She hadn't been in that Net Cafe for more then an hour when she realized that there was something she just had to check out, and it wasn't like she couldn't read all those mangas on the way there anyhow. Heck, she could even watch the anime version on the way with that tiny little multi-datadisc player she'd bought on sale last year, even if the screen was tiny and the sound was tinny even with the earphones.
So she'd put in a call to her place of work, saying she wanted two days off for 'a personal emergency', and had cut off before they could say no. Which would probably cost her kudo points with the brass, but who cared - Commander Ikari could deal with it as he would, it was his son causing her all this - multi-sided headache - after all...
She'd flexed her NERF connections to get her a train ticket and seat pronto, and had sat there reading the mangas and browsing through the anime version of 'Shinji 1/2' while the landscape streamed past the window.
Commander Ikari's relatives had turned out to be rather nice people, all things considered, and had seemed to believe her without question when she said that she had been sent to get several of Ikari Ranma's personal belongings that he'd decided he wanted with him after all.
And since it had been pretty late in the day when she'd arrived, they'd even offered to put her up for the night. An offer she had accepted with a great deal of relief, as the only ticket she'd been able to find on such quick notice was one that was for the next morning, and she'd been wondering what to do in the meanwhile.
Misato thought about what she had found in Ikari Ranma's old rooms, and sighed again. Musical instruments, lots of manga and anime discs including the entire set of a rather popular series called 'Shinji 1/2', and a rather nice-looking set of anime and manga inspired figurines.
And then she remembered that strange anime DVD Ikari Ranma had been carrying around - now that had been creepy. The general situation shown had seemed to be very close to things that she had known to be the truth about the situation she was in, even though it got weirder and weirder as the series progressed, and even most of the characters had had the names and faces of people she knew and worked with - including herself. Ewww. Well OK, the anime version of her didn't look that bad - but she wasn't that bad at cleaning up after herself!
...Well, she hoped, anyhow...
Though there had been several clear differences with reality as she knew it. Such as the part that Ikari Ranma seemed to have been exchanged with a character who didn't much look nor act like him at all, by the name of 'Shinji', just for starters...
And now that she had had time to really calm down and think about things - that did mean that, whatever that DVD was, it wasn't a direct - what to call it, a reflection? - of reality as she knew it.
...Right?
But then -
And those abilities that Ikari Ranma had shown. Running, quite literally, faster then a train, carrying her to boot - That hadn't been a dream, had it now...
And -
Oh, what the hell, she'd used her brain too much today already. Maybe this would all make more sense in the morning...
And Katsuragi Misato closed her eyes.
It was dark, the waves were lapping, and there was just so many things talking...
And in the midst of this all, was something that wasn't really a fish.
(Bipedal sort-of-intelligent female mammal that I inhabit for the moment, is that you>)
Misato blinked her dream eyes.
This was...
No, wait a minute...when had she last seen the babel-fish, anyhow? It was in her ear, translating stuff wither she wanted it too or not, so much babbling, and then...
When had that stopped, anyhow?
(Hey! Have you been in my ear, all this time?)
(Yes, bipedal sort-of-intelligent female mammal that I inhabit for the moment. This one need recalibration. Filtering systems non-optimal. Needs dream-sleep-rest mode.)
(Oh...OK?) Misato murmured. (So you're going to be sleeping?)
(Not...) And Misato couldn't really follow what the babel-fish was trying to tell her at all. She was beginning to get an inkling of what 'Filtering systems non-optimal' meant.
(OK, OK, I get it, you're not gonna be able to translate and stuff for a while, then?)
And she didn't remember the TV series she'd watched way back when mentioning that the babel-fish were supposed to be intelligent at all, but then it wasn't like she remembered the details of that particular series all that much.
The babel-fish babbled on, along with the rest of the universe. Misato went to look for other dreams.
And woke up in the morning, to find a small pendant-like something that looked like a fish, lying on her pillow...
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(Posted Tue, 12 Dec 2006 14:40)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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