"Thanks for agreeing to come with me tonight, Bun'en."
"Feh! Don't mention it, Shisui," the senior student with the long blonde hair tied in a bun at the back of her head with a leather spiked barrette and the deep grey eyes, currently in the uniform of a Rakuyô Senior High School student minus the shirt and tie — Bun'en Chôryô took pretty much after Hôsen Ryofu when it came to altering her uniform, though she wore a sarashi under her top to keep her breasts protected — said as she and Shisui Kayû walked down the street towards the Tendô dôjô. "If what we're doing here helps Chûei control herself to the point where Hôsen wouldn't want to do anything against her, the better. If we don't let that ball roll, we're all cool."
"True," Shisui nodded. While Bun'en didn't know the exact truth of what was happening to Chûei Tôtaku, she had a very quick mind and didn't suffer any fools. That had kept her safe and sound from the attempts a certain senior student from Kyoshô had made over the last year or so to get Bun'en to change allegiances. Yes, the history books warned that Bun'en would eventually shift allegiance over to Môtoku Sôsô, but that wouldn't happen until such time as Chûei Tôtaku's behaviour would prompt everyone allied to her to turn against her. That had not happened. Yet.
If Bunwa Kaku's plans pushed through, it would never happen.
And the many tragedies that could follow Chûei's death would be averted.
In this, Shisui had come to a full agreement with her friend.
An alliance with Ranma Saotome was clearly needed here.
If the Godslayer had been able to help Hakufu Sonsaku take full control of her dragon, then if she could do the same thing for Chûei, help her control the insane creature that was trying to claw its way from the darkest parts of her very soul, it was all the better.
For that to happen, though, any elements of Ranma's past life here in Nerima had to be either totally neutralised or welcomed aboard as new allies.
"There it is," Bun'en said as she pointed.
Both walked up to the sign that was set up to the left of the double doors leading onto the Tendô property. "'To defeat owner in savage combat, please use rear entrance,'" Bun'en read, and then she gazed in amusement at her companion. "At least the folks in this place sure have a good attitude. Eh, Shisui?"
"Indeed they do," the other woman said as she rang the doorbell.
A moment later, the door opened, revealing Kasumi Tendô. "Hai?"
"Konnichi wa, Tendô-hime," Shisui said as they bowed to her. "My name is Shisui Kayû. My friend is Bun'en Chôryô. Would your sister Nabiki-san be present today?"
Kasumi blinked, her eyebrow arching. "Those are not your real names."
Both Rakuyô tôshi jolted, and then they laughed in embarrassment. "Oh, sorry about that!" Shisui said before waving to herself. "I'm Mio Hana." To Bun'en. "This is Haruka Haru." Back to Kasumi. "Again, is Nabiki-san here today, Hime-sama?"
"Right here," a voice heralded the arrival of the middle Tendô daughter. Kasumi stepped aside to allow Nabiki to gaze upon them, and then she tensed on seeing her sister's eyes narrow. "You're both tôshi, but it's the wrong uniform."
Shisui and Bun'en exchanged admiring looks. "As sharp as we've heard you are, Nabiki-san," the former stated. "We're from Rakuyô Senior High School over in Bunkyô here in town. We're actually emissaries from Bunwa Kaku, whom I think you might better know through her real name, Hokona Uru. She's our friend."
Nabiki's eyes widened in recognition, and then she nodded. "I know Hokona-san very well." A hum. "Mio Hana and Haruka Haru, right?" On seeing the visitors from Rakuyô nod, she waved them inside. "C'mon in, girls. Hokona-san texted me and told me you were coming here to see me. I assume you wish this private."
"If you can," Bun'en stated.
"Guaranteed. Follow me."
With that, they headed into the house. After slipping off their shoes and putting on slippers, they headed into the living room. There, Sôun and Genma were busy playing their endless games of go. Also there was Nodoka Saotome, who was enjoying afternoon tea at the living room table. All three adults perked on hearing the crowd come in, and then found themselves staring in curiosity at the two newcomers. Genma's eyes were quick to lock in on the magatama hanging off the two newcomer's left ears. "Kasumi, who are these people?" Sôun wondered as he stared in confusion at the two Rakuyô girls.
"Business clients of mine, Tô-chan," Nabiki stated.
Hearing that, Nodoka frowned. "Nabiki-chan, what sort of 'business' are you doing with these girls, anyway?" Her eyes raked over Bun'en, quickly noting the difference of uniform styles between her and her companion. "Truthfully, you should…"
Kasumi softly coughed. "Haru-san?"
"What is it, Tendô-hime?" Bun'en asked as she stared at her.
Nodoka stopped, staring in disbelief and curiosity at Sôun's eldest daughter, shocked to see her actually interrupting her upbraiding of Nabiki. "Are you armed, by any chance?" Kasumi asked as she stared hopefully at the blonde tôshi.
A knowing smirk. "Of course I am."
"Would you mind assisting me in dealing with a little problem?"
"I think I know what you want, Tendô-hime. Allow me."
SHIING!
That was the sound of a very nasty-looking guändäo being drawn out of mallet-space to find its sharp blade resting on Nodoka's throat.
Nodoka shrieked out on feeling the edge of that deadly blade press against her skin, her hands reflexively dropping her own katana to the floor as she tried to ward off what could happen to her. Seeing that, Kasumi nodded in approval. "Arigatô, Haru-san. Saotome-san, you are a guest in this house. But ever since you came here, you have acted with authority that is not yours. That is a most dishonourable thing to do. Do not presume to judge anything my sister does in the confines of this home; that is not your place. Do not make me repeat this again."
"Kasumi!" Sôun cried out in disbelief and shock. "How could you…?"
"Otô-san, say anything further and I will make very sure that Akane will be doing the cooking for you from this point on," Kasumi cut him off. "And I will also make very sure that you will not be able to force Ranma to eat that cooking by ensuring he remains well away from this home. Do not make me repeat that again."
"GLAARRK!"
The two visitors from Rakuyô blinked on seeing Sôun now frozen like concrete, cracks appearing on the surface. A glance to Nodoka revealed her to be in a similar state. Noting that, Genma smiled as he winked knowingly at the two visitors and the elder Tendô daughters, and then he proceeded to rearrange the playing pieces on the go board before him. Seeing that, Kasumi smiled as she turned to the kitchen. "I'll make tea for your guests, Nabiki-chan. Please tell me if they're going to be staying long."
"Hai, Nê-chan," Nabiki said with a nod as she waved the newcomers upstairs.
"So what the hell was that all about, anyway?"
Nabiki took a deep breath before bringing the tea cup to her lips. "That's just making sure two of the primary reasons Ranma-chan is planning to leave Nerima once and for all are kept in their place so they can't do anything to stop her pending transfer from Fûrinkan to Nan'yô come next term." She then stared knowingly at the two Rakuyô tôshi. "Speaking of which, while I know how rivalries between your schools can really heat up fast, why is it two people from Hokona-san's school are here now?" A smirk. "If you want to challenge Ranma-chan for a fight, all you have to do is go to her directly. Though I hope you'd keep it out of Nerima; we want her departure to stay secret."
"Well, that certainly may factor into our discussion tonight," Shisui warned. "We also would like to see Saotome-san make it safely to Nan'yô without any sort of interference from the loons she's had to deal with in this place. How many people in Nerima actually support her planned move to Nan'yô, anyway?"
"Myself, Onê-chan, Genma-ojichan, Happôsai-ojiichan, Kodachi Kunô-chan and Cologne-sama. I also suspect that Ukyô Kuonji's retainer Konatsu is also aware of what is going on," Nabiki automatically provided. "I believe Mousse, Shampoo's would-be lover, would gladly approve of Ranma-chan leaving this place, but he'll blurt it out to Shampoo if he learns of it too soon. Ditto with Ryôga Hibiki and Kodachi-chan's brother Tatewaki. If Akane-chan, Ukyô and Shampoo find out about Ranma-chan's plans before it's too late, they'll move to stop it. They need Ranma-chan to cover their own little ménage à trois and they also covet Ranma-chan's female form as a potential sex toy for their own use. Oji-chan's wife also wishes to impose her will on Ranma-chan for reasons that turn out to be very dishonourable in both Ranma-chan's eyes and our own. Hence, the reason that Ranma-chan is electing to adopt the name 'Kanami Hayashi' when she goes to Nan'yô. 'Hayashi' is her father's pre-marriage name, which he will go back to once he divorces his wife. Which I'm sure he'll gladly do when he learns what's been really going on inside Nodoka Saotome's family."
"What is that, anyway?" Bun'en asked.
A shake of the head. "I'm sorry. I'm not at liberty to tell you that. Only Ranma-chan can do that." She held up a hand in reassurance. "But be assured, it will be nothing that will bring disgrace to either her pending marriage to Tsueko Mago (Hakufu Sonsaku to you), to Nan'yô or to the tôshi of the Seven Schools as a whole."
Nods. "We accept that."
"May I ask in turn what Tôtaku-san's plans are concerning Ranma-chan and her lover?"
Both tôshi shook their heads. "None," Shisui stated. "That, Hokona-san will guarantee. In fact, it is because of what Saotome-san did for the Shôhaô…" She then perked. "Oh, excuse me! That's…"
"A name you often apply to Tsueko-san because of her connection to one of the great heroes of the Three Kingdoms period of China's history, Cè Sün-sama," Nabiki finished with a wink. "Ranma-chan told me the whole stories about you people and why you are the way you are. There's no need to explain anything about that, Mio-san."
A smile. "Excellent, that makes this easier for me to say." A sigh. "Nabiki-san, all of us who call ourselves 'tôshi,' to one extent or another, believe we are trapped in an unyielding fate which will force each of us to relive the lives — and in many cases, the deaths — of those whose souls influence ours through the magatama we wear." She pointed to her own ear. "In my case, I bear the soul of a warrior named Xióng Huà. In his lifetime, he was a general under a man named Zhuö Dông."
"Chûei Tôtaku," Nabiki cut in.
Another nod. "Correct. Now, if the fates of our predecessors are allowed to run through in our lives, something will happen that will see Chûei-san die or be turned on by leaders from the other schools if not factions in Rakuyô itself who will wish to depose her. If that happens, events will then the chances increase that I will die, most likely at the hands of a woman from Seito named Unchô Kan'u."
"The best fighter there," Nabiki noted.
"Exactly. And please understand this, Nabiki-san: I don't want to die, be permanently crippled or face anything that will stop me from living my life."
"The dichotomy of our lives is this," Bun'en added. "As our prior incarnations have done over the last eighteen centuries since the souls of our previous selves were trapped in the magatama jewels and allowed to eventually come to Japan, we all prepare ourselves to defend our lives and futures from any potential threats. After all, we want to live normal lives, not be caught up in some weird re-enactment of the Battle of the Red Cliffs and everything else." A sigh. "But because we all do this, when we come together to form groups, and when each group bumps into the others…"
"Something happens that triggers those very re-enactments," Nabiki finishes.
"Right."
A sigh. "Damn! Ranma-chan was right about you guys."
"What do you mean?" Shisui asked.
"How self-perpetuating this whole thing between you all is," Nabiki stated. "Look, Ranma-chan really doesn't care how you folks live your lives. In her eyes, it's really none of her business. However, what she does care about is Tsueko-san. She loves her and plans to make a life with her eventually, once everything here in Nerima has been either eliminated or neutralised." A warning look crosses her face. "However, she will not hesitate, for an instance, to beat down anyone who dares try to harm Tsueko-san or anyone else she happens to view as friends. Just to warn you."
"More than understandable," Shisui stated. "And that's why we're here."
An eyebrow arched. "Really?"
"Hokona-san — and I'm sure others across the Seven Schools — realised this right away when news of Saotome-san's relationship with the Shôhaô came to her." A sigh. "Nabiki-san, it's like this. Your would-have-been brother-in-law, not more than a month ago, slew an IMMORTAL to save someone he was honour-bound to marry. If what you've hinted about your sister is true and there really are no feelings between Saotome-san and her — and she was still able to do that! — what could happen if someone is stupid enough to threaten someone she does love?!"
"So what does this have to do with Tôtaku-san?"
Shisui took a deep breath. "Say nothing of this to anyone, Bun'en."
"You have my silence," Bun'en automatically vowed.
"Arigatô." To Nabiki. "Nabiki-san, are you aware of what is inside the Shôhaô?"
"A dragon." Nabiki's eyes then widened. "Oh, shit! You don't mean…!"
"No, Chûei does not have a dragon," Shisui assured her. "But what she does have is a powerful psychic link to the Shôhaô and two other tôshi who have dragons inside them. Because of that link, whenever the Shôhaô or the others tap directly into their dragons' power, it rebounds hard on Chûei." A tired sigh. "That ends up allowing her to fall under the influence of the darker side of Zhuö Dông's soul. The tyrant he is known throughout history for. Not the noble warrior Chûei — Takumi Tadasu, in other words — has always tried to live as since she began tapping into Dông's soul and memories when she was a child." She breathed out. "We fear, Hokona fears, that if Takumi-san doesn't learn how to control herself, she'll fall right down the path that Dông walked 1800 years ago. And if that happens…"
"Put frankly, all hell breaks loose," Bun'en finished for her friend. "And that will definitely come to affect the Shôhaô. And her lover."
Nabiki took a moment to digest that, and then she nodded. "So since Ranma-chan trained Tsueko-san in controlling her dragon, Hokona-san seeks Ranma-chan's help in helping Takumi-san get control over her own darker side, right?"
"Exactly," Shisui affirmed with a nod.
A nod in return. "Okay, then. I'll be more than happy to relay that to Ranma-chan when I see her next. Even better, I suggest you approach Ranma-chan directly and tell her all about this." A warning finger was raised. "Be truthful about this, though. Ranma-chan's been lied to enough throughout the last year and more and she's sick and tired of people trying to keep things from her. Be truthful with her and I'm sure that by the end of summer break, Takumi-san will be a whole new woman."
Both Rakuyô girls took that in, and then they nodded.
Sometime later, the three girls descended from the upstairs floor to the living room. Kasumi awaited them there, a smile on her face. Sôun and Genma were back at their game and a much more subdued Nodoka was enjoying a cup of tea. "I trust your visit here proved to be as productive as you desired, Hana-san?" she asked with a bow.
"It was more than productive, Tendô-hime," Shisui said as she and Bun'en bowed to her. "On behalf of my friend, I thank you very much for the tea and the floor show." She gazed knowingly at Nodoka and Sôun as she said that. "It was most entertaining."
"I'm pleased that you found it so enjoyable," Kasumi said before bowing to Bun'en. "And thank you very much for your assistance in helping me remind Saotome-san of her proper place in this household, Haru-san."
Nodoka visibly winced on hearing that, though she did not look lover at Bun'en or Kasumi. "It was my pleasure, Tendô-hime," she said with a bow, and then she glanced at Nodoka. "It makes me wonder how is it that Saotome-sama turned out to be such an honourable man with such a terrible example coming from his own mother."
Nodoka blanched. Kasumi hummed, her eyes narrow. "I wonder about that myself at times, Haru-san. I've even talked to Ranma-kun about it on occasion. There was one time he actually mentioned that if things got too out of hand, he would not hesitate to abandon the Saotome family name and sever all ties with his mother to ensure she understands that his life is his to live, not hers."
"URRRK!"
Eyes locked on a now-petrified Nodoka. "He'd be smart to do that, I think," Bun'en stated with a smirk before bowing, Shisui bowing with her. "In the meantime, Tendô-hime, we've intruded on your home and hearth more than necessary. Please excuse us."
Kasumi bowed in return. "Please come again."
The two tôshi were escorted out of the house by Nabiki. Kasumi returned to the kitchen. Watching them go, Sôun seemed to blink for a moment, and then he turned to stare teary-eyed at Genma. "Saotome, PLEASE don't tell me that Ranma is…!"
"Calm down, Tendô," Genma urged with a smile that didn't go totally to his eyes, though Sôun did not notice. "After all, when he marries Akane, he could easily adopt her family name and become 'Ranma Tendô.'" He ignored the gasp of shock escaping Nodoka in echo of that as he stared knowingly at his former training partner. "After all, you have no sons to carry on the family name. And it is your dôjô, remember?"
Sôun blinked, and then he nodded. "Hai, you are right about that, Genma! I'm glad that Ranma is actually thinking about that! Now…HEY!" he then yelped on seeing the radically changed go board between him and Genma. "SAOTOME!"
As both began to bicker, neither took note Nodoka passing out at the living room table.
And now we…Look in on Akane and her lovers. Do they sense something amiss?
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(Posted Thu, 24 Sep 2009 02:49)
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