Julia sighed, "Because she would want to get involved."
"Well, yeah." Gina nodded, "What’s wrong with that?"
"Gina dear. Do you know why Seance was so.. unwilling to describe the situation in full detail? Why he refused to go into any more than a breif explanation?" Julia questioned her daughter when the two stopped at an intersection.
Gina frowned as she thought about it. Seance had been unusually tight lipped about the overall specifics, which just begged the question of what he was hiding. Still, she wasn't a Jade native and lack the general knowledge to understand the overall threat a were-smilodon stood for. "Nope. Can't say that I do."
Julia nodded as the duo began walking again, crossing the street. "Well, dear. What would you do if you suddenly found yourself scorned, hunted, feared, and hated by everyone and anyone? What would you feel if you were being tracked down like a wounded animal simply because your alive?"
"You mean?"
"Yes, daughter. Whoever that boy is, he's been fighting for his life since he arrived on Jade." Julia waved her hand, to forestall any questioning, "How he got there, I don't know. I suppose it doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is the boy seemed to have reached his breaking point, and some one we don't know of is manipulating things behind the scene just for this purpose."
"And you didn't want Brit to know, because if he IS really related to the were-cheetahs, then she would be hurt and reasonably upset that he was being hunted down because he was considered a monster." Gina surmised.
"Its more than that." Julia said as they turned a corner, and kept on walking.
Gina nodded with a sigh, "Your afraid she will blame you for not finding out and stopping it sooner?"
Julia nodded, though said nothing more as they walked on.
***
The Prefecture of Nerima had always been a hot spot for chaotic and, at least on occasion, Alien activity. It was a center of weirdness that rivaled nearly all other centers in the known world. It was in Nerima were the populous first glanced at the power of curses, the existence of Ghosts, the horror of a mummy like panty thief and letch.
It was also the place the Phoenix god Saffron had attacked in his mad quest to destroy Saotome Ranma, destroy him and everything he ever held dear. It was here where that final Battle had been fought, and it was here where Saffron and Ranma both met their ultimate end. One dying in his mad pursuit for vengeance, the other dying to defend those who simply couldn't defend themselves.
When Ranma had died, the spirit of Nerima went with him. He was mourned as a hero by the people, celebrated as some one who was simply filled with nothing but goodness and purity. Whether it was true or not didn't matter, the memory of his sacrifice would always hold a place in the hearts of those who survived the conflagration of Saffron’s madness.
The reconstruction of Nerima hadn't taken very long, the prefecture was well known for its quick and efficient construction companies, but.. they simply weren't into their job as usual. Oh, the jobs got done, and everything was as sturdy as they would normally be if they had worked at their best, but it lacked.. emotion.. vitality..
There was a palpable sense of loss in the district, this was the first thing Julia and Gina a like noticed when they arrived. People moved about the streets, just doing day-to-day chores. To the unobservant, nothing would seem wrong at all with this picture. However, to some one of Julia's experience, and Gina's quizzical nature, everyone just screamed 'Sadness. Despair. Uncaring.'
"Jinkies." Gina whispered in disgusted awe as she and Julia walked on. "Everyone is so sad."
"I know." her mother replied. "Lets see if we can learn anything."
***
"His name was Ranma Saotome." the boy whispered reverently, head lowered in honor for the dutiful departed.
"I see." Julia nodded, impressed with the respect the boy seemed to hold for this Ranma Saotome. "Tell me.. what was he like?"
The boy chuckled, not in amusement, but the laugh of some one who had yet to bury the distinct pain of loss, a sorrowful agonizing sound. "He.. he was Ranma.. best martial artist ever!" the kid crowed, many passerby’s who heard him nodded in agreement, before moving on. "Bout the nicest guy you can ever meet. Strong, confident, smart. Guy was a saint I tell yah!"
Julia nodded thoughtfully, listening intently. Gina remained silent as the guy spoke.
"He didn't deserve what he got. Not after saving all those lives so many times. Not after putting up with the shit he had too around here. Its amazing he was still sane after all the hell people gave him for simple being alive."
Julia stiffened when the boy said that. Narrowing her eyes at the boy, "Could you explain that bit? About him still being sane after the hell he went through for being alive."
The boy shrugged, not seeming to detect the sudden agitation Julia exuded, "Well. People were always coming around trying to kill him. Most of the time it was because of jealousy and stuff, y'know? None of em liked the fact Ranma had so much, and were pissed off about it. If you ask me, they just didn't want to work as hard as he did to get what he got."
"What did he have?" Gina asked curiously. What could the boy possibly have that would cause the type of animosity the boy was describing.
"Talent, looks, the fact he seemed to attract an army of girls." the guy chuckled, before continuing, "Not that Ranma ever understood the bit about girls. His pops raised him out in the wilderness most of his life, the guy wouldn't know what to do with a girl even if she asked. Still, because he seemed to attract the girls with out trying, bunch of idiots starting blaming him for their own failures."
"Like?" Julia prompted.
"Eh, well. This one guy blamed Ranma because he kept getting lost. Heck, he'd blame Ranma if there were a cloud in the sky. Mind you, I don't know that for sure, but the few times I seen him attack Ranma out of the blue for stupid reasons I got to say it is possible." the guy coughed, before continuing, "Another guy was mad because the girl he loved didn't want him, but wanted Ranma. It wasn't like Ranma tried or anything to get the her, the girl just didn't like the guy because he was always so pushy and demanding of her when he had no right to be."
"I.. see." Gina suddenly wished she didn't ask. "Is that all?"
The guy snorted, looking at Gina as if she was the biggest idiot in the world. "Pfeh, that’s the tip of the iceberg. You think those guys are bad, you should hear about his father."
"His father?"
"Two words. Neko Ken. That’s all I gotta say. Genma was a real dumb ass, but even I didn't think he was stupid enough to wrap his six year old son up and fish sausage before throwing him into a pit of starving cats." the guy shuddered, "Torture, it's amazing Ranma hadn't snapped. The guy must have thrown the kid in at least a dozen times. All it did in the end was give the poor guy a uncompromising fear of cats... Oh, and he would go bezerk anytime he couldn't get away from a cat. Scary stuff, let me tell you."
Julia paled when the boy first said the words 'Neko-Ken'. She was a martial artist, perhaps one of the best, so thus it’s only logical to assume she had heard of that screwed up technique before. She didn't try to learn it, oh hell no. She didn't want to suffer through that torment for a technique that, as far as she was concerned, wasn't worth it.
"I think I get it." Gina waved the boy off, feeling slightly green as she imaged Ranma as a little boy getting thrown into a pit by some demon. "Do you know where Ranma's parents live?"
The boy nodded, "Mrs. Saotome lives about 3 kilometers that way.." he pointed down the street, "Big house, can't miss it. Genma's been living in the local jailhouse since the incident. Police did research on the boy; it was only a matter of time until they found out about Genma child abusing ass.
"Thanks.."
***
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(Posted Mon, 26 Jan 2004 22:34)
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