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The characters of the
Ranma 1/2 universe are the creation and possession of the brilliant
Rumiko Takahashi. -------------------------------- Hearts
of Ice Prologue by
Krista Perry -------------------------------- Cologne
was watching one of her favorite daytime soap operas when the letter
came. She lay relaxed and content in an overstuffed
chair, her thin, wrinkled hands clasped and resting on her stomach. She didn't even blink when Shampoo entered the
room with a handful of mail; Hiragi was about find out that Michiru
was carrying his baby, and she had been waiting for this moment for
weeks. "Great-grandmother...." Cologne
held up a silencing hand, eyes riveted to the television screen. "But...
Great-grandmother--" "Hush,
child. Whatever it is, it can
wait until commercial break." Shampoo
looked at the stack of letters and restaurant catalogues in her hand,
shrugged, and set them on the small side table before leaving the
room. As
it was, Cologne's hopes of seeing Hiragi's reaction were dashed as
Michiru's imminent revelation was interrupted by the arrival of Hiragi's
cousin, who came to announce that Michiru's brother, Jinpachi, hadn't
really died in the warehouse fire a month ago, and that he had just
been discovered recovering from burns and trauma-induced amnesia in
a nearby hospital. Not
what she was hoping for, but an interesting twist nonetheless. It was, of course, on that cliffhanger that
the episode ended. Cologne
sighed and turned the television off with a flick of the remote as
she hopped out of the oversized chair with a spryness that belied
her ancient appearance. Her
eyes fell on the stack of mail Shampoo had left. Before she could even wonder what her great-granddaughter
thought was important enough in the daily post to interrupt her program,
she saw the small red envelope lying on top. Her
face went ashen. She
reached for the envelope with a trembling hand, taking quick note
of the Chinese postmark, and tore it open before she could think twice
about it. The
letter was brief of necessity -- written, she knew from personal experience,
with the author's own blood. Her
eyes took in the kanji; the meticulously painted characters, once
bright, gleaming red as the brush swept across the pale parchment,
now rust brown. Honorable Sister. A full year has passed since you left
us to claim your great-granddaughter's wayward husband. Rumor has it that life in Japan has made you
grow soft and weak, and that your honor is corrupted by foreign influence;
that, rather than acquiring what is yours by right and sacred tradition,
you have instead bowed to the will of this outsider male. The Council's patience has reached
an end. You and your great-granddaughter
will fulfill your obligations of honor by whatever means necessary
and return to us by mid-summer or suffer the penalties-- The
letter crumpled in Cologne's fist.
Her eyes felt tight and unnaturally dry, and she could hear
her heartbeat thudding in her ears.
She stood, for long minutes, staring at nothing, her jaw clenched
tight. "Great-grandmother?" It
was a testament to her distraction that she hadn't even felt Shampoo
come up behind her. She turned,
her expression carefully schooled, and raised an eyebrow.
"Yes, what is it, child?" Shampoo
frowned. "Everything...
okay? You get letter from home, and...." She trailed off, biting her lower lip, obviously
wanting an explanation for her strange behavior. Cologne
forced a smile. "This
is just a letter from a friend, one of the tribe matriarchs. We grew up together. She brought back a lot of old memories. I guess I was a little lost in thought, remembering.
It's nothing you need to worry about." Shampoo
smiled in relief. "Oh,
so glad nothing bad happen." Cologne
nodded, tucking the letter into her voluminous sleeve. "Say, Shampoo, why don't you take Son-in-law
some lunch today?" With
a grin and a wink, Shampoo turned on her heel.
"Was already planning on it, Great-grandmother. I sure to convince Ranma to take me on date
today." Of course, Cologne thought. The scent of old blood filled her head. No reason he would turn you down like he has
the other half million times you've asked him out. As if he even should have a choice in the matter.... When
Shampoo returned later that evening, having once again failed to convince
Ranma to leave Akane and take her out on a date -- and all this in
spite of her superior cooking skills -- she was surprised to discover
the television set lying in several mangled pieces in the trash bin. When she went to her great-grandmother's room
to enquire about the television's demise, she found Cologne sitting
amidst stacks of dusty old books, and pouring over several ancient
leather scrolls. Cologne
looked up as Shampoo entered the room, and her withered face cracked
in a smile. "Shampoo," she said, "you're
just in time." Shampoo
looked around the room, puzzled. "Great-grandmother,
what all this? And what happen
to television?" "Nothing,
just a little accident. Come,
look at this," she said, gesturing to the scroll rolled out before
her. Leaning
over the scroll, Shampoo's forehead creased as she tried to make out
the faded, ancient writing. "What
is it?" she asked again. "I
was going through some old Amazon texts, and found this legend that
I think you might find interesting.
Go ahead. Read it." Raising
a skeptical eyebrow, Shampoo settled herself on the floor next to
Cologne, and squinted to make out the faint characters.
Several minutes later, Shampoo looked up, eyes gleaming with
excitement. "Great-grandmother,"
she said. "You know what
this means?" Without waiting
for an answer, she bent her head over the scroll again, reading intently. Cologne
smiled. "I
suspect it means that we will be going home soon," she whispered. ~*~ |