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All original Ranma1/2 Characters and Backstory Copyright
Rumiko Takahashi, and are used without permission.
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Coutuva.
Yue -- Part Seventeen
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"They're here!" an advance scout called out, waving
the remainder of the party forward beyond the bend in the trail.
"They finally found her, Ranma... Are you sure
you're going to make it?" Akane asked, touching his leg.
He nodded his head as much as he could against her
shoulder. "Fine... Let's go..."
She bit her lip even so, concerned at how his state
had worsened rather than improved as they drew nearer to the
Princess. He hadn't spoken for at least twenty minutes, and
for the last five had been slumped forward over her back, unable
to even hold himself up.
Taking his hand, she held it tightly across her leg,
trying to ignore how he barely responded. Ahead, she saw the
trees part to reveal a clearing, and in the middle, two figures
too distant to identify stood a few feet apart, right near a
large, slick, muddy expanse.
As they came up alongside the other horses, she gasped
at the sight of a certain head of red hair, and again as she
realized what was occurring.
"Ranma! It's Yue -- and she's fighting the Matriarch!"
she exclaimed, just as the Matriarch lunged at the redhead.
Time seemed to stand still after the Matriarch's cape suddenly
tented from her back, and the woman clutched at the unmoving
redhead.
Suddenly, they both staggered and fell, then splashed
out of sight into the depths of the muck. In the same moment,
Ranma uttered a chilling cry, doubled up and fell lifeless to
the ground.
The others of the party sucked in a sharp breath -- she
jumped down to Ranma's side, tears spilling from her eyes as
they found his stilled, ashen face.
"Iie... Iie...! You can't... You can't die... Not
now..." she sobbed, cradling his silent face in her lap. "You
just can't..." she blubbered pitifully, until a blinding flash
of bluish-white light obliterated the entire scene.
She raised her arm to shield her eyes, just in time for
the light to start fading, and slowly shrink back toward the
muddy expanse. As it became smaller, a figure appeared at its
lower edge, silhouetted against the brilliance.
"Masaka..." she breathed, barely recognizing Yue in the
perfectly clean, intact, and fully complete period armor she
now wore. And, in her longer, flowing hair was an array of
gold and silver ornaments that spoke of her royal heritage.
When the light finally faded away, she stood alone on
the grassy boundary of the sludge, eyes closed and face down.
All Akane could do was gape slack-jawed at the
spectacle, still cradling Ranma's stilled form.
The Princess, meantime, silently brought her hands up
and turned them palms out, just as a glow appeared above them.
The glow built into a small, flat oval, flashed and then
disappeared, leaving the Matriarch's tiara sitting in her hands.
"Does this mean... She's dead?" Shan Lon asked
unaffectedly, hopping up to her.
She nodded. "She knew her fate... And accepted it
with honour. This... Is her legacy."
"I'll take that," Shan Lon announced, snatching it from
her hands. "And for the crime of killing the Matriarch of the
Amazons, you will face a Tribunal. Take her!" the old woman
commanded, hopping back behind a brace of Sentries.
Just as it dawned on Akane that she could suddenly
understand all of the conversations, a shout from the scene
caught her attention.
"NO!"
As the assemblage gasped in unison, Shan Lin landed
between the Sentries and Yue, swords drawn and an angry glare
fixed on the Elder.
"You will not lay a hand on her!" she growled, at which
Shan Lon snarled.
"You dare interfere with Council matters?" I thought I
taught you better than that," she snapped, hopping back out to
face her. "You had best stop now, Lin... Or I'll be forced to
put you in your place," she added, stopping just out of range of
the girl's swords.
"I won't! I won't let you hurt her any more!" she
shrieked, tears starting down her face. "I couldn't stop the
lies and the manipulation... And it cost me her trust. But I
will never, never let you hurt her... No matter what that
costs me!"
The Elder frowned. "As you wish, foolish child," she
stated, shaking her head. "And you had such potential..." she
sighed, raising her clay pipe.
At the same moment, Yue stepped between them and
leveled a cold glare on the older woman. "I will ask you once
to cease this folly... Then, I shall tell you."
Shan Lin panicked. "Yue, NO!"
Akane thought the old woman's eyes would fall out of
her head.
"You dare to threaten me?" she sputtered, reeling back
a hop to regain her balance.
In response, Yue flipped aside her cape, swung her open,
empty hand out beside her, then snatched it closed -- over the
hilt of a sword.
"I do not make threats."
It was over in a blink. Shan Lon flicked the pipe, Yue
twitched -- and the Elder ended up sitting on the ground amid
the chunks of wood that used to be her staff. In her hand, less
than a quarter of the clay pipe remained.
"H-How... How dare you -- you attacked an Elder!"
"I did. And were I you, I would consider myself
fortunate that I still drew breath."
The old woman fumed. "Take her prisoner! Now!" she
commanded, glaring hard at Yue -- until she realized nobody had
moved.
Jumping to her feet, she turned to the stoic Sentries.
"What are you doing? I gave you a direct order!" she shouted,
tiny hands balled into fists.
The Captain stepped forward and came to attention. "With
all due respect, Elder, she has done nothing wrong."
"Traitor!" the Elder spat, lunging toward the impassive
girl -- until some unseen force caught her in midair, and
slammed her to the ground. Stunned, she shook her head and then
looked up, only to face Yue's reproving glare.
"It would serve you well to not continue to give me
excuses," she stated, lowering her arm. "Your future is already
in question."
"What...? I am..."
"*You* are to remain silent, and conduct yourself with
caution until I have decided your fate," Yue ordered, eyes almost
flaring with restrained emotion.
Shan Lon attempted an equal glare, but after a few heavy,
silent moments, her face opened into wide-eyed realization. With
a sigh, she lowered her face. "Yes, Majesty..."
Yue drew herself up, then shook her head. "No... I
cannot claim to be Matriarch unless the populace so decrees -- as
the Amazon Law properly dictates. Unlike certain others, I will
not interpret the Laws to suit my whim."
"Uhm... Liang Yue? I don't think that will be an
issue," Shan Lin interjected, pointing back up the roadway.
There, in respectful, ordered silence between the trees lining
the road, stood a solid wall of humanity.
Shan Lin smiled, then stepped around Yue and walked
toward the gathered.
"Princess Liang, a true-blood Amazon, has defeated the
former Matriarch in a fair and proper battle. According to
Amazon law, that makes her the new Matriarch... For life -- or
until she is defeated. Does anyone challenge this acclamation?"
The assemblage remained silent -- and immobile.
Akane thought Lin's smile would cut her face in two.
Turning, the purple-maned girl raised her swords and
crossed them above her head, then drew a long, deep breath.
"Hail the Matriarch Liang Ju Yue -- forever Queen of the
Amazons!"
The crowd exploded forward into celebratory cheers and
chants, loud enough to drown out everything -- except the
anguish still mauling Akane's heart.
Throughout everything, Ranma had not moved -- and in
fact, his breathing was now so shallow it barely disturbed his
chest. His silent face remained ashen, and as she gently
brushed aside a lock of his hair, the coolness of his skin
brought a sob to her chest.
"Ranma... Please... Don't leave me...! I... I love
you... You b-baka," she whispered soddenly, then dropped
across his chest.
"You need not fear, Akane Tendou. I will not let him
leave you," the voice of Liang Yue announced in perfect
Japanese, piercing her anguish. "His journeys... Have only
just begun."
"Wh-what... How...? How can you...?" she stammered,
pausing to wipe her eyes.
Yue smiled. "By returning that... Which he so
unselfishly shared with me," she explained reverently, kneeling
beside his immobile form. Holding out her hand, a small blue
glow rose out of her palm, forming a floating ball near the size
of a chestnut.
With her other hand, she took it, regarded it with a
thankful smile, then pressed it straight into his chest. "With
this, I give you back your entire life force, sire Ranma; it is
yours alone from this moment on. And with it, I also give
you... My deepest thanks... And lifelong friendship," she
added, bowing as deeply as her pose would permit.
As the glow faded from his chest, he gasped a huge
intake of breath, his entire body shuddering hard. A few tight
coughs later, his eyes slowly opened.
"Akane... What... What happened?" he groaned, wincing
up at her.
She couldn't answer through the tears she was shedding
into his shirt.
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Akane smiled as she walked the road along the practice
field, the sight of Shan Lin working a group of young girls
making her wish she could still join them. With a sigh, she
clutched her most recent gift a bit closer to her chest, her
smile for a moment becoming very private.
As she continued to watch the workout, she sighed again
as her thoughts reminded her of how much -- and how
fast -- things had changed.
Once word had made it out about Yue's ascention, the
population of the Village seemed to triple overnight. Former
Tribe members came back in droves, embracing the traditional
lifestyle with long-suffering pride. And the 'outside' knowledge
they brought back was paying off as well, enabling Yue to learn
how to deal with Modern China.
The changes had even extended to the atmosphere of the
Village, the former sullenness eclipsed by a great new pride,
reminiscent of Yue's own attitude.
And that, in turn, had led to something surprising; the
Chinese Government was taking them seriously again. She didn't
know all of the details, but knew it had something to do with a
contingent that Yue had invited to visit.
It had just happened that shortly before, she had
replaced the old Council with a mix of younger, age-savvy members
and sworn loyal Elders. The new faces had been hand-picked by
Yue herself, with an eye toward those who valued the Amazon way
above any desire to 'modernize' the Tribe.
Shan Lon and Mousse, meantime, were rumoured to have
been banished, probably to Tokyo. Yue, however, wouldn't confirm
or deny either case, unwilling to even discuss them.
She'd also heard that Mousse left mainly to save his life,
which she found herself believing. After all, Yue did have a bit
of a temper.
That thought, in turn, brought her back to the subject of
her distracted gaze. Despite her little show at Jusenkyo, Shan
Lin had wordlessly disappeared into self-imposed exile, deeply
ashamed and heartsick over how she had dishonoured Yue.
At first, Yue had stoically let her go, but even without
her confided confessions to Ranma, everyone could see how much
she was hurting. In fact, within a week, she had personally
slipped away to bring the girl back, and the two had been
inseperable since.
She smiled to herself again, having long suspected that
they shared a 'special bond', and that situation had only served
to confirm it.
Just at that moment, Shan Lin noticed her and broke out
in one of her trademark grins. "Akane-san!" she waved, then
gave her students a break and started across the field.
"Akane-san...? You going to the spring? Almost done
here -- I can be there soon."
She pouted. "No, not right now... Maybe in a while.
Ranma's calling the families, and I'm going to meet him. They've
been leaving messages again," she sighed affectedly, rolling her
eyes.
"Okay -- I tell Yue for you, but she dismissed Council
early so to meet us for bath. She may be not too happy because
she really want to see you -- in private."
"I know -- please tell her I'm sorry. Ranma just
insisted on getting this done today," she explained, as
apologetically as she could. "If I can't get to the spring,
I'll come visit her while he's training the Sentries."
Shan Lin sighed. "Okay -- can do. Oh; feast is at 6:00!
You no forget! Bring Ranma and meet us at Festival site, and make
too sure to dress warm. It may be cold tonight."
She smirked. "Yue was right -- you do worry too much.
I'll be fine, and I'll make sure we get there... Even if I have
to drag him."
"Okay good -- see you there!" With a grin and a quick
wave, she was off across the field again, reigning in her students.
She smiled again at the change in the Amazon, thinking to
herself that had she met this version in the beginning, they could
have become good friends much sooner -- and with far less heartache
and violence.
Even as she mused over that, however, she realized that if
such had been the case, she likely would not be as happy as she
was now. It had taken almost losing everything for her to realize
what she'd had, since she'd worked so hard at closing her heart.
And she'd been surprised to see that once she'd decided to
open it, she'd found that living her life became not only
effortless, but *fun*. The thought gave her a sad chuckle.
Resuming her trip at a slightly quicker pace, she finally
arrived at the Hall, and wasted no time stepping in. As she moved
out of the entry and into the walkway, the sound of Ranma's voice
drifting out of a nearby office brought the familiar warmth to
her chest.
She padded into the office and set aside the bundle,
at which he looked toward her and smiled the smile that still
turned her knees to pudding.
His arm came up and she eased in beneath it, her own arms
encircling his waist as her head settled against his chest. His
arm came down over her back and drew her closer, and she couldn't
help the contented sigh that drifted over the fabric of his shirt.
"Yeah, I know what I said -- but it still ain't happened.
We still can't separate -- not even for a day. I know, I know...
Dunno about that now, Pop... Even checked with the Tribe Elders,
and they got no idea. It's just gonna have to wait, 'cause she's
too busy to leave," he attempted, then rolled his eyes and held
the phone away from his ear. "Yellin' ain't gonna help, old man.
Anyway, like I said half an hour ago, I gotta go -- this is
costin' a fortune, and I'm still payin' off the last one.
Yeah -- tell Akane's Dad she says hi, and she's doing great.
Turns out she still likes the warrior-woman stuff," he quipped,
then winced at the knuckle she lodged sharply between his ribs.
"Yeah -- say hi to all of 'em. Okay -- Bye, Pop... Goodbye,
Pop... Yeah, okay -- bye!" he blurted, then quickly hung up.
"Man, that gets tougher every time. Wish they'd just get off
it," he groaned, gently pulling her into a proper hug, his chin
resting atop her head.
"Then why don't you just tell them the truth?" she
teased, leaning back to look up into his softening sapphire
blues.
He only smiled gently, then moved his hand from her
shoulder and settled it over the bulge in her lower stomach.
"I got my reasons..."
===================================================================
END -- Yue A Ranma1/2 Fanfic by Coutuva
Comments Welcomed, Flames Extinguished!
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