"... In addition to the usual morning announcements, your Student Council wishes to make public an amendment to the previously posted 'Zero Tolerance' policy enacted for all members of competitive sports teams. Due to several abuses, the bylaw has been amended; Sports Team members shall be removed from the team roster should they be found to have engaged in physical altercations with other students, as before. However, exceptions shall be made in cases of self-defense or for unprovoked attacks on said club members. Club-sanctioned events such as official martial arts challenge matches shall continue to be exempt, however Student Council President Kuno's open and ongoing challenge regarding Akane Tendo has been rescinded until further notice, due to concerns about possible injury. On an unrelated note, those students with a free period in the morning are requested to keep the front courtyard clear until lunchtime to facilitate the efforts of medical professionals working in the area…"
000
"Do you think it's over?" Akane pulled her knees up to her chest, leaning back against the tree as she stared at a blade of grass she was turning over in her fingers.
"Depends on if and when Kuno comes back, I guess," Ukyou replied. "I wouldn't hold out too much hope that something doesn't take its place, though. Remember when I showed up in a girl's uniform and they started chasing me down?" The Okonomiyaki chef sighed and plucked at her boy's uniform jacket. "There's something deeply wrong with the guys at this school."
Nabiki looked up and smiled as she spotted the ones she had been waiting for. "Maybe not all of them." She stood up and walked over to meet Hiroshi and Daisuke as they approached.
"Hey boss." Daisuke said. He looked around, a little nervous. "You sure it's okay for us to meet out in the open like this?"
Nabiki shrugged. "Himura already knows you work for me. 'Plausible deniability' covers official reprisals, but she's not dumb. She'd be more suspicious if we didn't meet up now and then. Fortunately, she doesn't take you two very seriously."
"Do you think it's the tutus?" Hiroshi asked.
"Of course not," Daisuke replied. "Tutus are very serious business."
Nabiki smiled in spite of herself. "Well, do you have anything for me?"
"Himura has done a pretty good job of controlling most of the common sources of info," Daisuke said. "School newspaper, computer club, yearbook staff… just about anyone with any real access has at least a few of Himura's cronies in with them."
Nabiki's expression soured. "Yeah, I know. Because they used to be my cronies. Took me forever to put that network together and Hana just handed it over for a piece of the pie we already owned. I'd be impressed with Himura's salesmanship if she were more interested in trading in yen rather than people's souls."
"Buuuuuut… All of the usual biases remain, including snubbing some of the less reputable sources," Hiroshi continued. He pulled an envelope out of his bag and handed it to her. "We sent the good stuff to that post office box you gave us, but this should give you some idea what we're getting."
Nabiki pulled out several photographs. Most were taken at odd angles, either from on high, as though near the ceiling, or from a position about 4 feet off the ground. They were from a number of different classes, including some that showed Himura and her 'elites' and a few more of Hana taking her own pictures in various places on and off campus.
"You didn't take these," Nabiki said, examining them carefully. They were printouts rather than usual photographic stock like she used. Printouts from digital images. High resolution though. No noticeable blurring; taken in low-light conditions with no flash. Whoever took these had a steady hand and experience with tweaking aperture settings. "In fact there's only one person in this school who could."
"We'll leave his name out of it, then," Daisuke said with a smirk.
"Is he reliable, though?" Nabiki turned over a picture in her hand. The paper was quality - not cheap. The photographer was definitely trying to impress.
"The current status quo kinda left him unemployed," Hiroshi said. "Seems he got a fair bit of work from Kuno."
"I know. He was actually my major competition for that market," Nabiki replied dryly. "If he had any composition skills he might have actually been a threat to my bottom line. But he was always good with the investigative work."
"Himura doesn't even acknowledge he exists," Hiroshi continued. "So he's more than happy to take what he can get."
"He's not the only source, though," Daisuke added. "We've got another potential photographer outside of the school we're looking into. Aaaand… We might have someone inside Hana's inner circle who's sympathetic."
"Good. Work that especially quietly. Get me their name through secure channels. If Hana paid attention to anything I taught her she'll be expecting leaks, so be careful not to burn our guy." Nabiki considered. "That's a good start, well done."
"Actually…" Daisuke rubbed the back of his head.
"We've got one more," Hiroshi smirked, nudging Daisuke in the ribs with his elbow. "Don't be so modest, player!"
"I'm really not proud of this," Daisuke said miserably.
Nabiki raised an eyebrow and waited.
"Daisuke has been going to our dear Coach Olga for some extra-curricular lessons in Russian," Hiroshi said.
"Meaning I've been going through my Russian language learning kit with her and she's been saying 'da!' whenever I ask a question," Daisuke muttered.
"She's actually been picking up some of the language without having to admit she doesn't speak it," Hiroshi explained. "So Daisuke here has become her 'little dove'."
"Please don't use that name," Daisuke whimpered.
"That's right! What has she started calling you now instead? Rолубка?" Hiroshi crossed his arms.
"Means the same thing," Daisuke muttered.
"Hey, I'm not one to judge the love between a high school student and a mentally-ill woman in her 40's,,,"
Daisuke sighed in frustration. "I took one for the team, okay? But we now know Olga isn't really in the 'inner circle' of all this, like the Principal. She's basically just doing her job."
"And slightly addled," Hiroshi added.
"... And that," Daisuke admitted.
"And very lonely."
"Dude, stop."
Nabiki rubbed her chin. "Good. Keep up with the language lessons."
Daisuke's jaw dropped. "What?! Why!?"
"We need an advocate within the athletics department," Nabiki replied. "So… congrats. Keep making her happy."
"But… but she's started talking about setting up candles for our lessons! And last time she brought in a record player to play music! And I think she's started to wear perfume!" Daisuke whined.
"High school is all about experiences, buddy," Hiroshi clapped him on the back. "Hey, remember when she accidentally crushed that football helmet between her thighs?"
"My choices have become to die a virgin or die from a crushed pelvis," Daisuke moaned. "All I wanted this year was to find a normal girlfriend."
"Well…" Hiroshi gestured towards the outdoor volleyball court. "There's always…"
"No," Daisuke said quickly. "Not Yuka. Never Yuka."
"Keep me posted on new developments, then," Nabiki said, noticing a familiar white-robed figure riding up on a bicycle. "With Himura and the school, not Daisuke's love life. Unless it's relevant of course."
With Shampoo now enrolled at Furinkan, her usual delivery duties had been delegated to the other employee of the Nekohanten - Mousse.
Mindful of his nearsightedness and the fact that everyone was wearing identical uniforms and colors, Nabiki waved to him in the hopes of catching his attention. Sure enough, she saw the flash of sunlight reflected off his thick spectacles as he turned the bike and started accelerating towards her.
When he got close enough for her to see his expression of rapt excitement and anticipation and the fact that his glasses were pushed up on top of his head, Nabiki realized her mistake.
"I'm here my darling Shampoo!"
Mousse leapt from the bike, using a very similar technique to what Shampoo typically used for her high speed glomptackles, his trajectory unerringly on target for Nabiki despite his poor eyesight. One arm was outstretched as if to embrace, as the other continued to balance the metal carrier box in a show of delivery professionalism that would have impressed Nabiki at any other less personally perilous moment.
Nabiki threw up her arms to shield herself and braced for impact, unsure how she was going to survive being struck by the much larger and much more ballistic Amazon male without serious injury. She closed her eyes tight and waited to be flattened.
After a few heartbeats more of consciousness than she was expecting, she cracked open an eye and risked looking.
Shampoo was standing next to her. In one hand she held the metal delivery box. Her foot was extended in a high, straight kick, which currently had it firmly planted against Mousse's face and was apparently what had halted his momentum.
"How many times Shampoo tell stupid Mousse? Wear glasses when doing deliveries!"
Mouse mumbled something which might have been 'Yes, Shampoo' or might have been 'I think I have a brain hemorrhage'; it was hard to tell around Shampoo's shoe. Then he dropped to the ground where he remained, twitching slightly.
"Should eat now, yes?" Shampoo said brightly to Nabiki. "Not want to get cold."She hefted the box and walked back to the tree, stepping over Mousse's crumpled form.
Nabiki gave Mousse a sympathetic look before following.
000
"You know… this is probably going to be used against me at some point… but that was actually pretty good, Shampoo." Ukyou put her bowl and chopsticks down, sighing in satisfaction.
"Not bad thing have something other than okonomiyaki now and then," Shampoo said. "Get new ideas to try."
"That could be said for Ramen too," Akane pointed out.
Shampoo shrugged. "Is true. Good to try new things."
"There's actually that new donburi place that opened up nearby I've been wanting to try," Ukyou said thoughtfully. "Every time I walk by there, something smells amazing."
"Maybe we could all go together!" Akane beamed.
"As long as you're paying," Nabiki replied, absently writing notes in her little black ledger.
Shampoo smirked and sidled up to Nabiki, giving her a seductive look. "Maybe will if Nabiki make worth while?"
Nabiki didn't even pause in her writing. "That would run you considerably more than lunch at a donburi place, pussycat."
Shampoo's smile simply widened. "How much?"
Nabiki stopped writing. She blinked and glanced at Shampoo.
"How much?" Shampoo repeated, a mischievous twinkle in her eye.
"More than you could afford, trust me," Nabiki replied dryly, though it was obvious she was a little off balance. Not that she hadn't been asked such questions before, but generally it came from hormonal teenage boys, or leering older men.
"Might be surprised. Give number?" Shampoo pressed, undeterred. She sidled a bit closer, and Nabiki felt her confident and coolly uninterested facade wobble a bit as Shampoo nearly was sitting in her lap.
Nabiki opened her mouth but for once didn't have a decent reply.
"Or is some things not willing to sell?" Shampoo purred. She moved forward a little more, slipping her arms around Nabiki's neck. "Good. Should be priceless, no? Mean more when finally won." Her nose was barely centimeters from Nabiki's own.
A pair of chopsticks bapped Shampoo on the back of the head.
"No seductions during school hours," Akane said authoritatively as she returned to her ramen. "We draw too much attention as it is."
Shampoo huffed, still practically in Nabiki's lap. "Shampoo think Akane jealous."
In response, Akane merely paused to point at something behind Shampoo with her chopsticks, then resumed eating.
The other three girls looked in the directions she had indicated. Mousse lay there. He had apparently regained consciousness just in time to see Shampoo's display in front of him and immediately collapse again from the sudden blood loss when the spike in his blood pressure caused a rather impressive nosebleed.
Shampoo sighed. "Mousse no hentai."
Akane paused in her eating again and pointed with her chopsticks several more times, indicating a number of similar sights; small clusters of male students, some of whom had succumbed as Mousse had while others were still watching, rapt.
"Welcome to being Furinkan's newest male fantasy, Shampoo," Ukyou said.
Shampoo shrugged, and then shifted, actually sitting down directly in Nabiki's lap now and curling up, laying her head on her shoulder. "Can watch all they want. Is not for them."
Nabiki sighed as a few more boys in the distance collapsed. "Well, there goes years of carefully cultivated image."
"Oh please," Akane snorted, finishing her bowl. "You were hardly ever exempt from the male gaze, Nabiki. You just did a better job of convincing them all you were unattainable." She raised an eyebrow as she glanced at her sister and the affectionate Amazon currently using her as a seat. "I don't see anything here that'll change that notion."
"Doesn't work that way here, sis," Nabiki said. She casually looped one arm around Shampoo and used it to hold her book as she continued writing as if the situation were completely normal. "The hard core head cases here don't care about things like 'preferences'. It was the risk of financial and social oblivion that I convinced them would come from any sort of show of affection towards me. I had to make a few 'examples' my first year here."
Ukyou raised an eyebrow. "You made yourself a social pariah to get them to leave you alone?"
"Well, I kind of already was. All through middle school I was… awkward. Most of them thought I was a dork," Nabiki admitted. "Then puberty hit and all the boys who made fun of me suddenly wanted a different sort of 'fun'. I saw how ridiculous everyone acted because of it and… I just didn't want any part of it. So I opted out - played the Ice Queen. I made sure I always had something someone wanted so I was too valuable to dismiss. And then… well, I used what I observed to make life uncomfortable for those who didn't take the hint. I figured I'd wait for that sort of thing until college when everyone had grown up a little. If I ever did." She tried to focus on her notes but was finding it increasingly difficult to keep her train of thought on its tracks.
It might have had something to do with the looks she was getting from the others, or the fact that Shampoo was hugging her tighter now.
"Ukyou and Akane go help girls with volleyball?" Shampoo asked quietly. "Want talk to Nabiki alone."
Akane and Ukyou shared a glance, then nodded and stood.
"Take Mousse with," Shampoo added. "Tell to get back to work."
The two girls nodded, then walked back over to the white robed martial artist. Ukyou grabbed him by the collar and started dragging him over to the volleyball courts.
"I know what you're doing, Shampoo," Nabiki said, resuming her note taking. "I'm not lonely, or 'wounded', or needing to be rescued from anything."
"Mmmhmmm," Shampoo replied quietly. She simply remained where she was, holding her.
"There isn't any need to 'thaw' the Ice Queen. Ranma's already been doing that. I just maintain the 'game face' for the benefit of Himura and the rest of the school."
"Mmmhmmm."
Nabiki looked down at the girl curled against her and sighed. "I'm not going to win this argument, am I?"
"Nnnnh."
Nabiki paused a moment, then put down her book. She wrapped her arms around Shampoo and hugged back. "You Amazons are a persistent lot."
"Survival trait," Shampoo replied.
000
Ukyou paused as Mousse stirred. She stopped dragging him and let him lie on the grass as she walked around and squatted next to him, Akane on his other side. "Hey, Mousse, you awake now?"
"My… darling… Shampoo… is that…?"
"Nope," Akane said quickly, pushing his glasses back down over his eyes as he blinked.
"... Oh. Hello Ukyou Kuonji," he said. Slowly he sat up, dabbing at his nose. He produced a handkerchief out of nowhere to clean off the blood and blow his nose. "Well… that was embarrassing and undignified. Did Shampoo…?"
"Yup," Ukyou said.
"Oh," Mousse sighed, crestfallen. "I apologize for my behaviour. It's unseemly for Amazon males to react that way to bonding between females. I appear to have picked up some bad habits from my time in Japan." He stood and bowed to them both in turn. "Please accept my most sincere apologies."
"It's okay, sugar. We know you get a bit loopy around Shampoo," Ukyou straightened and brushed herself off. "It'd be best if we gave them some privacy though."
Mousse quickly brought the handkerchief back to his nose. "I… see."
Akane rolled her eyes. "Come on, maybe volleyball will take your mind off of it."
"Volleyball…?" Mousse replied, confused.
"Yeah, Ra… the girl's team is practicing for their first game this Wednesday. They're even skipping lunch for it," Ukyou said, carefully editing out mention of Ranma owing to Mousse' typical bad reaction to it. "At the very least they could use a warm body to lob balls for them."
Mousse adjusted his glasses before tucking his hands into his robes. "I'm not very familiar with the game, but I will attempt to render what assistance I can."
"Thanks, sugar. I owe ya a deluxe okonomiyaki. On the house next time you come around." Ukyou beamed at him.
As they approached the outdoor courts, they could see Sayuri was directing some kind of choreography. At her order, Yuka tossed a ball in the air, then as Riko crouched, making a basket with her hands, Rin ran towards her.
"What are they doing?" Akane asked, cocking her head.
"Isn't that some sort of gymnastics?" Ukyou replied. "Maybe cheerleading?"
Rin stepped into Riko's clasped hands. Riko stood and lifted as hard as she could while Rin leapt skywards, the boost giving the diminutive girl quite a bit of height as she rose to meet the descending ball.
Ukyou's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh crap-hit the deck!"
She dove for cover and Akane followed suit, though not really sure why. Mousse simply watched, uncertain what was going on.
Rin's strike hit the ball with the report of a gunshot. There was a moment where time seemed to slow as physics tried to catch up with the ball suddenly having more force applied to it in a shorter time than the laws of momentum were entirely comfortable with. Time snapped back to normal speed and the sand on the far side of the court exploded as if a mortar had gone off.
Ukyou and Akane covered their heads, blinded by the cloud of sand.
Rin dropped back to the court. For a moment it looked like she was going to stick the landing but then her left foot slipped out from under her. She yelped and started to tumble backwards, arms windmilling frantically.
A pair of strong hands caught her before she could hit the ground.
The dust cleared. Ukyou and Akane looked up, coughing and rubbing the sand from their eyes. The other girls were doing much the same.
"Rin, are you okay?!" Riko asked. She darted forward before she realized someone else had already caught the girl. She looked up, blinked, and her eyes widened as the gears turned in her head. "Uh-oh…"
Rin looked up at her saviour. A pair of spectacles glinted in the light, the blue-green eyes behind them regarding her curiously. Long dark hair fell about his face, somehow still perfectly straight and smooth despite the explosion and what had to have been a burst of motion on his part.
"Are you all right, miss?"
Sayuri and Yuka saw the situation and immediately braced for the impending Rinsplosion.
Rin stared up at him a moment. Her eyes widened a bit. Then there was a shift in her expression, almost as though she had forgotten what she was going to say. She smiled pleasantly. "Oh, yes! Thank you."
Mousse lifted her up onto her feet, then slipped his hands back into the sleeves of his robes. "You're quite welcome, Miss…?"
"Rin. Rin Ito." Rin smiled and offered her hand. "Pleased to meet you…?"
"Mu Su," Mousse replied, taking her hand and clasping it a moment. "That was quite the impressive move. I haven't seen acrobatics mixed in with volleyball before."
Rin smiled and bowed. "Thank you! We are trying several new ideas, borrowing from martial arts, gymnastics and cheerleading. I am still working on my landings though."
Yuka and Sayuri watched, confused.
"No Rinsplosion?" Yuka asked, brow furrowing in confusion.
"I guess not?" Sayuri replied, equally at a loss.
"Your landing sounded awkward. I thought it best to intervene. Please forgive me for being presumptuous." Mousse bowed.
"Not at all!" Rin replied. "That's impressive, that you could tell that just by listening."
"When you have poor eyesight you learn to compensate," Mousse replied. "I learned how during my time with the circus. My knife-throwing teacher was actually completely blind."
"Really? I've never met anyone from the circus!"
"I learned a lot from them. Especially acrobatics. You actually did quite well on your launch, but I suspect the force you put into that remarkable strike of yours threw your balance off, so you landed with your center of gravity behind your feet."
"Oh, that does make sense!"
"Ukyou Kuonji and Akane Tendo asked me to assist them in helping your team with your training. If you like I could give you a few pointers? I know little about volleyball, but acrobatics I have some knowledge of."
"Oh, that would be wonderful!"
Ukyou sidled up to Sayuri, confused by their perplexed and amazed expressions. "What's with you two?"
"Oh, uh…" Sayuri blinked and glanced at Ukyou. "Nothing… I guess? Just…" She looked back at Rin and cocked her head. "Expecting more of a reaction from Rin I suppose."
Ukyou folded her arms. "What, because Mousse is a martial artist?"
Yuka shook her head. "No, no, it's more like we were expecting…"
At that moment Riko turned, equally confused and took a step back towards the group and bumped directly into Ukyou. She looked up and her eyes widened as a blush spread across her cheeks and she backpedalled away frantically, slipped and fell on her butt. "Aaaaah! I'msorryIdidn'tseeyouIdidn'tmeantobumpintoyou!"
"... Something more like that, yeah," Yuka finished, smirking.
"Everything okay, Riko?" Ukyou asked, walking over and offering her hand to the girl.
Riko's cheeks burned as she accepted it, letting Ukyou pull her up. "Fine! It's all fine! I just…"
"Riko is a big fan of your work, Ukyou," Yuka said, a very Nabiki-seque smirk crossing her lips.
"Oh! You like Okonomiyaki?" Ukyou beamed at Riko, who was fidgeting with embarrassment.
"Oh, not that work," Yuka added. "She was very impressed with that oral presentation you gave a few days ago."
"Yuka, I will destroy everything you love…!" Riko snarled at the other girl.
"What… Oh! You mean that passage I read in English class?" Ukyou said. "I didn't think it was all that special… I mean I know I messed up a few words, and my accent is still pretty terrible." She chuckled and rubbed the back of her head.
"Oh, trust me, the feeling you put into it really impressed her," Yuka continued. "She even expressed an interest in you repeating your performance for her."
Riko was beet red by this point, head down and trembling in mortification.
"Oh? Well, uh… sure, if I can even remember how it went," Ukyou beamed. "Anything to support the volleyball team, right?"
"I'm sure she'd be fine if you improvised something." Yuka patted her on the back. She leaned over and whispered in Riko's ear. "This is for my diet. Next time keep your horribly, horribly delicious figure-destroyers to yourself!"
Riko glared daggers of humiliated rage at her but stayed silent.
Mousse had just finished doing a standing blackflip for Rin, and was going over how he had landed and indicating to her how he positioned his center of gravity, and she was nodding attentively.
"... If you keep that in mind, your landings should be much smoother," Mousse finished, and then straightened.
"Oh, thank you!" Rin said, smiling. "This is going to be so useful!"
Mousse smiled a little bashfully. "It was my pleasure. It's… nice to be able to be of assistance. Especially to an appreciative audience."
Rin nodded. "Oh, will you be coming to the game? I would love for you to be able to see all our hard work in action!"
Mousse raised an eyebrow. "Really? I'm not actually a student here…"
"Oh that's fine! You live in the community, right? The games are open to any Nerima residents who want to cheer their local team on as long as there are seats available."
Mousse smiled. It was one of the most genuine smiles he had worn since coming to Nerima. "I'd… be honored. Thank you. I will be there if at all possible."
"Oh good!" Rin clapped.
Mousse pulled back his sleeve, checking a wristwatch that hadn't been on his wrist a moment before. "I had best be getting back before the Elder makes me clean out the grease trap with a toothbrush again."
"Oh… that doesn't sound fun at all," Rin replied sympathetically.
"Especially since she makes me use my toothbrush."
"... Oh."
He straightened and bowed. "I look forward to seeing you soon, Rin Ito. Good luck with your training, and with your upcoming game." He straightened and waved before he turned and leapt up onto a fencepost and then from there off to a nearby rooftop.
Rin simply waved, that same pleasant smile fixed on her face as she watched him go.
"Oh wow, not even a 'squee' for roofhopping," Sayuri said, raising an eyebrow.
Yuka walked up beside Rin and patted her shoulder. "I guess our little Rin is growing up, huh?"
Rin froze in place. There was an almost audible 'pop' as something intangible yet vitally important suddenly re-established itself. Rin turned her head jerkily towards Yuka, her pleasant smile twisting into a manic grin as she started trembling.
Yuka's eyes went wide in a split second realization of the situation. "Oh no…"
"EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"Ow, ow, ow, eardrums, ow…" Yuka whimpered, holding her hands over her ears. The rest of them were similarly doubled over trying to block out the extended, transsonic squee.
Rin was on her knees in the sand, holding herself, rocking and mumbling. "He'ssoprettyandhedoesmartialartsandhe'sniceandhewantedtohelpmeandhe'sfromthecircus-theCIRCUS!-andhehassuchbeautifuleyesandHEKNOWSMYNAME!"
"Ow? Explain?" Ukyou asked Sayuri as she rubbed her ears.
"Don't ask me! That was new," Sayuri replied. She walked over to Rin and knelt next to her. "Rin? Rin, are you okay?"
Rin was hyperventilating, her face beat red as she mumbled what sounded like a lot of nonsense and/or something about marriage plans. Occasionally she would lapse into a fit of hysterical giggling.
"I think we broke her…" Riko said mournfully, kneeling in front of Rin and waving a hand in front of her unseeing eyes.
Yuka attempted to clear the ringing from her ears with her finger. She considered Rin a moment then spoke up. "Oh, hey Ranma. We weren't expecting you here today!"
Rin blinked and looked up suddenly, snapping back to reality. "S-senpai?!" She looked around frantically for a moment before she realized Ranma wasn't actually there. With whatever spell that had gripped her broken she seemed to deflate a little, clutching her temples and flopping onto her back in the sand. "Ooooh… I have a headache..."
"What was that all about?" Akane asked, kneeling next to Rin's prone form.
"Rin gets… enthusiastic about some things," Sayuri said sheepishly. "Never that bad before though."
"What actually happened?" Yuka asked. "You were totally normal with him until he left. Then… technicolor freakout."
Rin rubbed her forehead. "S-Sometimes when I get too excited, I kind of zone out. I sort of go on autopilot for a while until I calm down a little. Then I usually need a nap."
"That freakout was you calming down!?" Akane boggled.
"You know how sometimes something happens and you just stand there stunned for a bit before you can talk or say or do anything?" Rin said sheepishly. "That was kinda what happened, except when it happens to me I keep talking and doing stuff."
"So… you Rinned so hard you couldn't even Rin?" Yuka asked.
"I… w-when did I become a verb?" Rin looked up at the other girl.
"Well, that's good to know," Sayuri sighed. "Don't get our star player wet and don't get our other star player too excited." She helped Rin sit up, brushing sand off her back.
"It's… It hasn't h-happened since elementary school," Rin said sheepishly.
"Puberty is rough, huh?" Yuka quipped.
Rin blushed and covered her face. "Ohmygodhe'ssopretty…"
"Yuka, don't help," Sayuri said sternly. "Are… you going to be okay, Rin? Around Mousse I mean?"
Rin nodded, though she kept her face covered. "He doesn't come to the school often, right? M-maybe… I can slowly get used to being around him." She hunched down a little. "Eeeeeeeeee…."
"How slowly?" Yuka asked. "'Cuz you invited him to our game on Wednesday and he seemed really intent on being there."
Rin's eyes widened and abruptly went glassy. She stood up, smiled pleasantly and said, "Well, we should get back to practice, right?" She nodded and walked over to the other side of the court to retrieve her volleyball.
She managed to get all of four paces before she fell over and started twitching.
"Now I have a headache…" Sayuri muttered, rubbing her forehead.
000
Ryouga wasn't much for watching television or movies, much less indulge in much science fiction, but he had to admit the machine he was being introduced to certainly seemed like something straight out of some futuristic space drama and the explanation of what it did and how it worked did nothing to dispel the illusion.
The MRI machine was a large, pristine white toroid with a long cot attached to a slide-rail to pass it through the center of the machine. Futuristic looking controls and lights dotted the surface and next to the machine was a windowed booth with more displays and computer equipment than he had ever seen in one place. There was an ever present humming from a multitude of fans and electronics as well as an overriding, barely restrained power emanating from the toroid itself.
Ryouga was finding a lot of his bravado evaporating.
"So… uhh… this is all safe, right?" He said nervously. "No weird radiation side effects?"
The technician laughed. "No radiation at all. It's all magnetic. As long as you don't take any metal in there you're fine."
"And if I did?" Ryouga asked nervously. He was fairly certain he had no metal on him but he was suddenly mindful of that 5 yen coin he had swallowed when he was five.
"Well, it'd mess up the scan," the technician shrugged. "We're just doing your head today so as long as you're not wearing any jewelry nor have any metal plates in your head, you'll be fine."
Ranma stood on her tiptoes and tapped her knuckles against Ryouga's skull. "Nope. Solid granite as always."
"Ranmaaaa…" Ryouga growled under his breath, but the technician laughed.
"I certainly hope not. Granite is radioactive. That'd really mess up the scan." The technician chuckled and guided them inside. "Now, I understand your back is pretty tender, so you can lay on your side or your front, whichever is more comfortable. You're going to hear some banging while you're in there… it's kinda like a washing machine full of tennis balls. That's normal. We have ear plugs for you if you need them. Also there is a mic right by your head so if you feel any discomfort or need anything just speak up and we'll hear you clear as day."
Ryouga nodded and settled onto the cot on his side. He looked up and realized the hole in the center of the machine was a lot tighter than he had originally thought. He looked up and saw Dr. Hirano through the glass of the booth as the technician fussed with the machines. If this is so safe, why does he need to be in a separate room?
He noticed Ranma pulling up a chair next to the machine. She was eying it nervously as well, now that she could hear the ominous hum from it.
"You don't have to be in here, you know," Ryouga said.
"Someone has to make sure you don't chicken out," Ranma shot back with a smirk.
Ryouga snorted but, oddly, felt a little better. "Well, don't come crying to me if you get your insides magnetically scrambled or something. I'm the only one that needs to be in here."
"Heh, you say that like you think I'm afraid or something," Ranma said - then visibly jumped as there was a ~thump~ from the machine.
Ryouga chuckled then closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Well, no turning back now.
The cot started to slide in. Thankfully, only his head needed to be fully inside but that was still tremendously disconcerting.
"All right, please hold as still as you can, Mr. Hibiki. We're going to take the first set of images, which will take a few minutes." The doctor's voice came over the speaker next to his head, tinny and distant. "You're going to hear some noises but don't worry, they're perfectly normal."
'Perfectly normal' was apparently doctor-speak for loud. The rattling and thumping grew louder and Ryouga couldn't help but imagine he'd just stuck his head inside of a rock polishing machine. It was a struggle to avoid reflexive twitching as more thumps sounded near his ear.
Nothing else happened for a few minutes. Ryouga was expecting some sort of sensation, a tingling, a heat, something, but there was nothing except that incessant noise. The urge to scratch his nose became intense and his mind started to swirl with darker thoughts beginning to intrude.
What if they DO find something? He thought. What if it's a tumor or something? Or worse? What if it's something that's going to get worse as time goes on? What if this thing MAKES it worse? He started to breath a little more heavily. I shouldn't have done this. This was a bad idea! I should tell them to stop!
"All right, that's the first set. Take a breath, scratch your nose, stretch if you need to."
Ryouga opened his eyes. He was about to say something, tell them to call it off and let him out. He was ready to force his way out if they refused!
Then he felt slender fingers slip around his and a warm hand grasping his own.
His breathing calmed, the surprise taking the wind out of the sails of his panic. He should have been repelled, should have shouted at Ranma to let go, should have snatched his hand back. But instead he just squeezed back and held on as he closed his eyes again.
Right now the rivalry didn't matter. Appearances didn't matter. Pride didn't even really matter. This wasn't something he knew how to endure or fight. He couldn't run away from it. He didn't have control. And that was something he didn't want to be alone with.
Oddly enough, he got the feeling Ranma knew that. Idly he wondered if there was anyone else who would be able to pick up on it like that.
He could still sense Ranma's ki through the link, now that he was aware it was there. Ranma wasn't 'pushing' like before but he could still sense it. It was an odd sensation, like colors for emotions, colors that didn't correspond to anything his eyes could see. He saw Ranma's bravado, of course, but it was thin and patchy; Her defenses were down for once. Just beneath that surface there was boredom but with a tension to it… like the kind of monotony one had to endure while waiting for a battle to begin. There was… worry? Yes… some was due to the alien environment, the strange machinery and the situation, but there was more there. Worry... concern… fear; uncertainty not just from this situation but something that ran much deeper. The confidence he'd expected to be there simply wasn't; Instead... there was fatigue and, beneath that - buried deep, something familiar. Black, sticky and cloying, like frigid mud. Depression.
Ryouga gently squeezed those fingers. He could feel the calluses, the strength in them, the tenacity. They were not fragile fingers despite their appearance. But there was something fragile there for certain. He found himself unconsciously sharing his own nervousness with her, his own fear and that sense of reassurance he got from her presence.
It was odd. The fear and nervousness drained from him but it didn't seem to go anywhere. It seemed to flow into the place where their ki was mixing, between the palms of their hands, and just… dissolve. Likewise he could feel her own tension ease, that his blind attempt at reassurance was actually having an effect.
It was getting hard to reconcile all of this new information with his conception of who or what Ranma was.
He didn't even notice the next few sets, his attention focused almost wholly on this new set of perceptions. When the doctor called a halt almost half an hour later, Ryouga was a bit startled to feel the cot drawing back out of the machine.
Ranma drew her hand back self-consciously, breaking the link. Ryouga felt a brief pang of loss as the link winked out but he shook his head, clearing his meditative reverie and focusing on the Doctor.
"Is there something wrong?" Ranma asked. "I thought it was supposed to take longer than this?"
"It is. Actually… we're just discussing, but there's something odd about the images we're getting. Nothing bad medically, of course," he quickly reassured them. "In fact, Mr. Hibiki appears to have a perfectly healthy brain. But we think we might have a calibration issue. Please relax a few minutes. If you need anything, such as a drink or a bathroom break…"
"Bathroom would be nice, actually," Ryouga said, though it was more that he wanted to clear his head. Things were very crowded and confused in there right now.
"Certainly. Just to your left and down the hall. It's right at the T intersection."
"Thanks." Ryouga hopped off the bed and walked through the door, turning left and walking down the hallway. Sure enough, the bathrooms were there and clearly marked. They were the universal type, a single toilet and sink in a large room meant to accommodate wheelchairs or other bulky equipment. He stepped inside with a sigh and locked the door behind him. He walked over to the sink and looked at his face in the mirror.
There were still a mass of bruises there, scabbed over scrapes and bags under his eyes. He definitely looked like he had seen Hell.
What are you doing, Hibiki? he wondered. He desperately wished he could splash cold water on his face but he was forced to settle for slightly warm to avoid triggering his curse. Holding hands with Ranma? Sticking my head in a big magnet, hoping that it'll fix my problems when it couldn't do ANYTHING for… he winced and trailed off. I should be finding my way back to Akari. I should accept Akane's feelings, move on with my life and devote myself to the person who really, truly cares about me. I…
He felt a throb of guilt. The sounds of her screams as the giant animal had born down on her. He hadn't even been able to see her face, tumbling and confused as a pathetic little black piglet.
Who am I kidding? he thought miserably, staring at the surface of the water. A single curse maybe he could manage. Maybe he could even turn it into an advantage as the other Jusenkyo sufferers had, (though he struggled to imagine what advantages the body and skills of a little black piglet conferred) but two? One that left him physically helpless and the other that made him unable to find help. It was a wonder the combination hadn't killed him yet. It had certainly come close a few times.
How many times have I tried to cure my Jusenkyo curse? he thought, looking up at the mirror. Even if that was fruitless, I tried! How can I do any less if there's even a CHANCE of curing this? What is the alternative? To just… be alone for the rest of my life so no one gets hurt?
Some dark part of him answered, something deep in the cold, black mud.
Yesssss…
He squeezed his eyes shut. No, not going to listen to this.
You always do. You run, because you know they'll eventually get tired of you. They'll get sick of you being a burden. That's why your parents left you behind. That's why Akane can't even see you as anything more than a pet; an ANIMAL. That's why Akari will start to hate you. That's why you couldn't stay with Anna. That's why you run.
Because you know I'm right.
The worst part was, it wasn't some demon or figment or derangement. It was just him. His voice. Things he believed deep down. Cold, acidic truths he couldn't refute.
His gaze fell, the old familiar coldness overcoming him again. The world is a dark and lonely place.
Except… He glanced at his hand. Ranma cares.
The voice was silent for a moment. Ryouga clung to that memory of what he had sensed through the link. Doesn't she? He demanded.
You are lost. You are going to open that door and have no idea where you are.
Ryouga felt an icy blade in his chest as he realized it was true. What had for a moment been so clear, so simple, was gone. He had known where he was, for just a brief moment, and now that it was gone it made the confusion all the more terrifying.
He looked to the door… it was the door he came in through, right? There only was one door… right? He turned around and was facing another door. Or was it the same door? He couldn't tell anymore!
Open the door. Go back to wandering. It's better this way.
He reached for the doorknob then hesitated. "M-maybe if I wait, Ranma will find me…"
No one is looking for you. She'll be relieved you're gone. No one is on the other side of that door for you. Open it. Step out. You don't belong here.
He felt the fear, the sudden panic and the uncertainty all drain away. This was normal. This he understood. He could deal with being lost. He could deal with being alone. He couldn't keep wishing for something better if nothing existed for him.
This is reality. Deal with it. Open the door.
He sighed, reached out and turned the doorknob. After another pause he pushed open the door and stepped forward into the emptiness and unknown.
… And was nearly bowled over by a frantic redhead.
"Ryouga!" She yelped, catching herself as realized she had just blundered into her quarry. "Oh thank god! I thought you'd be in Russia by now!"
He blinked at her owlishly, having trouble comprehending the situation.
"You dope, you know you get lost if you try and walk down a hallway in your own house!" She seemed out of breath, her hands clinging to the robe he was wearing over his medical gown. She seemed almost worried he might vanish if she didn't keep hold of him. She paused and looked around him. "Wow… you actually found the bathroom. The right bathroom even."
He felt a surge of anger rise at this and was about to lash out at her for the insult when he paused. He rewound events in his mind as a startling realization came to him. "I knew where it was…"
Ranma looked up at him and cocked her head. "Well, yeah, the Doctor told you, but usually that doesn't help much…"
"No!" He grabbed her shoulders, his expression intense. "Don't you see? For a little while I knew where I was!"
"In the hospital?" She cocked her head, confused.
"Not just the hospital! I knew which room I was in, where it was relative to the bathroom. I knew how to get from one to the other! It was easy even! I didn't even have to think!" He was breathing hard now. He closed his eyes, focusing. "It's gone now, but… but for a minute…"
"Do you think it was the machine?" Ranma's eyes widened. "Could it be that easy? We just stick your head in a big magnet for a while and you're cured?!"
"I dunno… I dunno, but… for a while…" He started to smile, looking down at her. "I… do you know how to get back? Please tell me you know how to get back! We have to tell the doctor!"
A smile spread across her face and for the moment Ryouga didn't bother to censor the thought that she was beautiful. "Of course, dummy. It's just down the hall like ten feet this way. Come on."
000
"... Yes, but this has to be wrong. The first set shows all this activity in the entorhinal cortex and then every subsequent set shows it lessened. It has to be static interference or something else causing a false reading." Dr. Hirano and the technician were deep in discussion, bent over a computer screen in the booth when Ranma and Ryouga re-entered.
"I know, I know, but I checked and rechecked and there's nothing obvious wrong. We just did a full spec on this system," the technician protested. "Maybe a penny got into the chamber and then fell out afterwards?"
"Awfully perfectly positioned given the problem we're checking for…" Hirano noted, rubbing his chin.
"Hey Doc?" Ranma piped up. "Umm… something just happened."
Hirano looked up in surprise. "Something happened? What?"
Ryouga fidgeted. "Ummm… just now. When I went to the bathroom. I mean, when you gave me directions and I walked to the bathroom!" He quickly clarified. "I didn't get lost. I.. I knew where I was and where I was going."
Hirano raised an eyebrow then walked over to Ryouga. He fished a penlight out of his shirt pocket and stepped in closer, using the light to check the responsiveness of his irises. "And this isn't your usual experience with your disorientation?"
"No. Normally… normally it's all scrambled," Ryouga said, standing still as the doctor examined him. "I think I'm going straight but I get all turned around and I can't make sense of right or left even though I know what they are… but this time I actually could! For… a little while."
"For a little while? So this is a temporary effect. Did anything change? Did you do anything differently? Eat or drink anything recently?"
"The only thing different was he put his head in your machine," Ranma said. "Could that have done it?"
The doctor put away his light, his brow furrowing. "It shouldn't. That's really the point of an MRI; It would be useless as a diagnostic tool if it changed the area we were examining while we examined it." He stroked his chin.
"Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle?" the technician offered helpfully.
"On a cellular level? That's preposterous," Hirano replied, shooting him an annoyed look. "It's more likely some kind of malfunction causing the magnetic fields to somehow be more disruptive than they should be."
"I promise you Doc, this beast is functioning 100% perfectly" the technician replied.
"Are you willing to testify that at my malpractice hearing?"
"Wouldn't be the first time. Err… at a malpractice hearing. I don't mean to imply that…"
"Yes, yes, yes…" Hirano waved him off irritably.
"We were wondering if you could put him through it again," Ranma said. "See if it has the same effect?"
The doctor coughed and took off his glasses, polishing them with a kerchief from his pocket. "I'm certain that's inadvisable, at least until we understand what exactly is going on here and what is causing this reaction. You have to understand, the MRI is not supposed to cause changes to the tissues it scans under any circumstances. That it could possibly be responsible for such a noticeable shift in neurological activity in the brain indicates…"
"Doc, please!" Ryouga said, stepping forward and clenching his fist. "I gotta know… if this is a cure or even just gives us a place to start…!"
Doctor Hirano closed his eyes. Slowly he put his glasses back on. "Mr Hibiki, without knowing more about what is happening, you could be risking serious brain damage, permanent disability or neurological issues, or even death. I can't in good conscience…"
"Doc, I am telling you, it's not the MRI." The technician said in frustration. "How else are you gonna know what's going on in his head if not with an MRI? And all the other units are booked solid. If magnets are really causing this, the kid's gonna drop dead the next time he walks by a scrapyard crane anyway. If he's willing to go another round to see what's up, get him to sign a waiver and save the hospital a few million dollars in rebuild costs and rescheduling, willya?"
The Doctor glared at him. "My primary motivation is not the hospital's bottom line! Something that has earned me the ire of the Director more than once." He crossed his arms. "It is true that the only tool available for determining the cause of this is the thing that may be causing it… we could also be dealing with a placebo effect, or…" He massaged the bridge of his nose.
"Doc, please!" Ryouga said.
"Alright… alright," the doctor said finally. "This… bothers me on a professional and personal level. I fear I may be straining the spirit of the Hippocratic Oath even if the technicalities are satisfied. But…" He sighed and smiled. "I can see this means a lot to both of you. So long as you understand the risks… we will proceed." He glared at the technician. "But we are not doing release forms. I am accepting responsibility for this personally."
"Thank you!" Ryouga cried and practically ran to the MRI, Ranma right behind him.
"You're freaking out over nothing, Doc," the technician said. "I'm telling you, it's not the machine."
000
45 minutes and three scans later, the mood was considerably more somber.
"See? Baseline hasn't wavered from the first set we took." The technician pointed at the screen. "The Beast is in perfect working order. She just hiccuped or something."
"That does seem to be the case…" Hirano said, visibly rubbing his chin from behind the booth glass. "Mr. Hibiki, do you feel any different?"
"No…" Ryouga's voice was flat, even, but it did nothing to mask the disappointment.
Ranma felt her heart sink at Ryouga's dejected look. The Lost Boy's face was sinking back into that mask of resigned emptiness that he wore far too frequently.
"All right. We'll proceed with the original plan then. Don't lose hope, Mr. Hibiki! We're still getting VERY good data on the potential source of your problem. Gradually understanding the problem will lead to a much greater chance of a consistent and reliable treatment or even a cure than any accidental 'miracle cure' ever could."
"Yeah…" Ryouga said softly, settling himself again.
Ranma reached out and took his hand again. His fingers curled around hers and squeezed gratefully.
This wasn't normal behaviour for her. She knew that. It had taken every ounce of her will to hold Akane's hand not too long ago. Feelings weren't manly. Sharing them certainly wasn't. And yet… here she was. Ranma normally had the empathy and perceptiveness of a brick but after having literally walked through Ryouga's pain it was increasingly difficult to ignore it. And she was learning just how much power there was in simply acknowledging someone else's feelings.
Of course, being linked to someone so you could actually perceive their emotions added a dimension to it.
Ranma had always been somewhat envious of Ryouga's ki abilities. For all of her efforts and training, the Lost Boy could always outclass her in the sheer power he could produce. She had adapted, varied her tactics, learned to manipulate and adjust, but she just couldn't match the staggering reservoir Ryouga seemed to pull from. She had never quite understood why until now.
She could see the link between Ki and Emotion now. One didn't create the other, they were both the same thing. It was fascinating but at the same time… it showed her the price Ryouga was paying for his power. She wondered how much of that was her fault.
But more than that she could see depth and complexity there she hadn't even imagined. She got the sense that she had badly underestimated just how much there actually was to another person's heart. It set off pangs of guilt when she imagined Akane or Shampoo or Ukyou or Nabiki with that same complexity and what havoc her thoughtlessness might be causing within it. She wasn't any closer to understanding other people, but at least she now understood why. She had a glimpse of the scope of the problem.
And then… there were the bright moments. The shy flickers of brighter emotion, the deep calm when he was relaxed and at peace and most of all, that brief moment when the dark sea had parted, just for a bit, when the hope of a cure had briefly been within their grasp. Ranma had glimpsed something more beyond all of the depression, loneliness and anger, but it had gotten shut away quickly. She wanted to see it again.
She wondered what he saw in return. It was strange - the notion that someone might be able to tell what she was feeling better than she could. Emotions had always been confusing. Anger was easy, humiliation, confidence… simple, fast, strong feelings. But was that all that was there? Or was she complex and messy like Ryouga and didn't even know it? She wondered if there was a way to ask him without things getting awkward.
Not that things aren't already awkward, Ranma thought. She wondered about the weird jumble of emotional color that happened whenever she squeezed Ryouga's hand. It didn't feel like hatred, though Ranma had to admit she wasn't exactly sure what hatred would feel like. Whatever it was was confused, complex and tangled. But it was better than the black mire.
"Hold on… there it is again!" Doctor Hirano said over the intercom. "Suppression of the chaotic activity in the entorhinal cortex!"
"Everything else is coming up normal. I don't know what's causing it, Doc."
"It doesn't seem to be impacting any other regions of the brain, but something is very obviously causing a change. Shut it down, we'll have to put the machine out of commission until we can verify…"
Ranma's eyes widened as something clicked. She looked down at her hand. It changed. It changed when I held Ryouga's hand! But… why? Me touching Ryouga never had any sort of weird effect before… She ran through the options. Not until the Shi shi hokodan… Maybe that did something? The link was different after that. More open. And then… then… "Doc, wait!"
"... Is something wrong, Ms. Saotome?"
"I think… I think I might know what's causing this change you keep seeing. It's not the machine. Can we do one more set of pictures?"
Ryouga sat up slowly, giving her a quizzical look. He tried to take his hand back, but she merely held it more firmly, earning an even more confused look. Thankfully, he didn't fight her any further on it.
"... I don't see what you could possibly be doing in there to cause this, but… all right. Let us know when you're ready."
Ranma nodded then caught Ryouga's gaze and held it. She swallowed nervously.
Why am I nervous? she thought, suddenly feeling hesitant. "Hey, Ryouga? I know what's doing this." She held up their clasped hands. "It's me. It's us. It's… whatever this link thing is now. It's when we do that Ki-sharing or feeling-sharing or whatever it is we can do now."
Ryouga stared at her a moment before comprehension slowly dawned on his face. Oddly enough, she felt it too; a brighter, more active color of emotion emerging from the jumble. So THAT'S what that 'aha!' moment looks like… She thought, momentarily distracted.
"So… why don't we see what happens if we open it up all the way?" Ranma said. "Mebbe we can just blast that stupid direction curse out of you!"
Before Ryouga spoke, his emotional mix changed, a darker, but still warm, color shot through with cooler colors and twisted… confused? No, conflicted. "Ranma…" he said, glancing at the booth, then back at her. She noticed there was a slight blush on his cheeks. "Think about what you're suggesting for a second!"
She cocked her head a moment, though something was twanging in the back of her head, like a small voice she couldn't quite hear. "What? You don't want to get rid of the curse?"
"Of course I do!" Ryouga hissed. "But…" He fidgeted. "You're talking about a lot of emotion!"
"So? It's just like a Ki blast. Not even that," Ranma replied.
Ryouga took a deep breath. He closed his eyes. She could feel his emotional 'sea' churn for a bit then grow calmer as he centered himself. "Ranma… this… link we have… It's not something I ever should have made. It's…" He blushed. "It's intimate. It's a personal thing. It was bad enough when it was just letting me home in on you, but now…?" He opened his eyes. She could almost see a reflection of the uncertainty that she could sense through the physical contact. "Isn't this… wrong, somehow? You… you're not… I'm not…" his emotions started to churn again, grow more chaotic.
Ranma instinctively reached out, soothing the chaos. Which she had been doing the entire time, without even thinking about it.
Ryouga's eyes widened.
"S-sorry! I just…" Ranma realized all at once what she had been doing; She had been getting very familiar with someone else's emotions. She had been getting very familiar with Ryouga's emotions. And she had been sending him a drip-feed of her own to keep him calm and optimistic. She felt a surge of panic and embarrassment… and then something warm calmed her, the tightness in her chest from the rush of self-consciousness fading.
She gave Ryouga a startled look. "Did you…?"
"I… It was a reflex…" Ryouga said. He swallowed. "Okay… so… we're keeping each other from freaking out about this?"
Ranma looked down at their hands. "So… you're seeing what I'm feeling too, right? Colors that kinda aren't colors, movement and alla that, right?"
Ryouga nodded slowly.
"And… we're not close enough to know this much about each other, are we," Ranma continued.
"Why are you saying it like it's a question!?" Ryouga hissed. "Nobody is supposed to know this much about someone else!"
"I'm… kinda not in the right headspace, okay?" Ranma growled back. "I've spent the last half an hour zoned out trying to sort out the pretty colors and getting an IV of whatever the hell you've been dribbling back in return!"
Ryouga took a deep breath. "Look… just do it then. Don't think about it. When we let go we'll freak out then, but if it cures the curse it'll be worth it and I'll be okay with it."
"You sure about that?" Ranma asked.
"No. I'm probably going to flip out and try and kill you," Ryouga replied with a playful smirk.
Ranma smiled back, deciding without thinking about it that she much preferred that sort of smile from him than his usual nasty, superior grin.
That did interesting things to Ryouga's emotions. The dark mire receded and warm, bright colours surged up suddenly from underneath, swirling together along with a few more of the conflicted and other cooler color emotions, but overwhelmingly warm. She felt an odd surge inside and she wondered if it was the same or not; but it was something she could use. Focusing like she did for her Moko Takabisha, she drew on that surge, gathered it and projected it through the link.
Ryouga's eyes widened again and suddenly Ranma discovered what doing that did.
Pump water from one relatively full tank into another. Do this while the second tank is also connected to an overflow pipe that runs to the first.
Everything churned. The black mire mixed with all the other complex confusion of emotional colors and flowed back across the link as emotion-laden ki sloshed between them like a violently tilting tub of water.
The muddy mass of feelings crashed through Ranma's formerly warm fuzzy emotion and seemed to claw deep. It was shot through with the cloying, sticky coldness of Ryouga's depression and it sank deep and fast, plowing through Ranma's defenses before she was ready and penetrated the surface layers of bright and positive emotions into the dark place Ranma dared not look.
Ranma sucked in a desperate breath, shuddered and, very softly, mewed.
000
"No… No Ranma, stay with me!" Ryouga scrambled to try and get the chaotic rush of emotions under control, closing his eyes and focusing on steadying his breathing. There were more than just emotions now. Images flickered across as well. Darkness but not emptiness. Mud and cold and damp mixed with burning, itching pain and terrible, terrible yowling. The crunch of bones as starving, feral beasts turned on each other and the pain as they clawed and fought to climb up to escape. A saturation of utterly animalistic terror and death.
For a six year old it would be impossible to endure. Had been impossible.
But Ryouga Hibiki wasn't six years old and he was not without experience or defences.
No, let me have it, Ranma! Ryouga grit his teeth. He could feel invisible claws from Ranma's fingers starting to dig into his hand. In a moment they would pop out fully and he would likely lose the appendage altogether.
He opened himself to the fear that had been churned up, the images and terror that erupted from the place where Ranma had buried them and gave them a place to go. Fear. Shame. Despair. These were nothing new to him. What's more, it wasn't even his. It was the terror of a helpless child but seen from the perspective of someone who wasn't helpless.
But there was something else in there, something that made it so unbearable. Something loomed in the dark; something that the cats were actually there to protect from Ranma - to keep her from going further and finding it.
The wave ended and with a desperate strength, he felt Ranma push it all back down, struggling desperately to force these things back into their places, like an overpacked closet that was threatening to disgorge an avalanche of old shoe boxes and dirty laundry.
"... otome? Ms. Saotome? Are you ready?"
Ryouga's vision cleared. He looked into Ranma's eyes which were thankfully clear and not glassy like her neko-ken state, though she was shaking and breathing hard.
"That was a bad idea…" she whimpered softly.
"Yeah, it was," Ryouga replied. "Ranma, what was that?"
"You know what it was!" She hissed back with a scowl.
"No, there was something else. There was more to it. Something under the neko-ken stuff." Ryouga frowned, the images that had come through already fading and uncertain, slipping away like a dream did after waking.
"I don't know what you're talking about and neither do you," Ranma muttered. "Look, can we do this so I can stop holding your hand already?"
Ryouga nodded guiltily. Ranma was right; this was way more than anyone should know about someone else. He laid back down on the cot.
He gave her one last uncertain look as the cot started to slide back into the MRI torus. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Stop sounding like such a girl, Ryouga," Ranma muttered.
But she kept holding his hand.
000
Kasumi rapped on the door. The frame was freshly painted and the door brand new, more of a western style of wood clad in aluminum. There were still piles of building supplies in the yard, covered with tarps to protect them from the weather, as well as tools scattered around. In some places she could see the fresh wood still bare, waiting for a coat of paint, and the newer, unweathered sections of the wall surrounding the yard.
The door opened and Nodoka beamed as she saw the younger woman. "Kasumi! What a wonderful surprise! I wasn't expecting you at all! Come in, come in!" She stepped back, inviting Kasumi inside.
Kasumi smiled pleasantly, nodding. She stepped inside and slipped off her shoes. "The house looks wonderful!"
Nodoka beamed. "Isn't it? The insurance money didn't stretch quite as far as I had hoped but I think the rest we can manage on our own. I'll make us some tea and then we can talk." She motioned Kasumi to follow her inside gestured for her to sit at the table while she glided smoothly into the small kitchen.
Kasumi knelt gracefully on the cushion and let out a breath she hadn't realized she had been holding. She busied herself with smoothing out her skirt to dispel some of her nervousness.
Nodoka returned in short order with a full tea set and a plate of small biscuit on a tray. She set it down in the middle of the table, poured hot tea into a cup for Kasumi and then sat down with her own. "So! What brings you here today, my dear?"
"Well, it was concerning the meeting you were planning to have with Ranma's fiancees tomorrow," Kasumi began carefully. "I was wondering if you would consider postponing it?"
Nodoka raised an eyebrow. "Whatever for, dear? Is Akane not ready yet?"
Kasumi took a sip of tea to give herself pause to consider her words. "Akane and Nabiki have both been working hard to be ready. In fact, as I understand it, all the girls are. However, Ranma has had something of an altercation with a rival…"
"Is this that Himura girl again?" Nodoka scowled.
Kasumi shook her head. "No, this was with Ryouga Hibiki, actually."
"Oh, good!" Nodoka smiled, seemingly relieved. "That boy is a much more suitable challenge for Ranma. They will be good friends when they get old, just like Soun and Genma, I am sure." She sipped her tea then frowned. "This new tea set… the tea just doesn't taste right, does it? I do miss my old one. Modern earthenware just isn't the same."
"Actually, about Ryouga. He… has a bit of difficulty with directions. He has been known to get lost very easily. In fact, it appears Ranma chased him until he had gotten them both quite lost." Kasumi knew she was telling half-truths having gotten the actual story from Nabiki, but she also knew the complicated nature of the situation would likely not sit well. "Ranma contacted us early this morning and is on his way back but… might be delayed. We thought… perhaps it might be best to postpone, just in case?"
Nodoka paused, considering. "Normally, yes. What is an omiai without the groom? But… this is not a typical omiai. The girls are already well acquainted with Ranma so introductions are not necessary. I would prefer my son be present, of course, but I am also pleased he is pursuing more fruitful challenges such as this. I would rather get the matter underway and meet these girls for myself." She looked at her teacup. "You understand, don't you Kasumi?"
"I… believe so," Kasumi said after a moment.
"This must seem so silly to you. A mother meddling in the affairs of her young son when he quite obviously has no trouble attracting prospective mates on his own," she sighed. "In fact, I am quite proud of him. Such fierce loyalty from so many wonderful girls!"
"They are loyal to him," Kasumi admitted. "In fact, I do know they have recently come to an… 'arrangement' of sorts among themselves to allow the matter to be more peacefully decided between them. Perhaps you could allow the matter to be worked out among them naturally?"
Nodoka took another sip of tea, her expression thoughtful. "That is a tremendously temping idea," she said finally. "I would dearly love to allow him to play a little more and enjoy this wild and unrestricted time in his life. Perhaps he would decide the matter by providing me a grandchild, hmmm?" She smiled at the thought. "But… We tried things this way for over a year, did we not? And over that time the matter only became more acrimonious and chaotic and the introduction of… unsuitable matches has begun to make the situation less benign."
"'Unsuitable matches'... you mean my sister, Nabiki," Kasumi said flatly, the smile leaving her face.
Nodoka's expression became apologetic. "Do not mistake me, Kasumi. Nabiki is a wonderful girl. Intelligent, driven, worldly… she is in every way the picture of a modern woman. But… even you must see that it is those very traits that make her an unworkable match for my Ranma. I know that at the moment there is a spark of passion between them, a physical attraction I can wholly understand. But… should the engagement be allowed to proceed between them... they would undoubtedly be miserable. They are… of two different worlds and each needs and deserves someone who can support and guide them on their destinies in those worlds."
"And you do not believe they can be that for each other?" Kasumi asked.
Nodoka took a deep breath. "Kasumi… when I married Genma, it came with a price. It was necessary to put aside my own ambitions and dreams to support him; this was a price I understood from the start and one that I accepted and do not regret to this day. Genma is a driven man… driven to develop his art, to expand it and to restore our tarnished house and name to their former glory. We are an old family, of samurai lineage, but we have fallen far since those days. His task, and the task Ranma inherits from him, can brook no competing drives. Nabiki…" She paused to sip her tea. "... Nabiki I do not believe could make such a sacrifice, or if she did, she would come to regret it. Such bitterness and envy would tear down what little we have rebuilt. Ranma must have a wife who shares his passion for the art, who understands it and can support him selflessly and tirelessly. She must understand the sacrifices demanded of her and make them…" She hesitated, her hand shaking slightly as she put her teacup down. "... make any sacrifice demanded of her."
"Don't you regret that one sacrifice, Auntie?" Kasumi asked softly.
Nodoka inhaled sharply, recovering. "No… No, of course not. It was necessary, and the results prove that. Genma brought me a Man amongst Men to reward my patience and trust in him. Now it is my turn to see to the next leg of our son's journey towards restoring our family name and honor."
"Even though he came back cursed? And with such a long list of debts his father has tasked him to repay?" Kasumi asked quietly. She was pushing, she knew.
"The curse is merely a test. A temporary thing." Nodoka waved it off. "Once this matter is settled Ranma can devote time to curing it. All the more reason to settle this matter quickly." She inclined her head towards Kasumi. "But… not too quickly. I intend to take my time selecting the proper match. Don't fret Kasumi, I am acting with haste but I shall not be hasty."
"Then… perhaps I can suggest holding the interviews at the Tendo Dojo?" Kasumi said finally. "We do have more space and it would allow you to focus on the matter of the interviews while I manage the hospitality."
Nodoka smiled. "I had hoped, my dear, but I did not feel I had the right to ask, given what is at stake. Thank you." She nodded in a small bow. "Yes, I think we will. Our home is… not large and my son has quite the entourage!"
Kasumi allowed herself a smile. "He does at that."
They were silent a moment. Kasumi finally worked up the courage to broach the question that had been bothering her. "What will happen… after? Once the marriage is done and Ranma's curse is lifted?"
Nodoka smiled. A distant look entered her eyes. "My son and his wife will have a child. Then, they will leave on a training journey to further perfect the art and I will raise their child in their absence."
Kasumi raised an eyebrow. "Wouldn't… they wish to raise their child themselves?"
"Of course not. Raising a child would be far too much of a distraction from the Art," Nodoka replied. "I sacrificed my chance to raise my own child for Ranma's sake. I… spent fourteen years staring at an empty cradle every day so that he might be strong. Now that he is… I am owed this." Her voice wavered a bit and her eyes grew distant.
"... I am owed this."
000
Between the lunch break and a free period at the end of the day, the team had actually made decent progress.
Ukyou spun the volleyball on her fingertip. "Well, if you guys keep this up, I think you might just be ready for your first game." She caught the ball in her hand.
"Not without Ranma we won't," Sayuri said, chewing on her thumb, eyes distant as she thought hard. "Random chance has a nasty tendency to drag Ranma away at the worst times."
"Senpai will be there!" Rin said, clenching her fists and nodding vigorously. "She wouldn't miss the game!"
Sayuri sighed. "That's kind of what I'm worried about. Ranma will be there for the game but not for practise. Everything we're doing here and now will be moot if we can't coordinate, and Himura and the Principal are probably going to expect Ranma to try and one-man-band the game and improvise around not knowing what she's doing. That's not to mention what would happen if a rival or something pops out of the woodwork to drag him off for half the game. It'd be nice to have a backup."
"Ukyou is pretty good. Himura already tried to recruit her for the girl's team. Why not get her on our bench? That way we have a backup and if Ranma is there one of us can just sit out." Riko suggested.
Ukyou tossed the ball to Sayuri. "No can do, sugar. Same reason why I said 'no' to Himura and the boy's team. I'm not allowed to play competitively."
They all paused to look at her.
"Why not?" Sayuri asked.
Ukyou took deep breath. "A few years ago a girl played for her school's team. She was good, too. Loved the sport. Except… she wasn't born a girl."
"You mean… she had a curse? Like senpai?" Rin asked.
Ukyou shook her head. "No, sugar. The old fashioned way. The one with social stigma and awkwardness and body image issues and hormone therapy and surgery when she came of age and maybe, maybe some measure of acceptance after it all if she was lucky. She was… transitioning."
"Oh," Rin said softly.
"She had managed to get on hormones early on, had a doctor guiding her, and a family that accepted her so she was doing pretty well. Most of the kids at her school knew and didn't care. Her registration said 'girl'... but her birth records said 'boy'. When the regulatory commission found out, her team was disqualified from competition. Not only that, there was a lot of nastiness around it, accusations of cheating and people whom she didn't even know began harassing her because what she was had been made public…" She hung her head. "It was ugly."
"Did you know her?" Sayuri asked.
"I knew of her," Ukyou replied. "She and I are kinda part of the same community after all." Ukyou plucked at her jacket. "I'm lucky, I guess. I'm okay with what I am. I'm okay with my gender, I'm just not really satisfied with the clothes selection that comes with it." She chuckled softly. "But then they implemented new rules. Now the regulatory board checks for discrepancies between what a player is registered as, and what their birth records say, and automatically disqualifies anyone where they don't match up. Right now my registration says 'boy' but my birth records say 'girl' so I'd get kicked off either team. I could fix it, but that would screw up my transcripts from the boy's school I used to attend, not to mention all of the night courses I've registered for as a boy. Besides that, I'm listed on the family register as being male."
Sayuri stared at her a moment. "But… What about Ranma?"
"Senpai is a girl!" Rin stated confidently.
"But Ranma's birth records would be for a boy!" Yuka finished, smacking her fist into her palm.
"Then… we're sunk?" Riko said. "There's no way Ranma can play!"
"But then there'd be no way Ranma could play for Himura, either," Sayuri chewed on her thumb again. "There's no way Himura could have missed this, is there?"
"She knows," Ukyou replied. "She offered to 'fix' my registration so I could play last time she approached me."
"That doesn't make any sense," Yuka said. "Why go through all of this if Ranma can't play anyway?"
"Could she have changed the birth records?" Riko asked nervously.
Ukyou shook her head. "The mother or father can request changes to the family register, but the birth records themselves are permanent documents on file with the government. You could list Ranma as a girl on the family register but it'd still show him being born male. And if all of that stuff doesn't agree? The regulatory commission disqualifies the player."
"You think Himura has the kind of connections to change something like that?" Yuka asked, looking a little nervous.
Ukyou shook her head. "I seriously doubt it. That's basically the power to make people appear or disappear. If that was something that a high schooler could use so she could win at volleyball, you wouldn't have people taking the names of babies who died just after being born to change their identities." At the quizzical looks, she sighed. "Look, I know a fair bit about this stuff for… personal reasons, okay? I may have looked into it."
"I thought you were okay with what you are?" Rin asked quietly.
Ukyou reached over and ruffled Rin's hair. "I am, sugar. But I wasn't always. That wasn't even really about my gender, it was about being hurt and angry and thinking I had to be something different to be good enough." She smiled. "Then someone told me I was good enough, just as I was, and for once I believed it. I'm glad that I did."
"So that still leaves us with the question of what Himura is up to," Sayuri said.
"I think we're looking too high-level at this. I think she's got someone on the Regulatory Commission in her pocket," Yuka said finally.
"That makes a lot more sense," Sayuri nodded. "Maybe we can ask Hiroshi and Daisuke to look into it for us? They're on that detective kick after all."
Yuka smirked. "It might even give us a last resort way to ruin her fun. If she happens to win her challenge with Ranma it'd be a damn shame if her star player was suddenly off the team because they rechecked and found out she was a guy."
"Or the volleyball team was disqualified entirely," Sayuri nodded. "I'd hate to do that, but… It'd be so satisfying."
"Couldn't she do that to us if we won?" Rin asked quietly.
Everyone paused.
"I wasn't even thinking of that," Sayuri said. "I guess I'm still not sure we can."
"So? We play for now, worry about it later." Riko suggested. "We can't know anything for sure until Hiroshi and Daisuke check the Regulatory Commission, right?"
"We still need a backup in case Ranma gets sidetracked," Yuka pointed out.
Sayuri looked up, noticing a group of figures approaching. Nabiki, Akane and Shampoo, all getting out of their final classes. Spotting Akane, Sayuri suddenly had an idea.
"You know… Akane plays volleyball," she said. "How do you think she'd look in a red wig?"
000
"This is very interesting…" Doctor Hirano scrolled through the different images in each set. "I am at a loss to determine what it means but it is very interesting. The anomalous activity in the entorhinal cortex is almost completely suppressed. And you say that you are noticing a definite change in your perceptions, Mr. Hibiki?"
Ryouga nodded, sitting on the cot. He felt a bit self conscious because Ranma was still holding his hand and seemed unwilling to relinquish it despite her sullen demeanor.
Ryouga nodded. He could almost visualize the hospital now. He remembered how they had come from several floors above on the elevator, which route they had taken… he was fairly certain he could make it back to their room, and the technician had confirmed his mental 'route' was accurate.
It also meant he could remember previous routes too… suddenly all his wanderings made sense… of a sort. There were still gaps, jumps he couldn't quite explain, but at the very least he knew which way the Tendo Dojo was.
Not that I actually NEED that information anymore, he thought, his mood darkening somewhat.
He felt a gentle squeeze of his hand.
He blinked and glanced at Ranma. She wasn't looking at him but he had definitely felt it. Is she still watching my emotions through the link? he wondered. He had been trying not to 'peek' himself, realizing he was on a dangerous road.
"And… holding your fiancee's hand has never had this effect before?" He said, addressing the question to both of them.
"Well…" Ranma finally spoke up. "We… uhh… I tried something different while we were stuck in our hospital room. To… make Ryo feel better. I tried ki sharing with him."
Doctor Hirano raised an eyebrow, confused a moment, then blinked and nodded. "Ah, yes. That's a… hmmm… Shinto thing? Yes, well…" He took off his glasses and started polishing them. "While I respect your beliefs, and I realize they are quite real to you, I'm afraid that in the interests of your medical well-being I must insist we pursue all scientific avenues of explanation. I have seen many so called 'miracles' attributed to faith-healing, only for said effect to merely be…"
Ranma sighed, held up her left hand and concentrated for a moment, summoning a small but bright ball of ki.
Doctor Hirano's glasses dropped from suddenly nerveless fingers.
"Look! Science!" Ranma said brightly.
The Doctor knelt quickly, scrambling for his glasses and managing to put them on with shaking fingers. He stood up, staring at the sphere of ki suspended a few inches above Ranma's palm. "What… is this some sort of trick?"
"Of some sort." Ranma said with a smirk. "Using ki."
"That's not possible," Hirano said flatly, though he was still staring, fascinated, as he walked around it a bit. He extended his hand and looked at Ranma. "Is it safe to touch?"
"Not unless you wanna end up embedded in the wall," Ryouga said quickly.
"It has physical properties?!" He withdrew his hand, staring at it. "That's not… I mean, there is nothing is known science that can…" He scowled, pulled out his penlight and held it dangling over the sphere, giving Ranma a quizzical look.
She simply quirked an eyebrow and shrugged.
Hirano let go of the penlight and snapped his hand back. He almost wasn't fast enough; as soon as the penlight touched the golden glowing surface of the orb, it was propelled violently back upwards to embed itself in the foam tile of the drop ceiling with a ~crack.~
"Oh my…" He said softly. "I presume there are… less destructive applications for this?"
Ranma let the sphere dissipate. "Oh, tons. Me'n Ryo even came up with a few."
"Such as…" The Doctor took off his glasses and waved them at their still clasped hands.
Ranma glanced down and blushed. "Yeah, that…" she said quietly. Her hand twitched…
… And she still didn't let go.
Okay, something's up. I'm peeking! Ryouga thought. It was still a little odd… and easier than it should have been - like comparing peering through a fist-sized hole in a door to peeking through the keyhole. He set that aside for the moment and tried to make sense of the abstract jumble that made up her emotions.
Dark. Spikey. Erratic. Fear. He realized he should have guessed simply by feeling her heart rate through her palm, which was elevated. She's afraid? Afraid of what?
"This is…" The Doctor put his glasses on again, only to take them off to clean them in a nervous cycle. "I'm not entirely sure what to make of this, but the implications…!" He sighed.
"So… is this a cure?" Ryouga asked hopefully, for the moment putting aside ponderings about Ranma's state of mind.
Hirano sighed. "It certainly appears to be a treatment, though the efficacy of it has yet to be tested." He rubbed his chin. "You are presenting me with what is potentially a whole new branch of physics. Without the input of someone who both understands this… this… phenomenon, and who possesses the requisite medical degree to relate it to modern medical terms and practises… Well… we could be looking at years of study."
Ryouga's heart fell and he immediately felt a responding squeeze. Goddamnit Ranma, get out of my head! You're confusing me enough WITHOUT this!
But this time Ranma had more than just physical reassurance. "Actually Doc… I know a guy."
000
"So… when are you gonna let go of my hand?" Ryouga asked.
They had finished speaking with Doctor Hirano and made a follow up appointment for the next Saturday after school hours. Ranma was confident she could get Dr. Tofu to join them and Dr. Hirano assured them he could get more time on the MRI scanner.
Then Ryouga had been given another examination by a nurse who, after changing his dressing and making sure his stitches were in good shape, had declared him sound to be discharged early, so long as 'there's someone home to look after him,' she had said with a meaningful look at Ranma.
They had returned to their room, collected what things they had and were waiting for Nabiki to arrive with a change of clothes.
All without Ranma releasing her death grip on his hand.
"Can't your fiancee hold your hand if she wants to?" Ranma batted her eyelashes at him in a fairly decent, if somewhat strained, attempt at being cutsey, which normally would have been enough to get Ryouga flustered.
Ryouga just continued to stare at her, his expression neutral. He knew better now.
Ranma's big-eyed mournful expression quickly melted into one of annoyance. "L-look, I've got my reasons, okay? The Doc doesn't think is is a full cure, but mebbe if we get you 'charged up' enough it'll let you find your way around for a few days. Just… don't make this weird."
"Way too late for that, Ranma," Ryouga said dryly. "Why are you afraid?"
"Afraid?! I'm not afraid of anything!" Ranma shot back.
"You're afraid of one thing," Ryouga corrected. "And right now you're afraid like there's one in the room with us."
"Get outta my head, you creeper!" She snarled.
"You first," Ryouga said, again, staying calm. Part of him was enjoying this, having an insider's view of all the chinks in Ranma's armor. "Every time my mood has dipped, you squeeze my hand."
"You don't need a stupid link for that!" Ranma argued. "You are the most obvious sulk in all of Japan! Even when it doesn't make you glow!"
"Then you don't need to be holding my hand, do you?" Ryouga said finally.
"I told you…!"
"Don't do me any favors, Saotome."
"See if I don't!"
"Then go ahead and let go!"
Ranma glared at him then held up their clasped hands. Her fingers slacked a moment as if she meant to drop his hand in disgust but almost instantly her scowl became an expression of worry and her fingers clamped tighter.
"N-not… not yet…" she said softly. "Just… give me a few more minutes, okay?"
"I will if you tell me what's going on," Ryouga said, giving her a hard stare. He slowly started to relax his own fingers.
"The cat didn't go all the way back in, okay?!" Ranma said quickly. She gripped his hand more tightly, and put her other hand over it.
Ryouga immediately tightened his grip. "What?"
"When… when the c-c-c… the you know what almost got out… when I tried to do that emotional 'push'... I almost lost it. I should have lost it. I was… it was out. But you stopped it somehow. I don't know what you did but you stopped it and I tried to put it back in but I can still feel it in there… like… like it's watching me… like the lid isn't on all the way… and if I let go now…" She was starting to hyperventilate.
Ryouga clasped his other hand over hers. She looked up at him in surprise.
"All right."
"What do you mean 'all right'?!" She demanded.
"I mean, you've been keeping my lid on for the last couple of days. So… all right."
Her breathing slowed as she blinked at him, not seeming to comprehend. But he had already relaxed and was just looking back at her, waiting.
She ducked her head, blushing. "Just so we're clear, I don't like having you in my head, okay? It's crowded enough in there."
Ryouga took the hint. He opened himself to the link again. That same fear was swirling around but he didn't sense that… that whatever it was that was buried somewhere deep in Ranma's mind. He focused and let a little of his own ki trickle over then could sense the spikes of fear slowly eroding.
She closed her eyes and her breathing steadied, her grip becoming a little less fierce.
Ryouga chuckled softly. "Look at us."
"W-what?" Ranma asked. Her emotional colors changed again, shifting to something very like but not actually pink and seemed to start trying to twist in behind themselves.
"Here we are, supposedly the two guys vying to be the strongest martial artists in Japan, always trying to beat the other into submission… and we can't even keep the crap in our own heads from taking us out."
Her emotions shifted again. Warmer, but calmer, more at peace. The fear was receding, and her emotional 'sea' was calming. She smiled, laughing a little herself.
It would be very, very easy to let himself forget. Or even to let it just not matter.
And wouldn't that make me just as bad as Akane? Ryouga thought, his eyes dropping to the small hand held in his. Pretend that she's a girl with a guy curse, that somehow all of this actually means anything, that this isn't just a guy in a girl suit, unintentionally putting out signals that mean different things in this context because he's a social mess? His eyes clouded. Or worse… prove Akane right. That everything I felt that I thought was love was just… the feelings of a lonely, scared pet pig yearning for an owner. He snuck a glance at Ranma again. She was looking at him, her eyes slightly unfocused, most likely 'reading' his emotions right back. Or do I pretend none of this happened because it's confusing an uncomfortable? What sort of hypocrite do I want to be?
"Why are you feeling guilty?" she asked, cocking her head. "And… sad? Not quite sad… what's that word for it… Sad, but also resigned..."
"Melancholy," Ryouga supplied. "You're getting uncomfortably good at this emotion reading thing."
"Call it self preservation. You being unhappy tends to be make trouble for me," she smirked. "Seriously though, what's wrong? I mean… we're actually this close to curing your curse! Maybe this means there's hope for getting rid of the Jusenkyo one too!"
Ryouga felt an odd pang about that. Not for his own curse… if he could cure the curse by crushing the life out of P-chan's wretched little body with his bare hands he'd do it without a moment's hesitation. But…
Admit it, you hypocrite. You'd miss her, he thought, glancing at her again and letting his gaze drop shyly. You're ALREADY as bad as Akane.
"You're feeling guilty again. C'mon… spill." She nudged his leg with her foot.
"You're surprised thinking about the curse… either one… doesn't come with some guilt?" He deflected.
There was a knock at the door. The nurse peeked her head in, smiling as she saw the two of them holding hands. "Sorry to intrude but you have a guest. A young lady here to see you?"
"Oh, that's probably Nabiki." Ranma said. "I asked her to come with a change of clothes so we can get out of here." She nodded to the nurse. "Send her in."
"So… how much is this gonna cost me?" Ryouga asked as the nurse closed the door once more.
"Hey, Nabiki isn't that bad anymore!" Ranma protested. "Besides… uhh… this one is on my tab."
Ryouga smirked. "Thought she already had a controlling interest on your soul?"
"I… I'm not saying she doesn't…" Ranma blushed sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head. "But this time… well, you wouldn't happen to know any good Italian restaurants, would you? Don't think Ramen is gonna cut it…"
"Uh… well, I do actually, but…"
"Let me guess. It's in Italy?"
"Actually… I think it's New York? Manhattan is in New York, right?"
"I cannot wait until we fully cure this directional curse thing so you can explain to me in exact detail how you manage to 'accidentally' cross the Pacific Ocean when you go out to the corner store to buy milk."
"So… uhh… we should…?" Ryouga held up their clasped hands.
Ranma blinked. She looked nervous a moment, took a deep breath and then pulled her hand away.
It was like having a blanket pulled off on a chilly morning. His perception of her winked out abruptly and he was alone. The sense of companionship had been so subtle while there, yet so pervasive that once it was removed, the absence was… harrowing. It was only once the world was once more a dark and lonely place that he realized, for a short while, it hadn't been.
"Just… just so we're clear…" Ranma said, rubbing her hand. "Don't tell anyone about this, okay?"
He was going to respond but the door swung open. They turned to greet Nabiki, but came up short as someone different entered. She was a girl Ryouga didn't recognize, with long blonde hair, immaculate and straight in a way only a very expensive hairdresser could accomplish. She wore a Furinkan girl's uniform but her accessories included a few tasteful but valuable-looking pieces of jewelry and shoes that were definitely a designer brand. She had a basket in her hand, wrapped in colored plastic with a bow on it, like one of those 'get well' packages.
"Himura. What are you doing here?" Ranma asked coldly, masking her surprise with contempt.
So THAT'S Himura? Ryouga thought. He had never actually seen her before. She had the poise and confidence of someone who was objectively beautiful and knew it. Her eyes quickly scanned the room, and the two of them in a way that told him she was very quickly gathering information. Her gaze paused on him and she smiled a bit in a way that made him feel very uncomfortable, like she had just had a wonderful idea upon seeing him. Then she focused her attention on Ranma.
"Ranma! I am so glad to see you doing so well!" Himura clapped her hands. "As soon as I heard you were in the hospital, I made sure to organize a little 'get well' present for you." She held out the basket, beaming. "Here. From the students and faculty of Furinkan High!"
"What do you want, Himura?" Ranma replied dryly, not even looking at the basket.
Himura pouted, putting the basket on the foot of the bed. "Ranma… I am a little hurt! I understand we are currently in the middle of a challenge between the two of us, but I didn't realize it was the cause of so much acrimony!" She put her hand on her hip and sighed, shaking her head. "I learned as much from Nabiki but I had hoped… no, no, this was my fault." She sighed again, clasped her hands in front of her waist and bowed deeply. "Please accept my apologies."
Ranma quirked an eyebrow. "What is this?"
Himura straightened and smiled brightly. "It's an attempt to make amends, of course! While I understand there must be a certain… tension between our camps for the sake of a good challenge, I want to try and ensure that there is respect as well. That is how it's supposed to work, right Mr. Hibiki?" She looked at Ryouga a moment and gave him a conspiratorial wink, as if the two of them were in on something.
"You blackmailed me into this challenge," Ranma said coldly. "With pictures you stole. You changed my gender on my registration at school and got the Principal on board to force me to attend school as a girl. You threatened me with expulsion and criminal charges."
"Would you have accepted my challenge otherwise?" Himura asked, her smile wavering a bit.
"I don't know. You never asked," Ranma replied.
Himura took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Her expression changed, the bright smile dropping. When she opened her eyes again she looked genuinely apologetic. "You're right. I allowed my enthusiasm and desire to make our school excel cloud my better judgement. I am sorry if you feel unfairly treated. But you must understand I am doing all of this for the betterment of all students. Including you." She smiled again. "Just look at you! You are socializing! Participating in an organized sports team, rather than just showing off in gym class! You're contributing! And you've been so selflessly lifting up a group a girls into the limelight with you who… well, let's be honest… never would have had the opportunity otherwise! All of the teachers have noticed! Ms. Hinako was telling me how pleased she was that you were no longer a delinquent! All of this because I gave you a little 'push'." She cocked her head. "Isn't that worth a little consideration in all this?"
"Somehow I doubt all of this was done for my sake," Ranma replied.
Himura's smile flickered, some sort of amusement coloring her expression for a moment at Ranma's words. She leaned forward, closer to the redhead. "That's where you're wrong, Ranma. I've always had the best interests of all the students at Furinkan at heart. It's only now that I have the position to fulfill that wish and perhaps if things had been different I could have done better for you, but the past is the past and we cannot change it. Perhaps when you are a senior you'll understand these things. There are things you don't know. Trust me when I say that one day soon you will realize that I have been doing all of this for your own good." She straightened, her smile becoming sad, almost wistful. "But… I can see you hate me right now. That's all right. I refuse to hate you Ranma Saotome, because you are a student of Furinkan and, no matter how much you might dislike me, you are my responsibility." Her expression grew more serious. "To that end, despite missing a day of school without calling to advise the office, I've convinced the Principal to conditionally forgive your absence, provided your attendance and conduct at school remain good. He wanted to use this excuse to suspend you and end our challenge immediately, but I talked him out of it. I do very much want to see you play. Please don't disappoint me." She turned towards the door and her eyes flicked back to Ryouga, the nastiness more evident in her smirk this time. "And… please invite your fiance along? I promise to be discrete with regards to your other… admirers. I would love to get to know Mr. Hibiki and the whole story between you two better. Ta-ta!" with that she slipped out of the room.
"You know… I thought Kodachi disturbed me," Ranma said, staring at the door.
Ryouga tried to sort out exactly what had just happened. Something about that girl was deeply unsettling, like it was unsafe for her to be aware of your existence. "What was that all about?"
"She's letting me know she has more ammo to use against me," Ranma said with a scowl.
000
Himura slipped into the back seat of the limousine. She shuddered, closing her eyes and hugging herself while she regained her composure. Hospitals made her feel unclean. Visiting one in a day was bad enough, but today she had a second trip to make.
Ranma WOULD do this on a weekend, she thought angrily. She briefly considered skipping the second visit but she knew that there were certain expectations of her and shirking them would lead to uncomfortable questions from her grandfather.
"Shall we continue to the nursing home, madame?" The driver asked.
"Yes, yes, of course," Himura replied. She opened a small compartment in the center console of the seat and withdrew a pair of white gloves. She couldn't afford such obvious affectations when dealing with Nabiki or any of her sharp-eyed friends but at least now she could have some freedom from having to actually sully her hands.
The drive was uneventful. Soon enough they were pulling into the grounds and rolling up the long, curving driveway between rows of cherry trees. The lawn was green and immaculately manicured with large beds of colorful flowers framing a large, single-floor building made of stained wood and marble. It could have been a country club or a prestigious private school. Naturally it wasn't any of those things.
She got out of the car and flexed her fingers within the gloves Already she could feel the filth, the grime and the sickness coating her hands, and she hadn't even entered the facility. At least the public hospital was honest about what it was and didn't try and make you feel guilty for being repulsed.
She walked up the steps and the large double doors opened automatically. The woman at the reception desk smiled, recognizing her immediately.
"Miss Himura! Right on time as usual," She stood and walked around the desk, prepared to escort her inside.
"Thank you," Himura held up a hand. "An escort isn't necessary; I know the way. Is my mother with him?"
The receptionist nodded. "As always. She hardly leaves his side. If I might say, your mother's devotion is quite inspirational and she has been endlessly eager to contribute to the health and comfort of our residents. Often we have to remind her that she is a guest here and not an employee!" She bowed. "As ever, we are honored to have any member of your family with us."
Himura ignored the gesture and continued through the doors. She wasn't intending to be rude; there was no benefit to it. But she felt the need to move on before her mask slipped and she was unable to keep her expression pleasant and neutral. Yes. Always devoted. Always the good housewife, she thought bitterly, her lip curling a bit. She rubbed the fabric of her gloves between her fingers and shuddered again. I hate this place so much.
She walked through the public area. Residents in wheelchairs were propped up in front of televisions or by windows. Through the large open panes of glass she could see a patio to the rear of the building with other residents, some were mobile, more or less, while others were tended by a small army of nurses and orderlies. All of them were helpless to some degree. Dependent, like atrophied leeches clinging to the side of some greater creature, they did nothing more than feed on the vitality of the fitter creatures consigned to attend them - until, inevitably, they sloughed off this life like a patch of dead skin.
I would rather die than exist like that, Himura thought as she continued into the hallway. Here the illusion of style and sophistication broke down further, unable to bear up under the brunt of residents who could not see to their own hygiene or even properly use the bathroom. Lilac, potpourri and bleach struggled in vain against the stench of decay, excrement and sweat-soaked filth. She felt it invade her body with every breath, polluting her. She hesitated a moment, then steeled herself to continue.
The door was at the far end of the hall - a corner suite which, of course, put it as far away as it could be, through the the longest possible gauntlet of decay. Another small crime to add to his list; another tiny addendum to the compendium of crimes for which he deserved to suffer.
She reached the door and knocked politely. She could have simply entered; she had the key; but there was a ceremony to such things; a script that needed to be followed and an image to maintain for rest of the world.
The door opened. A middle-aged woman in a kimono stood there, dark hair shot through with grey and tied up in a bun. She looked far older than her years, her eyes sunken and lifeless, surrounded by lines of worry and stress. For a moment her eyes brightened upon seeing her. "Himura… come in!" she motioned for the girl to enter and closed the door behind her.
"Hello, mother," Himura said flatly.
Her mother scurried over to the small kitchen area of the apartment. The room was spacious and boasted a view of the lush green grounds of the nursing home that the vast majority of the teeming masses of Japan, crammed into their tiny apartments with no windows at all, could scarcely comprehend. To the left was a door that lead to a bedroom and the main area dedicated an obscene amount of space to a bright, airy living room.
In the middle of it, a man sat motionless in a wheelchair. His head was slumped to the side, his eyes sightless and dull and a little drool ran down his slack jaw. Tubes and wires from a compact monitoring system built into the chair ran to various places under his clothes. He would twitch occasionally but was otherwise still and did not respond to her entry.
"Your father is so pleased to see you!" her mother said as she busied herself making tea. "You can see it in his eyes. He's getting better, you know… he almost managed to speak last week! The physiotherapist tells me he is responding extremely well to treatment. Perhaps… perhaps soon we can bring him home, and…"
"Mother," Himura said quietly, cutting her off. "There was a new flower in the beds. I noticed it as we drove up. I'm not familiar with the cultivar. Could you go ask the staff about it for me?"
Her mother paused, about to pour a cup of tea and her hand trembled as she looked at her daughter. "Himura, I'm sure they haven't…"
"Mother. Please," Himura repeated in the same even tone. "Go ask the staff about the flowers for me."
The older woman hesitated then shakily put the teapot down. She made her way to the door and paused. "You're… you're not going to hurt him again, are you?"
Himura was silent a moment, staring out the window. Her mother had actually started to turn the handle before she replied.
"Would that be so bad?" Himura asked without turning. "Would it really be so terrible if you were finally free of this?"
Her mother didn't reply and there was a soft click behind her as the door closed. Himura glanced over her shoulder and saw that she was alone.
"Coward," she muttered under her breath. "You always did choose him over me though, didn't you?" She turned back to the man in the chair and walked forward slowly. "But then again… at least this way you've finally stopped hitting her, haven't you, father?"
She stopped a few feet away from him. There was a small putrid noise as his slack bowels emptied into the tube leading to his colostomy bag and she wrinkled her nose in disgust.
"This suits you. It truly does - an appearance to match your soul." As always, she examined him carefully, making note of every change, every small degradation - cataloging his slow but inevitable decline. "Grandfather feels that it's important I remind myself of you - that you are a consequence of my actions. I haven't decided yet if he is disappointed that I did it, or that I didn't take the one last swing needed to finish it."
"Mother seems to think that you are still in there. Aware. Alive. I don't think she realizes the horror she wishes on you. But I do… and I hope she is right. I hope you can see all that has happened to you - all that is happening to you. I want you to be aware." She was shaking now. The memories were coming back… the memories always came back. The memories of how he would come into her room at night - of her mother in the doorway, seeing, but closing the door slowly and leaving her to suffer. And then, the face of the one who had always comforted her afterwards.
"It was never enough, was it?" She felt the old rage rising in her. "All you had to do was sit back, get fat and have everything you ever wanted. But it wasn't enough. You had to take what we had, too." She clenched her fist. "You spent… so long working to destroy Naoki. So very long. And yet you couldn't do it. Even after that truck did the job for you, it still wasn't enough. And after you couldn't make him give up, when you couldn't take that from him, you took him from me." She reached out and put her hand over his face, covering his mouth and pinching his nose closed, her expression cold.
She felt him struggle weakly to draw in breath. Perhaps it was just a reflex, what was left of his brain obeying the ancient imperative to survive. She hoped it was more. She hoped he was in there, feeling his lungs burn, seeing the edges of his vision go black, feeling the fear of knowing someone could so casually end his life.
"I could end it now," she whispered in his ear. "No one would miss you. Not even mother. To her you are just a duty that she fulfills because she lacks the imagination to do or be anything else. I could end all of this right now, and be free of you forever."
She pulled her hand away. The catatonic man gasped and sucked in a wheezing breath.
"But that's not enough," She straightened. "Not enough by half. Not enough for Naoki, and not enough for me. I have so much more I need to take from you first." She started to pace around his wheelchair. "I'm going to be the athlete you never were. The one you wouldn't allow Naoki to be. And then, when they offer me the prize you lusted after for so long, I'm going to hang it here, in front of you, on that wall, so that you always see it." She continued walking. "I am going to take the company that was your birthright, and I will have your wealth and your power. And when they are mine, I will scrub all traces of you from the Tanaka registries, until there is no evidence you ever existed. I will send mother away and I will leave you in the care of strangers who won't even know your name, or who you were. They will only know you as you are now… a putrid mass of slack flesh that only exists to stink and secrete and rot!" She finally came back around to the front of his chair and stared him in the eyes. "And then… only then... will I allow you to die."
000
This chapter is a little shorter than the other ones, but this felt like a natural place for the break to fall. I am already a good ways into the next update, and have been burying my poor proofreader with work. Without proper management, I am a walking crime against grammar and tense.
Himura's backstory has been outlined for some time. You'll get more of it later on, but as someone pointed out, without it she is flat and uninteresting. I hope this gives her a little more depth. As it's not really a spoiler as much as it is I just didn't have a good spot to state it plainly: Naoki is the name of Himura's eldest brother. The rest hopefully you get from the context.
For those who don't like the Ranma x Ryouga stuff, I apologize. There is a purpose to it that is beyond just more romantic tangles, I promise.
I suppose you could call this fic 'Fridge Logic: A Ranma Fanfiction' for the number of rabbit holes I'm diving into. I probably should update the fic description, but I don't exactly know what to put there that would fit in the character limit and be at all accurate. Suggestions?
