Life began to settle back into a regular routine. No one was fighting to kill, and everything seemed to be doing well. The Arbiter kept teaching Presea, and she grew stronger every day. Eventually, Genis agreed to study as well. Raine started up a consistent class for the younger ones, assisted by none other than the Zelos Wilder. The results came back from the hospital; Sheena's pregnancy was a false positive. With further tests, it was proven that she was not going to have a child, even though the preliminary exam seemed conclusive enough. Sheena was disappointed, Lloyd was ecstatic, but everyone agreed it was just one less burden. In any case, everything seemed to be going fine.
Raine was home alone this Wednesday night. She had caught a bug, and was home in bed while everyone else was out doing all sorts of things. She found her Anime Explosion! book again, having lost it among the items Hurley would give her every time she visited his shop, and picked up where she left off. She had only begun reading when she came across something that made her stop and blink. "Did I just read that?" she asked herself aloud. She found the line with her finger: it was definitely there. She furrowed her brow, wondering what to make of it. After a moment's hesitation, she reached for the phone and dialed Ranma's house.
Ranma himself answered. "Mushi mushi," he said. "Ranma?" asked Raine. "Yeah, hey, what's up Raine?" he replied. "Not much," she said back. "Say, can you talk?" "Sure," he said. "What about?" She told him what. There was a silence on the other end. "So you know, then?" he said at last. He clucked his tongue. "Can I come over?" Ranma asked. "That'd be fine," Raine answered. "I'm sick, so I'm home right now. You can come over." "Good," said Ranma. "I'll be right over."
Ranma shivered on the couch, across from Raine, who was covering her almost naked body with a thin blanket. "Cold enough for you?" he asked. Raine shrugged helplessly with a smile, and wiped her brow. "Sorry," she said. "I've got a high fever, and I'm just so...hot! I'd stuff myself into the freezer right now if I could." Ranma nodded knowingly. "I see," he said, eyeing her blanket. "So then, I would really get more use out of that thing than you, huh?" She grinned. "If you want, I'll give it to you," she said. "I just need something to cover myself, you know?" Ranma shrugged. "I don't mind," he said. "I do have Akane, you know." Raine shrugged back. "Still..." she insisted. "Come on, Professor, if you're as hot as you say you are, you must be roasting right now. C'mon, just give it to me!" Raine sighed reluctantly. "Okay," she said, handing him the blanket. She sighed again, and stretched her arms and legs out. "You have a beautiful body, if it's not too bold to say," Ranma commented as he gratefully wrapped himself up. "Not at all," said Raine. "I like it when people compliment my figure. So, then, let's talk."
Ranma sobered slightly. "Ah, yes...where did you say you saw it?" he asked. Raine showed him her book. "Right here," she said, pointing to a page. Ranma skimmed through it, noting the references. "I see," he said, stroking his chin. He looked at Raine, who returned his gaze. He leaned closer to her. "Do you want to know a secret?" he whispered. A spark flickered in her eyes. "I'd love to," she replied. Ranma smiled. "I thought so," he said. He cleared his throat, and began.
"To answer your question: yes, Ranma 1/2 is about me and my friends. It is a very accurate account of a good deal of our adventures, as told by Rumiko Takahashi. Now, here's the secret: there are many, many similar cases. As a matter of fact, many of the movies, animes, mangas, comic books, video games, books, and the like that are a part of this world's pop culture and are considered fiction are actually fact. Or at least based in fact, as the case may be. The truth is that there is a lot going on behind the scenes that most of the world doesn't know about, wonderful, incredible stuff. And most of it is just too good to pass up. You know of Star Wars? That's real. My story? That's real. Most of the animes in that book are real. Ryoko and her friends star in a series called Real Bout High School. The Arbiter's group the Covenant are featured in a very popular game, Halo, and its sequel, Halo 2. I take it you've heard of them from your expression. Oh, I see, so you all do play it. Okay, so you know that. Oh, and did you know that there is already a game about your adventures? No fooling! Have you been told about the Men in Black? Yep, there were two movies made about them.
So you see, there's a lot of amazing things going on that people are willing to pay for to use. Sure, imagination is fine, but you need inspiration. And as far that inspiration is needed, it is used. It doesn't take a lot of imagination to draw some pictures and make them do things, but what they are doing and how, that's the key. I mean, for some stuff, like that anime porn, that's the easiest thing in the world to do. You already know what everyone likes, and then you do it again, tweaking it to your liking. But to come up with a truly outstanding story, often times, you're going to need an idea, something that's already happened."
Raine nodded, absorbing this. "You don't believe me, do you?" Ranma asked. She shook her head. "No, it makes perfect sense," she said. "How else could the stuff the Arbiter is teaching Presea be so similar to what George Lucas came up with if it wasn't real?" Ranma nodded. "Exactly," he said. "They need inspiration.
How do they get that inspiration, though? Simple. They find someone who's story they like, they ask if they want to let their story be told as fiction, and then they name some numbers. Often, very irresistable numbers. Since Rumiko decided to stick close to our story, she paid well. Others aren't paid so well, because the buyer's work is only based on their lives, not documenting it. There's a whole underground organization devoted to doing all this. They hide the real people, they issue royalties to the inspiring figures, everything that goes along with this idea. And it has never been discovered. It doesn't answer to the government, because as far as the suits are concerned, their little operation doesn't even exist. It was never announced, no one knows about it unless they allow it. And once you know about it, it is your job to keep the secret. Which...I just spilled to you..."
Raine shrugged. "If what you say is true, then I should already know about it," she said. "I mean, if someone's made a video game about us, we should be paid and therefore be informed about it, right?" Ranma snapped his fingers. "That's it!" he said. "We never told them about you! They don't know that you're here yet! See, there were spies in your world, documenting your actions, and when they came back, they sold it. They figured you'd never make it over here so...well anyways, yeah! We need to tell them, and that way we can let you guys into the club! Believe me, it is one thing to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but to meet Willy, well..." He chuckled. "That's something REALLY different!"
Raine waved goodbye to Ranma through the window and returned to the couch. She wondered how long it would take before anyone realized she was faking. Why would she, with her powerful healing techniques, be unable to cure herself? Inconceivable, she thought it to be. She turned up the thermostat on the wall behind her and picked up her staff, which had been lying on the ground next to the sofa. She whispered a few words to herself, relieving her of the fever she had given herself. She stopped perspiring and her temperature returned to normal. She always made sure she was realistic and thorough.
She looked at the clock; only seven fourteen. She was about to reach for the remote control when she heard a key turn in the doorknob. Instinctively, she turned to look. Sheena waved a hello. "Hi Raine," she said. "Just dropped by to pick up some aspirin." Raine got up and began to follow her to the kitchen. "What's wrong?" she asked. "Headache? Cramps?" Sheena chuckled. "Both," she replied. "You have a real knack for that." Raine shrugged and smiled. "It's a gift," she said simply. "You know...I could relieve your symptoms for you." "Really?" Sheena asked. "You could do that?" Her expression turned suspicious. "Then why are you sick?" she asked deviously. "Umm, well..." Raine faltered. Sheena broke into a smile. "I knew it," she said. "If you didn't want to come with any of us, you should have said so!" Raine shrugged again. "This was more fun," Raine said simply.
Sheena remembered what Raine said. "So, can you get rid of my pain, then?" Sheena asked. Sheena thought she saw Raine pale quickly and return to normal, but she couldn't be sure. "Well, I suppose," Raine said uncomfortably. "Come on, Raine," Sheena said. "I'm in pain and you're having second thoughts about helping me?" "Well, no..." Raine stammered. "Then just do it!" exclaimed Sheena. Apparently giving in, Raine slumped slightly. "Okay," she said reluctantly. "But don't get weirded out; it has to be done this way." "O--kay," said Sheena, suddenly wondering if aspirin wouldn't have been better. Raine stepped in close to her. "Um, close your eyes, if you would," Raine said. Sheena did so, her heart beginning to race at the thoughts of what Raine had to do.
She heard Raine speaking softly, almost chanting. Then she felt a hand rest on her forehead, and another just above her belt. There they laid, while nothing else happened. She wondered what was going on, and was about to open her eyes when Raine's hands tensed and dug into her. Sheena suppressed a yelp, and allowed herself to be pushed back onto the counter. Raine's hands relaxed, and left her body. Sheena stood back up and opened her eyes. "It didn't work," she said. "I still hurt." "I know," said Raine in an odd voice. She had almost realized what kind of voice it was when Raine took her head in her hands, said one unfamiliar word, and then kissed her, deeply and passionately. Sheena closed her eyes in shock and pain as her head swam dizzingly. Raine held the kiss for a long moment, and then released Sheena and spat in the sink.
Sheena sat back on the counter, feeling woozy. Raine rinsed her mouth with water and spit it out. She turned to Sheena. "So how do you feel?" she asked Sheena. Sheena looked up at her incredulously. "How do I feel!" she asked angrily. Then she smiled, and laughed in disbelief. "Wonderful. Better than new. Thanks for asking. But couldn't you have just waved your staff to do the same thing?" "Sure," said Raine. "But you didn't because...?" Sheena prodded. Raine smiled broadly. "This was more fun," she said simply.
Presea sat in her bed, staring straight ahead, unblinking. "Presea?" came Genis' tired voice from the bed next to hers. "You alright?" Presea didn't respond for a good minute, until her head turned, almost mechanically, to regard him with the same, only-occasionally-blinking stare. "This training from the Arbiter," she said. "It's really something. The things he's taught me about the Holy Force are very useful. But sometimes there are times when I can't resist using them, even when I know I shouldn't." Genis shook his tired head. "What in blazes are you even talking about?" he asked wearily. Presea abruptly cracked a very wide, very crooked smile. "I'm saying," she said, "that I pretty much can know what anyone near me is doing. Just like I know what most of them are doing right now." Genis shook his head again. "Sleeping, unlike us?" he hazarded, eyes closed. Presea's smile went away. Then she turned her head back to center, laid back down, pulled the sheets up to her neck, and closed her eyes. Her huge smile returned. "You'd like to think that," she said, smile never wavering.
Genis blinked his suddenly wide eyes, and saw her smile. "Ummmm..." he said uncertainly. "Precisely," said Presea. For a moment, no one said anything. Then Presea began to snicker, and not long after that they were both laughing so hard they found it hard to breathe. Soon they were asleep, both of them with huge, broken smiles on their faces.
The next morning, Genis and Presea shared small smiles that belied their incredible mirth. During and after breakfast, they kept glancing furtively at all their friends, and every once in a while they would burst out laughing and then suddenly stop, while they stared stone-faced at each other, only to start laughing again. Then they would chase each other around the house, slamming doors and running into stuff. Nearly everyone thought several times of asking what in the world had gotten into their heads, but no one was game enough to do it. Well, Zelos would have, if he believed he could have gotten a straight, truthful answer to the question.
Raine was reading the newspaper when she heard the lightsaber activate upstairs. "You'd better not break anything," she called, not looking away from her paper. The saber closed down again and everything was quiet again. Almost...too quiet...
Raine had no time to consider the implications of the sudden silence, for she was immediately pelted with a barrage of various objects, from shoes to cheese sticks. She turned and glared at the upstairs balcony. Everyone pointed, laughed, and then ran into their rooms and locked the doors. Raine shook her head tiredly, and, even irritated, couldn't help but smile. "Ah, to be young again," she said to herself. A door opened, and Yuan stuck his head out. "You don't have to be young!" he shouted. "Just insane! Come on, we already know you are!" He slammed the door shut again. Raine closed her eyes in supreme irritation and rubbed her temples. A mischeivous grin spread across her face. "Alright," she said to herself. "I'll play your little game." Taking up her staff, an egg beater, and a deck of cards, Raine started up the stairs to begin her reign of terror.
"Mm-mmhh," moaned Colette, rubbing her temples. "What's up?" asked Lloyd, taking an ice pack out of the freezer and placing it atop his head. "The professor beat you that hard?" Colette shook her head. "Could you...talk a a little softer?" she whispered. "Sure," Lloyd whispered back. "You got a headache or something?" She nodded, wincing. "Every once in a while, my angel powers return full force, usually just for a few hours, but sometimes for days," she explained very softly. "And when they do, I usually get bad headaches because everything is so loud to me, and sometimes my eyes hurt when I see a screen, or even just for no reason, apparently." Lloyd nodded sympathetically. Then he smiled. "I think I have an idea," he whispered to her. "What?" she asked. He grinned. "You'll see," he said.
"Okay, open your eyes," Lloyd whispered Colette. She did so, to find Lloyd standing in front of her, holding his hands behind his back. He brought them forward and opened them. "Ta-da," he whispered. "Oh, thank you Lloyd!" she exclaimed, then clutched her head in pain. "What exactly did you get?" She examined the objects in Lloyd's hands. "This is a pair of sound-dampening headphones," he whispered, indicating the package in his right hand. "And this is a light-proof blindfold, and this is a bottle of aspirin!" He indicated his left hand. She threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. "Oh, Lloyd!" she whispered in his ear. "I love you!" Lloyd felt her heave oddly. His brow furrowed in confusion. Then he felt moisture on his shoulder and realized she was crying. "What's wrong?" he asked gently. "Nothing," she whispered. "And that's just it." She released him and wiped her eyes. "Well, not nothing, really," she said. "It's just I was thinking about how lucky I am to have such a good friend like you, and to have all my other friends. I'm sorry if I got emotional." Lloyd just stared. "You're really weird," he said in a funny voice. Then he smiled, and hugged Colette again. Giving her his gifts, he said with a polite nod, "Enjoy!"
Staring in silence at the screen, the entire household watched as almost every one of their outfits walked down a runway and back. "Hmm," said Kratos. Someone sitting next to them in the club snorted. "Who would actually wear that stuff?" the woman said, shaking her head. "Hey, now-" began Zelos, before a blow to the head from Raine shut him up. "Don't," she warned.
Lloyd returned to watching the show. He squeezed his wife's waist and she looked at him. "Our clothes aren't that bad, are they?" he whispered into Sheena's ear. She shrugged. "Well, we already got the money, so who cares?" she whispered back. Lloyd had to agree with her. "Dirk," said Colette. They both looked at her. She smiled. "He would care, because he made your clothes, right?" They both looked at her. "What?" she asked. Zelos leaned over and whispered something in his not-too-bright-wife's ear. "Ohhh," she said. She looked from him back to them, and then back to him again. "Really?"
"What did you just tell her?" Sheena demanded. Zelos slapped his knee and burst out laughing. "HEY!" said Zelos, sitting up straight and pointing a finger at Genis and Presea, who were at the end of the bar area, holding each other and kissing. An uncomfortable amount of people were looking over at them. They began to blush. Suddenly Zelos started laughing again, so hard that he fell off his chair. Unfortunately for him, he hit another metal barstool's leg on the way down with his head. A bottle fell off the counter, thunking him on his head and splashing blood-red wine on his clothes. Everyone stared, wondering how bad he was hurt. An "I probably deserved that" floated up, and everyone relaxed and laughed. Genis shrugged. Presea shrugged. They kissed again, and Zelos remained unbearably happy and miserable at the same time. He got back on his stool, and sighed. "I love this family," he said, taking out his cell phone and pressing the speed dial number for his second home, the dry-cleaners.
"Tu-tu-touche," gasped the instructor. Presea's breathing was hardly labored at all. She lowered her blunted rapier and breathed deeply. The fencing instructor removed his helmet and set it aside. Presea did likewise. The sword master was sweating profusely, exhausted from his battle.
"There is nothing more I can teach you about fencing," he said at last. "If you want to learn about other types of swordfighting and swordplay, take this." He extended his hand, a black business card tucked between two fingers. Presea took it, examined it a moment, and looked back down at him. "Thank you," she said, bowing low. "It was my pleasure to train such an apt pupil," he said with a smile. "I only wish I could have spent more time with such a good girl. Well, now my friends will have the honor of training the great Presea Combatir. I wish you the best of luck in your training." He stood up and bowed before her. "Thank you again," she said. Turning on her heel, she walked briskly away to change and call her new trainers.
The instructor watched her as she strode purposefully to the locker room, his eyes never leaving Presea. "Such a good girl," he murmured to himself. "I hope she never forgets that."
Raine stared off into space, her eyes seeing the ceiling above her but not taking any note of it. "What are you thinking, Professor?" asked Botta. Raine turned her head to look at the man sitting on the couch adjacent to the one she was lying on. "You're an educated man, Botta," she began. "So I'm sure you must know a lot about the dimensional transfer system back before Sylvarant and Tethe'alla were one." "Yes," said Botta cautiously. "Do you know much about what happened getting from Symphonia to Earth?" she asked. Botta frowned. "No, not much," he conceded. "I only knew what I was allowed to see, and that was not much." Raine nodded slowly. "Are you still hoping to get back soon?" Botta inquired.
"No," said Raine, her brow furrowing. "I was just thinking about how the Earth got, well, rewound, and now I wonder...I wonder if Symphonia did too?" Botta smiled. "Well, that is one thing I know," he said. "Besides what we were told by the MIB, the time warp was one thing Cruxis had encountered before. I remember you said to me once when you were explaining your theories to me, that the remainders of Cruxis must have gone back in time when they arrived on Earth? Well, that is true. I recall it now...and I don't really understand the specifics, but crossing over caused one to go back about ten years. So Cruxis showed up at that time, screwed up the timeline, and then when we got back to the time when Cruxis crossed over, we changed the timeline by destroying their distortion machine, which was actually doing something far more strange to time then make it go backwards or forwards." Raine stared at him, eyes wide. "Wow," she said. "I think that was the first time I'ver ever understood every word someone said to me and yet the meaning did not get across." Botta laughed.
"Well, don't worry about it," he said, standing up. "To answer your original question, yes, Symphonia must have gotten rewound as well because I have seen what Cruxis knew about the relationship between Symphonia and Earth, and it made it perfectly clear that that relationship was too tight for that event to not have occured." Raine continued to stare. "Okay, that made a little more sense," she said at last. Botta laughed again. She sighed and covered her head with a pillow. "Go away," she said, her voice muffled. "My head hurts, and if you make it worse, yours will too." Botta held up his hands in a gesture of defeat. "I know you too well," he said, "because I know that isn't an idle threat." He turned to leave, and Raine muttered, "Damn straight" under her breath. Botta stopped, smiled, and shook his head with a smile.
2112, Phase 2. Down. Concealed. Disease.
"Don't worry about it. We'll take care of it."
She knows something is wrong. She must stop it. She must find the circulator, or they will die. She must use the abandoned path, open the back door. She must...
Presea saw darkness, and wondered what had happened. Her heart was still pounding. Tentatively, she opened her eyes, confused. She saw white ceiling in a dark room. It was then she realizedwith a rush of relief that she had been dreaming. It was different than the ones she usually had. This one had not been pictures, really, but thoughts, ideas, knowledge, almost as if someone were talking to her...
She frowned and tossed aside the sheets. She headed for the door and suddenly stopped at a touch on her arm. Genis was there, sleepy-eyed. He held up a robe. "You might want to wear something," he yawned. She furrowed her brow, confused. She looked down and saw she indeed was not wearing anything. Disturbed, she thanked him and took the robe, tying the sash in a knot around her waist. She headed out the door and closed it softly behind her. Pale grey light filtered in through the windows; it was still early. As she walked down the stairs, sliding her hand along the banister, she wondered how she could have forgotten to get dressed. No, not forgotten, she amended. How she could have thought she was already dressed, is what she meant. She had been certain she had worn her nightgown to bed. Perhaps she was still confused by, or focused on, the dream? Her feet touched cool stone, and she walked silently into the kitchen and sat down.
She rested her head in her hands as she put her elbows on the table, and then she thought deeply about what this dream could portend. How did it go? She couldn't quite remember...
"Hey, what's up?"
Presea leapt up out of her chair at the poke in her back. She nearly screamed but contained herself. She turned around reflexively, her arms in combat readiness instantly. Colette held her hands up and cowered slightly. "Hey, it's just me!" she exclaimed. Presea lowered her fists. She flushed slightly. "Sorry," she said sheepishly. Colette smiled. "It's okay," she said. "I heard someone get up, and I was wondering what was going on." Presea sighed and sat back down. She put her elbows back on the table and set her chin down in her hands. "Actually," she replied, staring straight ahead, "I'm not entirely certain myself." Colette sat down next to her. "What do you know?" she asked her friend. Presea shifted postion, so that her head was resting on knuckles instead of palms. "Well, it's about a dream," she said. "It was kind of odd, but I can't remember it...and it seemed important. And I want to know what it means, if anything, but I don't know what I should do...hmmm..."
There was a brief silence. Then, Colette spoke up. "Why not ask the Arbiter?" she suggested. "He seems to know about stuff like that, right?" Presea looked at Colette and smiled. "Why didn't I think of that?" she asked. "That's a good idea, Colette!" Colette smiled back. "Thanks!" she said. Presea got up and hugged Colette. "You are amazingly insightful sometimes, Colette, if also amazingly clumsy," she remarked. "And if there's such a thing as good luck, you are just about the epitome of it!" Colette chuckled. "Yep!" she said. "It's like Lloyd says: The best kind of klutz is a lucky one!" Presea had to laugh at that. "Alright, well, I'm going to go talk to the Arbiter," she said. "I'm sure he's up by now." Colette nodded. "Okay," she said. "I'll go ahead and start on breakfast since I'm up." Presea nodded and walked out of the room.
"Hmmmm," said the Arbiter at last. His eyes were closed, his hands clasped in his lap. He brought them to his forehead, and opened his eyes. After staring off into space for a moment, he let his attention return to Presea.Lowering his hands, he stared into Presea's eyes. "If you have this dream again," the Arbiter said, "try your best to remember it. Write down the details, if it helps. Then come to me again about it."
"Does it mean something?" asked Presea. The Arbiter stood up from his bed, and gazed out the window. "Perhaps," he said vaguely. "Sometimes, the Holy Force will show you things. The past, the present, the future, places you have never been, old friends long gone." Presea's heart skipped a beat. "Can I talk to people who have died?" she asked, trying hard to keep her voice normal. The Arbiter either did not notice or decided to let it pass. He seemed to struggle for words. "Most often," he finally managed, "you will but see them, relive your past with them, or just seem to sense their presence. Whether they are actually there remains to be proven. It has been reported that some have had talked to dead ones through the Holy Force, but..." He shrugged. "Anything is possible, Presea. You don't know if something is true or false until you find proof."
Presea nodded slowly, almost sadly. "I see," she said. "Well, I think I will go, then." The Arbiter nodded, and gestured with his hand, swinging open the door. "See you later," he said distractedly.
She went out into the hallway, her face downcast. She wasn't sure exactly how to take what the Arbiter had told her, but even if there was a slight chance...
She stopped in the hallway, her eyes closing in sorrow. Alicia, she thought to herself. A dull, aching lump formed in her heart and in her throat. She loved her sister so much...and she knew that no matter what, nothing would ever bring her back. No amount of revenge would revive her, no visions would bring her back to be with Presea.
Presea felt tears well up behind her eyelids, and with a moment's hesitation, she let them escape slowly. She opened her eyes to see if anyone was around. There was not. She walked awkwardly into her room and locked the door. She then sat down on the couch, and let the tears roll down her cheeks, while the intense longing burnt inside her. "Alicia," she whispered. "Why did you have to die? Why? Why..."
Regal sat up sharply in bed and clutched his chest. Raine was seated at the breakfast table with Colette, Sheena, Yuan, and Botta, talking rather loudly, when abruptly the conversation ended and silence descended on the kitchen. Lloyd, Genis, and Zelos were in their rooms, getting dressed, and all of them stopped, a heaviness weighing their whole bodies down. Kratos was out in the yard doing his morning exercise when suddenly he no longer had the energy to go on, and he looked back at the house in wonder.
The Arbiter sighed. Presea had struggled so hard not to show it before him, but it was obvious to him what she wanted, and he could not deliver. Now was as good a time as any for a lesson. Drawing the Force into himself, he shoved out the depression and felt the calm descend upon him. The same calm he would now try to give Presea.
Presea's tears had not dried up when there came a knock at her door. She wiped her eyes and went to open the door. The Arbiter looked down at her compassionately. "Come with me," he said.
They stood out in the woods, a stream babbling nearby. Their eyes were closed, their bodies motionless. "Do you hear the forest, Presea?" the Arbiter asked softly. "Yes," she whispered back. "Can you feel it?" he asked. Presea's brow furrowed. "I-," she began. "Yes or no," the Arbiter interrupted. Presea sighed. "No," she replied. "Then you must listen harder," the Arbiter said. "Listen as hard as you can, and then harder. Then try to listen farther than your ears allow. Listen with the Force." "But-" she began again, before the Arbiter cut her off again. "Don't talk," he said. "Just listen."
Presea opened her eyes, stared at the Arbiter a moment, then sighed and closed her eyes again. She took several deep breaths, releasing each slowly, trying to exhale the negativity right out of her body. Then she listened. She strained her ears to hear what the Arbiter was talking about. She concentrated, trying to listen to what was not there. She seemed to struggle against a barrier, one she could not break. She tapped the Force, let it flow into her and aid her senses...and then she was through. She could hear the forest living. She heard the life throbbing in it, the inexorable breathing of the trees. She matched her rhythm to the forests, and a deep, purging peace came upon her, clearing her head and making her smile.
The Arbiter spoked quietly again. "That is how I began to do it," he said. "Now, every time your feelings are clouding you and your judgment, not just influencing but clouding, reach out with the Force, feel it wrap around you and penetrate you, and just let it draw you into it, connecting you to everything around you. Then, when you can just let yourself be, you will find this calm, and it will do worlds of good to you, clearing your mind, giving you energy, and much much more. It is also quite effective after a fight. During it, you already know, the Force gives you knowledge, guidance, and strength. Afterwards, or during a pause, it can help you regain energy and help you rest more effectively." Presea opened her eyes again and nodded. "Thank you," she said.
"Hello?" Akane said. Ranma looked at her. "Yes," she said. Water dripped from her hair and ran down her shoulders and onto the floor. "Uh huh. No, not really. Okay. Ummmm, uh, I don't know..." Ranma shifted on his feet and folded his arms across his chest as he watched Akane talk on the phone. She glanced up at him, shaking more water from her hair. She had beaten him to answer it even though she was in the shower. She held her towel with one hand and the phone with the other. "Maybe," she said. "Yeah, okay. Yeah. Uhh...let's see..." She set the phone on her shoulder and bent her head to keep it from falling off. Opening a personal phone book, she thumbed through it until she found the page she wanted. She read off a series of numbers and closed the book. "Sure. No problem. Bye." She hung up the phone and sighed.
"Who was it?" asked Ranma. "Raine," said Akane, opening the door to the bathroom. "She wanted to talk to Ryoko Mitsurugi but had lost her phone number, so she asked if we had it. And we did." Ranma nodded. Akane flicked on the light and headed into the bathroom. She looked over her shoulder and smiled. She snapped her wrist and took off the towel. Ranma's eyes went wide. She reached out with a foot and shut the door. He stood staring at the door for a while. Then he shook his head, laughed, and went back downstairs.
2112, Phase 2. Down. Concealed. Disease.
"Don't worry about it. We'll take care of it."
She knows something is wrong. She must stop it. She must find the circulator, or they will die. She must use the abandoned path, open the back door. She must...
Presea woke up. This time, she knew exactly where she was and what she was doing. She sat up and grabbed a pen and paper from her nightstand and wrote down everything exactly as she remembered it. Hurriedly, she tore off the sheet of paper from the pad it was attached to and rushed to get it to the Arbiter. She ran into him in the hallway and breathlessly handed him the page, heart thudding away in her chest.
The Arbiter read it, and read it again. He seemed to be looking for something that he could not see with his eyes. He gave a long sigh and handed the sheet of paper to her. "Well?" she asked, wringing her hands. "What do you think?"
"From all appearances," he began slowly, "it would appear you have a precognitive dream here. However, that does not mean it to be true. It may very well be, though..." He trailed off, lost in his own thoughts. He shook his head after a moment and then squatted down, looking squarely into Presea's eyes. "Investigate that number and phrase," he said somberly. "You may find some answers there." She nodded her assent. He returned her a quick nod and a brief smile. "Well then," he said. With that, he got back up and made only the faintest noise as he slipped down the stairs, leaving Presea alone with her thoughts, and the paper that might give her the answers she was looking for. Looking down at it, she didn't notice the Arbiter until he was standing before her again. She raised her head and jumped slightly in surprise. The Arbiter didn't acknowledge it. Instead, he said to her gravely, "Don't forget, Presea, that the future is always changing; it is never set. You can change the course of events in your life with your decisions. Don't ever believe that your destiny is fixed. You control your life. No one else. And these dreams..." He paused and gazed down at the floor. "They're just guides, visions of what could be, what will probably be, not what for certain will be. Remember that." Presea nodded slowly.
As the Arbiter turned his back to her to leave, she stopped him. "How do you know our destiny isn't fixed?" she asked him. He stopped and glanced over his shoulder. "Because no one knows what their future is," he said simply. "How can you say your destiny is fixed if you don't know what it is?" He shrugged. "Even if it is fixed, it's best to live as if it isn't. Because you never know. In my experience, there is no such thing as fate." He chuckled. "I wouldn't be here today if I believed that my future was predetermined."
"Where would you be?" Presea asked. The Arbiter regarded her with a humorous look.
"In a coffin, in the ground," he said. A thought struck him. "Do you know about airplanes?" Presea nodded, a little taken aback. "Do you know why a lot of people are afraid to ride them, and would prefer driving to their destination?"
Presea shook her head. "Because they're more dangerous and unreliable than cars?" she ventured. The Arbiter made his grimace-smile.
"No," he said. "Traveling by airplane is by far the safest way to travel. Less people die in airplanes than they do getting killed by wild animals. Cars are far, far more dangerous to travel in."
Presea frowned. "So, why do a lot of people prefer them then?" she asked, slightly confused.
"Control," said the Arbiter. "It is all about control. People fear airplanes because they have no control over the plane. If it goes down, there will be nothing they can do about it. In a car, the driver has control over his life. If he gets into a situation, whatever happens, he is in control. Many people find it comforting to know that whatever happens, they'll be doing everything they can, even until the end." He tilted his head to look at a painting on the wall. "And that's the way it is with predestination. People like to think they are in control of their lives, and the thought of predestination sometimes scares or depresses people, because they feel that they might as well not try, because they think the same thing will happen no matter what. They do dangerous things because they believe nothing can happen to them until it's their time. Which is complete foolishness, of course." He stopped looking at the painting and turned to stare at her. "So then, the only question left is this: Are you going to be the kind of person who will rush headlong into dangerous things or give up and not try, believing that nothing you do matters, or are you going to be the sort of person who believes their life is theirs to control, and who is going to make wise decisions with their life and make good use of it?"
Presea stared down at the floor sullenly. After a moment, she tilted her head up, and then brought it up to center, her eyes closed, tears brimming at the edges. When she opened them, they were full of passion and determination. "I'm going to control my life," she whispered fiercely. The Arbiter smiled proudly. "I'm glad to hear it," he said.
