Afura rode the wind as she glided gently to the ground. As she drew nearer, his features became more clearly defined: a yellow and black bandana half buried in dark, unkempt, hair, grey eyes, and... fangs? That was certainly a new one. She wondered if he was, perhaps, some sort of demihuman. They weren't unheard of in El Hazard though it'd be her first time seeing one.
The boy looked to be about Makoto's age, and clearly an outdoorsman judging from his style of dress. Of particular note were the hooded poncho and goggles he was wearing. It was summertime in El Hazard, or their equivalent of it anyway. So it was odd to see anyone dressed so warmly. It was a wonder he hadn't passed out from heatstroke, especially given how briskly he was moving.
Hm. Must be why he has that parasol. she mused.
Whoever he was, he seemed not to notice her (it's hard to miss a flying woman). So she called down to him, "Heeyy!! You there!" The boy paused in midstride and peered over his shoulder. After he looked around a bit, she saw him mumble something to himself and shake his head. Probably thought he was hearing things. Moving swiftly, Afura came around to his front in a graceful swoop. Then righted herself and landed gently.
Ryoga's reaction was priceless.
Upon seeing her (finally), his eyes had grown big as saucers and several hairs bristled out of place. As she swooped in front of him, his head followed her trajectory with stiff machincal movements; with more hairs bristling as several beads of sweat formed on the back of his head.
None of this went unoticed by Afura, who didn't care for being treated like some alien phenomenon. She made a face at Ryoga who was busily checking himself for a fever. "Hey you." she said in a low unamused tone.
No fever. Ryoga mused.
"Hey." Afura tried again, using the same tone as before. The bandana boy continued to ignore her, wondering if it might be stress that was getting to him. "I said, "Hey." she repeated. Still no response, but she did overhear him mumble something about being high strung. A vain began to throb on Afura's forehead, her teeth grit her in frustration as she slowly brought up her trembling fist.
"That's it" she heard him say to himself, "The stress is getting to me, so I'm starting to see things." he concluded.
And that was the last straw.
Afura marched over, snatched him by his collar, and yelled in his ear, "Now you listen, and you listen good! I'm not some figment of your imagination! I'm a flesh and blood human being! Got it?!" Ryoga was accustomed to dealing with angry/violent women and quickly nodded. This seemed to satisfy Afura who shoved him back as she released him. "Good." she said primly.
"Now that that's established, just who are you anyway? I am Afura Mann, priestess of Mount Muldoon." she said formally.
Ryoga made a polite bow and introduced himself, "I'm Ryoga Hibiki, from Japan."
That was a surprise to Afura. "You mean you're from Earth?" she asked him.
"You know it?"
"Suffice to say, you're not the first I've encountered."
"That's great! Do you know how I c-" Before he could finish, Afura held up a hand, cutting him off.
"I know what you're going to ask, and I'm afraid I can't help you."
"What?! You mean, I'm stuck here?"
"Araid so. Apparently the doorway to this Earth of yours is strictly one way."
Ryoga sank to his knees in despair. So he'd been right. He'd gone and wandered off the face of the planet only he still didn't know how; not that it matterd anymore. It was over. All of it. He'd never get to settle the score with Ranma, would never be able to confess his feelings to Akane... was doomed to spend the rest of his miserable life... as a pig. It just wasn't fair.
Afura didn't expect him to be thrilled, but she didn't think he'd take it this hard either. It was like he'd just dried up. Wait. That reminded her. "I know this may seem rude of me, but what exactly are you doing out here?" What was he doing? Good question. What was he - That's right! He remembered! He didn't have time for this, he was supposed to be looking for the girl! Ryoga lept to his feet again, gripping Afura's arms tightly.
"What do you think you're doing?! Unhand me at once!" she cried indignantly.
Ryoga withdrew his hands quickly as though he'd touched hot irons and took a step back. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean t-." he said apologetically, shaking his head. "It's just... I'm looking for somebody and I was hoping you might've seen them."
Afura took a moment to regain her composure, feeling silly for having reacted like a nervous schoolgirl. It wasn't like he had tried anything. Still, she wasn't used to people touching her, much less grabbing her. Well, except for Alliel and Fatora. "No. I'm afraid not." she said, unable to help crossing her arms protectively over her chest. At least, until she realized what she was doing and forced herself to relax. "Besides, my friends and I are in the middle of our own search."
"Oh. I see." came his dejected reply. "Well, thanks anyway. I guess I should get going." He'd started to run off when she called out to him.
"Wait!"
Ryoga looked back over his shoulder.
"Just who is it that you're looking for? That way, I can tell them for you if I see them." she explained.
"I don't know."
Afura blinked. That didn't make sense. "What do you mean, "You don't know."? How can you be looking for someone and not know who it is?" she asked him, all the while, gesturing wildly with her arms.
Ryoga scratched his head. "I never got her name. But she's real easy to recognize." he told her.
"How so?"
"Well, for starters, she's about this big." he said marking a height of about five feet and maybe four inches with his hand. As he continued to describe her, Afura's eyes grew wide. "About fifteen years old, I think. Her hair's short, white, and she's got this mark on her forehead, like a triangle. Oh, and she's got on some sorta bodysuit."
Afura couldn't believe what she was hearing. Unless she was mistaken, they were looking for the same person. Only he'd seen her! There was only one way to be certain. Chosing her words carefully, she asked, "This girl you're looking for, does she wear gaunlets?" When Ryoga failed to understand, she went on. "Black ones with red orbs on the back."
"Like the ones on her chest and shoulders, you mean? Yeah." he said. "Why? You know who she is?"
The word "understatement" didn't begin to do it justice. Afura knew her alright. The girl was only the greatest evil in all El Hazard and the catalyst for the end-all-be-all Doomsday device, that's all. What she wanted to know was how did he know her and why was he looking for her?
See other episodes by NyteFlite
(Posted Sun, 30 Sep 2007 02:05)
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