While Kaname was trying to cheer up Eija and Sousuke was trying to get out of Helmjistan, Mao and Ranma were finishing up with the small host of akiras they'd taken charge of.
"What's going to happen here?" Nimu asked quietly as she watched her sisters loaded into the troop helicopters.
"That'll be discussed," Ranma told her. "I can tell you it isn't going to be easy. We were coming to rescue one girl, not twenty."
"Just got word from the other site," Mao said, arriving. "They found thirty girls there, some younger than these."
"That would be the Go's," Nimu said. "They're meant to be the M...Kodachi's research assistants."
Mao and Ranma exchanged a look.
"So, they'd be highly intelligent," Mao said. "Is she interested in one in particular?"
Nimu looked toward the other two people, narrowing her eyes.
"Yaku Go," Nimu said. "Sanya and I were trying to recover her after she'd escaped. Some boy's been protecting her."
"Tall, blonde," Ranma asked.
"That's him," Nimu said. "He has one of my sister's with him. Do you know where she is, she needs a...vitamin shot soon."
"From what we can tell," Mao said. "He raided another of these places for a supply of your vitamins, so she should be fine."
"Go make sure your sister's are taken care of," Ranma said politely.
Nimu frowned, but realized she wasn't going to get anything out of the two. Reluctantly, she turned toward the helicopters, pausing momentarily to look back over her shoulder.
"I'm trusting you," she said firmly.
"We're going to do what we can," Ranma said firmly.
Then the girl was away.
Mao looked toward Ranma and considered the situation.
"The Whispered?" she asked.
"I wouldn't be surprised," Ranma said. "And apparently, Deimosu has her on his little private mission."
"Are you coming with us to Meridia?" Mao asked.
"Not a good idea," Ranma said.
"No one there has seen you like this," the mercenary noted, indicating Ranma's currently male body. "So they won't connect you with your family."
"Yeah, but there are real people from Intelligence division on Meridia," Ranma said. "So my cover as a 'covert agent' won't hold up. And since they're not cleared for Psyche yet..."
"Right," Mao said. "The Captain will want to speak to you face to face."
"Oh, the Captain will hear my report soon enough," Ranma said with a smirk.
"So, on to Okinawa from here, then?" Mao asked, narrowing her eyes as the man...woman...whatever implied some means of contact with Tessa that she wasn't privy to.
"That's about right," the martial artist agreed.
*****
Avalon Providers' offices hung off the beaten track from much the rest of Heaven. Many of the living were nervous about the presence of the dead, but those who were ageless, even nearly immortal found such wandering spirits even more distasteful.
Though, of course, their were exceptions.
Most of the death seers of heaven, native or immigrants, worked in the Avalon Providers and it was their task to manage the small percentage of restless spirits that did not pass on to the greater mystery beyond. Sometimes they returned to a new life, a reincarnation.
For the most part, they monitored the work of mortal mediums and death seers from a distance. However, given enough time it became increasingly difficult for mortal mediums to help a lingering spirit. Which is when the Avalon Providers quietly stepped in.
There were a large number of old spirits kept in Avalon, where they could remain until a way was found to help them move out of this realm. It was rare for the newly dead to appear in this place.
Even rarer to see the departed soul of one the immortals.
Persephone was sitting at her desk when she felt the arrival of a spirit. It wasn't the first time a spirit appeared past the lobbies, entrances and other offices of her command. Ghosts were difficult to contain or forbid entry. They didn't seem to obey consistent laws of space, but rather just appeared where they wished to appear.
Looking up, Persephone saw the spirit in front of her and had a rough surprise.
The feel of a dead, bodiless soul was unmistakable, but so, too, were the marks of a demoness upon the young woman's face. She was dressed in heavenly robes and wearing the headset of television operator.
"Hello," the spirit asked. "Miss Satomi? Miss Satomi? Are you there?"
Persephone recognized the name easily and stood up, carefully approaching the spirit, obviously showing the confusion of the newly dead.
"Excuse me," Persephone said gently.
The ghost turned to look at her and squinted, as if staring through a haze and trying to identify something.
"Lady Persephone," she said. "Your granddaughter was just on the line. I lost the connection."
"That's fine," Persephone said. "What is your name?"
"Jarinta," the ghost of the demoness said. "Where am I? I was at work."
"This is Avalon," Persephone explained.
"Why, how..." Jarinta asked. "I didn't walk here. I was on the phone and then..."
"That was several days ago," Persephone said gently.
"It was just now," Jarinta protested.
"Come with me," Persephone said, gesturing with her hand, careful not to touch the woman. "I'll find a place for you to stay."
"I can't stay here," Jarinta said. "Avalon is only for the...for the...dead."
"I'm afraid so," Persephone said.
Jarinta's face looked aghast for a few seconds and then she was gone.
Persephone sighed and shook her head. She was much more used to the long dead, the newly dead were unpredictable and touchy. Unfortunately, given they usually let mortals handle newly dead meant that few if any of her people had the proper experience for this matter.
She walked out of her office and looked toward the god sitting in the position of her secretary. She looked toward him.
"Thanatos," she said. "The spirit of the demoness that died last week just appeared here."
"I thought I felt something," the other god said. "I assume she's gone now?"
"Yes, she took news somewhat hard, I'm afraid," Persephone said. "Arrange to have someone speak to her friends and family. Make sure they know the proper spells to see and speak to her if she appears again."
"Of course," Thantos noted. "And you?"
"I'll be taking a trip to the mortal realm," Persephone said. "She relayed that one of my new grandchildren was trying to reach me. In any case, Eija is a death seer herself, and formerly mortal, she might prove useful in this situation."
"The new Goddess of Blood, yes?" Thanatos asked. "Wouldn't she be better suited to a case of violent death."
"Perhaps, but I'd like to see her into the business regardless," Persephone noted.
*****
"How dare you!" Nodoka shouted at the top of her lungs as people gathered around.
Her hands were behind her back, secured in zip-ties as she stood up and glared at Sousuke. A strand of her hair had escaped her bun and fallen down in front of her face.
"I apologize, Ma'am," Sousuke said from where he stood at attention. "I was not aware that you were her grandmother. I simply saw you drawing the weapon. I assume this is some form of training."
"Training?" Nodoka snapped. "Ridiculous."
"Grandmother," Eija said stepping forward. "Let me untie..."
"Don't touch me!" Nodoka snapped at the girl, causing Eija to step back.
Coming in from the crowd of gathering onlookers, Ryuu stepped forward and moved around behind Nodoka, cutting the zip ties with the knife he had been using for skinning potatoes.
"I want these hooligans out of the house immediately," Nodoka insisted. "Assaulting respectable woman for no reason."
"M...Nodoka," Ryuu said, pulling her aside. "Calm down, it was a misunderstanding and it won't happen again."
In the background, Akane was moving her and Ryuu's children away from the scene, shuffling most of the teenagers away as well. She paused at the part of the hallway leading out to the front room, and gasped slightly.
"Most certainly not," Nodoka insisted. "Because these...people shall be gone from my house."
"This is my house," Ryuu insisted. "And these are our guests. Family even."
Nodoka strode past her adoptive son and pointed toward Eija and Naiki.
"These are not guests," Nodoka insisted. "These are a stain on the honor of our clan. They cannot be born of any thing that shares blood with me. You should have dealt with them immediately."
"Hey, I might be a demon, but there's nothing Eija's done to deserve being called a stain," Naiki snapped.
Nodoka twisted to look at Naiki, raising her hand up as she did so. The green-haired girl could have easily caught the backhanded slap that was coming, but there was no need.
A second red-headed woman had moved between the children and Nodoka and caught the hand firmly.
Nodoka struggled briefly to pull her hand back, but younger woman held it firmly. Their eyes met briefly, and Nodoka saw the flash of anger that matched her own, and beneath it a well of sadness and regret the younger woman couldn't keep hidden.
Then her hand was released and she was stepping back.
Ranma turned slowly to look at Akane and Ryuu.
"I'm sorry for the trouble," Ranma said.
"It is really no problem," Akane said politely.
"Thank you for taking care of my daughters," Ranma said, looking back toward Nodoka. "Naiki, Eija, can you give me some time."
"Ha..hai," Eija said, bowing and starting to edge away from the scene, before turning and retreating fully.
Naiki frowned and left more slowly.
Ranma looked back again, saw Kaname and Sousuke standing there, watching and looking somewhat uncertain.
"I thought you two cared about my daughter," Ranma said with a slight, encouraging smile and a nod. Her voice was cold, though the coldness was not directed at them.
"Right," Kaname said, flushing brightly. "Let's go Sousuke."
Kaname grabbed Sousuke's arm and pulled him away from the scene to go after Eija, leaving only the four adults in the hallway.
"Is there somewhere I can discuss matters with your other guest?" Ranma asked of Ryuu and Akane.
"You can use the room here," Ryuu said, opening a door.
"Saotome-san?" Ranma said, gesturing for Nodoka to enter ahead of her.
Hesitantly, still shocked perhaps, Nodoka straightened herself and, with a physical grace born of years of practice, walked into the room. Ranma followed behind her, and even the barely restrained storm of emotions behind her cool appearance was more graceful than the uncertainty in Nodoka's manner.
Akane closed the door behind Ranma and shared a look with Ryuu.
"She's changed a lot," Ryuu whispered.
"Let's check the kids," Akane said.
*****
Nodoka, in her kimono, kneeled down in the room and composed herself as Ranma, dressed in a red woman's business suit, sat down across from her, cross legged.
"Why are you still alive?" Nodoka asked harshly.
"Have you heard the story of Medusa, Saotome-san?" Ranma asked, ignoring the question.
"I care not for barbaric superstitions," Nodoka snapped.
"Medusa was a beautiful priestess of Athena," Ranma said, continuing to ignore Nodoka. "With great white wings and long, dark lovely hair. Then, one day, she attracted the interest of...a certain god," Ranma's cool demeanor shifted slightly as she spoke.
She took a moment to recover herself and continued.
"She refused his advances," Ranma continued. "So he...came to the temple of Athena and forced himself on her. Afterwords, she prayed to Athena, seeking comfort and justice. Instead, Athena punished her for the crime of having been a victim. Turned her hair into snakes and the feathers of her her wings to war-like brass. And worst of all, left the children of the crime locked within her, undeveloped until a young man freed her from the misery."
"I don't see the point of this story," Nodoka said firmly.
"You were the only one I called after...it," Ranma said. "Pride and fear kept me from speaking to..." she paused and looked over her shoulder briefly, "...the Tendos. But certainly Saotome-san, who had accepted the curse, could be understanding."
Nodoka frowned slightly as Ranma again referred to her as "Saotome-san" rather than mother.
"Instead of a mother's comfort, I get Athena's judgment," Ranma said harshly, still keeping down her volume. "You knew everything you needed to say to destroy me and you said it all."
"I said what I did so that you could do the right thing," Nodoka insisted. "And still I find you were too cowardly to do the honorable thing."
"You're lucky, Saotome-san," Ranma said. "You're lucky I wasn't physically capable of carrying out seppuku until after I found out I was pregnant. You're lucky that Nabiki didn't die looking for me when you could have said quite easily where I was."
"Have you..." Nodoka asked, suddenly concerned.
"Have I told anybody that you knew?" Ranma asked, voice still low. "No, I'm not responsible for your sins. Just my own. I've apologized to Akane for lacking trust in her and almost getting Nabiki killed. When I discuss my intention to kill myself with my children and ask for their forgiveness, I'll keep your name out of it, Saotome-san."
The space between them was deadly quiet for a long time afterward.
"I apologize, Saotome-san," Ranma said finally. "The information I had said you were on vacation in Hokkaido. I didn't expect you to be here when my children were here."
"And you expected me to not hear about you from Akane and Ryuu?" Nodoka asked. "And I assume you've spoken to the Tendos as well."
"Most everyone knows I'm back in Japan," Ranma said. "I knew we'd meet sooner or later after Akane figured out who I was."
"Then you would make me out to be a fool?" Nodoka snapped. "The last to know? Did you want to hurt me? Get revenge because I hurt you? Until a few days ago, I knew you were among our ancestors. And now, I know that when you die, you will be in suffering in Yoma."
She emphasized that last word heavily.
"Tell me, Saotome-san," Ranma said. "If you had to choose between your children's lives or eternal suffering. Which would you choose?"
"I chose my child's soul," Nodoka responded. "Have you seen what's come of your failure? At least one of your daughters is a lesbian, clearly your shame has passed on. It would have been better for her not to have existed rather than be cursed as such."
"Souls are reborn, Saotome-san," Ranma said. "In one life we might be a man, in the next a woman. And some of us will be both. I doubt, when one finds their soulmate I doubt their soul cares what body it is in. Nor do I believe that a Universe which gives us a rotating gender cares where we find our love placed."
Ranma and Nodoka stared across the gap of ideologies and beliefs, unable to bring the other over to their side of the chasm. Slowly, Nodoka straightened up, metaphorically pulling back the offer to Ranma to join her on her side. As she did so, Ranma sighed and straightened herself.
"Fine," Ranma said. "I'll arrange for hotel rooms for the last few days of this vacation. That will allow those who want to spend time together to do so without being forced to."
She stood up.
"I'm going to set aside what I saw and heard for now," Ranma said. "But I won't deny my children the right to know you, or you to know them."
Her voice then turned hard and cold.
"But I am not forgetting, Saotome-san," Ranma said. "I do not like to see my children hurt, and I saw your words in Eija's eyes when she ran out of here. I doubt you know her well enough to really hurt her yet, but if you try that again, I will respond."
She turned her back on Nodoka.
"And, Saotome-san," Ranma said. "You can crush hearts, but, if I want to, I can reach your soul."
Ranma walked out of the room, closing the door behind her.