Mirrors Multiplied

Part Eleven

Phantom of the Ranma

by Jared Ornstead

=====

Our Friendly Neighborhood Copyright Monster Says On Copyright Law:

    "Crunchy Chrunchies are the best
    Look delicious on your chest
    Feed them to unwanted guests
    Stuff the mattress with the rest!"

And now!
    Yes, I have finally stamped upon enough copyright toes by now that I
could be sued into the thirty first and one half century!

=====

A Place in the Past

    Organ music, omnipresent and overpowering, echoed strangely through
the dark, dank halls laid out in a labrythine crypt. From out of the
shadows a woman stepped, her gown was as white as her pale flesh, the
glorious cascade of bright red tresses falling across her waist the only
color in that dark and morbid place.
    The woman addressed something that wasn't there. A voice in a
mirror. But she was used to speaking to mirrors.
    "What is the price for my redemption?"
    The redhaired woman's tones rang out with such beauty as to stop the
voice and collapse the knees. Sirens of the sea in all their glory could
not sing with such beauty as this woman's sighs of despair.
    A ripple of light could be imagined beneath the reflective surface.
    The woman's eyes could not be seen through the glorious cascade of
hair. But she lowered them anyway.
    "My memory? Four hundred years of darkness and singing, music and
tears. They are all I have. Must I truly forget them also? I have
nothing else. Not even... he... knows more of my past than that. Why is
that the price?"
    There was no answer. It was merely so.
    The redhead raised her eyes, they were of such blue as to evoke
tears of agony at their loveliness, standing out clearly in the
perpetual night of the hidden crypt.
    "Very well."
    There was the vaguest flicker of light, merely an illusion of a
staff and a woman with green hair, but when it passed the pale maiden
was no longer there. A single hair of red floated softly to the empty
white gown pillowed on the gray stone floor.
    The organ music came to an abrupt and horrid halt.

*****
Universe C

    There were one thousand, six hundred steps to the Masaki shrine. The
old man knew, because he walked them sometimes several times a day. He
was the caretaker of the shrine, and today his heart was happy because
his daughter was coming with him. He knew she had a busy schedule with
school. Still, it brightened his days when she could come and be at the
shrine with him.
    Achika waved her bag, her long hair swirling in the breeze around
her, still wearing her dark blue school uniform.
    "Calmly Achika," her father reproved, secretly enjoying her
enthusiasm and energy. "The shrine will still be there when we get
there, you know."
    For a response she merely smiled at him, lighting up the day. His
child added an electric quality to all she did, and was one of the
brightest joys in her father's life.
    Soon, too soon to suit him, the thousand six hundred steps were
behind them and the father had arrived at the shrine. He stopped rock
still. His daughter nearly collided with his back.
    "What is it, father?" Achika asked, trying to peer around him.
    "A visitor." He replied. "A most unusual one." The gray haired man
started forward to where a young, naked woman was passed out on the
grass. She had red hair, some bruises around her body, and two marks of
distinction. The first was a beauty that went far beyond the natural,
surpassing even that of woodsprites or water nymphs of which the legends
spoke so highly. The next that the long and delicate sigh issuing from
between her lips had, even in sleep, a power that seemingly bypassed the
ears and directly affected a person in ways that were difficult to
define.
    "I believe this lady has been wounded." The father concluded. He
raised his head and the sun glinted off his glasses. "Perhaps there is
some spirit at work in our forest who is unfriendly to strangers."
    The maiden groaned, stirring on the grass. She looked up at the pair
above her and blinked.
    "Are you alright?" Achika inquired in concern, maneuvering around
her father to touch the girl reassuringly on the shoulder.
    The girl blinked. "I think so. Where am I?" Her voice was soft and
lovely, yet with a timbre that sent thrills of pleasure to the soul.
    "The Masaki shrine." The father replied, seemingly unaffected. "Do
you know how you came to be here?"
    The redhead blinked again.
    "No."
    The father frowned. "Hmm... What is your name, child?"
    The naked girl looked a bit confused. "Name? I... I'm sure I had
one." She blinked again. "Who am I?"
    The father nodded. "It would seem there is some spirit at work here
who has denied you your memories. I will call you Orchid, for your hair
and for the mystery of your origin. Would you like to stay with myself
and my daughter?"
    The redheaded female nodded. "Okay."

    Orchid took to the temple tasks as if born to them. She would sweep,
clean and polish for hours without complaint. In fact her hosts had to
be wary of letting her work too hard. She seemed to expect alot out of
herself, more than any person had a right to.
    On the second day Orchid spent with them she wanted to help Achika
in the kitchen. She was a bit clumsy at first, but that soon wore off.
Soon she and Achika were preparing every meal together, and Achika was
even learning some useful tricks and dishes from her new friend.
    It wasn't long before Orchid became indispensable to the household.
The floors and things she cleaned would stay bright and dust-free for
days. The meals that she cooked with Achika were the best any of them
had ever eaten. Well, Orchid *said* they were the best. She had to have
learned how to cook them from somewhere, and most of the recipes were
not in any of their books. She and Achika seemed to spend equal parts of
the day learning from and teaching each other.
    The fifth morning Orchid saw Achika and her father at kendo
practice. She didn't saw a word, merely going out into the forest,
emerging a while later with a freshly cut wooden practice sword. She
joined them at forms. Father had to pause and teach her. She knew
instinctively many of the proper movements, but was lacking in the
specifics that made sword practice truly formidable.
    Orchid took to things so easily that Achika and her father might
have gotten jealous were it not impossible to dislike her. Orchid exuded
a happy friendliness with a complete lack of competitive instinct. She
was happy when others were and so she labored to keep them that way.
They found her a rich delight in their lives.
    Achika had so much time now with Orchid helping around the house
that she began to heat extra water for their baths. A few kettles would
heat a tepid tub to warm enough to bathe in, but a few pots beyond that
was heavenly.
    The sensation of a hot bath was delicious beyond description to the
girl.
    It occurred to Achika, after she had dried off, that Orchid had
never enjoyed one. Orchid had always used whatever was there. Tepid,
warm, or cold seemed the same to her. She never heated water for her
bath, even once bathing when frost rimmed the tub, as if she'd never
experience anything warmer and had no idea of the difference. This,
Achika vowed, could not continue. Orchid was far too sweet not to reward
in turn, and the least she could do was show her the simple pleasure of
a hot bath.
    After putting the kettles on, Achika went looking for the redhaired
girl.
    Orchid was not far away. The ponytailed Masaki daughter sauntered
up, hoping to surprise her. Then she saw what the girl was doing.
    Orchid had one hand stretched out, touching the limbs of a stunted
tree. A blue aura glowed from within her palm and seemed to lick out
over the leaves and bark. As Achika watched the tree swelled and
straightened, throwing out straight branches and long twigs, pulling its
trunk upright and gaining a dozen feet in height.
    Orchid began to gather apples from it.
    Achika approached her friend cautiously. "Orchid?"
    The redhead turned to her with a brilliant smile. "Hi! I just
finished fixing this tree. Want an apple?"
    Achika accepted one of the splendid red fruit. She tilted her head
in curiosity. "How did you do that?"
    Orchid frowned at her fingers. "I get the idea that I used to be
able to do alot of things before. I don't know what, exactly. Kendo
practice helps some. But I seem to remember these things only as I do
them."
    Achika blinked. "What about the tree?"
    Orchid giggled. "Well, I was feeling sorry for the way it was, and
pretty soon I got an idea about how to make it better. Do you want to
learn how?"
    Not trusting Orchid was an impossible feat. Achika nodded brightly.
Orchid frowned in thought, then seemed to reach a conclusion. She
reached out with both hands and touched her friend lightly on the
temples.
    "Now this may feel a little weird." The redhead warned. Blue energy
flared at her fingertips.
    Achika gasped sharply as new feelings and avenues opened up within
her mind. They were tender, stretchy like muscles that were new and not
ready for much use yet, but still she felt the energy within them.
    From out in the bushes two strange figures were watching what
happened. One addressed the other.
    "We're too late, Tenchi."
    The boy crouched beside the platinum-haired female pulled a branch
off a bush in helpless frustration.
    Achika blinked and blushed slightly. This was so... new. Suddenly
she could *understand* the plant before her. Trying harder she got a
twinge from her new mental muscles. So she relented, drawing her senses
back in where they belonged. But that feeling of closeness with the
plant did not desert her. She resolved that she would have to learn and
experiment more with this strange gift.
    Achika had almost forgotten the bath.
    "Orchid... this is *wonderful!* I... I thank you. I never felt
anything like it before in my life. But I'm being selfish. Here I am
letting you help *me* and I was going to treat *you!* Come along inside.
I've got water boiling to give you a nice hot bath."
    "Strike Two." Mumbled the platinum haired woman hidden in the brush.

    The boy alongside her raged in frustration. "Aarrhhh! We *gotta*
stop them!"
    The woman looked at her companion, then considered. "I might be able
to do something. Wait here, Tenchi." She stood up and teleported,
appearing in the kitchen of the Masaki home.
    "Seeing as how they don't have modern plumbing just yet. I'll just
pour out what they have heating." It took her two seconds or less to
pour out all the water and teleport away from the kitchen. Achika
entered with Orchid in tow moments later. She lifted the pots, looking
ashamed.
    "I'm sorry, Orchid. I must have let it all boil away. Here, I'll
just heat some new." She began filling the teakettles from the pump,
with Orchid automatically helping her. This time they sat and talked
while the kettles heated.
    "Uh oh." Two pair of eyes spied in the window. "I'm sorry Tenchi,
but if they're going to sit like that then I can't get to the water
without being noticed."
    "Perhaps *I* could do something to help in this effort." A third
voice said primly.

    The pair in the kitchen were interrupted by a knock at the front
door. Both rose to go get it. "No, Orchid, it's okay. I'll get it."
Achika ran for the door.
    Orchid sat back down, looked around for something to do, and began
chopping vegetables. Eyes watched her from outside.

    Achika went and answered the front door. "Um, hello?" She asked
quizzically at the purple-haired girl who waited there.
    "Hello." The newcomer beamed. "I am Ayeka. Is this the Masaki
shrine?"
    Achika shook her head happily. "No, it's at the top of those stairs
there. If you'll just go through that gate and climb you'll go right to
it."
    "Uh..." Ayeka desperately pondered about how to draw this out.
"Perhaps you could show me? I'm not very good with directions."
    Achika blinked. It would take rare skill to get lost on so simple a
route. Well, maybe this girl had the world's worst sense of direction.
She shrugged. "If you wouldn't mind waiting. I have something I have to
do here first."
    Ayeka got flustered. "Oh." Thinking fast. "If you could just show me
to the bottom step? I'm sure I could make it from there."
    Well, that wouldn't take long, would it?

    "Tenchi, now's our chance. Ayeka's gotten rid of your mother. You
distract this one and I'll make sure he doesn't interfere with our
future."
    "You won't hurt him, will you?"
    Platinum hair regarded him. "What, do you *want* him becoming your
father? Do you *want* this person to just waltz into our past and marry
your mother? We've come back in time to stop him, Tenchi. Do you care so
little for your own dad that you'd prefer this stranger to him? How can
your own dad compete against this guy? He can't do it, Tenchi."
    "That doesn't mean he deserves to die, Ryoko!"
    Ryoko shrugged. "Whatever you want. I'll just tell you that the most
effective way to take him out is probably not asking him to leave. I
mean, *you* wouldn't go if it was a woman *you* were in love with. Would
you Tenchi?"
    Tenchi sagged. He knew that he would not.
    "Just don't hurt him too much, okay Ryoko?"

    Orchid was combining vegetables, meat, and some convenient hot water
into a savory stew when a knock came at the back door. She put the pot
on to cook and went to answer it. There was a black haired boy there,
about fifteen years old.
    The boy bowed his head. "I'm sorry I had to do this."
    Forgotten combat senses flared to full life in Orchid, and she
leaned out of the way of an energy blast from behind. The blast came
within inches of the teenager. He squawked and dove out of the way,
giving Orchid a perfect opportunity to dive out the door and gain the
room to fight whoever was behind her. She vaulted end over end over the
yard, coming to in a combat stance facing the door.
    It nearly got her killed.
    A huge blast of energy came once again from behind her. A glance
over her shoulder as she twisted and leapt to the side gained her a
glimpse of her opponent. A platinum haired woman about her age, who
faded out from plain sight.
    Invisibility or teleport? Another energy blast from her most
vulnerable angle proved it was the latter. Well, one could deal with the
other. Orchid faded out of sight.
    "Huh?" Ryoko came to a halt, floating in air with her hands blazing
with energy. She was confused for less than a second, but that was
enough.
    "Fierce Tiger Ball!!!!"
    A ball of bright blue energy defeated Ryoko's defense field and
impacted her side, tossing her twenty feet to land on the lawn.
    "Ryoko!" The boy came running out onto the field. He reached her
side and checked her. She was recovering fast. With a determined frown
the young man activated an energy sword of his own.

    "This really was nice of you to help me out like this." Ayeka
thanked. "Who would have known that my knee would give out halfway up?
I'm sorry to trouble you so."
    Achika rolled her eyes, the other girl's arm around her shoulder,
supporting her as they climbed the last step. Her father came out to
greet them.
    "I thought I sensed something out in the forest. Have you seen
anything, Achika?"
    Achika shook her head, relieved of her burden as Ayeka slid to sit
down on the ground. "I left Orchid at the house. I was going to show her
what a hot bath was like."
    Father and daughter looked down in the direction of their home as
explosions rippled the woods around it.
    "Don't go there!" Ayeka pled, leaping to her feet.
    Achika looked down in disgust at the girl's `injured' knee. Then
both father and daughter began running toward the disturbance.

    Orchid was frustrated and in danger. She *knew* that she knew more
about combat than this, but her skills and knowledge were returning to
her too slowly and she was taking punishment.
    "How dare you try to molest my mother!" The young man swept his
energy sword through where her waist had been. Orchid had dodged out of
the way only to catch a blast in the shoulder from the other
unidentified person.
    Orchid was losing, and it was a feeling she didn't like.
    The one called Ryoko laughed as her latest energy blast knocked
Orchid from her feet. Tenchi brought his sword down to bite the earth as
Orchid rolled out of the way.
    The kid gloves had come off awhile ago.
    Tenchi and Ryoko, both experienced fighters used to working
together, swept their swords about in an inescapable arc.
    The redheaded girl ceased to be, her body disappearing in a corona
of light.
    As the scraps of empty cloth fluttered to the lawn the grimace of
combat rage seemed to freeze on the young man's face, then fell apart in
shambles. The light sword in his hands fizzled into nothingness and he
grabbed his head in his hands.
    "Oh! Ryoko, what have I DONE!?!"

*****
A Place in the Future

    Two officers walked down a corridor, shoulder to shoulder. One,
bearing markings of the medical branch, was asking the other. "So what's
this all about, anyway?"
    The taller, ginger-haired man shrugged his shoulders. "We got a call
from fleet headquarters. Apparently there was some kind of diplomatic
function interrupted by the near assassination of one of its members."
    The shorter man scratched his hair. "Well, I can't see why they
can't handle it on their own. Calling in a starship on such a minor
issue is insulting. Say, what are you grinning about?"
    The captain turned to confront his officer, his grin was infectious.
"Bones, have you ever heard of Nyuchezu IV?"
    The doctor couldn't say that he had. Then he had a flash of memory.
"Say, isn't that one of those Amazon cultures? The ones we mostly avoid?
Probably expect us men to wear flea collars, I'll bet."
    "Actually, they're participants in starfleet." The captain keyed the
door and a lift car opened up for them. Both stepped inside, taking
handles. "In fact I met one of them while in the academy. They're not
nearly so bad as you describe."
    The captain had a knowing smirk, which the doctor studied.
    "Hoping to renew an old acquaintance?" The shorter man asked.
    The smile didn't change any more than the ginger hair. The captain
stepped out as the doors whooshed open. "No Bones, I was hoping more to
see my daughter."
    The doctor stood still so long he nearly didn't make it out the
lift. When he did he rushed forward and grabbed the captain's arm,
somehow acquiring a grin of his own. "Jim, do you mean to say..?" The
grin had spread itself from ear to ear. "Well, I'll be damned! You son
of a gun. When was the last time you've seen her?"
    The captain ducked a bit and admitted. "Actually Bones, this'll be
the first time." He stepped through the doors of the transporter room
swiftly after saying that.
    A black-haired alien awaited them at the controls of the machine.
"Welcome, captain. The planet reports your party as ready to depart.
Shall I beam her aboard?"
    "Energize, Mr. Spock." Came the curt order.
    Beams and fields of controlled energy played across the pad of the
transporter platform, after a few moments revealing a demure young lady
dressed in an exotic fashion.
    "Why you sly son of a gun." The doctor was impressed.
    The maiden standing uneasily on the transporter pad was the most
stunning creature any of them had ever laid eyes on, even accounting for
their exotic and varied travels over hundreds of worlds. Her eyes were a
blue that seemed infinite, a dazzling display of depth and color that
captivated and entranced. The maiden's hair, while at first merely a
gorgeous red, conveyed a wealth of inflection, adding a whole spectrum
of meaning to what had previously been merely one color.
    Then she collapsed.

    "Healthiest girl I ever examined." The doctor declared, putting away
his instruments. "Aside from residual effects from some surgery a few
weeks ago she's the healthiest person I ever saw." He drawled. "In fact
most of us could learn something from her conditioning. I tell ya, if
even half the folks in starfleet had their organs in that kind of shape
I could retire and go live on a beach somewhere. And her muscle tone?"
    The doctor gestured back to the maid lying still on the table,
heartbeat and other functions appearing on the monitor above her. He
turned back to the other two men. "Well, Jim, I gotta hand it to ya.
Your daughter could armwrestle Godzilla and expect to win. You must have
better genes than I give you credit for to turn out an offspring like
that."
    "But is she truly his daughter?" The Vulcan asked.
    "See for yourself." Bones went over to another monitor, calling up
the samples of genetic code. The computer began high speed comparisons,
flashing results as it went. "About what you'd expect for a
father-daughter relation."
    The science officer found that he had to agree. He cocked an
eyebrow. "Fascinating. Then our beloved captain is indeed fortunate in
his own genetic structure."
    "Well, *I* coulda told ya that." The gruff doctor replied, crossing
his arms over his chest.
    Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise went over and sat
on the edge of the bed where his daughter lay, exploring the feeling
being a father of such a one gave him.
    Doctor turned to alien. "I think we'd better leave them alone."
    The alien bowed. "For once you may be right, Doctor. We have
analysis to do on the case."

    It took the girl less than a day to become the darling of the whole
ship. She was kind and sweet and gentle. And even though she never spoke
a word she had a smile that would pierce you right through.
    Then they got another visitor from the planet.

    "What do you mean she hasn't spoken for days?!!" Kirk demanded.
    The woman he has interviewing was adamant, but reasonable. "That's
just it, James. The laser wounds were to her chest and arms. There was
no damage at all to her vocal or neural structure and the trauma was not
that deep. We thought that if we asked starfleet to send her father
around then that would supply enough impetus for her to speak."
    James crashed his hand down on a table. Mildly, if such a thing was
possible. "I can hardly believe she hasn't said *anything!*"
    The woman crossed her hands in her lap. "Well, there was one thing.
But we had to run it through the computer a few times before we could
understand any of it. Would you believe she spoke it in ancient
Japanese?"
    Jim's prowling reminded her of a caged lion. He rounded on her,
coming in intently. "What did she say?"
    They were interrupted by the doctor entering their quarters, wiping
his hands. "Well..."
    "One moment, Bones." The captain turned back to the woman. "What did
she say?" He repeated.
    The woman blinked her eyes. "She called for her daddy. Which is why
we sent to starfleet for you." The lady got up and walked out of his
quarters.
    The captain sank heavily into a seat. The doctor went to a cabinet
and began to pour both of them a drink, speaking as he did so. "Well,
I've run every test and analysis I can think of on that girl, even some
I made up. There is *absolutely* nothing wrong with her. She merely
chooses not to speak."
    The patient accepted the alcohol without comment. The doctor drawled
on. "She's in the cafeteria now, if you'd like to see her."
    The captain was out of his seat and out the door like a shot.

    In the cafeteria there were a line of automatic food dispensers. One
merely inputted the code for the type of dish one wished to eat, and the
dispenser would provide nutrigen cubes that would closely approximate
its taste and flavor.
    Hey, *you* try stocking a cupboard for hundreds of hungry people on
a five year mission.
    Right now a demure, redheaded young girl had discovered that the
keypad where one inputted menu choices made tones when you pushed the
buttons. There were three to six digit codes for most foodstuffs, but
with so many numbers available, and the inevitably limited selection,
most codes were blank, and the machine politely informed one of an
invalid choice with a low tone.
    Orchid had somehow found a way to be playing a multi-part harmony by
pushing button after button. She had only ten choices of notes, and
every seventh one was always the same low tone as the machine tried to
inform her that her order was unavailable. But nonetheless the girl was
managing to wrench from it a melody that was almost hauntingly
beautiful.
    The captain ran into the room to find a crowd had gathered to watch
his daughter play. He sidled up to Spock.
    "What is she doing?" He whispered.
    The alien whispered back. "Improvising a tune that would be a
classic by any standards. I am having the ship's computer record this, I
believe it would be referred to as a Jam Session?"
    Kirk spared his alien friend a look. "Right." Then he noticed the
food cubes placed neatly in a stack to his daughter's left. "Why the
food?"
    The Vulcan replied. "Sour Notes, I believe they would be called.
Even with the number of options available your daughter does stumble
across combinations that the machine interprets as valid. Since they
were disrupting her harmony, as well as causing an interruption as she
paused to stack them, I temporarily disabled the food dispenser on that
console."
    The redhead concluded her melody and sat down to hungrily devour the
huge stack of nutrient cubes.
    The Vulcan's eyebrow shot skyward and he crossed his arms. "Then
again, perhaps she was merely hungry and exploring her options. If you
will excuse me." He left in a huff that had Jim heartily amused.

    Right after he had left lieutenant Uhura, the communications
officer, arrived to drag Orchid back to her own quarters, prattling on,
very friendly, talking of all the instruments she had there and asking
if the girl wouldn't mind showing her just a little something on the
guitar. Idly amused, Captain Kirk followed them out. Uhura didn't seem
to mind.
    Bones was passing by when they arrived at Uhura's place. When the
door opened and Uhura led them inside, going to get her guitar, Orchid
froze utterly and instantly rooted to the spot. The doctor grabbed the
captain's arm to prevent him from interfering.
    "Stop, Jim! She's have some kind of psychological reaction. Don't
interrupt her, she may be starting to remember to use her voice."
    There was indeed a powerful look of recollection on Orchid's face as
she took a few longing steps forward, extending a tentative hand toward
a poster on the wall.
    Uhura came back with the guitar and saw what she was doing. "Huh?
Why that's just..."
    "Shhh!" Came the chief medical officer's insistent command.
    The communication's officer joined the other two adults and
whispered. "Why that's just a poster of a cartoon character my niece
gave me."
    "What's the character's name?" The captain whispered.
    "Ukyo."
    Orchid was weeping openly now, touching the poster with tender
longing. From nowhere a very soft musical score began to play as Orchid
raised her face and sang. When her voice was raised it instantly rooted
every man, woman and alien on the ship into awe-struck immobility. The
beauty of her soft voice piercing walls, bulkheads and souls with equal
impartiality.
**

"You were once my one companion.
You were all that mattered.
You were once a friend and guardian...
Then my world was shattered.

(Orchid sobbed and caressed the poster's feet)

Wishing you were somehow here again
Wishing you were somehow near...
Sometimes it seemed
if I just dreamed
Somehow you would be here...

(a tear-streaked face was raised to the colored drawing)

Wishing I could hear your voice again,
knowing that I never would.
Dreaming of you
won't help me to do
All that you dreamed I could!

(a flash of memory of dark halls arose to haunt her, but clashed with
the bright memories of Ucchan)

Passing bells and sculpted angels
cold and monumental
seem, for you, the wrong companions
you were warm and gentle.

(now crying beyond control, yet not faltering in her vocal control at
all, Orchid pressed her cheek against the image of her beloved)

Too many years fighting back tears...
Why can't the past just die?

Wishing you were somehow here again...
knowing we must say goodbye...
Try to forgive...
teach me to live...
Give me the strength to try!

**
    Orchid seemed willing to just sag against the poster and cry, then
suddenly all instruments and power died across the whole ship. Darkness,
a palpable aura, began to reach out a caressing wave.
    Ghostly light began to illuminate Orchid, all other crewmembers held
helpless. An enticing song began to sound, accompanying a compelling
voice both dangerous and mesmerizing.
**

(Phantom, calling)
"Wandering child
So lost, so helpless...
Yearning for my
guidance.

(Orchid reacted with frightened horror at this voice, but the light of
intelligence seemed to partially fade from her eyes)

(Phantom)
Have you forgotten your angel?"

(Orchid's face had become partially hypnotized, and her song seemed to
reply without her conscious choice for it to do so)

"Angel... oh, speak...
what endless longings, echo in this whisper?"

(The Phantom's voice gained triumph as it sang along)
"Too long you've wandered in winter
far from my far-reaching gaze..."

(Orchid, now rising again to her feet)
"Wildly my heart beats against you!"

(Phantom, now gloating)
"Yet your soul obeys!"

(Both)
"Angel of Music!
I/You denied me/you,
turning from true beauty...
Angel of Music!

(Phantom)
Do not shun me
(Orchid)
My protector!
(Both)
Come to me/your strange angel!"

(Organ music had, by this point, become a dark and compelling throb
through the hearts of all aboard, driving emotions before it in and
endless whirlwind of longing and fear, changing mood)

(Phantom)
"Night-time sharpens,
heightens each sensation...
Darkness stirs
and wakes imagination...
Silently the senses,
Abandon their defenses...

(Orchid began to walk along a bridge of light that was not there, going
from the room she was to a labyrinth she did not want to be, yet unable
to resist)

(Phantom, urging)
Slowly, gently, night unfurls its splendor
Grasp it, sense it, tremulous and tender
Turn your face away, from the garish light of day
Turn your thoughts away from cold, unfeeling light
and listen to the music of the night.

Close you eyes and surrender to your darkest dreams!
Purge your heart of the life you knew before!
Close your eyes, let your spirit start to soar!
And you'll live, as you've never lived before...

Softly, deftly, music shall surround you...
Feel it, hear it, closing in around you....
Open up your mind!
Let your fantasies unwind!
In this darkness which you know you cannot fight.
The darkness of the music of the night.

(now completely mesmerized, Orchid walked steps through ship walls,
somehow still visible to those who looked for her, as if she and the
starship no longer existed in the same reality, yet overlapped)

Let your mind start a journey to a strange, new world
Leave all thoughts of the world you knew before!
Let your soul take you where you long to be!

(the Phantom continued much quieter)
Only then, can you belong to me..."

**
    But the Phantom had made a mistake, one jarring enough that Orchid
snapped open her eyes. Unable to control her body any longer she turned
pleading eyes back to the captain, her father.
    Kirk strained against the wall that she had passed through, but that
reality held him. He pounded the wall and looked in sadness after his
disappearing child.
    Finding her lost courage at last those blue eyes in Orchid's face
rekindled their fire, and she jumped off the bridge of light on which
she'd been walking...

    "NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" The voice of the Phantom screamed,
the music cutting out instantly and released the darkness, the
instruments, and the crew to a shuddering restoration to their original
reality.

*****
A Universe with a Past and a Future that I will Not Further Identify at
the Moment

    Two figures ran swiftly through the rain. One bounced merrily off of
walls, letting off soft giggles as she came to light on fence posts,
tree tops, anything and everything that might or might not support her
light weight. She was wearing a Chinese flower print tunic and pants.
    The other struggled vainly to keep its great mass in sight of the
wee girl bouncing around like a happy forest sprite. Both carried great
packs. In fact the girl's was larger and more weighty than the one
carried by the large panda. But she carried herself with the
effortlessness of a gust of wind and the panda had an impossible time
keeping up with her.
    Mind foggy from exertion, the great bear found that the girl had
stopped for awhile. Catching up, the animal leaned against a wall and
let its tongue hang out, panting, too tired to even recognize where
they'd landed.
    The girl rang the bell.
    A moment later Kasumi answered the gate, holding an umbrella over
herself to avoid the light rain. The little girl beamed up at her with
an expression that would make light in a sunless void.
    "Oh, my. You don't look very much like a fiance, do you?" Kasumi
asked, lowering herself slightly so she could look in the girl's eyes.
The child was somewhere in her teens, obviously past puberty, yet shed a
happy innocence that struck a similar chord in Kasumi. The homemaker
found an instant and compelling liking for the girl, then noticed that
she was soaking wet.
    Two fingers flew to Kasumi's lips. "Oh, my. You're soaked clear
through! Why don't you come inside? I can get you some hot tea while we
dry you off and put you in some clothes that aren't dripping wet."
    The solar smile altered in a very accepting and thankful way, but
seemed to add a note of request. A slight glance aside at her panda...
    "Well of course you can bring your pet panda in!" Kasumi radiated
joy. "Why don't we put him on our nice covered porch to rest, hmm?"
    The redhead bobbed a nod that would have made Hitler pause and try
to see the advantages of being a nice guy. With a little gentle fussing
she guided the bear in and let him sag on the deck under the overhang,
out of the rain. Then the happy girl literally bounced over to the door
and allowed Kasumi to fuss her in.
    Soun and Nabiki met their sister just at the door, eager in their
anticipation, yet unwilling to venture out into the rain. "Kasumi," Soun
demanded. "Was that them? Are they here?"
    Kasumi hustled in her little water sprite, helping to brush some of
the excess water out of her clothes. "No, father. It was just this girl
with her pet panda. I didn't want to leave her out in the rain and so I
invited her in with us. You don't mind, do you father?"
    If Kasumi's face and vocal plea were the female equivalent of a
shotgun, the radiant little girl turned the force of a 5 megawatt laser
on the man.
    "Well of course she can stay! She can stay for as long as she likes!
She can take a room with us if she wants to! What do you say, little
girl?"
    A lightning peck on one cheek had Soun firmly wrapped around the
little girl's finger. Nabiki was standing in the blast radius of this
enormous storm of cuteness and innocence and tried to shrug it off. But
her wits fled her when a happy smile fell on her anyway.
    "Say, Kasumi." Nabiki asked her sister. "I can go start the tub.
She'll *never* get dry in those clothes. There's even an old dress of
mine that I think will fit her."
    "In the attic there are trunks of things we used to wear when we
were smaller, Nabiki. I'm sure that you could find some things for her
there." Kasumi was helping the  redhead to undress, not wanting her to
track water all over their home. "But could you get me a towel first?"
    "Sure thing, Kasumi." Nabiki went off. Soun had already left to pace
around wondering where his friends were. So Kasumi was left alone with
the redheaded angel who allowed Kasumi to mother her.
    Kasumi found herself singing softly.

    By the second time Nabiki had walked through the parlor carrying a
towel Serena had finally gotten enough curiosity to look up from her
comic and ask her older sister why.
    "For the little girl Kasumi found, of course. Didn't daddy tell
you?"
    Serena shook her head, ponytails waving. "Tell me what? There was
that stupid business with the arranged marriage, but he hasn't said
anything other than that. I think he's off in the dojo reading that
silly postcard again. What's up?"
    "Nabiki? Do you have that other towel?" Kasumi's cry cut off the
discussion.
    "Be right back." Nabiki informed her younger sibling, taking the
soft, fluffy towel to where Kasumi was trying to arrange a little less
water on their water sprite.
    In a few moments three girls came into the Tendo parlor. Kasumi and
Nabiki assisting a radiant young redhead with a towel tied modestly
around her middle. Her hair was still plastered from the rain, and now
wild from Kasumi's attempts to dry it. The girl didn't really look all
that young, either. Sure, she was a little shorter than Serena, but she
was better built than any girl in the family and most of the ones at
school. In fact Serena would have to place the girl at about her own
age.
    Then the redhead directed a look toward her and the blond in
ponytails suddenly realized what made the girl seem so small and young.
There was a cheerful innocence about her that not only made her appear
youthful, even childlike, but there was some way about her that grabbed
hold of a fistful of feminine instincts and immediately made you want to
mother her. Then the look adapted itself and everyone present was
overwhelmed with a desire to play with her. They played catch and tag
and squealed with delight when they caught each other. Ribs were
tickled, pillows fought with, games were made and cast away.
    The three older girls collapsed on the furniture, winded and happy,
and the little bundle of energy whipped into and out of the kitchen like
a ball of light, emerging with a tray holding cups of hot cocoa for
everyone.
    There was such a warm bliss of happy tranquility about the room that
wild deer appeared out of nowhere and began to graze out on the lawn.
The rain had stopped and in a feeling of serene and wonderful
contentment one of the girls asked.
    "I wonder when our fiance will get here?"
    At first the redheaded girl did nothing more than continue to sip
hot chocolate and lie around with the others. Then she rose and, giving
a quick peck on the cheek to everyone, grabbed her pack and her panda
and was gone, even before the others were aware of it.
    Disappointment arose and even as the family was sitting up there
came a knock at the front door.
    Everyone was startled into full wakefulness. Kasumi sat bolt upright
and flew about the room gathering up empty mugs and dishes. Nabiki
became horrified at the state of her hair and kimono, while Serena,
oddly enough, was the most composed of all. Soun was so glad at the
presumed appearance of his friend that he ran to the door without
waiting for anyone else to get the room or themselves into acceptable
shape.
    There was some talking coming from the door, then Mr. Tendo came
back into the room leading two strangers. One was obviously a much older
man, looking tired and winded from a great deal of running. The other
was a black-haired young man of about their own age. Jaws dropped and
even Kasumi acquired a rosy blush.
    "Sorry about this." Ranma apologized, indicating the shredded
remains of what had once been an open-fronted shirt. "I got attacked on
the way here by a couple a hundred women all trying to take a piece of
me home with them."
    Kasumi took a step toward the bare-chested and splendid male figure
right out of a woman's dreams. "Perhaps I could take that. I'm fairly
good at mending things."
    No one there could believe the tattered rags could ever be made into
a shirt again. Then again, that's not what Kasumi wanted it for and ever
girl there knew it. Ranma met her eyes, and they knew that he knew it,
and he handed her the shirt anyway.
    Nabiki's scan of the man, with only a *little*, well *alot*, of
feasting her eyes on the way, concluded with the information that he was
dressed in swashbuckling attire that not only fit him well, but combined
with his own surreal attractiveness into a whole that came close to
lethal.
    Then she noticed his sash was ripped.
    "Um, you know, Ranma." Nabiki hesitated, the forged on. "I'd like to
lend a hand myself. That sash of yours looks torn. Mind if I mend it?"
    There was an eyebrow raised for her that made her weak in the knees,
but he removed the article in question from around his waist and handed
it over. Nabiki clutched it to her chest in wonder.
    Serena still hadn't picked her jaw up from the floor. Too bad for
her as he'd run out of easily removable items of apparel. Pausing to
gain visual permission he slid into a place at the family table.
    The fathers sat down at the table also, having concluded their
mini-discussion. "Well, now." Soun began. "This is my good friend."
    "Genma Saotome." Ranma's father intoduced himself with a slight bow.
"And this is my son."
    "Ranma Saotome." Three fluttering hearts met his introductory bow.
Nabiki helped Serena sit down before she fell down.
    Soun crossed his arms, happy and serious. "Now, we have to determine
which of you will get to marry Ranma..."
    "I should be the one!"
    "Pick me!"
    "No, let *me* be his fiance!"
    "Girls!" Soun practically growled. "Please, now, let's not be
unreasonable about this! There's only one of him..."
    "Dad! Whoever marries him will get to carry on the dojo, right? That
means a martial artists should get chosen." Serena singsonged.
    "Like *that* matters, little sis. Ranma *already* knows martial
arts, doesn't he? He'll need someone to do the books and take care of
the economic success of the dojo."
    "I really think Ranma is a very mature type. He'll want to settle
down swiftly, and that means he'll need someone to take care of him and
who already knows how to care for a house."
    "GIRLS!"

To be continued...

************************************************
************************************************

Author's Notes:

    Been a while, longer than I would have liked anyway. I am praise
powered in occassional ways and this is one of them. We'd have been
proceeding much more slowly had it not been for all those fans urging me
onward.

    By now you're all tired of hearing of the rewrite. Well, the first
four parts are in test version right now and are ready to be web-posted
soon for feedback. I'll be sending copies to two sources for sticking on
their sites (many thanks to Fiona Lim for doing the maintenance and
updating work on my own website, which should soon be ready for public
viewing).

    Universe C, I know you're curious. Well, the answer is simple. I
promised you that none of the *random* universes would ever be revisited
(though I was pleased by that one flashback, I may do another).
    What this means, simply, is that we will be going *back* to C
sometime soon, I hope. This thing has a life of it's own and if it
doesn't get somewhere then you'll know that's because it's wiggled off
on its own.
    It does that on me.
    Since the story is becoming a hyperactive serpent on steroids that
explains some of the twists as well. Abide with me. I'm having fun and
that's all I ever set out to do.

    As for the Unidentified Universe. Well, I don't feel like telling
you anything more at the moment. Can't a man have some privacy? Sheesh.
(Pulls shower curtain over screen).

    I decided not to kill this. I'll allow it to run (or slither) for as
long as it's still worth chuckles. This doesn't mean that I'll not get
to the triumphant ending that I had planned, it just means that it
likely won't stop there.
    An epiloge on an epiloge on an epiloge as it were. I suppose that
makes it a continuing series in the appropriate record books. Congrats,
it got the better of me.

Skysaber