The Tragedy Lashes Out

The bomb was dropped.

It was as if everyone's minds, simultaneously, had entered a vacuum.

Eleven pairs of eyes widened with the most diverse expressions.

It was as if Kenichi had said that aliens had landed in Tokyo to go shopping and drink green tea.

As if he had said he could transform into a plant and read books with his ears.

As if he had said you could drink sunlight.

It took a certain amount of time for each person to grasp the MEANING of what he had said.

Then, slowly, they began to react.

Ranma felt a sharp pang in his chest. He stared at Kenichi, shocked.

No, no, no, no, no...
This is just like last time. It's just like last time.
This isn't really happening. Please, please. This can't be happening.
Not again.

Miu stared at Kenichi wide-eyed, as if she'd seen a ghost. Her face was flushed, and she recoiled from him. She was sweating, trembling, her heart pounding wildly.

"But… but… it's not… I mean… how…?"

"Oh, don't bother lying," Kenichi informed her. "I know what I'm talking about. I SAW YOU."

Miu seemed to jolt as if struck by lightning.

Ranma's mind was flooded with a thousand rapid thoughts.

But that's impossible. The walls are soundproofed, and the door was always shut, every damn time. Except… except…

"When?" Miu finally asked simply.

"The evening of the celebrations, when Ranma was proclaimed Master," Kenichi concluded coldly. "That's when I found out."

Miu and Ranma seemed to sink into a black abyss.

At the same time, Renka was struck by a tremor and began trembling as well, but no one noticed—except Mousse, who turned to look at her, worried.

What's going on…?

Miu lowered her gaze, defeated, ashamed that her secret had come to light in such a way.

Ranma stepped back a couple of paces from Kenichi, as if he could avoid the consequences of what had just been said, or as if the resentment in Kenichi's voice deeply disturbed him.

All the Masters were watching them, with expressions that ranged from shock to disbelief.

They hadn't seen this coming at all.

That Ranma-Akisame thought-always complaining about how we at Ryozanpaku could practically read his mind… and yet… he managed to keep a secret like this? Of all the things I could have imagined…

Ranma's friends from Nerima were equally stunned. To them, the idea that he had been with a girl who wasn't Akane (with whom, as far as they knew, he had never been) was inconceivable.

Even though they had witnessed a similar moment when the two had broken up, in everyone's minds, the two of them were meant for each other. Perhaps even more so in the minds of those who had desperately wanted to keep them apart.

And for so long, they had accused Ranma of being a playboy—knowing it wasn't true—in the hopes that he would break down and beg for forgiveness.

Yet, now that his behavior proved Kenichi's words true, it seemed strange to all of them to think that the pigtailed boy really was like that.

Ranma went with another girl?-Ryoga wondered, stunned-I mean, sooner or later, it had to happen… but it's still so strange, for those of us who know him…

But soon, a rumbling was heard, like a volcano about to erupt.
Everyone turned. It was Hayato.

The Elder was clenching his fists, staring at the ground, trembling with rage, and his Ki was swelling with murderous intent. The ground around him began to tremble.

He raised his bloodshot eyes toward Ranma.

"RANMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

"AAAAH!"

The pigtailed boy leapt back, overcome with pure terror. It was similar to when Sakaki had launched his final attack, but ten times more intense. A hundred times.

It was a PRIMAL terror. The terror of lower life forms that instinctively know, at a cellular level, that they must flee from a predator if they wish to survive.

A sort of flash crossed the minds of all the Masters.

They lunged forward, intercepting the Elder and grabbing him from every side to restrain his movements. Hayato stood rooted to the spot, but, incredibly, he seemed capable of pushing them forward, advancing millimeter by millimeter.

Ryoga, Mousse, and Kuno had never seen anything like it.

"Damn it! Hold him down!" Akisame ordered.

"Tch! Just what we needed!" Sakaki muttered.

"APA! I've never seen him this angry!" Apachai confirmed.

"RANMAAAAAA! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY GRANDDAUGHTER?! YOU BASTARD!"

Ranma had a moment of clarity. He glanced toward Shigure.

She, while holding one of the Elder's arms with a chain, seemed to shoot him a look—worried and annoyed at the same time.

I told you so… her gaze seemed to say.

Ranma recalled a conversation he had with her a few months earlier:

["Anyway… I'm warning you… if your relationship with Miu… changes… you'll have… something to regret."*

So that's what she meant? She wasn't talking about Kenichi. She was talking about Hayato's jealousy—Hayato, who had raised his granddaughter and wouldn't let anyone near her?

DAMN! This is the worst possible situation.

"Damn it, this is unbelievable! We're barely managing here. Kid, if I were you, I'd get out of here for a while…" Sakaki advised him.

The aura continued to swell, and this bizarre tug-of-war remained incredibly balanced as the Elder foamed with rage.

Amid the chaos, a girl's sobbing was distinctly heard.

Kenichi turned his head. It was Renka.

The girl raised her tear-streaked face from her hands and said to him:

"Kenichi… so you're… still jealous of Miu? But… you made love to me for the first time… that same night!"

"WHAT?!" exclaimed Kensei.

Even Ranma and the others turned to look at her, stunned.

One revelation after another.

"Great!" Sakaki exclaimed. "As if one mess wasn't enough…"

Kenichi found himself stammering, mumbling something incoherent.

For the first time, he realized what he had done.

He had spent the last month and a half in a daze.

"But I… really…"

Renka concluded, through her tears:

"So then… WHAT HAVE I BEEN TO YOU?!"

And with one last burst of sobs, she ran off, throwing open the doors of Ryozanpaku and disappearing into the streets.

"No, Renka! Wait! I…"

"RENKA!"

Kensei released Hayato and, in three leaps, was behind his daughter.

As a father, he had never seen her so distraught.

"NO! Kensei! STOP! We can't hold him without you…" exclaimed Akisame.

"RANMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Ranma didn't know what to do; he was paralyzed. His gaze darted frantically from one person to the next.

And then, for the first time since the revelation, his eyes met Miu's.

The girl had been looking at her grandfather, whose face was distorted in a mask of rage.

Then she turned to look at him. The blonde's face was painted with terror.

"RANMA! RUN!"

It was as though someone had fired the starting gun in a race.

Ranma turned and ran.

He ran like he had never run in his entire life.

With a single leap, he vaulted over the perimeter wall and vanished.

At that moment, as images of houses, cars, lampposts, and people blurred past his vision due to his speed, he was no longer Ranma Saotome, Master of the Anything-Goes Martial Arts School.

He was just a man running for his life.

"UOOOOOOOOOH!"

Hayato broke free of the other Masters' restraint with brute force and took off.

He was like a supersonic train.

Heading for the perimeter wall, he smashed through it as if it were paper and started darting through the streets like a missile, turning randomly as he hunted his prey.

"RANMAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

A deadly silence had fallen over Ryozanpaku.

The dust had settled minutes ago, but no one seemed to know what to do.

They were all too shocked.

Finally, it was Akisame—unofficially the second-in-command—who snapped out of it first.

"Damn it! We've never faced a crisis like this! We need to act!"

He turned to each of them in turn.

"You, boys! Ryoga, Mousse, Kuno. Gather your things and go home. There's nothing more you can do here, trust me. All lessons—EVERY lesson and every other activity—are suspended until further notice. If possible, we'll notify the other students tomorrow by posting a notice on the gate. We don't have time to call everyone now. If you have any advice on where Ranma might be, give it. Otherwise, don't try to reach or help him—it could cost you your life. Do you understand?"

The three young men were stunned and at a loss for words. They wanted to help somehow, but they realized the situation was far beyond them.

Slowly, reluctantly, they left, one by one.

"Sakaki!" Akisame continued. "You're the only one who might know where Ranma has gone… He lives with his mother, right? Luckily, the Elder doesn't know the address… and we're not sure Ranma would have gone home, not wanting to endanger her."

"Exactly. And even if he did, I'm not sure it's wise to go there now. We might inadvertently lead the Elder right to them…"

"Right. And that's why we won't go there for now. Nor will we call his mother—there's no point in worrying her unnecessarily.

For now, take your motorcycle and search the nearby neighborhoods. Try to find Ranma, but keep your distance and report back by phone."

"Got it!"

"Apachai, your job is to track Hayato. Stay at a safe distance, and feel free to enlist the help of your canine friends, but don't take unnecessary risks."

"APA! I'll do it!"

"Shigure."

"Yes?"

"It's odd that Kensei hasn't returned with Renka yet… As fast as he is, he should have caught up with her and brought her back by now… I'm worried…"

"Do you think… something… happened to her?"

Akisame gazed up at the sky.

Saiga, my friend… you warned us… that Yami would make a move and that we were all under surveillance… Could it be that… No, that would be the worst possible situation! Right now? And how could they have possibly known that…?

[A FEW MINUTES EARLIER; IN A SIDE STREET

Renka was running aimlessly, crying her heart out, her hands over her eyes, blindly, like a child. Nothing else mattered to her anymore.

She slipped into an alleyway.

At some point, she froze. She had sensed something.

It seemed like a massive shadow loomed behind her.

"Well, well, well! What do we have here? A lost little pup wandering away from the den. Oh, no, no, no… You should know better… Didn't anyone ever tell you…"

Renka turned, but it was too late. Or rather, it wouldn't have mattered either way.

"…that if you wander into the woods, you might run into the big bad wolf?"

The shadow engulfed her, and she vanished.]

Miu and Kenichi sat in the middle of the lawn, emotionally wrecked.

Everyone else had left, leaving them alone.

Only Akisame had gone inside to try and contact Ranma through the radio Sakaki had given him.

In reality, there was another person who hadn't left. Taking advantage of the fact that he lived in a tent in the garden, he had remained.

Ryoga stood with his eyes closed, his head bowed, his arms crossed, and one foot resting against a tree.

Kenichi felt hollow.

He was still coming to terms with everything that had happened.

He couldn't comprehend how his words had caused such catastrophic consequences.

He had never intended it and had no idea it would happen.

Miu clutched her fists to her eyelids and cried silently, tears streaming down her face.

Ryoga pushed off the tree and approached the two of them.

"Kenichi…"

"Leave me alone, Ryoga. It's not a good day."

"And that's exactly why you need to talk to me. I know how you feel; I've been there."

"Shut up, Ryoga! What could you possibly know?"

"Oh, I know exactly how you feel. Because, you see, we're the same. And you know the story, so you know it's true. I loved a girl who only wanted Ranma. And as you know, even in that case, it was a secret that never should have come out that ruined everything—for both him and me. As you can see, history has repeated itself."

"No... Our situation... is nothing alike. I know your story.
You... you never really had that girl's heart, Akane, right? So, it's not like... he stole her from you, is it?

But we... before Ranma came here... we were happy.

We... Miu and I... we had something! And he... ruined everything!
And to think... at first, I was jealous of Ranma... and then, I changed my mind. I trusted him. We became friends. And he, behind my back... how stupid I was!
I wish Ranma had never come to Ryozampaku!"

The boy lowered his gaze and began sobbing again.

Ryoga watched him for a long time, and his compassion turned into something else.

"Really? So you're confirming it: you think you're mad at Miu for being with Ranma, but you're actually mad at him for coming here. For taking what you wanted but never really tried to get. Isn't that it?"

Kenichi raised his gaze, irritated. He didn't understand where Ryoga was going with this. Then the boy with the bandana continued speaking.

"I spent a lot of time envying and hating Ranma, too. I hoped he would disappear, so I was convinced that without him, I would suddenly get everything I wanted. That without him, Akane would magically start loving me.
But instead, I never spent enough time improving myself, as I should have. I never really told her what I felt."

Ryoga lowered his gaze and felt a pang in his heart, even after all that time.

"The exact same mistake you made.

You think you have a right to Miu, and you like to believe that Ranma is the bad guy in this story... let me tell you, he isn't.

Believe me, I spent years hoping he was... it would have been easier to hate him that way. But I had to come to terms with the fact that he's a good person."

Then he lifted his gaze to the First Disciple.

"On the other hand, you aren't.

Because, if I'm not mistaken, Miu is an adult, perfectly capable of making her own choices. She and Ranma have done absolutely nothing wrong.

But you, you misled that girl, Renka, using her as a replacement for Miu.
And now, because you can't bear the weight of your failure, you lashed out at Miu, and in doing so, brought crashing down like a house of cards the new life Ranma had built here.

Believe me, I know what I'm talking about. That guy's life was already ruined once.

By me.

And now you've sunk to exactly my level.

I hope you're satisfied with yourself."

And he walked away.

Mousse had retreated to a corner of a nearby neighborhood.

Two shadows suddenly appeared on the perimeter wall behind him, but they said nothing.

"Things went as planned, but even faster than we expected," he said.

"And now, Laobàn? What should we do? Please!"

"Hand me the radiophone. I need to alert that person."

"That person? Are you sure? Please!"

"It's very dangerous! Please!"

"Yes, but it's imperative that I do it. By now, the operation has begun, so they need to know everything. We have a lot to do and far too little time."

Ikki Takeda kissed his girlfriend, Rachel Stanley, goodbye and started walking home.

For once, life was going well, he thought.

Even Ukita and Kaname were doing wonderfully. Their first double date had been a bit strange, considering that Kaname was his ex, Ukita was his best friend, and he had been in a relationship with Kisara, Kaname's best friend, while Rachel had long been an enemy to all of them.

Yet their relationships had never been so peaceful. Everyone seemed to be exactly where they were meant to be. They had gone out for nabe, the dish of meat symbolizing family unity. And to him, that was the Shinpaku Alliance. A family.

Rachel, the former Yomi member known as Castor, didn't share such peaceful thoughts as she walked in the opposite direction. She had a feeling she didn't like.

As she left with Takeda, she could have sworn she was being followed. For someone who had spent so long in the shadows like her, it was easy to sense things others wouldn't notice.

And used to a world of double, triple-crossing, and backstabbing (a world, she realized, far more complicated than the one she was experiencing with Takeda, she found herself thinking), she decided to trust that feeling.

Better to be wrong one time too many than underestimate danger once. Yet it was strange. Since she had separated from her boyfriend, that feeling had left her.

Could it be...?

She jolted. She ran back at her fastest speed in the opposite direction.
When she turned into the adjacent street, Ikki was no longer there.

He had vanished into thin air.

Hayato Furinji, the so-called Invincible Superman, was running like a madman through the streets of Tokyo. In his mind, there was only one thought: find Ranma and make him pay.

He was a Sei fighter, but at that moment, all composure had gone out the window. He wanted revenge.

That boy. The one he had welcomed into his dojo.

The one he had trained.

The one who had brought so many changes to all their lives.

That very boy.

He couldn't have... touched Miu. His sweet granddaughter. He would make him pay.

Finally, he understood why he hadn't trusted him.

Maybe he wasn't at risk of falling onto the wrong path, but this was worse. A hundred times worse. A thousand times worse.

Lost in these thoughts, he realized he had no idea which direction Ranma had fled.

It didn't matter, he told himself.

He would keep running through Tokyo at supersonic speed until he found him. He could do it, after all.

He was the Invincible Superman. And he had all the time in the world...

Kenichi stood motionless in the middle of the lawn, as still as a statue.

What Ryoga had said to him had shaken him to his core.

He wasn't used to this feeling. To feeling in the wrong. To knowing he had done something terrible, hurt the people he loved... without meaning to.

Or was it? Did he not mean to? Or did he not think about the possible consequences?

Had he been blinded by jealousy, by resentment... by envy? Had he felt betrayed?

He had become good friends with Ranma; he didn't expect him to take Miu away.

But was that really the case?

Ryoga, who had already come to terms with his own mistakes, had opened his eyes.

He and Miu had been through thick and thin together. And they knew they felt something for each other.

But they had never truly rationalized it. They had never really talked about it.

They had never pledged eternal love to each other.

And so... was he wrong? In thinking Miu was his by right? In blaming her? Or Ranma?

She was free to do whatever she wanted, wasn't she? Kenichi had never thought of himself as a possessive man. Did he want to deny her freedom of choice?

And Ranma... should he have realized it? About their relationship? And therefore stayed away from her?

Did he owe him that, somehow? Or was that just an unspoken rule that applied at Ryozanpaku, but not for him?

As for Renka... Kenichi couldn't believe he had made her suffer like this.

In truth, he hadn't intended to.

Ever since their relationship began, something in him had changed. It was as if he had closed himself off to everything else—his past, hope, and joy.

He tried to convince himself that this was his new reality now. That he was with Renka, and he was fine with it.

That he had never truly understood his feelings before, but now, they were fine together.

And yet... he had done even worse.

Because you cannot force yourself against your own nature. And it wasn't really Renka that he wanted.

Still... how could ihave ignored her feelings? How could he have lashed out like that, in the courtyard, without considering what it would mean for her?

Now, he felt terribly guilty.

For Renka, mostly.

For Miu, whom he had shamed in front of everyone and who had not seen his best side.

For Ranma, who risked being pulverized by the Elder because of his jealousy rather than any real fault of his own.

And for himself, because he knew he would never again be able to face everyone else the same way.

For Kenichi, this was a new feeling.

He was deeply ashamed.

Usually, he was the one in the right.

He was the one who defended others, who helped them, who sacrificed himself for them. He didn't do it for glory or recognition—it came naturally to him.

But he knew it. He knew he was the good guy.

He wasn't used to this.

He didn't expect to... be the villain of the story, for once.

Akisame emerged from the room, disheartened. As he had feared, Ranma's transmitter was off, and it wasn't even possible to contact Nijima to request the Shinpaku Alliance's cooperation in the search. Connection issues, apparently.

The Philosophical Master of Jujitsu approached his First Disciple to shake him out of his daze.

As he walked in that direction, Miu had stopped crying and had gotten back on her feet. Then she went inside to prepare something to eat.

Her expression was neutral and solemn. It was as if she instinctively knew she had to act, to do something, and that she wouldn't be of any help to anyone by just sitting there crying or staying on an empty stomach.

Akisame saw her pass by him in a rush and thought,

"Hmm... she really is the granddaughter of the Invincible Superman... she's already bounced back from such a blow. It's better this way. Now I'll only have to console one person."

He approached Kenichi and said:

"Kenichi, I understand this was a terrible blow, but you need to pull yourself together. Look at Miu—she's bouncing back, yet she must feel just as bad as you do.

Listen, right now, you're feeling guilty, but the truth is that feeling shame, guilt... it's part of being human.

EVERYONE makes mistakes, Kenichi, EVEN you. Maybe you've always been too used to being in the right, and you never even considered that you might find yourself in this situation.

And yet... humans, sometimes, just by living, end up hurting others. Even without meaning to. Maybe, even more often, without meaning to.

The fact that you feel bad, that you didn't intend to, is proof that your heart is good. But now you need to help fix the situation because your friends still need you, once again. And you won't help them by staying depressed."

The words seemed to have some effect on the boy. He seemed to see the light again.

But then the Masters returned.

Kensei entered through the gates of Ryozanpaku, his gaze lowered and as disheartened as no one had ever seen him before.

He had barely made it halfway across the lawn when Shigure leapt in, vaulting over the boundary wall from the opposite side. The middle aged man raised his gaze hopefully, but the young woman had to shake her head, though she hated to disappoint his expectations.

Seeing them alone and with those expressions, Akisame deduced the results of their search and confirmed his worst fears.

He couldn't hold back an exclamation of despair.

"Listen to me, all of you! The situation is worse than you think! Aside from what happened with Ranma and the Elder... I have reason to believe that Renka has been kidnapped!

And if it happened in the few seconds between when she left and when Kensei tried to reach her... it can only have been done by someone at Grandmaster level!"

At that declaration, both Kenichi and Miu seemed to snap to attention, as if they had received an electric shock.

Renka has been kidnapped...

...by a Grandmaster?

"But... how is that possible?!" exclaimed Kensei, distraught. "To do such a thing... they would have had to keep us under close surveillance... maybe even anticipate something like what happened today... No, it's impossible!"

Akisame shook his head, cursing himself for not foreseeing everything.

"It's true, Kensei. There's no doubt anymore. It's definitely tied to the warning Saiga sent us a month ago. Unfortunately, we were blind."

"A warning? My father sent you a warning? A whole month ago? And you didn't tell us anything?" exclaimed Miu, stunned and indignant.

"I'm sorry, Miu. You're absolutely right to be angry, but we didn't want to worry you at such an important time without knowing anything for sure.

Saiga had assured us he was handling the matter and that he would send updates as soon as possible. Evidently, even his predictions were off."

"I... I can't believe this!" the girl almost shouted. "It's just like when my grandfather didn't tell me about my father and mother!

It's like when ALL OF YOU didn't tell me that Ranma transforms into a girl! Yes, I know; he told me, so don't pretend to act surprised!

How is it that here... I'm always the last to know about everything?

That you have so little regard for us?

Even less for me than for everyone else...

You all keep treating us like children... even my grandfather, who wants to crush Ranma for something that I DID with him... as if I weren't old enough to make my own choices!

And maybe... if Renka-san had known... that there was a possible danger... no matter how upset she was, she wouldn't have left Ryozanpaku alone... and by now, she..."

Akisame lowered his gaze.

It was rare for him to feel unable to respond.

Surprisingly, it was Kenichi who spoke up after casting a quick glance toward Ryoga's tent.

"Miu-san is right. Even among us, at Ryozanpaku... trust has been lost. Or rather, even worse, sincerity has been lacking.

Just like when Ranma and Ryoga's lives were ruined... because of a secret that was first kept hidden for too long, and then revealed at the wrong moment."

Exactly the same thing that just happened now. I ruined Ranma's life again and Renka's… by revealing a secret. A secret that, perhaps, should never have been one in the first place.

Maybe, from the very beginning, we should all have been honest. Both students and masters. Everyone makes mistakes, even the best among us.

I… I didn't realize it. But I've been arrogant. I'm used to being right. To giving and receiving trust.

Apparently… anyone can make mistakes. You should never think you're above that risk. You become complacent.

Just as you masters… surely, you thought you were doing the right thing, but you miscalculated."

All the masters nodded.

"We can only do everything necessary to make up for it," Akisame affirmed, "but the most urgent thing is to contact Saiga. The last time we met, he revealed to me a secret radio frequency to use in case of emergency. I'll get in touch with him through my equipment right away."

The following ten minutes were among the most nerve-wracking in everyone's lives at the Ryozampaku.

To make matters worse, Kenichi and Miu both kept their gazes low, and the boy and Kensei avoided crossing paths: understandably, the Chinese master was shaken by the pain Kenichi had caused Renka, but any discussion was postponed for later.

Shigure passed the time nervously playing ping pong with her little mouse, Tochoumaru.

At one point, Kenichi gathered his courage and approached Kensei, kneeling with his face and arms pressed to the ground.

"Kensei-shishou, I… I just wanted to say that…"

Surprisingly, the Chinese master placed a hand on his shoulder.

The boy looked up. The master was smiling.

"Kenichi, my boy, I have just one thing to say to you: I don't care if you and my daughter had fun together—actually, in some ways, it makes me happy—but I won't forgive you so easily for breaking her heart.

Pray to your gods that she returns safe and sound because if anything happens to her… I'll tear you to pieces."

He said this with the same smile on his face he'd had at the start. Kenichi broke into a worse cold sweat than if he had been threatened in an angry tone.

Finally, thanks to the gods, Akisame emerged from the tech room.

"I've contacted Saiga. I explained the situation to him, and he told me to gather all available forces to hold a war council here at the Ryozampaku. I told him some were busy, but he wouldn't hear of it. He's coming here in person to give us instructions."

My father is coming here in person? Then the situation is truly critical!

"Kensei, do you think you can call Kuno? We should have his home number; ask him to come back. I'll do the same with Mousse.

Shigure, go out and find Apachai and Sakaki as quickly as possible and tell them to return, whether or not they've succeeded in their respective missions."

"All… right."

"I'll help too!" proclaimed Ryoga, but at that moment, Shigure's spinning chain reached him, binding him like a sausage to a tree.

"You stay… here, lost…boy. If you came… too, we'd have to… come retrieve you in… Hokkaido. Wait until… everyone has arrived."

The boy with the bandana nodded. He'd have to be patient.

Akisame approached the Weapon Master.

"Also, Shigure, I'd like to assign a task to Tochoumaru as well."

Ranma ran and ran and ran. He had no intention of stopping. His heart was pounding in his chest as if it would burst. But it was easier than stopping to think.

He felt a whirlwind of emotions. Fear. Anger. Regret. Bitterness.

He had to get away, gather himself, and… damn it, he had lost everything. AGAIN.

Everything he had. He'd hoped to rebuild a life down there, at the Ryozampaku, and instead… it hadn't been the remnants of his old life that ruined everything, but the most unlikely person of all.

And now? What was he supposed to do?

What do you do when you're desperate and don't know who to turn to?

Who will always be there for you, no matter what happens?

Glossary

: That is, in chapter 8 of the story

Hokkaido: The northernmost region of Japan, perpetually cold.

Author's Note:

Here we are. Shorter chapters, quicker updates.

The situation is falling rapidly.

Yes, i'm a little mean: they're really experiencing bad stuff...

yet, this was the result of everything that happened until now...of things unsaid, of being complacent, of repeating the same mistakes

And the enemie's plan has also been put into motion...people starts disappearing...Saiga will enter the fray!

And Ranma is on the run from Hayato, so they both can't help

But was it a coincidence that the enemie's plan started exactly when the good guys were having a falling out?

And if it isn't, how's that possible?

Don't miss the next chapters ;)