AN: This is only a one-shot. Nothing else. And yes this is a Ryoga/Tohru fic. Why? Because I somehow ship them (even though I'm proberly the only one who came up with this pairing and actually ships them) :p.
Disclaimer: I own nothing except what I created or made up. Everything else belons to their rightful owners.
Enjoy!
Dango Daikzouku - Chata (music box version)
Everyone was born with a sentence under the bottom of thier arms. Everyone says what's written on your arm will be the first words you'll hear from your soulmate.
Thats how his parents met, thats how everyone met their soulmate. Not Ryoga though.
Ryoga Hidiki was born without a mark. Unlike the other kids in his school that had their words imprinted on them, Ryoga was the only one left with nothing.
This wasn't as strange as it sounded as there have been records of those who were born without words. But rarely has it happend as those who weren't marked were born years or even generations apart. They were called the Unmark.
With no words under his arm, Ryoga was lead to believe he had no soulmate. This worried his parents greatly as, those who weren't marked had no soulmates leading them to live a lonely life.
For most of his life, Ryoga was bullied by some of the kids in his class because he was an Unmark. It always bothered Ryoa that he didn't have a mark but what could he do? He met every doctor that specialed in the markings from all over the world but none of them had the answers instead the usual he heard.
"Your son simply doesn't have a mark."
Being born without one and knowing there was no hope, Ryoga gave up on the fact he will never have a soulmate.
To save him the embrassement of not having a mark, Ryoga always wore a long yellow sleeved shirt whenever he was out in public.
His parents tried to give him encouargement of course. They told him maybe he was a late bloomer and that it'll eventually appear. Sometimes they would tell him he does have a soulmate and that that person is just waiting from him.
Ryoga appreicated their help. They wre just trying to make their son better but he knew deep down the odds of him having a soulmate was only a illusion.
So everyday Ryoga lived his life as any boy would. He'd go to school, study, go home, do homework, help his parents with work, eat dinner, go to sleep, find a way to defeat Ranma, have to courage to confess his feelings to Akane (even though her soulmate was already Ranma), then he'd start the usual routine all over again.
Ryoga was now seventeen and he had just left Tendo's Martial Arts School of Indiscriminate Grappling after having yet another duel with Ranma.
He growled to himself angerly as he walked down a naighborhood in some city he didn't know. But he didn't notice. He was more focused on the next battle he will have with Ranma once they encounter each other once again.
'Damn that Ranma!' Ryoga shouted in his head. 'Next time...next time I'll be able to defeat you...just you wait!'
Ryoga stops at a stop sign and with a huff takes his map ou from his backpack.
"Now where am I excatly?" he mumbles to himself quietly.
Looking up from his map, Ryoga looks at the street names. He looks back down at his map, then back at the street names, then back again. Repeating the same action a couple of times, Ryoga groans and says, "Damn it! Not again!" Stuffing his map back in his backpack, Ryoga lets out a fusterated sigh and says, "Guess I have to ask for directions to the train station. Again."
Turning to the left, Ryoga looks out for anybody that could be waiting outside. Luckily, he managed to find a girl, proberly around his age, outside the sidewalk, sweaping with a smile on her face.
'She looks nice. Maybe she can help me out.' he thought. With a slight nod, Ryoga walks to the girl.
"Excuse me?"
The girl stops sweaping and looks up at Ryoga giving him a polite smile.
"Can you tell me the directions to the train station?"
It's rarely known that a child would be born mute. Tohru Honda was one of those children.
Since the day she was born, doctors and her parents tried everything that they can to help her. To get her to make a sound but nothing could help her. It was just to impossible.
Nonetheless Tohru grew up a happy little girl. Despite not being able to speak, Tohru smiled and lived her life, not letting the fact that she couldn't talk get to her. She was still bullied of course because she couldn't speak but nonetheless, being the optimist little girl she was, she smiled and moved on.
She was raised by a single parent after she lost her father when she was three. Since then, she was raised by her mother Kyoko. She and her mother had a very precious reletionship that Tohru treasures deeply.
They did everything together, hung out whenever her mother had a day off, and talked to each other when her mother came back from work.
Tohru loved her mother dearly and everyday seeing her bright up her day.
That is, until last May.
Tohru lost her mother when her car lost control of her car while on her way to school. She died on her way to the hospital.
Tohru recieved the news during class. She was called outside the room and her teacher at the time gave her the news. Tohru was heartbroken and devestated from the news.
She lost her mother and now she was all alone in the world.
Her funeral was held a week later. Family and friends, including two of Tohru's best friends, Uo and Hana, were there to pay their respects.
Since her death, Tohru lived with her grandfather for a while before he gave her the news that his apartment will have to make repairs since her aunt and some other reletives were going to stay there.
"Do you have any friends around the area where you can stay with?" He asked.
Tohru nods. "Yes." she answered.
She promised her grandfather she will stay with Uo or Hana but she never did. Uo lived in a one-room apartment and she didn't want to feel like a bother to her and Uo had such a big family, there was no way she could ever ask her.
Once her grandfather moved out and lived with one of his daughters, Tohru secretly lived in the forest in a tent. It was hard for a while but Tohru got used to it. Like her motto says, "Never Give Up!"
Living alone does have its flaws and that includes money. Since she was living alone and her grandfather didn't know she was living alone, Tohru worked at a office building during the weekdays and at a home during the weekends serveing as a cleaning lady.
It was tough but it was the only way she could afford money for her tution and food including food.
It's hard living alone but what was getting her through it was the picture of her mother and the words on her arm.
"Can you tell me the directions to the train station?" It was written in black and cursive like her mothers when she met her father. Tohru didn't know why but it always gave her comfort knowing soon she wouldn't be alone.
She would sometimes think late at night, sometimes even during the day, maybe at work, who her soulmate was and if that person was closer than she thought and if that person, whoever it was, was looking for her, clitched as it sounded.
It was a beautiful afternoon and Tohru was at the house cleaning. She was sweaping the dirt and leaves off the sidewalk when a man, around her age, walk up to her.
"Excuse me?" She looks at him with a polite smile.
"Can you tell me the directions to the train station?" He asked her.
Tohru's smile dropped and she looked at him with a shock look. Her jaw was proberly open but she could care less about that.
The man gave her a confused look. "Hey, are you alright?" her asked her.
Tohru snapped out of her gaze and blinks a couple of times. Tohru widely smiles and puts the broom down, later showing her arm after.
Ryoga confusanly looks at her arm when he saw what was written. In black and written in cursive, Ryoga was shocked to find the words he had said to her just a minute ago.
He looks at her and says in awe, "I...You...We're..." well he tried to say.
Tohru's smiles widens and nods. He runs his hands through his hair and says, "I can't believe it." Tohru nods again and signs to him, My name is Tohru Honda.
Ryoga gives her a questionable look. Tohru frowns. This was going to be hard. How was she able to comunicate with him if he didn't know sign language?
Tohru thought for a moment then she got an idea. Through motion, Tohru pretended she was writing on paper on her hand.
At first, Ryoga didn't understand until he did. "Oh, your asking if I have paper."
She nods. He nods. "Yeah I do hold on." Rypga guickly puts down his backpack, alomost dropping everything in the process. He takes out a couple of things out looking for a paper and something to write with.
Finally, he found a napkin and luckily a pen. Smiling, he gives her the items and she started writing.
While she did, Ryoga sat there on the ground, nervously waiting for her response. Finally, when she was done, Tohru gave him the napkin.
Ryoga grabbed it and read it.
Hello! My name is Tohru Honda. I'm sorry but I don't speak. I hope that does not bother you.
I'm sorry but I don't speak.
Thats when it hit him. It made sense why he wasn't marked. It wasn't because he was Unmark, it was because his soulmate was mute!
I hope that does not bother you.
Ryoga softly smiles and he looks at Tohru who was looking nervous. Ryoga stood up and faced down at her. He shakes his head and says, "No, that doesn't bother me at all." Tohru smiles and hugs him making Ryoga in shock. But he gladly hugs her back.
After Tohru left work, she and Ryoga walked down the sidewalk in silence. Both of them had nothing to say. Espically Ryoga who was lead to believe he didn't have a soulmate and would be alone. Yet here he is next to a girl who is his soulmate. It made Ryoga smile and happy.
AN: Yeah I'm ending it here cause I have no idea how to end it. So I hope you enjoyed it and if you did, leave a review or favorite it.
Thanks!