Chapter 9: Dance of the Beginning
Jakaro encouraged the wedding party to form a receiving line in the ballroom - away from the Kami flitting about the temple room ceiling. The ghosts of Mrs. Tendo and Tofu's father had remained until the last of the guests had left. Once the room was cleared, the two ghosts nodded at Lord Jakaro and vanished. "Now what do I do?" Jakaro wondered aloud as he stared up at the flowing Lights from the doorway.
"You ask the musicians to prepare a basic dance piece and setup for a special presentation," Ranma Ono said behind him. Akane Tendo was beside him holding his hand.
"You two should be with the Receiving Line," he scolded gently.
"We'll get there," Akane told him. "But the nature Kami are going to disrupt the reception unless we can convince them to give us space - they are feeling mischievous." Her voice dropped quieter. "Or maybe 'rambunctious' is a better word. They're going to draw off the energy of the guests until they become visible to everyone. They're already drawing from the sacrifices on the altar and we can't - and shouldn't - stop them." Jakaro looked at the altar and saw that the food and sake were slowly disappearing. The sakaki branches were long gone.
"You're going to dance for them? Won't that only charge them up further?" Jakaro asked.
"Yes," Akane answered. "But we have…Friends…who can do something if we give them a path."
Jakaro dropped any doubts he had at that moment. He knew who Akane and Ranma were. He and Cronus knew about the couple's Other selves. There was a long way to go in some regards, but if the couple's Spirit Companions said they could do something, then they probably could. Instead, he raised an eyebrow at Ranma and teased: "You know how to dance?"
"I do quite well, thank you very much," Ranma said in mock-haughty tones.
Akane smiled and added: "He was a very fast learner."
"What type of music do you need?" Jakaro asked curiously.
"Classic ballroom dance music, but we also need to match our voices easily to it, so medium pitched instruments," Akane requested. Ranma nodded.
"Done," Jakaro agreed. "This should be interesting…"
As the Receiving Line began to wrap up, the Kami began to drift into the ballroom as well, curiously following the crowd. Jakaro heard Kasumi asked her husband in a whisper: "Do we need to receive them as well?"
Tofu watched as the Lights gathered near the ceiling. "Since they're not actually using the door, I think we can sit down. I'll see if we can find more sakaki."
"You will not," Jakaro cut in. "I'll have someone take care of it. Sit at the head table."
"Any ideas?" his disciple asked.
"A few," Jakaro lied. "Don't worry about it."
Jakaro noted that the musicians were setting up as he told them and figured he might as well sit down. He was sharing a table with Ukyo, Konatsu, Ryoga, Akari, Ciren, Inspector Ojima, and Mausu. He had asked for that seating arrangement from the Bride because he wanted the occasion to talk one-on-one with those particular individuals in a more relaxed environment - one where they held the upper hand. If you're going to be in a battle - and the Storm promised to be one - it helps to know your teammates. For that very reason, he had placed Shiran and Yul at other tables among other allies.
As Jakaro approached, his tablemates immediately stood and bowed deeply. With a pained look, Jakaro returned the bow and pleaded: "Please relax. It is I who am honored. I requested the pleasure of each of your company this evening, and Lady Kasumi was good enough to oblige me."
Everyone at the table looked mildly surprised. Ukyo pursed her lips and spoke first: "Fair enough, but keep in mind a Shinto priest normally receives some deference." Her eyes sparkled then: "Regardless of other titles." Jakaro flashed her a smile and then sat down. The others followed suit.
"Lady Kasumi?" Ryoga asked.
Lord Jakaro nodded. "She is the wife of a Kitsune Lord. Your brother has some rank in certain circles." He then went on to tell the table about Tofu's status among the Kitsunes and how a part-human managed to climb the ranks relatively quickly. His story immediately captivated the table both for the insights into Kitsune society and the insights into their friend. Jakaro had already known that everyone at the table would know Tofu's secret (including Konatsu and Ukyo who had found out fairly recently), and he employed a little Glamour to make sure only the table could hear him. He was not concerned that they knew who he was - his wanted their confidence and giving confidence was a good way of getting confidence.
Meanwhile around them, everyone else was settling in as well. The wedding party was at a long head table with two additions. Hideo had joined his wife at the newlyweds' insistence, and Mousse had also been moved to the table to avoid nine people sitting there, which was considered an unlucky number. Mousse's placement was one of the reasons Tofu had been so fussy about his brother's suit. Tofu hadn't needed to worry about Hideo's suit - that was Shizuka's job, which she handled perfectly. All the guests were sitting at round tables of eight, ten, or twelve people. There were a few children about seated with their parents - Hinako and Tomo did not count among their number.
Finally, Olaf rose and tapped his glass a few time. "Welcome my friends to this glorious celebration!" he proclaimed, grabbing everyone's attention. "Today, we are all very fortunate to witness the joining of two dear friends in matrimony, and they wanted me to thank all of you for making the effort to join us this afternoon. I won't bore you with a long speech right now…" There was some cheering from his friends about that - giants were known to be loquacious sometimes. "I'll get you with that later," he added. Now his friends laughed. "But I would like to raise a toast to Fate and the forces of this world that allowed our couple to meet and to marry. May the Kami continue to protect them." At this, everyone raised their glasses and drank. Above the party, the Kami froze in their random patterns and glowed briefly before resuming their motion. Everyone could briefly see them. Olaf hurried on: "Now, along those lines, please welcome the bride's and groom's siblings, Akane Tendo and Ranma Ono, as they offer their own celebratory dance for the wedding couple."
"And song!" Akane called out as she and Ranma rose from the table.
"And song!" Olaf agreed.
Ranma led Akane to a dance floor in the middle of the ballroom. The couple bowed to the musicians, who bowed back. Then the musicians struck up a beautiful flowing instrumental. The couple listened to the main verse once through, nodded at each other, and began to dance. Their audience was immediately amazed at the sweeping gestures of the dance. Both participants were known for their astounding agility as martial artists, but to see that transformed into a graceful dance left everyone flabbergasted. Even the Kami slowed their motion once more to watch.
The dancers stepped through two more verses and then began to sing. Once more, the audience was stunned. Previously, no one had ever heard Ranma sang as a male - only as a female. Nabiki often teased him that he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket as a male, and while it was true his female form sounded better, apparently his male form could at least do a decent job. Akane's voice was pure gold, but Ranma's was definitely silver, and together they shone. No one knew the language the song was sung in; for all its beauty, it sounded very Otherworldly. But it was definitely a language with tones and meaning. To many, it seemed loving at times and teasing at others; it suited the couple perfectly. However, there was something soothing about it as well.
Jakaro heard Ciren choke out: "Oh my god!" The Kitsune lord turned to see the Siren pale.
Ojima put a hand to her back as he asked: "What's wrong?"
"The song," she said sharply in a low tone. "It's about the Beginning."
"You can understand it?" Konatsu asked.
"She can understand any language," Mausu tossed out. "It's part of who she is." He looked at Ciren and asked: "What language is it?"
Ciren shook herself. "None from around here," she answered. With another shake of her head, she added: "It's not of this world."
"It sort of sounds like an Elemental language, but only sort of…" Jakaro said hesitatingly.
"Big emphasis on 'sort of,'" Ciren said as she swept her hands through her hair and pulled herself back together. "No earthly creature has ever sung that song before."
"What? They're inventing a language on the spot?" Ukyo asked confused.
"I'm not explaining this right," Ciren said with a little frustration. She stopped to listen further to the song. "The song is about the Creation."
"The Creation of the World?" Ryoga asked.
"No, the Creation of the Universe," Ciren stated. "The song is literally about the Big Bang. It sounds like an argument because it is. Fire and Wind - *the* Fire and *the* Wind - are arguing about who came first - they're the original singers. Akane's singing for Fire and Ranma's singing for Wind."
"That's not a surprise," Ojima said understatedly.
"The Big Bang?" Konatsu pressed. "You mean the fireball that supposedly started the Universe billions of years ago?"
"And that's the first point of Fire's argument," Ciren replied. "She's claiming she was present in that fireball. Wind is countering that there was no fireball - there was nothing to burn. There were just vibrations in a tiny space - a space that expanded rapidly. He's claiming he was the expansion. She'd have nowhere to be without him. She replied that those vibrations were energy - her - and they defined where 'where' was. He'd have nothing to reference unless she was there first."
"Say what?" the Inspector exclaimed exasperatedly.
"Oh, it gets worse," Ciren went on. "Wind replied that Fire involves matter and there was only unchanging vibrations - matter didn't come into existence until many moments after the Creation. Fire challenged that matter and energy were constantly in flux then - that virtual particles existed at the very first instant."
"Virtual particles?" Ukyo asked confused.
"Forget it," Ciren dismissed. "There's no way I'm going to explain Quantum Physics in five seconds - I'm not sure I could explain it in five years…"
"I'm sorry," Mausu cut in. "Did you just say Ranma - our Ranma - and Akane - our Akane - are ballroom dancing and *singing* a discussion on Quantum Physics in another tongue?"
"Ohhh, they're the ones dancing all right," Ojima answered for Ciren. He was staring hard at the couple on the dance floor. "But they are *not* the ones singing."
"That's nonsense!" Ukyo insisted.
"And I think you're right," Ciren stated. She paused to listen again. "It is nonsense. The singers don't even believe their own arguments. They are just bantering and teasing one another. The song has another purpose - but I haven't figured it out yet."
Jakaro looked at the ceiling and watched the Kami. "Well, I know one purpose…" he said. The Kami were starting to circle high above the dancing couple, following them across the dance floor. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Ryoga had gone very quiet.
"I see them," Ojima agreed. "They're nature Kami - spirits associated with Wind, Fire, Earth, and Water. There are even full Elementals up there - and more arriving every second." Jakaro nodded in agreement. "They started to show up when you called the Kami to witness the wedding, but I've never seen so many before - or seen them act so wildly."
"They've been drifting into the city in large numbers since Christmas Day," Jakaro added. "If that continues, we may have a problem."
"No, you won't," a young voice stated. It had come from Ryoga's mouth. "My Brother and Sister are taking care of it right now - they're telling the Kami who they are without announcing it by singing that song." Ryoga's eyes were glowing. Akari reached out and held his hand. He squeezed her hand back.
"Are you all right?" Ukyo demanded from Ryoga.
"He's fine," Akari assured her. "Ryoga is still with us, but he's also a Guardian for a special spirit, and that spirit is talking to us now with Ryoga's blessing."
"He's possessed?" Konatsu asked.
"No, he's not," the young voice answered.
Ryoga's eyes stopped glowing and Ryoga's adult voice added: "As Akari said, I'm the Guardian for a special spirit - a soul - that was imprisoned for a long time. He's too weak to be on his own, so I protect him until he's strong enough. But he can hear and see through me, and even act through me when we both feel the need arise. He can also be very wise - and he has answers if you're interested." The Lost Boy said the last few words off-handedly.
"Start talking," Mausu ordered. The rest were nodding.
Ryoga's eyes started to glow again and a young voice laughed from his mouth. With a smile, the voice continued: "Fire and Wind sang that song billions of years before this World was created - and over a billion years after They were created. They sang that Song to two very scared and frightened Children on a newly formed World - the first that could ever bear life in this Universe." At everyone's confused look, the voice added: "They sang the song to Earth and Water - the primordial Earth and Water spirits - just after the new spirits became aware enough to be sentient." The voice laughed again at their astonished looks.
Ciren concentrated on the song again. Then she raised her eyebrows at Ryoga and the Other. "That song is *not* what I called reassuring," she said firmly. "Although the singers are fond of each other, it's more like a rendition of 'Anything you can do, I can do better'."
"But it was reassuring," the voice from Ryoga's mouth insisted. "Earth - my Parent - was very afraid of being alone. Water was too. They didn't understand anything - including each Other - yet there They were. Then two Entities appeared and tried to soothe them, which failed miserably. When Fire and Wind finally understood the Children's fears, the two elders knew sympathy wouldn't work, so instead they began to sing that song, which got more and more ridiculous as it went on."
"I see," Akari stated, her wisdom kicking in. "Ying and Yang." Ciren made a hand motion to continue, so Akari did: "The song's argument has no resolution - it is nonsense. Neither came first. Fire and Wind were born at the same moment. Same with Earth and Water - they came in together and were very afraid of being separated by the Universe. Then Fire and Wind showed them that there was no such thing as separation."
"After they nearly drove Earth and Water nuts with their banter," the young voice agreed with a laugh.
"And the children of the Primordials remember and understand," Jakaro stated. Then he raised an eyebrow at Ryoga. "And special ones can even sing the original song." Ryoga nodded.
On the dance floor, Ranma and Akane continued to sing and dance, but the Kami no longer circled on the ceiling. Instead, they circled the couple. Now the Kami were visible to everyone as they glowed brightly. As the audience watched, the Kami spun faster and faster around the couple, forming a laser-like spiral. Suddenly, Ranma's and Akane's eyes glowed and the couple stopped their song (but not the dance) to speak a single phrase to the Kami together. The Kami streamed away to circle three times around Tofu and Kasumi. From there, the Lights flew in a circle around Ryoga and then flowed toward the ceiling, only to vanish from sight before striking the ceiling.
Back on the floor, the couple continued to dance, but had stopped singing. The lead musician signaled to the couple and, at their nod, started to wrap the piece up. Akane and Ranma finished their dance with a dramatic flair timed to the song's ending. The entire room rose to their feet and applauded the young couple, including the Bride and Groom. The teenagers bowed to the room and Ranma led Akane back to their seats at the head table.
"What did they say to the Kami?" Mausu asked Ciren.
Jakaro answered for her. "They - or rather their Companions - said: 'Behave.' Once they established who they were, that's all it took. They spoke the local Elemental language." Ciren nodded her head in agreement.
On the roof of an odd building three assassins readied their weapons and prepared to break in through a skylight. "All right," one of them said to the others. "We break in, find the vent ducts, find the girl, and kill her quickly. If we find the boy, great. If not, we get the hell out anyway. The original contract is for the girl. She's what we need to get paid - and be free.
Noa watched the assassins slip intothe third floor. Lady Hoshi had given her blessing for twenty of Noa's Sisters to join her. The goal was to capture one of the assassins alive and bring him/her to Lady Hoshi. The other assassins were expendable.
"And if we get a chance to return a little one-upmanship, so much the better," she thought. "Or pinch a backside or two…" she added with a grin.
Sensei Miyazaki leaped from the rooftop and shot across the distance to the dance hall as dusk was descending. He landed silently and made room for the others. The Tendos and Onos belonged to Nerima - and Nerima looked after its own. It was time these uppity merc's learned this, and the best way to show that was to get the remaining assassins…
Next up: Chaos Rising
