The Leper: Biopsy
by Nikholas "NomaD" F. Toledo
Ranma 1/2 is the property of Kitty, VIZ and the omnipotent Rumiko
Takahashi. I am a property of Switch (so you know who to sue).
I am NomaD... I am coming... I am near.
By the way, this is a self-insertion. My character had a past with
Ukyou, but not the kind you're thinking of. And, because this is my
first Ranma fic, I'm gonna do some weird stuff like use Ryouga and Ukyou
but still keep Kuno, Tendo and Tofu. But I'm not really sure.
Part 19
"World's End"
==========
Part 4, Beloved
Ukyou could feel the warm rays of the setting sun on her skin as
she fiddled with the locks. She opened the door and went inside.
It was quiet. He wasn't there yet.
She thought of waiting for him, then decided to go to the roof to
get some more rays.
She went to her room and changed to her work clothes. She opened a
window and climbed out and up to the roof.
She almost lost her balance in surprise when she saw him there.
He was standing, facing the setting sun. His shadow reached out to
her.
"There you are."
Kii turned and smiled. "Here I am."
"Where were you? I didn't see you this lunch...."
"I had stuff to do.... You know."
Ukyou came up to him and stared into his eyes. She could see that
he was trying to tell her something but found it hard to do so.
And yet, somehow, she knew.
"You're leaving, aren't you...?"
"I'm sorry."
Ukyou slid her arms around his waist. He cradled her head on his
chest and ran his hand through her hair. "Why?"
"It's something I have to do...."
"But everything's going so well, right now...."
"But I don't belong here."
"Don't say that...." Ukyou hugged tighter. Kii could feel her
tears soaking his chest.
"Ucchan... I have to do this."
"I need a best friend right now...."
"You have good friends here."
"It's not the same...."
"It's never the same." Ukyou drew back and looked at him. "I'm
not... going to see you ever again, am I...?" It was not a question,
more of a confirmation.
Kii just closed his eyes, finding it hard to look at her.
"I... I should stop you... I should fight for this... but... but
something tells me that this is something you really have to do and that
there's nothing I can do to stop you."
"Don't worry, Ucchan. In time, you'll forget."
"No!" Ukyou answered almost too abruptly. "No... I won't."
"Yes... you will. But it's alright. That's how it's supposed to
be anyway."
Kii inhaled a healthy amount of air, knowing that these were the
last few breaths that he would take in Nerima. "C'mon."
To Ukyou's surprise, Kii placed one arm around her shoulders and
picked her up. He then jumped down from the roof before Ukyou could
protest.
They were laughing like children when they landed on the ground.
Kii let Ukyou down but she kept her arms around him.
"I'm gonna miss you...." Ukyou gave him a final squeeze before
entering the restaurant.
Kii followed her inside. He went behind the counter to gather his
things.
Ukyou just propped her head on her hands as she leaned her elbow on
the counter. She watched him pack.
Kii got up and slung the backpack on his back. This momentarily
alarmed Ukyou, for she knew that the time was almost at hand.
"Ucchan...."
"I know." Ukyou came to him and held his hand.
He guided her outside and they watched the sun as it made its slow
descent towards the earth.
"It was never Ranma, was it?"
"What?"
"Ranma, it was never him for you. At least, not after a while."
"My priorities changed, I guess. After a while, the engagement
didn't matter that much anymore. I guess I never really wanted to marry
him - I was just so angry at the time that I didn't really know what I
wanted...."
"Don't worry."
"About what?"
"Give him a week or so... he'll be back."
Ukyou was momentarily struck by Kii's words, but before she could
answer...
"Goodbye, Ucchan."
She just stared straight ahead, not daring to answer or to meet his
gaze.
Kii wrapped his arms around her, leaned down and kissed her on the
cheek. Ukyou reflexively kissed back.
Kii then gave her a final kiss on the forehead.
He slowly backed away then turned. Ukyou watched him as he reached
the horizon.
Against the hazy sunset, she saw him turn and wave.
She raised a hand and waved back. Mildly at first, then she waved
her final goodbye.
Her other hand covered her mouth to stifle the sobbing. She bowed
down and closed her eyes. The tears flowed down, uninhibited.
When she looked up again, he was gone, just like that.
"Excuse me!"
Ukyou jumped back in surprise. She was already grabbing for her
spatulas when she found that it was a postal worker that sneaked up on
her.
The postal worker saw the tears in her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. Did
I scare you, little miss?"
"No, no, it's not that." Ukyou frantically wiped the tears away.
"Are you okay, miss?"
"Yeah... yes, I'm okay. What do you want?"
The postal worker dug in the bag then drew an envelope. He looked
at it to confirm that it was the right one then handed it to Ukyou.
"Kuonji Ukyou, Nerima, Tokyo...."
"Yes, that's right."
"Sorry it took this long, it was sorta misplaced, I think. Well,
goodbye, miss."
Ukyou half-heartedly waved goodbye then went in the restaurant.
She sat on a stool, still looking at the unopened envelope. Seeing
who and where it was from, she had a fairly good idea what it contained.
Then finally deciding, she slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the
letter inside.
She folded it open and read the first few sentences...
"Figures."
Her eyes were streaming with tears while holding a smile. She
laughed and cried at the irony of it all. She ran up the stairs and
locked herself in the safety of her room, burying her face in a pillow,
barring herself from the madness of the world.
On the counter lay the half-read letter. The letter was from
Ukyou's dad, giving his consent to her engagement to Kiiroi Niwatori.
==========
Epilogue
"How long has it been?"
Too long.
"I just hope I make it on time...."
Too late.
"I wonder how she is...?"
Not well. She needs you.
"She needs me... I've got to hurry. I've gotta...!"
"Hey, Ryouga!"
Ryouga turned and saw a man clad in black waving at him from a
distance. As the man got closer, Ryouga began to recognize the man he
met only a week before.
"K-Kii...?"
"Where're you going?"
"N-Nerima...."
"Really? Then you better turn around or you'll circle around the
world before you get there."
"I'm... kinda used to it...."
Kii stopped at a few yards in front of Ryouga. They stood still
for a moment. The wind blew dust all over then there was an eerie calm.
Kii started removing his backpack. Ryouga gave him a quizzical
look.
"In Nerima, I wanted to fight anybody who would pose as a threat
between Ukyou and me. And so I fought Tsubasa and Ranma...."
"Whatever...."
"I lost."
"Oh."
"I'm pretty surprised at myself that it took me this long to figure
it out. But now things become clear...." Kii dropped his pack on the
side of road. He then began removing his bandages.
Without realizing it, Ryouga found himself taking off his own
backpack.
Kii was right. Things WERE becoming clear.
He dropped his pack to his side and cracked his knuckles.
"I don't have that much time on my hands, right now. So, let's
just give it all we've got in one blow. Is that okay with you?"
Ryouga just nodded his confirmation. He closed his eyes and
crossed his arms. He started visualizing Akane's angry face. He could
see her anger, anger towards him. She hated him, as a man and as a pig.
Slowly, Ryouga's battle aura began to appear.
Kii raised his hand in front of his face then shifted his gaze to
the man across him. He inhaled, then shouted at the top of his lungs to
psyche himself up. He was immediately surrounded by a blinding white
aura. The very air around him was burning in white fire.
Kii charged Ryouga, his arm pulled back, his fingers curled and
ready to strike.
Ryouga opened his eyes and saw Kii approaching with amazing speed.
His own aura exploded with fury.
"BAAAAKUSAAAAIIII..."
"SHIII CHIII HOOOKOOOUUU..."
"... TEEENKEEETSUUUUU!!!"
For a brief part of a second, amidst the imaginings of Akane's
angry facade, Ukyou's smiling face came into the picture.
And that was all it took.
"... daaan..."
The pillar of energy never came to be.
The world exploded in a blinding ball of power.
Just like that and it was all over.
----------
He was floating. Or at least there was the sensation of floating.
In this dreamlike miasma, Ryouga could only see darkness and smell
seared cloth. The darkness started to surround him and suffocate him.
That was when he decided to open his eyes.
"Ukyou..."
"Hardly."
Ryouga squinted from the onrush of light. He tried to make out
where he was and who was the silhouette in front of him. And then he
remembered.
Ryouga sat up. Kii offered a hand, which Ryouga took. Kii pulled
him up and his knees wobbled a bit before straightening.
Ryouga let go of Kii's hand and bowed his head, partly out of
respect, mostly out of shame.
"I... I guess, I lost."
"On the contrary, you won..." Kii then turned and started to walk
away before Ryouga could ask him about his last comment.
Ryouga just contented himself with watching Kii as he approached
the horizon.
To his surprise, Kii turned, the sun silhouetting his features.
"... you've won from the start."
Ryouga was taken aback and then he smiled.
"You better go to her, she's waiting for you... she just doesn't
know it yet." Kii's features disappeared into the soft haze of the
setting sun.
Ryouga grabbed his pack and walked the opposite way. And then he
started running... and laughing.
"I'm coming, Ukyou... I'm coming... just wait a little longer...."
----------
Well, maybe a lot longer....
Two weeks later, somewhere in the Mongolian Steppes...
"WHERE THE HELL AM I NOW?!?!?!?!?"
==========
Soliloquy
Kiiroi Niwatori, just one week in Nerima and you've already done so
much.
"That's what my type does...."
Your type?
"Self-Insertions."
You're doing it again, Kii.
"It doesn't matter anymore."
You're really not coming back, are you?
"Nope."
Now what?
"I don't know, there's not much left to do but..."
No.
"... die, I guess."
You can't!
"I will."
I can write you back in.
"No... you won't."
But...
"Let them be, it's been too long, let's not interfere anymore."
...
"You okay?"
Two years.
"Too long."
Goodbye, Kii.
"Goodbye, Jaives."
And the world came to an end.
---------------
end of Part 19
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