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Clogged Sink Press Presents:

The Crow/Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction:


                             As the Crow Flies


By Plunger

      All characters copyright of Rumiko Takahashi, Shogakukan Inc. and
              Viz Communications, etc., etc., blah, blah, blah...
      The Crow is copyright of James O'Barr or whoever else owns it...  
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[Story begins...]

[Chapter #7 Confrontation]

The black limo moved quietly through the rain, rolling up to the Tendou-ke 
with it's lights off. Inside, a man and a woman spoke.

"Are you ready?" the man asked.

"Yes," replied the woman, "I know what to do..."

The man opened the door and got out. He was carrying a katana, "Good... There 
must be no witnesses..."

They moved quickly away from the car and flitted through the shadows. Above 
them on the wall, Ranma watched. With an athletic leap, he jumped from the
fence to the roof of the house. A moment later, the gate opened and the two
figures crept through. 

Ranma watched them approach the house slowly. He sat quietly, disguised by the
sounds of the rain. He tensed as they moved below him. With a shout, he leapt 
down and kicked them to the ground. They rolled away and Ranma moved in. 

He grabbed the woman and hurled her against the wall and punched her in the 
face. He was about to follow up, when the katana suddenly popped through his
chest. He looked dully down at it and cursed his lack of concentration. Pul-
ling himself off the sword, he jumped and rebounded off the wall. He caught
the man's head between his knees and slammed him into the damp ground. The 
man got slowly to his feet and gaped at Ranma.

"Impossible..." he muttered, "We killed you! You're dead! I saw the funeral!"

Ranma laughed and kicked him in the face, "That's right! I'm dead! Why do you
think I didn't die just then?! Now it's your turn..." Ranma grabbed the man 
around the neck and lifted him off the ground.

"NO!" 

Ranma looked over to the source of the shout. The woman was standing next to
a terrorfied looking Akane. The woman held a gun to her head. "Let him go..."
she ordered. Ranma cursed his luck. Akane must have heard the sound and come
to see what it was.

"Alright! Don't do anything to her!" Ranma shouted. He stepped back relucta-
ntly, glancing at Akane he did. Everywhere he moved, her eyes followed. An 
expression of mixed horror and hope on her face. Even through the rain, he
could see the shock she obviously felt.

The man grabbed his sword and smiled, "The funs just starting! We've got all
night to kill!" He laughed at his own joke then stabbed Ranma in the chest.
Ranma did not even flinch as the blade bit into him. The man stared and then
frowned and twisted the sword.

"Disapointed?" Ranma asked. He reached behind him and pulled a pistol out of 
his belt and kicked the man's knee out. As he did so, he turned and fired at
the woman, hitting her in the shoulder, she staggered back, dropping her gun.
"GET OUT OF HERE, AKANE!" he shouted. 

Akane nodded and ran back into the house as he lunged at the woman, who was
drawing another gun on Akane. Akane heard a gunshot and looked back to see 
Ranma wrestling with the woman on the ground. She could see he was bleeding 
from a dozen wounds of various types. She stopped, staring in fascinated 
horror at the scene of violence before her, the darkness and cold seeming to
amplify the hiddeousness of it all.

The man limped to his feet and grabbed his sword as Ranma headbutted the woman
and shot her through the hand. The man slowly but surely limped towards the
place where Ranma and the woman were stilll brawling. Akane could see that 
Ranma was too busy to see him coming. She knew she had to do something, but 
she was afraid... Afraid of these people..and of Ranma... If that was Ranma...

She struggled with herself for a moment and then acted. She had to do some-
thing. If that was Ranma and he died again, she would never forgive herself.

Decision made, she ran straight at the man and leapt out into the now pouring
rain, kicking him in the face. He reeled back and she attacked, kicking him 
in the knee and and bashing him in the face. He stumbed back and hit her with 
the hilt of the sword, felling her.

Ranma grabbed the woman by the throat and lifted her off the ground, "Now it's 
your turn!" he grated. Ranma jumped and drove her into the ground with their 
combined weight behind the impact. He heard the air rush out of her and heard
the sound of ribs snapping. He saw her eyes dilate in pain, then darken in 
anger as she kicked him away. 

Ranma somersaulted and landed on his feet and she struggled to get up. He was
about to rush her when the man spoke, "Well... This has been most entertai-
ning, I must say... But now it's time to end it... Or rather...to end her!"

Ranma looked down to see the sword point at Akane's throat. A strangled shout
was wrenched from his throat as he lunged. He saw the blade start to fall as
he slid through the mud. He grabbed Akane and rolled on top of her as the 
sword pierced his back again. He rolled to his feet and leapt up onto the 
roof with Akane. She held him tightly, her eyes squeezed shut. 

When they landed, he put her down, "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned. Akane 
stepped uncertainly away from him, fear in her eyes, "I..is that really 
you... Ranma?"

Ranma nodded, "Yes. It's me... I can't explain... It's too hard... Listen...
Go and find some cover... I'll take care of this..."

Akane stared dubiously at him for a moment and he frowned, "Go, you stupid 
tomboy!" Akane smiled, much to his surprise, and hugged him, "It really is 
you!" she exclaimed. Ranma nervously hugged her back, "Er... Yeah... Now-"

He was cut off as the man spoke, "Well, well... Isn't this romantic?! The 
lovers reunited..." He curled his lip derisively and limped forward, "You 
damned fools have cost me a fortune! Why couldn't you just sell up and go 
away?!" he ranted. As he moved forward, he was joined by the woman.

Ranma moved back across the slippery roof, shielding Akane with his body, 
"You started all this! I suppose you did the same to all our neigbors... 
Blackmailing them into moving out!" 

The man laughed, "Of course! When I want something, I get it!"

Ranma smiled and cracked his knuckles, "So do I... AND I WANT YOU DEAD!"

Ranma rushed forwards and slammed a haymaker punch into the man's face. The 
man reeled back and Ranma kicked him, then hit the woman with his other foot.
They both moved to counter and Ranma blocked, then threw them back onto the
wet tiles, "You guys are no match for me! You're nothing when your guns don't 
work!"

The woman pulled a pistol and aimed it at Akane in an attempt to distract him.
Ranma simply jumped at her.

Akane looked away and she saw chunks of flesh being torn out of Ranma's back
by the intruding bullets. 

Ranma grabbed the woman and threw her on the ground. As he moved in for the
kill, he was slashed across the back by the sword. He cursed, backing up and
dodging. The man laughed maniacly as he swung the sword, "HAHAHAHAHA! I've
been practicing with this thing for five years! I know how to use it!"

Ranma ducked and kicked the man's injured leg, forcing him to his knees.

Ranma backed up until he reached the end of the roof. The man rose to his feet 
and closed in. Ranma looked past him and saw the woman was regaining consci-
ousness. He knew he had to act. 

Suddenly a metal object was pressed into his hand from behind. He looked back 
to see Akane nod grimly to him. He took the TV ariel in hand and fended as 
the man swung the katana. Ranma slashed with the antenna, tearing the man's 
shirt. 

They moved back across the roof, slashing and parrying. It was becoming clear
that Ranma was the better swordsman, when he was shot in the back by a gun 
that sent him rolling across the roof. He looked up, wondering what sort of 
handcannon had been able to do that. He saw the woman holding a shotgun and 
grinning wildly at him. He also saw Akane moving up behind her. Ranma watched
with some satisfaction as Akane tapped her on the shoulder, then punched her 
off the roof as she turned, sending her tumbling two stories to the ground.

Ranma's reverie was interupted as the sword cut across his vision. He dodged 
it and rolled to his feet. The man attacked in a frenzy of wild and uncont-
rolled blows. Ranma dodged and parried as best he could, but he was finding 
the slippery roof to be trecherous footing and he was getting cut to pieces. 

Finally, he feigned a stumble and rolled back. The man moved in for the kill 
and Ranma kicked him into the air. As he came down, Ranma stabbed up with the 
antenna. The pole tore through the man and then impaled itself back into the 
roof, leaving the man's body hanging limply from the ariel.

"I always knew TV was bad for you..." Ranma muttered. 

He looked around and saw Akane standing a few feet away, the driving rain 
still falling all around them. She looked worridly at him. "Ranma..." she 
whispered, "I-is... Is it over?" He could hardly hear her for the sound of 
the storm.

He nodded and then walked away. 

"Wait!" she called, "Where are you going?!" 

Ranma turned and said, "I can't tell you... But... I can't stay... I wish I 
could... I'm sorry..." 

"Wait, Ranma..." she replied ignoring his protests, "You have to know... I'm
pregnant..."

Ranma stared in shock, "H-how..." 

"Remember the night we spent together?" she explained.

"B-but..." Ranma stammered.

Akane looked pleadingly at him, "Please stay, Ranma... I need you..."

Ranma looked desparate and sad at the same time, "I..I can't... I don't have 
any choice." With that, he turned and leapt off the roof and into the night. 
Akane ran unsteadily to the edge, but could not see him in the blackness, 
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! RANMAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" she cried in misery and rage.

Ranma staggered through the driving rain into the graveyard and slumped down 
against his headstone. He suddenly felt incredibly tired. He sat back in a 
state of exhaustion and emptiness. In one night he had completed his mission. 
And now it was over. Much as he he wanted to stay, he knew the conditions he 
had agreed to, and he accepted them.

Nonetheless, bitterness ran through his soul like poison in his veins. Akane 
would have to raise their child alone. Their son or daughter would never 
have a chance to know their father.

For the first time in his long ordeal, Ranma began to cry. Not for himself,
but for the family he was leaving behind. He knew they needed him, but he 
also knew that he no longer had any say in whether he remained. He wanted,
more than anything, to stay with Akane. After all of the pain and suffering
and madness, he desparately wanted some good to come of it all... 

And finally something was... He was going to be a father... That made it all 
worthwhile, and made it that much more painful at the same time. He wanted 
more than anything to marry Akane and to be a father. All of his doubts and
irresponsibility lay behind him, washed away by his love for his fiancee and
his child. 

He sighed, knowing that it was out of his hands. He lay back against the stone
and closed his eyes. If he was to get a chance to live again... It would be
up to the crow...

The rain and tears mingled on his Ranma's face as he lay on the muddy ground.
After a mercifully few moments of bitter agony, he slipped into the the 
comforting blackness...

[End part 8]
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