Lost Findings
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma ½.
….
The sun was low in the sky when the horses pulled the cart out of the Temple-Palace yard. Arata guided them down the road while Ranma and the puppet sat in the back of the covered cart, hidden from view. Tofu, his form shimmering, sat next to Arata, though Ranma suspected the apprentice was not aware of the incorporeal member of their party. They sat in silence as they listened to the Servers pray for their successful journey. Once they were far enough away that they could no longer hear the Servers, the puppet stood up and climbed over to sit next to Arata. Ranma watched bemused as Tofu in turn calmly slid back to sit next to Ranma.
"M-my Lord!" Arata piped, "For your safety I wish you to remain hidden! Go back!"
The puppet just raised an eyebrow, "My safety is in no more danger out here than it is back there, mortals pose me negligent threat and higher beings could sense me with or without the flimsy covering."
"Oh…" Arata reddened and faced forward, concentrating on guiding the horses.
Ranma, impatience getting the better of him, cleared his throat, "Where are we going? How are we going to find Akane?"
Arata visibly jumped, before muttering under his breath, "It is going to take me a while to get used to that."
The Godling answered, "That is why you are needed as a shisa right now."
Ranma growled, becoming irritated. Tofu, sensing this, cleared his throat, "Perhaps you could clarify that-?"
The Godling glanced back at them, "The shisa pair are drawn to each other, if you feel a pull it will be toward your mate."
Ranma felt his face grow warm at Akane being referred to as his mate. He shook his head, "I don't feel 'pulled' anywhere."
"Then your mate is not currently shisa, we will head to where she was last human and go from there."
Ranma jumped forward, half of his weight between Arata and the puppet. The cart creaked ominously. "So Akane is human? The spell worked?"
"Move back! The cart can't take your weight!" Tofu warned.
Ranma moved back and the puppet answered, "She is human for now. If you feel pulled in any direction let us know and we will change direction."
"So you think she will turn back? It was only temporary?"
"She will turn back," was the only response.
They travelled in silence. Bored Ranma turned toward Tofu, "Can you sense orges and shadow sprites too? Is that why you've come along?"
"What?" Arata answered, completely confused.
The Godling cleared His throat, "I asked the shield spirit to come along."
Arata turned to look at the puppet, still confused, when he must have spotted Tofu in his peripheries and jumped. "Who are you and how long have you been there?!"
Tofu bowed, "I am Tofu Ono, the shield spirit. I am coming along on this journey because The Great One has requested it." He turned back to Ranma, "yes of course I can sense them, along with other influences the Gods have placed." He smiled, "I wouldn't be a very good shield if I could not."
"Why couldn't I see you before?!" Arata cried.
"It was not necessary or helpful for you to see before." The puppet answered in His usual monotone.
Arata opened his mouth as if to say something, only to shut it again.
…..
Ranma was bored and anxious, a dangerous combination, as he watched the sun set from the back of the cart. He wanted to do something, and Tofu had scolded him every time he gave in to the urge to pace. Their journey had been largely silent, with only the smallest amount of talking to work out details of which road to take and where and when they should stop.
The male shisa was just about to give in and start pacing again when he felt the pull. He bolted upright, eliciting the startled cry of the others, and jumped out the back of the cart. Ignoring Arata's startled yell to stop the horses, Ranma followed the slight pull he felt off the road and into the forest.
Tofu was the first to catch up with him not even ten paces in. "Ranma, stop. What is it?"
Ranma stopped, not because Tofu had asked, but because he suddenly was afraid he would lose the pull and lose Akane. The pull was not strong and he could not easily feel it when he was moving.
The soft voice of the Godling reached him, "is that the direction you are being pulled?"
"The pull is faint, what does that mean?" Ranma worried.
The puppet merely shrugged, "She is far away." At His words Ranma determinedly started forward again, until the Godling commanded him, "Stop." Ranma found himself frozen in place. The puppet continued, "rather than wandering straight through the woods and getting lost, why don't we go back to the fork in the road we recently passed and take a left? I have no reason to think she has left the road."
Ranma bristled at being controlled and lectured, but he couldn't do or say anything to retaliate. It also stung to grudgingly admit the logic in what the Godling had said. As soon as Ranma relented he was able to move again. Stiffly he followed the puppet and Tofu back to the cart as they instructed Arata to turn around.
They backtracked to the fork in the road and continued travelling in the rain until Arata could not clearly see the road in front of him. After they stopped and settled on the side of the road for the night Ranma listened to the exhausted breaths of Arata and the horses. Cold and uncomfortable Ranma concentrated on the warm, comforting pull he felt toward Akane.
….
It was dark by the time Akane saw the single light along the road. She had been plodding on, her tail and ears drooping, her paws dragging in the muddy road when she noticed it. Hurrying toward the light, her hopes of shelter from the rain and a warm meal were strained as she found not a house but a small shrine. The shrine held a single candle and some offerings of food that looked to be a few days old. But it still had a roof, just big enough to cover Akane, and the stale bread and bruised fruit still filled her belly.
Her stomach appeased for now and a roof and walls finally stopping the wind and rain, Akane laid down to rest. Her last thoughts before sleep claimed her were that she had failed to thank whatever deity this shrine belonged to. But then again, if she was already on the bad side of a couple of gods what further harm had she done? They were already all mad at her. Or so she thought.
….
Akane awoke the next morning when a weight fell on her and wrapped around her neck. In her mild panic the shisa tried to move back but the weight held firm. Something tightened briefly around her neck, and then the weight was gone. Standing up Akane finally got a look at her attacker which appeared to be a little girl and the rope she had tied around her neck.
In her confusion Akane opened her mouth to speak, but only a growl came out, spiraling her into panic. She tugged on the rope, and the little girl with surprising strength tugged back, pulling Akane out of the shrine. Akane opened her mouth again to demand what the girl was doing, but once again only growls and snarls came out.
The little girl turned to look at her and Akane startled to a stop. The girl was small and pale with long silky black hair; she appeared to be no more than ten. Her eyes, however, were what stopped Akane in her tracks. They held all the stars of the sky, all the trees of the forest, and all the fish of the sea in their dark glint. She was no mortal.
"I'll thank you to cooperate with me, shisa Akane, it's the least you can do after raiding my shrine last night." Akane opened her mouth to explain, but the deity stopped her, "sorry, your ability to speak is mine for the time being. Can't have a talking pet; that would be too suspicious, now come along, our ride is here."
The little girl tugged on the leash and pulled Akane up to a merchant pulling a cart. Akane looked up and jumped at the familiar young woman.
"Hello, honey, are you lost?" Ukyo asked the little girl.
"Yes, m'am," the deity sniffled in a completely different voice, "I was walking my pet, but I think Mom and Dad packed up the cart not realizing and…and," here she started crying, "I c-couldn't find them!"
Ukyo smiled warmly, "well no worries, you can stick with me and I'll help you find your parents."
Akane stared as the little girl nodded quickly and returned a hesitant smile. Just what had she gotten herself into?
….
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...Hi? See, I'm still working on this, just slowly.