"Who is that?" asked Raye.
When he had gotten back to the station, he immediately popped in the tape he received from Kuno's servant. Nabiki had decided to go on a coffee run so he was left alone. Now, Raye had not lived in the Nerima area for long so he knew very very little about Ranma or any of his affiliates.
Hence, the things he saw on the tape were slightly confusing. There was a cute red-haired girl dressed like a mime from hell and she was getting very close Kuno. Then as soon as Kuno appeared to let his guard down, the girl seemingly transformed into a tall dark-haired man.
Raye paused the tape.
Why does that guy look so familiar?
A passing officer stopped to see what Raye was doing. Unlike the cocky rookie, he had lived in Nerima for over twenty years. He noticed the figure on the screen and couldn't help but point out, "That almost looks like Ranma Saotome".
Raye quickly turned around, "What did you say?"
"He looks kinda like Ranma Saotome".
"That name sounds familiar. Remind me, who is Ranma Saotome."
"Ranma was a martial artist that used to live around here. You should really ask Tendo about him. Ranma and her sister were engaged."
Raye raised an eyebrow. Another coincidence that was too good to pass up. However, he had to be sure.
"Is there any reason why the guy on the screen couldn't be Ranma?"
The officer just shrugged and said, "He and Tendo's sister died last year. They were inside a building that had been torched. Like I said, ask Tendo about him."
As the officer left, Raye ejected the tape. Ranma, Kuno, Tendo…What's the connection?
"So what will you do now Ms. Kuno" asked Kodachi's assistant.
Kodachi looked over her old home with a little nostalgia. She calculated all her options and finally responded, "Sell all my brothers possessions. I can no longer bear for them to be around me".
A single tear fell from her eye. However, in actuality Kodachi was just picturing the amount she would get from selling her brothers worldly possessions. The whole idea made her cry with joy.
"Make sure to burn all his pictures of Akane Tendo and the pigtailed girl. I'll be moving back in shortly."
Kodachi sighed, If only the house wasn't so empty. Too bad my Ranma darling is no longer of this world.
Keiko sat in the park by herself. She was perfectly content watching the trees move as the wind blew.
Why did Ranma want me to be here?
Several people walked by but she just ignored their stares. Then out of the crowd, walked a lady police officer with a page haircut. The officer sat next to her pulled out a folder containing some papers.
"Is your name Keiko Kuonji" she asked.
"Maybe" Keiko replied with a raised eyebrow.
"I believe you were told to come here by Ranma"
"Maybe"
"Look kid, I don't have a lot of time. My name is Nabiki Tendo and I have some papers that I need you sign."
Keiko and Nabiki were soon busy going through some papers. After about twenty minutes, they were done. Nabiki soon got up to leave when Keiko asked, "Hey, when someone's dead, they can't come back can they?"
"I used to think that," said Nabiki. "Are you talking about anyone in particular?"
"You know what, never mind."
"I see him too you know. Maybe he's here to be our dark angel."
"He didn't come back for us. He said he can't be my friend anymore because I'm alive."
Nabiki sighed. She took the girls hand in her own and asked, "You want a friend to walk you home?"
Keiko looked up at her and smiled.
As they arrived at Ucchans, Nabiki had Keiko laughing at the stories of teenage Ranma and Akane.
"So Ranma pulls Akane through the bush, not relizing it's her. Then he starts screaming 'I love you' over and over again. Then he practically had a heart attack when he realized it was Akane."
Nabiki then did an imitation of the face Ranma made when he realized whom he was shouting his love too. Keiko laughed so hard her sides started to hurt.
Kodachi stared sat on the bed in her old room, staring at a picture she had taken from her brothers room. Why did he choose Akane Tendo over me? I am prettier than she is. I am a smarter than she is. I am also richer than she would ever have been. If only she didn't use her temptress ways to control him. Oh Ranma darling, It's so boring without you here.
I could see it in your eyes Ranma. You were practically begging me to set you free from your torment.
Kodachi quickly ripped up the picture in her hands and tossed them in the fireplace.
I hope Akane is burning just like her picture. It's what she deserves what she forced me to do to my Ranma.
It was going to get dark soon. Ranma noticed the sun setting as he stared at a worn picture of him and Akane. A tear rolled down his face as he remembered her smile with perfect clarity. The crow had decided to perch itself on his shoulder. Ranma couldn't tell whether or not it was looking at the photo with him or was simply waiting for him to make the next kill.
Ranma spoke, not caring that he was basically talking to himself, "What happens when it's all over? What will happen when they're all gone? Don't suppose you can give me any clue."
The crow cawed and flew off his shoulder, to the windowsill.
"You're no help", remarked Ranma. He glanced back at the photo and decided that he could not look at it anymore.
Ranma would be visiting Kodachi next. Since Nabiki had forgotten to give him the address of her apartment, he figured he'd search the Kuno mansion for it.
He knew they all deserved what was coming to them and if he could, he would have ended them all on the first night. But there was just this nagging voice in his head that kept telling him, "you're not a killer". It was constantly in battle with another voice that kept repeating the name, "Saffron."
He was tired and didn't want to be out tonight so he decided, "Just one tonight".
That evening he left his home, leavening a torn photo behind him.
What will happen when it is all over?
Where am I now
The animal once known as P-Chan made his way across the streets of Nerima, obviously lost. He had lost his magic compass months earlier.
While fighting with a bear in the woods, Ryoga had lost his footing and fell into a river. He tried to swim out but the current was too fast. The next thing he knew, he going over a waterfall. When he finally made it out, he was several miles down from the bear and his cloths and his backpack containing the compass were nowhere to be scene.
All he had to do was make it to Ukyos'. While he didn't really care for her, being her boyfriend did have its advantages. At her place, he could get a change of clothes and some food, not to mention a little nighttime company. He just hoped that he wouldn't have to take any lip from that brat of hers. That girl pissed him off almost as much as Ranma did.
He turned a corner and found himself right in front of the place he wanted to be.
As he entered the barren restaurant, he noticed the brat outback practicing her martial arts. He paid her no mind as he made his way towards the bathroom. Before entering, he glanced into Ukyo's room to find her lighting up a cigarette while watching TV.
Ryoga simply turned around and went back to the bathroom. Then he heard the something on the TV that sparked his interest, but only for a moment.
"…Tatewaki Kuno was found dead in his home last night. Reports say it was due to an animal attack…"
Ryoga shrugged it off. After all, he never liked Kuno and his death didn't affect him at all.
He made his way up to the sink in the bathroom and turned the the hot water on.
It's nothing to worry about at all.
Kodachi closed her eyes as she smelled one of her black roses. Now that the house was hers, she would decorate each and every room with their beauty.
But for now, she placed a single rose in a vase on the windowsill. The gentle breeze felt good against her skin.
"Ranma, Ranma, wherefore art thou Ranma."
Then, all the lights in her house went out.
Kodachi tensed as she heard a female voice whisper in her ear, "Don't look, don't look, the shadows breath. Whispering me away from you. Don't wake at night to watch her sleep. You know that you will always lose. This trembling adored. Tousled bird mad girl."
Kodachi turned around to find nothing but darkness. "What is the meaning of this?" she asked.
Kodachi looked around until her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the room. It was in the far corner of the room that she saw the slim figure of a pigtailed girl. Her face was hidden by the shadows and their appeared to be a large black bird perched on her shoulder. Then in the next instant, she was gone.
Kodachi walked forward to and pulled out one of her spiked clubs.
That's when she heard the voice in her ear again. This time however, the voice was male.
"Don't talk of love the shadows purr. Murmuring me away from you. Don't talk of worlds that never were. Then end is all that's ever true. There's nothing you can ever say. Nothing you can ever do."
Kodachi turned around, and swiped at the figure with her club. She felt it connect but the figure still stood in the room as if nothing had happened. She watched her attacker pull the club out of his side and disappear into the darkness again.
She quickly grabbed her trademark ribbon only to have it snatched from her. Then she felt some ones breath from behind her. She jumped forward; spun in midair, throwing several black rose at her assailant. The roses connected with nothing. Then she felt something wrap around her neck and pull tight. Then the figure stepped out into the moonlight. That face, she almost didn't recognize it with the makeup. It was him, it could not be him. He was dead.
He spoke, "Just paint you face the shadows smile. Slipping me away from you. It doesn't matter how you hide. We'll find you if were wanting to."
Kodachi struggled to get free, clawing against the ribbon. But Ranma just pulled it tighter and walked up to wrap his free arm around her, effectively restraining her arms.
"So slide back down and close your eyes. Sleep awhile you must be tired. Every night you'll burn. Every night you'll call my name. Every night you'll fall again. You'll scream the animal scream and dream the crow black dream."
As he pulled the ribbon tighter, Kodachi barely managed to let out a scream. Her vision was starting to blur and her head felt light. Her arms hurt from Ranma holding her. She spotted the crow sitting at the windowsill, cawing. It was almost as if it were laughing at her. The creature flapped its wings, knocking over the vase she had put there. The vase fell to the floor and shattered. The black rose inside it had broken in half under the weight of the vase shards. Kodachi struggled to break free once more, but to no avail. Then everything went dark.
Ranma held the ribbon tight for at least ten minutes after Kodachi had stopped struggling. He almost smiled. After all, he'd thought she would appreciate being finished off while he recited poetry. After he was sure that she was gone, he exited the house with his winged companion.
He hadn't expected to find her at the Kuno mansion. But then again, he'd been having a weird kind of luck lately. He paused for one moment as a now familiar thought entered his mind. Three of them are gone now. What's going to happen after I kill the other two. The crow cawed several times then flew off.
"You could be a little more helpful, ya know," he yelled.
Raye had decided to call it a night. Maybe he was just being paranoid. After all, Nabiki was a highly respected officer. He couldn't just call her a murderer without any good evidence. He passed by her car and he glanced something that caught him off guard.
He spied two pigtailed wigs, one red and one black.
"I'd say that counts as evidence," he said to himself.
Sorry for being late on the update. I only really get 1 hour a day to write and 30 minutes of that hour is usually spent battling writers block. But trust me, I do inted to see this finnished.