Disclaimer: Ranma 1/2 is the property of Takahashi Rumiko. No profit is gained from this work.
"..." Speech.
Persona
By
Dark Master Ryo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 2: Within Chains.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hibiki
Lightening flickers its light around me. Thunder roars loudly in the skies above me. And of course, heavy rain drops upon me. Although I had hoped, I never thought I'd experience this feeling as a human again. Under the rain, I was always that... pig. But now, I am reminded of how it feels to be under the rain. I've been dying for this moment... It's almost impossible for me to describe how much I wanted this.
However, despite all of that, I can't say I'm very happy right now.
I lean upon my slender arms as I face downwards. I can feel my hot breath warm my lips momentarily with each intake of air. I try to calm myself from the shock and attempt to face upwards, but it's hard; almost impossible.
That's right. How can I be happy? After what has happened, I can only feel the worst of emotions swell me up. Anger, regret, frustration... This is all that I can feel right now. Because now, I am... I am...
Gritting my teeth, I punch the ground in a failed attempt to relieve my frustration. I feel like I could cry at any given moment.
"Damn it..." I whisper in my feminine voice. "Why did this have to happen!" I cry out loudly in my feminine voice this time. I shift back on my knees, into a sitting position. I close my eyes and face the dark sky. "Damn it all!" The rain continues to fall at my face as I scream out my anger.
I am no longer who I want to be. I have become nothing more than my own rival. It sounds ridiculous when I think about it, but the truth is undeniable. Here is my own lifeless body in front of me, drenched with water; the ultimate proof. As I stare at it, I feel my anger increase.
"I am Ranma!" I laugh manically. "Give me a fucking break! What a joke!" I growl harshly at my original figure. "Stop that dead look, god damn it! You're me, aren't you! Come back to me!" I frantically grab my arm and pull. "I said come back!" I barely notice the sound of crackling before I hear a loud snap. The force of my pulling sends me falling along with the arm within my grasp. "What... the hell?" I look at my torn arm in shock. Surprisingly, blood is not in sight. I can only see the remains of my shoulder's bones still stuck at the top. That doesn't make me feel any better, though. "No... God no..." To make matters worse, that very arm crumbles to ash before my very eyes.
As I scream, I throw what's left of it away and crawl backwards. I don't feel angry anymore... I am scared. Scared of what just happened; scared of what will become of me. "No! That's my..." My arm continues to dissolve and wither away, until all that's left is the sleeve that used to be around it.
"No way." I whisper and look back at my body. It looks like my legs are next. They twitch and crumble into dust. "Stop it!" I yell and lunge back at it. I grab what used to be my torso, yelling, "I said stop it! This is mine! Give it back to me!" The force of my action does nothing but quickens the process, and I hear the sound of bones breaking to pieces. "Don't take it away! It's mine! Mine, mine, mine..."
As the torso vanishes into nothingness, I lastly latch my hands on my head, only to look at my own skull within seconds.
"Ah!" I drop it to the ground, and back away in fright. "What the hell?" Despite the rain, I begin to sweat. I feel sick to my stomach watching the person I used to be deteriorating into ash. "So are you telling me I am not who I am anymore!" I ask no one in particular. I am too confused to care who my questions are directed to. "I can't accept this bullshit! I..." As much as I want to not believe this, it's happening right in front of me. How can I not accept it?
Confusion swallows me up. I don't know what to do, besides shouting like a mad person. So I run. I run away from this horror.
I hear the sound of my footsteps as I run. Running away feels pleasant, but it doesn't completely ease my worries. I still have a lot on my mind. I want to forget, but I can't. It's impossible for me to do that. That would mean that I have to accept what has happened.
...How can I accept that? That I am Ranma... That's just ridiculous.
Suddenly, the horrible sensation from before returns to me. "Ugh." I gradually slow down my pace, until I can't run anymore. I feel sick; it may be just fatigue, but I feel extraordinarily tired for it to be just that.
"Damn it!" I weakly punch a random wall. My voice sounds weaker. The sound of rain and my heavy breathing seems like the only thing I can hear now. There is not a soul is in sight around me, either.
I walk a bit more, albeit shakily. What the hell is wrong with me? I feel hot, despite the cold atmosphere. I kind of wish the rain would stop; it's starting to get annoying. However, the rain is stronger than ever now; it doesn't seem like it's stopping any time soon.
I trip on something as I walk. I steady myself by leaning on some window shop next to me. I look at the glass, only to find Ranma's female form staring back at me. I look like a horrible mess. I stay this way for a few more moments to catch my breath. I feel like I can fall into a deep sleep once I close my eyes. In fact, I think I just may do that...
"Is that you, Ranma?" A familiar female voice calls.
Ranma? Yes, that's right. She's probably talking to me. I push myself off the wet glass and take a look.
Yes, it's a girl I know. Standing under the rain with an umbrella, Nabiki looks at me with a strange look. I think she finds my situation amusing.
"Wow, what happened to you?" She asks once she takes a closer look.
"I..." I can barely speak. My throat feels completely dry. Nevertheless, I need to say something. Maybe she could do something, I desperately think. I gather my strength and walk in her direction.
"What are you doing outside at this hour, Saotome?" Nabiki shoots yet another question.
Ignoring it, I grab on her blouse and try my best to speak. "Hel..." I think that's my limit. I can feel myself slipping from her. I'll be on the ground in less than a few seconds. Yet, I am finally able to utter some words in a clear voice. "Help... me..." The last thing I see is Nabiki's serious face before darkness takes over my vision.
"Hey, Ranma!" Nabiki's shout seems like a whisper. But what do I care? I am not the "Ranma" she's talking about. Besides, I don't feel a thing right now.
Unconsciousness is great. More like, a bliss. My tired body seems like it's gone. In this darkness, nothing can hinder me.
...So, am I Saotome Ranma now? Is that... my new name? What the hell am I supposed to do? This is all Saotome's fault, isn't it? I'd like to think so, but I think I'm partially to blame, too, this time.
I can feel myself move. I open my eyes, finding myself in the middle of pitch black nothingness.
I look down at myself. I am still a female Ranma. What is going on? I look around. Something doesn't feel right here. It's almost as if...
Wait, am I dreaming? Probably, now that I think about it.
After a few moments of walking around, I see a most shocking sight.
A bunch of black bars... Looking closely at it, it seems more like a huge bird cage. However, that's nothing compared to what's in it.
Within it, a person is wrapped in chains. His wrists are cuffed; his arms are tied, including his legs. The chains are all connected to a bigger one, which, in itself, is connected to a large pillar at the centre of the cage.
More importantly, that person is none other than Ranma himself, or perhaps more correctly, the male Ranma. He doesn't seem to be aware of my presence. His eyes are closed. Is he sleeping?
"Hey! Ranma!" I yell as loud as I could.
No response, though. "Ranma! Wake up!" I try again. However, he doesn't even budge. "Damn you, Saotome!" Maybe I'd be able to do something if I can get to him.
I try grabbing the bars, but as soon as I do, a powerful force knocks me away.
"Argh!" I scream in pain. That blow really hurt. I'm not sure how it's possible for me to get hurt in some dream world, but I just did. Maybe, just maybe, this isn't a dream after all...? If that's the case, then where the hell am I?
I get back on my feet, my hands grasping each other. It felt like I was being electrified. The pain managed to reach my arms, and I still feel them throbbing. Looks like getting to Ranma is out of the question.
What can I do, then? He's right in front of me, so close, yet so far away.
I'm getting tired again. I feel my face, along with the rest of my body, heat up.
"Is Ranma going to be okay?" A female voice echoes around me. I know that voice. How can I forget it?
"Don't worry, Akane. He'll be fine." This time it's a male voice. I know this guy, but... I just can't put my finger on it.
I begin to stir. As I open my eyes, I am greeted with blinding light.
"Look, he's up." Nabiki speaks this time.
"Ranma!"
After my eyes finally adjust to the light, I take a look. It's Akane. She looks awfully concerned.
I sit up and see everyone gathered around me. The Tendos, and Ranma's father. Even doctor Tofu is here. This doesn't feel so bad, being around people that give a damn about me. It's something that I rarely experience.
"Like I said, there's no need to worry; it's just a cold." The doctor adjusts his glasses. "How do you feel, Ranma?"
I still feel a bit hot, but I think I'm fine now. "I'm... fine." I speak weakly. I feel a bit awkward. I'm not sure if I should sound like Ranma when I speak.
"There's no need to act so tough! If you need help, just say so!" Akane frowns at me.
Act so tough? I think I'm starting to see what Ranma constantly whines about. Although, I am baffled at Akane's new behaviour towards me, I don't think she deserves the treatment she gets from Ranma. "I didn't mean it like that, Akane... Sorry."
"Are you really feeling all right, Ranma?" Nabiki looks amazed at my comeback.
I look at Nabiki directly for the first time since that time. Was she the one who helped me? It's likely that she did help, but that seems a bit surprising. I hope she doesn't ask for some sort of payment later.
At any rate, I should tell them about my situation. I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. I don't know what to say. I can't just tell them that I am Hibiki Ryouga and not Ranma. They might think I went mad.
In the end, have I really taken over the life of a new person? As much as I don't like it, that seems to be a fate sealed especially for me eons ago.
Ryouga has died during that very moment, did he? I am Saotome Ranma now, aren't I?
"What's wrong, Ranma? You seem disturbed." Tofu says. Leave it to Tofu to realize something's wrong. I can feel a few tears building up at the corner of my eyes, but I force them to stay at bay. I refuse to cry! Ranma wouldn't cry if he were in my position.
Then again, I am Ranma now, right? If I am Ranma, then maybe Ranma would cry. What should I say though? I need to figure out what to say.
"Ryoga..." I start, but a sob stops me mid sentence. I've never been one to hold back my tears, so I let them come despite the circumstances. "Ryoga...is dead." I hear the collective gasps of those in the room with a bit of surprise. I look to each of their faces, trying to judge their reactions. If I'm going to be stuck as Ranma for the rest of my life, I at least want to know that Hibiki Ryoga will be remembered. Tofu, Genma and Soun are all stoically solemn from the news. The girls, however, are clearly showing their emotion. Nabiki seems mildly shocked. Akane has a look of utter surprise and confusion on her face. Oddly enough, Kasumi was the only one shedding tears for me.
"Ryoga's...dead?" Akane asks. She seems to be in shock. She isn't crying though. It kind of annoys me that she isn't crying. Was I not important enough to her to shed a tear over? Even if she only sees me as a friend, shouldn't she at least cry? Damn it, why aren't you more upset over this, Akane! I bet if Ranma had died you'd be balling your eyes out!
That thought stops my mental tangent pretty quickly. If Ranma had died, Akane would really be upset. But...where is Ranma? If I'm in Ranma's body, where did Ranma end up? Could he have switched places with me? Was he in my body when it crumbled?
I remember the dream where Ranma was locked in the cage and dismiss that idea. No, Ranma wasn't killed. Something else happened to him. I just don't know what.
"Poor Ryoga. How terrible." Kasumi mutters in-between tears. Her words shake me out of my own thoughts, bringing me back to the point at hand. "How did he die?" Now there's a subject I don't want to discuss. It was hard enough to refer to myself in the third person a few seconds ago. I'm not about to go into a thorough explanation and risk messing up my tenses.
"I don't want to talk about it." I say quickly and get to my feet. I need some time to myself. I need to think this through. "I'm going to take a bath." With those words, I quickly leave the room and head downstairs to the furo. I'm sick of this female body. It'll be easier to think when I'm male again, even if I'll still be Ranma. I take off my clothes in a hurry and toss them into the hamper, doing my best to ignore my own naked female body before simply leaping into the furo. As soon as my body touches the hot water, everything goes terribly wrong. My whole body becomes numb, to the point I can't even tell whether or not I changed back. My vision is quickly spinning and darkening and I start to feel incredibly woozy. I can't even find the strength to speak or scream or moan as I collapse into the bath water and pass out.
--------------
Saotome
My head begins to clear and I start to come to, still feeling a little groggy. It's warm. Really warm, in fact. My whole body is surrounded by intense warmth. It almost feels like I'm submerged in hot water. But that's impossible, last thing I remember was collapsing in the park. I open my eyes, only to feel the stabbing pain of hot water rushing in. It's then I notice that I can't breathe. My lungs are burning for air, but I'm too disoriented. I can't even tell which way is up, or how far below the surface I am. What the hell is going on! Where am I!
"GAH!" I surface violently and suck in a sweat breath of air, gasping and coughing to get oxygen as quickly as I can. It takes me a few seconds to realize I'm sitting in the Tendo's furo. What the hell happened? How'd I get back home? "What's going on here?" I manage to say.
Ok, time to take stock of the situation. I'm home, I'm naked, and I'm in the bath. The dojo was a pretty descent distance from the park, so it's pretty unlikely that anyone found me lying in the middle of the park, brought me home and dumped me in the furo. And what about Ryoga?
"Oh god, Ryoga..." I mutter, remembering the recent events at the park. Ryoga was dead now because of me. I'd have to come to terms with that later, though. Right now, I need to figure out how the hell I got back to the Tendo's.
"Let's see...It started raining, and I felt really sick all of a sudden, then my vision went black..." I can't remember anything past that. So how'd I get home, and face down in the furo no less? I climb out of the furo and quickly get dried and dressed. First things first, I should just tell the Tendo's what happened and ask them how I got back. It's the easiest way. With that thought in mind, I leave the bathroom and walk into the living room, a little surprised to see everyone waiting for me there. Even Tofu was here. Weird.
"Everyone, I have something to tell you." I say. No one responds, so I continue. "Ryoga is dead." I'm expecting a series of gasps and maybe a few tears out of the Tendo girls, I'm rather surprised to see that they are all just confused.
"You...already told us that..." Mr. Tendo says, looking at me strangely.
"I did? When?" I ask, totally confused.
"Like 5 minutes ago. You told us right before you went into the furo. Are you feeling okay, Ranma? You sure that fever isn't messing with your brain?" Nabiki responds. Now I'm really confused. Apparently, I managed to hold a conversation while unconscious. I look towards a nearby clock, rather horrified to see that it read 2:23 AM. The last thing I could remember was midnight! How the hell did I lose 2 hours? I suddenly felt very tired. I couldn't take it anymore. Too many things were happening all at once and I couldn't wrap my brain around any of it.
"Maybe it is. I feel like crap. I'm going to sleep." I say, walking towards the stairs and up to my room. I barely reach my futon before collapsing onto it and falling asleep.
--------------
Ranma's Dream
I grin to myself as I defeat another opponent. The crowd goes crazy when I'm declared the winner. Why shouldn't they? I'm only the greatest martial artist ever. I'm the only reason people come to these tournaments, after all.
"I love you, Ranma!" Some fan shouts from the stands. I wave in her direction, but I don't have any clue which one of them said it. It doesn't really matter though. They cheer harder anyway.
"Everyone, may I please have your attention." The announcer's voice says over the PA system. The stadium falls silent abruptly as everyone listens to what he has to say. "The remaining 22 contestants have all simultaneously forfeited after watching the last fight. Saotome Ranma is our new champion!" The crowd goes wild in amazement, cheering even louder than before. I raise my hands in victory as a busty woman in a bikini presents me with a wheel barrow full of prize money. It feels good to win.
Something catches my eye that I didn't notice before and the cheers slowly die down. Not because the fans stopped cheering, but more like someone was turning down the volume on the world. There was a cage on the sidelines of the ring, a giant cage, towering into the sky with massive black bars. It's amazing that I didn't notice it before, what with it being so imposing. Everything seemed to be fading now, the entire landscape fading to black behind me, leaving only the bird cage. A bird cage with no door. It's then that I notice what's in it; or rather, who.
A red haired girl dressed in a pair of black pants and a blue Chinese shirt is kneeling near the center of the cage. Her entire body is wrapped in chains, cuffs around her wrists, ankles and throat with locks the size of my fist holding all the chains together. All the chains are in turn attached to one giant chain, the kind of thing one would expect to be attached to a boat anchor on a giant cruise ship, and that chain is in turn attached to a giant pillar at the very center of the cage. From the way the redhead is kneeling, and from the way that giant chain hangs taut, the only reason she isn't laying flat on the ground is because the chain keeps her body from reaching it. Her eyes are closed and her breathing is slow. It looks like she's asleep.
"That's my curse..." I mutter to myself, never even noticing the tournament vanishing into a black nothingness around me. The cage is the only thing that has my attention. I grab the bars and instantly regret it. My entire body jerks and my nerves start burning. It feels like I'm holding onto a live wire while simultaneously being struck by lightning. I let go quickly, glaring at the bars while smoke rises from my palms.
"I ain't going to leave that girl in chains." I mutter, my aura burning around me, "And no damn cage is going to keep me out! Mouku Takabisha!" an orb of confidence ki flies out of my open palms, striking the bars dead on and passing through them like they weren't even there. Instead, it continued on its path and nailed the redhead head on, leaving the bars and the chains totally unharmed.
"What the...What's going on?" She mumbles, waking up in confusion. It looks like she tries to move her arm, but the chain barely allows her enough leverage to twitch. "Why the hell am I all chained up?" She asks.
"That's what I want to know." I respond, a little confused by the whole thing myself. The redhead jumps when she hears my voice and looks at me in surprise.
"Ranma? Is that you? Damn you, what'd you do to me? This is all your fault, you know!" She shouts at me, sounding angry.
"My fault? How is it my fault? I've got no clue how you ended up in those chains!" I respond indignantly.
"Of course it's your fault! You cast that stupid cure and now I'm like this!" She shouts. It all makes sense to me all of a sudden. Of course my curse would appear in chains within a cage. I cured myself! Clearly, this is a representation of her imprisonment in my body because I won't transform anymore.
"Look, I'm sorry you're stuck in a cage because I got cured, but you're going to have to deal with it. You're a curse! I never wanted you in the first place!" I say. The redhead looks at me like I've grown a second head.
"What the fuckare you babbling about, Ranma! I am not your curse, I'm Ryoga, you idiot!" She shouts. Ryoga! How is that possible? Why would Ryoga appear in my dreams as my curse while chained up and locked in a cage? That doesn't even make any sense! I simply stare at Ryoga with a dumb look on my face, occasionally scratching my head in confusion and generally being shocked by this turn of events.
"If you're Ryoga, then why do you look like my curse? And why are you all chained up and locked in a cage?" I ask, pointing to the cage and chains in question. Ryoga ponders the question for about a second.
Ryouga looks around, seemingly just noticing the cage for the first time. "Holy shit!" Ryouga exclaims. "This is the same cage I saw in my dream!"
I scratch my head in confusion. I wonder what she's babbling about; I don't like being in the dark of things. "What are you talking about?"
"Ranma, listen to me!" The redhead seems to come to a realization. "That night, after the spell was over, something went wrong!"
"That much is obvious." I cross my arms and urge her to continue. I get the feeling I'm not going to like what I'm about to hear. But if it means I'll get answers to the mysteries going on, I don't care.
"After that wolf bastard hit me, I blacked out." Ryouga starts to explain. "But then, suddenly, I wake up, drenched in the middle of the rain. And then I found out that I was you; your female form!"
I scowl at Ryouga's explanation. I was right; I don't like the sound of that. On the other hand, it makes sense. The puzzle pieces connect perfectly in their place now. Still doesn't explain what's up with the cage yet, though.
"So, what yer saying is..." I try to think of a proper way to put it. "I'm still me, and you've become my female form?" I feel like slapping myself for saying that. That sounds really dumb.
"That's what I think, too." Ryouga nods.
"Oh man..." I hold my head. What the hell did we get ourselves into? The next time I see that old goat, I'll make him regret taking me to that damn temple. Shit... I really feel pissed off right now. It's not even like me to get so angry.
"What the hell?" Ryouga shouts.
"What now?" I take a look at Ryouga. The chains around her body... They're shaking in insanely rapid movements. Ryouga struggles in them, but the chains suddenly break and disappear. "What the heck did you do?"
Free from their grasp, Ryouga examines her body in surprise. "I didn't do anything!" Ryouga looks at me. She looks a bit relieved, but not too happy, either. "Maybe... It's because we figured it out?"
"Who knows?" I shrug. "Either way, what difference does it make? Ain't this just a dream anyway?"
"Hmm..." Ryouga ponders for a moment. "I don't know, but this probably means your chains are broken, too."
"I ain't got no chains." I have chains too? What's Ryouga talking about?
"I saw you in this cage when I was dreaming." As if reading my thoughts, Ryouga gives me an answer. "You were tied up in chains, too."
"What? You've gotta be kidding!" Me, in this damn cage? This is my own damn body.
"This not the time for jokes, I'm afraid, Ranma." Ryouga looks at me seriously. "We need to do something about this."
"Damn right, we do!" I puff angrily. I don't like the idea of sharing this body, and I'm sure as hell Ryouga doesn't, either. But what should we do? "We should find a way to get you back to your body." I say firmly.
Ryouga looks depressed when I say that, though. "My body was destroyed." She averts her eyes away from me.
"Wh-what!" I look at her in surprise. "I'm pretty sure it was fine! What the hell happened?"
"It... It started breaking..." Ryouga's voice seems broken itself. "...and then, it was crumbling... Before I knew it, nothing was left of it."
"God damn..." This is most definitely a horrible predicament. While I'm no good of a situation myself, Ryouga seems to have gotten the shorter end of the stick. "I'm sorry, man." I apologise. It's the only thing I can do, and I feel pretty responsible for what happened. But I guess apologies aren't going to cut it. Words alone aren't going to make everything all better.
"Yeah, well, sorry isn't going to fix anything." Ryouga shares my opinion, too. "So what are we going to do?" Despite her words, she seems disturbed beyond belief. Ryouga doesn't even look at me once while asking her question.
Ryouga stands there, behind the black bars; her arms are held firmly within her hands. Ryouga looks like she's merely standing there with her arms crossed, but she seems to be actually trying to stop herself from shaking. It's almost as if she's containing something big inside of her. It's distressing...
...This is entirely my fault, I think and avert my eyes away from her. It's almost unbearable to watch.
I need to calm down. "What to do, eh?" I force myself to look at Ryouga, but she's still facing away from me.
We stay still like this. Like the silence, my mind is blank; I can't think of anything. What can I do? If I can't even cure myself, then how the hell am I going to fix this? Someone like me can do nothing; nothing at all.
When something bad happens, I always rely on the help of others rather than solve everything by myself.
Then I realize something. In that case, perhaps I should seek the help of someone. And there's only one person I can think of that could be of help.
"Hey." I break the silence with my dark voice. I can't even feel any enthusiasm for what I'm about to suggest. "How about we ask someone for help?"
Ryouga chuckles bitterly at my suggestion. "And who the hell would help us?"
"Ya know, I was thinkin'..." I look at her firmly. "Maybe we should go ask the old crone to give us a hand." I speak in the same tone. Unexpectedly, Ryouga finally looks at me again.
"Maybe she could do something..." Ryouga is getting her hopes up. I, on the other hand, feel skeptical, despite this being my idea. "Let's do that. We should go to see her as soon as we can."
"I suppose we should." I look around. "We should fetch that scroll, too."
Ryouga scowls at that. "Just leave that thing. I doubt it's of any use now, especially after leaving it in the rain."
"Yeah, but it's our only clue." I turn back to Ryouga. "So how do I get outta here?" I change the subject.
Ryouga blinks at my question. "You wake up?" She speaks like it's the most obvious thing.
"No shit, man." I roll my eyes. "How?" I make my question clearer. "You were here before, right? How did you get out?"
"Voices woke me up." Ryouga answers. "I'm guessing you need something to interrupt your dream."
"Great." This does nothing but worsen my mood. "So I have to stay here until someone decides to wake me up?"
"Well..." Ryouga crosses her arms and smiles at me, which I find unusual. "I guess there is one other way to get out."
"Which is?" I raise my eyebrows.
"Die." Ryouga grins this time.
"What!" I shout, flabbergasted.
"Kill yourself, Saotome." Ryouga chuckles in amusement. "If you're no more, then you will wake up."
"You gotta be kidding me..." I look at her nervously. "What if I die for real?"
"What are you so worried about? I've never heard of someone dying because of their dream." Ryouga takes a step closer to me.
"But still..." I look at my hands. I'm actually thinking of doing it, but my hands just can't move.
"Here. Let me help you, Saotome." Ryouga suddenly says.
I look in her direction and widen my eyes. Some sort of projectile is heading towards me. I don't even have the time to react; it almost instantaneously lands on my neck.
It's pain. Unimaginable pain, and I can't even scream because of it. I see blood splatter around in the air as I fall backwards.
First comes pain, and then, it's blinding light.
--------------------------------------
To be continued...
--------------------------------------
Authors' Notes:
Schmidt: I finally got around finishing this. Yay. I wasn't able to work on this for a while, because Windows decided to break on me. Don't you just love reliable software?
Also, I am proud to announce that many kittens have been saved. Keep up the good work, guys.
Ryo: This is our third update this month. Will wonders never cease? We might actually update From Jusenkyo with Love within a few weeks! Who knows? We seem to be on a roll.