Disclaimer 1: I wrote this in 10 minutes. Any complaints about its
quality can be attributed to that.
Disclaimer 2: This is not a serious work. See Disclaimer 1.
Disclaimer 3: This was inspired by what seems to have become a common
storyline idea lately, appearing in both lemons and non-lemons. It
seemed like an interesting concept, so I thought I'd see what I could do
with it.
Feedback appreciated, I guess.
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GONE: A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by Jonathan S. Haas
jhaas@microsoft.com
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It's too late now. You're gone.
I'm standing numbly by your gravesite. Your tombstone thrusts starkly
out of the ground, marking the spot where you will forever lie... where
your beautiful flesh will melt, where those deep and expressive eyes
will rot away, and where your beautiful smile will fade, leaving only
bones and dust. I never told you how I felt. And now, I never can.
You probably thought I hated you. I certainly gave you no reason to
think otherwise. Whenever we were together, it seems, we fought... with
words or with blows. The insults we hurled back and forth... each one
struck me like a fist. It took all of my will not to show it. When we
sparred, I always proved that I was the better martial artist. But how
could you know that at the end of each fight, I longed to take you in my
arms and comfort you?
I fought for you... did you know that? A few times, when it seemed that
you might be taken away from me, I fought with all my might to prevent
it. I don't know if you even noticed. Maybe you thought I was just
fighting for pride. But really, I was fighting to keep you.
And now you're gone, and the harsh words we exchanged will be all the
words we *ever* exchange. I used to dream of someday using other words,
soft words. I used to dream of whispering them in your ear. But I never
had the courage. I always worried that you'd react... violently. How
could I profess my love to you, when I thought you might attack me at
any moment?
I'll never know if you felt the same way. All I can do now is pick up
the shattered pieces of my life and try to carry on. The rain is coming
down now, and it's turned me into a girl, but I don't care. I don't care
about anything now but you, my lost love.
I'd better be going home now, or the others will begin to worry. But
before I go, I stop, look at your tombstone one last time, and squeeze
the tears from my eyes. The words engraved on the stone burn into my
heart, where they will stay forever.
Hibiki Ryouga, 1980-1997.