The disclaimer, practically every character here is NOT mine. They all
belong
to their respective company. I am using a lot of them, so I can't list them
all. Beside, I am gonna add more series to the story later on. Don't sue
me.
Pleeeeeeese! I haven't got a penny! For others, there are SOME characters
I
made up, but who cares? I don't.
Ranma Crossover fanfic
WARNING!
Some of the contents might damage your stomach from laughing too much. Read
at
your own risk.
STALLION
Chapter 13.
< Past always comes back to haunt you... then bites you, HARD >
Inside the Masaki Mansion.
"Let go of Tenchi-sama, you horrible monster!"
"Make me, you stuck-up princess!"
"Girls, my arms hurt. ...hello? Are you listening?" Tenchi sighed, as he
was once again the middle of a Tenchi's-mine-no-he's-not argument. He knew
neither of them would listen to him in current state, but he had to try.
After all, it was his body that was about to be torn in halves.
Yet the rest of the Masaki Household didn't see this as an emergency. To be
true, this happened almost everyday. This event had occurred so often that
it reached the point when they could no longer go on with their daily lives
without one. So their collective minds made an agreement that if they
were to see it every single day, they might as well enjoy it as much as
possible. Therefore, all of the Masaki families, including their guest
Akane, were now sitting on the living room sofa as they watched the fight go
on. Even a bag of popcorn was going around, a courtesy of the ever-so-sweet
Sasami.
Of course, this situation was very confusing for the new guests in the
house. The Inners initially tried to calm down the furious contestants,
with no avail. Soon they gave up, and reluctantly joined the audience.
They just sat there and watched the fight. Well, actually, only Ami and Rei
kept watching the fight. Others were not. Usagi had her eyes on the
popcorn bag with drool on her mouth, and Makoto and Minako were sulking at
the corner of the room. They were depressed to say the least. It was
obvious that their new love interest already had his hands full with girls.
They were feeling left out. Out of those present, every girl had a love
interest. Usagi had Mamoru, Ami had Ryo, and even that Akane girl, whom
they had just met, said she had this fiance named Ranma. They felt like
such failures...
"Really, every good one I meet is either taken or too dangerous!"
"Hear hear."
"Love is hard, but it shouldn't be this hard."
"Exactly! I mean, all I want is a nice-looking guy with a macho body. Is
that too much to ask?"
"Not at all! Who wouldn't want such a hunk?"
"I know! With so many people on this planet, you'd think at least one guy
like that would just walk in through that door!"
Just like magic, the door opened to reveal Ranma and Minagi coming back from
their sparring.
"When's the dinner? I'm starving!"
"...you're hungry? But you ate only a few hours ago."
Minako's eyes widened. In less than a second, her eyes examined the target,
his tough yet handsome face, his cute pigtail, and his not too thick but
still firm build. She looked up to the sky and whispered. "Thank you."
Not a moment sooner, Akane stomped up to him and bonked on his head.
"Ranma, don't be such a glutton! This is not our house! We're guests
here!"
"Ouch! Geez, what was that for? I just asked when's the dinner."
Minako frowned, and looked up. "Will you quit toying with me?!"
It was then when she noticed her fellow Senshi's reaction. Surprisingly,
Makoto didn't look all that disappointed. More than a surprise, she
actually looked... angry?
"Makoto...?"
Without a hesitation, Makoto walked up to the arguing couple. Intrigued,
Minako followed her, and so did the rest of Senshi, who by now had noticed
Makoto's actions.
"Really, you're so uncute!"
"What did you say?!"
"I said you are..."
"Hello, Senpai."
"...senpai. Huh?" Ranma blinked and turned his head to the side, where a
girl with long brown hair, and a really mean-looking frown on, stood.
"...eh? Who are..."
But his question was cut short by the collective cry of the Inners.
"WHAAAAAT?!"
Makoto blinked this time, surrounded by her friends who began to sprout a
question after another. "What?"
"You mean this is the guy?! Wow, this is just like one of those romance
novels!"
"Are you saying he is THE senpai? This is cool!"
"Are you sure, Makoto? I mean, are you sure he's the one you've been
telling us about all this time?"
"I gotta say, he's really a hunk. But he isn't really that short. I think
he's a bit taller than you. I guess he grew up some, huh?"
Makoto kept blinking, until the words of her friends finally sank in.
However, she didn't like them one bit. "What?! No! He's not THE senpai!
He's a different one!"
Of course, this new bit of information didn't calm them down at all.
"What?! There was a different one?!"
"How come you never told us?"
"He's a different one? What did he do to you, then?"
"Wow, you mean the other guy was even better? Cool!"
All through this, Ranma just stood there, occasionally scratching his head.
"...who are they?"
Akane, with an annoyed look, answered. "A daughter of your grandfather's
friend, and her friends. Now my turn to ask. What did you do to that
girl?!"
"Nothing! I swear! I don't even know her!"
A whole new argument began, right beside the chaotic talk of the Senshi. The
confused Minagi turned to the Tenchi Household for answers, and became more
confused to see the entire household, including Ryoko and Ayeka who seemed
to have called a truce now, sat and watched this with a great intent.
"Um... what's going on here?"
"Shhh! This is getting really interesting. Don't interrupt."
"I hate to say it, but I agree with Ryoko-san. This is better than those
dramas on TV!"
Sasami nodded eagerly. Tenchi, on the other hand, was out cold in the
corner. So Minagi turned to only other one left to ask, since the GP ladies
seemed to be out on the patrol. "Um, Washu-san...?"
"Quiet. I want to watch this. We don't get to see such a complicated love
fight that often."
"Eh..." Minagi sweatdropped. 'Isn't that what Ryoko-san and Ayeka-san do
all the time?'
----------------------------------------
After a chaos fit for an apocalypse, everyone gathered in the living room
once again. In the middle sat the subjects in question: Ranma and Makoto.
They sat face-to-face, Ranma with confused and uncomfortable face, and
Makoto with her angry face. They were also surrounded by others, including
Akane who sat by Ranma as she glared at him, and the Inners whose ears were
all perked up to catch every single thing they had to say. Only ones
missing were the Outers and Katsuhito, who were up in the shrine, and
Nobuyuki and Mayuka, who was out shopping for grocery. GP ladies still
hadn't come back from their daily patrol.
Yet there was only silence in the room. The audience was just waiting
patiently for the two to open their mouth, but neither one was opening their
mouth. One was too upset to speak, while the other was just simply too
confused even to think.
Finally, some of them couldn't stand the silence any more.
"Say something, damnit! What happened with you guys?!"
...however, the one who screamed first wasn't Akane, nor any of the Inners.
It was Ryoko, who flustered a bit when she saw others now staring at her.
"...what?"
Usagi, who was a bit disappointed that she lost her chance to speak first,
turned to Makoto and asked the question that everyone wanted to ask
themselves.
"So? What happened between you guys? What did he do to you?"
A vein popped up on Ranma's head. "Hey! I didn't do nothing! I don't even
remember who she is!"
Usagi turned to Ranma, with the most skeptical look she ever had in her
life.
"If you can't even remember who she is, how can you be so sure you didn't do
anything wrong to her?"
"...I just know, okay?!"
But before Usagi could reply, Makoto finally opened her mouth, drawing
everyone's attention. "...lunches."
"Huh?"
"Lunches."
"...what about lunches? You hungry?"
This time, it was on Makoto's head where the vein popped up. It popped up
so fast and so big, the noise of the popping actually stopped others from
facefaulting.
"No, I'm not hungry. But I was hungry back then because you ate all my
lunches!"
"Um... so I ate your lunches back then?"
"Yes! Now, do you remember who I am?!"
Ranma scratched his head. "...someone who I got my lunches from... Well,
you're gonna have to be more specific."
_BAM!_
This time, even Makoto couldn't help it.
As she helped herself up, Makoto rubbed her temple as she spoke. "...we
went to the same elementary school. You were in the sixth grade, and I was
in the fifth."
Ranma blinked for a while, before he hit his palm and exclaimed with a
smile. "Ah! I know you! Man, how are you? Long time no see."
Akane rolled her eyes. "So you finally remember her now?"
Ranma nodded. "Oh yeah! Of all the people I got my lunches from back then,
she was the only girl in the fifth grade."
'...only girl in the fifth grade? Does it mean he took lunches from other
girls, too?' A drop of sweat rolled down on everyone's head... which Ranma
didn't notice. He kept on remembering the past.
"Yeah... It was a rather nice memory. It all started when..."
--------------------------------------------------
5 years ago, in Ranma's memory.
SD Ranma sat down on the school playground, looking down.
"Geez, I'm so hungry I can eat a horse. But Pop didn't give me lunch money
today. ...not that he ever did. Man, I can sure go for some riceballs
right now."
Suddenly, SD Makoto pops up with a lunchbox full of riceballs. "Hey, you
hungry?"
SD Ranma startled, but answered hurriedly with drool when he saw the
riceballs. "Yes I am!"
"Well, have these!"
"Wow, thanks!"
SD Ranma gulped in all the riceballs, and licked his lips. "Wow, these are
good! Again, thanks!"
"*giggle* You're welcome!"
SD Ranma and SD Makoto happily sharing a beefbowl on the rooftop of the
school.
SD Ranma and SD Makoto eagerly devouring a bowl of ramen at the cafeteria.
SD Ranma and SD Makoto, each holding a sweet bun, smiling at each other.
--------------------------------------------------
With his eyes closed, Ranma contemplated on his memory. "*sigh* Yeah, that
was some nice memory..."
Makoto glared at him, though. "Oh yeah. It IS a very nice memory... EXCEPT
THAT'S NOT HOW IT HAPPENED!"
--------------------------------------------------
Makoto was sitting on the playground with a lunchbox before her. Before she
opened it, she couldn't help but sigh.
Makoto was so depressed. Being an orphan, she didn't have things easy. She
practically had to take care of herself. She had to be strong, both
mentally and physically. Kids could be so cruel, especially to orphans.
She faced harsh teasing almost everyday. So she had to be strong enough to
stand up to the boys, to show them she wasn't an easy target. She proved it
well. Maybe too well.
She learned martial arts, she learned how to fight, and soon she became the
toughest one in her school. No one was making fun of her. No one pulled a
prank on her. Absolutely not. There were too SCARED of her.
But things changed. Makoto was at an age when she began to notice boys.
Her early loss of her parents not only made her an orphan, it also made her
long for love. Her lack of a fatherly figure also made her more eager to
find a boyfriend, someone who was strong and caring, who could fill the void
inside her heart.
Makoto herself was a very cute girl. Her regular exercise helped her figure
very nicely. Yet she still couldn't find a boyfriend. Boys were still too
scared of her even just for talks. In fact, she didn't even have many
friends. Her reputation as the toughest in the school really didn't help
her. Many thought she was in some kind of a gang.
This made Makoto try harder to be feminine. She started to learn how to
cook. She began to wear dresses. She restrained herself from fighting.
Not many were willing to fight her anyway. But this still didn't land her a
boyfriend. Boys were still reluctant even to get near her, which made her
really depressed.
"*sigh* I so want a boyfriend..."
Makoto sighed again as she opened her lunchbox and grabbed a riceball. She
was sure once she got a boyfriend, she would be the best girlfriend he could
ever have. She was devoted, caring, and darn it, she was cute! It was
their loss if the boys couldn't see that.
She sighed again, and was about to put the riceball in her mouth.
"...huh?"
Makoto blinked. Before her eyes was a boy around her age. He was...
crouching down on the ground, belly down. He was drooling, staring at the
riceball in her hand.
Makoto blinked a few times more, before she recognized his face. The boy
was a transfer student in the sixth grade, who only came to the school a few
days ago. She remembered him because all the girls in her class were going
crazy, ranting about a hunky new student and watching him during gym
classes. It was very hard not to notice him. She even remembered his name.
It was Saotome Ro... Saotome Ram... She remembered his last name. It was
Saotome.
Slowly, Makoto moved her hand to right, and then to left. So did the
riceball in her hand, and so were those gray eyes of the boy. She moved her
hand all over around, and his eyes kept following it, or rather, the
riceball in her hand. It made her chuckle a little.
She finally spoke to the boy. "Um... are you hungry?"
The boy nodded furiously, his eyes still fixated on the riceball.
She hesitated a bit, then took her hand out toward him. "You want one?"
The boy sprang up fast, excited. "Really? You're giving it to me?
Thanks!"
In an eyeblink, the riceball went from her hand to his hand, and into his
mouth. Before she realized what had just happened, the boy chewed and
swallowed the food. "*gulp* Wow, it's good! Thanks!"
"Um, thank you." Makoto smiled weakly. 'Wow, he must've been really
hungry...'
It was then an idea struck Makoto. The boy was a transfer student. He was
new. He didn't know her. He didn't know her reputation. He wasn't afraid
of her!
Makoto once again considered this. The boy wasn't afraid of her. He was
rather good-looking, and had a good built. He was PERFECT.
'Okay, this is your chance, Makoto. Don't screw it up! He likes your
cooking. He likes you! Well, he's not scared of you. If you do this
right, you might have a boyfriend by the end of today!'
Now more determined than ever, Makoto took a deep breath, then smiled at the
boy. "Would you like to share my lunch with me?"
No answer came. The boy was gone. Only empty space was left in front her
now.
Makoto blinked, confused. She looked around, but couldn't find the boy,
much to her disappointment. He was... gone. Depressed again, she
absentmindedly put her hand into the lunchbox to grab a riceball.
She found none.
After a few blinks, she looked into her lunchbox.
It was empty.
"Eh? What ha... Ah! Why that jerk!!"
At the school rooftop, as Makoto was looking for the waterbottle in her bag,
Ranma sneaked up and ate her beefbowl, which she had left on the ground.
Makoto lifted a lump of noodles with chopsticks from her bowl of ramen at
the cafeteria, but Ranma swallowed it up as he ran by.
Under a tree, Makoto surveyed the surrounding carefully, not noticing Ranma
eating all the sweet buns out of the bag which she hid behind her back..
--------------------------------------------------
"Ah..." Ranma nervously scratched his head. "...is that really how it
happened?"
"Yes!"
Akane turned to her fiance with discerning look. "Somehow, Ranma, I'd
rather believe her than you."
Even the entire Masaki household was nodding their heads, much to Ranma's
dismay.
Ranma was about to protest, but the Inners hoarded him first.
"How could you?! Taking stuffs from girls, and of all things, FOOD!"
"What a jerk! Guys like you should taste fire! Playing with the poor
girl's heart!"
"Calm down, both of you. We're guests here. And Rei, he didn't really play
with her heart. Well, at least not intentionally..."
"Let them be, Ami. Rei's right. This guy should get what he deserves.
Just because he's a hunk, that doesn't mean he can be so mean! Even if it's
a grade A beefy hunk like him!"
Briefly, just briefly, Makoto and the rest of the Inners stared at Minako
dubiously, giving Ranma just enough time to breathe out a sigh. But Makoto
didn't give him a chance to recover, and went back to glaring at him. "That
wasn't all you did, you know."
"Wha...?" Now Ranma was more than confused. 'What else did I do?'
But instead of him, someone else urged the girl to go on.
"Oh no! So there was more? What was it? Tell us all about it!"
This time it was the Masaki Household who were dubiously staring at Ayeka,
who turned to them with a scowl. "Oh, grow up."
Makoto blinked a few times, but turned back to her normal self. Well, her
angry self.
"Tell me. Why didn't you come?"
"Huh?" Of course, Ranma still had no clue.
"I'm asking you why you didn't keep your promise!"
Ranma fumed. "Hey, Saotome Ranma always keeps his promise! ...what
promise?"
At that precise moment, every girl in the room rolled their eyes. 'Men.'
But Makoto was too upset to even roll her eyes. "Try to remember, you jerk!
Back then when we were still in the same school!"
--------------------------------------------------
"Hold it right there, you jerk!"
"Geez, I only ate one."
"Yes, only one, out of my one bread lunch!"
Students and teachers shook their heads. The everyday chase between Makoto
and Ranma was well-known in the school. Everyday, Ranma took Makoto's
lunch. Everyday, she chased him around. But never, not even once, was she
able to actually catch him. Ranma always managed to escape her wrath. At
the end, only Makoto was left in the hall, panting and huffing, her breath
too short even to curse right. It was becoming so predictable that people
were now getting tired of it.
But today, it ended a bit differently. Makoto was becoming more persistent
than before. Maybe she was getting more fit from all that running.
Finally, she had him cornered. Well, actually, she had him on the roof.
A normal person would give himself up if he was chased up to the roof, since
he would have nowhere to go. But Saotome Ranma was no normal human being.
He was about to climb up the net to go over it, when Makoto shouted after
him.
"Stop!"
Of course, Ranma never stopped before. Neither would he now.
"I'll give you another bread!"
Well, Ranma was a Saotome. He stopped right before jumping. "Really?"
A small vein popped on Makoto's head. Next thing Ranma knew, a bread was
flying toward his face. But much to the girl's dismay, he casually caught
it with his mouth.
While Ranma chewed on his catch, Makoto walked up to him. He finished the
bread fast, but not fast enough, as she quickly grabbed his shirt to prevent
him from running away. Ranma blinked a couple of times at this turn of
events, while Makoto glared at him.
'I can't believe I'm doing this...' Makoto sighed, before speaking up. "I
want you to do me a favor."
"A favor?" Ranma blinked a few more. "What kinda favor?"
"Well, you know we have this school festival in a few weeks, right?"
"...what festival?"
Makoto hung her head. 'Is this guy for real?' But she soon regained her
composure.
"Well, we do have a festival happening a few weeks after. At the end of the
festival, we have this square dancing, and I want you to be my partner."
"Huh? Partner? Me? ...why me?"
'I would like to ask that myself.' So thought Makoto, but she said
differently. "Well, because you owe me."
"Ehh?! Owe you what? I don't owe nothing to nobody!"
"Remember all the lunches you swap from it for last..."
"...when's the dance?"
Makoto casually put on an innocent smile. "Oh, so you'll come? Why thanks!
I wouldn't have minded if you said no..."
"Oh, really? Okay then. Don't say I never offered. See ya!"
_BAM!_
"You wait just a second! Where do you think you're going?!"
Ranma mumbled under Makoto's foot, which somehow made its way on top of his
head. "Girls. I'll never understand them."
A few weeks later.
The festival was a success. The school was packed with guests. Everyone
enjoyed it. Some of the couples even joined the square dancing to enjoy the
closeness with their loved ones. They danced around the campfire in the
middle, as the sun set slowly. It was one of the most romantic times those
couples ever had. Few of the parents also joined up. Every participant
enjoyed their time.
All except one.
Makoto was fuming, as she stood on the side, silently watching their dance.
Well, she didn't have a partner necessary to join the dance, which meant she
wasn't really a participant... so she didn't really count.
All because of one guy.
Makoto, trembling with anger, shook her fists at the sky. "Saotome Ranma,
you jerk!"
--------------------------------------------------
"You never showed up. I waited for 4 hours! 4 long, boring, miserable
hours! You stood me up, on my first ever dance, when I was only the 6th
grade! You jinxed my entire romance life! YOU RUINED MY LIFE!"
The girls in the room nodded with sympathy. They understood perfectly how
it would feel to be stood up by a guy. Not that it ever happened to them.
No, they were too cute and sexy and beautiful to have experienced such a
travesty. But, they still understood.
The furious Makoto went on her ranting. "You said you'd come, but you never
did! I was so looking forward to the dance! I was so looking forward to
dancing with YOU! But I never got to! I never got a chance! You didn't
even explain to me why you didn't come! You just disappeared off the face
of the earth! After that day, you didn't even come to school... No one
knew where you were..."
She hung her head low. Occasional sobs rang in the room, as the audience
quietly, and sadly, watched her shaking shoulders. "How could you...? How
could be so cold and mean...? I thought you were different... I thought
you didn't judge me like others... But, at the end... I guess you were like
all others. You didn't want to dance with me because I wasn't 'feminine'
enough. Because of my 'reputation.' You were just like everyone else...
To... to think I actually liked you a bit, what was I thinking?! I..."
"I'm sorry."
"...eh?" Makoto blinked, with her eyes still wet. Her tear-streaked face
turned into that of confusion,. She raised her eyes to look at Ranma, and
was met with his deep gray eyes.
"I'm sorry. I never knew it hurt you so much. I never intended to hurt
your feeling. In fact, I never intended to broke our promise. I wanted to
keep it. I wanted to go to the dance with you. I really did, but..."
Makoto, while still looking skeptic, was willing enough to hear his excuse.
"...but? But, what?"
"Well, what happened was..."
--------------------------------------------------
"Yo, Pop! I'm going to the school dan... Huh? What are you doing?"
"Ranma, we're leaving this town." Genma turned away from his packing just
briefly enough to inform his son about their departure.
"What?! Why?"
"No time for questions. Start packing right away."
"But I thought you liked this town. 'I' like this town. I like the school
here. I like the people here."
"A martial artist's journey must go on if he is to perfect his art."
"Geez. Fine, but why now? Why can't we leave tomorrow or something? I
mean, what's the big deal if we stayed... Oh no. You did it again, didn't
you?!"
"...do what?" Genma's voice was casually nonchalant, as he answered with
his back toward Ranma. But the fact that he was sweating like a pig as he
did so was a proof enough.
"Oh man! How many bills have you run out of this time?! Perfect the art,
my behind... You're just trying to run away before they find you, aren't
you? I'm sick of this, you know! I'm sick of that big, bottomless stomach
of yours driving us out of towns! If you wanna go, fine. But go by
yourself! I ain't going anywhere with you from now on, you pig!"
Genma spun around with an stern look. "Ranma, how dare you! I am your
father! You will do as I say! We're leaving, and that's final!"
Ranma snorted. "Feh. I ain't gonna listen to you now. I ain't scared of
you."
Genma snickered. "Oh, really?"
"Damn right I am!"
The tension thickened, the energy sparked, and the fighting spirits roared
as the father and the son faced off inside their tent. Both of them gazed
at each other with intense fury, as their eyes carefully inspected the
opponent. For a full minute, they just stared, ready any time to exchange
some serious blows.
Then Genma made a move.
"Ahhhhh! What's that?!" Genma pointed at something behind Ranma.
"Huh?!" Ranma quickly turned around, prepared to face any enemy he might
encounter.
_Bonk!_
_Thud!_
...and fall on the floor unconscious, as Genma had struck him on the back of
his head with a small mallet.
Genma blinked at his now passed-out son. "Hmm, I don't know if he's
gullible, or just stupid. Didn't I tell him to always watch out for such
dirty tricks? I must train him more."
"...Saotome Genma!! Where are you, you damn bastard!?"
"That guy said Genma's tent should be around here! Keep looking!"
"...geez, so he really lives in a tent? No wonder the address he gave me
was a bogus."
"Eeek!!" Genma startled when he heard some upset voices from a distance.
"They're getting closer! I gotta get out of here right now!"
Genma put the unconscious body of his son on one of his shoulder, and the
bag on the other shoulder, and dashed outside the tent.
--------------------------------------------------
"...that's why I couldn't make it to the dance. When I woke up, we were
already out of town. Pop had carried me to somewhere in the forest, so I
couldn't even find a way out by myself. I'm really sorry. I really tried.
I'm sorry."
"........." Makoto silently listened to the whole thing. She didn't say a
word while Ranma explained what happened. She just watched him as she
listened. Her eyes stopped pouring tears, although some of the tears had
still remained on her face. The look she had on her face no longer looked
angry. It was... just emotionless.
The others in the room, however, weren't as quiet as her.
"Oh, so it wasn't that he DIDN'T come, but he COULDN'T come. Well, that's
totally understandable! I mean, it wasn't like he was trying to hurt her
feeling. It was his circumstances that had broken them up! Ah, this is
beginning to sound more and more like those girl's manga!"
"Well, Usagi has a point, but how can we be so sure that he didn't make this
up? I mean, he could be lying to us. We don't know what really happened
back then, do we?"
"Rei, I think Saotome-san is sincere. I don't think he's lying. Beside,
why would he lie about it now? It happened a long time ago."
"*sniff* Ah, it's so romantic! Two people, separated in the past, each with
their own misunderstanding! Now two had met again, and the truth is
revealed, but one of them now belongs to another person! It's just like in
a movie!"
Minako's analogy of the situation was met by the collective nods of the
Tenchi household. Ayeka and Sasami were even wiping the tears off their
eyes. Today was indeed a lucky day for them. Such a wonderful drama
unfolding right in their living room! They couldn't ask for anything more.
Well, maybe the recorded video image of it, which was being taken care of by
none other than Washu herself.
Only ones in the room who didn't react the same way were Tenchi, who was
still out cold... and Akane, whose face was tangled up mixture of surprise,
sympathy, jealousy, anger, and sadness. As she silently watched his fiance,
her expression of sadness deepened.
However, Ranma miss the reaction of his fiancee, as he was too busy
comforting Makoto.
"Please, I'm not trying to make up an excuse. That's what happened, and I
couldn't do anything about it, but the fact that I hurt your feeling still
remains. And I am really sorry about that. I didn't mean to, but I did
make you sad..."
Makoto startled, and the crowd gasped, as Ranma slowly raised his hand to
wipe away the tears in her eyes. He then slowly put his palm on one of her
cheek, and gazed deeply into her eyes, which began to tremble so slightly.
Ranma went on. "But I'm telling you, I never thought you weren't feminine.
I never cared about your reputation. Hey, I didn't even know you had a
reputation until today! I made a promise with you, and I really wanted to
keep it. Not only because it was a promise, but also because I thought you
were cute. It'd been nice to actually dance with you."
Makoto's eyes widened, and so did the eyes of others. Heedless to these
reactions, Ranma continued to talk, with his hand still on her cheek.
"If other guys can't see how cute you are, they should apologize to you.
It's not your fault. They should be sorry they couldn't see it. It's their
own fault, just like it was my own fault you couldn't dance that day.
Again, I'm sorry... um..."
The widened eyes in the room now blinked, except Ranma's, which now began to
twitch.
"...eh...."
Silence.
"...um..."
More silence.
"...I'm sorry, but what was your name?"
_BAM!_
The people in the room now had their faces implanted on the floor, except
Ranma and Makoto. His sheepish grin was quivering with embarrassment, while
Makoto just rolled her eyes.
When those faces on the floor left their marks, a new hell erupted.
"...why you jerk! You can't even remember her name!! A guy like you gotta
be thrown in jail!"
"A jail is too good for him! I say we kick his heartless behind! He
deserves a good frying!"
"...guys. For once, I won't say anything. Do whatever you want."
"It's guys like you that ruins a girl's hope for a nice romance! Can't even
remember her name?! Really, what's wrong with you?! Did you even mean it
when you said sorry?!"
The Inners were at Ranma's throat again, ready to choke the daylight, no,
life out of him. But Ranma couldn't protest. It was true that he couldn't
remember her name, even for the life of him, which was literally true right
now. Beside, he couldn't even speak with his throat blocked as it was now.
The Masaki household had now lost their interest and left the room. They
had seen this show a moment ago, and they were not really in the mood for a
re-run.
Makoto watched the scene with a sweatdrop, then she began to think back at
Ranma's apology. '...wow, I never expected anything like that. I was... I
was so angry with him before, but I feel totally fine now. I... forgave
him, I guess. I don't know, when he said those words with such sincere
eyes... I couldn't stay mad at him any more. And... I think he really meant
it when he said that.'
Then she looked at her friends, who were by now pounding on the helpless
Ranma. '...are they mad at him because he can't remember my name? But...
he didn't know my name back then anyway. I never told him my name because I
was afraid he might hear some bad reputation about me... and I even
threatened guys around him to never tell him my name. I would be actually
surprised if he DID know my name... Should I tell them right now?'
Makoto watched Ranma mumbling out poor excuses and fidgeting very nervously
under the stern gazes of her friends, then smirked a little. "Nah. Maybe
later."
The brown-haired Senshi turned around, and walked away, humming playfully.
A little stroll was in order, indeed.
As the situation in the living room started to get more dangerous, Akane
slowly went upstairs to get to her room. It wasn't really her room,
actually. Ayeka and Sasami had offered to let her stay in their room, and
she had taken on that. When she arrived at the room, she opened the door
entered. She then silently shut the door behind her, and slowly slumped
down on the floor afterwards.
She saw it. She saw his normally proud eyes turning compassionate. She
heard his usual arrogant voice becoming tender. His always-rough attitude
changed to very soft gestures, and his casually rude remarks were replaced
with carefully articulated consolations. All of those, which she had always
wished to see... yet they were not directed to her.
They were directed to that GIRL.
Makoto didn't seem like a bad person. In fact, she was a very nice girl.
Tall, slim, cute, and despite her impressive physique, rather feminine, too.
But at the moment, she wasn't Akane's most favorite person to face.
Akane was Ranma's fiancee. Why was it not herself whom Ranma showed such a
compassion? Why was it that the first person to receive his tenderness was
someone other than her? It wasn't fair. She was the one who had watched
him for the whole year. She was the one to whom Ranma said "I love you,"
and she was the one who loved...
Akane quickly shook her head. 'I am not jealous. I shouldn't be jealous.
I mean, Ranma really did such a mean thing to her. It's only right that he
apologizes to her. He did what he had to, and he was just being nice to
her..'
...just not as 'nice' as he always was. Akane felt an ugly emotion raising
its head inside her heart. It was the jealousy. She was jealous that the
Makoto girl received something she always wished, but never could. It was
the anger. She was angry at Ranma for never treating herself so nicely. It
was the worry. She was worried that... Ranma was changing.
Yes. Ranma was changing. He was changing into someone whom Akane no longer
would recognize. The always arrogant, sometimes childish, and often rude
Ranma was beginning to disappear. The fiance, whom she had never wanted yet
still fell in love with, was disappearing, and it scared her.
Ranma wasn't... growing up. He wasn't maturing. He was... just changing.
Ranma was becoming someone else, someone who was totally different from the
old Ranma. Akane couldn't exactly pinpoint why, but she was sure of it.
The changes that the pigtailed boy had gone through in last couple of months
were not normal character changes. It went deeper than that. The changes
were happening in the more fundamental levels... like his soul.
Akane couldn't fathom how deep inside of Ranma was the changes taking
places. She couldn't even imagine what kind of a person he was turning
into. The most gruesome of all... she couldn't be sure that after all the
changes, the new Ranma would have a place for her inside his heart.
A lone tear rolled down on the short-haired girl's cheek. "Ranma you
idiot..."
****************************************
"...so you beat the life out of him?" Haruka chuckled.
"Well, let's just say he won't be messing with anyone else's heart ever
again." Rei answered with a mean grin.
It was already late at night. After such a ruckus, even Rei had lost the
track of time. The Inners rushed to the phone to call their respective
guardians about them staying overnight at the shrine. Well, only Rei told
the truth to her grandfather. Usagi didn't want to let her parents know
that she was WAY out of town, nor did Ami want to worry her mother by
leaving just a short message on the answering machine. Minagi's parents
were rather open-minded, but she still didn't want to risk getting grounded
for acting so recklessly. So as far as their guardians were concerned, they
were staying at Rei's shrine. They even made sure to tell Rei's grandfather
to cover for them, except for Makoto, who lived by herself.
The dinner afterwards went rather smoothly. That Sasami girl's cooking was
excellent, and all of them were very hungry after a good exercise(?). Ryoko
was told by Tenchi beforehand not to use any of her alien power, much to the
pirate's dismay, and he did the same with Ayeka and Washu. Ayeka obliged
without a complaint, and surprisingly, so did Washu. Of course, Washu
seemed to have something up in her sleeves, as she failed to keep a straight
face for some reason, so Tenchi could only hope for the best...
Everyone had enjoyed their meals quietly and peacefully, all except three.
One was Ranma, who was acting VERY cautiously, often carefully eyeing the
Inners, and the other was Akane, who for some reason stayed silent
throughout the dinner, and left early without finishing her meal. She
looked so unhappy that no one could even dare to ask what was wrong. The
last of them was Tenchi, who had accidentally sat between Ranma and Akane.
With Ranma being so demure on one side, and Akane looking so depressed on
the other, Tenchi looked as if he was sitting on a time bomb. In fact, his
eyes were moving faster than his chopsticks.
Feeling a bit awkward, the Inners left the Masaki Mansion right after the
dinner. Ranma's diminished attitude was definitely their doing, but they
weren't sure why Akane was so gloomy. Since they had met her just today, it
didn't feel right to get themselves involved. Beside, the Masaki Mansion
was already full as it was. Tenchi, Nobuyuki, Ryoko, Ayeka and Sasami,
Mihoshi and Kiyone, Washu, Mayuka, and now Ranma and Akane as their
guests... For the Masaki Mansion, which Nobuyuki designed for the peaceful
life for Achika and his family, it was housing more population than it was
made for. Which was why Katsuhito instructed them to come over to the
shrine after dinner.
When the Inners arrived at the shrine, they were greeted by the Outers.
Setsuna and Katsuhito had gone off to somewhere, so there were only Haruka,
Michiru, and Hotaru at the shrine.
During their eventual chatting, there was a brief moment where the safety of
everyone present had been compromised a little, - Haruka had found out that
while she and the Outers were forced to eat only rice and pickles for
dinner, the Inners were feasting at the Masaki Mansion... - but things went
smooth otherwise. By the time the Inners explained how they had "taught"
that jerk Ranma to never mess with a girl's heart, all but one in the room
were laughing their bellies out.
Hotaru, who was the only exception, also couldn't help but smile a little.
Truth be told, she really wanted to go down there to see the pig-tailed boy
and her fiancee again. The boy had left an everlasting impression on her,
and she terribly missed the time that she had spent at the Tendo's. But
Haruka didn't approve of her to go outside so late at night, especially in
an unfamiliar neighborhood(?). Michiru told her that she could see him
tomorrow, so she quieted down, and listened in on the Inners' talk about
Ranma.
"By the way, where is Setsuna? I thought she was here."
Haruka's eyebrow began to twitch at Usagi's question. "...she's out with
her 'buddy,' probably drinking."
"Eh?"
"Apparently that Katsuhito, if that is his real name, is a buddy of hers."
"Huh?" Rei blinked. "What do you mean?"
Michiru smiled. "It seems that friend of your grandfather is more than just
a regular priest."
"What?"
"He's an alien," came the answer of Haruka with a snort.
Of course, this shocked the Inners. "WHAAAAAT?!"
Michiru shook her head a little, then explained what she knew about
Katsuhito. Much to Haruka's discomfort, she even told them how he
humiliated the shorthaired Senshi so easily.
"Michiru! Why did you tell them that for?!"
The Senshi of Neptune snickered. "Well, I thought it was interesting
enough, and they had told us such a funny story, I just had to repay the
debt."
"...you're becoming very evil."
"Why, thanks. I try."
The embarrassed Haruka fumed mildly, while the other Senshi were barely
managing to hold down their laughs. Seeing that her embarrassment could
only get worse, the senshi of Uranus quickly decided to retreat.
"Let's go to our room, Michiru! It's late, and we need to sleep early so we
can wake up tomorrow. Hotaru, you sleep here with these guys, okay?"
"But Haruka, it's only 10 o'clock..." Michiru couldn't finish her sentence
properly, as she was being dragged out the door by Haruka. When the door
was closed, and their silhouettes were finally gone, the room burst into
laughter.
Haruka and Michiru arrived at the room where Katsuhito had already prepared
some futons for them. After she closed the door behind them, the annoyed
Haruka mildly chastised her partner.
"Geez, did you really have to tell them about that?"
"Well, they enjoyed it. And I personally think it was pretty funny."
"It wasn't funny for me!"
"Ah come on. You know he didn't mean any harm by that. He was just playing
around with you."
"Wrong. He was playing on my expense. He's a sadistic jerk."
"Please, he seemed perfectly harmless."
"He only LOOKS harmless, but he's not. Just like Hotaru."
"Haruka."
"I know, I know. I didn't mean it that way." Haruka put herself down on
the futon. "...but sometimes I think what will happen if Hotaru's power
gets out of control again. Last time her friendship with Chibi-Usa managed
to overcome it all, but next time might not be lucky. If then..."
"Haruka!"
Despite Michiru's protest, her partner kept on talking. "...back then, I
was ready to skewer her with my sword. For the safety of our world, it was
the only obvious choice at the time. Fortunately I didn't have to do it at
the end, but if it ever happens again... I must do the right thing."
"......" This time, Michiru didn't react.
"...but... between then and now, one thing is different. At that time, I
was willing to stab the little girl myself. ...but now, I'm not so sure I'd
be so willing in the same situation..."
"Haruka..."
Ever so gently, Michiru put her arms around her partner, as she hugged the
girl from behind. Haruka silently accepted her hug, and held onto one of
her arms. For a while, they just stayed like that.
"...Michiru?"
"Yes, Haruka?"
"I'm not consolated enough."
"Huh? What are you... woah!" Michiru was caught off guard when Haruka
pulled her down onto the futon. An eyeblink later, she was lying flat on
the futon with Haruka on her top. The moonlight went through the paper
door, and shined on the playful grin of the short-haired Senshi.
"I like this method of consolation the best."
"Oh my." Michiru smiled.
The two gazed at each other's eyes for a moment, then they leaned their
faces toward each other. Just as they were about to go for it...
"Ah, young love."
"Eeeeeeeeeeeeek!" Both girls quickly sat up and turned around, only to find
Katsuhito grinning down at them through the small window. "What do you
think you're doing?!"
"Oh, I just dropped by to ask if you would like to have some sake with
Setsuna and me, but I see now that you are too busy to sip any form of
liquid at the moment. Well, at least not the artificial ones."
Haruka and Michiru were burning red with embarrassment. But as Katsuhito
left the scene, he casually dropped the final blow. "Anyway, get back to
your kissing. But try to restrain from anything more. After all, this is a
shrine, not a love motel."
Although Katsuhito's face already had disappeared from the window, Haruka
still threw a pillow at it, while Michiru tried to hide her ashamed face by
burying herself under the blanket.
****************************************
"Did you wait long?"
Katsuhito arrived at his destination, where the Funaho had taken its root.
Under the tree sat Setsuna, who was quietly sipping sake. There already
were a few empty sake bottles rolling around on the ground at her side. The
woman looked up to the priest. The mild blush on her face told him that
while Setsuna wasn't quite drunk yet, she was pretty close.
The woman looked up to the priest. "Not at all. You seem to be enjoying
something. Did anything happen on your way back here?"
"Nothing special. Just two very embarrassed girls."
Setsuna laughed. "Really, stop teasing Haruka. She's already very upset
with you, you know."
Katsuhito chuckled as he answered. "Well, she wasn't so happy with me in
the first place. Beside, with her stubbornness, I doubt she will get to
like me any time soon. Since nothing I do will ever make her feel friendly
to me, why not have some fun while I can?"
"Come on, you're such a joker." Setsuna smiled as she accepted her sake
bowl.
For a while, they quietly sipped their sake. The moon was full, and not a
wind blew. It was a perfect summer night.
After a long silence, Setsuna finally broke the ice. "Yosho."
Katsuhito raised his eyebrow. For the first time during this visit, Setsuna
had called him by his real name. "...yes?"
"When are you going to drop that disguise?"
Katsuhito snickered. "What, you don't like this old face?"
"Well, if you're asking whether I like staring at your currently withered
old face as I enjoy this sake... no, I don't. Alcohol can make people seem
more attractive, but it sure can't do a miracle."
"...that hurts, you know."
"Ah, get over it. It's not like it's your real face."
"It would be when I get older."
"But you don't get older. Now stop grumbling and show me that beautiful
face of yours!"
"Fine, fine."
In an instant, the old priest was gone, and in his place sat a handsome
young man with a smile on. Looking just like he did 700 years ago, Yosho
winked at Setsuna. "How do you like this?"
Setsuna smiled back at him. "Much better. Even my sake tastes better,
too."
Yosho pouted. "What, my face is only worth as a sidedish to your drink?"
"No, but it sure works pretty good as one."
Yosho rolled his eyes, as Setsuna smiled innocently at him.
As they began to enjoy their drink, they became less talkative. By the time
when most of the sake stash had disappeared, neither of them spoke a word.
However, the air between them seemed not at all awkward. They were enjoying
the silence as a part of each other's company. Not many words were
exchanged, but seeing a friend sitting right across was already enough. As
much as they were slowly getting drunk with the sake, they were already
drunk very much with the happiness and tranquility that came from their
friendship.
But soon, the alcohol started to do its work. Their cheeks now had this
reddish hue, and their eyes had lost some of the focus. If they weren't so
alcohol-resistant compared to normal humans, they would have already been
knocked. So far, their bodies were strong enough to keep their
consciousness intact. However, both of them were apparently reaching their
limit.
It was then when Setsuna began to move. Slowly, she crawled toward Yosho,
and much to his astonishment, she dropped her head onto his lap.
"...Setsuna?"
"*yawn* Lend me your lap. I'm going to close my eyes for a while." With
that as the last line, she closed her eyes. In a minute, she was deeply
asleep.
Yosho stopped drinking when his friend put her head on his lap. He just
leaned back onto the Funaho's trunk, gazing up at the moon. Silence once
again took place, only the summer night wind occasionally blowing on the
tree leaves.
A while passed, and Yosho began to gently caress Setsuna's hair. He lowered
his head down to her face, watching her breathe calmly. He put on a small
smile.
"Are you still sleeping?"
No reply came, of course. Yosho lifted his head, his eyes once again on the
night sky. He stayed that way for a minute or so, then he opened his mouth
once more.
"Setsuna, do you remember when we first met?"
The sleeping beauty didn't answer, yet Yosho still went on with his word.
"I flew millions and millions of light years, hunting down Ryoko. I wasn't
expecting to come across on the Earth in the process, though. Mother always
told me about her green home planet, but I had no intention of coming here.
Back then, Jurai was my one and only home. I was happy there. Some looked
down on me because of my Mother's heritage, but I could deal with it...
until I became an adult. People were talking more, and I was getting sick
of it all. So when Ryoko attacked Jurai, I've decided to chase her to get
away from everything. But it wasn't my intention to stay away for long...
at the time, at least."
Yosho grabbed one of the blankets at his side, and covered his friend with
it as he continued. "When I arrived here battling Ryoko, I didn't get to
enjoy any scenery. Ryoko was so vicious back then, and I had to stay alert
all the time during the fight. All of Mother's praises about the Earth
didn't cross mind. All of my focus was on stopping Ryoko. The fight was
intense, but I somehow managed to take away Ryoko's gems and defeat her.
But I was also heavily wounded, and soon I passed out..."
--------------------------------------------------
Yosho's consciousness was slowly coming back. It was almost back to its
original shape. The problem was that his mind still didn't know that.
'Ah... am I dead? ...It sure feels like it. Seriously, I never expected to
die like this. In so much pain, alone... on such a backwater planet with no
one to leave my last words... Well, I guess at least Mother will find some
comfort in this. I am back in her home planet, after all. Oh, and I can't
forget about Father. He should be devastated. He really wanted to make me
his heir... against my will, I might add. I'm just not so interested in the
throne. I think Ayeka would make a wonderful queen. Ah, there is another
person who'll be devastated by my death. She was really looking forward to
being my bride. She would make a wonderful bride, except that she's more
important to me as a sister... I've been pondering about how to let her
down easy, but I guess this will do the trick. Easy and quick... well, at
least for me. I just have to stay dead! *chuckle* Oh, that was a good one.
Too bad no one was here to hear that...'
"...are you awake, or did you see something funny in you dream?"
'...huh? Did I just hear a voice in my head? Odd, why did it sound like a
woman's voice?'
"Hello? Are you listening to me?"
'Huh? There it is again...' Yosho opened his eyes. He blinked for a
couple of times, surprised by the scenery before him. Well, he was lying on
his back, so he was actually staring at the sky. Of course, it was still
nighttime, and all he could see was darkness. 'Hmm, I only see dark. Wait
a minute, does this mean I'm in hell?! Why!? I was a good person! I
should be entering heaven! Why am I in he... Oh wait. There is something
else. In fact, there are so many of them. They are all sparkling... huh?
Aren't they just stars? They are! That's good! It means I'm not in hell!
I mean, hell doesn't have stars, do they? ...at least I don't think they
do. Hmm, does heaven have stars? I never heard of anything like that...
but this is my first time ever to die, so I can't be sure...'
"Good, I see you're awake. How do you feel?"
"...huh?" Yosho blinked a few more times. He just heard a woman's voice.
Slowly, he turned his head toward the direction the voice came from. His
vision was still a bit blurry, but he could still recognize a campfire
burning on a small pile of wood. As his eyes began to adjust their focus,
he could see the other side of the campfire. Then he saw...
".........!!"
...there stood a woman with a long, dark green hair, in a white kimono. She
was sitting with the moon on her background. Seeing that he now had his
eyes on herself, she stood up from her seat. Then a sudden breath of wind
blew on her hair, scattering it on her face. To clear her view, she gently
raised her hand and swiped the scattered hair aside.
'Ah......!' Yosho silently gulped.
The scene surely was breathtaking. The white full moon looking down on her
from behind, and her long and dark green hair floating in the mild summer
breeze, her sheer white silk kimono shining under the moonlight... and her
beautiful face that had enchanted him more than any other thing he had seen
in his life...
'Beautiful...'
The woman approached him and kneeled right beside him, startling him. Then
she put her hand on his forehead with a concerned look. "Are you okay?
Your face is so red. Do you have a fever or something?"
"Ah... no..." Yosho barely managed to answer her, with his eyes now fixated
on her deep, violet eyes... 'This proves it. I'm in heaven...'
--------------------------------------------------
"...right at that moment, I could care less of whether I died or not. I
thought I was in heaven, but I didn't really pay much attention to that. My
mind was filled with the sight of you. Your beauty was suffocating it. I
couldn't think, nor could I feel anything from my body. My every single
sense was focusing on feeling your presence. I just stayed lying there,
bathing myself with your enchantment. I... didn't know what I was feeling
back then. I just loved it so much. I just loved it..."
Yosho looked down on still sleeping Setsuna. He carefully cleared her hair
off her face and smiled at her peaceful look. His eyes still locked on the
Senshi, he continued.
"Next morning I learned I wasn't dead. I was happy. I could live to see
you. Even when I found out that the Funaho couldn't fly again, I felt more
relief than devastation. I didn't want to leave, and now I couldn't. I
didn't want to go back, and now I didn't have to. And when you told me
you'll help me as long as I need you, my heart was bursting with joy. Not
because I didn't have anyone to help me then. Not because I didn't have
anyone to teach me how to live on Earth. It was because I thought you'd be
with me forever, since that was how l felt right then. Suddenly, my home
was changed. It wasn't Jurai. It wasn't Earth. It was... you."
Setsuna stirred a little in her sleep, but was still sleeping deeply. Yosho
stayed quiet until she stopped stirring, then spoke up again, his
reminiscence that no one was listening.
"I planted Funaho here so she would take its roots. That would practically
prohibit me from ever leaving this planet, but I didn't care. That was my
intention. I could've sent out the rescue signal with it, but I did not. I
didn't want to be found. I didn't want to be rescued. As far as I was
concerned, I was already rescued, by you. Then you and I... left on a
journey. A journey all over the world. A journey to let me adopt to this
world. A journey... so I could stay with you."
The summer night wind once again passed by him, mildly shaking his hair.
"When I first realized my love for you myself, I wasn't really surprised.
You could even say I was glad, glad that I could finally name the surging
emotion in my heart. The emotion had made me forget about Jurai. It had
made me forget who I had been. It had made me not only forget that I would
not be able to sustain my life without the power of Jurai trees, but also be
glad in the fact that I was to live as a normal earthling, at least in the
lifespan. That's what I thought. No, that was what I had believed."
Yosho raised his head. His eyes were now watching the leaves of Funaho
being hit by the wind. As he saw them swaying back and forth, his face
became saddened.
"But then I found out about the power of Ryoko's gems. It was somehow
feeding their power to Funaho. Just like Tsunami's energy, the gems' power
not only kept Funaho alive, but it also kept me stay young. I looked
exactly as I have first arrived here, even after so many years. Yet an
immorality that so many powerful rulers of this world had desired was only a
devastating inconvenience for me. I felt... if I became unable to get
older, I would lose you. You would leave me, and I wouldn't be able to do
anything about it. My knowledge of a deathless fate began to drive me
crazy. The fear of losing you, the pain of suffering... At the end, I
couldn't keep it to myself any more and blurted it out to you one day.
Then... you laughed."
Yosho, with Setsuna still asleep on her lap, leaned backward onto the tree,
his eyes still on the leaves.
"...you laughed, at first. I was such a fool. I was so agonized and
worried about my own appearance, I failed to realize how long you had also
stayed young. You looked just as young as you were at the moment we first
met. You weren't becoming older either. Apparently love really made me
blind, and oblivious to the obvious. Just like me, you weren't also a
normal human being. You were the Senshi of Pluto, the guardian of the Time
Gate. You had seen, and were to live much longer time than me. You...
would never leave this world before me."
Suddenly, a leaf was blown off the tree by the wind, and slowly fell to the
ground. As soon as it hit the ground, Yosho closed his eyes.
"But... maybe it was because I had opened up first? You began to open up
more and more. What a beautiful place the Moon Kingdom was. What a
wonderful princess you had served. How precious she was to you... Then you
told me about 'him.' How you met 'him.' What kind of a person 'he' was.
How powerful 'he' was. And... how much you loved 'him.' The altered
fate... and the altered lives. The continuation of what was to be ended...
and how it all ended at the end. How you had stood and watched throughout
them all... and why you had stayed alive, fighting all this time. The
reason of your battles, the driving force of your will... and the final goal
of all those years you had spent. All of that... was just to see 'him' once
again. All of your plans and doings were just so that you could show the
result to 'him...' All for 'him...' a man who you might never see again...
but just because of the sheer hope of it all..."
Yosho gazed down at his friend, with eyes full of such deep sorrow, and
tenderness.
"You then fell asleep on my lap, like you are right now. But unlike this
time, you had cried yourself to sleep. All of that longing and pains, you
had kept them all inside your body, sharing them with no one. The whole
thing was dammed in your heart, until it had burst out at once that day.
You cried for the first time since I had known you, and for the last time
ever since. The sound of your sobbing broke my heart, knowing that your
heart will never again belong to another, not even me. I had abandoned so
much to be with you... but my love was unanswered. You did not choose me.
You could not choose me, for you had already chosen someone else, long
before you had even met me. Yet I couldn't blame you. You had abandoned so
much more. You had spent much more days and nights on your feelings for
'him' than I had on mine for you. My wish to consolate your pain had
overdriven my pain of a heartbreak. Just like now, I had kept you sleeping
on my lap, watching over you, hoping your pain would disappeared, and
wishing your prayer would be answered... You had promised to stay with me
as long as I needed you... but at that moment, I had sworn to myself to care
for you as long as you would need me."
Yosho put his hand on her head, caressing her hair ever so gently that she
wouldn't wake up.
"Years had passed, centuries had passed, and things changed for both you and
me. I met my wife, married her and settled down here. I got a new family,
and then later I was reunited with my old family. I see now that you were
also reunited with your people whom you loved so much. I am glad. You got
your friends back. You don't need me any more. I am no longer bound to my
oath... But seeing you here made me realize my oath was just a hoax. It
wasn't my oath that had bounded me. From the moment I had met you, even
after the heartbreak, my love for you had remained unchanged. I just
learned more ways to care for you, that's all. I can't ever be your love,
since that position is already taken. So I found other ways to 'love' you,
and then lied to myself that they weren't what they were. All because I can
never be the one to open your heart. I don't have the key to that door. It
belongs to 'him,' the one you have been waiting for... despite having no
guarantee 'he' will ever come back..."
Yosho chuckled a little.
"You know, if 'he' does come back, and I am still here, I am going to punch
'his' face. I'm going to punch 'him' so hard that you won't even recognize
'him.' 'He' deserves a beating, you know. 'He' made you wait for so long.
I'm going to do it as your retribution. Well, mainly because I'm jealous,
but officially, I'm doing it for you."
Then he slowly lifted his hand, with her hair still on his palm. He lowered
his face down, and tenderly kissed the hair on his hand. "So you will let
me stay as your friend until then, won't you? I am such a greedy person,
wanting to hold onto you even after so long. But... I have no doubt your
kindness will allow me to watch you a bit longer. My first love... and my
everlasting friend."
The full moon shined as brightly as ever. The wind was blowing calmly. The
sleeping beauty was yet to be awake, and only the tree which stood in the
middle of it was present to hear the plead of the priest...
****************************************
In a vacant lot deep inside the forest sat another person in the moonlight.
He was silently gazing up to the full moon, with a small sigh escaping his
mouth.
"I still couldn't find Tokyo today... Ah, how much I miss you, Akari-chan.
I want to see your beautiful face, hear your enchanting voice, and have
your small, soft hands in mine. I haven't seen you in three weeks, and I've
been missing you the entire time. Am I cursed to wander on the same earth
that has you standing in somewhere in its vast space? The world had been
such a dark and sad place for me, but just knowing that you exist somewhere
in it has transformed it into such a bright and hopeful world. I even
bought you the yakisoba set at Yokohama as a gift for you. The vendor told
me it was a must gift for a girlfriend... But that was a week ago, and it
had already gone bad. I didn't eat it because it was supposed to be my gift
for you... *sigh* I'm so depressed."
He lowered his head for a while, then slowly raised it again. He had his
eyes on the moon once again.
"I wonder how you are doing, Akane-san? I'm sure you are as beautiful as
ever, and so kind like always. I still care for you, even though you only
care for me as your friend. Is that so-called fiance of yours still causing
problems for you? I had always wanted to kill him so much before, for what
he always did to you, not to mention taking you away from me... But ever
since I saw you sacrificing yourself to save him at the Phoenix Mountain,
and him broken thinking you were gone... I had realized the bond between you
two is stronger than my indecisive feeling for you. Not that I hate him any
more... but I wish for you happiness the most, so I don't intend to kill
him. Well, maybe break a bone or two... I got you the soumen set from
Yokohama. The vendor told me it was the perfect way to show that I care.
But it went bad only three days later. I was crying my eyes out when I had
to throw it way, because it was supposed to be for you... *sigh* I'm so
pathetic."
_BAM!_
Ryouga(who else were you expecting?) lifted his head from the dirt, and
glared at the girl who just hammered him with a mallet. "What was that
for?!"
"Boo-hoo! Your story really brings tears to my eyes, so stop grumbling over
there and help me out here!"
Ryouga frowned. "Geez, I cleared this lot for the tents. I even gave you
my spare tent for you and your sister. What else do you want from me?"
_Bam!_ Houston, we have a contact.
"This primitive piece of garment is not up to my expertise! Such a complex
and wasteful method of building a shelter is beyond my patience!"
"...wha?"
Skuld shut her mouth tight, then answered with an embarrassed look. "...I
don't know how to set it up."
"Oh." Ryouga dumbly stared at the girl, then opened his mouth again. "So
what?"
"What do you mean 'so what?!' You're already done making yours! Help me
out with mine!"
Ryouga frowned again. He was a rather nice guy, but the way this mallet
girl was asking him for a help was very unpleasant. "Feh, that's not my
problem. With that attitude of yours, it ain't gonna be one anytime soon
either."
"What?! Why you...!" Skuld was about to swing her mallet again, when
Belldandy stopped him.
"Skuld! Don't be so rude to him!"
"But Oneesan, this is all his fault! He got us lost! The least he could do
is make the tent for us!"
Keiichi, who was starting to set up the tent for the girls, sighed. 'I
think we were lost in the first place. Now I'm absolutely sure we're not in
Yokohama.'
Behind him, another argument ensued.
"Hey, I've set up that tent ever since I was 8! Maybe you're too dumb if
you can't do it yourself!"
"What did you say?! I'll show you who's dumb!!"
_Bam!_
"Ouch! Stop it, you violent maniac!"
_Bam!_
"Make me, you direction-impaired moron!"
"Ouch... Hey! At least I know how to set up a tent!"
"Who cares about setting up that piece of junk?! It's just like its owner,
it's primitive, waste of space, and too stubborn to admit he's wrong!!"
"Wait a sec, I'm not the one who led us into this forest! You took the map
from me later, remember?!"
"But you got us so lost by then, I couldn't find a way out of here! So it's
your fault!"
"Why you little arrogant smugface..."
"Idiotic, useless, with no sense of direction!"
"Skuld! Hibiki-san! Stop it, both of you!"
Despite Belldandy's words, the argument only got more heat, leaving Keiichi
with slumping shoulders. "*sigh...* They're both idiots."
****************************************
The time has passed, and now it was very late at night. So late that not a
creature was stirring. The forest was quiet, and everyone was deeply
asleep.
Yosho had taken Setsuna back to his shrine, and after having her tucked in
her futon, he himself went to sleep. The Inners and the Outers were also in
their dreamland. So was everyone in the Tenchi household, including the
guests. They were enjoying the peace and quiet very much.
Somewhere in the forest nearby, two goddess and two guys were also enjoying
a good sleep in their respective tent. One of the goddess was dreaming
about ice cream, while one of the guys were dreaming about his two loves of
his life. The other guy was having a nightmare though, thanks to a arm of
his tentmate on his neck.
--------------------------------------------------
Back to the Tenchi Household.
In one of the rooms suddenly began to shine. In it lied the two crown
princess of Jurai. The source of the illumination was the forehead of the
younger princess. The blue light dimly started up from her forehead,
humming occasionally.
Right at that moment, the sacred tree Funaho began to also shine. The beams
were being shot out of the leaves, and onto the ground. Soon, the entire
pond was reflecting the tree's radiance.
--------------------------------------------------
Belldandy shot open her eyes. She quickly sat up, her sister still asleep.
She stared at the empty space quietly, then whispered to herself.
"Come to the sacred tree...?"
Chapter 13 ends.
After so long... I'm finally back!!
Well, here it is. Stallion ch 13. Sorry the plot doesn't advance fast
enough, but I can't just run it on without setting up some basis for it.
Next chapter won't be so revealing either, but ch 15 definitely is going to
be the start of a big, gigantic snowball. :)
...whenever it comes out, that is.
Chao.
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