The Leper: Diagnosis
by Nikholas "NomaD" F. Toledo
Ranma 1/2 is the property of Kitty, VIZ and the omnipotent Rumiko
Takahashi. I am a property of Switch (so you know who to sue).
I am NomaD... I am coming... I am near.
By the way, this is a self-insertion. My character had a past with
Ukyou, but not the kind you're thinking of. And, because this is my
first Ranma fic, I'm gonna do some weird stuff like use Ryouga and Ukyou
but still keep Kuno, Tendo and Tofu. But I'm not really sure.
This complete version was done with the technical assistance of
Freemage, and the support of the above with DB Sommer, Octavian and the
occasionals, all of whom have contributed to the formation of this fic.
Part 12
"Through the Broken Glass"
"That takes care of him."
"You said it, Tendo."
"But Saotome, can you bear disowning your only heir? What would
Nodoka say?"
"That ungrateful boy's nothing but trouble for me, I'm glad to get
rid of him!"
"Or, maybe, you just don't want to give up the free board and
lodging, Uncle Saotome." Nabiki emerged from the stairs with Akane and
the rest of the girls.
Soun turned to her daughter, then to the blushing Genma. "Is this
true, Saotome?!?"
Genma pointed to himself and smiled sheepishly until a sweatdrop
appeared. "Um... er... Tendo..." *splash* "Rowr?"
Soun eyed his friend, then turned to his eldest. "Kasumi..."
"Yes, father?"
"Don't boil anymore water for tonight."
"ROWR?!? Rowrorr?" The panda proceeded to bow and to grab Soun's
leg.
"Let go, you... you... freeloader!"
*BAMBAMBAM!!!*
"What in the world was that?"
Everyone's heart skipped a beat. The startling noise left them
quiet, then they heard it again.
*BAMBAMBAM!!!*
"Somebody's at the...."
Akane gulped in surprise. "It can't be...!" Akane hurried down
the steps and exited through the stone pathway. Everybody followed suit.
As they neared the back gate, they could hear shouting. They
couldn't understand at first but, as they got closer...
"-otome, challenge the Tendo martial-arts school as rightful
successor! Let me in! I, Ranma Saotome, challenge the Tendo martial
arts sch-!"
Ranma ceased his shouting when the wooden gates began opening. The
gate was opened by Ukyou and his father.
Soun stood in the middle, while his daughters stood just behind
him.
Ranma just nodded towards Soun but the latter did not return the
greeting.
"Ranma Saotome, you have come here without honor. What do you
expect to attain with this nonsense?"
"I expect to get my rightful place as heir to the Saotome...,"
Ranma took a deep breath, "... and Tendo Schools of Anything Goes Martial
Arts."
Soun Tendo let the unnerving silence pass before he answered. "As
head of the Tendo Martial Arts School, I have the last say on these
matters. And, by the way you acted earlier, I'm not sure if I should...
what the-?"
Soun didn't get to finish his sentence because he was immediately
blocked by a gigantic bulk of black and white fur.
Genma Saotome immediately got down on all fours and grabbed Soun's
leg. Pleading panda eyes looked up at him.
"Genma, let go of my leg."
"Roowrowroowr!"
"Fine, then! Now, let... go! Now, where were we? Oh, yes.... In
challenging the school, you will regain your place as heir to both the
Tendo and Saotome Schools of Martial Arts."
Akane stepped forward once but held back her words. She looked at
Ranma, who understood.
Ranma took in a deep breath and spoke. "In challenging the school,
I will regain my place as heir to both schools AND... MY ENGAGEMENT TO...
well, you know...."
Akane blushed an angry shade of red, but shrugged it off. This
would have to do.
Soun looked at Ranma, then to his daughter. He closed his eyes and
seemed to be deep in thought. He looked at his daughter once more.
"If my daughter permits it. After all, she has a say in these
matters. Akane?"
All eyes were now on the youngest Tendo.
Akane could feel her cheeks warming up. She twiddled her fingers
and found it hard to look anyone in the eyes. "Um... well...."
Akane did look up, though, and the first thing she saw was Ranma's
gaze. His eyes seemed to be pleading with her, as if begging her to be
brave even for this one instance.
"Yes. It's okay with me."
Silence followed as everyone was caught by surprise at Akane's
hasty reply.
Soun held his daughter's shoulder. "Are you sure about this,
Akane?"
"Yes, Dad, I'm sure."
"Are you really sure about this, Akane?"
"YES, I am!"
"But...."
"DAD!"
Tendo turned to the dojo challenger. "Well, then, I guess that's
settled. Come back here tomorrow after school. We will commence the
challenge then."
"Tomorrow?!? Where the hell am I supposed to stay over-?"
"That is not my problem! Look here, Ranma...."
"WAIT!"
All eyes turned to the new voice.
Ukyou took a moment to make sure she had everyone's attention. "I
think I have that covered. Ranma, you're staying over at my place.
Look, guys, it's late. Let's just all get some sleep and settle this
tomorrow."
And with that, the great gates of the Tendo household closed with
an audible *THUD!*.
The two stood under the night-lights for a while.
"Well, that's that. C'mon, Ranchan. Let's get outta here."
"Thanks, Ucchan."
"No problem, what're friends for?"
Ranma exhaled a sigh of exhaustion... then headlocked Ukyou and
gave her a noogie.
"Yow, let go!"
"Best friends, Ucchan. Best-of-friends."
The two walked side-by-side, into the darkness.
The night was finally over.
----------
Earlier that day...
"Now what do I do? I just mess things up everywhere I go. Maybe I
should just go back to China, but how am I suppose to do that without
causing one singular explosion?"
Kii plopped down on the grass and lay himself, arms outstretched.
He was lying half-naked in the park, not that he cared anyway. At least
he wouldn't cause any more trouble here, since most of the things here
were alive.
He was a pathetic sight, broken glasses, torn pants and all - that
is, if anyone had seen him. The trouble was his destruction had become
so catastrophic that he'd been featured as a local news item. The local
networks even featured footage of him live, in action. Now, anybody who
saw him shied away out of fear and respect (mostly fear).
"Funny. I would've been okay with this in my old school. But back
then they didn't know what I was capable of. That's probably it, I
guess."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Hey, Ucchan! Ucchan!"
It took Ukyou a while to notice Kii. Her mind was in such a
terrible turmoil, she didn't want to see him right now.
"So what'd you get this time?"
"Huh? What?"
"Tsubasa, of course."
"Oh, homemade spatula-shaped chocolates and a letter."
"You mean a LOVE LETTER."
Ukyou jabbed Kii on the arm.
"Ow!"
"Cut it out!"
A moment of silence passed. The two exited the school and went to
the field. The next class wouldn't start for another half an hour. The
two found themselves a tree.
"You know, I'm still wondering what happened to Tsubasa."
"You and me both, who would've thought he was... er... you know..."
"How does it feel being chased by that creep?"
"Gives me the shivers!"
The two laughed heartily.
"Big disappointment if he finds out you're a girl. By the way, can
I ask you something?"
"Go ahead."
"Where were you during second period?"
Kiiroi saw that he struck a nerve. He could see all the life
drained out of Ukyou's face.
Ukyou turned away, she bit her lip and held it all in.
Kiiroi was bewildered - he didn't think that being absent in second
period was that big a deal. "Ukyou? You okay?"
"I... I'm fine."
He could hear the tremble in her voice. Never had he seen her this
vulnerable. If anybody saw them, they would have immediately seen
Ukyou's true colors.
"You wanna talk about it?"
Ukyou snapped around. Kii saw tears fall from her face as she
turned.
"No, Kii! I DON'T want to talk about it. I'm sorry, but I'm in a
situation where I'm being torn apart by what I feel and what I have sworn
to do. For once, I'm actually happy with my life. For once, I'm not
thinking about honor or revenge or Ran-"
"What?"
Ukyou managed to stop herself. She kept her emotions in check.
She was focused on her objective. She would not be stopped, not even by
herself.
"Kii...."
"Hmm?"
"Am I your friend?"
"Of course you are. You're my very best friend."
Ukyou winced once, but when she opened her eyes all emotions had
been erased. It was time to move on.
"Then remember me that way."
With that, she stood up and walked away.
He was not that surprised when she didn't come for third period.
He didn't see her anymore that day. When the announcement came the next
day, he wasn't the least bit shocked.
He was alone again... and the pain never felt so great.
~~~~~~~~~~
Kiiroi paused for a moment, his face a picture of resolve. He had
caused so much trouble both physically and emotionally to those he knew
and those he didn't know.
"That's it, I guess. Since I'm just causing trouble, I might as
well leave. I could probably go up to the mountains where all I can
break is rocks. I'm gonna miss this place, though. I better go get my
cat and say good-bye."
Kiiroi got up and started walking. He paused and stared straight
at the glaring setting sun in front of him. He managed to smile, even
after all that'd happened.
"Talk about the irony of ironies."
Kii turned and walked the other way. His face was clear of the
shame he felt.
"Only heroes ride into the sunset...."
----------
Later that night...
"No, you're not, and that's final!"
"But, Dad!"
"I don't want to hear another word...."
Nabiki joined in the conversation. "And just who's gonna fight the
young Saotome? You, my beloved father?"
Soun Tendo was silenced by his daughter's sly remark. She did have
a point, though.
But, if Akane fought him, then she'd be giving him the match.
But, if Soun fought him, then it would seem that he would also be
giving him the match.
He knew everybody wanted Ranma back, but he'd make sure that Ranma
was going to learn his place in this household. But, what else could
they do?
"Why not let somebody take your place, father?"
Everybody stared at the eldest Tendo sibling. Soun was perplexed
by the idea, but...
"Is... is that possible, Kasumi?"
"Well, YOU are the head of the school, so you have jurisdiction
over all challenges. You and Akane can't fight Ranma, because of how you
both feel about him, and neither of you can do this with your emotions in
the way...."
"Plus the fact that Dad's butt is gonna get whipped."
"NABIKI! Hold your tongue!!!"
"Yeah, whatever. Look, everybody, it's way past my bedtime, so we
better decide who'll fight Ranma. It has to be somebody who can almost
match his abilities but not enough to win. In doing so, Dad will have
taught Ranma his lesson but, at the same time, not have jeopardized the
future of the Tendo School of Anything-Goes Martial Arts."
Everybody paused for a moment to think.
"What about that Hibiki lad?"
"What? Ryouga? But who knows what part of the world he's in right
now?"
"Hmm. I suppose it would take a miracle for him to arrive by
tomorrow. Who else?"
"Rowr!"
All eyes turned to the panda. "You wanted to say something,
Saotome?"
"Rawrorawr!"
"What?"
"RAWRORAWR!"
"WHAT?"
"RAAWROO...." A pause, then a sigh. Out of frustration, Mr. Panda
brought out his signboard and magic-marker. He carefully made out each
letter and started spelling H... A... P... P... O... S...
Soun snatched the board away from his furry friend. His face was a
mask of white. "Genma Saotome!!! Are you out of your mind?!?"
Genma just held out another signboard with a giant question mark on
it.
"If he wins against your son, he'll become the heir to the Tendo
School and...." Then both guys shifted their gaze to the youngest Tendo.
Akane just gave them a quizzical look. Then it all dawned on
her... "Ack! No way! There's no way that old creep's gonna be my
fianc�!"
"I couldn't agree with you more, Akane. Besides, if the master
ever finds out that you're the prize at stake, then I'm sure he'd be more
than willing to beat up Ranma."
They all pondered on the situation once more.
"Mousse?"
Then everybody started laughing. Kasumi giggled while the rest
wiped their tears.
When the commotion died down, Soun Tendo once again controlled the
floor. "I shouldn't have said that. Back to the matter at hand...."
"Kuno?"
"You'd be better off with Mousse."
"Then there's nobody left, except...."
"Ra rowrng Riwarori!"
A number of sweat drops appeared. Genma knew he killed the moment.
"That's right, the young Niwatori."
Kasumi approached her father and held his arm. "Father, I don't
think-"
"What? He's the only one left, what choice do we have?"
Akane followed and held his father's other arm. "You see, dad...."
As if on cue, the two siblings turned their heads toward their
sister. Question marks popped out of Soun's head.
"Nabiki?"
Nabiki just held her head down, hand over her eyes. Then she
heaved a sigh.
"Dad, you better sit down, I've got something to tell you...."
----------
At the sound of footsteps, Ranma turned around.
He was surprised to see her, especially at this hour. She was
wearing cut-up jeans for shorts and a shirt two sizes too big for her.
She looked stunning. Then again, she was always beautiful. Even
back then when he first realized that she was a 'SHE'. He wasn't kidding
when he said...
"Boy, you look cute."
Ukyou was struck by the sudden compliment. She felt her face
blush. "Stop that! Look what you made me do!"
Ukyou quickly covered her face with her hands. Then she proceeded
in joining him. But instead of sitting beside him, she placed herself
behind the counter where she was most comfortable.
"So, you couldn't sleep, too?"
"Yeah. But probably for different reasons."
"I'm just pretty nervous about tomorrow."
"Who do you think you'll fight?"
"Dunno. It's most probably Mr. Tendo, 'coz he's not gonna let me
fight Akane, that's for sure. What about you? Whatcha doin' up in the
middle of the night?"
"I've been thinking about Kii... and what he did to you."
Ranma instinctively touched his chest on the spot that Kii jabbed
earlier. "Aw, forget about it. It wasn't his fault. I know I should be
upset, getting kicked out of the Tendo household and all, but at least I
know that Nabiki is wallowing in guilt. Where is Kii, anyway?"
"I don't know. I hope he's all right...."
Ranma could see the grief in her face. "He really means that much,
huh?"
"It's just that he's always been there. Back then, we had so much
in common. We both had secrets to keep, we both needed companionship....
But, if he hadn't met me, none of this would've happened...."
Ranma could see that Ukyou was trying hard to fight back the tears.
He reached out over the counter and held her by the shoulder.
Ukyou trembled at his touch, then the tears came and they didn't
stop. Ukyou crumpled on the countertop and sobbed unendingly.
Ranma could only hold her and comfort her.
"Don't say that, Ucchan.... I'm sure Kii would say different. I'm
sure he'd do this all over again, just to be with you...."
But that seemed to worsen the situation. Ukyou's head snapped back
and she pointed an accusing finger at Ranma. "You don't understand,
Ranma! He's here not because of me... he's here because he's got no
place to go!"
"What?"
A moment of silence passed.
Ukyou stopped trembling and she was able to relax. "The reason why
he went here is because he couldn't go back to our old school."
Ranma gave her his undivided attention and urged her to go on.
"After I left, I didn't know what became of Kii and Tsubasa and the
rest of the guys. But then the love letters arrived. The first one,
Tsubasa wrote what happened the day after I left.
"Apparently, Shin, the school bully, gave insulting comments about
my 'cowardice'. Kii didn't like what he said, especially behind my back,
so the two got into a fight in the cafeteria.
"As usual, Kii devastated Shin's bat and Shin couldn't catch him,
much less touch him. But then, he got lucky and struck once, struck
hard...."
~~~~~~~~~~
"What the...?"
The cheering stopped, replaced by a blanket of impenetrable
silence. Then the murmurs and bustling began. Even Shin was dumbstruck
by what he just did. He just stared at his fist, finding it hard to
believe that he felled the legendary Niwatori with just one blow.
The crowd started parting as a figure clad in a baby pink blouse
entered the scene.
Tsubasa stood over the fallen Kii.
"You have got to be kidding me!"
He paced around Kii then looked at Shin.
"This? This is what you've been afraid of? This guy can't even
harm a fly! I should've seen this all along.... He was too good to be
true...."
Tsubasa leaned on the ground and grabbed Kii by the chin. He took
his moment, letting Kii take in the humiliation.
"What do you have to say for yourself, Niwatori?"
"Only this...."
With all his speed and all his strength, Kii struck Tsubasa across
the jaw.
For his part, Tsubasa didn't see it coming, but neither did he
flinch.
"Oh, I'm sorry. Was that supposed to hurt?"
Still holding onto his victim's chin, Tsubasa drove the face
straight down on the concrete floor... and through.
Everybody 'ooh!'ed in unison.
Tsubasa grabbed Kii by the hair and lifted Kii's head close to his
own. And he whispered, "Now, there'll be nobody to stop me from pursuing
my one true love...."
*Slam* *Crash!*
He lifted Kii once more. "Oh? Surprised? Don't be... you see, I
know her little secret.... She still thinks I'm a perv or something but
I actually know she's a 'she'..."
*Slam* *Crash!*
*Slam* *Crash!*
Kii was already starting to lose consciousness.
Tsubasa lifted his head once more. "And now, I know your little
secret, too.... I know you can't stop me and I know that you can't show
your face on this school again, loser...."
*Slam* *Crash!*
*Slam* *Crash!*
"But now, I have the advantage... you know why?"
He shook Kii's head, urging a response, but there was none.
"No? Okay then, I'll tell you. I know something that Ukyou
doesn't know and you probably haven't figured it out, too.... I know
that... you're in love with Ukyou Kuonji... and guess what? You can't
have her...."
Tsubasa leaned closer, thinking that he heard Kii speak. "What was
that?"
"I won't... let you...."
"IN YOUR DREAMS, MISTER!"
Tsubasa flashed with rage as he rammed Kii's face again and again
on the ground. He probably would've sprung a pipe if he continued but
when he noticed that Kii's face wasn't bleeding, he stopped. He let go
of the dangling head.
Kii could remember falling then... nothing.
~~~~~~~~~~
"Tsubasa!"
And then he woke up.
His breathing was staggered and his body was covered with sweat.
He tried to remember where he was and found himself in somebody's garden.
He couldn't remember anything except...
"... you're in love with Ukyou Kuonji...."
---------------
end of Part 12
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