CHAPTER 56
-"THE ESCALATING DRAMA BETWEEN TWO HEARTS / THE ROSE AND THE LILY CROSS PATHS!"-
THE FOLLOWING MORNING - AT FURINKAN HIGH SCHOOL:
"Good morning!"
"Good morning!"
As students greet each other and chat on their way to classes, Ran and Akane walk onto school grounds. While all this activity is going on, Ran looks around for R. She's hoping to meet up with him before school starts.
That is, if anyone knew where he'd gone to after that terrible fight. Yesterday, she'd briefly considered seeing the Kunos; perhaps Kodachi might have heard from R? But remembering what Ranma told her about his past encounters with the Black Rose, she scratched out that idea entirely.
Suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she spots him! Acting fast, Ran tells Akane, "Hey, I'll catch up to you in class." And then runs off after R.
Akane blinks, surprised. Now what was that all about? she wonders. Then she spots who Ran's run off to see. R…! Ran, be careful…!
"R! R! I have to talk to you!"
Ran didn't believe for a moment (truth be told, it never crossed her mind) that R wouldn't show up at school today. Despite all that had happened between them, and all that remained unresolved, she's hoping that R's willing to listen to her, accept her apology, and they can get back to being friends again. She hopes he's in a good mood today.
Not a chance.
Just as R was about to enter the building, some instinct caused him to glance Ran's way. For half a moment they locked eyes, and then R pushes his way past several people in front of him. He nearly flattens Gosunkugi, who'd been skulking around, pining for Akane (no surprise there). It's his fault for standing in R's way, anyway.
"R, wait!" Ran calls as she follows him inside. She catches up to him at the shoe lockers. As he changes shoes and gathers his things, Ran delicately confronts him, careful not to provoke him. The last thing she needs R blowing his top, screaming at her that she, Ran Hayami, was in love with Ranma Saotome, loud enough for the whole school to hear. So much for her secret crush.
R knows Ran's standing right there; he's just not paying her any mind. Whatever hurt feelings he may have had, he's doing a pretty good job of not showing them. "Hello, Ran," R greets her coldly. He doesn't even call her 'kid'.
"R, about last weekend…," she begins.
"What? Make it quick. I'm busy."
Quietly, so that only R can hear her, Ran risks asking, "Is it because… you're bothered by what I feel toward Ranma?"
"Ack…," R grunts under his breath. She sure doesn't beat around the bush does she? Not wanting to continue this conversation any further, he calmly says, "Look, Ran, who YOU fall in love with is your business. Besides…"
WHAM!
The way he shuts his locker door, startles Ran a bit. R finishes, "…I'm not interested in that sort of thing. All right?"
Ran's stunned by R's response. "….!"
Satisfied by her silence, R smiles at her; it wasn't a friendly one, either. It was the kind of smile that implied BAD things would happen if she'd stayed in his presence one second longer. "Excuse me," he politely says.
And with that he turns and walks on to his first class, leaving a frustrated Ran in his wake.
Arriving at homeroom, Ran takes her seat. The atmosphere in the classroom is rather lively as the students are chatting amongst themselves; there are a few minutes before class starts.
As she's sitting there, Ran thinks about what happened over the weekend, particularly the fight between Ranma and R. Something Ranma told her at the hospital that night comes back to mind…
I… I'm sorry, Ran. See, when I snap, and turn into a cat, I usually have no idea what's going on. And if R's "wolf-state" is anything like the Neko-Ken, then chances are if you saw him again and asked him about it, he probably wouldn't remember anything at all about what he did.
I wonder if R really has forgotten about the fight he had with Ranma. Ran thinks. No, it couldn't be. If… if I apologize to him…
OK, so talking about that fight would be out of the question. So she has to try something else. Whatever it is, somehow she's got to apologize to R, make up with him, and restore their friendship.
Now it was a matter of finding another opportunity to talk to him. Ran's thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Morning, Ran."
She looks up to see Ukyo. "Oh…. Morning, Ukyo."
Ukyo takes a seat at a desk beside Ran's. "Heard from Akane you guys had a 'fun' night Friday at the dance. I'm sorry I missed it, with work and all." Then she asks, "How's Ran-chan doing?"
"Dr. Tofu called the house yesterday. Says Ranma's doing better. But they're saying it might be a week or so before he's healed up enough that they'll let him come home. You could drop by and see him if you wanted to; they moved him to a regular room."
Noticing the sad look on Ran's face, Ukyo risks asking, "And… how are you doing?"
"Okay, I guess… ah, who am I kidding… I miss him, Ukyo. I want him to get better soon so I can…"
"Let him know your feelings?"
Ran shakes her head no. "Not now. To apologize to him. It's my fault he got hurt. Plus, R…."
"Ugh…" Ukyo groans on hearing that; in her personal opinion, R is her LEAST favorite person. The fact that's he's tried to kill Ranma on several occasions is the main reason she dislikes him these days. Out of the corner of her eye, she spots Ms. Hinako walking into the classroom. Ukyo then whispers to Ran, "Well, class is about to start, so why don't we get together at lunch later? You can fill me in on what happened then. I'm especially interested in how R got involved."
"Okay," Ran nods.
Around lunchtime…
As most of Furinkan's student body moved along to the stores, R elegantly makes his way through the masses, figuring that anything the lunch counter had to sell was hardly even worth the money spent. This is why he usually brings his own lunch, anyway. Walking back through the emptying hallway, he takes a seat against the wall of a now abandoned one. Leaning back against the cool wall, he sighs as he thinks back to earlier this morning and considers why Ran could be so childish about these things. It was all a part of life, right? Some people become friends, things happen, and friendships sometimes end.
But sometimes, people reconcile, they become friends again, and the friendships are restored.
Friends? Forget it, R thinks, scoffing at the notion. I don't want to be friends with THAT.
You don't sound very convinced, R.
She's just... He sighs once more. "After all, if she's so ga-ga over Saotome," he mutters, "then she can try not having anything to do with me."
Later on, Ran WAS going to sit over at her usual spot, the tree that she and R usually have lunch at, but was disappointed to find he wasn't there. As a matter of fact, she'd seen R several times throughout the school day. It was like he was there one moment and then gone the next. She began to wonder if he was intentionally avoiding her.
So, not making progress in that area of her life, Ran decides to eat lunch elsewhere today. So she goes back inside the school, and taking the stairs, she makes her way up to the roof of the building where Ukyo's been waiting for her.
Ukyo hmph's, smiling, "There you are. What took you so long?"
"I…I had something else I was going to take care of during lunch," Ran replies. "But I guess I have to put it on hold for now."
"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. It must have been important."
Ran mulls that over before she says, "Kinda… but there's still time before school's over for the day. I'll try again later."
"Okay, if you say so. Now, tell me what happened Friday night."
Ran sits down beside Ukyo and they eat lunch; while eating, Ran explains what happened that night, starting with what set the fight off in the first place – Ranma and R quarreling over a steamed bun – and ending up where Ran stood up to a berserk R and slapped him in the face, stopping him from killing Ranma and Akane then watching as R fled from the battle site with Kodachi following after him on her own.
Ukyo reviews what she's heard after Ran finishes her story. "So Ranma's fighting with R when a cat shows up and Ranma goes into Cat-Fist. Then, around the same time, R flips out and starts acting like a mad dog and they REALLY start fighting. Man, Ran-chan's cat-state is bad enough, but THIS….? It's just…."
"I know, Ukyo…" Ran starts to say.
"No. I WAS going to say that's too convenient. R's got a technique where he snaps and starts acting and fighting like a wild animal? It sounds a lot like Ranma's Cat-Fist if you ask me. Just one MORE thing that bothers me about that guy… He's got guts to show up at school after what he's done."
"I saw him today, but…" Ran admits. Then she pauses, not wanting to say too much, but not wanting to say so little that it's obvious she was holding back. "He won't talk to me."
Ran tried not to introduce any melancholy into the moment, but there it was anyway. Ukyo considers it. "I see…. What is it between you, anyway?"
"It's complicated," she replies with an air of finality, hoping that Ukyo wouldn't pursue it.
But the look of gloom on the other girl's face tells Ukyo that something else is bugging Ran. She offers, "Y'know, we've still got some time before we have to go back to class… so what's on your mind?"
Uh oh. Ran just replies, "Nothing… it's nothing, really, except…"
"Except what? It is about Ran-chan?"
"No… well… yeah, it is, but…"
"Ran, I KNOW something's bothering you. I've noticed it since we got together for lunch. If this has to do with you and Ranma, then it'll stay just between us, remember?"
Ran finally admits, "That's the problem, Ukyo. The secret's already out."
Ukyo's like, "Wh-what…? How!"
"it was the week before the dance. R wanted to see me after school one day. So I come over to the tree where we eat lunch together sometimes, and he tells me he's going to fight Ranma."
Ukyo frowns on hearing that. "No surprise there, huh? What I wanna know is WHY he's been after Ran-chan."
Ran considers telling her about R's vow to his late parents, but decides against it; R probably would NOT like that part of his life made public. So she says, "Something to do with the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts – I'm… not too sure on the details. But anyway, he wanted to know if I knew any of Ranma's weaknesses..."
"And you told him about Ran-chan's fear of cats!"
"NO! I didn't tell him! At that time, I didn't even know about the Cat-Fist. I asked him, 'why are you asking ME about something like that?' I tried talking him out of it, reminding him of our friendship. But he insisted, saying if I knew something, I'd tell him. Now I'm wondering 'What for?', since R wants Ranma dead anyway. I couldn't give him anything that would give R an advantage over him. So I tell him the truth, that I don't know anything. But when I thought it was over, that he wouldn't press the matter further, R asked me… he asked…"
Hearing Ran's account of what happened between her and R, Ukyo asks, wondering what's next, "What was it, Ran? What did R ask you…?"
Ran confesses, "R basically asked me if he and I were friends, then why was I protecting Ranma? He was looking right at me when he asked that question, Ukyo. I didn't say a single word to him. And for a moment I thought I saw a look of hurt on his face. But he got so angry, and threatened me if I interfered between him and Ranma. And he just blows me off, right then and there, leaving me to wonder what I'd done to hurt him so badly."
After she finished telling her story, neither girl says anything. Ran finally breaks the silence. "It's… it's just not fair. Do you know what it's like to see the person you love every day and not be able to say what you really feel towards him? To feel that love grow inside you, urging you to speak? But you can't? And when you try opening your mouth, the words won't come out? And now R KNOWS, Ukyo. He knows that I love Ranma. And I'm scared, because I don't know what he'll do with that knowledge. So what do I do now?"
Ukyo could see Ran was on the verge of breaking down, almost in tears. It's hard for her to watch the other girl go to pieces like this, especially in light of the things she's heard about her from Ranma. But now, whatever sympathy she had for Ran's suffering (and feelings of love toward Ranma) comes back to her with redoubled force. And with it, a new empathy with her.
She puts a reassuring hand on Ran's shoulder. "Hey. Don't worry about it. What's done is done. So R knows? Big deal. Besides, he's going out with Kodachi anyway (which STILL boggles my mind) – what's it to HIM who you love? He's not the only friend you've got, y'know?" she says, smiling.
"And don't feel like you've got to deal with this all on your own. I'll run interference for you if R gives you a hard time. And Ran-chan's capable of handling him if those two cross each other again." Ran seems to accept this encouragement. Ukyo then continues, "Personally, I think you should forget about making up with R for a while until things blow over. Something about that guy stinks."
Ran blinks. "Ukyo… what do you mean?"
"Look, Ran, I know you're R's friend – heck, you're probably the ONLY friend he has in this whole school. I'M worried that he might not be YOUR friend. If you're still going to go through with this, just… just be careful, OK?"
"Thanks, Ukyo," Ran sighs, accepting her friend's counsel in this matter.
As they walk back to class, she asks Ukyo a question. "As one of Ranma's fiancées… How did you deal with it…? I mean… being in love with him?"
Ukyo flashes a big grin. "You SURE you REALLY want to know…? Come by Ucchan's sometime, and we'll talk. Girl, have I got stories!"
School was over for the day. R was glad it was over; after all, it was the first day of his vacation. Although he'd done a pretty good job of maintaining his cover, pretending to be bored and disinterested in his studies while simultaneously tuning in A+ work, R spent most of the day wondering what he was going to do after school since he didn't have to report to the base for four whole weeks – that was rather generous of Erick and the Doc.
It was around lunchtime, when R made his decision – he would use his first day off to go see Kodachi and make amends for whatever he'd done Friday night. He'd had a feeling it would take more than flowers alone to fix this mess. When he'd finished eating, R pulled out his cell phone and called the RED CATS' base. The soldier who answered the phone was given VERY specific instructions that had to be followed exactly as R specified. Just to be sure, R warns the poor guy what will happen to HIM if everything's not done as he's requested. After a fearful reply from the other end of the line, R hangs up on the soldier and then makes a call to the neighborhood florist, placing an order for a box of chocolates and two dozen roses that he will pick up after school.
The other thing he'd been successful at doing today was avoiding Ran. It still stung him, when he'd found out who she had a crush on – why, well even HE wasn't sure. All this time, and even the advice he'd given her! All so she could tell RANMA SAOTOME, of all people, how she felt about him.
Ranma, the person who Ran likes the best.
Ranma, who's been number one on the RED CAT GANG's hit list.
Ranma, who, now, because of Ran's affection toward him, has become R's personal enemy.
Before, R attempted to eliminate Ranma on several occasions out of obligation to his late parents to exact retribution on him and usurp the title of heir to the Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts. It was simply a matter of honor. Nothing personal, just business, so the old catchphrase goes.
Recently, he'd been ordered by the Cat Ghost King to kill Ranma, so it'd gone from a matter of honor to a matter of duty.
And now this sappy high-school dramatic crap he's now mixed up in between Ranma and Ran – and the fallout that resulted from it – just made it personal for him. So now it's a matter of… what? Love? No, couldn't be that; R already has a girlfriend these days – even if he'd been dating her just to learn her techniques in the manufacturing of various poisons and paralyzing agents. He certainty had no romantic interest in Ran before, even when they were on good speaking terms.
Then why the hell does the fact Ran's in love with that idiot pisses me off? And what am I gonna do about it now?
Truth be told, R knew exactly how to go about it... and was simply daunted by the prospect. This was not a situation that would require force. But if things turned ugly, and Ran foolishly decided to stand up for her secret love, thus interfering with R's mission, he'd have to…
He'd have to…
No. He couldn't, he tells himself. Because in order to do THAT, he would have to have the guts to stand in front of her, and to do that he's got to be willing to die himself. For some reason - he didn't know why - R feels he's not ready to do that.
With his briefcase in hand, R's about to head for the shoe lockers. Once he gets there, Ran's waiting for him.
It's a rather awkward moment. Neither one says anything at first. Face to face now, they look into each other's eyes; Ran's glistened with hope, while R's returned that hopeful gaze with a look of cold indifference. He frowns on seeing her. "Oh. It's YOU. Again."
Ran feels her heart sink at that moment. Refusing to let him bring her down, she responds, "Yeah, R. Look, I needed to talk to you this morning, but you just blew me off. All throughout today, you've been avoiding me. The last time we talked, things ended badly – for both of us lately, it seems.
R considers that. Give the kid credit; at least she's trying, he thinks, but now's just not the time. "That's nice. Move, please."
Ran steps aside so R can get to his locker. She continues, "I…." but pauses. She was about to say "I know…" but for some reason it wouldn't be the right way to say what's coming next. "I realize you've been upset with me, and I don't know how or if I can make things right between us. But you know what? I recall someone who needed to see me, talk to me about something he felt was important. And even though I didn't agree with some of the things he said, at least – because I considered him one of my friends - I heard him out. All I'm asking for R, is the same opportunity that friend gave me. Please."
Only then does R stop what he's doing and look at Ran. When he sees the desperate look on her face, something about the intensity of her sincerity, the honesty in her words almost prompts him to listen.
For a moment, he saw her not as a selfish, inconsiderate little brat who didn't care about his feelings or the object of both his (and possibly Ranma's) affections. Instead she was the first girl who had befriended him, talked with him, was nice to him. She had seen hope in him when other people thought otherwise.
Unlike just about everyone else in his life, Ran had been under no obligation to do so. She did it out of the goodness of her heart because she'd thought underneath his cold exterior, that aloof and distant image he projected toward everyone else around him, R was a decent guy who could use a friend.
This was the girl who's standing there now, begging R to listen to her.
What would it hurt? Really? Giving her five minutes to explain her side of the story? R was pretty sharp (so he thought) and could usually tell when someone was lying to him. If Ran tried to feed him some sort of bull, R would know. R would…
Don't wimp out on me now!
R can't tell if the voice was sounding in his head or was in the same space with him, but the identity of the speaker is unmistakable. "Aw, man," he groans.
He doesn't bother to look over to see who it is – R already knows who it is and what it wants.
Funny, he had the strangest feeling he'd spoken to it before – just recently in fact. But that's crazy, R thinks, and only straight-up loonies talk to people who aren't there.
Once more, his darker side appears, leaning against the lockers beside R. Having made his first appearance back in Chapter 46, we haven't seen this guy since, oh, about three chapters ago? Arms crossed, Dark-R flashes an evil grin at R. "C'mon R," R thinks he can hear himself saying, "Don't weaken. Don't let this sugary-sweet sappy little milquetoast of a girl tug at your heartstrings. Besides, she's in love with Ranma, OUR enemy. What makes you think she even WANTS to be friends with YOU? Dummy! If you give her that chance, she'll just hurt you again."
When R first had that inner dialogue with himself, he'd wondered if he was going out of his mind. On two separate occasions, it manifested itself before him, attempting to provoke him into awakening his violent berserker state which lay dormant for some time – a power that nowadays those who knew of it called the Kyoujuu-Urufuken (Insane Beast Wolf Fist). At some point, which R couldn't remember for the life of him, he'd accepted the power and assistance (whether he liked it or not!) of his "other" self.
Now, it seems normal to hear that voice inside his head; from that point on, he'd stopped caring. He simply accepted this condition as part of his new status quo. He was to spend the rest of his life being haunted, urged on by this vengeful side of himself to dish out as much hurt (or more!) on those who'd hurt him.
"Geez, don't so be dramatic," Dark-R complains. "This ain't Shakespeare here. Besides, you've been doin' fine today – for ONCE; hell, I didn't even have to 'intervene'… heh heh heh… So stay focused and don't lose sight of what you got to do now... and WHO you got to do it to... know what I mean? If you don't, I WILL. Got that?"
No. Your services won't be needed this time, R thinks back in response. I can handle this.
And he was about to do just that when his gaze returns to Ran's again. She's still there, patiently waiting for him, hoping he'll hear her out. Those pretty green eyes are glistening and wet; she looks about to cry if her hopes get crushed. This ALMOST gets to R, and his heart softens toward her a little. Maybe avoiding her wasn't such a good idea. All she wants is for him to listen to her, right? That's all. But if he turns her down, says something mean or cruel, he'll break her little heart, shattering it like glass.
DUH! That's the idea! Boy, for somebody who's supposed to have a genius-level IQ, you sure are stupid! Look, either you break her heart or I'll break her! Choose NOW, R!
Oh yeah, there was THAT guy. Who was he to R anyway? Certainly wasn't his conscience, that's for sure. He heard somebody once say that a person's conscience was that still quiet voice they could hear in moments of decision, of choice, nudging them toward (we can only hope) what is right or good. His dark side's being nice today; usually he's not much into any kind of mercy whatsoever – murder is his reason for existence, breathing death like normal people breath air.
From Ran's perspective now, she couldn't be sure, but she thinks that something in R's expression just then seemed to be wavering. It's as if he wants to hear what she has to say but can't bring himself to do so. Or perhaps there's even more to it than that…
Poor girl, she doesn't know how right she is.
Meanwhile, R's still in conflict with himself. He puts his hands to the side of his head as if battling a migraine. In the back of his mind, he can hear his darker impulse taunting him, shouting into his ear, inside his brain.
Then Dark-R's tone shifts, becoming more cajoling, even sympathetic. Heh heh… aw, look at her, with those sad little puppy dog eyes. Man, she's makin' ME depressed just looking at her. And I'm evil! This whole mess is her fault anyways. If only she hadn't interfered with me… oops, my bad, I slipped… US. We could have killed Saotome and gone back to dancing with that psycho girlfriend of yours.
Hey, leave Ko-chan out of this!
Seems you already got a cute nickname for her. He then appeals to R's past. Don't you remember? You were there when you saw Saotome change right in front of her and that dope who's her brother. He broke her heart into pieces that day. Then you came along, smooth and suave, and scored her on the rebound. Now he's come between you and Ran; HE's the one she loves, not YOU. And I can see it. I see it eating you up, so much, to where you can't even enjoy the life you got now with Kodachi. You going to take that lying down?
No, R decides.
Dark-R's drawing closer, his voice more intense, his eyes almost hypnotic. "See them in your mind's eye. Ranma, that smug bastard. He took Ran away from you, like the foul sorcerer Kuno once claimed him to be. Oh yeah, he'll get his soon enough… Now you know how Ran feels about him. It hurt when you found out the truth didn't it? Took your peace of mind? And while she's waiting for the day that Ranma will do the deed with her, she's gonna keep taking and taking, and haven't you had enough? For god's sake, haven't you had enough?"
Just then R has a disturbing thought….
He imagines Ranma and Ran together in a love scene out of some sappy romance novel. Wearing a silky nightgown, Ran undoes her pigtail, letting her hair down so that her beloved could run his fingers through her violet tresses. Ranma, in nothing but his boxers, strokes her hair gently, and turns out the light. R imagines hearing the sound of a body mounting the bed, and then silk on skin.
As the small grunts and moans of passion begin, we pan over to a window, where sitting on the windowsill is a single red rose in a bamboo vase. As the young lovers bestow their love on each other, a single petal falls from the rose as Ran gasps with delight, "Oh, Ranma….!"
Imagining that scene bothers R greatly. He feels an acid taste in the back of his throat, and a thudding in his head, and a buzzing in his ears.
He had thought he could live with it. He had thought he could keep himself from acting upon this terrible knowledge, because the knowledge of what he would have to become to combat it was almost as terrible. But the thought of her... with HIM!... knowing what they were likely off doing now... Ranma enjoying the life that should have been R's... causes him to burn with a purple aura of rage.
More than enough, R thinks. He's made his decision.
"Atta boy. Go get 'em. Show her no mercy!" With that, Dark-R fades away…
And now it's R who decides it's time to settle things with Ran once and for all.
Ran notices a shift in R's countenance. It's the strangest thing, but it looks to her as if R has a nervous tic – or maybe he'd had too much canned coffee – one of his eyebrows twitches rather violently and he's gritting his teeth. Plus the battle aura he's generating isn't helping either. She steps back, afraid he's relapsed into his wild animal persona again. Still, she has no idea why R would possibly do that – and besides, Ranma's not even here today.
Ran idly wonders for a moment if just the mere thought of Ranma sets R off. Or to put it another way, it seems that R hates Ranma just as much as (if not more than) Ran loves him. Like two opposite sides of a coin.
Yin and Yang
Light and darkness
Good and evil.
Anyway, a change has passed over R's face, and whatever curiosity or compassion or consideration might have been in his expression moments earlier is now replaced by distance and harshness. He lets out a sigh, his battle aura dissipating, and then says, "Yeah, you're right. I suppose we DO need to talk. This had BETTER be good."
Feeling that it's safe now, Ran apologizes, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to—"
Oh yeah, I'm ready now! He straightens up, composing himself. "No, no, I'm fine. Really. It's not you. Something else that's burning me up, that's all."
Thank goodness, Ran thinks, breathing a sigh of relief. She risks taking a step closer; R remains unmovable from the spot where he's standing. "So what…?" he starts to say, even as she speaks up.
"R, I…."
An awkward silence occurs.
R knows he has to take control here. If he doesn't, this could backfire on him. "Oh, no, no. You first. I'll wait."
He can see her straighten up, composing herself. It's as awkward for her as it was for him the last time they talked. Good! She deserves it! He's angry, and although he's not sure he wants it, he's getting the chance for some kind of closure.
Enocouraged, she begins, "Thank you, R. I know you're in a hurry. I promise I won't take up too much of your time. Well, I wanted to apologize. About things that happened between us. And with everybody around today, I wasn't sure when was the best time for us to talk."
R blows it off, wanting her to get to the point - fast. Besides, he's got other things to do today. "Well, there's nobody around now. Except me, that is." He let the "me" hang, demanding her explanation. He could tell she was struggling for an answer. Yeah. Do it. Struggle. See how it feels!
Ran realizes now that coming here, coming to him now, was a mistake. His life was settled. He had a girlfriend. He was happy. Why am I trying to upset the applecart? Why did I come here? She nods, not certain what else to say.
Not getting a response from her, R grows impatient; he has NO time for this. "Oookay then." There's a hint of anger in his voice now. "Well, I'm listening. What do you want?"
She kept her eyes on him, trying to regain some modicum of control. I am not going to cry. I am not going to cry, she tells herself. She didn't want to bring this up, but… "R, at the dance last Friday night, you and Ranma got into another fight. I know you told me about your plans to fight him, but don't you think it's silly to be fighting over a steamed bun?"
R can't believe it. THAT's what this is all about! Good grief! "Wow. Is that ALL? So where's that apology you were gonna deliver? Cause I REALLY gotta go."
He's about to leave, when Ran grabs him firmly by the sleeve of his school uniform. "Please don't ignore me, R. You said you'd hear me out. I'm not through."
Surprised by this, R thinks, Hmm… got a strong grip there for a girl. She MUST be serious. Let's humor her, shall we? He shrugs off her grip. "Oookay…," he agrees, giving her a half-hearted grin. "Go on with your little story. So what happened next?"
"Well, one thing led to another, and the fight turned really ugly… Akane, Kodachi, and I, we followed you guys all through town."
"Who was with you again?"
"Akane, Kodachi, and I… we tried to break it up, but you wouldn't listen… I was really scared that you and Ranma would…"
"Would what? Kill each other?" Not likely, R thinks. It'll never happen. Not if I kill Ranma first!
Ran nods yes.
"Hmm… is that so? That's... too bad. And I was having SUCH a good time with Kodachi at that dance, too. Such a shame… Oh, I'm still waiting for that apology by the way. Question for you: if you saw this fight between Ranma and me, then tell me. Who won?"
Ran hesitates. This isn't going the way she hoped. "Uh….…?"
"Oh, c'mon, Ran. We're friends aren't we? Oh yeah, that's right. We AREN'T." The way he says it, causes Ran's heart to sink a little.
"You were there, R. Don't you remember?" she questions him, going on the defensive.
"I know what you're thinking – it's an unusual question to ask. Funniest thing is, see, I remember the bun, and I remembered fighting with Ranma. Come to think of it, wasn't there a CAT by any chance?"
Hearing this makes Ran's blood run cold. This was going against what she remembered Ranma told her about how the Nekoken works. R seems to remember those events that happened prior to him losing his sanity…
"Yeeeeah," R pretends remembering. "There WAS a cat there! And Ranma starts flipping out at the sight of it. Don't know why he did that and I really don't care right now, but the next thing I know I'm waking up in the wreckage of an old temple somewhere. And Kodachi's not there with me. Which means at some point I ditched my date, and that's NOT cool at all. And you know what? Between all that stuff, I can't remember worth a damn. So if YOU were there, YOU would know what happened after Ranma went bonkers. I'm not interested in details – I just wanna know WHO won that fight. Because when I came to, I had the strangest feeling that I'd won, like there was a decisive victory back there."
That does it for Ran. She came to apologize to R and restore their friendship, not to be put through a guilt trip. Then she remembers Ranma, nearly beaten to death by R. Then at the hospital, lying there in that hospital bed that awful night, weakened, but alive. Alive. And that gives her the strength to do what comes next. She's not about to let him gloat over his supposed triumph over Ranma.
"Well, hate to break to you, R, but you didn't win. Ranma's alive," Ran counters. She admits, though, "Oh sure, you might have beaten him, be HE got a few good hits in on you too. Did you think he was just gonna LET you beat him into a pulp? Not a chance!"
R frowns, considering what he's just heard. "Hmm…. That's not like me at all… If Ranma's still breathing, that means I'm slipping. I'll get him next time, though…. And it's not like I can walk up to Akane and ask her what happened. I'd ask Kodachi, but I got my OWN reasons for not doing so. And I get the feeling you're NOT telling me the whole story. A case of my word against yours. So… I guess this means I gotta call the match a draw." Frustrated, he snaps, "Man, this SUCKS. I HATE draws!"
Ran breathes a sigh of relief. Having thwarted R, she can now focus on the task at hand. "Look, R." she says calmly. "I didn't come here to talk about the past. I'm not concerned about what happened between you and Ranma that night, or why you feel he has to die so you can get some dignity. I'm concerned about YOU, R. because no matter what you think of me or my feelings about Ranma, I'm STILL your friend!" Her tone of voice softens. "At least… I still want to be."
Hearing that, R seems touched. "Ran…"
"Yes?" Ran asks, hope shining in her eyes.
….And that's when he (figuratively speaking) whips out Mallet-sama, and smashes her hopes to pieces. "That's the DUMBEST thing I've ever heard in my entire life! Did you REALLY THINK that by coming here and saying all that crap, that you could sway me? That we'd bury the hatchet right then and there, it's all water under the bridge, let bygones by bygones, and we're buddy-buddy let's get along again? THINK AGAIN!"
Ran reacts as if she'd been slapped. Then R starts mocking her, "Waah, waah, R doesn't like me anymore 'cause I'm in love with somebody else's fiancée, and he doesn't even notice poor little ol' me! Yeah, that's right. Bet you didn't think I KNEW your dream guy ALREADY HAS a fiancée. I might not have been at this school for a while, but news travels fast – we transfer students catch up pretty quick, don't you think?"
Of course, Ran doesn't know of R's association with the RED CAT GANG. Nor does she know that R learned about Ranma and Akane not through school gossip (which WAS true… to a small degree… sort of, anyway), but through information he'd received from Dr. Wily and his RED CAT allies when he first began his mission here. Now, he's making use of some of that knowledge AND maintaining his cover too. R figures his superiors (Erick, Delia, the Cat Ghost King, and Wily) would be pleased if they could see him now.
R further continues, "So go on ahead and nurse that little hope of yours that Ranma's just gonna up and leave his fiancée, lay you out on a futon and deflower you. One day, he'll marry that uncute tomboy and leave you, all sad and pathetic, out in the cold. And he won't be thinking about you anymore AT ALL. You'll be all alone, with nothing but memories of your unrequited love. So GROW UP, will you?"
That's real cold, R. Stomping on Ran's feelings like that. Making her feel guilty, because of her affections toward Ranma. Using what you know about Ranma and Akane, twisting it against Ran… Dude, you ARE a bastard.
"Hey, SHUT UP! No one asked for YOUR opinion anyway!" R yells at the narrator.
Ran's getting desperate now. All she knows is she can't let it end like this. Not after all that's happened. "You're really hurting me, R," she says softly. "I didn't mean for you to find out… it just came out. But I'm sorry if I hurt you!"
"Well, you sure screwed THAT up, didn't you? Anyway, the answer's NO. The time to say sorry was BEFORE you came to ME for advice." R says. Unloading some of his hurt, he further says, "And then I find out it's that sorry sack SAOTOME of all people that you're into. You KNOW how I feel about HIM."
"Yeah, I know that, but… if you'll just give me a chance to explain. Please…!"
A sudden burst of rage seized R. "Look, save it, OK? I don't need your concern….!" With a quick sweep of his hand, so fast Ran can't block it in time, he strikes her with a VERY hard slap!
WHACK!
AT THE REAL BOUT…
Working in his office, The MCD (Michael Angelus) looks up from what he's currently doing. He immediately senses that something is wrong.
He doesn't know what just happened; unlike his Father in Heaven, he's not omniscient – all-knowing.
But since his birth, he was blessed with a special gift of perception. It was the one ability unaffected by his Jusenkyo curse, thus he was able to use it in both his normal and cursed forms.
Since taking that plunge into Jusenkyo, Angelus has had opportunity to further hone this ability during his centuries of study and training in the martial arts. Nowadays, this extrasensory awareness of his has been refined into a powerful sixth sense, an early-warning detection system that alerts him to danger, either towards himself or others. In battles, it warns him of incoming attacks, allowing him to instantly counter or defend against an opponent's moves. In non-combat situations, it lets him "feel" the vibrations of other people, an empathic ability to sense their thoughts or emotions.
Nobody has to tell him who's involved; besides, his "Angel Sense" is partially attuned to the two souls he was assigned to watch over. He goes completely silent for a long moment as he concentrates now, like a martial artist about to summon and use his Ki, using it to search for them. Using his heightened senses in a focused manner like this, he's like a spider in the center of its web, invisible web lines radiating in every direction. And, like a real spider, any small vibration in any of those lines would immediately catch his attention.
Such is the case now. Apparently R has slapped Ran so hard, that Angelus can feel it from miles away. And along with it, he can feel Ran's shock at his actions, her impending sadness resulting from them, and R's anger toward her.
Aloud, he says, wondering, "R, what have you done now?"
BACK AT FURINKAN…
The force of R's blow had knocked Ran for a loop; it makes her so dizzy she has to struggle to keep conscious until it passes. Or at least keep from falling on her backside like a klutz. When she can stand upright again, staggering a little bit, there's this blank look on her face somewhere between shock and horror. It really takes her by surprise, because it indicates a cruelty that she didn't think he was capable of. As the reality of what just happened slowly begins to sink in, she starts to cry.
R's standing over her now, shaking with anger, his face red with rage, but his voice is calm as he finishes, "And I DON'T need YOU. If you're wondering, THAT was for slapping me Friday night. I really don't remember what happened during that fight, and I don't care WHY you did it, or WHAT FOR, but I DO remember that. I don't want you bothering me anymore, Ran. I mean it. So why don't you just GO AWAY and leave me alone. Please."
Ran doesn't say a word, nursing the left side of her face which she could fell swelling up pretty badly. Her shoulders are shaking. Her eyes are wet and red rimmed as she blinks away the tears that'll soon come streaming down her cheeks. She faces R with a look of utter defeat. As cruel as he's just been to her, even HE can clearly see the pain that's behind her eyes. When she finally speaks, her voice quivers a bit… it just FEELS and SOUNDS REALLY sad. "W-well… I… I tried… Okay, if that's how it is… I m-mean, I can take a hint….Ah… All right, I got it. I'm sorry, R. I really am. I'll… I'll just go now…..*sniff*,*sob!*…!"
She turns around and leaves quickly, not wanting R to see the tears in her eyes.
Satisfied that's she out of his presence, R snorts, "Hmph. "Got it", she says. What a girly-girl."
As he's about to (finally) walk off, R feels something odd within his chest, or rather, in his heart. He feels he SHOULD be happy that Ran's out of his hair, but why isn't he? He thinks: What the hell is this? This disgusting feeling like I've stepped on a bug…? Geez… Why did I have to go and shoot off my big mouth like that? The least I could have done was to listen to what she had to say!
Meanwhile, R hears the voice of his darker impulse in his head, laughing, giving its approval. Oh, real smooth, R. You had me going there. For a moment there I thought you were going to listen to the one who betrayed us. See, I knew you had it in you! Well done!
Shut up, he thinks back in reply. Just shut up. You're NOT helping right now.
Just then, another voice, this one female, gets R's attention. "Geez, R, if THAT's how you treat your friends… I wonder what you do to your enemies."
R detects sarcasm here. He looks up to see Ukyo coming down the stairs. "And what do YOU want?"
Ukyo wastes no time in telling him off. "That was the worst, R. I mean that."
With an arrogant look on his face, his response to that is, "Oh yeah? Then enlighten me. Why's that?"
Ukyo shakes her head in disbelief. "Open your eyes, man: Did you EVER stop to think about how Ran feels?" At first, when Ukyo saw Ran try talking to R earlier, she WAS going to let her handle this on her own even though she warned Ran to tread carefully around him. But what came next, is what leads to Ukyo deciding to intervene. Plus, she'd promised Ran. Somebody has to get R to wise up… or kick his ass while doing it.
"How SHE feels?" R's saying as if he can't believe what he was hearing. "PLEASE! The only thing Ran cares about is that dumb-ass Ranma.
She can marry that cross dressing freak-of-nature for all I care."
"Watch it, jackass," Ukyo threatens. NO WAY she's going to let R get away with trash-talking her friends.
"Oh? Did I hit a soft spot? Hm hm hm…" R chuckles. "So she's told YOU, huh? Damn it! Ah well, it doesn't matter anymore. But I wonder… are you REALLY here on Ran's behalf, or are you just out to reclaim YOUR place in Saotome's little harem?
Ukyo grits her teeth; leave it to that creep to hit below the belt. Even if what he said's no longer true…
R flashes a knowing grin at her. "Oh, you wouldn't BELIEVE the stuff I've heard since transferring to this school," he brags, and leaves it at that. He rather not go on any further; in preparation for his mission, he ended up learning far too much about Ranma's messy private life, some of which sickened him. When he'd requested more information on Ranma's curse, the things he'd heard… after reading the reports he'd received, he was morally outraged. The sheer audacity of that guy! Back in the day, engaged to four girls! FOUR! Using his Jusenkyo curse to score free food or deceive people in various hare-brained schemes, or to get favors… and R didn't even want to know what kind of favors. The chaos that always seemed to revolve around Ranma as a result of his various 'crimes' (Well, that's the way it was expressed in those reports – gee, one HAS to wonder WHO wrote them in the first place!). And FOUR girls! It was too much!
Sometimes, R thinks he'd be doing the world a HUGE favor if he kills Ranma Saotome once and for all.
But back to current events…
"Well, if you weren't such a cold bastard, she wouldn't have to go looking for some compassion!" Ukyo snaps. "You're NOT the only friend Ran's got in this school. She can do MUCH better than you. In fact, after the way you've treated her just now, she's better off WITHOUT you!"
"Urg…!" Hearing that makes R pause. What Ukyo said came so completely out of left field that it caught him off guard. Does Ran actually feel that way now? He shakes off the momentary confusion and snaps back, "How DARE you!" he roars. "What's it to you, anyway, huh?"
R sees little point in continuing this discussion with Ukyo. Besides, he's already late for his rendezvous he's planned with Kodachi. Even though she's connected to Ranma, Ukyo's no threat to R personally. Why bother wasting time with her? If it came down to a fight, what point was there in Ukyo engaging in a battle with him that she can't possibly win? Exercising diplomacy, he calms down and says, "Look, I got no grudge against you, Ukyo. It's not my fault if Ran pines after him like a lovesick puppy while I'm out to take him down. I TOLD her not to interfere before – but of course, she wouldn't listen. She never does."
"Yeah, I'll bet you did," Ukyo responds, not believing R for a second. "Now I don't know what EXACTLY you've got against Ranma, but I'll find out – one way or the other. You can be sure of that. But if you think I'm gonna stand by while you use your rivalry with him to hurt Ran's feelings…"
"I am NOT in the mood for this," R says in a menacing tone. "If there's a point here, you better make it quick. Otherwise, get the hell out of my way."
Then R looks, really looks closely, and even though Ukyo's face doesn't show it, there's a look in her eyes that says she's looking for a fight. Wow, this is personal for her, he thinks.
"Your one-sided grudge against Ranma notwithstanding, I can understand why you're been avoiding Ran; her connection to him makes that pretty obvious. But she was your friend!" snaps Ukyo. "She came to apologize to you, and then not only do you refuse to accept her apology, you go and stomp on her dreams. Why? Why did you have to be so cruel to her?" Ukyo presses forward and R actually has to back away, not in the face of her power, but because of his opponent's anger, battering at him as if it had weight and substance. "You're a disgusting creep, R. And if you think you can get away with hurting Ran like that…." Ukyo's voice goes into a tough-guy cadence that's a reasonable facsimile of R's own. "I'm gonna beat you up real bad. And then I'm gonna do it again. And then, if possible, I'm leaving what's left of you for Ranma to finish off when he comes back."
R shakes his head. "That's not gonna happen. I've got other plans today... something I promised that I'd see to." He briefly considered telling Ukyo exactly what he's got planned, but decides against it. He doesn't need this girl's meddling in his affairs. He just needs Ukyo to get the hell out of the way, and if she isn't going to do it willingly, then he'll make it happen against her will. "And you must be out of your MIND if you think you can beat me! Now step aside. I REALLY don't want to have to hurt you."
"I will NEVER step aside for you, R."
"Then I guess I'll just have to take you down, here and now."
With a deft motion, Ukyo brings out her battle spatula. Right now, she can't think of anyone more deserving of getting some sense beat into them than R. She makes a little inviting wave of her fingers. "Bring it."
R takes a step forward, his fists cocked, assuming his fighting stance and actually feels sorry for the poor girl. Not only does she seem to be a glutton for punishment, but she's doing it on the behalf of both Ran AND Ranma too. Screw her anyway, R thinks. She's trying to stand in the way of my mission. And ANYONE who sides with Ranma is MY enemy!
Neither one makes a move as they size each other up. Going into this fight, R already has the advantage. Based on information he's received from Dr. Wily and the RED CATS about Ranma's friends and rivals, he's familiarized himself with their fighting styles. In his training, he visualizes himself facing off against each opponent, and applying his genius-level IQ, develops strategies to deal with their attacks, anticipating what they may or may not do, and then reacting accordingly. In battles, R can think five to ten (sometimes fifteen!) moves ahead of his opponents. This type of approach to fighting has worked in the past against most of the challengers he's faced – except Ranma, that is.
Thus, he can afford to wait and let his opponent make the first move.
Ukyo, on the other hand, doesn't have access to the kind of intelligence and privileged info R has. She HAS however, seen R fight before, way back when the REAL BOUT first opened (anybody remember chapter 12?); at least, she has an idea of what she's up against. Hmm… from what I've seen, R's style is almost like Ran-chan's, with similar moves. Gotta watch out for that kick uppercut of his. Stay sharp, Ucchan, she mentally tells herself. He may have some extra tricks up his sleeve, so don't let your guard down!
R smiles. "After you. Ladies first."
Ukyo snorts, "Gee, thanks, R. Now eat THIS!" Jumping up, in mid-air she quickly tosses a handful of her throwing spatulas at R.
R leaps away as the small utensils impale themselves into the floor, then again to avoid being cut in two by the downward slice from Ukyo's large spatula. Ducking low, he tries to sweep her off her feet with a low roundhouse, but Ukyo leaps up to avoid it and returns the favor by smacking him upside the head with the flat part of her spatula!
KLONG!
"OW!" R yelps in pain. Ukyo's attack was enough to make him stagger and see stars for a moment, but not enough to do him any real damage.
Ukyo knows it, too, and so seizes the opportunity to whack him again, before he can launch a counterattack. Already, she figures victory's in the bag. Yes! Got 'im! He's got a hard head though; a few more good whacks should send him to nappy-nap land for a while. Serves him right for treating Ran like dirt!
And she would have done it, if R hadn't recovered in time and deflected the incoming blow with a high kick. "Oh no, you ain't pulling that move on me again. I'm ready for you now!"
And with that, R advances on Ukyo throwing rapid-fire Silver Metallics. Ukyo gets pushed back as she blocks the storm of punches then has to duck as he delivers a kick aimed for her head. Sensing his kick missed, R prepares to throw another one.
The timing's perfect. Ukyo seizes that split-second between R's attacks to thrust the butt end of her spatula into his gut.
THUMP!
"OOF!" R grunts. But he's back on his feet as Ukyo charges in, going for an Oobera Fuusha Giri (Giant Spatula Windmill Cut). She swats him with her large spatula, then spins and slashes with it, the second hit knocking him down to the floor. Triumphant, she stands over R, the edge of her spatula just inches from his bare throat.
"Give it up, R," Ukyo says. "You've lost."
R laughs softly. "Heh heh heh… you REALLY think you've beaten me? I got news for you…" From his grounded position, R spins himself around using both hands, kicking out with both his legs, and tripping Ukyo. She falls to the floor.
Looking down on her now, R tells her, "See, when you go up against me, it's no game. You're betting your life."
Gasping, Ukyo struggles to her feet and R responds to that with a devastating punch to her ribs. She staggers backward.
"And guess what? Today, you challenged me on a good day," R continues. "Now what that means for you is, if you're lucky, you'll last ten more minutes, tops. Really lucky, you'll be unconscious for the last five."
Pivoting 340 degrees, R aims another kick at Ukyo's head. But she swings out with an upward slash of her spatula and blocks R's foot.
"Ten minutes, huh? All that means is I can knock you out with time to spare," Ukyo taunts back. "FLOUR BOMB!" She throws a small bag of flour to ground, which explodes creating a thick cloud of dust.
As R coughs while trying to get his bearings, Ukyo follows up with her Tempura Flash, tossing a mixture of tempura flakes and gunpowder. The result creates a cloud of explosives to blind and stun R further.
POP-POPPOPPOPPOPPOPPOPPOPPOPPOP!
*Cough,cough!* ACK!... Dammit!... Enough of this! DOUBLE SONIC SILVER METALLIC!" R kicks out two spiraling bursts of wind that blow away Ukyo's smokescreen and explosives. He runs up to Ukyo and kicks her battle spatula out of her hands. Then while it's airborne, R leaps up, and then uses his White Diamond Pearl to break it in two. "Well, so much for your weapon."
"Not quite, R." With a small spatula in each hand, Ukyo twirls them like a pair of knives. She charges toward R, who meets her and the fight continues. R attacks and Ukyo responds back: punches, kicks, blocks, jabs, stabs, and swipes – a swift flurry of constant motion, with very little extraneous movement. Attack, defend, retreat, regroup, and attack again. Over and over they replay the same dance.
Both would not stop short of victory, and neither would give anything less than their absolute best right now.
As they fight, R compliments her. "Hey, you're not half-bad! But like I said, this isn't a game. And this game's just about over." With that, he smashes the top of his head into Ukyo's face and immediately knees her in the chest, then follows up with an uppercut right into her jaw. OUCH! Hit with that brutal combination, Ukyo falls backward and tries to rise, but can't.
"And that's that," a victorious R says. "Just be glad you didn't challenge me when I was having a bad day. THEN, you would have already been dead within ONE minute."
Though beaten and bruised from R's assault, Ukyo's still got the will to fight. Come on, just a little bit closer, she thinks as R approaches her. She's got a handful of small spatulas ready to toss at him as soon he's within range… She summons all of her strength for one last shot at R, keeping her eyes on him.
R sighs, calmly saying, "You know, you REALLY should have minded your own business, Ukyo. This isn't your fight." Then, he offers, "So, since I'm in SUCH a good mood, I'll give you one chance to walk away. Take it or leave it."
"You attack my friends and you say it isn't my fight?" Ukyo manages to say. Okay, that does it! She then unleashes her surprise attack, tossing all the mini-spatulas she has at R.
Everything appears to be moving in slow motion (almost like "Bullet Time", one could say) from R's perspective as the sharp blades come fast and furious at him. But he reaches into the inner pocket of his school uniform's jacket, draws out four long-stemmed white roses, and with a single flick of his wrist tosses them INTO the stainless-steel storm of sharp spatulas. Then, WITHOUT moving from his current position, R LEANS to either side of him, left to right, back and forth to evade the projectiles. And for those of you who might be wondering, R is NOT using any special shoes to pull this "anti-gravity lean" technique off!
From Ukyo's point of view now, all she can is R appearing to be unmoving from his spot as her spatulas hurtle toward him. He's reaching in the pocket of his jacket for something, and then flicks his wrist. She can't see what it is, all of it happening so fast that…
Hssssssssssssss….. THUNK! THUNK! THUNK! THUNK!
"AAAAAAAAAGH!" Ukyo screams in pain. Then, she realizes what's happened to her. Four ordinary-looking white roses. One went right through her right hand pinning it to the wall, another into her upper arm, a third sticking into her left thigh, and the fourth lodged in deep between her left shoulder and torso. With her one good hand, she tries to pull them out, teeth grit tight together as she braces herself against the pain. But it's no good; the sharp thorns on each rose ensure that, even if she COULD pull them out, they'll hurt even more going out than coming in.
R just regards Ukyo as she's slumped against the wall. He shakes his head sadly as he says, "You should have walked away, but you just HAD to be stubborn to the end. I can respect that. Ah, here, let me help you with that one." He kneels down and reaches for the fourth rose dart, the one near Ukyo's chest and twists it around for a bit.
"AAAH! AHHHHHHH!"
R just smiles at her. "Ahh… that's much better isn't it?" Having added insult to her injuries, he decides to leave Ukyo alive to regret the foolishness of attacking him instead of finishing her off right then and there.
Ukyo hisses through her wounds, "I'll… I'll get you next time, R."
"I'll be looking forward to it. And if it's worth anything, you fought well. I just MIGHT have to take you seriously if we do fight again."
"UKYO! NO!" R hears a familiar voice cry out. He looks up to see Ran and Akane running toward them.
"Ukyo!" Ran cries in alarm, rushing toward the fallen girl and kneeling by her side. When she left R only minutes earlier, she had this awful feeling right down in the pit of her stomach that something bad was going to happen. It only got worse the farther away she got from the school.
When she'd caught up to Akane, the other girl had noticed Ran's appearance, her eyes red-rimmed from crying, tear tracks staining her cheeks. She was about to ask Ran what happened when Ran suggested that they go back to Furinkan.
Ran did the right thing in listening to her gut feelings, but now she's got to deal with what's before her now. A friend lying against the wall, badly wounded by the attack of a friend, all because of her affections toward a friend.
And all she can think on seeing the ghastly sight before her is R, what have you done? How could you do this? Why did you do it?
Looking at Ukyo up close now, Ran can see the blood oozing out her friend's wounds, and has to keep herself from fainting at the sight. The upper left part of Ukyo's uniform jacket is now dark red, and the spot's grown larger since R's assault. She tries to see if she can help without hurting Ukyo further.
"Oh, no," she moans, horrified, trying desperately to think what to do. She's shaking her head in disbelief, saying, "Oh, no... No, no, no," over and over.
Ukyo's eyelids flutter, then she opens her eyes to see Ran by her side. She grimaces, weakly reaching out with her good hand to touch her chest where an ugly red splotch was spreading. "Ran…? He got me pretty good…. I couldn't see his hands move… too fast… ooooh…" She lets out a soft moan, and closes her eyes again, her breathing shallow.
Ran panics, fearing the worst. She checks Ukyo for a pulse, and is relieved to find one, even if it's slow. She takes Ukyo's hand, somehow wanting to console her, to let her know her friends are here, that she's going to be all right…
"I have to stop your bleeding," she says next, though she's uncertain how to or if she CAN do anything about Ukyo's wounds. First rule of an accident or a serious injury: you don't move the victim. You could cause all manner of greater damage in doing so. What Ukyo needs is medical treatment, and immediate treatment at that.
Akane, however, looks right at the person responsible. "R! You'd BETTER have a good explanation for this!"
R looks at Akane, then at Ukyo and Ran, then at himself before saying anything. These girls are upset with him (each for their own reasons) because of one person: Ranma Saotome. That name summons up a deep, dark, ball of fury within R. It's all RANMA's fault he's caught up in this mess right now. If only he were here, so R could finish him off and get on with his own life. He ignores Akane, saying over in Ran's general direction, "My, my… it must be nice to have people stick up for you, isn't it, Ran?"
Ran doesn't look at R; she's turned her face from him, her heart still wounded by his actions earlier. She focuses her attention on trying to help Ukyo, all while R's taunting her.
"….Why, you're practically GIVING me people to beat up today!" R continues, now laughing.
Akane's insulted. How dare R just ignore her?
Then, something really gets her attention. She manages to hear a soft gasp from Ran followed by a few sniffles. R's taunting is getting under her skin. Akane considers Ran like a sister these days; their bond of friendship was almost that tight. And she's not about to stand by and let R mess with those she's considered family and get away with it. She begins to burn with a hot battle aura. R's behavior is about to awaken the 'old' Akane…
Reaching into Hammerspace, Akane whips out a large mallet, ready to make R one with the floor. She runs toward him, yelling. "YOU JERK! KNOCK IT OFF AND LEAVE HER ALONE!"
WHAM!
Yep. You guessed it. Big Mallet + R's skull = Unconsciousness. R is down for the count, folks! Even HIS power seems to be no match against an enraged hammer-wielding tomboy….! Oops. Did I say that out loud? Uh oh…
Akane glares at the Narrator, her threatening gaze warning him to shut up and stick to narrating OR ELSE.
Err.. right… ahem… anyway, on the floor now, R groans, "Uuuuughhh…." Slowly getting up now, he turns to face Akane, who has thrown away the mallet and is now in her fighting stance.
"So R, what's it gonna be?" she asks. "You gonna tell me why you feel the need to attack my friends? Or am I going to have to hit you FOR REAL this time?"
FOR REAL! R thinks. Seems I've underestimated Ranma's little fiancée. Still… "Look, Akane, I'm willing to give you the benefit of doubt regarding your fighting abilities, but I do NOT have time to play with you right now." He shakes off the cobwebs, still reeling from being bashed upside the head with that mallet. "And for YOUR information, THAT one," he points to Ukyo, "attacked me because of THAT one," he finishes explaining while pointing at Ran.
Ran's stunned by this. "…!" Ukyo… You took on R… For me…? "Ukyo…" she whispers, tears starting to well up in her eyes. The moment she takes her hands from Ukyo's, she finds her own hands are covered in blood.
Laughing off his current predicament, R continues explaining, "Craziest thing, really. I get rid of ONE annoying nuisance, and then another sprouts up like weeds. And get this; she came here on your behalf, Ran! Isn't it funny? How you run off crying and you have to get your friends to help you? Can't even face me by yourself, can you? You're WEAK!"
"That's ENOUGH!" Akane shouts as she's about to deck R with a powerful right hook into his face.
Or would have if R hadn't caught her fist in his right hand. He's got her hand in an iron grip, and he's NOT laughing now. "Better tell your girl to cool it, Ran," he calmly warns. "Ukyo got off easy; I WON'T be as nice to Akane. And just so you know I'm not bluffing…"
C-CRACK!
R casually breaks Akane's fist.
"Ggggghhh….!" Akane's flinching from the pain, but even R's little display of inhuman strength isn't enough to bring her to her knees.
"C'mon, Ran, I'm waiting…. If you don't call Akane off, I'll break her arm next. Would you like that, hm?"
Ran's had enough; R's already made his point – why does he have to torment her further by using her friends? "Akane…!"
"Ran, don't worry about me! I can take him! Don't let R intimidate you! Ahhhhhgh!"
"BE QUIET," R threatens after he's applied more pressure on Akane's already broken hand. One good twist, and oops… her arm'll be broken. His voice is deadly serious now. "I'm talking to Ran, thank you. Well, Ran, do I have to go further, or are you going to sit there and watch another friend get hurt?"
Ran's already ignited a flame in her hands; she could burn R with her Heat Trigger and force him to let Akane go. But so many things could go wrong after that; she doesn't want to even think of what might happen if she chooses that course of action.
This is a totally different situation she's in folks, definitely not like the battles she's faced before. Ryoga? No problem? She's beaten him twice. Kuno? No sweat. Cutman? Piece of cake. Quickman? OK, he had help, but odds improved in her favor when she teamed up with Megaman. Bubbleman? Please. That robot was more likely to do himself bodily harm just walking down the street than hurt her.
"HEY!" Bubbleman objects, interrupting the story.
ANYWAY…. Put Ran up against opponents like THOSE guys, and she could handle herself all right.
But against R, she can't do it for some reason. Why can't she stand up to him now? She did it before when he went all "Grrrrrh!" and acted like an animal.
Just then she has a moment of clarity. She realizes that R's doing all this, acting this way toward her, inflicting near-fatal wounds on Ukyo, and threatening to do the same to Akane because he's hurting. Never mind the fact he'd hurt her feelings earlier, now she feels sorry for him. That he would stoop to this level just to get even with her; that he would drag her friends into it; that he was a GUY.
But she has to now, to protect her friends. She can do it. She can reach him. She tries not to think about Ranma, and what R's done to him recently. Her powers of conviction, however strong and unearthly, are focused only on R right now, and until she gets him to back off and leave her friends alone, she can not risk provoking him, picking a fight with him. All she can do is be present, stay cool, diffuse his hostility with style and grace, and let him do the rest on his own.
So when she looks up to face him, she calmly says, "R, I know I'm probably the least favorite person on your list right now, but I'm sorry, OK? I messed up, all right? I didn't mean to hurt your feelings. It's all right if you still want to be angry with me, but that's no excuse to take it out on my friends. Let Akane go. Please."
Silence hangs in the air as R considers what she's just said. The tension's really thick; one could almost cut it with a knife.
But Ran's one single act of gentle yet firm defiance of his violence is enough to blow all the wind out of his sails, deflate his rage. "Arrrgh….!" he lets out in frustration. "Fine." With that, he lets Akane go.
Nursing her broken hand, Akane shows no fear. She's NOT afraid of R; still, she backs away from him, never keeping her eyes off him.
"There, you see? You CAN make a good decision when you try," R says, respecting Ran's courage back there; he's aware it took a LOT of guts to stand up to him. "Still doesn't change a thing between you and me, though."
As R picks up his briefcase, preparing to leave, something occurs to him, and he asks, Y'know, I haven't seen Ranma today. YOU wouldn't happen to know where he is by any chance, hmm?"
Ran looks up at R with sadness in her eyes, disappointed that he'd bring that up.
Ukyo, though wounded, has regained consciousness. She notices that Ran's been by her side, is actually glad to see Akane, and frowns, disgusted that R's still conscious and as obnoxious as ever.
Akane just glares at R angrily. Then, calmly, with a mockingly sweet smile of her own, she says, "Like we'd tell YOU, R? Get real!"
R has to restrain himself; he should have killed her right then and there. But he grins back at her and says, "All right. I'll accept that. Don't want to tell me? Fine. Then do this." NOW he's up in her face, which takes Akane by surprise – how'd he move so fast? "You tell him I'll be waiting for him when he gets back."
Looking over in the direction of Ran and the wounded Ukyo, Akane says, "He won't overlook this, R."
"If it means I get to fight Ranma again, then it's worth it. I've wasted enough time. I really need to get going. So, if you'll excuse me…"
As he passes by Ran, he learns in close to her and whispers, "Oh, don't worry. Your little secret is safe. For now… Heh heh heh….!"
And with that, R walks quickly out of the school building.
Akane goes over to Ukyo and Ran. She takes out a handkerchief from her schoolbag and wraps it twice around the rose that's pinned Ukyo's hand to the wall. "Brace yourself, Ukyo. I'm gonna try to pull this out of the wall. Ready?"
Gripping it by the part she's double-wrapped, Akane pulls R's rose dagger out, careful not to hurt Ukyo in the process.
"Ahhh…!" Ukyo gasps in pain. "Man, thanks Akane."
Akane smiles. "Hey, don't thank me. Thank Ran. She was the one who said we should come back to school. Good thing we did too. Can you move?"
"Y-yeah. I think." Ukyo tries to get up. But the rose that's sticking in her thigh hurts like nobody's business, so she's limping painfully. "Ahhhh!"
"Hey, Ran, can you give me a hand?" Akane asks as she helps Ukyo to her feet. "We gotta get Ukyo to Dr. Tofu's. He'll know what to do."
R's words still lingering inside her, Ran comes to her senses when Akane calls her name. "Oh… yeah. Right."
And so the three girls make their way to Dr. Tofu's clinic.
MEANWHILE, AT THE RED CATS' SECRET BASE - IN GRENADEMAN'S BUNKER:
Grenademan's trying to read a book given to him by Erick. Of course, he's not really into Literature, or reading for that matter, as he's having trouble understanding the book. The book he was reading is Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare:
With an idiotic moan (a la Butt-Head), Grenademan reads, " …Uh, uuuuuuuuh, so he like, said to Juliet…-"My beloved Juliet, thy my love is for you only, as thy my soul, cause without you, I have no life… what kind of crap is this?", He's whining, "Oh man, this is getting me nowhere, and I don't wanna read! This is soooo boring! There's gotta be an easier way to do this."
He starts to think… uh oh. "Hmmm…what if I…I like, copy some of this mushy stuff and just put them like that and…"
Then Grenademan remembers the words of Erick: Remember Grenademan, true poetry is when someone writes the words from the bottom of his heart. Only then, your words will speak true love and passion.
Grenademan groans, "Man, never thought writing Poetry would be this hard. Creating Bombs is easy compared to this. But…there's nothing wrong with… a little cheating just this once…right? OH YEAH…!"
Appearing behind him (out of thin air, of course!), Erick says, "You might be right… no one WOULD know… except you and the girl that you want to conquer, that is."
Scared stupid, Grenademan jumps, shouting, "WHAAAAAAAAAHH!…ERICK…! HOW…! WHA…DON'T DO THAT! YOU SCARED ME!"
"Sorry. Grenademan, I gave you that book, not so that you could cheat, but to read it for inspiration, so create your own poetry."
"But, what's wrong with copying a little bit of it?"
"Only that YOU won't be the one who's going to conquer that girl. Tell me, do you want to win the love of Ran, Yes or No?"
"Well, yeah, of course!"
"Okay. If you truly want to conquer her, then used it by your own means and words. By doing what you were about to do, is not only Illegal, but also deceiving the girl, cause you will not be the one conquering her, but the author of the book, and that would not be wise. So, I suggest you try to read the book and come up with your OWN words, got it?"
Next, he vanished into the shadows, leaving Grenademan alone.
Later, R's walking toward the Kuno estate, carrying with him a box of delicious chocolates and some roses. His plan was still to conquer Kodachi, so she can teach him her secrets of her Poison Arts. Of course…over the time he was spending with her, R began to feel more attracted to her…in other words…he was slowly falling in LOVE with her.
Well, my plan is slowly working like a charm, he thinks. Soon, Kodachi will teach me her secrets of her Poisons Plans, and once I learn them… A wicked smile grows on R's face. Ranma's defeat will be assured. But, I can't deny that I'm lucky to have such a lovely girl like her. Ah well, might as well hurry, Kodachi's place is just five blocks away.
So R, using the Speed of the Saotomes, dashes off like lighting.
Two blocks away from him…
We see Asuka Saginomiya walking and simultaneously pondering on how get the love of R:
With anticipation, she says, "Oh R, my love soars like a hawk when I think of you. I can't wait to see you, so that we can be together and…"
WHAM!
Asuka collides with someone turning the corner in a hurry.
At the same time, R runs into somebody with full force, knocking them down. When he clears his sights…he notices that he's bumped into an attractive-looking young woman with long blond hair.
R sees the girl's been KO'ed. Worried, he thinks, Uh oh…. Aw man, I hit that girl. After the day I've been having because of Ran's little love drama, now THIS! Hope it's nothing serious. Maybe I'd better check her out, see if she's okay.
He picks Asuka up and takes her to nearest bench at the park.
Minutes later, when Asuka begins to open her eyes, she's greeted by the sight of a dashingly-handsome young man with long white hair…
Neither one says anything at first.
Concerned, R asks, "Hey girl, you' alright? Sorry for running into you like that! It's my fault…."
He's handsome, Asuka thinks. Aloud, she replies, "I'm fine, mister, thank you for asking… but, who are you?"
"Oh, how silly of me…the name's R."
"Ah! It's nice to meet you and…" Realizing WHO she's talking to, she gasps, thinking, Wait a minute, did he say R…? THE R!
Puzzeld by Asuka's odd reaction to him, R's like, "Um…Hello? You alright? Who are you?"
In a polite yet very seductive manner, Asuka introduces herself. "Oh how rude of me. I am Asuka Saginomiya, the White Lily, but you… you may call me anything you want, sugar," she giggles.
"Uhhhhh…!" R didn't like this a bit. This girl's throwing herself at him. This makes him nervous, so he decides to walk away – REALLY fast. Backing away from her, he says, "Um, look. I'm… glad that you're fine and all…but I must be going, so, uh… take care okay? Eheh heh heee…uh, BYE!"
Then he dashes away from her:
Running after him, Asuka shouts, "WAIT R, LET ME REPAY YOU…! DON'T RUN AWAY! COME BACK!"
R turns around and sees Asuka pursuing him. "Oh man! Is this girl crazy or something! I gotta get away from her!"
TO BE CONTINUED…