Disclaimer: I strongly doubt that anyone from Kitty or Viz or one of the other corporations is ever going to read this. Neither will Rumiko Takahashi. That would be a great honor but, hey, what are the chances? No luck with Bruce Springsteen either if I might hazard a guess. Bloody likely. But just to be on the save side: Neither the song nor Mrs. Takahashi's characters are there...
The Rooftop (2019 Remix)
A Ranma ½ Fanfic by Ralf Martin
Akane sat on her bed and looked at the wall.
It was a nice wall. White, spotless and plain.
There were no pictures or posters on that wall, unlike in the rooms of most of the girls, or rather women, of her age. The only thing on that wall that wasn't wall was a little window and the light-switch. But that's it.
It was all very Zen. Akane liked it that way. A while ago she had found out that memories can be as much of a burden as they can be a pleasure. And she had decided to travel light.
So whenever she noticed that her memories began to rise from their ordered slumber, Akane sat on her bed and watched that blank wall and tried to remember not to remember. Tough luck though that she had so many of them. Memories, that is. It was like trying to control a herd of lemmings on a suicide dash. And though Akane hated to admit it, she always had that little problem with control. Or maybe she had too much of it.
You see, maybe if she had lost control at the right moment, they might have...
Just as Akane was about to lose her inner struggle once again, there was a knock on the door of her room and, before she even had a chance to react, it already swung open. Barging into the room came Hayashibara Noriko, age twenty-two, student of management and sociology, and self-declared party-queen. Rising to about 5 feet and 2 inches most people would swear she measured around 6 feet, mostly thanks to her unabated use of high-heels. This week her hair had a nice bright auburn shine and was of medium length, her current style screaming 'Latino'.
It had been quite the surprise on campus when Miss 'Let's boogie through the night' and Miss 'Gonna go to bed early, but thanks for the invite' had hit it off on first sight. Well, some mused, maybe it wasn't so surprising. After all those two were something like direct opposites, two sides of the same coin.
Where Akane was quiet, Noriko was loud.
Where Akane liked to work out to almost total exhaustion, Noriko shied away from any sportive activity whenever she could get away with it.
Where Akane liked to call it a night, Noriko just got started. And further and forth.
In a way it was a perfect symbiosis. Between the two of them, Akane managed at least some kind of social life and Noriko managed at least some semblance of studying.
So Akane wasn't terribly surprised when Noriko burst in like a demon on the loose and called for her attention. (Not that a demon would have startled her too much, but then again, she had a lot of experience with stuff like that.)
"Hey Akane, shape up, we're going out!"
Now, Akane could have complained about the impolite entry or pointed out that she would be completely contend to watch her wall for the rest of this fine evening, but she knew from past experiences that when Noriko used those very words then, come rain or high water, they were going to go out. So, with only a small grunt, she got up from her sitting position to greet her friend.
"Hi Noriko, come in, why don't'cha.?"
"No need to get sarcastic Akane. You know that it's my duty to save you from your depression every now and then and tonight there's a concert, so bottoms up 'cause we're going to have some serious fun!" While she delivered her little speech, Noriko had stormed to the closet and was already sorting through Akane`s clothes to find a suiting ensemble for tonight's activities. Akane, long used to her friend's antics didn't even try to suppress her smile.
"You don't mind if I take a shower first?"
"No, but hurry, or we're going to be late for the show!" came the absentminded answer from her self-acclaimed 'fashion-counselor'.
Minding the advice, Akane made haste in the bathroom and came back a couple of minutes later, drying her hair with a towel while giving the selection on the bed a once over. It consisted of a classic 'T-shirt and tight jeans'-combo, a dark-green blouse with a rather short black skirt and, alternatively, a light, black dress that also ended clearly above her knees.
"Say," she asked, suspicion creeping into her voice. "This won't escalate into another of your manhunts, will it?"
"Manhunts? Me?" Noriko, hand over the heart, asked in mocked indignation, "Why should I go out hunting for men when they come crawling from all directions anyway? Or do you mean," she turned, beaming a thousand-megawatt-smile at the girl standing in front of the bed, "hunting after a guy for you? My Akane, what a novel idea!" Then the lights got switched out and her facial expression turned into a frown. "But wait," she continued in a overly troubled tone of voice. "Didn't I try that before? And correct me if I'm right, but didn't those occasion turn out as, let's phrase it carefully.. total and utterly embarrassing.. catastrophes?"
"Phew, drop the act," Akane shot back with a smirk as she watched herself in the mirror, the black dress pressed to her front for inspection. "It wasn't my fault that this so-called quarterback couldn't stomach a little tap."
"A little tap?" Noriko replied while handing her the blouse and shirt combo. "The poor guy almost crashed through the wall and only because he hinted at the fact that you might be acting a little, wittle bit macho?"
Akane sighed as she exchanged the dress for the blouse and skirt combo. "Well, hit a sour spot there, you know?"
"I know but it's hard for a guy not to," Noriko remarked "considering how many of those you've got."
"Puhwee," Akane retorted nonsensically, throwing a raspberry over her shoulder," here I thought you've come to cheer me up and not chew me out. Say," she continued after discarding the combo for the jeans and T-shirt she choose in 99% of all cases anyway, "what was this about a concert you mentioned? What kind of band you're dragging me to this time? Not one of those Trance-things again?"
"Ah, the band!" Noriko exclaimed happily "It's just one of those guitar heavy Indy bands, you know? You probably never heard of them and it's likely that they'll have dissolved by the same time next year anyway. Who cares as long as they look good for as long as they last. And that frontman of theirs is supposed to be way-too-cute.."
"Norikooo" came a low growl from inside the T-shirt that Akane was slipping into, "The important thing about bands is usually the music!"
"Rubbish," came the unfazed reply, "the only important thing about any given band is the frontman's butt. Or maybe the bass-player's butt. Or the drummer's butt, but usually you can't see that..."
"NORIKOOO...!"
:O-o-O:
They arrived at the location with some time to spare, thanks to Akane's usual way of getting through crowds (head-first). The gig took place in a small club near campus and all in all it was pretty packed. Akane considered this a good Omen considering the band's musical aptitude. Then again, considering the surprisingly high percentage of girls in the room she decided to reserve a final judgment to when the band actually played their setlist.
Even with the gender average at 50/50, two pretty girls in a Saturday-evening crowd encountered enough boys who seized the opportunity for some 'touchy-feely'. These boys, with Akane being one of the 2 girls, obviously would limp for the rest of the evening or be otherwise reminded of their manners. Probably a painful experience if not a permanently harmful one. After 2 or 3 encounters like that they made it to the bar. Noriko content that her outfit had the desired effect, Akane with her temper starting to flare like a firefly with hiccups. She sure hoped that the music would be worth the trouble. At least she didn't have to wait long. If nothing else, the band was at least punctual. The light got dimmed and the first chords of an electrical guitars started to waft through the room, soon followed by a bassline and drums. It simply played for a minute or two until a guy stepped up to the microphone and addressed the crowd.
He was of average height, with a nice build and a dark, unruly hair of medium length. It was hard to tell from the bar but he seemed to be the kind of guy with an easy smile and a sparkle in the eyes.
Noriko had been correct on that account, he didn't look half bad.
"Hi!" she heard him greet the audience over the speekers "are you ready to roooooock?"
It was classic enough that the crowd had no problem figuring out how to react.
Contend with the resulting cheers the frontman continued.
"Thats great because we are 'FubaR' and Rock is what we do!"
With that the he picked up a guitar while the rest of the band started to get serious. They began their first set of songs, and Akane noticed that they weren't half bad as a whole.
It wasn't that they reinvented the genre, Guitar-Rock that it was, but they added enough of their own to not sound like a knock-off of any particular band.
Blues-Rock, Punk, Metal, some Reggae elements sprinkled in. They did cover a nice variety of sounds and the vocalist didn't seem out of place with any of them. Neither did the rest of the band. While the leadguitar wasn't a match for a Hendrix it clearly was above average. Given a little more practice, maybe a dash more individuality too, that guy had a future in the business for sure.
The bass too had a nice groove going, supporting the sound were needed, funky when let loose. Not being an expert on that matter Akane still recognized talent when she saw it. Well, heard it, in this case.
The drums though. She wasn't sure about the drums. Not that the drummer did a bad job. Far from it. Akane couldn't see the drummer behind the battery very clearly, because of the distance and the fact that the back of the stage was poorly lit. Maybe it was the afterimages the sound left behind, as if there were two sets of drums played simultaneously. Or probably like two drummers playing one set at the same time.
It was irritating in a way. And also a bit fascinating.
Akane mused that, if the sound of a band were a body, with the vocals being the breath, the guitar for the flesh and the bass for the pulse, the drums were the bones, the structure everything else sticks to. And as a central pillar it also restricts the range of any giving movement of the whole body. No part of the body can move away too far from the bones because otherwise the whole thing rips apart.
While this held true in this case also, the body in question was at least not human. Bending and leaping in ways that, to stay in the analogy, was reserved to feline predators. Except that no cat ever gets that kind of loud, she reminded herself.
Suddenly Akane was brought out of her reverie by a tap on her shoulder.
"Enjoying yourself I see..." a grinning Noriko remarked as she nodded towards the glass of what had exaggeratedly been sold as a cocktail. The girl in question needed a second to realize that she was actually tapping that empty shell of her beverage to the beat of the music. Flustered she stopped all musical interaction with the tableware.
"They're not too bad" she admitted, not without adding a "THIS time."
Noriko didn't take the barb, instead turning her back to the bar and gazing toward the stage again.
"Admit it girl, you're glad I dragged you out of your sorry excuse for a weekend" she quipped just loud enough to be heard over the background noise. "Can you imagine how sad your life would be without my loving care?"
"A lot quieter, that`s for sure" came the expected reply. But it came with a wry smile attached, so Noriko didn't mind.
:O-o-O:
All good things have to come to an end, and the 'FubaR' show was no exception.
Given the feverish performance it was no surprise to see the band members covered in sweat and slightly worse for the wear. That didn't seem to dampen their spirit though. Far from it.
"So, are you having a good time or WHAT?!" the frontman barked into the microphone while grinning from ear to ear. The crowd answered with a mighty cheer, hollering, shouting and clapping in agreement.
"Well, you know, it's about time for the last song" the guy on the stage continued, swiping strands of damp hair from his face. The crowd reacted instantly, with a couple of boo's and general murmuring.
"Awww... Come on," the man continued unfazed, waving his hands in a shushing motion. "You know we'd love to play a bit longer but time's up and such. BUT...!" he raised one hand, forefinger extended "tonight we got a very, VERY special treat for ya all."
He let the announcement sink in for effect before continuing. If possible his grin even got broader. "So you guys got a good look at me and Shiba" he nodded toward the lead guitarist "and Yoko." This time he nodded towards where the bassist was downing a bottle of water. "But did you get a good look at the guy beating the sh*t out of that drumkit?"
He raised his hand again, pointing back over his shoulder. The audience answered in the negative, as the darkness at the edge of the stage had shrouded the drummer in twilight pretty much all of the show.
"Do ya wanna see him?" As one might have expected the room was instantly filled with cheers and whistles. The vocalist, being the showman that he was, raised his arms wide as if to announce the coming of the lord almighty.
"You are in luck my friends" he exclaimed to the writhing mass in front of the stage "because not only is he coming crawling out from behind his drumkit, NO! Tonight he is going to sing a little number for you. But since he's a bit shy, why don't you give me a hand calling him forward, okay?"
:O-o-O:
Ran-MA!
Akane suddenly had trouble holding on to her drink, her seat and her sanity.
Ran-MA!
The crowd roared, enticed by the band's frontman.
Ran-MA!
Ran-MA!
Ran-MA!
On and on and on until finally a silhouette appeared from the darker reaches of the stage. A powerful figure, moving with grace and precision hidden behind a playful gait. A slightly more mature face than she remembered but after something around 3 years since their last encounter that was to be expected. His hair still the same unruly mess though. That familiar gesture, one hand in his neck, head leaning sideways.
RANMA!
The crowd roared even louder as Ranma stepped up to the mike. Especially the female percentage of the audience seemed rather smitten with the newcomer. He was a sight to behold for sure. Well defined muscles gleaming with sweat, blue eyes gleaming above a roguish grin. A mane of pitch black hair framing those features with just the right amount of unruliness. The aura of a man that had seen and experienced more than what his youthful face might lead to expect.
"Hey," this epitome of manliness greeted the expectant masses, "this is awkward."
He scratched the back of his neck, an old nervous habit of his.
"I mean, yeah, I said I'm gonna do this one day. I'm still kinda surprised that today is THAT day..."
The audience reacted witch some laughter and occasional cheers while Ranma's eyes wandered across the crowd. Searching for inspiration or a friendly face, who knew?
"Okay," he continued with new found resolve, "there's one thing you should know about me. I suck at apologies. If I counted the times I honestly apologized for doing something stupid or thoughtless or downright mean, I think I could count them on my fingers."
He held up one hand, fingers fanned out.
"Actually, I guess one hand should be enough for that."
The audience replied to this with whistles and cheers and some good natured booing sounds.
Ranma waited until the crowd quieted down before continuing.
"I'm not saying that I never didn't do nothing to apologize about. God knows, there's not nearly enough fingers in this place if I ever get started..."
Another short pause was forced on him by the audience's reaction, but he took it in stride.
"I'm telling you this because me standing here it basically comes down to two apologies. And as I've been saying, it doesn't exactly come natural to me."
He glanced to the side where Yoshi, his friend and frontman stood. An encouraging smile greeted him and a nod towards the crowd was enough to keep him from faltering.
"Well, here goes number one. You see, in 1979, a guy by the name of Bruce Springsteen wrote a song about his sister and his brother in law. About how they got forced to marry and how life turned out after that. I liked that song ever since I first listened to it when I was a kid, but as I didn't understand a word it was just a good song and that was that. But then one day Yoshi here" he pointed at the guy next to him "put on this 'Best of' album and as I was leafing through the booklet they had a translation of the lyrics and..."
He stopped for a moment, biting his lips. His gaze was somewhere far, far away.
"Anyway, once I knew what this song was about I did my best to come up with a Japanese version of the lyrics. I was kinda possessed by the idea of doing this song live but in a language the people I wanted to hear it could understand. And so I slaved over it for weeks, basically driving the other guys completely mad. Just to fail in the end, like big time. Not that I didn't come up with something. It just was no longer Mr. Springsteen's story. It was more of like my own. Stands to reason that's what really drove me. Telling my story that is. Anyway, I guess my first apology goes to Bruce Springsteen. For ruining one of the best songs ever written."
The audience seemed a little unsure of how to react to that guy on the stage bowing deeply to an absent American artist. But slowly at first, then rising in volume, the clapping of hands filled the club. As Ranma's head came back up, a rueful expression crossed his face, only to be replaced by a determined grin.
"This song itself is not the other apology I was talking about. It's just about why one's gotta be given."
Without further warning he brought up a blues harp. The wailing intro to Brice Springsteens 'The River' hit the audience, eery and melancholic.
Then Ranma's voice rang out, telling of a past life and the things he had to leave behind.
I come from down in Nerima
a place for freaks and fools.
Brought up as a martial-artist
to the Musabetsu Kakutou School.
Me and Dad went on a journey
to train, when I got five.
I never saw my mom again
for the next years of my life.
Sometimes I got up on a rooftop
and into the darkness I sighed.
Sitting up on the rooftop at night.
With the chorus the band had joined Ranma in full stride, the sudden outburst a stark contrast to the lonely voice of the first few lines. Shiba on the guitar, Yoko on the bass while Yoshi had obviously snuck behind the drumkit.
'It`s time for your engagement.'
and man, that was all he said.
I just snuck out the other way
after kicking that old panda`s head.
Still he dragged me to meet some old friend,
with whom he'd once made up the vow.
Of that guys daughters one I had to choose
so we'd take over his dojo.
That night I got up on the rooftop
and into the darkness I sighed.
Sitting up on the rooftop at night.
Again the Blues harp came up and a longer version of the haunting intro send shivers down many a spine. By now all commotion had come to a complete halt and the audience's attention was absolute.
That's how they dumped me on Akane
and man, what were the odds?
I didn't need an hour
to completely make her hate my guts.
With hell and cold water all around us
from the start this thing was doomed.
I kept on calling her a tomboy
and so her cries of jerk resumed.
Up to this point Ranma had been a mere narrator, his voice intense but monotone in retelling his story. But now his emotion broke through, his voice a heartbroken wail that hit the audience with full force.
But I remember times when we were not at war,
like when I held her hand at Ryugenzawa,
And those lonely night with my heart gone sore
'cause of a silly little smile the day before.
Now those memories come back to haunt me
and they haunt me like that curse.
Is a love a lie if it scares you off
until not even cats are worse?
So I guess I'll go up to that rooftop
though I know I'll probably cry,
sittin' up on that rooftop tonight.
Up on that roof
'bout Akane and I.
Up to that rooftop I will climb.
Ranmas voice continued without words, humming the melody as the band continued with the outtro. His face hidden behind his bangs, head bowed and shoulders slumped he seemed to fade from view, melting into the shadows backstage.
As the song ended and the last notes of the guitar faded so did the lights. It was as if the audience awoke from a dream. A little dazed and suddenly bereft of stimuli it took a while until the realization set in that indeed the show was over. Applause came up, thunderous and demanding an encore. No such luck though. Yoshi, Shiba and Yoko came back on stage for a last bow and a wave.
But not hide nor hair of Ranma.
:O-o-O:
"What was thaaaaaat?" Noriko asked her companion while still gazing at the stage. "And here I thought they kept the stage in th dark because the drummer was such an ugly fart. There should be laws against hiding such a fine piece of meat..." That was about the time she noticed that she was talking to the air. The girl she had come with had vanished, leaving little more behind than an empty seat, an empty glass and a swath of destruction as she made a beeline for the exit.
:O-o-O:
People growing up in certain parts of Japan, let's say around the Furinkan Ward just to name a random example, learn one thing very quickly. Gravity isn't necessarily a very strict law. More of a guideline really for certain characters with a martial arts background. The local population were not as enlightened about the general flexibility of physical models in a practical context.
That is to say that a lot of people in front of a certain club were slightly perplexed to see a rather attractive girl with a determined expression scale the wall at a speed that made the wall climbing mechanic in Assassins Creed look dull in comparison.
And as she dropped from sight over the edge of the roof not only a few among the onlooking men thought 'Why, oh why, did she have to wear jeans?" and continued dreaming of flying skirts on their way home.
:O-o-O:
The top of the building was a dark affair, beyond the reach of the streetlights and advertisements that lighted the streets below. Looking around the roof Akane's eyes quickly adjusted to the darkness. She could make out a small shed-like structure, probably housing the mechanics of an elevator. Some skylights further off to the side. An old watertank that had seen better days.
Then she found what she had actually been looking for, a shadow against the nightsky. Ranma, the one that had once been her friend, scourge of life and fiancée all wrapped in one. He was leaning against the railing on the opposing end of the flat roof, seemingly taking in the vista.
Akane had never once slacked in her training so she wasn't even breathing heavily after her little sprint upstairs.
Soundless as a shadow she approached him, just as one might close in on a skittish animal that would bolt at the slightest disturbance. Akane wondered how she should address him. Considering all the things she had mulled over for the last 3 years, things she had wanted to say, whisper or scream, it was surprising how little came to mind right now. But just as she was almost within arm's reach, the initiative was taken from her.
"You realize that we've been set up, do you?" Ranma asked without turning around.
"I had my suspicions because Yoshi's been acting funny all week. That guy simply can't keep a secret for the life of him. I just didn't expect him to, well, come up with the stupid idea of dragging you into this. Then again, I had been going on and on about how I'd only ever sing that song if you were around. So you could say that I kinda asked for it..."
With that Ranma started a motion to turn that would bring him to face Akane for the first time in what had felt like eternity.
"Don't move!"
The order was short and easy enough to understand. But Akane herself was surprised at how collected, not to say cold, her voice sounded. Considering the torrent of conflicting emotions she had been exposed to seconds earlier, right now she was in a state that might as well be the eye of the storm. A storm that might easily explode into something uncontrollable, especially when faced with a smirk or a frown or basically any given facial expression of a certain someone.
"That's how you wanna do this? Fine then..."
There was a hint of irritation in Ranma's voice. Or was it disappointment? But he did as she commanded, whatever his emotions may have been.
"Well, anyway. Since you came all the way up here I might as well get on with that apology I talked about. You know, the one not about Springsteen?"
He paused, leaving room for a comment on Akanes part. But since none came he continued anyway.
"In case you're wondering, this ain't about the engagement. That was never my doing so I don't see why I should apologize about it. And it's not 'bout me going away 'cause that was" he paused for a moment and when he continued his voice sounded just a hint rougher than before "tough enough. Still is tough, if I run into some cats. Though it helps to know that I can't afford to give in to the panic or end up… well, you know where..."
Again Ranma quieted down, a sigh escaping him as he lowered his head. His right hand fingers massaging his left hand in a gesture of nervousness. Then he continued speaking, slowly, as if carefully choosing every word.
"When I came to the dojo for the first time with that stupid curse and my stupid father and this stupid engagement and everything I honestly didn't know how to deal with all this…" he raised his arms, spreading them as if to encompass the whole world "…this nonsense, I guess. And then there was you. Among all that bickering in the room, you were the one who came and asked me if I wanted us to be friends. And though that didn't last too long before that whole thing went belly-up it still meant a lot to me. But I feel like, as far as friends go, with all the things I dragged you into and, well, the things I called you, and whatnot,.. Thing is, I wasn't a good one. Friends wise." He turned his head, enough so his profile was partially visible as well as its lowered state, but not enough to overstep the bounds the woman behind him had set.
"For that I need to apologize Akane. I know that I was a shitty friend back then. And I honestly wish I hadn't been. Because you..." Ranma's voice trailed off as he returned his head to the original position. His shoulders slumped and his whole posture seemed to dwindle.
"For good or worse, looking back you were the best friend I ever had. But don't tell Yoshi I said that."
That last remark came with a chuckle attached but it sounded off. Like a guy that's about to jump from the roof and laughs as he notices his mismatching socks as he neatly puts away his shoes.
That kind of chuckle.
"Are you done now with your speech?" Akane's casual question cut through the mood with the grace of a wrecking ball. She was still a little taken aback at herself at how unaffected she felt in this strange situation. Eye of the storm or not, Akane knew her own temper very well and depending on how this meeting continued, and when that old fury sparked again, someone might have to pay a hefty price for it. And she wasn't completely sure that Ranma would be the one to do it. Depending on how much of him was left afterwards anyway.
For his part, Ranmas posture had changed from the slumped form to something more rigid. His hands had gripped the railing, for support as well as to keep him from spinning around and say something that might give him something else to apologize for. Not that he might get a second chance to do so if he gave in to that urge. That much he understood clearly.
"Well I guess it's my turn then." He heard from behind in a tone that made him want to grab her and shake her until she sounded more like the person he remembered. Not like this stranger, this impartial onlooker to some weird one man show.
"You're right by the way. You were a sorry excuse for a friend. A real friend doesn't just run off without as much as a word and leaves you wondering whether he's alive or dead. Not a lousy letter or a call. For three years!" Now Akanes voice slowly began to show signs of emotion. Her talking came faster and it became more vivid. "And after you spent a decade running and screaming whenever a little Kitty shows up SUDDENLY you'd grow a backbone just as long as that means you don't risk running into me? Should I feel honored or WHAT…?"
"I was.." Ranma reply died as quickly as it had left his lips.
"That was a rhetorical question!" Akane remarked in a condescending voice that shot him down more effectively than any angry growl could ever have. "And I'm not finished yet!"
Despite his agitated state, or maybe because of it, Ranma's senses were running at top efficiency. And right now they picked up some alarming signals. Beside Akane's mental state that is.
He heard some rustling as if she was going through some bag. That wasn't the alarming part. The clanking sound of metal on metal was.
"I spent a lot of time wondering what I would do when I run across you,.." he heard a voice from behind and she sounded just that tad bit closer.
Clack!
A sound like gears running against each other was heard.
"..and believe me, I had no doubt that it was just a matter of time. So when that day comes, what should I prepare?"
-Clack!-
That sound again. Closer now. And didn't it sound more like a bolt snapping into place?
"Should I give a speech about how it feels like to be abandoned?"
-Clack!-
Closer even, and at this distance Ranma was finally able to discern the soft steps behind him. So close! A little more and he would be able to feel the heat of her body. He wasn't quite sure how to feel about that.
"Should I plead for you to finally come home?"
Now that the thought had struck he actually felt a rising warmth in his back. At least some warmth coming from her, a part of him though detached. The majority of his attention was on Akane's words though, cold as they may sound. And the approaching metallic...
-Clack!-
"Or should I simply put an end to this pathetic fiasco, reach some closure, so I can finally" her voice was close, so close he thought he could feel her moist breath on his skin, "finally move on with my life?"
That question lingered in the air for long seconds. Maybe it was for effect. Maybe Akane actually still had to decide on one of the three.
For Ranma that didn't help. He felt a shiver going up and down his spine. Thoughts racing through his mind as all those scenarios played out in the brightest of colors. Well, mostly red in all its glorious and gory variants.
Suddenly he froze, as if struck by lightning.
Or a soft touch on his shoulder.
"It took me a while to figure it out Ranma."
Her voice, so close now, had lost part of its edge. It was almost a whisper, for his ears only. And if that wasn't enough to throw his mind into chaos, her hand had started to wander down his arm in a teasingly slow motion. He didn't dare look there, as her voice was next to the ear on the opposing side of his head and turning away from her might just give the wrong signal. Better to keep the eyes locked at the horizon than getting kicked from the roof at this height. Well, that was Ranma's opinion anyway.
"I want justice..."
And suddenly the warm touch on his arm was replaced with the cold touch of steel. -CLACK!-
:O-o-O:
Three bandmembers and one best friend sharing the space behind the door to the roof leads to very cramped condition.
They had come to the unanimous decision that stepping onto the roof itself would risk ruining whatever chance a certain couple might have at reconciliation. The door was the line they had decided not to cross. Except for a worst case scenario, obviously. Now all four of them tried their damn best at getting their ears as close to that parting line as possible.
"That doesn't sound too good, does it?" Shiba asked after Akane had shot down Ranma for the second time.
"Shut yer trap!" Yoko whispered harshly, hard at work to make head or tails of the sounds from outside. Noriko might have reacted the same way, but she still couldn't get over the fact that the bassists girly voice was rooted in the fact that Yoko actually was a girl and Yoshy's sister to boot.
Talking about the frontman of 'FubaR', that guy was not at all like his confident stage persona. Quite the contrary.
"You think he's gonna be okay?" he asked as he bit his fingernails, a nervous expression on his face.
"Well if not then it's on your head" Yoko growled back. "And yours too." she added in Noriko's direction. "Who of you clowns came up with this stupid idea anyway?"
"He did!" "She did!" came the spontaneous reply, complete with pointed fingers.
"Geeze, get a room you two" Shiba added his 2 cents from his listening post on the upper quarter of the door.
Suddenly there was a scream and though somewhat contorted is was Ranmas voice. It didn't sound good. Not good at all.
"That's it," Yoko exclaimed. "I'm going out there."
Almost toppling Shiba she sprang up, grabbing the handle of the door and pushing. And pushing.
"The keys! Who's got the frigging keys?!"
:O-o-O:
"Justice?! How is this justice?!" Ranma screamed almost hysterically, arm raised and shaking wildly. Make that two arms actually, for the aforementioned arm was securely linked to his former fiancé's corresponding limb by a sturdy pair of handcuffs. "Why are you even carrying something like that around?!"
His face was a mess. Traces of tears, frustration, confusion and something burning in his eyes that couldn't completely be explained with anger. His body was shaking, not just from the waving motion and his free hand was trying to grasp the air in a helpless gesture.
"How was I to know when exactly I'd run into you?" Akane replied just as heatedly. No longer did she give off an air of indifference. If anything she sounded close to tears herself. "I always had them with me all this time!"
"What for?" Ranma demanded to know, almost nose to nose with her now. "In case the Goverment of the United States ever lets you guard the briefcase with the launch codes?"
"You stupid, idiotic, moronic..." Akane retorted in an admirable impersonation of a volcano seconds before eruption. "I wanted... I.. I want..." Whatever steam had powered her up to this point, suddenly it all left her and what remained was a shivering girl with her head bowed and her arm forcibly raised. "I... I don't want to be left behind again... I… I earned that right… to be with you."
That last part came more as a whisper. Almost too quiet for Ranma's ears. Not that ears were needed when faced with a girl so close to a complete breakdown. Then the one part of Ranma that was guaranteed to win against his pride, his ego or his lack of judgment nine times out of ten took over in a heartbeat.
"Akane?" He asked with rising concern, his hands just stopping short of her shoulders. "Are you okay?"
"Am I okay? Seriously? How can I be okay you idiot?" the girl asked back, her trembling voice laced with acid. But as harsh as that reply was worded, the sniffing noises she produced somewhat softened the message.
"You jerk left me behind!"
She underlined those words with punches to his chest. Not with the full force she could muster but Ranma still felt the sting.
"But not with those cuffs! You can't leave me behind with those cuffs on! That's why I always carry them around..."
Now it was her turn to raise her bound arm, as well as her head. Her face was a sight to behold. Tear streaked, flustered, an expression midway between accusation and plea. It was the eyes though that really got to Ranma.
Just one glance into those eyes and his defenses deteriorated faster than a politician's promises after election-day.
He had to get away from those eyes.
Before he could formulate an escape route his body moved on his own. A bold move by any means but without a possibility for retreat the only viable option, really. His chained arm grabbed Akanes wrist and the unhindered limb pulled her into a tight embrace.
His head came to rest on her shoulder and as such his own expression was no longer in danger of betraying the myriad of things he longed to say. And do.
They stood like a couple about to dance, though that was hardly Ranma's intention.
"I don't get it. I just don't." he heard a voice repeat that he hardly recognized as his own. "Seriously, why would you want that?"
Getting away from her gaze was all nice and well but somehow this new situation was even worse. His nose was filled with the smell of her hair, some citrus notes and a hint of sweat. And there was the feel of her body against his, the warmth seeping into him. The drumming of her heartbeat under his fingers. All this and more short-circuiting the higher functions of his brain in the most spectacular ways imaginable.
"Isn't it obvious?" He heard Akane's sullen voices next to his cheek. "Did you really believe I agreed to the wedding just because YOU loved ME? Baka...!" That last part she added just like an afterthought.
And yet it was, as the poet says, the straw that broke the camel's back. It was simply too much for Ranma to handle on a conscious level. Something snapped deep inside and millennia old instincts took over, remnants of a more carnal age.
His head bend down on his own and his lips parted, but not to speak.
Then his teeth found their mark as if drawn in by the warm pulsing blood beneath Akanes skin.
:O-o-O:
"Why isn't that stupid thing opening?" Yoko barked in frustration as she kicked the door that barred her from storming the roof.
"Because sometimes" Yoshi remarked as he reached for the key that his impatient sister had snatched from his grasp and basically rammed into the lock "one turn isn't enough? Ta-daaaa!"
The bolt retracted with a snapping sound and it didn't take a heartbeat for Yoko to storm onto the roof. Her head swiveling from left to right and back as she tried to get accustomed to the darkness as well as locate the source of the alarming cry that they all had heard.
"See anything?" Shiba asked from behind her. The guy was for all practical purposes blind as a mole under these lighting conditions.
"Shush!" Yoko hissed as her ears picked up a gasping noise coming from the far side of the Elevator shed. Spinning away from the door she ran along the wall to the far edge only to come to a screeching halt when she was about to clear the corner. She flattened her back to the wall and then, cautiously, stuck out her head to spy on what had lured her there.
"Is she always like that?" Noriko asked her companions as they trudged towards the girl in question.
"You mean brash, rude and hasty?" Yoshi asked nonchalantly.
"Pretty much." Shiba concluded.
As they came closer Yoko's head turned towards them.
"Hey bro? Ranma's got a couple of ..err.. 'special conditions' I know but... He's not a vampire, is he?"
:O-o-O:
Ranma held Akane in a tight embrace. Weaker girls might have considered it crushing even. Her back was arched, her head was in her neck. Her eyes stared straight up, wide open but unseeing.
The intensity of Ranma's bite drove the air from her lungs and the color from her cheeks. Mostly because the blood was needed elsewhere. And yes, that doesn't only happen to boys.
For Ranma though her sudden stiffness was like a cold shower, without the sex change in this case.
Her rigid form reminded him all too much of Jusendo and even though he knew that Akane was in no danger of turning into a soulless doll anytime soon he still let go. Loosening his hold on her body he reached up his free hand to gently stroke the area around the mark he had left on her skin.
"This is nothing, you know?" He mumbled as his thumb circled around the red spot he had caused. "If I hadn't left when I did, sooner or later I would have done worse..."
He didn't get to broaden the subject of what he may or may not have done back at the dojo as a slight change in Akanes posture, a foot placed behind his heel and a sudden push to his shoulder took him completely by surprise.
How else should it be explained that such a simple thing should make an expert martial artist like Ranma loose his balance? He fell, and he fell hard.
Akane instantly followed in suite. Not only because of the cuffs connecting them but also because she let herself drop onto his stomach. One hand she used for pinning down Ranma's shoulder while the other one, on the cuffed arm, tightly grabbed the corresponding hand. For some reason their fingers intertwined as if that was the most natural thing.
Ranma looked up in astonishment as his former fiance bend her head left and right, popping her vertebrae like a street-fighter heading for a brawl. There was a strange, wild expression on her face, one he couldn't quite place and a fire in her eyes the like he had never witnessed before.
"You're damn right," he heard her announce in a hoarse, breathless voice "THAT was nothing..."
Then she went down on him and the rest came naturally.
:O-o-O:
A few minutes later 3 Members of a certain band plus one Extra headed back down the stairs in relative silence. Each of them processing what they had just witnessed in their own way. Noriko had a triumphant expression on her face. Shiba seemed rather unperturbed and Yoko, well that girl had gone from red alert to shock and awe in a matter of seconds. Last but not least there was Yoshi. He sported a thoughtful expression and a nervous tick as he was constantly popping the joints of his fingers.
"Do you think they're gonna be okay?" he finally broke the silence that had accompanied them for the last couple of floors. Noriko, who was walking next to him flashed him a grin that probably was meant to be reassuring.
"They're gonna be just peachy. Besides, this was wayyyyy overdue." The girl playfully smacked his arm with the back of her hand. "I dont know 'bout Ranma but Akane definitely needed to get this out of her system. And a little crazy never hurt no one."
"That may be so," Yoshi agreed unphased, "but you do realize that if these two decide to catch up on lost time then we might very well lose our drummer?"
"True," Noriko agreed, not the slightest bit impressed though. "Maybe you should have thought about that before you came looking for Akane?"
"About as much as you thought about Akane dropping from University to run off with Ranma when you agreed to help."
Now that brought Noriko to a halt.
"Hot-damn! That stubborn idiot might just do that!" she exclaimed as that scenario didn't seem all too exotic to her.
Yoshi shrugged his shoulders, the very picture of a guy accepting a cruel fate in stride. "Well, there's nothing to do than wait how it turns out," he concluded.
"Well, one thing you could actually do right now," Shiba commented from behind. "Like clearing the stairs maybe? I wanna get drunk and I wanna do it now!"
"A..a.. animals," Yoko added from the rear in a shaky voice. "They're like animals..."
:O-o-O:
Sometime later Yoshi was on the phone in front of a bar while his compatriots where securing seats inside.
"Well how can I say this," he told the person on the other end of the line while pacing back and forth like a tiger in a cage, "it's not that the plan didn't work. It's just," he paused, massaging his forehead as if to urge his brain to come up with better results, "it was a little more extreme than we could have imagined..."
He listened attentively to the reply over the phone before continuing.
"No ma'am, I don't think that's gonna be a problem. It's more like.. this heir for the school business?
The way they're going at it the next generation might be already on its way..."
There was a hollow sound of something crashing down, then some static noise and after that the line was disconnected. He tried to call that number again but only got the mailbox after no one answered. So in the end he put away the phone and headed into the bar to meet up with the other guys.
There wasn't much he could do at the moment than wait for things to play out. He might as well get wasted while doing so.
:O-o-O:
Another couple of hours later and a few floors higher up, Ranma was leaning against the railing around the roof once more. Nature had called and he had answered in kind. Originally he had been on his way back to the tent when the scenery of the waking city down below distracted him.
Camping on a roof in the middle of a city. Not the strangest thing he had ever done but still worth reflection for a minute or two. So was the tent. Or more precisely the fact that they had managed to put it up amidst all the other things they had been doing. His cheeks turned red at the thought and his grin got broader.
He was glad he had brought his backpack. Not that he had planned for this kind of outcome. But having the backpack, and thus the tent, close had been a godsend. As he stood there and reminisced away he noticed a commotion in said tent.
"No, no, no," he heard Akanes voice repeat in agitation. "No!"
Ranma was over and ripping open the hatch in the blink of an eye only to come face to face with a flustered Akane. Wide eyed and with a panicked expression in her face she wore little more than the sleeping bag that they had unzipped and used as a blanket.
"Ranma!" she exclaimed as soon as she laid eyes on him. Her face instantly lit up and just as quick she lunged at him, her arms encircling him in a hug that would have made a Grizzly nod in appreciation. "You're still here!"
For one idle moment Ranma wondered if he should point out that Akane had dropped the sleeping bag but decided against it.
"Stupid," he said instead, the affection in his voice disarming any possible insult, "like I could leave. Look," he added, holding up the arm that was decorated with one part of the cuffs, "still wearing that."
They remained in that intimate position for a moment, until Akane had quieted enough to notice the effect of the slightly chilly morning air. Before she could comment on it or take appropriate action, Ranma grabbed behind her and draped the sleeping bag over her shoulders. As he did so, Akane looked on in surprise at the gentle gesture that seemed to come so naturally. Then her expression changed into something more dogged and sullen.
"Why did you break the cuffs?" she asked, disappointment dripping from every accusing word.
Now it was Ranma's turn to look surprised, but it was not for long until a broad grin appeared on his face.
"I didn't break nothing," he informed her with blatant mirth. "A certain tomboy just couldn't get my shirt off fast enough and simply yanked them in two. Still ruined my shirt in the end. Good thing I got Extras in my backpack."
Akane's reaction to this revelation was priceless. Her face took on all shades from pale to beet red. The expression changing from sullen to embarrassed to apologetic.
"Oh," was the only thing she voiced.
Once more they fell silent, contend with simply enjoying this new concept of closeness. Then Ranma spoke once more.
"You know, I was serious 'bout me and apologies. I'm still a jerk when it comes to that," he explained. "An' I still got an Ego sometimes. So ya probably gonna get mad at me like a lot of the time. An' after last night I figure you're still a bit of a violent tomboy..." He let the words trail off, checking for any signs of mallets, battle-aura or other signs of the apocalypse. Akane simply looked back at him, unfazed but slightly pensive in her expression.
"What happened to uncute?" she simply asked.
"You kidding? After last night?" Again Ranma sported that cocky grin that had made Akane snap so many times. Only now, for some reason, it made her think of things other than smacking the guy over the head with a blunt object. These things might still drive him to the ground but, well, for less murderous reasons.
"Anyway," the target of her revelry interrupted the daydream, "I just wanted to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into. It's not always gonna be fun and games. And chances are ya gonna curse this day, like, a lot. So," he looked at her intently, biting his lips in a nervous fashion before he finished the sentence, "ya sure ya want 'US' back?"
It was obvious to Akane what that 'US' entailed. All the chaos, the anger, the misunderstandings, the strange occurrences and improbable happenstances that had governed her live for years on end.
It was a no-brainer, really.
"Yes, I do." she proclaimed without hesitation or doubt. What else can a girl say when she decides to spend the rest of her days with one guy, in good times or in bad times?
"Hah! 'Knew you would!" came Ranma's far less formal reply. He did sound more than a bit relieved though.
"Come on, I gotta show ya something good," he continued completely off-topic as he began wrapping the sleeping bag around her for warmth and cover. Then he picked her up princess-style. Under any other circumstances or with any other person doing so it was unlikely that Akane would have accepted such treatment without protest. But with all that had happened in the last couple of hours habits, good or bad, were on probation. So she simply accepted her fate, maybe even enjoying the fact that, as it were, she was completely in Ranma's hands. It did bring back memories, that much was a given.
For his part, her abductor took a few steps and the jumped, propelling them both onto the Elevator building in one mighty leap. Touching down safely in complete ignorance of all the physical laws he had just either bend or completely broken, Ranma settled in a cross legged position, placing his precious cargo in his lap.
"Look" Akane heard him say and she was following his gaze right in time to witness the sun come up over the city's skyline, bathing the vista of concrete and steel and glass in a golden glow.
"It's funny you know," she heard him continue right next to her ear, making it hard for her to concentrate on his actual words. "With all the time I've spent on rooftops, this is the first time I actually stayed long enough to watch the sun come up."
"It's beautiful," Akane agreed, for the moment completely content with snuggling against him. It didn't last for too long, patience not being her forte and all. She shrugged her shoulders until her arms came free of the wrapping, then reached them up to encircle Ranma's neck.
With a slightly sheepish grin and a red glow on her cheeks she looked him in the eyes.
"That's a nice way to start the rest of our lifes," she told him.
"Thought ya might like it," came Ranma's smug reply.
"Still though, you know what this morning would need to be perfect?" Akane asked playfully as one hand was casually stroking his neck.
"Breakfast?" Ranma replied without much thought to what he was saying, mainly because he was too distracted by the stimuli from both sides of his head.
"That and a shower, yes," Akane agreed, strangely enough not at least irritated by his comment. "But first..." Preferring action to description Akane drew Ranmas head closer, resulting in a deep and thorough kiss. It didn't take more coercion to make him react in kind.
It was a picture perfect moment, two silhouettes against the backdrop of the rising sun, big and red on the horizon.
Though honestly, all that beauty was wasted on those two young lovers.
They saw nothing, felt and smelled and heard and thought about nothing, except for that most precious person in their respective arms.
They didn't even notice that somewhere in their vicinity a radio got cranked up louder. The reason for that was probably that song being played.
It was an old song, one of Bruce Springsteen's earlier works.
The kind of song that everyone knows even if they can't remember the title.
Because you don't need previous knowledge as it flows so close to the emotions it describes that it seems to spring from your memories even on the first time you listen to it.
It's a song about two kids being forced to marry and their struggle with that situation and each other.
It's a song titled 'The River'.
The End
Author's notes:
Hi there and thank you for putting up with my drivel. In case you are wondering how I got to rewrite a story after 17 somewhat years. It goes something like this.
One fine day I got the idea for an original piece of fiction. For the sake of Karma and general practice I decided to finish another story of mine called "Soul Heir" that had been suspended in Limbo for quite some time. 16 years atleast. To get into the right mindset I re-read all of my storys and 'The rooftop' kinda struck me as insufficient. Partially because I'm still singing that song on occasion, when no one's listening obviously, And in singing it the lyrics had changed over time. As such things tend to happen.
In particular I didn't like the pacing of the story. Especially the latter half. So I decided on this course of action. Rewrite 'The rooftop' to get into the right 'Ranma and Akane' mindset, then finish 'Soul Heir'. After that I'd be free to write whatever struck my fancy. So if you're reading these lines right now 'Soul Heir' should also be finished. That's what I hope at least. Because, let's face it, if I don't finish on this try what are the odds that I ever will?
Then again, if I did not, I'd never published this 'Remix' in the first place for fear of dying of shame and embarrassment.
So there, if you're reading this then all's well that ends well as a marginally more gifted author happened to phrase it.
Now all that's left for me to do is hoping you enjoyed it.
Feel free to comment, but flames only light my cigarettes and I already smoke too much. :-P