Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, I do not claim any rights to any of the characters or concepts created or owned by Viz Video or Rumiko Takahashi. This is just the work of one fan to the others. The only characters or concepts that I claim are the ones I created or introduced. That said, I bring you:
The Annals of the Heroine Akane, and the Dreaded Demon King. A Tale of the Mirrorverse.
Chapter 33: A Gathering of Heroes, Part 2.
Nabiki and Akane sat next to the fire as Akane finished the bowl of porridge that Lord Tofu had insisted she eat before they started to talk about what had happened. The youngest sister had agreed almost too readily, and Nabiki couldn't help but feel that Akane had wanted to delay what they were going to talk about even for a short period of time. Honestly, Nabiki couldn't blame her. Both of their worlds had been upended in the course of a single night, and the gaping void where Kasumi should have been was a painful absence to them both. Their entire lives Kasumi had been there, a patient, loving older sister that had filled in for their lost family. A point of stability and constancy in a world at flux. No matter what had happened, Kasumi had always been there to offer the quiet support that they had needed.
They hadn't realized just how much they each had come to depend on her until she was no longer there.
Nabiki glanced aside at Akane, and bit her lip. On top of having Kasumi taken away, Akane had lost the one thing that had defined her for much of her life. The mantle of the Hero had served as a constant point in her life, a guiding light no matter how dark or muddied things had been.
At least, it had been until it had worked against her wishes.
Still, to lose it like she had… The timing had been too precise, the moment too opportune. It was clear to Nabiki that it had been orchestrated, that there had to have been intent behind it. And in all the records of the Hero, it had never once been taken from a living Hero. No other Hero in any of their many stories had lost the Mantle during their lives. It had been said that even in death, it would still continue to provide a level of divine protection, because no Hero had ever risen as one of the undead.
Now, there was only uncertainty about what might happen next. Would Akane be okay, without the mantle of the Hero? Would losing it affect her in some way? All of this was unknown, and there were likely no answers to any of the many questions that the situation raised.
Especially since they could not go to the Church for answers. The Inquisition had to be considered their enemies now, and with it the entirety of the Church. Was the entire kingdom now their enemy? Would their former comrades turn on them as well?
Would it even be fair to ask them to stand beside the sisters?
Nabiki was pulled from her turbulent thoughts when Akane hesitantly touched her hand. As the sisters looked at each other, Akane gave a weak, hesitant smile. "I…. I'm sure it will be okay, Nabiki…"
Lord Tofu cleared his throat and Lady Bryn smiled as she refilled their cups with more spiced, mulled wine. "Drink, my dears. Take a bit o' the edge off, lasses. An' relax, we won't turn on ye.". Lady Bryn said with a gentle smile.
"Is… is it okay for us to be here with you, Lady Bryn?" Akane asked in a meek voice as she looked down.
Akane felt warm, strong arms embrace her with a tenderness that she had often tried to do without, believing that as the Heroine, she no longer had need of it. That such tenderness was beneath her somehow. She looked up and saw a cascade of dark red hair before she was gently held at arm's length. "It's okay to ask for help an' comfort, love."
"Lady Bryn…" Akane started to say before Lady Bryn hugged her close again.
"Call me Cardinal, love. I like it better than all this Lady this an' Lady that nonsense." The Cardinal said with a cheeky grin before she hugged Akane tight again before she made her way once more next to her amused husband.
"Well, now that we have that settled…" Lord Tofu said before he removed his glasses to clean them, then looked at the sisters with a serious expression on his usually kind face. "We need to hear every detail of what has happened, no matter how insignificant it may seem to you."
The two sisters exchanged a look then Akane sighed and nodded. "Cardinal…. You know the truth about Robin? About .. About Ranko?"
"Aye, I do love. Since I trained her an' all. An' m'dear husband knows, as well." The bard known as the Cardinal said with a smile. "Does that help you decide what you can tell us?"
The two sisters looked at each other, then Nabiki drained her cup and refilled it. "This is going to take some time."
"We have all the time we need, I am sure." Lord Tofu said as he took a drink from his cup.
And with that, the sisters began their tale. Akane started her tale first, hesitantly she talked about how she first met Ranko, but decided to withhold some of the more embarrassing parts. As she talked, she found it marginally easier to explain what had happened, and what she had said to Ranko. As Akane talked, her ears became redder and redder as she thought more and more about the red headed bard.
The Lord and Lady exchanged a look as the depths of the former Heroine's affection for the Demon King became more and more evident, or at least for his female guise. It did beg the question of what she thought about Ranma, and the truths that had been revealed regarding him.
"Now that you know the truth about Ranko, and Ranma, what do you think now?" Lord Tofu asked as he regarded the young woman over the rim of his cup.
Akane sighed and took a deep drink of her mulled wine. "It's…. Complicated. While…. While I was still the Heroine, whenever I thought about Ranma…. I could feel this heavy, roiling anger bubbling up. But…. When I thought about Ranko…. The anger didn't happen…"
"And now, love?" The Cardinal asked gently as she refilled the young woman's cup.
"I miss him? Her?". Akane sighs. "I miss Ranma. I miss the Demon King.". Akane looked into her drink. "How insane is that?"
"You love who you love, m'dear." The Cardinal said with a lopsided smile.
Akane blushed and looked at the Cardinal with her mouth open, then shut it and looked down before Nabiki chuckled. "Well, the cat is finally out of the bag."
Nabiki felt an odd sense of dread fall over her as the Cardinal looked at her. It was confirmed when the older Lady Bard smiled and gave her an oddly knowing look. "Since we seem to have broken your sister, mayhaps you will continue the tale?" The Cardinal said with a grin.
Nabiki took a sip of her drink before she continued the tale where her sister had left off, and talked more about meeting the Demon King's party, and her impression of each as she realized that they were not quite what she had originally thought them to be. She tried to not focus on the annoying furball, but she could feel her own ears slowly growing redder as she talked and the Cardinal continued to grin and give her an oddly knowing look. With an exasperated sigh, Nabiki stopped her tale to look at the Bard. "Would you like to share what has you looking so smug over there?"
"So, when you found out that the demon who mauled you was the cat that you had been travelin' with, why didn't ya skin the wee thing? Especially since we both know that you are levin' parts out? Some of the marks she left on ya must still be botherin' ye." The Cardinal said smugly, then stopped when her husband cleared his throat, and the Cardinal bowed and gave Nabiki an apologetic smile. "Sorry, love. I sometimes get a wee bit carried away with my teasin'. You donna want to talk about it, an' I get it. I will say this, though. There have been several instances of the demon folk and humans havin' relationships and partnerships. I have been welcomed in their lands for years, as have some others. Now, the Church… It will not tolerate the presence o' a single one of the demon-kin, so it's not as easy for them to visit our lands. That said, it does happen, more often than you think." She gave the two younger women an apologetic look. If you wanna take a little break, we understand. We both wanna hear the rest of yer tale before we tell ye what it is that we know."
The two sisters exchanged a look, then Akane nodded before Nabiki answered for them. "Just a little one. I think that we need to take a minute to talk between ourselves about what it is we can tell, and should tell you, about the rest."
After the two sisters had departed, The Cardinal sighed and leaned against her husband. :I know dear, I shouldn't push or tease those two. They are walkin' a hard path, but I think that they, all three of them, are strong enough to see it through to its end. And… Maybe…. They can help us change this lyin', broken world." She sighed and buried her head in the crook of his neck. "I donna want to see anymore children brought into this world, knowin' that they are likely to be sacrificed fer the ambitions o' those who would hold onto power, regardless of the cost."
Lord Tofu Ono sighed and held his wife close until the sisters returned, then the Cardinal smiled at the two young women and refilled everyone's cups before they settled in to let the two sisters continue their tale. After a moment, Akane took a breath and started to talk about their time on the road with Ranko and the pair of animal-form demons.
When she about the encounter in the woods, the older couple exchanged a look and Tofu interjected. "It is likely that the young woman was a demon in disguise. From what we have gathered, there are any number of them hidden throughout human lands at any given time."
Nabiki nodded. "It's become rather clear that things are not quite like what we have always been led to understand. It would explain why Ranko had to hear what she had to say."
"I…. Still don't understand…. Why couldn't I tell that she was…. That she was HIM?" Akane asked as she looked at Tofu and the Cardinal.
"That would be because when Ranma was very young, his essence was split into two. A human form, and a demon form. Instead of half and half, two halves that are completely one or the other." Tofu explained as Akane bit her lip and nodded.
"How did that happen, though?" Nabiki asked as she settled in again.
"As I understand it, love, 'twas the work of a powerful mage that gave the means to Ranma's mother." The Cardinal answered.
The two sisters exchanged a look before they continued their tale, telling of the flight to the old tower. And of the battles they fought there.
The two Ono's sat and listened, as they held hands and asked only a few questions, at least until the sisters started to talk about their own individual battles.
"So, you found out who Xian Pu was when her nature overcame her caution." Tofu stated as Nabiki flushed and nodded.
"I had no idea, beforehand. I mean, it made a lot of things make more sense…. But I was a bit…. Angry at the time." Nabiki said, as she tried to hide the flush that thoughts of the stupid furball seemed to bring over her.
The Cardinal chose not to comment, as she received a little warning look from her husband.
"We didn't witness it, not directly, but Kasumi saved Ryouga's life where he had endangered himself to buy us all time." Nabiki said while Akane nodded.
"Saved him? How? She fought alongside him, then?". Tofu asked.
"More than that, she healed his wounds. I mean, Kasumi is a healer, but she seemed surprised by that." Akane said as she looked into her cup.
The Ono's exchanged a look before Tofu leaned forward and gave the sisters an intense look. "Are you sure that she healed the demon Ryouga?"
Nabiki sensed the intense focus that Tofu directed at the question and nodded. "She did. She tended to Ryouga after the fight."
"And she used her magic to heal him?" Tofu clarified.
"Yes, that is what she said." Nabiki answered.
The older couple exchanged another look. "That's…. Not possible." Tofu said with a thoughtful, concerned look on his face.
"Why is that? I mean…. She just healed him?" Akane asked with a confused look on her face.
"Human magic only benefits humans, and demon magic only benefits demons. If you try to use the other faction's magic on an opposing being, it only ever causes harm." Tofu stated gravely. "Just like the Dusk can not be healed by the divine arts of the Light "
"But… Kasumi has healed a lot of people that had Dusk." Akane said with a confused look on her face.
The older couple exchanged a look, then the Cardinal spoke up. "There are many records of what has happened, love. The Goddess's will not allow their power to be used to benefit their enemies. It is not well known among the common people, but there are more than a few tales that I have uncovered over the years. Also… Those who are born of mixed blood, no magic will ever benefit them. That is likely why Demon King Ranma had to be changed like he was."
The sisters exchanged a look and then Nabiki looked at the older couple. "If what you have said is true…. Then how has Kasumi broken these laws of magic?"
The older couple shared a look before Lord Tofu spoke. "It means one of two things. That either Lady Kasumi is some foul heretic who has used forbidden powers, or that perhaps what we have been told and led to believe is not true. That there is far more going on behind the scenes, and that one or both churches are behind it all."
Akane and Nabiki exchanged a horrified look, then looked at the older couple before Nabiki spoke again. "What you are talking about…. It's…". She trailed off, unable to speak what had come to her mind.
"It's heresy, loves. Foul, traitorous thoughts and words that would see us all tortured an' killed by the Inquisition. That would see us all cast down an' made into the most foul an' cursed of beings. Ye donna have to walk this path with us, but both Tofu an' I decided years ago that we canna let this continue on forever.". The Cardinal said, then softened and smiled sadly. "We canna stand by an' see more of those that matter to us sacrificed in the name of a war that is meant to never end "
