"Yay!" Ukyou cheered, quickly scrubbing, then offering him a saucy wink before dashing out the door. "Ooh," Ranma said, once she was gone. "Wow. Desire is a powerful emotion to control, master," he said, sighing in relief.
"Understand the reason for my instruction, you do not," Yoda warned suddenly. "Think you, you do. But more there is."
"I see, master," Ranma said, quickly rinsing himself, and grateful for the shift to female form and its inherent distraction from his ... desire. After a moment of meditation, he splashed himself with hot water, and said, "I know that there is more than I know. Knowing this, I strive not to be blinded by my quest for wisdom."
"Well you remember," Yoda said, pleased. "Rest well tonight, young one."
Ranma bowed to his master, who fizzed for a moment, and then vanished into nothingness.
When he got into Ukyou's bedroom, she had set two futons up, though both were immediately adjacent, and were sharing a single set of covers. He'd already put on pajamas, ironically one of the few clothing items he hadn't given to Ukyou. Of course, camping doesn't usually involve pajamas, so it could have been for the best.
After turning out the light, he slipped into bed quietly, and Ukyou immediately rolled over to snuggle up to him. He tried to avoid tensing up, and she suddenly whispered, "Ranchan?"
"Yes, Ucchan?"
"I'm ... having trouble finding the words for this, but.... Ranchan ... you've made today the best day of my life."
His heart skipped a sudden beat, as he thought of the implications. True, it was under Yoda's orders. But it was also betraying ... well, Genma's honor, he supposed. Which was worthless. So really, all he needed to worry about was his own honor.
Oh, hells, he thought distantly.
"I made a promise once," he said quietly. "That I'd take care of you if anything happened, Ucchan. Where ... what happened to your father?"
She seemed puzzled by the question, and drew away slightly. "He died," she said quietly. "We didn't ... have the money to get by once he was gone. I snuck into an all-boy's school so they couldn't find me, and made okonomiyaki claiming to be a cousin of mine until I made enough money to come here."
He drew her close to him, and closed his eyes. "Then if you want, I'll take care of you, just like I promised," he whispered. She seemed to melt into his embrace, and he was glad she'd decided to put on another nightgown, instead of just waiting for him without anything on. Her felt the tears of joy splashing through his shirt, and recognized them for what they were, reaching out with his force-sense.
As he did, he was suddenly struck with understanding. Her aura was just her chi, but with his ability to sense the force, he realized the raw emotion she projected into it -- that all powerful martial artists probably would. The practically radiated love and devotion ... and as he delved deeper, he saw that it was not, in truth, entirely a good thing.
Master Yoda's training and meditation hadn't made Ranma a completely different person, but he'd come a long way, and he knew how to recognize that people had mental checks, balances, and flaws. He'd become aware of a glaring number of his own, but saw one now in his fiancee he'd never thought could be there before. The clues had been there, had he bothered to look before but now....
Now he could see how desperate, how alone, how frightened she was on the inside, and how she tried to cover it with false cheer. Only now was she letting the hurt little girl inside cry in relief, only now was she ready to accept healing.
Then, he drew her confidence, her cheer, her love from her aura, exposing the pain and hurt that lay at her core. While she huddled into his chest, he kissed her, and sent back his own friendship and devotion. He wasn't certain, at that precise point, if he would marry Ukyou. But he knew that his friend would have his eternal help, if she ever needed it.
Then he withdrew his force senses slightly, making sure the girl was okay. But she'd gone to sleep, a peaceful smile on her face, the occasional hiccup betraying the sobs of only moments ago. Was that, he wondered, why he needed to understand emotion?
He contemplated this turn of events....
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(Posted Sat, 16 Jul 2005 21:16)
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