They say that when a person dies, a crow carries their soul to the afterlife.
But if that soul carried so much sadness and regret, so much devotion,
he would return on the wings of death's messenger, to set the wrong things right..
Ranma ½: Vengeance
Chapter II: The Awakening
Nerima District. The graveyard.
Ukyou Kuonji forced herself not to cry as she sat beside the only person she'd ever really loved. Her back against the cooling granite, she slowly spoke - not to herself, but to him; she never found such things crazy. Maybe a bit demented, but nothing more than that.
"Ucchan's is doing well, like always.. Ryouga got lost again. He's been gone for two weeks now.. probably somewhere in Germany, from all we know. He's been getting lost a whole lot more lately; I guess what happened really made him think. I guess he didn't realize what a friend you were until.. well, until you were gone. The Tendous are doing good, I think. I haven't talked to Kasumi for a few weeks, either." She stopped for a moment, considering, "Soun is still brooding. Genma finally moved out, that lazy good-for-nothing. He explained your curses to your mother; she didn't make him commit seppuku. I would've, that jerk. Nabiki.. seems to be taking it in stride. I just don't know about her; she keeps to herself most of the time. Shampoo and Mousse are still around, damnit, and the old ghoul, too. I don't know why, though; with you gone, they can leave anytime, 'cause that stupid marriage law was brok-"
The relative silence of the graveyard, sans her talking, was cut off abruptly by a hard knocking. The sound of wood being struck by flesh. She stood, drawing her gigantic battle-spatula in a practiced motion. "Who's there?!" She called to the sound, gazing about, with his grave behind her. The graveyard went silent again. She felt a tingling, the hairs on the back of her neck prickling. Her honed mental senses snapped her neck around to stare at the grave before her, just as it exploded with a burst of chi energy. She flew back, screaming, flailing to catch herself on a tree branch. Unused tendrils of yellow chi drifted upwards as she saw a sickeningly pale black battle aura slowly raise from the ground, pulling itself into the light that it had not felt in a long, long time.
--------------------The sun felt good against his skin.
He lie there for a good long while, clad in his best Chinese silk shirt; the one he'd always loved, with the silver dragon embroidery. He laughed, an open laugh full of love and life, and settled gently into unconciousness.
Ukyou dropped from the tree, staring at the young man. He'd pulled himself from Ranma's grave, using Ranma's attack.. but it couldn't be Ranma. She cautiously approached the teen with a cat's grace and curiousity, holding her battle-spatula at the ready. She stood there with her eyes wide open, watching the rise and fall of his chest, the smooth curve of his cheeks, the pigtail lying in the grass.. his smile as he slept. She blinked, tears naturally pulling themselves free of her eyes and rolling down her cheeks as she whispered, "Ranchan?"
--------------------"No! Not her, please, not Akane! Don't hurt her!"
Ranma-chan screamed, pain lancing up her body as another chi blast slammed into her. Saffron held the dehydrated Akane in his fist, her eyes already almost closed. Ranma slowly stood, screaming at Akane. "Akane! I'll save you, just hold on..!" She took off at a dead run at Saffron, drawing on all of her self-confidence to create a chi ball between her fists. Saffron laughed. "Didn't I say that if you moved.."
Ranma's eyes went wide. ".. I would kill her?" His fist tightened. Ranma heard a sickening crack as Akane's body shattered, her eyes closing.. never to be opened again.
"AKANE!"
Ranma screamed, reaching out to her as he awoke, his blue eyes adjusting to the dim light. He sat there panting, naked, under the blankets of Ukyou's bed. He held his face in his hands and wept. He wept for Akane, wept for Ryouga, wept for Mousse, wept for Shampoo.. wept for himself. He heard a tapping, gentle, like a fingernail against glass. He looked up, and there, perched on the sill of Ukyou's bedroom window, was a crow.
So, how was it? Chapter II wasn't as good as Chapter I, in my opinion.. probably since it's not really as long. They'll get longer though. How'd y'all like the flashback? The story'll come together, I promise. Later.
- Transgendered Nympho