Ki Cutters: 42
The Posthumous III
Barry finished his work on the privacy fence in a contemplative mood. This dream was interesting. It wasn't often in dreams, that he was shocked anymore, but the sudden violence earlier, even more than the sex change with water, had shocked him. In his experience, such an action could be anticipated, or freeze-framed, or replayed to better advantage. He had tried. It hadn't happened. That being the case, he should have woken up. That also hadn't happened, and while he had no real interest in leaving at the moment, he was beginning to wonder whether he could leave, under the circumstances.
Still, all things considered, it wasn't all bad. He smirked at the somewhat less than silent presence radiating from the dojo. Kasumi had been horribly aware and flustered. Nabiki had made a brief appearance, rolled her eyes and vanished with a smirk of her own that had made him feel distinctly uncomfortable. He hoped she wasn't a meddler. He was pretty sure Ranma and Akane were mending some very important fences back there.
oOo
More than he knew. With their merged auras and awareness, Akane and Ranma were in an even closer state than they had been during the demon crisis. The awareness gained during that joining was available to both of them, as well as the memories Ranma had gleaned, however unintentionally from Barry when he had inhabited his body. Ranma, male and confident, Akane, female and receptive, both prepared to give and receive from the foundation of their love and the joy of their reunion. Ranma rejoiced in his control and the ability to give the most important person in his world pleasure. Akane practically sang as she experienced firsthand what she had always hoped for and had tried to give Ranma on that weird roll-reversed day in February. The sky outside grew noticeably brighter as their love was renewed and healed.
To Akane, who had thought she had burned her bridges with her fiancée, it gave a particular insight. Bridges can be rebuilt when both sides desire it. She sang out Ranma's name in the intense joy that offered up everything she was to someone she now knew she could trust with far more than her life. Ranma became the keeper of her dreams, as even as he offered his own to her.
oOo
Finishing with the fence, Barry continued his questioning of Akane's analog-sister, Kasumi. With any luck he could distract her from the other business. "So what you're saying is that this aura is focused around centers in the body; one in the head, one down in the groin, but the main one roughly behind my navel?"
"T-that's right, Barry-san. Ranma is so advanced that he can see these lines. He can manipulate his ki, change it in amazing ways, and use it to affect the real world." As Kasumi calmed, she nipped a length of thread and shook out what she was sewing. She face-faulted. It was the gi top Akane had been wearing only minutes before. "Oh, my!" Her awareness flooded in as her composure went to lunch.
Barry couldn't help but snicker and gave in to temptation. "Don't worry about it. I don't think she'll miss it at the moment. You'll probably find her bottoms in there too." He pointed.
"Oh, my!" Kasumi face underwent several contortions before she covered it, mortified.
(BOOOOOOoooMMMMmmmm!)
There was a rumble like thunder. A cloud of dust and debris obscured the eastern boundary wall. As the dust settled, a small, shriveled form stood there in a gaping hole, staff in hand and a calm contemptuous look on her face. She stepped forward, her feet spurning the grass she walked on. It turned brittle and brown at her touch.
"Who the hell is that?" Barry exclaimed. "Is that 'Granny'? If it is, she doesn't look nearly as hospitable…"
"That's not Cologne. I think that's Ti'en Pon," Kasumi said, "or her analog. She is a threat…"
"I can tell that. Well, it's time for me to earn my keep." He moved toward the dangerous little gnome.
"What are you doing?" Kasumi exclaimed. "Barry, don't! She's terribly dangerous…"
"I think I've figured out what I'm analogous to, Kasumi," Barry called back over his shoulder. "I'm the stuff the hospital pumps in to Akane to help her. Antibiotics and such. Let's see what I can do." He advanced on the withered looking figure. "You there! Get out! You can go no further." He materialized a European broadsword and swung it experimentally. Though not adept, it was a familiar weapon to him.
The old woman sneered. "I don't know who you are," she said in fluid tones. "But prepare to die."
Her hand rose, palm forward. Blinding light filled the garden.
Shampoo sighed. She hoped Ranma and Akane would wake up soon. Now that Akane was her sister by adoption, they had much to do to legally free Shampoo completely from Ranma and then organize the original Amazons' return trip to China. She wondered if she'd have to brush up on her bardic talents. The tale of Akane and Ranma should have a proper vehicle to live in Amazon tradition. And don't forget things like weddings! Not that they really needed anything under Amazon law, but… Imagine those two! She snickered and let her ki vision roam into the room where they lay. She'd see if she could get a proper answer out of Akane this time, about what sex was like.
She froze. They weren't alone, and the aura that was with them was of one that should not have been there. She screamed like a hawk and tore the door off the room. "Ti'en Pon! Enemy! You die!"
The old woman jerked back, surprised. Then she regained her composure. She tossed aside the empty syringe. "I am still listed as an envoy, child. No one dares touch... (BAM! KSHASH!)
Shampoo's response sent the old woman out the window. Tofu and Cologne burst into the room. "What happened," Tofu yelled staring at the damage. "Shampoo you can't just…"
""That woman was here!"" Shampoo snarled, using a term that in their native tongue meant volumes.
""Who do you speak of, child?"" responded Cologne. Then she saw the syringe. ""I see…""
""She will not return to the embassy,"" Shampoo promised. She was out the remains of the window before Cologne could reply. She fell like a shooting star, aura flaming, to begin her hunt.
Tofu turned from his patients. He called security and other medical personnel, and handed them the syringe Ti'en Pon dropped in her latest visit. "I don't approve," he said in an aside to Cologne.
"Approve of what?" asked Cologne innocently.
"Shampoo intends to kill that old woman?"
"Ti'en Pon has broken many laws," Cologne said. "In the village she would rate death."
"Can Shampoo do it?" Tofu asked. "I've been out of touch, but, Shampoo never matched your power, when I was here. How will she do against that old woman?"
"Shampoo is the only one who can properly face this challenge, Tofu," she said. "She has the right, by ancient law and by station."
"I hope you people know what you're doing," he said, shaking his head. He examined at the mark on Akane's arm. "I'm going to try something." He lifted the slice of thin latex left behind after the intravenous line had been reinserted and wrapped it around Akane's arm as a tourniquet. "Let's treat this as a venom and try to draw out as much of it as possible."
"If it's biological, like last time, it will only delay the inevitable," Cologne said sadly.
"Well I refuse to give up!" snapped Tofu. He took several deep breaths. "We'll do what we can."
oOo
Shampoo had moved quickly to cut off Ti'en Pon's escape route. She followed the old woman's movements with ki vision and herded her away from the safety of the Embassy.
Ti'en Pon was becoming alarmed. Twice Shampoo had let herself be seen. Each time, the Elder had unleashed a blast of power at the young warrior, only to have her slip away unharmed. True, she was an incredible warrior, even before she left. Shampoo's sparring with Akane had revealed greater speed and power, and a deeper knowledge of martial arts that normally took decades to acquire. Akane and Ranma had shaken Ti'en Pon to the core.
Ranma she would never have challenged. She could tell from his aura that he had the power of youth and the skill of a Matriarch. Akane also held reserves that Ti'en could sense but not accurately measure. She had obviously been holding back against Shampoo, and that had lulled the blue-haired Elder into thinking Shampoo was weaker than she was. Her ki might be bound, but her body had adapted unexpectedly. If she didn't shake her pursuer soon, Ti'en might have to rely on Amazon tradition, and she had no faith that the girl, so long cut off from her peers, would respect that anymore.
She dove into a phone booth and tried calling the Embassy. She might be out against official orders, but that wouldn't matter. She had higher status than the embassy chief, almost as much as one of the chiefs of military intelligence. She started to dial then felt her wards invaded. She tried to shrink onto the floor of the booth. (BOOOOM!) A bonbori took the top the booth and the phone clear off the base. Her panicked gaze darted about. Shampoo stood near the mouth of an alley, only meters away.
""How dare you!"" she snarled. She stumbled away from the booth. ""I am an Elder of the Joketsuzoku and your superior…""
""You are an evil old sorceress who has betrayed her people,"" Shampoo hissed with the joy of a hunting panther. ""By Law, the penalty for an attempt to kill one of the Sisterhood is the same as succeeding. For your attempt to take Akane's life, you die.""
""Of what do you prattle? She is no Amazon!""
""By Blood-bond and Heart-bond and the bonds of Spirit, she is my sister.""
Ti'en's eyes narrowed. ""That rite must be approved by the entire council. She is your rival…""
Shampoo laughed. ""She was. But by the ordeal of Sacrifice, she passed her test. You had no right to interfere, in any case; but with her Sacrifice and her adoption into my family, her life became sacrosanct to all Amazons.""
The old woman sweated. Sacrifice, the unrestrained offer of one life for another was sacrosanct and trumped all Laws. ""I did not know…"" the old woman whined as she backed away.
""You did not ask!"" Shampoo snapped, following.
""It is my right to demand trial before our people!"" she protested, grasping at straws. ""If you are right, it is time for you to return home in any case."" She straightened. ""You have named tradition and ancient law. Obey it yourself! I claim my right to a trial before the Council!"" She stiffened when Shampoo laughed again.
""You'd like that, wouldn't you?"" Shampoo sneered. ""So many thousand kilometers between here and Nicheiru. So many opportunities for accidents.""
""What do you suggest? Are you afraid?"" Ti'en sneered back. She cursed inwardly. She certainly was.
""Of you? Hardly. I respect your power, but I do not fear you, godmother… that was.""
""Was?"" The old witch was shaken. Had they guessed? Of course! That wretched boy! He had said… But he was an outsider husband. She could not be accused by such as he. ""By what right do you sever that holy tie?"" Ti'en demanded, regaining confidence.
""By ancient tradition, if necromancy or demonology is practiced to the detriment of a fellow Amazon, death is the only answer. We know what you did.""
Ti'en Pon gasped. Shampoo spoke the truth. Any Elder could tell if she spoke to them as she had to her that the warrior honestly believed her statement. Not suspicion, not deduction – if she had spoken even to one other Elder not of her political position, Ti'en Pon was as good as dead. It would be enough to trigger a deep reading, and then, any bound to the Joketsuzoku would pursue her forever. But there was a catch. ""Who have you defamed me to? This must still come before the Council…""
""No. No, no, no… This is a family matter, former Elder, former godparent."" Shampoo shook her finger warningly. ""This is between you and me, and only you and me.""
""That's nice, dear,"" Ti'en said smoothly. Eliminate Shampoo and her sisters then only that nearly blind male and Ku Lon to deal with. With Ti'en's connections, even she must fall. "Nidhugg! Mal murtheru esque," she screamed.
Shampoo brought her arms up to block, her shields at hair-trigger readiness. She was confident she could take whatever her opponent could dish out. She waited for Ti'en Pon's move.
Ti'en laughed as she faced the young warrior. ""You are dead, girl! Dead! The worm that devours is already at work within you and your sisters!""
""Oh. So that's what you were yelling about, old woman."" Shampoo straightened negligently and relaxed her stance contemptuously. ""Only one little problem…"" Shampoo let her aura flare into gleaming silver light, her hair lifting in the shattering brilliance, floating on the unseen breeze. The street lit up with the soft glow of her battle aura.
Ti'en Pon's eyes bulged at the sight. Shampoo leaned forward and targeted the old woman. A naturalist would have easily recognized the stance of a big cat just before it launches itself at its prey.
Ti'en didn't even have time to scream. A manhole cover went spinning into the air, propelled by eldritch power. Out of the manhole in the empty street a long deadly shape rose then arced down. It engulfed the old woman, devouring her in a single bite.
Burning blank eyes of horror turned from side to side. Ichor-fouled skin slicked across the pavement, leaving tiny trails of smoke where concrete air and alien chemistry met. A weird tongue was sent drooling out to lick its unearthly face clear of 'crumbs'. "Never call the Worm to an empty table," it graveled out in an almost humorlessly stupid voice. The worm seemed almost to see Shampoo and turned toward her curiously as if in mild recognition. "I will be fed," it muttered restlessly.
What did it want? What were its motivations? Why had it allowed Ti'en Pon to use it as a tool? Did it know of others among the Joketsuzoku who so utilized demons…? Shampoo almost spoke. The urge to demand answers of the beast was incredibly powerful. Almost too late she remembered an old Joketsuzoku warning: 'Those who speak unarmed to dragons lose their lives. Those who speak un-warded to demons lose their souls.'
She remained silent and slowly the fires died in those dreadful eyes. Like smoke, it faded away on the breeze. On the street where it had sprawled lay a desiccated, crumbling skeleton. Even as she backed away, retching, it dissolved slowly into goo that oozed slimily toward the open sewer.
Ti'en Pon was far worse than dead.
Barry grimaced where he was lying. He had called up a shield to match the sword he held and she had blown him right through the fence he had just repaired. He scrambled to his feet. He had fought some pretty nasty things in his dreams. This was just a scrawny old granny with a mean fireball. Discarding the mundane for the esoteric, he called up light saber and force field. They were brandished and higher speed was engaged. With a bellow, he dodged between the grimly advancing figure and the horrified Kasumi. Light flashed.
The old woman stared at him reproachfully, the cauterizing line of the saber dividing her almost bilaterally. Both parts fell in opposite directions. "Heh! That was easier than I thought it…"
Each part blurred and became whole. Neither was as tall as the original, but both had decidedly more mass than either half should have had. As the grass browned at their feet, they began to grow to original size. One turned and bustled off toward the dojo, one toward the house and Kasumi.
Barry jumped in front of the more immediate threat. He suspected that the human elements of this drama held more importance than the physical structure. The old woman, or her clone, brought up her hand again. Light flared.
This time with the psuedo-scientific force field he used deflected it skyward and to one side. He changed tactics and tried to roast the demonic figure, his light saber beam spread wide, but she was remarkably resistant. She was remarkably quick and strong, too. She pushed against his shields, forcing his physical retreat before he worked out how to anchor himself. Then she tried to sidestep his shields.
He deflected her past Kasumi, but then the hag was into the house, her touch literally creating dry rot wherever she went. In desperation, he englobed her with the field of his shield, setting her in a bubble of force suspended off the ground. Her eyes snapped dangerously as she tried to swim past the bubble's edge. Her strikes with hands, feet and staff barely distorted the bubble's surface.
That threat apparently resolved for the moment, he took out after the other. He had last seen it making for the dojo and hoped that the commotion had warned Ranma and Akane in time.
oOo
In an action ironically similar to Senbei's invasion of the Nekohanten, the Ti'en Pon look-alike burst through the doors of the dojo, to interrupt their lingering pleasure. Ranma blasted her back out the door, aware of the danger she must represent and conscious that they could not afford full-scale replacement of the 'property'. Together, they followed the old woman's form, joined in purpose on all levels.
When she didn't directly attack them, they paused. In those moments of indecision, Ti'en Pon's analog collapsed another section of wall and withered a tree. She seemed to try to egg them into attacking her.
"Don't attack," yelled Barry running around the house. "Englobe! Keep her from touching anything."
oOo
Kasumi, left to watch Barry's first opponent, shivered as the old hag seemed to come to some conclusion. She reached out and rested the tip of her staff against the inside of the bubble. Lightning, dark and ugly, turned it into a nightmare Tesla coil. Slowly she began to lose mass, shrinking, as the power against her confinement grew greater.
oOo
Outside, Barry had englobed the second withered form as he had the first. He was just congratulating himself when lightning seemed to engulf his body. "Aaugh!" He writhed, trying to escape. "Damn!" He fell on the ground to jerk spastically. The second gnome watched them clinically, Barry as he writhed and Ranma and Akane as they tried to figure out what to do about it. She reached out with her staff for the side of the globe.
oOo
Kasumi nervously got a broom out of the closet. This thing was only a meter or so from her kitchen. She hoped she could at least push it outside.
oOo
"What's wrong?" Akane started to demand. But Ranma was looking at the sphere and its captive. He grabbed Akane's shoulder and pointed, as lightning scattered across the inside of the sphere.
Barry's heels started hammering the earth harder. "There's another… by kitchen… Kasumi…" he choked out. "Touch… kills." Why wasn't he waking up, dammit?
Then lightning darted across the eaves of the house and across the tips of the grass. The light dulled slowly.
"Stay here!" barked Ranma as he tore across the painful lawn to the house.
oOo
Kasumi gritted her teeth and whined in pain as lightning arced down the broom handle. Slowly she was pushing the threat out. It hurt, but she was doing it. Then a heavy body tackled her and she looked up, blinking through tears at Ranma's haggard face. "Why did you stop me?"
"Don't touch!" Ranma shouted. He jumped to his feet and considered the incredible shrinking woman. He saw the shield flicker. Heart thumping, he encased the sphere in a sphere of his own. He turned to Kasumi and wagged a finger. "Don't touch!" he restated. He sagged as the original sphere collapsed and he felt the thrust and dig of the lightning his opponent played across the inside of the cage. Then, horrified at what this implied, he ran for the dojo again. The other one might be free with Akane and Barry!
She wasn't. Barry lay twitching on the ground while Akane ground her teeth. The little gnome's lightning technique was painful and debilitating. What really concerned him was the shade of gray the mist had taken. The sky looked like late afternoon and was growing perceptibly darker.
"We're pumping her full of the new-spectrum antibiotics," Dr. Nokomi told the family. "Unfortunately, this strain of bacteria is a very tough one."
"What's the prognosis, doctor," Hinako asked. Soun had tried to speak but his voice was hoarse with tears.
"Up until that woman interfered, I would have said she was out of danger." Nokomi's voice was bitter. "Now, It depends on a lot of factors. She's weak, very susceptible to an infection." He wiped his forehead with a large handkerchief. "We've moved them to a isolation room as well. We can't afford to have this strain escape into the hospital. There are at least forty patients who, if they caught this thing, would certainly die. We're using extreme caution…"
Shampoo stumbled into the waiting room and sat down heavily. Mousse reached her side almost immediately. "Shampoo, are you alright?"
"What you do here, Mousse?" she husked. "You supposed to be at Nekohanten, yes?"
"We closed hours ago," he protested. "Your sisters are here, too.
"You okay, Shampoo?" asked Ling-Ling.
"You not hurt. But feel bad. Why?" observed Lung-Lung.
"Ti'en Pon is gone," Shampoo husked.
"Godmother? Gone where?" Lung-Lung inquired, but her sister seemed more perceptive.
"She dead. Otherwise she go to Council trial. So she was one?" Lung-Lung gasped at Ling-Ling's callousness. "She was one who set demon to eat us from inside."
Lung-Lung looked hurt. "She did?"
"Shampoo finish according to Law…" Ling-Ling faltered as Shampoo shook her head. Both looked ill after they heard her relate what happened.
"What worse is… demon stupid. Very! But Shampoo no have nerve to ask who else enemy within tribe. Stupid thing probably know, but Shampoo remember old folk saying and become too scared to speak!" She shook her head in an agony of disgust.
"You did the right thing, dear," Cologne said, reaching out a soothing hand. "That old folk story is no story! Had you spoken to it, with your past association and your recent intent on revenge, it would surely have killed you. More than that, it would have damned you, and your spirit would be feeding it for all eternity." Shampoo's sisters shuddered and hugged Shampoo close. Mousse gulped and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Ti'en died by her own hand. Let us leave it at that, shall we?"
Shampoo sobbed once then straightened, gathering her wits and focus. "How is Akane?"
Cologne sighed. "There was so little hope to begin with. Now… It would take a miracle." She looked bleak. "It was so pointless, what Ti'en did. I never liked her, but I find it hard not to condemn my former sister and add to the weight of her punishment. Get some sleep, children."
"No! We stay awake! We no let new sister go to dark untended," Ling-Ling shouted belligerently.
"Still busy…" Nabiki-analog glanced up from the phone. She was dialing again and again through the numbers of the Nerima martial artists and Akane's family, hoping to get through. They were in deep trouble. "This isn't working. Everyone must still be awake and waiting to hear about Akane's condition. They'll be doing the bedside vigil right to the end."
"Keep trying," Barry said from his vantage point outside the kitchen window. He was presently rather bemusedly maintaining the barriers around the two ghoulish little invaders who had done so much damage. It was strange; one moment he had been drumming his heels, totally spent, maybe dieing, the next, he was superman, with powers beyond… He wasn't sure, but believed the doctors had added more powerful drugs to the mix. Regardless of the origins of his newfound strength, maintaining the prisons felt like an excruciatingly bad migraine mixed with food poisoning. The other downside of his power was that he now easily damaged anything he touched.
Nor could he offer the power he held as reserves for their repairs. Ranma had attempted to tap into Barry's newly acquired reserves and had literally gotten burned. So they let Barry deal with the ghouls and he let Ranma and Akane take over the repairs to the house and grounds. Meanwhile, the light outside threatened to slip past afternoon, into evening. "What's our status, Nabiki?"
"We don't have enough credit for the repairs, Barry," Nabiki retorted. "We can't even use what little credit you have left, because only you can administer it, you can't assign it. You can't even use it to get home! You went way overboard fighting those two… things. You're stuck here."
Barry grimaced. "Oh, well. That's life."
Nabiki glared at him.
"How much time do we have?" Ranma asked wearily.
"Let's put it this way," Nabiki Analog said flatly. "Kasumi's fixing dinner."
"Just a thought, but have you tried Ryoga, again?" interjected Barry.
"Lost Boy? Forget him, he'll be the last to drop off with his constitution!" countered Nabiki.
"Don't you think it's funny that he's lost all the time?"
"So why should I even try for him?"
"Because even if he knows about this, he might be asleep, sort of. The way Ranma describes him, the way he broods all the time when he's not asleep, he might be in a daydream state. It might be close enough to reach him."
Nabiki pursed her lips. "I should have thought of that."
"Forest and trees," Barry said. The ground beneath him began to buckle forcing him to move away. Man! He was nearly as bad as the ghouls in the globes!
"What?" She had missed his comment as she dialed.
"Moshi, moshi?" came a distracted querying voice.
Well, wadaya know… "Ryoga! Nabiki here. Actually I'm not the real Nabiki, and this is a dream. It's a special dream, though. Do you think you could loan Ranma and Akane some… investment capital?"
oOo
Nabiki came running to the door as the day brightened a little. "Got Ryoga on the line. Could someone please come and talk to him? He would only advance me a little. I don't think he trusts me much," she added with mock irony. She walked closer to Barry who stood grinning to one side. "He also wants to come and help."
"Why not?" Barry asked, wandering about in aimless circles. He couldn't even sit down without causing damage. This seriously sucked!
Ranma trotted over from where he was finishing repairing the privacy fence the fight had trashed. The main room was still a shambles. Akane was cleaning up with Kasumi's help. "Cologne warned that too many people would make the analog world too complex to manage. Everybody'd put their own interpretation on things."
"I guess it's lucky I'm a total outsider. I had no idea what to expect, so I accepted your interpretation," said Barry dryly. He felt the ground shift and moved hurriedly to a different location, again. "Hey! I don't have to do this!" He hovered up into the air. "Can't believe I forgot gravity isn't a necessary condition in a dream."
They boggled at him a moment then nodded. "At least you won't dent my lawn that way," Akane observed as she trotted in to take the phone.
"Hey, Nabs…" She turned to stare at Ranma. "Why not expand your circle? I mean… Barry ain't a martial artist. Akane's got a lot of friends at school. I'm sure everyone has some resources, however small, that they could donate. Some of them must be asleep."
"A few yen from many rather than thousands from a few… Oh my God…!" Briefly she imitated the painting 'Scream'. "I should have thought of that!" She shook her head and hurried back into the house, picking her way past debris. As she entered the building the day grew brighter yet.
"I guess Akane talked to Ryoga," Barry commented. He floated over and curiously peered into the house. He admired the woodwork and took note of how the ceramic tiles overlapped. He floated past a window and then stopped and returned. Soun Tendo knelt beside a wide futon, weeping and holding the hand of a woman, who reposed wan and pale on the mattress. He blinked then gave them their privacy. "I have to figure out what that's about," he muttered.
"The infection seems to be contained," the doctor reported in his latest visit to the family at large. "Our new drugs are working better than expected. She's… They're very weak though. You people should get some sleep."
Baradandya, Urudu and Sakurida had been sitting to one side talking softly with Keiichi. Baradandya stood and walked over to the family and friends who were there.
Shampoo sat next to Mousse. Across from them, Ling-Ling and Lung-Lung flanked Cologne. Soun and Hinako sat further down, leaning against one another for support. Ukyo sat alone, looking miserable. She had never stopped blaming herself for the mess and missed the absent Ryoga horribly. Nabiki sat, flipping her cell phone open and shut nervously. This was her second phone of the day. The first had broken hours ago.
Kasumi sat, outwardly composed but inwardly upset and distracted. Tofu was back in her life. At the moment he was on rounds in this hospital where her sister was lying, but whenever he was free, he was at her side, supporting her and appearing remarkably free of his old malady. She didn't know what to think of it. She had always thought him a little silly, but her heart had broken when he had left. Now everything was upset and she didn't even know if she wanted him here. She should be focused on her sister.
"Excuse me, please," Baradandya said, wringing her hands. "Perhaps everyone should try to get some sleep. We can't help them sitting here. At least you should be rested in case something changes. Please, listen to the doctor."
"There's something else at work as well," Cologne commented her brows drawn in a frown. "I've been in the room with them, and their auras are different somehow. It's probably more of Ranma's doing," she added.
"Ranma will save her," Kasumi suddenly spoke in a quavering voice. "He always h-has."
"Even Ranma's needed help," Nabiki said harshly. "And we can't go where he's gone." The flip top of her phone suddenly snapped off under a particularly violent wrist movement. She glared sourly at the device and threw it down. It bounced off a high-top tennis shoe. She looked up to see Sakurida gazing at her with pity.
"Get some sleep, 'Biki, please?" Sakurida said.
"Give me a break, Sakurida," she retorted. "I owe them both too much to ever forgive myself if…"
"How will you help them by getting sick yourself?" the dark-haired goddess asked her. "You'll do far, far more for them if you pace yourself." She flipped her ponytail back. "In fact I'll guarantee that you'll regret not taking my advice."
Nabiki sat silent while they stared one another down. "You've never given me direct advice," Akane's sister said finally.
"I didn't want to impose."
Nabiki sighed and dropped her eyes. "I don't think I could sleep if I tried. I'm not sure I've slept ten hours in the last ten days."
"I can help there," Cologne graveled. She smiled and twitched her fingers. Nabiki and the others gave a deep sigh.
Hinako looked over. "Could you make Soun sleep, Cologne? He needs it more than anyone, I think."
"Of course, dear." She hopped over and quickly touched his neck and head. Soun slumped. "Now let's help the rest of you. Don't worry. If anyone shakes you or yells at you, you'll wake immediately." She hopped over to Kasumi and Nabiki. "Are you ready? Let's get everyone comfortable now."
Fifteen minutes later, the waiting room was full of sleeping people. Cologne turned to the four kami and set herself. "All right, what are you people up to?"
Nabiki-analog whistled tunelessly through her teeth as she dialed another number. "Gos? Hi, there… No, this is a dream, Gos... Why would I call you in a dream? You know my sister's in the hospital. Ranma's trying to heal her directly with ki and we need boost our reserves a bit… No, I'm not scamming you. Why does everyone say that? ... That was rude — justified, but rude! Look, Ranma and Akane have to work together to rebuild the damage from the accident. That's why I'm calling for them... You will? Thanks! Now look in your pocket. You'll find a wallet. The cash is your personal reserve; so don't worry about that. Look for a credit card… Okay. Can you read me the numbers? I promise I'll give you an accurate balance." She read him off the balance and explained what it meant. "Now give only what you're comfortable with. We will return what's not used, but… Thank you! That's helping already. Now I gotta call some other people. Bye!"
"How's it going?"
Nabiki jerked as Barry, shrunk to doll-size, hovered only a meter or so away like some bizarre fairy. "Omigod! You're tiny! Is something wrong?"
"Nah! I just was getting curious. I can't touch anything right now because whatever is associated with me is too strong. But this way I can neb without bumping into things." He swooped around to check out the other occupants of the kitchen. "Hi, guys! What's cooking?"
"Why did you ask that?" Akane frowned, turning around. Kasumi giggled, the first indication of mirth Barry had heard since coming here.
"Ah… You're in the kitchen. What else do you do in the kitchen?"
"How cute!" Kasumi exclaimed, seeing him for the first time in his new state. "Cleaning supplies," she added, holding up a broom, a mop and several bottles.
Barry blinked. "Okay." Zipping down along the floor, he reported, "This is still sort of stained down here."
"Oh?" Kasumi looked then reached out a finger.
Barry interposed. "Don't! Treat anything strange as a deadly threat. Get Ranma with his ki vision thingy."
"Barry," Akane snapped, "I can do that, too!"
"Go ahead then."
Akane glared at the floor. She frowned. "There's actually more than that. What is it?" She also started to reach toward the discoloration.
"Akane, I swear I'll smack your fingers." Barry slowly reached his own hand down and paused. He conjured a feather duster and lightly swept at the mark.
Nabiki shrugged and turned back to the phone. Impishly, she tried calling the Tendo number. She got a ring. "What?" she asked herself. Then a familiar voice got on the line.
"Moshi, moshi…"
"Kasumi?" At her identification, the other three people looked up.
"Hello, Nabiki, you sound much happier in this dream I'm in," Kasumi observed.
"Uh, ha… Look, sis," Nabiki said, boggling at her image only a meter away, "I'm actually not Nabiki. I'm a part of Ranma's analog of Akane. Ummm… We've found that we can phone out to people who are asleep…"
"How nice! You should be able to reach all our family and friends then. Cologne just made us all take a nap. Is there anything I can do?"
"Since I got you on the line, sis, here's the deal…" Nabiki said.
In her sleep, Kasumi smiled and nodded.
"Jeez! I wonder what would have happened if I got me?" Nabiki hung up, shivering. The day was significantly brighter. Kasumi hummed as she put 'dinner' in the refrigerator.
"How are they doing out there?" Akane asked, concerned.
"Dad's a putz. No, strike that. Everyone was advised by the goddesses to take a nap," she began.
"Nabiki," Kasumi protested at her disrespectful manner.
"Come on," Nabiki replied. "We're simply an aspect of Akane's personality. And even if I know the goddesses aren't allowed to directly help, I can be irritated." She smirked then. "Of course you know why they've done this don't you?"
"We can call Shampoo and the others!" Akane exclaimed.
Ranma poked his head in. "We can get Ukyo and Shampoo? Great!"
"Ranma, look at this stuff," Barry accused. "You designed this analog world, what is it?"
Ranma walked over and looked at the discoloration. He almost reached down to touch it, but drew his hand back. "It feels hot." He got down on hands and knees, and sniffed. "Smells almost like kerosene."
Barry's head snapped around. "Run!" he said flatly. Ranma leaped back as the trail, matching the path of one of their gnomish attackers, burst into flame. Barry jerked back for a moment and yelled "Foam!" Kasumi, Nabiki, Akane and Ranma barely got out ahead of flame and response. In the yard, a trail back toward the formerly broken wall was burning merrily.
Ranma gaped. Copying Barry, he thrust his hands out and yelled, "Foam!"
As Ranma foamed down the fire in the yard, Akane looked back at the house. "Barry, the fire's under the floor! Barry!"
Barry's form zipped out of the house and foam suddenly filled the spaces beneath the building. For a while, smoke filled the air, leaving the sky dark. Then they realized the sky was dark. They glanced at each other grimly, then turned and looked at the tiny figures in their globular prisons. The twin ghouls cackled merrily, then fell silent.
"This was an aftereffect of those monsters' presence," Barry suggested. "If they're germs, then those were probably toxins left behind as they entered the body."
"Wonderful," Akane said in disgust. "Now what?"
"We keep fighting," Ranma growled. "No matter what, at least go down fighting."
Barry turned to Nabiki. "A woman of business such as yourself wouldn't be without her cell phone, would she?"
Nabiki held hers up.
"Start calling." Barry turned back to their prisoners. "I have to start thinking about how to deal with these vermin. The foam dissolves with water — at least mine does. It was also geared to absorb and dilute the kerosene." He smiled briefly.
"How do you know it will work?" Kasumi said, staring into the house with concern.
"Have a little faith, dear," smirked Barry, an expression very much like Ranma's when he was bragging. "This is Ranma's analog but it's also my dream. My dreams always work!"
oOo
One by one, their friends received calls within their dreams, strengthening the teenagers' efforts. Still, even as they repaired the damage once again, the threat of the ghouls continued. Nabiki's call to Shampoo returned a quick summary of the action that had taken place earlier, as well as Ti'en Pon's fate. It was interesting that intent or expectations played a large part in contacting an individual. The same number that reached Kasumi, reached Nabiki, Soun and Hinako. Likewise the Nekohanten's number contacted Shampoo, Mousse, Ling-Ling, Lung-Lung and Cologne, though Cologne's line was busy.
Nabiki let Akane make the call to the real Nabiki. She, in turn, had access to phone numbers the analog Nabiki didn't. The pool of donors steadily widened.
The root of the problem remained. Within the analog world, Ranma, Akane, Kasumi and Nabiki were nearing exhaustion. Two evil little crones were cheating one another at cards in a double-decked game of war.
"I'm stymied," Barry admitted. "I've got them contained, but I can't get rid of them."
"Are they getting weaker?" Akane asked.
"Yeah, but not that fast. What worries me is what happens when I leave."
"Leave?" They stared at him.
"Yeah. Sometime, I'm going to wake up. I'm worried about what will happen to the drugs and stuff I'm controlling. They could do almost as much damage as the ghouls have, if not controlled." He pointed at the pair, who glanced down, sneered and went back to their game. "And now that you've got the ki problem solved, I can tell I'm not locked in anymore. What's worse, I think I hear my wife calling."
"I don't hear anything," Ranma said, frowning.
"Why would you? I think I have a solution, but I don't think Akane will like it."
"Oh?" asked Akane, a worried expression on her face.
"Who's the woman upstairs?" Barry asked thoughtfully. He was right.
"The… No! You can't ask her! She's sick!" Akane sweated.
"What in heaven's name is the role of a sick woman in this analog?" demanded their guest. "Ranma?"
"Not mine. That must be from Akane. It's her mom." Ranma offered. "She died when Akane was little."
"Okay. Now I think I know who and what she is. Perfect." He cracked his knuckles and zoomed toward the house.
"No, wait!" Akane, panicked, ran after the small form. Ranma sighed and ran after her.
In the master bedroom, Barry hovered before a gaping Soun and the reclining Mrs. Tendo. Akane burst in on them as he was saying, "…think it's time for you to get up. Your daughter needs you."
"No! She's sick!" Akane yelled, swiping at him.
Dodging up toward the ceiling, he countered, "Why do you need to visualize your mother as sick, Akane?" he asked. "Don't all the memories of your family before she got ill mean anything?"
"But…"
"Akane," Ranma exclaimed, grasping her by the shoulders. "Calm down!"
"But he's going to make her get up," Akane wailed.
"Why was she down to begin with?" asked her fiancée.
Soun spoke up his voice surprisingly free of grief. "When Akane was little, Kimiko taught her martial arts. Though I took over that training after she died, Akane always considered herself the family's defender."
"You always wanted to defend me from the world, dear," Kimiko Tendo said. "And I loved you for it. But you know a mother…"
"…and a father…" Soun interrupted.
"…will always defend their baby. Even when their baby is the strongest, most special young woman in the world." Kimiko threw back the quilt and, with Soun's help, stood. She took several small steps and embraced her daughter, who hugged back, breaking into wracking sobs.
"I don't want you hurt, Mommy," she cried in a little voice.
"I know, honey. But in this case, I have the opportunity to help you. I love you, even as your father does and Ranma does... Any of us would die for you. But I don't think I'll have to." She turned to Barry. "Mr. Barlowe?"
Barry was shaking and his form looked blurry somehow. "Better hurry up, folks."
Ranma groaned. "Gwen must be shakin' him awake! Let's get this done! She just don't take 'no' for an answer!"
"Huh! You do know her!" Barry chuckled and despite his odd twitching, winked at Akane. He held out his hands to the analogs of her parents. "Just remember, no one is as powerful or determined as a mother. Got that?"
"Oh!" Akane froze then gave a small tremulous smile.
"That's right—"
"Excuse me," Soun interrupted. "I'm in on this, too. Don't anyone try to stop me." He stepped up resolutely beside his wife while Akane looked smiling and crying all at once. "I'll make you proud, baby."
"You always have, Daddy."
"Let's hurry up and go outside for this," Barry said, shaking more violently. At times he seemed to fritz like the picture of a TV with a funky antenna. "It won't be long now."
In the yard, he turned and expanded to 'life-size'. "Lay your hands on mine. I'd think up some magical words or something, but I think Gwen's beginning to beat me with a pillow, so here goes…" An instant after their hands met his, light flared around them like a sunburst.
"Maintain the bubbles!" Ranma yelled. The midget marauders were already on their feet and smashing at their prisons with powerful strokes of their staffs. The bubbles wavered then firmed, glowing brighter and more powerful. The forms of Soun and Kimiko rose off the ground – doing wonderful imitations of super-saiyajins.
"I'm outa here!" yelled Barry; and suddenly he popped like a bubble. His house outside the gates wavered and disappeared. "I'm up… I'm up, already!" came his wavering shout on the breeze.
The bubble-prisons firmed around the invaders then merged. The evil pair looked at one another shocked, then snarled, exchanging insults then blows. They began to wrestle, fighting like two angry cats in a cage. The old crones rapidly lost size, diminished to a bright pinprick of light and vanished in a flare.
Akane, Kasumi, Nabiki and Ranma turned and stared at the glowing figures that were analogs of the Tendo parents. The day brightened, yet the light softened into gentler tones. Soun turned to his wife. "It's done."
"Yes. Well done, my love." They turned back to their audience. "We are no longer needed here. In fact, we probably endanger you, Akane."
"Don't go," Akane wavered, reaching out and then withdrawing her hand. "I still need you."
"Far less than you think," Soun smiled. "But we'll be around."
"It would be nice to go on a picnic again," added Kimiko, giving Akane a look. "Sweetheart, don't be so obsessive about what happened back then. Remember the good times. I do."
"I will, Mom."
"For now then, goodbye." They rocketed into the sky, arcing up to pinpoints of light before bursting in beautiful splendor.
Ranma jerked as the light blinded him, and raised a hand. He couldn't. Irritated, he looked down and saw it was strapped to the bed. Bed? He glanced around. He was awake and in a hospital room. Frantically, he engaged his ki vision to seek out Akane... and relaxed.
Leads and tubes sprouted from his body as they did from the girl in the bed next to him. Various medical personnel, from their garb, stared at them as if they were sideshow oddities. "Akane? Akane," he called out weakly, turning toward the form on the bed beside his, "Akane, are you awake, love? Akane?" Despite his extra senses, he began to have doubts.
"Ranma," she whispered, suddenly. He saw her head turn toward his voice and saw her eyes open, then squint as the lights offended her as well. "Not so loud, baka." Ranma gulped, he suddenly couldn't speak but the people around them broke out in astonished query. Her eyes blinked open, met his and she smiled before they closed again. "I didn't mean for you to shut up." She took a deep breath and sighed. "I had the strangest dream."
"A good one, I hope?" Ranma asked. He saw the door to the room open and made out Tofu and their parents framed in the doorway. He strained to hear her over the rising babble of astonished voices.
"The best, baka," she whispered. "You were in it."
Elsewhere, a wife beat on her husband with a pillow. "I'm up already!" Barry groaned as he rolled away from the assault.
Gwen, his wife, life-friend, companion in everything and mother of his children knelt on the bed and frowned at him. "Are you sure? I don't normally have to resort to this unless you pulled an all-nighter at college."
He sat there on the edge of the queen sized bed and seemed deep in thought. "I was dreaming."
"Oh?"
"One of the odd ones. One of the 'main character's changed genders with water temperature." He glanced up and grinned. "Can you imagine me with something like that?"
Gwen wrinkled her nose. "No worse than when you dreamed about the aliens who taken over the world, were amphibious and our deadly enemies till your character discovered they were a slave race to a second alien race which was a completely aquatic form that controlled key elements of their reproduction." She sat on her heels and sighed. "At least that one you played out over a couple of weeks." She brandished the pillow at him. "You didn't try to finish it in one night."
"Heh!" Barry looked thoughtful. "Ranma and Akane…"
"What's that?" His wife had already slid off the side of the bed to start selecting her clothes for the work day.
She half turned and the sunlight beginning to stream in through the windows reflected off her skin with a warm glow. He considered picking her up and going back to bed and to hell with the day. "Hmmm?" he queried.
"Ramma and something…"
"Ranma and Akane. Two characters out of a Japanese comic book. Pair of martial artists – romantic comedy, I think."
"Those kids you go to class with are going to rot your brains," she joked speaking of his recent return to scholastic endeavors. "Why would you dream about something like that?"
Barry turned and looked thoughtful. "No idea… But it might be fun to see what's out there and see how close my dream matched the artist's work."
Half-dressed, Gwen came over and kissed him. "Romantic comedy, huh? Will it give you any ideas?"
"Do I need any with you around?" he replied leering at her, getting ideas, immediately, though not from anything he'd seen in his dream.
"Sweet little innocent me?" she gave him a wide eyed I'm just SOOOOoooo innocent look.
"MOOooom! Mara keeps messing with my Nintendo!" Brendon, stuck his head in the room irrespective of what might be going on in it. Beyond they could hear their youngest doing her best to deny everything. The mood broken, they got on with their real jobs:
"What are you doing playing Nintendo before school? What have we told you?"
"Mara don't touch your brother's things unless he gives you permission!"
"Oh… my… god… Look at the time! The bus would have been here 5 minutes ago-! We're gonna be LATE!"
Parent – Part guardian angel, breadwinner and social secretary. The last line of defense between those they love and the world.
"Let's MOVE IT people!"
This concludes the second installment of Locked Outa Love / Ki Cutters. In the next (and probably final installment, Ranma and Akane must decide how they will shape their future. For if they are to face the Dragon of Jusenkyo and the problems he heralds, they must be true Masters of Ki. Look for Master Ki to come to toward fall '06.
Barry T. Barlowe (BTB)