Okay, hell, i'm always late with this aren't I? Someone send me a thwap if
i'm late with the next one. Thanks to all who have sent comments on previous
chapters, they're all greatly appreciated.
**Note: Maximise this window to see everything properly.
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Ranma 1/2 - Jusenkyo's Curse
a fanfic by Kyo Kusanagi
------------------------------
Chapter 5: Breaking Points
**************
Opening Theme: Give a Reason for Life
-------------------------------------
Me magurushii jikan no mure ga Time's crowd is drastic,
hashiri nukeru machi wa sabanna The city that it runs through is a savanna.
kawaru ga waru syuuru na nyuusu Sure news of an ill change...
asu ni nareba, dare mo wasureteru We'll get used to it tomorrow, everyone
will forget.
Ikiteiru ima, Ikiteiru I live now, I live...
sonna naka de nani ka moto me Like it's inside, something searches...
mogaku you ni, nukedasu you ni As if it were struggling, as if it were
sneaking away,
kono chikara o tameshite mitakute It wants to test this power.
kitto dodo ka ni "kotae" aru Surely, somewhere there lies "the answer,"
the answer which
Umarete kita kotae ga, was born, That is what all people wish for,
hito wa mina, sore o motome Facing the dreary dream that they can't let go.
yarusenai, nogasenai, yume ni mukau no
kizutsuku koto wa kowakunai I'm not afraid of getting hurt, but it's not
hard to erase.
dakedo keshite tsuyokunai It's just the way it is without doing anything,
and I don't want
tada, nani mo shinai mama de any regrets.
kuyandari wa shitakunai Here we go! go! Keep on running! No one can stop us.
Here we go! go! hashiri tsudzukeru I want to give a reason for life to my
future self.
dare ni mo tomerare wa shinai
mirai no jibun e to, Give a reason for life, todo ketai.
�Give a Reason for Life� Sung By: Megumi Hayashibara
****************
Somewhere in the forest nearby, a small fire crackled quietly in the
near-darkness. Near it, a small tent had been erected. The flap was slightly
ajar, showing it�s almost bare insides except for a large, well-packed
travel pack and a sleeping bag neatly laid out, ready for the night.
Outside, a lone figure sat near the fire, knees hugged to his chest,
thinking. Ranma really didn�t know what to feel, he hated Shampoo and
Cologne for doing what they had done, but in a way he sensed that they were
telling the truth. They wouldn�t lie about something like that, he reasoned.
But then again, if it was true, why couldn�t he remember doing the deed?
Whatever the answer, he had to find out quickly, if he wanted to have any
hope of being allowed to return home and back into the family�and Akane.
Ranma�s eyes began to water at the name. What he�d thought would never
happen had happened, he�d lost Akane. Not to Ryoga or another man, that much
he could take solace in, but he�d still lost her, and that, to him, was like
losing a vital part of himself. When he�d hugged her goodbye and left, a
part of him died then and there. In his mind, Ranma Saotome of the Saotome
School of Indiscriminate Grappling, was dead. He�d died in sorrow that
night, under the unforgiving blade of the Saotome dai-katana. A lone tear
ran down the side of Ranma�s face, he wiped it away angrily.
"Kusoooo�Why?!? Why did you do it Shampoo?!?" he yelled to the surrounding
forest. The startled cry of the nocturnal beasts and the chirp of crickets
answered his desperate yell. "�Why?" the word was almost whispered as he
buried his head in his knees and cried quietly. Ranma had never shown
emotion in public, not like this, always deeming it �unmanly� as his mother
would put it. Well that didn�t matter now doesn�t it? He no longer had a
mother, or a father�Or Akane�
"COLOGNE!!!�" he shouted the name to the heavens. "�Damn you to HELL!!! You
accursed old bag!" It was undoubtedly another plan of the Amazons, he
reasoned. There was no other feasible explanation for it. Well they had sown
the wind, and now they shall reap the whirlwind. One way or another, there
will be stone cold hell, to pay.
Ranma stood up, his form hunched over slightly. He shook himself, trying to
shake off the overwhelming feeling of depression that had washed over him.
<Kuso! Look at yourself�> he cursed inwardly. <�Stand up, you mewling
coward! Be a man!> Ranma straightened up and wiped at his eyes angrily. No!
He would not cry, not like this. "�Huuuuuuu�" Ranma took a deep breath and
began to charge his ki. The spiritual flame of his battle-aura flickered
into existence around him. This time however, it was different. Instead of
the bright blue flame of complete and utter confidence, the color of the
flame was a dull, almost violet color of depression. Ranma turned away from
the campsite and focused on a large rock some ten meters away. Getting into
a horse-stance, he cupped both palms inwards. A ball of blue light formed
between them and began to grow in size and intensity. "�Mou�ko�" Ranma began
the name of the technique slowly, trying to focus on control. "�Ta�ka�" His
usually confident voice held a slight shudder as he continued. "�Bi�" Ranma
took a deep breath and thrust both palms outwards, releasing the stored
energy. "�SHAAAAAAAAAA!" he screamed as the deadly blast of ki-energy struck
the rock and, to his utter surprise, dissipated harmlessly around it, the
rock was barely scratched. Ranma tried again, powering up the attack and
throwing it again. Once again, the blast of energy struck the rock and
dissipated harmlessly. Ranma slumped to one knee, suddenly feeling tired,
more tired than he�d ever felt in his entire life. His confidence left him
like the shadow of night being dispelled by the morning sun, leaving him
hollow, empty. More had happened this night than he could ever deal with.
He�d already died once tonight, now he felt like he was dying again, this
time in spirit. His body trembled slightly as silent tears ran down his
face. <�Akane�> he thought. The name of his beloved caused another shudder
to run through him. He stood up on shaky legs and got into the stance once
again, he had to at least succeed here. Tonight, he�d lost everything that
he had held dear, his friends, a loving mother, a home to call his own�and a
fiancee he�d loved dearly. All of that had been taken in one brutal sweep, a
cruel and unjust twist of fate. Ranma concentrated and powered up once more,
the ki aura that surrounded him this time was a deep, almost black,
sickly-grey color.
He began once more. "�Mou�" the ball of light that gathered between his
palms now was a deep, almost rotting, blue. "�ko�" As he continued, he felt
no confidence. Tonight he�d already lost everything that he had held dear,
and as he was finding out now, he was also losing his abilities. �Mouko
Takabisha?� it hardly seemed fitting now. Ranma shut his eyes, blinking away
a few tears and tried to concentrate. Try as he might, he could not push the
visage of Akane�s face that continued to swim through his thoughts, almost
as if it was taunting him. Dear, sweet Akane, how he�d loved her�And now, it
was too late. Ranma�s eyes snapped open, his body heaved with the dark,
heavy ki of his sorrow as he thrust his palms outward.
"ShiShi�HO�KO�DAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!" he screamed, his eyes burning with
hatred as the blackish-blue blast of lethal energy struck the intended
target. The rock blasted apart, completely annihilated as the blast bore
onward, uprooting several trees and killing many unsuspecting night
creatures as it did so. Ranma held the stance for a moment longer, then sunk
to his knees. <Akane�> the thought once more flowed through his mind. Unable
to bear it any longer, Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome School of
Indiscriminate Grappling, broke down and bawled for the first time in his life.
***************
Ran-ko was on one knee before her mother, panting and out of breath. She�d
tried to follow her brother like her mother had asked her to, but he most
probably had sensed her and, not wanting her to follow him, had masked all
signs of his ki and had begun covering his tracks. After a fruitless hour
wandering the streets of Nerima, she had given up and decided to return
home. Nodoka reached down and helped a tired Ran-ko to her feet.
"What happened dear?" Nodoka asked, eyes full of concern. Ran-ko took a few
more minutes to regain her breath before she began to speak.
"I�I couldn�t find oniichan�" she gasped. "�I ran all over town looking for
him�but�but�" she paused and gulped in a lungful of air before continuing.
Nodoka nodded in understanding and helped her tired daughter to a chair.
"Wakatta no, itoshigo�" she said reassuringly. "�I�m not surprised you
couldn�t follow him�From what Akane has told me, he can hide his tracks well
and obviously he didn�t want you to follow him�" Nodoka sighed. This
couldn�t be happening to her, just a few days ago, she�d been happily
reunited with her son and was delighted to find that he indeed was, a �man
among men�. But nothing could have prepared her for what she was forced to
do tonight. The pain of passing judgment on her own son, her flesh and
blood, a child she had not seen for ten years, had been almost too much for
her to bear. To her credit she had followed the painful ceremony through to
the end. Now that it was over however, she could express herself a little
more freely. Ran-ko peered up at her mother with eyes shining with tears.
"Okaachan�Will�Will oniichan come back?" she asked hopefully. Nodoka smiled
weakly down at her daughter.
"I don�t know dear�I just don�t know�" she said, shuddering slightly.
"H-he isn't coming back�I-isn't he?" Nodoka turned at the sound of Akane�s
voice.
"I certainly hope he is, Akane-chan�I hope he is�" Nodoka replied sadly.
Akane wiped away a few tears at this.
"Auntie�" she began.
"What is it dear?"
"�Why? Why did you have to chase Ranma away?" Akane asked, almost sounding
angry. Nodoka gazed sadly at the distraught child standing before her.
"I had no choice dear�It was a matter of honor�I�"
"Honor!�Why does everything have to have something to do with honor?!?"
Akane interrupted angrily. "�Why must Ranma be punished when his stupid
panda-of-a-father gets off with hardly honorable deeds like selling Ranma
out for food�" Akane�s eyes narrowed at the thought. "�And I don�t see
anyone kicking HIM out?!?"
Nodoka flinched at the outburst and peered at the ground, not saying
anything. "I�I can�t answer that, Akane-chan�" Nodoka replied sadly. "�My
husband has his faults but�"
"Oh, I�ll say he has!" Akane interrupted. Ran-ko looked up at Akane and
frowned at her.
"Don�t insult otousan like that!�" Ran-ko began. Akane cut her off with a
sharp look.
"You wouldn�t be saying that if you knew what your �honorable father� has
done to your brother!" Akane shot back, angrily wiping tears of frustration
away. Ran-ko flinched at her words. "�I�ll say this here and now!
Genma-ojiisan is the reason why Ranma, your brother, has had to leave tonight!"
Ran-ko�s eyes widened. "�N-no! That isn�t true!�" she replied hotly. "�I-I
won�t let you say such things!" Ran-ko moved as if to slap Akane but felt a
strong hand grab her wrist.
"Ran-ko-chan�Don�t�" Nodoka said simply, looking at her upset daughter
sadly. "�In a way�It�s true."
"In a way?�IN A WAY?!?�" Akane shouted. "�If he hadn�t taken Ranma to China
in the first place, that�that bimbo Shampoo wouldn�t be here now! None of
this would have happened!!"
"O�Okaachan�Is what Akane-oneechan saying true?" Ran-ko asked, tugging at
her mother�s sleeve. Nodoka nodded sadly.
"I am ashamed to admit it is true�" Ran-ko�s eyes began to fill with tears.
She buried her face in Nodoka�s shoulder and began to cry quietly.
"O�otousan! H-how could you?!?" she sobbed. Nodoka wrapped her arms around
her daughter and rocked her back and forth gently, trying to calm he down.
"I can�t believe this!" Akane exclaimed. "�Shampoo�" Akane practically spat
the name. "�and her pet mummy Cologne could have used some sort of magic to
trick you for all we know! You saw how Cologne reacted when you accepted
Ranma�s pact! She wanted Ranma to marry Shampoo! Don�t you see?!? It�s all
an elaborate trap!" Akane half-screamed, tears of frustration flowing
freely. Nodoka appeared to consider this for a moment.
"I�I saw my son�s memories with my own eyes, Akane-chan, magic could never
have conjured up something as�vivid�as that!" Akane refused to believe her.
"I still think it�s all a trap! Can�t you just see�"
"Akane! That�s enough!" Akane turned in surprise to face her father. The
usually ineffectual head of the Tendo clan didn�t seem ineffectual now, not
at all.
"Dad! I�" Akane began to protest but was cut off with a wave of Soun Tendo�s
hands.
"Enough! You will not question this matter of honor! The pact has been
settled�Ranma will not set foot beyond our doors until such time that he has
proven himself worthy�"
Akane practically snapped. "�I will not question this matter of�honor� eh?�"
Soun flinched at the dangerous tone in his youngest daughter�s voice. Nodoka
sensed an explosion building.
"Soun-kun�I think this is a bad time to�" Nodoka began before Mount St.
Helens erupted in the form of one irate Akane Tendo.
"YOU CAN TAKE YOUR �HONOR� AND STICK IT WHERE IT FITS!�" she screamed with
fury. "�I will have NO part of it! If your so-called �honor��" Akane spat
the word. "�Means showing favors to excuses for human beings like him�"
Akane jabbed a thumb at the panda walking in the door. "�Then it is not
worth the breath needed to make mention of it! I�ll tell you�" Akane�s
tirade was abruptly cut off with a slap from Soun. Akane reeled back in shock.
"That�s enough Akane!" Soun commanded. Akane wondered where her father had
found a backbone in such a short time. "�Ever since your mother died, our
family�s honor was all we had to live on! I pledged to Genma-kun that you
and Ranma would marry and carry on the good name of the Musabetsu-Kakutou
Tendo Ryuu but time and time again you and Ranma have tarnished that honor
by your stubbornness and refusal to follow the honorable path�You have NO
right to speak of our family�s honor in such a way!" Soun stated forcefully.
Akane peered up from the floor at her father and spat. "�Don�t you speak of
mother like that!�" she snarled back, tears beginning to form again. Her
father had hit her, he�d never done such a thing in his entire life. None of
her family had ever hit her as far as she could remember. To Akane, this was
a sign that her family, now no longer dependent on her or Ranma to carry on
the line, had had enough. She stared at the floor and began crying softly.
"�Mother�Mother would turn in her grave if she knew how you�" Akane broke
off and ran upstairs crying.
"Otousan, what�s wrong?�Oh my!" Kasumi slapped a hand to her mouth upon
entering the room. Being greeted by two distraught women and a dejected
father wasn�t the best thing to see around the house.
"Nothing�s wrong, Kasumi�" Soun replied, sighing. "�I think I�ll go to bed
now, it�s late�Oyasumi..." Kasumi smiled innocently at her father.
"Oyasuminasai, otousan, sleep well." She said. Nodoka stood up after a while
and picked up Ran-ko from the chair. Ran-ko clung onto her mother and cried
quietly. "�Oh my! Is Ran-ko all right Auntie?" Kasumi asked.
"She�s fine, just a little upset over what happened tonight�" Nodoka
replied, smiling as best she could.
Kasumi nodded understandingly. "�Wakarimasu�" she said. "�Well, I think it�s
time we all got some rest� Oyasuminasai, Auntie�"
"Oyasuminasai, Kasumi-chan�" Both women turned and headed upstairs. The
coming of the dawn would not dispel the cloud of darkness the hung over the
dojo tonight.
****************
About an hour after everyone had gone to sleep, the door to Akane�s room
opened slightly. She flinched and froze as the plastic duck with her name
emblazoned on it clattered against the door.
<Stupid duck!> she thought as she silently shut her door and crept
downstairs with a large travel pack slung over her shoulders. She crept
downstairs silently, praying to god that the stairs would not creak and give
her away. Her mind was still reeling with the fact that her father had
slapped her a few hours ago. It was a clear indication that he no longer
wanted her around. Well fine, if that was the case then glad to oblige. She
tiptoed as silently and as quickly as she could to ground floor.
<So far, so good�> she thought. <�If Dad doesn�t want me around, I won�t
give him the pleasure of hitting me again!> Her eyes teared slightly at the
thought. No one in her family had ever done that before. They say the first
rejection was always the most painful, well whoever said it wasn�t far
wrong. Akane sniffled and wiped away the tears. She was almost compelled to
turn back and forget this whole idea, but she steeled herself. Akane took a
deep breath then made her way past the kitchen and headed toward the living
room. As she tiptoed past, a voice startled her.
"Going somewhere" Akane blinked and turned to face a stern-faced Nabiki
lying on the couch.
"Nabiki?!? How�" Akane was confused as to how her sister knew what she was
going to do.
"I heard the noise you and Daddy made and I came down for a peek�I must
admit it sure surprised me when Daddy hit you�Though you have to admit you
had it coming Akane�"
"What do you mean?!? I was only�"
"C�mon Akane, you know what Daddy�s like�His honor is all he has left
besides us you know�It really hurt him when you came out and insulted it
like that."
Akane had recovered her facilities by now and glared angrily at Nabiki.
"Hmmph, you�re a fine one to talk Nabiki�what would YOU know about honor
anyway?!?"
Nabiki caught the spike in Akane�s voice but didn�t bite. "A whole lot more
than you do, imouto no Akane�" she said evenly. "�I know that�"
"You?!? Hah! Don�t make me laugh, oneechan�" Akane cut her off. "�It�s
cracking me up you know�hearing someone who would gladly sell out their own
sister just to make a hundred yen profit profess about honor!" Akane
snapped. Nabiki stopped and stared at Akane. Time seemed to stop and she
felt cold, unable to move as the cruelly-barbed words pierced her heart as
if years of defense did not exist and somehow suddenly she knew, knew with
crystalline clarity, that her sister was right. She felt trapped, frozen in
ice as the facade she had carefully erected fell away and some of the things
she had done in the name of the all-mighty dollar flickered through her
mind, only half-sensed but each leaving a residue of revulsion,
embarrassment or despair. She couldn't stop one fist from clenching
spastically on her thigh and she grimaced briefly at the strength of the
feelings. She hung her head, hot tears starting to spill down her cold
cheeks. Akane quickly caught herself and, shrugging off her backpack, knelt
by Nabiki�s side as she cried quietly.
"Oh, Nabiki-oneechan�I�I�m so sorry�I didn�t mean to say that�" Akane
stammered out an apology. "�I meant�"
"I�I guess I deserved that�" Nabiki replied softly, interrupting Akane, and
she was right. Laid out before her she saw all the little things she had
done, some not so little, and the way in which she had taken insults and
barbs and turned them into compliments in her mind. "I've been such a
fool..." For a long moment she regretted lost opportunities that were laid
open before her to change, she had spurned them all.
�Nabiki, I�m so sorry�I�I really didn�t mean to�" Akane stammered.
Nabiki sighed and looked into Akane�s beautiful hazel-brown eyes. "Tell it
like it is�" she said, wiping away her tears sadly. "�It�s true you know,
truth does hurt�" she said, grinning weakly. Nabiki turned to look at
Akane�s traveling pack. "�I kind of guessed you�d try something like this�"
"Nabiki�I�err�I mean�" Akane struggled to find the words but none came.
Nabiki laid a finger on her sister�s lips to shush her up.
"Sssh, it was bound to happen sooner or later�I knew you couldn�t bear to be
away from Ranma for too long�" Akane promptly blushed but didn�t deny it.
Nabiki sat up and hugged Akane�s head to her chest. "�Akane, promise me
you�ll be careful okay?�I�d really hate myself if anything happened to you�"
Akane nodded. "I�I will oneechan�And please, don�t tell Dad ok?�" Nabiki nodded.
"I�ll keep it quiet for as long as I can, but it probably won�t take them
long to work it out you know?" Akane nodded and sighed.
"Don�t I know it�they�ll probably have bloodhounds Furinkan Boys Club on my
trail before the sun rises if I'm lucky�" Nabiki grinned at the visual she got.
"Well, you better get going if you want to catch Ranma, I have a feeling he
will be moving around as soon as the sun gets up�" Akane walked over to her
pack and picked it up. Nabiki sighed and stared longingly at Akane. "�I�m
going to miss you around you know�You and Ranma always made life fun�" she
grinned. Akane couldn�t help but grin back. She waved and made to leave,
then turned around again.
"Oneechan�"
"Hai?"
"�Arigato�"
Nabiki smiled and waved goodbye to her little sister. It will most probably
be a long day before she saw Akane again, and she was sorry to see that it
had to come to this. Akane turned and walked out of the dojo. She stopped by
the koi pond and took a last look at the large building she had called home
for as long as she could remember. She smiled at the pleasant memories and
wiped a few tears at the not-so-pleasant ones.
<Mother�> she thought, turning to go. <�I�m sorry, but�This is for the
better�> The gates swung silently shut behind Akane as she left on a journey
with seemingly no end in sight.
*************
K u s a n a g i K y o
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"Kusanagi Flames, Yagami Tears, Orochi Blood"