Cestus Fortuna
A Ranma/Exalted Crossover by the MadPanda
Chapter Eight: Manse and Memory
After his pleasant treetop lunch with Siobhan, Ranma spent the afternoon daydreaming…or, rather, remembering. While distant and hazy memories of another man's life weren't something he was quite comfortable with, it beat this geometry stuff hands down. Statement, reason, statement…bleah! In his experience a real problem was more like 'how to make Kuno see the truth and back off'! So he let his mind wander instead, hoping against hope that his new soul held answers to his remaining complications.
Near the end of the First Age, he had attended a party held by an old acquaintance. The event was expected to last at least a week and more likely two. The food and entertainment were as lavish as the jaded imagination of a Solar could devise. His friend's hospitality was always worth the trip, even though he preferred a more austere lifestyle. True to himself, he had spent most of his time there trying to find a quiet and peaceful moment in the gardens: not a simple task between the fountains with flowing wine, the revelers, the dancers, and the other myriad distractions of mind and body that abounded at these events.
Eventually, he finally found his desired quiet corner. A gazebo by an immaculately groomed koi pond proved a fortuitous shelter against the pleasurable temptations elsewhere. It was almost perfect, diminished only a very little by the strange woman seated there on the cushions and staring listlessly at the shogi board set in front of her.
She was draped in dark-colored loose silk robes. Her long pale blonde hair glinted in the sunlight. She looked either totally absorbed in the initial setup of the game or bored beyond description. When he moved to announce himself, she shushed him and gestured to the cushions opposite her.
"If you stay, Sword of Heaven, you ought to at least play a game or two."
He laughed at her serious tone. She dared order him about? Then again, she wasn't exactly demanding him to do something arduous, and it would surely keep him away from the drunken, debauched revel elsewhere. With a shrug, he sat.
"Do I know you, fair one?"
She shook her head. "No, we've never met before today. You would have remembered."
He laughed again. Only much later and on careful reflection would he also remember that she had not said this in an arrogant or self-absorbed way…but by then he had learned both the truth of that statement and how badly he had misunderstood her.
She had given him the first move. He reached out and moved one of the pieces almost without thinking, already mulling over a strategy that would lead to his vict…
The woman stood with fluid grace, bowed deeply, and with no trace of sarcasm or disrespect declared that "my lord demonstrates that he is a most subtle and accomplished player. I concede my defeat. Shall we try this again tomorrow?" With that, she turned and left him sitting there, trying to remain somewhat dignified as he could with his mouth hanging open in astonishment.
Siobhan had found him there, some hours later, staring at the board and trying to puzzle out how a single, simple move could have given away so much.
"But she wasn't crazy after all," Ranma said softly.
"Excuse me, Saotome-kun?"
Ranma blinked, gave the teacher a lame excuse, and opened his textbook at just the right moment to be saved from further embarrassment by the last bell of the day.
"Nice try, Saotome-kun. Stay after class."
"Yes, sensei." Ranma sighed. He had no time to waste! If Genma was up to one of his schemes, or Tendo still sought that damn arrangement, he would be a sitting duck here in school…wait. That was what used to be. He had other ways of dealing with the old men, if need be.
As soon as the last of the other students cleared the classroom, the teacher walked over, closed the door firmly, and smiled at him. Then he shimmered around the edges for a moment, and abruptly shrank until 'he' revealed a girl in early adolescence. She had lavender hair, peculiar golden eyes, and the same exotic style of clothing worn by little Urvasi.
"Ah," she grinned. "I do feel so much better as myself! May greetings and salutations be yours, Sword of Heaven."
"Okay, I know I don't know you…"
The girl laughed. "Lalita."
"Uhm…what?"
"That is what Mother named me, Daybringer. She bade me bring you tidings. Your manse is complete and ready for your use. I am to lead you there and consort with you until other duties call me from your side."
"My manse." Memory stirred, and a sense of a place of power and sanctuary came to mind. "Oh. Okay. And you're coming with me, right?"
"Of course. You will have questions, I expect."
"Yeah, and I'll start with…what'd you do with my real sensei?"
"I have not harmed the mortal. He will awaken in the morning in time to come to work, feeling more relaxed and refreshed than he has in years. I would not want him to suffer merely so that I could surprise you and the Eclipse."
"The eclipse? Oh, you mean Nabiki. She, uh, hasn't…"
"Oh. Well, that might be a bit of a problem if her husband arrives sooner than I expect he will. Shall I explain on our way back to your manse?"
"Oh." Ranma shook his head. "Well, okay…I guess. So, uhm, explain away."
"You are a martial artist, yes? Your duty is to defend the weak, protect the helpless, and so on and so forth. As a Solar Exalt, that duty has not changed one bit…but as you are much more powerful, so both your responsibilities and your challenges grow accordingly. You were made to fight and win against things greater than gods, Lord Ranma."
"That's, uh, kind of hard to swallow…"
"Yet it is true. You feel that in your bones, do you not? Knowing that, you will understand why I tell you that there is a great threat coming. Call it a great evil if you wish, or chaos or darkness or whatever metaphor you prefer. You and the other Exalts, if you stand together against it, will fulfill your duty to the utmost."
"You mean…"
"Defend the world you love, Lord. That is what is required of you. It will not be easy." She smiled. "But then, it seems that nothing worth winning ever comes without a good struggle. Is this not true?"
"Yeah, I guess…hey, Lalita?"
"Yes, Sword of the Dawn?"
"Argh…stupid titles…you and Urvasi are sisters, right?"
"Among other things, yes."
"How many of you are there? Just out of curiosity, I mean."
Lalita thought about this in silence, a frown of concentration making her look even cuter than before. Finally, she beamed up at him.
"I don't know. We've never counted. I don't think we've ever considered it very important, and Mother's never said. But there are probably twelve of us. Probably."
Ranma lapsed into an uneasy silence for the duration of their walk, and eventually they arrived at the toji that marked their destination. Glatisant's chosen haunt had once been a tiny Shinto shrine only a few blocks from a city park. Before Urvasi had carried him there the other morning, Ranma had never given it more than a cursory glance—he usually had other things on his mind, like Akane's mallet or the Kunos or rampaging Amazons. And now it was going to be his home…his Manse.
"I should prepare you, Lor…uhm, Ranma. While Mother has used the shrine that was once here as her starting point, she has made a few pleasing alterations to the design. It should now be a more fitting place for your governing council to meet."
"Gover-what?"
"Governing council. Surely you do not intend mortals to continue without your wisdom and guidance?"
Ranma didn't answer her beyond a mumbled denial that he ever even considered the possibility. Instead, he allowed himself to be dragged through the toji.
What he saw after passing through the gateway defied all logic. A temple mound that would not have fit in a normal city block now rose before him, topped by a great palatial temple that gleamed as if carved from a single block of shimmering white stone. Surrounding that were vast, ornate gardens and orchards…an entire city park somehow crammed into a tiny back lot! Just trying to imagine how this was possible made his head swim.
"How…?"
"Mother took advantage of the lack of local constraints," Lalita giggled. "The old gods are sleeping, so she did not need to ask for their permission. When they awaken, of course, they will surely respect your rights…all has been done tastefully and according to the traditions of the First Age, O Son of the Dawn. Permit me the honor of showing you around your new home."
Lalita gave him the grand tour, which took almost an hour, before leaving him to his thoughts in the grand entrance hall. It was a lot to take in, all at once. For most of his life, he'd had a tent or a bedroll in lieu of a home. And now he had this manse. It was huge. It was lavish. It was overwhelming! And he was utterly confused. Governing council? Reawakening gods? And now this palace!
He wandered about, wonder-struck at the strange twists of fortune that had brought him to this. Eventually, in the gardens, he came upon Nabiki, who was watching the clouds drift along.
"Hey, Nabiki."
"Ranma."
"Listen, uhm, about your exaltation, there's something you might wanna know before you…"
Nabiki turned and gave him a wry grin as she brushed her bangs back from her forehead to display the caste mark.
"Oh."
"You were right; Exaltation is hard to describe! And it's incredible! But what was it you were in a hurry to tell me just now?"
"I met another one of Glatisant's daughters. She says her name's Lalita. An' she told me some stuff about…what we are. I thought you'd wanna know about the fine print before ya took the plunge, that's all. Not that it matters anymore, since…"
Nabiki patted the ground beside her. Ranma sat.
"We were made for war, Nabiki. We were meant to fight a war on behalf of the gods, against opponents they were forbidden to touch directly. Whaddya wanna bet…"
"That our power was not granted to us for free? No bet, Ranma-kun! No hero I ever heard about got given godlike powers just to sit around and enjoy life." Nabiki laughed quietly. "Mere wish fulfillment would be an inefficient use of resources. I figured that much out before I accepted my new gift."
"Yeah, yeah, rub it in. I know I ain't the brightest guy around, but…"
"Cut the crap: you're just very tightly focused. Not to mention that Genma never really allowed you to learn how to deal with people!" The girl smiled and patted his arm. "That's one of my best-developed skills. There is a certain style of logic to our Exaltations, Son of the Dawn. So just let me do most of the thinking and all of the talking, and everything will go just fine!"
Ranma tried hard not to smile at that, but she grinned at him. After a moment he broke out into sheepish laughter. She joined him. For a few pleasant minutes, they simply enjoyed mutual amusement.
"How much do you remember?"
"Just odd bits and pieces, Ranma-kun. I remember that we were pretty close. We were friends. I was even at your wedding. Siobhan used to tease me about being her competition."
"And were you? Her competition, I mean."
She shook a finger at him. "You'll just have to remember that part of it yourself, Ranma-kun! How about your memories? Are they returning, yet?"
"I guess. I was daydreaming, kinda, about the first time I met Glatisant. We were playing something like shogi. She kept resigning after one move." Ranma shook his head. "There's a lesson in there someplace if I can figure it out."
"That woman is just full of surprises." Nabiki laughed. "And so am I. And as much as you try to hide it, so are you." She paused, sobered, glanced at him, and abruptly changed the subject. "Will you still want my help in handling the Ukyo situation?"
Ranma hung his head and sighed. It wasn't as if he could deny the need after asking her in the first place.
"…yeah..."
Nabiki nodded firmly. "Okay, then. The first and most obvious solution would be going ahead with the marriage. Have you considered taking her as a second wife? I've got a feeling that your new pet tiger won't mind much. Since Ukyo is still legally male, we could have her marry your girl side if we had to."
"I can't do that to her! She would never be more than an afterthought…and she…she deserves better than that." Ranma frowned. "Oh, I have no doubt that she and Siobhan would get along all right. Ukyo doesn't seem to mind the curse, and she was a good friend and all…but I can't marry her. Not like this. It wouldn't be fair. She deserves someone all her own."
Nabiki screwed her face up in thought. "Always playing second fiddle to Siobhan, you mean. All right, no secondary wife status…although personally I think you should let her decide what's fair and unfair to her. What else?"
"You mean you need more? Uhm, how about…what do I have to offer her? She's a successful businesswoman with a bright career. I'm…well, whatever it is a Solar is going to do these days."
"God-King of Eastern Asia, probably."
"Don't be a smartass, 'Biki! I'm serious!"
"So am I. But you're quite correct to say that your long-term goals are incompatible. What else?"
"Uhm." Ranma shifted uneasily. "I don't know. It isn't like I was actually asked if I wanted her to marry me! I thought she was a boy, remember? But she is the only one of my fiancées to seek my hand of her own will. And you know how that turned out--I was never told about the engagement, the yattai was never turned over to us as a couple, and Pops left her behind anyway."
"So…it was a coerced contract made in bad faith. I can work with that. Now, how much are you willing to yield to her?"
"She can have Pops on a plate. Hells Below, I'd give her the Saotome family honor blade if it were still mine to present! It ain't enough, but…"
"How about kids?"
Ranma goggled at his circle-mate. "Say what!"
"If she demands a child, would you give her one?"
"NO! I mean, no. Absolutely not! I'm not gonna make Ucchan suffer the additional loss of honor for bein' a single mom, plus have to raise my kid without me to help, plus all the rest. And that's that!"
Nabiki sighed. "That's not much of an offer, especially considering what your resources are going to be shortly. Let me think about it and I'll see what I can do to help you resolve this."
"I can't give her those ten years back."
Nabiki thought for a moment. "No, you can't. But you're not a Saotome anymore: Genma disowned you. Half of Nerima probably heard him do it, too. So you're off the hook as far as that goes. You said so yourself…and something tells me that you're above and beyond all that ronin crap right now. You have a very compelling reason to ignore that sort of petty bullshit." She grinned. "And here she comes now."
Siobhan stalked across the gardens toward them, her face troubled. She gave Nabiki a half-hearted smile and wave. Stopping just shy of Ranma, she knelt before her husband.
"The Amazons have renounced their claim. They are under my protection so long as they leave peaceably and do not return." For a moment, it looked like the massive blonde was going to add something else, but she held her tongue.
"I see," Ranma nodded. "And they had to be convinced to see reason?"
Siobhan nodded mutely.
"Well, that makes two problems down and a zillion left to go." Ranma grinned at his wife and leaned over to hug her. "Nabiki and I were trying to figure out how to handle Ucchan. Would you care to add your wisdom?"
They recapped their conversation. Siobhan nodded solemnly as she listened. Her expression grew sad when Ranma recounted the tale of betrothal and betrayal once again, but her final answer took both Solars by surprise:
"Forget her," the Lunar said firmly. "If you will not take her as a second wife, nor care to sire her children, then she is not your concern. If her sire will not accept that you are no longer part of his foolish agreement with a known thief, that is his problem rather than either hers or yours."
"But…"
"But nothing, husband. You cannot solve every problem! Not with your fists, nor with your head…and more than most, you were ill prepared to handle your own life. Surely the Eclipse knows this?"
Nabiki sighed and nodded. "Genma did him no favors, that's for sure. It's almost like he planned to screw you up so badly you'd never get out from under…his…thumb…kami, that's what he wanted, isn't it? What they both…" She stood up, her mouth set in a thin line of sudden fury. "Will you two pardon me? I need to go have a few discrete words with Tendo Soun."
"With your father, you mean?"
Nabiki's eyes narrowed. "Depending on how this goes, Ranma-kun, I might not be calling him that any longer." She walked away slowly, calling back over her shoulder. "I'll see you two later. Don't wait up."
Once Nabiki was out of sight, Ranma pulled himself into Siobhan's arms and gave a sad sigh. Sensing his need, she held him.
"Is there nothing in my life I haven't damaged beyond repair because of that fat fool and his stupid promises," he finally asked. "Besides you, I mean?"
Siobhan smiled, but before she could answer a familiar voice called out to them. Turning, they found Glatisant, Urvasi, and Lalita standing near the gates. The mother and her daughters bowed to them, and Glatisant spoke.
"Lord and Lady, we will now take our leave. There is work to be done, and we will accomplish less if we linger as long as we would prefer."
"Uh, okay. You're always welcome to come back, you know." Ranma rubbed the back of his neck. "Before you go, would you answer a question for me?"
Glatisant beamed. "But of course!"
"Listen, I remember that game. You know, at that party. You kept conceding…"
Right after the first move, time and again…every day for a week he met the strange woman and played another match, and every day she conceded without making a move of her own. Then one day she waited until she had made five moves to quit. And the next day she played him to a draw. It was frustrating, maddening…and the worst part was the feeling that she was trying to impart a lesson that he just couldn't grasp…
Glatisant's smile grew as she watched his face, knowing that he was remembering the entire series of games.
"Do you understand now, Lord?"
"You didn't know how to play!"
Glatisant gave her musical laugh and blushed slightly. "This is true. I did not."
"So you were testing me, just not at my skill with shogi."
Glatisant clapped her hands and giggled brightly.
"Instead of becoming angry and storming off or trying to bully me, as so many others would have, you kept at the task. The answer was that there was no answer. And yet you found one. That is why I chose you for my greatest work." She spread her hands wide. "Someday soon I may explain everything to you, but not just now. There is work to be done! Your full circle and their Lunar spouses are waiting to be re-awakened. My daughters and I must go and find them so that they shall stand by your side in the troubles to come."
"I don't suppose you'll give us more of a hint than that," Siobhan chuckled.
"Where would the fun be in that, Favored of Luna?" Glatisant stooped and whispered to Urvasi. When she straightened up, she and Lalita bowed again. "Fare you well, Lord and Lady. We'll send word as soon as we can…and if not word, look for your circle-mates. You will know them easily enough when they arrive, I should think."
As mother and one daughter made their way out, Urvasi remained behind. Shifting nervously from foot to foot, she shot the Solar and Lunar a nervous glance.
"What is it, 'Vasi-chan?"
"There is one thing, Daybringer. Until now, you have but lived another's story: one carved in stone by those who used you for their own ends. That tale ended the day I found you and gave you Mother's gifts. Now you will make your own tales, Daybringer. And…I would hope someday soon to see what you might make of this freedom. Fare you well."
She blushed, bowed deeply, and hurried away, leaving the two lovers in each other's arms.
"I think she likes you," Siobhan laughed. "Some day, I might even let her join us in bed."
"I think she likes everybody," Ranma blushed. "I wonder what she meant by that bit about tales carved in stone?" He snuggled in closer. "I suppose we'll just have to find out."
"Aye, that we will." Siobhan kissed the top of his head. "And as she says that path will be of our making as much as of our choosing."
"There's trouble coming, you know…"
"Aye."
"You will stand with me?"
She kissed him again, this time on the lips. "Even against the gods themselves, love! Though the Loom of Fate is weighed against me, I will not leave your side again."
"Uhm, you know…you keep doing that and I, uhm, might just…you know. Do it back."
With a sudden grin, Siobhan stood up, still cradling him in her arms.
"What ever shall I do with you, cub?"
Ranma blushed, fought down the impulse to say something stupid and macho, and instead looped his arms around her neck.
"I'm still not ready. Not for everything. But for here and now, this is what I want. Does that make sense?"
She kissed him a third time and set him down. Taking his hand in hers, she led him in from the gardens.
"It is a start. And a good one, I think. Now come on. I'll race you to the furo."
With laughter and joy, Ranma followed his Lunar wife inside.
End Cestus Sol Arc One
Author's Notes
And that's a wrap, at least for the first story arc. Why? Well, after this point, this would no longer be a Ranma story so much as an Exalted story. There are tons of loose ends still flapping about, which is intentional. This was never envisioned as a 'solve all problems' fanfic…simply because there are too many problems in Ranma's life that cannot be solved by conventional means! Yet for every Gordian Knot, there is an Alexandrian solution, and in Ranma's case that's exactly what his Exaltation has become. And while this is it as far as my original outline goes, Siobhan and Ranma will be back in the future.
There is a side story planned in which we find out how Glatisant did what she did, and why. It also stars Sailor Pluto for reasons that will become clear. There may be other side stories in the future if my muses quit playing seven-card stud poker in the back room long enough to help me out…but no promises.
Finally, my apologies to everyone who had hoped to see this chapter much, much earlier. I plead guilty to several counts of real world distractions in the third degree. It sat on my hard drive through about five rounds of editing, two re-writes, and a lot of second-guessing. It still isn't 'perfect', but everyone's waited on me long enough.