Race to the End
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by Bravoexo
A Fanfic inspired by the Anime Ranma 1/2 (Rumiko Takahashi)
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Ranma limbered up. Extending his limbs and torso at all angles hoping to
relieve his body of any stress. Stretching was good for him. And for
tonight, a requirement of great importance. He jumped and skipped around,
feeling his legs. He knew he was in top form, but something in his mind
wanted more than his hundred percent for his performance tonight. He
checked the time, ten more minutes, and made some last minute
preparations.
"Aren't you going to join us, Ranma?" Kasumi asked while standing in front
of the gates of the Tendo dojo. Everyone else was outside, enjoying the
fireworks, the display of lights and sounds.
"Coming." Ranma walked out the gates with the eldest of the sisters.
"Whoa, looks like this will be a great session." The streets was
literally littered with firecrackers, homemade bombs, some by Happosai
himself, and some made by Mousse, and a lot more fireworks.
"Ready?" Akane was jogging in place, smiling in a festive mood. "I'm not
sure why I'm doing this, though."
Ranma chuckled. "Of course you do." Ranma walked up to the starting
block. A chalked line drawn in the middle of the road. Akane waved
goodbye and ran further up the street. Ranma took the middle slot. Ryoga
was on his left, Kuno on his right.
"Why on earth are we doing this?" Ryoga had to ask. Kuno too was
doubting.
"Hey, it wasn't me." Ranma turned to the sidelines, where the rest of the
spectators were taking their places. Nabiki smiled back, waving and
smirking too. "If you ask me, though. May the best man win." Kuno
stomped his bokken on the ground.
"That may be, Saotome. But I will win this one, for the love of my fair
Akane! You three will be of no meager match in this contest."
"Bah, humbug, Kuno. What ever happened to your pigtailed goddess?"
Ranma,and Ryoga too couldn't help laughing in Kuno's face. Mousse all
ignored them, he stood quietly on his side of the starting line.
"Don't insult me...you...you...transvestite!! I shall free my fair Akane
Tendo from your leeching hands!" Ranma wanted to add something, but the
whistle signaling the start of the contest was blown.
"!0, 9, 8," Ranma checked the road ahead, all of the flints were lit, "7,
6, 5."
Ryoga sniffed the midnight air. It was filled with the smell of burning
ember, and most of it was dying to explode in their faces. Kuno threw his
bokken away, bracing to get a head start. "4, 3, 2,"
"One!"
The whole street erupted in flames, explosion, and smoke. Ranma, Ryoga,
Kuno and Mousse drove right through the crossfire of baby rockets,
firecrackers, and of course, several hundred Happosai made bombs. The
sound was deafening, and more so within the innards of the inferno of
fire. Screams could be heard, bodies were hurled left and right, slamming
on the pavement and on the wall. Whoever would emerge on the end would
certainly be worthy of the prize.
Ryoga grimaced as he was nailed down by a rocket. He slammed his fist
down in frustration, effectively destroying that strip of concrete. He
jumped up from the debris, hoping to get clear of the fiasco, but only to
be bludgeoned by a pair of firebombs from above. He raged as he took some
more hits from several more incendiaries. He cursed, he had never been in
such a situation. But, nothing would stop him, he shouted out. He wanted
the prize.
Kuno was knocked out immediately as he entered the billowing smoke and
raging fire. He struggled to get up, fire crackers exploding all around
him. He took one step, only to be thrown forward from a blast from his
feet. He had lost his feet's worth when two more sphincters pierced
through his flesh. But, he didn't give up. He was the knight that was
coming to the rescue, although tattered and toss by the fireworks, his
spirit driven him towards the end.
Mousse was blinded by everything. The smoke as thick as pea soup was the
least of his worries. He tried to block most of the rockets incoming with
his chains and hidden weapons. But he soon learned that most of his
clothes was burning right underneath him. He tossed himself on the
ground, not in desperation, but because of the huge blast from behind him.
Fearing, he tried to crawl all the way, but with bombs planted on the
ground as well, he soon found himself soaring up in the sky. He landed,
badly shaken, but unperturbed he continued the struggle.
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"And whose bright idea was this?!!" Ukyou fanned out the remaining fog
with her huge spatula. She scrambled around the charcoal dark debris of
the street. "Ran-chan! Where the hell are you?!!" She thought she saw a
hand reaching from beneath the ashes. It was Ryoga and she spared no time
scooping him up from the pile of spent fireworks.. "Ryoga? Are you
alright?"
Shampoo clumsily dug her way around the street. She didn't have any
experience dredging in ashes, but she desperately went on looking for her
airen. "Ranma? Are you here?" Missed, she thought. She hopped to
another mound, hoping this time it was Ranma underneath. A little of
chains told her otherwise. "Stupid Mousse! Why you need to do this?"
Pity made her pick the wounded friend off the rubble.
Akane started kicking her way through the wanton destruction. She even
considered pulling out her mallet since it was quite attracted to her
fiancé. But after a few more minutes of searching, she failed to find
him. "Ranma?! Where are you?"
"Over here?" Akane startlingly turned around. Ranma was raising himself
off the dark and murky street floor. She ran up to him, helping him to
his feet. She hurled his arm on her shoulder. "Did I win?" Akane looked
further down the road, where everyone was picking up a wounded suitor.
"Looks like you made it farther than everyone else." Ranma smiled,
breaking the dark soot on his face with his smile.
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"So that's how they all died? From all the injuries?" One nurse asked
the other nurse who was telling the story.
"No. Apparently they didn't get immunized for Tetanus." All the nurses
sighed.
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The End
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