TROOPERS � INTERLUDE
SHIN'S STORY
by SHIN-CHAN
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*** "Shin," Arial looked up at him, a small pout on her face. "Why won't you believe me?"
"Arial," Shin sighed and sat down next to her on the deck. "This is our second full day here, and only you have claimed to have seen anything unusual."
"What about the day we arrived?" Arial asked in a slightly desperate voice. "You have to admit that was not normal, by anyone's definition. Even Touma's."
"Just a set of unusual circumstances Arial. Just a coincidence."
"Shin," Arial gave him a level look, "I don't believe in coincidences. And if you look at each incident closely, you have to admit they are still strange. Too strange to be normal. That Kunou guy . . . "
"Has a grudge against Ranma . . . "
"You have to admit that he is weird regardless his feelings about Ranma . . . And Ranma's reaction to that cat . . . and Akane's . . . "
"Ranma is afraid of cats, Akane doesn't like them . . . "
"It was pink and lavender Shin!"
Some kid must have used food coloring on it."
"What about Ranma's reaction to water?" Arial gave him a level look. "He jumped halfway up the telephone pole."
"Hydrophobia, Arial, is a common phobia."
"Even I don't react quite that bad when I run across spiders. And his fear is limited only to cold water . . . "
Shin looked at her in surprise and held up a hand. "Hold a moment. Cold water only?"
Arial nodded her head vigorously, seeing that Shin was finally taking something she said seriously. "Yes, he only reacts to cold water."
"And how do you know that?" Shin gave her a curious look.
Her gaze guiltily dropped to her lap. "I, um, was curious . . . " Shin rolled his eyes. He knew where this was going. "I splashed him with some hot water when I was helping with the dishes yesterday. No reaction. But when I knocked a glass of ice water towards him, he nearly flattened Shu trying to get out of the way."
"Arial," Shin sighed and passed his hand over his eyes. "You are letting your imagination run wild on you. You are giving those rumors you heard too much credit."
"But what about what I saw!" Arial wailed. "The mailbox. I really did see it! Shan Lai and I walked down that street yesterday, and it was gone! And we asked around. There had never been a mailbox on that street!"
"Calm down, I am sure there is a rational explanation," She arched an eyebrow at him, "and not that it up and walked away." Shin reached out and covered her hands with one of his. "Try to relax. This is a vacation after all. And if anything else you think is strange happens, try not to overreact to it."
Arial lifted her head and looked at Shin. "Okay," she sighed. "But only if you promise that if you see something unusual, you won't discount it as nothing."
With his other hand, Shin lightly tapped her on the nose. "Promise." ***
*******
*** "I appreciate this Ranma," Touma said as they walked down the street. "This side trip. I told our friend Nasutei that I would pick up some ointment while we were in town."
"Still don't see why we couldn't have stopped off at a drug store on our way back, instead of making this special side trip."
"Come on Seiji," Shin turned to him. "You have to admit that muscle ointment that Touma brought back last time worked exceptionally well. And it doesn't reek like the over the counter ointments."
"But still . . . "
"Hey Seiji," Ranma jumped off of the fence. "Toufu's isn't really out of the way. Just two blocks from the market. We jet in, grab the ointment, and are on our way. Couple minutes tops."
Seiji held up a hand in defeat. "Okay, I know when I am outvoted. Lets drop it."
They turned down several more streets. When they turned the last corner, they stopped. Ahead of them was a small crowd of people standing outside a gate.
"Say," Touma shaded his eyes and gazed down the street. "Isn't that Dr. Toufu's?"
Ranma frowned. "Yes, it is. But, people normally don't stand outside like that unless . . . " Ranma's voice faded off and he looked further down the street, past the crowd. The familiar form of a young lady just turned around the corner. Yup, he was right. What bad timing. "Touma," Ranma turned towards Akane's cousin. "We had better come back later."
"No." They looked at Seiji. "We are already here, so why waste the effort of coming here?" Seiji started forwards.
"Uh," Ranma reached out a hand, as if to stop Seiji. "Seiji, I wouldn't . . . "
"WAHOOO!!!" Everyone milling around the gate scattered.
"What the . . . " Shin took a step forwards, then stopped. A man jumped out of the gate with a skeleton on his back. He happily danced across the street, did a pirouette, then ran around the corner. Everyone near the gate shook their head in resignation and started to wander away. The three Troopers were stunned into silence at what they had just seen.
"Who was that?" Seiji finally asked.
"That," Touma said in a soft, bemused voice, "was Dr. Toufu. I have never seen him do that before though."
Shin turned to Touma, eyes wide. "He has a medical practice?" Shin was thoroughly shocked. And rather grateful that Arial wasn't present. All things considered, this was the last thing she needed to see.
Ranma turned to them and shrugged. "He has a crush on Kasumi. He always acts like that after she visits him."
"Yes, that is right." Seiji and Shin turned to Touma. "I forgot all about it. He always did act a bit silly around her."
Seiji's mouth opened and closed, in a loss for words. "A bit silly?" he finally choked out. He mad a sweeping gesture down the street. "You call that a bit silly?!?" Seiji asked again, his voice rising in pitch as he spoke. ***
*******
*** "Oi Shin, where are you going?"
Shin finished pulling on his jacket and looked into the family room where Shu and Shan Lai were watching TV. "Arial and I are going out for a walk."
"A walk?" Shu turned to the TV. Shan Lai's favorite show was due to be coming on, any minute now. A silly romantic comedy that he would be more than happy to miss. He sprang up. "I'll go with you."
Shan Lai immediately reached out and grabbed his arm before he took two steps. With a quick jerk, she pulled him back down next to her. "Sit! We can change channels if you want, but you are not joining them on their walk!"
"Why not?"
"Oh Shu," she moaned. "Sometimes you are so dense. Did you ever think they might want to be alone?"
"Ohhh . . . " Shu nodded. "I see . . . " Both of them turned and looked at Shin, a knowing look in their eyes. A wave of pink quickly crept up Shin's cheeks.
"Guys . . . " Shin growled, "we are just going out for a walk . . . "
"Sure, sure," Nabiki said slyly as she walked by. "If that is what you say . . . " She paused, a twinkle in her eyes. She had been amusing herself by teasing Shin about his engagement to Arial. She loved to watch him blush, and he did it so well. "Have a nice walk." Nabiki laughed as Shin spun around, his cheeks a bright pink now, and quickly walk away. She turned to Shu and Shan Lai. "He is so cute."
Shin moaned to himself as he spead around the corner. That Nabiki, nothing was sacred to her. Why couldn't she tease someone else? He walked to the door, and was nearly hit by it as it burst open. As Shin quickly stepped back, Ryo all but ran in, swinging the door closed behind him.
Ryo, Shin noticed, had a rather wild, panicked look about him. "Ryo . . . "
"Ahhh!" Ryo spun around, a hand over his heart. "Oh, Shin," he murmured in relief. "It's you."
"Who else would it be?" Ryo didn't answer. "Is something wrong?"
"Wrong?" Ryo asked brightly, very unusual for Ryo. "What could be wrong?"
"Ryo . . . what is the matter?"
Ryo closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I just need to get some more rest, that is all. My eyes are playing tricks on me."
"Okay, but," Shin gave him a searching look, "If you need someone to talk to, I'm here."
Ryo nodded and went up the stairs. Shin stared up after him with a thoughtful look on his face. ***
*******
I woke up a bit before dawn to the faint sound of a girl screaming.
"Why'd ya do that for!"
A moment later there was the sound of a splash, as if something large landed in the pond outside. I rubbed my eyes, then got up to see what was going on. When I reached the window, all seemed normal. The only evidence that I had heard anything were the splash marks on the rocks surrounding the pond, and the faint remnants of ripples in the water. Strange. Then suddenly, with no warning, a cold feeling swept over me. A moment later it was gone.
I turned to the others, who were all still asleep. It seemes that they didn't hear a thing. There were two empty futons, the Saotome's. They generally got up early to practice. I gazed longingly at my futon, and sighed.
I walked over to it and started to roll it up. It was to close to dawn for me to get back to sleep, so I might as well get dressed. The only good thing about the hour of sleep that I would now be missing was the fact that I would have the opportunity to watch the sun rise. I love sunrises.
It didn't take long for me to dress. Ten minutes later I was out sitting by the pond, running my fingers in the night cooled water. It felt like silk across my fingers. One of the koi swam up and rubbed against my hand, like a kitten wanting to be stroked. I ran a finger along his side, then shooed him off. I really wasn't in the mood to play this morning.
In the trees, the birds began to sing, in anticipation. The sun was beginning to rise. I turned east. A golden light was creeping along the horizon, and as I watched, the sun began its clime into the sky.
Sunlight cast a golden shimmer across the rooftops, and danced across the pond. Beautiful, the beginning of a new day. And today, the beginning of something else.
I wrapped my arms around my legs and rested my chin on my knees. Something was going to happen today. Something that would affect me, and possibly my friends. Something that would change my life. Something that I was not going to like.
I shivered. That cold feeling earlier, the impression that I had gotten when it enveloped me, this was not new to me. I have had this happen before, this sort of premonition. And generally they were not good.
It is never anything solid, the feelings, and it is not preventable, whatever it was that was about to occur. This feeling, it is a sort of early warning device, to warn me of something that would soon be happening that would affect me profoundly. Something that would change my life forever. I leaned my forehead on my knees.
The first time that ever happened was when I was a young child. One summer morning I awoke early, shivering from an internal cold feeling. Somehow I knew, just knew, that something was going to happen. It scared me, because I knew, whatever it was that was going to happen, it was not going to be nice. I was right. That evening Mother brought Sayoko and I together in the sitting room. She had bad news for us. Father wasn't coming home again. He had died.
Years passed, and I grew up. Gradually, the incident faded from my mind. Then I turned fourteen, and it happened again. I was at my family's ancestral home that summer, Hagi, which is off of the Sea of Japan. I loved it when we came her to visit. I spent all my days at the beach, running along the shore, and swimming in the waves, and Mother and Sayoko always had the hardest time pulling me away for dinner. Given half a chance, I would have even slept on the beach.
One morning, halfway through my stay, I got up and looked out the window, at the sea. For a moment, it looked dark, forbidding. A cold shiver made its way down my spine, and I knew something was about tho occur. I then recalled what had happened the day Father died, and how I felt that morning. It was the same feeling I just had. I closed my eyes and leaned against the window pane. I was scared, really scared that I would lose another dearly loved family member.
Thankfully, that did not occur. This time, the warning was about something else. I was diving in the sea later that day, and on one dive, I saw a light blue light in crevice. I swam over and reached in, and pulled out the yoroi crystal of Suiko. I had been chosen to be a Samurai Trooper.
This incident was the changing point of my life. I was now one of five people responsible to protect the world from evil forces that would destroy it. And from that point, as one might expect, I experienced more premonitions. Always in the early morning hours, and always something that would effect me personally. The first day that Arago attacked Tokyo. The day that Ryo, Seiji and I went up to the Five Lakes region and, encountered Touyuki the next day. When Shinkaisen kidnaped Seiji, causing the series of events that lead all of us to America. The day when mother first told me about the arranged marriage between me and Arial, and once again when I met Arial the following Sunday. The last time was when Mukara, with the Kuroi Kikoutei, came after us.
Out of all of those incidents, only two were pleasant sensations. Those two were the ones about Arial. The one about Touyuki was a curious warm sensation.
The sun was peaking above the roofs by now. People were beginning to go about their daily business. The others would soon be getting up. I glanced over at the house, and saw a shadow pass in front of a window. Probably Kasumi. She usually got up first, to fix breakfast for everyone.
I released my legs and stretched. Ryo wanted me to help him convince Touma that something was going on here, a hard task. After Arial and I returned from our walk, with no strange incidents, Ryo pulled me aside. While we had been out, he had spoken with Shu and Shan Lai, had they noticed anything strange? It seemed that he had seen something rather, unusual. And he wondered what they thought about it, and about what Arial had claimed to have seen. It seemed that he was beginning to believe her.
Several days ago, the day after we had arrived in fact, we held a discussion about Arial. About what she had seen, or believed to have seen, and her reaction to it, which was dramatic enough for us to have this discussion in the first place. Naturally enough, Arial was not present. She had volunteered to help Kasumi in the kitchen. Quite surprisingly, it seems that Arial is in some sort of awe of Kasumi. She was very impressed when we arrived to discover that Kasumi singlehandedly managed such a large household. I think Arial is trying to learn from her, and I do believe that I might have hit someone if they had commented on it in front of me.
Back to the discussion. We had been a bit surprised, and a trifle alarmed by how Arial had acted that morning. Very watchful, searching. Suspicious. Totally out of character for her. Shan Lai told Shu about Arial's suspicions during breakfast, and afterwards he told me. By the time dinner rolled around, all of us knew about it, and we decided we needed to talk about it.
We were generally in agreement about what we thought. Right off the bat, Seiji told us that he thought her imagination was running rampant. After all, he was quick to mention, she claimed that her armor was given to her by dragon gods. Needless to say, he wasn't taking her claims seriously, but he was growing concerned. She is his younger cousin, and he does feel responsible for her.
Shu pretty much agreed with Seiji, a new one, that. He also pointed out that Arial had been listening to strange rumors about Nermia, which all of us had forgotten. She had came to Nermia expecting to see something strange, and her mind was complying. We shouldn't take anything she said seriously.
After a long quiet moment, while we adjusted to the fact that explanation had come from Shu, Touma spoke up. This was his cousin's home after all. He occasionally did visit, and he had never noticed anything strange. He thought she was overreacting to what she thought was a strange series of events and was using her more than fertile imagination to fill in the blanks.
We all stared at Touma after that one. As far as most of us were concerned, some of those events were on the strange side. But then, Touma isn't a reliable source on what is or isn't strange. Just look at his childhood.
Shan Lai disagreed with all of them. Yes, she said, Arial did have an active imagination, and she did believe in a wide range of things. On the other hand, she wasn't one who made up stories, she was pretty level headed, and all of us believed in things that are normally not considered normal. Couldn't Arial be on to something?
There wasn't much we could say to that. Shan Lai had brought up some good points. Arial had never been the type to just flip out over something. She didn't so much as blink when she found out we were Samurai Troopers. And she didn't make up stories for the fun of it. Her brother did that just fine without her having to do the same. That left Ryo and I.
Ryo thought all of us were overreacting. Why were we making such a big case over this? Hadn't we come here to relax? Sure some strange things had happened, but Akane and Ranma didn't react to them. They were probably normal occurrences that we were just not use to.
As for me, well, I didn't want to upset Arial. She was so sure about what she had seen, so sincere about the fact that something strange was going on, that I didn't want to tell her we all thought she was imagining it all. I told them to humor her about it. After all, who knows? Those rumors she had been listening to had to have started somehow.
Then yesterday. Seiji and I ran across Toufu, and Ryo ran across a wandering vending machine. No matter what Touma said, Nermia was beginning to appear a bit on the strange side. The hard part would be proving this to Touma.
"Oi, Shin!" I looked up at the house. Shu was leaning out of the window, his hair all askew. He looked like a dark haystack. Apparently he had just gotten up. "How long have you been up?"
I smile up at him. "Since sunrise." Shu winced. While he wasn't one of those incredibly late risers, like Touma, sunrise, or thereabout, was still too early for him. "You should have seen it," I added. "It was lovely."
"I'll take your word on it," Shu quickly replied, then frowned. "Why'd you get up that early anyway? You and Ryo were still talkin' when I hit the sack at twelve."
I glanced down at the pond. "Well, it wasn't quite my idea. I thought I heard something strange this morning, and you know I can't go back to sleep after I get up."
"Somethin' strange," a disgusted look flashed across Shu's face. "You arn't gonna start that too, are you?" I shrugged. There wasn't much I could say to that. "So, what ya hear? A marching band?"
My lips twitched in amusement. "No," I told Shu. "Everyone would have heard that."
"Except Touma."
"I thought I heard a girl yelling, and I know I heard something splash in the pond. When I looked out the window, there was nothing but ripples in the pond."
Shu rested his elbows on the windowsill. "What did the fish say?" he asked in an interested voice.
I looked at him, a bit startled. "What?"
Shu gave me a disgusted look. "The fish. The fish." He waved at the pond. "There are koi in the pond, didn't you ask them what happened?"
That had totally slipped my mind. "No, I haven't. That isn't a bad idea."
"Well," Shu stood up. "Tell me later what they said. Those koi are probably pretty reliable." Then he smirked down at me. "They haven't been talkin' to Arial." With that parting statement, Shu quickly closed the window, probably in fear of a waterball hitting him. I ran my hand in the cool water. If so, he had been correct in his assumption.
I turned to the pond. Shu's idea was a good one though. I had actually forgotten about that ability, probably because so much else was on my mind. Two of the koi swam towards me, one of them was the koi from earlier. I reached out to them. <Friends, what disturbed the water?>
Talking to fish is different than talking to fellow humans. They generally think in images and direct ideas. My question was more in the way of images of something splashing in the water than actual words. They looked at me, and they told me what had happened. From their perspective.
I saw a boy/girl, man/panda? Falling into the water, scaring them. The impression that this happened a lot. I lifted my hand out of the water and brought it dripping to my temple. The images kept coming, kept changing. The form of a boy, it looked like Ranma, superimposed by that of a girl. Over and over again. The man/panda image was the same, except it was Saotome-san and a giant panda.
<Thank you. You may play now.> I slowly got to my feet as the images faded. Now, that was strange. Fish did not have imaginations, and they had no concept of lies. Either I had heard them wrong, or something was very, very strange in this household.
I once again looked at the house. Maybe, just maybe, Arial was on to something. Something that none of us know about. Probably, considering the feeling I had, something we didn't want to know about.
Slowly, I started towards the back door. Whatever it is that is going on, I wasn't going to find out about it standing in the back yard.
THE END