Scarlet Phoenix, Blue Dragon
Chapter 13, Is This The End?
Author's Notes: I wrote this way before I should have. Around the ninth chapter I think. Sort of weird, huh? It all ends in the 13th chapter. That can't be good. Well, it certainly has been a long and interesting ride and I managed to get out with my share of scratches. My writing certainly have improved since the first chapter (wonder who could tell) and I hope it will continue to becomes better. Well, do, as a final gesture for the ending of this story, e-mail me at silverflame_maiden@hotmail.com and tell me what you think.
Disclaimers: Ranma 1/2 and all its characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi.
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Hundreds of people stood in the dark alleyway like warriors ready to defend their country and kill the invader...and in a way it was like that. The lights were dim and somewhere far off water dripped slowly, achingly in torture. The woman now and forever known as the Scarlet Phoenix turned her eyes to stare at those around her. To her left stood Mousse, all decked out in his infamous outfit of black and white. His dark black eyes were hard, cold...dead. He didn't see her stare at him...too concentrated was he on the opponent. Mousse...why was he here? The one that was supposed to be here was Ukyo...her best friend...her sister...Ucchan was supposed to be here when the victory was hers. Where was Ukyo now?
Gone.
Just like everyone that had mattered in her life. The ones that had loved her and stood by her through the darkest moments in her life. They weren't here.
A tear made it's way down Akane's smooth cheek.
No one saw it but Ranma.
Everyone tensed as they saw the Scarlet Phoenix slowly reach into her red coat and pull out a black weapon. Without taking his eyes off his opponent, the Blue Dragon did the same. The two pointed the gun at the other...
...straight at where the heart was.
"This is the end..." Akane said softly.
"...the end..." Ranma echoed.
Suddenly, Akane's face hardened.
Click.
Bang!
A roar and then shouts.
Akane felt fire burn into her left shoulder and with a small smile she fell backwards. Before she hit the floor she felt warm arms wrap around her tightly. Through the already heavy eyelids, she saw Ranma's dark eyes and pale face. His eyes were searching her own. Searching and begging.
Around her she heard buzzing and rustling. She heard screaming and all the screams were the same.
"...the bullet was a blank..."
"...why didn't it hit him..."
"...it was a blank..."
"...a blank..."
"...why did she shoot a blank!..."
"...look! There are no bullets..."
Ranma was shaking her now. He was shaking her and crying. She didn't think she ever saw him cry like this before. They were throw-up sobs. With every sob, he threw up a part of his soul. He's pouring his soul into me, was her hazy thought.
"Don't...don't go...Akane...please...please...I'm sorry...please..."
He was begging her between sobs. Just like a child, came the irrational thought.
"Ranma..." she said and touched his dark hair to the tips. It was so short now. The pigtail was gone.
Her words calmed him and his sobs came slower and quieter until they were practically nonexistent.
He inquired, "Why, Akane?"
Her eyes squinted so that his face would become clearer. Everything was so cold. Every part of her body had gotten so cold. All except for the place where the bullet hit.
"You pay for a life in blood...I paid with mine..." she stated slowly. It was hard getting the words out for more reasons then one.
"Besides," she said with a little smile. "I'm not the only one that relented. You shot me in the shoulder. Now, I know that wasn't a miss. If I had actually shot you..."
Now, Ranma smiled a little too.
"You'll live, Akane. I had to make sure you'd live."
Her eyes started to droop now.
Her last thought was...
...Nabiki was right...me and Ranma *are* idiots...
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Mousse stood in silence, his eyes glued to the crying boy clutching Akane. His face was pale and he was shaken. He didn't think he could breathe. Her bullet was a blank. HER BULLET WAS A BLANK! Why? Why did she do that? What in the world could have possessed the strong woman he's known all these days to turn so weak?
Finally, the answer came to Mousse but he fought it. He fought it until the truth prevailed. He fought it until Ranma's head moved slightly and he saw the smile on Akane's face.
There was no denying the truth.
She loved him.
And even despite everything that Ranma did to her and her clan, she was still willing to die to wash away all his wrongdoings. He knew Akane wasn't being a good person. She wouldn't have given up everything for anyone else but Ranma.
Mousse's heart constricted and he clutched his chest as he fell onto his knees.
Even on her deathbed, Shampoo had still been cursing him and calling for her airen.
Mousse's heart gave another tight squeeze and he moaned in pain as tears streaked down his face.
"Damn you Saotome..." he whispered. "Why do you always have to win?"
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Tasukin watched the confusion and panic below him in detachment. His face was impassive and unreadable. His eyes a blank. The carnage meant nothing to him, as did the outcome. He couldn't care less about any of them. He didn't know why he had taken the little dragon in years before. It's not as if he cared for the boy. It wasn't as though he wanted to leave a legacy of any kind. Most likely because he had seen so much good in the boy and the maliciousness in him couldn't help but take pleasure in corrupting that innocent heroism.
In the end, even through his teachings, that same goodness saved the boy.
The girl's development through this, however, was different and the way she acted couldn't have shocked Tasukin more. Who knew she had that kind of rare courage in her?
Cold steel touched the back of Tasukin's neck and a click was heard.
Tasukin smiled.
His first smile since Melpomene's death.
"Ruki-girl...Ruki-girl...my my Ruki-girl..." he sang softly before a roar filled his ears and everything was gone.
Tasukin's dead body slumped over as blood poured out.
"For you, mom," the girl whispered before pocketing the gun.
Sandy walked off the roof.
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Six years. My goodness...six years...
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Sunlight surrounded the outside cafe. It w as a beautiful day with chirping birds and clear, blue sky. On one of the umbrella-table seats sat a scowling young man with thick, dark hair. His clothing was odd and every now and then somebody would give him a second glance. Usually, the person was female. The scowling guy looked at the watch on the wall of the open cafe before two smooth hands covered his eyes.
"Guess who?" a laughing female voice asked.
The guy continued to scowl as he turned around.
"What took you so long?" he demanded.
"I had stuff to do. I'm here now."
The hands dropped from his eyes and the female, which the voice belonged to, sat in the chair opposite his. She had long, brown hair tied with a white bow and wore a lined, black and white, skirt suit that came from Paris. She placed some shopping bags on the floor next to her feet and shot a brilliant smile Ryoga's way.
He couldn't help the returning smile.
"What do you have in those bags?" he questioned quizzically. Ukyo's smile got wider. She reached at a bag near her feet and fumbling through it awhile, pulled something out.
"Close your eyes," she told the boy. Grumbling, Ryoga did so. Ukyo stood up and walked behind him.
Ryoga felt something wrap around his head and hair before hearing Ukyo say, "Open them now."
He knew what she had got him before his hand reached up and touched it. It was a black and yellow bandanna. Tears came to his eyes.
His friend's beautiful face appeared before his own, her brown eyes dazzling.
"I found it at this old store behind Miritzi's. I knew it was perfect the moment I touched it. What do you think?" she wanted to know.
Ryoga gave a slight gasp before reaching out and squeezing her close to his chest.
"Thanks, Ucchan," he rasped.
Ukyo grinned some more.
They weren't lovers yet but they were close friends and becoming closer every day.
Unlike Ranma and Akane, they knew to live life in the present.
Unlike Ranma and Akane, they had time.
Yes, they could go about this at their own pace.
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The woman that walked down the street looked like she could have owned the district of Nerima. Her clothes were immaculate, her hair was perfect and her face was chiseled perfectly. She walked with a straight back and high head as though she knew within her that she was worth every cent in the world. Somehow, those that watched her felt she was right.
What this woman of such high standards was doing in Nerima and that street in particular was still a matter of questioning. Maybe she was here to buy out all of the land and build a shopping plaza. Maybe she wanted to inspect the area for a future home site. Maybe she was-
All thoughts stopped when they saw her turn and enter one home without knocking.
What was she doing in Dr. Tofu's house?
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Nabiki walked straight into the kitchen where she knew Kasumi would be with the kids. The beautiful mother hummed a soft tune as she chopped some vegetables by the counter. The little boy turned his head from the picture he was currently coloring on the kitchen table to smile at his aunt.
"Hi, Auntie 'biki," he yelled.
"Hey kid," Nabiki laughed as she ruffled his hair.
"Hello Nabiki," Kasumi greeted without turning her back to the corner. Nabiki walked over and stood by her sister.
"Hi Kasumi. What are you doing?" she asked. Kasumi's hand never stopped kneading the dough.
"Just making some bread," Kasumi answered.
"Oh," murmured Nabiki. She turned around and placed her elbows on the counter. She watched Kasumi's kids.
"Do you think they're together?" she whispered. It was a stray thought, something that was always pounding softly in her mind.
Kasumi's hands stopped for one split second before continuing at their previous task.
"Who, Nabiki?" she questioned innocently.
"You know who, Kasumi," she said bluntly, slightly annoyed that her sister knew but still asked her.
Kasumi thought about this. She was one of the rare ones who thought carefully before they spoke.
"I believe that...wherever they are...they are there together. Yes, that's what I believe," she said.
Nabiki thought about this for a second before giving her own input.
"I don't," she stated. This seemed to jolt the other sister somewhat and had her cease working. She turned around with a slight hint of puzzlement on her face.
"Why not?"
"Because," Nabiki answered, "they would not be able to stand being with each other. No matter how much they love each other, they hate each other all the more. They remind each other of all their bad deeds-"
"I think you're wrong, Nabiki," Kasumi interrupted. "I think they're stronger than that. I don't think those two would run away from anything."
Nabiki turned around and looked forward again. Kasumi went back to her kneading.
"Yeah," she said finally. "I think you're right. Certainly gives you hope for the world, doesn't it? I mean, if those two could get along." She gave a slight laugh. That one laugh got bigger and then she couldn't stop. Kasumi smiled and joined in.
Kasumi's son looked up at them oddly before leaving the room. The sun slanted into the clean kitchen with the two laughing sisters. Nabiki held onto Kasumi's arm so she could stay upright.
Sometimes you just need to laugh.
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The jail cell was dank. It was dark and it was dirty. There was a repugnant odor in the air. Somewhere, someone was screaming down the hall. It didn't matter though. It was nighttime and most of the prison birds were asleep. Not all of them.
In his cell, Mousse stared at the bottom of the top bunk.
"Hey Moussey."
Apparently, his cellmate wasn't asleep either.
"Isn't today someone's anniversary?"
Mousse refused to answer.
"Was it your-no. Could it be the-no. Oh wait! I know! It's the day your girlfriend dies, right?"
Mousse's hands clutched at the thin mattress beneath him.
"Oh yeah. That's right. Only she wasn't your girlfriend, was she?"
The fingernails on Mousse's hands started to tear off and blood dripped onto the mattress.
"Yeah. She didn't even care about you. She hated you, didn't she? Yeah. Everybody knows. Ha-ha. Yeah. Everybody knows what a whore she-"
The man was dragged out of his bunk and his head was slammed into the brick wall. He laughed as it connected again and again. He stopped laughing after awhile. Mousse didn't stop slamming the man's head though.
He didn't stop until the authorities came and pressed something into his arm. That was three men already.
He would be moved into the mental jail ward where he would live the rest of his days in solitude.
He would live there as visions of a purple-haired Amazon haunted him until his dying day.
We all can't have happy endings.
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Ruki was a happy child. She had a mother and father who loved and adored her. Very rarely was she ever unhappy. The only times she were ever unhappy was when she saw mommy cry and mommy only cried on this day. Though years before she would fully realize the significance of this day, she knew it was not a good day. It made her mother cry and her father sad. She did not like this day at all. The car stopped and her father turned off the engine. He sat there waiting for awhile, staring at the window though he looked as though he was staring at nothing at all.
"Let's go," he finally said before he opened the door on his side. Ruki and her mommy followed. They walked out of the parking lot and into the cemetery. Ruki's mommy took one of her small hands and her father took the other. Ruki swung from their arms as the three walked along. She looked up to see the sunlight bounce off her mommy's sunglasses.
Finally, they arrived at the right grave. The grave was clean from moss of weeds because he mother cleaned it every year.
At five, Ruki already knew how to read and she shivered at reading her own name on the tombstone.
"Here, honey," Ruki's mommy said as she handed Ruki a small flower and gave her a tiny push.
Ruki walked up slowly to the grave and placed the flower beside the tombstone. She turned around to look at her parents.
"Go on and play, Ruki," her father said. "Mommy has to talk to grandma."
Ruki looked at her mother who was taking off her sunglasses and bending down before turning around and walking off.
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"Ow!"
Ruki gave a yelp and moved a few feet backwards as the boy scrambled up. She had kicked him while she was walking along. Mommy had always told her to watch where she was going.
"I'm sorry!" she exclaimed before rushing forward to look at the red scratch on the boy's stomach.
He pushed her away.
He considered her a second to see if she was sincere before nodding.
"It's alright," he said finally. "I shouldn't have been laying there."
The boy looked at her closer before asking, "What's your name?"
"Ruki," she answered cheerfully.
The boy's face split into a grin.
"Ruki-girl," he laughed. Ruki smiled too.
"What's your name?" she asked.
"Tasukin," he answered as he sat down and leaned against a tree. It provided shade from the sun.
Ruki sat down beside him.
"That's odd," she commented in the way children do.
Tasukin shrugged before explaining, "My mom and dad say it's to remind them."
"Remind them of what?"
"I don't know. Just to remind them, I guess," he answered.
"Well, I'm named after my grandmother," Ruki offered.
"Really?" Tasukin chuckled.
"Yep. That's why I'm here. We come here every...uh...every year, I think to visit her," she told him.
"That's weird," the boy said.
"Why?"
"Because me and my mom and my dad come here every year too. We visit my grandpa. I never see you."
Ruki shrugged.
"Well, I was always here. I guess you just missed me. Oh, guess what?" she exclaimed as though they were old friends.
"What?" he yelled back excitedly as though they were.
"I'm getting a bunny today. I saw it in the pet shop the other day. Nobody wanted it because it's leg was broke but I wanted it! So, me and mommy are going back to get it today," she informed him dreamily.
Tasukin didn't understand.
"Why would you want a bunny with a broken leg?" he asked her.
"So, I could save it," he told him simply.
Something happened then. A click. A life. Then, it was gone.
Tasukin shook his head.
"Tasi!" a voice yelled out. Tasukin jumped up.
"That's my mom. I can tell by her yell. I have to go. Will you be here next time?" he asked her urgently.
"I...I think so," she answered, unsure.
"Promise?" he said, extending his pinky.
"Yeah!" she yelled, jumping up and hooking her pinky with his. They smiled at each other for a moment before another, "Tasi! Where are you?" broke through.
"Bye!" he yelled back at her as he raced off.
"Bye," she whispered.
She saw him run off to a couple. Once he reached them, the man grabbed Tasukin and placed him on his shoulder. It was odd. Ruki didn't think that grown ups wore pigtails. Tasukin's mom was pretty, but there was something familiar about her. A picture somewhere. A picture that mommy hid in her drawers. A picture with mommy and daddy and grandma and a lot of people, but Ruki had remembered this woman. She had remembered this woman because she was the only one that stood right next to grandma. Even mommy didn't stand right next to grandma in the picture.
She hadn't understood then but she understood now. There was something about the woman that Ruki loved, something that was very similar to her own.
"Ruki!"
"Coming mommy!" she yelled before racing back to her mother.
Her mother grabbed her hand and put her sunglasses back on.
They walked to the car.
"Do you know what you're going to name your bunny, sweetheart?" Ruki's mommy asked her in the car.
"Yeah!" she yelled.
"What?" her father asked pleasantly.
"Fe-fe," she answered.
The car jerked to a stop and her parents stared at each other with ashen faces.
"What did you say?" her father asked.
"Fe-fe," she replied.
"Why...why that name?" her mother cried.
"Because..." she answered. Her parents stared at each other for awhile before deciding it was just a coincidence. They drove on.
Ruki stared out the window.
She didn't tell her parents but deep inside her, so deep even she didn't know, she knew something.
She knew that her baby phoenix had finally settled.
The End.
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Author's Notes: Well, that was certainly a hack of a ride, wasn't it? Who thought Sandy was gonna kill Tasukin raise your hand. Stop lying! :) E-mail me at silverflame_maiden@hotmail.com and tell me what you think.