Hiya!
Well, here's a story I've been working on for a bit. I'm
stumped. I'm not sure where to go with it, so I figured I'd see if
anyone else had any ideas. I think it's got potential... but I gotta
finish it, first. I was even thinking of completely redoing it -
abandoning the original idea (whatever it was), and rewriting it as a
comparison between Ranma's 'Bad Day', and his original bad day -
Jusenkyou. So... Help!
BTW, anything between /////TOP///// and
////BOTTOM/// is stuff that I cut out
during a recent revision - but I'm thinking of leaving it in. And
wherever there's a [STUFF] thing... well, that's an area that needs to be
fleshed out a bit, to help link the story together; it's a reminder for
me when I jump ahead. It gets kinda rough
near the end. And, well, as it currently is... well, I dunno, there
doesn't really seem to be much of an actual story yet, you know?
Hope it ain't too rough. Any help appreciated.
Oh, and I'm not actually subscribed to the ML, so if any feedback
could be E-Mailed to me (s669330@aix2.uottawa.ca), I'd appreciate it!
Thanks!
(And I got a coupla more coming, too!)
-Mike
***
One Bad Day
You had a bad day once, am I right? I know I am. I can tell.
You had a bad day and everything changed.
Why else would you dress up like a flying rat?
- The Joker, from The Killing Joke.
***
She found him beneath the bridge, as she knew she would.
Squatting by the stone arch, knees hugged to chest, staring
vacantly over the crimson-tainted water - he displayed none of his
earlier rage. Stones crunched underfoot at her approach, but he
gave no indication of hearing. He must have heard me, she thought,
why doesn't he say something?
She crouched behind him, waiting for some kind of
acknowledgement. He's still in his girl-form, she noted with some
surprise. He's had plenty of time to turn back. She watched him
carefully for any reaction to her presence, but the red-haired girl
continued to idly watch the gently-rolling waves. The dying
sunlight softly outlined her, gently tracing the contours of her
body, catching in the tousled folds of her hair, casting long
shadows behind her; the wind gently tugged at the few loose strands
that escaped the pig-tail. She really is beautiful, thought Akane.
The silence remained undisturbed except for the murmuring of
the river, the whistling of the wind, and the seemingly far-off
sounds of the city. Time passed. Akane's impatience grew. He
might be upset, but the least he could do was acknowledge her
presence!
"Ranma?" she asked quietly.
The red-haired girl gave no response. A couple passed over
the bridge, subdued snippets of their conversation drifting down.
Akane frowned slightly, keeping her frustration in check.
"Ranma? Aren't you going to say anything?" she said.
He moved slightly, shifting some of his weight to the other
leg. Akane heard him take in a deep breath - shuddering,
trembling?
Finally, he spoke, but it came out too faintly to hear. "I...
I didn't hear you. Ranma?" she said gently. She tentatively
reached out towards her fiance with one hand.
He responded, louder this time.
"Just... go away, Akane. Leave me alone."
She snapped her hand back.
"Wh... what?" she said.
Ranma snapped his head around. His eyes were red, swollen,
puffy. "I said, go away! Leave. Me. Alone!" he nearly shouted.
Anger flared in his eyes...
... as he stood up, face flushed, hands clenched at his sides,
blood welling from deep gashes in his knuckles. "JUST LEAVE ME
ALONE!" he screamed.
Everyone scrambled back, away, confused and frightened.
Remnants of the destroyed table scattered beneath their hasty
retreat. Flaming tongues of anger danced along the red-head's
body, enveloping him in a blazing corona.
He staggered a few steps back, eyes unnaturally wide, his
whole body trembling. He steadied himself against the wall, his
hand slipping the first time, catching on the second. He took a
deep, shaky breath, face pressed against the wall, eyes squeezing
shut. Someone took a hesitant, nervous step towards him; Shampoo,
possibly, or maybe Ukyou - Akane could not tell, her eyes never
left Ranma's anguished face. His reaction was immediate. His head
snapped around, his eyes snapped open, one arm snapped up.
"Don't... don't..." he said. The person halted, backed off.
So did Ranma. He stumbled back a step, then another, into the
kitchen. "I... I gotta get out of here." he mumbled. "I gotta
think... got to be... alone." He shot another fierce stare into
the room, at the group. "Do you understand me? Alone. ALONE!"
His gaze swept over everyone, but hesitated, briefly, over her.
Their eyes locked. Did his eyes soften, ever so slightly, for just
a moment? Did she catch a glimpse, ever so briefly, of anguish
instead of anger?
"Leave. Me. Alone." he yelled, and then turned and ran into
the kitchen, the skirt of his school uniform billowing with the
sudden movement. A second later there was a terrible smashing
sound, and he was gone.
... but quickly died away.
"Please, Akane..." he said, almost pleading. "Just... leave
me alone. I need to think." He turned away, staring back at the
river. Cherry blossoms, carried on the evening wind, fluttered by.
Akane hesitated for a long moment. She had never seen him
like this before, never seen such a haunted look in his eyes. She
watched the diminutive red-head, his hunched back, his slack pig-
tail, and recalled the tormented look he had briefly shared with
her. She steeled herself - Ranma needed her help, no matter what
he said. She reached out again. Her hand hovered over Ranma's
shoulder.
"Don't touch me." said Ranma. He shuffled out of her reach.
Akane pulled her hand back with a sigh.
The wind blew by again, this time cooler. Akane wrapped her
arms around herself, trembling slightly.
"Ranma... you need to talk about this. Please... can't you
trust me?" she asked softly.
His back stiffened slightly at her words. He turned his body
slightly, his profile cast against the half-sunk orb of the sun.
Akane could see that Ranma was breathing heavily, his feminine
breasts heaving slightly, arms wrapped around his knees.
He spoke, not directly at her, but loud enough to be heard
clearly. "Trust you? How can I trust an uncute, unfeminine tomboy
like you?" He caught her slap easily, holding Akane's wrist in a
firm grip. "You see?" he sighed. "How can I?"
Akane relaxed her muscles, firmly took control of her temper.
The slap had been... unconscious - she had lashed out
instinctively. Not that he hadn't deserved it, testing her like
that. ["I, I... I'm sor... sorry, Ranma" she said. Her eyes
widened slightly. There, she'd done it! She'd apologised to
Ranma!]-change
He turned his head slightly, his eyes locking with hers. They
were now unreadable, carefully controlled. "Are you? Really?
Maybe. But that doesn't really make any difference, now does it?
If we talk... I'll say something that'll anger you... you'll slap
me, or hit me, or we'll argue. I... I can't deal with that, not
today."
He dropped his gaze. So did Akane. She realised he was still
holding on to her hand. The grip had loosened, she could pull her
hand away if she wanted to. She didn't.
He turned his head back to the water, but did not pull away.
He continued to stare into the distance. The sun sank beneath the
horizon, casting its final, scarlet rays across the sky.
Long minutes passed. Each one felt like an eternity to Akane.
She yearned to speak, to draw answers out of Ranma, but she did not
dare disturb him, or risk driving him away. As long as he held her
hand, though, she knew they were connected, and drew hope from that
link, as tenuous and fragile as it seemed to be. It came as a
small shock when he finally did speak, his voice so soft she almost
missed it.
"I really don't think I could handle it today. An argument.
It's been... a bad day. A very bad day. Shampoo. Kuno. Ryoga.
Pop." He took a deep breath. "This damn curse!" There was a dull
thud as his fist slammed into the hard-packed earth, though his
grip with the other hand remained gentle on Akane's wrist. "I HATE
this curse! I HATE being a girl!"
Akane frowned slightly. What was so horrible about being a
girl? She started to say those very words when he glanced at her,
and she saw, briefly, a flicker of his earlier anger.
"Don't... don't say it, Akane. Don't ask me what's so
terrible 'bout being a girl! I'm a... I'm... " His whole body
quivered. "I'M NOT A GIRL!" His fist slammed into the ground
again. His fingers clutched convulsively into the earth. "I'm
not..." he whispered. He took a deep calming breath, while Akane
looked on in concern.
He turned his eyes back to the water. Dark shadows danced
among the waves in the dim evening light, as the first pale stars
of the night pierced the twilight veil. He continued talking in a
soft voice.
"You have no way of knowing what it's like. This curse. What
it's done. To me, to my life. To..." He glanced at her for a
moment, then quickly looked away "... everything. It's messing up
my whole life!"
Akane moved slightly closer to him. He didn't move away this
time. She opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out.
What could she say? It was true. She had no idea what it was
like, being cursed.
"Maybe... maybe if I turned into a panda, like Pop, or a duck,
like Mousse, or a pi... " he hesitated for a moment. "... or even
into some kinda monster, like Taro, it wouldn't so bad. But a
girl?"
"What? You'd rather turn into a... a monster instead of a
girl?" said Akane, angrily.
"YES!" shouted Ranma. "At least a monster doesn't have
perverts trying to fondle him! A least a monster doesn't feel like
his masculinity is slipping away from him! A least... at least a
monster can go HOME!"
Akane's eyes opened wide. Home! His mother...
... was visiting, again. 'Ranko' sat demurely at the table
next to Akane, while Kasumi and Ms. Saotome served out breakfast.
The glum look on Ranma's face was priceless, but Akane was starting
to get a little worried. The last three days of his mother's visit
had been hard on him - the constant close-calls with hot water, the
unrelenting stress, his mother's attempts to make a 'proper-young-
girl' out of him - and he was starting to look frayed around the
edges.
Akane picked up her bowl and started to eat, unconsciously
passing the occasional morsel down to P-Chan. She sneaked a glance
at her fiance. Her eyes widened. He wasn't eating! With her food
- she felt a moment's annoyance - that might not be unusual. With
Kasumi's food, it would be strange. With Ms. Saotome's? Unheard
of! She leaned over and nudged him with her elbow.
"Ranma? What's wrong? You're not eating!" she hissed.
"I'm... I'm not hungry." he mumbled, pushing his bowl towards
the centre of the table. Father swept it up within a second of
Ranma removing his hand.
Akane felt a small shiver rush through her. Not hungry?
"Since when's a freeloading pig like you not hungry?" she taunted,
allowing herself a small smile. _That_ should get a least _some_
kind of reaction out of him.
He rose to his feet. "I'm heading off to school. I don't
wanna be late." he said, walking towards the door, ignoring her
completely. Akane's smile disappeared. He hadn't taken the bait?
He'd ignored her? P-Chan gave a little squeal of confusion, and
looked up at her with wide eyes. She shrugged.
Nodoka suddenly stood up. "Ranko, dear, where do you think
you're going?" she asked in her sweet voice. 'Ranko' froze.
"I'm... ah, going to school, Auntie Nodoka." he said
miserably.
"And what about our little talk last night?" she said.
"But... but... I don't wanna!" moaned Ranma, his back still
turned to them.
"Ranko! I thought we agreed on this!" Nodoka's voice
hardened. He flinched. "You can't keep wearing those boy's
clothes to school. You're a girl." Ranma flinched again. "That's
why I bought you that school uniform yesterday!"
An obvious tremor went up Ranma's whole body. "NO! You can't
make me!" he shouted. "I won't wear a dress to school!" His whole
body heaved with the effort of his declaration, his fists tight
trembling balls pressed fiercely to his side.
Ms. Saotome was silent for several moments. Finally, she
spoke in a soft, wounded voice. "You're right, Ranko. I can't
force you... after all, I'm not your mother, am I?"
It seemed then to Akane that only Ranma and his mother were in
the room, one with his back turned, defiant and angry, the other
tired, lonely, hurt. Ms. Saotome's suddenly seemed so small and
alone. Ranma turned, slowly. His face was flushed red, his eyes
hard, but they softened the moment he saw his mother. He seemed to
deflate before Akane's eyes.
"I... I'm... mothe... " he mumbled. He suddenly resembled his
mother - small and alone. He took a hesitant step towards her.
"I'm sorry." he whispered. "I'll... I'll wear the uniform you
bought me." He shuffled by the group, head hung low.
He stopped at the stairs and glanced back. "I... I could
never say 'no' to you... auntie Saotome." he said. The morning
sunlight glimmered on his cheeks as he stumbled up the stairs.
Ms. Saotome collapsed next to the table. "Poor girl..." she
whispered.
His mom was the problem! Of course! Why hadn't she seen that
right away? She returned Ranma's fierce glare with one filled with
understanding.
"That's the problem, isn't it, Ranma. Your mom?" she asked
gently. "You... miss her, don't you?" Akane felt a stab of pain
as memories (bright summer day family picnic mom and dad and Kasumi
and Nabiki and yummy food and she was running wind in hair) pushed
at the edge of her consciousness. She ignored it. Not now.
Later. "You... want to go home, don't you? You want to spend time
with her. It hurts you to see her... alone." Alone. She'd be
alone as well, again, if he...
His fierce glare softened, seemed to search for something in
her. Akane imagined she could see herself reflected in his
shimmering eyes. She felt a sudden pressure on her hand; he gave
her another little squeeze, then looked away. She watched him
questioningly.
"It's not just my mom, Akane." he said. "At least I still get
to see her, even if I have to pretend I'm Ranko. At least she's
not..." He glanced at her, flushing slightly, then looked away
hurriedly, "...dead." Akane blinked. "Lying to my mom is hard.
Seeing her hurt is worse. That's why I can't say 'no' to her... I
can't do anything to hurt her."
Ranma fell silent. Akane waited for him to continue, but the
quiet only deepened. She suddenly realised how dark it was. Lamps
cast flickering orbs of light on the street above, giving the
softly-flowing river a creamy luminescence. The full moon danced
among the rippling waves.
"Ranma?" she prompted.
Ranma gave a little start. "But I guess it's too late for
that." He gave a bitter snort. "I doubt my little display today
impressed her."
"We... we were all a little, ah, surprised." said Akane.
"Surprised? No, more like terrified. You should've seen her,
Akane. She had no idea what was wrong with her dear 'Ranko'. She
thought it was her own fault. Her's!" He sighed. "She probably
thinks it's 'cus she insisted I wear _this_ stupid thing!" He
absently pulled at the fabric of his skirt. Akane hadn't really
noticed he was still wearing it.
"Well... isn't it, in a way?" asked Akane. "You seemed, well,
mostly fine, till this morning."
Ranma's eyes widened. His hand stopped playing in the folds
of his clothes. "How... how could you be so _stupid_? So _blind_?
You... you think _this_ is why I blew up tonight?" he yelled,
fiercely tugging at his uniform. "Because of, of THIS?"
With a loud tearing sound his clothes ripped apart at the
seams. With a strangled scream he tore off the tattered blouse and
threw it from him; the ragged fabric gently floated to the ground
a few feet from Akane. Akane exerted more self-control then she
ever had before. Stupid? Blind? How _dare_ he? She took a deep
breath, closed her eyes, and counted to ten. She ignored Ranma's
ranting as he continued his tirade of insults.
She opened her eyes. Ranma was still before her, hadn't even
let go of her hand. He was staring at her, eyes wide with
astonishment.
"What's wrong?" she snapped at him, then grimaced. She
started counting to ten again.
"You... you didn't hit me!" he said.
Akane sighed. "I... I told you Ranma. You need to talk about
this. I... I want to help." After several moments, he nodded,
once.
"I... uh, ah... thanks, Akane." he said. "Maybe talking 'bout
it'll help. I've never really had anyone to talk to before. About
stuff. You know?"
/// TOP /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// ///
"Now that's not true! Their's plenty of people you can talk
to!"
"Like who? Daisuke? Hiroshi? Nahhh... none of the guys at
school really understand my life. The Art. Or the training. They
just seem to think I'm some kinda Casanova. Or pervert. Or they
want, well, _this_!" he said, pointing at his girl's body.
Akane nodded in understanding. It was true. Before Ranma had
shown up... well, she'd had friends, sure, like Yuka and Sayuri,
but they'd never really understood her. Or her interest in martial
arts. Neither did her sisters. But Ranma... Ranma understood.
"What about friends?" she asked
"Oh, yeah, like who, Akane?"
"Well..." said Akane, thinking. "How about Ryoga?"
"WHAT?"
"Well, he's a martial artist too, and he's spent a lot of his
childhood travelling... I know you two fight a lot, but you also
help each other out, too. He probably understands you better then
anyone!" Ranma was giving her a strange look. He seemed...
surprised, upset, and thoughtful, all at once. "Maybe... maybe you
should try talking to him more, instead of picking on him."
Ranma seemed to mull it over for several moments before
answering. "I dunno. Maybe you're right. Maybe he _is_ a friend.
But believe me, Akane. I can't turn to him with my problems.
He... he's kinda a part of them. That pi... uh, him and I have
some unresolved business."
Akane thought a little more. "How about..." she hesitated.
Did she really want to mention her? But, then again, why not? It
wasn't like she was jealous or anything! "... Ukyou?"
Ranma gave a little laugh. "Ahhh, no, I don't think so."
Akane felt a small thrill run up her spine. "Really? Why?"
Ranma leaned back a little, shifting into a more comfortable
position. He propped himself up with his free hand. "Well,
Ukyou's my friend, right? I mean, I've known her the longest,
longer then even Ryoga. But, well... she always acts kinda weird
when I'm around, you know?"
I can't believe it!, thought Akane. Is he _really_ that
blind? Ukyou loves him! And he thought she was just acting
_weird_? He only thinks of her as a friend? He doesn't... love
her?
"Yo, Akane! You alright?"
Akane snapped back to Ranma. "Huh?"
"Well, you were smiling kinda strange there. You ok?"
"Yes. Of course I am!"
"Oh."
Ranma looked towards the river again, watching distant lights
dance on the water's surface. He absently gave his pigtail a
slight tug. He still seemed... tense. Like he didn't really want
to be here. Like he didn't really want to be talking. Like he
didn't _really_ want to be with Akane.
"What about... me?" whispered Akane.
Ranma shot a startled glance at her. His mouth opened.
"I..." It snapped shut. He tried again. "I... "
/// BOTTOM // /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// ///
Akane gave a wry smile. "It's ok, Ranma. I understand."
Ranma stared at her for several seconds before looking away.
He suddenly shivered, awkwardly hugging himself with his free arm.
"You cold?" asked Akane. She suddenly realised that Ranma
didn't have a top on. His undershirt did very little to warm him.
Or conceal his rather plentiful feminine curves. He really ought
to have developed _some_ since of feminine modesty by now, thought
Akane, then decided against mentioning it.
"Yeah."
Akane looked around, then picked up the tattered remains of
Ranma's school uniform. Well, _that_ wasn't going to help him any.
She looked up. Ranma was rummaging through his backpack.
His backpack?
"Where'd that come from?" she asked.
Ranma glanced up, looking a bit sheepish. He put down a
thermos and started pulling out his favourite red shirt. "Ahhhh...
I sneaked into the house 'bout an hour after I ran out." He
started to pull it on.
Akane started to get angry again. Did he have any idea how
worried everyone had been? How everyone had split up to look for
him? How worried _she_ had been? She heard a noise as Ranma
cleared his throat.
"Ah, Akane?" he said, twitching his hand. She looked down.
He needed to let go of her to put his shirt on; she needed to let
go of him. She released her grip.
He did the same, almost reluctantly, and pulled on the other
sleeve. He quickly stood up and gave his legs a quick stretch,
then stuffed the trailing edges of his shirt into his school-skirt.
He reached down and scooped up some pebbles. Akane glanced at his
pack. Something sank in the pit of her stomach. He had his
bedroll with him. Cooking equipment. A spare set of clothes.
Travelling food. Enough for quite a while.
A rock skipped across the river, releasing a moist staccato
beat. Akane looked at him, silhouetted against the night sky,
standing by the river's edge. "Ranma?" she asked softly.
"Yes?" Another rock bounced its way to the other side.
"Where are you going?"
He hesitated briefly. "Away." A third rock slapped the
water's surface a half-dozen times.
Akane's heart skipped a beat. "Why?"
The pebble sank with a single splash. "Because of today.
Because of this whole week. Because of, of,... of everything! I
need a break! I... this curse, that's why. I'm sick and tired of
being a girl!" He crouched down by the river's edge.
Akane sighed. So they hadn't made any progress after all.
She absently picked up the thermos that had rolled out of Ranma's
bag. Her eyebrow rose in surprise. It was warm!
"Ranma... this thermos is warm! Is it full of hot water?" she
asked.
She heard a deep sigh. Ranma walked back to her and smoothly
sat down. He gently took the thermos from her and put it away.
"Yes." he said, tying down the straps on his pack.
"Then... why are you still a girl?" she ventured. "Why havn't
you changed back?"
Ranma turned fully towards Akane. He released her hand, and
shifted into a cross-legged sitting position. He unconsciously
began to smooth down the folds of the skirt between his legs.
"Why?" His mouth twisted in a sardonic smile. " 'Cus I don't
deserve to, that's why. And that's the _real_ problem. _That_ is
why I've got to leave. Look at me, Akane! What kind of man am I?
I'm a man who's a shame to his family, whose afraid to even show
himself to his own mother. A mother who would make me _kill_
myself if she saw the real me! And why? 'Cus I'm not a man, not
a _real_ man."
Akane opened her mouth to say something, but Ranma cut her
off. "No, Akane, it's true. And you know it, too, whatever you
were gonna say to convince me otherwise. I can see it in your
eyes. And you've told me often enough... I'm a pervert, remember?"
His smile twisted slightly, turned bitter. "And this _is_ the real
me, for now, anyways. I don't deserve to return to being a man.
I proved _that_ today, anyways."
"I'm sure you had a good reason for what... for what happened
today." said Akane. "I..."
"Had a good reason?" exclaimed Ranma. Anger flared in his
eyes. "Of course I had a good reason!" His eyes softened
slightly. "But that's still no excuse. I shouldn't have lost
control. A martial artist should never lose control. Not a _true_
martial artist, anyways.
"But that's not why I'm leaving. That's not why I'm still in
my cursed form."
"It isn't?"
"No. I'm leaving because... because I need to find a cure.
And... I decided that 'till I find one... I'm staying this way. As
incentive. Or a reminder. And if I..." he gulped. "I never find
one... then I'll be a girl for the rest of my life. Just as if
Ryoga hadn't gone after the Kaisuihuu."
"Ranma..." started Akane.
"No!" he interrupted. "Let me finish. But that _won't_
happen. It won... it can't. 'Cus I need one. A cure. Soon.
Before I go crazy. Before... "
Akane took his hand again, holding it between both of hers.
"Before what?"
He sighed. "Before... before I forget what it's like to be a
guy. Before... before I lose more of myself to this curse. Before
my manhood just... slips away."
/// TOP /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// ///
"What?" exclaimed Akane.
He sighed again and gave her a sad look. "It's true, Akane.
Just look at me. Look at what I'm wearing! A girl's... a girl's
school uniform! Bit by bit, this's girl's body is breaking me
down!
"First... first, I got comfortable with it. I hated it, but
I didn't have a choice. Right after my... swim, I was often stuck
like this. Hot water wasn't always easy to find. And in any case,
there was no way I was gonna let something like a new body distract
me in a fight. So... I got used to it.
"But I'd never wear girl's clothing! Never! I swore that, no
matter what, I wouldn't cross that line. Heh. Well look at me
now. It took less than a week from the day I showed up in Nerima.
It took Nabiki less than a minute to convince me. She appealed to
my sense of duty, or honour, or something. I can't remember. And
I don't blame her. All I know is that I gave in.
"But then I swore that I'd never wear women's undergarments.
I held on to _that_ one for a _long_ time, even with the old letch
trying his best to 'convince' me otherwise. But that promise died,
too. This time thanks to my mom. Bra shopping! I went bra
shopping! But it's not her fault either. She thought I was Ranko;
how could she know she was dressing her _son_ up in girl's
clothing?" He let out a deep breath. "How _could_ she...?" he
whispered softly, bitterly.
"But you know... it's not the clothes. Not really. It's...
embarrassing at times. Well, most of the time. But if it was just
that, maybe I could have dealt with it. Maybe."
Akane waited for him to continue. At least he was letting it
out, now. _Then_ she could convince him to stay. Would convince
him. _Had_ to convince him. Instead of immediately continuing, he
turned slightly, digging through a side pocket of his backpack.
Pulling something out. Something yellow. "Tell me Akane..." he
said over his shoulder.
"Yes?"
"How did you imagine your first kiss?" he asked, turning back.
She jumped slightly at the question. "I... I dunno." Several
images rose in the back of her mind, some more vivid then others.
She blushed. "Romantic. Special. With someone I care for, I
guess."
He gave a small smile. "Well, when I was travelling, I never
really thought of it. Or of girls in general, really. I was too
busy training. And starving. Even at Shampoo's village, I never
really took note of the girls there. The food seemed much more...
interesting."
Akane smiled. Ranma mirrored it, but it soon fell. "Till pop
told me 'bout the engagement, of course. Sure, I was upset, but I
couldn't help but wonder: 'who's this girl was gonna be, what's she
gonna be like?' And I even started to... well, I may not be the
most romantic of people..." Ranma paused and frowned at Akane's
'oh-really?' expression, then went on. "... but I started to
dream, just a little, to grow curious.
"Well, that little romantic idea came crashing down around my
head pretty quickly." he muttered.
Akane flushed with anger. "WHAT?" she exclaimed. "Well I'm
sorry I didn't meet your standards!"
Ranma's eyes opened wide. "No! No!" he said. "Not you!"
"Then who?" said Akane, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Mikado." Ranma spat out the name as if it left a bad taste
in his mouth. On reflection, Akane realised it probably did.
Mikado...
... scooped the hapless Ranma up from behind. "I can teach
you to skate." intoned Mikado swavely, one arm envelloping Ranma's
front, hand brushing lightly against the red-head's breasts.
"Huh?" responded Ranma intelligently. Mikado reversed his
hold, encircling Ranma by the waist, embracing the red-head close
to him. With his other hand, Mikado grabbed hold of Ranma's free
wrist in a loose grip. Mikado towered over Ranma's diminutive
female body - caught in the skater's grasp, his feet swung
uselessly several feet from the ice.
"Thanks, but no thanks! Leggo of me!" exclaimed Ranma,
obviously still unbalanced by the pickup.
"You mean it? Too bad." responded Mikado, gently skating to
a stop. "But at least..." Mikado dipped Ranma forward. "... you
can thank me for my earlier rescue." He gazed deep into Ranma's
eyes.
Surely Ranma sees what's coming, thought Akane. Why doesn't
he hit him? Break free? Get away before...
Mikado's head darted forward, lips parted slightly, lightly
pressing against Ranma's; Ranma's eyes opened wide in shock;
sensing no resistance, Mikado pressed down harder, drawing the
'girl' into a more passionate kiss. He held the embrace for
several long moments as Akane watched on, stunned.
Mikado slowly drew away, obviously savoring the moment. He
gently released Ranma from his arms.
Ranma blinked. He took a hesitant step.
He took another.
And then another.
Then he burst into tears and ran from the rink, crying.
Akane watched her fiance flee. Ranma...
... trembled with revulsion. "That bastard!" he muttered.
"If he... if he ever comes close to me again... " With a visible
effort he took control of his anger, shaking slightly.
Akane remembered how Ranma had emerged from the bathrooms soon
after, male once more, blazing with anger and rage. Much like
today, she realised. Of course, that day had finished badly for
Mikado as well...
"You couldn't have won without throwing 518 punches?!" asked
Akane.
"Shut up." responded Ranma. "You think I'd put the guy who
did that to me out of his misery with just one punch?"
"What on earth did he do?" K
"..." A
"Nothing... special." R
"Quite pathetic, isn't it?" spoke a mocking voice from behind
them. "I would never have let such a thing happen to _me_."
"Ryoga..." exclaimed Akane, catching sight of the boy. He was
leaning against the door frame,
"Shut up! If I hadn't been stuck in skates, that moron would
never have..." R
"Kissed you?" Ry
"Well! Really? You were kissed, Ranma?" K
"Wow! By who? By who?" N
"..." R
"Tell them, Ranma. It isn't often that one is kissed... by
such a handsome _boy_." Ry
"WHY, YOU..." R
"BOY?!" K+N
pause
"You shouldn't let it bother you." K
"If it was a boy... it doesn't even count." N
"Of course, if it had been your _first_ kiss, that would be a
tragedy!" N
"But certainly that wasn't the case, was it, Ranma?" K
[STUFF]
"That bastard! His kiss... he.. he..." Ranma sputtered in
anger. "I _still_ say he got off too easy. 500 punches wasn't
enough. Not enough by half!"
"It bothered you that much?"
"Yes. More."
"Then why didn't you say anything?"
"..."
/// BOTTOM /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// ///
[More Stuff]
/// TOP /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// ///
He threw Ryoga down to the ground. Ranma stood tall over the
sprawled boy, hands clenched by his side. "Get lost, Ryoga. That
shouldn't be hard for you! You're my friend. I just realised that
today. Thanks to Akane. You might be one of the only guy friends
I have. But I don't want to see you right now. Not... not now."
Akane saw Ryoga glance her way, then back at Ranma. Ryoga's
face was contorted in rage. He stood up, speaking heatedly; Akane
couldn't make out what he was saying, or what Ranma said in
response. They both glanced her way. The word 'P-Chan' floated on
the wind.
Ryoga's expression switched to one of abject terror. What did
he know about P-Chan? Akane stepped slightly closer, straining to
hear.
"You... you swore!" exclaimed Ryoga. "On your honour!"
"And I've stayed true to my promise, Ryoga. Truer than you
have to any of yours. No matter what the cost. But today, I
really don't think I give a shit."
Ryoga's eyes opened wide. He mouthed something too low for
her to understand.
"Yes, Ryoga, I would." responded Ranma. "I'll only ask you
one last time. Leave. By the time you find your way back,
everything'll be back to normal. I swear that too."
Akane saw Ryoga stare at Ranma, then look straight at her. He
seemed in pain, and afraid; he seemed to want to say something, but
couldn't. With a savage, bestial scream, he turned away and fled.
The darkness swallowed him without another sound.
Ranma turned away, his face a cold and bitter mask.
/// BOTTOM /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// /// ///
[STUFF HAPPENS]
Ranma stood up and started to walk away.
Akane stood up behind him.
"Ranma!" she cried out.
No answer. He continued to walk.
"Don't go!"
The darkness started to swallow him up.
"You BASTARD!" she screamed.
He stopped and spun. His pack fell to the ground with a thud.
His face was hidden in shadows, but his voice was clear. And
clearly surprised. "What?"
"You thoughtless BAKA!" she screamed. Tears blurred her
vision. "Do you think you're the only one with a problem? The
only one who's had it tough all these months?"
She couldn't see him clearly. Blurry eyes and darkness
obscured him. "Akane?" he called out weakly.
"I... I sat here with you. Sat here for... for hours.
Listening to you whine. Complain. 'Bout how, how... HARD and
UNFAIR your life's been!" She wiped the back of her arms across
her face. It felt hot. "How you hate being a girl, how you don't
have any friends. How you miss... miss your MOTHER! Ha!" Ranma
was closer now, she could see him better.
"What about me, huh? You think it's been easy on me, too? So
you've had a tough life! So have I! So does everyone! _Deal_
with it! Grow up!"
"Ak... Akane? I... " he said.
"NO!" she yelled. "Don't interrupt! Don't... don't you dare
interrupt. Or leave. Not till I'm done. I listened to you; I
kept my anger to myself every time you said something stupid, or
selfish, or arrogant, or, or... STUPID! And it happened a lot,
believe me. So... so now, you... _you_ listen to _me_!"
Ranma opened his mouth, then slammed it shut. He nodded once.
[STUFF]
"So... so. There. Now go. Fine. Go to China. Leave me.
Alone. Run... run away." Akane stopped. She felt drained.
Exhausted. She sank to the ground. Her head hung low, tears
flowing freely. Not the hot, heavy tears of before. She heard a
shuffling before her. Ranma. He crouched down before her.
"Am I... am I running away?" he asked softly, questioningly.
Akane rubbed her eyes, looked up. "I... I don't know." she
said. "Only you do."
"What... what if I was doing this... for us?"
"Are you?"
"I... don't know. I really don't."
"Then neither do I. All I know is... is that you're leaving
me... me alone. Again. Alone." She sighed.
[STUFF]
"But things can't go back to the way they were. Not after
today. Everything's changed."
"Has it? Does it _really_ need to be different? Were you
_really_ that unhappy? Aren't they _already_ different?"
"I... I don't know."
"And you never will. Not if... if you leave. Or run.
Whatever you call it."
Akane stood up. Ranma stood up. He gripped the thermos
tightly in his right hand. He thrust it into her hand.
She refused to take it. "No. It's your decision. It's...
it's got to be your decision." She turned her back to him; the
full moon shone overhead, then blurred. She closed her eyes.
[WRITE ENDING]
The End
***
There ya go!
Comments, ideas, whatever appreciated. Does it suck? Tell me!
One part you think needs expanding? Let me know! Good or bad, feedback
is always appreciated. I'm kinda stumped on this one, so everything is
bound to help.