[Ranma][NGE][HPL][AMG][Fusion][Fanfic] Sic Semper Morituri Chapter 23 - But
Dr. Freud, That Isn't Even a Cigar
Disclaimer:
I do not own any of the characters from Ranma 1 / 2, Neon Genesis
Evangelion, Ah My Goddess, or the Lovecraft Cycle involved in these
stories. And I'll put them back when I've finished with them.
C&C , MSTs are welcome
E-mail: dan_s.comments@worldnet.att.net
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http://www.cs.ubc.ca/cgi-bin/ftp/archive/anime-fan-works/Ranma/type/Sic-Sem
per-Morituri
(these are the original versions)
What has gone before:
About Book 11, Akane and Soun Tendo throw Ranma out of the house.
Nabiki, in the guise of a wish, follows him. They meet EVA pilots Shinji
Ikari, Rei Ayanami, Asuka Soryu Langley and Jeffrey Davis.
Asuka and Jeff begin deriving the equations to manipulate the AT
field. Asuka solves the equations, but is unable to explain them to the
others.
The Scholarly Dragon sees a battle between mythos creatures, he
reports this to Jeff and Asuka, Toji `overhears`.
Search and Rescue training continues. The fogs and mass absences from
school are explained by an attack by the Lliogor, sentient energy. The
pilots and their schoolmates fight them.
Meanwhile, Misato learns ASuka and Shinji are being moved out of her
apartment, and that one of Ritsuko's kids is also going to leave.
Jeff admits his attraction to Ritsuko. New security guards are
recruited.
Korah Matah, Korah Rahtahmah, . . . Korah matah korah matah, nyohah keelah
korah rahtahmah. Syadho keelah, korah rahtahmah. Korah, korah matah,
korah rahtahmah.
John Williams, Duel of the Fates
May 28, 1947
Misato had wandered over, once she was thrown clear of the building,
her `guards` lost interest in her. Ranma's 'I just want to go home'
comment cut her to the quick. Neither Shinji nor Asuka would be 'returning
home' to her apartment. Something she'd managed to forget in the past
hours.
----------------------------------------
Nabiki watched the ambulance take her roommate to the medcenter,
rescue workers were collecting the rest of her classmates. Some were just
shaken up, but others were being carried. A cordon of soldiers kept almost
everyone away from the pilots. And keeps the pilots from checking on our
friends, Nabiki thought angrily, while she, Ranma, Shinji, Asuka and Rei
waited for the truck to take them to be debriefed on the day's events.
"I'm not looking forward to talking about this," Nabiki commented.
She was glad Ranma's and Asuka's usual boastfulness seemed subdued.
"Asuka, any word on Hikari?"
Asuka shook her head, "No, I thought if it was what those things were
doing, killing them all would free her."
"She will recover," Rei said.
Nabiki had no idea why she had interjected herself in the
conversation.
"It's not that easy Wondergirl," Asuka said, "Not like in the dreams."
"She will recover," Rei said, and walked to the newly arrived truck
that would take them back to headquarters.
Nabiki watched all the pilots tense as Misato headed over, if Misato
noticed, she gave no sign. Rei had reversed course, and was now at
Shinji's side, looking more inscrutable than usual. Nabiki knew that meant
trouble. She noticed Hiroko and Natsumi were now guarding her flanks,
Natsumi was locked onto Misato and looked like she wished she still had a
bomb to throw.
Who told them about Asuka's blow up? Nabiki wondered as she braced for
the dressing down. "Stay calm," she quietly told the pair, "We might get
out of this without bloodshed." She was glad they chuckled at that. Asuka
and Ranma were both doing Rei impressions, watching without revealing
anything.
"Considering my orders on the subject," Misato began, "I'm amazed that
Daifitsu brings a gun to school."
"He takes a gun everywhere," Rei said, "For obvious reasons." Rei
stared at Misato until the older woman looked away. "We should go," Rei
told the pilots.
The pilots headed for the truck, Rei dropped back to stand near
Nabiki.
"The Commander authorized my pistol, the Second goes armed. General
MacArthur left the matter in Admiral Simson's hands, you should also." Rei
advanced to hop into the truck. Ranma, duplicated the feat and they helped
pull Shinji, and Asuka into the truck.
I should leave it in the Admiral's hands? Nabiki wondered, Or I should
go armed? Or I should ask the Admiral about going armed? This time,
Nabiki couldn't decipher exactly what Rei meant.
"There's enough of me to go around," Nabiki told them as they glared
at each other over both extending their hands to her.
Hiroko scooped her up in her arms and tossed her into the truck, "Go
on, get out of here. I've had enough excitement for one day, and no desire
to get killed when those two fight." Rei and Ranma were almost as
embarrassed as Nabiki, as the truck pulled away.
----------------------------------------
>From the Journal of Jeffrey Kevin Davis
The foolish talk about a god's power, as if a dragon, an archmage, or
a heavy cruiser couldn't come close to matching it. But the mages' proverb
says, 'Any fool can start an avalanche, a clever man can start it with a
pebble, and a mage can place the pebble so it will go where he wants it
to.' More so with a god.
If whoever sent that dream had searched for an eon, it couldn't have
found a better way to drive me mad. Like a cocklebur boring through my
flesh, and nothing I do can dislodge it as it worms and prickles its way
deeper.
Today I watched Rit-ch . . . Rits . . . DR. AKAGI! pacing. I knew
the words to say to ease her discord. I also knew the places she loved to
be touched, the ways she longed to be held while she cried, or screamed, or
simply griped about the inherent unfairness and perversity of the world. I
knew this, and so much more.
I smirked at that at the time, remembering an argument between the
Dean and Harvard's Chaplin, that the Commandments didn't forbid lusting
after your _own_ wife. The Chaplin had been scandalized when the Dean and
Abigail had been caught in 'Lover's Lane' together. I fully understand
now, as I watched Ritsu - Dr. Akagi walking, moving, how beautiful and
troubled she was.
The solutions I could have used would have worked, they always had in
the `past`, and I suspect they'd be just as effective here. Those
creatures didn't need to understand humans to manipulate us like this. A
diamond cutter doesn't need to know about carbon chemistry to split a
diamond along existing fault lines. A Roman engineer didn't need Newton,
physics and Calculus to build wonders that still awed the modern mind.
The Great Old Ones need no such intimate understanding of humans, to
find and strike the flaws in a human soul, and they'd found mine. Gave me
what I'd always longed for, snatched it away, then put me back in a mad
parody of it.
----------------------------------------
Ritsuko set the journal aside for the moment and looked around her
office. Only yesterday, she'd dismissed as ridiculous her concern that she
didn't have any pictures of the kids in her office. As embarrassing as it
was to read the Children's thoughts, it was necessary. We have to know
what they are thinking and feeling, Ritsuko reminded herself as she picked
up the book again, looked at the tiny, refined, handwriting that filled the
pages, With what they might become, it is important we know early on.
----------------------------------------
>From the Journal of Jeffrey Kevin Davis
Except the parody was the dream and madness was reality. I want to
comfort and be comforted by my wife, but I was, I am . . . more her son
than her husband. And while what I want, and believe she needs, isn't
illegal under _Japanese_ law, it is by American law, and the customs and
mores of both societies: an underage boy does not have a love affair with a
`Christmas Cake`, that cruel term for any woman over 25, discounted and
forgotten, except by the desperate.
It isn't fair, not the characterization of Rit-ch -
Why can't I just think of her as Doctor Akagi? Saotome and his
rotten, and appropriate, 'Rit-chan', he means it as being friendly, and all
girls are `cute`. However, it means a lot more to me.
I am lonely, maybe that's why I adjusted to the Japanese better than
Langley. Because I'm an 'other' everywhere: a cowboy at Harvard, a
college-boy in Wyoming, some other mother's son with the rest of my family.
Rank, respect and fear drove divisions around me here, normally it
shouldn't matter, people by and large don't matter. Watching them with
apathy, with my and their enforced distances swallowing any insult they
could possibly throw. They are unnecessary to contemptible, as is their
ignorance of battles fought and prices paid for their continued complacency
and contempt.
But I'd had something, after so long, after Jenny and Samuel. Now I
could have it for real, if I walked that road, one step into corruption. I
know the paths into her heart, so many of her secret hopes and fears, her
loves and longings. I should, I spent almost 20 years soothing her hurts,
trying to live up to her dreams and desires. The mere thought of it makes
me feel unclean, it is worse than reading her diary, I've read her mind and
soul, and become entranced by what I found. Now it would be a simple
exercise to manipulate her with my knowledge, to catch her completely.
But the love I feel is very real, I want what is best for her. I'm
`man` enough to know that I am not it. And won't be, for at least a
decade. A decade maybe neither of us have.
Maya, for all the troubles that will involve, is a far better
alternative for the short term. I intend to let the long term look after
itself. It was like Ranko's affections, I suspect part of it was the
disruption of her link with Ranma, and she'd sought male companionship to
make up for that lost communion. Ranma evidently sought out Nabiki for the
same type of succor, then both pulled back when they were whole, fear and
embarrassment, as well as a need to reassess things.
This, perhaps, will be what I will have to do. It wouldn't be fair to
Ritsuko to do otherwise, I have no right to play those games of
manipulation. Gendo played and plays them as a matter of course, as does
Misato without Gendo's subtlety. I _despise_ them for that, for all their
stupid, little games. And I'll be _damned_ in time and in Eternity if I
cavalierly walked the same road, for nothing more than my own
gratification, a homey bed, a lover's embrace. As badly as I want them,
they aren't worth my soul. Or hers.
----------------------------------------
Ritsuko closed the journal, gave it back to the courier who would
return it, before Jeff missed it. Since they were moving Jeff's
possessions, she had an excellent opportunity to go over the entries in
detail. It's part of the job, she thought as she looked down at the pages
of notes she'd taken while she read.
Maya usually handled reading the journals from `Ritsuko's` kids, while
she monitored Asuka's, Shinji's and Rei's accounts. Sometimes it just hurt
too much to pry into the kids thoughts and worries, then go home and look
at them.
"What a mess," Ritsuko drained her coffee, she'd already worked out
what she was going to tell the kids about the events of today. From the
Lliogor attack to the new housing arrangements. "Of course it's my job to
tell Asuka and Jeff they are to report Misato's medical problems in the
future," she sighed at that. She knew that despite the treatment that
Misato had given her, Asuka would never betray Misato's weaknesses like
that, nor would Jeff. 'It just isn't done', not by a lady or a gentleman
anyway.
She headed towards the conference room, the kids wouldn't be the only
ones having to give tough answers to tough questions.
----------------------------------------
Nabiki watched Ritsuko go through the descriptions. She glanced
around the conference room at her fellow pilots and some of the senior
staff. She felt she could concentrate on concerns other than what Ritsuko
was telling them. After all, Nabiki thought, We came up with the same
conclusions already. She isn't adding or leaving out anything.
"What about the rest of them?" Misato asked.
"I don't expect to see any more of them from this group," Ritsuko told
them, "We either killed or drove them all off."
"Are there upgrades to the sensors, to detect these things, planned
for the future?" Misato asked.
"We have some systems than may enhance our coverage," Ritsuko told
them, displayed another map of the Tokyo area.
Nabiki had no idea what the colored wedges and bands really meant, and
Ritsuko covered the chart before any of the pilots got a good look at it.
Nabiki glanced at Misato and Kaji, they obviously understood what these
`enhancements` were and would do.
"More powerful and permanent improvements are in the works," Ritsuko
said, "This is the second time minor mythos powers have created such a
problem."
"What about the physical security?" Kaji asked, "There are some rumors
that someone is changing the procedures."
"That's not a rumor," Admiral Simson said, "We're going to make very
different arrangements. With the near annihilation of the NERV distant
covering force, we believed the change was appropriate and timely."
"We recommended against that," Commander Fuyutsuki pointed out.
Nabiki noted that Gendo was silent on that subject.
"I took your recommendations under advisement," Simson replied.
"I must protest this," Fuyutsuki pointed out forcefully, "As well as
the relocation of the pilots."
Relocation? Nabiki looked at her fellow pilots as they glanced around
in confusion, none of them had heard about this either. From the way
Ritsuko and Misato are grimacing, Nabiki looked at their two guardians,
They didn't want to drop it on us this way.
"Shinji will be moving in with us," Ritsuko said, "We will relocate
Asuka and Jeff elsewhere."
"Where?" Ranma complained from his seat next to Nabiki.
"An apartment a few miles from where you are," Simson said, "One of
the new security detail will be keeping an eye on them."
Nabiki looked across the table at Asuka, she looked apologetically at
Shinji, then took on a stoic cast. Misato looked like she had eaten
something sour, Ritsuko's expression was completely interpretable.
Whatever it is. She is about ready to explode, Nabiki thought, She knows
something, something she doesn't want the pilots to hear. Nabiki looked
more carefully at where Ritsuko was looking, and not looking, No, she
doesn't want the NERV staff to know either. But Admiral Simson seems to
know. Nabiki put that on the list of things to do. First on that list is
to actually get the pilots' biographies, she thought, My own included, and
read them.
"I don't think Raccoon will object too much to that," she whispered to
Ranma.
"You're just trying to stir things up," Ranma whispered back.
She noted the hurt tone he used.
"You'll be meeting the new security staff tomorrow," Simson told them,
"I am more concerned about the school. There's hardly anything left of it,
except a few out buildings."
"That is being taken care of," Gendo piped up, "The end of the term is
coming. Then we'll have six weeks to complete the rebuilding."
Nabiki couldn't imagine them rebuilding the entire structure, in just
six weeks. She spent the rest of the meeting watching the power dynamics
of the room. It was clear Kaji didn't like being cut out of being in
charge of the physical security of the pilots.
And where is Captain Ramsey? Nabiki noted that Ritsuko seemed to be
siding with Simson, as was Gendo. Leaving Misato, Kaji and Fuyutsuki
completely outmatched and unsupported.
----------------------------------------
Nabiki and Ranma were walking through the corridors of NERV, they had
time before they had to go home.
"I don't understand why you think he won't fight leaving," Ranma
commented.
"Maybe if you'd been friendlier, he might have wanted to stay," Nabiki
commented. It amazed her he could see chi, and all that implied, and not
see the tension both Asuka and Raccoon were constantly under.
Ranma grimaced at that.
"I'm not talking about Ranko practically throwing herself at him,"
Nabiki amended, "Imagine being surrounded by honorless barbarians, you
might want to be rid of them as well." Nabiki knew she was exaggerating,
but she needed Ranma to understand, predictably he got mad.
"I'm not honorless!"
"Maybe not to yourself, but to him? How many times as Ranma or Ranko
did you try to walk in on him in the bathroom, here or at home? How often
did you subtly tell him to do things the Japanese/'honorable' way, rather
than let him do it his more comfortable way? Japan attacked his country,
murdered his family members. Now he has to live _here_, by _our_ rules."
"I never did that!" Ranma insisted as they walked.
"Oh," Nabiki stopped, raised an eyebrow, "Breakfast: miso soup, rice,
hard-boiled egg, occasionally some pickled vegetables. Sound familiar?"
"Yeah, so what?" Ranma looked confused, "I like those kinds of
breakfasts. You know that, isn't that why Raccoon makes them?"
"Where's the scrambled eggs? Where's the oatmeal? The orange juice?
The pancakes?" Nabiki watched Ranma frown, then looked nauseated as they
stood there, "Look at your face, with that expression on it. Then tell me
we aren't forcing him to live as _we_ choose."
"He could have fixed anything he liked."
"No, he couldn't," Nabiki explained, "Sometimes I think you don't
believe there's any honor code except yours, and people follow it or none
at all. He was a guest in Ritsuko's house. The three times he suggested a
more Western-style breakfast, his host, and one of those he was serving
both emphatically refused his offer. Honor wouldn't allow him to do
anything else."
Ranma shook his head in amazement, "He could have said something!"
Nabiki threw up her hands and started walking again, "And insulted you
and Ritsuko? No, he couldn't, he wouldn't," Nabiki told him, "It would be
dishonorable. I'm not saying he wouldn't get sick of it, which is why he
might not disagree with the orders. He might have also decided that Shinji
needs the environment there, a lot more than he does. That also would be
an 'honorable' thing to do."
Ranma stopped, blinked, got a 'deer in the headlights' look on his
face.
Nabiki felt like turning around and shaking him until his teeth came
loose, "There's no one definition of honor, Saotome. A gentleman's code of
Honor is different from a samurai's or any other Martial Artist's. But
it's just as real and important. Insulting the hostess in her own home 'is
not done', any more than you could back down from a challenge to fight,
it's totally dishonorable. If someone put an okonomiyaki in front of him,
he'd at least sample it."
Ranma chuckled, remembering Raccoon's first taste of his favorite
food.
Nabiki remembered too, she thought Raccoon was going to throw up when
he tasted it, instead he offered it to Ranma, who devoured it eagerly.
"He'd never tell the chef how nauseous the food was to him. So that's just
one way. There were probably hundreds of others. He wasn't an American
living in Japan. He was having to live _as_ a Japanese. Could you live in
that alien a culture, say one that didn't _permit_ the practice of Martial
Arts?"
Ranma shook his head 'no', started walking again.
"That's what I'm talking about. He and Asuka at least can have a
place where they don't have to conform to our ways," Nabiki explained,
"They're still treated as outsiders, even by their friends. Her circle
practically worships Asuka. The school kids universally fear Raccoon,
people don't follow him out of honor and love, they respect, and dread him.
If you bothered to listen, you'd hear the comments." They're almost as
afraid of him as they are of you, she didn't add out loud, she fervently
hoped Ranma never learned how much most of the school feared him, feared
him as much as the monsters they fought. For much the same reasons,
unmatchable, unlimited power and they didn't understand him.
"That doesn't make any sense," Ranma sighed, turned to face her, "They
always have people around them, so do I. Rei and Shinji are the loners."
"People often flock to the things they fear, out of fascination, out
of the thrill of taking a risk, and knowing they got away, again," Nabiki
watched Ranma closely, she suspected that was Ranko's fascination with
Raccoon. Davis had as much as told Ranma, when the need for him was over,
he'd kill him. Yet Ranko could tell him her most embarrassing and intimate
secrets, and face at most 'Why did you do that?'
"I think you're being negative," Ranma told her, "Just to stir things
up. That's what I think."
"I can remember a time when you wouldn't do even that much analysis,"
Nabiki enjoyed his shocked look, "Don't assume that because you've matched
me a few times, that you've mastered the art. Half the time, you don't
even understand yourself, let alone anybody else." Nabiki stepped around
him and kept walking. He fell in beside her.
"Maybe I should talk to him," Ranma admitted.
"There's a drinking fountain," Nabiki pointed to the fixture on the
wall. As she thought, Ranma headed to it, "Ah HA!"
Ranma started, looked around.
"_You_ aren't going to talk to him, Ranko is going to go talk to him!"
"I am Ranko," Ranma said firmly.
"Then why did you make a beeline for the cold water, when you decided
you had to talk to Raccoon?" Nabiki stepped up to him, "I'll tell you why,
because around me, or Ritsuko, or Misato, Ranma is Ranko and vice versa.
Except around _him_, and I bet you don't even know why!"
Ranma fidgeted, looked for some escape, physically or verbally,
"That's just crazy."
"Have you ever hugged Shinji? Or Kaji? Or even Ritsuko when he
wasn't around?" Nabiki advanced, pushing Ranma back against the wall,
"You're afraid Saotome, afraid of what people will say about you if you act
with any tenderness, you're afraid people will call you unmanly, or girly.
Except around him, Ranko - acts - like - a - girl. Because you know it's
safe, that's what's got you so agitated about this transfer and his implied
rejection, you liked the way you felt, you want to be able to continue
without being ridiculed for it."
Ranma's back was literally against the wall, and still Nabiki closed
in, she knew she had him. She remembered that he wasn't an enemy, this was
not the time to close for the kill. She could, easily, she knew he knew
it, and she knew, he knew, she knew it. Instead, she took his hand, held
it against her cheek.
"When have I ever done that? I've gotten mad when you endangered or
hurt yourself, when you denied your feelings. Not when you expressed
them," she pushed forward, resting her head against his chest, released his
hand and encircled his waist with her arms, "I got mad when you didn't
treat those things, or my feelings, seriously. Now you have those
feelings, a girl's feelings about someone you care about, maybe even love.
They don't have to make sense, like Zen, they just are, and you have to
deal with them that way. You can't just wish them away." She snuggled
against him, he stood there stock still, waiting for the attack that would
never come. That would be an important lesson for him.
She was content to just keep him there several minutes, saying
nothing, letting him work the problem out, doggedly, step by step. He was
new to thinking, as practically its sole practitioner back in Nerima, she
knew how difficult it was. Especially, when all around you, people simply
acted. Finally she broke the stalemate.
"Hey," Ranko complained at the handful of cold water dumped on her
head, "I thought you said - "
"I said you were doing something automatically. I never said it was
right or wrong," Nabiki told her, rubbing her cheek on Ranko's breasts.
She knew that would keep Ranko immobile and listening while she talked,
"For the record, it is a good tactic. Also for the record, you weren't
even aware you were doing it. You want control, don't let habits form
unobserved, that's why you were stealing food, it was a habit."
"Thanks," Ranko said sardonically.
"One last thing," Nabiki said, stepping away, "Something I learned
from Ranma."
That raised Ranko's suspicions.
"Men, real men, don't like to feel vulnerable or incapable. They'll
do a lot of foolish things to avoid it," Nabiki strove to keep from
sounding like she was lecturing, "He's badly hurt, and whatever whiz-bang
he's hiding from us, I'd guess the account's empty or overdrawn right now.
Remember how Ranma felt when he first lost Everett: bereft, vulnerable and
trapped. Don't attack when he gets defensive, and don't take away what
manhood he has left by trying to protect him. Slow, gentle, T'ai Chi Chaun
or Aiki_DO_, not Kempo. There is no victory if you don't at least stay
friends."
Ranko nodded and jogged on down the corridor.
Nabiki sighed, This place has a whole series of other dangers. She
smiled at the happily running Martial Artist, Maybe we should plan a double
wedding, she laughed at that and started her own walk to Maya's office, and
the long overdue look at her current self and her fellow pilots.
Again she dreaded the possibility of Nerima trying to reach out and
drag Ranma `back home`, and start hurting him again. She also dreaded what
she'd do to protect him. Simply denying any family connection, she knew
that would effectively sign the death warrants for any of the other Tendos
or the Saotomes. Could I do that? she stared at her hands, Considering how
angry I am at losing Raccoon, just maybe I could. She didn't like that
realization one bit.
----------------------------------------
Dancing At the Volcano
Ranko entered Raccoon's hospital room, she was glad he was wearing
pants, rather than the kilt. At least that's what they'd told her, several
'U.S. NAVY' blankets covered him up to his chin. His face was terribly
pale, except the livid yellow slap mark from where Nab-chan had hit him
last Sunday. Ranma had put it out of his mind, Because Raccoon concealed
it, Ranko thought, Because it was an insult to Nab-chan's honor, and a
gentleman wouldn't insult a lady that way.
She crept soundlessly across the floor, the tile over concrete made it
easy. Watching for any indication he heard her, especially opening his
eyes, as he lay on his side, facing towards the door. The room was the one
they always put Raccoon in when he got hurt. Gray everything, walls,
floor, all the metal fixtures, only the bedding tried to give the room some
color. As if white and tan could do that. Raccoon seemed to be trying to
blend in, his face was very gray. She extended her chi, and could find
none of the cold that indicated he was using magic or holding mana. That
worried her.
Ranko put a chair next to the bed, so she could look at his face. She
put her head on the pillow a few inches from his face and just watched him.
What Nab-chan had told her made sense, and was very disturbing. She
had two powerful, conflicting impulses. The first/Ranma was to race out,
find the things that did this and the people who helped them, and hurt
them. Give way to righteous anger and take retribution. The second/Ranko
impulse was to crawl into bed and just hold him, make him know he was safe
and warm, as he made her feel so often. Her rational mind grudgingly
admitted both were the wrong thing to do. The military would find the
people and punish them, and Raccoon would be mortified by finding even a
fully-clothed Ranko in bed with him.
Just like the feelings he'd had about Nab-chan, sometimes he was
terrified of her. When she was on the attack, he knew there was little
Ranma or Ranko could do to deflect her. Weather the storm and survive was
the only course of action. Then there were the times she was soft and
vulnerable, crying or like when Rei tricked and embarrassed both of them in
the bathroom. Then he wanted to hurt or drive away whatever had caused her
to feel that way, or let her hold him, which always made her feel better.
Ranma didn't understand why that was, but Ranko understood perfectly,
without being able to explain it. It was embarrassing he felt that way
about a guy, almost as awkward as knowing the `Ice Princess` felt that way,
that strongly about Ranma and Ranko.
The battle earlier had been, had felt, very strange. None of the
pilots had been willing to give an inch, not him, not Asuka, not even
'Spineless'. Ranma had been confident during most of the battle, if
Nab-chan didn't have a plan of action, then Raccoon or Asuka did. All he
had to do was carry them out, and following their orders didn't bother him
at all. Even momentary despair was blown away in an instant, like when
Raccoon blew the unseen wall down.
Now, neither of them were dying, they just wouldn't be living under
the same roof, and she was in turmoil. The weird feelings Ranko had for
Raccoon wouldn't confuse Ranma anymore. Maybe he could finally understand
Nab-chan without being distracted by other things. Ranma should have been
glad it was happening.
"Then why do I hate the thought of you moving out?" Ranko asked.
"Ah, first I'd heard of it," he opened his eyes and paused as he saw
her expression, "What happened?"
"They're moving you out, why?" she accused, she felt terrible about
this, more angry at whoever planned this than she was at the monsters. She
desperately wanted to hurt whoever was hurting her, and she wanted to be
comforted. Again, her rational mind told her she couldn't do either of
those, she'd have to settle for an explanation.
"They told me. Ranko, I have to follow orders, it wasn't my choice,"
Raccoon told her.
"Then if you . . . ," she only barely remembered Nab-chan's advice,
before she blurted out her first anguished demand, she took a different
tack, I haven't done any of the things _I_ wanted since I walked in here,
she thought as she very carefully stretched across the pillow to kiss his
forehead, "And how do you _feel_ about it?" Feelings, even her own,
weren't something she could understand or get comfortable with, not when
they were as powerful as these. But Nab-chan made her understand that
honor had different meanings for different people, even if they denied its
existence. When Raccoon said 'something isn't done', that effectively
translated into saying it wasn't honorable, that was something Ranko could
deal with easily and understand perfectly.
What she wanted to know, was what Raccoon would do without the
confines of honor.
"Shinji needs it, I'll survive whatever happens, and no," he headed
off the tears or explosion he plainly expected from Ranko, "I don't like
it. But like I told you, I need some time to put things together in my
head. This will give me the time. I need that time, Ranko, Nabiki once
told me I can't blame myself for what happens to the people around me.
It's a piece of advice I've never been able to take. There were three
American pilots, and six British ones at the beginning of the program in
October of 1946, out of 15 each at the start of the previous commission.
Five months later, I was the last one of the thirty. Losing people is
something," he rolled on his back, stared at the ceiling, "I can't say I'm
used to it, but it's something I've come to expect. Maybe I don't feel
hurt the way you do, because I always imagined it would happen,
inevitably."
"That's awful," Ranko said, climbing onto the bed to sit next to his
head, so she could look down and see his expression. She saw resignation.
"At least you're still alive. Rita and Henry Lincoln aren't," he
paused, "Ask Ranma. Sharon might as well be. And before you say, 'it's
coincidence', fifteen, now sixteen times, is directed action. Today we
lost almost two dozen soldiers, eight students and three teachers. Not
counting the wounded, somehow just saying 'it's war, people die', while
true . . . it doesn't help."
He paused, they sat there a long time. Ranko was torn what to do, if
he was breaking off the relationship to protect them, she could almost
understand that, but she kept thinking it was irrational.
"In an odd way I'm kind of glad," Raccoon told her, Ranko was so
stunned she didn't hear Ritsuko enter, "Being gone is better than messing
things up by being there."
----------------------------------------
"Why?!" Ritsuko demanded.
Jeff saw the shock on Ranko's face, as she'd been totally lost in her
own thoughts. "I have orders," Jeff tried to explain, as Ritsuko marched
over with her angry, hurt expression.
He could see how deep her hurt was. Again he knew there were words to
soothe that hurt, in the back of his mind, he was tempted to use them. He
knew they would eliminate her questions without answering them.
Unfortunately, when she raised the questions again, and she would, it would
be with greater acrimony. Fine, how do you explain that, he wondered, Not
using them didn't work too well earlier today. She just got more hurt and
confused. Saotome might call it honor, but whatever, I can't take
advantage of someone that way.
"It's because you're in love with her, isn't it?" Ranko asked with
downcast eyes.
For once, the Saotome indelicacy serves.
"Yes." There, it's out in the open, the prepositioned arguments won't
serve, Jeff thought, I'm only pretty sure of how Ritsuko will react, shock,
yes, but then what else?
"First Maya, then you?! What's gotten into you?" Ritsuko shouted down
at him in disbelief as she towered over the hospital bed.
"You have," Jeff said.
Ritsuko stopped, stared.
Jeff considered taking her someplace more private, but while Ranko was
a little bewildered by this, she wasn't willing to contradict it. Right
now he was in no condition to walk any great distance anyway.
Ritsuko shook her head trying to deny what her senses were telling
her. Ranko looked embarrassed, she looked like she expected a fist fight
any second, and wasn't sure whether it would be her or him against Ritsuko.
"Nobody did anything wrong," Jeff managed after what seemed like
several minutes of uncomfortable silence, "Not you, not me."
"Then why?" Ritsuko asked quietly as she rigidly stood there.
"Because when I look at you, I don't see my guardian, or my mother,"
Jeff paused when Ritsuko flinched, "I remember my wife. I try and ignore
it."
"But you can't," Ranko said, "Or your kids, yours together. Can you?"
"No, not completely, not all the time. So it's better I don't live
under the same roof," Jeff said, praying he sounded more reasonable than
strained, "You don't need the added distraction."
"And you don't think we could have discussed this?" Ritsuko asked.
"What would we have discussed, Doctor?" Jeff sat up, Ranko had to hold
him steady for a moment, "About how we should rise above this? Your
reaction to Maya is proof that would be difficult or impossible," he held
up his hands, "Let me finish, the first question is: Why do you mistrust
anyone who loves you, because you're unworthy, so their motives must be
questionable? That's an insult to _us_,_ that we're somehow stupid or evil
because we care about you."
"I never said that!" Ritsuko angrily countered.
Jeff felt Ranko trembling as she held him upright, he wished he could
call a halt, explain his feelings, as he understood them, to both of them.
But there's no time for that, he angrily realized, There isn't an easy way
out of this. "You imply it from your behavior. If I'm wrong, please
explain what other hypothesis fits the facts. I don't want to hurt or
misunderstand you."
"They're fine," Ritsuko sighed, "That does not address why you went
along with this decision, you aren't shy about confronting anyone, even
Commander Ikari."
"Not when I agree with it. I don't want to stay here and feel like
I'm living a lie. When I know that this is the truth, and as pleasurable
as the illusion is, it is still the mirage."
"So you're going to run away?" Ranko crossed her arms, releasing him
and forcing him to turn to see her grimace.
"I know that if you can't win, retreat is an option. Nothing positive
can result in 'toughing this out', Ranko."
"Besides, neither of you is dying, I thought earlier," Ranko added
lamely, she was clearly out of her depth with all the talk, "Why are you
fighting about this? I don't understand, I don't think either of you
understand it either."
"I'm sorry," Jeff turned away from Ritsuko and Ranko.
Ranko hopped off the bed, and led Ritsuko out by the hand. Jeff
didn't see Ritsuko's expression or her hand extended towards him as she
left.
----------------------------------------
"He isn't trying to hurt you. He isn't trying to hurt anyone," Ranma
told Ritsuko, still in his female form.
Even you? Ritsuko thought, Then he's failing completely. "How do you
know?" Ritsuko said miserably, unknowingly echoing Nabiki's earlier
question as she glanced at the walls of the medcenter. Science was so much
easier, it made sense, or you redid the experiment with tighter controls.
She had no idea why she was reacting this way.
"Because if he wanted to hurt you, you'd be writhing on the floor, or
dead," Ranma said coldly, "I've seen it." Ranma looked at the other people
around, "So did a lot of others today. I think he's tired of _being_ hurt
too."
"You make it sound like it's my fault," Ritsuko said quietly.
"That you didn't love him the way he loves you?" Ranma asked, blushed
and looked away, "I don't know if that's why I'm so mad about this either.
I'm a guy, why do I feel that way about another guy?" Ranma paused, smiled,
"And those feelings dissolve almost completely in hot water."
Ritsuko smiled, "Soluble and heat labile. When they precipitate, that
is reform, out of cold water, how do you deal with them?"
Ranma blushed again, looked down, "I don't, I guess. None of it makes
any sense. Nab-chan said they just are, but that doesn't make any sense
either."
Ritsuko looked at her young charge, felt pity at Ranma's confusion,
hoping it didn't mirror the depths of her own, "Look, I don't understand
all this dream premises, but . . . I don't know. If you felt something,
maybe you should have said something. I think he was trying to leave it to
you."
"What should I have done, what should you have done?" Ranma asked
miserably, "Taken an underaged boy to your bed? Held and cuddled him until
he felt safe again? Ignored it as it tore you apart? Neither is a
solution, none at all. Even I can figure that out," Ranma concluded
sarcastically.
And are you voicing your _own_ feelings? Ritsuko asked silently, Or
trying to advise me on mine. She patted Ranma's shoulder, wished she
better understood all of what was happening. Confusion rules the day, she
thought bitterly.
Ranma stopped at the nurses' station, regained his male form with some
hot coffee, "If you really want answers, ask Admiral Simson. We're all
playthings to the higher powers," Ranma's expression told Ritsuko he knew
exactly why Ritsuko grimaced so fiercely at that.
----------------------------------------
Asuka looked through the small window into the padded cell. The
straitjacket Hikari still wore shouldn't have been necessary, after they'd
sedated her. Asuka looked at the doctor. She'd seen that expression
before, on the doctors who'd treated her mother. The thing that my mother
became, Asuka savagely corrected herself, That isn't going to happen
_this_time_!_ She felt the anger boiling up within her.
The rearrangement was a trivial disturbance, the others were acting
like it was the end of the world. She knew a few things about moving
around. She'd been forced to abandon Berlin, woke up in British custody,
then got shipped off to America and Japan. Nobody asked her how she felt
about it, nobody cared how she felt about it.
"Spineless is worried about Misato," she smiled at that, Spineless
wants to keep looking after her, she laughed silently at that thought, He'd
die of embarrassment if anybody ever mentioned it though.
She set her feet on a path to where she could get some help locally.
If she couldn't get the help there, then in dreams, she could ask the
Scholarly Dragon. Hang on Hikari, she let her anger drive her forward, I
can help you!
----------------------------------------
Asuka found Raccoon in the hospital room, right where Spineless had
told her he'd be. Maybe the others believe he's invulnerable, she entered,
stared at the figure sitting up in the bed, But I know better. She sat on
the bed next to him. She saw his pallor and the expression of frustration
and despair as he stared at the wall, "You okay?"
He glanced at her, "You know me better than that," he replied flatly.
Her anger built up for a moment. She knocked him back down and hit
him with the pillow, "Do you _enjoy_ hurting yourself? You're just as dumb
as Horseface, if you think only you get hurt on these exchanges."
He looked up at her, "I agreed with the decision. I just couldn't . .
. I cared about her, but it's wrong. She doesn't feel that way about me."
He lay back, not resisting in any way.
"Did you bother to ask? Or did you decide to love chastely from
afar?" Asuka shouted at him, she dragged him back up to a sitting position,
"Do you really think anyone would care?"
"I would, and it's not all like that. I could make her love me. I
can't take advantage that way, it goes against everything I stand for."
"Unless they're the enemy," Asuka corrected sarcastically.
"Oh, if they're the enemy, I can do whatever I want," he added with a
haughty air, "And how are you?"
Asuka slumped, "Miserable. I'm _sick_ of this place, the people, the
stench, the noise, the phony smiles on everyone's faces. And when your
back is turned, then you finally find out how they feel, with a knife in
the back. I'm sick of it."
"I think you're projecting Misato and Gendo on the entire country.
There are some honestly nice people here."
"I don't _WANT_ nice. I despise all the phony courtesy, they all act
like I'm going to chop off their heads if they say the wrong thing, and
then they say the most awful things when they think you can't understand."
"Considering the samurai had that right: kirisutogomen, up until a
short time ago. The Kempetai was as bad as the Gestapo. I think the fear
is well-ingrained and legitimate."
"Why, if I'm making a mistake can't they just say something?" Asuka
asked.
"That isn't their way. Don't forget, they outnumber us here," Raccoon
told her, "So we conform to their rules. Isn't all this just your worry
about Hikari?"
Asuka relaxed, leaning against him, "You, my General, could always see
right through me. That was one of the things I always _despised_ about
you. I am worried about that, and I'm worried about Spineless, heck, I'm
even worried about Misato and Pen Pen."
"You can't drag them out of their holes and into the warmth and
light."
Asuka laughed, "I'm just remembering the argument we had in Leng," she
turned to face him, touching her nose to his, "Us tromping through the
snow, _finally_ you admitting you had to rest. Then realizing we had _one_
blanket, and our winter coats, total."
"And no way of starting a fire," Raccoon remembered the desperate
retreat across the Dreamlands, running from the spiders and their
slaver/servants, "As I remember it, you laid out the argument of utilizing
the two available heat sources, 600 watts apiece."
"Then I practically had to lay you out cold, to get you to agree to
share body heat," Asuka chuckled, the events still embarrassed him.
"Well . . . I remember another such event," he said with a faraway
look, "My knife slicing smoothly through your riding leathers, then your
silk undergarments."
Asuka frowned at that.
"Then rubbing hot soapy water all over your firm flesh and soft, silky
hair, so gently and thoroughly cleaning."
Asuka shivered as he spoke.
"Anointing your naked body with special oils and situating you in
robes of softest cotton in my bed."
"You're never going to forgive me for defecating all over your bed!?"
Asuka asked, "Are you?"
"You're just lucky I had a cold, or the stench of that paralytic crap
all over you would have driven me away too, and I forgave you for the first
time. Four days of it started to test my patience. I should have put a
diaper on you! How did you fail to smell that stink anyway?"
"The spider was using that giant pitcher plant as a hiding place, I
never expected it to drag me in, and I had to cut my way out before the
poison got to me."
"The smell?"
"I guess it was for attracting carrion eaters," Asuka considered
hitting him with a pillow again, for bringing up such an embarrassing
memory.
"Well, you certainly smelled a week dead. Even after I washed you,"
he told her.
She frowned at him, but she was laughing too, "When I finally _could_
talk, I suggested the lemons and tomatoes. Not the chemical genius, me,
the mathematician! It worked. Finally I quit smelling like that." She
laughed some more at his sour expression. "I guess that's what I missed,
you never showed me the respect I deserved, when we were alone,
face-to-face. But in public, it was 'yes ma'am', 'thank you Dame Langley'.
The difference was, there was never any pretense to it."
"So, where are you staying?" Raccoon asked, "I understand they've
assigned us to a new guardian."
"As if we needed one," Asuka snorted, "Can I stay here, I'm not ready
to deal with another guardian, not tonight. I expect they want you to stay
here overnight, considering how chewed up you got."
"You know me, I hate hospitals. They'll be bricking up the door a few
minutes after dinner."
"We'll have to go after Hikari," Asuka told him, "And soon, you know
that."
"Any suggestions?"
"As crazy as it sounds, Spineless and Wondergirl, there's a lot more
to them than meets the eye," Asuka suggested.
"Anyone else?"
"Horseface, Ice Princess, no, no chance," Asuka paused in thought,
"Maybe for perimeter security, but they'd be useless otherwise."
"You did a good job with Shinji."
Asuka blushed, "He's a natural, evidently he's been escaping into
dreams for years. He just needed some control, and some confidence. Well,
you saw him, you know those people he wiped out. Saotome . . . I just
can't figure him out."
"What about her? They aren't the same person," he held up his hands,
"I know, you all say differently. But for a moment _treat_ them as
different, but linked, and that makes them a lot easier to understand. Can
you imagine being a girl having to live with all the 'girls are weak',
'girls are icky', ahem, stuff, that Ranma spews out by reflex? It's a
wonder she's not a full-blown neurotic, instead of just highly confused by
who and what she is."
"The _other_ reason you left," Asuka accused, "She scares you, doesn't
she? More that you consider her your daughter, then she's acting as a
possible lover. She's going after _you_."
"I don't think she even realizes what she's doing, it seems as
automatic as Ranma's behaviors. It could be just as destructive to her.
She's a decent kid, and desperately wants someone to care about her. She
doesn't really want a lover, she wants someone to love her. You met Genma,
why would he do something like that?"
"If you have to ask, you'll never understand. So now you're being
`noble` again," Asuka hit him with the pillow again in disgust, "How much
of that is _your_ fear? Since we're walking down Dreamlands memory lane,
how about you wailing like a wounded animal when Samuel died. I haven't
forgotten all the hours of you sobbing in my arms after his death."
"I remember I wasn't the only one crying. You know me a little too
well, Miss Langley," Raccoon hung his head.
"Considering how badly my old friend was hurt, I don't think a few
tears were out of place. My point is, I'm still here. Maybe it won't
happen with her either."
"Show me I might live long enough to see my kids grow up, prove that
the world isn't going into a screaming abyss in the next few years. _Then_
I'll start thinking about home and family. But not before, that's not
`noble`, that's just my selfishness. I don't want to start something I
know I can't finish," he admitted.
"The rest of us _would_ look after your kids."
Raccoon laid back in the bed, Asuka laid down with her chin on his
chest.
"I don't want to have to have you do that. Yes, I'm being selfish,
maybe even stupid, but we aren't who we are in the Dreamlands. Here we
_are_ children. A certain amount of immaturity is biological at this point
of our development. What's real feelings, and what's just raging hormones
and combat stress?"
Raccoon considered, then continued, "There's one other thing," Raccoon
told her, "Ranko used the Staff of Kavon when she rescued Rei."
"That's impossible," Asuka whispered, "Then you _are_ just trying to
avoid the inevitable."
"Or there's something about them I don't know."
"You," Asuka said in mock horror, "Not know something," she snickered,
"Perish the thought." She chuckled some more at her friend's dilemma.
Then sighed, "You aren't the only one," she buried her face in his chest.
"I don't think Kaji set out to hurt you," he stroked her hair, "I just
think he didn't care."
"I'm all right. I have a right to be stupid too. I guess I
understand, how you feel, I mean," she sighed, lifted her head to stare at
him, "It never gets any easier, does it?"
"Not in my experience, Langley."
"You heard about our new housing arrangements?" Asuka asked, sitting
up.
"Yes, I'm not ready to go back under somebody else's roof and rules
either, not just yet. Why are you so nervous about that? That's the
second time you've brought it up."
"I, I guess I'm going to miss Spineless, stupid, huh?" Asuka admitted,
"I mean he's so aggravating."
"You used to say the same thing about Anna. She was an irritating
tag-along, until she started proving her worth," Raccoon told her, "The
other reason I don't want to go tonight is, I found out how this morning's
entertainment got here, and were directed."
"So, your assassination bureau is in place? I thought I was joking."
"They're called the U.S. Marine Corps, I'm not crazy enough to take on
almost a hundred people all by myself. But I do want to soften up the
target a little. I never heard the line 'We will fight 'gainst Sorcer-y'
in the Marine Corps Hymn."
Asuka chuckled, "The first people military types kill, are those most
like themselves."
"Is that Rommel or Guderian?"
"Graziani, actually," Asuka replied, "If he'd had the fuel, he could
have taken Suez away from Wavell in '41."
The two of them were silent for a while, staring at each other. Each
lost in their own memories of their long and sometimes stormy association.
Asuka broke the silence, "I guess I'm asking to stay here for tonight.
After what happened to Hikari today, I really don't want to be alone, or
around strange people tonight." She hopped off the bed and began pacing,
"I stopped by her parents, told them she'd be fine and back with them
soon."
"You have a lot of faith in my abilities."
"I know Hikari," Asuka said firmly, "It's mostly a spell. You and I
can deal with that, while Spineless and Wondergirl get her back."
"I think I've got someone else who might be useful."
"Who?"
"I want you to be surprised," Raccoon told her.
Asuka considered beating the information out of him, and decided
against it.
----------------------------------------
To Travel Hopefully
Ranma stood in the living room looking over his new roommate, Shinji
seemed very nervous at the attention, This kid is nervous about everything,
Ranma thought with disgust. "In the morning, do you want to practice with
us?" Ranma tried to sound friendly.
"Practice?" Shinji asked.
Ranma hated the suspicious look Shinji gave him, "Kempo. Nab-chan,
Rit-chan will be helping, they'll see I behave," Ranma saw only resignation
on Shinji's face.
"Yeah, okay," Shinji turned and headed for the bedroom with a small
satchel.
Ranma had been hoping for more enthusiasm, either in acceptance or in
a refusal, but it had taken weeks of Ranko's efforts to make Raccoon less
distrustful, Yeah, Ran_ko_ had to threaten Ranma to behave or else. Ranma
turned away, looked around the room. He didn't know what to do with
Shinji, he couldn't use those tricks on him. He didn't know how he was
going to deal with the Ranma/Ranko situation. He wished Nab-chan and
Rit-chan were here, but they were still at NERV.
Ranma followed Shinji into the bedroom. Raccoon had left behind the
bunk bed, but all his other stuff had been cleared out, the crew had
cleaned the walls and ceiling. That was the weird thing. Shinji opened
the two closets, found the empty one and started putting his stuff away.
"Do you need any help?" Ranma asked, wished Shinji would quit cringing
every time he spoke, he wondered if Shinji even knew he was doing it.
"No thank you," Shinji said quietly.
"I'll leave you to it," Ranma left the room, once he'd closed the door
behind him, he untensed. He's making _ME_ nervous, Ranma thought, he
wanted to talk to Nab-chan about this. Something, _anything_ that would
get Shinji to calm down.
"She's - not - here," he said to the empty living room. He headed for
the kitchen to start dinner. Ironically it was Raccoon's turn, But Raccoon
never followed the list anyway, Ranma griped as he started getting out the
pots and utensils.
----------------------------------------
Nabiki sat in Maya's tiny office, going over the biographies of the
pilots. She was paying special attention to her own.
"They are very thorough," Maya entered, carrying the last of the thick
binders, "They found out things even I didn't know about myself and my
family."
"There's a lot here _I_ didn't know," Nabiki admitted, "Why is Rei's
so thin. Even Ranma's is thicker."
"I've never asked that."
"No need to know, huh?" Nabiki smiled, "I should have figured. Her
grades, address, a few physical details, no medical details at all. No
blood type, no list of injuries. Good grief, you've got the fractured foot
I had when I was five. I know I never told anyone about that. Nothing for
Rei though."
"The Commander has all those records," Maya admitted.
Nabiki found something else disturbing, "When did you have a chance to
give Ranma an I.Q. test?" Nabiki asked, turned to Maya who was standing
silently. She then pulled her own file and found the same data, "Now I
know I never took one . . . that can't be right!" She looked at the
numbers, then the composite score. "Ranma's got an . . . that can't be,
165!"
"The tests include spatial relationships and . . . " Maya said lamely,
withering under Nabiki's stare, "The tests don't depend on educational
knowledge, but mental acuity and agility."
"Not knowledge, eh. I notice Asuka's still off the charts, 200+,"
Nabiki paged through the other charts, Rei's was there. Evidently some of
the U.S. military's tests were included. "A bunch of geniuses, or
near-geniuses," Nabiki concluded, "Does Raccoon know he's got the lowest of
all of us, _only_ 154."
"These records are available to all the pilots," Maya admitted, "Only
you, Rei and Jeffrey have looked through them."
"Oh, Ranko isn't going to like that, their blood types are completely
incompatible. This will just break her heart." Nabiki enjoyed Maya's
giggle. Nabiki wasn't sure how this separation and rearrangement was going
to affect things between her and Ranma, and among all the pilots. She had
a sudden thought, going back to Ranma's bio. She saw the data for Ranma
was side-by-side with the same data for Ranko. "Maya, you said you have to
supervise any pilot's access of these records."
"Or Sem - Sensei, or one of the Commanders," Maya told her.
"Were you here when Raccoon last went over these?"
"Yes," Maya said, not seeing where Nabiki was going.
"Then how can he not see that Ranma and Ranko are one person?" Nabiki
asked in frustration. Kuno and Kodachi didn't see it because they were
nuts! she raged inwardly, So why can't he see it.
"Take a close look at the data," Maya pointed out, "There are as many
differences as there are similarities. From reflex speed, to blood
chemistry. Blood type remains the same, but Ranko's I.Q. and speed are
higher. Ranma is stronger and his range of motion is greater. There's as
much evidence for his point of view as against it."
Nabiki shook her head in frustration, "There should be a law that
makes the world make sense."
----------------------------------------
The quietness of dinner amazed Ranma. The silence was oppressive. No
one had wanted to speak, as if there would be an explosion the instant
anyone broke the silence. Ritsuko thanked him for the delicious meal, and
left for her room. Then Nabiki said virtually the same thing, and headed
from the room for evening practice. Shinji collected the dishes,
automatically washing them. He only stopped when he realized he didn't
know where to put them away.
"I'll take care of that later," Ranma told him, "I'm going to practice
with Nab-chan. Do you want to watch?" He tried to sound friendly. Shinji
merely acquiesced as if he had demanded it.
This is going to take a lot of getting used to! Ranma angrily thought
as he headed up stairs with Shinji following.
----------------------------------------
Ranma thought the whole day had gotten progressively worse, since they
won against the Lliogor. His practice was poor, Nab-chan's was worse.
Neither wanted to talk about it, or anything else.
Shinji preceded them down the stairs. When Ranma and Nab-chan arrived
at the apartment, they heard Shinji showering. Ranma was surprised at how
long it took, then realized he was used to Raccoon only taking five
minutes. Shinji wasn't taking much longer than Ranma usually did.
He and Nab-chan stood there in their sweaty clothes. "So are you up
to helping me teach tomorrow?" he asked.
Nab-chan acted as if she were waking up, "Huh, oh sure. I'm sorry, I
was thinking about Hikari. I keep wondering why they picked her, instead
of one of us."
"Maybe there's something we can do," Ranma sighed, he had no idea what
they could so, "Maybe she'll recover. She's luckier than some others.
Evidently they killed 35 people, people we couldn't save."
Nab-chan stared at him, "I knew we had some hurt," her voice trembled,
"But killed, I . . . I thought we saved everybody after that blast. Then I
saw Asuka and that crew digging, I. . . ."
"I ran over too. Pilots first."
"_FRIENDS_, first," Nab-chan angrily corrected, "We aren't wrong to
want to save the people we care about first. Just human."
Ranma stared at Nab-chan, he wondered why it bothered her so much.
----------------------------------------
Dreams
Ritsuko looked at the featureless white room, it was so bright she had
to squint. She knew this wasn't her bedroom, a moment later, Jeff
appeared, she could barely see him, as her eyes adjusted to the glare.
He glanced around, "Yes, I brought you here."
"I should have known," Ritsuko looked away from him.
"I was planning on explaining how you can create and manipulate
dreams, but it seems you already know, at least instinctively."
"How do you know that?" Ritsuko said angrily, giving her former ward
the cold shoulder.
"Well, when I materialized us it wasn't so bright in here, and I
thought we'd arrive with different clothes."
Ritsuko glanced down, realized all she had on was her lab coat, and
then over her shoulder, Jeff was wearing his coat, and medical smock. She
embarrassedly looked away and checked to make sure the lab coat completely
covered her. Her anger increased, she wanted this over with. She was
tired of people thinking they could play games with her, without
consequences. She was going to put an end to part of it at least.
She abandoned her human semblance, returning to her natural state.
She also suspected that alone wasn't nightmarish enough. She enveloped
him, but he just stood there seemingly unperturbed. It was very easy, she
made sure she was oxygenating his blood, as the L.C.L. did, and she crushed
down on him from all sides. She could smell his sweat full of the
adrenaline byproducts and other fatigue poisons of the fight-or-flight
reaction, his breath came in gasps, as his muscles clenched and unclenched.
She wouldn't hurt him, but she knew he was terrified.
She was completely wrong, "That is _DISGUSTING_!_" she shouted as she
retook her human form, after violently expelling him.
"Let's keep straight who attacked whom, Doctor," Jeff rolled to a
sitting position from where she'd thrown him, he was again in his
three-piece suit and fedora.
"Do you always react that way to being eaten?" Ritsuko couldn't
believe it.
"My sincerest apologies for my misunderstanding," Jeff replied
sarcastically, "At least now you understand why I can't live under the same
roof as you, and a bit of advice. For all your efforts to frighten me,
first you shouldn't make a fuss about preventing suffocation, the fear of
drowning would have had me in a more appropriate state of mind. Second,
you really should alter your internal temperature, at least in dreams, to
an uncomfortable level."
"Is that all," Ritsuko pulled her lab coat tighter, she was
embarrassed at seeing what she expected, as a scientist she should have
considered other interpretations. As a biophysicist, she should have
absolutely read the signs correctly, and realized how her actions could be
`misinterpreted`.
"The third is the pressure gradient you used," Jeff's comment brought
her back, "A terror technique should have used one of two approaches."
"Oh, so now you're an expert on terrorism?"
"Interrogations, yes. One, use a much steadier pressure, or a very
flat ramping up. Or two, use severe fluctuations in pressure applied.
Your pattern of random, and worse, rhythmic small fluctuations, almost
fluttering, were very easy to misinterpret."
That does it, she marched over. Before she arrived he fell down, he
just lay there, his hands at his sides, making no threatening or defensive
moves. She knew a dozen ways to kill him as he lay there, and a hundred
that would just hurt him. She couldn't bring herself to use any of them,
even if this was all an illusion.
"You aren't used to someone who trusts you enough to use helplessness
as a weapon."
"You think you're so smart," she sat down next to him, "Why are you
doing this to me?"
"To show you Maya wasn't trying to hurt you, and neither am I. As
well as make you understand the dilemma all _three_ of us faced. All this
is occurring in our minds, it has no objective reality. Except the
memories, thoughts, feelings we take with us, what happens here _seems_
real, and is just as impossible to ignore."
"So what does that have to do with anything? You said you loved me in
a dream, married me. We raised children," she grabbed his collar, dragged
him to a sitting position, "But you know, you saw what I really am!" She
released him, hung her head, "How can you say that . . . now that you
know?"
His kiss on her lips shocked her, "So that's what's bothering you
about Maya's dream. You were human. Completely, subject to all of our
weaknesses and emotions, and responses. Not a safe subject to study from a
distance, but wholly human, for the first time."
She stood up, walked a short distance away, "So what of it?" she asked
angrily, "And no games!"
"Or what? You'll eat me? I wasn't afraid of you before, because I've
never been afraid of you. Captain Katsuragi - now that's a different
story."
Ritsuko smiled, despite her best efforts to stay mad, Misato was the
be-all and end-all of femininity, according to a lot of men. Jeff's
reaction to both of them made no sense, "So why should I be afraid of being
human?"
"Of Maya _making_ you human," he stood up, "People don't concentrate
on every little detail in dreams. What's important is what they
concentrate on, that's why things change and alter. On our arrival, you
already established dominance, so your rules and desires, what was
important to _you_ prevailed. It wasn't until I pointed it out that you
realized which clothes were your high priority, and the lighting has
changed. It's a lot easier to see now."
"All that proves is I wasn't thinking about clothes or light, I didn't
care. Besides, I've seen you, and all the pilots without clothes."
"Maya set you being human as one of the core elements. She knows or
at least suspects, and she doesn't care either."
Ritsuko turned to face him, "That's impossible, I - " she was ashen.
"You've been careful." he reassured her, "But you and Gendo do share
one truly disgusting habit, you underestimate everyone."
"Would it be better to play your game?" she marched over, got
face-to-face with him, "Lies by omission, letting people think things that
aren't true, and for what? 'There own good', or is it 'for Humanity'?"
"Humanity will muddle along without either of us quite nicely. I'm
helping you because I want to - "
"Don't talk to me about loneliness. I've been alone most of my life,
and that's - a long - time," she shouted at him.
"Yet here you are, among humans, trying to fit in, and doing a better
job than people born to the species and the culture," he told her, "Have
you considered the possibility that it doesn't matter as much as you think.
Or that you're not the only one trying it?"
Ritsuko clenched her fists, considered punching him, "Is there anyone
you've ever met who wasn't merely an interesting puzzle to be solved? An
experiment whose outcome you wanted to manipulate? Is there even one
person in all the world who you really care about?" she paused, "I'm sorry.
I wouldn't be here if there wasn't, would I?"
"There are more than you. Don't worry about it. I could ask you the
same question, and get the same answer from you. Yes. Both of us are
alike in that regard. Both of us are cowards. You hide behind rank and
intellectualism. I do it by. . . . "
"By being strange," Ritsuko said, sat down next to him, "So what are
we supposed to do?"
"Accept that we _aren't_ in charge of everyone around us," Jeff knelt
next to her, stared down at his hands, "So I'm suggesting you understand
_why_ Maya and I are doing what we're doing. I'm keep saying it until you
believe it, we aren't trying to hurt you."
"You are succeeding," she replied.
"It is - it isn't necessary, but I don't want to be hurt by you, and
you wouldn't mean to. Now would you even know you were doing it?"
"I'm sorry, I don't have your feelings."
"I know. So we go our own ways. We can work together, but not live
together. You want me to be your child, Shinji and Ranma need that, but I
want something else. Our visions are incompatible. I can accept that, can
you?"
"It isn't the same," Ritsuko lamented, she put her arms around his
shoulders, "I hope you don't mind that I resent you being taken away like
this. I really hate people playing games with me."
"Then why do you still want me around?"
She tightened her grip slightly and growled at him, as she'd seen
Ranko do.
----------------------------------------
Asuka saw the train running down the track, "Spineless and his stupid
train," she ran alongside and pulled herself aboard the caboose. She
climbed to the roof, and was amazed Spineless wasn't there with Wondergirl.
She walked forward through the train, towards the locomotive. She found
Wondergirl there.
"Where's Spineless?" she asked Wondergirl over the noise of the
engine.
Wondergirl pointed forward.
Asuka's stomach sank, as she swung out of the cab and started walking
forward on the tiny maintenance catwalk, Only Spineless could be cowardly,
yet sit unprotected on the front of a speeding locomotive!
She managed to reach the front of the steamer, and found Spineless
sitting on the cowcatcher. She grabbed his shirt first, to prevent him
from falling to the tracks when she announced herself.
"Asuka?" the wind whipped most of his shout away, as it whipped at his
clothes and hair.
"Is it working?" she asked, mindful of how precariously balanced they
were, and irritated that the guy afraid of his own shadow took no mind of
it.
Instead he smiled at her, "Perfectly," he frowned, "It's kind of mean
though."
"Do you want to spend all your time arguing with him and fighting?"
she asked, shouting at the top of her lungs to be heard over the wind and
the locomotive.
He shook his head 'no'.
"Then keep it up," she counseled, "He expects you to be scared. Being
scared of _him_ prevents Saotome from attacking."
Spineless nodded.
Satisfied, Asuka vanished, she wanted to be somewhere safer and
quieter than the nose of a racing locomotive.
Shinji watched her go, he still thought it was a mean thing to do.
----------------------------------------
The approaching thunder head was the first of the summer storms that
would lash Japan for the next few months. The thunder and lightning were
more than adequate cover for what he needed to do.
Jeff knew he didn't _have_ to be out here in the woods outside Tokyo
doing this. The Marines and Army troops could easily handle these
cultists. But he knew that any magic they brought against the troops would
cause horrific damage. So he'd sanitize the target before they got here.
The Springfield rifle was an older model, but it used the same ammunition
as the Garand, so that wasn't a worry. With the scope, he could hit
virtually anything he could see.
But first scope out the opposition, he reminded himself. Peeking over
the stones and fallen logs that concealed him. The man standing at the
center, surrounded by torches, gesticulating and haranguing, caught his
eye, but so did the pair who were walking around the perimeter. So, he set
the rifle on a fallen log, and waited for a thunderclap to cover the
rifle's report, The real priests are smart enough not to expose themselves.
Unless you know what you're looking for. He waited, he'd set wards to warn
him of anything getting close, and his hunting blind was set so he couldn't
be seen by anyone around him.
Then at the 90-yard point, something broke one of the wards.
Nuts! Why can't I catch a break? he wondered, he knew the next
`tripwire` was at 60 yards, he could wait for that one to be broken, before
he really started worrying. Why can't I just get a couple of decent
thunderclaps and get out of here? The storm was not cooperating. He had
to wait.
Then one came, he almost missed it, but he fired. No one noticed the
man walking around the crowd in the darkness go down. Their attention was
riveted to the man at the lighted center. The other priest didn't notice
his counterpart fall. Jeff silently worked the bolt, chambering another
shell. He gingerly placed the hot, spent casing in his pocket. Like the
gesture earlier today, convincing people of the illusion was important. If
something killed someone, and you couldn't find a cause, 'Maybe it was
magic!'
The storm cooperated this time, Jeff got off his second shot,
eliminating the magical support for the enemy. A few moments later, the
cultists realized the Marines were storming in from all sides. They gave
up quickly, when they realized there would be no summoned monster nor any
of their patrons to save them.
But something had broken the 60-yard line, and soon after, the 40.
Jeff stayed in the hunting blind, he had picked this spot because engaging
what was behind him would be just as easy, as what was ahead. At first he
thought it was someone's trained bear, the size and the coloring seemed to
invite that, but it was too intelligent in its movements, keeping cover
between him and itself, and remaining concealed from most observers. He
wasn't about to use one of his special tricks, as tired as he was, the
effort would probably knock him unconscious. Besides, I can see well
enough in the moonlight, he thought as he tried to get a clear shot at
whatever it was. He considered calling for help from the Marines, but
decided they wouldn't be happy with a hospital case out there shooting
cultists. Captain Ramsey acted as if he _knew_ I'd be out here, when we
talked, he suspected the punishment wouldn't be severe, and if his quarry
remained as elusive as it was, he would gladly take that option.
Twenty yards, he felt the ward break, That's way too close. He knew
firing his rifle now would attract the enemy to his location, before he
could get help. He considered simply apporting a short distance, but gave
up the idea, As tired as I am now, I might not be able to control it, and
missing means getting real close to a tree, for the rest of your life, all
2-3 minutes of it.
The bayonet on the end of the rifle gave another option, a quieter
one. He slipped out, crossing through the area that his elusive `playmate`
hadn't penetrated yet. He moved quietly. Reminding himself of the rules
of concealment, that the point was not to be recognizably human in sight or
sound. That was the purpose of the tweed jacket, and the fedora and
headband, to break up the human silhouette. Eliminating the human sounds
he'd have to do himself. As he sidestepped, he couldn't see where his
opponent had gone.
He kept his eyes and ears open, Great, someone who knows this business
as well as I do. Why can't it ever be easy?
He couldn't find the target, Hell with this, he fired one round from
the rifle, immediately worked the bolt, to have another shot immediately
available. He glanced around, listening intently, Where _ARE_ you?
The flash of brown caught his eye, behind a tree, he moved in. The
tree was thick enough, a shot from the rifle might not penetrate. He
glanced to either side of the tree, mindful that another opponent might be
setting him up for an ambush.
A hank of hair from behind the tree, instantly withdrawn, tempted him
to fire. Jeff closed in carefully, step by step. The awareness of how
alone he was, weighed on him more heavily every moment, with every step he
took.
I should turn back, this is a sucker play, Jeff glanced around again,
trying to see or hear what was really around him, instead of what he
_thought_ should be around him. Another brief appearance from whatever was
behind the tree. He refused to rise to the bait, withdrawing slowly
through the area with the remaining wards, so he could detect any other
intruders, and stopped when he detected a ward he _hadn't_ set himself. He
hadn't broken it, so he didn't know if it was merely a tripwire, like his,
or the trigger for a sorcerous trap.
He gritted his teeth and adjusted his grip on the rifle, So, the only
way out, is past my new friend. I really _am_ slipping, he thought as he
silently picked his way forward. Moving without rhythm, a step forward,
then two, one to the right, pause - wait - listen, then another forward.
His weight remaining on his back leg, until he was sure whatever was under
his forward foot would make no noise.
His quarry hadn't reappeared, or otherwise taken advantage of the
delay. Where are those Marines? he wondered, there had been plenty of time
for a jeep to get to where he was, foot infantry would at least be audible
if they were coming. What have I gotten myself into? he paused to loosen
his .45 auto in its holster. He continued his sidestep around the tree,
willing his opponent to make a break for it in either direction, but even
as he circled, his opponent circled. This is like one of those cartoons
where the boss is chasing his secretary around a desk, he thought angrily
as he backed away to safety. He had a grudging respect for whom or
whatever this was, they had patience, and a calm head. He hated when an
opponent neutralized his main advantages so easily.
Suddenly an arm came around from each side of him, grabbing the rifle
and nearly wrenched it out of his grip. Damn! Damn my stupidity and damn
my impatience!! Jeff cursed as he dove under the encircling arms after
firing again, to attract some attention, then abandoned the rifle.
He never expected whoever it was to come out of nowhere at that speed,
she, he was fairly sure it was a she, had also cast away the rifle. She
caught the pistol and the knife as he drew them, twisting his hands up and
out of the way. Her grip on his wrists was tight enough to force him to
drop both the knife and the gun.
This fight makes absolutely no sense! he still had a few tricks, his
walking stick for one, and a few others. But to set the stage properly, he
kneed her as hard as he could in the groin. He knew, contrary to popular
legend, this strike would have a serious effect on either gender.
----------------------------------------
Conciliation with Dignity
May 29, 1947
Ranma sat in the lower bunk, Shinji hadn't argued, he'd simply taken
the top bunk. Ranma was a little disappointed about that.
The others wouldn't have heard the noise at the window. Ranma
silently slipped out of bed, crept across the floor to the window. Then
jerked the shade away, found himself staring at Rei, still in her school
uniform, perched on the outside windowsill. He scrambled back in shock.
He stifled the cry he was about to make and crept back to the window.
Rei was still there, still staring at him. He noted the faint red glow of
her eyes, wondered whether anyone else noticed it, or was it a side-effect
of his enhanced vision?
"Patio," he said quietly.
She nodded and he slipped out of the room, down the hall and he
silently opened the patio door.
Rei was already waiting for him.
How the heck did she beat me here?! he wondered. He could practically
feel the hate radiating from her as she stood and stared at him. "I won't
hurt him," Ranma promised.
Rei's expression didn't change, but Ranma could feel a slight
reduction in tension, her chi patterns changed slightly. He had no
`baseline` to compare it to, in fact her patterns were completely different
from anyone else he'd ever seen. Of course I only have a few examples, he
considered Rei staring at him, So I guess I can't really draw any
conclusions. So he didn't know what the change he'd just witnessed, really
meant.
"I'd like you to be here at 6:30 tomorrow. Nab-chan and I will be
doing Martial Arts practice, I think you might want to be there, to keep an
eye on Shinji," he smiled, "Make sure I don't misbehave."
Nobody does a stone-face like Rei, Ranma thought, "He might appreciate
you being there. It will give you an excuse to hold him."
Ranma took a step back, as Rei looked absolutely _furious_, but she
was also blushing. She turned and jumped to the wall surrounding the
patio, then jumped to the roof.
Ranma walked to the patio railing and looked up, glad he'd survived
that confrontation. He just wished she'd said yes or no. Just plan for
her to be here, he thought, But don't get anyone's hopes up. Ranma sighed,
then crept past the girls' room back to bed.
----------------------------------------
Ranma watched Nab-chan, Rit-chan, and Shinji assemble in the living
room. He was glad it was clear skies, he expected this room was going to
get crowded when the rains started. The door bell rang.
"I'll get it," Rit-chan said, pulling a robe over the shirt and pants
she was going to wear for the practice.
I've got to get Shinji and Rit-chan some proper gis, Ranma looked at
Shinji in a set of old pajamas.
"Rei?" Rit-chan sounded confused, "And friends?"
"Good morning, Doctor," a very tall, stocky brunette walked into the
apartment with Rei, followed by a tall Japanese man, and a short fireplug
of a Japanese woman. "A little bird told me you all got up early, and were
going to do martial arts in the morning. So I thought they'd like to
practice with their new security officers."
"I thought Kaji-san was in charge of security?" Shinji asked,
intimidated by the newcomers, but shyly smiling at Rei.
Ranma looked at all the newcomers, gauging them, from the way they all
moved, each one was a fairly decent Martial Artist, the tall woman and the
man were the best of the three. Maybe I can finally find someone to give
me a decent workout, Ranma thought as he watched them move in.
The tall man stepped up to Shinji, "I think you'll enjoy learning
martial arts, it changed my life. Maybe I can teach you a little aikijutsu
and Chin Na, your friend Miss Ayanami professed an interest in Kyudo, I
heard you both already have an interest in the bow. I've always loved
music, maybe you can teach me that."
Shinji bowed nervously.
"Oh, I'm sorry," the tall woman said, "I should have introduced them,
I'm Samantha Kraznyzamok, don't try, just call me Sammi, I'll be your
guard, Mr. Saotome. Shinji's guard has a few things in common with you
Miss Tendo, besides an interest in Kempo, he's Tomiyo Tendo. Same Kanji
and everything."
Ranma stepped over to Nab-chan as she paled, he was afraid she'd fall
over in a faint. "You okay?" he asked quietly.
She looked around, "I didn't think I'd ever meet any family, even
distant family," she looked at Ranma, straightened up and looked at Tomiyo,
"Kempo, Ninjitsu, Karate as well?"
He nodded, "Although I really need to find a master, I'm just a
journeyman really."
"Easy, Nab-chan, remember to breathe," Ranma told her, when she didn't
glare at him, he got worried.
"I've heard you don't hit girls," Sammi said as she approached.
"That's right," Ranma straightened up to face her. He thought of all
the reasons for it, and quietly decided none of them applied to this woman.
She looked like across between an Oni and a heavy tank, and with the
exaggerated delicacy she moved, she probably knew she'd break either of
them she ran into.
"That's just adorable," she rested her hands on his shoulders as she
smiled broadly, "Such a gentleman, and at such a young age. It's just sooo
cute."
Ranma's protest was cut short, by being held firmly against the
ceiling, She's a lot better that I thought. And a _lot_ sneakier. I would
have sensed an attack, but this isn't one, really. I could easily kick her
in the face to get away, so I guess I didn't really lose.
"It's good I'll be around to protect you, don't you agree?" she set
him back on the ground, smiling broadly at him and the others, "You said
something about practice."
"Do you happen to know Jeffrey Davis?" Ranma asked.
"Why yes, he and Asuka Langley are going to be staying with me," Sammi
smiled again.
A _lot_ sneakier, Ranma looked at the rest of the crew. The short
woman, Nab-chan's new bodyguard, was introduced as Juri Kon. Ranma was a
lot more interested in Nab-chan's reaction to Shinji's guard.
"Isn't it good to know you still have family?" Ranma asked quietly as
the group trooped up to the roof. Rit-chan had remained behind to find
some more appropriate clothes for Rei, her school dress was not the best
choice for Martial Arts.
"Yeah, I," Nab-chan gulped, "I thought I was the only one. I didn't
even know there were other parts of the family, we just never talked about
them."
"Well, I think he'll forgive you," Ranma arrived at the roof top, and
began spacing everybody out for warming up exercises. He'd taken most of
his free time in and out of school to come up with his plan, he was going
to stick to it fairly rigidly.
For the first day, Ranma centered himself, This is ridiculous, he
examined his fear, It's simply a loss of pride, he told himself, Just start
slow and easy. The only one expecting miracles this morning is _you_.
That isn't reasonable, not that I'd turn one down.
Rit-chan and Rei arrived, with Rit-chan's help he started into a
simple stretching and warm up regimen, he'd planned on teaching falling,
building on what Nab-chan had already started, the hard roof would give
them a little added incentive to fall correctly.
----------------------------------------
Admiral Simson sat at his desk and glanced over at an agitated Jeffrey
Davis, Hoist by your own petard, eh? he kept his face composed, listening
intently.
"And after I kicked her."
"In the groin," Simson reminded him, "Even if you suspected she was
wearing a cup, that seems a little out of character for you."
Davis grew more exasperated as he paced, "She'd just taken my rifle,
my pistol and my knife away from me!"
"So you were afraid for your life, that makes sense. What doesn't
make sense is if you were out of options, why are you here?"
"After I kicked her, and she didn't react, she said I was as devious
and underhanded as she'd been told, and that 'Was just too charming for
words!'"
"I'd say you got off lightly. How did you escape?" Simson watched
Davis pace, the Admiral had Sammi's complete report on the confrontation,
he wanted to know how accurate Davis's description would be.
'Admiral,' Samantha had told him during their interview the day
before, 'In Western culture, someone who looks like me . . . well, people
could think I should be wearing a winged helmet, some chain mail and a
couple of saucepan lids, while I yodeled Wagner and escorted the dead to
Valhalla. The only thing here is the Oni, I don't want children screaming
when they see me. So I've learned to act really silly around them, but
it's just an act. Then I'm just the funny lady. I'd rather be a joke than
a monster.'
"She, she kissed me, then picked me up like a baby and delivered me to
the Marines," the incident dreadfully embarrassed Davis.
Which is all to the good, Admiral Simson thought, Yesterday proved
that plenty of trouble will find the pilots anyway. I'd rather they didn't
go looking for it. He swivelled back and forth in his chair. "So you
weren't hurt?"
"Only my pride."
Simson hid his smile at the boy's downcast expression. "She's one of
the new security guards, we're switching over to a new `close escort`
system. Each pilot will have a specific guard."
"Captain Ramsey explained that yesterday," Davis was finally calming
down.
"You aren't supposed to be doing this, you know. We do have resources
for dealing with such problems," Simson took the tone of the `Dutch Uncle`,
"While we appreciate whatever intelligence you've given us. Frankly I
don't want to interfere with it, no matter how jealous it makes our spooks.
Nevertheless, you aren't to be field personnel. Remember that."
----------------------------------------
Asuka looked over the collection of tents and pavilions that dotted
the school grounds, "In civilized countries, they don't hold classes
outdoors."
"When did you ever go to school in the U.S. or Canada?" Raccoon asked.
She sputtered furiously at him.
"Where is the class room?" Wondergirl seemed extremely put out.
"Somewhere in that heap of charcoal," Asuka told her. Wondergirl
stared at her, "Where's the new classroom, I don't know. Let's go find
out."
Horseface finally spoke up, "At least the others finally got to see
what we've had to deal with."
"As least Kensuke won't comment on wanting to be a pilot," Spineless
said, "For at least a week."
Asuka looked at the new guards, orbiting like electrons around a pilot
nucleus. She wasn't sure how this would work out, but it felt better
having communications, and maybe heavy weapons, close at hand.
Toji approached, he looked terrible, worrying about Hikari she
guessed. Asuka knew he'd never admit his feelings, she actually felt sorry
for him. She wished she could tell him that help was available. Her
dreams last night had included a long talk with the Scholarly Dragon, he
had laid out the optimum attack plan against the spell holding Hikari. He
hadn't been confident in giving his assistance, they really needed a shaman
and spiritwalker. Asuka had been downcast, until he'd told her where she
could easily find one.
Asuka had never wanted to punch the dragon out _so_bad_!_ A common
danger when dealing with dragons.
"I'll lead you to the class," Toji said quietly, "There's a few
problems, though."
"Are you okay?" Asuka asked, trying to keep her tone concerned.
"There was no change with the class rep," Toji admitted.
She burned to reassure him, she didn't like him. She had no idea why
Hikari put up with him. But it wasn't in her nature to hurt someone who
hadn't hurt her first, he desired reassurances, he also deserved them.
Until it worked, she wouldn't get his hopes up.
They arrived at the large Army green tent, chairs and a portable
blackboard set up underneath it. Less than half the class was assembled
around or under it.
"Where's everybody else?" Horseface asked, looking over the familiar
faces.
"A bunch of the parents pulled their kids out," Toji told them, "Out
of the class, and out of the school."
"Where's the class V.P.?" Ice Princess asked as she greeted Hiroko.
"Pulled out, the treasurer and secretary too," Kensuke told them, "I
guess we need a new one."
"Nab-chan," Hiroko announced. Ice Princess blushed. "Opposed?"
Hiroko added. Everybody looked around at each other.
"Only until Hikari returns," Asuka insisted forcefully. Again, no one
commented.
"Madam President," Raccoon knelt before Ice Princess, "I offer my
life, my blood and my sacred honor to the furtherance of this, our Holy
cause."
Ice Princess put her hands on his head, from her expression, his head
was too hard for her to crush with her bare hands. "I would expect and
accept no less. Now, go fall on your slide rule."
That broke some of the tension. As Ice Princess got everyone in their
seats.
"Uh," Toji spoke up, "There's one other problem. None of the teachers
. . . well, none of them want this class anymore. After our Lit teacher
got killed, they don't want to teach us, not any more."
"No problem," Horseface spoke up, "Our two big brains cover all the
subjects. If Raccoon doesn't know it, Sour Kraut does." There was a look
of challenge in his eye.
"Who takes care of P.E.?" Raccoon answered the challenge.
"Ranma of course," Spineless spoke up, earning a glare from his new
roommate.
"Let it be done," Ice Princess said, forestalling any more arguing.
Raccoon trooped up to the front. The first class was history, they
pulled out their books and started going over the Battle of Tsushima and
the rise of Japan as a world power.
I bet he puts a spin on it the teacher never did, Asuka thought, as
she worried if she or Raccoon was going to teach algebra, Algebra is so
tedious! she lamented.
----------------------------------------
Honest Friendship With All, Entangling Alliances With None
Captain Ramsey was sitting at his desk, quietly wondering how the week
could get any worse, there was still Friday and Saturday to go.
"Captain," one of his lieutenants entered, "There's a man I think you
need to talk to. He claims to have detailed knowledge of the pilots'
cults, and a serious problem brewing having to deal with them."
Well, that's how, Ramsey thought, "Send him in," Ramsey said.
The cults that considered the pilots divine and worthy of worship had
sprung up recently. They were something that would have to be looked into
and dealt with. When a source of that information simply walked into his
office, Ramsey was more than a little suspicious. No, I'm paranoid, he
thought, I _know_ the universe is out to get me.
He also knew that there was little he could do, except hear the man
out. Maybe he'd get some decent information, information he could use to
further the official investigation.
The man who entered was hardly Ramsey's idea of an investigator. He
was of average height, and slightly built. He was definitely European or
American. His sad expression and overall appearance gave Ramsey the
impression of a bloodhound crossed with an accountant, right down to the
sad eyes and battered brown leather briefcase that matched his brown suit
and brown tie.
"I am pleased to finally meet you, Captain." Before he shook Ramsey's
offered hand, he made a slight gesture, twisting has hand, as if snatching
something out of the air.
Ramsey suspected he was dealing with a dabbler, a dilettante who
sampled various new `levels of consciousness raising`, who'd gone seeking
`enlightenment` and had stumbled across these cults. There were a lot of
hopeless, frightened people trying to muddle through in the wake of the
war.
That might be very valuable, Ramsey thought, trying to keep an
open-mind.
"The cults, they are six in number, they are gaining recruits,
converts, influence . . . and weapons, every day," the man told him without
preamble, "If I may?" he gestured to his briefcase.
Ramsey had no reservations, "Yes, please continue."
The man opened the rundown, old case, and extracted six file folders
of various thicknesses, "Some of the groups have extensive writings:
manifestos, cosmologies, translated and in-house prophesies. Others muddle
through without any coherence at all."
Ramsey heard the disdain in the man's voice about the latter.
The man opened one of the folders, it was marked 'Gistehla #5', in the
serpentine letters of Aklo.
Ramsey couldn't speak the language, but he could read a little.
Gistehla, the table of contents explained, meant 'Acquisition', it implied
the noun and the verb. Ramsey skimmed the rest of the table of contents,
the cult called themselves the Accrued, and they worshiped the Fifth
Children. No where in the table of contents was she mentioned by name,
just a complicated sigil. Ramsey found that highly disturbing. The cult's
goals, relations with the other cults, and the senior membership were all
detailed. Ramsey had always wondered what kind of a person joined such an
organization.
He went directly to the senior membership, At least we'll know who to
pick up and interrogate, providing the information is accurate. The photo
of the cult's high priest in full regalia at a `worship` service caught his
eye, then he glanced at his visitor. "You _are_ the cult's high priest!?"
"But, of course. How could I entrust such a vital task to someone
else?"
Ramsey was glad of the sinking feeling, because his stomach was
dropping too fast to let him throw up.
"But why would you come here, to me?" Ramsey nonchalantly pulled his
right hand off the desk top.
"You see, we, to use your word, cultists, are very much aware of
events surrounding us, perhaps more than most others. We have the
prophesies. While they can be difficult to interpret precisely, they do
show overall trends."
Ramsey had managed to get his desk drawer open without making a noise,
or a telltale movement of his hand or eyes.
"This gives us a tranquility some of the others lack," the man
continued.
Ramsey nodded, his hand closed on the loaded, cocked and locked .45 in
his drawer.
"The concern we have, is that the other cults do not act with this
equanimity."
"I can see that might be a concern," Ramsey managed to get the safety
off without making a noise.
"You see," the man continued to sit calmly in the chair, "Our god
demands we collect information, as well as other things. Information is
power. We investigated the other . . . sects, examined their beliefs.
Their plans for violence horrified my agents."
That got Ramsey's full attention, "Against whom?"
"Against each other," the man's face took on an even greater sadness
and intensity, "They, the Children, fight each other constantly. However,
they are entering both godhood and adulthood, the stresses are beyond
anything any mortal could fathom, such trials. They spit and snarl at each
other, play childish games, because they are children, they are _the_
Children. Some of those fools believe they must emulate that, war against
each other, ignoring the fact that a strike against any of the six brings
all to the battle in support of their colleague. They do not fight out of
hate or malice, merely to define themselves against the artificial limits
placed around them, and to find the real limits. Miss Katsuragi is
learning that. My senior brothers and I spent many thoughtful, and many
prayerful hours, seeking a solution." The man glanced at Ramsey, seeking
his approval, unaware of the pistol aimed at his head.
"I'm eager to hear it," Ramsey said truthfully.
The man leaned forward, was almost shot for his rashness. "There are
members of the pantheons of all these faiths who retain a position of
authority and respect, in others. In our faith," he made the complicated
hand gesture again, "He is called the Holy Protector, in the . . . faith,
of the Chaos Horse, he is 'Sword and Shield'. Whether he is more sword or
shield, his position never changes. He is the guardian, like the Norse
Heimdall, or St. Peter of Christian mythology, he is the gatekeeper, the
first and most faithful line of defense," the man sat back, "It is obvious
only he could bring all the cults to the table, to negotiate an end to the
planned conflict. To convince the hot heads that the Children would
_never_ approve of killing each other in their name. Don't you agree?"
"In principle, yes," Ramsey watched the man relax, while Ramsey hadn't
relaxed an iota, Admiral Simson is going to keelhaul me when I drop this on
him, Ramsey thought.
"Then you'll do it?"
"Make contact, of course. The information you've provided me should
be very helpful."
"I knew my faith in the Holy Protector's wisdom would be justified,"
the man bowed.
"Me?" Ramsey felt as if he'd been dipped in liquid nitrogen.
"Of course, why go to a subordinate when I could go to the Holy
Protector himself?" the man smiled indulgently.
Ramsey's mind was racing in a thousand directions. He idly watched
the man collect papers from each of the file folders. Then set them in
front for Ramsey to see.
Ramsey looked at the nearly typed and mimeographed sheets. The 'High
Priest' seemed to know not to say anything to disturb him. The chart made
from two pieces of 8" x 14" legal paper caught his attention, drew his
attention back from his shock.
'Keeper of the Mysteries' Rei Ayanami, 'The Fiery Knight' Asuka Soryu
Langley, 'Dream Builder' Shinji Ikari, 'The Chaos Horse' Ranma Saotome,
'Kernel Sustains' Nabiki Tendo, 'Pathfinder' Jeffrey Kevin Davis. A photo
of each of the Children, a note of the others' significance in the
cosmology. Some notes on the Great Old Ones and Outer Gods they had each
killed. It was like an oversized cheat sheet for a comparative religion
class.
"As you can see Captain Ramsey," the man's voice snapped him back to
reality, "Only you are of sufficient rank across the pantheons to do this."
Ramsey saw his name moved up and down in the rankings, as his eyes
moved across the `faiths`, but it always remained in the top third, neither
Admiral Simson, nor Misato Katsuragi did that. Gendo Ikari and Ritsuko
Akagi weren't even _in_ some of the listings.
"I understand this is all difficult for you to accept," the man
shrugged, "Accepting was difficult for _me_, initially. Then it becomes so
. . . right, that I just couldn't ignore it anymore. I had lost faith in
the Adonai of the Jewish and Christian faiths, now I had another to serve,
someone I could serve faithfully, someone to whom I could truly belong."
The fading hope that this was some kind of elaborate practical joke
vanished, the near glow that appeared in the man's eyes confirmed that he
was a true believer. "This is hard for me to accept, to me, they're just
kids."
"And it is your job to believe that and protect them, until they're
ready, protect them from people like me, frankly. That I completely
understand, it is why I came directly to you."
"How many . . . " Ramsey almost said cultists, "Believers, do you
estimate are in Japan."
"Oh, about 15 to 20 thousand, mostly in Tokyo proper and the
surrounding districts."
We can handle that, Ramsey thought.
"Each, most are ex-soldiers of various nations, and many have weapons
and the training to use them. They lack the brigade and battalion level
support weapons, but they believe. Even I cannot fault them for that. Why
they follow the lesser light," he shrugged, "It is not for me to
understand. I must have faith. But I estimate the combined force would
require no less than four complete divisions to put down. If they are
allowed to war on each other."
Ramsey felt the icy hand of death around his heart, Four divisions,
against at least _90,000_ cultists, Ramsey thought, All or most of them
true believers. That could get real ugly real quick.
"Now I assume you want some proof, some indication all of this isn't
an elaborate joke played on you, or the ravings of a maniac."
Ramsey nodded numbly.
----------------------------------------
"How can you say the defeat of Japan in the Pacific War was rooted in
the victory at Tsushima!?" Kensuke complained to Raccoon as they broke for
lunch.
Asuka had already had this argument, near the ramparts of El
Nureenen's fortress. She didn't need to hear it again. The day wasn't
going too badly. Teaching wasn't as difficult as she thought. Besides,
her and Raccoon's activities had convinced the principal and the other
teachers to take over. The students were having too much fun, and were
learning something, Asuka thought smugly, Can't have that, might set a bad
example.
She looked at the security guards scattered around, her own guard was
a hawk-faced woman, called Erin Carter, who was fluent in German and
English. Although she didn't know much Japanese, Math or Physics, so there
wasn't much Asuka really could talk to her about. She was dreading living
with Miss Kraznyzamok, she seemed a little too bouncy to be real, Although,
Horseface _deserves_ her. Asuka also realized that she was the defacto
leader of the detachment.
"Miss - " Asuka approached her.
"Sammi, please."
"Very well, Sammi. We are going to get together, the pilots, tonight.
Frankly we're going to defeat the last vestiges of what they did to our
friends."
"I think I understand," Sammi got serious, the first time Asuka had
seen it. It made an immense change in the woman's demeanor. "What exactly
do you want from us? Not that you'll get it," she warned.
"Perimeter defense, we'll also have a camp fire," Asuka said.
Sammi stared at her cagily, "I think I can approve, but I need more
information than that."
Asuka sighed, she didn't know how much she could safely reveal. The
last thing she needed was Gendo to learn about this. He'd never approve of
taking the risk to rescue a mere junior high school student, or worse he'd
demand they reveal everything they knew. Not unless he gives us all the
information _he's_ hiding, Asuka kept her frown from her face.
----------------------------------------
"So, Nab-chan, again the lord of all you survey?" Ranma sat down next
to her. He looked at Nab-chan talking with her factors, she hadn't lost a
single one, although one wore a bandage on her arm.
"He is not showing proper deference, milord," Hiroko said with mock
horror, "Should we have him shot?"
"No, lock him in Misato's kitchen," Nab-chan said fiercely, "What's
up, Ranma?"
"It's kind of creepy, having people follow us around all the time,"
Ranma admitted.
"Well, they interviewed all of us last night," Hiroko admitted, "About
your usual behavior and yesterday's activities."
Natsumi raised her hand.
"Just speak," Nab-chan told her.
"Why is Ranma's a girl, and everybody else's is the same gender they
are?"
Ranma could see Nab-chan was as terrified of the question as he was.
"And where's Ranko's guard?" Natsumi tightened the screws on them.
"Ranma is Ranko," Hiroko told the other girl, "Haven't you ever read
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Poor Ranko took this weird potion, now she turns
into Ranma, to raven, slobber and destroy."
"Really?" Nab-chan asked in an amazed tone, "I never realized! It
explains _everything_!_!_"
Ranma got up and walked away, the girls were all laughing as he left.
That was close, he thought as Shinji approached him.
"Raccoon needs our help for something tonight," Shinji told him
quietly, "Something about going to rescue Hikari. Do you know what that
means? Are we going into dreams?"
Ranma didn't know for sure. "Let's ask Raccoon, then we can take him
around the building . . . and ask again." He was glad Shinji chuckled at
that.
----------------------------------------
Captain Ramsey walked into Admiral Simson's office. "With all due
respect, sir. You set me up."
"Of course," Admiral Simson told his subordinate, indicated he seat
himself.
Ramsey closed the door, then did so, "He came to you first?"
"With a full explanation," Simson replied, "I agreed with it." He sat
forward, "Look, Captain, we both know why we're here. To irritate
MacArthur, and to fail. I had my choice of a lot of flag Captains. They
were all screw-ups, including you. Fortunately, I had a chief who was with
your sub tender in the Indian Ocean. So I knew the truth, but you hadn't
learned to keep your mouth shut. Since then?"
"Since then, I have," Ramsey admitted, "Do you have any ideas about
the force structure they are offering us?"
"Considering the militants who are still walking around, considering
other cults that are becoming more active, use your own judgment. I
wouldn't turn down the command of six light infantry divisions. You should
also remember that you are an officer of the United States Navy, this does
not supersede your oath of allegiance."
"So take command, unofficially," Ramsey said, "Investigation, distant
security, a few other things."
"Don't commit until you know they aren't crazies. Go investigate
yourself. Report back, consider means to ends," Simson counseled, "Maybe
they will have to be destroyed. Gather your intelligence with that in mind
as well. Frankly, there are too many unanswered questions around here.
Having an outside source of troops and information, may not be a bad thing.
Besides, if we tell them about SEELE's attempts to kill the Children, I
don't think we'll have to do anything except give them a map, and see their
ship off at the port. That may be an option, even if we decide to destroy
them."
"You know, I liked it better when all the cultists were degenerate,
inbred maniacs," Ramsey admitted, "The idea of them being calm, thoughtful,
and on the surface, rational people worries me."
"You and me both, Captain," Simson admitted.
"Screw ups huh?" Ramsey smiled.
----------------------------------------
Rescuing Hikari
Toji watched the groups assemble: the pilots, and their security
guards. Night was falling, Raccoon and Asuka were kindling a fire in a
clearing's fire pit. Toji was glad they were close to the hospital they
were keeping Hikari in. He really wanted to know what they were going to
do. Even if they broke into the place, how would that help her? he
wondered.
"So if you're going into this dream, what are Nab-chan and I here
for?" Ranma asked as he stood over Raccoon.
"There may be a fight," Raccoon told him.
Ranma smiled and cracked his joints and stretched.
"So how _will_ this help the class rep?" Toji asked. He couldn't
guess what the preparations were all about, but both Asuka and Raccoon
seemed to be taking them very seriously. Bunches of dried plants bound
together with string, a short metal tube and a screwdriver, jars of
different colored powders and oils.
"We go into the heart of darkness," Raccoon told them.
"Don't worry, we'll protect you," Asuka told him as she picked up one
of the jars and began pouring the contents to form a circle around the
fire.
He was about to tell her what she could do with that, when he saw the
last weird thing Raccoon had brought. A fringed rawhide jacket, with
something tied in almost every length of fringe, and the fringe itself tied
in a knot in the rest. The knots were eye watering to look at, the whole
thing looked like something out of an Ainu medicine man's kit. He could
only stare at the strange getup, "Raccoon, what are you made up as?"
"I am a spiritwalker and shaman, this is a dream quest," he answered
coldly, putting on the jacket.
"Like what happened to me?" Saotome asked.
"You weren't ready, it does you credit that you survived," Raccoon
said in a voice that sounded faraway, and very old, "Hikari is definitely
not ready. So, we'll go to take her from where she's held."
"You really aren't talking about that building over there," Toji
pointed at the hospital, "Are you?"
Asuka sat down in front of him, with several of the other jars. "No,
hold still." She daubed what felt like grease under his eyes, on his face.
When she put it on his hands, he could see it was some kind of paint.
"Now you Spineless, and you Wondergirl," Asuka beckoned them forward.
"Toji, enter the circle, opposite me," Raccoon told him, "Ranma,
Nabiki, your job is as important. Let no one break the circle. Ignore
what you see inside it. If anyone breaks the circle, we all die."
Toji saw how serious Ranma and Nabiki got. The security guards gave
up any pretense of just standing around. The leader, Sammi, pulled a
B.A.R. from the large bag she had brought with her. The others armed
themselves similarly.
As Shinji, with a wild series of spirals and whorls on his face, and
Rei, marked with a pattern of wavy and straight lines, took their places on
either side of him in the circle. Asuka made a second circle of powder
outside the first.
Toji and the others crowded around the fire, it was suddenly very
cold. Toji looked at the assembly, as Asuka took her place, neither she
nor Raccoon had any markings. A gap, Rei, Toji, Shinji, another gap,
Asuka, Raccoon.
Raccoon took the screwdriver and drew blood with it, putting a drop of
his blood on the first batch of plants. He handed the screwdriver to
Asuka, who did the same, dropping her blood on the plants. Raccoon tossed
it into the fire.
Dry! Toji leaned back as the bundle of plants nearly exploded. He
glanced around. Shinji and Rei simply sat, stared straight ahead.
"Just relax, your soul knows the way," Rei told him.
Toji decided he'd heard worse advice. Asuka might play a joke like
this, but not involving Hikari. Rei wouldn't be part of any practical
joke, and Shinji wouldn't give him a hard time over Hikari this way either.
I'm really in for it now, he realized, These pilots aren't just
strange, they're down right weird.
Raccoon picked up the metal tube lightly and tapped on it with the
handle of the screwdriver, making an oddly unearthly ring. "In the
beginning, all things and no thing. All things in potential, no things in
form, and the Creator saw this, and set about to change it."
Toji listened to the words and the rhythmic tapping, the sound of the
fire crackling, inhaled the sweet smell of the burning plants. His eyelids
grew heavy, he tried to keep himself awake. Even the flares when Asuka
tossed in more plants couldn't really keep him awake. Raccoon always tells
good stories, Toji's mind wandered, remembering bits and pieces he'd long
forgotten, This one seems taken from Christian, Buddhist and even Shinto
sources. There was talk of winds and waters, stone and ice as if they were
the gods and spirits he was used to, but at the same time, servants of the
Creator's court. But the tone was monotonous and Toji's eyes grew heavier.
Shinji was already dozing, and Toji thought he heard a train in the
distance. Asuka and Rei sat up straight, eyes closed, breathing steadily,
he didn't know whether they were asleep or awake. A distant throb added to
the sounds and smells lulling him to sleep. It wasn't his heartbeat, the
rhythm was wrong. He blinked, shook off the fatigue. Raccoon continued
tapping to make the uncanny ring, telling his tale, now of monsters warring
on monsters, They almost sound like the things in my dream, Toji thought,
Could that have been real? Was I seeing actual creatures?
Raccoon's tale wove around Toji, as the aromatic smoke did, tales of
the hero descending into the `chthonian?` depths to retrieve knowledge, of
fire, of his people's fate, of many things. Toji couldn't keep track, he
remembered each story perfectly for a moment, then they all ran together,
but he couldn't remember Raccoon or anyone else actually telling him the
tales.
Hikari's scream broke the spell, Toji jumped to his feet.
"Stop!" Raccoon commanded. Toji felt a compulsion coil around his
mind, forcing him to stand stock still.
"We have arrived." Something big and sandy-gray uncoiled out of the
shadows of the fire and Raccoon, who remained seated at the fire. Asuka
stood, except her body also remained sitting at the fire. A knight in
scarlet-enameled armor stood behind his classmate. Asuka taller, older, in
medieval armor, perhaps 30 years old. The nagitana she carried had an
axeblade affixed below the normal blade, an odd weapon. Maybe Kensuke
would know what it was, he thought.
Rei carefully pulled Shinji to his feet. They didn't seem to change,
except there were two pairs, one pair still sitting around the fire, the
other pair standing behind them. Rei was either wearing a skin-tight
glowing white costume, or she was naked and no - particulars - were
visible, no nipples, no pubic hair, no navel. Toji yanked his eyes away.
Shinji looked almost normal, except he stood straighter, filled with more
confidence, he looked like Saotome, without the martial artist's arrogance.
"We are here, we will find Hikari Hokari, return her to this circle by
any means. Then extinguish the fire," the barely recognizable shape behind
Raccoon ordered.
"What if we aren't all back?" Toji asked. He glanced at the knight
Asuka, expecting an insult. None of the `normal` bodies had moved, they
just sat there. Even the fire seemed to move in slow motion. Toji was too
confused to really get scared, he did _not_ want to look down and see his
own body there at his feet.
"Any left behind, will either find their own way back, or will be
trapped here. So, stay near Raccoon, myself or Wondergirl. That goes for
you too, Spineless," Asuka's insults were almost affectionate.
"You heard the scream?" the sand-colored thing resolved itself into a
winged rattlesnake, "Which way?"
Toji pointed numbly in the direction of the scream. This was the
weirdest situation he'd ever been in. Even fever-dreams weren't this
bizarre. "Where are we? What happened to you guys?!"
"Mind and soul, hers, ours," Rei told him, her dim but brightening
illumination seemed to light the area, then as they moved away from the
fire, he saw, Shinji and Asuka were glowing too, different colors,
different intensity, but both were glowing. Raccoon wasn't. A field of
darkness that seemed to clarify the area as well as Rei's white light did,
but left only darkness where it overlapped the light of the others. Even
with the light, or undarkness, all around him was sandy level ground that
stretched out as far as he could see.
Toji was too busy listening for Hikari's voice to consider the changes
in his companions. He glanced around, he couldn't tell if he was glowing,
the light from the others overshadowed whatever glow he might have had.
Rei's white light and Asuka's grim red were the brightest, nearly washing
out Shinji's blue. Raccoon, who darted ahead on his wings, seemed to suck
the obscuring effect of the darkness out of the area around him. Looking
directly at it hurt his eyes, almost as much as staring at Rei's
brilliance. He concentrated on finding Hikari, he could make out her
screams now, suppressed his desire to run into the darkness to her.
"Here I am! Please come find me! Daddy! Mommy! Asuka! Toji!"
The last tore at his heart. She was okay for a girl, but he'd never
seriously considered what she felt about him. Raccoon saw it, and called
me an idiot that very first day. He was right. "Hang on, I'm on my way,"
he vowed.
----------------------------------------
Rei had been closely watching the Second and Toji. They seemed to
hear something she could barely make out. She sped up to catch up with
Roku-kun, she needed to discuss something. "Toji can hear her."
"Yes," Roku-kun was as taciturn as she usually was.
"He is - "
"Yes," Roku-kun cut her off, "So is she. I pray we don't need them.
They won't have to know."
Rei nodded and dropped back to the others. It was quiet and blank
here, but she could feel what was swirling outside her vision and hearing.
They would fight soon enough, at the moment it was content to watch,
measure, and wait.
The Second/Meliorist analog was nervous about her, she could tell by
the apprehensive glances and grip on her sabre-halberd. Shinji-kun seemed
to sense this, and took a position directly between them. Toji seemed to
concentrate on listening. Rei couldn't discern where the faint sounds were
coming from.
She looked back, the fire was clearly visible, the five of them
clustered around it. She idly wondered why Roku-kun had insisted she and
Shinji-kun accompany the group. The Second didn't trust her, and
Shinji-kun was a novice. Was this all a test, if so, of what? If the test
included Shinji-kun, what was she to do? Which way was she to act when the
rescue force came under attack? She concentrated on Shinji-kun, calmed her
thoughts, forced herself to remember that she would do as they told her.
She would only have to follow orders, not act on her instincts. She felt
her anxiety decreasing, satisfied that she had discovered a simple answer.
She was actually looking forward to the fight. Her physical skills had
increased considerably, she was better able to defend herself, and the
others. She was eager to find out how much she had improved, and where she
needed further improvement.
----------------------------------------
Hikari's screams tore at Toji, they had a hopeless tone to them. He'd
always thought Hikari was more of a fighter than that. She'd stood up, in
small ways, to the `school mafia`. It made him anxious not to be allowed
to shout support or comfort to her.
'She is doing this to herself,' Asuka had warned him, 'We sneak in and
rescue her. We will have to fight our way out. Better than fighting in
_and_ out.'
He considered Asuka a cold-blooded bitch, for talking about her friend
that way, But she's right, Hikari's the reason we're here, Toji grudgingly
admitted, If we don't rescue her, we fail.
"Should we try to discover where she is, like Radio Direction?" Shinji
asked.
"Triangulation won't work," Asuka said.
"And we'll be hitting the first barriers soon," Raccoon added, "Once
we do, we should let her know we're here, while you three swing around and
head in from another direction."
Toji was lost, military strategy was Kensuke's specialty. That, and
Asuka had just told him to be quiet.
Rei led him and Shinji off on a tangent, while Asuka and Raccoon
circled the other way.
"What do we do?" he asked Shinji, who shrugged.
"Wait," Rei supplied, crouching down in a sprinter's start, "You can
move as fast as you believe you can."
Frankly that didn't reassure Toji in the least. He heard Hikari
scream again. Shinji and Rei almost had to physically restrain him. Rei
was more composed than usual. Shinji was as lost as he was.
A voice seemed to come from everywhere, a curious blend of Raccoon's
voice and Asuka's, gentle yet commanding. He couldn't make out any words,
more like sound composed of feelings and information. A command to turn
inward to find the way out, that help is there, ready to sustain her.
In response, Hikari shrieked for Asuka, for mommy, for Toji, for
Daddy, for anyone to help her.
Rei looked at him, nodded, all three rushed into the darkness. He
immediately lost sight of the others. Cold, damp, slithery covered him,
hands grabbed at him, whispering things about her, things he couldn't quite
make out. He punched, and kicked, and cursed as these things closed over
and covered him. He could hear the odd duet, suddenly he realized that the
advice was for him too. He stopped fighting the darkness that had closed
over him.
Calm, he told himself. He ignored the feeling of the touches of the
foul things, the vicious whispers. He let the terror flow over and around
him as the voices urged.
----------------------------------------
Between Eternity and Darkness
Rei watched Shinji and Toji stop their advance, then relax, as she
had. The darkness faded slightly, more from Toji's efforts then hers or
Shinji's. She could feel the force of the terror turned against Roku-kun
and the Second Children. Hikari, for all the centrality of her personality
here, was not strong enough to overcome one of the Children, and definitely
not two, linked as they were. She spared a moment to wonder about that.
The pair fought each other more ferociously than even they fought the
Angels, yet they could cooperate in combat or on intellectual projects as
well, and the sum was always vastly greater than the parts.
Toji suddenly stood up and advanced at a steady walk, a very focused
expression on his face.
Fixed on a target only he can see, she thought. She glanced at
Shinji, he nodded and they advanced to support. Hikari stood in the middle
of an empty area, shrieking and flailing away.
"Class rep! It's us, we're here," Toji told her.
She looked at him, eyes filled with terror, "You can't be here it's
impossible!" She charged him, he caught her easily. She didn't know how
to fight, and Toji simply restrained her until she went limp with
exhaustion and resignation. She continued to sob that he couldn't be here,
neither could Shinji-kun.
"Am I a more acceptable nightmare?" Rei asked.
She looked at her with incomprehension.
"You must lead us out," Rei told her. The others suddenly saw that
the path they entered by was gone. A desert landscape extended in all
directions instead. The darkness, the fire circle, the Second Children's
and Roku-kun's assault were gone.
This is a parched and barren land. Nothing can live or grow here, Rei
looked around and thought, It is an odd source of terror, but it is not my
terror.
"I can't! I've been here for months, there's no end to this place,"
Hikari told them.
Rei twisted the place to her will, creating a canteen, she offered it
to Hikari. Perhaps a drink of water will calm and reassure her that there
is a power here, beside the fear, Rei thought.
Hikari drained the entire canteen dry, embarrassedly handed it back.
She looked at her three rescuers.
She is contemplating her responsibility to us, Rei analyzed Hikari's
expression, Before her responsibilities were abstractions, now they are
concrete realities standing before her. A good plan.
Hikari was quiet a long while, considering. The voices returned,
again the advice to look within to find the way out.
"I can't, I can't, I can't," she insisted in a hysterical tone.
Toji glanced nervously at Shinji and Rei. He made his decision, he
picked Hikari up in his arms, "I'll take you out, just tell us the way."
"I can't," Hikari replied.
"You can," Shinji told her.
She looked from one boy to the other. She clung to Toji, buried her
face in his shoulder, Toji's uncertainty was manifest.
He whispered that they believed in her, "So do Asuka and Raccoon, who
are waiting for us."
Shinji and Toji quietly refute her denials of ability.
I remember the words used to convince Shinji of his duty, Rei thought,
The pilots roundly criticized Doctor Akagi and the Commander, although
privately they admitted that it was necessary. "If you want to die, we
will leave you and find our own way out," Rei told her.
Toji and Hikari were wide-eyed. Rei suspected she had horrified them.
"We will tell her family she selected death. Perhaps the Second will
take her place as Class President. This is a wasted effort, we should go,"
Rei continued. Even I know this is cruel, hurtful, Rei thought, Like
teasing, but worse.
"Ayanami," Shinji said softly, fear or disappointment. Rei couldn't
tell.
I will apologize later. But she needs to be shaken from the fear that
has gripped her, perhaps I have gone too far, Rei realized by the look of
fury on Hikari's face, she had not.
"That is better," she told her, "Which way do we go?"
The three were confused. Hikari looked as if she had eaten something
bitter. She sighed, closed her eyes, tried to relax.
Rei stepped closer to Toji, so did Shinji. The aura of light the
Children exuded kept the fear down to a rational level.
"There," Hikari pointed in an apparently random direction.
Toji didn't ask, he simply marched in that direction.
Shinji was uncomfortable.
His discomfort with this place and our methods weighs more heavily on
him than on Toji or myself, Rei didn't know what to do about it.
As they marched along, Hikari halted them several times, changed
direction, sometimes a trivial change. Rei understood that Hikari was
literally setting the path as we they traveled.
Although I doubt she knows that, Rei considered. Barren terrain
continued in all directions, no plants, no animals, the `ground` seemed to
be flint with small piles of dust of indeterminate origin. It would be
impossible, short of extremely violent action, Rei examined her
surroundings, To mark this place in any way.
While they walked, Rei considered Hikari's fear, emptiness and
barrenness as its source. Our presence shattered her fears almost
immediately. Is loneliness what concerns her? Rei wondered, Is it a loss
of family, friends, contact with others? I have been without these things
most of my life, they hold no terrors. Is it possible fear is an entirely
personal thing? The Fourth fears cats, cats fear me. So again, I do not
understand such a fear. Yet Toji and Shinji-kun are disturbed by this
place. She'd seen they needed no prompting to 'close ranks', they sought
the closeness of others as a shield against the environment.
What do I fear? Do I fear anything, besides failure? Besides failing
the Commander and his plan? Rei wondered, But I do not fear this. I merely
seek to do all that I can to assure victory. Rei found herself back to her
first questions, What do I fear? Do I fear anything outside myself? Have
I ever felt fear not forced on me by an outside source? Can I even _be_
afraid as they are?
The wall of fire that sprang up in their path brought Rei and the
other's concerns up short. Hikari shrieked, Toji and Shinji-kun stepped
back in concern.
Rei recognized it as an act of desperation. "Listen," she told them.
There was a sound like thunder, a long way off.
----------------------------------------
Hikari was trying to burrow into Toji's shoulder, the heat of the
flames pained him, even at a distance. Toji looked at Shinji, who kept
glancing around. This place is getting on my nerves too. Ayanami seems
unaffected, and I thought Asuka was a cold bitch, she doesn't even come
close, Toji thought as he tried to shield Hikari from the heat of the
flames as best he could, But Ayanami was right, we wouldn't have gotten
this far without her `cruelty`. Somehow, I know she'll get us out. It's
weird, I guess to be a good leader, you have to make hard choices without
worrying about the feelings of others. Toji looked at Rei, saw her staring
at the flames. He wondered how she could stay so completely detached from
the weirdness and the threats to them.
"We continue," Ayanami told them.
"We can't!" Hikari shouted as she struggled in his arms.
"We have other means," Ayanami said quietly, "Means that have no
counter." She started walking towards the flames.
Shinji shrugged and pushed Toji forward.
"Ayanami's never lied, has she?" Toji asked.
"Not that I know of," Shinji assured him, "If she says it, it's true."
Hikari shifted uncomfortably in his arms, they were all feeling the
heat. Toji wished there was some better way to protect her. Then Ayanami
started making sounds. Toji didn't really think it was a tune, It's
musical, the sound entranced Toji, But no instrument I've ever heard sounds
like that. He watched Ayanami walk singing into the flames.
"So beautiful," Hikari said mistily.
Toji remembered she had told them, 'We can move as fast as we think we
can.' Shinji and Toji exchanged glances. Toji nodded to Shinji, they both
sprinted through the flames.
"We're through!" Toji shouted. He looked around, the darkness they
had headed for originally was behind them, their entry fire was clearly
visible now.
"We made it!" Shinji shouted.
Ayanami stepped up behind the two boys, pushed them forward, "We must
move, a battle will be fought. Do not run, it will attract attention," she
warned sternly.
Toji and Shinji steadily marched to the fire and the figures in a
circle around it.
"What about Raccoon and Sour Kraut?" Toji asked.
"Toji-san, don't call Asuka that," Hikari told him.
"Just trying to get a reaction," he lied and was glad she accepted it
as they marched along.
"The fighters will remain," Ayanami warned them.
Is she afraid? Toji wondered, he'd never seen Rei rush anything. Now
she was steadily pushing them for more speed. Not a run, but a very fast
walk.
The flash of red nearly blinded all of them, their shadows grew
immensely long and sharp-edged. Hikari screamed in terror. Toji didn't
need any further urging to pick up the pace.
"Do not look, run!" Rei shouted to them.
Ayanami definitely sounds worried now, Toji realized as he broke into
a run. He focused on the fire in the distance, he willed himself to move
as fast as he could.
The next flash was dark, their shadows seemed bright spots on the
ground ahead of them as they ran. Toji felt bitter that he couldn't go
faster. More flashes, the red shifts to orange then through yellow. The
dark flashes grew weaker and weaker. The fire seemed a huge distance away
to Toji. He ignored his parched throat, the ache in his arms and the
stitch in his side. He'd never run so far, so fast in his life. Still he
detested that he couldn't increase his speed. We aren't getting closer as
fast as we should be, Toji was irate about that, but nothing had been real
and understandable since they got here. The next flash was a brilliant sky
blue.
"They _LIVE_!_" Ayanami shouted, "We must be gone before they
prevail."
Or WHAT? Toji wasn't going to waste breath shouting at her, he
channeled the growing wrath within him to energy to drive him on to greater
efforts, an exhilarating fury.
He realized he wasn't mad _at_ anyone or anything, it only made him
able to run faster, a brighter, hotter furnace to power him forward. He
saw Shinji and Hikari were affected too. He noted the fierce determination
in Shinji he'd never seen before, a berserker fury as if they were racing
each other to the goal. Perhaps we are, Toji thought as he tried to keep
ahead of Shinji, while Shinji strove to beat him.
----------------------------------------
I shouldn't have wondered, Rei realized as she ran behind the others,
I never expected such a tactic. We have Hokari Hikari's core personality,
the Second and Roku-kun are not constrained by anything except victory.
She let Shinji-kun and Toji pull slightly ahead of her as she deployed her
AT field to defend them all.
I had not believed such rage was possible. I assumed it would kill
whoever held it, she thought as it crashed over them in waves, hot fury and
cold determination. Rei forced herself not to race ahead of her charges.
She held her AT field at as strong a level as she could. She wished
she better understood the math that the Second had told them about, to
better shield herself and the others.
Still, she was desperately worried, Whatever they are doing, is
impossible. The nexus required should be beyond their ability, they
shouldn't even know it is possible. And they aren't done yet!
"We must be gone before the conflagration," Rei urged Toji and
Shinji-kun. The flashes had remained blue-white, A purity and refining of
soul, she knew, Scourging the darkness.
The distance to their goal reduced. Rei worried whether they would
reach it in time, and what might happen to them if they didn't.
This is fear. Run: I do not like it, I wish it to be over, she
thought. She felt her uncertainty about new places and new people spinning
out of control. Only the fire is now real, she told herself to concentrate
on that. She didn't have to urge Shinji-kun or Toji to greater exertions.
The distance appeared to have shrunk to about 100 meters, then 50,
then 20. Then they were finally within the circle. Shinji-kun and Rei
remembered the instructions to extinguish the fire. They frantically
kicked it to pieces, buried it in sand.
Rei grabbed Shinji-kun, held his face against her shoulder to shield
his eyes as the brightest flash of all shattered the world.
----------------------------------------
Nabiki circumnavigated the outer circle. She alternately looked at
the guard patrolling farther out and those within the inner circle. The
guards were clearly not pleased with what was going on.
Better they understand what the Children really are and have to do,
than discover it accidentally later, Nabiki thought to herself.
She watched Toji nod off, Raccoon's tone and bell-ringing had her
eyelids drooping too. Ranma was alternately sneering and watching the area
`outside.` She doubted he would have left unless dragged away. She also
suspected part of his sneer was cover for how uneasy he was about magic.
Considering his curse, Nabiki thought, I don't blame him one bit.
The arrangements and the progress satisfied her. She doubted anyone
could get close, but she was pleased that the pilots were still willing to
trust each other. Especially after the last few days, she laughed
inwardly, wondered what else could happen, short of the monsters showing
up.
"Shiiiit!" Toji yelled as the fire winked out like a birthday candle.
He rolled on the ground for a moment as if he were on fire or crushing
bugs. Shinji and Rei looked around, blinking. When their eyes met, both
blushed and looked away.
What could have embarrassed Rei? Nabiki wondered, They were just
sitting there! With Toji between them. And where did their face paint go?
Nabiki could see no trace of the markings Asuka had made only minutes
before.
"Where's Hikari?" Toji demanded. He and the other two looked like
they'd just run a marathon.
"Asuka!" Shinji shouted, turning to the redhead. He tried to stand to
go to her, instead he stumbled and fell, as if exhausted.
Raccoon had fallen silent.
"I'm here," Asuka fell on her back and groaned.
Raccoon slowly stripped off his odd jacket and began packing away all
his odd gear. Both he and Asuka moved at half-speed, as if each move was
painful, or unfamiliar.
"Too bad you have to start over," Ranma told him as he stepped close.
Ranma stopped stock-still at the edge of the outer barrier.
"We're done," Raccoon replied, "You can help erase the barriers, if
you don't mind," he added in a weary tone.
"So do we break into the hospital?" Nabiki asked.
Weakly, Raccoon held up a NERV SAR arm band, "NERV business," he said,
"Funny thing, people fear, but don't really respect most NERV branches.
NERV SAR is always 'hello there, have a seat, first rounds on us,' and so
on. I don't think I want to speculate why that is."
"So we just march in there?" Ranma sounded shocked.
"Don't worry," Sammi had come close, the other guards seemed afraid of
the taint of lingering magic, "I'll protect you."
"Whatsa matter?" Toji asked, "Too chicken?"
Ranma clenched his fists, "I can do anything you can."
"Try standing up," Nabiki joked, None of them seem steady enough to
stand, let alone walk the distance to the hospital. Even Rei seem unable
to stand. Nabiki saw that Asuka and Raccoon weren't even trying yet.
"Get a stretcher," Nabiki suggested, "I think we'll have to carry
them. That will certainly get us in the hospital."
Toji defiantly tried to prove her wrong, shooting to his feet.
I haven't seen someone with that expression, Nabiki watched Toji in
horrified fascination, Since Ranma ate one of Akane's `special treats`.
Toji crashed back to the ground, and laid there unmoving.
Ranma walked over to laugh at him, then instead, stuck his hand in the
fire pit. Nabiki noted the look of interest in Ranma's activity on
Raccoon's face.
Ranma obviously didn't understand what he found in the fire pit.
Nabiki judged from the time he left his hand in there, that it couldn't
have been very hot. She decided to blackmail the answers out of Ranma
later. For the moment, she could wait.
Ranma stood and walked over to her, "It was cold," Ranma whispered to
her, "_Really_ cold."
Real magic, Nabiki thought, wondered what price Raccoon would demand
for such power. Then wondered if he would find her wanting again, and
refuse to even consider the idea. She put such melancholy thoughts out of
her mind. She glanced at Toji, she doubted he would blab, he seemed too
happy to be seeing Hikari.
Ironically, Nabiki thought, So am I. I won't press our shaman
tonight, but I will have to figure out how to get him to open up.
She considered means to ends, wondered if she could get Ranko's help
with this, I can't go too fast, that was Shampoo's and my earlier mistake,
too slow was Akane's. Ukyo had the right of it. Get him to trust me, show
I'm not dangerous, that I can learn to use the power I already have wisely.
I doubt it will be easy.
When the group could stand, and more importantly walk, they headed
across the park to the hospital.
The armband and the guards got them entry, even this late in the
evening. The night nurse's protest died at a glance from Sammi and the
others. She seemed to understand she could assist, or be removed.
"What do you think of all of this?" Nabiki asked Sammi.
"Either you pilots were playing an elaborate practical joke on the
rest of us," Sammi replied, "Which I don't discount for an instant. Or
there really was something going on around that fire pit. I mean to find
out which, and I'll tan your hides, if it was a joke."
Nabiki nodded. She had seen more than the older woman, she suspected
what they'd seen was real. She also knew for certain that Raccoon would
deny doing anything outre or supernatural. She knew the Martial Artists
back `home` would consider it sacrilege, but she didn't believe burning
incense and prayers had all that much effect. They hadn't saved her
mother, of course Western medicine hadn't done the job either. Nabiki
wasn't sure what she believed anymore, if she'd ever believed in anything.
Hikari was sitting up in her straitjacket. "Toji!" she was overjoyed
to see him.
"That's impossible," the nurse consulted the chart that hung on the
door before she opened it, "She shouldn't even be conscious."
Nabiki had read the notes on Hikari's chart, they showed an increasing
dementia and violent outbursts, requiring more and stronger sedation. This
was totally at odds with the girl leaning on Toji's shoulder, chatting
animatedly with the others, while Rei released the straps and restraints.
"I . . . apologize, it was necessary," Rei told her as she released
the last of the straps.
Nabiki could see how nonplused Hikari was by this, `creepy` Rei trying
to be a person. Hikari suddenly stopped trying to get out of the
straitjacket. Nabiki suspected she'd just discovered how little she was
wearing underneath it.
"There is nothing to forgive. You did what had to be done, and - I am
very grateful," Hikari bowed to her.
Rei withdrew, so she wouldn't be a damper on Toji, Asuka and Shinji
fussing over Hikari. She stepped out into the hall to stand with the
others. Ranma, Raccoon, Nabiki and the guards stayed out of it as well.
We aren't part of her circle, Nabiki thought as she glanced at Rei and
the others. She found the grouping a strange metaphor of their
relationships, Asuka and Shinji trying to be kids. Ranma, Raccoon and Rei
with their `hidden depths`, stand outside to guard them. Then which am I?
Do I want to be where I am, without deserving to?
After some time, the nurse shooed them out.
"We promise to bring a few others by tomorrow," Toji promised.
"I intend to be _at_school_ tomorrow," Hikari replied, "There's no
telling what happened without me there."
"Well Na - YOW!"
Eight feet descending on Ranma's two, kept him from giving anything
away. He glared at all of his fellow pilots. They all trooped out, Hikari
needed to rest, so did they.
"Hikari talked about the horrible nightmare," Asuka told the others,
"She's already trying to act as if it never happened, or a dream. I wish I
knew if that was a good idea."
"Yes," Rei replied.
"I have to agree," Raccoon said, "Put it behind you."
"Can we offer you a ride home, Mr. Suzuhara?" Tomiyo asked.
"Nah, thanks though. I've got some things to think about," Toji
replied.
"No one will ever believe you," Shinji told him, "You don't believe
it."
"Don't I know it," Toji waved and headed off.
Ranma, Nabiki and Shinji separated themselves, Sammi would drive them
home. Then she'd show her two new charges around their apartment.
When they arrived back at Dr. Akagi's apartment, Shinji clearly wanted
to go directly to bed, he commented he could take a shower tomorrow.
"Don't forget morning practice," Ranma reminded him. Shinji merely
groaned in response.
"What do _you_ think happened out there?" Nabiki asked Ranma, "You
have those chi powers you've been working on, you've been in dreams."
"It was over before I could sense anything," Ranma replied, "The fire
went out, and it was over. I haven't the faintest idea what they were
doing."
"Terrific," Nabiki commented, "You want to bet none of them will talk
about it?"
"Can I bet that they _won't_?_" Ranma asked, agreeing with her, "What,
you want to learn what they did?"
"Don't you?" Nabiki asked.
"_NO_!_" Ranma left to get a shower, leaving Nabiki to consider.
----------------------------------------
Asuka just wanted to sleep, she hated being dropped off on the
threshold with a pack of `babysitters`.
"Sorry it took so long," Sammi told Asuka and Raccoon as they waited.
"The way I feel," Asuka admitted, "I don't care if it's blankets and
dirt floors. As long as I can get some sleep."
"What were you doing anyway?" Sammi asked as she stepped aside to let
them in, the other guards were dismissed.
The main hallway entered onto the living/dining room, instead of the
kitchen like Dr. Akagi's and Misato's apartments. Four doors set in the
walls, two on each side. A spiral staircase was at the far end. No patio
or balcony was in evidence, just a picture window, another difference from
what they'd had before.
"You two can take either of the inner bedrooms. Each pair shares a
bathroom. My room's upstairs," Sammi told them.
"I hope the kitchen's up there too," Raccoon said.
"You aren't going to try to cook _all_ the meals?" Asuka asked
angrily, "Like at Dr. Akagi's?"
"Nobody complained," Raccoon replied, a touch defensively.
Asuka knew she had him, decided she could finish him off in the
morning, "Left. Where's all our stuff?"
"Yours is all hung up in the left bedroom, Jeff's in the right," Sammi
smiled at them.
Asuka was too tired to wonder how they'd guessed, decided they had a
50-50 chance, so whoever guessed right. "What else is upstairs?"
"Drawing room, the balcony," Sammi told them, "The armory, fire
control station to the 8-inch gun on the roof, a few things like that."
Asuka frowned, "Does this place have hot water, the paint smells new."
"Yes, the toilets even flush, a real 20th Century house," Sammi told
them.
"No offense," Asuka yawned, "Unless the cook's tour can't wait until
tomorrow, I want a shower and bed."
"No, it can wait." Sammi left them and headed upstairs, giving them
the illusion they were alone.
"Something is not right," Asuka made a hand-sign that signified
somebody was watching them.
"Oh, it's not too bad," Raccoon gave the sign he agreed.
"Well, I'll see you tomorrow. I hope you don't snore or talk in your
sleep," she headed for her room, and the attached bathroom. Something kept
worrying her. Despite the name, Sammi wasn't Russian, but she didn't act
like a Japanese either. Who does she act like? Asuka wondered as she
stripped and stepped into the hot water of the shower, Only the Baby
Wondergirl acted like that. She was part of Wondergirl's dreamscape, not
real.
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