"So this is Pier 39, huh?" Ran-chan said. "Nice place." She looked around at the wooden structure, a cozy little shopping and entertainment plaza located at the eastern end of the Embarcadero. "Really nice place. Don't remember anything like this in Japan..."
"Yeah, it's great, isn't it? I remember when my dad used to take me to the carousel all the time," Libby said, nostalgia in her eyes. "We'd drive up for the weekend from where we lived, and just spend so much time here. I'd ride all the attractions and watch the magicians and street buskers, and he'd sit and watch me, with a smile on his face, as I ate entirely too much cotton candy. It was a real break from all my schooling and ninjitsu training. Ah, those were the days. Sometimes I really wish that he hadn't decided to move the family to Seattle when I was twelve..." She looked around and saw a cotton candy vendor. She dug in her pocket and realized that all her money was in her purse, in the car. "Well, I guess I'll have to go without," she sighed.
"Be right back." Ran-chan said. She went over to the vendor, had a small chat with him, and about a minute or so later, walked up with two cotton candies...all without pulling out her wallet once.
"How did you do that?" Libby was absolutely puzzled.
"Natural talent," was the Japanese girl's only reply.
A bead of perspiration formed on Libby's brow.
The pair walked into the Magic Duck. Mousse was dusting off a shelf. "Ran-chan! Welcome to my little store! Libby! Long time no see!" He went up and hugged both girls in turn. "So, Ran-chan, did you want a tour around this store, or di-"
"I trust you, Mousse. Whatever pay, hours, et cetra, you have set for a full-time employee, I'll take. Just remember that there'll be times when I'll need time off for an attempt at a newspaper career, and we've got a deal. Just tell me when you want me to start." She winked. "Now that the business part is done and out of the way, let's go to lunch; I'm starved." She looked at one corner of the store. "Do you, uh, we carry manga?" She wandered off towards the comics display.
"How did she know? You didn't tell her, did you?"
"Not at all; I figured you wanted to tell her."
"Then how did she-"
"'Natural talent,'" was the blonde's reply.
A bead of perspiration formed on Mousse's brow.
"Hello, you've called the World Famous California Cat Cafe. Gil speaking. Would you like a reservation, or be connected to our tak-"
"Ni Hao, Gil, it's me. Look, I have to take care of some business regarding-"
"Shampoo, it's not gonna work. I think you'd better come up with a plan that's a little better than going over to Pier 39 and putting on your little 'innocent China girl' routine. Around here, that's about as old as a British Hong Kong flag."
She laughed a little at that. "Well, then, what do you suggest?"
"Oh, offhand, I say a little champagne, soft music, a black negligee, the words 'I do.' I think you can figure it out."
"Maybe later. But I doubt you'd look good in one of my teddies," she teased. "But why I'm calling has nothing to do with Muu Tsu."
Why is it they only use their Chinese names when expressing their love for each other, or when they're in the middle of an argument? he wondered. "Well, if not that, what then?"
"I need you to cover for me. I told Libby and Ran-chan that I'd be working today. In actuality, I'm going to be in Chinatown at the Chinese-American Historical Center. Tyler's gonna be help me on a project that requires me to really do some research. If anybody calls, let them know I'm with the wholesaler. Or the wine dealer. Or with somebody. Anybody. Just cover my back."
"Okay, just what the hell are you up to this time, Shampoo?" Gil knew if she were present, she would've tried that Innocent-China-girl routine on him.
He could even hear it in her voice, despite the bad connection. "Who, me? Um...nothing, nothing at all. Just an idea I wanted to check on. Really."
Sure it's nothing. And I'm secretly the Emperor of China. "Well, if you say so..."
"If you want, I'll fill you in later. I'll even let you chew me out for last night. Which I'm surprised you haven't started on yet."
"That's Maria's job. I'm the practical joker, remember?"
"Unfortunately. My hair just barely recovered from your last one," she muttered. "Well, I'm here; gotta go. See ya."
Quickly, he said, "What if Mousse calls?"
The other end was silent. Had she already disconnected? Then, she spoke, her voice tinged with a hint of sadness. "Tell him...tell him the same as the others." She paused again, then added, "Also, tell him...tell him I, um, I...tell him 'Wo ai ni'." There was a click at the other end, a second of silence, and then the phone went back into ready mode.
"As long as I live, I'm never gonna understand those two. Why didn't she just say that she loves him?" he said to himself, as a bead of perspiration formed on his brow.
Shampoo pulled into the CAHC parking lot, then hopped off her bike, carrying her bag, and a few boxes from Jasmine's Chinese Take Out Pagoda. Oh God, I'm not going through that again, Shampoo thought, still flushed with anger from the ordeal. I knew I shoulda stopped at McDonald's or something. Good thing Ukyo wasn't there; she'd've died laughing on the spot!
Just after leaving the house, she took the time to stop at a gas station, and swap her Cali Cat uniform for what she was currently wearing: her new leather jacket, Grateful Dead "dancing bears" tie-dye sweatshirt, jeans, and boots. After that, she raced down to Chinatown. As soon as she pulled into Chinatown, she stopped at the first place; a new restaurant, no less. She parked the bike, and walked in, hoping no one would recognize her. She made an order-in English; she never learned the Szechwan dialect-then, unfortunately, was recognized by the owner-from her picture in the Examiner, she said.
Jasmine was a nice enough sort: she just moved here last year from Kowloon, and this was her opportunity to shine, she'd said. Shampoo chatted with her for a minute or two (the girl knew Cantonese, it turned out), wished her well, and told her to stop by the Cali Cat anytime. The other girl agreed to a "meeting of the minds," so to speak, and with her order in hand, Shampoo strolled out of the Pagoda.
Moral of the Story: Never Leave Your Bike Unattended. Apparently, all the other restaurant owners in the area recognized her bike, from last month's picture. So when she stepped out, she was accosted by the other owners, who, it seemed, had a bone of contention with her: "So, there's Ms.-Best-Chinese-Restraunteur. Whaddaya doing here? Slumming?...Probably sniffing out the competition...She comes from China, and doesn't have a dedicated Chinese restaurant. Talk about burning your bridges...She's not from China, I hear she's actually from Chinatown in Yokohama...She must be using the China bit as a cover story...Don't see how a stuck-up kid could be Number One for so many years...Maybe she's a spy for the PRC...Well I heard that she stole the Cat Cafe name from another chain of restaurants in Australia...Word on the street is that she's dating Jason Priestly...I heard..."
Shampoo took it all with good grace and style. She also suppressed an immediate urge to pound them all silly, but stopped because she had neither the time for a battle, temperament to deal with another media crisis, or particular desire to put up with multiple lawsuits. Good thing I have my own spin doctor and attorney at home, she smiled inwardly; Ran-chan and Libby would be an asset-as well as the great friends that they were-if something like that ever happened again. But that was not the embarrassing part.
No, that honor belonged to the mutt of one of the owners, who decided to use her bike's front tire as a urinal. The other owners laughed on how much taste the dog had as opposed to the bike's owner. Plus, when she kicked towards it in an attempt to shoo it away, it clamped onto her boot and refused to let go. Shampoo wasn't hurt, but the dog ruined her favorite pair of boots. She drove off, the bane of Chinatown; the dog, hero of the day, who let go of her foot as she gunned the engine and raced off.
Why the hell is that damn list so important anyway? she grumbled. The only ones who pay any kind of attention to that list are the local restaurant owners. I couldn't care less about it, and to be honest I'm getting kinda of tired of the guy from the Examiner coming by every month for a new photo. She thought about it more, than laughed and brushed it off. They just don't understand the meaning of it all. To be the best, you have to be your best, first. I once thought as they did; I became a total nut case in the process. It's been six years since I made the vow not to be better than anyone else, just be myself, and that would make me the best. And I've never looked back since; no apologies, no regrets.
Okay, maybe one. But that's my business, and no one else's.
With that, she walked into the center, and found Tyler and a girl-Did he have a date? Uh oh-waiting at the front counter. "Here you go, Tyler," she thrust her hands out and bowed her head in mock submission. "I hope you're happy. Look what you made me do."
"Oh, you'll get over the trauma, Shamps," he grinned, deftly taking the food out of her hands. "We have Archive Room Five set up for us; it's not the biggest, but it's the only one they'll allow food in." He glanced over his shoulder, adding, "Oh-I nearly forgot...Shan Fu Lao, this is my friend Veronica Carter. Ronnie, this is Shampoo." He then added, "Ronnie's an expert on Oriental legends and archeology. She's the best for the job."
Shampoo stared at the girl. Curly brown hair, glasses, kinda plain but a little makeup would do wonders. Then she looked straight into the other girl's eyes and saw a flash of anger. Oh, so I did interrupt their lunch date. That's why she's probably annoyed at me. She held out her hand. "Hi. Nice to meet ya. Sorry about ruining your lunch plans."
Ronnie glared right at Shampoo. Jeez, how old is she? She looks younger than me! So maybe I do have an advantage. Nonetheless, she reached out and shook the other girl's hand, and replied in flawless Canton Chinese, "It's a pleasure. Don't worry about lunch; I'm sure there'll be other times."
Shampoo was taken aback. "Y-you speak Chinese?" she shot back in her native tongue. A faint grin came to her face, as a thought came to mind: Smart too. I'll have to work on pairing these two together.
"I speak all the dialects. Growing up on a farm in Missouri, well, there's not much you can do. I wanted to do something different with my life, something that didn't involve milking cows," she joked. "Well, let's begin, shall we?"
"Hey, um, ladies, can we, um, swing back to a language I can understand?" Tyler asked.
"Oh! Sorry, I just don't get much practice," both girls said simultaneously, then looked at each other and laughed. Well, at least Shampoo did. Ronnie only went through the motions, surprised that she found something positive about the girl that she liked. Wow, she seems to be nice enough. Probably a Jekyll-and-Hyde personality, then.
With that, Shampoo went to the front counter and addressed the clerk. "I need all the information you can get on the following subjects: a village in China called Joketsuzoku, the history of a family in that village by the name of Lao, and an object called the Phoenix Eye."
The three were seated at Paulette's, a beautiful little French place across the street from the Bank of America building. The three together made an interesting sight: Mousse, in his white shirt, blue and tan design tie, tan pants, and brown loafers; Libby, wearing a simple soft green summer dress; and Ranko, with her ash gray Smashing Pumpkins T-shirt, 501 shorts, and black tennis shoes, sitting amongst the rich and powerful of San Francisco, being stared at as if those people who were the so-called powerful could see their battle auras-and thereby knowing what true power really meant. The trio, however, either didn't notice this or just outright ignored it; they were too busy wrapped up in chatting along as three friends are prone to do, and eating lunch, or in Ran-chan's case, practically swallowing it whole.
They were thoroughly engaged in this when something tapped at the back of Ran-chan's mind. Ran-chan could see that Libby and Mousse were distracted by the Seattle topic, so Ran-chan called out to that something-no, someone:
Who are you? she "spoke" in Japanese, in the odd event it turned out to be her brother.
I AM YOUR SALVATION AND YOUR DOOM, the voice replied...in English. To her mind, the voice didn't sound like her brother-or anyone human, for that matter. Supernatural, perhaps; she'd learned a long time ago that there was no such thing as impossible in this world-her own birth was a sign of that.
My doom? she replied in mocking tones. I'm a Saotome. We don't die that easily.
I AM SORRY, I FORGOT THAT YOU ARE RELATIVELY NEW TO ENGLISH. She thought she heard the voice chuckle. He (hey, it was as good an identifier as any, she thought) switched to Japanese. IS THIS BETTER? I UNDERSTAND THAT YOU USUALLY "COMMUNICATE" WITH YOUR BROTHER IN JAPANESE, AND I USED ENGLISH, PRIMARILY BECAUSE THERE MAY BE THINGS YOU MAY NOT WANT HIM TO KNOW AT THIS TIME.
That means that this guy can "speak" in the same manner as me and onichan, Ran-chan noted, then filed away in her mind for future reference. She switched back to English, answering, We can speak in whichever language you'd like. He and I speak the same ones: Japanese, Canton Chinese, and English. My guess is that you know those three, plus a few more.
There was that sense of a laugh again. VERY PERCEPTIVE OF YOU, CHILD. I ACTUALLY KNOW MORE THAN YOU CAN COUNT. BUT WE SHALL USE ENGLISH, BECAUSE I AM AMUSED BY ITS NUANCES. LIKE THE WORD "DOOM".
Yeah, she commented sarcastically. Death, destruction, a 3-D videogame...
"DOOM" DOES NOT ONLY MEAN THOSE THINGS. IN THE OLDER ENGLISH DIALECTS, IT IS ALSO INTERPRETED AS FATE, KISMET-
Karma, Wyrd, or Destiny. I'm aware of that too, she commented. Is that what you meant?
OF COURSE. I CANNOT HARM THOSE WHO I AM BOUND TO. The voice was silent for a second, then continued. OH, THERE IS ALSO ONE OTHER THING: YES, YOU ARE A SAOTOME. BUT YOU ARE ALSO A MYSTICAL CONSTRUCT FILLED WITH RAGE AND HATE. IT IS WITHIN YOUR HANDS TO CHANGE YOUR FATE, IF YOU CAN FIND ME.
Who are you?
CHILD, IF YOU DO NOT KNOW, THEN YOU ARE ALREADY LOST, AND THERE IS NOTHING I CAN DO. BUT MY KIND HAVE NOT LIVED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS WITHOUT BELIEVING IN THAT WHICH IS CALLED "HOPE". IF YOU WISH TO SAVE YOURSELF-AND THOSE YOU LOVE-THEN YOU HAD BEST FIND OUT WHO I AM. And then there was silence.
Wait! Don't go! she cried out. Tell me you you are! I need to know!
Ua...Nan da? Is that you, Ranko? Whoever it was, he was gone. Plus, her "screaming" had gotten her brother's attention. She remained silent, only sending a feeling of love his way. She could feel his love returned, "hear" his heartbeat. In the distance she could hear another heartbeat-Akane.
Smooth move, you idiot, she chided herself. It's 4:30 in the morning in Japan, and you had to wake him up! She simply said, Gomen ne. Sleep well. I love you, Ranma.
I love you too, sis. He drifted back to sleep.
In her mind's eye, Ran-chan shed a tear of joy.
Apparently not only in her mind's eye, either. She snapped to with Libby waving her hand in front of Ran-chan's face, and asking, "Hey, you okay? Why are you crying?" Mousse had a look on his face that told her he had an idea why.
She decided not to tell the whole story. "Yeah, Mousse, you're right; I was 'talking' to him." She wiped away the tears. "I didn't think I'd miss them all as much as I do."
"Why not?" Mousse asked. "You two have always been close-possibly even closer than he and Akane or you two and Shiva. Of course you'll miss your family. It's not easy just to pack up and go. Take it from me-I haven't seen my parents or brothers in years, but that doesn't mean I don't miss them. I call them occasionally, although," he grinned, "I don't have the 'direct connection' that you do."
"Wha? 'Talking to him?' Him who? 'Direct connection?' Did I just walk into the Twilight Zone?" Libby asked, completely confused.
Seeing the redhead's unsure expression, Mousse took charge. "Let me explain. Ranko and her brother Ranma have a psychic link to each other. They can feel other's emotions, read other's thoughts, even communicate telepathically."
Libby turned to Ran-chan. "Your ki powers are actually psychic powers? that's amazing! I've never heard of that before!"
"Actually, it's an aftereffect of the curse." Looking at Ran-chan's slightly miffed expression, he realized he said a little too much. He said nothing more and tried to hide behind his lunch, not wanting to be the recipient of one of her ki blasts.
"Curse?"
"Um, don't worry about it, Libby. It would take too long to explain." She waved her hand, trying to play it off. "Remind me again some other day, and I'll tell you then. Besides, don't we have other matters at hand?" She looked at Mousse, who was busily hiding from her.
Caught like a rat in a trap. "Um...what other business?" he gulped.
Libby rolled her eyes in that I-don't-believe-he-didn't-get-that way, then explained. "Mousse, you're talking to two women who have an obsessive-compulsive need to meddle in other peoples' affairs. Do you really have to ask?"
The clerk looked back at her. "I'm terribly sorry, miss, but we are not able to access that kind of information. We are the Chinese-American Historical Center. We only have information that goes back to the arrival of Chinese immigrants here in California. Data on the Chinese empire, the Peoples' Republic, or Taiwan is unavailable here.
Everybody looked stupefied. Shampoo looked down, then back to the clerk. "Is there any way I can get that data? I really need it!"
"I'm sorry. There's nothing that we can do."
"Look, there may be somebody's life on the line if we don't get that information." You're playing a real stupid bluff, Shampoo, she told herself. The Phoenix Eye may have nothing to do with Ranko's problems. She's a magical manifestation of Ranma-chan; the spell, juju, mojo, or voodoo, or whatever may be going bad. It may even be that she'll disappear, just like all the previous clones. "There..." She didn't know what to say. No, damn you, don't give up! If this is Ranko's problem, then what happened to you? Besides, you're the reason she's alive. More importantly, she's your best friend. You owe her. You owe Ranma. Furthermore, if this is what you think this is, this whole mess-Ran-chan's insane behavior, Natsumi's injuries, your stunt last night-it's all your fault.
She was silent for a moment, then emotionally blurted out, "I need that info! There has to be a way!"
Before the clerk could give another negative response, he was interrupted. "Oh, yes there is." Ronnie went up to the clerk, speaking Cantonese. "Don't play stupid with me. I know you guys have a Fortuna terminal back there. I've used it. I know Dr. Chen-remember him? The founder of this Center?-he teaches my Chinese Literature course. He's given me the password, and carte blanche use. Now, either you let me back there, or I can call him, and we can have all hell and chaos. Also, you'd be pissing me off. I'm not very nice when I'm pissed off." She grabbed the clerk's shirt, and pulled him to face her. "Let us in, or...I...will..not...be...happy." She set him back again and dropped him gently.
To Shampoo's eyes, she could see the beginning flicker of an orange glow around her. She's a fighter? Shampoo noted, I had no idea. Wonder what her style is.
Ronnie turned to her. "Is there really a life on the line? If not, then we're doing something incredibly stupid."
"Possibly my best friend's, maybe even my own. I gave her a gift for her birthday eight years ago, and I now have reason to believe that that object may be cursed, and that it's driving her slowly insane. I don't know how to explain that, except that all my leads point to it."
"Ran-chan?" Tyler asked. "She seems so stable!"
"As long as I've known her, she has been. But over the last few years or so, everybody back home says she's been acting strangely; in fact, the reason she moved here is to start anew. I thought it might be just her, but it affected me too, most likely because I was the previous owner of the Phoenix Eye."
"The Phoenix Eye?"
"Ran-chan's ruby pendant. It's actually some kind of magic talisman, but I'll tell you the whole story later." She then looked at Ronnie. "We need that information. You're my best chance of getting it. Please."
"I understand." She's not doing this for herself, Ronnie realized. Maybe I was wrong about her. Perhaps in a different situation, I could've called her a friend. I still intend to take Mousse from her, though; she can't possibly give him the love that I can. "Okay. We can do this." She turned to the clerk. "Lead the way. Now." The clerk, in no mood for a confrontation, complied.
As the trio walked towards the Fortuna room, she thought about something. "Oh, before I forget: thanks for lunch. And sorry about the holes in your roof."
"Uh, holes in my roof?"
"You'll see." Ronnie smiled like the cat who ate the canary.
"Look you two, I know you mean well, but I have come to a conclusion. I'm 27. I've known Shampoo all my life. And the truth is, I realize I'll never be more than a friend to her. I love her very much, ever since the day I first saw her. But it's not the same for her." The words flowed from his mouth torturously, as if he was saying the hardest words of his life. Which he was. "I have wasted years of my life chasing her. I can't do that anymore."
"Mousse," Ran-chan whispered. Libby couldn't even speak. This couldn't be happening.
"I'm giving up." He sat there for a second, which seemed to span eternity. "I'm getting too old for this kind of thing. Oh, I have no doubt she loves me. But she doesn't love me. When we were children, all I was to her was a friend her age. During out early teenage years, she hated, despised me. Then she met Ranma. Even now, after a decade of failure on her part to capture his heart, eight years after he told her that he could never love her like he loved Akane, six years after he married Akane, she still pines for him. All I seem to be is nothing more than a physical vent for her romantic frustrations." He looked at her, then Libby, his brown eyes matching the intensity of their blue and green ones. "Don't deny it. I know she has a picture of him by her bedside, still."
Yeah, she does...along with Ranko and two others in that picture. Christ, Mousse, are you that intent on losing the woman you've told me you loved for your entire life? Libby told him, "Look, I don't know much about your past in Japan, or that in China. I do know that you two have been inseparable since you've lived here. You don't realize how much she does love you, Mousse, really loves you. Let me ask you this:
"When she first got here, she was nervous as hell...a wallflower. She couldn't speak English worth a damn. Who was the first person she always turned to? I was her friend, but we really couldn't communicate. She was intimidated by Gil cause of his size; she hadn't met Maria or Tyler yet. Who forced her to go the extra mile in those ESL classes? Who was primarily responsible for getting that voice coach? You were.
"When that mix-up in your green card nearly resulted in you being deported, who fought the State Department tooth and nail? Wasn't me; I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a lawyer back then. Who threatened to burn the city to the ground if you weren't left the hell alone? Who marched right into the INS offices, kidnapped the local officer in charge, and forced him to give you two your citizenship tests? Who pushed for a formal apology from the Government? She did.
"When her great-grandmother died, and she cried for days and days, who took care of her? When she was depressed for weeks and weeks, who ran around for her? Who ran himself into exhaustion making sure that she was happy? Who pulled out all the stops and every connection he had to get her back to the PRC for the funeral? It wasn't me; I still lived in my college dorm, and she still had that little apartment on Lombard. You were.
"Who has taken the time out for you, no matter how busy her schedule is? Who's brought you lunch when you're too busy to leave the store? Who's been there every time your family comes to visit? When you were down with pneumonia, who nearly caught it herself while nursing you back to health? Who's the only one who never forgets your birthday? Who's the only one who really likes those ugly Coke-bottle-lens glasses of yours? When your pet died-and for the life of me, I have no idea why you had a duck named Muu-muu-chan as a pet-who stayed at your side for that week, then bought you Abracadabra-another duck, no less? Who's the only girl you know willing to go to football games with you even though she hates them? She is.
"It's obvious. You two are destined for each other. Nothing, not Ran-chan's brother, not this argument, nothing will stop the fact that you really love each other." Libby stared Mousse down, with her best dare-to-tell-me-I'm-wrong look.
Before he could say anything, Ranko took his hand in hers. "Mousse, how does the old maxim go? 'The heart always speaks what the mouth does not.' Yes, she still loves my brother. Very much. She tries not to admit it, but I see it in her eyes, in the way she says his name, in her reaction to anything about him. I would never deny that. But she also has you in her heart. Just as much, if not more. Ranma is nothing more than a very dear friend to her now, a fond memory.
"What I'm about to tell you is something my brother told me and Akane the day after you both left. You repeat this and I will hurt you, provided he doesn't hurt me first for telling. Remember, this is in the strictest confidence.
"Four days after we got back from Vietnam, the day after he finally proposed to Akane, he and Shampoo went out on a no-holds-barred date-you were still in the hospital. It was the last time he'd go out with her, and Akane suggested it to break her off gently; in fact, she'd told him in no uncertain terms that she knew where his heart was-just make Shampoo happy that one night. I believe Akane's exact words were, 'Ranma, for one night, I don't have a claim on you. For one night, Shampoo is your girl. Go make her happy.'
"Things were going smoothly on their date, until it was time to say good-bye. He kissed her good-bye, but she-she, mind you, not he-backed off. He asked her why, isn't this what she wanted? She said yes, but...and didn't finish her sentence. He asked if she was afraid of Akane retaliating, then he explained that Akane 'let him go' just for this one night. She said no, not only was that unfair to Akane, but more importantly...and then she mumbled something. He asked her to repeat it. She said, 'Shampoo sleeping with Ranma not fair to Mousse.' Then she hugged him goodnight, and that was the end of that.
"Think about this: from that day on, she pursued him still, but not with the same intensity. That was also the day she began her plans to leave. She pursued Ranma because he was her first love, but her friendship with Akane dampened it, and the fact that she'd already made plans slowed it even more.
"Those plans included-have always included-you. You have been by her side all her life, just like Cologne said, six years past. She knew you would come after her-she wanted you to come here. She needed you to come here. There was-has never been-no other choice for her in life.
"'You never forget your first love.' Cologne knew that from the very start, even through the years you were tossed aside in favor of Ranma. You were born Muu Tsu Jiang, but everybody calls you Mousse. Why is that? It's because any member of the Lao clan must have their true name hidden by tribal law. You have been called Mousse since you were a kid. Why? Because it was plainly obvious since birth that you would end up a member of that clan, no need for an arranged marriage or anything. You and Shampoo hit it off since birth.
"She loves you. You love her. She gave up Ranma, her home, her life, for you. You have nearly been killed twice trying to defend her-once at Tomba's island, and in Vietnam. Even in our days in Nerima, the so-called days that she despised you, how many times did she open her heart to you? Not Ranma-you. You were younger, and a lot less experienced then. You couldn't have seen it, as you were too busy engaged in macho strutting or fighting with my brother for her hand. But try to remember this nugget of truth: that one fight in the park, the one that Akane told him to lose on purpose-the one he didn't because you two agreed to make it a fair fight after all-who stopped the fight? Who was moved to tears because of your determination to win? Who nursed your injuries? I'll give ya three guesses, and the first two don't count.
"Mousse, my friend, you haven't even noticed the primary reason why she hasn't married you yet. That reason is, is that she doesn't know how to show that the love she had for you as a friend has become the love she has for you as a boyfriend.
"'Boyfriend.' She called you that the day I moved here. She's not afraid to show how much she loves you. She is afraid that she doesn't know how to. And unfortunately, she's hidden herself behind the status quo. It took Ranma and Akane four years to get past that status quo. It has taken both of you over a quarter of a century.
"She is finally coming around to realizing that she need only be herself to be with you. Don't you give up now. You do, and it'll be something you'll regret for the rest of your life." She smiled briefly, then her eyes flashed with anger as she said sweetly, "Plus, if she is hurt because of your stupidity, I will make it a life goal to see that you regret your error." Mousse's face blanched, and she flashed him another smile to let him know she was joking. Partially.
Libby spoke again. "Mousse, I want you to march right over to the phone booth and call her. She's at work this morning, and probably a hurting unit, too. This may sound strange, but I think that punch hurt her worse than it hurt you. From what Ran-chan told me last night, she was up all night waiting for your call." The redhead nodded. "All night, Mousse. I'm actually surprised that she went to work this morning; apparently Gil or Maria told her not to come in this morning. But my guess is that she had to take her mind off her sadness." She rolled her eyes towards the direction of the phones. "Go call, now. Don't worry about us, we'll still be here when you get back."
With that, he calmly got up, and then leapt over tables, in his mad, gleeful dash to the phone booths, knocking over people and dishes alike.
"Think he's just a bit happy?" Libby asked.
Ran-chan put her fingers together in a squeezing motion, declaring, "Just a tiny bit." The pair shook hands. "Daijobu job, partner," she added.
"Thanks," Libby grinned. "Now, tell me which part you were BS-ing about."
"Gee, you could tell?" Ran-chan laughed.
"By the impish look in your eyes, of course. Let me guess: it was about all that Chinese tribal law stuff, right?"
"No, actually, that's all true-I got that stuff from Shampoo or Cologne at one time or another. I was actually BS-ing about the date."
"Akane didn't 'let' your brother go for that one night, then? He did it on his own?"
"No, actually, there was no date-Akane wouldn't let him out of her room for a week after he proposed." Ran-chan blushed, then smiled wickedly. "There are times when having a psychic link to your brother has its disadvantages. I didn't get a bit of sleep that week-I was too busy trying to shut all the moaning out of my head."
"Good afternoon! You've called the World Famous California Cat Cafe. Dana speaking. Would you like a reservation, or be connected to our tak-"
"Hiya, Dana. It's me, Mousse. Is Shampoo there?"
"Hold on. I'll see." The girl at the front already knew to give the phone to the shift manager. She put the phone on hold, then called the intercom connection to the back office. "Gil, I have Mousse on line one."
"I'll take it from here. Thanks." He pressed the button on the phone, then spoke. "What's up Mousse? How're you feeling today?"
"Hey, Gil. A bit better, thanks. Is Shampoo there?"
Well, he sounds okay enough, even called her "Shampoo." At least one of them is acting rationally. "Sorry, she's playing racquetball with the President. Something about discussing 'Strategic Talks with the PRC,' or something along those lines."
"Ha, ha, Gil. Seriously, she's probably at the wholesaler's, right?"
"Actually, she's in the company building talking to Ghirardelli's Employee Affairs department. They want the Cali Cat to cater for their company picnic, and so..." Fortunately, the EA department did call about that; he'd have to call her later to let her know. "Also, I wouldn't call her. Her bag is down here, and that's where she keeps her cel phone, right?"
"Can you let her know I called?"
"Do you really have to ask, Mousse? 'Course I will."
"Well, I gotta go; I'm having lunch with Libby and Ran-chan and don't want to keep them waiting forever."
"Libby's back? Tell her I said 'Hi.' Also, have Ran-chan give me a call, would ya? I wanted to ask her something."
"Sure thing. I'll catch you later."
"Oh-before I forget, Shampoo told me to tell you something, but it was in Chinese. Sounded like 'Woah Eye Knee' or sorta... Did I get that right?"
"'Wo ai ni?' YEEEESSSS!" He heard Mousse shout for joy. "Thanks, man! Gotta go! Hasta!" With no further delay, he hung up.
Gil had a broad smile on his face as he put the phone down, happy for his friend. Must've been something good. Thinking about it for a second, he then wrote down on his "Things To Do" notepad, -BUY CHINESE-ENGLISH DICTIONARY.
The Fortuna terminal room actually contained three systems: one terminal linked into the Contextus database, arguably the world's foremost information subscriber service; one terminal linked into Fortuna, a Chinese/English system similar to Contextus, and thus more frequently used than the Contextus system; and an Internet-capable Macintosh. The three sat down, ready to begin their assault on the information that they would require.
The keywords were punched in:
KEYWORD: CHINA: PEOPLE: MAYORS: JOKETSUZOKU: LAO K'O LON aka K'O LON LAO aka COLOGNE
KEYWORD: CHINA: HISTORY: FAMILY TREE: JOKETSUZOKU: LAO
KEYWORD: CHINA: REGIONS: QINGHAI: QUANJING PROVINCE: JOKETSUZOKU VILLAGE aka VILLAGE OF THE CHINESE AMAZONS aka JUKUSETSO
KEYWORD: CHINA: LEGENDS: TALISMANS: PHOENIX EYE PENDANT
"I thought that the name of the village was 'Joketsuzoku', not "Jukusetso'," Ronnie asked.
"The Government changed it from Jukusetso-the original name-to Joketsuzoku when the People's Republic came into power. The elders in the village have always referred to it by the original name, or sometimes call it 'Niicheju'. Apparently the name sounds a little too Japanese for their tastes, even though it's not."
The headsets for verbal entry were placed on by the two on the database stations:
"Confirm English," Tyler said into the headset's mike.
VOICE INPUT CONFIRMED.
"Confirm Cantonese," Ronnie commented into her microphone..
CANTONESE INPUT CONFIRMED, it typed in Chinese kanji.
"Confirm Szechwan," she added.
SZECHWAN INPUT CONFIRMED.
"Confirm Mandarin," she said, completing her repertoire.
MANDARIN INPUT CONFIRMED.
Shampoo sat at her terminal, the Internet Mac. Because Tyler was a whiz at Contextus, he dived onto that one. Ronnie's knowledge of the three primary Chinese dialects gave her command of the Fortuna system. That left Shampoo with the Mac, a computer not even remotely like the Pentium 133 she had at home. "Computer's a computer I guess..." She put on her headphones-these connected to her portable CD player, since she processed info faster with a distraction like music, popped her favorite techno disc into the player and let loose, her fingers flying over the keys at breathtaking speeds.
The hunt had begun.
"Look, guys, I really can't begin to thank you enough for this," Mousse said as he peered at a ridiculously expensive engagement ring set. "Giving advice on my love life is one thing. But this..."
"Mousse, let me ask you this," Ran-chan commented. "You've asked her to marry you how many times?"
"All the time when we were kids. Off and on when we all lived in Japan. Since she and I moved here, twice before Cologne died but not since. I figured at that point she'd start dropping hints when she was ready."
"Good; you're learning. But let me point this out to you: all that time and you didn't have a set ready?"
"Didn't think I'd need it until it was time."
"Man, you are dense! I can't believe you, sometimes!"
The trio, after lunch, had decided to move on to the mall to do some shopping for Shampoo, at the girls' suggestions and Mousse's discretion-not to mention funds. Turned out that although he dreamed about being married to Shampoo all the time, he hadn't actually put any thought into the process. Like an engagement ring, for example.
That was rectified by their presence at the Golden Gate Mall. Libby had pointed out a jewelry store that she and Shampoo always went to. In doing so, Ranko discovered two things: that Libby was an absolute jewelry fanatic-evidenced by the gleam in her eyes and the drooling; and that she'd be of absolutely no use to them at the moment, as she was far too busy, attracted by the hypnotic siren's song of the jewels.
Fortunately, Ran-chan was more the earthy type, not prone to wear anything more than her ear studs, watch, and the Phoenix Eye; this meant that she was not going to suggest buying up half the store as Libby was attempting to do. Unfortunately, this meant that she was out of her league here; so she went by guidelines once passed onto her by the only person who she knew had a taste for this kind of stuff.
Which made it worse. Nabiki's taste in jewelry tended to be unnaturally expensive, sometimes...
"What do you think about this set?" Mousse asked, now looking at something a little more in his price range.
Libby took a quarter of a second to glance. "If you're gonna get that, then I suggest that you fly down to Mexico, buy a soda, take the pull ring, and give that to her. It'd be less of an embarrassment." She glanced down at an emerald broach, seated on a pillow in the display rack. "Hey, Ran-chan, what do you think of this?"
"You planning to weld it to some white armor?" she teased.
"Shut up, Ran-chan."
"Make me."
"I'm warning you..."
"Did you just say, 'I'm really Fuu'?"
"I'm not in the mood for this, Ranko!"
"Well, go back to designing your magic armor and leave us alone!" she snapped, arms at her sides, fists clenched. "If you're busy, that's fine; leave us be. If not, get your ass over here and give a hand! We have work to do." With that, she huffed, and turned back to Mousse.
"Do you always have to argue with somebody at any given time?" Mousse teased.
She winked at him. "You know me, the Wild Child. Ranma was always the placid of the two of us." She turned her attention to the set he had been looking at, not seeing him roll his eyes at her remark. "Libby does have a point, Mousse. That is pretty weak. You'd have gotten away with it, maybe, say, ten years ago. Not now."
"Well, then what do you suggest?"
"That other set you were looking at earlier."
"$5000 for the engagement ring, $3000 for the wedding bands, not including tax and all the other things!"
"Well, they are special. Says here that they're an exclusive, designed by Shiratori Fashions Ltd. of London."
"Couldn't we just call um-" he struggled to remember to pull the name from memory, "-Azusa in London, and have her whip up something?"
"She's a friend of Akane and Ryoga, not me. I couldn't impose." She didn't mention that Azusa hated her for what she had done to Kodachi and Mikado's marriage. "Besides, do you really want to explain why to Akane? She'll never let you hear the end of it."
"You have a point there. But the price..."
"Haven't you ever heard of a payment plan?"
He nodded his head slightly, looking at her just above the rims of his glasses. "I'm not going to win this, am I?"
"This isn't a fight, Mousse. This is your future." The two looked at each other intently, not taking their eyes off each other for what seemed like minutes.
The clerk snapped them out of it. "It is quite easy to see why you two are here, shopping for your tokens of true love." At that comment, the pair snapped out of it, Mousse turning and scratching his head, and Ran-chan also turning, blushing.
"No, I'm not the lucky girl," she explained. "My friend here asked for my help in choosing a set for his beloved. I was just staring him down, that's all."
"Such a shame," the clerk replied, artfully. "Such a beautiful woman as you, with such clearly exotic looks as you have, deserves only the finest in life." Ran-chan blushed again, entranced by his words.
Mousse looked at the nearly $10,000 set, then blinked. "I'll take it," he said.
"Mousse?" Ran-chan said. This was a quick move for him, and she wasn't expecting it. She gave the clerk her most beguiling smile, and a look that seemed to say, Distract the girl before she overloads the guy? You know your job. The clerk flashed a return smile back at her that confirmed her suspicions.
"Shampoo is my future. You're right when you say that I can't scrounge on it. It's gonna hurt me for a while-so much for those 49ers season tickets-but it'll be worth it."
"That's great!" Libby said, pausing from her trance long enough to come over and clap him on the back. "Now, if we can only get you to upgrade all her jewelry..."
"Shut up, Libby," both Mousse and Ran-chan said simultaneously.
From her location in the cafe across from the jeweler, Jade watched the redhead-the present owner of her talisman-chatting with two others, a casually dressed gentleman and an apparently businesslike blonde. They were mulling over something in the store, and it vaguely occurred to Jade that she'd seen the redheaded Japanese girl somewhere before. The blonde wandered off, doing her own thing, leaving the two lovebirds together, as they looked at what seemed to be wedding bands.
That's where she'd seen that girl before, Jade suddenly recalled. She recognized the girl now. She was Lao's roommate, an old friend that moved here with her from Japan. The guy must be her fiancée; the blonde, a mutual friend.
I'm going to have to look up the information on that girl. I want to know all about her before I make the move to take my rightful jewels, so I may dispose of these useless blue pieces, she thought, her hand brushing the one of the opals that once were the jade Heart of the Demon.
The opal flickered, and a small snap of static electricity stung her hand. I need to get rid of these nuisances and replace them for real power, she muttered. She looked at the trio again. While the blonde was apparently entranced by the jewels, the lovers were entranced with each other, staring deeply into one another's eyes, and remaining that way until the salesman got their attention.
As the redhead looked into her lover's eyes, Jade took the time to look into hers. From what she could see, she could tell that the girl was the determined type, but a wallflower in the end. She probably wouldn't consider selling what was most likely an heirloom, but would wilt like a hothouse flower if Jade threatened force. In fact, it would work doubly: she could get the gem, and strike a blow at Lao at the same time.
The only problem would be the blonde. From the way the guy moved, it was obvious that he was a klutz. The blonde, however, moved with a style and grace that denoted a master of the martial arts, perhaps a chi master like herself. But if everything worked out, Lao could feasibly be shattered at the news of the assault on her friends.
Jade made a note to have Kaguro, or one of his other people, get a photo of her. Then he could call his contacts in Japan and discover who she was. After all, it's best to cover all your sides before attacking. When it's a prize like ultimate power, she thought, smiling inwardly, there must be no mistakes.