Days in a wagon going through rural China doesn't do much for one's back. Or backside for that matter.
It wasn't as snowy as it had been in Japan, but the cold had certainly seemed to follow them, especially as they moved north. Cologne tried to reassure them that the weather would break as they moved but Akane and Ukyou had stopped believing that after the end of the first day. Sleeping and nearly freezing overnight in a wagon, even with others piled in and sharing body heat with you seemed to do very little overall.
They were told they were on their last day to the village, that timing had been good and while they were going to spend some time in the village to put together a plan for execution before venturing west towards Jusenkyo and Dariole, it wouldn't be long. And back on the road they would go to get the shared fiancée back.
At the 30-hour mark, Akane felt her restlessness get the best of her. She stretched and looked around at Ukyou and Shampoo completely exhausted and leaning on one another in the dark of the middle of the night, sleeping soundly. Standing up, she headed towards the front of the wagon and uncovered the cloth that covered them.
She crawled out quietly, the steady movement of the horses and wagon rocked her side to side as she looked up into the land and sky across them. The road wasn't much more than dirt, dust blowing and caking the wheels, the steady noise of the hooves in movement.
Her neck lifted, looking up into the sky above.
A tapestry of bright lights shone above her, more than she had probably ever seen. For a moment she was reminded of when she was taken to China previously, how bright the moon could be, how dazzling the stars even in her fear. But now, for a few moments, she looked up and watched the twinkling stars of the skies above her, considering that she may never see something like this again. She leant over the divide between the seats of the drivers of the wagon, her arms outstretched so she could reach her body out to see as much as possible without bothering those steering their journey.
Even on her rooftop with Ranma she never saw stars like these, blooming bursts of cosmos that spanned the entire skyline, even against mountains they seemed enormous and mighty. Like they would be here for eternities, long after she saw them, long after they left this place. Her short hair blew against her face as a smile crept across it.
"Admiring the stars, Akane Tendou?"
She lifted her head towards the voice, the current driver Curl. She swallowed and smiled.
"I couldn't sleep, and I just thought, well that I'd take a peek and see where we are."
"You do not have to stay there; the sights are better here if you wish to join."
She waited a moment, a cool breeze blowing over her face. The hesitance held her back a moment, she thought maybe it was best to crawl back to her sleeping spot in the wagon.
But there was something here, something that pulled.
Her hand reached out to grab the driver's seat and as she grabbed the back, she felt a warm set of fingers grip on her wrist and she froze for a moment.
"It can be tricky moving from the back up here if you're not familiar. Let me help direct you." Her face flushed for a moment before reaching her other hand out and pulling herself forward. She took a seat between Curl and one of the stronger men, Toner it looked like to be.
She sat back and watched the vast darkness ahead of them, where the division of land and sky seemed to disintegrate and become one. She found herself relaxing, more so than she had in days, maybe weeks at this point. The steady rocking of the wagon on a barely paved road, in the distance she could see mountains and with them likely more snow. The cold air blew against her cheeks once more, she could feel the frostiness tinge the color of her cheeks. She pulled her large coat around herself and blew into her hands.
"How do you stay up here for so long? It's so cold." She asked him as his eyes focused on the road ahead.
"Winters in the village can be much worse, this is not so bad. You simply get used to it."
"Is it bad in the village now?"
"No, this season has been kinder. But there is snow." He turned to look at her. "You will need more than a pretty dress to be comfortable." He smiled and turned back. "Why great-grandmother gave you all those outfits I do not know, but we will have something more traditional for the weather when we arrive." She nodded and looked down at herself, it did seem silly now that she thought about it. Perhaps it was just what they had on hand.
They sat in silence for a moment, watching out into the thick, black evening. She pulled the coat again closer to her, considering perhaps she should go back into the wagon and try to get some sleep, even if it wouldn't come.
"Is this your first time in China, Akane Tendou?"
"Please just call me, Akane." She smiled, definitely not trying to avoid answering his question. He tilted his head slightly, not looking her way.
"Great-grandmother told us to refer to you as we do any visitor, especially female visitors as they are the most respected."
"Well, I give you permission to call me Akane, after all you're helping us get to the village and we couldn't do that without your help. That makes you a friend."
He smiled as he watched the road ahead, finally turning to her for a moment.
"Then I shall call you 'Akane'."
She got a bit red and shifted her face away smiling. He pulled his eyes away and looked on ahead.
"So Akane, is this your first time in China?"
She drew a breath in, considered for a second playing it off like her and Ukyou had never been. But she thought about the rest of gang and realized that her last time here would likely come to surface, so why bother lying at this point.
"It isn't actually."
He waited, probably thinking nothing of her hesitance to continue.
"I've uh, I was in Jusenkyo." His jaw set and he visibly shivered. "I was taken by some gods and it was a pretty scary experience." She brushed her hair back. "Really scary actually."
There was a pause between them that held for a minute.
"Were you...made to be like Shampoo and Mousse?"
"Cursed? Oh no! I was used as bait, I guess? Like a distraction?" She shifted in her seat, clearly uncomfortable. "All of my friends were there fighting Saffron and his group came and took me to, well I guess be used against my friends." She hoped the constant use of the word 'friends' would be enough for the story. "And during a big fight, I got hurt. Pretty badly, but I mean clearly, I'm okay now!" She rushed it, suddenly so uncomfortable talking about the time here.
"And one of your friends, now they have been taken like yourself?" he asked, seemingly not wanting to probe too much to make her uncomfortable.
"In a way yes, but I don't think the people who took him are expecting us to come and get him."
"Shampoo's fiancée, correct?" He turned towards her. Her face soured slightly and he gave her a small tilt of his head. "That was my understanding, that this was to save your friend who is her fiancée."
"Well, that's - it's a little complicated."
"What is so complicated? He bested her in combat, making her his betrothed according to our village. There is not much else to misunderstand is there?" She tried to find her words, not trying to sound bumbling or angry.
"Well, technically, he's...Ranma is all of our fiancée. We're all engaged to him." His brows furrowed, while focusing on the road ahead. She covered herself more with the coat, somewhat because of the cold but also a growing sense of embarrassment she hadn't felt in years. She looked at her breath coming out of her mouth, and the constant movement of the hooves seemed to make the silence worse.
"I do not understand, you are also Ramna's betrothed?"
"Ukyou too."
"Next you will tell me Great-Grandmother is engaged to him as well." She panicked to answer but saw him turn slightly towards her and give a small joking smile, before looking back forward. She settled and laughed softly, more as if letting out a sigh of relief.
"That does sound complicated, so many fiancées are not good. And our rules are never to be broken, so it would seem that you have no fiancée in the eyes of our home." She was going to interrupt him and correct him but decided against it. In his eyes, her engagement simply was invalid. It went against everything from his upbringing and that Ranma was rightfully Shampoo's, but the taste of that was too bitter to swallow. Too much pride to ingest for her own liking.
"Well, I did...I mean we were broken up before he was taken." Her eyes fixed down, looking at her covered feet on the wood of the wagon. "After some problems with this girl who stole him and caused all this, I was kind of...tricked into breaking off our engagement. It's what I thought he wanted, and I didn't want to pursue it anymore."
"Was it what you wanted?" He probed slightly.
"I... I mean," she lifted her head up and looked out ahead of them. She didn't want to tell him too much; he was still a relative to Shampoo who clearly was looking out for her and what she wanted, so if she were to admit more than necessary it could do more damage than she was prepared for. Especially this far from home. "Our parents made us get engaged, to unite our schools. We never had a say in it, but I suppose got used to it in some ways."
"But you did not want to be engaged?"
"Not against my will, I didn't. I wanted the choice, not to have my hand forced." She stopped herself before she said something she'd regret. "I'm sorry, that's how life is out here isn't it? Arranged marriages?"
He nodded, his light eyes without even a flicker of sleepiness in them. She had no idea how long he'd even been out here manning the wagon; how could he not be exhausted?
"Our village has mostly arranged marriages, yes. But they always seem to work out, though occasionally there will be someone foolish or in love that will challenge a woman outright to a fight to try to beat her and get her engagement. But I suppose that would still be arranged in a way, yes?"
"But if the other person loves you and that's the only way you could be together, than I suppose I understand wanting to fight for that person."
"Unfortunately, love is a convenience we do not always have here." He turned back her way and gave her a small, but sad smile. He turned back. "But we make do, our village is proud and plentiful. And while it may be cold and snowy it is truly beautiful, I hope you enjoy your time here, Akane."
She smiled again and felt herself blush. There was something in the way he would say her name that gave her a fluttering feeling, perhaps it was the way he already spoke low but when he spoke to her and said her name, it felt like every vowel carried a smokiness to it, every consonant was emphasized. She took a moment to look at him while he rode, his proud chin, high and prominent cheekbones. He looked more like an actor you'd see in some romantic office drama than a man who worked and lived in rural China. He most've been engaged for sure.
She mentally cursed and wondered why she was thinking of that now. He must've caught her in thought looking his way because when she collected herself, he was looking right at her, a coy, playful smile on his face. She went bright red and pulled her coat up closer to her face, to cover the proof of her embarrassment.
"I'm sure I'll love the town! Shampoo and Mousse speak highly of it, I know they certainly miss it."
"And they are certainly missed. I know my cousin can be a handful at times, but she is a kind girl deep down."
Akane smiled harshly, nodded and turned away, she wasn't so sure she'd agree with that same sentiment.
"I think it is brave that you would come back to a place like this to save a friend, Akane. Even in they are an old fiancée." She blushed again and dropped the coat, looking out into the sky ahead, there seemed to be so much night she wondered just how long they'd be without the sun again.
"I promised his parents I'd bring him back to them, he's their only son."
She understood that by giving that reason she was also saying that she didn't think he should stay here after he was rescued, again showing her disagreement with their ways.
"You are a kind person, Akane." He looked at her and they kept their eyes on the either, she waited for him to pull away and just as it started to feel overwhelming, he pulled away first, smiling at his own private thoughts. "We will be a few more hours, why not try getting some sleep up here or in the back?" She nodded and yawned, agreeing that it could be for the best and she crawled her way back into the wagon.
Curl watched the road for a few more minutes, a wider smile creeping along his face as he thought more about the disagreeable but brave and kind Akane Tendou.
Rubbing her eyes, she felt the wagon begin a slowing pace and started to sit up, removing the flimsy blanket from her body. Ukyou was already awake, peaking out between the flaps of their cover. She stopped for a moment and smiled her way.
"I think we're getting close to the village; they're slowing down a lot more. How'd you sleep?"
"I slept okay, I woke up in the middle of the night and couldn't fall back asleep."
"So, you went to talk to Curl?" Ukyou's smirk grew wide as Akane's face paled a bit. "I mean I get it, he's really cute, what's to stop you?" Before Akane could clearly finish her answer, she bit her tongue.
"I mean, he's not really my type and the whole rural village thing isn't for me, you know?"
"Akane, that guy is anyone's type. Tell him to visit you in Japan, I know I would if I wasn't engaged to Ranchan." There it was again, of course Shampoo and Ukyou would feel more entitled to him and his heart, even if she had ended it due to a trick. But if they had been in those same shoes, they would've done the exact same thing, there's no way they would've taken those words from him on the chin.
"We'll see, we've got bigger things to focus on, especially now that we've arrived." And with that the wagon came to a stop. The girls turned to face the back, when they heard the flap of the front pull back. Curl gave a large smile their way.
"Welcome to Joketsuzoku ladies."
The village was larger than either had expected, it reminded them of some of the small towns far outside the city that you sometimes passed when traveling out for vacations. Homes were simple, rustic, maybe 4 or 5 rooms at most for families. Their city center, if you could call it that, contained several food stands and markets, there were a few smaller shops selling cloth, herbs, housewares. For whatever reason Akane always assumed Shampoo and Mousse lived somewhere in the middle of nowhere with lack of access to so many things, they in fact had a nice little town here. In the center of it all was a large dojo, probably enough to accommodate the entire village if they wanted them there. It made sense though; you don't have a tribe of warriors without having somewhere they can train.
Leaving their wagon, they were reunited with Cologne, Mousse and Ryoga. They looked as worn out and tired as the ladies did but remained in high spirits.
Mousse rubbed his neck and removed his glasses looking around his hometown, a small, tired smile on his face. Ryoga rolled his shoulders, his hair full and messy without his typical bandana, he gave the girls a big toothy grin though.
"Glad to be off that wagon huh?"
"More than you know, sugar. How was the ride with...?" Ukyou tipped her eyebrows toward Cologne who was now directing the men who had ridden them out here with where to take things down and where to put them.
"Nothing I haven't had to deal with before." Mousse sighed out, considering that now that he was home, he may get the chance to see his family. He'd been gone for almost two years now; a time he had hoped he could end with returning home with his bride. That had unfortunately not yet come to fruitarian, but there was still hope on this trip. On the trip back into the village he and Ryoga had spoken about their hopeful intentions with the ladies of the other wagon, even guardedly. Mousse knew that Ryoga was clearly enamored with Akane Tendou, just as he was with Shampoo and their shared enemy that they were here to save. And while Ranma was certainly a near constant pain in his side, due to Shampoo's own blind devotion to him and their engagement, he wasn't quite the extent of enemy that he was to his wagon mate. Mousse was blind in a lot of ways, physically of course and oftentimes in his heart, but even he could see that while Saotome may use Shampoo or Ukyou or his female side to get what he wanted, it was clear who had his heart, a glaring, obvious point that even those around him with their perfect 20/20 vision where completely blind to.
They rounded up together again, the girls held their bags, clearly still tired in this early morning arrival. Both Mousse and Ryoga offered to take their things from them and only Ukyou took them up on the offer, feeling deeply pleased with herself. They watched as a village elder came up to Cologne and started discussing them and their situation. It was cold, but not snowy and they drew slightly closer to one another as the discussions continued hoping that soon they'd be shown which clay house they'd be staying in or even better which way to a bath. Akane was clearly on the verge of shivering, and it took everything in Ryoga's heart to not reach out and provide her with the same warmth she would when he was in his cursed state. His looks at her stopped as Cologne approached them all.
"You've grabbed all your things, good. Follow me, we have some places we have to stop at."
They pulled everything onto their backs and began following the elder, the residents giving them occasional strange looks or familiar waves to those returning. Akane held onto her backpack straps, just hoping that soon they would be somewhere she could change out of the clothes she'd been in now for days. A hot shower sounded incredible right now.
They stopped at a large building, what looked to be an inn, it reminded her of the hot springs they'd stayed at for vacation, the one where she had her first small doll experience before her second in China. She shivered slightly and pulled her coat again. Cologne turned to them to speak.
"For the next two nights we will be staying at this inn, there is a spring inside to rest yourselves. Tomorrow, the town is providing us with a welcoming banquet and a chance for some of us to be reunited with family for the first time in years. After that we will be returning to our trip." Before anyone could ask about the break from traveling once more, she continued. "We have received word that Dariole's camp has been seen traveling towards Jusenkyo, which means they have not arrived, and we have made good time. There is the consideration, however, they are doing this as a ploy, knowing full well we are following them and wish to engage in battle sooner than later. For now, we will accept the chance to get ourselves and our plans in order. I suggest taking this time to relax and prepare yourselves for what waits in the coming days."
She nodded and opened the door for the group.
The collective sigh of the three girls as they entered the hot spring echoed throughout the outdoor sanctuary. After dropping their things off in their room, they immediately agreed to take advantage of the spring at the inn. Shampoo and Ukyou with their hair tied up high sat against the large boulder that provided a seat as well as divided them from the young men on the other side, just as likely to be in the warm water as quickly as they had been. Akane dunked herself a little lower into the water, until it went over her shoulders, just barely touching her chin. She rubbed the back of her neck, her lack of long hair again nagging at her.
"How's the rib cage, honey?" Ukyou asked, kind and distracting. While they had been washing up, she caught a good sight of the developing bruise on Akane's rib, dark and vicious. She was surprised to find Akane was handling it okay.
The truth was, Ukyou liked Akane a lot. She hadn't grown up with many women around or many female friends and while she had started more rival than acquittance, over the last year her relationship with Akane had changed. She knew they shared similar traits, their tomboyish attitudes, both proud of their schools, proud of themselves and their abilities. And what had at one point had just been talks about their martial arts background had changed into discussions of the future or feelings, however guarded. Ukyou always thought Akane had put a lousy front out about her feelings for Ranma, she considered that she was likely one with a big embarrassing crush she didn't want to own up to. But the way they always fought, what he said to her or what she did to him, it didn't make sense for the long run. But she figured that that was largely in part because they both lived under the same roof, a superficial crush due to nearness. All she needed was to get Ranma to move out to her place, Akane would lose her crush and Ranma would finally stop his constant looks to Akane.
Yeah, that's all it would take.
Akane stood up straight and touched her ribs under the surface of the water, she winced slightly.
"They don't feel great, but it's okay. Nothing was broken, even though Tofu said to rest them for a few days."
"Traveling across the sea isn't much relaxing, is it?" Ukyou grinned and Akane returned it, shaking her head as well. Shampoo eyed them both for a moment, watching how they both could talk so easily to one another. They were rivals but not entirely, they didn't see themselves as strictly that.
For Shampoo, there was always a divide between her and Ranma's other, illegitimate fiancées. Sometimes it was cultural differences, sometimes the language barrier but there were always things in the way. Not that she was looking for 'friends' necessarily, she had grown up mostly on her own without much other interactions especially with other girls, but there was something in the way that the two other girls could speak plainly without fighting. That they could relax around one another and share their thoughts without immediately threatening the other. Perhaps it was just the way they were brought up, exposed to more expressions of emotions without critic or being dismissed.
Shampoo loved being home, but there was something she did miss in Japan. Back home she would be expected to fall into a role, to follow rules and traditions without question. She would become a village elder one day like her great-grandmother with Ranma by her side as her husband, the man who had bested her.
Bested her.
She furrowed her eyebrows, looking into the water. Like Dariole had bested Ranma in male form, making him her fiancée in the eyes of Shampoo's village as well as her own. Essentially putting an end to her own engagement, even if her great-grandmother tried to tell her it didn't. She had seen this happen before, years before she made her way to Nerima. A woman bested an engaged man, claiming him as her own. The original fiancée came to fight the woman and was struck down quickly in the fight, losing her betrothed. Truly a sad and shameful end to an engagement, Shampoo refused to let the same happen to her. But Cologne had reassured her, she would likely have to do the same with Dariole when the time came, defeat her the way she had intended to those years ago at the tournament.
And while Shampoo was confident, Dariole had been relentless in her pursuit of revenge, and she couldn't help but wonder how far she would go. She looked to Akane, who had stood up, brave if not foolishly against Dariole and it had gotten her a nasty slash across her nose and near broken ribs. But they both were so similar; Shampoo would've done the same in her position.
"Shampoo have cream for ribs if hurting tonight. Use it after training sessions." She could see the immediate hesitation in both the faces of Ukyou and Akane. She didn't have much of a history of providing actual help to either of them, typically setting them up for failure of some kind. Ukyou looked to Akane to answer, her face a little unsure.
"I'm...fine, really. It just bothers me a little." Shampoo nodded.
"Well if Akane need, just ask Shampoo." She turned a bit away to soak herself lower into the water. Akane could tell that Shampoo had taken some offense and she felt small for doing it, even if she and Shampoo didn't have the greatest of relationships.
"I think that may be nice Shampoo, thank you." She nodded and gave her a smile that Shampoo returned.
The three girls soaked in the heated water for a few moments in silence, it was difficult to not bring up the subject that connected them all and how he may be doing. Where he may be, even thinking about the last time most of them were here seemed like it would be like setting off a bomb. Ukyou broke it up first.
"A party tomorrow sounds really nice, are you excited to see family Shampoo?" The purple-haired girl nodded quickly, large smile on her face.
"Shampoo very excited to see parents, have been a very long time. Will be good to see all family."
"Do you have any siblings?" Akane asked, suddenly aware of the fact that she knew so little about this girl she'd spent so much time with over the last two years. Shampoo shook her head.
"Just Shampoo but come from big family. Lots of cousins."
"That's what Curl is correct? Your cousin?" Ukyou probed, leaning against the large boulder. Akane followed suit, with a sudden interest in learning more about Shampoo's life.
"Curl Shampoo cousin, few years older but grew up together. Been very long since Shampoo see, Curl went on training journey before Shampoo leave. Returned home to be master at village dojo."
"Wow! Already a sensei and that young?" Ukyou smiled large, a slight bit of gushing in her voice. "That's really impressive, not many can say that." Shampoo nodded.
"Family very proud of Curl, make Shampoo want to be better."
Ukyou smirked and pushed herself away from the boulder, catching sounds from the other side, likely of the guys. Akane and Shampoo watched her float in the center, before she wiggled her eyebrows.
"He's cute too. Right Akane?"
"Ukyou, come on." Akane droned off. "Boys are the last thing on my mind." Ukyou put up a hand, batting her fingers at her as if to calm her down.
"Yeah okay, sure, sure. But I mean, even I admit he's a good-looking guy you know? Wouldn't be a bad prize to bring home to Nerima you know?"
"You talking Shampoo cousin, Ukyou." Shampoo gave a slightly annoyed and sick response. Ukyou laughed a little and even cracked a smile out of Akane. The short hair girl groaned and smiled, pushing herself away from the rock now too.
"Like I said Ukyou, I'm not interested in thinking about boys right now. I want to rest up for the trip ahead of us, who knows how long it'll be before we can rest." she swirled in the water for a moment. Stopping and turning a small smile towards the other two girls. "But a party does sound kind of nice." The other girls joined in with a small laugh of their own.
On the other side of the boulder, outside the ear shot of the girls across the way, the young men who accompanied them fell deeper into the warm water of their own spring. Ryoga and Mousse kept some distance from the other, but without the typical presence of their shared bitter enemy felt they could relax for a moment without a guard up to protect the girl who they cared for from that callous man. They sat in mostly silence before Ryoga decided to say anything, his bangs pushed back from his forehead from the heat.
"Feels good to finally be able to relax for a night, even if it's just for a few hours. I'm sure the girls are enjoying themselves just as much." Mousse nodded in agreement. He was grateful to be back home, was hopeful he'd see his family tomorrow. It'd be a nice change from the last few days.
He had been hoping to finally get some of his stress down but found it weighed on him like a large sack would lay against your shoulders. He had followed Shampoo to that fight with Dariole even when she and her great-grandmother were uninterested in his presence, but he was never going to let her go to a fight without him around. What if something happened, what if she got hurt? He thought back on the moment that Dariole had threatened her, set to put her in her place, pulling Saotome out to show her she didn't come to mince words. Mousse knew of Dariole's village, they were known for their fierce fighting style, their unwavering pride and most importantly their insatiable taste for revenge and pain. Dariole's home is not what someone would call a warm and fuzzy place.
It was why when he had seen Akane Tendou step up to this girl his veins went ice cold. He considered Akane a good friend to him, they both had relied on the other for help in the past, had shared a perfectly platonic friendship which was rare in the strange company they shared. He remembered watching as she took her first hit from that large man in Dariole's gang, he was sure her ribs were broken, possibly with a collapsed lung. He could feel the fear in Ryoga without even looking, if Ranma hadn't been incapacitated he's sure he would've killed the man who laid her out. He would've done the same if it was Shampoo.
But Akane got up and again made her way to him to try to save him, even if it was fruitless. Even if she was just going to be hit again, broken further. Akane was a stubborn girl, he had always known that. Angry too. But even in his own worry about her well-being, he admired her tenacity and her refusal to give up.
He's sure that Ryoga wishes she would've done the same for him but is uneasy that she would.
Ryoga hums in agreement, he hopes Akane is taking care of herself. She always jumps before looking, emotionally, physically. And when it comes to Ranma she's even worse. Her devotion to her family and his is something to admire but it's foolish, even she must see that. She's complained about him more than anyone, he's seen it and heard it, both cursed and not. He treats her terribly and she sees it, knows it. All he's ever wanted was to show her how much more she deserves.
And on their ride over in the last few days, he's decided that it's time to show her this. Has he been overlooked? Certainly. But it's not her fault. It's the heaviness of familial duty that keeps her from seeing what she deserves. Now that the engagement was over (and it was, regardless of what anyone else may say) she was free to have someone, often overlooked, seek her out.
The door to their room, leading to the spa opened and closed.
Or someone new may seek her out as well.
The thought made him sick.
He stared into the water as he heard the three local men enter the water, remarking on how great it felt to be able to use since their journey started to help the foreign friends of Shampoo. They smiled and nodded to them both and Mousse invited them to join in their conversation. Ryoga gave a grimacing grin.
Mousse took the lead on the conversation, catching up with the three men about the last few years while they've been away. Their families, what they had been up to, accomplished. He turned to Curl and focused on asking about his training trip where he had gone, what he had seen, the arts he had learned and brought back to teach. They spoke for several minutes, being sure to keep discussions in Japanese so that all can understand.
"So, you'll be taking over as sensei at the village dojo, that is a huge honor Curl. You should be quite proud."
"It is a title I am undeserving of, but I am excited to take up the role. I want to bring everything I have learned home and share with everyone to help them better themselves."
"How admirable." Ryoga gave a sarcastic reply, the tone lost on the man he was speaking to. Of course, an idiot as well.
"Thank you Ryoga Hibiki, do you practice a particular style?" Curl smiled and tilted his head towards the other man, his perfectly wavy lavender hair bouncing along the way.
"Nothing in particular, I try to learn as much as I can. Your great-grandmother taught me a few things while they've been living in Japan."
"Ah then you must be a great fighter! Great-grandmother only teaches those with potential and strong will. I hope we can spar when you return from saving your friend."
"Likewise." Ryoga gave a half-sincere answer, deciding to sulk a bit more over the mention of Ranma. Mousse takes this opportunity to bring up a topic that he doesn't understand the sensitivity of.
"With taking over the dojo that must mean you will be taking a wife soon as well, won't you? Have you already been engaged?"
Curl nods and looks away, past the boulder and returns with a small smile.
"Yes, that is what the elders would like of me. They say I am getting too old to remain a bachelor, though I still feel quite young. I am only 22 years, yet they would make me feel as though I am one of their peers." He laughs softly. "But no, I have not taken a fiancée. Though a few have tried." He gives a small head tilt in consideration.
"You wish to pursue your own betrothed then?"
"Yes, I just have not known her yet."
Ryoga breathes a sigh of relief. He relaxes for a moment.
"Though,"
And the relaxation ends there.
"I wish to learn more about Akane Tendou."
Mousse immediately freezes in his polite position. He's walked into a minefield and never even saw it coming. He can feel the water heat next to him, his companion being the source. He tries to keep things level and easy.
"Akane Tendou? She is a longtime friend of ours, both of us." Mousse hopes that is enough. Curl's expectant face says otherwise. "She's the daughter of a sensei, she's set to inherit it upon marriage, though I think if you were to ask her, she certainly won't wait for that to happen." Mousse laughs, uncomfortable as he feels the shifting heat turn up even more. "She can be quite stubborn and temperamental, wouldn't you say Ryoga?"
Ryoga remains silent, the darkness of his annoyance and anger twisting around him.
"Very stubborn. Yeah."
Curl nods thoughtfully, as if considering.
"She does have a strong opinion, that is for certain."
"See, she is a tough woman. Hard to crack, even as she is sought after by her male classmates." Mousse clamps his mouth shut. "I mean at one time, but that all changed, of course when Ranma showed up. Then they all gave her up on account of their engagement." Mousse felt a strong flick from Ryoga on his side and winced, trying his best to hide it. He knew the powers that even his finger possessed and was uninterested in finding out how the bakusai tenketsu would feel on his ribcage. Curl rubbed his chin, the other two men he had come in with now in their own private conversation away from them both. He moved closer to his conversation partners.
"But they are no longer engaged, Akane has told me this."
Ryoga felt the icy tingle under his skin, like small razors on his nerves. When the hell had she told him that? He paused for a moment.
Was she confident in that decision? Did she consider herself free from him, from their engagement and predicament? Was she just here to get him home, like he had done for her when she was taken here, fulfilling some kind of promise to repay his actions for her? His heart sank at the fact that she had told this stranger that she was no longer engaged, but at the same time this could mean she truly was free to pursue new suitors. And that she was interested in the prospect of doing so.
Mousse tried to answer and felt that he should jump in and say otherwise, Akane was his saving grace when it came to stopping Shampoo's pursuit of Ranma but if these words came from her then they must have weight to them.
"Well, it is a bit complicated."
"What is there to be complicated about? They were engaged, now they are not, and she is a fine woman. She interests me and I wish to learn more about her." Mousse turned to face Ryoga, who's angry face had softened to consider the man in front of him. He waited for him to say something.
"I've known Akane for some time, you could say we're quite close and I don't think she's looking for just any suitor. She wants someone of her equal, someone who appreciates her, regardless of any faults. The stress of her unwanted engagement has weighed heavy on her and while I am sure she appreciates that it's over, romantic pursuits are far from what she wants at this time."
Ryoga was certain with his answer, pleased with it. Curl nodded, thinking it over. He moved back and leaned heavily against the edge of the pool. He seemed to accept that answer.
The next morning was bustling, with more noise than the visitors had been used to for several days. They were used to the constant rushing of water or horses padding their way through the countryside. The ladies woke up, grumbling and asking for a few minutes more in the beds that they were sure they'd be missing the next day when they were back on the road.
They bathed, taking their time and received their outfits for the banquet and party for that day, Cologne even arranged for a village matchmaker and her assistant to help in their preparation, something that Akane and Ukyou rolled their eyes at. It seemed like a ploy to make Shampoo look as best as she could and present the two of them like a couple of wives to be had for someone. They tried to assure them it was simply to have them look as wonderful as they could look for the party which made them feel as though their own presentation and makeup skills were severely lacking in some way.
During the afternoon they were primped to the edge of sanity, hair pulled, curled, pulled further, heat and styled and near constant pains in their temples. Ukyou and Akane watched the other go through the pains of what it meant to be beautiful in the village, as if it was the greatest honor bestowed on them. As she watched the immense amount of work going into Ukyou's long hair, full and lush being tamed, curled and pulled away, Akane was suddenly grateful for the loss of locks. That was until a woman came around with a hot brush and began the near constant burning of her scalp to pull as much volume into her shorter locks. Then they looked at each other with a sad regard for the other.
After the assault on their skin and hair, they relaxed for a moment, waiting to dress into their lacquered, elegant qipao. Shampoo entered from another room of the inn and the girls were both shocked to see how she looked. They both knew that she was a beautiful girl, a complete knockout of a woman. They had dressed her in a silk red qipao, gold trim and patterned throughout. Her hair was pulled back into an almost regal bun, secured with gold jewelry. Her skin was porcelain, like milk, with her lips punctuated with a bright rouge. She looked modelesque, she looked like a personification of beauty for an ancient poet.
She smiled small at the other girls as they gapped at her, hoping they'd look even remotely close to how they had managed to get her. Akane felt suddenly overwhelmed in her own self-consciousness, thinking back to hearing so many people remark on how beautiful and sexy Shampoo was, and those were in waitress clothes to boot. One of the voices she heard in her head was Ranma's and she took a deep drink of her tea to swallow it away.
Ukyou was pulled into another room and before Akane could catch it, she was pulled into another. Two helpful but quiet women began helping her into an emerald dress of her own, yanking harshly over her hips that suddenly caused her to feel embarrassed. Over the last year she had changed her training regimen and the changes had reflected in her body, especially in her lower half and legs. After the dress made its way over her hips it fell easily on the rest of her body. The women helped to secure the fastens at her neck, pulled the sides of her hair away from her face with the use of gold and emerald barrettes. They pulled her quickly away from a mirror and began patting her face to an inch of its life with powder, beginning on her makeup. The feeling was unusual, she'd never really had someone else do this for her. Even on the day she was to marry, she had done all this herself with some direction of Nabiki.
She was quickly turned around and pushed to the mirror of her room while the ladies left her to her thoughts.
The woman in the mirror wasn't her. Looked kind of like her, but just not familiar. It wasn't bad, it just felt slightly surreal. Her skin was pale like Shampoo's had been, her hair fuller than she'd ever seen, her cheeks a soft pink which her lips copied. The emerald of her dress was deeply pronounced against her skin. She leaned in and saw that they had managed to even cover most of the cut across her nose. She touched her face and realized this was probably the most beautiful she'd ever been.
And he's not even here to see it.
She pulled back and stood in the mirror, breathing out and settling at the reflection. She stared and for even a moment she could see him, standing there in his own dressed up garb, proudly next to her. A hand on her hip perhaps, or more old-fashioned standing beside her, stoic and proud.
Like she had imagined their wedding photos to be but never were.
She shook her head, she hadn't focused on thinking of him for the last day, adding to a guilty feeling that pervaded her body. Was he alright? Was he hurt? Alone? Married?
Her eyes and thoughts threatened to ruin her lacquered lashes, she stared at her center in the mirror. Placing a hand over her stomach, she clenched and closed her eyes. Her thoughts went to his lips, full and warm and everything she wanted them to be. His eyes locked on her, focused like she'd seen a hundred times on an enemy but that time was different, his conquest wasn't a victory over her, he wanted something else. His bright smile and needy sounds, a way no one had likely heard, that even now caused a ripple inside her. As she stood looking at herself, she felt unbearably female and wanted, thinking of the deep green bra she had been in when he pulled her sweater from her in their passionate meeting in the closet. Her breath quivered a moment before she snapped back to reality with Ukyou entering her room.
Her dark hair curled around her body, thick beautiful locks that draped over her, dressed in a royal blue dress of her own. Her face was bright, gorgeous and the large smile on her face only added to it.
"Akane! Can you believe these get ups?" She exclaimed and looked down. "Lookin' good hun!" Akane gave her a big smile in return, pushing away all thoughts she held prior.
"You look great Ukyou!" Ukyou twirled for a moment and winked.
"Don't I know it? Think it's time for us to make our grand entrance, come on downstairs!" Akane nodded and took the other girl's arm, in the back of her mind accepting this may be one of the last good memories they may have for some time.
Entering the dojo, it seemed so much more extravagant than the parties they had held in her family's own. It was large, made up of several rooms outside just the training center. There were people mingling and prepping as they got in, helping themselves to food. Traditional music played by a live orchestral band echoed throughout the wooden building. It seemed so much more a reception hall than a place where the arts were practiced.
They entered and received a warm response from the current attendees, Shampoo especially was showered with compliments. She smiled and took the words politely, expressing her gratitude. Ukyou and Akane hung back and waited for the rest of their party to arrive, standing together in shared awkwardness of being out of towners. It was at least warm in the dojo, having had their coats removed upon arrival.
It didn't take long for the young men to arrive, dressed in traditional pantsuits. Mousse was dressed in a dazzling white and silver attire, Ryoga in a warm burnt orange hue. This time with bandana to match. He walked up to Akane who smiled and remarked on his returning hair accessory which he laughed off, running his fingers through his heavy bangs, only making her laugh more. As they spoke her eyes caught the figures of Shampoo's other cousins entering the hall to the excitement of those around them.
In the back of the entering family, she caught Curl entering, draped in silky, inky black hanfu that carried a deep elegance about him. The dark colors against his skin and hair emphasized their brightness more and she heard the light gasps and swoons of girls from within the dojo. He entered and there was a reverence given to him that she had never experienced. He was bowed to and praised, respected more than she had ever seen in her life. She wondered if her father had ever experienced a miniscule of what he was experiencing. He turned to Akane and her party as they showed the same respect.
"Thank you all for coming tonight, this is a celebration of not only Shampoo, but you all as well. We have been so fortunate to have you come to our village on your trip, and it has been with the deepest pleasure that we have gotten to know you." He spoke to them all and ended his sentence on Akane. "I hope this is the start of a wonderful relationship between our two schools."
She smiled, with a light confusion in the tilt of her head. A talk of a relationship between schools? She followed everyone in a thankful return of respect and carried through the hall as they made their way towards a table for dinner.
As they sat down in a group amongst dozens, they watched the parading dishes coming in. Perhaps hungrier than they all had ever known themselves to be, they watched as people marched dumplings, elegant noodle dishes, and to the deep chagrin and nausea to Mousse, a few platters of duck. In solidarity with their friend, they passed on the lacquered fowl.
Talks and laughs over food and drinks had brought a dreamy sense of comfort over them all. For those moments in the dojo hall, against the talking of the town around them, the light tingles of the traditional music of the village, the teens seemed to forget the reason they were here in the first place. And while taking a moment looking out to all around them, they couldn't help but feel a collective absence of a particular person. But soon someone from the village was cheering them and they joined in with the celebration if a bit on the guilty side.
The band that was there began to pick up their tempo and soon many of the younger villagers dragged their significant other out into the dojo and demanded their attention as they danced. Mousse briefly looked over at Shampoo who had seemed to grow closer to the other girls overnight. He considered asking her to dance with him but shook the thought away. What would he do if she said no and especially now that they were home? He took another drink of the mijiu and looked to Ryoga who seemed to be battling the same ideas, however the other cursed young man had a terrible poker face when it came to showing when he was deep in thought.
"You're thinking of asking Akane to dance with you?" Ryoga bolted in his seat, quickly going red and taking a drink.
"I was just thinking of how bad of shape we're going to be in if we're expecting to leave town in the morning." Mousse rolls his eyes and looks to see the girls have left to dance together, albeit awkwardly to the music they aren't as familiar with, laughing and acting as though they have been friends for as long as they've known each other. His beautiful Shampoo, finally letting her guard down and allowing others in. She's always had a guard up, something impenetrable, not only for him but for friends. He remembers seeing how lonely she looked when they were children, a sadness he had wanted to kiss away for years.
He stood up and found his courage as he watched Shampoo show the ladies how to dance without partners to the light flowing music. Like learning the steps of a graceful kata, they followed along as they watched a figure stand behind her.
Her eyes watched theirs as she turned around and saw her long-time acquaintance.
"Mousse? What you need?"
"I wanted a dance with you Shampoo, to celebrate our return home." He wussed out at the end, taking the easier option as to why he was asking. She eyed him for a moment, her lips slightly pursed as the other girls continued to dance lightly, as if trying to not be as obvious to their eavesdropping. She considered a moment, his straight back and strong resolve.
"Okay Mousse, you get one dance with Shampoo. Better make good."
His heart could've leapt out of his chest and exploded all around them in that moment, but instead he gently held his hand and arm out for her, which she took delicately as was expected of her role.
Ukyou and Akane looked on, surprised but happy for Mousse, it was clear his feelings for her, and they knew this was a moment he was likely not soon to forget.
They smile at one another and decide to head back to the others, but before they can exit the crowd a figure steps in front of Akane stopping her suddenly.
"Oh, Curl!" She lets out cheerfully, his face is calm and kind, but he makes no attempt to move out of her way. Ukyou takes a step back to look at the scene in front of her.
"Akane Tendou, would you be kind enough to share a dance with me?" She's taken back a moment and stammers a bit, her cheeks lighting up a light pink.
"I'm sure she would love to! Right, Akane?" Ukyou pushes into her, like a longtime friend pushing their friend into trying something new and frightening. He holds his hand out and waits patiently. She lifts her hand and with some hesitance puts it in his.
He guides her among the others dancing around them, young lovers and longtime partners embraced in a soft, serene scene. Able to leave the cold night to find warmth in the presence of the one they adore. He leads like the sensei he's going to be, no force, only graceful and light but with a quiet strength not lost on a partner. She becomes more aware of her own femineity compared to his size and frame. His wavy hair falls slightly over his bright hazel eyes. His suit gives off a feeling of maturity not found in the guys she spends so much time with. He lightly presses her nearer to him but doesn't hold her harshly.
She feels like she can't breathe the entire time, the music and food and drinks have her head swimming more than they should. It feels.
Wrong.
But not.
Entirely.
Different. Foreign.
A different sensation. It feels like when she was younger. With Tofu.
But Tofu never danced with her.
She makes eye contact with him for a moment before she smiles small and looks away, feeling nervous and demure. He gives a reassuring smile and continues to lead her in a dance she doesn't know but can somehow follow.
From across the way, Shampoo sees what is happening and the cogs in her mind immediately begin to turn. She thinks of before they left Nerima, the deal she made with Ryoga to ensure that she would have the rightful claim to Ranma when they got him back. That she would help that pigheaded man get the violent girl he so sought after.
But this was a new chance, serendipitous and could play in fact even better for her. If Curl wanted Akane, there was no chance she would be able to say no to him, not in the village. All he had to do was challenge her and beat her and that would be that. She would stay back in the village, become the wife of a master just as she was already anticipating back in Japan and more importantly would be out of the running for Ranma permanently.
And Curl was an honorable man, highly desired by the single women of their village. Kind and strong, a girl would be so lucky to make him her husband.
She'd really be doing her a favor, a better husband than Ryoga that's for sure. Uncursed, with an honorific title, could care for her and not be lost for weeks on end when she asked him to bring her home something.
Why, putting those two together may be the nicest thing Shampoo had ever done for Akane, maybe anyone.
She considered again as she was swung lightly by her dance partner.
She could even hedge her bets a little but slipping her a little something before they left. Something that would leave Akane stricken with such deep adoration that she would likely refuse to even join them on the rest of their travels. Something safe and unimposing.
Stop it.
A phrase came to her mind. Don't do that.
Shampoo looked at Mousse, his emerald eyes large and in full admiration. The look melted a bit of her icy demeanor and gave him a small, tight smile. She looked down and realized she couldn't do that to Akane, the Tendou girl and Ukyou had shown her more friendliness in the last few days than she could remember. They joked with her, weren't standoff-ish, listened to the stories she said and spoke with her respectfully, no venom in their words or faces.
To drug Akane, it would make her the villain, the one she concocted they thought of her as anyways. It wasn't the way she wanted to be. She wanted to be better than that. She would get Ranma of her own accord, there was no need to cheat. Not anymore.
She looked away and gave Mousse another smile and his knees buckled between them.
Curl's hand on Akane's back pressed further, his palm straightening her back. She breathed into the movement, somewhat taken aback by his movements but understood that he was simply trying to fix her posture as they moved around the crowd. She felt positively regal, lighter than air but the static feeling in the air around them weighed on her. As the next song moved into another, his face lost its boyish charms and the easy going smile once there had settled into a firm straight line, his lips full as he looked down on her face. She felt herself go red, thinking of those dramas her and her sisters would watch, the ones where the main actress would find herself in the arms of a gentle, handsome man who would take her out of her shell, would see the beauty deep inside her and make her feel like she was the only girl he'd ever look at again. They'd dance beneath painted, twinkling stars with splashes of magenta and violet in the night sky, the distant sound of the world far away from them both. They sigh and try to imagine what it must be like in that moment, that feeling. Was that what this felt like?
But then Ranma would walk into the room and make a stupid remark about the show and her fantasy shattered. He'd never be like that.
Never do this with her.
His name knocked her out of the state of her thoughts, and she pulled herself away slightly, realizing she had let herself get too comfortable in this scenario. A bitter, guilty taste coating her mouth and throat. She shook her head slightly.
"I'm so sorry, I uh. I need a moment if you don't mind?" His surprised look was even calm, and she walked away to the outside, not bothering with her coat. She needed the chilly weather. Needed to be cooled off immediately.
Needed the frigid cold.
She took some breaths, the emphasis of the cold visible as she wrapped her arms around herself. She listened to the excitement that was still inside. Too heavy.
She turned away from it all and settled to look at the sky, clear without the pollution of artificial stars. Here they were real, twinkling almost. The moon was bright and nearly full, a good sign? She wasn't sure. It felt like the whole purpose of being here was being lost on her with every hour they didn't travel. She understood that Shampoo and Mousse would want to see family, but it just made her ache for hers more. She had made the right decision, right?
But why does it have to be you?
Her sister's words echoed in her mind; those had hurt the most. It had to be her, she had to do this.
So why did it feel like she failed already?
"Are you alright, Akane?"
A soft voice catches her off-guard and she turned to face him.
"Oh Curl, I'm fine. Just a little dizzy. The last few days have just really taken a toll on me." She laughed it off, though not very strongly.
"Please here, have a seat. Take my coat, you are cold." He didn't wait for her to refuse and instead using his long limbs threw the coat around her shoulders and guided her to a small bench. She sat and adjusted it over herself, the overwhelming scent of him enveloping her space. He took a seat next to her and looked at her, then the sky.
"The stars are beautiful tonight; you are here at a good time." She smiled and nodded, looking up at them as well. "We have shared a moment like this already, haven't we?"
She tilts her head his way and looks confused. He smiles, a beautiful wide grin that gives her a flip in her stomach.
"Watching the stars together, do you not see them at home?"
"There's too many buildings at home, it's hard to make them out because of all the other lights around them so to see them so clearly. To see them so clear...it's special." She gives him a smile and he returns it softly. He moves closer into her space, and she freezes a bit, when he puts his arm behind her and points out to the sky.
"Do you know that constellation?" Her face darkens in embarrassment, and she shakes her head, he's a little amused and directs her eyes toward the sprinkling of stars.
"That is Niú Xiù, the ox. We consider them to be strong creatures, they carry many burdens but help those who cannot." She smiled uncomfortably, unsure if this had a deeper meaning or if he was attempting to compare her to a bovine. She moved past it in her mind, she wasn't trying to be rude or jump to conclusions when he was likely just pointing out constellations.
He placed his hand down and but kept his arm behind her back, settling his hand on his knee, his body straight and rigid. They sat in a shared, comfortable silence, engulfed in the moonlight that seemed to provide a spotlight on the two of them. A dreamy feeling.
"I do like to share these star gazing moments with you Akane. They provide me peace and calm, and I like to see your face illuminated in the lights above. They emphasize how beautiful of a woman you are."
She turned her head and met his eyes, her breath leaving her lungs. His silent intensity felt charged between them, his handsome face lit from outside and from within. Up close his handsome features were even more pronounced. She had to remind herself that looking at anything below his eyes was far too dangerous and could mean certain danger for them both.
"I'm happy I got to meet you too Curl."
A safe answer.
She felt his growing nearness and forced herself away.
"Boy it's really cold out here huh? You must be freezing."
"The cold does not bother me; I have been through worse."
"It seems like you have been through a lot. Being away from family must be hard." She dropped her shoulders. "I've only been away from my family for a few days, and I miss them dearly. I can't imagine leaving for years without having them around."
"You find your own independence, learn to rely on yourself. Create new family." He adjusted his form, leaning again her way but keeping a small distance. "But they will always be there, they will wait for you, no matter the distance, no matter the change. It is what you do when you love someone."
Her back went stiff, his arm moved to press itself closer to her back.
"I should go back inside, Ukyou and Shampoo will be worried about me." She gave him a half-smile, almost apologetic. He returned it just the same.
"I will join you Akane." She nodded and they got up together as he kept himself near to her.
In the dark of her room, washed and bathed, listening to the silence around her, she wrestled with her thoughts. The last few days had been a break in the stress and fear of what was to come, and she had even found herself enjoying her night with her companions.
The interactions with Curl though.
She shivered in the dark at the thoughts. His handsome face imprinted on her mind.
She stared at the ceiling above her, likely the last time she'd be inside sleeping for a while. She thought about their time tonight as they danced, as they looked at the stars together. She had dreamed of moments like these, craved them since she was a little girl, a boy who would make her feel special, call her beautiful, lead her in a dance and show her the way. She thought in a different world, a different time, she would've kissed him on that bench. And couldn't help but feel like, even in this timeline, perhaps she still would have.
But he still had her heart. For better or worse, it was his face that stopped those moments. His voice in her head that put a stop to it all.
But he wasn't hers and she wasn't his. Not anymore, even if it was just words. Just titles.
But they were gone and what were they to one another, she hadn't admitted anything and neither had he. They had barely said anything at all, it seemed like, were those kisses, was that moment just another form of one upping the other?
Akane, I-
She was desperately holding onto those what could have been words.
I love you.
I want you.
I don't know about this.
I can't do this.
There was freedom to explore what they were without the forced relationship on them and at the same time, there was also no expectation to do so at all, to let out pent up frustrations and call it a truce.
She wouldn't leave him to a vile fate as being lost to some girl in China seeking vengeance, never that.
But now that he wasn't hers, would it just be like after the failed wedding? She had tried rescuing him then as well and it hadn't amounted to much after. And the thought of going back to a life like that after this was too much to bear. Maybe it was best to start considering otherwise, maybe it was better to keep that shield around her heart.
She groaned and rubbed her face; it was all so confusing. The uncertainty of it all, had things changed in only so many days? Should she start to look elsewhere and let him lead the life he wanted, whatever that was.
She thought of Curl's journey to better himself and his art and thought how that certainly would be something Ranma would want, and would she have it in her to wait even longer for a maybe?
She forced her eyes closed, knowing she would need the sleep, even if it came in winks.
Tomorrow the real fight started.
AN: Apparently there was a coding issue that affected the file upload the first time so my apologies for a wall of unreadable nonsense previously. Should be fixed now.
