"So you have eleven other sisters altogether. Plus one brother?"
"Hai," Marie replied with a nod as she and Ranma enjoyed some tea in the sitting room. The marchioness' other new servants were busy packing their personal belongings for transport by cargo plane later in the day to Hana-jou; the movers themselves would arrive in an hour. Marie and her companions themselves would magically teleport to Hana-jou after Ami and Mai returned from the Nerima ward office, making use of a spell created by Marie's second-older sister, apprentice sorceress Hirosaki Chikage (who currently was away attending a special magical school in Scotland). "Actually, it's not the exact truth about our relations with each other, but it's what we normally say to other people."
"What do you mean?"
"We're half-sisters and our brother is our half-brother," Marie replied. "We share the same father, Ranma-kun. But we all have different mothers. Hence, the differences in our family names. Our Japanese family names, that is; in Korea, we all have the same family name."
"'Hwa.' Yumi-chan told me your Korean name was 'Hwa Kukhoe.'"
"Ne," Marie confirmed with a nod, she flipping to the language of the Land of the Morning Calm. "Do you speak Korean?"
"<<I not fully fluent>>," he admitted in Korean before flipping back to Japanese. "I trained a lot in Korea with Oyaji. Mostly in the Choulla provinces around Kwangju, Sunch'oun and Mokp'o. I've got a Honam accent as a result."
"So I noticed!" she gasped, her hand flying to her mouth as a blush crossed her cheeks, her mind calling up memories of her meeting people from Korea's southwest provinces and how different the local Honam ("Honam" literally meant "south of the lake") accent was from the Korean she had been taught to speak. "That'll be something to hear when we go into Kyoungbok-gung whenever I have to attend a meeting of the House of Worthies." A pause. "I speak Korean with a Hangyoung accent myself." Hangyoung -- literally "Capital of the Han" -- was the official name of the metropolis known more commonly as "Seoul." "If you want, Ranma-kun, we can have you hypo-trained to brush your Korean up so that you can speak it like a native." A finger was then raised. "Though I will make sure you can keep your accent."
Laughter filled the sitting room for a moment, and then Marie sighed as she gazed into Ranma's eyes. The mamluk blinked as he felt those soft grey orbs lock on his own bright sapphire ones, and then his cheeks started to heat. Much that he did understand why is it girls found him so attractive -- unlike what might have happened had he remained in his native universe, Ranma had spent a lot of time in school, hence he did have a very good idea about relationships between the sexes -- he wished they'd stop giving him those damned puppy-dog eyes all the time! "Um, Marie-sama..." he whispered as a hand reached to his collar. Damn, it was hot here! "Um, w-would you mind...?"
Marie blinked, and then a delighted titter escaped her. "Ranma-kun, you can be a little more personal with me in private."
"Well..."
Softer laughter followed. Marie then took a deep breath. "Ranma-kun, how old am I?"
He gave her a detailed look. "I'd say about eighteen. Twenty at the most."
Her eyes widened. "Really?" She then breathed out as she reached up to draw off her glasses so she could clean them. "I'm seventeen years old, Ranma-kun. Do you want to know what the average age of a member of the House of Peers is?"
"I couldn't say."
"Forty-two. For the House of Worthies, forty-seven." A pause. "Two years ago, Ranma-kun, I was a normal girl attending a normal girls' school in Hakodate up in Hokkaido. I was totally unaware of the fact that my 'father' was, in fact, my step-father. And I was unaware of the fact that my real father was the grandson of the woman who helped arrange the creation of the Dual Empires in the first place! And most of all, I was unaware of the fact that I had eleven half-sisters and a half-brother, too!" She took a deep breath, and then she blinked on feeling his hand gently grasp hers. Oh, my! How did he move around the table so fast?! "Arigatou..."
"It's okay," Ranma assured her as he gave her shoulder a friendly squeeze. "I guess I didn't fully make myself realize what sort of situation you're in. It must be hard, being so young and being asked to serve in the House of Peers and the House of Worthies..."
"It is very hard, I admit," Marie confessed before she turned to gaze on him, her free hand reaching up to grasp the hand he had placed on her shoulder. Sensing that she wanted it to stay where it was, Ranma relaxed as she continued: "There are those who are supportive of my work in government, but that mostly stems from their respect for Obaa-sama and Hibaa-sama. Most of the others are wondering what on Earth I'm doing in those places, anyway. And it hurts, Ranma-kun! It hurts so much!" She closed her eyes. "I'm as much a slave to my duty to the Dual Empires as you're now a slave to your duty to me! And..." She gazed on him again. "I'll need that so much, Ranma-kun. I know you yoojimbou don't like to think about things like this, saying that it interferes in your duty and all that..."
Ranma sighed. Oh, damn! He hated to do this, but he had to speak about this before his mistress got the wrong idea. "Marie-sama..." He then paused as he remembered what she had told him earlier, and then he sighed. "Marie-chan." Hearing that made her cheeks go very red as a result. "I'm flattered beyond belief that you find me so attractive. And I can understand you wanting to have me in that way." A pause. "But please, try to keep this in mind: I'm yoojimbou. I'm a mamluk. I'm your personal bodyguard. My life, my future, my freedom, everything! It all rides on how well I keep you safe and whole. I'm not a pleasure slave."
Marie took that in, and then her eyebrow arched as something came to her. "Um, Ranma-kun, I don't mean to ask you this and embarrass you in any way, but...?" A pause. "Do you happen to know the exact details of your service with me?"
Ranma blinked. "Uh, well...!" He then flustered, he drawing his hands back from her. "It's a normal five-year contract...!"
Marie's eyes widened for a second as realization dawned, and then all the emotion suddenly drained from her face. "Ranma-kun, would you please excuse me for a second? I need to speak to your father about something."
With that, she rose to her feet...
Upstairs...
"Well, that's it!" Nabiki declared as she looked at the pile of suitcases and boxes now containing all her personal belongings. It was a considerable bit, unfortunately. Thankfully, her new mistress had stated that the three now-former Tendou daughters could bring all their personal belongings to Rishiri-tou; Hana Castle was large enough to take them all in without problem. "I wonder if I should keep my panties off when Onee-chan and I meet Marie-sama's brother? Will he take me right then and there or wait until tonight...?"
"SAOTOME-SAN!!!!"
Nabiki was knocked off her feet by the shout from the sitting room, she nearly ramming her head into her old nightstand. Instantly, she bolted to her feet as newly-forged compulsions deep within her propelled her downstairs, along with Kasumi, Akane and Yumi...
Ranma had been nearly blasted through the wall separating the sitting room from the kitchen by Marie's shout. As he moved to pick himself up from the floor after he had smashed his head into the wall, he found himself staring wide-eyed at his new mistress. Seeing the glowing battle-aura burning from the third granddaughter of the late Hana Nagaiwakai, the mamluk found himself whistling in admiration.
Note to self, he then mused as Yumi burst into the room, both her SIG-Sauers drawn and ready. His "sister" was then followed by Akane (with a shinai), Nabiki and Kasumi (both unarmed). Never get Marie-chan angry at me for any reason!
A second later, a concerned Saotome Genma appeared, he having run from the dojo where he had been having a private discussion with Souun. "Susumu-koosama, what's the problem?!" he demanded on seeing the glacial look on the marchioness' face. "Did the boy...?!"
"SILENCE!!!!"
Genma was blasted down by that shout. Watching their mistress in action, her new servants all reacted differently.
What a commanding voice Marie-sama has! Kasumi gasped.
If someone's upset Marie-sama, that someone will pay! Nabiki vowed, her thoughts instantly echoed by Akane.
Yumi nodded approvingly. Girl's got one hell of a pair of lungs!
I was right, Ranma ruefully mused. Do not get Marie-chan mad at me! A pause. Hey! Why'm I calling her 'Marie-chan?!'
Shuddering, Genma tried to regain his footing as he moved to use the Crouch of the Wild Tiger in some hopes of trying to deflect Marie's rage from him and onto whom he believed was the proper target, namely Ranma. "K-k-kooshaku-s-s-sama..."
"Saotome-san," Marie icily hissed, her derision quite apparent as she spoke the honorific. "Would you please kindly explain to me why is it your son was never informed of the fact that he is a full-use slave while in my service?"
Silence.
"SAY WHAT?!?!"
That was Ranma, by the way.
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(Posted Sat, 26 Mar 2005 13:48)
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