Subject: [Fanfic][Ranma] Autumn and Spring: Part 8
From: Angus MacSpon
Date: 12/8/1997, 2:07 AM
To: fanfic@fanfic.com

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"Autumn and Spring"
by Angus MacSpon

Based on "Ranma 1/2" created by Rumiko Takahashi.

C&C Welcome!

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- 8 -

Ranma thought about it for a long time, discarding alternative after
alternative.  He could simply set out on foot; he was confident that he
could find a town eventually, and there was plenty of food in the house
that he could take with him.

But he knew there were no towns nearby.  If there had been, he would
have seen their lights at night, reflecting off the clouds.  So a walk
to find a town could take a long time. And he was beginning to be afraid
that time was something he didn't have.

He slept on the problem, in the end, and during the night a possible
solution came to him.  The next morning, he phoned home.

"Hello, Seiji ... Yes, it's me ... I'm fine ... No, really, I'm fine ...
I don't know when I'm coming back, there's a problem with that ...
that's what I'm trying to explain, if you'll stop interrupting! ... I
understand you know where I am? ... Yes, she said she'd called you.
We're going to have to talk about that when I get home, you never told
_me_ you knew Ukyou ... Well of course I'd've wanted to know! ... Look,
we can talk about that later; this is more important ... Listen, how
_often_ did you talk to her? ... Uh-huh, that's what I thought ... Well,
she told me just the once, but I _thought_ she seemed a bit too familiar
with my affairs ... No, not that soft of affairs, don't be stupid ... So
tell me, did she ever give you her address? ... Well, a nav reference
then ... Ask Hisao, would you? ... No, I don't mind waiting ... Hello?
Took you long enough ... She did?  Excellent! ... You're kidding, that
close? ... All right, look, this is urgent, I need you to fly out here
... Yes, now! ... What sort of repairs? ... Well, can't you borrow a
flitter? ... Look, I told you, this is _urgent_ ... Possibly life or
death ... No, I'm not exaggerating, dammit ... Look, if I don't find
Ukyou soon something horrible might happen to her ... Just get out here!
Fast!"

He was breathing hard when he clicked the vid off.  Somehow Seiji always
brought out the worst in him.  Perhaps he was similar to his mother in
that.  Shaking his head and sighing, Ranma went to get himself
breakfast.

Ukyou had said that her house was three hours' flight from Tokyo.  It
was more like six hours before he heard the faint whine of an
approaching flitter.  He spent the time trying to work out; but he was
too jumpy and irritable to do a satisfactory job.  Instead he ended up
sitting cross-legged, sipping tea, and worrying about Ukyou.

[The truth is, after sixty years, it could be anywhere,] she had said.
But Ranma did not believe it.  He could not have said why.  It was
simply a gut feeling, an intuition that he had learned not to ignore.

The demon was there, back where Shampoo had stumbled on it all those
years before.  Waiting.  And Ukyou was heading straight into its grasp.
Worst of all, she was going with a mind clouded with rage.  Maybe she
could withstand whatever it would assault her with.  Maybe.  But he
doubted it.

[Is it a demon?  "Call it that if it makes you feel better," she said.
Well, I've fought demons before.  But what if it isn't?  What if ...]

He shied from the thought.  But it kept on returning, and at last he had
to face it:

[What if I'm too old?]

It was a relief to hear the flitter approaching at last.  He stamped
outside to watch it land, intending to bawl out Seiji -- or Hisao -- for
taking so long.  As it drew near he saw to his amusement that it was a
police flitter.  Seiji had probably 'borrowed' it from the station pool.
He hoped he would not get into too much trouble for it.

When he stepped up to the vehicle, he was surprised to see it was empty.
All that way on autopilot?  What were those idiot boys playing at now?
He tried the door but found it locked.  Fuming, he recited his personal
access code, and the door clicked open.

Inside, he found a note stuck to the controls.  [Sorry, couldn't take
time off work.  Hope it works out with Kuonji-sama.  Seiji.]

He sighed.  He'd completely forgotten what day it was.  No, of course
Seiji couldn't get away.  But ...

[Hope it works out with Kuonji-sama.]

What did they think he was doing?  Having an affair?  With a sinking
feeling he realised that that was probably exactly what Seiji _did_
think.  When he got back to Tokyo he would take that boy and --

(Is he wrong, though?)

[What?]

(I mean it.  You always did like her.  Are you sure that an affair isn't
exactly what this is turning into?)

[Shut up!  Shut up!  That's impossible!  Akane is the one I love!
Akane!]

(But Akane is gone.  Ukyou isn't.  She was right here.  And looking
pretty cute, too --)

[Don't be ridiculous!  She's only a teenager!  The idea is absurd!]

(She's not a teenager.  She's as old as you are.  You may have forgotten
that ... but do you think _she_ has?)

[Yes! ... No.]  Ranma shivered.  [But she ... she can't still be in love
with me.  After all these years.  She _mustn't_ be.]

(Oh?  Felt pretty good in your arms last night, though.  And she didn't
seem to mind a bit.)

[It wasn't like that!  She was crying!  I was just comforting her.]

(Sure you were.  Admit it.  You're lonely.  Akane's gone, and you can't
stand being on your own again.  You're looking for someone to fill the
gap.)

[Hey, I didn't go looking for no-one!  _She_ came to _me_!]

(Oh, yes, she broke you out of your self-pity.  Found a better way to do
it than you managed for her last night, too, eh?  But after that -- you
made yourself right at home here.  Didn't waste much more time mourning,
did you?)

[That's not true.]  He was calm now.  [I have mourned my wife.]

(Ahh ... the long scenic walks, the soulful monologues ... yes, very
touching.  But at the end of every one, you came running straight back
to Ukyou.  You're as bad as P-Chan slinking into Akane's bed.)

[_Not_ the same thing at all.]  But the idea was troubling.  [Am I so
disloyal to Akane, then?]

(Who mentioned disloyalty?  You loved Akane.  You still love Akane. That
was never in doubt.  But if you think you didn't love Ukyou too, you're
deluding yourself.  Not as much, maybe.  Differently, sure.  But love.)

[I ...]

(Is it so shameful to admit that you need someone in your life?  That
you don't want to be alone?)

[No.  But even if I accept that ... that I might ... care for her, it's
not right to -- to just go jumping into bed with Ukyou as soon as
Akane's gone.  It's indecent.]

(I'm sure Tatewaki would be quoting from _Hamlet_ right now.  But what
does love have to do with right or wrong?  'Love is blind.'  I'm not
suggesting that you just go jumping into bed with her.  You're right;
it's much too soon for that.  But isn't it time you admitted that you
care for her?)

[No!  I ...]

He froze.  If he couldn't be honest with himself, then who?

[Maybe.]

(Well, it's a start, anyway.  At least you know that _she_ cares for
_you._)

Ranma sighed.  [Not after last night, maybe.  I was pretty harsh on
her.]

(Your capacity for understatement is amazing.  You held her in your
arms, you tried to comfort her after she'd done something horrible ...
and then you suddenly attacked her without warning.  Did you really
expect her to _like_ it?)

[What?  But that's not -- I was only trying to --]

(You know that.  But does she?)

"Oh, no," he whispered aloud.

And so, believing herself guilty of whatever had befallen Shampoo, and
thinking Ranma had rejected her yet again, Ukyou had fled.  Running away
again, from a pain she could not bear to face -- but this time she was
also running _to_.  To face a demon, she undoubtably thought.  But which
demon was waiting for her -- Shampoo's, or her own?

"And here I stand, wasting time arguing with myself!"

He flung himself into the flitter.  A few seconds later he was high in
the air, following Ukyou's trail.

- End of Part 8 -

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Angus MacSpon                                                Allen Gainsford
http://shell.ihug.co.nz/~macspon            http://shell.ihug.co.nz/~macspon