The Scarlet Trail
Chapter 5, All Things Must Run It's Course
Author's Notes: Here it is...after must deliberation. Nothing...to...say...so...just...enjoy...:)...
Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kama arrived at the opened doorway of the Tendo Home to see Akane crying in the arms of Ranma. She seemed to have sensed him for in the next second, her whole body tensed and she looked up at him with such hatred in her eyes, he felt cold all over. Akane's mouth became a thing line and her beautiful eyes hardened as as she stoof up and stomped over to Kama.
"Akane, no," Nodoka and Genma said as they stood up. She paid no heed to their words.
In a flash, she was in front of Kama and he only had a second to see her raised arm. The resounding 'crack' as her hand came in contact with his ace could be heard throughout the whole room along with the gasps of Genma, Nodoka and Soun. Kama didn't bother to turn his head back around, his left cheek throbbing with heat and he tasted the metallic flavor of blood on his lips.
Ranma ran over and pulled at Akane's arms before she could strike another blow but that didn't stop the girl from sobbing and crying out anger.
"You jerk! How could you?! My sister...my poor, innocent, selfless sister that loved everyone and wouldn't have hurt a fly is at this exact moment in the emergency room! Do you know that? Why?! Why Kasumi? She never hurt anybody...but now..now she's attached to a machine because she can't breathe for herself. I know it wasn't an accident for a wire on the telephone ole to suddenly snap and swing at her like that. Even if she'll live, she's gonna have a scar on her right cheek for the rest of her life!" Akane shouted at him and Ranma was the only one that noticed Kama flinch at her words.
"Akane!" Nodoka exclaimed.
"No!" Akane shouted as she struggled in Ranma's arms, "I'm sick and tired of sitting around waiting for something to happen. First, I want you to tell me that nothing's wrong with Kasumi, that she's going to get out of this coma she's in and be alive. Then...then I want you to go back to wherever you came from and leave me ALONE!" With that, Akane gave a jerk out of Ranma's arms and with one last contempt-filled look in Kama's direction, she ran out of the house.
By the time Ukyo arrived at the house, all she saw was an empty house...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kasumi...it'll be alright...I promise...I'll make it alright..." Akane whispered as she held on tightly to her sister's hand. The young, once radiant girl laid on the hospital bed, her skin frail and transparent as a large bandage covered 75% of her face. Akane rubbed her sister's hand to her own cheek.
"Wake up, please, Kasumi...wake up...please..." the blue-haired girl pleaded. Seeing Kasumi laying there was like deja vu all over again. Suddenly, the 16-year-old was a 4-year old girl standing in the doorway as her mother laid frail and tragic in the hospital bed. Akane had always hated hospitals after that.
"You know you have nothing to worry about, right Kasumi? You know I wouldn't let a nyone pick on you about your scar...not that anyone would. You're too sweet, Kasu-chan," the girl cried using the nickname she used to use on her favorite sister.
"Hey...you okay?" Akane heard behind her and recognizing the voice she quickly wiped away her tears and dropped her sister's hand.
"Y-yeah," she stuttered as she sensed Ranma come up behind her to look at Kasumi. They just stayed that way in silence for awhile...just looking sadly at a girl whom they both considered more then a sister...a mother almost...
"You know...I used to watch her..." Akane spoke up and feeling Ranma look down at her intently, she gathered the courage to continue.
"W-When I was little...after my mother died...I used to watch Kasu-chan in the kitchen...it's her domain you know. I would just sit in the doorway and wtach her while she sort of glided around and hummed as she cooked up one thing after another. She almost seemed like an angel...and I would just think 'one day I'm going to be like Kasu-chan...one day I'm going to be perfect just like her'...Kasumi was everything I wanted to be...beautiful, angelic, feminine, kind, wonderful...perfect...but I never resented or hated her for it...I never could resent or feel anything but love and admiration for Kasumi. I grew my hair long...just like her...tried to cook...just like her...wore dresses...just like her...tried to be feminine...just like her..." Ranma remained silent throughout this whole confession and Akane was too afraid to turn around and look at him.
"...and I think in a way...I liked Dr. Tofu because she did...but then you came along Ranma...you came along and you rocked the whole foundation of my life...when you were around I couldn't act feminine or kind...or anything like that...I couldn't be who I thought I wanted to be...even my long hair was cut because of you...and I think it was that day...the day my hair was cut that I realized I didn't want to be a shadow of my sister anymore... that there was already a Kasumi Tendo and...and I wanted to be Akane Tendo for once. And you know what, Ranma?" she whispered this at the end.
"What?" she heard just as softly from above her.
Akane looked up into Ranma's soft blue eyes and sniffed as she gave tearful smile,
"I think I like being Akane Tendo."
Ranma bent down until his turbulent, blue-grey water eyes were staring straight into her dark brown ones.
"I think I like Akane Tendo too," he whispered to her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He sat on the fence, staring off into the horizon. He didn't mean to hurt her or the sweet angel she called a sister. But would it have mattered if he had came back or not? The curse would still have gotten to Akane somehow...simply because Ranma Saotome existed.
Ranma.
Or more specific...Ranma Saotome...
...his brother in another life...
...his rival in this one...
But try as he might, he couldn't keep the anger and bitterness out of his soul as he stroked his left cheek. It healed already...but the sting was there, burned deep into his heart. Even before this...before th years and centuries that hardened his heart...before all the pain that he endured...he still couldn't let her go...and he wasn't going to now. He was Kama...and he wasn't going to lose...not to his brother...not to his great-grandchild...not to death...not to anything...
"Kama...?" he heard a voice hesitantly ask behind him and he almost gave a grin.
"What?" he growled out. She walked over and stood below him, looking shyly down at the ground. That gave his ego a big boost...he still had it.
"Are...are you okay? I heard Akane hit you....she's always like that...violent and everything..." Ukyo said and Kama, with his years of experience, heard the subtle resentment in her tone.
"Yes, well that's what attracts us Saotome males," Kama snided. If he was going to hurt...someone else was going to hurt with him. Ukyo didn't fail to deliver. She flinched at his words and he could practically feel the pain coming from her. That gave him satisfaction.
She looked at him then, her innocent, large, champagne eyes watery as she whispered in a pain-filled voice, "Yes, well some of us normal girls that fall in love with those Saotome males are never noticed because of her." That gave Kama pause...and for one instant...he was back in time again...
...the innocent and naive child-girl that fell in lovw with him...the laughing woman that fell in love with him...the crying wife that begged him to stay...
...Sammy...
...and for a moment suspended in time, Kama felt his heart ache at the memory of Sammy...and how much she had loved him...how much she had loved him and he had hurt her...she had so much hope and love in her eyes...so much...and he had squashed it all...
########Flashback########
He sat at the table in the corner of the inn...his sword at his side after the latest heroic fight with the demon dragon...the crowd cheered him on and everyone thought he was a hero...but he waan't. Kama didn't care about these villagers...he just needed to find a way to die. That's when he took a swing at the drink in his hand...but of course he didn't die this time...no the dragon died instead...
...and the hero lived on...
...damn he hated this...
Suddenly, a little girl about 7 or 8 came up and sat across from him at the table. She put her small, pudgy, overly cute face in her hands as she put her elbows on the table. The little girl didn't say anything but just stared at him with large, champgane eyes that looked at him with awe and hope. What was her name again? Sunny...sahi...sammy! She was the inn owner's daughter.
Kama rolled his eyes and took another swing at his drink. He didn't have time to deal with little kid brats.
"What?" he growled out menacingly after awhile. The growl that scared millions didn't even faze the girl as her grin grew.
"You're very pretty," she said and he almsot groaned out loud. Not another kid with a case of hero-worship! But he looked into her eyes and practically was blinded by the stars she saw there.
"Listen, kid, I'm not pretty. Now why don't you go and play dolls or something," he said impatiently. He wasn't above hurting annoying little kids.
"Will you marry me?" she asked joyfully and Kama choked on his drink. He didn't have time for this! He was 2 centuries older then her and everyone in the room and this little kid was asking him to marry her. Somebody really hated him.
"No, kid, now go away," he said and the light in her eyes seemed to fade a little. Just a little.
"Do you like me?" she asked, her bottom lip out. Kama was one second from exploding in anger.
"No, kid, now go away!" he shouted. The little girl just had the nerve to grin and lean over to kiss him on the cheek.
"Don't worry, you will," she whispered before scrambling off. Kama gave a scowl and walked out of the inn...forgetting all about the little girl named Sammy w ith the champagne eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was back in the same village again. Another demon sighting and he was going to put his life on the line again...just at the hope that this time...this time he'll be able to end this life of his. He didn't remember when he was last in this village...time wasn't a major issue for the wandering immortal. Some kids ran past him, giggling and suddenly for the first time in many years he remembered the little girl at the inn. He gave a smile...she was probably married and had a houseful of kida already. Definitly over that bad case of hero-worship.
...then he frowned...
...or had he been to late and the little girl had already aged to an old woman and died?...
...that always happened...
...he would stay young and those around him would age and die...
His punishment for what he did to his brother.
His damn, eternal punishment.
Then, suddenly he heard a magical laugh...not one of those coy, annoying giggles that women always gave..but a true laugh that came from the heart...
...he turned around and smiled, ready to see what kind of woman would have enough happiness to give that kind of laugh...
...and there she stood...she wasn't beautiful...not even striking...but there was something about her that gave Kama a slight pause...
...and then he realized what gave him pause and it shocked him to the bone...
...the little girl Sammy had grown up...
#######End of Flashback########
...he hadn't loved Sammy...not the way he loved Akane...but she had loved him... had continued loving him even after all the horrible things he did to her...had continued loving him even when he married her just to get an heir and told her as much...had continued loving him even after he continually reminded her he loved another...had continued loving him even after she got pregnant and he walked out never to return...
...had even continued loving him when she aged and died...
...alone...
Kama didn't have regrets...his heart was too cold for that...but he regretted ever hurting Sammy...
...nobody had loved him as much as she had...
...even Akane didn't love him like Sammy had...
...Sammy would look at him with love shining in her eyes and he would hate her because she wasn't Akane...because he had seen Akane have that love-filled look in her eyes...and she had directed it at his brother...
Ukyo...Sammy...sammy...ukyo...
Suddenly, he couldn't tell the difference anymore...and that confused him...
So with a low growl, he jumped off the fence and was thought...his only companions being his thoughts and regrets...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What does it mean?"
"I don't know."
And both Akane and Ranma looked down at the sheet that fell out of t he Greenwitch bottle again...
{...but there was a way to undo the curse. It wasn't irrevocable...all curses...just like all locks have a way to fix and a way to solve...but the people that are involved in the Saotome curses have to figure it out for themselves. Poison for poison/and life for life/death for death/and strife for strife.../ the Saotomes could never learn the answer to the curse because all Saotomes are born with natural selfishness and natural arrogance...all Saotomes would rather die then fail... so they shall never ever figure out the answer...and when they do find the answer to the curse...they will not have the strength to do it...that's why the curse was made in the first place ...because love made the Saotomes weak...}
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Author's Notes: Eh!! Get outta here!
Chapter 5, All Things Must Run It's Course
Author's Notes: Here it is...after must deliberation. Nothing...to...say...so...just...enjoy...:)...
Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kama arrived at the opened doorway of the Tendo Home to see Akane crying in the arms of Ranma. She seemed to have sensed him for in the next second, her whole body tensed and she looked up at him with such hatred in her eyes, he felt cold all over. Akane's mouth became a thing line and her beautiful eyes hardened as as she stoof up and stomped over to Kama.
"Akane, no," Nodoka and Genma said as they stood up. She paid no heed to their words.
In a flash, she was in front of Kama and he only had a second to see her raised arm. The resounding 'crack' as her hand came in contact with his ace could be heard throughout the whole room along with the gasps of Genma, Nodoka and Soun. Kama didn't bother to turn his head back around, his left cheek throbbing with heat and he tasted the metallic flavor of blood on his lips.
Ranma ran over and pulled at Akane's arms before she could strike another blow but that didn't stop the girl from sobbing and crying out anger.
"You jerk! How could you?! My sister...my poor, innocent, selfless sister that loved everyone and wouldn't have hurt a fly is at this exact moment in the emergency room! Do you know that? Why?! Why Kasumi? She never hurt anybody...but now..now she's attached to a machine because she can't breathe for herself. I know it wasn't an accident for a wire on the telephone ole to suddenly snap and swing at her like that. Even if she'll live, she's gonna have a scar on her right cheek for the rest of her life!" Akane shouted at him and Ranma was the only one that noticed Kama flinch at her words.
"Akane!" Nodoka exclaimed.
"No!" Akane shouted as she struggled in Ranma's arms, "I'm sick and tired of sitting around waiting for something to happen. First, I want you to tell me that nothing's wrong with Kasumi, that she's going to get out of this coma she's in and be alive. Then...then I want you to go back to wherever you came from and leave me ALONE!" With that, Akane gave a jerk out of Ranma's arms and with one last contempt-filled look in Kama's direction, she ran out of the house.
By the time Ukyo arrived at the house, all she saw was an empty house...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Kasumi...it'll be alright...I promise...I'll make it alright..." Akane whispered as she held on tightly to her sister's hand. The young, once radiant girl laid on the hospital bed, her skin frail and transparent as a large bandage covered 75% of her face. Akane rubbed her sister's hand to her own cheek.
"Wake up, please, Kasumi...wake up...please..." the blue-haired girl pleaded. Seeing Kasumi laying there was like deja vu all over again. Suddenly, the 16-year-old was a 4-year old girl standing in the doorway as her mother laid frail and tragic in the hospital bed. Akane had always hated hospitals after that.
"You know you have nothing to worry about, right Kasumi? You know I wouldn't let a nyone pick on you about your scar...not that anyone would. You're too sweet, Kasu-chan," the girl cried using the nickname she used to use on her favorite sister.
"Hey...you okay?" Akane heard behind her and recognizing the voice she quickly wiped away her tears and dropped her sister's hand.
"Y-yeah," she stuttered as she sensed Ranma come up behind her to look at Kasumi. They just stayed that way in silence for awhile...just looking sadly at a girl whom they both considered more then a sister...a mother almost...
"You know...I used to watch her..." Akane spoke up and feeling Ranma look down at her intently, she gathered the courage to continue.
"W-When I was little...after my mother died...I used to watch Kasu-chan in the kitchen...it's her domain you know. I would just sit in the doorway and wtach her while she sort of glided around and hummed as she cooked up one thing after another. She almost seemed like an angel...and I would just think 'one day I'm going to be like Kasu-chan...one day I'm going to be perfect just like her'...Kasumi was everything I wanted to be...beautiful, angelic, feminine, kind, wonderful...perfect...but I never resented or hated her for it...I never could resent or feel anything but love and admiration for Kasumi. I grew my hair long...just like her...tried to cook...just like her...wore dresses...just like her...tried to be feminine...just like her..." Ranma remained silent throughout this whole confession and Akane was too afraid to turn around and look at him.
"...and I think in a way...I liked Dr. Tofu because she did...but then you came along Ranma...you came along and you rocked the whole foundation of my life...when you were around I couldn't act feminine or kind...or anything like that...I couldn't be who I thought I wanted to be...even my long hair was cut because of you...and I think it was that day...the day my hair was cut that I realized I didn't want to be a shadow of my sister anymore... that there was already a Kasumi Tendo and...and I wanted to be Akane Tendo for once. And you know what, Ranma?" she whispered this at the end.
"What?" she heard just as softly from above her.
Akane looked up into Ranma's soft blue eyes and sniffed as she gave tearful smile,
"I think I like being Akane Tendo."
Ranma bent down until his turbulent, blue-grey water eyes were staring straight into her dark brown ones.
"I think I like Akane Tendo too," he whispered to her.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He sat on the fence, staring off into the horizon. He didn't mean to hurt her or the sweet angel she called a sister. But would it have mattered if he had came back or not? The curse would still have gotten to Akane somehow...simply because Ranma Saotome existed.
Ranma.
Or more specific...Ranma Saotome...
...his brother in another life...
...his rival in this one...
But try as he might, he couldn't keep the anger and bitterness out of his soul as he stroked his left cheek. It healed already...but the sting was there, burned deep into his heart. Even before this...before th years and centuries that hardened his heart...before all the pain that he endured...he still couldn't let her go...and he wasn't going to now. He was Kama...and he wasn't going to lose...not to his brother...not to his great-grandchild...not to death...not to anything...
"Kama...?" he heard a voice hesitantly ask behind him and he almost gave a grin.
"What?" he growled out. She walked over and stood below him, looking shyly down at the ground. That gave his ego a big boost...he still had it.
"Are...are you okay? I heard Akane hit you....she's always like that...violent and everything..." Ukyo said and Kama, with his years of experience, heard the subtle resentment in her tone.
"Yes, well that's what attracts us Saotome males," Kama snided. If he was going to hurt...someone else was going to hurt with him. Ukyo didn't fail to deliver. She flinched at his words and he could practically feel the pain coming from her. That gave him satisfaction.
She looked at him then, her innocent, large, champagne eyes watery as she whispered in a pain-filled voice, "Yes, well some of us normal girls that fall in love with those Saotome males are never noticed because of her." That gave Kama pause...and for one instant...he was back in time again...
...the innocent and naive child-girl that fell in lovw with him...the laughing woman that fell in love with him...the crying wife that begged him to stay...
...Sammy...
...and for a moment suspended in time, Kama felt his heart ache at the memory of Sammy...and how much she had loved him...how much she had loved him and he had hurt her...she had so much hope and love in her eyes...so much...and he had squashed it all...
########Flashback########
He sat at the table in the corner of the inn...his sword at his side after the latest heroic fight with the demon dragon...the crowd cheered him on and everyone thought he was a hero...but he waan't. Kama didn't care about these villagers...he just needed to find a way to die. That's when he took a swing at the drink in his hand...but of course he didn't die this time...no the dragon died instead...
...and the hero lived on...
...damn he hated this...
Suddenly, a little girl about 7 or 8 came up and sat across from him at the table. She put her small, pudgy, overly cute face in her hands as she put her elbows on the table. The little girl didn't say anything but just stared at him with large, champgane eyes that looked at him with awe and hope. What was her name again? Sunny...sahi...sammy! She was the inn owner's daughter.
Kama rolled his eyes and took another swing at his drink. He didn't have time to deal with little kid brats.
"What?" he growled out menacingly after awhile. The growl that scared millions didn't even faze the girl as her grin grew.
"You're very pretty," she said and he almsot groaned out loud. Not another kid with a case of hero-worship! But he looked into her eyes and practically was blinded by the stars she saw there.
"Listen, kid, I'm not pretty. Now why don't you go and play dolls or something," he said impatiently. He wasn't above hurting annoying little kids.
"Will you marry me?" she asked joyfully and Kama choked on his drink. He didn't have time for this! He was 2 centuries older then her and everyone in the room and this little kid was asking him to marry her. Somebody really hated him.
"No, kid, now go away," he said and the light in her eyes seemed to fade a little. Just a little.
"Do you like me?" she asked, her bottom lip out. Kama was one second from exploding in anger.
"No, kid, now go away!" he shouted. The little girl just had the nerve to grin and lean over to kiss him on the cheek.
"Don't worry, you will," she whispered before scrambling off. Kama gave a scowl and walked out of the inn...forgetting all about the little girl named Sammy w ith the champagne eyes.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He was back in the same village again. Another demon sighting and he was going to put his life on the line again...just at the hope that this time...this time he'll be able to end this life of his. He didn't remember when he was last in this village...time wasn't a major issue for the wandering immortal. Some kids ran past him, giggling and suddenly for the first time in many years he remembered the little girl at the inn. He gave a smile...she was probably married and had a houseful of kida already. Definitly over that bad case of hero-worship.
...then he frowned...
...or had he been to late and the little girl had already aged to an old woman and died?...
...that always happened...
...he would stay young and those around him would age and die...
His punishment for what he did to his brother.
His damn, eternal punishment.
Then, suddenly he heard a magical laugh...not one of those coy, annoying giggles that women always gave..but a true laugh that came from the heart...
...he turned around and smiled, ready to see what kind of woman would have enough happiness to give that kind of laugh...
...and there she stood...she wasn't beautiful...not even striking...but there was something about her that gave Kama a slight pause...
...and then he realized what gave him pause and it shocked him to the bone...
...the little girl Sammy had grown up...
#######End of Flashback########
...he hadn't loved Sammy...not the way he loved Akane...but she had loved him... had continued loving him even after all the horrible things he did to her...had continued loving him even when he married her just to get an heir and told her as much...had continued loving him even after he continually reminded her he loved another...had continued loving him even after she got pregnant and he walked out never to return...
...had even continued loving him when she aged and died...
...alone...
Kama didn't have regrets...his heart was too cold for that...but he regretted ever hurting Sammy...
...nobody had loved him as much as she had...
...even Akane didn't love him like Sammy had...
...Sammy would look at him with love shining in her eyes and he would hate her because she wasn't Akane...because he had seen Akane have that love-filled look in her eyes...and she had directed it at his brother...
Ukyo...Sammy...sammy...ukyo...
Suddenly, he couldn't tell the difference anymore...and that confused him...
So with a low growl, he jumped off the fence and was thought...his only companions being his thoughts and regrets...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What does it mean?"
"I don't know."
And both Akane and Ranma looked down at the sheet that fell out of t he Greenwitch bottle again...
{...but there was a way to undo the curse. It wasn't irrevocable...all curses...just like all locks have a way to fix and a way to solve...but the people that are involved in the Saotome curses have to figure it out for themselves. Poison for poison/and life for life/death for death/and strife for strife.../ the Saotomes could never learn the answer to the curse because all Saotomes are born with natural selfishness and natural arrogance...all Saotomes would rather die then fail... so they shall never ever figure out the answer...and when they do find the answer to the curse...they will not have the strength to do it...that's why the curse was made in the first place ...because love made the Saotomes weak...}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes: Eh!! Get outta here!