I was listening to "The Shores of the Swilly" here the other day, and the song just about made me cry… I know the lyrics and this one-shot I wrote doesn't quite agree with each other, but I wanted to write it this way anyway. Hope you like it!
Disclaimer: I don't own the Ranma ½ characters, or the lyrics to the song.
Brutal Changes
The wind had quieted down, as in respect of the funeral that had just ended. It was a normal day in Nerima, with sun and clouds, with birds singing and people around them going off to work or to school. But Akane felt as if nothing would ever be 'normal' again.
She could hear Nabiki crying with a soreness that rose from the depths of her bared soul, the Ice Queen mask having been ripped to pieces on the day that changed everything. Akane couldn't see her, or the rest of her family that she knew was right behind her. All she could see was a mound of freshly dug earth, black and moist, that filled up what used to be their little pond. Her father had filled it up in a fit of rage, screaming shrilly as he'd been heaving all the dirt he could move into the once clear water. It had taken them their combined efforts to calm him down enough to not continue his rampage into the house.
She felt dead inside, almost as if her soul was not part of her body anymore, and that her body should have been the ashes that rested inside the beautiful ornamented urn they'd just been given from the priest. Having already met this kind of pain before didn't make it any easier, this time changing them all again, tearing open old wounds and adding new ones that bled freely with deep agony.
Turning away from the depressing view only gave her sore eyes new misery to look at, broken souls walking around in their earthly bodies, clothed in respect for the deceased and the family. This was possibly an even larger group than the one that had been at her mother's funeral, and Akane watched dispassionately as small groups were starting to say their goodbyes and give their condolences, soon disappearing down the street.
Genma was standing by the house, supporting his crying wife, and Akane spotted Ukyo standing nearby. Ukyo looked lost, standing in her formal clothes without any of her mini-spatulas or her large battle-spatula, staring down to her hands and effectively hiding her eyes from view behind her brown bangs. Akane almost felt sorry for her, but that was an emotion that she hadn't been able to call upon lately, just as her famous rage had failed her this past week of grief. Her rage had failed in giving her a release from her pain, and it failed her when she discovered Ryoga's secret. Now her former pet pig P-Chan stood in his human form close by Ukyo, offering whatever comfort he could to the distressed girl.
Hearing something being spoken in Chinese, Akane turned her head slightly the other way, and spotted Cologne speaking in hushed tones to Shampoo. The Amazons were on their best behaviour today, and even Mousse had managed not to attack or hug anyone. Shampoo raised her head, and flinched as she met Akane's gaze straight on. Hurriedly, with sorrow etched in her face, she turned away. Cologne noticed this, and looked over to Akane. The old matriarch nodded solemnly towards the Tendo girl, before she led her two fellow Amazons out of the garden and away from the Dojo towards their Cat Café. Akane knew that they were going home to pack up the last of their things, before returning back to their tribe in China for good. Knowing she normally would feel happy about that, maybe even a bit smug, Akane could just watch, and feel the void inside of her eating up her moment of triumph.
Feeling the rough lump in her throat, she hoped that she might start to cry and release some of her pent up emotions, but had little hope of finally managing to let tears escape her dry eyes. A large hand landed softly on her shoulder, turning her towards the one person who'd been able to give her any comfort lately. Latching desperately onto him, she whispered sorely into his broad chest,
"Why..! How..!"
"I don't know, Akane, I don't know… Come on, Tomboy, let's go back inside." He whispered into her hair as he stroked her back carefully.
Keeping his arm around her, he guided her back towards what was left of her family. Akane looked up at them, seeing Genma, Nodoka, her father, and her sister Nabiki. Finally her tears came, making her whole body weak as shudders wracked her roughly, but she knew that he would support her. He would always support her and stay with her. She knew that now.
Salt tears pouring down her cheeks, she looked up into the concerned, blue eyes of her fiancé Ranma, feeling his love for her radiate off of him.
"We'll get through this… We'll get through this one too.." she whispered, accepting that things would never be the same again.
The Shores of the Swilly
By the shores of the Swilly, two children at play
The king of the castle, the queen of the may
Just me and my sister, in a world of pretend
Where the sun would keep shining, the day never end
¤
By the shores of the Swilly, now with kids of our own
Another year over, and see how they've grown
Then we'd watch the last sunset, and walk arm in arm
Till I see you next summer; God keep you from harm
And if I was a flier who crashed now and then,
she would put me together and fly me again.
¤
And if I was a flier who crashed now and then,
she would put me together and fly me again.
By the shores of the Swilly, with an aching inside
I'll watch as her body is raised from the tide...
Her life has been taken, and I'll never know why
but I feel in that moment, a part of me died...