Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ City of Dreams ❯ Exiles ( Chapter 10 )

Akane shot up from her bed. Looking around, she realized she was awake. A cold chill ran down her back as she realized the gravity of what had just occurred to her. She'd been banished from the Dreaming, from what she'd learned from Ranma, that was a death sentence. Refusing to panic, she resolved to find everything she could on the subject to see if there was something she could do about it.

 

Getting out of bed she realized it wasn't even five o'clock yet. Deciding to make the best of it she changed into her gi and went downstairs to start her morning workout. She had a full day ahead of her and she wanted to take the time to plan it out and exercise always helped her focus.

 

It was almost two hours later that Akane came into the house from the dojo, toweling the sweat from her face. She went up to her room and returned with her bath supplies. Nabiki was coming out of her room at the same time as Akane so she decided to ask her sister a favor.

 

“Nabiki, could you tell the school I'm sick today? I have a few things I need to do today, one of them visiting the Saotomes.”

 

Nabiki frowned sleepily. She hated getting up before nine o'clock and was usually incoherent until she'd had her morning bath.

 

“Uh, sure. Where are you going besides that?” Nabiki's curious nature kicking in even in her half asleep state.

 

“I have some research to do at the library today.” Akane said as she rushed downstairs.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Ranma sat and nursed his drink at the bar. It was his first drink. Actually it was the only drink he needed. As it emptied, he willed it to fill again. He wasn't drunk, couldn't get drunk off it actually. Unless he wanted to that is. He wasn't quite sure what he wanted just yet. He'd grown up being told that the Dreaming was the ultimate reality. The Blind was ephemeral, transitory, static. Here he could have or be anything he wanted. That was what his mother, no... that was what Hathor had always told him. Now all he wanted to do was see Akane and that was no longer possible. He sank a little lower on the stool in his depression.

 

“Aye see the lass hes alraidy bin fund gilty.” A voice said to Ranma's right.

 

Ranma turned and saw the black tar of Joe sitting next to him, “She's gone Joe. They killed her and it's my fault!”

 

“Et! She be not ded yet boy. `Sides, it be partly me own fault as well.” Joe turned and ordered a drink then paid for it with some golden coins, “Used to be we din worry `bout tings like quotas and schedules. Ta council be there for the Dreamin' no be otter way `round.”

 

Ranma gave Joe a puzzled look. Joe downed his drink and left a tip.

 

“Used ta be much more freedom in tha Dreamin'. Wasn't alwaes agaen the rules ta visit. Many wizards be comin' her before. Many Shamans, an others. An not just dreamin', they be doin' business wit ta people here. Council, it change over time. Become dark, self servin'. Yur not alon' in wantin' justice. Come, we go see me mates and discuss it over a round?”

 

Ranma stood up, hope once again in his eyes, “All right Joe. Let's do it. By the way, you need to work on your accent, it's getting so I can't tell if you're Irish, Jamaican, or Cajun these days.”

 

Joe bubbled in silent indignation as they left the bar.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Nodoka was replacing a piece of siding on the maison when she noticed footsteps of someone approaching. She looked up to see a young girl with long dark hair wearing a rather plain yellow dress coming up the walk. “May I help you?” she asked, wiping sweat from her forehead.

 

“Yes, I'm looking for Nodoka Saotome.” The girl replied.

 

“Oh, are you here about the vacancy?” Nodoka inquired.

 

“Uh, no... do you... do you have a son named Ranma?” The girl hesitantly asked.

 

Nodoka sighed, “I don't know what Genma took in exchange for engaging you to my son. He hasn't had the authority to do that in over ten years. Like I told the Kuonji girl the other day, I divorced the man after what he did to my son. If there's a problem I can give you my lawyer's number.”

 

The girl shook her head, “No, it not about an engagement, kind of... that is, well...” She hesitated, then thought of something, “I'm sorry, my name is Tendo Akane.”

 

Nodoka was shocked, “Kimiko's daughter? Little A-chan? Why I haven't seen you since the funeral... Oh, I'm sorry.”

 

Akane shook her head again, “It's all right Saotome-san. It was a long time ago. You knew me though? I don't quite remember...”

 

“I'm not surprised, it was shortly after the funeral and my own son's misfortunes that I stopped visiting. I'm sorry for not being there for you girls but Ranma has been a handful by himself.”

 

“I read an old newspaper article about Ranma's condition. That and some other things prompted me to find you Saotome-san. Would it be ok for me to see Ranma?” Akane inquired.

 

“Please call me Auntie and yes, I believe Ranma could use some company. Would you like some tea?” Nodoka offered.

 

Akane remembered, “You were Auntie No-chan! I remember now! Oh my! I remember Ranma too!”

 

Nodoka smiled, “You two used to play all the time. You fought almost as much too. Your mother and I had such hopes for you two. That's why we agreed to engage you two back then. Unfortunately I must cancel that agreement due to Ranma's condition.” Nodoka lost the smile.

 

Akane stood at the door to Nodoka's apartment in shock. I was engaged to Ranma? And by his mother?

 

“Come in please. Ranma, we have company. It's Akane, you remember A-chan don't you?” Nodoka said to the boy who was sitting staring at nothing.

 

Akane moved to look at the boy. He was a little skinnier and less muscled than she was used to. His hair was long and unbraided and he wore a plain white shirt and sweats. The eyes were as Blue as Akane remembered from the Dreaming but there was no life behind them. She sank to her knees and grabbed Ranma in a hug, tears flowing down her face.

 

“Oh Ranma! It really is you! You're here and you're real!” Akane cried before breaking down in tears.

 

Nodoka turned from going to the kitchen to see Akane collapse against Ranma. What shocked her most was Ranma's hand resting on Akane's back.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Ranma stumbled and seemed to fade to translucent for a second before returning to normal.

 

“What the hell was that?” He asked.

 

Joe seemed to turn to him, “Hmm, it seem ta be yer link to da Dreamin weakened fer a moment.”

 

“You mean I almost woke up?”

 

Joe shrugged, “Din know. Could bein `cause we close ta da edge o' da Dreamin.” He pointed to the swirling mass of dark clouds in the distance, “It be Chaos dere. Don worry, we almost dere.”

 

Ranma shook his head at Joe's shifting accent and followed the humanoid tarpit to a seedy looking bar in a place only Nightmares usually frequented. This was a dangerous place and even Ranma avoided it when at all possible. There were things here that could rip your soul and gnaw on the pieces for eternity. The cute girl in the pink dress with the Goldilocks hair licking a huge sucker was a prime example.

 

She stood by the door eyeing Ranma warily, “What are you thinking Joe, bringing the son of Hathor here of all places?”

 

“He jus lost `is girl. She be exiled from da Dreamin'. He be lookin fer help. I tell him where ta fin it.” Joe replied.

 

The overly kawaii girl's expression softened, “Oh my! My condolences son of Hathor.”

 

“Just Ranma please.” He replied trying to suppress the urge to run from the overwhelming sense of cuteness.

 

The girl nodded cutely, “Zeke's inside, he's the one who might be able to help you.”

 

Ranma bowed, “Thank you miss.”

 

“Tee hee, just call me Shirley.” The girl responded, well... cutely.

 

Ranma shuddered as he and Joe entered the bar.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Akane sat next to Ranma across from Nodoka. They were each nursing a cup of tea. Akane was trying to figure out how to broach the subject of everything happening at home and her meeting Ranma in the Dreaming. Nodoka was still wondering over Ranma's apparent reaction to Akane.

 

“Auntie?” Akane began. Seeing the woman nod, she continued, “There are some things I want to tell you about Ranma and your ex-husband. They may seem bizarre or even crazy but they are all true. I can prove most of it I think if I have to but please listen to what I have to say.”

 

Nodoka listened to the tone in Akane's voice, it was almost pleading and full of pain. She sighed and put down her cup, “Don't be afraid child, you invoked a reaction from my son. Something that hasn't happened in ten years. If what you have to say can possibly explain that then I will listen.”

 

“Well,” Akane began hesitantly, “It all began a few days ago when I started having these weird dreams.”

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Author's Rant:

 

My God! He wrote another chapter! Yeah well, what can I say, I've been busy. It's springtime, it's sunny and warm... So depressing. Anyway, with only four weeks of school left it's been crunch time to get all my sculpture projects completed not to mention I have three Japanese projects to finish as well. Frankly I'm surprised I was able to write anything at all.

 

Things are starting to come together now. Next Chapter we'll deal with Hathor and the mysterious Council of Dreams, Ranma meets Zeke, and Nodoka decides what to do with the knowledge of Genma's whereabouts.

 

* * * * * * * * * *

 

Washu held up a CD enclosed in a block of Crystal, “This is probably the only thing that can save us now.”

 

Kiyone shrieked, Mihoshi blubbered, and Ryoko looked impressed.

 

“NO! Not Microsoft/AOL/Time/Warner's Windows 1138?! Washu you fool! You'll destroy us all!” Ayeka screamed.

 

“All we have to do is plug this baby into any Borg terminal and it'll crash the entire Borg operating system” Washu explained.

 

“If it gets into the Ultranet it could destroy civilizations across the multiverse. You might as well let the Borg assimilate everything, at least then it would still be in one piece.” Optimus Prime said.

 

Picard was curious, “What exactly does it do?”

 

Washu had somehow changed clothes to a teacher's uniform, “On a small backwater reality a tragic merger of companies occurred. When Microsoft merged with AOL/Time/Warner to form a Mega Corporation they decided to produce a new version of Windows operating system to commemorate the event. Using the best Artificial Intelligence combined with Nanotech engineering they created an operating system that not only installed itself, it would upgrade your hardware as well using the nanites found on every CD. Sounds great but that was before problems started. It was one of the most buggy, unstable programs ever written. It had a habit of shutting down vital components in systems in order to upgrade them, sometimes it would install the wrong components or be unable to fully integrate upgraded components back into the system. On a little personal computer that wasn't so bad, on computers that ran power grids or automatic pilots on planes or coolant systems on Nuclear reactors that could be dangerous and even fatal. Unfortunately, the worst part was, if you had access to any network, 1138 would literally invade and infect other systems. The homeworld where the program was created was discovered to be a burnt out wasteland littered with millions of free one thousand minutes 1138 CDs. It wasn't until five more worlds suffered the same fate that the cause was found and contained. 1138 was found to be such a diabolical weapon that every race and government has agreed to never use it. If it was to get into the Ultranet which spans an almost infinite number of worlds across all realities the multiverse would cease to exist as we know it.”

 

“Ahh, I see...” Picard gulped nervously.

 

-excerpt from Ranma and Tenchi's Excellent Adventure.