Her dreams were mixes of sensations, from flashes too disorienting to remember, to dreams so realistic, she could have sworn that she was really going through them. At best, she had only slept on and off, and when she had awakened, she had found herself tangled up in her sheets, and her body covered in sweat... with some added bonuses.
After getting herself free from her bedding, she sat on the edge of her bed, and vigorously rubbed at her face for a few minutes. That didn't do much in reality, but it did give her something to hold onto so that she regained her hold on reality. Then, padding over to the bathroom, she took off her pajamas, and bathed the grime from her body, hoping to both relax and awaken at the same time. That worked somewhat, as she found her hands drawing to places on her body that tightened as she tried not to think about what could happen with her.
But she managed to finish with her morning absolutions, and got dressed with the focus of just trying to get through the next activity without imagining what she'd dreamt of. It worked better as she went along, with her naturally logical mind letting her see that she had to keep fantasy and reality apart. In that, she succeeded admirably, and was sure that she would get through the day without thinking about how close she was to getting a collar around her neck.
And then she saw her mother waiting for her at the breakfast table.
"Hello Ami," Kumori told her.
Ami tried not to look worried, and didn't manage it as quite as well as she'd hoped. "Hi Mom..."
"I'm glad that you're up. You need to eat before you go out, and I need to talk to you."
"About..."
"What's been going on with your friends."
"I... I didn't mean to do anything wrong..."
The doctor gave her daughter an even look. "I know you, and you'd never misbehave unless there was a reason."
"I... Well... I..."
"But there is no need to worry. Everything has been handled. I've settled things, and now there is nothing keeping you from visiting your friends whenever you want."
"There's not?!" the younger Mizuno gasped happily, a bright look coming onto her face.
"No, you now have every reason to see them, and in fact, you'll have to see their master."
"Why? I'm not... You... He's not my Master, is he?"
"No, he's not."
"Oh... That's good... Right?"
"Of course."
"I'm glad..."
"I was hoping that you'd react that well to the fact that he's going to be your husband," her mother pronounced.
"WHAT?!"
"I see that's a surprise. But don't you remember last night? It was a choice, really. Either you stood on the edge, were about to become a slave yourself, or this would happen. And I think that this is the best of the three."
"You... you do...? But how..."
"I had a rather interesting call that suggested it, and as I thought about it, the better it sounded. You can see your friends free and clear, you get to marry this boy you seem to like so much, and I get peace of mind."
That made Ami blink at her parent. "You mean that you want me to get married..."
"Well... yes, I do. I'd have much rather had things had taken their time, but this works out well enough. Of course, he is a martial artist, but that's no major problem. There are other worries at the moment."
"'Other worries'?"
"You must understand," Kumori said firmly, "They won't just be your friends any more. They are slaves owned by your fiance, and as such, you'll be their mistress."
"I... will..."
"Yes. The 'last word' will reside with Ranma, but you will be able to give them instructions, and expect them to do things. In a way, it'll be good for you. Hopefully this will teach you to be a little more assertive in ways that will be good."
"I'll try..."
"Good. But then, I'm sort of happy that things happened the way they did. Now I know that you'll have something settled into your future, though some parts of your marriage can wait. I'm looking forwards to being a grandmother, but not in the near future. Too many girls are pretty free with their 'favors' and don't regard the consequences. Though, I am sure that you can be responible in that regard."
"I sure can..," Ami whimpered slightly.
"Just don't wait too long. I'd like to be young enough to enjoy them."
"Uh... Okay..."
"That's my girl. I just hope that you don't have any guys that I don't know about..."
The cram student shook her head, struck speechless by what was happening.
"That was a worry. But what's done, is done. And your engagement has been duly recorded."
A weak smile trembled its way onto Ami's face, while:
Read the comments on this episode
(Posted Wed, 10 Nov 2004 23:55)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.