Ashes A Cinderella Story

by James and the Bluejay

Ranma's pal Hiroshi makes a wish and gets more than he bargained for, when he stumbles into an old curse and heavenly interference.

4. Drawing Closer

Disclaimer: No gerbils were harmed in the writing of this fanfic, although a few are still on medication.

ASHES - A Cinderella Story

Chapter Four - Drawing Closer, Getting Caught

Weave around and you may find
Fate is cruel and love is blind
Let us sweep and let us soar
Here we go with Chapter Four.

HEAVEN:

Urd stretched luxuriantly and rolled her eyes as she spoke into the transcendental headset, "Oh, I think we can come to some kind of an arrangement, Short, Dark and Scrawny...yes, I'm talking to you, Loki-sama. I suppose you expect to wine and dine me, and then call it even?" She added with a throaty chuckle, "I don't think so."

"Face it, Loki-baby," Urd purred into the receiver, "It was your little prank that split them up in the first place. The way I see it, your tail is hanging in the breeze, not the other way around, and I will not let you forget it. Oh, yeah? Not likely!"

The platinum-haired goddess signed off and stretched again. "Back to the salt mines, I guess," she yawned. "Nothing on the traces. If Mara introduced a virus, she did it long ago, which does not make sense. Heh. Her attention span isn't that long."

"Might as well check up on my helper," she propped her chin in hands to peer into the wide-screen very-very-very-very high resolution monitor.

NOT HEAVEN:

-ping-
-instructions follow-

"What is it now?"

-remain at present location for instructions-

"I am sick of granting wishes! I never asked for this!"

-poing-
-sensors indicate presence of demon in present direction of travel-

"Wup. What about this way?"

-poing-
-strongly advise you do not travel in that direction-

"This way?"
-poing-
"That way?"
-poing-
"Up? Down?"
-poing-

"I give up! Which way am I supposed to go?"

-remain at present location for instruction-

Ryoga dropped his backpack and propped against a storefront to rest. "Let me know when you make up your mind," he growled. With the ease of long practice, he set his mind to awaken at the first sign of trouble and relaxed. He did not rest for long.

"Hey!"

Ryoga started out of a doze, leaning against the side of the appliance store. Wondering what had awakened him, he looked up and down the sidewalk and across the street. Nothing. He closed his eyes and put his head back against the wall.

"Hey!"

The sound was coming from a television screen on display in the store window. Holding a hand up to shade the glass, Ryoga peered in. A platinum-haired woman, chin propped in hands, was smiling back at him.

"You're that...what are you doing here?" Ryoga goggled.

"Hi! How's things working out?"

"Take this back! I don't want it!" cried Ryoga, yanking the bracelet from his wrist and extending it toward the image on the screen. He ignored the plate glass window which had been in the way and which bowed inward, groaning with the stress. "I have been hounded from one end of Japan to the other, because everyone wants a wish, and I am tired! And then, every time I grant a wish I get chased by some demon! I haven't had any rest for two days!"

"Aww," the platinum-haired goddess tskked. "I'm so sorry. Can I do anything to help?"

"Let me stop! I demand that you allow me to quit! Since you did this to me, I can't use my bakusai tenketsu!"

"Is that all? Don't you have a special someone you want to give a wish to, before you give up your powers?"

"I want..." Ryoga paused. "I want to give Akane her wish. If only she would think before she wastes it!"

"Oooh," smiled the goddess. "But you have multiple wish granting. You could give her dozens of chances! And you could use your own...oh. You deliberately limited your own wishes! What fortitude! You are amazing! What a tribute to your ability in martial arts!"

"Well, I try..." Ryoga colored, embarrassed by the praise, but then he stopped short, "...Hey, don't try to sweet-talk me out of this! I want to quit!"

"Tell you what. Take a breather. Go back to Nerima and visit your friends. Hand out a few more wishes. I can spare you for a while."

"But I don't want to - "

The plate glass window straightened back to flatness, shoving him away and back onto the sidewalk. A different platinum-haired woman was on the television screen, advertising pet food.

"I'll show her! I'm not going anywhere near Nerima!" Ryoga deliberately stepped off, marching toward the distant majestic peak of Fuji, a path which, oddly enough, took him straight into Nerima.

DEFINITELY NOT HEAVEN:

"Oh, that was fun," snarled Mara to the short, dark, and scrawny man by her side. "She called in a temp, just like you said, but I can't find him. How am I going to get that PDA if I can't find it?"

"Why do you need the PDA? You gave her the warning, didn't you?"

"She's jumping around like a bear on an ant hill!" smirked Mara with satisfaction. "But I'm not finished with her, yet. Give me that remote terminal and I'll make her life so miserable she'll weep!"

"I can't help with the PDA," said Short, Dark and Scrawny. "However, if I were to look for temporary services, I'd say the Temple of the Good Deed has a number in the phone book."

Mara just grinned, evilly. "Tell me one thing," she said. "What do you get out of this? Why do you want to mess with Urd?"

Loki examined a fingernail. "Let's just say I owe her," he said, with a distant smile.

HIROSHI:

Lies. All lies!

Still, I had to admire the poster maker's work. He was an artist; the poster had certainly cost me enough. He had used a picture from a telephoto camera to create the illusion of a warm, breathing human being, on the concert stage, smiling out from the surface of the paper.

I knew better. The girl in the photo had not even been breathing most of the time. She had been afraid, petrified, in fear for her life. At least, I did not remember smiling.

Hmmm. Yet, still...

So that was how the public saw Cinderella. Not bad, when I could squelch the tiny voice of reason that kept chittering inside my skull. If I applied my years of expertise, I could enjoy this picture. A little too much ribbon here in front, maybe, but someone with an airbrush... Accckk! If I could think this, then someone else was already doing it! I was being violated by proxy, and I had all my clothes on!

I gathered my resolve and determined to keep my humor. Only fools would waste their time playing with pixilated images. I would laugh at them. I would sneer at anyone who found comfort in distorting reality in order to support their crippled vanity. I would...I would...I wondered if the same artist might have any posters of Primrose at a reasonable price.

Still, I would probably attempt to maim the first person I saw selling a picture of a nude Cinderella. After all, a man must have some principles.

Which reminded me. Buried in the bottom of my closet I had some excellent snapshots of Ranma in a state of disdress, bought from Nabiki, whom, I was almost certain, had taken them without his consent. Would I have to worry about Nabiki taking pictures of me? She wouldn't. Naaaw. Never happen. I would watch my back.

But first, I had to protect the poster. The hiding place had to be perfect. Hainoko had a nose for my stuff. She had stolen CDs, posters, manga, homework, and even my favorite chewing gum. (Now that, she returned. Used. Ewwww.) I mean, how am I supposed to keep anything when she can just walk in and take it? Under the floorboard. Superglue the loose board. There, safe. A ninja could not get in there. It would be my secret stash, a guilty memory to take out and reminice about, someday when all this would have been forgotten.

I sagged onto the sofa, bushed beyond belief. Today had been fraught with tension, even worse than yesterday. Everyone was gossiping about the mystery girl, Cinderella, who she was and where she had come from. Illogically, I expected to be exposed at any second. They could not know anything, yet my nerves were on edge. The other students kept staring at me, probably because I wasn't hanging around with Daisuke.

Daisuke, my old pal, my best chum, was busily stabbing me in the back. He yukked it up in the gym, bragging to all the guys about how far he had gone with Cinderella. In class, he winked and made sickening faces at the girls. To make matters worse, some of them winked back, especially Yuki and Saori, who had mentioned that they were determined to find what secret charm Daisuke had to attract a fabulous chick like Cinderella.

By now I realized that I had sabotaged myself by going on that date. Then I had sealed my fate by not revealing my secret to Daisuke when I had the chance. I would have to get him aside and tell him the truth, before he smeared my reputation any more.

--------------

Someone was trying to beat down our door. I waited for Mom to answer it, but she must have been out of the building. Pops was at work. Hainoko never answered the door. That left me, and I was bushed, beat, and feeling sorry for myself. I was still sleepy and wanted to go back to my nap but someone was trying to knock our door down, which was leading me in a circle, so I answered the door.

Daisuke was prepared to pound on our the door again when I opened it and stuck my head out. "Hey, have you heard?" he said excitely, "Primrose is at Ucchan's!"

I wondered, muzzy headed, "What in the world is she doing there?"

"I don't know, but that's where I'm going!" Daisuke had an eager expression on his face, along with a confidence I had never seen before.

"Ah, man," I put on a long face and tried to look even more tired than I was. My heartbeat had tripled and my exhaustion had vanished, but I did not want to show it. "What's the point? She'd never notice me! Besides, I have that test to study for. I can't go."

Meanwhile, I was thinking. Not as myself. But in my secret identity... This situation had to have a up side. I rubbed at my eyes, trying to scrub away some of the sleep. I was still groggy, for some reason. Last night had really drained me.

Oops. Last night. There was something I had to do, and I might as well get it over with, now.

"Well, I'm going," Daisuke pouted. "Go ahead. Stay home. Break up the dynamic duo. You are shaking the very fabric of the space-time continuum."

"Wait," I said. "About last night..."

He lingered at the door in what I recognised as the insecurity of guilt. With a sidelong glance he said, "You're jealous because I stole Cinderella-chan from you. I understand. In time you will forgive me."

"I am not jealous!" I blurted.

He pressed the back of his hand against his forehead in pure Kuno-esque fashion, "I must go forth into the cold, dark, treacherous night, knowing that my best friend, whom I have wronged by stealing his girl, actually thinks I did it deliberately!"

"...Well?" The schnook had not noticed that he had dropped his date off less than a block from my apartment. I doubt he remembered where he had picked her up.

"It was an accident! Honest! It wouldn't happen again in a million years! She was there, and she was all over me! Trust me, I was saving you from her! She would have eaten you alive!"

"I don't want to even imagine what you mean by that!"

"Someday you will forgive me," he paused again at the door to gesture dramatically. "Farewell. I must go, for Primrose calls me. She will want me to escort her home. Another date, another notch..."

"I'll notch your head, Dumbass! Look!" And then I said the magic words, "'I want to be a rock star.'"

-poof-

Something clattered to the floor and rattled around. I think it was Daisuke's jaw.

"Now," I growled cutely, "Would you like to repeat that garbage about me pawing you?"

"Woo-woo!"

"Dai-kun..."

"Pant...pant...pant..."

"Zip it, will you? This is ME, Hiroshi!" My hand was invisible to him as I waved it in front of his face, but when I stepped around him, his eyes followed. "Do you hear? Daisuke!"

"Wow. Hiroshi. That's really you?"

"Are you better? Can you talk?"

"Did you go to China, too? I'm going to carry cold water all the time!"

"No! Cold water doesn't work on me! I made a wish, and the whole thing went to crap. About last night..."

"It was great!"

"That is not what I was talking about!" I tried again, "Now, about last night..."

"I am free tonight, and tomorrow, and the day after that, and..."

"Idiot!" I rarely struck my cohort in academic crime, but this time he deserved it. I popped him on the top of his head with the palm of my hand. He never even blinked. "I am not going out with you! I am Hiroshi! I am NOT a girl!" I hit him again.

"Ow!" he said. "Well, you coulda fooled me, Hiroshi!" His eyes went roving and he smiled a slow, calculating smile. "Oh, boy, could you fool me. You can fool me all day, and..."

"Knock it off, willya?" I said, pushing him away. My voice was too soft. I wanted to scream, but that would have sounded even more like a girl. "Why are you taking this so calmly? This is as bad as Ranma's curse!"

"Yeah," he agreed, wiping at the corner of his mouth, his gaze never leaving the vicinity of my chest. "Bad."

"Well, I can choose when I change, and I don't have to worry about water. But everything else is not good. I am stuck this way for two hours."

"Two hours. Gee, that's terrible," He seemed deep in thought, with one finger raised as though about to say something.

"What?"

"It's the answer to a prayer!"

"What?"

"Don't you remember? You told Ranma that if one of us could turn into a girl, we'd be more generous than he was!" He did not seem to notice that I had stopped to stare at him. "You're in luck! Now you can share!"

"You have about two seconds to rethink that thought before I take out your tonsils with a hockey stick!"

"Uh...okay," Daisuke appeared to agree, only to take off on a different tack. He approached the subject hesitantly, as though concerned that it might turn and punch him in the nose - which it might have. I was getting a little irritated. "What I really want to know is...what size are you?"

Blink. Blink. "Size?"

"I'd say less than Shampoo and more than Akane, but..."

"Whaddya mean?" I gasped, "Are you a pervert?"

Daisuke looked at me with misty, hurt eyes. "Of course I am!" he exclaimed, "What did you expect?"

"It's none of your business! Idiot!"

"Wait here! I'll get a tape measure!"

"What part of 'when hell freezes over' don't you understand? Just forget it!" I shoved him, protesting, out the door. What was the matter with him? I ask for understanding and he wants to measure my...my...OOooooo!

------------

I looked around after he left. No one. The place was deserted, with the only movement my reflection in the hall mirror, which I wanted desperately to avoid. I had almost two hours before I became Hiroshi again, and I did not want to be alone with myself. Also, I did not want to be around the house when my parents came in. I shrugged. Might as well go to Ucchan's.

I suited action to impulse, grabbed a coat and hurried out the door, feeling the outer surface of a bubble of panic. I was going to step out into the public eye. Alone. As a girl. Somewhere in the base of my heart a muscle quivered. So I could see Primrose. As a girl. Oh, dear gods. I was actually looking forward to it. I was sinking into a pit of self-delusion.

I evaded Daisuke, who was lurking outside to escort me, by simply running away from him. It surprised me how fast I could run, legs pumping, arms swinging, coat flapping, past shocked pedestrians, leaving him behind, heaving and blowing.

Yes, Primrose was at Ucchan's. So were half the students from Furinkan, making it impossible to get to the door. I took off the sweltering hood, trying to see more clearly, wary of bumping into Daisuke. Somewhere along the way my reason had begun to reassert itself, and I had almost convinced myself to turn away and return home when I ran into a familiar face.

"Yo, you're new around here, ain'cha? Y'look kinda lost."

"Ulp!" I froze, not wanting to let Ranma get a close look at me. Not that he would have recognised me, but I was having a heart attack at the moment, and I didn't want him to look closely.

"Oh, don't pay any attention to him," said his companion, digging her elbow into Ranma's side. "He has to hit on every pretty girl he meets. Hi! I'm Akane!"

"I'm...um...I'm..."

"What's with the crowd?" wondered Ranma, "Ukyo must be giving it away free, tonight."

"Raaanma..."

"What? What'd I say?"

"You are hopeless!"

"I didn't say nuthin'..."

"I think Primrose is here," I said, finally managing to get my jaw moving. Who could I say I was? Why didn't I just stay home the way I said I would? Why did I have to change into a rock star, or something? Why was I asking all these questions?

"Hey, look!" someone shouted, "It's Cinderella! She's here, too!"

"Oh, boy," I groaned.

"Oh, of course! You're Cinderella?" Akane gasped, "Why, I've heard about you! That's all anyone would talk about at school, today!"

Yeah, I know. Talk about embarrassing. Oh, I did not mind it when they talked about how well I sang, but the boys tended to drool and the girls got this strange look in their eyes, as if they wanted to talk about something else.

"Sing us something, Cinderella!" Suddenly I was surrounded by a crowd. "Give us an autograph! Give us your clothes!"

"Oh, no!" I said, thinking out loud, "I've got to get out of here before they mob me!" It did not help that I had spotted Daisuke at that moment, and he was fighting his way through the mob to get to me. He was being hampered by several girls who seemed intent on getting his attention.

"Put me down! What do you think you are doing?" Akane demanded as Ranma swung her into his arms.

"We're going around back," said Ranma. "Can't be any more crowded than it is out here!"

With that he jumped to the roof of the building. He turned to call back at me, "Wait there and I'll be right back!"

"Don't bother," I said from beside him.

"Wup," he said. Recovering quickly from his surprise he added, "Nice jump."

"I find I can do all sorts of stuff when I put my mind to it," I said, while my private thoughts raced. How did I do that? I saw him go and decided that I wanted out of there, and up I went. Yeah, nice jump. Three meters, straight up? I had wished to be a rock star, not an acrobat!

Konatsu was at the back door, all smiles and gracious manners, and he led us through the busy dining area where the fans were elbow to elbow in the corner. It was easy to guess who was at their center. Primrose.

Then I saw her, the most beautiful girl in the world, sitting at the counter. She looked up from the crowd, saw me, and waved me over.

"Hi! Over here! My name is Kidori!" she called. I floated closer on a cloud and she asked, "Is your name really Cinderella?"

All I could do, in response to her question, was nod my head. She acted like a fan, but not just any fan. Without her stage makeup on, she still looked beautiful. I was unable to speak around my heart in my throat. It hurt when it beat so strongly.

Somehow, Konatsu arrived through the crowd and took our order, and I said I was not hungry. Also, I was broke. I had brought no money, having no pocket to put it in, anyway. I said so, and ten guys immediately crowded around to offer to pay my tab.

"Uh, I don't think I ought to allow them to do that," I hesitated, thinking of the consequences when some guy tried to collect on his investment.

"Let them all chip in," said Kidori. She showed me a napkin and a pen. "If you feel like it, give them each an autograph signed, 'With my gratitude.' They'll love it. Fans are so nice! Now, take off your coat and sit down. Let's enjoy the food!"

"Yeah. Nice," I said. I had seen 'nice' from the other side of the fence. I was beset with memories. I always had an agenda when I was generous to a girl.

Then, without thinking, I took off the trench coat. The place got deathly quiet and I began to think that maybe I had made another mistake.

"That's...a nice outfit," said Kidori, her eyes widening. "Isn't it the same one you wore onstage?"

"What there is of it," I agreed, willing the blush out of my face. My cheeks were probably blushing as well, because I could feel a draft. I considered placing a napkin across my lap, gave up on that and wrapped the coat around my waist.

"But it's beautiful!" she gasped, "You're so pretty! I am jealous!"

"There are disadvantages," I said. Particularly when you don't want to attract attention. Having a guy call me 'cute' was enough to give me the blind staggers.

"Oh, I heard you sing at the concert!" she went on, "It was breathtaking!"

"It was a lullaby! A simple nursery song. Nothing special!" I wanted to sink out of sight. How could she sit here in front of all these people and carry on a conversation as if they were not there?

"The guys in the band want to record it, if you'll let them pay you for it."

"They can have it. No problem," I waved off the thought.

Part of me asked, 'Where was my brain? How could I pass up money?', while another part responded, 'Profit? And just who would cash the checks?' The ensuing internal argument kept me from noticing when the crowd started thinning out. Ukyo and Konatsu had issued an edict, 'Paying guests, seated only.'

There are places and times when you have to ask yourself, am I in heaven or in hell? I was in both. Simultaneously. I was face to face with the girl of my dreams, but I was not myself.

"I loved your song, really!" Kidori bubbled. "It made me feel so warm and loved, and I wanted to spread it to the rest of the world. I nearly passed out, it felt so wonderful. Don't you feel loved when you sing it? I wanted to go right out and have my own baby. Are you choking?"

"No, no! Of course not!" I coughed.

"You have such a lovely voice, and I really ought to be jealous, I suppose Mother would expect me to scratch your eyes out, or something, but you just make me feel comfortable, as if I'd known you all my life. Do you think we could practice together, sometime? I would love that!"

"I...ah...yea...uh...I never thought about it." This was a little too fast for me. All I wanted was to get close enough to see her. Now she wanted me to sing with her?

"Please?" she begged, "Think about it? I've always had to practice alone - Mother is such a stuffy disciplinarian, and I had to keep house and clean up after everyone else, and then I had to go off alone to practice, and I'd love to have someone to sing a duet with. Oh! You are such a good listener! Here I've been talking your ear off and you haven't been able to say a word!"

"Oh, that's quite all right! Honest!" I had enough to think about, without my mouth saying stuff to get me deeper in trouble. I had assumed that this 'wish' thing would wear off. Now I found that I was not in such a hurry. She would not even glance my way while I was Hiroshi, but as Cinderella... Another thought came, unbidden, 'What if she likes me because I am a girl?' I shuddered in anguish. No. I had to tell her, sooner or later, who I was. If I could.

"Oh, no!" Kidori jumped up, "It's getting late! Mother will kill me if I'm not back in time for my night exercises. Oh, she won't really kill me, but y'know what I mean."

She said goodbye to Ukyo and Konatsu. Konatsu gave her a hug and a bow. "Thanks for having me over!" Kidori said to Konatsu, "You are so kind and generous!" Konatsu gave her another bow and held it until she was gone.

"Sweet kid," Ukyo said, leaning over the counter. "You'd never know she was so popular."

"Come to think of it, where are her bodyguards?" I wondered.

"Mistress Nobara does not like them," Konatsu supplied, cleaning the counter and fastidiously preserving the unused napkins for later service.

"Her mother must be a slave-driver," I said, and Konatsu nodded, making a wry face.

I wrapped my trench coat around my shoulders after she left, because suddenly there seemed to be a lot of guys with only me to watch, and it gave me a queasy feeling.

I wanted to go over to Ranma and say, 'Hey! I know how you feel, now! You really have it rough, don't you? Still, you wanna let me-boy date you-girl? (wink-wink)'. But I didn't do it. At the moment, I would die before I admitted to anyone what I was doing. It was bad enough that I had admitted my secret to Daisuke. I could trust Dai to not spread it about. Couldn't I?

Ukyo prepared to close the shop. "Stick around, Sugar," she told me, "We can talk. Tell us about yourself."

"Acck!" I looked at the clock and it said that I had four minutes left before my disguise vanished. "I can't stay out this late! I gotta run!" Where had my two hours gone?

I stepped out the door. Voices hushed. Faces turned.

I thought I had made all my current allotment of mistakes. Apparently I was wrong. Kidori had vanished like smoke before anyone had spotted her, but I was not so fortunate. The crowd saw me and converged. I heard voices clamoring for my attention, felt hands tugging at my sleeve, patting my face, roaming over my...

"Hey, watch it!" I snapped.

"Whatcha think I'm trying to do?" came the reply.

Behind me, Ranma and Ukyo were coming out of Ucchan's to rescue me, but I could not wait for them. I had to get out of there in a hurry. I leaped out of the crowd, somersaulted over one guy and took to the rooftops until I had left them behind.

Fears that I would relapse back into myself in public kept me running until I reached my own doorway. I was so glad to get back in time, that I was inside the apartment before it hit me that I was still not me.

So I tried to be cool and casual about it - walked through the hall, up the stairs, and into my room as if there was nothing unusual happening. Maybe no one saw me.

Except Pops. Uh-oh.

And Hainoko. Drat!

Hainoko came into my room - uninvited, of course - lugging the Cinderella poster I had hidden away so carefully. I almost lunged at her to grab it back before I remembered that I was still shape-shifted.

"Is this you?" Hainoko demanded, pointing to the blue ribbon wielding diva pictured on the poster.

"Yeah, that's me," I gruffed. That is, I tried to speak gruffly. What came out of my mouth was softer, sweeter, and impossibly perky. Man, I couldn't even sound rude in this form!

Hainoko stared somberly, then, as silently as she had appeared, she disappeared.

The apartment grew quiet. I tried to calm down and be patient for the few seconds until the change wore off.

Pops had watched me, bug-eyed, when I first came in. Now I heard his footsteps creaking toward my room and I cringed, trying to hide. It was a close thing - if Pops had slid the door open and stuck his head in a second sooner, he would have seen a radiant complexion and blue eyes in panic mode staring back at him. As it was, he hesitated, and the person receiving his lecture was male, pale, and inexplicably relieved.

"Don't you have any principles at all?" thundered Pops, "Bringing a girl into this house and into your room ALONE?" The thunder trailed off into puzzlement as he cast his eyes about the floor, the futon, the cabinet, the posters on the wall, the closet, and the window. "She gone already?"

I nodded dumbly, inwardly kicking myself for being so pre-occupied as to make such a stupid blunder.

"Oh," said Pops, and he sounded disappointed. "She looked like a hot - seemed like a nice girl. But, you should think about her reputation before you do something stupid." He looked about again before lowering his voice. "Just remember, kid. Don't forget the protection."

"Heh..." I scratched the back of my neck absently, and my voice squeaked, "I won't, Pops!" as I watched the door slide shut.

Oh, man! What had I done? Now even Pops thought I was a pervert, and I could not imagine what would've happened if Mom had seen me!

The door slid open again and Mom entered, stage left.

"I saw the girl tiptoeing up to your room. She was so young, so beautiful, so in love. To think such a liaison could be going on in my own house!" Mom sighed with deep emotion. "Oh, Hiroshi! You are growing up! I am so proud!"

Exit stage left.

"Oh, great," I groaned and collapsed.

End: Chapter Four