Ranger24: Hey finally got around to updating this fic! Enjoy!
Chapter 13: Once upon a time.
Diclaimer: I own nothing.
Fanfiction May Cry was dark and Ranger was sleeping at his desk. Outside rain lashed at the windows in a curtians of deluge. The door cracked open and in entered the rain drentched Shadow Syndicate. The Vampiric laison scowled at Ranger who let out an epic snore before he walked over to the sleeping Twilight warrior and kicked his desk. Ranger fell out of the chair with a cry of suprise before he struck the ground with a crash.
"Wake up Ranger." TSS growled.
Ranger pushed himself up off the floor. "You know you could have just nudged me or something. But no, you had to go and kick my antique desk."
"Sorry I'm late but the clients train came in late." TSS replied pulling a blood packet from his rain coat.
Ranger frowned. "Client?"
At that moment the door opened and Ranger raised an eyebrow as a man with brown hair entered with green eyes. He took one look out Ranger and his face light up.
"Yoki? Is that you man?" He asked sounding excited.
Ranger rose to his feet.
"Umm... Who are you?" Ranger asked confused.
"What? You don't remeber me? I'm Suzaku!" The man said suprised.
Ranger glanced at TSS.
"Right, Suzaku could you let me speak with my associate in private for a moment?" Ranger asked.
Suzaku blinked in confusion. "Ummm... Okay?"
Ranger smiled then pulled TSS into the bathroom. He glared at the vampire.
"What the hell is this?" He demanded.
"Hell if I know." TSS said biting into the blood package. "He just showed up at my office asking for a friend of his named Yoki. He said the guy was a slayer, and you're the only slayer I know."
"What makes you think my name is Yoki?" Ranger asked putting his face in his palms.
"It mean anything to you?" TSS asked.
Ranger sighed. "I've used it as an alias before but apart from that no."
"Well your the detective so you figure out what he wants." TSS replied simply.
"Can't we just skip this whole chapter?" Ranger asked.
"No because it deepens the myster and Gollum get's screen time." TSS answered downing half the blood package in one swig.
Ranger sighed. "God fucking damnit."
"Yeah ever seen the movie the Majestic?" TSS asked.
"No why?"
"No reason."
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"Oh now I get it." Ranger growled as he stepped off the train onto a little island town. Waiting fro him just a few feet away was Suzaku grinning from ear to ear. Ranger sighed and shifted the guitar case that hide his sword onto his shoulder. He made his way over to Suzaku who pulled him into a hug.
"It's damn good to see you man." Suzaku said releasing Ranger.
"Hey this is just me asking but where did you hear about me from?" Ranger asked.
"Some guy I meet at a circus tent said he knew a guy who fits your description." Suzaku answered.
Ranger raised an eyebrow. "Hey can you take me to this guy?"
Suzaku nodded. "Sure."
Two minutes later Ranger and Suzaku were in Suzaku's car driving through the small town, Ranger could defenatly start to remember being here before. The memories however were from a past he prefered to repress a bit.
"Everything's gotten a lot better from when that fire gutted the town when you and your master vanished. People actaul started blaming the two of you for the fire. But a few of us really know what happened." Suzaku replied.
"Terrorist?"
"No."
"Global warming?"
"No."
"Alein invasion?"
"No."
"Roise O'donald?"
"No that was the earth quake."
"Demon attack?"
"Yeah something along that line."
The car came to a stop in front of a purple and yellow circus tent. Ranger frowned and stepped out of the car.
"Wait here." He muttered to Suzaku.
He walked into the circus tent, it was pitch black inside. Then he heard a snicker.
"Okay whoever you are come on out before I get pissed." Ranger growled pulling out Luna.
The snicker became a hiss. "Stupid Twilight whelp. GOLLUM! It is not very nice. Preacious is merely helping out poor Suzaku."
"Oh please, why would you help him?" Ranger asked eyes scanning the darkness around him.
"That is for precious to know and the Twilight whelp to find out." Gollum replied.
Ranger muttered a curse shoving Luna back into it's holster. He stepped out of the tent throwing one last glance over his shoulder into the darkness.
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About half an hour later they pulled up in front of a large house just outside of town on a hill over looking the bay. Ranger glanced about him. The place was defenatly familar now, the oak trees with just budding leaves, the old dirt road, even the veiw brought up memories. With a pang he realized that this had been the site of the Inn where he and his master had once stayed for a month long vacation. The memories he had been keeping away from himself came back as did the guilt over what had happened to the town.
Suzaku put the car and park and climbed out. Ranger quickly followed Suzaku's lead grabbing his guitar case that held his sword.
"So I take it this is your place?" Ranger asked.
Suzaku nodded. "Yeah right where the inn used to be, foundation was still intact when I bought the property so I built the house right here."
They made their way to the door and Suzaku opened it up.
"Euphie I'm home." He called inside.
From the door to the kitchen poked a the head of a young woman with long pink hair and eyes that just spoke comfort and peace.
"Welcome home Suzaku." Euphie said stepping out into the hall and embracing Suzaku.
"Euphie, this is Yoki. He's an old friend of mine." Suzaku said motioning to Ranger. "Ranger this is Euphemia, my fiancee."
"It's a pleasure to meet you Yoki." Euphemia said smiling. "Suzaku's told me a lot of things about you."
Ranger quickly got his manners together. He gave a slight bow to Euphemia.
"The pleasure is all mine, milady." Ranger said smiling back. Inside he was tearing himself apart with guilt. He'd made himself forget Suzaku because of what had happened all of those years ago. They had stayed far to long and had thought they would be safe only for that thing to come. By the time Ranger's Master had sealed the monster away it had ravaged the town leaving dozens of people dead and homeless.
The two lovers lead Ranger into the large parolor filled with several comfortable chairs and Euphemia took her leave quickly to get some drinks for them all.
"So, what's this I hear about you being a slayer?" Suzaku asked.
Ranger gave a half hearted smile. "It's just what I do to pay the bills."
"And you just like getting your violent urges out of your system," Suzaku added grinning.
Ranger laughed sadly. Suzaku not failing to notice this frowned.
"You okay?" He asked.
"I'm fine." Ranger replied quickly resuming his smile as Euphemia came back in with three wine glasses.
"Cheers," Euphemia said happily handing out the drinks.
"To old friends." Suzaku said raising up his glass still smiling.
Ranger raised his glass and drained half of it in one swig.
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"So is it really true that you and Suzaku used to go and deflat the tires of the cab drivers in town?" Euphemia asked as she stood with Ranger out on the deck near sun down.
Ranger smiled as the memory came up to him. "Yeah, really pissed the drivers off."
He sighed a stared out at the sun set.
"So what do you think of all this?" He asked.
Euphemia frowned. "What do you mean?"
"About the whole thing about the town hating me?" Ranger asked.
Euphemia glanced back inside the house. "Some people think Suzaku's crazy because he thinks a demon ravaged the town all those years ago. It's lucky my older sister and half brother gave their approval or else Suzaku and I wouldn't be getting married."
"And what about me?" Ranger asked.
"I think your Suzaku's old friend Yoki, who's been wrongly acused of destroying this town all of those years ago." Euphemia replied. "Suzaku's says you guys buried some little treasure chest some where around here all of those years ago. He's not telling me where you guys hid it though."
Ranger's eyes fell upon the oldest and most gnarled of the oak trees and made noted of patch near it's roots that was bare of grass.
"Somethings are hidden right under your nose." Ranger said simply turning to go inside.
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Later that night near midnight Ranger sat in one of the arm chairs in the living room his eyes closed shut and the guitar case that held his sword leaning against his chair.
The window creaked open and in slipped a small thin figure with large lamp like eyes. It hissed silently as it made it's way over to the chair where Ranger was sleeping.
Suddenly Ranger's hand shot down to the zipper of the case and ripped it open releasing his sword from its confines. He grabbed it's hilt, rose to his feet and in a single move had his assailant at the point of his sword. Gollum gave a yelp of suprise.
"Don't hurt us precious! We hasn't done anything wrong! GOLLUM! GOLLUM!"
Ranger scowled at him coldly. "You just broke into a betrothed couples house and come creeping up behind me. I'd say thats breaking and entering along with attempted murder."
"Whats the point precious, GOLLUM! Of Jailing someone for attempted murder?" Gollum said quickly.
"What do you want?" Ranger growled nearly pricking Gollum's neck with the tip of his sword.
"We was merely here to warn the Twilight whelp, yes warn him. GOLLUM! GOLLUM! He should be weary he should of friends from his past." Gollum said placatingly.
"Why would Suzaku try and kill me? He wouldn't stand a chance?" Ranger asked.
Gollum laughed wickedly. "Ah not what he might do to you my precious. What he might do to try and help you. GOLLUM! GOLLUM!"
"I'm really getting sick of that cough of yours." Ranger growled swinging back his sword. "How 'bout I give you a losange called death!"
But his sword meet thin air and Ranger stumbled forward. He glanced about on high alert Gollum had vanished.
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The next morning Suzaku found Ranger still in his chair, deep in thought.
"Sleep well?" Suzaku asked brightly.
Ranger didn't reply as Suzaku grabbed his jacket off the coat rack where Ranger's cloak also hung.
"Suzaku..." Ranger said slowly making Suzaku pause. "Why exactly did you bring me here?"
Suzaku turned about and frowned. "Is it wrong to want to see an old friend?"
"That's not the reason," Ranger said. "Why did you really bring me back here?"
Suzaku sighed. "I want Euphemia to be happy, because of the fact I claim that a demon destroyed the town all of those years ago I don't have the best of reputations. If her half brother wasn't an old friend of mine her sister would never have even considered allowing us to get married. I have to prove you innocent and that it was a demon that destroyed this town. I've found the evidence I need to do it."
He pulled open the closet and brought out a well built sword.
"If your hunting a demon as powerfull as what I think your dealing with, that sword won't even be a safety net." Ranger said coldly.
Suzaku smirked. "Oh he won't know what hit him."
Before Ranger could do or say anything else Suzaku stepped outside and left. He heard the car start up and pull out of the drive.
Ranger sat there in silence, Suzaku wouldn't stand a chance against that thing not without his help. But what would happen if the thing recognized him?
At that moment Euphemia came down the stairs and frowned. "Has Suzaku left already?"
Ranger nodded rising from his chair and grabbing the guitar case.
"Euphemia, you should know... My name isn't Yoki." Ranger said.
This statement caught Euphemia off guard. "But you look just like Suzaku describes Yoki."
"Yoki was my alias back then, Suzaku wasn't lying about a demon destroying the town either. That demon...," Ranger paused as he slung the case onto his back. "Came here looking for myself and my Master."
Euphemia's eyes grew somber. "So what are you going to do then?"
"I need to know where he's going." Ranger answered looking Euphemia right in the eyes. "If I can't stop Suzaku from doing what I think he'll do, there might not be any town left here to rebuild."
Euphemia gave a gasp.
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Twenty minutes later Ranger was running as fast as he could up the side of the hills over looking the town. He was running on a flight of granite steps that had been cut out of the side of the hill years before.
"Oh please don't be doing something stupid! Please don't be doing something stupid! Please don't be ... Oh who am I kidding he's doing something stupid." Ranger muttered.
At the top of the hill Suzaku stood alone in what looked like a burned out shrine. Right in front of him was a massive black stone that looked vaguely like a door.
He pulled out a peice of chalk and drew on the ground a pentagram in a circle. Almost as soon as he completed the circle black symbols emerged from the ground and began to rotate around the pentagram. He rose to his feet and pulled out his sword as the whole area began to shake. A seem appeared in the door and it began to split apart!
Suzaku glared at it. "Okay time to pay you back for what you did all those years ago you monster!"
Then out of the door shot a massive black and red monster! All about it fires burst into existence! It hit the ground and roared, the sky going dark and over cast. It was half pig, half bear, and half man!
"Man-bear-pig!?" Suzaku shouted in alarm as it losed another roar.
He raised his sword only to be swatted aside by it's massive arms! He crashed into a pile of rooten wood and heard a resounding crack as pain seared through his chest and left arm. He'd broken at least four ribs and his left arm. He struggled to pull himself out of the pile only to find Man-bear-pig leering over him saliva dripping from his mouth.
"How? How can Al Gore have been right about this!?" Suzaku screamed.
Suddenly man-bear-pig was blasted back as bullet's collided with it's face! Ranger jumped in between Suzaku and man-bear-pig ejecting his spent pistol clips.
"Suzaku you prat, that is Al Gore. Or at least his soul." Ranger snapped shoving his pistol's into their holsters and drawing his sword.
Al Gore pushed himself off the ground. "So you finally showed up, Mr. Global warming is a natural process!"
"It is you douche, fossiel fuels are just speeding up earths natural heating and cooling cycles!" Ranger replied.
"And that's why I came to this town all of those years ago to kill you! If we don't stop Global warming now we're going to die!" Al Gore shot back.
Suzaku's eyes widened even as he felt himself slipping into unconsiousness. "He came to kill you?"
"This time I'll finish the job!" Al Gore roared lunging at Ranger who meet Al Gore's charge with a sweeping stroke of his sword, cutting off the annoying Democrat's left arm.
"He came for you..." Suzaku whispered before passing out.
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Suzaku shot up in bed with a cry of pain clutching at his side, startling Euphemia who sat by his bed. He was in a hospital.
"Suzaku are you all right?" Euphemia asked worried.
The memories of the confrontation with Al Gore suddenly came flooding back to Suzaku and his grip tightened around his bed sheets.
"Where's Yoki?" He demanded.
"He just left..." Euphemia started but Suzaku was already out of his bed racing to the door.
"Suzaku!" She said in alarm.
Suzaku came around the door to see Ranger's retreating back. Anger rolled off him in droves.
"YOU BASTARD!" He screamed! "IT'S YOUR FAULT THIS TOWN WAS DESTROYED! IF YOU'D NEVER COME HERE ALL OF THOSE PEOPLE WOULDN"T HAVE DIED!! I CAN'T BELIEVE I DEFENDED YOU FOR ALL OF THESE YEARS!!"
Ranger didn't pause in his step. He didn't ever appear to have noticed Suzaku. Euphemia watched the whole seen with silent tears dripping down her face.
Later that day when she returned to the house she stood out on the porch looking out over the bay with a glum experssion on her face.
Suddenly she noticed a the end of something sticking out of the ground by the bare patch at the old oak tree. Someone had distrubed the ground there.
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That night as Ranger rode the train back to the city he sat alone in the car his eyes shut.
"We told you it would happen my Precious." Gollum hissed from across from him.
"Shut up, what is it you're after?" Ranger growled.
Gollum barred his fangs. "Power."
Ranger yanked out his pistol's only to find, once again, that Gollum had disappeared.
Ranger24: And thats the chapter for today. Read and review.