"'Morning, Onii-chan. Geez, did you get any sleep last night?"
Ranma blinked as Yumiko peeked through the open door of his private quarters. He was in his normal "relaxed" dress -- muscle shirt and pants, the former doing nothing at all to hide his well-honed physique. His swords and pistols were on the floor next to him, always within easy reach. He was currently seated at a work table, a notebook opened before him, pen in hand. "Got a few hours," he admitted as he beckoned her inside with a wave of his hand. "I wanted to get this proposal for improving the defences of this place written up right away."
Yumi smirked as she sat down across from him. Like Ranma, she was in relaxed dress: a plain T-shirt over open-leg track pants. Her pistol belt and knife sheath were currently strapped to her waist. "Business before pleasure."
Ranma didn't react to his "sister's" hidden barb. "Is Akane-san up?" he then asked as he turned back to his work.
"No," Yumi replied as she focused her eyes on his writing, her brain flipping the page upside-down before her mind's eye so she could see what her "brother" had in mind. "I'm letting her get another hour's sleep before I take her over to the gym for a good, long workout. I still have to talk to Marie-sama about when we'd finally go to France to deal with the initiation ceremony."
"As soon as possible, I think," he mused. "Having two of the Noir working for her makes Marie-chan a lot safer than just having one."
Yumi grinned. "'Marie-chan?!'" she cooed. "Onii-chan, I'm shocked!"
He gave her a look. "Yumi..."
"I know, I know," she cut him off with a wave of her hand. "She told us to relax with the formality when we were alone with her, too." A pause as she stared knowingly at him. "But still..."
"A lot different than what we might have expected at the start, isn't it?"
She nodded. "It is that. I think we'll like it here." She then gazed at him. "I know you will, too, Onii-chan."
Ranma gazed briefly at her before turning back to his work...
Sometime later, both Saotomes stepped out of Ranma's cabin. As they were both the personal bodyguards to Susumu Marie, they were given quarters in the centre block of Hana-jou. Specifically, the Saotomes siblings and Tendou Akane were quartered in a two-floor square tower wedged into the north-east corner of the centre block. Marie's residence was a rectangular structure located parallel to the east wall, it centred to the north of the east-west centre-line of the fortress. The residence opposite Marie's -- currently the home of the fourth granddaughter of Princess Hana Nagaiwakai, Marchioness Tenhiro Haruka -- ran parallel to the west wall, it centred to the south of the east-west line. The northern and southern residences -- the ones belonging to Hirosaki Chikage and Hana Sakuya, respectively -- ran parallel to the north and south walls, they also set off-line to create, when viewed from overhead, a broken Buddhist swastika. The centre residence in this part of Hana-jou, a two-floor cross-shaped building, would automatically form the heart of the hooked cross. That was Aniue-sama's current private residence, the one part of all of Hana-jou that Ranma was expressly forbidden from entering.
"'Morning."
Ranma and Yumi turned to see Tokiha Mai walk up. As Sakuya's personal assistant as well as serving as her primary bodyguard, she had the right to sleep in the spare room of the princess' private residence. The two-floor tower reserved for Sakuya's other bodyguards, located at the south-east corner of the centre block, was currently empty; neither Ranma or Yumi had any idea if the princess was going to obtain further bodyguards for her personal use. "'Morning, Mai-chan," Yumi called back as Ranma gave the last of the HiMEs a polite nod. Yumi then hummed on noting the giddy look on the other woman's face and the uneasy gait in her step. "Oooh! Had some fun last night, Mai-chan?!"
Mai gave her a sheepish smile in return. "I've been allowing Onii-sama to ravage me on an average of three times a week ever since we both were brought up here by Sakuya-chan last year and I still can't get used to how good he can be in bed!" The smile then turned impish as she gazed curiously at Yumi. "Why're you so curious, Yumi-chan? Care to take a chance with Onii-sama yourself?"
Yumi waved her down. "Thank you, but I'll pass on that." She then blinked. "By the way, why is it you call him that, Mai-chan?" "Onii-sama" was Sakuya's personal way of addressing her brother. "If you've known him since you were both in the auction house...?"
"Why don't I call him by his name?" Mai finished for her sister mamluk, and then she shrugged. "I never got to know his name while we were in the auction house," she explained as she waved them to come with her into the north wing. As they were some of the highest ranking servants among the Sisters of Hana, they had the right to have meals cooked for them by Osamu Shirayuki. The other servants, those of whom had served in Hana-jou since Hana Nagaiwakai had lived here, ate in a mess hall located in the west block. "And when we all settled down in this place, with Sakuya-chan calling him 'Onii-sama' and all that, I just fell into the habit of doing the same."
"I wonder if anyone in this place does know the man's name," Ranma mused.
The three mamluks shared a knowing chuckle as they stepped through the archway drilled into the northern wall of the centre block, thus connecting it with Hana-jou's north block. Shirayuki's residence was the large building closest to the archway; the residence of the fifth sister of Hana, Tanenobu Karen, was located beyond that. The north block also held the Hana Clan's private memorial hall. There were also the requisite servant quarters lining the west and east sides of this part of the fortress. The two-floor towers which would normally hold Shirayuki's and Karen's bodyguards were currently empty. Kino Makoto, the Class B mamluk who doubled as both Shirayuki's personal assistant and bodyguard (not to mention her lover), slept in the guest room of the young chef's residence. Ranma and Yumi had yet to meet the two ladies who served as Karen's personal assistants/bodyguards -- they had yet to meet the young woman herself, of course -- so they had no idea what they were like.
"Ah!! Hotaru-chan, look! It's Ranma-kun, Yumi-chan and Mai-chan!!"
The three stopped on seeing the two women step out of Shirayuki's residence. The elder of the two girls was one of the other mamluks working at Hana-jou; Ranma and Yumi had met her the previous night when both had taken a chance to do a detailed security examination of their new home. Tomoe Hotaru was the same age as Kino Makoto, though she was a smaller girl; the top of Hotaru's head only reached to the level of Makoto's collar. She was, like Mai, rated as an S Class mamluk, though Ranma had utterly no why; Hotaru never once appeared in any issue of either International Janissary or any of the other major mamluk trade publications. Currently, she was the personal assistant and bodyguard of the youngest of the Sisters of Hana, Mistress Saeru Hinako. She, a nine year-old who once lived in the city of Niigata before she had been brought to Hana-jou, was one of only a few of Princess Nagaiwakai's granddaughters still permitted to live as much of an ordinary life as was possible in a place like this. Still, since neither Saotome had met Hinako until now...
Ranma and Yumi gracefully bowed to Hinako. "It is an honour to meet you at last, Hinako-sama," the former declared for them both.
Hinako, a caramel-haired girl who shared the same coloured eyes as the eldest of the Sisters of Hana, pouted. "Hina hates being called 'Hinako-sama!!'" she declared as she made a "no-no" gesture with her finger.
Hotaru giggled. "They're newcomers here, Hinako-chan. Give them a little time to get used to this place first."
Hinako sighed. "Hina forgot that!" After the Saotomes straightened themselves, the youngest of the sisters then walked up to gaze expectantly into Ranma's eyes. "Ne, ne, Ranma-kun?! Are you gonna be Marie-chan's boyfriend now?!"
Ranma froze. "EH?!!"
"No, that's not it, Hinako-chan," Yumi quickly cut in. "Onii-chan's just going to be Marie-chan's bodyguard."
Hinako blinked. "Oh!" She then closed her eyes as she thought about it, and then she gushed. "Ah, okay! Hina knows what to do now!!"
Ranma, who was trying to relax himself, stiffened anew. "What?!"
Hinako turned to Hotaru. "Ne, ne, Hotaru-chan! Ranma-kun can be your boyfriend!!"
Ranma awked. "WHAT?!?!"
Hotaru stared amusedly at the petrified male mamluk, and then she gave her mistress a deep bow. "If my beloved mistress so commands it, I will gladly obey!" She then straightened herself as she gave Ranma an inviting wink. "You free for a little snogging tonight, Ranma-kun?!" she meowed playfully as she licked her lips. "After all, we simply must obey our mistresses' commands."
"URK!!!"
Laughter echoed through the north block as Ranma tried to sputter out a response to Hotaru's "invitation"...
"Ranma-kun, you better keep reminding yourself of this: Class S mamluks always write their own rules of conduct," Makoto warned Ranma as she served him a hot bowl of miso soup, she having seen the results of Hinako's attempt at "matchmaking" when Ranma and the others finally made it into Shirayuki's residence: the male mamluk's face -- yes, including his lips -- were totally covered in lipstick marks after Hinako practically ordered Hotaru to give him a kiss to properly "start" off their "relationship."
"Please don't remind me of that, Mako-chan!" Ranma moaned as he tried to cover his face with his hands.
Unfortunately, he hadn't escaped Shirayuki's attention, either. "Hime thinks Ranma-kun and Hotaru-chan would make a beautiful couple!"
Ranma moaned as Yumi and Mai broke out in laughter as we...
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(Posted Fri, 01 Apr 2005 07:06)
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