Scarlet Phoenix, Blue Dragon
Chapter 11, Broken Heart, Broken Soul
Author's Notes: See, this story's not done yet. I was working on Sha-Rela when I decided to hurry up and dish the next chapter out to SP, BD (don't question my thought process, darnnit!). One more note. This fic isn't about whether or not Ranma and Akane love each other. That's a given. This is about whether that love could save them from their own selves and believe me, it does not look good. Maybe I need one fic where they just don't end up together. What do you think? So, here it is, folksarinos. Go! Go! Ra! Ra! Er....just read the story...
Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. Definitely not me.
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The sky was as dark as ink as it stretched over everything like some kind of skin. The Blue Dragon stood waiting in the shadows as the other approached. The other was a man with hard, dead eyes and a dragon scar over his shoulder. The two met and the air around them was dead.
It was quite obvious that the Blue Dragon loathed this man very, very much and would rather have him lying dead on the floor than in front of him.
It was also obvious that the Blue Dragon respected this man as much as he hated him.
"Hello," the Blue Dragon greeted, his voice neither cool nor warm.
The man gave a half smirk. It was cruel whether he intended for it to be or not.
"What happened to sensei? What happened to master?"
"You stopped being that when I went through the last trial," the Blue Dragon answered.
"Names change, huh? Then, what do I call you now?" the man questioned.
"Blue Dragon as everybody else do," came the prompt, efficient answer.
Tasukin started to circle the Blue Dragon like a hawk, but the boy held his ground. He was amused, actually. Nothing could daunt him. A little arrogant, aren't we?
"My, my, my, you have grown," a catlike smile appeared on Taukin's face. "But won't you let me see your face? Just once? For old times sake?"
The Blue Dragon narrowed his eyes but his hands reached to pull off his mask.
Ranma stared unmoving eyes at Tasukin.
"Thank you. That was all I wanted," came the smooth reply.
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Somewhere...high, high above the rooftops...in a place too far for Ranma to sense...but close enough to see...
...a girl was struggling to take her breath.
Her face was white and pale in the moonlight and tears streamed silently down her cheeks. She made no sound, however. Outside she was strong, as inside, she bled. Without saying anything to the man beside her, Akane walked off the roof.
Mousse felt something in him tightened at Akane's pain. She shouldn't be hurt like this. She did not deserve it-
The Amazon suddenly berated himself and steeled his heart. He would destroy Saotome and if he had to hurt Akane, then so be it. He could still see the way his beautiful Shan Pu wilted day after day in the village. He could still hear her cries at night while Cologne held her down to the bed after she took too much of the 'Pain's Pipe', an addictive drug made from a precious plant in the jungle. He could still feel her dead body in his arms after he took her from the Amazon burial.
No, he would steel himself from the feelings this strange girl named Akane provoked in him.
Mousse smiled.
Down on the ground, Tasukin smiled back. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
//ring, ring//
//ring, ring//
//ring, ring//
//ring, ri-//
"Hello?"
"...ugh...eh...um...huh...Uk...Ucchan!..."
"Akane? Akane! What's wrong?"
"It's...It's...It's...Ranma...Ranma...Ranma's the Blue Dragon!"
"What? Akane! What are you saying?"
"I can't...I can't...Ucchan! He's the Blue Dragon! I can't-"
"Akane! Slow down. I- Don't do anything drastic!"
"It's too late for that, Ukyo."
{click}
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Ranma tapped his foot impatiently as he tried to catch some popcorn in his mouth. Akane told him to meet her at this off-the-corner cafe. Her voice had sounded odd, but Ranma decided it was from all the fuss of joining a clan for the first time. After all, even though he had ordered Link to give her the easiest job possible, it must still be difficult for that tomboy. Here, the pig-tailed boy smiled. That tomboy joining a clan! Ha!
Suddenly, a shadow fell over the table and Ranma looked up to see Akane standing there. Her face was clouded and shadowed and she looked as though she had been crying. Ranma stood up.
"Akane, what's wrong?" he exclaimed.
The girl just waved a hand and said, "Sit down, Ranma." Not one to take orders but still desperate to find out what was wrong, Ranma did as he was told. Akane seated herself also and looked down at her clenched hands which she had placed together on the table.
Ranma noticed her knuckles were turning white.
The waitress came over, but Ranma waved her off with a "Later."
"Akane, what's the matter? Is everything okay?" he asked after the woman left. The girl shook slightly (ever so slightly) and her hands clenched each other some more. Finally, she turned to look at him and with fear, he saw that she indeed had been crying. She was crying and her eyes had taken a darker brown.
"I know who you are," she whispered achingly.
Now, Ranma was really confused.
"What do you mean, 'you know who I am'? I'm Ranma-"
"No," she interrupted, her teeth gritting together. "No! You're not."
Ranma's eyes were starting to get shadowed now too.
Akane's eyes were dark now, darker than they've ever been before.
Her next words sent ice down the pig-tailed boy's back.
"Don't lie to me, Blue Dragon," she whispered. It was so soft that a butterfly couldn't have caught it...but Ranma did. He did and he felt the earth drop from under him. There was no back-tracking. There was no need for useless denials.
"How?" he asked. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't remember how to breathe.
"How do I know?" the blue-haired girl asked with pursed lips.
"How do you know," was his reply.
Akane waited a second before leaning in close to him over the table so that her lips were right next to his ear. Then, she said what shattered his world.
"I'm the Scarlet Phoenix."
Ranma's chair scraped the floor as it was pushed back. It's occupant was shaking his head like a frantic person searching for air. Maybe if he shook his head long enough, he could convince himself he had imagined it all. Maybe he could pretend that he would wake up and all this would be was a horrible nightmare. Maybe.
Maybe not.
Akane's chest hurt, but she did not reach a hand out to help him. Every atom in her body ached to reach out and help her boy...but she couldn't. She just couldn't and that pained her so much. There was no winning with these two.
Maybe she could speak to comfort him since physical contact seemed impossible.
"It's true. Get yourself together."
Maybe not.
Akane was angry. She was very, very angry. She was angry at Mousse, she was angry at Ranma...she was angry at herself, but she wasn't that young girl anymore. She was no longer the impulsive, temperamental teenager she had once been. She was the Scarlet Phoenix and her anger was kept in tight reign.
He looked at her, took a deep breath...then pulled the chair back in.
It made sense to him. In his mind's eye, he was clothing her in the Scarlet Phoenix's garb and it fit. She was who she claimed and he couldn't understand how he didn't realize it before. The world just didn't make sense anymore and he was Alice at the tea party.
"Are you okay now?" Akane asked, her voice softer and her eyes beginning to glitter again.
"Yes," he answered and his eyes glittered also.
Before the two could say anymore, however...before they could discuss the situation and agree on peace...before anything good could happen...
...Akane's cell phone rang.
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"What?"
"Akane, get down here. We have trouble."
"Tenchi? What's the problem?"
"I brought the boys down to the dump to arrange business when some of the Blue Dragon's group showed up. None of Rakin's people showed up and now we're going down. Hurry."
"I'll be there. Bye."
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Akane looked up at Ranma and without a word of explanation, got up and headed out of the restaurant. Ranma got up and followed her. The two ran out onto the streets and with feet that were in sync, they made their way to Akane's car. The girl made a few adjustments and in a hidden compartment in the roof of the car was a mask and outfit. Akane put it on and, ignoring Ranma, made her way quickly to the dump behind the gorge.
Ranma grabbed a mask and thin outfit from parts of his clothing (under his shoe, attached to his shirt...) and hurriedly put it on. That done, he caught up with Akane.
The two fighters ran silently side by side. There was nothing to be said. It was all action from here on out. When they made it past the gorge to the dump, the two saw the Blue Dragon's men surrounding the Scarlet Phoenix's battered people. An average person would see no difference between the two sides, but the leaders knew the members of their clan. They knew it like they knew the sky was blue and that the grass was green.
Everyone there looked up at the sight of the leaders.
Everyone that is except two people off in the corner who did not even notice the new arrivals.
Yan, a Blue Dragon man, was leaning over a Scarlet Phoenix girl who was clutching her bleeding stomach. Yan was holding a gun in his hand and was pointing it at the whimpering girl's head. It was a classic battle scene.
To Akane, however, it was different.
The man holding the gun wasn't Yan. He was the blue-tattoo man.
The girl wasn't Awl. She was Tyra.
And this time...Akane wasn't going to hesitate.
The Scarlet Phoenix reached down and pulled the weapon into her hand. She straightened it with two hands and in the next second, a shot rang out. The Scarlet Phoenix never missed. She always got her target. Yan gave a grunt before stumbling backwards and falling down.
Now, it's not as though the Scarlet Phoenix never shot anyone before. It's not even as though she never killed anyone. This time it was different though. This time, Ranma saw her.
The Scarlet Phoenix's hands shook and she returned the weapon back to it's nesting place. She dared not look at Ranma's face.
"Come on!" she yelled to her crew and helping whoever was injured, they made their way out of the dump. The Blue Dragon's men stayed where they were. After all, they were trained enough to know not to move without a direct order.
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It really was quite convenient that Mousse was at her house when Akane stumbled home. She had dismissed the fighters and then quickly made her way home. The Amazon was waiting for her in the living room. When he saw her pale face, Mousse stood up with a shocked expression. He could have won an Oscar if he tried.
"What's the matter?" he asked. The words jumbled around in Akane's brain. People kept asking that. Something was always wrong. Something was always the matter.
"Listen," Mousse said in an understanding and compassionate manner. "I know you don't trust me. You don't have to tell me, I understand. Isn't there somebody you can tell, though? A sensei maybe? An old master that can help you?"
*Of course* Akane thought. She'll talk to Mel. Mel always knew what to do.
Gee, Mousse sure likes to grin a lot, doesn't he?
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Melpomene knew he had been waiting outside the window before he had actually entered. She stood up the greet him with a Queen's stature. Sandy had been standing to the side fixing her a drink and with the presence of the intruder, yelped and dropped the glass. The Lady's lips curled slightly in distaste. Sandy never had much discipline in her.
"What are you doing here? Get out or-" Sandy had made her way towards the intruder. Tasukin gave the girl one glance before hitting her with his elbow and knocking her out cold. Sandy never did have much discipline.
"Hello, Tasukin," she greeted coldly, politely, regally. She was the Lady and it showed.
The man smiled as he stepped over Sandy's body and walked towards the Lady.
"Aren't you glad to see me, Ruki-girl?" he asked, his eyes glazing over like steel.
"The name is The Lady. It would be best for you to remember that," she said. There was nothing left in her for him now.
Tasukin ignored her.
"I've always liked Dragons, Ruki-girl. They fascinate me with their bite and their passion. They are so tragic. Did you hear about my little Dragon, Ruki? You should. Apparently, listen to this, it's very funny. Apparently, he's in love with your little birdie. Isn't that ironic, Ruki? Now, a lot of thing have been set into motion by yours truly." He was only a few inches away from her now.
"Where it ends however, depends on you." He pluck a strand of her hair and held it in front of her eyes. It was white.
"You're getting old, Ruki-girl. You can't save many more of the city's lost children. Come with me, Ruki. Set it right again. Just you and me like it was intended to be." His voice was charming, soothing, hypnotizing. Maybe she would have relented before...but not now.
There was nothing left in Melpomene for this psycho in front of her.
"The name is The Lady," she said slowly and surely.
Tasukin's eyes glittered as a broken smile came across his face.
"You did it. Not me," he said before pulling out the gun.
She was never quite as fast as him.
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Akane knocked impatiently on the hotel door. Her feet moved up and down in agitation. *Hurry, Mel* she thought. It was though she was a kid again and she needed to ask Mel how to hold the knife exactly right. At the time, that had seemed to be the most important decision of her life and Mel had helped her. Odd, the turns that life can take.
Akane rapped on the oor again, this time more hard. The wood shook slightly, but no sound came from behind the door. Where was Mel? She had to be here. She just had to be.
Suddenly, Akane's blood ran cold as ice poured through them. Her instincts, the same instincts that had saved her so many times before, knew...just *knew* that something was very wrong. The blue-haired girl gave a kick to the door so strong that it knocked the thing down. In a hurried fashion, she ran into the room and the sight t hat greeted her made the girl think she had died.
Mel laid on a table covered in blood. Her face was covered with blood, her chest was covered with blood, her legs were covered in blood. The Scarlet Phoenix ran over and grabbed the woman, clutching her to her chest. The Lady laid cold and the beat of life had departed her. Bullet holes covered her chest. She had been shot many, many times.
Akane looked down at the blood-stained note on her Lady's forehead.
And eye for an eye and a tooth or a tooth. You kill one of mine, I kill one of yours. You failed me, Akane and I can never forgive you. The war is on. - Blue Dragon
The Scarlet Phoenix wanted to scream. She wanted to shout and to tear out her heart so that it no longer bled and pained her.
This was not the time for that though. If there was one thing that Mel taught her, it was to always keep her calm and think with her head...no matter how much pain she was in. She would cry her heart out after the war was over.
Ranma...Ranma...Ranma...
How could he? How could he do something so horrible? Then again...she guessed he wasn't her Ranma anymore. In the years in the city...he had became something else. He had became the Blue Dragon, her worst enemy.
The ruthless killer.
Akane felt empty inside...empty except all but one aching, starving hole that screamed for victory and vengeance. That aching hole inside of her that demanded triumph over the other clan. The hole that demanded she protect her own from destruction. The strongest survive, after all.
"Akane...?" the male Amazon walked over to her hesitantly. She did not see the gleam of happiness in his eyes.
The Scarlet Phoenix was back in control.
"See that girl over there? She's still alive. Her name's Sandy. Take her to the hospital, but before you do that, get me the phone."
"Who are you going to call?" Mousse questioned.
"This Lady right here has a very large clan and they all love her very much. We're going to need a lot of back up if we're going to win this war. After you bring Sandy to the hospital, come back. I have a message for you to send."
There was no other emotion in Akane. It was scary, really. All she had filling her was anger... anger and hatred. The same anger and hatred that made the Scarlet Phoenix undefeatable. The same anger and hatred that made her inhuman. The same anger and hatred that demanded the old rule be held true.
You pay for a life in blood.
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//ring, ring//
//ring, ring//
//ring, ri-//
"Hello?"
"Ucchan?"
"Akane? You haven't called me in so long. Are you okay? What happened? Were you telling me the truth before? Is Ranma really the Blue Dragon-?"
"Yes, yes. It's all true. I'm sorry I didn't call you earlier, Ucchan. Ranma is the Blue Dragon and he declared war-"
"What? Akane, slow down, I- does he know you're the Scarlet Phoenix."
"Yes, he knows and he's declared war on me. He killed Mel, Ucchan."
"What?!"
"He killed Mel. He went up to her room and killed her in cold blood. He's not Ranma, anymore, Ukyo. He's the Blue Dragon now and the war is on. I sent Mousse to send him a message."
"Akane, what are you-"
"I have to go, Ucchan. There are things to be done. Bye."
{click}
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Mu Tsu did as he was told. He brought Akane's fighters to the warehouse that the Blue Dragon's men were staying at. Even on the streets, there was an unspoken code of fair fighting. What Mousse with Akane's fighters was nothing short of slaughter. He came in there and destroyed everybody. So many, many died and they did not even had a chance. All the while, there was the most horrible smile on the former Amazon's face. Nobody noticed the man in blue standing over the building with a look of hatred on his face. When Ranma heard the news, he was shocked. He could not deal with it. Death came...but not in such great numbers. His clan was his soul, his heart, his everything. It was an extension of who he was. More horrible yet was the news of the one that had caused the damage.
Nobody could forget what Mousse announced as he gathered up the Scarlet Phoenix's fighters and left.
"This is the first warning from the Scarlet Phoenix! This can only end with the Blue Dragon's death! Make sure you give him the message."
There was only one survivor and he had been the messenger. The Blue Dragon didn't believe it. He didn't want to believe it. One death yes...but mass murder?
Then came Tasukin's voice in Ranma's ear.
"She's not Akane, anymore. You grew up and so did she. She's the Scarlet Phoenix now...and she's out to destroy your clan. Would you allow that to happen, Ranma? All those people counting on you for their existence. Would you fail your clan for one murderer? She is nothing but a shell now. Who she once was is gone. A shell...will you fail your clan for a shell? She's dead...dead...and if she isn't...she should be." Ryoga had been on Ranma's other side, trying to convince him to let it all stop...but his words were for naught.
The clan was Ranma's heart, his soul and his life. He would not fail them.
That night, cries of pain and torture came from the Blue Dragon's office. It was the sound of mourning. He was mourning the dead girl that he lost.
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That night, a package arrived for Akane Vardisi. Nobody saw who brought it, but it was found on the front steps of her mansion.
Inside was a long, limp pig-tail, newly cut and tied at both ends.
On it was a piece of paper that read:
In Remembrance of Ranma Saotome and Akane Tendo.
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What...oh what...had become of Nerima's children?
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Author's Notes: I was reading this over to make sure I don't mess up anything and Red Death's right on one point (one!), the songs are freakin' annoying. They're gone. Don't know what I was thinkin', folks. After this, two more chapters and the SP, BD is done.