"This is outrageous! Avatar, what is the meaning of this?! I will be submitting a complaint!" shouted the pompous male voice from somewhere outside.
"Shut up and die, demon!" cried a female voice from the same direction, accompanied by the sound of metal striking … crystal?
Ranma sighed, placed a marker in his book before setting it down on the living room table, and stood up. "Guess I need to see what's going on. Alquia," he said, the elvish word triggering a flare of magic that condensed water from the air to trigger his curse. "I'm a guy," she added flatly, transforming into the Avatar of Light as she walked outside.
"This is unacceptable! Absolutely unacceptable!" cried a slightly overweight man with a pair of short black horns protruding from his forehead. He appeared to be in his late twenties; his skin was pale, his hair tied into a very short ponytail, and his goatee was impeccably groomed. His slacks and dress shirt were both black silk, and his black boots looked very expensive. Ranma couldn't help but think that he looked rather over-groomed, a man trying too hard to make sure he looked just right, unlike the relaxed charm and casual good looks Henri had had. She hurriedly shoved those thoughts aside and watched as the man swung his dark crystal dagger, barely deflecting his opponent's gleaming silver sword as he gave ground. His attacker was a woman who looked to be several years younger, tall and fair with golden hair and hazel eyes. She wore a dark brown leather tunic that bore short metal studs and was partially concealed by a green jacket, thick black leather breeches, and gloves and boots that appeared to be made of a softer brown leather.
"What's going on out here?" Ranma demanded.
"Avatar! How dare you set your minion on me in this underhanded and cowardly assault! Call off your attack dog at once!"
"Avatar!" the woman cheerfully called, "I found this demon skulking outside your home! It won't take much longer to deal with it," she called as her sword scored a red line along her opponent's hand, eliciting a yelp.
"I was not skulking! I am a challenger!" the demon exclaimed with indignation, "Avatar, I demand you put a stop to this! You can't let challengers be ambushed when they approach you!"
"Yeah… I've never seen either of you before in my life; she has nothing to do with me."
"As I said, I am a challenger. You have an obligation to make sure I'm safe during my visit!"
"But you haven't challenged me yet," Ranma said as the woman eased her attacks slightly to listen to the conversation. "I'm not going to step into your ongoing fights just because you want to challenge me, you know. You have to resolve your issues before you can make a challenge; this is none of my business."
"None of your business?! I was attacked on your lawn!!!"
"I suppose you have a point," she allowed before her voice hardened. "Both of you, get the hell off my property."
"What?!" screeched the demon. "You're just going to let this ruffian attack your challengers?"
"No," said Ranma, before addressing the woman. "Don't attack demons around here after this one unless they're actively causing trouble."
"What do you mean, after this one?!"
"Protecting you from her before you challenged me would set a bad precedent. Also, I don't want to. Now, are you going to leave or do I need to call Velgri?"
The demon nervously licked his lips and glanced at his opponent, who smiled cheerfully at him and stepped back a few feet, gesturing at the street with her free hand. Muttering, he walked off the property, the woman happily following him.
"Hey, there's a lot a couple of blocks over where you can fight without getting run over," Ranma called as she followed them to the sidewalk. "Or you can use the challenge area, if you want someplace bigger."
"The lot's fine," the woman replied, "this shouldn't take long at all."
When the demon's only response was to grumble while his eyes darted around, clearly searching for escape routes, Ranma asked, "Hey, what makes you think you're going to have any chance in a challenge if you can't handle some random person you run across?"
"My powers are optimized to counter you, Avatar, not random riff raff," he huffed as they walked to the vacant lot.
"Oh, well good luck with that. You can challenge me if you survive, Mr. One Trick Pony."
"My name is Morion, not One Trick Pony!" shouted the demon as smokey darkness swirled around him.
"Die, Morion!" cried the woman as she launched herself at him in a flurry of thrusts and short swings of her silver sword.
For several seconds, Morion could do nothing more than desperately dodge and parry with his dark crystal dagger as he gave ground. The moment there was a pause in his opponent's attacks, he lunged forward, lightning fast, and struck, his dagger dripping a seething black miasma. With casual ease, the woman deflected the dagger to the side and plunged her sword into his chest. Morion's weapon slipped from his hand, and a moment later, he followed it to the ground before dissolving into black smoke.
"Very nice," Ranma said with a nod. "So, considering you knew where I live, I'm guessing you're here to see me."
"That's right," the woman said, as she lowered her sword to her side and focused her gaze on the Avatar. "Hello, my name is Branwen Bullseye, you killed my brother." As Ranma's expression tightened and she shifted slightly into a more combat ready stance, the woman beamed and exclaimed, "Thank you!"
"Er, what?"
"Oh! I'm sorry, I guess I did come across rather Inigo Montoya there," she laughed. "My brother was the worst sort of scum," she said, her mood darkening, "and if I were permitted to kill him myself, I would have done it years ago."
"Why couldn't you? I mean, besides, you know, the law."
"Mother said I wasn't allowed to unless he attacked me first."
"Okaaay," Ranma said slowly. "You're … welcome?"
Branwen smiled and nodded, then clapped her hand together and eagerly asked, "So, would you like to search out and destroy evil together?"
Ranma sighed and massaged her forehead. "Let's talk inside…"
oOo
"Would you like some tea?" the Avatar of Light asked as she led her guest into the house.
"Yes, please."
"Oh, I'll get it," Kasumi said as she walked to the kitchen, "you should entertain your guest."
"Thanks, Kasumi," Ranma said as she walked into the living room and sat at the table with Branwen, glancing at the shougi table where Genma and Soun were playing against, and judging by their frowns and looks of intense concentration, once again losing to, Velgri. After a moment, the lavender fox excused herself and joined the two women.
"Velgri," said Ranma, "this is Branwen Bullseye. Branwen, this is Velgri, my advisor."
"Good day, it's a pleasure to meet you."
"You, as well, Velgri."
"Right," said Ranma, "first things first, Branwen, you should be thanking Velgri for taking care of Brandon. He came here while I was out and instead of coming back or leaving his contact info, he tried to kill one of the people who lives here."
"Oh! Thank you very much, Velgri, the world is a much better place without him. I knew he'd come here to challenge the Avatar and died. I just assumed she had killed him. I hope he didn't give you too much trouble."
"None whatsoever."
"Good," Branwen said, dark satisfaction in her voice.
"As for going out and looking for evil," Ranma started to say before stopping as Kasumi arrived bearing tea and small pastries. Once everyone had been served and thanked her, Ranma continued, "It'd be great, but my position requires me to only accept official challenges. Unless I run into something, of course, but I'm not supposed to go out and actively look for trouble."
"Oh," said Branwen, somewhat taken aback, "that seems odd. No offense intended."
"It is understandable that it would seem strange to you," Velgri replied, "but the entire purpose of the Avatar of Light is to accept challenges from the forces of Darkness. Neither side begrudges her the use of her powers if she finds herself in desperate situations, but deliberately using the position for personal causes, especially against Dark beings who have not challenged her, is not something we permit. Consider it akin to not allowing police officers to go around wearing their uniforms and fighting crime on their own time."
"Ah, it still seems a bit strange, but I suppose I can understand the reasoning. I'm saddened that I won't be able to fight side by side with the Avatar of Light, though."
"I guess if you ever need help, I can do it as myself," Ranma said as she released her transformation and assumed her normal form.
"What are you doing, b—girl?!" demanded Genma. "You can't just go around telling everyone you're a magical girl! Think of your reputation!"
"She already knew where I live, old man," Ranma said, rolling her eyes. "It wouldn't have been hard to figure out who I am."
"Thank you for your trust in me," Branwen said, bowing her head. "It's true I likely could have discovered your identity if I chose, but I would not have tried, and I appreciate your offer of aid if I'm ever in need."
"No problem."
After another fifteen minutes of small talk and enjoyment of the excellent refreshments, Branwen made her farewells and left.
"Let's spar, boy, it's been too long since I've put you through your paces," Genma said as he rose from the shougi board, "I don't want you getting soft."
"Getting soft? You do realize I have a fight to death every couple of weeks or so, right?" she asked, as she stood up and stretched.
"All the more reason not to get soft," he replied grimly as the two of them went to the back yard, now in a much more sober mood that was reflected in the tone of their sparring.
"You still have a long way to go, boy," Genma declared a few hours later, "but not bad, not bad at all."
"Thanks," Ranma said, wiping her brow with a towel. "It's been a while since you've actually given tips and made suggestions. It reminded me of when we were on the road years ago. It was nice."
"The best way to learn is by doing," Genma stated as he wiped his bald head and replaced the bandana that had been covering it with a clean one. "When you realize that something works better by doing it differently, you understand why it does and remember the moment of discovery. If I tell you it works better a certain way, it's just something more to remember."
"Why the change today, then?"
"Like you said, you have challenges every couple of weeks, give or take. Learning something in a better way a month from now won't help you if you end up needing that knowledge tomorrow. I stopped giving you instructions when I felt you were skilled enough to improve solely through experience, boy. Now, I'm hoping you've grown enough as a martial artist to understand the tips I've given you to get nearly as much benefit."
Ranma nodded shortly. "I'll make sure I do."
"Good," Genma replied as he turned and walked into the house.
Deep in thought, Ranma entered the dojo and once again gazed upon the wall scroll and its calligraphy: iroha—fundamentals. That's what it all came down to, understanding the principles of the art so well that you can refine your every technique, every movement, to be a perfect expression of it. That's what the old man wanted her to achieve, and—
"Ranma," Nabiki's voice sounded in her head, "You need to come to the convention center downtown."
"Nabiki? Why, what's wrong?" she sent back through the link created by the card she'd given Nabiki as she quickly left the dojo.
"There's an Avatar of Light cosplay contest at the anime con."
Ranma stopped. "I don't care how good the prize is, I'm not entering. I gave you that card for emergencies only, you know."
"Suit yourself, but some of the cosplayers are very convincing, and I figured you might want to put a stop to this before one of them runs into the next Brandon Bullseye."
"Crap." Ranma started moving again.
oOo
"Excuse me, which way is—"
"Room 8B, down the second hall to the right." The girl at the information booth paused. "Uh, unless you're actually asking where the toilet is. I mean, I just assumed you're here for the Avatar of Light cosplay…"
"I am, thanks," Ranma said and turned to go the indicated way.
"I really love your outfit!" the girl called.
"Thanks," Ranma replied, a bit unenthusiastically, before going to room 8B where she found about a dozen other Avatars, some of them looking very authentic.
"Ooh, you look great! That's definitely one of the best!" an Avatar gushed as everyone turned to assess the newcomer.
"Thanks… Uh, you look very good too. Say, who's in charge here?"
"I am," replied a girl dressed in a white blouse and blue skirt as she picked a clipboard up from a table and walked over. "Please put your name on the sign-in sheet."
"Yeah, about that… actually, I'd like you to call this thing off. Well, I guess it's fine for you to pick the winners first, but this really isn't a good idea and I'd like you to stop."
"Excuse me? I'm sorry, but who are you to tell us…" The girl trailed off as a golden aura formed around Ranma and gasps, exclamations, and furious whispers rose from the cosplayers filled the room.
"Look, it's really flattering, and everyone here has done a great job," Ranma said, pausing as her gaze fell upon a girl with spiky blond hair wearing a blue shirt and trousers and bearing an enormous sword on her back. "Uh…"
"Oh, I'm just here with my brother," the girl chirped as she indicated an Avatar whom Ranma could have mistaken for her own reflection if there were a pane of glass between them.
"Right…" Ranma said, ignoring the gushing of a couple of the Avatars near the brother and their asking if he was at all into lolita fashion. "Like I said, you all look great, but that's part of the problem—dressing like me isn't safe. Look, I'm not saying people are constantly trying to kill me, but I have been attacked by some lunatic once already, and I don't want another to mistake one of you for the real thing."
There was a long moment of silence as the girls, and at least one boy, took that in and processed that the actual Avatar of Light was there in front of them before the organizer spoke up. "We appreciate your concern, miss, and that you actually came here because you were worried, but that seems really unlikely, doesn't it? I mean, I don't think anyone plans to go around in costume except at events like this."
Ranma shook her head. "I've seen way less likely things happen a bunch of times, and aside from that? That lunatic I mentioned, he tried to kill someone just to send a message to me, and it would send one hell of a message to attack a room full of people dressed as me."
"Uh, is that lunatic still out there?" one Avatar asked as a number of others started to look nervous.
"No, he's dead."
"Ah," said the organizer as a number of the Avatars paled at that flat declaration. "In that case, please accept my thanks again for coming to warn us and rest assured that this will be the last Avatar of Light cosplay event I run. I'll be sure to let other people in the community know, as well." She thought for a moment. "If someone does an event anyway, I recommend not making an appearance; it could encourage people to keep having them just to meet you."
"Thanks, and that's a good idea," Ranma said, giving a wave and turning to the door.
"Actually, if you wouldn't mind, we'd be greatly honored if you'd judge this first and only contest—since you're here already, that is. And if you'd be willing to give autographs and pose for pictures… Only if you want, of course! It's just that it's so incredible that you're actually here!"
"Uh, okay… So, if everyone would just… Actually, I'll let you handle that. It's your show, I'll just judge."
"Thank you," the organizer said, flashing her a brilliant smile. "My name is Shinobu Tanaka." This immediately prompted everyone else in the room to introduce themselves to the Avatar of Light.
"It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
With that, Shinobu took a few minutes to organize and instruct the other Avatars. "Ok, I think we're ready now. Thank you for waiting. If the first—hello, can I help you?"
"Oh good, I didn't miss it," Nabiki said as she walked into the room. "I was hoping to get some pictures," she added, holding up the SLR camera that hung from a strap around her neck.
"Of course!" Shinobu exclaimed, "And if you wouldn't mind making the prints available to everyone here, that would be wonderful."
"Not at all, and my rates are quite reasonable; we can exchange contact information after the event. And who's this Avatar standing apart from the others? Is she the third place winner?" Nabiki asked, prompting titters and awkward coughs from the people in the room.
"Oh, not at all," Shinobu smoothly replied, "she's actually not competing because she's a professional and this is an amateur contest. She's the judge."
"That makes sense," Nabiki remarked, flashing a smile at Ranma and getting a flat look in return. "Well, I'm sure your time is valuable, then, so please ignore me and carry on."
oOo
"Just how many pictures did you take there?" Ranma grumpily asked as they walked through the convention after the contest had finally finished and he'd snuck off to detransform and get some hot water.
"Four rolls. Everyone wanted a shot of themselves with the judge for some reason."
"Funny. Did you really call me because you were worried about them or was this just an excuse to sell pictures?"
"Can't it be both?" Nabiki asked, fluttering her eyelashes before shrugging. "Honestly, it was mostly because I knew it'd worry you and you'd feel guilty if anything happened, but why not make some money while making some cosplayers very happy by giving them photos of a once in a lifetime experience."
"Yeah, okay, I guess. Thanks for calling me."
"You're welcome. Let's get something to drink, it was a bit warm in there."
A few minutes later, they were sipping drinks and sitting at a table they had managed to claim by virtue of Ranma leaping across the room to grab it just as the previous occupants got up.
"I should have known you'd stick me with the bill…"
"You really should have," Nabiki agreed.
"Why were you here, anyway? This doesn't really seem like your kind of thing."
"It's not. I just felt the need to get out of the house this morning, and some friends were coming here. They left around the time I found the contest."
"I guess it's lucky that you did." He frowned and looked around. "These places are too crowded and noisy."
"I can't believe the box set was sold out!" a boy wailed from the crowd.
"I will call you Antoinette!" a girl cried somewhere nearby, prompting Nabiki to place a hand protectively on her camera.
"Did you really have to buy a full set of every series they had, Shari?"
"Are you kidding? It's not like they have any of these back home, Tetsu!"
"Excuse me, could you tell me which way it is to Tokumasu Station?"
"Tokuma—?! We're in Nerima, buddy!"
"Let's get the hell out of here," Ranma suggested.
oOo
"Are you sure you don't want any of your brother's stuff?" Branwen's cousin Fujiko called out as the woman in question walked past Brandon's bedroom. "There's a whole case of tiny anti-personnel mines with remote arming capability here—you could take out an entire crowd with these!"
"Thank you, but I have no interest in such … diversions," Branwen replied, an expression of disgust twisting her face as she walked on, ignoring her cousin's muttered comment of "Stuck up bitch." Once outside, she checked her equipment then headed off to her hunting grounds for the evening. It was a shame the Avatar was prohibited from joining her; Branwen would have loved to have some company in her self-appointed duty. In the face of the rest of her family's violent and depraved inclinations, she usually felt like a lone light in the darkness. As her hand caressed the hilt of her sword, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly as she had to admit that she, herself, had violent tendencies, but there was a world of difference in how she acted on them.
Branwen walked along the trail leading down to the gulley she was planning to investigate. It was times like this that she envied the magical girls and martial artists who could have just jumped down—and even back up—but it was a fact of life that everyone had their own particular gifts and weaknesses. Walking past the scattered brush and the various trash people had dumped, she cautiously headed toward the bridge ahead; the recent rash of missing pet posters combined with the unusual lack of homeless people in the area hinted at something dangerous and hungry having moved in. As she passed a safe missing its door, the hints were confirmed by the sight of a troll of some sort chewing on an abandoned shopping cart. She crept forward, stepping quietly and taking advantage of what cover there was, managing to get within fifteen feet of the beast before it raised its head and sniffed the air, prompting her to draw her sword and advance openly.
With an angry roar, the troll hurled the battered shopping cart at her, missing by a wide margin as she easily sidestepped the less than aerodynamic projectile. In a blur of motion, the troll itself followed the cart, the slash of its right claws missing as Branwen pivoted and deflected the attack with her silver blade, her movement placing her out of easy reach of the creature's other arm and threatening its exposed side. Rather than taking the opportunity to land a light thrust to the side, she adjusted her sword's position slightly, and when the troll reacted to the danger by spinning back around with a wicked backswing, she swung her blade in a vertical arc to meet and smoothly slice through its arm, sending the severed limb flying. The beast stared in shock at its suddenly much shorter arm, until another flash of the silver blade sent its head to join the arm on the ground.
The troll dead, Branwen began exploring the area under the bridge, making sure another monster didn't lurk nearby before sheathing her sword. She discovered a number of small bones and a couple of dog collars but thankfully no human remains. Nodding in satisfaction, she walked on, exploring the rest of the gully, just in case something else foul was hiding within. As she reached the far end, where it gave way to a wooded slope, she frowned and rested her hand on her sword's hilt, feeling something's attention on her. She warily looked around, and her gaze fell upon a black bird perched on the lowest branch of a nearby tree. For a long moment, she silently watched the bird as it watched her. Then the crow spoke.
oOo
Pretty Special stood in the large dirt bowl where she came to practice her powers and focused as she took a deep breath. She held it for a moment, then released it as she raised her hands, and for the next few seconds, the area before her was awash with streams of lightning.
"Not bad… a little stronger than before, I think," she mused before setting off at a jog, firing threads of energy mixed with an occasional more powerful orb at various targets as she ran. After several minutes, she came to a stop and nodded. "Definitely stronger. Now, let's see what kind of difference strengthening the connection to my power makes."
She took a moment to make sure she was still alone and unobserved, then sank into meditation. A few seconds later, she frowned. She could feel the power within her, but there was less of it than she'd felt during her lesson with Ranma. Thinking that maybe her connection to the power's source had faded since then, she focused on tracing it back to its origin. The result was only more confusion as instead of springing from everything around her, the warm, comforting power inside her just seemed to come from somewhere that she couldn't identify. Spending some time focusing on her connection to this mysterious place did seem to increase the amount of power within her somewhat, but it still wasn't close to what it had been.
Nabiki sighed and opened her eyes. There was clearly some factor that was affecting her power and its connection to the source, but she had no idea what it was. There were some avenues to explore, though: time, location, proximity, and state of mind. Scanning the area again to make sure she was unobserved, she reverted to her normal form and started walking home, deep in thought. After a few minutes, she paused and reached for the power within her, comparing it to what it had been in her training spot. No change, so if the difference was based on location, it wasn't so sensit—wait, no change?
Nabiki glanced around, then pointed a finger at a puddle beside the path she was on. An icy blue thread of energy stuck the water and froze it solid. For a long moment, she just stared at the ice before resuming her walk. "Well, now…"
"So, you say you want to help me in my fight against evil," Branwen said to the crow from the large rock upon which she was sitting.
"Yes," the crow replied from the branch, "I've been watching you for a while, and you're really quite impressive. Your determination, cunning, skill, and dedication to your cause are all exceptionally strong."
"Huh." She adjusted the hilt of her sword slightly. "What sort of help are you offering? Reconnaissance? Counsel?"
"Well, I certainly bring intelligence to the table in every sense of the word," the crow said, a gleam of amusement in his beady eye, "but I also offer empowerment."
"Empowerment?"
"Oh, yes. Sadly, I'm limited in what I can do on my own, but I've found I have the ability to grant strength to a bonded partner. Given the choice, I'd rather help a worthy person do great things than remain the master of my own insignificant fate."
Bronwen nodded in understanding. "What exactly do you mean by bonded?"
"By giving up my physical form, I can instead appear as two dimensional representation on my partner's clothing, or skin, if necessary. The bond isn't permanent, though if maintained long enough, there can be repercussions from breaking it."
She hmmed. "Tell me more about this strength you grant and the consequences of breaking the bond."
"It's essentially an enhancement of physical and magical ability—you'd be faster, stronger, and more durable, but magical gifts vary from person to person. As for breaking the bond, I'd say anything up to a few weeks would cause nothing more than a sense of malaise; a few months would probably knock you out but cause no lasting harm; a few years would probably cause a week of infirmity; with longer times increasing the length and intensity until after fifteen or so years, breaking the bond simply results in death. All would be also accompanied by the lack of the enhancements you've no doubt become accustomed to, though that would hardly matter in the last case."
"Would these consequences fall on both of us?"
"Oh, not at all. I'll be fine in any case."
"How fortunate for you."
"Indeed, and I'd hardly be here to offer my aid to you if it were otherwise."
"You've had other partners, then?"
"A few over the years."
"I'd like to hear about your previous partners, if you don't mind."
"Certainly. The first was a lot like you in many ways. She was a mighty warrior, who clad in her radiant armor, fought tirelessly against the forces of darkness with her fiery sword. I couldn't offer her much in the way of empowerment as she had already received power from another source, but I like to believe my counsel and sharp eyes helped her excel more than she would have otherwise. Eventually, she fell in battle and I was left on my own.
"The most recent was a girl from a society where the strong rule over the weak. She started with nothing in the way of resources or support, but she had intelligence, cunning, and a fierce determination to claw her way to a position of power and independence. How could I leave her on her own and let that spark be extinguished by the power and greed of those born into more fortunate circumstances? I know, she was very different from both her predecessor and you, but in her environment, becoming a hero was never an option."
"Did she attain her goals?"
"She was well on her way to them, but eventually she found herself obstructing the plans of a being both powerful and sly. There was no malice involved, and I don't think she even realized she was in danger to the very end. Please forgive me, but I'd rather not speak more of it; it was quite recent."
"My apologies. I'm sorry for your loss."
"Much appreciated. Do you have further questions?"
"Yes. Why me? I know you said you were impressed, but surely there must be better choices."
"Not really. Oh, there may be some out there who, all things being equal, would be just as good a choice, but a number of them have already been granted powers and would receive minimal benefit from myself. The Avatar of Light, whom you recently visited, would fall into that group, for example. Then there are those who have the character traits and qualities I prize but use them in a way that wouldn't benefit much from physical empowerment. A champion in the field of law or politics, for instance, could certainly benefit from my counsel but wouldn't make much use of the physical benefits. In addition to that, there's your family."
"My family?"
"Oh yes. They've always been very impressive and I've been following their deeds for a long time. I haven't bonded with any of your ancestors, but I have, from time to time, given them advice that I believe helped them rise to prominence and thrive. Just on your own, you're my first choice, but I'm very excited about the prospect of partnering with a member of your family."
"Ah. I see," Branwen said flatly, lowering her head slightly to gaze listlessly at her boot.
The bird cocked his head and peered at her for a moment before saying slowly, "I am, of course, referring to the Rambeau family, to which you are descended through your maternal grandmother."
Branwen's head jerked upwards sharply and she stared at the crow. "What?"
"Oh yes, they were quite famous in Europe for their fight against evil in all its forms. It was disappointing to see one of its few remaining members marry into the Bullseye family; seeing the old blood resurface in you was quite the relief. And if I'm not mistaken, that sword you bear is a minor treasure of the family."
"It is," breathed Bronwen, stroking the hilt as she stared into space, looking at something only she could see.
"Well, I'm glad to see it being put to good use."
"Thank you," she said softly. After a moment, she focused her gaze back on the crow. "Tell me what we need to do to form a bond."
"I simply land on your shoulder and we both will it to form."
"Let's do it." Branwen paused. "Though I think I should actually know your name before we proceed."
"I've never felt a need for one."
"I could give you one. If you like…"
"No, thank you. I'm happy as I am."
"Very well. Shall we?"
The crow flew from the branch and landed on his new partner's shoulder.
oOo
Nabiki got out of bed, stretched, and touched the power flowing within her. After a moment's thought, she picked up the journal on her nightstand and made a note. Once she'd gotten ready for the day and had breakfast, she went to the dojo, felt her power, and made another note. Throughout the day, every two hours, and every time she moved to a different location, she recorded her power's strength. When she went to bed for the night, she made a final note and sighed at the column of identical results. The next day, she adjusted her testing schedule to get different times and checked her power when around different people and in different moods. The day after that, she decided it was time to be proactive.
"You should do an Avatar training session."
"What?" Ranma asked, a glass of water half raised to his lips. "Since when do you care about when I need to train? You're not selling those videos, are you? I told you I don't want those getting out!"
"Not at all. I just realized it's been a while since you did one, and I actually enjoy recording them. Oh, and I suppose they make it less likely that you'll die and take all of us with you too."
Ranma eyed her suspiciously for a long moment. "I suppose I could do one today. And it's not like I don't train; I just don't always make a special trip to someplace I can cut loose. But no funny business. The last thing I need is something like another obsessed Kunou stalking me because they 'just happened to see' a video."
"Of course. It's in my own best interest to make sure you're successful in your magical girl duties. That reminds me, we should probably do another formal outing, maybe something other than a meal this time, like the theater. Don't make that face; you know you enjoyed last time."
"I guess it wasn't that bad…" Ranma admitted, smiling slightly. "Kunou did get beat up."
"That's the spirit. But I'm afraid I can't promise that will happen every time."
"So long as there's a chance. Okay, let's go train."
"What are you going to work on today?" Nabiki asked half an hour later from behind her camcorder on its tripod.
The Avatar of Light thought for a moment. "Light abilities. I've been working on martial arts at home, but I can't really throw around light lances without putting holes in things and attracting the crazies. More crazies," she amended. "I do not want cosplayers and reporters showing up too."
"I suppose. Speaking of cosplayers, do you want any of the prints from the con?"
"Huh? Why would I?"
"Pictures from an event where a bunch of people admired and respected you enough to dress up as you? I can't imagine."
Ranma hesitated. "I'll think about it… But that's enough talking; I'm going to start now," she declared and leapt halfway up the hill before more awkward questions could be asked.
For the next half an hour, the Avatar leapt around throwing light lances and surrounding herself with a golden aura as Nabiki watched and recorded. After that, she planted herself across the hillside from a particularly large boulder and worked on increasing the power of her light lances by making minor adjustments to her technique and intensifying her focus. When her final shot of brilliant golden light shattered the boulder, she nodded in satisfaction and walked over to Nabiki.
"Thanks. This was a good idea."
"Of course," Nabiki replied as she started to put away her video equipment.
Ranma stood there awkwardly for a moment before returning to her normal form. "Uh, you need any help with that?"
"No, and you don't have to wait around for me."
"All right, there's something I want to check out downtown, then. See you later," Ranma said, tossing her a wave as she left.
Nabiki finished putting away her equipment and sighed as she made a note in her journal. "This is starting to get frustrating…"
oOo
Maëlys walked down the street of the horrible human city, the scowl on her face and cold fire in her eyes ensuring the horrible humans gave her a wide berth. She should have rescheduled her challenge ages ago, but the thought of approaching the Avatar and having to answer the inevitable question of how her date went was just too terrible to contemplate. Maybe if she'd gone back the next day, she could have waved off that fool of a human as the duplicitous boor he was, but after weeks, it would seem like she'd been rejected and was too upset or ashamed to show her face! Oh, she had been upset, but in the manner of being enraged and disgusted at the pitiful cretin's attempt to toy with her feelings. No, she had spent the following weeks looking for a suitable bear… Wait, bear? She stopped and gave her surroundings proper attention, noting in particular the bear-woman sitting in the cafe she was standing outside. Momentarily biting her lip in distress, she walked inside and approached the only occupied table.
"I'm sorry," Maëlys said as the bear-woman lowered her enormous mug of coffee and looked up at her, "I thought your challenge had been resolved. It was not my intention to cut in line."
"Hm? Oh, don't worry about it; you're fine."
Maëlys frowned. "I don't understand. Both you and the Avatar are still alive, and you don't have the look of some fool who would actually surrender. How has this come to be?"
The bear-woman shrugged. "Enh, everyone back home was an asshole; in less than a day here, I got more respect and consideration than I ever did back there. So I said screw that and quit."
Maëlys stared, her mouth hanging open for a full two seconds. "Youquit?! You can't just quit!" When the other woman just shrugged and waved a hand to indicate her current surroundings and employment status, Maëlys scowled. "And what do you mean you actually like the people here?! They're sniveling, duplicitous cretins!"
"Uh…" said the human woman who had quietly walked over to them.
"Ah. Well, to be fair, I've mostly interacted with the human males. I'm sure you're … fine?"
"Thank you," said the woman, giving her a faint smile that didn't reach her eyes before turning to the bear-woman. "Ursula… were you really here to try to kill the Avatar?"
"That's what I was sent here for, yeah."
"And … she won you over with the power of friendship?" the human asked uncertainly.
"I guess? Maybe the power of not being an asshole? She was a bit weird but seemed nice enough and treated me like an equal. I mean, if anyone 'won me over with the power of friendship', it was you, Yumi."
At the sight of the human blushing, Maëlys snapped, "Right, fine. So I'm not stepping on anyone's toes here. Great, I'll get on with my challenge, then."
"Yeah, you're good," Ursula said with a wave of her hand, "you can go ahead and get killed by the Avatar."
"Excuse me? I will destroy her!"
"Doubt it," Ursula said, unimpressed by her confidence, "You're Malice, right?"
"Maëlys."
"Yeah, ok, I saw you fight on that show earlier this year, and you're not in her league." Maëlys smirked at the bear-woman's assessment of her abilities. "I mean, I figure you were only going at 80%, tops…" The other woman's smirk vanished. "And unless you've got some secret killer move, I'm pretty confident I can take you, and I wouldn't last long against the Avatar."
"Wait," Yumi said, "you didn't think you had a chance and you were still going to fight her before you quit?"
"Yeah? It's not really something you can turn down."
"I'm glad you quit, then," Yumi said softly.
"Well! I'll just go off and get killed, then, since I have no intention of living among vile duplicitous humans too stupid to go out with—!" Maëlys abruptly closed her mouth with a snap as she realized what she was saying.
"Wait, people were turning you down?" Yumi asked in surprise. "That's crazy! You're gorgeous!"
"I know! You, you're a human. What is wrong with the men here?"
"Uh… I may not be the best person to ask, but I'm sure there are tons of them who would love to go out with you! In fact, I know a couple of places where you shouldn't have any problem finding more than one who'd be delighted to go out with you."
Maëlys considered for a long moment. "Where?" she finally asked, deciding to give humans one last chance.
"Mm, they wouldn't be open yet. Look, why don't we show you once my shift's over. Is that okay, Ursula?"
"Sure."
"Great! So," she said, turning back to Maëlys, "until then, what would you like to drink?"
oOo
"Stupid principal making me miss lunch," Ranma muttered as he walked into the kitchen to get something to eat, stopping at the sound of a familiar bell's ring. "Great. Two weeks of nothing, and I have to get a challenger right now."
With a sigh, he went outside and walked to the rear gate, groaning at the familiar sight of the boy dressed in a yellow shirt, black pants, a black and yellow bandana, and a large backpack with a red bamboo umbrella lying across its top. "False alarm!" he called over his shoulder to anyone who may have been in the house. Turning back to his visitor, he said, "I know it's too much to expect you to find the front door, but don't ring the bell; it's only for challenges to the Avatar of Light. Come on in and I'll tell you who she is."
He'd already turned around and taken a couple of steps toward the house when Ryouga's words stopped him. "I know who she is and I can read. I'm here to challenge you, Avatar of Light."
"Damnit," Ranma cursed as he turned back around, "I can't believe they're pulling this crap again. Listen, Ryouga, I don't care what they promised you, but they're just using you and don't expect you to win. Trust me, they've already tried this more than once, and it didn't help the poor saps they tricked into it—they just ended up dead or worse. Look, I don't know how they got their hooks into you, but I'll do my best to help you get out of it, I promise."
The other boy gave him an unimpressed look. "I'm the Avatar of Darkness, you idiot."
There was an awkward moment of silence. "Oh. I guess that's different, then."
Ryouga snorted softly. "Come on, let's get this over with. I've waited long enough."
"Now? But I'm hungry."
"Quit whining! You can eat when you're dead."
"Fiiiine… Follow me." As he started to lead the way to the challenge field, Ranma asked, "So how long have you been trying to find me to issue your challenge? A month? Two?"
"About half a day. Once the mantle became active, I knew exactly where to find you."
"Became active?"
"It's a family position. Sometimes they activate it and have us do a challenge, sometimes they don't."
"That's weird. So, you always knew you could become the Avatar of Darkness?"
"Yes. I can't believe it's you I get to kill, though. It almost makes everything I've been through worth it!"
"Glad I could help," replied Ranma dryly. "We should be there in just a few more minutes, Luna-P-Chan."
"What?"
"Luna-P? You know, from Sailor Moon?"
"Ah. That explains it. Unlike you, I don't watch anime for little girls."
"Hey, it's not like I sat in front of the TV and watched each episode with a big bowl of popcorn and a cold bottle of soda on an adorable Sailor Moon tray."
A long moment of awkward silence passed as Ranma realized his denial may have been a bit more specific than it needed to be. Finally Ryouga broke it with warm laughter.
"Thank you for that. Despite everything you've put me through, I was still feeling a twinge of remorse at the thought of actually killing you… But now I see it will be a mercy killing! This is far enough," he declared as he shrugged off his pack and tossed it aside. "Ranma, prepare to die, and this time I'm dead serious."
Ranma looked around the rocky break in the woods they stood in. It seemed remote enough, but, "We do have a big open area up ahead that's perfect for challenges, you know."
"Like I'm going to fight you in a place you've prepared ahead of time."
Ranma opened his mouth to retort, then paused. "You know, that's actually not a bad point, but I didn't do anything like that, and a plain dirt field isn't going to give me any sort of home advantage; in fact, the trees here probably help me more than you."
"Don't care," said Ryouga as he cracked his neck and whispered his transformation phrase, causing shadows to swirl around him, obscuring him from view for a moment before exploding outwards to vanish among the trees and reveal the Avatar of Darkness. She was a pale girl of average height, with purple eyes, small fangs, and black hair that reached her mid-back held in a ponytail by a thin band of shadow. She wore a dark gray seifuku with a tarnished gold skirt and a black ribbon on the chest, a tarnished gold tiara set with a round tiger eye, black calf high boots decorated with tarnished gold, and black fingerless gloves whose knuckles each bore a small tiger eye stone roiling with dark, smoky power.
"Wait, did you just say—"
"Shut up, Ranma!" the Avatar of Darkness snarled, her pale cheeks flushing with rage.
"—you're a pig?"
"It means 'infuse me with darkness' in elvish!"
"Quite the coincidence, huh?"
"Fuck you. What's your special phrase, then?"
"I'm a guy," Ranma replied with a shrug as he triggered his own transformation.
"Always getting all the luck…" she growled, "well it ends today."
"This is lucky?"
Ryouga just gave her a dark look, and suddenly the area was engulfed in impenetrable darkness. Ranma quickly and quietly darted to the side, kicking a stick she'd been standing
near in the opposite direction. When she felt a pulse of energy shoot in the direction of the stick, impacting something with a sharp crack, she only barely managed not to facepalm.
"You idiot," echoed Ranma's voice through the area, expertly pitched to mask its source, "you can't see in this, either, can you?"
"Shut up!" Ryouga shouted, her voice also not giving away her location, "It's not like I've had a chance to practice these powers!"
"Wait, this is the first time you've transformed? Are you stupid?"
"I came to challenge you as soon as I was activated," Ryouga shouted, firing a shadow bolt randomly in the darkness. "Not all of us are a coward like you!" When several seconds passed without a response, Ryouga slowly smiled as she gathered dark energy around her hands. Who's the idiot now, Ranma? Didn't I just tell you not five minutes ago that I always know where you are?Just a couple of seconds more… Her smile turned into a frown of confusion as she heard soft crinkling followed by wet smacking sounds coming from Ranma's vicinity. What the hell?
Light abruptly returned to the clearing, revealing the Avatar of Light standing over Ryouga's pack, a discarded plastic wrapper lying on the ground and a half a curry bun protruding from her mouth.
"Rrrraaanma!" roared Ryouga, hurling buzzing bolts of black energy at the other magical girl who dodged first left, and then right, swallowing the rest of the bun as she moved. "That was going to be my victory feast!"
"I said I was hungry!"
"Die! You ruin everything, Ranma, even my moment of triumph! I had it all planned—the sweetest of meals beside your cooling body and then finding Akane to tell her the 'bad news' and comfort her and protect her from the rampaging forces of darkness… It was going to be perfect, but you had to make sure that couldn't happen, didn't you!"
With a scream of rage and frustration, she slammed both hands together, sending a snarling bolt of green-tinted black energy streaking across the clearing, missing its intended target when she rolled to the side, and smashing through tree trunks and rocks alike before creating a geyser of dirt and stone as it plowed into a hill in the distance.
Trembling with rage, Ryouga fixed her hateful glare on her rival. "I am going to make this hurt, Saotome…"
For her part, Ranma was eying the path of destruction the attack had left, but more importantly, the row of houses on top of the hill, now revealed by the fallen trees. "Yeah?" she asked, meeting Ryouga's gaze, "you'll have to catch me first," she said, darting in the direction of the challenge area. But when she glanced back, instead of following, the other girl stood unmoving, a dark smile on her face as she looked at the distant houses and tossed a ball of black and green energy up and down in her hand.
"Do I? Do I really have to catch you to hurt you? I don't think I do. Because I don't think I have to move an inch to make sure any victory you have is just as ruined as mine."
Damnit! Ranma thought as she stopped and returned to the clearing. I can't fight her here! I need to either get her mad enough to follow me or weaken her enough to make sure there won't be collateral damage… "Fine. We'll do this here.
"I don't get why you're so pissed off, though. Even if you won, your perfect plan was never going to work, you know."
oOo
Drefan scowled as he kicked the dirt. Here he was, at what should have been his impending moment of triumph, fame, and glory, and his idiot charge was throwing it all away. One of the strongest Avatars of Darkness in ages, and the moment the daft fool went active, he insisted on throwing himself at the Avatar of Light, not taking even a moment to practice and get used to his new powers. No, pay no mind to what the bloody advisor with hundreds of years of experience had to say, just fucking blow him off and rush off to fight one of the more promising Avatars of Light in recent years who'd had months to settle into the role. Dark, how he wished he could kill the stupid fucker himself… But no, that wasn't allowed.
Fuck, he would have given his left arm to be paired with someone who had a brain to go with the skills. The things he could have accomplished with a powerhouse like Henri… Hell, he would have been delighted with that guttersnipe Brandy. She wasn't exactly a heavy hitter, but damn if she didn't have the right attitude and a talent for sticking a metaphorical knife in someone where it'd hurt most. Well, usually metaphorical. He briefly wondered where she'd ended up after her challenge—an underwhelming fight to be sure, but the aftermath had been a thing of beauty. Maybe he should hunt her down and make her an offer she couldn't refuse after his current charge was dead and gone.
He wondered exactly how much longer that would be. The little bastard had run off once Drefan had shown that while he wasn't allowed to beat him to a bloody pulp, he was more than capable of sharing his fucking displeasure. Said displeasure and the sharing thereof was, in fact, why the current form of the companion and advisor to the Avatar of Darkness was none other than—
"P-chan!" Akane squealed as she rushed over to pick up and cuddle the little black piglet, only to immediately drop him with a yelp and clutch her bleeding wrist.
"Oi! Watch the hands, grabby!" the piglet wearing a yellow and black bandana exclaimed in a Cockney accent.
"You bit me! And you can talk!" Akane cried, her eyes wide. "Since when can you talk?! And why do you have an English accent?" she asked, shock giving way to confusion.
"Why, just recently. I've been made the official companion of a magical girl!" Drefan declared, puffing out his chest. "And why shouldn't I have a British accent? I'm an English porker, after all!"
"Y-you are? Wait, a magical girl?! Who?! Where is she?"
"Who is she? Why, she's Sailor Berk, she is, and she went off down that trail. Said she sensed something and told me to wait here."
"Sailor Berk?" Akane repeated uncertainly. It didn't sound like any sort of magical girl name she'd heard, but as Velgri had pointed out, manga and anime weren't exactly authoritative sources.
"It's English, love, don't worry about it."
"Okay. Let's go find your … Sailor Berk, P-chan!"
"Nah, you go on ahead; I'm supposed to wait here, remember."
"Right! I'll go get her and bring her back," Akane declared and headed down the path to the challenge field.
"You do that, Akane," Drefan said once the girl was out of sight, "I'm sure Ryouga will have a good laugh at you suddenly turning up in the middle of his business."
oOo
"What are you babbling about, Ranma? My plan is guaranteed to work, and do you know why? Because I won't be telling a single lie. I do care for Akane, and I will protect her from the Dark beings that will overrun the Earth. Hell, I'll even be sorry you're dead! Sure, it'll be because you won't be in your own form, but that'll be our little secret. We both know she cares about me, and once you're out of the picture and I've saved her from a horrible death a few times, she'll start to love me. Fuck, I'll even keep Kasumi safe and sound because it'll make Akane happy."
"She'd be even happier if you kept Nabiki and her father safe too, you know."
The Avatar of Darkness snorted. "If I was forced to live with those two, I'd kill them myself. And we both know Nabiki will fit in with the Dark just fine. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if she's running the place within a year."
Ranma frowned and hesitated a moment before changing what she was going to say. "You know, I get that you're the Avatar of Darkness now, but you're really not acting like yourself. Are you sure the darkness isn't influencing you?"
"Of course it is! Unlike you, I didn't have light poured into me like water into an empty bucket; I had the darkness inside me my entire life, but it was locked down tight, reserved for if I ever became the Avatar, with only a little bit slipping out when I was truly enraged. Now it's free and I'm finally whole! Is everything clear now, or do you have any more stupid questions?"
Ranma sighed. "I guess that explains it, then. I just have one more question."
"All right, one last question," Ryouga said, catching the ball of energy in her hand and making its glow intensify, "but it'd better be a good one; otherwise, I'm going to blow up those houses."
Ranma glanced at the hill then nodded, her expression hardening. "Fair enough. I'm just confused how you're going to win over Akane when she's not into girls."
"What are you talking about, idiot? I'm going to change back first, of course."
"Well, that's just it. The only reason I can turn back into a guy is because my curse changes me into a girl and back. You, on the other hand, get to enjoy the rest of your life as a girl. Well, a girl who turns into a pig, I guess."
"The hell I am! That's not how it works, you idiot! I'm a guy—Aaaah!" Ryouga's declaration was cut off by a shrill scream as golden energy briefly arced around her. "I bet you thought that was funny, didn't you!" she snarled.
"Kind of, yeah. Don't say my transformation phrase, stupid. But don't worry, I'm sure Akane will still love you when you save her and Kasumi," Ranma said with a smirk. "You'll be just like another sister to her."
"Go to hell! I'm not a girl!" the Avatar of Darkness shouted, her form blurring for a moment before shifting to Ryouga's normal body. He looked down at himself briefly and patted his chest for confirmation. "Ha! I told you I'm—!" he crowed, raising his head just in time for a brilliant bolt of golden light to streak through his throat and explode out the back of his neck in a huge spray of blood. His wide eyes met the equally shocked eyes of the Avatar of Light before he crumpled to the ground, a rapidly spreading pool of blood already forming around his body.
Shit! I-I thought it'd hurt him and piss him off, not do that! Ranma numbly thought. Crap! What do I do now?! No, wait, this was still a challenge, a fight to the death… It's okay. Nothing is wrong, this was how it was always going to end. Everything is fine. She took a deep breath to calm herself and nodded. "Everything is fine."
A noise from the other end of the clearing caused her to look up sharply, her gaze meeting Akane's. Ranma only had an instant to take in the other girl's pale face and expression of terror before Akane turned and bolted.
but eventually she found herself obstructing the plans of being both powerful and sly. There was no malice involved, and I don't think she even realized she was in danger to the very end. Please forgive me, but I'd rather not speak more of it; it was quite recent
"Akane! Wait!" cried the Avatar of Light as the other girl ran off down the trail. She took a step to follow before forcing herself to stop. "No… chasing her will just make things worse. Damnit!" She turned to Ryouga's body and sighed. "And I guess I can't just leave you here, either. Just like you not to disintegrate like the other challengers…"
She shook her head and tried to remember if any of the old man's 'practical advice' included dealing with bodies. After a moment, she snapped her fingers and went over to Ryouga's pack, coming back a moment later with a water bottle, which she emptied over the body. She watched the unchanging body for several seconds before shaking her head. "Well, at least you got one thing you wanted. Man, why can't this job come with magical girl storage space like they have on those shows? Wait, who says it can't?"
She looked at the water bottle in her hand and concentrated for a few minutes. Sweat trickled down her forehead, and the bottle suddenly vanished. "All right!" She eyed the body briefly. "Let's work our way up to that…" she said before heading over to Ryouga's pack. A few minutes later, the pack vanished as well, and she nodded grimly before walking back to the body. "Guess it's your turn now."
Before she could even start to focus her light on Ryouga and the fabric of space itself, the body dissolved into shadows that sank into the ground. "Asshole," remarked Ranma as she gave the bare ground a flat look. Shaking her head, she reverted back to her normal form and started home.
oOo
"Ranma killed Ryouga!" Akane shouted as she burst into the living room.
"That's nice, Akane," Soun said distractedly as he intently studied the go board between Genma and himself. Velgri didn't look up from her book.
With a growl, Akane stormed across the room and kicked over the game table, sending the black and white stones flying. "Ranma, as the Avatar, killed Ryouga!"
Soun sighed at the scattered pieces. "Akane, I'm sure it seemed like Ryouga was killed, but both of those boys can take an immense amount of damage and they know their limits. l have no doubt that he'll be waking up, sore but alive, from an attack that would have killed most people."
"He was just standing there and she shot him in the throat with a light lance! There was blood everywhere and Ryouga wasn't moving!"
"Ah. Well. That does sound bad," Soun admitted.
"I know they didn't like each other," Akane said, wiping her eyes, "but to turn into the Avatar and kill him…"
"I'm sure she had a good reason," Velgri said, turning a page.
Akane turned to face the lavender fox and scowled. "I'm not surprised you would think that! Ranma never would have dreamed of killing even someone he hated unless there was absolutely no other choice before you came here, but now, I guess all he needs is a good reason! Someone annoyed him too much? They might get in the way of a challenge! Better kill them!"
"We'll see what the boy has to say for himself when he gets back," Genma declared as he fished a black stone from his gi.
"He killed Ryouga, as the Avatar, and you want to talk things out?!" Akane cried in disbelief. "I can't believe you're taking this so casually…"
"Akane," her father said, "we have no idea exactly what happened or why, and the only way we have to find out more right now is to talk to Ranma."
"I, I guess… but why are you so calm about this?" she asked, shooting a brief suspicious glance in Velgri's direction.
"Because we're talking about something more serious than the usual matters of property damage and his daughter's uncertain engagement," Nabiki declared as she stepped into the room, "we're talking about murder." Lightning split the afternoon sky and thunder boomed at her last word.
"Indeed," Soun nodded solemnly as Nabiki took a seat. "This is no time for strong emotion; we must get to the bottom of this. Velgri, what do you think is going on here? What Akane described doesn't sound at all like Ranma, but Akane wouldn't make up something like that! Could my little girl be right?" Soun asked pensively. "Could he have killed that boy out of hand?"
"No," Velgri said, shaking her head. "If she had that capacity, I would never have chosen her."
"Him," Genma muttered.
"People can change…" Soun observed to a dull rumbling of thunder.
"They can," Velgri allowed, "but not so much, so quickly, without us noticing. Without me noticing."
A red and black blur bounced into the room an instant before the skies opened up in a torrential downpour of cold rain. "Ryouga was the Avatar of Darkness," Ranma blurted, sparing a glance of annoyance at the rain before turning the occupants of the room with a grim expression.
"There you go, that explains it," Velgri said, clearly considering the matter settled.
"Right…" said Akane, voice dripping with skepticism, "Then why wasn't he a magical girl, why weren't you at the challenge site, and why was he just standing there when you…" She broke off, taking a deep breath and shaking her head.
"Those are good questions," Soun agreed.
"We were on our way to the site when he said that we'd gone far enough and he wasn't going to fight me somewhere I'd prepared ahead of time. The place looked remote enough, and it's not like I haven't fought challengers in other places. He was a magical girl when we started, but the idiot changed back halfway through and started gloating. I shot him with a light lance, of course. I didn't expect it to actually kill him!"
"Why would he change back in the middle of a fight?" asked Nabiki.
"I kinda told him the only reason I could turn back into a guy was my curse."
"Please," Akane scoffed, "he'd know that wasn't true from the other times he'd transformed. Or do you expect us to believe he challenged you without ever becoming the Avatar before? He isn't that stupid!"
"Wanna bet?"
The other humans in the room exchanged glances. "I don't know that I'd say he's stupid," Soun said slowly, "but I do recall him being quite single-minded and prone to acting hastily in anger."
"Also, he was an idiot," Ranma helpfully added.
"He was not! He was kind, and polite…" Akane said sadly. "I don't know why the two of you hated each other so much." She sighed then shot Ranma a hard look. "Do you have any proof that what you said happened?"
A hurt look crossed Ranma's face for an instant before vanishing. "Yeah, Ryouga blasted through a bunch of trees before changing back."
Akane hesitated. She knew such damage could have been caused by Ranma, after she'd stumbled onto the scene and run off, even, but she also knew that making such an accusation would be crossing a line that she was already very close to.
"I have proof," Velgri stated, rousing Akane from her thoughts. "There is now a record of the Avatar of Light accepting a challenge from the Avatar of Darkness twenty minutes ago and emerging victorious."
"Well, I guess that settles it," Soun declared, relief clear in his voice.
Akane frowned, feeling that Ryouga's death was far from settled but unable to think of a reasonable objection to raise, when Ranma peevishly asked, "Why were you even back there anyway? It's not like there's much there besides the challenge area."
"Oh! P-chan told me there was a new magical girl back there!"
"That's impossible," Ranma stated flatly.
"No! He told me the magical girl made him her animal companion, which is why he could talk! He said she'd sensed something in the woods there and had gone to check it out."
"I'm telling you there's no way that was P-chan. I don't know who you were talking to, but it wasn't him."
Nabiki looked back and forth between the two girls. "Oh, I see. Ryouga was P-chan, wasn't he."
"W-what do you mean?" Ranma asked nervously. "That doesn't make any…" She trailed off and sighed. "I guess it doesn't really matter anymore. Yeah, he was."
"What." Akane stated flatly, fists clenched at her sides, and Ranma suddenly remembered why it might still matter.
"Y-yeah, he followed me to China over some stupid challenge and fell into the spring of drowned piglet."
"So that's why both Ryouga and P-chan hated you," Nabiki said, nodding, "That makes sense."
"And you didn't tell me because?" Akane asked, her voice still unnaturally devoid of emotion as she looked around the room, noting the lack of surprise on the fathers' faces and the lack of interest on Velgri's.
"Akane, the guy turned into a piglet when splashed. If that got out, anyone could have killed him easily, and he was the kind of guy people wanted to kill. Look, I hated that he kept getting close to you disguised as P-chan, but I wasn't willing to get the guy murdered over it."
"I see," she said, numbly thinking how strange it was that she'd so quickly gone from being terrified that Ranma had given in to the urge to kill people he didn't like to feeling betrayed by his decision to put the life of someone he didn't like over her feelings. And then there was the fact that her father had either known or suspected, as well, and not done anything to keep P-chan away from her. "Excuse me," she said, turning and walking upstairs.
"I'm sure she'll be fine," Soun said hesitantly in the silence that had fallen on the room.
Ranma sighed and shook her head, taking a moment to glare at the sky as the rain stopped as abruptly as it had started. "Today has completely sucked…"
"I'm sure it could have been worse," Nabiki remarked.
"Indeed," Soun agreed solemnly, perking up at the sound of footsteps on the stairs. "Ah, here comes Akane. I knew she'd bounce back quick…" He trailed off at the sight of Akane wearing a backpack and holding her bookbag in one hand.
"I'm sorry," she said, "but I just can't stay here right now."
"Akane?" Soun asked as she walked to the door. "Akane!" he called after her as she left.
o0o
Nabiki paused in the entrance to the dojo for a moment, the late afternoon sun framing her in the doorway as she sighed in pleasure at the feeling of her power flowing through her body. Ranma stood motionless before the kanji wall scroll, apparently meditating, but if the tension in his body was any indication, he was doing a poor job of it. After a moment, he made a noise of disgust and turned to start pacing.
"What do you want, Nabiki?" he eventually asked. "It's not a good time to train."
"Obviously," she said, a short wave of her hand indicating she wasn't even dressed as Pretty Special. "I came to see how you were doing."
"Yeah, right. Oh, and thank you so much for your help earlier, by the way."
Nabiki shrugged. "I wasn't trying to help or not help. You're the one who dropped such a big hint to an important secret in public; you shouldn't be surprised if people figure things out and say something if you do that."
"Do you think she's okay," he asked, concern quickly replacing the annoyance in his voice and expression.
"Akane? I'm not sure." Nabiki sighed. "I'll check on her and smooth things over."
"You will? Just like that? For free? Why?"
"Because she's my sister and I care about her. Also, to teach myself not to just blurt out valuable information that could be put to better use otherwise."
"You're all heart," Ranma said sarcastically. After a moment, he quietly added, "Thanks."
o0o
Akane half sat, half lay on the wooden log bench and gazed out over the beautiful pond, eyes idly tracking a lazily flitting dragonfly for a few moments before focusing on a frog happily croaking on a half submerged log. She sighed contentedly, fully at peace, thoughts of home and worries about the people she cared about far away. A small black and red bird landed on the far end of the bench and chirped brightly; Akane found a crumb in her lunchbox and tossed it to land at the bird's feet. She smiled as the bird tilted its head and eyed the crumb, then giggled as a warm breeze sent the crumb tumbling, prompting the bird to quickly snatch it up and fly off.
"This is a nice place," Nabiki said as she sat down at the other end of the bench. "Very peaceful."
"Nabiki? How did you find me?" Akane asked, brow furrowing.
"You always come here when you're really upset." Akane just nodded and stared out at the pond. After a minute, Nabiki asked, "How are you doing?"
"I'm angry and afraid," Akane said in a small voice as a cloud passed in front of the sun and the light dimmed. "Ranma, Dad, and Mr. Saotome all knew about P-chan and didn't say a word to me, just let me hug him and treat him like a pet even though he was really a boy…"
"You noticed their reactions, or lack thereof, too, did you?" At Akane's slight nod, Nabiki leaned back and said, "You should be angry. If it'd been me, everyone involved would be wishing they'd gotten off as easily as Ryouga, whether they thought they had a good reason or not."
Akane shivered then glanced over at her sister. "A good reason?"
Nabiki nodded. "Ranma's an idiot; he could have handled the whole thing much better, but he honestly thought he was keeping the guy from being murdered. He's right about Hibiki being the kind of person who gets into feuds, and I have no doubt that, sooner or later, a sore loser would have grabbed a cup of cold water and turned him into bacon if word of his curse got out."
Akane reluctantly nodded. "And our fathers?"
"Saotome probably thought the same as Ranma to some extent—the guy is a thief and scammer but not a killer—and they both probably had some stupid idea it was Ranma's place as your fiancé to deal with the matter and that it would make the two of you feel closer."
Akane growled, then frowned in thought. "You don't think Dad was worried about him getting killed?"
"I think it never occurred to him. He settled down in Tokyo and raised a family; he doesn't think of things from the perspective of a martial artist wandering through less civilized places where the law is only a suggestion."
"I guess that makes sense," Akane said slowly. "So you think I should punish them all?"
"That's up to you. It's what I'd do, but you should do what feels right to you."
Akane sighed and briefly glanced across the pond at the sun slowly sinking behind a hill before looking back to the pond. "I'll think about it."
"Revenge works much better when it's planned properly," Nabiki agreed. "Now, what else is bothering you, little sister of mine?"
"Everyone's changing," Akane said in a small voice, "Ranma, with being the Avatar and having to kill people; Kasumi, under Velgri's influence; Dad and Mister Saotome—you saw how calm and accepting they were about Ryouga being killed—they never would have acted that way before… Even you're different in some way, though I can't really put my finger on how. It's all because of Velgri. I don't trust her, Nabiki. She's turning everyone into people I don't know, and it scares me."
"Everyone changes, Akane, especially around our age. Velgri's arrival and Ranma becoming the Avatar certainly make the changes more extreme and affect exactly how we change, but I don't think she's twisting us according to some secret plan. That said, she clearly has her own agenda and her goals aren't the same as ours. I think we can all agree that none of us wants to see the Earth overrun with dark creatures, and by extension, we don't want Ranma to lose a challenge, but beyond that, don't assume that she wants the same things we do."
Akane watched a frog plop into the water after a dragonfly deftly evaded its tongue. "Velgri has an elf form, you know... She's very pretty."
"That must make things much nicer for Kasumi."
Akane flailed wildly as she fell off the bench. "How can you say that?!"
"Well, I imagine they could make things work with Velgri as a fox, but her being able to turn into an elf makes it easier, don't you think?"
"That's not what I meant! You're just okay with them doing … having a…?"
"If Kasumi's happy and not being taken advantage of, sure."
"How do you know she isn't though?"
"I don't know one hundred percent, but Kasumi's a lot sharper than most people give her credit for. You should trust her more. In fact, how do you know what she did when you tried to make that big breakfast was due to Velgri's influence and not her just deciding it was time to resort to more drastic measures?"
Akane flushed. "I! She couldn't! I mean…" she floundered before asking in a small voice, "Do you really think she could have just gotten fed up with me?"
"I don't think Kasumi would feel that way, but she might decide that what she was doing wasn't working and it was time to try something new."
Akane sighed and sat up on the ground with her back resting against the bench. "I guess. Maybe."
"Things seeming any less dire now?"
"Yeah…"
"Do you feel okay to come home?"
"I'll think about it…"
"Fair enough," Nabiki said as she leaned back and looked out over the pond.
"Thanks," Akane said softly.
The sisters fell into silence and watched as fireflies started to flicker in the twilight, twinkling like stars above the pond.
oOo
Yumi groaned and rolled over as the morning sun viciously stabbed at her eyes. Once she'd successfully escaped her attacker's cruel rays, she sighed and snuggled into the warm body next to her. For long moments, she lay there, at least half asleep, until whatever was tickling her nose finally annoyed her enough to scowl and open her eyes despite the lurking evil day star. With a huff of annoyance, she brushed the lock of platinum blond hair away from her face and started to close her eyes before freezing and carefully checking exactly who was sharing her bed. It only took a moment to determine she was naked in bed with an equally naked Maëlys.
Yumi quietly slipped out of bed, to avoid both aggravating the dull pounding in her head and waking the other woman. She went to the closet and threw on her robe, then crept out of the bedroom and followed the smell of coffee to the kitchen where Ursula was filling her enormous mug at the counter. Yumi froze for a moment, then sat down, slumping over the table with her head in her hands.
"I am so sorry," she said miserably, "I have no excuse. I don't even remember how it happened."
"It's okay," Ursula said as she placed a normal sized cup of coffee in front of her girlfriend.
"Okay? How can you say that? We're in a relationship, I'm living with you, even, and I slept with someone else." She paused. "You… you didn't tell me it was okay beforehand, did you?"
"It's okay because it doesn't bother me. Nah, we didn't talk about it, but it's not like we said we couldn't do anything with other people."
"It's kind of assumed around here that you don't…"
"Yeah? Okay, I'll keep that in mind. Like I said, you're fine, though."
"But—"
"Yumi, if I'd wanted to stop you, I could have."
Yumi nodded slightly and took a sip of her coffee. "What happened? I vaguely remember going to the club, but after that, I only have bits and pieces of…" She trailed off and flushed deeply.
Ursula took a long sip from her mug. "Like you said, we went to the club. We got a table and some drinks, and then people started coming over."
"Okay," said Yumi. "So why didn't Maëlys go home with one of them?"
"Because they all wanted to talk with the city's new official hero that they saw on the news."
"Oh, shit… I forgot it was like that at Dark Waters until people got used to you coming there. Everyone only wanted to talk to you?"
"Well, there was that one woman who lost her nerve and hit on you instead."
Yumi groaned. "Why would she hit on me when Maëlys was right there? She's so beautiful!"
"She's also a lot more intimidating than you."
Yumi sighed. "And then what?"
"You shot her down."
"I meant for the rest of the night!" Yumi cried before wincing and holding a hand to her head. "Sorry," she said more quietly, "Go on, please."
Ursula shrugged. "Maëlys got angry and embarrassed, you got angry and started feeling guilty, and you both kept drinking. Eventually we left. She declared she was clearly undesirable and started to leave when you told her she wasn't and that you'd prove it."
Yumi groaned and dropped her head to the table. "I kissed her, didn't I…"
"You kissed her," Ursula agreed. "And then I brought the two of you back here before you started going at it on the sidewalk."
"I'm sor—" Yumi paled and bolted upright as Ursula placed a cast iron skillet on the stove with a sharp clang. "I'll stop saying I'm sorry if you don't do that again," she gasped.
"Hm? Oh, sorry. But, yeah, that'd be good."
"So… what do we do about Maëlys?"
Before Ursula could answer, the blonde in question walked out of the bedroom, still completely naked, picked up Yumi with one arm, kissed her on the cheek, and carried her into the bathroom. A few moments later, the sound of the shower running reached the kitchen.
"Well, it looks like one of us will be taking a shower with her," Ursula replied to the empty room as she took some kippers from the refrigerator.
oOo
Akane got out of bed, got dressed, and after using the small bathroom down the hall, walked to the living room to start her day.
"Good morning, Akane," Yuka greeted her, "did you sleep well?"
"Good morning. I did, thank you. And thank you again for letting me stay over."
"You're welcome! What are friends for? You can stay here as long as you need to." Yuka paused. "If it's more than a few days, I'll need to talk with my parents, though."
"It's okay," Akane assured the other girl as she frowned and plucked a tiny ball of fuzz from her sweater. "I think I'm going to go home today, actually."
"Are you sure? You were pretty upset when you called me."
Akane sighed. "I was, but a good night's sleep and some time to think put things into perspective."
"If you're sure. But you're always welcome here, and if you ever want to talk about things…"
"I appreciate it," Akane said, giving the other girl a quick hug, "really I do. A lot of things have been going on, and I think I kind of lumped them together as one huge, terrible problem instead of dealing with each one on its own."
"I think I know what you mean. Like when a bunch of little things happen and make it seem like The Worst Day Ever even though nothing too terrible happened."
"Something like that," Akane said with a frown.
oOo
Nabiki got up, touched the power flowing within her and retrieved the journal from her nightstand. She started to make a note, but stopped with a frown. "Forgot to log the dojo and pond yesterday. Let's see, that was around…" She moved the pen away from the page as she mentally recounted the events of the previous day. After a few moments in thought, she closed the journal, returned the pen to its compartment, and put them down on the nightstand. She lay down on her back and stared unseeing at the ceiling. "So, that's how it is," she murmured. Closing her eyes, Nabiki reached unerringly to the source of her power, and sighed in pleasure as it eagerly, almost joyfully surged into her body.
Shouldn't Soun be a bit more upset, not at Ryogas death... but at Akane being upset? I was surprised there was no demon head technique upon Ranmas entry.
Also, this lack of faith your Akane has in Ranma at this point pretty much spells doom for the engagement...
But maybe that's because I liked your chemistry that you put between Ranma and Henry and found that to be a nice off the norm direction that quality ranma fanfiction doesn't take very often.
Anyway, I've been enjoying this story and your other works for some time now. Carry on.
