Mamono Hunter Ukyou
Shinrou: Shadow of Fear
Part 3
By Edward A. Simons
Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.
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In the silence of the night
How we shiver with affright
At the melancholy menace of their tone!
For every sound that floats
From the rust within their throats,
Is a groan:
Edgar Allen Poe, "The Bells"
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"Angry?"
"No, of course not, Ranchan."
They lay on his futon, her head pillowed on his shoulder.
"Disappointed?"
"Yes. No. Well, I guess my question is really why."
"It...It just didn't seem right. I'm not so good at explaining, but..."
"Is it because of what Tofu said? Are you worried about me having a kid?"
"That's...that's some of it, Ucchan. It's bad enough what some people are probably saying about you. I guess I don't wanna prove 'em right. I've seen it. It's not fair. People treat the girl like something you'd scrape off the bottom of your shoe. The guy, they think it makes him more of a man. My mom would probably think that." He paused, grappling with the thought. "I guess she doesn't know what being a man really is."
"Ranchan, you know I..."
"Yeah, Ucchan, you...you were willing to trust me. I coulda done what I wanted and you woulda let me. Stopping before we got too far was hard, maybe the hardest thing I've done. But I wanna do this right, I wanna do what's best for you. That means not doing anything before marriage. That way having a kid would be something good, instead of something to be afraid of. That way you can look 'em in the eyes and laugh when they say things like that."
"But they'll say those things about me anyway. It's like what the other kids said when your Dad stole my dowry. They treated me like it was my fault, like it made me less...less of a woman."
Something crystallized in Ukyou's eyes. "You...you said marriage. Does...does that...do you..."
"I was thinking about what you said to Akane." He repeated Ukyou's words, "It's about trust. It's about respect. It's about forgiveness," then added his own. "That's a start. It's not enough, but it's a start. I was never too good on the respect part, unless people knew martial arts. There's Kasumi..."
"What about Kasumi?"
"I expected her to cook and clean and do laundry and stuff and I didn't even thank her."
"But now you know that. And there's your mom. She doesn't know any martial arts, but you treat her with respect."
"I guess so, Ucchan. I still don't think I'm so good at it. I think I've done better on the forgiveness part. I ain't one for holding grudges. If I was, Pops would be hurting for what he did to you and Mom and Akane and Kaori and Kami-knows-who else."
"And so would Happosai," the girl added.
"And lots other people, but that's not me," he finished. "So that leaves trust. I don't trust the Amazons or Kodachi; they used too many tricks and traps to try to make me do what they want. The only girls I really trust are you, Akane, and Kasumi."
Ukyou caught her breath. It was the second time he'd mentioned the older Tendo girl. "Kasumi?"
"Yeah, like I said, I trust her," he replied. "But that's what I mean by what you said wasn't enough. I like Kasumi; I trust her; but she's like a big sister I never had. I like her. I like her a lot. But I can't see me ever doing more than liking her."
"What...what about..." Ukyou stammered.
Ranma continued. "Akane though, I mean, she can be so cute when she smiles. And when we aren't fighting..." He didn't notice Ukyou burying her face in his side and willing herself not to cry. "But we always end up fighting and she hardly ever smiles anymore, at least around me. Usually she's angry or sad." He hadn't meant to hurt anyone, but he knew he had. "And I know she doesn't trust me," Ranma continued, "I don't think she's ever forgiven me being a guy."
"What?"
"If I was a girl, she didn't have to worry about no stupid engagement and I could see she didn't want one. I didn't either and I guess we kinda took it out on each other. After a while I got tired of it all and I realized just how much this whole mess was hurting everybody - her, you, everybody."
He didn't mention that the insight was the result of Aijou's attempt to possess him. The monster's attempt to destroy him had finally woken the boy to the sorrow in the lives around him.
"I don't care if Pops or Mr. Tendo are happy about what I do, not after the way they tried to force me to fulfill the promise otheyo made. Did you know Mr. Tendo tried to make Akane look at me when she swallowed a love pill? And if Pops really cared about who I married, he shouldn't have engaged me to so many girls." There was anger in the boy's words and a little bitterness. "I still don't know what to do about the mess he made. That's why I moved to Tofu's, so I could try to sort the whole disaster out."
"And I just...I finally realized something, Ucchan."
She looked up at her fiancé, not daring to breathe.
"I realized there's a girl who I think is cute, not just when she smiles, but even when she's angry or sad or tired. A girl who forgives me even when it's my fault she feels that way. A girl I don't want to feel that way anymore."
He didn't know what else to say, which was fine. Ukyou didn't give him an opportunity to speak for quite a while.
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Mousse sat up and groaned. Someone with iron feet was tap-dancing across the inside of his skull. He focused past the pain and ignored it. It wasn't all that much worse than being smacked over the head by Cologne's staff. He swallowed and realized his mouth tasted like something furry crawled into it and died several weeks ago. That was much harder to ignore.
Sunlight peered through the broken wall of the restaurant, showing that it was morning and that the building still stood. It illuminated Ryouga sprawled on the floor with Ran-Ran nestled against his back. It also seemed to laser through Mousse's eyes and set fire to the front of his brain. He staggered towards the kitchen in search of one of the herbal remedies Cologne had concocted.
It tasted foul, but no fouler than his mouth already tasted. His stomach protested, but reluctantly agreed to retain its contents for now.
"What happ..." Mousse began but silenced himself, wincing away from the noise. He remembered anyway. The idiot Pig Boy had been glowing from starting to summon a Perfect Shishi Hokoudan and Mousse had expected that to be his final sight. Instead, Ran-Ran had switched the grip on her tiger fork and swung the haft of the trident-shaped weapon like a club. Its arc had intersected the back of Ryouga's head and slammed him unconscious.
"She must have done the same to me when I turned back towards the kitchen," Mousse whispered, wincing again as pain stabbed through his skull. It was definitely time for more of the herbal remedy and then perhaps some much needed sleep.
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Tofu wrapped his hands around the steaming cup of tea and inhaled its fragrance. It was the start of a relaxing morning ritual that he hoped would culminate in a hot bath. The repair crew was due soon and he anticipated it eagerly.
Yet behind his calm exterior, something nagged at Tofu.
Kasumi should have called about Akane, one way or another.
He stood and moved towards the phone.
"SorrydocIgottarun." A pigtailed blur whipped past, nearly knocking the teacup from Tofu's hand. He blinked and was nearly trampled by a second blur. The hair was longer and lighter than the first blur, and the borrowed Chinese shirt was blue instead of red.
"WaitformeRanchan!"
Tofu felt tired just watching them hurtle out of sight and he never did get a chance to inform them that the school was closed for repairs. He didn't even get to tell them that Shampoo was with Konatsu at the hospital.
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Morning had arrived and Akane was still missing. Kasumi didn't know what to do, but she wished she knew how to pull a mallet from nowhere like her little sister did.
At least then Father would stop bawling and I could think of something.
She'd slept fitfully and it was hard for her to think clearly, especially over the noise of her father's wailing.
"Where's breakfast?" demanded the sign the panda freeloader held.
Kasumi gave Genma a look that would have caused a more perceptive person to flee. "Get it yourself," she replied. The panda stood there in confusion as Kasumi walked towards the phone. She'd almost picked it up when it rang.
"Tofu?" she asked.
"No, it's me, Ryouga. I'm sorry, Kasumi, I'm sorry. It's all my fault."
"What happened?" She wasn't sure she wanted the answer.
"A...Akane was kidnapped, but I'll get her back. I swear I will, Kasumi. I'll do whatever it takes."
"Who did it?"
There was silence. Ryouga didn't want to mention the creature. The silence wore on unpleasantly, but he couldn't lie to Akane's sister. "I'm sorry. It was a Mamono. It had to be."
She nearly dropped the phone. A strangled gasp was all she managed.
"Kasumi...Kasumi, are you still there? I'll get your sister back. I swear I will."
She barely heard him.
I'm alone. She'd lost the members of her family one by one. She'd tried to be strong for all of them, and now she needed them, needed their support. She glanced towards her father. She wasn't going to find it there. Her legs felt like they wouldn't be able to hold her up much longer.
"Kasumi?" the phone implored.
"I'm sorry, Ryouga. Where are you now?"
"The Neko Hanten."
"I'll be there as soon as I can. Please just stay there."
Before the Lost Boy could reply, she hung up and began dialing Dr. Tofu.
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"Now what?" Ranma spoke, but Ukyou thought the same thing. The pause that followed should have been quiet and still, but the repair crews swarming over Furinkan High guaranteed that it wasn't.
"I wonder what else happened," he added. There was a scarred line burned across the concrete. The charred trench ended where what they would always remember as Kodachi's tree had stood. All that remained was a shattered husk.
"It's cold," the boy murmured, and he meant more than the temperature. Movement drew his eyes and he noticed his fiancée shivering. "What happened to your coat, Ucchan?" He remembered the night she nearly froze.
"I'm not sure. I think the Mamono Hunter dress got too messed up to trade places with it and the rest of my clothes anymore."
"Here, use mine."
She blushed, recalling the borrowed shirt and slacks she wore were also his. The blush grew deeper as she considered that that was all she was wearing. Even if Ranchan has underclothes for his cursed form, I am onoto gonna ask to borrow them. And what if he does have a bra and I'm not big enough to fill it?
"Ucchan?"
"What? Oh, thanks," she smiled; pretending it was his arms wrapped around her instead of his coat. Ukyou dug her hands deep into the pockets and exhaled, watching her breath dissipate in the winter air. It felt like her strength had faded away, too. She smiled wearily. After the events of the previous day, a little fatigue was unsurprising.
"I don't know what I want to do, Ranchan. It looks like there's no school, and I'm not in the mood to open the restaurant, even though Konatsu's probably working as hard as he can and bankrupting me in the process. Seems like all I do is work, or study, or practice martial arts, or try to learn magic. I never seem to have the time to relax and I'm not sure I know how anymore."
She looked out from the wall they were balancing on. "I don't know if it makes sense, but I'd like to spend a day doing nothing in particular. That is, if you'll show me how, Ranchan."
"Sure," he replied. "I usually just wander around and try to talk shopkeepers outta food. It's amazing what acting all cute and girly can get you."
"Okay," she blinked.
"Pops always said never pay for food if you don't hafta. Sometimes the ol' furball's smarter than he looks. Of course, a cute girl like you should have no problem talking people out of enough eats for both of us."
"Cute?" she blushed.
"Yeah," he replied. "Then if I'm lucky, Ryouga or one of the other guys shows up with some new technique. Or maybe if I'm really lucky somebody I never heard of attacks. Either way, that's a lotta fun, usually takes up most of the afternoon, and lets me work up a real appetite. Then it's home for one of Kasumi's delicious dinn..." His voice trailed away.
"Ranchan?"
"You know, the Tendo place is the closest thing to a real home I've had, Ucchan."
"Do you miss it?"
"Parts of it. I sure don't miss Pops and Mr. Tendo's harebrained schemes to get me hitched to the fiancée that otheyo picked. Or Mr. Tendo kicking me out whenever he got torqued enough. Or Nabiki's latest plan to make money offa humiliating me. Or arguing with Akane over whatever dumb thing our Dads were trying to do, or the latest weirdo to show up, or who she thought I was with when I was gone."
He took a deep breath and released it slowly. "You know, maybe I don't miss it all that much after all." He smiled, she laughed, and that made him smile more.
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"Will you people just shut up and leave me alone." Neither of Mousse's wishes was granted. "Cologne is onoto here, I don't know where she is and I don't care. She's the only one who could answer your questions. Just leave me alone. I want to be alone," he repeated petulantly.
They ignored his wishes. People usually did. Kasumi and Ran-Ran wanted their sisters back. Ryouga wanted Akane back. Mousse wasn't sure how this Dr. Tofu had gotten involved and at the moment he didn't care about that, either. All he wanted was to be left to wallow in self-pity. He didn't get the opportunity.
"I don't know magic and I'm not going to risk messing around with Cologne's stuff. Even if it doesn't kill me, she will."
"So when will she be back?" Kasumi whispered.
"I don't know that, either,' the boy snapped. "She never told me what she was doing before now, what makes you think she would this time?"
Kasumi shrank from the bitter words and Tofu reflexively put his arm around her. He spoke next.
"So who is around that does know magic? Who can help us find Akane?"
"And sister," chimed Ran-Ran.
Mousse sighed. "They only teach magic to the women. Most of that is Taoist alchemy or the occasional use of magical objects. I've seen jewelry, bells, mirrors, and a few weapons. They never let me touch them and I don't know how to use them. The one person here who might know a way of tracking the monster would be Ran-Ran."
All eyes turned towards the younger teen. She clung to Ryouga, trying to draw strength from him. A quick shake of her head showed she would be unable to help.
"Well, there's..." and Tofu paused. He only knew a little of Amazon law, but Cologne had made it clear what would happen to Shampoo if any of the Amazons found her. "There's got to be someone," he continued.
Ryouga answered. "A...Akane told me about some girl in her class at school, that was supposed to be able to predict the future." The youngest Tendo had told P-chan a lot of things. "I think the girl's name was Miyo. And there's a creepy guy named Gosunkugi in her class that keeps trying magic. Ukyou seems to know some magic now. She healed me during that big fight at the school yesterday."
Tofu thought for a moment. "Ryouga, if you and..." he gestured towards the Chinese girl.
"Ran-Ran," she replied.
"If you two could go by Ukyou's restaurant and see if she's there. Kasumi and I will go to the hospital. If we can't find the information we need there, we'll call Miss Hinako."
"Who's that?" Ryouga replied.
"A teacher from Furinkan High." Tofu considered a moment. "Mousse, you should stay here. It's a good central place for us to meet again and we can call if we learn anything useful."
The Chinese boy shrugged and sat down. Tofu saw the others begin to move, some with reluctance, but they were moving. He thought he'd improvised well. Ran-Ran and Mousse would be kept busy doing needed things. Things that kept them well away from the hospital and Shampoo. That way he and Kasumi could ask the girl about her knowledge of magic without endangering her life.
They scattered to their various tasks, leaving Mousse alone in the darkened restaurant. Alone except for an irregular patch of shadow that was darker than any of the others.
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She hadn't expected this. The lights were out and the closed sign hung in the window of her restaurant.
"Konatsu? Shampoo?"
Repeated calls brought no response. There were no signs of violence, but no explanation for their disappearance, either.
"What do you think happened, Ucchan?"
"Maybe they're out shopping."
He shrugged, but didn't have a better guess.
There was no explanation for the computer set up on the counter, either. Both martial artists were silent; waiting to see if someone would reveal themselves. The wait soon became boring and Ranma switched on the lights.
His fiancée had already moved to the computer. She didn't recognize the Standard Systems brand name, but the machine was an attractive lavender color. A discarded cardboard box and the styrofoam packing material lay nearby. The mailing label showed it came from Grandma Mano. The box also contained directions for setting up the computer, but someone had clearly done that.
"Shampoo."
"What was that, Ucchan?"
"Shampoo set this up. That's where Konatsu got those printouts yesterday." The memories that triggered were clear from Ukyou's resting her face in her hands. The ninja had nearly arrived too late to save either of them.
"Ucchan?" He placed a hand on her shoulder.
"I'm okay. At least I am now." She covered his hand with hers and raised her head again. Their eyes met and Ranma leaned towards her.
An object clattered to the floor behind them. The front door was slightly ajar; letting cold air seep into the room, and the object lay just inside the doorway. Neither of them recognized it.
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"I'm sorry, Kasumi. You were right to be concerned and I was a complete idiot for telling you there was nothing to worry about last night."
"No, what you said made sense, Tofu. Akane's been gone before and there was nothing wrong, like the time she and Ryouga disappeared recently. It took a couple weeks, but when she got back she was just fine."
"I still should have seen it," he replied bitterly. "Especially after what happened the first time a Mamono showed up."
"That's not your fault, so quit blaming yourself," she insisted. "You did everything you could for Nabiki."
"And it wasn't enough!"
"It was everything you could do!" Her voice softened. "You did everything you could and no one's blaming you. Nobody except for yourself." She smiled hesitantly. "I've known since I was nine that even when the best tried their best it wasn't always enough. But what happened to my mother wasn't the fault of the doctors then and what happened to Nabiki wasn't your fault, either. And I know Akane couldn't have a better chance than to have you helping look for her."
"Thank you, Kasumi. I wish I had your confidence and your courage."
"Courage? I'm not brave, I'm terrified. But I have to do this and having you here gives me the strength to do it."
He didn't know what to say and by that point they'd reached his clinic.
"Weren't we going to the hospital?" the girl asked.
"I remembered there was something I needed to check here first." It wasn't long before Tofu found what he was looking for.
"Hikaru Gosunkugi was one of my patients after the first incident with a Mamono at Furinkan High," he explained. "I had his telephone number here at the clinic." As Kasumi nodded response, he dialed the number. After a brief conversation, he turned back to her.
"His parents say he didn't come home last night."
Kasumi's worry mirrored Tofu's. "So the monster's probably got him, too."
"It's the only thing that makes sense," he replied grimly.
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Some people thought Ranma was afraid of water. Actually, he rather liked it as long as it was hot, like the water currently streaming from the showerhead.
Whoever had dropped the strange crystal had disappeared by the time he'd reached the street outside of Ucchan's. That's when a passing car kicked the semi-frozen slush into his face, which was one of the reasons Ukyou let him use the shower first.
Another was that she'd at least gotten to use the bath at Tofu's the night before, though she had been rather insistent about getting a turn after he was done. Lastly, his fiancée was busy using her new computer to research what the mysterious crystal might do.
"She's right, she does need to learn how to relax," the boy murmured as he turned to let the water cascade over his back and shoulders. He smiled and closed his eyes as the water massaged away some of the tension he'd stored there.
A banging on the bathroom door interrupted his reverie. His fiancée obviously wanted her turn at the shower. Reluctantly, he twisted the knobs and the cascade became a trickle, then ceased. He stared at the final drops swirling down the drain. He was tempted to tell her to come join him in the shower. Very tempted. Some guys would even suggest it as a way of helping her relax.
"Ucchan, why don't you..."
"Yes?" she replied.
Was that eagerness in her voice or did I imagine it?
He closed his eyes again, trying unsuccessfully not to think about it.
"Ranchan?" Her voice was muffled by the door.
"I never knew doing the right thing was gonna be so hard," he whispered.
"Sorry, Ucchan." His voice was louder this time. "I'll be out inna second." He quickly toweled dry, then donned his clothing.
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Mousse had lied.
Of course I understand magic. How else do those fools think I manage to pull weapons from nowhere, even when I'm a duck?
So far, that and the occasional effect with a magical object were all that he'd accomplished. Both were the results of hard won trial and error with no encouragement from any of the Amazon women. Some of them even called him a master of the dark arts. Mousse knew he wasn't.
If I was a master, I could have freed myself from the Mamono's control, canceled my curse, corrected my vision, and healed Shampoo before that stupid law destroyed her.
What little power he possessed scared most of them and the boy enjoyed that. Men were supposed to be weak, silly, stupid little things that ended up doing most of the drudgework. Any man with power scared them, because it hinted they might not be inherently superior merely because they were female. The fact that his power was something as little understood and dangerous as magic only made them more nervous.
The strong ones like Cologne didn't fear him, though they didn't encourage him, either. Mousse thought for a moment. Nothing Cologne owned could heal Shampoo or the Old Ghoul would have used it. Now it was too late for even that, for Mousse was sure Shampoo was dead. That's why her great-grandmother had returned to China and they'd never see her again.
If Mousse had been a bit more clever, he would have wondered why Cologne had left most of her things behind.
Instead, he planned something no other Amazon male would contemplate. He would search the old woman's things for some method of returning Shampoo to life. Somewhere among the moldering tomes of lore, the ancient brittle scrolls, and the weird magical objects, there must be something of value. Something Cologne would have dismissed as wild rumor, or discarded as too dangerous, or maybe she'd only forgotten it because she was old.
The boy wasn't afraid of the risks or the sacrifices that might be required of him. He wasn't afraid, because he had nothing left to lose anymore.
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"Okay, I'm ready," Ukyou smiled. She'd spent a lot longer in the shower than Ranma had expected. His fiancée was still dressed in the blue shirt and black pants she'd borrowed from him, though she'd reacquired a white hair ribbon and another combat spatula. "So what are we gonna do now, Ranchan?"
"Don't you need to use the computer to look up stuff about that weird pendant?" It was strung around her neck now.
She shrugged lazily, a movement that showed her breasts weren't bound beneath the borrowed shirt. "That can wait. I get to spend the rest of the day with you and that's a lot more important than any stupid old pendant." She fell silent for a moment. "Though you do keep staring at it." She smiled again.
He felt a warmth in his cheeks, was sure he was blushing as red as his shirt. "What? Oh yeah, the pendant." He looked away. "Um, well, what do ya wanna do today?"
He felt her put her arm around his and rest her head on his shoulder. "We could always go to that karaoke place your friend Daisuke recommended."
He looked down at Ukyou, who was staring at the floor, though her grip on his arm had tightened. "That's kinda dangerous, isn't it?"
"I don't mind," she whispered.
"Yeah, I know," he sighed. "But it ain't very smart, is it?'
"I'm not very smart where you're involved, Ranchan." She chuckled softly. "That's okay, I'm still kinda tired anyway. I'm sure we can find something else to do."
"Like what?"
"I'm sure we'll think of something. I just want to get out of the restaurant for a while."
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Ryouga paused outside Ukyou's place. The Lost Boy knew he'd probably have needed weeks to find the restaurant without Ran-Ran's help.
"I'm useless. Akane doesn't need me. She needs someone strong and clever." The boy didn't notice that he'd spoken aloud. "Someone who can at least find his own house. Not a worthless waste of time like me."
Ran-Ran blinked. She could tell her Airen wasn't really talking to her, but she wanted to help him. While she hesitated, his dark thoughts continued silently as he examined his options.
Ranma? No, he's chosen Ukyou. Ryouga felt lightheaded just recalling what he'd overheard. Shinnosuke? No, he's gone. Another person I was too weak to save. Kuno? If Akane's rescue depends on that jerk, she's doomed.
"That leaves me. Only me. Poor Akane." The boy collapsed to his knees. He didn't even realize he was crying. Only the dim understanding that it would help no one and hurt the Chinese girl standing nearby prevented Ryouga from unleashing another Perfect Shishi Hokoudan.
Ran-Ran had enough training to sense the negative emotions building in Ryouga, and she knew what they could mean now.
"Is alright, Airen. We find Spatula Witch and rescue Sister Lin-Lin and Violent Girl. You not need go boom now, alright." Under her breath, the Chinese girl cursed her lack of knowledge of Japanese and the stupidity of males in general. They always let themselves be controlled by their emotions instead of being proper warriors like the Amazon women.
Ran-Ran frowned, trying to remember what the tribal elders had taught about dealing with a hysterical male. This whole Airen business was a lot harder than she'd expected and she didn't think she was ready for it. Unfortunately, the laws didn't allow for that, so she'd have to grow up a little faster than she wanted. She was tired and hungry and even injured, but it was her duty to help the man she had to marry.
"Is alright, Airen. No worry, Ran-Ran take care of you." She wished Ryouga would say something to explain why he was so upset. It was so like a male to begin crying for no particular reason. Now he'd probably expect her to understand why he was crying without any explanation at all and if she didn't figure it out he'd get angry with her for not caring.
"No. No, it is onoto alright. Akane trusted me and she's gone and I can't even help her."
"Who care about Stupid Violent Girl? Airen have to help Ran-Ran rescue Sister Lin-Lin from Shadow Monster." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Or maybe avenge her."
"I care about Akane," the boy snapped. "I love her. I'll do whatever it takes to save her." Ryouga stopped with a stricken expression. I don't even have the right to say that, do I? Shinnosuke fought the Orochi even though he was dying. I'd wanted to ask him if her loved her more than life itself and it's obvious he did. He proved that again against that plant Mamono. All I did was run away.
The Chinese girl was visibly frustrated. "Stupid Airen no need Stupid Violent Girl. Airen have Ran-Ran. Ran-Ran better fighter, better cook, and be much better looking than Violent Girl."
Ryouga spun away from the Amazon and almost stormed off. The only thing that stopped him was the cold knowledge that he had no chance of helping Akane if he got lost. His body trembled with suppressed rage, but he stayed.
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"Ukyou Kuonji, I would date with thee."
The street was empty except for the three students from Furinkan High.
"Better interrupt this backstabber now, Ucchan, or we're gonna have to listen to the blowhard for another half hour. Hey, wait a minute." Ranma glared at Kuno. "You're already harassing Akane and the pigtailed girl. Now you're going after Ucchan." He practically growled the final words and assumed a combat stance.
Kuno stared down his nose at the shorter boy. It was much warmer than the day before, but the temperature seemed to plummet as they glared at each other. The only voice was the whisper of the wind, but stillness never lasted when Tatewaki Kuno was present and conscious.
"Witless cretin, full well have you taught me that the pigtailed one's beauty is but vain and empty deceit." With practiced motion, Kuno drew a katana from its sheath. Ukyou stopped breathing as the metal blade caught the morning light. Her fiancé shifted slightly, obviously wary of attack.
"That blow was one of righteous vengeance, full and fitting punishment for your vile and unnatural deceptions," Kuno continued. "As for the girls Akane Tendo and Ukyou Kuonji, you know less than nothing of poetry or romance, else you would not need to compel them to your will with your wretched sorceries. Nor have you the heart to comprehend that a love so boundless as mine is far too great to be shared with but a single girl. Remove thy unpleasant, unworthy and deceitful self from our presence, ere I be forced to practice mine art upon thy..."
The speech was punctuated by a battle spatula clanging against the upperclassman's head. The unsheathed katana clattered against the pavement.
"Don't you dare talk that way about Ranchan, you jerk!"
Ranma still stood tensed and wary. His fiancée turned back towards Kuno. As the older boy stooped to retrieve his sword, Ukyou recalled one of the events of the previous night. While she hovered above her fiancé's prone form, he'd brought his hand to his chest and she'd noticed the faint scar, the last remnant of the horrible wound that nearly stole the boy she loved from her. He'd gotten the wound after he left to fight Kuno.
The upperclassman was beginning to straighten up when the spatula clanged a second time. "That was most painful, fair one..." A third clang brought no response.
"You...you...you..." she couldn't find the right word to express her anger and disgust. "You tried to okillo my Ranchan!"
Rage faded to embarrassment in the following silence. Ukyou glanced at her fiancé. "My Ranchan?" she repeated hesitantly, winced, and closed her eyes. Maybe by naming the dream she'd destroy it; maybe he'd disappear from her life again. She opened her eyes, but the mirage was still visible.
He smiled nervously and held out his hand towards her. She stretched her fingers, barely brushing his and confirming his reality, but something was wrong. Her eyelids seemed to be made of lead, her arms of something heavier. Ukyou stumbled a half-step forward while trying to lift her arm again. She was swimming through concrete and couldn't reach him as she fell forward into unconsciousness.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"So if they find Shampoo they're supposed to kill her?" Kasumi shook her head, not wanting it to be true.
"The Amazon laws are usually arbitrary and seldom make sense to me. Perhaps that's because I'm a mere male." Tofu smiled, attempting to be reassuring.
"That's wrong. You can't just discard a person like that."
"But they live their whole lives that way." He explained what he knew of Amazon life as they walked towards the hospital. One remark made Kasumi halt in her tracks.
"Wait. She has to marry an outsider if he defeats her?"
"Didn't you know that?"
"I was there when the Book of Amazon Laws was read, but I'd always thought it was Shampoo trying to force an obligation on Ranma. But that's not what the law says, now that I think about it. Her laws put the obligation on Shampoo, not Ranma. She has to marry a stranger, just because their stupid laws say she has to. They actually demand that, regardless of her feelings? How can they do that?"
"It's somewhat like the old custom of arranged marriages, Kasumi. Besides, I think Shampoo is genuinely interested in Ranma. When she worked for me, she talked about him constantly."
The Tendo girl didn't reply. The Amazon laws didn't care any more about Shampoo's feelings than her father had cared about Ranma or Akane's feelings with the intended joining of the Tendo and Saotome lines. Neither he nor Genma cared about anybody's feelings and Kasumi didn't feel comfortable with her part in it, either. It had been easy to pass the burden down to Akane, but it wasn't right. Her little sister had the least patience of anyone in the family and anyone who married Ranma was going to need patience in heaping doses. His upbringing left him brutally honest and unintentionally cruel in his speech. He was capable of politeness and compliments, he'd improved a lot since he came to live with them, but the boy still didn't realize some wounds he inflicted with his words were worse than any he could cause with his hands.
Seeing his companion wrapped in her thoughts, Tofu fell silent. He hoped she'd share her concerns with him, but it hadn't happened by the time they reached the hospital.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Konatsu was finally conscious and Shampoo had taken over the responsibility of feeding the injured boy. The hospital staff protested, but they faced someone far more determined than they were.
"Thank you, this is delicious," the boy crowed.
"It's hospital food, Airen. It tastes awful." Shampoo suspected Konatsu had no functional taste buds. For a moment, she considered trying to hitch the ninja up with Akane. The pairing did seem appropriate, but there was no honor in arranging it. That thought wouldn't have stopped her before, but she felt strangely reluctant now.
"No, really, Lady Shampoo. It's wonderful compared to what my family fed me."
The Chinese girl remained skeptical, until the boy told her of his upbringing. Konatsu honestly thought that a cardboard box for a roof and crumpled newspapers for blankets were luxurious. He thought substandard wages were generous, because he was made to work for free before. Yet somehow, the boy had remained cheerful though the poverty.
"That's all Ukyou pays you?" Anger was obvious in Shampoo's tone.
"Yes, wasn't that generous of her?"
"No one could afford to live on that pitiful amount! How can you pay for food or clothes or rent?"
"I don't understand. What's rent, Shampoo?"
"It's what you pay so you can stay somewhere."
"Lady Ukyou never charges me to stay at her restaurant. She doesn't charge you, does she?"
"What about food?" Shampoo deflected the question.
"Lady Ukyou never charges me for food, either."
"And she doesn't charge me," the Amazon grudgingly admitted. "Hmph, maybe Ukyou is not quite so cheap as I thought. It's still not much money, Airen. You could make a lot more somewhere else."
"I can't leave her. She needs me. At least she used to."
"She ran that restaurant for months before you showed up. What do you mean she needed you?"
"She was lonely. She needed a friend." Konatsu turned his face towards the wall. "I understood, because that's how I was, how I am. The face I wore, the cheerful person I pretended to be, was a mask and I saw that's how she was, too." Konatsu made a faint noise, perhaps a sob. "She was so much like me and I thought we could be friends. I thought we could be more than friends." This time the sob was not so faint. "But...but she loves Ranma and all I ever could be was her friend."
He turned back towards Shampoo. The boy's eyes were moist, but there was a firmness in them as well. "I will be her friend. I'll try to help her win him. I only wish I knew how."
The Chinese girl stared at the floor.
"I don't think I'm very good at that either, Airen, but I'll try to help you. I promise." She meant it. Konatsu had been the only person willing to trust her word before. "But it may be difficult. You made me promise not to use potions or magic on either of them. That eliminates several good ways of bringing them together."
"Did it ever work for you?"
Her silence was answer enough.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"See, Airen. Door is not locked." It was before Ran-Ran went to work on it, but Ryouga didn't need to know that.
"No cry now, Airen. We talk to Spatula Witch and find way to rescue Sister Lin-Lin..." Ran-Ran gritted her teeth before finishing, "...and Stupid Violent Girl."
A quick search showed no one was in the restaurant. Ranma and Ukyou had left several minutes before Ryouga and Ran-Ran reached the shop.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Ranma had begun the day at Dr. Tofu's. Later, he'd passed by briefly to drop off his school satchel, before going over to Ukyou's. This visit was much more urgent.
"Doc! C'mon, where are you, Doc? You gotta help Ucchan!"
The silent empty house absorbed his words.
"C'mon, Doc, please." Continued silence confirmed that he would get no response so he gently laid Ukyou's unconscious form on the examination table. Ranma forced himself to assume the icy calmness that he needed when he used the Hiryu Shouten Ha. He checked his fiancée's pulse. It was steady, if a little slow. He unzipped her jacket. Her breathing seemed steady as well. If it weren't for the way she'd passed out, he would have thought the girl was asleep.
He also noticed the strange blue and white crystal pendant lying between her breasts. It matched nicely with the blue shirt she'd borrowed from him, but he wasn't concerned about fashion. Gingerly, he removed the stone. As it spun on the cord strung through it, Ranma considered.
Maybe this is the problem.
He swung the stone on the end of its cord, preparing to smash it against the floor when a voice whispered, "No."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Mousse?" Ran-Ran's voice was hesitant. No one replied. Something felt eerie about the Neko Hanten, but she lacked the training to know what it was.
"You sit here, Airen." She gestured Ryouga towards an empty chair. No emotion crossed his face as he followed the girl's direction. If she'd known the boy better, the Amazon girl would have understood something was very wrong with him.
"You stay here, Airen. Ran-Ran go find Mousse."
The boy didn't even nod; he only slumped in his chair. His face looked gray and his eyes seemed hollow and lifeless as those of a poorly made doll. Ran-Ran shivered, but she went in search of Mousse.
By the time she returned, Ryouga was gone.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Shampoo, we need to talk." Tofu summarized the few facts Ryouga and Ran-Ran had told them about the Mamono. Kasumi and Konatsu were clearly worried, but the Chinese girl listened impassively.
They want my help to rescue a rival and an Amazon warrior who should have been strong enough to protect herself. No, that's the old way of thinking. I need to change. Besides, it feels good to be needed by someone.
"Ukyou mentioned the first two Mamonos while I was at her restaurant. Aijou, that name means sorrow, and Haradachi, which means anger. Those are two of the five passions listed in tradition, so these creatures are probably mystically linked to the passions in some way. The others would be Kietsu - joy, Ikari - hatred, and Yokkyuu - desire. I haven't heard anything about the Mamono that attacked at Furinkan High yesterday."
"It was Ikari - hatred." Konatsu's voice was firm, his eyes were determined. He had literally felt it in his blood. No one questioned the boy's statement.
"That leaves Kietsu and Yokkyuu."
Kasumi spoke for the first time. "I can't imagine a Mamono whose powers were based on joy."
"Then this must be Yokkyuu, the Mamono of desire," Shampoo concluded.
She was wrong. There was another passion besides the five accepted by tradition. An emotion that was supposed to have no part of a warrior's life. The one feeling that it would be shameful to admit to - Fear - and that was what Shinrou's name meant.
"There's another problem," Tofu stated, "One that's my fault."
"What problem?" the Chinese girl replied.
"I'm an idiot." Tofu almost cursed the words. "I sent Ran-Ran to Ukyou's restaurant to see if she could help. If she finds any hint you're living there..."
"Yes, she and Lin-Lin are strict about enforcing the Amazon laws." Shampoo had fought them before and lost even at the peak of her skill.
"Don't worry," Kasumi used her practiced reassuring smile, "she probably won't notice anything."
Tofu's expression remained serious. "I don't want to take any chances when it comes to someone's life. That kind of mistake can't be repaired."
"Shampoo, you could stay at our house," Kasumi volunteered, "It's been quiet lately and some company would be nice."
The Amazon looked closely at the Tendo girl. She hadn't really paid attention to Kasumi before, merely dismissed the older girl as no threat physically or romantically. Now she saw a different kind of strength in Kasumi's eyes, a desire to help others linked to a spirit of self-sacrifice. Strength came from the heart and the soul and now the Amazon saw that Kasumi was probably one of the strongest people she knew.
"Thank you." The words came hard to the proud Amazon girl. "Thank you, but I should be safe at Ukyou's." She glanced over at Konatsu and her subconscious hinted that there might be another reason she wanted to stay at the restaurant. "Ukyou and Konatsu are skilled warriors, but you are not. Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran would expect you to be able to fight and I don't want you to get hurt for my sake. Elder Cologne knows better, but she could probably find me there anyway. She found me yesterday."
Konatsu became the center of attention by fainting.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Why should I trust you?"
"I can't think of any reason, Ranma." Gosunkugi slumped to his knees and leaned against the wall. The bags under his eyes were more prominent than usual. The skinny boy shivered. He hadn't slept or gone home the night before and even though he wore a coat, it had been a cold night.
"You look awful." The pigtailed boy was not known for his diplomacy.
"I always look awful. You might have noticed girls don't fight to be near me." The sarcasm was thick enough even Ranma recognized it. "But this isn't about me, this is about Ukyou. Do you know what you're holding?
Ranma lifted his hand and re-examined the blue and white pendant. The stone was shaped like the symbol on the chest of Ukyou's Mamono Hunter dress, a strange stylized ying-yang. Slowly, it turned on the end of the cord and Ranma stared at it closely.
"Nope, I don't know what it is," he shrugged, "but Ucchan was fine before she put it on. Now she's like this." He gestured sharply towards the unconscious girl.
"It's called Shimi-Seki."
"Shimi-what?"
"Shimi-Seki. It's a crystal that helps focus and amplify magical abilities. Most crystals don't, in spite of what some people believe."
"So what has this Shimi-whatsis gotta do with Ucchan?"
"When she opened that packet she got from her grandmother, the day Aijou appeared, it fell out but neither she nor you noticed it." Gosunkugi gave a faint half-smile. "So it was a lot like me. Still, I should have returned it before today."
"But you wanted power."
Gosunkugi nodded. "It didn't do me any good. You need to have power before the stone can amplify it, because it draws power from the person wearing it. Not much, but you have to have some magical power for it to work. I don't."
"So why did this happen to Ucchan?" Ranma glanced warily at the stone, then placed his hand on the edge of the examination table. He looked down at his fiancée, trying to will her eyes to open.
"She may have used too much power and just hasn't recovered yet," Gosunkugi continued, "Did she cast many spells recently?"
Ranma nodded glumly. She'd healed him, healed Ryouga, healed dozens of others and she'd used her powers to break Ikari's grip on so many. In the end, she was too tired to stand without help.
"Ukyou should be alright if she gets some rest. You better hang onto the stone for her, Ranma. I think she'll need it later, otherwise her grandmother wouldn't have sent it."
Gosunkugi stood wearily and shuffled towards the door. He paused in the doorframe and stared towards his feet.
"When she wakes up, tell her I'm sorry, will you. She'll probably hate me, but I am sorry."
"Ucchan ain't that way. She'll forgive you. She always forgives me, even when I do dumb stuff or hurt her."
Gosunkugi's voice remained quiet. "I should hate you, Ranma, but I'm tired of hating. You've got looks and strength and a girl that forgives you and I haven't got any of that."
"You'll find a girl." The pigtailed boy hoped he wasn't lying. It was the only thing the skinny would-be sorcerer listed that he had any hope of finding.
"I guess I found one," he replied, "but she doesn't really count. Kogane is a ghost. What am I supposed to do about that?"
Ranma had no reply, only a final question. "Anything I can do to help Ucchan wake up faster?"
"Make sure she isn't touching anything magical."
"Got it." Ranma placed the pendant on the counter and tugged the Yoma ring off of Ukyou's hand. "Anything else?"
"I believe the traditional method is to wake her with a kiss." Gosunkugi shambled away, his smirk unseen by the pigtailed boy. The skinny boy wondered if the martial artist would be dim enough to believe that part.
Ranma hesitated. He wanted to help his fiancée, but kissing her when she was unconscious didn't seem right. It felt too much like the times Kodachi inflicted her paralysis gas on him and then tried to get a kiss before he recovered.
On the other hand, Gosunkugi said it was the best way to wake her up and he knows a lot more about this magic stuff than I do.
While the boy hesitated, the decision was taken away from him. Ukyou blinked and tried to sit up, but gave it up as a bad idea.
"What happened, Ranchan? Where's my Yoma ring?" She'd worn it so much the last few weeks, it almost seemed as much a part of her as her battle spatula.
"You're awake! You're okay!" The boy looked like he was about to go into some sort of victory dance.
"Ranchan?"
"Right, right, sorry." He repeated what Gosunkugi had told him.
His fiancée nodded and thought for a minute. "So it's kinda like running water into a sink while the drain is open."
"I guess so, Ucchan. But when you have both magic things powered up, it's like you got two drains. The sink is never gonna get full, right."
The girl nodded. She tried sitting up again. She probably could have made it without Ranma's arm around her, but she didn't push him away, either.
"While you were showering, I read some of the stuff my grandma emailed me, but I was too tired to really think about it. The pendant doesn't require much power, but it's always active. The Yoma ring only uses power when I transform into the Mamono Hunter outfit, but it uses lot. Otherwise, we'd just run around in those red Chinese dresses all the time."
"How much energy can it take to swap clothes, Ucchan?"
"It's not just while I change, it uses energy the whole time I'm changed. And the ring does a lot more than switch my clothing for the red dress, it also increases my abilities, provides magical defenses, and lets me cast spells. Those all take a lot of energy and..."
"And what?"
"...and I left the thing still active all night. No wonder I'm exhausted." Ukyou didn't know that mistake was the reason she and then Ranma were shielded from the Mamono the night before. Because the warding had been subconscious, it was unfocused and that required even more energy.
"Please, hand me the ring." She was too drained to even fantasize about her fiancé handing her an engagement or wedding ring.
He reluctantly passed the Yoma ring to her and watched cautiously as she gestured the spell needed to drop the uniform back into its pocket dimension. She hoped it would work even though she wasn't wearing the dress, or more precisely its remains. She might end up clothed in the things she wore the previous day or nothing at all.
There was a blinding flash of light. Neither Ukyou nor Ranma saw it.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
Tofu put the phone down. "Ran-Ran says Ryouga is missing."
"He does have a very bad sense of direction," Kasumi contributed.
"The girl seems rather nervous," the doctor added.
"Ran-Ran is an Amazon warrior. She would not get..." Shampoo didn't finish as Dr. Tofu interrupted.
"And how old is Ran-Ran?"
"She is fourteen. Three years younger than I am." She'd been in Nerima just over a year, though sometimes it seemed a lot longer than that.
"There's nothing wrong with her being nervous," Tofu replied, "and it doesn't make her less of a warrior. She's young and sometimes fear is what keeps you alive in a dangerous situation."
But fear could also kill you.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"I am no inmate of this establishment, you thick-witted clot-brained oafs. I merely seek the room wherein my sister, the so-called Black Rose, is currently reposing."
"Put down the sword, ninja-boy and we'll talk." The attendants tried to hide the straightjacket, but even Kuno wasn't that oblivious.
"I am Tatewaki Kuno, aged eighteen, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High. Even a witless fool such as Ranma Saotome could tell you I am a bold and honorable samurai, not a vile and cowardly ninja. Enough of your slanders and get ye hence." He glared at the attendants, but they didn't back down. "I said begone, you worthless miscreants."
"Put down the sword, kid. I promise we won't hurt you."
"I think I shall retain it, for in that way I need not presume upon your word or the word of your associate behind me, the skulking varlet who carries the hypodermic needle full of who knows what vile substance."
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
"Nothing happened, Ucchan."
"I'm not being drained by the ring anymore, though, I can feel that."
"So what happened to the stuff you were wearing yesterday?"
Ukyou shrugged. She didn't know that in the clothes hamper in the other room, her Mamono Hunter dress had disappeared and been replaced by the clothing Ranma had mentioned.
"Could you hold the pendant a little longer, Ranchan?" She smiled.
"Sure." He slipped the cord over his head and smiled back.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
The darkness clung to her like tar. She couldn't see or hear anything. She couldn't even tell if she was still breathing. There was a rushing noise in her ears, like the babble of the sea. Akane tried to stretch forward, to touch something, but all she felt was the darkness.
She was alone. Totally, utterly alone.
No one can find me. No one wants to.
Images filled her mind, phantoms created to try to fill the blackness. Ranma and Ukyou were together and he didn't want or need Akane. Tofu faded away from her as well, captivated by her older sister even though Kasumi never seemed to try to get a reaction from the Doctor. She visualized Ryouga with Akari and knew that the gentle girl accepted both of the boy's curses.
She'd probably even forgive him for what we did at Ryugenzawa.
New images appeared in her mind of the ones she'd lost to death - her mother, her sister, Shinnosuke.
He probably died hating me.
A feeble part of her soul, something called hope, whispered that the boy might still live.
Even if he's alive, why would he want me? I took him for granted. I took them all for granted, until they were all gone.
The visions faded from Akane's mind as she stopped struggling.
Why should I even try? Nobody needs me. They'd be fine without me.
There was a comfort of familiarity in ceasing her struggles and all she really wanted was peace. There was even a comfort in being alone. She'd never really tried to get Tofu's attention. She'd pretended Ryouga's actions were only meant as friendship until she'd almost fooled herself. She'd pounded and insulted Ranma to stop him from getting too close. She'd almost fled from Shinnosuke's words of love and only her sense of obligation to the boy stopped her from bolting immediately.
If she let any of them close she could be betrayed again, just like she was by the first man she ever loved. It was the simple pure love of a child for a parent but that only made it worse when her father betrayed those feelings.
Soun refused to let go of the loss of his wife and the fact that his daughter still cared about him didn't seem to matter. Akane did everything she could to try to please him, trying to break through the crust of indifference to the father she remembered. She tried desperately and unsuccessfully to balance being the perfect homemaker with being the perfect heir to the dojo. Her father hadn't cared about the first and mocked her effort at the second.
No, never in words, he wouldn't do that. He just handed over me and that stupid dojo like some stupid prizes to give to that stupid jerk Ranma. He never cared about what I wanted; he never trusted me to carry anything on. I was just some silly, stupid little child pretending to be a martial artist. Daddy just waited until a real one came along and handed my whole life over to a stranger.
There was silence in the darkness, even Akane's thoughts were silent. She finally realized who she really hated with every angry word she inflicted on Ranma, with every kick or punch she rained on the boy who refused to defend himself against her.
That frightened her more than anything else.
oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
In the Mamono Hunter Yohko series, Yohko had a pair of pale blue Shimi-seki hair ornaments that worked to amplify her magic powers, as described here for Ukyou's pendant. Though they could be overloaded and destroyed.