"Ranma!"
Ranma perked on hearing his fiancée's voice, and then he turned to see her standing in front of him, clenched fists at her hips and a displeased look on her face. He had returned to his classroom to relax before afternoon classes would begin. Much that, as Mustang, he presently felt even more boredom when it came to lessons begin taught rote-learning style by very unimaginative teachers, he was going to stay. For the time being.
As to how long he would stay now would be depend on others.
The one before him now being the primary one that counted.
"Yes, Akane-san, what can I do for you?" he asked.
Hearing him speak so formally to her -- hearing him call her with an honorific, which he had never used before concerning her! -- she started to growl as she drew yet another mallet to bash him down with. "Alright, we've had enough of this!" she snarled. "Whoever or whatever you are, get out of Ranma this instant or I'm going to tell everyone you're possessing him! Let's see how you like it when Cologne tries to exorcise you out of his head!"
Ranma blinked with surprise for a moment, and then he tilted his head slightly as his mind rolled over what she had just accused him of. Finally, after a moment, he sat back in his chair. "What makes you think I'm being possessed?"
"Don't play that with me, buster!" Akane snapped. While deep in her mind, she knew her mallets wouldn't have much effect with him, she had to make it known this situation wouldn't be allowed to go on. "The way you talk isn't like Ranma whatsoever! The fact that you're using titles for everyone, including ME! And that you're resisting my mallets and Hinako-sensei's power! There's just NO WAY that Ranma could do something like that! YOU'RE NOT RANMA!" She pointed at him. "Now get out of him right this instant, whoever you are! NOW!"
Ranma started at her for a moment, and then he started to snicker. That soon turned to gales of laughter, he nearly curling in on himself as he slapped his desk a few times. Fortunately, he knew not to strike it even with a fraction of Mustang's true power; the desk would have been pulverized with the same speed Akane's mallets disintegrated when they hit his head. Akane stared at him in shock, her eyebrow twitching as she tried to understand what was so funny, and then she growled, "STOP LAUGHING, YOU BAKA!"
The mallet was brought down. Once again, it became instant kindling thanks to Ranma's invulnerability. He was still laughing his guts out. By then, Ukyou -- who had immediately come into the classroom on seeing Akane storm in to confront Ranma -- had moved to stand beside her classmate. "Well, obviously, it's not possession," the chef then noted.
Akane spun on her. "What does THAT mean?!"
Ukyou returned her look. "If he was being possessed, he would either deny it or admit it outright. He hasn't done either of that. Yeah, it sure is weird what's going on with Ran-chan now, but I don't think it's possession!"
By then, Ranma had started to regain control of himself. "H-how did you think I was b-being possessed by s-s-something?" he then asked them before snickering.
The girls gazed on him, and then Ukyou replied, "Nabiki thought that up."
Ranma took that in, and then he laughed some more. "Well, I have to admit, that was a pretty good guess!" he mused before taking a deep breath. "Oh, that felt good! I haven't had a good laugh like that in a long time!"
"Ran-chan?"
He gazed on his "cute" fiancée. "Yes, Ukyou-san?"
"What DID happen to you?"
Ranma blinked, and then he sighed. Well, now was probably the time for them to learn what he had done earlier that day. "I suggest we move this conversation to a place beyond prying ears," he then proposed. "And if you two both wish to hear this, then Shānpú and Kodachi-san deserve to hear it as well."
Both women tensed. "Why THEM?!" Akane demanded.
Ranma sighed. "Fine. If you wish to try to exclude them, Akane-san, I won't explain a thing to either of you."
Akane jerked, and then she yelped as Ukyou's combat spatula smacked her in the back of the head. "Hey! What was THAT for?!" she demanded.
Ukyou grabbed her and yanked her to a corner of the room. "Idiot!" she hissed into the youngest Tendou's ear. "We've gotten this far in trying to find out what's going on with Ran-chan! Don't screw it up! If he says he's bringing Shampoo and Kunou into this, don't argue about it! Okay?!" Before Akane could protest any further, the chef leaned into her face. "If you don't, Akane, what's to stop him from leaving once and for all?" she added.
Akane jerked, and then she glanced in Ranma's direction. He was politely looking nowhere in particular, obviously out of respect for their wanting a little privacy in their conversation. She then glanced around the room. While they weren't noticeable, she could see shadows in the hallway outside that indicated that there were a lot of people trying to listen in to what was going on. Knowing how fast rumours and innuendo did spread around this place -- and remembering what Ranma had just said back in the cafeteria about that when he confronted Happoosai -- she then breathed out. Nodding in agreement to her rival, she walked over to stand beside Ranma's desk.
"Okay, Ranma, we'll go along with it."
He stared at her, and then he nodded. "Would now be an appropriate time?"
"No better time than the present, Ran-chan," Ukyou agreed.
He nodded, immediately standing up. Waving them to accompany him, he headed for the doorway. Walking out into the hallway, he then looked left and right. Sure enough, there were at least a half-dozen students standing close to the windows of the classroom, they currently trying -- and hopelessly failing! -- to make themselves invisible. Smirking, he beckoned them towards the emergency stairwell leading to the roof. They fell in behind him, both of them sending intense glares at their peers to ensure the eavesdroppers did not follow.
Those people feebly nodded in acknowledgement.
Once in the stairwell, Ranma closed the door behind him, and then he twisted the handle so that it would project past the steel frame and thus block it from being opened from inside. Seeing that, Ukyou and Akane gaped in disbelief, and then they fell in behind him as he ascended towards the roof. At the second and third floor landings, he did the same thing. As they came onto the roof, Ukyou then gazed on her fiancé. "Isn't that dangerous?"
"Fire hazard, you mean?" he responded. "I'll fix it later."
He closed the door behind him -- fortunately for him, the door swung into the stairwell this time -- and did the same thing to its handle there. Once that was done, he then gently grasped them by the waist, pulling them close. "HEY!" Akane yelped as she tried to push herself away from him. "What are you . . .?!"
And he was airborne.
" . . . DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOING?!"
On ground level, Kunou perked on hearing Akane's fading scream, and then he spun towards the school. "ZOUNDS! That dark sorcerer Saotome is doing something vile to the beauteous Tendou Akane! FEAR NOT, FAIR MAIDEN! I WILL SAVE YOU!"
He tore off inside, leaving a still-wet Nabiki sitting on the edge of the pool. As she tried to wipe herself down, she gazed in the general direction of where Class 1-F met. "What the HELL is going on here . . .?!" she hissed.
"Er . . .! Uh . . .! R-r-Ran-chan . . .?!"
"Yes, Ukyou-san?"
"HOW THE HELL ARE YOU FLYING?!"
He gave her a reassuring smile. "It's part of what happened to me earlier." With that, he glanced over at Akane, who was as equally wide-eyed as Ukyou on learning THIS new trick Ranma had under his belt. "Thanks courtesy of that hit Akane-san gave me this morning when Shānpú was being more passionate than usual when it came to seeking a romantic liaison with me." He stared once more at Ukyou. "You might say this time, she truly gave me a kind hit."
Ukyou blinked several times as she took that in, and then she weakly nodded. After hearing that, Akane tried not to yell out in frustration as she remembered what Shampoo had predicted that morning: . . . the fortune cookie said that today is not the day to loose one's temper . . . for this time, it will lead to much worse than any sort of heartbreak.
Note to self: Next time, LISTEN! Akane admonished herself.
Meanwhile, at the Nekohanten . . .
"<<Shānpú, why are you so insistent on delivering lunch for that heartless cad . . .?>>"
WHANG! "<<Stupid, blind Mùsī! Mind your own business for once!>>" Shampoo snarled at Mousse after winging him in the head with one of her battle bonbori. Shaking her head as the weapons-master dropped face-first into the floor, she then moved to finish loading her lunchbox so she could bicycle it to school and see her husband. "<<Always, always, ALWAYS, you keep trying to intrude in something that's not your own business! If you keep this up, we'll make roast duck for dinner one night!>>"
"Shānpú . . .!" Mousse moaned before he passed out.
Watching this, Cologne shook her head, and then she perked on sensing something with a lot of ki -- and very alien ki at that! -- coming their way. "What in the Goddess' Name is . . .?" she demanded before the front doors opened to reveal a very familiar figure. "SON-IN-LAW?!" she then screamed out.
Hearing her great-grandmother call out the term she used for her husband, Shampoo grinned as she bounded into the main restaurant, and then she lunged for him in a perfect Nujiézú husband-capturing glomp. As soon as she landed, she crowed out, "Airen! You came to take this one out on a date, yes?!"
Ranma smiled. "Something like that," he assured her before leaning over.
Shampoo blinked, and then she gasped, her eyes nearly shooting out of her skull, on feeling his lips tenderly caress hers in a warm kiss. That act was so shocking, she nearly passed out in disbelief. That action also hit Ukyou and Akane the very same way; they were now staring in shock on seeing Ranma actually reciprocating the warrior-maiden's feelings for her. Once the shock started to fade, however, fear and jealousy began to crawl up their spines.
By the time their battle auras began to click in, they reaching for their handy weapons to bash him down -- even though part of their minds was warning they wouldn't work this time! -- Ranma had pulled away from Shampoo to gaze into her eyes. "Shānpú, a thousand humble pardons for intruding on your busy day, but would you be so kind as to join Ukyou-san, Akane-san and Kodachi-san with me to a private place so I can discuss some very important matters with you all?"
Shampoo blinked as she took that in. She had never heard her Airen speak in such perfect Nihon-go before. And despite all the rumours that often marked her as a "gaijin bimbo," "dirty Chinese" and the like, she could speak Nihon-go as easily as she could Guānhuà, the classical version of Mandarin still spoken in her village. She just inflected her Japanese with quirky phrases such as "this one" when one would normally use "I" to put forth a disarming illusion about her. When it came to dealing with some of the natives of this place, especially those who were racist in their attitudes, it was necessary.
Her mind then locked on the exact meat of what Ranma had just said to her. She then looked over his shoulder at Ukyou and Akane, who were barely restraining themselves from whipping out their spatulas and mallets. Sensing opportunity, she then leaned up to Ranma. "Airen, why are you insisting on bringing Spatula Girl and Violent Kitchen-Destroyer with us, much less Crazy Ribbon Girl?"
Ukyou and Akane spun on her, their eyes smouldering with anger at her insult. Ranma's face went totally neutral as he replied, "If you refuse, Shānpú, I will tell you nothing at all," he said as he pulled his hands away from her.
Shampoo jolted on hearing that. Before she could try to turn up the cute act, Cologne's voice caught her short: "<<Do as he tells you, Shān.>>"
Silence fell as she took that in, and then she spun on her great-grandmother. "<<Why, Great-grandmother?!>>" she demanded.
"<<Something very strange -- far stranger than normal -- has just happened to Son-In-Law, Shān,>>" the Nujiézú elder warned as she gave Shampoo a stern glare. "<<And considering that, by his standards of honour, Ukyou, Akane and Kodachi have equal claims on his heart, his inviting them with you speaks much. He is offering information to you with only that stipulation. Accept it and you'll learn much. Deny it and you'll loose everything.>>"
Shampoo blinked as she took that in, and then she nodded before she gazed warily on Ranma. "This one agrees."
He nodded, a smile coming back on his face. "Fair enough. Let's go find Kodachi-san, and then it's a quick trip to somewhere beyond prying ears." He then gazed on Cologne before giving her a respectful bow. "Forgive me, Honoured Elder Kelun, for disturbing the harmony of your establishment. I assure you, your great-granddaughter will be returned to you whole and hearty. And perhaps . . . " -- he then playfully winked at her -- "Even better than before."
Cologne blinked as she took that in, and then a grin crossed her face. "If what I've sensed has happened to you happens to Shānpú, Son-In-Law, I would certainly NOT mind that! And I want to hear this story sooner or later!"
"That you shall, Elder!" Ranma vowed. "Ladies?"
Ukyou, Akane and Shampoo jolted on hearing him, and then they nodded as they headed out, turning immediately to head into the alley beside the Nekohanten. At that instant, an incensed Mousse charged out of the kitchen, butterfly swords at the ready. "SAOTOME, YOU FIEND! UNHAND MY SHĀNPÚ THIS INSTANT!" he bellowed as he raced outside, then spun around to look into the alley. "SAOTOME . . . eh?!" he gasped on seeing nothing there. "Where'd that cad go?!"
Cologne laughed.
Picking up Kodachi from Saint Hebereke Girl's School proved to be quite easy in the wake of his visit to the Nekohanten. Once they were airborne again, Ranma willed his outer clothes to transform into the red-and-blue, form-fitting jumpsuit he wore as Mustang. His hair also unravelled loose, giving him the same look Superman possessed in the weeks after his near-fatal encounter with the monster known as Doomsday. His companions were silent as he arced his way towards the highest point in all of Japan, they just overwhelmed by the fact that the man they all cared for could actually do all this.
Soon enough, after landing in a wood located on the eastern slopes of the long-dormant stratovolcano and giving everyone the explanation they needed . . .
"So, in effect, Ranma-sama, you've become a superhero?" Kodachi asked.
"You could say that," Mustang acknowledged with a nod.
"And you're as powerful as Superman himself?!" Akane wondered.
"I believe so."
"And the reason you're talking so politely now is that you've inherited all the experience and training -- atop the powers -- of all the previous Mustangs that have been in existence on Yiziba, right?" Ukyou mused. "Twelve of them, right? Total accumulated lifetimes about nine hundred years altogether?"
"Yes, that's right."
The chef whistled. "Damn! All that experience crammed into your head . . .? It's no wonder you started talking like you did when you came back!"
Akane and Kodachi nodded. "And while you would have just preferred to have this Great Crystal of Power split your female-side off from your male-side and let you come back as you were before, you couldn't do it without getting this 'gift' all of these people get when they face the Crystal, yes?" Shampoo finished.
"Yes. And Shānpú . . .?"
"Yes, Airen?"
He gave her a pleading look. "Could you please speak properly? You sound like some brainless fool when you normally talk!"
Shampoo jolted, and then she laughed in embarrassment as the three Japanese girls stared wide-eyed at her. "Oh, Airen, how could you do that to me?! Didn't you see how much fun I was having beforehand?!"
He bowed his head. "I apologise, but to see an experienced and intelligent person such as yourself behave that way was something I found offensive."
She considered that, and then she blushed. "Alright, Airen! I'll stop just for you! But I'll stay the same way for all my customers!"
A nod. "Fair enough."
"So what does this mean for all of us now?"
Eyes locked on Akane. Her rivals were quick to see the worry etched deep in the eyes of the youngest Tendou. Mustang stared at her, and then he sighed. "That is the question, isn't it?" he mused as he stood up, turning to gaze into the sky, towards the general direction of Tokyo. "The Crystal warned me right from the start that the real price of the Gift to someone like me wouldn't be paid by myself, but by all of those whose lives intersected with mine. You four being on top of that list."
Silence fell as they took that in, and then Kodachi's eyes began to mist. "Ranma-sama, do . . . you reject us?" she asked in a pained whisper.
Mustang blinked, and then he shook his head. "No, I wouldn't, Kodachi-san. I love and care for all four of you and I would gladly declare that now to anyone who asks. However, my feelings towards each of you are, in the end, nowhere as near as important as your feelings towards me or this situation we're now in, ladies. Any of yours!" he then emphasised as he looked on his other fiancées. "Which is the reason that I wanted to tell you all about this before I decided what I'd do about all the others I have had to deal with to date. Each of you, for your own reasons, look on me as your future mate. Shānpú's village laws, in fact, already declare me her mate. How was I supposed to choose which one I would make as my mate?"
They tensed as they considered that question, and then they exchanged looks. Mustang watched this, and then he sighed. "Would I choose you, Akane-san, because chronologically, she was the first one engaged to me by my father and has pretty much been accepted as such by my mother?" he asked. "Would I choose you, Ukyou-san, because of the fact that your dowry was stolen and you were forced to live ten years as a boy to gain vengeance on me for my father's actions?" A pause. "Would I choose you, Shānpú, because your village laws now place your very life in potential mortal danger should you return to your people empty-handed?" Another pause. "Or would I decide that I will no longer will answer for my father's mistakes and choose you, Kodachi-san, simply because we've not been formally engaged by my father's actions?" A shrug. "Who was I to choose? Even before I became Mustang . . . "
"That was weighing pretty heavily on your mind," Ukyou finished, and then she reached up to gently brush the tears appearing in the corner of her eyes away. "And we didn't help matters much with the way we kept coming after you."
Shampoo nodded. "'Obstacles are for killing' . . . " she lamented the basic concept hanging over her pursuit of her Airen.
"Yes, we were all boors about it, weren't we?" Kodachi stated.
"We were that," Akane agreed.
Silence fell as they considered that point, and then Shampoo took a deep breath. "Airen, how exactly do the people of your planet view marriage?"
A shake of the head. "Doesn't exist, Shānpú. And it hasn't since the Dawn of Power. That's two thousand years ago."
"So what about having children?" Ukyou wondered.
"That, on the other hand, is considered quite important," Mustang asserted. "When you do choose someone to mate with and have children, you're expected to give that child a safe upbringing until the day comes that she or he faces the Crystal and is give his or her Gift. Believe me, abandoning children -- as your fathers effectively did to you three . . . " His eyes locked on his three Japanese fiancées as he said this. " . . . is heavily frowned on there."
The girls took that in with nods. "What about Happoosai, Ranma?" Akane asked.
"What of him?" he asked in return.
"Why'd you goad him like you did? You realise that if he does come back from wherever your sister bashed him off to, he's going to ride Dad and your dad to the point where they'll definitely force you out of the house."
"Yes, that's exactly what I had in mind."
Akane blinked. "Excuse me, but WHAT HAPPENS THEN?!" she demanded.
"If they give in to Happoosai and drive me off, I leave and never return," Mustang affirmed. "If they're so willing -- especially your father, Akane-san -- to yield to that monster instead of helping me try to stop him once and for all from stealing all your foundation clothes, not to mention molesting you and actually stealing your life energy like he's done to date, then you have to strongly ask yourself if it's ultimately safe for you, much less your sisters, to live there anymore." He then smiled. "And that's where my second offer would come into play if you're willing to go along with it."
"'Second offer,' Ranma-sama?" Kodachi asked.
He nodded. "When Wildflower came to the cafeteria to visit me and tell me the 'secret identity' Ataru-san gave her, Happoosai lunged at her like he did to me when we were still one person and I was in my female body," he reported. "He couldn't absorb her ki, most likely because the ki the Crystal produces -- which we are all flooded with when we're given the Gift -- is just too different for his body to take in. When he discovered that, Wildflower and I contemplated giving every girl the same ability. And it was that proposal that set him off, Akane-san." He stared knowingly at her. "We were both prepared to help people defend themselves from him and he couldn't tolerate that at all."
Akane took that in before she nodded. "That's true, at least from what Hibaa-chan told me," Shampoo confirmed. "The pervert's need for energy from women is life-saving to him. To actually cut those sources off . . . "
"Especially from his 'favourites,'" Ukyou cut in.
A nod. "Hai, Ukyou, especially from Akane and her sisters, much less Airen's female-self . . . " A shrug. "To do that would kill him in the long term."
"Or force him to decamp to a place where the monster could abscond with such energy without potential interruption," Kodachi noted.
Another nod. "Hai."
Silence fell as the girls considered what had just been said, and then Akane gazed once more at her transformed fiancé. "Ranma, are you actually wanting to give us the chance to do what you just did?"
He nodded. "Yes, Akane. If I got the chance to go this, you all have an equal chance to do it as well. The advantages are many. But the price you pay for those advantages . . . " He sighed. "Look what happened to me."
They took in his warning and then . . .
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(Posted Mon, 22 Oct 2007 23:10)
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