The Final Days of Ranma Saotome
Disclaimer: I do
not own anything but the character called Rob.
All other characters are the rightful property of Viz, Marvel,
Funimation, etc.
They tell
me that I should be happy now? That I
should forget about my life and move on in this afterlife? No.
I don't want to forget about my life down there. I don't want to forget my friends, my
family…
My fiancée…
Akane. Why did it have to end like this? Why did we have to hurt each other so much
until one of us died?! Why… why did I
have to lose you?
I can still
hear her shouting at me… the night that changed our lives forever. It had been a decent day for me. Cell had helped me avoid any confrontations
with Shampoo, Ukyo, and Kodachi; and I got word that TK was coming down the
next day for a visit. Maybe Akane and I
could take him to the park together, and resolve our differences in the process
without fighting.
Sadly, it
wasn't to be.
I came home
that evening, and everyone was waiting for me in the Dojo: mom and pop, Mr.
Tendo, Kasumi, Nabiki, and especially Ryoga and Akane. Looks like he found his way back and without
changing into his cursed form at that… or so I thought. Akane looked at me with anger in her
eyes. No, not anger. It was pure hate, but I didn't realize it
right away.
I ask her
what had happened, and she got up, and slapped my face with all her
strength. "How could you," she said,
venom dripping from her lips that I longed to kiss. "How could you do this to me for two years?!"
Putting a
hand to my cheek, which hurts like hell, look at her, confused. This wasn't about the fiancées, unless pop
had me engaged to another girl. I shoot
him a look, but he quickly shakes his head at me as if he knows what I'm thinking. I notice mom's giving me a sad look. "Akane, what are you talking about?"
What she
said next shocked me. "You knew that
Ryoga was P-chan all the time and you tricked me into taking him in as my pet,
you bastard!! THAT'S what this is all
about!"
She found
out. That explained why Ryoga was
silent all this time. Akane knew about
his curse… and was taking it out on me.
"But Akane-!"
Another
slap to the face stopped me from finishing.
"I DON'T WANT TO HEAR YOUR LIES ANYMORE! You've gone too far, you perverted asshole! I've been patient with you, but now I see
that was all a waste of my time. As far
as I'm concerned, you are no longer my fiancée. For what you've done to Ryoga, I'm going to marry him instead."
My voice
joins in a chorus of everyone's voices in the room. "WHAT?!" Even Ryoga was
shocked. I couldn't believe this was
happening. Akane was going to marry the
guy who pretended to be her pet despite that he did it? "Akane, you don't understand! I wanted to tell you about him, but I made a
dumb promise to him that I wouldn't say a word about his curse. How was I to know you'd make him your pet?!"
"You can't
lie your way out of it this time, Ranma!
You were the one who threw him into the Spring of Drowned Pig, so it's
all your fault!"
Ryoga
finally stood up. "Akane, I'm as much
to blame as Ranma is. I never told you
my secret, either, and I kept Ranma from dropping hints so you wouldn't know."
This day is
getting crazier every minute. Ryoga's
finally gotten Akane, and he's sticking up for me?! I watch as Akane looks over at him, her facial features
softening. "It's nice that you're
covering up for him, Ryoga… but he's not worth it. Trust me, I know." She
looks back at me, and her anger reappears.
"You can't stop me. My mind is
made up, so you can now go and marry one of those other fiancées of yours."
"But,
Akane… I love you…"
Her bitter
laugh makes my heart ache, as does her next words. "You love me? HA! That's a concept you don't even have a clue
about! For the last time, Ranma
Saotome, I do NOT love you, never did and never will! I don't want to marry you, and I don't even want to KNOW
you! Ever since you came into my life,
you've caused nothing but trouble for me and my family. Well, no more, because that stupid
engagement made by our fathers means absolutely nothing to me. You can die for all I care. Ranma, I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE YOU!!!"
I absorb
her words carefully. She hates me, and
I can't change her mind. "I understand,
Akane," I finally say after a moment of silence. Moving past her, I go up to Ryoga and hold out my hand. "Congratulations, Ryoga. The best man won in the end after all."
He's
silent, but he shakes my hand and smiles.
I look back at Akane. "I'm happy
for you, Akane. I really am." Letting go of Ryoga, I make my way to the
door and exit, heading for my room. My
vision gets blurry as I exit, and the tears finally begin to fall from my eyes. I had lost the only girl I had ever truly
loved; the one I wanted to marry, arranged marriage or not.
After
entering my room, I sit at my desk, fold my arms and lean onto my desk, sobbing
quietly. I was heartbroken. Akane hated me, and I could only blame
myself. I hear someone come into my
room, but I don't look to see whom. The
footsteps are enough to tell me it's my dad.
He probably wants me to fight for Akane still.
"Ranma," I
hear him start, but I cut him off.
"Just go away." He doesn't say
anything for a bit, then he heads for the door and I think he looks back at me. "I'm so sorry, son," he whispers before
exiting, closing the door after him.
Thank kami he understands.
There's no point in fighting or arguing anymore. Akane's made her choice.
Finally, I
get up and lock my door before pulling out my journal and writing my entry for
the day before turning out the light and sulked into bed, still dressed. With mom now living with us, I was able to
get my own room at last. And I needed
the loneliness at that moment. I looked
at the digital clock, which said 7:09PM.
It was too early to sleep, but I didn't care. All I could think of was Akane's words. Four important words haunted my mind: I absolutely despise you.
It was some
time later than my mom knocked on my door, asking to be let in, and for me to
come down for dinner. I just laid
there, in the dark, still crying. I
could feel my heart shattering each time I replayed what happened earlier in
the Dojo. My world ha been destroyed,
and there would be no bouncing back this time.
Sometime in
the evening, I fell into a dreamless sleep, which was soothing. Yet, when I woke up early that morning,
around 5, the pain came back twice as hard.
Quietly, I slipped downstairs to make myself breakfast. I couldn't face everyone after last night,
and Kasumi wouldn't be up just yet so I could fix myself something quick and
take it back to my room to eat.
Surprisingly, I wasn't that hungry, even though I had skipped dinner
last night. I just fixed up some toast
and a small egg with juice before I cleaned up and went back upstairs.
Kasumi saw
me enter my room with the tray and said, "Oh, Ranma, are you sure that's all
you want to eat?" I close the door and
lock it again before she could reach me.
Setting the trasy on my desk, I sat down to eat. However, I had just forced down 3 or 4 bites
of egg and 2 of toast before I stopped.
Maybe I wasn't hungry at all, or maybe it was the salt from my tears
that fell onto my food. Whatever it
was, I couldn't eat anymore.
I cooked my
own breakfast. Akane tried to make me
food, but she wasn't that skilled in cooking so I refused to eat her food. It was one of the reasons she hated me.
At that
moment, I realized I couldn't go on living.
Without Akane, I was better off dead.
Pop once told me that he made a vow to mom that if he failed to make me
a "man among men," he would commit seppuku for his failure. But he wasn't the one who failed… I
was. My honor had been destroyed, and
suicide was the only way to redeem myself.
Deciding to
snap my own neck, I slowly started to stand up. Suddenly, my eyes fell upon a picture taken about 2 years
ago. It was of me, TK, Cell, Rob, Amy,
Rusty, and my other friends in the Mega Avengers. TK was on my shoulders, and I was next to Cell, who had his arm
around me like a proud father with his son.
My friends…
my cousin, whom I loved more as a brother…
I would miss them all. If only I
could be stronger like them. Rob was
like this once, but he carried on and eventually he and Amy got back
together. They even planned for their
wedding to be next year, after graduation…
I couldn't
die just yet. Not without saying
goodbye to my friends and family. My
mind made up, I placed my tray and unfinished breakfast outside my door before
locking it again. I then pulled out
some paper and envelopes before making a list of everyone I wanted to write a
final letter to. Mom, Pop, Matt, Cell,
and TK were at the top of my list. So
were Rob, Amy, Rusty, and the Tendos.
There was also Shampoo, Ukyo, Ryoga, and Akane. Though I doubt either of them would read
anything I sent them, it would be the right thing to do by saying goodbye.
I start
with Akane and Ryoga, separately.
Keeping the letters short and simple, I move onto one letter for my
folks next. The others go by quickly,
until I come to the letters for Cell and TK.
These two would be the hardest to write for, because they've been so
much like close family to me. Cell was
like a second father, more of a father than my own. He taught me the Kaio-ken and the Kamehameha Wave, and he tried
to help me when he knew I needed help.
TK… he was like the kid brother I always wanted; so full of hope and
innocence. I can only pray that his
life will be nothing like mine was.
That girl he hangs with… Kari… I can sense that she and he have
something special between them. Maybe
they'll end up more than friends… I
wish I could see that happen.
I write
Cell's letter first before moving onto TK's.
After I seal his envelope, I look at my journal thoughtfully. TK was just 10. Maybe even with the letter he wouldn't fully understand why I
would kill myself, or what had happened between Akane and me. My journal has everything he would need to
know about it. Making up my mind, I got
out some packaging paper and then wrote down a final entry to my journal, and a
small message on the inside cover for TK to read. Then, I wrap up the journal and use a rubber band to tie it
together with TK's letter.
Rummaging
under my bed, I pulled out a box with a lid on it from last Christmas. I placed the letters in the box and then put
the lid on it. Then I put a note on top
that said "Do not open until after midnight."
My eyes fell on the clock. It
was four in the afternoon. Writing the
letters took longer than I had thought.
I unlocked the door, but then sneaked out the window to the gate
unnoticed. After taking one last look
at the Tendo home, I began to wander around town.
My travels
took me to Furinkan High School, where I stopped to look over the place one
last time. Memories of Akane and I
coming here came to me, and I couldn't help but think what might have been.
Suddenly,
I'm splashed with cold water, and I'm a girl again. But this time, I don't even notice until an old woman speaks to
me. "So sorry, young woman," she says. "I was just watering the sidewalk and didn't
even see you there."
I look at
her, and shrug. "Didn't even feel it,
ma'am." I continue on my way, heading
for the bridge I would always hide under seeking comfort and seclusion. I hadn't been here since the time Akane and
I had to team up to take on two girls who claimed that Mr. Tendo was their
father. Because of a fight, I almost
let Akane fight alone, but TK begged me to help her. He didn't want to see us fight and be enemies.
Slowly
walking under the bridge, I find one of my spare teapots and then light a fire
to heat some water. I pull out my
harmonica, the one Matt liked hearing me play, and hummed a tune or two before
I began playing a song from one of TK's favorite movies. I think it was from "the Muppet Movie,"
where Kermit and the others were stuck out in the desert, and Gonzo was singing
while Rowlf played the harmonica. I
played it softly, wishing I could change things.
The pot
finally whistles. I stop playing and
reach for the handle, then pour the hot contents over myself. It burned, but I couldn't feel it. I was numb.
I didn't even notice that I dropped both the harmonica and the pot. Realizing it was getting dark, I decide to
head for the Mega Mansion for the last time, to see the place before I left
this world behind forever. I made sure
I took a route that kept me away from Ukyo's or Shampoo's. I didn't want to face them or be forcibly
married to them right away. Akane would
always have my heart, even if she didn't know it.
I stop
right at the mansion's steps. More
memories came to me, but I held back my tears.
Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my identicard. It had been a present from Cell when I
turned 18, making me a full member of the MA.
Deciding to return it quickly, I entered the mansion for what I knew
would be the last time.
And I was
right. I indeed died, but not the way I
had intended. A monster named Friezor
attacked and it took a hit meant for TK.
It killed me slowly, but not before I used all my strength into a
Kaio-Kamehameha combo to cripple Friezor.
TK, Rob, Amy, Puppetmon, and Cell surrounding me was the last thing I
remember. I begged Tk to promise me he
wouldn't seek vengeance on Akane and the others, and asked with my dying breath
that Akane be told I loved her.
It's difficult
to accept that I'll never see them all again until they die. All I can do now is wait… and train under
King Kai's tutelage. I also pray… for
TK to live a better life than what my life had been. One filled with love, and understanding from the girl he spends
his life with.
…A life that I had been denied…
Goodbye,
Ranma. We'll miss you…
