Ranma company belong to the brilliant Rumiko Takahashi, but the poor fare below is mine. CC welcome. First fanfic warning applies. Here goes ...
Words in (italics)are thoughts.
REKINDLING A FLAME
by: Skywatch
PART FOUR: CONFLAGRATION
"Oh no," Akane said in a voice that crumpled around the edges. She snatched the note pinned to the door and handed it to Ryouga.
"But how does he know I'm here?" the youth asked in bewilderment as he scanned the hastily scrawled words. Ranma's scratchy handwriting was unmistakable.
Akane's eyes widened. "He saw us."
Ryouga threw her a curious glance.
"There's no other explanation. It says, Akane, make sure Ryouga meets me at the lot in two hours,' and that in the meantime I should treat you as a guest." She didn't add that Ranma had also written, "I don't want pig-boy to think he has any excuses when I beat him.' Ryouga could read that himself.
"He knows we're together. He must've seen us," she continued worriedly. (What did you see, Ranma? Worse, what did you hear?) Even if all he had heard was Ryouga's declaration, she knew he would be furious. (You're not going to let us talk to you, are you?)
Ryouga shrugged off his pack and placed it by the door. He returned the piece of paper to Akane without further comment. "We could go back," he offered kindly.
"Thank you, I -" Akane began to say. Then she stopped as she took a good look at him, really paid attention to Ryouga's appearance for the first time since he arrived.
Dark smudges circled the Lost Youth's eyes and tiny lines of strain hovered around his mouth. He also seemed a little pale beneath the perennial weather-beaten tan that was the mark of Ryouga's life on the road. (He looks tired and hungry. Of course, he must've been on the road for days! Akane no baka! This is no way to treat a guest, much less a friend.)
Akane quickly weighed the options. She sensed that locating Ranma in the few hours left would be difficult, if not impossible. If she and Ryouga dashed off now, and failed to find Ranma in time and talk him out of the fight, then an exhausted Ryouga would face an irate Ranma. Although that sounded like it gave Ranma an advantage, it wasn't. A weary Ryouga would be prone to mistakes. A carefully angled non-lethal strike could easily slip out of control. And ... it wasn't right. Knowing what she did and ignoring it just so she could feel better (because a big part of her was screaming FIND RANMA!) did no honor to Ranma, Ryouga or herself.
"I really appreciate it, but would you mind if we had something to eat first?" she continued instead, choosing words that betrayed no hint of what she had noticed. She guessed that if Ryouga thought that the delay was purely for his sake, he would surely refuse. This way left him free to agree or not, depending on how he really felt. (Living with a touchy macho martial artist taught you things like that.) Ranma and Ryouga were similar in many ways, though Akane doubted she would ever have trouble convincing her husband to take a break to eat.
She knew she had guessed right when Ryouga didn't protest, but merely asked, "Are you sure?" As used to long treks as Ryouga was, this trip had been hard on him. His ambivalent feelings about the fight ahead had robbed him of peace for several nights. He hadn't slept well, and his restiveness had even interfered with his ability to track game.
Akane nodded. "We have a couple of hours, and I doubt Ranma will show up at the lot or let us find him until it's time to fight," she replied truthfully. "Besides, I haven't had anything since (3 a.m. ... kami, Ranma where are you?) breakfast." The longing that rose up in her at the thought of that easygoing impromptu "breakfast" surprised her. She swallowed and pushed the door to the house open. "I warn you, though, I'm going to have to do some cooking."
To her surprise, Ryouga smiled good-naturedly as he followed her. "You must have me confused with a certain baka we both know. I never did mind your cooking, Akane."
An errant wind blew across the vacant lot, stirring the dust onto the patches of grass and at the feet of the two newcomers.
Akane paused before skipping over the low barbed wire fence that marked the boundaries of the lot. This place held many memories for her. She had reclaimed her birthright as the Tendo dojo's heir here, although the actual fight came later. She could never pass here without slowing down. Ranma used to tease her about it...
"I knew that this is where I'd find you. Here, gimme that," Ranma grinned as he took the shopping bag from her. "What is it with you and this place? Reliving your days as a runaway?"
Akane was a little embarrassed at being caught staring out into space. "Very funny. What're you doing here anyway?"
"Oh I finished the class early. Students were obviously looking forward to winter break too much to concentrate," he shrugged. "So I showed them a new kata and let em go to 'practice'. They better get it right, though. I'll really lay into em next class," he ended cheerfully.
"Meanie," his wife tossed off as she started to walk back to the dojo.
Ranma fell into step beside her. "Hey, quit changing the subject."
Akane sighed, knowing that Ranma wouldn't let it rest until she told him what he wanted to know. "You remember the sisters? The ones we thought might be Otousan's daughters?"
"Sure. They challenged us for the dojo, and you ran away after we lost the first fight." The pigtailed youth gestured at the vacant lot. "Here, right? You spent a couple of days training."
"You did, too."
"Yeah, near the canal. First time I deliberately trained my girl side. Came back with speed like you wouldn't believe," he declared breezily, obviously pleased with himself. "Oyaji made a couple of suggestions that made sense, believe it or not. And you? What was it like training with P-chan?"
"Ra-n-ma," she growled warningly. Although she'd already forgiven Ryouga for the P-chan incident, it was still a sore topic.
Ranma raised his hands placatingly. "Hey, no offense meant. C'mon, Akane, tell me. I know Oyaji and your father were amazed at how much you improved in those couple of days."
"And you weren't, of course," Akane said. It was an old, little hurt, and she tried not to let it show.
"What was there to be amazed at?" Ranma asked in surprise. "I'd seen it before, the girl who fought a hundred bully-jocks everyday at school in ten minutes flat. Maybe the skills were better, but the determination was the same. You have a ..." he groped for words, "... fire in you, Akane. It doesn't let you stay beat for long, does it? I know coz I got the same thing in me."
Akane halted and stared at him.
Ranma stopped too. "What?"
"Alright, who are you and what did you do to my husband?" Akane demanded.
"Very funny," it was his turn to sniff. "Anyway, what does all this have to do with the vacant lot?"
Akane sighed. "That girl you were talking about? I stopped being her for awhile," she confessed. "Nabiki was right, I was slacking and I let my training lapse. Then those sisters came." She started walking again, keeping her gaze on the sidewalk, not looking at him. "The time I spent by myself in that lot wasn't just about getting my skills back. It was about me regaining my mindset and confidence as a martial artist."
"I guess it was because I actually had some time to myself, and I was able to sort through all the jumbled thoughts in my head." She smiled at the memory, a sixteen-year-old girl in a ratty, torn gi, staring at the heavens and finally getting mad at the right things in her life. (So Ranma's better than me and maybe I'll never catch up, and Otousan, my own sensei, has stopped training me because he expects Ranma to do all the dirty work. SO WHAT? What does it matter if I'm not on Ranma's level? Either I'm a martial artist and I love the Art, and I keep and hone the skills I have, or I lose everything I've worked for since I was a child!
It took Akane less than a heartbeat to decide. (I'll train on my own if I have to!) Of course as it turned out she hadn't needed to train alone. Ryouga had shown up back then, too...
Ahead of Akane, a more alert Ryouga placed his backpack under the same tree he had chosen before. A proper meal and a twenty-minute nap had done wonders. He unstrapped his iron umbrella, considered it briefly, and stood it next to the pack. (Sorry, old friend, you sit this one out.)
He scanned the area again. They had already circled the vacant lot twice with the same result: no Ranma.
"Looks like he wants us to wait," Ryouga said in a tone that attempted to be nonchalant. He was actually nervous. (Masaka, this is the first time I've ever been to one of these things on time! Usually I just rush in and fight. This waiting around is so unnerving.)
"Where could he be?" Akane clasped her hands together in anxiety.
"I'm right here!" The voice, brimming with confidence and challenge, rang clearly in the surrounding stillness.
Ryouga and Akane turned in shock towards the voice - the one voice they never expected to hear at this fight - and gasped.
"Ranma!" Ryouga and Akane exclaimed in shock.
(But why would ?) Even in her thoughts, Akane stuttered. Then she took a closer look at the pigtailed GIRL who was her husband. (He's ... she's ...! Where in the blue blazes did Ranma get that outfit!)
The short buxom figure was scantily clad for early fall, and especially for a fight. A black, body-hugging, v-neck half-shirt left throat, arms, a little cleavage, most of the redhead's shoulders and midriff bare. Dark denim shorts skimmed the top of onna-Ranma's thighs.
After awhile, Akane began to recognize the clothes. The clingy black shirt was a cut-up stretch tank top, the kind Ranma sometimes used for snorkeling. The shorts were hers, minus about three inches of leg cover. The designer pair of denim wear had been slashed, too, with the ends left to unravel. One of Akane's eyes began to twitch.
Ryouga stared at his opponent in disbelief. (This doesn't make sense!) It wasn't the unseemly outfit that got Ryouga's attention (although it did) as much as the glaring fact that Ranma had shown up to their duel as a girl. When he had a choice, Ranma always, ALWAYS fought as a guy. Although his cursed form was fast, Ranma preferred to fight in his real form. He was more confident that way; after all, it was the body he was used to. To Ryouga there was only one explanation: Onna-Ranma was up to something...
"You were expecting someone else?" onna-Ranma's voice was unruffled and a tad amused. The pigtailed girl stood easily on a pile of large steel pipes that had been in the vacant lot for as long as they could remember. The redhead's stance was relaxed but also insolent somehow, with one hand draped carelessly around a shapely hip.
"Will you fight, Ryouga?" the pigtailed girl invited in tones so cool that it could've been an invitation to dance.
"Ranma -" Akane tried to interrupt, brimming with the words that she desperately wanted to say.
She never got the chance.
Ranma's eyes slid to his wife for the length of a heartbeat before they focused on his rival again and effectively dismissed her from notice. "You're only supposed to watch, Akane."
The rebuke was uttered in the same mild, almost gentle tones Ranma had been using, but it was the scalding pass from Ranma's eyes that silenced Akane. That one glance gave the lie to his cool demeanor. Akane had not seen Ranma this mad in a long time. When he was like this, there was no telling what he was capable of.
Akane's heart thudded. (The vow.) In a couple of weeks it would be winter, and the year she had asked for over. In Ranma's present mood, he could invoke her promise and because they hadn't proved that he was back to his "old self" she would have no choice ... The thought paralyzed her for the few seconds it took for Ranma to jump down nimbly from his perch and assume a fighting stance.
"Shall we, Ryouga?" The redhead smiled, baring teeth.
Ryouga bowed his head briefly.
Then he stepped forward, brought his arms up ... and instantly sensed that, whatever his advantage, he would not be able to control this fight. Again, he was assailed by the feeling that this arrogant being in front of him was truly his rival, his equal, the yardstick Ryouga measured his abilities against. (If this is Ranma, he's going to push himself as far as he can - until we have no choice but to fight for real.)
The fanged youth clenched his fists. (Doesn't mean I'm gonna let him.) "Ready when you are, Saotome."
The words were barely out of his mouth when the redhead leapt forward with a cry, leg extended in a punishing kick.
Just as swiftly, Ryouga sidestepped. He spun into the arc of the kick and retaliated with an upward thrust punch.
Ranma was having none of it. He twisted away from Ryouga's fist, landed in a half-crouch and launched another flurry of kicks. Ryouga levered himself out of the way, ducking one and then another kick, letting them slip over his shoulders, countering when he could with his own punches.
Akane gasped as Ranma nearly fell for one of Ryouga's feints, spinning away at the last possible second. (Close, too close!) The martial artist in her was more dispassionate, analyzing the duel and automatically comparing it with the dozens of other fights she had witnessed between the two over the years.
The most obvious difference was the grim hush of this fight. Ranma and Ryouga's battles had always been noisy affairs, full of boasts and traded insults. This time only the occasional "kiai!" and the whoosh of legs, arms and bodies moving at terrific speeds punctured the air. Eyeing each other warily, Ranma and Ryouga moved to a tuneless dance. They circled, darted in and out of each other's reach, and met in brief staccato bursts of violence before breaking apart to seek new openings.
Ryouga kept mainly to his fists. From Akane's vantage point she could see that many of his punches were minutely slow because he was reining them in. (He must not want to use his kicks, in case that does too much damage.) But even if he was holding back, it was obvious that Ryouga had the advantage. He had gotten stronger and tougher over the years, and although he wasn't renowned for speed, people often forgot that Ryouga seemed slow only in comparison to Ranma.
Ranma was taking the opposite route. He used his hands and arms to block and parry, attacking mostly with kicks. It wasn't his usual style, and Akane took a second to understand the change. Ranma was fighting smart, keeping it simple, not risking the additional strain of a somersault where a plain leap would do. Not even leaping except when it couldn't be helped, because each time he left the ground meant another split-second effort to regain his footing.
Akane worried as Ranma strove to keep his distance from Ryouga. (He doesn't want to get too close because Ryouga can pummel him. But how long can he keep it up?)
The same question was running through Ranma's mind. (This is going nowhere! I haven't taken any damage, but neither has Ryouga.) To tell the truth, he was surprised - and pleased - that he was matching Ryouga so well. The extra speed in his female body helped, and his tactics were working. But Ranma wasn't going to kid himself. This was only a preliminary bout. Ryouga, for some reason, was not fighting at his best yet. Maybe he wanted to assess the extent of Ranma's regained skills first. Ranma, on the other hand, was nearly at his limit.
(I can't possibly outlast Ryouga. I gotta take some risks!) Unless Ranma beat him to it, Ryouga would up the ante soon and take charge of the fight. Ranma took a deep breath.
"Kaachu tenshin amaguriken!"
Lulled by the straightforward technique Ranma had been using, several chestnut fists slipped past Ryouga's defenses.
"Urk!" Ryouga grunted as speed strikes pounded the same spot in his gut. He staggered back, shielding his stomach from more hits. (He can do his special attacks!) Ryouga could barely believe it. Onna-Ranma's amaguriken speed had slowed to around male Ranma's and the punches were weaker, but it looked like Ranma had the full use of his arms back.
(Here's my chance!) As his opponent fell back, Ranma quickstepped backwards, creating more space between them. Dropping his arms, he gathered his chi and cried -
"Shi shi hokoudan!"
A red-white column of chi streaked from Ranma into the sky, then arrowed down towards the combatants. It was the closest Ranma had ever come to a perfect Lion's Roar blast.
But Ryouga hadn't forgotten the incident in the dojo, and this time he was prepared. (That jerk! Using a technique I perfected against me!) He scrambled to drain himself of chi and deflect Ranma's blast.
"Shi shi hokoudan!" he roared back, sending another crackling flare of energy upwards. It hurtled angrily towards its twin.
KA-BOOM! The twin columns of white-hot chi met in a deafening flash that illuminated the combatants and echoed for miles.
Akane shielded her eyes from the blinding glare. The blasts had collided just above Ryouga, and the energy of it was just beginning to dissipate. Akane sighed in relief as the remnants of the explosion rained down harmlessly like silver fireworks. It was even a little pretty.
Ranma and Ryouga stared hard at each other through the curtain of light that cascaded on and around the fanged youth, nipping at his skin like the pinpricks of tiny needles. Both fighters were breathing hard, their chests visibly heaving with each gulp of air.
That was the trouble with the shi shi hokoudan, Ryouga mused, the aftermath usually left the user drained and feeling a lot like soggy sushi. Course, the recipient of the blast wasn't supposed to be in any condition to take advantage by then.
Akane let go of the breath she hadn't been aware of holding.
Less than two minutes had elapsed since the fight had begun.
It was enough time for Ranma to realize that he wasn't going to win this way. (I just can't beat Ryouga in a straight fight, not in this condition.) He balled his fists. There was no choice; he had to switch to his plan. It was a gamble, but at least this way he had a chance.
Ryouga, on the other hand, was beginning to lose his temper. Kicks and amaguriken-speed punches were one thing, but chi attacks were a hundred times more difficult to control and infinitely more dangerous. (That idiot! If he tries any more stunts like that we could both end up in a hospital.) "Yamero!" he shouted. "Baka yarou! Enough of this! Listen, you !"
Ranma swallowed. This was the opening he was looking for, but ... (I sure wish Akane wasn't here.) And yet that wasn't quite true. He had wanted her to be present. He wanted Akane to see him win, to show her that he was back in all senses of the word. He'd been so excited about that, he hadn't stopped to think about the embarrassing stuff. (Can't worry bout that now.)
The pigtailed girl held a hand out. "Stop, Ryouga, I know what you're going to say."
The sudden change clearly bewildered Ryouga. "You ... do?"
"Sure." Ranma visibly relaxed. The redhead's voice became hesitant, almost shy. "I ... I've been trying to avoid this, but I guess it's no use."
Ryouga was surprised for a second. Then he thought he had Ranma's strategy figured out. It was disappointing really, that Ranma thought this pseudo-girly stuff would still work on him. (After all the tricks he's pulled on me over the years! We're not teenagers anymore.) It was still embarrassing, though. "Saotome, if you think I'm going to go easy on you just coz you're in your girl form!" he began indignantly.
But it was fair to say that what happened next was somewhat beyond Ryouga's expectations.
The pigtailed girl struck a pose that was, to put it mildly, highly provocative. "It's alright, Ryouga. I ... I know what you really want," the redhead said softly. "You want me, isn't that it? You've always wanted me."
"NANI!" That was Akane, but Ranma kept hisattention on his wide-eyed rival.
"You said I was beautiful the first time you saw me in this form. I never forgot that," Ranma continued in a limpid voice.
"I NEVER SAID THAT!" Ryouga denied hotly, recovering from his shock. "I said you should consider yourself lucky that - that ..." (Oh kuso! I did say it. But that sure as hell wasn't what I meant!) The youth was embarrassed and flustered by the half-true slur. "Dammit, Saotome!"
(Gotcha, pig boy. Ya never did learn to take a joke.) Ranma allowed himself a tiny satisfied smile. "You don't have to pretend anymore," the redhead chided softly. "We both know this fight isn't about Akane."
"RRRANMA …!" Ryouga growled.
Ranma ignored the outburst and stretched with feigned carelessness. The half-shirt lifted, showing more of the redhead's flawless, toned midriff, and was precariously close to revealing other, more dangerous curves. "Can I say it any plainer, Ryouga? Isn't this enough to show you how I feel?" (Kami, I think my stomach just crawled into my lungs.) "This is no time to be shy! Come and get me, big boy."
"How dare you!" Ryouga sputtered, turning a shade short of crimson.
(And now, as Nabiki would say, to clinch the deal.0 "Is that any way to talk to someone who almost became your fiancé?" the pigtailed girl asked in a hurt tone. "Especially after what we ... shared?"
A vein began to pulse in Ryouga's head. "Sh - shared!" he whispered in horror. Their eyes met. He knew exactly what Ranma was talking about. That Ranma would make fun even of this!
Ryouga would never forget it. The hope that soared in a lonely teenage boy who had thought that he had – at last- found someone who knew his ugly secret and accepted him anyway. Suddenly, happiness was not just possible but there, right within his reach.
He had wanted so badly to show the girl that he wanted her too, that he would accept her in the same way that she accepted him, and that he was still a man despite his curse. Even if his parents had arranged the engagement, he would be hers willingly (unlike Ranma, that undeserving S.O.B. who was just too STUPID to appreciate his luck).
Then, of course, the illusion was shattered. The "fiancée" Ryouga had tried to take in his arms had turned out to be Ranma in a silly disguise. Both he and Ranma were deeply embarrassed by that episode, and neither of them had mentioned it since.
Till now. How dare Ranma bring this up, in front of Akane no less, and ridicule it! Ridicule HIM.
Familiar, long-unspoken words burst from Ryouga's mouth as he launched himself towards his rival, all benevolent thoughts forgotten. "DIE, RANMA!"
(And he snaps!) It was the moment Ranma was waiting for. He allowed himself a nanosecond of satisfaction before the heart of ice took over.
Akane realized what Ranma was up to as soon she recognized the strange expression on his face. Only one thing explained that peculiar mix of intense focus and detachment. (Of course, the spiral! The one technique that doesn't draw power from the strength of the user.)
The Dragon's Heavenly Ascension Wave was the formal, long-winded name of the Amazon technique. Cologne had taught it to Ranma when he had lost his strength to Happosai. Even after he had regained his power, Ranma continued to use the technique. He had refined, revised and employed it in ways that had probably never occurred to the ancient Amazons. He had made the move his own. It was a good thing, too, because the Hiryu Shoten Ha had saved him and Akane many times.
Ranma's control was nearly perfect as he dodged Ryouga's infuriated blows, weaving the circles that were smaller and tighter with each step. To the anxious woman that watched, it was almost deja vu. Only, the first time the rivals had done this, Ranma had taken several hits. Though weak, Ranma had managed back then to stay in the spiral.
This time, Akane knew that Ranma couldn't afford to get hit, not even once. Then it occurred to her - this was why Ranma had shown up as a girl. He needed the extra speed, and the smaller form was a harder target.
And Ryouga was so angry that he couldn't see that he was being led into, or maybe he didn't care ...
(Kami, Ryouga's almost dead center!) It had taken mere seconds. Akane's eyes widened. She had never seen the spiral this focused before. The waves of chi were like claws poised to tear into its intended victim.
"HIRYU -" A wind sprang up around them as the coils of the dragon tightened around the opponents.
"No! Ranma, STOP!" Akane screamed, but her voice was lost in the rising wind. Akane had seen Ryouga in the aftermath of this attack. Although he had recovered quickly then, he had been terribly hurt. (And that spiral hadn't looked half as bad as this!)
Ranma dimly heard Akane shouting his name, but it was too late. His fist was already locked into the uppercut that was the crux of the Dragon's Heavenly Ascension Wave. (You lose, Ryouga.) "-SHOTEN HA!"
"RYOUGA!" Even as the artificial tornado generated by the Hiryuu Shoten Ha blurred the fighters from her sight, Akane was running forward. (If Ryouga gets hurt, it'll be my fault!)
She paused just at the edge of the whirlwind. As the winds generated by the spiral lapped at her hair, she tried to remember what Ranma had taught her about the Dragon Heavenly Ascension Wave. (Don't add to the hot chi.) A few years ago, Ranma had had the idea that a thin shield of cold chi might protect Akane from the worst of the wave. The idea was not to resist the winds, but to ride them without taking too much damage.
He did not ask her to form a heart of ice – her temperament was too volatile for that – only a focal point of calm. The effect was supposed to be a malleable aura of chi that surrounded her body.
Of course it didn't exactly work out that way. It had amused Ranma to no end that the shield his wife formed looked disconcertingly like her battle aura. Akane never told him that she had used cold anger to focus her concentration. (But that was training. This is real, and we never generated a spiral even half as large as this!)
She shook her head. You couldn't have doubts when you stepped into the spiral. She took a few seconds to spot Ryouga – there, that yellow and black speck! – and focused. In the second that the shield formed, Akane's thoughts cleared and Ranma's instructions rang clearly in her mind. She took one step, and another. (You can't fight the wind, Akane. Let it take you and -)
Akane suppressed the urge to struggle as the wind buffeted her. Then it was lifting her off her feet and into the sky. (But you can't give yourself up to it either, Akane, or it'll carry you off and shake you to pieces. This is where that brute strength of yours'll come in handy. You have to find the pattern that will allow you to move within the spiral.) 'Easier said than done,' she thought wryly, as she tried to maneuver towards Ryouga. It was a little bit like swimming, she reflected, without the danger of drowning. (Or can you drown from too much air?)
Akane made her way carefully, aware that one wrong move could send her plummeting to the ground or trap her in the spinning vortex. Her shield blunted the scoring sharpness of the spiral, but not much more. It did not make moving through gale-proportion winds easy. For that, Akane had to rely on her strength. Ranma, she knew, would handle it differently. He could move through the spiral, if not exactly with ease then with the grace of an experienced skydiver. Instinctively, he would maneuver his body to ride the winds. But then, as he pointed out, he knew the spiral; it was, after all, his "dragon."
Akane did not have Ranma's instinctive knowledge, only her own grit, determination and power. So Akane forced one arm out against an unseen wall of violent air and then another, mimicking the motions of swimming. It was one of the most grueling physical feats she had ever done, because every second she was pitting herself against forces that kept shifting around her. The wind kept threatening to throw her down or away.
It seemed an age before she got near the center of the huge vortex, and near its intended victim.
"Akane?" Ryouga's voice was weak with disbelief. He was in a bad spot, right inside a mean funnel of wind. His face was bruised, and where his shirt or pants were torn whiplash cuts trailed blood. Akane could tell at a glance that Ryouga was close to passing out. That he was conscious at all was a testament to how tough he was.
Quickly, before the wind could draw him away from her, Akane grabbed his arm. "Ryouga, you have to stay awake!" she shouted.
Unexpectedly, he tried to shrug her off. "Let me go. Dangerous ... you shouldn't ... it's okay ... I've ... done this before ..." With each word, Ryouga's voice grew fainter.
"Stop that!" Akane exclaimed in alarm. Kami knew how long they had before the chi-driven tornado collapsed and spat them out! And how hard would it throw Ryouga? In her mind she saw Ryouga falling, hitting the ground hard - and it would be her fault again. (NO! I won't let it happen!)
Ryouga's eyes closed. Akane shook him roughly. "Wake up! Listen to me! I'm going to draw you nearer into the center, do you understand? You have to arrow your body down, keep your hands at your sides. You have to help me, Ryouga, or we're both done for!"
Without waiting for an answer, Akane tugged Ryouga towards her. To her relief, he followed her instructions and the wind loosened its grip on him just enough to allow her to do it. It still felt like she was hauling a boulder on a wildly rocking boat, but at least there was a chance. If she could get Ryouga near the center, where the winds weren't so punishing ... if they could ride the winds when the funnel collapsed ... if she could find a safe spot to land ... (Some chance.)
Not that the odds mattered. Akane had laid that fear aside as well. It was irrelevant that every muscle in her body ached, that her arms felt close to breaking as she strained to move Ryouga, that she would be a pretty mass of bruises when this was all over.
Akane was wholly committed to her cause, and, in times like these, stubborn as hell. Around her, the malleable blue aura coalesced until it shone like a beacon in the sky.
And that was when Ranma saw her. There was no mistaking that flare of blue, so painfully bright against the blackness of the whirlwind. (Shimatta!) He ran forward, shouting her name. "Akane!" Fear gripped his heart. He had unleashed a dragon powerful enough to overwhelm Ryouga. If Akane's shield faltered, it would tear her to pieces!
He'd barely taken five steps when he saw something that chilled his heart. The base of the whirlwind was starting to unravel. In seconds it would leave the ground and then - "AKANE!" (Oh God, please !) "AKANE, WATCH OUT!" Even as he cried out in warning it was too late.
Ranma watched helplessly as the chi-driven tornado launched into the sky, leaving a dozen violent winds scattered behind it. In the chaos, he lost sight of the blue flare that was Akane. Ranma hoped with all his might that it meant she had gotten out, that she was riding one of the leftover winds to safety. (Unless she lost her shield, which could mean –) Ranma shied away from that horrible thought.
Then he saw it, the blue light shining near the tail-end of the funnel that was getting further and further away. Ranma leapt and sprinted after it. He knew exactly where it was headed.
The dragon was taking his wife and his rival towards the dojo.
Finally! Yes, me too. Feels like I've been writing this chapter forever.Geez, Rekingling even made it to the Unfinished Business list. Hey, Doc, can I get a reprieve now:)
Yes, Aoi, I am evil. ;) But not intentionally, heh. Conflagration really ends this way.Apologies for the long wait, folks. Hope you understand that if it's a toss-up between work and fanfic-writing, work wins. I'm also not posting any sections that don't at least halfway satisfy me. That wouldn't be fair to any of us. This chapter has been hard, but your reviews kept me going. Thanks, Chelsea, everyone!
Hey, Cat, good to have you back! I always look forward to your reviews.
Ryuu, good one! Just don't overdo it. :) You never know which teacher's been taking up japanese in his spare time ...
Patty-chan, nope, appreciative words never hurt me. ;D Such kind words, too, thank you! Thanks also to everyone who gave Rekindlinggood and constructivereviews. :)
Kat, thanks for pointing out what shimatta means. I agree that communication is important. That's probably why I ended up writing that 3 a.m. breakfast scene and the flashback here - it's a glimpse into how Ranma Akane talked before the accident. IMHO, though, communication is something you have to work at everyday (particularly in Ranma and Akane's case) and one of the themes of this story is what happens when that communication breaks down. Having your other asking you to help him kill himself might also put a damper on things...
Terpischore, sorry for making you wait for your Christmas present. ;) Thanks for the encouraging review, it really made my day! Oh, and feel free to point out the rough parts.
Doc, thanks for putting Rekindling on your faves list. :) Sorry for the long wait.
About Ranma's reaction when he overheard Ryouga and Akane's conversation in Chapter 3 (I already explained this to Cat, but here's the gist): First, Ranma's convinced and furious that Ryouga is chasing his wife. Second, remember that Ranma himself is plagued by self-doubt at this time; he thinks that Akane deserves someone better than him in his current state. So it's not so much that Akane has or hasn't shown signs of running away with Ryouga, it's that a (small) part of Ranma thinks that she should or, worse, that she might. Either way, it's driving Ranma a little nuts.
For those who think Ranma Akane are acting OOC, please remember that this is years into the future. Unfortunately, they still don't communicate very well. Also, Akane's recurring dream about Ranma's seppuku is just that - it's not meant to be an accurate depiction of ritual suicide.
Rough translation of Japanese words used in this fic:
Baka -fool, idiot, and the like. Term Akane uses to insult RanmaKaishoku - the "second" in traditional seppuku. His/her job was to cut off the samurai's head before the latter "dishonored" himself by showing too much pain
Kimi - you (used by a husband to his wife). Ex. "Kimi no kawaii"
Kuso - a swear word; roughly equivalent to "shit""Ittai koko wa doko da!" - "Where on earth am I now!" Ryouga's cry when he's lost and frustrated about it.
Otousan - Father
Oyaji - a less respectful way of saying father; usually translated as "Pop" in the anime
Shimatta - "Damn it!"
Shoji - sliding doors, like the one at the Tendo dojo
Yamero- "Enough!" or "Stop (it)!"