(I am posting this for a friend. Please send all C&C to
Tagent@zbxoom.net)
Shattered Dreams
A Ranma � fanfict by Tangent
Pre-reading and editing assistance by:
Lord Talon;
Nevrmore;
And some guy named Steve
DISCLAIMER: �Ranma �� and all characters therein belong to Rumiko
Takahashi, Shogagukan, Kitty, and Viz Video. This fanfict has been
produced for my own enjoyment and to pass on without profit. Other
characters that come into play in this fanfict may or may not be
pulled from other sources (including other fanficts, RPGs, manga,
anime, literature, or possibly even *GASP* American comic books!).
A WORD FROM TANGENT: Once again, I am writing a story similar to
others that I have found on the net. Not only that, I am writing one
that is pretty much a counter balance to �Pieces on the Board�, a
fan-fic that I wrote that has a similar theme but takes place around
the other end of the Ranma series.
What can I say? I�m Tangent, and exploring possibilities is what I do.
I don�t always treat any particular character well, nor do I always
put any particular character in a bad light (although it�s awfully
hard not to do so with some of them, like Genma�). I do usually try to
treat them with dignity, whether I cast them as good or bad, but I
keep my eyes and my heart open to possibilities that present
themselves.
In �Pieces on the Board�, it was an automotive accident that initiated
the story of trial and renewal. In �Shattered Dreams� it is a spur of
the moment decision on the part of one of the cast that causes the
tragedy. A tragedy that changes many lives forever, not the least of
which is his own� and that of his victim.
FORWORD: A Study in Possibilities�
(Voice over by Rod Sterling if I could afford him�)
In the endless sea of time, everything happens. All possibilities,
however improbable, see reality sooner or later. The impossible also
happens, more often than one might think. Such is the way of things,
no matter what universe you happen to be in.
Consider the case of Ranma Saotome, a martial artist in most
incarnations, often cursed (usually by turning into a girl). In one
set of temporal possibilities, he is engaged to Akane Tendo, also a
martial artist in most incarnations, whose relationship with her
fianc� is more often stormy than not because their parents are forcing
the issue. In a further subset, Ranma is devoted to Akane, despite
their voiced protests, through a sense of honor and unrealized
emotions. In many of these, Ranma has had to move to save Akane�s
life, sometimes succeeding, sometimes not, and neither one can truly
be said to even be aware of some of these incidents as they happen.
For these are the little things, the ones that happen within a set of
larger circumstances that tend to draw attention away from them.
For example: In one incident shortly after Ranma had been engaged to
Akane, Ranma was involved in another fight, this time with a boy named
Ryoga Hibiki. It is their second fight since the two turned sixteen.
Depending on the timelines involved, the fight stays on the grounds of
Furinkan High School (as opposed to ending up in a zoo). In most
cases, the tempers of both opponents flare. Ranma staying focused on
Ryoga to the point of not noticing becoming a girl, and Ryoga focusing
on Ranma-chan to the point of not caring about bystanders. More often
than not, Ranma tries to pause the fight in order to get the
bystanders (Akane in particular) out of immediate danger.
In a further subset, Ranma-chan has taken Akane out of the immediate
combat zone, and the two have a misunderstanding that threatens their
engagement. Ryoga attacks again, from behind, using a �razor belt�
strike that (in this set) is deflected into the air by Ranma-chan. In
many sets, the belt returns, killing Akane, Ranma-chan, or both. In a
precious few, Akane turns back just in time, responding to
Ranma-chan�s attempts to apologize.
Sometimes, Ryoga stops pressing the attack at that point, other times
he pulls Ranma-chan back into the fight over her protests. In this
set, he has once again attacked from behind as Ranma-chan�s concern
for Akane had seriously distracted her�
CHAPTER ONE: A Crushing Blow
Ranma-chan looked in shock at what had just happened to her now
possibly ex-fianc�e. The belt that she had kicked out of Ryoga�s hands
had spun up into the air and had returned in an arc that had sliced of
most of the length of Akane�s hair. An arc that, had Akane not turned
to yell at her when she did, would have cleanly cleaved the girl from
the nape of her neck to just below her navel.
Just the thought made Ranma-chan want to cry in terror and grief over
what had almost happened. She desperately wanted to hug Akane, to hold
her, to assure herself that Akane was really okay, but fear held her
back. She had done it before, just before Akane had started storming
away in anger. In fact, it was her fault that Akane had inadvertently
put herself at risk to begin with, what with her having denied ever
really wanting to hold her fianc�e to begin with. How could she have
been so stupid, so callous? Akane had just renounced their engagement.
�You don�t have to explain. Because starting now� You and I are
STRANGERS!�
Did she really mean that? Ranma had to know, but not just yet. What
was more important was making sure that Akane was all right. Nothing
was more important than that. Even that nagging little feeling of
impending danger was overridden by her concern for the girl who
appeared to be in shock. Surely even Ryoga would stop his assault now
that he had nearly killed an innocent bystander�
WHOCKRK!!! �AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!�
Ranma-chan could not help but to scream in pain from the force of the
blow that struck her back just below the shoulder blades. Her whole
body beneath that point suddenly felt as if it had been sheathed in
ice and wrapped in fire at the same time. Her vision blurred as she
dropped to her knees, still screaming.
THWACKRK!!! ���
The second blow, this one to Ranma-chan�s left shoulder blade, drove
the breath from her lungs as she lost all feeling in her left arm. As
she gurgled and tried to gasp air back into her lungs again, a
startlingly coherent thought occurred to her. [So this is it. I�m
going to die. Ryoga, I thought we could be friends again, why are you
killing me?] The next strike, she knew, would be her last experience
in this life. She could sense it in slow motion, approaching the back
of her skull, and there was nothing she could do about it at this
point. [Akane, I�m so sorry�]
The third blow never landed�
Ryoga stared in shock at the hand that had caught his fist. It
belonged to that cute girl that his hated rival had been teasing and
arguing with. She had stopped a strike that could have crushed a solid
concrete block easily, as if it had been nothing more than a baseball.
He could feel the bones in his hand grinding together in point to the
rage in her expression.
�Get away from my iinazuke, you monster!� SNAP! Went Ryoga�s elbow
joint as the girl bent it severely in an unnatural angle. �Leave her
alone!� POP! Went his shoulder as the girl yanked it out of its
socket, dislocating it nearly as badly as she had his elbow. �What did
she ever do to you to deserve this!? She thought you were her friend,
damn you!�
�Because of her,� Ryoga gasped through his pain, �I�ve seen hell!�
This, apparently, had been the wrong thing to say, because Ryoga cried
out in pain as the girl jerked the arm further out of joint in
response to it.
�What hell!? Ranma waited three days for you to show up for your
stupid bread feud!� the girl shouted. �He thought you were his friend
when he first remembered who you were! He tried to make amends when he
thought that you were still angry with him about the bread!� THUMP!
Ryoga felt the air being forced from his lungs by the blow he had just
received to the gut. �Ranma is my fianc�e, damn you, and if she dies��
Ryoga looked into the girl�s tear streaked, furious eyes, and knew
fear. For these were eyes he had seen before. Eyes that promised
vengeance returned one thousand-fold. Eyes that he saw whenever he
looked at himself in a mirror. �So help me, if she dies� I� will�
KILL� you!� With that, the girl delivered an uppercut to Ryoga�s jaw
powerful enough to send him flying against the wall of one of the
school buildings, unconscious�
Akane fought through the dazed shock that she was experiencing from
nearly being beheaded (having received a really bad haircut instead).
Ranma-chan had saved her life by deciding that Akane was more
important than the fight with Ryoga, and trying to apologize.
Ranma-chan had stayed with Akane after her hair had been chopped off,
honest concern being very evident in her expression. And Ryoga had
taken advantage of this greater distraction by once again attacking
Ranma-chan from behind, this time with a fist to her back.
The first, sickening blow had effectively removed Ranma-chan from the
fight as she screamed in primal agony. The second blow reduced these
screams to a helpless gurgle, as it became difficult for her to
breathe. The third blow never landed, for Akane Tendo had joined the
fight.
Ordinarily, Akane would stand no chance in a fight with Ryoga; but
then again, ordinarily she wouldn�t stand a chance in a fight with her
fianc� either, and she had managed to defeat Ranma once before. All
she knew was that a monster was killing her iinazuke, and she had to
stop him. And stop him she did.
There is an inner strength in all of us that can be called for in
times of great need or duress. Fear can bring it forth, as can anger
and desperation. So can realization of the truth of love just found,
only to be cruelly snatched away by fate� or a monster. A martial
artist is supposed to be able to access this strength through his or
her ki. In Akane�s case, it was a combination of all these factors
that gave her the strength to stop Ryoga�s third blow from landing.
It was with the ferocity of an angry tigress that she then dislocated
the arm that she had grabbed and then punched him away from her fallen
love. It was with despair that she gathered Ranma-chan in her arms and
begged. Begged for anyone to call a doctor, an ambulance, anyone to
save Ranma�s fading life.
This was the man she loved, never mind the fact that he was cursed to
turn into a girl. Never mind his course behavior and poor social
skills, for they weren�t truly his fault. He was her hero, her love,
and he had fallen while saving her life. Akane could do no less�
Ranma-chan lay there as she tried to gasp more air into her lungs.
Akane had saved her life, stopping Ryoga like she did. What Akane had
said in her defense warmed her heart, for all that it still beat madly
in her chest. If it weren�t for the debilitating pain coursing through
her body, the neo-girl would be content in the knowledge that Akane
really did care for her.
Unfortunately for Ranma-chan, the damage to her body, as localized as
it was, was critical. While she didn�t think that her back was
actually broken, seeing as how she had collapsed to her knees rather
than all the way to the ground, fractures were a real possibility. Her
entire lower body felt as if she was being simultaneously burned and
frozen at both temperature extremes. Definitely not a good sign, from
what her rather limited medical knowledge told her. Also, her left arm
hung limply at her side, and unlike her legs, she couldn�t feel it at
all.
She was scared, really scared, that she was going to die anyway, alone
and in greater pain than she had ever felt before. Her breathing was
ragged and forced, she was trembling all over (except for the horrible
lack of sensation from where she knew her left arm to be), and she had
a hard time focusing her vision on anything for very long. [So cold�
so very cold� so hot. I�m on fire� I have to be� I�m freezing to
death� I don�t want to die� not like this�]
A vision filled her eyes. That of a beautiful angel, or rather Akane,
which was good enough for her. She didn�t want to die alone. She was
grateful that Akane had come back to see her on her way�
�Akane,� Ranma-chan gasped weekly as she felt herself being gathered
into her fianc�e�s embrace. It felt good to be there, despite her
unabated agony. It felt� right. �Akane� I��
�Hush, Ranma,� Akane comforted her fallen hero. �Ryoga won�t hurt you
any more.�
�Akane�� the neo-girl choked as her gaze lost focus once again.
�Akane��
�I�m here, Ranma, everything is going to be all right.�
�I� hurt, Akane...�
�Somebody call a doctor! Ranma�s hurt!� Akane shouted at the gathering
crowd. To her irritation, most of them just stood there in shock over
what they had just witnessed.
�I� don�t� want� to die� Akane�� Ranma-chan wheezed out past her
ragged breath. �I� don�t want� there to be� bad feelings� between us��
�Don�t talk like this, Ranma,� Akane pleaded. �You�re not going to
die!�
�I think I� love you� Akane��
�I think I love you too, you jerk,� Akane responded gently, tears in
her eyes. �Please don�t die on me!�
�I� just wanted� to say that� before I go��
�SOMEBODY CALL A HOSPITAL NOW, DAMN IT!� Akane shouted at the crowd
once again. �I am NOT going to lose my iinazuke like this!� She broke
down in tears as she continued to plead. �Someone� anyone >sob< call a
doctor, a paramedic, anyone! >Sob< I don�t want to lose Ranma! Not
like this! Not ever, but definitely not like this!�
While some continued to stare at Akane and the girl she called Ranma,
others ran off to do as she requested, hoping that they would be in
time�
Ryoga came to his senses in a sea of pain. A girl had stopped him from
killing his hated rival by dislocating his right arm severely and
knocking him away from the fight. He could feel the bruises beginning
to form on his stomach and jaw, where she had hit him harder than
anyone ever had before. Now the girl was sobbing over his fallen foe,
calling out for help for her iinazuke, never mind that Ranma was a
girl at the moment.
For the first time in a long while, Ryoga was ashamed� of himself and
his own actions.
Ryoga slowly rose to his feet and staggered away, painfully popping
the joints of his arm back into place. He had nearly killed a girl�
no, a boy� who had thought that they had been friends and could be
again. Damn it! Ranma had been a friend of sorts, before the
bread-feud had gone on too long. He had been the only boy willing to
spar with him, even with his greater strength. And while Ranma had
made fun of his lack of a direction sense, he had never been as
malicious about it as the other kids had been.
And Ryoga had nearly killed her� er, him. He had been about to strike
the final blow when, thank all the kami, the girl had stopped him
cold. [What kind of monster have I become?] he thought to himself. [Is
my curse truly so bad that I felt justified in murdering my friend?
Even if it is his fault that I became cursed, that�s no excuse! What
have I allowed myself to become?]
With tears freely flowing from his eyes, Ryoga staggered away from the
scene of the fight� straight into the spray of the broken water
fountain.
Nabiki wandered around slightly dazed in shock at what she had just
witnessed. She had thought it fun to pick on the mostly ignorant
cursed boy who had come into the lives of the Tendo family. She had
initially started out of a sense of revenge for him not to have been
the fianc� she had so desperately wanted him to be. She had continued
to pick on him because he had turned out to be such an easy mark, not
unlike her younger sister, and she felt even less guilt than she would
have had he actually been a family member.
What she had just witnessed though�
Ryoga Hibiki had been a case of vengeance taken out of proportion.
None of what Ranma had told them could excuse the obviously deadly
intent the lost boy had just shown in this fight. The safety of
bystanders did not matter to him, in stark contrast to Ranma. Nor did
he care who was around to witness his questionably honorable tactics.
He might even be inclined to eliminate those very same witnesses. At
the very least, he may decide to take vengeance out on Akane, who had
hurt him more than Ranma had.
Nabiki was afraid. Not only for her own safety, but for that of Akane
as well. A singular lack of interest had caused Nabiki to stop
training after their mother had died. Training in the family School of
Anything Goes Martial Arts had been an unnecessary and painful
reminder of her life before that tragedy. Now it had just become all
too necessary by far.
Tonight, she would ask her father to pick up her training again. Akane
had just fought Ryoga and won, but Nabiki held no illusions as to what
would have happened if the lost boy had not been in shock about having
been stopped in the first place. After all, Akane had nearly died from
a random attack of the lost-boy�s, and he had shown no hesitation
afterwards. Either he was too obsessed, didn�t care, or was just plain
stupid. In any event, she couldn�t take the chance that it was more
innocent than it appeared.
Nabiki absently picked of a somewhat damp little black pig wearing a
yellow and black bandanna that had bumped into her leg. She would have
to find the owner later, but right now she just wanted something�
anything� to help comfort her during the dark times she saw ahead.
Nabiki raised her head at the sound of sirens. An ambulance had
arrived to pick up Ranma, and police were arriving as well. One of the
officers was getting a brief statement from Akane, but it was obvious
that she wanted to go with her fianc�e. Nabiki wandered over to give
her own statement, glad that she hadn�t gone ahead with the idea to
bookie a bet for the fight. Not that she had been given enough
advanced warning about it to do so, but it would have been the next
big step for her and her compatriots.
A step that Nabiki could no longer afford to take if she wanted to get
involved with the authorities. The law could be a powerful ally, and
enforcers of the law were handily available. The law tended to like
truth and justice, as opposed to lies and cruelty.
Duty� Honor� Purpose�
A martial artist had these things�
So did an officer of the law�
Nabiki Tendo had found her calling.
END CHAPTER ONE.
SPECIAL THANKS TO: Lord Talon for offering to post this for me while I
try to figure out how to post them myself.
C&C Welcome.
Flames will be used to roast marshmallows.
Tangent
tangent@zbzoom.net
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I give you Freedom! That monster will trouble you no more!
Your hero has arrived at last!"
Mr Masamichi Fujisawa