The thin, cool mist he'd encountered at every step of his journey so far thickened as he descended further down the trail. He had to tread more carefully as visibility was reduced to practically nothing. Ahead of him, he heard the sound of water dripping. He continued onward.
A little farther down the trail, he heard faint voices. Straining to hear, he could make out two: one was laughing cruelly. The other was...a girl crying?
*Tasukete...*
Gritting his teeth, he strode down the trail, unmindful of the blinding fog. The mist began to part, and a spectacle from hell unfolded before him.
The valley was filled with small, shallow pools, their surfaces pristine, unperturbed by the atrocities being committed only meters away.
At the opposite end of the valley, tied with double sets of bonds to a splintered, uneven bamboo crucifix, was a young girl, perhaps fifteen at most, with matted, tangled red hair. She was filthy, naked, covered with welts and bruises, and crying. Dark rings circled her watery sienna eyes. One set of the bonds lashing her slim wrists to the rough bamboo were dull copper, and looked to be somewhat frayed, strands straying from the braiding. A somewhat burnt ribbon was tied to the red braid.
*Tasukete...*
Her tormentor stood before her, his posture arrogant and his laughter cold and mocking. Beside the man lay a pile of sundry torture implements; if the rust-colored stains on them were any indication, all had seen recent use.
Suddenly, he found himself no longer able to move. Rooted to his spot on the trail, he could only watch in horror as the cruel man violated his young prisoner. Her screams rent deep gashes in his soul. He struggled to no avail against the paralysis which forced him to stand by helplessly. Angry tears streamed from his eyes in tandem with the fluids trickling down her bruised thighs, mirrored by the agonized, shame-filled tears rolling down the abused girl's dry, cracked cheeks.
*TASUKETE!!*
The cruel rapist then turned to face him. An arrogant sneer darkened the all too familiar features...the very same face he saw in the mirror every day.
Saotome Ranma awoke screaming.
"TASUKETE...!!"
Ranma barely noticed the sign which bounced off the back of his head; he paid no heed to the disgruntled panda which rolled over on the futon beside him, soon emitting loud snores. His pulse was racing; sweat ran in cold rivulets down his face, neck, and spine.
The door opened, and the bleary, sleep-worn face of Tendou Akane peeked into the room. "Ranma?" she asked drowsily. "What is it?"
*Crap!* "Ah...nothin', Akane. I just had a bad dream. Sorry."
The youngest Tendou sister frowned uncertainly at him. "Are you sure?" The black piglet nestled in her arms afforded Ranma a baleful glare.
"Yeah, I said it was nothin'! Go on back to sleep."
"Well...okay, if you're sure you're alright," Akane replied hesitantly. "Goodnight, Ranma." With that, she slid the door closed again and headed back to bed.
Ranma sighed, shoulders slumping. "Man, what the hell's wrong with me...wakin' up screamin' from a damn dream..."
Deciding he wasn't going to be getting back to sleep soon, and figuring it was probably close enough to morning that it didn't really matter anyway, Ranma disentangled himself from his futon, grabbed some clothes to work out in, and headed down the hall.
In the bathroom, he stripped off his sweaty tank top and filled a bucket with cold water. He stared into it apprehensively, the images of the nightmare which had woken him still burning through his consciousness. With a deep breath, he dumped the water over his head and stared into the mirror.
Tormented red-brown eyes stared back at her from a grimy, tear-stained face. She let out a gasp and stepped backward involuntarily—and the reflection in the mirror returned to the usual sapphire-eyed visage of Ranma's female self; the grime and tear tracks were no more than bleary shadows of lack of sleep and sweat marks. Shuddering, the cursed martial artist took a deep, shaky breath, and laughed softly.
"Stupid curse," she muttered. "I'm startin' t' crack up."
Following up with a cupful of hot water and towelling off, Ranma dressed and headed out through the window, landing silently in the garden. Standing on one foot and taking a deep, calming breath, he began a complicated kata, moving swiftly and silently through the night, barely discernable from the shadows cast by the streetlights. The familiar and repetitive motions allowed him to attempt to clear his mind of the disturbing images from the dream; a difficult task, for the horrifying and graphic events from the nightmare were like a fresh, raw wound. It disturbed him profoundly that the girl in the dream had looked so much like himself—and even more that it had been he himself who had raped her.
No, that couldn't be right. Saotome Ranma was not that kind of person. He certainly would never...
But the memory of the nightmare refused to be denied, and Ranma's form began to falter slightly as he shook from the raw emotions that the dream had stirred. Caught up in his inner turmoil, he failed to notice the dew-slicked grass his toes were angling for as he landed from an aerial kick...
She pulled her sodden body from the pond, shivering from the chill, and stood at the edge, wringing her shirt out into the water before trudging wearily back to the house.
She ignored the ghostly reddish eyes in her reflection on the water as best she could.
* * * * *
"Father? I have found something strange in the mountain pass near the springs."
The Guide of Jusenkyou turned to see his young daughter, Plum, remove a worn knapsack from over her shoulder. "What is it, daughter?" he asked.
Plum removed a dirty white object from the knapsack and laid it on the table. "It looks almost like some sort of glove," she replied. "See, here? It looks meant to be worn on the hand."
"You're right, it does resemble a warrior's glove," the Guide replied, nodding. "It is very small, though...as though for a child, or..."
"For a woman," Plum replied.
The grimy white glove lay on the table, the dusty red stone on the back gleaming dully in the soft lantern light of the hut. Suddenly, a bright crimson flare illuminated the gem, pulsing three times, like a heartbeat. Then it was gone, and once more the glove looked simply old and dirty.
The Guide and his daughter looked at one another.
"The Amazons?" Plum asked.
"It has to be," her father replied, nodding. Sighing, he added, "Pack for a hike...we'll leave in half an hour."
* * * * *
Ranma sighed as he dodged another water balloon thrown by a pack of rowdy elementary school kids scampering up the street ahead of them. "Annoying brats," he muttered.
"If you weren't on top of the fence, you wouldn't be such a tempting target, Ranma," Akane said, giggling slightly.
"You got a point," Ranma admitted, jumping down to land beside her. Cheering at their small victory, and giving the pair several rude gestures, the pack of small children ran off, laughing and yelling.
Once they were well gone, Akane turned to Ranma. "You've been kind of out of it all morning. What's wrong?"
"Eh, it's nothin'."
"It's that dream you had last night, isn't it?"
"Ah, what d'you know about it?"
"Fine," Akane snapped, turning away in a huff. They continued on in tense silence for almost a full minute.
Ranma sighed. "I...did somethin' horrible," he said.
Akane blinked. "Huh?"
"Th' dream. I saw myself—or at least it looked like me—doin' awful things t' some girl who looks...who looks just like me. When I'm a girl, I mean. Except she didn't have th' same eyes as me. An' it...it was at Jusenkyou."
"What kind of awful things?"
Ranma shook his head. "You don't wanna know that, Akane. You really really don't."
The short-haired girl frowned. "Maybe it's part of the curse? Maybe it has something to do with something that happened to the girl who drowned in the spring? I mean, could the curse work that way?"
"Man...I hope not," Ranma replied, shuddering. "Anyway, it's been damn near a year since I fell in that stupid spring...don'tcha think somethin' like that woulda happened before now?"
"How should I know? I don't know a thing about Chinese curses!"
"Well excuse me!"
Another tense silence engulfed the two. Nearly two minutes had passed when Akane said, softly, "Ranma...thank you."
"Huh?"
"For opening up to me. I know...how hard it must be for you to tell someone something like that."
Ranma shrugged. "Eh, Oyaji'd bitch me out for sayin' anything about it, cuz it probably ain't very manly or nothin'." He paused. "But that dream...really bothered me, Akane. An'...I guess I hadda tell someone, an' maybe, I dunno, I guess I just trust you more than I trust anybody else."
Akane's face grew warm. "Ranma..." Unconsciously, her hand stole closer to his...
*SPLASH*
"SHIT!" Ranma yelled, wiping cold, sticky soda out of her eyes with her sleeve. "YOU LITTLE BRATS! GET BACK HERE!"
Akane watched the feisty redhead chase after two straggling elementary school students, worry, affection, and amusement in her eyes. "Ranma..."
* * * * *
Ten minutes later, the two girls were dashing madly through the streets. What sympathy Akane had earlier felt for Ranma's plight was eclipsed by irritation with the redhead.
"Honestly, Ranma, we're gonna be so late we're dead! And all because you had to chase that kid halfway to Suginami for spraying you!"
"With soda! Sticky soda! Water's one thing, but..."
"And did you HAVE to kancho that poor kid?"
"HE HAD IT COMIN'!"
Akane rolled her eyes. "Whatever. We'd better hurry..."
They barely made it to Fuurinkan High School before the gates closed. Panting and puffing, the two girls took a moment to rest before heading into the school proper. However, they had failed to notice the figure lurking behind a tree they had passed on the way in...
Ranma suddenly tensed up as a pair of strong arms encircled her from behind, hands clamping firmly on a very personal area. "Pigtailed girl! Tendou Akane! I had feared this day a waste for not seeing my loves among the throngs entering yon edifice of learning, and yet lo, here you are! Come, let us retire to a less noisome locale, that we may—"
Whatever Kunou wished to do with them was not heard, for he was cut short by a shrill, piercing scream from Ranma.
Akane stared in worry at the redhead, who was struggling to break free—and should have been able to do so easily. Yet her eyes had glazed over, and she was standing there screaming her head off. Frowning, she said, "Kunou-senpai, let her go."
"My love appears to suffer from some distress. I must comfort her—"
"COMFORT THIS!" Akane broke a limb off the tree behind her and hit Kunou about the head and shoulders with it until he released his grip on the screaming redhead. Ranma collapsed bonelessly to the ground, hugging herself tightly and shivering. A pitiful whimper occasionally escaped her lips.
*Ranma, what's going on with you?* The sight of the smaller girl sobbing, rather than being her usual brash, energetic self, troubled Akane deeply. What could possibly have happened to have such a terrifying effect on Ranma literally overnight?
Sending Kunou off to dreamland with a final kick to the face, Akane knelt beside Ranma, wrapping her arms comfortingly around her shoulders. "Shh...it's okay...it'll be alright..."
She cast an annoyed glance at the heads which were popping out of windows all over the school building, but her annoyance was overshadowed by worry.
And were her eyes playing tricks on her, or had Ranma's eyes turned red for a few moments?
* * * * *
Ranma kept his head low to his desk for the duration of the day. Whispering and occasional glances from his classmates were quelled by sharp, pointedly hostile glares.
He had no idea why he'd suddenly spazzed out that morning and had that screaming fit instead of pounding Kunou like he normally did,
(no, that's not true...it has to do with that damn dream)
but the shame he felt from the incident—which he barely remembered; his mind had become very hazy and unfocused at the time—burned through him and ate away at his very core.
He prayed his mother and father didn't learn of the incident. He could ignore the old man's rantings about acting like a girl, but his mother was sure to give him a stern, disappointed look, and he didn't think he could stomach that.
Worst of all, Akane and, once she'd learned the details, Ukyou kept shooting him looks of concern. He knew they were only worried about him, but it still got on his nerves. He was a man, dammit! This kind of thing didn't happen to men!
...right?
During one of his afternoon classes, he dozed off, and had another dream. This one wasn't as horrific as the previous nightmare, but it was definitely odd, full of images that simply didn't make sense. He'd awoken from the dream shouting something about the ocean, which caused the sensei to hit him on the head with his book and make a scathing remark, and the class to snicker.
On the way home, Ranma said softly to Akane, "Listen...what happened today...I'd appreciate if you not mention it t' my folks."
Akane nodded. "I understand. But Ranma...seriously, what's going on with you?"
"I wish I knew, Akane. It's...I just wish I knew."
Both teens sighed. After a moment, Akane asked hesitantly, "Ranma? That dream you had...did the girl...was she, um..." She paused. "Did something...obscene happen to her?"
"Huh? Why do you ask?"
"Because of the way you reacted to Kunou this morning. I just thought maybe..."
Ranma's lips pressed into a thin line. "Yeah. I really don't wanna go into details."
"That's fine, I'd rather you didn't. It's just...if what we were talking about earlier..." Akane paused.
"Yeah, I've been thinkin' about that," Ranma admitted. "If this IS part of th' curse..." He frowned. "If I'm livin' out some shit that happened t' that girl in my dreams..."
"I wish Tofu-sensei was still in town. I'm sure you could talk to him about it."
Ranma snorted. "He ain't no shrink, an' I'll be damned if I talk to one. I can barely stand talkin' to you about it." At Akane's frown, he added hastily, "I didn't mean that th' way it sounded, Akane. I just meant..."
Akane's expression softened. "I...I know, Ranma. I know..."
* * * * *
Things did not improve over the course of the week. Ranma occasionally lapsed into periods of unresponsiveness, or developed a glazed, faraway look in his eyes. It happened more frequently when he was a girl, and one day, he'd just wandered off while in girl form. Akane had found him an hour and a half later, in Minato-ku, sitting on a bench about five blocks from Tokyo Tower. He didn't have any memory of how he'd gotten there, or why he'd gone there in the first place, and that disturbed him more than anything else from the previous days.
His parents, naturally, found out about everything within two days of the initial nightmare. His father reacted as expected, with much loud bellowing and declamations of Ranma's lack of manhood, while his mother was far more worried and concerned—she immediately came to the same conclusion Akane had, and almost insisted Ranma seek the advice of Cologne. Ranma had vetoed that idea; while it was true the elderly Amazon knew more than anyone else he knew about Jusenkyou, he didn't feel comfortable sharing this new problem with anyone he didn't trust implicitly—and that definitely did not include Cologne or Shampoo. Two of his lapses had resulted in his development of some unexplainable injuries, and he would rather not have it known he was periodically vulnerable, lest one of his adversaries (or erstwhile suitors) decide to take advantage of the situation.
Ryouga had found out—by virtue of being P-chan—but rather than using it against Ranma, he seemed oddly thoughtful about it all. Ranma didn't confront him about it, but he assumed that the lost boy was probably wondering whether or not a similar effect would happen to him.
Six days after the nightmares and periodic lapses began, Fuurinkan's sports festival took place. It was during this event that the situation finally came to a head—almost tragically so.
* * * * *
Ranma grumbled as she adjusted the embarrassingly short, tight bloomers she'd been forced into wearing. "This bites," she groused.
"It can't be helped, Ranma," Akane explained apologetically. "We were short one girl for the opposing-sexes kibasen, and as a girl, you're light enough that you make a perfect rider."
Ranma snorted. "Yeah, yeah. I just hate wearin' this crap. What kinda pervert came up with this shit?"
Akane giggled. "Every Japanese girl that's ever attended school has asked that same question."
While they were milling about waiting for an event to begin, a series of shrill female screams rang out from the direction of the water fountains, and began moving closer. Akane and Ranma looked grimly at one another.
"Only one thing I can think of," Ranma said.
"Happousai?" Akane guessed.
Their suspicion was confirmed a moment later, when the shriveled old pervert appeared over the heads of a crowd of enraged, panicking girls. He cackled as he angled in towards his preferred target. "Ranma-chan! How lovely you look in that outfit! Here I cooooome!"
The ancient martial artist landed squarely between Ranma's breasts.
And that's when it happened.
Akane saw the change in Ranma's eyes immediately. The normal blue orbs changed into a snapping, reddish sienna. Blood rushed to the redhead's face, and a look of pure, unbridled fury wrote itself across her features. A hot wind began buffeting Akane and the other girls nearby, who backed away cautiously, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire.
Ranma shrieked inarticulately, voice full of rage and pain. Suddenly, an aura of fire—pure fire—exploded outward from her, blasting Happousai into the air. Akane and the other girls ran, frantically trying to avoid being burned by the blaze which radiated from the redhead.
The entire population of Fuurinkan stared in horror as the inferno spread, towering into the sky. Happousai, singed and startled, let out an angry shout. "What the hell was THAT?"
Akane responded by smashing a folding chair over his head until he collapsed. By the time the ancient pervert was unconscious, the flames had died down; a ten-meter-wide circle of scorched ground marked their passing.
Of Ranma, there was no trace.
"Ranma...?" Akane's eyes widened, brimming with horrified tears. "RANMA!!"
There was no answer.
Without a word to anyone, Akane took off, ignoring the buzz of murmurs behind her.
*Ranma...please be okay...PLEASE...*
* * * * *
The redhead walked for hours, unmindful of the stares she received. She couldn't say for certain where she was going, but somehow she instinctively knew where she belonged, and it wasn't in the place she had been.
Not where that...horrible...thing had...had...
The fire hadn't burned her, hadn't hurt anyone save her tormentor; while her mind was so clouded she couldn't even remember who she was, she did at least know she didn't want to hurt anyone.
She couldn't take a train where she was going, for she had no money. She couldn't ask for help, for her voice was virtually gone from screaming. So, she walked.
It was nearing sundown when she finally began to feel a sense of familiarity about her surroundings. Her mind was also beginning to clear, and she was beginning to remember who she was. As her memories slowly reconstructed themselves, she knew that she was in the district of Tokyo in which she lived, and that her home was...that way! She picked up her pace, ignoring her sore, tired feet.
As she walked, further ahead, she saw two familiar figures—both girls—dressed in school uniforms, heads bowed somberly. The direction they were coming from was the cemetery.
She wanted to call out to them, but her throat was still raw and hoarse from her earlier screaming. She tried to run to them, but her legs were far too tired, and she couldn't bring herself to more than a fast walk without tripping. By the time she made it to the corner where they'd turned, they were long since out of sight.
Staring morosely at her feet, she turned and headed in the direction the two girls had come from. Hesitantly, she entered the cemetery, wondering whose grave they had been visiting. She scanned the rows and spotted incense smoke still drifting over a particular marker. Heading slowly that way, she found the fresh offerings left at the white stone, and scanned the name engraved there.
Her eyes widened, a brand new and wholly unwelcome terror filling her soul. "No..." she whispered scratchily.
It couldn't be true. It couldn't.
This...this grave was...?!
Unable to cope with this newest traumatic shock in what had been an overwhelmingly trying day, she collapsed in a dead faint.
Two minutes later, she rose to a sitting position, blinking bleary sapphire eyes open and staring around. "Huh? Where am I—ugh!" Her throat was far too raw for speech, so she settled for examining her surroundings as she massaged it. Her eyes fell on the grave marker before her, and she frowned in confusion. The name was unfamiliar, but something inside her felt strangely uncomfortable about this memorial.
Noticing the position of the sun, she cursed inwardly and stood, dusting herself off and trying to get her bearings.
As she left the cemetery, a last curl of smoke rose above the stone marked "SHIDOU HIKARU" before dissipating into nothingness, leaving the air still and silent.
* * * * *
Two girls wearing uniforms from different schools leaned against a guardrail on the edge of a hill, looking out over a quiet residential district and watching the sun set.
"It's hard to believe it's been two months since..." the taller of the two said, brushing a lock of her long, sky-blue hair behind her ear.
The other nodded, tears brimming behind the round lenses of her glasses. "Hikaru-san...we only knew her for a short time, but she was a very special and dear person..."
"So full of energy, so innocent...she seemed younger than she was, really."
"Yet she was stronger than us both..."
The girls were silent for a long moment.
"I should've cut that bastard's balls off."
"Umi-san!"
Ryuuzaki Umi scowled fiercely. "We let Zagato and that bitch princess off too easy. Hikaru DIED, Fuu. She DIED. For NOTHING!"
"Umi-san..." Hououji Fuu repeated softly, placing a hand on the other girl's shoulder. "What we did...I'm sure it's what Hikaru-san would've wanted. She wasn't...she wouldn't have approved of revenge. Not like that. We did the right thing, I'm sure of it."
Umi sighed. "You're right, of course." She stepped away from the railing, stretching. "Well, it's late...I should be getting home."
"I as well. Until Sunday then?"
"Un. Take care of yourself, Fuu."
"Good evening, Umi-san."
* * * * *
Akane sat moping at the low dining table, worrying over the thousands of things that could have happened to her wayward fiance, when a weary, dejected "Tadaima" sounded from the genkan. Immediately, she stood and rushed from the room; she found Ranma, still female and still clad in her gym clothes, removing her shoes and peeling off her damp socks.
"Ranma! Where were you?! I've been worried sick!"
"I...dunno, really." The redhead frowned at her socks, balling them up, and rubbed at her eyes tiredly with the back of her hand. "After th' pervert showed up, I just kinda..." She paused. "I don't remember what happened, but next thing I knew, I was lyin' in some graveyard three wards over, an' it was damn near dark."
"A graveyard?!" Akane asked.
Ranma shrugged. "Hell if I know. Man, I'm gettin' sick of this..."
Kasumi's head popped around the corner. "Ranma-kun, I've been holding everyone off the furo so it'd be ready for you when you got home..."
The redhead smiled. "Thanks, Kasumi. I'll make it fast, I promise. Besides, I'm starvin', an' I wanna eat an' go to bed as fast as I can."
The older girl nodded. "I saved a plate for you from dinner, you can eat whenever you like." She retreated into the house.
Ranma stood, stretching and groaning. "Well, wherever I went and whatever I did, I'm sore all over, so that furo sounds great right about now."
Abruptly, Akane hugged Ranma, who blinked. "Ranma...don't scare me like that ever again, okay? I had no idea where to look for you...Nabiki made me come home, but I didn't want to, and—"
"Hey, Akane, it's okay. You know me."
"But I'm not so sure I do right now!" Akane protested, tears welling in her eyes. "Something's happening to you, Ranma, and it's scaring me. It's really...really scaring me."
Ranma awkwardly hugged the taller girl. "Akane..." She paused. "Look, honestly, I'm pretty freaked out too, okay? I don't like blackin' out an' wakin' up in weird places, not knowin' what th' hell I've been doin', or who with. But we're gonna figure this out an' we're gonna get through this, so...just try not to worry too much, okay? This is just one more crazy screwed-up thing out of a whole bunch, an' it can't possibly be as bad as the last big mess we had to put up with."
Akane sniffled. "I...I hope you're right, Ranma." She released the redhead and smiled shakily. "You'd better go take that bath. You smell worse than those socks."
Ranma laughed. "Yeah. You look pretty tired, so you go on to bed, alright? Don't worry about me."
"Al...alright."
"G'nite, Akane."
"Goodnight, Ranma." *Please still be here when I wake up in the morning.*
* * * * *
Kasumi habitually rose before the sun. It took an early start to run the house; it also helped ensure she had the furo all to herself once in a while.
As she approached the outer bath, she thought she heard someone inside. "Ara?" She approached the door and knocked softly. "Is anyone in there?"
She received no reply, but listening closely, the sound of quiet sobbing was unmistakeable. Silently, she slid open the door.
Inside, Ranma was curled into a tight ball, pressed against the wall and staring in horror at the mirror. His eyes were wide, his mouth agape, and he was unquestionably the source of the sobbing. He looked to be in shock.
Then, Kasumi noticed something odd. His eyes were red. Not red from crying, but truly red—a deep ruby-sienna hue completely different from the stormy blue eyes she knew.
Ranma gaped up at her, no hint of recognition on his face, then returned his gaze to his reflection. Shakily, he raised a hand and pointed a trembling finger at the mirror. "Th-that...that isn't...me..." His voice was soft, rasping, and terrified.
Kasumi knelt beside the stricken boy, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. He flinched, but did not push her away. He didn't seem to have the strength to resist anything at the moment. "It's alright, it's okay. Shh. Now, tell me what's wrong."
"Th-that face...that isn't m...I don't understand..."
"Okay, it's okay. Do you know who I am?" Ranma replied with a shake of the head. "Alright, don't worry about that. Do you know your name?"
The red-eyed boy frowned. "I...I can't remember. I think I knew it before, but then I..." He paused. "I can't think. Everything hurts..." Tears streamed down his cheeks, and he looked imploringly up at her. "Please...help me..."
"Alright, don't worry. Just relax...everything's going to be fine." She enfolded the upset boy in her arms, and quietly touched a pressure point. Instantly, Ranma collapsed like a broken puppet.
Setting him down gently, Kasumi stood with a sigh, left the bath, and padded down the hall, knocking quietly on Akane's door.
* * * * *
Ranma awoke with a groan. As he opened bleary eyes, he saw several concerned faces peering down at him. He sat up, body aching and sore.
"Ranma?" Akane asked.
"Ugh...yeah?"
Akane and Kasumi let out twin sighs of relief. "Yokatta," Akane said tiredly. "We weren't sure—"
"Ranma," Kasumi began, silencing Akane, "what's the last thing you remember doing?"
Ranma frowned. "Takin' a bath an' goin' t' bed. Why?" He glanced around in confusion. "Wait, don't tell me I wandered off again."
"We don't think so," Kasumi replied, "but this morning, I found you in the outer bath, and...well..."
"What?"
The others traded uneasy glances. "You...didn't know who you were," Akane said at length. "Kasumi had to use something she learned from Tofu-sensei to put you to sleep, because you were completely freaked out."
Ranma looked around at everyone. "I..."
"It's okay, Ranma," his mother soothed, reaching out and gently stroking his cheek.
"There's something else," Kasumi said. "Your eyes...they were..." She paused, frowning. "They didn't look normal. They...weren't your eyes. I...I'm sorry, I can't really exp—"
"They were red, weren't they," Ranma interrupted, voice flat and dull.
"Hai."
The pigtailed boy let out a sigh. "Red eyes...that girl. That damn dream. This is gettin' way the hell outta hand."
The others traded another uneasy look. "Maybe...maybe you really should talk to Cologne about this," Akane suggested timidly. "I mean, this is getting really scary, and if it IS related to the curse..."
Ranma started to protest, but held his tongue, thinking carefully about it for a minute. The worried looks Akane and his mother were giving him made the decision for him. Slowly, resignedly, he nodded. "Alright."
* * * * *
Cologne's wizened eyes scanned the parchment a second time, age-creased brow knit thoughtfully.
"What elders want, Hibachan?" Shampoo asked, peering over her shoulder.
"The Guide's daughter found something strange near Jusenkyou," Cologne muttered absently. "They looked it over and aren't entirely sure what to make of it, so they're sending it to me to get my opinion. It should arrive this afternoon..."
The bell over the door jingled. Shampoo turned to greet the first customers of the day. "Welcome to—Airen!" Cheerfully, she flounced across the room, throwing herself at the boy who had just entered, ignoring the angry look of the short Japanese girl behind him. Cologne was rather surprised to see that a large throng of people had accompanied Ranma and Akane: the entire Tendou and Saotome families were piling into her restaurant behind the two teens.
Ranma sighed. "Couldja get off me, Shampoo? It ain't a good day for this."
Shampoo looked up at Ranma, and frowned, releasing him and backing up a step. "Ranma is no okay? Violent girl cooking make Airen sick again?"
"Pipe down, bimbo," Akane growled. "Bad enough we had to come here at all," she added under her breath, though everyone could hear her.
"Akane, please," Saotome Nodoka chided. Akane bowed her head sheepishly, but still looked irritated.
Cologne raised an eyebrow. "The formidable mother of the groom. I do not believe I've had the pleasure."
Nodoka bowed, tactfully ignoring the unwarranted claim on her son. "Honored elder," she greeted. "We have come today because a situation has arisen with my son, which appears to relate to his...affliction. We are at a loss to explain or understand this latest problem, and come to you in hopes you might have some insight on the matter."
Cologne frowned. "A problem related to the curse?" She hopped over to Ranma on her walking stick, peering intently up at him. "What sort of problem?"
The boy in question shifted uneasily under the scrutiny. "It—well—"
"He's been wandering off a lot lately," Akane said. "And can't remember where he goes or what he does. And sometimes he...he doesn't seem to know who he is."
"And he's having...decidedly unpleasant dreams," Nodoka added. "Occasionally he awakes from them screaming."
Cologne frowned. "That sounds more like a psychological problem..."
"HEY! I ain't crazy, old bat!" Ranma bellowed.
"I didn't say you were, boy," Cologne said, rapping him on the skull with her stick for good measure. "Occasional mental lapses aren't uncommon for people under a lot of stress, even remarkably resilient young people such as yourself." She chuckled. "And goodness knows, your life is stressful enough to drive any ten people crazy."
"But...there's more," Akane said hastily. "His eyes...they change color."
Cologne paused, turning her full attention to the Japanese girl. "Change color?"
"Yes. They turn red—Kasumi and I have both seen it. Also, he—" She paused. "Since this began, he has reacted...very violently to the attentions of both Kunou-senpai and the old letch."
Everyone gave her a Look. She blushed. "Well, more violently than usual," she amended.
"This morning's episode was especially troublesome," Kasumi took over. "I found him in the bath, staring at himself in the mirror. He was in his male form, but his eyes were red, and he seemed frightened and confused—he couldn't remember his name, and the sight of his face seemed to be causing him great distress."
"And you have no memory of this incident?" Cologne asked, glancing at Ranma.
"Nope. I remember goin' t' bed, then I woke up with everyone lookin' at me like I got hit by a train or somethin'."
"Hmm." Cologne peered into his eyes, examining him from different angles, then hopped onto the table.
Without warning, she produced a glass of water and splashed Ranma in the face.
The pigtailed girl spluttered. "HEY!"
"You want me to deduce a problem with your curse, right? Well, that would be easier served if you are actually IN your cursed form."
Ranma sighed. "I guess that makes sense." The cursed teen's mother wordlessly handed over a handkerchief, with which she began mopping water from her face.
Cologne studied Ranma for several long moments, then hopped back to the floor, shaking her head. "It could be any number of things. Possession, hypnosis, head trauma, some strange magic that perverted old goat did...just from the description, I can't really—"
The bell over the door chimed again, interruping her. Shampoo glanced over at the door, and frowned. "Deliveries in rear!"
"I apologize for the intrusion," replied the harried-looking courier standing in the doorway. "I tried the rear entrance, but there was no answer. I was about to leave a notice slip, but I saw people inside through the window, so—"
"It's quite alright," Cologne answered, hopping over to the courier. She motioned for his clipboard, stamped it, then accepted the small, flat box he held. He bowed and left, and Cologne turned the sign on the door to "Closed". "Busy day," she muttered.
"We can come back later," Ranma suggested.
Cologne waved her hand dismissively. "This is of no urgency, and your problem does concern me more." She perched herself on a chair across from Ranma, idly slicing the tape on the package with a fingernail. "Now, about how long has this problem been going on?"
"About a week." Ranma fidgeted. "It started with this...dream."
"You are uncomfortable about the particulars of the dream?" Cologne asked, sliding a lacquered, sealed box from within the cardboard parcel.
"Yeah." The pigtailed girl swallowed. "There's this...girl, she looks a lot like me. And she's tied up, an' all beat up, an'..." She hesitated. "A guy...that looked like me, an' he was doin'...really bad stuff to her."
Cologne frowned, but did not press for clarification. Instead, she removed a small golden talisman from within her robes, pressing it into a depression on the box. "And since this dream, your cursed form has been causing problems?"
"Yeah. It's...it's gettin' really weird. Weirder than th' usual shit that goes on around here."
The wizened Amazon hummed thoughtfully, lifting the lid from the box. She carefully removed the contents, raising a wrinkled brow; aside from a scroll sealed with wax, the box contained only an old, filthy, beat-up glove with a dull red jewel on the back.
"That it?" Shampoo asked. "That thing Guide found?"
"Apparently," Cologne replied, turning it over in her hands. "Doesn't look like much, but..."
The jewel on the glove suddenly flared with an intense red pulse of light. Well accustomed to dealing with strange magic, the assembled people backed hastily away from the table.
"Ranma!" Shampoo cried. The others sharply glanced at the redhead, who had stiffened in her seat, eyes wide. A red film gradually clouded the blue irises, until her eyes had changed to a deep crimson-brown hue.
"Everyone look out!" Akane cried. "The last time this happened, he torched the sports field at school!"
The crowd watched the redhead warily, tense and unnerved, ready to react at the slightest motion. Ranma's now-red eyes were fixed intently on the object Cologne held.
Then, without fanfare, the light from the gem faded, and Ranma blinked slowly. She took a deep, shuddering breath. "I..."
She looked around at the concerned, wary faces studying her, and swallowed. "I..."
She glanced back at the glove in the old woman's hand. Then, she stood bolt upright. "Umi-chan! Fuu-chan! They made it back!"
Before anyone could stop her, she bolted for the door, barely pausing to throw it open before racing off down the street.
Everyone froze in shock. Then, Akane was in motion, pausing only long enough to shout to the room, "What are you all waiting for? After him!"
Less than two seconds later, the Nekohanten was empty.
* * * * *
Her heart hammered in her chest. She had no idea where she was or where she was going, but an urgent feeling drove her onward.
That glove...
Seeing it had brought everything back to her. Like a dam had burst, memories flooded in.
She knew who she was. She knew what had happened to her. And most importantly, she knew her friends were alive and back in Tokyo.
How long had it been? What happened after she'd...
"Ranma! WAIT!" voices cried behind her. Part of her wondered who this Ranma person was, but at the moment, she had more important things on her mind.
Umi. Fuu.
Her mind reeled. How had she gotten here? The last thing she remembered...
"Airen! You come back now!"
"Slow down, boy!"
This WAS Tokyo, though. Of that, she had no doubt. It had to be...
She'd seen the grave marker. Her friends thought she was dead.
Was she dead? Was she alive? She wasn't sure of anything anymore.
Except the most important thing.
"UMI-CHAN! FUU-CHAN!" she screamed, lungs burning as she increased her pace. The number of people following her had diminished; she dared not look back. Forward was the only option now.
* * * * *
Less than two minutes into the chase, Kasumi, Nabiki, Nodoka, and Soun had retreated to the cafe, the latter panting and gasping for breath.
"I hope they can catch him before he hurts himself," Kasumi fretted.
"My son..." Nodoka sank heavily into a chair, fists clenched in her lap, the folds of her kimono creasing.
Nabiki frowned. "They were headed that way, so..." She walked behind the counter and picked up the phone, dialing a familiar number. "Ukyou? Listen, Ranma's kind of not himself, and he's run off again. Yeah. Akane and a few others are chasing him, but it looks like he was headed your way. Cut him off if you can, would you? Yeah. Okay. Thanks."
"Do you think she'll be able to stop him?" Kasumi asked.
Nabiki snorted. "Not a chance in hell. But maybe she can slow him down long enough for the old ghoul to knock him out."
Nodoka scowled at her, then turned her gaze to the door, worry written in bold lines on her face.
* * * * *
Something embedded itself in the ground in front of her, narrowly missing her feet. She spared only a second to marvel at the fact that it was a bamboo chopstick before deciding it was irrelevant.
A shop door suddenly burst open several meters in front of her, and a girl with long hair and an enormous—spatula?—strapped to her back practically flew out, blocking her path.
"Ranchan! Stop runnin', sugar! Ya gotta stop!"
The redhead turned sharply, veering off down a side street. Loud cursing exploded behind her, followed by a renewed wave of shouting. A small metal spatula stuck itself in the pavement near her feet.
"LEAVE ME ALONE!" she cried, glancing over her shoulder for only a second.
The momentary distraction was all it took. Her shoulder slammed hard into a utility pole, and she went down in a crumpled heap. The group following her skidded to a halt, surrounding her. She looked up at them; despite the concern and worry in their faces, she felt cornered and trapped. "Why...why are you chasing me?" she asked. "I don't even know who you people are!"
"Ranma?" the leader of the group, a girl about her age with short dark hair, crouched down in front of her.
"I don't know any Ranma!" she cried. "Why...stop...I gotta find..." It all became too much for her, and she broke down, curling in on herself and sobbing. "I...Umi-chan...Fuu-chan..."
"Shh. It's okay. Nobody's going to hurt you." The short-haired girl's voice was soothing, comforting; she clung to that comfort and threw herself at the girl, clutching desperately at her blouse. A hand gently stroked the back of her head.
"Gotta...know..." she murmured wetly through her sobs.
"Child? May I ask a question of you?" an old woman's voice asked.
The redhead looked up to see a shrunken, shrivelled, ancient woman with long white hair studying her intently. She recoiled, but nodded, sniffling.
"Do you happen to know who you are?" the old woman asked after a long, uncomfortable moment.
"H-hai," she replied, wiping at her eyes and nose with her sleeve. "I...my name is Hikaru. Shidou Hikaru."
* * * * *
"Nekohanten, sorry, we're cl—you did? Is he—oh. Okay, we'll see you in a few minutes."
Nabiki hung up the phone, and looked around at the others who had remained behind. "They've got him. He's...well, Shampoo said they'll explain when they get back here."
Nodoka breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the kami."
Several tense, silent minutes later, the door opened, admitting Akane, Ranma, Cologne, Shampoo, Genma, and Ukyou. Ranma, now red-eyed in more ways than one, had her head bowed and walked between Akane and Ukyou with a meek, defeated posture. Fresh tears still spilled down her cheeks, though they were silent tears. Behind her, Genma looked solemn.
"Ranma? Are y—"
"I'm not Ranma," the redhead said. "I...I know you people think I'm someone named Ranma, but..."
"And yet, you are Ranma," Cologne spoke. "You are, and yet you are not."
The girl rubbed her hand across her dirty, tear-stained face. "That doesn't make any sense! Why do you keep say—"
"You promised to hear us out before you ran off again, did you not?" At the girl's nod, Cologne motioned with her stick to a chair. Ranma meekly sat down.
"I...I go make tea," Shampoo volunteered, visibly shaken by the situation. She moved to the kitchen with less than her usual grace; Kasumi fell in step behind her.
"Some explanations are in order," Cologne said solemnly. "First; to those who waited here: this girl, who we know to be Saotome Ranma, claims to be named Shidou Hikaru. This, I have absolutely no cause to doubt."
Nodoka stared at the old woman. "No cause to doubt?!" She then turned a searching gaze at the redhead, who shifted under her scrutiny. The tall woman strode over to the child, leaning over her, staring intently into her eyes. There was absolutely no hint of recognition there.
She stepped back. "Somehow...I believe you're right. This is not my son. But..."
"How could a girl be your son?" Hikaru asked, tilting her head curiously.
Shampoo and Kasumi approached with tea trays. "Hikaru-chan," Kasumi asked as she set cups before everyone, "do you remember this morning? In the bath?"
Hikaru frowned, then nodded slowly. "Yeah...I saw you there, and..." She shuddered. "The mirror...the reflection was wrong."
"A boy, slightly taller than you, with black hair in the same style?" Kasumi prompted.
"Yeah...that's right." Hikaru sipped her tea distractedly. "I...I was so scared, and confused..." She pressed a palm to her forehead. "My head hurts...nothing makes sense..."
Akane spoke up suddenly. "Hikaru," she asked, "do you remember ever seeing a place that was full of small pools, with bamboo poles sticking out of them? A valley like that?"
The redhead's eyes snapped wide open. "How do you know about that place?!"
The assembled group exchanged a series of meaningful glances. "Many of us have had...rather unpleasant encounters with that place," Genma spoke.
Hikaru shuddered violently. "I...I wish I could forget...that horrible place..."
"So you have been to Jusenkyou," Akane asked. At Hikaru's nod, Akane sighed. "I can't believe it. I was right."
"It lucky guess," Shampoo jibed half-heartedly.
Cologne rubbed her chin, brow creased deeply in thought. "I'll have to admit, I was skeptical about that theory of yours, child, but..." She chuckled somberly. "It does seem Jusenkyou has found yet another way to interfere with the groom's life, after all."
Akane moved to sit directly beside Hikaru and took hold of the redhead's hand, squeezing it firmly. "Something...really bad happened to you there, didn't it?"
Hikaru nodded, trembling. "I...I don't want to talk about it."
"It's okay. I think we can guess. Based on what Ranma told me about his dream—and he didn't want to go into details either—it's not hard to figure it out."
"I still don't have any idea who this Ranma everyone keeps talking about is!" Hikaru suddenly snapped, frustrated. "Would someone please explain? I need to know what's going on so I can go look for my friends and let them know I'm still alive..." She paused, staring unhappily into her tea. "I'm...still alive..."
Cologne sighed, withdrawing her pipe from her robes and lighting it. "No, child...I'm afraid you're not."
Hikaru looked up at her, startled. "What?"
"Saotome Nodoka," Cologne asked, "you carry pictures of your son in both of his forms, do you not?"
"Of course."
"Would you please take those out and show them to Hikaru?"
Nodoka nodded and fumbled open her purse. After a moment, she placed two photographs in front of the redhead.
Cologne gestured at the one on the left with her pipe. "This is Saotome Ranma, age sixteen." She then gestured at the one on the right. "This is also Saotome Ranma, age sixteen."
Hikaru blinked. "But...one's a boy and the other's a girl...what, are they twins or something?"
"No, child, they are one and the same." Cologne chuckled at Hikaru's confused look. "Shampoo, show our young guest what the curse does."
"Hai!" Shampoo plucked a glass of water off an empty table and threw it in Genma's face. Hikaru's eyes practically tripled in size as she boggled at the panda which appeared where the middle-aged man had stood. The panda, for his part, simply glared at the Chinese girl.
"Wha—what just happened?!" Hikaru asked.
"The valley of cursed springs—that place which you dread—is a place of terrible magic," Cologne spoke, puffing on her pipe. "The pools there have taken many lives, man and beast alike. When a person or animal drowns in one of the pools of Jusenkyou, anyone or anything that falls into that pool thereafter will emerge wearing the form of whatever drowned there."
Hikaru stared. "Uso..."
Cologne picked up her tea, still quite hot, and threw it in the panda's face. A spluttering Genma returned, scowling darkly at the small woman. She ignored him and continued, "From that time on, exposure to cold water will cause a cursed person to change into that form, and hot water will reverse the change. There is no permanent cure to the affliction. It is the most terrible ancient magic known to humankind."
Hikaru shuddered. "That's terrible." She looked at Genma. "So you've been to that...that place?"
Genma nodded. "The terrors of Jusenkyou..."
"If I remember Ranma's story correctly, you only ended up there because you bought a guide book you couldn't even read," Nabiki interjected.
Hikaru stood up suddenly. "Wait...that boy! The one I saw in the mirror, my reflection...was that Ranma?"
"That's right, Hikaru-chan," Kasumi said.
Hikaru looked down at the photographs again, trembling. "And...and he fell into a spring too, didn't he? And...and he turned into..." She swallowed. "Into me."
"That would appear to be the case," Cologne spoke. "Although in my many years, I have never heard of something like this happening, it would seem that somehow, the groom carried more than a cursed body away from that spring. He also carried the soul of the girl who drowned there fifteen hundred years ago."
"Fif...fifteen hundred..." Hikaru sank heavily into her chair, face pale. "So...I'm a ghost?"
"I'm not certain WHAT you are, child," Cologne replied. "A ghost, perhaps. A spirit, certainly. A displaced soul, an echo of memory..." She shrugged. "Again, this is completely unfamiliar territory for me. I can only speculate."
Silence settled over the group for a long moment. Then, Hikaru seemed to remember something, and glanced around. "Anou...you said I died fifteen hundred years ago..." She looked sick at that thought, but pressed on. "What's the date, could you tell me?"
Soun wordlessly handed over the newspaper he had taken refuge behind during much of the exchange. Hikaru glanced at it, then paled. "Two months...it's only been two months?"
"Two months?" Akane echoed. "Since what?"
"Since we wen—" Hikaru paused, seeming to catch herself about to say something she'd rather not. "Since...I died."
Confused silence greeted this statement.
"Ghost girl confused, yes? You die fifteen hundred year ago, in China. You no could die two month ago!"
"For that matter, how can you read Japanese?" Nabiki wondered. "And why do you have a Japanese name?"
"Because I am Japanese," Hikaru replied. "I'm from right here in Tokyo—we are in Tokyo, right?"
"Yeah, Nerima-ku," Ukyou piped in.
Hikaru nodded. "Yeah, I'm from a few wards over. The day—" She swallowed thickly. "That day, my school was at Tokyo Tower..." She noticed everyone staring at her. "What?"
"You...I didn't even notice it, but you really couldn't be over fifteen hundred years old, or Chinese," Akane said. "But then...how..."
"How could a girl from Tokyo who was at Tokyo Tower just two months ago drown at Jusenkyou fifteen hundred years ago?" Nodoka asked. "I...I'm afraid even with all the strangeness I have become accustomed to in my son's life, this is somewhat hard to accept."
"It gets a lot weirder," Hikaru muttered. "But...so you mean that place where I...it really was in China? And in the past?"
"Of that there is absolutely no question," Cologne affirmed.
Hikaru studied her hands, folded in her lap, for a moment. At length, she nodded. "That answers a lot of questions. It also brings up a whole lot of new ones." She paused. "And I...I think to get the answers, we need to find my friends."
"Your friends?" Akane asked.
"The two girls who were with me, that day at Tokyo Tower. The two girls I didn't know until that day, who became my most important friends." She swallowed. "I know they got back home, I saw them. I...I saw them leaving the...graveyard near my home." She shuddered. "They...they must've been visiting my grave..." Fresh tears welled in her eyes.
"Aiyah," Shampoo breathed softly. Everyone stared sympathetically at the redhead.
"Your grave...near your home..." Akane frowned. "That was one of the times Ranma ran off, I guess. Except it was you and not Ranma, wasn't it?"
"Un. I...I tried to go home, and then I saw Umi-chan and Fuu-chan, and then I saw my grave, and then I...I passed out. I couldn't believe it."
"Child," Cologne spoke gently, "If these friends of yours believe you to be dead, and you suddenly approach them in this condition, with no real answers as to what has happened and how you have come to be here in this manner...it might do more harm than good. For them, and for you."
Hikaru shook her head. "No...no, the only way to figure all this out is to talk to Umi-chan and Fuu-chan. I'm sure of it. I believe it with all my heart."
Everyone sat silently for a moment, exchanging wary glances.
"Alright," Akane said quietly. "If you want to see your friends, then we'll go see your friends. Where do they live?"
Hikaru blinked, then blushed. "I don't know," she admitted sheepishly. "We only knew each other for a little while, and I know they both attend very expensive private schools, but I never did actually ask where they lived. I know they both live in Tokyo, but..."
"But that's an awful lotta ground to cover," Ukyou finished for her.
"Yeah."
"What are their names? That'll give us a place to start, at least," Nabiki prompted.
"Oh! Right. Ryuuzaki Umi and Hououji Fuu."
"Hmm. Well, I guess we've got work to do, everyone," Nabiki addressed the room.
Akane arched an eyebrow. "You're being unusually helpful."
Nabiki shrugged. "Hey, I'm not completely made of stone. Besides, the sooner we figure all this out and get Ranma-kun back, the better. I'm not about to try to take advantage of dead girl here."
Most of the room facefaulted. Kasumi frowned.
"Soun-kun," Nodoka commented, "Something must be done about that girl."
"You're welcome to try," Soun replied tonelessly. "I've learned NOT to fight losing battles."
Hikaru blinked.
Cologne sighed heavily. "Alright, if the comedy routine is over, perhaps it's best we all have a quick meal and get freshened up, and then we'll see if we can't get to the bottom of this mess."
* * * * *
For the remainder of the afternoon, Nabiki tried to coax as much information about Umi and Fuu out of Hikaru as the redhead could remember—which wasn't much, as she had not known them that long, and their time together had been spent dealing with more significant matters, such as staying alive.
Hikaru had yet to relate to her new acquaintances the story of how she came to be in the magical world, Cephiro. Even with all the weirdness she'd seen since regaining her memory, she wasn't sure how they would react, and was afraid they would think she was crazy.
Still, she told herself with an inward sigh, sooner or later it would all have to come out—because whatever had happened to her, the disastrous conclusion of her magical adventure in Cephiro was definitely at the root of things.
After she had given Nabiki everything she could, the middle Tendou sister had gone off to start the search. Hikaru spent the evening talking with Akane, Shampoo, and Ukyou, getting to know the people who she now had to rely on, and learning more about Saotome Ranma, the boy whose body she had apparently stolen.
She felt truly horrible about that, and had offered many apologies to everyone. They repeatedly assured her that it was not her fault, though she could not help but feel the three girls bore at least some resentment towards her.
They, in turn, had learned more about her—where she lived, her school, her interests, her family. The discussion of her three elder brothers had upset her terribly; it hurt to think about their reactions to her "death". The group had flatly refused to allow her to contact them, however; although it upset her, she couldn't fault the logic. Until everything about the situation was truly understood, it was a bad idea on several levels. So, she agreed to hold off on contacting her family until after they'd solved the mystery of her current state of existence.
"So you study kendo, huh?" Akane asked as they sat around, playing Old Maid and nibbling on snacks.
"Yeah. My family runs a dojo."
Ukyou snorted. "Small world, huh. Don't let the panda bastard hear it, you wouldn't like what'd happen. Trust me."
"Nah, I doubt..." Akane paused. "On second thought, you're probably right."
"Eh? What're you two talking about?"
"Nevermind. Trust me, it's not worth worrying about."
Hikaru shrugged. "If you say so. Anyway, yeah, I've been training since I was old enough to hold a shinai, but Satoru-niisama is easily the best of the family. He places high in the regionals every time he enters. He nearly beat that one really good guy one time—Kunou, wasn't it? I didn't see the match, but...eh? Why're you looking at me like that?"
The girls were indeed boggling at Hikaru. "Kunou Tatewaki?" Akane asked.
"Yeah, that's him. You know him? All I know is he's one of the best in the nation at the high school level."
"Oh, we know him alright," Akane groused. "Much as I wish otherwise."
Hikaru blinked. "Is he...a bad person?"
"Stick-boy always obsess over Airen and violent girl," Shampoo said airily, picking through her cards.
"Yeah, he wants to kill Ranchan over the engagement, an' he goes all freaky pervert over Akane an' Ranchan's girl fo—" Ukyou cut herself off, coughing, and buried her face in her cards.
Hikaru's eyes widened. "He..." She gaped. "He doesn't know they're the same person?"
"Nope. Ranma's changed form right in FRONT of him several times and he STILL doesn't get it. He's completely clueless."
Hikaru sat motionless, thinking. "Wait," she said slowly. "I remember...the first time I...woke up...somebody GRABBED me from behind. Squeezed my...you know." Her face flamed as crimson as her hair. "Was that—?"
"Yep."
"...what a creep." Hikaru shuddered.
"No worry, ghost girl. We no let him touch you."
"Please stop calling her that, Shampoo," Akane sighed. "She DOES have a name, you know."
Hikaru sighed. These people were nice, but they were definitely going to take some getting used to.
* * * * *
It took two days, but Nabiki finally came through with a lead.
"A student at Ryuuzaki's school says that she's seen her hanging out with a girl from another school on the weekends. She overheard them making plans at the train station one Sunday and they were planning to go to Tokyo Tower. I also poked around there, and heard from some of the souvenir shop clerks that two girls matching their descriptions have spent every Sunday together at Tokyo Tower for the last couple of months."
Tears welled in Hikaru's eyes. "Umi-chan, Fuu-chan..."
"Okay then," Akane said. "Sunday, we'll go to Tokyo Tower and find your friends." She offered a smile to the crying redhead.
"Th-thanks, everyone," Hikaru sniffled. "Thanks so much..."
* * * * *
As Sunday approached, the mood in the Tendou household grew increasingly tense.
Finally, at dinner Saturday, Akane voiced her chief concern. "I wish we knew if Ranma is still...you know."
Hikaru looked down into her rice. "Akane-chan...I'm sorry. I'm...I'm so sorry!"
Akane suddenly felt like she'd kicked a defenseless puppy. "Ne, Hikaru-chan, I'm not..." She sighed. "I'm not mad at you, or anything. I just...I'm worried. We haven't seen any sign of Ranma since the other day at the Nekohanten. I can't help but..."
"We know, Akane-chan," Nodoka said softly. "We're all concerned. But...I know my son is still...there. I don't know..." She paused. "Well, I don't know much of anything. But I know that right now, two people need our help. Hikaru-chan, and my son. And we're going to help both of them."
"Well said," Soun commented.
Hikaru sighed again. "I'm...I'm just sorry to be such a burden. I mean, I'm dead, I don't have any right to exist and here I am making your lives—"
"Not another word of that, young lady!" Nodoka snapped. "I will not have a guest, especially one so desperately in need as yourself, feeling or thinking that way!" She fixed a stern gaze on Hikaru. "You cannot possibly help what has happened, neither to yourself nor to Ranma. You are as much a victim of whatever is going on as he is. We will help both of you, we will ease your suffering, and we will solve this problem. And there will not be another word about being a burden or not deserving to live."
Hikaru swallowed heavily. "Yes, ma'am." She smiled hesitantly. "Thank you."
"Think nothing of it, dear."
* * * * *
Early Sunday morning, the expedition party gathered at the gates of the Tendou estate. There had been a lot of arguing, but ultimately it was decided that while a larger party stood a better chance of actually finding the two girls, a crowd of people intruding on their reunion would doubtless raise more alarm than necessary, and ultimately inhibit any useful progress in solving the mystery of Hikaru's emergence in Ranma.
Finally, it was decided that Hikaru herself, Akane, Shampoo, and Ukyou would comprise the Tokyo Tower expedition. The adults chose to remain on standby at home, and Kasumi and Nabiki felt they would be better off using their time to research anything that might relate to the problem.
Shortly after eight, the four girls set off for the train station.
Ten minutes later and two blocks away from the station, all hell broke loose.
* * * * *
"So have you thought about what you're gonna say to those gals when you find 'em, Hicchan?" Ukyou asked.
Hikaru shook her head. "I...it's hard to even think of where to start." Idly, she fingered the gauntlet that snugly encased her left wrist. "I guess—"
"SAOTOME, TODAY IS THE DAY YOU DIE!"
"Chikushou! Hikaru, duck!"
The redhead barely had time to blink before a white-garbed figure descended upon her, reams of weapons and chains flying in every direction. Hikaru shrieked in surprise and panic, jumping backwards and skidding into a crouch. "What the—?"
"Hey Shampoo, didn'tcha tell this jackass what's goin' on?"
"STUPID MOUSSE! NO IS RANMA! YOU NO HURT!"
"Shampoo, my love! I don't know what spell Saotome has woven over you this time, but—"
"Geez, now he sounds like Kunou!" Akane groaned. "I'll take care of this."
"You? Violent girl not match for Mousse. Shampoo handle."
"EXCUSE ME," Hikaru shouted over the squabbling. "Would someone mind telling me who this person is and why he's trying to KILL ME?" As she said the last, she jumped clear of several thrown daggers, a small storm of shuriken, and a bedpan.
"I have no patience for your games, Saotome! Stop running away and fight like a man!"
"Is Mousse. Stupid Amazon male from Shampoo home. Think Shampoo his life love, but not true. Fight Ranma all time!"
"Great," Hikaru muttered. "I really don't need to fight someone today if I don't have to."
"Well, you have to, so prepare to die!" Mousse charged, three swords sticking out from each sleeve.
Akane clutched her hands before her mouth in horror. "Oh my god, she's gonna get killed! We have to—"
*CLANG!*
The ring of steel on steel interrupted Akane, and the three girls stared in surprise at the large double-edged broadsword which had appeared in Hikaru's hands. The redhead's eyes snapped with anger as she pressed against Mousse's attack. With a *shhhhnk!* of sliding metal, the Chinese boy's swords were deflected.
"Whoa. Did NOT see that comin'."
"Where ghost gi—Hikaru get sword?"
"Heck if I know."
Mousse jumped lightly away, placing three meters between himself and Hikaru, and pushed his glasses up with his middle finger, smirking. "So, I see you've decided to incorporate hidden weapons into that ridiculous mess you call a school," he jeered. "At least you can finally do something useful in a fight."
"HEY! Watch it, jerk!" Akane yelled.
Hikaru watched her opponent warily, sliding into a defensive stance. "Look," she said, "Mousse, was it? I don't know what your problem is with Ranma, but I AM NOT HIM. I'm in his body for some reason nobody can understand, and we're trying to figure out how to fix it, but I'd appreciate you not taking your grudge against Ranma out on me."
"That ridiculous story may have everyone else fooled, but I'm not buying it! Jusenkyou doesn't work that way, Saotome!"
"What blind stupid duck think know better than Hibachan? Even she know this not Ranma. Go home, stupid Mousse!"
Hikaru exhaled heavily. "I really don't want to have to hurt you, so please drop this."
Mousse laughed. "Hurt me? AS IF YOU COULD!" With that, he charged again, lengths of chain snaking out of his sleeves, tipped with sharp, deadly weapons.
"Watch out, Hicchan! He's no pushover!"
"Shouldn't we be stopping him?" Akane asked, tensing to fight.
"Alright, you asked for it," Hikaru growled as she deflected Mousse's attack with the flat of her blade. Skidding backwards a meter, she raised her right hand above her head. "HONOU NO...YAAAAA!"
Mousse had little time to react as streaks of flame leapt from the redhead's fingertips, engulfing him and setting his robes ablaze.
The three girls standing by gaped.
"What the hell?"
"Ghost girl tougher than look!"
"This is just like the other day," Akane said. "Except this time she's got control of it...whatever it is."
Mousse growled as he patted out the flames on his clothing. "So, you're finally ready to take me seriously, Saotome?"
"Would you PLEASE listen to me when I tell you I AM NOT RANMA?!"
"ENOUGH!" a new voice bellowed. "BAKUSAI TENKETSU!"
The street between Mousse and Hikaru exploded, spraying them both with shards of pavement. Each hastily deflected the concrete rain with their respective weapons.
"Ryouga?!"
"Oh great, the other jackass shows up," Ukyou muttered.
Ryouga glanced back at Hikaru. "Are you okay?"
"Aa...u-un...who..."
The boy in the filthy, road-worn travelling clothes turned away from her then, focusing his full attention on Mousse. "Are you insane, you four-eyed dork?"
"Stay out of this, Hibiki!"
"MOUSSE, YOU GODDAMNED BLIND IDIOT, USE YOUR BRAIN! You've fought Ranma a hundred times! Does this girl fight ANYTHING LIKE RANMA?"
Mousse faltered. "...well, no, but..."
"I didn't want to believe it until just now," Ryouga interrupted. "I've been hanging around in secret since this all started, and I wanted to think Ranma was pulling some kind of scam, but now I know it's all true. This—" he gestured at the redhead "—is NOT Saotome Ranma. And you've just attacked an innocent, potentially defenseless person—a girl, at that—without any provocation! What kind of man are you?" Ryouga unlimbered the heavy umbrella from the straps of his pack. "Well?!"
Mousse took two steps back from the enraged wanderer. "I..." He bowed his head and sheathed his weapons. "I'm still not convinced. I don't believe this lie of Saotome's. However, I am not fool enough to fight the both of you at once. I will withdraw for now."
"That right, you take wing, stupid duck!" Shampoo called, brandishing a bottle of water; Akane belatedly realized the Amazon had momentarily disappeared from the scene. Uncapping the water and letting fly with a broad stream, Shampoo drenched Mousse, who promptly vanished.
Hikaru stared, nearly dropping her sword, as an angry, bespectacled duck emerged from the pile of robes on the ground, shook its feathers, quacked something angry-sounding, and flew off.
Ryouga sighed, strapping his umbrella back in place, and turned to Hikaru. "Are you alright?"
"H-hai...who are—"
"Hibiki Ryouga. A friend of Akane-san and Ranma's strongest rival, at your service." Ryouga bowed.
"You're his rival...and you helped me?" Hikaru asked, tilting her head even as her sword turned into a stream of crimson light and vanished into the gem on her glove.
"I am not an honorless dog who would take advantage of a strange situation like this," Ryouga replied. "My quarrel is with Ranma, and I am convinced beyond doubt that you are NOT him."
Akane stepped forward. "Ryouga-kun...thanks. You couldn't have come along at a better time."
"Think nothing of it, Akane-san." He stretched, then adjusted his pack. "With your permission, I'll join you until you get safely where you're going." He smirked. "Just in case any more of Ranma's unfinished business drops by."
Akane sweatdropped. "When...you put it that way..." She bowed. "We'd be happy to have you along."
* * * * *
"How the hell can that idiot get lost on a MOVING TRAIN?!" Ukyou exclaimed in exasperation as the four girls disembarked a short while later.
"I swear he was right behind me two minutes ago," Hikaru said, bewildered. "Maybe he—"
"He got lost," Akane said, sighing. "Probably wandered right off the train before it even stopped. He's got the worst sense of direction on Earth."
"But—on a TRAIN?" Hikaru asked.
"Hicchan, he can't even get from Akane's back garden to the dojo without gettin' lost."
"That's..." Hikaru shook her head. "Will he be okay though?"
"He'll be fine. He spends most of his life wandering around Japan trying to find wherever he wants to be. I doubt even getting HIT by a train would stop him for long," Akane shook her head. "Anyway, let's get going."
The four girls stationed themselves near the entrance to the Tower, watching the foot traffic for any signs of Hikaru's friends. While they waited, Ukyou asked, "So what's with the sword out of thin air trick, anyway?"
"Huh? Oh, it...it's complicated," Hikaru said. "It has to do with why we're here, and I'm sorry, but I'd rather not say more until we find Umi-chan and Fuu-chan, because without them to back me up, you'll think I'm crazy."
"Sugar, ain't much I don't believe anymore," Ukyou said with a chuckle.
Hikaru laughed. "I guess not, huh?"
"What puzzles me is the fire thing you did," Akane chimed in. "It was so different from any ki attack I've seen."
The redhead blinked. "Ki...attack?"
"So you're saying it isn't one?"
"No, it's...well, I'll explain later." She smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry, I seem to be saying that a lot."
"It's alright."
An hour later, Ukyou and Akane had started to nod off when they were startled awake by an excited gasp from Hikaru. "There they are!"
The girls all watched as two figures, immersed in their own conversation, approached the entrance. Rather than their school uniforms, they wore casual clothing; the taller, willowy girl with the sky-blue hair wore snug-fitting indigo jeans, a loose white blouse, and off-white flat-heeled slippers, while her shorter, sandy-haired companion wore a knee-length brown skirt, a seafoam-green sweater, knee-high white socks, and ankle-high brown suede lace-up boots.
By comparison, Hikaru felt a bit silly wearing what she had been told were Ranma's usual clothes.
"So that them?" Shampoo asked.
"Yeah," Hikaru replied excitedly. Her body shook with excitement and a hundred other swirling, stormy emotions. Before anyone could stop her, she charged toward them. "UMI-CHAN! FUU-CHAN!"
The two girls' heads snapped around, identical expressions of shock on their faces. Their eyes widened as they caught sight of the redhead approaching them.
* * * * *
"UMI-CHAN! FUU-CHAN!!"
"Uso," Umi gasped, taking a step backward and nearly falling on the pavement.
"Umi-san? Do you see...?" Fuu's eyes were as wide as saucers behind her round glasses.
"It...it's not possible," Umi said shakily. "It can't be...!"
The redhead skidded to a halt, hands braced on her knees, panting. Then she stood upright, a bright smile lighting her face like a beacon. "Umi-chan...Fuu-chan..."
Fuu took a step backward, one hand clasped to her mouth. "Wh—who...?"
"It's me, Fuu-chan," Hikaru said. "It's me, Hikaru. I...I'm so glad you really made it back safe."
Umi's eyes became even wider, and her face drained of all color. "It...it can't be..."
Tears welled in the redhead's eyes. "It's been so long...I was afraid you wouldn't be able to make it back here..." She stared at the two girls, pain warring with relief in her eyes. "Umi-chan, Fuu-chan...it's me. Hikaru. Really."
"No...Hikaru's dead..." Umi said shakily.
Hikaru's smile vanished, and she bowed her head. "Hai...I am."
Umi fainted.
* * * * *
"—was not prepared for this sort of shock at all, was she?"
Fuu's voice filtered dimly through the haze of semi-consciousness as Umi stirred. Sound and color slowly faded into focus.
"I guess it wasn't very smart to just blurt it out like that," Hikaru replied sheepishly.
...HIKARU?
Umi snapped completely awake, sitting bolt upright. She was resting on a bench, with Fuu, a girl who looked very much like Hikaru,
(but Hikaru's dead, you saw her die)
and three other girls, all high-school age, in a loose circle around them at a respectful distance.
Umi fixed her attention on the redhead, taking in the details. The clothing was wrong, and there were a number of other differences in her appearance, but the sienna eyes staring out of that stranger's face were hauntingly familiar.
"Who...are you?" Umi asked.
The redhead turned to her, and smiled somewhat sadly. "I'm Hikaru. I really am, Umi-chan. I know it's hard to believe, but it really is me."
"You do bear a striking resemblance to Hikaru-san," Fuu said, "but it simply is not possible. Hikaru-san died two months ago. Also, at the time of her death, she was not quite as...developed." Fuu coughed delicately.
Hikaru flushed crimson. "Um...yeah..." She giggled. "Even when I died, I didn't look like this, but I did get a little taller and, um, bigger before..." She trailed off, a haunted look shadowing her face.
Umi decided she'd had enough. "Look, I don't know who you are, but Shidou Hikaru was a dear friend of ours, and we're still grieving for her, so this really is not funny."
"Umi-chan..."
"DON'T BE SO FAMILIAR WITH ME!" Umi shrieked.
The redhead drooped. "You never minded before," she said in a dejected tone. "Even on Cephiro you never yelled at me for that."
Umi froze, mouth agape. It suddenly felt as though all the blood in her body had turned into something ice-cold and slimy. "How..." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "How could you possibly know about Cephiro?"
The red-haired girl sighed. "I was there, Umi-ch..." She trailed off. "With you, and Fuu-chan, I was there. We were supposed to become Magic Knights together. I...I'm sorry I..."
She collapsed suddenly, sobbing. "I'm sorry!" she wailed. "I'm really sorry! You...you had to go on without me, and...and I know it must've been hard, but I'm glad you both made it back safe...I wish I'd been there to fight alongside you, I worried so much about you..."
Umi stared, stunned, at the crying girl. Then, she noticed something she had not noticed before:
The gauntlet. Hikaru's gauntlet, from Cephiro, adorning this unfamiliar redhead's left arm.
In a trembling, disbelieving voice, she asked, "Hikaru?"
"I believe this really is Hikaru-san," Fuu said softly, looking as shellshocked as Umi felt. "It is not possible for anyone but Hikaru-san to know about these things."
"HIKARU!" Umi cried suddenly, descending on the redhead and engulfing her in a fierce hug, tears streaming down her own cheeks. "Hikaru! You...!"
Fuu knelt beside them and joined the embrace, silent tears spilling behind her glasses. "Welcome back, Hikaru-san."
After a moment, the three were reminded that they were not alone when Ukyou spoke up, addressing the two other girls standing apart from the sobbing trio, "What the heck's a Cephiro?"
Hikaru tensed, then looked up at her new friends, an embarrassed and guilty look on her face.
Akane raised an eyebrow. "I think we're about to finally get the rest of the story, the stuff Hikaru's been hiding from us," she said.
Hikaru laughed nervously. "Ah...hai..."
* * * * *
The girls decided to migrate into the Tower proper before talking; it seemed somehow more appropriate to the younger three, as that was where their odd friendship began, and to the older three girls, it made sense to find a place to talk where the surrounding buzz of dozens of conversations would effectively prevent unwanted eavesdropping.
To that end, they had just reached the rooftop of the Foot Town complex when they encountered Ryouga, leaning against a wall near the stairwell. Akane called out to him, and he walked over to join them.
"You found the girls you came to look for then?" Ryouga asked Hikaru.
"Un."
"I'm surprised you found us again so fast," Ukyou commented.
Ryouga shot her an irritated and somewhat hurt look. "Give me SOME credit. I knew where you were headed—it's kind of hard to MISS Tokyo Tower, you know?"
Akane giggled. "He's got a point."
Umi looked around the roof level, frowning. "Are we going up to the observatory?"
Hikaru shook her head. "Not crowded enough yet. Let's find a corner here, it'll do."
A moment later, the seven of them were arranged in a loose, casual circle out of the path of foot traffic near the roof garden, looking for all the world like a group of high school students engaged in idle gossip.
Any passerby attentive enough to catch the conversation, however, would be shocked at how wrong that impression was.
* * * * *
"But Hikaru, I don't get it...how can you still be alive? We saw Zagato..."
"Actually, that's kind of why I was looking for you guys," Hikaru said. "I don't honestly know what happened, and if we're gonna fix the mess I'm in, that's where to start."
"The mess?" Fuu asked.
Hikaru sighed. "The truth is, I'm not exactly still alive. At least, we don't think I am."
Umi gawked at her. "You said that earlier, but...Hikaru...you're..."
The redhead shook her head. "I did die. Just not from what Zagato did to me. I died...somewhere else."
"Then if...if you're..."
"The nearest we've been able to tell is I'm sort of..." Hikaru shrugged. "Possessing is a word for it, I guess, someone else's body."
"Anou...Hikaru..." Umi's left eye twitched. "That kind of thing..."
"Umi-san," Fuu said, her glasses momentarily white with reflected light, "We have seen some very strange things..."
"Well, yeah, but..."
"This take too too long," Shampoo interrupted. She produced a can of hot coffee from somewhere, opened it, and poured it over Hikaru's head.
Umi and Fuu stared, jaws agape.
Hikaru let out a long, slow hiss of breath. "THANK you, Shampoo-chan, I really needed to walk around smelling like coffee all day." Akane and Ukyou shuddered; it was so strange hearing Ranma's voice speak with Hikaru's inflections.
"You is welcome!" Shampoo bubbled cheerfully. Everyone except Umi and Fuu facefaulted.
"Wh-wh-wh-WHAT THE HELL JUST HAPPENED HERE?!" Umi exclaimed, drawing several odd stares from passersby.
"This Ranma," Shampoo said as though nothing strange had happened.
"I thought you said this was Hikaru-san?" Fuu asked, adjusting her glasses.
"I'm still Hikaru," the dark-haired boy that had replaced the redhead said. "It's...really really complicated, and I don't totally understand it..." She took a deep breath. "Okay, this boy named Ranma fell in a cursed spring somewhere in China, and turns into a girl when splashed with cold water because a girl drowned in that spring fifteen hundred years ago, only I'm the girl who drowned in that spring, so he turns into ME, and hot water turns him back to this, and somehow my soul or ghost or whatever got stuck to him and for some reason I'm walking around using his body like it was my own and that's about as much as I know about this. Really."
A long, dry silence followed.
"You wanna run that by 'em again, sugar?" Ukyou asked, smirking.
"Do I have to?" Hikaru groaned.
Shampoo poured the rest of her bottle of water from earlier over Hikaru's head, and the familiar redhead returned, prompting another long, disbelieving stare from Umi and Fuu.
"I...I don't know how much more of this I can take," Umi said shakily.
* * * * *
For the next several minutes, Akane, Shampoo, and Ukyou patiently, slowly, and clearly explained the history of Ranma and his curse. To their credit, the two younger girls took it remarkably well.
"But...you can't have drowned in some magic pool in ancient China, Hikaru!" Umi exclaimed. "You died two months ago in Cephiro! We saw it happen!"
"Perhaps...our eyes deceived us, Umi-san."
"Fuu, Zagato hit her with a really nasty-looking spell, and there wasn't anything left but a puff of smoke."
"Precisely. That does not prove she died in Cephiro at all."
Now it was the Nerima group's turn to look confused. "Okay, I keep hearin' this 'Cephiro' stuff, but nobody's explainin' it," Ukyou commented.
Hikaru fidgeted. "I...I guess it's time I explain that part of it, huh?"
"Perhaps...I should explain it, Hikaru-san," Fuu said gently. "Your earlier attempt at explaining this situation was rather less than clear." Hikaru blushed and rubbed the back of her neck sheepishly.
"Two months ago, our respective schools were visiting Tokyo Tower. Hikaru-san, Umi-san, and I met coincidentally on the observation level. A moment after the three of us met, we saw a bright light and heard a voice. The voice-san was calling out to the 'legendary Magic Knights' and pleading for them to save the world from which the voice-san was calling.
"We then found ourselves in another world, completely different from our own. We soon met a mage, Clef-san, who told us that we had been summoned from this world to that other world, Cephiro, to prevent its destruction by becoming the Magic Knights.
"Clearly, it was a difficult story to believe, but Clef-san insisted that we would be unable to return to our world until we had accomplished the purpose for which we had been summoned.
"Cephiro is a land shaped by will, and supported by the will of one person they refer to as the Pillar. It was the Pillar, Emeraude-hime-san, who summoned us to Cephiro. We were given magical armor and the ability to use magic by Clef-san, and sent to, improbably as it seemed, save the world."
"Sounds like something out of a video game," Akane remarked.
"It rather does, does it not?" Fuu smiled sadly. "Hikaru-san was the most optimistic about our chances of becoming Magic Knights. Things were going quite well for us for a while, too, until..."
"Zagato decided to skip straight to the end boss battle," Umi said bitterly.
* * * * *
A massive, imposing figure in heavy black armor appeared suddenly in the three girls' path, wreathed in a corona of dark energy.
"Girls from another world," the man spoke in a deep, booming voice. "I am afraid your quest to become the legendary Magic Knights must end here."
Hikaru scowled, drawing her sword from her glove. "Who are you?" she challenged.
The man smirked, eyes half-closed. "For as long as you choose to pursue this foolish ambition, I am your enemy."
Fuu's brow creased in thought. "Are you, perhaps...Zagato-san?"
"ZAGATO?!" Umi and Hikaru chorused.
Zagato laughed. "Perceptive. Commendable. I am Zagato, High Priest of Cephiro." His eyes became hard, his expression changing to a scowl in an instant. "Know that I take no pleasure in senseless murder. However, if you refuse to abandon your quest, know this: you shall die in vain."
"You...!" Hikaru roared out a kiai, charging forward to strike.
"Futile," Zagato chided, vanishing and reappearing several meters away. He flung a bolt of black lightning at Hikaru, which she deflected with her sword; the impact was forceful enough to knock her several steps backwards.
"Hikaru!" Umi cried.
"You," Zagato addressed the redhead, who was bracing for another attack, "are the heart of this group. I have learned this. It is my belief that removing you from this world would remove your allies' will to continue this quest."
"I'm not going to die here!" Hikaru shouted. "I'm going to beat you and save Emeraude-hime, and me and Umi-chan and Fuu-chan will go home together to Tokyo! AKAI—"
"ERASE."
A large black sphere of energy, crackling with bolts of purple lightning, erupted from Zagato's outstretched hand. Before Hikaru had time to react, it had engulfed her. She screamed, the light of her spell sputtering and dying.
"HIKARU!!" Umi cried. "STOP IT, YOU BASTARD!"
"There will be no legendary Magic Knights!"
* * * * *
"And then, Hikaru-san was...gone."
Hikaru's fists clenched at the bitter memory. "Zagato..."
"How awful," Akane said softly.
"We fought on without Hikaru-san," Fuu continued, eyes misting, "but as Zagato-san had surmised, without her, our willpower and determination were diminished. I was unable to awaken the second Mashin, and Umi-san's Mashin did not acknowledge her again."
"But we kept fighting," Umi said, voice hoarse as fresh, hot tears spilled down her cheeks. "We couldn't let Hikaru's death be for nothing. We...we cou..." She suddenly let out an inarticulate yell, slamming her fist against the wall. "DAMMIT! It WAS all for nothing! It..."
Fuu silently placed a hand on Umi's shoulder, steadying her. Umi clutched Fuu's hand with her own and sobbed quietly.
"Zagato-san did not send any more minions to stop us. He did not need to. Our own hearts had already robbed us of the power to become Magic Knights."
"Umi-chan...Fuu-chan..." Hikaru's eyes were wide and wet. "So...what happened? What happened to Cephiro after..."
Fuu sighed. "It is...very painful. Please brace yourself."
* * * * *
Heavy-hearted and road-weary, the two girls with weak magic and unevolved armor reached their final destination, the castle in which the Pillar of Cephiro awaited them.
They met no opposition; the gates opened, and nobody appeared to stop them.
They reached the throne room, and found Zagato there, waiting.
"Girls from another world," he said laconically, "welcome. It is now time, is it not? To end this pathetic game."
Umi raised her sword, red-rimmed eyes glaring balefully at the High Priest. "For what you did to Hikaru..."
"Oh? Your motive is now revenge, rather than the justice you blindly pursue? Or the desire to return to your own world?" Zagato sighed, and stood. "Foolish. No amount of your hate will change reality. You are not Magic Knights, and the Pillar will not be slain. I will protect her from all who would do her harm—"
"SLAIN?!" Umi shouted. "What are y—"
Zagato raised an eyebrow. "You did not know? It was not explained to you?"
"Very little has been explained to us," Fuu said tiredly.
The High Priest chuckled darkly. "I see. Allow me, then, to enlighten you. But first..." He gestured with one hand, and in a ball of white light, a small, frail girl with long blond hair, clad in a simple yet elegant white gown, appeared beside him.
Umi gasped. "Is that—?"
"I am Emeraude of Cephiro," the girl said. "I am the Pillar." Tears welled in her eyes. "Zagato...what you have done...it is so foolish..."
"What I have done was necessary. I will not sacrifice your happiness for the sake of this world." He knelt beside the princess, and gently took her hand, caressing it.
Umi and Fuu stared in shock.
"Wait...what the hell's going on here?" Umi shouted. "Emeraude-hime, aren't you his prisoner? Haven't we come here to rescue you?"
Emeraude turned her head away, unwilling to face the two girls. "That...was never the situation."
"This world, Cephiro, is supported by the prayers of the Pillar, whose will is the strongest of all who dwell here," Zagato explained, facing the weary girls directly. "If the Pillar cannot devote all of her will, all of her heart, to the peace of this land, then this land begins to crumble. For that purpose, in order to allow the replacement of the Pillar, the existing Pillar must die before the very land itself disappears. None who hail from here may raise a hand against the Pillar. It is for this reason alone that the power exists to call forth those from another world who have the potential to become Magic Knights—strong-willed warriors who can overcome the hazards of the decaying Cephiro to kill the Pillar."
Umi and Fuu gasped in horror. "No..."
"My life exists only to serve the peace of Cephiro," Emeraude said. "I must not think of myself, but only of the people of this land, to preserve its peace and happiness. My own happiness is not necessary or permitted.
"However, I have foolishly and selfishly fallen in love with High Priest Zagato."
"And I, in turn, with her."
"WHAT?!" Umi yelled.
"It is true," Emeraude said, voice quavering. "I have allowed myself to think only of him, and of his happiness, and have neglected my prayers for Cephiro." She finally looked at the two Japanese girls. "You have witnessed the result. This world is dying because of my selfish heart."
"And you just expect us...you expect us to kill you, just because you're in love with someone?"
"It is the only acceptable outcome, for the sake of Cephiro."
Umi's sword slipped from her hand, clattering loudly on the floor. With slow, measured steps, head bowed, she walked toward the towering priest and the small, frail princess.
"You..." she whispered harshly. "For this, Hikaru...Hikaru died. Presea died. Clef...Ascot...Caldina...everyone who has suffered from this pointless war..."
Umi stopped in front of Emeraude, staring down at her, eyes hidden by her bangs.
"Hikaru...believed in you..."
The sharp retort of Umi's slap echoed in the cavernous room. Zagato pushed her roughly to the floor, but she did not cry out; she stood again, facing Emeraude, who held her cheek, confusion and pain in her tearful eyes.
"You're right about one thing. You are a selfish little bitch."
"You dare to—"
"You will not speak, Zagato-san," Fuu said. She had somehow found her way to Umi's side, and the point of her longsword was pressed against Zagato's throat.
Umi raised her head, eyes full of murderous rage. "HOW IS IT A SIN TO BE HAPPY? HOW IS IT A SIN TO LOVE? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, TO HURT SO MANY PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU'RE A COWARD WHO RUNS AWAY FROM HER OWN HEART?"
Emeraude gasped. "I—"
"SHUT UP!!" Umi's arms trembled in rage, her fists clenched so tightly that small rivulets of blood were now tracing dark trails between her fingers. "Just...you have no right to speak to us. Not after Hikaru died because she thought she was coming to SAVE you."
"I...I never asked for myself to be saved. I..."
"Emeraude-san, why do you believe that you must sacrifice your own happiness and desires to support this land?"
"It...has always been the way..."
"Did it never occur to you, even once, that allowing your own happiness, that allowing yourself to love one man, might in fact not result in the destruction of this world?"
Neither Emeraude nor Zagato spoke.
"I see," Fuu said, adjusting her glasses. "So you believe that, in a world where the will of the human heart shapes reality itself, that this world functions only in absolutes? That love, peace, and happiness only come in values of all or none? Is this truly what you believe?"
Zagato swallowed, mindful of the sword at his throat. "That has never been what I believe," he replied. "I have tried to express this to Emeraude, but she has been...less than receptive of the idea. She feels guilt and shame over her feelings of love. She believes she has failed this land."
"She's failed the hell out of it," Umi snapped. "She's failed everyone and everything, by being too fucking stupid to be allowed to live." She turned and walked away from the pair. "But death is what she wants, and I have absolutely no desire to give this little bitch what she wants. Do you hear me? If you want to die so badly, kill your own damn self. But as for me, as for Fuu..." She turned sharply, eyes fierce and glaring like an angry dragon. "SEND US HOME! RIGHT NOW!"
Emeraude bowed her head. "Very well."
A flash of light later, and Umi and Fuu found themselves standing on the observation deck of Tokyo Tower.
* * * * *
Hikaru stared at her two friends in utter horror, face devoid of color. "Uso..."
"That's..." Akane began, then stopped. "I don't even have the words for it."
"Me neither," Ukyou added, tears in her eyes. "Kami-sama, they really put you through hell, didn't they?"
Umi bowed her head. "Hikaru...I..."
"Why...why didn't Clef tell us?" Hikaru asked. "Why did he lie?"
Fuu sighed. "Perhaps...they believed that if we knew the truth behind the duty we were tasked with, we would refuse. You, Hikaru-san, approached the task set before us with enthusiasm, with the full belief that we were truly there to save Emeraude-hime-san. Perhaps..." She looked down. "Perhaps...Clef-san allowed us to operate under our own assumptions because it was the path of least resistance."
"That's just damned dirty," Ryouga said.
"So we weren't...and I was so..." Hikaru sank to her knees. "Then it was my fault..."
"Hikaru, no!" Umi shouted. "It wasn't your fault! How the hell were you supposed to know? None of us knew! The whole thing was just so stupid..."
"Perhaps a change of topic is in order," Fuu said quietly. "I, for one, am curious as to why Hikaru-san did not die when struck by Zagato-san's spell."
Umi gasped. "Oh God, I forgot to ask! Hikaru! What DID happen to you?"
The redhead took a moment to compose herself, standing up again. "I blacked out when the spell hit me. When I woke up, I was in a valley, surrounded by mountains. Before I knew what was happening, a group of men wearing animal skins came running toward me, yelling and pointing. I couldn't move because every muscle in my body was numb and I had a horrible headache.
"They were speaking Chinese, so I couldn't understand them. They tied me up and hauled me to my feet, then marched me up a long mountain pass.
"They took me to this huge palace, and led me down into the dungeons. They stripped me naked and locked me in a cell." Everyone gasped. Hikaru closed her eyes, trembling. "They...they hardly ever fed me, and every so often they..."
"You don't need to say it!" Akane said hastily.
"No, I..." Hikaru faltered. "They beat me, and they...abused me."
"Hikaru..." Umi clutched her face in her hands, eyes wide in horror.
"It went on for what felt like months," the redhead continued, head bowed, tears falling to the ground. "One day, they got careless. I guess they thought I was broken. I...I was, really. But some instinct made me...
"They weren't guarding the door, and there was a sword. I...I took it, killed the man...assaulting me, and ran. I was really weak, I hadn't been fed properly in forever and my body barely moved, but...something made me keep going.
"I fought my way out of the palace, ran down the mountains, and finally, when I reached that valley I first found myself in, my body finally gave up, and I collapsed."
She folded her arms tightly across her chest, clutching her shoulders, withdrawing into herself. "They...they caught me. They made a bamboo cross and tied me to it..." She shuddered, whimpering. "After they...after they were...finished with me, they cut me loose and shoved my head into a spring." She let out a long, ragged, sob.
Nobody spoke for a long time.
* * * * *
It was a half hour before Hikaru had finally regained her composure, largely in part to the soothing attentions of Umi, Fuu, and Akane. A few people passing by had attempted to ask what was wrong or offer help, but were deterred by the hostile glares of Shampoo, Ukyou, and Ryouga.
"I...I'm okay now," Hikaru said hoarsely. "Th...thank you all."
"Okay? I don't think you're okay at all," Akane said with a frown. "Nobody could be okay after that. I'm sorry you had to relive that..."
"No, really. I...I think it helped a little to talk about it."
"My God, Hikaru...we thought you were dead, but...it was a lot worse than that, wasn't it?" Umi dug her fingernails into her palms. "Damn that Zagato...and Emeraude...they're the ones who did this to you."
Fuu cleared her throat. "Based on the earlier story about these cursed springs, the demonstration of said curse, and now the tale of Hikaru-san's...ordeal, would it be reasonable to assume that the current theory involves Hikaru-san being, in fact, the girl who drowned at that place fifteen hundred years ago?"
"That's our best guess," Akane answered.
A heavy silence hung after that pronouncement.
"So...what happens now?" Ukyou asked. "I mean, we've got a lot of answers to a lot of questions, but we've still got a real big problem here."
"And no idea how to solve it," Ryouga added. "Boy, what I wouldn't give to get my hands on this Zagato bastard..."
"This whole goddamn thing is that bitch princess' fault," Umi snarled. "I want to go back there one more time and slap her again, a lot harder."
"She and Zagato-san should both be held accountable for their crimes," Fuu added, eyes hard.
"Yeah," Akane agreed.
"I don't..." Hikaru said quietly. "I can't hate them, even after everything. I just...I just wish I could ask them WHY..."
The partly overcast, dull blue-gray sky suddenly became blindingly white and painfully bright. Everyone looked up in shock.
"What the hell?" Ukyou asked.
"What that light?" Shampoo demanded of nobody in particular, shielding her eyes.
The eyes of the three Magic Knights widened. "Uso..." Umi hissed. "It's—"
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