Things are going slow in the new story I am making. I am on the third chapter, but given that my last few stories haven't been going much past the third chapter, I thought it would be a good idea if I got done with at least ten chapters before I decided that I would post. Reason being for this is that I wanted to make sure I wouldn't lose my motivation for writing the piece. So far it's looking good. I can give you a quick synopsis of it:
Ryoga finds a traveling companion Ranma Saotome, a prince seeking the hand in marriage of the princess of a neighboring country. With the country in its current state of debt, the country's future is weighing in the balance. Watch as these two old time friends run into pressing difficulties in an exciting adventure to Arcana, a small, but wealthy nation to the West.
I dunno if you like the synopsis or not, but that pretty much sums up my new story so far. Anywho, I got bored and I wanted to make yet another 1-shot. I'm going to go for a bit of a darker one, as I'm not quite in the mood for a fluffy story at the moment, but I bet it will become fluffy real quickly. Just because that's how I get.
Ranma: What do ya mean fluffy, oyaji?
thechilldude: Uhh, Ranma we're the same age you know...?
Ranma: Oh sorry, I'm only used to old men screwing me over.
thechilldude: Oh don't be like that, it'll be fun, come on!
Ranma: since when was my ass getting raped considered fun?
Ryoga: Oh come on, don't be like that Ranma-chan. *dumps a bucket of cold water onto Ranma*
Ranma-chan: Don't look at me like that, it creeps me out.
thechilldude: Well it looks like the two of them are indisposed of for the time being, but we can't allow that for very long, now can we?
Disclaimer: The series Ranma 1/2 and its cast is written and owned by Rumiko Takahashi. This piece of fanfiction shall be in no way shape or form used for the purpose of selling or distributing over the internet, counter, or anywhere else. This piece of fanfiction shall solely be used for the entertainment of the series' fans and fans of the Ranma-chan/Ryoga pairing.
Ranma-chan: What the hell? A disclaimer? I'm not a part of some fiction!
thechilldude: Don't worry, Ranma, we all know you're real. ;)
Now on with the one-shot!
The Tendo residence was void of practically all forms of life. A quiet draft emanating from a vent echoed down the house's protective walls, but other than that, it was completely and utterly quiet. Too quiet. An unusual circumstance for the normally lively household.
Two souls stared each other down as they sat across each other at the table in that house. Deadly glares were given to each of them, but so far neither one backed down. Their mouths were turned downward in a scornful frown. Their hands rested on the table, curled tightly into fists. Breaths were held in place.
"Ranma..." Ryoga said. For once he didn't know where to go with this. It was always so easy to just rush into things, to take action and worry about the consequences later. But not this time.
Ranma hissed and broke eye contact. He leaned his chin in the palm of one of his hands, placing his elbow on the table, and he rolled his eyes. This was going to be a long night, he could already tell. "I'm sorry...Just forget I said anything, alright?"
Ryoga shook his head violently and struck the table with his fist. "I'm not going to just forget this, Ranma! It's your fault, and you know it! And saying sorry is not going to make up for something like this."
Ranna choked back a sob as tears came to his eyes. He backed into the wall behind him and assumed a fetal position. His eyes fell to the floor, and he took quite a sudden interest in the small stain on the floor. His voice was broken up as he said, almost in a whimper, "Don't you think I know that?"
Ryoga relented his verbal assault, sighing frustratedly. "Ranma...what's gotten into you? You're not the same person used to I know. You were always so cheerful and confident. Look at you right now. Does a 'man amongst men' cry as you do?"
"Shut up! What do you know?"
Ryoga looked into Ranma's eyes. They looked utterly lifeless. Just how depressed could this guy be? Even on the worst of days, Ryoga wasn't nearly this depressed. He sighed and rubbed his temples. Getting up from where he was, he began to walk towards the front door. He couldn't stand seeing Ranma like that for another moment. "Fine, be that way. But if you change your mind and decide to tell me what's been bothering you this past month, you know where I'll be."
Ranma waited until Ryoga was out the door before breaking down crying.
As Ryoga walked along the side of the street, there were a lot of things on his mind. Like what could possibly be bothering Ranma this time. He had had three fiancees; yet he wasn't content with any one of those girls. But each one of those girls was beautiful in their own way! Who in their right mind could be sad in that kind of situation?
And what about Akane? Where was she now? Everyone was out searching for her, but ever since the school festival, she's been missing. That was two weeks ago. There must have been some reason for her disappearance. He blamed Ranma for her disappearance, and this time it looks as if Ranma wasn't going to deny his fault. But Ryoga couldn't help but get this nagging feeling that there was more to this than what it seeemed.
Ryoga came to a dead stop. The park was a tranquil place in the night; it certainly beat being at the Tendo residence at that moment. Ryoga groaned irritably and tried to get Ranma out of his head, but he was unable to do so. 'Why can't I get him out of my head.'
Hearing someone walk up to him, Ryoga turned his head to greet the newcomer. With one look in the person's direction, Ryoga could tell that it was Nabiki Tendo. "Hello Nabiki. I guess you all had about as much luck as you usually do?"
"Actually," Nabiki said with a firm stare at Ryoga, "We found her, but you won't like the news."
Instinctively, Ryoga gulped. He didn't think he could deal with anymore bad news, but he hesitantly replied, "Why...? What is it? Is Akane alright?"
Nabiki frowned, shaking her head. "She's alive, but she's at the hospital, in a critical condition. She might not make it through the night. They think it was attempted suicide." Her eyes looked downcast. It was evident that she was very worried for her sister.
Ryoga didn't know what to say. He had loved Akane for as long as he could remember. Ever since he found his way into Nerima, ever since he had laid eyes on her, he had believed that he loved her with every fiber of his being. But right now, he was more worried about her health as a friend than anything else. The thought of being alone in the world again was the last thing that was on his mind that night.
Staring into Nabiki's eyes, he was reminded of all of the pain and suffering everyone has been dealing with these past few weeks. It didn't seem like anyone was unaffected by this development. Ryoga put a shaking hand to his face and asked, "Where did it all go wrong...? Tell me, what is happening?"
"I don't know, Hibiki-san, I don't know..." Nabiki said forlornly. "Come on, let's go see Akane. It might be the last time you get to see her, lover boy." Somehow, that nickname didn't feel right.
Ryoga was staring at the ghost of Akane Tendo. She was so white that Ryoga almost couldn't tell that she was still among the living. The doctors had said that they did everything they could do for her, but even doctors had were limited in their abilities. They patched up her wounds and gave her blood transfusions, but she still lost a lot of blood. It was a miracle that she even made it out of ther alive.
The others had made their way into the small white room as well. There was Ranma's father, Genma Saotome, Akane's father, Soun Tendo, Akane's sisters Nabiki Tendo and Kasumi Tendo, and last but not least the grand master Happosai.
Immediately upon seeing the appearance of a hurt Akane, Happosai broke down into tears, proclaiming to the heavens, "Why?" Over and over again, he cried, but he didn't cease until Genma bonked him on the head, thus temporarily ending his crying fit.
"What drove you to do this, daughter...? Why did you try to take your own life?" Soun asked the sleeping girl. Ryoga sighed, swallowing his own saliva; his mouth was dry, his throat was coarse from all the yelling he did earlier on in the evening. There was nothing that he could say to make any one of them feel any better.
And why did he feel as if he was the one responsible? It was all that damn Saotome's fault! But even so, there must have been something more to it. There just had to be.
Ryoga was taken by surprise when Genma bowed to his friend. "I apologize, my friend. the Saotome family has disgraced your daughter. We are dishonerable, and we shall leave the Tendo residence this very evening!"
Turning to the head of the Tendo residence, Ryoga could see the seething anger in Soun's aura. His balled fists were shaking, turning white from being balled so tightly. The man had a cold stare in his eye, but never once did he avert his sight away from his precious daughter. "Yes, you shall." He said simply, holding in his rage. "And their engagement is off."
"Hai," Genma said without hesitation. It seemed as if he prepared for the worst.
Feeling the air around him to be a bit too tense, Ryoga excused himself from the room and stepped out for some fresh air. His walk was short and brisk; he didn't want to get himself lost. It had taken him everything he had to find the park and then the hospital as well. It seemed that all that time he spent trying to memorize the routes of the important places within Nerima were finally starting to pay off. At least there was one positive outlook tonight. Ryoga laughed bitterly; it didn't seem so positive right at the moment.
It didn't take long for all of Akane's visitors to begin walking out into the cold night, towards the Tendo residence. Ryoga could practically feel the angry auras emanating from Genma and Soun both. Subconsciously, Ryoga held his breath until they were out of eyesight.
Happosai lagged behind, having taken his time to secure himself some of his precious delights from all the nurses within the hospital. He had a bundle of panties and bras piled up in his arms as he walked out the door. He was excited to have gotten so many articles of clothing from the hospital in so short amount of time. However, as he walked up to Ryoga, he seemed to revert to a more serious mood. "Akane will be alright once she heals. Those doctors did a good job operating on her."
Ryoga continued staring at where the rest of the group had gone off to, unable to pry his eyes away. "You know, this may sound strange coming from me, but Akane isn't the one I'm most worried about right now."
Ryoga had decided to stay back and watch over Akane for a little longer. Happosai told him that the Tendos would most likely return shortly, after they were finished kicking the Saotome's out of their household. Ryoga should have been delighted that Ranma would no longer be in between him and Akane. Yet, somehow, he didn't feel any more special than before. The whole ordeal just left him with this bitterness that he just couldn't get over.
The memory of Ranma's sad eyes flashed in his head, interrupting his thoughts. He felt a pang in his heart. Why had Ranma looked so defeated back then? If he knew he'd done something wrong, then why didn't he go out into the world, searching for Akane, and making amends with everything? This just wasn't like Ranma at all; Ryoga wanted to know the truth behind it all, but the only person besides Ranma that could tell him anything was laying right in front of him, unconscious and fighting for her life.
He gripped roughly onto the seams of his pants. He didn't know how much he could handle standing in the dark about this; he was literally at the end of his chair in anticipation. His desire to know the truth would not quell. He was worried, dammit! 'Ranma...Why can't I get you out of my head?' There was that pang in his chest again.
Images of them sparring in the school came flooding into his mind suddenly. Ranma had buckets of water in his hand, and he was mostly just ducking and jumping out of the way of Ryoga's attacks. And then came their fall. Ryoga slipped on a small puddle of water and fell forward, bumping into Ranma. He and Ranma were sprawled out on the floor, with Ryoga on top, but the most surprising of it all was that their mouths were pressed closely together.
Ryoga and Ranma were so shocked by the development that neither one of them had the strength to move away. Ryoga put his hand to his lips as he remembered what went on in his mind at the time. Instead of pulling away, like he had intended to, he pressed his lips closer against Ranma's, completing the kiss. It was brief, an accident to which Ryoga quickly ammended by quickly pulling away, however the damage had already been done. Ryoga could clearly tell that Ranma was breathing ever so quicker, and he was blushing.
Ryoga's lips suddenly tingled again, remembering the feeling of Ranma's warm lips pressed against his own. Ryoga clenched his eyes shut and willed the memories away. Growling, he cried, "Why am I thinking about that at a time like this?"
Abruptly, the sound of a low moan filtered into Ryoga's ears, and he fell quiet. His eyes immediately turned to Akane, who appeared to be just awakening from her unconscious state. "Akane..." Ryoga drawled. Akane slowly became aware of Ryoga's presence and regarded him with a nod.
Ryoga sat back down at the chair next to her bed, and he held out a hand, taking hers. "Akane, how are you feeling?"
"...Ryoga...I...I guess I failed." Akane said shortly.
"Akane, what did Ranma say to you that made you want to run away from home and commit suicide?" Ryoga asked.
Akane just stared in Ryoga's direction, almost lifelessly for a moment, before replying, "It's that strange, huh? Don't...blame Ranma, it's not his fault at all...It's all his father's fault, for being so narrow minded."
"But why?" Ryoga demanded. "What has he done?"
Akane smiled weakly, and when she spoke, it was very softly. "I...I don't think he meant to, but he twisted Ranma's beliefs to justify his reasoning for the way he brought him up. And he broke him. Why do you think he goes to see a pyschologist every week now?"
"What?" Ryoga said dumbly. Ranma going to see a psychologist? This was news to him.
"Every day, ever since Ranma first set out on his journey with his father, he's been pounding into Ranma's head that women are weak. What did you think would happen if he suddenly got a curse that turned him into a girl? The curse has forced him to change his outlook on life, slowly, over the past few years. Everyone's noticed Ranma's change in attitude this past year. Everyone except his father, of course. And still, that father of his keeps going on and on about how weak girls can be." Akane explained.
"Where are you going with this?" Ryoga asked.
"Ranma told me his feelings. He's as much a girl as he is a guy, and now that he's established that in his mind, its impossible for him to continue on with the way things are. Saotome-san is so hard-pressed to making Ranma into 'a man among men' that he's forgotten that Ranma is a person whose feelings can be hurt just as easily as anyone else's.
"Ranma's struggling, Ryoga. He's struggling to find peace with himself, and he's trying to piece himself back together. And this engagement of ours isn't helping matters at all." Akane finished. She had her eyes closed, mulling over everything that's happened as of late.
"Then why didn't you guys just break off the engagement then?" Ryoga asked. This whole situation seemed to be spiraling out of control. Ranma may not have been at fault, but if something wasn't done, and quick, then Ranma could be scarred for life. He may even try to take his life, and it was highly unlikely that they'd be as lucky as they were with Akane.
"If only it were that easy," Akane responded morbidly. A stray tear fell down her cheek. "Our fathers wouldn't have allowed it. The joining of our schools is the only thing that matters to them. Since Ranma is a man, or supposed to be one at the very least, the importance of his feelings pales in comparison to our schools being joined together. It seemed as if nothing we did or said would have any affect on the engagement.
"That was when I got to thinking..." Akane stopped herself short. She bit her lip as she struggled with continuing her story. "If I take my life, then they've got no choice but to call off the engagement. They can't force Ranma to marry a dead woman."
Ryoga stared at Akane, shocked beyond all belief. "You'd..you would do that for Ranma?"
"All that and more, if I could." Akane said without hesitation. It appeared as if she was straining to speak at this point. "I love Ranma more than anything. And as much as I would like to comfort him by his side, romance isn't something that he needs right now. What he needs is freedom. I had hoped that the engagement was cut off, then Ranma wouldn't be forced into another silly engagement. His father might have even disowned him. Granted, Ranma would be really depressed for a while, but at least he'd have his freedom."
Ryoga deflated. Desperation could be heard in his voice as he said, "Yeah, he may have had his freedom, but he'd be all alone. What would have kept him from committing suicide as well?"
"I...I didn't think of that," Akane said worriedly. "I...Oh my, what have I done..? I can't go to him and fix any of this. I fear now that I have only made things worse." She used all her strength in order to turn to Ryoga and look him in the eye. "Please, I beg of you to go to him. Be there for him, because I cannot be. I don't have much strength left, and sleep is calling me."
"I...Don't worry Akane, I'll go to him. I only pray that it's not too late. You just have your rest and leave the rest to me." Ryoga said. He squeezed her hand in reassurance. She smiled weakly before exhaustion pulled her away from the conscious world. A moment later, Ryoga was out the door, running as fast as his feet would take him.
And his feet took him far. However, Ryoga wasn't really sure that his feet were taking him in the right direction. He cursed under his breath, frustration mounting as he desperately tried to get to Ranma. "Come on, don't do this on me now! Not when Ranma needs me!" That painful tug at his heart emerged again, reminding him of his unwanted emotions. He tried to repress them, but to no avail. All he could do was keep running and hope everything would resolve itself when he got there.
As Ryoga ran down the streets, he passed by an old man, nearly running into him. The guy turned back toward him, raising his cane, and yelling at the top of his lungs, "Hey, you brat! Watch where you're running!"
"Sorry sir!" Ryoga cried over his back, not bothering to turn around and apologize properly. He couldn't afford to waste any time now, not when his Ranma-chan was hurting badly. He picked up speed once he realized that he recognized the area very well. He was close to the Tendo household. If he was lucky, he would be able to catch the Saotome's, or at least Ranma. He could care less about his father right at the moment.
When he made it to the front gates of the Tendo household, he leaned forward and gasped for breath. He had been running at top speed for the past twenty minutes or so and he couldn't help but take a breather before checking to see if Ranma was still there.
Then he heard their voices. first it was Soun's that pierced his ears. "My daughter nearly died!" Genma's voice came shortly after that. "You ungrateful girl! You're a disgrace to the Saotome family, and you've dishonored the Tendo family!"
"I didn't mean to!" cried Ranma. She came storming out of the house, in girl form, crying. As Ryoga saw her, in this state of distress, he could feel his heart breaking. 'No...Ranma!' Ryoga screamed in his mind.
"Like hell you didn't mean to! You broke Akane's heart and the engagement! Why else would Akane have tried to kill herself?" Genma roared as he came out after her. He had the meanest glare Ryoga had ever seen worn on anyone. He had seen many scary things in his life, but they all paled in comparison to Genma's wrath. It was crazy scary.
"I don't know! I never wanted her to go and do that, but I didn't hurt her feelings, you gotta believe me!" Ranma shouted as she felt herself losing grip in this argument. "I just told her how I felt about my curse and then she ran off!"
Suddenly Ranma was struck down by a violent punch. "Oh, you're starting on about that again, huh? How many times do I have to tell you that your mother will make us commit seppuku if she finds out about your curse? Do you want that? Huh?"
"No, I don't!" Ranma cried. The tears that flowed down her face didn't seem like they would fade anytime soon.
Genma growled at his son-turned-daughter. "Get out of here...I can't stand the sight of your face!" As Ranma turned and began running away, bawling her eyes out, Genma yelled out to her. "No weak girl of mine deserves to be called a Saotome!" He then turned his head, finally noticing that Ryoga was there. "What do you want, you brat? Beat it!" His voice sounded hoarse, but Ryoga could care less. He gave him the hardest glare he could and ran after Ranma.
"Ranma! Wait up!" Ryoga called out to his friend as he slowly caught up. His friend sure ran fast. If he wasn't motivated enough, then he woul never be able to catch up with her. "I just wanna talk!" He had been running for quite some time now, but he wouldn't be able to keep this up much longer. His reserves were running low, and he felt exhausted. But he didn't dare give up now.
Ranma, on the other hand, didn't show any signs of slowing down any time soon. This concerned Ryoga, as he needed catch up to her as soon as possible. He wouldn't be able to deal with himself if Ranma took her own life because he didn't catch up to her. He knew that she needed someone right now, and that person turned out to be him. "Come on, I just wanna help you, Ranma! Ranma!"
The next few moments passed by in an instant as Ranma tripped over a rock and plummeted. She hadn't been aware of it because she had been too focused on everything else to pay attention to the road. However, she didn't expect Ryoga to catch up to her in time to stop her descent. He wrapped his arms around her and stopped her short of her fall.
Ranma looked up into Ryoga's caring eyes. His embrace was warm and comforting. She felt an emotion well up inside of her, an emotion that she was unfamiliar with. "Why are you doing this, Ryoga? I thought...I thought you hated me." Her crying suddenly halted.
"Oh, Ranma..." Ryoga said as his loving eyes looked into Ranma's bloodshot ones. "I don't hate you. I...Ranma I..." He suddenly couldn't find the words. He wasn't even sure what the words he was looking for were. He got lost in Ranma's eyes. He wanted so desperately to convey to her that he was there for her and that she could trust him. He closed the distance between her, intending to kiss her forehead.
Instead, his lips found their way onto hers, and he kissed her passionately. Her lips were moist and warm. He found her lips addicting, as he couldn't stop at one kiss. He had to kiss her a second and a third time. His stomach did flip-flops as his emotions ran high. Years of lonliness were catching up with him. He pulled Ranma closer to him, running his hands soothingly across her back.
At some point during their make-out session, Ranma closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around him. She didn't know what was coming over her, but she didn't resist Ryoga's advances; she accepted them with open arms. She could feel all the pain she had been holding in her chest for so long slowly become duller.
After what seemed like forever, they pulled apart. Ranma stared into Ryoga's eyes with a blush on her cheeks. "Ryo..Ryoga, I didn't know you felt that way about me." She didn't know what else to say; she wasn't expecting Ryoga to feel this way about her. A part of her thought that maybe Ryoga didn't expect it either.
"I didn't think I did either." Ryoga said softly, "But that's not my main concerns. I'm mainly worried about you. Akane told me everything that's been going on."
"I'm glad she's okay..." Ranma said, slightly nervous. Probably because less than half an hour ago she was chewed out by her father and Tendo-san for nearly killing her. "C-could I stay with you tonight? After tonight, I don't think I have anywhere else I can go."
"Sure thing, Ranma. Anything for you." Ranma's blush deepened at his words. Together, they walked back to Ryoga's house, with Ranma leading the way.
The next three days were pretty uneventful. During those days, Ranma was very quiet, but Ryoga didn't try to pry into her head too deep. What he wanted to do was take her mind off of everything, not make her suffer through it anymore. Upon her request on the first day, Ryoga had told Ranma everything he knew, from her mental problem to the reason Akane attempted suicide. He still didn't understand Genma's motivation for treating his son the way he did, but he caught a few snippets here and there, and he wasn't very happy with Ranma's father. After that, he pretty much laid off the whole ordeal altogether.
That morning, Ryoga found himself preparing eggs and bacon for breakfast. He cracked a few eggs and laid them out on the skillet. After turning on the burner, he went over to the fridge and pulled out a few strips of bacon. He stirred the eggs as they sizzled. After they were finished he replaced the eggs with the bacon, putting the eggs on a couple of clean plates.
It was around this time that Ranma walked in, yawning loudly. She was in girl form again that morning, but Ryoga suspected that was because she preferred to be one right now. Come to think of it, he hasn't seen her as a guy since he walked out on Ranma during their fight.
"Breakfast will be ready in a little bit." Ryoga said. Suddenly he found a pair of thin arms slither around his waist from behind. It startled him at first, but he quickly became acclimated to Ranma's warmth as she snuggled into his back. He let out a soft chuckle as he pulled his hands away from the skilled and covered Ranma's small hands with his own. "The bacon will burn," He teased her.
"Oh, I don't think I'll mind. It can't be as bad as Akane's cooking." Ranma responded. Neither one of them could contain their laughter as the bacon sizzled in delight. Ryoga gasped and quickly set off to work on the bacon, flipping it so that both sides could be properly cooked.
When the two of them had finally settled down, Ranma said, "Thank you, Ryoga. For everything. You're the best."
"Anything to see your smile again." Ryoga said sweetly. "And Ranma? I'm sorry that I had suspected you like the others that night. Truthfully, I was nothing more than an outsider until Akane filled me in."
"It's okay. I kind of suspected it was something along those lines. You're much too kind-hearted to be so cruel toward me." Ranma said.
Ryoga stopped in his proceedings with making breakfast to register Ranma's words. Finally, he chuckled and replied, "Yeah, I guess you're right." He turned around to face Ranma and pulled her into an embrace. He began kissing her passionately as he ran his hands up and down her back.
It was at this time that somebody barged into the house. "I thought I'd find you here, Ranma." Genma said as he stared at the couple. "So that is what this was all about. You were having an affair with this man weren't you?" By the end of his question, Genma was yelling at the top of his lungs. "You're nothing but a slut! A no good, dirty whore!"
Ranma and Ryoga broke away from one another, and they turned to face Genma. Ryoga stepped in front of Ranma defensively. "Don't you think you've caused enough damage already? Get out."
"Stay out of this, you brat. This is between me and my son." Genma said. "You have to go to Akane and apologize for what you've done. Afterward, we're going to tell your mother about your curse. You can't weasel your way out of this one, boy. You've brought it on yourself."
"It's not just between you and her anymore," Ryoga snapped. "You twisted Ranma's beliefs until he snapped inside. Ranma has been suffering so much because of what you did to her."
"What kind of bull crap have you been feeding him, Ranma?" Genma asked.
Before Ranma could say anything, Ryoga yelled, "He didn't feed me anything. It was Akane who told me all of this. Now get the fuck out of here before I call the cops on you for trespassing into my home.
Genma growled and said begrudgingly, "Fine. But don't think that this is over. My weak girl must atone for what she has done." He walked out of Ryoga's house and didn't look back.
Ryoga sighed in relief. The nightmare was over for the time being. Ryoga could already tell that his ties with Ranma's family were going to be a hard one to deal with. But all of it was worth it for his new girlfriend. He cared more for Ranma than he ever thought he could. "Thank god that's over with."
Suddenly, Ryoga could hear sobbing coming from behind him. He turned around to comfort Ranma, placing his arms around her. She broke the contact and said, "You didn't have to stand up for me. I know it's hard for you to understand, but even though he's so mean to me sometimes...I still love my father, Ryoga. I can't just turn my back to him like this."
"No..." Ryoga murmured. His mind immediately sprung to the worst-case scenario, that Ranma was contemplating on committing seppuku. "Y-you can't..."
Misinterpretting the meaning of Ryoga's statement, Ranma continued, "I need to think everything over for a bit. I need to see my psychologist and see what he says about this. I'll be back in a few days to sort everything out, I promise Ryo-kun." She leaned up and kissed Ryoga softly. "I'm sorry."
And just like that, she walked out of the house in much the same manner as her father did. Ryoga was left there standing by the kitchen cabinet, wondering what just happened. He blinked once. Twice. Then he said, "Uh...see you later, then?" Just then, he remembered that he was still cooking his bacon, and he turned around, growled into the air frustratedly, and yelled, "Now they're burnt!"
It was a few days later that Ranma returned, just as she promised. She looked much happier than she had leaving Ryoga's house, and while Ryoga wasn't too sure what exactly had happened in between now and then, he felt that he could smile a lot easier now that Ranma was feeling better.
Coming into the dining room with two cups of tea, he set them down and sat in his chair. He asked, "So, I trust things went well? You seem to be in a happy mood today."
"Yeah, I am actually." Ranma said as she took a sip of her tea. "When I left the other day, I was torn between fulfilling father's wishes and living out my life the way I wanted to. So I did the only thing I knew to do. I confronted my psychologist about it. He told me that it shouldn't matter what anyone else says. I shouldn't try to be someone I'm not, I can't help who I fall in love with, and no one besides myself can tell me what to do."
Ryoga nodded understandingly and replied, "Those are some pretty good values to walk away with. I'm glad you sorted everything out."
"I haven't sorted out everything yet." Ranma said. "I have to show daddy that he's wrong in his way of thinking. I'm certainly not weak just because I'm a girl sometimes, and he mustn't think girls are weak at all. In fact, there are many girls who are stronger than he is. If I needed to be a man among men in order to be strong, then that's not a strong enough philosophy. Instead, I should be a person among mankind. And I can set everything right with my honor in tact."
"Well, I guess we can't show him here, now can we?" Ryoga asked. "Come on, I'll be with you every step of the way."
Ranma did show her father just how wrong he was in his way of thinking, but she didn't stop there. She even went to the Tendo residence and apologized for her family's dishonor. Thanks to her apology and Akane's demand, Ranma has to make it up to the Tendo family by being the best friend she can be to Akane and her sisters.
Now there was just one last thing that she had to do before everything was set right. And in order for her to do that, Ranma had to revert back to her guy form. So after a splash of hot water, he and Ryoga stood side by side in front of his mother's abode. Ranma hesitated only for a few moments before he rang the doorbell.
It had been so many years since he had seen his mother in this form. He briefly wondered how she would take to his sudden arrival. He would find the answer to that question out soon, however, as Nodoka Saotome opened the door to see her son, whom she hadn't seen in so long, standing on her doorstep.
"Oh, Ranma, you're home!" She exclaimed, gathering him up in her arms and squeezing gently. "Oh, how I've missed you!"
"Uh, hello mother. I've missed you too." Ranma responded cautiously. At that moment, he was dreading what could possibly happen within the next few minutes. Either his mother was going to be very accepting of his curse, or she was going to get angry and make him commit seppuku. He looked over to Ryoga; at the very least, he had his boyfriend to help him out should things get a little sticky. "There's actually something that I need to talk to you about, mother. Could my friend and I come inside?"
"Sure thing. We can talk in there. Hello, what's your name?" Nodoka asked Ryoga as she held out her hand to him, to which he took.
"My name is Ryoga Hibiki, Mrs. Saotome." Ryoga said, introducing himself.
"Nice to meet you, come on in." Nodoka said. As the two of them entered, she watched her son with such glee. She was so happy to finally have her son back in her life, and now that he was here, there was nothing to tear her away from her son again.
As soon as Ranma entered his mother's abode, he made a bee-line for the kitchen. It wasn't hard to find since he could see it from the front door, and once he was in there, he didn't search for a cup for very long before finding one and filling it up with cool water. Before dumping it on his head, he turned back toward his mother, who was just now entering the kitchen with Ryoga following in suit.
"Do you remember the contract we made ten years ago?" Ranma asked. "Do you remember how I and my father would have to commit seppuku if it were unfulfilled?"
"Yeah, but why would we need to talk about the contract?" Nodoka questioned. She had a confused look set upon her face as she tried to discern where Ranma was going with this conversation. As soon as Ranma dumped the water on top of his head, however, she began to understand a little better. The cold water initiated a sex change that caused Ranma to become a very familiar red-headed girl. Nodoka gasped and exclaimed, "Is that you Ranma? And why do you look like Ranko?"
"That's because I am Ranko." Ranma said, "I obtained this curse on the training trip with dad at a place called Jusenkyo Springs. The curse causes me to become a girl whenever I come into contact with cold water, and I can revert back into a guy by coming into contact with warm water."
"But why didn't you tell me sooner?" Nodoka asked.
"Well, I would. However, dad was scared that he and I would have to commit seppuku because since I'm a girl half of the time, which would mean that I'm not exactly fulfilling my honor as a 'man among men'. This isn't something I can, or should, be keeping a secret from you, so I thought it best to tell you about this curse anyways."
"I'm glad you did," Nodoka said. She chuckled softly at the irony of this whole situation. "Leave it to my husband to screw things up."
"I know you won't...Wait, what?" Ranma asked.
"If I recall correctly, the exact words of the contract were 'honorable citizen' and not 'a man among men'. 'A man among men' was a phrase your father used when we first signed the contract. Though, at the time, I doubt he would ever in a million years imagine you one day becoming cursed to turn into a woman. We just wanted to you grow up into a respectful person, that's all."
"...Why do I not find this development surprising?" Ryoga intervened.
"You mean, I can be a girl sometimes if I want to?" Ranma asked uncertainly. This almost seemed to be too good to be true.
"Why, of course dear. This is a chance for you to explore certain things about the world in ways that not many people can. And I get to have the daughter I always wanted as well as my son!" Nodoka exclaimed. She seemed even happier than before, if that was possible.
"Well, that's a load off my chest." Ranma said. She smiled before she reminded herself of something else her mother needed to know. "Well, I guess this would be a good time to tell you that Ryoga and I are kind of dating?" Ranma asked, hoping that her mother would be accepting of their relationship.
Nodoka's eyes lit up as she said, "Oh, how wonderful for you two! I wish the both of you happiness in your relationship! Ranma, just remember to breastfeed your first child." She then began to sing and dance through the kitchen, all the while pumping her fists into the air excitedly. She murmured to herself, "I'm going to be a grandmother..."
The two teenagers immediately plummeted to the floor in surprise at both how accepting Ranma's mother was to their relationship as well as her random comment. Neither one of them were prepared for the life of parenthood just yet. Still, she really was much more understanding than Ranma's father made her out to be. "Th-thank you, mommy!" Ranma exclaimed with a bright smile on her face. This could possibly be the best day in her life.
"Come on, I think that this is a cause for all of us to go out to celebrate." Ryoga said, "Anyone up for the Neko Hanten?" There wasn't a complaint in the room as they all shuffled out of the door and headed for the restaurant.
And Ranma's life continued to get better from that day forward. She and her father were on speaking terms, she had Akane for a best friend, she had a loving mother that understood her, and she had an amazing boyfriend in her life.
A/N: Okay, so the change over from dark and moody to fluffy was kind of rough, and the romance in the middle probably wasn't up to your expectations, but I still had to write this one shot. I'm sorry that I didn't draw out the drama a little more. I kind of ran out of time, so...yeah. though I bet you weren't expecting the wording of the contract to be different. I thought the scenes of Ranma's confrontation with his mother, concerning his identity as a man, to be a little trite, so I went for humor. Hope you all got a kick out of that. I know Ryoga-kun did. Anyway, if you wanted me to extend any of the scenes out further because there wasn't enough or you felt the scene was a little rushed, you can tell me to do it at a later date. I just really wanted to get this one-shot out today, I've been working on it all day, and I just ran out of time. Anywho, if you haven't noticed by now, or if you haven't read my other one-shot 'Afternoon Hours', this one-shot is linked to that one-shot. Enough of you demanded it in the private messages, so I decided to write another one-shot, this time taking the story from Ryoga Hibiki's perspective. Let me know how you think it was in a review, alright? Oh, and if you motivate me enough, I may make another one-shot that is also linked with these two one-shots that is taking it from Ranma Saotome's perspective. I think that would also be interesting, as I can go into depth on how Ranma's mental problem first developed or what not. Though I think that would have to be the last one, because then there would pretty much be no gaps left to write about! Not to mention it would become very boring for me to write about the same thing over and over again. LOL!
There is one more thing that I thought you all would enjoy. I felt that the scene where Ryoga threatens Genma by calling the police on him to be a little weak, but I didn't really want to write out a fighting sequence in here because, well, fighting wasn't something I wanted to write about here. But, some of you probably weren't satisfied with the way that scene progressed, so I decided to write out an alternate ending. You might be wondering, well how would you write out an interesting alternate ending without creating some sort of fighting sequence between Ryoga and Genma? Well, to answer this question, I've been watching this one anime recently called Hell Girl, where this dead girl named Enma Ai fulfills victims' revenge by taking their tormentors straight to hell. For some reason, I thought that this would be so appropriate. (I can see those of you who are now cackling ;) you Genma haters). Just kidding. But anyways, on with the Alternate ending!
P.S. No, I don't hate Genma at all. This is just how the story turned out. lol.
It was late at night. Ryoga checked the clock on his computer. It read 11:59. Tomorrow it would be three days since the incident with Ranma's father. As soon as the clock struck 12:00, Ryoga refreshed the webpage on his desktop computer. A site popped into his view; a small fire lit up at the center of the screen. Ryoga read the words at the top of the screen carefully. "Hell...Correspondance." It said.
Slowly and carefully he wrote Genma Saotome into the text box just below the fire. He continued staring at the screen anxiously as he moved the cursor over the submit button. He hesitated for a moment; sweat-drops began running down his face, and his hand began shaking. Finally, he pressed submit, and that was that.
Ryoga immediately felt another soul in the room. He turned around cautiously. A short school girl with long black hair and red beady eyes stared back at him with an expressionless face. In her hand was a small straw doll. "This is for you." She said. She handed him the doll, and he looked down at it; wrapped around its neck was a fancy red string.
"My name is Ai," the school girl said, "If you truly wish revenge, just untie the scarlet thread from his neck. Pulling the thread binds you into a covenant with me. I will ferry your tormentor straight into the depths of hell. However, you will have to deliver your end of the bargain."
"On my end?" Ryoga inquired.
"When one person is cursed, two graves are dug. There always has to be a price, and so when you die, your soul will also belong to hell." Ai explained. "You will never know the joys of heaven. You will be left to wander in a world made of pain and agony for all of eternity."
Suddenly, Ai vanished without a trace. An echo resounded throughout the room as Ryoga stared down at the doll that was now in his hand. "And now, the choice is yours."
Ryoga slept on it, trying to weigh the pros and cons of sending Ranma's father to hell. So far, Ryoga was leaning towards sending Genma to hell. It didn't matter that his soul would belong to hell one day so long as Ranma would be happy. He lain on his bed with his hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling of his room. There was a chance that he wouldn't have to pull the string, though, if Genma just stayed out of their way. It wouldn't have to come to that, then, and he wouldn't have to worry about hell.
He got up from his bed, deciding that he should make him and Ranma some breakfast. He went downstairs, turned on the burner, and placed a skillet on top. He then browsed through his fridge's contents in search of some eggs and bacon. Finding what he needed, he shut the fridge door and cracked some eggs, placing their insides in the skillet. He then stirred the eggs.
Just then he felt his girlfriend's arms wrap around him. He immediately relaxed into them and said, "Good morning, Ranma."
Ranma murmured a quiet response before yawning. She snuggled into his back, basking in her boyfriend's warmth. "What are you making?" She asked.
"I'm just making us some eggs and bacon, that's all. Hope you like it." Ryoga said with a smirk.
"Well, I'd like anything that's not Akane's cooking." Ranma said jokingly. The two of them couldn't contain their laughter.
When they settled down, Ryoga said, "Ranma, you shouldn't joke like that." He then turned around and wrapped his arms around Ranma, kissing her passionately.
He was just about to put his tongue into her mouth when he heard someone barging into the house. "I thought I'd find you here, Ranma." Genma said as he stared at the couple. "So that is what this was all about. You were having an affair with this man weren't you?" By the end of his question, Genma was yelling at the top of his lungs. "You're nothing but a slut! A no good, dirty whore!"
Ranma and Ryoga broke away from one another, and they turned to face Genma. Ryoga stepped in front of Ranma defensively. "Don't you think you've caused enough damage already? Get out."
"Stay out of this, you brat. This is between me and my son." Genma said. "You have to go to Akane and apologize for what you've done. Afterward, we're going to tell your mother about your curse. You can't weasel your way out of this one, boy. You've brought it upon yourself."
"Didn't I just say get the fuck out of my house? I'm tired of the way you're treating Ranma. She doesn't deserve this!" Ryoga yelled. He reached into his pocket, wrapping his fingers around the doll in his pocket.
"Didn't I just tell you to stay out of this? This isn't any of your business! Ranma is my son, and he ain't no damn girl, so stop treating him like one!" Genma yelled. He rushed forward, slamming into Ryoga and knocking him aside. He then grabbed a hold of Ranma's wrist and began dragging her toward the door.
"No!" Ranma screamed, resisting him. However, no matter how much she resisted, she couldn't even slow her father down. The two of them were at the door by the time Ryoga got up and intervened him.
"Get out of the way, you damned brat!" Genma yelled at Ryoga, who was now standing in front of his own door. The young man held a doll in front of him, showing it to the old man. Genma began to snicker as he said, "Aren't you a little old to be playing with dolls?"
Ryoga glared at Genma as he growled, "I tried to warn you, but you didn't listen. You've left me with no choice." He reached for the string on the doll and pulled the scarlet threat. The thread fluttered into the air, and the doll vanished. A moment later, a booming voice said, "Your grievance shall be avenged!"
Genma glanced around as he desperately tried to discern where he was at. It was a dark place, and he could barely see in front of him. He finally found someone who closely resembled his son in female form. He ran up to the red-headed teenager and leaned down to her level. He shook her shoulder, and he was surprised to see her head fall off of her neck. A skull bounced onto the ground, facing him. It was at this time that Genma could see the sword plowed straight through Ranma's heart.
Terrified, Genma turned around and began running in the other direction. The only thing that was running through his mind at that moment was the fact that his dear Nodoka was making them fulfill their end of the bargain. Ranma wasn't able to become a man among men, so he had to commit seppuku.
This left Genma with no choice. He would have to flee the country and start a new life in the Americas. "New life here I come!" He proclaimed.
Two figures, whose backs were turned to him, were blocking his path. They turned around and the male said, "Where's the rush?"
The female said, "You should stay for a while, the party's just getting started."
As Genma continued running toward them, he had every intention to plow straight through them and continue running for his life. Just as he was almost on top of them, the ground underneath him gave away, and he suddenly found himself plummeting toward a giant pond below him. He widened his eyes, and he turned back to the two, who were now above him, for help. They simply waved their hands as he continued to fall into the lake.
"Why are you doing this?" He cried just before he was submerged into the pond. A second later, when he reemerged from the water, he was now in the form of a panda.
The male at the top of the cliff said, "Such a fitting curse of him, don't you think."
"Quite so," the female agreed.
A little girl suddenly appeared at the center of the lake, floating in mid air. She retrieved a giant ladle and began stirring the pond. Genma held out a sign to the girl saying, 'Help!' But the little girl only began to cackle evily as she stirred the pond even harder.
The water rapidly got hotter, and Genma reverted back to his man state. "My, such a man among men you turned out to be. You're asking a little girl for help!"
Genma looked down at the source of the voice, and he gasped when he saw that the entire pond now sported the face of an old man. "What's going on? Why is this happening to me?" By now the water was boiling, and it was litterly eating away at Genma's skin. He began to cry out in pain. "Dammit, Ranma, this is all your fault. If you hadn't told your mother, we wouldn't have had to die!"
"You heard the man, milady," the old man said.
Suddenly another girl, with long black hair and red beady eyes appeared before Genma and stared down at him. He stared back up at her with fright in his eyes. "Oh pitiful shadow lost in darkness, bringing torment and pain to others. Your damned soul wallowing in your sleep. Perhaps..it is time to die." Ai held out her arm, and the world around Genma was cloaked in utter darkness. Genma's scream pierced the darkness for a split moment before everything became quiet once more.
Genma Saotome woke up with a start. He could feel himself moving in a small raft. There was a dense fog around him, so it was hard for him to see. He sat up and looked around him. He saw a floating candle nearby, and he shook his head in disbelief. "Where am I?" he groaned. He tried to move, but a bunch of hands came up and out of the raft to hold him down.
"This is vengeance," Ai began, "and so I am to ferry you to hell." Genma's scream was heard shortly thereafter.
Ranma and Ryoga were better off than ever. They played around with each other, cuddled with each other, and kissed each other. Their lives were a lot happier now, with Genma gone. As they sat down on the couch and turned on the tv, Ryoga looked down his shirt and saw the black mark that was now adorned on his chest. That black would remain on him for the rest of his life, an indicator that one day, his soul shall belong to hell. However, he thought it was a good price to pay, as Genma got his just deserts. The end.