[Authors Notes featured at the end of the chapter]
Twilight of the Dead - Series I
A Ranma/Day of the Dead Crossover
----------------------------------
by James Jeans
(The Man With the Machinegun)
=============================
Chapter 2 - Memories II
[Revised]
=============================
The house was infested, and it scared her to death.
All she could do was hide and wait for help. Her
sister and best friend were both dead by now. It was
unbelievable, but she had seen it with her own eyes.
The way the creature's teeth ripped at the
flesh of Nabiki's neck - they didn't even sink into
the skin, only clamped and tore - accompanied by a
very fluid, sickening sound.
"Look out!"
That was Ryoga's voice. Akane looked toward
the bedroom door, surprise flooding her features.
She held her knees against her chest, sitting where
she had huddled in the corner.
"Come on!"
That voice... It sounded like....
Ranma's concrete-hard fist exploded through
the door, accompanied by a powerful inrush of sound,
much like a pile driver. The young raven-haired
girl jumped in fright as the pigtailed martial
artist moved into the room.
"Akane?!" Ryoga passed through the door after
Ranma. The boy had long, wet streaks down his grit
covered face. Akane found some comfort in the almost
normal sight.
Ranma let his eyes scan around the room. The
darkness made it hard to see, but something caught
his attention. In the corner of the room, he could
see a small mass of blankets and hair, which he
knew to be Akane's. Her head stuck out from under
the blankets just barely.
Akane looked up, her vision slightly blurry
from the red hot tears that had been flowing for the
past several minutes. "R-Ranma?"
"Akane!" Ranma ran forward into the darkness
and fell to his knees next to her. He placed his
slightly shaky hands on the girl's small shoulders,
pulling her forward a little.
"Ranma..? Is that you?" Akane reached up and
wiped her eyes. She let her hands fall onto his
arms as the martial artist continued to examined
her.
"It's us, Akane," Ryoga confirmed, moving
over to the door. Hanging his head through the
empty frame, he noticed that the flesh stalkers
had begun to lose interest in Nabiki's corpse.
they were slowly rising to their feet, ready to
hunt out their next unsuspecting prey.
"It's me, Akane," Ranma said, pulling the
girl into his arms gingerly.
Akane clung to Ranma's tai-chi shirt, holding
wads of the fabric tightly in her fists. "Oh
Ranma," the girl cried, tears flowing down her face
heavily, "What's happening..?"
"I dunno. But we gotta get outta here." Ranma
stood to his feet, pulling Akane up slowly, gently.
He glanced over at the door, seeing the Eternally
Lost Boy. "Ryoga?"
Ryoga looked at Ranma, taking one solitary
step back into the room.
Ranma moved toward the door, bringing Akane
with him. "Take Akane and get her outta here. I
gotta find Mom and the Old Man."
Ryoga hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
"Right." He reached out slowly and took Akane's
hand. "Come on, Akane."
Akane watched Ranma as she walked with Ryoga.
She didn't want to leave him, but she knew she had
to. It wasn't safe for her here. It wasn't safe for
any of them here.
Ranma waited a moment, watching as Ryoga and
Akane retreated through the window of her bedroom,
making their way up onto the roof.
He took a deep breath and moved over to the
doorway. He leaned out cautiously, only to be
greeted by a snarling flesh stalker.
The pigtailed martial artist cried out in
surprise and jerked back, stumbling into the bedroom
once more. He skidded across the floor, trying to
regain his balance as the creature lashed out. It
lost its balance and fell onto the floor, groaning.
Ranma watched it for a moment and then leapt
over it, out into the hallway. He looked back and
forth, wondering who might still be in the house.
He'd just have to check every room.
* * *
The memories were getting terrible. Ranma
wished he could go back and change it, or just
forget that it ever happened.
He leaned further over the edge of the
building, watching the streets below a little more
intently. First Nabiki... then... then...
* * *
"NO!!!"
Akane and Ryoga both started as Ranma's voice
rung out through the quiet night sky. The girl
looked across the roof, on which they had decided
to wait for the pigtailed martial artist, to where
her bedroom window was.
Akane leapt to her feet, her eyes wide with
terror. "Ranma!"
Ryoga pulled her down suddenly, laying her
back onto the slanted roof of the house. "Stay
down!"
"But, Ranma..."
"I'll go," Ryoga replied, swallowing his
fear. Fear? He wasn't scared of anything.... He
shook his head, pushing the thought aside. Then,
another thought struck him: He had just volunteered
to help the man he considered his greatest rival.
"Please, Ryoga^�" Akane's eyes met the Lost
Boy's. "Help him."
Ryoga nodded, feeling his throat go dry. She
really did care for Ranma, no matter how much he
denied it. Eventually he would have to face the
fact... And suddenly another face entered his mind,
and the danger that person would be in only added
to the heft that rode his back. //Akari... I hope
you are safe...\\
Ryoga bolted across the rooftop, towards
Akane's bedroom window. He jumped through it and
moved across the room, trying to stay constantly
alert.
He watched the floor as he went, seeing the
Flesh Stalker in the doorway. It lay silently,
unmoving. He dodged it, and then observed the many
bodies that littered the hallway. Ranma had to
be at the end of that trail.
Ryoga stopped for a moment and looked around
the hall. "Wait a minute... Something's not right.
Where are they all?!"
The hall was void of reanimated flesh
stalkers. They were no longer coming up the stairs,
either. Ryoga sighed, thinking //Maybe they've
found something more interesting...\\
"Grrrraaaaggghhh!"
Ryoga cried out in surprise as hands suddenly
exploded through the thin bamboo door behind him.
He felt his body suddenly slam backwards,
against the door frame. He pulled forward, feeling
a little resistance, followed by a wet, thick
tearing sound.
He reached back and pulled an arm off of his
shoulder, and continued down the hall, screaming.
* * *
Ranma took a short step back, bumping into
the door. His lower lip trembled in fear, his
vision focused on the futon that lay at the center
of the guest bedroom.
"Ranma?!"
That was Ryoga's voice, but he didn't care.
He shook his head and reluctantly moved forward,
looking down at the futon. It was a bloody mess.
* * *
"Ranma?!" Ryoga glanced around the hallway.
He looked at the mass of doors, and found he
couldn't decide which one to chose. After a moments
thought, he moved to the door that led to the guest
bedroom.
Pulling the door open, Ryoga peered through.
His rival stood across the room, staring at the
floor. "Ranma, what's wrong...." He froze suddenly,
his eyes drifting down to the spot before Ranma's
feet.
On a white, blood-stained futon lay Nodoka
Saotome, her clothing tattered and torn.
So much red, the Lost Boy noted. He hated
that color, the color of blood. His body began to
tremble as his eyes moved up and down Nodoka's
form. Various patches of her clothing had been
ripped away, along with large chunks of flesh,
skin, and veins, all the way down to pure bone.
Ranma slowly dropped to his knees, looking
down at his mother. His expression remained somber
for a long moment. Time felt as if it had stopped,
and the surroundings began to swirl around them,
until nothing else existed in his mind. His heart
skipped a beat, and with that, he felt the first of
what would be many hot, mournful tears slide down
his cheek.
Ryoga closed his eyes and lowered his head.
He felt a strong sense of reality settle upon his
shoulders, like a thick, heavy blanket. His heart
sank with this heaviness, and he no longer cared
about petty rivalry. It was different now. People
were really getting hurt, even killed. Things had
to change, and he would see to it that they
would...
"He...left... us...."
Ranma and Ryoga both started as the raspy
version of Nodoka's voice passed between her lips.
The woman opened her eyes, finding the task
extremely tiring, and painful. Through her teary
vision, she could make out the shape of her son.
"M.. mom?!" Ranma leaned down slowly, looking
into his mother's eyes as they opened fully.
"Left us to die..." Nodoka looked up into her
son's large blue eyes. The streams of fluid that
ran from her eyes thickened, and the tint began to
grow red.
"Who did?" Ranma reached out and took his
mother's hand, holding it softly as he reached out
to lift her up. He held her at a slight angle,
looking down at her.
He waited as she tried to form the words.
Grabbing a piece of the sheet that lay on the
futon, he tore it and used it to gently wipe the
blood tears from his mother's face. He ignored his
own tears, pretending they weren't there.
"G... Genma... ...escaped with Happosai...
Left us to die..." Nodoka suddenly began to cough,
her body jerking violently. It settled for a very
brief moment. Blood erupted from her mouth as her
body lunged upwards again. She sputtered and
convulsed, causing her son to panic.
He tightened his grip on her slightly, trying
to hold her still. He felt a hot burning sensation
forming in his stomach. His father had skipped
out... Left his wife and soon-to-be in-laws to die.
Ryoga looked back out the door. He grimaced
at the unappreciated sight. Several of the creatures
were moving inexorably up the stairs, into the
hallway. He glanced back at Ranma. "There are more
of them coming, Saotome. Can we move her?"
"No..." Nodoka shook her head. "Leave me.
Y-you must protect your fianc�e, Ranma... It's
the manly th-thing to do..."
Ranma shook his head, cradling his mother.
"No. I won't leave you."
"It's too late..." Nodoka looked up at Ranma,
a small, almost invisible smile forming on her
face. "I'm... so pr-proud of you, Ranma...
You've come a-as far as I would have hoped...
Became a man..." Her smile was slightly more
visible, and she continued, "Take care of Akane,
son... Remember that... I lo-love y..." She closed
her eyes slowly, letting her head drop. Her
breathing was shallow, but continued steadily.
"Ranma," Ryoga urged, looking back at the
pigtailed martial artist. "We don't have much
time."
The creatures continued down the hall, moving
slowly but steadily. One of them, a female with
only half of her face still in existence, growled
as she noticed Ryoga's presence. It picked up speed,
arms outstretched.
Ryoga moved back into the room and looked at
Ranma, his eyes wide. He glanced back at the female
flesh stalker, then back at the pigtailed martial
artist. "Ranma!"
Ranma felt a stream of hot tears roll down
his face. He blinked through them and placed his
mother slowly down on the futon. Her blood soaked
his blue tai-chi uniform. He looked down at
himself and felt a violent chill rush down his
spine, causing him to shiver.
He reached out slowly, his blood-soaked hands
hovering over his mother. "Mom... forgive me... I
do this for your own good..."
Ryoga turned to look at Ranma, pulling the
door shut. "What are you doing, Ranma...?" He felt
his stomach turn. "No... You can't..."
Ranma closed his eyes, letting his hands
drift up Nodoka's form, until each palm hovered
just above either side of her head, over her
slightly sunk in temples.
Ryoga's jaw dropped in horror. "Ranma-
You're not going to-"
"Let my mother walk around like one of those
things." Ranma finished, more tears burning under
his eyelids. He knew his voice sounded choked,
forced. He placed his hands down on his mother's
head, catching his breath.
The Lost Boy closed his eyes and tossed his
hands over his ears. He could already hear the
sound of Nodoka's skull collapsing under the
pressure of Ranma's ironclad hands. The loud,
sudden crunch, followed by the more fluid
squishing, like the sound of crushing a soft melon.
He felt extremely sick. But it never happened.
Ranma started in fright as the sound of
breaking wood exploded behind him, and he turned to
see a pair of shears, the kind used for cutting
hair, several inches next to Ryoga's head.
The Headmaster from Hell pulled his arm from
within the door, and his face appeared, or what was
left of it anyway. Most of the flesh around his left
eye had gone missing, along with most of his upper
lip. His sunshades remained on his skull, along with
the little tree that sat atop his head.
Ryoga jumped away from the door, his eyes
wide. "P^� Principal Kuno!"
The other boy stood slowly, facing the far
wall, his head hung low. He barely moved as Ryoga
continued to stumble backward.
"There are too many of them!" Ryoga looked at
Ranma once more, his eyes wide. //Come on, Saotome,
make your move!\\
Ranma looked down at his mother one last
time, shaking his head. His brow crinkled in anger
and sadness - Anger that these creatures had killed
his mother, and that Genma had abandoned them.
Sadness for the death of his loved ones. It was
overpowering.
"Ranma, come on!" Ryoga looked back out the
door. More creatures were pilling in from the
opposite end of the hall. Principal Kuno had managed
to force the door open, but was stuck on the frame,
his left arm, which was severely out of place, was
hung on a jagged edge. "Great, now we're trapped."
Ranma turned suddenly and faced Ryoga. His
left hand rose into the air, while his other arm
reached outward, toward the Lost Boy.
Ryoga turned to look face Ranma and froze.
The stance in which the other boy stood caused him
to catch his breath. "What are you doing, Ranma?"
"Ya wanna survive?" Ranma asked, his tone
cold.
Ryoga blinked, then screamed, "Of course!"
Ranma nodded. "Then stand still."
"Wha.." Ryoga had no time to question. A
sudden inrush of energy surged from him to Ranma,
and his battle aura flared. He cried out in
surprise, raising his arms to shield his face.
Ranma closed his eyes and concentrated. A
stream of energy exploded from Ryoga's battle aura,
flooding towards him. The green array of energy
absorbed into his extended appendage, surging
through him now like electricity.
Ryoga shivered, feeling the transfer as Ranma
absorbed his aura. He could feel his body
weakening, and he suddenly remembered Ms. Hinako.
"What do you think you're doing!?" he bellowed.
"Gonna save us^� Gonna save Akane^�," Ranma
answered as the energy transfer began to dissipate.
"New technique I developed. I gotta use someone
else's energy or I'll be too weak to move."
"So instead you make me too weak to move!?
Brilliant plan!" Ryoga moved his arms and looked at
Ranma. He felt the energy inrush fade, and then
noticed a shell of energy encasing the other boy. It
wasn't the same as Ms. Hinako's technique.
Ranma suddenly bolted towards the door, his
lips pulled back from his teeth in a vicious snarl.
Ryoga jumped out of the way as Ranma moved
toward him. He watched his rival disappear into the
hall, knocking the Headmaster out of the way.
Ranma stopped in the middle of the hallway
and looked around himself. It was as Ryoga said.
The creatures were approaching from both sides. He
turned his back to the door, so that the flesh
stalkers were approaching him, left and right.
He pulled both arms up against his chest,
and then, in a very precise motion, threw them into
the air, tossing his head back. "Ryu Baku Jin!"
Ryoga peered through the door as Ranma's
voice assaulted his ears. He watched as the shell
of energy absorbed into Ranma's body, causing him
to glow. It reminded him of the neon signs that
lined the Tokyo cityscape during an extremely
cloudy night. His senses were suddenly set ablaze
as the energy exploded from within the pigtailed
martial artist, flooding the house in a bright
white glow.
The last thing Ryoga could remembered were
the sensations of being engulfed in a white hot
energy, and being thrown through the wall of the
house, out into the yard below. Then darkness.
* * *
Akane started at the sound of Ranma's battle
call and looked towards the window. Suddenly, a
bright white glow exploded from within the house.
She began to rise, but didn't have time as a
wave of sound suddenly engulfed her. It was the
sound of exploding wood, metal, and stone.
Then she was suddenly airborne, a scream
erupting from her lungs as she flew like a little
rag doll from the roof of the Tendo Dojo.
She landed in the koi pond, her back
impacting on the bottom, hard, knocking the breath
from her. A whitewash of bubbles flooded the water,
clouding her view of the world above.
As the bubbles began to dissipate, Akane
could see the massive energy reflux through the
shimmering water. She felt woozy, realizing that
she had been under too long, and she surfaced
quickly. Darkness began to cloud her mind, and she
knew she was about to black out, while at the same
time the bottom floor of the Tendo Dojo ceased to
exist.
* * *
Ranma sighed and leaned over the edge of the
building. He didn't like memory lane, not one bit.
So that had been the end of the Tendo Dojo, and any
future relationship he would ever have had with his
father and mother.
His brow crinkled in agitation at the thought
of Genma. No longer his father, he had to constantly
remind himself of that. As far as he was concerned,
Genma could rot with Happosai in whatever little
putrid, decaying cave they found to cower in.
He remembered the rest of the family --
Kasumi and Soun. Both of them had been at the Tofu
Clinic, and all three were now here, at the new
'base'.
Ryoga was around, somewhere. Ranma knew the
Lost Boy could take care of himself, and that he
would adapt to whatever situation he found himself
in. He didn't give up, and it was actually nice to
see him when he did turn up.
Ranma realized that Ryoga was really the only
thing to stay consistent. He was a reminder of the
old days, before it all started, with the obvious
exception of their old feuds. Ryoga had let it go
shortly after the destruction of Furinkan and had
actually become almost pleasant company. His temper
was the only real problem, and Ranma still had that
annoying habit of setting it off.
He shook his head and crouched down,
continuing to watch the deserted cityscape. A
strong gust of wind enveloped him, tousling his
hair wildly. He closed his eyes and let his
thoughts once again float away with the calm,
soothing air stream.
* * *
"What do you suppose he's thinking about?"
"You know how Ranma is, and what he thinks
about, especially since what happened at Furinkan."
"You're right, Hiroshi."
"Of course I am, Daisuke."
The two teenaged boys stood side by side,
watching the pigtailed martial artist from the door
that led down into the belly of the old Squaresoft
building. The business had been abandoned shortly
after the crisis had started, and Daisuke found the
amount of Final Fantasy merchandise left behind a
pleasant diversion from the trials of his new life.
Hiroshi, on the other hand, still had little
to do, besides nose around. He still kept close
watch on Ranma, though why he felt the need to was
beyond him.
"You think he knows yet?" Daisuke asked,
breaking Hiroshi from his trance.
"Hmm?"
"I said do you think he knows yet?" Daisuke
glanced at his friend, annoyed.
"Probably not. he's been up here all night."
Hiroshi looked toward Ranma, seeing the martial
artist half sitting at the edge of the building.
"He's not going to like it."
Daisuke nodded in agreement. "We've lost too
many people lately. Frankly, it's been making Ranma
a little irritable, a lot more than usual."
Hiroshi looked at Daisuke. "I don't think
it's made anyone happy, Daisuke."
"I didn't say that, Hiroshi," Daisuke
replied, looking over at his long time friend. He
crossed his arms over his chest. "I'm just saying
that Ranma could be a little more pleasant, that's
all."
"Why?" The two teens started as Ranma's hands
slapped down onto their shoulder from somewhere
behind them. The pure acid in his voice as it
invaded their ears was extremely unnerving.
Daisuke looked down at where Ranma had been
crouched. He marveled at the fact that he was no
longer there, but behind them.
"Ranma!" Hiroshi exclaimed, looking back at
the somber teen. "We were just talking about you."
"I noticed." Ranma looked between the two
teens and let a small, grim smile form over his
thin lips. "So what can I do for ya guys?"
"We just came up here to deliver the news,"
Daisuke informed, glancing back at Ranma.
"Yeah, Tofu sent us," Hiroshi agreed, smiling
nervously.
Ranma looked between the two teens, crinkling
his brow. "So what is it?"
================================================================
[Author's Notes]
So there's chapter 2. It went through quite a many changes after
the original draft, so I hope anyone who read the first draft
of this chapter will give this one a once-over, at least. As
always, C&C needed, but it's no rush.
Take care,
James
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"Speaking of exploding sharks..."
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