Once the two teens were out of earshot of the DADA Professors office, Ranma got his new friends attention.
"You sure you trust old white beard man?" asked Ranma in his broken English.
The other boy held up a finger before leading Ranma to a corridor with no portraits lining the walls. "Dobby!" he called.
Almost instantly, one of the most bizarre creatures Ranma had ever laid eyes on appeared with a small pop!
"Great Harry Potter has called Dobby?" it-he, Ranma guessed, though he wasn't quite sure of that-asked in a squeaky voice.
The green-eyed boy smiled warmly at the smaller being. "Dobby, I need to ask a big favor of you. Could you get the Dicta-Quill from my trunk, as well as the big roll of parchment, and then go to the DADA Professors office? I need to know what happens with the prisoner in there. And can you do it without anyone knowing you're there? Snape is in there, and you know how he is."
Dobby smiled. "Dobby knows Nasty Bat Man! All Hogwarts elfs stay away from Nasty Bat Man unless called! But Dobby is happy to do favor for friend Harry Potter!" And with that, the elf vanished with another pop!
Harry led Ranma into another turn, and a long hallway lined with portraits. "To answer your question," said Harry, speaking slowly and clearly, "Of course I trust the Headmaster. Trust between teacher and student is the cornerstone of education."
Ranma's chuckle told Harry that the pig-tailed boy understood.
A few hours later, Ranma stood on a balcony outside the school infirmary, pondering his life.
A slender hand reached over and tugged on Ranma's sleeve. He turned to find the beautiful blonde with inhuman chi standing there, holding out a piece of candy. She mimed putting the candy in her mouth and made sucking noises.
"Oh. Thanks," said Ranma. He unwrapped the candy and popped it into his mouth. Ugh. Lemon. He crunched the candy between his teeth and swallowed quickly.
The spike of pain between his eyebrows was in some ways a nostalgic reminder of Akane's cooking, sending Ranma to his knees gasping in pain.
"Zat eez why I told you to suck on eet," said an amused female voice.
"Yeah, well, live and learn, I guess," Ranma grunted. "Wait--I said that in English?" The pain receding, Ranma looked at the blonde questioningly.
"Fleur Delacoeur," she said. "Champion of Beauxbaton."
"Ranma Saotome," said the pig-tailed boy. "So what did I eat?"
"Language Lozenge," she said. "An excellent learning aid and facillatator of communication. I brought a few in case my knowledge of ze English language proved insufficient. When I saw ze troubles you were haveeng, I decided to geeft you wit' one while you absorb ze language. Especially seence I weeshed to congratulate you on ze way you handled ze Granger girl earlier."
"Oh... The bushy-hair girl?" Ranma nodded. "It wasn't anything. I just figured it was best she not disrupt Harry's emotional breakdown catching her bug."
"And, zanks to you, she ‘as her bug and was able to ‘ug her friend at the appropriate moment. Eet was a good zing zat you deed." Fleur decided to pry just a little bit. "And very mature as well. Most boys seem to zink it an unforgivable sin to cry in front of ozzers."
"Well, you don't want to do it too much, or you’ll start to pick up a reputation," said Ranma, leaning on the railing again. "Still, if you can, and have people you can trust to support you at such times, it's really healthier than not being able to. I can't. Although, there also isn't anyone in my life I'd trust with my moment of weakness, either. Which, come to think of it, is also not so good."
"Eh?" asked Fleur playfully. "As ‘andsome as you are, and zere are no, ah, 'sweet ‘earts,' as zey say, to ‘old you at night?"
But her teasing words had the opposite effect of what she'd intended. Ranma's cheerful face hardened into an impassive though outwardly composed mask. And he made a decision.
Quietly, Ranma told an increasingly shocked and horrified Fleur about his life.
His upbringing with Genma, ending with Jusenkyo.
Meeting the Tendo family.
His private thoughts and feelings as he adjusted to life in Nerima, and the trials both mundane and increasingly bizarre as the chaos in his life slowly enveloped his new home.
Learning to deal with his curse and its demands on his life, without any kind of help or support or even understanding as the young chauvinist was forced to experience life as a girl, the opposite of what he'd always been told he had to be.
The emotional difficulties as the boy (raised essentially in a cave by The Absolute Last Person Who Should Ever Be Allowed Near A Child) attempted to be everything the people around him wanted, all without being told the qualities he should emulate, and being punished harshly for even the slightest failure to live up to impossible, invisible, and ever-changing standards.
Being solely at fault for every bad thing that happened, and never receiving credit for good things that happened, even (or especially!) when he deserved it.
Akane's cooking, which was sufficiently horrible as to merit being mentioned on its own, especially since Ranma was invariably the one chosen to eat said cooking.
The fiancees. The Rivals. The bizarre adventures and more bizarre enemies.
His abrupt wakening (was it only this morning?), leading to the discovery that three girls he thought he might marry were actually using him as a beard so they could fool around with each other.
And, not to mention, idly plot on how to get his girl-side in bed, and on how to force him to be a subservient husband so the girls could fulfill their dreams at his expense.
Finally, Ranma ran out of words, and silence reigned on the small balcony.
"I can see," Fleur said eventually, "’Ow traveling to the ozzer side of ze world and finding yourself in a battle to ze death weeth a Dark Lord actually makes ze most sense in your life. Ze lines are clearly drawn: Good here, evil zere... And all zere is to do is what you are best at: Fight, and never geeve een!"
She was silent, leaning over the balcony. "You two are much alike, you know," she said at last. "You and 'Arry. According to rumor, 'Arry 'ad a truly 'orrible childhood, one that could make even your story pale in comparison. And, yes, he eez famous among wizards, but ze wizards are peasants, and peasants love to tear down zeir 'eroes. Zey praise heem one day and veelify heem ze next. And yet, 'Arry is still perhaps ze noblest boy I think I ‘ave ever met.”
Fleur stepped closer to Ranma and laid a hand on his arm. “’Ave you considered zat zis eez ze will of God? Zat you ‘ave come to zis place at zis time to discover for yourself your true place in ze scheme of zings? Fighteeng Eevil, and teaching ozzers to do ze same? Fighteen een battles zat matter instead of silly schoolboy brawls over territory or stupid girls who do not appreciate you or ze boys that battle on zeir be’alf?”
Ranma turned to the blonde, about to argue, when his foot knocked over the duffel the stranger had given him just before Ranma had found himself in the graveyard. It had been leaning against his pack as Ranma had been meaning to investigate the duffel when he first went out on the balcony, but found himself distracted by the night sky instead. The top opened a little, and several books spilled out onto the floor. Ranma was putting them away when he glanced at the title and his eyes widened in surprise. His hands didn’t hesitate though, and a moment later, he was standing again with no sign anything was different.
“Oh, I’m staying for a while,” he told the blonde. “I know it sounds simplistic, but Bad Guy plus Good Fight equals a perfect opportunity to get my head straight.”
Fleur smiled at him. “Simple, but not easy.” She studied him for a long moment. “Could I ask of you a favor? And be assured of your discretion after?”
Ranma’s shoulders slumped. He knew it was only a matter of time. But then, why should she be any different from anyone else he had ever known? And he supposed he did owe her for listening to him all this time. Still, a little bit of caution was called for.
“Go ahead and ask,” said Ranma warily.
“My friend and rival Champion died tonight. I almost died tonight. And now I find myself without friend or family to comfort me in ze small ‘ours of the night. I was ‘oping zat you might hold me and remind me that life is beautiful. In fact,” she continued at a rush, “Given your fiancées betrayal, perhaps we might remind each ozzer of life’s beauty.”
Ranma’s face blanked as he processed her words.
She was asking him to…
And his discretion after?
“Are you asking what I think you’re asking?” he asked after a long moment.
“’Ow better to prove zose horrid girls are ze exception, and not ze rule?” asked Fleur reasonably. “I have only asked for what I desire, and made no demands in return.” She turned to go inside. “Of course, if your answer is ‘no,’ zen I will understand…”
Ranma blinked, then in a heartbeat he looped the straps of his pack and duffel in the crook of one arm. A moment later, he scooped up Fleur bridal style, her silvery laughter ringing musically in his ears.
A moment later, several very impressive privacy wards shrouded the two of them from prying eyes…
Read the comments on this episode
(Posted Fri, 27 Mar 2009 21:33)
Questions? Problems? Suggestions?
Send a mail to addventure@bast-enterprises.de
or use the contact form.
らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
All other series and their characters are © by their respective creators or owners. No claims of ownership of these characters are implied by the authors of this Addventure, or should be inferred.
The Anime Addventure is a non-profit site.