Finishing what you start Chapter three. Disclaimer? What's a disclaimer? Previously: Why the hell should I write a 'previously' section? If you want to know what happened in the earlier chapters, READ THE EARLIER CHAPTERS! "What's the barrier?" I ask innocently. My father looks down on me and smiles sadly. "A long time ago, there were some people who were very jealous of our people," he begins. "They were jealous, and they were afraid. They were afraid of us because we are different." My young mind takes a second to wrap itself around this concept. Fear because of difference? Thirds are different. Is that why no one likes Thirds? My father continues. "They betrayed us and locked us up here," he sweeps his hand to take in the entirety of our surrounding. Lightening crackles from the foggy sky, shattering a boulder no more then five feet away from us. We ignore it, as such events were common. "They wrapped the magic of the planet, the Earth, and perverted it. The perversion turned upon us, hurting us, binding us, and ultimately throwing us here." "Is that what the barrier is, father? Is that why we're trying to get rid of it?" My father looks into my big eyes and smiles. He opens his mouth and... BUMP. I'm brought back to the present by my head being propelled into the ceiling when Haruka hits a speed bump at close to sixty. Race car driver my ass. She's just bloody loony. I look to my left and find Hotaru completely unaffected by the car clearing nearly five feet of height in jump. She's securely buckled in an latched onto my arm. On my right is Michiru, also buckled and latched. In the front seat next to Haruka is my pack. I sigh imperceptibly. They had used this arrangement to keep me from trying to run away, and the sad part is it had worked beautifully. Well, perhaps I should look at the bright side. At least I'll have a warm bed to relax in between battles and, if I get injured, a place to recover in. My eventual acquiescence to their rather forceful offer had nothing to do with a warm bed or food. Absolutely nothing. When I look on the happy faces of the three women, I feel the cold in my stomach, the hatred and anger over what happened, thaw ever so slightly. Another definite plus is where there house is. If I recall correctly from the time I had taken Setsuna and Hotaru home their house was located close, though a little to the north, of the center of the thick knot of barrier points. It was a convenient location, if one is forced to have a base-of- operations. Speaking of which. I am treated to the delicious sensation of a car being pulled into a tire screeching spin at close to fifty mph, after the car turned twice it slowed to a stop, almost precisely centered in a little parallel parking spot in front of the midsize house that the three girls lived in. "Neat," I say, completely unshaken by the insane driving skills displayed here. "I can't wait to see how you pull out." I take a distinct pleasure out of the knowledge of the fact that I had made suspicious Haruka laugh out loud, while Michiru and Hotaru giggled. Exiting the car was a messy little affair, as neither Michiru or Hotaru wanted to let go of my arm, worried that I might try to dart, and so each tried to pull me out behind them in the other direction. After that affair had been taken care of, Haruka shouldering my light pack and Hotaru fairly dragging me with eagerness, we walked up the steps of their house, and I took my first step into my new, albeit temporary, home. Wow. It appears like these girls are loaded. There are two ways for people with cash to spend it. There is gaudy opulence, with chandeliers in the bathroom and diamond studded toothpicks, and there is refined elegance. The girls' house was the latter. A fine carpet lay in the hallway, plush and nice, without screaming 'expensive'. A tasteful pastel color scheme graced the walls, occasionally accented by a relaxing nature scene picture. Hotaru, still firmly latched on, begins to drag me on a tour of the house. Thankfully Michiru had let go and gone to do whatever it is she does. Hotaru showed me the kitchen, the dining room, Haruka's study, and Michiru's music room. Here it is I found our whatever it is that Michiru does. She plays the violin. Very well, apparently from all the awards on the walls. Hotaru dragged me upstairs and continued the tour. She nodded at the bathroom, Haruka's and Michiru's room, (they share one, how about that) and the library. I notice another room that she forgets to show me in her haste to get me to her room. "What's that one?" I ask, trying to slow her down before she gave me rug burn from the dragging. Hotaru looks at it, and then shrugs. "That's mama Setsuna's room," she says indifferently. "Mama Setsuna is out a lot, but when she is in, that's usually where she stays." She started to drag me again, and I let her, but continue with the questions. "What does Setsuna do? Where does she go?" Hotaru starts a bit, and glances nervously to the side before answering. I wonder what that means? "I don't really know what she does when she's gone," Hotaru says. "You should ask her. And here's my room," she proclaims triumphantly. I look around. Wow. This is so not what I'm expecting. Rather than lacy pink and baby bopper boy bands, the room is tastefully decorated with dark purple walls. Black lace curtains hang partially opened at the windows. A bookcase full of poetry with names like Milton, Yeats, and Keats. A fluffy pink bunny rabbit. Well, the last bit I kind of expected, and when Hotaru saw me looking at it she colored and quickly shoved it under her bed. "This is a really neat room," I honestly tell her. Her blush deepens. Definitely a crush there. Oh well, she'll get over it. I hope. "There you two are," Haruka says from the door way. Hotaru jumps in surprise, but I just calmly turn around. There are certain advantages to being a super powered martial artist. One is that there aren't many people who can sneak up on you. "I put your things in the guest room next door," Haruka continued, "I'll let you unpack. There's a dresser and a closet in there." "Thank you," I answer simply. Haruka cracks a small smile. She doesn't seem quite as suspicious or hostile as she was earlier. That's good. Not like all 'important to my plan to gain revenge' good, but 'its nice to have people like you' good. "One more thing," she adds. "Has Hotaru shown you the bathroom?" I nod, and she continues with a grin. "Well take one, you need it." She backs out of the doorway and walks on. I sniff myself speculatively as I hear her tromp down the stairs. Yup. She's right. I do. I turn back to Hotaru. "Do you guys have any laundry machines?" Hotaru nods. "Well then. I'm going to grab a change and a bath. I'll take my time, but if I'm not back by tomorrow... Wait longer." Hotaru laughs and I leave her room, politely shutting the door behind me. The guest room is small without being cramped, a futon in the corner next to the dresser and the closet Haruka mentioned. It's the work of seconds to unpack, mainly as I only have one change of clothes, and I'm going to need those after the bath. I pad down the hallway, passing Hotaru as she comes out of her room. What a nice little place. I could really get to like it.... I freeze, one hand on the knob of the door to the bathroom. What's that? My senses extend for a moment, and I let go of the knob and step back. Hotaru speaks up as I look at it. "What are you waiting for?" she asks, curious. "Setsuna to come out." I had almost pulled an Akane. The last thing I want to do is to walk in on Setsuna. That would be hideously impolite. Really self gratifying, but rude nonetheless. Hotaru cocked her head to the side and gave me a puzzled look. "What makes you think that mama Setsuna is in there? She isn't even home half the time." I turn to give her a look. "You pick these things up with time," I tell her primly. As if in emphasis of my earlier declaration, the door to the bathroom opens behind me. Hotaru gapes past me, and I give a quick look before I turn back around immediately. Setsuna had been in there alright, and now she stood in the hallway, giving me a surprisingly cool look for someone who had just left the bath wearing nothing but a towel to discover a stranger of the opposite gender in the hallway right outside the bathroom that they had been bathing in. I stayed turned around so I wouldn't gawk and embarrass her or myself. "Ranma," she greets my back. "I didn't expect to see you again so soon." "Sorry about this," I tell her over my shoulder. "But it's not entirely my choice. Your three house mates can be really insistent." I can almost hear her raising an eyebrow. Hotaru laugh embarrassedly in front of me, rubbing the back of her head and staring at the ground in a fair imitation me when I'm acting embarrassed. "Well," Setsuna says, "while I would love to stay out here and talk, it would be definitely better if I were to go get dressed." Speak for yourself. I wouldn't mind. "I'm sure Hotaru can tell me the whole story later. Excuse me." I try not to watch her as she walks calmly to her room. I try not to notice the way the towel dropped in the back to give me a superb view of her slender back, strands of her dark green hair slipping out of the towel she had wrapped around her head, and her strangely cinnamon skin. I don't try very hard. What a looker, and with a personality to match. Oh well. I very much doubt that I'll be able to take her as my slave now. Bummer. I turn back to the bathroom, and prepare myself for a nice, warm, relaxing bath. *** The bell on the door rings when I open it. Konatsu stands next to the door, and bows to me. "Mr. Saotome," he greets me. "What can I do for you today?" "You can lock the door and come with me when I talk to Ukyou," I tell him. Konatsu jumps at my dead serious tone. Y-y-y-yes, Mr. Saotome," he actually stutters, even managing to look feminine in his surprise. The diner is empty, and so when Ukyou comes back from whatever it was she had been doing in the back and sees me she attempts an Amazonian glomp. I stop it with an outstretched arm and a look. "Ranchan?" she asks, nervousness crowding in on the word. "Ukyou," I tell her. "We have to talk."... *** A clicking noise awakens me from my hot bath induced thoughts. Someone opening the door to the bathroom. I wonder who it could be. A quick check labels it as Michiru. For a second I wonder if she's going to walk in on me, but than I hear her rustling through the clothes. What is she doing? I hear her move from the hamper, and it dawns on me. The laundry. A second after that thought I hear the washing machine kick in. It kind of makes sense. She's so used to just the four of them, that she probably just did this automatically whenever someone was in the bath. Hell, she might even think I'm Hotaru in here. A few seconds later she's out, and the door clicks behind her. I release the muscles I had unconsciously tightened. It had become almost reflex by now, a legacy from the wild days of Nerima. I equate bathroom invasions with beatings subconsciously now. It'll be good to get away from that. The bath was really what I needed. The coldness in my stomach, the hate and rage that the news of the extermination of all the other Thirds had created, no longer seemed so biting. That might have just as much to do with the company as the bath, but it doesn't matter in the long run. It still feels good. Now, what to do about my hosts? I really shouldn't mooch off of them like this, but what can I do? They had literally dragged me here, and the only way I can see out of here is fleeing in the night. That would be rude. Perhaps I should just accept? No, that would be rude too. After mulling the problem over thoroughly, I sigh. The only course of action I can really see is to offer, with all four of them together, to leave. If they really insist on me staying, I guess I'll stay. My course decided on, I get out of the hot bath and go to change. Michiru had, thankfully, not washed my clean clothes as well as my dirty ones, so I slip on my underwear and outerwear, and leave the bath. A quick check of the house reveals everyone below me and in the dining room. I invite myself down. The voices of the four are lifted in pleasant and light conversation, and I pause at the threshold of the room, almost afraid of breaking in on them. I watch them silently, hidden in the shadows. Michiru and Haruka sit close to each other at one side of the table, with Hotaru sitting at the head next to them. Setsuna sits on the other side of the table, closer to the head opposite Hotaru. The two obvious lovers, Michiru and Haruka are laughing and reciting stories about their respective jobs, with Hotaru occasionally quipping in with a joke or a laugh. Setsuna calmly asks the occasional question, paying equal attention to her food and her companions. They look so happy. I'm suddenly shamed by a burning envy coursing through my body. Envy at their happiness. Envy at their normality. Envy at their camaraderie. "Their you are," Michiru suddenly calls out. Her voice breaks the spell the scene before me had woven. The envy disappears, and I grin at them from my position. "We were worried that you might have fallen asleep. "Maybe just a little," I joke back. I scratch the back of my head with one hand, and the back of my leg with one barefoot. "Look," I tell them seriously. "I know you all want to be nice, and take in a stray, but are you all sure about this? I bring trouble like a storm crow, and I have no way to pay. I'm sure you all have lives that don't need me jutting into. Are you all positive about me staying?" The four exchange glances, and Setsuna speaks up for them. "Two days ago I offered you help if you ever needed it. The offer remains open. We will not force you to stay, but it will not inconvenience us, and we would very much like it if we could help you." That was all I needed to hear. "So," I grin. "Mind if I join you lovely ladies for dinner?" *** My senses are extended as far as they can. In a sphere with a radius of on half mile, I can feel every blade of grass, I can sense every cat, dog, squirrel, and human. I know that the neighbors two houses down are locked in passion. I know that one floor down, two of my hosts are copulating as well. Another of my hosts is peacefully asleep in her purple room. And the final one of my hosts... "It's a wonderful house you have here, Setsuna," I say without changing the direction of my stare. She comes out from where she's concealed by a portion of extended roofing. I lay, staring at the sky, on the roof of the house that I have recently come to dwell in. Unlike the Tendo's, this house I willingly stay in. After demonstrating to the four the finer art of speed dining, we all separated and spent the night doing various things. Hotaru went to bed, while Haruka went to take her own bath. Michiru had eyed me over, and then given me the chills when she mentioned something about 'wardrobes' and 'school'. Setsuna had simply disappeared. I hadn't had my senses extended, I had no real right to track her everywhere she went, but I think she had been in her own room. "Thank you," she said quietly. I tap the roof next to me, and she gracefully strode across the roof, without looking at all silly walking on a roof in a business suit, and sat next to me. "You want to ask me something," I prompt her after she had settled herself. She gave me a sideways glance, before tilting her head back and joining me in my contemplation of the stars. "Yes, I did. Why did you run away from them?" she asks. I don't jerk, or deny my flight. "I don't have to explain myself to you," I answer quietly. She looks at me again, and then gets up and begins to leave. "But I will," I continue. "You see it as flight do you?" She looks over her shoulder at me as I speak. "I don't. I saw it as a reclamation of myself, and my own honor. For too long, my honor, my future, and my life had been decided for me." I pause, and turn my head to look straight at her. "It had to stop eventually. There is no shame in allowing someone to pick your path for you, but there is no sanctity in following the course if it is foolish and dishonorable just because someone told you to do it." Setsuna turns the rest of the way around and looks at me. I think she's measuring me somehow, against some kind of internal checklist. "And how about you? I think you have some kind of duty, too. I don't know how I know this, but it is there." I can't read her gaze, but her aura has begun to churn violently. "Is it a duty that you wish to follow, or just something you are afraid not too?" She turns, and begins to walk away. "I answered your question. You don't have to answer that one if you don't want to," I tell her back. She stops momentarily. I turn my head back to the stars, my real attention ranged over a mile circular distance. Beneath me, the two lovers had stopped their earlier action. "There's more to it than just taking control of my life. I need to do more than just exist," I continue. "As long as I'm alive, I'm not living unless I'm doing something. I always finish what I start, and I always start again when I finish. I've finished following. Now I got to seek." On the southern side of my awareness. I stand quickly, drawing myself back into me. Setsuna is still standing away from me, her aura twirling in a more sedate fashion. Without a word I descend from the roof, and without wasting time, I move towards the Second I can feel to the south. *** In the previous two occasions I had had to deal with me kind, I had resorted to merely destroying them. But a third one in as many days? Something must be going on. The best way to find out information about the enemy, is from the enemy. The cold that had been dissolving in my gut solidified, hardened in anticipation of what is to come. This time, the Second had been much more sedate in its attempt to destroy barrier points. It was probably waiting till after its accomplished its task to blow something up. Come at it from the north, and take a second to scope it out. Large. Furred but not hairy. Humanoid but with a bull head. How original. Its arms are slightly out shaped so it can move as easily on four as on two. How to deal with it? Ah, the perfect plan. I shrug out of my shirt, the only thing covering my torso is the chest wrap I had taken up wearing, fire up my aura. The Second looks up from where it had been studying the twist of magic. Upon seeing me, it forgets its mission and begins to snarl. "Third," it spat like a dirty taste in its mouth. I make a mocking bow. "The one and only," I tell it ironically. My hatred for it is kept in tight control. I wave my red silk shirt in front of me. "Come and destroy me, you useless Second. Ole." The bull Second growls and shifts its weight to a four-legged position. "Useless Third," it growls. "I'll teach your corpse some respect." Too stupid ro remember that our kind don't leave corpses, we just dissolve. It charges. What follows is a gross parody of Spanish bull fighting, with me as the matrodor. I use my red shirt to gracefully guide the thing right past my body. It turns bellowing and tries again. I easily float out of its way, dodging its simultaneous hand strike. Again and again it charges, bellowing. Again and again it misses. Enough. If I keep this up much longer, the Scouts might show up. Time to get my information. I move the cloth to directly in front of me, and as the bull thing charges, I leap up instead of to the side. Grabbing the creature around the waist, I push down on its head as I lift. The weight on its head drives the creature into the ground, stunning it with the force of both my weight and its own. I tear my shirt off of its head and lift it off of the ground, to pick it up and slam it down again. "There have been three of you in the last three days," I tell it. "How have you been coming through so quickly?" It growls its defiance. Oh good. I can have some fun. My hand clamp its jaw shut to keep it from screaming, and my other hand reaches for its arm. After the creature finished its attempts at screaming, I released it s mouth. Across the road from us lays the remains of one of its arms. "Portal," it gasps. My eyes narrow. A portal? Already. This isn't good. If they have a steady gap through the barrier all ready, just killing their agents one by one isn't going to work. Shit. I need a new plan, some way to completely stop the invasion. But how? Am I forgetting something? Oh yea, the creature. "Where is this portal?" It decides to play the hero again. I smirk viciously, and once again its jaw is clamped shut.... *** I almost growl to myself. Alright, I'm in the pit, I'm surrounded by cats, they're trying to kill me, yadda yadda yadda. When will that idiot give up trying to teach me this bloody useless technique. I let loose a few screams and sobs, already knowing that the fat bastard isn't going to give up until I learn this technique. A cat jumps at me and I casually bat it aside. I need someway to impress the stupidity of this on the man, so that he will give up trying to teach me. But how? Maybe if I make him think he succeeded? A plan slowly forms in my head. Will it work? No time but the present to find out. I throw back my head and let loose a blood-curdling, inhuman scream. Then I propel myself out of the pit. Bending over and hissing like a cat, I decide the best way to impress on this human scum to stop, is to make it more physically preferable to him to not throw me in anymore. I unsheathe my claws.... *** A small knock on my door awakens me to the present. This has been happening an awful lot recently. The sudden memories. I wonder if it means something? But getting back to the present. "Yes?" I ask from my blankets on the futon. "Who is it?" "Ranma, are you awake?" Lets think. I just asked you who it is. Hotaru sure has a knack for asking irrelevant questions, but I don't say this out loud. "Yea, I'm up," I instead tell her. "What'cha need, Hotaru?" "Well," she begins, "I never really got to find what I was shopping for yesterday," her embarrassment leaks through the door, "and mama Michiru noticed how you only had a couple of shirts, and we were wondering if you'd like to come shopping with us?" Once again a premonition chills me. That's been happening a lot recently as well. Must be something to do with the weather. "Yea, sure. Give me a second to get dressed," I tell her. I hear her padding off and shrug out of the blankets. My pants are neatly folded by where I was sleeping, but my shirt... My shirt had born the brunt of an assault by a bull-horned demon creature, and taken a great deal of blood from the struggle that had taken place afterwards. My shirt was a lost cause. I take the chest wrap instead, and begin to wind it around me as I open the door to head out. I'm alone on the floor, and before I head downstairs, I stop by the bathroom. Once more as I'm reaching for the door knob, I freeze suddenly. Someone is in there taking a bath. Maybe I should come back later... "Ranma, hurry up or we'll be caught in the rush," Hotaru shouts from downstairs. "Alright," I toss back. "Just give me a minute." I grit my teeth and knock on the door to the bathroom. A splash answers my knock, and the splash is followed by a, "Who is it?" Haruka. "Listen, Haruka," I call into the bathroom. "I need my shirt, and its in the wash. Can I jump in real quick to get it?" A second of silence, and then, "Sure, but stay in the front room." "Thanks," I answer and make good on my promise. A second later and I'm walking down the stairs, buttoning my shirt. This house is so great. Three incidents involving me and baths, and not one beating yet. This has got to be some kind of record. I cut off the self congratulations when I come downstairs to be greeted by Michiru's eagle eye. She pins me with such an intense stare that I lock up under it. "Ranma," she says with a predatory look. "You can turn into a girl right? Have you ever worn a dress?" Me and my lousy premonitions. Oh boy. *** "Look," I tell her. "I know you want to play dress up, and I'm willing to be your doll for a bit, but I have to insist. You can't buy any of these." 'These' are a pile of women's clothing ranging from complimenting business suits, to skimpy-as-hell-come-hither signs. After a basic session increasing my wardrobe from two to a more suitable number, with me fighting the entire time to make sure that the clothes selected are practical as well as aesthetical, Michiru and Hotaru had latched on to me again and dragged me into a feminine clothing store. Michiru and Hotaru start to pout, and I rub the bridge of my nose and sigh. "It's just not practical." "So its alright to wear guys clothes, but not girls? Is that it?" Michiru asks, trying to put me on the defensive. "Is it that bad, dressing like a girl when you're a girl?" And trying to make me feel guilty. It ain't going to work. Not now. I decide for a moment of eerie clarity. "While its socially acceptable for a girl to be dressed as a guy, albeit frowned upon, for man with an unfeminine appearance to dress like woman is to invite the eternal scorn of his peers." Blink, blink. The expression on their faces is almost as funny as the first time I turned into a girl in front of them. Michiru struggles for a second with a comment like that coming out of my mouth, and gives one final attempt at getting me to let her waste money. "I-its not like you just change back and forth spontaneously. You have to get hit by warm water, don't you? How often is that going to happen?" As I stand there, dressed in my original Chinese ensemble after modeling a variety of things that they had picked out, bad luck turns into good luck. A passing cashier, trips over the pile that Michiru herself had picked out and falls, a cup of some corporate cliché coffee flies out of the cashier's hand, and drenches me, changing me from girl to guy in a flash of tingly magic. The cashier gets up and keeps on going, while Hotaru giggles, and Michiru gapes. "More often then you'd expect," I tell her, and that ends the argument. As we walk towards the food court of the mall, me having been drafted into the baggage-bitch, I thank Michiru for getting me the clothes. "It's awfully big of you to get these for me," I tell her. "I was down to my last shirt." "I thought you had two?" Hotaru chirrups from my side. "I did," I tell them, "but I lost one last night in a fight with a monster." I keep walking for a second before I realize they had both stopped and were staring at me again. "What?" I ask, perplexed. "You actually fought one of them?" Michiru asks slowly as we get onto an escalator to go to the second floor. I nod, vaguely annoyed by their reaction. "What happened?" "We mixed it up, I won, it died. Why did you look so surprised? I told you I was hunting them." They start walking again, although slower, and still looking at me like I had grown another head. "I'm just surprised," Michiru tells me. "I thought that only the Sailor Scouts can fight them." My annoyance has turned into curiosity. "What makes you think that?" "Well, guns and things rarely have any effect, and the creatures are all usually very strong and fast. How did you fight it?" Hotaru had witnessed me during Nerima, so she had a better idea of what I'm capable of. She nodded slowly, I can see her remembering some of the things she had seen me do. Michiru was probably still laboring under the misconception that I'm just a regular human. "I fought it with my bare hands, the way I always fight." We stepped off the escalator and start walking towards the food court. I'm about to continue when I'm interrupted by a familiar, and unwanted voice. "Ranma! For what you did to Akane, prepare to die!" Ryouga shouts, charging at me with blood in his eyes from out of the Gap. I toss the bags up, and push a startled Michiru and a jumping Hotaru to the side. I lean against the railing behind me, and use the force of Ryouga's charge to flip him and myself over the rail. I maintain a grip and swing myself back onto the second story, as Ryouga plummets to the first floor. "Ranma, you coward," he bellows, obviously uninjured from the fall. "How dare you run away!" I hold my hands out and catch the packages I had tossed up fall back in, not a thread of clothes displaced. I then have the amusing sight of Ryouga getting lost looking for the escalator (They can be so hard to find sometimes). "Well," I say and turn back. Hotaru had seen the like before and shut her mouth when I turned back. Michiru could only gape and point. "What shall we have for lunch?" Notes: Setsuna asks about Ranma's 'running' because she has such a high commitment to her own duty. Maybe she had felt an earlier connection between Ranma's earlier fate, and felt betrayed when he had left it. I don't know, I just write the bloody thing.