Emiya Clan - Nerima 05

Koyuki was lost.

Not physically, she knew where she was this time. It came from the repeated visits necessary to acclimate herself with her ashikabi's habits and the people around him.

She was stepping into a world she had avoided for most of her life. Despite the wishes of Father, she had maintained her closest connections with her family, rarely allowing herself to step away from that comfort zone. Even if most of her siblings were considered introverted by 'normal' standards, they still had some experience in interacting with outsiders.

Father wished to accompany her, but she had declined. Karin, Keiko, and Sakuya had likewise offered their companionship, but she had also turned them down. Nervous as she was, she realized this would be something she had to do herself.

Fortunately she wasn't entirely unprepared. She reached into the small bag hanging from her shoulder and pulled out a tablet computer. Powering the device on, she navigated her way to a bookmarked location and briefly scanned the screen.

How to Make Friends

She swallowed nervously and looked at the building in front of her. Steeling herself, she opened the door and walked into Ucchan's Okonomiyaki.

Meet a Friend of a Friend

The door chimed as a new customer pushed their way through, causing the proprietor to toss out a greeting reflexively.

"Welcome to Ucchan's! Take a seat and... oh it's you." Ukyou Kuonji frowned as she finished grilling up a customer's order. A flick of her spatula sent the pancake flying through the air, deftly caught by a cute-looking girl serving the tables. "Go ahead and have a seat," she told the newcomer. "I'll be with you shortly."

Koyuki nodded and wordlessly made her way to a corner table far from the populated areas of the small restaurant. She waited patiently for several minutes as the last of the weekend lunch-rush was served. Ukyou walked over to the door to flip the sign on the door from 'Open' to 'Closed', then made her way to the table where the snow girl was nursing a glass of ice water Konatsu had given her.

"So, why are you here?" the chef asked. Her voice was even, lacking any hostility, but not displaying any warmth either.

Koyuki was silent for a few moments, long enough for Ukyou to wonder if she had fallen asleep with her eyes open. But finally she spoke in a voice that was far quieter than she had expected. "I wished to get to know the people close to my ashikabi." Ukyou quirked an eyebrow at the unusual word but waited for her to finish. "I wished... to be friends."

Ukyou regarded her steadily. This quiet girl seemed very different from what she had seen at Furinkan. That girl seemed composed, especially when faced with the overwhelming ability of her Ranchan. There was also no mistaking how forward she had been, stealing a kiss from the boy when he was immobilized. The thought made her clench a fist slightly, but she slowly relaxed it.

This girl in front of her seemed almost timid, self-conscious, like a shrinking violet. The type that would shrink away from holding hands with someone. It was a very odd contrast.

She decided not to address it directly just yet. "Ashikabi... is that another word for fiancée?" she asked.

Once again the girl was silent for several heartbeats, as if she was collecting her thoughts. "In... a matter of speaking," she finally said. Definitely not a conversationalist. "Ranma-sama and I, we are tied together by the... rules of my people."

Ukyou narrowed her eyes. "You're not from China, are you, Sugar?"

Koyuki shook her head. "No. Why does everybody keep asking that?"

"Never mind." Ukyou gave her a frank stare. "I'll have to be honest with you. A lot of people have claims on Ranchan. I'm not going to claim anything like seniority or anything like that-" because if that were true, Akane would win... "but you should know some of us have agreements with his family that go as far back as when we were children."

"From what Mother has told me, ours was arranged before our birth," Koyuki said matter-of-factly.

Ukyou gritted her teeth. Just like the Tendou's! "Like I said... we're not going by seniority. Nothing gets decided until Ranma chooses one of us himself." She noticed the girl ducking her head, as if in apology. "I'm curious, though, you seemed a lot different when you were fighting him."

Koyuki's head remained lowered. "My sisters. They... encourage me."

"Are you like this all the time if you're not with them?"

"I do not know," the other girl said meekly. "I am rarely away from my family for any length of time."

Ukyou sighed. Seeing her like this triggered some maternal instinct in her, she almost felt like giving the girl a hug. It was almost like Konatsu in reverse... she suddenly straightened in her chair.

"Quick question, you're not a guy cross-dressing are you?"

Koyuki blinked in confusion. "Ah?"

That went well.

Another hour of talking, and a peace offering of okonomiyaki sent Koyuki on her way. It was still the early stages, but it seemed Ms. Kuonji was at least neutral, if not leading towards friendly. Koyuki munched contentedly on the piece of takeout as she made her way to the next destination. On the way, she pulled out her tablet again and consulted the guide again.

Buoyed by her earlier success, she turned the next corner and walked down the street towards the Cat Café

Make Eye Contact and Smile

"Welcome to the Nekohanten!"

Cologne, Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku, watched the idiot boy jump to greet the new customer. That was good. The fact he was talking to the plants flanking the doorway was not so good. It was an opinion apparently shared by the girl who had just walked in, she was staring at the bespectacled boy with wide eyes and an odd grimace on her face. She quickly threw a chopstick with her usual force and accuracy, braining the boy and nearly knocking him into the wall.

"Idiot boy," she snapped in Mandarin. "Put on your glasses and help our guest to a table!"

As Mousse dutifully corrected his eyesight and began leading the customer, she recognized the unique blue hair and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. She shrugged and turned towards the back of the store. "Great-Granddaughter, please come out to the customer area." Without waiting for a reply, she balanced herself on her staff and hopped her way out to the tables.

"Put up the 'Closed' sign, boy," she ordered him in Japanese. She dropped herself into the chair opposite of her guest and ran a critical eye over her. She didn't have the build of a fighter, which matched what she had seen in that entertaining display earlier in the week. She sensed the presence of magic on the girl, though it didn't seem as strong as when she had brought out the snow which had flattened her granddaughter and the idiot boy.

Shampoo had emerged from the back, throwing a curious glance at the snow girl as she padded over and took a seat next to the matriarch. Mousse maintained his position by the door, not joining in the conversation as was proper for a male.

"What brings you here, child?" she asked without preamble.

Like she had with Ukyou, Koyuki explained her desire to connect with the other fiancées and other people close to Ranma. The girl seemed slightly nervous in front of Shampoo, which was also at odds with the Amazons' initial impressions of her. As she concluded her request, Cologne composed herself in a manner that befit her status as an Elder.

"The boy Saotome belongs to the Joketsuzoku," she said with authority. "Strong males are rare in the world, my great-granddaughter has already laid down her claim. By our laws, he is to be her husband so that we may strengthen our Tribe."

Koyuki nodded. "I do not dispute your claim, ma'am. But if I may correct you on one assumption. For my people, the term 'Ashikabi' does not imply such a simple link towards a particular individual. When we choose our Ashikabi, we bond with them on a metaphysical level. Today's society would call it 'marriage', but for us it goes beyond that."

Cologne's eyes became ice-cold. "The Joketsuzoku do not recognize any claims made by outsiders. Ranma will be Shampoo's husband. We are biding our time now to allow the boy to come to his senses on his own, but we will not suffer any interference that has potential to threaten that goal." She arched an eyebrow. "Despite your impressive display the other day, I don't think you're in a position to question us. Also, my proper title is 'Elder', or 'Matriarch'."

"Or old-hag."

Cologne sent another chopstick directly into Mousse's forehead, earning a yelp from the boy.

Koyuki conceded the point with a nod. "I do not wish to override your claim, Elder. I would like to point out, however, that my people have a history of an Ashikabi 'Winging' numerous individuals. There need not be any conflict over this matter."

"Your people practice polygamy?"

"It can be called that... You may have noticed I had the aid of three others during our dual with Ranma-sama. Each of those individuals are my sisters, though we share the same Father, we are born of different mothers."

"Sisters in Battle?" Cologne mulled over the thought. "There have been rare moments in our history where we have accepted such women into the Tribe as such." She gave the snow girl a narrow glare. "As I said before, however, I'm not entirely sure you qualify."

Her great-granddaughter sniffed, "Shampoo can beat New Girl easy. Can not accept weakling as Sword Maiden."

Koyuki's eyes danced nervously between the two. "I-I would like to point out I am not a front-line combatant," she stammered, "my role is usually supportive and-"

"Are you refusing my great-granddaughter's challenge?" Cologne snapped. "I can assure you cowardice will void your chances completely."

Koyuki's mouth set in a thin line as she considered her options. "If for some reason I do not meet your expectations, will I be allowed the chance to make a further attempt?"

The other girl smiled tightly. "Shampoo always accept challenge."

Koyuki closed her eyes and nodded slowly.

That... did not go so well.

"'Yuki-chan!" Karin was the first to notice her sister staggering through the door.

"What? Koyuki?" Family members pressed in as they helped the limping snow girl to a nearby couch to lay her down.

Chiyo was over in a flash, running a hand-held scanner over her body as she consulted her tablet computer. For once the girl wasn't smiling as she read off the screen. "Fractured arm, dislocated shoulder, bruised ribs, mild concussion. Koyuki what happened?"

"Negotiations temporarily broke down," she replied weakly.

There was another noise of movement and she felt the comforting presence of Father hovering over her. "Koyuki, what happened?"

"I was judged, and found lacking."

"Koyuki..."

"The Amazons respect strength, Father." Koyuki coughed, the motion sending another flash of pain through her chest. "I did not possess a sufficient amount of skill to answer them."

There was another whisper of movement and she felt the air chill around her.

"Akitsu," she heard Father call out sharply.

"Mother, don't... please," Koyuki called out as well. The temperature rose, just barely, and she felt her mother's hands on her own intact one. She opened her eyes and tried to smile at her through the pain. "I will answer them in my own time."

Akitsu-kaasama didn't say anything, but her eyes spoke of her worry.

Koyuki turned her eyes towards the Emiya patriarch. "Father," she said. "I would like to request training."

"You don't need that, 'Yuki!" Karin shouted angrily. "Just let me get one of Mom's satellites and I'll-"

Chiyo turned her smile on the redhead and she quieted down with a sudden 'meep'.

Shirou turned warm eyes on his injured daughter. "We'll talk about this later, Koyuki. You should get some rest." He looked up and scanned the growing crowd. "Chiyo, find your mother and take Koyuki to the infirmary."

" 'Kay."

"Everybody else, back to what you were doing. Clear out, now." Not waiting to make sure the remaining children and parents followed his orders, he spun on his heel and headed for the door.

With a final glance at her daughter, Akitsu rose from her position and followed her husband.

Nobody decided to argue.

(a/n) - erm... major problem i have with inserting new love-interests into ranma is that they tend to 'fix everything' in an unbelievable/OOC manner. that was the main reason i didn't want to do an xover in this 'verse to begin with. this caused a dilemma, i wanted to show koyuki interacting with everybody, but i didn't want her to fix relations her way either. if suddenly everybody went, "oh a harem is fine!" that sorta kills the whole universe. likewise if they magically just accepted (themselves + 'yuki), that'd be out of character for them too.

naturally i don't want to have them all antagonistic for the same reason, it's another silly trait which does nothing but 'drive' ranma into her arms since she's the only sane one.

i decided to have the amazons be the antagonists because they're very hidebound, and if you can think of a way within their code to act in some way, it'll drive all three of them. the 'shield maiden' or 'battle sisters' idea has been used in a couple other fics so i tried it out here. it also gives koyuki a way out, she doesn't need to BEAT shampoo, she just has to impress her enough to be accepted.

ukyou is the most level-headed of the fiancées so i had her accept her almost unquestioningly, if grudgingly. still haven't thought of a method for akane. kodachi i plan to just have every beat up. i hate kodachi.

•• if you DO think she's still heading down that path, feel free to leave a review - or better yet, post it on the forums - and let me know which parts seem Sueish to you so i can try to correct it ••