Disclaimer: This is a work of fanfiction, I do not claim any rights to any of the characters or concepts created or owned by Viz Video or Rumiko Takahashi. This is just the work of one fan to the others. The only characters or concepts that I claim are the ones I created or introduced. That said, I bring you:
Broken Mirrors, chapter 49
Tuesday, March 8th. Enroute to the Saotome estate, 8:00 PM.
The back of the limo was quiet. Very quiet. Kodachi and Ukyo sat on one set of seats, while Akane and Ranko sat on the other. It was not an unusual arrangement, honestly. But the fact that Akane seemed hesitant to take Ranko's hand while she leveled a cold, piercing gaze at the other two was very unusual.
Of course, when you considered what had happened, it was perhaps a bit more understandable. Nabiki had stayed behind to smooth things over with Madam Konatsu. Between her talents and the Saotome's checkbook, she had been sure that she could make the issue go away.
Now, the bigger challenge would be what happened when they returned home. Akane had been understandably angry about what had happened, and that she had been left out of the loop for so long. Kodachi had started to open her mouth twice, but had shut it quickly at the look Akane had given her and the terse. "Not now." That had been all that she had said.
Kodachi knew that she should not be surprised that Ukyo had known. Ranma and her were clearly very close, and trusted each other completely. She should have told them, she should have trusted all of them from the start. Kodachi closed her eyes and squeezed her hands tight until she felt her nails biting into the flesh of her palms before a gentle, warm hand on hers pulled her from the pit of self-incrimination that she had sunk into. She looked with surprise at Ukyo who gave her a weak smile of support
When they arrived at the estate, Akane remained silent as she waved off Shiro and just carried Ranko with her into the mansion with the other two trailing behind with nervous looks on their faces. When they arrived at the study, Akane walked around the table and sat Ranko on one side of the couch, before she sat on the other. She gave a pointed look at the sofa across the small table, and made her intentions clear.
After the other two had sat down and endured the cold, guarded gaze of Akane for a bit she sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Okay. Explain exactly what happened, who you are…. And what you did with OUR Kodachi." Akane said as she fixed Kodachi with her gaze.
Akane pivoted her head slightly and looked at Ukyo with a hurt look. "And you need to explain how you knew, and what you knew. I trusted you to help keep them safe, Ukyo."
Kodachi took a breath and bowed deeply. "I told Ranma, and asked him not to tell anyone else. Please, do not blame either of them for honoring my request, Akane." Kodachi took a deep breath, and sat back up before she continued. "I didn't do anything with the Kodachi that lived in this world before me. I never asked what had happened to the alternative that lived here, and the person who allowed me to move here never offered it to me."
"What do you mean, the person who allowed you to move here? Are you going to start attacking people like that other demon did?" Akane asked as she gripped Ranko's hand tighter.
"The same magi that brought Ranko here brought me, as well. And… Those that come here from other places beyond the Mirror are not all like that cat, you know. Many are like Ranko, or… Like me. Everyone who moves beyond the Mirror has to abide by a few rules, no matter how powerful you are. One you have to either find a crack, make a crack, or be able to force your way through the boundaries between worlds. Alternatively, you can be carried through by someone strong enough, as Gosunkgi did with me Two, only one instance of any being can exist in any given world. It's possible to force yourself for some time to exist in a world that your alternative lives in, but it is not easy and it gets harder the longer you stay. Third, the rules that each world exists by can be radically different. You have to either conform to them, or be able to force them to bend to you." Kodachi bowed her head. "I… am not nearly strong enough to do anything but follow where I am led."
"That still doesn't answer my question, Kodachi. Are you a threat? Will you start attacking us?" Akane said as she watched Kodachi closely.
Kodachi looked at Akane with pained eyes. "I am not a threat, nor shall I ever be, Akane. I… sincerely wanted to be your friend, to get to know you all and just… live here."
"How much was a lie, Kodachi. How much of what you have told us should we believe? And why did you bother going through the farce of seeking me out for help?" Akane said with a glare.
Kodachi shrunk in on herself a bit, then looked down. "I have only lied when I have to. I… really want to be you all as my friends, and I am here to help. And… I want to get closer to Hikaru. And it wasn't a farce. Yes, it was a convenient way to get closer to you, but also I really do need your help. When I first came here, it was much easier to control my hunger."
"Your hunger? And what does that mean? And why seek counseling on sex addiction?" Akane asked as she leaned back and crossed her arms.
Kodachi shifted a little. "The world I come from… We have a severe imbalance of chi. Something siphons off the Yang chi, so we all… Hunger for it. We have learned , but… It's hard not to partake when we are given the chance. I don't want to just… become a slave to my hunger again. I don't want to mess things up like I always have before…" Kodachi said as hot tears flowed down her cheeks, then jerked when a very strong set of arms wrapped around her as Akane sighed and knelt down to comfort the succubus.
Akane fixed Kodachi with an intense gaze. "This does NOT mean that I have forgiven you, got it? Trust is important, and you have severely damaged my trust in you. From now on, I will expect complete, full honesty from you. Do you understand what I mean, Kodachi?"
Kodahi nodded and wiped at her eyes then smiled shyly. "Thank you, Akane. I won't make you regret this."
Akane nodded and stood up as she looked Kodahi over, then glanced at Ranko. "You are sure that she is the same person, right?"
"Absolutely, Akane. She has a very… Distinctive.. feel to her chi." Ranko confirmed and relaxed a little.
Akane nodded and looked at Uyo. "Now, your turn, How long did you know, and when did Ranma find out?" Akane hesitated for a moment, then sat down next to Ranko once again while Ukyo collected herself to answer.
"Ranma only told me on Saturday, while we prepared for him to leave and Ranko to arrive. He filled me in on everything that Kodachi had told him, and said that he had hoped that Koachi would have told the rest of us what he had learned from her. I'm sorry I didn't tell you two, but it wasn't my place to…" Ukyo said with a sigh.
Akane rubbed the bridge of her nose as she laced her fingers between Ranko's. "I can understand wanting to keep promises, but when it comes safety of our family, you have to know your priorities. I still don't know if I can completely trust you again right now, Kodachi. And don't think that you and Ranma are getting off scot free. I am… very upset right now." Akane said and closed her eyes for a moment. "I'd like to know why you waited for so long to tell us, Kodachi." She said and fixed Kodachi with an intense look.
Kodachi shrunk under the intense look and sighed. "I was worried that all of you would push me away and that I would not be able to be of use to you. There was also the fact that I had no interest in being vaporized." She said as she looked at Akane. "You commoners can be horribly violent, after all."
Akane stared at Kodachi for a long minute, then chuckled and rubbed the bridge of her nose. "Okay, that is fair… But if I ever find out you are keeping something this major from us again, I will be… upset."
"I will do my best to relay anything that I have not been expressly forbidden from saying by my benefactor." Kodachi said a bit guardedly.
Akane looked at Kodachi and sighed. "So, Natsume told you things that you can't talk about yet, then?"
"Yes, the Magi told me a few things that I must keep to myself for now. I am terribly sorry, Akane." Kodachi said and bowed deeply from the waist.
Akane sighed and smiled ruefully when Ranko gave her hand a supportive little squeeze. "Shiro will take you home, Kodahi." Akane paused for a moment. "And I will see you at our next session."
Kodachi perked up and nodded as she stood and bowed to Akane, Ranko and then Ukyo. "I shall take my leave, then. And, I am sorry about the problems that my brother and myself have brought for you."
"Kodachi? Next time, we want a full explanation about your brother. And… Should we expect him to appear again while you are not around?" Ranko said as she fixed Kodachi with a piercing gaze.
"He.. Should not be able to return for some time, even if Father intervenes again. And…. Yes, I will explain about my family when we next have a chance to talk." Kodachi said and bowed once again before she left the room to head for the front entrance where Shiro waited for her.
"Are you okay leaving it like this, Akane?" Ranko asked as she gave her fiancee's hand a gentle squeeze.
"It's probably for the best that I don't try and deal with more tonight. I know that I'm not in the best of moods right now, and the last thing I want to do is snap or something. I will text her later, and see if she wants to come over for our Thursday night sesion, and we can talk after that." Akane stood up, and swept Ranko into her arms before she looked at Ukyo. "And Ukyo? I will be having a talk with you and Ranma about this on Sunday, Monday at the latest. Okay?"
Ukyo nodded and sighed as she watched the other two exit the room, Ranko's arms looped around Akane's neck. Once they were out of the room she stood up and brushed her clothes off. "At least Akane didn't lose her temper. She would have been justified, as far as I am concerned." Ukyo sighed again and made her way to the room she shared with Ranma.
Why did it have to happen now, when they were less than two weeks away? Perhaps it was because everything else had been going so well? The few guests had already confirmed their attendance, and they had made arrangements with Shiro to fly the entire group out on the Saotome's private jet.
Gosunkgi and Nabiki would travel there ahead of the others, to make final arrangements and to make sure that the venue was as safe as possible. If things worked out, she imagined that Kodachi would find some excuse to tag along, somehow. If, of course, Akane didn't vaporize the eccentric woman first.
There were still so many variables and things that could go horribly wrong. Ukyo could understand why they were keeping it a surprise, she really could. But, times like this? Maybe the surprise factor was not worth the extra level of uncertainty that came with it.
Ukyo clutched Ranma's pillow to herself and pressed herself to it to bask in the scent that was so distinctly his. It was a comforting smell, a lingering presence that reminded her always that he was only a few days away.
Ukyo reached down and gently pressed her hand to her belly and smiled. There would come a time soon when she would carry with her a reminder of their love and commitment to each other. A lasting reminder of their love, and a new member of their family.
She didn't want to wait, but she would just wait a bit longer.
"Ranma" Ukyo sighed happily into the pillow before she let sleep carry her away.