EVE
((This is a totally non-profit exercise. The Ranma 1/2 characters
do
not
belong to me in _any_ way and instead are the creation of the
brilliant
Rumiko Takahashi. You go, girl!))
CHAPTER 2 - BITTERSWEET MELODY OF THE SOUL, PART 1 23/07/97
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"If you gaze into the fire within, you must be careful not to get
badly
burned."
Jaden grinned as she looked down on the city of Tokyo; Eve was
awake
now. It's time to get the show started, wouldn't want to keep Eve
waiting...
* *
*
*
* *
Dr. Tofu drank in the atmosphere of his kitchen, swimming and
meandering with aromas of soothing, cooling, scintillating herbs
which
filled the room with healthy smoke, as he lightly cooked and
steamed
the
extra special herbs which only he - with the possible exception of
Cologne
- had in this country. The unusual concoction was used to cool
instead
of
warm up the drinker.
The doctor stirred the mixture in his mug, almost forgetting
what
he
had been doing a few minutes before. His lungs were almost softened
by
the
sweet and silk-like wafting smell of the drink. He closed his eyes
and
enjoyed the momentary calm.
What first came to disturb his peace was a low hissing sound,
snaking
its way round his ears and through his head. Dr. Tofu looked around
but
saw
and felt nothing to indicate an intruder.
"My imagination...I have been in Nerima too long." He
remembered
why
he had stayed in Nerima, even through all these hassles. He smiled
gently
as he thought of her smile, her beautiful long hair, her kind and
peaceful
nature...
~Hsssssshhhhhhh~
_That_ he didn't imagine! Clattering his mug down on the
cluttered
table top, Dr. Tofu went off to investigate. Preparing to switch
on
the
light in the hall....
"Aaaah!"
...Tofu jumped back as the light switch violently hissed and
spat
sparks at him. Suddenly the lights blinked off and the house was
left
in a
complete state of black. He felt like he was trapped in a blanket of
darkness and shivered, but not quite sure whether it was the cold or
something else, trying to hold onto his calm and not let his
impending
sense of danger. The floor boards creaked and groaned as he moved
towards
the window, desperately hoping that it was a neighbourhood
blackout.
But
the lights of the other houses laughed and flickered at him, almost
alive
in their brightening brilliance.
He tried to subdue his quickening heartbeat to stop it
becoming
louder
than his heavy breathing. He was not supposed to react like this,
what
was
wrong?
~Wssssshhhh~
His muscles tensed and froze as he finally sensed a presence,
so
faint
only his acutely-heightened senses told him it was there. But he
couldn't
see it. Hardly heard it. Faintly felt it. What could he do? Was it
Jaden?
His martial arts training might come in useful but he could hardly
sneak up
on something that he didn't know the whereabouts of. Something
which
could
easily match him, even with his level of skill.
Soon, but not soon enough for Tofu's liking, something
happened.
A strange smell rested upon his dry lips and wandered casually
up
his
nostrils. It was bitter but sour. Recognisable but unfamiliar. He
saw
shadows creep and wander over the walls in the open room opposite.
The
darkness soon covered the walls completely. Soon the room was
unrecognisable and smoke captured it. But a different kind of smoke
to
the
gentle herbal ones in the kitchen. This was stuffy, acrid, stinging
smoke.
Tofu calmly entered the room with a mask over his face and
turned
to
look at something in the room. The smoke quickly dissipated, almost
as
if
it had never existed and he knew the intruder had gone, their task
complete.
"Oh well, nothing I can do now to change the past," Tofu
sighed
sadly
as he look at the black and grey ashes of what once used to be his
computer. It was all in a good cause though, the computer had
become
the
first martyr to the rising against whatever Jaden was. An odd
martyr.
Strangely, only the computer was destroyed. His table and chair
were
intact
but were sooty, like the walls, with smoke.
Feeling queasy, and knowing that if he did not leave the house
now
the
poisonous fumes of the burnt plastic would kill him, Dr Tofu left
his
house
sadly, only stopping to open a few windows to clear the air. Once
outside
he savoured the fresh but cold air of the night which balmed his
hot,
sticky and slightly sick, body. Gasping in a few deep breathes of
air,
he
reached into the pocket of his black trousers and pulled out
something
Jaden hadn't smoked out of him. Smiling inwardly at his slight
success
over
the mysterious being, Tofu fingered gently the disc which he had
saved
the
contents of the web page on before his sudden thirst had overcome
him.
This
Jaden obviously underestimated mortals because one thing he knew
she
was,
was not human.
The bespectacled young man saw, through the light of the
lampposts,
neighbours coming to investigate why smoke was coming out of one of
Tofu's
open windows. Glad that someone had noticed, Dr. Tofu asked one of
the
neighbours if they could phone the fire service as his phone was not
currently available due to an electronic mishap.
He then promptly decided that the Tendo's would be a sensible
port
of
call - he knew Nabiki had a computer and Ranma's parents were
staying
there
temporarily - and headed in that direction, leaving bewildered
witnesses
wondering what the latest strange going-on in Nerima was all about.
* * *
*
*
*
Deep in not-so-peaceful slumber, Ryoga tossed and turned,
mumbling
in
his sleep. His eyes screwed up, his face glistening with greasy
drops
of
sweat, a strangely neutral smile crossed his face, his hands
scrunched
up
into tight, white fists, the doctors pondered whether to let him
get
his
sleep or to wake him up.
The dream was even more disturbing.....
Ryoga was in a hot spring, surrounded by nothingness but not
really
noticing it.
In real life, Ryoga moaned out loud in the relative safety of
his
hospital
bed as the nightmare continued....
But this was not an ordinary hot spring and Ryoga was not the
normal
Ryoga. Desperately trying not to drown, he shouted out loud,
confused,
but
only a high-pitched squeal came out. Yes, that's right, a _squeal_.
In
this
fake reality, Ryoga was a little black pig submerged in a strangely
alien
but awfully familiar substance: hot water.
Spluttering and gasping for air as the slippery substance slid
and
swimmed smoothly around him, he tried to cry out - no, scream out -
with
shock and horror: "What is happening to me?! Why am I not
changing?!!!
What
hell is this?! I don't want to suffer like this, I can't take
it!!!".
But
all that really came out was "Bu-keeeee! Bwweeeeee!!!!! Kweeeeee!!!"
"Noooooooo.....!!!!!!!" Ryoga screamed inwardly, his body
futilely
fighting against the bewilderment and now total incomprehensibility
of
his
mind. The body needed a plan to survive but the mind seemed to be
suicidal
and refused to co-operate causing his small body to lock up. The
paralysing
effect of this was not helped by a force which seemed to want to
pull
him
beneath the noisy surface into the quiet, fluid graveyard.
The pig body went limp and overturned, while the boy's mind was
running around in confusion and panic, not quite sure what to do?
Ryoga
blankly stared up to the black void-filled skies above but soon
that
sight
was lost as the warm water covering his face caused him to close
his
eyes.
Peace was all he wanted now, the terror left the cursed body
as it
flied slowly down through the water to an end that would never come.
A permanent quiet seemed in sight for the lost soul but Ryoga
was
shaken out of his self-induced stupor by the burning sensation on
his
skin.
The water was hotter and getting hotter as he drowned further.
Unable to breathe, he wondered what the _hell_ was going on.
Bitter
tears stinged his eyes as they reacted with bubbling, boiling water
around
them. Why him? Why couldn't he die peacefully? One thing he wanted
and
it
could not be granted. What a wretched life he had had.
But the boiling, fiery water demanded his attention and so
continued
to scald him as he fell further downwards. Becoming so unbearable
both
mentally and physically that Ryoga felt the need to scream more
than he
had
ever before, not caring if the alien water hurt him even more.
"Bu-keeeeeuaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!" Ryoga did not notice the change
in
voice
as he sat up in bed. "What happened to the hot spring? M-my voice,
it's
normal again! Thank god, it was just a dream!" His fluttering heart
and
his
extremely rare burst of ecstasy was interrupted by a weird smell,
it
was a
burning smell? Odd. What could it be? Sniffing the dark air some
more,
he
choked it back, gagging the putrid fumes in, accidentally. "What is
that?"
He coughed and spluttered out loud, a disturbingly familiar odour
pushed up
his nose, "it smells like burning....flesh?" A few seconds spent
contemplating were interrupted by a few milli-seconds spent
screaming
in
realisation. "!!!"
He screwed up his eyes and gazed forward at the sight lit
before
him
in his darkened room. His bed was on fire. His bed. On fire. And he
was
in
it. In a bed on fire.
"Eeeeeeeyyyyyyaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!" Ryoga shot out of his
bed,
sleepy
and panicked, thrusting his legs towards the door. But they were
too
weak
and collapsed under him. He felt the air brushing through him as he
fell to
the ground. "Nooo!"
~WHAM!~
"Pain," Ryoga croaked as he rubbed his head, "extreme pain.
Blindness.
Agony. Must escape." Using all of his strength, he pushed himself
up
from
the floor, pain grabbing his whole bandaged body. "Uh!" Convulsions
and
shudders controlled his wrecked being. An involuntary gasp escaped
his
lips
as he realised that his bandages were on fire. "Argh!" Why him, oh
why
him?!
Unable to stop the savage substance from invading him. Ryoga
did
the
most sensible thing which came to his mind at that moment. He ran.
~RUMBLE~
Through the wall and down the corridor, screaming like a
deranged
madman. His mind was white and blank. Only one thing registered.
Water.
Need water. He tore through the speed barrier as he ran - no,
_flew_ -
down
the hall. Doctors, nurses and somnia-challenged patients dived for
cover as
they saw this raging human bullet barely miss them.
"What the - ?"
"Wai - ack!"
"Run! Run for your lives!!"
"Ryoga? Wha - ?"
~SLAM!~
Ranma looked at his bruised fist and then at the unconscious
lost
boy.
Pain didn't register in his mind at that moment as he leaned on his
crutch
and gazed down at the now _very_ peaceful Ryoga, out for several
hundred
counts, on his back.
"What is his problem this time? I only got up for a drink of
water."
Ranma was bemused, if Ryoga wanted to attack him, why not launch a
battlecry? He didn't bother to think of a reason for Ryoga's rage,
it
was
too early in the morning for that.
A dazed doctor stumbled towards the pig-tailed boy, who was
only
wearing a hospital gown and dressing robe.
"How did you... how did you do that?" The doctor gasped for
air,
his
body having temporarily freezed up a few seconds ago.
Ranma shrugged his shoulders casually, not really caring.
"I sensed danger and struck out at pig-boy here."
"Y-you know him?"
"Unfortunately."
"Then perhaps you can tell me something...?"
Gulping down the water, Ranma resisted the temptation to pour
the
rest
of it over Ryoga.
"What?"
"Does he often go down corridors shouting "fire! Fire!" when
there
is
none?"
Ranma frowned, that was weird, even for Ryoga."No, no. Ryoga
may
be a
tenacious, short-tempered, idiotic jerk but he isn't seriously
delirious."
Apart from him thinking he could beat me in a match, though!
"Hmmm...probably just had some terrible dream," the doctor
grunted
wearily.
"Probably..."
* * *
* *
*
Hearing the scream a few minutes before, Eve tried to move but
her
body still wasn't co-operating. The pain still took control of
every
sense
she had apart from her mental ones, which refused the idea of
giving
up.
"Nggghhhhh....must get up."
"What do you think you're doing?!" A nurse shouted in surprise
as
she
entered the room, "You can't! You're not well enough to get up!"
"Have to help them! She will hurt them with me awake!" Eve
continued
to get up, with mild success, until some other nurses and doctors
came
in
and restrained her. She fought against them, her muscles tensing
and
her
bones felt like they were breaking.
"You're not well enough! You could do yourself some damage by
resisting!" Doctor Koga snapped back.
"NO! I do not care! Let me go!" Eve shrieked shrilly. She was
too
weak
to overpower them.
"I don't think so," calmly replied Dr. Koga as he jabbed a
needle
into
her.
A glazed look began to form in Eve's eyes and she collapsed
back.
"You do not know what you have done..." Eve whispered shakily
as
her
body gave in to the tranquilliser. The young Dr. Koga stood back
and
began
to assess the situation in his head. This young woman called Eve
suffered
fourth-degree burns and a week later she is able to nearly hold her
own
against healthy doctors? It shouldn't be possible. And who was
'them'
that
she was trying to save? Chewing on his pen, Koga wished he knew the
answer
to all the questions in his head. Especially one of them: was Eve
right?
* * * * * *
Darkness. Fading darkness. Light. Harsh light. Faces.
Inquisitive
faces. Ryoga was waking up and wondering why he was being peered at
by
strangers. Their faces edged back slightly when he snarled at them.
"What do you want?" Ryoga didn't know if this was some weird
dream
and
eyed suspiciously the two well-dressed strangers, one a relatively
young
woman and the other a gnarled up old man. "I'm trying to get some
rest
here, I had a bad night."
"So you remember your outburst?" The old man asked with a
gravelly
voice which was like a ton of pebbles being shaken about in a steel
trunk;
it was very off-putting. Beside him the young woman was scribbling
madly on
a small pad of paper.
"Who are you?!" How dare these people interrupt his sleep and
stare at
him incessantly!
"I am Dr. Hakowa," spoke the old man and motioned to the young
woman,
"and that is Dr. Chan. We've just transferred from Akita General."
Ryoga frowned in puzzlement.
"You don't look like doctors."
"We are psychiatrists, we -"
"What?! There's nothing wrong with me!!! Ranma put you up to
this,
didn't he? The jerk!" Ryoga prepared to jump out of bed and give the
hospital some more work when he stopped. The woman was writing
everything
he said down. "What are you doing?!"
The man calmly put down his hand on Ryoga's shoulder, as if it
would
soothe him. Not that it did. But Ryoga stayed on the edge of his
bed,
trying hard not to make an outburst in front of the shrinks. He
wasn't
crazy, he wasn't! Taking in extraordinarily deep breathes, Ryoga
could
fell
his heartbeat slow down gradually and the blood rushed a little
slower
through his veins. He counted to ten, then to twenty, forty was
soon
after
but it took 5.2 minutes for Ryoga to regain his offbalance
composure.
The
doctors watched with interest.
"Why do you think I'm crazy? I'm not Kodachi!"
"We don't think you're crazy," the doctors answered together,
wondering who Kodachi was.
"You don't?"
"We just wondered why you ran through the wall and screamed
fire
until a patient knocked you out."
"Why would I? Because my bed was on fire and so was I -" Ryoga
stared
in amazement as he saw the teenager-shaped hole in the wall. "There
was
a
fire! How did you people put it out so fast?"
"This wasn't a dream of yours, was it?" The old man asked.
"No, I remember it, it felt so real. I felt the fire, I felt
it
burning
on me."
"There was no fire, Mr. Hibiki."
"Dr. Hakowa, there was, my bed was in flames, I saw it!"
The young woman stepped forward and analysed him, making him
feel
like some sort of test subject.
"Have you been under much stress lately?"
"Quite a bi...but nothing that would make me see things that
weren't
there." Ryoga couldn't believe this was happening, he _saw_, he
_felt_
the
fire, it was more real than even him.
"What sort of things?"
"Well, that fool Ranma knocked me into a spring, so now I
turn
into
a.. animal. Then I fall in love with his beautiful fiancee but he
treats
her so badly, he flaunts around blatantly with two other fiancees,
the
lech. The fact that he's cursed to turn into a girl doesn't make up
for
it -"
"Mr Hibi -"
" - Do you know he's got a panda for a father? Deserves it.
And
then
dear Akane looked at _him_ gratefully after we defeated this
serpent
with
nine or ten heads, it was ugly anyway. I was _so_ angry with that
that
I
walked to Texas where I was then nearly served up as a main dish
after
an
accident with a pale of water! The injustice of it all!!" He
screamed.
Ryoga let out his breath, had he said enough?
"We're done now, thank you for your time," the old man look
ten
years
older as he left. The woman glanced back once just to check that
this
mad
boy wasn't too cute. Seeing that he was, she cried something about
'a
terrible waste' and left.
Ryoga slumped back against the soft pillow, lying there in
quiet
for a
few moments, suddenly he bashed the pillow, his bandaged fist went
right
through it. He wasn't crazy, he wasn't! His temper got a little out
of
control sometimes but he was not like the Kuno's, he was perfectly
in
touch
with reality. But who would tell those shrinks that he was
off-kilter?
Ryoga's eyes flashed red. "Ranma....."
*
*
*
* * *
Yawning, Dr. Tofu rolled over in his bed, only to fall out of
it.
~Ka-thump!~
"Oh my," came a sweet voice to his head, "are you OK?"
Dr. Tofu blinked open his eyes but they were a bit fuzzy. He
stood
up
but couldn't quite focus on the person in front of him.
"Kasumi, what are you doing here?" His heart was full of joy
at
her
arrival and he would have danced around the room but he was
confused.
"Why, I live here."
"How long _have_ I been asleep?"
"Just a few hours, you came here earlier this morning. Akane
was
still
up and let you in and you then fell asleep on the sofa." She smiled
at
him
but he couldn't see that, very lucky for the disc he had taken out
of
his
pocket just a few seconds before.
"Is Nabiki awake? I have an important d-document to look at on
her
c-computer," Dr. Tofu felt dizzy and didn't know why, not enough
sleep,
probably.
"The others aren't up yet, do you want some tea?"
"No thank you, I feel a little faint, is it all right if I
take in
some fresh air?" Whereupon he dashed out of the house, leaving a
bemused
Kasumi standing.
* * *
* *
*
Eve opened her eyes as she realised that no-one was there
anymore.
Removing the straps which held her to the bed, Eve sat up and
checked
the
room and the corridor outside her window: empty.
"Perfect." Eve noticed a pair of crutches against the wall,
now
all
she had to do was get out of this bed and walk over to them. "Not
that
I'm
beneath crawling on the floor, not that I'm beneath anything..."
* * *
* *
*
Jaden smiled as she sensed Eve's consciousness. Now that the
first
interval was over, it was time for the second act...
* * *
* *
*
Ryoga charged down the corridor, ignoring the scorching pain
which
branded his body. He stampeded towards Ranma's room, choked with
fury.
His
heart slammed repeatedly against his ribcage, blood stampeding
around
his
body. His hormones tore through his mind as anger shook him up.
"Raaanmmmmaaaa... wake up!!" Slamming the door open, Ryoga
prepared
to dive into Ranma when his whole body froze at the sight before
him.
His
heart cracked as lightening ripped it. "Akane...n-no..." His
darkening
eyes
were fixed at the couple beside the window, where light streamed
in,
almost
blinding the two. He could make out the outlines of the two who
were
locked
in a kiss. It was Ranma and Akane kissing... Kissing. He couldn't
take
this, he wasn't even supposed to care about Akane anymore, he knew
that
Akane was in love with Ranma... but his heart of glass had never
had to
face it before. And it shattered at the sight.
His mouth was dry as it hung open and a nauseating feeling
quenched
and knotted his stomach. It was true, he still loved Akane, more
than
anything. He was trapped in unrequited love and no amount of denial
could
fade the passion. A melancholy sense of sorrow drenched him.
But he knew she would never be his. Never.
"I cannot take this," he barely breathed. A need to leave, to
escape,
overcame Ryoga. Tears threatened to burst free from his eyes.
"Goodbye,
Akane." Ryoga stepped slowly out of the room, and made for the
exit,
his
walk graduating into a trot and then to a run and then to a mad dash
through the corridors . Unable to find it, he was as lost as his
feelings.
~Smash!~
Ryoga shattered an unopened window as he jumped out of it, not
caring
what floor he was on. The air rushed past him as he fell three
floors.
The
breeze felt liberating but barely. Landing without injury, Ryoga
stood
there for several minutes and gazed at the blinding morning sun.
"I no longer have the right to claim you as mine, Akari, as I
am
not
yours," Ryoga softly spoke to the sky, imagining Akari's sweet,
smiling
face between the clouds. "I am no-one's..."
A long, moaning scream emanated through Nerima, saddening those
who
heard it.
*
*
*
* * *
Akane sneezed as she woke up, a long shiver shuddered down her
body.
"Must be catching a cold." Yawning, Akane dragged herself out
of
bed.
Hearing voices downstairs, Akane wearily got dressed. She shouldn't
have
stayed up that late, she shouldn't have been so worried about this
Jaden
character that Eve talked about. Akane wasn't able to rid this
strange
feeling that something horrible was going to happen. It wasn't like
she
cared about Ranma.... "But I do." No point denying her feelings
anymore,
even if Ranma did.
Akane glanced at the clock realised she had slept in, it was
10:00am
already. She was about to go downstairs when she heard voices in
Nabiki's
room. Nabiki... had visitors?
* *
*
*
* *
Ranma stumbled out of bed, and swiftly locked onto his
crutches.
What
a weird night's sleep. He could've sworn he heard someone a couple
of
minutes ago at his door. Maybe it was the evil Jaden, come to wreak
vengeance on those who dare defy her all-consuming wrath. Yeah,
right.
Chuckling a little, he hobbled over to the water fountain just
outside
his
door. There was long thread of doubt over his scepticism wriggling
uncomfortably around his body but he preferred to ignore it.The
whole
situation was just too... too...
Two doctors were standing, leaning casually against the wall,
chatting
away.
"Did you here about the guy who jumped through the window?"
The
tall
one spoke with incredulity.
"A closed window, on the third floor of all floors! And he
survived
and ran off without a scratch. These martial artists, think they
can do
anything," said the other one, completely unaware of Ranma's
presence
behind him. Ranma himself was worried with where this conversation
was
going. Where they talking about who he _thought_ they were talking
about?
"Wasn't he the one who thought that his bed was on fire and
that
he
had defeated a ten-headed serpent? A complete maniac I tell ya'."
"Um, excuse me?" Ranma interrupted. The student doctors turned
to
face
him, miffed that their gossip had been stopped short.
"Yes?" asked the taller one, Ranma completely oblivious - or
unafraid
- of his dominant demeanor.
"Who're you talking about?"
"Just some nutter who jumped out of that window over there."
The
shorter one pointed to the source of an unexpected new draft, people
huddled round the shards of what was once double-glazing.
"Who, though?"
"Uh, I dunno... I think he was wearing a bandana round his
bandaged
head."
"Thanks." So his instincts were right...What's up with that
idiot
this
time? Jumping through windows for no reason? Hallucinating? What
had
gotten
into him?
"I think I can answer that question for you, Ranma Saotome," a
smooth,
light voice whispered loudly.
"Who?" Ranma twisted his head to see slightly burnt young
woman
with
long, blood red hair and intensely bright blue eyes, leaning on a
pair
of
crutches. "You're Eve...."
"Wow, am I? I would have never guessed," she grinned wryly;
"we
need
to talk."
"But you were in a coma yesterday and now..." Ranma gasped in
surprise
for once, maybe something more was going on than he had first
thought.
"Don't be scared, Jaden's the one with the fiery personality."
He pointed to himself, angrily. "I am not scared of
_anything_!"
"Apart from cats and commitment," Eve flatly countered,
folding
her
arms in disapproval.
"I...how did you know?! About cats, I mean."
"How about we do breakfast, at the cafeteria, say about...
now?
You
and your close friend Ryoga are in deep trouble."
"My _close friend_?!"
* *
*
*
* *
Akane watched Dr. Tofu load a disc into Nabiki's computer.
What
was
going on?
"Hello Akane, how are you feeling?" Dr. Tofu asked politely,
never
taking his eyes off the computer as he waited for the disc to kick
in,
revealing it's contents for all.
"I - what are you doing?!"
"He's got the lowdown on the Jaden chick," answered Nabiki,
sitting
beside Dr. Tofu. Nothing was going to get past her. She was seeing
the
truth first. "You just going to come in or just stand there,
admiring
my
room?"
Akane sent a mildly sour stare Nabiki's way before stepping up
behind
the two, watching as the contents were loaded into the machine.
"Here it is...." stated Dr. Tofu. The three spent a a short
while
digesting the information in fornt of them.
"Oh my god..." murmured Akane, "what _is_ Jaden?!"
* *
*
*
* *
Ryoga treaded wearily around the streets of Nerima, too tired
and
too
weak, from all the drugs, to do much more. He didn't notice all the
stares
- some of them complimentary - due to the fact that he was still in
a
traditional hospital gown. Bandages hung untidily from his arms,
exposing
physical wounds to the air. It was an unusually hot and humid day,
the
sticky heat gluing his hair to his head. But he didn't notice, he
didn't
care. The passionate and psychotic Ryoga was gone, there seemed so
little
left for him to fight for.
Blinking back the few tears left in him, his listless body
drooped
forward as he scuffled his bare feet along the hot coals they
called a
pavement. What did he have left out of this long, years-old
rivalry? A
better skill at martial arts? A debilitating curse? An overpowering
need
for someone who didn't need him, who'd never needed him? A
self-hatred
that
consumed him as he watched his mortal enemy capture all these girls
hearts
and play around with them, cruelly?
...Akari? A true friend, an anchor. She was all he had left
and
even
if he could never love her, he needed her love and attention right
now.
If
not, what did he have to keep his sanity from taking a long walk
off a
cliff?
Walking aimlessly for a few more minutes, he stopped abruptly
when
he
recognised the lightly crowded place infront of him.
"Ucchans," he mouthed. Konatsu observed this miserable sight
as he
served tables outside. Dashing inside with Ryoga not even detecting
his
movement, Konatsu came back, followed by a harried looking Ukyo.
"Ryoga...? What happened to you? Weren't you in hospital?"
Ukyo
noted
down mentally his ragged, greasy hair, his tattered 'attire', his
barely
bandaged burned body but most of all, his eyes. There was no spark
in
them
as usual, or fear, or love-sickness, just nothingness.
Disturbed by this, Ukyo gently guided him inside, to the back
of
her
cafe, to a quiet, shadowed spot, which no-one was taking. Ryoga sat
down
robotically and stared into space. She handed him some trousers to
put
on.
He couldn't walk around like that. He whisked them on before she
could
look
away. When had he practised getting dressed quickly? You'd think he
was
cursed!
"Ryoga...? What's wrong?" Ukyo was going to visit the hospital
this
afternoon to see Ran-chan. But events had taken an unexpected turn.
Ryoga lifted his head up to meet Ukyo's gaze. He dismissed
telling
her
about the incident. An angry and upset Ukyo would be too much to
deal
with.
"N-nothing... just needed the fresh air."
Even knowing he was lying, Ukyo didn't say anything. What
would
cheer
him up, put life back into him?
"I just remembered, a cute girl with long hair dropped by,
asked
if I
knew you."
"Akari...?" He looked agitated and confused about something at
the
mention of that name.
"That was it! She asked me to pass this on to you." Ukyo
handed
Ryoga
a sealed letter. Maybe this would brighten his mood...? "I have
hungry
customers waiting, I'll come back and talk when it's quieter,
alright?"
Ukyo waited for a response, all she got was a sullen nod of the
head
and a
quiet 'thank-you'.
As Ukyo fried another okonomiyaki, she observed the lost boy
as
he
opened his letter and read. His eyes widened as he read it, a
choking
noise
emanated from his mouth. He seemed to be souring to stone. What had
shocked
him so much? What was the matter now?!
"Ryoga?" He didn't even seem to notice her standing near him.
"Akari... why?" He was on the verge of collapsing, his whole
body
shaked erratically. Ukyo gasped as she saw how pale he had become,
his
skin
whiter than the ribbon in her hair. She wasn't sure what to do.
Should
she
comfort him or leave him alone?
"Ryoga... I'll just close up the restaurant and take you back
to
the
hospital, OK?" Yet again, she received no response. Walking back to
the
grill to turn it off, she motioned to Konatsu to start closing up
and
to
clear everyone out. Konatsu nodded back silently, aware of Ukyo's
concern
for her friend.
A swift breeze fluttered passed Ukyo as she turned her back to
the
booths.
"A draught? In this weather?" She whirled back and spotted a
lack
of
Ryoga. A piece of paper was scrunched up beside the table where he
had
sat. She picked it up, unsure of whether to read it or not. And
soon
she
decided to because that would be the only way she'd find out what
was
wrong
with her sort-of friend.
Sure enough, it was the letter addressed to Ryoga from Akari.
Didn't
she hear Ranma talk about Ryoga's girfriend? Was Akari that person?
Ukyo
took a breath and started to read:
____________________________________________________________________________
Dear Ryoga,
I couldn't face you with this news. The space you
left
me
when you went away has given me time to think. I've realised
something.
I
don't love you. I never did. I just wanted to because you defeated
my
pet
pig. The fact that you were half-pig helped me to accept my
destiny.
And
then I found out about 'P-chan' a few weeks ago. How could I love
someone
who was someone's pet pig? How pathetic. When you fell into that
coma,
I
only wanted you to waken up so I could leave you, and leave with no
guilt.
But I found myself being nice to you, anyway, just for old times
sake.
I've also met someone else, he's brave, he's
confident
and
handsome and much more of a man than you'll ever be! He was even
more
skilled at defeating Katsunihiki than you were.
Goodbye forever,
Akari Unryu.
||
|||
||
|||||||||||||||
|||||||||
____________________________________________________________________________
Ukyo was stunned and saddened as she lay the letter down on
the
table.
She slammed her fist down onto the hard surface. How could she be so
stupid?! Ryoga was already pretty badly mixed up over something and
now
this?! She shivered involuntary as her imagination envisioned
reluctantly
what Ryoga might do next. She had seen how upset he had been over
that
stunt Ranma had pulled on him during his set-up date with Akane.
What
could he be capable of? What _wasn't_ he capable of?
"Oh, Ryoga honey, please don't do anything stupid, please..."
End of chapter 2
I should really leave it here for C&C, but yet again, the plot
which
came
to mind will not be fully developed till chapter 3. Although Eve
isn't
as
developed as she should be, you will be seeing more of her and
Jaden
over
the coming chapters and their characters will be fleshed out with
the
obligatory turns and twists. There will be plenty more of Jaden's
creations, also. There will also be some Akari in later chapters, I
don't
know how long this thing is gonna be, please hold on. Plenty of
action
to
come, I promise! ^_^ It's not just going to be mental anguish for
the
whole
story (though there will be plenty of angst) and Ranma will take a
bigger
part later on, it's just Ryoga's 'turn', heheheh....Do you like the
way
the
stories going so far? Remember, nothing is as it seems.... or "The
truth
is out there... but I couldn't possibly be sure of that."
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