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Greetings...
Welcome to my first full contribution to the FFML.
This is a Ranma 1/2 story, set shortly after the introduction
of Mouse. While there may be an alustion or two to later themes,
As long as you have read / seen up to this point, there should be
no problem. If you haven't, maybe I could get some friends
together, and we could attempted to get you atleast throughly
hooked on it. :)
Oh yes, I labled this story dark, as it is, to me anyway, very
darkly themed if not on that twilight edge of dark itself.
It should go without saying, that I would none of the
characters in this story. And should bear no resemblance to any
real person alive or otherwise. (If so, you may need help.) As
such, please please don't sue me. This is only my way of paying
homage to a great story
filled with fun and wounderful charcters. Thank you Rumiko
Takahashi-san.
Without further ado I present to you
Of Cats and Men (Part II)
====================
Ranma puzzled as he waited by the school gate to protect
Hiromi on her way home. Every since lunch, she had either been
avoiding him or out right glaring at him.
"Hiromi-chan!" Ranma called out as he saw her approaching.
She immediately bore into him with that same glare.
She didn't say a word when she got to the gate. She just
kept walking. Ranma followed her, not knowing what to do.
"Giru had to go to the hospital last night," she finally
said about 2 blocks later.
"So?" Ranma answered back.
"The police wanted to talk to you, but the teachers all
defended you, describing how you didn't even try to hurt him."
"They didn't have to do that." Ranma remarked.
"You did it, didn't you?"
"He tried to attack me last night." She stopped and turned
to look at him for the first time since they left the school
grounds.
"He has both his arms broken, both of his legs broken, one
of them in two places, A cracked rib and a broken nose," she
almost sobbed.
"He didn't learn, so I had ta teach 'em!" Ranma said,
getting defensive. "Besides you weren't there!"
"Oh, so you think I only care about what you do in front of
me!" Tears freely flowing down her face now.
"Look," Ranma started.
"No, you look! I don't want to walk home with you any more.
You don't care about anyone but yourself! I can't and I won't be
friends with someone like that!" She turned and stormed off
toward her home.
Ranma just stood there, not knowing what to do.
====================
"Tis a bitter sweet moment that hath hence forth come to me
this very day." Kuno started as he stepped out from around his
favorite tree. "For this day, I shall end your enslavement of
Akane and the pig-tailed girl finally freeing them from your ill
begotten ways," Kuno boasted.
Ranma only shook his head as he cracked his knuckles in
preparation of delivering a much needed pounding to a pompous
jerk.
"Be forewarned, Dark Sorcerer, I have come to learn the
secret that binds your magic."
"That'll be the day!" Ranma called out as he got into a
battle stance.
"Do not worry Akane nor the fair pig-tailed girl, I shall
free you both into my embraces once I have defeated Saotome.!"
Kuno called to the skies, in hopes that the pig-tailed girl could
hear, and have hope.
The pig-tailed girl, currently in his male form decided he
had had enough, and the fight began.
Kuno had taken several hard blows, as he vainly attempted
once again to parry and strike to no avail. Ranma wasn't going to
let him go down quickly time either. He had decided that had been
his mistake all along. He had always finished with Kuno
unconscious. This time, he would be begging for unconsciousness.
As the fight wore on, Ranma became aware of Kuno chanting
something softly, other than his normal command of 'strike!' He
hadn't noticed at first, but he was getting louder. Soon, he
could make out a single word, muttered over and over. "Hiromi."
"Something's wrong," Nabiki heard Akane pronounce. The
fights had become almost boring to watch for her, since it was a
forgone conclusion, now she turned her attention to the fight and
saw what only Akane had caught so far. Ranma was pulling his
punches just short of touching Kuno.
"What does he think he's doing," muttered Nabiki.
"He's going to lose, if he keeps this up." Akane looked
worriedly on, as the now one-sided fight continued.
From a distance, a figure watched as the fight progressed.
Yuota wasn't sure why he told Kuno to try shouting his sisters
name during their next fight. At the beginning, he had felt
somewhat disappointed as it looked like what he had expected. Now
he began to doubt his course of action, as he wasn't quite sure
what to make of how it was effecting this fight.
Ranma was now losing, as everyone could recognize. Every
time Ranma attempted a punch or kick, he would see that face that
had plagued him for the past few days, and he couldn't follow
through. And every time he pulled his punch, he was rewarded with
blow from Kuno. Ranma did find that, for some reason, since Kuno
was hitting, it was throwing him off enough that he couldn't get
to his full speed or strength. 'Probably always practiced that
alone anyway.' Ranma considered as he could.
Then, Ranma noticed the looks of all the students watching
the fight. He remembered the day all of the male students had
acknowledged defeat to Ranma, as he alone had defeated Kuno. 'If
Kuno wins now.'
"Alright!" Ranma shouted. "Play times over!" Ranma jumped up
out of Kuno's reach. As Kuno looked up, Ranma planted his feet on
his forehead and combining gravity and his leg strength, kicked
Kuno to the ground.
"You dare mock the might house of." was as far as Kuno got
as Ranma walked up and knocked his lights out.
"Just what kind of game did you think you were playing with
him!" Akane shouted storming over to Ranma. "He could have hurt
you!"
"Like Kuno could ever touch me!" Ranma claimed nonchalantly.
"Oh, yea?" Akane poked him in the chest, and he almost
collapsed right there.
"Like you care!" Ranma retorted, trying vainly to straighten
his back.
"Why would I care about a pervert like you!" she responded.
"Pervert! Who are you calling a pervert, you dumb, uncute,
tom-boy!"
"I'm calling you a pervert, pervert!"
Yuota watched the spectacle before him. 'I have to, or she
might be next.' He darkly thought to himself.
====================
"Hey, you! Homeless boy!" Yuota called out to Ranma, who was
practicing hitting a post with his bare fists. His sister had
come home crying the day before, but she hadn't let him go out to
confront him. This had been his first chance.
"The name's Ranma!" He challenged. Looking the boy up and
down, he knew he wasn't a match.
"You have been bothering Hiromi. I want you to leave her
alone!"
"What's it.," he started to retort, hoping to enrage him,
but then he recognized him, Hiromi's brother. 'I bet she wouldn't
be too happy if I beat him up.'
"I know your kind, and your all no good!"
"You should go!"
"Or what?" Yuota taunted back.
"I am not going to fight you!" Ranma said defiantly.
"Then maybe I'll just beat you to a blood pulp!"
"What would your sister think of you then?" Ranma called
back. Yuota looked like he was getting very angry when Ranma
heard the door to the house squeak open.
"You think you really care what she thinks?"
"What should I care what some dumb know-it-all-chan girl
that thinks she can tell me what to do!" Ranma called out.
"Fine, then we don't have a problem do we!" Yuota shouted,
getting really nervous seeing Ranma big father staring at him in
a disapproving manner.
"Fine!" Ranma returned.
As Yuota turned to leave, Ranma turned to go back inside
with his father. Yuota noticed for the first time a large bruise
partially covered by his gi and several small scratches on his
arms and legs. All were normally covered up by his school
uniform.
"Just what do you think you're doing!" he heard Genma shout
at Ranma behind him, just before the door shut.
====================
Yuota looked at his watch. 'Two hours to go.'
"Now what?" Nabiki said walking to him in the park, as he
had asked. She loathed the idea of meeting him here, without
backup. She had looked for Ranma, but he was not to be found. She
had thought to ask Akane, but then realized that she would
probably become a big liability. So, she settled for the next
best thing. Her second, she couldn't trust anyone else with what
might happen tonight, was watching through binoculars. At the
first hint of trouble, or if she tried to leave without giving a
specific, she would call on Akane on her cell phone, and tell her
someone was attacking her sister in the park.
"Got your camera?"
Nabiki nodded then asked, "You project is Ranma, isn't it?"
"I thought you might guess." He replied with a grin.
"Just one question."
"Alright," he responded. 'we have plenty of time.
"Why?"
"Why?" He repeated. "I thought that would be clear."
"Okay."
"He is evil!"
"Kuno?" she asked with a knowing smirk.
"Kuno may be a fool; however, even a fool can be right."
"Most of those who would challenge Ranma, find him very
resilient."
"I don't plan of fighting him. I have seen what happens to
those who oppose him."
Nabiki blinked, "how do you mean?"
"I have awaited this day for 6 years. Will you help me or
not."
"First I want to know what he did to you!"
"He killed my sister!" He said, he eyes watering. "And he
probably aims to take Akane next."
"Ranma," Nabiki began, not quite able to finish the thought.
"He denied any feeling for my sister too, shortly before."
he trailed off.
"Tell me exactly what happened."
====================
"Come on guys," Yuota called as he grabbed his coat from the
closet. "We need to go pay a visit to the local low lifes."
"Hey, I ain't going near that place. You know he put all of
Jii's gang in the hospital!" one of Yuota's friends responded.
"My sister has been missing all day! And I know that kid has
been pestering her every since they got here." He said with all
the emotion he was feeling at that moment. "I am not looking for
a fight, and I'll go alone if I have to."
Everyone else jumped up and started getting ready, including
grabbing bats, lights, and just about anything else they could
think of.
The house was dark and quiet when they arrived. Yuota called
out, but no one answered. As they looked around, they could see
signs that someone had been staying in what was left of the
living room, but looked as if they had packed up and left. The
house was old, and considering how expensive land is, it was
surprising that such a place would remain unused except for the
rift-raft that might blow through town.
"Hey, Yuota, I think I see her!"
"Where?" he came running toward the voice that called.
"She's in the back yard."
"It's freezing outside, what's she doing out there!"
"Hiromi!" Yuota called as he went out to her, but she didn't
respond.
"Hey what's this?" another friend called out, but Yuota was
focused on his sister.
He took off his jacket and flung it around her. She was just
sitting there, staring into nothingness. All her clothes ripped
to shreds. She was cold to the touch.
"Man, help me. She's freezing. Somebody call for a doctor!"
"Yuota, I think this is blood!" someone called out as
another pulled out his cell and started to make a call. Everyone
cast their lights where he was and gasped. Something that was a
deep red seemed to cover most of the ground.
"I think there's something down there!" another shouted. He
was looking down what appeared to be a pit of some kind. There
had been a covering of some kind, but it had been broken to bits.
As the cast their lights down into the pit, they heard very soft
meowing.
"Cats?"
====================
"They where torturing cats. Over thirty in all. Most had
died from starvation of the cold before the animal shelter could
get there. We thought the blood must have been cats blood, but
the police said it was human blood."
Nabiki was stunned.
"Hiromi, my sister, caught pneumonia and died several days
later in the hospital." He wiped his eyes and looked up at the
stars. "Her final words were a plea to help save her and the cats
from Ranma."
Nabiki looked at him, "You said a pit of cats?"
"Yes," he said solemnly
"Come on, we have to go!" Nabiki said jumping up from the
seat position she had taken during his story.
"Huh, oh okay just follow me."
"Just a second," Nabiki said and turned to face an
apparently random direction and gave the okay signal. "We have a
stop to make first!"
"Where?" he said looking at his watch, Ranma would be there
soon, and he didn't want to miss it.
"Home."
"Why there?"
"To get some answers!"
====================
"What's wrong!" Kasumi asked as Nabiki stormed in, not quite
keeping her emotions in check, followed by a boy she hadn't met
before. 'I wonder if they are dating, and had a fight.'
"Where's Akane?"
"I think she's up in her room."
"Good. We all need to have a long talk with Genma."
"You brought me here for that! That's the last thing I
want." Yuota said looking very unhappy.
"It is very late, can this wait until morning." Kasumi
asked, hoping to ease the tensions.
"This can't wait. I have to know what happened when he
trained Ranma in the Cat fist."
"He already told us all of that story." Kasumi responded.
She didn't particularly want to hear it again. Yuota just looked
confused.
"I have reason to believe he lied, or at least in part held
some very serious things from us."
Kasumi seemed to consider that. "And you think he will tell
us about it now?"
"Sure, we have Yuota here to help keep him on track."
Looking deep into Kasumi's eyes, she added, "We all need to know
this for Ranma's sake."
Yuota scoffed at that last. 'So, that's her plan. She hopes
by keeping me busy here, Ranma will be okay. I guess I misjudged
her. Well, there's nothing more to do about it now, save to wait
them out. Too bad, I really wanted to watch the end.
Nabiki ran upstairs to get Akane.
====================
Genma looked around him, and saw a lot of angry stares. He
wasn't sure what this was about, but he knew it wouldn't be any
good. 'I knew I should have kept that glass of water handy.'
Soun only shrugged to his friend, he had no idea what was
going on either.
"We need you to tell us about Ranma's cat-fist training."
Nabiki announced once everyone was settled, and Genma looked
sufficiently unsettled.
"I already told you all about it. It was dumb not to finish
reading the procedure, but it sounded so simple." Genma said with
a sigh. 'This again.'
Nabiki smiled in such a way that Genma felt the color
draining from his face. Yuota, who had been watching her too,
also felt very uneasy.
"We want to hear the whole story this time."
Akane was confused, how much more could there be, but was
doing her Tendou duty by backing Nabiki and glaring as hard as
she could at Genma. 'After all, Nabiki is usually right.'
"What more is there to tell?" Soun attempted to help his
friend.
"This is Yuota." Genma only nodded his acknowledgement.
'What is it with Saotome's and names' Nabiki thought. "Yuota
Kimuwara of Kurai Naishin High School," she continued. He only
nodded again. "Brother to Hiromi Kimuwara." That got Akane's
attention, but Genma only nodded.
Yuota stared to declare what a waste of time this was when
the big man before him suddenly looked terrified of him. 'Well,
maybe this wont be a waste after all,' he thought.
"How .," Genma felt his throat dry up. "How is your sister."
His voice almost bounce up two octaves.
"She's dead." He spat with as much venom as he could muster.
Akane jumped when he said it, Genma began to look terribly
burdened.
"I'm sorry to hear that," he almost lied. He was sorry to
hear that. But though for a minute, that she had come back to try
to take Ranma. He was never sure exactly what Ranma's feelings
for the girl were, he had still been very young at the time.
Considering how things where not going to his perception between
Akane and Ranma, she would have stood a good chance. He had hoped
that since he acted similar to Akane as he had to him about that
girl, there was some hope. But Ranma was hard headed and needed
some pushing to see things the way they had to be.
"Yea, right. That's why you left her there to die." Almost
everyone's jaw hit the floor.
"N-no, I- I tried to give her a blanket. I told her to go
home." Genma sputtered though his shock. Lying, cheating, and
stealing he could and had justified to his own conscious, but he
would never abandon a child. 'Okay, there was that one six year
old, but I didn't really abandon her, her father was just a few
blocks away, when she finally gave up the chase. Ranma had
already been engaged to one of Tendou's daughters, so he could
really take her along anyway. Besides the road is no place for a
woman, much less a girl.'
"What happened!" Akane demanded.
"Ranma had become weak." He said at least. His eyes focusing
on events that he had truly regretted, even as he made the same
mistakes over and over. Events, he never wanted to think about
again. Even as they sometimes hunted him in his sleep, when Ranma
would have a particularly restless night.
Everyone sat back and waited.
"Ever since we had moved into that neighborhood. We should
have moved on immediately, but it was nice to have a roof over
our head for the winter, even if the walls where drafty." He had
also gotten a temporary job as a bouncer at a bar. He had wanted
to bring Ranma in, to get some experience, but it had been a
topless bar. And if his dear sweet wife ever found out.
"It was subtle at first. He seemed to be putting less than
his full amount into his training. Each day, it almost seemed as
if I had to start over."
"He had saved some other kid from being scared by some other
kids, and he dealt with them sufficiently. But later I heard from
other parents, that he had been involved in a fight at school,
and hadn't even attempted to put up a proper defense. That was
inexcusable."
"That's when I decided it was time to start his advanced
training."
"The Cat-Fist," Akane supplied. Genma nodded his
acknowledgement.
"What this Cat-Fist you keep talking about?" Yuota asked.
"An ancient and powerful form forgotten by most."
"With good reason," Akane added as Nabiki pasted Yuota a
copy of Genma's training book.
Yuota turned pale as he read the description.
"Of course, he was a stubborn boy, and hadn't learned it the
first time. But when he realized how important it was, he went
back until he finally mastered it." Genma eyes, watery with tears
sparkled a little at the single bright spot in that whole ordeal.
Genma himself had been ready to give up that last time, but Ranma
wanted to get rid of the disappointment he saw in his father's
eyes.
"Of course, by that point, the inherent weakness in that
form became apparent."
Yuota looked confused so Akane mouthed fear of cats.
"So, I embarked on a more dangerous path to try to help him
overcome this fear."
"You kept doing the same thing." Nabiki added sarcastically.
"Yes, but this time, I would have to deal with the Cat-Fist
each time he emerged."
"He acts like a cat when he's doing this?" Yuota asked.
"Actually, he thinks he is a cat, and forgets everything
that happed while he is a cat after he comes out of it."
"So, that's why he started showing up again, just before
they left."
Everyone else in the room turned to look at Yuota.
"Yes, each time, I would have to go and hunt him down. He
always ran to that same girl. Your sister I assume?" Genma asked,
Yuota nodded.
"She thought he was trying to make up with her by acting
like a cat, since he knew she liked cats that's what I thought."
Akane started to get angry.
"Oh, that's so romantic," Kasumi cooed in that way only
Kasumi could after hearing such a tale.
Everyone looked at her like she had finally lost her mind.
"I take it, your sister didn't like fighting?" Kasumi asked
Yuota. Not seeing where this was going, he only nodded.
"So, after meeting your sister, Ranma has always tried to
hold back when facing new or weaker opponents, until he can
adjust to their level. Still fighting, but only so much as he has
to."
Yuota blinked as she put it that way.
"So your saying, Ranma tries to be a better person, all for
someone he doesn't even remember?" Nabiki considered allowed. She
hadn't seen it, until Kasumi said it, but it kind of made since.
Akane couldn't decide weither to be moved by such a thing,
or to go ballistic. He certainly didn't care that much about her!
"That doesn't make since!" Yuota said shaking his head.
"Then why did he leave her like that?"
Genma sighed. "You don't understand. It wasn't suppose to
happen that way. There was nothing I could do."
====================
'Genma,' he told himself, 'you have failed.' So many
attempts to undo what he had done. In the beginning it sounded so
simple. Then once things started, there was just no place to turn
back.
He looked as his son rubbed up against that same girl as he
had done each time before. She giggled and thought he was
playing. Soon, she would sit and let him nap in her lap. Once he
fell asleep, it was safe for him to go up, acting happy to
finally have found his son after searching for so long. She hadn'
t trusted him at first, but once he told her who he was, she didn
't mind as much, when he would come and pick him up. Besides, he
was a little heavy for her lap.
Having found that Ranma didn't remember anything while in
the nekoken, he made an effort to bring him back before he could
wake up somewhere else. He hadn't noticed that she followed him
that one night, until suddenly, there she was.
"He's not playing kitty is he?" She asked jumping off the
fence that blocked off the backyard. A feature that had finally
convinced Genma that this was the perfect place. He knew not
everyone understood the dedication a true martial artist needed.
"He's fine. There's no need to worry about him."
"You didn't answer my question. What did you do to him?"
"Sometimes a person must make great sacrifices. Ranma is
going to be the greatest martial artist in the world." He replied
proudly.
Then Ranma moaned.
"Ranma!" she called out, and he began to stir. Genma set him
down, not sure it this was a good or bad sign, usually he slept
through the night.
"Hiromi?" Ranma asked through the haze of mid-awakeness.
"What are you doing here?"
"I followed you. After your dad came to pick you up from my
house." She said, pronouncing your dad like it was the worst
curse imaginable.
"I haven't been to your house." Ranma said, almost a
question, as he looked to his father. At least he didn't remember
going there, and he had been having lots of blackouts lately. He
hoped he would soon learn this nekoken stuff so his father would
not be so disappointed when he looked at him.
"So you don't remember." She said softly.
Ranma looked at her wanting to remember. This was bad, if he
was going places and not remembering.
"You have been coming over to my house for most of the past
week acting like a cat," she said, tears forming in her eyes. "I
thought you were being silly trying something lame to make up
with me. But you weren't acting where you." She had never wanted
anyone to hurt in her entire life, but the monster that stood
before her and dared to call itself Ranma's dad, was pushing that
temperament.
"I was acting like a cat." Ranma said incredulously. Looking
over at his father, looking for some explanation.
"Yes, son. You had mastered Nekoken. But." he tried to
explain but Ranma was in his face.
"I already learned it?! And you still kept on throwing me in
that pit!" Ranma yelled, barely managing a gesture toward the
pit.
"You don't .." Genma started, only to be interrupted again.
"And what's the big idea teaching a technique that I can't
remember or use coherently!"
Genma felt too guilty at this point to be upset that his son
was back talking him. His words only matched those of his
conscious these past few days anyway.
Ranma had been slowly advancing on his father the whole
time, and was about to release some of his growing frustration
when they heard the meows from the pit.
They had been too busy to notice her go over to the pit that
Ranma had indicated. She needed to see what Genma had done to
Ranma. The trap door had been very heavy, especially for a 10
year old girl, that hadn't been training since she was four, but
she managed to lift it open. There wasn't enough light now for
her to see down there, but she could hear the cats perk up and
hiss. After all, they were always feed right after the door was
lifted.
"Kitties?" She said softly.
Ranma meowed. The cries from the cats having instantly sent
Ranma into Nekoken. Genma tried to get to Hiromi to pull her away
from the pit, but Neko-Ranma, sensing an attack on her launched
at Genma with everything he had. She dropped the cover and
screamed as Ranma's fist drew large gashes across Genma's open
side. Genma had been knocked several feet away.
As Neko-Ranma readied to pounce on him to finish, he felt a
strike on his side. Turning he hisses, ready to strike what ever
dared to strike him.
She froze with fear as she saw the wild fire in his eyes
when he spun at her. Ranma stopped. Not a hesitation, Genma
recognized his immediate change as Ranma's body suddenly absorbed
his full momentum. Even in his Nekoken form, he would not strike
her, even as she had attacked him first, Genma realized. 'The
Nekoken, truly is a failure.' He thought.
Hiromi, however, was not a marital artist, and thus, in that
half a second, didn't understand that Ranma had stopped. As her
mind attempted to start again, she lost her balance and fell
straight through the poorly patched cover. The cats had been
ready and waiting, and attack her before she hit the ground,
fighting to get their food, that seemed to be missing this time.
Neko-Ranma was there in an instant, busting the rest of the
way through the door. After an eternity, to Genma, he leaped out
of the pit, holding her from his mouth by the back of her jacket.
Her clothes had been shredded, and Ranma had several new cuts
too.
Genma had tried to bring a blanket over to them, but got
warned off by Neko-Ranma before he could get close to the girl.
The rest of the night, saw Genma once again trying to clean
his wounds from Neko-Ranma. Then he began packing his and Ranma's
gear all the while, Hiromi softly petted Ranma. Cooing in his ear
that she would help him and keep him away from the bad kitties.
By the time daylight came, they were both asleep. He
carefully lifted Ranma up and started to make his way out of this
town before anyone else got evolved.
"Stop, you can't take Ranma!" Hiromi yelled. "She tried to
get up, but her legs were too numb from Ranma laying on them all
night.
"He is my son. I can take him anywhere I deem necessary."
Genma shot back. "You should go back to your home, your parents
must be worried about you."
Then he leaped over the wall. Briefly, Genma thought of
calling her parents, but not only didn't he have a phone, but
didn't know their number, and certainly wasn't going to take the
risk of waking Ranma up.
====================
"I thought you said it was an old woman who lived nearby,
that brought Ranma out of Nekoken." Akane asked, burning up that
someone else could bring him out, although she didn't know why
she was upset.
"That's right. In the next town, we went to. That's where we
meat her," Genma answered while pulling his gi back on, after
having shown them the scars that he still had from that night.
"The Nekoken was still fresh, so anything could set it off,
seeing a cat, hearing a cat, sometimes I think all he had to do
was think of a cat and he slipped into the Nekoken. The old woman
was nice enough, but sometimes, I think she actually thought
Ranma was a cat." Genma said. The tears from his long tail drying
up, as he began to banished those memories back to the dark
places of his mind where he kept all such memories he didn't want
to remember, like most of his training under the master.
"Why did you do it?" Kasumi asked, the question she had had
since the first time. She still wasn't sure if she was ready to
hear the answer.
"I didn't want what happened to my brother to happen to
him." He said softly.
"I didn't know you had a brother, Saotome." Soun replied
surprised. He had known Genma a long time, and he had never
spoken of him before.
"He was killed by some punk for his wallet." He closed his
eyes tightly. "He had put him down until he gave. Then he turned
his back to him." He heaved a sigh, "For a lousy 340 yen and
because he didn't follow through."
Suddenly, Yuota's watch alarm went off. He looked down at it
and turned white as a sheet. "No," he whispered, "Not now!"
The girls all looked at him, Genma and Soun heading back to
the board to start a new game.
"We gotta go!" he said quickly jumping up and grabbing his
things.
"Where?" "Why?" Akane and Nabiki alternated at the same
time.
====================
"Ranma is wearing an arm band that he thinks Akane gave to
him."
"Why would he think that?!"Akane yelled.
"What about the band?" Nabiki asked more prudently.
"It's really a small radio receiver that uses two small
wires that can send a signal through the human body, that happen
to form sound waves in the ears of the wearer." He explained as
they followed him running down the street.
"So, your saying he can listen to music that no one else can
hear?" Akane asked.
"He could, but it's not tuned to those frequencies. And I
adjusted it so that the sounds are just below and just above
normal hearing range."
"Uh huh," Akane added confused.
"So, you have been trying to give him subliminal messages."
Nabiki guessed. She had read some books on the subject, but it
hadn't sound very practical or workable, until now.
"Exactly, it works best when the subject in almost asleep or
just waking up. And truthfully, I didn't expect it to work as
well as it had been."
"So where are we going?" Akane asked.
"To that abandoned house." Yuota responded.
Both Akane and Nabiki felt a lump in their throat. Hearing
about Ranma's training hadn't made it feel real to them. When
they played with his fear by draping cats across him didn't made
it anymore real. Even seeing the full power of the Nekoken
released, hadn't brought it home to them that anyone could really
due that to another person. Now they were going back to where it
all started. And it had only been a few blocks from there home.
====================
"It's just a stupid dream, it's only a stupid dream." Ranma
chanted to himself. He knew it was a dream. It had to be a dream.
Because before him stood a place that only existed in some of his
nightmares. A place he only knew as The House.
"Where did you take her? What did you do to her?" the dark
voice in Ranma's droned on. It had been to soft for him to hear
at first, but as he had explored this strange neighborhood, it
had changed slightly. Driving him here.
"I don't know what you're talking about!" Ranma shouted out.
But the voice only continued.
Slowly, Ranma walked up the steps. There was a condemned
notice on a banister, saying something about knocking down the
house next week. The subtle detail in his only served to unnerve
him further.
Once inside, the voice suddenly began chanting, "Remember
her fate, live her fate," softly. Ranma turned to run and return
some other day, but stopped. 'Ranma Saotome doesn't run from
anything!" his shout echoed through the house. "Especially from
some stupid dream!"
The room was completely devoid of furniture. He could see
tears along the walls, like some caged animal had been let loose
to kill anyone who might have been here.
"Bring it on!" Ranma once again called out. Trying to summon
his confidence again. "Me and the old man been in lots worse
places than this," he told himself.
Slowly, he made his way toward the back, until he saw
something through a window. He ran out into the backyard, but the
girl was no where to be seen.
'Got dark quick," he thought as he looked around the
backyard, then reminded himself it was just a dream. As Deja-vu
and a paramounting fear began to take hold, he began his chant,
"It's only a dream," to fight off the other inhumanly deep voice'
s, "Remember her fate, live her fate."
He completely froze, when he saw the metal slab, that seemed
to cover something. It was newer than everything else he had
seen, and seemed to call to him even more than that voice. It was
heavy, but it was nothing after the training Ranma had had in his
life.
There before him was the darkest, blackest, deepest, whole
in the universe. Any rational thought he had held onto up to that
point left, as he stared into the abyss. At first there was
nothing, not even a sound. Then a noise touched upon his soul. It
came from the house, but he wasn't paying that much attention.
"Kittens?" He asked meekly.
"Ranma!" Akane shouted from the doorway as they had made
their through the house. She started running toward him as she
saw such a great fear etched in his face that she never imagined
anyone could have, especially Ranma Saotome.
His grip wavered and he fell backwards into the pit. The
heave metal slab slamming down with such a clang, that it echoed
off of everything.
"Kami, he was able to lift that thing!" Yuota exclaimed,
everything taking a surreal turn in his mind. He hadn't wanted to
believe Genma's story, but he had felt that perhaps he had judged
Ranma prematurely. Now that his wish was coming true, of seeing
Ranma experience his sisters fine moments, he felt like he had
become the greater evil in some bizarre story. This was not the
way he it was suppose to happen.
Akane tried vainly to lift the slab, but the latch had stuck
with the force that had slammed it shut. So she began pounding
and punching her way through. After all, this is what she
practiced with her bricks all the time.
Nabiki just sat back, watching and praying. Kami only knew
what was going on in Ranma's head right now.
Quickly, although an eternity for those present, she broke
though the aging and rested slab that had covered the pit for six
years. As she force a whole big enough to jump through Nabiki
called out.
"How do you know he will know its you!"
"Ranma!" Akane shouted as she prepared to jump, one last
quick look at Nabiki, who was as pale as a sheet, then she
jumped.
====================
"I'm so proud of you!" Soun began to cry out. "Now out house
will surely be joined!"
"It's a great day, Tendou!" Genma cheered with him.
"What's goin' on here," Ranma moaned as he tried to sit up
from his place on the couch. That weird dream already fading from
his head.
"We should have the ceremony tomorrow!" Genma suggested.
"There's no way we're getting' married!" Akane and Ranma
shouted at almost the same time.
"B- b- but after you saved Ranma." Sound began.
"What!" Ranma exclaimed. "There's no way I'd ever need some
uncute tom-boy to save me!"
"What! You jerk." Akane responded. "You wouldn't know
trouble if it hit you in the face!"
As the argument mounted to its usual conclusion, Soun
continued to cry, this time because it looked like the school may
never be joined, while Genma dumped a glass of water over his
head and lamented the same conclusion.
====================
Auther's Notes...
The Title that came to me, seemed to fit the story quite well,
but being catchy like as it is, has more that likely been used
before.
If this is the case, just let me know, so I may apologize,
and attempt to find for some other title that captures the
spirit
of this work. <suggestions also welcome>
Oh, and please I would truly appreciate most any C&C you may
give.
(Author attempting the crouch of the wild tiger: please!please)
:)