"Grief can take care of itself, but to get the full value of a joy you must
have somebody to divide it with."
-Mark Twain
Twisted Prophecy - Chapter 3
The group outside crowded closer to the female mage's projections of the events inside the apartment. A female voice said, "Is that really them?" A male voice responded, "Sure looks like the boy. And if that's not Tina, then she's really done her homework." A second male voice added his two cents, "Let's not forget, this is not the Tina we knew, nor is that Ranma the same one we knew." Shanna, the aforementioned magic-user, stated, with ultimate class and distinction, "I think they're going to fuck." A third female voice: "Aiya! I think we have fun with this, no?" "Sure. You all know what to do, count of three," came yet another male voice. "Provided you don't run the wrong way, anyway; we all know what to do." countered another female voice. "This is a really bad idea. Not that any of you listen to me anyway." said the second male voice.
Tina lowered her head down onto Kabal's shoulder after she was finished singing, and embraced him tightly. She felt warm with happiness and relief, and alive. He was back, again. Her love, her life, her reason for everything. "Ran-chan..." she sighed happily. She felt Kabal tense up, start to push her away.. then his muscles relaxed. He began to shake slightly, countless thoughts racing through his head in rapid succession. 'She knows who I am? She isn't mad at me for lying to her. I'm not though, he died. But I... I am. Kami above her hair smells wonderful! Why is my heart beating so damn fast? Could I be? No... Akane! Oh Akane, I'm sorry I can't help it. Akane is dead, I'll never see her again. My son, my very blood, before my very eyes.. gone, dead' He looked down at the woman embracing him. Friend, confidant, always there to make him happy even if it made her sad. 'But Uk-chan. She's alive. She waited for me! Why did she have to come into my life again? There is no reason for me save vengeance! Damn her for doing this to me! She's so warm. Hey I'm having trouble breathing, I need to get my mask back soon here. I can't! How could she do this to me? Do what to me? Love me? That's all. Oh why do I try so hard to feel like a scoundrel! Why...?' He encircled his arms about her haltingly, all the more shaky for it.
Tina raised her head off of his shoulder and looked into his eyes. Kabal noted that her eyes were not the brown he expected, but were instead an almost neon green. But they were beautiful all the same. Deep, soulful.. all the old anachronisms he had laughed about from love poetry took meaning true here. He found himself truly getting lost in them, they showed so much pain, so much fear, and yet so much nobility and passion. He could read volumes of her life in the brief moments he looked into her eyes. Above all though, was the look of absolute adoration, the tears welling up at the corners of them. A snatch of song lept unbidden into his mind, something by ABC, 'If you judge a book by it's cover, then you would judge the look by the lover'. He could not be such a fool as that. Her look told him all about her. He could not say no to such love again, not here. Not in this place of such precious little love. His trembling ceased as he felt his roaring heart finally defeat his sorrow, and he pulled this lover closer to him, already knowing he would do things he had declared would never happen again.
Tina, at the same moment, was trying to keep herself from crying aloud, joyous and triumphant. The message was driven deep into her mind by the triphammer beat of her heart, "He feels it! He feels it too! He's gonna _KISS_ you, girl!" She felt her whole life had been a prelude to this time, the time when her Ran-chan would finally return her love. Years, endless years of heartache, countless nights of wracking sobs at the hope she held against hope that this would one day come. It was all coming to a crescendo now, and she knew she would never be this happy again. No... she would be this happy for the rest of her life. HE was here. He moved towards her, and she parted her lips, closed her eyes, to savor the moment she had anticipated for over 80 years.
As their lips were near to touch... the door burst open noisily and several intruders stormed into the small apartment.
"Ranma no Baka!" yelled the first, a woman with long blue hair wearing a uniform of some Police Department. "Wo ai ni! I so happy see you! You take me out on date, no?" screeched a large-breasted female with extremely long purple-pink hair whom glomped hard onto Kabal. "You have some explaining to do, Boy!" threatened a somewhat overweight older man wearing a white Karate Gi, glasses and a white bandana over his head. "Ranma! This is unforgiveable! Now you die!" bellowed a Japanese young man of sturdy build and small fanged teeth. "Away rabble! He's mine." claimed in French-accented Japanese a blonde woman whom had demonic wings and small horns. The final figure, shaded by a trenchcoat and fedora.. with furry pointed ears sticking out of the top of it.. lit up a cigarette and grunted. "This is crass." he growled.
Moments passed in silence, the pair still locked in their embrace taking in the scene. Kabal's eyes rested on the woman in the uniform, "What... the... hell?" Tina followed Kabal's gaze, then dropped her embrace and pushed past the group, walking out the door quickly. The trenchcoat-clad figure hurried after her.
Kabal sagged down to the ground, feeling extremely dizzy, and unsure if he was hallucinating. His eyes stayed upon Akane; he could not believe this. She walked to him and began to speak, but he did not hear her. He finally passed out from lack of oxygen.
Tina sat upon the cracked pavement of the sidewalk out front of the building. She was hugging her knees to her chest. The one in the trenchcoat sat down casually beside her and held a lit cigarette out to her. She stared at it a moment, then took it and inhaled it deeply. "So," the other said, "that was pretty mean, wasn't it Sister?" Tina continued looked over at him, "And who the hell are you anyway?" She looked at his features.. he was a mutant animal of some variety, a badger or a wolverine. "It's genetically impossible for me to be your sister. I'm not even human, I'm something else. I bleed-" The other held up his hand for silence. "You bleed green. You are an Invid." "Invid?" she seized upon the other's jacket, "You know what I am? Tell me more! Tell me your name, also." "My name is Rock." he said, "I am a mutant wolverine. I was a creation of one Dr. Richard Light. Same man who gave you your cybernetics. So I'm your brother." Tina released his jacket, "What about me? What am I?"
Rock dragged from his own cigarette, and flicked it into the street. "Well, first let me explain what the Invid were. There was a planet named Optera. On this planet, there was a race of creatures.. sluglike almost, bipedal though. They lived happily in a hive mentality, harvesting their Flower of Life and defeating their natural predators through sheer numbers and decent battle tactics. Their hive queen, whom would later be called 'The Regis', was a sentient being. Simple, true, but sentient. One day, along came another species, called, ridiculously enough, The Masters. The Masters found Optera and were just going to colonize it. First, they sent one of their best scientists, one named Zor, to study the indigenous races. The better to wipe them out with. Zor found that the 'Flower of Life' was an energy source, and even more. When used to power mecha, the pilot could easily become one with the machine, reactions inside a machine were nearly as fast as one's own body. The pilots could even feel pain if the device powered thusly was damaged. Real easy to fix things when the pilot can feel an 'itch' that turns out to be a broken fuel line."
Rock slung his backpack off of his shoulder and opened it. A hand extended, holding a six-pack of Killian's Irish Red. "Thanks Mike." Rock said as he closed the bag. Tina raised an eyebrow at him. "The Beastie Boys live in my Bag of Holding." Rock supplied helpfully. "Ahh..." Tina said, deciding to ignore that, "And what became of the Invid? I am no sluglike being." Rock stabbed his claw into the top of a bottle, pried it open, and handed it to her.
"Well, the queen of the Invid hive spoke a lot with Zor, and found herself more emulating his form. She began to feel love for the scientist. Time came when they worked together hard on the Flower of Life, refining it into a form more usable by The Masters, called Protoculture. The Regis and Zor perfected this process. When Zor reported this to his superiors, they were greatly pleased. They allowed Zor to move all of his research to a battle cruiser of his own design in orbit around the planet. When this was completed... The Masters began defoliating Optera after taking much Flower of Life seed. However, the Invid soon retaliated, in a form nobody expected. The Invid Regis transmuted matter into mecha for her people. She advanced many of them to be more apt for combat. Taller, leaner, with more human musculature, they were almost the match of The Masters. In horror of the whole situation, Zor, before his own death as a traitor to his people, sent his research starship on a trip across the galaxy, spreading the seed of the Flower wherever it could. Eventually this ship ended up on Earth. You still with me here?" Rock asked. "Yes," Tina said, "Go On. What became of the Invid?"
"Well, the Regis' anger was so much that she could no longer contain it. She split into two halves.. a destructive, arrogant male half called The Regent, and a more thoughtful, less violent female half.. The Regis. The male half went across the galaxy, scouring it where possible, destroying and plundering everything they could find. The Invid would descend upon a planet like a plague of locusts, and strip it bare, leaving alive only a small force of laborers to work what twisted version of the Flower of Life could be harvested on whatever planet. The Regis instead, pursued the pure form of the flower to the only place it would grow, the place where Zor's battle fortress had stopped. The Earth." Rock looked over to Tina to see if she needed clarification, but she was just listening, eyes bright and full of curiosity... he was pleased at this. She was not totally jaded. There was hope for them within her.
"Mankind found this ship.. it crashed in a place called Macross Island in the late 1990's. It's appearance answered once and for all the questions about other life in the universe. Life elsewhere existed, and from what they could glean from the foreign computer systems, that life would come, to ravage them, because of The Flower. This ended war entirely, as the whole planet had to unite against the coming threat. The humans of the time managed to operate the Protoculture Matrix fairly well, they had designed transforming mecha called 'Valkyries' which were Jet, called the Fighter configuration, Man-shaped robot, called the Battloid configuration, and a state between them called the Guardian, or Gerwalk, depending on which designers you asked. One day, the Super Dimensional Fortress, as they were calling it, awoke on it's own and took a potshot at some approaching starships. Those starships got closer to the earth, and unleashed their forces. These were the Zentraedi, the warrior race of The Masters. To make a 60-year story short, eventually the humans defeated the Zentraedi, The Masters, The regent's Invid, and convinced the Regis' Invid to leave them alone. The Regis could be talked into such because she was a thinking and evolving being. She had even shaped some of her children to look like Humans, albeit for subterfuge." Tina lowered her eyes and nodded. "I am one of those, aren't I?" Rock shook his head, "No, you are much more than one of those. But we'll get to that in a minute. Through all this battle and ill-will, the Flower had become tainted on Earth, and all of it began to literally disappear. It was mankind's only power source left after the devestation of three seperate wars. The flower dying spelled death for both Human and Invid."
"That's where you come in. Before the Regis faded away completely, you were created. You were to go back in time and prepare the humans. Convince them to keep battle off of their planet, and if at all possible, not battle at all. And if all else failed... to love their enemies and pity them while destroying them, rather than hating them. And you could also work as a go-between for the Invid and Humans, for you would have lived as one of them and understood that their capacity to love was infinite, that these humans are more like Zor than like his Masters." Tina smiled, "That's quite a noble cause." Rock opened another beer and said, "Yep. I'm sure it sounds wonderful to you. It's how you are now, you never hate your enemies, and try your best to help them all."
"Was I made this way?" she asked, "Am I not who I am because of how I was raised? The things I have experienced?" Rock shook his head, "Nothing is predestined by your make. All I can say is that you are more.. genetically disposed towards loving then others may be. But your pure heart is your own doing." Tina pondered that, "You really think I have a pure heart?" she asked. "Well, for our sake I hope you do. Next you're going to ask me how I know all this, right?" Rock questioned. Tina nodded. "Well, I am sure you are familiar with the concept of alternate dimensions, et cetera." Rock began. "Yes," Tina said, "Kabal is Ranma from an alternate history than my own."
"Correct. Well, Akane, Ryoga, Genma, Shampoo, Shanna and myself all come from an alternate.. but similar.. world such as where you are now." Tina sighed, and Rock put his arm about her shoulders, "And yes, I know some part of you wishes we had not come." Tina shook her head, "Not at all. In fact, it's wonderful to see all of them again. Except you and Shanna, I have never met either of you before." "Then why did you storm out here then, eh Sis?" Rock chuckled. "Well, nobody's perfect. I finally won Ranma... and sure enough, along comes Akane to take him from me." she said. "Do you hate her for it?" Rock asked, a bit of angst noticeable in his voice. Tina shook her head, she did not have to think at all, "Nope. I've never hated her for that. Jealous as all hell, but I cannot hate a woman because of who loves her. Under the violent bitchy-exterior, she's good-hearted." "You sure you feel that way?" Rock asked again. "Yeah, jackass. If she's Akane, then she's good, you know? Why do you keep asking that?" Tina made eye contact with him again as she asked her question. Rock sniffed in her general direction, catching her scent and analyzing it. "I believe you," he said, "your capacity of hate and love are actually of tantamount importance to the galaxy, if things go the way they did before." Tina laughed, "Oh quit bullshitting me!" Rock shrugged, "Tina we had before hated. She lost it, her heart was not pure. We lost because of that.... but don't worry about it. Tell me, you ever hated anyone, anything at all?"
"Yes." Tina said grimly, "Xenomorphs. You know what those are?" Rock nodded, "We got them where I come from, too. You really hate them?" he asked. "They took Ranma... one of him... from my life." Tina said, and paused in thought, "But that's no more their fault than ants killing a butterfly whom was caught in a rainstorm." Rock smiled at her, "So answer my question, d'you really hate them?" Tina shook her head, "You can no more hate a natural predator for preying than you can hate a dog for barking." Rock, too thought deeply on this. He feared that mayhaps.. hmm. A test.. "What d'you propose we do with the Aliens? Give them a continent or two and leave them alone?" Tina shook her head, yet again, then looked at Rock like he had grown a third head, "Heck no! If they are natural predators, than we gotta meet them on their own level. If we can kick them out of _our_ anthill, then more power to us. Survival of the species, and all." she said. Rock smiled, feeling an elusive worm of hope moving about, "Great! I was afraid you'd be the other extreme. Too much of a damn pussy to actually do anything."
"Why are you so goddamned worried about my view on life, anyway?" Tina asked. Rock stood up, "I'm not. I just like to know what the odds are." "Really, is there something gonna happen?" Tina pressed. "If it does, you'll feel it. If it doesn't, then great. Shit, I'd be happier if we had left it all behind us when we were sent here." "But what-" she began. "Don't worry about it. Let's go back inside and see what's going on with dumbass and the bimbos."
Kabal was still on the ground, unconscious, when the pair came back in. Akane was trying to give him CPR, Shampoo looked like she was going to cry, and Shanna was filing her nails. "Rock!" Akane yelped, "Do something!" He made eye contact with Shanna, who gave him her best "These people are helpless morons" look, and then walked over to the counter, picking Kabal's mask up. "Am I", he began, "the only person who noticed that he had the Darth Vader thing going here? Did anybody else pay attention? No? Didn't think so." He placed the mask back on Kabal's face, and threw him from the floor onto his bed, Kabal's loose flailing arm catching the bedroom door on the way in and closing it. Shanna clapped, "That was good. Little sloppy on the follow-through, but good. I give it an 8 for effort."
Tina looked over the group to greet them, each in turn. Ryoga bore several scars on his body, including the telltale burns of a close encounter with an Alien on his right shoulder. His eyes showed anger, as always, but not so much depression anymore. And he carried a Pulse Rifle strapped across his back, in lieu of the leaden umbrella that used to be there. "Great to see you again, Lost Boy." Tina said. Ryoga smiled at her, "As to you, Kurosawa-san. I look forward to great battles at your side." "Or great battles several dozen miles away, eh?" she joked. Ryoga maintained his smile, "It's much easier to find one's way when one is looking outside for direction, rather than within." Akane laughed, "That's his way of saying 'Point me in the right direction and I'm fairly good at maintaining that direction'."
Shampoo had not physically changed much, save that her hair looked as if she spent less time grooming it these days. Her movements, also, were more guarded. Less naievete permeated her entire being. "Xian-Pu. You're looking well." Tina greeted. "Slutty Girl not so bad herself." Shampoo returned. "Ah." Tina said, "It's like that, is it?" Shampoo laughed, high- pitched as ever, "Ya! Slutty Girl too serious. We all friends here." Tina shrugged, "Hell if I know. You people seem to know me and I not know you. You'll pardon the hell out of me if this is all a little discomforting." Shampoo looked over at Akane, a mischevious glint in her eyes, "Some know Slutty Girl better than others, but Shampoo keep her place." "Catty bitch." Akane said. "Flat-chested tomboy." Rock moved between them, "Ok girls. Don't make me sit you both in the corner."
Genma was a bit more solidly built, striated muscle apparent upon his chest rather than the soft layer of flab that could be typically expected. "Saotome-san." Tina spoke respectfully as she bowed low. Genma returned with a lackadaisical military salute. "Do not prostate yourself before me, General Kurosawa." Shanna laughed outright from where she was... floating... "I think you mean 'prostrate', jiji-san." "I say what I mean and mean what I say." Genma said, keeping his cool. "Oh do you?" Tina jibed playfully, "Then how come I'm not Ukyou Saotome?" Genma maintained his overall demeanour of absolute security in the location of his towel. "I don't have the slightest clue what you're talking about. Oh look! I think Akane wants to talk to you!" he said, placing the daughter of his old friend squarely in front of him.
She had not seemeingly aged much, and Akane was much as the Akane of her youth. Her striking blue hair was long again, and Tina noticed for the second time that Akane wore a Police uniform. "What is up with this?" Tina asked. Akane brushed the shoulders of her uniform clear of dust, straightened it out, and saluted Tina. "2nd Lieutenant Akane Tendo, United Nations Spacy Homeworld Peacekeeping Force, reporting for duty Ma'am!" Akane clicked her heels and stood straight at attention, holding her salute. Tina saluted back, "At ease, Loot'nent Tendo. I'm off duty and not in uniform." Akane relaxed her stance and pulled out a comb, attending to her long locks. Tina's gaze moved away towards Shanna, when Akane spoke up again, "Tina-chan?" "Yes?" Tina asked. "About what Shampoo had said..." Akane began. Tina nodded, prodding her along verbally, "I was wondering about that, yes." "It is true that I had developed... relations, so to speak, with the... other... you... that we met. I'll carry none of that baggage into our friendship." Tina found herself somewhat disgusted, and choking back laughter, "Oi! Won't Kabal get a kick outta that! I just can't wrap my brain around that happening." Akane turned a bit red, "You've gotta understand, the circumstances behind it all.. it's a long story, and I'd as soon you none of you let on to Ran.. Kabal that anything of the sort ever occurred." "Yes. Sexless tomboy taken to it's extreme, illogical conclusion." Tina giggled. "Again," Akane said, "you'd have to understand the circumstances. I'm straight." Rock butted in, "Sister, shut up before you make yourself look worse, eh?" Akane looked over at him. "Always making a mountain out of a molehill." he continued, "You'll have to excuse her. She still hasn't resolved that whole situation with herself, yet. And it's been years since the Tina we knew died. She's just feeling guilty."
Tina finally took the time to examine Shanna. Shanna stood 5 feet 7 inches, she was blonde-haired with blue eyes. She was also of obvious demonic origin, for she had large, obvious demon wings, small horns on her forehead, and a pointed tail.. which appeared only for a moment, and seemingly at Shanna's whim. "A pleasure to meet you." Tina extended her hand to Shanna. Shanna shook it, and nodded back at her. "Unlike the rest of you fools, I'm not going to assume that she's the same one we knew. I look forward to getting to know you. However, right now I feel you should go in there with him." Tina began to speak again, when Shanna opened the door to Kabal's bedroom and shoved her in.
"And get into some sleeping clothes. You're gonna be there awhile. He's not gonna wake up for a few hours!" came her voice from outside. Tina looked about Kabal's room. Horrible mess. There was a pizza on the end- table which looked so old the sauce had turned brown. Kabal himself was sprawled at an akward angle on the bed, one arm hanging off the side, snoring loudly... and with sleep-drool filtering down through his mask. Tina couldn't help giggling at how cute he looked passed out there. She reigned it in, and instead began to search his drawers for something to wear.. Shanna seemed correct, he looked like he'd be out for a long time. Top drawer... underwear and socks. He only wore boxers. Tina thought of the old wive's tale that a man who only wears boxers does that because he's well-hung. She smirked again at that and continued searching. A little album of pictures. She flipped through that, and found many pictures of Akane, pictures of Akane and Ranma, and in many of the pictures towards the end, one or the other was holding a beautiful little baby boy. There was also a picture of Ranma after having defeated Kirin. Another taken at Christmas, most of the old crew standing about him, his arm around Akane. A picture of Ryoga and Akane arguing. Suon Tendo and Genma Saotome (in his panda form) playing Go. Three pictures of Shampoo, whom was attempting to expose herself in one of them. A picture of Shampoo and Mousse, taken a few years after it seemed, surrounded by children. Tatewake Kuno, holding Happosai off with his bokken. Kodachi Kuno, her yearbook picture from St. Hebereke. That was the last picture for that album, and another, smaller one, lay underneath.
It was bound in soft leather, and had the Japanese symbol for heaven upon it. Tina opened it to be presented with a picture of herself (well, Ukyou, anyway) giving Ranma a hug on Christmas Eve. Her in a prom dress, looking lovely with curled hair. Her in her boy's school uniform, kicking ass at American Football. Her cooking at the Uk-chan's Okonomiyaki. Several more shots of same. One of her in a bathing suit, rather skimpy.. to put it modestly. One of her serving Akane a ramen dish, with a smile on her face but obvious sorrow in her eyes. Next there was an old, yellowed newspaper clipping, about a local young businesswoman committing suicide. Next a police photo, herself pale, covered in a red-stained blanket. Another angle showed her eyes, still open, still full of the same sorrow. Yet another angle, the upper half of her body. There were slashes and cuts all about the neck, and a small ceremonial dagger with dried blood upon it lay a bit away from her hand. The next shot showed her gut, slashed open with the entrails upon the ground, also dried with passage of time. She looked to Kabal, wondering why he had kept these grotesque pictures. The next picture was at the funeral home, her corpse restored to something of it's former beauty. Upon the final page, mounted with a Shinto prayer strip, one of her throwing spatulas, and a hair tie, was a picture of her in a red and blue flower pattern kimono. It was easily the most beautiful picture in the collection, and it looked like it was carefully preserved. She closed the book and held it against her chest. No wonder he had avoided her so. She could read a Ranma like a book, and she knew what he was afraid of. He was afraid that if it began again... that she would kill herself. That he would have to go through this same pain all again. She looked over again at Kabal pityingly. Such hardship. Nobody should have to go through a close friend killing herself, and then several years later his own family murdered.
She placed the book back in the drawer, careful to cover it up how it was, and searched further, quickly finding soemthing suitable. One of his old Kung-Fu shirts. She stripped herself of her clothing, and several throwing spatulas, combat knife, two pistols and a shock-prod, then slipped upon his shirt. She checked in the mirror for decency, and realized that with the slightest raising of her arms, hair could be seen. Being now the same height as him thanks to cybernetics, the shirt didn't go as far down on her body as they used to. Her cheeks colored green with embarassment, and she began to go for a pair of boxers. Then, she stopped herself. What was she worried about? Of all the people in this world, he was allowed to see anything without reserve or shame. She lay upon the bed near him, and rolled him up, placing his head upon her bosom. Mentally counting off the years he had experienced, she wondered why he was not older, did not have grey hair by now. She'd have to ask him about that later. She admired him a moment, taking in every detail of his still-bare chest. Every muscle cut and toned, trim yet powerful. A true martial artist's body, and far better even than what it was when he was younger. Upon his chest hung a crystal, which was initially clear upon her entry, but was now taking a neon greenish colour, and throbbing gently. It took her some time to notice that it was doing so in time to her own heartbeat. Another thing to ask about later. She set to stroking his hair, and waited for him to awaken. She softly sang songs of love to pass the time.
The midnight moon hung low in the sky, it was well past midnight. The people outside had not bothered them in any way, and Tina was sitll singing. In the middle of the third verse of a rather bawdy Scottish love song, Kabal finally stirred. Tina kissed him on top of his head, "Welcome back to the world of the living, jackass." she said. Kabal raised up his hand, and placed it up around the leg that Tina had stretched across his chest. "Is this really happening Uk-chan?" Tina placed her hands about ihs neck, and stroked his chest fondly. "Yes, Ran-chan, it is." "Those people... was that a dream or did it really happen." Tina fiddled with the crystal about Kabal's chest. "Yes. That was all real, too." Kabal moved a bit, to make eye contact with her. "They're all here? Shampoo, Ryoga, my father.... and" he said. "Yes, and Akane. She is here too." She felt him tense, ready to move. Tina sighed and took her hands off of his chest, gritted her teeth and said, "Go ahead. Go see Akane. As always I'll be here if you need someone to talk to." Kabal grabbed her leg as she started to get that out of his way, too. "Don't think I'm so hasty to run out on you, Tina." Much against her will, her heart started pounding again. "Whaddaya mean by that, jackass? Akane's waiting for you." Kabal caressed Tina's leg affectionately.
"She's not my wife, Tina. My wife died. On that day, I thought I had, too. To an extent, I did. But when I awakened that second time, and saw you there.. who am I kidding, I was doubly sure. But even then, you were just being so... you. It was hard not to feel anything whatsoever. That put a chink in my armor. I built it back up quick as I could.. I was not ready to feel anything other than pain. So I went on with my task. But the thought of you still plagued me. The coupla times I saw you on the street, I walked away as quickly as I could, afraid that I might... start to feel again. I was afraid that you would come to me, see right through my defenses, and break me down into what was really wrong."
"You never could lie to me for very long, Ran-chan."
"Yes, and that was why I really wanted you to stay the hell away from me. I felt as if... what I had left was revenge. And if you broke down my anger, I was afraid I was going to fall apart. I was afraid there would be nothing but... me.. and I could not face myself. But you never left my thoughts, Tina, you never did. You were at the same time a bane to my hatred, but also a link back to life. I think I at least subconsciously knew that 'Ariana Saotome' was you, and I bought that damn datadisc. I mean, I don't even like romantic music!" 'That's bullshit and you know it.' Tina thought, but did not vocalize it. "Then you came to me last ngiht, and you wouldn't go the hell away. And I didn't have the heart to push you so hard... because despite it all, I got so damned lonely here. And I let you here.. lo and behold, without even trying, or probably even knowing you were doing it, you stripped through layer after layer of my protections, holding them up to the light and showing me what bullshit they really were."
"Again, that's the way it's always been with us, Ran-chan."
"Yes, the way it always was, and the way I feared it would be again. But then I realized it... there was nothing bad about that. You were there, forcing me to be honest with myself yet again, and last night you actually gave me my pride back. You showed faith in me that I did not myself feel I deserved. What to others sounds like so much bullshit about me.. and I feel arrogant saying it even now, it's true about me. I don't know what it is, but you see people for what they really are... if they will allow themselves to be. You made me realize that I was once this man you loved, and there is nothing stopping me from beign this man again." He pounded his chest to accentuate the next point, "Because right here, that's who I really am. You just made me stop lying to myself. Yes, I failed protecting my wife but damnit that doesn't make me any less of a man! I was not cowardly, weak or stupid. At least, not any stupider than I usually am. I still got some stuff to work out about that all.. I know it's gonna take a long time before I feel good about myself totally again, but you opened that door. You gave me my pride back, Tina."
"Nothin' I haven't done a hundred times for ya before, Ran-chan."
"A hundred, a thousand, a million times, Uk-chan. You've never ever stopped giving and giving, shooting down my lies, and showing me that I'm not as bad as I thought I was. From the days when my father used to..." He stopped. Now that he thought about it, he could not actually _remember_ any of his youth, beyond talking to Uk-chan. He remembered something was bad, and he felt bad for it, but he never told Ukyou what it was. He just accepted Ukyou's unconditional friendship and support. "From when Akane would hit me, yell at me, argue with me. You were there to listen, to make me feel good about myself. And what used to be unconditional friendship turned into the purest love I had ever known. Don't think I couldn't see it back then." Tina's eyes widened. She had actually thought that Ranma just didn't realize it. "You never thought of anything except for what was best for me. You backed away when you realized that I really was ready to marry Akane. And you waited till you thought I had left town for good, so that way I wouldn't know you had..." He trailed off. "Killed myself?" Tina supplied. "How did you know that?" he asked her. "I saw the book you kept of me. I can't believe it. That must have hurt you so much, Ran- chan. And I'm sorry you had to know about it." Kabal shook his head, "What the hell are you apologizing for? It wasn't you who did it. The... other... you did it." Tina pulled his head down to her breast again, "It could have been, Ran-chan. It could have been. I remember drinking 3 whole bottles of Sake the night you left. I remember the feelings, it hurt so bad. At least you were still.. around, even if I could not have you. But this time you were gone for good. I remember holding that very same knife to my stomach, ready to cut my life upon the ground, and slash my throat to end it quickly. You were everything for me. But, instead, some last fray of hope and sanity held out." "What did you do then?" he asked. "Simple. I went to America, bullied some homosexual into marrying me for citizenship, then joined the Marine Corps. Beyond that... well, it's not important right now."
"No," Kabal said, "It's not. And last night you were still YOU. After all this time. Heck, not 15 minutes ago, you just tried to send me to Akane! You've never cared about yourself, your own happiness." "As long as-" Kabal placed his hand over her mouth and finished for her, "Yes, as long as I am happy, that's all that matters to you. I'm not blind Tina. I'm not stupid. I never was. But you terrified me then, I felt I was unworthy of such strong love. I mean, I was still a little boy! Even now, you frighten me somewhat. But you did something else for me, Tina, besides my pride... you taught me that I can... I'm not.. I can love again." He lifted off his mask and looked her full in the eyes. "I don't know what's gonna happen from here out, Tina, but last night you got what you always wished. My heart. And I'm not in such a big hurry to run away from your love like I always am."
She let herself go slack in his arms, unable to stop the tears of joy. And he said "I love you" over and over as he entered her.....
-Mark Twain
Twisted Prophecy - Chapter 3
The group outside crowded closer to the female mage's projections of the events inside the apartment. A female voice said, "Is that really them?" A male voice responded, "Sure looks like the boy. And if that's not Tina, then she's really done her homework." A second male voice added his two cents, "Let's not forget, this is not the Tina we knew, nor is that Ranma the same one we knew." Shanna, the aforementioned magic-user, stated, with ultimate class and distinction, "I think they're going to fuck." A third female voice: "Aiya! I think we have fun with this, no?" "Sure. You all know what to do, count of three," came yet another male voice. "Provided you don't run the wrong way, anyway; we all know what to do." countered another female voice. "This is a really bad idea. Not that any of you listen to me anyway." said the second male voice.
Tina lowered her head down onto Kabal's shoulder after she was finished singing, and embraced him tightly. She felt warm with happiness and relief, and alive. He was back, again. Her love, her life, her reason for everything. "Ran-chan..." she sighed happily. She felt Kabal tense up, start to push her away.. then his muscles relaxed. He began to shake slightly, countless thoughts racing through his head in rapid succession. 'She knows who I am? She isn't mad at me for lying to her. I'm not though, he died. But I... I am. Kami above her hair smells wonderful! Why is my heart beating so damn fast? Could I be? No... Akane! Oh Akane, I'm sorry I can't help it. Akane is dead, I'll never see her again. My son, my very blood, before my very eyes.. gone, dead' He looked down at the woman embracing him. Friend, confidant, always there to make him happy even if it made her sad. 'But Uk-chan. She's alive. She waited for me! Why did she have to come into my life again? There is no reason for me save vengeance! Damn her for doing this to me! She's so warm. Hey I'm having trouble breathing, I need to get my mask back soon here. I can't! How could she do this to me? Do what to me? Love me? That's all. Oh why do I try so hard to feel like a scoundrel! Why...?' He encircled his arms about her haltingly, all the more shaky for it.
Tina raised her head off of his shoulder and looked into his eyes. Kabal noted that her eyes were not the brown he expected, but were instead an almost neon green. But they were beautiful all the same. Deep, soulful.. all the old anachronisms he had laughed about from love poetry took meaning true here. He found himself truly getting lost in them, they showed so much pain, so much fear, and yet so much nobility and passion. He could read volumes of her life in the brief moments he looked into her eyes. Above all though, was the look of absolute adoration, the tears welling up at the corners of them. A snatch of song lept unbidden into his mind, something by ABC, 'If you judge a book by it's cover, then you would judge the look by the lover'. He could not be such a fool as that. Her look told him all about her. He could not say no to such love again, not here. Not in this place of such precious little love. His trembling ceased as he felt his roaring heart finally defeat his sorrow, and he pulled this lover closer to him, already knowing he would do things he had declared would never happen again.
Tina, at the same moment, was trying to keep herself from crying aloud, joyous and triumphant. The message was driven deep into her mind by the triphammer beat of her heart, "He feels it! He feels it too! He's gonna _KISS_ you, girl!" She felt her whole life had been a prelude to this time, the time when her Ran-chan would finally return her love. Years, endless years of heartache, countless nights of wracking sobs at the hope she held against hope that this would one day come. It was all coming to a crescendo now, and she knew she would never be this happy again. No... she would be this happy for the rest of her life. HE was here. He moved towards her, and she parted her lips, closed her eyes, to savor the moment she had anticipated for over 80 years.
As their lips were near to touch... the door burst open noisily and several intruders stormed into the small apartment.
"Ranma no Baka!" yelled the first, a woman with long blue hair wearing a uniform of some Police Department. "Wo ai ni! I so happy see you! You take me out on date, no?" screeched a large-breasted female with extremely long purple-pink hair whom glomped hard onto Kabal. "You have some explaining to do, Boy!" threatened a somewhat overweight older man wearing a white Karate Gi, glasses and a white bandana over his head. "Ranma! This is unforgiveable! Now you die!" bellowed a Japanese young man of sturdy build and small fanged teeth. "Away rabble! He's mine." claimed in French-accented Japanese a blonde woman whom had demonic wings and small horns. The final figure, shaded by a trenchcoat and fedora.. with furry pointed ears sticking out of the top of it.. lit up a cigarette and grunted. "This is crass." he growled.
Moments passed in silence, the pair still locked in their embrace taking in the scene. Kabal's eyes rested on the woman in the uniform, "What... the... hell?" Tina followed Kabal's gaze, then dropped her embrace and pushed past the group, walking out the door quickly. The trenchcoat-clad figure hurried after her.
Kabal sagged down to the ground, feeling extremely dizzy, and unsure if he was hallucinating. His eyes stayed upon Akane; he could not believe this. She walked to him and began to speak, but he did not hear her. He finally passed out from lack of oxygen.
Tina sat upon the cracked pavement of the sidewalk out front of the building. She was hugging her knees to her chest. The one in the trenchcoat sat down casually beside her and held a lit cigarette out to her. She stared at it a moment, then took it and inhaled it deeply. "So," the other said, "that was pretty mean, wasn't it Sister?" Tina continued looked over at him, "And who the hell are you anyway?" She looked at his features.. he was a mutant animal of some variety, a badger or a wolverine. "It's genetically impossible for me to be your sister. I'm not even human, I'm something else. I bleed-" The other held up his hand for silence. "You bleed green. You are an Invid." "Invid?" she seized upon the other's jacket, "You know what I am? Tell me more! Tell me your name, also." "My name is Rock." he said, "I am a mutant wolverine. I was a creation of one Dr. Richard Light. Same man who gave you your cybernetics. So I'm your brother." Tina released his jacket, "What about me? What am I?"
Rock dragged from his own cigarette, and flicked it into the street. "Well, first let me explain what the Invid were. There was a planet named Optera. On this planet, there was a race of creatures.. sluglike almost, bipedal though. They lived happily in a hive mentality, harvesting their Flower of Life and defeating their natural predators through sheer numbers and decent battle tactics. Their hive queen, whom would later be called 'The Regis', was a sentient being. Simple, true, but sentient. One day, along came another species, called, ridiculously enough, The Masters. The Masters found Optera and were just going to colonize it. First, they sent one of their best scientists, one named Zor, to study the indigenous races. The better to wipe them out with. Zor found that the 'Flower of Life' was an energy source, and even more. When used to power mecha, the pilot could easily become one with the machine, reactions inside a machine were nearly as fast as one's own body. The pilots could even feel pain if the device powered thusly was damaged. Real easy to fix things when the pilot can feel an 'itch' that turns out to be a broken fuel line."
Rock slung his backpack off of his shoulder and opened it. A hand extended, holding a six-pack of Killian's Irish Red. "Thanks Mike." Rock said as he closed the bag. Tina raised an eyebrow at him. "The Beastie Boys live in my Bag of Holding." Rock supplied helpfully. "Ahh..." Tina said, deciding to ignore that, "And what became of the Invid? I am no sluglike being." Rock stabbed his claw into the top of a bottle, pried it open, and handed it to her.
"Well, the queen of the Invid hive spoke a lot with Zor, and found herself more emulating his form. She began to feel love for the scientist. Time came when they worked together hard on the Flower of Life, refining it into a form more usable by The Masters, called Protoculture. The Regis and Zor perfected this process. When Zor reported this to his superiors, they were greatly pleased. They allowed Zor to move all of his research to a battle cruiser of his own design in orbit around the planet. When this was completed... The Masters began defoliating Optera after taking much Flower of Life seed. However, the Invid soon retaliated, in a form nobody expected. The Invid Regis transmuted matter into mecha for her people. She advanced many of them to be more apt for combat. Taller, leaner, with more human musculature, they were almost the match of The Masters. In horror of the whole situation, Zor, before his own death as a traitor to his people, sent his research starship on a trip across the galaxy, spreading the seed of the Flower wherever it could. Eventually this ship ended up on Earth. You still with me here?" Rock asked. "Yes," Tina said, "Go On. What became of the Invid?"
"Well, the Regis' anger was so much that she could no longer contain it. She split into two halves.. a destructive, arrogant male half called The Regent, and a more thoughtful, less violent female half.. The Regis. The male half went across the galaxy, scouring it where possible, destroying and plundering everything they could find. The Invid would descend upon a planet like a plague of locusts, and strip it bare, leaving alive only a small force of laborers to work what twisted version of the Flower of Life could be harvested on whatever planet. The Regis instead, pursued the pure form of the flower to the only place it would grow, the place where Zor's battle fortress had stopped. The Earth." Rock looked over to Tina to see if she needed clarification, but she was just listening, eyes bright and full of curiosity... he was pleased at this. She was not totally jaded. There was hope for them within her.
"Mankind found this ship.. it crashed in a place called Macross Island in the late 1990's. It's appearance answered once and for all the questions about other life in the universe. Life elsewhere existed, and from what they could glean from the foreign computer systems, that life would come, to ravage them, because of The Flower. This ended war entirely, as the whole planet had to unite against the coming threat. The humans of the time managed to operate the Protoculture Matrix fairly well, they had designed transforming mecha called 'Valkyries' which were Jet, called the Fighter configuration, Man-shaped robot, called the Battloid configuration, and a state between them called the Guardian, or Gerwalk, depending on which designers you asked. One day, the Super Dimensional Fortress, as they were calling it, awoke on it's own and took a potshot at some approaching starships. Those starships got closer to the earth, and unleashed their forces. These were the Zentraedi, the warrior race of The Masters. To make a 60-year story short, eventually the humans defeated the Zentraedi, The Masters, The regent's Invid, and convinced the Regis' Invid to leave them alone. The Regis could be talked into such because she was a thinking and evolving being. She had even shaped some of her children to look like Humans, albeit for subterfuge." Tina lowered her eyes and nodded. "I am one of those, aren't I?" Rock shook his head, "No, you are much more than one of those. But we'll get to that in a minute. Through all this battle and ill-will, the Flower had become tainted on Earth, and all of it began to literally disappear. It was mankind's only power source left after the devestation of three seperate wars. The flower dying spelled death for both Human and Invid."
"That's where you come in. Before the Regis faded away completely, you were created. You were to go back in time and prepare the humans. Convince them to keep battle off of their planet, and if at all possible, not battle at all. And if all else failed... to love their enemies and pity them while destroying them, rather than hating them. And you could also work as a go-between for the Invid and Humans, for you would have lived as one of them and understood that their capacity to love was infinite, that these humans are more like Zor than like his Masters." Tina smiled, "That's quite a noble cause." Rock opened another beer and said, "Yep. I'm sure it sounds wonderful to you. It's how you are now, you never hate your enemies, and try your best to help them all."
"Was I made this way?" she asked, "Am I not who I am because of how I was raised? The things I have experienced?" Rock shook his head, "Nothing is predestined by your make. All I can say is that you are more.. genetically disposed towards loving then others may be. But your pure heart is your own doing." Tina pondered that, "You really think I have a pure heart?" she asked. "Well, for our sake I hope you do. Next you're going to ask me how I know all this, right?" Rock questioned. Tina nodded. "Well, I am sure you are familiar with the concept of alternate dimensions, et cetera." Rock began. "Yes," Tina said, "Kabal is Ranma from an alternate history than my own."
"Correct. Well, Akane, Ryoga, Genma, Shampoo, Shanna and myself all come from an alternate.. but similar.. world such as where you are now." Tina sighed, and Rock put his arm about her shoulders, "And yes, I know some part of you wishes we had not come." Tina shook her head, "Not at all. In fact, it's wonderful to see all of them again. Except you and Shanna, I have never met either of you before." "Then why did you storm out here then, eh Sis?" Rock chuckled. "Well, nobody's perfect. I finally won Ranma... and sure enough, along comes Akane to take him from me." she said. "Do you hate her for it?" Rock asked, a bit of angst noticeable in his voice. Tina shook her head, she did not have to think at all, "Nope. I've never hated her for that. Jealous as all hell, but I cannot hate a woman because of who loves her. Under the violent bitchy-exterior, she's good-hearted." "You sure you feel that way?" Rock asked again. "Yeah, jackass. If she's Akane, then she's good, you know? Why do you keep asking that?" Tina made eye contact with him again as she asked her question. Rock sniffed in her general direction, catching her scent and analyzing it. "I believe you," he said, "your capacity of hate and love are actually of tantamount importance to the galaxy, if things go the way they did before." Tina laughed, "Oh quit bullshitting me!" Rock shrugged, "Tina we had before hated. She lost it, her heart was not pure. We lost because of that.... but don't worry about it. Tell me, you ever hated anyone, anything at all?"
"Yes." Tina said grimly, "Xenomorphs. You know what those are?" Rock nodded, "We got them where I come from, too. You really hate them?" he asked. "They took Ranma... one of him... from my life." Tina said, and paused in thought, "But that's no more their fault than ants killing a butterfly whom was caught in a rainstorm." Rock smiled at her, "So answer my question, d'you really hate them?" Tina shook her head, "You can no more hate a natural predator for preying than you can hate a dog for barking." Rock, too thought deeply on this. He feared that mayhaps.. hmm. A test.. "What d'you propose we do with the Aliens? Give them a continent or two and leave them alone?" Tina shook her head, yet again, then looked at Rock like he had grown a third head, "Heck no! If they are natural predators, than we gotta meet them on their own level. If we can kick them out of _our_ anthill, then more power to us. Survival of the species, and all." she said. Rock smiled, feeling an elusive worm of hope moving about, "Great! I was afraid you'd be the other extreme. Too much of a damn pussy to actually do anything."
"Why are you so goddamned worried about my view on life, anyway?" Tina asked. Rock stood up, "I'm not. I just like to know what the odds are." "Really, is there something gonna happen?" Tina pressed. "If it does, you'll feel it. If it doesn't, then great. Shit, I'd be happier if we had left it all behind us when we were sent here." "But what-" she began. "Don't worry about it. Let's go back inside and see what's going on with dumbass and the bimbos."
Kabal was still on the ground, unconscious, when the pair came back in. Akane was trying to give him CPR, Shampoo looked like she was going to cry, and Shanna was filing her nails. "Rock!" Akane yelped, "Do something!" He made eye contact with Shanna, who gave him her best "These people are helpless morons" look, and then walked over to the counter, picking Kabal's mask up. "Am I", he began, "the only person who noticed that he had the Darth Vader thing going here? Did anybody else pay attention? No? Didn't think so." He placed the mask back on Kabal's face, and threw him from the floor onto his bed, Kabal's loose flailing arm catching the bedroom door on the way in and closing it. Shanna clapped, "That was good. Little sloppy on the follow-through, but good. I give it an 8 for effort."
Tina looked over the group to greet them, each in turn. Ryoga bore several scars on his body, including the telltale burns of a close encounter with an Alien on his right shoulder. His eyes showed anger, as always, but not so much depression anymore. And he carried a Pulse Rifle strapped across his back, in lieu of the leaden umbrella that used to be there. "Great to see you again, Lost Boy." Tina said. Ryoga smiled at her, "As to you, Kurosawa-san. I look forward to great battles at your side." "Or great battles several dozen miles away, eh?" she joked. Ryoga maintained his smile, "It's much easier to find one's way when one is looking outside for direction, rather than within." Akane laughed, "That's his way of saying 'Point me in the right direction and I'm fairly good at maintaining that direction'."
Shampoo had not physically changed much, save that her hair looked as if she spent less time grooming it these days. Her movements, also, were more guarded. Less naievete permeated her entire being. "Xian-Pu. You're looking well." Tina greeted. "Slutty Girl not so bad herself." Shampoo returned. "Ah." Tina said, "It's like that, is it?" Shampoo laughed, high- pitched as ever, "Ya! Slutty Girl too serious. We all friends here." Tina shrugged, "Hell if I know. You people seem to know me and I not know you. You'll pardon the hell out of me if this is all a little discomforting." Shampoo looked over at Akane, a mischevious glint in her eyes, "Some know Slutty Girl better than others, but Shampoo keep her place." "Catty bitch." Akane said. "Flat-chested tomboy." Rock moved between them, "Ok girls. Don't make me sit you both in the corner."
Genma was a bit more solidly built, striated muscle apparent upon his chest rather than the soft layer of flab that could be typically expected. "Saotome-san." Tina spoke respectfully as she bowed low. Genma returned with a lackadaisical military salute. "Do not prostate yourself before me, General Kurosawa." Shanna laughed outright from where she was... floating... "I think you mean 'prostrate', jiji-san." "I say what I mean and mean what I say." Genma said, keeping his cool. "Oh do you?" Tina jibed playfully, "Then how come I'm not Ukyou Saotome?" Genma maintained his overall demeanour of absolute security in the location of his towel. "I don't have the slightest clue what you're talking about. Oh look! I think Akane wants to talk to you!" he said, placing the daughter of his old friend squarely in front of him.
She had not seemeingly aged much, and Akane was much as the Akane of her youth. Her striking blue hair was long again, and Tina noticed for the second time that Akane wore a Police uniform. "What is up with this?" Tina asked. Akane brushed the shoulders of her uniform clear of dust, straightened it out, and saluted Tina. "2nd Lieutenant Akane Tendo, United Nations Spacy Homeworld Peacekeeping Force, reporting for duty Ma'am!" Akane clicked her heels and stood straight at attention, holding her salute. Tina saluted back, "At ease, Loot'nent Tendo. I'm off duty and not in uniform." Akane relaxed her stance and pulled out a comb, attending to her long locks. Tina's gaze moved away towards Shanna, when Akane spoke up again, "Tina-chan?" "Yes?" Tina asked. "About what Shampoo had said..." Akane began. Tina nodded, prodding her along verbally, "I was wondering about that, yes." "It is true that I had developed... relations, so to speak, with the... other... you... that we met. I'll carry none of that baggage into our friendship." Tina found herself somewhat disgusted, and choking back laughter, "Oi! Won't Kabal get a kick outta that! I just can't wrap my brain around that happening." Akane turned a bit red, "You've gotta understand, the circumstances behind it all.. it's a long story, and I'd as soon you none of you let on to Ran.. Kabal that anything of the sort ever occurred." "Yes. Sexless tomboy taken to it's extreme, illogical conclusion." Tina giggled. "Again," Akane said, "you'd have to understand the circumstances. I'm straight." Rock butted in, "Sister, shut up before you make yourself look worse, eh?" Akane looked over at him. "Always making a mountain out of a molehill." he continued, "You'll have to excuse her. She still hasn't resolved that whole situation with herself, yet. And it's been years since the Tina we knew died. She's just feeling guilty."
Tina finally took the time to examine Shanna. Shanna stood 5 feet 7 inches, she was blonde-haired with blue eyes. She was also of obvious demonic origin, for she had large, obvious demon wings, small horns on her forehead, and a pointed tail.. which appeared only for a moment, and seemingly at Shanna's whim. "A pleasure to meet you." Tina extended her hand to Shanna. Shanna shook it, and nodded back at her. "Unlike the rest of you fools, I'm not going to assume that she's the same one we knew. I look forward to getting to know you. However, right now I feel you should go in there with him." Tina began to speak again, when Shanna opened the door to Kabal's bedroom and shoved her in.
"And get into some sleeping clothes. You're gonna be there awhile. He's not gonna wake up for a few hours!" came her voice from outside. Tina looked about Kabal's room. Horrible mess. There was a pizza on the end- table which looked so old the sauce had turned brown. Kabal himself was sprawled at an akward angle on the bed, one arm hanging off the side, snoring loudly... and with sleep-drool filtering down through his mask. Tina couldn't help giggling at how cute he looked passed out there. She reigned it in, and instead began to search his drawers for something to wear.. Shanna seemed correct, he looked like he'd be out for a long time. Top drawer... underwear and socks. He only wore boxers. Tina thought of the old wive's tale that a man who only wears boxers does that because he's well-hung. She smirked again at that and continued searching. A little album of pictures. She flipped through that, and found many pictures of Akane, pictures of Akane and Ranma, and in many of the pictures towards the end, one or the other was holding a beautiful little baby boy. There was also a picture of Ranma after having defeated Kirin. Another taken at Christmas, most of the old crew standing about him, his arm around Akane. A picture of Ryoga and Akane arguing. Suon Tendo and Genma Saotome (in his panda form) playing Go. Three pictures of Shampoo, whom was attempting to expose herself in one of them. A picture of Shampoo and Mousse, taken a few years after it seemed, surrounded by children. Tatewake Kuno, holding Happosai off with his bokken. Kodachi Kuno, her yearbook picture from St. Hebereke. That was the last picture for that album, and another, smaller one, lay underneath.
It was bound in soft leather, and had the Japanese symbol for heaven upon it. Tina opened it to be presented with a picture of herself (well, Ukyou, anyway) giving Ranma a hug on Christmas Eve. Her in a prom dress, looking lovely with curled hair. Her in her boy's school uniform, kicking ass at American Football. Her cooking at the Uk-chan's Okonomiyaki. Several more shots of same. One of her in a bathing suit, rather skimpy.. to put it modestly. One of her serving Akane a ramen dish, with a smile on her face but obvious sorrow in her eyes. Next there was an old, yellowed newspaper clipping, about a local young businesswoman committing suicide. Next a police photo, herself pale, covered in a red-stained blanket. Another angle showed her eyes, still open, still full of the same sorrow. Yet another angle, the upper half of her body. There were slashes and cuts all about the neck, and a small ceremonial dagger with dried blood upon it lay a bit away from her hand. The next shot showed her gut, slashed open with the entrails upon the ground, also dried with passage of time. She looked to Kabal, wondering why he had kept these grotesque pictures. The next picture was at the funeral home, her corpse restored to something of it's former beauty. Upon the final page, mounted with a Shinto prayer strip, one of her throwing spatulas, and a hair tie, was a picture of her in a red and blue flower pattern kimono. It was easily the most beautiful picture in the collection, and it looked like it was carefully preserved. She closed the book and held it against her chest. No wonder he had avoided her so. She could read a Ranma like a book, and she knew what he was afraid of. He was afraid that if it began again... that she would kill herself. That he would have to go through this same pain all again. She looked over again at Kabal pityingly. Such hardship. Nobody should have to go through a close friend killing herself, and then several years later his own family murdered.
She placed the book back in the drawer, careful to cover it up how it was, and searched further, quickly finding soemthing suitable. One of his old Kung-Fu shirts. She stripped herself of her clothing, and several throwing spatulas, combat knife, two pistols and a shock-prod, then slipped upon his shirt. She checked in the mirror for decency, and realized that with the slightest raising of her arms, hair could be seen. Being now the same height as him thanks to cybernetics, the shirt didn't go as far down on her body as they used to. Her cheeks colored green with embarassment, and she began to go for a pair of boxers. Then, she stopped herself. What was she worried about? Of all the people in this world, he was allowed to see anything without reserve or shame. She lay upon the bed near him, and rolled him up, placing his head upon her bosom. Mentally counting off the years he had experienced, she wondered why he was not older, did not have grey hair by now. She'd have to ask him about that later. She admired him a moment, taking in every detail of his still-bare chest. Every muscle cut and toned, trim yet powerful. A true martial artist's body, and far better even than what it was when he was younger. Upon his chest hung a crystal, which was initially clear upon her entry, but was now taking a neon greenish colour, and throbbing gently. It took her some time to notice that it was doing so in time to her own heartbeat. Another thing to ask about later. She set to stroking his hair, and waited for him to awaken. She softly sang songs of love to pass the time.
The midnight moon hung low in the sky, it was well past midnight. The people outside had not bothered them in any way, and Tina was sitll singing. In the middle of the third verse of a rather bawdy Scottish love song, Kabal finally stirred. Tina kissed him on top of his head, "Welcome back to the world of the living, jackass." she said. Kabal raised up his hand, and placed it up around the leg that Tina had stretched across his chest. "Is this really happening Uk-chan?" Tina placed her hands about ihs neck, and stroked his chest fondly. "Yes, Ran-chan, it is." "Those people... was that a dream or did it really happen." Tina fiddled with the crystal about Kabal's chest. "Yes. That was all real, too." Kabal moved a bit, to make eye contact with her. "They're all here? Shampoo, Ryoga, my father.... and" he said. "Yes, and Akane. She is here too." She felt him tense, ready to move. Tina sighed and took her hands off of his chest, gritted her teeth and said, "Go ahead. Go see Akane. As always I'll be here if you need someone to talk to." Kabal grabbed her leg as she started to get that out of his way, too. "Don't think I'm so hasty to run out on you, Tina." Much against her will, her heart started pounding again. "Whaddaya mean by that, jackass? Akane's waiting for you." Kabal caressed Tina's leg affectionately.
"She's not my wife, Tina. My wife died. On that day, I thought I had, too. To an extent, I did. But when I awakened that second time, and saw you there.. who am I kidding, I was doubly sure. But even then, you were just being so... you. It was hard not to feel anything whatsoever. That put a chink in my armor. I built it back up quick as I could.. I was not ready to feel anything other than pain. So I went on with my task. But the thought of you still plagued me. The coupla times I saw you on the street, I walked away as quickly as I could, afraid that I might... start to feel again. I was afraid that you would come to me, see right through my defenses, and break me down into what was really wrong."
"You never could lie to me for very long, Ran-chan."
"Yes, and that was why I really wanted you to stay the hell away from me. I felt as if... what I had left was revenge. And if you broke down my anger, I was afraid I was going to fall apart. I was afraid there would be nothing but... me.. and I could not face myself. But you never left my thoughts, Tina, you never did. You were at the same time a bane to my hatred, but also a link back to life. I think I at least subconsciously knew that 'Ariana Saotome' was you, and I bought that damn datadisc. I mean, I don't even like romantic music!" 'That's bullshit and you know it.' Tina thought, but did not vocalize it. "Then you came to me last ngiht, and you wouldn't go the hell away. And I didn't have the heart to push you so hard... because despite it all, I got so damned lonely here. And I let you here.. lo and behold, without even trying, or probably even knowing you were doing it, you stripped through layer after layer of my protections, holding them up to the light and showing me what bullshit they really were."
"Again, that's the way it's always been with us, Ran-chan."
"Yes, the way it always was, and the way I feared it would be again. But then I realized it... there was nothing bad about that. You were there, forcing me to be honest with myself yet again, and last night you actually gave me my pride back. You showed faith in me that I did not myself feel I deserved. What to others sounds like so much bullshit about me.. and I feel arrogant saying it even now, it's true about me. I don't know what it is, but you see people for what they really are... if they will allow themselves to be. You made me realize that I was once this man you loved, and there is nothing stopping me from beign this man again." He pounded his chest to accentuate the next point, "Because right here, that's who I really am. You just made me stop lying to myself. Yes, I failed protecting my wife but damnit that doesn't make me any less of a man! I was not cowardly, weak or stupid. At least, not any stupider than I usually am. I still got some stuff to work out about that all.. I know it's gonna take a long time before I feel good about myself totally again, but you opened that door. You gave me my pride back, Tina."
"Nothin' I haven't done a hundred times for ya before, Ran-chan."
"A hundred, a thousand, a million times, Uk-chan. You've never ever stopped giving and giving, shooting down my lies, and showing me that I'm not as bad as I thought I was. From the days when my father used to..." He stopped. Now that he thought about it, he could not actually _remember_ any of his youth, beyond talking to Uk-chan. He remembered something was bad, and he felt bad for it, but he never told Ukyou what it was. He just accepted Ukyou's unconditional friendship and support. "From when Akane would hit me, yell at me, argue with me. You were there to listen, to make me feel good about myself. And what used to be unconditional friendship turned into the purest love I had ever known. Don't think I couldn't see it back then." Tina's eyes widened. She had actually thought that Ranma just didn't realize it. "You never thought of anything except for what was best for me. You backed away when you realized that I really was ready to marry Akane. And you waited till you thought I had left town for good, so that way I wouldn't know you had..." He trailed off. "Killed myself?" Tina supplied. "How did you know that?" he asked her. "I saw the book you kept of me. I can't believe it. That must have hurt you so much, Ran- chan. And I'm sorry you had to know about it." Kabal shook his head, "What the hell are you apologizing for? It wasn't you who did it. The... other... you did it." Tina pulled his head down to her breast again, "It could have been, Ran-chan. It could have been. I remember drinking 3 whole bottles of Sake the night you left. I remember the feelings, it hurt so bad. At least you were still.. around, even if I could not have you. But this time you were gone for good. I remember holding that very same knife to my stomach, ready to cut my life upon the ground, and slash my throat to end it quickly. You were everything for me. But, instead, some last fray of hope and sanity held out." "What did you do then?" he asked. "Simple. I went to America, bullied some homosexual into marrying me for citizenship, then joined the Marine Corps. Beyond that... well, it's not important right now."
"No," Kabal said, "It's not. And last night you were still YOU. After all this time. Heck, not 15 minutes ago, you just tried to send me to Akane! You've never cared about yourself, your own happiness." "As long as-" Kabal placed his hand over her mouth and finished for her, "Yes, as long as I am happy, that's all that matters to you. I'm not blind Tina. I'm not stupid. I never was. But you terrified me then, I felt I was unworthy of such strong love. I mean, I was still a little boy! Even now, you frighten me somewhat. But you did something else for me, Tina, besides my pride... you taught me that I can... I'm not.. I can love again." He lifted off his mask and looked her full in the eyes. "I don't know what's gonna happen from here out, Tina, but last night you got what you always wished. My heart. And I'm not in such a big hurry to run away from your love like I always am."
She let herself go slack in his arms, unable to stop the tears of joy. And he said "I love you" over and over as he entered her.....