Scarlet Phoenix, Blue Dragon
Chapter 9, A Liar's Revenge
Author's Notes: Okay, so I've been gone forever and people have probably moved on with their lives to new writers but what can I say? Okay, so maybe that last chapter had a teensy weensy, baby of a cliffhanger. Short and sweet. Now, for those of you who figured out who the guy with the chain is, let's see if you can guess the reason why he's even in this story. Is he on the Scarlet Phoenix's side or the Blue Dragon's side? Only time will tell. Now, currently, I'm working on a one-shot called 'The Last Conquest' (maybe I'll change the name) and the next chapter to 'A Drop Of Blood' but the idea to the next chapter to this series just popped up so I had to write it. Now, I'm serious this time, I can't deal with a cliffhanger so there won't be (crowd glares distrustfully) there won't be! I'm just too tired to think of a nice cliffhanger. That makes up for the whopper in the last chapter, huh? Enjoy now. :)
Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi (the genius creator of two of my other manga obsessions).
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One thing Akane learned to do for years was how to think fast through tough situations. She learned how to accept a problem, dissect it, process it, then receive a solution. This was one of those many moments when this skill came in handy. The Blue Dragon. What was the Blue Dragon doing here? And where was here exactly? The motorcycle accident...she must be in the hospital but why would the Blue Dragon be in her hospital bed? The answer to that avoided her but she remembered something that Mel had taught her long ago. Never give anything away. She still had to keep the hope that the Blue Dragon didn't know her other identity.
His hand was clamped over her mouth and Akane laid still as she tried to think of what to do. It was too dark to see what was the Blue Dragon's reaction. Then, deciding that it was better if she got a better hold on the situation, Akane raised her leg and jabbed the Blue Dragon in the stomach...hard. Obviously, he hadn't been expecting that from her because he rolled off the bed and with quick-as-lightening movements, Akane was off the bed too. By the time the Blue Dragon had gotten himself up to a standing position, Akane already had her body in the ready to fight mode.
"Who are you?" she whispered hoarsly. Now, for the actress skills to come up. Quickly moving her face, Akane placed fear and shock in her eyes along with confusion.
"Where am I?" she asked with a slight tremor in her voice. The Blue Dragon seemed to gain better standing at this. Good, as long as she was the scared innocent, she just might be able to get out of this scrape alive.
*She doesn't know who I am? Wait...of course not...I'm the Blue Dragon right now. Damn it, Saotome, just get out of here and don't do anything stupid like letting her know who you are!* the boy lectured himself.
"Akane Tendo, I presume?" he asked with a confidence he didn't feel. What was happening? He was the Blue Dragon and the Blue Dragon never got nervous.
*Now, just the right touch of fear in your voice, Akane* she thought as she said, "H-How do you know? Who are you?!" It was a play...a role they both must play and the one who acted the best wins.
With a quick breeze, he was beside her with his hand under her chin and a wicked smile on his face.
"Do you know who I am, Akane?" he asked softly and Akane had to resist from physically removing his hand from under her chin. Patience was a virtue, after all.
Ranma grinned to himself. Now, naturally Akane would answer that she didn't know who he was and then he would make a mysterious comment before disappearing out the window. This was going to be simple and nothing had to be revealed. Now, any writer can tell you that inspiration can strike at the oddest of moments. This was one of the moments where Akane received an idea that she deemed one of her best. Well...at least she didn't regret it...yet...
Latching onto the Blue Dragon's arm,s he turned large, hopefull eyes to his before asking in a quivering voice, "Are you...Are you who I think you are? Are you the Blue Dragon?"
Quite taken aback, Ranma growled out, "How do you know who I am?"
Akane added the exact amount of excitement into her eyes before gushing out, "Oh my goodness! It is you! The legendary Blue Dragon! How do I know you? How can you ask me that? I've researched on you...took so many risks just to be able to find you. Only you can help me, Blue Dragon. Please, you can not refuse." *What is she talking about?* Ranma wondered in shock and a little fear. The tables had turned and Akane seemed to be the one leading the show now.
"What are you talking about?" he asked crossly for he had missed tha glint in Akane's eyes.
Making her eyes water with a trick she learned some time ago by staring into space for a few seconds then rolling her eyes slowly, Akane whispered, "Oh please, I know you're terrible and everyone says you're cold-hearted, but please! You have to help me! I've spent so, so many years looking upon things about you. The minute I heard about you I knew you were the one to help me. Oh please, sir!"
Ranma's eyes misted over slightly as he questiopned softly, "What do you want from me?" To him it was a question that he always wanted to know from this girl. What did she want from him? Why was she always on his mind for all these years, refusing to budge from her spot in his heart? How much more pain was she willing to inflict on him before being satisfied. To her, it was a question from her mortal enemy. It was one not just questioning her plea but her sanity and her desires as well. *What do I want from you?* she though mockingly in her head *I want your heart, your soul...but most of all...I want your death, Blue Dragon...*
Yet, Akane settled with a simple, pained, "I want you to help me kill the Scarlet Phoenix." To say the Blue Dragon was taken aback was to say Ranma 1/2 was just another anime. Some things just aren't meant to be put that lightly.
"What?!" he exclaimed before he could stop himself. *How does Akane know about the Scarlet Phoenix...how does she even know about the Blue Dragon... And why in the world doers she want to kill the Scarlet Phoenix.
"Why?" he asked, truly confused. His answer came soon enough.
"That bitch killed my sister!" Akane cried, her voice dripping with venom and hate,
"I...I had a sister...one that was a year older then me. Nabiki Tendo. W-w-when...ma-my father died...she came to the city to try and support me and Kasumi...but...nobody knows this but me. She was killed. Killed by that damn Scarlet Phoenix because she owed her a debt. Nobody knew she was murdered...they didn't even know she left to try and support us. Everybody thought Nabiki abandoned me and Kasumi...but she didn't! She was murdered... slaughtered like an animal!" At this Akane broke down and sobbed into her hands as she pretended to try and pull herself together. *'Always go all the way'* Mel's voice from a memory long ago said fleetingly in her mind *'either don't do it but when you do you have to go all the way. Going only half-way will only succeed in getting you killed'*
Ranma instantly felt a blow to his abdomen....though it wasn't a physical one. He was wrong. He had been wrong. The Blue Dragon's information source had been wrong. All the information he gathered from Akane's life after he left...it had so many holes in it...and the part about Nabiki abandoning her and Kasumi...he thought that had been true. *But she kept it a secret* his mind insisted earnestly *She was the only one that knew of Nabiki's death by the Scarlet Phoenix and if she didn't tell anyone there was no way for anyone to know. You aren't wrong.* Yet, inside Ranma felt uneasy.
"The Scarlet Phoenix killed your sister?" he rasped out just to make sure he hadn't heard wrong.
"Yes!" the girl cried vehemently, her shoulder shaking uncontrollably. Ranma had to physically restrain himself from taking her into his arms and stop her tears.
Soon, it seemed as if Akane managed to control her shaking and cries as she straightened and looked Ranma straight in the eyes. The pain and hate he saw there staggered him.
Knowing that if she overdid it, it would only disguest the Blue Dragon, Akane stopped her fake cries and said with a good measure of hate in her voice, "The reason I moved here was to avenge my sister, but the Scarlet Phoenix was too powerful. Nobody dared fight her...but then I heard of you, Blue Dragon. You...your so much more powerful then her...you have to help me kill her! Please!" She didn't really expect him to agree to help her, the Blue Dragon was known for his cold heart and ruthlessness. He didn't disappoint.
"No," Ranma said, his voice calm and resolute, the exact opposite of what he felt at that moment. If it was anyone else, he would have felt more compassion...probably would give them a small job in his 'corporation' once they proved loyal and worthy, but not Akane. There was no way he was going to let his innocent Akane get messed up with the dark side of his life. There was no way he was going to risk having her find out his true identity. And there was no way he was going to risk the Scarlet Phoenix being able to attack on his girl.
Not really that surprised at all, Akane made her eyes register shock as though she was really expecting him to have some warmth in that heart of his.
"But won't you-" she began and he cut her off, his crystal eyes threatening, "No. Now, go to sleep, Akane Tendo and let the past be the past." With a flick of his wrist, he hit a point on Akane's neck and knocked her unconscious. His arms wanted to reach out and catch her as she fell...but he didn't...because he w as the Blue Dragon now...and the Blue Dragon don't catch helpless girls when they fall.
Reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone, Ranma dialed Ryoga's number.
After the pig-boy picked up with a muffled, "Hey, what's sup?" Ranma told him to call Ukyo and bring her to the hospital to visit Akane.
Ryoga groaned in the phone and asked, "What did you do this time, Ranma?"
"Nothing," the Blue Dragon said quickly as he stared at the unconscious girl at his feet, "Just bring Ukyo to visit Akane. Tell her you got a bad feeling and just wanted to see if Akane was okay."
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"So, how did you and Akane get together? I mean, I thought you hated her guts," Ryoga commented offhandly. That was one thing that he had in common with Ranma...the ability (or fault) of saying whatever popped into his head.
Ukyo looked up at him, her champagne eyes mocking, "How did *you* and Ranma get together? I thought you hated his guts. Things change Ryoga and you know it."
Ryoga gave her a goofy smile before turning his head back to face the metal doors of the elevator. After getting the strange (yet not rare) phone call from Ranma, the pig-boy had called Ukyo up and asked her to come visit Akane with him. He told her he had gotten a bad feeling. Apparently, Ukyo understood the importance of instinct because she came right over to meet him at the main hospital door. The elevator opened with a 'ding' and the two wolves dressed in sheepskin walked passed the nurse's desk to room 342. Ukyo put her hand on the doorknob to open the door but suddenly, another hand clkosed on hers.
Looking up she stared in question at Ryoga's gaze.
"What?" she asked.
"Ukyo, I-" he started and for a second something flickered through his eyes that scared the other girl slightly.
Her eyes hardening slightly, she said in a warning tone, "Remember what I said, Ryoga...people change." With that she turned the doorknob and opened the door. Her hand flickering to a switch on the wall, the brown-haired girl turned on the lights and a large object on the floor caught the corner of her eye. Looking down, the girl gasped in shock as she rushed over to her friend. *What did you do, Ranma?* Ryoga thought before rushing out of the room to get the nurses.
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(Two hours later)
Ukyo stood outside, in the front of the hospital building. Cars came this way and that in front of her as a strong wind passed by, shuffling her hair. She was out here to clear her head...to try and understand what Akane had been trying to tell her. It just wasn't possible! It was ludacris! It was stupid! *...it's perfect...* she thought, the fighter side of her kicking in. The idea was so utterly simple and perfect that she wondered why they hadn't thought of it before. *...because it's too perfect...* Ukyo's ever rational mind chirped *...too simple...we were all thinking too complicated...we needed to think more simple...* But...but this idea was just crazy! It was taking too many risks too fast. If they succeeded, then the defeat of the Blue Dragon would be easier then batting an eyelash...but if they failed...if Akane failed...
...Ukyo gave another shiver, but this time...there was no wind...
*Don't think of that!* Ukyo scolded herself. Akane was a fighter, after all...she was the leader...she knew what she's doing...most of the time. Frustrated, Ukyo raked a shaking hand through her straight, brown hair (the kind of hair that they put on for those shampoo commecials). *Not like Akane's hair* the though crossed fleetingly in the woman's mind. No, Akane's hair would never get on any shampoo commercials, not to say that it was not neat...it was just too...wild. With that thought returned the one of Akane's...no the Scarlet Phoenix's crazy plan again...because if Akane only used her rational mind, she would not have thought of that. *...and what in the world made her think of that anyway?*
Ukyo's hands opened and closed as they itched for the giant spatula of her younger years. She needed to hit something! Anything! With an angry and agitated shout, she grabbed her purse and wrapped the strap around her fist, heading the fist towards the cement sidewalk. She didn't care who saw...she just needed to get the confusion out now. Confusion, annoyance and anger would only get you killed in her line of work. She learned that the day she joined Akane. If one wants to stay at the top, one must always...*always* kep one's cool. It's like a domino effect, one emotion just leads to another.
The ground broke under her fist and the cement cracked as Ukyo's anger flowed out with it. Her body suddenly felt weak and drained as her knees gave up. The girl who believed her best friend was a maniac, started to wobble. *This is not good...* she thought as her face paled and her body felt too heavy for it's own good. Suddenly, it was too much...the weight....the confusion...everything and Ukyo just gave up and leaned backwards. *Oh well* she thought *I'm in front of a hospital...somebody's bound to come and get me...* But Ukyo didn't go back inside the hospital that day...and her body never reached the ground.
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The Lady watched in amusement as Sandy argued with the driver up in the front seat of the limo. The girl really had spirit, now all she needed was to learn to let the Lady go and get herself a husband. The Lady, also known as Melpomene to some, turned her magnificent head to stare out the window that was only one way. The woman who was a decade older then she looked truly was magnificent. She was pushing forty and looked like a young 20-something year old with great cosmetic tecniques. In truth, the Lady never wore that much make-up...she believed it was a fake confidance one puts on oneself. The Lady gave a dry, inward laugh as she thought of that. Of course, she doesn't have a right to speak with her looks.
"What did you do? Find the fountain of youth?" someone had asked her once.
"Something like that," she had answered with that enigmatic smile of hers. She hadn't been lying...she had found something very similar to the fountain of youth...and that something was the Wakai tecnique...something she was required to learn when she had been four.
Lately, she's been able to slow the tecnique down, to stop it from keeping her eternally young. Not to say that the tecnique would keep one immortal, oh no, it just means you get to keep your youth. The Lady didn't want that, she wanted life to run it's natural course and so she learned to slow the tecnique down and keep her aging.
Suddenly, a sign of a shop caught her eye in large letters, 'Ruki's Nail Salon.'
The Lady's heart lurched and she swallowed as she leaned against the leather seat. The woman closed her eyes and gulped as she tried to stop her shaking fingers. *No...no...* she thought. Coincidence, it was just a coincidence...
...but if there was something she learned in this world...was that there was no such thing as coincidence...
The voice invaded her mind just like she knew it would. The presence of the other mind slowly entering her own and stretching itself as if it had come home. The Lady paled and started to shake. Her breathing became shorter and shorter as she tried to pull in more gulps of air. A weird thought that she would just stop and die here from lack of air crossed her mind briefly. Then the voice and the presence spoke.
{{...ruki-girl...ruki-girl...won't you come home...ruki-girl...ruki-girl...won't you come home to me...}}
*Leave me alone!* she cried in her mind, but it was no longer just her mind. As it had been since the day she could remember...her mind was no longer just hers...and it no longer just obeyed her.
{{...oh, come now, ruki-girl...you know you can't just run away...now tell your lattle driver to stop his car and meet me half way...}}
The Lady stopped her shaking as the slow realization came to her as it always had before. She *wasn't* scared...never was and never would be of this person. Her eyes opened and she looked at Sandy who had climbed into the backseat and was trying to shake her to ask what was wrong.
"Stop the car, Taka," she said and although Taka shot her a worried glance in the rear-view mirror, he did what she asked. Nobody questioned The Lady's authority, nobody questioned her period. It was just an unspoken rule and law in the clan.
The Lady opened the door and stepped out, her radiant, dark brown hair shining like caramel in the sun. Sandy grabbed The Lady's hands and the young girl's eyes were pleading along with puzzled.
"Mother, don't-" she began but the look the The Lady's eyes kept her quiet.
Patting her daughter's hand once, The Lady pulled it away and said, "I'll be fine, you two just stay in the car. With slow, confidant steps, she strided down a few blocks to the 'Ruki's Nail Salon'. She had some unfinished business to take care of.
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The alleyway behind 'Ruki's Nail Salon was deserted except for a large, metal garbage bin/box and other junk. There was a metal door closed shut attached to the back of the building but The Lady payed it no mind. She knew he was here, knew he was watching her and she didn't even bat an eyelash. The Lady wasn't afraid of him, it wasn't arrogance or bluffing, it was just the plain and simple truth. She wasn't afraid of him and she never will be... she was the only one that wasn't. The Lady, called Mel, just stood there with her arms at her sides, not moving or showing any signs of nervousness...she could wait him out, she always did before. After awhile, he appeared behind her and no other person on the planet would have had the ability to notice but her.
Turning around to face him, she raised her eyes slowly to absorb the whole scene. He was wearing a dark suit...dark blue...his trademark. His face held no mask (he didn't need it, they were all too afraid of him) and his large, crystal blue eyes shone with the intensity always in them. Mel always found it an ironic twist of fate that such a dangerous person be born with kitten, blue eyes that seemed to just scream innocent. *Innocent, ha! That's funny...* Everybody that ever met him though they were contacts...people simply weren't born with eyes of that color. His hair was an unruly mass of pitch black and Mel used to remember days when she had to physically restrain herself from not touching it. Those days were over now...or she tried to convince herself.
She wondered a lot of things about him now, but most of all, she wondered if he still had that dragon scar on his left shoulder, just a few inches from the beginning of his arm. Of course he would...that would always be there.
Finally, the man spoke, "Hello, Ruki-girl." His voice was warm...nobody heard that tone of voice but her...It hurt...to hear his voice now, so sweet and soft.
"I'm not Ruki-girl," she managed to rasp out at last, her eyes burning but no wetness there. He smiled that ever complacent smile of his as he walked over towards her.
"Of course you are. Changing your name doesn't change who you are, Ruki-girl. You told me that once, remember? You're still Ruki. Still innocent, naive Ruki that loves everyone but me," he said and this time there was a hard edge in his voice. Ruki swallowed as he started to circle her...suddenly she wasn't The Lady anymore, sophisticated, feared lader... but little Ruki, smiling and laughing in the woods. Little Ruki again with her wild braids and flying soul. Little Ruki again, needing only her Tasukin to survive.
"Tasukin, you can't do this," she said calmly, her voice sweet like ink and white clouds. By this time he had stopped circling and put a hand in her warm hair.
"Do what, Ruki-girl?" he asked. His voice was so sweet, so innocent...and so are was it like that that for a second she thought of changing her mind...but she didn't. It hurt her but she said the words that must be said.
"I'm not going with you, Tasu-chan," she said and immediatly she felt the change go through him. *No...no...* her mind sobbed but she could do nothing to change it. She was no longer Ruki...she was the The Lady again. Mel started to back awya from him and the hate and fury in his eyes pained her like nothing ever would, but with it came her own anger as well. They did this every time and every time it was the same. Tasukin couldn't be so selfish... she couldn't just leave her life and follow him to live in some remote place.
"I told you this before, Tasukin, there is no way you can change my mind," and with that she started to leave the dead-end allwayway.
When she was almost around the corner she heard a cold voice say, "I heard you have a certain pet bird in this city, Ruki. This one isn't like the others, though, is she? She's special and you know it...she's also your favorite student. I can see why, the girl does have fire and talent. A very cute pet birdie, no?"
Stopping in her tracks, Mel said, "I don't know what you're talking about."
A loud laugh was her answer.
"Oh, but I know you do, Ruki-girl," the voice continued on, "You musn't foget, we share a bond, thanks to the great master. I know everything about you, Ruki-girl, all your secrets and all your fears. Now, this new pet bird...she's not just another pet, is she? She's almost like a daughter to you...a sister."
"What do you want, Tasukin?" Mel asked, her voice a steel edge now. She was The Lady.
"You know what I want, Ruki," he answered.
Mel sighed and said, "You know I can't do that, Tasu-chan. I can't go with you."
"Why?" the man in blue spat out, "Bceause you have your 'lost children' to save, Ruki? Well, guess what, I think it's time for a little game to begin and it's going to involve your pet birdie, Scarlet Phoenix. I have students too, Ruki, and some of these students would love nothing better then to kill your little bird. Won't this be fun? Bye bye for now, Ruki, I'll see you again. You can count on it."
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Raye Mizuno popped her gum as her well manicured nails clicked on the keyboard. Ms. Vashidi hadn't come in today but she had learned long agao that things like this wasn't rare. Akane Varshidi had a habit of not appearing for work one or two days then come back with some lame excuse. It didn't matter, it just meant less work for her. Being the secretary of a multi-millionaire was not a simple thing to be. Suddenly, the shrill sound of the phone rang, making Raye jump. She really had to get the guys down in repairs to fix that thing and turn down the ringer.
Picking it up, she said, "Hello, Akane Varshidi's office, what can I do for you?"
A cultured, female voice said, "Yes, I'm here on behalf of my client who would like to make an appointment with Ms. Varshidi about some business."
"Name please," Raye said as she popped her gum again.
"My name is Catalyn Ramon and my client's name is Natalie Tanson," the voice on the other line said.
"Okay, and what business does Ms. Tanson want with Ms. Varshidi?" Raye asked in her mundane way.
"I'm sorry but Ms. Tanson wants to keep it strictly confidentail. Can you just squeeze in a meeting?" Raye put the phone between her shoulder and ear as she searched through her desk for the planner of Ms. Varshidi's dates.
"I'm afarid Ms. Varshidi won't be free until the late week of next month," the secretary said.
"That will be fine, thank you," and then all Raye could hear was the dial tone. A few hours later that phone call slipped her mind.
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(One week later)
The door to one of Ranma's many offcies burst open as a panting Ryoga burst in. Ranma looked up from his paperwork to shoot an annoyed glance at his best friend before continuing again. Growling, Ryoga walked over and grabbed the paperwork before throwing it over his shoulder.
"Hey!" the guy shouted in anger as he stood up.
The once bandanna-wearing boy just shrugged it off before saying, "Ranma you would not believe what has happened! I mean, geez! How-? Why-?" Then, Ryoga stopped himself and grabbed Ranma's hand as he dragged him out the door.
"Just follow me, you need to see this."
Half-way through thew car drive, Ranma knew they were heading towards one of the smaller West warehouses. It was one of the little parts of his business that didn't need his overlooking that much. He knew better then to ask the agitated, wired out Ryoga though. Even Blue Dragons die in car accidents. Once in front of the warehouse, Ryoga brought the car to a screeching halt before getting out and dragging Ranma with him. They took the back doorway and soon Ranma found himself in the surveillence room where over a dozen tiny, black and white t.vs were.
Finally, having enough, Ranma pulled his arm out of Ryoga's grip and asked in annoyance, "Now what?"
Giving his best friend a grim smile, the pig-boy pointed to one of the mini-survelleince t.vs and said, 'Look there."
Ranma did and his mouth fell open as shock shook through his body. This was not happening...there was no way at all that it was. *It's just a dream* he told himself but he knew it wasn't. It was reality...and it was his worst nightmare.
Akane Tendo stood in room 34 of the warehouse, a hard look in her eyes and a hand on her hip. Her dark blue hair, cut short by Ukyo during the accident and fixed by Kasumi afterwards to look like her old style, was under a black bandanna with two front hairs showing. She wore some grungy jeans and a white-shirt.
A man from the warehouse walked over to her with a clipboard and asked, "What do you want, kid?"
Giving the man a hard smile, she answered, "A job."
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Author's Notes: I told you all I was too tired for a cliffhanger. Hopefully, you'll still want the next chapter even without it. Now, who remember's who Natalie Tanson is? :)
Chapter 9, A Liar's Revenge
Author's Notes: Okay, so I've been gone forever and people have probably moved on with their lives to new writers but what can I say? Okay, so maybe that last chapter had a teensy weensy, baby of a cliffhanger. Short and sweet. Now, for those of you who figured out who the guy with the chain is, let's see if you can guess the reason why he's even in this story. Is he on the Scarlet Phoenix's side or the Blue Dragon's side? Only time will tell. Now, currently, I'm working on a one-shot called 'The Last Conquest' (maybe I'll change the name) and the next chapter to 'A Drop Of Blood' but the idea to the next chapter to this series just popped up so I had to write it. Now, I'm serious this time, I can't deal with a cliffhanger so there won't be (crowd glares distrustfully) there won't be! I'm just too tired to think of a nice cliffhanger. That makes up for the whopper in the last chapter, huh? Enjoy now. :)
Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi (the genius creator of two of my other manga obsessions).
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One thing Akane learned to do for years was how to think fast through tough situations. She learned how to accept a problem, dissect it, process it, then receive a solution. This was one of those many moments when this skill came in handy. The Blue Dragon. What was the Blue Dragon doing here? And where was here exactly? The motorcycle accident...she must be in the hospital but why would the Blue Dragon be in her hospital bed? The answer to that avoided her but she remembered something that Mel had taught her long ago. Never give anything away. She still had to keep the hope that the Blue Dragon didn't know her other identity.
His hand was clamped over her mouth and Akane laid still as she tried to think of what to do. It was too dark to see what was the Blue Dragon's reaction. Then, deciding that it was better if she got a better hold on the situation, Akane raised her leg and jabbed the Blue Dragon in the stomach...hard. Obviously, he hadn't been expecting that from her because he rolled off the bed and with quick-as-lightening movements, Akane was off the bed too. By the time the Blue Dragon had gotten himself up to a standing position, Akane already had her body in the ready to fight mode.
"Who are you?" she whispered hoarsly. Now, for the actress skills to come up. Quickly moving her face, Akane placed fear and shock in her eyes along with confusion.
"Where am I?" she asked with a slight tremor in her voice. The Blue Dragon seemed to gain better standing at this. Good, as long as she was the scared innocent, she just might be able to get out of this scrape alive.
*She doesn't know who I am? Wait...of course not...I'm the Blue Dragon right now. Damn it, Saotome, just get out of here and don't do anything stupid like letting her know who you are!* the boy lectured himself.
"Akane Tendo, I presume?" he asked with a confidence he didn't feel. What was happening? He was the Blue Dragon and the Blue Dragon never got nervous.
*Now, just the right touch of fear in your voice, Akane* she thought as she said, "H-How do you know? Who are you?!" It was a play...a role they both must play and the one who acted the best wins.
With a quick breeze, he was beside her with his hand under her chin and a wicked smile on his face.
"Do you know who I am, Akane?" he asked softly and Akane had to resist from physically removing his hand from under her chin. Patience was a virtue, after all.
Ranma grinned to himself. Now, naturally Akane would answer that she didn't know who he was and then he would make a mysterious comment before disappearing out the window. This was going to be simple and nothing had to be revealed. Now, any writer can tell you that inspiration can strike at the oddest of moments. This was one of the moments where Akane received an idea that she deemed one of her best. Well...at least she didn't regret it...yet...
Latching onto the Blue Dragon's arm,s he turned large, hopefull eyes to his before asking in a quivering voice, "Are you...Are you who I think you are? Are you the Blue Dragon?"
Quite taken aback, Ranma growled out, "How do you know who I am?"
Akane added the exact amount of excitement into her eyes before gushing out, "Oh my goodness! It is you! The legendary Blue Dragon! How do I know you? How can you ask me that? I've researched on you...took so many risks just to be able to find you. Only you can help me, Blue Dragon. Please, you can not refuse." *What is she talking about?* Ranma wondered in shock and a little fear. The tables had turned and Akane seemed to be the one leading the show now.
"What are you talking about?" he asked crossly for he had missed tha glint in Akane's eyes.
Making her eyes water with a trick she learned some time ago by staring into space for a few seconds then rolling her eyes slowly, Akane whispered, "Oh please, I know you're terrible and everyone says you're cold-hearted, but please! You have to help me! I've spent so, so many years looking upon things about you. The minute I heard about you I knew you were the one to help me. Oh please, sir!"
Ranma's eyes misted over slightly as he questiopned softly, "What do you want from me?" To him it was a question that he always wanted to know from this girl. What did she want from him? Why was she always on his mind for all these years, refusing to budge from her spot in his heart? How much more pain was she willing to inflict on him before being satisfied. To her, it was a question from her mortal enemy. It was one not just questioning her plea but her sanity and her desires as well. *What do I want from you?* she though mockingly in her head *I want your heart, your soul...but most of all...I want your death, Blue Dragon...*
Yet, Akane settled with a simple, pained, "I want you to help me kill the Scarlet Phoenix." To say the Blue Dragon was taken aback was to say Ranma 1/2 was just another anime. Some things just aren't meant to be put that lightly.
"What?!" he exclaimed before he could stop himself. *How does Akane know about the Scarlet Phoenix...how does she even know about the Blue Dragon... And why in the world doers she want to kill the Scarlet Phoenix.
"Why?" he asked, truly confused. His answer came soon enough.
"That bitch killed my sister!" Akane cried, her voice dripping with venom and hate,
"I...I had a sister...one that was a year older then me. Nabiki Tendo. W-w-when...ma-my father died...she came to the city to try and support me and Kasumi...but...nobody knows this but me. She was killed. Killed by that damn Scarlet Phoenix because she owed her a debt. Nobody knew she was murdered...they didn't even know she left to try and support us. Everybody thought Nabiki abandoned me and Kasumi...but she didn't! She was murdered... slaughtered like an animal!" At this Akane broke down and sobbed into her hands as she pretended to try and pull herself together. *'Always go all the way'* Mel's voice from a memory long ago said fleetingly in her mind *'either don't do it but when you do you have to go all the way. Going only half-way will only succeed in getting you killed'*
Ranma instantly felt a blow to his abdomen....though it wasn't a physical one. He was wrong. He had been wrong. The Blue Dragon's information source had been wrong. All the information he gathered from Akane's life after he left...it had so many holes in it...and the part about Nabiki abandoning her and Kasumi...he thought that had been true. *But she kept it a secret* his mind insisted earnestly *She was the only one that knew of Nabiki's death by the Scarlet Phoenix and if she didn't tell anyone there was no way for anyone to know. You aren't wrong.* Yet, inside Ranma felt uneasy.
"The Scarlet Phoenix killed your sister?" he rasped out just to make sure he hadn't heard wrong.
"Yes!" the girl cried vehemently, her shoulder shaking uncontrollably. Ranma had to physically restrain himself from taking her into his arms and stop her tears.
Soon, it seemed as if Akane managed to control her shaking and cries as she straightened and looked Ranma straight in the eyes. The pain and hate he saw there staggered him.
Knowing that if she overdid it, it would only disguest the Blue Dragon, Akane stopped her fake cries and said with a good measure of hate in her voice, "The reason I moved here was to avenge my sister, but the Scarlet Phoenix was too powerful. Nobody dared fight her...but then I heard of you, Blue Dragon. You...your so much more powerful then her...you have to help me kill her! Please!" She didn't really expect him to agree to help her, the Blue Dragon was known for his cold heart and ruthlessness. He didn't disappoint.
"No," Ranma said, his voice calm and resolute, the exact opposite of what he felt at that moment. If it was anyone else, he would have felt more compassion...probably would give them a small job in his 'corporation' once they proved loyal and worthy, but not Akane. There was no way he was going to let his innocent Akane get messed up with the dark side of his life. There was no way he was going to risk having her find out his true identity. And there was no way he was going to risk the Scarlet Phoenix being able to attack on his girl.
Not really that surprised at all, Akane made her eyes register shock as though she was really expecting him to have some warmth in that heart of his.
"But won't you-" she began and he cut her off, his crystal eyes threatening, "No. Now, go to sleep, Akane Tendo and let the past be the past." With a flick of his wrist, he hit a point on Akane's neck and knocked her unconscious. His arms wanted to reach out and catch her as she fell...but he didn't...because he w as the Blue Dragon now...and the Blue Dragon don't catch helpless girls when they fall.
Reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cell phone, Ranma dialed Ryoga's number.
After the pig-boy picked up with a muffled, "Hey, what's sup?" Ranma told him to call Ukyo and bring her to the hospital to visit Akane.
Ryoga groaned in the phone and asked, "What did you do this time, Ranma?"
"Nothing," the Blue Dragon said quickly as he stared at the unconscious girl at his feet, "Just bring Ukyo to visit Akane. Tell her you got a bad feeling and just wanted to see if Akane was okay."
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"So, how did you and Akane get together? I mean, I thought you hated her guts," Ryoga commented offhandly. That was one thing that he had in common with Ranma...the ability (or fault) of saying whatever popped into his head.
Ukyo looked up at him, her champagne eyes mocking, "How did *you* and Ranma get together? I thought you hated his guts. Things change Ryoga and you know it."
Ryoga gave her a goofy smile before turning his head back to face the metal doors of the elevator. After getting the strange (yet not rare) phone call from Ranma, the pig-boy had called Ukyo up and asked her to come visit Akane with him. He told her he had gotten a bad feeling. Apparently, Ukyo understood the importance of instinct because she came right over to meet him at the main hospital door. The elevator opened with a 'ding' and the two wolves dressed in sheepskin walked passed the nurse's desk to room 342. Ukyo put her hand on the doorknob to open the door but suddenly, another hand clkosed on hers.
Looking up she stared in question at Ryoga's gaze.
"What?" she asked.
"Ukyo, I-" he started and for a second something flickered through his eyes that scared the other girl slightly.
Her eyes hardening slightly, she said in a warning tone, "Remember what I said, Ryoga...people change." With that she turned the doorknob and opened the door. Her hand flickering to a switch on the wall, the brown-haired girl turned on the lights and a large object on the floor caught the corner of her eye. Looking down, the girl gasped in shock as she rushed over to her friend. *What did you do, Ranma?* Ryoga thought before rushing out of the room to get the nurses.
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(Two hours later)
Ukyo stood outside, in the front of the hospital building. Cars came this way and that in front of her as a strong wind passed by, shuffling her hair. She was out here to clear her head...to try and understand what Akane had been trying to tell her. It just wasn't possible! It was ludacris! It was stupid! *...it's perfect...* she thought, the fighter side of her kicking in. The idea was so utterly simple and perfect that she wondered why they hadn't thought of it before. *...because it's too perfect...* Ukyo's ever rational mind chirped *...too simple...we were all thinking too complicated...we needed to think more simple...* But...but this idea was just crazy! It was taking too many risks too fast. If they succeeded, then the defeat of the Blue Dragon would be easier then batting an eyelash...but if they failed...if Akane failed...
...Ukyo gave another shiver, but this time...there was no wind...
*Don't think of that!* Ukyo scolded herself. Akane was a fighter, after all...she was the leader...she knew what she's doing...most of the time. Frustrated, Ukyo raked a shaking hand through her straight, brown hair (the kind of hair that they put on for those shampoo commecials). *Not like Akane's hair* the though crossed fleetingly in the woman's mind. No, Akane's hair would never get on any shampoo commercials, not to say that it was not neat...it was just too...wild. With that thought returned the one of Akane's...no the Scarlet Phoenix's crazy plan again...because if Akane only used her rational mind, she would not have thought of that. *...and what in the world made her think of that anyway?*
Ukyo's hands opened and closed as they itched for the giant spatula of her younger years. She needed to hit something! Anything! With an angry and agitated shout, she grabbed her purse and wrapped the strap around her fist, heading the fist towards the cement sidewalk. She didn't care who saw...she just needed to get the confusion out now. Confusion, annoyance and anger would only get you killed in her line of work. She learned that the day she joined Akane. If one wants to stay at the top, one must always...*always* kep one's cool. It's like a domino effect, one emotion just leads to another.
The ground broke under her fist and the cement cracked as Ukyo's anger flowed out with it. Her body suddenly felt weak and drained as her knees gave up. The girl who believed her best friend was a maniac, started to wobble. *This is not good...* she thought as her face paled and her body felt too heavy for it's own good. Suddenly, it was too much...the weight....the confusion...everything and Ukyo just gave up and leaned backwards. *Oh well* she thought *I'm in front of a hospital...somebody's bound to come and get me...* But Ukyo didn't go back inside the hospital that day...and her body never reached the ground.
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The Lady watched in amusement as Sandy argued with the driver up in the front seat of the limo. The girl really had spirit, now all she needed was to learn to let the Lady go and get herself a husband. The Lady, also known as Melpomene to some, turned her magnificent head to stare out the window that was only one way. The woman who was a decade older then she looked truly was magnificent. She was pushing forty and looked like a young 20-something year old with great cosmetic tecniques. In truth, the Lady never wore that much make-up...she believed it was a fake confidance one puts on oneself. The Lady gave a dry, inward laugh as she thought of that. Of course, she doesn't have a right to speak with her looks.
"What did you do? Find the fountain of youth?" someone had asked her once.
"Something like that," she had answered with that enigmatic smile of hers. She hadn't been lying...she had found something very similar to the fountain of youth...and that something was the Wakai tecnique...something she was required to learn when she had been four.
Lately, she's been able to slow the tecnique down, to stop it from keeping her eternally young. Not to say that the tecnique would keep one immortal, oh no, it just means you get to keep your youth. The Lady didn't want that, she wanted life to run it's natural course and so she learned to slow the tecnique down and keep her aging.
Suddenly, a sign of a shop caught her eye in large letters, 'Ruki's Nail Salon.'
The Lady's heart lurched and she swallowed as she leaned against the leather seat. The woman closed her eyes and gulped as she tried to stop her shaking fingers. *No...no...* she thought. Coincidence, it was just a coincidence...
...but if there was something she learned in this world...was that there was no such thing as coincidence...
The voice invaded her mind just like she knew it would. The presence of the other mind slowly entering her own and stretching itself as if it had come home. The Lady paled and started to shake. Her breathing became shorter and shorter as she tried to pull in more gulps of air. A weird thought that she would just stop and die here from lack of air crossed her mind briefly. Then the voice and the presence spoke.
{{...ruki-girl...ruki-girl...won't you come home...ruki-girl...ruki-girl...won't you come home to me...}}
*Leave me alone!* she cried in her mind, but it was no longer just her mind. As it had been since the day she could remember...her mind was no longer just hers...and it no longer just obeyed her.
{{...oh, come now, ruki-girl...you know you can't just run away...now tell your lattle driver to stop his car and meet me half way...}}
The Lady stopped her shaking as the slow realization came to her as it always had before. She *wasn't* scared...never was and never would be of this person. Her eyes opened and she looked at Sandy who had climbed into the backseat and was trying to shake her to ask what was wrong.
"Stop the car, Taka," she said and although Taka shot her a worried glance in the rear-view mirror, he did what she asked. Nobody questioned The Lady's authority, nobody questioned her period. It was just an unspoken rule and law in the clan.
The Lady opened the door and stepped out, her radiant, dark brown hair shining like caramel in the sun. Sandy grabbed The Lady's hands and the young girl's eyes were pleading along with puzzled.
"Mother, don't-" she began but the look the The Lady's eyes kept her quiet.
Patting her daughter's hand once, The Lady pulled it away and said, "I'll be fine, you two just stay in the car. With slow, confidant steps, she strided down a few blocks to the 'Ruki's Nail Salon'. She had some unfinished business to take care of.
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The alleyway behind 'Ruki's Nail Salon was deserted except for a large, metal garbage bin/box and other junk. There was a metal door closed shut attached to the back of the building but The Lady payed it no mind. She knew he was here, knew he was watching her and she didn't even bat an eyelash. The Lady wasn't afraid of him, it wasn't arrogance or bluffing, it was just the plain and simple truth. She wasn't afraid of him and she never will be... she was the only one that wasn't. The Lady, called Mel, just stood there with her arms at her sides, not moving or showing any signs of nervousness...she could wait him out, she always did before. After awhile, he appeared behind her and no other person on the planet would have had the ability to notice but her.
Turning around to face him, she raised her eyes slowly to absorb the whole scene. He was wearing a dark suit...dark blue...his trademark. His face held no mask (he didn't need it, they were all too afraid of him) and his large, crystal blue eyes shone with the intensity always in them. Mel always found it an ironic twist of fate that such a dangerous person be born with kitten, blue eyes that seemed to just scream innocent. *Innocent, ha! That's funny...* Everybody that ever met him though they were contacts...people simply weren't born with eyes of that color. His hair was an unruly mass of pitch black and Mel used to remember days when she had to physically restrain herself from not touching it. Those days were over now...or she tried to convince herself.
She wondered a lot of things about him now, but most of all, she wondered if he still had that dragon scar on his left shoulder, just a few inches from the beginning of his arm. Of course he would...that would always be there.
Finally, the man spoke, "Hello, Ruki-girl." His voice was warm...nobody heard that tone of voice but her...It hurt...to hear his voice now, so sweet and soft.
"I'm not Ruki-girl," she managed to rasp out at last, her eyes burning but no wetness there. He smiled that ever complacent smile of his as he walked over towards her.
"Of course you are. Changing your name doesn't change who you are, Ruki-girl. You told me that once, remember? You're still Ruki. Still innocent, naive Ruki that loves everyone but me," he said and this time there was a hard edge in his voice. Ruki swallowed as he started to circle her...suddenly she wasn't The Lady anymore, sophisticated, feared lader... but little Ruki, smiling and laughing in the woods. Little Ruki again with her wild braids and flying soul. Little Ruki again, needing only her Tasukin to survive.
"Tasukin, you can't do this," she said calmly, her voice sweet like ink and white clouds. By this time he had stopped circling and put a hand in her warm hair.
"Do what, Ruki-girl?" he asked. His voice was so sweet, so innocent...and so are was it like that that for a second she thought of changing her mind...but she didn't. It hurt her but she said the words that must be said.
"I'm not going with you, Tasu-chan," she said and immediatly she felt the change go through him. *No...no...* her mind sobbed but she could do nothing to change it. She was no longer Ruki...she was the The Lady again. Mel started to back awya from him and the hate and fury in his eyes pained her like nothing ever would, but with it came her own anger as well. They did this every time and every time it was the same. Tasukin couldn't be so selfish... she couldn't just leave her life and follow him to live in some remote place.
"I told you this before, Tasukin, there is no way you can change my mind," and with that she started to leave the dead-end allwayway.
When she was almost around the corner she heard a cold voice say, "I heard you have a certain pet bird in this city, Ruki. This one isn't like the others, though, is she? She's special and you know it...she's also your favorite student. I can see why, the girl does have fire and talent. A very cute pet birdie, no?"
Stopping in her tracks, Mel said, "I don't know what you're talking about."
A loud laugh was her answer.
"Oh, but I know you do, Ruki-girl," the voice continued on, "You musn't foget, we share a bond, thanks to the great master. I know everything about you, Ruki-girl, all your secrets and all your fears. Now, this new pet bird...she's not just another pet, is she? She's almost like a daughter to you...a sister."
"What do you want, Tasukin?" Mel asked, her voice a steel edge now. She was The Lady.
"You know what I want, Ruki," he answered.
Mel sighed and said, "You know I can't do that, Tasu-chan. I can't go with you."
"Why?" the man in blue spat out, "Bceause you have your 'lost children' to save, Ruki? Well, guess what, I think it's time for a little game to begin and it's going to involve your pet birdie, Scarlet Phoenix. I have students too, Ruki, and some of these students would love nothing better then to kill your little bird. Won't this be fun? Bye bye for now, Ruki, I'll see you again. You can count on it."
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Raye Mizuno popped her gum as her well manicured nails clicked on the keyboard. Ms. Vashidi hadn't come in today but she had learned long agao that things like this wasn't rare. Akane Varshidi had a habit of not appearing for work one or two days then come back with some lame excuse. It didn't matter, it just meant less work for her. Being the secretary of a multi-millionaire was not a simple thing to be. Suddenly, the shrill sound of the phone rang, making Raye jump. She really had to get the guys down in repairs to fix that thing and turn down the ringer.
Picking it up, she said, "Hello, Akane Varshidi's office, what can I do for you?"
A cultured, female voice said, "Yes, I'm here on behalf of my client who would like to make an appointment with Ms. Varshidi about some business."
"Name please," Raye said as she popped her gum again.
"My name is Catalyn Ramon and my client's name is Natalie Tanson," the voice on the other line said.
"Okay, and what business does Ms. Tanson want with Ms. Varshidi?" Raye asked in her mundane way.
"I'm sorry but Ms. Tanson wants to keep it strictly confidentail. Can you just squeeze in a meeting?" Raye put the phone between her shoulder and ear as she searched through her desk for the planner of Ms. Varshidi's dates.
"I'm afarid Ms. Varshidi won't be free until the late week of next month," the secretary said.
"That will be fine, thank you," and then all Raye could hear was the dial tone. A few hours later that phone call slipped her mind.
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(One week later)
The door to one of Ranma's many offcies burst open as a panting Ryoga burst in. Ranma looked up from his paperwork to shoot an annoyed glance at his best friend before continuing again. Growling, Ryoga walked over and grabbed the paperwork before throwing it over his shoulder.
"Hey!" the guy shouted in anger as he stood up.
The once bandanna-wearing boy just shrugged it off before saying, "Ranma you would not believe what has happened! I mean, geez! How-? Why-?" Then, Ryoga stopped himself and grabbed Ranma's hand as he dragged him out the door.
"Just follow me, you need to see this."
Half-way through thew car drive, Ranma knew they were heading towards one of the smaller West warehouses. It was one of the little parts of his business that didn't need his overlooking that much. He knew better then to ask the agitated, wired out Ryoga though. Even Blue Dragons die in car accidents. Once in front of the warehouse, Ryoga brought the car to a screeching halt before getting out and dragging Ranma with him. They took the back doorway and soon Ranma found himself in the surveillence room where over a dozen tiny, black and white t.vs were.
Finally, having enough, Ranma pulled his arm out of Ryoga's grip and asked in annoyance, "Now what?"
Giving his best friend a grim smile, the pig-boy pointed to one of the mini-survelleince t.vs and said, 'Look there."
Ranma did and his mouth fell open as shock shook through his body. This was not happening...there was no way at all that it was. *It's just a dream* he told himself but he knew it wasn't. It was reality...and it was his worst nightmare.
Akane Tendo stood in room 34 of the warehouse, a hard look in her eyes and a hand on her hip. Her dark blue hair, cut short by Ukyo during the accident and fixed by Kasumi afterwards to look like her old style, was under a black bandanna with two front hairs showing. She wore some grungy jeans and a white-shirt.
A man from the warehouse walked over to her with a clipboard and asked, "What do you want, kid?"
Giving the man a hard smile, she answered, "A job."
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Author's Notes: I told you all I was too tired for a cliffhanger. Hopefully, you'll still want the next chapter even without it. Now, who remember's who Natalie Tanson is? :)