Ranma 1/2
Altered Destinies: A scary thought
Chapter 5
It had been a long, restless night for Kasumi. She lay on her bedroll, covering her face with a pillow. Why was this happening to her? Could things have possibly gone any more wrong? She continued to consider these questions as she replayed the night's events in her head, over and over again.
She had gone into Ranma's room with the best of intentions. Ukyo was taking advantage of her position, and advantage of Ranma. For his own safety Kasumi had to get Ukyo away from him. She was just going to slip in, take Ukyo out and have a civil talk with her. That was the plan but Ukyo turned it into a disaster. In the ensuing struggle Kasumi had managed to lose her shirt. Naturally she ended up on top of Ranma, waking him up and giving him quite a view. And worst yet, Nodoka caught her like that.
They had spent much of the night talking it over, or rather Nodoka had talked while Kasumi had listened and nodded in all the right places. "Kasumi, I know you are engaged to Ranma, but proper young ladies simply don't do that sort of thing. Such things are for after the wedding." Nodoka had explained repeatedly just to drive home the point.
Kasumi could only respond with, "I understand," "yes, of course," and other such things. What was there to say? She was innocent but those two honorable vows she had made bound her to not reveal the truth and therefore she lost her only defense.
She could still remember the look on Nodoka's face as she had opened the conversation with, "Kasumi, this is very delicate question but I must know, are you a virgin?" Kasumi shook her head to try and purge that insinuation from her mind. Mrs. Saotome must think Kasumi was some sort of uncivilized barbarian to even ask. Of course Kasumi replied that she was but the answer didn't seem to end Nodoka's doubts.
What made the situation even more trying was it had opened old wounds in Kasumi's mind. She had a picture in her mind of what a woman was, her mother. That was the template that she measured herself by. However, she had diverged so radically from that image that it was almost frightening. It had all started when she went to the Saotomes'. Unlike her own father, whose love was spread among three children, she got all of Genma's attention. He managed to slip in a martial arts lesson now and then and for some peculiar reason she kind of liked it. Then her mother died. That left Kasumi with an emptiness inside she just needed to fill. When Genma suggested that training trip she eagerly pushed for the chance.
Over the ten years she had spent on the road she had found herself diverging farther and farther from her mother's image. First she had given up the dresses she had adored. They were simply not practical on the road. Whatever they could not carry on their backs they did without. That meant few changes of clothing and going days or weeks without a bath. Then came her hair. Save her ponytail, one of the precious few hold-overs she had, it was basically a boy's cut, short and simple. It continued slowly, year over year, changing her further, losing more and more of the qualities she associated with her mother. Of course that didn't even consider what she had missed learning altogether. Under Genma's care Kasumi was basically on her own when it came to learning how a woman should act. Many things you'd associate with women, like sewing or make-up, she simply never bothered with. By the time they reached Jusenkyo she was living as a boy in everything except name. The curse had just been the final nail in the coffin of the little girl she once was. It would have been so easy to embrace her curse and to turn her back once and for all on her girlhood. She didn't, however. There was still in her mind the image of her mother. She might never be the woman her mother was but she was her mother's daughter and she would remain female no matter what.
Kasumi's mind turned to Ukyo. She had given her one time friend a great deal of leeway up till now but this was just too much. In one night she had efficiently managed to destroy Kasumi's image in Nodoka's eyes and as for Ranma... the thought of facing Ranma this morning at breakfast sent a wave of red across her face. She didn't even want to consider what he thought of her now. It was a rare occasion when Kasumi was mad at someone, and nearly every time to date it had been Genma. However, Ukyo had crossed the line.
Kasumi tried to calm herself but wasn't having much success. Embarrassment, humiliation and frustration were mixing into a potent brew. Finally, Kasumi tossed aside the pillow. She simply wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight. She got up, dressed, and headed outside to work the emotional energy out of her system with some practice.
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Ranma awoke rubbing his face then blinked as he remembered the night's events. He quickly scanned his room but found only his new pet laying next to him. She looked up at him and her tail began to thump on the bed, she seemed very happy to see him awake.
"Oh man, what a night," Ranma said as he got up and stretched. "You wouldn't believe the dream I had." Ranma heard a startled snort from the dog and turned to look at her questioningly. "Problem?" Ranma asked as he scanned his room again.
Of course it was a dream. It had to be. Sure, it was a very realistic dream. It probably would have fooled him if it wasn't for the absolutely unbelievable content. His imagination must have doing some really weird things in his sleep. Really, Kasumi jumping into bed with him, half naked no-less! Preposterous!
Ranma sat down next to his pet and scratched her behind the ears. "This engagement must be working on me more than I thought. Now I'm having bizarre dreams about her. Oh well, at least it didn't go that far..." Ranma trailed off as he considered that with a mix of relief and disappointment. After a second of thought, however, he dismissed his disappointment. "Good thing too. It probably would have twisted into some sick nightmare with me and... her male side." Ranma shuddered at the thought and stood up to get dressed. As he did so he thought he heard a low angry growling, but when he turned to look at his new pet she only returned his gaze with one of complete calm.
Ukyo growled as Ranma left the room. She couldn't believe it. Kasumi must have been born under the luckiest star in the heavens! It wasn't fair! She got all the breaks. Everyone thought she was little Miss perfect. Well, she was not going to let her get away with it. She slipped under Ranma's bed and rooted around in the trash that was typical of the underside of a teenaged boy's bed. If her current form had been able, she would have blushed at some of the things she found, but at last she located what she was looking for and slipped out from under the bed with it in her mouth. She won't fool Ranma, not while I'm here to make sure he learns the truth, Ukyo thought to herself.
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Akane stepped out into the yard to join her older sister. "Started practicing a little early this morning?" Akane asked as she entered a warm-up exercise.
Kasumi turned to her but hesitated before responding. "Yes. I couldn't sleep."
"That Ukyo is a maniac. You think she could at least keep this to daytime hours. What's that all about anyway? Did you figure it out?"
"I'm afraid so." Kasumi responded, sadly bowing her head.
"Well?" Akane asked, curious as to what Kasumi could have done to generate such anger.
"I'm sorry. I can't say."
"Why not?"
"I promised Ukyo I wouldn't say." Kasumi replied with a slight frown.
"Wait a sec, yesterday Ukyo was all fired up that you didn't know why she was angry, but now you know and have promised her not to tell?" Akane responded in confusion.
"I know it's confusing but I made a promise and I can't break it."
Akane shrugged. If she had indeed made such a promise then Akane had no right to pry. Maybe she'd figure it out herself later.
Akane finished her warm-up just as Genma and Ranma came out. Kasumi, suddenly very nervous, gave Ranma a brief look then turned away. However, Akane seemed to be the only one to notice Kasumi's reaction. Akane looked between the two, perplexed.
What's this about, Akane asked herself. Ranma gave no clues. He seemed the same as any other morning. Kasumi, however, seemed very uncomfortable. It didn't look like Akane was going to get an answer from either of them. However, she could give Kasumi a little help.
"Want to spar with me today?" Akane asked Kasumi. Kasumi looked at Akane, startled by her question, then nodded with a thankful smile.
Kasumi was relieved. At least she could put off the inevitable scene with Ranma for a little while longer. She was more than a little surprised at how composed he seemed. She kept darting glances at him as she spared with Akane but he seemed oblivious to her presence.
The morning practice session passed in relative silence. Kasumi was obviously distracted, allowing Akane to slip through several strikes. Akane would have laid a bet that it was something to do with either Ukyo or Ranma, maybe even both. "You sure you don't want to talk about it?" Akane asked just after she had grabbed Kasumi by the arm and tossed her face first into the ground.
Kasumi shook her head and began to get up. "I wish I could but..." Kasumi trailed off and began to shake as she looked at something in front of her. Suddenly she screamed and scrabbled frantically backwards on the ground until she reached a tree and quickly climbed up high into its branches. She continued to sit in the tree, her teeth chattering in fear. "C...c...c...c..."
Ranma and Akane looked at Kasumi in confusion while Genma became awfully nervous. When Nodoka, Soun and Nabiki rushed out, also looking up at Kasumi in confusion, Genma began to slink away.
"Kasumi, what's..." Akane began to ask as she looked behind herself at whatever it was Kasumi's eyes were locked on. Akane didn't know quite what to expect but she certainly wasn't expecting to see what was there. "A cat?" She said in confusion at seeing the raged animal that was wobbling across the garden towards them. It managed a few steps after Akane spotted it then collapsed.
"Genma!" Nodoka sternly pronounced, attempting to stare a hole through her retreating husband's back. "What is the meaning of this?"
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A short time later the two families were gathered at the common room table. Genma was the object of Soun and Nodoka's angry glares while Kasumi was attempting to get as far away as possible from Akane and the partially conscious cat in her arms.
"I cannot believe... No, I can believe it!" Nodoka exclaimed as she rubbed her eyes. "I just never expected something like... this! What were you thinking?"
"Well, the book made it sound so good and-" Genma started to explain.
"You didn't even read the whole book!" Soun yelled out.
"Ahh, yes, but who reads the whole book now-a-days?" Genma asked, looking around at everyone in desperate hope. They all stared back with even more anger.
Nodoka shook her head then looked at her husband intensely. "Just tell us that this is the only unusual training technique that Kasumi had to endure."
"Ahh, yeahyeahyeah."
Nodoka turned to Kasumi, unconvinced by Genma's answer. "Is this true Kasumi?" After a moment to collect herself, Kasumi managed to overcome her fear enough to nod. "Hmmm, very well then. I suppose what is done is done." Nodoka said but inside she again wished she had made Genma sign that contract. She turned to look at Akane and the cat. "Akane, you'll have to take that animal to the vet then to the animal shelter."
"Animal shelter? But-" Akane started to protest.
"Akane, it's obviously a stray and we can't have a cat in or near the house considering Kasumi's condition," Nodoka explained.
Akane nodded reluctantly, then with a very unhappy expression on her face, got up and left the room. Nabiki soon followed her sister and by the time Kasumi was calmed Ranma was leaving as well. Kasumi quickly chased after him, leaving Genma to face the still very angry Soun and Nodoka.
"Ranma, about last night-" Kasumi said as she caught Ranma in the hallway.
"Huh? What about last night?" Ranma asked in confusion. "Oh, don't worry about it."
It was Kasumi's turn to look confused. "Don't worry about it? I don't understand. You... you... I would have thought-"
"Hey, it didn't bother me that much."
"It didn't!" Kasumi exclaimed in shock. Taking a second to recover Kasumi continued. "You must understand that I don't usually do that sort of thing. It was really an accident."
"Of course. I don't usually get attacked in the middle of the night either."
Kasumi blinked in bewilderment then shook her head. "Nono, not that, I mean..." She trailed off and looked at Ranma's confused expression. Could he possibly be that unaffected by what happened to not know what she was talking about? Surely it would be foremost on his mind. Kasumi considered this and came to one conclusion, he'd forgotten somehow.
"Well?" Ranma asked after a moment.
"Ahh, nothing. It's nothing." Kasumi quickly replied and breathed an inner sigh of relief. Maybe her luck wasn't so bad after all. She started to turn and leave but stopped. There still was the matter of Ukyo to deal with. "Ranma, about... your dog."
"You promised not to tell anyone." Ranma replied, a slight bit of worry in his voice.
"And I won't, but I don't think it is wise to have a strange animal in the house. You don't know how dangerous it could be."
"She's perfectly safe. Besides, I know my way around animals. I've never met one I can't handle," Ranma responded with a dismissive wave of his hand.
Kasumi frowned and thought. She couldn't let Ukyo stay with Ranma like this. It was simply too dangerous. She wasn't just some common animal. However, without revealing Ukyo's curse what could Kasumi say?
Perhaps there was another way. Ranma might not give up Ukyo but Ukyo might be convinced to leave Ranma. Kasumi pondered this possibility and came up with an idea. "Well, at the very least you should take her to the vet. There is no telling if she has any diseases or such." Threatened with that, Ukyo would certainly give her deception a second thought. If she persisted, well, it was for the best anyway. She probably hadn't seen a doctor to check on her cursed form. She could have any number of health problems that she didn't know about. After all, a human wouldn't know how to properly take care of herself as a dog. There was one other fact as well. Ukyo had no records. She would have to have shots for rabies, distemper and whatever other conditions the vet felt were necessary to guard against. Kasumi chided herself for feeling a little pleasure over the fact that Ukyo would have difficulty sitting for a day or so. Still, after last night she felt she deserved a small amount of revenge, and it was not as if they would harm Ukyo. As a matter of fact, it was very important that Ukyo have those shots.
Ranma gave the suggestion some thought then nodded. "Yeah, guess you're right. Thanks Kasumi." Ranma said then headed off upstairs while Kasumi walked off, a small smile on her lips for the first time that day.
As he arrived at the top of the stairs he noticed his new pet sitting there, something hanging from her mouth and her tale beating like a metronome. "Hey, you shouldn't be out here." Ranma said as he knelt down next to the animal. "What have you got there, girl?" Ranma asked as he grasped the cloth hanging from Ukyo's mouth.
Ukyo let go of Kasumi's ripped shirt which she had retrieved from under Ranma's bed a little while ago. She had been waiting here, out of sight of the rest of the household, listening to the whole conversation below. She had almost been ready to jump down the stairs in fury when Kasumi managed to avoid the issue and again when the vet came up. However, she had held her temper in check. She had the proof.
She was almost giddy with the image of Ranma realizing that Kasumi really had been in his room last night, and that it had not been a dream. Now she waited as Ranma unfolded the object in his hands and tried to make out what the torn and battered thing was. Any minute now, Ukyo thought, any... minute.
"BAD!" Ukyo jolted back as Ranma hissed in her face, trying to make up for in intensity what he could not risk by shouting. "Bad dog, very bad dog."
What... I don't understand, Ukyo thought looking up in shock at Ranma. He waved the torn shirt in front of her, making sure she knew exactly what he was displeased about.
"Come." Ranma hissed and headed for his room. A bewildered Ukyo trailed behind him, her tail hanging low and a look of dismay on her canine face.
Once they reached the room, and Ranma had shut the door behind them, he dropped to his knees in front of her. Holding the shirt in one hand he waved it in her face, all the time repeating in the most quelling tones he could manage. "Bad, very bad dog."
Ukyo shrank down into as small a bundle of misery as a dog her size could manage. What went wrong? I don't understand, why is he mad at me, Ukyo asked herself.
Ranma sighed as he looked down at the dejected and heartbroken form in front of him. He felt like a complete heel, but if he did not teach his new pet to respect the contents of the house there was no hope he could ever talk his mother into allowing him to keep her. At least she seemed to be genuinely contrite. He would just have to hope she realized it was for ripping up Kasumi's shirt and not just random nastiness on his part. Feeling she had suffered enough, and any more action on his part would only alienate her from him, he reached down and hugged her. "It's all right girl. I understand you're new here and you don't understand the rules. Just don't go chewing up any more shirts and we'll get along fine."
At first Ukyo was so happy that Ranma was not permanently mad at her that she missed the implication of what he was saying. Then it hit her. He thought she had found one of Kasumi's shirts and torn it up in play. Kasumi, she howled in her mind, curse you and your demon blessed luck!
"Well now that that is out of the way you and I have to go visit the vet."
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Ukyo followed after Ranma as they walked down the street, to all appearances a happy and contented dog, but her mood was far from happy. Kasumi did this on purpose. She was trying to scare Ukyo off. Well, it wouldn't work. Ukyo was determined to stay even if it meant enduring a check up by a vet.
How the hell did Kasumi get so damned lucky? Of all the curses she got that one. Of all the people she ended up engaged to she got Ranma. She even managed to dodge the bullet about the incident last night. It wasn't fair!
Ukyo fumed at the thought. The only consolation was that Ranma's mother had seen it. Well, it was a start. Kasumi would pay and being revealed for what she really was would be Ukyo's main goal. As Ukyo gave this some more thought a new strategy started to look promising. Why bother attacking Kasumi directly? Ukyo just made herself look bad. No, it was time for a slightly different method of attack. It was time to attack Kasumi's character. Any damage Ukyo did would be well deserved by that pond scum. If the world wouldn't give Ukyo justice then she'd make her own.
As these thoughts improved Ukyo's mood somewhat Akane came up next to them carrying the still very dazed cat. "What's with the dog, Ranma?" Akane asked.
"Nothing, I just... found it." Ranma replied with a slight bit of nervousness.
"Yahweh, sure. You and your strays."
Ranma frowned then looked at the cat. "Look who's talking. Where did that thing come from anyway?"
"Kasumi said it got in the house last night. It must have gotten into my room and I... sort of knocked it out the window."
"Ah, that would account for the hole in the wall. That thing looks like it went through a paint factory. I mean really, pink fur? Cat's don't have pink fur."
"I think C-chan looks cute with pink fur." Akane said as she looked down at the cat with a smile.
"C-chan? You plan on keeping her or something?" Ranma asked with a sly smile.
Akane responded with and angry scowl which quickly changed to a sad frown. "I wish I could."
"Well, it would be a great way to get instant home renovation." Ranma replied with a chuckle as he returned his attention to the road.
Akane sad expression changed back to an angry frown and she looked away from Ranma. "Hmpf...Ranma, I thought you said you wouldn't do anything to Kasumi."
Ranma looked back at Akane in surprise. "I didn't do anything to her."
Akane looked back at Ranma. "Oh really? Then why was she so nervous around you this morning?"
"Oh, how should I know? She probably thought I was angry about that fight last night, which I wasn't. Hmm, or she could be a bit worried about..."
"About what? Let me guess, something to do with your new pet."
Ranma turned away from Akane, flustered. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Hmm, I find it awfully coincidental that you have this dog this morning and Kasumi-"
Ranma turned back to Akane, throwing his arms up in defeat. "All right, all right! I found her last night, and Kasumi promised me she wouldn't tell anyone."
"Hmpf, I knew it. There is no way Dad or Auntie Saotome are going to let you keep her."
"I'll think of something, just don't tell them." Ranma replied as they approached the vet's clinic.
"I won't but I still say they won't let you keep her." Akane responded as they came to the door. Before they could enter the door opened from the inside. They stepped aside allowing a nurse and a tall brown haired boy to come out dragging a light-brown haired girl behind them.
"Let Azusa go! Don't worry Jean-Luc, little Azusa will be back!" The girl yelled out. Akane briefly watched this then walked in while Ranma observed with a curious interest. The girl continued to struggle until her eyes caught sight of Ukyo and she suddenly stopped.
As soon as she stopped struggling, the boy and the nurse released Azusa. "I thought I told you to keep her away from here?" The nurse said.
The boy looked at Azusa with a slight frown that changed to a seductive smile as he turned back to the nurse. "My dearest apologies most lovely one, but I cannot keep track of all her movements. She is but my partner. However, allow me to-"
"Spare me. Try your charms on some other woman Mikado." The nurse said as she turned to walk back to the clinic. Mikado shrugged, still smiling, and began to leave.
Ranma watched the nurse enter and was about to follow her when he noticed Ukyo hiding behind him. "What?" He asked the dog. She responded with a fearful look at Azusa.
Ukyo felt a deep primal fear as Azusa eyes seemed to devour her. She had seen that expression before... usually just before she was invited to be the main entre at a town banquet.
"She's not going to do anything. Come on." Ranma said as he walked into the clinic. Ukyo quickly followed, her tail between her legs and a fearful look back over her shoulder to where Azusa still stood staring at her.
Azusa continued to stare for a moment longer. "Bigggg doggy." She whispered in admiration then a frown crossed her face. "But that fur is soooo uncute." She fell into thought then smiled gleefully. "Little Azusa can fix that, with the help of little Azusa's darling Pentothal!" She said, then merrily ran off talking all the while to the small glass vial she had until now held concealed in her hand.
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Kasumi looked at the list she held in her hand. Rice, onions, carrots, sprouts and a little chicken if she could find any for a reasonable price. She sighed. She had offered Nodoka money to go towards the food, but Nodoka would not hear of it. "This is your home Kasumi. You just got back from being away for ten years. We will not ask you to pay like some common boarder." Kasumi sighed again. For the first time in her life she had money of her own and for the first time in her life she could not think of anything she wanted to spend it on. Any feminine clothing was out of the question because of her curse, although she dearly wished she could wear at least a bra after what happened last night. She was not yet ready to start buying dress clothing that would fit her male body. It seemed too much like giving in.
Suddenly a motion in the corner of her eye caused her to pivot and fall into a defensive crouch. With a startled 'whuurf' the dog that had been about to pass her darted to the side. Kasumi relaxed and gave herself a mental slap on the wrist for over reacting and startling an innocent animal.
She watched as the black and white dog made a wide circle around her, never taking its eyes off of her. Once it was clear of her, the dog, which she could now see was a female, trotted across the market square to where a stocky teenager about Ranma and Akane's age was standing. He had a puzzled look on his face that disappeared when he spotted the dog coming towards him. He held out his arms and she leapt up and placed her paws on his shoulders and proceeded to lick his face with complete devotion.
Kasumi smiled at the affection the two obviously felt for each other. Then the scene before her tickled her memory and she knew she had seen it before. Looking intently at the pair she struggled to recollect where she had seen them before. The dog was very distinctive being solid black on one side and solid white on the other. She could almost feel the image in her mind struggling to form. Just a little more she, thought to herself. "I know I've seen them before...where...where?"
"Kasumi...Kasumi, is that you?"
Her attention disrupted by the sudden shout from behind her, Kasumi turned and spotted one of her fellow teachers from Furinkan, Hiro... Hitchi Hiro. "Hello Mr. Hiro. How are you?" As she spoke Kasumi looked back at where the boy and dog had been only to see they were gone.
"Boyfriend late?" Hiro asked.
"I'm sorry?" Kasumi asked in puzzlement.
"A beautiful young woman like yourself, what else could you possible be looking for on such a lovely day. Alas however, your swain is obviously a mere boy. No man would ever keep someone as radiant and fair as yourself waiting. Please allow a real man to buy you dinner at this fine establishment."
Kasumi smiled. From the first day she had begun at Furinkan Mr. Hiro had flirted with and teased her. She had been to tea at his tiny house and been made much of by his small and exquisite wife. The two septuagenarians had been so much in love with each other it had seemed to fill the cosy living room. She had left with a warm glow that had lasted all through the day merely from being in the same room as them. Now she felt herself cheering up merely by being in his presence. Her smile turned to an expression of puzzlement, however, when she took a good look at the restaurant Mr. Hiro had invited her to dine in. The windows were boarded up, the door was reinforced with planks and a stout hasp lock secured it. Mr. Hiro, with the air of a magician, twisted his hand in the air and produced a key. Unlocking the door he opened it and waved her through into the interior.
Inside it was dim, sunlight filtering through the cracks in the heavy shutters that covered the windows. Kasumi looked around and spotted the light switch. A flick of her finger and soft light filled the room. There was a thin layer of dust over everything. Kasumi, armed with the knowledge gained from restoring more than one destroyed restaurant, and working in many others in order to earn money to support her and Genma saw at a glance that despite the dust, two days with soap and water would have this place up and running. She turned to ask Mr. Hiro what he was doing here. She stopped when she saw him standing in the doorway, tears streaming down his face.
Before she could say anything, however, he smiled that good natured self deprecating smile of his and laughed. "Don't mind me Kasumi, they're only tears of joy. I spent many a happy day here. It used to be my uncle's place. He passed away several months ago."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. He had a long and happy life, and he died as he wanted."
Kasumi could sense the invitation by the sparkle in his eyes to play straight man so she obliged. "How was that Sir?"
"He was in the arms of a lovely young girl...and then her husband came home." As Kasumi struggles to keep any expression from her face Mr. Hiro waited, letting her fix the image in her mind. "She was his favorite granddaughter, and she had been nursing him for several months."
Kasumi smiles as he laughs and waits for him to continue. "Anyway he left me this restaurant for my retirement."
"I'm sure you will enjoy running it Sir. Some of my happiest memories are of working in a restaurant."
"Run it...no. I'm afraid the wife and I have no interest in that. The price it will bring once we sell it will give us more than enough money to spoil our grandchildren with. I will be sad to let it go, but my Uncles spirit will rest better if someone young were to run it and bring it back to life, full of the sounds of children and happiness. There is a complete apartment upstairs with three bedrooms and a bathroom. The kitchen is the same one the restaurant uses." With a sigh he turned around fixing every detail into his memory. "Well, I must be going. I just wanted one last look at it before I turned it over to the agents. I'm glad you were here. Seeing you standing here, in the dining room brings back many memories. It is long past time this place was filled again. I'll see you at school tomorrow."
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Akane stood off to the side, anxiously waiting for the doctor's prognosis. She still felt very guilty about the poor thing's injuries. It had probably wandered into her room, lost and scared, and what's Akane do? She knocks it out of a second story window, on a cold rainy night.
The veterinarian moved over to a cabinet and pulled a small bottle. "She took a really nasty bump on the head." He said as he began applying some the bottle's contents to the cat's head. As he finished that he pulled out a pen and waved it in front of the cat's eyes. The cat tried to bat at the pen once but missed. "She still isn't showing much awareness of her surroundings. Could be a vision problem due to the head injury." The doctor concluded as he put the pen away. "But, I think she'll be fine in a while. By the end of the day she should be up on her feet again."
Akane didn't feel very comforted, but at least the cat would recover. "That's good to hear."
"Unusual breed for these parts. Sure you won't be keeping her?" The doctor asked.
"Afraid not," Akane replied as she picked the cat up.
The doctor shook his head as he put away some of his supplies. "Shame really. There hasn't been many adoptions lately at the shelter from what I hear and that injury won't help any."
Akane stopped and look down at the cat. "Does that mean they'd... put her to sleep?"
"Unfortunately, they haven't got room to hold every animal indefinitely." The doctor answered then went to the door. "Ranma, you're next." He called out then took a chart handed to him by his nurse outside and began reading it.
"How long do they keep them for?" Akane asked at the door as Ranma entered with Ukyo-dog.
"I think they're working on a one week limit right now."
Akane nodded sadly as she thought about this. There was little she could do about it. She couldn't keep her. After a moment Akane sighed. "Well, thanks Dr. Sakai." She said as she left.
"No trouble. Bye." Dr. Sakai replied then turned, still looking at the chart, to Ranma and Ukyo, who had jumped up onto the examination table. "So, Ranma, I see you didn't mark down your bitch's breed. You usually have no trouble with that question, she must be a real mutt." He commented then looked up straight into Ukyo's very un-amused eyes, about 4 inches from his own. It took him only one second to realize two things. One, he was far too close to an angry animal. Two, this was no dog.
The vet let out a startled scream and stumbled backwards, falling to the floor. "That's a wolf," He managed to blurt out.
"What?" Ranma asked in confusion.
Dr. Sakai calmed slightly when the animal held its position on the table. He returned to his feet but kept his distance. "I said that's a wolf! Where did you get a wolf from?"
Ranma looked at Ukyo in shock and surprise. Ukyo was equally shocked. A wolf? A wolf! She changed into a wolf, not a dog, a wolf! Ukyo savored the feel of the word. Wolf, WWOOLLFF. Not mutt, Wolf! Not someone's dinner waiting to be caught. She was the eater, not the eatee. She felt her shoulders square and she sat up straighter. No one's little pet, not her. A big, dangerous, wolf. Terror of the woods, death in the night, WOLF. She wanted to jump for joy but the fear in the doctor's eyes stopped her. She adopted a semblance of calm, but inside she glowed with the knowledge of that fear, induced by a wolf. A wolf, not a dog.
No less enthusiastic about this was Ranma. This would be awesome. He had a pet wolf! Not some common dog, but a wolf! After a second he remembered the doctor's question. "Oh, ah, well, she is... kinda... a pet of an old friend of mine's and he-"
"A pet! This is a wolf we're talking about. They're dangerous." The doctor replied as he kept his eyes perfectly locked on the animal in front of him, fearing that any moment it would spring on him.
"Not this one. She's perfectly tame."
Dr. Sakai looked over at Ranma, unconvinced, then turned back to Ukyo. Ukyo put up her best look of friendliness to try and calm his fears. After a moment of consideration he approached.
"Is there something wrong doctor?" His nursed asked as she opened the door and looked in.
"Ahh, no, everything's fine. Just got a little startled, that's all." Dr. Sakai replied. The nursed nodded and left. "Well, this is one... heck of an animal you have here." The vet said then reluctantly, and cautiously began his examination.
XXXXX
Sometime later C-chan was drifting in and out of consciousness. She could recall the night before somewhat, leaping at some girl, wandering around confused, being startled and leaping out at another girl, then a great deal of pain and darkness. She also had some vague recollections of a doctor's office, a girl's comforting voice and being held gently by the same girl. She could not seem to make her eyes focus, but the girl's scent painted a picture for her, the scent of a young healthy girl, the soft gentle musk resulting from vigorous exercise overlaying the smell of soap and some fragrance that seemed to cling to her clothing. Pretty much everything else was a haze. She lay in the girl's arms savoring the feeling of comfort and security listening to the gentle murmur of the girl's voice. She soon realized that the oft repeated 'C-chan' referred to herself. She relaxed and let herself sink back down into the darkness.
XXXXX
When next she awoke enough of C-chan's senses had returned to her for her to make a conscious effort to raise her head. She immediately regretted the action. Her head throbbed like a ton of bricks had been dropped on it. The world spun before her in a blur. It took all her effort to just keep her stomach contents inside. She made a quick decision to spare her stomach any further trauma for a while and closed her eyes, instead relying on her other senses.
She could hear various animals, dogs and cats mostly, a conversation between two people a fair distance away, the buzz of electric lights, and the occasional rattling of metal cages. That didn't bring to mind the most promising of locations. The hard floor, the uninviting smells and a general feeling of tension in the air only added to this bad impression.
She risked opening her eyes again. It didn't help much, although the room wasn't spinning this time. Her mind was still far too cloudy to allow her to focus on anything. All she could make out was the blurry image of fencing and several other moving blurs, likely the animals she was hearing. That cinched it, she was in the pound.
C-chan closed her eyes again and cursed herself for getting into this predicament. How was she supposed to get out of this? She tried to set her mind on that exact question but the throbbing in her skull was just too much to bear. She decided to rest for a while then worry about escape. Before long she dozed off.
Several hours later she awoke, finding herself in the same place, dark now and quieter but definitely the same place. She examined her surroundings as best she could given the lighting then set to work finding a way out.
In the cage next to her another cat was contemplating his situation. He was cursing his own stupidity at being caught and thrown into a place such as this. This was no place for someone of his status to end up in. As he was pondering this he noticed his fellow prisoner climb her cage door and begin fiddling with the lock. He's was quite surprised to see that level of ingenuity for a common cat. Too bad they used keys on these locks instead of simple latches or he'd have been long gone himself.
"Don't bother." He said causing her to look his way in surprise. "Yeah, that's right, I can talk and I can tell you right now it won't work... not that you understand me."
C-chan looked on in shock. She couldn't believe her ears but that cat was definitely talking to her. She jumped down from the door and walked over to the dividing fence between their cages and looked at his dark form in disbelief.
"What, you never seen a talking cat before?" The cat asked with a touch of amusement in its voice. C-chan responded by shaking her head. That surprised him. "Hey, you understand me?" C-chan nodded causing him to become even more surprised. "Now, this is new. I never met a cat who could understand me before." The cat said as he rose to his feet and walked over to the fence as well, examining C-chan. "I am getting some weird vibes off of you...still, you haven't turned into a monster and tried to kill me yet. That must be good sign. So, just who are you beautiful?"
C-chan started to answer and then stopped in shock. Who was she? She didn't know! Except for some vague recollection of the last day she had no memories of who she was. She looked over at her fellow prisoner. Maybe he could help her. She did not know why but she felt a sense of caring and love surrounding him. She tried to ask him for help. "Meow!" She blinked in surprise. She knew the words, why couldn't she say them? She tried again concentrating. "Heewwwmm." She stopped in frustration. She could not make her mouth form the words she could feel so clearly in her mind. She shot a look of frustration at the other cat who did not seem to be surprised by her inability to say the simplest thing.
"Oh, can understand me but can't talk huh... Oh well." Her fellow prisoner looked at his companion with a new found interest. She obviously wasn't a normal cat but also not of his own breed either. He was sure the others would find this little discovery interesting. Of course that meant calling for help and he'd never hear the end of it if he was caught here. He didn't like his options all that much.
He thought about it for a second and then decided to stay a while and try to get out on his own. After all, if worse came to worse he could call for the others and if he did manage to figure a way out, what better way to impress his new lady friend. "At least I got someone to talk to till I figure a way out of this hole. It can get rather boring when you're stuck on death row where your closest intellectual company is some mutt chasing his tail." At the words 'death row' C-chan looked around her cage with a new sense of urgency. "Don't worry about it. I'll figure a way for us to get out here." He said to try and calm her fears. C-chan looked skeptical. "Hey, trust me, I got connections. It's liable to take a little while, but I will get us out. So, if we're going to be together for a little while I guess introductions are in order. I know who you are." At her look of surprise he tried to wiggle his eyebrows in a lecherous smirk. "You're beautiful and...I'm Artemis."
End Chapter 5
Okay, that's chapter 5.
Bye for now.