Ranma 1/2 : March of the Pigs
Part 8
A Ranma 1/2 FanFic by Stefan "Twoflower" Gagne
(All characters copyright Rumiko-san, obviously. If I ever
even considered claiming that these were my own characters
I'd probably be thrown into a small cell where I'd be forced
to eat my own legs to live.)
-=-
We're near the end, folks!
Okay. Here's the deal. Charlotte wrote little invitation
letters to try and keep most of the population of Furinkan away
from Akane and Ryouga, trusting Ryouga's natural charm to carry
it off. However, Kunou grabbed her and kept her hostage before
she could tag along on the date. Ryouga somehow finds the dojo,
and when Akane asks where Ranma and Nabiki went, he accidentally
says they're on a date. Akane is pissed and agrees to go out
with Ryouga, although not for the right reasons.
Nabiki and Victor drag Ranma away from the unavoidable bar-
room-brawl that the meeting spot turns into. Meanwhile, Buford
shows up again and kicks Kunou's ass, rescuing Charlotte. He
apologizes for ditching her, she apologizes for treating him like
a pet, and that's that. Charlotte arrives to see how the date's
going just as Ranma arrives... things fall apart. Majorly.
Charlotte resorts to her backup plan, using a mirror (a
family heirloom) and now, Akane and Ryouga are missing in
action...
-=-
(note : no beefed up action packed credits here, just simple
white titles on black background. No music.)
Rec.arts.anime.stories Presents
In association with Fanfiction We'd Like to See and Nothing/TVT
Ranma 1/2 :
March of the Pigs
Part 8 : Further Away.
-=-
The crowd in front of the cafe stared in silence. Where
Akane and Ryouga were was two wisps of mist, rapidly mixing in
with the air and disappearing. Soon they were gone.
Charlotte was still standing, pocket mirror outstretched and
pointed where the couple used to be. She relaxed, closing the
mirror and pocketing it.
"It is done," she said. "I feel... better now."
"What's done?" Ranma asked. "What did you do? WHAT DID YOU
DO WITH AKANE?"
"They're gone, obviously," she said. "Ryouga said he wanted
to be with her forever. If that's what Ryouga wanted, that's
what he got. I'll miss him."
"FOREVER?!" Ranma yelled.
"Ranma... calm down, we'll get her back..." Nabiki said.
"Sister... tell me that's not what I think it is," Victor
said. "Tell me you did NOT swipe the ban-nan mirror from mum's
dresser. The one that has been in the family for generations..."
"Of course I did," she said. "I figured if I couldn't
escape you, I'd just slip away with it and not come back. I
meant it when I said I wasn't going back home, Victor, one way or
another."
"A nan-ban mirror?" Ranma asked. "But nobody cried on
it..."
"A BAN-NAN mirror," Charlotte corrected. "It works
differently. If a female from my family touches the back of the
mirror, whoever it's aimed at is sent off."
"Where?" Ranma asked. "WHERE did they go?"
*
Ryouga looked up from his Grisham novel, blinded momentarily
by the island sun. He looked around.
It was... no, it couldn't be. How did he end up in one of
his own dreams? What happened?
"Akane?" he called, glancing around the beach. "AKANE!"
"I'm right here, Ryouga," she said, in the chair next to
his. "Although... I have no idea where here is..."
"Neither do I," he said. "I remember Charlotte pushing
me... and a light... and boom."
The waves lapped against the shore, the foam receding back
every few seconds.
"Ryouga, what's going on?"
"It's... complicated," Ryouga said, eyeing the water
nervously. "Look, Akane, I really should have said this
before... I just never had the guts to, and when I did something
always got in the way, but there's nobody here to argue or yell
or hit each other, so..."
Ryouga took a deep breath. "I love you, Akane."
Akane's eyes wobbled. Huh? Why was Ryouga saying this?
"I knew it from the day I saw you, back when I was fighting
Ranma over that ridiculous bread deal. I tried to tell you
before, really, but with all the chaos and mayhem that breaks out
on a daily basis at your school, I've never been able to..."
"Is that what this was all about?" Akane asked, razor's edge
entering her voice. "Is that what you and that blonde girl were
planning? Getting everybody out of town just so you could go out
on a... DATE with me?"
"Yeah. Akane, no, I'm sorry, but you need to realize that I
wouldn't have done it if I thought there was any other way!
Please, don't hit me!"
"How could you be so inconsiderate?" she asked. "Using
tricks and lies to be alone with me? Claiming Nabiki was dating
Ranma? Luring Ranma, MY fiancee into a trap to be thrashed while
you could take me around town?"
Ryouga sulked. He was going to get hit, he was going to arc
into the water, and that would be that. She may hate me now, but
she'll despise me later. Even when given a chance to be with her
forever, he screwed things u--
"Oh no!" he exclaimed, eyes growing wide. "It can't be!"
"What?"
"Charlotte... the blonde girl... she asked me before we got
here if I really loved you, and wanted to be with you forever...
I said yes... and she said that mirror was magic..."
"You mean... we're stuck here? Forever?"
"I think so," Ryouga said, sinking in his chair. "I didn't
know THIS would happen. Really. I had nothing but good
intentions, Akane... I really do love you..."
"Good," she said. "Because I HATE YOU!"
The fist smashed under his jaw, and Ryouga shot into the
sky, up and over the rest of the island behind Akane. She heard
a distant splash.
"I HATE YOU!" she called again, tumbling out of her chair
and sobbing on the sand.
*
"Alright, all of you back off and give the lady some room
here," Buford said, keeping the pack at arm's length. "She's a
bit broken up, if you didn't notice, so let's all calm down and
talk rational, okay?"
"Calm down?" Ranma gagged. "She just banished Akane to
another dimension! I am NOT calm about that?"
"Get calm or I'll MAKE you calm," Buford said, waving a
helpful fist near Ranma's face.
"Please, there's no need to get violent," Victor said. "We
just need to have little sister ban-nan us over to Ryouga's dream
world and get your precious spine-crushing Akane out of there.
Very easy. Then I'll head back to France and we'll call it a
day."
"I'm not sending anyone else there," Charlotte said,
crossing her arms. "And you can't activate the mirror. Only a
female of our line. Ryouga and Akane are staying put."
"Why on earth do you think those two belong together?" Ranma
said. "I mean, come ON!"
"Ryouga loves her," Charlotte said. "I can see that. He
always has. He deserves someone like her. Besides, it's not as
if YOU love her."
"..." Ranma said, pausing in his accusatory stance.
"Come on, I see how you fight and insult each other. Why
haven't you two just broken off the engagement if you don't like
each other? It's not like arranged marriages are common. You
can claim coercion and annul or something like that."
"..." Ranma added.
"She's only got four major suitors. Kunou's a jerk, so he's
not acceptable. Gosunkuji's okay, but is mostly a head over
heels type who doesn't know what he's getting into. You call her
uncute and abuse her at every turn. Ryouga is a nice, caring
person who appreciates Akane for what she is. Process of
elimination, you lose."
"She's got you there," Nabiki shrugged, finding a good place
to enter the conversation.
"Well... we do have some problems, granted... but that's no
reason to do what you did!" Ranma said, rushing Charlotte. A
large hand blocked his way.
"I warned you, Saotome," Buford said.
"Don't bother, Buford," Charlotte said. "He doesn't hit
girls. I'm fine."
"You sure about that?" Buford said, keeping his hand
upraised.
"Positive."
"I wasn't going to hit her," Ranma said, backing off.
"Look, Mr. Tendo is going to go into conniptions if I come home
and say that his daughter has been sent to another universe.
Please send me over with the mirror to get her back for him."
"Not a good enough reason," Charlotte said.
"I'll pay you," Nabiki suggested, knowing full well it
wouldn't work. Charlotte shook her head.
"I'll drag you back to France if you don't," Victor said.
"I'll beat you into the pavement if you try," Buford said,
pushing a sleeve up.
"I'd go," Charlotte said. "I'd go back home before I'd let
anybody interfere with them. Now, does anybody have any other
reasons?"
"Kunou would be unhappy?" Ranma tried.
"Good for him. He deserves a bad turn after the mess he
made of our date."
"You dated Ryouga?" Nabiki asked.
"Of course," Charlotte said. "Had to make sure today's date
would work. It would have, if it wasn't for you fellows.
Ryouga's a charming, intelligent, kind man who deserves more than
the punishment you deal out on him, Saotome. I'm doing this
because I care enough about him not to have him live in the hell
he exists in now. You know what he was like when I found him?
Depressed. Angsty. Nearly suicidal. These last few days have
probably been the happiest he's ever had in his life... and I
guess the future ones will be just as happy. It would take quite
a reason to get me to use this mirror again and disturb him."
Ranma considered this. He was backed into a corner. No way
out now...
"Alright," he said. "You want a reason? I got a reason. I
love Akane too. There, I've said it. I hope you're happy."
*
Akane was on page 11 and finding it harder to concentrate.
The novel was an easy read... a novel adaptation of a movie
adaptation from a novel. Julia was already on her third hairdo
change. Still, she had more pressing things pressing her mind.
Ryouga no baka... why'd he have to get her into this mess?
Why'd he have to be such a love-starved fool to get her trapped
on a desert island with him for eternity... sigh.
Well, he does like me, she thought. You can't hate him for
that. You can hate him for how he chose to express it, but not
for what he is. Unrequited love was a horrible thing... Dr.
Tofu, for example. Akane remembered how broken up she was after
that.
I'd better go talk to him, she thought, setting the pulp
novel down on her chair. She calculated where on the island he
probably landed, and started walking through the light jungle
that comprised the center of the island.
*
"You serious?" Charlotte asked.
"Of course I'm serious! You don't say things like that
without being serious. That's my reason. If that's not reason
enough, then I can't think of what could be."
"I don't get it. If you love her, what's up with the
fighting?"
"That's just what we do," he said. "It was like that from
day one and it'll always be like that. Doesn't mean anything. I
don't think I could live with her stuck in some warped figment of
Ryouga's imagination. Dad would pound me, Mr. Tendo would crack,
everybody would beat me up and I would feel really lousy too
without her."
"What about her? What does she think about you?" Charlotte
asked.
"I... I'm not sure. I'm guessing it's mutual, but hard to
see through the fighting and the yelling and the bickering,"
Ranma said. "I know for a fact though that she doesn't give a
flying flop about Ryouga."
"Ranma!"
"I'm serious. She's friends with him, sure, but she's never
considered him anything more than that. Sure, she might be
touched to hear what he really feels, but I just don't see an
eternal love between the two. He's not her type."
"You don't know that. They could learn to love each other."
"And if they don't?" Ranma asked. "They're eating coconuts
for the rest of their lives when they could be looking for other
people, or watching movies, or seeing friends or whatever. You
don't have any right to take that away from them."
"You mind not badgering her?" Buford said. "It's been a
hard day--"
"Buford. Buddy. I know you're sorry about ditching me and
are feeling pretty protective right now," Charlotte said, "But
can it, please. I'm talking with Ranma. So what do you want me
to do about it, Saotome?"
"At least give me a chance to go in there and see how
they're doing," Ranma said. "If she's actually happy with
Ryouga... we'll leave them there."
"Ranma!" Nabiki gasped. "You can't do that!"
"I'll face my beatings with a smile if that's the case,"
Ranma said. "I'm just hoping it's not."
"Alright. A chance I can do," Charlotte said. "Buford,
stay here and make sure Victor doesn't flee. Nabiki, wait until
we're back before telling your dad any of this. We've got a date
in someone's imagination."
Charlotte slid over to Ranma, and pulled out the ban-nan
mirror. "You might want to close your eyes," she said, tapping
the mirror. The light flooded the sidewalk... and the two were
gone, mists on the breeze.
*
"Ryouga-kun?" Akane called lightly, through the jungle
opening.
She walked out, looking around the opposite beach for him.
There were some wet footprints... and some animal tracks, for
some reason... but no Ryouga.
"Sorry I hit you," she offered weakly. "I was just angry,
that's all. I won't pound you this time."
"Promise?" a quiet voice spoke from somewhere on the beach.
"Promise."
Ryouga popped out from behind a boulder, wet and a bit foamy
from the surf. "Akane..."
"Me first. I had no idea, Ryouga, really. If you had told
me earlier... preferably without the quaint forced island
setting... I probably would have taken it better."
"I tried," he said. "Quite a few times. I just never had
enough luck. Remember last christmas? When Nabiki managed to
sell Ranma to Kodachi, Ukyou and Shampoo?"
Akane winced. "Yeah, I remember."
"Well, I knew that we were going to be exchanging presents
that day... I had picked you out a locket. No, really. It
wasn't much, barely gold by any jeweler's opinion, but it was all
I could afford. I was going to tell you then..."
"...but I just ran past you," Akane remembered. "Umm.
Sorry, Ryouga."
"It's alright. I've experienced worse," he said. "You
really deserve better than Ranma, Akane. He's rude, obnoxious,
violent and generally not a nice guy. I love you, Akane, which
is better than you can expect from HIM."
"Ranma's not THAT bad," Akane said, sitting down on a rock.
"Well, he's a pain in the fanny sometimes and can be rude, but
that's just because he's a male pig."
Ryouga panicked momentarily, but quickly resumed a normal
face. "Go on," he urged.
"He's okay. Nice, really, when he wants to be. Just that
from day one we've argued, and that pattern just stuck... I do
like him... a lot..."
"Do you like me?" Ryouga asked.
"Of course, Ryouga!" she said.
"Really?" he asked, eyes widening.
"Yes, really. Just not in th--"
The beach filled with light, blinding the two. Ryouga fell
off his rock and into the sea foam. The light receded, leaving
Ranma and Charlotte standing in the dunes.
"Akane!" Ranma called. "Are you alright?"
"RANMA!" Akane shouted, joyed. She ran over to him, arms
out, and stopped as soon as she realized what she was doing.
"Umm... how'd you get here?"
"I'm giving him a chance," Charlotte said, folding the
mirror. "Get to it, loverboy."
"Loverboy?" Akane asked.
"I just wanted to ask," Ranma said, ignoring the comment,
"Are you happy here with Ryouga? Is this want you want?"
"Yes she is!" Ryouga said, pulling himself back up on the
rock. "I heard her say it. Go on, Akane, tell him."
"Well... Ryouga's nice... but... I'm sorry, Ryouga, I just
don't love you back in the same way."
Ryouga's face fell.
"Don't take that the wrong way," Akane weakly offered.
"But... you said you liked me..."
"I do, Ryouga. Just not like that. You're one of Ranma's
only friends, and a nice guy, really--"
"Friend?" Ryouga asked. "FRIEND? RANMA'S FRIEND? THE MAN
WHO'S TAKEN YOU FROM ME? I DON'T THINK SO!"
Ryouga pulled his trusty umbrella out of his pack, eyes
blazing with fire.
"Err.. Ryouga... you might want to calm down before you
prove fusion power is possible again..." Charlotte said.
"Ranma, at every turn you've been in the way. First bread,
then at Jusenkyo, then with Akane. Revenge will not want a
single moment longer!"
"Jusenkyo?" Akane asked, confused.
"Ryouga, I don't want to fight you, not here," Ranma said.
"Let's get back to reality, then we can talk this out--"
"I'm through talking!" Ryouga shouted, slamming the umbrella
point into the ground, which depressed into a crater six feet
across.
"Is the sky darkening, or is it just me?" Charlotte asked,
growing quite nervous.
"She may never love me, but it'll be a cold day in hell
before she'll have someone the likes of you! DEFEND YOURSELF!"
Ryouga screamed, charging.
"Akane! Charlotte! Get out of the way!" Ranma shouted,
pushing Akane into the clear as Ryouga charged in, slamming his
umbrella against Ranma's jaw. Ranma shot backwards four feet,
falling into a spiralling abyss.
"Hey, when did that get there?" Charlotte asked, pointing to
the hole. Ryouga ignored her and dove in after him.
"Where did they go?" Akane asked.
"Uh-oh," Charlotte said, examining the hole. "I forgot.
This whole island is part of Ryouga's imagination... an
imagination which he still has some control over..."
"Which means..."
"Saotome's in for a lot of trouble," Charlotte concluded.
END - Part 8
(Closing theme : March of the Pigs (Intro Only))
All characters copyright Shonen, created by Rumiko
Takahashi. Music citations copyright Nothing/TVT. Charlotte and
Buford and Victor by Stefan Gagne.
Part 8
A Ranma 1/2 FanFic by Stefan "Twoflower" Gagne
(All characters copyright Rumiko-san, obviously. If I ever
even considered claiming that these were my own characters
I'd probably be thrown into a small cell where I'd be forced
to eat my own legs to live.)
-=-
We're near the end, folks!
Okay. Here's the deal. Charlotte wrote little invitation
letters to try and keep most of the population of Furinkan away
from Akane and Ryouga, trusting Ryouga's natural charm to carry
it off. However, Kunou grabbed her and kept her hostage before
she could tag along on the date. Ryouga somehow finds the dojo,
and when Akane asks where Ranma and Nabiki went, he accidentally
says they're on a date. Akane is pissed and agrees to go out
with Ryouga, although not for the right reasons.
Nabiki and Victor drag Ranma away from the unavoidable bar-
room-brawl that the meeting spot turns into. Meanwhile, Buford
shows up again and kicks Kunou's ass, rescuing Charlotte. He
apologizes for ditching her, she apologizes for treating him like
a pet, and that's that. Charlotte arrives to see how the date's
going just as Ranma arrives... things fall apart. Majorly.
Charlotte resorts to her backup plan, using a mirror (a
family heirloom) and now, Akane and Ryouga are missing in
action...
-=-
(note : no beefed up action packed credits here, just simple
white titles on black background. No music.)
Rec.arts.anime.stories Presents
In association with Fanfiction We'd Like to See and Nothing/TVT
Ranma 1/2 :
March of the Pigs
Part 8 : Further Away.
-=-
The crowd in front of the cafe stared in silence. Where
Akane and Ryouga were was two wisps of mist, rapidly mixing in
with the air and disappearing. Soon they were gone.
Charlotte was still standing, pocket mirror outstretched and
pointed where the couple used to be. She relaxed, closing the
mirror and pocketing it.
"It is done," she said. "I feel... better now."
"What's done?" Ranma asked. "What did you do? WHAT DID YOU
DO WITH AKANE?"
"They're gone, obviously," she said. "Ryouga said he wanted
to be with her forever. If that's what Ryouga wanted, that's
what he got. I'll miss him."
"FOREVER?!" Ranma yelled.
"Ranma... calm down, we'll get her back..." Nabiki said.
"Sister... tell me that's not what I think it is," Victor
said. "Tell me you did NOT swipe the ban-nan mirror from mum's
dresser. The one that has been in the family for generations..."
"Of course I did," she said. "I figured if I couldn't
escape you, I'd just slip away with it and not come back. I
meant it when I said I wasn't going back home, Victor, one way or
another."
"A nan-ban mirror?" Ranma asked. "But nobody cried on
it..."
"A BAN-NAN mirror," Charlotte corrected. "It works
differently. If a female from my family touches the back of the
mirror, whoever it's aimed at is sent off."
"Where?" Ranma asked. "WHERE did they go?"
*
Ryouga looked up from his Grisham novel, blinded momentarily
by the island sun. He looked around.
It was... no, it couldn't be. How did he end up in one of
his own dreams? What happened?
"Akane?" he called, glancing around the beach. "AKANE!"
"I'm right here, Ryouga," she said, in the chair next to
his. "Although... I have no idea where here is..."
"Neither do I," he said. "I remember Charlotte pushing
me... and a light... and boom."
The waves lapped against the shore, the foam receding back
every few seconds.
"Ryouga, what's going on?"
"It's... complicated," Ryouga said, eyeing the water
nervously. "Look, Akane, I really should have said this
before... I just never had the guts to, and when I did something
always got in the way, but there's nobody here to argue or yell
or hit each other, so..."
Ryouga took a deep breath. "I love you, Akane."
Akane's eyes wobbled. Huh? Why was Ryouga saying this?
"I knew it from the day I saw you, back when I was fighting
Ranma over that ridiculous bread deal. I tried to tell you
before, really, but with all the chaos and mayhem that breaks out
on a daily basis at your school, I've never been able to..."
"Is that what this was all about?" Akane asked, razor's edge
entering her voice. "Is that what you and that blonde girl were
planning? Getting everybody out of town just so you could go out
on a... DATE with me?"
"Yeah. Akane, no, I'm sorry, but you need to realize that I
wouldn't have done it if I thought there was any other way!
Please, don't hit me!"
"How could you be so inconsiderate?" she asked. "Using
tricks and lies to be alone with me? Claiming Nabiki was dating
Ranma? Luring Ranma, MY fiancee into a trap to be thrashed while
you could take me around town?"
Ryouga sulked. He was going to get hit, he was going to arc
into the water, and that would be that. She may hate me now, but
she'll despise me later. Even when given a chance to be with her
forever, he screwed things u--
"Oh no!" he exclaimed, eyes growing wide. "It can't be!"
"What?"
"Charlotte... the blonde girl... she asked me before we got
here if I really loved you, and wanted to be with you forever...
I said yes... and she said that mirror was magic..."
"You mean... we're stuck here? Forever?"
"I think so," Ryouga said, sinking in his chair. "I didn't
know THIS would happen. Really. I had nothing but good
intentions, Akane... I really do love you..."
"Good," she said. "Because I HATE YOU!"
The fist smashed under his jaw, and Ryouga shot into the
sky, up and over the rest of the island behind Akane. She heard
a distant splash.
"I HATE YOU!" she called again, tumbling out of her chair
and sobbing on the sand.
*
"Alright, all of you back off and give the lady some room
here," Buford said, keeping the pack at arm's length. "She's a
bit broken up, if you didn't notice, so let's all calm down and
talk rational, okay?"
"Calm down?" Ranma gagged. "She just banished Akane to
another dimension! I am NOT calm about that?"
"Get calm or I'll MAKE you calm," Buford said, waving a
helpful fist near Ranma's face.
"Please, there's no need to get violent," Victor said. "We
just need to have little sister ban-nan us over to Ryouga's dream
world and get your precious spine-crushing Akane out of there.
Very easy. Then I'll head back to France and we'll call it a
day."
"I'm not sending anyone else there," Charlotte said,
crossing her arms. "And you can't activate the mirror. Only a
female of our line. Ryouga and Akane are staying put."
"Why on earth do you think those two belong together?" Ranma
said. "I mean, come ON!"
"Ryouga loves her," Charlotte said. "I can see that. He
always has. He deserves someone like her. Besides, it's not as
if YOU love her."
"..." Ranma said, pausing in his accusatory stance.
"Come on, I see how you fight and insult each other. Why
haven't you two just broken off the engagement if you don't like
each other? It's not like arranged marriages are common. You
can claim coercion and annul or something like that."
"..." Ranma added.
"She's only got four major suitors. Kunou's a jerk, so he's
not acceptable. Gosunkuji's okay, but is mostly a head over
heels type who doesn't know what he's getting into. You call her
uncute and abuse her at every turn. Ryouga is a nice, caring
person who appreciates Akane for what she is. Process of
elimination, you lose."
"She's got you there," Nabiki shrugged, finding a good place
to enter the conversation.
"Well... we do have some problems, granted... but that's no
reason to do what you did!" Ranma said, rushing Charlotte. A
large hand blocked his way.
"I warned you, Saotome," Buford said.
"Don't bother, Buford," Charlotte said. "He doesn't hit
girls. I'm fine."
"You sure about that?" Buford said, keeping his hand
upraised.
"Positive."
"I wasn't going to hit her," Ranma said, backing off.
"Look, Mr. Tendo is going to go into conniptions if I come home
and say that his daughter has been sent to another universe.
Please send me over with the mirror to get her back for him."
"Not a good enough reason," Charlotte said.
"I'll pay you," Nabiki suggested, knowing full well it
wouldn't work. Charlotte shook her head.
"I'll drag you back to France if you don't," Victor said.
"I'll beat you into the pavement if you try," Buford said,
pushing a sleeve up.
"I'd go," Charlotte said. "I'd go back home before I'd let
anybody interfere with them. Now, does anybody have any other
reasons?"
"Kunou would be unhappy?" Ranma tried.
"Good for him. He deserves a bad turn after the mess he
made of our date."
"You dated Ryouga?" Nabiki asked.
"Of course," Charlotte said. "Had to make sure today's date
would work. It would have, if it wasn't for you fellows.
Ryouga's a charming, intelligent, kind man who deserves more than
the punishment you deal out on him, Saotome. I'm doing this
because I care enough about him not to have him live in the hell
he exists in now. You know what he was like when I found him?
Depressed. Angsty. Nearly suicidal. These last few days have
probably been the happiest he's ever had in his life... and I
guess the future ones will be just as happy. It would take quite
a reason to get me to use this mirror again and disturb him."
Ranma considered this. He was backed into a corner. No way
out now...
"Alright," he said. "You want a reason? I got a reason. I
love Akane too. There, I've said it. I hope you're happy."
*
Akane was on page 11 and finding it harder to concentrate.
The novel was an easy read... a novel adaptation of a movie
adaptation from a novel. Julia was already on her third hairdo
change. Still, she had more pressing things pressing her mind.
Ryouga no baka... why'd he have to get her into this mess?
Why'd he have to be such a love-starved fool to get her trapped
on a desert island with him for eternity... sigh.
Well, he does like me, she thought. You can't hate him for
that. You can hate him for how he chose to express it, but not
for what he is. Unrequited love was a horrible thing... Dr.
Tofu, for example. Akane remembered how broken up she was after
that.
I'd better go talk to him, she thought, setting the pulp
novel down on her chair. She calculated where on the island he
probably landed, and started walking through the light jungle
that comprised the center of the island.
*
"You serious?" Charlotte asked.
"Of course I'm serious! You don't say things like that
without being serious. That's my reason. If that's not reason
enough, then I can't think of what could be."
"I don't get it. If you love her, what's up with the
fighting?"
"That's just what we do," he said. "It was like that from
day one and it'll always be like that. Doesn't mean anything. I
don't think I could live with her stuck in some warped figment of
Ryouga's imagination. Dad would pound me, Mr. Tendo would crack,
everybody would beat me up and I would feel really lousy too
without her."
"What about her? What does she think about you?" Charlotte
asked.
"I... I'm not sure. I'm guessing it's mutual, but hard to
see through the fighting and the yelling and the bickering,"
Ranma said. "I know for a fact though that she doesn't give a
flying flop about Ryouga."
"Ranma!"
"I'm serious. She's friends with him, sure, but she's never
considered him anything more than that. Sure, she might be
touched to hear what he really feels, but I just don't see an
eternal love between the two. He's not her type."
"You don't know that. They could learn to love each other."
"And if they don't?" Ranma asked. "They're eating coconuts
for the rest of their lives when they could be looking for other
people, or watching movies, or seeing friends or whatever. You
don't have any right to take that away from them."
"You mind not badgering her?" Buford said. "It's been a
hard day--"
"Buford. Buddy. I know you're sorry about ditching me and
are feeling pretty protective right now," Charlotte said, "But
can it, please. I'm talking with Ranma. So what do you want me
to do about it, Saotome?"
"At least give me a chance to go in there and see how
they're doing," Ranma said. "If she's actually happy with
Ryouga... we'll leave them there."
"Ranma!" Nabiki gasped. "You can't do that!"
"I'll face my beatings with a smile if that's the case,"
Ranma said. "I'm just hoping it's not."
"Alright. A chance I can do," Charlotte said. "Buford,
stay here and make sure Victor doesn't flee. Nabiki, wait until
we're back before telling your dad any of this. We've got a date
in someone's imagination."
Charlotte slid over to Ranma, and pulled out the ban-nan
mirror. "You might want to close your eyes," she said, tapping
the mirror. The light flooded the sidewalk... and the two were
gone, mists on the breeze.
*
"Ryouga-kun?" Akane called lightly, through the jungle
opening.
She walked out, looking around the opposite beach for him.
There were some wet footprints... and some animal tracks, for
some reason... but no Ryouga.
"Sorry I hit you," she offered weakly. "I was just angry,
that's all. I won't pound you this time."
"Promise?" a quiet voice spoke from somewhere on the beach.
"Promise."
Ryouga popped out from behind a boulder, wet and a bit foamy
from the surf. "Akane..."
"Me first. I had no idea, Ryouga, really. If you had told
me earlier... preferably without the quaint forced island
setting... I probably would have taken it better."
"I tried," he said. "Quite a few times. I just never had
enough luck. Remember last christmas? When Nabiki managed to
sell Ranma to Kodachi, Ukyou and Shampoo?"
Akane winced. "Yeah, I remember."
"Well, I knew that we were going to be exchanging presents
that day... I had picked you out a locket. No, really. It
wasn't much, barely gold by any jeweler's opinion, but it was all
I could afford. I was going to tell you then..."
"...but I just ran past you," Akane remembered. "Umm.
Sorry, Ryouga."
"It's alright. I've experienced worse," he said. "You
really deserve better than Ranma, Akane. He's rude, obnoxious,
violent and generally not a nice guy. I love you, Akane, which
is better than you can expect from HIM."
"Ranma's not THAT bad," Akane said, sitting down on a rock.
"Well, he's a pain in the fanny sometimes and can be rude, but
that's just because he's a male pig."
Ryouga panicked momentarily, but quickly resumed a normal
face. "Go on," he urged.
"He's okay. Nice, really, when he wants to be. Just that
from day one we've argued, and that pattern just stuck... I do
like him... a lot..."
"Do you like me?" Ryouga asked.
"Of course, Ryouga!" she said.
"Really?" he asked, eyes widening.
"Yes, really. Just not in th--"
The beach filled with light, blinding the two. Ryouga fell
off his rock and into the sea foam. The light receded, leaving
Ranma and Charlotte standing in the dunes.
"Akane!" Ranma called. "Are you alright?"
"RANMA!" Akane shouted, joyed. She ran over to him, arms
out, and stopped as soon as she realized what she was doing.
"Umm... how'd you get here?"
"I'm giving him a chance," Charlotte said, folding the
mirror. "Get to it, loverboy."
"Loverboy?" Akane asked.
"I just wanted to ask," Ranma said, ignoring the comment,
"Are you happy here with Ryouga? Is this want you want?"
"Yes she is!" Ryouga said, pulling himself back up on the
rock. "I heard her say it. Go on, Akane, tell him."
"Well... Ryouga's nice... but... I'm sorry, Ryouga, I just
don't love you back in the same way."
Ryouga's face fell.
"Don't take that the wrong way," Akane weakly offered.
"But... you said you liked me..."
"I do, Ryouga. Just not like that. You're one of Ranma's
only friends, and a nice guy, really--"
"Friend?" Ryouga asked. "FRIEND? RANMA'S FRIEND? THE MAN
WHO'S TAKEN YOU FROM ME? I DON'T THINK SO!"
Ryouga pulled his trusty umbrella out of his pack, eyes
blazing with fire.
"Err.. Ryouga... you might want to calm down before you
prove fusion power is possible again..." Charlotte said.
"Ranma, at every turn you've been in the way. First bread,
then at Jusenkyo, then with Akane. Revenge will not want a
single moment longer!"
"Jusenkyo?" Akane asked, confused.
"Ryouga, I don't want to fight you, not here," Ranma said.
"Let's get back to reality, then we can talk this out--"
"I'm through talking!" Ryouga shouted, slamming the umbrella
point into the ground, which depressed into a crater six feet
across.
"Is the sky darkening, or is it just me?" Charlotte asked,
growing quite nervous.
"She may never love me, but it'll be a cold day in hell
before she'll have someone the likes of you! DEFEND YOURSELF!"
Ryouga screamed, charging.
"Akane! Charlotte! Get out of the way!" Ranma shouted,
pushing Akane into the clear as Ryouga charged in, slamming his
umbrella against Ranma's jaw. Ranma shot backwards four feet,
falling into a spiralling abyss.
"Hey, when did that get there?" Charlotte asked, pointing to
the hole. Ryouga ignored her and dove in after him.
"Where did they go?" Akane asked.
"Uh-oh," Charlotte said, examining the hole. "I forgot.
This whole island is part of Ryouga's imagination... an
imagination which he still has some control over..."
"Which means..."
"Saotome's in for a lot of trouble," Charlotte concluded.
END - Part 8
(Closing theme : March of the Pigs (Intro Only))
All characters copyright Shonen, created by Rumiko
Takahashi. Music citations copyright Nothing/TVT. Charlotte and
Buford and Victor by Stefan Gagne.