One Week Later:
Three men stopped in front of the Tendo front gate, the
smallest holding a metal suitcase.
"This is the place?" the largest muttered. "What a dump.
Looks like it's about to collapse."
"Yup, this is the place."
"Well then . . . lets try out the 'Akane', shall we?" the one
of medium stature stated while opening the front gate, the other
two following close behind him.
---------
Disclaimer: I own neither Ranma ½ or Tenchi Muyo, their
respective owners, Rumiko Takahashi and Masaki Kajishima
do. If I owned either of them, I wouldn't be writing this fic,
that's for sure!
The author would like to thank both Corwin and Iron Dragoon, and to
a lesser extent Kwok, for prereading this fic and making it a hell
of a lot better than it was before. Thanks guys!
V 2.0: Fixed a lot of crappy writing and it hopefully reads a lot better.
Added a whole lot of other stuff.
"At times the world can seem like an unfriendly and
sinister place, but believe us when we say that there is much more
good in it than bad... and what might seem like a series of
unfortunate events might, in fact, be the first steps of a journey."
- Lemon Snickets A Series of Unfortunate Events.
Juraian Knight
A Ranma ½/ Tenchi Muyo Crossover
By Hawk
---------
Chapter 1 - The Cruel Thanks
"Raaanmaaaaa!" There was a loud 'thud' from the
upstairs before Akane came storming down and took a seat on
the living room couch. She crossed her arms in a huff.
Nabiki was out for the night, Kasumi was cooking dinner
and Genma and Soun were cheating at Shogi. Ranma was freshly
pounded into his bedroom floor.
Soun raised his head as the doorbell rang and Genma
swiftly rearranged the Shogi board pieces. When he looked down
at the board, he slapped his forehead, realizing that he had cheated
in Soun's favor.
"Kasumi, can you get that please?" Soun asked before
glancing down at the shogi board. He grinned. "I've got you now,
Saotome!"
Genma frowned at the board as Kasumi opened the door.
The man at the door bowed, asking, "Is Ranma Saotome
in?"
"Oh my, yes he is!" Kasumi bowed back to the man.
"Please come in, is he expecting you?"
Musou shook his head, saying, "No," as he and
Takenda entered the house, Kahji carrying a suitcase behind
them.
"Who's at the door, Kasumi-chan?" Soun asked from
where he sat, wondering how he had gotten such an advantage in the
game. He didn't remember moving the pieces in such a way.
"Someone for Ranma-kun," she replied, and glanced at
Takenda. "Are you here to challenge the dojo?"
Akane stood up and moved to get a better look at the
visitors. "Feh, knowing Ranma this is only going to lead to a whole
mess of problems."
"You have no idea. . ." Kahji muttered.
Akane looked at Kahji suspiciously, having overheard the
comment. She opened her mouth and was about to speak when
someone butted in.
"What's goin' on?" Ranma asked from the top of the
stairs. "Hey! You're . . uh . . ."
"Musou."
"Yeah! Musou! And Kahji and Takada!" Ranma
exclaimed as he trotted down the stairs.
"Takenda."
"Uh, yeah. What're you guys doing here? How'd you
know I live here?" Ranma asked, shoving his hands into his
pockets, and stopped beside Akane.
"We have our ways," Musou replied, as Kahji set down
the suitcase.
"So, uh, what're you guys up to?" Ranma asked again.
"Who are these guys, Ranma?" Akane asked, eyeing them
all suspiciously.
"This is Musou, Kahji and Takenda." Ranma pointed to
each as he said their names.
Kahji knelt down and opened the suitcase.
"We've come to show you the 'Akane', which you helped to
save," Musou explained cooly.
Everyone blinked and looked at Ranma. He had been
telling the truth about, as he put it, 'saving some science guys and
their invention and got it named after Akane'. Because Ranma had
been so late in returning with the groceries, Akane had taken it
upon herself to try and make something from scratch. The kitchen
still had burns on the walls and still smelled like dry dog food.
Kasumi had taken the liberty to wash the kitchen five times and
still couldn't get rid of the smell.
"You mean you weren't making that up?" Akane gaped,
feeling slightly put off. She had hit him when he had returned that
night and told them his story.
"I told you I wasn't!" Ranma retorted smugly, crossing his
arms over his chest.
"Hmm. . . is something cooking? It smells great!" Kahji
exclaimed as he sniffed in the direction of the kitchen.
The residents of the Tendo home gave him an odd look.
Akane grinned.
"At least someone can appreciate good cooking," she
said.
Ranma made a face and a strangled sound, before being
smacked upside the head by Akane, Genma and Soun.
Kahji in the mean time was hurriedly piecing together the
invention, as if it were made of building blocks. Pieces locked into
place, forming the 'Akane'. It was then picked up and pointed at
Ranma.
"Is that a gun?" a couple voices asked at once.
"Yes," Musou replied as he and Takenda pulled out two
smaller looking guns.
Genma and Soun started to move but a spray of green
spewed from their guns. Genma and Soun both collapsed, Genma dying
instantly and Soun left laying on the floor, bleeding to death.
"Oh my God!"
"What the hell are you doing!" Ranma screamed and started
to step forward.
The 'Akane' remained pointed at Ranma, and he stopped.
Akane and Kasumi dropped to their knees and crawled over to Soun.
Musou and Takenda trained their guns to the two girls.
"I'm sorry, Ranma, I really, really am," Musou said with a
condescending smirk. "But, we needed a test subject to make sure our
'product' works. To get our potential buyers interested, you know?"
"Why me?"
"Everyone's heard rumors about the great martial artist Ranma
Saotome? Not only that but you managed to take down five highly
trained Galaxy Police. Quite and impressive feat for a human."
Ranma mouthed the words, 'Galaxy Police' with a look of
confusion and apprehension on his face. "But why? I helped you! I
saved you!"
"And we're grateful for that, we really are," he replied with
a smug smile. "But we're even more grateful that you've been kind enough
to 'volunteer' like you are," Musou continued, the smile becoming
a viciously gleeful smirk.
A low humming noise began emitting from the 'Akane',
letting everyone know that it was powering up.
"You bastards. . ." Ranma growled, clenching his fists.
"You move . . . " Musou left the threat hanging, keeping
his gun trained on Akane.
Soun was dead, and Kasumi was crying, cradling his
head gently in her arms. Blood continued to pour from his lifeless
body.
"You bastards!" Ranma spat.
"Thanks for the help, Ranma Saotome," Musou said with
a smile.
There was a bright flash, a crackle of electricity. Ranma
yelled out in pain as he felt his side torn open. The world was a
blinding white and he could vaguely hear Akane and Kasumi
shouting. He clutched blindly at his side, where the pain seared,
and felt a rush of his blood run over his hand.
Had Ranma not been in such excruciating anguish, he
would've found it ironic that a gun named 'Akane' had hurt him so
badly. Instead he blacked out, hearing Akane scream one last time
and the sound of Kahji laughing hoarsely.
---------
With a weak groan, Ranma's eyes fluttered open. They
slammed shut as the intense light filtered through his pupils. His
fingers were sticky, soaked in something wet and dry. 'Blood,' his
mind told him. He licked his dry lips and winced in pain. Opening
his eyes again, slowly this time, Ranma glanced around blearily.
He saw only the ceiling and upper walls, feeling a cool breeze
come from the open front door.
His father and Mr. Tendo were dead, he knew that, but he
wasn't sure about Akane and Kasumi. 'How long have I been
out.' How long had the three stayed in the house? Had Nabiki returned
while they were still there? Maybe Nabiki had returned, saw everyone
and ran out of the house.
"Akane?" he called out weakly. "Kasumi? Akane? Are
you alright?"
Rolling his head to look to his left, Ranma's eyes met with
Kasumi's lifeless stare. Her eyes never wavered as they looked
into his and breath never escaped her bloody bottom lip.
He closed his eyes and swore profusely in his head, tears
escaping from his shut eyelids. His brain began pounding loudly in
his head and he tried not to think about looking for Akane.
"Akane? Where are you, you stupid tomboy?" He
chuckled without humor, his eyes welling up with tears. "Akane?"
He heard someone step up to the front door and prayed it
wasn't Musou again; prayed that it was Akane, the police, someone.
"I'm ho-oh my go-wh-wh-what-I," he heard Nabiki
mutter senselessly. She couldn't seem to form an entire sentence,
let alone a word.
"Nabiki?" he tried to shout, but instead it came out as a
whisper. "Nabiki! Help me!"
There was no immediate response from Nabiki and
Ranma was worried that she would be of no help.
"Ra-Ranma?"
His eyes opened again and he tried to find Nabiki.
"Akane? Is she. . .?"
Once again, Nabiki didn't respond and he took that as her
answer. Ranma was split in two: One half wanted to just give up
and die. The other told him to live. He had to live, for Nabiki, for
his mom. The anger built up in him and he felt fresh blood start to
ooze from his wound again. He was mad at Musou, Kahji, and
Takenda. They had betrayed him and his trust, murdered his father,
his fiancee and those he considered family.
But he was also mad at himself. He had helped them
escape. He had helped them, and in a sense, helped them kill the
ones he loved. He was partially to blame.
He wanted to scream.
He wanted to cry.
Wanted to give up and die.
He wanted to find Musou, Kahji, Takenda and kill them.
He didn't know what he wanted.
"Nabiki! God damnit, snap outta it!" Ranma screamed
then groaned in pain, hand pressing against his open wound.
"But, I just-" Nabiki stuttered before Ranma cut in.
"Call Dr. Tofu! Call him now! The police! Call!"
He heard Nabiki push herself to her feet. "Tofu. Police," she
muttered, "I'm gonna call. . ."
Ranma's head slumped and he exhaled deeply. Numbly he
felt the blood pouring out from his side and his eyes stared blankly
at the ceiling. A lone tear escaped from the corner of his eye and rolled
down the side of his face. He could hear Nabiki crying into the phone
receiver.
Tired, the injured teen closed his eyes.
---------
Ranma grinned as Akane smiled at him. It had been a
good day so far. Akane had cooked them a delicious breakfast
and then the two had gone on a morning jog. The sun, newly risen,
greeted them warmly as they jogged to the park. They had sat
down and watched as moms and dads brought their children to
run around. The two glanced at one another through the corners of
their eyes and blushed.
Snaking his hand out, Ranma grabbed Akane's and gave it
a squeeze. He turned to look at her again and blinked in confusion
as Akane's body began crumpling, turning into dust. He screamed
and grabbed at Akane's falling pieces.
He wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace causing
her body to explode into ash which was swiftly blown away by a soft breeze.
Ranma opened his hands and watched as the dust in them was swept
away by the wind.
"Your fault . . ." Akane's voice whispered and he
screamed again, and grabbed for his side but was stopped.
Strong hands grasped his wrists and pinned them down. He kicked
his legs to try and free himself.
"Don't move! Don't touch it! I just finished sewing it shut and
patching it!"
"Dr. Tofu?" Ranma muttered tiredly, halting his struggle.
"Yes, it's me, Ranma," Dr. Tofu replied, releasing his hold
on Ranma's wrists. "What happened here?"
"What time is it?" Ranma asked, swallowing a feeling the
dryness in his throat.
A glass was pressed against his lips and water slid down
his throat. He breathed a sigh of relief. Weary eyes glanced around,
taking note of a number of cops carefully navigating through the room.
Nabiki was sitting on the couch, face in her hands, a man in a brown
suit sitting beside her, trying to get her to talk. Two others walked over
to where he lay, one holding a small notebook.
"What happened here, son?" the officer with the notebook asked,
pen already aimed at the paper.
"How long have I been asleep?" Ranma replied. "What time
is it?"
"Son, we need you to answer these questions for us. As best
as you can," the officer explained.
"Three guys . . . named Musou, Kahji and Takenda . . ." Ranma
paused, trying to force himself to speak. "They. . . killed everyone . . ." he
muttered in disbelief. "This is a dream, right?"
"Do you know their last names? Can you tell us what they looked
like?"
"No. . . don't know their last names. . . and uh. . . uh. . . Musou is a
little taller than me, brown hair. . . brown eyes. Kahji is. . . short and fat.
Looks like he hasn't taken a shower. . . Takenda. . . Takenda. . . he's. . . I
can't think right now." Ranma said, shaking his head. "Can't concentrate."
"How did this happen?"
Ranma glanced over at Nabiki. She was still the same, the officer
rubbing her back in comfort. He turned his gaze to Dr. Tofu, who looked down
at him in worry.
"Ranma?" the doctor asked.
"Saotome, please try to focus."
"It's not. . . believeable," Ranma mumbled. "This isn't happening."
The second cop lightly slapped Ranma's cheek. "Ranma Saotome,
we need to you cooperate. The faster you help us find out what happened
here, the faster we can catch these guys." He met Ranma's eyes. "So. . .
how. . . did. . . this. . . happen?"
Ranma stared at the cop for a moment, noticing Nabiki was watching
him now. "They. . . shot weird guns . . . something outta a scfi-anime or
something. Green lasers."
"Green lasers. . . or something?" the notebook cop whispered to
his partner, and Ranma heard the joking tone in his voice.
Glaring, Ranma forced himself to sit up. He grimaced, the copper
taste of his own blood rolling over his mouth. Grabbing the glass of water, he
downed it quickly.
"Don't rush yourself, Ranma," Dr. Tofu stated, trying to push him
back down.
"I'm fine," Ranma replied, waving off the concern before he slammed
down the glass in his hand and glared at the cops. "Look, they said they
wanted to test their. . ."
Pausing, he tried to recall what exactly they had said. "'Product',"
he spat, surprising the cops by his sudden anger.
A single eyebrow rose on the cop carrying the notebook. "So. . .
They had scifi-anime guns . . . that shot green lasers? And they were
testing out their 'product'?"
Ranma palmed his forehead with his free hand. "I know it's hard
to believe-"
"Just a little bit, son."
"But that's what happened. . ." Ranma said through grit teeth,
his anger starting to boil over. He winced as his side started to burn.
"You'll have to understand our point of view here. The four victims-"
"Four VICTIMS! They aren't VICTIMS! They're my FAMILY!"
The cop continued, ignoring Ranma's outburst. "Were killed by what
are clearly stab wounds from a large knife, most likely something from the
kitchen."
Ranma looked to Dr. Tofu, seeing his questioning expression, then
to Nabiki, who stared at him blankly. "Kitchen knife. . .? Kitchen knife? It
wasn't a kitchen knife! It was a god damn laser gun!"
The glass clutched in Ranma's hand shattered, cutting into his hand
as he listened to the other cops in the room try to hide their laughter.
"Dr. Tofu says that your wound was made with a knife as well, Ranma,
only it wasn't as deep as the others," the cop with the notebook stated, and
Ranma turned to the doctor, a look of betrayal in his eyes.
Dr. Tofu shook his head, reaching down for Ranma's cut hand. "It's
what I saw when I patched your side, Ranma-kun. Same with Akane, Genma,
Soun and. . ." He didn'tfinished.
"Knife wounds," Ranma repeated and barked out a laugh, pulling his
bleeding hand away from the doctor. "Knife wounds, Nabiki, you believe this?"
She looked at him as if he'd grown a second head.
"This isn't happening. . ." He covered his face with his hands,
inadvertently smearing blood over his face. Sniffling, he glanced around
the room. "What time is it? I'm really tired."
"It's 10:00 PM, Ranma," Dr. Tofu replied, taking the teens hand
again, carefully pulling the few glass shards out.
Ranma winced.
"We're going to need you to come down the the station with us,
Ranma," the second cop stated.
"Now?"
"In a bit."
Ranma eyed Nabiki for a moment, who stared right back at him.
"I'm telling the truth," he declared to the cops, though he kept his gaze on
the last Tendo.
"Tendo-san, we'll need you to come with us as well."
Nabiki blinked at the officer and nodded slowly. "O-ok. . ."
Turning to Dr. Tofu, Ranma met his eyes, his own pleading.
The doctor stared back for a moment before he nodded,
understanding the young martial artists eyes. 'I know you wouldn't
do this,' Tofu's eyes relayed. 'I AM on your side.'
Ranma smiled weakly, his first in what felt like an eternity.
"I believe that before Ranma goes with you, I should take him
to my clinic for proper treatment," Dr. Tofu announced.
"He seems to be doing all right now, Doctor. We'll just take him-"
"I think it might be a good idea if you allow me to take him to my
clinic. If his wound acts up while at the station, and causes some form of
irreparable damage, he could quite easily sue you all for negligence," Tofu
cut in.
Ranma blinked and the two cops frowned. "Yeah, I'd do that," he
added.
"All right, I'll escort you two to your clinic, and wait til you're
finished checking him before bringing him in," the cop holding the
notebook stated. "My partner will bring Tendo-san to the station now."
Tofu carefully helped Ranma to his feet, the teen nodding his
thanks. He blinked when he found Nabiki standing right in his face.
"Nabiki. . ."
Her brown eyes looked deep into his blue, scanning them. Jaw
clenched, she wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him tightly.
He looked down at the top of her head, confused beyond belief. No
words came; he was so lost that he barely noticed when she slipped
something into his side pocket.
She released the awkward hug, stepping back, accidently brushing
his side, and watched as he tried desperately to hide the pain. "I'll see you
later," Nabiki muttered.
Ranma nodded before she was lead out of the house. He inhaled
sharply, a cutting feeling attacking his side and he covered his patched side
with his hand. Tired eyes studied the bloody wooden floor, and he felt nauseous.
His free hand grabbed Dr. Tofu's arm, steadying himself. Suddenly, it all felt
like a dream again.
A big joke.
A sick joke.
He chuckled, and smiled which didn't go unnoticed.
"Ranma?" Dr. Tofu looked at the expression, confused.
"I just. . . can't wait til I wake up," he replied, and though he was
still smiling, tears were starting to roll down his cheeks.
---------
Ranma, Dr. Tofu, and the notebook cop, whose last name was
Tomino, entered the small, dark clinic. Dr. Tofu quickly turned on the lights.
"When we're done here, you'll come with me Ranma, so we can
get your statement as well as composite sketches of the three men,"
Tomino said.
Ranma nodded, still covering his side protectively.
"Go wait in my examination room, Ranma," Dr. Tofu said,
motioning toward the door.
"Okay," the worn teen replied and slowly limped away.
Dr. Tofu's hand stopped Officer Tomino from following. "Doctor-
patient confidentiality, I can't let you in."
"I'd rather like to be in there, Doctor," the cop replied.
"There's no reason for you to be in there, sir," Tofu returned.
"Unless you believe that. . . Ranma is somehow connected to all of this."
"Well, he is the main witness in this crime," Tomino said.
"But is that all that he is to you?"
"I don't know right now."
"Well until you do know," Dr. Tofu stepped away, back to his
examination room, "I can't let you in this room."
Officer Tomino scratched his cheek, sighing. "All right, I'll be right
out here then."
"Thank you." Dr. Tofu entered his examination room, shutting the
door behind him.
Ranma was sitting on the exam table, holding a leather wallet in
his hands. He didn't look away as Tofu stepped up to him.
"Wallet?"
"Nabiki slipped it into my pocket back at the house."
"Is it yours?"
"No. Not hers either. Not enough cash in it."
"Whose is it then?" Tofu whispered.
"Don't know. There's no ID. Just a few yen. Haven't gotten the chance
to really look through it," Ranma explained.
"Lift up your shirt, Ranma, I need to look at your side."
Placing the wallet down beside him, Ranma did as he was asked,
revealing the bloody patch on his side. He looked down at it, seeing it
clearly for the first time. "Feels worse than it looks," he mumbled as
Tofu slowly peeled the patch off.
Ranma stared down at his sewn side, watching morbidly as a
little blood seeped through. "Ok. . . now it looks as bad as it feels."
"Sorry, it was a very quick, makeshift job. I had to do it fast or
you would've lost too much blood," Dr. Tofu explained as he leaned in close
and examined his rushed work.
"No problem, Doc. I'm alive because of you," Ranma replied with a
small smile.
"Well, your training definitely helped," Tofu said. "I'm probably going
to have to redo this."
The door opened and Tomino stuck his head in, looking over the two.
"This is going to take awhile, I have to restitch his wound," Dr. Tofu
said. "Please wait outside."
The officer nodded slowly, giving Ranma a narrowed gaze before
exiting.
"He suspects you," Tofu muttered as he began to pull out the
stitches.
Ranma sat still, only wincing at the occasional stab of pain.
"That's what I get for telling the truth."
"Laser guns, Ranma?"
"Is it so hard to believe? After everything that I've been through,"
Ranma replied.
"I may find it hard to believe in laser guns, but I do know you didn't
have any part of what happened," Dr. Tofu said.
Ranma nodded slowly. "Yeah. . ." He flinched as the young doctor
stuck a needle into his side.
"They're going to suspect you, Ranma. Your story is too
unbelieveable, and they found no evidence at the scene of forced entry,
or anyone else being in the house except. . . everyone that was found there,"
Tofu whispered.
"That's because there was no forced entry."
"What?"
"They were let in willingly. . ." Ranma mumbled, shaking his head.
"And they won't find any knife since there was none."
"With no evidence-"
"Except for this wallet." He picked it up with his right hand, Tofu
still stitching up his left side. "This is evidence. I don't know where Nabiki
got it, but it must belong to one of them."
"You said there was no ID in it, and now yours and Nabiki's finger
prints are all over it."
Ranma asked flipped open the wallet. He pulled out a hidden receipt,
turning it over in his hand.
"That's a dry-cleaning stub," Tofu muttered, eyeing the small
piece of paper as he handed Ranma a wet towel.
"Okayama Cleaning," Ranma read after wiping the blood from his face.
"No name, just a date. The 15th."
"Today's the 13th," Tofu replied. He glanced at the clock on the wall.
"Almost the 14th that is. You should show this to the cops. They can go there
and maybe catch these guys."
Ranma held up the card, which now had a couple of his bloody finger
prints on it. "You think they'd believe that? A card with no name, just a date as
well as my damn finger prints."
"Nabiki must've found it when she first came home, before the cops
or me arrived."
"Why didn't she just give it to the cops when they arrived? Now it's
virtually useless." Ranma palmed his forehead with his right hand. "What
am I going to do, Doc, huh? What the hell am I gonna do?"
They sat in silence, both staring at nothing, lost in their thoughts.
Dr. Tofu turned to Ranma, looking him in the eyes. "You can run."
Ranma looked at him as if he was crazy. "Run? Are you serious?
I can't just run!" he whispered fiercely.
"You can't stay here, Ranma. There's nothing here for you now. The
cops aren't going to let you leave any time soon. You're the only witness and
suspect right now. Do you even know the three mens last names?"
Ranma sighed, glancing at the door. He sniffled and shook his head.
"No, just Musou, Kahji and Takenda."
"Ranma, run," Tofu stated. "Go to Okayama, go to this cleaning place.
You can hide in your female form, the cops don't know about it and even if
someone talks about it, they'd never believe it unless they saw it with their
own eyes."
"The last thing I want to do is run away and hide as a girl. I'd rather go
to prison that get stuck as a girl," Ranma grumbled.
"I'm not saying you have to STAY a girl, just to hide as one. Hot
water will still change you back."
"So I go to Okayama, find this place," he held up the stub, "and
wait for them to show up."
"Find where they're living, call the cops. Clear your name. It's
possible," Tofu added.
'Or kill them,' Ranma thought.
"Look-" Tofu started.
The door opened and Tomino stuck his head in again.
"-you need to stop interrupting me, sir. We're almost finished in here,
I just need to patch this up and he'll be good to go."
Ranma glanced at his side, noticing that it was fully restitched, much
cleaner and smoother this time.
"I guess I can wait inside now?" Tomino asked.
Tofu sighed. "Officer, there's no reason now for you to wait in here.
Please just wait outside."
Ranma slid off the table. "It's ok, Doc. Just patch me up and I'll off."
Tomino smiled. "Good, good."
Dr. Tofu turned to Ranma, confused, but nodded when he saw the look
in Ranma's eyes. He quickly went to work in making a new bandage for Ranma's
side, and taped it carefully over the wound.
"All right, is he good to go?" Tomino asked as Ranma pulled his shirt back
on.
Dr. Tofu nodded, and looked to Ranma. "Yeah, you're good to go."
Ranma returned the nod, smiling. He stepped up to the Officer, who turned
to exit the room. Ranma poked the back of his neck, and Tomino dropped like a sack.
"I have to go and get Nabiki."
"She's at the police station. You'll never get her out of there," Tofu stated.
"I can't leave her here. She deserves to come with me. There's no telling
what they'll make her do."
"You can't fight, Ranma," Dr. Tofu stated bluntly.
"What?"
"Your side is too damaged and sensitive right now. If you fight, even just
a little, your stitches will break and your side will reopen." The doctor paused for
effect. "You could die."
"I may not be able to fight, but I can still sneak around, right? I've been
doing it for most of my life, and with the Umi-sen-ken, I'll never even be seen."
"Ok then. Go to Okayama. Find those men. Don't fight them when you
do. It'll take at least a month until your side fully heals."
"Thanks, Doc." The weary martial artist paused. "You know that I have to
knock you out, right?"
Tofu nodded. "I'll try to do some damage control while your gone. However
I can."
Ranma stepped up to him, nervous. "I'm sorry about this."
"You wouldn't hit a guy with glasses, would you?" Tofu joked,
adjusting said spectacles.
"Yeah, didn't you know I always waited for Mousse to take off his glasses
every time we fought?" Ranma jested in return, smiling. He rubbed at his eyes, wiping
away the growing tears. "Sorry, little tired," he lied.
"Take care, Ranma."
"Thank you, Tofu-san," the teen mumbled honestly, bowing his head. "I'll
never forget this." He quickly poked the back of Tofu's neck, and he caught the
doctor as he started to fall, laying him gently on the floor. A moment later, Ranma
Saotome vanished into thin air.
---------
Nabiki sat alone, though surrounded by a dozen cops, all they did was
ignore her, and wander through the station, going about different business. They
had asked her a number of questions, many of which were about Ranma and
his situation at the house. She wasn't stupid, she knew the were suspecting
him. They just weren't flat out saying it.
She had found the wallet in the front yard, drawn to it like pure
magnetism. It seemed like it was her lucky day, when she found no ID,
no credit cards, just some yen inside. Hers to keep. She pocketed it, and
entered the house, only to completely forget she'd found it until Ranma was
telling the story of three men shooting laser guns. Though hard to fathom,
she knew it was probably true, what with Ranma's extensive background in
running into strange and unnatural rivals.
Except these rivals had done something that no others could or
dare would.
And she could hear the cops laughter and disbelief and it disgusted
her. The last Tendo glared at all the cops. They were making jokes about her
family being dead. Laughing at their expense. Her family was dead and she
suddenly felt her heart shattering in her chest. It was hard, fully grasping the
concept that her family was gone. It was all very surreal, even though she had
seen with her own eyes, and touched with her own hands, their dead bodies.
She wanted nothing more than to leave. She and Ranma had been
separated, no telling when he'd be finally brought in, in cuffs, accused as the
real murderer. Overhearing cops talking was useful, as Nabiki was able to
piece together that none of the cops really believed that the three, Musou,
Kahji, and Takenda, actually existed. Especially since Ranma came up with
no last names.
No evidence was found, besides her finding the lone, IDless, wallet.
There wounds were apparently made with knives, even though Ranma
claimed otherwise. She didn't really know why she gave the wallet to
the Saotome, but it seemed like, at the time, something she had to do.
He was meant to have it, like it was left behind for him. Handing it over
to the police would've done little, maybe some finger prints from the
original owner were on it, but she had put her hands all over it, outside
and in. The yen as well.
A wallet with no ID or credit cards, or anything other than yen in
it was just too suspicious. Yet at the same time it could offer no help other
than being able to use the cash inside.
She blinked, reaching into her pocket and then looked down,
confused. In her hand was the wallet. 'I DID get this to Ranma, right?'
Nabiki thought, eyeing the object. She flipped it open, pulling out a yen.
On it was the word, written sloppily in pen: Outside.
Glancing around the room, she laughed quietly to herself. 'That
sneaky idiot. . .' Nabiki stood up slowly, pocketing the wallet and she
stretched her back. 'But how the hell am I gonna sneak out of here?'
"Is everything all right, Tendo-san?"
She jumped a bit, startled. "Yes, yes, I was just stretching."
Shaking her head, she turned to the Officer that had scared her. "It's
really stuffy in here, do you think I could go outside and get some air?"
she asked, shuffling her feet.
The cop nodded. "Of course, Tendo-san. You've had a very
rough night. Don't go far though, please. Would like me to wait outside
with you?"
"No thank you, Officer, and of course, I'll stay close. Thank you,
sir," Nabiki mumbled and quickly made her way through the room and out
the front doors into the cold night. She wrapped her arms around herself as
the sudden gust of chilling wind tossed her short hair.
A couple cops walked past, eyeing her curiously before
entering the station.
Taking a deep, calming breath, Nabiki glanced up at the sky.
"What am I doing out here?" And her thoughts drifted to her family, her
ice cold heart once again breaking within its confines. She clenched her
jaw to help force back the tears. "What am I going to do now?
"You're going to come with me."
Nabiki spun around, but saw no one. She exhaled deeply.
"You've got some kinda balls, Saotome, sneaking into a police station"
she muttered to the air in front of her. "You know they're suspecting
you, I gather?"
"Yeah," Ranma replied, though still didn't show. "Dr. Tofu
and I discussed it, he's gonna stay behind and try and take care of
things. You and me are going to Okayama. We're gonna find the guys
that did this."
"And what makes you think they're in Okayama?"
Ranma quietly explained the dry-cleaning stub, which
Nabiki pulled out and looked at herself. "Nice job bloodying it up,
Saotome."
The front doors of the station opened and a cop sauntered
out. He glanced at Nabiki for a moment and walked by, ignoring her.
"And what makes you think I'm going to go with you?"
Nabiki asked after the cop had disappeared around the corner. "My
family is dead and you want me to just leave them without a proper
burial. The cops aren't suspecting me like they are you. I have pretty
much no reason to go to Okayama with you."
Ranma faded into view behind her, eyes tired. "Then you don't
have to come. I'll get them myself," he replied, pulling the dry-cleaning
stub from her hand. He immediately vanished again. "I'll see you later,
Nab-."
"We should leave as soon as possible," the girl cut in. There
was a moment of silence and Nabiki started to think that Ranma had
already gone.
"You realize people will wonder where you've gone and why
you've disappeared," Ranma stated.
"I'm not stupid, Saotome. They can think whatever the hell
they want so long as we find the guys that did this."
"Thanks. . . for believing me."
Nabiki snorted and rolled her eyes. "You maybe a total jerk and
brainless jock, but you're not a killer, Ranma."
"Come on then, the cops will be out here soon to bring you back
in. We're going home first."
Pulling the yen out from the wallet, Nabiki held it up over her
shoulder. "Just enough for bus fare, if my math is right."
The front doors opened again and the Officer who had let Nabiki
out for air stepped out. "Tendo-san? Tendo-san?" He looked around, seeing
no one. "They said she was just here. . ."
He blinked as he stepped on something and lifted his foot. Bending
down, he picked up a wallet. He flipped it open, finding it empty.
---------
Next Time: Chapter 2 - The Fresh Start
Ranma and Nabiki head to Okayama where at a certain shrine
they're both given a fresh start.
A/N: If you didn't notice... I totally redid this entire chapter. Hope it's
better this time around than last. I do like this version a bit better. Feels
more cohesive and fulfilling.