"I think that he just threatened the emperor of China...." Sailor Jupiter murmured.
"Not that! Seeing that could be expected, what with what we've seen."
"So...."
"I was just led away on a leash being held by a dog! Sure, it wasn't a normal one, but still...."
"Okay, that was a bit strange," Venus allowed, shrugging a bit at the absurdity of the situation. "It isn't something that you see every week."
"Yeah, that's right. But you weren't the one who was just taken away like a pet by a dog!"
"There is that...."
'Just how thick do you have to be?' Mars growled to herself. "I just went from being a sex toy to a perverted idiot, to being kept by something that should be fed kibble to!"
"Oh, I don't think that Ranma would leave you to be a pet...." Saturn piped up, wondering why her view had been obstructed earlier.
"I.... You may have a point."
Moon nodded in clear agreement, with a thoughtful look on her face. "If I remember right, then she'd been given to Ranma. Wouldn't she belong to him then?"
"And that would be important...." Jupiter trailed off.
"Because then it would be him who'd do those kinky things with him," the reincarnated princess answered, and blushed. "All that would mean...."
"Am I, or this past me, really going to be stuck as a 'pet'?" the raven haired Senshi asked, looking at no one in particular.
"I don't know about that, even if I doubt it, but there is a place to get a lot of answers," Mercury put in.
"What? Where?"
"There."
"I don't.... Is that...."
The emerald eyed girl gave a short glance to her priestess friend. "I think that it is. And to tell the truth, it's...."
"Amazing," Moon breathed. "How'd they build that?"
"Over many years, I would think. He's had the time," Mercury idly commented.
Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, well
It surely means that I don't knowOn a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about I'm like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune
But I hear the voices sayCarry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
Ranma rather liked the chambers that he'd had in the monastery, as they suited him rather well. In other places, such quarters would have been laid out with all sorts of over the top luxuries, and attention to details. He could deal with a bed that was so soft that it could swallow him, but sometimes, when his identity was revealed, he'd get treated to so much useless materials that it got overwhelming.
In this place, he had plenty to enjoy though. As a place of contemplation and learning, they had things to do that didn't include fussing over him. His chambers were clean, the views out of the window were wonderful, and the simplicity of his decorating style was complimented by the quiet design of the room. Each morning, he could wake up to fresh air that would fill his lungs, and a comfort that could only really be enjoyed by the one making it.
Of course, a knocking at the door didn't exactly help the soothing air of the place. "Come in."
"I apologize for bothering you, Master," murmured a tall, thin, and rather young man as he entered, bowing his head in his head with respect. "But there are matters that may cause you some concern."
"What couldn't, Gao Yung? I've been around a lot of messes, and you used to think that I should get into more."
The young disciple colored slightly, and ducked his head once more. "I was rather nervous when I first came here, Master. At that time, I did not realize that there were many concerns that did not need your personal attention."
"Good to see that you've learned. Though, I do have to wonder about a lot of other people...."
"They merely see what you have accomplished, and it clouds their image of you. People do see how you have done things like... 'working on relations' with the Kingdom of the Musk. And I am told that those 'Amazons' that you led from the western lands have settled well, and are prospering. They seem to regard you with great respect, Master."
"Something like that," Ranma allowed, smiling a bit at the memory of his last trip to the Amazon villages. He did have to wonder if that had been what had jolted Yung from his 'hero worship', as those women had been particularly loyal to the 'ancient warrior'.
"And we do well with those 'hidden cities' as well. At this point, we even have families that send their children to your service."
That was something that mystified the age old martial artist at times, as it had become something of a mark of honor for a family, especially pre-eminent ones, to send a child to him. Sometimes, the child would be expected to be a student, and other times, to be a servant, but either way, having someone worthy of serving him being related to the clan was seen as a welcome sign of fortune. He understood the reasoning for sending students to a wise master, but this could get silly at times.
"It was how I came to be here, after all. Just like Lei Mei," Gao Yung admitted, muttering the last part.
"She still bothers you, doesn't she."
"I can handle her... presence."
Fighting the urge to laugh, Ranma sent an almost amused look at his attendant. The young man might have grown to welcome the inclusion of female students in the monastery, but he had never managed to handle dealing with Lei Mei, a lithe girl who had so idolized Ranma that she acted on his instructions without question. "You constantly look for reasons behind things, and she's pretty direct, isn't she?"
"Something like that. But she is not the reason that I have come."
"Oh?"
"You have supplicants. Again," the student said softly, nodding towards the window that pointed towards the road that led to the temple.
His jaw stiffening, Ranma walked over to look out the opening, and saw the procession that had come to his gates. There was no other way to describe the group, as they were standing in a set of organized lines, with eight drums being played to accompany a humming chant that seemed to drone on without stop. Each member of the company was dressed in black ceremonial robes with red accents, save for the shapely young woman in white at the front of the group.
"Let me guess," Ranma said tonelessly. "She's a gift."
"They call her an 'offering'," Gao Yung told his teacher, not pretending to misunderstand what was meant.
"So, they want to give me a girl. Great. I really wish that I'd stopped the story about 'that concubine' from spreading."
"I doubt that even you could have done such a feat. And there is the welcome fact that they no longer give 'sacrifices' to you."
"You're right about that," Ranma rasped, letting himself accept the fact that this was a step up. Having people like these push what they expected to be basically 'slaves' onto him was bad enough, but at least there weren't incidents of bodies being left on his doorstep, or potions being drunk to destroy minds to secure 'complete dedication to his service'. Though, in any case, he wasn't about to be jumping with joy any time soon.
"What should we do about her, Master?"
"What can we do? We refuse her, and who knows how they'll act. I don't want that sort of mess."
"If we keep her, then they will take it as a sign that you welcome their behavior."
"Then we make it clear that I don't like it. Not even the ones that just pray to me."
"There are several branches, and you are considered to be a 'Divine Immortal' by some...."
"Don't ever mention that again," Ranma emotionlessly stated.
Gao Yung didn't need to hear any tone coloring the words to understand the feeling behind them. When they had been said, the years of power and experience had shown through the appearance of the apparently young man, making it clear that he was not quite as simple as he looked. Understanding how touchy his master now was, the disciple decided that being quiet was the way to go, and merely watched while:
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