PART 4A
Under the dim light of the sunrise, Ranma was staggering
down a random street in Nerima. The flowing hair was once again
braided. His legs were shaking, but not because of the fact that
he hadn't slept for the entire night, and was now carrying his
heavy backpack.
Rather, it was because of the fact that he had spared Ryoga,
the one who had tormented him for over a year with his fanatic
challenges.
When he, or rather, she, bit into Ryoga's neck last night,
she had expected the latter to freak, to push her away, to attack
her, to do anything that could have given her a reason to torture
him to death.
Instead, he bore it in silence.
And that, had cut through Ranma-chan's rage, and slapped her
back into her rational self. Blood was gushing out in a
fountain. Should she continue? Or should she stop?
Ryoga's pulse was weakening at a frightening rate.
Conscience that she always thought of as a burden kicked in,
and she released him. The lost boy fell, his blood straying in
all directions. His eyes were still open, reflecting
Ranma-chan's stunned expression as she tasted the blood on her
lips.
Her eyes looked up and away from that face, and saw a cross
on top of a pointed top of a distant chapel that looked blurry
under the sunset.
Ranma-chan looked down at Ryoga again, saved him without a
second thought, and took him back home.
And Ranma thought he was cold enough to get his revenge.
Why did that baka had to choose that particular moment to be
so damn honorable? It was almost like fate was purposely working
against his revenge.
And why did he felt so strange after seeing that cross?
Ranma silently berated himself as contrasting feelings
rushed over him. {I guess he really didn't owe me THAT much.
After all, I was kind of using him myself. . . even though it had
developed into something else afterwards.}
Had it?
{Great. After all the pain that I've been through due to
him, I still haven't got enough of a reason to blame things on
him as he did to me.} Ranma-kun muttered aloud as he turned a
corner. "That wasn't fair-"
His sentence was cut off as he became face to face with one
person that he thought he wouldn't have to see ever again.
* * * * * * *
Akane was in a crabby mood as she was going through her
ritual of morning jogging. {That insensitive jerk! How dare he
not come back home without telling us?}
Her anger cooled down somewhat as she remembered how Ranma
HAD been staying behind at the Nekohanten. {Maybe he was
mind-controlled by some kind of Chinese artifacts . . . DAMMIT!
Why did he have to stay behind at that freakish place anyway?!
Perverted baka! Probably having spent the night with that little
whore! Ohhhhh! Just wait till he shows up-}
"That wasn't fair-" a familiar voice, followed by a familiar
face, appeared right in front of her.
Akane was startled at first at seeing Ranma's backpack.
Then her face hardened into a scowl. "You pervert! Where were
you last night?!"
Ranma looked at this girl who had walked all over him for
over a year. Strangely, as if her spell over him had been
broken, Ranma could suddenly handle this once fatal question with
surprising calmness.. "You need not worry about that, Akane." he
said in an even voice.
Akane was stunned. This wasn't Ranma. This COULDN'T be
Ranma! The Ranma that she knew could never sound so cold, so
distant. He should be paralysed by her anger, franticly making
some incoherent retorts that could only serve to give her even
more reason to trash him.
"What. . ."
Ranma cut her off with politely restrained impatience.
"Because starting from yesterday, our engagement was nullified.
From now on, I will no longer be a burden to your household. . .
I can't guarantee the same thing about Pop though. It was nice
knowing you." Ranma smiled and drifted away, as cool as a piece
of autumn leaf.
Akane looked at his retreating figure with her jaw almost
hitting the ground. This couldn't be right. Ever since the day
Mr. Saotome had brought him to the Tendo house, Ranma had became
hers to own, her to control, hers to be jealous over, hers to. .
. love. He wouldn't, couldn't possibly left her. This just
wasn't how their story was supposed to end! He's her's!!!!!
Leaping up like a furious leopard over Ranma, she landed right of
in of the boy, who didn't even finch.
"This isn't funny, Ranma." she said, trying to maintain
confidence in her voice.
"It's not meant to be." Ranma replied as he stared evenly
at her.
Akane franticly tried to think of something to say. "We are
engaged by our own fathers. . ."
"And not by our own free wills." Ranma said casually as he
attempted to walk around Akane. The girl blocked him,
frustration on her face.
"Ranma! You can't just ran out on our engagement! Think
about your father-"
Ranma looked amused. "About what? About how he threw me
into a pit of cats? About how he had engaged me to a dozen
fiancees, and left it to me to sort out the mess? About how he-"
Ranma abruptly stopped himself before revealing too much.
"He might not be the best of fathers, but he did managed to
brought you up." Akane said with a hint of anger.
Ranma laughed. "And how, pray tell, do you suppose he went
about to do it? The phase "getting a job" is obviously not part
of his vocabulary."
"Well... he... he had obviously done something!" Akane
said.
"That no doubt he did. How else do you explain Ukyou's
blind rage when she re-discovered me here?"
"So Mr. Saotome ran away with her dowry, but Ukyou's father
was just as much to blame for her sufferings. If he didn't
attempt to BUY himself a son-in-law, none of this would have
happened!" Akane went over what she just said. It didn't sound
right, but for argument's sake it would have to do.
Ranma looked sideways at her. "Oh, and I suppose your
father behaved differently on this issue?"
"Don't you dare say that! My father loved you as he would
his son!"
"Really? Whatever makes you think that Mr. Kunoji didn't
care for me?"
"I..."
Ranma continued. "As for your father, no... your entire
family, whose side were they always on whenever we got into a
fight?"
"It... it was always your fault! Chasing other women,
avoiding my cooking..." Akane was struggling to come up with
retorts.
"THEY CAME TO ME, OKAY!? I've never encouraged any of them,
let alone chase them. And how dare you be angry at me for not
eating your cooking WHEN NONE OF THE TENDOS EVEN DARED TO WALK
NEAR IT?!!!!!!!" Ranma was burning with rage.
"Have you said enough yet?" Akane was turning white.
Ranma closed in on Akane. "No! For once I'm gonna give you
a piece of my mind! None of you have never considered me as a
part of the family. Remember how Mr. Tendo tied me up and hang
me in the Dojo when I dated Ukyou and Shampoo under the influence
of magic? Kasumi... well, I can't say much about her, since she
always kept her distance. As for Nabiki, she kept on selling NUDE
photos of me in both forms, and TO MY CLASSMATES!!! Would they
do this to you? WOULD THEY??"
"Ranma, I . . . they . . ." Akane was starting to sob as
her shell of righteousness shattered. Ranma pushed her against a
wall.
"I know why they all treat me like this. To them, I'm not
someone who was engaged to you, but someone who was SOLD to you.
They think that I deserved to be beaten, exploited and humiliated
because I am leeching off the Tendo household and inheriting
THEIR Dojo! Dammit! I have never wanted your Dojo! I DON'T
DESERVE ANY OF THIS! I should have left long ago, to show them
that I ain't interested in munching off the O' mighty Tendo
fortune. But no . . . my father WANTED YOUR DOJO AND INSISTED
THAT WE STAY HERE! I didn't know that I had a mother then, and
he was the only family that I had. Naive as I was, I stayed with
him and endured the hell that followed. SO DON'T YOU CRITICIZE
ME FOR *DISHONOURING* MY FATHER!!!"
Akane turned away and cried. "But what about me? All this
time that you had stayed, I thought you-"
"Love you?" Ranma asked as he loosened his hold on her.
"Well. . . I . . . I did love you unconditionally. . . and for
such a long time too." those words were so much easier to say now
than in the past, when they were still meaningful.
Akane turned around in shock.
"Because I liked you enough, and people that had mattered a
lot to me were forcing us together. Also, you . . . you're so
drop-dead beautiful when you smile, and you were the first Tendo
ever to be kind to me. And even though my damn macho pride had
prevented me from saying this before . . . I AM grateful to you
for helping me won the important battles, even though it was
stupid of you to risk yourself like that all the time. But
without your help, I would have been killed a long time ago."
"Ranma . . ." Akane blushed. She never knew that he
thought that way about her.
Ranma continued as his toned saddened. "Anyway, I thought.
. . I thought that everything would be all right if I choose you
. . . and then I could . . . I could have something like a family
to hang onto. And that . . . and that you will love me back and
everything will be all right . . . just like one of those
sentimental anime shows." Ranma clutched his fists as he
continued. "Obviously I was wrong. Nobody would ever really see
me as anything more than a tool to defend the dojo. And you . .
. you takes what I did for you for granted. I know I'm not the
most perfect boyfriend in human history. I can be rude and
boorish at times, and would sometimes put my foot right into my
mouth . . ."
"Lot of times." Akane corrected him as she wiped at her
teary eyes.
Ranma continued on, as if he hadn't heard her. "But I . . .
I have NEVER let you down in ANYTHING before, not when you
needed a partner to defend the Dojo from challengers, not when
you needed somebody to vent out your anger on, not when . . . not
when you needed me to stay loyal to you despite all other
temptations." he then turned toward Akane, startling her. "And
you would still keep on pushing me away with suspicion and anger,
expecting me to keep on reaching out to you all the while."
The accusation stabbed into Akane's heart, hurting her. She
wanted desperately to say something, to show him how wrong he was
about her. But nothing came up to her mouth.
Because he was right.
"I had tried, God be my witness I HAD tried so damn hard to
stay by you . . . but I can't do it anymore." Ranma bit his
lower lip. "You are getting angry more and more often, Akane.
That kind smile of yours, the smile that had kept me by your side
all this time, it was beginning to fade from my memory." Ranma's
eyes became slighly watery as he asked one final question. "If
you can risk your life for me so often, why can't you risk
putting aside your anger and give me a chance to get into your
heart for even once, no matter how hard I had tried?" without
waiting for an answer, he turned away, leapt up over a rooftop
and disappeared.
Disappeared from Akane's world.
Looking back upon the entire year that they had been
together, it wasn't hard for Akane to tell that Ranma was working
way harder than her on building their relationship.
With a finacially stable family (thanks to Nabiki) and an
officially approved engagement, the youngest Tendo daughter could
even afford the luxury to sit back and scorned at Ranma's other
fiancees tearing each other apart. They were the unfortunate
ones, with no substantial forces backing their claims upon Ranma.
She thought of them as lowly, desperate banchees, throwing away
their dignities to try winning him over with their cat-fights.
She thought of herself as a higher, purer being, always a step
above the others because a traditional, "honorable" arrangement
was on her side.
Actually, tradition was also on Ukyou's side, but since the
girl had nobody here to back her up on it, it was somewhat
invalid. As for Shampoo . . . Well, her Amazon law couldn't bind
Ranma legally in Japan. China, on the other hand . . .
With her strong leverage, Akane even had the pleasure to
constantly beat up Ranma for being a womanizer (which she now
began to realize he wasn't), something that none of her
competitors could afford to do. Somehow, she had seldom been
grateful for all that he had to put up to be with her in the
past: the seemingly predictable result of this "war" had boosted
her arrogance too much. After all, who would take care in
treasuring something that she had gained so effortlessly?
That's exactly why he left her now. From now on, she will
have no suitors other than that sorry lot at Furinkan High that
challenged her day in day out. All that good-natured taunting,
toleration, consideration, protection and devotion . . . gone
with the wind.
"BAKAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! "
Roaring like a wounded tigress, she punched and kicked at
whatever that was in her way, demolishing walls, lamp posts,
fences with her kempo skills. Nothing was able to stop her,
until a giant spatula blocked one of her punches.
"Akane-chan?!"
Akane looked through her blurry eyes, and saw Ukyou standing
there in her boy's get-up. With the last strip of her
frustration spent, the kempoist collapsed onto the ground in a
sobbing mess.
Ukyou was simply taking an early walk in the morning to work
off the contrasting thoughts battling in her mind after knowing
Ran-chan's choice.
Dammit! He didn't deny not loving Akane, nor did he deny
loving her. But he still insisted in pushing her away as far
away as possible! How could she, who had given up everything for
Ran-chan, possibly lose to someone who had barely raised a finger
to please him?
No, she had to stop thinking this way. If Konatsu could
have stayed as her friend despite her preferring Ranma, then she
should have been able to stay as Ran-chan's friend despite him
preferring Akane.
It was then that she saw whom she thought was the victor of
this love-tri . . . no, love-pentagon. Her own depression was
shocked out of her as she saw her kempoist rival plowing through
everything on the street that her fists were strong enough to
plow through . . . which was just about everything.
After stopping the rage-fuelled girl with her spatula, Ukyou
was further stunned by the sight of her collapsing on the ground
and started crying. Tendo Akane was an extremely proud girl, and
it was almost impossible to imagine her breaking down right in
front of other people. Besides, didn't Ran-chan decided to
choose her? Putting their rivalry behind them, she immediately
kneel down beside the heart-broken soul.
"What's the matter, Akane-chan?" Ukyou asked as gently as
possible, almost as if imitating Kasumi's gentleness. Their
relationship was a volatile one, thus she must be careful in her
approaches.
"You. . . were right, Ukyou. I don't. . . deserve Ranma."
Akane said between sobs. "He. . . didn't come home. . . saw him.
. . just now. . . said that our engagement. . . nullified. . .
He had . . . had enough. . . of me. . . said I used up. . . all
his. . . love. . ." Akane's crying renewed with a vigour. "HE'S
GONE!!!!!!!"
In the past, Ukyou HAD dreamed of seeing Akane finally
having to let go of what she didn't pay to earn. But seeing the
horrifying pain that the girl was in right now had squashed
whatever satisfaction that Ukyou might feel. As martial artists,
both girls had their share of experiences in dealing with
physical pains. But being brought up under the warmth and
protection of her family, Akane didn't had the survival skills
that Ukyou had in dealing with emotional pains. Ukyou now
silently berated herself for ever wishing the loss of Ranma on
Akane.
Looking at Akane's piteous state, Ukyou bit down on her
lower lip. In such an awkward moment between tense rivals, what
could she do?
The words on the bookmark came back into her mind:
Do unto others, as you would have others do unto you.
If she was the fallen one, and Akane the bystander, what
would SHE want the Tendo girl to do?
"I am so selfish." Akane continued to cry. "I never . . .
never take the time to . . . love him back . . ."
"No!!!" Ukyou's cut her off. "Don't ever say that. You
have loved him back!"
Akane looked up through her teary eyes, startled. "What?"
Ukyou was startled herself after realizing what she had
said. Was she actually capable of saying such encouraging words
to her rival? But somehow, Akane's pain had triggered Ukyou to
continue on.
"Don't you remember how you had once dived into the sea
trying to save him from Cologne's Shark-Fist? You didn't even
know how to swim!"
"How . . . how do you know about that?" Akane asked with
tears in still dripping down her eyes.
"Ran-chan told me, of course!" Ukyou sighed. "He always
talked about you when he came to my place . . . {After getting
thrown out of the dojo by one of your infamous tantrums . . .
better not mention this now. } Back on the topic: Remember about
the time that you had almost burned yourself trying to help him
in learning Hiryu Shoten Ha? And what about the time when you
had used yourself as a bait to save him from the Eight-Headed
Serpent?"
Akane stared at her in awe as she started to wipe off her
tears. "Ukyou . . ."
Ukyou continued on and couldn't stop. "And who was the one
who almost turned permanently into a doll saving Ran-chan from
Saffron at Mt. Phoenix? You have loved him back. You may not
know how to show it properly but you HAVE loved him back."
There, she had given her rival a bundle of reasons to try
and continue to dominate her love. But somehow, she felt her own
depression disappearing after speaking out the other side of the
truth: the one that she often refuses to see in the past. She
bent down and helped the other girl back onto her feet. "Here,
get back up. Tell you what, let's have some free okonomiyaki at
my restaurant, ne? It's on the house."
Akane slowly stood up as she looked at her rival in a new
light from her blood-shot eyes. "I finally know why Ranma always
insisted in going over to your restaurant so often despite my
hammering." she muttered. "You made a very good shoulder to cry
on."
Ukyou sighed as the two of them walked toward her
restaurant. If she had been able to go so far in trying to be
somewhat selfless, she might as well go all the way. "If I can't
even comfort a *friend* in her time of need, how can I ever hope
to actually love someone?"
"Friend . . ." Akane looked suddenly weary. "Is all this
kindness simply because of the fact that Ranma had ran away from
me for good?"
Ukyou looked weary herself. "Have I ever NOT show
'kindness' toward you , even way back when Ran-chan was still
taking you as his *real* fiancee? The bombing at the wedding
aside: those flash-bombs were meant more to stun than to hurt."
Akane sighed. "Sorry."
"Now just because Ran-chan was running away-" Ukyou stopped
herself as she realized something. "Actually, where would he be
running to?"
"To you, to Shampoo . . . perhaps even to that nut Kodachi."
Akane said darkly. "Not that I can stop him anymore . . ."
"Not likely." Ukyou said as she told her about Ran-chan's
"confession" to her from the day before. Taking in Akane's
state, she omitted the part about Ranma saying that he didn't
love her. Ukyou modified it a bit so that Ran-chan had chose the
Tendo girl for "purely logical reasons". Akane's eyes widened at
hearing that. Apparently, there were more missing pieces in the
puzzle than she thought there was.
The "wild horse" had broken free. Free from all those who
had loved him, those who had hated him and those who had used him
as a dollar tree.
But who in the world could he turn to now?
Seeing the Nekohanten in the distance, Ukyou immediately
made a change of plan. "Let's save the okonomiyaki for another
time. For now, We need to discuss something with the others."
Akane didn't object.
#################################################################
PART 4B
Still wandering aimlessly, Ranma was getting increasingly
bitter and tired as he realized that he had no where to go. Pop
was so right in saying that he couldn't make it on his own.
He obviously couldn't return to the Tendo Dojo, now that he
had already cut all ties with them. Then there's always the
Nekohanten, but then Shampoo would probably try to corner him
into marrying her had he dared to stay there.
As for Ucchan's. . . No, he couldn't possibly impose at her
place. He simply wasn't worthy. . . and the Ryoga incident
didn't help either. . . Funny how a man should have been through
all these instead of a woman.
Perhaps that was the reason that fate had given him that
particular curse. Looking at all those cases around him, it
wasn't hard to conclude that all of the Jusenkyo curses were
strangely fitting for the cursed ones. Ryoga, for one, was as
clueless as a piglet. Shampoo emitted a sensuous but playful
feline feel even in her human form. Mousse, with his water bird
combat styles and occasional simpleness, did somehow resemble a
duck. And his father . . . what other being could hide it's
sharp claws and deadly fangs behind a seemingly harmless
appearance as well as a fuzzy panda?
Walking into what appeared to be a park dejectedly, he took
off his backpack and rested on a bench. He was a bit startled as
he noticed for the first time that he was right outside the side
of the new cathedral. Looking into the opened side door, he
could feel himself being drawn by what he could see of its
interior: an infinite darkness, contrasted by the beautiful light
shining from the various coloured glass windows.
But Ranma didn't feel like going into the strange and
unfamiliar zone that he knew nothing about other than that it was
a place for marriage ceremonies to take place.
Marriages . . . engagements . . . liaisons . . .
Throwing back his head and closing his eyes, Ranma replayed
his entire life over his head. Through the memories, he could
recognized only two things that constituted his existence . . .
. . . to be used. . . and to use.
So what's the point of going on?
There were but two roads ahead of a hopeless case like him
right now. He could either end his miserable existence with a
whimper, or he would exact his remaining revenge with a loud
bang.
His one. Single. Greatest. REVENGE.
Opening his eyes and reaching into his backpack, he took out
the box with the black Japanese robes.
###########################FLASHBACK#############################
It was the night of a minor Japanese festival.
A certain Japanese market place was alive with motion. Most
of the stores had set up tents for fish snatching, mock target
shooting, and various other games. Many parents had took their
kids for a night out at this joyful festival. Everyone was
having a good time.
Well, almost everyone.
Amidst the happy crowd was a boy who was wandering around
the market place. As he strode forward, several bystanders who
REALLY looked at him all moved out of his way hastily.
The boy stopped as he caught sight of something. It was a
run-down antique' shop, the kind with dim-lights and lots of
items that looked like antiques but are not really old enough to
be antiques. There were all kinds of old traditional clothing,
all of which were used and discarded by somebody of some older
generations. His glassy eyes was glued to the black, Japanese
robes hanging at a corner of the store. Slowly, he walked into
the store.
The store owner frowned as he saw the boy entered. How old
could he be? Thirteen? Fourteen? Certainly not someone old
enough to be interested in anything from his place. He was about
to hush the kid out of the store when the kid's face became
visible in the dark.
And the store owner stepped back.
Now mind you, the boy wasn't hideously deformed, at least
not physically. Rather, he was quite good-looking, with his dark
brows, large eyes and delicate chin.
It was his expression.
Has anyone ever seen a Japanese marionette? You know, the
type with lifelike features craved onto a piece of lifeless wood?
The store owner had two or three of those dolls in his own shop,
and would always cover them up at night simply because he didn't
want to see them in the dark. Their lifeless eyes are always wide
and still, seemingly looking past whatever they are looking at.
Just as the boy's were.
The boy picked up the smallest of those robes, which was
still a bit too large for him. His lips curled into a smile,
even though his eyes stayed the same. "Say, have you got a
smaller size?"
The store owner would have laughed, had the kid not been so.
. . creepy. Instead, he simply replied. "Eh. . . you see,
these robes were meant to be collected and treated as antiques,
besides, I do not think a little boy could. . ."
The boy turned to him with a deathly smile, which was
downright gruesome under the dim light. "I'll take it anyway.
How much?"
The store owner was about to overcome his fear and hush the
weird kid out of the store when the boy took out a thick bundle
of cash.
The deal was done immediately. The boy hugged the black
robes to himself with a mesmerized expression, the first real
expression that the store owner could see on the young face.
Somehow, the kid was not a bit disgusted by the fact that the
body that used to be in the outfit was now probably either a
hundred. . . or dead. He slowly walked out of the store,
whispering to himself all the while.
"Someday, someday when I'm big enough to wear this, the odds
shall turn. . . and Pop shall pay for dragging me away from the
vacant lot."
#################################################################
Holding the black robes to his shoulders, Ranma realized
that he was indeed big enough to wear it now. Smiling to
himself, he savoured the thought of repaying a man with so much
traditional honour in his words in the most traditional outfit of
all.
A wave of sleepiness washed over him as the previous,
sleepless night took its toll on him. Lying down on the bench,
Ranma crutched the robe tight to himself. His face was to the
cathedral's side door, and his slowly closing eyes were
struggling against sleep to take in the spectacular colour of
what he could see of the coloured glass windows that looked so
bright in the darkness. They looked so much like bright-coloured
drawings . . . but of whom?
That note that he had left to Ryoga, was it really a
farewell note? Or was it a cry for help? As his eyes closed
completely and sleep took over, he didn't remember, and didn't
care, anymore.
* * * * * * *
In the late afternoon in Nekohanten, every local customer
was greeted by an unusual sight that rendered them speechless.
Shampoo, Ukyou, Akane and Kodachi, all of them sitting
around the same table, without engaging in any visible form of
combat. Konatsu was the only non-female at the table, and was
for once devote of exaggerating ribbons and lipstick at his boss'
suggestion. Today was a special day off that Ukyou had granted
him, being that he had handled business so surprisingly well by
himself yesterday. Right now, he had came along to help in
something that Ukyou told him was important.
Nearby, Mousse was waiting on tables while Cologne was
cooking behind the counter. A worn out looking Akane had just
finished her story, and was tiredly peeved in seeing the look of
intense joy on Kodachi's face.
"Hohohohohoh! This is heavenly! My beloved had finally
got the good sense to dump the abusive tomboy! Surely he would
come to the Black Rose by now." Kodachi began throwing black
rose petals around from her seat, her smile brilliant but
detached in her attempt to drown out other less pleasant
possibilities.
"Shampoo find that hard to believe." the Chinese girl
muttered as Mousse patiently swiped the petals off the floor with
a broom. But deep down inside, she was just as excited as
Kodachi was.
"Guys! The most important thing here is not who is going to
get Ran-chan." Having an entire morning to reorganize her once
contrasting thoughts, Ukyou could now saw the problem from a more
objective point of view. "The way I see it is that he had
probably rejected all of us-"
"Aiya!" Shampoo cut her off. "Shampoo cooked for Airen,
fought for Airen, LOVE Airen more than all others!! No way Airen
no want Shampoo! "
"I love you much more than he ever had!" Mousse said to her
with desperation. Shampoo turned her head away in distain.
"Mousse's love no matter to Shampoo. Shampoo only want Ranma."
"I don't like this any better than you, sugar. But we've
all heard how often he had voiced against this entire engagement
mess. Besides . . ."
Ukyou told them about what Ranma had said again, and the
excitement on Shampoo's and Kodachi's face visibily dimmed.
Shampoo shook her head and looked at Ukyou defiantly.
"Shampoo no believe Ranma no love her until hear it with her own
ears."
Ukyou sighed. "Suit yourself. But anyway, the problem is
that he now has absolutely NO ONE to turn to. He had probably
close to no money, and I doubt if he could make money with his
martial arts as I do with my okonomiyaki. We've got to find him
and help in whatever way that we could."
Konatsu looked concerned. Even though she didn't show it
now, his boss had been shaken and distraught yesterday as she
came back to the restaurant. "Ukyou-sama . . . are you sure you
can do it?"
Ukyou turned to the face that is now handsome instead of
pretty without makeup, and said something that only he could
understand. "If you can do it . . . I can." She smiled
meaningfully at Konatsu as he blushed.
"Ukyou-sama. . ." Admiration could be seen in the boy's
eyes, as usual. Konatsu's eyes became slightly teary as he
remembered about a fateful incident.
In the past, when he used to cross dress, everybody had
thought that he was a lesbian attracted to Ukyou. But when his
ugly stepmother tried dragging him back into slavery, Ukyou had
interfered, announcing that she was willing to take "her" under
Ucchan's roof despite "her" womanly preferences to the shock of
Ranma and Akane. Konatsu could love her unconditionally because
he owe her for his freedom.
But whatever did Ukyou owe to Ranma?
Meanwhile, Kodachi's state of mind could be shown in the
sudden appearance of the twirling fury that was her ribbon.
{Insolent cook! How dare she even think that Ranma-sama is
running away from the Black Rose also? Even if what she said
was true, Ranma-sama probably didn't mean what he said about me.
He was . . . confused. Yeah, that's what he was. . . Arg! What
does it matter? Right now is the golden opportunity that I have
been waiting for: the moment that Ranma-sama needed my love and
hospitality the most. Surely he'd be so grateful to me that he'd
reveal his yearnings for me! And If he didn't. . . it would only
be natural for me to give him a little potion of my own to
overcome his shyness, wouldn't it? Hehehehe. . . .}
"HehehehehahahahahahaHOHOHOHOHOOHOOHOHOHOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Absorbed in her dream world, the Black Rose began laughing
with abandonment as the other teenagers cautiously edged away.
Shampoo looked around at the now empty restaurant with her jaw
dropped.
"Why authority no institutionalize her?" the Chinese girl
hissed.
"In your language: she rich." Ukyou whispered back.
"I can't wait here anymore." Akane stood up. Just hours
from what had happened in the morning, and already she looked
barely a step above a hospital patient. The short hair that was
always neatly combed was now in disarray, and the smooth cheeks
that were always flushed with youthful pinkness had paled into
dead white. Large eyes that were always twinkling with
glistering light had dimmed, with a hint of dark shadows
underneath them. However, the determination was still in her,
struggling against the depression.
"Ukyou's right, Ranma could be in trouble. With no money and
no one to turn to, his martial arts skills will only be a source
of trouble for him. Besides, engagement or not, I can't just let
it end like this . . ." the girl gritted her teeth. ". . . not
like this. . ."
Just then, Ryoga suddenly strode certainly, if somewhat
raggedly into the Nekohanten, surprising everybody. A row of
bandage was covering the lower side of his neck. "Thank the kami
that you guys are all here!"
"Ryoga-kun. . . you looked so. . . unconfused. Did you
actually find your way here?" Akane asked in awe.
"Thank the kami, yes." Ryoga said, breathing heavily.
"It's easier to find your way looking out than in. . . but that's
not important anymore! Ranma is about to do something
drastically stupid, and shall he succeed, it would gain him
nothing and ruin him instead. We've got to find him right now!"
Everybody tensed up. If even Ryoga was so concerned, then
the situation must be even more serious then they had though.
Even Kodachi calmed down. (Of course, none of them really know
about the past between Ranma and Ryoga by then.) Ukyou stepped
forward and asked. "What is he trying to do, Ryoga?"
Ryoga looked around the restaurant in alarm. Seeing that no
outsiders are there, he took out the note left to him by Ranma.
"Just read this."
}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
It's over. I can't keep on tolerating things the way they
are anymore. I have already been pushed too far into a one-way
street: never able to turn back. Such a life is nothing but a
gradual decay. However, I'm still a warrior. When I go down, I
will surely go down with a bang. . . and together with he who had
forced me into what I've become today. If you still have {{
several words wiped out with liquid paper }}, then bury this deep
inside your head. After all, I'm quite sure that you WON'T have
the sense of direction to interfere much anyway. It was nice
knowing you . . . even though I had hoped that it had been under
more honorable circumstances.
Ranma
}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
"He. . . wouldn't." Akane paled.
"Oh, Ranma-sama. . ." Kodachi held a fist against her mouth
as she trembled, surprising even herself.
Shampoo looked close to be in tears. "Airen. . ."
"But why?!" Ukyou asked. . . puzzled and enraged at the
same time. "What would have prompt him to write a suicide note
like this?"
"I'm not entirely sure." Ryoga saidin a slightly
uncomfortable fashion. "But in the meantime, we must find him
and stop him at once!
Everybody agreed immediately, but Mousse looked slightly
hesistant.
"Mousse." Seeing that, Cologne leapt forward to land in
front of him. "You're going too."
The boy snapped on impulse. "I don't have to listen to your
orders-"
"Indeed you don't." The old woman cut him off. "But what
would Shampoo think of you if you won't help your friend in his
time of need?"
"But he's an obstacle in my quest to gain Shampoo's heart-"
"An obstacle that had helped you numerous times before, not
to mention fighting by your side in various battles. Rivals
don't necessarily make enemies, don't ever forget that."
Mousse relented. "Alright, I'll go." After all, he didn't
hate Ranma THAT much.
* * * * * * *
*Will you . . . stick by my side no matter what will
happen?* The boy asked, slightly uncertain.
The reply was sincere. *I promise.*
With that, a storm of fluttering pink blew over, and the air
was filled with the sweet scent of roses . . .
Roses?
Ranma's eyes slowly opened, and saw a sea of blinding red in
front of her. Bits and pieces of red were fluttering in the air,
blushing across Ranma's face.
"You have awakened, my precious pigtailed girl." a gentle
voice reached her ear. Ranma-chan shot up from the embrace that
she was in, and saw Kuno looking lovingly at her. She looked
around, and saw that the two of them were in the Kuno Mansion's
rose garden. There was a gentle breeze, in which rose petals
danced by like scarlet butterflies.
"How did I get here?" she asked. {How did I transform for
that matter?}
"Alas, my delicate beauty. Thou art sleeping alone on a park
bench by the side of the Godly cathedral, and a horrid lawn
sprinkler was rudely spraying its contents onto thy flawless
complexion. I, Kuno Tatewaki, being the gentleman that I am,
took thy unprotected self under my care as I passed by."
"Oh." Ranma-chan looked around. "So where is my backpack?"
Kuno didn't answer her. Instead, he leaned forward.
"Pigtailed girl, what's the need of travelling, when the Blue
Thunder now stands before thy beauteous eyes in all his
magnificence?"
Ranma-chan frowned. Genma's plan to use her in conning
money out of Kuno flashed through her mind. She really wasn't in
the mood for Kuno's broken and incoherent poetry right now. Her
voice hardened. "Just give the damn thing back to me so I can
go, Kuno."
"Alas! How could thy voice sting so coldly against one who
loves thee as much as I?" Kuno asked, seemingly hurt.
Ranma-chan looked closely at him. The breeze got even
stronger, and red flower petals showered down upon them in a
storm. The type of flower petals in this garden was different,
but the result was almost the same: a beautiful, short-lived
illusion. This was reminding her too much about the time in the
sakura park.
"I shall love thee till the end of this hollow world. . ."
Kuno said. He probably meant it too at that moment.
To Ranma-chan, however, that was the breaking point. She
flew up her head and laughed bitterly, startling Kuno.
"Pigtailed girl, what . . ."
Ranma-chan wiped at the tears around her eyes as she brought
her voice under control. "Love . . . haha . . . you can actually
. . . haha . . . just stand there and expect me to believe that .
. . haha . . ."
"But I do love thee, pigtailed girl! Oh behalf of my
honour-"
Ranma-chan snapped, conveniently taking out her frustrations
on him. "Don't talk about honour! You haven't learned any! All
that your perverted mind have ever wanted from me was my body!!"
"My goddess! Know you not that my love for thy spirit is
stronger that for your flesh?" Kuno exclaimed, and he believed
it too.
The redhead looked at him with contempt, which puzzled him.
"You mean that you will still love me for being me no matter how
my looks will change?"
"Alas, thou art insecure indeed. . . Thy unworldly beauty
was nothing more than the outward manifestation of the radiance
of thy soul. For as long as-"
"You don't know what you are saying!" Ranma-chan shouted,
cutting him off effectively as she began walking away. Kuno ran
after her.
"My love! Do not turn away from me!"
Ranma-chan stiffly continued on. "Just shut-" without
paying attention to where she was going, she crashed into Sasuke
. . . who was currently carrying a kettle of hot tea.
"Look out, pigtailed . . ." Kuno trailed off as the change
took place directly in front of him. The feminine, curvy figure
vanished, replaced by a lean and tight-muscled built that
stretched the no longer baggy Chinese clothes. The dramatic red
hair turned black, framing a still delicate but definitely more
masculine face. The long legs became even longer, adding quite a
bit of height to the now unmistakerbly MALE body.
Kuno would scream, had he found the strength to do so. He
had lost so much of his wits that he couldn't even decorate his
speech with poetry. "Saotome... it's you?!"
Ranma-kun simply stared back at him wordlessly.
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