Her first view of Ranma using THAT eye had seen a laughing child, who was riding a tiger. Despite the boy's humor, she could see many wounds - the worst being one over his heart and a deep-looking one along the back of his head. Still, the boy seemed to acknowledge that he was hurt but that he wouldn't let it get to him.
It was made further odd because of her other sense, one she'd developed over a few years and had allowed her to survive where other Rei had not. She could sense something of natures and emotions. She wasn't sure how to respond to such, but she could get bits and pieces of intent. On the battlefield, when someone was aiming at her, she could feel the intent to kill and respond. In the bathtub, she'd felt Ranma's intent to reach out to her - to help her somehow. It wasn't something she was used to, though there had been SOME concern from Misato and a few others on occasion.
Still, she had been a product. A manufactured item. Disposable.
Now she was valued. Cared for.
She wasn't sure what to make of Captain Katsuragi's current condition. She didn't know too much about Ranma's father other than what she'd overheard, including that he'd threatened repeatedly to sell his son into slavery - sometimes just to cover a bar tab. Such behavior did not bode well for her continued association with her Master, so having Katsuragi replace the senior Saotome was certainly a step up. As Katsuragi was mamluk-yojimbo, Rei thought that made a difference.
As a (former) soldier - she'd worked with mamluk before. They were most often elite special forces, trained from an early age to their profession. Most were male, tough, and missing parts of their body. They also typically used tattoos to indicate the various major campaigns that they had taken part in.
Yojimbo ("samurai bodyguard") she'd not worked with before, though she'd seen a few and quietly assessed their skill levels. Most she'd ranked as minimal elite, but not fighters primarily. No - she'd understood their main skills were detecting and anticipating threats.
This had made sense after she'd first considered it. The bodyguard's job was not to engage hostiles in combat. The bodyguard's job was to protect their client. Getting the client away from hostiles would be their first priority, combat would be the option explored if avoidance was impossible.
Katsuragi was now a mamluk-yojimbo and legally Ranma's guardian. There was a certain precedence for this - as corporate heirs and the like had been orphaned with the child's bodyguard becoming the legal authority in charge of raising their Master. Which was a strange relationship if one viewed it in purely logical terms, as the slave would sometimes have to punish the master or even punish themselves on behalf of their master.
Duty was heavier than a mountain, as the old saying went.
Rei decided:
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(Posted Fri, 09 Feb 2007 18:33)
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