Chapter 4: Home Sweet Home?
Suginami - Thursday, March 3rd 1994
Aiko stepped back a pace and smiled at her grandchild to cover a grimace of displeasure. Ranma’s body language was so … open. Of course, being glomped by Haru-chan would tend to lower anyone’s defenses, but she could tell that Ranma had actually been TRAINED to reveal all of his emotions externally. Something undoubtedly done quite deliberately by his … idiot of a father and a deficiency that would have to be corrected soon.
Midori chuckled at the sight of her cousin’s first encounter with Harukichi’s enthusiastic greeting. She just hoped that Haru-chan didn’t make Ranma’s ribs any worse; the diminutive ninja was extremely strong for her size and had a grip like a python.
“Ranma, this is your grandmother Aiko Yamada. Obāsama, Ranma Saotome.”
“Welcome to Yamada-ke, Ranma-kun. I see you’ve already met your cousin Harukichi Kurayami,” Aiko said as she reached over and squeezed the redhead’s shoulder, who snuggled harder into Ranma’s chest in response. “This is my friend Seiko Moriguchi, and I believe you already know Doctor Ono.”
Ranma nodded in acknowledgement. “Hiya Doc,” she said before wincing slightly.
Aiko shook Harukichi’s shoulder gently. “Haru-chan, you might consider letting go of your cousin for now.”
Ranma flinched for a moment when Harukichi’s hug tightened.
“She needs to be able to breathe sometime, you know.”
Harukichi jumped as if scalded, eyes wide in panic. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I really didn’t mean to …” She halted in mid stream when she saw the amused expressions on both Aiko’s and Midori’s faces. Her subsequent pout elicited a brief bout of chuckling from the other girls. She turned her bright emerald eyes to the pig-tailed girl and bowed. “I’m sorry, Ranma-sempai. I hope I didn’t aggravate any of your injuries.”
“Naw, you don’t have to worry ‘bout that, ‘Kichi,” Ranma waved off her discomfort with a smile. “I do kinda wonder …” She put her hand on her hip and leaned forward to study the shorter girl intently for a moment. “The hair and eyes and glomp … you sure you’re not an Amazon or nothin’?”
Harukichi’s slight blush was accompanied by a round of chuckling from the rest of the group.
Aiko shook her head in amusement. “Midori-chan?”
“Yes, Obāsama?”
“Would you girls please show Ranma-kun to his room upstairs? He will also need to know where the washrooms and furo are located. Tea will be served in the Blue Room as soon as you are all freshened up. Casual dress.”
“Yes, Obāsama.” Midori nodded, relieved on being informed that the usual signing training session would be set aside.
“Dr. Ono, if you would be so kind as to accompany me …” Aiko and the other adults walked towards the back left hallway.
“If you will follow me please?” asked Midori. She had taken several steps before realizing she had left the martial artist behind.
Ranma was looking about the foyer and gaping. The room was large for a foyer, about twelve feet deep by fifteen wide, and sat between two parallel hallways that added another four and a half feet to each end of the room. It was an odd yet pleasing mixture of East and West and extended upwards to the second story, which surrounded the upper level with a U-shaped open hallway. An intricate wood and paper chandelier hung from the high ceiling. The hardwood floor had been railed for fusama around the lower hallways, allowing either hallway to be screened off in various manners; the current configuration blocked the guest hallways while leaving the more distant residential hallways open. The two-story right wall was decorated by three long hatajirushi banners displaying different clan mon. She assumed that the center banner was the one with the Yamada emblem on it.
“Ranma?”
“Huh? Oh yeah.” She hurried across the floor as Midori and Kioko walked to the far right corner of the room. A flash of movement caught her eye; both Tsuya and Harukichi were already racing around the upper hallway. She followed the two sisters around the corner to the stairway hidden behind the foyer’s right wall.
“Your room’s the first door up on the left,” Midori said, pointing up the stairs. “We’ll give you the Grand Tour tomorrow.”
Ranma followed the two sisters up the stairs. Kioko continued to the right down the hallway, so she followed Midori into her new room only to stop suddenly. The L-shaped room was … big, at least half again as large as the guest room she had shared at the Tendōs, and twice the size of Akane’s or Nabiki’s bedroom. There was a teak computer desk and bookcase to the left, and in the main part of the room to the right was a writing desk with TV and stereo, a double dresser with mirrors, an oversized futon, and against the side wall were … three armoires?
… and wasn’t that a portrait of mom hanging over the desk?
A short green-haired girl in a housemaid’s uniform was taking an outfit out of the nearest armoire; a green and white cotton yukata had already been set out on the futon. Ranma was a little surprised to see the outfit was one of her typical Chinese red tang and pants combinations, although the fabric appeared to be made of the highest grade of silk. In fact, everything in the room looked … expensive. All of the furniture was teak and the rich fabrics didn’t show any of the usual signs of wear.
“Ranma, this is Jun,” Midori said, obviously enjoying her cousin’s reaction.
“Ranma-dono,” replied the maid with a bow.
“Err, hi!”
“You’ll find that Jun, Naomi, and Kumiko actually wield all the power around here,” Midori quipped. “The phone’s on the desk. If you need anything, just dial 31 and ask; someone’s always on duty. Jun will show you where the washrooms and furo are. Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to go and roust my sister; she’s probably lost in another book by now.” Midori walked back out the room as the maid started to speak.
“We’ve placed your pack and personal belongings in the third armoire,” Jun said as she pointed towards the far corner of the room. “You will also find extra bedding and pillows there if you need them. The center armoire has female clothing, shoes and accessories are in the drawer underneath. The left armoire has male clothing with shoes underneath as well.” Jun had gathered up the tang outfit along with the yukata as she spoke. “The dresser has personal items in the top drawer and underwear underneath, female on the left, male on the right. The Famicom and Mega Drive are on the floor under the TV. If you have any favorite games that aren’t in the drawer, call and we’ll get a copy delivered within a day. The same is true for music, if you want a specific cassette or compact disc, just call. The computer is Internet connected. The house has a high speed T1 link, so don’t hesitate to use it as often as you like.”
Jun smiled as she turned towards the door; Ranma-chan was so cute with her mouth hanging open like that. “If you will follow me, Ranma-dono, I will show you to the washroom.”
Ranma’s head was whirling as she followed the green-haired maid into the hallway. She’d actually stayed at larger mansions in the past, the Chardins for instance, and was familiar with the custom of maid service, but her stays had always been as a part of some challenge or misadventure. This was the first time she would be expected to deal with it as a normal part of daily living, and it made her more than a little uncomfortable. She was used to traveling light.
“… are Kioko-dono’s and Midori-sama’s rooms. Tsuya-dono’s and Harukichi-dono’s rooms are opposite …”
And there was something a little unsettling about the way Jun walked. She was older than Ranma had initially thought and obviously trained in the Art, but there was an odd emphasis in her gait that Ranma couldn’t quite identify just yet. It reminded her a little of the way Shampoo walked.
“… is the main washroom,” Jun said as she opened a double-door that was at the opposite end of the hallway from Ranma’s. The hallway continued around the right for an equal distance and then right again to surround the lower foyer on three sides. “The next two doors are the toilet rooms, and the furo is the last door on this wall.”
Jun grinned to herself as she led Ranma into the main washroom. The poor dear was obviously going to take a LOT of coaching before she would be comfortable just living in the house, let alone cope with some of the more … esoteric … training she had taught the other girls. Seiko-sama had warned them Ranma-chan would require very careful handling, but even she had managed to understate the reality of the situation from what Jun could tell.
“There’s a full shower in the corner, and you will find an assortment of hair care products in the right vanity. If you let us know what your soap, shampoo, and conditioner preferences are, we can have them available for you the next day.”
“Ahhh … just ‘bout anything you got’s fine, Jun.”
Ranma looked about washroom. It was about nine feet square with an additional shower alcove on the right side. A marble topped dual-basin vanity extended from wall to wall on the left, and a shorter matching single-basin vanity took up the right wall from the door to the shower alcove. Each vanity was topped by an expansive mirror and a long bar of globe lights.
Jun walked to the smaller vanity and set Ranma’s bundle of fresh clothes down. Turning, she motioned politely for Ranma to approach. “If you will let me examine your hair for a moment, Ranma-dono, perhaps I can make some suggestions.”
“I really don’t need nothin’ special,” Ranma replied as she walked over to the green-haired maid. Jun ran her hands over Ranma’s hair several times and felt her pigtail carefully before kneeling down to open the bottom door of the vanity. She began pulling items out.
“I would suggest you start with the chamomile and calendula shampoo for the first week, along with the apricot keratin conditioner. Neither is highly scented and both are designed to fortify and help repair split ends. The aloe vera soap contains both vitamin E and moisturizers, and I’ll order some lemon glycerin facial soap for you tomorrow morning. There’s a fresh washcloth in the shower stall,” Jun continued as she stood back up. “Used clothing goes in the hamper under the window. Considering the cast, do you need any assistance in undressing, unbraiding your hair, or washing?” she finished with a smile.
“Err, no no no that’s fine,” Ranma stammered. She looked down with a frown at the plaster cast encasing her left forearm. “Idiot hospital docs, didn’t believe me. I TOLD them I didn’t need a cast.” She looked quickly around the room before turning back to face Jun. “You got a wastebasket round here somewhere? Might as well take the stupid thing off first.”
“There are wastebaskets underneath each sink,” Jun replied as she went to retrieve one. “Are you certain removing the cast is a good idea, Ranma-dono?”
“Yeah, the arm’ll be healed by mornin’ anyway.” Ranma tapped the cast in several places before nodding. “That’ll work. Just set the basket down an’ step back, this is likely to be kinda messy.” She waited for Jun to step clear before powering ki into both arms. A flood of brilliant white filled the room around the martial artist’s arms. “Damn, still too damn much.”
“Once you have fully assumed your position as Guardian, the ability to properly regulate your life force usage will be greatly improved. This particular shortcoming is the result of the incomplete bonding between us.”
Ranma rolled her eyes. “Yeah, whatever. Watch yer eyes, Jun.”
Jun could barely make out the shape of Ranma’s arms in the glow. One of the glowing arms suddenly morphed into a fuzzy stroboscopic halo accompanied by a sharp stuttering crack lasting about twelve seconds. Both glow and noise disappeared suddenly. Ranma calmly peeled the remaining half of the cast off her arm and dropped it in the basket with a clunk. “Ahhh, that feels MUCH better,” Ranma exclaimed as she massaged the injured arm with her right hand. “I’m pretty sure I caught all the flyin’ bits.”
Jun’s eyes were huge. The girl in front of her had casually expended more ki in fifteen seconds than most grandmasters were capable of calling out in an entire month, just to remove a cast from her arm. Incredible. And she complained about having too much ki?
Ranma frowned when she noticed the expression on the maid’s face. “Hey, you OK?”
“Yes, thank you,” Jun nodded, forcing a smile. “Do you require anything else, Ranma-dono?”
“Naw, this’s fine, thanks.”
“Then if you will excuse me, I will go and see if the girls require anything,” Jun replied with a genuine smile, picking up the wastebasket. “I’ll be back when you are finished with your shower; I’m certain they would enjoy having you join them in the furo.”
“Erk!” Ranma exclaimed. “I’ll guess I can check out the furo later.”
“Are you sure, Ranma-dono?” asked Jun as she put the wastebasket back under the sink. “They are your cousins, after all.”
Ranma frantically nodded.
“Very well, I will tell them not to wait for you. Enjoy the shower.” Jun bowed before exiting, closing the washroom doors behind her.
Ranma luxuriated in the shower’s steamy spray of water. It had been quite a while since she felt this clean. When she was on the road, a cold mountain stream with some sand was usually the only thing available, and the furo at the Tendōs didn’t provide hot water for the scrub. Cold, often freezing water was linked firmly in her mind with her girl form.
This was the first time she had ever actually enjoyed being in hot water as a girl.
She had to admit, the shampoos and soap Jun had picked out for her were … nice. She hadn’t understood half of what Jun had said about them, but the directions on the bottles were easy enough to follow. More than once she’d overheard girls discussing their various choices for toiletries and had never understood why they put so much effort into it. After all, shampoo was shampoo, right?
She was now beginning to see what the fuss was all about. She knew she was far more sensitive to taste as a girl, which was one of many reasons why ice cream was such a treat, but she was finding out how much more all her senses were enhanced. The scent of the shampoo and the feel of the soap on her skin were … different under the wash of hot water. She had always been too cold to notice any difference as a girl, and she certainly had never noticed these subtle feelings before when she was a guy.
Sighing, she turned off the water. The amount of water used in a western style shower seemed excessively wasteful, but she could definitely get used to it. It was an invigorating and delightful contrast to the furo. She was squeezing the water out of her unbound hair when the frosted glass stall door opened suddenly.
Kioko, a very naked Kioko, stood in front of her, left hand on the stall handle and a towel draped over the other arm.
Ranma quickly shut her eyes and braced herself, waiting for the inevitable.
“Oh! I’m sorry, Ranma-kun, I thought Onēchan was in the shower.”
Ranma continued to wait. Damn it all, why didn’t her cousin just haul off and get it over with?
Kioko stared in dismay at the sight of the shorter girl cringing in front of her. She knew from their months of observation just how difficult Ranma’s public life had been back in Nerima, but a lot of what happened to Ranma inside Tendō-ke itself had been hidden from their view. Only Harukichi had been able to get close to the Tendō house without being seen in all of the constant chaos and destruction. What kind of monsters were they to invoke this as a conditioned response? She had difficulty swallowing past the large lump that had developed suddenly in her throat.
“Ranma-kun,” Kioko said softly.
Ranma carefully opened one eye. Her other eye snapped open when she saw the odd expression on her cousin’s face. Before she could recognize all of the emotions the look contained, the outer washroom door opened.
“Pardon me, Ranma-dono,” Jun caroled as she entered. “Are you finished with your … shower …” Jun’s cheery voice trailed off as she caught sight of the frozen tableau in front of her.
“Oh dear.” She quickly strode over to the pair on seeing the desperate plea for help etched in Kioko’s entire posture and took the towel from her arm. “Here, let me help you with your hair.” Jun draped the towel around Ranma’s shoulders and torso and led her out of the stall. Kioko signed her thanks and scampered quickly into the shower.
Ranma let the green-haired girl lead her over to the large vanity. She was confused and didn’t understand why Kioko hadn’t just off and walloped her one for being a pervert. That’s what girls did, right? Distracted, she dried herself almost mechanically while the maid fussed about a bit in the vanity. Throwing the damp towel on the counter, Ranma started to reach for her outfit when she noticed Jun holding the green and white yukata out for her to wear.
Smiling, Ranma shook her head and quickly dressed in the familiar red tang and black drawstring pants that had been her trademark outfit for the last year. “Thanks, Jun, but I really don’t need any more help. The hair’ll dry fast enough once I get it braided.” She took to towel and dried her hair with ki at Amaguriken speed before recalling the effect her last ki display had on the girl.
Jun kept her features schooled as she watched Ranma’s ki briefly light when her hands blurred. These … casual …and apparently unconscious displays of power were going to be somewhat difficult to adjust to. She smiled as she held up a brush. “At least let me help brush out your hair before you braid it.”
Ranma thought for a second before nodding. Jun pulled the stool over for Ranma and waited for her to sit before starting to brush and gently tease the tangles out of her hair. Ranma closed her eyes. It had been quite a while since the last time mom had done this for “Ranko”.
Jun lost herself in the rhythm of her brushing. Ranma’s hair needed several weeks worth of conditioning before a proper shine could be attained, but it had enough body to hold any style the girl cared to choose. She’d have to see if she couldn’t eventually convince Ranma to try something besides a pigtail.
Ranma was drifting in utter bliss. For once she was truly relaxed, and Jun’s steady gentle brushstrokes had her close to falling asleep on the stool.
Jun was a little surprised when she felt Ranma start to vibrate gently and heard her voice a low rumbling hum. The girl almost sounded like she was … purring?
All too soon Ranma felt her hair being braided behind her. She waited until Jun had finished before looking around for the whisker, which was on the vanity next to her. “Thanks, Jun. That felt real nice.” She smiled while she tied the braid off.
Ranma wobbled a little as she stood before walking towards the door. “I’ll be in my room. Let me know where I’m suppos’ to be next.”
“Jun said she’d be in her room, Onēchan,” Kioko replied, saving her spot with a bookmark before setting the thick tome down on her desk.
Midori shook her head in mock dismay. Trying to get everyone together at the same time was like herding cats; not impossible but extremely difficult. Tsuya and Harukichi had already gone downstairs, and she had rather expected to find Kioko with her nose buried in a book, but if Ranma was true to form she’d be outside somewhere practicing instead of being holed up in her room.
“Time to go roust the natives, Sis. We don’t want to keep Obāsama waiting too long, do we?” Midori quipped as she followed her sister out of her room. The walk down the hallway to Ranma’s room was a short one.
“I’ll inform Obāsama that you and Ranma will be right down,” Kioko said. Midori stopped at the end of the hallway and watched her younger sister hurry down the stairs. There was something just a little off in Kioko’s voice; she seemed a bit upset over something. Midori made a mental note to talk to her about it later.
“Ranma?” Midori called out while knocking twice on the open door. Not hearing a response, she walked in and looked around the corner. Ranma was sprawled out on top of her futon fast asleep. Well, at least Midori now knew why she wasn’t out practicing. A faint glow around Ranma’s left arm caught Midori’s attention and pointed out that a cast no longer surrounded the injured limb. She walked over and knelt down next to the sleeping girl. Before she had a chance to do more than glance at the arm, Ranma rolled over on her side and curled up, burying her arm underneath the pillow.
Midori smiled at the sight. “Kawaii.” Her hand reached over and gently brushed a stray lock of hair out of Ranma’s face before she realized what she’d just done and froze. She quickly moved the hand to Ranma’s shoulder and gave it a little shake. “Wake up, Ranma.”
“G’way, Pops,” Ranma mumbled in response.
Midori shook a little harder. “Everyone’s downstairs waiting, Ranma.”
“Tired, g’way,” she mumbled and rolled over on her other side.
Midori frowned. This was like trying to wake Tsuya. Hmmm.
“RANMA!” Midori barked.
“Whaa?” Ranma groaned, sitting up. “Oh, hi Midori.” Ranma yawned and stretched, arching her head and back while trying to shrug the stiffness out of her shoulders. “Sorry, must’a dozed off for a bit.”
Ranma turned to her cousin and frowned slightly. Midori was looking a little flushed and holding her nose with one hand. “Hey, you OK? I didn’t accidentally poke you or nothing, did I?”
“No you didn’t. I’m fine, Ranma,” Midori replied. She took a deep breath to calm herself. “Kami-sama, I’m going to have to somehow convince her to start wearing a bra, if only in self defense.”
“C’mon,” Midori said as she stood. “Grandmother is serving late tea and snacks, and everyone else should be down there by now.”
Ranma raised her teacup and arched an eyebrow on smelling the aroma. Her grandmother evidently had similar tastes in teas as Kasumi; this had to be Chinese Yinzhen White, with a touch of something else. Jasmine? Ranma took a sip. Yes, definitely. A Yinzhen Jasmine; the combination of aromas was unmistakable as it was delicate, and the light golden-yellow color and lingering sweet aftertaste was a sure indicator of a Fujian province tea. Kasumi had gotten her hooked on good teas the first week they’d arrived at the Tendōs and the two of them had managed to have tea together at regular intervals, in spite of all the chaos.
She listened absently to the conversation around the table between the girls and her grandmother and idly noted the seating arrangement as she sipped her tea. She’d been seated next to Grandmother, and Doc Tofū sat in the kamiza or honored guest position opposite both of them. Midori and Kioko sat on the right, Tsuya and Harukichi on the left, and Seiko sat next to Grandmother on her other side. A really cute black-haired girl in a maid’s outfit, Naomi if she remembered correctly, stood off to the side.
She set her empty cup down and looked wistfully at the tray of tea cakes and cookies placed in the middle of the table. She didn’t immediately make a grab for them since there weren’t any large gluttonous black and white pandas around to fend off, and Kasumi had actually managed to din SOME semblance of manners into her. Ranma had always been amazed how much it hurt to see Kasumi frown even slightly in disappointment when she did something “wrong” during their private teas. She was still staring morosely at the plate of pastries when all of the conversation around the table halted.
“Doctor Ono,” Aiko began, “I want to thank you for coming here on such short notice. Ranma-kun, considering your past experience I’ve asked Doctor Ono to become your personal physician, if that is acceptable to you.”
Startled, Ranma looked over at the bespectacled chiropractor who returned her stare with a wry grin. “Hey, sure, Tofū’s cool. You OK with this, Doc?”
Tofū nodded. “I’m looking forward to it, Ranma. I will admit that I have … missed the excitement that your presence brings.”
Aiko smiled. “Good. I will have Akahito contact Higashiyama-san in the morning and finalize the contract on the building. You will have to revise your equipment and staffing list upwards a bit, Doctor Ono. I’m afraid that the building we were able to obtain is quite a bit larger than the one you had originally planned for. I believe that there should be sufficient room for a complete in-house lab if you wish.”
Tofū nodded once more, understanding the expectations of his services by the Yamada matriarch. “Certainly. If I may be permitted to review the chosen location first, I will submit whatever revisions that are deemed appropriate.”
“I will have Akahito drive you to the clinic tomorrow afternoon, if that meets with your current schedule?”
“It most certainly does, Yamada-san. I thank you.”
Aiko turned to Ranma and smiled. “Ranma-kun, I would appreciate it if you permit Doctor Ono to perform a complete physical examination of you tomorrow. I have some concerns over your recent injuries and I would feel more comfortable if you were seen by a doctor who has had direct personal experience with your particular medical concerns. Perhaps he could look over your injured arm later this evening, as I see that you have removed the cast put on earlier today.”
“This?” Ranma said, holding up her left arm which showed only a slightly bruised ring around the location of the break. “Heh, I told those idiots it didn’t need a cast. Doc Tofū can look at it if y’like, but it’ll be all healed tomorrow anyway.”
“Ranma, are you sure?” Midori asked. “That was an extremely severe break of both bones.”
“I heal quick,” Ranma shrugged. Midori tried to ignore the interesting things the shrug did to certain other parts of Ranma’s anatomy. Aiko suppressed a smirk on seeing Midori’s expression.
“Ranma, I’m curious,” Tofū asked. “I’ve noticed that you’ve made no attempt to change. Have you been inflicted with another Full Body Cat’s Tongue?”
“Naw, I’m immune to that now,” Ranma replied. Her shoulders slumped visibly. “Yer right, though, I’m stuck good this time. Some idiot Chinese prince splashed me with water from a ladle that locks the curse after I argued how he was treatin’ Akane. We chased him over most the countryside before catchin’ up to him at Horai. I was fighting to get the kettle that would unlock the curse when we blew up the mountain we were fightin’ on and I got caught in the landslide. I met the girls here after diggin’ my way back up. Far as I know the kettle’s lost for good.”
“And that reminds me: you girls see who else got out of that fight? I was kind’a occupied for a while there,” Ranma asked with a sardonic grin.
Midori quickly signed to the other girls that she’d handle this question. Aiko caught Doctor Ono’s minute and quickly suppressed reaction to the almost imperceptible shift in posture. “Interesting.”
“Ranma, as far as we know only Mu Se and yourself survived the collapse of the mountain,” Midori replied. “Mu Se flew off shortly after the landslide, and at the time we thought he was the only survivor. Neither Hibiki-san, Her Be, or his two bodyguards emerged from the ground in the three days we were there before you tunneled up.”
Tofū’s left eyebrow arched. Ranma had been buried underground for three days?
“Heh, I’d be really surprised if Ryōga bought it, he’s TOUGH. The way he gets lost, he’s probably tunneled half-way to Paris by now. Mousse made it too, huh? Good, maybe the blind idiot will get Shampoo an’ the old ghoul to finally give up an’ go home. As for Herb and crew, I dunno. We beat on each other pretty good at the time.”
“Have you given any thought of what you’re going to do now?” Tofū asked. “From what I remember of the arrangements with the Tendōs, this particular complication could result in a certain amount of difficulty for you.”
“Can’t go back yet, that’s for sure,” Ranma responded morosely. “I promised Akane I’d return a man, and I ain’t exactly one at the moment, ne? Besides, old man Tendō swore he’d try and marry my girl side if I go back like this.” She shuddered: the mere thought of that still gave her a bad case of heebie-jeebies.
Aiko felt a cold rage settle in the pit of her stomach. They would try to force this on her flesh and blood? Mi-chan was correct; far too much had been done to her grandchild that they didn’t know about.
“Ranma-nēchan? We may have a solution to unlocking your curse,” Harukichi stated, pulling a kettle of hot water from underneath and setting it on the table in front of her.
Ranma was slightly startled to realize that the younger girl had just called her “Big Sister”. It gave her a strange fluttery feeling inside. She smiled when she saw the kettle. “That isn’t going to work right now, ‘Kichi,” she said gently to the younger.
Harukichi pulled a filled plastic one-liter soda water bottle out from under the table and set it next to the kettle. “During the first part of your battle against the Musk prince, I was able to gather a sample of the water from the unlocking kettle.”
Ranma’s eyes got huge. “That’s …”
Harukichi nodded. “I really hope it works, Nēchan.”
Ranma had moved before Harukichi finished speaking. Standing up quickly she vaulted over the table in one unbroken move, performing a half somersault with a twist to land on the other side of the table directly behind her red-haired cousin. She grabbed the plastic bottle with its cargo of precious liquid as she passed overhead and had the cap off by the time her feet hit the floor.
Ranma quickly emptied the contents of the entire bottle over her head.
Eiko noted the interaction of the Kaisufuu water with the stasis field. It quickly recorded the changing vectors and field strength equations and started a tensor analysis of the resulting energy geometries.
Ranma tossed the empty bottle aside and raised the kettle of hot water over her head. Everyone looked on with anticipation.
Splash!
Ranma stood there for a moment, hot water streaming over her head, before tossing the kettle aside with a clank. She collapsed in a heap on the ground and stared vacantly at the floor. The last bit of hope she had been secretly harboring vanished in a wash of despair.
She never felt Harukichi’s hug or heard her cousin’s sobs on her shoulder, nor did she feel herself being swept up by her grandmother’s warm embrace. She didn’t feel anything for an indeterminate time.
“Ranma?”
“…”
“Ranma, I’ve completed the tensor analysis of the stasis field that is currently locking your curse.”
“…”
“Ranma, the water from the Kaisufuu kettle was not totally ineffective. I recorded a 46.3% drop in the absolute field strength of the stasis magic. While it was insufficient to disrupt the stasis field itself, a tensor analysis of the various field vectors indicates that you should be able to eventually recover your male form without the use of the Kaisufuu.”
“WHAT!? You SURE?”
Aiko winced when Ranma suddenly yelled in her ear.
“You might want to consider moderating your responses to listening only, Ranma. You are currently in the presence of others.”
“Never mind ‘bout THAT! What exactly did’ja mean?”
“Very well. The reason the Kaisufuu water did not totally disrupt the stasis field lock is because it had lost most of its own field strength. Extrapolating backwards, I calculate that the Kaisufuu water would have had to been removed from the Kaisufuu itself by no more than fourteen hours if the unlocking properties were to be effective. The magic field left in the water sample provided by your cousin was simply too weak to disrupt the stasis field. It did, however, vastly simplify the task of integrating the various magic fields that are currently in place around you when you assume your full Guardian position. You should be grateful for your cousin’s actions in obtaining the sample that was just employed.”
“Waitaminute, waitaminute, magic fields? How many do I got besides the curse and the lock?”
“I have detected eight distinct magic fields that are currently active on your personage. All but one has been properly identified and accounted for. I had intended to discuss the method for identifying the eighth field with you this evening. I had been waiting for you to complete your healing before broaching the subject, since the identification process can be rather stressful.”
“Bu… bu… EIGHT curses?” Ranma practically shrieked.
“No, eight distinct magic fields. Your ‘Jusenkyō Curse’ is comprised of three different fields. One is the transformation magic itself that causes the change in genders. The second is a variable trigger; this is what allows the transformation magic to swap activations alternately between cold and hot water. The third field is a subtle behavioral and probability field modifier that forces you to be placed in situations where you will encounter the currently selected trigger mechanism in unfavorable situations.”
“‘K, that’s three. The lock’s four. Unknown makes five. What ‘bout the other three?”
Aiko was extremely disturbed. Ranma’s eyes were vacant, yet he was obviously holding an actual conversation with SOMETHING. The pauses and responses were too natural and exact to be the result of delusional raving. She held on to her grandchild and tried to analyze her ki.
“One is a subtle virtual pheromone emitter. Its purpose appears to be to make you extremely desirable to the opposite gender of your current form. I was unable to determine if this field was simply another part of the Jusenkyō magics, since there were no frequency markers that matched any of the other three components. The seventh field is a general probability field modifier that acts to decrease the level of temporal and spatial causality…”
Aiko’s eyes widened in shock. The ki signature Ranma was exhibiting showed definite traces of Yamada mixed with Saotome, but the underlying base beneath it was incredible. It was pure, without any identifying marks or even gender bias. Simply pure ki. Impossible, yet there it was.
“… in your immediate vicinity. The last magic field is a weak neural inhibitor that is centered in your cognitive centers. This field dampens your logical reasoning abilities slightly in favor of enhancing your intuitive thought processes. The last two fields are distinct in their frequency markers so I must conclude that they were applied individually.”
“Erk.”
“I assume that you have given some thought on how you are going to explain your recent outburst to your relatives and companions present? You did instruct me to ignore this concern earlier.”
“Ahhhh …” She turned her attention outwards. She found herself in her grandmother’s lap cradled in a tight embrace, with Harukichi sitting in her own lap clutching her waist tightly. Flustered, Ranma absently began stroking the smaller girl’s hair as she desperately searched her memory for the right thing to say. She tried to recall how Kasumi would act in a similar situation.
“There there ‘Kichi,” Ranma said softly while she continued caressing the girl’s head.
“NĒCHAN!” Harukichi exclaimed, tightening her grip around Ranma’s waist. “I’m sorry I’m sorry I’m so sorry …”
“Shhhh, ‘Kichi, wasn’t your fault. No need to cry ‘bout it.”
Harukichi’s head popped up suddenly, eyes wide and shining.
Ranma gave her cousin a wry smile. “The magic’s all gone from the water, squirt. It wouldn’ta worked no matter what.”
“Ranma-kun, who exactly were you talking to?” Aiko asked softly.
Ranma turned to look at her grandmother. She saw the confusion in her eyes, along with a steely determination. This was going to be difficult. Nabiki always lied by telling just part of the truth. Maybe that would work here as well.
“A … friend, someone who’s been helpin’ out lots lately. Eiko’s the main reason I survived the fight with Herb. We still got … things to work out before I can say much more ‘bout it. Can I talk with you later, Grandmother? I’ve been meanin’ to ask you about all this anyways.”
Aiko searched deep inside Ranma’s eyes before slowly nodding her agreement. The boy had given her word, and the Yamada matriarch could tell that she would keep it. That would have to do for now.
“Ranma-kun, would you go with Doctor Ono so he can examine your arm? I want to have a talk with the girls, and I believe that we have had all the excitement we can handle at the moment.”
Nodding, Ranma disentangled herself from the twin embraces and stood up. She frowned when she saw the troubled looks of the other girls. She walked over to Tofū who was waiting for her by the door, turned and looked back at her … family.
“I’m really sorry ‘bout all this,” she said softly before following the doctor out of the room.
Ranma sat on the edge of the table and watched Tofū arrange the contents of his kit bag next to her. They’d gone into a room across the hall from the one they’d just left and the black-haired maid had delivered the bag shortly afterwards. Ranma could tell that Tofū was deep in thought.
“Ranma, I saw the X-rays of your arm taken earlier at the Matsuyama hospital, and I must say that I am surprised you were willing to remove the cast so soon. The break appeared to be about two weeks old, yet I was told that you had broken both forearm bones two days ago. Neither of these corresponds with what I’m observing at the moment. May I see your arm please?”
Ranma silently extended her left arm out.
Tofū gingerly took a hold of the arm and ran his fingertips gently around the break location. He could feel only the slightest swelling of the skin and the bruising pattern was indicative of an almost fully healed fracture.
He grasped her arm around the break location with his thumb and index finger. “Does this hurt?” he inquired as he gently applied a little force to the grip.
“Naw. It’s still a little sore but it don’t actually hurt.”
“Please rotate your wrist slowly clockwise and then counterclockwise as far as you can.” Tofū felt the bones shift underneath his grip as Ranma twisted her wrist around and back. There was a nominal bulge in each bone around the break location as would be expected from a serious fracture, but as far as Tofū could tell the bones had not only knitted themselves back together completely, they had done so without suffering any misalignment or splintering.
Tofū released Ranma’s arm and looked the girl in the eyes. “Ranma, although I can’t be certain without taking additional X-rays of the arm, my experience tells me that your arm has essentially healed completely. I know that your normal rate of healing is exceptional, but this is something I’ve only encountered twice before in my life and you aren’t old enough to be able to generate that amount of healing ki. The last ki master who could heal at such a rate was well over one hundred and twenty years old.”
“Doc, I can generate a whole lot of ki right now. Fact is, that’s exactly my problem. I got ki. Tons and TONS of ki. What I don’t got is enough control to use it for healing without tossin’ least half of it away in a stupid light show.” Ranma hopped of the table and held her arm up. “Watch.”
She concentrated on healing. The bright glow reappeared around her arm, almost blinding in its radiance.
One of Tofū’s eyes twitched.
“Damn, it’s getting’ worse.”
“This is but one of many reasons why we must complete the process of your Guardianship as soon as possible, Ranma. The flow of life force between the two of us is beginning to increase rapidly. At the current rate it is possible that it will reach a point where it is beyond your ability to control and direct it without incurring permanent damage. You would …”
Tofū blinked when the ki display suddenly winked out. He blinked several more times to clear his vision before noticing Ranma’s eyes, which had become totally vacant again. He must be communicating with the Eiko person he had mentioned earlier.
“… be wise to limit your ki usage to that which is absolutely necessary. Your arm is indeed fully healed and no longer requires the increased rate of healing that you have been providing it.”
“Why didn’t you mention this before?”
“The current situation is … unusual in the extreme, Ranma. In previous instances where a Guardian has perished in the line of duty, there has always been a replacement candidate who has been readily available. This system was abandoned when Pluto assumed Guardianship.”
“Great, just great. How much time you think I got before I lose control?”
“You would not lose control per se; the same safeguards that prevented damage to your system the previous time you overextended your ki usage are still in place. What would happen is that you would completely lose access to any ki manipulation until the power flows are properly balanced. This would have a severely detrimental effect on your combat efficiency.”
“OK, that ain’t so bad. How long?”
“If you limit your ki usage to emergency situations only, it’s likely that there will be little if any danger. If you continue to employ ki at the rate of usage based on the last two days, I project that you will risk losing access within five days.”
“Five days, huh? The way things always seem to hunt me out, we’d better count on that as tops.”
“That would be the prudent precaution to take, naturally. I sense that you’ve also decided on a course of action to explain the recent verbal outbursts to your relatives.”
“Yup, gonna tell them the whole damn thing.”
“This is not a course of action that I would have suggested, Ranma. The more individuals who know the details of your particular position, the higher the likelihood that some form of serious repercussion will befall those concerned. Ideally a Guardian should be totally independent of any form of potential coercion.”
“Can’t be helped. They sure ain’t gonna be satisfied with hints and excuses. Besides, nothing’s gonna hide the changes in my ki signature, and I’m pretty sure Grandma can read ‘em. I can, so can the Doc, the letch, the old ghoul, heck even pops can tell the difference in ki sigs if the lazy bastard really wants to try.”
“One moment, a ki signature is a concept that is not currently recorded in my data store.”
“You gotta be kiddin’ me. Just a sec, I’ll show you.”
Ranma refocused on the room. Tofū was sitting patiently next to her with a look of intense concentration on his face.
“I’m assuming that was ‘Eiko’ whom you’ve just been communicating with?” Tofū asked.
“Yup. Doc, can you do me a favor? I know how good you are at hidin’ your ki. Can you project it a bit instead? I need to get a good read on someone ‘sides myself.”
Tofu looked her in the eyes. “Certainly, Ranma.” A faint golden hue emerged. “You do realize that you are going to have to explain the comment about possibly losing control of your ki, don’t you?”
Ranma nodded as she placed a hand up to the doctor’s aura. She concentrated on emptying all feeling from her arm and pulled a portion of Tofū’s ki inside.
“I see. His life force has certain frequency and modulation markers that can be used to identify him. This is valuable data. The magics built into the Guardian uniform currently have no provision for masking the life force signature of the wearer. I will now correct this deficiency.”
“How come you don’t know ‘bout ki sigs?”
“The concept has never been broached before with regard to humans. All of my previous Guardians who have been human were mages, and the masking properties of the uniform were designed specifically to combat various magical means of detection. All former Guardians who were warriors came from races other than human, and I must assume that those races did not exhibit a distinctive individual life force marker in the manner just shown. You are the first Guardian who is both human and a warrior.”
“Weird. ‘K, Doc, thanks.”
Tofu’s aura faded from view. He arched an eyebrow in her direction. “Now, about that explanation?”
“Can you wait a bit, Doc? I’m gonna fill Grandma and the girls in on what’s been going on; you might as well sit in if you’re gonna be my doc again.”
Tofū nodded.
A full minute passed in silence after the door closed behind the pig-tailed martial artist. Aiko looked down at her youngest, who had replaced Ranma in her lap when the girl exited with the doctor. She absently stroked Harukichi’s luxurious red hair while concentrating on coming up with some way of salvaging what she could of her past mistakes.
“What a mess.”
Aiko’s comment startled the other girls. The Yamada matriarch set Haru-chan on her feet before rising herself. She returned to her position at the table and sat down, quickly gauging the current mood of the girls. It was as bad as she had been afraid it would be.
“Naomi-chan?”
“Hai, Yamada-sama?”
“Please prepare another tea for us. Lavender and Valerian, please.”
“Hai, Yamada-sama.”
The four girls waited until the maid had left the room before turning back as one to face the two older women.
“Obāsama?” Kioko asked slightly ahead of the other three girls.
Aiko held up a hand, halting the oncoming cacophony. She slowly set her hand back in her lap and waited. She sat impassively until Naomi returned and had served everyone a fresh cup.
“Thank you, Naomi-chan,” she said, smiling to the maid. “Please attend to Ranma-kun and Doctor Ono and see to it that their needs are met. Inform me when Doctor Ono has completed his inspection.”
“Hai, Yamada-sama.” The black-haired maid quietly left the room. Seiko exited immediately afterward, knowing that the girls wouldn’t speak as freely with her present in the room.
Aiko made brief eye contact with each of the girls, shattering the youngsters’ budding rage with a stony wall of cold determination.
“I am not going to entertain questions. You will listen and answer my inquiries with brutal honesty, no matter how embarrassing that may be to you personally. Once I have finished, you may be able to comprehend exactly why certain actions were or were not taken. Is that understood?”
Four heads nodded in silence.
“Midori-chan.”
“Hai.”
“Who are we?”
Midori quailed inside, hearing the beginning of the catechism. Gods no, she just knew that Grandmother was going to blame this whole mess all on her.
“Yamada, Obāsama.”
“What are we?”
“Kunoichi, Obāsama.”
“Kioko-chan, where do we stand?”
“In the shadows in plain sight, Obāsama,”
“Why do we stand?”
“To observe and guide, Obāsama.”
“Tsuya-chan, how do we act?”
“By stealth and guile, Obasama.”
“When do we act?”
“When the moment has arrived, Obasama.”
“Harukichi-chan, when do we fight?”
“When all else has failed, Obasama.”
“Why do we fight?”
“To preserve the clan.”
Aiko hid her smile on seeing the girl’s scowl. Good, she’s getting her steel back.
“Midori-chan, in a serious conflict between yourself and the Chinese elder Ku Lon, what would be the most probable outcome?”
Midori gulped. “I would be defeated.”
“Would you survive the encounter?”
“If I ran like hell first.”
The wry quip broke the tense mood in the room and elicited a few chuckles from the other girls.
Aiko smiled. “Exactly. We are kunoichi. We hide in plain sight. We beguile and confuse rather than oppose. We are both water and void. We observe. We plan. Then we act.”
The elder Yamada took a sip before continuing. “Harukichi-chan, how would you feel if you had to cope with Happosai’s … attentions … on a daily basis?”
Harukichi turned white and began to shake violently. Tsuya quickly embraced the shorter girl while she glared at the elder matriarch.
“Obāsama!” Midori exclaimed in shocked outrage. “How could you …”
“SILENCE!” Aiko poured ki into her voice, halting the protests. The force of her command also stopped the red-headed girl’s panic attack.
She nodded. “You begin to understand. The potential consequences of failure were dire. As long as there was visible evidence that Ranma-kun was a willing participant in his own debasement, I COULD NOT afford to act. That does not mean I was pleased with the situation, nor does it mean that there were no plans in place to rescue her.”
Aiko speared Midori with a look. “Or do you honestly think that tonight’s seating arrangement was set up simply on a whim?”
Midori flushed bright red and shook her head. Low laughter passed around the table at her reaction.
Aiko sighed. “I will be the first to admit that I … erred in my judgment. The pace of the events that surround Ranma have disrupted plan after plan. It wasn’t until Nodoka’s reappearance in Ranma’s life that I felt that the clan had sufficient leverage to properly influence events around him to our mutual benefit. Unfortunately, there simply wasn’t enough time to implement all of those plans before her encounter with the Chinese warlord.”
“Midori, in the last week you have violated every directive you were given when you first undertook this project. Thank you.”
Midori’s nascent outrage vanished, leaving her gaping like a fish out of water.
Aiko beamed at the stunned girl. “You exhibited true leadership and reaffirmed my faith in your judgment, Mi-chan. I’m proud of you.” She calmly took another sip of her tea.
“Now that the initial break has been made, it is our duty to insure that Ranma-kun’s stay with THIS family is free from the stresses and abuses that have been inflicted on her elsewhere. Haru-chan?”
“Hai?”
“You know I’ve always encouraged all of you to express yourselves freely at home when you’re not training, and we all understand the reasons for the … exuberance of your greetings with Ranma-kun, but I must ask that you try and be a little less forceful in your demonstrations. Have you noticed the way he reacts?”
“Hai, Obasama.” Harukichi nodded with a very unhappy expression. “She flinches. It isn’t a large one and she manages to suppress it extremely well, but it’s there every time.”
Kioko’s small gasp wasn’t hidden well enough to escape detection. Midori placed a hand on top of hers as every other eye in the room turned in her direction.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you about what happened earlier, sis,” Midori said. “You were pretty upset before we started all of this.”
Kioko nodded. “I was … she … she just … oh Gods, Onēchan, it was just AWFUL.” She took several deep breaths, clutching her sister’s hands for support before continuing.
“When we got home, Tsuya and Haru-chan got to the furo first. I had lost track of time a little …”
The other girls giggled. Kioko’s ability to lose track of time when reading was legendary.
“… when Onēchan came into my room. I finished the chapter before following her to the main washroom upstairs.”
“But Midori was in the furo washroom with us, Kioko,” Tsuya remarked with a puzzled expression.
“Kioko-nēchan, you didn’t?!” Harukichi gasped.
“Hai.” Kioko nodded miserably. “I was all undressed and ready to join Midori in the shower when the water stopped, so I grabbed a towel instead before opening the door. Ranma-chan was wringing her hair out, and she cringed when she saw me there, she literally cringed. She stood there and just waited to be beaten.” Kioko sniffled several times before continuing. “I don’t know what I would’ve done if Jun hadn’t come in the room right at that point.”
“But that wasn’t the worse part. I caught her expression when Jun led her out of the shower stall. I could tell she was puzzled why I hadn’t hit her. She expected to get hit. She was waiting to be beaten for something that wasn’t even remotely her fault. And she thinks that’s NORMAL!” Kioko shuddered at the memory. “We’ve been watching her for almost three quarters of a year. We’ve seen the constant madness that surrounds her life from a distance, and I’ve been compiling and cross-indexing all of our reports and observations this whole time. Somehow, none of it ever really seemed quite real; more like a cheesy martial arts movie that never stopped. None of it seemed real. Until now.”
An uncomfortable silence surrounded the group for a moment.
“Well!” Tsuya exclaimed. “Thank the kami that we have the chance to help her get over all of that now!”
Aiko almost dropped her cup when several observations suddenly coalesced into certainty. From the mouths of babes …
“No, Tsu-chan, not quite. Not ‘THE’ kami, ‘A’ kami. Thank ‘A’ kami.”
Aiko poured herself another cup of tea while the girls looked at her in confusion. She took a deliberate sip before continuing.
“I’m sure all of you noticed Ranma-kun communicating with something she called ‘Eiko’, and her attributing this Eiko in part with her survival?”
The girls nodded in unison.
“When Ranma-kun’s … conversation was occurring, I was able to obtain a reading on her ki. It held the presence of another entity, one extremely powerful and ancient. This other ki contained no trace of evil whatsoever; in fact it contained no trace of anything identifiable. It was pure ki, something quite impossible for a human to generate.”
Aiko paused for another sip of tea.
“It appears that the clan now owes honor debt to a kami. My grandchild has picked up a guardian spirit.”
Four sets of eyes widened in comprehension.
“Hey, Naomi!” Ranma called out, seeing the maid waiting in the hallway next to the door.
“Yes, Ranma-sama?”
“Could you ask Grandmother if she could come here a sec? Gotta ask her somethin’.”
“Certainly, Ranma-sama.”
Ranma stepped back in the room and gave the doctor a wry grin. “Might’s well get this over with.”
Aiko entered the room a minute later. “You wished to see me, Ranma-kun?”
“Sure did, Grandmother, thanks. I saw how the girls were before I left the room. Do you think they’re up to hearin’ the whole tale tonight instead of tomorrow? I’d kinda like to have the Doc sit in as well.”
Aiko smiled in relief. “I’m quite certain that they’d be more than happy to hear what has happened from your point of view tonight, Ranma-kun.”
“Good. I kinda got that feelin’ about it too. Before we go back, what’s up with ‘Kichi? She was way too freaked by what happened, and if you guys have been watchin’ for as long as Midori said, you’ll know this kinda crap happens to me all the time. I know she’s kinda young, but this ain’t all that strange.”
Aiko’s eyebrow twitched on her grandchild’s bland assumption of what constituted “normal”.
“Ranma-kun, how much has Midori-chan told you of the girls and their history with the Yamadas?”
“Not much,” Ranma shrugged. “Just that Midori an’ Kioko are sisters, and that Tsuya and ‘Kichi are cousins like me.”
Aiko nodded. “Then I will tell you about our family history tomorrow after breakfast. As far as Haru-chan is concerned, she has had a very difficult life before we brought her into the clan. Her birth family did not treat her well, and as a result she has both a vast distrust of almost any male and a constant need for reassurance from those around her whom she trusts.”
Ranma’s eyes narrowed dangerously on the last statement. “I … see.”
Aiko smiled grimly. “We have been fortunate that the parties in question have not been a concern for Haru-chan for quite some while now.”
“*Good*.”
Ranma grinned suddenly. “Y’know, it’s gonna take me a bit of gettin’ used to being called ‘Big Sister’ by ‘Kichi. ‘Specially since I ain’t even a real girl.”
Aiko eyes turned troubled. “Does that bother you, Ranma-kun? I could ask the girls not to address you in that manner if it makes you that uncomfortable.”
Ranma shrugged. “Naw, that’s OK. Don’t know why it don’t bug me that much. Besides, Eiko said, … hmmm …”
“Y’know, Eiko, you never DID explain what’cha meant when you said I could eventually get my male form back without the kettle.”
“It has to do with how the Guardian transformation magic interacts with what would be your normal form. Guardians are required to have a predominately Yin principle; all of the Guardians to this point have been female, or what is equivalent to a female for their species, in their untransformed state. Your situation is unique in that you normally have both male and female forms in the untransformed state. Given sufficient control of your own life force, it should be possible to detransform from the Guardian into either your male or female form.”
“Hey, that’s GREAT!”
“I will caution that it will require extensive training for you to learn how to force the detransform sequence into restoring your male form. Both the Guardian and the normal detransformation forms are female.”
“Heh, if training is all it takes, I’ll have it pat in no time.”
Ranma’s eyes widened suddenly as the full meaning of Eiko’s comment hit home. “Waitaminute, you mean when I’m the Guardian I’m gonna turn into a MAGICAL GIRL?!?”
“In essence, that is correct.”
“GEEZ, I don’t BELIEVE this crap! Eiko, if you try an’ put me ina frilly fuku with ribbon ‘n lace ‘n bows ‘n ponytails an’ carry ‘round a kawaii talkin’ rabbit or somethin’, you and me are gonna have WORDS, you hear?”
If Eiko could have blinked, it would have.
“Ranma, I guarantee that the Guardian’s uniform is considerably more sophisticated in appearance than the outfit you just described, and that there are no companion entities which accompany a Guardian when transformed. In addition, there is an entry in my data store that verifies that the magical girl with the talking rabbit has no ribbons or lace or bows whatsoever.”
“Whew, that’s OK then. Guess I caught Akane watchin’ too many Hime-chan and Akazukin episodes the last year.”
When Ranma refocused on the room she saw both Aiko and Tofū trying to suppress their laughter. She put her hand over her face and rubbed her forehead, trying to relieve the oncoming headache. “Man, I can’t NEVER catch a break,” she moaned.
Ranma removed her hand from her face when she felt a gentle touch on her shoulder.
“I can see that having you as part of the family will mean that there will be very few dull moments around here from now on,” Aiko spoke softly, smiling.
“You don’ know the HALF of it, Grandma,” Ranma replied, shoulders slumping.
Aiko nodded. “Come, son. Let us go and talk with the girls before all of the pastries have disappeared.”
Ranma closed her eyes in bliss when she took the final bite of the cookies the girls had saved for her. Each cookie had been a rapturous mound of soft, gooey peanut butter cookie dough combined with large chunks of milk chocolate, JUST what she needed to fortify herself. She sat with eyes closed for a moment and savored the heavenly combination of flavors dissolving in her mouth.
“Obāsama, I do believe that Ranma-kun rather enjoys your cookies,” Kioko remarked. A hearty round of laughter swept the room.
“Mmmmm, laugh all you want, long as there’s more of these around somewhere,” Ranma replied.
This comment elicited another chuckle from the room.
She opened her eyes and looked around the table. The other girls seemed to have mostly recovered from her previous scene. She took a sip of tea before beginning.
“‘K, before I start I want each of you to promise not to tell ANYONE ‘bout what’cha hear. The fewer folks who know ‘bout this, the better.”
Ranma looked around the room and waited for each person to nod in agreement.
“Ranma-kun,” Kioko inquired after nodding, “if the information is as sensitive as your warning suggests, is there a specific reason that you are sharing it with now?”
“Well,” Ranma grimaced, rubbing the back of her neck nervously, “you guys kinda saw me talkin’ with Eiko for a while there, and I really don’t like tryin’ to just explain somethin’ like this away. Y’all seemed pretty upset. Besides, last time I had a secret blow up in my face like this, a certain tomboy slammed the dinin’ room table over my head. Talk ‘bout uncute.”
“It’s best if y’all know ENOUGH about what’s goin’ on so you can stay out of it when it hits me in the face, since it’s bound to get pretty damn dangerous if you don’t got the same power up I’m gonna get. The Doc hasn’t heard the start yet, so I’m gonna begin when I ran in to Herb in the first place. It was about a month ago and I was coming home from school when …”
“… ‘cause that blind idiot Mousse lost our money AND the map, we ended up working at a local onsen fer …”
“… chased Herb half way up the mountainside …”
“… two idiots thought that the ladle would lock ‘em in their UN-cursed forms. Morons. …”
“… the toughest fight I’ve EVER been in. Herb had ki reserves I couldn’t come close to at the time …”
“… was tryin’ to reverse the Shōten Ha with a Hiryū Kōrin Dan when it blew up in my face. Don’t remember much after that ‘til I woke up again. …”
“… had to tunnel my way up through 40 feet …”
“… finally got some food, I was able to ask the girls who they were …”
“… told me that Sailor Pluto, the last Guardian, killed herself doin’ somethin’ she wasn’t supposed to …”
“… haven’t had Bluegill like that in a long time …”
“… when I walked in the door, I got hit by a red-headed Glomp Missile …”
“… after tellin’ me I can ‘eventually’ learn how to go from bein’ the Guardian back to my MALE form, Eiko tells me that the Guardian is really some form of Magical Girl. That’s about the size of it, except that I DON’T gotta wear no ribbons and lace when I’m dressed up as Guardian.”
There was a long moment of silence when Ranma stopped.
“Wow,” Tsuya breathed.
“That,” Aiko said, “is quite a story, Ranma-kun.”
“Yup,” Ranma replied with a nod. “So you can see why I don’t want no one else getting’ mixed up in all this. I know the girls are trained in the Art a bit, but they’re good at bein’ sneaky and that sort of stuff. No offense, but Midori’s probably the best fighter you got of the four, and she’d be hard pressed to even handle Akane normally, let alone when the tomboy’s in one of her rages. Now, imagine me powered up several times and facin’ opponents who’ll be dangerous when I’m the Guardian. Ain’t gonna be fun if I gotta worry ‘bout family getting’ hurt all the time.”
Ranma looked at each girl in turn. “I don’t ever want someone hurt just ‘cause they got too close to one of my fights.”
“Ranma,” Aiko replied evenly, “I would like to think that I have trained the girls how to recognize when not to get involved in a conflict that they cannot handle.”
“Hey, that’s cool. ‘Bout time someone listened. Anyways,” Ranma grinned, “got any more of those cookies?”
The room erupted in laughter.
Ranma stared out the open window of her room at the stars above, while the brisk March air sent goose bumps up and down her bare arms. This … a family, a real family, was going to take a lot of getting used to.
It was a long time before sleep finally overtook her.