--- TT ---
'This Sky This Dream.' by Krimzonrayne no Akai Kou Hana.
Chapter Two: Emerald; the cherished jade that's full of memories.
Standard disclaimer applies to all pre existing characters, the song is mine though. Well, the first one anyway, the one at the end of the chapter is the 3rd season opening theme. Megumi Hayashibara and other voice actors/actresses mentioned are people in their own right and I do not, in any way, own any of them. They name are used here without consent but for non-monetary purposes.
Read the end of previous chapter for a summary of what happened before.
Note that the irregular and seemingly incorrect usage of commas and colons are intentional. They are done specifically to convey specific meanings (i.e. to understand, pause at every comma when reading like you should!) please do not regard them as grammatical mistake.
--- TT ---
She was drifting, drifting amongst the nothingness. She, Ranma; the girl, a girl.
'Where am I?' The thought echoed inside her head. Her. Head.
"Ranma," someone called out to her. That voice, she couldn't quite place it but it seems so familiar. So very familiar…
"RA-N MA"
It came again, louder this time. And the tone- so irritating, so infuriating, so… so… uncute.
'Uncute.' The word stuck in her mind like a cool scar; the one that won't go away, simply because you never wanted it to go away in the first place. 'Why uncute? Out of all the words, why this one?'
"Because you're too stupid to think up a better insult, you Baka," the figure answered for her; the line of a smile being the only visible aspect of the silhouette.
"Akane?" the red head mumbled, the word didn't come easily for her and within moments it was gone. But the thought and the memories associated with the word, however, remained. "But you're…"
"Dead?" the other girl finished the sentence for her. "Yeah I know. You killed me good, completely fatal! Death by severe hemorrhaging from multiple lacerations, I believe they called it," she chirped, showing off her bloodied and torn body without any sign of discomfort.
Ranma turned white.
"B… But it wasn't me," she stuttered, backing away from the shorthaired girl. "It was…"
"It was what, your cursed form?" Akane cut her off. "You can't hide behind that stupid mask anymore, Ranma," she said while splashing with hot water from a kettle she whipped out from thin air.
Ranma gasped. She didn't change back.
"This is you now," Akane said as she approached the quivering girl. She took hold of the girl's shaking hands and brought it up; showing it to her. They were covered with some dark red substance.
"Blood, Ranma," Akane supplied helpfully, scooping up the stuff with her hand and rubbing it between two fingers; playing with it. "The color of guilt; thicker than water, as heavy as sin and practically impossible to wash off. Even with hot water."
The girl, yes the girl, stared at her dripping hands, yes dripping hands, cringing at every nuances of every words. Cringing and cringing… until she couldn't take it anymore.
"ARHHHHHHHHH"
…Until she couldn't take it anymore
"ARHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
--- TT ---
Nothing…
Well no… not exactly nothing… a white ceiling. A white ceiling and a white room.
"Where am I?" Ranma asked the white ceiling which, by the way, didn't so much as to even mutter a 'sorry, I don't know.' It promptly ignored her.
"Where am I?" the girl repeated hopefully, she was sure it would answer this time. Japanese people are polite like that aren't they?
…
Aren't they? No, apparently they aren't. Mr. Ceiling didn't utter a word of response the whole time she laid there, looking pleadingly at him.
Ranma pouted, she decided that she didn't like Mr. Ceiling all that much after all.
In fact, she kind of thought he was mean. 'Meanie!' She wanted to shout but something stopped her; this tingling in the back of her neck.
Click!
Ranma closed her eyes and lowered her heartbeat right down; pretending to be asleep. How did she do it you ask? Well… that's a secret! She giggled at that, mentally of course, after all it wouldn't do for THEM to realize she was faking being asleep. They might do something rotten to her, like… like… take away the TV or something!
That would be bad, REALLY bad.
Tap Tap Tap
'Sounds of foot steps' She thought.
"How is she, Doctor?" a female voice said from somewhere close to her.
"She's stable right now but we're keeping her sedated just in case," another voice, male one this time, answered. "You said she was in hysteria just before she fainted, could you tell me more about what happened?"
"Well, Megumi-san and I were visiting the Yakon Bathhouse. You see, it had been a stressful day for her and we decided that some time in the hot water would be great," The voice, Akane's voice, Ranma was sure of it, said. "Well you know how you're supposed to wash first right? Well Megumi didn't, she jumped straight in."
"And she started screaming?" the doctor asked incredulously. "From coming in contact with hot water?"
"No, not exactly. You see, Megumi-san had a red paint-on dye for the character she played. Some of it that was in her pig tail runs when she hit the water and when she saw it she…"
"Panicked and started screaming…"
"Yeah, I tried to calm her down but when she saw me she had this look in her eyes…"
"That was when she fainted, correct?"
"Yes," Akane confirmed solemnly. She didn't seem to have anything to add and they room was once again quiet.
"Noriko-san, do you have any idea why your co-worker would react so badly from what happened? I know some people react rather badly with anything that resembles blood but Megumi-san has no record of ever showing any sign of Haemophobia or aversion to hot water." The doctor asked hopefully, "Was there something different about her today? Has anything happened at work? Anything at all?"
"Well, there's this one thing…" Akane began slowly, as if trying to remember something. "Just before we finished for the day, we were shooting this scene where Megumi-san supposedly hit her head and drown for a minute. We were given quite a scare, because the way Megumi-san faked it, it looked very real. I think for a moment or two I actually believed she had drowned."
"But?" the doctor commented, still writing something on some kind of a pad.
"But it turned out to be nothing. She was perfectly fine. Apart from forgetting her lines, nothing was wrong. She even played this big joke on us afterward."
"Big joke? What exactly do you mean?"
"Well, you see the episode we were shooting is about her character hitting her head on a rock and suffering from having split personality. So what she did was pretends that she'd lost her memory and thought that she was Ranma, the character she plays."
"I… see…" the doctor commented absentmindedly, sounding as if he was lost in thought.
Akane seemed to have noticed something in the doctor tone because she stopped her story and let the silence shrouded the room once again. "What is it, Doctor? Do you have an idea on what's wrong with her?"
…
"I…I may have," the doctor finally said. "Tell me Miss Noriko, what do you know about the subject of 'Near Drowning'?"
"Almost none I'm afraid."
"Near drowning is the survival of a drowning event involving unconsciousness or significant water inhalation and can lead to serious secondary complications, including death, after the event. Cases of near drowning therefore also require attention by medical professionals." At this point the doctor paused, seemingly to consider whether he should share his hypothesis or not. "Now, not many people know this, but one of these complications, or more precisely, one of the underlying symptoms is amnesia …and acute schizophrenia or other psychosis."
"Doctor… Schizophrenia is…" Akane started to say. She was sure she heard him right but Megumi couldn't possibly be suffering from that, right?
"Yes, I'm afraid so," the doctor said gravely. "You see, because Miss Megumi was admitted due to losing consciousness near water, we immediately search for any sign of ventricular fibrillation or drowning. We did find something but and wasn't critical and it didn't exactly explain hysterical neurosis; the symptom she was originally admitted for."
"But the peculiar thing was the trace amount of water we found in her lung didn't contain any sulfur deposits like we'd expected from a patient drowned in hot springs or bath houses. All she had was your average, distilled, normal fresh water."
"Doctor… you're not saying…"
"Yes, I'm afraid so. I believe Miss Megumi is suffering from an alternate personality created when she lost her own memory from the lack of oxygen her brain suffers when she drowned."
By now Ranma was finding it hard to keep still, what the heck are they talking about? I'm not this Megumi person!
"Doctor! This sound like something from a movie or a drama script or… or…" Akane stuttered, lost for word. "Or something from our show!"
"Regardless, THIS explains all her symptoms plus how she reacted with being splashed with hot water." The doctor said. "Because if I remember correctly, the character she plays turns into a boy with hot water didn't she? The traumatic shock and the hysterical behavior would be understandable considering the circumstances. After all if you were to be stuck as a female I would be similarly terrorized as well."
"But Doctor! You're saying that she," Akane paused, "Takahashibara Megumi; the famous actress has lost her memory and now she believes herself to be Ranma, the male character she plays? A sex-changing Kung Fu fighter with chaotic life and multiple fiancées from a comic book?"
"Like I've said before," the doctor said with a sigh, "the story fits. Also hundreds of people the world over believe themselves to be superman or some such superhero, it would make more sense that, in such circumstances, Megumi-san would believe herself to be the character she plays."
…
"What do we do now? What kind of treatments exists for something like this?" Akane asked after much consternation. She sounded upset but not exactly as upset as Ranma expected her to be. In fact she sounded slightly… intrigued?
"Well, like other mental illness, I'm afraid there's very little we can do," The doctor answered grimly. "Of course, if there was any treatment I still would've suggested we do nothing for now. The brain is still very much a mystery to modern science, and I remain hopeful that this may go away in time."
Beep!
There was sound of a brief shuffling of cloth, almost as if someone was searching for something in the pocket of his/her pants.
Click!
"It seems Miss Hayashibara has another visitor. Let's go greet her shall we?" the doctor said to Akane.
Tap Tap Tap
'…' Ranma held her breath, waiting for the inevitable 'click' of the door.
Click!
The girl let out a huge sigh and tried to sit up only to find herself restrained by to leather straps that bound her arms to each side of the bed. Ranma giggled slightly, something about leather straps and someone name Daisuke …or was it Hiroshi? Anyway, something was definitely funny about it. And a whip too… something to do with a whip and leather straps and Hirosuke? No wait, that's not right… What was it?
Ranma shook her head violently from side to side, trying to banish the darn fog that was clouding her thoughts. 'Wait, didn't that doctor say something about keeping me sedated?'
The girl lowered her head and. Loo and Behold!, there it was on her arm, that… that… staby thingie… with the water-thingie that does into her body.
"Ke… Ketazolam?" Ranma squinted her eyes trying to read the label on the IV drop, darn it why is everything so hazy? "Anxiolytic Benzodiazepine?!?! What the heck are they doing to me?" She yelled, or at least she wanted to yell, but all that came out a calm and slurred speech… why was she so darn calm?
"Screw this, I'm outta here," the girl said out loud and pulled the needle from her forearm while gritting her teeth. To her surprise, she didn't feel any pain. The girl gave a shrug and put the thought to the back of her mind, she had more important matters to deal with.
Ranma crept to the door and eased it open silently. Fortunately there was no one out in the corridor and she was able to leave the room unnoticed. As she made her way down the white linoleum tiled corridor, the instinctive survival part of her brain kicked in and she began taking notice of her surrounding. This place, whatever it is, is really really clean and it smelt kind of different too.
"Miss Hayashibara's room is this way, Takayama-san."
Ranma froze, that sounded like it came from just around corner. She looked down and saw her attire; a slip-on white overall, a hospital's patient dress. 'This is not good.' She thought, looking left and right for a place to hide. Finding none, she spun around and prepared to sprint down the hall way and suddenly stopped.
There was a door that's opposite to the room she was it before. She walked up to and snuck inside and closed the door silently. She leant against it and held her breath as she listened to the footsteps that past her by.
Phew, was that close or what?
"What do you think you're doing, Ranma!"
"Eep!" the girl exclaimed as she whipped around. Her mouth formed an automated excuse, a skilled that was vital to her survival, and was prepared to give it when she was beaten to the punch by…
"You don't understand, Akane. I swear it's not what it looks like!"
…herself?, Ranma finished the thought dumbly as she turned around. Her hideout wasn't as empty as she first thought. As the matter of fact it was occupied by two individuals; one is a boy who was sitting up on the bed and another was an elderly lady sitting by his side.
They were both switching between staring at her and looking at the television opposite to the bed.
The television that was showing her being hugged by a lavender haired girl as well as making a warding gesture at the bench-wielding Akane Tendo.
A momentary silent occurred and was subsequently broken by a shrill cry from the boy.
"RANMA!!!"
Ranma only had the time to give an eek before she was promptly tackled to the floor by a hyperventilating young boy. 'Darn it, I can't believe the strength of these little arms, and he's supposed to be sick!' The girl thought.
"See, Grandma! I told you he's real!" The boy turned to the elderly lady and exclaimed happily to her. She, the elderly lady, smiled at them and waited until the boy turned around to face Ranma before giving the girl a secretive wink.
"Can I have your autograph, Ranma?" the boy asked hopefully.
"Eh, sure I guess," Ranma said apprehensively. "But I don't see why you'd want it though."
"You're so modest dear. Hirosuke tells me you're the greatest martial artist in the world and that you his idol," The boy's grandmother said as she walked to the pair and gave Ranma a piece of paper and a pen. "Isn't that right, Hiro-chan?"
"Of cause he is! And when I grow up, I'm going to be just like him!" The boy proclaimed, hugging the girl firmly one more time.
"eh… right!" Ranma managed to say as she extracts herself from the boy's grasp and scribbled her name on the paper the lady gave him.
"Yay!" The boy, Hirosuke; Ranma reminded herself, yelled happily once again. "Look Grandma, I got Ranma-san's autograph!" The boy said waving the piece of paper about, showing it off to his grandmother before running off to the edge of the bed where he sat down and watched his favorite TV show.
"Don't sit too close to the TV Hiro-chan, you will give yourself a poor eye sight," the grandma called out to her grand child who promptly scurried up the bed and away from the screen.
Ranma spared the kid a second glance before turning her attention to the show that he was watching so avidly.
"How could I possibly misunderstand? You were missing for the whole day and I found you like this!" Akane shouted angrily, stomping toward the cringing pig tailed boy. "You cheating JERK!" She punctuates her last comment with massive kick that launches him to an impossible height where he disappeared amongst the cloud.
'Wow! I didn't know she was that strong.' The redhead thought to herself. 'It looks so unreal from this side.'
She suddenly shook her head. 'What the heck am I thinking? Some sicko has obviously been filming my life. They must've been telling people that I'm some kinda actress. And Akane… she's been brainwashed! Just like before! Yeah, that's it and the other me… that's …that's…'
"I see that you signed your name as 'Saotome Ranma', Hayashibara-san," came a whisper from beside her.
"Eep" Ranma gasped, putting her two hands over her mouth to stifle her cried of surprise. 'Darn it! She's right, I forgot about that!'
"Thank you dear, for maintaining the illusions for him."
"Huh?" Ranma muttered in confusion as she turned around. Beside her was Hirosuke's grandmother and she held a small smile on her face. The pigtailed girl wanted to ask what she meant but the older woman turned away. Ranma followed her gaze and realized that she was starring at her grandchild.
"Did you know that Hirosuke always believed you were real? And his parents always encouraged it. They would always nod and play along when he described to them what adventures 'Ranma' had for the day. Hiroshi, that's my son by the way, always bringing him these yellow striped bandanas; asking him whether he knew who dropped it. That he found it in the oddest of places. And on and on, they kept building the illusion," she said quietly. "And you know what? I've never liked it. I wanted them of tell him the truth. I felt that he needs to grow up and face the harsh reality that life is."
"And it wasn't until today when you came through the door that I've realized why they did it." The old woman turned to Ranma with a wistful look in her eyes. "I know we must all grow up someday but that doesn't mean we must give up our dreams. That we don't have to forget our imaginary friends or our childhood fantasies no matter how silly they were, because there's nothing wrong about it…
…because it doesn't hurt to have a dream or to believe in miracles."
Ranma could only nod.
"You know, Hirosuke was diagnosed as having leukemia; the doctor said he only has a few months to live." The elderly lady turned back to the boy who was still oblivious to their conversation. "Well, it has been three months and he's still as alive as ever."
"Before I thought it was just the gods being cruel; delaying the inevitable just for the sake of it. But you, Megumi-san…" The woman turned back to the girl and gave her a warm smile. "You give me great hopes for Hirosuke."
"I didn't know what to expect when you walked through the door after Hiro-chan said that if 'Ranma' really exist then he would be here; but I thank you, Megumi-san."
"Just out of curiosity dear, why are you here anyway?"
"I'm hiding from my fiancée, Granny," Ranma said truthfully. The older woman chuckled humorously at that.
The girl looked down; she couldn't think of anything else to say and if she could, she didn't think she could bring herself to say it. 'So what if there really isn't a Megumi-san, if this lady believes it and it helps then there's no need to tell her the truth right? I'll just play along and…'
Tap Tap Tap Tap
Sounds of loud footsteps came from outside, cutting Ranma's train of thought short. She turned to the lady sitting beside her and said apologetically. "That's my queue. I'm sorry for barging in on you guys like that; I guess I'll be going now, thank you for everything."
The girl briskly paced to the door and was about to open it when someone knocked on it from the other side. She quickly stepped behind the door just as it was opened seconds later.
"Excuse me, Mam. Have you seen a young lady? She has red hair, a petite figure and one wearing one of patient's white overall," the slightly panic stricken voice said from the other side of one inch thick wooden door Ranma was hiding behind. She held her breath as she waited for her inevitable capture.
…
"No, I'm sorry. I'm afraid we haven't had any visitors since yesterday," Hirosuke's grandmother lied. "Why are you asking about her, dear? Had she escaped from somewhere? Is she dangerous?"
"Eh, not all Ma'am. Please don't be alarmed," the young man, the girl assumed from his voice, replied nervously. "She's simply one of our patients who woke up and wondered off; probably because she's disorientated from her long sleep. I'm sure we'll find her."
"Oh dear, that poor thing; waking up all along in a place she'd never been before. You better find her right away."
"Right Ma'am, I better get going. Thank you for everything," the young man chimed before leaving, closing the door quietly behind him.
…
Ranma stood still; she was sure what just happened but…
"You better let out that breath you've been holding, dear. I don't think green suits you all that well."
The startled redhead let out an explosive lungful of air and collapsed to the floor. She was hyperventilating.
"I don't know much about celebrities and such," the old lady shook her head in resignation. "But I swear; you girls are really taking these publicity stunts too far."
"…publicity stunts… yea, that's it…" the girl said between huge gulps of air. She finally had enough and was breathing normally again. "Em, I better go. Again, thank you for everything."
Ranma stood up and walked over to the balcony. She opened it and stepped outside, waving goodbyes to the ailing boy as she did so. Turning to around she glanced at the adjacent balcony once before jumping onto the railing and hopped over to it. Except she must've misjudged the distance or something; because her leap was short, and she started falling even before she reach the halfway point.
Panicked, Ranma threw out her arms and took hold of the edge of the balcony. She held on, barely, and the jarring halt felt like it had pulled her arms out of its sockets.
'What the hell is going on? I used to make hops like that in my sleep.'
The redhead gritted her teeth as she pulled herself up and over the railing. She stood up and bit the bottom of her lip to prevent the forthcoming cries of pain; that had hurt, badly. She turned around and found that the boy, Hirosuke, had followed her out to the balcony. He had a look of expectancy on his face.
Ranma feint a smile and waved to him; she had to pretend it didn't hurt, so she can keep up the illusion of the invincible 'Saotome Ranma' and its allusion of miracles alive for him.
The red head turned away from the boy and approached the other side of the balcony. There were two more jumps to the fire exit. She took a deep breath and jumped onto the railing. She balanced on the metal precariously, taking more time than the first jump to ready herself for the leapt. She mentally heaved and pushed off with all her might.
She barely made it to over to the other railing.
She landed on her two feet and quickly hopped down to the balcony, too nervous to stay up there for more than necessary. 'Yes, I made it. Just one more balcony to the fire exit and I'm home free,' Ranma told herself; trying to focus on the success, and trying to ignore the fact that she used to make 30 foot leaps, pushing off like she just did.
Ranma steadied her nerves and walked over to the other side of the balcony. As she approached the railing she began to notice that there were people sitting the room by the balcony. And they were staring at her.
The girl placed one foot onto the metal railing and stepped up, more apprehensively this time. She looked on ahead, trying not to be self-conscious, but failing terribly. She swung her arms back to gain the momentum she needed and pushed with her feet.
That was when someone screamed; causing her to lose balance and she toppled over the edge…
…And down the side of the building.
--- TT ---
I was filled to the abundance with happiness,
Floating blissfully amongst the cloud…
I was content for what to come and expected no less,
Walking down the street; living for here and now.
I was all but invincible, for the lack of a better word,
Living in a dream world I made for myself.
I was a living legend or haven't you heard,
My exploits filled the books on your shelf.
Then, I had been all that I want to be…
Then, I had been all that I want to be…
But…
I'm older now, and we know that all too well,
You watch out for me because we know you need to.
I'm tired of carrying this world on my shoulder, couldn't you tell?
Weaker than I've ever been, didn't you know?
My wings were stripped away, inch by inch,
I'm earth bound, for the first time since my youth.
I'm dying now, I've known that ever since,
I've been staring into you; looking for the truth…
But…
You will catch me right?
Every time that I fall…
You will be here right?
To help me up again…
But if you can't,
You will remember me right?
Because that's all I need…
Because that's all that I need…
Because that's all that I need…
"All that I need," by Krimzonrayne no Akai Kou Hana (Piano duet E flat or Piano solo, E flat)
--- TT ---
"Takayama-san."
…
"Takayama-san!"
"Ah, yes. I'm sorry I was thinking about something," the woman with short brown excused herself to the young man that had interrupted her reverie. She stood up and forced her to remain even. "How is Megumi? Where is she and why can't I see her right now?"
"Please calm down, Takayama-san." the man in blue hospital trainee's outfit said, putting his hands up in a placating manner as he did so. "There had been a little complication and Hayashibara-san is recovering right now. There's nothing to worry about, but the doctor does advise against having any visitors as her body is very susceptible to diseases right now."
"I…" Minami Takayam paused. "I understand. Thank you for your time, I'll be leaving now."
The young lady turned on her heel and began walking away from the man. Her high heel making a loud tapping sound every time it came in contact with the white linoleum floor below her feet, drowning out the worrying questions she kept throwing at herself in her mind.
Minami left the hospital and made her way around the building to where her car was parked. Standing in front of her automobile, she opened up her purse and was looking through it for her car key. "I knew it was a mistake; coming here to visit her like this. She had always been the one who can look after herself. I should've known this would've happened." The brown haired woman muttered as she pulled the key chain out from her purse, having finally found the darn thing. "What a waste of time."
She opened the door to the driver seat and stepped into the car.
"ARHHHHHH"
The girl froze; that scream sounded like it came from directly above her.
--- TT ---
Embrace the nothingness.
Embrace the nothingness; then, and only then, can you see the truth. The truth that; there's no such a thing as nothingness at all. That you will always have with you; that warm southerly breeze and that up drift of the hot summer air.
But the most important thing, Ranma is your wits. That's what you'll always have with you. That's all you need… to fly!
'Embrace the nothingness; that was the first lesson you've taught me, father.' The thought echoed through Ranma's mind as she sailed… no soared through the air.
'I've learned it well…'
Ranma's eyes snapped opened.
'And I've kept my wits about me.'
She spread her arms and legs wide apart, feeling the spring's strong westerly pushing up against her body, fluttering the white overall she was wearing. Her eyes narrowed as she concentrated.
'And I'll fly.'
Ranma curled up into a ball and spun on her axis. She was focused, she was confident and she was using every single trick her father taught her about mid air combat.
But all her efforts yielded her nothing… and she fell short of balcony she was aiming for; the one below the floor she'd fell from.
"Why?" The red head asked softly; reaching out to the balcony as she fell passed it. "Why have you abandoned me?
If this was before, she would've just landed without giving it a second thought but… if she couldn't even hop balconies, could she survive the three stories fall?
…
She hit the ground with a resounding smack. It was her battle-honed reflex that saved her from receiving worse injury; but she had not, by any means, come out unscathed from the fall. She lifted up her head and cried to the sky, succumbing to the emerald whirlwind that surrounded her. She was a visage of a fallen angel; one that has fallen from her grace, her immortality.
And as the blissful darkness enveloped her; one question remained, lingering tantalizingly on the back of her mind and trapped, half spoken through her lips.
'Why? Why couldn't I fly?'
…
'Was what they said the truth? Am I just an actress? Was everything I've accomplished just one big lie?
…
"Megumi? MEGUMI?!?!"
A rustle of clothing and repetitive tapping of a pair of stilettos, and she was enveloped once again; this time, in a warm embrace of a worried woman's arms. She shook Ranma gently, muttering something the red head couldn't make out.
The girl commanded her eyelids to open. They did, and if only for a brief moment, Ranma was rewarded with a hazy vision of a familiar dark brown hair and a worriedly look that seemed completely misplaced on the 'Ice Queen's' face.
Ranma could see the girl's mouth that was moving slowly, silently; visibly forming words that the red head should've been able to hear. Dismissing the possibility of muteness, it has to be jostling of her inner ears from the impact, the girl tried desperately to read her assistant's lips.
'What happened to you, Megumi? Are you alright?' she seemed to say. She looked left and right, shouting soundless as she did so. 'Somebody get a doctor. Help!'
No, Ranma tried to say, but nothing came out. Her eyes began to flutter, trying to close on their own accord. The injured girl bit her lips; she couldn't faint, not now!
'Stay still, Megumi. I'll go get help,' the other girl mouthed to her.
"No… wait…" Ranma managed to croak. Her voice was dry and raspy and it was painful for her to say anything. "Was everything a lie?"
"What are you talking about, Megumi? You're injured. Please, just stay here I'll be right back."
"Nerima… the curse… Akane… everything… was it all a lie? Was it all just… a TV show? Who am I? Please tell me Nabiki, I need to know."
"You're Hayashibara Megumi, a famous actress who plays Onna-ranma in 'Ranma Nichiban no ichi' a famous TV series and… my dear, dear friend," the young woman answered her as she coerced the girl into lying back down, no great feat considering how weak she was at the time. "Now please lie still, you're delirious."
Minami stood up and started running back around the building. She shot a concerned glance back to her friend who was still on the ground where she'd left her.
'I'll be right back with help, Megumi. Please be alright.' she silently prayed as she ran.
Unbeknownst to her, 'Megumi' was far from all right and she wasn't going to wait for help. As soon as 'Nabiki' the friend she never knew was out of sight, Ranma got up and made her way over to the red sedan, the only car with its door left wide opened.
The red head leant panting against the driver seat as she searched through the glove compartment. Her body was racked with pain from trudging over here with her injuries, she even had to pop her dislocated joints back into place… but she wouldn't give up. She couldn't give up.
'Yatta' Ranma gave a silent cry, trusting the paper she had been searching into the air. At the bottom it read;
…that's the basic character summary, Takayama-san. If you have any question please don't hesitate to give me a call, or you can visit me at Floor 17, Suntory Building in Shibuya.
Kind regards, Takahashi Rumiko.
Ranma changed into the gym gear she'd found in the back of Minami's car, wincing in pain every few seconds while she was doing it. She folded the letter in half and slipped into her pants pocket.
"Megumi Hayashibara or Ranma Saotome… I will have to hear it for myself…" She muttered as she slowly walked away from the red car. "…I have to hear from my creator's mouth."
--- TT ---
"BAKA!" Minami yelled, punching the steering wheel out of frustration. The horn blared loudly, causing the people in the cars around her to turn and stare. The shorthaired woman gave them a wave in term of an apology, but to be honest she was too angry to care at the moment.
"One minute; I left her alone for one minute and she's disappeared. Poof, gone!"
In truth it was more like a couple of minutes, but not being petty, that's what happened earlier. By the time she was back with two stretcher-bearing male nurses and a doctor, her injured friend had disappeared. It wasn't until she'd came back to her car and realized that some stuff had been taken from it did she have any inking for where Megumi might've gone.
It was now, as she was speeding down the high way, that the words Megumi's doctor said came back to haunt her.
"Hayashibara-san is under the influence of a sedative. She also may be suffering from alternate personality syndrome and may believe she's Ranma Saotome; the character she plays in a TV series…
'Damn it, I should've realize something was wrong when she called me Nabiki. I was so stupid I…'
Minami slammed her foot down onto the brake; turning suddenly to stop herself from hitting the car in front of her. She ignored the tooting from the said car's frightened and enraged driver and pressed her foot down on the accelerator once again. She was in a hurry and no stupid road hog was going to slow her down.
'Damn it, damn it, damn it. If something is wrong with her, I'll never forgive myself.'
The little sedan ran the red light. She didn't even notice.
'Never.'
--- TT ---
"Ranma!" A deep bellowing voice called out. "Where are you slacking off to again?"
Ranma blinked, stood up and looked around. She was lying on a park bench somewhere. She glanced over to where she thought the shout came from and found a middle age man in a dirty gi searching around for something, or rather, someone.
She grinned happily and ran to him. She hit him in the head to get his attention, smiling good naturedly as she did so. "I wasn't slack off, Old man. I was practicing on the other side of the park."
Genma blinked at her in confusion. "What are you talking about young lady? Why would I care what you've been doing?"
The red head stared back at him.
"What are you talking about? I'm Ranma, your son."
He looked her up and down and started laughing.
"…this isn't funny old man; I'm your son and you know it."
"Again, you keep saying you're my son. But how can that be when you're clearly a girl," he said in an amused tone. "Nice joke, young lady. Now run along, I'm busy looking for my son."
Ranma clenched her teeth in anger; that's it! She had enough.
"Oh she's a feisty one," Genma commented teasingly as he blocked the kick she sent his way. The girl grated her teeth together; darn it, when did he get so good. She tried again and fell onto her butt as she lost balance when he moved out of the way.
"Ow!" She whimpered; touching her hand gingerly. She must've used it to brace herself when she fell. It seemed like it was sprained and was painful to touch. Tears brimmed in her eyes from the hurt.
"Oh don't cry. Little girls like you shouldn't have been pretending to be a martial artist in the first place," Genma said turning around and began walking away. "You silly girls are all the same; weak, useless, cry-babies."
"No, wait! Don't go!" Ranma cried out. She tried to get up and follow him but he was already gone. "Please don't go." In haste; she shifted her weight onto her injured arm by accident and was blinded by the pain…
Ting! Ting!
The pain…
Ting! Ting!
That was the first thing she felt. It was what had woken her in the first place; the piercing sensation that courses through her with every jolts and bumps. After thirty years, Japan's rail service is one of the best in the world but in the end a train ride is a train ride.
Ting! Ting!
'What a stupid dream.' Ranma gritted her teeth and crossed her arms in front of her, hugging herself to keep warm. 'Maybe I should've brought something more substantial than a jumpsuit.' She thought as her body shook from the pain and the cold. The train began to slow down and the PR system came alive.
Shibuya, the next station is Shibuya Station. Passengers traveling to Ueno, Akihabara and Harajuku should change here for the Yamanote line.
The red head slowly got up, it was a long and torturous process and she had to lean against the pole and use the handrail to do it but she did it. She pushed herself on; she managed to come this far she would not give up now.
She could not give up now.
This is Shibuya Station. Passengers exiting please do so from the left side of the train. Thank you for traveling with Japan Rail, we wish you a pleasant day.
'…a pleasant day?' Ranma thought as she stepped off the train. She wasn't sure whether she wanted to laugh or to cry at the irony of it all. The girl left the station quickly; she didn't want to be recognized by someone this 'Megumi' knew. She made it outside fine but the effort of running while injured began to take its toll on her. And as she leant panting against a shop's window, she began to realize that she couldn't keep this up for much longer.
Fortunately for her, the Suntori building was right next to the station. She sighed in relief, having just realized how lucky she was. She had no idea where Suntori building was and the thought of searching Shibuya for it in her condition was extremely daunting. She entered the building and dragged herself into an elevator. The thought of taking the stairs as part of training never came to her.
'Seventeen, Suntori Building, Shibuya.' Ranma recalled, pushing the floor number weakly. The door closed slowly, enclosing her onto herself, there, by all her lonesome.
The thought felt strange to her, oddly comforting. But does she welcome the safety or loneliness? Would she ever know?
…
…
The red head leant against one of the walls. She was tired, a little sleep couldn't hurt.
dink!
Her eyes flickered opened. She looked up; the number indicated that it wasn't seventeen yet. She pulled away from the wall and tried to stand straight. The door opened.
There was a handsome and slightly rugged young man standing on the other side. He had an afro and was sporting a winsome smile that put her at ease. But it didn't last. And as he stepped into the elevator, Ranma began to feel uncomfortable with the close proximity she had to be with the man.
The door closed.
…
…
The girl still felt tired but she could not bring herself to relax with someone …male… so close to her.
…
dink!
The door opened.
--- TT ---
Ranma left the elevator, walking slowly so her injuries won't be so obvious. She approached the receptionist's desk and was greeted before she had the chance to say something.
"Hello Megumi-san, how can I help you today?" The young receptionist asked, obviously familiar with the red head.
"…em. Can I speak with Takashi-san please?" The girl said, remembering the name on the piece of paper that was sitting in her pants' pocket.
"Em… sure. Takahashi-san out right now but I'll give her a call to see when she'll be back." The receptionist said, picking up the phone beside her and started dialing it. 'I wonder what's up with her, she always been so friendly and informal with Rumiko-sensei,' the girl wondered.
…
"Em, Megumi-san?" She called out to the red head, why was she leaving the dye on like that anyway? Does she like having hair with that bright a shade? "Takahashi-san said she's coming back right now and will probably be here in about ten minutes. Em, you can wait in her office if you like."
"Right, thank you. Can you show me the way?"
"…of course. It's right this way," the girl said standing up and began leading the way. 'Why did she need me to show her the way? She was just here yesterday and the day before,' she thought as she opened the door for Ranma.
"Thank you," the redheaded girl said as she walked into the room where she was greeted with a sight she was sure there's no word with which to describe it. Actual size portraits of her and a few of her friends and rivals took up the majority of the wall space. The pictures contained less detail and seemed almost flamboyant in nature; as if they were cartoon characters…
…as if they were comic book characters.
Ranma fell onto one of the sofas, shocked by the truth that was being presented to her. Her hand, thrown about haphazardly, came to rest upon a stack of books. Comic books.
The girl picked one of them up slowly, not sure whether she was ready to see what lies inside. She brought it to the front her face and looked the cover page. Its title read;
Ranma, One over Two: Issue Twelve.
She gradually turned the page over, unable to stop herself. She needed to see.
…
The book fell from her nerveless fingers and clattered as it hit the floor.
'It's true. Oh God, it's true.'
She left the convivial office soundlessly; she didn't want to face Takahashi-san, not now. Not after seeing what she'd just seen. She did not truly comprehend the meaning of 'facing her creator' when she said it earlier in the car park.
How do you face someone who is not only your God but yourself as well? How do you face someone who controlled every aspect of your life but was the one who was making your decisions as well; someone who was, for all intents and purposes, you?
Ranma left the same way she came in; down the elevator and out the main entrance. She was lost in thought, much like the first time. But, unlike the first time, her thoughts were altered, changed drastically by the momentous event that had just occurred.
At least she could cry now, that's one good thing that came out of all of this. She's a girl now right? A good for nothing lousy actress; the most girly type of girl out of them all, the most useless.
Now, she could cry if she wanted to right? She could…
Her thought was interrupted but as she walked into someone.
"Ops, I'm sorry, Miss. I was in a hurry and didn't watch where I was going." A tallish man in a business suit apologized after bumping into her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm… I'm fine." Ranma lied through her teeth as her body was wrought with pain. She didn't need pity; especially from the likes of him. She knew these kinds of jerks well. They fake sincerity of get pretty girls interested in them.
'I won't fall for it; I not that type of girl!' The girl thought indignantly then, a split second later, realized what she just did. 'I just thought of myself as a girl…'
Her face turned pale white; a fact that didn't go unnoticed by the man.
He frowned; some girls are just too darn independent for their own good. She was obviously not fine. "Are you sure Miss, you seem awfully pale," he asked sincerely, putting his arms on her shoulders to help study her.
"Piss off ya creep," Ranma rebuffed, batting the gentleman's hands away angrily. How dare he; copping a feel in such public place like this. But wait, a thought occurred to the girl, if he's so daring maybe he'd the type who stalks girls and get them in secluded place and…
She looked around; they were in a side street, one that wasn't that much bigger than an alley. It was very secluded. The red head looked up and saw that the man had an angry look on his face.
'What am I going to do I'm just a weak useless girl now.' She thought anxiously; the flame of fear and doubt burned within her for the first time since Jusendo.
"Why you…" The man muttered angrily, here he was trying to be helpful, and some darn girl just had to think of him as a pervert. "Darn it," he said under his breath in frustration.
Somehow, Ranma have heard him and in her current state of mind, those words did nothing to calm her down.
Her eyes widen as the few remnants of Ranma Saotome that were left within her disintegrated; stripped away and replaced with the vulnerability that life is.
She pushed him away and ran.
And ran…
And ran…
--- TT ---
It was raining now.
The soft pattering droplets of freezing water felt… calming on her back. She could hardly feel the pain now, everything just felt numb. She just felt… nothing. She knew it wasn't healthy but the numbness is good. The numbness meant she could keep going without the pain slowing her down.
It meant she could keep running.
"Megumi stop!"
…
A red sedan pulled to a stop in front of her. "Megumi STOP!" the yell came again, this time Ranma could see that it came from a young woman leaning out of her car window. She had wet short brown hair that was pasted to her worried face; probably from running around searching for someone in the rain. She got out off the car and walked toward her.
The catatonic girl blinked repeatedly as she came out from her trance. She didn't slow down and ran up to hug the girl in a motion that would make a football player proud.
"Nabiki it was true… my life, the art, Akane, everything… it was all a lie," Ranma said, sobbing against the taller girl where they were sitting against Minami's car's door. The brown haired girl patted the girl's red mane slowly; she didn't know what else to do. This girl is so different from the Megumi she'd remember.
"All the … things we've done … all our … adventures to … together…" the girl said between the hiccups, tears now falling freeing from her eyes. Suddenly she had an epiphany. Her deep blue eyes widen with trepidation as she pulled away from the other girl's embrace. "Wait!"
"Y… You're not N… Nabiki… She wasn't real either." Ranma looked away, trying to hide the tears in her eyes. She used her hands, two dainty, girly hands to wipe the tears from her eye and tried to compose herself, but the flushed, tear stained cheeks gave her away. "What do you want with me?"
"I just want to make sure you're okay. You're my friend, Ranma." Minami tried to put her arms back around the shorter but more bosomed girl.
"No, I'm not your friend Megu..." Ranma stopped, realizing what the girl who looked like Nabiki said. "Wait you called me Ranma…." Her eyes widened momentarily before they narrowed down, forming two slits.
"N… No I… I don't believe you! You're just saying that to make me feel better," Ranma retorted angrily and tried to shrug the other girl's arms off. But due to the fact that she was weaken and that a part of her didn't want the warm and comforting feeling to go away, her effort was futile.
"Is that so bad?" Minami asked softly after the girl had stopped struggling. "What is so wrong about taking pleasure in being cared for? Megumi or Ranma, I would gladly help you."
"Y… You're just like the rest of them… you want something from me don'tcha?" the red head commented, trying to sound angry but coming out as mild irritation.
"Yes… I want you to go to sleep."
"Oh you, you…" The teased girl made a tiny fist with her hand and shook it at Minami who laughed as the sleep-slurred tone only made her voice even more harmless and innocent than it usually is. "I'm… I'm so mad…"
And for the first time in a long while, Ranma was relaxed and happy as the blissful sleep claimed her. Although for some it would seem ironic that she would do so there; in the arms of a stranger and amidst the falling rain rather than a comfortable bed, for Ranma she could not care less.
She really couldn't.
--- TT ---
Ranma smiled. She remembered dreaming of the oddest thing, falling asleep amongst the rain. She yawned soundless before her mouth settled down, leaving only a slightest trace of smile that would be forever treasured by everyone around her.
Shigyou beru Kinishinagara, kakete kuru kurasumeito
koe kakeru no nee "Ohayou!"
The warm breeze snuck through the small gap in the window, teasing the crimson locks atop her head. The meaningful words that slowly filled the room seemed to tingle and echo softly at the back of her mind, filling her with a sudden yearning to sing along. "Worrying about the starting bell, a classmate comes running up calling "Good morning!"
Natsukusa ga kaoru hodou hohoemide hajimaru asa
itsumo to onnaji dakedo
"The sidewalk is fragrant with summer grasses." She began to smile brightly, singing louder now as happiness began to shrine through in her voice. "The morning begins with a smile. It's the same as always, but..."
Sarigenai shunkan sae watashi no takaramono
kokoro no arubamu ni hatte aru
"…even a casual moment is a treasure to me, pasted in the album of my heart."
Wasurenai, kono sora wo. Wasurenai, kono yume wo.
At this point, warm tears slowly fell from her closed eyes. But she was content and these were tears of happiness, ones she'd cherish for forever. Yes, she'd never forget this sky or this dream.
Anata to ima wakeau yasashii kisetsu kanashikute yureta hi mo.
Ureshikute, naita hi mo. Taisetsu na omoide na no
"Megumi! Megumi! Wake up!" A yell accompanied by the sounds of footsteps came from the other side of the door. It opened a moment later, revealing an apron clad Nabi- no… Minami, standing on the other side. "Our show's on…" Her voice trailed off as she noticed the trail of glistening tears on the girl's cheeks.
Hi ga ataru watarirouka tomodachi ni uchiaketa ne
suteki na hito demo "naisho..."
"What's wrong?" The young actress asked anxiously.
In a covered passage in the sun, I confided in a friend:
a wonderful person, but "it's a secret..."
Ranma didn't answer her. She did not understand her feelings well enough herself to explain them to other. She opened her eyes and tried to find an excuse only to have one given to her.
Kiri-sugita kami wo kuyami nemurenai yoru mo atta
itsuka wa waraeru kashira
"What's wrong?" Minami repeated when the girl held her hands over her mouth and started shaking instead of answering her. It looked like she was trying to choke herself.
Lamenting the hair I cut too short, there were nights I couldn't sleep.
I wonder if I can ever laugh about it.
"You… You… Oh God," the red haired maiden said between gulps of breath. She was still trying to stifle her laughter and failing miserably. "Nabiki in an apron… oh God."
Minami lost that worried frown in an instant. She seemed relieved for almost a minute before assuming an irritated look. "Why you…" She dove onto the lying girl and assaulted her with the aged-old tickling tackle attack.
Sazanami ga sarau you ni hakanaku kieta koi
itami ga kakokei ni kawatte mo
Ranma shrieked in fright and hopped off the bed. She ran from the room giggling as her friend chased her. The thought of giggling seemed to want to linger in her mind, probably to annoy her. She would worry about it later.
As if washed away by rippling waves, love was fleetingly worn away.
Even if the pain becomes past tense,
The pair ran into the living room where the TV screen was showing an opening theme of a show. The two girls looked at the single beanbag present and at each other, blinking in perfect synchronization. They gave another loud shriek and dove at it.
Wasurenai, ano niji wo. Wasurenai, ano ai wo.
sou otona ni natte mo nakushitakunai.
They ended up sharing the silly thing. With Minami sitting on it and Ranma settled comfortably, snuggling in her lap. The red headed girl watched avidly as the beginning theme came to an end; at which point there was a shot that contained all the cast; showing familiar faces which she'd never forget.
I won't forget; that rainbow. I won't forget: that love.
Even if I become an adult, I don't want to lose them.
The red head suddenly sniffed the air. She had a curious looked on her face when she said. "Was that… burnt toast?" Minima froze, her face turned ashen.
Hashaideta itsu date. Nayandeta ima date.
Mabushisa wa owaranai no.
Ranma smiled brilliantly, dazzlingly. She watched as the taller girl ran out the room, heading for the kitchen to save their breakfast. She was distressed, but at the same time, she was content.
I was high-spirited; at any time. I was distressed; even now.
The dazzling brightness doesn't end.
She was happy, and that's all that matters, right?
--- TT ---
Author's note:
I want to thank Tread Weaver-san, my pre-reader, right away before I forgot… Okay, I've done it. Now, what do I say… Oh yeah.
This fic, in a way, represent my life at the moment. I'm going through a change. No, it's not a big mystery, I won a scholarship to an English school for writers but my parents want me to become a doctor… We kind of had a confrontation and I could not go without their consent so… This fic represents a person going through a change in life and must learn to survive. Yeah, that's it.
Enough of my rant; thank you for reading the story, I hoped you enjoyed reading the story. Re-view please
--- TT ---
Right... em... when I wrote this I've decided that "This Sky This Dream" isn't gonna be one of those fic where you have to reread each chapters like four times and do back ground research or get a psychology degree to understand it.
Yes, it has a lot of ironical and sub plot and hidden meanings but I want to make it so readers can actually enjoy it without understanding every aspect of the fic. So i've decided to keep the plot summary of each chapter at the end. If you want to read it; proceed.
…
Woo hoo, we're back again with chapter summary for the 2nd time. Right, right. I'll get right into it. Em, this chapter is written in a tone that's fitted into a pattern. That pattern is a person suffering from withdrawal from an addiction. This coincidently fits into the pattern of a person suffering from delusion and waking from it as well…
The first dream sequence is Ranma's mental re-rendition of what happened in the bath house which was commented later by the doctor and Noriko, the Akane look alike. Ranma was then thinking in a funny tone because she was sedated. Yep, she was high.
Ketazolam is a sedative for patient with Hysteria, thus making her sounds rather silly at the start of the chapter.
Scene with the Grandmother and the kid; is slowly breaking Ranma into the real world experience. Telling her that yes, people get sick. Yes, people dies. Of course she didn't quite get it yet but…
Jumping the balcony and the scene where Ranma was remembering her first lesson with Genma about mid air combat. Again; stripping away Ranma's view of reality and reinserting an actual realistic view of the world.
Em… what's with Minami?
Well, that would be answered in latter chapter, the next one in fact! But more later as well. Yes, this was all fore shadowed in the first chapter and No, don't go back and read it again.
2nd dream sequence it a normal nightmare, occurred from Ranma belief that her father would abandon her. This builds onto how she was thinking when the poor business man walked into her later on.
The way she was feeling… Well to be honest, she wasn't in that bad of shape. The fact that she was feeling so down was because of the sedative wearing off and the fact that she's experiencing the real world for the first time.
Why was Ranma so ready to trust Minami?
Again, this will be explain in a latter chapter. Yes, it has been fore shadowed. A lot more of your question WILL be answered so bear with me here.
