Alternatives 12
I would like to thank Ryan, Erik, James Eades, and Christophe
Pennequin for their help in pre-reading this chapter. I could use
more pre-readers. If you would like, I will happily add you to my
list.
* * *
Myrrh looked at her and spat with contempt. "It's over!"
Ranko struggled to her knees. Taking a breath, she braced
herself against the pole next to her and stood up. "It ain't over
till I tell you it's over, jerk! And it definitely AIN'T over!"
Despite her outward anger, Ranko exulted. She lived for this
period within her fights. Time didn't slow down; rather, it seemed
that her perceptions and senses sharpened. Pushing herself up against
the pole, she felt the imperfections on the finish from where it had
been recently sanded and implanted, replacing one she and Ryoga had
shattered in their sessions with Cologne. She wiped her face with her
left hand and could discern the individual grains of dirt separating
as the back of her hand slowly moved across her right cheek.
Surreptitiously testing the bruised side where Myrrh kicked her,
she silently thanked Cologne for forcing her to wear the brown leather
chest plate, hidden under her top. If not for its spreading the force
of the strike over her torso, he would have scored a direct hit on her
left breast, perhaps incapacitating her. As it was, she stood ready
and able to fight.
Myrrh smirked at her from his position across the field, at first
glance none the worse for wear. She was amazed that he had been able
to keep up with her speed. Her eyes crinkled in happy surmise when
she watched him wipe sweat from his brow and slick back his hair - two
signs that, to her, indicated that he had been taxed to keep up with
her speed.
A slow, dangerous smile crept across her face. She now knew what
to do. Attack! Sprinting forward, the newly minted Amazon assailed
him with an array of full speed strikes and kicks. She meant to wear
him down and take advantage when he could no longer defend himself.
His defense began to sag under the pressure as the effort quickly took
its toll upon him.
Myrrh stepped back out of Ranko's reach and nodded
microscopically in admiration. "You are very quick and skilled for a
girl," he proclaimed. "I assume that is your mannish heritage showing
through. If you had any strength with which to hurt me, I'd be in
trouble. As it is," he emphasized the next word, "'Wife,' you'll not
be able to do more than give me a light massage."
He shook his head at her in dismay, "I really don't understand
why you're still fighting me. You're not going to find any man more
worthy than I to father your children. In fact, as a wedding present
to you, if you surrender now, I'll let your pretty little friend go
free. What do you say?" He gave her a smile as he ended.
With a flick of her right hand, Ranko pushed her now unbound hair
over her shoulder. Cold fire blazed from her eyes as she retorted,
"I've got two things to say to you, Creep! One is, this girl is gonna
kick your sorry butt into the dirt. The second is that ANY man is
more worthy than you to..." she grimaced slightly at the thought,
"...be the father of my children. In fact, all of the women here are
more worthy than you! And I can't have children that way anymore!"
Finished, she leapt forward once again, letting him know by her
stance and focus that she intended to pierce his defenses. She meant
to take out his gut the same way she had Ryoga's when they battled
just after he learned the Bakasei Tenketsu.
"I'll show you a massage, all right!" She rained punches upon him
with unimaginable speed, realizing all the time that, with his greater
reach and strength, she was sacrificing her own safety to get within
range.
The amazon had never pushed her body this hard. As the attack
continued, Myrrh's speed slowly degraded. Finally, Myrrh's left arm
dropped too far. Ranko smiled grimly as she targeted her opponent's
diaphragm and quickly drove five hundred strikes home in the space of
an eyeblink.
To her surprise, Myrrh dropped his defense and let her punches
hit. He merely smiled as he watched her face slacken with surprise
when she heard the ringing of his chain mail rattle against the light
metal plate hidden underneath it. While she hesitated in shock, he
smashed an overhead elbow into her shoulder, knocking her to the
ground. He stomped after her as she rolled frantically away, trying
to grind her into the dirt. She managed to keep barely ahead of him.
Seeing that she could not escape that way, she reversed and
rolled under him, grabbing Myrrh's leg and swinging upward with a knee
to catch him in the groin. He cried out in agony and pitched forward
onto the ground.
Ranko kicked herself away from him and quickly stood up, facing
towards the Musk noble in a ready position. "Compliments of the
Saotome Scholl of Anything Goes," she quipped. "Thought you oughta
know better than to expose yourself." Not giving anything away, she
circled him, surreptitiously testing her back, giving him time to
recover.
Myrrh slowly stood while holding his groin. Ignoring the jeers
from the watching Amazons, he proceeded to unsnap a few clasps and
removed a metal cup, heavily dented. Flinging the useless thing away,
he stood straight and glared at Ranko.
"You insolent wench! How dare you humiliate me in front of my
men! For that, I'm going to make you beg, before I even think about
stopping." He rushed her, attempting to grapple, but it was obvious
to all of the warriors present that his injury was still bothering
him.
Ranko continued to circle, eluding him. Her assault had only
partially worked. He was hurt, but protected as he by his armor they
had come out pretty even. The problem was that he had already scored
twice on her. She needed a way to even the score, otherwise, Myrrh
had the protection to win by simple attrition.
It was time for the big guns.
Moving away from him, she stopped when she was thirty feet away
and turned around with a cry of, "Mouko Takabisha!" From her
outstretched hands, a bright beam of energy lanced out towards Myrrh.
The Musk tracked its progress with amused surprise. Just before
it hit, he yelled, "Bull Walking Through Reeds!"
He ran towards her, into her beam, his body emitting a feeble,
brownish glow. To Ranko's surprise, her blast acted like a stream of
water hitting a large stone. It separated into two and flowed around
him, coming back together and continuing onwards behind him. Atching
her with a shoulder tackle, he drove her into one of the wooden poles
before she could react. He bore in with his entire weight trying to
crack at least one of her ribs.
Not having the upper body strength to throw him off, she chopped
at the pillar behind her, breaking it off. Falling, him on top of
her, she braced herself against the pole's stump, caught him on her
feet, and heaved him to the other side of the arena.
Ranko's curse was muffled as she rolled to her feet. Both sides
of her ribcage ached and her back was hurting even more. Brushing
back a stray lock, she watched as her opponent struggled to stand.
She felt a little better, for he clutched his own side as he
stood. "You're still ahead, you jerk. But not for long," she
promised. As things stood, she had three injuries to his two. His
had hit the groung hard when she kicked him. She shook her head to
clear it and refocus on her fight.
He was simply too strong to face directly. So, she decided to
change tactics again. If a chi-blast was ineffective, maybe she
should try a tornado? Ranko's gasping slowed, as she calmed herself
and began her spiraling attack.
Myrrh watched as she started towards him. Breathing raggedly,
having spent spent almost all of his reserves, he watched her approach
with a jaundiced amusement. He danced just outside of her reach,
graceful in his bulk, allowing her to bring him into the center of her
spiral. As she grinned in triumph and raised her arm for the final
blow, he jumped quickly into her path and swept her legs out from
beneath her.
Ranko fell, desperately twisting away from her opponent. She
knew that if he got her in a wrestling hold, she would quickly lose.
Fortunately for her, the Musk man was on his hands and knees as he
finished his maneuver and wasn't quick enough to cover her.
With a smirk, he waited for her to stand. "Those Amazon tricks
won't work against me, my little Cherry blossom! The Musk have fought
against these witches for longer than Japan has been civilized." He
stretched in an attempt to loosen his groin, not hiding the fact that
he was uncomfortable but also showing her that he was quickly
overcoming it. "You've made a mistake, angering your future husband.
Apologize now, or I'll be forced to train you a little bit more
forcefully than I originally planned."
He smiled at the thought. "Unless, of course, you like it
rough." He leered at her.
"Stuff it! I already told ya that I ain't your wife and I ain't
gonna be!" The enraged girl spat. She took a few steadying breaths to
calm herself, backing away from the anger his taunts had fired.
Myrrh stood ready, waiting and watching. He was forcing her to
attack, taking advantage of his greater reach. As she regained her
composure, one train of thought coursed through Ranko's mind. He had
the advantage in reach and weight, while her skill and agility far
surpassed his. The deciding difference was his armor. Take it away
and he was as good as finished. Hmm. Nice armor. It must have cost a
lot. The answer came to her in a flash.
Myrrh started laughing in delight as Ranko curled up into what
appeared to
be a very submissive posture, standing on one leg before him.
"Yes, that's it girl, cringe before me! Are you ready to quit
now?" He gestured benevolently towards her. His humor lasted until
Ranko literally vanished from before his eyes.
The watching crowd gasped with surprise as he yelled, "What kind
of witch's trick is this? Where are you?" He felt an airy breeze and
a lightening of the weight on his back. Whirling around, he saw a
large section chainmail laying on the ground. Her attacks continued
and as his armor was removed, he backed up against a pole and tried to
find her.
"You bitch! Are you going to fight me or undress me?"
Ranko appeared in the center of the arena facing him. "I thought
that since you were only facing a girl, you didn't need that armor.
So I took it."
She smiled at him, putting her arms behind her and rocked with
amusement. "Are you ready to face me now? Or would you like to
surrender to a little girl?"
"I'll never surrender to a cheating whore like you!" Myrrh
bellowed. He Struck forward, hoping to reach her before she
disappeared again. With a small wave, Ranko did.
"Damn!"
He felt a rapid series of strikes begin marching up his back,
just before her small fist landed the knockout blow. As he crumpled,
he dimly heard the cheering of the Amazons and the shocked gasps of
his men.
Ranko materialized in front of the viewing stand and knelt before
the Elders. Repeating the line Cologne taught her, she announced her
victory. "Elders of the Joketsuzoku, I have vanquished the male who
dared challenge an Amazon warrior." She knelt, bowing her head, and
added, "Saotome School of Anything Goes technique, Umisen-ken. The old
fart actually did something right."
Cologne stood, smiling. "Arise, grand-daughter. We are well
pleased!" Turning to the cheering Amazons, she held her arms up
signaling quiet. "This is my grand-daughter by adoption, Ranko
Saotome. Her mother accepted my invitation to join us as an Amazon
two weeks ago. Please welcome the two of them as you greet them. My
new daughter, Nodoka, also has four sons. They are here before you."
She gestured at Ranma, Luan Ma, Ranchan, and Shima. "They are hereby
recognized as males of the tribe and are subject to our laws and
strictures. May their children be strong women who will add to the
legends of our tribe!"
The crowd roared with approval.
Curious, Ranko turned and looked at Myrrh. He was being helped
by his man-servant. Basil splashed chilled water onto his master's
face, waking him up. As he groggily struggled to his feet, the Musk
noble noticed his watcher. Brushing aside Basil, he weaved his way
towards her. She waited stoically as he came up to her.
He bowed his head to her. "You won this time, Ranko Saotome.
You and I will meet again. It is destined that my family will one day
regain the Musk throne and your and my children will be the ones to do
that."
"In your dreams, Myrrh." She turned away from him with a
dismissive shrug and joined her brothers.
"You will be mine. This I swear." He whispered to her
retreating back.
As she neared them, her brothers raucously greeted her.
"You were too slow," Ranma opined.
"Nah, she wasn't too slow." Shima backed her up. Then added,
"She fought like a girl is all." The black clad boy then laughed.
"Hey! I can beat your sorry butts any day of the week!" She
retorted.
"Yeah, I'm sure you could," Luan Ma patted her on the head.
"Well, I think we all would agree on this. Our sister may be a
tomboy, but she sure is cute when she's angry!" Ranchan piped in.
Ranko glared at them until they all started laughing, herself
included. She asked, "I was surprised that Kuno didn't try to
interfere in the fight. Where is he anyway?"
The four brothers shared a look and Luan Ma coughed into his
hand. He put his hand behind his head and said, "It's like this. We
kinda thought that he might want to jump in and mess up your fight.
So," the four men turned and showed her a struggling Tatewaki. "We
tied him up and gagged him when he got here."
"The fight's over now, you idiots! Don't you think it's about
time to untie him?" She shook her head and moved towards him.
"Guys!" She shook her head. Then stopped as the young woman realized
what she said. Strangely though, she felt better after having said
it. She dismissed it with a shrug and help Tatewaki.
She released him with a sigh and said, "I hope that you were able
to see my fight."
"Ah, my Amazon Goddess, you do care for me!" Tatewaki attempted
to glomp her.
She fended him off by throwing him at her brothers. "Take care
of him. I'm going to find Ryoga."
Ryoga had promised Ranko to not leave her seat until the other
girl finished the fight and came back. Ranko made her way through the
other Amazons, accepting their praise with her usual lack of humility.
Spotting Ryoga looking around for her, she squeezed past the last few
well-wishers and walked up to her friend.
Ryoga had been required to be in his cursed, female form while
his status was still undetermined. "Hey, Ranko!" The boy-turned-girl
waved.
"Hi, Ryoga!" Ranko cheerily walked up. "I guess you're ready
for your cure, huh?"
"Yeah," Ryoga evaded. "I guess."
"I, I wanted to thank you for all your help training. I don't
think I coulda done it without ya." Ranko said while looking at the
milling crowd.
"I never thought I'd ever help a Saotome either." She grinned at
Ranko. "I guess that makes us friends, doesn't it?"
"I guess it does." Changing the subject, Ranko asked, "You still
going to try and kick Ranma's butt every time you see him?"
"I don't hate him like I used to," she grinned, "but it sure is
fun to rub his face in the dirt."
"Hey, you never beat me!" Ranko interjected.
"How about that free trip to China?" teased Ryoga, looking at
her sideways.
The young Amazon looked at Ryoga and said, "You still call that a
win? All you did was tunnel through the earth and get lucky!"
"A win's a win, though." Ryoga looked at her friend with a
smile. "Luck plays a part in any contest. You know that as well as I
do. How many times did I lose to you because of cold water?"
"Yeah, I seem to recall that it was always my skill that got you
wet." Ranko laughed. Grabbing Ryoga around the shoulders, she
started leading her away. "The Amazons throw great banquets and I'm
hungry. Let's go eat before my brothers eat it all, okay?"
"Okay." Ryoga chuckled a little. "I kinda hope they have. It'd
be fun to beat them up. Don't you think so?"
"Yeah," she smiled back. "You want to walk more slowly?"
The dark-haired girl thought for a moment. "Nah, let's eat. The
banquet is in your honor and they wouldn't be allowed to eat anyway."
Laughing at her comment, Ranko said, "Let me tell you how I met
Shampoo." She started telling Ryoga the story as they made their way
to the smorgasbord.
***
Later that afternoon, Ryoga sat in the room she had shared with
Ukyo and Ranko for the last two weeks. Ukyo had left to talk with
Cologne about her wedding ceremony. She was very nervous and wanted
everything to go right. Ranko, as the only warrior in her family, was
to formally deliver the males into the hands of their new wives. She
had been pulled away to be taught her role.
It was nice to be able to relax and not have the worry of being
given to the Musk anymore. She shuddered at the thought of what they
wanted to do to both Ranko and herself. The thought of being cured
soon plastered a smile on her face that would not leave. While being
a cute girl was a lot better than being a little pig, it bothered her
sense of who she was. She was male, even if her body was currently
female. Bored by the inactivity, she began a few stretching exercises
when the dark-haired girl heard a very light, hesitant knock on the
bedroom door.
"Come in." She called as she moved to sit on her bedroll.
The door opened and a very skittish looking Akane poked her head
around the door's edge. Glancing around, she verified that the only
occupant was Ryoga and sighed with relief. "I'm not bothering you or
anything, am I?" She nervously rocked back and forth as she asked.
"I can come back later if I am."
Because of her shy behavior, he realized that something was
bothering her. He wondered what it was. "No, no. I'm not doing
anything. Just waiting around for Ukyo or Ranko to come get me when
it's dinner time."
"That's nice of them to bring you to dinner." She smiled at him,
now standing just inside the room's door.
"Well, Ranko says that it's safer this way. If someone leads me
around, I won't get lost and end up in Tibet or something." She made
a face. "You'd think I have a problem with directions or something."
Ryoga laughed at the joke. Realizing that the other still stood, she
jumped up and motioned for her to sit.
"Please sit, Akane. Do you need anything?" She followed the
other girl to Ranko's bed, hovering near as she sat down.
"No, I don't need anything, Ryoga." Akane looked down at her
hands. They were clasped tightly in her lap. She peeked at Ryoga and
opened her mouth as if she was going to say something, but then
blushed and looked at her hands again.
"What's the matter, Akane?" Ryoga gently asked her. If Ranma
has hurt her somehow, he dies. She sat down on the floor looking up
at the youngest Tendo.
"You're getting cured tomorrow aren't you?" Akane glanced at the
petite girl. Her hand moved from her lap and now wandered over the
covers of the bed, making little hills from the cloth as she
unconsciously tensed her hand every second or so. Ryoga's eyes
followed the circle that the other girl's left hand made.
"I'm planning to, yeah." She answered with a puzzled look on her
face. Does she not want to marry Ranma? Is she really in love with
me? But, I love Akari! What will I say if she wants to leave with
me?
"Well, you probably wouldn't want to do this, but I don't have
anyone else I can ask," Akane sat forward and looked into Ryoga's eyes
pleadingly.
"What is it, Akane?" Her heart beat quickly as she tried to
anticipate whatever it was that her friend needed. "You know that you
can ask me anything."
"Really?" A timid little voice asked. Akane folded herself up
protectively as she looked at the other with burgeoning hope.
"On my honor as a martial artist, I will help you Akane." She
jumped up with a fist in the air. "If Ranma has hurt you, I will hurt
him. If you don't want to get married, I'll help you leave. Whatever
it is, I'm here for you."
Astonished at Ryoga's words, Akane's mouth fell open. She raised
her right hand up and outwards towards Ryoga. "Oh, it's nothing like
that. I," she paused and blushed just a little. "You see, I need a
bride's maid. Kasumi will be acting as the head of the family and
can't be by my side. Nabiki said she'd like to, but she is acting as
Ukyo's family representative. Ranko is her family guard and is
supposed to make sure that her brothers don't run. I thought she
would be my Maid of Honor and I brought a dress and everything hoping
to surprise her. You and she are about the same size." Her voice
fell to a soft waver as she saw Ryoga's reaction.
"You're wanting me to be your bride's maid?" was all that Ryoga
could stutter. The shock caused her to fall backwards, hitting her
head on the bed behind her. "Ah!" Embarrassed by the outburst, she
laughed at herself. "There's a bed there. I wonder how it got
there?"
"I told you that you wouldn't want to do it." Akane stood to
leave, shoulders slumped in defeat. "It's just that I always dreamed
of having a western style wedding with at least one bride's maid."
She sadly moved to leave.
Ryoga still loved her too much to see the youngest Tendo in any
kind of pain. "Wait, Akane. I can get cured after you and Ranma are
married. Sure, I'll be your bride's maid." Seeing the other girl
brighten, she asked, "Uh, What exactly do I do?"
Turning around and giving Ryoga a quick, friendly hug, Akane
started bubbling. "You really don't have to do much. Just look
pretty and give me the ring when I need it to put onto Ranma."
"That's all?" Ryoga sensed that there was something she was
missing. "Uh, How exactly am I supposed to look pretty?"
"Silly!" Akane laughed at Ryoga's unintended joke. "That's the
spirit! Come on, let's get you fitted." She pulled the other girl
out the door, taking her to the house she was staying in.
***
"Say it again, Ranko," Cologne said with ill-disguised ire.
"After all it's only a few words." Cologne, Ranko, and Nodoka were in
the main room of Cologne's home. Nodoka and Cologne were both sitting
in armchairs. Ranko stood between the two of them like an actor at an
audition.
"Okay, Okay." The girl giggled back at the stern Elder and her
worried mother. "It's funny is all."
"Daughter, you must be serious. You wouldn't want someone
laughing her head off when you get married to the man of your dreams
would you?" Nodoka said trying to impart the importance of her
daughter's upcoming duties.
The red-haired girl quickly sobered at her mother's words. "I
ain't been a girl long enough to have dreams of men or marriage yet."
With a small shudder, she continued, "I don't know who I am anymore."
She threw her head back and looked at the two other women. "I can do
this. Here it goes. As the clan warrior, I, Saotome Ranko, give
these men to their new families. If accepted, my brothers shall be
called: Shan Luan Ma, husband of Shan Pu; Kuonji Ranchan, husband of
Kuonji Ukyo; and Tendo Ranma, husband of Tendo Akane. Do you, Shan
Pu, clan sister accept this lowly man, Luan Ma, as your husband? Do
you, Kuonji Ukyo, accept this lowly man, Ranchan, as your husband? Do
you, Tendo Akane, accept this lowly man, Ranma, as your husband?" she
looked at Cologne and her mother for confirmation that she got it
right. Seeing their nods, she added, "You have accepted these men. I
pledge to you that they shall obey you in all things or I shall come
teach them proper manners." She snorted in a very unladylike fashion
and began laughing. "I can't wait to see the expressions on their
faces when they are given away! It'll be priceless!"
"Ranko! It's not very nice to laugh at your brothers." Her
mother sternly warned her. Nodoka's mouth quirked up a minute bit as
she imagined the surprise that awaited her three very manly sons.
"You have it. Make sure that you get it right tomorrow,
grand-daughter." Cologne turned to the elder Saotome woman. "Do we
need to go over your role as clan mother again?"
"No," Nodoka shook her head. "I've learned it. Why don't we stop
and see how the preparations are going?"
"Very well," Cologne assented. "The challenge ground is being
set up now."
A little too quickly, Ranko suggested, "Mom, why don't you go
ahead. I think I'd like to practice a few more times with Elder
Cologne. After all, I don't want to spoil the weddings of my new
sisters."
Nodoka looked at her daughter and knew something was up.
"Alright dear, I'll see you in a few minutes." She stood up and left.
"Well grand-daughter, what is it that you wish to ask?" Cologne
smirked as she watched the young woman jump in surprise.
"Was it that obvious?" Ranko moved to scratch the back of her
head, but caught herself and smoothed her hair back instead.
"To someone who has studied people as long as I have, few things
are not obvious." Cologne chuckled a little. She motioned for the
other to sit. "Again, what is it that you wish to ask?"
Ranko slowly lowered herself into the chair. She settled herself
with her hands in her lap, before saying anything. Loath as she was
to admit it, her mother's training was working. "I don't want
anything to go wrong tomorrow. I want Akane to have a wonderful
wedding." She laughed self-consciously and added, "I want the same
for Shampoo and Ukyo too. It's just that I was thinking about what
could go wrong and I remembered that Mousse is here in the village.
Won't he try to stop the wedding between Luan Ma and Shampoo?" As she
finished, she looked Cologne in the eyes, trying to glean an answer
from them.
Slowly, Cologne lowered her eyes. With a sigh, she said, "You
won't have to worry about Mousse, child. He disobeyed the direct
order of an Elder. The law requires the death of any male that breaks
that law. He has been judged and punished."
"He's dead? Just because he fought me?" Ranko sat stunned. She
felt a numbness begin creeping through her at the realization that she
had been an unwitting party to another's death. The auburn haired
woman rolled into a ball and shivered at the thought.
Cologne watched the girl's response, mildly surprised. She knew
that Ranko, while still Ranma, had killed Saffron. Mousse had
attacked the two with the intent of killing them. She had sent him to
the hospital, but didn't kill the boy. Cologne felt compassion for
what the young woman was experiencing. The first time she had been
exposed to the mortality of others, especially when her own hands
played a part, her feelings of devastation took many years to work
through. She slowly and gently placed her gnarled right hand upon
Ranko's knees. "He is both dead and alive, my child." She caressed
the warrior before her with her voice.
As the old woman's words penetrated, Ranko gave Cologne a
startled look. "What do you mean, both?"
As she looked into the confused emerald blue eyes of her new
granddaughter, Cologne felt guilty at what had been done to the poor
boy. The shame of Mousse's treatment palled as she considered how to
tell Ranko the story. The old woman knew that Ranko, being who and
what she was, would react in only one way. She prayed that the woman
in front of her would be strong enough to see her true options.
"The trial was held the night you were born. You weren't
included for the simple reason that you weren't an Amazon yet." She
reached up and stroked Ranko's hair. "I never enjoy these things.
Especially when I'm directly involved."
"The trial was held in the Hall of Elders. I'm sure you've seen
it. It's the large square wooden building next to the Tournament
field. The inside is very spare. In the front is a podium upon which
the presiding Elders sit. It is a rather impressive sight. It is
meant to be. The wise women of the village are sitting above
everyone, only their upper torsos showing from behind the desk each
sat at. There are always three elders who sit in the judgment seats.
If fewer than this are seated then tradition holds that the trial
could be swayed by emotion or even corruption. Any more than that and
our tradition teaches that time would be wasted by Elders arguing a
case for too long. The front row is reserved for the defendant and
her, or in this case, his accusers. The rest of the room is filled
with movable benches. It's not a friendly building. The only windows
are either high up or gun slits. The shadows move across the room
like bright squares during the day. However, it was night and the
only illumination came from the lamps on the three desks on the podium
and four more lights on the walls."
She turned from Ranko and sat herself in the other chair. "Ah,
what I would give to be able to go back and change a few things. I
was there as the plaintiff and Mousse stood before us, locked in
chains, as the accused. To my amazement, he stood tall and proud,
looking at me with hatred in his uncovered eyes. Yes, he wasn't
wearing glasses."
***
"Mousse, shouldn't you have glasses on?" Cologne snapped at the
man glaring at her.
"You didn't even bother to find out about me when I was in the
hospital, did you?" His voice and demeanor were anything but
subservient. "It turns out that sometime during my childhood, my
skull was crushed just enough to put pressure on my eyes and deform
them. Ranma did me a favor by breaking my skull. The plastic
surgeons were able to restore my sight when they rebuilt my face. I
don't remember a time I could see normally. My mother told me that my
eyesight began going bad some time after I first played with Shampoo.
Do you know anything about that?"
She stood as tall as her tiny frame allowed. Cologne would never
let a male, especially one who had disgraced himself, cause her to
back down. She remembered the encounter. In fact, it was one of the
many regrets she had collected over her long life. It was she who had
harmed the precocious toddler. "I don't remember anything happening."
Yet she did. Shampoo and he had both been standing on the
challenge log. How they climbed there she never found out. She ran
to grab Shampoo before she fell. In her haste, Cologne knocked the
friendly little boy off the log onto the hard ground. He had been
immediately attended and no one had ever thought anything else of it.
She had never suspected that she had been the cause of his poor
eyesight. Guilt washed over her anew.
With a snort, he turned to face his judges. She did the same.
"How do you plea?" the middle judge spoke.
His chains rattled as he spoke with pride, "Guilty. I disobeyed
this old mummy and I would do it again! Shampoo's," he spat the next
word with hatred, "husband loves Tendo Akane! My love deserves better
than a spouse who pines for someone else. Shampoo needs a husband who
loves her and can take care of her!"
"That's quite enough." The same woman spoke again. "You've made
things very easy for us, Mu Tsu. There is only one penalty for the
willful disobedience of an Elder by a male. Therefore, it is the
finding of this court that you shall be executed tomorrow morning at
dawn." She was interrupted as Cologne moved forward two steps.
"Madame Chair, if I may be so bold as to ask a moment of the
court's time?" Cologne strode to the edge of the stage and waited
their answer.
After a cursory glance at the other two judges, the senior judge
leaned forward "Of course, Elder Cologne, what is it you wish?"
"May we speak in private?" Her voice gave away nothing of what
she was thinking.
The three judges leaned together and discussed her request
amongst themselves. This was a highly unusual situation. But seeing
as was the Elder who brought the charges, they decided to let her have
her say. "We will speak in private with Elder Cologne!" The senior
judge nodded at the bailiff who immediately ushered everyone,
including Mu Tsu, out.
Once the room was emptied of all save her and her three fellow
Elders, Cologne visibly relaxed. "Sisters, Mu Tsu has too much value
to our tribe to be summarily executed. I propose that we find a way
of saving the boy."
"Value? What value does a blind, male fool have to us?" spat
Hair Dryer, the Elder sitting on the right of the senior judge.
"His sight has been miraculously repaired by the skilled surgeons
of Japan. In fact, they determined that it had been caused by an
injury to him when he was a child. It was not a genetic flaw,"
Cologne calmly answered.
"How do you know all of this? You were surprised to see him
without his glasses just now." Repeat Rinse queried form her position
to the left of the senior judge.
Cologne shook her head with amusement. With a sly smile on her
face, she answered, "Never let an opponent know all that you know.
That is a sure path to defeat."
The senior judge sat back and half-closed her eyes while she
listened. Nail Polish focused her gaze upon Cologne and sat forward,
"There is something behind this. What is it?"
"I simply do not wish to see this boy killed. I believe all of
his problems stem from his obsession with my great-granddaughter,
Shampoo. If we were to remove his memories of her, he would be an
asset to our tribe." She continued on, walking to and fro in front of
her sisters. "If he were a female and Shampoo a man, would any of you
have seen any problem with his pursuit of Shampoo? No. His problem
is that he is too much an Amazon. Erase his memory and let him start
anew."
"As much as I'd like to let him off, don't you think it would
setting a dangerous precedent?" Nail Polish asked to the air.
"No, it would send the message that we, as Elders, care for all
of our children. We no longer live in a world that threatens us on a
daily basis. A threat that is no threat should not be treated so
horribly." Cologne pointed at the judges, emphasizing her point.
"He is cursed, no?" Hair Dryer asked with a smile.
"Yes, he transforms into a duck." Cologne paled as she realized
where her sister was leading.
"We must punish him for his disobedience and yet I tend to agree
with you, Cologne. I think we should split him. Execute the duck and
rehabilitate the man." She leaned back happy with her solution. "Or
vice-versa, it doesn't really matter."
"I think you are on the right track, Hair Dryer, but we must be
seen to punish Mu Tsu. Killing a duck simply wouldn't do." Nail
Polish turned to face Cologne. "You wouldn't have asked for this
private audience without a plan in mind. What is it?"
"My plan was simply to wash all of his memories of Shampoo from
his mind and if he relapses, then allow justice to fall upon him."
Cologne offered her first deal.
"It has merit, but justice must be served. As an Elder, you know
how much our society depends upon our laws and traditions." Again
Nail Polish leaned towards Cologne, this time emphasizing her words
with sharp hand gestures. "Quit wasting our time, Cologne. Tells us
what you have planned and we will discuss it. We are not the
teenagers you've become used to manipulating."
"As you say, Honored Judge," Cologne bowed her head with respect.
"I do indeed have a suggested course for true Amazon justice to
follow." She paused, reluctant to share a failure with her equals.
"I feel partially to blame for Mu Tsu's predicament. If I had been
more watchful over Shampoo when they were younger, his obsession with
her would have been stopped. However, I know there is a way to redeem
him. Here is my proposal. First, we should remove all of his
memories of Shampoo. After that is done, we evaluate him to find out
what is left. I'm afraid that he will lose much, as his obsession
with Shampoo has deep roots. Depending upon his state of mind, I
suggest we cure him by dunking him in an age appropriate pool. I
suspect that he will regress to a very early age. Once he's been
cursed to be a child again, we lock him into his new form and give him
a new name. We will have executed Mu Tsu, yet he will have a new
chance at life."
"That's too much trouble. I say we just execute him." Hair Dryer
harrumphed from her seat. "It's too much of a risk."
"No, I see some merit in her suggestion. I take it, Cologne,
that your family will see to his rearing after he is youthened?" Hair
Dryer asked.
"If no other family steps forward, yes."
"There will be no other family stepping forward. This will not
become common knowledge. I agree with my sister in seeing the value
of your plan. However, Mu Tsu must be dead. When he is dunked, dunk
him in a female spring. No one will recognize a little girl as the
man who disobeyed you." Nail Polish spoke with authority. "I know
there is much you are not telling us, Cologne. Therefore, the burden
of raising, whatever you rename Mu Tsu, will fall squarely upon your
family's shoulders. To the village, Mu Tsu's execution will have been
privately held and finished. Are you in agreement, Sisters?"
Hair Dryer groused before she assented with a curt nod. Repeat
Rinse merely nodded.
"It has been judged and agreed to. Let it be done tonight!"
Hair Dryer rapped the table in front of her and stood up.
***
"And that, Ranko, was that. We brought Mu Tsu into the courtroom
and washed Shampoo from his memories. The pitiful creature that was
left had the mentality of the two and a half year old toddler that
first met Shampoo. I splashed the poor boy with Nyannichuan canceling
his duck curse and then locked the curse using a special Amazon
technique." Seeing Ranko's surprise, she chuckled lightly. "The Musk
aren't the only ones with a need to lock curses. I then fed her a 2.5
cm ageing mushroom."
"Wha... How did you get any of those mushrooms?" Ranko asked,
surprised that she had them.
"I managed to borrow a few from you and Ryoga when the two of you
were acting like children." Cologne smiled at the young woman. "Akane
wasn't the only one to save some."
"Come, I have someone for you to meet." Cologne led her towards
the house next to Cologne's own. "This was my daughter's home while
she lived. It will be Shampoo's once she and Luan Ma are married."
She entered the home and walked along a hallway entering the second
room on the right. Ranko saw a sitting room with two brown leather
chairs nestled against an oaken table with a lamp sitting on it. The
entire left wall was a bookcase filled with books. The other walls
were painted a pale wheat color. Across from the entrance was a
cheery, eight-pane window, its covering a floor length drape, a wheat
colored background with a rural scene upon it. In the floor playing
with a doll, a little girl happily sat. Her long black hair bounced
as she looked up at Ranko. A muffled recognition bloomed in her eyes.
She stood up and toddled over to her.
"Hi, me Shannie! Who you?" The little girl pointed at Ranko.
Ranko glanced at Cologne, the question going unsaid. The old
woman merely nodded.
"Shan Mie, this is Ranko, my granddaughter." Cologne introduced
the two to each other.
Ranko sat down on the floor to be on the child's level. "What are
you doing?" Forcing a smile, she looked into the eyes of the friendly
little child.
With a giggle, Shan Mie answered, "Playing!"
Shaking her head and laughing at herself, Ranko pulled the little
girl into her lap. "What's your doll's name?"
"Mu Lan." She looked up at Ranko, offering the doll. "Say Hi?"
"Hello, Mu Lan. It's very nice to meet you." The young woman
said very seriously as she hook the doll's hand.
Somewhat surprised, but very pleased, Cologne backed out of the
room allowing the two to become acquainted. Ranko knew her part in
the wedding and there was still a multitude of details that required
her attention.
***
Author's Notes:
On the Musk, yes I know that in the manga only three Musk are
ever introduced. However, there has to be more than just three of
them. Why? Because Lime and Mint had never seen a woman before going
to Japan. They didn't know Herb had been cursed to be female until
Ranma spilled the beans, sort of.
I also planned on finishing the weddings and more in this
chapter. However, my writing time is limited and this was a very nice
stopping point.
Lastly, I'm not really happy with Mousse's punishment. But when
I tried to think the way I imagine Cologne would have, I kept coming
back to this. She wants to atone for the injury done him while
little, but at the same time punish him for his disobedience. This
saves the soul, just not the body. In her eyes, she's giving Mousse a
better start. As a woman, she'll have better prospects in her society
and her obsessive nature will be channelled in a more acceptable path.
Mike
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