After an unexpected delay, here's the first draft of chapter 21 of Ten. If
anyone was waiting for this, I apologise - various life issues had to be
dealt with. I feel I've fallen off a lot, given the lengthy break in my
writing, so I welcome any comments regarding this chapter. It feels rough
to me, so go nuts.
Anyway, sorry about the delay. Here's the chapter. Please enjoy.
= = = =
T E N
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic
By R. E.
(ranma_e@hotmail.com)
Illustrations by Irka
(irka@ciudad.com.ar)
= = = =
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
"The Exodus"
= = = = = = = =
Ranma!
Akane watched with hope in her heart as the formless black mass descended
toward her, sinking like the night to swallow the faltering light overhead.
She could not see her companion within the cloud but Ryujin's eyes could
see hundreds of tiny, crackling sparks of energy that darted like lightning
beneath the seemingly-benign surface.
A wave of cold hit her, a blast of frozen air that stung her eyes. She
winced, squinting and raising her hands to cover them as her hair rippled
violently in the gale. The cloud landed heavily upon the platform,
flattening and spreading from the force of the impact.
A deep thud reverberated through the shaft. The platform itself gave way
under the force of the collision, steel scraping against steel as the floor
was pushed downwards. Akane wobbled, struggling to stay balanced as the
vibrations shook her.
The elevator juddered to a halt with a loud thump, which echoed into
absolute silence. The wind died down and Akane lowered her hands, her eyes
widening as a shape began to emerge - a pillar of smoke, crowned with
bright red fire. Taller and taller it grew, seeming to stretch the smoke
until at last the blackness gave way, parting in two to allow Ranma's head
and shoulders to emerge from beneath.
Ranma's eyes were closed, her head tilted forward, her pale skin glowing
faintly in the darkness. The rich red light of the fire atop her head
flickered across her face, deepening the shadows around her eyes. Akane
gasped, realising that Ranma's hair was not on fire - Ranma's hair -was-
fire. Thin burning strands dangled loosely across her cheeks, tiny tongues
of flame dancing to and fro.
"Ranma," she whispered, her body trembling. "What ... what have you ...."
Suddenly, one of Ranma's eyes shot open, a bright red orb burning with a
light that was both beautiful and terrible.
Even within the protective shelter of her robe, Akane felt her own body
growing colder, heavier. Weariness was taking hold of her, slowing her
breathing and weighing down her eyelids. She could feel her legs wobbling,
buckling under the sudden weight of her own body. She tried to look away
from that eye but she could not. Its stare was unrelenting, its power
undeniable.
Still staring with one eye Ranma gave a thin smile, revealing sharpened
fangs. They grazed her lip, loosing droplets of blood upon her pale chin.
The liquid bubbled and evaporated within moments, swept away to join the
smoke.
The cloud surrounding Ranma shifted, a small bump growing and parting as
she raised her arm. The dark mass gave way and Akane gasped. What once
had been Ranma's arm was now a twisted mass of flame, the scorched red
flesh of her hand tipped not with fingers but with sharp black talons.
"Ranma," she whispered, horrified. Ranma's body stood before her, but it
was not Ranma. This creature was a twisted caricature, a demon wearing her
companion's face.
Gods, Akane thought desperately, clutching her hands to her temples. Is
this ... Ryukyu? Is this what Ranma has suffered for nine hundred years?
Ryujin's voice cried within her, compelling her to run, to hide, to make
good her escape before it was too late. Go, go! Run while you still can!
You must not fight her!
No! she yelled back, clenching her fists in anger. I'm -not- afraid.
I'm not going to abandon Ranma!
Ryujin's voice rose to a scream, a wordless cry of anguish and despair.
The dragon within her truly feared Ryukyu, and as Ryujin's fear rose,
her own rose in turn. She gritted her teeth and fought back the fear,
pushing it aside with her own determination.
"I don't know if you can hear me, Ranma," she called out to the demon
before her, "but I'm coming to get you."
* * *
Silence.
The veil of darkness was slowly lifted from Nine's mind. He did not
remember passing out, and yet he could not remember anything else either.
He tried to move. Save for a tingling sensation in his feet and a dull ache
in his lungs, his body was completely numb. Leaden weight held his eyes
closed.
He snorted, taking a deep breath as the weight of unconsciousness began to
lessen. Frozen air filled his throat and the ache in his lungs
intensified, sharpening to become a stabbing pain in his chest. He
grimaced, or tried to, his lifeless muscles refusing to respond.
The drowsiness lifted further, its disappearance accelerating until
suddenly his eyes flew open, allowing blinding light to penetrate the
darkness. Pain surged through his mind, forcing him to squint, to allow
his eyes to adjust. All around him sound grew louder, clearer, as though
he were emerging from beneath the surface of the ocean. Dull tones
resolved themselves into murmured voices.
He took another breath, and this time he saw moisture rising before his
eyes. He could feel his lips quivering as the air passed between them,
hear the click-clack of his teeth chattering involuntarily. He became
aware of a soreness in his throat. This came as an enormous relief to him.
As if in acknowledgement of his discovery, his heart gave a deep thump.
So I'm not dead.
The light faded away as his eyes adjusted. Before long its source was
revealed - a fluorescent tube far above, glowing dimly, its light obscured
by a lingering cloud of thick, black smoke.
Cold ... too cold ... where am I? What happened? He coughed, and the pain
returned to his lungs. And where the hell is all this smoke coming from?
Something at the edge of his vision caught his notice. Actually moving was
out of the question, so he simply allowed his head to loll to one side. It
took a moment for his eyes to refocus. The moment they did, he wished they
had not. The smoke peeled away, revealing his twin and tormentor, towering
over him.
Six-Three!
Panic gripped his body, and he tried to move, to get up, to defend himself
somehow - but he could not. He wanted to scream, to call out for help -
to do something, anything, but even that was beyond him. He stared in
helpless despair at Six-Three's face, the features of his twin and
tormentor locked in a twisted smirk.
He's going to kill me. He waited for me to wake up. He's going to kill
me. He's going to--
Nine's frantic thoughts were brought to a screeching halt as, suddenly,
Six-Three's forehead cracked. A tiny fracture spread across his face,
growing diagonally down across his nose and beneath one eye. It spread,
growing longer and wider before branching out, until suddenly a large chunk
fell away.
Nine watched in astonishment as the chunk tumbled end over end for what
seemed an age, before smashing into the cold metal in front of his face.
It shattered violently, sending tiny shards flying in all directions. A
few landed gently upon his face. He instinctively closed his eyes,
recoiling at the burning sensation of blood upon his skin. A few moments
passed before he realised that it was not blood that stained his face. It
was not heat that burned his skin - it was cold. Slowly, tentatively, he
opened his eyes.
What the hell ...?
His eyes shot up to Six-Three. The Hidari stood unmoving, still smirking
with what remained of his face. Beneath the skin was not flesh and bone
but clear, solid ice. As he stared, fractures began to appear all over
Six-Three's body. One hand came loose and fell away, leaving a jagged,
frozen stump.
A sudden surge of adrenaline poured into his body and his muscles jumped
into motion, pulling him up and away from Six-Three. He managed to raise
himself to a sitting position against the elevator railing just as
Six-Three's abdomen split into three and collapsed to the floor.
He pressed himself tightly against the railing, staring in dismay at the
scattered pieces, some of which were beginning to melt. He panted, gulping
down frozen air through a dry throat. A dizzying sensation washed over him
as the blood drained from his head. Six-Three was the most terrifying
creature he had ever met - what on Earth had been able to do this?
* * *
For as long as she could remember, Akane had felt a benevolent presence
alongside her. Perhaps it was nothing so tangible as a presence; more an
everpresent sense that she was not alone, even inside her own head. She
could feel it watching her when she lay in bed half-asleep, when she was
walking home from school, when she was planting flowers in the garden
behind her house. Wherever she went, it came with her. Never speaking,
never moving - simply there, inside her. Silent but steadfast.
As she grew older she began to rationalise it - it must be her mind's way
of coping with the loss of her mother. A fantasy of her own creation,
something comforting to believe in. She convinced herself for so long that
she began to believe it. She ignored the fact that she was the only person
with such a companion, such as it was, and tried to move on with her life.
But then, Ranma entered her life, and everything changed. Suddenly, this
ethereal presence was quite real. What was once nothing more than a vague
sense of comfort and reassurance began to coalesce. Suddenly, the feelings
became words. The presence she carried within her gained a voice and a
name: Ryujin.
It was not until she saw Ranma with Ryujin's eyes that she realised the
truth. She was -not- the only person with a companion. Ranma, this
stranger, was similarly gifted.
But Ranma's companion was not a gift. She could now perceive Ryukyu
burning within her friend, a dark cancer consuming Ranma from within.
Where she felt comfort Ranma felt torment. Where she felt reassurance
Ranma felt malevolence. While she was accompanied by Ryujin, Ranma was
imprisoned with Ryukyu. She was never alone - Ranma was never anything
else.
Akane. Please - you must not do this. I cannot help you. You cannot
stand against Ryukyu's will.
I'm sorry. I didn't realise it before, but I ... I have to save her. By
myself, if I have to.
To even look upon Ryukyu's face was painful. To see that eye, burning and
hateful, filled her with such powerful revulsion that she was forced to
look away. She could not imagine living with such anguish for more than a
moment, let alone a lifetime. Let alone a dozen lifetimes.
She pressed her palms together and gathered her strength, focusing upon
pooling her courage and preparing to ignore the warnings inside her mind
for the first time in her life. Gritting her teeth, she looked upon
Ranma's face again. This time, she would not look away.
The sound of Ryujin's voice sank into nothing, and the everpresent warmth
died. She swallowed hard, feeling truly alone for the first time since her
awakening. Ryukyu smiled thinly at her. One black talon curled, beckoning
her forth. Akane flinched for a moment, realising that Ryukyu could read
her, as well. She was alone, she was vulnerable, and Ryukyu knew it.
Damn it, she thought. Too late to worry about it now.
She pulled her hands apart and, forming two fists, tried to move forwards
towards Ryukyu. However, her feet would not obey. A sudden panic took
her - what was wrong? Why wouldn't her feet move? Was Ryujin holding her
back? Daring to look away from Ryukyu for a moment, she glanced down to her
feet.
What the HELL?
* * *
Nine's heart pounded in his chest, the sound seeming to echo within the
small sphere of clear air that surrounded him. All around the black smoke
hovered. It was a suffocating fog, thick and unyielding; dancing over the
rapidly-melting remains of Six-Three. He could feel the fog encroaching
upon him, its movement slow but unmistakable. His instincts screamed at
him: stay out of the smoke! Stay back!
The pragmatic matter of survival pushed aside the horror that had filled
him only moments before. He had to stand up. He had to get out of this
smoke, somehow. He did not know how, but it had killed Six-Three. Unless
he found a way out, it would do the same to him.
He tried to pull himself upwards, fingers and knuckles protesting loudly
as they tried to grip the frozen railing. He grunted, straining his arms
against his own weight. His feet scratched back and forth uselessly
against the ice-covered metal, the soles of his feet sliding to and fro as
his knees flexed in a futile effort to raise his body.
And all the while the smoke circle moved, one edge drawing closer, closer.
Damn it, he thought in frustration. I'm not getting anywhere like this.
I've got to--
A gleam of light among the fog - a pale white glimmer in the fringe of his
vision - caught his attention. With curiosity momentarily overwhelming
fear, he turned and glanced at the source of the light. At first it was
unrecognisable, little more than a faint point of light, but as the smoke
ebbed, the source was revealed. Nine's eyes widened.
Six-Three - again. No, he realised, this was not Six-Three. This was
another of his brethren. Like Six-Three, the new Hidari was frozen solid.
The light Nine had noticed was at last revealed - little more than the
reflection of the light overhead by the Hidari's frozen features.
This Hidari, like Six-Three, was falling apart. One arm had fallen away,
and the other sported a sizable crack. Behind this new discovery, Nine
could see another frozen foot - another Hidari. The smoke rolled slowly
onwards, allowing an entire row of frozen faces to emerge from the
darkness - silent, still and lifeless.
The stark realisation struck him: They're all dead - every one of them.
But ... why am I still alive?
* * *
Akane strained but her feet would not move, for they were completely
encased in thick, solid ice. A thick coating covered the entire elevator
platform, and no matter how hard she tried to shift her legs, they could
not break free of their anchor.
She did this, she realised, looking up at Ryukyu's eye. A manic grin
spread across Ryukyu's face, sharp teeth gleaming red under the light of
her flaming hair. The smoke began to draw in towards Ranma's body, seeming
to grow thicker and darker.
Ryukyu's arm rose, talons curling into a fist. From the smoke another arm,
ten times larger, rose in tandem alongside. The smoke bubbled and writhed,
held in place by the force of Ryukyu's will. Ryujin's eyes could see the
crackling red energy surging along the arm, sustaining its form.
Gods, it's alive, Akane realised, staring in gobsmacked horror as Ryukyu's
other arm raised, bringing another duplicate with it. She yanked herself
upwards, straining against the ice; there was a tiny cracking sound, but
her feet did not move.
The giant arms surged forward. Curved talons screamed toward her. The air
was ripped in two with lethal force. She couldn't move - she could only
duck. The smoke shot over her back; a blast of cold air followed in its
wake and slammed into her. She gagged, winded.
The gale died down and she breathed again. A painful breath, oxygen like
ice burning her throat. Overhead the colossal arms drew back, two hands
clasping together into an enormous fist. She stared, horrified. Her legs
burned, muscles straining against the ice.
Come on ... I've ...
The hands began to move. The shadow grew larger. The air pressure bore
down upon her. A weighty sense of impending doom. And all the while, her
muscles strained. Her heart pounded. And her legs began to shift.
.. got to ...
She screamed, and pushed until - with a deep crack - the ice finally gave
way.
.. move!
She charged forward, pushed by the wake of the fist as it slammed through
the platform behind her. In front of her, Ryukyu's arms lowered in perfect
synchronisation. As the burning talons sank into the smoke between them,
the eye was once again revealed. This time she was not afraid. Drawing
her fist back she snarled and flung herself toward it.
Her fist flew. The eye widened. The smoke surrounded her, shutting out
all light, all sound. She was alone with the eye, bathed in its horrible
light. Fear and thought were abandoned. Instinct alone drove her
movement. Closer, and closer, and slower ... and slower ... until she felt
the impact.
For a moment, all was perfectly still. The eye's light was gone, and she
was alone in the dark. She felt ... warm. A drop of water landed upon her
cheek. And another, on her arm. The world exploded into existence around
her once more. Ryukyu flew backwards from the force of her punch. All
around her the smoke vanished, dissipating in an instant.
* * *
Nine felt her presence before he saw her.
Part of his mind perceived the smoke's dissolution. His eyes and ears did
at some level notice the vast crowd of frozen Hidari as they began to
crumble en masse. But none of that mattered anymore. He could feel
something else, something far more important.
A strange feeling struck him, a bizarre hybrid of terror and relief. It
was, he realised, an intensely familiar emotion - something he had felt
before and yet somehow lost. Now that he felt it again, deep within
himself, he wondered how he had ever forgotten. How could he have lost
something that felt so much a part of him?
The railing supporting him shook from an impact. His head turned of its
own accord, and he caught sight of her. The rest of the world faded into
insignificance as he looked upon her face - his face - in wonder. Her eyes
were closed, but a tiny smile held fast upon her lips. Across her features
a dozen tiny strands of flame were splayed, burning brightly.
"I ... remember you."
One eye, burning a deep shade of red, shot open and fixed him with a
glowering gaze. The stare of that eye was like a blow to the head; he
recoiled, his legs threatening to give way beneath him. Catching himself
mid-fall, he gripped the railing tightly with suddenly-numb hands.
* * *
A voice. HER voice.
"He tricked you."
Rock and sky. Water, rock and sky. Tumbling end over end.
"What?"
The rush of air past him. Cold, churning spray upon the air.
"You shouldn't have trusted him. It was all a lie, and you never even
suspected."
Falling, falling. A deep, pounding sound far below.
"What are you talking about?"
A strong taste of metal, hot in his mouth.
"You are just a tool to him. He created you because he thought you could
stop me. That's the reason you were born."
Ringing in his ears.
"What ... what are you doing?"
The rich smell of the earth.
"He was right. You could have stopped me. But he was too slow. It's my
turn now. Now, you belong to me."
The sun was rising into the horizon.
"Stop! Why are you doing this?!"
It vanished. There was blackness, salt, and blood.
"He tricked you, but he didn't - trick - me."
* * *
Akane bit her lip, anxiously watching as Ryukyu's limp body fell to the
platform, leaving behind a crumpled railing. Ranma landed with a heavy
thump, the sound carrying a note of finality. It had certainly been quite
a blow - more powerful than she had intended. She wondered for a moment if
it was her own anger that drove her hand forward, or if it was the anger of
the dragon within her.
Ryukyu underestimated me. I hit Ranma too hard ...
She stepped toward the fallen body of her companion, but stopped as
something else caught her eye. A person, falling slowly sideways. She
gasped as she recognised the figure; a person she had completely forgotten.
* * *
Nine stumbled backwards, faintly aware of his body pitching sideways. The
dull impact of the railing against his back registered in the back of his
mind.
That face - that eye - burned itself irrevocably into his mind. He had
seen it before. He did not know where; it was like as from a dream, a
vague sense of familiarity amidst a sea of uncertainty. The memory of her
was clearer now, even as it was surrounded by confusion. Her face occupied
a place in his mind and all around was ... nothing.
That lack of memory was as damning as any memory could be. That demon had
stripped something away from him - something dear, even though he could not
remember it.
He could hear her voice, speaking echoed words to him, but he could not
entirely understand them. The eye burned brightly, silhouetting all else.
It was not looking at him but through him, to some distant beyond that he
could not perceive. And yet, it was aware of his presence somehow. He
could feel its terrible gaze upon him even as it passed through him.
He tumbled helplessly, his arms cartwheeling wildly. He could not see
anything to grip amid the darkness, but his arms flailed nonetheless. And
then, a blurry light appeared at the edge of his vision. It was white,
glowing with a diffuse light that pushed aside the shadows. Within it he
could hear a sound. Soft, melodious, gentle upon the air.
"Akane," he whispered, suddenly remembering just where he was, and what was
happening. Awareness of his surroundings hit him, a blast of cold water,
and his body jolted as if awakening from a haunted dream. The white light
now shone brightly upon him, but even as he reveled in its warmth he could
feel the icy demon rising nearby. The demon began to move and panic seized
his heart, for he perceived the terrors lurking behind that red eye.
"Akane!" he cried, forcing the last of his strength to his throat. "You
have to RUN!"
His body fell at last to the platform. As his head struck the frozen
metal, light was cast aside by darkness and sleep claimed him.
* * *
I can't run, Nine. I'm sorry. I can't leave either of you with Ryukyu.
Ryukyu slowly rose, shaky legs lifting her weight as both hands gripped the
railing for support. Akane tightened her fists. Damn it, maybe I didn't
hit her hard enough.
"Let her go, Ryukyu."
The railing creaked beneath Ryukyu's weight as she slowly rose to her feet,
standing shakily for a moment as her support was released. Ryukyu's hair
had slipped its bonds and hung to her ankles, a flowing sheet of flame that
almost completely obscured her body.
"Let her go," Akane insisted, "or I'll make you let her go."
Her words went unheeded. Ryukyu simply stood still, her shoulders rising
and falling with slow breaths. Akane's eyes caught ten burning talons
hanging loosely at Ryukyu's sides, but they did not move.
"I ... won't warn you again."
Ryukyu's head rolled lazily to one side, once more bringing the red glow of
her eye into view. She looked over her shoulder at Akane, that vicious
smile once more spreading across her face.
"Warn me?" she asked through her laughter, words ringing in a deep, booming
voice. She turned, facing Akane once again, and folded her arms. "Warn
-me-?"
She can speak! Akane thought in amazement, hoping her surprise did not show.
Her heart quickened, and despite the cold sweat began to trickle down the
back of her neck. Suddenly, she felt very vulnerable.
Ryukyu's gaze remained fixed upon her, that burning eye wide and bright.
Suddenly, Ryukyu's body blurred and vanished.
"Ranm--" she began, but her words went unfinished. The gap beneath them
was no more. Faster than thought Ryukyu was before her. A clawed fist,
moving beyond all imaginable speed, slammed into her chest. A hail of
blows slammed into her body, a barrage of attacks so swift that she could
not even see them. A sickening snap filled her ears as a fist slammed into
her jaw. Her head snapped back as she was sent screaming upwards into the
air.
* * *
Wind wafted gently by, its touch gentle against her skin. There was light
overhead, growing brighter and more intense with every moment. She felt
giddy, filled with the lightheaded sensation of flight. It felt strangely
relaxing. Her feet dangled far below, not attached to the earth, and she
wondered for a moment if she was lying in water.
A starburst of pain detonated inside her head, and her mouth was suddenly
full of blood. She cried out and her voice was soaked in it, the thick
liquid spurting from her opened lips. Her eyes, filled with tears, snapped
open. She tried to move, but her body would not obey. Suddenly her weight
shifted, and as her body reached the apex of its trajectory, realisation
struck. Her body turned as it began to fall, and her eyes showed her a
blurry shape far below. The platform, she realised. She could see the
bright red light of Ryukyu's hair still burning.
She could move at a speed no human could ever hope to match, and yet she
could not even see Ryukyu's movements. Her fall became a plunge, and once
more the air whipped past her face. Her eyes narrowed, dried by the force
of the gale. A creeping fear took hold as she realised just how high she
had been hit, and how much strength lurked within her opponent.
I was careless, she told herself. This fall is going to kill me. After
that punch I should already be dead.
She could see that red eye watching her still. Ranma's beautiful blue
eyes still existed; pale and blind behind the burning malice of Ryukyu's.
Frustration welled within her - Ranma was still alive, still in need of her
help, but she was not strong enough. She tried to scream, but her mouth
was once more full of blood.
She's going to kill us both - Ryujin, help me!
She felt nothing, only the same cold emptiness that had been there before.
In her despair Akane closed her eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks, only
to be torn away by the frozen wind. She coughed another mouthful of blood,
wincing at the burning pain in her chest.
I can't leave without her. I can't run away. Please, Ryujin. Please ...
help me!
* * *
The elevator platform gave a deep metallic groan as it juddered downwards,
weighed down by the ice. Its screech was the only sound in the air as
Akane's body tumbled silently downward. Ryukyu stood perfectly still,
unperturbed by the platform's slip. She folded her arms and watched
closely as Akane began to fall from the very top of the elevator shaft.
"You aren't going to stand by and let me kill her, are you?" she whispered.
As if in response, the platform beneath her feet began to shake. Sparing a
glance downward, she saw the ice around her was cracking; bubbles were
forming, and liquid was beginning to flow.
"That's more like it," she said, her lips curling in glee. "But surely you
can do better."
She clenched her fists and from beneath her palms gouts of flame sprang
forth, balling within her hands. The fire spread across her skin, climbing
up along her forearms. Looking up once more at Akane, she spoke again.
"Is that all she means to you? I suppose I'll have to kill her."
The shaking spread - suddenly it was not just the platform that was moving,
but the entire elevator shaft. Hundreds of tiny icicles, dislodged from
their homes, tumbled down and smashed into the platform. A low rumble
filled the air, rising like the tide. And as the vibrations grew more
violent, Ryukyu remained still.
Suddenly, the large water pipe screeched; the sound of metal twisting,
being forced aside. The pipe ruptured and from within it burst forth a
tremendous torrent of water, a powerful blast that shot upwards and ripped
through the ceiling far above. A tiny hint of sunlight shone through the
hole, illuminating the darkness below.
Once breached the pipe quickly gave way completely, a deep crack spreading
along its length to allow water to burst free. Sheets of rain filled the
air, masking Akane's descent in a hazy fog of water. Hundreds of tiny
droplets fell around Ryukyu. She ignored them, staring up at a dim light
that was emerging from the water far above.
"At last," she said with delight, "we can begin."
* * *
Akane's eyes shot wide open and a gasp flew from blood soaked lips as
suddenly she was not alone. All around her a cascade flowed, a million
tiny lives in a million tiny drops of water. The drops were still, and she
was falling gently between them.
Before her the droplets began to merge, joining together as one. A sphere
of water formed and grew and from it emerged a face. The water solidified
as it continued to grow, and within moments had formed a body; the body of
an elfin girl clad in robes like her own.
"You're ... Ryujin," Akane whispered, staring in wonder. The girl's face
was like her own, but where she had hair this girl had long, flowing
tresses of water that shone a bright shade of blue. Akane instinctively
held forth her hand and the girl met it with her own, the touch of her skin
soft and warm. "You look just like me."
"I do not want to fight, Akane, but I will protect you," spoke Ryujin. She
smiled and squeezed Akane's hand. "I will not let you die."
Ryujin's words danced like the light, but this dance was within her mind.
She could feel the power surging within her now - a flood swelling,
awaiting its release. The pain was taken from her body and the taste of
blood was forgotten. Sunlight from overhead danced within the mist, a
dazzling array of colour coruscating all around her.
"I want to save her," Akane said, meeting Ryujin's eyes with her own.
"She's ... important to me."
Ryujin squeezed her hand again, and from behind the girl's back emerged two
bright feathered wings, as large as the girl herself. They spread wide and
caught upon the air, slowing her descent. Akane fell forward into her
arms.
Akane looked below and saw Ryukyu waiting, her crimson eye reflected a
thousand times over in the rain. A thousand eyes seeing into her; seeing
Ryujin; seeing even what Akane herself could not see. Behind that eye was
a smile.
"I know," Ryujin whispered. "Close your eyes. Let go of your body and the
water will take you to her."
Akane did as she was asked, and immediately felt lighter, smaller, as
though she was shrinking. The air swept up around her, through her,
spreading her body wide with its flow.
* * *
Ryukyu watched intently as Akane's body began to glow. Bright blue flames
spread and grew, flames made not of fire but of water. The water droplets
all around her were pulled toward her, merging with the mass of water as it
grew around Akane. There was a sudden flash; Ryukyu's hand shot upwards to
shield her eye from the dazzling light.
And then, at last, the pipe's water came crashing into the platform. There
was a loud thump as Akane's body slammed into the metal and the ground
itself shook under the force of the impact.
"So, you've finally come out of hiding. You have my gratitude for that
punch - I was a little out of control," she said. Lowering her hand, she
looked toward the impact site. There was nothing there, save for a small
puddle amid the ice. A tiny laugh escaped her. "Only you could ever hit
me that hard."
"What do you want?"
Ryukyu turned at the sound. Behind her, the water was coalescing into a
body. Her gaze hardened. "You already know what I want."
The water solidified into the form of Ryujin. Two shimmering blue eyes
were framed by a scowl, which was in turn framed by brightly glowing locks
of water. Ryujin spoke again, and her voice carried the depth of the sea.
"You know I won't give it to you."
"Don't be a fool," Ryukyu said with a sneer. "I control this body now.
You -know- what I am capable of."
Ryujin shook her head. "Even if I wanted to give it to you, I can't.
You've known that from the very beginning."
"I think you're wrong," Ryukyu countered. "I think you can give me what I
need. It's simply a matter of ... motivation."
Ryukyu's hand, still dripping fire, flew forward and snatched Ryujin's
neck. The other was raised slowly, tenderly, to cup her cheek. Ryujin
quivered beneath the sudden contact, but did not back down.
"I'm not afraid of you," she whispered defiantly, even as the warmth seeped
from her skin. The trembling of her body betrayed the fear hidden behind
her eyes.
"Perhaps that is true, but I can see Akane within you, my love," Ryukyu
whispered, fixing her eye upon Ryujin's. "I can see her fear. She is
terrified. It is a strange curse we have, the ability to see into the very
hearts of humans, but it is sometimes useful."
"It's a gift, not a curse," Ryujin replied faintly, held still by Ryukyu's
touch. "You never realised - it was supposed to help us understand them."
"Oh, I know what it was supposed to do. You can lecture me about what it
was -supposed- to do, but you don't share my perspective. You see them in
life; I see them in death. You hear their hopes and dreams. I witness
only their regrets and sorrow," Ryukyu said, drawing her face near. "To
see their precious hopes die as they finally grasp the futility of their
own existence - it is a torment that lends a certain clarity. It's curious
that Akane understands this and you do not."
"Akane understands because she is human. She has seen death," Ryujin
replied, wincing as Ryukyu's fingertips danced across her soft white skin.
Burning talons lightly teased her cheek, a gasp slipping between her lips
as Ryukyu stroked her thumb across them.
"I seeeeeee," Ryukyu said, her grip tightening. Talons pierced skin; tiny
rivulets of warm water seeped from beneath the surface and ran down
Ryujin's neck. At the same time she drew her face closer until their noses
touched. "Then let me show you something."
Ryujin's body tensed. "What?"
"You know, when I think of you I am torn. I love you, and I hate you. I
detest you, and yet I desire you. I know you feel the same. You want me,
even though you are my enemy. I can sense your desire," Ryukyu whispered,
the gaze of her burning eye piercing deep.
Ryujin shivered in Ryukyu's grasp and yet her arms slowly slid around the
demon's waist even as tears streamed down her face. She nodded, a choked
sob her only reply.
Ryukyu smiled. "As a token of my love, I want to share a small part of
myself with you, so that - if nothing else - you can at least begin to
understand me. You want to understand, don't you?"
"I ... I ...," Ryujin stammered, held enraptured by Ryukyu's stare.
"Good," Ryukyu said with a smile. She leaned in closer still, pressing her
forehead to Ryujin's. She spoke again, and her cold breath swept over
Ryujin's lips with her words. "This is for Akane, too."
Ryujin realised too late to retreat. Ryukyu's other eye flew wide open,
revealing a bright blue iris.
"This is Ranma's eye," Ryukyu whispered. The blue eye darted back and
forth in its socket, and from its look alone Ryujin was filled with terror.
She cried out and tried to pull away, but Ryukyu's hold was firm.
"She does not share her existence as Akane does with you. She is still
fighting me with what remains of her strength. She knows that if she
relents, I will consume her. Can you feel her pain, her horror? She is
surrounded by my darkness. There is no way out."
"No ... no," Ryujin whimpered, unable to look away. Tears flooded her wide
eyes.
"She is filled with hate, and anger, and despair. Slowly but surely, it is
suffocating her. It has been suffocating her for almost nine hundred
years."
"Stop it! Please ... stop!"
"I have no desire to harm her, but I cannot deny my nature," Ryukyu
continued, her velvety voice wrapping around Ryujin. "She has been dying
for nine hundred years, but death will not take her. The one thing she
desires is the one thing she can not have. She cannot die because she is
not alive."
Ryujin struggled, frantically trying to escape the yearning stare of
Ranma's eye. It penetrated her, mournful misery that wounded her like a
sharpened blade. She begged in a pathetic whimper, "Let me go ... let me
go."
"Her suffering is my suffering. I have lived for an eternity in this
darkness. Now you understand just what my existence is. Now Akane
has seen the truth that Ranma was afraid to show her."
Suddenly, Ryukyu's grip was released. Ryujin slumped helplessly to the
floor, her body racked with sobs. Slowly Ranma's eye grew dim. The eyelid
fell closed and only Ryukyu's burning iris remained.
"Ranma desires the same thing as I. Exodus."
"I cannot kill you!" Ryujin screeched through her tears. "I can only
create life!"
"Perhaps you cannot give me what I desire," Ryukyu conceded, her tone
nonchalant. She bent at the waist and brought her glowering eye to bear.
"But Akane can."
Ryujin began to scream.
* * *
"You understand now, don't you?"
All around Akane, the protection of unconsciousness was crumbling. She
could feel Ryujin's shock and anguish as her own. The veil of her
protector was lifted, and the world was brought into sharp focus. She was
awake and kneeling at Ryukyu's feet. The question rang clearly in her
ears. Nausea stabbed at her, needles in her gut.
"Ranma waited nine hundred years for you. Not for any of your ancestors,
not for Ryujin, but for -you-. It is you and you alone who can kill us.
Your will and Ryujin's strength combined can give us what we have waited an
eternity for."
"No," Akane whispered, her own tears mixing with Ryujin's upon her cheek.
"That's not true. That can't be true."
"Is that so?" Ryukyu asked, amused.
"Ranma protected me from the hunters because--"
"Because?" Ryukyu prodded. "Did she ever say why? Did she ever explain
just why she was dragging you around Japan?"
Akane stammered helplessly, searching for words but failing to find them.
She stared up at that terrible eye, unable to move, unable to think.
"The world is not as you think, Akane. Your 'protector' does not protect
you, and your 'hunters' do not hunt you. There have been more than a few
opportunities for the Hidari to kill you. Didn't you ever wonder why they
didn't?" Ryukyu asked. "The Hidari have never tried to kill you. They
want to take you from me, from Ranma, because they fear what will happen to
them when you kill me."
"No, that ... that ..." Akane began, but the words caught in her throat.
Memories long buried began to resurface and intertwine, scattered images
weaving the fabric of her epiphany. She saw again the first Hidari she had
met, who tried to take her from Ranma, only to be killed. She saw the two
Hidari who had welcomed her to the Leviathan Spring. They had not
threatened her. They had not attacked her. They had not harmed her. None
of them had.
All sensation left her. She toppled backwards, a lifeless body, an empty
shell. She had lost her way, her only point of reference; the base
assumption that had guided her since she met Ranma. The thump of the floor
upon her backside registered dully in her dizzied mind.
"Yes, Akane," Ryukyu said. Her smile grew wide. "Your ancestors were not
killed by any 'hunters'. I killed them. Pruning the tree, so to speak.
Weeding out the weak, so that you - the strong one - could emerge."
"That - that's a lie," she fumed, her entire body shaking. "You're ...
just trying to make me angry."
"Perhaps," Ryukyu admitted with a shrug.
"Let me tell you something about death, Akane. The final moment before a
person dies is the most telling. In that moment there is one vital
realisation: there is no redemption, no way to escape. Death will not be
denied. Once that simple fact is accepted at the most instinctive level,
all ties to the world are severed. It is only once the burden of hope has
been cast aside that the soul can transcend the body and journey to the
Otherworld in peace. That moment is the Exodus.
"Not all achieve it. Many fail to understand, and so fade into oblivion.
How a person arrives at the Exodus, and whether they arrive at all, is the
true measure of that person's worth."
"Why are you tell--"
"You've never seen a human die the way I have," Ryukyu interrupted. She
ran a single talon over Akane's lips, silencing her. The talon ran slowly
from her chin down her throat. "I made Ranma watch closely when I cut your
mother here. She tries to pretend that it didn't happen, of course. I
suppose that is her way of staying sane. But in her heart she knows. She
watched me kill your mother.
"With the others before her, I spared Ranma the ... details. But your
mother was different. You must understand, I did not force Ranma to watch
out of cruelty or malice. It was not the blood I wanted her to see. I
wanted her to see your mother's Exodus. I wanted her to see that no matter
how tortured the soul, at the end there could be peace.
"Ranma has seen millions of deaths over the course of her life, but the
Exodus is the one part I did not let her see. After nine hundred years
of living through the pain of death, I wanted her to see it; a moment of
absolute peace. I wanted her to know what she could have. Your mother was
a perfect demonstration. Her Exodus was ... beautiful."
There was feeling again. Deep within the pit of herself, Akane felt a fire
begin to burn, kindled by the betrayal she felt. It blazed within her, and
filled her with a sudden resolve.
"Don't fight your anger. Use it. Give me my Exodus and I'll give you your
revenge."
"You ... killed my mother for a ... demonstration?" Akane whispered, her
voice straining. She forced her eyes closed and shrank into stillness;
utter, blazing, apoplectic stillness. Tears of anger poured over her skin.
Spittle flew between gritted teeth the wordless grunts of an inexpressible
rage leapt from her throat.
Ryukyu notched an eyebrow almost imperceptibly. "So, what will you do?"
A fey smile touched Akane's face, and then it was gone. She screamed,
roaring with the primitive fury of an animal, and flung herself at Ryukyu.
Her hands flew, tearing wildly at Ryukyu's throat.
"YOU KILLED HER! I'LL RIP YOUR GODDAMN HEAD OFF!"
= = = =
T E N
= = = =
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