Title: You'll See
Author: Becka
Chapter 02: 6-feet Under Concrete
o
Meanwhile, back in the Tendo Dojo, the _original_ Tendo Dojo in the _original_ universe, Nabiki was busy sorting through her list.
They'd been at it for about an hour now. Nabiki would call out the name of some obscure ingredient, and Cologne would check her mental inventory of what she had back at the Neko Hanten, sometimes nodding that she had the item, sometimes not. If Cologne _didn't_ have it, she listed off several places it could be found; Nabiki noted these places beside the name on her list. Kasumi had surprised them, producing several of the ingredients from her kitchen, and Dr. Tofu was able to supply a few more. Ryoga, of course, had picked up many oddities in his travels, and even Cologne was taken aback by the hidden wonders that could be found in his massive backpack. Mousse had a few ingredients, weapons made of the obscure metals needed, within the folds of his sleeves, and Kodachi supplied all of the more poisonous substances. Whatever they did not have went onto Nabiki's paper.
Nabiki looked up at those who watched her, then she put down the list. Her mannerisms were completely business-like. "That's it, then. Out of one hundred and sixty ingredients needed, we have about..." she quickly counted, "... one hundred and seventeen. We still need, let's say, forty-three more. Of those, twenty are indigenous to China, fifteen are in Japan, five can probably be found in curiosity shops, two are mythical legends, and the last one requires a demon to be summoned."
Akane looked at her sister, determination written in every line of her body. "We'll get them."
Nabiki smiled briefly. "I don't doubt it. Here's my plan." She pointed to Shampoo and Mousse and said, "You guys go to China. Out of all of us, you know the area best. Plus, you've got friends there who might be able to help."
She turned to the Kuno siblings. "You two search Japan. And Ukyo will go with you." Nabiki winked at the okonomiyaki chef. "Make sure they behave."
"Ryoga just walks," she continued. Staring at the boy's confused face, she explained, "It doesn't matter where you go. The stranger the place you end up in, the more likely you are to find something we need."
Nabiki glanced at the oldest Amazon present. "Cologne, it's the last three items that we're going to need you to get. Dr. Tofu can help you with the demon-summoning."
"I'll look through the curiosity shops..." she concluded. "I could use a good bargain to cheer me up. And Akane..."
The youngest Tendo daughter managed a half-hearted smile. Nabiki said quietly, "Go with Ryoga. Searching with him is the best thing you can do right now. Plus, when you find what we need, you can help him find his way back here."
Akane nodded. "Sure."
Nabiki looked around, then stood abruptly. "All right. Let me make copies of the list. Everyone take one with you..." She looked down at Ranma and said, "We don't have much time. Let's move it, people."
o
Ranma had died.
Again.
This time he drowned. He'd been surfing (yes, he now knew how to surf), when a colossal wave had come out of no where and capsized his board. Normally, he would have been fine, but he was weaker in girl-form. His legs had gotten tangled in a bit of seaweed and the current had pulled him under before he knew what was happening. Actually, it had been an interesting experience for him. When the water filled his lungs, it didn't hurt. In fact, it had tickled as it sloshed around inside his body. What hurt was not being able to breath.
His body went through the familiar tingling sensation, almost as though he'd been splashed with cold water. He suddenly found himself in another body, another time, and another dimension. As soon as he realized he was no longer underwater, the question, / Where am I? / popped into his mind. The answer followed, of course. He was in his room at the Tek.
/ The Tek? /
The Tek was a hideaway for all gang members who belonged to Vengeance. The building itself was in a run down part of Nerima, the Party Town.
/ Gang? /
Vengeance was the strongest gang around. There was only had one rival who could offer any competition.
/ Who's the rival? /
A group know as Direction , led by Ryoga Hibiki.
Ranma suppressed a snicker.
/ So, who am I in all this? A member of Vengeance? /
A member, boss? You're the founder.
After he searched his newest mind more deeply, he had to shake his head. In this lifetime, his mother had single-handedly raised him. One day, the child he had been arrived home to find a man with a gun standing over his mother's broken body, grinning like a psychopath. The man had laughed down at the frightened little child, backhanding him savagely across the mouth, and beating him within an inch of his life. The man left Ranma for dead, but Ranma refused to die there. He swore on his mother's blood, as he'd stubbornly hauled himself to his feet, that he would find her killer, and he would make him suffer.
So he'd called one of his neighbors and told them in his young six-year-old voice that his mother was dead. He'd stayed to see her buried properly. Later that night, he snuck out of his bedroom window with only a little bit of money and the clothes on his back.
Imagine the surprise of the big, bad, street toughs when a little boy, no more than six or seven, came to them and told them he wanted to learn how to fight. One of the crueler boys, a seventeen year old who had killed and fucked his first the same night, sneered down at the child. "You want to learn to fight, huh? Lesson one, kid – fighting _hurts_."
He'd hit Ranma hard, sending him sprawling to the ground, and all of the boys had laughed. Then one of them noticed something. The kid was slowly standing up, blood trickling from one corner of his mouth. Ranma had spoken softly. He said, "I know. And so does living."
So they hit him again and again, harder and harder, but Ranma refused to give up. Even when his face was puffy, one eye swollen shut, with blood running from the corners of his mouth and nose, he still stood up and asked again. Finally, the toughs looked at each other, then down to the boy who was barely able to stand upright; willpower was the only thing kept him going.
One of them asked, "Why don't you just give up kid? Go home to your mother."
The little boy smiled, and it was a terrible thing to see on a face as young and innocent as his, because it was a twisted grin, a dead man's grin. It appeared on the faces of men just after they knew they'd lost everything. "Mother?" the kid asked. "How can I go home to mommy? She's too far away for me to reach now."
The toughs looked at each other, and one of them offered, "We'll... we'll take you to her, kid. Where is she?"
Ranma swayed on his feet, dizzy from the beating he'd taken. He pointed to the hilt of the man's gun, just visible inside his coat. He cocked his head to the side and said, "She in there, where it's all bloody and painful."
"Your mother's dead, kid?"
Ranma nodded, his eyes transfixed on the gun. Finally, one of them stepped forward, blocking the boy's view. "All right, kid," he'd said, "I'll teach you how to fight, if you think you can take it."
The little boy looked up, and they all saw that terrible expression in his eyes, the crazy deadly kind. With that kind of look, he didn't need to answer.
Here was the result of that conversation, eleven years later. He'd learned how to fight, and he'd used his knowledge to create a gang dedicated to its namesake. He still hadn't found his mother's murderer, but he was confident he would soon. Ranma closed his eyes, remembering the face of his nightmares. Though his counterpart didn't recognize the man, he did. A word, to softly spoken for any to hear issued from his lips.
"Genma."
o
The next day, Ranma sorted through his rather interesting wardrobe. Curiously, he separated his leather chaps from his torn-up jeans, trying to find something comfortable he could wear. He finally settled on a loose pair of black UFOs that resembled the ones he normally wore. Next, he picked a shirt that he deemed the most "normal" of all of them. It was a tight white tank top, made for a man and most commonly known as a "wife beater."
Ranma had chosen it because it was normal and because he could fight in it. What he didn't know was how it made him look to all single, and not-so-single, females. He started to get an idea when a very buff Kodachi, clad in what appeared to be a leather gymnast outfit complete with knee high boots, flung herself into his arms with her usual cry of "Darling!"
Ranma looked down at the girl who clung to his chest, smiling up at him with wide, beautiful eyes.
/ Kodachi? / He blinked. Twice. / Why the hell is Kodachi...? /
His mind answered him. It seemed that in this life, he only had one fiancée, and he loved her unconditionally. He'd never met Akane or Shampoo, and Ukyo was a member of Direction. And the scary thing about it was that he didn't care. He was perfectly content to love Kodachi in this life. In fact, in this life, she was _normal_. Her father had died when she was young, and she and her brother had lived on the streets. Ranma and Tatewake had met up, becoming best friend, and when the older Kuno had introduced his breathtaking sister, Ranma had fallen for her and fallen hard. When he'd found that the attraction was mutual... well, he and Kodachi wasted _no_ time.
Ranma closed his eyes. Akane wasn't here, but his self in this life loved Kodachi. The least he could do was to keep her happy before he died. He held his breath, leaning forward to press a gentle kiss to her cheek. She smiled lovingly up at him, wrapping one wiry arm around his waist as they walked. It was amazing, the differences between his Kodachi and this one. And though he loved Akane completely, he found himself wondering what it would have been like if Kodachi had been a little less crazy in his reality.
She beamed up at him. "Are you ready, darling?"
"Fer what?" He blinked, surprised at his tongue twisted his words around into very broken Japanese.
She laughed, resting her head against his chest. "The fight, of course! You'll win, won't you?"
Before he could answer that with an affirmative, Kuno appeared at his side, grinning madly at Ranma. "Today we answer their challenge, Soatome. Think you can beat that sniveling coward, Hibiki?"
Ranma grinned back, rather excited at the chance to use some of the attacks he'd learned in his past life. Though he was a little bit put off by Kodachi's sweet smile and Kuno's friendly attitude, he still smirked, "Ya might jus' be s'prised, Kuno."
The trio, followed by the other members of Vengeance, made their way to a place directly between the Tek and the Hyat, Direction's hideaway. This place, deemed "Neutral Ground" seemed like the best spot for the fight between the two young leaders.
Searching his memory for the reason _why_ he and Ryoga were supposed to fight, he unexpectedly stumbled upon a memory of a silly challenge, issued only as a joke. He was surprised; despite Kuno and Kodachi's attitudes towards Ryoga, the four of them were really good friends. The only reason the two gangs opposed each other was for challenge and excitement. Ranma and Ryoga had fought in the past, but it was just for fun.
Ryoga was already waiting in the center of the fighting circle, wearing his normal black pants, yellow shirt, and spotted bandana. Ukyo stood at his right hand looking determined, but her eyes softened a little as she saw Ranma.
Each girl in the crowd sighed softly with longing as Ranma stepped into the circle, his visage somber, eyes dark as midnight and heart hard as steel. The two boys eyed each other up and Ranma greeted his friend, "Hey, man. How've ya been doin'?"
Ryoga offered him a not-quite smile. "You know how it is... so, are you ready to fight? Winner takes the title?"
/ At least for this week. /
The pig-tailed boy nodded, extending his hands in a simple defense. Everyone moved forward, eagerly lining up along the edge of the circle as it began. Ranma and Ryoga exchanged a few mock blows, testing the other's defense. Ryoga was surprised, wondering how Ranma had improved so greatly. And there was no doubt that he had improved. He ducked and dodged Ryoga's blows with an ease that bellied itself. His speed and grace was flawless, and the fluency with which he moved made Ryoga feel like a boy facing a master, rather than a man.
Other people started to notice that Ranma wasn't really fighting, just skillfully dodging blows that broke the cement at their feet. He did it without blinking. Ryoga stopped; so did Ranma.
"Fight me for real, Ranma. You owe me that much."
The boy in question shrugged, returning to his defensive position. Ryoga punched again, and this time Ranma didn't dodge. He just brought his hand up, catching Ryoga's fist as though the punch was thrown by a baby, rather than a formidable man. Again and again, Ryoga tried to hit him, and again and again, he caught Ryoga's fist. Finally, just when they thought the fight couldn't get any stranger, Ranma changed his tactics yet again. He started to switch from defensive to offensive. Knocking Ryoga off balance with a solid kick or a punch to fast for the eye to see, Ranma proceeded to show them just how good he was.
Suddenly there was a call from the back of the crowd. "Nice moves, kid. Real fancy against a boy... but can you take on a man?"
Ranma didn't slow down, but he did call back, "Depends who's askin', now don't it."
The crowd parted to reveal a fairly tall man whose hair was going white with age. His dark eyes reflected a cruel spirit and his mouth parted in a mocking parody of a smile. Ranma glanced at his second challenger's face and froze. Not realizing the other boy was distracted, Ryoga swung a fantastic punch at Ranma's face, hitting him fully in the jaw. Ranma didn't move; he didn't even blink.
Ryoga staggered back, clutching his hand in pain.
Ranma's fist clenched. His voice was deceptively soft as he turned to face his challenger. "You're going to die."
The man hopped lightly into the circle. His grin was elated. Ranma hit Ryoga hard, once, and the bandana boy flew into back into the crowd.
Genma giggled, a sound that sent chills through the spines of all present/ "Hello, boy. Miss me?"
The older man got a reaction, though it wasn't quite the one he was hoping for. Ranma lit into him, unleashing a furious wave of fists into his father's stomach. "Why'd you do it, you stupid bastard? Why'd you kill her? Why'd you come back? How'd you find me? Answer me, damnit!"
Ranma slammed the man who had killed him too many times to count into the ground, forcing his face to grind against the cement. Genma giggled again, a high pitched and sickening noise. "You remember me, boy? I'm honored! I..."
Ranma shut him up by slamming his head into the cement again. He gritted his teeth. "Talk."
Genma seemed unconcerned for a man who was being forced to eat concrete. "Well, boy. You see, your mother and I had a thing going even though she knew I was..." Genma made a face, his eyes bulging out unnaturally, "PSYCHO!"
The crowd backed up, watching with a kind of horrible fascination at the scene played out before them. Kodachi, Kuno, Ryoga, and Ukyo all stood nearby, having realized who the mad man was. They all knew of Ranma's loss and the reason he'd started Vengeance.
"She didn't care," the older man continued. "She thought she loved me. And then, just when I was growing tired of her, she told me about you. How much fun! So I left her alone for a few years and then I came back to see you, but you weren't home. So I amused myself while I was waiting for you, made your mother scream and beg. Her blood marked the way to a new era, _your_ era. And now, your era is over with. Now I'm going to finish what I started! Isn't it great?"
Ranma had grown considerable paler at what was revealed. Genma had planned it that way actually, and the moment that Ranma's grip loosened, he reached into his coat and pulled out a Colt 45. With a dark smile, the newly discovered father shot him, two bullets hitting him at point-blank range. It all happened so quickly that no one had a chance to react.
There was silence and Ranma slowly looked down. Blood, darker than sin, covered the front of his white shirt, flowering outward. Almost in slow motion, his eyes widened in understanding, and he stepped back. Kodachi let out a scream and the spell, if spell it was, was broken. Ranma toppled backwards, arms outstretched. He landed in Kodachi's arms, and she held him tightly, sobbing his name.
Then the fireworks started. Ryoga, Ukyo, and Kuno each pulled out their own artillery; each member of the gangs owned several. The three of them pulled the triggers, pumping the man who had killed their friend and leader full of cold hard metal.
Genma staggered back, a cold grin frozen on his face.
That laughing face was the last thing Ranma saw before his eyes glazed over and his mind faded to darkness.
o
Ranma blinked, orienting himself as he invaded another body. His mind was a little bit muzzled, but that always happened when he died. Especially as he remembered _how_ he'd died. His father had killed him again, and he'd laughed about it, just like he'd laughed about his mother's death. Then Ranma looked up.
He was relaxing near the pond, and Akane and Ryoga stood in front of him, looking stern and austere. He blinked again, trying to absorb several facts. The first and most prominent was that Ryoga and Akane held hands and were pressed close to one another in what appeared to be a loving embrace.
"Ranma, I have something to tell you."
Ranma looked at Akane, deciding that this was not a good way to start out his life. She continued, "I... I really didn't want to talk to you like this, but we both think it's best for you to find out sooner than later."
The pigtailed boy started to get a sinking feeling in his stomach, one that had nothing to do with his recent body jump.
"We, that is, Ryoga and I... well, we love each other. We're going to get married."
That sinking feeling slammed down hard in the pit of his stomach. This couldn't happen. His only reason for living couldn't be in love with... he swallowed hard. This wasn't his reality. This wasn't real. But gods, it _hurt_. Unable to stand the pitying look Akane was giving him, Ranma spun. He jumped over the wall to the Tendo Dojo and speed off down the street.
Akane blinked, looking after him. A little noise caught in the back of her throat. The noise tickled its way along her throat, and finally it exploded from her mouth. She doubled over, laughing. "Oh my goddess, that was a performance. I can't believe that dolt actually thought we were serious! You'd think he'd remember April Fool's Day..."
Ryoga laughed too, but his eyes drifted to the fence Ranma had disappeared over. Akane hadn't really been paying much attention to anything else other than the little prank the two of them had agreed to play on Ranma. This was not the case with himself. He'd seen his friend's face pale, and he'd seen the undisguised pain that had haunted Ranma's eyes in the moment before he'd turned and fled.
For the first time, Ryoga wondered if this little joke might not have been such a good idea.
o
Ranma stood on top of one of the many tall buildings in Nerima. It was midday, perhaps a half an hour or so after Akane had professed her undying love for Ryoga. Not that long at all really, since he'd been transported into this body, but enough time for his heart to be broken.
/ Why now? / his mind cried out. Why now? Why here? It hurt that she loved Ryoga. It hurt a lot. So, how to wake up out of this horrible reality? Hah! That was the easy part.
He stood on the roof of an executive building, strands of his hair drifting in the breeze as he stared morosely out over his "home." A few people were beneath him, having finally noticed the pigtailed boy. More and more people gathered in the crowd as they stared up at him and waited for the show to start.
"Hey, kid..."
Ranma glanced over to the emergency staircase where a middle-aged police officer had appeared. He shook his head ruefully; this man had probably been called by one of the spectators. The man would give the old routine of trying to get heart-broken boy away from the ledge and into a psychiatric ward where he could be studied at leisure.
The man, for his part, was not particularly worried. He was an old hand at sweet-talking jumpers away from the ledge. He'd been doing it for years, so he knew every trick in the book. Hell, he'd even written a few new ones. In his honest opinion, jumpers didn't really want to die. Deep down, they knew that this was the only life they were going to get, and they wanted to keep it.
However, this pigtailed boy seemed to be made up of entirely different subject matter. He was not worried, nor did he look unstable. Quite the contrary, he wore a calm, pensive expression on his face as he stared out over the vast city.
"Yeah?" Ranma answered, his eyes still thoughtfully contemplating the sky.
The officer, Hatsuru Sensuko, inwardly blinked. The young boy's voice had not shown any concern for where he was or what he was doing. Oh well, Hatsura sighed, apparently he was going to have his work cut out for him tonight. Might be interesting, though; he hadn't had any challenges like this one for a while.
Hatsuru walked over to the ledge slowly, pulling out a pack of cigarettes, and offered one to the kid. "You smoke?"
Ranma turned from the skyline to face the officer, his eyes tired and sad. And for a moment, looking into the boy's eyes, Hatsuru felt as though he were standing beside a man who'd seen a thousand lifetimes rather than some uppity stripling who thought he had a death wish. "Nah," the kid answered, "At least... not in this life."
The cop shrugged, pulling out a cigarette for himself. He put them away, and patted his pockets as he searched for his matches. He found the box and pulled it out, but after opening, he saw there were none left. He snorted, "Eh, it figures... don't suppose you got a light, kid?"
The boy yawned once, extending his hand forward in front of him. His eyes focused on his palm as he gathered a little bit of fiery chi into his hand.
Hatsuru's eyes widened, and he tried to back up a pace, but he found that his legs were frozen in place. What _was_ this boy? He wished he'd called for backup; he simply wasn't prepared to deal with someone who could make fireballs in his hands. The boy was like a character from one of action cartoons his kids were so fond of.
Ramna leaned over, removing the cigarette from the other man's nerveless fingers. Lazily, he used the chi he had summoned to light it before dispersing the power he had called. After taking a slow and practiced drag on small smoking white role, he handed it back to Hatsuru. He looked out at the sky again, then said, "My name's Soatome. Ranma Soatome. Not 'kid.'"
Hatsuru stared at the... at Ranma. His voice sounded and octave too high, even to his own ears. "What... what _are_ you?"
Ranma laughed softly, but the noise held no mirth. "Me? I'm just your standard issue jumper. That's why you're up here, isn't it?"
The officer's jaw dropped as he tried to form some kind of coherent noise. "I mea.. how did you... what did you...?"
"Oh, you mean this?" Ranma extended his hand again, summoning his chi. Wide-eyed, the man nodded. Ranma snorted, "I'm a martial artist. It's not that hard to do really once you learn how. Shit, I've had a couple lifetimes to learn..."
Ranma regarded the astounded man, reaching one hand out to carefully close his jaw. "You probably don't believe me, right? You just think I'm crazy."
Hatsuru mutely shook his head, his voice distant. "No... no, I believe you..."
And after what he'd just seen, Hatsuru honestly meant that.
The boy thoughtfully tilted his head to one side and murmured, "Do you know what it's like to die?" He continued, leaning forward a little more to stare at the crowd below, "It's pretty strange the first time it happens. Did you know that death isn't always painful?"
The older man blinked. Ranma continued to talk in a bland, informative voice, as though this were a typical conversation about the weather that they were discussing over a cup of tea, rather than on the ledge of a building. "Nope," he said, "death ain't always painful at all. It's sometimes kinda' nice... like when you drown but you're not panicking. It's tickles from the inside as your lungs fill up. And if you get shot right here," he indicated the center of his forehead, "the pain only lasts for a second, and then it's over."
Ranma yawned, one hand toying with his pig-tail, "Actually, death seems pretty good when you think about the alternative of living. What is there really to live for? Love?"
He snorted, answering his own question. "Yeah, right. _Love_. You meet her, and _you_ tell me that she loves me when she rips my heart out of my chest..."
Hatsuru cleared his throat, as though he were going to say something, but Ranma held up a hand. In a quiet voice, he said, "Could you to do me a favor? Find Akane Tendo and Ryoga Hibiki, and tell 'em... tell 'em it's better this way. Ain't no one who's gonna' miss me in this life, and I'd just be in their way. Tell 'em..." Ranma smiled softly, "Tell 'em I'm sorry I'm such as jerk, would ya'?"
The officer who thought he'd seen it all, until now, nodded mutely. Ranma turned around, his back facing the open air. He gave a genuine smile to Hatsuru. "Hey, it's been nice talkin' to you, but I got an appointment with destiny, and she doesn't wait around for anybody. Look me up if you're in the cemetery sometime."
Hatsuru stepped forward, "Wait!"
He shook his head, "Sorry, but no can do. All those people down there are waiting to see me jump, soar, and splat. Hell, I never could disappoint a crowd. Later."
Ranma winked once at Hatsuru, then extended his arms, and jumped away from the edge. He soared away from the edge, oblivious to the shouts of encouragement and fear. A small smile crossed his lips, and his last thought in this lifetime was, / I've never jumped off a building before. This is probably going to hurt like a bi- /
_Splat._
o
Akane, Ryoga, and the rest of the Tendo family, along with Genma Soatome, sat at the supper table, laughing about the joke.
Ryoga laughed along with them, but his thoughts strayed towards the expression he'd seen on Ranma's face, and he couldn't shake the nagging feeling that something was wrong. Still, he'd laughed.
They all laughed.
There was a knock on the door and Kasumi stood, walking out of the room to answer it. She left the mirth filled table with a grin on her face and opened the door. But when she walked back into the room, followed by a middle-aged police officer, she wasn't smiling.
The officer entered the room slowly, his hat tucked politely beneath his arm. He was pale, and when he spoke, his voice sounded shaken. "Are Akane Tendo and Ryoga Hibiki here?"
Akane and Ryoga stood, smiling curiously at the man. Akane answered him, "Yes, that's us. Is something wrong, officer?"
The man looked down at his hands and swallowed. "My name is Hatsuru Sensuko. I work for the Police Department. Earlier on this morning, I was called to talk a young jumper down from the ledge of an executive building."
His words were met with silence, and Ryoga stared incredulously at the man. "Who?" he asked.
Hatsuru answered, "Ranma Saotome. I was unable to convince him to step down, though before he jumped, he asked me to relay a message to Akane Tendo and Ryoga Hibiki. 'Tell them,' he said, 'that it's better this way. And tell them I'm sorry I'm such a jerk.'"
Akane slumped to the ground in utter shock, and Ryoga closed his eyes. Everyone was staring at Hatsuru, and Soun spoke up hesitantly, "Did he... say anything else...?"
The officer nodded, "He did. He talked a little bit about death with me, and he seemed like he was... special, you know? He seemed... noble. It was an odd feeling to get about someone while they're standing at the edge of a building ready to jump, but that's the best way I can describe it. He seemed like he was someone who could have anything he wanted... so, do any of you have an idea why he jumped?"
No one spoke. Hatsuru looked around at them, "I'm sorry, but I'm trying to find out why a young man with so much would give it all up. Surely you must have some idea?"
Ryoga's voice was a hoarse shadow of its former self as he whispered, "April... Fools..."
o