Hello! Here's chapter three! Enjoy!
Falling: Chapter three.
Steam enveloped the little bathroom, creating a warm atmosphere; Ukyo opened the door to clear up the room and wiped the mist off her mirror, looking at her reflection absentmindedly while she toweled off her hair. Even though it was around midnight, she had taken her time in the shower, hot water doing an amazing job taking the tension from her body, and she realized just how much she had needed a vacation.
Even if it was to properly heal her body's injuries —as insignificant as they were—, Dr. Tofu had been right about taking her time to rest.
Between the restaurant and school, Ukyo didn't have too much time to spend with herself, let alone with her friends. Friends… She thought the word with a snort, evaluating the bunch of crazy martial artists that she could call her friends. Even though spending time with them meant involving herself in pointless fights, rescue missions or the occasional fight/tournament to save the Tendo Dojo, she had been sad to be left out of the majority of their adventures. Even though she could miss her classes like Akane did sometimes, she still had a restaurant to run, what took the most part of her time.
She even considered befriend some of her feminine classmates, but even though they seemed to be fine with her wardrobe choice, they still kept a distance since Ukyo was a known member of the 'Ranma gang', and just being around her meant trouble.
Sure, everyone in school seemed to enjoy being in the audience when a fight erupted, but neither of them really wanted to get involved. Being spectators was the perfect dose of thrill they might need for their lives, no need to be a part of it.
Her male classmates, well, that was another thing altogether. They didn't seem to have a problem with her wardrobe choice either, since they treated her like a 'budy', but weren't comfortable enough around her to actually being friends, either. Add the fact that she was Ranma's fiancée to that and boom! Instantly sent to friend zone.
She sighed and started to comb her hair, untangling the little knots patiently. Ranma had done exactly that, too. Yes, he'd said she was cute, once; but he —or any other boy, for that matter— never looked at her with nothing more than friendship.
Ukyo looked at herself, at her long hair framing her shoulders and the red fluffy towel tightening around her breasts; would he look differently at her now? Would he appreciate her plentiful chest, now that it was unbounded; or her long, firm legs, now that they were exposed?
Just like certain fanged boy had.
Whoa! Where in hell did that come from?
Ukyo shook her head, trying to diffuse that silly thought; guilt and shame rising up again. He'd been practically demented that night; she should think nothing of it. Even if it had been nice to have someone —a boy— looking at her like that. Among other things, there had been desire in his eyes.
Eyes that were staring at her through the mirror now, from the hallway, as a matter of fact.
Her back straightened up in surprise, and she tightened the towel protectively around her, turning to face him.
"Ryoga?"
"Are you okay?" He said in a tight voice, his stare remaining in her face. Or so he tried.
She looked at him standing in the hall, in front of the bathroom's door: head lowered, lips tight, hands fisted, eyes fierce.
Just a single thought formed in her mind.
Dangerous.
"Are you okay?" He insisted, not moving.
"Yes," she said, still surprised at his presence, "what are you doing here?"
Anger flared up in her as he started to look around, ignoring her question.
"What the hell are you doing here, Ryoga?!" She walked towards the door, "are you insane?" She frowned when he entered her room, looking around. "How did you get in? Do you realize I could have been naked, you jackass?! What the hell are you doing?!"
Ryoga turned to her and glared, "what does it look like I'm doing?"
She took him in, clad in the same gray pants and white T-shirt that he'd been wearing at the clinic, barefooted as well.
"Oh, honey, I should have known you were lost, I'm sorry." She flinched, realizing how dumb she'd been. Ryoga had just been lost, wandering around and getting inside her apartment only God knows how. The familiar feeling started to rise up in her chest.
He blinked in confusion, "what?"
"I'm calling Dr. Tofu. Or would you like me to take you to the clinic?"
He seemed to consider for a brief instant before hurrying towards her.
"Yes, take me there. Now."
"Okay, just give me a minute."
"You have to take me now, Ukyo;" he gritted, grabbing her arm and starting to drag her out of the bathroom. She flinched, his hold was tight.
"I have to get dress first, you jackass!" She wiggled to get free, "what's the matter with you?"
"There's no time for-"
His words were cut off by a blasting sound, and Ukyo screeched when he lifted her up on his shoulder and hauled her down the hall, cursing under his breath as the whole apartment shook.
There had been an explosion in her bedroom! Fire had already taken the room extremely fast and was now advancing, taking everything in its pace. Smoke increased, filling up the kitchen.
"Put me down, you jackass!" She commanded, her eyes teary because of the smoke, which was starting to get in her lungs. He let her down reluctantly.
"We need to get out of here," he said more to himself than to her, but she sneered anyway.
"You think?" She coughed, her eyelids becoming heavy all of a sudden.
She stumbled, her skin burning with the approaching heat. He literally stabbed the door open with a finger, reducing it into splinters, and she started to take shallow breaths, her throat constricting. Her knees buckled and she fell, her hands clutching the towel protectively.
"Ukyo!" She heard him say before he threw his arms around her and lifted her up, taking her downstairs and outside. Night turned into day while the blaze kept eating her home, and before her eyes closed, she thought she heard sirens far away.
... ...
He wasn't even a bit tired. He felt like he could run a marathon and would not even break a sweat. The burst of power, the intense energy that had blossomed inside him was still there, ready to explode. He traced a path around his living room, coming back and forth. The fact that he had been able to find his house so fast, and that he still remembered how he got there, told him that indeed he'd gained a sense of direction. Things just kept getting weirder. He'd thought it'd been his imagination, both of Ukyo's visits at the clinic had been bizarre, and he'd assumed that both of them had suffered some sort of trauma induced, collective hallucination. But the moment he heard the voice again, he'd known he'd been wrong. This was really happening.
He was definitely different, something had changed —or awoken— inside him. He'd known she was in danger even before the voice told him so. He had actually felt it inside his chest, a pang of dread and desperation, his blood running crazy in his veins. He'd known exactly where to find her, and the strong urge to protect her flared up alive, kicking him into motion. Everything had been a blur until he'd found her.
The voice had been blunt, "…save her!...", but there had been a hint of desperation underneath.
He sat on the couch, resting his head on his hands. He was not going crazy; at least he knew that now. If he hadn't gotten there in time… He shuddered. Not that everything that was happening made any sense to him, but at least he knew he wasn't just imagining things, he'd been right about Ukyo being in danger.
Okay, he might be imagining a little voice, but still…
A tingle ran through his spine, the hair in the back of his neck standing up.
"You're doing a good job, boy."
This time, he didn't hear it in his mind. Frozen, he turned his head towards the window, his mouth going dry.
Golden locks fell around a pale face, full pink lips and an upturned little nose. Ocean blue eyes framed in gold, which seemed too familiar for some reason. A long, flowing white robe that reached sandaled feet. Stretching behind her back, feathery white wings tinted with gold. A halo of translucent energy vibrated around her, which seemed familiar as well, protective and menacing at the same time.
Ryoga blinked, stunned. What was an angel —because she was an angel, no doubt of that— doing in his living room? And had she called him 'boy', when she didn't look older than fifteen?
"Uh…" Was his smart answer.
The being smiled, "you're a little surprised to see me, I note."
Well, wasn't that an understatement?
"Umm…"
She laughed, the musical sound vibrating in his chest; "there are a lot of things you don't understand… yet. But it is your commitment to protect her, I don't need to remind you of that."
He struggled a little to find his voice, "may I ask why?"
"Boy," she giggled, "it was our deal. A life for a life, remember?"
"Uh… no." He blinked; their deal? When had he made a deal with this creature?
"You will, then." She tilted her head to the side, "as for now, I must go, but I ask for your silence. Fulfill your duty, boy…"
And she faded away.
The smell of food filled her nose and she stirred, her hunger fighting the desire to remain inside those incredible silky soft sheets. She had to get ones for herself, her bed would be lovely clad in those. The pretty chef frowned when a little fact fell to place: she was not in her bed. Cracking her eyes open, she scanned her surroundings. She was in what seemed to be a boy's room. A twin bed, a wooden desk, a built-in little library above it, a walk-in wardrobe, a dark blue curtained window, matching the bedspread; the floor tiles were a dark shade of gray, the walls were a soft shade of blue and there were no posters or pictures on them. It was really masculine and elegant, and she liked it. The question was: what the hell was she doing there?
She sat up, the covers rolling off her, and she looked down, gasping. She was clad in an oversized red T-shirt, with a white stamp that read 'You know I'm sexy' on front. And that was all she was wearing. She paled, her heart thumping hardly on her chest; what had happened the night before? She panicked as her brain refused to come up with any other logical reason for her current situation, until a faint memory of the passed night sneaked up.
Bathroom. Ryoga. Fire.
Oh…
She let out a shaky breath, as everything came back to her. Ryoga had been lost inside her apartment when the explosion occurred, and he'd been trying to get her to take him back to the clinic —thank God—, otherwise she would have gotten trapped in the bathroom, and she would've— Better not to think about that.
He'd saved her life, again. But she couldn't remember anything after he got her outside, where had he taken her? Was this his room?
As an answer, there was a soft rap on the door and it opened slowly.
"Ukyo?" She recognized his voice, loaded with worry and anticipation.
"I'm awake," she said hoarsely.
He stepped in with caution, studying her. He looked better, more like himself, but his eyes still had that turmoil she had seen before, and his features seemed sharper. There was definitely something different about him, but she couldn't quite figure what it was.
"I've made breakfast…"
She blinked, "really? That's nice…" She didn't really know what to say, how to react, so she thought she would take it slowly.
"Sorry about that," he pointed to the shirt, "first thing I found. You can borrow some of my mom's clothes if you want, her bedroom is down the hall."
She nodded, "thanks." She would not think about him seeing her naked. He'd probably put the shirt on her first and then taken the towel off. He blushed, as if guessing her thoughts. Yes, Ryoga would never peep.
They stared dumbly at each other for a while; he cleared his throat, "I'll be downstairs, come down whenever you're ready." Then he left.
Taking a deep breath, she got out of bed and walked towards the other room, searching in the wardrobe for something to wear. She found a pair of blue jeans that were not so baggy for her and white sneakers a size bigger but comfortable. Every shirt in the closet was either flowery or striped, so she decided to keep the one she was already wearing, knotting the hem on a side so it would tighten around her hips.
She went to the bathroom to fresh up and dress; she washed her face and combed her hair. Sighing at her reflection, she decided it was time to face the situation.
…
The boy pushed his empty cup away, resting his forearms on the kitchen island's countertop; breakfast was getting cold, but he was waiting for Ukyo. Not that he was much hungry, anyway. She entered the kitchen shyly, sitting on the stool in front of him.
"How are you feeling?" He gave her a tentative smile, and motioned for her to eat.
"Confused, admittedly; but otherwise fine." She shrugged.
"That's good."
"I'm afraid to ask what happened," she sighed.
He got up and refilled his cup, offering her one as well.
"I guess we were lucky I was lost, huh?"
She narrowed her eyes, "you always seem to be around at the right time."
He pointedly ignored that. "Um, I called Dr. Tofu last night. He wants to see you again this afternoon."
At the suspicious expression on her face, he elaborated; "he came to check on you, and gave you some sedatives; you were a little anxious. Sorry I brought you here, first place I found…" Liar.
He'd been too embarrassed to actually turn up at the clinic again after he had escaped, and carrying a naked, unconscious girl wasn't adding to the prospect; so he had ran home instead and called Dr. Tofu. Waiting for the firemen or calling an ambulance had been out of the question, the sense of danger had been still present and he hadn't wanted to take any risk; he'd just known he had to take her out of there. He somehow managed to convince the doctor to let him stay home; but he had to take care of Ukyo for the night as well, since it would be risky to upset her further by taking her elsewhere in her state, and he reluctantly accepted. The fact that Ukyo looked really good tucked naked in his bed had absolutely nothing to do with his resolve. Right.
She softened. "Thank you, Ryoga. I mean it."
He nodded wordlessly.
"Do I have to go to the clinic, or he goes home? Because I think I'll have a lot to clean up considering the situation and I really want to reopen Ucchan's next week…" She trailed off at the look on his face.
"He'll meet you here, since he has to see me too…" He said, a bit exasperated for some reason.
"Okay… Look, I really want to ask you about what we talked—"
"About your place…" He interrupted quickly, clearing his throat.
She paled. "Is it that bad?"
"It's all gone…"
She rested her hands on the countertop for support, "oh dear God…"
"I'm sorry," he wrinkled his nose.
She covered her face with her hands, her frame shaking, all gone… Okay, okay, calm down… She had a few savings in her account and she had been smart enough to have her restaurant under insurance. On the worst case, it could be running again in three or four months. But the apartment above it, her home, was another thing, and if she recalled correctly the events of the night before, she was probably homeless now, since she had no money to actually rebuild her apartment. She could live in the restaurant once it was ready, she'd manage, but what would she do until then?
"What am I gonna do now?" She said to herself but he heard her nonetheless.
"I'm sure we'll find a solution…" He reassured, upset at the girl's grief.
She shook her head, "you've helped me enough, if it wasn't for you…" She brushed a tear from her cheek, when had she started crying? "Anyway, I should call the insurance company; may I use your phone?"
"Of course." He said, pointing to the living room where the phone was.
He sighed, passing a hand through his hair, the fatigue of the night before finally falling on him. He had stayed awake, unable to get to sleep on the couch since he even hadn't been capable of sharing the same floor with the girl; he'd been too disturbed. His emotions were a blur now, so he tried to shoot them down as much as he could.
Every time she was around seemed like a war erupted inside him; there was the strong urge to protect her —which he understood now; well, a bit— along with an unaccountable desire to be near her —what the hell?—; but there was also a strong feeling of rejection that felt so natural that it stunned him, as if he was _meant_ to repel her. It was completely illogical and it was driving him insane. Sure, he'd had a poor, if nonexistent, relationship with the girl before the accident and admittedly, there had been moments when he couldn't stand her attitudes, especially towards himself, but this feeling was ridiculous. It seemed like now she could get on his nerves just by breathing; but thankfully she was being very civilized at the moment, so that calmed this little feeling. Somewhat. Besides, she was going through a lot now, he just couldn't be a jerk.
Shaking his head, he washed the dishes while she was still on the phone. He had been used to find himself in strange situations, what with his curse and poor sense of direction and all; but this was way off the track. He'd never had an angel appearing in his living room talking about a pact, what in the world was that? He blinked, could had he been dreaming? But if he'd been, how could he explain the voice in his head?
I'm insane, that's just it.
Rinsing up his hands under cold water, he stared fixedly at it as a sudden thought came to mind. 'A life for a life', the angel had said. P-chan was gone. Dead, to be exact. What if he had traded his curse up to saving Ukyo's life at that cliff? Could that be the pact about? It made sense to him, seeing just how desperate he was to find a cure; maybe the angel took the opportunity knowing he'd do mostly anything… And maybe he had a sense of direction as a bonus, in order to fulfill his duty of protecting the girl… He flinched. For how long that duty had to be fulfilled?
The angel had said he would remember their little pact soon, and it would make all sense then. Hopefully.
The chef looked around. To say it was a disaster was an understatement. Everything in her apartment had turned into ashes, the furniture, windows and doors; walls and ceiling were black, as well as the upper half of the staircase, and it reeked of smoke. Yep, she was homeless.
The restaurant wasn't as destroyed as she'd thought it'd be, though, so she managed an exhale of relief. The insurance men said, after their inspection, that it could be all rebuilt in a couple of months, and that it was all covered, so the situation was under control. For her business. As for herself…
She took a deep breath. Should she call her Ranchan? They were engaged, after all; and she had stayed with them once before; but for some reason she didn't feel like it. She probably was going insane, she should be hopping up and down in joy and taking advantage of the situation, but she couldn't find the will to do so. Maybe it had to do with all that had transpired in just four days, being near death twice and all, or the fact that she had realized he hadn't been really worried about her the first time, too worried about saving and protecting Akane; or the fact that he hadn't been aware of her until they had found her. Okay, so maybe she was feeling a little bit disappointed about her fiancé.
She'll deal with that later; now, she had to call her father, go to the bank and do some shopping.
The loud bang on the front door interrupted his sleep, making him moan. He lifted his face from the pillow, taking an unconscious sharp breath. Damn, it still smelled like her. He should change the sheets.
The door banged again and he cursed, wondering who on earth would be trying to take his door down. Could it be Haruna? She was the housekeeper his parents paid to come once or twice a week to clean up the house. A really nice old lady. But she had a key, why would she knock?
Then he remembered that Dr. Tofu was supposed to come by. It was their agreement to let him stay home. He checked his wristwatch; shouldn't he be coming an hour later?
Opening the door, he blinked.
"Uh, hi." The brunette offered, a slight blush spreading on her cheeks as she took in his askew hair and shirtless torso. She was staring. Again? Damn it!
His eyes narrowed towards the backpack hanging on one of her shoulders, and she winced. Wanna close the door on my face too, jackass?
"Dr. Tofu's meeting me here, remember?" She rushed out, uncomfortable at the boy's silence. He looked a little pissed off, surely because she had woken him up.
He turned around, leaving the door open, and she could hear his heavy footsteps on the stairs. Oookay.
…
Damn Tofu and his ideas. He toweled his face off and arranged his hair, then tousled it again furiously. What the hell did he care how he looked like anyway? Okay, so he was in a dark mood, but it was only her fault. Not only because he'd been strangely, insanely and totally awkwardly attached to her the past four days, but also because she kept assaulting his dreams and sneaking up his thoughts. And now she was in his house, again. Talk about invasion.
He just wanted to stop seeing her so the opposite, confusing feelings would go away. He'd kept his part of the deal, had saved her life twice; now he hoped it was time to dissolve this link with the girl or whatever it was.
He sat in one of the single couches, his forearms on the armrests; Ukyo occupied the other directly in front of him across the coffee table, no need to share the bigger one. Smart girl.
She'd rested a couple of things on the floor, like her backpack, a small handbag and a few paper bags. Definitely gone shopping. She had changed her clothes, too; now she sported a nice blue jeans, a pair of black sneakers and a long, buttoned black shirt. She looked good, he noted, and that only infuriated him further. He was _not_ disappointed that she wasn't wearing his shirt anymore. Nope, not at all.
The chef cleared her throat, shuffling uncomfortable on her seat under his stern eyes. "So, um… Thank you for the clothes, I took them to the laundry so don't worry…" She smiled, taking one of the bags and placing it on the coffee table.
The boy just narrowed his eyes at her, and a funny feeling started to form in her stomach. He was looking all badass again, and as much as she hated to admit it, she liked it. With his clear, deep green eyes narrowed and the way his hair seemed like he just had carelessly tangled his fingers through it; made her wonder what it would be like to do so herself, fisting the ebony strands and throwing his head backwards to— Okay! What the hell was wrong with her?!
He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose like fighting a coming headache, "do you want tea or something?" He offered through clenched teeth, obviously he wasn't too happy about her presence.
She snapped, "look, you jackass, if you didn't want me here you could have said so! It's not like I'm asking you for anything else, so drop it."
She stood up and started to get her things, "sit down, Ukyo."
"Don't tell me what to do."
"You have to stay here until you get checked, then you can leave."
"Nope, that's not happening." She opened the door, but he was there in a second, closing it soundly.
"I said you stay."
Ukyo blinked a couple of times, "how did you do that?"
"Do what?" He frowned, "go sit down."
"Just tell Dr. Tofu I didn't show up or something." She tried again, reaching for the doorknob.
He sighed heavily, what happened to 'not being a jerk'?
"Ukyo, please go sit down," he bit his lip, and her stomach twitched; "don't mind me, I'm just…" He shook his head dismissively.
"I know it's been too much to handle, and you probably hate to get stuck with me again, but I'll leave to Ranma's place so don't worry…"
He let out a breath, staring fixedly at her face while shaking his head almost imperceptibly; the dance in his eyes was so intense she was drawn to them. Finally he seemed to reach a conclusion on whatever he was pondering, because he took her things and nodded to the kitchen.
"Go make some tea, I'll put these away."
… ...
"Okay, everything seems to be going fine, physically talking, of course; are you sure you're okay?"
She nodded, "I'm fine."
"Ukyo, you have been through two near death experiences in only four days, not to mention the loss you have suffered and your current situation. It's normal to feel confused or depressed, or both."
She sighed, "I might not be feeling quite like myself lately…"
Tofu slid his glasses up his nose with a finger, "I have to say I'm very impressed about your calmness in this situation; but it's not good for you to keep things inside. Either you want to talk with me or not, you should talk about it with someone."
"Well," she glanced at the kitchen's closed door, where the fanged boy was, "I've been feeling… new things, I guess… Something's changed…" She shook her head; she was not ready to talk about the things that had changed in her life since four days ago.
The doctor smiled tenderly, resting a hand on her shoulder, "whenever you need to talk about anything, you can call me, okay?"
She nodded, "thank you, doctor, really."
Ryoga chose that moment to appear with freshly made tea, and offered a cup to the young man. He glanced at the girl questioningly, but she declined politely.
"Well," Tofu clapped his hands once, "I find you both in better physical conditions, but I'm a little worried about post trauma emotions, considering all you've been through; so I'm going to keep track of both of you. And please try to avoid stressful situations, I'll be back in a couple of days."
"I'll be staying in the Tendo Dojo," Ukyo spurted, surprising him.
"Oh? I thought you'd be staying here."
She blushed, "n-no, I'm staying with my fiancé; besides, Ryoga has already done a lot for me, he doesn't have to… Uh…"
Said boy cleared his throat, "she can come here if it's more comfortable for you to see us at the same time."
"That's great, so I'll see you soon then. I'll call you." He said, standing up and gathering his medical gears. Ryoga walked him to the door and waved goodbye.
The brunette stood up as well, smoothing her clothes; he turned to her, closing the door behind him.
"I should get going…"
He nodded and went to get her things from the coat closet, then handed everything to her. She shouldered her backpack lazily, hovering around the door. He didn't seem as upset as before, but she didn't want to push her luck.
"Yesterday we agreed that something wasn't right about all this, and I was thinking—"
"Maybe you're reading too much into it?"
She blinked, "are you serious?"
"Post trauma emotions?" He shrugged dismissively. She shook her head and he had a nagging feeling that she wouldn't let the matter drop for too long.
"Ryoga," she started softly and he tensed up, "somehow saying thank you seems ridiculous," she snorted, then she closed the distance between them and rested a hand on his chest, "but I mean it, thank you, for everything. I'll find a way to repay you, I promise."
"I-I did what I had to, don't worry about it." He trembled slightly under her touch, the unnatural wave of warmth coursing through his body; her intense and grateful stare piercing his very soul.
She dedicated him a bright smile and opened the door, "well, it's time for me to go complicating my fiancé's life a bit more," she chuckled, "so I'll see you in a few days?"
He nodded, snapping his mouth shut before he said something stupid. He just stood there in the doorway, watching her walk away, and wondering what in hell he had gotten into.
A/N: Hi there! First of all, thank you to all who have reviewed this story so far. Sorry if they seem a little OOC, but since they're facing a whole new situation, well, it came up like that, LOL. And about Ryoga's house, I might have remodeled a little XD This is just getting weirder, isn't it? Seriously, I'm like 'what the hell am I writing'? Still, I hope you like it, and continue reading! Come with me in this crazy journey! Okay, I'm babbling now, so, leave your review on your way out! Hugs!