"What do you mean?" Hotaru asked, clearly confused.
"How did you come into the service of our... Master?" Setsuna asked the fourteen year old.
"My papa was one of the top scientists working for the Clan," said Hotaru proudly. "When papa blew up his lab and I was injured, they took me in. Ranma's always been my friend and when my powers developed of course I joined his hareem. He's such a sweet Master."
Setsuna nodded at that. "Let's go out into the courtyard, shall we?"
"This isn't right," said the young girl, looking around herself with a frown and lowering the naginata practice blade.
"What isn't right, Akane?" asked the elder sister of the young girl, lightly hopping to the ground from the raised poles on which they had practiced.
"I'm not sure," admitted Akane as she got down herself. "Everything, or almost everything, feels wrong somehow?"
"Perhaps," said Kasumi. "It could be some mischievous oni. Do you want to ask Mother? Perhaps you can go to the Lord's castle and ask for the blessing of the miko that dwells therein."
"Mother?" Akane asked, somehow surprised. "No. She'd just tell me I'm not working enough if I have time to daydream."
"We have much to do," admitted Kasumi. "At least our father was able to assist the daimyo in the containment of the Oni and restore some of our standing within the eyes of the law."
"That is true," admitted Akane, fastening her kimono and obi back into place. "We don't have to live as ronin, wandering in disgrace."
"The daimyo has even allowed that there are lady samurai," said Kasumi, though her tone suggested she thought it was still fairly scandalous. "So you can be the Heir of our family and carry on the samurai house of Tendo."
"That's true," admitted Akane, brightening a bit. "Some day I will prove the worth of the Tendo school and we will stand with the blemish on our honor completely erased!"
"I have heard," said Kasumi, "that the ronin of House Kuno have been nosing about the edge of the territory. If someone broached the subject to the daimyo, and a Tendo were the one to bring those bandits to justice?"
Akane grinned at the thought. Her house fully restored. Her father, lamed in the last war against the Sorceress, could not ride into battle. Yet if she proved her mettle against the supposedly skilled Kuno family? Would it not be possible that she herself could be the one to prove to House Saotome that their faith in allowing Soun to pass his swords to her was fully vindicated?
The banner of Tendo could then be placed atop the hill with the other samurai families of rank.
Akane put the wash away and bowed to her sister. "I shall consult with Mother and Father, and ask the blessings of the miko if such is forthcoming. Was this rumor of reliable source?"
Kasumi inclined her head slightly. "Our sister, Nabiki, remains loyal to Clan and sworn to the daimyo."
Akane made a face at that. Nabiki worked far away in a distant village, her talent for languages having been determined years ago. She still sent money occasionally by courier, and supposedly assisted the traders in their tasks, but it was not what Akane considered fair work for one of samurai blood.
"I shall have to see," said Akane, carefully threading her daisho into her obi. "Though it is my hope that father will see that I am skilled enough."
Rei went out into the courtyard and considered her surroundings.
"This appears to be the time of... Nobunaga Oda," said Setsuna.
"The satanic figure that Tokugawa defeated?!" Rei asked, remembering a few manga.
"Actually he wasn't nearly so bad. Depicting him as a monster let Tokugawa get away with much worse atrocities. Nobunaga was a shrewd politician who excelled in playing factions off against each other. If he had won, Japan would have opened to the West far earlier and avoided many of the hardships that came later," said Setsuna, "he also had a pretty decent sense of humor and irony. Just trusted the wrong people in the end and didn't trust the right people. Ah well."
"You knew him?" Rei asked, remembering who she was talking to.
"We'd met," said Setsuna, preferring to keep it mysterious for now. "Nice courtyard. Looks fairly Disarmament style. Look at that though. Non-Japanese influences would have been cause for heads to roll - literally, but that's a Chinese windchime on the corner of the house and European style weathervane."
"Shogun Nobunaga defeated Tokugawa," said Hotaru plaintively. "That was forty years ago. House Saotome played an important part in that battle. You should be proud to be part of such a noble house!"
"House Saotome?" Setsuna considered something. "Ah!"
"You've got something?" Usagi asked, looking up briefly from watching the koi in the pond.
"Our outfits are vaguely middle-eastern," said Setsuna, one tapered nail tapping against the bracer on the other wrist. "The interior keep is classical Japanese if you allow for such elements as the weathervane and the windchimes. The outer walls, if you stand here on these steps you can see them, are European in design - for a fort."
"Okay," said Haruka, missing cars already.
"Hotaru, would I be correct in guessing that House Saotome is highly placed within the Japanese Empire?" Setsuna asked.
Hotaru was clearly proud as she nodded. "Yes we are!"
"Would I also be correct in saying we have many allies abroad and we've imported bits and pieces from them?" Setsuna speculated.
Hotaru nodded again. "Yes, and House Saotome is very important despite Ranma's father being kind of a... well..."
"Idiot," supplied Ami as if remembering this from somewhere.
"Well, yes," admitted Hotaru. "He did redeem himself very well in the battle with the Sorceress and is said to have learned many of the Oni Thief's tricks before he and an outlaw trapped the oni in a cave and blew up the entry!"
"Got it," said Setsuna with a nod. "The Tendo family sided with Tokugawa, were disgraced, and partly redeemed themselves in the capture of Happosai. Okay, so Ranma's a daimyo?"
"Yes! One of the most important of daimyo!" Hotaru declared proudly. "House Saotome oversees the whole region of Kansai! We are among the richest of traders, the most... oh sorry."
The amused looks of the others at Hotaru's evident pride in her adopted House caused the younger girl to blush and fidget.
"She screwed up the timeline this badly with the ginzuishou?" Haruka asked. "It has that much power?"
"Combined with the Gates Of Time, possibly. The Sorceress is likely to have something else which she used, but then the magic was clearly beyond her because when Ranma fell into it - she completely lost control." Setsuna looked at the white fluffy clouds overhead and pondered the changes.
"The Sorceress! Of course!" Hotaru exclaimed. "That's why you're all acting like that! The Sorceress must have done something!"
"Tell us about the Sorceress, Hotaru," asked Ami.
Hotaru nodded. "The Sorceress is a mysterious figure who appeared years ago. Three times she has tried to conquer Japan. On each occasion she's fought against the forces of the Empire and our allies! The first time we were allied with China. When she poisoned the ear of the Emperor of China and tried to conquer us from them, we allied with the refugees of that land and with our Western trade partners and two contingents of foreign warriors who fought bravely for us! The third time was against a group of great heroes who gathered five armies, while they fought, Genma Saotome strode forth using the secrets of the Oni Thief and smote down the vessel that the Sorceress was using so that it would take a full generation for her return!"
"Five armies?" Rei asked.
"Yes, an army of Chinese warrior women from their forbidden mountains," said Hotaru, clearly relishing the retelling of this story. "An army of peasants gathered together to defend their own lands! An army of soldiers that Genma had gathered through a game of chance in a land of burning sands! An army of soldiers from the West with their own score to settle against the Sorceress. Finally the army of House Saotome itself, an army of grand samurai that darkened the hills and rode like the fiercest of thunder against their foe!"
Setsuna nodded. "Probably heavily embellished. I'd guess maybe each 'army' had a total of fifty members at most."
Rei sidled close to Setsuna. "How much of that do you think Hotaru will have when we return things to normal?"
"She'll probably lose the abject hero worship immediately, the crush a bit longer after that, but I wouldn't leave them alone for very long thereafter unless you like the sound of 'Hotaru Saotome'?" Setsuna replied in a low tone. "If I remember what I've heard of Ranma Saotome correct, it wouldn't take long for genuine kindness and a cute intelligent girl could probably have him wrapped around her fingers. If she turns on the waterworks less time than that."
"Oh dear," said Rei quietly. "Have you noticed that neither Minako nor Makoto came out of the room with Lord Ranma?"
Setsuna nodded slightly, then spoke more loudly for everyone's benefit. "Now we've got the basics of the setup left by Ranma's interference with the Sorceress and her plans. She's going to be back in this generation and try to crush Ranma then try to take over Japan and the rest of the world. If we can defeat her before this reality gels, Usagi can use the ginzuishou and we can restore the real timeline."
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(Posted Fri, 12 Sep 2003 17:22)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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