15. RED THREAT
"ARIXTRA NOVEN BETIL KOGGEH OMMOTTOSY !"
Soraya's hands got encased in blue and she patiently waited, staring at Ranma's face first, then at the rays of the morning sun.
Her mind started wandering…
When I think about it… I always feel strange. I've been getting used to reverting energy levels between him and me, after all these days, but I still feel strange about that. He's a very powerful warrior, one of the most gifted martial artists around, and yet he's now reduced to being recharged like a common battery… like an object !
She felt her temperature gradually lower as the process continued.
And the only one who can help him is me. His female half. It's kinda ironic : he's being saved by… himself ! Or a part of himself ! What's even more weird is that we didn't get along at all at first, and if I had been asked to help him, back then, I probably would have downright refused !
She felt weaker now, her energy diminishing on and on.
But now… I have no problem with that, it's my duty… and although he can be still be an ass every now and then, he has improved and I respect him. I want to help him, and I will defend him, like yesterday evening, against those bad boys.
Her eyelids began to slowly lower.
Yeah, now I like him, and I know he likes me, even if he grumbles at me sometimes, even if he enjoys pushing my buttons every now and then, even if we may occasionally argue. We respect each other and have made peace. Life can be so surprising…
She smiled and her gaze left the sunrays to focus back on her hands.
As if that was a signal of some sort, the halos around her hands shifted from blue to orange and she could eventually remove her palms from his chest.
The Black Pigtail sat back up in one swift motion.
"Thanks, Soraya ! I feel much better now ! In top shape !" he exclaimed as he pulled down the Chinese outfit over his chest and abdomen. "But now you look somewhat tired…"
"Forget that…" she told him with a tired smile. "You know damn well that our energy levels will reverse soon enough, and that I'll be stronger and you weaker in no time. Damn, I can't wait to reach the Temple of Dawn and finally get the cure to that curse !"
"Yeah… same here !" he admitted while stretching copiously.
KNOCK KNOCK !
The door opened and Akane's head cautiously showed.
"You can come in, we're done." the redhead told her, and got up from the bed before tilting her head on one side then on the other, making her vertebrae crack, then intertwining and locking her fingers before stretching her arms in front of her, with her palms outside. A routine meant to vivify her body… but also, in the current moment, to keep it awake, as she felt tiredness loom over her, now that she had offered a good deal of energy to Ranma.
Ukyo and Ryoga also stepped in, after Akane.
"Thanks, Soraya !" the chef gently told her friend, giving her a thumb up.
"Just doing my job…" she replied with a slightly tired smile.
"You look pretty tired…" her boyfriend regretted.
"Right now, a bit, yeah, but not too much. Still, I wish we won't have to fight in the next two hours or so, coz I wouldn't be as good as usual then…"
She did feel a vague pain in her abdomen, somewhat diffuse, but attributed it to the energy reversal and the subsequent tiredness.
Meanwhile, Akane was taking a good look at her fiancé.
His face showed an ugly bruise and she knew he also had one or two on his abdomen.
"How do you feel, Ranma ?"
"Pretty good, thanks. What about you ?"
"I'm good if you are. What about your bruises ? Are they very painful, or less today ?"
"I'm good."
She touched one of his sore spots, making him wince.
"No, you're not good. Let me put some ointment on your bruises."
"Akane, I swear –"
"And me, I swear I'll get mad at you if you don't let me help, Ranma !"
This brought a smile to his lips.
She's just the same stubborn girl, deep inside… but that's how I love her. That's why I love her.
"Thanks, Akane !"
And as she opened her mouth to reply, his arms wrapped around her and drew her to his chest.
She blushed…
…then smiled and closed her eyes.
Yes, he definitely loved her. It had taken time for him to show, but now she realized it and that made her infinitely happy.
Ukyo's gaze softened… and then, she knew what had to be done straight away.
She turned to the other couple :
"SoRyo, let's go check our backpacks and make sure that everything's in place, that we haven't forgotten anything !"
"But we have already done that earlier…" pointed out Ryoga.
Catching the drift, Soraya nodded at Ucchan.
"Yup, but better safe than sorry, we should double-check. Come on, Love !" said the redhead and, grabbing the hand of her boyfriend, she dragged him out of the room, with Ranma and Akane chuckling as they saw that.
Ukyo winked at them (we'll give you privacy, you can go on…) then followed the others out and closed the door.
"Thanks for taking care of me, Akane…" he told her as he embraced her again.
"It's… it's normal to do that when you deeply love someone…" she replied.
He sighed contentedly, his eyes closing, and his hand gently caressed her hair, making her gently sigh happily as well.
She tightened her hug, eyes shutting too, and softly moaned at his gentle touch, marveling at the way the once coarse and aggressive boy had matured into a respectful and caring version of himself.
As for him, he was astounded at how nice and kind she had become, mo longer lashing out at him… something he wouldn't have thought possible after initially meeting her.
Yes, love worked miracles, and that was one of the most solid proofs : that sacred feeling could really change people… for the best !
The lovebirds enjoyed their sweet moment and wished that such times happened more frequently and lasted longer…
(…)
"How is your back, Ucchan ?" asked Soraya with a concerned stare.
"Still somewhat painful, but I'm okay, I guess. Thanks again for putting that ointment on the bruise this morning… and to Akane for doing the same yesterday evening !"
The latter, meeting the chef's grateful gaze, smiled brightly at her.
They had caught the train just in time, making sure they weren't followed on the way to the station, and that no one in the car they were in was dressed in black with raven hair masking their forehead.
"No spy around today ! I hope there's none in the neighbouring cars as well !" remarked Ranma, after giving a panoramic look.
"Perhaps they understood that they were no match and gave up… although I'm not so sure, personally !" replied Ryoga with an unconvinced pout.
"There was one who fled at the last moment, remember ? That one could be in the train, but in a different car, to avoid being spotted !" pertinently suggested Akane.
Soraya nodded.
"Yes, it could be so. But I've been thinking about the end of the battle, and… I found it strange that the last guy left without trying to fight on. I mean, Ryoga had been turned into…"
She nervously licked her lips, giving a quick uneasy glance at her beloved, who actually didn't appear upset and simply told her : "Hey, no biggie, I don't mind : go ahead."
Yet it's still with a slight hesitation that she continued :
"I… I mean… he couldn't fight anymore, and Ranma was panicked because of the cat. And Ukyo was disadvantaged coz of her wound. So the only ones still in condition to fight were Akane and me. Two girls. He could have tried to take us both, all the more since those guys seemed pretty determined. And yet, he left in a rush… Am I the only one who finds that reaction unexpected… and fishy ?"
She gazed at each of them, stopping on the most clever one.
Noticing the blue eyes locked with her blue eyes, the cook gave a brief nod.
"Yup, I've been wondering about that. Soraya was rushing at him shouting on top of her lungs, but I doubt it frightened him. Those guys seemed… well, not impressionable. It wasn't the kind of people who would get scared that easily, so I don't think it's Soraya's menacing attitude that made him turn away and run off. That's why I think there must have been another reason for his leaving the scene…"
"Getting some back-up ? You know, by fetching some other "friends", and come back all together to try to kick our asses ?" proposed Ranma.
The chef tilted her head, holding her chin as the tiny cogwheels of her brain turned on and on to deepen her thought.
"Could be… but he never came back with reinforcement. That's what's strange about it : he simply disappeared, and no sign of any other weirdo anywhere since then, including in this train… for the moment at least. Since the battle, it seems they're lying low … but I have an inkling that they just didn't drop out of it because of one lost battle !"
Akane bit her lip.
"I wish you were wrong… but I actually think you're right, alas."
(…)
Up to now, the various legs of their journey had almost always brought bad surprises, entailing unpleasant moments for The Five.
But the ride between Zhengzhou and Xi'an didn't include anything displeasing, and our team of heroes could for once travel without having anything to worry about or fix. It was unusual for them and elicited the redhead's following comment as they got off the train in Xi'an :
"At last a part of the journey without problems… I can't believe it !"
"You're right, So ! We've often had trouble during the different parts of our trip, and this time… nothing !" agreed Ryoga.
"That's pretty cool, for a change !" exclaimed Ranma, his hands joined behind his head as he walked on.
Akane's mouth rose on one side, in a typical unconvinced pout.
"Hum… let's hope it's not the calm before the storm, eh ?"
Ukyo's head turned away from the sign showing the next departures and stopped in Akane's direction.
"That's exactly what I'm dreading… Quietness, then big trouble ! Anyway…" she half-turned her head back to the sign, pointing her finger up there : "…there's a train to Lanzhou leaving in just about one hour and a half. I suggest we use that time to take a break and have something to eat and drink."
"Suggestion accepted ! I'm starving !" declared the Black Pigtail as he rubbed his belly.
"Someone's booming with energy… and appetite ! Make the most of it, Bro, coz soon the tables will be turned… again !" remarked the Red Pigtail as she gave an enormous yawn that made her eyes shut tightly.
The little company decided to remain in Xi'an station to have their improvised lunch, and since the rare benches were already occupied, they just shrugged it off and sat directly on the cold stone, which soon enough resulted in Ranma complaining about the uncomfortable setting.
Ryoga seized this occasion to remind his friend about the much harsher conditions they had to endure during their training sessions, for many years of their childhood and teenage.
His remark resulted in Ranma mumbling a vague 'right' before giving them all a break and stuffing his mouth with his big tuna sandwich ("Don't eat so much and so fast, Ranma, you're gonna get stomcha ache !" - "Yeah yeah, okay, Mum… I mean : Akane !")
As they were appeasing their hunger, they noticed an elderly woman walking to their group and, after stopping a little distance from them, bowing slightly as she addressed them in a hoarse voice :
"Young companions, would you be so kind as to share a bit of what you have with an old woman ? If you do, I will do something for you in return…"
Four of The Five stared at them with either surprise or pity, but the last one imperceptibly frowned, remaining alert. And that's what a team leader should always remain : alert.
The others hesitated, then Soraya rummaged in her backpack and took out the largest dumpling she had.
Her blue eyes briefly lingered on it – she had been looking forward to eating that huge stuff… - and she finally handed it over to the wrinkled lady.
And after all, she didn't feel that hungry anymore, courtesy of her tiredness coupled with the vague pain from before, which had now increased.
The woman bowed even lower than before.
"May you be blessed for accepting to help an aged one, kind maiden !"
The woman remained standing and ate slowly, commenting that the dumpling was delicious and then thanking Soraya again for her generosity, to which the "addressee" briefly bowed.
Akane offered her some water in the small plastic cup that served also as the cap of her thermos bottle, and once the mysterious elder has quenched her thirst…
"Please, young lady, kindly stand up, come to me and put your hand inside mine, with your palm upward…" she told Soraya.
The redhead seemed to hesitate, quickly glanced at Ukyo, and after gaining a nod from her, she stood up and went to place her hand, palm turned to the sky, in the wrinkled hand of that enigmatic woman.
Her friends couldn't resist and, standing up as well, gathered around the old-young pair to attend the mysterious ritual.
The elder stared intensely at the palm, without making a single sound.
The other four were observing with great attention, Ukyo's frown intensifying, as she wasn't too sure what that stranger wanted (it could perhaps be another trick from their enemies, using a woman instead of the same young boys…).
"You are out on a long quest. The goal is to find a cure somewhere in a mountainous area."
They beautiful blue eyes widened.
"Yes, but how did you –"
She abruptly stopped as the old woman put a scrawny forefinger on her lips, her serious look adding to the polite injunction.
Understanding she shouldn't interrupt, Soraya nodded and resumed her fascinated observation of the elder's sharp look on her palm.
"You have been going through several ordeals already, with each of you needing to get healed at some point, and the five of you having to defeat strange enemies twice already."
Ranma and Akane exchanged a look, but didn't even whisper a word. They understood each other perfectly.
"You are now waiting for the next train to Lanzhou, and will later continue in the northwest direction."
Ukyo raised one eyebrow and, giving a rapid look at her friends, met Ryoga's brown eyes. The way he watched her was all too obvious : confusion and surprise were written all over his face.
"But be careful, because another danger is coming your way. Very soon. Something red will bring you into trouble. And the next stage of your long journey will be difficult. You will have to hide and find a way to continue… but an old woman will help you. Yet a new hazard will threaten your group in the northwest, shortly before your itinerary changes direction…"
This time, no one uttered a word, the five teenagers being at the same time transfixed… and frightened, realizing that their adventures would imply meeting new obstacles and dangers.
They waited… but the elderly lady raised her dark eyes to lock them with the worried blue ones staring intensely at her, and she slowly lowered her hand.
Understanding that the "session" was finished, Soraya took her hand out of the woman's, still unable to look away from the insisting gaze that didn't leave hers.
"That was all I could see in the lines of your hand, young maiden." the elder quavered. "I hope it can help you one way or another, but what I must advise you to do at any time is : stay on your guard, look and listen carefully all around you, avoid a place or a path if you are unsure about it."
They didn't know what to reply to that.
"I have to go now, but I want to express you once again my gratitude for your generosity. And I wish you good luck for your quest : hopefully it will be successful."
With that said, she turned around and started walking away.
Realizing that her doubts and suspicion had been wrong, Ukyo screamed : "Thank you very much !"
The enigmatic woman didn't stop but raised one arm, her hand up in a kind of stop motion.
Then she turned the corner of a wall… and disappeared from their lives.
(…)
There weren't as many people as in the previous train, which had the welcome consequence of allowing them to get seats, with both couples sitting together on one side of the aisle, while Ukyo sat alone on the other side.
Ranma's mood was excellent :
"Gee, so cool to be sitting ! It was really annoying to remain standing for most of the journey, right ?"
"Yes, we haven't been so lucky with trains up to now, and had to stay up two or three times already, so this time, it's pretty nice to find seats immediately !" agreed Akane.
Soraya appeared mentally distant, temporarily disconnected from the group, her gaze focused on her palm… and also a bit on that pain in her abdomen, which got more and more present.
"You're worried about her prediction, aren't you ?"
Her blue eyes travelled to the left and met with his brown ones.
"Well… yeah, I'm somewhat concerned, because she said we'd be in trouble at least two more times. How could I be relaxed ? And what's that red thing that will get us into trouble ?"
He offered her a small, comforting smile.
"It will be okay, So. We'll make it through, don't worry. And I'll always be by your side. Always here for you, to protect you, comfort you, heal you if need be…"
She returned the smile.
"Thanks, Ryo. You're the kindest man ever. And I'll also be here for you, for exactly the same things you mentioned. A woman must also take good care of the man who makes her heart beat faster."
Her eyes seemed to be magnetized by her palm though, as she absent-mindedly resumed staring at it.
"What troubles me is that the old woman was right : what she mentioned about our past was true, and my intuition tells me that what she said about our future will also prove true… But how could she know ? I always thought that reading the future in one's palms was pure legend…"
"It's called chiromancy, and it actually exists."
They all turned to Ukyo.
"Chiro-… what, Ucchan ?" asked Ranma.
"Chiromancy, Ran-Chan. And it's real. It's a mysterious power that does exist. I had a childhood friend called Miko, and one day, her father rescued an old man who had been attacked. To show his gratitude, that man told my friend's father that he practiced chiromancy, commonly called "palm reading", and decided to use it for free on Miko. He observed her palm carefully and listed several events of her past that he had no way of knowing before, and also predicted several things… that all happened later on ! So both his mentions of the past and his predictions for the future turned out to be correct. This shows that it really works. Some people certainly pretend to be chiromancers to make easy money from gullible people… but that gift is present for good in other people and does give reliable results !"
"After all, she guessed it right about our previous issues and the goal of our quest." Ryoga pertinently pointed out. "How could she have known ? She has never met us before ! And if that was correct, then her warnings about the future could be correct. That red thing that will put us in danger… and the other problem "in the northwest", as she said…"
Ukyo's eyes lit up as they slightly opened more, and she opened her backpack's front pocket, from which she pulled the map.
"Yes, exactly ! And she said… I'm pretty sure she said that the second danger would turn up shortly before we change our itinerary !"
She studied her map for a moment.
"Our itinerary is to the northwest until Xian de Huangyuan, which is where we will start heading to the southwest. Shortly before… that means the danger would show up either in Xian de Huangyuan or in Xining, the town preceding Xian."
"If it's before… it should be in Xining, then !" remarked the Black Pigtail.
"Yes, that sounds logical !" added Akane.
Ukyo nodded, clearly agreeing.
"Seems so. Time will tell, anyway. But the main point is that we aren't out of the woods yet. We still have quite some road to go… other hardships to face… and certainly other foes to batlle !"
(…)
The trip to Baoji was reasonably short, as that city was much closer to Xi'an than to Lanzhou.
Several people got off in Baoji and were replaced mostly by mature men and a few elderly people.
Among the latter was a lady in her seventies, whose attire was strikingly somber : dark brown scarf over her hair, dark grey cardigan and long black skirt, with worn out black shoes.
She sat next to the door and started to watch the landscape, remaining still for quite some time…
…until she was unexpectedly drawn out of her thoughts upon realizing that some young people were talking nearby…
…and that they didn't speak Mandarin.
Her head slowly turned to the left and her very dark brown eyes (almost black, actually) stopped on a boy wearing a green fleece jacket, black trousers – but artisanal ones and not formal ones – laced by yellow strings. Also yellow was the piece of cloth she could see around part of his head, but with small black spots scattered on it.
The elderly woman frowned.
That attire didn't look Chinese.
Neither did the boy's face.
And that language she could hear, it obviously wasn't the homeland one.
Foreigners…but where did they come from ?
She could see a blue fleece jacket on the right of that boy, but decided that she shouldn't bother to lean forward to see that other person's face. After all, outsiders had often brought bad things to China… and in fact, in her own city of Lanzhou, a certain female stranger had had a fateful effect on the population and on the city's social balance.
No, better ignore those from the outside.
The wrinkled woman turned her attention back to the window.
Unaware of her unfavourable judgment regarding their group, The Five were killing time by reminiscing several of their common memories.
"And when you had to fight that dude making crepes… what was his name again ?" asked Ranma to his childhood friend.
"Crepe Joe. Or at least that's how we had nicknamed him : I never knew his full name.." replied the okonomiyaki cook. "Yeah, he ruined my business… but I managed to beat him ! Thanks again for taking care of my restaurant while I was training and also for battling that guy first !"
"Hey, why thank him : I'm the one who did all that !" intervened Soraya.
"Yeah, but you weren't there at the time, so it was me in my female form !" the Black Pigtail smoothly said with a smirk.
The Red Pigtail crossed her arms, her eyes darting daggers at him.
" I am your female half, in case you forgot !"
He smirked teasingly at her.
"Whatever…"
It was his turn to cross his arms (behind his head, in his case) and, still smirking, he closed his eyes.
"You're impossible !" loudly grumbled the braided female.
Behind the group, the dark-clad elderly lady was glaring in their direction : she had been enjoying a calm moment and a pleasant autumn view outside, and those noisy teenagers were ruining that instant.
She was all the more furious at them that she was unable to understand what they said. The language barrier, added to the loudness of their heated words, only stirred up her irritation at them.
The old woman saw the boy with that yellow cloth around his head slightly lean to speak to the other person beside him, the one dressed with that blue jacket, whose face wasn't visible to the wrinkled lady…
"Everything alright, So ?" gently asked Ryoga as he noticed that his beloved was wincing, a hand over her belly.
"Just some stomach pain. Probably nothing serious. But thanks for asking Ryo !"
She wanted to comfort him, yet she couldn't forget that this pain had been around since the morning… and that it might be more serious than it seemed after all.
"I took a few medicine items, in case of pain or wounds. I'll give you some painkillers." the third Tendo said as she fumbled inside her backpack, finally taking out a box from which she pulled out a blue capsule that she offered to Soraya.
"Thanks, Akane !" gratefully said the smaller teen as she put the blue pill in her mouth and drank a bit of water with it.
"I really hope you'll be alright, So !" a concerned Ryoga gently whispered. "If I can do anything…"
The elderly woman considered that the boy with the yellow cloth seemed kind and calm, not noisy like the others. At least one of them appeared more polite.
"Thanks, Ryo. I'll be alright, I'm sure. Thanks for caring. You're a darling !"
And Soraya gently laid her head on Ryoga's shoulder.
The old one was about to take her eyes off that boy, and resume watching the landscape…
…when she noticed at the last second the head of a girl landing on his shoulder.
Her eyes widened to their maximal size…
…her mouth slowly opened as much as it could…
…and an outraged scream filled the train's car !
All heads turned in the same direction, all looks converged towards the same person : the dark-clad elder, who not only shouted but suddenly rose to her feet, with an unexpected vivacity for someone of that age, and raised a shaking arm, stretching it right at SoRyo, who suddenly had straightened up.
Then she raised the other arm and pointed at the top of her head, while uttering a rapid sequence of Chinese words in a frenetic rhythm.
In fact, her goggling eyes, her loud trembling voice, the way she kept showing the top of her head with one finger and shaking insistently her other finger in direction of Soraya and Ryoga, all of these indicated fear… or probably even worse : panic !
"What's wrong with her ? Why is she pointing at me ? Or is it at you, Ryo ?" asked a bewildered Soraya.
"I'm not sure…" he replied. "And why is she pointing at her head like that ?!"
The wrinkled lady continued to speak very rapidly, on a frantic tone, her eyes still wide open, her fingers still pointing at the same things… but the person she was pointing at turned out to be Soraya, as many looks now converged at her, some people observing her carefully, others opening wide eyes too, and some even recoiling slightly as they fearfully stared at her.
"It's you they're pointing at !" Ranma exclaimed at his female counterpart.
It was the turn of the redhead's eyes to open fully.
"But… but why ?! What have I done ?! What's wrong with me ?!"
Her disbelieving look flew from her "brother" to Ukyo.
The latter was thinking as quickly as she could.
"She's showing her head and you at the same time… I wonder…"
But before Ukyo could reply, the old woman's arm moved from Soraya to a random direction, then back to Soraya and again to the same vague direction.
"Is she… is she telling Soraya… to leave ?!" an incredulous Akane asked.
Hearing this, Soraya's features switched from shock to anger.
"Why should I leave ? I haven't –"
That's when some of the other people started speaking louder and, leaving their seats, they closed in and also started pointing at the redhead then at a random direction, repeating the same gesture as the elder who had started it all.
And the tone of these people was not frightened, but aggressive… or maybe a mix of the two : a frightened anger.
Yes, probably more that way.
"If they try to harm you or kick you out…" started Ryoga, fists clenched in anticipation, as he looked at the one he was to protect henceforth.
Part of the people who had approached The Five came even closer… and that's when Ranma abruptly shot out of his seat, his body slightly hunched forward… and he cracked his knuckles with an evil smirk.
"Looking for problems, people ?" he threateningly addressed the animosity-driven crowd.
Ukyo's brain was almost in overdrive, as she had to assess the critical situation, control the tension it created in her, keep a cool head and figure out a solution… all at the same time !
But isn't it a leader's qualities to handle several things simultaneously…?
"Ran-Chan, no ! Don't ! Starting a fight in a crowded train is a bad idea : we will get hurt and hurt others as well ! These people are not only angry but also afraid, I can tell : they're horrified about something in Soraya and want her to leave because they dread some bad thing she could do. Perhaps a superstition, I don't know. But we can't stay in here, or else a fight will break out !"
"What ?! We have to leave ?! Because of me, or whatever thing they think about me ?!" Soraya asked in an indignant voice.
Ukyo's very serious, if not severe look instantly stopped her impetus.
"Trust me, it's better ! I'll explain you something, but for now, follow me guys !"
Ranma didn't seem to be ready to give up, but Akane calmly put her hand over his arm and slowly shook her head, indicating he should drop it and accept to trust their leader's plan.
He reluctantly joined the others, and The Five cautiously walked in the alley, hostile and suspicious stares following their every move, while they in return carefully looked left and right to ensure no one was acting threateningly.
They soon ended up outside the seating area and, closing the door behind them, they could finally release some of their tension, some openly breathing out a huge sigh of relief, some leaning on the wall, some briefly looking up as if thanking the gods…
But then, a man reopened the door and, pointing at Soraya, he then made a gesture to the outside, and others behind him also gestured towards the outside of the train.
"Okay, okay !" Ukyo told them as quietly as possible, her hands up in a placating gesture, and after they had stared hard at her for long seconds, the man closed the door… but kept spying on them through the glass.
The redhead glared at him, then turned to her friends and exploded :
"WHAT THE FUCK IS HAPPENING ?!"
"Please calm down, Love. We'll sort this out." Ryoga tried to comfort her.
"I'm getting fed up with those dudes !" she continued, less loud though, but looking clearly tired.
Her hand went to her abdomen and rested there, while she gave a wince.
"So ! You're in pain again ?" worriedly asked Ryoga, but the expression in her eyes, when looked up at him, spoke by itself, and he realized how useless his question was : "Sorry, it was stupid to ask…"
She put a hand over his shoulder and slightly squeezed.
"It's ok… you were concerned and it came out naturally… yeah, that belly ache is still there… the painkiller's effect hasn't worked just yet.
"It will soon, don't worry. It takes a bit of time, alas. I feel sorry for you, Soraya !" Akane sympathized. "Gosh, things are getting pretty bad all of a sudden !"
Ukyo bit her lower lip, thinking exactly the same thing at the same second.
That's when the train started to slow down.
"We're arriving in Dingxi. It's a smaller town, short before Lanzhou. I saw it on the map earlier." stated the team cook-turned-leader.
Her eyes met those of the people observing them through the "window" of the door, which immediately triggered the same gestures as before : pointing at Soraya then pointing outside.
"They're still motioning for you to go out, Soraya. I think that we have no choice but leave the train and conti-"
"You're kidding me ?!" exclaimed the redhead, who was trying to bear with the pain the best she could.
"When I checked the map earlier, I could see that there were only two stops between Xi'an and Lanzhou : Baoji and Dingxi. I noticed that Dingxi isn't very far from Lanzhou, which means that it shouldn't be much of a problem to go there on foot… but we'll preferably try to find a transportation mean, if possible !" explained the long-haired-brunette.
The braided female didn't react, this time, but gave a grumpy look.
It was the braided male who instead showed his displease.
"Why should we do that ? We're not guilty of anything ! And we don't even get why they want Soraya out, coz we don't understand what they're saying ! That's not normal, dammit !"
Ukyo sighed, but she inwardly knew he was right : it indeed wasn't normal.
"Ran-Chan, if we try to stay by force in the train, it will turn very ugly. Personally, I don't want to hurt any of these people, and besides, perhaps they have a good reason to act the way they do. We have no way of finding out, given that we can't understand Chinese, but…"
The train was coming to a halt.
"Look, let's get off and we'll continue our discussion as we walk away, okay ?"
Although both Pigtails were very reluctant, nobody actually objected the leader's proposal – or rather decision – and they were soon walking on the platform, along the train.
Ukyo having advised Soraya to cover her hair before leaving the train, to avoid further negative reactions outside, Akane had decided to lend the redhead her beanie, under which the poor "victim" had hidden every strand of hair, her braid making a bump at the back of the salutary headgear.
Ryoga was taking care of his girlfriend as they walked, whispering comforting words to her, his arm around her shoulder, and if she physically didn't feel much better yet, she definitely did psychologically/mentally, knowing that the one she loved cared so much for her and was so worried about her unease.
Akane couldn't help turning around, and noticed that some people were actually following them on the platform, which she informed her friends about.
"Do you think they'll try to attack us ?" she asked them.
"Let them try and they'll see !" her fiancé replied, cracking his knuckles again.
"Perhaps they just want to make sure we won't try to get back on the train using another entrance, and that we definitely stay away from them…We'll remain on our guard." suggested Ucchan after a brief glance behind. "Anyway, I've been thinking about the reason why they so badly wanted Soraya to leave, and why they were showing the top of their head and then Soraya… and here is what I came up with : do you remember the prediction of the old fortune-teller, in Xi'an station ? She said that something red would bring us into trouble, and very soon. So I wonder if that red thing…"
Her sentence trailed off, but the way she observed her red-haired friend was quite eloquent.
"What ? My hair ? That's the red thing that will create trouble ?!" asked a disbelieving Soraya.
"Well, they were showing their hair, and then you. So I deduced they were referring to your hair. Since it's red and the prediction mentioned "something red", I tend to think that it's what was actually involved in that prediction. Now WHY exactly does your red hair suddenly become a problem for indigenous people here… that's what I can't figure out. Perhaps a person with red hair once acted in an evil way around here…"
They let these words sank into their minds, then…
"And so, if someone red-haired once did bad things here… do they believe that Soraya might also act badly, because of her red hair ?" Akane wondered aloud.
"And that would be the reason why they're willing to chase her away ?" continued Ryoga.
"That's precisely what I concluded. Well, either that or the colour red is a bad omen or a bad luck sign in China... or in this area of China at least !" explained the former fiancée of Ranma.
"That's totally fucked up…" grumbled Soraya.
"Or perhaps red is viewed as negative here only in certain cases, such as red hair, but not in other cases..." ventured his current fiancée.
"Anything's possible..." simply admitted Ukyo. "Perhaps we'll find the reason, perhaps not, time will tell. Now, the priority is to find some transportation mean to get to Lanzhou : we could go on foot, but given Soraya's aches, it would be preferable that she remains seated and comfortable."
"Hey, I can walk for some, you know ! Don't underestimate me !" intervened the smallest member of their team.
"Come on, be reasonable and listen to Ucchan !" scolded Ranma
Before she could retaliate, the Bandana Boy had put his hands over her shoulders and was gazing at her seriously, but also tenderly.
"You don't feel well, So, and we don't want you to suffer. Least of all me. So please, listen to Ukyo : she cares about you too, and she's right."
"Thanks, guys ! I appreciate the support !" the chef said with a smile, before turning to her sore friend: " We're just worried about you, Soraya ! We want to spare you useless suffering and exhaustion. You are still tired form this morning's energy recharge, and now you also have to endure that pain. In such a bad condition of yours, it's better for you to walk as less as can be."
"M'kay…" sullenly replied the redhead, who now had the impression that fate was suddenly plaguing her in particular, with that combination of fatigue, suffering and rejection on her, and all this on the very same day !
She didn't feel discouraged, didn't regret embarking on that quest… but today was certainly not the best day of their long adventure, at least for her.
And she hoped that the Wheel of Fortune would soon turn.
But (when) would it…..?
(...)
(…)
Hey there, guys !
I wish I would have been able to upload this chappy earlier, but I kinda lacked time… yet I've been writing a lot since last week, and this allowed me to avoid delaying this new installment any further. Besides, three weeks later isn't that bad or that long, is it ?
So… things are getting complicated in this chapter, especially for Soraya, who suddenly becomes some kind of outcast, and all this apparently because of her hair's colour. But is it the real reason, or is there something else…?
That old lady all dressed in dark clothes… did she remind you of those black-clad boys from previous chapter ? It was in fact voluntary on my part, to make you wonder if perhaps she was also "one of them"… but she actually doesn't a red gem on her forehead, so no, she doesn't belong to the same group of minions. The somber "tone" of her clothes simply symbolizes the negative effect she will have on our friends, how she will adversely influence their lives.
As for the old chiromancer (the palm-reading elder) of Xi'an station… well, THIS old lady has a positive effect on them, unlike the one in the train later on. She indeed warns them about future danger, and gives hints about the whereabouts it will show up. Here, I wanted to add another fantastic element that is often considered a crook's trick, but can in rare cases be the proof of a real divination gift.
As it is customary, my gratitude goes to those enjoying and supporting my stuff, be it this story or another one… or even following/favoriting me. A special SHOUT-OUT to Neoprimaordial for following AND favoriting BOTH this story AND me, therefore ticking all the boxes ! Thanxxxx for going all out, Buddy ! *
Another user, Cloudywillows, also deserves a mention here, since he/she did favorite my first Ranma story THE TIDE IS TURNING. Thanxxxx a lot indeed !
Oh, and I really advise you guys to read BROKEN CHAINS, by Hoyo476 : it's really a nice story ! And even if you don't ship Ranma-Chan X Ryoga, it's really worth reading : just imagine it's Ranma X Akane instead… ;)
Alright, time to conclude. Ya know, I actually first intended to write more for this chapter, but if I had continued, it would have become a very long chapter (certainly (much) more than 8'000 words…) and I didn't want to, ya know, "overdo it". So I'll stop here and transfer what I had started to write on another Word doc, where it'll become the start of chapter 16.
Hopefully next update won't take too long… fingers crossed !
Take good care of you, be as happy as possible, keep reading manga and watch anime… and catch ya later, Folxxxx ! :))))
-_ Léo _ -