17. A BEND IN THE ROAD …
A ring of smoke lazily hovered in the warm air and slowly rose to the ceiling.
Other ones soon followed, the circular shapes gradually dissolving gracefully as they reached mid-height.
The old woman quietly sighed, wondering once again how the journey to the depths of China was going for the five teenagers.
It had been days now, and of course she had no way to determine what was going on : how could they give any sign of life ? How could they let their friends and relatives know that they were doing good ?
But she did have a way to find out where one of them was.
Opening a drawer from her desk, she pulled out a map of China, opened it and, after briefly glancing at it, she extended her arms above the large country, hands opened wide, fingers stretched in all directions, and closed her eyes.
"HOLINOOS RANMA SAOTOME DEKIRIN SATT !" she chanted, and when her eyes reopened…
… they were completely white, devoid of their pupil and shining lightly.
Below her wrinkled hands, a purple spot gradually appeared, and once it was "completed", she closed her eyes again… and when she reopened them, they were back to normal and she lowered them to the map.
"Mmmmmh… Lanzhou. Right. Our little youth has been progressing a lot… Brave children !"
Then she chuckled to herself, realizing that the five teenagers would probably have frowned – perhaps even scowled – at hearing themselves being called "children"… but being a mother, grandmother AND great grandmother altogether, she couldn't help considering people under 20 as children.
At that juncture, her office's door opened and a certain purple-haired girl walked in… before stopping and tilting her head to the right.
"What you doing, Greatgrandmother ?" she asked.
"My dear Shampoo, I was looking at that map to know where Ranma was located at the moment…" replied the venerable Amazon leader.
Her great-granddaughter still found it somewhat odd that her ancestor no longer used the expression 'Son-in-law' when talking about her the pigtailed boy.
Odd… and also painful, because this alas reminded Shampoo that Cologne had given up her hopes of Ranma becoming one day her son-in-law, and therefore Shampoo's husband. The joined stings of sadness, disappointment and bitterness pierced her poor heart and refreshed her memory about the young Saotome now being officially Akane's fiancé… and only hers.
Kodachi had been affected by the loss, yet had rather quickly pulled herself together, Ukyo had shown a braver face… but the young waitress of the Neko Hanten had been the saddest of all, and even if she had forced herself to bite the bullet and accept the unavoidable reality… she still had a hard time doing so.
"Daydreaming, Child ?"
Shampoo suddenly raised her head and met the insightful, experienced look of the wise old woman who was so dear to her.
"Yes, sorry. So you found Air-" She abruptly stopped, immediately remembering that the pigtailed boy no longer was her airen, and she corrected herself : "You found Ranma ?"
Her beautiful face showed obvious hurt from the memory of the loss of her "husband."
"I know it's hard, Shampoo, but you have to get used to it…"
Then Cologne stretched her arm and her finger ended right in front of the purple dot.
"He is here, in Lanzhou. I cannot find out if his friends are still with him, but I assume so. I'm glad they made it that far and hope that they are all safe and sound."
"But how you know, Greatgrandmother ? How you find out ?"
The "old crane" (like former Ranma – the coarse one who constantly displayed his gift of the gab – used to call her…) smiled cunningly.
"That is a good question indeed, Child. It turns out that, before he left, I told him that I wanted to press one of his vital points to help relax his possibly sore muscles – he had been training a lot before their departure from Nerima – and I indeed selected one of his body's pressure points… but not the one I had told him. In fact, the point I had chosen triggered some kind of energy in his organism, and that energy could then be located after reciting a magic formula… which is what I did shortly before your arrival here."
Her skinny and wrinkled finger tapped the map a couple of times.
"This purple spot is Ranma's energy, and therefore his current location."
Shampoo blinked at the map then glanced up at her ancestress.
"And you can know if Ai-… if Ranma is fine, with that magic ?"
Cologne slowly shook her head.
"Alas no. Only his location. But I wish we could find out if he was in good condition or in danger, with that spell. In fact, I ended up regretting that we couldn't go with them, to help them if need be, as I'm convinced that their enemies will attack them at some point and they could use some extra help…"
Shampoo nodded then goggled, as she suddenly remembered something.
"Oh no ! I forgot to tell you: your friend Hayao is here, he come to see you. I serve him cup of tea as he waits for you, but then I see the map and forget. I sorry, Greatgrandmother !"
But Cologne offered her a reassuring smile.
"Don't apologize, Child. It's not serious. I will go and see him, thanks for telling me."
And with that said, the tiny lady hopped off her chair and started out of the room, followed by her great-granddaughter.
(…)
"My dear Cologne ! What an unspeakable pleasure to see you !" warmly greeted Hayao as he spotted his long-time friend approaching, and proceeded to bow to her.
"I feel the same for you, my dear Hayao !" she just as warmly replied, bowing likewise.
The venerable Amazon matriarch took a seat and smiled pleasantly at her guest.
"How have you been, Hayao ?"
"Well, pretty good actually. My business is running well, my children and relatives are doing fine, my health seems okay, so I don't have much to complain about. What about you, Cologne ?"
"Same here. Business, family, friends, health are all perfectly well."
Then she remembered about the five teenagers "lost" in a foreign country.
"I have just been… somewhat worried about my former son-in-law Ranma, and his four friends. I saw they had arrived in China, but have no clue about their actual condition, and hope that they are alright."
He raised a brow.
"You saw it ?" Then his face lit up. "Ah, you used the locating energy spell, didn't you ?"
She nodded.
"Very clever !" he congratulated her. "And by some interesting coincidence, I happen to be visiting you partly because I was thinking about them. You see, a friend of mine whom I met up with today offered me a powerful artifact, telling me it would be of help in case of a dangerous situation, such as a perilous mission or similar… and that instantly made me think about those five young people who left to travel to the depths of China. I wished I had received the artifact sooner, so I could have lent it to them… but perhaps I can do that if they get on another tricky adventure someday. I don't need it for myself, and my dear ones are quiet people who would have no use for the artifact… but when I remembered about your five young friends, I thought that they would have needed it the most. Well, perhaps next time then."
Cologne pondered this for a minute.
"May I know what the effect of that artefact is ?" she finally asked.
He smiled knowingly.
"It permanently weakens whoever is touched by it while the word "SHAWAR" is pronounced. But it has to touch the skin : it doesn't work if you touch the person on their clothes. And therefore, if you're battling an enemy, you can weaken it in order to beat him or her. As far as my friend knows, the effect is boundless in time, and he ignores if there exists a way to cancel that… kind of curse."
The last word appealed to the long-grey-haired woman.
Curse… another one… our world is full of curses… those of the Jusenkyo springs, which affected so many people… then there is the one Ranma got from those evil siblings… and now the one related to that mysterious object… there is always some magic at work, even in this time and place ! What a strange yet fascinating world we live in…
"Actually, I still have it with me. I'll show it to you."
Those words drew her out of her thoughts and suddenly helped her focus.
Hayao drew a white cloth from the inside of his ample tunic and presented it to Cologne, who cautiously took it in her hands before slowly unwrapping it.
Inside was some sort of small column topped by an open eye.
Its colour was black… but the darkest black both elders had ever seen.
That extreme hue made the item appear almost… yes, almost unreal !
Cologne's gaze was stuck to the peculiar object.
"It's hypnotic, isn't it…?"
The sound of Hayao's voice "broke the charm" and drew the Amazon matriarch back to reality.
"You can say that, yes…" she replied, impressed by the artefact's power of attraction.
"I will leave it to you, my dear Cologne. I don't need it, and as I said earlier, I think that your young friends might find it of use in their next adventure..."
She stared at him seriously, and seeing him nod encouragingly, she thanked him warmly for the precious gift.
Then the old man wished his fellow elder a fine day and took his leave from her.
After he had left, Cologne resumed looking intensely at the deep black item, most particularly at the open eye on top of the column.
Then, after a while, she raised her gaze and noticed Shampoo coming over to have a look.
"What this, Great Grandmother ?"
"A magical object my friend gave me." Her eyes left the purple-haired's ones and stopped on a certain short-sighted boy, busy in the kitchen. "Mousse ! Come over here, will you !"
He quickly obliged and once he was by Shampoo's side, she explained both of them what the power of the artefact was.
Then she smiled knowingly at them.
"Tell me, children, how about taking a break for a while and travelling a bit…?"
(…)
So much for a nice awakening…
That's what Soraya bitterly thought as she brutally emerged from the deep sea of sleep, awakened by a sharp pain in her lower abdomen.
Akane had left her two painkillers for the night, she had taken one after having trouble falling asleep and now was the time to take the other one.
She couldn't help moaning slightly after raising her head to fully swallow pill and water, as if that simple gesture augmented her pain.
But although her moan was faint and barely audible, it was still heard.
"Soraya ?"
The redhead turned in direction of the whisper and her blue eyes met other blue eyes.
"It's acute again ?" Ukyo asked in a hushed voice.
Her friend nodded, her expression reflecting both upset and sadness.
"My poor Soraya, I feel so bad for you. It seems your own… burden is much more painful than mine. I hope it doesn't get worse than that, and that it will be a short cycle, not a long one…"
"Thanks, Ucchan. I sincerely appreciate your kindness." A deep sigh. "Alright, I'll go to the bathroom. See you in a minute."
She walked out in the dark alley and as was about to reach for the toilet's handle…
…when the latter lowered and the door opened.
Her beautiful blue eyes met with those brown eyes that warmed her heart so much.
"Morning, Sweetheart. How are you doing today ? Any better ?" he sweetly whispered to her .
"Good morning, Love. I feel sore again, alas. I took another painkiller and hope that it will soon kick in… How are you ?"
"Not so good when I know that you aren't well…"
Soraya weakly smiled at him and felt her sadness "retreat" when he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tightly against him without a word.
She could tell he cared and was affected by her bad condition. And that moved her, comforted her, improved her mood to some extent.
I'm so lucky to have him…he deeply cares… he would like to share my burden and regrets he can't, I know it… I love you, Ryo !
The redhead returned his hug, as tightly as she could, not wanting to let go of that wonderful man who was now her man.
"I hope you will feel better as soon as can be. I really do. I love you, So." he gently whispered in her ear.
Those words, especially the last four, suddenly brightened the beginning of her day, because such is the magic of love…
(…)
They felt better now that they had had breakfast. They hadn't got up very early, as they were still tired from the events of the previous day, but had made an effort to be up at least before 9:00, time for them to pack their stuff and eat something before "getting back on the roads".
Tsu insisted to offer them the breakfast as well, Ukyo had resisted, arguing that it had taken their host so much time to prepare their meals, but the kind elderly lady didn't want to hear it and only charged them for the night.
"Why are you so kind to us ?" Akane couldn't help asking.
"Because you have had difficult times yesterday, because… uh, Soraya, right ? (a nod from the redhead)… is feeling bad these days, because you look tired to me and are unsure about the outcome of your quest… but mostly because you seem good people to me !"
The Five didn't know what to say, but their leader soon regained her composure and bowed very low.
"We have the deepest gratitude for your help and warmly thank you, from the bottom of our hearts !" she respectfully told the wrinkled woman.
"It's me who thank you for keeping company to an old woman for a bit. I form my best wishes of success for your quest." Tsu kindly replied as she bowed in return, as low as her arthritis allowed her to…
(…)
They were looking at the train ticket salesman as if he had grown a second head.
"What do you mean, "no train" ? Why is there no train ?" Ranma coolly asked him.
"Ranma !" hurriedly whispered Akane on a scolding tone.
"No train Xining !" repeated the employee in his limited English.
"Okay but WHY ?" half-asked half-screamed the pigtailed boy.
"Come on, Bro ! Don't be so aggressive ! It's not his fault !" Soraya intervened.
Ryoga calmly bent forward, towards the counter, and gently asked :
"Please, why no train Xining ?"
Ranma blinked at him then guffawed.
Ryoga raised a brow, Ukyo and Akane grumbled as they grabbed him and pulled him away from the counter, scolding him for his lack of discretion and tact, and Soraya slapped her hand on her forehead with a hopeless sigh that more or less meant "Why is my male half so dumb so regularly…?"
"Accident. Stones break train road. People repair train road now. But no train now." the poor employee struggled to utter, using the limited English he had learned at school.
The pig-boy tried to get advice from the employee about the other ways to go to Xining, but the poor man seemed lost and raised his arms in a powerless attitude.
The team didn't insist and left the train station with their mood significantly "lower" than upon entering the place.
"Great. Just. Great. So what now ?" mumbled the pigtailed boy.
"Don't worry, Ran-Chan, we'll find something !" replied his former fiancée.
Soraya's gaze caught something further away, on the right.
"Look ! Over there ! A van ! Perhaps we could ask the owner if we can rent it ?" she suggested.
They all turned around to see a man picking up a box from inside a van and handing it to another man.
Ranma dismissed the proposal yet Ukyo advocated that they had no better plan for the time being.
In a normal situation, the redhead would have smirked at her male counterpart (See, Mr. Know-All ?) but in this particular context, she instead winced and slightly bent forward.
"So !" instantly exclaimed her beloved, who grabbed her by the shoulders and bent to her face, concern all over his features.
She tried to smile yet the result looked more like a grimace of pain.
"A woman's burden can be heavy to carry, yet there's no other choice… I'll be ok, Ryo. Don't worry."
"I cannot avoid to worry when the one I love is suffering so much !"
"I know, and thank you, but I'm afraid there's nothing else to do than bite the bullet and endure." She bit her lower lip hard. "Come on, let's give it a try with that van !"
They quickly walked over and caught the driver just when he was opening his door to climb in.
Ukyo patiently explained the best she could that she wanted to pay for him to drive them to Xining, showing in turn the five of them, the money, the driver, the van and uttering the name of their destination.
The driver then pointed at their group, at the van and, pointing away, repeated 'Xining', but more like a question than as a statement.
He finally accepted the banknotes that were offered to him and, opening the van's door, he kindly gestured for them to get in.
"Another transportation mean…" remarked Akane as they seated in the vehicle.
"Yes, we'll have tried a bit of everything !" a chuckling Ukyo replied.
Ryoga leaned to Soraya, asking her how she was.
Despite the painkiller, she felt the pain hadn't diminished (or only scarcely), but she still answered that she felt better.
I hate lying to the man I love, but that's because I love him that I have to do it : I refuse to see him unhappy !
(…)
It was a mountainous road that sloped steeply upwards, making all of them dearly hope that their driver would remain very focused and never get distracted… because the impressive chasm that "gaped" below, on their left, was a fate they certainly didn't want to "meet".
"Damn, I'm usually not afraid of heights… but here…" admitted Ryoga.
"I feel the same." agreed Akane. "But then again, it's truly imposing ! So high and deep ! Right, Ranma ?"
Getting no reply, she turned to find her fiancé asleep, with his head tilted against the van's cold metal.
"Someone is starting to get tired again… Good night, Charming Prince !" joked Soraya, and chuckled lightly…
… yet instantly regretted it, as it unexpectedly briefly sharpened the pain that had now returned.
"Gosh, why won't your pain give you a break ? I wish I could take it from you and free you from that horrible burden !" Ryoga said as he cautiously hugged her, ready to loosen his embrace if she winced more.
But she didn't and gave him the best smile she could in such a situation.
"Thanks, you're a sweetheart ! My Golden Heart ! And I love you even more for your solidarity, your kindness and care !" she told him, and leaned forward to kiss his lips, ignoring both the pain and the looks of their friends (after all, why should she hide to kiss him… and in front of their buddies ?)
Akane took a small box out of her pocket, opened it, got a pill and handed it over to Soraya.
"I hope that pain won't become too intense. I don't get why it's so acute : I mean, I'm not that sore when it's my turn…" wondered the black-haired girl.
"Yes, but each girl is slightly different about that : pain intensity, flow quantity, cycle duration, intervals length between cycles… It can be pretty irregular, sometimes, like there's no logic in that phenomenon…" explained Ukyo.
Ryoga, who had understood the nature of the conversation, felt somewhat uneasy and did his best to focus his attention on the landscape ahead, trying hard to ignore that intimate convo.
The top of the mountain was in sight, with huge stone walls on both sides of the road, up there.
Their vehicle slowly climbed the remaining meters and once it arrived at the top…
… they could admire the splendor of the plain ahead : a mix of mineral and vegetal elements, the red of the mountains contrasting with the green of the trees and bushes, with the grey snake of a river unfolding its meanders among the rocks and leaves, from left to right.
"It's so beautiful !" whispered a mesmerized Akane.
"Yup, definitely ! Nature will always put on a far better show than cities ! We're used to our little Nerima neighbourhood, but this easily beats it… although I wish there was more greenery than rocks !" remarked Ucchan.
At some point, the road turned right and the van found itself getting away from the fearsome chasm, some kind of tiny hill replacing it on the left side of the road.
Suddenly, a relatively loud sound could be heard from the front of the van, some kind of crack.
Surprised, The Five stared at the front of the vehicle, wondering about the origin of that noise.
Then they saw the driver start to struggle, the right side of his body moving frantically…and their curiosity turned to worry.
Ukyo got up and approached the driver from behind… and what she saw made her temperature abruptly sink !
The poor man was desperately slamming his right foot down on the brake, clearly hoping it would work !
And sure enough, the van was starting to move down faster.
"THE BRAKES ARE DOWN, GUYS ! " the chef yelled.
"WHAT ?!" shouted the redhead, but winced immediately after, the effort sending a dagger of pain through her abdomen.
"The brakes are no longer functioning !"
That's when the driver started panicking, almost yelling now.
Ukyo saw that – he's losing control – and instantly knew what she had to do.
She pointed at him and away, then at herself and the wheel.
He looked at her, and she repeated the same gestures, mimicking driving.
He hesitated…and the speed increased in the mean time ! But he soon gave in and she hurriedly caught the wheel as he left the driver's seat, then sat down and focused on the dangerous task at hand.
She moved the wheel as quickly as she could when a bend was showing up, but fortunately enough, the road was straight most of the time, and the few bends were not too "sharp", so the drive wasn't as perilous as it could have been.
But the increasing speed was still putting their lives at stake, and the cook-turned-saviour was having a hard time to remain in control.
No one said anything, to avoid troubling her focus, on which their lives now depended.
Always faster… always deadlier…
Ukyo did her best to keep her cool, but she had to keep two things in check : the physical aspect – the landscape that "hurried" more and more – and the psychological one – that all of her friends' lives, as well as the driver's, was in her hands.
Don't lose it, Ukyo… You can make it… you HAVE to make it, for your friends first : you CAN'T let them die ! And for the driver too : after all, he agreed to help us. Come on, watch carefully : you MUST do it !
The van rushed down the slope at a deadly rate and zoomed straight on the bridge that crossed the meandering river,
"OH NO !" yelled Ucchan, her eyes widening.
"WHAT ?" Ranma screamed-asked, as he quickly got to the front.
Then his eyes widened as well.
The road was taking a sharp turn left, and although their speed had slightly decreased, as the road was going up again, it was still way too high for them to avoid a crash.
"OPEN THE SLIDING DOOR AND GET READY TO JUMP !" shouted Ukyo.
The others stiffened as they heard that.
But they knew they had no other choice, as the mountain "wall" was literally rushing at them.
"Quick ! Get on my back and hug me tightly, So !" ordered Ryoga.
"Yeah, do the same, Akane !" added Ranma.
If the situation hadn't been so stressful, the 'hug me tightly' might have appeared funny or one would have joked about it, but now wasn't the time.
Both girls did as they had been told, and soon both couples were as one.
"UCCHAN ! COME WITH US !" screamed Soraya.
"I WILL, BUT I HAVE TO WAIT FOR THE LAST MOMENT, OR ELSE THE VAN MIGHT LOSE CONTROL AND LEAVE THE ROAD ! GO ALREADY, I'LL BE RIGHT BEHIND !" the chef screamed back.
The sliding door opened, both boys got up, their respective beloved on their backs, each one grabbed one of the driver's hands and the three men jumped out just when a kind of ledge appeared on the right, which allowed them a smooth landing.
The stone wall was only a few meters way now !
Ukyo jumped off the van a few seconds before it violently crashed against the stony "wall".
But unfortunately for her, she couldn't land as well as her friends and slipped right after making contact with the ground.
It wouldn't have been that serious –the spot she had jumped on wasn't very high – if she had fallen "properly"… but fate, being the bitch it could alas be, played a dirty trick on her : she hit the ground precisely on her "bad shoulder", the one she had received the baseball blow on, when fighting the "men in black" in Zhengzhou park.
She instantly clenched her teeth at the pain that immediately radiated from her sore spot, realizing that the shoulder hadn't fully recovered from the very violent hit, a few days ago.
The poor girl, brave as she was, quickly got back on her feet and, crouching, she took momentum to finally jump back on the ledge she had fallen from… but as she landed up on the ledge, the pain increased again, making her wince.
Her friends were now running in her direction, but she noticed Ryoga was still carrying Soraya on his back.
"Are you okay, Ucchan ?" asked-exclaimed Akane as they were reaching her.
"Yeah… well, not completely : I fell on that damn shoulder, the one I had got hit on some days ago, in that park, and the pain just returned… but I'll be okay !" the cook replied.
"Are you sure ?!" insisted the redhead.
"Positively. But what about you, Soraya ? Ryoga is still carrying you, you didn't run like the others… so you're still in pain, aren't you ?"
The blue-eyed teen made a grimace.
"Alas yes. Damn, I hate my body right now !"
Ryoga turned his head at her.
"Now, don't say that, So ! It's your body after all, and it's efficient and useful most of the time… only for a few days, it's "malfunctioning"… but it's fine most of the time, so be merciful to your body. Okay ?"
He gently smiled at her, and she couldn't help but smile back just as gently, and nod approvingly.
Ucchan noticed that Ranma's eyes were closed : he was sleep-standing, or close to doing so. That made her frown, realizing that the boy was slowly but surely getting tired, if not very tired… and she hoped he could make it until their next destination.
"Okay, now how about we continue to Xining ?" she proposed, purposefully speaking very loud to wake up her former fiancé…
…and it worked, since the boy "returned with them", blinking several times, looking at each of them in turn, and finally innocently asking : "Did I miss something ?"
(…)
Their driver had visibly been very sheepish about the incident and profusely apologized to them, but The Five's leader had managed to make him understand it was okay, and she had even humbly bowed at him, hands joined, to show him their gratefulness for his help.
He had finally stopped apologizing but had wanted to give them back half of their money, and although Ukyo had refused a few times, he had insisted so much that she had accepted at last, somewhat reluctantly.
It wasn't that pleasant a walk, unfortunately, for if the sun was there indeed, that didn't make it a warm day for all that : a cold breeze was blowing, and this reminded them that winter wasn't far ahead. Somehow, with the flamboyant autumn colours and the wintery chilly wind, it was as if both seasons were present… at the same time.
As if they were precisely at the boundary between both, and therefore getting a bit of either.
Their walk in the sun was therefore somewhat spoiled by that cold air moving around them, and they were eager to either reach another city or to get picked up by a passing vehicle… but unfortunately, there were none and they kept walking on and on in the cold.
Akane had to hold Ranma by the hand, as he was walking with his eyes closed…
They had been moving forward for quite a while when they finally spotted a town ahead.
"Xining ?" asked Akane, pointing at the houses in the distance.
But the driver shook his head and simply said : "Xi'an de Ping'an".
Soraya, who was now walking normally again (courtesy of Akane's new painkiller), turned to the long-haired brunette.
"Is that far away from Xining, Ucchan ?"
The chef took out the map and, remaining still for a moment, studied it to find the name their driver had just mentioned.
"No, we're not very far. In fact, we could continue on foot, but…" She bit her lip. "You should be sitting as much as possible, Soraya."
"Oh, come on, I'm not made of glass ! I feel better since I took the last pill !" the latter protested.
"Actually…" started Ryoga, but when his red-haired lover gave him a look – not exactly a nasty one, more the "let-me-handle-this-okay?" kind of look – he gulped and stuttered : "Uh, no-nothing."
As for the driver, he was determined to "redeem himself" regarding the accident and help them to continue their journey : once they were in Xi'an de Ping'an, he motioned for them to follow him, took them to a guy waiting by a van, talked to him while pointing at the five of them, then shared half of the money he had received from Ukyo with the other man.
"No no no !" immediately objected the okonomiyaki cook as she took out the banknotes he had previously given back to her and wanted to offer them to the new man… but their driver opposed it, talking to her in mandarin, then at the other guy.
Ucchan had to surrender, but she felt bad for the driver : he had accepted to help them and would get really little money for that, getting underpaid for his services… all the more since he had nothing to get blamed for, the accident not being his fault (the van was pretty old after all).
A moment later, the five were seated in the van of the other man, and just before closing the sliding door of that new vehicle, they all waved goodbye to the driver and bowed at him, as he had helped them more than he thought and deserved their respect and gratitude.
The van was moving rapidly on the mountain road that would lead them to their next stage, but at some point, their new driver didn't notice a pothole quickly enough and the vehicle bounced… and alas, this had the unwelcome consequence to make Ukyo's sore shoulder hit the van's "wall" rather hard.
The instant return of the pain made her draw a brisk breath through her clenched teeth, her eyes briefly shut tight.
"Ucchan !" exclaimed Soraya.
"Oh gosh, Ukyo !" loudly said Akane, putting her arm on her friend's.
The chef smiled at them… but her eyes were slightly wet : the pain had triggered tears that the Spatula Girl wiped off.
"Don't worry, guys, it's not as bas as it seems. It's not that painful." Her blue eyes drifted to another pair of blue eyes. "You have it worse, Soraya, I know that… and I really wish we could exchange our pains, or that I could simply take your pain to avoid you suffering any longer."
The redhead felt some pleasant warmth right in the center of her chest.
"Thanks, Ucchan ! That's… that's so damn kind of you ! Really !"
Ukyo's smile widened.
"Don't mention it. Friends first."
(…)
Xining, at last.
Late afternoon made the shadows get longer, and the wind chased away the dead leaves as The Five roamed the streets of the large city, first in search of a grocery store or a minimarket where they could purchase some food supplies, second to find an accommodation for the incoming night.
"They still have a few buildings here, but it's mostly houses…" observed Ryoga as they progressed through the new place.
"Yes, that's true." admitted Ukyo. "It looks less modern, all in all. And as we'll go further in inner China, we won't see buildings anymore. And the houses might become smaller and older. As for the roads… not sure they'll always be asphalted, later on."
"You make it sound like we're getting back to the Middle Ages…" Ranma said as he emerged from his tiredness, concluding with an enormous yawn.
"As soon as we're in our bedrooms, the first thing I'll do is recharge you !" Soraya said on a determined tone that left him indifferent (he was too tired to tease her in any way).
As they walked, the redhead couldn't help checking her braid, as well as her forehead, all of this to make sure that no strand of her red hair was visible. The (thankfully) short-lived trauma from Lanzhou had left a scar in her, and the latter wouldn't disappear… or at least not as long as they would be in China !
They found a grocery store and could purchase some fresh as well as dry food, and a pack of green tea leaves : they felt that some tea would be nice, to help them relax and feed their bodies much more efficiently and qualitatively than those sodas that nowadays' youth craved so much…but that were absent from the store, which only had traditional items.
And then, they found the hotel.
It was a small, modest establishment, whose owner appeared somewhat eccentric, but definitely not a bad sort. His daughter helped him run the place, and two other ladies helped in the family business.
The bedrooms included only two beds in each, so they had to pay for three rooms : the boys in one, Ukyo and Soraya in another one, Akane in the last one. The third Tendo daughter had insisted that the chef remained with the redhead, in case the latter felt really bad – Ucchan had been given the painkillers, for Soraya to take if needed.
"That seems like a nice, cosy little place !" exclaimed Ryoga as he pulled out the kettle and the pack of tea leaves.
"Yes, quite charming, I would say !" agreed Akane.
"And the bed seem comfortable, as my "brother" can probably confirm…" said Soraya on a slightly ironic tone, her gaze turning towards one of the beds…
…on which Ranma had indeed lied down as soon as they had all gathered there.
"You're not hungry, Ran-Chan ?" gently asked the leader, loud enough for him to hear.
"Mmmmh ?" he sleepily reacted.
"Wanna eat with us ?" she rephrased.
"Mmmmh… maybe later…"
She hesitated, but decided not to insist, and the four others started their dinner.
And if the pigtailed boy didn't appear hungry, the least one could say was that the pigtailed girl wasn't in the same situation : she greedily devoured what she was offered, and the cook had to remind her that their food stock shouldn't be used up in one go. That paid off, Soraya (reluctantly) controlling her hunger.
"I'm glad to see you eat so well, Love ! I was worried you might only nibble, given your condition… but your appetite is reassuring, and makes me happy !" Ryoga told his girlfriend.
"Thanks, Ryo, but you know… I just can't help it ! Even with that goddamn pain, I still feel the intensity of my hunger. It remains unchanged. But I know it's all coz of that bloody curse cast by those bloody siblings !"
"That's a lot of blood…" commented Ranma in a sleepy voice, as he got off the bed and proceeded to sit with his friends.
"Oh, shut up, you !" the redhead playfully scolded him as she gently elbowed him.
He raised a brow at her…
… and she did the same !
That made Akane and Ukyo laugh, soon followed by Soraya.
Both boys looked at each other, slightly puzzled… then Ryoga couldn't hold it anymore – his friend's clueless face was priceless - and also burst out laughing.
Ranma looked around at his giggling buddies… and couldn't help chuckling as well.
Laughter… definitely a great medicine, one that is of real help. Especially after long days.
(…)
In the heart of the night, a door opened and a silhouette walked to the end of the corridor, where it entered another room.
After a bit more than a minute, a flushing sound was heard, followed by the sound of running water, and the silhouette soon emerged again from the room, after switching off the light.
But as it was about to enter the bedroom again…
"Uh… please ? Can you come down ? Someone wants to have a word with you. It won't be long, just a few minutes, no more."
There, at the top of the stairs, the hotel's owner was looking over at the silhouette… and waiting for an answer.
"Who is it ?" came the question.
"He didn't say. But he did say it was urgent !" was the reply.
The silhouette hesitated… then followed the owner downstairs.
(…)
The blue-eyed female generously stretched and looked over at the other bed…
… only to meet another pair of blue eyes staring at her !
"How was your night, Soraya ?"
"Not great, Ucchan. I woke up twice and each time had difficulty getting back to sleep. The pain is lingering, but bearable. And anyway, I must be cautious and spare the painkillers for later, all the more since we might not be able to buy some round here… or at least not without a prescription. And I'm not sure we could get one here, so… better spare the pills !"
The chef nodded approvingly.
"Well thought. I suggest we get up, go check on the others, then have breakfast and, after we've packed our stuff, get ready to move on."
Soraya's turn to nod.
Soon, both girls were dressed, and while the long-haired brunette went knocking on Akane's door, the braided redhead did the same on the boys' door.
Ryoga welcomed his beloved with a long, loving kiss.
"I hope you slept well…" he indirectly asked her.
"It was okay, I guess. What about you, Darling ?" she replied.
"Pretty good. But did you really sleep well ? You said 'okay', but…"
"As good as I could. I'll be fine, don't worry."
She kindly smiled at him, and as he returned it, their lips closed the space and –
"Morning, guys. Have you seen Akane ?" asked Ukyo, looking at each boy in turn.
Ranma frowned.
"She isn't in her room ?"
"No. But perhaps she was hungry and is already downstairs for breakfast… although it's unlike her not to wait for others and have breakfast with them…" pointed out their leader.
"Let's go check on her !" decided Soraya, and both boys quickly dressed, Ranma somewhat preoccupied.
They soon entered the breakfast-lunch room… but it was empty.
"But where is she ?!" wondered Ranma, preoccupation turning into worry.
"The restroom upstairs, maybe ?" suggested the Bandana Boy.
"I checked both her bedroom and the restroom before we all went downstairs !" Ucchan reminded them.
Soraya frowned, her bewilderment increasing.
"But then…"
"Hum…Excuse me…"
They all turned around to find the hotel's owner standing there… in a visibly awkward, if not uneasy fashion.
He held a folded note in his left hand.
Then he raised his arm, presenting them the paper.
His hand was slightly shaking.
Ukyo was the first to move, and as she approached him, she scrutinized him and sensed his great nervousness.
Unfolding the paper, she intently read the few words handwritten there… and her eyes widened !
But before she could actually say or do anything, Ranma, who had been reading over her shoulder, went from surprise to wrath…
… and, rushing forward, he grabbed the front of the owner's shirt, then pushed him backwards, against a wall, and lifted him from the floor !
"WHERE IS AKANE ? WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER ?" he screamed.
"Me not do anything. Armed men come last night. They know you here. They take my daughter and keep her, then they say want to see one of you and send me first floor, and when I arrive there, I see your friend. I tell her someone want see her. She come down… and then… and then they take her and go away, and last man give me this paper, say I must give you. I do nothing. I DO NOTHING !"
Ranma understood that the man had been forced to do their enemies' bidding, because of his daughter held as hostage, yet fury still wouldn't leave him.
"You could have woken us all instead of bringing my fiancée in a trap !" he angrily exclaimed.
"THEY SAY THEY KILL MY DAUGHTER IF I DO NOT WHAT THEY SAY !" shouted the panicked man, desperately trying to plead his cause.
A hand gently yet firmly pressed the boy's shoulder.
"Please let him go, Ran-Chan."
"But Ucchan –"
"Let him go. He had no choice. If your daughter was held prisoner, and her life in danger, you would do the same."
"No, I wouldn't !"
"You would. We all would. A child's life is sacred, and none of us would risk anything, for fear of losing a daughter or son. We would obey. He was forced to do what he did, he is also a victim."
His indignant eyes stared at her, as if challenging her to free the man by herself.
But she simply observed him intensely, her gaze a paradoxical mix of firmness and pleading.
"Ran-Chan… please… listen to me… he didn't have the choice."
He weighted her words for a moment…
…hesitated…
… took a look at the now tearful face of the owner…
… pondered some more…
… and finally, with an exasperated huff, he released the poor man, who collapsed and started apologizing.
"Thanks, Ran-Chan." Ukyo told him as she slowly, cautiously put a hand over his chest.
Without leaving her "brother" from sight, Soraya picked up the fallen note and unfolded it, then read it, Ryoga by her side.
And once again, all eyes widened.
"Damn !" he said.
"Akane…" whispered a worried redhead.
Their leader's hands balled into fists as the previously calm girl now trembled with rage, and when she looked at the others, it was with a steely stare.
"Let's go save our friend !" she ordered on the most determined tone.
The note fell off Soraya's hand and landed, unfolded, with the written side up.
Only a few words darkened the white paper… but ominous ones :
If you want to keep your friend alive, come to Xian de Huangyuan… and prepare to face your doom !
(…)
(…)
Jeez, almost a month since last update ! Sorry for the long wait, Folxxxx ! But I'll be honest with you : I've been terribly busy, especially at work, and finding some "writing time" has become very difficult. And I mean : VERY ! Hence the delay in updating ! And if things continue the same way, more delays could/would be expected, which I apologize for in advance, but which I'm absolutely not guilty for. '
Anyway… this is a transitional chappy, and I hope you enjoyed it overall. I felt slightly displeased with it at first, but I think I managed to make it work… not too bad, I hope.
The title ("A bend in the road") refers to more than one thing : to a road bend indeed, the sharp one that almost cost them their lives in the van, but also to the disappearance of Akane,. So the title has both a literal meaning AND a metaphorical meaning, the latter simply hinting to a radical turn of events (with their group of 5 becoming a group of 4), with the road symbolizing in this case our heroes' life / adventure.
In order to break routine, I involved the Amazons in the plot… and given Cologne's last words, you might guess what might happen later on.
And I once again gave The Five a hard time with another "transportation issue" that could have ended their quest… by ending their lives ! It was a close call… but our heroes are born under a lucky star after all ! :))
And a kidnapping, to top it off ! Cliffhangers… I used them a lot, back in the days… and it feels good to resort to them, every now and then ! *knowing smile*
Hey, btw : my fist Ranma, THE TIDE IS TURNING (TTT, in short) got favorited ! Which is still cool, after all that time. But the one I'm the most thankful these days is my good friend Hoyo476, who started reading TTT… but is now also reading RANMA 2-2 ! I'm incredibly grateful to him for doing so, and if you read this right now, kudos to you, my dear G ! :DDD
Oh, and… I almost forgot :
!
Hopefully 2025 will bring us all better vibes than 2024, and if one of the ongoing wars would finally come to an end, that wouldn't be too bad, oh no !
I hope you guys are fine, as fine as can be, and I wish you much happiness, as much as there can be !
TaKare !
" Léo "