A/N: If you're familiar with my writings, you know that I cover many styles. Most of them are upbeat. So far, I've only written one tragedy fic, The States, and it didn't show any of the actual events; it ended right before. I had an idea for a fic as I was writing Chill Pill, an idea to stretch my writing muscle for dark fics. This is the result.
I must warn you. This fic is dark. Very dark. It's also extremely graphic. Some characters you know will die, and you'll see them die in graphic detail. I'm kind-of taking a The Crow approach. Ergo, if you can't handle gorey death, stop reading now. You're only wasting my time and yours to read up to the bad parts and then troll my review board.
Even as I write the above, I already know people will piss and moan in the reviews. I don't know how much more plain I can make it.
Also, it comes to my attention that this chapter marks one year since I published my first fic, Akane, What's Wrong? I'm still proud of that one.
And, of course, I do not own Ranma ½. The franchise and all characters are the work of Takahashi Rumiko-san.
Akane strolled along the street by the aqueduct, with Ranma walking above on the fence. She was actually glad that he wasn't too close. Her mind was going a mile a minute, and he was the reason. Like many people who have a crush, and indeed as Akane had thought about Dr. Tofu in previous years, she kept going through waves of emotion. One day, he'd do or say something that would warm her heart. For a few days after, her feelings for him would intensify. She'd think about him constantly, imagining marrying him and running the dojo with him. She'd get shy around him, blushing and forgetting words when he talked to her. Then, inevitably, he'd say the wrong thing. She'd lose it, pound him through the floor with her hammer, and swear that she hated him. And then... the whole thing would start over again.
On this particular day, she was in full-on love mode. In an unusual gesture, he'd managed to do two things right. First, when she walked into the washitsu in a new summer dress, he'd seemed to like it. Instead of insulting it, like she was afraid he would, he got a bit wide-eyed. When she asked him specifically for his opinion, he looked away, blushed, and mumbled something about it being 'nice'. If that weren't enough, the next day, he showed up with a present for her. It wasn't much, but it was incredibly thoughtful: she'd admired a diary in a shop window, and he'd been observant enough to notice, and thoughtful enough to buy it for her. She was so choked up that she got teary-eyed. It reminded her of their first Christmas together, when he'd done the same thing.
Now, they were on a simple errand, running to the market for Kasumi. In her current mindset, though, this was time with Ranma, and any time with Ranma was good. She wasn't looking forward to what would eventually ruin it. Then again, maybe she'd be so in love that it wouldn't make her angry. Maybe she was turning an emotional corner.
"Airen!" Akane shuddered. It looked like she was about to find out.
Shampoo sprang into view, carrying a takeout box. She jumped and glomped onto him. Ranma seemed flustered by the attention, blushing and starting to sweat. "Hi, Sh... Shampoo," he muttered. Akane became miffed... he never acted like that on account of her! Then again, she never pounced on him so shamelessly. A light bulb went on in her mind— perhaps if she acted like that, she'd get the same kind of attention. Nothing so shameless, of course, but maybe a quick hug before bed would get his attention. She mentally filed that note away. She'd put it into practice that night... assuming she still liked him after this encounter.
Snapping back to the present, she glared at the Chinese girl. "What do you want, Shampoo?" she asked flatly. Shampoo turned to shoot her a dirty look. "Shampoo visiting with future husband!" she replied with a huff. Akane glanced back to Ranma; his expression had shifted from flustered to downright uncomfortable. He looked at her as though begging for help.
She was trying to think of some way she could assist, as another voice sounded. "Ranchan!" the familiar voice of a certain okonomiyaki chef called out. Akane put her palm to her face. Both of them at once? She glanced around, half expecting to see Kodachi Kuno come bounding into view in a flurry of black rose petals.
Ukyo stopped in front of them, glowering at Shampoo, who was still squeezing Ranma around the waist. With a sweep, she pulled the spatula off of her back, wedging it between the two and prying the Chinese girl loose. Ranma looked relieved; Shampoo looked enraged.
"What you doing?"
"Ranma is my fiancée! I'll thank you to keep your hands off of him!"
Shampoo brandished her chúi. Akane groaned. More girls fighting for Ranma. It got to be extremely tiring.
In a flash, weapons were flying. Shampoo threw a chúi; Ukyo swung her spatula and hit it like a baseball. A strike from Ukyo clanged off of the asphalt as Shampoo leapt backwards. The latter retrieved her chúi and swung at Ukyo with both of them, the two girls colliding as chúi met spatula. Ukyo pushed Shampoo back, and as the Chinese girl leapt away again, Ukyo let fly with a volley of miniature spatulas. The tiny projectiles flew in all directions, including flying toward Ranma and Akane.
Akane was about to jump when Ranma flew into action. "Watch it!" he cried, shoving Akane roughly to the ground. Looking up, she saw the other girls still swinging. She stayed in her sitting position, deciding to watch the fight from the ground. After all, it wasn't likely to end any time soon.
Ukyo landed from a jump. "Ready to go on a date after I get rid of this pest?" she asked smugly, looking in Ranma's direction. The smirk dropped from her face, which contorted in horror as she let out a blood-curdling scream. Startled, Akane looked where Ukyo was looking.
She hadn't even realized where Ranma had gone after he'd shoved her, but... there he was. On his back, unmoving. One of Ukyo's tiny spatulas protruded grotesquely from above his left eye, where it looked to be buried at least an inch deep. His eyes looked straight ahead... unseeing.
Ukyo's scream was met with a wail by Shampoo, as both dove to hug his lifeless body. Akane, totally in shock, could only rise to her feet and stare at the spectacle, her mind racing and completely blank at the same time. Without realizing it, tears began to fall, streaming down her cheeks.
The sound of a siren jerked her mind back to reality. The other girls had the same realization, jumping to their feet. The authorities were sure to find him, and any of them could be accused of what had happened. All three leapt away, with Akane jumping to a tree in a nearby vacant lot.
From her vantage point, she was able to watch as the police car stopped. The officer knelt by Ranma for a moment, and returned to his car. After what seemed like an eternity, an ambulance drove up. The officer got out of his car, talking to the two paramedics who looked over Ranma before covering him with a sheet.
Akane started to shake uncontrollably. She prayed to the kami that the policeman wouldn't see the tree moving.
She watched as the paramedics put Ranma in the ambulance and drove away, their siren remaining silent. The policeman took some photos of the street before he left as well. Akane couldn't seem to make her legs work; she stayed in the tree for another hour.
By the time she arrived home, the police were already there, and the others had received the news. Kasumi and Nabiki shed silent tears, Nodoka cried audibly, and the fathers failed loud enough that Hokkaido could hear them. Akane just sat in silence, her face contorted in sorrow. One thought ran through her mind over and over: he'd died trying to save her. That was the very last thing he'd done. Just like he'd saved her at Jusendo, except this time, it had cost him his life.
Nodoka eventually composed herself enough to drag her husband home, while Soun started drowning his sorrows in a bottle of sake. The three sisters shared a hug, and it was this affection that finally cracked through Akane's shock. She bawled like a baby.
Nabiki went to bed after an hour, followed by Kasumi dragging the barely-conscious Soun off and going to bed herself.
The night was sleepless for Akane. She didn't even try, choosing instead to spend the night wandering around the house and yard. It was strange; she found herself noticing things she hadn't thought about in years. Specific places she played when she was too young to even go to school. Finally, she found herself in the dojo, but there was no desire to work out. While the dojo had received the brunt of her anger in the past, at that moment, she was still too numb. The crying she'd done earlier had helped, but it still hadn't sunk in.
And as hard as she tried, she just couldn't get the image of Ranma's lifeless body out of her mind.
Akane walked through the front door, bags in both hands. She was met in the hallway by Kasumi. She was glad she'd left a note. The eldest Tendo gave her a weak smile. "Breakfast isn't ready yet, Akane-chan," she said. "I guess you got back early enough."
Akane nodded. "I went to buy some stuff," she explained. "And I found everything quicker than I expected." Kasumi nodded and headed back to the kitchen, as Akane turned to start up the steps. Then, a thought hit her, and she hurried to the furo, which was empty. Inside, she opened the hamper, and found what she was looking for: Ranma's clothes. She grabbed the half-dozen of his undershirts that she found there, and rushed upstairs to her bedroom.
Inside, she set the bags down, and paused to smell one of the undershirts, tears coming to her eyes as memories flooded back. She was taken back to Jusendo, and the time he'd pulled her away from Ryoga's projectiles. Oh, the nights she'd lay in bed just imagining him and his smell, wishing he was lying with her.
She looked back to the bags. She'd left just as the sun was rising, and the walk to the shopping district had reminded her of her feelings for him. His very last action only cemented the crush she'd had on him, and that thought made her even more sure of the idea she'd had while thinking in the dojo. Once the fog in her brain had cleared, she realized that, as a martial artist, there was only one path to follow... given the loss of her love.
Quickly stripping her clothes, Akane dumped the bags out onto the bed. In Japan, white is the color of death; the first layer would be white, as a way of keeping Ranma close to her. She pulled on a white pair of shorts from what she'd bought. There were also white undershirts, but she tossed them aside, instead pulling one of Ranma's on. She reached for the biggest item she'd bought that morning: a new black karategi. She pulled it on slowly. The black color had one meaning: revenge. To accentuate the point, she'd chosen a blood-red obi, which she used to tie the top closed.
She turned to look at herself in the mirror. She looked pale; she wasn't sure if it was the emotions of the previous day, or an illusion created by the black gi. She looked a bit like a female Hikaru Gosunkugi, but that idea didn't bother her. In fact, it matched the way she felt.
"Ranma," she said to her reflection. "I will avenge your death. If it takes the rest of my life, Ukyo and Shampoo will die for taking you away from me." She closed her eyes for a moment, opening them when she heard a soft knock at the door. It opened, revealing Nabiki. "Kasumi said breakfast's ready," she said quietly. Then, she sized up Akane. "New outfit of choice?" she asked weakly. Akane turned to face her.
"They'll pay," she said quietly.
Nabiki gave her a nod. "I know I should talk you out of whatever you're thinking," she said, "but... I just can't." Akane sighed. "It wasn't supposed to end this way," she said softly. "I really did... want to... marry him. I... loved him." Nabiki choked back a sob, slipping back into the hallway and closing the door behind her. Akane examined her reflection once more, and began disrobing.
Tomorrow. Tomorrow... it would begin.
A/N: Let me know what you think! We'll be going on quite the journey from here on out.