Digimon Fan Fiction / Fatal Fury Fan Fiction / Gundam Wing Fan Fiction / Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction / Sailor Moon Fan Fiction / Trigun Fan Fiction ❯ THE BOYZ ❯ Time To Die, Airen ( Chapter 12 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]

Robster80 Presents...

THE BOYZ:
Part 12 - Time to Die, Airen!


Previously (Dende): Terry was shaken up from the whole experience, so TK decided to go after Krauser if he wouldn't. Ranma tried to stop him, and it ended up in an all-out brawl between them, with TK getting hammered the most. While they were going at it, Kari and the others showed up in Bulma's hoverjet. Terry watched as TK just kept coming back after getting beaten down by Ranma, giving him the inspiration he needed to regain his confidence as a fighter. Ranma gave up to TK's determination, but now he's got to worry about my decision on his relationship with Shampoo. Oh, and as for TK, he's resting in a private bedchamber. I've healed him once today already, so he'll have to heal the hard way now...


A great hush swept over everyone as Dende, carrying a small dagger encrusted in silver, and Piccolo emerged from the shadowed doorway. Their expressions were serious and dark, especially Dende's. It scared even Mr. Popo.

"I have made my decision," he started. "Concerning Ranma's supposed engagement to Shampoo."

This made Akane tense up. If Ranma had to marry Shampoo right there and now, there'd be some serious hell to pay, starting with the green shrimp. Of course, getting past the green giant would be a problem.

Suddenly, as if Piccolo knew what she was thinking, he looked right at her and said harshly, "Just stay still and shut the hell up until he's finished, Akane Tendo!" It was rather embarrassing: for Akane, and for Ranma.

Shampoo couldn't help but crack a smile. Maybe this meant she was finally going to have Ranma as her husband.

"Ranma, your victory over Shampoo in your male form was purely accidental, and therefore invalid."

The amazons and Akane were frozen in shock. Ranma, with great speed, rushed over and hugged Dende. "Thank you," he repeated over-joyously to the young Kami-sama. That is, until he pulled away to look him in the eye. "What did you mean by my male form?"

"You defeated Shampoo in combat shortly after becoming cursed at Jusenkyo, correct?"

"Yeah, so?"

At this Dende walked over to Shampoo and held out the dagger to her. "Then, by her laws, you must die by her hand."

"ARE YOU CRAZY?!"

Everyone was surprised that the outburst came from Quatre, including himself. But he kept on going. "What kind of law is that for a society to have?! Nobody even knew Ranma was really a guy back when he first fought Shampoo!"

"Dende is the current Kami-sama," Piccolo stated calmly. "Therefore, his word is final. Sorry, Ranma, but that's how it has to be." [Just relax, kid. We'll have you free of Shampoo, and still living, after this is over. Just help us out.]

Ranma didn't nod, or make any sort of move or gesture. However, he understood to an extent what was going on.

"No!"

Knocking the dagger away, Shampoo jumped over and latched onto Ranma's one arm tightly. "Green child no make Shampoo kill Ranma! No matter if child Kami-sama or not Kami-sama! Shampoo love Ranma, Shampoo marry Ranma!"

"The law is the law," Dende said while picking up the dagger. "If you don't obey, then I will kill Ranma myself and have you or anyone else restrained if you stand in the way."

"NNOOOOOO!!! Great-Grandmother, you no let Ranma die!"

The ancient Amazon sadly shook her head. "I am sorry, Shampoo, but... to defy Kami-sama is to invite destruction to our tribe. Son-in-law... Ranma... has to be killed by your hand."

"Shampoo refuse! I no kill airen-!"

The next thing Shampoo knew, she was holding her cheek in pain from the slap Ranma had given her after freeing his arm. "Airen-?"

"DON'T CALL ME THAT," Ranma exploded. "I am NOT your husband, or fiancée, or even your boyfriend! If I had known defeating you back when we first met would have you chasing me back to Japan, I would have ran off on our duel and never looked back."

"But... but Shampoo love-!"

"I DON'T LOVE YOU, YOU STUPID AMAZON!!! You're always crashing into me on your damn bicycle, always feeding me food laced with potions and junk, always helping make situations all the worst for me, always deceiving me with so-called cures for Jusenkyo curses so you can get a date with me, and always glomping me like some stuffed animal or trophy. It's enough to make a guy sick to his stomach, which I am when it comes to you, Akane, Kodachi, Ukyo, and all the others who make my life a living hell! What I'm about to say next comes from the heart and is my final say in this engagement matter with you: I'D RATHER BE DEAD THAN BE YOUR HUSBAND!!"

All the time Ranma was yelling, Akane winced as if she was the one being yelled at instead of Shampoo. Eventually, she realized, it would be her turn later.

Davis somehow felt that this was all too familiar to him, but he shook it off as just nonsense.

Once he was finished, Ranma was panting hard, but still glaring at Shampoo. She was frozen once again, save for a few tears running down her cheeks. The reality of it all was sinking into her. Her hands shook, as they slowly became fists. All she could see now was blood red.

"Ranma... you... you..."

Quickly, Dende slipped the dagger into her hand. "Have fun," he whispered, though he knew she wouldn't pay attention to him.

[Ranma,] Piccolo told him telepathically. [Whatever happens, let her run you through.]

[Are you insane?!]

[Trust me...]

There was no time, as Shampoo suddenly drew back her hand, dagger firmly grasped. "RANMA YOU I KILL!!!"

Akane wanted to rush out and stop this madness, but it was too late. Shampoo, tears flying form her eyes, practically rammed the dagger's blade straight into Ranma's chest. He hunched over, gasping for breath while the others gasped in shock. He felt his legs weaken before they gave out, bringing him to his knees.

He drew one last breath, weakly said, "At least... I'm... free..." and then dropped dead.

"RANMA, NO!!!"

Shampoo snapped out of her blind rage when she heard Akane cry out and run for Ranma. It was as if the last second had been a blank. Seeing Ranma lying with a dagger in his chest and Akane beside him made her jump to the wrong conclusion. "AIYA!!! Violent girl kill airen-!"

For the second time that day, Shampoo received a slap from the most unexpected person. Tears streaming down her face, Akane glared daggers at the Amazon. "How dare you," she raised her voice. "I wasn't the one who ran Ranma through the heart, you Chinese slut: YOU DID!!! You killed him! You said you loved him and when he spoke the truth about how he really felt about you, you went and killed him!"

"No," Shampoo whispered in shock. She backed away and shook her head, but the tears gave her away. It was sinking in deeply. She had killed Ranma in violent rage. Not Ukyo, not Kodachi, and not even Akane, which was a surprise. "Shampoo... Shampoo kill Ranma..."

"Yes," Came the voice of Dence, who walked over to Ranma's body. The blood was starting to run a trail along the pavement. "Your laws have been fulfilled, Shampoo. Ranma Saotome has been slain by your hand. His engagement to you is now and permanently nullified. There is no reason for you and your great-grandmother to remain away from your tribe any longer."

"Indeed."

Shampoo looked over at Cologne, who hobbled over on her walking stick. "Forgive me, my dear, but against the word of Kami-sama, even the tribal elders dare not make any defiance."

A moment of silence followed. Finally, Shampoo hung her head.

"Then... Shampoo say goodbye... and return to... Amazon village..."

A magic carpet appeared before Shampoo, courtesy of Mr. Popo. "Allow me to escort you and your grandmother back to your home. It will me much more comfortable than if Piccolo carries you back."

With a heavy heart, Shampoo dragged her feet towards the carpet. But then, she stopped to look at Ranma's body. "Wait, please. Shampoo... Shampoo want take Ranma home. Home to village."

However, Akane stood between her and the body. "Haven't you done enough?"

Piccolo quickly stepped between the two girls to prevent a fight. "The body will go to his family, NOT to you! Now get lost, before I lose my temper!"

"Come along, Shampoo. Ranma is no longer our concern."

She trembled were she stood for a second, before letting out a wailing "Bie lao" and jumping onto the carpet. Popo got on and started flying himself, Cologne, and Shampoo back down to the Earth below.

Suddenly, Ranma sat straight up, scaring everyone but Dende and Piccolo. "Are they gone?"

A wide grin was on Dende's lips. "Yep. They fell for it."

"YES," Ranma shouted as he jumped to his feet and then pulled out the dagger. Once it was removed, the spilled blood magically pulled itself back into Ranma's wound before it healed completely, not even leaving a scar. His shirt was also mended.

Dropping the dagger, Ranma started jumping about and shouting with great joy. "I'M FREE," he shouted. "FREE!! WAAAHHOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Everyone watched him with strange looks, but he didn't notice, or even care. In fact, during his celebration, he grabbed Akane by the shoulders and pulled her into a deep, but brief kiss before he went back to doing flips.

The shock was still holding onto Akane. It was all a trick to get rid of Shampoo. The dagger didn't kill Ranma, and he was in on it the whole time. Akane didn't know if she was going to kill him or kiss him.

Wait, he did just kiss her. Although it was short, Akane enjoyed it. She did, very much more than she cared to admit. Perhaps later she would "allow" him to kiss her again.

Matt was the one who walked over to Dende. "You set this all up, didn't you?"

"I did. That dagger was enchanted to make it appear that it injures a person, but does not real harm. By the time Shampoo realizes she's been tricked, she'll be back in China. Until we know for sure that she's gone, Ranam should remain up here for a while."

"What about TK?"

At this Dende's smile faded. "I told you before, I already healed him once today, and that's enough."


**************************************************** ****************************


When TK woke up, he felt numb all over. At first he wondered why he felt like this, but then it all came back to him. [I'm surprised Ranma didn't kill me back there.]

Light breathing was coming from his left. Kari sat in a chair nearby, but she was leaning on the side of the bed, sleeping softly.

[Kari? What's she doing here? Maybe I'm dreaming.]

Footsteps from outside the room could be heard, coming closer. With a little strain, TK looked to the door. He waited as the steps grew louder and closer, and then Vegeta entered.

The Saiyan took one look at the sleeping Kari, and then quietly tip=toed over to the bed. "How do you feel?"

"As bad as I must look. How long have I been...?"

"Several hours. I have good news for you: Your friend, Ranma, I think, got that purple-haired slut out of his life for good."

"Dende got him out of the engagement, then?"

"He did. He tricked the girl into using a trick dagger on Ranma, making her think she killed him. Once she left, the Namek told us the truth and Ranma is still celebrating. He'll be staying up here for a while, until it's clear that the girl has gone back to wherever her village is."

TK sighed with relief. That was one fiancée Ranma had lost. He still had a few more, but still it was one less to worry about. He motioned over to Kari with his head. "How'd she get here?"

"In your aunt's flying contraption. She, your family, and your friends from back home all came up. They were worried about you after you lost the tournament and then ended up here after that Krauser appeared. This one was worried about you the most, as I recall. Hasn't left your side since we brought you to this room."

"You're mistaken. She's in love with another guy. She doesn't have time to think about me, let alone worry about me."

"If you weren't injured, I'd smack you for saying I'm wrong. But the truth of the matter remains. I even saw her throw out that one annoying guy back at your parent's place, screaming that she'd never be his girl ever again."

However, Vegeta's words didn't register in TK's head. He was asleep again.

Vegeta snorted once before he left the room, shaking his head. "Stubborn kid."

"Kinda reminds me of you, though he's not as hotheaded."

The Saiyan Prince and Piccolo exchanged glares for a moment before they both walked off, in different directions.


************************************************* *******************************


"What is it you wish to speak of, Mr. Bogard?"

Terry faced Dende. "I'd like you to reconsider your decision about TK's healing on his own."

"For what reason?"

"I'd like to train with him."

The young Namekian raised an eyebrow (Or whatever, since Namekians don't have eyebrows). "Then you've decided to accept Wolfgang Krauser's challenge?"

"I have."

"But why not ask Ranma Saotome, or Piccolo to help you train?"

"Because we both know that TK's the closest to my level of skill than anyone else up here."

"Mr. Popo could help, once he returns from escorting the Amazons back to Nerima. He's an excellent fighter."

"There's no telling when he'll be back, though."

"Excuse us?"

Mr. and Mrs. Ishida walked in on the two. "We don't mean to interrupt," Mrs. Ishida continued, "but you are talking about our youngest son, after all."

"We think TK's been punished enough with your decision, sir," Mr. Ishida added. "It has been a few hours since he passed out, and we're very concerned about him."

"However, concerning you, Mr. Bogard, my husband and I wish that you don't include our boy in whatever it is you have planned."

"He could get killed the next time he fights!"

"That's funny," a new voice chimed in from behind. The four turned to see Quatre walk over. "From what TK's told me and the other roommates, you didn't seem to mind him and the other Digi-Destined go romping in the Digital World, where he had a good chance of getting killed. So why not let him train with Terry?"

Nancy (Mrs. Ishida) crossed her arms. "The difference is in the Digital World, he had a Digimon to protect him and fight for him! And just who do you think you are?"

"Oh, I forgot to introduce myself earlier. I'm Quatre Winner, the owner of the apartment TK and the others reside in with me."

Jaws dropped, save for Dende's. The Ishidas could hardly believe that their son was rooming with the heir to the Winner Family.

"Look," Terry finally said, "I'm not out to kill your son, Mr. and Mrs. Takaishi-."

"Ishida. Takaishi is my wife's maiden name."

"...Mr. and Mrs. Ishida. I'm only asking for his help as a sparring partner."

"We'll let TK decide," Dende finally said. "If he agrees, I will heal him. If not, he'll stay in bed."

"Why not just let the punk stay in bed?"

Quatre rarely got angry or fed up with anyone, but when he faced Davis he made a sour face. "I don't recall anyone asking for your opinion, Davis Motomiya."

"That guy started that fight with what's-his-name, so he got what he deserved! Let's leave him here and-. HEY!"

While no one noticed, Vash had snuck up behind Davis, tapped him on the shoulder, and quickly grabbed the goggles on his head, pulling them back while Davis held into the straps and pulled back himself. "Hey," Davis cried. "Gimme that, gimme that, GIMME THA-!"

"If you say so," Vash said with a smile. He calmly let go and sent the goggles back at Davis, smacking against his forehead with a loud WHACK sound.

"OOOOWWW!!! What's the idea?!"

"Better question: what's your beef with TK? He's a nice guy."

Davis went on ranting about how TK was his rival and how he had to keep Kari away from guys like him. Dende just led the others away, leaving Vash to understand/ignore Davis' blabbing.



TO BE CONCLUDED...


NEXT: (Ranma) I don't believe this! (TK) You mean, after this next one, it's over? We've only gone through one week of the two we're supposed to have at the apartment. (Quatre) It's hard to believe it's been over two years since BOYZ started. I wonder what happens next? (TK) I heard something with the words "endless waltz" involved. (Piccolo) Really? I heard something about a remake of the one Beatles movie. (Vash) In any case, the next chapter is the end of BOYZ, but not the end of our adventures. (Ranma) And what about the girl problems TK and I still have? (TK) Yeah! (Piccolo) Sorry, out of time!


Final episode: Boyz Will Be Boyz