's dark in here," he suggested, knowing that she would not accept his opinion.
"Does the dark make you uncomfortable, Tasuki?" He pretended not to hear the odd mocking tone that slipped into her voice as she spoke to him.
"I haven't been afraid of the dark since I was five."
"There are still things in the dark you should fear. There are always those that lurk in the shadows in wait for opportunity." She cackled in a mildly disturbing way tossing her head back in full manic glee.
"Miyuki."
She calmed herself slowly, sounding slightly miffed at being interrupted. "Yes, Tasuki. Very well." A flame appeared illuminating the room. It hovered over her palm as she held it out and upright in front of her. "Better?"
"Much," he admitted as he could see her face now. She was indeed wearing her school uniform and her long brown hair was still styled in that odd double ponytail she had taken to. A perfect middle school image. Pity she wasn't.
As for the magical flame, it was hardly worth noting. His sister was a master of fire magic. A number of the residents were also heavily into magic. A simple fire like that was hardly a challenge to Miyuki.
"Tasuki, there is a task I would have you complete for me tonight."
Tasuki frowned. "Is there something you need?"
"In a manor of speaking," Miyuki answered. "There is a young man who needs to be convinced not to interfere with Mr. Flowerpot's plans. You will convince him." Miyuki spoke in deceptively calm tones that made Tasuki question how far her sanity had fallen. Nevermind that she believed her flowerpot was plotting.
"You wish me to beat a total stranger into submission?"
"If necessary I would have you kill him but it is not."
It didn't take him a second to think about an answer. "No."
"You are defying me?"
"I am," he answered his older sister in the same tone.
"Very well, you may leave." Tasuki frowned but nodded in acceptance with her wishes. He turned to leave but she stopped him with her next request. "Tasuki, would you send Maeko to see me?"
"Mae?" he repeated feeling certain he would not like her reasons for her request.
"Yes, is it an unusual request for me to send for my dear friend?"
Tasuki gritted his teeth. For Mae to convince anybody of something she would have to write notes or do something far more permanent. Judging from what he saw of her, he expected the latter. "Fine. I shall visit this man for you. In the morning. But I want to know everything."
"Of course, dear Tasuki." Her ready agreement was rather unsettling.
Nabiki sat on the steps and marveled at the way Ranma moved. It was morning, it was early, and it was the day of reckoning, but Ranma Saotome would not be changed no matter how much he and his wife protested otherwise. Wearing a simply sleeveless shirt and loose fitting pants, the martial artist displayed his prowess in a single-minded performance that made the rest of the world stand still.
Watching over a steaming cup of coffee, Nabiki studied Ranma's katas with a trained eye. He moved with unrivaled grace and skill across the grass in which Ukyo normally practiced her art. He wasn't flying like in days past, instead he stayed firmly planted on the ground and used techniques deemed normal by the rest of the world. But Ranma, of course, was not to be contained by such terms as 'normal'. He performed them at a level of skill far beyond the accepted limitations.
A pair of stray thoughts connected in Nabiki's mind. She watched his style and was able to follow every move. There were none of the improvisations known to their joined family art. "That's why nobody found you," she said to him, the interruption causing him to pause. Ranma looked surprised to see her sitting there and all she offered was a smile in return.
"What?" he asked as he made his way over to her. His breathing was slightly higher than normal and his shirt was damp, but he moved with legs that were still fresh.
She lifted her mug to him, still grinning. "Would you like a coffee? Or tea? Ukyo should be up soon to make breakfast. She's scheduled to work today at one of the restaurants this morning otherwise she would have wanted to come with us."
"No thanks," he answered, squatting so that he was the same height as she was. "So do I have to pay you to finish that thought?"
"Which?" she asked innocently. Ranma scowled but she wasn't going to torture him today. "I'll put it on your tab, Saotome." Though she acted out the mercenary voice the smile on her face contradicted her tone. "I figured out why nobody could find you. You're not practicing Anything Goes any more and without that visual marker you don't stand out."
Ranma grinned at her observation. "Close, but no. I still practice Anything Goes, but I do it at night or in secluded areas. I just adapted to my situation."
Nabiki sipped thoughtfully. He was waiting for her to build on her guess and she was hoping not to disappoint him. There was something about the way he phrased his answer. 'I still practice Anything Goes, but...' So he practiced more often, but he did other styles during the day. Other styles. He practiced other styles by day. "You got your dojo."
Ranma's grin bloomed into a full fledge smile. "Not yet, but you're close enough. Akane and I were both teaching at a couple of dojos. It's not riches, but it pays the bills and we enjoyed it. She's going nuts right now with Taka-chan. Patience was never one of Akane's strong points, was it?"
"No, can't say that it was," Nabiki answered with a grin of her own. Ranma had understood more about teaching martial arts than Nabiki had given him credit for. He planned to get his name around in the martial arts world as a teacher before wasting money on his own building. He would have his classes before the dojo was ever built. "You really have grown up."
"Heh, maybe I did," Ranma answered. "I didn't want Taka-chan to go through what I did."
"She looks like you," Nabiki told the young father as she thought of dozens of ways to tease him. A glass of water would have sufficed and she scolded herself for not thinking of it sooner.
Ranma was oblivious to all but what he wanted to hear, however. "She does?" he asked, grinning in that oblivious pride only a father seemed to adopt.
"Oh yes," she drawled as she pulled in her smile as tightly as she could. "Those crystal blue eyes, her sharp features. She's going to be a heart breaker." Ranma beamed with pride. "All she needs to complete the image is the red hair."
And that brief moment where Ranma froze with his mouth open and his eyes gazing emptily was worth the early start to her morning. She didn't laugh, but she did chuckle proudly at her shot.
Ranma's laughter followed shortly after. "Never did find a cure."
To that Nabiki was surprised. "You haven't been a girl since you've got here," she stated uncertain why Ranma didn't seem more disappointed. Even her own feelings on the subject seemed mixed. Somehow it seemed like the curse made Ranma whole.
"It doesn't happen so often any more," Ranma admitted as she listened attentively, "but I'm still cursed. Think it was last week when some kids with water balloons nailed me from a rooftop." He didn't sound at all upset by his lack of a cure and Nabiki watched him carefully for the old tells.
"You don't seem bothered," she prompted when she didn't see any.
"I'm not. What's the point? Akane didn't mind and it wasn't going to go away, so getting all upset about it wasn't going to help." Ranma shifted himself over and sat down on the stairs beside her.
"What about the man among men? What does your mother think of this?"
"Don't see her all that often," Ranma admitted. "Sure, she doesn't really want me dead, but it's not an ideal place for Takami. My folks may mean well but be honest, would you take your daughter to see them?"
"I haven't got a daughter," Nabiki reminded him tonelessly. He merely looked at her with a solid unwavering stare and she gave in. It certainly wasn't a secret that Ranma's parents were loons. "Okay, okay. You're right. The great Nabiki bows to your superior intellect." She paused only a second and took in the shining gleam in her brother-in-law's eyes. "How long have you been waiting to hear that?"
"Long time. Admittedly, most of that time I had been wrong and didn't want to believe it." He shrugged and look to the sky. "What time are we going?"
Nabiki winced through her next sip of coffee. The bitter liquid became tasteless as her good mood soured. "Well," she answered, buying herself more time as she followed that up with another sip.
More time was granted, but not in a way that Nabiki could control nor could she answer. In typical fashion, a martial artist stepped in to challenge Ranma. He had been out of hiding only a day and a challenger had located her home to get him. The young man leapt over her fence and landed on his feet facing them, his partly bleached brown hair flashing almost blonde in the morning sun. He was shorter than Ranma and rather lanky. In fact, he didn't look at all threatening compared to the old rivals Ranma faced. This of course set Nabiki on edge because around Ranma, non-threatening meant trouble.
"I've one word of advice for you Ranma Saotome," the young man proclaimed in a confident but cold voice. "Don't. Don't get involved or this will be a battle you'll regret."
"Only one goin'a be sorry is you," an immediately defensive Ranma answered. Nabiki blinked. She could have sworn his voice sounded younger. She reconsidered when she realized she had misheard and overlayed what she had expected him to say. She could tell this by the answer from the challenger.
"The name's Tasuki. Just Tasuki. And you're quite right, we don't need to fight." Tasuki shifted slightly as if expecting to be attacked. "But only if you agree to go home and forget about this. Please don't see the Amazons today. Enjoy your life."
Whatever Ranma's expression, Nabiki did note that he didn't take the threat of violence lightly. He prepared himself much the same way as he would against any fighter he took seriously.
Nabiki stood up and tossed the contents of her cup onto the grass. She wanted to go wake up Ukyo to help out, but more often than not others just got in Ranma's way.
"Tasuki, if you don't want to get hurt, leave now." Ranma didn't sound mocking, but his voice was cool to the stranger. "If you want to interfere with my life, then you're in for a world of hurt."
"If that's your choice. For your information however, you'll have to hit me to hurt me," Tasuki stated solemnly as he settled into a simple combat stance. He hovered there for a moment before charging to the attack. Tasuki fired off several hard punches but Ranma simply blocked them without effort.
A kick was dodged.
A fist stopped without making contact.
Ranma didn't appear at all threatened but he wasn't going to sit back and wait. He blocked another fist and struck back. Only his fist passed through Tasuki. Both fighters paused. Tasuki smirked at Ranma and chuckled softly. Nabiki nearly fell over in shock. Ranma stood with his arm still fully extended through Tasuki's chest, but his fist emerged clear through the other side without injury to either fighter.
"Ordinarily, I admit I wouldn't be much of a match for you, but I told you that you had to hit me first," Tasuki commented in amusement. Then he decked the still surprised Ranma across the face. Tasuki's fist was solid and drove Ranma backwards.
"How?" Nabiki gasped as Ranma rubbed his face and regarded his opponent. Tasuki paused and looked from Ranma to her without looking too concerned.
"Magic," he told her as he produced a coin from between his fingers in a corny magic trick. "It's an old magic and you will forgive me if I don't tell you how I have come by it," he told them as he rolled the coin along his fingers, "but needless to say it makes me an interesting opponent, even for the likes of you Ranma."
Ranma nodded in understanding and regrouped to do combat again. "Not the first time I've dealt with magic."
Tasuki returned his attention to Ranma almost reluctantly. "But it's your first time dealing with me. Neither of us really want to fight. You just return home and I'll leave. I give you my word I will not harm you or any of your friends."
"And I should believe you?" Ranma asked. "It's not like you fight honorably."
"Honor has no place in a fight," Tasuki responded bluntly. "Honor is better suited for how you live your life between your fights. I stand by my word."
"If you're so honorable, then why are you attacking us?" Ranma asked as he studied the magical fighter.
"I've got reasons," responded Tasuki defensively. "They're personal, but honorable reasons. Believe it or not, I have your best interests in mind."
Ranma wouldn't back down from the fight though. "I won't have you or anybody else dictating whether or not I can see my friends." Nabiki boggled at the thought of Cologne being classed as a 'friend.' "You're not that tough. Without your magic trick you wouldn't last five minutes."
Tasuki merely nodded and pressed his attacks again. Nabiki watched and wondered what would drive the obviously out-classed martial artist to battle Ranma. Tasuki could not get an attack through because of Ranma's speed and skill, but Ranma would eventually land a substantial blow.
Nabiki nervously wondered why nobody else had appeared by her side, despite the knowledge that they barely would have had time to wake up and dress themselves by this point. The fight hadn't lasted more than two minutes, but it felt like an eternity.
And then Ranma did something she had almost expected. He moved with one of Tasuki's punches and threw the other fighter through the air by his forearm. Nabiki wondered in that moment if her expression matched Tasuki's as their eyes met. He was flying right for her on the stairs and she was too stunned to move. That was the worse part. She knew she should get out of the way, she had enough time had she reacted, but her legs seemed to be made of stone.
She closed her eyes and raised her arms in a feeble effort to protect herself from Tasuki's flying mass. He screamed at her to move but still nothing. For a moment she thought she felt a light breeze over the exposed skin on her arms, but the dreaded impact never occurred. Opening her eyes, Nabiki found only Ranma racing towards her with concern in his eyes. Of Tasuki there was no sign.
"What just happened?" she demanded still trying to get her heart rate to settle. Martial arts had very nearly hurt her again in a more physical sense this time.
"He did that magical thing and went through you and fell into the ground." Ranma answered hurriedly. "Are you okay?" The concern in his eyes was honest, she knew, as was the obvious signs of guilt. It didn't mean she had forgiven him just yet.
"Yeah, fine," she answered dryly as she looked at the wooden planks beneath her feet. Her mind focused more on what happened to Tasuki. Death had never been a second thought back in high school when Ranma and Akane sent martial artists over the horizon, but Tasuki had gone into the ground. The parallel was more than a little unsettling. "Do you think he's..." She drifted off and sought Ranma's eyes with her own.
"Yeah," Ranma answered unconvincingly. "Sure, we'll see him again. I'm not going to be scared off so he'll be back to fight me again."
Nabiki closed her eyes slowly and breathed in deeply. "Saotome, you're horrible at convincing even those who want to believe." She sniffed and looked about her yard. It seemed alien to her now. Like she was an invader on this land. She didn't know anything about magic, but she didn't think Tasuki was dead either. It was the uncertainty that bothered her. "I'm not hungry," she told him, not adding 'any more.' "As soon as you're ready we'll see the amazons." She was beginning to think that perhaps the sooner they left, the better.
Notes:
Well, it was a long time coming, but much of the work on this chapter would have future repercussions down the road. I had to portray the new characters in ways that they would react to each other in ways required to the story while still fitting into the world. Easy enough to do with Petra, not so easy with the likes of Tasuki and Mae.
I'm also playing with 's formatting. I hate what it does to text files. I like to have my paragraphs carefully indented and it doesn't seem to save that. Oh well, I'll solve that problem with experience.
Anyway, I have the upcoming scene at the Nekohaten half completed but it was getting rather long to fit into this chapter. Besides, who knows how long it could take to finish, eh?
Mousse stepped through the door of the Nekohaten a little after dark. Had the restaurant been open tonight it would have been filled with customers out enjoying the foreign food and atmosphere. Instead it was silent and appeared lifeless. Much like the girl he carried over his shoulder.
Appearances in both cases were deceiving.
Cologne rested in a chair by the counter, her cane lying across her lap as she watched the door. Mousse wondered idly if she had watched it all afternoon. If she was surprised to see the state of Petra, she didn't show it. Her expression didn't shift but her eyes followed him as he stepped inside.
She showed no more surprise when Gosunkugi walk in still wearing his business suit and carrying his brief case. Mousse felt oddly disappointed.
"Well?" was all that she asked him as her half-lidded eyes gazed in his direction. There was no mistaking the topic of her question. In truth, Mousse rather wished she had asked about anything but that.
This wasn't his fight and he wasn't looking to get involved in one. From what he had seen Petra do on the rooftops he knew this would not be an easy one should he somehow get dragged into this.
On the other hand, he had seen the gateway that Petra had been so worried about. It was no threat to anybody, Gosunkugi was seeing to that. That was a story for the old hag. As much as he wanted to know, he wasn't in the mood for it tonight.
"We found the portal," he told her truthfully as he scowled at her impatience. His blind eyes didn't waver from the old woman under her stare as they might have once. "It's sealed. I don't think we have anything to worry about."
"No, I don't suppose you do think anything of the sort," she answered without sounding impressed by his judgement. He felt his control waiver for the briefest of moments before he made his way to one of the booths. He lowered Petra on the cushioned seat, perhaps a little too hurriedly, and made his way toward the stairs. He wasn't in the mood to argue.
"And who are you, young man?" Cologne questioned Gosunkugi next as she bounced on her cane to Petra's still form. "What part do you play in this?"
Mousse listened as he headed for the stairs with half interest. He smirked at the thought that all this worry had been headed off by the likes of the Furinkan voodoo master. Gosunkugi stuttered. Somehow that wasn't surprising, considering the boy of the past. Given enough time, Gosunkugi may have even completed introducing himself. As it turned out, he didn't.
The wall exploded inward next to the stairwell. Broken boards and wooden splinters assaulted Mousse as he lifted his long sleeves to protect himself while he cursed whoever had mistaken the wall for a door.
That was when the creature made a noise that sounded like a cross between a growl and a freight train. Mousse looked over the top of his arm at the glowing power that had burst through the side of his restaurant. Once more he told himself that this was not his fight.
Not that he had much choice.
Walking in the dimly lit corridors of the old mansion was never anything less than something of a bad suspense flick. Tasuki listened to each of his footsteps as they echoed loudly along the stone floors. It was the only sound to be heard. None of the other occupants seemed to be about to break the silence this evening.
Tasuki closed his eyes and remembered back before when these same halls had been filled with laughter. Auntie Sonoda had dozens of young teens living here always ready to help each other. The house had been home then. Now it was just a roof over his head while he waited for life to start again.
Opening his eyes again he stopped suddenly to avoid crashing into another of the residents. Maeko Sachi stood silently watching him in the hall in a manor of dark contemplation. One of his sister's friends, a more recent addition. This one was forever silent but at the same time Tasuki knew that her skills were top notch. She was short tempered and a ruthless fighter.
His eyes were drawn to the midnight black choker that circled her neck. He noted the harsh edges of the massive scarring that the material nearly hid and wondered if perhaps she hadn't already killed at some point.
"Good evening, Mae," he spoke carefully so as not to provoke another battle between them. As it was, the fighting between them had been too frequent. Their fights ended up draws more often than not, but not due to any skill on his part.
Mae nodded in greeting, though her manor had not warmed up to him. The scarred fighter's dark hair roped down her back in a long black pony-tail while she dressed in likewise black clothing. It made her look pale and bloodless in even in the light of day.
With a sigh, Tasuki tried to ease some of the tension that seemed forever between them. "Do you know if Miyuki is up yet?"
Mae was still a moment before she nodded once. The corners of her mouth tipped into a frown as she did so. She lifted a hand to her ear and made like it was talking into her ear.
"Again?" he responded uneasily. It was not a good sign. His sister was becoming increasingly unstable it seemed with the passing of each day. Even Maeko had picked that up. "Okay, thank you Mae. Tea is ready in the kitchen if you want some."
Mae hesitated for a moment, staring into his eyes in a very disconcerting way. She broke the moment with a dull nod, and while still not smiling, she stepped past him and headed for the kitchen.
Breathing out a sigh of relief, Tasuki put the moment behind him and composed himself for the task at hand. Meeting Mae didn't help his beginning feelings of paranoia. This wing of the complex seemed to always be dark no matter how many lights were switched on. The shadows seemed to shift and move about on their own in search of the best spots to lurk.
On reaching his sister's room he paused at the door and listened. He could hear her speaking, as Mae had noted, but as he suspected there was no answer to her words. Had this been anybody else, Tasuki would have thought little of it. Despite the old building, he was quite familiar with the telephone. Miyuki despised technology however. Torches would still light the house had it not become an issue with the other residents.
Telephones were something that was not a necessity however. The tenants were allowed their cell phones, provided they went unseen by Miyuki. Tasuki's own was in several pieces and he had yet to replace it since it rang in her presence.
"Miyuki," he spoke as he knocked on the door. "Dinner is ready."
Miyuki's voice dropped to a whisper as she hushed her imagined companion. "I will be right out, Tasuki. Thank you."
"Don't wait too long, it'll get cold."
"Yes, thank you," she continued forcefully. Tasuki was already turning away from the closed door however. It was disheartening to hear his sister lose her mind, but she would not accept any help.
"Tasuki. Wait." Or perhaps she would, Tasuki thought hopefully as he stopped again. The thought was quickly banished again as too optimistic to be real.
"Yes, Miyuki?"
"Please, come inside."
Intrigued, Tasuki did as she asked. Miyuki's room was dark, lit only by a pair of small candles. Heavy curtains blocked the fading sunlight from the window. The items illuminated enough to see ranged from exotic perfumes to arcane objects. Shadows danced and played over everything.
Hidden in the shadows was his sister, though he could only make out her shape. He could tell that she was dressed in her school uniform, despite it being a Saturday. There was also the point that she had not been to that school in twelve years.
"Why don't you open the blind? It's dark in here," he suggested, knowing that she would not accept his opinion.
"Does the dark make you uncomfortable, Tasuki?" He pretended not to hear the odd mocking tone that slipped into her voice as she spoke to him.
"I haven't been afraid of the dark since I was five."
"There are still things in the dark you should fear. There are always those that lurk in the shadows in wait for opportunity." She cackled in a mildly disturbing way tossing her head back in full manic glee.
"Miyuki."
She calmed herself slowly, sounding slightly miffed at being interrupted. "Yes, Tasuki. Very well." A flame appeared illuminating the room. It hovered over her palm as she held it out and upright in front of her. "Better?"
"Much," he admitted as he could see her face now. She was indeed wearing her school uniform and her long brown hair was still styled in that odd double ponytail she had taken to. A perfect middle school image. Pity she wasn't.
As for the magical flame, it was hardly worth noting. His sister was a master of fire magic. A number of the residents were also heavily into magic. A simple fire like that was hardly a challenge to Miyuki.
"Tasuki, there is a task I would have you complete for me tonight."
Tasuki frowned. "Is there something you need?"
"In a manor of speaking," Miyuki answered. "There is a young man who needs to be convinced not to interfere with Mr. Flowerpot's plans. You will convince him." Miyuki spoke in deceptively calm tones that made Tasuki question how far her sanity had fallen. Nevermind that she believed her flowerpot was plotting.
"You wish me to beat a total stranger into submission?"
"If necessary I would have you kill him but it is not."
It didn't take him a second to think about an answer. "No."
"You are defying me?"
"I am," he answered his older sister in the same tone.
"Very well, you may leave." Tasuki frowned but nodded in acceptance with her wishes. He turned to leave but she stopped him with her next request. "Tasuki, would you send Maeko to see me?"
"Mae?" he repeated feeling certain he would not like her reasons for her request.
"Yes, is it an unusual request for me to send for my dear friend?"
Tasuki gritted his teeth. For Mae to convince anybody of something she would have to write notes or do something far more permanent. Judging from what he saw of her, he expected the latter. "Fine. I shall visit this man for you. In the morning. But I want to know everything."
"Of course, dear Tasuki." Her ready agreement was rather unsettling.
Nabiki sat on the steps and marveled at the way Ranma moved. It was morning, it was early, and it was the day of reckoning, but Ranma Saotome would not be changed no matter how much he and his wife protested otherwise. Wearing a simply sleeveless shirt and loose fitting pants, the martial artist displayed his prowess in a single-minded performance that made the rest of the world stand still.
Watching over a steaming cup of coffee, Nabiki studied Ranma's katas with a trained eye. He moved with unrivaled grace and skill across the grass in which Ukyo normally practiced her art. He wasn't flying like in days past, instead he stayed firmly planted on the ground and used techniques deemed normal by the rest of the world. But Ranma, of course, was not to be contained by such terms as 'normal'. He performed them at a level of skill far beyond the accepted limitations.
A pair of stray thoughts connected in Nabiki's mind. She watched his style and was able to follow every move. There were none of the improvisations known to their joined family art. "That's why nobody found you," she said to him, the interruption causing him to pause. Ranma looked surprised to see her sitting there and all she offered was a smile in return.
"What?" he asked as he made his way over to her. His breathing was slightly higher than normal and his shirt was damp, but he moved with legs that were still fresh.
She lifted her mug to him, still grinning. "Would you like a coffee? Or tea? Ukyo should be up soon to make breakfast. She's scheduled to work today at one of the restaurants this morning otherwise she would have wanted to come with us."
"No thanks," he answered, squatting so that he was the same height as she was. "So do I have to pay you to finish that thought?"
"Which?" she asked innocently. Ranma scowled but she wasn't going to torture him today. "I'll put it on your tab, Saotome." Though she acted out the mercenary voice the smile on her face contradicted her tone. "I figured out why nobody could find you. You're not practicing Anything Goes any more and without that visual marker you don't stand out."
Ranma grinned at her observation. "Close, but no. I still practice Anything Goes, but I do it at night or in secluded areas. I just adapted to my situation."
Nabiki sipped thoughtfully. He was waiting for her to build on her guess and she was hoping not to disappoint him. There was something about the way he phrased his answer. 'I still practice Anything Goes, but...' So he practiced more often, but he did other styles during the day. Other styles. He practiced other styles by day. "You got your dojo."
Ranma's grin bloomed into a full fledge smile. "Not yet, but you're close enough. Akane and I were both teaching at a couple of dojos. It's not riches, but it pays the bills and we enjoyed it. She's going nuts right now with Taka-chan. Patience was never one of Akane's strong points, was it?"
"No, can't say that it was," Nabiki answered with a grin of her own. Ranma had understood more about teaching martial arts than Nabiki had given him credit for. He planned to get his name around in the martial arts world as a teacher before wasting money on his own building. He would have his classes before the dojo was ever built. "You really have grown up."
"Heh, maybe I did," Ranma answered. "I didn't want Taka-chan to go through what I did."
"She looks like you," Nabiki told the young father as she thought of dozens of ways to tease him. A glass of water would have sufficed and she scolded herself for not thinking of it sooner.
Ranma was oblivious to all but what he wanted to hear, however. "She does?" he asked, grinning in that oblivious pride only a father seemed to adopt.
"Oh yes," she drawled as she pulled in her smile as tightly as she could. "Those crystal blue eyes, her sharp features. She's going to be a heart breaker." Ranma beamed with pride. "All she needs to complete the image is the red hair."
And that brief moment where Ranma froze with his mouth open and his eyes gazing emptily was worth the early start to her morning. She didn't laugh, but she did chuckle proudly at her shot.
Ranma's laughter followed shortly after. "Never did find a cure."
To that Nabiki was surprised. "You haven't been a girl since you've got here," she stated uncertain why Ranma didn't seem more disappointed. Even her own feelings on the subject seemed mixed. Somehow it seemed like the curse made Ranma whole.
"It doesn't happen so often any more," Ranma admitted as she listened attentively, "but I'm still cursed. Think it was last week when some kids with water balloons nailed me from a rooftop." He didn't sound at all upset by his lack of a cure and Nabiki watched him carefully for the old tells.
"You don't seem bothered," she prompted when she didn't see any.
"I'm not. What's the point? Akane didn't mind and it wasn't going to go away, so getting all upset about it wasn't going to help." Ranma shifted himself over and sat down on the stairs beside her.
"What about the man among men? What does your mother think of this?"
"Don't see her all that often," Ranma admitted. "Sure, she doesn't really want me dead, but it's not an ideal place for Takami. My folks may mean well but be honest, would you take your daughter to see them?"
"I haven't got a daughter," Nabiki reminded him tonelessly. He merely looked at her with a solid unwavering stare and she gave in. It certainly wasn't a secret that Ranma's parents were loons. "Okay, okay. You're right. The great Nabiki bows to your superior intellect." She paused only a second and took in the shining gleam in her brother-in-law's eyes. "How long have you been waiting to hear that?"
"Long time. Admittedly, most of that time I had been wrong and didn't want to believe it." He shrugged and look to the sky. "What time are we going?"
Nabiki winced through her next sip of coffee. The bitter liquid became tasteless as her good mood soured. "Well," she answered, buying herself more time as she followed that up with another sip.
More time was granted, but not in a way that Nabiki could control nor could she answer. In typical fashion, a martial artist stepped in to challenge Ranma. He had been out of hiding only a day and a challenger had located her home to get him. The young man leapt over her fence and landed on his feet facing them, his partly bleached brown hair flashing almost blonde in the morning sun. He was shorter than Ranma and rather lanky. In fact, he didn't look at all threatening compared to the old rivals Ranma faced. This of course set Nabiki on edge because around Ranma, non-threatening meant trouble.
"I've one word of advice for you Ranma Saotome," the young man proclaimed in a confident but cold voice. "Don't. Don't get involved or this will be a battle you'll regret."
"Only one goin'a be sorry is you," an immediately defensive Ranma answered. Nabiki blinked. She could have sworn his voice sounded younger. She reconsidered when she realized she had misheard and overlayed what she had expected him to say. She could tell this by the answer from the challenger.
"The name's Tasuki. Just Tasuki. And you're quite right, we don't need to fight." Tasuki shifted slightly as if expecting to be attacked. "But only if you agree to go home and forget about this. Please don't see the Amazons today. Enjoy your life."
Whatever Ranma's expression, Nabiki did note that he didn't take the threat of violence lightly. He prepared himself much the same way as he would against any fighter he took seriously.
Nabiki stood up and tossed the contents of her cup onto the grass. She wanted to go wake up Ukyo to help out, but more often than not others just got in Ranma's way.
"Tasuki, if you don't want to get hurt, leave now." Ranma didn't sound mocking, but his voice was cool to the stranger. "If you want to interfere with my life, then you're in for a world of hurt."
"If that's your choice. For your information however, you'll have to hit me to hurt me," Tasuki stated solemnly as he settled into a simple combat stance. He hovered there for a moment before charging to the attack. Tasuki fired off several hard punches but Ranma simply blocked them without effort.
A kick was dodged.
A fist stopped without making contact.
Ranma didn't appear at all threatened but he wasn't going to sit back and wait. He blocked another fist and struck back. Only his fist passed through Tasuki. Both fighters paused. Tasuki smirked at Ranma and chuckled softly. Nabiki nearly fell over in shock. Ranma stood with his arm still fully extended through Tasuki's chest, but his fist emerged clear through the other side without injury to either fighter.
"Ordinarily, I admit I wouldn't be much of a match for you, but I told you that you had to hit me first," Tasuki commented in amusement. Then he decked the still surprised Ranma across the face. Tasuki's fist was solid and drove Ranma backwards.
"How?" Nabiki gasped as Ranma rubbed his face and regarded his opponent. Tasuki paused and looked from Ranma to her without looking too concerned.
"Magic," he told her as he produced a coin from between his fingers in a corny magic trick. "It's an old magic and you will forgive me if I don't tell you how I have come by it," he told them as he rolled the coin along his fingers, "but needless to say it makes me an interesting opponent, even for the likes of you Ranma."
Ranma nodded in understanding and regrouped to do combat again. "Not the first time I've dealt with magic."
Tasuki returned his attention to Ranma almost reluctantly. "But it's your first time dealing with me. Neither of us really want to fight. You just return home and I'll leave. I give you my word I will not harm you or any of your friends."
"And I should believe you?" Ranma asked. "It's not like you fight honorably."
"Honor has no place in a fight," Tasuki responded bluntly. "Honor is better suited for how you live your life between your fights. I stand by my word."
"If you're so honorable, then why are you attacking us?" Ranma asked as he studied the magical fighter.
"I've got reasons," responded Tasuki defensively. "They're personal, but honorable reasons. Believe it or not, I have your best interests in mind."
Ranma wouldn't back down from the fight though. "I won't have you or anybody else dictating whether or not I can see my friends." Nabiki boggled at the thought of Cologne being classed as a 'friend.' "You're not that tough. Without your magic trick you wouldn't last five minutes."
Tasuki merely nodded and pressed his attacks again. Nabiki watched and wondered what would drive the obviously out-classed martial artist to battle Ranma. Tasuki could not get an attack through because of Ranma's speed and skill, but Ranma would eventually land a substantial blow.
Nabiki nervously wondered why nobody else had appeared by her side, despite the knowledge that they barely would have had time to wake up and dress themselves by this point. The fight hadn't lasted more than two minutes, but it felt like an eternity.
And then Ranma did something she had almost expected. He moved with one of Tasuki's punches and threw the other fighter through the air by his forearm. Nabiki wondered in that moment if her expression matched Tasuki's as their eyes met. He was flying right for her on the stairs and she was too stunned to move. That was the worse part. She knew she should get out of the way, she had enough time had she reacted, but her legs seemed to be made of stone.
She closed her eyes and raised her arms in a feeble effort to protect herself from Tasuki's flying mass. He screamed at her to move but still nothing. For a moment she thought she felt a light breeze over the exposed skin on her arms, but the dreaded impact never occurred. Opening her eyes, Nabiki found only Ranma racing towards her with concern in his eyes. Of Tasuki there was no sign.
"What just happened?" she demanded still trying to get her heart rate to settle. Martial arts had very nearly hurt her again in a more physical sense this time.
"He did that magical thing and went through you and fell into the ground." Ranma answered hurriedly. "Are you okay?" The concern in his eyes was honest, she knew, as was the obvious signs of guilt. It didn't mean she had forgiven him just yet.
"Yeah, fine," she answered dryly as she looked at the wooden planks beneath her feet. Her mind focused more on what happened to Tasuki. Death had never been a second thought back in high school when Ranma and Akane sent martial artists over the horizon, but Tasuki had gone into the ground. The parallel was more than a little unsettling. "Do you think he's..." She drifted off and sought Ranma's eyes with her own.
"Yeah," Ranma answered unconvincingly. "Sure, we'll see him again. I'm not going to be scared off so he'll be back to fight me again."
Nabiki closed her eyes slowly and breathed in deeply. "Saotome, you're horrible at convincing even those who want to believe." She sniffed and looked about her yard. It seemed alien to her now. Like she was an invader on this land. She didn't know anything about magic, but she didn't think Tasuki was dead either. It was the uncertainty that bothered her. "I'm not hungry," she told him, not adding 'any more.' "As soon as you're ready we'll see the amazons." She was beginning to think that perhaps the sooner they left, the better.
Notes:
Well, it was a long time coming, but much of the work on this chapter would have future repercussions down the road. I had to portray the new characters in ways that they would react to each other in ways required to the story while still fitting into the world. Easy enough to do with Petra, not so easy with the likes of Tasuki and Mae.
I'm also playing with 's formatting. I hate what it does to text files. I like to have my paragraphs carefully indented and it doesn't seem to save that. Oh well, I'll solve that problem with experience.
Anyway, I have the upcoming scene at the Nekohaten half completed but it was getting rather long to fit into this chapter. Besides, who knows how long it could take to finish, eh?
