Just something I wrote...
C&C please, this is my first non-spamfic for Ranma 1/2.
Eslington
-- Attached file included as plaintext by Listar --
-- File: Strength.txt
This fic is based on the manga continuity and is set just after the
introduction of Konatsu.
Enjoy.
***
Change.
By Eslington
Part one: Strength.
***
Another day at the Tendou Dojo, and things were going on as normal.
Akane expressed her anger about something Ranma had done involving his female
form and Kunou.
Ranma stated that he only did it so he could try to get the cure to his curse
that Kunou had previously held. He regretfully though about how he'd come so
close to getting at his cure before Kodachi had arrived and literally smashed
his hopes into millions of pieces.
Akane asked her perverted fianc�e if the thing involving the bath had been
essential to his plan.
Ranma informed his uncute, sexless, tomboy of a possible future wife that it
wasn't what it looked like.
Akane requested an explanation of just what it was from her womanising
betrothed.
Ranma explained to the brainless, gorilla-like girl about the incident
involving the bath, and was halfway through explaining about nearly kissing
Kunou when Akane interrupted. She asked the jerk if he was really that
desperate to get a cure.
Ranma expressed the opinion that a stupid, unfeminine girl like Akane wouldn't
understand the hell he had to go through because of his curse, adding a remark
regarding her general lack of femininity.
Akane's fist expressed the opinion that Ranma should leave the dojo vertically
at high speed.
Ranma's body reluctantly complied.
Akane expressed her stated opinion about Ranma to the world in general and
stormed off to her room.
Yes, business as usual at the Tendou Dojo. At Ucchan's however, business as
usual was about to be disrupted by a certain customer.
***
"OOOOHOHOHOHOHO!"
The customers of Ucchan's instinctively cringed at the sound of the insane laugh.
"Cower in fear peasant, for the Black Rose has come to put an end to your
second-rate restaurant."
Ukyou laughed at the remark.
"That's great!" she said with a smile. "You've got a knack for this."
"You think so?" asked Sayuri enthusiastically.
"Definitely," said Ukyou. "Do one of Ran-chan."
Sayuri smiled at the praise and spoke in a slightly deeper voice. "Hey, Ucchan.
Aren't you lucky to be engaged to a stud like me?"
Ukyou laughed and flipped Sayuri's okonomiyaki onto it's other side. "Tell you
what," she said, leaning over to whisper in her customer's ear. "Do one of me
good enough to fool Konatsu and your meal's on me."
Sayuri nodded and turned towards the effeminate waiter. "Konatsu, sweep the
pavement outside, please."
"Yes, Ukyou-sama," said the ninja, producing a broom from somewhere and rushing
off outside.
Ukyou laughed and flipped Sayuri's okonomiyaki onto a plate.
The ninja returned and stepped up to the counter, carrying a small black pig in
his hand.
"I found this outside," said Konatsu, placing the piglet on the counter between
Ukyou and Sayuri. "It's Akane-san's pet isn't it?"
"Yeah," replied Ukyou. "No mistaking him with that bandanna of his. He must've
got lost again."
"He's so cute," commented Sayuri, reaching down to stroke the little pig's
back. "I can take him back to Akane's house on the way home."
P-chan bweed in agreement.
"I think he'd appreciate that," said Ukyou. "But for now we can just leave him
here on the counter." Konatsu nodded in agreement and walked off on another
errand.
At the other end of the restaurant, a customer stood up and picked up his cup
of tea from the table.
"Are you sure that's safe?" asked Sayuri.
"What do you mean?" asked Ukyou.
The customer sipped his tea as he walked back to Ukyou, intent on asking for
another serving of (you guessed it) okonomiyaki.
"Well," began Sayuri, "what if someone trips-"
Being a careless sort, the customer had neglected to tie his shoelaces
properly. This proved to be a costly mistake, as he tripped over them.
"-and lets go of their cup of hot tea-"
The customer's arms flailed about, losing his grip on the cup as he tried to
regain his balance.
"-sending it flying across the room-"
The cup soared across the room, much like an eagle soars through the skies,
only less majestic and nowhere near as aerodynamic.
"-and straight into P-chan?"
The cup smashed as it impacted, spreading a tea stain across the wall.
Ukyou spoke, not looking up from her griddle. "That'll be 700 yen for the
okonomiyaki special, 150 for the tea, 500 yen for the mug and 1000 for cleaning
expenses. Pay the waiter, please."
"WHAT?" cried the man as he regained his balance. "It wasn't my fault! I'm not
going to pay for tea I didn't drink!"
"Konatsu," said Sayuri in a voice that sounded uncannily like Ukyou's. "Deal
with this guy." She then switched to an imitation of Konatsu. "At once,
Ukyou-sama! Prepare to die, deadbeat!"
The customer gulped, dropped three one thousand yen notes to the floor, and ran
out of the restaurant.
Ukyou laughed out loud as the customer ran. She laughed so hard that she
accidentally knocked over a bottle of cooking oil.
P-chan watched as the liquid splashed over the hotplate like a very small tidal
wave, sizzling as it rushed towards him. He managed to let out one quiet "Bwee"
before he was engulfed.
Ukyou stepped back in shock as P-chan suddenly grew in size and shifted in
shape until he turned into a very familiar human male.
Ryouga leapt up from the counter, almost burning his foot on the hotplate as he
leapt from the counter and ran into a broom closet, closing the door behind
him.
"..." said Ukyou.
"..." said a few of the customers, shrugging and returning to their meals.
After all, this sort of thing happened a lot around here.
"..." said Sayuri. "Was that some sort of publicity stunt that just streaked
through here?"
"No..." replied Ukyou, walking over to the closet. "Ryouga?" she called through
the door. "Wait in there until closing time, you can explain this to me then."
"Okay..." came the weak response.
Ukyou sighed as she returned to her hotplate. It was going to be one of those
days.
***
Rain spattered against the windows of Ucchan's. The last of the customers had
left, the last business hour passed, and the "Closed" sign hung up on the door.
Konatsu had been sent out to look for Ryouga's backpack, and Ukyou was cleaning
the last few square inches of the grill. Two fresh okonomiyaki lay on plates on
the counter.
Ukyou placed the washcloth in the sink, grabbed a towel she'd gotten from her
room earlier, and walked over to the closet. She opened the door a little and
pushed the towel through the opening.
"Put this on, Ryouga," she said. "You owe me an explanation."
Ryouga stepped out of the closet, Ukyou's bath towel wrapped around his waist.
His face was crimson with embarrasment.
"Where do you want me to start?"
Ukyou gestured at the plates on the counter. Ryouga walked over and sat down.
"From the bit where you were cursed would be good," said Ukyou as she sat down
by her plate. "Then the bit about why you're pretending to be Akane's pet."
Ryouga took a small piece of his meal and ate it. Then he told her.
About the challenge.
About following Ranma to China.
About being knocked off a cliff and into the spring.
About following Ranma back to Japan.
About their first real fight.
About the second confrontation.
About the beautiful girl who took him in from the cold.
About the moment he fell for Akane.
About the hell of being unable to express his love.
About ten minutes later, he finished. Ukyou paused, thinking over the story for
a few seconds.
"You're afraid," she stated simply.
"What?"
"You're afraid of telling Akane you love her, because you know she's going to
find out about your curse someday," explained Ukyou.
"I suppose..." said Ryouga. "If she ever found out, she'd never forgive me. I
don't know what to do."
"What about Akari? Weren't you in love with her last time I checked?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure about how I feel about Akane. I'm not entirely sure, but
I think I still love her too," said Ryouga. He sighed and shook his head.
"Every night I've always wondered if Akane could love me, but I'm always afraid
that she can't."
"Ryouga," said Ukyou. "If you don't know then you're going to have to find
out."
"How?"
"You've got to tell her you're P-chan, and then ask if she can love you
anyway."
"But what if she says she can't? Then I'll-"
"-Wander the earth alone and unloved?" said Ukyou. "Ryouga, that's what you
think you're doing now. You can either seize this opportunity for happiness or
you can wait and lose it. Either she'll say no, you'll be depressed for a while
and get over it, or she'll say yes and you can live happily ever after."
"..." said Ryouga.
"This is something you're going to have to do eventually. Doubt or certainty?
Which is it to be?"
***
Later that night, Ukyou and Ryouga stood at the gate of the Tendou home. Ukyou
held a light blue umbrella over her head, protecting herself from the rain.
Ryouga held his tightly. So tight that knuckles had turned white.
"Ukyou, mind if I admit something to you?"
"No, go ahead."
"I've never been as afraid in my life as I am now."
Ukyou sighed. "Ryouga, I know this is going to be hard for you, but you must be
strong." [For both our sakes,] she thought to herself. [He's my best chance at
getting Akane away from Ranma.]
Ryouga nodded and turned to face the door of the house. Taking long but
Hesitant strides, he reached the front door and knocked. Kasumi answered,
bearing what Nabiki would describe as "Smile #53: The 'Oh it's Ryouga, how
nice' smile".
"Hello Ryouga," she said. "It's nice to see you again."
"I'm glad to see you as well," answered Ryouga. "I need to talk to Akane."
"She's in her room at the moment, shall I take you to her?"
"Yes, thank you."
***
Akane stood beside her bed, lifting a pair of weights, working off her excess
aggression from earlier in the day. A knock on the door made her stop.
"Who is it?" she called, setting down her weights.
"It's me, Akane-san," answered Ryouga. "I... need to talk to you."
Akane's mood brightened. Ryouga was always nice to her, and she wanted someone
to talk to after the stressful events of the day. "Come in," she said.
Ryouga opened the door and stepped in, closing it behind him. Akane immediately
noticed that he seemed tenser than normal. She gestured at the chair by her
desk and sat down on her bed. Ryouga sat down and sighed.
"How are you, Ryouga?" she asked.
"I'm okay," he replied. He slowly turned to look Akane straight in the eyes.
"Akane, I need to tell you something."
"Yes?" replied Akane, slightly concerned. Ryouga seemed to hesitate, as if
trying to reconsider what he was about to say, but his expression turned to
one of determination.
"I think you're going to be angry when you hear this, but I want you to promise
to let me explain fully and answer questions before you hit me."
[Hit him?] thought Akane. [This must be serious if he thinks I'm going to hit
him.] "I promise," she said, mentally preparing herself for the worst.
"I..." Ryouga hesitated again. "I'm... That is I... I..."
Akane sighed. If he was having this much trouble telling her it was going to be
something big.
"Ryouga, if you feel this bad about this you've got to tell me."
Ryouga stopped stammering, took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"I'm P-chan."
Ryouga kept his eyes closed, waiting for a response. None arrived. Nervously,
he opened his eyes to look.
Akane had her eyes shut, her hands balled into fists, and her teeth clenched.
Her hands shook with anger. Akane exhaled and seemed to deflate a little as she
forced herself to calm down.
"You've been to Jusenkyou, right?" she asked after what seemed like forever.
"Yes," replied Ryouga. "After Ranma left for China I followed him. All the way
to Jusenkyou. I was walking along the top of a cliff next to the springs and
Ranma knocked me in."
Akane nodded. "Well, that explains a lot. The umbrella, Ranma calling you
P-chan, P-chan's bandanna, why Tarou beat P-chan up. It all seems so obvious
that I can't understand how I didn't see it before. But it doesn't explain the
part about you sleeping in my bed."
Ryouga pressed on. "Remember that first night you found P-chan? You took me in,
tended to my wounds, let me sleep in you arms, defended me from Ranma... I
can't remember when someone had cared for me as much. I fell in love with you,
and I've loved you ever since."
"You... Love me?" asked Akane. Ryouga nodded.
"I've wanted to tell you for a long time, but I've always been terrified of how
you'd react to me being P-chan. To have you hate me, is the worst thing I can
imagine."
Akane nodded. She'd seen what had happened after she told Ryouga she hated him.
He had achieved the total despair he needed for the Shi Shi Houkoudan. ['I have
given up all joy,'] she remembered. [He must really love me...]
"Akane," he said nervously. "I need to know... Can you love me?"
Akane turned to look out the window. She was still angry, true, but she
couldn't let this show to Ryouga, she wanted her next words to be as painless
as possible. "I'm sorry Ryouga, but I can't..."
Akane expected a scream, tears, or perhaps even a full Shi Shi Houkoudan.
Nothing prepared her for the expression of total and utter defeat on his face.
It was even worse than when he'd used his attack on Ranma after he perfected
it.
"I can't love you in a way that'd make me want to marry you, but I can love you
as much as a friend can."
Ryouga shook his head. "That's not the same as the love I need."
"Ryouga, why do you need to be loved?"
"I need... Someone who cares for me. Someone who can try to understand my
troubles. Someone who can help me through them for no reason other than because
they love me. Someone I can help in return."
"Ryouga, I care about you. I hate to see you lonely and hurt like this. What
kind of friend would I be if I didn't?"
Ryouga nodded.
"There is something I would like to understand about you, Ryouga," said Akane.
"I'd like to know what it's like to be cursed."
"Why?"
"Being a pig must be hard on you, so I want to know how I can help as best I
can. I'm also quite curious about it as well."
Ryouga nodded.
"Okay, where to start... Getting the curse would be best I suppose," Ryouga
thought back to that terrible day at Jusenkyou. "When I first changed into a
pig as I fell in the spring, I felt a massive urge to panic. It's like being
locked in a cage, being in a body so small. That and pigs aren't well adapted
to swimming. Fortunately I was rescued by Genma, who was a panda at the time.
For a few minutes I thought I'd be stuck like that forever. That thought, that
I might never be human again, was more terrifying than anything I've ever
encountered."
"I never thought of it like that," said Akane. "It must be awful."
Ryouga nodded. "I don't have much I can really keep. My house, parents, and
pets are all things I love, but I hardly ever see. All I have to my name are
the bandannas my dad gave to me the last time I met him and my humanity. Life
with just a few strips of cloth is not an enjoyable idea."
"Do you think Ranma feels the same way?" asked Akane. "I mean about his
masculinity rather than his humanity." Ryouga shrugged.
"I don't know. He always claims his masculinity is important to him, but he's
never been above using his girl side to get what he wants. Then again, I did
use P-chan as a way to be close to you..." Ryouga trailed off as Akane's hands
tensed a little at the reminder. There was a moment of silence before Akane
continued.
"Well, Ranma always tends to exploit any advantage he has, and I suppose you're
not very different when it comes to P-chan. I mean it can't all be bad can it?"
Ryouga sighed. "I remember back when I learnt the breaking point technique, and
the fight with Ranma. I thought I had a technique that could get rid of Ranma
forever and nothing he did to fight back did any damage to me. Almost as if I
was indestructible. The feeling of that power was incredible. It was like...
Like being a god, Akane. It was incredible. I've always felt that those few
minutes were the opposite of how I feel as P-chan. As a pig I'm vulnerable.
Every human foot that steps around me could be the one that breaks my back. I
have to run from enemies I could normally destroy with a single blow. The only
good thing about being P-chan was being with you..." Ryouga allowed his head to
fall forward in defeat. "...and now I don't even have that."
Ryouga closed his eyelids, hoping to spare Akane the look of utter despair in
his eyes. He then felt a hand rest on his and another lift his head. He opened
his eyes and saw Akane's looking straight back at him.
"Ryouga. I meant it when I said we'd be the best of friends. I'll always be
here for you, whenever you need it, just as I know you'll always be ready to
help me as best you can. No matter how bad things are for you, at least we'll
always be friends."
Akane saw the change in Ryouga's eyes. The signs of sadness disappeared,
replaced by hope. Ryouga leaned forward, wrapping his arms around her. Akane
tensed, remembering that Ryouga often gave hugs that could break though
concrete pillars. To her relief, the hug was gentle, not a desperate grip
on a dying man's last hope, but a reassuring hold of affection to a close
friend. Akane responded by hugging back for a few seconds and then leaning
back.
"I'm glad you told me about this," said Akane. "I like to see you happy."
"Thank you," said Ryouga. "I... I can tell you something that may make you
happy, if you like."
"Yes?"
"You talk in your sleep," said Ryouga. "And you talk a lot about Ranma."
Akane blushed. "I... I have dreamed about him a few times, I don't really
remember them though."
"Well, you do talk about him a lot. Sometimes you're angry, sometimes you're
sad, sometimes you talk like you love him. But the amount you talk about him
must mean something."
"I suppose you're right, but I don't know what this could mean... It's
definitely going to be something I'm going to have to think about."
"If there's one thing I've learnt tonight, Akane, it's that you'll have to face
up to your feelings eventually. If it makes it any easier, I think Ranma might
like you too."
"Yes, but I'm not going to rush headlong into this before I've thought it
through," Akane said, smiling. "I'm not Ranma you know."
Ryouga laughed with his friend, as he gradually felt his broken heart heal,
just a little.
***
Ukyou uneasily shifted her grip on the umbrella, and checked her watch again.
It had been half an hour since Ryouga entered the house, and she hadn't seen
any sign of him at all. She was beginning to wonder if he had somehow managed
to get himself lost again.
Just as Ukyou was about to leave, the door of the house opened. Ryouga stepped
out with Akane, said a few words Ukyou couldn't hear, and hugged Akane. Akane
walked back inside, shutting the door behind her. Ryouga sighed as he opened
his umbrella and walked down the garden path. As he cleared the gate, Ukyou
stepped in front of him.
"Well?" she asked. "How did it go?" Ryouga hung his head and sighed again.
"She doesn't love me," responded Ryouga.
[Damn,] thought Ukyou. [Looks like Akane's still a competitor for Ranma. But
Ryouga... Oh god, how's Ryouga going to take this? He had it really bad for
her.] "Are you going to be okay Ryouga?" she asked. "I know this is tough for
you but-"
"It's okay Ukyou," said Ryouga. "She may not love me, but she doesn't hate me."
Ryouga lifted his head up to look at Ukyou and smiled. Tears were streaming
down his face, but he wore an expression happier than any Ukyou had ever seen
in her life. "As long as I've got someone who cares for me, then things aren't
so bad."
"So what are you going to do now Ryouga?"
"Travel. No matter what I do or wherever I go, I'll always travel." Ryouga
turned and walked away, but stopped after a few steps to turn back towards
Ukyou. "I've always been strong in a physical sense, but I'm not as strong
emotionally. I'm grateful that you gave me the strength of will to help me with
Akane."
And with that he turned and walked away. The rain clouds parted in front
of him, revealing a beautiful sunset, lighting the way forward to whatever lay
ahead.
Ukyou watched the lost boy walk off to wherever he would go and shook her head.
"I'm never going to get used to the weather around here..."
***
Author's notes:
This is just the first part of a small series I'm writing. Hopefully later
parts will be more amusing. ^_^
C&C to Eslington@bigfoot.com
*PLEASE* send me C&C. It's what motivates and educates me in writing.
Oh, and I'd just like to thank my pre-reader Jove.
*AHEM*
TA!