Disclaimer: Ranma belongs to Takahashi Rumiko. Fate/stay night and Tsukihime are the property of TYPE-MOON. No profit is gained from this work.
"..." Japanese speech.
"There's something I haven't told you... I'm a Magi."
After coming back into town one day, he became the cause of strange events in town.
And so, his life was changed.
Fate/endless night
By
Dark Master Schmidt
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Chapter 1: My Façade.
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I have a sister.
Yes, I have a sister. Is it shocking? No, perhaps it's just a bit surprising for most people. Even more so since I hardly speak of my past. Actually, no one seems to even care much, so there wasn't much of me to reveal anyway. Sometimes I wish someone would just ask. Sometimes I wish for someone to speak up, to show me that he or she actually cares. Sometimes I wish I could just pour it all, endlessly. I want to get rid of this weight on my shoulders. But all is for naught. I cannot speak. For every letter I spew, the more dangerous I will be. For myself, and for those whom I care for.
So at first, they ask of me who I am. And what do I answer them? Naturally, I should give them my name, but how am I supposed to do that when I cannot speak? Instead, I give them my self-created name. Hibiki Ryouga, I answer them. That's been my name for as long as I can remember. It's not completely a lie anyway, so it's good enough, I guess. I almost forgot when the last time I used my real name was a few times.
So anyway, who am I? My name is Tousaka Ryouga. I am a cursed Magi. Needless to say, I am lonely; nobody even recognizes me. The only thing they see is the illusion, Hibiki Ryouga, which I created. Oftentimes I fool myself into thinking that's who I am, as I enjoy the feeling of the normal life I'm currently leading. Well, maybe it's not that normal, but I am content. Then, I remember. I remember how this will not last. The real me will not allow this to go on, crushing all hope that was within me for a brief moment. I remind myself of the day I will leave here. I don't know when, but it will come eventually. It always does. As I grew older, I began to understand why he left me. At first, I loathed my father for abandoning me, but that emotion towards him crumbled with time.
My father... My memory of him is as solid as a rock. He is the former head of the Tousaka House and is a powerful Magi. Sometimes I long for his strong arms that used to embrace me. His warmth made me forget my pain, his voice soothing my soul. I'm not going to feel any of those again, though, because my father is dead. He wasn't able to survive the last Grail War, I guess. Makes me think of how vicious it might be.
My mother, I don't remember. Did I even meet her? The head of the Tousaka House now is more than likely my older sister.
My sister... There isn't a day that goes by without me thinking about her. I have a strong desire of seeing her again. I wonder if she remembers me... I can only hope. Knowing her, she's probably a formidable Magi now.
What is a Magi? To normal people, a Magi may simply be a magician, which is pretty far-fetched. Associating the Magi to mere magicians or sorcerers is laughable. A powerful Magi could probably defeat the strongest of martial artists with some difficulty, but we don't go around killing people left and right, either. Of course, no one is aware of our existence other than other Magi.
Suddenly, I feel a gentle cold breeze tickle my face, interrupting my train of thought. I open my eyes and shake my head slowly. Looking at the sky, I notice that the sun is coming up. I must have dozed off during one of my mental monologues. My arms shiver slightly. Sleeping next to a tree in the open is not a good idea. I forcibly stand up and widen my eyes in an attempt to shake my sleepiness off.
"Damn, it's cold today," I say to myself. Winter must be just around the corner. I didn't bother to make camp last night for some reason. Oh, yeah... I decided to sit down and think, and then I unexpectedly dozed off. I must have been very tired.
Where should I go now? I think to myself and take off randomly. Yesterday, I was looking for the Tendo dojo, so I guess I'll head there. Or at least, TRY to head there. I think I have gotten close, though. The surroundings here seem familiar...
I end up walking around for hours with no luck. By noon, I finally meet up with someone I'd rather not see.
"Hey, pork butt!" I hear a familiar shout behind me. From the cocky tone, and the lame insult, I already know who I'm going to see.
"Hey, Ranma," I turn around, ignoring his earlier comment. "What do you want?" I ask him almost immediately, before he could even open that dreadful mouth of his.
"A bit hostile today, aren't we?" Ranma crosses his arms and smiles amusingly at me.
"Eh, I guess you could say I woke up at the wrong side of bed," I answer him wryly. I guess I'm half serious about that. My back is still fucking killing me. I can't say I'm in the best of moods right now, either.
"Oh, yeah?" Ranma tells me with that stupid smirk of his. I can easily tell what he wants. Despite that relaxed stance of his, his eyes are fully on guard.
Snorting, I turn around and walk away. "I'm not in the mood for your games, Ranma."
"Ha?" Ranma yells his surprise. Well, I can't really blame him. Normally, I'd be more than happy to plant an iron fist into that idiot's face, but I have a lot on my mind right now to care about his insults. I hear him rush over to me and start walking besides me. "Whoa, Ryouga, you feeling okay?" I can faintly detect some concern in his voice, but I dismiss it.
"I'm fine. Just bugger off, will you?" I exclaim in annoyance. "I need to see Akane-san."
"That's wonderful, Ryouga! I'm sure you'll make it in a couple more weeks." Ranma snickers in amusement. Frowning my brows, I almost punched him in the guts with that comment, but I lash instead with a retort.
"Shut up, Saotome! How can you make fun of my suffering?" It's taking a lot of willpower on my part not to pound his face to the ground.
Before Ranma could reply, someone interrupts our heated conversation.
"Sorcerer Saotome! I have come to free my Pigtailed Goddess from your evil grasp!"
I immediately recognize the voice. I only know one person stupid enough to yell out embarrassing lines like those in public. I hear Ranma sigh in front of me, proving that I am right in my guess. I turn around towards the voice, only to have Kuno carelessly bump into me, sending him landing roughly on his ass.
"You scoundrel!" He points his bokken at me after getting back on his feet. "I am about to smite that sorcerer off the face of the planet! Move aside, Hibiki, or face my wrath! Justice demands it." I roll my eyes at his petty threats and demands. It's not my fault he got careless. Then suddenly, I get an interesting idea in my mind. It's as if I am being possessed by something. I wouldn't normally do this, but he ticked me off, and with my already foul mood, I decided to go along with it.
"Make me," I utter in a clear voice to the jester before me. I know that this is something that will come back biting me later, looking at Ranma's experience with Kuno, but I don't care right now. At this instant, I feel powerful. I feel like no one could stand up to me. It's a strange feeling, and I decide to ignore it.
I can almost feel Ranma gawking at me from behind. I briefly look behind me and confirm it. He must be thinking that I lost my mind protecting him, but let him think whatever he wants. I'm not doing this for him.
"It seems you have joined forces with that sorcerer. No matter, my might shall strike you both down! Have at thee!" Kuno rushes at me with bokken in hand. Once he got close enough, he delivers a swing at me with all his strength.
Have been prepared before hand, I have already anticipated his movement and caught his bokken in my hand with an iron grip, ignoring all pain resulting from such a reckless action. Wasting no time, I knee him in the stomach strongly, careful not to break any of his vital bones in the process. With Kuno out of breath, I follow suit with a nasty upper cut and send him soaring into oblivion.
"Wow," Ranma finally speaks for the first time since Kuno arrived. "I'm in shock, Ryouga. You didn't have to do that, you know. He'll just come back to bug you later now."
"Well, he kinda pissed me off." I shrug him off and go on my way. I kind of regret doing it already. Not because of his crazy antics that will surely come, but because of me beating on him... It might sound funny, but I don't like beating on weaker people. Did I just bully him? Is this fair? What the hell was I thinking?
Whatever... I try to shrug it off and keep walking. I don't want to think about it anymore; I'm starting to feel nauseous. Yet it keeps bothering me despite burying it deep in my mind.
I realize that someone is following me. I stop and turn around. I see Saotome standing there behind me, resting the back of his head in his hands.
"Why are you following me?" I'm starting to get annoyed.
"You've been acting weird, Ryouga." Ranma crosses his arms and says, "What's wrong with you today?"
"Nothing..." I deny it. I don't think there is anything with me, anyway. Aren't I acting like I always do? "Why do you care anyway?"
"Humph, you can lie all you want, but you can't hide it from me. I can read you like a book." Ranma smirks and passes me. "I'm going home. You can tour Japan all you want." He walks at a steady pace with his arms still behind his head. This time, I follow him.
It's me who can read you like a book, idiot. I want to say it out loud, but I keep it to myself. I wryly smile at Ranma's back.
Eventually, we arrive at the Tendos'. I stand in the living room as Ranma makes himself comfortable on the couch. The awkward silence between us is unbearable and I decide to put an end to it.
"Where is everybody?" I finally break the silence and go ahead and sit with Ranma.
"Pop and Tendo-san went out somewhere, Akane is at a friend's house, and Nabiki said something about collecting debts earlier today. Dunno about Kasumi, probably shopping or something." Ranma answered casually, resting his left cheek on his fist.
"Oh." I don't know what to say. Akane isn't here, so... "I'm stuck with you then. This is just great."
Ranma snorts and stands up. "No one is forcing you to stay here. I'm gonna go take a bath." He quickly vanishes behind the walls.
I sigh and rest my head deeply backwards on the couch. My eyes feel heavy. It seems I didn't get a good rest last night. That's not surprising seeing how I slept, even if it can be called sleeping.
"Ah, Ryouga-kun?"
I jump from my seat at the sudden voice. I quickly look at the source and find a surprised Kasumi at the entrance. Her face doesn't waste time changing colours and I find her lightly laughing at my reaction.
"Oh, I'm sorry! Did I startle you?" Kasumi apologizes, but her giggles still reach my ears.
"Yeah..." I admit it. I actually want to deny it; I feel ashamed at lowering my guard so much that even Kasumi was able to sneak up on me. I still admit the truth, though. For some reason, I can't bring myself to lie to her. It's not like any excuse I'd make would be believable anyway. "I thought you were out." I attempt to change the subject. I could do this much at least.
"No, I was just cleaning up upstairs." Kasumi answers me cheerfully and comes closer to me. I watch her sit on the couch, taking Ranma's place, and I return to my spot as well.
"Is that so? No wonder Ranma and I didn't hear you." I tell her simply.
"Ranma's home?" She gives me a questioning look from across the couch.
"Yeah. He just went to take a bath." I don't have much to say, so I just answer her questions.
"I see. So you came with him. That means everybody else is still out."
I somehow get a hidden meaning behind her words, but I don't think Kasumi would be making fun of me, so I just laugh bitterly.
"Oh, right! How rude of me, I forgot to serve you some tea." Kasumi hurriedly stands up.
"There's no need for that! Really!" I try to convince her, but even Kasumi can be stubborn.
"Don't be ridiculous, please! You're Akane and Ranma's friend, right? How could I leave you like this?"
Two can play this game. If Kasumi decides to be like that, then so can I. "Fine, but let me help you with your chores afterwards in return."
"What?" Kasumi stands there looking surprised at my words. "I can't do that..."
"Then I can't accept your kindness." Looking at Kasumi, she seems torn on what to do. I smile and tell her, "Please, just relax for a while. You've been working hard since early morning, right?"
"Huh? But..."
"Look, you need to take it easy every once in a while. Otherwise you'll get torn apart."
Kasumi looks at me as if considering my words. I'm actually surprised I even said that. I don't usually stick my nose into the affairs of others, but when I look at Kasumi, I feel distressed. I feel like I need to help her, even if just a little bit. Besides, I know fully well how working on something constantly can be. My obsession on beating Ranma must have done more harm than good.
"Well?" I pressure her to speak.
"A-All right... Then I guess I'll keep you company! It's the least I could do." Kasumi smiles at me and returns to her seat.
She said she'll keep me company, but we only listen to silence. With her sitting across of me, at the other end of the couch, I can't help but turn my head to look at her. She was looking at something outside. I wonder what her eyes could be focusing on. I find myself staring. I can't avert my eyes nor can I move them. It's as if I'm bewitched under her spell. Kasumi is special; there's something about her that attracts me to her. I wonder what it is... I feel like she could break easily and I should do something about it.
As if feeling my eyes on her, her face turns towards me wearing a confused look. I quickly look away from her, but Kasumi laughs lightly at my reaction.
I stay there feeling awkward. First, I had something to do, which was my staring, but now the silence is getting really annoying. I should say something.
"Say," we turn and speak at each other simultaneously.
Slightly surprised, I tell her, "You go first."
"Um, well, I've been wondering, Ryouga-kun..." Kasumi speaks, but she seems hesitant.
"Yes?" I wait for her to continue.
"Do you enjoy fighting, Ryouga-kun?" Kasumi asks.
"Huh?" I blink a few times at the unexpected question. "I suppose. I don't like fighting weaker people, though."
"Well, then, do you find martial arts difficult to practice?" Kasumi shoots another strange question.
"That depends, I guess. It's not that hard if you're dedicated enough." I answer while scratching my head. "Why do you ask?"
"Hmm..." Kasumi looks down at the floor, as if collecting her thoughts. "A long time ago, father used to teach me martial arts."
A look of surprise spreads across my face. Maybe even shock. Kasumi used to practice the art? I find that very hard to even imagine.
"Nabiki wasn't interested and Akane was too young, so I had too practice alone." Kasumi continues. "But then, after mother died, I had to quit in order to take care of my family."
I cross my arms and listen to her, giving Kasumi my full attention. I think I'm getting interested in her. I haven't seen Kasumi like this before. It almost feels like I hadn't known her until now.
"Throwing the art away back then felt like I was throwing a part of myself with it. I liked the practice sessions with father and always looked forward to the next time he would teach me something new. I think... I still feel a gap in myself from time to time."
"Well," I finally speak. "It couldn't be helped, right? You had your family to tend to, didn't you?" While I say this, I wonder what her point is. Why say all of this to me?
"Yes, but I want to remember. I want to remember those times." Kasumi looks at me through her dark eyes. "S-so..."
"So...?" I urge her to continue. This conversation feels weird.
"Would you... help me, Ryouga-kun?" Kasumi's eyes seem full with expectation.
"M-Me!" I stare at her, puzzled. "Why me?"
"I couldn't ask Ranma, and I don't want anyone to know."
"That Ranma may have a rotten mouth, but he can keep his secrets." I smirk for a moment at myself and return to her. "W-Well, I don't really mind, but what do you want me to do?"
"Really!" Kasumi smiles at me. She suddenly gets closer, making me feel uncomfortable, with her being not too far from my face. "It's not much; I just want you to teach me."
"Teach you...?"
"Yes, martial arts. Help me remember."
I almost opened my mouth to refuse this instant. However, I can't find the words to refuse her. I just don't have the power to do it. I don't think I'm good enough to be a teacher nor do I think it is right to do it. I feel like I might corrupt her or something. But in the end, I can't refuse. I feel obliged to help her. "Sure." I give Kasumi a simple answer.
"Really! Thank you!" Kasumi grabs my hand, laughing. Now I definitely feel uncomfortable.
"But my style is a mixed bag of other styles. It's quite different than what your father used to teach you." I weakly attempt to get her to change her mind.
"Unn." Kasumi shakes her head. "It doesn't matter."
I sigh dejectedly. I expected as much. My resistance is futile. Well, she's pretty happy about it, so I guess I shouldn't complain.
"It's a promise then?" Kasumi asks for confirmation.
"Yeah, I promise to help you out." I tell her in a clear voice.
She looks at me with her warm smile for a moment, and it naturally fills me with warmth. Kasumi seems like an angel from the heavens. The fact that this angel is smiling upon me makes my heart shake in a similar way when I'm with Akane. It's really strange. I always believed that my feelings for Akane were love, but in the case of Kasumi... I don't think I love her... Or do I? I can never understand my own feelings too well. But it doesn't make sense, why would I have such strong emotions towards Kasumi? I barely spend any time around her. This is ridiculous.
Luckily, Kasumi comes to my rescue by breaking my repulsive train of thought. "Oh, my!" Flustered, she jumps from her position looking at the clock. "Look at the time! I still have Akane's room to clean up." Kasumi quickly runs out of the room. "Sorry, Ryouga-kun!" I hear her shout.
I sigh again as I hear her apology. "That was weird..." I rest my head again and stare at the ceiling. Doing this makes me remember how tired I am.
I keep thinking of what Kasumi was saying for a while, but something else suddenly comes to mind. I find what Ranma told me earlier return to me for some reason. No one is forcing me to stay, eh? Ranma's words remind me of something; something that happened a long time ago. I close my eyes and let the memories flood my mind. When was it? Who did it involve? It soon becomes clear to me as an image begins to construct in my mind.
It was a warm spring day back then. Actually, summer wasn't far off; maybe a couple of weeks away. I didn't like it. This warmth was annoying, especially when I was trying to concentrate.
"This is too hard..." I complained and raised my head at the tall man in front of me.
"Is it?" He smiled at me. "I am not forcing you to learn Magecraft. You could quit if you want."
"B-But! I wanna be strong like you! Neesan is already much stronger than me!"
He took his big hand and rested it on my head. Seemingly unaware of his strength, he roughly petted it. However, I enjoyed the feeling of his hand brushing away at my head. "Well, you do have a lot of mana, so you might get the hang of it soon." He chuckled.
"But how soon is soon?" I lowered my gaze from him. "I... I don't want to be useless."
He suddenly kneeled down and took my small body into his arms. I widened my eyes and almost cried in an instant, but I held it in. Even as a kid, I wouldn't want to show any weakness to anybody, especially not him...
"Don't worry, Ryouga. You're not useless. Being with me is enough."
"Father..." Tears almost flowed down, but they were stopped by a shout.
"Hey, Ryouga! Stop being a crybaby!" Someone tugged on my shirt from behind. After releasing me, I looked behind me and found myself staring into an angry face.
"N-Neesan... What's wrong?" I looked up at her asked her nervously. She was a bit taller than me back then.
"Argh, Really! You're hopeless!" She took my hand and pulled me away. I thought I heard my father chuckle a bit to himself, but I didn't have the time to check. We had been on a trip on that day, so I was a bit worried we might get lost or something being pulled like this, but I let her lead me on anyway. I thought that I just worried too much. "This is how you do it. Let me teach you."
"Uh-huh..." I nodded at her. I listened to her boring lecture attentively.
"You need to pronounce the words correctly. The words! Don't just let your mana flow like crazy; that's just a waste of power." She paused for a moment. "...Are you listening?"
"Uh, y-yeah, I am." I nodded furiously as not to upset her. "Thank you, neesan. I really appreciate this." I smiled brightly at her.
"Hmm, w-well..." She blushed a little at my gratitude. "You should review every day, and memorize the vocabulary."
"I will!" I laughed a bit and hugged her.
"Hey, what are you doing! Stop it!" She struggled slightly, but didn't force me off.
I simply laughed and snuggled even closer to her. Her warmth was really enjoyable, similar yet different from the heat the glaring sun was casting upon us. It made me want to hold on to her like this forever. I could hear the sound of her heartbeat traveling through her body to my ears like music. There was also something else. While unnoticeable from a distance, she gave off a pleasant smell. I didn't think it was perfume since she didn't use them. Maybe it was her shampoo, or perhaps... It could be her flowing mana, whether it can be smelled or not is a mystery to me. I didn't care about that, though. I just stood there and enjoyed the feeling of her close to me. My sister meant everything to me back then. As she took great care of me, my feelings towards her grew each passing day. I even thought at one point that we will always be together, sharing an unbreakable bond. So much for that...
"Cut it out already! This is so embarrassing..." I could almost feel the heat of her redden cheeks.
"Thank you." I whispered my thanks again and finally backed off afterwards, grinning like an idiot.
"Ryouga..." Her eyes looked like they were filled with emotion. I briefly wondered what might be going through her mind. It's too bad her attitude suddenly changed, or should I say, returned to normal. "RYOUGA!" She pulled my cheek violently.
"Ow! Ow-ow-ow-ow!" I screamed out in pain. Her cheeks were still red, but I didn't know if that was because of embarrassment or anger.
"Didn't I tell you to stop?" She pulled, inflicting more pain to my poor face.
"I'm-I'm sorry!" I started to cry. "Neesan, please stop!" Tears flooded my face and started to wet her hand. She finally stopped her punishment on me as she saw my pathetic pleads.
"Oh, hey, don't cry! You're a boy, aren't you?" This time, my sister was the one who hugged me. "Sorry, I got a bit angry." She desperately tried to calm me. She seemed kind of distressed. Then I felt her soft lips brush on my forehead. Her kiss was light like the wind, but it was more than enough to make me stop. Maybe it was the surprise that did it; I don't know.
However, I think I liked it. She was blushing again, probably embarrassed. We stood there for a while staring at each other. I wanted to say something, anything, to break this silence, but I couldn't find the words and she beat me to it.
"Let's go." She took my hand pulled me from my spot. "Father is probably waiting for us."
"Yeah." I followed silently. Five minutes later we stop. I looked around and found ourselves in an area surrounded by trees. I didn't want to admit it, but I jumped at the worst, and I was unfortunately right in my assumption.
"I think we're lost." She told me bluntly.
"Eeeh?" I was starting to get worried.
"Don't worry! I'll get us out of here!" Her efforts to encourage me failed. I could easily see some fear in her eyes despite her words.
"Yeah." I nodded at her, trying my best not to start crying again. I may not want to show my weak side, but I couldn't help it sometimes.
"Let's try going back the way we came from." She pulled me around again.
In the end, we walked for hours, always making a wrong turn here and there. Every pathway was the same. They all looked so identical; I couldn't keep up with all the turns. My sister and I were confused. Every single tree didn't look much different than the other, it was hard to keep track of where we were going. It was starting to get dark. I was really scared. The only thing keeping me going thus far was the warmth of my sister's hand. I wanted to be like her. I wanted to be brave enough to endure this, but I am weak. I am so weak that I was a burden to her. There she was trying her best to save both of us, only to be slowed down by incompetence. I felt so useless... so weak. With these thoughts in my mind, I easily succumbed to my fear. I felt my body starting to shake, and my fatigue finally decided to show its ugly face. My feet felt like they were getting heavier by each passing step and I was flooding with sweat. Eventually, the lights around me turned themselves off as I collapsed to the ground, surrounding me in complete darkness.
"Ryou-Ryouga!" I heard a faint distressed voice calling my name. It was so faint that it seemed like the darkness had consumed it. "Hey! Ryouga! Wake up!" The faint voice returned, this time sounding even weaker. I felt someone's little hands shaking me roughly. "Ryouga! Please!" This time, I could barely make it out. My senses were starting to fade.
I wanted to move, but I couldn't. I wanted to cry out, but I couldn't. My body didn't listen to me. It merely stayed there motionless on the cold ground. I'm sorry, I wanted to say. The words couldn't even reach my mouth. I'm sorry for being weak, I tried again. I wanted to apologise, but I am too weak for even that. The only things I was able to feel were the faint voice my ears picked up and the droplets of cold salty water slowly falling on my face and occasionally reaching my mouth.
I suddenly wake up, gasping for air. I realize I'm sweating like crazy as I look around the room. I rest my sweaty forehead on my hand. I can even feel the sweat through my bandanna. It seems Ranma hasn't returned yet; good. I don't want him seeing me like this.
I rest my head again on the couch, trying to relax my breathing. That dream... It's been a long time since I had that dream. That dream scares me. It used to make me shiver with fear. Now that I had it again after all this time, I realize that it still does. I raise my hands and stare at them. My hands are trembling. Actually, my whole arms are shaking violently. I feel my teeth shaking; I can even hear them.
I stand up and cover myself with my shaking arms. I am trembling. I feel fear. I am scared.
That dream... What happened afterwards? I always ask myself that question. The events that happened afterwards, those accursed events! What were they!
My body trembles even more violently now. I clutch my head scream out in pain. This pain seems like it's moving to the rest of my body. What is happening to me! I try to move around, but the only thing that seems to be doing is knocking around the furniture as I keep bumping into them. I finally sink to my knees in the middle of the room. My aching body seems to be getting worse. I feel cold yet hot at the same time.
"Argh... What's happening...?" I try to scream, but it only comes out a whisper. Even my voice is losing its strength. Suddenly, the pain in my head grows tenfold, causing me to arch backwards in agony. I fall to the ground clutching my head again. My voice finally found its power again and I start screaming uncontrollably.
As if lightening had struck me, I come to a sudden realization to what is happening. I can't believe I forgot. Even after all these years, this event should be burned in my mind. Between my screams, I cry. My tears flow freely because of my fear. Torn between fear and agony, I struggle to stand again.
But even so, why is this happening now? It's too soon. It's not the time yet. I know, though. No matter how much I cried or ran, the result would be the same. There is nothing I can do to stop it. This is my fate, and there is no running away from fate. My thoughts get distorted, leaving only one thought in my mind; the thought of his arrival again. He is coming. He is finally coming for me. He is going to get me. He is going to destroy me again, won't he? I cannot stop him. It's impossible for me to do so. There is only one thing I could do...
I look around the blurry room for the exit. Yes, that is the only thing I could do; run away. Run away like the coward I am. Before he arrives, I would run away as not to involve anyone. Before my façade is crushed, I would leave. Harm me he could, but I won't let him touch others.
"Sto..." I search for my voice. It has weakened again. However, I try to find it regardless. Perhaps I could at least delay the arrival. "Stoppen... Sie das Übel... innen." As soon as I mutter the last word, I see light consume me, and I feel my overflowing mana warm me from within. It feels great; my pain is almost completely gone. Unfortunately, it only lasts for a few moments, and I remain standing there, left with an annoying headache. I ignore it and continue on my way.
After moving around for several minutes, I miraculously find the gates to the outside. I shakily walk towards it as fast as I could. But it looks like I'm not fast enough.
"Ryouga? Where the hell are you going so soon?" I hear Ranma's voice behind me.
"Shit." I curse under my breath and turn to face him. I don't even bother to straighten myself.
"Holy shit, Ryouga! What the fuck happened to you!" Ranma widens his eyes in surprise as he examines my pathetic state.
"N-None of your damn business, Saotome." I turn around, ignoring him. "This is goodbye." I start walking again, but Ranma grabs my shoulder.
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ranma looks at me, but I avoid eye contact with him.
"I'm... leaving for good." I answer him truthfully without giving any details. "Please... take care of Akane for me, Ranma."
I attempt to leave but Ranma strengthens his grip on me. "What's gotten into you, man? Did you hit your head or something?"
I laugh bitterly at Ranma's question. "Something like that..." I shake him off and go on my way. Fortunately, he doesn't follow me and just stands there dumbfounded. It isn't long before I'm out of his vision.
I wonder aimlessly yet again. It's something I haven't done in a long time. I usually had a place to look for up until now, but not anymore. I am back to where I started; wondering aimlessly. Perhaps I'll find a new life soon. Maybe I'll find someone that will smile at me again. On the other hand, this may be a lesson. I don't think I deserve anyone's kindness. His coming is proof enough. I am to be alone. That's how it was and how it will continue to be.
"Ugh." I feel nauseous. My steps are starting to feel heavy and my vision is blurry. Damn... It seems my spell is starting to ware off. Well, it will still be enough to buy some time. I want to get out of here as soon as possible, but my body feels heavy. It's as if it's disobeying my will. My body decides it had enough and forces me to collapse on the cold ground. I briefly hear the gasps of some passer bys, but they sound very distant, as if they were kilometers away.
I lie motionless on the ground. I don't feel like moving, even though I know I should. I'm really tired. I think some rest should be okay. Just for a few moments I want to relax, want to forget. I close my eyes and I feel a heavy weight lift off my shoulders. This feels good. The difference is like heaven and earth compared to a few moments ago. However, I know I must go on. I force my eyes open, and to my surprise, what seemed like seconds of rest was longer than I would expect.
I stare at familiar ceiling through my tired orbs. I blink a few times just to make sure my eyes aren't deceiving me. "What the hell?" I struggle to sit up, muttering.
"So you finally awake." A familiar voice hails me. I look at the person and grimace.
"Granny... What the hell am I doing here?" I snap angrily at the Amazon. I'm quite pissed off. My mood has been foul nearly the whole day.
"Is this how you talk to the people who saved you?" Cologne shakes her head in disgust at my behaviour. "Have some courtesy, young one."
I chuckle bitterly. "Save me...? Nobody can save me." I get off the bed and immediately regret it. I stand there in the room dazed for a few moments before speaking again. "How did I get here anyway? You haven't told me yet."
"More importantly, what happened to you, boy? My intuition tells me something dreadful is about to happen." Cologne avoids my question with another question.
I think of my words for a bit before answering her. "He is going to come for me."
"He?" Cologne raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean, boy? Who is he? Make some sense!"
"Who? He is he. That's all there is to it." I stare at the ground, my gaze fixed away from her. "He's going to kill me."
Cologne probably thinks I've lost my mind at this point. I can't say I'm in a perfect state of mind, either. I can barely think.
"I'm leaving." I drag my self towards the nearest door I spot, ignoring Cologne's eyes as they watch me. Luckily, the door leads me outside of the room. Unfortunately, I see a hallway and several doors beyond it. I curse and turn back to Cologne. "Where's the exit?"
Sighing, she simply walks to the door and shouts a name. "Shampoo! Come here!"
Seconds later, Shampoo comes to us, running. "Y-yes?"
"Take Ryouga outside." Cologne simply tells her, pointing at me.
"Aiya!" Shampoo exclaims as she looks at me seemingly for the first time. "Pig boy not look so good."
"Whatever." I follow her.
"Pig boy no get lost now." She warns me, but I ignore her and keep staring at her back as I walk.
I try to think for a bit. My day has been pretty shitty. I've been restless all day. Anyway, I need to get out of here. I don't know how long the spell would last. I can almost feel its effect fading. Just another thing to add to my crappy day. The only moment of peace I had was my chat with Kasumi this afternoon. I lift my head up with wide eyes. That reminds me... Reminds me of her happy smile. She looked so happy back then. I lower my head again looking disturbed. I'm going to break the promise I made. I'm going to betray Kasumi. I can imagine Kasumi's face when she finds out... I'm going to break her. I'll shatter the person I was trying to protect.
I suddenly feel rage. I'm angry at myself. How could I do such a thing? I gave her my word, but here I am, planning on backstabbing her without her even knowing it.
I shake my head. I'm getting over myself. Kasumi would understand. If anyone would, it would be her.
"We here, pig boy." Shampoo interrupts my thoughts.
I look up at her and see the open door to the outside. With this I can leave, but... "There's something else, Shampoo." Wait, what the hell am I doing?
"Yes? What pig boy need?"
"Please... Take me to the Tendo dojo." What the fuck am I saying? First I leave there, and now I want to come back? Sometimes I wish I could beat some sense into myself. Is my desire to see her that strong? Do I want to apologize that badly? Going there now would only put her in danger; what will I do if something happens to her? I find these questions replaying themselves in my mind. I want to stop myself, but my body moves on its own. It follows my emotions, ignoring all logic, without my consent. This is unbelievable.
"Hmm... Well, Shampoo already finish with work, so Shampoo guess is okay to go see airen!" Shampoo seems excited. I don't care about that, though. Shampoo starts shouting at the location we came from. "Shampoo go visit airen! Be back after a while!"
"All right, Shampoo! Be careful!" Cologne's voice came back at us. And so we leave.
Few words are exchanged along the way. There isn't much to be said anyway, which is good; I'd rather not speak right now. The sound of the light nighttime breeze is enough. I smile dreamily as I walk behind Shampoo. My heart seems to beat faster with each passing step. This is called excitement, something I'm all too familiar with. As for why I am so excited, I don't know. All I know is that Kasumi is the cause of my excitement. But why? I wish to know the answer to that. I feel like I'm possessed by something. It moves me like a puppet to go see her. I can only admit that I am attracted to her somehow. I never felt much towards her, but now all of a sudden, she feels valuable. What horrible timing. Whatever it is that I'm experiencing, why couldn't it happen before? Of all times for this to happen...
As I keep walking behind Shampoo, I feel my heart ache more so with each passing step. This is called sadness. I'm very familiar with this as well. The fact that I'm going to say "no" to Kasumi makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. I hate myself for attempting to do it. How would she react? She's going to hate me, won't she? After what I told her earlier, why won't she? I feel horrible.
I look at the full moon and I sigh at it all. Unfortunately, sighing won't solve my problems. I have a lot more to worry about right now.
"We here!" Shampoo suddenly stops. I look beyond her body and see the gates leading to the dojo. Ignoring me, Shampoo rushes towards the house.
"Might as well get this over with." I still can't believe I've come back here with my own accord. Looking at the gates makes me want to run away. I shouldn't be here. My life here has ended the moment he declared his arrival. Despite myself I walk towards it. Just a little bit. I only need little time to finish my business here and I'll be off. I try to reassure myself, but I still feel slightly nervous.
I walk through the gates and stand in front of the door. For a moment, I think whether to knock on the door or not. I decide not to and rudely barge in like I owned the place.
Once inside, I hear the shouts of Ranma and Shampoo arguing. Needing someone to speak to, I follow the voices carefully as not to get lost. I can't afford to get lost now. I finally find myself back in the living room. Despite standing there at the entrance, nobody seems to notice my presence.
In the room, I see Ranma getting crushed into one of Shampoo's hugs on the floor. Akane-san was there, too, looking ready to sink Ranma deeper into the ground. There were also Ranma's father and Tendo-san, playing a game of shougi at their usual spot. The room gives off a lively atmosphere. Looking at it makes me feel depressed. To think that I won't see this scene again...
"Hello." I speak up, causing everyone to look at me. I see the shougi players wave at me briefly in greeting before returning to their game.
"Ryouga-kun!" Akane-san's twisted angry face changes to a smiling one when she sees me. "Hi! When did you come in?"
"Just now." I answer her. I try to smile back at her. I don't think I succeed at making a pleasant smile, though.
Akane-san frowns and says, "Ryouga-kun... You look pale. Are you feeling all right?" She sounds concerned.
"I'm fine." I avert my gaze away from her. Looking at her pains me and I can't bear it.
"Oh, hey, Ryouga!" I find Saotome standing in front of me. "You're back, I see..." Ranma snickers, much to my annoyance. "What happened to all the serious talk a while ago? I guess it was just that; just talk, eh?"
"Shut up, Saotome." I growl at him. "I have business here."
"Oh yeah? Like what?" Ranma gets interrupted with a punch in the stomach. "Argh!"
"Lay off, jerk!" Akane-san scolds him. "Go back to your bimbo for all I care!" She returns her smiling face back to me and asks, "So what did you want, Ryouga-kun?"
"Um, well... Is Kasumi around?" Akane-san's face changes for moment as I ask this. "I need to speak with her." I add.
"Yes, she's here, but..." Akane-san looks a bit confused, probably because of my question. "Kasumi is taking a bath right now."
Fuck. Just my luck...
"What do you want with her anyway, pork butt?" Ranma asks after recovering from his beating.
"That's none of your business, Saotome!" I glare at him. "Piss off, jerk!"
Ranma smiles mischievously before his next words. Ranma puts his hand into his pockets while showing me his stupid grin and tells me, "Hey, you aren't two-timing by any chance, are you?"
I get angry at his words. I don't know why, but that seriously pisses me off. I'm actually shaking in rage from my spot.
"Huh? What?" Akane-san exchanges looks between Ranma and I, seemingly confused.
"So I was right, eh?" Ranma says as he notices my reaction.
"Fuck you, Ranma!" I shout and jump at him with a punch. Unfortunately, he avoids my strike with ease. I stumble for a bit before looking back at him, confused. To be honest, I'm not really in that good of a shape to fight. I still have a horrible headache that seems to get worse each passing minute.
"Damn, did you get slower, Ryouga? It's almost like you were moving in slow motion." Ranma laughs at my state. This does nothing but infuriate me even further despite my aching head.
"Ranma! Stop picking on him!" Akane-san sends another punch at Ranma, which he simply ducks under.
"Hey, lay off, Akane. I need my fun." Ranma tells her in annoyance. I see an opening while he's distracted and lung at him.
"DIE, SAOTOME!" Damn, I really shouldn't shout too loud; it makes my head spin. It doesn't help my head any better that Ranma somehow saw it coming.
"Whoa! That was close." Ranma sidesteps my blow. "You're too sloppy!" Ranma grabs my arm and throws me outside towards the pond. Normally, I'd straighten myself before collision, but this time I land head first next to the pond. I'm lucky I didn't fall into it.
I clutch my head and slowly get up from the ground. I see Ranma coming to join me under the moonlight. Ranma's image slightly blurs for a moment and I realize that I'm in no shape to be fighting a one-sided battle with Ranma. But I don't give a damn. I'd die before giving in to that arrogant bastard.
"Man... I almost feel like I'm bullying you." Ranma crosses his arms, smirking. "You're too weak. What, did you spend too much energy trying to get here?"
"Shut up!" Blinded by anger, I resume my one-sided battle with him. I throw punches, I throw kicks, but they are all out of rhythm and Ranma easily avoids them with little to no effort. It's as if he's not even trying.
"Man, this is boring." Ranma gets fed up and kicks me in the stomach, knocking the breath out of me. Before I could recover, he follows with a roundhouse kick to my face, knocking me backwards and into the ground.
"Ranma! Stop it!" Akane's distraught voice reaches my ears as I sit up. Is she concerned about me?
I groan and stand up. Impossible... That concern is not real. It must be not real, because I am not real. I am not the person she knows. I am just an illusion. An image that will disappear, that is what I am.
In an instant my world changes. Ranma is gone, the Tendo home is gone. All I see is the pitch black darkness. A dark world with me as its king. I look down at my hands finding it covered with blood. The amount is frightening; droplets of blood keep falling from my hand. It make matters worse, it is not my own. I look below my hands and to the ground, finding a small girl drowning in a pool of her own blood. It seems like she left this world with a look of horror on her face. I recognize the face... This girl, she's my...
I smile despite my feelings of horror. The smile transforms into small chuckles, and it doesn't take long for it to turn into full blown laughter. I laugh my heart out. And it feels good! This feels great!
"No! Stop it!" My voice echoes in my head as my dark kingdom shatters, returning me to the real world. I gasp frantically, looking around. I see Ranma, Shampoo, and the Tendos looking at me with worried looks.
"Yo, man. You okay?" I turn my head towards Ranma. His voice doesn't seem clear, it sounds distorted. "You were spacing out there." Ranma steps forward.
"Get away from me!" I shout and step backwards carelessly causing me to trip and fall. I hide my face my hands. I can't bear to see their faces. But the feel of their eyes on me doesn't feel any better. I feel myself trembling again. I feel fear again. "It wasn't me! I didn't do it! He did it! It wasn't me..." I blurt some nonsense in a loud voice. I can't think straight. All I feel is fear and the wetness on my hands. I am crying again... I am tainting myself with my weakness.
"Ryouga? Are you all right?" Ranma's shocked voice somehow reaches my ears.
My trembling comes to a sudden stop. Standing up, I calmly wipe my tears away. Finally, I look at Ranma. "Hello, Ranma." I chuckle. This is magnificent. I feel so good, so free. I breathe some nice fresh oxygen into my lungs.
"What?" Ranma looks taken aback at my greeting. I just smile at him. It's expected of him to be confused.
"You know, that wasn't a very nice thing to do, Ranma." I calmly speak to him. "I mean, I wasn't in a very good shape, was I? Besides, he isn't strong enough to fight in a state like that and you know it."
"What the hell are you talking about?" Ranma seems to get annoyed.
"Isn't it obvious? I'm talking about your incompetence as a martial artist. I hate weaklings like you." I chuckle.
"What did you call me, Ryouga? You want another beating?" Ranma takes a stance.
"Sorry, but I'm not interested in weak morons like you." I put my hands into my pockets and walk away.
"Ryouga, you... I'll show you who's weak!" I smile at the sound of Ranma rushing towards me. Ranma gets close enough and throw a few hundred punches at me, but I leave him there attacking an after image as I stare at his unprotected back.
Ranma stops as he realizes he's hitting nothing but air. However, before he could even turn, I kick him at his side and send sprawling some distance away on the ground. I could easily hear the sounds of some bones breaking when I kicked him.
Writhing in pain, he looks at my smiling face with total shock. "H-how...?"
"That must have hurt your fragile body quite a bit." I walk slowly towards him. I grab him by his hair and lift him until he could see my face. "Too bad for you, Ranma, I am not as weak as him. Personally, I can't believe you were so much trouble for him." I laugh at Ranma's confused look. "Oh, well. It doesn't matter much. You'll die here anyway." I punch him in the face making him fly into the air for moments and fall violently. I briefly wonder how many of his bones I've broken so far.
"Ranma!" I hear a familiar female voice. I look and see Akane running towards her fallen fiancé. It doesn't take long for Shampoo to recover from her shock and join her.
I walk towards Ranma's tattered body and the girls. "Akane..." I look at the woman who has stolen my heart.
"Ryouga! What are you doing?" She bursts into tears and buries her face into Ranma's body. "Ranma!"
I turn to Ranma and see that he's still breathing. Not bad... "Step aside, Akane. I'm not done with him yet. I'll show him what it's like to mess with me."
"Pig boy... Shampoo kill you!" Shampoo stands between us. A remarkable action. Too bad she won't live to tell the tale of opposing me. She jumps at me, but before she could do anything, she finds her face getting crushed within my grip. Shampoo yells in agony as I shatter her cheeck bones. Her face is small, so my hand can easily access to most for her vital bones. I break the sides of her chin next. She screams, but it must be getting painful even to do that.
"Ryouga, you fucking bastard..." I stop from tormenting Shampoo for a moment and look at Ranma. He woke up, that was quick. I smile and dispose of Shampoo without giving her the final blow. I leave her limp body on the ground and face Ranma. There's no need to waste my time on her with Ranma around.
"Hey, Ranma. Glad you could join us again." I ignore Akane and reach out to Ranma.
"That's enough, boy!" I stop and turn. Genma and Soun stand there facing me, looking quite... displeased.
"This is between Ranma and I." I tell them calmly. "Stay out of it, unless you want to suffer that same fate as Shampoo."
The two older men look at each other before coming at me at once. I sigh and have them lie on the ground all the while staining it with their blood. They couldn't even see my movement as I slashed them with my chi-infused bandanna.
"Morons." I leave them there to die from blood loss and head back to Ranma. To my disappointment, he's still lying there with Akane.
"Pop!" Ranma looks at me with pure rage as I near him. "Ryouga, you son of a bitch! Why are you doing this?"
I look at Akane while answering him. She must have gone into shock seeing her own father like that. "You still don't get it?" I brush Akane's head softly with my hands. "You should know by now that I am not him."
"What the fuck do you mean?" Ranma asks again.
"I am a monster. He just denies it. He refuses to believe that he's not human." I look back at Ranma. "Unlike him, I have no qualms against killing in order to win."
Ranma looks at me in horror.
I chuckle and ask, "Do you get it now?"
"I'm going to kill you, Ryouga..." Ranma looks angry again. He probably didn't get most of what I said.
I laugh at Ranma's words. "No. Actually, you're going to die here." I grab Ranma by the neck and raise his limp body to my level. "Die, Saotome."
An icy scream stops me from my next action. "Ryouga-kun?"
I drop Ranma and see Kasumi standing by the house. She's shaking with a shocked face. "Oh, Kasumi-san..." I feel a strong desire when I see her. The desire to... have her.
"What's going on?" Kasumi seems like she might start crying at any moment. She looks quite scared. Well, with all those bloody and broken bodies on the ground, who wouldn't?
I take one step towards her, but then I drop to my knees, my hands on my throat. "Of all times..." I gasp for some air.
"Ryouga-kun! Are you okay?" Kasumi gets closer to me.
"Kasumi! Get away from him!" Ranma shouts with all his power.
"Ranma? What happened to you? Oh...!" Kasumi finally broke down and her tears flowed.
I'm barely aware of what's going on around me. A burning sensation at my throat is stopping me from thinking properly. An amazing thirst gets the best of me. I grab Kasumi and jump away over the rooftops of Nerima.
"AHH!" Kasumi screams at my sudden action.
"Kasumi! DAMMIT!" Ranma struggles to move, but he remains there on his spot.
I drop to an alleyway hidden from the view of people.
I keep Kasumi into a tight embrace. My hot breath tickles her beautiful neck.
"Ryouga-kun, what are...?" I hold her face and silence her with a kiss. "Ummph!"
To my surprise, she doesn't resist and I find myself exploring her mouth with my tongue. My body does its job naturally; it discards what my mind wants it to do. With my mind out of the picture, I continue to violate her mouth. It only lasts for a few seconds, and I unlock my mouth from hers, leaving her gasping for breath.
"Ryou-" I kiss her neck and she quiets. I stay there for a moment and then force my fangs into her neck, drawing some blood. "Ah! What...?" Kasumi doesn't have the time to look shocked and tries to scream.
I hold Kasumi tight and continue to suck the life out of her. Kasumi's taste is glorious. I'm having my best meal in years. I finally understand my sudden attraction towards her. It becomes clear to me like the sun on a cloudless day.
Kasumi's warm body gradually turns cold as I devour her.
I finish and open my eyes. Kasumi's now lifeless body is in my arms... I look at her face and weep. I cry like I have never before. I hug her tightly, but gently, and freely let out my loud sobs. My body trembles from sadness. Sadness that I am familiar with. Sadness that I didn't want to experience again. It came back to me. This time, however, it rains like it never has before. Tears fall, sweat falls, and even her blood falls from my mouth.
It was all his fault.
And so I scream in frustration, sadness, and agony... A scream that splits the town in half.
It was all my fault.
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To be continued...
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Author's Notes:
Ah, now where shall I begin?
I first got this idea some time in August. I told myself, "What if Ryouga had a sister?" Since then, I started playing around with the idea of Ryouga's past, and I somehow decided to turn it into a Fate/stay night and Tsukihime crossover.
The dark theme of this story proved to be quite a challenge. This is my first darkfic, you see. It took me some time to complete this chapter and I hope the process would be shorter next time. ;
Both Fate and Tsukihime are Japanese visual novels. I decided to make it so that knowledge of them wasn't necessary in order to enjoy this story. I highly recommend reading them though if you can read Japanese! Tsukihime has an anime and a manga series, Fate will be getting one some time next year.
Anyway, more things will be explained about Ryouga the next chapter. I won't say much, but Nerima won't be fond of Ryouga anymore, and several people would try to do some horrible things to him. Please look forward to it.
Now that I finished with this story, I can work on other things that need some attention.