A knock echoed through the living room of the Moroboshi home. Looking up from his tea, Ataru blinked as his empathic senses reached out, and then he sighed as he stood. "Excuse me, please. We have visitors," he announced to his mother, sister, Sakura and Shinobu before he walked over to open the door. "Yes . . .?" he began before his eyes widened. "Oh, my! Welcome back, Wildflower!"
"Thanks, Rake," a female voice called back.
Everyone looked as Ataru walked inside, accompanied by a shorter, busty woman with hair as red as a fire engine, it currently tied off in a trademark pigtail. She was dressed in the same style of loose-sleeved, loose-legged jumpsuit Tariko wore as Infinity. The uniform was a dark green overall, with golden flower-like sigils scattered in torrents over her chest and along the sides of her arms and legs, they massing together in a field of flowers at the wrists and ankles. A gold strap belt and slip-on shoes finished the ensemble.
Gazing at her, Tariko gaped as recognition dawned. "Ranma?!"
The newcomer looked at this female version of her friend from Tomobiki, and then she laughed. "Once, Infinity. Not anymore, thank the Fates!" she declared, the relief in her voice quite apparent to all. "And please, don't call me 'Ranko!' I can't believe how much I hate that name now!"
"I wouldn't blame you," Ataru admitted. "I assume that when Ranma-san was exposed to the Crystal, the same thing happened to him as did happen to myself." With that, he nodded towards Tariko to emphasise his point.
"You assume correctly," Wildflower responded. "And before you ask, Keitarou-kun was affected the same way. He's now the Archaeologist. His female-self's become Stone Mountain. I think they've both gone back to Hinata-sou."
Ataru nodded in understanding. "Ah! And what of your other half?"
"Mustang."
He nodded. "Not surprising. Have you decided on a 'secret identity?'"
"No, not yet. I'm hoping you, with your vast knowledge of female names could help inspire me." She gave him a warning look. "As long as it's not 'Ranko.' And no, I want nothing to do with the family name 'Saotome' anymore."
"As you wish. Care to join us for tea while I brainstorm for you?"
She grinned. "Please!"
With that, both took their seats as Tariko served tea. Sakura, Shinobu and Kinshou exchanged looks, and then they gazed on Ataru. "Moroboshi, how is it you know Saotome Ranma of all people?" the Shinto shrine maiden asked.
Ataru smirked. "On my part, Sensei, thank Shinobu-san for the first time Ranma-san and I met." He gave his former girlfriend an apologetic look. "When she defended herself after my libido got out of control one time, she sent me on an impromptu flight into the Tomobiki-gawa near the border with Nerima. As luck would have it, one of Ranma-san's fiancées did the same thing to him. I fished him out of the river and we exchanged life stories. Fortunately for him, I knew already of his magical gender-changing curse, so I didn't molest him as others at Fuurinkan High School are often wont to do. For the most part, we've met pretty well the same way since that time. In a sense, Shinobu-san, that blow you gave me was truly a kind 'cut' in more ways than one."
Shinobu's cheeks reddened at his compliment. "A-a-Ataru-kun . . .!"
Tariko laughed. Even Kinshou was barely able to hide her own smirk at this revelation. "So who was this other fellow you spoke of?" Sakura prodded.
"Urashima Keitarou, a scholastic roonin trying to enter Toodai," Ataru answered. "Though, if he's now become the Archaeologist, that plan is most certainly up in the air. Ranma-san and I met Keitarou-san only recently, when he was sent on his own impromptu flight courtesy of a resident at the all-girls' dormitory he currently acts as manager for, a lady name Narusegawa Naru."
The three Terrans' jaws hit the table. "'ALL-GIRLS' DORMITORY?!'"
"Wait until you hear this story," Tariko announced.
Meanwhile, at a certain place of education in Nerima . . .
"YOU DELINQUENT! HOW DARE YOU BE LATE FOR CLASS! HAPPOU-GO-EN-SATSU!"
Saotome Ranma blinked as he felt the bolt of ki-sapping energy hit him from behind, and then he stifled a yawn as he calmly walked to his desk.
Watching him, the whole of the class was stunned speechless, most of their jaws on the floor, on seeing that the fierce attack used by their homeroom/English teacher was having NO effect on him whatsoever! As their eyes turned as one to Ninomiya Hinako, they then blinked on seeing real pain cross the child-teacher's face as she slowly began to morph into adult form. Finally, after what must have seemed an antagonizing eternity for Hinako, she dropped her coin as she collapsed to her knees, an anguished gasp escaping her. Ranma ignored her as he took his place, and then he promptly closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Most of the onlookers promptly ignored that; from Ranma, that was typical.
What just happened between him and Hinako was certainly not typical!
"Ran-chan . . .?"
"Ranma . . .?"
He stirred on hearing the voices of two people he cared for, and then he lazily opened his eyes to gaze on Tendou Akane and Kuonji Ukyou. "Yes, ladies?"
Hearing him speak, both girls' jaws dropped in shock as warning klaxons began to loudly ring inside their minds and hearts. Gone was the rough tone to his voice, not to mention the uneducated slant that had shrouded his speech for a long time. That simple statement had been uttered using the type of respectful Japanese one might find more appropriate in the presence of His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor, not at a normal city high school!
As if Ranma had suddenly become older and wiser than Time itself.
The truth, actually, wasn't that far from that . . .
Minutes before, light years away . . .
WELCOME, SAOTOME RANMA OF EARTH . . . TO YOUR FUTURE!
It was like being in his mother's womb . . .
Or was it?
Floating in the blinding, yet not-blinding, sea of light that was the very spiritual core of the Great Crystal of Power, the five billion year-old meson core of the planet Yiziba, he had never felt so much at peace.
Peace . . .
What an alien concept for him . . .
After what seemed an eternity for him, his eyes fluttered open to see his female self floating nude before him, she appearing as if asleep. Not bothered by that -- despite all of Akane's accusations to the contrary, he certainly did not feel any sort of sexual attraction for his cursed form -- he then found himself gazing down on his own body. Nude as well.
Didn't seem so surprising . . .
AWAKEN, RANMA!
His eyes went wide on hearing that booming yet clearly female voice echo from all around him. That voice was loud enough to awaken his female half, she looking around in confusion for a moment before she gazed on him. Surprise flashed in her eyes for a moment, and then she seemed to smile.
Onii-chan . . .
He felt his cheeks heat on hearing her call him that, even though he didn't see her lips move. How did that happen? Was it that tele- . . .? Telekin- . . .? Oh, what the hell was that called, anyway?
It's called 'telepathy,' Onii-chan.
He jolted on seeing a knowing look cross her face, and then he bowed his head in embarrassment. Sorry, he apologised to her. Kinda hard to remember all those sorta big words everyone loves throwing around me . . .! Er, us, I mean! he then added with an embarrassed laugh.
She laughed too, a carefree sound that made his heart swell with delight.
YOU APPROVE OF THIS, DO YOU NOT?!
Both jolted on hearing that question, and then they looked around for a moment. Seeing no visible source-point for that booming voice, they relaxed themselves. Definitely, girl-Ranma replied. And thank you for turning me into a woman in mind as well as body, too. This is better than what Blaze and Madame Fabulous promised us when they told us what happened to Ataru-kun. She then gazed fondly on her male-self. And believe me, Onii-chan, I do understand why you wanted to get rid of the curse. If I was cursed by the Nánnìquán and forced to turn into a boy after being told I was supposed to be a 'woman-above-women' or some other freak thing . . .!
He flustered. Sorry about that. He then looked at her, a shy smile then crossing his face. But believe me, it's very nice to have a sister.
She gave him a coy look. Aw! I thought you wanted me to become another of your fiancées!
He awked. No way!
Booming laughter echoed over them. IT IS GOOD THAT YOU FACE THIS TIME IN YOUR LIFE WITH CHEER AND CANDOR! the voice of the Great Crystal noted. IT MAKES WHAT I NOW WILL GIVE YOU FAR EASIER TO ACCEPT!
The newly separated Saotome siblings looked up. Ya mean give us special powers, like you just did to Ataru and Keitarou? the male Ranma asked.
Not to mention give Ataru-kun and Keitarou-kun sisters of their own? the female Ranma added.
CORRECT! FOR AS LONG AS I HAVE BEEN CLOAKED BY THE CRUST OF LIFE KNOWN TO ITS HABITANTS AS 'YIZIBA,' ESPECIALLY IN THE LAST TWO THOUSAND SOLAR ROTATIONS -- 'YEARS' TO YOU, 'SEASONS' TO THOSE NATIVE TO THIS WORLD -- SUCH HAS BEEN MY PURPOSE IN LIFE. TO ALLOW YOU TO BREAK FREE OF YOUR 'NORMAL' LIVES AND LIVE FREE AND IN AS MUCH COMMAND OF YOUR DESTINY AS YOU WOULD DESIRE. AND, AFTER SENSING YOUR MEMORIES AND EXPERIENCING YOUR BRIEF TIME IN THIS LIFE, YOU WOULD BENEFIT VERY MUCH FROM THE GIFT I CAN BESTOW ON YOU BOTH!
The siblings then exchanged a worried look. Both had enough experiences with 'gifts' to be instantly wary. What's the cost? the female Ranma asked.
TO YOU, ONLY A REQUEST, the Great Crystal responded. THAT, AT THE END OF YOUR TIME IN THIS LIFE, YOU RETURN TO ME TO GIVE ME YOUR MEMORIES SO THEY CAN BE PASSED ON, WHOLE AND UNCORRUPTED, TO A WORTHY RECEPIENT. TO ENSURE THAT NO MATTER WHAT, WHAT YOU DO IN YOUR LIFE WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN, AS IT COULD SO READILY BE FORGOTTEN ON YOUR OWN HOMEWORLD. A pause, and then the Crystal warned, IT IS, HOWEVER, TO THOSE WHOSE LIVES INTERSECT WITH YOURS ON EARTH THAT A FAR GREATER COST WILL BE EXTRACTED!
Both of them tensed. What do you mean? the male Ranma demanded.
BEHOLD . . .!
"R-r-Ran-chan . . .?"
Ranma tensed on hearing the fear in Ukyou's voice, and then he moved over to gently grasp her hand. "Whatever is the matter, Ukyou-san?" he politely inquired, the concern in his eyes quite genuine. "Did I frighten you, by any chance?"
Ukyou awked on hearing that question, and then her cheeks began to redden as she felt his hand gently grasp hers. As a lump formed in her throat, she then started to fluster. "Um, w-well, R-r-Ran-chan, I w-was just w-w-worried, that's all!" she sputtered out before her head drooped, steam escaping from under her collar.
Ranma blinked, and then he shook his head before he moved to gently lift the dazed Ukyou into his arms. With gentle steps, he placed her into her seat, and then he tenderly adjusted her arms so she could rest her head. "I must have given her a much greater fright than I believed," he mused to himself . . .
"RANMA NO BAKA!"
CRASH!
He blinked confusedly, and then he looked around. "What was that?" he asked.
Seeing nothing, he shrugged, and then he walked back to his desk. As he sat down and closed his eyes, he didn't see a shivering Akane standing at the spot that had been behind him when he had been tending to Ukyou.
In her hands were the shattered remnants of her ki-mallet . . .
"So he went to this place believing it would be a normal inn," Shinobu recapped after Ataru, Tariko and Wildflower had explained what they -- when they were just Ataru and Ranma -- had heard about Urashima Keitarou's current situation. "But he never was warned ahead of time that it had been changed into an all-girls' dormitory. He only found that out when he actually arrived there!"
"And ever since that time, he's been dealing with luck even worse than yours, not to mention being surrounded by a flock of pretty girls, two of whom readily beat him up for even the slightest mistake he makes in their presence, one of whom flirts with him all the time to skip paying the rent, a fourth that uses him as the target of her oddball experiments . . . " Sakura continued.
"And there's only one girl who treats him with kindness," Kinshou finished. "All because she has a crush on him."
"That's correct, ladies," Ataru responded. "He's only been there for a few months now. Given the pressure of studying to make it through the college entrance exam retakes, not to mention dealing with caring for a building the size of Tomobiki High School all on his own . . . and then you tap onto the fact that he has to deal with all his problems vis-à-vis his current tenants . . .!" A shake of his head. "I could see why he would most likely adapt well to becoming the Archaeologist. Feeling alone, isolated, perhaps even abandoned, by all of those he has to deal with . . .!" A sigh. "Well, whatever dreams he might of had concerning Tokyo University, not to mention finding this so-called 'promised one,' won't measure up compared to the experience, not to mention the drive and determination, becoming the Archaeologist would push onto him."
"Ranma-kun no doubt felt the same way when he became Mustang," Tariko noted.
"He did," Wildflower affirmed.
Hearing that, Kinshou then tensed. "Did you feel that way, Ataru?"
He looked at her. "In what way, Okaa-san?"
She gave him a wary gaze. "Alone and abandoned?"
He considered that for a moment. "At times," he then admitted. "But my real reason for agreeing to Sensei's offer last night was to save the people of Earth from Lum's immaturity. When Nee-chan was split from me and gifted the power of Infinity . . . well, that made that goal quite easy to obtain. As to what will happen now with me concerning Lum, that is between us to resolve, if she ever gets over her fear of Yizibajohei enough to consider returning to Earth."
Wildflower gazed at him. "Why would you want to mate with a same, Ataru-kun? After all . . . " -- she then fluttered her eyes at him -- " . . . there are more proper ladies for you to bestow your attention on. Ne, Rake?"
He gazed fondly at her. "Is than a request for a date?"
"Hai."
"Very well, then." He then smiled. "Kanami-chan."
She perked. "'Kanami?'"
"Much better than 'Ranko,'" he noted.
"True."
"Leave finding a family name to me," Tariko promised.
"Arigatou," the newly named Kanami chimed.
Meanwhile . . .
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(Posted Fri, 19 Oct 2007 04:00)
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