Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ Spring of Drowned Vampire Girl ❯ Ryoga...again ( Chapter 5 )

Vampire Chapter four.

 

Nabiki was not a happy person. She wasn't happy for several reasons; the chief among them was that she had the strong suspicion that her sister had nearly been killed by an out of control martial artist. If her hair was any indication, then it had been a close call.

 

The other reasons why she was upset was she was just now seeing something that she should have spotted weeks ago. During the battle with Ryoga, Akane had somehow gotten caught in the crossfire, and it had taken everything in Ranma's ability to keep the girl safe. But what upset Nabiki wasn't that her sister had gotten involved, but what she had yelled out at Ranma while he was trying to keep her from harm.

 

Whatever it was that Akane had said to Ranma had done more damage than what any of Ryoga's punches could do. All the time that Nabiki had spent, getting Ranma to open up to her seemed to disappear and go to waste as Ranma closed back up. It wasn't noticeable in his demeanor, but when Nabiki looked into his eyes, she could see the pain that Akane had caused.

 

When Ranma had arrived he was lonely, scared, and defensive. Over the weeks of constant talking, he had gradually opened up and Nabiki was getting to know the true Ranma beneath the mask. Now that mask was back up, firmly in place. Because of that, he was in the yard doing katas as if they were his lifeline, trying to lose himself in the physical exertion.

 

Nabiki knew that they would talk about what happened, but first she had to find out why Akane had reacted the way she did.

 

Nabiki marched up to Akane's door and barely gave a knock before opening the door and walking in. The words on Nabiki's lips died when she saw the condition of her younger sister's room. Everything that was there before was still there, but was now covered in one form of Shinto ward or another. There were also crosses and garlic hanging or lying around the room. Akane was sitting at her desk with a shocked look on her face as her hands were absently playing with her new shortened hair.

 

Akane gave a baleful look to Nabiki before asking, “What do you want?”

 

“Sis, what is all of this?” Nabiki asked in a small voice.

 

“This is just in case that bloodsucking pervert ever gets the idea to come into my room.” Akane said with no small amount of venom.

 

Nabiki was taken aback by her sister's words. She knows. Shit, so much for breaking it to the family gently. I wonder how much damage control needs to be done.

 

Sighing, Nabiki closed the door to Akane's room and leveled her best glare at her younger sister.

 

“It's past time for us to have a heart to heart about Ranma, sister.” Nabiki said in an authoritive voice she reserved for people who didn't pay up on a bet. “I take it that you found out the rest of Ranma's curse.” She indicated the crosses.

 

Akane was shocked by her sister's tone, Nabiki had never spoken to her like this and the only time she heard this tone was in school.

 

“So what are you afraid of? Are you afraid that Ranma's going to get hungry one night and sneak into your room?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“What? How can you say that? He wouldn't…”

 

“He's a boy! All boys are perverts! He's better than I am, he could beat me easily. Out of all the boys at school that fight me every morning, he's the only one that could beat me and fulfill Kuno's stupid proclamation. What's worse is that he's a worse freak than Kuno, that curse only proves it. I know what vampires do! I've seen the movies. Ranma could do anything he wanted to me and I feel powerless to stop him, er her.”

 

Nabiki could only look at her sister in dumbfounded shock. Her mind trying to work its way around what Akane just said.

 

“Is that why you avoid Ranma like the plague? Akane, he's not like that. I mean, he's a boy for the most part, but he's a martial artist! He follows the Code, you know? The one we were all taught when we were all practicing. `It's a martial artist's duty to protect the weak.' And thanks to his over inflated ego, and his up bringing, he includes us in that category.”

 

(Continue the argument but leave it unresolved.)

 

 

 

“Nabiki! You have a letter.” Kasumi's voice was heard from the front door.

 

Nabiki glared at her younger sister. “We'll finish this later.” Nabiki promised before leaving Akane's room to collect the letter from Kasumi.

 

Nabiki held a scowl on her face as she went down the stairs to where Kasumi was. Kasumi had a motherly smile on her face as she prepared the night's meal. Nabiki schooled her features before getting Kasumi's attention; it wouldn't do to let Kasumi that there was any trouble between the sisters. She had played the role of motherly peacekeeper too many times in Nabiki's opinion, and she didn't want to air some of the secrets that the current conflict was about.

 

“You said I had a letter?”

 

“Yes, here it is.” Kasumi handed Nabiki a very nice white envelope that was stiff, indicating that it was filled with a little more than just a letter.

 

“I don't know anybody in Hong Kong.” Nabiki said, reading the return address before opening it and pulling everything out. The contents of the envelope amounted to a letter on very nice paper, and two round trip airplane tickets. Nabiki's eyes widened at that and quickly moved up to her room for some privacy while calling thanks to Kasumi.

 

Shutting and locking her door before unfolding the letter, Nabiki was a little anxious of what she would find in the message.

 

`Nabiki Tendo,

You and your fiancé are cordially invited to attend a special event to be held in honor of Ranma Soatome. This event is directly tied to his experience with spring water from China, and it is highly advisable for both of you to attend.

 

You should find within two round trip tickets to Hong Kong, as well as a brochure to be used as a cover to explain the trip to your friends and family. Since the nature of this event is sensitive, I ask that you not reveal the truth of the tickets or the purpose of this trip.

 

The spring water that young Soatome had the misfortune to fall into has a long and terrible history and has claimed many victims over the years. It has become a tradition for the victims to gather when a new victim is claimed by that pool and do our best to help them adjust to life with it, as well as share our experiences in dealing with the curse.

 

Normally, we do not invite those who have not been touched by the waters, but since you have been a stable influence on young Soatome at such a turbulent time in his life, I have decided that you would do well to hear what we have to tell him. If you are going to play an important role in his life, then it would be best if you are as prepared as possible for what the curse means.

 

Sincerely

Eve

 

Nabiki set the letter down and ruffled through the rest of the contents of the envelope, sure enough, a second letter was within, a small `you're a winner' letter of some ridiculous contest that could have been entered anywhere.

 

Looking at the tickets, she noted that the trip would not interfere with school and was scheduled for this weekend. This gave them a little time to prepare. Nabiki hid everything away, except the contest winner announcement, before going out to talk to Ranma.

 

Ranma was confused, hurt, and a little upset. During the fight with Ryoga, Ranma had been forced to saved Akane's life or at least her physical well being from the reckless attacks by the lost boy. When he had, she acted as he was attacking her, she was afraid of him, called him a freak in front of everybody. If it hadn't been for the past week of opening up and talking to Nabiki, then Akane's verbal assaults would have crushed him and sent him into a spiral of depression.

 

Ever since the curse, his sense of worth had all but been eradicated, to go from a man among men to a girl with a splash of cold water would have been enough to shake his world view, but to also turn into a vampire, a blood sucking monster that couldn't stand the rays of the sun, it had almost been enough for him to consider ritual suicide to reclaim the honor he thought that he had lost over the curse.

 

He had made a vow to himself to never succumb to the curse, to never give in to whatever unnatural hunger the curse brought out in him.

 

Two weeks in China nearly had him break that promise. By the time he had arrived at the Tendo Dojo, he was fully immersed in a pool of his own self-loathing and depression as was quickly drowning in it with the weight of the imagined insults and reactions that he would face if his secret ever came out. Akane's verbal assault that first night had only served to weigh him down even further. The bottom of that pool held a tanto blade, the blade for ritual suicide.

 

It's ironic that Akane's offer of friendship was a life preserver to the rescue boat of Nabiki's acceptance of who and what Ranma was. In the short time that Ranma and Nabiki had been fiancés, Ranma's self worth had rebuilt itself to where it once was, his self confidence was no longer a forced charade, and his depression over his curse, while greatly reduced, was now manageable instead of drowning.

 

Akane had managed to rattle his foundations with her words and reactions to him during the fight.

 

So Ranma was in the dojo, doing as many katas as he could do while trying to regain his center and think his way through what made Akane so afraid of him.

 

Ranma was not a smart boy; this was due to mainly upbringing1, and a general lack of education. Ranma wasn't stupid, merely ignorant. His ignorance far outweighed everything else he knew, so it wouldn't be a surprise to say that he hadn't figured it out by the time that Nabiki came into the dojo with a smile on her face and a piece of paper in her hand.

 

“I hope that you didn't have any plans for this weekend, Ranma.” Nabiki smirked.

 

While Nabiki gave Ranma the rough details of the travel plans, there was another young man wondering out in the wilderness searching for the Tendo dojo.

 

* * *

 

It was during the evening meal that things started to look up for Ranma. With advice from Nabiki, after being talked to until he responded, Ranma was able to approach Akane and apologize to her. Ranma hadn't thought that he had done anything to warrant an apology and he voiced this opinion out loud to Nabiki. Nabiki then calmly told Ranma why he should do so to Akane, it wasn't that he did anything wrong, but it was more to calm the beast.

 

It hadn't gone as well as Ranma or Nabiki had hoped, Akane had tried to hit Ranma for even talking to her, but a passing Kasumi who had seen and heard Ranma's apology stepped in and prevented the youngest from adding some lumps to Ranma's head.

Akane was then reluctantly forced to accept the apology, and play nice for the evening.

 

Akane's new haircut had raised some eyebrows at the dinner table, nothing like Kasumi's initial response, but was accepted with little trouble.

 

Dinner was a chaotic affair, with Genma and Ranma treating it as a training exercise, Ranma had made a point to keep the liquids as far away from him as possible. Akane took her usual seat, as far away as Ranma and Nabiki as possible, but at least she was being sociable. Everybody else tried to enjoy the meal as much as they could.

 

It wasn't until dinner had started to settle down, the point where everybody isn't eating anymore but haven't excused themselves from the table, when Nabiki decided to make her announcement.

 

“Daddy, I won a drawing and I received the prize today in the mail.” Nabiki began.

 

“That's good dear, what is it?”

 

“An all expense paid trip to Hong Kong for the weekend for two.”

 

“Oh my! How wonderful.” Kasumi gushed.

 

“Who are you planning on taking with you?”

 

“Ranma.”

 

Soun and Genma flashed, what they thought was a sly look, to each other. Grinning like a cat who caught the mouse. A plan was formed between the two in that one look. However, they were a bit obvious with it, so it did not go unnoticed.

 

“I think that would make a wonderful honeymo…” Soun started to say while Genma started to go to work on his son.

 

“Boy! Its time for you to fulfill the Promise betw…”

 

They were silenced by the look in Nabiki's eyes and the slamming of her hands on the table.

 

“I have agreed to be Ranma's fiancé for the sake of family honor, but we will be married when we are ready for it. Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?”

 

“ehr. Perfectly daughter.” Soun sweated.

 

The rest of dinner past without incident except for one instance of Ranma trying to approach Akane, stuttering an apology. Akane only stopped and looked at Ranma as if he had grown a second head before turning and stalking back up to her room in a huff.

 

Nabiki watched the interaction with a little trepidation, while she was relieved that Akane didn't make a scene, the hurt look on Ranma's face pulled at her. She came up to him and gathered him into her arms.

 

“I don't understand…”

 

“It's okay, Ranma.”

 

* * *

 

A thunderstorm was raging late in the night, occasional lightning strikes illuminating the Nerima neighborhood. A strong silhouette of a man with a large umbrella and a large backpack could be seen with each flash as he approached his final destination, the Tendo Dojo.

 

Inside the Tendo household, everybody was asleep. Ranma was sleeping, sprawled out in the guest room with his father, the panda, oblivious to the world. He didn't even notice the presence of Ryoga as he stood over his hated foe.

 

“Wake up Ranma. It's me Ryoga” No response from Ranma.

 

“Fight me! Hey Ranma!” Still no response.

 

“Wake up Ranma!” Ryoga launches a punch at Ranma's sleeping head. Unconsciously, Ranma twists out of the way of the descending fist, dodging it, but he pillow wasn't so lucky. Ryoga's second punch met with the bedding.

 

“WAKE UP DAMNIT!!”

 

Genma unceremoniously chucked both Ranma and Ryoga out the window and threw a sign out with them that read <Quiet! >

 

Ranma landed in the koi pond sputtering in confusion. Last he knew, he was having a nice dream about training, now he was a she, drenched to the bone, and inhaling pond water. Standing up, she noticed Ryoga standing at the edge of the pool holding his umbrella up. To say that Ranma was a little upset would be an understatement.

 

“Ryoga! It's the middle of the night. What are you doing?”

 

“Silence! Does revenge know night or day?!”

 

“This again. Would you cut this out? You've got nothing to get revenge for!”

 

“I'll say one thing…before I send you to Hell. When you ran out on our duel. I followed you…ALL THE WAY TO CHINA!!”

 

“…”

 

“Don't tell me you went to Jusenkyo and that you change into something when you get wet!”

 

“SILENCE!” Ryoga screamed as he jumped to attack. “THE TIME FOR WORDS HAS PAST!”

 

Inside, Nabiki was woken up by the noise in the yard. What the hell? She got out to investigate after getting a robe on. She met the rest of her sisters outside near the stairs.

 

“Do you think that it's a burglar?” Kasumi fearfully asked.

 

“If it is, he'll regret it.” Akane announced quietly, brandishing a wooden sword.

 

Kasumi looked at Akane like she was crazy, took the sword from her hands and handed her a large weight. Hefting it like a champ, she looked out and took aim at the combating couple. Choosing her target, she swung it like an Olympic athlete and let the heavy weight fly.

 

The heavy weight flew through the rain and straight towards the unsuspecting target and struck the back of a head.

 

Ryoga had always been a martial artist, even before he met Ranma and subsequently went on an inadvertent training trip to China. He prided himself on being one of the best and could always sense when he was in danger. So it came as a surprise to him when a piece of exercise equipment came flying into the fight and struck Ranma in the back of her head. She went down hard.

 

Akane smirked as she saw that she had hit her intended target, then schooled her face and put her amateur acting skills to work. “Did I get him?”

 

“I don't know, it's hard to see.” Nabiki said, squinting into the gloom of the yard. Lightning flashed, giving her a frightening view of Ryoga standing over a crumpled Ranma.

She gasped, “Shit, you hit Ranma.”

 

Ranma was disoriented, confused, and hurt. She was fairly certain that she had a concussion from whatever had beamed her in the back of her head. After landing, badly, after getting hit, she started to get up or at least try to. It was on unsteady legs that Ranma was able to stand up again to face Ryoga.

 

Ryoga waited patiently for Ranma to stand up again. He may have wanted the pig tailed martial artist dead for all of the wrongs he committed against him, but he was going to face him with honor. So once Ranma was looking as if she was ready to fight again, Ryoga sent a powerful punch towards Ranma.

 

Ranma was a martial arts prodigy. For the past ten years, all that Ranma did was fight or train. He was now up to the point of where his body was considered a weapon under the right circumstances. One thing about many martial artists is that they will unconsciously defend themselves from attack, usually in a grapple move or something incapacitating, thus Ranma's dodging from before, and now this. Ranma's good nature had prevented him from inflicting bodily harm on his opponents before, but now he was hurt and seriously wanted to go back to bed, not to mention his new status as a predator of the night.

 

Without consciously thinking about it, Ranma grappled the blow instead of deflecting or dodging it, then proceeded to apply a sudden large amount of pressure to the captured limb.

 

With a loud SNAP!!, Ryoga's arm took a new and interesting shape. Ryoga dropped his umbrella in shock and was able to hop over the fence with a scream of pain. Ranma was left behind with a dazed look in her eyes.

 

Under the house, cat's eyes witnessed the entire scene.

 

Ranma shook her head and cleared it of the fog that took up residence after the blow from the flying weight and wondered where Ryoga disappeared too. She was about to jump the fence and search for him when she heard Nabiki's voice calling her inside. Her head still aching, she went inside and out of the rain.

 

By the time that Ranma stepped into the house and out of the rain, Akane was already back up in the safety of her room. Nabiki was waiting for him with a towel.

 

“Was that Ryoga? What were you doing with him at this time of night?” Nabiki asked.

 

“Fighting. He started it though.” Ranma said tiredly.

 

“How's your head?” Nabiki started to examine the slowly toweling off red head. Running her fingers through Ranma's red hair looking for a bump or even blood.

 

“Okay now, but what happened?

 

“Akane threw a weight with the intent of hitting Ryoga, we thought he was a burglar, and hit you instead. What happened to Ryoga?”

 

“Not sure. Everything is a little fuzzy after getting my head caved in, but I think that I broke one of his arms. He ran off after that.” Ranma had poured himself a glass of hot water and was about to dump it on himself. “If it wasn't for this massive headache, I'd go out and search for him to make sure he's okay, but I just want to get back to bed. I'll see you in the morning.” With that, Ranma dumped the contents onto her head and rejoined the male species, his headache, which had been bearable, was now only slightly worse. He staggered up to his room and shut the door. He was asleep before he found his pillow.

 

 

Author's Notes:

 

Finally, the last chapter before I start to get into the meat of this story and the main changes that I have planned for the story. Things have been tight in terms of time for me because of finals at College, but I wrote a little each night and now this is the culmination of my hard work.

 

1. Genma as his only role model.