It's finally here and done within this year itself (woohoo!). It was rather fun and challenging to write up this chapter because this is the last chapter to the first part of The Curse of Jusenkyo. So it ended up being close to 10,000 words; the most I've reached in a single chapter (achievement unlocked!). Some may need to read this story again from the beginning since it has been some time since the last update. I really apologize for the long wait.
But here it is. A very important chapter in this story. You'll know why when you read it.
P.S. I had first thought of rewriting the entire first part (the chapters before this one) but dismissed the idea since it seemed good enough and I wouldn't want to put you guys through roughly the same thing twice.
The Curse of Jusenkyo
Part 1
The Night It Rained
It was noon when they allowed Ranma to go, saying that they would call him when they had a picture of what was going on. He didn't understand why they needed so much time but he didn't question them. They knew what they were doing and were putting their best effort in it Ranma assumed.
Something in him though said that they were never going to really determine his condition. Not even those who investigated on Taro could find out the real reason behind his death. Ranma knew it wasn't simply drowning. There was something else at work there and it wasn't going to be easy to determine what. It wasn't something normal doctors could handle. Though, he did give credit to them for trying their best.
Now Akane and Ranma were walking back home. The two had woken up quite late. Akane had been fussing about being late for school. Ranma good humoredly explained to her that it was okay to be late once in a while. Heck, try skipping class for one day he said. What surprised him was that Akane agreed to that. Even she surprised herself.
"I'm sure they'd be asking a lot of stuff once we reach home," Ranma said, half moaning.
"What do you expect? This is something unnatural, even for you," Akane replied.
"Implying something here?" Ranma glared at Akane.
"Well it's true," she defended herself, though visibly retaining a laugh. Ranma didn't respond right away.
"I really wish for everything to be normal, even just for a day," he said, all of a sudden with a different tone. Akane could not help but smile. A sad one though. It was rare to see this side of him especially if it was around her. But with recent events happening, she was glad that she could see a part of Ranma she wished he had shown upfront long ago.
"But we all know that it's pretty impossible," he said, laughing a little.
Akane shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe this could be the last weird thing," she said. Ranma just smiled; a small one that hinted … insecurity?
It hurt her deeply inside to see Ranma like this. She had given thought on what Ranma had explained to her and Cologne the day before and it was starting to worry her. His assumptions that there was a connection between him and Taro almost threw her off. It took every ounce of strength she had to control herself. She even avoided talking about it later that day.
Akane, whatever happens to me … don't let it get to you.
It was in fact starting to get to her. Her thoughts were becoming much darker, considering the possibility of an end similar to Taro's. Akane squeezed her eyes tight as she tried suppressing those thoughts. Her hands were trembling and her eyes stung. Even walking beside Ranma was hard for her.
Akane opened her eyes and looked over at Ranma. He hadn't notice her suddenly acting strangely. She hoped he didn't. She wanted to be strong for him no matter what happens. She had after all silently promised that.
… whatever happens to me … don't let it get to you.
Ryoga's steps were heavy and his body felt like it was about to fall apart. His rations had run out about a week ago. The week before that, his food supply had suddenly disappeared – half of them he suspected were stolen by wandering animals. He had been uncharacteristically careless at his last camp stop. So he had to hunt small animals for a while but he didn't want that to go on forever. He needed more nutrition if he wanted to keep going. It was also about time he went to some town to stock up and maybe rest for a while.
Along his journey though he kept thinking of what was it that really drove him to do all this - travelling around on foot with a backpack nearly as heavy as he is with no real direction. Not that he could ever get the direction right. To his surprise he found that Ranma was no longer the reason why he travelled. The usual fire that burned inside him was slowly dwindling. In fact, he did not feel that there was even a need for a reason. He had to admit, it was enjoyable to be walking around aimlessly. It was like a carefree life. No actual attachments. Once he got past his depressive thoughts of course.
'But wait,' he thought.
Suddenly he was thinking of Akane. He had not seen her since the disastrous wedding. He was missing her greatly. An image of her then popped into his mind. He pictured her smiling at him, leaning herself onto him with his arms around her. If anyone were around at that moment to see him grinning widely for no apparent reason, they would have coaxed him to look for help.
Her image was then suddenly replaced by that of Akari's. Ryoga's grin became smaller until it turned into a frown. He clutched his head and groaned in frustration. Suddenly he lashed out and blasted a punch through a nearby tree, making it fall to the side. The wolf stalking him gawked and fled.
After leaving Nerima, Ryoga had made it to Akari's place and stayed there a few days. During his stay, his head was spinning as he tried to sort it all out. Who did he want? Akane or Akari.
'Man, I'm turning into Kuno,' he thought.
He sighed in defeat, finding himself in another dizzying mental run. His paces became slower and suddenly his backpack felt much heavier. He trudged his way towards a town he could see from afar, not realizing though that it was the very place where pretty much where all his frustrations started.
The members of the Tendo home were busy going about their business. Soun was with Genma at their never ending game. Nodoka who decided to stay the night before was helping Kasumi with the laundry. They had planned that day to visit Ranma at the hospital but after getting a call from Akane there was no need to. Kasumi had taken that opportunity on the phone to lecture Akane a little about skipping class today. It was a light scolding though. She understood what her little sister was going through.
From afar she could hear the phone ringing. She stopped her work and rushed inside and reached for the phone.
"Hello?" she said to the phone.
"Hello, Kasumi?" came Ukyo's voice from the other side.
"Yes, who's this?"
"It's Ukyo. I was wondering if Ranma's condition is improving," she said.
"I'm not so sure of it but he's coming back home today, so maybe he's alright now," Kasumi replied.
"Oh, I see," Ukyo noted. "Is it okay if I came over then?" she asked.
"Of course it's fine. I'm sure Ranma would be happy to have his friends around," Kasumi said delightedly.
"Y-Yeah," Ukyo responded. "Thank you." With that the phone disconnected.
"I'm home!" Akane called out just as Kasumi replaced the phone onto its holder. Suddenly the whole house sprang to life as all the inhabitants moved to the front door with great enthusiasm mixed with anxiety. When they did, they were surprised to see Akane supporting Ranma as he limped his way inside.
"What happened?" Nodoka asked worriedly.
"It was another energy burst," Akane strained as she dragged Ranma. Genma and Soun came over to help Ranma.
"I'm fine," Ranma said weakly. "I managed to suppress it this time, just barely." He lightly pushed himself away from Genma and Soun to show that he was able to stand on his own. "I need to rest for a while," he said. Everyone then gave Ranma space for him to walk upstairs to his room. As soon as he disappeared, their attention shifted onto Akane.
"Are you alright?" Kasumi asked.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Akane replied. "He won't say it but it's getting worse," she continued despairingly. Everyone stared at her in a mix of pity and worry.
"I wish there was something we could do," she added. Her voice was shaky. She wouldn't admit it but her strength was faltering. It won't be long before she finally broke down she thought. Then, as if on cue, Soun came over to her and slowly pulled her into a hug.
"We'll figure something out, don't worry," he assured. He felt the burden on Akane lift a little as she gave out a soft sigh.
"Okay," Akane nodded a little. She broke the hug and stepped aside. "I think I'll go take a bath," she said, catching the small tears at the corners of her eyes with her fingers. They all watched her walk away. Everyone was quiet. They looked at each other and from their faces they knew that today was not going to be like any other.
Soun and Kasumi then moved away from the entrance slowly back into the house. Genma remained where he was, noticing Nodoka looking distressed. He placed one hand on her shoulder and held it firmly.
"Things will work out, I promise" he said, forcing a reassuring smile. Nodoka noticed the strain but she smiled anyway, glad that her husband was trying to be strong for her.
"Thank you," she said.
Today was an unusual day for the Cat Café as it wasn't open, to the surprise of potential customers. The owners had been rushing about whole morning to assemble materials to bring over to Ranma. Cologne still had no idea of what was wrong with the boy. She had stayed up nearly the whole night searching all kinds of books that were related. Even right now she was still trying to figure out the puzzle.
She heard the little bell ring as the front door opened. There was no need to go see who it was so she kept to the books and scrolls. She kept reading the same lines over and over, trying to find some sort of clue. She even switched between different references to see if there were anything related. But as determined as she was, Cologne had her limits. She was forced to make only one conclusion.
"The information we need has long disappeared," she whispered to herself.
The ancient knowledge must have been lost well before her time. Something this grave should have been passed down from generation to generation. But she's never heard any hint of it in her long life. This made the search for answers even more difficult. She out listed the notion of asking the Jusenkyo Guide figuring that he would have no clue of these occurrences. Which meant it required direct investigation on Jusenkyo.
"All materials collected great-grandmother," Shampoo said as she came over to the back of the restaurant.
Cologne looked over her shoulder at Shampoo. Indeed all the materials necessary to test on Ranma were there. After getting nod of approval from her great grandmother, Shampoo then placed the basket she carried on the floor.
"Where's Mousse?" Cologne asked.
"No idea," Shampoo replied. She stepped closer. "Have you found anything?" she asked hopefully. Her expression turned sour when Cologne shook her head.
"Will Ranma be okay?" Shampoo then asked.
Cologne kept quiet for a while as she tried to construct her words.
"I can't say Shampoo," she replied finally. "I really can't."
Or rather she didn't want to. It came as a surprise to her when Ranma said that there could be a possible connection to Taro's demise which made the situation a whole lot worse. They needed to hurry and find out what was causing this anomaly. But she hid this fact from anyone else. She didn't want to worry Shampoo. She turned to look at her great-granddaughter.
She was distressed Cologne could see. Shampoo had been restricted from seeing Ranma after the wedding disaster. It was tough on Shampoo but Cologne had insisted that limiting communication with him would be best for now. Shampoo didn't understand why but she obeyed. Cologne could also tell that her great-granddaughter was frustrated that she didn't know about Ranma being hospitalized until yesterday. She never said a thing about it though but Cologne was still sharp enough to see through those layers of empathy.
Cologne thought of giving hope for Shampoo but figured that might hurt her even more later on if she was disappointed. Shampoo's life was as important to her as Ranma's life was to Shampoo. Cologne wasn't sure though how far those feelings went – considering the Amazon Law and all – but even then she knew that the girl would be in a lot of pain if anything horrible happened to Ranma.
Shampoo was now facing one of the most difficult challenge as an Amazon Warrior; as a woman; as a human being. The life of someone dear to her heart hanging in balance.
"I'm done," Mousse said, coming into the room. "The equipment has been packed." Cologne nodded in acknowledgement.
"Okay then," she said. Quickly she sorted back the books and scrolls at their places. "Let's go."
Ukyo sighed, looking around at the empty restaurant. She hated the idea of closing early but there was no one else around to look after the place. Her loyal helper had volunteered to take care of Ucchan's but she still didn't trust him. So she sent him off for a break and told him not to come back for a few days. It took her a lot of effort to get Konatsu out the door though.
And now she found it hard to send herself out the door even though it was only going to be for a day. But something in her said that once she stepped out of the door things were going to change. Nevertheless she had to leave as she was now expected by the Tendos. Slowly she closed the door and locked it, dreading the fact that there would be no profit coming from today. When she turned to the street she was surprised to find Ryoga in a very thrashed state.
"Ryoga?" she called out. It was loud enough to grab his attention. Ryoga looked over at her, confused at first but then his expression lightened knowing that it was only Ukyo. Then he had a sudden look of realization on him. He looked around at his surroundings as if he had only noticed it. He then hung his head and sighed heavily.
"I'm in Nerima aren't I?" he said despairingly.
"Kinda," Ukyo simply said.
"What do you mean kinda?" Ryoga asked, bewildered at her comment. Ukyo rolled her eyes.
"Of course you're in Nerima! Boy you're thick," she said. Ryoga frowned at her but didn't say anything for a while.
"I'll be going now," he broke his pause as he continued on his original path.
"Um, wouldn't you want to be heading the other way?" Ukyo asked, pointing at the direction from where he had been facing. He stopped and looked at her. He then looked in the direction she was pointing. He groaned again, cursing his troubled sense of direction. But before he could continue his journey, Ukyo stepped in front of him.
"You look terrible," she said. Ryoga shook his head.
"Just a little dirty. No big deal," he shrugged.
"Say, I'm heading over to Akane's place. Wanna come along?" Ukyo offered. At the mention of Akane, Ryoga went rigid and he began to fluster.
"I thought so," Ukyo said, laughing a little. "Come on," she said, tapping the boy in the arm indicating him to follow her. When he didn't follow her, she stopped and looked back.
"That's the wrong way genius," she called out.
"I'm not trying to get there," Ryoga replied over his shoulder.
"Wait," Ukyo said. She ran over to him and stopped him in his tracks again. "What do you mean?" she asked.
"I don't wanna go see Akane this time," he replied. Ukyo raised an eyebrow, rather surprised to hear this from him.
"Are you sure you didn't knock yourself in the head too hard or something?" Ukyo asked. Ryoga glared at her.
"I just wanna be alone for a while," he groaned.
"Well that's depressing," Ukyo said. "Then again, it's your usual behavior."
"Glad you noticed," Ryoga continued to glare at her. "Now if you'll excuse me," he said and brushed past Ukyo.
"Hey, what about Ranma? You don't wanna see him?" Ukyo said.
"Hah, he's the last person I'd wanna see," Ryoga replied.
"But, Ranma's in deep trouble this time," Ukyo said. Ryoga stopped in his tracks and turned to face her.
"What, some new powerful challenger came into the frame or something?" he asked.
"No, it's nothing like that," Ukyo said. All of a sudden her manner changed. Ryoga saw that she was definitely worried about Ranma and for some reason it was making worry too.
"Something is happening to him. I don't know what but it feels bad, really bad," she added. From her tone, Ryoga could tell that it was something serious. Not that he really cared about his rival but he was curious to know what was going on. Things were always interesting when it came to Ranma. What was it this time he wondered.
"I guess it wouldn't hurt to visit," he said. "Haven't fought him in a while anyway."
"What's the point? Don't you always lose?" Ukyo taunted. Ryoga gave her a withering glare but she didn't seem affected by it. Seeing it wasn't taking effect, Ryoga dropped the glare.
"Let's just go," he said as he started walking. He abruptly stopped when Ukyo tugged hard at his sleeve. He looked at Ukyo who had a straight-faced expression.
"Don't lose sight of me," she said and pulled him towards the other direction. Ryoga sighed in exasperation but followed the girl anyway.
It had been a while since the Tendo home had so many guests around. There was enough space for all of them but the space given between each of them wasn't to their liking. Rivals and tensed relations between them were turning the house into a time-bomb. Only one thing in common between them managed to hold down the cap of the bottle and that was the concern for Ranma, at least for the most of them.
Ranma himself had not emerged from his room yet though which added the tension among the visitors. The girls were glaring intensely at each other and any wrong move would turn the skirmish into an all-out war. The Tendos, save for Akane - who joined the stare battle - were watching them intently so that they could spring up on them if they were to fire at each other. Ryoga was also feeling the heat and was getting frustrated of Ranma making them wait. He was about to go and get Ranma himself but then the most anticipated person finally came down from upstairs.
"Uh, why are you all here?" Ranma asked.
Instantly the girls' attention redirected to him.
"We're worried about you obviously," Ukyo said.
"No, Shampoo more worried for Ranma," Shampoo said.
The two then proceeded to glare at each other. Before they could start an argument Ranma quickly said.
"Uh, that's very nice of you guys."
"So, what's been happening to you?" Ryoga asked, folding his arms across his chest. He didn't really care what was going on in his rival's life. He was just curious. At least, he kept telling himself that. Ranma didn't answer Ryoga but just looked away.
"Fine, I didn't really want to know anyway," Ryoga said.
"Ranma, I'm going to further examine you so that we can truly find out what's going on with you," Cologne interrupted.
"Alright," Ranma replied solemnly, nodding a little. Everyone found his tone worrying as if the situation had gotten even worse.
"You already know?" Cologne asked, wishing to clarify her suspicions. The others waited for Ranma to answer. "Tell us," Cologne added. Ranma remained unresponsive.
He searched the crowd and found Akane. He held her gaze and she held his. Akane could feel what Ranma felt at that moment. Despair. Hopelessness. It took all of what little strength she had to hold back her tears.
Ryoga frowned at Ranma's behavior. It was one of those rare times when Ranma was feeling very discouraged but this time it was towards something unknown. He had at first thought of leaving right after dinner but his curiosity was coaxing him to stick around for a while to see further developments of the situation.
Speaking of dinner, Kasumi came out of the kitchen and announced that it was ready. Everyone momentarily forgot the pig-tailed boy and happily welcomed the food. Those who were able to help gave a hand to set the food on the table. The table itself couldn't hold everyone so some had to eat away from the others.
It was unexpected to see Shampoo and Ukyo not trying to squeeze in with Ranma. They understood the grimness of the situation and decided to not bother him … too much. Shampoo was starting to feel more and more agitated. She had been kept in the dark of the whole situation. Not even her great grandmother would talk about it. Even now she was still trying to grasp the reality of things. And yet she could feel the weight of the atmosphere. She was worried for Ranma and she didn't know why. But she remained quiet and didn't want to ask anyone about it right now. Everyone seemed so fragile. They tried hiding it but she could see. She wasn't blind to emotions as people would normally associate her to be. But she knew that the truth would come out eventually so she decided to be patient, despite how hard it was.
Ukyo could understand that Shampoo was hurting inside. From how she behaved at the moment, Ukyo knew that Shampoo was not informed of the details. Not that she herself knew much either but she definitely had more insight of the situation compared to Shampoo. Ukyo could see Shampoo losing her composure a little and was trying hard to keep it intact. For once she was concerned for her Chinese rival. Shampoo was a dangerous young woman and events such as this might tip her off. She hoped that whatever was wrong with Ranma would simply pass and everyone could return to their normal lives.
It was also tense at the dinner table. There was no enmity between any of them but they felt that any wrong move would cause everyone to explode. Akane looked to be the one most suffering from this. She was the one who knew the most of Ranma's problem but not as much as she wanted to. And that made her worry to no end. Sitting next to him was adding pressure to that. But somehow she felt that being close to him was the only way to understand what was going on inside his mind. She could feel him to put it clearly.
Akane looked across at Ranma's mother and pitied her. It must be hurtful to see Ranma in such a condition but not understanding the whole thing itself. And it saddened Akane more that she understood Ranma better than his mother. She was ashamed as she felt like she was taking Nodoka's place. At that moment Akane just wanted to burst out and tell everything to her. She wouldn't care if she broke down in front of everyone. She knew she would. But she didn't want anyone to be frantic. It would cause problems for everyone, especially Ranma. When he was ready he would tell them she believed.
"Ryoga, I wanna talk to you after this," Ranma suddenly said. Ryoga, who was sitting against the wall facing him, looked up in surprise.
"Me?" he said, finding it suspicious to have been called. Ranma nodded in reply and placed down his empty rice bowl.
"Thanks for the food, Kasumi," he said, giving her a soft smile.
Kasumi noticed there was something hidden in that smile. A smile that showed a particular appreciation. Ranma had always been thankful but this one was different. It's as if the typical dinner she made today was some sort of gift for him. She didn't understand why but it showed on his smile. Kasumi could only smile back to that.
"Ranma," was all she said.
Ryoga quickly finished his dinner and placed his empty dishes on the table. Ranma then stood up and gestured Ryoga to follow him. Ryoga kept a close eye on Ranma as he was led to the dojo. He primed himself, ready for a possible duel which was how their meetings always ended up with. The two boys entered the dojo and paid their respects. Ranma then moved towards the center of the room and stopped. Ryoga's eyes were fixed on the boy who had his back turned to him. Whatever surprises the pig-tailed boy was planning, Ryoga was ready for it.
"One last fight," Ranma suddenly said.
That however, caught him by surprise but Ranma had not turned around yet. Quickly he regained his composure. That was strange. Usually he would resort to cheap tricks to win the battle. He had virtually never heard Ranma challenging him. It often was the opposite.
"What do you mean 'one last fight'?" Ryoga asked. Those words had an ominous tone to it. Maybe he might finally learn what was going on with Ranma.
"Exactly what it meant," Ranma said, finally turning around. His face held a hardened expression. He was serious with this.
"One last decisive battle. No bets, no prizes. A fair match. Whoever wins, whoever loses, that's final. Right here and now," he added. "Do you accept my challenge?"
Ranma was already in a stance and was immovable. He was rarely ever this serious and those times it usually involved Akane. This time however, Ryoga couldn't figure out what was the fight for. But a challenge is a challenge and there was no way he would turn it down.
"Alright, you asked for it," Ryoga responded getting into his stance.
The two stared each other down. Ranma moved in first which Ryoga anticipated well enough to block. Ranma went for another strike at Ryoga's head but he blocked it again. Expecting Ranma to build his attacks, Ryoga quickly countered with a kick towards Ranma's mid-section. Ranma managed to block that but the strength in that kick pushed him back a little. Ryoga closed the gap between them and went for Ranma's head. Ranma sidestepped the attack and swung his left leg to connect with Ryoga's back, sending him tumbling forwards. Ryoga regained his footing quickly and attacked again. The two went on like that, hurling each other around, for a long time but it seemed there would be no winner or loser as both were equally matched.
Meanwhile back in the living room, they were listening to Cologne explaining what she knew about Ranma. She had been reluctant at first but everyone was pressuring her especially Shampoo so she had to spill it out. It was the first time they heard about the anomaly Ranma was facing and that it all had possible connections to Taro and even Jusenkyo. The only thing was that they were still unable to truly prove it.
"Without Taro's body to inspect and no way to compare with Jusenkyo we can't take further action on this," Cologne said.
"But wouldn't comparing with other Jusenkyo victims be sufficient?" Genma asked, looking genuinely concerned for Ranma.
"That's the problem. There has been nothing to link between Ranma and the others," Cologne replied. "Honestly, it doesn't make any sense."
"So all we can do now is just hope for the best?" Nodoka asked fearfully.
"I'm afraid so," Cologne said. "But maybe this test would be able to help us understand the problem."
"How will you examine him?" Nabiki asked.
"I've detected an unknown magical energy inside him. If I could determine what it actually is then we'd be able to solve the puzzle," Cologne said. She motioned for Shampoo to bring over the things she had collected. "I've looked up on methods of how to detect this level of energy. Since it can't be specified I've brought materials for various kinds of tests. So it might be a while before we can form a conclusion," she added.
Just then Ranma and Ryoga came back to the living room. Both were heavily drenched with sweat. Everyone diverted their attention to them.
"If you don't mind, Kasumi I'd like to freshen up," Ryoga said. His tone was somewhat off as if he was shaken by something.
"Oh, right this way then. I'll prepare it for you," Kasumi said as she stood up and led him to the bathroom.
"Thank you, Kasumi," Ryoga said as she followed her.
"Akane, can I see you for a while," Ranma said.
Akane looked up at him with wide eyes. That strong feeling of despair was still in his eyes. Did something happen between the two boys? Ryoga looked like he had a sudden revelation. She wondered what it was that Ranma told him. She hoped that whatever he was going to say to her was the same.
Akane nodded after what seemed like a long time of silence. She stood up and followed Ranma outside. Shampoo and Ukyo looked on in disappointment. They were about to silently follow them when Nabiki stopped them.
"No, not now girls," she ordered calmly. "I may be emotionless but I know when a situation gets serious," she added. The two girls sat back down and stared at Nabiki, finding her actions unusual.
"I can't believe this info got past me all this time till today," she said, sounding frustrated. She tried hiding it but Shampoo and Ukyo could see that the ice cold girl they knew was worried about Ranma as much as the others. They didn't want to mention it, figuring it would upset Nabiki. So they kept quiet and waited for Ranma and Akane to return.
Nearly the whole bathing area was filled with steam coming from the hot-water-filled tub. Ryoga had his whole body submerged until only his head remained above the water. He stared at the wall of the tub across him while he tried to make sense of what had happened in the dojo.
He and Ranma had been fighting for a long time now. They had been so absorbed with their duel that they didn't realize that it was already dark. Neither of them were letting up nor getting the upper hand on the other. There was no end in sight for the battle.
Ranma dodged another attack from Ryoga and put some space in between the two. He then raised a hand in a stopping gesture to Ryoga's surprise.
"That's enough," Ranma said calmly although he was visibly panting. Ryoga didn't argue and lowered his arms.
"Ranma, will you explain what's going on?" he asked. Patiently Ryoga waited for Ranma to respond, something that was quite unlike him. But he understood the predicament Ranma was in and didn't want to push him.
"Would you believe me if I said I don't understand it myself?" Ranma started. Not the answer Ryoga was hoping for.
"Just this once, I believe you," Ryoga replied. Ranma chuckled at that. He then walked over to the other boy. Ryoga wondered what Ranma was going to do. His primary guess was that Ranma was going to land a cheap shot so that their self-interrupted battle would have a true end.
"Hold out your hand," Ranma said, to Ryoga's surprise. He looked at Ranma strangely but did as he said. He still kept wary in case Ranma was about to twist him over and send him to the ground. Again to his surprise Ranma took hold of his arm firmly.
"Promise me Ryoga," Ranma said. His expression changed sharply but there was also a look of desperation. "Promise me you'll take care of Akane," he continued. Ryoga was bewildered.
"W-What?" Ryoga managed. "What are you saying?" he asked, wanting a clearer image of Ranma's words.
"Promise me!" Ranma stressed on, holding Ryoga's arm tighter.
Ryoga saw that Ranma needed to know that this promise would be upheld. He didn't understand why. But he knew better than anyone that if it involved Akane it was something important. Ryoga reasoned with that and settled for an unreasoned pledge.
"Alright," Ryoga replied, nodding slightly. Ranma gave an approving smile and nodded as well. The boys then released their holds on each other's arms.
"Come on, let's head back," Ranma said.
Despite just accepting the promise, Ryoga still wondered about the reason for the necessity for such a promise. It must have something to do with this anomaly Ranma was facing. He was probably worried if anything were to happen to him … Ryoga didn't want to go there. He sincerely hoped that they would be able to know the reality of the problem by today and put an end to it. Figuring that he had spent a good amount of time in the bath, he stood up and left it to go dry up and redress.
Ranma had led Akane to the outer walkway encircling the house. Night had already fallen on Nerima which left most of the backyard dark. It was chilly outside as the winds had begun picking up. In the distance they could hear low rumbles of thunder in the sky.
"It's going to rain soon," Ranma said, looking on in the direction of the oncoming rain clouds. Akane didn't respond to that, not that he had expected her to.
Akane was only staring at him, desperately searching in him for any sign of good news. She saw nothing. In fact he seemed to be worse. Not physically but deep inside she sensed there was a void. Ranma had fallen so deep into sadness that it created a black hole in his heart. What had made it so in just a few hours?
She still had her eyes on Ranma when he turned to look at her. Again she searched his eyes but again she felt the heavy despair weighing down on her.
"R-Ranma, are you really okay?" Akane asked. Her words were barely audible as she choked on them, holding back painful tears. Ranma quickly went over to her and held her. Akane paid no attention to his sweat-covered clothes and sank into the hug. She let go of herself and broke down in his arms. Her knees shook heavily and they gave away but Ranma held her up. Her cries were muffled as she pressed her face against Ranma's chest.
"Akane," Ranma called softly, fighting back his own tears. Her cries were stabbing and twisting his heart. "Akane, listen to me," he called again. He released her and held her shoulders. Her tears were unstoppable now and Ranma could see she was beginning to lose reason.
"Akane, be strong!" Ranma said.
She wouldn't stop crying.
"Whatever happens to me, don't give up!" Ranma continued.
Akane closed her eyes tightly, trying to force the tears away but they still flowed down her face.
"You need to move on! You need to live!" Ranma went on, lightly shaking her.
She held her face down, unable to face him.
"Please, Akane! I don't want you to suffer because of me!" he said. "Sometimes in life you have to let go!"
Akane kept her head down and she shook her head as she continued sobbing.
"I love you, Akane!" Ranma finally said.
Akane's eyes snapped open and her head shot up. Her wide, shocked eyes locked with Ranma's. She was holding her breath as she stared deeply into his eyes and as Ranma drew in closer to her. She felt Ranma's warm breathing on her lips. She felt a great shiver run down her spine as his lips brushed hers. Akane remained paralyzed as Ranma fully kissed her but only for a moment before she began sinking into it. Her tears finally stopped and slowly her eyes closed.
They remained connected like that for quite a while, long enough for Ryoga, Ukyo and Shampoo to burn the image into their minds. All three were as stiff as statues. Deep down, they had known of the truth between Ranma and Akane but seeing it unfolding in front of their eyes was still very much painful. They wouldn't dare disturb them now, seeing that all hope was lost. As if on cue, the rain fell, harshly complimenting their emotions.
Akane felt the kiss ending and she began to return to reality after what felt like an eternity had passed. Then she heard the roar of the rain pouring down and her eyes widened. She looked up at Ranma and went pale as she stared into his blank eyes.
"Ranma," Akane called out. "Ranma!" she called out again, this time frantically shaking him. He was still devoid of any emotion despite Akane's efforts to bring him back. Ranma mechanically pushed Akane away and walked towards the rain.
"Ranma, no!" Akane cried, pulling hard on his arm.
But Ranma did not budge nor did he give any verbal response. He pried his arm away and pushed Akane to the ground. With his obstacle out of the way, Ranma continued into the rain, changing himself into a girl.
"Hey, Ranma!" Ryoga called out, infuriated that he had pushed Akane. He then ran over to Akane along the walkway.
"Are you okay?" he asked. Shampoo and Ukyo joined them. The two girls looked on at Ranma worriedly.
"Save him," Akane shakily said, holding herself up with her hands. "Save him, please," she pleaded, gripping Ryoga's sleeve.
Ryoga's heart was wrenched again, seeing how much care Akane had for Ranma. But quickly he realized the tone in Akane's voice. Something extremely awful was going to happen.
"Ranma!" he heard Ukyo call out. Ryoga turned to look at Ranma standing in the rain, soaked to the bone. A dim glow surrounded Ranma. The water falling around her was beginning to act strange. The rain was bending around her and the droplets were forming a sort of shell around Ranma. It was forming rapidly around Ranma and water was also filling up the inside.
"Help him!" Akane yelled desperately.
At that Ryoga stood up and took a stance at the edge of the walkway, as if receiving an order from his commander. He brought his hands close to each other in front of his abdomen.
The water was already filled up halfway.
"Stay back!" he ordered.
A small orb of red energy began to flicker in between his palms. Quickly it began to grow into a brightly glowing ball. Ryoga stabilized the ball of chi, adding more energy to it. Containing it was becoming a little difficult as the energy ball became denser.
"Shishi Hokodan!" Ryoga roared, shooting his chi attack at Ranma hoping to break the now complete shell. The Shishi Hokodan exploded upon contact, vaporizing the rain around it.
"Did it work?" Ukyo said.
They were all trying to peer through the thick steam caused by the explosion.
"No way," Shampoo said.
The steam cleared and they saw the water shell was still intact. Ranma was now trapped in a supernatural water tank.
"Again!" Ryoga said. He built up his attack again when at the same time the rest of the house came out to the walkway.
"What's going on?" Soun demanded. Then he and everyone else saw what was happening to Ranma. "Why is Ranma like that?!" he yelled, starting to panic.
At that moment Ryoga fired his Shishi Hokodan again. This time instead of exploding, the energy bomb vanished and the shell took on the red glow of the energy. Inside the shell, Ranma turned around to face them with dark voided eyes. The shell burned with a brilliant red color and more steam covered the area from the heat.
Ryoga anticipated what was about to happen and stood firm with his hands stretched out.
"Everyone! Get down!" Ryoga ordered. Everyone hurriedly stepped back and took cover in whatever way they could. Those vulnerable were shielded by those who were stronger.
As Ryoga had guessed a beam of energy shot out of the shell. His eyes widened, realizing that it was stronger than the one he had shot moments before. Nevertheless, he stood his ground. The reflected Shishi Hokodan hit Ryoga and created a tremendous explosion, ripping apart the walkway he stood on. Akane, Ukyo and Shampoo were thrown back, crashing into and ripping the wall of the house. When the smoke cleared and everyone recovered they saw Ryoga still standing with his outstretched arms. He had been pushed back by the blast but still remained firm. His clothes were torn and some parts of his body were singed. Ryoga then dropped to his knees, unable to withstand the effects of the blast.
"It … It didn't work," he gritted his teeth, glaring at Ranma.
All of a sudden, a number of people moved in to attack the immobile Ranma. Ukyo had drawn her spatula up high to strike a maximum blow. Genma, who had already turned into a panda, was rapidly advancing at Ranma. Even Soun was rushing towards the troubled cursed boy. Their attacks landed simultaneously on the shell from different sides. They were surprised to find that their attacks did not even stir the hardened water. All of a sudden they felt a strong force hitting them back, sending them flying off in different directions. They landed rough on the ground but quickly recovered. None of them were not going to give up that easy though. They went in for another strike. Again the water shell reflected their attacks by the double and they were thrown to the ground again. The three remained on the ground for a while, groaning in pain.
'I won't lose Ranma,' Ukyo thought stubbornly.
Memories of when they were children came to her mind. She saw the two of them back then having duels with the prize being okonomiyaki. She remembered Ranma always being the better of the two. She remembered making Ranma her very first okonomiyaki. It wasn't perfect but it was an item of value and she had been glad when Ranma appreciated it. She remembered them creating a mess and getting into trouble. She remembered when he and his father left her behind and how angry she had felt then. Suddenly, she realized how important Ranma really was to her. The relationship they had was something else much stronger than him being her supposed fiancé.
'Our bonds have lasted through time, even when it was supposed to be severed then,' Ukyo thought as she stood up. Her legs trembled as she struggled to support herself after two powerful hits.
"I won't lose my childhood friend! Not today!" Ukyo yelled and she charged in again. For the third time she hit the shell with full force. As the first two attempts, nothing happened to the shell but she received another counter-attack and again she flew across the lawn and crashed into the ground.
Right after Ukyo attacked, Genma went in again and like before he was thrown back. He managed to land on his feet this time though but it was evident he was struggling to stand.
Sudden memories of him and his son came to his mind. It was as if the whole 10 year journey flashed before his eyes. He remembered when he first took Ranma away from his mother, effectively cutting the bonds between mother and son. Then he saw images of Ranma going through rigorous and sometimes near impossible training sessions. He remembered his mistake about the Cat Fist technique. He inwardly cringed at the physical pain Ranma must have endured from all the ridiculous training methods he had put the boy through. He remembered Jusenkyo where it had been one of his worst blunders. Even after all that though, Ranma had become a fighter virtually unmatched by anyone.
'I never had the chance,' Genma thought. He recalled he had always been taunting Ranma, saying that he wasn't good enough; that he'd never be the strongest.
'I never had the chance to say I was proud of you,' he thought.
Regret and anger began welling up within Genma. A visible heated aura coated his panda body. It was hot enough to produce little trails of steam. Genma charged in to attack again, letting out a furious growl.
'I will save my son!'
He landed another powerful hit that would have shattered the Tendo Dojo but it didn't have the desired effect on the water shell. Instead it absorbed all that energy and amplified it twice as much before sending it back at Genma. Genma was blown away and crashed into a tree at the far side of the compound, snapping it in half.
Soun, having seen Genma and Ukyo being thrown away like rag dolls was beginning to doubt whether they could pierce this thing. Time was running out and they hadn't even dented the thing yet. Soun then noticed Akane frozen in horror while she watched the events unfolding before her eyes. All of a sudden he regained the spirit to continue fighting. He had a reason to save Ranma. Akane would be very deeply affected if they were to lose Ranma here. God knows how shattered Akane's spirit would be and Soun didn't want to see that happen.
His battle aura flared up from the new-found courage.
"Ranma!" he called out, though he knew that Ranma's mind was already lost. "I won't let you cower out and leave Akane!" he continued before charging in again. He landed another strong blow like before but it was doubly reflected back at him and he flew back, landing harshly on the ground.
Seeing that the three fighters were down, Cologne decided to take the next action. She hurriedly came up to Ryoga.
"Quickly Ryoga!" she ordered. "A mighty final blow! We'll end it here!" she said, immediately forming an energy ball of her own. Ryoga didn't hesitate one second and began forming up another energy sphere. It was taking a toll on him as he had lost energy while blocking his reflected Shishi Hokodan earlier. Nevertheless he was able to create a formidable Shishi Hokodan. It would be his last though as he had squeezed all his energy into it. And from the feel of it, he could tell Cologne was going all out as well.
'If this doesn't work, then God help Ranma,' he thought.
"Now!" Cologne ordered.
With a loud battle cry, Ryoga released his Shishi Hokodan at the same time as Cologne released her chi attack. The combined energies created a blazing orange beam and it hit the shell with full force. Everyone was awed by the tremendous amount of power contained by the beam. Even Ryoga was wide-eyed.
To their utter dismay the powerful beam was completely absorbed by the shell. Ryoga froze in shock and he began to lose hope. It was impossible to break it. Then he realized the danger everyone was in. That amount of energy if doubled up would blow apart anything in its path and Ryoga knew that it wouldn't be possible to stop such a force.
"Everyone, run!" he ordered. Everyone else was already escaping into the further part of the house. Akane however remained frozen at her place. There was no room for hesitation, so Ryoga picked Akane up and ran towards where the others were going, following Cologne and Shampoo. He fell forward as the reflected beam ripped through the edge of the house and blasting a hole through the wall surrounding the compound. Ryoga hoped that none of the neighbors got hurt because of that horrific pillar of energy.
He looked back and the water shell was still perfectly intact. Ryoga's frustration reached its limit and without thinking he charged towards Ranma.
"Dammit Ranma!" he yelled. At about the same time, Shampoo also charged in as well. The moment the two went into the rain, their bodies shrunk. They still charged on though, and hit the shell with all the force they had. Their efforts were futile and they were thrown back like the others.
Mousse came out of hiding and readied his whole arsenal of hidden weapons. Seeing Shampoo suddenly rushing off, he had automatically reacted to helping her, even if it meant saving his bitter rival.
"I'll help you Shampoo!" he yelled after her. He saw the cat getting back up and attacking again. It was painful to see his lover being thrown off like that. He was about to send all his weapons flying when Cologne came to stop him.
"Don't! That thing reflects everything thrown at it!" Cologne warned. "You'll not only risk your own life but everyone else's too!"
Cologne was right at that. He had momentarily forgotten that there were other people around as well. If it were him alone he wouldn't hesitate to risk his life for the sake of his beloved. Blind as he was, he was still humane and wouldn't want to hurt anyone innocent.
"Shit!" Mousse said, dropping his weapons. The fact that he was of no use infuriated him to no end. Not even his cursed form would help. He knew; from how badly Ryoga and Shampoo were being beaten by the immobile water shell.
Ryoga and Shampoo in their little forms were barely able to stand after charging in countless times. They weren't even able to walk straight now. There was even blood on their heads and it was mixing with the rain, making it flow down their faces. Ukyo, Soun and Genma had also made more attempts but none were working. Now they lie motionless on the ground after numerous strong impacts that would have broken a few bones. Ryoga was not going to give up yet. He wouldn't have Ranma leaving Akane and end up hurting her again. It was unacceptable.
He steeled himself for another attack. Even though his body was small currently, it didn't mean he would stop trying to find a weak spot to free Ranma. Just as he was about to charge again, he froze when …
"Ryoga, stop!" Akane called out.
How could he have forgotten? Akane was there and she had witnessed him changing forms. The secret was out and he knew he was in trouble. He could hear Akane approaching from behind. He was surely going to be killed. Or at the very least be thrown out of the house and forbidden to ever come back.
"You've done enough Ryoga," Akane said. Those were kind, unexpected words but Ryoga noted the anger in her voice. He wasn't sure towards what but it was very likely towards him. Ryoga remained at his place as he watched Akane moving to the shell. His little pig eyes widened in surprise when Akane charged towards the shell.
'I won't give up on you Ranma,' she thought determinedly.
She sent a strong punch onto the shell which quickly recoiled as the shell reflected back the force. Akane was able to remain on her feet and charged in again. She sent a spinning back heel kick but it was also deflected and she went flying, twisting in the air. She crashed to the ground but not before she stood back up. Ryoga came about and squealed, begging for Akane to stop. She defiantly charged in again and was reflected back as well. Just then, Cologne jumped high above the shell. She tried another chi attack. Again the energy ball was absorbed by the shell. She proceeded to fire another one followed quickly by another. Bullets of chi were attacking the shell in rapid succession. Heavy steam was forming around the water shell.
Unfortunately, when the steam cleared, the shell was still there with Ranma completely unharmed. The shell glowed with a yellow aura as it started charging up. All of a sudden, the shell let out a flurry of chi bullets flying in all directions. Those vulnerable ones rushed to find shelter from the rapid fires of energy. Cologne was hit by at least 10 of her own chi and that sent her falling to the far edge of the compound. Mousse managed to provide cover for Nabiki, Kasumi and Nodoka but took multiple chi hits as well. He staggered but remained standing, knowing that the people he was protecting may still be in danger.
Akane had taken countless hits by the chi bullets. She was on the ground writhing in pain. Even moving a single finger felt painful. Ryoga crawled over to her to comfort her but halted when Akane slowly stood up again. She was in no shape to fight anymore but she still approached Ranma. She met the cursed boy's eyes and still couldn't find the Ranma she knew. Ryoga watched desperately as Akane got closer to the water shell. She took a stance once she was close enough and took a few breaths. She drew back her fist and gave a huge punch to the shell.
She heard loud, sickening cracks but it wasn't from the shell. All of a sudden she felt overwhelming pain surging through her right arm. She was surprised that she wasn't thrown back but she froze for a while as the huge amount of pain numbed out everything else. Then she realized what had happened and she let out a piercing scream as her severely broken right arm fell to her side. Akane fell to her knees as the pain became unbearable. She continued to scream while tears of agony streamed down her face. She vaguely realized that someone was holding her. She looked up while forcing herself to not lose consciousness and saw that it was Kasumi.
"N-No, it's not safe," Akane struggled to say as she fought back the pain. Kasumi didn't give a response to that but just daintily held her.
Hopelessly, they all looked back at Ranma within the water cage. Bubbles started coming out of Ranma's mouth. Her body began to writhe as it demanded for air. All of a sudden, Ranma's eyes returned, replacing the void expression that was before. Her eyes went wide and she started hitting the inner walls of the shell, trying to get out. Everyone was horrified to see this and went to attack the shell, including Kasumi, Nabiki and Nodoka. Even Mousse had flown in as a duck and attacked. Those with weapons alternated swiftly with those attacking bare-handedly. This time however, there was no reaction from the hardened water. Their attacks were still absorbed but none were reflected back. But no matter how hard they tried, the shell would not break.
Ranma kept on slamming the shell from the inside using her body. She was growing more frantic by the second. Large bubbles began bursting out of her mouth as she desperately gasped for air. Her attempts grew weaker as her energy began to drain. Deep down she felt that this time there was no way out. Ranma ceased her attempts and watched as the people around her frantically trying to break her free. Many of them were covered in bruises. Many of them attacked as if they had lost their minds. Many were barely even able to stand any longer but kept on trying.
It wrenched her heart to see how far they would go to save her. Enemies, lovers and friends. They weren't discernable if one didn't really know them. She tried to yell at them to stop hurting themselves but the water muffled her words and only furious bubbles came out instead of her voice. She could only signal them to stop. Akane took notice and she called out to everyone. Ranma could only hear her muffled voice but she saw that everyone was halting their attempts.
Akane had successfully stopped the simultaneous attacks and she gazed back at Ranma. The despair in their eyes matched each other. Both of them were frozen in place, mirroring each other. Akane then held up her left hand to touch the shell. Ranma did the same with her right hand. Weakly she touched the shell wall too. Their eyes were never apart from each other.
Somehow through that indestructible shell, Akane could feel Ranma's touch. It was a warm sensation. Time stood still for a while as they had one last connection with each other.
Ranma's eyes began to close. She was visibly trying to fight it but she had been in the water for too long. Her hand dropped slowly to her side. Akane was frantic again and she started knocking on the shell.
"Ranma! Ranma!" she yelled. Again and again she called out her name. At times her screams were accompanied by thunder. Her tears fell like the heavy rain falling upon them. Her left hand was beginning to hurt but the pain inside her heart numbed it out and she kept on hitting the hard water shell. The others were powerless to do anything. No one was able to hold back their tears from the soul breaking scene they were witnessing. Akane's screams were tearing right through them, threatening them to go hysterical.
It all seemed to happen slowly.
Ranma's eyes finally closed and she became still. A sudden emptiness struck the gathering as reality sank in. Akane was frozen in her place as were everyone present. It felt like a very long time when suddenly the shell broke. Water burst out and washed over those close enough. Ranma's lifeless body dropped to the ground. Everyone then huddled over to Ranma. Akane and Nodoka were trying to wake her up. Kasumi quickly regained her senses and rushed into the house to alert the paramedics.
"Ranma!" Akane called out.
"Ranma please wake up!" Nodoka said.
They shook her and lightly slapped her face but she wasn't moving. They tried making her cough out water but it wasn't happening. Akane tried to revive her but with each cycle her hope dwindled. She lost count of how many attempts before she was pushed away by a crew of paramedics. Akane was losing her senses and tried to wrestle the medic away but Nodoka pulled and held her back. The medics took over while everyone else watched in desperate hope. Nearly everyone was breaking down.
The rain continued to fall on a very long and tragic night in Nerima.
By this point I believe some of you may have realized what I've put you through. And this ends Part 1 of the entire story but the story has not ended yet. Next I will take you guys on a journey in the present time to see how our characters are faring. Till the next time guys and hopefully not too long.