Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The Ryoga 1/2 Chronicles ❯ New Beginnings ( Chapter 2 )

The Ryoga 1/2 Chronicles

[2]. New Beginnings.

Kasumi was the first to spot the young girl walking up the garden path Ranma held tight in her arms. It took her a moment to find her voice.

"Father! Come quick." Soun's head popped round the door a concerned smile on his face.

"What is it Kasumi?" Then he spotted the girl, now standing at their porch the rain running over her body and over the body in her arms. His face froze somewhere between horror and disbelief just as Akane entered.

"Kasumi I heard you call for fath." She caught sight of Ranma and instantly raced at the girl holding him. "What have you done to him!" She almost screamed as she tried to shake him awake. Ryoga hung her head.

"Please stop. It's too late." Akane stepped back in shock her mouth open but no words coming out.

"You'd better come in." Soun said stepping out of the way. Obediently Ryoga carried Ranma inside and laid him on the living room floor. In the light of the room Kasumi looked at the strange girl unsure why she seemed so familiar.

"Please, who are you?" She asked the girl.

"It's me, Ryoga Hibiki." Nabiki and Genma entered in time to hear this and like the others stood fixated on the girl. Kasumi was the first to speak.

"Yes, I can see it in your face." Kasumi said nodding slowly. Akane approached Ryoga and looked him in the eyes.

"What happened? Please tell me." Ryoga let a tear roll down her cheek.

"I received a challenge from Ranma, he said he wanted to settle our differences. During the fight I attacked trying to throw him off but he didn't try and stop me." Ryoga paused as he swallowed several times. "He just fell over and he was dead. Then I passed out and I was in this white place and Ranma was there. He told me, he'd done it on purpose, he said it was the only way to stop the arguing and fighting and to finally settle my grudge." Ryoga clenched her fist at this wishing he hadn't been a cause of the unfortunate event that had occurred. "Then he put his hand on me and said, part of me will always be with you, and I woke up like this."

There was silence in the room as they each tried to digest the story and each tried not to believe it but they all knew it was true in their hearts. Ryoga put a hand on Akane's shoulder feeling slightly odd at now being only slightly taller than her.

"He wanted me to tell you something." She said, as her tear filled eyes met his. "He wanted you to know, he was sorry and that though he could never show it, he did love you." A small smile quivered on Akane's lip for a second before she collapsed into her arms letting the tears fall. Soun watched Genma kneel by his son and weep as he comforted his other daughters.

*

Ryoga stood in front of the bathroom mirror and studied his new appearance before he stepped into the bath. He'd only seen his face on a small dirt mirror through the rain of the night and now in the light he was able to see it clearly. Looking closely he could still see hints of his normal appearance and even some of Ranma's but otherwise it was very different, the eyes were green and the skin paler. Her hair was still black but it now came down past his shoulders. He guessed his new body looked about 15 or 16 but was a well developed as Ranma's female side had been, features which had made Ryoga's nose bleed profusely till ha was able to accept it was his own body.

He sighed thoughtfully, he guessed his new alternate appearance would be classed as pretty and he hoped it wasn't going to draw attention from Kuno. Ryoga had secretly watched Ranma's sufferings with Kuno and winced but now he would find out how much of a nuisance he really was. Ryoga turned round and stepped down into the warm water letting the familiar tingle wash over her body as he felt himself return to normal. He felt the ends of his hair drag across his shoulders as he stretched his neck and looking in the mirror found it had not returned to normal. He thought for a moment then slipped the bandana from his forehead and used it to tie his hair into a pony tail then he settled back in the water and let his thoughts wash over him as he contemplated the next few days.

*

The coffin sat innocently on a pedestal in the garden as each of his friends, the group who'd become known locally as the `Nerima wrecking crew' walked past and paid their respects.

Ryoga approached Shampoo and Mousse who stood together by the Koi pond.

"So what will you two do now?" He asked.

"Stay here I guess. I can return to my village now if I wish but I don't want to leave." Shampoo said slowly.

"Mousse what about you?"

"You know me, I'll go where ever Shampoo goes, so if she is staying I am too." He said looking fondly at her. She looked back at him and smiled.

"Silly Mousse but thank you."

Ryoga smiled too and then wandered over two Ukyo who was chatting with Kasumi who wandered off as she saw him approach.

"Hello there honey, how are you doing?" Ukyo said a forced smile on her face.

"I'm ok, I actually wanted to know how you're doing?"

"Not well, I can't believe it, I keep expecting the coffin lid to open and Ranma jump out to say it's all a joke but he won't and it hurts me so much inside and all I can do is pretend to smile."

"I know how you feel Ukyo." He said trying to sound reassuring.

"I just wish I knew how he really felt about me." She said. He reached out and gently took her hand in his.

"You know when he died Ranma left a small piece of himself in me and I can feel he did care for you. You were his closest friend and the person he trusted over anyone else." Ukyo looked at Ryoga as he spoke.

"You know you're a nice guy Ryoga. I'm glad you're my friend." She said but Ryoga was thoughtfully silent.

"Don't say that just because Ranma is in here. I'm me not him, I may know how he felt but it's only a shadow of his memories it's not him."

"I know and I did mean that for you Ryoga. I have always liked you, you know but like everyone I was so wrapped up in Ranma I couldn't see it. It's like his last words said. His death was the only way we could always be normal." Ukyo moved closer to Ryoga who was suddenly very aware he was still holding her hand. "Maybe once this is all over, we could go somewhere together, just the two of us." Ukyo suppressed a little laugh as she saw Ryoga squirm. Then she lent over and kissed his cheek lightly before walking off to find Kasumi again to whom she'd been discussing the finer points of Ranma's appetite.

Ryoga looked round at the other people present. Genma was off to one side talking to Soun about his departure, he'd decided to return to his wife Nodoka with Ranma's body for burial in the family grave and to accept the consequences of his actions. Kuno and Kodatchi stood on the opposite side also talking peacefully for once. He wondered briefly if they would notice both male and female Ranma had disappeared but neither of them had inquired about the female Ranma and Ryoga had a sneaking suspicion they already knew but like Akane's P-Chan fixation refused to see the truth.

Cologne and Happosie too seemed to be getting along for once and the other visitors that dropped by occasionally had all seemed calm and sensibly minded. Ryoga once again found himself regretting it took such a tragic act to sort people out but how permanent this was only time would tell. His mind kept returning to the phrase `calm before the storm' but maybe events of the past had mealy made him pessimistic. He approached the coffin to say his final goodbye and once again felt that immense peace he'd felt on the hill top. Ranma was happy where ever he was. Then Ryoga turned and jumped to the roof where Akane stood looking over the town and stood beside her.

"It's a new day Ryoga, the slates been wiped clean but where do we go from here?" She asked.

"That's up to us Akane. We can go where ever we choose."