Chapter 9

 

             The morning chirpings of hyperactive birds broke through the blackness that surrounded the mind of one Ranma Saotome. Almost every part of his body seemed to wake up in an instant, as an overload of sensation seemed to attack his mind. Sunlight pierced through the darkness immediately with an enormous amount of colors. His eyes opened to the dazed sight of the ceiling. It felt very much like a very familiar ceiling at that.

 

             Ranma woke himself to a sitting position immediately. *This is...*

 

             His thoughts hit face first in to a wall at that moment. What seemed so clear and immediate suddenly scattered into the mist of dreams, and all he could do was stare blankly towards the nothingness.

 

             It took a full minute before the next thought came to him. Slowly he glanced around. The room was like an anchor to his memory. "This is...my room at the Tendou..." Everything was as it should be. A few furnishings that were his were placed just as they were suppose to be. The mat he was sleeping on had a well broken in feel to it. On a whole everything was normal.

 

             Trying to think back, it was hard to remember anything that should be wrong with it. He felt like he had woken up from a long dream and everything righted itself again. Looking back up at the ceiling Ranma wondered what had happened. The thing about dreams was that they fade very rapidly once you woke up. Like a second life you were not suppose to see.

 

             Getting up, he took his clothes and headed for the bathroom. Along the way everything was just as he remembered it. Nothing was out of the ordinary, which was why the whole scene felt wrong.

 

             *What was I doing before? For that matter, what day is it today? What happened yesterday, or even what was I suppose to do today? This is freaky, I feel like I should be doing something really important. But yet...*

 

             No matter how stable everything looked, Ranma still felt that feeling of surrealism around. Something was out of place, like he wasn't supposed to be here. Finishing up his morning routine. He started to walk down the stairs into the living room. It was time to see if everything was as it should.

 

             Walking into the living room, he found it to be completely empty. This was not definite, but his suspicions were starting to rise. Just when he was about to search, he heard a humming near him.

 

             "Ranma-kun. You're finally up. Breakfast will be ready in a minute. Please have a seat."

 

             Ranma turned around to glaze at a cheerful Kasumi. *Well someone is here at least...*

 

             Ranma obediently took a seat. "So Kasumi, where is everyone?"

 

             "Oh, they're all out. Akane is at the park now. You can meet her there after you are finished with breakfast." Kasumi replied without missing a beat. She was as cheerfully normal as he remembered. The sight and sound of her voice alone quenched any nagging suspicion he had earlier. *Park, ne? Was I suppose to do something there...it does sound familiar...*

 

             "Thanks Kasumi. Mumm this is great. I felt like I will never eat something so good again."

 

             "Why thank you Ranma-kun. That's nice of you to say. Take your time. There is still some extra if you want."

 

                                    < OH MY! >

 

             Walking out onto the street. Ranma guessed everything was all right and normal now. All he had to do was meet Akane at the park. That was normal enough. Nothing to be worried about. Ranma even took it slowly, taking in the sights and purposely slow his pace slightly. Kasumi had sounded like it wasn't really very important, so he shouldn't have any reason to rush or prepare for whatever it was he was suppose to do there. She even told him to eat breakfast before hand. But then, Ranma guessed Kasumi would act exactly the same even if it was really important, though Kasumi would still mention if he should hurry or if something was wrong. Kasumi was always reliable with information. So why was the nagging thought still lingering around? Why was it that he felt something was going to go seriously wrong?

 

             Ranma stopped in mid stride. *Almost to the park. So why am I stopping now? What is this feeling I'm sensing. Like I shouldn't go to the park. What's there that could be bad?*

 

             "You still can't remember can you?"

 

             Surprised Ranma turned around to meet his follower. Sensations and memory seem to fill his mind when she saw her. A girl dressed with a full-length hooded white cloak with red triangle like patterns. Though her face was hidden from him, he knew who she was, or thought he knew. He was still fuzzy about who exactly she was, but he knew her.

 

             "What do you mean?" Ranma responded slowly choosing his words carefully.

 

             She seemed to smile under that hood. "You can't face your past. You can go to that park can you? Live through it again." Ranma turned back and stared at the entrance to the park beyond. "This is what is blocking your memories. Like a big gap you walk around but never going through. It's was never meant to be block, you should have been able to walk through it, but now that you have forgotten, you are afraid to remember."

 

             "I'm not afraid of anything!"

 

             Her smile never faltered. "But you are. That is why you stopped yourself from going in. You want to find out don't you? What will happen."

 

             Not backing down from the comment he suborning ignored her. "I'm not afraid, just watch!" He walked, rather rampaged onward towards the park. At first he made great strides, then it slowed and he started shaking, until he had yet stopped again.

 

             Looking back he yell out, "Quit following me!"

 

             She gave a smile that reminded him of Kasumi. A comforting kind of smile. "But you want me to follow you. To egg you on. Something to give you that push."

 

             Ranma's grip tightened in to a fist, but he said nothing. He didn't know what to say to that.

 

             They stood silently like that for a long moment.

 

             "Maybe not this time, but you have gotten closer. Look you're right on the entrance now."

 

                  Turning around Ranma found that she was right. He was just a few steps outside the park. Peering in, he could make out various people enjoying themselves inside and for a moment he thought one of them waiting was Akane...

 

             "You are starting to get glimpses of your forgotten memory, they will help you move forward. But don't dwell on it too much. Rational thought will only wall you up from the truth. You must let the truth come before you face it."

 

             Ranma couldn't fully understand what she had suggested before he became light headed. His vision started to blur and things...and things became white and misty...he was waking up...

 

                                    < OH MY! >

            

             Ranma winced as his dulled senses came to life. His body felt lazy and sore like he had not moved for a good amount of time. His eyes took in what was the soft glow of candles in the room. With some time and straining of the eyes, he began to focus enough to find out he was in a tent.

 

             The awaken Ranma stretched his body slightly and was about to get up when a hand was put on his head. There was a slight tingle but he felt no danger from it. His senses, more accurately, his newly acquired senses told him it was her hand.

 

             Moving his head slightly he looked at Moiraine with that serene expression and the girl with the sole, Ewgene she thought was her name, or maybe Amerlyn or such.

 

             "Yo...what happened?" It wasn't the best question Ranma could come up with, but he wasn't feeling up to thinking right now. His mind still felt like Kuno had just made an hour-long speech.

 

             Moiraine glazed at him with those mysterious dark eyes. *Or were they purple?* The lighting in here wasn't all that great.

 

             "You have been asleep for 3 days. Physically you are in perfect health, so you will be back to normal very soon. How much do you remember? Of what happened between you and Siuan."

 

 

             "Siuan..." The words seem to die in his mouth. He could remember and not be able to remember at the same time. It was all hazy, but he felt he could pick out any part of that night with no problem while seemly forgetting what happened before and afterwards.

 

             Ranma decided to get up first. *Maybe it will straighten out my head* Just as he was finally in a sitting position. The curtain opened and he got a waft of some very delicious aroma.

 

             "Ahh that food is here. You can eat while you tell us your story. Take your time there's no rush."

 

             Ranma smiled at that. Food was just what he needed.

 

             "Oh and Faolain chan, bring so more food too. I doubt this will be enough for him"

 

             The young Aes Sedai seemed to be confused at that. "But that was enough to feed two grown man."

 

             "Which he would not be satisfied with in his condition." Moiraine idly responded. Faolain was still confused, but left anyway, hopefully with more food.

 

             "Moiraine what does 'chan' mean? I never heard you use that before until recently. You even used it on me a few times." Ewgene asked.

 

             Moiraine frowned on that. Ranma didn't really know why, he understood perfectly.

 

             "It is something I recently acquired. It is nothing of significance." Ewgene seemed unsatisfied but left it at that. "So please, Ranma, your story."

 

             So Ranma told them what he remembered of the confrontation between very large and fast bites of food. Ewgene seemed a little too distracted by that, but Moiraine nodded every so often and asked a few questions. He had to double back from his own telling a few times, his memory was still a little sketchy.

 

             "So you do not know what caused Siuan to do this? No clue from your bond?"

 

             "Nope. It's freaky I tell ya. It was like a wall of emotions there. Maybe it was some kind of messed up love potion or something. I mean sure she would try to mallet me normally, but saying love and all that stuff is just not like her."

 

             "Why would she...confess her love to you?" Ewgene had to ask. Siuan's love life wasn't really something Ewgene should know. But she had stayed with her long enough know some of the working of Siuan's love life. Confessing to Ranma was well...surprising.

 

             "It's a good question, but I wonder more about the mallet. Siuan never had any fixation with such a thing." Moiraine commented.

 

             "I thought all tomboys used mallets?"

 

             Ewgene was about to comment on that, but right over her Moiraine said, "You may be right on that...which makes this very interesting."

 

             She gave a confused look at Moiraine. Ranma thought it was obvious. "Siuan has run off to Cairhien. We have already started making preparations to follow her. When will you be ready Ranma?"

 

             Ranma had to smile. It seemed Moiraine knew exactly what he wanted since he woke up. "I can go anytime you're done."

 

             "Good. I will be ready soon. Perhaps tomorrow then."

 

                                    < OH MY! >

            

             "Moiraine, are you sure you have asked enough questions?" Ewgene asked while she came out of the tent trailing after Moiraine. Ewgene knew Moiraine had a habit of hiding knowledge of anything and everything. Before she had a good many reason to, but now she was the Amyrlin Seat. She should be privileged to such knowledge.

 

             "For now I have."

 

             "Then what do you believe has happened to Siuan?" Egwene thought that the straightforward approach was best right now.

 

             Moiraine seem to give some thought to that. "She is being controlled perhaps. Both emotionally and physically."

 

             "By what?" She thought it was something like that also, but the reason behind it...

 

             "I do not know that part, but Siuan and a mallet seem to fit very well in this case." If Egwene hadn't known better it would seem Moiraine smiled.

 

             She was going to poke further but just then she spotted Faolain coming with another tray. She would have to stop her questioning for the time being.

 

             "Mother" Faolain intoned and even tried to give a curtsy while holding a tray on the frozen snow. "Gareth Bryne is about again. He seems restless since Siuan's disappearance. I think he knows her warder is in the tent this time."

 

             Egwene almost cursed under her breath. This was about the eighth time that mule-headed man had tried to snoop around in one way or another. Her countless excuses were starting to wear thin with that man. She could understand his feelings, but this situation meant that he had to be excluded from the truth. Who knows what that man would do if he found out.

            

             "I'll have a talk with Gareth Bryne then." Moiraine responded without looking at her and started strolling off casually.

 

             "But you might reveal yourself. It would be better for me to distract him. You will only endanger yourself." The presence of anyone remotely related to Moiraine Sedai had to be kept at the highest secret.

 

             "Do not fear. He is already suspicious enough already. And I will be gone tomorrow. If I were to gloat him into suspecting me, then he would chase his tail for a good while before bothering you again or anyone else. In the end, events will outpace him before he can do much damage."

 

             Ewgene made a slow nod. It was hard to argue with her. She was still as cleaver and sharp as she had remembered and she remembered Moiraine had gotten her way in the end far too many times to count. So the only thing to do was watch her leave.

 

             "Mother, who is she? I don't believe I have ever met that Aes Sedai." That was from Faolain. Egwene had just remembered she heard the whole conversation. Now she would be suspicious...more then she had.

 

             "Better for you if you do not know, child. I doubt you would believe me anyway. I barely believe this situation as it is."

 

                                    < OH MY! >

 

                  Gareth Bryne slowly walked through the various wagon carts. It had been three days since Siuan mysteriously disappeared. He knew it was too coincidental that night and her disappearance. Any disappearance would of disturbed him, but it had to be that night. He knew some part of the plan that was made, and the risk of their danger was high. And now his worse fear had came true. Well not his worse, but Siuan's disappearance was still bad.

 

             *Burn those women and their plans. At least the child Amyrlin was still alive, and it seemed the plan had worked, but Siuan was gone. Why did she have to stick her fool head out on the mounting block. Why was I not there to save her!?*

 

             Scanning the area, he knew there was some clues around here. Egwene had visited some place around here much too often to be coincidence. With luck it had to do with Siuan's disappearance. She had made many assurances Siuan was not dead, but anything above that were sidetracked very strongly. He had that much hope to go on at least.

 

             "Looking for something?"

 

             Gareth Bryne spun into a ready stance, hands on his sword. It took him a moment to spot a form below the moonlight. A lithe figure sat on the one of the nearby wagon top. She was clothed in a fully hood cloak. From this nightly angle, he could not see her face, but her voice was feminine. He had not unsheathed his blade yet, but was poised to attack on the instant of danger.

 

             "And who may you be?" He kept his voice in check. He'll be kicked by a mule before he would be gloated that easily.

 

             "Someone who knows what you're doing." The mysteriously girl responded in an airy voice reserved for a farmer girl playing with her little siblings. Somehow that made his spine chill.

 

             "You know, things aren't going as they were meant to be. For example Siuan has a warder now. Her feelings would therefore be changed from what you would otherwise have expected. Many things have changed then one would have expected."

 

             Bryne though she had somehow emphasized the last line. *What did she mean by that?* "And?" He hoped he could gloat her into giving out more then this girl was prepared to.

 

             "Why the fragile bond that you and her had held. What is it now? Did you know before this there was a part where you were needed to protect her..."

 

             "How!?" He couldn't stop himself from asking. His best plans were shattered when he said that. Now he himself had been gloated.

 

             Somehow he thought her smile widened even though the shadows hid her face completely.

 

             "It was destiny." She brightly answered, "But now it may not be so. It would seem like things are broken now. Where once they were all but sure, now may be gone like a certain person. Though maybe-- just maybe-- it will go back. Things have a way of misleading even the misleader, Bryne chan~"

 

             Faster then he could of thought possible the girl leaped over him and onto another wagon top and off again. He gave chase with his best efforts. She had said so much, yet so little. He needed more information not just mere puzzles thrown at him for amusement. Her shadow seem to make fun of him all around as she hopped from one place to another.

 

             Suddenly he stopped and frantically looked around. There was no sign of her. The chase had ended. *She's not human!* There had been no way for her to do what she did. *Could this be some kind of Aes Sedai trick!?*

 

             Running around the near by area, he tried to look for any hints of her ware bouts. People leave tracks in the snow. *Or was she something else...*

 

                                    < OH MY! >

 

             The morning sun had barely creaked when a vertical slash was made out of thin air. Slowly it widen into a man-sized hole.

 

             "Just step through with the horses Ranma. Be careful of you or the horses touching it. We are not that much in a rush to rise such a thing."

 

             With a slow nod towards Egwene, Moiraine left through the portal before it closed.

 

                                    < OH MY! >

 

Mesaana paced around the room much too often to her liking. Even the sheer fact that she had to do such a thing was not suited for her. Sure she had done it on occasion, but such usage was more to distract others then the obvious reasons.

 

         Yes, she was nervous. Who wouldn't be if one had failed the Great Lords orders. At least she thought they were. It came from the most unusual of sources, but no creature of the night would dare use the Great Lords name for anything other then it was suppose to be. Even the Chosen themselves would not dare.

 

         The orders were simple. Give the sphere to the designated person at the designated place and time. Then when the timing was right, take it back and wait for the next order. Much too simple a task for her. Maybe it would be better suited a task for simple friends of the dark or Graendal. Though she might have decided to make the boy one of her pets. But not even Graendal's simple obsessions would defy the Great Lords orders.

 

         At first she had thought the person would be some general, maybe Lews Therin himself. Someone important, but it had turned out to be some ragged boy. Though there had been something odd about him. The sheer fact that trollocs littered the ground was an odd puzzle indeed. A part of the plan she was not aware of Mesaana supposed.

 

         It had gone as expected, which surprised her in the least because she was after all the most reliable with her knowledge and skills. But when she went to recover the sphere, the boy was gone. It should be impossible. She had even used the power to track the boy, which was a simple effort on her part. All had failed. Now she was waiting for the wrath of the Great Lord, which oddly had not came, even to this date. Or had been until moments ago.

 

         Judgment had not come yet, and that was the reason she was using her superior reasoning skills to their fullest.

 

         She knew or was fairly sure of, of what the sphere was. She had shivered at that when she had figured it out. Even the existences of it was in doubt before the sealing. But she was a researcher before a teacher. Such things that put her above the other Chosens. The sphere was a soul manipulator sphere. Or something near that, she reasoned. The simple name was given for catagorizing purposes. The exact things it did were never really found out. Though the simple fact that the existence of it was only a rumor, those things where expected.

 

         She theorized that the base idea was simple. It was a heavily modified memory sphere. Ter'angreals that assisted doctors, especially those focused on the mind, to probe and help patients with various symptoms. To produce pleasant dreams, to find repress memories and such.

 

         One could, with some creativity, make a much more powerful version of the memory sphere and bend minds to their will. Not like compulsion, but more effective and complete. But that alone was sometimes not enough or perhaps some twisted tinkerer thought they could do better. This is what she believed she held. So powerful, and deep, it can reach into the soul, and create disturbing results.

 

         She had read a thesis on such from her vast knowledge. It revolved around three emotions. Not really emotions but so powerful, perhaps souls in themselves. Hatred, Knowledge, and Love, each one were both basic and profound in their own way, covering both isolated sections of the mind and yet can completely encompass it. By someway that no one knew how, the sphere would record these three, molded for the select individual, and then injected into that person.

 

         Now Mesaana had to wonder who this individual was. Lews Therin was the obvious answer, but what did he have to do with a rugged boy that now she couldn't find. For that matter how would this knowledge help her again her plight.

 

         Her pacing stop when she heard the soft footsteps coming nearer to her. Her orders came.

 

                                    < OH MY! >

 

             Siuan peered through the mostly covered window. The feeling from the bond had changed slightly. She knew Ranma was much nearer now. The bond was mostly fizzled now but she could still tell that much.

 

             She was not ready for him yet, not in her position. She remembered what had happened. It was like a twisted dream that she knew it was real. She kept questioning it, but came up with the same results. The things she said, the things she did, it was not her, or maybe it was. She knew it had to be Her fault, but the feelings themselves...it was denying her own.

 

             What did she feel for her warder? Why did she do those things? Why did they feel so justifiable back at that moment? She could not reason it out. She could not control herself, then and even now.

 

             "He's coming right? You should see him. He can help you."

 

             She was the only one in the room. She made sure of that. She had made many weaves over the time she ran. Some she was not completely sure she knew how. But this...this she was sure was in her mind.

 

             The image of a short dark-haired girl in a spring styled dress stood with her in this room. She refused to see her, listen to her, do anything to acknowledge her, but even after all that, she was there. "Have I gone mad...?" she said for light knew how many times.

 

             "It will be alright." The girl answered.

 

             She had some memory of who the girl was suppose to be if things were that simple. It felt so fluid, as if saying the knowledge of how water felt and tasted like is from another person's memory.

 

             She felt she had dwelled in the girl's mind just like now that she dwelled in her mind. She did not have a name for the girl. It was like asking yourself your own name, a thing that she felt like doing right now. A person just experience things like that. They were emotions, specs of thoughts and memories, a sensation.

 

In all it did not help her much in finding out who that girl was and she stubbornly refused to ask this imagination besides her. She knew it was someone Ranma knew though, among other things.

 

             But that girl was wrong, she could not meet him. Their last encounter had given her a wave of intense emotions and sensations. That was too simple an explanation, but there was nothing better. It had filled her until she was about to burst, driving her mind to light knows where.

 

             She could not have that again. No, not until she can control this, in this storm that can wreck a thousand ships.

 

             "What do you think I can do?" Siuan said, not even caring anymore.

 

             She heard the girl answer her.