"Let's go and give Heartfire's a shot. Even if can't improve your love life, you can forget your iinazuke problems for a while." Nabiki's frown became a grin. "You might even get lucky and come out with a way to solve them."
Ranma scoffed at that, but turned in the direction of Heartfire's anyway. "Feh. Luck... I'm more likely to start liking being in my girl-form before I start getting lucky."
Nabiki's grin merely widened at Ranma's humor as she followed the pigtailed martial artist. She took another look around at the stores in the intersection. She shook her head. Only Ranma... Turning back to the store, her cheeks took on a slight crimson tint as she remembered what the store was billed as. This might not have been such a good idea...
Upon coming into the store, the pair was greeted by two people, a man and a woman, who were sitting on a large couch. Off to the side on the back wall, there was an innocuous-looking wooden door. The room seemed pretty plain looking, whitewashed walls and ceiling, soft carpeting, and a pair of large potted plants on each side of the couch. A ways in front of the couch was a set of plush sofa chairs. In between the couch and chairs was a rug and coffee table, which had a single light green vase on it.
"Welcome to Heartfire's." Said the woman. She had a very familiar look about her. She had short light brown in a style similar to Kasumi's in the front, but was cut short in the back and combed close to her head, draping to the nape of her neck. Her hair also had violet highlights. Her eyes had a maroon color. Her low-rise, hip-hugger jean shorts showed off her long, supple legs. Unlike the martial artist women of Nerima, they were more toned than muscular, as if she kept in shape with a few stretching exercises rather than the Art. The woman wore a tank top that was pulled taut across a trim, flat stomach and covered a chest easily as big as Shampoo's. All in all, the girl was dressed in a manner that Nabiki would find comfortable around the house. Her lithe arms ended in delicate hands which laid demurely on the knee atop her crossed legs. She also exuded a peaceful and calming aura. She looked at them with a kind expression and warm smile, which looked suspiciously like Akane's.
"The home of your hearts' desires." Added the man. His dark red hair was done up in a bit of an unruly style in the front, which contrasted with the neatly done ponytail in the back that came down to a little past his shoulders. His face was made up of hard lines, which were again contrasted by his soft blue eyes. He was dressed in a tight, white wifebeater shirt that drew across his broad, muscular chest. His arms easily belied their strength as their muscles rippled with each movement. The rest of his body was left to the imagination as loose, black drawstring pants covered them. His total attitude, posture, and even aura, was completely laid back as he leaned back on the couch with his hands behind his head. He regarded the two arrivals with confident smirk.
"Have a seat." They said in an eerie unison.
Ranma, used to the odd and bizarre, took the seat on the left sofa chair. Nabiki, though, had less direct contact with the abnormal. So, she eyed the two critically as she slowly took the seat on the right.
The woman's smile never wavered, despite Nabiki's scrutiny. "Before we begin, I'd like to tell you how odd this is. It's not very often that more than one person comes across this place at the same time."
"Why's that?" Asked Nabiki.
The man was the one to respond. "Well, this is a place where a person's inner love and desires come to light. Having another with them tends to keep one from being able to express themselves fully." His smirk grew. "Unless, of course, you wish for your fantasies to cross."
Nabiki choked up. "Gak!"
"Why do you guys look so familiar?" It was something that was nagging at Ranma's mind since he sat down.
"Well," the woman spoke up, "the magic that flows through this place allows for us to take up the appearance of someone that you would find physically attractive. Normally, it would be one person here to greet the visitor, as their version of an attractive man or woman. But, as I said, this is an uncommon case of more than one person appearing here. If it were someone else to have come here, instead of you, I would more than likely have a different appearance."
Nabiki snickered. "So, Ranma-kun... Would you care to explain why she's wearing my clothes?" She asked slyly, reaching over to touch his arm. Ranma rewarded her by sputtering and developing a bright red hue in his face.
Ranma's embarrassment turned to anger. "Hey!" He exclaimed. He pointed a finger accusingly at the other male in the room. "What about him!? He's wearing my morning training gear!"
Nabiki casually brushed it off. "So? You're better than the idiots at school." She pretended to examine her fingernails. "Besides, as for your dream girl over there, what would your iinazuke say? There's more of me and Kasumi in there than any of them." Nabiki fought down a surge of pride at the thought, and kept it from her bored expression. "And poor Ukyo, I don't see any of her."
Ranma sputtered some more in a panic. He didn't notice the woman on the couch close her eyes and concentrate a bit. He stopped abruptly as he felt something touch his mind. His gaze went over to the woman.
The woman, being a part of the store, was very attuned to the place's magic. That magic allowed for the building to change and create people and environments within it that pleased those who visited it. For this to be possible, it read the wants and desires of its customers directly from their minds and souls. She sensed that Ranma wanted to answer, but didn't want to say anything offensive to Ukyo, despite her lack of presence.
Inwardly she smiled. She had no true form, but she was still a woman. It wasn't often someone like Ranma came into the shop. She usually found herself wearing a lot less cloth over a lot more curves. It touched her that Ranma would be trying so hard not to insult someone that wasn't even there with him, even if he didn't have the social skills or way with words to be able to do so. She could easily see why he was in such a... unique position in his love life.
Wanting to help Ranma, the woman reached out to him mentally. She opened her eyes. "He still sees Kuonji-san as a friend. He isn't able to see her in that way." Ranma quickly agreed.
"Besides, until recently, Uk-chan still wanted to kill me."
Nabiki raised an eyebrow at that. "I thought she got over that when she transferred to Furinkan."
Ranma shook his head. "Nah. When we fought, she realized she couldn't beat me, much less actually kill me." He shrugged. "At first she thought she could just train a little then come back and be able to beat me, but I was too good." Nabiki stifled a laugh; he just always had to put in a little ego boost. "Anyway, I figure that she wanted to get revenge another way. The best way would be to do the same to me that I did to her."
"You mean, she was going to leave if you ever picked her?" Nabiki asked, shocked.
"That was her plan until recently. Don't know what changed, but her attempts seemed more sincere." Ranma gave Nabiki a cocky smirk. "What? Ya don't think she honestly accepted my curse so fast, do ya?"
Nabiki's jaw dropped. It nearly dragged the rest of her body to the ground. Sure, Ranma surprised her with his plot, spreading that ring rumor to get some time to himself. But, this was another thing entirely! Of course, there was the fact Ranma could read a person's techniques and think up a counter near instantaneously, but this was too much. To be able to read a person and their intentions that in depthly...
"Anyway, what the deal here?" Ranma asked as he turned to the two people on the couch.
The man spoke up this time. "Well, as I said, this is where a person's desires can be expressed."
"Here," the woman continued, "the magic within these walls influences people to be truthful to their hearts, so they can enjoy the pleasures of their desires."
The man motioned to the door by the couch. "Behind that door is a sort of pocket universe. Its landscape can shift according to a person's wishes. The simplicity or complexity of the world you step into is hindered only by the limits of your imagination. Your imagination is also what controls the wildlife that roams around, the objects one can interact with, and the people one can see."
The woman picked up from there. "The landscape can be molded with a thought, objects can be conjured with a gesture, and the behavior of the people within can be controlled with a simple desire for it to be so."
Nabiki looked back and forth between the both of them with narrow eyes. This was beginning to sound way too good to be true. "And what will this cost us? What do you get out of the deal?"
The woman regarded Nabiki with a smile. "The entities within this building and within the pocket universe subsist on the energies given off by the release of one's passions and desires." She answered calmly and immediately. "In other words, we receive what we need to continue to live. Luckily, the magic of this place draws in a good amount of people, most deserving, and very few really refuse. So, we are in no real danger of dying off."
"So, what we get," picked up the crimson-haired man, "is the energy you give off while you... enjoy yourselves." He finished with a knowing smirk. The entity played off the intelligent self-assurance that the young girl liked in her men. The smirk grew when the girl's cheeks tinted pink slightly in response to the smooth and confident aura he let off.
"Of course," the woman intoned kindly. "This is entirely optional. You may leave if you wish. But, if you decide to stay, then you will both be asked to choose to enter the domain of your fantasies separately or together." She informed, bringing the two's attention once more to the deceptively simple wooden door with a wave of her hand.
Ranma and Nabiki both looked at each other. Ranma's face was red from the idea of going into such a place together with Nabiki. He was surprised to see that she sported a bit of a blush as well. The two stare at each other for a few moments before coming to a decision.
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(Posted Wed, 27 Jul 2005 20:02)
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