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All original Ranma1/2 Characters and Backstory Copyright
Rumiko Takahashi, and are used without permission.
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Coutuva.
Goodbye Is Not Forever - Part Four
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"Ranma -- Earthquake!" Nabiki shouted, as she shook off
her shock and picked herself up off the floor. Scrambling around
for her nightgown, she stopped short as she realized the house
wasn't shaking.
"It stopped..." she breathed, her hand coming to her
chest as she checked the room for damage. She began to relax as
she saw that only a few things had been knocked from shelves, and
that her dresser had fallen over.
She was just starting to look for Ranma when a brilliant
flash lit up the entire room, followed a heartbeat later by a
thunderous blast.
Knocked from her feet, she scrambled back up and dashed
to the window, there to stare gape-jawed at the destruction below.
The Dojo was leveled and burning, and the wall behind it
obliterated. In the middle of the side yard, she saw an
oddly-garbed female figure standing near the Dojo, and Ranma in
a stance a few meters in front of it.
As her eyes moved toward Ranma, she saw another huge gap
in the garden wall, and that it was still glowing red.
"Chikusho..." she cursed, then turned and ran for her
closet. There was something she needed to get.
In the yard, Ranma watched her opponent carefully, even
as she panted from exertion. She hadn't come close to being hit,
but it was taking everything she had just to withstand the energy
of the blasts.
And she assumed her opponent was well aware of the fact.
"Who the hell are you?" she shouted, in a desperate
attempt to buy herself time.
Her adversary, face now ominously half-lit by the dying
flames, only charged up her hands.
"Leave her ALONE!" Nabiki shouted from the laundry porch,
unloading an amazingly accurate spear.
Time suddenly became molasses.
The girl turned just as the spear left Nabiki's hand, and
without so much as a raised eyebrow, lit a wall of energy in
front of her. The spear hit it point-on at about chest-height,
and vaporized like a fast-burning fuse.
The girl then raised her arm toward Nabiki, who was
turning to dive into the house.
Ranma, heart in her throat, leapt into the gap between
them.
A solid, crackling burst erupted from the girl's hand,
headed directly for Nabiki's airborne form.
Ranma jammed her eyes closed and braced for the impact.
A small metal object landed on the laundry porch.
Ranma grunted as she felt herself collide with something,
then hit the ground rolling. She opened her eyes in time to see
the burst reach the edge of the laundry porch, then scatter like
ketchup sprayed at a wall.
The small device on the porch glowed during the assault,
then simply melted.
At the same second, a sharp whine came from beside her,
followed by a thin red beam slicing the air. The beam punched
right through the girl's 'shield', narrowly missing her face.
The girl reeled back, looked toward the source of the
beam, then erupted in a mass of energy. The mass then shot up
into the night sky and angled away over the city.
Silence then descended, punctuated only by the
crackling of embers - and an unfamiliar voice.
"Damn! I missed! That means it'll be back," the tall,
slightly older woman huffed, as she lowered the small object in
her hand. "Well, I never said I was a sharpshooter."
"What?" Ranma blurted, as she gaped up at the new
arrival in bewilderment.
The woman looked down, then knelt beside her and smiled.
"You all right, Ranma?" she asked, in the midst of a quick
visual inspection. Ranma opened her mouth to reply, but was
abruptly struck by a strong sense of familiarity. It took a
moment for her to shake it off.
"Ahhh... Yeah - I think, anyway," she stammered,
shifting herself to a sit. "What the hell was all that?"
The woman sobered. "That's... A little complicated,
I'm afraid," she stated, as she reached up to rub her shoulder.
"And by the way, I thought your female form was supposed to be
softer than the male one," she winced affectedly, then worked
the same shoulder. "That felt like I body-checked a brick
wall."
Ranma erked.
"Ranma! You okay?" Nabiki broke in, landing on her
knees opposite the new arrival.
"H-hai... I'm fine," she began, then realized who was
speaking to her, and met the girl's worried eyes instantly.
"How about you?"
"Don't worry about me -- but if you ever do something
stupid like that again, I'll be the one who kills you," she
intoned with a telling glare, even as she checked for injuries.
The other woman chuckled.
"Who are you, and what did you find so funny about that?"
Nabiki asked, her tone dripping with indignance.
"Sorry -- you just reminded me of someone," she snickered,
then calmed herself. "And as to who I am - that's...
Complicated."
Ranma frowned. "I had a feeling," she stated, to a
questioning look from Nabiki.
The woman smiled. "Woman's intuition?"
"Oh, my..." Kasumi gasped behind them, and as they all
turned toward the crowd gathered on the laundry porch, Ranma felt
a hand on her shoulder.
When she turned back, she met the new woman's insistent
eyes.
"We have to get you out of here. Right now."
"Not without me you're not," Nabiki broke in, as Ranma
felt her hand being taken - firmly.
"Up to you. But you're not exactly dressed for it," the
woman smirked, as she assessed Nabiki's clingy gown.
"Just give me two seconds," she countered, then jumped up
and ran into the house.
The woman smiled at her departure.
Ranma huffed. "Okay. You gonna tell me what the hell
this is all about?"
"I will, but I can't do it here. Too much chance of more
contamination," the woman responded, then rose and offered Ranma
a hand. "Besides, the longer we sit around, the better the
chance it'll be back. And since it can detect you without seeing
you, it would level the house to get at you - and trust me, it
doesn't care about peripheral casualties."
"I kinda figured that out already. What's her beef with
me, anyway? This don't look like no challenge, and I've never
seen her before," she countered, accepting the assist. As she
got to her feet, she saw the woman sigh.
"I'll fill you in once we get out of here. I can't say
anything more for now."
"Yeah."
"Okay -- all set," Nabiki announced, arriving with a
duffel under her arm. "Let's get her out of here," she stated,
with a serious look at the smirking woman.
"This way," she returned, gesturing toward the street.
"Where we going?"
"Someplace other than here," the woman responded, as she
started toward the street.
Ranma and Nabiki exchanged looks, then shrugged and
followed.
"Ranma! Where are you going?" Akane abruptly shouted,
as she ran up beside them.
"Dunno. But I can't stay here. That 'freak' would
destroy the house if I did."
"What? What freak? What do you mean?"
"You didn't see it?"
"Iya -- my Dad grabbed me and hid behind me while it was
all happening. I didn't see any of it!"
Ranma huffed. "The 'freak' that did all this is trying
to kill me, and if I stay here, you guys might get it, too," she
began, until Nabiki's hand landed on her shoulder, followed by
a prodding look. "I gotta go, Akane. You stay here - I'll be
in touch," she broke off, then nodded to Nabiki.
With that, she turned and left, and didn't look back.
She had bigger problems.
Out on the street, she was surprised to see the strange
woman simply standing at the curb, waiting for her to catch up.
As she and Nabiki closed in, the woman reached up and touched a
button on her jacket collar.
"Okay. Just get in, then tell me where we can go that
we'll have total privacy," she stated, then gestured toward the
street.
"Into what, may I ask?" Nabiki returned, at which the
woman smiled.
"This."
At the same second, a vehicle resembling a mini-van with
no wheels phased into sight right beside them, its large
gull-wing doors rising. Ranma gasped, and Nabiki's jaw dropped.
"A-ano..." Ranma stammered, stunned by how familiar the
vehicle looked.
"Gomen -- it was hidden from your 'assailant', which would
have destroyed it if it had seen it. And if that happened, I
wouldn't be going home. Well, get in you two -- we're wasting
time," the woman urged, as she started to walk around it.
"Okay -- wait a sec. Why should I just get in this thing
and let you take me anywhere? I still ain't sure I can trust you
yet, either."
"I'm sorry, Ranma, but there just isn't time to explain
now. I'm going to have to ask you to trust me... At least until
I can fill you in, okay?"
Ranma studied the woman's unusually green eyes for a
moment, then turned to Nabiki. Nabiki nodded imperceptibly, at
which Ranma growled in frustration. "All right. Until you
explain."
"Good. Get in, and let's get out of here."
After everyone was seated and belted, Ranma noted Nabiki's
gasp as the vehicle lifted off and arced rapidly away from the
house, heading out over the city. From her single front seat, the
mystery woman flew the absolutely silent craft with only one hand,
which was planted atop a featureless panel to her right.
Ranma was surprised at the interior of the vehicle, noting
its classy leather upholstry and unexpected size. Huge tinted
windows dominated the two doors, on which were attached the ends
of the wraparound seat she and Nabiki were buckled into.
Just then, she felt her hand being taken and held tight,
at which she glanced over at Nabiki. Nabiki looked back at her
quickly, then returned her gaze to the craft's interior and
instruments.
Abruptly, a long, relieved sigh came from their pilot.
"Okay... We got away clean. I'm sorry about the rush,
Ranma, but it was important we got you out of there. That assassin
is still around, and it would have tried again. Tell you the truth,
I'm surprised it..." the woman began, only to be cut off by a
brilliant flash across the front of the vehicle. "Damn! I forgot
the detector!" she cursed angrily, as the craft yawed sharply from
the near miss. "Hang on!"
A heartbeat later, Ranma felt herself being squashed back
into the seat.
Another burst shot past the left-hand side of the vehicle,
and literally knocked it into a violent side-slip.
Panicked, Ranma threw an arm across Nabiki's chest and
grabbed whatever she could, hoping to keep the girl from being
slammed around. In the process, she looked out the craft's side
window and saw their pursuer.
Her jaw dropped at the sight of a huge ball of energy
racing toward them, a distinctly human-shaped mass at its center.
The ball then flashed, and another burst tore away from it like
the ball itself was sitting still.
"Here comes a big one!" their pilot shouted, as Ranma
felt the craft heel into a sharp turn. She grit her teeth at the
crushing pull as the craft rolled on its side, then snapped around
and lined up on their adversary.
"My turn!" the woman at the controls announced, at which
two bright red beams left the front of the craft. The ball
before them rolled to the side, causing one beam to miss, but
the second punched through the ball what looked like a foot from
the figure's shoulder.
Then the burst Ranma had seen erupted above them, and the
massive concussion threw the vehicle into an end over end spin.
"Dammit! The dampeners are out! This is going to get
nasty!" the pilot cried out, amid fighting the beeping,
flashing controls.
"We gonna make it?" Ranma gritted out, as she moved to
brace the now unconscious Nabiki against the seat back.
"Just... A... Minute!" came the reply, followed by
several tense, dizzying seconds of silence. "Got it!"
The craft flopped like a landed carp, then settled into
a shakey, almost level flight. As soon as Ranma could breathe
again, she looked out the window for any sign of their pursuer.
"It's gone. That near miss hurt its energy level. It's
going to have to break it off and 'rest up' for a while," the
woman up front supplied, with a glance over her shoulder.
"You sure? Kuso -- that was about as close as I ever
wanna get," Ranma gasped, just as the craft dropped suddenly,
and leveled off again. "Yow!"
"Sorry -- the dampeners are out. We're airworthy, but
it's going to be a rough ride."
"H-hai," she sputtered back, then turned her attention
to Nabiki. A quick inspection confirmed that the girl had only
passed out, likely from the force of the turns.
Ranma braced her into the seat, then scanned the skies
intently for any sign of the energy ball. The other woman
muttered and cursed to herself as she fought the vehicle, which
kept behaving as if it was on a road full of really bad
potholes.
Finally, after what seemed about twenty minutes, the
craft settled to the ground and powered down. As the doors
began to rise, Ranma quickly undid Nabiki and lifted her out
to the grass.
She was relieved to see the girl stir.
"Hey -- you okay, or do you want a longer nap?"
"Ha, ha. Funny, Ranma," she groaned, with an
exaggerated eyeroll. "I'm good. My head hurts, though..."
"That'll pass soon. Your blood just has to finish
settling back to where it belongs," the strange woman dropped
in, as she walked past them.
"Huh?"
"You blacked out from the 'G-Force'... We probably
pulled about 5 or 6 on that turn, but I couldn't help it. That
thing would have nailed us if I hadn't."
Ranma blinked. "Then why didn't I?"
"You're in much, much better physical condition. And
besides, you probably pull that in your kata every day, just
not for as long," the woman grinned, then stepped to the side
of the craft and opened a panel. "And my seat is designed to
keep it from happening to me," she added, then grimaced at the
sooty black smear on the inside surface of the panel.
Nabiki perked up. "Blow something?"
"Hai. That last shot overdrove the dampeners, and one
of the black boxes burned out. I think I can fix it, though...
If this thing has any parts. It's a company car, so I don't
know for sure."
"What?"
"Hai. People steal parts from them all the time. Some
even swipe the entire kit," she sighed, then locked the panel
open.
Curious, Ranma glanced up at what she could see of the
vehicle's logo - then her eyes fell out of her head. Beside
her, Nabiki gasped simultaneously.
Right below the logo, and in highly stylized hiragana
were the words "Saotome Global Technologies - World Headquarters,"
followed by an address in Osaka.
"That's another reason why I hid the car - and why we
had to get out of there so fast. Take a wild guess what would
have happened if everyone had seen that logo?"
Nabiki's gape fell away to a frown. "I don't even want
to guess. So... What does all this mean?" she redirected,
jogging a thumb at the car.
"It means I work for SGT - and Ranma's family, who, by
the way, are the ones who own the company. You didn't start it,
Ranma," she noted, a serious look in her eyes. "Anyway, that's
how I ended up getting involved in all this," she continued,
her expression lightening. "My name is Himiko, and I'm what's
called an Electronic Operative," she grinned, with a quick bow.
"Hajimemashite," Ranma bowed back, then crossed her arms
and set her face. "Okay. I think maybe you better start at
the beginning."
Nabiki nodded - the woman smiled.
"Sure thing, but I have to get this fixed in case we need
it. Would you like to help, Nabiki-san?"
"Ahh... Yeah, sure. How do you know my name?"
"I did a little research before I came. I had to know
who I could trust and who I had to avoid. Can't risk a paradox,
right?"
Nabiki nodded. "So how far in the future are you from?"
Himiko returned a knowing smile. "I'll say this much -- a
*long* time. I can't be any more specific about that or about your
family, though, because it could change something - and that could
even affect me."
Ranma huffed. "Figures. So what can you tell us?"
"Quite a bit. Let me get started on the repairs, and
I'll fill you in while I'm working. I don't want us to get
caught sitting." As she spoke, she leaned into the rear of the
car and lifted the bottom section of what had been Nabiki's
seat.
"Okay, but the first thing I want you to tell me is who
that 'freak' is, and what her deal is. Usually when someone
tries to kill me, I know why."
Himiko chuckled. "So I guess it's true, ne? You really
do get challenged on a daily basis."
"Yeah. I used to," she replied, darkly. "But for the
last year, I ain't had anything close to a normal life."
"I can explain that, too," Himiko sobered, then sighed.
"It's all related, I'm afraid, and you're not going to like it,"
she stated, then looked over at Nabiki. "And neither are you."
Nabiki's face darkened. "I can handle it."
Ranma nodded. "Me too. I'm way beyond not liking this
crap, and I figure somebody owes me an explanation - just wish
it would've been whoever the hell did it."
"Okay... Then let me get these tools and parts, and then
I can start. I have to warn you, though. Some of this is going
to hurt - really bad - but I can't pull any punches if you want
the truth."
Ranma looked back at her with narrowed eyes.
"I want the truth, no matter what it is," she growled,
at which Nabiki moved in beside her - and set a hand on her
shoulder.
"*We* want the truth."
Himiko smiled.
====================================================================
END - Goodbye Is Not Forever - Part 4 A Ranma1/2 Fanfic by Coutuva
Comments Welcomed - Flames Extinguished!
coutuva@vecdev.com
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