Here's the final chapter of Crimson Dawn! ^_^
Ranma 1/2 used without permission
C&C is, as always, welcome and appreciated
Crimson Dawn, Chapter Nine
=====================================
Ukyo looked in horror and confusion at Akane, standing stock still
on the roof. Her
posture was ramrod straight, as though someone had replaced her spine with a
steel pole.
Her face became instantly pale when the seizure began, made even moreso by
the weak
moonlight.
"Akane?" Ukyo asked gently, "you okay, honey?"
"Of course I am," she replied in a voice far deeper than her vocal
cords should have
been able to manage. Ukyo recoiled in shock at the sound, a short gasp
escaping her
throat. "I've never felt better."
Akane slowly turned around, and Ukyo's heart froze in her chest. The
other girl's
eyes were glowing with an unholy green light, the glow highlighting her
sickly pale
cheekbones. Her mouth was split into an almost evil rictus, teeth bared with
a dim green
light emanating from the tiny gaps between.
"What wrong, Akane?" Shampoo asked nervously.
"What wrong?" Akane said, her unnaturally deep voice taking on a
mocking tone.
"What could possibly be wrong, you ignorant whore?"
Shampoo sputtered in disbelief for a second or two before recovering her
composure. Ukyo just stared at Akane, the realization that this wasn't Akane
speaking
beginning to hit home.
"Who are you?" Ukyo asked, the fear beginning to grow into an almost
physical
thing between those gathered on the rooftop. Akane did not reply, moving in
to strike.
====================================
Karasu watched the proceedings with a critical eye, the still
semi-conscious Ranma
dangling in his grip. The girl they called Akane was laughing in a voice
that was by no
means her own, an evil green aura glowing around her. He cast his gaze over
to the old
man standing just outside the shadows. He was the soul harvester, not the
mortal Karasu
had just bested.
Releasing the boy, Karasu called forth his saber and charged the
leering sorcerer. It
was time to finish this once and for all. As expected, the sorcerer turned,
his eyes glowing
a brilliant jade as he brought a long wooden cane to bear.
The two weapons clashed, green and blue tendrils of raw power arcing
into the
darkness from their respective arms. Their eyes locked as their weapons
struck each other
again and again, the world outside becoming meaningless as the two
adversaries engaged
in fierce combat.
======================================
Cologne looked on as Akane expertly delivered a palm strike, sending
Ukyo flying
through the air. The chestnut-haired chef slammed into the door with extreme
force,
falling limply to the surface of the roof. To her far right, Karasu and the
strange sorcerer
were locked in a raging battle, Ranma lying at the base of her cane. He was
beginning to
throw off the effects of Karasu's lightning spell, but he was the least of
her concerns.
"Akane! What..." Genma's words were violently cut off as the girl's
fists slammed
into his sizable gut with speed that rivaled the Amaguriken technique,
perhaps even
exceeded it. The large man's eyes went wide with surprise and pain before a
vicious
roundhouse sent him off his feet. Genma flew into a ventilation duct,
crumpling the thin
aluminum with his girth. Soun, who had been standing there wide-eyed and
speechless,
joined him seconds later.
"Now for you two," Akane said, chuckling maniacally as she turned to
face Shampoo
and Mousse. "Which one of you wants to be first?"
"I will NOT let you harm Shampoo, creature!" Mousse shouted, twin
scimitars
appearing from the folds of his robes. His face was flushed with rage, the
wild light from
the battle between the kami and the sorcerer reflecting off the polished
steel of the blades.
"Shampoo not know what you do to Akane," her great-granddaughter
said, her face
set in a mask of determination, "but Shampoo see you pay for it!"
"I am SO worried," Akane said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Cologne watched
as Mousse took up an offensive stance in front of Shampoo, attempting to
shield her.
Shampoo merely took up another stance behind him, her twin bonbori appearing
from
behind her back to her waiting hands. Cologne silently commended the girl;
now wasn't
the time to put Mousse in his proper place.
"Well, come on, then, Mousse," Akane sneered, "Let's see what kind
of man you
really are!"
With a yell of savage fury, Mousse charged the possessed Akane,
scimitars whirling
about in deadly arcs. With an oddly chilling laugh, she easily danced around
Mousse's
energetic strikes. The swinging weapons left trails of light in the night
air that lasted barely
a second before fading and being replaced by more. Cologne could see that
the girl was
just playing with him as a cat would any field mouse, having her fun before
making the
kill. Shampoo saw it as well, as Cologne knew she would. Sparing a quick
glance at the
prone form of Ranma, she moved to leap into the fray.
"Shampoo!" Cologne shouted, "No!" Cologne became afraid for
Shampoo's safety as
she saw her great-granddaughter join the battle. She was a powerful fighter,
but she
wouldn't last very long against the onslaught Akane was throwing.
Almost too fast for her experienced eye to follow, Mousse's
scimitars shattered into
hundreds of tiny shards, scattering into the air like shards of glass before
clattering to the
rooftop. A fierce uppercut sent him sprawling backward to land at the tip of
Cologne's
cane.
A few short seconds later, Akane had caught Shampoo's bonbori in
both hands,
crushing them as easily as one would an egg. Before Shampoo could react,
Akane's left
hand closed around her throat and hoisted her into the air.
"Akane!" Cologne shouted, fear and rage warring in the back of her
mind. "Let her
go!"
"Why should I?" Akane asked, the sadistic leer on her face chilling
the old woman's
blood. "Give me one good reason not to snap this little harlot's neck?"
Shampoo hung
helpless in the air, legs kicking futilely. Her hands were closed around
Akane's wrist in a
vain attempt to wrench free of her choking grasp.
"Because this is not you," Cologne said. While the Crimson Dawn
would have
changed her, it wouldn't have been in such an immediate and drastic fashion.
"Oh, this IS me," Akane said, her grip on Shampoo's throat
tightening ever so
slightly. The purple-haired girl's face began to glow red, eyes bulging and
mouth opening
and closing in a desperate attempt to bring air to her lungs.
"No, girl, it isn't," Cologne said, her eyes boring into those
glowing green windows
to Akane's tormented soul. She would have to work fast, Shampoo couldn't
last much
longer.
=======================================
Karasu fell back, a well placed strike from the sorcerer's cane
managing to sneak
through his defense. He glared at the old sorcerer, the chill of the night
air nullified by the
heat generated from the battle.
The old sorcerer was a skilled fighter, never giving or asking any
quarter. He had not
given Karasu time to weave any spells, Karasu doing the same. Now, however,
with the
brief respite, he had the time to call forth the necessary power. The
sorcerer stood across
from him, panting slightly and returning the kami's glare.
"Not bad, Hunter," he snarled.
"We've only just begun," Karasu replied, silently weaving the spell
and hoping the
sorcerer couldn't see it.
"Then let us finish this," he said, "for time is of the essence!"
=======================================
//What hit me?\\ Ranma thought as the world outside his own mind
began to come
back. He struggled to rise, muscles sore and sluggish as they pushed him
onto his feet. He
opened his eyes, seeing only a collection of vague and blurred images, sound
reaching his
ears as if it were passing through water.
Ranma's legs threatened to buckle beneath him as they fought to hold
him upright.
He felt weak, drained, only barely able to stand on his own. Not even the
old goat's
moxibustion stuff had drained him that much. His vision finally began to
clear, the
confused images coalescing into...
//What the hell?\\ This couldn't be true, no way. He saw Akane, an
evil jade glow in
her eyes, holding Shampoo up in the air by the throat. Shampoo's efforts to
break free
were getting rapidly weaker as Cologne was trying to talk to Akane. The
words were
starting to become clear when Akane turned to him.
"You!" she shouted in a voice that threatened to freeze Ranma to the
bone. She
released Shampoo, who fell to her knees coughing and gasping desperately for
air.
"Akane," he said weakly as fear and confusion began to crowd his
conscious mind,
"what are you doing?"
"THIS!" she shouted, the demonic voice dripping with pure hate. Her
right hand
thrust forward, a rush of air ramming into him like a concrete fist. Caught
completely by
surprise, he was unable to right himself as he sailed through the air to
land hard against a
large air conditioning unit. The pain from his ribs threatened to black him
out, an urge that
Ranma valiantly fought against.
He felt something grab the front of his shirt, lifting him up into
the air. Weak and
confused, he opened his eyes and looked down at Akane, rage and disgust
plain on her
pale features.
"Why?" he whispered as he searched those emerald eyes for any sign
of the girl he
loved.
"Why not?" she replied in that terrible voice. "I don't need you,
Ranma, I never have.
Who could ever want a weakling half-GIRL at her side?"
"What..." Ranma managed, the words choking off by the pain, both
physical and
emotional.
"Oh, by the way," Akane leered, "you don't MIND being killed by the
one you've
been trying to save all this time, do you?"
A brilliant white light suddenly appeared, utterly destroying the
darkness. Shrieking
in agony, Akane dropped Ranma, using her arms to cover her face as she screamed.
Ranma strained to rise again, wanting to go to the woman he so loved.
================================
Karasu remained in place, hovering in the air. His cloak was spread
open as the holy
light poured out onto the rooftop below. The sorcerer, caught off guard, was
helpless to
counter-attack as the sacred spell mercilessly assaulted him.
Smoke began to rise from the sorcerer's exposed skin, lesions
opening on his bald
head as flames sparked on his clothes. Screaming in unbearable pain, he
thrust out his
hand and the air began to warp and twist.
Karasu could only watch, too committed to the spell to stop the
sorcerer's escape.
He silently cursed as his enemy, clothes almost completely engulfed in
sacred fire,
disappeared into the vortex.
The spell ended, the light vanishing as the darkness rushed in to
reclaim its place.
Drained, Karasu dropped back to the roof, exhaustion threatening to
overwhelm him. He
looked around, seeing many of the humans unconscious and injured. The only
one still
standing was the Joketsuzoku elder. Akane was nowhere to be found, probably
having
been taken along by the sorcerer. Hiding his weariness as best he could, he
rose to his feet
and stepped over to Ranma, who had slipped back into the realm of sleep.
"He needs to recover first," Cologne said.
"I know, honored elder," Karasu replied. "We must leave, before
other mortals
arrive. I am too drained to..."
"Allow me," the wizened matriarch said, pulling a few small paper
wards from her
robe. Tossing them into the air, a fierce wind engulfed the roof as the
world began to
disappear in a blue haze.
============================================
//Where am I?\\ Ranma thought as he awoke for the second time that
night. The cool
cloth on his forehead provided some small comfort as he scanned the ceiling,
which his
slightly addled mind soon recognized as that of the Nekohanten. Memories
came back in
jagged fragments, disjointed images and sounds he couldn't quite place.
"Welcome back, Ranma," Cologne's scratchy voice said from out of his
field of
vision. He rose to a sitting position, the muscles in his back groaning in
protest. Ranma
was almost physically jarred by the sight which greeted him.
Shampoo knelt among the group assembled, slight tremors passing
through her body.
Her throat was one large bruise, the sight calling up an image of...
"What happened?" he asked, eyes scanning the people before him.
"I was about to ask that of you," said a voice from behind. Ranma
twisted around,
ignoring the pain in his back, to see Karasu pass by. Gasping, he tensed his
muscles and
began to rise to his feet. "Relax, Ranma," he said, taking a seat on the
floor with the
others, "I am not here to fight."
"Where's Akane?" Ranma asked, more images lancing his mind. Everyone
exchanged
nervous glances with each other, as if they were trying to decide how to
answer. Ranma's
heart began to beat faster, where was she? What happened to her? "Answer me!"
"Akane is... gone, my son," Nodoka said, her face downcast.
"That not Akane," Shampoo added, her voice somewhat hoarse. She
winced as she
spoke, like even saying those few words was painful. Mousse, who was beside
her, placed
a hand on her shoulder and whispered something into her ear. Shampoo merely
nodded,
not striking Mousse as she usually would.
"Akane just... flipped out," Ukyo said, "Her eyes started glowing
and she tossed us
all around like ragdolls."
"Ranma," Cologne said. Why wasn't she calling him son-in-law?
"Something is
happening here, something bigger than you know. Tell us what has happened.
>From the
beginning."
Ranma fell silent, the world feeling like a cold and lonely place.
He knew what the
old ghoul was referring to, even if the others didn't.
//You knew it would happen eventually,\\ the voice said.
//Not now,\\ Ranma silently replied.
//Now seems like a good time to me,\\ the voice returned, //time to
pay the piper,
Saotome.\\
"Ranma," Soun said in a stone-like voice, "what happened?"
"Okay," Ranma said, having to almost fight to get the words out. "It
started a couple
months back, when Akane was still sick. I... I..." His throat began to
constrict as the
feelings of helplessness and frustration threatened to overwhelm him. "I
wanted to help,
but I didn't know how. Then I met this old guy."
"Bald, trenchcoat, green eyes?" Nabiki asked.
"Yeah. That's him," Ranma replied, "First time I met him, he was
dressed like a
priest. Said he could help Akane if I... did things for him."
"What kind of things, son," Nodoka asked, her eyes filled with fear
and love.
"He had me... take care of some people."
"Take care of?" Mousse asked.
"I... I... I KILLED THEM!" Ranma shouted, the guilt and rage finally
pouring out.
"He had me kill some guy I never even knew!"
The silence that followed was almost deafening. Ranma could feel the
eyes of the
others affixed on him, could feel the horror and revulsion in their gazes.
He didn't blame
them; Echi Goya's death at his hands still revolted him. The other three, on
the other hand,
would not. They had it coming the second the touched Kasumi.
"Ranma..." Ukyo said softly.
"My son..." Genma whispered in shame, "...a murderer."
"I only murdered one!" Ranma shouted hotly in reply. "The other
three had it
comin'!"
"Other three!" nearly everyone shouted in unison.
"Yeah," Ranma continued. "Next time I saw him, it was just after
Kasumi got..." he
still couldn't bring himself to say it, "...hurt. He told me about these
three guys, the ones
who did it to her."
"So it WAS you," Nabiki said in disbelief. He looked up at her,
sitting cross-legged
to Nodoka's left.
"What are you talking about, Nabiki?" Mousse asked.
"I saw him earlier tonight on the roof in a cloak. He jumped off the
roof and
vanished. Then that cop said one of the guys who hurt Kasumi was found
dead." They all
turned to stare at him, this time with muted respect and approval in their eyes.
"You avenged Kasumi," Soun said with the first hint of emotion his
voice held in so
many days.
"Yeah. I did."
"And their souls never made it to the other side for judgment,"
Karasu said.
"What're ya talkin' about?" Ranma asked. What was this all about?
"The souls of the men you killed were harvested," Karasu replied simply.
"Oh, no," Cologne muttered, head bowed.
"What's goin' on, here?" Ranma demanded.
"The old man you met used you to steal the souls of other men,"
Karasu replied.
"You were only his puppet."
"Oh, man," he whispered, humiliation joining the conflagration of
emotions raging in
his head. He was just being used?
"Just one thing," Nabiki said, "Every doctor in Tokyo said Akane
didn't have a
chance. What did that old man have?"
"Something he called Crimson Dawn," Ranma answered. Things couldn't
get any
worse now.
"D'or, RAKKA!" Karasu shouted. Everyone stared at him in disbelief.
Ranma had no
idea what Karasu had just said, but he somehow knew that it wasn't good.
"You ARE a
fool!"
"What?" Ranma shouted in reply, his pride taking the forefront again.
"You have no idea what you may have done, Ranma," Cologne said,
shaking her
bowed head. He wasn't sure, but Ranma thought he saw a tear slide down her
cheek.
"What Crimson Dawn?" Shampoo asked, her voice still hoarse.
"Karasu, you would know more about it than I do," Cologne said.
Karasu only
nodded before he began to speak.
"Crimson Dawn is a substance that flows through the Ebon Vein,
located in the
lowest reaches of the Demon Realm," Karasu began. "Its powers are nothing
short of
incredible."
"Well, it did heal Akane," Nabiki said.
"That is not all it did," Karasu said. Ranma's gaze fixed on him,
fear and uncertainty
now joining the party. What had he done? "Crimson Dawn can heal any wound and
reverse any ailment, but it extracts a terrible price."
"What is it?" Ranma shouted.
"The Crimson Dawn is a mystical substance of the Demon Realm. As
such, those
who ingest it become part of that place." Ranma felt his heart shatter into
a thousand
jagged shards as Karasu finished his statement. Akane... he... what had he
done to her?
"So Akane is part demon now?" Nodoka asked.
"In a word, yes," Karasu replied. "Crimson Dawn changes those who
take it into
themselves. In many ways, Akane is now more than human. In other ways,
however, she is
now less."
"But, we saw the old man possess her," Genma said.
"He probably intensified the effects of the Crimson Dawn," Karasu
said. "The fact
remains that the Akane you knew and loved may very well never exist again."
"That's bullshit!" Ranma screamed, shooting to his feet. the pain
his body was feeling
was meaningless now. There was no way he'd believe what Karasu was saying.
"Unfortunately, it is not," Karasu answered. "In trying to save the
one you love, you
may have indeed destroyed her."
"NO WAY!" Ranma shouted.
"Why, Ranma?" Cologne asked, "Why couldn't you just let her go?"
"Because I love her!" Those assembled, save Karasu, gasped audibly
at Ranma's
pronouncement of love. "I love her too much to let her go!"
"It's not that you loved her too much to let her go, Ranma," Cologne
said sadly, "It's
that you didn't love her enough."
"What're you talkin' about?"
"If you loved her, really and truly loved her, you would not have
given her the
Crimson Dawn," Cologne answered.
"I do really and truly love her!" Ranma shouted. "Ah, forget you.
I'm gonna find
Akane, and I don't care what it takes!" Ranma turned and stormed out of the
room,
unmindful of his physical pain. Wherever Akane was, he'd find her.
=================================
"I had no idea," Ukyo whispered, tears running down her face.
"He loved her," Mousse said, "he loved her so much he would buy her
life with
others."
"If he loved her, he would not have given her that accursed Crimson
Dawn,"
Cologne said.
"Bite your tongue, you old bitch!" Genma shouted.
"You have no idea hat you're shouting about, you fat fool!"
"People!" Nabiki screamed at the top of her lungs. "Bickering won't
get us anywhere!
Akane is still missing, and we have to find her!"
"But where Akane go?" Shampoo asked.
"I don't know," Nodoka said, "but we still have to find her. And
Ranma before he
gets himself killed. Karasu?"
"My role here is finished," Karasu said as he rose to his feet.
"Wait!" Nabiki said, "Where are you going?"
"I have to find that sorcerer. That is my only concern."
"But Ranma..." Ukyo began.
"Is your problem.There are larger things at stake here."
"You don't know where to look, either!" Nodoka exclaimed.
"That does not matter," Karasu replied. "I will find him." With
that, Karasu made his
exit.
"So, what do we do now?" Ukyo asked.
"I wish I knew," Cologne replied.
======================================
//It ain't my fault,\\ Ranma thought to himself as the midday sun
sat in its accustomed
place in the deep blue sky. //It ain't my fault.\\ The brick wall of the
alley was cool against
his back, his body refusing to move from its resting place. The lack of food
and proper
rest had finally taken its toll on him.
Ranma's mind replayed his confession incessantly, the feeling of
their eyes upon him
refusing to leave. What did they think of him now? Did they consider him
some sort of
monster?
He pushed those thoughts out of his mind, he didn't have time to
ponder his
popularity rating now. Akane was out there, and he had to find her. He could
settle any
other personal issues later.
But where to look? Sitting there in that deserted alley, Ranma
finally began to realize
that running blindly around Tokyo was getting him nowhere. Maybe Doctor Tofu
would
know something? It was possible...
Ranma attempted to rise, but his legs stubbornly refused to move.
His eyelids became
unbearably heavy as the deep weariness he had been battling since morning
finally
overcame him.
//NO! I can't go to sleep! I gotta find... Akane...\\ Despite his
conscious mind's
efforts, Ranma's eyes closed and he succumbed to the depths of sleep.
======================================
"AKANE!" Ranma shouted as he stormed through the dense black forest.
His heart
pounded with fear and exertion as the branches and brambles reached out to
snag and tear
at his clothes and skin, the noises of the night seeming to have been
amplified by several
orders of magnitude. "AKANE!"
He kept charging forward, unmindful of the forest which seemed
intent on stopping
him. Akane was here, he knew it, he just had to find her. If only she would
call out! Just
one word!
"Ranma..." The voice was weak, but it was Akane's. He nearly leapt
for joy as he
continued his pursuit. She was up ahead somewhere! "Ranma... help me...!"
"I'm comin'!" he shouted back, pouring more energy into his legs.
The branches and
thorns whipped past now, tearing painful gouges in his arms, legs, and face.
Ranma didn't
care, he had to get to Akane!
He barely noticed the darkness fading into a soft emerald glow, an
ethereal mist
rising from the leaf-strewn soil beneath him. The alien, unnatural light
shone on the nearly
denuded trees towering above him, the sky blacker than pitch. Not a single
star shone in
the void above, not even the moon was visible.
"Please!" Akane's voice screamed, a beseeching terror in the echoing
sound, "Ranma
HURRY!"
//Almost... there...\\ Ranma's legs pumped faster and faster,
propelling him forward
through the thickening mists. The trees began to thin out, his progress
becoming gradually
less encumbered. Just a few more meters...
The mist finally parting, Ranma barreled through to a place that
brought him up
instantly short. Eyes wide with terror, he looked about a place he had seen
only once, but
visited several times in his nightmares.
"No. Way..." The cursed springs of Jusenkyou were exactly the same as he
remembered them. Countless pools of tranquil water dotted the landscape as
far as his
eyes could see, a lone bamboo pole rising from each one.
The green light was stronger here, more intense. The mist, which had
obscured his
vision, was nowhere to be found within Jusenkyou's perimeter. Ranma shook
himself
violently, Akane was here, he just knew it.
"Akane, where are you?" Ranma shouted.
"Ranma!" came her immediate reply. "Over here!"
Ranma bounded in the direction of her voice, careful not to fall
into any pools.
Maybe when he rescued Akane, he would find the Nannichuan and be rid of his
curse.
First things first, however, Akane was in danger.
Within seconds, he found himself facing Akane. She was on her back,
chained to a
large slab of obsidian resting between two pools. Her eyes locked with his,
terror in their
brown depths. Behind her, the old man stood with a knife poised above her chest.
"Let her go!" Ranma snarled, rage beginning to boil his blood. His
face grew hot
with the anger as he gorged himself on its dark and seductive sensations.
"I think not," the old man replied as he raised the gleaming blade
higher.
"If you wanna fight, here I am!" Ranma screamed, assuming an
offensive stance.
"Oh, I want to fight," the old man said, "but first..." In one swift
motion, the knife
plunged down to Akane's chest. Everything seemed to slow down as the knife
grew ever
nearer to her. Ranma leapt toward the altar, hoping against all hope that he
could stop the
knife's descent.
Before he could even significantly close the distance, the knife
sunk deep into Akane.
Her eyes went wide from surprise and pain, a scream ripping forth from her
throat as the
dark red stain spread forth from the wound.
Her eyes locked with Ranma's, agony and accusation stabbing into
him. "You failed,"
they seemed to say, "you weren't man enough to save me." Her eyes then grew
dim as the
spark of her life faded, and was extinguished.
Ranma stood there, unable to believe what he was seeing. Akane...
he... he had
failed. He had FAILED! A primal roar of rage and denial filled the air as he
dropped to his
knees, tears stinging his eyes. Everything threatened to shut down within
him as he
continued to scream, the emotions too intense for any words.
"Ranma, how could you!" came Genma's voice from behind. Ranma didn't
turn,
didn't even blink. Akane was dead, and he couldn't...
"I thought you loved her!" Soun's voice screamed. "Murderer! MURDERER!"
"Ranma not man enough to marry Shampoo!"
"You let my sister die!"
"What kind of man are you!"
"NNNNNOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!"
========================================
Ranma awoke with a start, the scream just behind his lips. His
flailing arms toppled a
trash can, the sound of the metal receptacle hitting the pavement echoing
across the close
walls of the now-cold alley.
Little by little, the real world began to set in again. The alley
was much darker than
he remembered, the air much colder. His heart, which was racing at a
dangerous pace,
finally began to slow as the fear retreated. The air rapidly cooled the
sweat on his skin,
raising goosebumps and sending shivers up and down his spine.
//A dream,\\ he thought with a sense of relief, //just a dream.\\
Wasn't it? It certainly
felt far more real than any other he'd had before, almost like he was
actually at Jusenkyou.
He could feel the branches and thorns, the cool air, the ground beneath his
feet. He could
smell the rot and decay in the air as he got ever nearer to the pools of
sorrow. Was it
really just a dream?
What if it wasn't? What if someone was trying to tell him where
Akane was, and
what would happen if he was too late? Was that possible? Ranma couldn't
discount it. The
past year or so proved that anything could, and often did, happen.
//Is it... could it be a sign?\\ As he tossed the idea around, it
became more and more
plausible. Akane was at Jusenkyou! And she was... he had to hurry!
His hunger and fatigue forgotten, Ranma rose to his feet and ran
west. He would get
to China, even if he had to swim the Sea of Japan again!
High above, a lone raven took flight, following the young man's path
through the
city...
=======================================
"Ranma-honey, wait!" Ukyo shouted for the third time. She ran through
the streets
after him, people casting curious and annoyed glances at her as she jostled
her way
through the growing crowd.
Ranma, thankfully, stopped running after a few seconds. He turned
around,
impatiently waiting as she closed the distance between them. His face, his
posture,
everything about him practically cried excitement and anxiety.
//He's wound tight enough to snap!\\ Ukyo thought as she slowed to a
stop.
"Where've ya been?"
"Nevermind that!" he exclaimed in a tense voice, "I gotta get to Akane!"
"You don't even know where she is, you jackass!" Ukyo shouted back.
Inside, her
heart threatened to break at the fear and love he was showing to the Tendo
girl. Ukyo was
finally beginning to doubt that he would ever feel that way toward her, no
matter what
may happen.
"I DO know!" Ranma said, "Don't ask me how, but she's at Jusenkyou!"
"Wh-what?!" Ukyo sputtered, "and just how do you know for certain?"
"I said don't ask me how," Ranma growled, obviously impatient to get
moving again.