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| A TRAIL OF BLOOD |
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a Ranma 1/2 fanfic
by Tharkon (aka Ronny Hedin)
<tharkon@fan.net>
UIN 181261
http://home1.swipnet.se/~w-10956/creative/fanfic/
all C&C deeply appreciated, no matter how umimportant it may seem
***
Genma was still running wildly. His glance darted quickly around
him, his eyes trembling with fear. As he passed one house after
another, he spoke quickly, almost incoherently to himself.
"She's coming."
***
That morning, Ranma had thrown his father into the pond, just as
usual. When Genma finally trudged inside for some hot water, the
mail-man had already been there.
***
He shuddered at the memory. "She's coming."
***
Soun held the postcard up shakingly, and read aloud.
"I'm coming for a visit next tuesday. I'll be arriving around
9'o'clock. Love, Nodoka."
"Today's tuesday," Genma said and smiled. "It's a full week until
she comes. We'll have lot's of time to think of something."
Soun nodded, somewhat calmed by his old friend's confidence, and
was about to throw the postcard, when Kasumi picked it up, and
studied it carefully. "Oh my!" she exclaimed.
***
"She's coming!" Genma ran faster.
***
"Look!" she said, and pointed at the date mark. "Last week! The
postal company has been really slow."
***
"Aaaah!"
Genma cried out, his voice betraying his deep fear.
"She's coming. She's coming. She's coming. She's coming." As he
crossed the street hastily, repeating the words like a mantra, Genma
was not aware of his surroundings.
***
The truck driver whistled along to the tune on the radio. This hot
day, his attention was only half-fixed on the road. He didn't notice
the middle-aged man crossing the road. Not before it was too late.
***
The brakes screamed in vain as the front of the truck hit Genma.
All around, people turned to stare. It was as if the world had
temporarily stopped. The driver watched, paralizyed, as a few drops
of blood flew soundlessly from the badly deformed body.
The effect was broken when it hit the ground a couple of yards
away, jerking a few times and then collapsing. A final thought passed
through Genma's head, and then he was enveloped by unconciousness.
"Why didn't I just change?"
Less than a second had passed, but the driver could have sworn it
took him a full minute to realise what hat happened.
When he finally came to his senses, he removed his foot from the
pedal. A voice cried out, "Somebody call 119!"
***
When the ambulance arrived, it was already too late. No doctor in
the world could restore the bloody lump of meat to life again.
***
Nodoka held the katana high into the air, her blood on the verge of
boiling.
"Where is my husband?"
"Er..." Soun sweated, but finally managed to bring himself to his
senses. "He's on a training trip." He smiled apologetically, inwardly
congratulating himself for the clever excuse.
"But I sent a card over a week ago!"
"Yes, er, but, you see, it was late. In fact, it just arrived!" He
kept up his smiled - that wasn't even a lie!
"Hmph. I suppose my son is with him?"
Soun nodded frenetically.
"Well, I'll wait here for a while. At least I'll get a chance to
see his fianc‚e."
Though first about to protest, the Tendo father decided against it,
and just kept nodding. "Yes, that's fine. Kasumi, can you bring our
guest some tea?"
"Yes, father."
***
"What? ... Yes, he lives here ... Hai." Kasumi turned around.
"Father, it's for you."
Taking the phone from his eldest daughter, Soun sighed tiredly,
wondering what his friend had done now.
"Yes ... yes ... I see." Tears started welling up in his eyes.
"Yes, I'll come right away. Bye."
When he had hung up, he could no longer control himself. Streams of
water, seemingly endless, flooded down his cheeks. "My old friend..."
Nodoka, of course, was immediately concerned. "Mr. Tendo? What is
it?"
Kasumi just looked worriedly at her father.
Finally, they managed to calm him down enough to get a few coherent
words out of him. "The police ... must go to ... the station ... you
should come, too."
***
As they reached the scene of the accident, it was already more or
less clear of people. The corpse was draped in a blanket.
A policeman motioned for them to come.
"I'm sorry about this. The body is badly scarred, so we need your
help to identify it. Not a pretty sight, I'm afraid. Are you ready?"
Soun nodded, and the man removed the blanket.
The river of tears that once again starting flowing was all the
answer he needed.
Nodoka was fighting back tears, too. She hadn't seen her husband in
ten years. Now she never would.
***
"Tomboy!"
As always, they had been fighting on their way back from school,
and just as they entered the dojo, Akane gave Ranma a blow with the
ever-present mallet.
It took him a moment to recover. The next shock was of a less
physical nature.
"M... mo... mother..." Ranma stammered. Then, he saw the sad look
in her eyes, a noticed the absence of a certain person. Anger started
rising from within. "What's pop done NOW?"
A few seconds of stillness passed before she could bring herself to
speak. "Oh, Ranma ... I'm so gald to see you ... I only wish it could
have been under happier circumstances." She sobbed silently.
"Ranma," Soun said to the boy. "Genma ... you're father ... he's
dead." Had he not already emptied himself of tears, he would have
cried again.
Nodoka finally let her tears out, leaning on her sons shoulder.
"He was run over by a truck ... earlier this morning."
Ranma held his mother, trying to comfort her. He would have cried,
too, but he could not allow himself to do that. Not in front of his
mother. Even if his father had not been the best of persons, he could
not dishonor his memory by making his mother think he had not been
raised to be a true man.
It was not easy, though.
***
AUTHOR'S NOTES!
Yes, I know this is short. It's not really finished yet. I just want
some input 'fore I write more. Should I continue this one at all?
Please! This is my first attempt to write anything where feelings is
at all important, and I want to hear *any* comments (including "You
suck").
I know the name's not good at all. I Suck At Names <tm>.
---
[Tharkon^SMC] [Ronny Hedin] [2:200/505.8@fido] [tharkon@fan.net]
[http://home1.swipnet.se/~w-10956/]