Benefit Versus Desire [Ranma, Shuten]

“A non-alcoholic one for you till your wounds heal up, buster…”

Those words echoed in his head for a while. It resonated with sweet sweet Erica’s words too.

“Just try not to overdo it with the booze. Your body might not like it after just being healed…”

Apparently, Ranma was overdoing himself and getting away with all sorts of injuries lately. It had gotten to the point where he got injured on an almost daily basis, but things were calming down now. However! A most tormenting predicament was over him… he was bombarded with the advice to avoid alcoholic beverages until he’d recovered fully. And while he could walk around now after healing from his bout with Shura, he was still technically in the late-stage of recovery… so he felt frustrated. Beyond frustrated – he felt deprived of something vital to his very being.

A good slushing down some sake.

It drove him near madness. Although passing by the streets like any ordinary Shinigami, his eyes were bloodshot with veins everywhere, his breathing was erratic, and he was urging to scratch off all the hairs on his head. Was he… wait… was this some sort of withdrawal symptom? Did he have a problem? No way in hell did he have a problem…

“… So you’re taking a break from these drinks, eh? Hey, 100% respect your decision, boy, but… I don’t know, figured you’d have started earlier if you were seri- wait, wait, I WAS JUST JOKING! Ohhhh… now I’ve done it, he could’ve at least left the door open instead of smashing it like that…”

Ranma kept repeating the same words in his mind. He did not have a problem! He was normal! He just needed a break, due to his injuries! His bandaged injuries, damn it! Why did his bar-running friend even feel the need to comment like that?! Then again… why did Ranma charge off like that? He ought to go back and apologize… but it’d be hellishly awkward to do so now. He’d wait.

… Maybe he really needed a break. He didn’t know why, but signs were beginning to show. Fuuuuuuuuuuck, his body was sleepy. Oh hey, look at that comfortable sidewalk with a wooden wall for a pillow. Nobody would blame him if he leaned up against it, sat down and just took a nap…

…

…

A few other people, both with Shihakushō and without, passed by the snoozing body that was Ranma. Some commented in worry, but ultimately left the lad to sleep in peace, while others outright arced around him out of fear born from the inability to comprehend the why’s in this scenario. He was sleeping soundly at the side of the walk, leaning his back up on a building like a homeless person, just kind of tired with dealing with a strange problem of his that desperately needed proactive attention.

”Mhn… mhhhhn… f-five more minutes…”

He responded strangely familiarly… yes, that term was pronounced correctly. Strangely familiarly with the stranger who was poking his face continuously. Yet, someone like him didn’t know where that familiarity came from – it wasn’t like he had a parent who woke him up by poking his face like a woodpecker. Realizing that, his eyes zapped wide-open, thankfully revealing that his eye veins were dissipating from the rest.

“… Oh no,” he panicked for a second, suddenly listening to the worries of a short, petite beauty who appeared to also carry the telltale sign of a Shinigami – the Shihakushō fabric, albeit quite simplified and shrunk to resemble a scarfed kunoichi’s garments. Peculiarly an outfit he hadn’t seen up close before, and thus a new view for the man with a brain wired differently.

“I’m… awake. Was just napping, is all… *yaaaaaaaawn*” he yawned, trying to tone down the urgency in it all, “Heal? Oh, I’m already… here, look.” He began pulling off his bandages on his arms to reveal to her that his wounds had patched up and left fair, pale skin. Underneath the bandages covering his mouth, he goofed up a big smile. “I just wanted a nap before, uh… drinking some juice. Taking a walk. Fresh air. Y’know, that kind of stuff.”

He seemed… quite absent-minded. Yet, he wasn’t lying. And he also wasn’t lying when he thought about the very apparent trait on this Shinigami’s head – the pair of spiky horns protruding upwards from her forehead. “… I don’t know why, but I feel like an asshole for glaring like this. Wait, you’re a healer? Can you heal, like, headaches and stress too?”

Woah, woah, what the- this horned lass got two gourds? That was one more than he had… and one of them was attached to a sword?! Wait, she got a Zanpakutō… a Sake-pakutō! he thought to himself, his fingers crooking and twirling towards the gourd that she offered. He accepted that fully.

“Ah, thank you so much, I need this bad…” he mumbled to himself before taking a mouthful of beverage from the gourd… that made his brain spark. Stealth Division, something, beat, staring, words just began turning into fluids. The world melted down… and his face burned up with joy. “*gulp*… uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah~! Holy crap, what even is this- you said Healing Sake? That a thing? And it’s this sweet?” he asked with sparkling eyes, having completely forgotten his recent decision to keep off the heavy drinks in the presence of-

Aww, she took it back. His face visibly altered into a sad, heavy frown as a result, having enjoyed those two mouthfuls quite deeply. “Damn, I could almost kill for a third sip,” he mumbled upon accepting Shuten’s helping hand to get himself back up – oh, surprisingly, the sake had actually worked wonders! He felt… full of energy, rejuvenated and fresh! The opposite of when he drank too much…

“Well damn, I-I gotta thank ya, Shuten. Name’s Ranma, Nth Seat of the Eighth Di- Squad Eighth Seat-… Eighth Division boy,” he exchanged the introduction with one of his own, “Wait, you’re a Seated member? I wish I could become a Seated one myself, honestly… also, no shot – the sake is your Zanpakutō, isn’t it?! Did I just drink a Zanpakutō?”

What a large gourd… his dwarfed in comparison. Still, he took quite a slurp – he was definitely going tipsy at some point… definitely. Soon, yes. Very soon… definitely, yes.

His curiosity about these Seats that members of each Gotei squadron could take was enhanced by Shuten’s answer – he’d already met a couple Seated members up until now, including the one from his own Squad – Noharu – as well as Mizu from Squad 2… and Shura from Squad 4… and Armina from Squad 4… and hopefully, he wouldn’t meet any more Squad 4 Seated battle hobos.

Apparently, Shuten didn’t want to leave him snoozing off on the road in the open and gestured him to follow suit, which he did without hesitation since that opportunity – the one where he was required to get back up on his feet – allowed him, for the smallest instance, to get a tempting view that he’d treasure in his very private memory for times unending. Towering her, however, snapped him out of his fever dream – it was definitely the sake working… right?

“Aww… wait, why am I saying ‘aww’, I-I’m glad I didn’t drink anything I wasn’t supposed to drink…” he commented with a hand resting on the back of his head, “Sa- you produce… sake… from your Reiatsu? Bullshit. Oh, now I know your sake got me drunk, I must’ve heard some wacky shi-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeh?”

His words were shoved right back into his mouth as Shuten proved him wrong without hesitation, showing the dish that she used as a cup fill up with sake that was dropping… from her freaking fingers?!?! No, no, her entire palm acted like a faucet for sake! Wait, that made things feel a little out of order! And her Reiatsu comment earlier, too… he drank her??!?!

With widened eyes in utter shock, wanting to disbelieve but being utterly unable to, Ranma spoke once more: “… I stand corrected-“

I was born in the wrong family, holy shit-

“-I will proceed to believe everything you tell me from now on.”

…

…

It was still a good walk towards the barracks, but in the midst of it, Ranma couldn’t maintain his silence again: “Are the Suikas a big family? Y’all should be some damn celebrities with such an ability… then again, maybe your sake could need some more spice – my brain still feels intact…” Knocking on his head a few times, Ranma pondered over why he wasn’t seeing bubbles yet – he downed that shit earlier, remember?