Greetings to one and all.
This is post is a little different for me in that it is a stand alone
post and is the shortest one I've made to date. This is also a kind of
experiment for me as I've never written a something in anything other than
prose before (with the exception of an ocassional poem), and script-like
format is hard for me to work with. I'm trying my best though. ^_^
Also, this fic has not been pre-read by anyone, so I'm kinda
throwing myself on the mercy of the ML this time.
Anyway, please let me know what you all think, I'd really appreciate any
opinions you have on this.
Thanks and I hope you all enjoy this.
James "Phoenix" Jones
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Begin attached file (I hope)
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Songfic by James "Phoenix" Jones
This is inspired by events in the Ranma 1/2 manga by Rumiko Takahashi and takes
place after Vol. 38 of the manga series.
The Ranma 1/2 characters depicted herein are copyrighted to Rumiko Takahashi
and the company that publishes them.
The song "Heart of the Matter" is copyrighted to Don Henley and the company
that produced it.
This is a work of Fanfiction and no copyright infringement is intended.
Please don't sue me okay?
Heart Of The Matter
[Opening Shot: The Ucchan, it is about noon and business is booming.
Ukyou is inside behind the grill cooking Okonomiyaki and Konatsu is
waiting on tables. A close-up of Ukyou reveals that she has a look of
of very tight concentration on her face that is not usually there. To many
of the customers, it looks like she is trying to take her mind off something.
A moment later, the phone rings.]
UKYOU: [quietly] Great, just leave it to ring when I'm busy.
[normal voice] Konatsu?
KONATSU: [cheerful as always] Yes, Ukyou-sama?
UKYOU: [annoyed] Get the phone would you?
[Konatsu quickly places the order he was carrying in front of the person who
ordered it and moves to answer the phone.]
KONATSU: [picks up the phone] Moshi moshi.
[The other end of the phone stays silent for a moment, then we hear someone
say something to Konatsu]
KONATSU: [Surprised] Tendo-san! What a pleasant surprise, I didn't...
[Konatsu trails off as we hear someone talking, rather harshly
on the other end of the line.]
[Outside, business has slowly begun to die down and Ukyou flips the last hot
Okonomiyaki off the grill to a customer. As the customer expresses his thanks,
Ukyou wipes her hands on a towel and looks toward the back room where the
phone is located. With a disgusted look, she walks away from the grill and enters
the back. The moment she goes through the door, we hear Konatsu talking
frantically with the caller.]
[MUSIC STARTS]
I got the call today
And I didn't want to hear
But I knew that it would come
[Ukyou freezes like as she hears what Konatsu is saying. Her eyes
are wide open with a look of disbelief.]
An old true friend of ours
Was talking on the phone
She said you'd found someone
[Konatsu, suddenly aware of Ukyou's presence, turns around with an equally
shocked look. Covering the receiver with his hand, he quickly says something
to Ukyou, but the words don't seem to reach her ears. Konatsu quickly mumbles
something into the receiver and hangs the phone up. He takes a step forward, but
the look on Ukyou's face causes him to pause.]
And I thought of all the bad luck
And the struggles we went through
How I lost me, and you lost you
[Camera zooms in on Ukyou's eyes and we see blurry silhouettes taking shape.
A moment later, the silhouettes clear up, revealing images of Ukyou and Ranma
as children. Several scenes play out for us, we see the two of them playing in a
field, eating Okonomiyaki and generally having fun. Slowly, the scenes change
to show Ranma and Genma running away with Ukyou's cart, Ukyou swearing that
she is beginning to consider herself a man and Ukyou training to defeat Ranma.
More scenes of Ukyou's life materialize, but they are to quick and blurry to make
out.]
What are all these voices
Outside love's open door
[Scene changes to Ukyou talking with Shampoo on the day before Ranma and
Akane's wedding. Both Ukyou and Shampoo have expressions that could freeze
blood etched on their faces. On the table in front of them is an invitation to the
wedding. Both of them are arguing quite loudly.]
Make us throw off our contentment
[Shampoo and Ukyou finally seem to reach an agreement and the lean closer to
each other, obviously plotting something. A few seconds later, Ukyou nods and,
reaching to her belt, pulls out a small slip of paper which she passes to Shampoo.
Shampoo nods and they both enter the kitchen.]
And beg for something more
[Scene changes again to Ukyou and Shampoo attacking the guests at the wedding,
Ranma defending Akane as Ukyou and Shampoo's plan quickly collapses. We see
Ranma standing in front of Shampoo, holding onto Akane tightly. He is yelling at
her, but the words can't be made out. A moment later, Shampoo runs off in tears.
Ukyou is about to speak to Ranma, but he fixes her with an icy stare and she wisely
walks away.]
I've been trying to get down
To the heart of the matter
But my will gets weak
[The camera pans away from Ukyou's face, revealing her still shocked expression.
Konatsu walks towards her again, but as he nears her, she shoves him roughly and
and runs out the back door.]
And my thoughts seem to scatter
But I think it's about
Forgiveness, Forgiveness
Even if, Even if you don't love me anymore
[Ukyou runs through the streets for what seems like hours before she finally collapses
near the park. She drags herself up to her knees and pounds the ground with her fists.
As she does so, tears fall from her eyes into the grounds.
Ah these times are so uncertain
There's a yearning undefined
People filled with rage
[Ukyou slowly drags herself back to the Ucchan, her face is red and puffy
and her clothes are slightly dirty from when she collapsed. As she approaches
she sees that the shop curtain has been taken in and the restaurant is closed.
Konatsu is standing out front with a worried expression, but says nothing as Ukyou
approaches. Shoving her way past him, she walks inside.]
We all need a little tenderness
How can love survive
In such a graceless age
[Ukyou slowly climbs the stairs to her apartment and collapses on her bed.]
Oh the trust and self-assurance
That lead to happiness
[Propping herself up on her elbow, Ukyou reaches to her head of her bed and picks
up a framed picture. As she brings it closer, we see that it is a picture of her and Ranma.]
They're the very things we kill I guess
[Several imagined, slightly fuzzy scenes flash before us. Scenes of Ukyou in a
wedding gown standing next to Ranma, scenes of the two of them living together
and raising a family.]
Oh pride and competition
Cannot fill these empty arms
[As Ukyou continues to stare at the picture, we see Ranma's face slowly
contort until it is the same expression he gave her when she wrecked the
wedding. Ukyou slowly turns onto her back and hugs the picture tightly as
tears stream down her face.]
And the work I put between us
You know it doesn't keep me warm
[The scene changes to the next day. Ukyou is once again cooking at the
grill, but her face is red and puffy from her crying. People look at her with
a sympathetic gaze, but nothing seems to break the pained expression on her
face.]
I've been trying to get down
To the heart of the matter
[We see Ukyou going to school several days later. She is dressed in her
usual school outfit, but her spatula is not present. An Okonomiyaki box is
hidden behind her back. Several feet away from her, Ranma is sitting with
Akane and the two are holding a civil conversation for once. As Ukyou
approaches, Akane looks up to face her, her expression passive. Ranma, seeing
that Akane is no longer talking to him, turns to look in the direction she is facing.
Upon seeing Ukyou, his expressions hardens and he turns away quickly.
But everything changes
And my friends seem to scatter
[Ukyou tries to talk to Ranma, but he ignores her completely. She kneels down
beside him and holds out the box. Ranma takes a quick look at it and swats it
away. Ukyou stares at him in shock and tries to say something, but Ranma
starts yelling at her before she can do so.]
But I think it's about
Forgiveness, Forgiveness
Even if, Even if you don't love me anymore
[Ukyou, tears streaming down her eyes, tries to get Ranma to listen to her,
but he ignores her completely. Akane tries to talk to Ranma but he is
ignoring her as well. With a look of defeat, Ukyou stands up and slowly walks
away. Halfway across the field, she turns around to see Ranma and
Akane walking in the opposite direction.]
There are people in your life
Who've come and gone
[Scene changes to show Ukyou once again sitting on her bed holding
Ranma's picture. She is slowly shaking her head, trying to blot out
what Ranma has told her, trying to believe it never happened. Unfortunately,
the tears that are falling onto the picture frame remind her that it did happen.]
They let you down
You know they hurt your pride
[With a cry of rage, Ukyou flings the picture away from her into the wall.
As it hits, the glass shatters and the frame brakes. Ukyou stares at the mess
for a moment before turning onto her stomach and burying her face in her
pillow.]
You better put it all behind you babe
'Cuz life goes on
[Several hours later, Ukyou has cried herself to sleep and Konatsu
cautiously enters the room. Walking to the side of the bed, he picks up
Ukyou's blanket and covers her with it. He smiles as she pulls it tightly
around her shoulders. Walking to the broken picture, he cautiously
takes the photo and tucks it into his shirt. A moment later, he quietly
begins to clean up the broken glass.]
You keep carrying that anger
It'll eat you up inside baby
[Ukyou wakes up slowly the next day, her eyes red from so much crying.
Getting out of bed, she gets ready to clean up the picture frame but finds
that it is already been taken care of. Downstairs, she can hear people talking.
With a sigh, she stands up and exits the room.]
I've been trying to get down
To the heart of the matter
But my will gets weak
And my thoughts seem to scatter
[We see time going by very quickly. It moves from Ukyou slowly
pulling herself out of depression and finishing school. She tries to
approach Ranma and Akane several times, but always turns away
at the last moment.]
But I think it's about
Forgiveness, Forgiveness
Even if, Even if you don't love me
[Time passes again and we see Akane entering the Ucchan. Seeing her,
Ukyou turns to Konatsu and asks him to take over the orders. Ukyou's face
is rigid and she looks angry, but as she nears Akane, we see that the other
girl has a very sympathetic look on her face. Seeing this, the Anger
quickly drains away from Ukyou's face. The two stand parallel to each other
for a moment and both try to speak at the same time. They laugh quietly
and begin to talk. Slowly, the customers of the Ucchan filter out of the
place as Ukyou and Akane talk well into the night.]
I've been trying to get down
To the heart of the matter
[The scene changes to an outside street. A shadowed figure is walking
along the street and the camera pans up to it, taking the place
of the shadowed figures vision. As the person moves, we see that the
buildings have an older look to them, but have changed very little. As the
stranger walks up to one of them. As the camera pans up, we see the words:
"Ucchan's Okonomiyaki" proudly displayed on the shop curtain. We hear a deep
breath as the camera pans down to the entrance.]
Because the flesh will get weak
And the ashes will scatter
[As the camera pans through the door, we see Ukyou, who now looks to
be in her mid-twenties. Konatsu is in the rear of the restaurant waiting on the
only patrons inside as Ukyou works on one of her specialties. She turns to the
new customer, but stops in mid sentence. The camera zooms in on her hands
as one of her spatulas slips out of her grip and clatters to the floor. Close up
on her face for a moment before the camera pulls back to show Ranma, also in
his mid-twenties, standing in the doorway. Akane is standing outside, several
feet behind him.]
But I think it's about
Forgiveness, Forgiveness
[Ukyou is about to speak when Ranma raises his hand, signaling her to be quiet.
He says something to her, but we can't make out what it is. The camera pans
up to Ukyou's face to show her eyes shimmering with tears and a smile slowly
covering her features.]
Even if, Even if you don't love me
[As Ranma finishes speaking, he smiles nervously and asks Ukyou something.
Without a word, Ukyou vaults over the counter and rushes toward him. Stretching
her arms wide, she hugs him tightly. The camera pulls back to show the two of
holding each other with Akane and Konatsu both smiling happily in the background.]
[Fade out]
**************************************The End
Well... I hope you all enjoyed that. I know I did.
***The Disclaimer once again***
-All Ranma 1/2 characters are the property of Rumiko Takahashi and the company
that produces them.
-The song "Heart of the Matter" belongs to Don Henley and the company that
produced it.
-Both of these are used without permission, and no copyright infringement is intended.
***End Disclaimer***
Quick notes:
"Heart of the Matter" is an excellent slow song with a good beat that I for one can
listen to over and over again. If you haven't heard the song, I strongly recommend
listening to it because it is _really_ good.
A couple of days ago, a finally found a copy of Vol. 38 of the Ranma manga and this
song was playing on the radio just after I finished the scene with Ukyou and Shampoo
wrecking the wedding. I couldn't get the scenes I wrote down out of my head because
the just seemed (to me at least) to fit so well with the lyrics. I had to write it down.
I have a few other ideas for songfics that go along with the lyrics of some of my
favorite music. Whether or not I write them depends on what kind of response I
get to this one.
Thanks to all who've read this and I hope you enjoyed it.
C&C will be greatly appreciated, as this is the first time I've ever written something
in script fashion. All C&C will be replied to as soon as I have time.
James C. Jones aka The Blood Phoenix jace@utkux.utcc.utk.edu
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James Jones: The Blood Phoenix * \ // / / *
Dedicated Anime Fan and Avid Roleplayer * \ //// _/ / *
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"Watch you back, shoot straight, * \___/ / *
conserve ammo and never, ever * / \_ *
cut a deal with a dragon." * /,)-_( \_ \ *
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