Standard Disclaimer Stuff:
Ziggy (Legal Mojo) Sez:
All Characters of Ranma 1/2 property of Rumiko Takahashi, Kitty
FIlms, Shogakukan, and Viz Communications. I don't own them, and don't claim to.
C&C welcome (and requested), either publicly or privately, I don't
care which.
============================================================================
===========
Ryoga: Gone Away
Maybe in another life
I could find you there
Pulled away before your time
I can't deal it's so unfair
And it feels
And it feels like
Heaven's so far away
And it feels
Yeah it feels like
The world has grown cold
Now that you've gone away
Leaving flowers on your grave
Show that I still care
Black roses and Hail Marys
Can't bring back what's taken from me
I reach to the sky
And call out your name
And if I could trade
I would
And it feels
And it feels like
Heaven's so far away
And it stings
Yeah it stings now
The world is so cold
Now that you've gone away
The Offspring/Gone Away/Ixnay on the Hombre
The rain started falling soon after the service began, as though the
heavens were weeping along with the gathered crowd for the recently passed
soul. The one question on the minds of those assembled was: "WHY?" Why
would one so young take his own life? The crowd's grief was palpable as,
one by one, the mourners approached the small shrine. Ukyo was first among
them.
"Ryoga, you jackass, why?" Her voice was tight and strained. Her
eyes were red from crying, and still more tears fell, mixing with the tears
shed from the sky. She placed one of her small throwing spatulas on his
coffin, and stepped aside.
Next were Genma, Nodoka, Soun, and Nabiki. All passed the
shrine, murmuring prayers and blessings. All of them had tears in their
eyes, even Nabiki and Genma.
Kasumi approached the shrine. One arm was holding a black umbrella
over her head, the other was cradling the shoulders of a weeping Akari
Unryuu. Akari's shoulders hitched voilently with each racking sob that
ripped forth from her chest. She kept mumbling that it was all a dream, to
please let it be a dream.
Ranma and Akane were last to approach Ryoga's shrine. The two stood
under one umbrella, arms about the other's waist. The wide bands of gold
around their ring fingers shone dully in the dim light of the day. Ranma ran
his free hand over the wet surface of the shrine that contained the ashes of
his sort-of
friend, as though he needed physical confirmation of what his eyes were
telling him. He never thought Ryoga would do something like this.
Ryoga never gave up on anything, no matter how much it hurt, or how far the
odds were stacked against him. Something like suicide was completely out of
the question. He glanced around the small cemetary, searching for Ryoga's
parents. Ranma knew that with their lack of direction, they likely wouldn't
make it here. He turned his gaze to Akane, who looked up to him with both
love and sadness in her deep brown eyes. She had been angry to find out
about P-chan, but Ryoga's suicide quickly squelched her considerable rage.
Akane looked at the simple shrine in which her friend was interred, and said
in a choked voice:
"I forgive you, Ryoga."
Ranma fought back the tears that seemed
hell-bent on escaping, and said simply,
"Goodbye, P...pal. I hope you found some peace. I hope you're
finally happy."
Ranma lay on his futon, turning Ryoga's suicide over in his mind.
It just wasn't like him to ever quit. Ranma once again found himself
replaying the events of the last few weeks...
============================================================================
===========
Ranma spotted the little black pig long before Akane did.
P-chan...no, Ryoga, was the last opponent he had to overcome in this fight.
Ranma looked at the gold wedding ring on his finger. His eyes glazed over at
the recollection of that day, not to mention that night. Ranma shook his
head violently, pushing back the memories. For better or for worse, he'd
made his choice, and he was damn proud of it. Like a feral predator, Ranma
leapt from the roof of the Tendo Dojo, landing lightly behind the oblivious
P-chan. In a second, he scooped the little porker up and knocked him out
before he could so much as make a noise. Then, he silently made his way into
the dojo.
Ryoga woke up sputtering in a bathtub filled with hot water. //Where
the hell am I now?\\ He could tell he was in a bathroom, and that it looked
oddly like the one in the Tendo Dojo, but....
"Hello, P-chan." Ryoga would recognize that voice anywhere. He shot
his best death glare at his hated rival, Ranma. He sat across from Ryoga,
soaking in the hot water as well.
"Just what's going on here, Ranma?" Ryoga demanded.
"Oh, I just wanted to talk to you about a few things."
Ryoga had no clue as to where this was headed, but he didn't like
it. Ranma had an air of quiet menace about him...something that was never
there before. Something reflecting a gold light caught his eye. He looked at
the ring finger on Ranma's left hand, and saw something else that was never
there before. Ranma followed Ryoga's shocked gaze and grinned. "See anythin'
ya like?"
That tore it.
"DAMN YOU, RANMA!" came Ryoga's usual epithet as he rose from the
water and assumed a fighting stance. "What have you done to Akane?!" The
door to the bathroom opened, and both of them looked at the figure standing
in the doorway.
//Speak of the devil.\\ thought Ranma.
"Akane! What..."
"I heard yelling, so I came to see what was going on. Uh, Ranma, why
are you and Ryoga taking a bath now?"
All of a sudden Ryoga realized that Akane was looking at him and he
was butt naked. He dove into the warm water with a furious blush coloring
his cheeks.
"I found Ryoga wandering around outside, so I invited him inside for
a bath an' some food. Right, Ryoga?"
Ryoga just babbled incoherently. Akane just stared at Ranma.
Inviting Ryoga in for a bath and a meal just wasn't like him. Then again, he
*did* finally settle the problem with his multiple fiances. She wasn't quite
sure, but she thought that maybe Ranma was growing up after all. Satisfied,
she turned to leave the bathroom.
"Lunch will be ready in about an hour. See you then, Ranma."
"Sure thing, Akane. I love you."
"I love you too, husband."
Ryoga was absolutely flabbergasted. The short conversation Ranma
and Akane just had was *nothing* like what he was used to hearing. Just how
long HAD he been gone?
"Didja hear that?" Ranma's voice snapped Ryoga out of his stupor.
Ryoga stared at his rival, unable to believe what had happened. Akane had
said it. She said she loved...lo..ved...R...Ranma......
The silence stretched between them for what felt like eternity. The
air was filled with tension, as though the whole world had stopped to see
what would happen next.
"Yes, Ranma, I heard. You win."
Now it was Ranma's turn to look confused.
"Huh?"
"You heard me. Akane chose you over me. She chose you of her own
free will. I no longer have any claim over her."
Ryoga's voice was strangely flat and devoid of emotion. Usually, he
would hear one of two emotions in the lost boy's tone. The most prominent of
which was enough anger to send a lesser man to the hospital with extreme
hypertension. The other was enough sadness to depress Kasumi. He'd even
heard insane levels of joy, but those only rarely. But he had never heard
this flat, emotionless tone in Ryoga's words. Frankly, it unnerved him.
"Ryoga..."
"Shut up, Ranma. Just shut up. You won, there's no need to rub it
in. I suppose you'll be telling her who P-chan really is next?"
"No. No, Ryoga, I won't." Ryoga looked up into Ranma's face. Ranma's
eyes locked with his, pleading with him to understand. "I don't mind you
coming here. Neither does Akane. Ryoga, she's your friend, and I wanna be. I
really don't want there to be bad blood between us anymore." Ryoga stayed
silent.
Heaving a weary sigh, Ranma lifted himself out of the tub, and went to dry
off. "Here's my advice, Ryoga, take it for what it's worth. You really
shouldn't spend so much time alone, man. Go to Akari. To be honest, I really
think you two have a shot. After all, Akane and me are happy together, why
shouldn't you and her be." With that, Ranma left the bathroom, leaving Ryoga
alone with his thoughts. Only when Ryoga heard the bathroom door shut did he
let the tears flow.
Ryoga: My Own Prison
A court is in session, a verdict is in
No appeal on the docket today
Just my own sin
The walls are cold and pale
The cage made of steel
Scream fills the room
Alone I drop and kneel
Silence now the sound
My breath the only motion around
Demons cluttering around
My face showing no emotion
Shackled by my sentence
Expecting no return
Here there is no penance
My skin begins to burn
(And I said oh...) So I held my head up high
Hiding hate that burns inside
Which only fuels their selfish pride
(And I said oh...) We're all held captive
Out from the sun
Sun that shines on only some
We the meek are all in one
I hear a thunder in the distance
See a vision of a cross
I feel the pain that was given
On that sad day of loss
A lion roars in the darkness
Only he holds the key
A light to free me from my burden
And grant me life eternally
Should have been dead
On a Sunday morning
Banging my head
No time for mourning
Ain't got no time
(And I said oh...) So I held my head uo high
Hiding hate that burns inside
Which only fuels their selfish pride
(And I said oh...) We're all held captive out from the sun
Sun that shines on only some
We the meek are all in one
I cry out to God
Seeking only his decision
Gabriel stands and confirms
I've created my own prison
Creed/My Own Prison/My Own Prison
Ranma looked over at the clock on the night-stand. Two a.m. and he
STILL couldn't sleep. He looked at the sleeping form of Akane next to him
and was envious for a few seconds. A smile crept on his face, and he stroked
her hair lovingly. God she was cute when she wanted to be, especially when
she was asleep. Almost an angel. Ranma realized anew that he loved her, more
than anything else on this earth. Sure, they still had their fights, and
Ranma still got a good smacking once in a while, but those were less
frequent and less violent than before. Besides, now that they admitted their
love, they could make up...
His thoughts turned once more to Ryoga, and just what could have driven him
to such drastic measures as suicide. A sudden disturbing thought came to
him. //Oh, man, not that. Please, say that wasn't it.\\ Ranma tried to
banish the thought, but it stubbornly refused to leave. Instead, it played
itself in the theatre of Ranma's mind....
It had been three weeks since he had last seen Ryoga. Ranma had
walked in the bathroom only to find the window open and Ryoga gone. Puzzled,
Ranma knelt at the rear corner of the bathtub and removed the few loose
tiles in the floor. Finding the hole bereft of Ryoga's spare outfit, he put
the tiles back in the floor. Ranma looked out the window that Ryoga had used
for his exit. At least he went through the window and not the wall.
//Go on then, ya jerk! See if I care!\\ Somehow, the thought didn't
carry as much conviction as it normally did. He'd never cared where Ryoga
went before, why should he start now?
(You won, there's no need to rub it in.) The emotionless tone in
those words hit him like Akane's mallet. Surprisingly, Ranma found himself
worried about his greatest rival.
The weeks that followed Ryoga's abrupt exit from the Tendo Dojo were
quiet and uneventful, two words that had all but stopped being used to
describe life in that particular spot in Nerima. Akane had gone out for her
morning jog, Kasumi was in the kitchen, Nabiki was watching TV, and Soun was
reading the newspaper. Genma sat at the breakfast table, eagerly awaiting
the food while Ranma trained in the dojo.
Ranma was in rare form that morning. Each punch and kick flowed
smoothly into one another. To the casual observer, it would have appeared
that Ranma was dancing across the floor. That wasn't too far from the truth.
When Ranma's mind and body worked in perfect harmony, his movements would
become an elegant, though lethal, dance. It was moments like that he lived for.
"Hurry or your breakfast will get cold!" came Kasumi's ever cheerful
voice. Ranma finished his kata, and toweled off the sweat. He sat down at
the table, and began his rather accurate impression of a vacuum cleaner. His
amazing powers of observation kicked in after about ten minutes and told him
that Akane was conspicuously absent. Strange, he'd seen her come in from her
run.
"Kasumi, where's Akane?" Ranma asked.
"Oh, she went to the bathroom with P-chan. She said he smelled like
garbage and decided to give him a bath."
Ranma's heart nearly stopped, and he almost choked on his rice.
//Akane...Ryoga...P-chan...bathroom...hot..water...?\\
//OH BLOODY HELL!\\
Of all the times for this to happen..... Ranma leapt up from his seat and
made a power dash to the bathroom, praying to whatever gods were listening
that he wasn't too late. It was ironic, really, of all the times he'd wished
Akane would put two and two together, he found himself hoping that this time
she didn't. He reached the bathroom door in time to hear:
"RRRRYYYYOOOOGAAAAAA, you BASTARD!"
Damn! He heard a loud [THWACK!] followed immediately by the sound of
splintering wood. Ranma decided that now would be a great time to employ the
Saotome Secret Technique. Maybe give Akane a chance to cool off before she
could turn her anger on him. Ranma spun and began to execute the technique.
"RRRRRAAAAANNNNMMMMAAAAAAA!" erupted the enraged voice behind him.
Like someone in a cheap horror flick turning to face the killer, Ranma
turned to face Akane. Ranma had to shield his eyes from the strobe-like
brightness of Akane's battle aura. He saw her pull her mallet from out of
nowhere, and he knew he was going to get a few inches shorter. He had time
enough to wonder where she kept them, especially due to the fact that she
was naked, before the mallet hit home.
(10 minutes earlier)
To say that Ryoga Hibiki was lost was beyond cliche. Truthfully, it
was almost scientific law, up there with Newton's law of inertia. To say
that those cursed by Jusenkyou get splashed by cold water at the worst
possible times and in the worst possible places was like saying "Fire is
hot." Ryoga was a statistic of both at present. P-chan wandered around the
streets of whatever city he was in, trying to find some familiar
sight...something to tell him where on earth he was. This was his worst
gripe about his curse: If P-chan was caught on the wrong side of town, say
the restaurant district, he could wind up as dinner. One thing he couldn't
stand was the thought of dyng as a pig, much less as someone's dinner.
Another thing he couldn't stand was the way he smelled. In his haste to get
away from a chef with a knife, he charged right into an open trash bag. At
least he got away, so there was SOMETHING positive about all this.
"P-chan! I've been so worried!"
P-chan spun at the sound of this voice, joy and sadness warring inside him
for dominance. He looked up into the eyes of Akane Tendo (Saotome, Akane
Saotome, he reminded himself). Akane reached down to scoop him up in her
arms. P-chan saw the gold wedding ring on her finger, and realized that he
couldn't let himself be her pet anymore. It wasn't fair to her.
Akane was puzzled when P-chan skittered backwards away from her.
"What is it, baby? Don't you want to go home?" P-chan, in fact,
seemed to be looking for a way out of the alley. She managed to grab him,
and was surprised when he began to squirm. "What's gotten into you?" she
asked as he continued to struggle. P-chan was acting really strange, he'd
never tried to get away from her before. She held him to her chest, hoping
that would calm him. Then the smell assaulted her nostrils. "Whoa...P-chan,
where have you been?"
All she got in response was a muffled "Bweeee!!"
"Well, I guess I'll just give you a nice, hot bath. Wouldn't that
feel good?"
//Oh. My. GOD!\\
P-chan increased his efforts to get away, but Akane would have none of it.
Akane carried him out of the shaded alley, and into the bright morning sun.
He frantically looked around for anything, anything at all, that would get
him out of this jam. Instead he saw the one place he'd hoped he'd never see
again....
The Tendo Dojo.
Typical, the one place a Hibiki least wanted to go was the first place they
usually ended up. He was only a few hundred feet from the Dojo the whole
time!!! Akane carried him through the gate, kicked off her shoes, and made a
bee-line for the bathroom. Once inside, she set P-chan on the floor and
locked the door. He looked around frantically, praying to whatever gods were
listening for a way out. He looked up when a piece of damp cloth fell on
him. He poked his snout out from under it, and heard a small giggle. The
shirt was removed, and P-chan found himself staring at a pair of pert
breasts. He passed out seconds later from a nose bleed. He remained
unconscious until a splash of cold water hit him. P-chan sputtered awake and
relaxed at the scrubbing sensation. he then remembered where he was, and
what was about to happen and started struggling again.
"Oh, no, we'll have none of that, mister." chided Akane as she
picked him up. He tried his best to ignore that he was in a room with
Akane...naked....Then he saw the hot water.
//SHIT!\\, he cried which came out as "BWEEE!"
Akane held P-chan by his bandanna, ready to dunk him into the
soothing hot water. She ignored the pounding footsteps that were headed in
her direction. She gently placed P-chan in the hot water, and felt
something...odd. All of a sudden, she felt hair underneath the bandanna, and
the shape of P-chan's head was all wrong. Curious, she looked into the
bathtub, and saw that she was holding Ryoga's head underwater. Startled, she
released his bandanna and staggered back, her mind reeling. She put P-chan
in the water, Ryoga came out. P-chan.....Ryoga....she put two and two
together and got Jusenkyou. She glared at Ryoga, anger and hurt waging war
inside her for dominance. Ryoga, on the other hand, showed almost no emotion.
"Forgive me, Akane." was all he said. His voice was devoid of all
emotion, as though a robot were speaking, not a man. Akane didn't notice
this, nor did she notice that his eyes matched his voice, dead and emotionless.
" RRRRYYYYOOOOGAAAAAA, you BASTARD!" Akane cried as she hit Ryoga
with an uppercut that lauched him into Low Earth Orbit, putting a hole in
the ceiling in the process.
Ryoga quickly shrank and disappeared from view as he rocketed off to the
final frontier. Akane hardly noticed, however, as she put together the rest
of the puzzle. Ranma was always picking on Ryoga, calling him
P-chan...Pig-Boy...she finally saw Ranma's taunts to Ryoga for what they were...
Subtle hints. He was trying to tell her about Ryoga being...being... she
couldn't even bring herself to finish the thought. He was trying to tell
her...and she was stupid enough not to notice. The fact that Ranma wouldn't
tell her outright didn't calm her any. She heard footsteps outside, and knew
instinctively that they belonged to him. Not noticing the fact that she was
naked as a jaybird, she marched out of the bathroom, and found herself
face-to-back with the next target of her towering rage.
"RRRRRAAAAANNNNMMMMAAAAAAA!" she screamed. He slowly turned to face her,
pure fear on his face. Good, let him sweat. She pulled out her Ranma-masher
from Hammerspace, and the carnage did commence.
Ryoga: What's This Life For?
Hurray for a child
That makes it through
If there's any way
Because the answer lies in you
They're laid to rest
Before they know just what to do
Their souls are lost
Because they could never find
What's this life for
I see your soul, it's kinda gray
You see my heart, you look away
You see my wrist, I know your pain
I know your purpose on your plane
Don't say a last prayer
Because you coud never find
What's this life for
But they ain't here anymore
Don't have to settle the score
Cause we all live
Under the reign of one king
But they ain't here anymore
Don't have to settle no God-damn score
Cause we all live
Under the reign of one king
Creed/What's This Life For/My Own Prison
Ranma once more looked at the clock on the nightstand and groaned at the
glowing green numbers on the digital display. Three a.m., and sleep remained
stubbornly elusive. Akane shifted position, muttering something
unintellegible before settling back into sleep.
//Aw, jeez, why can't I sleep?\\ The answer, like the darkness of slumber,
refused to come. What came easily, though, were more memories...
============================================================================
============
Ranma was still sore for days after the onset of Hurricane Akane. It wasn't
the physical pain he minded, that would soon pass, but it was the fact that
Akane was ignoring him. Truth be told, he'd much rather be yelled at and
smacked around than be totally ignored by his wife. As he walked along the
fence, no particular destination in mind, he wondered just how long Akane
was going to keep him in the doghouse.
Judging from the bruises, he would be sleeping on the couch for quite some
time.
The doorbell chimed, but Ranma paid it no mind. He was busy
wondering when Akane was going to get over the P-chan incident. In fact, he
was so lost in thought (a rare event indeed for him), that he failed to
notice Kasumi enter the room with two strange men.
"Ranma? These two men are here to see you." Ranma turned and took in
the two strangers. One was tall, almost gaunt. He was well-dressed; creases
in the right places, hair parted just so, the whole shebang. His partner was
a different story. He was short and stocky, his clothes dissheveled. He
looked more the grizzled cop than his partner. The tall one produced a gold
badge, which immediately got Ranma's attention.
"What is it, officer?" he asked with as much politeness as he could muster.
"Excuse us, but we need you to come with us." Now Ranma was VERY worried.
"We need you to identify someone."
//What?\\
"I..i..dent..identify someone?"
"Yes." This was from the short cop. "Do you know a young man by the name of
Ryoga Hibiki? Our sources tell us he was a frequent visitor here, and he was
usually seen with you."
"Yes, I know him. What's going on?" Ranma was very worried and very
confused by this point.
"Follow us, please." Ranma got up off the couch and followed the two police
officers out of the front gate to a black sedan. Before they could get in,
though, Ranma's legs were attacked by a big, brown blur that resolved
itself into the weeping form of Soun Tendo.
"OH, MY SON!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? WHY DID YOU HAVE TO TRAVEL THE
PATH OF CRIME??" The police were stunned at the overly emotional Tendo
patriarch. Ranma tried to explain why he was going with them when the two
officers shouted and pointed at the front gate. Standing there was the
biggest panda they had ever seen.
"MR. TENDO!! POP!! I'm just goin' with them to...answer a few
questions." He didn't want to tell them why he really thought he was going.
"Yes, Mr. Tendo. Ranma isn't in any kind of trouble." After a few
more minutes of confirming that Ranma wasn't a criminal, Soun and the panda
went back inside the gate. The tall cop turned to the short one and said,
"Does Animal Control know about that big-assed panda?"
"And he even called the thing 'Pop'! Now I seen everythin'"
//Not hardly.\\ thought Ranma.
Ranma got in the back, while the two cops got in front. The tall one started
the engine and pulled out into the street.
It was a rather short drive to the hospital. Ranma wondered why two police
officers would bring him to a hospital to identify someone. The building
itself was rather impressive - a towering, multi-floor building with a dull
white exterior. Once inside, the air conditioner blasted them with frigid
air, raising goosebumps on Ranma's arms. The smell of antiseptic assaulted
his sense of smell. They walked past the front desk, past rows of small
offices, and descended a set of stairs. They continued down a small, narrow
hallway lined on both sides with empty gurneys. The trio finally approached
a pair of blue double doors with a small sign above them. On the sign,
written in plain katakana, was a word that made Ranma's heart clench in his
chest, as well as the pieces fall into place.
Morgue.
"You're kidding me, right?" Ranma asked the two cops, dread in his voice.
"No, I'm afraid not, Mr. Saotome. Follow us please." They passed through
the doors into the morgue.
The second Ranma entered the morgue, he wanted to leave. There was a feel
of death in the air. It was as though this were a place where the living
just didn't belong. And it was so damn COLD! One of the two talked to a
skinny man in lab clothes. He led them to a row of large drawers that lined
one whole wall. Ranma felt the dread and anxiety knot up his stomach as the
lab guy grabbed the handle, and pulled the drawer out.
Lying on a flat slab, covered by a sheet up to the neck, was Ryoga. His
face was pale and, for once, peaceful. Ranma recalled someone saying that
dead people looked as though they were sleeping. Looking at his sort-of
friend lying there on a slab in a morgue, though, disproved that statement
in a hurry. Dead people didn't look asleep.
They looked dead. Stone cold dead.
"Mr. Saotome? Mr. Saotome, is this..."
"Yeah. Yeah, that's him." Ranma felt the gorge rise in his throat at the
sight of an actual corpse. The fact that it was Ryoga's corpse didn't help.
"How?"
"We need you to sign a release form..."
"How!" Ranma's voice raised to a loud bark, a note if
irritation in his voice.
"Please, Mr. Saoto...."
"HOW!" Ranma screamed. He grabbed the lab tech by his coat and
lifted him effortlessly in the air. The tech stared nervously into the
enraged martial artist's eyes. The two police officers were too stunned to
make any move to restrain him.
"S..se...sepukku..." the tech stuttered. Ranma's entire body went
numb. The tech dropped to the floor and fell to his knees, Ranma's hand
still raised as though he were a victory statue.
Ranma's mind had taken a vacation for a while after that. He was
vaguely aware of his name being signed on the bottom line of various forms.
He barely registered the questions of the detectives. How did he meet Ryoga,
what was his relationship to the deceased, did he have any idea on why the
deceased had commited suicide? Ranma didn't remember the answers, nor did he
care. He remembered asking where Ryoga was found. All they said was the
warehouse district. He vaguely remembered the two police officers who'd
taken him here escorting him back to the sedan. The next thing Ranma knew,
he was standing outside the dojo. The shock of what he'd seen had finally
worn off, and his brain began functioning normally again. How was he going
to break the news? What was he going to say? He decided that the best was to
tackle this problem was head-on...
Kasumi had just set to cooking dinner when Ranma walked past the
kitchen. She turned, and a bell went off in her head. Ranma's shoulders were
slumped, his head was bowed, and his feet dragged across the floor. After
years of running the dojo after mother died, she had become a good judge of
moods. One look, and she knew Ranma was depressed.
"Ranma, is everything OK?" Ranma trudged onward for a few more steps
before answering.
"Just fine, Kasumi." Kasumi was almost physically jarred from the
depression in his voice. How much trouble could Ryoga have been in? "I'm
goin' to talk to Akane." Ranma then continued his trek up the stairs to the
room he shared with his wife.
"Come in." Akane heard the door open, but didn't bother to look at
who had entered. Several books were opened in front of her on the small
desk. Akane had been studying hard for college entrance exams, and had
almost completely sequestered herself in her room. She hardly noticed that
her visitor had not spoken for nearly a minute.
"Akane, can we talk?"
Akane stiffened at the sound of Ranma's voice. She was still
severely pissed at Ranma for not telling her about P-chan sooner. Still, she
was beginning to get over it. She was also short on time and patience at the
moment, so she made her response curt.
"Make it fast."
"It's about Ryoga." Ah-HA! He was interrupting her study time to try
and smooth things over. She should have known...
"I don't want to talk about...him." Akane replied. She spat out
"him" as though it left a bad taste in her mouth.
"Akane..."
"GO AWAY!"
"He's dead, Akane."
Akane spun on him, mallet at the ready when what Ranma said finally
hit home.
"He's...what?"
"Ryoga's dead. He committed seppukku." Akane's mouth hung agape as
she ingested the information. Ryoga...was...dead? Ryoga Hibiki? Seppukku?
Akane knelt heavily on the floor, her head spinning. She was vaguely aware
of Ranma kneeling in front of her, placing his arms around her. Her anger at
Ryoga somehow seemed less important, now.
Part of her mind kept on course, though. That part was considering
just how much more study she would need, what time to wake up to catch the
train to Nippon Tech, and things of the like. Akane was completely
bewildered that she could still think about what she was doing earlier when
someone she knew had just died. She threw her arms around Ranma, and the
tears started to flow.
The Tendo and Saotome families were gathered around the table, one
of Kasumi's delicious spreads adorning the short slab of wood. Kasumi looked
at two conspicuously empty spots between Nodoka and Nabiki, and wondered
what the occupants were doing. Nodoka noticed as well, and said,
"I wonder where Ranma and Akane are."
"Ranma said he was going to talk to Akane when he came in." replied
Kasumi. "He may still be in their room." Kasumi didn't add that Ranma had
looked more depressed then than he ever had before. "They've been in there
for over an hour. "
"Perhaps we should check in on them." suggested Genma.
"No, husband, we will not. This is not our affair." Nodoka said in a
tone that would brook no argument. Genma was quickly silenced. They hadn't
heard the sounds of violence, yelling, or Ranma racking up frequent flyer
miles on Air Akane, so they assumed that everything was OK. Nabiki, however,
would not be so easily dissuaded. Upon finishing dinner, she excused
herself, and headed upstairs.
Nabiki placed her ear to the door with the little wooded duck
bearing her little sister's name in English (with "and Ranma" in English on
a Post-It note). Of all the noises she'd expected to hear, sobbing was not
one of them. Puzzled (and a little concerned, though she'd never admit it),
she knocked on the door. After a few moments, a muffled voice from beyond
the door gave permission to enter.
Nabiki was plesantly surprised to see the two of them sitting on the
bed, holding each other. Seeing their eyes red and puffy, and seeing the
sadness on their faces, however, was an altogether different sort of
surprise. Nabiki stood in the doorway, her mask of disinterest firmly in place.
"So I take it you two have worked this out?" she asked casually.
Ranma and Akane didn't respond. "C'mon, why the long faces?"
"R...Ryoga...is...d...dead." Akane stuttered. Nabiki was completely
taken aback, her mask slipping a little. Nabiki slowly walked over to the
two on the bed.
"How?"
"Suicide." Ranma said simply. Nabiki just stood there, not knowing
what to do. She wasn't the mother figure here, and she felt at a loss as to
what to say.
The Next Morning:
The sunlight streamed through the window, glaring straight into
Ranma's eyes. Moaning, he rolled over, intent on draping his arm about
Akane. Surprisingly, she wasn't there.
"Aknrrmmphh...?" was his articulate response. Reluctantly, he opened
his eyes and saw what his arm told him...She wasn't there. Dredging his
sleep-addled brain, he finally recalled that Akane would take her college
entrance exams later that morning. Rolling over, he looked at the clock.
10:45 a.m.
Akane was supposed to catch the train at 8:00 a.m., wasn't she?
After a few seconds, confirmation came from Central Control that he missed
escorting Akane to the train station. He also noticed that Genma hadn't
roused him for practice. Grateful for the extra few hours, Ranma crawled out
of bed, grabbed his standard outfit, and made for the bathroom.
Fifteen minutes and a good, hot soak later, Ranma emerged into the
living room, feeling a bit more alert. Kasumi saw him, and told him that his
father and Mr. Tendo had escorted her in his place.
Ranma sat cross-legged on the roof of one of the houses in Nerima,
trying not to think about Ryoga. He had spent enough time pondering Ryoga's
death, and resolved today not to think about it. Usually, when he needed to
clear his head, he'd train. The rhythms of the katas would ease his mind,
and he could focus all his energies into the movements. He tried that
earlier, and when it proved ineffective, he decided to meditate. He had set
out to find an ideal spot, and had found it here. The occupants weren't
home, so he was sure they wouldn't mind. Ranma sat on the rooftop and
concentrated on the warm sun on his back, the tiles beneath him, and the
smells in the air. He let his mind empty itself as he took deep, cleansing
breaths.
//Oh, man this is what I needed.\\ Ranma let the thought go,
clearing his mind once more. Ranma lost himself in the feelings of warmth
and serentiy. The scent of sakura blossoms carried even out here, and he
inhaled deeply. He inhaled again, but something was different about the
scent in the air. With each breath, the smell changed more and more for the
worse. Finally, unable to bear it anymore, he opened his eyes to see just
what the hell that stench was.
//Just a garbage truck.\\ Annoyed, Ranma glared at the truck as
though it were Kuno. From the rooftop, Ranma had a pretty good view of what
was inside the truck. His eyes lighted on something bright red lying in the
pile of garbage and filth. It looked just like a baroque-style umbrella.
//Is that....?\\ After a few seconds, he confirmed that it was indeed
Ryoga's umbrella. Ranma figured his pack wouldn't be too far away. The
garbage truck lurched into motion, gradually hauling its massive bulk up the
street. Wihtout a thought as to what the hell he was doing, he leapt off the
roof. After a balletic landing, he launched himself after the accelerating
truck. The truck wasn't going overly fast, so Ranma caught up to it easily.
He began to pound on the driver's-side door, shouting for them to
stop. Finally the driver obliged, the squeal of air brakes piercing Ranma's
ears. The driver rolled down his window and looked at Ranma as though he had
lost his fool mind.
"What the hell do you want?" he asked in his most gruff voice. "I
got my run to make."
"I need to get something out of the truck." Ranma said. The man was
surprised. The kid didn't sound the least bit winded.
"What do I look like, Lost & Found? Beat it, kid." Under normal
circumstances, Ranma would have stuffed the driver into the back of his
truck. However, he decided not to waste the effort. With a single leap,
Ranma landed knee-deep in Nerima's trash. After a few moment's worth of
searching, he found the umbrella. A red, baroque-style umbrella that weighed
practically a ton. It was definitely Ryoga's. It took him a few minutes more
to find the pack. With another leap, he landed on the pavement, smelling
like trash. The driver simply stared at him in shock. He had never before
seen someone leap THAT high before. Ranma slung the pack and umbrella on his
back, and set off down the street, leaving the driver standing there shaking
his head.
"I need a vacation." was all he could say.
============================================================================
===========