The Last Night
A RanmaxKagome Crossover/AU/Songfic Story
By: Ranmano1fan
Normally when it comes to mending a broken heart, time is often one of the best medicines. However there are instances when it does just as much harm as the reason for the broken heart. And when that occurs the person falls into a swirling cycle of despair, regret and harm to not only their mental state, but at times their physical state as well. Unfortunately when this happens and if the right help isn't sought out before anything very serious occurs, it might be too late to save them.
It has been almost 3 or 4 weeks since the infamous break-up of Rikano High School's most popular couple, Ranma Saotome and Kagome Higurashi, and on the surface everything looked to be going good for both of them as they continued on with their schoolwork and their lives separate from the other. But like ducks on the pond, not everything was oh-so-great under the surface for either of them.
After the messy separation Kagome had made her best friend, Sango, promise not to have any contact with Ranma, and to not upset her friend of many years anymore than what she already was she had no choice but to agree. Although she never agreed on not seeing her boyfriend, Miroku, who also happened to be Ranma's best friend. And it was a good thing she didn't. That's because over time she saw changes in Kagome that she couldn't quite understand all that much. The changes were subtle and small in the beginning, but since she has known her friend for so long it was all she needed to be concerned. And like the good friend she is, she informed Miroku of what was happening and he'd tell Ranma, who despite the break up still had feelings for the girl he had been with and known for so long.
The girl had tried dating Inuyasha shortly after prom and it went well for her for those few weeks, but she eventually called it off before long. He wanted to see if they could work it out, that maybe it was his fault, but she assured him it wasn't nor could she give any real reason either. She told him it was great being with him and that was no lie, yet she felt that something was missing inside and she needed to find it first before feeling like she could really be with someone again. He accepted it finally after a small protest and they parted ways as friends.
Even though Kagome would not admit it, Sango saw that during many activities after school like shopping and going to the movies her friend had become somewhat lethargic and uninterested in doing anything. There were also days when she would call her up, but Kagome didn't feel like going out. Soon those changes became more noticable and it began to frighten her best friend. Some days she would show up to school and her normally beautiful skin would be slightly paler and though she had a smile on her face, Kagome looked a little ill.
Word of these changes reached Ranma's ears and he had also become very worried for the girl's well-being, yet there wasn't anything he could do. He had tried before to talk to her soon after the break-up to see if they could reconcile, but all that got him was a face full of dirt due to the mystical beads Kagome had put around his neck after they had started dating, but yet she never removed them,(it's an inside joke, gomenasai) and he'd rather not have that happen to him again.
Though for the boy he wasn't taking it any better than she was. His interest in the martial arts waned a bit and his training has become lackadaisical and with no effort behind it at all. In school he showed a brave face in front of everyone while behind the scenes alone in his room and away from others it was quite the opposite. No one in school ever saw that side of Ranma, the more emotional side of his persona, the only person that really knew of it was Kagome.
Then there were the days he would find himself without any energy to make the effort to rise with the morning and make the boring trek to school having been forced to walk alone. Ranma more than wanted to just stay in bed and let the world pass him by and on those days he wouldn't have cared if it did. Depressed over losing what he believed to have been the best thing to ever happen in his life, the boy begrudgingly spent the hours droned away in Rikano High in a semi-haze, a thin fog encircled around his brain, not really worrying what would happen to him next.
It didn't take long for things to become very serious. One day in between classes as Sango and Kagome were going to her locker, when the girl collapsed into her friend's arms. Shock was apparent on Sango's face, but not just because of Kagome fainting but also because her friend's skin was clammy and a little cold to the touch. Soon the two girls were surrounded in the hallway and Kagome was taken to the nurse's office and then she was sent home to rest up for the remainder of the day after she had awoke. That was the last straw, Sango could not take anymore of it and decided to take drastic measures.
It was about an hour after school let out when Ranma's cell lit up. He looked at the caller ID and was a little surprised to see Sango's number on the screen.
He answered it with a, "Hello?"
"Ranma, I need your help," said his friend, with a tone in her voice that he never heard before.
The boy has known Sango not quite as long as Kagome yet it's been long enough to know that there are few things that could scare her, but to hear the fear coming from the other end of the phone got Ranma to snap out of his haze, "What's wrong?"
"It's Kagome," she replied, "You heard what happened today at school, right?"
"That was her?!" he answered, raising his voice slightly. Calming down he added, "I heard some girl had fainted, but I didn't hear who it was."
"Yes it was her," said Sango, confirming the rumor, "Ranma, I think something is really wrong with her, do you think you can maybe talk to her and see what it is?"
All she got was silence for about a minute. "Ranma?" she repeated.
"Sango, you know I can't do that. You remember what happened last time I tried talking to her, don't you?" he responded finally.
"I remember, it's kinda hard to not forget," she replied, "I heard about it everyday for a week after it happened. But this is different, Ranma, Kagome hasn't been herself lately and it's been this way since your break-up."
"How do you know? Kagome said she hates my guts for hurting her and the last time I talked to her she certainly seemed fine to me and I had a face full of dirt to prove it," answered the boy.
"You really are an idiot, aren't you?" said Sango, "She only said that stuff because she was angry at you for what you did and I don't blame her, not many girls wouldn't be. I've known Kagome long enough to tell you that the break-up has been eating away at her, but she is too damn proud to admit it."
"You got that right," agreed Ranma, knowing full well how stubborn she could be. How she wouldn't stop arguing until she won or he'd admit she was right, though most of those times he let her win to keep her happy.
"Anyway, Kagome needs someone to talk to," continued the girl.
"Why can't you do it?" wondered the boy.
"Because she needs someone that is more than a friend to her, someone that is closer to her heart than even a best friend could possibly be," explained Sango, "She needs someone that loves her and that person is you, Ranma."
"And how do I prevent my face from getting planted in the dirt again?" asked the teen, defiantly.
"You have to figure that out on your own. Just don't turn it into an argument and she shouldn't have a reason to plant you," replied his friend.
There was silence on the other end of the line again for another minute.
"Please, Ranma," pleaded Sango, "Kagome needs you more than anything else in the world right now and if you won't do it for me than do it for her instead. Be the good guy I know you are and save her."
"Alright, I'll do it," agreed the boy finally, "I'll think of something and try my best to help her in any way I can."
"Thank you, Ranma," said the girl happily, "I knew you wouldn't let me down."
He chuckled sheepishly, "Yeah, you know I'm too much of a nice guy to turn down a cry for help."
"Yep, I do," replied Sango, giving a small giggle.
He didn't need to see it, but he knew she was smiling on the other end of the line. "How are we gonna pull this off anyway?"
"Glad you asked," she told him, "Here's what I thought we could do...." and she began to fill him in on her master plan.
Kagome was sitting up in her bed having rested for a few hours when her mom came in to check up on her, "How are you feeling?"
"Better, Mama," smiled the girl.
"Let's find out," said her mother, placing the back of her hand on her daughter's forehead, "You don't feel feverish or anything like that," continued the woman as she moved her hand around the girl's face, "I think you'll live now," she finished, giving her a smile.
"Thank you, Mama," replied Kagome as her mother turned to leave.
The woman stopped at the door and looked down for a second before asking, "Kagome?"
"Yes, Mama?" answered the girl.
"Is there anything you want to tell me?" wondered her mother.
"Um.... not really, no," responded her daughter, unsure what she meant.
Turning back around to face her, the woman looked her in the eyes and said, "Kagome, you know you can come to me for anything, right?"
"After the way you treated me and Ranma, I don't know if I can tell you anything without hearing a lecture," answered the girl, making a angry face and looking away.
"That was your own fault," replied her mother sternly, "You brought it upon yourselves when you didn't think things through. And I can see that won't be changing anytime soon."
Looking back at her mother, Kagome asked, "What do you mean?"
Walking over to the bed and sitting down on the edge, the woman told her daughter, "I saw the marks on your arms and legs."
"Oh...." said the girl, her voice trailing.
"'Oh'? Is that all you can say? Just 'Oh'?" wondered the woman, "How about you tell me how they got there?"
"I...... I can't," replied Kagome quietly.
"Does it have to do with that boy?" asked her mother.
The girl didn't answer, just turned her gaze to the floor.
"I see," said the woman, not in a real harsh or angry tone but in more of a authoritarian voice, "Kagome, you have to let him go and move on. It's your own fault for letting it go as far as it did with him. And feeling awful happens with every long term relationship that ends badly. You'll be fine, I know you will and this thing with you marking up your arms and legs is just a phase as well, you'll get over it."
Her daughter kept her eyes trained on her carpet and remained quiet as the woman stood up from the edge of the bed and began to walk out of the room. Her mother made her feel even worse than she already was, talking like she knew what Kagome was going through in her heart and in her head. But the girl was convinced that no one really knew how bad she felt and she just wanted to end the pain in someway and putting those marks on her body did make it go away for a short time, but they were older scars than anything more recent, but it seemed the pain always kept coming back no matter how many times she tried to make it stop and she didn't know what to do about it without trying a more permanent way to end it.
Suddenly from the bedside dresser, Kagome's cell started ringing. She picked up the phone, looked at the caller ID and said, "It's Sango. Hello?"
The woman stopped at the door, looked at her daughter and listened to the one side of the conversation she could hear.
"Yeah, I'm feeling better now, guess I was a little sick to my stomach that's all," said the girl, giving a laugh, "Huh? You want me to meet you at the park?" she added, repeating what she heard as she looked up at her mother as if to ask for permission. The woman nodded her approval. "Yeah, sure okay, I'll see you there in a few minutes. Bye." Kagome removed herself from her bed after she hung up the cellphone and started getting dressed as her mother began to leave again.
The woman said as she reached for the doorknob, "Have a good time and dinner will be ready when you get back."
"Ok, Mama," answered the girl.
"And please try and let him go," added her mother, "It's not worth it in the long run to dwell on the past as the future passes you by."
"Yeah, I'll try, Mama," answered Kagome, letting out a small sigh and rolling her eyes as the door closed. She had gotten tired of that advice by now.
Kagome slipped on a pair of jeans and a light blue long sleeve shirt so as to hide the scars, managing to slide the ends of the sleeves over some wristbands she's been wearing lately as well as the watch on her right wrist she wore over another wristband. The girl put on her socks and then looked herself over in the mirror. Nothing looked out of the ordinary as she saw her skin wasn't as pale as it had been that morning and all the marks were hidden under clothing. Kagome smiled at herself before leaving her room, putting her shoes on at the front door and was off to meet her friend at the park.
Kagome sat on the park bench and waited for Sango to show up. Though she sat there for only a few minutes Kagome began to wonder why her best friend asked to meet there instead of at either her house or her friend's as it usually was the case. The girl watched the sun as it began to get lower and lower in the sky and all the colors of sunset began to appear. She was so engrossed with the artistic view that she didn't see someone sit down next to her, she only realized somebody was there when she heard their voice, "Hey."
Kagome immediately turned to look at the person and asked, "What are you doing here?" She barely waited a second before standing up in a huff, turning away and adding, "You have about 5 seconds to tell me what you're doing here or I'm leaving."
"Sango asked me to come," answered Ranma, standing up as well after finally given a chance to speak again.
"4," said the girl, counting down.
"She told me about you fainting at school today and asked for me to try and talk to you," continued the boy, "She says something is wrong with you, Kags."
"Don't call me that," snapped the girl, turning to face him, "You're not allowed to call me that anymore, you're not my boyfriend."
"Fine, I won't, but is there anything wrong?" he said, asking a question at the end.
Turning away from him again, she replied, "Nothing you need to be concerned over."
"That's not the way I heard it," retorted Ranma.
Looking down, she answered, "Stupid Sango and her big mouth," looking up at him she asked, "Why did she go and tell you what happened?"
"Because she's worried about you," said the boy, adding, "And I'm worried too."
"Well neither of you will have to worry about me for much longer," she told him.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"I'm tired of being in pain all the time, I want it to go away," she replied.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" he wondered.
"No, there isn't. I don't want your help anyway," she answered a little annoyed.
"You can drop the act anytime now," he told her.
"What act?" she asked.
"Sango told me more than you seem to realize, Kagome. A lot more than just you fainting in school," revealed the boy.
"Like?" she wondered, encouraging him to talk.
"She's been telling me everything, well not me directly, I've been hearing it through Miroku. But still, I heard about your break up with Inuyasha after a few weeks, about how you haven't been wanting to do much on some days and most importantly how you feel about me," he explained.
Kagome looked down at the ground and kept quiet for about half a minute before saying, "I'm gonna have to have a talk with her after this."
"Alright, fine, but is what I heard true?" he wondered.
She didn't answer him with words, she gave him a nod instead.
"Why didn't you come to me so we didn't have to do this?" asked the boy.
She spoke quietly, "I didn't think you wanted to talk to me after last time."
Chuckling, he told her, "Yeah, I wasn't too keen on getting a face full of dirt again, but I'd never want you to think you couldn't come to me with a problem."
"Ok, I'm sorry," she said apologetically.
"You don't have to say it, it's enough that you know," he told her, smiling, "Now can you tell me what's wrong?"
She shook her head, "I can't, it's something I have to do by myself."
"I respect that, it's your choice, but you don't have to shut me out anymore, Kagome, I want to help you," he pleaded.
"You just can't, ok? I appreciate that you want to help me, but I have to do this alone," she told him in a finalizing tone just like so many arguments she's ended.
Resigning with a sigh, Ranma said one last time, "Alright, but I can't just sit by, you know that."
Kagome nodded, "Yeah, I know."
There was silence between them for a minute or two and it looked like they didn't have anything else to say. She turned away and started to walk away.
"I'll see you soon, Ranma," she told him.
"Wait," he said reaching out and taking hold of her wrist.
As soon as he touched her she winced and gave a small, "Ow."
"What the..?" he said in a confused tone.
Kagome pulled away a little bit, put her hands to her chest and looked away, "It's nothing."
"That wasn't 'nothing'," he told her.
Ranma lightly took hold of her wrist again and didn't let go this time even after hearing her wince in pain again. He looked at her as she kept her gaze away and he slowly pulled her long sleeve up to reveal the wristband and the marks on her arm.
"What is this?" he asked her.
She spoke quietly again, "What do you think it looks like?"
"It looks like you've been cutting up your arm," replied the boy, "Why would you? Is this the thing you don't want help with?"
She didn't answer him this time, though she looked like she could cry.
"And what's with the wristband?" he wondered.
"Nothing...," she answered, her voice trailing.
Ranma slid Kagome's wristband off, not really believing her and brought to light what she was hiding underneath of it. On her left wrist was a bloody slice in her skin that only looked a day old. The girl closed her eyes and waited to hear what she knew was bound to come out.
"Why are you doing this to yourself?" he asked her in a quiet tone.
It was worse than she first thought, she knew when he was really angry Ranma didn't need to yell or shout, but he could get his point across with a calm voice. She didn't want to really answer him, but she also knew if she didn't he would yell next.
"It takes away the pain in my heart," she said finally.
"By giving yourself pain somewhere else? That makes no sense, Kagome, it's pointless," he told her, "What happens if it don't work?"
The girl looked down a little bit, "It does work, but only for a small amount of time."
"Then what?" he asked.
She didn't answer him.
That made Ranma slide her other sleeve up and revealed more marks on her arms and another wristband. "Don't tell me you did the same thing to this wrist too?" he wondered.
She still didn't answer him.
He removed the wristband and watch on her right wrist and sure enough another bloody slice in her skin.
"Kagome!" he shouted, making her flinch a little bit, repeating, "Why are you doing this? I want to know."
She couldn't bring herself to reply, because she knew that answer would not suffice.
Ranma asked a different question, "Does your mom know?"
"Yes, she found out right before you did," said Kagome, keeping her eyes towards the ground as she explained, "She also asked me why, but I couldn't answer her either. She says I'm only doing it because of the break up and that I need to get over you. She was blaming both of us for not thinking things through and she was blaming me for letting it go as far as it did. She called it a phase in my life and that it will pass. She tried to make it sound like she knew what I was going through, I was getting tired of it when Sango called."
"Kagome, you know if it goes too far you could end up dead, right?" he asked her.
She nodded her answer, adding, "That's why I don't go too deep when I do it, so I only bleed a little bit."
"This doesn't look like a 'little bit'," he told her, showing her the bloody wrist.
"I did these last night. Remember when I said I wanted the pain to go away?" she replied, asking a question in the process.
"Yeah," he said.
Pulling her wrist from his grip, she responded, "Then all that's left is for me to say goodbye, Ranma."
Watching her turn and start walking away again the boy was beside himself, was she really willing to end her life? No way was Ranma going to let her do it, not without a fight.
"You come to me with scars on your wrists.
You tell me this will be the last night feeling like this," said the boy.
Hiding her face, Kagome answered, "I just came to say goodbye.
I didn't want you to see me cry, I'm fine."
"But I know it's a lie," he told her, taking hold of her arm again.
"This is the last night you'll spend alone,"continued Ranma,
"Look me in the eyes so I know you know
I'm everywhere you want me to be."
Kagome shook her arm out of his hand, but didn't bother to turn around to look at him. She wanted to avoid those blue-gray eyes of his at all costs if she could. She felt if she stared into those eyes, she would lose it.
"The last night you'll spend alone," he repeated, putting his hands on her shoulders and adding,
"I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go,
I'm everything you need me to be."
She could feel the comfort in his grip as he held her gently and it was just like she remembered from when they were together. Kagome stepped away from him as his hands slid off her shoulders.
Ranma looked down at the ground and went on, "Your parents say everything is your fault.
But they don't know you like I know you,
They don't know you at all."
The girl put an arm across her chest and took hold of her other arm as she agreed, "I'm so sick of when they say,
'It's just a phase, you'll be ok, you're fine'."
"But I know it's a lie," he told her, stepping up to her again.
"This is the last night you'll spend alone.
Look me in the eyes so I know you know
I'm everywhere you want me to be,"he asked her once more, wanting to see those hazel eyes of her's.
Kagome still couldn't bear to look at him, she didn't want to give in.
"The last night you'll spend alone.
I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go,
I'm everything you need me to be," he turned her around and put his arms around her, adding,
"The last night away from me," it didn't escape him that she was looking down, her hair obscuring her eyes.
Once again the girl pulled away from him, trying to keep from looking into those eyes.
"The night is so long,
when everything's wrong," he told her, begging her in a way.
"If you give me your hand
I will help you hold on," he added, reaching out and taking her hand is his own.
She felt his hand wrapped around hers and heard him say, "Tonight."
She turned and looked him in the eyes finally and he smiled as he placed his other hand on her cheek and repeated, "Tonight."
Kagome felt that spark in her heart, a bolt of lightning she hadn't felt in a long time when she locked her eyes with his. She saw everything she needed to see as she gazed into Ranma's eyes, all the love, all the memories, and all the happiness they had shared together and she could feel in her own heart that it never really went away, it was still there, though just a little lost, waiting to be found again. But she wasn't quite ready for it, to so easily fall for him again after what happened. Kagome lowered her eyes and removed herself from his grasp again, turning and walking a few steps away from him.
Not ready to give up on her yet, Ranma continued, "This is the last night you'll spend alone.
Look me in the eyes so I know you know
I'm everywhere you want me to be." It only took a second for him to make up the space between them.
Very quickly, the boy wrapped his arms around her from behind as he said, "The last night you'll spend alone.
I'll wrap you in my arms and I won't let go,
I'm everything you need me to be."
He had pinned her arms to her sides, though it didn't stop her from trying to struggle out of his grip, but she couldn't because Ranma had locked his hands together. She knew she didn't have the strength to break out, but kept trying anyway.
The boy told her in a loving tone, "I won't let you say goodbye.
And I'll be your reason why."
Kagome weakened her stance a little bit, she wanted to believe those words so much, but didn't know if she could trust them. She started to cry, softly at first before it turned louder.
Ranma could hear her crying as he spoke quietly into her ear, "The last night away from me."
The girl fell to her knees, no longer struggling to be free, and he followed her down, keeping his hold around her, and Kagome started to cry more. She could feel his arms weren't as tight as they were, but she didn't want to escape anymore or was she ready to accept it either.
Then he whispered softly, "Away from me," and put his head on her shoulder, listening to her as she kept crying and he held her as lovingly as he could, rocking her softly in his embrace as he tried to soothe away her tears.
The sun had set by the time he started to hold her and the streetlamps were glowing with a bright yellowish-white light. Nobody really took notice of the two teenagers as they sat on their knees in the grass close by a park bench, him with his arms around her.
The only sound that could be heard was Kagome's sobbing as tears fell from her eyes and down onto his hands, but he never let her go as she continued to weep. He would hold her for however long it took her to stop and she knew it. After a minute or two the girl's crying began to slow as she felt like she was finally out of tears.
She placed her hands on top of Ranma's, feeling how wet they were from her salty tears, and she asked him with her voice breaking slightly, "Do you mean it?"
"Every word of it," he replied, "No way am I gonna let you end your life. If I have to be I'll be your anchor to this world, to hold you here and never let you go again."
"Do you promise?" she wondered her voice a little stronger, squeezing his hands somewhat.
"I promise, Kags. Never again will I leave you," he told her, "You mean everything to me."
The girl didn't reprimand him for using his pet name for her this time, all Kagome did was turn around in his grasp, put her arms around his neck and hug him back, telling him, "I believe you, you mean everything to me too."
Ranma whispered in her ear once more, "I love you."
She smiled and whispered back, "I love you too."
And there in the early night 2 broken hearts were mended like new again and for them everything was right in the world. They stayed in that hug for as long as they could, not wanting to let the other one go. But they knew they would eventually have to, they just wanted to cherish it, for that moment in time all things were absolutely perfect. They also knew they would have to explain themselves, but that was for another day, because for right now it was all about the warm and loving embrace they were in.
"Hey Kags," said the boy.
"What is it?" asked Kagome.
He then whispered into her ear, "I set my friends on fire!"
She couldn't help but laugh, that always got her. (another inside joke, gomenasai)