Mamono Hunter Ukyou
Shinrou: Shadow of Fear
Part 2
By Edward A. Simons
Based on characters and situations created by Takahashi Rumiko. Ranma 1/2 and characters copyright Shogakukan, Kitty Animation Circle, and Takahashi Rumiko. Devil Hunter Yohko and characters copyright NCS, Toho Company, LTD., and Mad House. This story revised 2005 by Edward Simons.
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In the silence of the night
How we shiver with affright
At the melancholy menace of their tone!
For every sound that floats
From the rust within their throats,
Is a groan:
Edgar Allen Poe, "The Bells"
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In August of 1883, the Pacific island of Krakatoa was shattered by a volcanic eruption that hurled eleven cubic miles of rock and ash into the air. The blast was heard three thousand miles away. A tsunami with waves cresting at fifty feet in height killed over thirty-six thousand people and its final remnants reached coastlines eight thousand miles away. Two thirds of the island disappeared and global weather patterns were disrupted for years.
Compared to this, Akane's explosion was insignificant. Ranma was too wrapped up in kissing Ukyou to dodge the hammer aimed at the side of his head, not that he was ever good at that. He was already unconscious when his head shattered the side of the tub. The water crested at a few inches in height as it sloshed along the floor of the bath. This time it was cool enough to change Ranma to female form.
Akane had been worried when she approached the broken wall of Dr. Tofu's house. Then she heard Ukyou speak.
"Sure thing, Ranchan. Um, anytime. It was nice."
"It was? I...I'm glad, Ucchan."
"Well, um, it was better when you were...were you again. Um, could we do...do it again, I mean, if you'd like to, Ranchan."
A red haze clouded Akane's vision, but hid little of the view through the ruined wall. Ranma and Ukyou were kissing enthusiastically and they weren't wearing a thing. The Tendo girl didn't remember what happened next, but when her vision cleared, Ranma lay limp and unconscious. Blood seeped from her mouth and nose and more matted her hair. A tall brunette clung sobbing to the short redhead.
Nightmare had become reality. After she'd nearly killed P-chan in the forest of Ryugenzawa, Akane had become afraid of herself, of the anger roiling inside, of the damage it could do. She needed Ryouga to hold her, to tell her everything would be alright, but he lay unconscious.
The Lost Boy hadn't seen Ranma and Ukyou, but hearing them was enough for the boy to leap to the same conclusions as Akane. His actions were completely different as he fainted in embarrassment. Ryouga was unaffected by the flowing water that changed Ranma, since he still lay on the sidewalk outside. For a moment, the only sounds were the whisper of the wind outside and Ukyou's soft sobbing.
A greenish pulse of light drew Akane's attention to the odd piece of jewelry on Ukyou's left hand. Almost of its own will, the arm began the mystic gestures that had become reflex. Scarlet and emerald gemstones left glowing tracks of power through the air as Ukyou gestured a healing spell over Ranma's unconscious body.
Ukyou paused for breath, then called "Blade of my soul appear." The battle spatula leapt from the floor to her waiting hands. Hatred flared in Ukyou's red-rimmed eyes and an icy chill ran down Akane's spine. None of the male martial artists attacked her directly. Most of the female ones didn't bother with her. Most of the rest held back out of pity or contempt for her skills. Ukyou had held back because of friendship, but obviously nothing would restrain her now. Akane wanted to scream, but her mouth seemed paralyzed.
Shinrou was pleased. If the Mamono Hunter used her powers to kill a human who wasn't possessed, she would lose her magic forever, becoming easy prey. Even if she didn't, the fear emanating from Akane would probably grant Shinrou enough strength to dispose of her and the helpless Ryouga and Ranma. Ukyou's magic partially shielded her from the Mamono's probing, but it sensed enough to suspect the loss of Ranma would destroy the girl anyway.
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"There's another reason I came to this hospital, Doctor. How are my students?"
"Remarkably well, considering the circumstances. Most have been treated and released."
Tofu summarized quickly for Hinako, who jotted the information in a notebook.
"What about those who aren't students?" she asked.
"The other teachers stayed well out of it, so they weren't injured. Principal Kuno, on the other hand, remains in serious condition and hasn't regained consciousness. Frankly, I'm surprised he's still with us and I wouldn't expect him back at school for quite some time. His daughter Kodachi is sleeping, but she's under observation. You're certain she tried to kill herself?"
Hinako nodded. "Ranma and Ukyou can confirm it. Speaking of which, I don't recall you mentioning either of them." She scanned back through her notes. "I saw a fair amount of blood on both of their clothing."
"Perhaps they were sent to another hospital." Tofu frowned as he reached for the phone. "This reminds me too much of the last time they disappeared.
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Shampoo hated the telephone. She'd called Furinkan High several times, getting no response. That worried her so she tried Dr. Tofu's with no more success, giving up in frustration just before Ranma and Ukyou returned there. She couldn't call the Neko Hanten and she didn't want to call the Tendo dojo. That left her waiting alone in the empty restaurant.
By the time the phone finally rang, Shampoo nearly jumped out of her wheelchair. When she recognized the voice as Dr. Tofu, she switched to Mandarin. She was more comfortable with her native language and she knew the Doctor could understood her.
"Hello, Doctor."
"Shampoo, what are you doing at Ukyou's restaurant? Ever since you ran away from the hospital, I've been worried. What happened to you?"
"I don't have time to explain. Have you seen Ranma or Ukyou?"
"I was about to ask you that myself, Shampoo."
"What's wrong?"
"There was a big fight at Furinkan High today. No one seems to have seen them since then and their teacher says they were both injured."
"Have you seen Konatsu? He was carrying me that night." She didn't have to say which night that was. "Konatsu went to Furinkan High today, too."
"No, I haven't seen him. There is an unidentified female patient, though."
"Aiyah, that must be him. Is he alright?"
"He's still unconscious and it's really too soon to answer that."
The Chinese girl gave a short gasp. There was silence for a moment and then a whispered. "I'll be right there."
"Wait, Shampoo, if you get splashed..."
But she'd already hung up the phone.
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Two other people were also speaking Mandarin, but this time both were Amazons. Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran had retreated a short distance to bandage their injuries. Now they watched the clinic where their quarry was hiding from a roof across the street.
"Can you hear anything, Lin-Lin?"
"Nothing. Let's move closer. We may still have a chance to kill Ranma and if the girl interferes again, we will have to kill her." Lin-Lin's face showed regret at that. She respected martial prowess and Ukyou was skilled at her art.
"Sister, I'm tired of this," Ran-Ran replied. "If we really want to fulfill our laws we have to marry him, too, since he's defeated us before. And he's not the only one who did it. This girl Ukyou defeated us in combat the second time we were here. So did the gymnast. Akane helped Ranma beat us. Big Sister Shampoo even gave us the Kiss of Death when she defended Ranma. If we start killing, when will it end?"
"This isn't about our laws," Lin-Lin replied. "This is about vengeance for Big Sister Shampoo."
"Vengeance won't bring back the dead."
Her sister's only response was a blank stare. Lin-Lin's face appeared expressionless, except for the eyes, and what she saw there disturbed Ran-Ran. Something was very, very wrong and she didn't know how to help her sister.
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"You're awake." The statement wasn't clever or original, but it was accurate and heartfelt.
The girl nodded, and smiled faintly. She'd been healed by Ukyou's magic, but she was still sore from the injuries inflicted and being possessed by the Mamono.
"How...how long have I been out?"
"I didn't really look at the time. Several hours, I guess. Maybe around dinner time." He paused for a moment. "It seemed like a lot longer than that."
"Hey, I'm not that fragile." She blushed and stared at her hands. "Um. Sorry, that didn't come out the way I wanted it to. Thanks for staying with me till I woke up again."
"It seemed like the right thing to do, Yuka." Daisuke gazed down at the girl in the hospital bed. He'd been taking his girlfriend for granted. He assumed she'd always be there. He hadn't imagined what life might be like without her, and he didn't want to find out. The brawl at the school earlier was different than previous battles. It was as if some dark spirit had taken control of the students. Daisuke wasn't sure what to do. He knew he wasn't strong enough to protect Yuka, to protect the girl he cared...no, the girl he loved. And his weakness frightened him.
Things had changed. Most of the problems that had come to Furinkan High were mere entertainment; things that affected martial artists, people like Ranma, things that passed the ordinary students by. The few exceptions that affected everyone, like the various idiocies of Principal Kuno, were dealt with by the martial artists as well.
But the comfortable old pattern was gone. Ranma for all his strength and all his desire to aid others hadn't been able to stop people from getting hurt this time. Or worse than hurt. Nabiki had been one of the cleverest people at Furikan High. She thrived on the chaos, even caused it to grow for her profit and amusement.
Now she was gone, and though nobody missed her, her absence showed just how high the stakes had gotten and how little chance the rest of them had.
"Daisuke?" Worry creased his girlfriend's face.
"What? Oh, I'm sorry. Sorry for a lot of things. If only I'd been strong enough to protect you."
"It's not your fault."
He nodded, but her words didn't change the way he felt.
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Akane's eyes bulged in their sockets. No one would rescue her this time. Ranma and Ryouga were unconscious. Shinnosuke was gone forever. Tofu, Kasumi, and her father were too far away to hear her scream and she couldn't even manage that. It was hard enough to breathe with the blade of the battle spatula pressing against her throat.
Ukyou's eyes were inches from Akane's and they blazed with unrestrained fury. Akane felt cold, so very cold.
"That's the last time you hurt Ranchan." The Kuonji girl practically spit the words. "It's never going to happen again." The Tendo girl tried to form a reply, but Ukyou gave her no chance for it.
"That's alright, I know what you'll say, Akane. You'll go into your poor little me routine and blame the big bad Ranma for all the problems in your life. Guess what? Your life was a mess before he ever showed up. I heard about the way Kuno and the other boys fought you to try to get a date. I've even heard how you lost out on Dr. Tofu to your own sister."
"H...how?"
"Sometimes he talks to me and sometimes I'm even smart enough to listen. He cares about you, though Kami-sama knows why, especially after the way you treat him. I know you. I know you'll say he deserves it and I'm sick of hearing that. Kami knows, he doesn't deserve being treated that way."
The pressure of the blade touching Akane's neck eased fractionally. "B...but...you don't understand. No one understands..."
"Akane, I don't think even you could be dumb enough to believe that no one can understand your problems. Yes, you have Kuno after you and I understand why you hit him. He's too dim to take no for an answer. Guess what, he's after Ranchan's cursed form, too, and you'd realize how much Ranchan hates that if you bothered to listen to him. I've got that jerk Tsubasa after me. Shampoo's got Mousse and that creepy Ghost Cat after her."
"Yes, you were stuck into an arranged marriage. Sure, you resent that. Do you think Ranchan or Shampoo or Kaori or Konatsu don't? I guess I'm the only one whose Dad cared enough to even inform them about this whole engagement business, let alone find out if they wanted it."
Ukyou paused as she realized her father had cared enough to do that. She mouthed a silent apology to the man and lost a little of her focus as her anger ebbed. The girl didn't know Ranma had regained consciousness and heard most of her tirade. He didn't know what to say and for once he was smart enough not to say anything.
The Kuonji girl continued. "Do you think I haven't got hurt because of my engagement, Akane? Do you? When I first showed up, you took my side, just like you take the side of every other stranger that shows up challenging Ranchan. Do you have any hint of the pain I went through when I thought he ran out on me, when I thought I lost him forever?"
Akane understood. She'd imagined Ranma leaving with Ukyou before. The two had gone away, happy in each other's presence while Akane was left behind. The feelings were imagined futures rather than actual events like Ukyou had suffered, but the feelings, the pain were very real to Akane, and she had other losses she carried in her heart.
So many people Akane cared about had left her behind. Dr. Tofu had never noticed the way she felt about him and eventually Akane admitted she'd lost him to her older sister. She'd lost her mother and Nabiki to death. She'd lost her father at the same time her mother died, for while his body still lived, he was only going through the motions of life. She missed him so, but he seemed trapped in an empty routine. Other than the actions needed to keep his body alive, all he seemed interested in were pointless games of shogi. He didn't teach anymore. He didn't learn anymore. He'd largely abandoned his role as parent, leaving the burden to Kasumi.
It was a cold and bitter realization. Her father had fallen into the same trap that destroyed Nabiki and she realized if a Mamono affected him, he could be lost as easily as her sister. Tears meandered down the Tendo girl's cheeks. She was afraid, so very afraid of losing him.
Ukyou didn't see her rival's tears; her eyes were too clouded by her own.
"I understand...now I understand my being disgraced and mocked and abandoned was the fault of that idiot father of his and not Ranchan. He never meant to hurt me. He never meant to hurt anybody, but you still don't trust him and you take it out on Ranchan with that stupid hammer of yours or any other blunt object you can find. No one else treats him that badly."
"What else is there, Akane? What wouldn't I understand?"
"My...my mom...when I lost..." She couldn't find the words to say how she lost her father that day, too.
Ukyou sighed and a hint of sympathy crossed her eyes, though she tried to mask it. She couldn't afford to be kind now. The girl forced an edge back into her voice.
"So you lost your mom. I...I can't even remember what mine looked like. You might ask Shampoo if she can remember hers, or maybe one of the Kunos about their mom. It might not be the same way, but Ryouga's lost both his parents and who knows if he'll ever see them again. Konatsu's folks are dead, too, and his step-family makes Principal Kuno look like a model parent."
Akane shrank from the verbal assault, but the other girl wasn't finished. Neither noticed Ranma listening intently. He understood what Ukyou was saying. He'd lost his mother for over a decade because of his father's lies and cowardice. She was a stranger in so many ways, but at least he could still get to know her. Ukyou, Akane, Shampoo, and even Kodachi would never have that opportunity.
Ranma sat up and stared at the palms of his hands, noticing how much smaller they were in his cursed form. He still hated the way the curse had separated him from his mother. There was a deeper level where it frightened him, too. Cologne and Herb had trapped him this way and only the belief that a cure was possible kept him going those times. He still hadn't told anyone about the nightmares, the dark dreams where even water hot enough to sear away skin and flesh wouldn't change him back. Somehow he felt that if he was a real man, this curse would never have happened.
Ranma glanced at Ukyou and shuddered. He wasn't afraid of her and he was sure she wouldn't really hurt Akane. He was afraid because of what didn't happen.
Ucchan's body isn't as distracting while I'm in girl form. Have I lost a part of what it is to be a guy? And if I did, what might be the next step?
Ranma wrapped her hands around her knees and put her head down.
I ain't gonna cry, only girls cry.
Shinrou knew patience would pay off. Ranma had clawed his way into the Cat Fist state to escape the Mamono's control, but the boy had other fears to be exploited. It needed to be cautious, so very cautious now, or the Mamono Hunter would sense it. It was wiser to do what it could now, then wait for an opportunity to finish the job.
Ukyou continued. "Have you ever gone to bed hungry because there wasn't any food, Akane? Have you had to sleep on the ground, with no tent or sleeping bag or even a blanket to keep you warm? Do you know what it's like to carry everything you own on your back? Do you understand that hot showers are a luxury? Do you have any idea what it was like for me or Ranchan or Ryouga growing up on the road?"
"Neither you or I know what it's like to have a Jusenkyou curse, but have you tried to understand Ranchan? Yes, it hurts when he whines about his curse as if being female was something inferior. We know he's got life easier than most of the other curse victims."
Both Ranma and Akane flinched this time. Shinrou sensed their pain and fear and it made a decision. It might be able to control both, but the danger of the Mamono Hunter sensing it was too great if it pushed too hard, if it wrapped it's webs too quickly. The creature needed to decide which one was easier to influence subtly and center its attention on them.
Ukyou remained focused enough she didn't sense the monster. "Ranchan's complaining about becoming a girl attacks the essence of what we are, but have you looked past what he says to what he really means. I went to a boy's middle school, so I know most guys would rather be blind cripples than lose that part of their anatomy, just like I know Ranchan is not a pervert." Ukyou took a breath and refocused on her main point. "Besides him feeling like any normal guy would about the curse, his own parents made him promise to commit seppuku if he came back as less than a man among men and then he gets cursed to turn into a girl. After that, turning into a panda or a cat or anything would seem preferable."
Ranma hadn't told anyone about the dreams where his disappointed mother required the ultimate penalty of him. One night the blade would be cold as ice as it sank into his stomach, cold as the final look she gave him. The next time it felt like a blazing fire, like the shame and anger he believed his mother must feel for his failure.
Ranma shook his head. He had believed his mother would be that harsh, because his father and Mr. Tendo had believed it. That belief lasted until Ranma grew tired of the lies, tired of the way he hurt his mother by hiding from her, tired of nothing ever being resolved. He'd been ready to die if that's what it took to solve things, but Nodoka hadn't blamed him for his curse and had forgiven his lies. That fear was false, and while the echoes of those memories hurt because of how he hurt the mother he was separated from for a decade, he'd made it past that fear.
Ranma pulled away from the darkness and focused on the girls. So did something else.
"What else has the curse done for him, Akane?" Ukyou's voice was quiet, but strong and hard as the blade of the battle spatula she still held at the other girl's throat. "We know the embarrassment when some jerk keeps asking us out and won't rent a clue that we aren't interested. We know the pain and humiliation when that lech Happosai tries to grope us. How do you think Ranchan feels when it happens to him? How manly do you think that makes him feel?"
Ranma heard the words she didn't say and realized Ukyou understood that in a way none of the other girls could. Her years disguised as a boy were a dark mirror of his curse. He heard the bitterness and sorrow in her voice and wondered how many girls had tried to flirt with a boy that wasn't a boy.
Ucchan probably hated that as much as I hate guys hitting on me. And the guys that do hit on her dress like girls.
Ranma shuddered as he realized how that must feel for his fiancée.
Bet she feels as much like a girl as I do like a guy sometimes. I wonder if her first kiss...
Ranma shied away from the memory of his first kiss, the kiss stolen by Mikado Sanzenin from his cursed form. His stomach twisted and he felt the bile rising in his throat as his heart began sliding back into the darkness.
No! Ranma grabbed a broken shard of the tub in each fist and clenched down almost hard enough to draw blood, using the pain to refocus.
Ukyou was still speaking. "Akane, I don't claim to know everything about love, but I've figured a few things out. It's about trust. It's about respect. It's about forgiveness. It isn't about pounding Ranchan every time you don't like what he says. I can't make you trust Ranchan or respect him or forgive him. I don't care if you love him. But I'm going to make you stop hitting him every time you lose your temper."
Ukyou stepped back, letting her rival collapse to her knees in the water that coated the floor of the bathroom.
"Akane, if you ever hit Ranchan like that again, I'll do the same to you. I don't want to, but you don't seem to understand anything else."
"N...no."
"Yes, Akane, yes. You have a choice. You always have a choice. Yell all you want. Curse him to his face. Smash the furniture if you have to. But if you ever, ever hit him again..."
Ukyou yeeped as Ranma placed a bathrobe around her shoulders. She hadn't heard him move. She turned and saw the redhead had also donned a robe.
Ranma gave a weary smile. "C'mon Ucchan, let's leave Akane alone for a bit. We all got a bit of darkness inside us. A part of us that we ain't so proud of, that we're afraid of. The Mamono showed me that this afternoon."
Ukyou shivered at the reminder of those events and wrapped her arms around her fiancé. The boy wearing a girl's body led her towards the kitchen, instinctively homing in on the nearest source of hot water.
Akane was left alone with the darkness and her fears.
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At the end of the day, Kasumi enjoyed the peace of the evening. Even when Ranma had lived with them, the late evenings were usually quiet. It was the one time of the day she could relax, something she found very precious. It was a chance to gaze out at the beauty of the stars. They made her think of handfuls of diamonds scattered across a deep blue velvet cloth. Kasumi smiled and dreamed of the most popular way diamonds were used.
Her peace was interrupted by the jangle of the phone. She knew neither her father nor Mr. Saotome would pick it up. It would be rude to just let it ring, so Kasumi trudged towards the machine. Neither of the men noticed the weariness in her step. She was tired of the burden her family had become. She'd carried it for ten years now, and no one else seemed willing to pick up a share of the load. Kasumi was certain she was wasting her time, that the person calling was only someone selling something she didn't want or need.
But it was Dr. Tofu and suddenly Kasumi didn't feel so weary.
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"You don't understand. I never meant to hurt anyone."
Akane was alone. At least, nothing human heard her whispers or saw her tears.
"I...I'm sorry, Ranma. I'm so sorry. I could have killed you. J...just like P-chan back at Ry...Ryugenzawa. I don't like being angry all the time. I don't want to be angry. B...but no one really listens. No one really cares what I want."
That wasn't fully true, but it was what Akane felt. Shinrou would have smiled if it could. This girl was full of buried fears. Unlike the other Mamonos, Shinrou didn't waste time worrying about the way the others had avoided its plans; it seized the new opportunity. It just needed to sense the threads of fear in the girl's soul and tug.
There were many of them, but all seemed to lead back to a central core. Akane was afraid of her own temper, of the damage it could cause. She was afraid that she might be carrying Ryouga's child. She was afraid of the responsibility. She was afraid of what her family and friends and neighbors might think of her. She was afraid she might lose Ryouga because if it. All those intertwined fears lead back to the core, the dark pulsing center of Akane's fears.
And she was alone. She was afraid of being alone. So many people she cared about had left her. Her mother. Her father. Nabiki. Tofu. Ranma. All were lost to death or to another woman.
That fear intertwined with another. Akane was afraid she wasn't attractive enough, skilled enough, smart enough, good enough to make them stay with her. It was why she reacted radically to even the mildest criticism. But you can never make a person stay with you, you can never earn their love, and this fear led back to the darkness of the core.
The central fear, the one all the others flowed out of seemed minor, even insignificant compared to the fears that grew from it. Akane feared loss of control in her life. She feared the way she couldn't predict or control her future. We delude ourselves that we control our lives and the events that surround them, but sometimes the truth peers out and it's a frightening truth. Akane first saw that truth when she was six, when the safe ordered routine of her life disappeared and she tried to lock it away. She tried to pass that control to other stronger people, expecting Ranma or Kasumi or Dr. Tofu to bring order to her life. She'd even turned to some of her kidnappers if they seemed to offer an island of stability in the chaotic sea of her existence.
But things hadn't gotten better. High school had devolved into demented chaos that fueled her anger. Then Ranma came, and life became stranger and even more frightening. She'd thought she was strong, but now she knew she was weak and helpless. She wasn't the best martial artist, she wasn't even one of the best anymore. She couldn't protect herself or anyone she cared about. She was the helpless six-year-old again.
That's where her anger first began, the blind striking out against a world that changed in cruel, frightening ways. When she was six, there wasn't anything physical to strike out against. Now that she was seventeen, Ranma provided a focus for her anger. That worked for a while, but her life changed again at Ryugenzawa. Ryouga had nearly died before Akane realized the anger she used as a defense against fear was now a source of fear itself. She was afraid of her anger now, of what it could do to others, of how it might drive away the people she cared about. Of how it already had. She no longer controlled her own emotions. She allowed herself to be controlled by them, just as much as the students had been controlled by Ikari earlier in the day.
Shinrou pulled on another thread of fear and Akane relived the events at Ryugenzawa.
"Oh, Ryouga, I'm sorry. I'm so very, very sorry. I could have killed you. I...I know I wanted to. I'm scared Ryouga, scared of myself. Is that all I have left after Momma died, just the anger?"
She'd seen how dark and ugly her anger could get. It terrified her and in that fear she lost herself to the creature that was Shinrou. The Mamono took its time, peeling away the defenses Akane used to guard herself against the uncaring world, wrapping her in the darkened threads of pain.
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"Doctor, how is my Airen?"
Tofu blinked. Other than that, he resembled a statue holding a telephone. He blinked a second time, then spoke again "I told you Ranma wasn't here, Shampoo. We still don't know where he is."
"Not Ranma, my other Airen. Konatsu."
Tofu blinked again in confusion and pointed towards the room. The Chinese girl spun her wheelchair effortlessly and bulleted down the hallway. She'd regained most of her former speed and strength, but damaged nerves did not heal.
The doctor paused in thought. He definitely needed more information from the Chinese girl. It would be disastrous if any of the other Amazons found her. He didn't expect them to look here now, but being cautious was wise.
"Hello?" The telephone recaptured his attention.
"I'm sorry, Kasumi. Things seem to be happening here. Please let me know if you see Ranma or Ukyou."
He planned to end the conversation there, but he ended up talking to the Tendo girl for ten more minutes. When he returned to his duties, he wore a rather silly smile.
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Ranma's smile indicated he'd returned to his normal form. He put the teakettle back on the counter and turned towards the kitchen table. Ukyou slumped in a chair, head downcast.
"You alright, Ucchan?"
"Are you mad at me?" came the whisper.
"What? What for?"
A smile flickered across his fiancée's face, disappearing almost immediately. "Well, I got in your way in the fight, I called you a dummy, I bounced the washbucket off your head. Oh yes, and I kinda blew up at Akane, even though I've done some of the same stuff myself." Her voice was quiet and sad and she didn't see the way he flinched at the words 'blew up'.
"Ucchan." He needed to repeat her name before the girl looked up. "Ucchan, I ain't never been mad at you, 'cept for when you first got to Nerima and attacked me. As soon as I knew why, I quit being mad, 'cause you had a good reason. Since that day I think you've been the most patient of my...of the people I know." He laughed briefly, his voice hinting he was beginning to recover his confidence.
Ranma bent his knees into a crouch so he could look directly into her eyes. He saw a lot of things in those dark eyes, more than he could really understand.
"Hey, what you did was nothing compared to a typical day at the Tendo place and I understand your being sore with Akane. If she wasn't a girl, I mighta pounded her back. I know you wouldn't really hit her and maybe what you said might even stop her from pounding on me for a while."
He took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. "I'm the one you should be mad at, Ucchan. All the stuff I've done..."
"I forgive you, Ranchan. I was too stupid to see it as a kid, but I...I know you wouldn't try to hurt me. Even...even if you end up with someone else, I...I know you wouldn't try to hurt me. I...I..." The girl gave a muffled sob and stared downwards.
"Aw, c'mon Ucchan. I hate it when girls cry. It's okay. It's gonna be okay. C'mon Ucchan, please don't cry." He didn't know what else to say, but that didn't matter. His fiancée wrapped her arms around him and started bawling. It was a day she never wanted to repeat. People had been hurt all around her. Some nearly died. Others were pushed to despair, to the point of breaking, and some even beyond. He'd nearly died. He'd been pushed to that edge. It was one of the most harrowing days of her life and she needed the release tears brought.
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"Airen, you so stupid." Stress made Shampoo to revert to the broken Japanese she'd used when she first came to this land of strangers.
The patient on the bed didn't respond. Konatsu still lay unconscious.
"Stupid Airen," the Chinese girl repeated but there was sorrow in her voice, not anger. She gently brushed a lock of hair off the ninja's forehead. "You not as strong as Shampoo and you get hurt. You need strong Amazon woman to take care of you, protect you." She released her breath in a drawn out sigh. "Sorry, Airen, Shampoo too weak to do that now. Shampoo no good to no ones no more. Maybe great-grandmother right, tribe be better off without Shampoo."
Unsurprisingly, the boy said nothing. Shampoo sighed and tried to think. She preferred problems that could be solved by smacking them with a bonbori, but life didn't seem to be providing them for her anymore.
The room was silent for several minutes, but during that time the Chinese girl found a goal. She might not be able to fight like before, but she saw a new field of battle that she could excel at. It was a hopeless battle, one that would eventually end in failure every time, but it was fighting the battle that made it worthwhile.
She already knew many of the skills she needed, thanks to her great-grandmother and Dr. Tofu. She knew a great deal about the human body and how its systems interacted. She understood the concept of pressure points, and the ways that chi flowed through the body. She possessed an extensive knowledge of herbs - their collection, preparation, and use.
This time the Chinese girl's speech was clear. "Konatsu, I know you can't hear me, but I've found a way to be useful again. I can't be a Warrior anymore, and while I wish to be a Mother, I want to be more than just that. There's something else, something honorable. I'm going to be a Healer, a doctor as you call it. Some people will laugh, because they're stupid enough to think I'm stupid, but I know I can do it. I already know a lot of things a Healer needs to know and I'm going use those skills to help people instead of trying to control them."
"I'll need your help, Airen. I wasted most of my life blindly following the rules of the tribe and even when it was what I wanted I didn't care if anyone got hurt along the way. I'm tired of being that stupid and that selfish and I want you to promise me something. Warn me if I'm ever becoming like Great-Grandmother or the women who raised you."
Konatsu remained unconscious, but the Chinese girl imagined she saw the ghost of a smile on his face. She silently vowed that she'd do everything she could to help this boy recover. He'd hurt her and while he could never repair the damage, he'd tried to make up for it. He'd tried to help and protect her and she would do the same for him.
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He was sure he'd never understand women. All he did was sit there while Ukyou clung to him and cried and she thanked him for it. He hadn't even done anything and the girl thanked him. Well, it was a lot better than not doing anything and getting smacked for it.
"Umm, you're welcome, Ucchan." She blushed and released him. The boy straightened his knees and attempted to stand. He'd been in an awkward position and the reduced circulation had caused his legs to fall asleep. Ranma nearly toppled over backwards. His arms windmilled rapidly and he almost overbalanced forward into his fiancée's lap. He caught himself in time, then realized he was staring down the front of her bathrobe. The boy shut his eyes, but the expected pounding didn't come.
Ukyou saw where his gaze had been and how quickly he'd closed his eyes. She also saw the blush spread across Ranma's cheeks. She smiled and then began giggling.
"Ucchan?" He half opened one eye then slammed it shut. The view was still too interesting.
His fiancée continued to laugh, but eventually replied, "What, Ranchan?" then dissolved into another fit of giggling. After a moment, he joined her and in the laughter he felt the darkness that shadowed his heart begin to melt away.
Ukyou still knew only the basics of magic, but she'd subconsciously shielded both herself and the boy she loved from the Mamonos' influence, blocking the fear that emanated from it. If she hadn't possessed the talent, Aijou could have enveloped her in sorrow or Haradachi could have drowned her with rage as they amplified existing emotions.
Laughter filled the kitchen, and it seemed as if the creature was far away, instead of at the other end of the house.
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This time Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran didn't need to smash a hole through the wall of Dr. Tofu's bathroom. They simply stepped over Ryouga's unconscious form and entered through the hole they'd previously created. They didn't find what they expected.
The room seemed darker than before, dark as the overcast sky outside. In the corner a human form knelt, its hands on its knees. Yet it wasn't fully human, a liquid darkness covered it, obscuring the features. A mouth like a jagged slash opened and a low moan issued from it. Empty staring lidless eyes turned towards them. The blank milky-white orbs were featureless and yet they seemed to stare straight at the Amazons.
They stepped back hurriedly. The girls didn't know what the creature was, but the darkness seemed to pool around it and inky tendrils slowly flowed blindly across the floor, probing towards them. Unsurprisingly, they were afraid, which was exactly what the creature intended.
The girls shared the unspoken agreement that they did not want to face whatever this thing was. A return to the Neko Hanten seemed wise, perhaps even a visit to China was appropriate. In unison they spun towards the exit only to find their way blocked by a boy wearing a black and yellow bandana. His eyes were wide and when he spoke it was strange and hoarse instead of his usual bellowing.
"Wha...what have you done to Akane?" They had no answer as he numbly repeated the question. They still had no reply when a line of darkness reached across the floor and wrapped itself around Lin-Lin.
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"Did you hear something, Ranchan?" Something felt wrong.
"It's the wind. I guess I should do something about that."
"It feels like more than that."
Ranma frowned. "Well, you do know more about this kinda stuff than I do. But are you sure?"
"No, I'm not," she sighed. "After all these monsters attacking, maybe I'm just jumping at shadows. Haradachi didn't show up until weeks after Aijou. And the monster today..." Ukyou paused, staring downwards.
"Yeah, Ikari didn't show up until weeks after Haradachi."
"You're right, Ranchan. I'm sounding like a scared little girl. We've got plenty of time before the next Mamono shows up."
"That makes sense. But I do need to do something about the wind."
It proved easier than he expected. A quick phone call was all he needed. The building company promised to be out in the morning to repair the bathroom wall and the tub. Their estimated costs were just under a third of what Nabiki had normally charged him. By the time Ranma hung up, he noticed a pleasant aroma.
"Here, Ranchan." She was too tired to make anything fancy and Tofu's selection of ingredients was limited. Miso soup was simple and chazuke only required pouring hot green tea over rice, though Ukyou had added toppings of seaweed and sliced unagi, the last for the stamina, assuming that her fiancé felt as exhausted as she did.
"I know you well enough to know you're hungry," she smiled.
Actually, he wasn't always hungry, but growing up with Genma taught him to eat quickly if he wanted anything. This time he was tired enough to relax and full enough to take his time. It was delicious. He'd missed a lot by eating like a steam shovel.
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Ryouga and Ran-Ran stared at the place where her sister had stood. The girl had no time to scream before she was absorbed, plunged into the darkness as if the shadow spreading across the tiled floor were a pit. Almost immediately, something started reforming, rising slowly out of the darkness. It had the right proportions to be Lin-Lin, but the form was that same inky blackness with the same blank staring milky white eyes of the first figure.
"N...no," Ran-Ran whispered as she took a step towards Ryouga, away from the thing that had taken her sister.
Ryouga had faced Mamonos before and he didn't like it. This thing seemed to absorb you if you touched it and his chi blasts had been worse than useless against the other monsters. That left another option that he didn't like. He didn't have time to reason with the Chinese girl, he needed to get her away from the Mamono before it absorbed her, too.
He hoped Akane would forgive him, but he couldn't help her by staying. He needed to find someone who understood magic, someone who could help - Ukyou, Cologne, Gosunkugi, the psychic Miyo, perhaps even Shampoo. Ryouga grabbed Ran-Ran and fled into the darkness. She struggled, but she was no match for the boy's strength.
Ryouga's eyes filled with tears. Even if Akane forgave him, he'd never forgive himself. Bushes, trees, telephone poles and walls seemed to spring up in his path, but he shattered them and continued running into the night. The only people pleased with his random flight were the building repair companies based in Nerima.
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Tofu's day had been much busier than he planned. He wanted to grab a late dinner, take a warm bath, and go to sleep. He got two out of the three. He'd also tried to leave his worries at the hospital, but he'd had even less success there. Shampoo and Konatsu were still on his mind.
Ranma and Ukyou sat in his kitchen, obviously uninjured. The pair looked up from steaming cups of tea and smiled. They clearly had no idea people had been looking for them for several hours.
"Hi, Doc."
"Hello, Doctor Tofu."
He nodded in reply, noting that their only garments appeared to be bathrobes. Like so many other people that night, he came to a reasonable conclusion. He saw them chatting happily and decided now would not be a good time for a lecture. Besides, he was tired and hungry. Fortunately, the girl had made enough to match Ranma's usual appetite and the leftovers smelled delicious.
"Um, Doc," the boy interrupted.
"Yes," Tofu sighed. He wanted to eat, not talk.
"Um, well, you said I had to pay for any damage. Well, umm, I called the repair place and they should be out in the morning to fix stuff."
Tofu considered saying "Who are you and what did you do with the real Ranma?" but perhaps the boy was growing up a little. Instead, the Doctor replied, "What happened?"
"Well, the bathroom wall is because of Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran, a couple more Chinese Amazons. The tub is because Akane hammered me again."
"What else?" Kasumi had described the occasional carnage Ranma's fights caused to the house and dojo. Tofu gazed in wonder that his home still stood.
"That's all. Ucchan and I scared 'em off before they could do anything more. Don't worry, I'll pay for it."
Ranma hesitated as he realized he'd just told the doctor that he and Ukyou had been in the bathroom together.
Tofu smiled and decided to indulge in some gentle teasing. "So the other girls interrupted you two."
"Yes," replied Ranma's mouth before his brain caught up with it. The boy continued his mistake by trying to talk his way out of it. The two teens were blushing fiercely by the time Ranma stumbled his way into silence.
The silence lasted for a few eternities before Tofu spoke more seriously.
"Ranma, Ukyou, are you two taking precautions?"
Another embarrassed silence followed as the doctor explained.
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"Where am I now?" Ryouga's standard greeting came out as a feeble whisper. He'd pushed himself to the point of exhaustion in his frantic attempt to find help for Akane. The Lost Boy collapsed to his knees and released the Amazon he was carrying. He winced as she fell heavily to the floor, but he was too tired to put her down gently.
That didn't matter. Ran-Ran sat up, wrapped her arms around Ryouga, looked into his eyes, and firmly intoned, "Wo Airen." He tried to clear the fatigue from his mind and remember what her words meant. Shampoo called Ranma her Airen.
"Wo Airen," the girl repeated.
"I...I'm sorry. I don't know any Chinese. I don't understand."
"She called you her husband," came a whisper from the darkness.
"Wha..." Ryouga's cry was cut off by the Amazon girl shifting her grip to around his neck. The trembling girl nearly strangled Ryouga as she attempted to hide behind him.
"Who?" the Lost Boy gasped as he pried the girl's hands free. His question was answered when the person hidden by the darkness turned on the lights.
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"Goodnight, Marianne. Goodnight, Francois. Goodnight Martine."
Azusa's voice lacked its normal perky cheerfulness. She'd exhausted herself crying and habit was the only reason she was bidding her collection of cute items goodnight.
"Goodnight, Josephine. Goodnight, Antoinette. Goodnight Babette."
The familiar routine was no longer comforting.
"Pierre," she whispered the name she'd attached to Konatsu. "Pierre, please Pierre, I'm all alone. Please..." her voice faded as a troubled sleep claimed her.
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"That was a little more than I needed to know."
Ranma nodded silent agreement to Ukyou. They'd escaped to his room after Dr. Tofu's lecture on responsible precautions. Now they sat near the corner, leaning against adjacent walls. The boy realized he only needed to stretch forward to touch his fiancée.
"Ucchan, why does everyone think we're, well, you know..."
She laughed and Ranma joined her. "Sorry, that was pretty dumb of me. What a mess this is. Tofu, Akane, Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran all think that we're..." He still couldn't say it.
"Don't forget Yuka and Daisuke," his fiancée added.
"Yeah, that's my fault too," he sighed. "Now they all think we're doing stuff. Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran will tell the rest of the China crew. Akane will tell her family and my folks before morning. The whole school will know by lunchtime. Seems like no matter how hard I try to get things straightened out, something happens to make it more of a mess. Now I'm causing more problems for you. Some of these weirdos may even attack you."
"It's alright, Ranchan." He needed to strain to hear her voice.
"No, it's not alright," he insisted. "Seems like every thing I do hurts you one way or another. You'd have been a lot better off..."
"No," Ukyou interrupted firmly, "No, I wouldn't."
"But these last few weeks..."
"I've spent more time with you in the last few weeks than I have in the last few months, maybe even the last year. Not all of it was fun, but a lot of life isn't fun." She looked up and Ranma saw a yearning, a longing in her eyes. He wondered if it had always been there and he'd just been too clueless to notice it before. "That's okay, Ranchan, I got to spend it with you, the good times and the bad. That's what made it worth living, that I could spend it with you. That's all I ever really wanted." Ukyou smiled, and there was something in her eyes and her smile. Ranma didn't want to speak or even breathe for fear he might ruin the moment.
I call her my cute fiancée, but I'm wrong. She's beautiful.
He wanted to tell her that, but he was...he was afraid.
His father wouldn't let him get close to anyone female during the more than a decade they traveled Japan and China. Genma had the stupid idea that being around women would make his son soft and weak. Once Ranma had believed that, before he met Cologne. She might look like a withered leathery monkey, but she was probably the best martial artist he'd ever met and she'd actually helped him grow much stronger in the Art.
But he was afraid. Any woman he cared about was taken from him and he was afraid to get close, afraid to get hurt, afraid to lose them like he lost his mother. There was another reason he was afraid to get close to Ukyou. She was a friend and he didn't have many of those. He was afraid that if he tried to be more than a friend, he'd mess it all up and lose one of the few people he could call his friend.
"You still there, Ranchan?"
He cursed himself for changing her expression from joy to worry. "Sorry, Ucchan. I was just thinking."
"About?"
He wanted to see her smile return, the special smile that she only gave him. Something ached when he thought of her, when he thought of how close he'd come to losing her, when he realized how much she did matter to him. He knew she wanted to be with him and he...he did want to be with her.
He remembered her words, direct simple words about love. He wasn't good with words, especially for things like this, but ones Ukyou spoke earlier clamored in his mind. Those words were a start, like the basic exercises of martial arts. If he could practice them, make them a part of his life then the advanced techniques would come, he was sure of it.
And he realized he did know a little more about love than that. An instant beneath a magic umbrella with her. The red thread of magic Shampoo had used to try to bind his heart to hers. And the unpleasant incident he'd tried to erase from his memory when he accidentally swallowed the Momentary Love Pill. For a terrifying moment, Cologne's ugly face appeared beautiful and a cruel person seemed kind. Now Ranma saw someone who was beautiful and kind and it wasn't because of any pill. The feeling didn't end after a moment, either, and the only magic was the magic of her smile.
Still he hesitated, balanced on the edge of decision.
How did Akane put it? 'Ranma, do you believe in destiny?' And I said 'No, I think you make your own fate.'
He looked at his fiancée. She smiled nervously, still waiting for his reply.
Waiting for me to decide. They've all been waiting. Even I've been waiting, waiting for fate to solve my problems. How long has she waited, all because I'm being chicken?
He'd lived with fear, and Shinrou's probing had reminded him of just how many threads of that emotion were woven through his life. He didn't remember crossing to where Ukyou sat, but suddenly he was inches away from her. Close enough to feel her breath tickle his upper lip. Hesitation was mirrored in her eyes, but also trust and something more. He paused, hesitant again. She smiled encouragement and he kissed her with an intensity he'd only devoted to martial arts before.
He had chosen, tearing free from the fears that bound him, plunging through the tattered remains of the curse that Ukyou's grandmother had placed between them, and in that decision finally freeing himself from the grinding wheels of fate.
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Ryouga glared suspiciously at Mousse, while still trying to ease Ran-Ran's grip on his windpipe. They were the only inhabitants of the Neko Hanten, and the restaurant was obviously closed. With one exception, the chairs were turned upside down and placed on top of the tables. The Chinese Boy sat at that lone table, a cup in one hand and a sake bottle swinging negligently between thumb and forefinger of the other. He tried to focus on Ryouga, but couldn't quite manage it.
Mousse spoke in a calm even voice, though it was obvious he'd put in an effort to make it calm and even. "The old ghoul's not going to be too happy with you, Pig Boy." He gestured with the hand that held the cup towards the hole Ryouga had shattered in the wall. The Chinese Boy rolled his head to look in the direction that he'd gestured, suddenly noticing the cup. In a practiced motion, he first drained and then slowly refilled it. He looked at neither cup nor bottle, but he never spilled a drop.
Ryouga's first impulse was to smash the other boy through the nearest wall, but he was too tired to attempt it yet and settled for glaring at Mousse. The Chinese boy chuckled bitterly and drained another cupful.
"Looks like you two are trapped by the stupid Amazon laws," Mousse intoned acerbically. "I wish you unhappiness together, a little fool and a bigger lost fool." He snorted in amusement and filled another cup of sake, draining it as well.
"Ran-Ran happy to have Airen. He brave and strong and handsome."
"Like a pig," Ryouga whispered.
"What?" The girl gaped in confusion.
Mousse answered sourly. "This idiot didn't tell you? That's no surprise, he can't ever say what he needs to, just like I couldn't ever do what I needed to. The fool fell into a Jusenkyou pool. Heituenniichuan. Spring of drowned black piglet."
Ran-Ran listened as Mousse explained. Ryouga didn't hear a word of it. "Like a pig," he repeated. "Akari called me brave and strong and handsome. Like a pig. I've been so busy with Akane. I haven't even thought of Akari." Ryouga felt his heart tear in two. Akari was so kind and gentle and nice to him and he hadn't even faced her about Akane. He hadn't even thought of the other girl.
"They both..." He glanced at Ran-Ran. "They all deserve someone better than me."
A nimbus of light formed around the boy and started increasing in brightness. Ran-Ran looked to Mousse for explanation.
"Shishi Hokoudan. Negative chi. He's about to blow up. It should level the restaurant." Mousse's only action was to try to refill his cup, but the sake was gone. He shrugged and stood. "Guess I need another bottle."
Ran-Ran interrupted as he turned toward the kitchen. "Will...will it hurt us?"
"No," he smiled, "It won't hurt us."
The girl relaxed visibly.
"It will just kill us," Mousse smirked.
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Tofu was nearly ready for bed when the phone rang. For a moment, he considered knocking on Ranma's door and saying it was for Ukyou, but when he actually answered, all thought of teasing fled.
His joy at hearing Kasumi's voice was eclipsed by the knowledge that Akane was missing again. He tried to be reassuring, but after what had happened to Nabiki, he wasn't sure if he was succeeding.
"Yes, she was here. Ranma saw her before I returned home. No, he didn't mention Ryouga and he didn't say which way she went. No, he's in bed now, and I don't think it would be wise to disturb him; he had a rather strenuous day and I don't think he's up to helping yet. Yes, I'll tell him you hope he's feeling better soon. Yes, I think you should let your father sleep. All he'd do is worry and I'm sure she'll be home soon, just like she was the last time this happened. Please don't worry so much, Akane can take care of herself."
He was wrong.
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