I would like to devote this chapter to "Carmen" for reviewing (giving me
thirty) and encouraging me to do something w/ this pile of rubbish!
Thankies. REMEMBER!! Akane doesn't remember everything yet!!! BTW, I plan
to edit my ENTIRE STORY soon so it will be all shiny and new and
unrecognizable! But I will be sure to keep in all the good stuff!
Disclaimer: Ranma belongs wholly to Akane!!! (And vise versa)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nabiki sat silently on her bed. Ranma had left about an hour ago, and Akane was asleep now. The girl sighed heavily as she lay back onto the mattress, trying to figure out what was going on. Ever since that morning, when Ryouga had come in with a battered Akane in his arms, Nabiki had felt something inside of her. A kind of anger that she just couldn't explain. What was going on with her mind?
There had been blackouts. Just times when her mind would go blank and she might wake up later not knowing where she was or how much time had passed. They scared her immensely, too. Nothing like this had ever happened before. But she had to think of why they were happening; why was she forgetting things- things about the Cat Café. Nabiki wasn't dumb. That was obvious, but right then she wasn't too sure of herself either. What was she supposed to do? Go to the Cat Café and snoop around? That was crazy. If she did, whatever had caused her to start loosing her memory might erase her mind all together. It was worse than suicide. But who ever said the great Nabiki was scared of death?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They all think I'm asleep, but I'm plotting instead. Plotting my escape. I saw it in his eyes- the hurt. I'd hurt the man I loved. I had been so stupid. It was only for a second, but I lost my mind. I forgot that I'd stayed alive for him; that I'd found my way back for him; that I'd have killed myself for him. In that moment, none of it mattered. All I knew that I hated him for going to her. Hated. I can't stay here knowing that.
But how to get out? Especially when I'm like this. I don't know. I was never really great at thinking these things up. I usually just went along with everybody's life- never really living my own. I'd helped create my own character of the cute tomboy who hated the opposite sex and beat up anyone who approached her with a proposition of dating. It wasn't till Ranma came that I shattered that fake person. I was a real person- I was Akane. I felt it in the way he said my name. The way he said he loved me. Me. I wasn't just some girl to ask out on a date; or a martial artist to challenge; I was Akane, Ranma Soatome's girlfriend who was totally in love.
How could I have shattered that too?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(a few hours later)
The moonlight rippled over her crumpled body, her eyes shut tight in pain. This was Akane Tendou sleeping. This is what love had done to a happy young girl. But I would cure her; I would SAVE her, even if it meant taking her life. I stood over her brittle body and let my hands hover over it, my mouth moving slowly to form words of healing. Digging into my deep past, of memories long gone- stored away in the breaches of my mind for future use- of learning. Learning to bring the dead back from the river, learning of closing fresh wounds, memories of war and peace and life. I healed Akane Tendou that night.
One might say I had saved her- she could easily have died from her injuries- but I knew what I was doing. I was preparing her, I was giving her the strength to fight; for her love, and for her life. It was the only way in the eyes of the Amazon- marry or die.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dear Father,
I hope you are enjoying your stay at the hospital. Everything at home is fine. And we all miss you VERY much. Akane is training very hard, and she and Ranma seem to be getting along better. It has been different with Akane back; she said she doesn't remember where she went. But don't worry. If anything happens, I'll take you right out of the hospital, home. Write me if you need anything. And the rest of us give their love.
Love,
Kasumi.
~*~
Kasumi shut her eyes against the dim lamplight. She hated having to lie to her father, about anything- about everything. But it was the only way. She couldn't let him know what was really going on, he'd just get worse. And she couldn't tell him where he really was- a sanitarium. She needed to keep him sheltered till things blew over.
She needed to protect him from getting hurt. But would things just blow over? How do people heal from experiences like memory loss or suicide attempt? Or a broken heart. Kasumi sighed. She didn't know if they would ever get father back, she didn't know if things would ever return to the steady ripple of life they had once been. She wanted them to be a happy family again- but she didn't know.
The shutters rattled against the chilly night air. Kasumi stood and walked across the room, rubbing her shivering arms, to close the window. She must have forgotten to lock it and it blew open. As Kasumi held the knob of the handle, a dark figure swept past. The woman stood for a moment, pale and scared of what it might be, before realizing she'd be safer if she just hurried up and locked the windows and doors.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nabiki hurried past the open window- moving quickly to try and avoid Kasumi's gaze. Nobody would recognize her in her padded dark clothing and hooded mask, but it was more of the fear in her eyes that Nabiki was running from. Her feet padded loudly, 'click clack' on the cobbled streets as she ran farther and faster into town. There were few people who whizzed by her as she made her way into the night- it was almost midnight and quite dark, who would really WANT to be out on the streets where people like Nabiki could find them.
The girl stopped before the small café. Silent and shaking, she slowly walked towards the back- she'd never done something like this before.
Suddenly, a withered hand clasped itself against her mouth as she breathed in a stuffy fume. It consumed her lungs, burning her throat and nostrils, then a spasm of tiredness washed over her as she felt her legs give way and the feeling go out of her arms. It was intoxicating- like breathing in a thick perfume. The poison invaded her body, and she fell asleep.
~*~
*Flash Back*
She remembered being hit on the head by Shampoo, but after that, it was all blurry. Nabiki found herself on a filthy mattress in the middle of a room with plain tan walls that were covered in dirt and cobwebs. Her whole body ached and her stomach rumbled- how long had she been in here? And why was she here?
The air was stale and stuffy- full of flour. Noise drifted through the thin walls, lots of noise, shouts, laughs, banging as a small pillar of light floated down from a hole-like window. Nabiki stood stiffly and made her way to the wall that had the window. The girl covered her eyes as the light hit her eyes full force. Peering through her fingers, Nabiki looked into the sky noticing a few close buy buildings and the familiar smell of ramen.
It must have been about noon, because the sun only dimmed as the day wore on- slowly moving over the sky till the horizon was littered in purple and red. It was then that the doorknob first turned, the noise had quieted down long ago- around 2 hours after she'd awaken- and she'd only heard a few doors creaking and footsteps since then.
Shampoo stepped in loftily. Nabiki had been expecting her or Cologne- it didn't take a genius to figure out she was at the Cat Café. "It time for girl to see great grandmother." Shampoo said, her voice light and airy.
Nabiki nodded in response, it was best to follow her, they were much more skilled in martial arts and she knew they could hurt her.
The two girls walked down a dim, narrow hallway to the very back of the shop. Shampoo suddenly stopped and turned as they reached the end of the hall. Nabiki shifted uncomfortably where she stood, it was Cologne's room. The young Amazon gestured forcefully towards the door and pushed it open for the girl. Nabiki walked in slowly and quickly studied the little room.
It looked like a typical meditation room with an impressive chest of drawers to the side. "Hello dear." Came the old hags soft poisonous hiss. Nabiki shivered- she wasn't used to being scared. The old woman seemed to come out of nowhere and stepped up close to the girl. "Nabiki." She said quietly, "You are a clever girl, but for your own sake, you won't say a word. You will keep this to yourself, because we can hurt you AND you family."
The girl quivered with anger. How DARE she do this- after kidnapping Akane. The girl spat into the womans face, "Rot in HELL." But the ghoul simply smiled. "I like you Nabiki, and so I've decided to let you assist me in keeping Akane and Ranma broken up."
She froze. If there was a threat of Akane getting back to be Ranma's fiancée then that meant...... "Where is SHE! You know where she is DON'T YOU!! Otherwise she wouldn't be a threat to you. YOU'VE GOT HER!!" Nabiki lost control as she raised her hand to slap the old Amazon, but her hand was caught quite suddenly by Shampoo, "You no hit great grandmother!"
Nabiki yanked her hand away and stared icily at Cologne, what were they going to do? What did they want with her? Once again, she found the old woman smiling, "Good job, Nabiki. Now I'll make the rest nice and simple. We will brainwash you- make you think you're in love with Ranma, which I sincerely hope you are not. But we will make you and everybody else think you are, Akane included."
She tried lunging at the old ghoul, but she was held back by Shampoo. "I'll tell Ranma! I'll FIGHT IT!"
The woman smirked, "Oh, don't think it's that easy- this is an old AMAZON brainwashing technique. You would be surprised how many people we actually HAVE brainwashed that live in Nerima. Quite a few, actually- though we've been unsuccessful in doing the same to some of Ranma's other fiancées." The old woman, at this, turned and began preparing something; taking ingredience out of the huge chest of drawers, while Shampoo tied the girl roughly to a chair. Nabiki stopped struggling as the news sunk in- she was going to be brainwashed.
The old wrinkled woman only continued to chat, "It isn't so bad really. You might re-experience some old or recent memories, most likely a few times a day or you may just black out. You're not going to remember this encounter." The Amazon looked sternly into Nabiki's eyes.
"Ah! Ready- here Shampoo, make sure she drinks it all." She passed the small bottle of red liquid to the younger Amazon and continued preparing something. Nabiki tried to shout out, but was only muffled by shampoo's mouth. "Time to take medicine." The purple haired girl grinned menacingly as she poured the liquid down Nabiki's throat.
The potion was fiery and burned down her throat, but she was soon woozy and unaware as she fell uncouncious to the floor.
*End of Flashback*
~*~*~*~*~*~
The pigtailed boy leaned back against the cool stone, hearing the water 'drip, drip' from the sides of the bridge into the whooshing water below. He'd never thought of this place as a sanctuary before.........though he found himself constantly coming here when he was frustrated; after a hard battle, a fight with Akane maybe, and he'd wind up here. Even the cold creepy thought that Akane had flung herself in THIS river couldn't keep him away. Flung herself in the river......like Ophelia, in Hamlet......, Ranma thought. Even though he wasn't the brightest Ranma remembered some things from school. Like that Shakespeare play they had studied in English class. It was sad- a tragedy.
Everyone had killed themselves in the end, commited suicide......or murder. Was this what was happening? Would all this madness end in death? Ranma didn't want that. All he had ever really wanted was to be able to train and be happy. When he came to Nerima, he just wanted to do that with Akane......and maybe even a bit more. But somehow, things had gotten all screwed up and now he was sitting on a damp bank of gravel under the bridge Akane jumped off of only a day ago.
And so the blue eyed martial artist sat there, his blue pools of ice gazing blankly at the rushing water......concentrating on it's twisting smoothness till he was in a dozing trance. Slowly, images of the Cat Café rose into his mind......Nabiki was there......interfering with their plans......she was in trouble......and Akane......
Ranma snapped awake at the image. He had seen her, SEEN Akane healed. She had been testing her strength and her arms. She was going to the Cat Café......to fight for Ranma. She was going up against Shampoo, and she wouldn't win. He had seen her death.
~*~*~*~*~*~
WOW! That took longer than I thought! But I've been getting NO REVIEWS!!!! How sad *sob*. But here ya go! Chapter nine! I sincerely hoped ya'll liked it and that you continue reading my stuff. And as I said, I'm planning to edit EVERYTHING!!!! ^_^
Thankies!!!
Disclaimer: Ranma belongs wholly to Akane!!! (And vise versa)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nabiki sat silently on her bed. Ranma had left about an hour ago, and Akane was asleep now. The girl sighed heavily as she lay back onto the mattress, trying to figure out what was going on. Ever since that morning, when Ryouga had come in with a battered Akane in his arms, Nabiki had felt something inside of her. A kind of anger that she just couldn't explain. What was going on with her mind?
There had been blackouts. Just times when her mind would go blank and she might wake up later not knowing where she was or how much time had passed. They scared her immensely, too. Nothing like this had ever happened before. But she had to think of why they were happening; why was she forgetting things- things about the Cat Café. Nabiki wasn't dumb. That was obvious, but right then she wasn't too sure of herself either. What was she supposed to do? Go to the Cat Café and snoop around? That was crazy. If she did, whatever had caused her to start loosing her memory might erase her mind all together. It was worse than suicide. But who ever said the great Nabiki was scared of death?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They all think I'm asleep, but I'm plotting instead. Plotting my escape. I saw it in his eyes- the hurt. I'd hurt the man I loved. I had been so stupid. It was only for a second, but I lost my mind. I forgot that I'd stayed alive for him; that I'd found my way back for him; that I'd have killed myself for him. In that moment, none of it mattered. All I knew that I hated him for going to her. Hated. I can't stay here knowing that.
But how to get out? Especially when I'm like this. I don't know. I was never really great at thinking these things up. I usually just went along with everybody's life- never really living my own. I'd helped create my own character of the cute tomboy who hated the opposite sex and beat up anyone who approached her with a proposition of dating. It wasn't till Ranma came that I shattered that fake person. I was a real person- I was Akane. I felt it in the way he said my name. The way he said he loved me. Me. I wasn't just some girl to ask out on a date; or a martial artist to challenge; I was Akane, Ranma Soatome's girlfriend who was totally in love.
How could I have shattered that too?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
(a few hours later)
The moonlight rippled over her crumpled body, her eyes shut tight in pain. This was Akane Tendou sleeping. This is what love had done to a happy young girl. But I would cure her; I would SAVE her, even if it meant taking her life. I stood over her brittle body and let my hands hover over it, my mouth moving slowly to form words of healing. Digging into my deep past, of memories long gone- stored away in the breaches of my mind for future use- of learning. Learning to bring the dead back from the river, learning of closing fresh wounds, memories of war and peace and life. I healed Akane Tendou that night.
One might say I had saved her- she could easily have died from her injuries- but I knew what I was doing. I was preparing her, I was giving her the strength to fight; for her love, and for her life. It was the only way in the eyes of the Amazon- marry or die.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Dear Father,
I hope you are enjoying your stay at the hospital. Everything at home is fine. And we all miss you VERY much. Akane is training very hard, and she and Ranma seem to be getting along better. It has been different with Akane back; she said she doesn't remember where she went. But don't worry. If anything happens, I'll take you right out of the hospital, home. Write me if you need anything. And the rest of us give their love.
Love,
Kasumi.
~*~
Kasumi shut her eyes against the dim lamplight. She hated having to lie to her father, about anything- about everything. But it was the only way. She couldn't let him know what was really going on, he'd just get worse. And she couldn't tell him where he really was- a sanitarium. She needed to keep him sheltered till things blew over.
She needed to protect him from getting hurt. But would things just blow over? How do people heal from experiences like memory loss or suicide attempt? Or a broken heart. Kasumi sighed. She didn't know if they would ever get father back, she didn't know if things would ever return to the steady ripple of life they had once been. She wanted them to be a happy family again- but she didn't know.
The shutters rattled against the chilly night air. Kasumi stood and walked across the room, rubbing her shivering arms, to close the window. She must have forgotten to lock it and it blew open. As Kasumi held the knob of the handle, a dark figure swept past. The woman stood for a moment, pale and scared of what it might be, before realizing she'd be safer if she just hurried up and locked the windows and doors.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Nabiki hurried past the open window- moving quickly to try and avoid Kasumi's gaze. Nobody would recognize her in her padded dark clothing and hooded mask, but it was more of the fear in her eyes that Nabiki was running from. Her feet padded loudly, 'click clack' on the cobbled streets as she ran farther and faster into town. There were few people who whizzed by her as she made her way into the night- it was almost midnight and quite dark, who would really WANT to be out on the streets where people like Nabiki could find them.
The girl stopped before the small café. Silent and shaking, she slowly walked towards the back- she'd never done something like this before.
Suddenly, a withered hand clasped itself against her mouth as she breathed in a stuffy fume. It consumed her lungs, burning her throat and nostrils, then a spasm of tiredness washed over her as she felt her legs give way and the feeling go out of her arms. It was intoxicating- like breathing in a thick perfume. The poison invaded her body, and she fell asleep.
~*~
*Flash Back*
She remembered being hit on the head by Shampoo, but after that, it was all blurry. Nabiki found herself on a filthy mattress in the middle of a room with plain tan walls that were covered in dirt and cobwebs. Her whole body ached and her stomach rumbled- how long had she been in here? And why was she here?
The air was stale and stuffy- full of flour. Noise drifted through the thin walls, lots of noise, shouts, laughs, banging as a small pillar of light floated down from a hole-like window. Nabiki stood stiffly and made her way to the wall that had the window. The girl covered her eyes as the light hit her eyes full force. Peering through her fingers, Nabiki looked into the sky noticing a few close buy buildings and the familiar smell of ramen.
It must have been about noon, because the sun only dimmed as the day wore on- slowly moving over the sky till the horizon was littered in purple and red. It was then that the doorknob first turned, the noise had quieted down long ago- around 2 hours after she'd awaken- and she'd only heard a few doors creaking and footsteps since then.
Shampoo stepped in loftily. Nabiki had been expecting her or Cologne- it didn't take a genius to figure out she was at the Cat Café. "It time for girl to see great grandmother." Shampoo said, her voice light and airy.
Nabiki nodded in response, it was best to follow her, they were much more skilled in martial arts and she knew they could hurt her.
The two girls walked down a dim, narrow hallway to the very back of the shop. Shampoo suddenly stopped and turned as they reached the end of the hall. Nabiki shifted uncomfortably where she stood, it was Cologne's room. The young Amazon gestured forcefully towards the door and pushed it open for the girl. Nabiki walked in slowly and quickly studied the little room.
It looked like a typical meditation room with an impressive chest of drawers to the side. "Hello dear." Came the old hags soft poisonous hiss. Nabiki shivered- she wasn't used to being scared. The old woman seemed to come out of nowhere and stepped up close to the girl. "Nabiki." She said quietly, "You are a clever girl, but for your own sake, you won't say a word. You will keep this to yourself, because we can hurt you AND you family."
The girl quivered with anger. How DARE she do this- after kidnapping Akane. The girl spat into the womans face, "Rot in HELL." But the ghoul simply smiled. "I like you Nabiki, and so I've decided to let you assist me in keeping Akane and Ranma broken up."
She froze. If there was a threat of Akane getting back to be Ranma's fiancée then that meant...... "Where is SHE! You know where she is DON'T YOU!! Otherwise she wouldn't be a threat to you. YOU'VE GOT HER!!" Nabiki lost control as she raised her hand to slap the old Amazon, but her hand was caught quite suddenly by Shampoo, "You no hit great grandmother!"
Nabiki yanked her hand away and stared icily at Cologne, what were they going to do? What did they want with her? Once again, she found the old woman smiling, "Good job, Nabiki. Now I'll make the rest nice and simple. We will brainwash you- make you think you're in love with Ranma, which I sincerely hope you are not. But we will make you and everybody else think you are, Akane included."
She tried lunging at the old ghoul, but she was held back by Shampoo. "I'll tell Ranma! I'll FIGHT IT!"
The woman smirked, "Oh, don't think it's that easy- this is an old AMAZON brainwashing technique. You would be surprised how many people we actually HAVE brainwashed that live in Nerima. Quite a few, actually- though we've been unsuccessful in doing the same to some of Ranma's other fiancées." The old woman, at this, turned and began preparing something; taking ingredience out of the huge chest of drawers, while Shampoo tied the girl roughly to a chair. Nabiki stopped struggling as the news sunk in- she was going to be brainwashed.
The old wrinkled woman only continued to chat, "It isn't so bad really. You might re-experience some old or recent memories, most likely a few times a day or you may just black out. You're not going to remember this encounter." The Amazon looked sternly into Nabiki's eyes.
"Ah! Ready- here Shampoo, make sure she drinks it all." She passed the small bottle of red liquid to the younger Amazon and continued preparing something. Nabiki tried to shout out, but was only muffled by shampoo's mouth. "Time to take medicine." The purple haired girl grinned menacingly as she poured the liquid down Nabiki's throat.
The potion was fiery and burned down her throat, but she was soon woozy and unaware as she fell uncouncious to the floor.
*End of Flashback*
~*~*~*~*~*~
The pigtailed boy leaned back against the cool stone, hearing the water 'drip, drip' from the sides of the bridge into the whooshing water below. He'd never thought of this place as a sanctuary before.........though he found himself constantly coming here when he was frustrated; after a hard battle, a fight with Akane maybe, and he'd wind up here. Even the cold creepy thought that Akane had flung herself in THIS river couldn't keep him away. Flung herself in the river......like Ophelia, in Hamlet......, Ranma thought. Even though he wasn't the brightest Ranma remembered some things from school. Like that Shakespeare play they had studied in English class. It was sad- a tragedy.
Everyone had killed themselves in the end, commited suicide......or murder. Was this what was happening? Would all this madness end in death? Ranma didn't want that. All he had ever really wanted was to be able to train and be happy. When he came to Nerima, he just wanted to do that with Akane......and maybe even a bit more. But somehow, things had gotten all screwed up and now he was sitting on a damp bank of gravel under the bridge Akane jumped off of only a day ago.
And so the blue eyed martial artist sat there, his blue pools of ice gazing blankly at the rushing water......concentrating on it's twisting smoothness till he was in a dozing trance. Slowly, images of the Cat Café rose into his mind......Nabiki was there......interfering with their plans......she was in trouble......and Akane......
Ranma snapped awake at the image. He had seen her, SEEN Akane healed. She had been testing her strength and her arms. She was going to the Cat Café......to fight for Ranma. She was going up against Shampoo, and she wouldn't win. He had seen her death.
~*~*~*~*~*~
WOW! That took longer than I thought! But I've been getting NO REVIEWS!!!! How sad *sob*. But here ya go! Chapter nine! I sincerely hoped ya'll liked it and that you continue reading my stuff. And as I said, I'm planning to edit EVERYTHING!!!! ^_^
Thankies!!!
