Items being thrown willy-nilly into a pushcart. "HEY!" Including Nabiki.
"I just remembered, we have to go live with your cousin in France!" Soun declared as he prepared to leave.
"I don't think so," said Nabiki as she shoved a dresser off of herself.
"Oh dear, you mean the whole 'Tendo must marry a Saotome' plotline was invalidated?" Kasumi said. "Omiai!"
"You have to understand, my wife's medical bills, the taxes, the bills, I needed some help," pleaded Soun to Genma.
"Which is why even with no income, the taxes on the Tendo property continue to be paid," said Asuka. "Due to the agreement you made with my father. Oh, by the way, he's in Germany now."
"B-b-b-but," blubbered Soun.
"Frankly, looking over my fiance," said Asuka seriously, "I can say only one thing. HelllllooooO!"
"Uhm, hello," said Ranma, not really understanding what all was going on.
"Say, how'd you like to go get something to eat? That way we can get acquainted!" Asuka said brightly.
"I'm kind of tied up at the moment," said Ranma, his chains rattling as he wiggled.
"Fine, see if I care!" Akane huffed, turning her head away and putting sweetener in her cup. "We apparently were never engaged!" Three spoonfuls. "It's not like I asked for this!" Six spoonfuls. "You're always doing this sort of thing, Ranma!" Nine spoonfuls. "So go on and have a good time!" (sip) "GAKKKK!"
Watching Akane cough and hack up little bits of white sludge, Asuka made an observation. "Well, since the OLD fiancee has given us her blessing, let's go. I spotted a restaurant contest on the way here."
"Big deal," choked out Akane, the jab about her being past tense irritating her. "Lots of restaurants run promotions."
"If you break the record for eating bowls of their beef and rice bowl, you get them for free," finished Asuka. "I figured that Ranma being a martial artist and all..."
(CRACK! BURST! UNTIE!) "Where is this?" Ranma asked.
"So you see how it is," said Rei in a quiet voice as she set the teacup down.
"Yes, indeed," agreed Nodoka Saotome. "A debt that must be repaid. There are... complications, but we shall have to see what can be done."
"Shall we go then? I would like to meet my fiance." Rei asked of Ranma's mother.
In her apartment, Ritsuko checked her resources.
She was Ritsuko Akagi. She was a doctor, but not an M.D. - her field was biotechnology specifically. Unfortunately that field in 1992 was fairly primitive by her standards. Todai University was one of the few that really had a good program until after Second Impact. She knew enough about medicine to qualify as a Physician's Assistant at the least.
She had gotten this second chance from Heaven, specifically a Greek God named Eros, and had thought about what that all meant.
For one thing, while she still was hardly a Christian despite being well read in matters of that faith, it meant that there was a Heaven. Despite the presence of a Greek deity, that also had not been Tartarus her shade had been called to.
Which meant that the Greeks hadn't had the whole picture either. There had also been the mention of Rules that they followed, which also didn't seem to fit Greek mythology too well.
Which left her at an odd disadvantage here. Though she was capable of acting nice, it had always been an act. She was used to being fairly ruthless within her shell of respectability. She'd been closer to Misato than she'd been to anyone, but she'd calmly suggested terminating her friend to the Commander when that friend had begun "snooping around." When things started falling out of control, she'd realized she'd never actually been in control. The longer it had gone the more she'd been confronted with the certainty that she had been just another tool to be used and discarded by the Commander. Finally she'd ended up shot and drowning in a pool of LCL.
Then had come the Angel Of Death and itwasREIanditwasn't. ItwasLillithandReiandYuiandtheywereallone. Shehadcomeforher. And then she'd gone splut andthentherehadbeenthe voicesandthey'dscreamedandthey'dscreamedand everyonewasthesameandtheywereallMADand thevoiceskeptscreaminganditwasyourownvoiceandthere wasnoonebutyoubutthentherewaseveryoneelseanditwas allmadandthegooandyouhadnoeyesormouthorearsbutall therewaswasthescreamand
Ritsuko shuddered as she finally drew a breath. Slowly she uncurled from the little ball she'd curled into. It was just a memory. Just a memory. It couldn't hurt her. She was out of there.
Now knowing that there were gods. That there was good and evil. That there was a Hell and a Heaven. Ritsuko did something she had never done before in her life. Her mother had mocked religions of all kinds and her work had certainly shown her the hypocrisies and problems of organized faiths.
Ritsuko walked to the nearest shrine and prayed with all the intensity she could that she would not fail in this mission.
Maya Ibuki saw her "sempai" walking up the stairs to the shrine and decided to go somewhere else.
She had admired Ritsuko. She had loved Ritsuko. She had trusted Ritsuko. When they had both become part of the Sea, she had seen her sempai clearly and completely. She had seen directly into the soul of her love before the madness had rolled over them both.
Maya felt like throwing up knowing that Ritsuko Akagi had been given the same chance she had.
Not that she had a particularly strong stomach. She'd prided herself on good moral character more than intestinal fortitude. She knew how much her old "sempai" had sneered at both qualities, though not where it would be obvious - that might cause the poor underling to not be as willing to put in the unpaid overtime or do personal errands.
She was not up to facing Dr. Akagi again at the moment.
Perhaps out of all of them, she thought she had a handle on this situation.
From what she understood of Hephaestus-san's explanation, Ranma Saotome was their anchor here. They had a set time to make his acquaintance, but as soon as that was accomplished, he performed a symbological link to this reality. Apparently symbology was fairly important in magic.
Ranma cuts all ties - zoom - back to being a bit of goo in a sea of same.
Ranma dies - zoom - same result.
Maya would admit that she was not quite as intelligent, as well-learned, as Doctor Akagi. She didn't always memorize things at first glance, and frankly the older scientist looked better in a swimsuit. Instead of focussing on the competition with her old sempai, what was needed was a method of getting by with everyone else.
At least she had a method to introduce herself. The role she'd been inserted into, Maya Ibuki first year Technology major at the University, had an engagement to Ranma Saotome (much as the others from her original universe) though hers had been accomplished by:
(Posted Mon, 28 Jul 2003 13:28)
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