CHAPTER 46
-"THE WHITE ROSE'S ADVICE ON LOVE! THE DEVIL HE ONCE KNEW!"-
FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL – AROUND LUNCHTIME:
Our lovesick heroine, Ran Hayami, walks out of the school building and stands out at the backyard of the campus grounds. She watched people coming and going. Students laughing or conversing seriously. Sitting under trees eating their lunches or studying. There was activity going on all around her, but she felt detached from it. She was "of" the world, but not "in" it.
She felt as if she were looking across an alien landscape. As if she were a visitor from a far-off world who had about much in common with these life-forms as they did with amoebas.
She had to get a life.
She just wasn't sure whose to get.
Earlier, Ran had just left Ukyo after she invited Ran to have lunch with her, Ranma, and Akane. Ran still didn't feel up to facing Ranma right now. Talking to him now would be like getting a knife through her heart. But she was depressed because it was the sweetest pain she knew.
So those same mixed feelings resurfaced later when she turned a corner and nearly collided with Ranma, whose eyes widened in surprise. They stared at each other for a moment, and then, with a sad look on her face, she turned and walked away. Ranma stared after the direction she had gone, wondering what was wrong with her. Ran, meanwhile, was on the verge of crying; she had never felt such a black depression in all her life. She made no attempt to dry the tears that would soon stream down her cheeks.
When she made it outside, she walked over to a familiar tree on the school grounds. It is the tree that R usually hangs out under during lunchtime (See Chapters 14 & 25). It's tall, with plenty of leaves, providing lots of shade. There was still a half-hour left before lunch was over, so Ran decided to sit down and eat.
But she never did eat her lunch. She felt burdened by the weight of her hidden feelings for Ranma Saotome. Their intensity left her disoriented and confused, lost. She just stared out into space, not having any idea what to do to ease her troubled heart.
It was like a flood of water crashing against a crudely constructed dam. Soon enough, it would burst open, the water bursting out everywhere.
Consequently, she buries her face in her folded arms, her shoulders shaking slightly, and sobs bitterly. She was so upset that she didn't even notice a certain someone approaching the tree…
"Hey. You're sitting in my spot."
"Huh?" Ran looks up to see R(!) standing over her.
"Sorry, kid. I'm kinda pressed for time, so I'm not gonna be much company for you. Gotta eat and run back to class. So slide over, will ya?
She does, and R sits down under the tree beside her. He then reaches into his briefcase and pulls out a small bundle, wrapped in fine silky red cloth. Taking out a pair of black-lacquered chopsticks (his own personal pair, mind you), he proceeds to quickly scarf down his lunch, which consists of a few thin-sliced cuts of roast beef, fried rice, and a salad.
As R eats, Ran continues to sit there, just crying her heart out. It seems as if he's ignoring Ran's plight. (Remember, this is R we're talking about. Who'd expect HIM, of all people, to be concerned about someone else?) But as soon as he finishes eating, R puts down his bento (box lunch), wipes his mouth with his silk handkerchief, and then calmly asks…
"Okay. What happened?"
Ran blinks, "Huh?"
"That bruise on your cheek. How did you get it?"
Oh great. She hoped that R wouldn't notice it. After all, he was so busy eating his lunch and…
"Kid, I might act like I don't care sometimes, but I still got eyes that see and ears that hear. I heard you crying long before I showed up. And I can see that bruise, so it's no use trying to cover it up."
Ran tries to change the subject. "R, this really isn't a good time right now…"
"Why? What's the problem?"
Ran tries to assure him. "There's no problem."
R, however, is unconvinced. "Feh. Like hell. Then why've you been crying? Is this about Ranma again?"
Ran is astounded at R's guess. "How… how did you…?"
"Aha… now the truth comes out. He hit you, didn't he? Well?"
With a pained look on her face, Ran pleads, "R, please… don't overreact…."
R's now upset. "Who's overreacting? I just wanna know, that's all." He gets no answer from her; NOW, he starts to get pissed. "Look, kid, don't clam up on me. I don't have the patience for that. Now answer me. What you say determines whether Ranma lives to see another day or dies right now!"
Ran cries out, "NO! He didn't mean to hit me! It was an accident, OK! We were just sparring this morning, and…"
And Ran proceeds to explain to him what happened earlier this morning (See Chapter 44), leaving out (perhaps wisely) the parts about being haunted by those dreams where Dr. Wily is… well, OK, I won't go there again. Afterwards:
R calms down; he seems convinced. "So… you got distracted, huh? Okay, I'll buy that." His tone of voice becomes serious. "But that still doesn't excuse what he did. Just this once, I'll let it slide. But can I give you a piece of advice? A true martial artist NEVER lets his mind wander from his fists. Forget that, and defeat is not only inevitable, but guaranteed! You got that?"
Taking his advice to heart, Ran doesn't say anything at first, but then, "…..but that's not the reason I've been crying."
"Oh?"
Now that R thought about it, she hadn't been herself today. She had been strangely reserved and quiet ever since he saw her walk onto the school grounds. He should have known there was something wrong then, and he'd suspected that Ranma was the cause.
"So what's the matter?"
Ran looks away, blushing, "………………!!"
R began to feel a little hurt himself that Ran was trying so hard to hide whatever was wrong from him. As usual, his hurt turned to annoyance. Irritated, he says, "Oh, not THIS again… Look, if you don't want to talk to me, that's fine, but don't lie to me. I'm not stupid you know."
She doesn't say anything but merely stares listlessly at the ground, and her bangs fall over her eyes so that he couldn't see them. When she still refuses to say anything, he gives up.
"Geez. Here I am, worrying about YOU and you can't even say anything. Fine then, sorry I even bothered. Well, see ya around."
He turns away from her and begins to stand up but her hand suddenly clasped his and stopped him. Unsure of what to do, he merely remained still. R could hear her start to cry.
"I…I'm sorry," Ran sobs.
As he listened to her sobs he realized that he had no idea what to do, no way of knowing how to comfort her. Eventually he awkwardly turned around and let her press against his chest instead. He fumbled for a moment unsure of where to place his arms and eventually placed them lightly around her shoulders.
"It's okay, kid."
R whispers softly over and over again until her soft crying begins to fade. Once she's finished, he finally asks her, "So then, what's wrong?"
She sniffled a few times and sat up straight, feeling very uncomfortable. And why shouldn't she have felt uncomfortable? After all, Ran knows that R (for whatever reasons that were his own alone) hates Ranma Saotome and has vowed to destroy him. But R did say he would be friends with her, right? They seemed to be getting along fairly well lately since Chapter 25 (As far as I can tell, anyway). Could she tell R her troubles, without giving away her secret feelings for Ranma? She had to try it! Okay, here goes nothing…
"I don't know…" Ran says, feeling a little embarrassed. "It's kind of silly."
"No it's not. C'mon, tell me about it."
"Well, okay." Ran takes a deep breath, then says, "I… I'm in love with someone…."
R is surprised. You are? "Oookay…"
"At least... I think I am. But the guy I like doesn't know it." Ran sighs, disappointed. "I'm sorry, R, this isn't really a good time to talk about this…"
"No, go on," R urges Ran. Fighting to remain nonchalant, he moves a little closer to her, closing the distance between them. "So… Would I know his name? This guy?"
Ran blushes, feeling nervous at this point. "Oh, R… You'll just think I'm a stupid little girl with a crush."
With as much fervency as he could muster, R says, "Trust me, kid."
Ran looks into R's eyes, long and hard, and suddenly she laughs as if tremendously embarrassed over having been caught at something. She aughs through her tears, "I'm, like, head over heels! It's crazy!"
"Well, who is he?"
"It's funny. He and I have been friends since I came to Nerima, and only recently, I… well, I realized had these really, really strong romantic feelings toward him, and…"
It was all R could do to suppress a smile. Now normally, R wasn't into this kind of ridiculous high school dramatic nonsense – he'd thought of himself as more mature and sophisticated than his fellow students – Ranma and that idiot Kuno included. But strangely enough, he doesn't mind playing this little guessing game with Ran, trying to figure out the identity of her mysterious dream guy while she pours her little heart out. The absurdity of her situation struck him as rather, well… amusing…
So amusing that he busts out laughing!
"Hm hm hm hm… heh heh heh heh… HA HA HA HA HAAAAA!!!!! Is THAT what all this is about?"
"Why you…!" Ran punches his shoulder in mock annoyance. "You're laughing at me!"
After a few more laughs at her expense, R finally seems to calms down. But this… this is too hilarious! He laughs even more, not realizing what his ridicule is doing to Ran's already wounded heart. Ran, on the other hand, now thinks that R's just being mean to her. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to tell him after all. If he was just going to sit there and laugh at her as if he was getting some sort of sick thrill from her pain, well… And he was supposed to be her friend…dammit! She already has enough problems with hiding her feelings for Ranma and those nightmarish visions. She certainly didn't need more! It was just getting to be too much to handle, but what could she do now? At this moment, Ran felt utterly vulnerable and totally helpless. Helpless because she wanted to be. Helpless because she felt she deserved to be. Man, if she were like Akane back it the day…. Oh boy! She'd mallet R right now, or boot him to the moon! How dare he screw with her emotions like this?
But then she realized she wasn't anything at all like Akane…. And then thinking about Akane would lead back to Ranma, and…
She felt so overwhelmed by it all, so much that the tears come quickly to her eyes, and she cries again.
R, who was now reeling over from laughing too hard at poor Ran, hears her sobbing her heart out. He stops laughing. Apparently this is serious to her (Oh yeah, NOW he realizes it – the jerk!) and he's making light of it. And that makes him feel guilty for some reason. He... he wanted her to be happy. He reached out, tentatively, and hesitated. A particularly loud sob escaped her, and his courage firmed up. He reached out and put an arm around her.
R apologizes as he comforts her. "Kid, hey… don't cry. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to step on your feelings like that." Then, after she's had a chance to dry her tears… "But look, if you like this guy so much, why don't you just tell him?"
Ran looks up at him, her eyes red from crying earlier. "I… I couldn't….no, no, I can't. I just can't do it."
"Why?"
"Because… because… I'm afraid he doesn't love me the way I love him!"
"And just HOW do you know that?"
"*sniff, sniff*…. Well…."
After giving the matter some thought, R decides to help Ran out. "Kid… y'know, I've been thinking about your problem, and I think I might just have the solution. You just need to practice, rehearse what you want to say before you actually say it. So, why don't we try a little acting?"
"Wh-what?"
"Try me. Okay, pretend like I'm this guy you like, and I'll try to coach you through this. OK?"
Ran pales a little bit, but agrees. "Umm, all... all right."
"All right, here we go. First, you need to get his attention. Let him know you're serious. Go."
Ran blushes as she stumbles over her words. "Uh.... um... R, I… *gulp*…uhhh..."
"Look, I know it's hard, but you've got to get your nerves under control." R gets an idea! "Ah! I've got it. Think of this as if it were a battle, and this guy is your opponent…"
Oh, real nice, R. What are you trying to do, traumatize the poor girl? That's what happened earlier this morning! Ran shivers at the thought, remembering her sparring match with Ranma gone horribly wrong. R notices it, but he continues anyway.
"But… in THIS battle, you can't use your fists. Only your words have the power to beat this guy!" R tone of voice softens. "Kid, he might not reciprocate your feelings, but if you can't tell him, you'll never know. So try to keep that in mind, OK? Now…let's try again."
Ran was still nervous, but seemed to control herself. "R-R, I…. There's something I want to, no, no…. I need to say to you…Please…"
R's pleased. "Okay, you just landed your first attack. Now follow up with your combo. Remember, treat this like a battle!" He continues his coaching. "You're talking to the guy you love. You have to make that love come through, let him hear it. Focus on how you feel about him. Tell yourself, "I love this guy and I want him to know it!""
Ran feels her heart twist again, a strange mixture of agony and bliss. She looks into R's handsome gold-tinted eyes as he smiles back at her, friendship and warmth showing on his face (which is VERY unusual for R, anyway). She swallows nervously, and knew she should look away, but she simply could not take her eyes off of his. His eyes... The eyes of the boy she... the boy she...
And the next thing she knew, she was imagining she was looking at Ranma instead of R. In her mind, she saw him sitting next to her waiting to hear what she had to say. Truth is, Ran really doesn't have the faintest idea what to say. She hesitates.
From R's point of view, it looks as if Ran has gone into a deep trance. He grows uneasy at her stare, and his smile fades. Worried, he asks, "Hey, kid? You all right?"
Ran tries again. "R… I….This is really, really hard for me to say, but…. Oh, I just can't do this!"
Genuinely sincere, R encourages her. "Don't be afraid, kid. Say what's in your heart."
That little bit of extra encouragement was just what she needed. Suddenly, from somewhere inside her, strength comes, and her expression grows determined. Ran gathers her courage, closes her eyes, and finally speaks.
"Do… Do you believe in love at first sight? Well, maybe you don't, but… I do. Have you ever fallen so deeply for someone, that you can just… just feel it beyond your consciousness? I have. I can feel it when I'm sleeping; it's just always there. I lose myself to the feeling, and I am so swept up in it that I can no longer control it; I can no longer control my heart or what is in it, and my whole life is completely dedicated to your existence. When I'm with you, I'm halfway to heaven, and when I'm alone, I'm halfway to hell. The hours we spend together, though they seem like minutes, will be relived, like a movie, played over in my head, to keep me company when you're away. Even just a few minutes away from you seems like hours. I want to be with you all the time, to be by your side."
Ran turns to face R briefly. She sees he's interested in what she has to say, what she's always wanted to say, but couldn't. She continues.
"When I'm in love, it's like my heart overwhelms my mind, and I have no choice but to surrender to it and just let myself go. There is nothing I have ever felt before and nothing I will ever feel in my future that can compare to the way you make me feel. This feeling that you give me... it speaks to me... It speaks to my soul. Everything seems better, newer, clearer, and more real to me. Even the sunset seems brighter, the colors more beautiful, more vivid, more magical. For the first time in like, forever, I've noticed how blue the sky really is. And when I look deep into your eyes, I… I can see myself reflected back, a million times, in perfection. And I take comfort in knowing you can see yourself when you look into my eyes. When we touch, the electricity flowing between my skin and yours just ignites the flame in my heart, and I fall in love with you all over again. This feeling…. It's the best feeling I've ever felt." Listening to herself, Ran thinks, Oh God, that sounded horrible! If I told Ranma that, he'd probably laugh at me for sure!
Ran looks back up at him and is dumbfounded to see R's bottom lip quiver, tears welling in his eyes. Although he tries to maintain his tough-guy composure, he is genuinely moved by Ran's speech.
"Kid… I…" R almost chokes on his words. "I had no idea you felt that way about him." Then, he applauds, "Bravo! Bravo! That was wonderful! Excellent performance! Now, go and try it out on him for real!"
Ran seems to be collecting herself; she separates from him and stands up. She was sniffling and wiping her eyes. However, she still feels she's not ready to tell Ranma yet. But R's coaching DID help a little… She smiles sadly at him. "Yeah…" Then, she cheers up. "But… I think I need to practice just a little more, though. Thank you, R."
R rises to his feet, a little unsteady, still shaken by Ran's speech. "N-n-no p-problem, kid. R-really! I... I was glad I could help."
"Oh! It's almost time to go back to class!" Ran pulls a mirror out of her bookbag. "Look at my eyes! You can tell I've been crying." She takes out a moist towel, wipes her face, then puts the mirror away. "I... I've got to go, R. Again, thank you. You're very sweet. We're still friends, right?"
D'OH! A friend? Is that all she sees me as? R thinks. Aloud, he's like, "Yeah, yeah."
Then she turns and walks off. R watches her, mesmerized, as she makes her way back inside, her purple hair and the skirt of her uniform ruffling gently in the breeze.
Slowly, R sinks to his knees, utterly in awe of this girl. Ran's confession of love to her dream guy touches something deep inside R's ice-cold heart. He feels something toward Ran, something familiar…
(Of course, he still had a few more details to figure out.)
But what of Kodachi? I mean, she's my girlfriend! Sure, I think her laugh is really annoying - but she IS crazy about me. But Ran… There's something about her… I can't put my finger on it. It's like I felt nostalgic there for a moment, as if she was someone I know. I must find out more about her!
He pauses for a moment.
And yet… Kodachi… Ran… If there was only a way I could have them both! Then, horrified, he realizes, "Oh God! I'm turning into that idiot Kuno!"
R makes a mental note: Beat up Kuno before the school day's over.
Later, as R returns to his classes, he thinks about the conversation he had with Ran during lunch. Sure enough, his suspicions that Ranma was the reason for Ran's tears today were proven correct.
Oh sure, he'd promised her he'd let Ranma hurting her during sparring slide, that he wouldn't go off and kill him right then and there. But, c'mon! This is R we're talking about, folks! He can only be so forgiving. And plus, he still had a mission to carry out…
Thus, even though he promised he wouldn't, R intends to make Ranma pay for that at another time. As a matter of fact, he plans to do it real soon…
Then, he recalls when Ran confesses her love for this mysterious dream guy of hers. He blushes a little. But that pleasant feeling starts to give way to a little doubt. He starts wondering who Ran's dream lover is. He'd tried asking her who it was - twice, in fact – but she wouldn't say anything about him, wouldn't give R his name.
So then R thinks about all the guys he knows of at Furinkan that might match Ran's description of him. Immediately, he rules out Gosunkugi – that creepy kid's too fixated on Akane Tendo to bother any other girl. He quickly goes down a mental list of possible suitors for Ran - among them Ranma's buddies Hiroshi and Daisuke, his own classmates, the kendo club (Kuno included!), etc. – and ruled them all out. Of all the boys in the school, only two young men even come close to what Ran described in her confession:
Ranma Saotome and R himself.
Part of him wishes that he's the man of Ran's dreams, that he's her knight in shining armor.
The other part of him hopes it isn't Ranma who Ran's crazy about.
Then again (due to Dr. Wily's brainwashing), R hopes it IS Ranma, so he'll have an excuse to kill him. Then, after he defeats Ranma in battle and stands victorious over his blood-stained and broken corpse, he'll become the new master and heir of the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts. He would be the most powerful fighter in the world, and both Ran and Kodachi would love and adore him. All three of them would live together happily ever after, and…
R blinks, disgusted. "Ugh! I've really got to beat Kuno up soon. It's like his obsession with platonic loves is contagious!"
Anyway… moving on. Now there's a new wrinkle in R's plans…
Assuming that Ranma is Ran's dream guy, it's safe to say that he makes her happy. If R kills him, then Ran would be sad. And R would never do anything to make Ran sad on purpose (Well…). He wanted her to be happy. So in order for her to be happy, that means he can't kill Ranma, which makes R unhappy. But killing him would make R happy, and leave Ran unhappy…. Maybe he COULD kill Ran instead, thus ending her unhappiness. But then he'd have to kill a grief-stricken Ranma who would surely try to avenge Ran's death. Or, he could kill them both and go live with Kodachi on some tropical island somewhere…
You see what I mean?
In any case, this guy (whoever he is) poses a personal threat to R.
What does she see in that guy? What's he got that I don't?
Well, duh! It's quite obvious! Ranma has Ran, and he doesn't! The more he thinks about Ranma, the angrier and angrier he gets. His battle aura burns extremely hot as the dark purple flames wrap around him!
Why do I have the impulse to strangle that guy? No, that's no good! I want to tear him to shreds! Dammit! Who the hell is he!?
Along with the burning anger came a pain so sharp and cold, it took him totally off guard. For a while until now, R had assumed that he and Ran might just be friends… maybe even more than that. Sometimes, he had the feeling that he knew her from somewhere, as if she were his….
Nah. Can't be. R didn't know of any other blood relatives. His parents were dead, and Dr. Wily was the closest thing he had to a father.
But the thought that she might be in love with another guy, fantasizing over him when R wasn't around – that was too much to bear. Having Ran's companionship and friendship without her declared love was something he was starting to get used to. But her confession made him feel he'd been taken for granted, like some sort of emotional consolation prize. His warrior's pride simply wouldn't allow that.
R calms down, and as he does, his battle aura fizzles out, fades away. He casts aside the notion that Ranma and this mysterious lover of Ran's are the same man…at least for now, anyway. Besides, he's got more important things to do. He must carry out his mission. He must fulfill his destiny.
So with his fists clenched and a grim look on his face, he strides back to class.
OK, everyone, you know how I said there was going to be an explosion last chapter? That certain events are happening (even now!) that will cause it?
For no reason at all whatsoever, we suddenly switch to a field with a large hill, where a huge army of RED CAT Soldiers stands ready to attack, armed with spears, swords, and other nasty weapons looking all menacing and stuff.
They yell at the narrator, "GET ON WITH IT!!"
*Gulp*….Well, here comes another one!
Just then, R heard something mewing. His doggie ears perk up at once. Turning around, he sees… a cat! It has white, brown, and black spotted fur. Apparently, it wandered onto school grounds. It meows again, a little louder.
R's eyes go wide, as if he's frightened by the cat (Doesn't THIS sound familiar, Ranma fans?). For some unknown reason, R's first reaction was to scream and run around frantically, like a chicken with its head cut off. But he doesn't. Instead, he just stands there, trembling, seized by some subconscious fear of this animal…
And then, it came back. A long-forgotten memory from his past…
And he was ten years old again. He was alone, all alone, trapped in a deep, dark pit, bound with chains. And he smelled rather odd, fishy, even. THAT was the least of his problems.
The hordes of hungry cats that were clawing at him were.
The first time he'd been in this place, he did not come out unscathed. He had emerged from there covered with scratch marks. Those had healed.
But the damage to his mind was already done.
He had no idea how long he'd been inside that pit. Was it only a few minutes? Hours? Days? Months? Maybe even… years?
And every time he was inside, there seemed to be more and more cats everywhere. Where were they coming from?
So here he was again, in that same pit, struggling against the cats. They pounce on him, starving. A few lick him to see if he tastes good before they feast. By now, his body is covered in thousands upon thousands of cat scratches.
But unlike another who endured this feline hell, he does not succumb so easily, does not roll over expecting to die.
Yes, he experiences the fear, the pain… but mostly the fear. The mental terror inflicted upon him increases with each passing moment, with each descent into that pit…
Until he snaps…
And then, the fear gives way…
In its place now is an intense, hate-filled murdering rage!! A killing instinct so strong that it makes the Satsui no Hadou (Hadou of Murderous Intent, or Killing Wave if you prefer) look like a little kid's temper tantrum.
Yes, it's THAT bad.
He fights for his life. Claws tear at his skin. Fangs pierce his flesh. Blood spills onto the cold concrete. And all the while, he counterattacks, giving back just as much hell as they give him.
He's pumped up, fighting on pure adrenaline now. The pain from the cuts, the blood loss – he doesn't feel it. Even worse, he feels absolutely nothing.
He only wants to do one thing.
Smash these little beasts into so much pulp!!
He feels the heat flowing through his blood. It feels like an all-consuming fire, flowing into every living cell in his body!! He roars with anger!!
One unfortunate cat has its teeth sunk into the boy's arm. With that same hand, he slams it back into the ground, making a sickening crunching sound on impact.
He kicks one aside and throws the other one in the same direction as it tried to attack him. He's fighting not as a human martial artist, but as a wild animal, a raging beast!!
Another one gets torn apart, literally!
Caught in the hurricane of violent animal fury, the cats fall and scatter like ninepins. And now, it's THEY who tremble with fear!
They flee as their meal-now-turned-foe pounces…
And blackness tinged with blood red claims them.
Meanwhile, outside R's mind…
So now here's R, face to face with this cat. He's frozen in his tracks, in the grip of both pure fear and hot anger! He could literally feel them around him; they were within him, within his body. The agony was there like a blanket that was strangling him in madness and feral instincts of survival, instincts frustrated with every attempt to free him from the pain of remembering the horror. And all he can see, all his mind would allow him to see is blood, blood everywhere. Nothing but blood and darkness… and evil. It was as if something inside R was trying to claw its way out… desiring to be unleashed upon all that would dare stare against it.
After what seemed an eternity, little by little, the pain was released from him. Then a voice, a soothing voice, reached him through the bloodstained darkness.
R…R! Calm yourself. Your mind is at peace. There's no need to be afraid…
He knew that voice. It was...
After all, it's only a cat…
He knew the tone of that voice, he had heard it before. But when?
The beast that lurks inside you is dead, sealed away within the deepest, darkest recesses of your mind. You do not wield the Neko-Ken…
R says to himself, "Wh-what? Neko-Ken? What the hell is that? And who's talking to me, INSIDE my head for crying out loud?"
The cat continues to stare at R, as if studying him. Meanwhile the calm voice continues to order his thoughts… You are a warrior, a fighter. You are not a wild animal. You are not a monster. The Neko-Ken was a failed technique. You didn't fail, it was the technique. It was a regular training session, until the cats burst in and ruined everything. But it's not their fault! Not their fault…
As if he's been hypnotized, R says, " Not their fault…" Then, agreeing with the voice in his head, "No, it wasn't their fault! That's right. It was just a regular training session that backfired, that's all. Yeah, that's it."
Go ahead. It's okay. It won't hurt you…
R gulps, then walks up to the cat, kneels down and stretches out his hand to pet it. When he sees that the cat doesn't scratch him, he then gently strokes its head. The cat purrs contently, enjoying the attention of this nice human. R, however, is sweating bullets!
As the strangely calm, hypnotic voice does its thing on R, something (or someone else) speaks up! HEY! What the hell are you doing!? You gonna let a guy with a friggin' lightbulb atop his head tell you what to do?
"Huh? Oh great! Now there's TWO voices inside my head?"
But there's something familiar about this voice. It sounds a LOT like R's, only… it was different, warped somehow.
Oh. Yeah. Sure, R. Just listen to that dumb ol' Brightman, and everything's all peachy-keen! That's YOUR way of coping. It sure as hell ain't MINE!
The mocking tone of voice irritates him. R snaps back, just loud enough to answer the voice in his head. "Hey! Shut your mouth!"
Oh? Did I just hear a puppy bark? Certainly nothing of any consequence.
"I… I won't be tricked again!"
Tricked? Man! HELLO! You've known what I was about each time you were there, alone, in that pit with those cats! Didn't it suck! I remember and so do you! If it weren't for me, you'd be dead! I know about it, R. I know you. This voice chuckles evilly. You like it.
"You lie!"
Oh yeah? Who's lying now? Repeat it to yourself, keep saying the same thing... but it still won't be true.
"HEY! I make my own decisions buddy!"
So make your decision already! You know which one I mean. You want it, R. Even more than you want...her.
R stumbles back. The other R, the one inside his mind, laughs again with a note that sounded like triumph. You can't shut me out forever. Let me loose, and we'll show Ranma Saotome who's the real master of Anything-Goes!
"No. NO! I'll beat him, and I'll do it with my own two fists!"
R's inner voice, taunts, Ran barely even looks at you, man. She's got the hots for Ranma. Not you.
"Be quiet!"
R's inner voice howls angrily, SHE'D LOOK AT ME!!
R let out a tormented howl, muscles tensed in agony, hands clenched in his long white hair, as the conflicting voices inside his head threaten to drive him mad. Still within his vision, he senses something standing in front of him as the world seems to dim….
And looks up to see himself.
He appears large in front of R's eyes, rising up like a nightmarish demon. He wears the same red school uniform as R, only his has a much darker tint to it. He looms into reality as his lips curl back into a feral smile, baring his fangs; his eyes are bloodshot and have a wild look about them. An aura of intense evil energy surrounds him! All poor R can do is cry out in the presence of his darker half. His teeth are clenched, as if he's bracing himself before getting pricked by a huge needle and his body shakes as if it was going through a seizure. R looks to be in great pain.
Urgh...I'm being pulled in! The enormous battle aura this jerk's giving off is drawing me in!
The Dark-R laughs, "Heh heh heh… If you want to win, then awaken the power that's within you! Don't you feel it? This is your power, our REAL power! It courses through your blood like fire!"
R struggles to free himself from the evil energy surrounding him. "NEVER! I am NOT like you!"
Dark-R fake pleads, "Oh, c'mon, R… Let me play. I'll win. I always win. It's who I am! Who WE are!!"
R rubs his eyes, almost tempted. Then the calm voice that almost lulled R into a trance returns. See yourself in a situation where you might have lost your temper in the past. This time see yourself in control. You no longer respond with anger. You respond with understanding and your soul is calm. You no longer feel a need to unleash the Neko-Ken.
Dark-R's angry. "Crap! You're doing it again! Stop listening to ol' Bulb-head, and listen to ME!"
You are in control of your own emotions and reacting with anger is negative. You will never again react with uncontrolled anger…
Hypnotized, R responds, "I am in control of my emotions. I will never again react with uncontrolled anger…"
Dark-R tries getting R's attention. "Yo, R! HELLLOOOOO!? Are you even listening to me? C'mon, already!"
You have the control. You have the control. You have the control. Control…!
Dark-R continue tempting, "Why fight it? Enjoy me, R! Enjoy me...!"
On and on it goes, as the voices fight for dominance in R's mind. At the last possible second, R comes to his senses!
"HUH!? What the…!" He covers his ears, trying to ignore the voices. "Aw, hell no! Ain't no way I'm going crazy! Shut up! SHUT UP!! So… you wanna see control? YOU WANNA SEE CONTROL, HUH!? I told you! I make my own decisions! NO ONE controls ME, you jerks!! So…SUCK ON THIS!"
R begins to radiate his own battle aura! As he does, the dark energies around him converge, surrounding him! Just one taste of that energy, laced with such violent power, would change him, free him, give him the strength to follow his darker half's – and his! – every desire.
The cat, who'd been enjoying the attention it was getting, sees R's menacing aura, yowls in terror, and flees!
R's darker half laughs triumphantly, satisfied that R is about to set him free! "At last! HA HA HA HA….! Huh!?"
R, instead, absorbs the evil energy into his right fist, raises it high into the air… and slams it down into the ground!!
The result was incredible, amazing, even frightening to those who witnessed it. On impact, a HUGE column of dark purple energy shot upwards into the sky!
Inside the column, however…
Dark-R is shocked! He angrily objects, "WHAT!? NO! You tricked me! Dammit, R! This ain't over, you hear me!? I'll be back, and next time, you're gonna go wild! YAARRRRGHHHhhhh…..!!!
The dark half of R fades away violently as the ki-blast continues to rise!
The rising ki-column lasted for about two minutes. Once it was over, standing in the center of a huge smoking crater was R. His ears perk up, listening for something. No voices. No visions of cats trying to claw him to pieces. He breathes a sigh of relief.
R shrugs. "Geez. The dangers of letting yourself get all worked up. Well, I'd better get back to class. Ugh…"
Feeling a little disoriented from what just happened, R gingerly walks back inside the school.
This didn't go unnoticed, however…
MEANWHILE, INSIDE ERICK'S DARK CHAMBER:
"My, my…. It seems R's upset about something," Erick says as he watches R on one of the video screens.
Delia concurs, "Judging by that display of power, being upset doesn't even come close to describing R what just did, darling."
"True, but it also proves something else. The Zero Spawn we placed inside Furinkan High is doing a very good job. At the moment of R's little outburst, a massive amount of energy was detected. It lasted only for a moment, but it was so strong that the drone's sensors picked it up."
"The Phoenix Stone?"
Erick laughs at that idea. But he frowns, thinking, If only it were that… Then, he finally speaks, "Unfortunately, no. It was coming from R."
Delia blinks, "From R?"
"Yes. Intense emotional energy, created from his raw emotions, or more specifically, his anger. Furthermore, the drone's sensors indicated this energy caused a change on the cellular level. It's a shame that R released it so soon before we could see what it does to him."
"What are you saying, darling?"
"Delia, I believe we have seen a glimpse of R's true power. Despite his impressive abilities, he's holding back. We MUST find out what it is, get him to use it, and then control it for OUR purposes."
Just then, a portal opens and from it, Bass steps out. Aside from a few scratches in his armor amazingly he's survived the first day of Erick's bizarre training dimension.
Bass complains, as usual, "Geez! I thought I was never gonna get out of that desert. I had to fight ol' "Goober-dantess" like what? Three or four times? And what's up with that shield he uses? If it wasn't for those Cells and their self-recovery powers, that clown would have cut me in two before I'd even get a chance to strike! Then there were those huge sandstorms, and don't even get me started about the quicksand traps…! I wonder where I'll end up training next time?" Then, he notices Erick. "Hey, Erick! I had a feeling you wanted to see me, so I came as soon as I could escape that whacked-out "Danger Room" of yours. What's up?"
Erick is surprised. "Ah! Indeed I did, Bass. We'll talk about your first training session later. But tell me. Have you ever seen R get angry?"
Bass snorts, "Well, of course I have. I mean, who DOESN'T get angry when Dog-Boy's involved?"
"I wasn't referring to YOU, Bass. Have you ever seen R get so angry, angry enough to kill?"
After a moment Bass admits, " …… Well, there was this one time…."
"Yes, go on."
"Brightman calls me from the lab. Says it's an emergency and wants me to bring in reinforcements. So I get a dozen of soldiers and head over there. We get there and find out the lab's been trashed. Old bulb-head says Dog-Boy's gone berserk, out of control. The guards that were already there got their butts handed to them."
Erick's impressed. "Really? Continue."
"I got a good look at Dog-Boy that day. He wasn't himself. It was as if I was looking at a wild animal, not a human. His eyes were all white, steam coming out of his mouth as he's breathing, and he was radiating an incredible battle aura. And the way he acted, it kinda reminded me of that guy who went nuts in that wild tournament back in '97. What was that crazy dude's name… red hair, uses purple flames, geez, even laughs like Dog-Boy…."
Erick knows very well who Bass is referring to. "Yes, I know THAT person, and his abilities. But let's get back to the subject. What happened next?"
"Anyway, after Dog-Boy's done using the troops as scratching posts, the idiot escapes and the Doc and Brightman want ME to go fetch him. I'm thinking, "Perfect. Just freaking perfect. What am I, a dogcatcher!? It's bad enough I have to tolerate that mutt!" To make a long story short, we went out and got Dog-Boy back – took us hours to find him 'cause he ran off into the woods. Then Brightman takes him for another spin in the brainwashing machine so something like this won't happen again. And that's it. Period."
"Bass, I suspect there's more to this story than you're telling me. Am I correct?"
Bass grimaces, knowing that Erick is right. He remembers one fateful day….
-(BEGIN FLASHBACK)-
CHINA – OUTSIDE THE RED CAT GANG'S FORTRESS –
ONLY THREE MONTHS BEFORE OUR STORY BEGAN:
Bass is inside a cave-like area behind a waterfall. It is early in the morning, with a cold breeze flowing through the cave and fog. The sound of running water is heard constantly and echoes throughout the cave.
But he is NOT alone. For he has come face-to-face with his opponent, R! He is as Bass has just described him, eyes were all white, steam coming out of his mouth as he's breathing, and giving off an incredible battle aura.
R growls angrily, "Grrrrrrrr...!!"
Bass says to him, "Give it up, Dog-Boy! You've been pumped full of sedatives! Just let'em do their thing so I can take you back to the Doc and he can fix your messed-up little doggie brain!"
"RRRRAAAAAAHHH!!!" R roars.
He rears back and slashes at Bass, puncturing his armor and leaving four deep gashes in his chest from his hand.
Bass clutches his chest in pain. "ARGH! What the hell is with you, huh!? That's it! I'm putting you down for good… the HARD WAY!! Eat this! SUPER BUSTER!!"
Bass shoots a huge charged blast of purple-white energy at R, who just swipes a clawed hand at it and makes the blast dissipate.
Bass's shocked. "NO WAY! HOW!?"
Before Bass can react, R is in front of him and he backhands Bass, and sends him flying. But Bass recovers in mid-air, and uses the boosters in his feet to propel himself forward. He slams into R hard with an elbow to the face! As R staggers from the hit, Bass lands on the ground and then smashes him in the stomach. R hunches over in pain and begins to cough up blood. Bass winds up, prepared to hit R again, when he notices the blood doesn't seem to stop pouring from R's mouth. Bass stands there and thinks he'll just let R bleed to death. That way, nobody can say that he killed him, that R had died of blood loss. Big mistake! All of a sudden, R's wild aura flares back to life in an instant! All the while, R is hunched over, like a tiger about to strike!
R's reply is a quick slash towards Bass. Bass manages to avoid it, then…
"BUSTER KICK!!"
Bass leaps at R with an upward rising kick, surrounded by a blue-green battle aura (like the kick attack he has in Megaman 7's secret Versus Mode). R dodges out of the way. Bass then shoots another Super Buster shot at R. R blasts an Active Red Pearl at it, and cancels out Bass's attack. Bass is impressed by the skill R seems to possess now, despite the obvious fact that in this berserker state R has no more intelligence than a wild animal.
Who would've thought he'd have THIS much ability? Aloud, he says to R. "Gotta hand it to ya, mutt. When you're fighting like this, I could ALMOST tolerate you. Let's play some more, shall we?"
R growls in response, "GAAHHH!!" And then he charges wildly at Bass!
"Aw yeah, now THAT's what I'm talkin' about! LET'S DO THIS!!"
And the battle between robot and beast continues! They were locked in a clinch now, Bass's robotic strength against R's brute animal power, grappling with each other trying to overpower his opponent and bring him down. Breaking free, Bass moving back to get some fighting room while R charges toward him. He instantly lunges for Bass!
Figures you'd try something stupid like that. "Sorry, I've got no intention of being your prey! EAT THIS!!"
At the last possible second, Bass raises his Bass Buster and lets rip with a fully charged Super Buster shot…
BOOM!!
The force of the blast hits R dead-on and sends him flying across the cave back to where he was before his most recent attack. To Bass's surprise, R recovers in mid-air and lands on all fours, like a cat. However, as R begins to stand up, he staggers a bit, feeling groggy and disoriented.
R growls dizzily, "Rrrrrrr….! Urrrrgh….!"
As his vision gets blurry, his eyes getting heavy, R tries to shake it off, to keep fighting. Bass, unfortunately, sees this and concludes, muttering to himself, "Finally! The tranquilizers are kicking in! Now, to wear him out so they can do their thing. Here goes…!" He then yells, "SPEED BUSTER!!"
Bass starts firing shots rapidly from his Buster, moving side to side so he can spread his attack and prevent R from getting too close to him. R, undaunted by this, uses his enhanced speed and agility to maximum advantage. He constantly dodges, rolls, and hops in and out, as he evaded Bass's attempts to shoot him down. But not successfully though; he takes a few good shots, two in the chest, while the rest just graze his skin.
He barely even noticed he got shot.
Still, he presses on!
Bass is shocked, to say the least. In spite of repeatedly hitting R, his attacks ultimately had no effect on him. It was as if R's nerve endings were dead – he could feel no pain. Any wounds he did suffer during the course of this battle he'd just shrug it off and keep on fighting!
"Damn! What is it gonna take to beat this idiot!?"
Bass was about to get his answer. It happened in just less than a second. R had found a gap in Bass's attack, and used that one moment, while Bass was distracted wondering how he could beat him. With a loud roar, R leaps high into the air!
The action slows down MATRIX style as R leaps up and over Bass's gunfire, lands right in front of him, and plunges his clawed right hand into Bass's chest right where he'd slashed him before, puncturing his armor and damaging his circuits!
But R's not through, not by a long shot. He slashes Bass with his left hand, and then dropkicks him away! As Bass goes flying, R leaps after him, grabs him by the head in mid-air, and smashes Bass into the ground in a pillar of purple flame (sort of a Midnight Pearl slam attack).
And R's still not through yet!
Bass tries to get up, his armor burnt and smoking from the Midnight Pearl, but he stumbles and falls to one knee. Red blood-like fluid pours from his wounds. His vital systems are badly damaged, his power levels slowly dropping.
Weak, hurt, Bass gripes, "Great, just great… the Doc's gonna owe me for this…but there's no way I'm gonna lose to him. If I gotta go… I'm going down fighting!
Bass raises his buster, preparing to fire…
But R had no intention of giving Bass any time to recover. Now, he moves in for the kill. He pounces on Bass, tackling him to the ground, then grabs his Buster arm and effortlessly rips it off, right out of the socket!
Bass howls in pain, "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGHHHHHHHH!!!"
While he has Bass pinned to the ground, R begins to claw at Bass. Bass desperately tries to shake R off of him, but it's no use. R responds by slashing at Bass's face with one hand as he simultaneously raked his armor with the other hand. Blood flew as R's first blow peeled away nearly half of Bass's face. Blinded in one eye, Bass screams in agony.
Impossible! Absolutely impossible! He's been hit with enough tranquilizers to knock out an elephant, taken my best attacks, shot at, and he's STILL able to fight! What kind of MONSTER did the Doc create?
R continues to claw, scratch, slash, beat, and pummel Bass into scrap. Unable to fight, totally at the mercy of this boy-turned-beast, he feels an emotion that he's not used to… fear.
Is… is this what awaits me? To be torn to shreds like this…? Refusing to accept what's happening to him, Bass gets angry! I won't let it end like this! I WILL NOT!! First, I gotta get him off me!!
Bass takes a risky move. If this works, R's in for a "shocking" experience. If it doesn't, well… Either way, it's better than being used as a scratching post! Concentrating, he overloads his power generator to critical, all while charging up energy, waiting for an opening…
It was then that R drew his hand back to strike Bass again. In that split-second, Bass uses his one good arm, places his outstretched hand on R's chest and yells…
"FULL POWER!! LIGHTNING BOLT!!!"
Using Dynamoman's (from Megaman & Bass) signature weapon as a massive stun gun, Bass releases the excess energy into R!
FZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZHHHHHH!!
"AAAAARRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!" R howls as he's being electrocuted!
BOOM!!
The huge jolt of electricity sends R flying amid a spray of blood and sparks. He slams into a wall with such force that it leaves an impression in it. His body slumps down to the ground, twitching and convulsing all the while.
His trick successful, Bass weakly staggers to his feet. Synthetic blood poured from where his right arm used to be. There were multiple cuts and scratches all over him. Anyone else would already have been dead by now.
Being a machine truly has its advantages, but MAN…! Breathing heavily, Bass says out loud, "DAMN! I can't believe I actually worked up a sweat after fighting your sorry ass! Do you get it now, Dog-Boy!? I gotta admit you're tough, but you'll NEVER beat the best, and that's ME! HA HA HA HA HA!!" He gloats over his victory. "And when you mess with the best, you die like the rest….WHAT THE…..!?"
To Bass's horror, R gets up, suddenly rolling to his hands and knees. His lowered head and his hair hides the vacant expression in his eyes but Bass can hear the low, throbbing growl coming from his throat. Hands curl as he pulls his bare feet under him in a familiar stance. The low growl increases in volume to become a deep roar of challenge. He bares his teeth and hisses viciously, one hand raking at the air.
This time, if R was feeling anything at all, it was primal rage. Bass dared to attack him. He would die for it.
"GRAAAAAARRRGH!!" he roars, flinging himself at Bass with the speed of a bullet train, his wild blood-red battle aura blazing!
Bass is amazed at R's stubbornness. "GEEZ! You still want to take ME on! Give me a break! You don't know when to quit, do you? Well, let me TELL YOU! YAAAAHHH!!"
Bass has had just about enough of R's beastly antics. With that, he charges at R, glowing with a blue-green battle aura of his own. He overloads his energy generator one more time, directing the flow of excess power to his legs and feet, leaps forward, and yells…
"CRESCENT KICK!!"
To put the seal on his frustration with R, Bass basically does his own version of Guile's Flash Kick (Bass has this attack in Megaman 2: The Power Fighters / Megaman Anniversary Collection on PS2). Flipping in mid-air, Bass somersaults backwards while kicking, creating a large wave of blue-green energy; the force of his anger strengthens his attack beyond anything he'd ever known. He could hear the delightful (well, to him, anyway) sound of his foot meeting flesh and bone, the kick making contact with R's head, and the unmistakable sound of trickling blood. The flash of light from the kick was so bright that Bass was nearly blinded; but when he lands on his feet again, there was no doubt in his mind that R was finally down for the count.
There was dead silence in the cave now, the only sounds now coming from the running water. Kneeling over the now-finally-unconscious R, Bass feels a boil of anger rising from his gut to his chest. He growls like an animal, and as the rage consumed him, he suddenly starts lashing out and beats on the unconscious form of R with his one good arm.
"WHY…"
WHACK!!
"DON'T…"
THWACK!!
"YOU… "
KA-KRACK!!
"JUST…"
BAM!!
"DIE!!"
As he beats away on R's limp body, blood flying with every hit, Bass could feel the heat of his Buster energy rising. It came up in a rush, and he channeled it into his fist, doing even more damage to R. Finally, he wells up as much energy as he could summon into his one fist, raises it high into the air, holding the evil energy in until it became too painful to contain it anymore. He was about to smash R's skull like a ripe watermelon!
Bass says quietly, at first, "You do understand, don't you, mutt? This is the only way. With you gone, I'll be the Doc's favorite again. Not you…" He screams, "NOT YOU!" Then, calm once more, he says with finality, "Wish I could say it's been fun, but the truth is I REALLY HATE your guts! Say goodbye, Dog-Boy!"
As he's about to strike, Bass hears someone calling him.
"Lord Bass!… Lord Bass!…. HEY! There he is!… Hey, Lord Bass!… Oh! He's been injured!… Well, at least he got R to calm down. I hope!…"
Uh oh. It'd look pretty bad if Bass killed R right in front of the soldiers, who'd surely tell Wily on him. Wisely, he drops his flaming fist. But Bass notices R's eyes fluttering as if he's coming to. Fortunately that wouldn't happen; now that R was unconscious, the tranquilizers would take effect and he'd be in nappy-nap land in no time. So before his eyes close for the last time, Bass whispers something into R's ear. "You're a dead man, Dog-Boy. So help me, one of these days, I'll KILL you! Until then, spend the rest of your days preparing for your death! You hear me, you disgusting dog-faced bastard?"
He gets up and kicks R once just to make sure he's out.
RED CAT Soldier 035: Incredible! He took on that wild beast-boy and survived... What!
The soldiers finally get a good look at Bass, and the damages he suffered at R's hands. Bass look back at them like the idiots they are.
"Well? What are you staring at? Take Dog-Boy back to the fortress and call the Doc!"
RED CAT Soldier 108 hands Bass his severed Buster arm. "Here, sir. You, er… forgot your, um… arm."
Bass gives him a nasty look, then takes the decapitated arm from the soldier and…
THWHACK!!
RED CAT Soldier 108 cries out "OH!" as he is hit. Then he moans, "Ooooooooooohh…."
The RED CAT Soldier is out cold on the wet, stony floor of the cave.
"Idiots. All of you," Bass says with disgust.
The soldiers were now silent, very silent; and when Bass turns and starts to walk out of the cave, those in his way quickly (and wisely, I might add) step aside to allow him room to pass. Now outside, he almost stumbles as he walks away from the falls, but he was far from being exhausted or through. His rage was slowly disappearing, being replaced by a cold, disgusted resolve. One day, R would pay for humiliating him in battle, and the price would be EXTREMELY high
Bass swears to himself, thinking, He will pay. He will pay!
-(END FLASHBACK)-
Bass looks at his right arm, which has since been reattached and repaired by Dr. Wily. He moves the fingers of his hand and flexes his arm. Though the external damage had long since been repaired, the internal damage was even worse. The memories of that terrible fight still linger inside him. So he simply says to Erick, "Lemme put it this way. On that day, I had the chance to kill Dog-Boy right then and there. But… I didn't."
"My, my, Bass… Feeling merciful that day?"
"Feh. Far from it. If only…." Bass is about to finish his statement, but changes his mind. "Nah. Forget about it. Look, Erick, no disrespect to you intended, just drop it OK? Given my utter dislike for Dog-Boy, I'd rather NOT discuss this again."
"Agreed. Thank you anyway, Bass. You may go now."
As Bass starts to leave, he turns to Erick. "But… If you REALLY want to know how it all went down, go ask Brightman."
"Brightman?"
"Yep. He was there when "it" happened. Course, you might want to "jog" his memory if y'know what I mean…"
"I see… I'll keep that in mind."
After Bass leaves, Erick and Delia have a conversation:
Delia frowns a bit. "Well, that certainly was helpful."
Erick begs to differ, "On the contrary, De-chan, it was good enough. I think I'll be paying Brightman a little visit…"
TO BE CONTINUED…