With everything that was happening, Ranma’s life was getting busy. Busy enough that it was time to step up his plans a bit, which lead him to stopping by Ucchan’s.
As it was still early in the night, Ukyö was doing brisk business, but not so much Ranma couldn’t plop into a seat himself. Still, there wasn’t much he was there for, even refusing a free okonomiyaki. “Hey Ucchan, you mind if I adopt Konatsu as a kunoichi?”
Surprised by the topic, Ukyö didn’t really have to think about it. Outside of her shinobi skills Konatsu wasn’t good for much. She was almost completely ignorant of modern conveniences even after working in the shop for so long, almost as if she was living in the Japan of centuries past. All she really did was give the psuedo-kunoichi drudge work in exchange for room and board. “Well sure honey, you gonna give her a place to stay?”
Ranma simply hummed thoughtfully. “I think I can manage. I got a job doing a commercial campaign, so I should be able to afford an apartment. That should make the engagement situation a lot more fair for everyone so maybe we can get that worked out sometime. Anyways though, I could use a personal assistant, and Konatsu is a ‘girl’ Akane won’t freak out about being near me.”
Smiling at the thoughts she was having, the cook offered him a saucy grin. “You know honey, you could just stay with me. That’d be one way to be fair to me about the engagements.”
Ranma made a hum of disagreement. “I dunno about that, I think being around so much is what made Akane so cranky. Plus can you imagine Kodachi and Shampoo dropping by here?”
That briefly darkened her mood, although Ukyö bounced back with a smile. “Well, you moving out on your own is a good sign. It’s about time you stopped living in the shadow of that fat panda.”
Glancing at his phone to check the time, Ranma turned his attention back to his childhood friend. “Ah, well I don’t have much time, so I need to talk with Konatsu now.”
Nodding briefly Ukyö turned around slightly to call into the back. “Konatsu.”
Wiping the sweat from her brow, the cross-dressing ninja in her patchwork kimono came out from the storage room. “Yes Ukyö-sama?”
Smiling at the thought of Ranma having his own place she could visit, the flat-bread flipper turned to the kunoichi. “Go with Ranchan sugar, he’s getting his house in order and wants to adopt you.”
Seeing the look on Konatsu’s face, Ranma was quick to add a little bit extra. “Ucchan isn’t kicking you out, I asked her if it was okay with her to adopt you is all. I could use you for your actual kunoichi skills. If you’re not interested that’s okay, if you are though, we can talk on the way.”
Glancing back between the two, Konatsu finally bowed to Ranma. “Alright Ranma-sama.” Turning back to Ukyö, the kunoichi bowed again. “Thank you for your kindness Ukyö-sama.”
Still cheerful, Ukyö briefly saluted the kunoichi with the mini-spatula she was sing to cook with. “You’re welcome sugar, just make sure to take good care of Ranchan.”
Ranma got a chance to fill in Konatsu while the two were roof hopping somewhere else. “Okay, first of all, are you okay with actually being a kunoichi?”
Konatsu almost seemed surprised by the question. “Of course Ranma-sama. I am also trained as a geisha.”
That eased Ranma’s concerns that his understanding of Konatsu wasn’t too off. “Okay, well what I’m about to tell you is kind of a secret. Where we’re heading is a place to officially get you listed as a kunoichi in my service.”
That really did surprise the feminine ninja. “Officially? Truly Ranma-sama?”
The reaction made Ranma smile as he realized his suspicions about Konatsu had been correct. More than anything she just wanted to be a real kunoichi, something Ranma could understand. Raised in remote seclusion by some crazy women, Konatsu was a throw-back to the old Japan.
Stopping atop a building, Ranma gazed at the old style Japanese manor in the distance. “I’m basically a modern samurai serving the country by Order of the Imperial Family. The princess at the manor there will register you as a kunoichi in my service. In about an hour I’m due to go on a mission, the last two involved rescuing girls being held hostage by bad guys with guns. Although taking them alive is what I’d like to do, if they die, they die.”
Pausing, Ranma looked at the kunoichi. “You ready for something like that?”
In reply, Konatsu went as far as kneeling and bowing her forehead to the ground. “It would be an honor to be your blade Ranma-sama.”
Considering that Konatsu was ignorant of things like cellphones and modern money, that meant their arrangement would be rather old-fashioned. “Is there something you’d like?”
Raising her head to merely kneeling before Ranma, Konatsu stared before blushing. “Ah, no Ranma-sama, it is an honor to be of service.”
Humming thoughtfully, there was one little issue about Konatsu Ranma really couldn’t guess at firmly. “Well, do you just enjoy dressing like a girl, or would you actually like a girl body? I’ll probably be visiting Jusenkyö soon, so it wouldn’t be hard to arrange.”
Blushing a bit more, Konatsu shifted uncomfortably. “I am eternally grateful for your consideration.”
Blinking as he tried to make sense of the formal answer, Ranma supposed that was a yes to a multiple choice question. Oh well, close enough. “Alright Konatsu, let’s go.”
For reasons unknown to Konatsu, Ranma had told her to hold onto him as they roof-hopped the last stretch to land inside the manor compound. A subtle shift as they crossed the compound wall gave her some clue as to what was happening.
The courtyard itself had a strange blue glow to it, almost as if there was a strong full moon overhead.
Glancing up briefly, Konatsu was amazed to see the stars she hadn’t seen since coming down from the mountains. Supposedly there was some sort of haze over Tokyo that prevented the stars from showing clearly, but here they were most brilliantly shining.
Curiously for the time of year and time of night, butterflies were flitting around the Japanese gardens of the courtyard, their wings glowing a ghostly blue in the starlight. Almost instinctively the kunoichi dodged away from the paths of the eerie fluttering insects as she followed behind Ranma.
Ranma for his part seemingly ignored the butterflies as he slowly made his way through the garden, clearly heading towards a kimono clad young woman sitting under an open-air gazebo. Clad in a fancy kimono that pooled around her, the pale woman was singing a simple child-like song softly as the butterflies swirled lazily around her.
If Ranma was bothered by the atmosphere, he didn’t show it as he casually waved at her. “Hey Oichi-hime. Enjoying the stars?”
Pausing and glancing their way, the traditional Japanese beauty smiled faintly at the young man. “Oh, Ranma-sama. How nice of you to visit.” Pausing, she seemed to realize something. “Oh, and you brought a little friend. How nice.”
Nodding, Ranma stepped out of the way to present the cross-dressing ninja following him. “I won’t be able to visit long Hime-chan, but this is Konatsu. I’d like to officially accept her service as a kunoichi.”
Humming gently, Oichi-hime slowly and carefully stood up, facing the house briefly before turning back to Ranma. “Oh, do you have time for tea?”
Checking the time on his cellphone, Ranma had a brief frown of annoyance before shrugging it off and relaxing. “Sure, I’ve got a little time at least.”
As the princess slowly made her way inside, Ranma stopped at the veranda to sit down on the edge. As Ranma relaxed and took a moment to gaze at the stars, Konatsu stood uncertainly nearby. Raised as a servant in a poor tea-house in the country, being in a noble’s manor in the capitol was more than a little out of her element. Even more imperatively, she didn’t want to do something to shame her new liege.
Ranma however simply patted the veranda beside him after reading her mood with a glance. Even if it was a guy pretending to be a girl, Ranma understood the ninja side of the kunoichi. “Have a seat. It’ll be uncomfortable if you’re standing around like that.”
Smoothing out her kimono to sit, Konatsu hesitantly joined her Ranma-sama in viewing the stars.
Staying only long enough to enjoy his cup of tea and write a letter using traditional brush and ink stone, Ranma took his leave of the quiet princess.
It was as they were leaving that Konatsu noticed something curious. While the sky was clear and bright, shining with stars, the view of the Tokyo skyline and all its lit buildings was dim and hazy. Once again there was a strange feeling as they leaped the border wall of the compound.
Feeling like she was back in the city once again, Konatsu noticed the skyline was now clear, but the sky was back to a murky warm glow that only the moon and a few stars could shine through.
She got a chance to ponder the oddity as Ranma pulled out his cellphone and made a call. “I’m ready on my end.”
Humming impatiently as he listened, Ranma was wanting to get to the actual briefing and get details. “Well have everything ready for me, I’ll be there shortly.” Pausing, Ranma quickly thought of something else to add. “Oh yeah, get out my spare set of ninja gear too.”
Putting the phone away, Ranma waved Konatsu on. “Okay, let’s go.”
After one more round of roof-hopping, Konatsu found herself being led to an industrial building complex on the mountainous north edge of Tokyo. The only clue as to what sort of place it was, was the company name, Genom, not that Konatsu really cared. Her duty was to simply be at her lord’s side now.
See other episodes by Valor Phoenix
(Posted Mon, 18 Apr 2011 08:11)
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