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Outside, Hotaru looked around the backyard. It seemed to be in one piece again; of course, the last time she'd seen it, she had been fighting Ranma, to kill him, or at least hurt him as much as she was being hurt. Dressed in that outfit... she sighed, and wondered if she'd ever get a chance to model it for Ranma in private. No use wondering, though, she thought to herself. Ranma was gone and she had to accept that. Hotaru loved Ranma enough that she felt she could continue her feelings for him with this new woman, this Kaname, but that wasn't possible. She wasn't interested. And, well, not being cursed kind of threw a spanner into the works there. It was so frustrating! Most of her friends had by now died and come back to life at least once. Ranma had only lost his memory, but Hotaru was starting to think it may have been more than that, that perhaps Ranma's memories no longer existed. That Kaname had been a blank slate, and who she was now had been pieced together completely through her sheer force of will. That was what Kaname believed, at any rate, and Hotaru had to admit she believed her. So did that mean Ranma was lost for good?

"No," Kasumi said, from behind where Hotaru sat on the edge of the veranda. Hotaru jumped, and pivoted around quickly. Kasumi smiled disarmingly. "It's nice to see you when you're not trying to destroy my home," she added.

"Um... I'm really sorry about that," Hotaru offered, knowing how stupid that sounded.

Kasumi waved it off. "It was paid for. And it's no different to the damage done to the house when Ranma was living here. Ahh..." Her eyes drifted backwards into the past, and Hotaru nearly found herself joining the elder Tendo sister. "You know he is still alive," she said, very matter-of-factly.

Hotaru nodded. "I can feel him. All around Kaname. But... I don't feel him *in* her. It's like... they've been separated. I don't know how, I don't know why. And I can't ask - Ami, because, because, I can't explain it to her."

Kasumi smiled, studied the snow as it fell in front of them. "He has been gone before. He will be gone again. But then... Ranma's journey... it is a long, hard journey. To walk the line he has chosen for himself. And had chosen for him. Because no one lives in a vacuum, and other people influence our decisions."

"What do you mean?"

"Perhaps the greatest gift we have, as living creatures, is the power of choice. It's what separates humans from animals. We can say no to our instincts." Kasumi chuckled lightly. "We don't often say no to them, but we can. Our choices can be mundane, or profound. Ranma's choice is approaching. He has both avenues in front of him, right now. He can go either way."

"Light or Dark," Hotaru realised. "He's not just a Dark General, he's also a senshi! But - isn't that impossible?" Then she kicked herself for asking that out loud, knowing full well that Kasumi couldn't answer.

But the eldest Tendo sister surprised her, for she considered the question seriously before answering. "Just because it hasn't happened before doesn't mean that it can't. The most loyal of military leaders can change sides if they feel their cause is no longer just. Politicians can side with opponents for causes that their constituents hold dearly. And Knights can be turned into Generals with the touch of a King's sword, and vice-versa. Ranma is Ranma, no matter what else affects him. Trust in him, and that trust will be returned."

"You're not as-" Hotaru caught her tongue before it could finish the sentence, but again, Kasumi surprised her.

"Out of it as people would assume?" She chuckled. "I have my moments."

"Ranma said you could be scary."

Kasumi looked thoughtful. "Perhaps I am when my family's happiness is threatened. I cannot really say as I don't upset my family." She smiled wanly. "I may have misjudged Ranma. I consider him family, of course, but he hurt my little sister badly. Which resulted in her losing some of her more... unsavoury attitudes."

"Children often grow up when confronted with painful changes to their comfortable existances," Hotaru remarked, suddenly feeling Saturn inside her, feeling ancient.

"Indeed," Kasumi agreed with similar weight to her words. They sat in silence, while muffled sobbing continued in the dojo.

Love, Chapter 15