Scarlet Phoenix, Blue Dragon
Chapter 8, Wings Clipped Off An Angel
Author's Notes: And the winner is...this story! According to my poll, ya want to hear about this story the most so here it is. Okay, I was evil in that last chapter so I'll give ya a break and not give a cliffhanger this time. What?! I am! Fine, don't believe me then *snickers* Snickers? I'm hungry. Get it? Get it?! No? Ah, forget you then. Okay, let's just ignore those last couple of sentences. I'm serious, this chapter may not seem as long, but stay with me here. I still have finals! At least we get to go home right after we finish the test. And what happened to my guestbook and messgaeboard/forum thingy? Nobody's getting into those! *taps fingers impatiently* Okay, I'm going to stop talking now so you can enjoy the story. What?! I can stop talking if I want to! I can! See, I can stop tal-*curtain closes*
WARNING! WARNING! *Red light flashes alarmingly* Hehe :), just some cuss words (including the F word) but if you can't handle that sort of thing then I suggest you not read this.
Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. The psychotic pink bunny belongs to me. *Just seeing if you guys really read this stuff*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Please, oh please don't let that be a crack I heard* Ukyo begged silently inside her head as she pushed the crowd away to kneel down beside her bleeding, unconscious friend. She stuck her hand behind Akane's neck and felt the sticky, still warm blood encase her hand in it's nauseating substance. But there was no crack. No broken bones. No broken neck.
A little bit relieved, Ukyo took out her retractable pocketknife from under one of her shoes and with a swipe she cut off Akane's hair to her shoulders. She pulled up the rest of the dark blue-black hair and tore a piece out of the bottom of her shirt to tie around the bleeding cut. She proceeded to work efficiently, not letting her fear for the only one she ever considered a sister control and overwhelm her.
Ukyo considered screaming at the crowd to call the ambulence...but she knew no one would...because with ambulences came police...and no one there would ever consider calling the poilce an option in any circumstance. Life-threatening or not.
With a grunt Ukyo, pulled Akane's legs together and winced when she heard a *crunch*. Tearing her face away from Akane, the dark-haired girl looked at two stricken guys standing still in the crowd.
"Ryoga! Ranma! Come help me pick Akane up!" she shouted and the bandanna- clad boy rushed over to help her but the other just stood there, appearing not to hear her. For a second Ukyo was frightened for Ranma.
Ranma stood in the middle of the crowd, his hair out of place, his beautiful dark blue eyes dazed and wild...crazy. His lips were pale as was his face...pale...no blood...dead... his eyes trained on the lying bloody body of the girl in Ukyo's arms. For a second Ukyo was afraid for Ranma. For a second Ukyo actually had the irrational thought that all Akane's pain has somehow been transferred to Ranma and the blood around her wasn't Akanes'...but Ranma's. But it was only a second.
With a snap of his head, Ranma ran over and took Akane out of Ukyo and Ryoga's arms, cradling her against him before jumping on a nearby building and heading for the hospital, everyone watching as he disappeared out of sight.
Ryoga turned towards the pale girl in front of him and tried to give a weak smile, "For a situation like this, you acted great."
"Ryoga," Ukyo said, her voice shaking as she turned her magnifcent dark brown, almost black eyes to his.
"Yeah?" he asked her.
"Catch me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She was fine. She was fine. She was fine. She was going to be fine.
He repeated this to himself in the long hallway outside of the hospital room they put his Akane in. His Akane. Yes, his Akane. His Akane. His Akane was inside that hospital room dying.
No! No, he wasn't going to think like that. Akane wasn't going to die. She was strong. She was a fighter. Like him. He told himself this.
But all he could see was the awful bright color of her blood oozing steadily out of her body...out of her head...and the way she had looked against Ukyo's arms...lifeless... helpless...
His Akane.
His Akane with the twinkling, warm eyes and fiery hot temper. His Akane with the dark blue-black hair and stubborn frown. Now lying attached to machines inside the hospital room.
The hospital hallway was white...everything was white...the walls...the doctor's coats...the patients...all a dull, dreary, depressing white...a white that made the flashing color of red more apparent. They say black is the color of death. It's not. White is. Not the bright light kind of white...but the hopeless, pointless, dreadful white that make you think of dust and paneling.
Kasumi and Tofu along with their kids sat on the long row of orange chairs lining the hallway. Who knew where Ryoga and Ukyo was. The only person left in the hallways was a little boy sitting cross-legged on the floor down the hall with nothing to play with.
Ranma growled. He needed something to do. Someone to lash out on. Someone that isn't this unknown assailant that caused Akane to lie in that hospital bed.
His cell phone gave a shrill ring and Ranma opened it as he growled out menacingly, "Your fired."
"Um...b-b-boss...w-we...I m-mean...d-da...b-" a terrified voice said on the other end.
"What is it?!"
"We have ransacked one of the Scarlet Phoenix's biggest warehouses and got most of her followers, including one of her highest positioned person."
Ranma turned to look down the hallway. The kid had found something to play with.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tenchi groaned as he felt the cold, ice water splash onto his body and awoke him from his unconscious state. His arms and hands were tied to the back of the chair, tight with thick rope that burned his skin. His feet were bound to the chair also and he knew without knowing that every and all weapons were tooken off of his body, leaving only his most vital clothing on. Tenchi strained his eyes to try and see inside the dark room but couldn't see anything. Yet, the prickling at the back of his neck told him that there were others inside the room. Standing. Waiting. And he guessed that they didn't want to ask him directions to Denver.
One thing that the Scarlet Phoenix taught the boy was that under any stress you do not consent to the enemy. Silence is far better a weapon then any words can ever be. So Tenchi waited.
And after awhile, a voice impatiently rang out, "So, what do you have to say?"
"As the Americans put it, Fuck you," Tenchi spat out at the enemy. Because he knew that was what the squeaky high voice man was. An enemy.
"Why you!" a thin, stocky man ran out grabbing Tenchi's collar and shaking his fist in front of his face. Tenchi knew what kind of person this guy was. He was the kind of guy that stepped on all the people below him and sucked up to all those above him. The kind that nobody liked.
"Now, now, Yuri, don't harass the boy. Let him speak," a deep voice said from the shadows patiently and Tenchi shivered. *This must be the Blue Dragon...* thought the boy who never saw the Blue Dragon in his entire life.
The man named Yuri let him go and Tenchi watched as from the shadows walked out a tall, imposing dark young man with dark black eyes and long dark black hair. The man wore a long white robe with strange designs on the sides and sleeves. *This is the Blue Dragon?* Tenchi thought rather stupidly. True, the man whose face was still hidden behind the shadows was scary but he wasn't the one that all children of the streets say struck fear in everyone's hearts.
Tenchi had grown up on the streets, a scruffy kid with a chip on his shoulder and a mean streak in him. When he was 14 he heard of the Blue Dragon, the man who built himself out of nothing from nothing. The man or beast or kami or whatever they called him was a mystery, the boogie man of the streets so to speak. When he turned 16, through the connection of a deep trusted friend, Tenchi joined the Scarlet Phoenix's team. Now, the Scarlet Phoenix was just as mysterious as the Blue Dragon but deep inside every street boy's heart isn't a dream to be a 20-something *female* Boss. Jean Grey from the X-Men was all and good but the boys wanted to be Cyclops.
Now, now after so long he finally meets the Blue Dragon...a man that doesn't even fit his terror and reputation. True he was scary...but anyone could be scary...no one could be the Blue Dragon though.
The boy sighed in disappointment, even in this time of extreme danger. *I guess nobody could fit the description they had of the Blue Dragon...* he thought with regret. Sort of like one's childhood hero banished in the light of reality and adulthood. Comic book heroes belonged in comic books.
"Now, let's make this more clear, shall we? What do you know of the Scarlet Phoenix?" the man in the shadows said in a clam, clear voice.
"Why should I tell you?!" the kid spat out.
"Believe me, I do not wish to harm her. In fact, I wish to side with her on certain issues-" the voice continued but Tenchi cut him in, "Yeah, and pigs fly. I'm young, you idiot, not stupid."
The chain whipped out so fast that all Tenchi saw was a flash of metal before the so said metal wrapped itself tightly around his throat, dislodging him from the chair in which he was bound. You know how in movies you see a guy or girl getting choked and you get irritated at them because they don't scream? Yeah, well, Tenchi found out the hard way that they couldn't. His tongue lashed around wildly as he jumped up and down...but breath didn't come from out his throat...and no sound came out. *Okay, so this is what Spider-man felt like when Dr. Octupus strangled him...*
"Now, you will tell me what you know about the Scarlet Phoenix," the guy in the shadows commanded evenly, coldly...insanely.
Before Tenchi could get a word in edgewise he heard someone say from not to far away...a wall away, "C'mon, I saw the idiot Yuri and some guy drag one of our captives away. They're probably in the storage room."
What happened happened in a flash. The metal chain retracted from around Tenchi's neck and he fell to the floor with a 'thump' just as a door burst open somewhere and 3 guys entered the room. The man of the shadows slipped back into the shadows and somehow disappeared as Yuri tried to explain to the guys that just entered on how he 'was just helping the captive along'. Silently, calling up all the skills that the Scarlet Phoenix had taught him, Tenchi wrapped his legs around Yuri's neck and banging his head hard on one of the three guy's head. The guy fell backwards onto the floor as the other two came towards him. With a grunt, he turned Yuri around sharply with his legs and bumped the older man into the wall, making him fall back unconscious. Turning around he stared at the two guys, his body poised for fight.
But they didn't fight him. They just stood there, their arms folded across their chests as they smirked.
"God ahead kid," one said as he angled his head, "The door's that way."
Narrowing his eyes in mistrust, but not stupid enough to refuse the offer, Tenchi made a dash out of the room.
"Think the Blue Dragon will be the one to find him or one of the guards?" Tony asked his buddy, but the other guy just smirked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tenchi ran, just ran out of the building without a backward glance, as though death itself was on his tail...and in a way it was. Death was always on your tail when you worked for the Scarlet Phoenix.
Once he neared the gates, the boy actually gave a smile...but the night was still young.
Out from nowhere jumped a man that stopped right in front of Tenchi. Now, since this is a night for examples, you know how you don't even look at someone and yet their prescence is so strong...so powerful...that it makes you want to pee in your pants just by being near it? Of course not. You aren't Tenchi.
The man in front of Tenchi was just about as tall as the man of the shadows inside the building before...only there was something different...a very great contrast between them... like a contrast between a leader and a follower. The man in front of Tenchi was all power, all strength, all ruthlessness and harshness. The kind of guy that can pick up a flower in a field of bunnies and rainbows...and yet still make your insides quiver with fright. He looks like the kind of guy that can look you in the face one second and break your neck the next without giving it a second thought. Yeah, he was one of a kind.
Tenchi didn't have to look at his suit to know he had just come face-to-face with the Blue Dragon. Large, crystal clear blue eye contacts stared amusedly at him while dark long blue hair tied with a ribbon flew slightly with the breeze. He wore a dark black, blue suit that can easily be maneauvered in and a distinguishing dark blue dragon mask covered half of his face.
*Now, all he needs is flying cape and a his own name-brand car* was Tenchi's only sane thought. The rest of his brain was screaming like a little 4 year-old girl on a rollercoaster. Well, the part that wasn't numb from shock and awe.
Finally, the Prince of the Night (only one of his many names) asked in wry, deep confidant voice that could make Wolverine himself shudder, "Are you going to walk in yourself or will I have to use force?"
"I have a gun," Tenchi bluffed.
The Blue Dragon's eyes shone with a spark of strange humor and mild respect for the boy as he said, "And I have a kid standing in front of me who's bluffing. Now, the question is... do you feel lucky?"
Tenchi's mouth dropped open. The Blue Dragon had actually used a movie example...and just like when Lois Lane first looked at Superman...the Blue Dragon had won Tenchi's eternal worship...
"C'mon, kid, let's go back in," the Blue Dragon said and Tenchi nodded eagerly as he left.
"Look's like we got ourself a new member, boys," Ranma said into his microphone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She wasn't going to make it.
That was all he could think about as he raced through the busy city. He had been busy drilling into that kid Tenchi with questions about the Scarlet Phoenix when he received the phone call on his cell phone from Ryoga after who knew how long. Ryoga only got 6 words in before Ranma dropped the phone and rushed out of the building, *Akane's not going to make it."
That was his one thought as he raced ontop of the high city buildings, to those that saw him he was nothing but a fleeting wind.
She wasn't going to make it.
He could still see her smile at him...an innocent 16-year-old girl with flowing blue hair...an indignant Martial Artist after being saved yet again by her arrogant fiancee...a jealous fiancee pounding at him for letting Shampoo glomp him...a crying girl begging her boy to stay with her...
...an unconscious woman who got too involved in her selfish ex-fiancee's life...
She wasn't going to make it.
He wanted to cry...he wanted to scream...he wanted to weep...but he wouldn't...
Because as long as there was a 'she wasn't going to make it' she was still alive.
And that was what kept him going on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He landed softly through her window as he watched her pale form lay on the hospital bed, the wires and machines attched to her. His heart broke at seeing her cut, disorderly, sticky blue-black and slightly clumpy red hair on the bed. With a sigh, or what can be heard as a suffoctaed sob, Ranma slowly laid himself onto the large hospital bed next to her and wrapped himself in her warmth. He could have just imagined it, but he could have sworn he heard Akane give a sigh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The numbness was easy to deal it, all darkness, no pain. In the darkness there was no Akane Vardishi, no Scarlet Phoenix, just Akane Tendo...and for once in her lifetime, Akane wanted to just stay in the dark and numbness. Yes, this time she'll just stay in the numbness. There was no reason to go back now...just pain...
...ukyo?...who's ukyo...her mind had this name and it whispered around her... somehow she thought she should know...and maybe if she concentrated she could remember...but now's not the time for concentration...so the name ukyo was diminshed from her mind...
...kasumi?...tofu?...family?...no...no...she didn't have family...what was family?... she was a wandering spirit...spirits don't have family...
But after awhile the warmth was there and one name shot through her oblivious peace.
Ranma.
Ranma Saotome.
And suddenly she wanted to wake up.
Because Ranma was there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Akane groaned as she struggled to open her eyes...the hospital room was dark...and she knew what had happened. The motorcycle...the accident...Ranma...
How was Ranma?
Please don't let something happened to Ranma!
She tried to sit up, but the pillow brought her down with a snap...more specifically...a hand closed around her mouth and yanked her back down onto the bed. Someone was in the bed with her. The person leaned over her with menacing eyes and Akane stared into her worse nightmare.
The Blue Dragon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes: See, no cliffhanger. Now, who was observant to notice that guy with the chains? Huh? Huh? *nudge, nudge* :)
Chapter 8, Wings Clipped Off An Angel
Author's Notes: And the winner is...this story! According to my poll, ya want to hear about this story the most so here it is. Okay, I was evil in that last chapter so I'll give ya a break and not give a cliffhanger this time. What?! I am! Fine, don't believe me then *snickers* Snickers? I'm hungry. Get it? Get it?! No? Ah, forget you then. Okay, let's just ignore those last couple of sentences. I'm serious, this chapter may not seem as long, but stay with me here. I still have finals! At least we get to go home right after we finish the test. And what happened to my guestbook and messgaeboard/forum thingy? Nobody's getting into those! *taps fingers impatiently* Okay, I'm going to stop talking now so you can enjoy the story. What?! I can stop talking if I want to! I can! See, I can stop tal-*curtain closes*
WARNING! WARNING! *Red light flashes alarmingly* Hehe :), just some cuss words (including the F word) but if you can't handle that sort of thing then I suggest you not read this.
Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. The psychotic pink bunny belongs to me. *Just seeing if you guys really read this stuff*
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*Please, oh please don't let that be a crack I heard* Ukyo begged silently inside her head as she pushed the crowd away to kneel down beside her bleeding, unconscious friend. She stuck her hand behind Akane's neck and felt the sticky, still warm blood encase her hand in it's nauseating substance. But there was no crack. No broken bones. No broken neck.
A little bit relieved, Ukyo took out her retractable pocketknife from under one of her shoes and with a swipe she cut off Akane's hair to her shoulders. She pulled up the rest of the dark blue-black hair and tore a piece out of the bottom of her shirt to tie around the bleeding cut. She proceeded to work efficiently, not letting her fear for the only one she ever considered a sister control and overwhelm her.
Ukyo considered screaming at the crowd to call the ambulence...but she knew no one would...because with ambulences came police...and no one there would ever consider calling the poilce an option in any circumstance. Life-threatening or not.
With a grunt Ukyo, pulled Akane's legs together and winced when she heard a *crunch*. Tearing her face away from Akane, the dark-haired girl looked at two stricken guys standing still in the crowd.
"Ryoga! Ranma! Come help me pick Akane up!" she shouted and the bandanna- clad boy rushed over to help her but the other just stood there, appearing not to hear her. For a second Ukyo was frightened for Ranma.
Ranma stood in the middle of the crowd, his hair out of place, his beautiful dark blue eyes dazed and wild...crazy. His lips were pale as was his face...pale...no blood...dead... his eyes trained on the lying bloody body of the girl in Ukyo's arms. For a second Ukyo was afraid for Ranma. For a second Ukyo actually had the irrational thought that all Akane's pain has somehow been transferred to Ranma and the blood around her wasn't Akanes'...but Ranma's. But it was only a second.
With a snap of his head, Ranma ran over and took Akane out of Ukyo and Ryoga's arms, cradling her against him before jumping on a nearby building and heading for the hospital, everyone watching as he disappeared out of sight.
Ryoga turned towards the pale girl in front of him and tried to give a weak smile, "For a situation like this, you acted great."
"Ryoga," Ukyo said, her voice shaking as she turned her magnifcent dark brown, almost black eyes to his.
"Yeah?" he asked her.
"Catch me."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She was fine. She was fine. She was fine. She was going to be fine.
He repeated this to himself in the long hallway outside of the hospital room they put his Akane in. His Akane. Yes, his Akane. His Akane. His Akane was inside that hospital room dying.
No! No, he wasn't going to think like that. Akane wasn't going to die. She was strong. She was a fighter. Like him. He told himself this.
But all he could see was the awful bright color of her blood oozing steadily out of her body...out of her head...and the way she had looked against Ukyo's arms...lifeless... helpless...
His Akane.
His Akane with the twinkling, warm eyes and fiery hot temper. His Akane with the dark blue-black hair and stubborn frown. Now lying attached to machines inside the hospital room.
The hospital hallway was white...everything was white...the walls...the doctor's coats...the patients...all a dull, dreary, depressing white...a white that made the flashing color of red more apparent. They say black is the color of death. It's not. White is. Not the bright light kind of white...but the hopeless, pointless, dreadful white that make you think of dust and paneling.
Kasumi and Tofu along with their kids sat on the long row of orange chairs lining the hallway. Who knew where Ryoga and Ukyo was. The only person left in the hallways was a little boy sitting cross-legged on the floor down the hall with nothing to play with.
Ranma growled. He needed something to do. Someone to lash out on. Someone that isn't this unknown assailant that caused Akane to lie in that hospital bed.
His cell phone gave a shrill ring and Ranma opened it as he growled out menacingly, "Your fired."
"Um...b-b-boss...w-we...I m-mean...d-da...b-" a terrified voice said on the other end.
"What is it?!"
"We have ransacked one of the Scarlet Phoenix's biggest warehouses and got most of her followers, including one of her highest positioned person."
Ranma turned to look down the hallway. The kid had found something to play with.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tenchi groaned as he felt the cold, ice water splash onto his body and awoke him from his unconscious state. His arms and hands were tied to the back of the chair, tight with thick rope that burned his skin. His feet were bound to the chair also and he knew without knowing that every and all weapons were tooken off of his body, leaving only his most vital clothing on. Tenchi strained his eyes to try and see inside the dark room but couldn't see anything. Yet, the prickling at the back of his neck told him that there were others inside the room. Standing. Waiting. And he guessed that they didn't want to ask him directions to Denver.
One thing that the Scarlet Phoenix taught the boy was that under any stress you do not consent to the enemy. Silence is far better a weapon then any words can ever be. So Tenchi waited.
And after awhile, a voice impatiently rang out, "So, what do you have to say?"
"As the Americans put it, Fuck you," Tenchi spat out at the enemy. Because he knew that was what the squeaky high voice man was. An enemy.
"Why you!" a thin, stocky man ran out grabbing Tenchi's collar and shaking his fist in front of his face. Tenchi knew what kind of person this guy was. He was the kind of guy that stepped on all the people below him and sucked up to all those above him. The kind that nobody liked.
"Now, now, Yuri, don't harass the boy. Let him speak," a deep voice said from the shadows patiently and Tenchi shivered. *This must be the Blue Dragon...* thought the boy who never saw the Blue Dragon in his entire life.
The man named Yuri let him go and Tenchi watched as from the shadows walked out a tall, imposing dark young man with dark black eyes and long dark black hair. The man wore a long white robe with strange designs on the sides and sleeves. *This is the Blue Dragon?* Tenchi thought rather stupidly. True, the man whose face was still hidden behind the shadows was scary but he wasn't the one that all children of the streets say struck fear in everyone's hearts.
Tenchi had grown up on the streets, a scruffy kid with a chip on his shoulder and a mean streak in him. When he was 14 he heard of the Blue Dragon, the man who built himself out of nothing from nothing. The man or beast or kami or whatever they called him was a mystery, the boogie man of the streets so to speak. When he turned 16, through the connection of a deep trusted friend, Tenchi joined the Scarlet Phoenix's team. Now, the Scarlet Phoenix was just as mysterious as the Blue Dragon but deep inside every street boy's heart isn't a dream to be a 20-something *female* Boss. Jean Grey from the X-Men was all and good but the boys wanted to be Cyclops.
Now, now after so long he finally meets the Blue Dragon...a man that doesn't even fit his terror and reputation. True he was scary...but anyone could be scary...no one could be the Blue Dragon though.
The boy sighed in disappointment, even in this time of extreme danger. *I guess nobody could fit the description they had of the Blue Dragon...* he thought with regret. Sort of like one's childhood hero banished in the light of reality and adulthood. Comic book heroes belonged in comic books.
"Now, let's make this more clear, shall we? What do you know of the Scarlet Phoenix?" the man in the shadows said in a clam, clear voice.
"Why should I tell you?!" the kid spat out.
"Believe me, I do not wish to harm her. In fact, I wish to side with her on certain issues-" the voice continued but Tenchi cut him in, "Yeah, and pigs fly. I'm young, you idiot, not stupid."
The chain whipped out so fast that all Tenchi saw was a flash of metal before the so said metal wrapped itself tightly around his throat, dislodging him from the chair in which he was bound. You know how in movies you see a guy or girl getting choked and you get irritated at them because they don't scream? Yeah, well, Tenchi found out the hard way that they couldn't. His tongue lashed around wildly as he jumped up and down...but breath didn't come from out his throat...and no sound came out. *Okay, so this is what Spider-man felt like when Dr. Octupus strangled him...*
"Now, you will tell me what you know about the Scarlet Phoenix," the guy in the shadows commanded evenly, coldly...insanely.
Before Tenchi could get a word in edgewise he heard someone say from not to far away...a wall away, "C'mon, I saw the idiot Yuri and some guy drag one of our captives away. They're probably in the storage room."
What happened happened in a flash. The metal chain retracted from around Tenchi's neck and he fell to the floor with a 'thump' just as a door burst open somewhere and 3 guys entered the room. The man of the shadows slipped back into the shadows and somehow disappeared as Yuri tried to explain to the guys that just entered on how he 'was just helping the captive along'. Silently, calling up all the skills that the Scarlet Phoenix had taught him, Tenchi wrapped his legs around Yuri's neck and banging his head hard on one of the three guy's head. The guy fell backwards onto the floor as the other two came towards him. With a grunt, he turned Yuri around sharply with his legs and bumped the older man into the wall, making him fall back unconscious. Turning around he stared at the two guys, his body poised for fight.
But they didn't fight him. They just stood there, their arms folded across their chests as they smirked.
"God ahead kid," one said as he angled his head, "The door's that way."
Narrowing his eyes in mistrust, but not stupid enough to refuse the offer, Tenchi made a dash out of the room.
"Think the Blue Dragon will be the one to find him or one of the guards?" Tony asked his buddy, but the other guy just smirked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tenchi ran, just ran out of the building without a backward glance, as though death itself was on his tail...and in a way it was. Death was always on your tail when you worked for the Scarlet Phoenix.
Once he neared the gates, the boy actually gave a smile...but the night was still young.
Out from nowhere jumped a man that stopped right in front of Tenchi. Now, since this is a night for examples, you know how you don't even look at someone and yet their prescence is so strong...so powerful...that it makes you want to pee in your pants just by being near it? Of course not. You aren't Tenchi.
The man in front of Tenchi was just about as tall as the man of the shadows inside the building before...only there was something different...a very great contrast between them... like a contrast between a leader and a follower. The man in front of Tenchi was all power, all strength, all ruthlessness and harshness. The kind of guy that can pick up a flower in a field of bunnies and rainbows...and yet still make your insides quiver with fright. He looks like the kind of guy that can look you in the face one second and break your neck the next without giving it a second thought. Yeah, he was one of a kind.
Tenchi didn't have to look at his suit to know he had just come face-to-face with the Blue Dragon. Large, crystal clear blue eye contacts stared amusedly at him while dark long blue hair tied with a ribbon flew slightly with the breeze. He wore a dark black, blue suit that can easily be maneauvered in and a distinguishing dark blue dragon mask covered half of his face.
*Now, all he needs is flying cape and a his own name-brand car* was Tenchi's only sane thought. The rest of his brain was screaming like a little 4 year-old girl on a rollercoaster. Well, the part that wasn't numb from shock and awe.
Finally, the Prince of the Night (only one of his many names) asked in wry, deep confidant voice that could make Wolverine himself shudder, "Are you going to walk in yourself or will I have to use force?"
"I have a gun," Tenchi bluffed.
The Blue Dragon's eyes shone with a spark of strange humor and mild respect for the boy as he said, "And I have a kid standing in front of me who's bluffing. Now, the question is... do you feel lucky?"
Tenchi's mouth dropped open. The Blue Dragon had actually used a movie example...and just like when Lois Lane first looked at Superman...the Blue Dragon had won Tenchi's eternal worship...
"C'mon, kid, let's go back in," the Blue Dragon said and Tenchi nodded eagerly as he left.
"Look's like we got ourself a new member, boys," Ranma said into his microphone.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
She wasn't going to make it.
That was all he could think about as he raced through the busy city. He had been busy drilling into that kid Tenchi with questions about the Scarlet Phoenix when he received the phone call on his cell phone from Ryoga after who knew how long. Ryoga only got 6 words in before Ranma dropped the phone and rushed out of the building, *Akane's not going to make it."
That was his one thought as he raced ontop of the high city buildings, to those that saw him he was nothing but a fleeting wind.
She wasn't going to make it.
He could still see her smile at him...an innocent 16-year-old girl with flowing blue hair...an indignant Martial Artist after being saved yet again by her arrogant fiancee...a jealous fiancee pounding at him for letting Shampoo glomp him...a crying girl begging her boy to stay with her...
...an unconscious woman who got too involved in her selfish ex-fiancee's life...
She wasn't going to make it.
He wanted to cry...he wanted to scream...he wanted to weep...but he wouldn't...
Because as long as there was a 'she wasn't going to make it' she was still alive.
And that was what kept him going on.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He landed softly through her window as he watched her pale form lay on the hospital bed, the wires and machines attched to her. His heart broke at seeing her cut, disorderly, sticky blue-black and slightly clumpy red hair on the bed. With a sigh, or what can be heard as a suffoctaed sob, Ranma slowly laid himself onto the large hospital bed next to her and wrapped himself in her warmth. He could have just imagined it, but he could have sworn he heard Akane give a sigh.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The numbness was easy to deal it, all darkness, no pain. In the darkness there was no Akane Vardishi, no Scarlet Phoenix, just Akane Tendo...and for once in her lifetime, Akane wanted to just stay in the dark and numbness. Yes, this time she'll just stay in the numbness. There was no reason to go back now...just pain...
...ukyo?...who's ukyo...her mind had this name and it whispered around her... somehow she thought she should know...and maybe if she concentrated she could remember...but now's not the time for concentration...so the name ukyo was diminshed from her mind...
...kasumi?...tofu?...family?...no...no...she didn't have family...what was family?... she was a wandering spirit...spirits don't have family...
But after awhile the warmth was there and one name shot through her oblivious peace.
Ranma.
Ranma Saotome.
And suddenly she wanted to wake up.
Because Ranma was there.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Akane groaned as she struggled to open her eyes...the hospital room was dark...and she knew what had happened. The motorcycle...the accident...Ranma...
How was Ranma?
Please don't let something happened to Ranma!
She tried to sit up, but the pillow brought her down with a snap...more specifically...a hand closed around her mouth and yanked her back down onto the bed. Someone was in the bed with her. The person leaned over her with menacing eyes and Akane stared into her worse nightmare.
The Blue Dragon.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Author's Notes: See, no cliffhanger. Now, who was observant to notice that guy with the chains? Huh? Huh? *nudge, nudge* :)