So reminded, Ranma carefully disengaged himself from Ukyo's quiet, sleeping embrace and slipped out from underneath the cover. Padding over to where she kept her washing machine he pulled out his pack and recently scrubbed clothes, all still wet and awaiting to be hung out in the sun tomorrow to dry. Grabbing the bundle, he made his way into the furo, now drained and dry. There the martial artist picked up all of his items, one by one, spun the silk so fast in the air that all of the moisture flew out, and carefully repacked his backpack with what he owned.
As he did so he asked his mentor a few quiet questions. "Master Yoda, do you think I can help Akane?"
"Not ready are you," the Jedi master quietly shook his head. "Perhaps, not willing is she. Hard to see, always in motion is the future. That one, strong in anger, pride and jealousy. Uses them to gain control of her surroundings. Scared also is she, of losing control. Hmmm, very scared. Lost her mother. Fears, deep inside of losing another. Walls off herself through anger, hides her heart in pride." The master sighed deeply and long. "Not yet crossed the boundary, has she, where hurts others to forget her pain, but... toys with it does she."
The short alien raised his head to meet his padawan's eyes. "Much danger I sense in her. A hold on you, strong she has still. Beware this you must. For if unready you attempt to reach to her emotions overpowered you will be."
The Jedi Master dropped his gaze and shook his head. "Only now the path you have started, your self mastery to reach. Achieve this fully you must if such a rescue is to be considered. Allies to strengthen you find, anchor you they will, tie you to the Light Side. Help you they must, for if you try now Akane to reclaim master you her family will try. Your father, aid them he will. Should they succeed you will become an agent of evil."
Yoda made as if to tap his staff firmly on the ground to make a point, naturally it made no sound. "First, master yourself you must. Second, separate her from her family, you will, if such a thing is to succeed. Reinforce her, they do. But another time you must consider this. The hour grows short. Hurry, you need, for danger approaches."
=====
"So this is where that bastard is sleeping." Akane growled deep in her throat.
She had forgone her usual blunt instrument of trauma and carried a pitchfork that Genma had somehow found for them. He'd passed them around, and now the entire Tendo family, plus Genma and Ryoga, were gathered together before the Ucchan's armed with pitchforks and torches.
"Yah," Ryoga leaned on Kasumi's shoulder for support, holding his hand over the stump of his right arm. Kasumi was incongruously holding a broom in her other arm instead of the 'mob burning vampire hideout' equipment the rest had. "This is where I chased him, alright. He and Ukyo both. If they hadn't have ganged up on me I could've defended myself!"
Genma nudged the arm with one hairy foot, bending low to examine it with his burning, tar soaked branch of wood. Panda eyes glanced one way or another, but everyone's eyes were on the building where his traitorous son was slumbering.
"Don't you worry, Akane. We'll get you back your fiance. Then we'll hold the wedding this morning before school." The Tendo patriarch reassured his daughter, his face cast in a red glow by both his anger and the torches over the black vestments of a Catholic priest and cross he'd donned to stay in theme for this occasion.
"I don't WANT that lying cheat back!" Akane shouted, turning to glower at her father, who sweated a little as he noticed the wooden stakes pushed through the belt of her martial arts gi along with the mallet hanging from her side. "I want him to suffer for what he's done to poor Ryoga!"
"Oh my, are you sure that he sucked out your blood, Ryoga?" Kasumi gently asked, looking distinctly out of place in her nightdress and broom. She wished that father hadn't borrowed her cross. He'd torn up some nice black sheets to make that priest outfit.
The smell of burning meat came to their nostrils.
"We've been over the story a dozen times," Nabiki didn't mention that the details kept changing because she didn't think that it could make much difference. "Ranma tried to murder Ryoga. Since we're all here at Ryoga's side, I guess that means that we believe him."
Mister Saotome had already started a bonfire and was spreading fuel from the jerry cans of gasoline they'd all carried to the site around the base of the restaurant. Daddy, as usual, had turned off his brain whenever his old training buddy wanted help with something and was over there spreading fuel along with him.
"Who cares!" Ryoga shouted, releasing his lock on Kasumi to stand upright and grab a torch. "Just stand ready with that crossbow. BURN IN HELL, RANMA!!!" With that he flung the torch into the fuel that immediately caught ablaze, spreading quickly to the wooden walls and paper doors of the restaurant.
Nabiki and mister Tendo finished cocking their weapons, raising them to point at the burning home. Akane stood in the front, a stake in one hand and her mallet in her right. Kasumi went and began sweeping, while Genma Saotome took a skewer of meat off his bonfire and began to cut it up for grilling in the wok he'd somehow acquired.
Inside, Ranma had heard the shouting and an accidental bond he'd formed with Ukyo alerted her to the danger just as he became aware of it.
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(Posted Sat, 16 Jul 2005 22:35)
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