This is the last chapter of this story that I'll be posting in the near
future. I'm trying to concentrate on other projects in the meanwhile. C&C
is, of course, always welcome.
Disclaimer time: Rumiko Takahashi, Shogagukan, Kitty and Viz Communications
own Ranma 1/2. Hideaki Anno, Yoshiyuki Sadamoto, Gainax and ADV Films own
Neon Genesis Evangelion.
A big thanks to my pre-readers for this chapter: Eric Oh, Jourdan Bickham,
Merc-for-Hire and Thomas Hackwood. Special thanks to Brian Randall for
helping me with a few details in the final revision.
Corwin (ely7@inter.net.il or corwin@virtuallyjeannie.com)
http://www.virtuallyjeannie.com/ranma.html
* Previous chapters can also be found at:
http://phu.anifics.com/
http://tannim.anifics.com/rfics.html
http://ranmaxovers.tripod.com
http://www.fanfiction.net
--------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------
A Couple of Angels
Chapter 17
"... unidentified blood stains are going to be analyzed by a special
governmental forensics team to determine if they belong to the still wanted
Miss Tendo. Specialists have explained that the procedure was made possible
by a leap in cloning technology. Using tissue from Miss Tendo's mother's
remains..."
Ranma tuned out the anchorman, leaning back in his chair. 'Damn it. Still no
trace of her.' His mind wondered to the moment he first saw her in during
the Jet Alone demonstration. 'She'd changed so much... I wonder if the years
had been kind on her?'
The pigtailed boy frowned, shaking his head sadly. 'Her family died. The
only thing that saved her was going out on a date and surviving. I bet she
had a ball all these years...'
Ranma returned his attention to the small television set, trying to block
out all the unpleasant thoughts that threatened to overwhelm him.
"And in other news, the damage from the recent Angel attack was kept to a
minimum as Japan's Self Defense Force repelled it in conjunction with Nerv.
No lives were lost in the exchange, which resulted in the Angel's complete
destruction and the citizens of Tokyo-3 were able to reclaim their homes.
When asked a question about a rumor that one of the mysterious mechanoids
also known as Evangelions that Nerv employs to our country's defense had
suffered a malfunction that nearly caused its pilot to lose his life, Miss
Ibuki reacted with 'No comment' and refused to answer any further
questions."
The anchorman pushed his glasses back up on the bridge of his nose and
continued, after a glance at the viewers. "Anonymous sources have revealed
to us that this occurrence may not be the first near-fatal accident
involving an Evangelion pilot." Looking at the camera once more, he added,
"This concludes our evening edition. Join us..."
Ranma turned off the television with a frown. "I don't need this. Nothing
but bad news on the TV."
A pair of slender arms wrapped around his chest, startling the boy. "I
wouldn't call it bad news, Ranma. Your friend is still out there somewhere,
instead of rotting in a cell. And Nerv did win the battle against the Tenth
Angel without any casualties."
"Aww, Ritsuko!" Ranma groused, jumping out of his chair and facing the
blonde woman. "Didn't I ask you to stop doing that?"
She laughed, covering her mouth with the back of her left hand as she did
so. "Kiddo, you always look at the glass and see the empty half. Try to see
it half-full sometime!"
"Only to end up losing it all again?" Ranma asked sadly, his demeanor
changing as he became more pensive. "You never realize how much you'll miss
what you have until you lose it. And I'm going to lose as little as possible
when that happens."
"Then, we'll just have to make sure it doesn't happen," Ritsuko said firmly.
Brushing her hand against his left cheek, she asked with a smile, "Won't
we?"
"I thought we were all living on borrowed time," Ranma countered with a
raised eyebrow.
Ritsuko smirked in response. "Nerv set the rules of the game. We can either
play along..."
"Or start our own game," Ranma finished for her with a sudden realization.
His eyes twinkling with excitement, he wondered out loud, "Can we do it?"
"By brute force? No." Ritsuko shook her head with a small frown. "Especially
not now, so soon after Nerv's spring cleaning."
"Politics won't work for the same reason."
Ritsuko nodded. "I know. However, there is one more option..."
"To go to the source?" Ranma asked. "There must be someone pulling all the
strings."
"There is," Ritsuko relented. "But they are an even bigger evil, Ranma. We
should try to stay out of their way for as long as we can. Their desire to
remain in the shadows will work against them in this instance."
"Then what's on your mind, Rit-chan?"
Smiling inwardly at the nickname he had used for her, since she knew Ranma
was feeling better now, the doctor winked at him. "Not everyone is happy
with the way Nerv does things. And a lot of the politicians that died were
on more than one payroll."
"You mean..." Ranma stared at her wide-eyed.
"Yes. To start our own game, we'll go to bed with the Yakuza."
--------------------------------------------------
"Hey there, Kensuke," Toji greeted his friend, entering the classroom.
The bespectacled boy waved enthusiastically with a smile. "Hey back at you,
Toji."
Toji grinned mischievously in return. "There's someone else who wants to say
'hi' to you."
"Good morning!" an excited cry sounded from the hallway.
"Oh no." Kensuke paled. "Not..."
"Hihi! Did you miss me?" a young blonde girl asked with a wave, skipping
into the classroom.
Kensuke dropped to his knees in front of the little girl, bowing deeply
until his forehead touched the floor. "You're Ranma's disciple, aren't you?
Ranma sent you after me, didn't he?!" Wrapping his hands around Usagi's
ankles, he yelled, "Please don't punish me!!!"
The next thing Kensuke felt was a solid kick in the ribs that sent him
rolling on the floor until an impact upon a chair that broke his roll.
"Leave my kid sister alone, you sick pedo!"
Frowning, the little blonde girl looked at Toji. "Big brother, what is a
pedo? Is it... a delinquent?"
"It's a... umm... juvenile delinquent! Yeah, that's it!"
Usagi ignored her brother's nervous chuckling and glared at Kensuke's prone
form. Taking out a five-yen coin, she posed, exclaiming, "Schools are for
the learning about Second Impact! For being a big delinquent at school, in
Ranma's name, I will punish you!"
Holding out the coin, Usagi pointed it at Kensuke and cried out, "Ranma's
Angelic Punishment Revised! Pink Sugar Heart Attack!"
Kensuke slumped to the floor, completely drained and unconscious.
The rest of the students looked at the little girl in shock, some even going
as far as to hide behind their friends when her gaze swept over them. Only
one girl was brave enough to approach Usagi.
"Little girl, you are disrupting class. And why aren't you at school?"
Hikari asked, staring down at the blonde with the most menacing gaze she
could muster.
"I think you are another delinquent," Usagi replied with another frown.
Quickly whipping out her coin, she repeated the technique, not bothering
with speeches this time. Turning towards Toji, she commented, "Big brother,
you sure have a lot of delinquents in your class."
He nodded sadly at that, concealing a smirk when hearing the class
representative groan from the floor. "Punishing delinquents is a sad duty
indeed, and one I, the mighty Tuxedo Kamen of Tokyo-3, must perform to win
the love of my trio of goddesses!"
A bokken was whipped out of thin air and pointed at the Heavens
dramatically, as lightning crashed outside, the thunder rolling ominously.
Looking at Toji, who had somehow acquired a tuxedo, a cape, a mask and a top
hat, the rest of the students whispered amongst themselves.
The boys' comments were mostly restricted to, "A neat magic trick!" while
the girls' varied.
"Wasn't he the True Bonker of Tokyo-3 or something?" a chestnut-haired girl
asked innocently.
"No. I thought he was the Happy Bonker. You know, he only comes out when the
moon is blue, spreading happiness, joy, and gifts to all good people,"
another girl with crystal-blue eyes added thoughtfully.
A blonde with striking amber eyes frowned at that. "That's the Great Bonker,
idiot!" I know he was the Joyful Boinker of Justice before. Except then he
was wearing a long flowing blond wig, and a rainbow colored leisure suit and
gold chains."
Three of the blonde's friends rounded up on her immediately, shushing her.
"Quiet! Do you want him to go back to that?" they all whispered urgently,
making scary faces at her.
"Which goddesses is he talking about?" another girl with her hair done in
twin ponytails wondered out loud.
"Must be Urd, Belldandy and Skuld," an anime fan supplied helpfully, getting
weird looks from most of his classmates, who had never watched anything
filmed before Second Impact.
"I think he's referring to Ranko, Rei and Asuka," Juri offered leisurely.
Her eyes narrowed dangerously, and she added quietly, "I hope for his sake
that those are the goddesses he was talking about."
The teacher chose that moment to enter the class. Looking around
incredulously, the middle-aged chestnut-haired woman brought a hand down on
the blackboard loudly, alerting the students to her presence. Her golden
eyes flashed dangerously, freezing everyone in their places.
"Class Representative Horaki! What in the world happened here?!" Mrs. Akane
Gosunkugi asked dangerously with a dangerous twitch to her right eyebrow.
Hikari managed to roll over to her stomach and looked upwards at the science
teacher. The freckled girl groaned.
--------------------------------------------------
"So, you have to take care of your sister because her school is being
fumigated today?" the science teacher asked with a frown on her face.
Toji got on his knees before the chestnut-haired woman. "Please! It's just
for one day! It was so sudden my parents couldn't make other arrangements,
and Nerv doesn't allow children on its grounds."
A cough was heard, and Toji quickly amended, "Normal children that can't
pilot Evangelions."
Mrs. Gosunkugi sighed, massaging her temples. "I can't throw a child into
the streets, so Usagi-chan will be allowed to stay. She can sit at the back,
but if she starts interrupting class I'll send you both to the Principal to
get your heads shaven bald! Is that clear?"
Recoiling in fear, Toji asked hesitantly, "Excuse me, Ma'am... why would the
Principal shave our heads?"
The teacher waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "Ignore that, wrong
school." Giving the boy a glare, she added, "But if either of you causes any
more trouble, you'll meet the Principal."
"Yes, Ma'am!" Usagi said sincerely from behind Toji, using her older brother
as a shield.
Just as everyone was seated, the door opened and Shinji came inside, Asuka
hot on his trail. Smiling nervously, the boy chuckled. "Umm... Mrs.
Gosunkugi? We overslept."
The piece of chalk the teacher was holding broke in two.
--------------------------------------------------
"Welcome to the great opening of our play, directed by yours truly!" Hikari
announced proudly, standing at the entrance of the decorated hall in her
outfit.
"Thank you, my dear," an elderly gentleman returned with a bow. Looking the
girl over, he asked, "And whom will you be playing, Miss?"
"I'll be Nanami. Nanami Kiryu, to be exact." Hikari looked down at her
yellow outfit and the two swords that hung at her belt. Catching the man
follow her gaze, she flushed in embarrassment. "The shorter sword is
supposed to be hidden inside my right sleeve, but it kept falling out so I
just relocated it."
"Ah, I see," he replied, smiling gently at her. "It's a good thing you did
as you did. It wouldn't do for one of the actors to accidentally cut herself
on opening night."
Hikari smiled in return, albeit nervously, more than a little frightened at
the prospect of getting injured on opening night. 'What will they do without
me? And if I get blood on this outfit, it will be ruined!'
"Hiya, Class Rep!" a male voice yelled from behind her, making her jump.
She whirled around with a furious expression on her face. "What do you think
you're..." Hikari's jaw dropped, as Toji and his little sister came into
view.
"You're being a delinquent again, aren't you?"
A now familiar coin came into view. Panicking, Hikari did the first thing
that came to her mind and grabbed the shorter sword from her belt, putting
it through the hole in the coin while holding the other sword to the other
girl's throat.
Feeling trapped with a no way out, Usagi sniffled. That brought the class
president from the euphoria of her win, and she looked at the little girl
sorrowfully, frantically putting her swords aside.
Just then, clapping was heard from almost every direction. Looking around,
the two girls found that they had gathered quite an audience during their
little duel. Forgetting their differences for the moment, they blushed and
curtsied to the gathered guests who have come to watch the play.
Looking at his sister, Toji's heart swelled with pride. He knew he wasn't
the brightest kid on the block, but his family was everything to him. 'To
think that only a few weeks ago poor Usagi-chan was bedridden...'
He smiled gently at his sister, who caught the expression and blushed even
deeper.
--------------------------------------------------
"Is it over for us?" Toji asked in defeat.
Shinji shook his head, cold determination shining in his eyes. "No, Saionji.
Not till the bitter end."
"Don't go any further, Touga!" Toji cried out, grabbing Shinji's hand.
The boy stopped in his tracks, idly brushing his friend's hand away.
Flicking a lose red strand from his wig, he threw over his shoulder,
"Saionji, it's useless to try and stop me. My mind is made up."
"But is it worth it? To go that far... throw away your life... all for your
opponent's sake? The same person you've been trying to beat all along?"
Shinji stroked his chin thoughtfully. "An opponent... or a friend?"
"Are you sure?" Toji asked, looking at the other boy worriedly. In his
nervousness he twirled a particularly long green lock of hair from his wig.
"How can I be?" Shinji paused, his face getting a wistful look. "But I'm not
only doing it for my friend. I do it for love, as well."
Toji nodded sadly. "I know. I feel so ashamed, Touga. For my one true
love... why now, at this moment of truth, do I stand on the sidelines and do
nothing?"
"Saionji... you know not how much it pains me to say this..." Shinji took a
deep breath. "In your condition, you will only be a handicap; to us, and to
our loved ones." Turning around and looking the other boy in the eyes
sharply, he asked, "You knew that all along, didn't you? Are you willing to
put _her_ life at risk?"
Toji's lower lip trembled, and he lowered his head in shame.
"I'll unseal the Power of Dios, Saionji. This I swear. Even if it kills me,
I'll fulfill my pledge. Believe in me, Saionji."
Gritting his teeth, Shinji walked off stage, leaving Toji standing in its
center, as the curtain fell.
--------------------------------------------------
"I've come to defeat you, Ends of the World!" Asuka stated bravely, walking
onto the stage with her sword held high in the air. "Show yourself!" Shaking
the sword at the audience in anger, she yelled, "Release my friends, you
bastard!"
A curtain was raised from behind her back, and Asuka turned around swiftly
only to bring both of her hands to cover her face in horror, the sword
cluttering to the floor from her now listless fingers.
Hikari, Kensuke and Juri lay on the ground, fake bloodstains covering their
clothes.
"Nanami! Miki! Juri!" Asuka cried out, breaking into a run towards the
bodies of the duelists.
Another curtain was raised, revealing Rei in a flowing red dress trapped
inside of a cage.
"Anthy!"
"Come any further and this precious flower dies," a booming voice announced
haughtily.
"Who's there?!" Asuka yelled, looking around for its source.
"The one who killed your precious friends."
"Why? Why did they have to die?!"
The voice smirked, adding to Asuka's ire. "They were failures, my dear
Utena. They didn't deserve to live... especially once they learned the
truth."
"Villain! I'll defeat you!" Asuka charged towards the cage that held Rei.
A loud bang was heard, and a red patch appeared on the blue-haired girl's
right hand through the sleeve of her dress, fake blood running down and
dripping all over the floor as Rei clutched the arm to her chest.
"No! Himemiya!"
"Take one more step and the next shot will go through her stupid head," the
voice threatened.
With a nasty scowl, Asuka held her ground, balling her hands into fists.
"You are wasting my time, dear girl." The voice chuckled, seeming to enjoy
taunting her. "I see it now. You are nothing... simple trash like the
rest..."
A low growl escaped Asuka's throat.
"Nothing without your precious Prince to give you strength!"
Asuka was preparing to shoot back a biting retort, when she caught movement
out of the corner of her eye.
"I got it!" Shinji cried out, holding out a sword with the crest of a rose
embedded on its white hilt. "Hold on, Dios! I'll save you!"
A loud bang was heard, and Shinji stopped in his tracks, dropping to one
knee. He looked down to see a red stain growing on his left ankle. His face
the mask of grim determination, Shinji rose to his feet and broke into a
sprint towards a large statue of a white rose. Three more shots were fired,
and Shinji's run turned into a slow walk, blood staining the immaculate
white rose on the sword's hilt in his hand, the blade having been broken at
the middle by a previous shot. A final shot brought the boy to his knees,
and he collapsed onto the ground on his face a meter from his goal.
Reaching out with the hand that held the bloodstained hilt, he whispered,
loud enough for everyone to hear in the absolute silence of the theater,
"The cure... to revive the Prince..." His eyes closing for the last time,
Shinji muttered, "So close..."
"You can't stop me now! No one can!" the voice exclaimed in triumph.
"Forget about me, Miss Utena! Run away! Save yourself!" Rei cried out, as a
curtain with stars painted on it dropped down to cover her cage.
"Weren't we going to have tea together?!" Asuka asked agitatedly, tears
pouring from her eyes. "Don't you dare give up, Himemiya! I'll save you!
I'll open the Rose Gate and revive the Prince!"
"With nothing but a broken hilt? Go ahead and try, little girl. Amuse me
with your futile efforts and play being a Prince, before you die!"
Ignoring the mocking voice, Asuka ran towards the Rose Gate. Tables rose
from the ground in her path, the result of a holographic projector. The
red-head avoided them all nimbly.
A moment later, the tables disappeared, just as suddenly as they came into
view. Red sports cars took their place, surrounding the girl just as she
reached the broken sword Shinji had dropped when his hand went limp.
Grabbing it, Asuka faced the cars. The automobiles gunned their engines,
blinding her with their headlights. The cars started going in a wide circle
to pick up speed, before they lined up and drove right at the girl. Gritting
her teeth, Asuka stood her ground, keeping the sword hilt in front of her.
"You cannot become the Prince, because you're a girl!" the mysterious voice
taunted Asuka, but she paid it no heed.
The projected cars continued their onslaught, but Asuka didn't bulge an
inch, her face showing her utmost concentration. The cars kept getting split
in two once they touched the broken sword, disappearing into thin air like
the phantasms that they were.
The seemingly endless stream of cars ended, leaving the red-head standing
victorious.
"The Rose Gate. The gate that locks away the power to revolutionize the
world." Closing her eyes, Asuka gripped the sword hilt tightly and faced the
gigantic rose statue.
A cage descended from above, holding Rei inside. The voice was heard again,
proclaiming, "You will not be the one to break the seal and open the door to
a new world! That honor belongs to me, and me alone!"
"That which is eternal, the shining thing... the Power of Miracles... I want
it, to revive my Prince!" Asuka shouted, her hands thrusting forwards at the
rose-shaped gate.
The hilt impacted against the rose buds holding it sealed. "I am the
Mistress of Roses! I command the gate to open!" Asuka shouted, hitting the
gate again and again with the hilt.
It didn't bulge, and Asuka slumped to her knees. "I want... my Prince...
back," she choked out, a lone tear making its way down her cheek. A
projector zoomed in on it, making it visible to the audience.
The tear traveled down and fell on the gate. For a long moment, nothing
happened, and then the entire stage seemed to shake. The gates opened
slowly, and a figure stepped out of the coffin that was revealed behind it.
The boy raised his head slowly and looked at Asuka, who stared at him with
awed silence. Flicking his long hair which was tied into a pigtail that went
halfway across his back, he stepped outside, wisps of cold air escaping the
coffin along with him.
Putting a hand on Asuka's left shoulder, he said quietly, "I'm here."
The sword hilt fell from Asuka's nerveless fingers, and tears flowed freely
from her eyes. Suddenly rushing forward, she grabbed the boy in a rough hug,
crying softly on his left shoulder. He smiled sadly, and held her in an
embrace as she cried, the audience captivated by the sight.
After what seemed like forever for the red-headed girl, she felt him pull
away slightly. Looking up at his gentle blue-gray eyes, she saw nothing but
the deepest sorrow and shame there. He glanced upwards, and she followed his
gaze to the cage suspended in mid-air, the blue-haired girl inside frozen in
her place.
"I understand," she said softly to him, cupping his left cheek in her palm.
"Go to her."
He smiled again gently in thanks, and stepped aside. Taking a few steps
forward, the boy vaulted to an impossible height and seemed to hover in
front of the cage. Touching one of the bars, he traced it with his finger
shakily, his head lowered as if not daring to look inside the cage.
"Rei?"
The girl in question kept on looking at him with her unblinking gaze.
"Ranko was wrong... I was wrong..." The pigtailed boy took a deep breath.
"To create a person like myself that is not myself... a foolish plan,
wasn't it? To hurt so much inside that you must escape... must seek release,
in any form... to hurt so much that you would seal your heart in order to
survive. To seal the essence of a Prince in a cruel and uncaring person that
thrives on others' pain and agony, ruling over the rest by sheer brute force
to feel supreme inside his little world... just so that the Prince would
sleep and not know pain anymore."
Raising his head suddenly, the boy looked at the blue-haired girl pleadingly
unmindful of the tears running down his cheeks. "I am... ashamed. Of the
inhuman thing I have become... of the pain I brought... the things I've
done." Gripping two of the bars that made the cage, he shouted, "I refuse to
be that evil person anymore!"
His hands easily tore away the two bars they were holding, and then two
more, making a sizeable hole big enough for a human to pass through. "I want
another chance!" the boy shouted, taking a few steps into the cage as his
battle aura sprung into life around him, a raging blue that complimented his
eyes.
The blue-haired girl finally spoke.
"Ranma."
The word was whispered, yet heard by everyone present, as if carried by some
unseen wind to them from her lips.
"I... I'm sorry, too."
A tear made its way down her cheek, much like Asuka's tear that opened the
Rose Gate. Only this one opened a very different gate.
The pigtailed boy could only float in front of the cage silently, as Rei
started to cry softly.
"This is... the second time... you made me cry..."
His face ashen, he turned around to leave the cage; leave her life for good.
Her arms wrapped around his chest as she suddenly held onto him from behind,
unwilling to let him go.
"As long... as you are with me... I don't mind crying..."
"Oh, Rei..."
Ranma turned around to face her. Lifting Rei's chin, he stared into her
watery eyes through his own tears. She smiled at him timidly, and he
mirrored her expression, both smiling at each other. Ranma took a half step
forward, which brought him even closer to the blue-haired girl, allowing him
to hear the hectic beating of her heart. Rei got on her toes slowly, moving
her head backwards. The girl's lips parted slightly, her heartbeat
quickening. Ranma leaned forward, drawn to her face.
Their lips met in a short, sweet kiss, and the outside world seemed to melt
away, leaving only the two of them. A pair stuck in a moment in time,
neither wanting it to pass away. Each wanting the magical moment when they
were allowed to hold each other, be in each other embrace, stay close to one
another... each wanting said moment to go on forever, till the end of time.
And during that moment, they both finally experienced true happiness after
an impossibly long chain of tragedy and suffering that no human being should
have to endure during a single lifetime.
The moment, magical as it was, came and went away. Time resumed its normal
course. And with it, gravity finally caught up with things as well. The cage
that was only designed to hold one girl, and already weakened by the damage
to its infrastructure, collapsed in on itself.
Ranma and Rei were torn away, the blue-haired girl thrown out of the hole in
the cage while the raven-haired boy was pushed backwards by the cage's
momentum and hit his head on the bars.
Taking a second to get his bearings, Ranma looked at the rapidly falling
girl and his eyes widened in shock and fear, before anger settled on his
features. Screaming out in a wordless shout, he jumped out of the cage after
her, clutching the girl to his chest as he slowed their descent a meter from
the floor.
"Rei? Are you alright?" he asked worriedly, caressing her face and looking
into her eyes.
She smiled in response, warming his heart with the gesture. "I am with you."
The audience was silent for a long moment, before a young blonde girl ran
onto the stage and attached herself firmly to the pigtailed boy's right leg.
He ruffled her hair playfully, which elicited a fit of giggles from her.
"Excuse me, young man," a woman from the audience asked, "but who are you?"
"The name's Ranma. Ranma Saotome," he replied cockily. Glancing at Rei, he
added, "And this time, I'm here to stay."
--------------------------------------------------
After the end of the play, Rei left Ranma to go and get changed to her
normal clothes. Or, rather, Asuka took her to the changing rooms to help her
pick out a good outfit for a date. Rei looked visibly uncomfortable as she
was being dragged away from Ranma by the enthusiastic red-head.
Ranma waited for his friends' return, when he felt a presence from behind
him. "What do you want, Kensuke?" he asked without turning around.
"I need to talk to you, Ranma. Or... should I say Ranko?"
Ranma whirled around, his eyes sparkling with amusement. "Well, here I am.
Talk."
"You're in the EVA... and yet, you're here. How come?" the bespectacled boy
blurted out.
The pigtailed boy smiled mysteriously. "I can tell you without a shadow of a
doubt that Ranma Saotome is standing right in front of you."
Kensuke nodded slowly. "I... see."
"So, what now?"
"What now?" Kensuke asked in confusion.
"Yes. You wanted to ask me something. What was it? The secret of eternal
life? The key to a woman's heart? The Truth?"
Kensuke had the decency to look ashamed. "I... honestly don't know. I never
thought that far." He chuckled nervously. "Hell, I was afraid you'd beat me
up again."
"Again?" Ranma asked with a quirked eyebrow, aching inside at the legacy his
past self had left for him; a legacy he would put to rest, no matter what.
The other boy blanched, muttering, "I'm sorry." He bowed to Ranma in a rare
fit of inspiration. "I took your Evangelion without permission and tried to
pilot it. Please forgive me."
When the blow he half-expected didn't come, Kensuke straightened up and
looked at the pigtailed raven-haired boy.
"You only did what you thought right at the time," Ranma explained,
shrugging. "Saving the world, your family and your fellow pilots is a noble
goal. You have nothing to be ashamed of for your actions, as far as I'm
concerned."
Ranma's face then adopted a somber look. "Choices. We all have to make them
over the course of our life. I wonder, would you still have done the same
thing had you known the consequences?"
"Consequences?" Kensuke repeated after him. "What consequences?"
"Your fate is sealed," Ranma stated calmly. "You'll die, without a question
of a doubt."
Kensuke recoiled as if shot though the chest, his face ghostly pale. Ranma
continued, disregarding his companion's facial expression.
"I'm sorry for you, Kensuke. I truly am. But there's nothing to be done
about it now."
"Nothing you can do... or nothing you _would_ do?!" Kensuke yelled, drawing
a few confused stares from stagehands. No one disturbed the pair, however.
"There is always something that can be done," Ranma replied with a sad
smile. "As there are always consequences for these actions." Suddenly
changing the topic, he asked out of the blue, "Do you like Asuka?"
"That loud mouthed witch?" Kensuke snorted, before recalling that Ranma was
one of her best friends, and strong enough to take on an Angel bare handed.
The pigtailed boy, for his part, smirked. "I see. I'll be sure to pass on
your message."
"No, don't! I'm begging you! Not the School of Righteous Mongoose! Anything
but that..."
Kensuke's shouts degraded into mumbled sobs, and Ranma wondered what
fearsome school his fiery friend had managed to come up with and whether she
would agree to teach him. Probably if he took her out for ice-cream.
Shaking out of his reverie, Ranma grabbed Kensuke by his shoulders and shook
him a few times. "Snap out of this, man! Don't worry, I'll overlook this."
The pigtailed boy winked. "Besides, I know you don't really hate her. You're
a terrible liar."
Kensuke sighed in relief.
"She would die," Ranma said suddenly, causing the other boy to inhale
sharply. "And so would Usagi, along with everyone else in shelter block
4-D," he continued, watching the bespectacled boy carefully, "when EVA Unit
02 crashes through its outer walls and detonates."
"How can you talk about that so calmly?!"
"Because that hadn't happened yet. And I don't believe it would."
Kensuke looked at the other boy in confusion. "But you said..."
"That would be the cost of your life," Ranma explained tiredly. "The price I
would have to pay to save you. The lives I would have to sacrifice in the
bargain."
"All this... because I piloted your EVA?" Kensuke asked in shock.
"Because you tried to pilot it... because _she_ found you... because _he_
let you go."
Kensuke nodded slowly.
Ranma's featured softened, and he put a hand on the other boy's left
shoulder. "I will still save you, if you ask me to."
Kensuke looked at him incredulously. "You will sacrifice your friends... all
these people... for me?"
"Math is not a factor when it comes to human life. Who do you take me for?!"
Ranma chuckled. "Besides, I always used to flunk math."
"Do you realize what kind of choice you're asking me to do?!" Kensuke all
but yelled.
"Yes," the other boy replied impassively. "I made the exact same choice when
I returned."
"You mean...?!"
"To save Rei's life, I must give my own." Ranma bowed his head sadly. "Had
things been different, I would have offered my life in exchange of yours."
"To appease the ancient gods... to serve as the sacrificial lamb..." Kensuke
mumbled in shock, his lower lip quivering.
"Something like that. An offering to fate, so to speak."
"And knowing all this, you still returned? Why?"
"To beg forgiveness. To atone for my sins. To... be with her again, even if
it's only for a little while." Ranma looked at the other boy. "You
understand, don't you?"
Kensuke didn't reply, and Ranma sighed heavily. "In that case, forget about
everything. Go on about your life as you used to, without a care in the
world. Quit Nerv."
"Then, you'll sacrifice..."
"No, I won't. I'll try to get us a miracle."
"Even knowing that there won't be anyone to save Ayanami's life? You'll
gamble her life... everyone's life..."
"For a miracle," Ranma stated quietly. "Without your help, that is my only
option. I did not come here out of my own free will... but once I got here,
no one controlled my actions but me." Balling his hands into fists, he
concluded, "It's way past time for me to get my head out of my ass and start
doing the right thing!"
"I'll do it," Kensuke said in the same quiet tone of voice.
Ranma looked at him questioningly. "Your sacrifice will be in vain if you
don't put your heart to it."
"I understand," Kensuke replied. "I'll do it." He laughed hysterically. "Who
wants to live forever, right?"
"And if we fail, the world will join you shortly."
Kensuke's head whipped upwards to glare at the pigtailed boy, who recoiled
under the force of the gaze. "No! You will not fail! If you let the world be
destroyed, I'll come back from whatever Afterlife awaits me and kill you
myself!"
"I understand," Ranma drawled out. "You know, I kinda like you. You remind
of my buddies, Daisuke and Hiroshi. They were a fun bunch..."
"I'll say 'hi' to them when I cross over," Kensuke joked.
"Tell them it won't be long before I get there."
"We'll be waiting for you," Kensuke said, offering his hand. "Waiting for
you to come and tell us that the world is safe and sound."
Ranma shook the proffered hand. "Unless I end up in Eternal Hell for what I
still must do."
A heavy silence remained between the two; a silence that was interrupted by
a cheerful voice calling out the pigtailed boy's name. Turning around, Ranma
saw Asuka lead Rei over to him, the blue-haired girl wearing the evening
gown they had bought together what seemed like an entire lifetime ago.
"Rei... you're beautiful," he said, causing her to blush.
Taking her arm by the elbow, he started walking towards the exit, only
stiffening slightly when Rei leaned over slightly towards him.
"So, what were you talking about here with lover boy, you Worthless Wonder?"
Asuka asked the bespectacled boy haughtily.
"One day you'll see that there's more to me than that," he said
enigmatically and started walking away.
"Hey! Hey, Stooge! What do you mean? Hey, wait up!" Asuka shouted, running
after him. "That's it! Virtuous Mongoose..."
--------------------------------------------------
End of Chapter 17.
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