While Ranma was sleeping, Nerima was observing one of the fundamental laws of nature: every action has an equal and opposite reaction. All over the ward, Ranma’s actions were producing consequences, as people thought, planned, and acted on decisions…
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Ku Lon sat in the kitchen of the Nekohanten, drinking tea and thinking. That was nothing new. She was a 300-year-old Elder of Joketsuzoku; she was always thinking and planning methods to get her way when it came to village politics, and she’d found that she did her best thinking over a cup of soothing chrysanthemum tea.
But tonight, it wasn’t political maneuvering that was on her mind. She was thinking of something much more important to her: her great-granddaughter and heir, Xian Pu.
For too long had she ignored her great-granddaughter’s problem. It had been deemed unimportant by the other Elders, since they didn’t think it impaired her ability to perform as heir-apparent, but she should have known better. She should have addressed it when it had first appeared. Maybe if she had made Xian Pu aware of it, it wouldn’t be so bad now.
‘Of course, she wouldn’t even be having this problem if I hadn’t put so much pressure on her,’ she thought bitterly, sipping tea from the cup she held in her hand.
That was in the past, though. Right now she needed to find some way to fix this. But how? Sending her to a psychiatrist was out for the same reasons as before: she didn’t think Xian Pu would respond very nicely to a complete stranger telling her something was wrong with her mind. She’d rather not deal with the resulting red tape, thank you very much.
She could always tell her herself, then send her to a psychiatrist for help, of course. But something told her that wasn’t a very good idea, though; if the T.V. soap operas were anything to go by, then they could be quite condescending, and Xian Pu would like that just about as much as being told she had a mental disorder. Once again, red tape.
And then there was Ranma’s suggestion: cut down on her training and let her be a regular teenage girl. It wasn’t the best idea, but it was certainly the safest for all those involved, since it avoided psychologists being turned into pulp by a pissed off, mentally unbalanced warrior. Not to mention she had nothing better…
“Great-grandmother?” Ku Lon was disturbed by the very subject of her thoughts, who was standing at the doorway in her nightgown. Her great-granddaughter looked surprised to see her up so late.
“Couldn’t sleep, dear?” she asked. Xian Pu blushed.
“I am sorry to intrude on you like this, great-grandmother. I’d go back to my room-”
“Nonsense!” Ku Lon interrupted, waving her hand at the free chair across from her. “Take a seat and have some tea. If you’re going to have insomnia, you might as well have it with company.”
Xian Pu bowed and took a seat. As was polite, she offered her elder tea- to which Ku Lon refused- before pouring herself a cup. She took a small sip, then just nursed the cup of tea as a contemplative look appeared on her face.
“Penny for your thoughts, Xian Pu?” Ku Lon asked.
Xian Pu looked up, a bit confused. “What?”
“Ah, sorry. It’s an old western saying, used when inquiring of another’s thoughts.”
“Oh. Well, I had a talk with Airen today.”
Ku Lon quirked an eyebrow; seemed son-in-law had been getting around. Out loud, she merely said, “Go on.”
“He suggested I go to school.”
“I sense an ‘and’ here…” Ku Lon said, giving Xian Pu the LOOK, the one only a parental figure could do that said “tell me EVERYTHING.”
“He told me… things. Things I desperately do not want to be true,” she answered, sounding… scared? What could son-in-law have said that could scare Xian Pu of all people? She voiced her question.
“What did he tell you?” she asked with some trepidation.
“Well…” Ku Lon’s eyes grew larger and larger over the next several minutes, as Xian Pu recounted a scenario she honestly couldn’t see their favorite pigtailed (pony-tailed, now, Ku Lon reminded herself) martial artist conceiving, much less using in a effective argument. She knew that he had, in his words, “grown up,” but to think up such a scenario…?
Xian Pu finished, and Ku Lon could tell by the look in her eyes that she was hoping- praying- to be told otherwise. Ku Lon steeled herself to disappoint.
“What son-in-law has told you is highly improbable, but only because so few have heard of us. In the event that a hostile foreign group finds us… well, son-in-law’s scenario will become a reality.”
Xian Pu gaped, and Ku Lon pitied her. To hear her husband of the same age as her say it was one thing, but to hear such news from one such as her…? “But… what about the Elders? Surely they can do something about such an invader!” she said, grasping at straws.
“I am sorry, Xian Pu, but we are only humans. Highly skilled humans, yes, with three-thousand years of history to aid us, but in the end we are just humans, and history will only get us so far. A rocket will still blow us to pieces. A bullet to a vital area will still kill us.
“Oh, I’m sure the Iron Cloth technique could protect us for a while, and we could probably parry some of the bombs, but in the end we will tire, while they, only having to aim and pull a trigger, will not. These invaders will not be like the Musk or the Phoenix. They will not care for honor or bravery, only victory and spoils.”
“Then… then why are we taught that the outsiders are weak, if they can potentially do so much damage to us?” There was no resentment in the question, only curiosity and fear. Ku Lon sighed.
“Because, my dear, most of my fellow Elders are arrogant fools,” she responded, “They, unlike me, do not see- or do not acknowledge- the full extent of the danger modern weapons are. They are convinced in their superiority, ensured in their abilities, and have taught this arrogance to each new generation.”
Xian Pu looked shocked by such a candid statement, but soon turned pensive again. They sat in silence for several moments.
“Great-grandmother?” Xian Pu ventured, breaking the silence.
“Yes, dear?”
“I want to go to school.”
Ku Lon blinked in surprise, having not expected her make a decision so soon.
“Why?” she asked, though she was pretty sure she knew the reason already.
“Because this foolishness must end, and I will be the one to end it. I will not have my people killed because of such stupidity!
“But in order for me to do that, I must know exactly WHAT I will be warning them of. That means I’m going to have to go to school, and maybe even college, if Airen is to be believed.”
Ku Lon stayed silent, thinking on the answer she had received. There had been commitment in her great-granddaughter’s voice, a quality that was going to get her far in the future.
There had also been a certain amount of steel, as well, as if she was going into battle. It was a steel she had come to recognize as Xian Pu drawing on her darker side. That brought to mind her own problem: what to do about Xian Pu’s condition? She had spent several hours thinking on it already, and she was still no closer to an answer.
Seeing her great-granddaughter’s expectant look, Ku Lon said, “You do know that this means we’re going to have to go over your Japanese language skills, among other things, right?”
Xian Pu just nodded, a determined look on her face.
“We’ll also have to cut back on your training, since you’re most likely going to have a bit of trouble in your classes.”
“I know, Great-grandmother. I would gladly make any sacrifice necessary for the continued wellbeing of the village,” she said, the steel apparent once again.
That steel once again brought to mind Ku Lon’s problem, along with a new complication: school. She would be a fool to not see that her instability was going to affect her school life, if and when it started developing.
But what to do about it? She couldn’t be there all the time to look after her. Son-in-law, if he would consent to the task, could only do so much. Mu Tsu was out of the question. So what did that leave her with?
‘Have her take care of herself’ a little voice suddenly suggested in her mind, ‘Tell her. You have kept this from her long enough.’
She blinked. Could such a simple solution actually work? Would awareness make that much of a difference? She looked over at her great-granddaughter, who had a look of determination the likes of which she had never seen. She sighed, and came to a decision.
It was time she fixed her mistake.
“Alright, Xian Pu, but before we go on, there is something I must tell you…”
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Several minutes later, from his room above the kitchen, Mu Tsu was startled from his current task (cleaning his multitude of weapons so that they would be in tip-top shape for the day he would defeat that cursed Saotome) by a vehement “NO!” from downstairs. He blinked and stopped his work; that sounded like Xian Pu, and she sounded upset!
As was his wont, his first thoughts were that her distress was Saotome’s fault. It was always Saotome’s fault: the fact that he was not shown the respect he deserved, the fact that his dear Xian Pu would not show her affection for him, the fact that he was given all the grunt work… yes, it was all Saotome’s fault, and for the umpteenth time he vowed vengeance on the other teen.
His second thought was to rush down to comfort his love, in the chance that she might finally give up on her act of shyness and rush into his arms. Since he couldn’t act on the first thought at the moment, he decided to go with the second and headed off to find his love.
The kitchen was strangely silent when he arrived, but that didn’t faze him at all. Still hopped up on the thought of his love finding comfort in his arms, he cried “Xian Pu, my love! Come to me!” and glomped onto the nearest human-looking thing.
As one can probably tell, Mu Tsu, per usual, had forgotten to wear his glasses.
As one can also probably tell, he, also per usual, hugged something other then Xian Pu.
In this case, it was an already distraught Ku Lon.
It was a miracle the blow he received to his head didn’t crack it open like a walnut. As it was, he was going to be out of it for a LONG time.
And as Mu Tsu slumped to the ground, Ku Lon gazed forlornly at the front door. As she had expected, Xian Pu had reacted badly to the news. What she hadn’t expected, though, was Xian Pu to run away. She couldn’t blame the child, though; she couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was now feeling.
She sighed in resignation and, for the first time in fifty years, left the future to the will of the fates.
- - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - -
Several blocks away, Ukyo was getting ready for bed. It had been a long and draining day, more so then usual.
The reason for that was obvious: her rooftop talk with Ranma had run her through the gauntlet of emotions. She was emotionally, mentally, and even a little physically exhausted.
But it had been worth it, though. Her friendship with Ranma was finally beginning to heal from the damage done by their idiotic fathers so long ago. After nearly ten years, she could firmly say she was a friend without feeling like she was lying. It was a… liberating feeling.
Speaking of her father… Ranma was right. She hadn’t been the one dumb enough to risk her honor on a dishonorable agreement with a dishonorable man, so it hadn’t been her honor that had been sullied. And since it hadn’t been her honor that had been sullied, why the hell was she the one getting revenge? If her father wanted vengeance, he could get off his fat ass and do it himself!
And making her do it as a boy? That sure as hell wasn’t for honor! He’d said so himself over and over again that he had wanted a son. Probably saw the vengeance quest as the chance to make her into that son, the opportunistic bastard!
Ukyo breathed deeply and calmed herself; her father wasn’t worth getting mad over. Instead, she smiled and looked over to her bedroom’s only chair. Draped over it, in preparation for the next day, was Furikan’s summer seifuku.
She had already dropped her fiancée act; it was high time she dropped her boy act, too. It was only giving her worthless father what he wanted, after all, with no benefit to her whatsoever. She really couldn’t think of a better way to get back at the bastard.
The fact that she might catch Ranma’s attention was just a rather nice bonus.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
At the Nerima Hospital, Kuno Tatewaki was pondering over the happenings of the day.
(Not much else he could do, really, since he was doing a rather good impression of a mummy at the moment. He had been told that he was going to be in traction for weeks. He had tried to deny it, but the fact that he couldn’t move anything from the nose down was rather hard to ignore.)
Anyways, he was going over the events of the day, not the least of which his fight with that most evil of sorcerers, Saotome Ranma.
The cretin had stolen his victory from him again. That was nothing new. It was expected from someone as dishonorable as he, really.
But what was new, though, was his blabbering at the end, after he had cast that moderately painful immobilization spell on him. Most of it he had dismissed as nothing but the senseless yapping of a mongrel, but something in it all had been attention worthy: the Jusenkyo Curse. No doubt it was what that foul sorcerer had put on him!
But, in the knave’s foolishness, he had divulged on him this secret, probably in the assurance that the curse would hold. Well, he knew not the greatness of the mind of Kuno Tatewaki, then! Surely, his genius would find a cure! And, when he was healed, by the name of the gods, he would have his vengeance!
And so the Kuno scion called for his retainer, this new path of action firmly set in his mind.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Near where Nerima-ka bordered Nakano-ka, Tendo Kasumi found herself participating in something she, ever since her mother’s death, honestly never expected to participate in: a sleepover.
Initially, the plan had been to have an outing with some friends she hadn’t seen since high school, during which she would get a chance to have some girl talk, maybe work out some of those confusing feelings Ranma’s little curveball had given her.
Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on one’s point of view), she had forgotten just how fun they could be, and promptly lost all track of time. By the time she thought of checking the time, it was too late to go home safely. Not good, because she had been expecting a relatively short trip, which meant she hadn’t brought enough money to rent a room in a hotel.
On hearing this, she was immediately offered a place to stay by her friends… both of them. This led to an argument, one thing led to another, and before she knew it she was lying on a futon, watching a sappy romance movie and wearing borrowed Hello-Kitty pajamas.
On her right, contently munching away at her rice ball, was her sempai, Zeppelin Kyoko. Born of a German father and a Japanese mother, Kyoko-sempai was a stunning redhead who graduated at the top of her class. She had been known for the fact that, contrary to the redhead stereotype, she was patient as a monk and motherly to the extreme. She was on her last year of college, but was currently home on break.
On her left, seemingly lost in the story being told, was their hostess, Ikari Yui. Even though she was one year younger, Yui-sempai, a child prodigy in the truest sense, graduated at the top of the class from the year before her. The daughter of an influential business tycoon, Yui was outgoing, generous, and hardworking. She was in her third year at Kyoto University, but was also home on break.
Kasumi was broken out of her musing when Yui said something she didn’t quite catch. “I’m sorry. What was that again, Yui-sempai?” she asked, blushing in embarrassment.
Yui just gave a teasing little smile. “I asked if you’d given any more thought to your little boyfriend’s proposal.”
Kasumi’s blush grew brighter. “For the last time, Yui-sempai, Ranma-kun is not my boyfriend! He’s my sister’s fiancé, for goodness’ sakes!”
“I don’t know,” Kyoko said, swallowing the last of her rice ball, “He’s being awfully generous.”
“Yeah! And the engagement is technically between the two houses, not the two of them specifically,” Yui added. Moments later one could literally see the light bulb blink on over her head as she connected mental dots. “Oh! Oh! Maybe he’s planning to switch the engagement to you!” she squealed.
Kasumi sighed; somebody’s been reading trashy romance novels again, it seems. Out loud, she said, “No, Yui-sempai. It might not be the best union for him or my sister, but he’s loyal, if nothing else; he’ll stay with her. His honor would demand it.”
Yui pouted. “Oh, poo. Party pooper. Go and burst my bubble like that…”
Kyoko cleared her throat over Yui’s silent grumbling. “Anyways…” she began, expertly steering the conversation back to the topic at hand, “Are you going to accept his offer?”
Kasumi turned back to the TV, though her attention wasn’t on it; she was just stalling for time to think on her answer. Even with the extra thoughts, though, she only managed an uncertain, “I don’t know, Kyoko-sempai.”
“I really don’t see what the question is,” Yui said, “I mean, it all depends on whether this plan of his works or not, right? What if it doesn’t? You would have worried for nothing.”
“Ah, but what if it does?” Kyoko argued, “I’ve heard of the rumors about Nerima, how chaotic it is. If Ranma-san can somehow find a way to escape from that whirlwind, he could easily find someway to help you.”
Kasumi stayed silent as she turned over the advice of her friends. Kyoko looked over at her friend and, seeing that she was beginning to stress over it, decided to have mercy.
“But never mind that for now,” she said, changing the topic to something a bit safer, “Yui! How’s it going with that boyfriend of yours? Gen-something or another.”
Yui blushed bright red even as the details of her latest date with Rokubungi Gendo bubbled forth. Kasumi only kept half an ear on the girl talk, though; despite Kyoko’s attempt at distraction, her mind just wouldn’t let go of thoughts of Ranma and his proposition.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
*Knock Knock*
Ranma groaned and opened one eye; who the hell was knocking on his door?!?
*Knock Knock*
Ranma blinked blearily, about to tell whoever the hell it was to go the fuck away. Then he happened to look out his window, and blinked again, this time in surprise and not a certain sense of disbelief; was that Xian Pu hanging upside-down outside?
She knocked again, and Ranma quickly went to open the window. She was inside in a flash and clinging to him. But unlike before, when her hugs were sultry and possessive, this one screamed of frantic, naked desperation. He found himself tentatively returning the hug.
“Pu-chan? What’s wrong?” he asked. He heard a sniff from where her face was buried in his chest, and looked down just as she looked up. He was surprised to see tears beginning to run down her cheeks.
“Pu-chan?”
She buried her face in his chest again and said something in Mandarin.
“You do know I only know one, maybe two Chinese words, tops, right?”
Xian Pu visibly collected herself. “Great-grandmother tell me too, too bad thing. Not know what to do, so come to Airen for help…” she whispered.
“I see… want to talk about it?”
Xian Pu shook her head. “Too, too bad thing,” she repeated, “Will make Airen no like Xian Pu. Will make Airen see Xian Pu as weak, unworthy.”
Ranma quirked his eyebrow, what in the world could have confident, village-champion, kill-all-obstacles Xian Pu feeling so unsure of herself? He didn’t prompt her any further, though; comforting Kasumi was one thing, but what does one do with a distraught warrior-genius who’s suffering from Borderline Personality Disorder?
A light suddenly blinked on in his head. It was a shot in the dark, but… it would make sense. Ranma now had a suspicion of just what made Xian Pu so upset. All he had to do was confirm it.
“Do you really think so little of me, Pu-chan?” he soothed, even as his mind began to work on a way to confirm his suspicions. “We may have different perceptions of the relationship between us, but it doesn’t mean I don’t care for you.”
She hugged him even tighter even as her eyes became downcast. “Will no care if I say. Will know Xian Pu is really dumb bimbo everybody see as, and leave Xian Pu,” she said, her voice breaking a little.
Her dumb bimbo comment pretty much synched it for him. Praying his logic held up, he made a leap of faith and said, “…Having a mental disorder doesn’t make you dumb, Pu-chan.”
She gasped and tried to pull away, but Ranma, having surpassed her in strength quite a while ago, held on with ease. “You… you know?”
‘Please don’t let this blow up in my face… please don’t let this blow up in my face…’ “Yes. I recently learned how to read auras, and something I saw in your aura alarmed me, so I went to your great-grandmother for answers. She told me what I saw was the aural manifestation of your Borderline Personality Disorder.”
“…Then you know I is broken. No good as wife. Am stupid, idiot, dunce.”
“That’s not true, and you damn well know it!” Ranma told her sternly, making her look up at him in surprise. Ranma sighed and collected his thoughts before continuing. “I was told you were village champion and heir-apparent by the age of ten, Pu-chan. According to Elder Ku Lon, that is no mean feat, and I am sure that isn’t something she would claim lightly. You are far from stupid, Xian Pu. In fact, some would even claim you were a genius. A mental disorder does not change that.”
“But I-”
“It’s the truth, no matter how much you might deny it,” Ranma told her, interrupting what he was sure would have been more derogatory remarks in regard to herself.
Xian Pu stayed silent for a moment. Finally, she looked up and said, “…Thank you, Airen.”
Ranma gave her a smile. “No problem, Pu-chan.”
A moment of silence, then…
“Airen?”
“Yeah?”
“Can Xian Pu stay with Airen? No want to talk with great-grandmother yet, and no want to be lonely.”
“Yeah, sure.”
The two laid down on the futon and promptly few asleep, Xian Pu still desperately holding on to Ranma.
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(Posted Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:08)
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