Scarlet Phoenix, Blue Dragon
Chapter 12, The Invisible Line
Author's Notes: How long has it been? I've been really busy, folks, or else I would have updated all of my stories. (well, let's not lie, most of them). To anyone who cares, listen to Ani Difranco and read the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy by Philip Pulman. You won't regret it. After this comes the last chapter to this short story. Hoped it was a good ride for ya'll too, 'cause I sure had fun.
Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 belongs to Rumiko Takahashi. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The small room was full of shadows. Even the man propped on the wooden chair with his feet on the metal desk was a shadow. The man's dark-haired head lay tilted over the top of the chair. He breathed in and let out a breath that was full of air and regret. In the doorway, a figure appears. This figure is not a shadow. He has spent the same number of years among the shadows as the one by the desk and yet the shadows has not consumed him. He was still warm. How very rare.
The figure slowly walks towards the desks. He stares at the stranger's face behind the mask. He looks at the short hair and the closed eyes. He wonders how many times a person is allowed to die before they actually get to rest.
"Still here, Ryoga?" the shadow asks.
The man brushed the question aside. It was irrelevant at the moment.
"I thought about it. You can still stop this. It's isn't too late for you...or for her," Ryoga pleaded.
"But it is too late, Ryoga," the shadow-man said as he lowered his feet, opened his eyes and sat up. The blue-dragon mask on his face seemed to come alive. "It's too late for West and Quaren and Tami and-"
"I wasn't talking about them!"
"Well, I am!" the Blue Dragon shouted as he stood up. "Someone needs to remember them! Someone needs to keep their souls at rest inside their graves. If I don't do it, who will?"
Ryoga's eyes glittered. He was tough...but he there was a reason he never became clan leader.
"Then what? Huh? You kill Akane and then what? Somebody will avenge her and kill you and then someone will avenge you and it doesn't end. Do you want a massacre?"
The Blue Dragon tightened his jaw and pushed past.
"You wouldn't under-"
Ryoga grabbed the Blue Dragon and moved him so that they were face to face.
"Do you? Those kids out there look at you as though you're their sun and their moon. You saved them and they would listen to you even if you told them you were going to kill death itself. Do you want those kids to die, Ranma? Do you?!" Ryoga was screaming now.
"Let me go. Ranma is dead."
The words were cold. They were cold because they came from a shadow. Ryoga let his hands go as though he was afraid if he held on any longer, he too would become a shadow. Disgust rose in his throat.
How soon we forget the person we once were.
"You're really serious about this, aren't you? You really plan to kill Akane...Akane..." Ryoga stammered as he backed away. His hands moved around aimlessly, searching for something they could feel. They were searching for something real.
In the end, Ryoga's hands just fell to their sides.
"Akane was a dream, Ryoga. A nice dream, but a dream, nonetheless," Ranma, or the man that had once been the boy named Ranma, said. His voice was that of a parent telling them the truth about reality to a child. His voice was stern and it was strong.
Ryoga stopped. He stood straight and his eyes squinted slightly.
Now, it was his turn.
"Akane's a real person, Ranma. She's a living, breathing person with sisters and friends. She's real, Ranma. Her sister's name is Kasumi. Her nieces and nephews are-"
Ranma's face scrunched up, whether in pain or anger Ryoga couldn't tell, and with a push, Ryoga slammed against the wall.
"Shut up! She's not real!" and with that, Ranma walked out.
Ryoga stared in shock at his body against the wall.
He's gone crazy, Ryoga thought. And he's going to bring them all down with him.
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Kasumi moved swiftly through the hotel room, grabbing toys from the floor and clothes from the closet. Tears streamed like two rivers down her clear cheeks and though she continually moved her hands to wipe them away, her cheeks were never dry. It was almost worth laughing at. This wasn't like her at all. Kasumi had sent Tofu to take the children to one last trip around the city while she packed. She did not like deceiving her kids but they would not be happy if they found out that they were leaving without saying good-bye to their Aunt Akane.
A brief knock on the door stopped the light-haired woman momentarily.
"Yes?" she asked, trying to clear her voice.
"The manager told me to ask you, Tendo-san, if you would want anything before you leave," a young male voice said.
"Thank-thank you. No-um...actually, can you get me some toys from the gift shop?" Kasumi asked.
"Of course, Tendo-san," was the reply.
"Thank you."
Kasumi wiped another hand across her face. It smudged and the smudge seemed to press down deep into her soul. She hated being unclean It always made her feel as though she was losing the iron control she had over her life. Sighing, the woman dropped the clothes back onto the bed and walked over to the hotel mirror. As she started to place a wet napkin on her face, a knock was heard.
"Coming, and thank you so much, -"
The door opened. Kasumi stared blankly at the familiar figure in the doorway. The figure burst into hiccupping sobs.
"I-I'm suh-sorry," the figure said. It was simple and it was sincere.
Kasumi opened her arms and hugged the other woman tight.
That's what sisters do for each other.
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"Sandy."
The girl turned around, brushing her knuckles over her nose and sniffing.
"What?" she demanded. She squinted slightly before her eyes widened ins shock and puzzlement.
"Link?" she asked. Was it really him? What was he doing here?
"Yeah," the boy confirmed before putting his hands into his pockets. He looked slightly uncomfortable.
Sandy looked around.
"What-? Why are you here?"
Link looked up.
"I heard about the Lady. Decided to come over and help, you know. Pay my old debts-"
Sandy interrupted him. The shock was gone now and with it's departure came realization.
"Don't you work for the Blue Dragon?" she interrogated. She was Mel's daughter, after all.
"I used to," Link answered nonchalantly. "I don't anymore. I know where my loyalties lie, Sandy, and my debt to the Lady is greater than my life can pay. I will seek vengeance on the Blue Dragon with or without your help-"
"Okay!" Sandy said before he could continue. She gave him a helpless look. He smiled. It was a deal.
"Who are we working under?" Link suddenly said, getting down to business.
"You remember the Scarlet Phoenix?"
"Yeah."
"That's who."
Link walked closer and said for conversation's sake, "I saw Mel's favorite the other day. Fe-fe. Is she going to help us?"
Sandy looked pointedly at Link. She was going to enjoy telling him this.
"What are you talking about?" she said nonchalantly. "Fe-fe is the Scarlet Phoenix."
You think people would stop becoming shocked at this tiny little fact by now.
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"So, gather the crew and bring them over to-"
The Scarlet Phoenix stopped. She and Fliye turned to look at the girl in the doorway.
"I must be going now," Fliye said as she ducked her head and exited.
"Good-bye and thank you," Akane called after her. Ukyo's eyes narrowed and her brows creased. She entered the room slowly.
"Was that Fliye, Akane?" she asked.
"Don't question my methods, Ukyo," Akane said briskly as she sat down at her desk and shuffled some papers around.
"Sugar, you're not really planning a war against Ranma, are you? It's Ranma, for goodness sakes!"
Akane looked up, her eyes blank.
"The Blue Dragon killed Mel, Ukyo. He killed Mel and he declared war."
"Akane..."
A long time ago, before Ukyo had known Akane, before she had really known her, she had seen Akane as just another stranger. It was the oddness that came with an acquaintance. You knew them, but you really didn't know them at all. Ukyo was slowly beginning to feel that way again.
She used to know how to reach Akane. She used to know what made her laugh and made her cry. Now, she did not know what to say at all.
"Akane...please..." she started, then stopped. A dull pain started in Ukyo's head. She was getting too old for this. She was getting too old for this game. The world suddenly seemed to have dumped all it's weight on her.
"I have to go!" she said and ran out of the room, clutching her mouth.
Akane didn't notice.
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A phone rang somewhere.
Somewhere, a girl picked it up.
Somewhere, someone said, "Hello."
Somewhere else, someone else said, "Can you please meet me at my hotel room? There is something I need to talk to you about."
Somewhere someone sighed but agreed.
Somewhere, someone was getting ready to make the biggest decision of their life.
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Akane stepped out of the elevator and slowly walked to the room door. She checked her watch in agitation before straightening her clothes.
Only for you, Kasumi, she thought wryly and gave a brief knock.
The door flew open as though the person on the other side had been waiting for this their entire life.
Doors open all the time and sometimes, whatever is on the other side will hurt us very much. It is up to us whether we will walk through the door or close it.
Akane took one look at the person on the other end of the doorway.
She blinked.
She turned around and walked away.
"Akane!" the woman yelled and chased after her sister. Nabiki grabbed her arm before she could enter the elevator. Akane shrugged off the hand and without acknowledging her sister, walked towards the stairs.
"You can't just walk away!" Nabiki shouted.
Akane kept on walking.
Nabiki ran and stood in front of the door leading to the stairs.
"You'll have to face me sometime..." Nabiki said but her voice trailed off as she finally saw Akane's face. It was lined with tears.
"I hate you..." the younger Tendo whispered. Then, her eyes flashed and her anger spilled out. Her voice remained level and civil, however.
"I hate you. You can't possibly know how much I do. I only hate two people in my entire lifetime and you are one of them. I don't want to have anything to do with you. In fact, I would prefer it if you went back to whatever hole you crawled from and left me and my sister alone. We'll just pretend this never happened," Akane said.
Nabiki didn't think she could speak over the pain, but somehow she managed.
"What happened to you?" she questioned.
Akane smiled.
"I grew up, Nabiki, courtesy of you," Akane said. Now, Nabiki was angry.
"Oh no! Don't you dare put this on me!"
"Oh, and what am I supposed to do? Thank you? Gee, thanks for abandoning everybody when they needed you most."
"I know I wasn't right. I know it was horrible for me to leave. But let's get one thing clear. It is not my fault you turned out the way you did. I was just a kid too, Akane! I was scared-"
"So were we but we didn't leave!"
"Oh, and if I had stayed, what then? I would have ended up being the one to go to the city. You aren't angry at me for leaving, little sister. You're angry at me because I wasn't there to make the sacrifice. We both know it couldn't have been Kasumi, she's made enough sacrifices. When it came down to it, it was either you or me and I was smart enough to save my hide-"
The sound of the slap echoed down the hallway.
"Hit a little too close to home, did I?" Nabiki said.
"You were a coward, Nabiki. Whatever else the situation may have been, it still doesn't change the fact that you were a coward."
With that, Akane pushed past her and left.
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Outside, Akane bumped into someone.
"Oh. Akane!" Kasumi said brightly. "Did you talk to Nabiki?"
"I don't ever want to hear her name again, Kasumi," the woman said vehemently and started to walk away. Kasumi's brow creased.
"You can't go on like this, Akane," she said. Akane stopped.
"I know all about you and Ranma. You both are going to end up killing each other and taking half of this city with you. Don't let that happen. I know you're better than that. Tofu, the children and I will be heading back to Nerima with Nabiki. Come back with us, Akane. You did your job. You kept us alive. Now, just let it go," the older sister said.
Akane turned around and ran to hug her sister tight. She was sobbing.
"I want to, Kasumi. I really do...but I can't," she sighed achingly.
The ground fell beneath Kasumi's feet but she continued to stand strong.
"It's okay. It's okay. We all love you, Akane. Just remember that and do what you feel is right..."
Akane let her sister go, sniffed, smiled and walked away.
Kasumi knew in her heart that was the last time she would be seeing her little tomboy of a sister.
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Ukyo had been wandering through the Blue Park when the sound of sirens caught her ear. Like a martial artist knows when the next move was going to hit, she knew something was wrong. The girl ran till she reached the scene. Ukyo had seen a great many number of things in her life and she thought nothing could break her heart again, but this did.
The entire street was painted with blood. People crowded around the edges to see. There were bodies being carted away and bodies still lying there. This was organized chaos in the purest sense. Rushing over, Nabiki pushed past the police to Tenchi who was getting his arm bandaged.
"Why are you here?" she screeched.
"The Scarlet Phoenix told me to keep watch here with the others. Some of the Blue Dragon's people came by and-and-" the boy started to cough violently.
Ukyo couldn't believe what she was hearing.
She sent you out here to die, she thought. She sent you out here to die.
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Somewhere, a man was saying something to a Blue Dragon.
Somewhere the Blue Dragon rose in his fury and said, "Let her have what she wants."
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Akane ran into the apartment building. In her joy, she did not care for anything else but spreading the news. The Scarlet Phoenix stopped short when she saw the bustling girl packing.
"What are you doing?"
Ukyo looked up briefly before moving back in horror. Finally, she contained herself and started towards her packing again.
"Packing. I'm leaving. I don't want this anymore," she declared.
"I-"
The brown-haired girl whirled around, her eyes glistening, her cheeks blooming.
"You sent them out there to die! How could you do that? You put them straight into the Blue Dragon's territory just so you could attack his West office. You knew they were going to die! How could you? Tenchi...they were people!" she shouted. Never in her life had Ukyo been this furious.
Akane gulped.
"Sacrifices have to be made in this business, Ucchan. You know that-" Akane started bt was cut off.
"We make the sacrifices, Akane! Not them! They were our family. You practically gave your children up for slaughter. I...I can't deal with this."
Akane waved the note.
"Not now, Ucchan. We're so close to victory. The Blue Dragon sent the note of official challenge. With our troops and Sandy's, we can't lose-"
Ukyo groaned.
"Akane, listen to yourself! I don't care about your damn victory anymore. I just want this killing to stop! What happens if you do win, huh? What then! I'm leaving, I know Kasumi's leaving and you're going to kill the only one you ever really loved," here Akane's face closed off.
"I thought you would understand," she said.
"Oh, but I do," Ukyo spat out bitterly before closing her suitcase and exiting the room. "And it scared the hell out of me. Goodbye, Akane. Don't call me when the call of the children at night keep you up."
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The sun shone off the clean deck of the ship. All around her was water and as far as the girl could see, there was nothing but ocean. The breeze lifted her light brown hair and carried it. It carried her heartbreak with it. Something to her left caught the girl's eye. She turned there and pulled her sunglasses down.
She smiled.
"Hey, pig-boy, why are you here?" she called.
The figure turned around slightly in surprise before seeing her.
"Trying to escape my life," he told her.
"Me too," she said. "Want to keep me company?"
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