Sorry about the huge delay in getting the fifth one revised. It needed MUCH
work before I even wanted to put it out to the list. I'm afraid the final
sequences drag on a bit.
For previouse episodes of Cas of Blues, check out my fics at
http://ravenhale.anifics.com/fiction.html
Any response is better than nothing.
-----
The trio stood on the platform at Hakata Station. Karen was
there to see them off, black braids bouncing. Ryouga hopped
up onto the train, eagerness readable in his face. It was
clear he wanted to get going as soon as possible. Ryuu stood
aside, not making eye contact with anyone as Cas exchanged
'pleasantries' with Karen.
"I'm so happy that you convinced the winner to help you guys
out," Karen stated cheerfully. The girl was so happy her
eyes were closed. Behind her back, one hand was in the palm
of the other, as she smiled at the trio. She was leaning
forward so the braids fell in front of her shoulders instead
of behind them.
"It was nothing," Cas boasted proudly, holding a fist up in
victory. "I didn't even have to ask him. He knew what I
wanted and handed it over." Ryouga held a puzzled look on
his face. Ryuu sweat-dropped, wishing he was back in
Nagasaki.
"If you're ever back in Fukuoka, be sure to get in touch,"
Karen said happily. She opened her starry, brown eyes,
fixating them on Ryuu. "I'd love a rematch."
Ryuu felt very small under that gaze. It wasn't that he
hadn't gotten similar looks from girls her age back in
Nagasaki. No, it was because this time he felt like he had
encouraged her by talking to her. How was he to explain that
he wasn't interested in her because of her age?
"Oh dear," Cas said, her voice getting Ryuu's attention back
to the girls. "Looks like you've gone and made him blush."
If there was any lie to that, there wasn't anymore as Ryuu
instantly blushed. "Hey!" he sputtered. "Why don't you mind
your own business?"
Karen's eyes mercifully let go of him to regard Cas. "You
need to teach me how you got that money from him," she
pleaded. Her fists were up as if in prayer. Her brown eyes
delivered a convincing puppy dog look. This time Ryouga
joined Ryuu in sweat-dropping.
"Oh, it's just my curse," Cas said with a dismissive smile.
Both Ryouga and Ryuu instantly tasted steel and concrete,
respectively. "I'll be sure to look you up."
Karen bowed politely and Cas followed suit. Ryuu quickly got
to his feet to do the same, uneasy when Karen's eyes didn't
seem to leave him alone. "I'll see you around," he managed.
The girl beamed happily at him. "Look forward to it,
Ryuu-sam ... san," she stammered the last words, a crimson
flush rising on her cheeks. "Um bye!" She sped off quickly
into the throng of people in the station. Ryuu covered his
face with one hand, hoping to hide his own blush.
"Hey get up," Cas said behind him, followed up with an
audible kick. Ryouga groaned. Ryuu slipped onto the train
quietly, making no attempt to acknowledge his companions.
Cas eventually got Ryouga to stand up and both sat across
from him on the train.
'At least I can trust neither of them to get her slip,' he
thought miserably to himself. The train began to move
slowly. Ryuu stared out the window, watching Hakata Station
slowly move away from them. He allowed his thoughts to
wander.
Over and over, his thoughts came back to Cas winning the
competition. He could have sworn the girl had fallen. He
also doubted she was that skilled of a fighter. He had less
of an idea how she had eliminated the three men on her side,
than he did on how she avoided elimination. She claimed to
have caught a line and slowly climbed her way back up to
catch Karen off guard. He doubted that was the entire story.
She had secrets. He was certain of that now. And by the way
she smiled at him, she knew what he was thinking. "So you
just climbed back up, huh?" he asked again.
She grinned. It was a grin that told him that she had no
intention of telling him the full truth. It also didn't help
that Ryouga looked as guilty as a man stealing candy from a
baby. Obviously his other companion knew what had happened.
"Yea," she quipped teasingly. "I climbed up and you hate
Ranma." Ryuu flushed with anger. Cas's pleasant demeanor
instantly became stern. "We all have our stories Ryuu.
Don't expect me to give any more of mine if you won't give
any of yours."
He pointed at her accusative. "You know about the
Yumisen-ken," Ryuu declared. "What have you given me in
return?"
"You know of my curse, and of Ryouga's," she stated evenly.
"That's even in my eyes."
Ryuu slouched back in his seat, fuming. It didn't sound even
but he couldn't argue with it. He decided it could wait.
Unlike his secrets, he figured hers was something she'd have
to hide. 'It's only a matter of time.'
* * * * * * * *
Ryouga stepped down from the train into Umeda Station.
Ryouga moved aside so a damp Cas could step down. She looked
at him, daggers in her eyes.
"It was an accident," he explained. She crossed her arms,
tapping her foot. "At least nobody noticed." Ryouga could
swear steam was now floating off her head.
"Only because she didn't get a good look at me with you
falling into her like that," Cas spoke, the anger simmering
in her voice.
"Look at the bright side," Ryuu said from behind them. "She
wanted to make it up with you with dinner at her house. She
must have thought you were cute."
Cas whirled on Ryuu, hand raised. Ryuu stood there smirking,
not the least bit concerned. "This is all your fault!" she
declared, turning on Ryouga. He began to stammer out an
apology.
Cas was upon him in an instant. However whatever prevented
him from hitting girls did not paralyze Ryouga this time
seeing as Cas was male presently. He caught her fist and
held it firm. Cas threw the other one only to meet the same
fate. "Why don't you two play nice?" Ryuu remarked in a
bored tone.
Ryouga grinned confidently at Cas. Cas returned the smile, a
devilish glint in her eye warning him. He was down on his
knees in a moment, clutching his groin. 'Damn,' he cursed
through tears. 'Why does she have to fight so dirty?'
"As always," Ryuu stated, "you impress me, Cas. Your prowess
as a fighter is quite original and effective." Ryouga got to
his feet, wondering if he was going to be sick from the pain.
"So, now that we're in Osaka, what's the plan?"
Cas shrugged, her back to him. "I guess the same strategy as
always," she decided. "Except I'm coming with you this
time."
Ryuu scowled. "I'd prefer to be alone," he protested.
"Besides, Ryouga would only get lost if we let him go off on
his own."
Cas cast him a sidelong glance, a wry grin on her lips. "Oh,
I can find him when I want to," she said slyly. "You don't
need to worry about that. You just stay in the city,
Ryouga."
Ryuu still didn't look enthused about the idea. "Cas," he
started, "I'm going to be blunt, if I haven't been already.
I don't want you prying into my life, which I'm certain is
what you're going to do if you come along with me."
Cas crossed her arms and tilted her head aside. "What makes
you think I'm the slightest bit interested in why you hate
Ranma?" Cas asked, spitting the words out like poison. "I
don't care. All I wanted to know was a little more about
yourself. I'm not afraid of sharing my secrets."
"Who says I'm afraid?" Ryuu demanded.
Cas pointed at Ryuu, her gaze unyielding. Ryouga felt a bit
uncomfortable, aware that many people were gathering to see
what the newcomers were up to. "You do. There are only a
few reasons why someone withholds secrets from a friend. And
one of those reasons is they are afraid that their friend
won't understand."
Ryuu glowered at her. He then breathed heavily and looked
away. "You claim to be friends and yet you insult me in
saying I'm afraid," Ryuu muttered. "And I know you don't
treat Ryouga any better. What right do you have, to call
anybody your friend?"
For the first time since he had met her, Ryouga saw Cas back
down. She hung her head. "Please don't say that," she
whispered. It was barely audible for him to catch it.
Ryuu pressed on, oblivious. "You treat us like trash, always
handing out orders. Friends aren't servants, Cas. Maybe you
need to get that through your thick head," Ryuu snarled. Cas
winced visibly with each word. Ryouga looked on, startled
that she wasn't fighting back. "Sure, you say you are so
smart. And I agree. You duped me into this journey pretty
well. But you tricked me, Cas. I didn't want to come along.
And now that I know you better, I'm regretting every minute
of it." Cas recoiled as if being struck.
That was enough for him. "Stop it," Ryouga commanded. Ryuu
turned on him, eyes flashing. "You've made your point. Stop
it." Ryuu snorted and stomped off. Ryouga went over to Cas,
lifting her head up by the chin. His heart shuddered at the
sight of tears in her blue eyes. "You, okay?"
Cas nodded, whipping her eyes with a sleeve. "Sorry," she
muttered. "Must have gotten an eyelash stuck in my eye."
Ryouga smiled. It was the second time he had seen her cry as
a guy. This time he was more understanding. "Go with Ryuu
before we lose him," he said, guessing that was still what
she wanted. "Try not to insult him, he's more sensitive than
I am."
Cas managed a laugh. "Where shall we meet up?"
Ryouga looked about and caught site of a poster. He directed
her gaze to it. "Maishima looks promising," he declared.
"Cheer up. Have some fun." Cas nodded and quickly walked
away to catch up with Ryuu. Ryouga waited until both were
gone from sight before he decided to wander about.
Moments later he found himself lost in the middle of the
city, hopefully still Osaka. He was used to this by now,
though he felt more relaxed about wandering about knowing
that Cas could find him anywhere he went. 'Maybe that's why
I'm not straying as far off as I usually do,' he thought.
'Always before I knew that if I didn't find a way back,
nobody would ever find me. But not anymore.'
He stopped a man that was his height and had lenses so thick
he couldn't see the man's eyes. The man wore a white dress
shirt and tan pants. "Excuse me, sir," Ryouga started
politely. "Could you tell me which way to Maishima?" The
man pointed off to the south, towards the sun. "Thank you
sir."
Ryouga began walking towards the sun. It was past midday.
He couldn't remember where the sun had been upon departing
the station, so he wasn't sure how long he had been gone. A
fly bothered him and then the buildings were blocking the
sun. He started walking towards them, noting that his shadow
stretched out to his left. 'Hmmm,' he contemplated, 'it
wasn't on my left before. Must be getting later in the day.'
After a while he found the sun on his right and began walking
towards it again. He figured he was overdo in asking
directions. There was a guy, walking in the same direction
ahead of him. The man was slightly shorter than him and had
his chestnut brown hair pulled back in a tail. He could
swear he had met this man before judging by the getup the man
was wearing.
"Excuse me, sir. Could you direct me to Maishima?" he asked,
jogging to catch up to the man.
Brown eyes turned on him, an eyebrow raised. "Hey, Ryouga,"
the man drawled in the local accent. "What brings you to
town?"
Ryouga blinked. "Ukyou? What are you doing here?"
"This is my home town," Ukyou huffed, clearly annoyed. "I'm
here visiting my family."
Ryouga stared off and let out a disappointed sight. "I ... I
missed graduation, didn't I?"
"Six days ago, sugar," Ukyou said, smirking. "It's not like
you were attending school so you didn't miss anything."
"You don't understand," Ryouga muttered. "I wanted to be
there for Akane."
"Tough break," Ukyou said with an unsympathetic shrug.
"Curse you Ranma!" Ryouga shouted out to the sky. There was
no reason for it really. It did make him feel better though.
"It's your own fault," Ukyou declared, smacking the back of
his head.
He glared at her angrily but bit back any words. "Which way
to Maishima?"
"Headed there myself," Ukyou informed him. "I guess you
could come along."
"Um ... thanks," Ryouga offered. He felt tension between
them. He could guess why that was.
"So ... what's in Maishima, Ryouga?" Ukyou said after a few
moments of silence. "Aren't you usually looking for the
Tendou dojo?"
Ryouga scratched his head. "A couple of friends are going to
meet me there."
Ukyou laughed, shaking her head. "Are you stupid, Ryouga?"
she asked. "Must be new friends that don't realize you can't
find hay in a haystack."
Ryouga smiled. "You haven't met my new friends yet," he
explained. "Cas hasn't lost me yet and that's saying much
considering how far I've traveled with her."
"New girlfriend?" Ukyou ventured, arching an eyebrow.
Ryouga blushed. "I-It's n-not what you think," he stammered.
"Sure," Ukyou said. Ryouga followed her, flustered and at a
loss for words.
* * * * * * * *
Cas leaned on a rail overlooking the 'castle' in Osaka. It
wasn't exactly what she expected to see when she had first
heard about it. Still it was impressive. It certainly was
prettier to look at.
Ryuu came up next to her, a flyer in his hand. They hadn't
spoken since they left the station. Cas had been so upset
she hadn't even bothered to admire the station. She looked
away, not wanting to make eye contact.
"Here's your contest," Ryuu said gruffly, slapping the piece
of paper into her chest. It would have bothered her more if
she had been in her original body. She still hadn't been
able to get her hands on hot water. She glanced down at the
paper. It was a mixture of squiggles and lines she didn't
understand. She shrugged and handed it back.
"I can't read it," Cas said, still not looking at him.
Ryuu laughed. Cas continued to study every detail of the
castle. "You're kidding, right?" She continued to ignore
him. Ryuu snorted. "Guess you're not that smart, are you?"
Cas winced again. She looked over her shoulder at him. "Are
you through?"
"Just proves you can't take it like you give it," he
declared.
"Just proves I'm human like you," Cas returned. She then
looked back at the castle. "Are you having fun twisting the
knife in me?"
"You're the only one twisting things here. You belittle my
pain."
Cas turned on him, teeth clenched. "Your pain?" she demanded
angrily. "You betrayed me. I know nothing about your life,
Ryuu. Nothing. If I belittle it, it is because you don't
give me an understanding to sympathize with you."
He met her gaze evenly. "I don't want your sympathy."
"Well, maybe I wanted yours," Cas stated. "That night in the
peace park, I gave you something that I never give anybody.
I let you see how scared I am. And what do you do in return?
You stab me. You say you're not my friend and that you
don't want to be around me. Guess what, Ryuu? That hurts.
That hurts a lot."
Ryuu was beginning to look a bit uncertain. He shook his
head, suddenly taking an interest in the castle. "I never
asked you to share."
"I know," Cas muttered, joining Ryuu in his scrutiny of the
castle. "Guess I'm just a fool to trust someone I barely
know. That's how you live, Ryuu. Trusting nobody. Keeping
it all to yourself."
"It's easier that way," Ryuu declared, his eyes studying the
concrete beneath the rail.
"Ryuu," Cas began shakily. "You may never give me insight
into your pain, probably because you don't think I'll
understand. I never went to public schools. My father took
me out of private schools when I was ten. I was disruptive
in class. Imagine me, ten, knowing more than the teacher and
bored out of my mind. You get the picture."
Ryuu nodded, a smile slowly spreading. "I could see how that
would be a problem."
"My education continued with private tutors," Cas continued.
She pawed at the concrete with her foot, fidgeting. "For
the past nine years I've had little contact with a kid my
age. Even my youngest brother is five years older than me.
So ...." She looked up, staring at the fading blue sky.
"You and Ryouga are my first friends in a long time."
"I'm sorry for what I said back there," Ryuu sincerely told
her. He looked into her eyes. "I didn't know. I wouldn't
have said that ..."
Cas bowed her head slightly, looking at her hands. "That's
the point, Ryuu," she declared. "If you don't tell me
anything about you, how can you expect me not to accidentally
say something that hurts you? I'm not trying to hurt anyone
here."
"You're right, Cas," he said. She looked up but his eyes
would not meet hers. "I am afraid."
Cas clapped him on the shoulder, forcing a smile. "It's
okay," she remarked in a light tone. "I'm not expecting you
to open up to me in one day."
Ryuu managed a smile also. He cocked his head aside. "Why
me?" he asked. "Why share with me? What about Ryouga?"
Cas laughed halfheartedly. "Ryouga has problems dealing with
girls," she admitted. "I like him. He's a great guy but
he's ... he's already got too many problems with girls. I
don't want to get too attached to someone that's most likely
going to let me down." Cas sighed. That had been a very
hard thing to say, but she knew in her heart it was true.
"Don't get too attached to me," Ryuu returned in jest. "I
haven't had any dealings with girls. I'm just as likely to
screw this up as he is."
Cas chuckled. "Give it a couple more days," she suggested.
"Once you get to know Ryouga you'd understand how sane of a
choice I'm making here."
They shared a laugh. It didn't last long as both suddenly
became aware of bystanders looking on curiously. Cas turned
away blushing, realizing what it must look like with two guys
talking about 'opening' up to each other. Ryuu was quick to
follow Cas's lead, matching her blush.
"We should talk about something else before we make total
fools of ourselves," she declared.
"Agreed," Ryuu said, nodding vigorously. "This contest looks
promising." He handed her the flyer again. She refused to
take it. "Oh yea. It's um a race to Kyoto. Basically a
four-man team is to run from the outskirts of Osaka to Kyoto.
First team there wins a 100,000 yen."
Cas screwed up her face in thought. "What's the catch?"
"It's the first entire team that wins, so getting there first
doesn't help if none of your teammates cross in time," Ryuu
explained. "Other than that, there doesn't seem to be any
other rules. No mention of disqualifications for attacking
other runners, so it will probably be quite physical. Oh and
it does say no methods of transportation other than your own
two feet. So we can't be riding animals, riding bikes,
driving, etc."
"Sounds good," Cas admitted. "I'll just go cursed and
that'll make three of us. Guess we'll need a fourth team
member from somewhere."
"Where are we meeting Ryouga at?"
"Maishima."
A thoughtful look crossed his face. "We shouldn't have a
problem finding a team member there," he stated. "That place
is like an amusement park. I'm sure somebody would be
interested."
"That's good," she stated. "We better find Ryouga so we can
get there sooner. When is this race taking place?"
"Tomorrow."
"How come everything seems to happen tomorrow?" she asked
rhetorically.
Ryuu shrugged. "Well, I had to defend my title at any time,"
Ryuu began. "Karen scheduled her contest because we asked
her to. And tomorrow is the weekend."
"Okay," Cas said. "It just seemed so convenient. It was
kind of spooky."
"So, how are we going to find Ryouga?" Ryuu inquired.
Cas smiled, pulling out a tied swath of Ryouga's hair. "I
have other secrets, Ryuu," Cas said smugly. "You'll figure
it out eventually."
"I'm sure you do," Ryuu returned with a smirk.
"Here's your first chance to figure it out," Cas stated. She
began her spell to locate Ryouga. She doubted he'd get it
this time.
* * * * * * * *
By Ryouga's suggestion, Ukyou was sitting on a park bench
with the lost boy, waiting for Ryouga's new friends to
arrive. He hadn't said much after she asked if Cas was some
new girlfriend. She knew he was just shy. 'He'd act the
same way if Cas asks him about me,' she supposed.
Ukyou stared out over the waters of the Osaka-wan. The sun
was slowly approaching the horizon. She hoped his friends
would get here soon. She didn't want to miss the event that
had brought her here for the evening.
She glanced over to Ryouga, who wasn't paying attention to
anything in particular. A flash of anger coursed through her
as it had earlier when he first spoke to her. Images of her
throttling him came to mind but she decided not to act on
them. She doubted he would even understand why she was mad
at him. After all, he only nearly killed her on their last
encounter. If Ranma hadn't intervened, she wouldn't be here
today.
"So Ukyou," Ryouga began, talking away from her. "What are
you doing in Maishima after you're through waiting with me?"
Ukyou decided there was no harm in answering him. "There's a
contest here. The winner gets two tickets to ride the ferris
wheel. They are redeemable for an entire year, so I figure
if I can win maybe I can convince Ranchan to come with me."
"We'll join you then," Ryouga declared, flashing a smile with
a glint in his eye. "We're two for two in contests so far.
I'm sure Cas wouldn't want to pass this up."
"It's just a ferris ride," Ukyou stated.
"And if I win, I'll ask Akane ..."
Ukyou smacked him in the back of the head. "Hey!" she
protested. "Don't you be stealing my chance to be with
Ranchan!"
Ryouga snickered. "You don't stand a chance against my new
friends," Ryouga declared with a fist. His certainty
faltered. "Um ... what kind of contest is this?"
"No weapons allowed, battle royale," Ukyou said, returning a
smirk. "Hope your friends know how to drive."
"Drive?"
"It's a race car track," Ukyou explained. "You eliminate
your opponents by pushing them off the course. Your also not
allowed to drive backwards or the wrong way on the track.
That can get you disqualified. Last year I took fourth.
Pretty good considering it was the first time I ever tried
this thing."
"It's tonight?" he said, amazed.
"It's the first week after graduation," Ukyou reasoned. "And
it's the beginning of the weekend. There's also an on foot
race to Kyoto midday tomorrow. That's a big event. Lots of
money in it but I never can find partners to team up with.
You need a four man team."
Ryouga looked contemplative, or confused. Ukyou couldn't
tell the difference with Ryouga. "You can join up with us,"
he declared. "We'd need a fourth if we were to participate."
Ukyou couldn't take his nonchalance anymore. "You do
remember what happened between us last time," she demanded.
He looked away sheepishly. "Yea, I do," he muttered.
"You realized you almost killed me?"
Ryouga turned on her, furious. "What about you?" he yelled.
"What about what you did to Akane? Or have you forgotten
that wedding day when you tried to kill just about anything
that moved? At least I can claim to have been temporarily
out of control because of the 'thing' Happousai gave me.
What can you claim in your defense?"
Ukyou bit her lip, shrinking back in the bench. 'Boy, he hit
that on the nail,' she thought miserably. 'He's right. His
rage had been the influence of a magical item whereas my
actions had been....' She shook her head. She stubbornly
refused to acknowledge the solid accusation leveled against
her.
"Look, Ryouga," she whispered. "I know what I did was
inexcusable. I was desperate and stupid. After that, Ranma
never really spoke to me again. Shampoo handled it a lot
better than I did seeing as they weren't true friends to
begin with. But I lost my dearest friend because I thought I
was saving him from something he didn't want to do. I
thought, deep inside he didn't want her. I was wrong."
Ryouga sighed and patted her shoulder. "I think I know what
you mean," he started. "It's hard when the fight and insult
each other all the time to believe that they actually care
for each other. I always can't help but think that Akane
deserves better than that. That she deserves someone who
love her perfectly like I would have done had I the chance."
Ukyou offered him a smile. "I guess you can't save them from
themselves."
"I suppose not," Ryouga continued. "I've ... known for a
long time that Akari will love me the way I want to be loved.
I know I want to return that love. But, I ... can't escape
this nagging feeling that in choosing Akari, I'm abandoning
Akane. I've never given up on anything. It feels bad for
her to be the first person I've ever given up on."
"I gave up on someone," Ukyou said quietly. "I gave up on
myself. I'm as much to blame for you nearly killing me that
day. I gave up in the end. I ... I accepted your sentence
for my deeds and was ready to take it. I figured it was only
befitting that my actions that had led to two years of being
cast out of Ranchan's life should end with the end of mine."
Ryouga paled. "Ukyou," he gasped. "You should never think
like that."
Ukyou let out an abrupt laugh. "This coming from you," she
said, dripping with sarcasm. "You're the one who draws power
from your despair and depression."
"I'm only trying to help," Ryouga returned angrily.
"It's okay," Ukyou stated. "Your little stunt got Ranchan to
start talking to me again. For that I have to thank you.
Sorry about getting you lost though. But I guess that seems
to be okay considering you now have new friends, despite
missing graduation."
"I suppose that is a small price," Ryouga declared with a
smile.
"There he is," a male voice sounded over to them. The
speaker was a tall man with black hair and dark eyes. He
wore a white bandana in his hair above his brow. His clothes
consisted of fatigues, a black tank top and heavy black
boots.
"Wow," the other guy remarked. "Can't leave him alone for a
second. So who's the guy your chums with, Ryouga?" The
other guy had long blond hair pulled back into a ponytail.
The man had peculiar taste considering his bangs hung very
girlish about his slender face. The boy had cunning blue
eyes that peered right through her.
Ryouga instantly snatched his hand off of Ukyou's shoulder,
blushing. "Um ... this is Ukyou."
Ukyou decided to get up and bow to the pair of young men.
"Kuonji Ukyou," she said politely. "Pleased to meet you."
The tall boy bowed in response. "Kumon Ryuu and my friend
here is Keating Cas," Ryuu introduced, thumbing over to the
other man.
Ukyou frowned. "I thought Cas was a girl," she said puzzled.
Cas blinked. "I am."
Ukyou blinked and poked Cas in the chest. "You don't look
like a girl. Are you cross-dressing?"
"She's not the only one," Ryouga said with a smirk.
She whirled on him. "Hey!" she shouted. "This is what I
always wear!"
Cas and Ryuu exchanged blinks. "I think Ukyou is a girl
too," Cas decided.
"You couldn't tell on first glance?" Ryuu queried.
"You could?" Cas shot back.
"Yea, I thought she was kind of cute."
Ukyou had turned to yell at Cas but instantly blushed. "Hey,
cut that out!"
Ryouga cleared his throat behind her. "Um ... Ukyou was just
telling me about a contest on Maishima. It's not a big prize
but sounds like fun. You guys want to come along?" Ryouga
asked.
Ryuu shrugged. Cas cocked his head aside. "Only if we can
get some hot water on the way."
"Hot water?" Ukyou blurted confused.
"You'll see," Cas replied with a smirk.
* * * * * * * *
Cas was smoothing out her long sleeved, deep blue shirt. Her
coarse, black pants now hung down to her shoes. This was
different from her male form in which the pants were halfway
up her shins. Her shirt sleeves didn't threaten to swallow
her hands from every movement of her arms. The rest of her
shirt fit normally because what she lost in height she gained
in bust.
Ukyou pointed over to a young man with a pair of girls
hanging on him. The man had black hair that pulled out in
front of his head in a sharp spike. He had dark brown eyes
and a chiseled nose. "That is Zenkei Gyosha," Ukyou
informed. "He's the fastest man in Osaka. He won last
year's contest."
Ryuu was still a bit surprised how well Ukyou had taken to
Cas's curse. He stood there in thought, behind his
companions as some short man was explaining the rules that
Ukyou had already told them on the way here. For that matter
it didn't look like anybody was paying the fat man any
attention.
"I got dibs on a green car," Cas declared, pointing at a row
of small, single rider cars lined up at the front line of the
track. Each one had a number painted on the doors and hood.
"I think you get whichever one your entry number corresponds
with," Ryuu declared. Ukyou nodded, her doe, brown eyes
meeting his. He peered back, searching for any signs of the
usual heart-sickness that was present in most young girls'
eyes that he encountered. He was relieved to find none, and
undeniably disappointed at the same time.
"That's how it works," Ukyou agreed. She regarded Cas. "I
guess we can trade if you don't get the color you want."
"Cool," Cas quipped. "It probably won't make a difference
though. I have never driven a car."
"Pity to race against such amateurs," a voice drawled. The
man Ukyou had pointed out earlier came up next to them,
sliding an arm around Cas's shoulders. Cas visibly darkened.
"Hello Zenkei-san," Ukyou greeted through gritted teeth.
"Learn how to drive this year, Kuonji-san?" Gyosha goaded in
the same drawl.
"You have three seconds to get off me," Cas growled.
Gyosha laughed. "Or else what my little pretty?"
Cas's left hand clenched his left wrist that was on her
shoulder. She then dipped into him, snaking her right arm
behind to hook his left leg. She straightened up and threw
her body back, smashing Gyosha into the unforgiving pavement.
Cas was unscathed, most of her body being cushioned by
Gyosha's.
Ryouga was laughing and soon Ryuu joined in. Ukyou stood
there blinking. Cas got to her feet and dusted herself off.
"Ah, time to race," Cas declared, making a beeline to the
cars. Ryuu and the others quickly followed her, leaving a
groaning Gyosha behind.
Ryuu hopped into his yellow and white car numbered 71. He
believed the rosters had only 79 drivers listed upon closing
of enrollment. To make things more interesting, cars were
allowed onto the track one at a time every five seconds.
After ten cars were on the track a new car would only be
added when a competitor was eliminated. Numbers were drawn
at random to keep things fair. He looked over to his
companions. Cas had swapped Ryouga for car 70 so she could
have a green car. This left Ryouga with a pink monstrosity
numbered 69. Ukyou had pre-registered so she was separate
from them in car 16 somewhere.
The race was beginning. Number 33, an orange car speckled
with glitter, roared out onto the track. It was a single
loop track about a mile long surrounded by several stadiums
filled with cheering people. The curves slanted upward and
there was a single ramp that led up from the center where
they were to the track. Other cars joined the fray in
regular intervals. Numbers were read off, blaring over the
speakers. "42 ... 57 ... 13 ... 23 ... 28" the speakers
intoned. Car 13 ran off the track for no apparent reason,
the driver audibly cursing at his foul luck and defective
cars.
"76 ... 63 ... 51 ... 37" the rant continued. Ryuu could
feel his heart begin to pound in anticipation. Car 57 was
plowed into by Car 23. 57 spun out of control to meet 28
head on. The impact launched 57 up and over the rail of the
track. Ryuu now tasted fear among his excitement. 'I've
never driven a car either,' he thought, panicking.
"7 ... 43." That would have been it had 28 not decided to
pull off the track. Apparently the driver decided not to
continue after such damage to the car for only a pair of
tickets to a ferris wheel. "39." Ryuu watched as the ten
cars sped around the track. Ryuu realized this was going to
be a long event. None of these competitors wanted to risk
damage to their cars with sixty more contestants waiting in
reserve.
A gold and silver car pulled up next to him numbered 3. He
could see the driver was Gyosha Zenkei. The driver nodded
out to the track as 76 was cornered off the track by 42.
"What do you think of the race?" Gyosha asked with a tinge of
superiority in his voice. Car 47 zoomed out onto the track.
"Quite difficult," he admitted. "If you're called in early
you most likely won't win the race."
"These things are electric so we don't have to worry about
fuel," Gyosha said with a nod, "but I agree with you. I
don't win this every year. It's very hard to when you get
called out in the first half."
"I'm surprised you don't bear number 1," Ryuu stated,
thumbing at his car.
"I reserve my number," Gyosha said proudly. "The three
stands for the three things I'm proud about: my driving, my
running and my women."
Ryuu laughed, shaking his head. He watched in amazement as
51 clipped 23 but 23 was already damaged so the cars didn't
separate. Soon both cars spun off the track. Car 59 was
called to join the fray. The car didn't get far as 42
slammed it right off the track, moments after it exited the
entrance ramp. Car 78 was next and was more careful about
getting into the race. Soon Car 66 sped off into the throng.
"Who's in 42?" Ryuu asked, interested. 42 was forcing 63 off
the track. 63 narrowly avoided elimination by braking and
swinging up high on the track.
"One of my teammates for tomorrow," Gyosha admitted.
"Kurenai-san. He's sitting in for one of my regulars that
got sick. It's a shame he's the second one on the track."
"So who's your other two teammates?" Ryuu pried.
"Cars 20 and 21. Kurenai was a latecomer so he registered
afterwards," Gyosha explained. As he spoke 37 began to skid
on one of the turns in the track. The driver lost control
and careened into 47 bearing both cars off the course. Car
55 and then Car 73 were called out. "Enjoy the race."
Gyosha drove off.
Ryuu was enthralled. 33 managed to box 43 in. In a combined
effort between 33 and 55, 43 was forced off the road. As
this was happening 42 cut in front of 39 so close that the
driver panicked. 39 smashed into 78 and flipped over. The
driver deliberately left the track after the damage was done.
78 soon had to do the same. "35 ... 5 ... 45."
Ryuu was relieved. A quarter of the way into it and none of
his team had been called in. 63 avoided a swipe from 7, but
inadvertently clipped 66 in the process. 66 swept up high,
sandwhiching 73 against the outer wall. When free, 73
regretfully drove off the track. "79."
The smashing continued. 42 nudged 55 off during one of the
turns. 45 tried to capitalize on 42's vulnerability but cut
the turn to hard. 45 drove off the track right behind his
intended target. "61 ... 30." This time it was 33 cutting
tight to the entrance ramp and chasing 30 off the track
before the car could properly get into the race. "41."
In moments things began to get scary. Cars 66, 7 and 63 had
all been driving relatively close when car 79 lost control.
There was deafening collision as 66 and 7 tore into 79. 79
flipped over the two cars hoods. 63 then smashed into 7,
which in turn sideswiped 66. As 79 was being towed off by
medics, 66 shot off the road, soon followed by 7. Though he
didn't see it himself, the board reported Car 35 being
eliminated by 5. "60 ... 20 ... 26 ... 75 ... 11." Car 26
fell victim to an early elimination by 42. Ryuu regarded the
black and yellow car with concern. This Kurenai fellow was
good and now he had a teammate on the field.
In a combined effort 42 and 20 drove both 60 and 41 off the
track. The pair accelerated to catch up to their next
victim. "1 ... 46, it seems like Zenkei's team is taking the
track," the announcer declared, switching from the regular
drone. Ryuu knew he'd be in trouble if he was out on the
track anytime soon.
1, obviously one of last year's better drivers, easily forced
75 off the road. "53." Zenkei's team claimed another
victim, forcing 61 off the road after smashing it into the
wall. "77." 63 avoided elimination once again, eliminating
his aggressor, Car 5. "62." In a joint effort 53 and 77
eliminated 46. "18 ... 9." 53 had slammed into his former
ally sending 77 careening off the course.
63's number was finally up as Zenkei's team cornered him. 42
clipped him in the front while 20 rear-ended him. 63 spun
headlong catching 9 in the process. Both cars were
eliminated. It was an honorary end to a newcomer that had
eliminated three veterans of the sport: 5, 7 and 9. "36 ...
44."
Ryuu was feeling lucky. Half the numbers had been called
out. Zenkei's team forced 18 off the road, giving 42 his
seventh official elimination of the day. "56 ... 68." The
display board reported 44 to be eliminated by 33. Zenkei's
team closed the distance to 62. In a panic 62 eliminated
himself. "3."
Gyosha blared onto the coarse in a smoke trail. Ryuu watched
in fascination as Gyosha made quick work of both 68 and 56.
"50 ... 29." Ryuu knew that any of his friends would be in
serious trouble if their numbers got called now. 1 was
pulling alongside 33. 33 wisely braked, allowing 1 to pursue
36. Soon 36 was off the road. "32." Zenkei's team caught
up with 53. Moments later the driver was swearing profusely
about the unfairness of being ganged up on. "69."
Ryouga sped off into action. Ryuu felt kind of sorry for
him. Thankfully Zenkei's team wasn't near the entrance ramp,
giving Ryouga a clean start. Gyosha managed to feint 11 by
going high. 11 went high to only to be smashed into the wall
from the other side. Gyosha braked to stay clear as 11
turned hard in front of him. 11 narrowly missed Gyosha and
was out of the race. "10." 10 wasn't as lucky as Ryouga.
Zenkei's team forced the driver off the road shortly after
the ramp. "74."
Ryouga's driving was mediocre at best. Zenkei's team whipped
past him without a thought. They proceeded to drive the
cluster of cars in front of Ryouga one at a time. 29 went
first, followed by 50. 32 avoided escape by braking but was
rear-ended by Ryouga. Ryouga inadvertently got his first
elimation. "22 ... 65 ... 15."
Gyosha cornered 33. He slowed down, matching pace with 33.
Ryuu could see 33 wasn't going to be in the race much longer
as 42 and 20 steadily made their way to their leader.
Elsewhere 1 was closing in on the newest entries to the race.
1 soon proved his skills to be equal to that of Gyosha's as
he sped past ignoring 15 and ran 65 off the road. Further
down the track 22 took 74 out of the contest. "48 ... 70."
Cas took off in a flash. Her speed was unreal. She gained
on 48 who unexplainably spun out and off the track. All the
same, Cas was given the elimination. "58."
Zenkei's team finally boxed 33 in. 33 slammed on the brakes.
This resulted in both 20 and 33 colliding. Ryouga came from
behind and tapped 20 off the road shortly after 33 was
eliminated. "14 ... 40 ... 49." The board reported 22
eliminated by 1. Somehow Cas eliminated 15 as she sped past
him. "72."
Gyosha was back down to a two-man team as him and Kurenai
caught up to the newest entries. 42 chased 72 off before the
car could get fully into it. "64." Gyosha accelerated up to
the next victim. 49 panicked and smashed into 40,
eliminating them both. "52 ... 16." Ukyou sped onto the
track just as 58 was run off by 14. "6."
Cas came by the entrance ramp employing the same strategy as
42. 6 was soon eliminated. "2." Ukyou was driving
alongside 52. She passed by 52, intent on 64 seeming to allow
1 to have 52. In moments both targeted cars were out. "31
... 67."
Ryuu noted that the reserves were getting thin. He was the
only one of his team not in. If he could call his group a
team, considering Cas was driving behind Ukyou and 1 while
Ryouga was tailing Zenkei's team. Gyosha and 42 forced 14
off the road as he watched. "27." 27 tore off the pavement
in a beeline for 67. The moment Ryuu had been dreading
finally came as 67 was shot off the track. "71."
Ryuu gunned on the pedal and ascended the ramp at his highest
speed. He glimpsed Zenkei's team at the last possible
moment. Instead of avoiding, Ryuu decided it didn't matter.
There weren't many cars left to worry about damage to his.
Ryuu smashed into the black bullet that was 42. The car spun
out wide. He lurched forward as he was rear-ended. A
glimpse in the mirror revealed Ryouga to be the culprit.
"You moron!" he shouted as he desperately tried to keep
control of his car. His heart pounded madly in his ears.
He was still on the course. 42 was nowhere in sight. Ryouga
and Gyosha were now ahead of him. "25." It was barely
audible over the hum of his engine but someone had been
eliminated. He would have to wait until he saw the stat
board after the first lap. He watched Gyosha ram into 27.
He swerved to avoid the car as it spun out. "17 ... 8."
Gyosha was pulling away from them. Ryuu knew that Gyosha
needed to get behind them to eliminate them. He tried to
catch up.
The stat monitor showed he had eliminated 42 and 2 had
eliminated 31. A new stat flashed, showing 1 was eliminated
by Cas and Cas had eliminated herself. "38 ... 54 ... 54 ...
Car 54 where are you?" A clearing of throat could be heard.
"24."
Gyosha ran 38 off the road while 24 rammed into Ryuu's left
side. "34." It occurred to Ryuu as he turned into 24 that
Gyosha's last teammate, 21, was still not in the race. By
brute force Ryuu forced 24 off. He had lost sight of Gyosha.
"4 ... 21." Ryuu began to wonder how many more cars were
left. He could still see Ryouga in his rearview. Ryouga was
having trouble with 4.
He watched 21 come up on the pair quick. "12." There was a
smash of steel and two cars careened off the track. 21
continued towards him, only a little worse for the wear.
"19. Ladies and gentlemen we are down to eight cars left on
the track.
Ryuu's confusion was answered as he rounded the stat board.
Gyosha had eliminated 8, 17 and 25. 21 had got the credit
for 4, while 4 got the credit for Ryouga. 21 was approaching
steadily. 34 didn't have a chance. It was down to seven
cars. He glanced across the stadium to see Gyosha, Ukyou and
2 battling it out.
"Five cars remaining folks," a voice cried out excitedly.
Ryuu supposed something happened behind him as he could
clearly see the skirmish between Ukyou and Gyosha unfold. 2
got hit bad in the end and soon dropped off the track. He
knew 21 was behind him, so he guessed 12 and 19 had
eliminated each other somehow.
His car lurched as 21 struck from behind. He pulled right,
purposefully striking the wall. He then hauled on the
steering wheel to the right smashing into 21. 21 rolled off
the track, going side over side several times before coming
to a rest.
"We have a winner," the judge shouted. Ryuu was surprised,
as he was sure he hadn't been eliminated. "Kumon Ryuu in car
68." Ryuu cut off his engine. All he could hear was the
roar of the crowd as darkness overwhelmed him.
* * * * * * * *
"Wake up, Ryuu!" Cas shouted, shaking her comrade by his
collar. Ryuu was daisy-eyed, hanging out of his car. "You
won!" Ryouga and Ukyou came up next to them. Gyosha was
running over to congratulate Ryuu also. Cas slapped the
winner in the face.
"Hey!" Ryuu protested, eyes glaring at her angrily. His fist
raised but Cas only laughed. "I was in shock. That last hit
really hurt."
"I'd say," Gyosha called from afar. The man was still
closing in but wasn't in as much a hurry as before. "I've
never seen poor Kosite-san rolled that badly. I hope he'll
be able to race tomorrow."
"You sound rather happy for a guy who just lost," Ryuu said,
narrowing his eyes.
"I won a pair of tickets," Gyosha said with a shrug. "I
eliminated the most opponents."
"Oh, there was a prize for that," Cas said raising a brow.
"I barely got it, too," Gyosha quipped with a smile. "One of
my own teammates gave me a run for my money. I got eleven
while he got ten. Between the four of us we got twenty-nine
eliminated."
"How'd we do as a team?" Cas asked to Ukyou.
"They say we got ten," she sighed. "I personally say we got
eleven."
"I'd say you got eleven," Gyosha agreed. "But the judges say
there wasn't enough contact to give us a simultaneous
elimination. Thankfully they gave me credit for you or else
I wouldn't have won anything this year. That would have been
a first for me."
"Well, see you in the race tomorrow," Ukyou declared. "We
should give you a run for your money this year."
"I'm sure you will," Gyosha agreed, waving as he departed.
"Congratulations on your victory. My dearest sympathy for
you losing the match tomorrow."
Cas smirked. She stuck out her hand to Ukyou. "Welcome to
our team." Ukyou shook her hand, slowly at first, but soon
both girls were smiling.
-----
That concludes the fifth episode. I'm running behind schedule in revising
these things. Moved and all that. Sister's hogging the computer. Many
other reasons.
Hope you all like it!
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