Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction ❯ The One Left Behind ❯ Part 7 ( Chapter 7 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: ashez2ashes 
Ukyou returns...
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Angst / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 01.06.2004 | Pages: 6 | Words: 6.3K | Visits: 353 | Status: Completed
Ukyou returns...
Anime/Manga: Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Adventure / Angst / Comedy | Type: Alternate Universe | Uploaded On: 01.06.2004 | Pages: 6 | Words: 6.3K | Visits: 353 | Status: Completed
Disclaimer: I do not own Ranma 1/2. I get no rewards from writing this, save the joy of creating!........... Who am I kidding? Send the money in unmarked bills. My guy under the bridge will take care of the rest...Heh heh.
Contact Info:
ashez2ashes@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/ashez2ashes/
----
The One Left Behind
Part 7
----
If you're planning on getting revenge, you better dig two graves.
There is plenty of good advice like that I have never followed. Like "look before you leap" or "turn the other cheek" or "the ten second rule does not apply in mosquito infested swamps". In fact, I'm starting to wonder if I've been going through life with my hands over my ears.
And oddly, despite all of that advice no one bothered to tell me how incredibly freakin bad alcohol tastes the second time around...Ugh. I wish the damn world would stop spinning.
How could I have not noticed the pigtailed boy was Ranma? I hung out with him, fought with him, talked with him, GOT DRUNK with him and...I had no clue. Sure I didn't have any pictures of him other than a baby picture of the both of us but...shouldn't I have known?
And the bald guy must have been Genma...
I just let them get away.
Why am I so weak minded?! Where are my convictions? Where is my determination? I made a vow at my mother's deathbed, damn it! You don't go back on those sorts of things!
And yet...I can't help thinking...It wouldn't be that bad to have a brother...
I wiped my mouth and stumbled back to sit underneath a tree. I had slept way past midday. It'd be dark in a couple of hours.
I'm such an idiot...I laid down on the ground and sighed.
Thinking sucks. But I don't have much to do right now as I sit in the shade. Everything feels too much. The sun is too bright, the chirping birds are too loud, and the grass is itchy. Grass has never been itchy before...
Ugh, nothing tastes worse than vomit. I need to brush my teeth...and I will as soon as the world stops dancing a jig.
The park I'm in is pretty much abandoned. Thank goodness. Nothing would have completed this shitty week like throwing up in front of a bunch of cute high school girls. I can hear them now: Eww! The stinky guy in the yellow shirt is puking! He'll never get a girlfriend! Ewwww!
At least I know my drunken wanderings didn't take me too far. Thanks to a large sign reading "Nerima Park" that I vomited behind, I know that I'm still in the right area.
There is another person across the lake, but I don't think she witnessed the amazing projectile vomit show. I can see the old woman sitting on a bench, feeding the birds. Why old ladies do that is beyond me. It's not like the birds can't get food for themselves. What kind of old ladies feed birds? Maybe she's an evil old lady and is feeding them poison bird seed or something. Heh.
Hangovers suck.
I stared at the lake, letting my mind go blank. I don't know how long I stayed like that, could have been a few hours. But no matter how much time passed, I was out of it and off of my guard. My haze was broken as ripples began suddenly appearing on the lake's surface.
I didn't stand a chance.
It rose from the lake like a bad horror movie and screamed a war cry. Vines clung to whatever it was like the creature from the black lagoon. Slowly its slime and mud covered head appeared from the inky depths of the lake. Its form was human, but the rest was some kind of sludge monster. Angry brown eyes glared through the muck. The rest of the body slithered out. Water dripped from its body. Clunk. The being was carrying something heavy. It stepped toward me.
Clunk. Another step. Clunk.
I could do nothing but stare in morbid fascination as my head pounded.
Step. Clunk. Step.
I was rooted to the spot. My body was frozen.
Step. Clunk. Step.
Then it opened its mouth and said something... and I knew my doom was sealed.
"DAMN YOU RYOUGA! YOU LEFT ME BEHIND!"
Oh, this was even BETTER than puking in front of high school girls! Whoo...hooo...
Ukyou threw a portable grill in my face. "YOU ASSHOLE!"
I pulled the massive clunky grill off of me. That was going to leave a bruise. "Ukyou! What the hell happened to you?!"
Tears started to stream from the mud covered face. But the anger did not die. The void to hell personified was not going to let vengeance fade away so easily. No, it wanted blood! Male blood!
"WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN TO ME?! GIANT MONSTERS ATTACKED ME AND THERE WAS AN EVIL CREPE GUY AND A DRAGON THAT EATS GIRLS!" She flung her arms about angrily and bits of slime flew into my face. Ok I stand corrected. Some things do taste worse than vomit.
Ukyou stopped in front of me and loomed. She had the looming down to an art. It felt like she had grown nine feet tall and nine feet wide. She took up my whole vision. Her brown eyes glinted with death.
And she smelled pretty bad too.
"THE DRAGON EATS JUST GIRLS! WHAT KIND OF SEXIST BULLSHIT IS THAT?!" She pulled off her muck covered spatula. "HOW--" Clang! "COULD-" Clang! "YOU--" Clang! "LEAVE--" Clang! "ME--" Clang! "THERE!"
"Ow! I've got a hangover damn it! Stop it!" I stood on wobbly feet and tried to inch away.
She tackled me like an American football player.
"YOU JERK! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT! YOU'RE JUST LIKE RANMA!" She punched me in the back a couple times.
Wait a minute! That's going too far! I turned around abruptly so she was straddling my chest. "I AM NOT LIKE RANMA!"
"YES YOU ARE! I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE! HOW DARE YOU DITCH ME BEFORE I COULD DITCH YOU?!" She pounded my chest.
"It was an accident! When the pig came I got lost and..." I paused. "What do you mean BEFORE YOU COULD DITCH ME?!"
Ukyou's hands started to choke me. "AND YOUR HARD MUSCLES ARE HURTING MY HANDS YOU STUPID JERK!"
"Ack...can't breathe...!"
Her grip lessened suddenly, but held on weakly. "I JUST DON'T...like to be..." She feels kind of warm. "The... one... left behind." She abruptly slumped onto me.
What the hell?
"Hey! Ukyou! Wake up!" I shook her shoulders. "You were in the middle of beating me up!"
No response. Her breathing was regular but shallow. She was out like a light.
I put a hand to her forehead and winced. She was burning up. And she was...laying on top of me.
Ack!
Oh great! Just great! Now I have nosebleed blood all mixed in with the muck! Now I'm even more disgusting! What's wrong with you stupid body?! She's unconscious and she smells really bad! This is so not the time for reactions!!
I rolled her off of me and onto the grass. Crap! What am I going to do? WhatamIgoingtodowhatamIgoingtodo?! Her temperature has to be at least 102! I can't take care of a sick person by myself! And with my sense of direction, I'll never make it to a clinic or a hospital! Damn it! Damn it all! Why do I have to be so defective?! She's going to die and it'll be all my fault! And she'll haunt me forever! I'll be eighty years old and her ghost will still be floating around going 'RYOoOUuGAa'S Aaaaa DUmBAaASSS.'
Dammity damn damn damn damn ...
"Excuse me?"
I jumped into the air and spun around. "W-what?"
It was the old lady from across the lake. She looked concerned. "Is there some kind of trouble? Can I help you with something?"
I looked at the lady with teary eyes. I know what kind of ladies feed the birds, nice old ladies!
"Please Ma'am. My...friend seems to be sick. She needs a doctor, but I don't know the area. Can you show me where one is please?"
The lady didn't seem to believe me completely. "Your friend that was beating you up a few moments ago?"
"Oh uh...that. She's um..." I glanced over to see if Ukyou was still sound asleep. "She's emotionally unstable. Does that all the time." I tried to look saint like.
The old lady shrugged and adjusted her pink purse. "Your girlfriend looks like she has strong birthing hips on her!"
Huh? "No she's a girl and she's a friend, but she's not a girl--"
"Yes yes," the lady interrupted, "Strong birthing hips! My son runs a clinic not too far from here. His name is Doctor Tofu. I'll take you there." She glanced at Ukyou.
"Oh-okay." I picked up my pack. I might as well take her damn grill too. I hoisted the metal monstrosity with the other arm. The double straps strained my back muscles, but it wasn't more than I could take. Finally, I gently picked up Ukyou in my arms and tried to ignore her being there. This was important. There was no time to spaz out.
Besides, there was no point in paying attention. I'm sure my brain will pick up too many details anyway and I can spaz out later.
"Ok let's go." I looked up and locked eyes with the old lady. Who knows what she thinks of me. She probably thinks we're some runaway teenage couple or something. Ugh.
She started walking off away from the park and I made sure to follow closely. I didn't want to be left behind.
----
I hope Ukyou doesn't remember that we stopped to hose her down.
After an hour of walking, we made it to the clinic. Before we went in I stopped to drop Ukyou's disgusting grill in the front parking lot.
A small flower bed was filled with roses and the windows sparkled like someone cleaned them often. We walked through the glass doors and into a reception area. A few chairs were set up against the walls, with a secretary area in front. The room branched off into at least three other rooms. The final patient of the day was hobbling out, slowly, with her head bent at a weird angle. What the heck did she do to herself to end up like that?
We waited for less than a minute when a young man in a lab coat, looked like he was in his late twenties, walked out from a back room. His black hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck, like Ukyou does (I TOLD her it was a guy hairstyle). He wore thick glasses and his lab coat was white, but not TOO white as if he washed it regularly but it still got lots of use. That must be Doctor Tofu.
Doctor Tofu, I assume that's who he is, walked up to us. He glanced at Ukyou and raised an eyebrow. I opened my mouth to explain, but he interrupted me.
"Please, bring the patient into the sick room first. This way please." He beckoned with his hand and walked down a hallway and into a room. I repositioned Ukyou in my arms and followed.
It wasn't far to go so I didn't get lost (6 feet I can manage). The room was small and filled with cots. Glass shelves lined the room and curtains separated each bed. We were the only people there.
I sat Ukyou down on a bed softly. If I dropped her, there'd be hell to pay when she woke up.
Doctor Tofu turned to the old lady, ignoring me for the moment. "Who have you brought me, Mother?"
The old lady sighed melodramatically. "Two...run away teens."
If I had been drinking water, I would have spit it out. "Uh ma'am we're not really...Uh we're not really running away from anything." Smooth. Rrrreeal smooth.
Then the old lady's demeanor changed as she rounded on me. She raised a white eyebrow at me and opened her mouth slightly in shock. "You're not..."in trouble" are you?"
Huh? I blinked. "What? Do you mean with the law?" Feh, as if the law could catch me!...which is definitely not what I should say.
"You know very well buster!" She pointed a bony finger at me. "You were all over each other in the park!"
I blinked again. "What do you..." Realization hit me like a giant tanuki statue to the head. "Hey! Ukyou is NOT p-p-pregnant!"
Tofu pulled out a thermomter from his coat and stuck it in Ukyou's ear as his crazy mother continued to rant.
"Kids these days. And you even smell like booze." The stupid bird feeding old lady shook her head. I bet she was poisoning those birds! "You better take responsibility for what you've done. Sure, she has great birthing hips, but that's no excuse!"
I rubbed my temples as the hangover decided to wage war on my brain again. "Listen ma'am...Ukyou is NOT pregnant, let alone with mine, I mean, we're not even...and she'd never with me and...She's just not that kind of girl ok?!"
"I just feel bad for the child..." The Old Lady sighed again.
I tried to stop my imagination before it got away with me. You are not allowed to go to a scary imaginary place right now brain!
Tofu sighed and pulled a thermoter from Ukyou's ear. "Mother please..." He glanced at the reading. "Ah, she's running a very high fever. Not dangerously high, but still high. She must have just collapsed from sheer exhaustion. I'll give her something to bring it down while I run some tests. You said her name was..?
I glanced at Tofu. "Oh. Her name is Ukyou Kuonji."
Doctor Tofu nodded. "And you are?"
"Ryouga...Is she going to be ok? I don't have much money, but I can pay you." There goes the last of it. Time to start being a true mountain man and forage for nuts and berries in the wilderness for the rest of my life. Maybe someone will mistake me for big foot and I'll get on the news.
Tofu sat on a stool near the cot. "She'll be fine. You can pay me however much you can now and give me the rest when you can." He smiled good naturedly.
Someone is being nice to me. This is odd. Good..but odd. "Thanks!
"Do you have a place to stay?" He stood up and busied himself with some doctor stuff. I'm not sure what he was doing but there were tubes and little plastic thingies he was throwing away.
"We've been camping out. We're martial artists on a quest of sorts." I SUCK at lying don't I? I half expected Tofu to look weirded out and surprised, but he just shrugged.
"We get a lot of those out here."
Ooookaay...That's information that I better put away and think about later.
The old lady tutted. She clinched her fists a few times, like her hands yearned for a frying pan to smack me with. "Making a pregnant woman wander around the country side. That poor girl."
Argh! What's wrong with this woman? She's stupider than me.
"Ukyou doesn't even look pregnant. Are you calling her fat? Ukyou is NOT fat!" Why isn't she ever conscious when I'm saying nice things about her?
The old lady looked unconvinced. "Some people carry--"
I cut her off. "Ukyou is NOT pregnant ok?! I've never touched her! Besides, she wouldn't even let me touch her if I even wanted to! Not that I do want to..." I glanced nervously to reassure myself she was still asleep. "She's just a friend ok?"
Tofu stood up and straightened his coat. "It's getting late. I've got a spare room in the back you can use for the night if you want. The fever should break by morning, but I don't want her outside right now."
The old lady looked flustered. "You can't encourage them..."
Tofu shrugged and led the way out of the room.
"It's not our place to judge. At any rate, he carried her and her things for quite awhile to get here and he was worried about her. I think that more than proves his character." He pushed his glasses back up his nose with his index finger. "Does she have a dry change of clothes?
We stopped in the waiting room.
"Uh...Her pack is in the grill. The thing was shut, so they might still be dry." The thing was nearly air tight. It could probably double as a vault.
Doctor Tofu smiled at his mother, turning up the charm. "Mother, could you help me out? I don't mind, but she would probably feel better if a woman changed her out of her wet clothes."
"All right..." The old lady slowly turned to leave and tossed one last glare at me over her shoulder as she left.
Tofu showed me to a slightly dusty back room where I helped him set out several futons and some other stuff. It was a nice room, but bare and only had one small window. Nothing impressive, but the beige walls would keep out the cold. It would be a nice change from the outdoors. Doctor Tofu was an all right guy. I owe him one. I'll have to repay him later, somehow.
Well, there's something I've got to look forward to, beyond Ranma and Genma.
I sat in the waiting room for an hour before Tofu came back with the results. Apparently, she had gotten some kind of weird flu, but it wasn't life threatening. The doc told me some stuff and I really tried to listen, but occasionally I'd take a glance outside at the setting sun. Tofu said something about 'contagious'? Eh, we're close to where Ranma lives aren't we?
"--And that should be everything. You got that?"
"Sure." Got what?
"I'll lock up and come by in the morning to check on you. Ukyou's in the back room, asleep. Good night." Tofu gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder and then went to drag his mother away.
The old lady stopped to shove condoms and pamphlets on "responsibility" at me.
I glanced at one of them with pictures and felt my face turning red. I just want to die. Right now. Melt into a puddle and disappear. Anything to escape the embarrassment. At least, psycho chef was asleep. I'd never hear the end of it if she wasn't.
"You make sure to read ALL of those!" The evil old woman glared at me as her son dragged her off.
The door was shut behind them and it was just me, Ukyou, Ukyou's germs, and my thoughts...
----
I can't help watching her sleep.
Don't get me wrong, it's not in some creepy pervert way or anything. It's just a habit I guess. A sick people watching habit. Which DOES sound kind of creepy now that I think about it... But see, I've got a reason. I used to watch mom sleep when she was sick. I'd sit up all night watching, afraid I'd wake up and she'd be gone. It's silly I know. Ukyou's not that sick. The doc said she would be fine and her fever is already starting to break. But still...I feel better watching.
Her eye lids keep twitching and she tosses and turns slightly in her sleep. I guess she's having a nightmare. The first time she did it, I almost woke her up. But then, she would settle down suddenly and everything would be ok.
I reached over and took the warm washcloth from her forehead and dipped it in the bowl of cold water sitting beside our futons. I rung the cloth out and gently put it back on her forehead. She sighed and the eye twitching thing stopped. I wonder what she's dreaming about.
She's probably dreaming about killing Ranma. She sure is violent...I still don't understand her reason for giving up her femininity. She was only what? 5? 6? I can understand why she wouldn't want to be dainty and giggly like a normal girl. But to completely give it up? I would hate being wimpy too but...I'm a guy. She's a girl. Aren't girls supposed to like that sort of thing?
Well, she's good at cooking and she's good at fighting, but I don't know how good she's at being a guy. Even when I thought she was a guy, I thought she was a really GIRLY guy. She still walks like a girl. She still smiles like a girl...Ok, she cusses like a sailor, I'll give her that. And she sure as hell hits like a guy.
I rubbed the bump on my head where she had whacked me with a spatula.
Who needs really girly girls anyway? You have to be all careful and nice around them or they start crying and send their giant sumo pig out to eat you. I try to be nice to them anyway, but who knows what will set them off? They're strange confusing unpredictable creatures! They want you to be honest with them, then they expect you to always say no when they ask if they're fat. Or when they ask if their sumo pig scared the rest of the kids. Gee, no Akari, the elementary baseball team enjoyed getting trampled. They're just crying because it was so much fun!
Feh...
But Ukyou isn't like that. If you say something stupid to her, she just beats you upside the head and then it's all good. That's...nice. Ok that's not supposed to be nice, but it is for some reason. Simpler maybe? She's not like a girl she's like...a real person.
She's not that bad the way she is. But I can't very well pull out some after-school-special morality and say she should be happy for who she is. I have no ground to stand on. I hate my brother and father and I haven't told anyone my last name in over a year.
I wonder if she hates me now? Does it really matter? She's going to hate me when she finds out the truth. I can't hide who I am forever. God damn it then she'll look at me...not like the glare she uses for the guy that accidently got lost and let her fight off a dragon by herself. I could deal with that. No, she'll look at me like the brother of her mortal enemy, like the guy who has been lying to her for over a month. She'll hate me.
That's gonna suck.
I pulled her covers over her shoulders. They had fallen down during the night.
This night seems never ending. Time plods along like an old man with a broken hip. I leaned back against the wooden wall.
Quit it, Ryouga. Focus. I'm not just staying awake for her benefit. Even though staying up just for her sounds nice, I've got too much to think about. Too many decisions need to be made. Too many bridges need to be burned.
How did my life turn out this way? How did I go from a junior high student living with his mother, to a homeless , friendless, junior high dropout who is out to kill his brother and father? I could be the star guest on a trashy late night talk show. "Next on Confidential Confession! Dropouts who try to kill their families!"
Everything was so clear yesterday. Find Ranma and Genma. Kick their asses. Ruin their happiness. Simple, right? But then I meet Ranma and...he's not that bad of a guy. Sure he's not a saint, but he isn't the grade A asshole I had expected him to be. And no matter how hard I sit here and try to muster up some angst and anger I STILL CAN'T HATE HIM!
DAMN IT! If I hadn't actually talked to him, everything would be fine. I could have came, kicked some ass, and conquered. Ok...so maybe the ass kicking would have been a bit mutual. Ranma was tougher than I expected. That was a great fight...STOP BRAIN! HATE! ANGER! COME FOURTH FROM MY SOUL AND GET VENGEANCE!
....ok even posturing isn't working. Something is seriously wrong with me. Genma hating is still working out just fine, but he had never been my prime concern. I'm such a fool. All those years wasted hating someone who doesn't even know I exist. And why the hell doesn't he know I exist? Would knowing he has a brother make him WEAK or something? Were they afraid we'd meet and then we'd both have a friend in this cold world? Afraid we'd gang up on them and have something in our lives other than training?
That's the whole point, isn't it? Keeping him in the dark helped make him into a training machine. And playing me against him, kept me wanting to become stronger and stronger as I stared at his imaginary back.
But mom wouldn't do that...would she?
ARGH! WHO CARES! IT DOESN'T MATTER!
Even if she did do...that... she still was good to me. She still read to me as a kid. She still made me soup when I was sick. She helped me learn how to read when I had trouble in elementary school. When Checkers died she hugged me and told me lies about doggie heaven. Even with all the training and leaving me in the jungle that one time, even with her obsession with Ranma, I knew she still loved me.
Did Ranma have any of that?
I don't think he did. Genma wouldn't do it. All of that stuff would make him "weak". Well, so be it. I guess I'm just weak then. I'd rather be weak then not have had it.
Ranma can't ever have any of it. Mom's six feet under. He has no memories of her and he never will.
And that's why I can't hate him anymore no matter how much I might want to.
What do I do now? Tell Ranma and we both can put Genma in a body caste? Tell him nothing and go away to make another life for myself? I have an incomplete education and almost no money. What can I possibly do?
Mom said to "find my father and brother and help them continue the family school" but how do I do that? Would Ranma want a brother? Do I? Will Ukyou hate me EVEN MORE THAN SHE ALREADY DOES when she finds out?
And most importantly...is it getting hot in here?
I picked up another washcloth, dipped it in the water basin, and wiped my own face off with it. Oh great, I might be getting sick too. We probably picked up some kind of prehistoric virus from giant animal land. Whatever it is, it has to be one heck of a virus. I hardly ever get sick...
I start to take my shirt off and hesitate. The thick yellow fabric is starting to feel really warm but, should I really be undressing while a girl is unconscious? I feel creepy about it for some reason. Sure it's just a shirt, and she's not going to see but...Hold up. What's my problem? Guy's on the beach don't wear shirts and it's cool. What would Ukyou say if she was awake?
Heh...she'd probably say: 'SHUT THE HELL UP AND LET ME GO BACK TO SLEEP!'
Oh what the hell. Stop being a pussy Ryouga.
I pulled off the shirt and stuck it beside my futon. Blinking back sleep, I laid down on the bed. I can't go to sleep until her fever breaks. Besides, there are still hours till day break. I have an uncharacteristically large amount of thinking to do before morning.
By then, I'll have made my choice.
----
"Ryouga?"
"Can't...get away from the...birthing hips..."
"What the? Ryouga?"
"No...stay away...ooooh...no! We can't!"
"Ryouuuuuuuggaaaaa?"
"We're too young to...children be too violent..."
"Huh?"
"Oooh...No! Hey you smell bad..."
"RYOUGA! WAKE UP!"
I sat up.
"AHHHHHHH! WHAT?! WHAT?!"
I blinked back sleep and looked into the face of Ukyou who was standing in the door way. She raised an eyebrow. "What the hell were you dreaming about?"
"Um..." Mind going blank. Excuses failing me...too sleepy to think. "Well um...you see..."
Ukyou held her hand up. "Never mind. I don't want to know. I shall pretend we never had this conversation."
I hung my head. "Thank you."
I glanced at Ukyou from the corner of my eye as I waited for my heart to stop thudding in my ears. She stood in the doorway wearing a robe over a tank top and shorts. I sniffed the air. Her hair was wet and no unearthly smells emanated from her body. Whoa. She must be CLEAN.
Thank the gods.
"Yes yes, I'm CLEAN. Stop sniffing you look like a dog." Ukyou crinkled her nose and the side of her mouth twitched.
I opened my mouth to insult her back and then closed it when she smiled. I shifted how I was sitting. Better change topics instead. "So...feeling better?"
"Yeah." She walked over and plopped down on the futon next to me. "Thanks for the um..." She looked away. "Stuff you did for me during the night."
"You remember?" I looked away too. "No problem. The um...stuff was no big deal."
"Oh okay."
"Good."
"Good."
We stared at the walls for awhile.
"So..."
"So?"
"I know where Ranma and Genma are living," I suddenly blurted out without consulting my brain. I hate it when that happens.
Ukyou's eyes lit up. "What?" She leaned forward eagerly. "How?"
Here we go. Time to try the whole "make up a plan before you act" deal. Hopefully, what I thought up last night will work. "I'll tell you the exact address."
Ukyou was practically drooling. Who's acting like a doggie now?
I made eye contact. "I'll tell you...on two conditions."
"I knew that was too easy." She folded her arms across her chest. "So what will it be? Money? Extortion? Is there someone else you need me to kill first?" Her expression turned deadly. "You don't want...IS THAT WHY THOSE CONDOMS AND PAMPHLETS ARE IN THE CORNER OF THE ROOM?!"
"No! I--"
"Then where did they come from?" She narrowed her eyes.
"Hey! They're from the old woman! She's confused and stupid and--" I stopped as I noticed her shaking with laughter.
Ukyou grinned. "I already know about it. Ha ha..."
"Damn it, woman! Let me finish!"
"Ha ha ha ha. Yes, yes. Go on." Her laughter died off slowly...very slowly. She is an evil evil woman.
I sighed after Ukyou was finally done laughing her ass off at my expense. "The first condition is that you have to take me there too."
Ukyou looked at me like I was insane. Good thing I'm used to that look. "No way!"
"Wait. You can go after him first." I waited for her reaction.
Her expression changed from anger, surprise, and finally to suspicion. She was just a rainbow of emotions today. How great for her. Ukyou's eyebrows crinkled up. "Really?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
She leaned back and seemed to consider it. "What's the second condition?"
"You don't mention me."
She laughed, all the mirth gone from her tone. Her voice sounded like it was laced with vengeance. Ukyou could be wearing oni horns right now and she'd look quite natural. She can be a pretty creepy lady sometimes. "You think he's still going to be around after I'm done with him? What do you expect me to do? Slap him and walk away?"
What was she going to do? Despite her big talk, I don't think she could kill someone. Better keep that to myself, though. Don't' want to mess up the plan. "Do we have a deal or not?"
I could see the wheels turning in Ukyou's head. Hopefully, the hamsters won't get tired before she makes a decision. Finally, she looked up and met my gaze. Her eyes blazed with determination. I made sure not to look away.
Then Ukyou spit on her palm and held out her hand. "Deal?"
I glanced at her hand. "You really did abandon your femininity didn't you?"
"Do we have a deal or not?" She pushed her hand closer.
"Yeah." I spit on my hand and shook hers. "It's a deal."
I snickered. I can't help laughing at the irony of it all. "I guess I'll have to dig three graves."
"What?"
"Never mind."
Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day.
----
Contact Info:
aol instant messenger: ashes chan
ashez2ashes@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/ashez2ashes
Next chapter: Revenge is at hand. Secrets are revealed. And Genma regrets coming back from his vacation so soon. ^_-
Ryouga: Took you long enough.
Ashez: You have NO idea how close this came to being a lemon. It's best you be quiet.
Ryouga: o_o
Contact Info:
ashez2ashes@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/ashez2ashes/
----
The One Left Behind
Part 7
----
If you're planning on getting revenge, you better dig two graves.
There is plenty of good advice like that I have never followed. Like "look before you leap" or "turn the other cheek" or "the ten second rule does not apply in mosquito infested swamps". In fact, I'm starting to wonder if I've been going through life with my hands over my ears.
And oddly, despite all of that advice no one bothered to tell me how incredibly freakin bad alcohol tastes the second time around...Ugh. I wish the damn world would stop spinning.
How could I have not noticed the pigtailed boy was Ranma? I hung out with him, fought with him, talked with him, GOT DRUNK with him and...I had no clue. Sure I didn't have any pictures of him other than a baby picture of the both of us but...shouldn't I have known?
And the bald guy must have been Genma...
I just let them get away.
Why am I so weak minded?! Where are my convictions? Where is my determination? I made a vow at my mother's deathbed, damn it! You don't go back on those sorts of things!
And yet...I can't help thinking...It wouldn't be that bad to have a brother...
I wiped my mouth and stumbled back to sit underneath a tree. I had slept way past midday. It'd be dark in a couple of hours.
I'm such an idiot...I laid down on the ground and sighed.
Thinking sucks. But I don't have much to do right now as I sit in the shade. Everything feels too much. The sun is too bright, the chirping birds are too loud, and the grass is itchy. Grass has never been itchy before...
Ugh, nothing tastes worse than vomit. I need to brush my teeth...and I will as soon as the world stops dancing a jig.
The park I'm in is pretty much abandoned. Thank goodness. Nothing would have completed this shitty week like throwing up in front of a bunch of cute high school girls. I can hear them now: Eww! The stinky guy in the yellow shirt is puking! He'll never get a girlfriend! Ewwww!
At least I know my drunken wanderings didn't take me too far. Thanks to a large sign reading "Nerima Park" that I vomited behind, I know that I'm still in the right area.
There is another person across the lake, but I don't think she witnessed the amazing projectile vomit show. I can see the old woman sitting on a bench, feeding the birds. Why old ladies do that is beyond me. It's not like the birds can't get food for themselves. What kind of old ladies feed birds? Maybe she's an evil old lady and is feeding them poison bird seed or something. Heh.
Hangovers suck.
I stared at the lake, letting my mind go blank. I don't know how long I stayed like that, could have been a few hours. But no matter how much time passed, I was out of it and off of my guard. My haze was broken as ripples began suddenly appearing on the lake's surface.
I didn't stand a chance.
It rose from the lake like a bad horror movie and screamed a war cry. Vines clung to whatever it was like the creature from the black lagoon. Slowly its slime and mud covered head appeared from the inky depths of the lake. Its form was human, but the rest was some kind of sludge monster. Angry brown eyes glared through the muck. The rest of the body slithered out. Water dripped from its body. Clunk. The being was carrying something heavy. It stepped toward me.
Clunk. Another step. Clunk.
I could do nothing but stare in morbid fascination as my head pounded.
Step. Clunk. Step.
I was rooted to the spot. My body was frozen.
Step. Clunk. Step.
Then it opened its mouth and said something... and I knew my doom was sealed.
"DAMN YOU RYOUGA! YOU LEFT ME BEHIND!"
Oh, this was even BETTER than puking in front of high school girls! Whoo...hooo...
Ukyou threw a portable grill in my face. "YOU ASSHOLE!"
I pulled the massive clunky grill off of me. That was going to leave a bruise. "Ukyou! What the hell happened to you?!"
Tears started to stream from the mud covered face. But the anger did not die. The void to hell personified was not going to let vengeance fade away so easily. No, it wanted blood! Male blood!
"WHAT DIDN'T HAPPEN TO ME?! GIANT MONSTERS ATTACKED ME AND THERE WAS AN EVIL CREPE GUY AND A DRAGON THAT EATS GIRLS!" She flung her arms about angrily and bits of slime flew into my face. Ok I stand corrected. Some things do taste worse than vomit.
Ukyou stopped in front of me and loomed. She had the looming down to an art. It felt like she had grown nine feet tall and nine feet wide. She took up my whole vision. Her brown eyes glinted with death.
And she smelled pretty bad too.
"THE DRAGON EATS JUST GIRLS! WHAT KIND OF SEXIST BULLSHIT IS THAT?!" She pulled off her muck covered spatula. "HOW--" Clang! "COULD-" Clang! "YOU--" Clang! "LEAVE--" Clang! "ME--" Clang! "THERE!"
"Ow! I've got a hangover damn it! Stop it!" I stood on wobbly feet and tried to inch away.
She tackled me like an American football player.
"YOU JERK! I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU DID THAT! YOU'RE JUST LIKE RANMA!" She punched me in the back a couple times.
Wait a minute! That's going too far! I turned around abruptly so she was straddling my chest. "I AM NOT LIKE RANMA!"
"YES YOU ARE! I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE! HOW DARE YOU DITCH ME BEFORE I COULD DITCH YOU?!" She pounded my chest.
"It was an accident! When the pig came I got lost and..." I paused. "What do you mean BEFORE YOU COULD DITCH ME?!"
Ukyou's hands started to choke me. "AND YOUR HARD MUSCLES ARE HURTING MY HANDS YOU STUPID JERK!"
"Ack...can't breathe...!"
Her grip lessened suddenly, but held on weakly. "I JUST DON'T...like to be..." She feels kind of warm. "The... one... left behind." She abruptly slumped onto me.
What the hell?
"Hey! Ukyou! Wake up!" I shook her shoulders. "You were in the middle of beating me up!"
No response. Her breathing was regular but shallow. She was out like a light.
I put a hand to her forehead and winced. She was burning up. And she was...laying on top of me.
Ack!
Oh great! Just great! Now I have nosebleed blood all mixed in with the muck! Now I'm even more disgusting! What's wrong with you stupid body?! She's unconscious and she smells really bad! This is so not the time for reactions!!
I rolled her off of me and onto the grass. Crap! What am I going to do? WhatamIgoingtodowhatamIgoingtodo?! Her temperature has to be at least 102! I can't take care of a sick person by myself! And with my sense of direction, I'll never make it to a clinic or a hospital! Damn it! Damn it all! Why do I have to be so defective?! She's going to die and it'll be all my fault! And she'll haunt me forever! I'll be eighty years old and her ghost will still be floating around going 'RYOoOUuGAa'S Aaaaa DUmBAaASSS.'
Dammity damn damn damn damn ...
"Excuse me?"
I jumped into the air and spun around. "W-what?"
It was the old lady from across the lake. She looked concerned. "Is there some kind of trouble? Can I help you with something?"
I looked at the lady with teary eyes. I know what kind of ladies feed the birds, nice old ladies!
"Please Ma'am. My...friend seems to be sick. She needs a doctor, but I don't know the area. Can you show me where one is please?"
The lady didn't seem to believe me completely. "Your friend that was beating you up a few moments ago?"
"Oh uh...that. She's um..." I glanced over to see if Ukyou was still sound asleep. "She's emotionally unstable. Does that all the time." I tried to look saint like.
The old lady shrugged and adjusted her pink purse. "Your girlfriend looks like she has strong birthing hips on her!"
Huh? "No she's a girl and she's a friend, but she's not a girl--"
"Yes yes," the lady interrupted, "Strong birthing hips! My son runs a clinic not too far from here. His name is Doctor Tofu. I'll take you there." She glanced at Ukyou.
"Oh-okay." I picked up my pack. I might as well take her damn grill too. I hoisted the metal monstrosity with the other arm. The double straps strained my back muscles, but it wasn't more than I could take. Finally, I gently picked up Ukyou in my arms and tried to ignore her being there. This was important. There was no time to spaz out.
Besides, there was no point in paying attention. I'm sure my brain will pick up too many details anyway and I can spaz out later.
"Ok let's go." I looked up and locked eyes with the old lady. Who knows what she thinks of me. She probably thinks we're some runaway teenage couple or something. Ugh.
She started walking off away from the park and I made sure to follow closely. I didn't want to be left behind.
----
I hope Ukyou doesn't remember that we stopped to hose her down.
After an hour of walking, we made it to the clinic. Before we went in I stopped to drop Ukyou's disgusting grill in the front parking lot.
A small flower bed was filled with roses and the windows sparkled like someone cleaned them often. We walked through the glass doors and into a reception area. A few chairs were set up against the walls, with a secretary area in front. The room branched off into at least three other rooms. The final patient of the day was hobbling out, slowly, with her head bent at a weird angle. What the heck did she do to herself to end up like that?
We waited for less than a minute when a young man in a lab coat, looked like he was in his late twenties, walked out from a back room. His black hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck, like Ukyou does (I TOLD her it was a guy hairstyle). He wore thick glasses and his lab coat was white, but not TOO white as if he washed it regularly but it still got lots of use. That must be Doctor Tofu.
Doctor Tofu, I assume that's who he is, walked up to us. He glanced at Ukyou and raised an eyebrow. I opened my mouth to explain, but he interrupted me.
"Please, bring the patient into the sick room first. This way please." He beckoned with his hand and walked down a hallway and into a room. I repositioned Ukyou in my arms and followed.
It wasn't far to go so I didn't get lost (6 feet I can manage). The room was small and filled with cots. Glass shelves lined the room and curtains separated each bed. We were the only people there.
I sat Ukyou down on a bed softly. If I dropped her, there'd be hell to pay when she woke up.
Doctor Tofu turned to the old lady, ignoring me for the moment. "Who have you brought me, Mother?"
The old lady sighed melodramatically. "Two...run away teens."
If I had been drinking water, I would have spit it out. "Uh ma'am we're not really...Uh we're not really running away from anything." Smooth. Rrrreeal smooth.
Then the old lady's demeanor changed as she rounded on me. She raised a white eyebrow at me and opened her mouth slightly in shock. "You're not..."in trouble" are you?"
Huh? I blinked. "What? Do you mean with the law?" Feh, as if the law could catch me!...which is definitely not what I should say.
"You know very well buster!" She pointed a bony finger at me. "You were all over each other in the park!"
I blinked again. "What do you..." Realization hit me like a giant tanuki statue to the head. "Hey! Ukyou is NOT p-p-pregnant!"
Tofu pulled out a thermomter from his coat and stuck it in Ukyou's ear as his crazy mother continued to rant.
"Kids these days. And you even smell like booze." The stupid bird feeding old lady shook her head. I bet she was poisoning those birds! "You better take responsibility for what you've done. Sure, she has great birthing hips, but that's no excuse!"
I rubbed my temples as the hangover decided to wage war on my brain again. "Listen ma'am...Ukyou is NOT pregnant, let alone with mine, I mean, we're not even...and she'd never with me and...She's just not that kind of girl ok?!"
"I just feel bad for the child..." The Old Lady sighed again.
I tried to stop my imagination before it got away with me. You are not allowed to go to a scary imaginary place right now brain!
Tofu sighed and pulled a thermoter from Ukyou's ear. "Mother please..." He glanced at the reading. "Ah, she's running a very high fever. Not dangerously high, but still high. She must have just collapsed from sheer exhaustion. I'll give her something to bring it down while I run some tests. You said her name was..?
I glanced at Tofu. "Oh. Her name is Ukyou Kuonji."
Doctor Tofu nodded. "And you are?"
"Ryouga...Is she going to be ok? I don't have much money, but I can pay you." There goes the last of it. Time to start being a true mountain man and forage for nuts and berries in the wilderness for the rest of my life. Maybe someone will mistake me for big foot and I'll get on the news.
Tofu sat on a stool near the cot. "She'll be fine. You can pay me however much you can now and give me the rest when you can." He smiled good naturedly.
Someone is being nice to me. This is odd. Good..but odd. "Thanks!
"Do you have a place to stay?" He stood up and busied himself with some doctor stuff. I'm not sure what he was doing but there were tubes and little plastic thingies he was throwing away.
"We've been camping out. We're martial artists on a quest of sorts." I SUCK at lying don't I? I half expected Tofu to look weirded out and surprised, but he just shrugged.
"We get a lot of those out here."
Ooookaay...That's information that I better put away and think about later.
The old lady tutted. She clinched her fists a few times, like her hands yearned for a frying pan to smack me with. "Making a pregnant woman wander around the country side. That poor girl."
Argh! What's wrong with this woman? She's stupider than me.
"Ukyou doesn't even look pregnant. Are you calling her fat? Ukyou is NOT fat!" Why isn't she ever conscious when I'm saying nice things about her?
The old lady looked unconvinced. "Some people carry--"
I cut her off. "Ukyou is NOT pregnant ok?! I've never touched her! Besides, she wouldn't even let me touch her if I even wanted to! Not that I do want to..." I glanced nervously to reassure myself she was still asleep. "She's just a friend ok?"
Tofu stood up and straightened his coat. "It's getting late. I've got a spare room in the back you can use for the night if you want. The fever should break by morning, but I don't want her outside right now."
The old lady looked flustered. "You can't encourage them..."
Tofu shrugged and led the way out of the room.
"It's not our place to judge. At any rate, he carried her and her things for quite awhile to get here and he was worried about her. I think that more than proves his character." He pushed his glasses back up his nose with his index finger. "Does she have a dry change of clothes?
We stopped in the waiting room.
"Uh...Her pack is in the grill. The thing was shut, so they might still be dry." The thing was nearly air tight. It could probably double as a vault.
Doctor Tofu smiled at his mother, turning up the charm. "Mother, could you help me out? I don't mind, but she would probably feel better if a woman changed her out of her wet clothes."
"All right..." The old lady slowly turned to leave and tossed one last glare at me over her shoulder as she left.
Tofu showed me to a slightly dusty back room where I helped him set out several futons and some other stuff. It was a nice room, but bare and only had one small window. Nothing impressive, but the beige walls would keep out the cold. It would be a nice change from the outdoors. Doctor Tofu was an all right guy. I owe him one. I'll have to repay him later, somehow.
Well, there's something I've got to look forward to, beyond Ranma and Genma.
I sat in the waiting room for an hour before Tofu came back with the results. Apparently, she had gotten some kind of weird flu, but it wasn't life threatening. The doc told me some stuff and I really tried to listen, but occasionally I'd take a glance outside at the setting sun. Tofu said something about 'contagious'? Eh, we're close to where Ranma lives aren't we?
"--And that should be everything. You got that?"
"Sure." Got what?
"I'll lock up and come by in the morning to check on you. Ukyou's in the back room, asleep. Good night." Tofu gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder and then went to drag his mother away.
The old lady stopped to shove condoms and pamphlets on "responsibility" at me.
I glanced at one of them with pictures and felt my face turning red. I just want to die. Right now. Melt into a puddle and disappear. Anything to escape the embarrassment. At least, psycho chef was asleep. I'd never hear the end of it if she wasn't.
"You make sure to read ALL of those!" The evil old woman glared at me as her son dragged her off.
The door was shut behind them and it was just me, Ukyou, Ukyou's germs, and my thoughts...
----
I can't help watching her sleep.
Don't get me wrong, it's not in some creepy pervert way or anything. It's just a habit I guess. A sick people watching habit. Which DOES sound kind of creepy now that I think about it... But see, I've got a reason. I used to watch mom sleep when she was sick. I'd sit up all night watching, afraid I'd wake up and she'd be gone. It's silly I know. Ukyou's not that sick. The doc said she would be fine and her fever is already starting to break. But still...I feel better watching.
Her eye lids keep twitching and she tosses and turns slightly in her sleep. I guess she's having a nightmare. The first time she did it, I almost woke her up. But then, she would settle down suddenly and everything would be ok.
I reached over and took the warm washcloth from her forehead and dipped it in the bowl of cold water sitting beside our futons. I rung the cloth out and gently put it back on her forehead. She sighed and the eye twitching thing stopped. I wonder what she's dreaming about.
She's probably dreaming about killing Ranma. She sure is violent...I still don't understand her reason for giving up her femininity. She was only what? 5? 6? I can understand why she wouldn't want to be dainty and giggly like a normal girl. But to completely give it up? I would hate being wimpy too but...I'm a guy. She's a girl. Aren't girls supposed to like that sort of thing?
Well, she's good at cooking and she's good at fighting, but I don't know how good she's at being a guy. Even when I thought she was a guy, I thought she was a really GIRLY guy. She still walks like a girl. She still smiles like a girl...Ok, she cusses like a sailor, I'll give her that. And she sure as hell hits like a guy.
I rubbed the bump on my head where she had whacked me with a spatula.
Who needs really girly girls anyway? You have to be all careful and nice around them or they start crying and send their giant sumo pig out to eat you. I try to be nice to them anyway, but who knows what will set them off? They're strange confusing unpredictable creatures! They want you to be honest with them, then they expect you to always say no when they ask if they're fat. Or when they ask if their sumo pig scared the rest of the kids. Gee, no Akari, the elementary baseball team enjoyed getting trampled. They're just crying because it was so much fun!
Feh...
But Ukyou isn't like that. If you say something stupid to her, she just beats you upside the head and then it's all good. That's...nice. Ok that's not supposed to be nice, but it is for some reason. Simpler maybe? She's not like a girl she's like...a real person.
She's not that bad the way she is. But I can't very well pull out some after-school-special morality and say she should be happy for who she is. I have no ground to stand on. I hate my brother and father and I haven't told anyone my last name in over a year.
I wonder if she hates me now? Does it really matter? She's going to hate me when she finds out the truth. I can't hide who I am forever. God damn it then she'll look at me...not like the glare she uses for the guy that accidently got lost and let her fight off a dragon by herself. I could deal with that. No, she'll look at me like the brother of her mortal enemy, like the guy who has been lying to her for over a month. She'll hate me.
That's gonna suck.
I pulled her covers over her shoulders. They had fallen down during the night.
This night seems never ending. Time plods along like an old man with a broken hip. I leaned back against the wooden wall.
Quit it, Ryouga. Focus. I'm not just staying awake for her benefit. Even though staying up just for her sounds nice, I've got too much to think about. Too many decisions need to be made. Too many bridges need to be burned.
How did my life turn out this way? How did I go from a junior high student living with his mother, to a homeless , friendless, junior high dropout who is out to kill his brother and father? I could be the star guest on a trashy late night talk show. "Next on Confidential Confession! Dropouts who try to kill their families!"
Everything was so clear yesterday. Find Ranma and Genma. Kick their asses. Ruin their happiness. Simple, right? But then I meet Ranma and...he's not that bad of a guy. Sure he's not a saint, but he isn't the grade A asshole I had expected him to be. And no matter how hard I sit here and try to muster up some angst and anger I STILL CAN'T HATE HIM!
DAMN IT! If I hadn't actually talked to him, everything would be fine. I could have came, kicked some ass, and conquered. Ok...so maybe the ass kicking would have been a bit mutual. Ranma was tougher than I expected. That was a great fight...STOP BRAIN! HATE! ANGER! COME FOURTH FROM MY SOUL AND GET VENGEANCE!
....ok even posturing isn't working. Something is seriously wrong with me. Genma hating is still working out just fine, but he had never been my prime concern. I'm such a fool. All those years wasted hating someone who doesn't even know I exist. And why the hell doesn't he know I exist? Would knowing he has a brother make him WEAK or something? Were they afraid we'd meet and then we'd both have a friend in this cold world? Afraid we'd gang up on them and have something in our lives other than training?
That's the whole point, isn't it? Keeping him in the dark helped make him into a training machine. And playing me against him, kept me wanting to become stronger and stronger as I stared at his imaginary back.
But mom wouldn't do that...would she?
ARGH! WHO CARES! IT DOESN'T MATTER!
Even if she did do...that... she still was good to me. She still read to me as a kid. She still made me soup when I was sick. She helped me learn how to read when I had trouble in elementary school. When Checkers died she hugged me and told me lies about doggie heaven. Even with all the training and leaving me in the jungle that one time, even with her obsession with Ranma, I knew she still loved me.
Did Ranma have any of that?
I don't think he did. Genma wouldn't do it. All of that stuff would make him "weak". Well, so be it. I guess I'm just weak then. I'd rather be weak then not have had it.
Ranma can't ever have any of it. Mom's six feet under. He has no memories of her and he never will.
And that's why I can't hate him anymore no matter how much I might want to.
What do I do now? Tell Ranma and we both can put Genma in a body caste? Tell him nothing and go away to make another life for myself? I have an incomplete education and almost no money. What can I possibly do?
Mom said to "find my father and brother and help them continue the family school" but how do I do that? Would Ranma want a brother? Do I? Will Ukyou hate me EVEN MORE THAN SHE ALREADY DOES when she finds out?
And most importantly...is it getting hot in here?
I picked up another washcloth, dipped it in the water basin, and wiped my own face off with it. Oh great, I might be getting sick too. We probably picked up some kind of prehistoric virus from giant animal land. Whatever it is, it has to be one heck of a virus. I hardly ever get sick...
I start to take my shirt off and hesitate. The thick yellow fabric is starting to feel really warm but, should I really be undressing while a girl is unconscious? I feel creepy about it for some reason. Sure it's just a shirt, and she's not going to see but...Hold up. What's my problem? Guy's on the beach don't wear shirts and it's cool. What would Ukyou say if she was awake?
Heh...she'd probably say: 'SHUT THE HELL UP AND LET ME GO BACK TO SLEEP!'
Oh what the hell. Stop being a pussy Ryouga.
I pulled off the shirt and stuck it beside my futon. Blinking back sleep, I laid down on the bed. I can't go to sleep until her fever breaks. Besides, there are still hours till day break. I have an uncharacteristically large amount of thinking to do before morning.
By then, I'll have made my choice.
----
"Ryouga?"
"Can't...get away from the...birthing hips..."
"What the? Ryouga?"
"No...stay away...ooooh...no! We can't!"
"Ryouuuuuuuggaaaaa?"
"We're too young to...children be too violent..."
"Huh?"
"Oooh...No! Hey you smell bad..."
"RYOUGA! WAKE UP!"
I sat up.
"AHHHHHHH! WHAT?! WHAT?!"
I blinked back sleep and looked into the face of Ukyou who was standing in the door way. She raised an eyebrow. "What the hell were you dreaming about?"
"Um..." Mind going blank. Excuses failing me...too sleepy to think. "Well um...you see..."
Ukyou held her hand up. "Never mind. I don't want to know. I shall pretend we never had this conversation."
I hung my head. "Thank you."
I glanced at Ukyou from the corner of my eye as I waited for my heart to stop thudding in my ears. She stood in the doorway wearing a robe over a tank top and shorts. I sniffed the air. Her hair was wet and no unearthly smells emanated from her body. Whoa. She must be CLEAN.
Thank the gods.
"Yes yes, I'm CLEAN. Stop sniffing you look like a dog." Ukyou crinkled her nose and the side of her mouth twitched.
I opened my mouth to insult her back and then closed it when she smiled. I shifted how I was sitting. Better change topics instead. "So...feeling better?"
"Yeah." She walked over and plopped down on the futon next to me. "Thanks for the um..." She looked away. "Stuff you did for me during the night."
"You remember?" I looked away too. "No problem. The um...stuff was no big deal."
"Oh okay."
"Good."
"Good."
We stared at the walls for awhile.
"So..."
"So?"
"I know where Ranma and Genma are living," I suddenly blurted out without consulting my brain. I hate it when that happens.
Ukyou's eyes lit up. "What?" She leaned forward eagerly. "How?"
Here we go. Time to try the whole "make up a plan before you act" deal. Hopefully, what I thought up last night will work. "I'll tell you the exact address."
Ukyou was practically drooling. Who's acting like a doggie now?
I made eye contact. "I'll tell you...on two conditions."
"I knew that was too easy." She folded her arms across her chest. "So what will it be? Money? Extortion? Is there someone else you need me to kill first?" Her expression turned deadly. "You don't want...IS THAT WHY THOSE CONDOMS AND PAMPHLETS ARE IN THE CORNER OF THE ROOM?!"
"No! I--"
"Then where did they come from?" She narrowed her eyes.
"Hey! They're from the old woman! She's confused and stupid and--" I stopped as I noticed her shaking with laughter.
Ukyou grinned. "I already know about it. Ha ha..."
"Damn it, woman! Let me finish!"
"Ha ha ha ha. Yes, yes. Go on." Her laughter died off slowly...very slowly. She is an evil evil woman.
I sighed after Ukyou was finally done laughing her ass off at my expense. "The first condition is that you have to take me there too."
Ukyou looked at me like I was insane. Good thing I'm used to that look. "No way!"
"Wait. You can go after him first." I waited for her reaction.
Her expression changed from anger, surprise, and finally to suspicion. She was just a rainbow of emotions today. How great for her. Ukyou's eyebrows crinkled up. "Really?"
I nodded. "Yeah."
She leaned back and seemed to consider it. "What's the second condition?"
"You don't mention me."
She laughed, all the mirth gone from her tone. Her voice sounded like it was laced with vengeance. Ukyou could be wearing oni horns right now and she'd look quite natural. She can be a pretty creepy lady sometimes. "You think he's still going to be around after I'm done with him? What do you expect me to do? Slap him and walk away?"
What was she going to do? Despite her big talk, I don't think she could kill someone. Better keep that to myself, though. Don't' want to mess up the plan. "Do we have a deal or not?"
I could see the wheels turning in Ukyou's head. Hopefully, the hamsters won't get tired before she makes a decision. Finally, she looked up and met my gaze. Her eyes blazed with determination. I made sure not to look away.
Then Ukyou spit on her palm and held out her hand. "Deal?"
I glanced at her hand. "You really did abandon your femininity didn't you?"
"Do we have a deal or not?" She pushed her hand closer.
"Yeah." I spit on my hand and shook hers. "It's a deal."
I snickered. I can't help laughing at the irony of it all. "I guess I'll have to dig three graves."
"What?"
"Never mind."
Tomorrow was going to be one hell of a day.
----
Contact Info:
aol instant messenger: ashes chan
ashez2ashes@yahoo.com
http://www.geocities.com/ashez2ashes
Next chapter: Revenge is at hand. Secrets are revealed. And Genma regrets coming back from his vacation so soon. ^_-
Ryouga: Took you long enough.
Ashez: You have NO idea how close this came to being a lemon. It's best you be quiet.
Ryouga: o_o