Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Lost Days Lamenting Lost Days ❯ Chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: ashez2ashes 
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Mystery / Comedy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.08.2002 | Updated On: 11.07.2004 | Pages: 8 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 365 | Status: Completed
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Supernatural / Mystery / Comedy | Type: Continuation | Uploaded On: 02.08.2002 | Updated On: 11.07.2004 | Pages: 8 | Words: 4.8K | Visits: 365 | Status: Completed
*IMPORTANT NOTE* This fanfic happens before Saffron. It roughly
starts after the Shi Shi Hodokan arc. Ok?
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2.
Ranma: When am I coming back?! The show IS called _RANMA_ 1/2.
ashes: I dunno someday.
Ranma: Come on! Bring Ranma back!
ashes:...Quiet you. This is a serious chapter.
Ranma: *cough* bring back Ranma *cough*
-----
Lost Days Lamenting Lost Days
Chapter 11
----
That stupid, perverted, stubborn, lying, pig-boy!
Ukyou slammed down her spatula upon her unsuspecting okonomiyaki
victim.
She had thought he was a nice guy and then she finds out... HE
SLEEPS IN AKANE'S BED?!
Maybe it was impossible to be a non-pervert in Nerima; the water
could be contaminated. It would make a lot of sense... like a
pervert virus that attaches itself to the male chromosome.
Ukyou shrugged. What had she been thinking about? ...Oh yeeeeah.
Perverted Pig Boy!
She slammed her spatula down again.
Shouldn't he have been too embarrassed to sleep in Akane's bed? He
got so nervous and embarrassed around Akane. It didn't make any
sense. But yet, he had been around Akane all the time! Even sat in
her lap! Was his little piggy brain just too small to get
embarrassed?
Speaking of little, P-chan was an awfully little pig. It had to
be kind of hard, turning into such a defenseless pathetic animal.
Not that she was feeling sorry for the pig boy, 'cause she wasn't.
She sighed and served out two newly made okonomiyaki to Gosinkugi
and that fortune teller girl. They sure had been spending a lot of
time together. Ukyou's hair fluttered as a cool breeze blew in
from her open door.
It was almost time to close up. It was hard to believe that it had
been only last night since she had seen Ryouga. It felt longer
than that since her plan got shot all to hell. Talk about getting
out of hand...
"Gos, I do not like the drinks sold here. Go out and buy me that
orange drink from the machine we passed earlier." The fortune
teller girl, Ukyou had no idea what her name was, waved her hand
in the air impatiently. Her glum looking companion frowned...
more.
"But that was four blocks away and--"
He was silenced by a wave of her hand.
"Go. Now."
"Yes Ma'am!" He jumped and ran out of the restaurant, a tad too
quickly than a non-athletic guy like him should have been able to.
The fortune teller girl looked up as she noticed Ukyou staring at
her.
"I'm not with him, really."
"Uh, huh."
"He's working at my family's magic shop."
"Surrrrrrre he his, hon."
'What's her name', 'hmmped' and went back to her food. Ukyou
suppressed the small smile that was threatening to ruin her
brooding mood. She was aggravated and planning on staying that
way! How would it look if she just got over it? It would be a
crime against womanhood, and many other things like that.
The fortune teller girl looked up again after a few minutes. "Oh.
What happened with that Ryouga guy? I heard he was hit by a semi?
I thought he was tough enough to shrug one of those off."
Ukyou picked up a rag and wiped the countertop spotless. "Well, he
wasn't too messed up after the first one..."
"First one?"
"He tried to get up and got hit by another one..."
"Wow..."
"Then the truck exploded."
The fortune teller's eyes widened. "Uh...okay..." The fortune
teller went back to her food. Sometimes it was best not to ask
questions in this part of town.
Ukyou shrugged and went back to cleaning.
Ranma hadn't been by for quite awhile. Sure, she had been avoiding
him at first but... she missed him. Even if he didn't love her,
she missed him. They were still friends... right? What was he
doing that he couldn't even come and visit his best friend?
Ukyou paused in horror for several seconds.
Ack! She was getting as perverted as Ryouga! She shook her head
violently and tried to get the icky mental images to go away... If
only she could use the rag in her hand to wipe out her mind.
Stupid perverted pig boy, he had corrupted her too... what was he
doing now anyways? What did he have to do in his life if he didn't
get lost? Was he by himself somewhere all alone?
Not that she cared or anything.
Why did all the men in her life like Akane more than her? If she
started freaking out all the time and hitting Ranch--err Ranma for
no reason, cut her hair short, and started sleeping with a pig
would they start to like her better? ...well Ryouga sure would...
ACK! THAT'S NOT WHAT SHE MEANT! GO AWAY MENTAL IMAGE! GO AWAY!
Ryouga was kinda buff and all...
AAAAAH! SHE _WAS_ TURNING INTO A PERVERT!
"Um, are you all right?" The fortune teller girl stared at the
overreacting chef.
"Eh, heh heh. I'm all right." Ukyou laughed apologetically and sat
the now two pieces of her dishrag far away from her.
The fortune teller girl looked at the unstable chef for a moment,
and decided that today was not a good day to get caught up in one
of Ranma's fianc‚e's emotional overreactions. She didn't want
seconds THAT badly.
She looked up as Gosinkugi staggered into the restaurant. He
leaned against the door frame, too tired to talk or walk. With the
last vestiges of his strength, he waved a can of orange drink in
the air before collapsing on the floor.
The fortune teller girl stood up. "Come on Gos! It's time to
leave."
"But... drink... brought... did I.." Gos gurgled something as his
eyes began to flutter back into his head.
"Oh forget about that." The girl stepped on his back on her way
out of the restaurant and looked casually over her shoulder at his
limp corpse. "What are you laying down there for? Get up! There's
inventory to be done at the shop. The floors need mopping. Hurry
up!"
Ukyou looked on in pity as Gos somehow picked his body off the
ground and followed his slave master off into the night.
The clock on the wall slowly ticked by in the empty restaurant.
Only fifteen more minutes and she could close. Well, technically
she could close now, but what kinda shanty Cat Cafe like business
would she be running if she closed whenever she felt like it?
Still... the clock seemed to be moving really slow.
The okonomiyaki chef felt the night breeze flutter her hair. Goose
bumps ran down her arms making her shiver slightly. Did it get
colder all of a sudden?
Ukyou didn't bother to look up from the counter as another
customer entered her restaurant. Odd, she thought the two creepy
people were her last customers for the day. No rest for the weary,
she supposed. Ukyou tried and failed to keep the boredom from her
voice.
"Welcome to Ucchans. What would you like today?"
"Either an okonomiyaki or a smile... whichever would be less
painful for you to do, Miss. But I have to admit, I'm selfishly
hoping for the smile."
Ukyou looked up and blushed, as she noticed a well-dressed older
man standing across the counter from her. He wore a dark black
business suit in a long leather coat. The gray creeping along his
temples, complemented his dark good looks. However, his good-
natured smile seemed to wash away any dangerous edge. Strands of
his short black hair fell across his eyes. He looked like he was
in his late thirties...
Ukyou smiled apologetically, and tried to look more customer
friendly. After all, if she going to be stuck working later than
she wanted, she might as well be serving a sexy older guy in a
suit.
"Oh sorry. I always pride myself on Ucchan's customer service
relationship. I'm a little off today. So, what'll it be?"
The man pushed his coat away from himself and sat down. Then he
rested his hand on his chin and looked thoughtful. "What a tough
question, I've already got my smile after all. How about you
surprise me?"
"One 'most expensive item on the menu' coming right up!"
The man looked amused as Ukyou began to make the 'super duper
pocket emptying special'. He watched her intently as she expertly
mixed the batter and chose the ingredients... the really expensive
ingredients. Out of the corner of her eye she studied his face.
Something seemed to be off. His smile didn't seem to belong on his
face, like he should be scowling instead. Or maybe it was his face
itself. It looked vaguely...
She shrugged. Oh well, it wasn't important.
"Why, a beautiful girl like you shouldn't be slaving away at a hot
stove." The man idly poked small holes into his napkin.
Ukyou rolled her eyes good naturally. "Flattery won't get you free
food Mr."
"I suppose I should have tried something you wouldn't hear
everyday eh?" The man winked and continued. "Oh well. I'm looking
for someone."
Ukyou finished off another expert made okonomiyaki and handed it
to the man on a plate. She shrugged and started to put other non-
essential ingredients away. She still kept a few out, just incase
he asked for seconds.
"Well a lot of people pass through here. If you give me a
description, I might be able to tell you if he or she were here."
The man's smile faded for a moment as he gazed intensely around
the room. The air temperature seemed to drop for a half second,
giving Ukyou a chill. Suddenly, the man turned back towards her
and locked eyes, his smile sliding back into place.
"Oh, that's not necessary. He was here."
Ukyou blinked. "Uh, okay. Do you want me to tell them you were
here Mr...?"
"Just Hoshi. It pains me to hear beautiful girls me "Mr.". It
reminds me of my age." He reached into his pocket and dropped a
wad of bills on the counter top. "That should cover it."
Ukyou's eyebrow's crinkled in confusion. "Okay. Do you want me to
tell him you were here?"
"Oh no, don't do that." The man grinned. "Then he won't come
back."
A cellular phone ran abruptly cutting off further conversation.
The older man reached into his pocket and procured the source of
the ringing. He flipped open the phone and after a few seconds of
muffled conversation, he stood up.
"Well it seems I have to leave. Goodbye Miss Ukyou." He walked out
of the restaurant without another word, leaving Ukyou blinking in
confusion.
"Wait! You forgot to eat your food...." Huh? The plate was empty.
"What the...how did he..."
Only the wind answered her question.
And then she discovered something.
"WOW! LOOK HOW MUCH MONEY HE LEFT!"
And so, she stopped caring about the mysteriousness. She had
MONEY!
----
The stands were filled with screaming spectators...all wanting
blood to be spilled. The expansive carved rock walls echoed,
making the crowd seem almost like a pack of screaming banshees.
Fires burned in regular intervals in niches in the walls, bathing
the arena in a soft glow. Each niche was shaped differently, and
casted its own odd shadow on the arena. The arena itself was
carved into a tall pedestal with a thick layer of earth on the
top. Black hooded guards stood at the only outcropping from the
platform, guarding the exit. They slumped forward with their hands
folded, seemly praying to whatever dark god they held their
allegiance too.
Suffice to say, it wasn't a very cheery place.
Ryouga stood quickly and wiped sand and crusted blood from the
side of his mouth. He supposed he had hit his head when he passed
out. His opponent began circling him on the small plateau and
Ryouga fell into synch with him, watching out of the corner of his
eye.
His instincts, honed to perfection from constantly being lost,
began to take control. Adapt to wherever you are. If something is
attacking you, attack it back. Don't bother with the whys or hows,
they will only get you killed. Running away was not an option. Do
anything you have to do to win. Too hell with what's honorable.
Honor... He mentally laughed. He never seemed able to follow the
bushido code very well...
Ryouga chanced a glance over the edge of the plateau. Midnight
water churned dozens of feet below him, running into the far
recesses of ...somewhere. If he would happen to slip, his normal
body could handle the fall. He was more or less healed from his
previous injuries... but he wasn't sure if his little piggy body
would take the brunt of the fall or not... maybe if he landed just
right...
"AND DON'T FORGET FOLKS! THE WATER YOU SEE OVER THERE IS FILLED
WITH MAN-EATING BARACUDA!"
Well to hell with that idea.
A few spectators shouted at the announcer to shut the hell up.
Ryouga smirked, despite himself. As he circled, he allowed a bit
of the dark part of his psyche out, the one that reveled in
fighting. He was going to need it. It was dangerous to let that
savage part of his mind gain control...
He shrugged mentally. Who was he kidding? He was always like that.
The blank eyed man pulled a ball connected to a long iron chain
from behind him. He then began to twirl the large bowling ball
like object above his head. Ryouga supposed he should say
something noble right now... there really wasn't any reason to
pound the guy's face into a bloody pulp, despite how much fun it
would be.
But Ryouga hadn't had a really good fight in quite awhile.
"Um... listen... bowling ball guy... there's really no reason to
fight. Let's--" Ryouga jumped forward and punched the man in the
face, sending his body sliding to the edge of the arena.
Thankfully, the man's body stopped before careening over the edge.
Committing murder wasn't on Ryouga's to-do list that night.
Maiming, yes. Killing, no.
The Lost Boy cracked his knuckles as the crowd booed and hissed. A
few irate onlookers threw objects toward the arena, which bounced
off an invisible barrier and fell harmlessly to stand's floor.
Ryouga's eyebrow twitched. That was too easy. He glanced around
for the exit. He was wasting time. Feh, what a weakling...
A roar reverberated over the sound of the crowd. Ryouga jumped at
the last second as the ball splintered the ground.
"You idiot!" Ryouga dodged the weapon again. "You wanna destroy
the platform and kill us both?!"
The weapon missed his head by centimeters as the man laughed.
Well... Ryouga supposed it was possible he did.
He had to focus on the fight, but something in the back of his
mind was distracting him. He had seen this before... the situation
was so familiar...
Suddenly a vision of suffocating pillows and a guy in a red
bandanna filled his mind. That guy from that show he'd watched at
Ukyou's house had done this before!
So he stopped and simply caught the ball of the weapon--and
immediately regretted it.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ryouga pulled back his bloody hands. Several
puncture wounds seeped with blood. His opponent pulled back his
now spiked weapon, grinning sadistically.
Ryouga jumped back to gain room...
The black eyed man wasted no time and began a barrage of attacks
before Ryouga could do something about his hands. Blood dripped
down his fingers and mixed with the dirt at his feet. He made the
mistake of trying to wipe the sweat from his eyes with his
hands...blood smeared his vision.
He felt the weapon connect to his head. The force of the blow
pushed him backwards, but did nothing to crack his thick skull.
Ryouga rolled with the blow and used his momentum to knock his
opponent off his feet. He easily jumped back while his opponent
was dazed.
Ryouga pulled a few bandannas from his forehead and wrapped them
around his hands tightly. He gathered a very small bit of chi in
his hands to charge the bandannas with the same technique he used
to make them super sharp...if he didn't overdue it, he could use
them to protect his hands...
"EAAhhhhhhhh!" With a battle cry Ryouga launched himself at his
opponent, putting all his strength into his leap. He ducked under
the weapon and launched punch after punch to the man's ribs,
feeling cracking sounds as his fists connected repeatedly.
The man collapsed, holding his sides.
Ryouga stepped back and wiped the blood from his face with his
forearms.
His opponent writhed on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of
blood. Suddenly he began to laugh, a hollow mirthless sound
muffled by gurgles of blood. His laughter grew louder until to
Ryouga's shock, he slowly began to stand up. Bones snapped loudly
as he struggled to his feet.
He shouldn't have been able to get up from that! Ryouga clenched
his fists. Didn't he feel pain?
A cold lump of ice settled in the pit of his stomach.
How can you defeat an opponent who won't stay down?
'...yOu kILl hiM...' a small voice whispered in the back of
Ryouga's mind. He shook his head violently. There had to be
another way. Ranma never killed him...
Huh...Ranma hadn't...
The blank-eyed man's laughs continued and began to be accented by
a soft dark purplish aura. The air around the rink began to swirl
and tinge purple as well, until a dim purple ring swirled around
the arena.
Ryouga launched himself at the man again...
Out of nowhere, He felt the wind knocked out of him as an
invisible hand punched him in the gut. The force of the blow sent
him skidding to the end of the arena. He clawed at the ground to
stop his momentum. His fingernails scraped and split, leaving a
bloody ranked trail in his wake. Finally, he stopped at the edge
of the ring, with one hand grasping the rough rock corners of the
ring.
He grimaced. Everything that touched the purple barrier...burned.
He forced himself to drag his body the rest of the way through it.
The unseen hand hit him again, but this time he was ready. He
braced his feet and stood up. It was only a slight annoyance.
Ranma had hit him harder!
The slight annoyance created a few black and blue liaisons on his
chest.
"Is that all you've got?!" He grinned maliciously. "I know cross-
dressing transsexuals who can hit harder than that!"
The invisible force attempted to push him back again, but he stood
firm. Slowly he put one foot in front of the other, advancing on
his opponent.
"Ack!" Ryouga jumped in the nick of time, as the ground where he
had been standing crumpled. Holes began appearing in the arena.
The sound of earth and rock falling dozens of feet below him
echoed in the cavern.
The purple aura still swirled around the arena. Ryouga grimaced as
he realized what the man's plan had been... How was he supposed to
know the purple thing was shaking the earth loose? Damn it! Why
couldn't he notice these things before hand?!
The man laughed some more.
"Would you shut the hell up?!"
The wind tried to push him off his small island of solid ground.
"Shit..." Ryouga glanced at a sizably larger island a few feet
away from him. It was a long leap, but he could make it easily.
But if he tried to jump that stupid wind technique would knock him
off...
The wind merged with the purple until Ryouga was encased in a dark
tornado. The wind tunnel screamed as if human, making his ears pop
from the intensity. Flung up dirt burned his eyes... It was like
being in the Hiryu Shoten Ha and the aftermath of a Baksai
Tenketsu all at once. Harmless clumps of dirt and rock became
flying shrapnel, pounding his skin.
He gripped the ground tightly as he felt the dirt slide away inch
by inch. He wasn't going to be taken down like this! More dirt
inched away. How could he hold on if there was nothing to hold on
to?! The wind roared in his ears, blocking all other sounds out.
Desperately, he tried to think of something... ANYTHING... The Shi
Shi Hodokan! ...No, he'd relax too much and fall off the cliff...
God damn it! Why couldn't he think of techniques on the fly like
Ranma?!
"DAMN YOU RANMA!" He wasn't going to die and leave Ranma without
anyone to torment him! No one would be there to make sure he took
care of Akane! And what about Ukyou?! He broke her heart! He still
had to beat him up once for that! And Mousse! He was pretty sure
he had to beat up Mousse once too! And... and his parents would
probably be sad if he died too!
There was no way in hell he was going to die here!
Inspiration! He needed to think of something!
Ryouga glanced at the ground... blood was everywhere. Was it his
or the other guy's? He wasn't sure... Did it really matter?
He glanced down at his right hand. Blood... His hand was covered
in blood. His red right hand... huh. Wasn't there something in his
vision about that? Oh well...
Blood... Blood... everywhere. Red... it was a neat color really,
blood. He'd heard blood called someone's "life" essence before...
just like chi. He had plenty of blood and not enough ki... how
ironic. Maybe they were the same thing? Chi and Blood... would
that work?
With his anger still burning, he put his hand into a pool of blood
in the dirt... He spread out his chi, sliding it through the
blood... His whole body became warm. His soft blue aura flooded
with crimson. It was intoxicating. It was endless desire and death
and life and everything in between... He...
HE HAD POWER.
He stood up easily. He smiled with almost childlike glee... Red
slinked down his fingers, his muscled arms... There was no
concentration needed... No emotions to maintain... It gave
emotions TO him. Effortless.
He liked that.
The swirling crimson mass formed together into the vague the shape
of a dragon. It hugged his body and tinted his vision red like a
bloody dragon... Bloody dragon... HIS bloody dragon.
A small part of the back of his mind told him that something was
wrong, but the larger part told it to shut the hell up. THIS WAS
FUN.
Ryouga casually looked up as a large rock came toward him. Huh...
Yes, that man was still there. He should do something about that.
He flicked his wrist toward his opponent. "Go."
Ryouga laughed manically as the dragon flew from his grasp, a
small part still clinging to his body. It racked against the
walls, splintering solid metal and rock. Parts of the rink it
touched became dust.
The purple wind went to meet it, but the dragon ripped through it
as if it was nothing.
Ryouga jumped over to get closer.
The bloody dragon tore through the remaining purple, like a
predator devouring its prey.
It reached the man finally, cutting flesh. The man stumbled off
the edge, but grabbed onto the ledge at the last second. The
dragon swirled angrily around him, his hands began to slip... Time
seemed to stand still.
Ryouga laughed. That bastard. He never should have messed with
him. He would destroy anything in his way. Emotions didn't matter.
Akane, Ranma, Ukyou... they didn't matter. Wait... would Akane
want him to kill people? Would Ukyou want him to do this? What?
...something was wrong. STOP! He... didn't want to kill anyone!
He wasn't going to be a murderer!
Ryouga reached out and caught his opponent's wrist at the last
second. He dug his heels in as they began to slide into the
ground, and began to easily lift him up...
His opponent stabbed him in the arm.
"Daaaaamn iiiiit." Ryouga gritted his teeth. He pulled him up
more.
The man braced himself against the side of the cliff, holding
himself back.
"What the hell are you doing?" Ryouga pulled harder, inching the
man back up. "Ryouga Hibiki's not a murderer!"
The man's eyes widened. "You're Ayako's son?" He grinned.
"Figures."
And then he pushed Ryouga backwards and let go...
----
Contact Info:
ashez2ashes@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/ashez2ashes/
aol im: ashes chan
starts after the Shi Shi Hodokan arc. Ok?
Disclaimer: I don't own Ranma 1/2.
Ranma: When am I coming back?! The show IS called _RANMA_ 1/2.
ashes: I dunno someday.
Ranma: Come on! Bring Ranma back!
ashes:...Quiet you. This is a serious chapter.
Ranma: *cough* bring back Ranma *cough*
-----
Lost Days Lamenting Lost Days
Chapter 11
----
That stupid, perverted, stubborn, lying, pig-boy!
Ukyou slammed down her spatula upon her unsuspecting okonomiyaki
victim.
She had thought he was a nice guy and then she finds out... HE
SLEEPS IN AKANE'S BED?!
Maybe it was impossible to be a non-pervert in Nerima; the water
could be contaminated. It would make a lot of sense... like a
pervert virus that attaches itself to the male chromosome.
Ukyou shrugged. What had she been thinking about? ...Oh yeeeeah.
Perverted Pig Boy!
She slammed her spatula down again.
Shouldn't he have been too embarrassed to sleep in Akane's bed? He
got so nervous and embarrassed around Akane. It didn't make any
sense. But yet, he had been around Akane all the time! Even sat in
her lap! Was his little piggy brain just too small to get
embarrassed?
Speaking of little, P-chan was an awfully little pig. It had to
be kind of hard, turning into such a defenseless pathetic animal.
Not that she was feeling sorry for the pig boy, 'cause she wasn't.
She sighed and served out two newly made okonomiyaki to Gosinkugi
and that fortune teller girl. They sure had been spending a lot of
time together. Ukyou's hair fluttered as a cool breeze blew in
from her open door.
It was almost time to close up. It was hard to believe that it had
been only last night since she had seen Ryouga. It felt longer
than that since her plan got shot all to hell. Talk about getting
out of hand...
"Gos, I do not like the drinks sold here. Go out and buy me that
orange drink from the machine we passed earlier." The fortune
teller girl, Ukyou had no idea what her name was, waved her hand
in the air impatiently. Her glum looking companion frowned...
more.
"But that was four blocks away and--"
He was silenced by a wave of her hand.
"Go. Now."
"Yes Ma'am!" He jumped and ran out of the restaurant, a tad too
quickly than a non-athletic guy like him should have been able to.
The fortune teller girl looked up as she noticed Ukyou staring at
her.
"I'm not with him, really."
"Uh, huh."
"He's working at my family's magic shop."
"Surrrrrrre he his, hon."
'What's her name', 'hmmped' and went back to her food. Ukyou
suppressed the small smile that was threatening to ruin her
brooding mood. She was aggravated and planning on staying that
way! How would it look if she just got over it? It would be a
crime against womanhood, and many other things like that.
The fortune teller girl looked up again after a few minutes. "Oh.
What happened with that Ryouga guy? I heard he was hit by a semi?
I thought he was tough enough to shrug one of those off."
Ukyou picked up a rag and wiped the countertop spotless. "Well, he
wasn't too messed up after the first one..."
"First one?"
"He tried to get up and got hit by another one..."
"Wow..."
"Then the truck exploded."
The fortune teller's eyes widened. "Uh...okay..." The fortune
teller went back to her food. Sometimes it was best not to ask
questions in this part of town.
Ukyou shrugged and went back to cleaning.
Ranma hadn't been by for quite awhile. Sure, she had been avoiding
him at first but... she missed him. Even if he didn't love her,
she missed him. They were still friends... right? What was he
doing that he couldn't even come and visit his best friend?
Ukyou paused in horror for several seconds.
Ack! She was getting as perverted as Ryouga! She shook her head
violently and tried to get the icky mental images to go away... If
only she could use the rag in her hand to wipe out her mind.
Stupid perverted pig boy, he had corrupted her too... what was he
doing now anyways? What did he have to do in his life if he didn't
get lost? Was he by himself somewhere all alone?
Not that she cared or anything.
Why did all the men in her life like Akane more than her? If she
started freaking out all the time and hitting Ranch--err Ranma for
no reason, cut her hair short, and started sleeping with a pig
would they start to like her better? ...well Ryouga sure would...
ACK! THAT'S NOT WHAT SHE MEANT! GO AWAY MENTAL IMAGE! GO AWAY!
Ryouga was kinda buff and all...
AAAAAH! SHE _WAS_ TURNING INTO A PERVERT!
"Um, are you all right?" The fortune teller girl stared at the
overreacting chef.
"Eh, heh heh. I'm all right." Ukyou laughed apologetically and sat
the now two pieces of her dishrag far away from her.
The fortune teller girl looked at the unstable chef for a moment,
and decided that today was not a good day to get caught up in one
of Ranma's fianc‚e's emotional overreactions. She didn't want
seconds THAT badly.
She looked up as Gosinkugi staggered into the restaurant. He
leaned against the door frame, too tired to talk or walk. With the
last vestiges of his strength, he waved a can of orange drink in
the air before collapsing on the floor.
The fortune teller girl stood up. "Come on Gos! It's time to
leave."
"But... drink... brought... did I.." Gos gurgled something as his
eyes began to flutter back into his head.
"Oh forget about that." The girl stepped on his back on her way
out of the restaurant and looked casually over her shoulder at his
limp corpse. "What are you laying down there for? Get up! There's
inventory to be done at the shop. The floors need mopping. Hurry
up!"
Ukyou looked on in pity as Gos somehow picked his body off the
ground and followed his slave master off into the night.
The clock on the wall slowly ticked by in the empty restaurant.
Only fifteen more minutes and she could close. Well, technically
she could close now, but what kinda shanty Cat Cafe like business
would she be running if she closed whenever she felt like it?
Still... the clock seemed to be moving really slow.
The okonomiyaki chef felt the night breeze flutter her hair. Goose
bumps ran down her arms making her shiver slightly. Did it get
colder all of a sudden?
Ukyou didn't bother to look up from the counter as another
customer entered her restaurant. Odd, she thought the two creepy
people were her last customers for the day. No rest for the weary,
she supposed. Ukyou tried and failed to keep the boredom from her
voice.
"Welcome to Ucchans. What would you like today?"
"Either an okonomiyaki or a smile... whichever would be less
painful for you to do, Miss. But I have to admit, I'm selfishly
hoping for the smile."
Ukyou looked up and blushed, as she noticed a well-dressed older
man standing across the counter from her. He wore a dark black
business suit in a long leather coat. The gray creeping along his
temples, complemented his dark good looks. However, his good-
natured smile seemed to wash away any dangerous edge. Strands of
his short black hair fell across his eyes. He looked like he was
in his late thirties...
Ukyou smiled apologetically, and tried to look more customer
friendly. After all, if she going to be stuck working later than
she wanted, she might as well be serving a sexy older guy in a
suit.
"Oh sorry. I always pride myself on Ucchan's customer service
relationship. I'm a little off today. So, what'll it be?"
The man pushed his coat away from himself and sat down. Then he
rested his hand on his chin and looked thoughtful. "What a tough
question, I've already got my smile after all. How about you
surprise me?"
"One 'most expensive item on the menu' coming right up!"
The man looked amused as Ukyou began to make the 'super duper
pocket emptying special'. He watched her intently as she expertly
mixed the batter and chose the ingredients... the really expensive
ingredients. Out of the corner of her eye she studied his face.
Something seemed to be off. His smile didn't seem to belong on his
face, like he should be scowling instead. Or maybe it was his face
itself. It looked vaguely...
She shrugged. Oh well, it wasn't important.
"Why, a beautiful girl like you shouldn't be slaving away at a hot
stove." The man idly poked small holes into his napkin.
Ukyou rolled her eyes good naturally. "Flattery won't get you free
food Mr."
"I suppose I should have tried something you wouldn't hear
everyday eh?" The man winked and continued. "Oh well. I'm looking
for someone."
Ukyou finished off another expert made okonomiyaki and handed it
to the man on a plate. She shrugged and started to put other non-
essential ingredients away. She still kept a few out, just incase
he asked for seconds.
"Well a lot of people pass through here. If you give me a
description, I might be able to tell you if he or she were here."
The man's smile faded for a moment as he gazed intensely around
the room. The air temperature seemed to drop for a half second,
giving Ukyou a chill. Suddenly, the man turned back towards her
and locked eyes, his smile sliding back into place.
"Oh, that's not necessary. He was here."
Ukyou blinked. "Uh, okay. Do you want me to tell them you were
here Mr...?"
"Just Hoshi. It pains me to hear beautiful girls me "Mr.". It
reminds me of my age." He reached into his pocket and dropped a
wad of bills on the counter top. "That should cover it."
Ukyou's eyebrow's crinkled in confusion. "Okay. Do you want me to
tell him you were here?"
"Oh no, don't do that." The man grinned. "Then he won't come
back."
A cellular phone ran abruptly cutting off further conversation.
The older man reached into his pocket and procured the source of
the ringing. He flipped open the phone and after a few seconds of
muffled conversation, he stood up.
"Well it seems I have to leave. Goodbye Miss Ukyou." He walked out
of the restaurant without another word, leaving Ukyou blinking in
confusion.
"Wait! You forgot to eat your food...." Huh? The plate was empty.
"What the...how did he..."
Only the wind answered her question.
And then she discovered something.
"WOW! LOOK HOW MUCH MONEY HE LEFT!"
And so, she stopped caring about the mysteriousness. She had
MONEY!
----
The stands were filled with screaming spectators...all wanting
blood to be spilled. The expansive carved rock walls echoed,
making the crowd seem almost like a pack of screaming banshees.
Fires burned in regular intervals in niches in the walls, bathing
the arena in a soft glow. Each niche was shaped differently, and
casted its own odd shadow on the arena. The arena itself was
carved into a tall pedestal with a thick layer of earth on the
top. Black hooded guards stood at the only outcropping from the
platform, guarding the exit. They slumped forward with their hands
folded, seemly praying to whatever dark god they held their
allegiance too.
Suffice to say, it wasn't a very cheery place.
Ryouga stood quickly and wiped sand and crusted blood from the
side of his mouth. He supposed he had hit his head when he passed
out. His opponent began circling him on the small plateau and
Ryouga fell into synch with him, watching out of the corner of his
eye.
His instincts, honed to perfection from constantly being lost,
began to take control. Adapt to wherever you are. If something is
attacking you, attack it back. Don't bother with the whys or hows,
they will only get you killed. Running away was not an option. Do
anything you have to do to win. Too hell with what's honorable.
Honor... He mentally laughed. He never seemed able to follow the
bushido code very well...
Ryouga chanced a glance over the edge of the plateau. Midnight
water churned dozens of feet below him, running into the far
recesses of ...somewhere. If he would happen to slip, his normal
body could handle the fall. He was more or less healed from his
previous injuries... but he wasn't sure if his little piggy body
would take the brunt of the fall or not... maybe if he landed just
right...
"AND DON'T FORGET FOLKS! THE WATER YOU SEE OVER THERE IS FILLED
WITH MAN-EATING BARACUDA!"
Well to hell with that idea.
A few spectators shouted at the announcer to shut the hell up.
Ryouga smirked, despite himself. As he circled, he allowed a bit
of the dark part of his psyche out, the one that reveled in
fighting. He was going to need it. It was dangerous to let that
savage part of his mind gain control...
He shrugged mentally. Who was he kidding? He was always like that.
The blank eyed man pulled a ball connected to a long iron chain
from behind him. He then began to twirl the large bowling ball
like object above his head. Ryouga supposed he should say
something noble right now... there really wasn't any reason to
pound the guy's face into a bloody pulp, despite how much fun it
would be.
But Ryouga hadn't had a really good fight in quite awhile.
"Um... listen... bowling ball guy... there's really no reason to
fight. Let's--" Ryouga jumped forward and punched the man in the
face, sending his body sliding to the edge of the arena.
Thankfully, the man's body stopped before careening over the edge.
Committing murder wasn't on Ryouga's to-do list that night.
Maiming, yes. Killing, no.
The Lost Boy cracked his knuckles as the crowd booed and hissed. A
few irate onlookers threw objects toward the arena, which bounced
off an invisible barrier and fell harmlessly to stand's floor.
Ryouga's eyebrow twitched. That was too easy. He glanced around
for the exit. He was wasting time. Feh, what a weakling...
A roar reverberated over the sound of the crowd. Ryouga jumped at
the last second as the ball splintered the ground.
"You idiot!" Ryouga dodged the weapon again. "You wanna destroy
the platform and kill us both?!"
The weapon missed his head by centimeters as the man laughed.
Well... Ryouga supposed it was possible he did.
He had to focus on the fight, but something in the back of his
mind was distracting him. He had seen this before... the situation
was so familiar...
Suddenly a vision of suffocating pillows and a guy in a red
bandanna filled his mind. That guy from that show he'd watched at
Ukyou's house had done this before!
So he stopped and simply caught the ball of the weapon--and
immediately regretted it.
"Gaaaaaaaaaaah!" Ryouga pulled back his bloody hands. Several
puncture wounds seeped with blood. His opponent pulled back his
now spiked weapon, grinning sadistically.
Ryouga jumped back to gain room...
The black eyed man wasted no time and began a barrage of attacks
before Ryouga could do something about his hands. Blood dripped
down his fingers and mixed with the dirt at his feet. He made the
mistake of trying to wipe the sweat from his eyes with his
hands...blood smeared his vision.
He felt the weapon connect to his head. The force of the blow
pushed him backwards, but did nothing to crack his thick skull.
Ryouga rolled with the blow and used his momentum to knock his
opponent off his feet. He easily jumped back while his opponent
was dazed.
Ryouga pulled a few bandannas from his forehead and wrapped them
around his hands tightly. He gathered a very small bit of chi in
his hands to charge the bandannas with the same technique he used
to make them super sharp...if he didn't overdue it, he could use
them to protect his hands...
"EAAhhhhhhhh!" With a battle cry Ryouga launched himself at his
opponent, putting all his strength into his leap. He ducked under
the weapon and launched punch after punch to the man's ribs,
feeling cracking sounds as his fists connected repeatedly.
The man collapsed, holding his sides.
Ryouga stepped back and wiped the blood from his face with his
forearms.
His opponent writhed on the ground, spitting out a mouthful of
blood. Suddenly he began to laugh, a hollow mirthless sound
muffled by gurgles of blood. His laughter grew louder until to
Ryouga's shock, he slowly began to stand up. Bones snapped loudly
as he struggled to his feet.
He shouldn't have been able to get up from that! Ryouga clenched
his fists. Didn't he feel pain?
A cold lump of ice settled in the pit of his stomach.
How can you defeat an opponent who won't stay down?
'...yOu kILl hiM...' a small voice whispered in the back of
Ryouga's mind. He shook his head violently. There had to be
another way. Ranma never killed him...
Huh...Ranma hadn't...
The blank-eyed man's laughs continued and began to be accented by
a soft dark purplish aura. The air around the rink began to swirl
and tinge purple as well, until a dim purple ring swirled around
the arena.
Ryouga launched himself at the man again...
Out of nowhere, He felt the wind knocked out of him as an
invisible hand punched him in the gut. The force of the blow sent
him skidding to the end of the arena. He clawed at the ground to
stop his momentum. His fingernails scraped and split, leaving a
bloody ranked trail in his wake. Finally, he stopped at the edge
of the ring, with one hand grasping the rough rock corners of the
ring.
He grimaced. Everything that touched the purple barrier...burned.
He forced himself to drag his body the rest of the way through it.
The unseen hand hit him again, but this time he was ready. He
braced his feet and stood up. It was only a slight annoyance.
Ranma had hit him harder!
The slight annoyance created a few black and blue liaisons on his
chest.
"Is that all you've got?!" He grinned maliciously. "I know cross-
dressing transsexuals who can hit harder than that!"
The invisible force attempted to push him back again, but he stood
firm. Slowly he put one foot in front of the other, advancing on
his opponent.
"Ack!" Ryouga jumped in the nick of time, as the ground where he
had been standing crumpled. Holes began appearing in the arena.
The sound of earth and rock falling dozens of feet below him
echoed in the cavern.
The purple aura still swirled around the arena. Ryouga grimaced as
he realized what the man's plan had been... How was he supposed to
know the purple thing was shaking the earth loose? Damn it! Why
couldn't he notice these things before hand?!
The man laughed some more.
"Would you shut the hell up?!"
The wind tried to push him off his small island of solid ground.
"Shit..." Ryouga glanced at a sizably larger island a few feet
away from him. It was a long leap, but he could make it easily.
But if he tried to jump that stupid wind technique would knock him
off...
The wind merged with the purple until Ryouga was encased in a dark
tornado. The wind tunnel screamed as if human, making his ears pop
from the intensity. Flung up dirt burned his eyes... It was like
being in the Hiryu Shoten Ha and the aftermath of a Baksai
Tenketsu all at once. Harmless clumps of dirt and rock became
flying shrapnel, pounding his skin.
He gripped the ground tightly as he felt the dirt slide away inch
by inch. He wasn't going to be taken down like this! More dirt
inched away. How could he hold on if there was nothing to hold on
to?! The wind roared in his ears, blocking all other sounds out.
Desperately, he tried to think of something... ANYTHING... The Shi
Shi Hodokan! ...No, he'd relax too much and fall off the cliff...
God damn it! Why couldn't he think of techniques on the fly like
Ranma?!
"DAMN YOU RANMA!" He wasn't going to die and leave Ranma without
anyone to torment him! No one would be there to make sure he took
care of Akane! And what about Ukyou?! He broke her heart! He still
had to beat him up once for that! And Mousse! He was pretty sure
he had to beat up Mousse once too! And... and his parents would
probably be sad if he died too!
There was no way in hell he was going to die here!
Inspiration! He needed to think of something!
Ryouga glanced at the ground... blood was everywhere. Was it his
or the other guy's? He wasn't sure... Did it really matter?
He glanced down at his right hand. Blood... His hand was covered
in blood. His red right hand... huh. Wasn't there something in his
vision about that? Oh well...
Blood... Blood... everywhere. Red... it was a neat color really,
blood. He'd heard blood called someone's "life" essence before...
just like chi. He had plenty of blood and not enough ki... how
ironic. Maybe they were the same thing? Chi and Blood... would
that work?
With his anger still burning, he put his hand into a pool of blood
in the dirt... He spread out his chi, sliding it through the
blood... His whole body became warm. His soft blue aura flooded
with crimson. It was intoxicating. It was endless desire and death
and life and everything in between... He...
HE HAD POWER.
He stood up easily. He smiled with almost childlike glee... Red
slinked down his fingers, his muscled arms... There was no
concentration needed... No emotions to maintain... It gave
emotions TO him. Effortless.
He liked that.
The swirling crimson mass formed together into the vague the shape
of a dragon. It hugged his body and tinted his vision red like a
bloody dragon... Bloody dragon... HIS bloody dragon.
A small part of the back of his mind told him that something was
wrong, but the larger part told it to shut the hell up. THIS WAS
FUN.
Ryouga casually looked up as a large rock came toward him. Huh...
Yes, that man was still there. He should do something about that.
He flicked his wrist toward his opponent. "Go."
Ryouga laughed manically as the dragon flew from his grasp, a
small part still clinging to his body. It racked against the
walls, splintering solid metal and rock. Parts of the rink it
touched became dust.
The purple wind went to meet it, but the dragon ripped through it
as if it was nothing.
Ryouga jumped over to get closer.
The bloody dragon tore through the remaining purple, like a
predator devouring its prey.
It reached the man finally, cutting flesh. The man stumbled off
the edge, but grabbed onto the ledge at the last second. The
dragon swirled angrily around him, his hands began to slip... Time
seemed to stand still.
Ryouga laughed. That bastard. He never should have messed with
him. He would destroy anything in his way. Emotions didn't matter.
Akane, Ranma, Ukyou... they didn't matter. Wait... would Akane
want him to kill people? Would Ukyou want him to do this? What?
...something was wrong. STOP! He... didn't want to kill anyone!
He wasn't going to be a murderer!
Ryouga reached out and caught his opponent's wrist at the last
second. He dug his heels in as they began to slide into the
ground, and began to easily lift him up...
His opponent stabbed him in the arm.
"Daaaaamn iiiiit." Ryouga gritted his teeth. He pulled him up
more.
The man braced himself against the side of the cliff, holding
himself back.
"What the hell are you doing?" Ryouga pulled harder, inching the
man back up. "Ryouga Hibiki's not a murderer!"
The man's eyes widened. "You're Ayako's son?" He grinned.
"Figures."
And then he pushed Ryouga backwards and let go...
----
Contact Info:
ashez2ashes@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/ashez2ashes/
aol im: ashes chan