:stares in shock: I actually…got new reviewers? Squee! :bounces around a few times in joy before settling down: Wow, I haven't gotten new reviewers in ages!
Gourry-gabriev610: The Saffron Episodes aren't actually out in the US yet, so the only ones who have seen them are the Japanese, any 'unofficial' (read pirated ;P) distributors and/or fansubbers, and anyone who's gotten ahold of those fansubbed episodes. (I want!!) I'm ad-libbing here. :grin: And I will remember to translate any Japanese that I use in the future.
Amarog11: You're welcome. :grin:
Anzl33tm4573r: ¬.¬! I prefer the terms 'mope' or 'sulk' to 'panic', but my Winter's Rose story is doing quite well, so I can't complain there. n.n
PS Because I'm using a different computer at the moment I don't have access to my usual system, so I have to jury-rig some of my standard gappings and side-notes. For now, possibly permanently if the problem is due to changing their systems around...again...actions done outside the stoy are going to be in ':' and chapter spacings are going to be '-'. Damn, but I miss asterisks.
Chapter 24: When the Weave Comes Together
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Kiima stares in shock at the scrap of paper held in her clawed hand, brain numb. One of the ex-fragment holders…is the Fate? In total disbelief she reverts to the primitive language every Phoenix-tribe member can speak from birth and squawks something that can be roughly translated as 'holy shit'. (The full translation would actually require a much deeper knowledge of that primitive language than the author possesses, and it might actually short out the computer being used to write this. )
Her brain finally reboots and she quickly packs away the collected fragments in her pocket-space, gesturing for Shampoo to follow her.
("But master, I cannot fly,") Shampoo protests as she is dragged along by Kiima.
("It doesn't matter, doreiko. I can carry you, and you have proven to be a valuable asset. For a human. For now, we must get to Phoenix Mountain as soon as possible.")
("I can make it easier on you, master!") Shampoo tells her happily. ("I am a Jusenkyo-victim, and my cursed form is a cat.")
("Excellent,") Kiima replies, instantly dumping a jug of cold water on her. (Hey, wait a sec! I didn't have that in her pocket-space! Where did she get that??) ("Let us get the final piece from your would-be-paramour and we will be gone.") Scooping up the now-transformed Shampoo, the Phoenix woman takes off into the sky as fast as her wings can carry her.
---
"So Shampoo wasn't actually fetching the pieces of the map for you, elder Cologne?" Rei confirms about four hours later, most of the fighters who had guarded map-pieces gathered at the Kenobishi Dojo as the only place really being big enough for everyone to be comfortable. At the Neko-Hanten they had been packed pretty tightly.
"Correct. I don't know what Xian Pu was doing, but I never asked her to get the map fragments from any of you." The Amazon Elder is once more balanced on her staff and is positioned near the dojo shrine in order to remain visible.
"I'll bet that Phoenix witch had my beloved Xian Pu under a spell!" Mousse shouts, and Rei gives him an approving look tinged with exasperation.
"Mu Tsu, we all know how you feel about Xian Pu--you needn't shout it. And I have heard about a technique used by some particularly skilled Phoenix-tribe members that in effect brainwashes the victim. It's kind of like the shampoo/pressure point memory-manipulation technique Xian Pu used on Akane."
"How'd you know about that?" Ranma asks in startlement and the Quartet shrugs in unison.
"We've been training her while teaching her better Japanese. We had to know what kind of techniques she knows," Kalerian says indifferently. "She's really quite skilled when she isn't obsessing over you, Ranma-kun."
"Right, so it's possible the purple-haired hussy was brainwashed and was following that bird-chick's orders, huh?" Ukyo asks to make sure she understands, and Rei sighs.
"Yes, and Ukyo, please refrain from calling people names. It's rude."
"So what do we do now?" Kuno calls, currently under guard by Pantyhose Taro and Ryoga to keep him from chasing after any of his 'interests'. "The evil winged woman hath made off with our fragments and the fair Amazon to boot, and my beauteous Akane is still missing!"
Ranma shoots a look that says 'you been workin' on him, too?' to the Quartet, who shake their heads. For some reason, being between two large muscular boys fully capable of ripping his head off seems to have a sanity-restoring effect on the kendoist. Not that anyone's complaining.
"I suggest those who have been briefed in what to do in such an event pack and get back here by morning," Cologne says calmly. "It will take Kiima some time before she arrives back at the mountain, and more time to put the map back together. We have that much leeway to prepare, so let's get some sleep." Murmuring amongst themselves, the collective Nerima Wrecking Crew files out of the dojo and back to their respective homes. Ranma has already snagged Ryoga to keep the valuable fighter from getting lost and missing the entire battle, dragging him behind him towards the Tendo Dojo. They are among those who would be back by dawn.
Rei and the other three have just started to relax when they are interrupted. "Rei-chan?" A sweet voice asks from the door of the Kenobishi dojo. The startled Quartet turns to find Kasumi there, looking grim in a fighter's suit (think Sango's from Inu Yasha but dark blue) and with her long brown hair tied into a severe braid.
"Kasumi-nee-chan. I was wondering when you'd be coming to talk to us." Rei instantly goes into a deep respectful bow until Kasumi clears her throat somewhat nervously.
"Rei-chan, I'd like--"
"Kasumi, as a grand-master of the Tendo Style of Anything Goes, you are a most welcome member of our strike team. Please come in and show us exactly what you can do with the war-hammer I can sense in your pocket-space."
---
Akane has not been having a good time. After Kiima had abandoned her at Jusenkyo, she'd been slowly but steadily wending her way around the numerous water-hazards and the dangerously narrow tracks between them, always aiming for the Guide's hut. For some reason she's always been a better martial-artist when Ranma isn't around, probably because she would keep trying too hard to impress him and end up doing exactly the opposite which would just make her get even clumsier, so she hasn't had too much trouble avoiding another pool that--with her luck--would already be cursed. One dunk in a Jusenkyo spring is all the excitement she needs for the day, thank you very much.
When the sun had set too far for her to travel safely she'd holed up in a decent sized tree, and settles in to wait for the dawn and sufficient travel-light with a slow anger boiling her blood and keeping her warm. That anger vanishes when night finishes cloaking the land and brings out her skirt of stars, fear replacing the anger as the springs below become alight with a soft radiance.
To Akane's shock, images begin forming above the pools, of people and animals and a few oddities scattered among the others, all of them stretching and yawning as though awakening from a deep sleep.
Evening, Cat! a ghostly woman calls from her place above a small pool to another spring, this one apparently belonging to the white-and-black cat sitting translucently above it.
Evening, Ku Ling of the I'rin clan of Amazons, the cat calls back, though Akane can't see its mouth move. Another new moon, another night of awareness, eh?
The woman nods as other spirits begin conversing with the pair, chatting amicably if rather boredly. One spirit, one that Akane had seen the uncursed form of not too long ago, is complaining to a lion-like creature with heavy horns sprouting from the mane. Sixteen years, the Yeti-riding-a-bull-and-carrying-an-eel-and-crane sighs to its conversation companion. Sixteen years without a single victim. The last one was a baby some fool washed in my waters at birth. How boring is that?
Hey, Yeti! Ryon! There's a new spring! the spirit of a wolf howls from his own pool. Spring of Drowned Akane! Pass it on! Obligingly the two shout in different directions, though Akane highly doubts anyone but her can hear this. Ranma had never mentioned anything like this, or that the Guide had mentioned anything like this, so this must not be normal. But the cat had said that this happens on the new moons. So why has this never been mentioned?
Hey! Girl in the tree! Watch out for the snake!! With a yelp Akane drops from the tree, barely dodging the startled strike of a snake unhappy at being awoken by the shouting. She straightens to find every single spirit in view staring at her in shock, several jaws dangling.
Wow. She heard you, Bear. The speaker, the cat, says this with utter surprise. That's different.
What's your name, girl? the bear spirit asks, everyone else still staring.
"I'm Akane." That puts everyone into an uproar. From the shouting, Akane can only discern the gist of the numerous reactions, ranging from 'so that's why that spring's weird!' to 'no wonder she can see and hear us!'
All right, all right, enough y'all, the woman finally yells, and the various spirits quiet down and settle for watching a nervous Akane very carefully. Obviously, the girl's alive. We got that. Now, the question is: why? Care to explain, Akane?
"A Phoenix woman named Kiima dropped me into the pool," Akane clarifies sourly, fingers plucking at her mostly-dry clothes in a gesture of nerves. "And she yanked me out before I'd completely finished drowning." Several of the spirits make sounds of understanding while most of the others look confused.
It just means the Akaneniichuan isn't permanent, a badger explains to a squirrel some distance away, its voice still carrying clearly to Akane's ears. The other spirits' faces clear, and they begin chattering in excitement amongst themselves.
All of this noise attracts the attention of three certain demons we remember from Rei's exhaustion-incident, who of course come to investigate and find one slightly-damp, rather unhappy human girl surrounded by spirits. ("Shin Ron, do you see what I see?") the bobcat asks the tiger, staring at Akane while the badger talks to her in a serious voice.
("If you mean a ningen female with the glow of a spring about her, yes, yes I do.")
("What should we do, Rin Sun?") the leopard whispers.
("Take her to the Boss, of course.") And the bobcat leads the way out into the open. "'Scuse me, miss? Are you lost?"
Hi, Rin Sun! The woman-spirit waves brightly at them. How's the wife and kids?
"Oh, about the same, Ku Ling. Feisty, rambunctious, the usual. All the shouting got us curious so we decided to come check out the reason. You've got a living girl walking in your midst, I see."
"My name's Akane," the living girl mutters ill-temperedly. "Akane Tendo." That really gets the attention of the three demons. The boss had told them about Rei-chan's new friends in the ningen-city of 'Nee-rii-ma', including this girl, the one with high potential and the honor of actually training with the deliciously-dangerous fire-fox.
"Well, Miss Tendo, would you happen to have the acquaintance of a being known as Hiei Jaganshi?"
Akane blinks at the male with the orange hair striped black with shock. "You know Hiei-san?"
"Oh, good, Shen Ron! She does know the boss!" The tiger rolls his eyes at the leopard.
("Be any more obvious, Li Shon?") The leopard blushes.
("Sorry, Shen Ron.") The bobcat shakes his ginger head and sighs.
"My apologies for my companions, Miss Tendo. Since you happen to be in the middle of Jusenkyo, still quite alive and with no scent of having fallen into a cursed spring, would you like to get home? We can have you back in Nee-rii-ma before dawn."
"Really? Oh, thank you so much! I have to warn them about Kiima!"
Sudden sharp interest from the three feline youkai. "You know that blasted bird-bitch?" Shen Ron growls, Akane stepping back from fear.
"Yes, unfortunately."
"So long as it's an unwilling association."
"He's had some bad experiences," Rin Sun whispers to her confidentially before adding in a louder tone, "Come on then. My element is air, and I can have the winds carry us across the sea."
"Any chance that the bird-bitch will show up?" Shen Ron demands, and Akane shrugs.
"Probably. She's been screwing with us because of a damned map."
All three males blanch. "A map to the heart of Jusenkyo?" When Akane nods, they start cussing in Mandarin. "Then I'd best get you home now, little ningen girl. The faster I get this information to our leader, the better." With slender, muscular arms Rin Sun scoops her up and yowls a guttural word that makes Akane's ears smart. Winds whirl around them, picking them up in a sphere of zephyrs locked in a tangle of near-hurricane force torrents of air. "Pray we do not find a storm!"
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I'm sorry this is so short after so long a break. But I promise, next chapter will be longer since I've finally worked out this scene, which was driving me bonkers. Now it's pretty much all pre-planned from here. See you soon!