Author notes follow.
Rain -----------
Ranma hunched his shoulders dejectedly as he walked slowly down the
street. The gray skies above rumbled warningly, but he didn't care.
Akane was gone. And she wasn't coming back.
It's all my fault, he thought miserably. I could've been nicer or
something, but no - I have to go and act like a jerk again!
The skies rumbled again, and Ranma felt the first few warning
droplets. They weren't enough to trigger the change, but they were a
precursor of things to come.
Screw it, he thought. I don't care.
He kept walking, passing by closed shops and rundown buildings.
His hands were buried in the pockets of the unfamiliar American jeans
he was wearing, and the leather jacket Akane had pressed on him clung
to his shoulders, reminding him of days past.
"Look, Ranma!" Akane said. "It fits you perfectly!"
Ranma glanced at himself in the mirror, and saw that she was right.
The black leather jacket hung from his shoulders in a fashion that he
was decidedly unused to, but it looked _good_.
"Are you two going to shop all day?" came a droll voice from behind
him. Ranma turned around, and was startled to note a surprised - and
appreciative - look in Nabiki's eyes as she saw him in the new
clothes.
"Like it?" he said, turning slightly and craning his neck to see
what the back looked like. By the mirror, Akane was gazing at him
with shining eyes, hands clasped over her chest.
"Doesn't Ranma look handsome in that, Nabiki?" she exclaimed.
"I - um, that is, sure. They're not too bad." Nabiki's control
was back in place, but she had been shaken for a moment. He was sure
of it. And Akane... the look in her eyes...
"Hmm..." Ranma glanced up at the saleslady. "I'll take it."
A raindrop struck his eye, and Ranma jerked in surprise, the memory
fading like a dream exposed to light. He angrily wiped the offending
moisture away, ignoring the rest. Maybe, just maybe, if he didn't
acknowledge it, it wouldn't exist.
He snorted. Yeah, right. And maybe Akane will come back, too.
As he passed a particularly shabby building, he could make out the
faint strains of music coming from somewhere inside. Drawn by the
mournful half-heard melody, he crept up to a shattered window and
peeked through.
An old man was sprawled under a weathered desk in the center of the
rubble-strewn room, it's meager protection affording him a relatively
dry place on the damp floor. His eyes were closed, and the rhythm of
his breathing suggested sleep. A tiny battery-powered radio was
precariously perched on a brick near the old mans head, and that was
where the song was coming from.
Ranma leaned in through the window. Something about the song was
calling to him, and he knew that he had to hear it clearly, even if
only for a moment.
As his head entered the building, the outside noises - gusts of
wind from the gathering storm, automobiles honking their horns a block
or so away, and others - were abruptly silenced, leaving only the
music.
It was a slow song. Some instrument Ranma couldn't identify -
electric guitar, maybe? - was wailing the tune, while slow drums and a
low-pitched instrument kept beat. And a man was singing, with an
almost hypnotic quality to his voice.
You said you didn't need me in your life
Oh I guess you were right, yeah
Ooh I never meant to cause you no pain
But it looks like I did it again, yeah
Now I, now I know I wish it would rain down, down on me
Ooh yes I wish it would rain, rain down on me now
Ooh God I wish it would rain down, down on me
Ooh yes I wish it would rain on me
Though your hurt is gone, mines hanging on, inside, and I know
Well it's eating me through, it's eating me through every
night and day
I'm just waiting on your side
Cause I know, I know, I never meant to cause you no pain
And I realize I let you down, oh yeah
But I know in my heart of hearts
I know I'm never gonna hold you again, no
Now I, now I know I wish it would rain down, down on me
Oh you know I wish it would rain, rain down on me now
Ooh yes I wish it would rain down, down on me
Yes you know I wish it would rain down, rain down over me
Just rain down over me
Just let rain down, let rain down, let rain down
Oh yeah well let it rain down, rain down over me
Just let rain down, just let rain down, let it rain down
Just let it rain
As the music faded, Ranma let himself down from the window. Tears
flowed freely on his cheeks, and he made no motion to wipe them off.
I love you, Akane, he thought, then turned away from the building
and began walking.
Overhead, the clouds finally released their contents. Rain came.
Slowly at first, but building intensity until it was almost a
downpour. No lightning flashed, no gusts of wind tried to sweep Ranma
off her feet. In fact, except for the rain, the storm was strangely
quiet. It was as if the sky shared her pain, was crying with her, and
she spared a moment to look up at it as the rain poured down, pausing
in the middle of the crumbling sidewalk. Then, although still
saddened, she set her jaw, tugged the jacket a little closer around
her body, and began the long trek home. Gentle gusts of wind caressed
her face, which showed no sign of the pain she was experiencing. The
only evidence, the tears that still coursed down her cheeks, was masked
by the water from above.
And the rain came down.
Just let rain down, just let rain down, let it rain down
Just let it rain...
---------------------------
Authors Notes:
---------------------------
Whew.
In case it wasn't obvious :) the inspiration for this piece was 'I Wish
It Would Rain Down' by Phil Collins (1989). If you haven't heard it,
then I suggest you find someone who has it and listen to it
immediately. It's a great piece, and is one of the most beautiful
songs I've ever heard.
I was listening to one of my personal collections (I mix my own CD's),
and this song came up. It was lightly raining outside, I was in a
melancholy mood anyway, and I just happened to be in front of my
computer.
This is the result. ;)
I don't know what - if anything - I'm going to do with this. I may
incorporate it into a story later on, although I'm not sure about
that. It would make a good start to one though... hmm... ;)
C&C welcome. Thanks, FFML.
Brian Payne
sofaspud@ior.com
brianp@nhspokane.com
http://www.ior.com/~sofaspud
As always, Ranma 1/2 and the characters therein belong to Rumiko
Takahashi and not me. I'm just borrowing them for a bit. ;)