Kimitsu, Chiba, the Nan'yô Academy…
"Um, Ryomô-sempai?"
Shimei perked on hearing that hesitant voice, and then she looked over to see the black-haired, grey-eyed freshman approaching her just as she had walked through the front gates of the Academy. "Hai?" Her eye then narrowed as a flash of recognition surged through her. "You're Kôkin Shûyu, aren't you? Hakufu Sonsaku's cousin?"
Hearing that, the younger woman tensed before she nodded, relief appearing over her face. "Hai. I've been looking around for Hakufu since she left home early this morning, but I haven't seen her. Have you seen her anywhere, Sempai?"
"Matter of fact, I have. She's currently taking the day off to spend time with her lover as we speak. They're in Shinjuku now."
Kôkin blinked, and then she gasped. "Eh? Ranma-san was able to get away from his family and 'fiancées'…" — Shimei was quick to sense the quotes falling around the term describing the relationship of three women to Ranma — "…enough so she could spend a whole day with Hakufu?"
"Probably two. It is the weekend now," Shimei replied. "Don't worry about your cousin, Kôkin-san. She's as safe as safe could be with Ranma-san. In the meantime, I have to go see some people. Excuse me, please."
"Hai! Arigatô, Sempai."
With that, the blue-haired tôshi walked towards the school building. Watching her go, Kôkin sighed before she turned to head back to her next class. Being a Saturday, it was just a half-day, but she did pride herself on her academic performance and didn't want to miss more classes than she had to.
"Is it true?"
Hearing that voice, Shimei grinned as she stared on the woman who had just come into the student council room, which was the normal meeting place of the Four Divas and those closest to them. "Hai, it's true, Shikei. Sonsaku now has quite the protector to share her futon as well as her life. Not to mention join us next term."
On hearing that, the woman with the long raven hair and deep brown eyes — with half her body currently covered in bandages and other dressings, including a good portion of her face — tried not to drop to her knees in shock and disbelief. "You're KIDDING me! How the Hell was that POSSIBLE, Shimei?!"
"Easy, Shikei," Shimei said as she walked over to a nearby coffee machine to pour herself a cup of black gang coffee, her favourite. "Sonsaku met Ranma a year ago at her home in Gunma when her fiancée got mallet-happy and sent him on a flight. He butted in on Sonsaku's first run-in with Hannô from Yôshû. Thrashed her, too. Sonsaku begged for lessons and Ranma agreed to them. It started from there."
Hearing that, Shikei Roshuku — whose spiritual ancestor, Sù Lû, had been the chief strategist of Eastern Wú before his death and replacement by Shimei's own ancestor, Méng Lyû — began to nod. "After so long, Fate has intervened this time in our lives to put a huge change in all our destinies. How this will carry out for our futures is a mystery. We're all going to have to put our heads together on this one and analyse the potential impact, especially with the other schools."
"The news is already out in Seito and Rakuyô. Hôsen, Kômei, Unchô and Shiryû were also around when Sonsaku met up with Ranma."
A moan. "Oh, terrific! That'll ensure the news gets out to all the schools before nightfall." The bandaged girl shook her head. "How soon do you figure someone from Kyoshô, Yôshû or Yoshû is going to seek Ranma-san out to test him?"
"Her."
"Eh?!"
"Things about Ranma's fiancées you need to know about, Shikei."
The taller woman quickly took her seat. "I'm listening."
The explanation took ten minutes. At the end of it, Shikei nodded. "Well, after all that, I can see why Ranma-san wants out of Nerima and wants to come here. It's a coup like nothing I've ever seen before. We're lucky."
"Don't be too sure about that, Shikei."
"What do you mean?"
A sigh. "Enjutsu ordered me to fight Sonsaku."
Silence.
"Saji," Shikei quickly concluded, her eyes narrow.
"Without a doubt."
"Did you?"
A chuckle. "I love a good fight, but I'm not into suicide, Shikei. I don't mind the injuries and the hospital stays, but the morgue is NOT for this tôshi."
More silence.
"Sonsaku's only E-rank, though clearly has B-rank potential."
"She's holding a lot back, Shikei. Ranma taught her that." A sigh. "There's something else you need to know."
The bandaged girl tensed. "What?"
"Sonsaku's like Shiryû Chôun. Including control. Thanks to Ranma."
Still more silence.
"A DRAGON…?!" Shikei eeped.
A nod. "Yep. Attack Sonsaku, you face a tôshi with full control over the power of a dragon. Attack Ranma, you face the being that killed an immortal to save the one he — pardon me, SHE — cared for. And that was a mask to keep what she truly felt for Akane Tendô hidden from all who know her. She's open now about her feelings with Sonsaku. Sonsaku — especially her dragon — sees Ranma as her love and treasure. Ranma sees Sonsaku as her ticket out of the Nerima madhouse once and for all time. Anyone tries to upset that is going to know pain."
Silence fell over the scene as both women considered what had just been said…
The basement storage room…
"What happened, Kôha?"
The anorexic woman with the very short-cut black hair and the small black eyes — they almost seemed like two tiny dots in the whites of her orbs, which gave her the look of a crazed loon — tried not to laugh as she bowed at the feet of the older woman currently relaxing at the only desk in the room, which was divided into rows of shelves full of all the normal supplies one would need at a multi-grade institution such as Nan'yô. "Saji's playing her tricks again, Kôro-sama!" Kôha Kannei said as she bowed her head deeply to the woman who was in charge of Nan'yô. "He sent a false message to Shimei from you ordering her to attack Hakufu Sonsaku." Fear crossed Kôha's face as she bowed her head. "Shimei followed Hakufu all the way to NERIMA!"
An eyebrow arched. "Nerima? Why there?"
The fear was now increasing to total terror. "The Godslayer, Kôro-sama!"
Dark eyes narrowed. "What of Saotome?"
"They're lovers."
Silence.
Hearing that, the tall yet beautiful woman with the spiky, pink-dyed black hair and the shapely body, currently draped in a version of the Nan'yô school uniform — skirt at level of her crotch, sweater shrunk down to the shape of a sports bra, no undershirt or tie — shot to her feet as she stared intently at her servant. Seeing that, Kôha cringed as she averted her eyes from the most arresting feature on Kôro Enjutsu's face: the twin knife-like scars that went down both sides of her face from forehead to mouth level, centred on both her eyes. Seeing that, Kôro tried not to snarl, much less reach down to backhand the younger woman across the face. "LOOK AT ME!"
Kôha yelped as she stared wide-eyed at her leader. "I'm sorry, Kôro-sama!"
"QUIET!"
She clammed up. Once she noted that Kôha was obeying her, she nodded in approval. Ever since the incident that had nearly killed her several months back — forcing her to remain in shadows as she recuperated from internal injuries that didn't show on her body these days — Kôro had practically had to disappear from the view of her schoolmates, thus literally ceding control of Nan'yô to Genpô Saji. Kôha had been involved in that incident, too; it had been Kôha's blade-augmented tonfa that had left Kôro permanently scarred. And ever since that time, the leader of Nan'yô found that controlling Kôha Kannei was becoming more impossible by the day!
Damn, it was SO hard to get good help these days!
Taking a deep breath, Kôro returned to her chair and relaxed. "Let's let Saji have her fun," she then declared in an icy voice. "No doubt, once she learns that Shimei didn't go out to fight the new girl, she'll want to keep the pressure up and force Hakufu to fight all the way." She then stared at Kôha. "You'll probably get 'orders' from me instructing you to do just that, Kôha. When they come, obey them."
The tonfa-fighter jolted on hearing that, and then she stared wide-eyed at Kôro. "But Kôro-sama! They wouldn't be YOUR orders! Saji would be using you again…!"
"Silence!"
Kôha clammed up. Seeing that, the leader of Nan'yô leaned down to gently caress the other woman's chin and cheeks as she gazed intently into Kôha's eyes. "Let's see how far Genpô will run with this, Kôha. Play along with it. When it comes time, we'll get rid of her once and for all and no one will notice, much less care."
The younger woman considered that for a moment, and then she hesitantly nodded. "H-hai…!" she stammered out. "But I st-still don't un-understand…!"
"You will soon, Kôha-chan," Kôro said as her grin turned seductive. "And if you do as I tell you, I promise you that you'll get a VERY special reward!"
Hearing that, Kôha's face lit up like the sun. "HAI!"
So now we learn…
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(Posted Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:28)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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