Water slide

[Cherico]

Water slide


We sat down in some restaurant and I looked around nervously.

"So..."

"Still in the middle east, I'm just getting you something to eat, try the babbaganosh."

I blinked.

"And that is?"

"No idea but I like the word, so I keep ordering it, it's honestly the same reason I order Chimichangas, it's an inherently fun word."

I looked up at an Arabic man in a turban.

"Yeah man, it's like um... totally a fun word, mind if I sit here and stuff."

He smelled odd, and had bloodshoot eyes and every now and then he would giggle.

"So, what do you want?"

"Rasheed, and really man?"

"Yeah well, magi stick together."

The man smiled.

"Figured it out pretty quick and stuff."

I grimaced.

"Um sensei, your jewish so."

I cringed.

"Dude like no way, some of my best bros are jewish."

His laugh was full and honest and then he looked down depressed.

"It like totally suuucked when they kicked them all out and shit."

I stared at him.

"Don't arabs and jews, you know hate each other."

Rasheed rolled his eyes.

"Yeah that mundane shit, the community has never liked that shit at all. It's um..."

He took something out and smoked it and smiled.

"The community, well we started out pretty crazy and then it was like we had to grow up and shit... you know it's heat and sand and killing each other cause some tribe doesn't like the tribe next door? Got sick of it yah know?"

He took a deep drag.

"So when the persians came in we backed them, cause you know all the tribes under one banner and shit."

He frowned.

"At first it was great yah know? Tolerance and love but it just, you know went bad and it wasn't cool. Empire yah know? So this guy Mohammed comes along creates a religion and the guy is pretty, you know chill. For the time at least, so we like helped him out."

I leaned in.

"And it worked out?"

"Nah Moe was a chill dude but after he died his fan boys screwed it all up, got like so wrapped up in the word that they forgot the message."

He sighed.

"Then we discovered the hash man, and it was like totally chill. We thought that would finally get everyone to chillax ya know?"

"It didn't work?"

"This guy in the mountain just used it wrong, gave the hash a bad name, so the community just gave up."

He made a spinning motion with his hand.

"Governments like a total drag, and all this fighting well yah can't stop it yah know so we just kind of stay out."

He flipped off a nearby policeman.

"Fucking pigs."

I blinked.

"Isn't he a cop?"

Rasheed frowned.

"Yeah and he's a corrupt one, guy can't see us, but watch him."

I did so and grimaced as he screamed at a woman and then beat her, it only stopped when a man gave him money.

"What did she do?"

"Nothing, the department demands bribes from all the shop owners. If they don't pay up, well they go after their families."

"Can't you stop it?"

I was restrained by Sensei.

"We tried bunch of times, but it just drags you down you know? Things can't change unless they want it to change."

"Can't you do more?"

"The word wizard comes from the word Vizard, we tried advising rulers to be chill, but it didn't happen instead they would just blame us when shit went wrong, lop off our heads and then continue to be very uncool."

The food was placed before us and it was ok. Rasheed ate and then shook Sensei's hand and walked away.

"So he's a mage?"

"He's the leader of all the magic users in Baghdad, so yeah he's a mage."

"And what's the lesson?"

Sensei closed his eyes.

"The Middle eastern magic community from Jordan to Afghanistan is probably the nicest community on Earth. Friendly people, and most of their nastyness is in the far distant past."

"And Egypt?"

"Egypt was it's own thing, point is if you're looking for the brightest light in the middle east, it's their magic community. They honestly believe in tolerance, racial, religious, and even sexual. They have had democratic governnance since the days of Mohammed, and they have completely given up on ever improving the middle east."

We looked around at the relative squalor.

"So what's the lesson here?"

Sensei stared at me.

"What do you think the lesson is?"

"Don't judge a book by its' cover?"

He nodded, and took a sip of water.

"And?"

I closed my eyes.

"Balance? The Egyptian magi were too involved and the other middle eastern magi are not involved enough."

I stared at him.

"So, am I right?"

He smiled sadly.

"There is no one right answer Hikaru."

I blinked.

"What?"

"There are lots of right answers, lots of ways of doing things, you're going to have to find your own truth, your own way of living."

I looked at my empty plate.

"The only one who can live your life is you."

 

[Doomsough]

"At first it was great yah know? Tolerance and love but it just, you know went bad and it wasn't cool. Empire yah know? So this guy Mohammed comes along creates a religion and the guy is pretty, you know chill. For the time at least, so we like helped him out."

Click to shrink...

What, no! That is just plain the opposite of history. He turned conqueror when he stopped making gains by peace and turned men to his religion by force.

 

[Cherico]

What, no! That is just plain the opposite of history. He turned conqueror when he stopped making gains by peace and turned men to his religion by force.

Click to shrink...

Rasheed is a muslum and holds an idealized view of the profit, as do a lot of middle eastern magi. Like a lot of religious people he picks and chooses what to belive in its just that he focuses on charity, kindness, and tolerance.

 

[Teucrian]

profit

Click to shrink...

You may want to fix that: prophet

 

[aznxa21]

Really enjoyable story Cherico. I wonder if Japan has a threat assessment like the PRT and if they do I wonder what our oh so great Jumper's file would be.

 

[Cherico]

Water slide


I laid back in bed staring at the ceiling.

"You've been gone alot."

I nodded my head, my arm around Ukyo.

"Yeah, Sensei's been busy hammering in charms, potions, other stuff."

"The restaurant has been busy too."

I sighed as my bedroom door opened, my dad stared at me.

"Sorry didn't, um...yeah..."

He closed the door, Ukyo's face was beet red.

"Oh yeah.. son...breakfast is ready."

"Ok dad."

We got dressed and went to the kitchen. Mom put some food on the table and raised an eyebrow at Ukyo, she set the table and fixed herself a cup of tea.

"If you get her pregnant, I expect you to take responsibility."

Liquid spewed forth from Ukyo's mouth, as mom smiled as if she had talked about the weather. After that the meal was held in awkward silence, it was a trick my mother used. She would hold court like a queen using silence as a weapon. Dad and I were both used to it, inured to it, but Ukyo shuffled around nervously as mom gave her a catlike grin, waiting for her to talk.

"I'm sorry."

My mom nodded as Ukyo broke under the strain.

"For what?"

"Um...doing um..."

My mom calmly sipped some tea, the silence felt oppressive as Ukyo blushed and stammered incoherently.

"You know stuff?"

Mom calmly placed her tea cup on a plate.

"You know, in my day we just called it sex."

Uyko coughed and weezed, the discomfort growing, the silence continued.

"What do you want?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're um...."

Moms face was much like a cat who had cornered a small mouse.

"um..... I don't know."

Mom motioned for me for me and dad to leave, I stayed near Ukyo's side. The silence continued, mom raised an eyebrow and continued to stare at us. The only sound was our heartbeats. Eventally something about Ukyo hardened and she stood up and stared back, the silence continued. Eventually mom reached out and refilled her tea cup.

"Do you love my son?"

"YES!"

She turned red and shrank into the chair, mom pulled out some paperwork and placed it on the table.

"You have passed my test, daughter."

Ukyo blinked.

"What?"

We stared at the folder.

"Um mom?"

"This? well I did some research into Ukyo-kun, found mention of an engagement?"

Uyko grimaced.

"It was legal, a dowery had been given and with it spent well the was some legal merit to it, but there were other cases and agreements. It wasn't that hard to find Ukyo's nearest next of kin, and it wasn't hard to get Genma to agree to have my boy pay off the bride price."

"I have family?"

"Second cousin."

My mother smiled.

"The bride price covered the cost of the original stand and more."

"Mom. where did you get this kind of money?"

She smiled.

"I have power of attorney over your accounts, you paid for it all."

I looked at dad in the window as he listened in, he was massaging his temples and taking deep breaths. She put the paperwork in front of Ukyo, who blinked.

"So I'm Hikaru's, um..."

"It's up to you of course, it would need your family stamp and Hikaru's as well."

She handed over the manilla envelope and Ukyo froze.

"I need to talk to my boy alone."

Ukyo fled and I stared at mom.

"Why?"

Mom waited until the door was shut.

"She's practical, nice, has a work ethic, can cook, is cute, and isn't a damned gold digger. I don't think your ever going to do better so I intervened."

"You can't do this."

She frowned.

"Why not? You're not a great heart trob, you don't make women swoon and I'm sorry to say it, you never will. If you let her go you will go from bad relationship to bad relationship and probably end up with some gold digger who will use you up."

She hissed that last part.

"Mom."

"Don't mom me, I'm not blind and I'm not stupid. I know that you and Ukyo have been doing this and that for a while, and while a man can get away with quite a bit Ukyo's business requires her to have a good reputation. If it gets out that she's a loose woman that would have major implications for her."

"You're being-"

"I'm not, I'm well aware of how a bad reputation can destroy a girl. Still destroys a girl, you have not been nearly as discreet as you think. So I meddled, I went behind your back and changed a few things so that everyone saves face."

"Mom, that-"

"Isn't cool? Even if Genma's trash she was still engaged to your best friend, that was a scandal that could destroy us."

"It's more complicated then that."

"No one cares about that sort of thing Hikaru, did you honestly think their wouldn't be any conquences for your actions?"

The room was silent.

"Mom, what's this really about?"

She froze, her face contorted into a fake smile.

"I'm just trying to protect you."

Mom was always a bad liar.

 

[kojivsleo]

Wonder whats going on in the background...

 

[Yelluhchicken]

Hikaru's mom is still probably afraid her secret will out. By engaging Hikaru to Ukyo(probably an established yet dishonored- due to Genma - line), she feels that it may give Hikaru additional protection(because by marying Hikaru, the dishonor is erased(?) ) against (racial)persecution.

 

[Wienerwagon]

If Hikaru were to find out what she's hiding, how would he? Sneaky sneaky. Magic that allows Hikaru to peeky peeky? Sensei might have the dirt. Or even pops. Or might as well use silence, or interrogate mom and see if she caves. It's her son after all. Keeping secrets from your son for doing something this meddlesome is just...

She hissed that last part.

Click to shrink...

She have any experience with gold diggers? Am I confusing Hikaru's mom with a different character, to guess she is yandere? At least a few quests I've read recently have yandere wives. More than one questu will confuse the restu.

 

[Cherico]

If Hikaru were to find out what she's hiding, how would he? Sneaky sneaky. Magic that allows Hikaru to peeky peeky? Sensei might have the dirt. Or even pops. Or might as well use silence, or interrogate mom and see if she caves. It's her son after all. Keeping secrets from your son for doing something this meddlesome is just...
She have any experience with gold diggers? Am I confusing Hikaru's mom with a different character, to guess she is yandere? At least a few quests I've read recently have yandere wives. More than one questu will confuse the restu.

Click to shrink...

Every one in Nerma knows what happened to the Kuno family.

 

[HuntingTime]

I can see his mother having access to his bank account but power of attorney, why?

 

[Cherico]

I can see his mother having access to his bank account but power of attorney, why?

Click to shrink...

because he's still in high school, he's getting closer to graduating but his finacies are pretty much firmly under his mothers control, actually his mother countrols the entire families finacies Hikaru's dad gives her his entire paycheck and in return gets an allowance to live on. This is common in japan.

 

[Yelluhchicken]

Hikaru's dad gives her his entire paycheck and in return gets an allowance to live on. This is common in japan.

Click to shrink...

I think you stated this a previous chapter describing Japanese culture. Stll, it is something that bears repeating.

 

[Jackercracks]

Man, fuck people pulling this kind of bullshit and acting like it's okay. You don't get to make this kind of decision without consulting with people. You just don't.

 

[Wabberjack]

she would fit right in in my mothers family. the lengths they go to when they find a potential son or daughter in law they like...... well this seems pretty tame.

 

[Cherico]

Water slide


I sat next to Ukyo, deep in thought. Something was slightly off, mom's actions didn't make sense. Normally she wasn't that into honor, or reputation, I know dad didn't give a shit about that kind of thing. Something had her scared, frightened, something was definitely off. Ukyo looked off into the distance, her face kind of blank. She put her hand on top of mine.

"I'm ok with this."

I blinked.

"Huh?"

"With us, with this, your dad's pretty cool, your mom's willing to take me in, and well your great. I'm ok with this."

"Ukyo, you don't-"

She shrugged.

"You want to give me a choice? Well I already had one, you or Ranma and I choose you."

She nodded and laid on the ground, she stared at the sky and I was lost in thought.

"So, now what?"

She stared at the sky.

"Well you have your job, I have the restaurant, we can make it work, it's not that hard to find a place in Nerima."

I laid down next to her, and she cuddled closer. I imagined my life with her like I used to do with Akane and it was, well comforting, comfortable, but something still felt off, everything felt slightly off like this was being pushed. Ukyo blinked and got up.

"What's wrong?"

She smiled.

"So I was thinking, this spring break after school."

"What?"

"The wedding."

I blinked.

"Um."

"Don't worry I will have it all planned out, it will be well good."

She kissed me and I was left on the grass feeling like a lamb that had been taken to the slaughter. I walked around aimlessly for a bit until I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Congratulations."

I looked at my handler.

"You know on getting hitched."

I was about to turn 17... and.

"You had something to do with this."

It was an accusation, he frowned.

"Well yeah, I did."

He motioned for me to sit next to him on a park bench.

"You have no right to meddle in my-"

"I do, will and already have, when you get to your level of power, your private affairs become my business."

"And that is?"

"Securing Japan's existance."

"From what?"

He sighed.

"Our constitution doesn't let us have an official military, just a self defense force, and our neighbourhood is hostile."

"China isn't going to be a problem."

"That doesn't solve Vietnam, the middle east, indonesia, North korea and the chinese have a way of bouncing back, and that doesn't even bring up the russians. We have to have paranormal assets that we can rely on for less open things."

"Then why meddle in my love life?"

He shrugged.

"Your repair spell? Thats a bloodline thing, and honestly we need that. Ki masters go out and break things and thats goddamned expensive even with the special districts, it's going to grate on the average taxpayer eventually and right now? Things are good, So yeah, I meddled in your love life. I will probably meddle again, it's all about the greater good."

"Asshole."

He shrugged.

"I've been called worse, and anyways we ran the numbers, you and Ukyo are pretty compatible, you have pretty good odds of making it work."

"And those numbers?"

"Telling you the numbers would actually increase the chance of you fucking it all up."

I blinked.

"I thought you guys were supposed to be polite."

"Would that make your more or less suspicious Hikaru?"

"umm..."

"You're angry that we meddled, and I understand it but you're getting a good girl, a good career and a family. I read your psych profile and well that's what you wanted."

"But what If I wanted adventure?"

He chuckled.

"You don't like them, you're a home body, oh you like magic like learning things, but fighting conflict? No that isn't your style, you prefer to live vicariously through others, like your friend Ranma."

I clenched my hands.

"You're wrong about me."

He raised an eyebrow.

"Your buddy Ranma? He's planning on going to China to get that cure, whole gang is coming."

"IT'S A WARZONE!"

"Yeah but he needs it, wants it, do you really want to go? To live that life? All that Chaos? It's not your thing."

I thought about it, and I got off the bench.

"Where are you going?"

"To Ranma's place."

 

[Finbar]

Oh, so the Mum was hit up by his Handler or someone like that, to make sure he married Ukyo.

Interesting.

 

[Jackercracks]

"Your buddy Ranma? He's planning on going to China to get that cure, whole gang is coming."

Click to shrink...

... cure?

I've not watched the source material.

 

[Blaflaix]

... cure?

I've not watched the source material.

Click to shrink...

In theory, if he gets cursed by the Spring of the Drowned Man, he would no longer turn into a girl when hit by water.

Of course, it's never actually been done, and the one other case of multiple springs combined into an even more bizarre form...
But then, Ranma has never let something like common sense get in the way of attempts to cure himself.

 

[SkySkimmer]

Did they not get the memo about meddling in the affairs of wizards?

 

[Yelluhchicken]

Enter Safron and the Phoenix tribe. I wonder how they fared with the nuclear strike? Are Jusenkyo and Jusendo still intact or did the nuke make things worse?

Since magic is real here, do beings like Gaia and Akasha exist?

 

[CatScannerDarkly]

In theory, if he gets cursed by the Spring of the Drowned Man, he would no longer turn into a girl when hit by water.

Of course, it's never actually been done, and the one other case of multiple springs combined into an even more bizarre form...
But then, Ranma has never let something like common sense get in the way of attempts to cure himself.

Click to shrink...

With Taro, the freakishness comes from the fact that a yeti riding an ox while clutching a bird of some type fell into the pool that he later fell in. The amalgamation is part of the pool, not mixing the curses.

I think he adds octopus tenctacles later, but he does that by dabbing water on his sides, iirc, not dunking himself into it.

So, jumping into the spring of the drowned man might work. Or it might not. Personally, I'd try it on Mousse first.

 

[Cherico]

The mid point interlude is finished, cory won I have the next two days off and Im short on caps.....sorry money too much fallout 4. Point is I will continue writing and getting this all done for you guys.

 

[Cherico]

Maria Corazon



I looked at a photo of my former husband and then outside at the rain, in the distance I could see the lights of the oil rigs. They would soon be joined by many more, this was the future and the hope of my people, our way to pay off the massive debt that had been accrued under Marcos' reign of terror. There were already requests to use the oil money for social projects, for infrastructure, schools and other things, but we had a duty to repay our debts first, and I would make sure that duty was fullfilled. After our debts were paid off, then we could spend the money freely.

I reread the report on our oil reserves and sighed, there was more then enough. I looked at a request from OPEC to join their organization and tossed it in the garbage. Our oil was not natural, not a gift of geography. It was a thing of literal magic, a product of our alliance, an alliance that on some level disturbed me. The americans had over looked Marcos' actions, they had allowed us to suffer, but then I remembered some of our territorial disputes with Indonesia, the continuing communist uprising in part of the country and a bunch of other issues and continued it.

The country came first after all, before my feelings. I read some more reports and looked at more policy decisions. I sighed as some noise started as machine guns ratted out a retort that echoed throughout the capital.

"The coup?"

My aid nodded, we knew it was coming, actually we had all the names, all of the information, another gift from the yanks. I watched through the bulletproof windows as the coup was put down. A thought came, was this how Marcos felt? I clenched my hands, no I was better then that, there would be trials, martial law would not be declared. This was just clean up, I looked over more reports. The trade deal with Japan wasn't a good one, the chinese market was more or less closed due to the war. India.... India had some options.

Of course we were going to be selling to the americans too, but most of our oil would probably end up going to east and south asia.

"At current projections, when can we repay all of our debt?"

"Five years."

The war was causing the price of oil to spike but our exports were stabilizing things. I looked over the international news. Beijing was gone, the Russians blamed the chinese for the nuke but no one believed them. According to our spies there was a talk and they agreed to hold off on the nukes, though from the reports everything else was on the plate.

"Gas attacks?"

"Confirmed, it's not rare either, the soviets are using it as standard operating procedure."

Hm, not good but we're far enough away that it's not going to be a problem, still it was best to have the loyal parts of the military mobilized just in case. Indonesia, were on good terms with them. I looked over our budget reports, the oil revenue was going into paying off the debt, but the faster we paid that off the better.

"These infrastructure projects of Marcos', how far have they gone?"

My aid handed me the reports, I looked over each one.

"Anything under 50% completion scrap it, I'm going to look at the rest, if it has value or is near completion it might be worth my time."

I doubted most of it would be worth my time, let's see schools, universities, the vital stuff keep it, but I was pretty sure most of it was useless crap. It made sense after all, the creation mirrored its' master.

"We should funnel some money into maintaining some of those projects."

"If there's enough money I might consider it."

I read more reports and frowned, the financial situation was better now, we wouldn't have to default, and once everything was paid off things would be better.

"The coup leaders have surrendered."

I nodded my head.

"disarm them and get ready for the court procedings."

I marked out the cells that used to hold political dissidents, hm I appreciate the irony but that was something I should leave to the judicial system. The thought did provide some light levity though.

"The Reagans are calling."

"Ronald or Nancy."

The exasperated sigh told me everything.

"Nancy then."

I picked up the phone.

"Connie, how did it go?"

"Well I'm still here, thanks for the call."

Please don't...

"I knew you would be alright, remember that reading I gave you?"

oh no... please no.

"I must have misplaced it."

"Oh... well I can create a new one for you whenever you want."

"I don't want to bother you."

"Oh but it wouldn't be a bother at all, it would be just like that time I went to the salon with Maggie."

I tried to imagine Margarate Thatcher getting her nails done, then I imagined her putting a baby in a blender and drinking the results. One was considerably easier then the other.

"I'm a little busy right now."

"Oh, well Ron says hi and wishes you well, he's going to send you some jellybeans."

I was starting to wonder if the man had won a lifetime supply somewhere, or if it had been a reward for doing that horrid movie with the monkey.

"Thanks...."

"Well, I will just let you get to work then, bye."

I hung up and looked at a photo of my husband, former husband.

"This should have been you."

I got back to work.

 

[Finbar]

I just.....what the fuck?