Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Ranma 1/2: The Truth and the Tempest ❯ Gathering Clouds ( Chapter 19 )

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

[Author’s Note: The characters and setting herein- with the exception of one or two O.C.’s of my own design- are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. You know the drill by now. Thank you once again for all your support. And now, on with the show.]

Ranma ½: The Truth and the Tempest

Chapter 19: Gathering Clouds

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“So what do you think?”

“I still think they were abducted by aliens or something, and those are fakes; those two eating lunch together without yelling at each other? Come on!”

“Hiroshi, get real, it’s obvious what’s going on; it’s reverse psychology. They’re acting all nice in the hopes that we’ll stop bugging them about how they really feel. They probably save the fighting till after school.”

“Maybe they just grew up and realized they don’t really hate each other. I think it‘s kind of sweet.”

“Yeah, Yuka, like that’d ever happen…”

The voices of the local lunch gossip group faded as they headed for a picnic table, allowing Ranma to breathe a sigh of relief. The rumor mongers hadn’t spread anything too horrendous, but people still seemed leery of his and Akane’s behavior. Even the mutual tolerance mask they’d put on hadn’t dissuaded people from thinking something was up, as if a day without a Ranma malleting was abnormal. Apparently the two of them eating under the same tree produced the same concerns, but as long as they weren’t pestering the two of them, he was happy. He turned his attention back to his bento and took a few bites.

“Well, at least no one’s gettin’ in our faces too much today,” he murmured. Akane, sitting next to him, nodded.

“Sayuri did ask if I was feeling better today, but that’s about all,” she said before taking a bite. “I’m not sure she really believed me when I said it was a stomach bug.”

“You think she’d have believed it if ya told her that you an’ me had a sparring match with a demon?”

“I doubt it,” Akane replied, then paused. “Though, after some of the things that happened around here before Shingen even showed up… like some of Happosai’s tricks, or even Ms. Hinako… who knows what they might believe.” Ranma nodded and was about to dig into his lunch again when Akane drew in a short, sharp breath. He blinked and glanced up; her eyes had widened and her mouth was slightly open as if in shock. Her right hand shivered slightly, and she dropped her chopsticks, which landed on the edge of the bento box with a clack; at the sound, she blinked and let out the breath she was holding, though her eyes retained a haunted look.

“Akane? Are you okay?” Ranma asked nervously. Just then a chilling sensation ran up his spine, causing his own breath to catch.

“I… I don’t really know,” Akane said softly. “Something… I don’t know, something just felt really wrong for a moment. Like… not like I felt sick, or cold… just wrong.”

Ranma blinked. “I… I think I just felt the same thing,” he murmured. “Sorta felt like a chill; I felt it last night when that pig-thing got pulled outta Ryoga.” He paused, then looked Akane in the eyes. “Think it means something?”

Akane remained silent for a moment before shaking her head noncommittally. “I don’t know, Ranma. I mean, everything seems okay for now.” She glanced across the schoolyard and sighed. “But something definitely doesn’t feel right…”

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Ukyo sniffled once more, blinking the tears out of her eyes. She took a deep breath and was about to close the last few dozen yards between her and the dojo, when a gust of hot air suddenly wafted across her neck. Her eyes widened and she froze in place. That didn’t feel like a late springtime breeze. Another gust struck her neck, this time accompanied by a low rumble. Thunder? On a day like this with no clouds? Hey… wait a minute, thunder doesn’t roll like that… that’s more like… laughter? She blinked, noticing for the first time that her shadow had grown considerably… or more appropriately, that she was standing in the shadow of something.

Biting her lip, she turned her head towards her left, her hand inching towards the grip of her combat spatula. The rumbling laughter grew and elevated in register, moving from hellishly deep to an amused baritone. Ukyo’s eyes widened in shock as she caught sight of the skeletal face leering at her from behind, to say nothing of its undulating snakelike body. Her hands promptly began to shake and her legs refused to obey her as the thing extended its tongue, preparing to drag it languidly across her face…

“Ukyo-sama!!! Get away!!!”

The sudden voice snapped Ukyo back to attention and paused the snake’s advances; a second later, smoke exploded directly in between them and Ukyo found herself gently but firmly pushed backwards. A red blur burst from the smoke cloud, spinning a length of wide crimson fabric over the snake-beast’s eyes, wrapping around its head repeatedly until the wielder of the ribbon landed on the snake’s back, pulling the impromptu blindfold taut. “I don’t have a clue as to what you are or where you came from,” the scarlet-clad kunoichi said calmly, “but I will not allow you to harm Ukyo-sama!!!” The snake thrashed from one side to the other, nearly throwing Konatsu off, but he refused to give ground, pulling the sash tighter over the demon’s eyes. A quick flip and the sash was secure in his left hand; he drew the shortsword at his side and was preparing to strike when the snake’s tail suddenly came into play. Konatsu suddenly found himself being strangled as the tail wrapped around his neck, prompting him to drop the sash. A flick of the tail and he was airborne for half a second before colliding with a nearby wall; the impact promptly knocked him out and he slumped to the ground. The snake sneered and reddish flames burst from its eyes, incinerating the impromptu blindfold.

Ukyo gasped. She had absolutely no idea what the snake was, or why it was here and advancing on her, but she did know that it had been seconds away from doing something before Konatsu had interfered. That… that thing just tossed him around like a rag doll, but he didn’t even seem to care… he bought me some time… he… he saved me… he risked his own life against an unknown even after I belted him out last night? Her glance snapped over onto the kunoichi’s face, realizing that he hadn’t moved once since hitting the wall. “KONATSU!!!”

The snake twisted and leered at Ukyo. “Teach that whelp to interrupt my lunch,” the beast cackled. “Now, where were we… oh, yes. Hold still, and it won’t hurt… that much.” The snake glided towards Ukyo as she collapsed to her knees. Frantically, she began flinging her throwing spatulas at its skull-like face, each one rebounding in a different direction as the snake moved closer and closer. Suddenly it reared back like a cobra preparing to strike. Ukyo winced, trying to scramble backward on legs that didn’t want to move. Its jaw opened absurdly wide as it lunged forward; Ukyo cringed and squeezed her eyes shut…

A blur of a shadow passed over Ukyo and there was a sudden crash, followed by a crackling sound not unlike the sound of an arc welder. Ukyo flinched… then noticed nothing seemed to be happening to her. Very, very slowly, she relaxed and opened her eyes and stared at the sight in front of her. A tall man in a leather jacket, with a ponytail, was standing over her with his left fist thrust forward and his right hand clenching a wicked-looking bladed staff. The snake-demon’s jaw was locked around what looked like a translucent blue disk of energy coming from his outstretched left hand, and was producing a shower of sparks that apparently caused the demon a great deal of discomfort.

The snake screeched and pulled itself away, writhing on the ground as smoke wafted from several of its teeth. Shingen unclenched his left fist, the pentagram on his glove ceasing to glow as he did so. “Are you alright?” he asked, shooting a quick glance at Ukyo, who took a deep breath and nodded weakly. At her nod, Shingen nodded in return and pulled three sliver-like throwing knives from his jacket. “Good thing I was warming up outside; you might have gotten turned into worm food.”

The snake pulled itself up again with a growl of anger mixed with pain. “HUNTER!!!”

“Right the first time, ya bastard,” Shingen replied with a smirk, flipping his left hand forward. The darts caught the demon across the face, two in the eye sockets, one in the gaping hole where a nose might have been. The worm’s scream of agony was so intense this time that Ukyo had to cover her ears, and even the unconscious Konatsu flinched. Slowly the worm drew back on itself, coiling and coiling until it resembled a compressed spring; Shingen shifted his naginata into both hands. Suddenly the snake sprang forward, blindly attempting to bite through anything that might be in its way.

In one swift motion, Shingen ducked low and under the snake’s trajectory, whipping the straight blade of his weapon directly into its chin- and through it. The demon didn’t even have time to gasp as Shingen dragged the blade through its head and along its body, gutting it from stem to stern in one clean, fluid sweep. For a millisecond, two halves of the snake hung in the air before exploding into a cloud of white and black specks that promptly vanished into nothingness.

Shingen straightened up, letting out a satisfied sigh. “Tough little buggers… but fundamentally stupid nonetheless.” He turned around, and as he slid the scabbard back onto his naginata blade, Ukyo did some quick calculations and decided on the appropriate course of action for her, considering her hangover, the week she had had so far, combined with being attacked by a worm and seeing Konatsu risk his neck in the process. She fainted.

Shingen slung the naginata over one shoulder and kneeled next to Ukyo, brushing the hair out of her eyes with one hand as he shifted his perception slightly. “Looks like you’ve had more to deal with than just a Reaver,” he said softly. “Your aura’s a mess, kiddo… no wonder that thing tried to make a snack out of you.” Emotional rock bottom, he thought quietly. All that negativity building up, of course a Reaver might notice. He paused, noting her bandoleer and her battle spatula. Hmm… she must’ve been the one who was spying on Ranma’s confrontation with the Amazons… Just then something caught the periphery of his senses and his eyes narrowed.

“Don’t move.”

It was a female voice, calm and authoritative, directly behind him. Shingen turned his head slowly, his eyes coming to rest on the owner of the voice. A young woman stood two yards away, trim and athletic with the curves of a swimsuit model. Her light brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail not unlike Konatsu’s, and her hazel eyes seemed hard as stone. She was dressed as if she belonged in a SWAT team, in tight-fitting black pants and boots, and a gray t-shirt under a black cargo vest that was covered with equipment pouches. Buckles and chains hung from her waist, each one adorned with bizarre trinkets and mismatched religious icons, and a smallish yet bulky satchel hung from her shoulder by a single strap. She held a compound bow at the ready and was drawing an arrow back with her right hand, aiming right at Shingen.

Shingen didn’t say a word, but gazed levelly at the woman before him. The arrow drew back further still until the bow reached its limit. Off to one side, Konatsu twitched, then rolled onto his side with a light groan.

The strange woman’s eyes narrowed, a smirk tugging at the corner of her mouth.

Shingen continued to look her in the eye, his face a blank slate.

Konatsu groaned again, one hand sliding to his bleeding temple, eyes still closed.

The woman released the arrow.

The bolt tore through the air between them; at the last second Shingen shifted his head imperceptibly, letting the arrow pass dangerously close to his face, but leaving him unharmed as the arrow continued onward until it pierced the body of the ugly green-eyed imp that had sprung from nowhere behind him. The beast promptly screeched and exploded in a cloud of light.

Shingen let out a breath and grinned. “Still as sharp with the bow as ever, I see.”

The woman lowered her bow with a cocky smile of her own. “You’re getting sloppy, letting an imp sneak up on you like that, Shingen.”

“Only let it get that close because I knew you wanted some target practice,” he replied, standing up and stepping towards the woman, who promptly grabbed him around the neck and gave him a fierce hug. He returned the hug in kind and laughed. “Long time no see, Reika.”

“You can say that again, big brother,” Reika replied with a smile. The two released their embrace and she turned to survey the scene. “Looks like you’ve been a little busy lately.”

“Father said you were pretty busy too,” said Shingen as he approached the still-groggy Konatsu. “Trouble down in Osaka, last time I heard.”

“You have no idea,” Reika groaned as she shook her head, rubbing her temples. “A normal kitsune isn’t hard to placate, but once they start going toxic they’re nothing but trouble. Damn near impossible to hit in close combat.”

“Must’ve made for plenty of sniping practice for you, then,” said Shingen, closing the wound on Konatsu’s head with a low-grade Naosu Kousen. That done, he stood up again and proceeded to examine Ukyo once more.

“I take it Father told you what I’ve been up to.”

“Yep. You sure picked a doozy this time, niisan,” said Reika as she knelt by Shingen. “This ward is lousy with chaotic energies, you can practically smell ‘em. No wonder you needed a supply refit,” she added, patting the strap of the satchel on her shoulder. She looked down at the prone girl before her. “Looks like she had a little more than she could handle, bro. Don’t tell me she’s one of the two you told Dad about.”

“You know that part, too?”

Reika nodded. “I talked to him just this morning at the edge of town; he relayed everything you confirmed last night.” She shook her head in amusement. “Hard to believe that two latent Hunters wound up in the midst of a chaos stream, and under the same roof, too. She’s not one of them, is she?”

Shingen shook his head as he scooped Ukyo up and slung her over his shoulder. “I think she has some connection to one of them, though… possibly both. I’m not totally sure. Still, best to get her inside lest she wind up attracting another Reaver.”

Reika pointed to Konatsu, who was just starting to wake up. “What about her? Looks like she could use some attention too.”

Shingen’s eyes rolled. “Look a little closer, ‘Hawk Eyes’ Reika, that’s a guy.”

Reika looked closer for a moment, then shrugged. “Eh. I’ve seen weirder,” she quipped, pulling the dazed Konatsu to his feet and slinging one arm over her shoulder. “Wonder what he was doing, facing a Reaver like that. And what the hell was a Reaver doing out in broad daylight anyway?”

“Either it was really hungry, or something led it here,” Shingen scowled. “And with what’s been cropping up in the past few days, it might just be the latter. And if that’s the case, I’m going to have to work faster than I thought.”

“Thought that might be the case, bro,” Reika replied with a nod. “Think once the curse victims are taken care of it’ll quiet down?”

Shingen shrugged, adjusting Ukyo’s weight on his shoulder. “I’m still not sure if they’re acting as attractors or not, but I did note some of the chaotic energies dissipate when I purged Saotome. Right now, all I can really do is act and observe- assuming, of course, that you brought everything I need.”

“Did you one better; I threw in a pre-scribed scroll of my own so you won’t have to waste too much time making more.” As they reached the outer gates of the Tendo estate, a concerned look crossed Reika’s face. “Hey… you think they’ll be able to handle it?”

“I don’t know, Reika… that’s really up to them now.”

“You planning on training ‘em?”

“If they decide to embrace the gift, I don’t see that I have any choice…” He paused as the front door to the house opened.

“I thought I heard something going on out… Oh, my!!!” Kasumi’s eyes widened as she noticed Ukyo slung over Shingen’s shoulder and Konatsu leaning groggily on Reika’s. She practically tripped over her own feet as she darted to Shingen’s side. “What’s Ukyo doing here? Is she alright? Did someone attack her?”

“She’ll be okay for now, Kasumi-san,” Shingen said calmly. “Let’s just get her inside; she just had a bit of a nasty shock.” He shifted her limp body so that she was resting more comfortably, then started in the front door. “By the way, I don’t believe you’ve met my sister…”

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“Hey̷ 0; you okay, ‘kane?”

Akane took a deep breath and nodded, somewhat jerkier than she had intended. “I’m fine,” she said with a slight shake in her voice.

Ranma sighed. “Now I know yer lying. I can see it written all over you, Akane, you’re not fine and you know it. C’mon… what’s wrong?”

They were walking home together after an extended afternoon of being grilled by the other Furinkan students; their act of mutual tolerance had slipped once or twice after lunch, and that only got the rumor mills grinding faster. Fortunately Nabiki, for the first time since they’d known her, had actually run a bit of damage control and got some of the stranger rumors cut off before they did much harm. “Just add another favor to the list,“ she had said, eliciting at least two dirty looks. Still, the grilling from the others had been a bit much, especially when they started in on the news that Kuno had spent the day in the infirmary in a catatonic state.

Akane slowed her pace somewhat, pinching the bridge of her nose. “Okay, okay… I’m not that fine. I’m just… I’m just really tired, that’s all, Ranma.”

Ranma quirked an eyebrow. “Tired as in really tired, tired of the gossip, or tired of the craziness?”

“How about all of the above.”

“Ditto,” Ranma sighed, shoving his hands in his pockets. They shuffled down the road in silence for another minute.

“You still worried about that… whatever that feeling was, at lunch?”

Akane nodded, but didn’t say anything.

“Creeped me out a little, too…” Ranma paused, then very slowly put a hand on her shoulder, giving her a reassuring squeeze. She tensed up a little, but soon relaxed and even leaned into him slightly.

“Akane… you know you don’t have to accept this whole Hunter mess if you don’t want to…”

“I know that,” she replied, and he could hear a mix of emotions in her voice. Some of the annoyance he remembered so well from a lot of their past fights… but there was also fear in there. Plus a few other feelings he couldn’t quite place… “Ranma, I already made up my mind that I was going to find out more about this- and not just because you were going to embrace it, either. That may be one reason, but it’s not the only reason, so don‘t think I‘m just doing it to please you.”

“Hey, wait, I never said…”

“Maybe not, but you might have thought about it. This is part of me, and I’m just as curious about it as you are. I’m not just doing this to mirror your decision or be a tagalong; if there’s something inside me I don’t know about, I think I’d rather know about it than deny it even exists.” She took another deep breath and an errant tear ran down the side of her face that Ranma couldn’t see. I denied my own feelings for so long, and it almost wrecked everything… if I deny this, who knows what I might lose out on… She swallowed hard. “I’m as much a part of this as you are; I do want this. But… I’m not so sure I’m ready yet.”

Ranma nodded slowly. “So all it is is a bad case o’ nerves, huh.”

“More like a bad case of being a wimp.”

“Hey, stop it, alright? You, a wimp? Akane Tendo, the never-say-die macho tomboy, a wimp? C’mon, you’re better than that an’ you and I both know it.” Akane gave him a dirty look in response to the tomboy remark, but couldn’t hide the flicker of a smile that went with it. “Okay, so maybe this is a big deal, an’ I’ll go ahead and admit that chill feeling caught me off guard, but so what. No different than some of the other garbage we dealt with, and if we could deal with that pig demon, then who cares about the odd chill or two.” He paused, then looked at her again a bit more seriously. “Just… just so long as you’re really sure about wanting this.”

Akane gave him a wry smirk. “Are you ever going to stop worrying about me?”

“Sorry, yer just gonna have to get used to that,” he quipped. “Hey, I know it might bug you a little… or a lot, actually… but it’s not like I can really help worryin’ about my fiancée, even when she can handle herself.”

Akane shook her head, smiling as she did so. Guess I won’t be able to get you to change that anytime soon… but maybe that isn’t such a bad thing. At the very least, I know you’ll always be there for me, Ranma… just like I want to try and be there for you. She looked up and brushed the hair out of her eyes. “C’mon, dummy, let’s get home before they start to send out a search party.”

“Amen to that,” Ranma replied. “You sure you’re okay now?”

“Not really,” was her answer. He looked at her for a moment in surprise until she looked up again with a grin. “But I’m getting there. Wanna race home?”

“Um… okay, but first you tell me what it was you never got to ask me on Tuesday.”

Akane froze just as she was about to jump onto the fence. “Oh… that.”

“Hey, you did say you’d tell me after school, so tell me.”

She turned to face Ranma, her hands behind her back. “Well… actually, I was wondering…” She stopped, suddenly finding her fingernails quite fascinating. Gods, this is so embarrassing…

“Yeah?”

“I was thinking that… maybe… well…”

“What? What is it? C‘mon, it can‘t be that bad.”

“Um… well, you know we never really did have that many chances to just be together… the way our dads kept pushing us and all… and the few times we did, those didn’t really work out so well.” She cleared her throat. “And I know technically it doesn’t matter since we’re already engaged, but… you know… we never actually… that is…”

“Went anywhere as a couple?” Ranma finished, to which she nodded.

“Even that one time we went to the fair last year, back when Cologne had you stuck with the full-body cat’s tongue… that wasn’t really much, and we got pushed into that anyway…”

Ranma took a step closer and put a hand on her shoulder. “So… you were trying to ask me out on a date on Tuesday?” he asked, slightly amused.

“No! That’s not… I mean…” She stopped, then sighed. “Well… yeah, maybe I was. But then all hell broke loose and we had to deal with your curse, then Ryoga’s, then this news about our blood and…”

“Yeah, I know what you mean.” Ranma paused, then smirked. “Uh… correct me if I’m wrong, but maybe I should have been the one asking you if you wanted to go out… I mean… after all, we did admit how we feel about each other… so…”

Akane gave him a lopsided grin of her own. “I figured if I waited for you to ask, I’d be waiting until Tokyo Tower falls down,” she chuckled, then looked at him a bit more seriously. “Um… so…”

“Yeah…”

“Then 230; do you want to?”

Ranma was silent for a few long seconds, then smiled and kissed her gently on the lips.

“I’ll tell ya when we get home.”

Her eyes widened. “What?”

“Hey, you made me wait to hear the question, so it’s only fair, right?” He smirked and gave her a playful peck on the cheek before springing onto the fence, leaving her staring at him.

“And just how exactly is that supposed to be fair? Come on, give me a straight answer, Ranma!” She was trying to look angry with him, but something tugged at the corner of her mouth and gave her a more bemused look.

“Sorry, Acchan, but ya gotta catch me first!” he chortled before backing along the fence leisurely. Akane shook her head and started laughing as she jumped up on the fence; the two of them sped easily down the road, trading verbal jabs and laughing all the way back to the dojo.

Neither one of them noticed an especially ugly imp step out from its hiding place in a bush, its horrific green eyes narrowed in consternation. Rubbing its clawlike hands together, it glanced up and down the street before launching itself into the air, spreading its ragged wings and heading west.

The Master will not be pleased, it thought to itself as it erased its presence from all physical sight, effectively vanishing into thin air.

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Their arrival at the dojo coincided with a departure. Ryoga was waiting at the front gate, with Akari at his side and Katsunishiki sitting nearby looking bored. He still had slight red markings on his face, the remnants of the conversation he had had with the household that morning, before Ranma and Akane had so abruptly left for school. Oddly enough, Akane hadn’t been the one to slap him first- Ryoga had nearly fallen back on habit and almost started verbally sniping Ranma, but had gotten quickly cut off and properly chastised when Kasumi slapped him. She had then said something softly about him remembering his own dishonorable actions involving his other form and her baby sister, to which he broke down and apologized to both of them.

Akane had eventually relented and accepted his apology- after giving him one last good smack as a reminder.

That had all happened hours before. Ranma glanced questioningly at Ryoga for a moment, at which point Akari spoke up and explained; the two of them were heading back to the Unryuu estate. Ryoga apparently needed some time to think, especially after what had happened the night before, and she had insisted on taking him home. It wasn’t hard to notice Ryoga blush when she mentioned that part, and he quickly threw in an addendum of his own… that once he’d gotten himself together, he’d be back, and whatever happened would happen. It wasn’t exactly a declaration of truce, but for Ranma, it was enough for now.

“Hey, when you do come back to town… try not to announce yer presence by jackhammerin’ the pavement with that umbrella,” he remarked offhand. Ryoga gave him a short glare, but quickly relented and caught Ranma’s hand in a handshake that would’ve made most men wince.

“Just don’t go soft on me before I see you again,” Ryoga said with one eyebrow quirked. Ranma raised an eyebrow back at him and smiled, but said nothing. Akane gave Akari a good-bye hug and wished her the best; Ryoga turned to Akane but fell short of giving her a hug or even a handshake. All that passed between them was a sad nod of his head and his whispered request that they could eventually be friends again. She didn’t say anything, but eventually smiled weakly and nodded her head before saying goodbye.

I hope we can be friends again, too, Akane thought as she watched them climb aboard the sumo pig and ride away at a good pace. You were a nice guy at times, Ryoga… I can’t ever forget what you did, but if you’re really sorry… and it sure sounded that way… maybe I can forgive.

She was running that train of thought through her mind as the two of them stepped inside, only to be interrupted by the presence of other arrivals… a woman dressed in black and gray whom she’d never met before, a familiar kunoichi in scarlet garb and the unmistakable scent of okonomiyaki being grilled. The first two sat in the dining room discussing something, apparently related to fashion, while Shingen sat next to the strange girl as he was discussing something with Nodoka. Soun and a panda were quietly playing shogi.

“Um… we’re home…” Ranma started, slightly at a loss for words, just as Ukyo came around the corner with several plates that she quickly set on the table. She turned to head back to the kitchen, spotting Ranma and Akane in the process. Upon recognition her eyes widened, and the next second she had practically knocked both of them over and was hugging Ranma desperately.

“Uk… Ukyo???” Akane stared in shock for a moment as a familiar jealous twinge poked at her brain; she quickly forced the ‘old Akane’ urge to the back of her mind when she saw that Ukyo was crying. “Hey… are… are you okay?”

“Uh… yeah, what’s goin’ on? We kinda noticed ya hadn’t been to school in the past couple days,” Ranma added, not sure what say or what to do with his hands. “I thought maybe you’d gotten sick…”

Ukyo sniffled. “I was sick,” she mumbled. “Sick of myself. Sick of this whole mess, sick of not fighting fair…” She pulled back and looked Ranma in the eye. “I made a huge mistake last Sunday when… when I showed up and…” She shook her head. “I could’ve really hurt someone, especially you two… I’m so sorry, Ran-chan, Akane… I didn’t mean to, I just lost it because of that stupid idea I had stuck in my brain, that I had to win you over, make you mine…” Ukyo sniffled once again and looked at them both. “I never thought about how anyone else felt, and I forgot what it really meant to be just a friend. I’m really sorry… to both of you.”

“She came by earlier today to say the same to all of us,” Kasumi said softly as she stepped by the three of them, giving Ukyo a gentle pat on the back. “It’s okay, Ukyo-chan. You don’t have to keep beating yourself up; we’ve already forgiven you.” Ukyo just shrugged and mumbled something incoherent.

“Ukyo…” Akane whispered.

“Please, you don’t have to forgive me if you don’t want to, Akane. I know I’ve been enough of a pain in the butt as it is; some of the stunts I pulled aren’t much better than what Shampoo was doing… maybe if… maybe if it wasn’t for that stupid, stupid blood oath or the fact that my own father never wanted me in the first place…” Her words faltered and fresh tears made their way down her cheeks. Akane’s will finally faltered and she put a hand on Ukyo’s shoulder, pulling her into an embrace; Ranma’s own arm went around her back and Ukyo’s cries softened as she felt herself being hugged from two directions.

“Ukyo, just take it easy,” Akane said, stunned by the emotions Ukyo was displaying. “It’s… it’s not that big a deal, really; it wasn’t all your fault.” She looked at Ranma and could clearly see concern in his eyes, with some confusion as well. “Look, I’m not blaming you for what happened, and you haven’t really been that big a pain…” Ukyo just shook her head and stared at the floor.

“No, Akane, I have been a pain.” She looked up again and wiped her eyes with her arm. “After that mess happened on Sunday I realized I’d finally pushed it too far… but I just couldn’t figure out what to say… took me till Tuesday to even find the guts to level with both of ya, face to face… and then I saw you having words with Shampoo and I heard what you were saying…”

“You saw that?” Ranma asked, blinking. “But I never even saw ya…”

“I did.” The three of them turned and noticed Shingen standing next to them, leaning against a nearby wall. “She was on a side street; I didn’t notice her until after you’d left for school. I didn’t sense any sort of threat, so I didn’t say anything.”

Ranma scowled. “Might’ve made things easier if ya had, Shingen.” Kasumi politely excused herself and headed into the dining room.

“It’s not important, Ranma,” Ukyo admonished. “Fact is, when I heard what you were sayin’ to Shampoo, it kinda woke me up inside… especially that bit about love nor being a dog collar.” She sniffled. “I was so caught up in trying to please my old man an’ remembering when you called me cute… that I didn’t notice I was tryin’ to pull you down like all the others. And… and when I did see it… it made me sick.” She reached out and grabbed both Ranma and Akane’s hands. “I wanna start over, please. And I’m not talking about blood feuds or marriage arrangements… I just wanna be friends again, that’s all. With both of you.” She paused again, looking at the floor. “If you’ll let me, that is…”

For a moment, no one said anything. Ranma looked at Ukyo, then back to Akane. Akane looked at him, then nodded and smiled ever so slightly. He smiled back and he drew Ukyo back into a friendly embrace.

“That’s all I ever wanted, Ucchan. You were one of the best friends I had when I was a kid; I don’t wanna lose that.” He paused, then gave her a serious look. “But… ya do know that’s all it’ll ever really be, right? I care about ya a lot… but I can’t ever be more than just a friend to you. I’m sorry.”

Ukyo looked up and graced him with a weak smile. “I know that, Ran-chan. I knew all along who you really cared for the most; I just never accepted it.” Both Akane and Ranma blushed, prompting Ukyo to smirk. “But I think now I can. I… I just didn’t want to lose you as a friend because I behaved like such a jackass.”

“It’s okay, Ukyo. I told you, it wasn’t all your fault,” said Akane warmly, just before a shadow of concern passed over her face. “But… wait a moment, what about that blood debt? About having to either kill Ranma or marry him to satisfy your family honor?”

Ukyo shook her head and looked Akane in the eyes. “What about it? The only thing that feud ever got me was a lot of pain and wasted time, not to mention clouding my own judgment on the whole mess… for all I know, my old man probably cooked up that whole scheme just to get me out of the house for good. He never really wanted a daughter anyways… probably tried to pawn me off on Genma and Ran-chan for the same reason… c’mon, what kind of a real father figure would do something like that?”

All three of them paused and shot a joint glance at Genma, who remained oblivious, absorbed in how to swap out a shogi piece without Soun noticing.

“So you’re just gonna drop the whole thing?” Ranma asked, slightly astonished. “Even with that whole honor thing hangin’ over you? C’mon, there has to be some other way; maybe we could repay yer dad for the yatai or…”

“Why bother?” Ukyo replied, her jaw set but her eyes wavering. “He’d just say it wasn’t enough, or something about following the feud to the letter; forget it. I ain’t dealing with that kinda crap. No more. I’m just gonna call it quits and live my own damn life from now on.” She shot another look at the panda and smiled a predatory grin. “I am still gonna teach Genma one more lesson at some point, it’s just as much his own fault… but no more of the other stuff. I don’t need my old man; I can take care of myself.”

“Ukyo…” Akane murmured.

“Even if… even if he disowns ya?” Ranma asked, incredulously.

“Look, it’s not important right now, sugar,” Ukyo replied. “It’s been a real long day, some of which kinda freaked the living daylights outta me; I’d rather we just forget about it, okay? Come on, I made everyone some of my special deluxe recipe as a way of making amends,” she continued, pulling the two of them into the dining room. “And I promise you, these okonomiyaki won’t blow up in front of ya.” With a shrug, the two relented and allowed the chef to escort them to the table. Shingen followed suit, and it wasn’t long before every one of them had their own unique Ucchan’s masterpiece in front of them. Akane wasn’t surprised that Ranma’s was a little larger than everyone else’s; she was surprised that her own seemed to be just about as intricately prepared as his.

It also hadn’t escaped her attention that Ukyo had flinched slightly when Ranma had mentioned the possibility of being disowned.

She made a note to remember it as she noticed several other things occurring around the table- Soun and Genma finally tearing themselves away from the shogi board to eat. Nodoka discussing something with Shingen again, something that apparently caused her much consternation. The strange woman in black and gray introducing herself as Reika, and mentioning that she was Shingen’s sister. Konatsu glancing yearningly in Ukyo’s direction- and eliciting a warm smile from her every once in a while. Akane also noticed that Ukyo was occasionally glancing at Shingen, and- oddly enough- blushing once or twice when he looked back.

I wonder what’s going on, Akane thought to herself as she ate. Ukyo said something about something freaking the living daylights out of her… and with the way she’s glancing at Shingen… what exactly was it that happened today?

--------------------

“She was attacked by a Reaver.”

“What?” Akane asked, astonished. “She got attacked earlier? Attacked by a… a what?”

“A Reaver; a snakelike demon also referred to as a Soul Eater,” Shingen replied as he paced back and forth in the mostly empty training hall. “They target people under great stress or those overwhelmed by sadness, then strike at that person’s soul, stealing their will to live.” He shoved his hands into his jacket pockets. “Fact is, Reavers are often the largest cause of suicides, but almost nobody knows this since they usually strike in an incorporeal state.”

“Good gods, and one o’ them tried to get Ukyo today?” Ranma said with a hint of anger. “What the hell for?”

“Well, either it felt her at an emotional rock bottom and decided to take advantage… or something summoned it here.”

“SUMMONED it?” Akane gasped.

“Personally, I’m hoping it was a coincidence, Akane,” Shingen said calmly. “As it is, it obviously didn’t succeed, I felt its presence outside the dojo and took care of it… but it might’ve been too late if that strange boy in red hadn’t tried to confront it.”

“Konatsu tried to fight this thing?”

“That’s what he said this afternoon, and I did see him get flung into a wall by that snake, Akane.”

Ranma blinked. “You’re saying Ukyo coulda been taken out by this thing if Konatsu hadn’t stuck his neck on the line?” Shingen nodded, and Ranma scowled to himself. “Dammit… an’ you said there was a possibility these things could be summoned?”

“A slim possibility, but yes…”

“That must be what I felt this afternoon,” Akane said in a subdued voice. “Shingen… you said she was heading here around noon, and then she was attacked?” At his nod, she shivered and looked at Ranma. “Right about the time I had those weird chills down my back.”

“Hey… yer right,” Ranma said quietly. “That’s either a really big coincidence, or something a lot bigger.”

“It could be your own latent aura sense coming to bear,” Shingen mused.

“Whatever it is, it seems pretty obvious that something’s amiss in a big way,” came a female voice from the other side of the door. It slid open, and Reika stepped inside. “I just had a talk with Father,” she continued, snapping a black cellphone shut. “Apparently he’s been making some steady observations and chaotic energies have started picking up bit by bit over this ward, even with the two Purges you’ve executed.”

“You mean things are getting worse?” Akane asked, eyes wide.

“In a word, you got it, sister,” Reika replied with a quirked smile. Akane blinked and gave her an annoyed glance; she hadn’t known Reika very long but she seemed to be just a little too casual to Akane’s taste.

“So what happens now?” Ranma asked.

“That actually depends on something, Ranma,” Shingen said, looking at him and Akane with a gaze that was deadly in its seriousness. “You’ve had some time to think about what I told you last night. Now I need to know… have you made a decision?”

Ranma paused, looking over at Akane. She said nothing, but took a few steps, sidling next to him and giving a very minute but firm nod. He nodded back, then turned to Shingen.

“Yeah… might as well know about this ‘gift’ so it don’t come back and bite us later on,” he said in a low voice. “I… uh, I mean… we wanna find out more about this.”

Akane nodded in confirmation, then shrugged. “I’ll admit, it feels kinda big… but that never stopped us before, and Kami knows Ranma doesn’t back down from a challenge like this.” She smirked as he gave her an exasperated look, then reached over and squeezed his hand.

“Good, that means that package won’t be going to waste,” said Reika, stretching her arms over her head.

“Package? Wait a minute, Reika, what package?”

“Nothing to worry about, Shingen. Father mentioned something about a package he sent out through express mail this morning; he told me on the phone it should be here by tomorrow before lunch.” She glanced over Ranma and then Akane before looking her brother in the eye. “He said it was something to do with their training, if they decided to accept their bloodline power. He didn‘t say more.”

Shingen looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. “So there’s not much else to do except preparations, then.”

“Yeah, but this one you’ll have to handle by yourself, big bro. I only stopped over long enough to get you your gear and visit for a while; I’m due in Shinjuku in a couple of hours and I gotta go.”

“Always busy, I see,” Shingen said with an amused shake of his head.

“Look who’s talking; one of these days I swear you’re gonna burn yourself out with all the assignments you take on,” Reika laughed. Shingen laughed in response and pulled Reika into a hug. “You take care of yourself, Shingen, you got that?”

“You do the same, Reika,” was his reply. A moment later, the girl in black had gathered up her things, said a quick goodbye and good luck to both Akane and Ranma, and she was out the door.

“She seemed… interesting,” Akane said slowly.

“Yeah, well, that’s my sister for you,” was Shingen’s reply. He straightened his bandanna and the look in his eyes turned serious. “You know what happens now, of course.”

Ranma blinked, then a look of recognition came over him. “Yeah… now we start training.”

“Exactly,” the taller man said. “I’m not going to lie, it won’t be easy. On top of that, with things moving the way they are now, I’m not going to be able to move at a slow and easy pace; we still have three curse victims to deal with, not to mention the occasional imp and your own obligations.”

“Yeah, we’ve already missed a lot of school because of the craziness we had before you even got here,” said Akane wearily. “We’ll probably be lucky if we both don’t fail out…”

“Hey, c’mon ‘kane, our grades aren’t that bad.”

“They’re not that great either, Ranma… and don’t give me that look, I’m just being honest,” she continued. “And let’s not even get into both our attendance records…”

“We’ll have to make do with what we have,” Shingen interjected. “I know you mentioned you were training together, so keep at that whenever you have a moment. As for what I can show you, I checked with Nabiki and apparently this Saturday is a full day off, rather than just a half day; we can use that to our advantage.”

“Huh? What’s so special about this Saturday?”

“She said something about Principal Kuno and an all-you-can-eat Hawaiian breakfast buffet…”

Akane and Ranma both groaned before Shingen continued. “In any case, that means we have from the end of school tomorrow until Sunday evening available; I can execute one Purge tomorrow once I‘ve had some rest tonight, then split time between you both and scribing new wards. I’ve already taken a look around town today and I picked up some gear and a decent location, just in case you decided to accept.”

Akane blinked. “You’re saying…”

Shingen nodded. “First thing after school tomorrow, pack your bags. We’re going on a two-day retreat and giving both of you a crash course in Hunter abilities. Just the basics for now; advanced techniques will have to wait.”

“You mean we’re starting right away?” Akane asked. “Wait, what do we tell our parents? Dad’ll go nuts if he hears about any of this Hunter business!”

“He doesn’t have to know,” said Shingen. “Only one person knows about what we’ve discussed concerning your potential, and I think she can keep both of your fathers under control. Certainly seems strong enough to turn Saotome-san into a cowering fool.”

“You told my mom about this?”

“Ranma, someone had to know. And in all honesty, yes, she is worried about both of you, but Nodoka-san also saw what you both did in the face of that succubus just the other day. She’s a good woman, Ranma, and she trusts your judgment in the matter.”

Ranma didn’t say anything for a moment, then slumped his shoulders and looked at the floor. “Damn…”

Akane put a hand on his shoulder. “Ranma?”

Another long moment passed by, then he looked up again- this time with his trademark lopsided grin.

“Guess we’re not gonna get a chance to go out this weekend,” he quipped.

“Oh… you!” Akane groaned, slipping into laughter as he did likewise.

Shingen smiled and folded his arms. They’re just like me and sis back when we were that age, he thought quietly.

I just hope they can cope with a crash training program.

With the way things seem to be moving… we really don’t have any other choice.

To Be Continued.

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Author’s note 4/26/05: This one took a little longer than I thought, mainly due to the hell I call day to day life and my imagination well running a little low. The next chapter may take some time as well; I’m a bit fried and anticipate it may take two weeks for my next installment. Just need a little time to decompress.

Cultural note: I looked it up online and the typical Japanese school week is five full days, Monday through Friday, with a half day on Saturday. I’m guessing Furinkan High has similar standards, but with all the crazy goings-on they more than likely don’t stick to that schedule as often as one might think.

Thanks to everyone who reads this; I’ll update when I can but it will be at least ten days if not two weeks before I do. One thing I can promise, I’m not one of those authors who only updates every three months. Until next time.

Neon Ronin



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