This part is dark, dark, dark, and thoroughly unhappy.
There's some rougher language than the other parts.  As always,
previous parts available through email or on my web page at:
http://www.emich.edu/public/llb/fanfic.html    C&C welcome and
I don't even laugh at most of it.  :)




Twisted Destiny 17

Kamiko trembled at the sight of the boy.  "No," she said quietly.

Young Tatewaki walked past them, through them.  His shirt was torn and
the blood from his nose and mouth had soaked into the collar of it.
He opened a door and disappeared into the room.

The scene shifted and the two observers were in young Tatewaki's
parents' bedroom.  The child looked defeated and pathetic, his hair a
complete mess and bruises visible on his arms.  There was a single
tear rolling slowly down his cheek.  He went immediately through
the open bathroom door.

Again, the two changed vantage points, and were now in the bathroom.
Young Tatewaki stood in front of the sink and reached up to open the
medicine cabinet.  He opened it and pulled out a small bottle of
aspirin, but his gaze lingered on the contents of the cabinet.

Kamiko was frowning, tears trickling down her face.  "No...  Don't...
Stop this."

Young Tatewaki set the bottle down on the sink and reached one
trembling hand into the cabinet.  His breathing was ragged as he held
back the flood of tears.  He pulled out a small prescription bottle,
mostly full, and stared at the label.

He was a smart boy, he knew what the pills in the bottle were for.  He
had a pretty good idea what would happen if he took a large amount of
them.  He managed to open the bottle and dumped about half the little
blue pills into his hand.  A noise from the hall made him look
fearfully out the door.

He closed the bathroom door three quarters of the way, clutching the
pills carefully.  He sniffled, a few stray tears betraying him and
mixing with the blood on his face.

He held up one pill and looked at it.  "It's not my fault..."  The
little tablet looked so innocent.  It wasn't a demon's gift or a snake
about to strike; it was only a pill.  He shook his head, more tears
escaping.  He put the pill in his mouth and swallowed.  "Not my
fault..."  Another pill in his mouth and down his throat.  The tears
refused to be controlled any longer and spilled freely down his face.

Kamiko had dropped to her knees, trying not to look at the scene
unfolding in front of her.  "Stop it...  Stop it..."  The pain in her
voice made Kuno's heart ache almost as much as the memory he was
reliving.

Young Tatewaki kept mumbling, putting two more pills in his mouth, his
arms feeling like concrete.  Another pill and the leaded feeling
spread through his body until he crumpled to the floor, the bottle's
contents spilling all over the floor.  He closed his eyes and began to
drift off to sleep.

A voice from very far away reached his ears.  "Where's your worthless
brother?"

A frightened, high-pitched voice followed.  "I don't know."

The voice grew louder.  "Tatewaki, you worthless little snot.  I told
you to come right back!"

He tried to open his eyes but they would not.  Then there was a heavy
hand on his shoulder and the voice was right in his ear.

"What the fuck did you do, you little shit?"  His body was shaken and
lifted as if he was nothing.  "Wake up!"  His head rolled like he had
a broken neck.  "Don't disobey me!"  The voice was loud, but rapidly
fading.

Another voice joined the first one.  "What's wrong with him?"

"Look what your stupid son was doing!"

There was some noise, very quiet, very faint, and then liquid was
dumped into his mouth.  His body reflexively swallowed it, and then he
felt himself be dropped to the floor, his head hitting the tile.

"He's not my son," was the last thing he heard before he winked out of
existence.

The bathroom and the people disappeared, replaced by the whiteness
again.  Kamiko and Kuno were alone in the deafening silence.

Kuno looked down at his feet and wiped his eyes on the back of his
sleeve.  "No one...  No one ever knew about this before.  Not even
Kodachi," he said.

Kamiko shook her head, the feelings, which Kuno had mostly come to
grips with over six years, washing through her.  "Why?  Why?"

"Why did I do it?"

"Why didn't they care?  How could they feel that way?  What kind of
monsters would do that to their children?"

"They weren't monsters," Kuno said defiantly.  "They were my parents.
They... they loved me."  But he knew it was a lie.  They had never
loved him or Kodachi; they had been inconveniences, a pair of
liabilities.  "I wish I was never born."  He did a most un-Kuno like
thing and let his tears go.

Kamiko looked up at him.  "Don't say such a thing.  That's what they
would say."

"Then we would have gotten what we both wanted."  She knew all his
thoughts and memories, but it just wasn't the same as living it, being
on the receiving end of it.  "She hurt me.  They both did.  They hurt
me so much, and they're still hurting me.  You just don't know..."

"But I do."

"No, you don't.  No one can."  Was it self-pity or self-loathing he
was feeling?  What difference would it make though?  Who would care?
"They never loved me.  I was just an aborted body that managed to
survive...  And they punished me for it."  He wanted to explode right
then.  There was so much built up inside, so many emotions that would
never find a healthy release.  "I know now.  I can accept it; I have
to.  No one loves me.  No one ever will.  You can't understand what
that feels like, but you know."

How two people could destroy the lives of their own children like
that...  Kamiko felt ill.  She could understand the powermad insanity
of Kaiyanwang, but this...  Looking at the boy in front of her, the
one that, in 17 years, knew as much pain and sorrow as she did, Kamiko
knew he needed the help that she could give.

"You need to sleep now.  You've had a hard day, you deserve the
peace."  Kamiko waved her hand and Kuno's vision was filled with a
pleasing darkness.


"Oh crap!  What happened to him?"  Ryoga looked at Kuno, who was
slumped in his seat.

"I... I don't know."  Akane sat Kuno up and leaned his head on her
shoulder, and action that stunned Ryoga.  "I think he's asleep."  An
awful thought occurred to her.  "I hope this isn't like at the
airport."

Ryoga nodded; he didn't want things to end up like before either.  His
eyes remained glued to Kuno and Akane, hot jealousy running through
his veins.  It was always everyone except him.  He was never anything
but her friend...

"Sempai, wake up."  Akane patted Kuno's cheek, confident that he was
only asleep.  "Come on, sempai."

"Is everything alright back there?"

"Huh?"  Akane looked at the driver, who was glancing back at them in
the rear-view mirror.

"Is your friend OK back there?"

"Uh, yeah...  He's just kind of... narcoleptic.  He does this every so
often.  Right, Ryoga?"  Akane looked over at her other traveling
companion, who was almost glaring at Kuno.

Ryoga nodded, but didn't bother to say anything.  He knew it was wrong
to be jealous, but it was so hard.  Why didn't she care for him?  How
could she care more for Kuno than him?  The depression, the anger
began to well up within him.

Ryoga's ticked back and forth between Akane and Kuno, then rested on
the sleeping Kuno.  Maybe with Kuno out of the picture, Akane would
learn to love him.  "A... Akane..."

"What is it, Ryoga?"  Her attention was on Kuno and not on him.

"Akane, I..."

"Akane, what has happened?"

Ryoga looked sourly at Kuno.

"I don't know.  You just fell froward.  I think you were asleep.
You're not sick again, are you?"

"No.  I feel..."  He tilted his head to one side, then the other.  He
concentrated briefly and saw the silver thread.  "Fine."

"That's good.  You scared me."

Kuno seemed to take notice of where his head was and sat up.  "I
scared myself."

"What?"

He looked at her, looking a little lost, a little frightened.  "I will
tell you at a later time."

Akane blinked twice.  "Ohh kaay..."

Neither of them noticed Ryoga looking at them with open jealousy and
even hatred.

***

"There!  Did you feel it?"

The others looked at her blankly.  "We felt nothing."

"Fools.  I should have known better.  You are far too limited in your
sight."  She looked in the flames, wishing they would show her...  "It
was slight, but that was most definitely it."

"That couldn't possibly..."

"It was!  You can just sit here, looking for something you don't know
anything about, but I'm going."

"But..."

"I know that was it.  I've felt it before, I've done it before.
Sheah."  She stood up, the others watching her.  "I'm going to tell
him, even if you don't believe me."

The young woman left the circle of firelight, leaving the group of
elders to watch her.


"I've found it!  I've found it!" she exclaimed, bursting through the
door of the ramshackle cabin.

"What is it, Loreanna?" the elder of the two men inside asked.

"A third!  I felt it!"

The younger man, looking to be of comparable age to Loreanna, looked
up, surprised.  "How...  Are you sure?"  His green eyes shone in the
dim light.

Loreanna nodded enthusiastically, her short hair bouncing.

The young man stood up quickly and took Loreanna by the shoulders.
"Tell me!  Where?"

"Not so rough, Isiah," she complained, holding his arms.

"I'm sorry," he replied, releasing her.  "But, where?"

"It was Japan...  Tokyo..."

"Japan," Isiah said thoughtfully.  Something about Japan was bugging
him, but he didn't know why.  "Japan's an awfully long distance.  I
think we should prepare right away.  What do you think, Lor?"

Loreanna nodded, her face deadly serious suddenly.  "I think we
should.  Who knows what kind of trouble they're in."

"Isiah, are you sure?  What if it's..."

"It's not him, Daren," Isiah said angrily.  "It's not.  Lor knows
better."

Daren nodded.  There was no use trying to dissuade Isiah once his mind
was made up.

"I'm glad.  I don't want to lose your friendship.  You've done so much
to help us."

"You won't," Daren said, his voice quiet and emotional.  He rose and
embraced Isiah.  "You two take care."

***

It was a good thing Ranma hadn't been there.  He would have gone
through the roof, seeing her with Kuno's head on her shoulder like
that.  That was the one thing that told her Ranma cared, no matter
what he did or said.  There was a deep connection between the two of
them that she didn't always understand, but wished she did.

She sighed wistfully and pulled out the phone.  It seemed silly to use
it when they were so close to home, but she really wanted to hear
Ranma's voice.  Akane fumbled with the phone, unsure if she should use
it.  "Sempai?  DO you think I should..."

Kuno looked at her and the phone in her hand.  "If you feel you must.
I'm sure your family would appreciate hearing that you are safe."  he
couldn't help himself from thinking, 'And I'm just baggage.'

Akane nodded, though she had seen the pain on his face.  It was
becoming an all too common thing and worried her.  Maybe it had
something to do with what he had said he would tell her...

She opened the phone, activated it and dialed her number.  It rang
three times before Nabiki answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Nabiki!"

"Akane?  When are you coming back?"  She didn't waste time with any
pleasantries.

"As soon as possible.  Did Kasumi tell you we got the statue?"

"Yeah...."  Her voice had seemed to lose a little of its cheer.

Akane noticed.  "What's wrong?"

"Well, just that after you called..."

"What?  What happened?  It wasn't Ranma was it?"  She stopped to make
sure she wouldn't panic.

"No.  It's not Ranma.  After you called, some people stopped by."

"Oh.  What kind of people?"

"Some... not very nice people.  They were looking for you," she said
all matter-of-factly.

Akane's face paled.  "Looking for me?"

That got Kuno's attention.  His eyes narrowed.

"Yes.  They said they'd be back only after Ranma, Daddy and Uncle
Saotome pounded half of them into the ground."  It had been a rather
ugly sight... especially the way their bodies had simply disappeared,
leaving nothing behind except a smoking crater.

"Oh no," Akane said quietly, her face slack.  "Is everyone OK?"

Kuno's lip twitched, wanting to lift into a snarl.

"Yeah, we're all fine.  But I wanted to make sure you were OK.  You're
SURE you're OK?"

"Yes.  Fine.  The statue's fine.  We're on our way home now."

"That moron's taking care of you?"

Akane flushed a little.  She probably shouldn't let her call him that,
but she was still embarrassed about it, and that made her angry.  Why
should she be embarrassed about being someone's friend?  "Yes.  He's
fine," she said.  "And he's not a moron," she added defiantly.

There was silence on the other end of the phone.  Then, very
hesitantly, "Whatever you say, sis."

Akane smiled satisfactorily.  "We'll be there real soon, I promise.
And say hello to Ranma for me."

There was more silence, then a quiet voice.  "Hi, Akane."

"Ranma..."  She heard Kuno sigh heavily.  "How are you?"

"I'm good.  So you're doing OK?"

"Yes.  Fine.  I'll tell you all about it when we get back," she
answered, trying to sound optimistic even if she was still
frightened.  She knew things were far from over.

"Good.  I'll be waiting to hear it."  He sounded like he wanted to say
something else, but didn't.

"Ranma..."

"Yes?"

"I..."  Open feelings, let them out... she knew she could do it.
"I'll be happy to see you."  OK, so maybe she couldn't.  Either way,
Ranma sounded pleased when he spoke.

"Me too, Akane.  Bye."

"Bye, Ranma."  She switched off the phone and put it back in her
pocket.  Maybe, just maybe, this whole fiasco was a good thing.
Maybe, when everything was back to normal, things would be better.
There was no 'if' in her mind, only when.

She settled in the seat and counted the seconds until when they would
be back and she would be able to see Ranma.

Unexpectedly, the cab began to slow, caught behind a long line of
vehicles nearing a stop.  The driver cursed under his breath.

"What is this stoppage?  We have someplace we must be," Kuno demanded.

"If the cars in front of me aren't moving, then I can't either," the
driver replied casually.  He picked out some flashing lights from far
ahead and assumed there had been a traffic accident.  Not surprising
with all the foreigners running around like they owned the city.

Kuno didn't like the situation.  Being in the cab wasn't so bad, but
sitting still was.  Walking was a possibility, but it was a long walk
and they were fairly tired.  It was imperative that they return to the
Tendo home, though he couldn't ask for their help in good conscience.
He felt bad enough about Ryoga Hibiki following them around, even if
it was by the boy's own choice.

Kuno felt a sudden urgency.  He needed Akane to trust him and believe
in his decision making.  He needed her to believe in the things he was
saying since that was the only way Kamiko could be heard.  He turned
to face as best he could in the close confines.  "Akane?"

"What is it, sempai?"  She was straining to see what was going on at
the head of the jam.

"I must ask something of you, and I beg that you seriously consider
what I am about to say."

Akane looked at him, surprised by his seriousness.  "I will.  What is
it?"

"How... how do you feel about me?"

"Uh..."  Akane had absolutely no idea what to say.  "I... don't..."

Kuno closed his eyes and nodded.  "As I thought.  You hate me."

"No, that's not true.  I don't hate anyone.  I just think you... need
help.  And the same with your sister.  Why would you think I hate you
anyway?"

"Everyone else does, why should you be any different?"  Kasumi
probably hated him, even.  "Do not be ashamed of your feelings.  I am
accustomed to it."

"I'm not like everyone else.  I don't really like being angry or upset
at people."  Akane blushed a little, and looked at her hands.  "That's
why I get so... mad.  I'm upset at them and myself."  She always got
upset at herself for never being able to let her feelings show like
she really wanted.  Upset that there were so many things that she
wanted to say, but just couldn't; things she wanted to say to Ranma.

"I know you are not.  That is why...  You have always been so
different, so...  I could never, never force you to... stay with
someone like me.  You deserve so much more."

"But what about all those times at school?"  All the challenges, all
the fights, all the bouquets and declarations of love...

"You thought it was simply that you were of the fairer sex that my
efforts lessened.  It is untrue.  I could never live with myself..."

"You did it so I wouldn't have to..."  What was she thinking?  She
wouldn't have gone out with him even if he had beat her.

"Yes.  You, in my company, would be like a rose sharing a garden with
a dandelion.  It is better that you are never subjected to my...
worthlessness."  He grimaced at the sound of the word.  No matter what
Kamiko said, her words could not override 17 years of being called
less than human.

"Sempai, I don't know what to say."

"Please... please say that you will be my friend.  That is all I ask."
She didn't even have to be his friend, as long as she didn't ever
think he was worthless.  A person could only be rejected so many times
before they think they ARE worthless, and his parents had succeeded in
doing so when he was very young.  He didn't need the one person that
would talk to him to do it too.

"I'll be your friend, sempai."  Simple as that.  When she thought back
to all those fights, she could remember the strange look on his face.
She had always thought it was just him concentrating on the fight...
But she had seen the same look on Ranma's face when she had left.  It
appeared to be intense concentration, but really it was pain.  "I'm
sorry.  I will be your friend."