Eternal Sleep?: Epilouge

Written by: Son Pan

In the silence following Akane’s death, and Ryouga’s eternal sleep, Cologne sprung to life. She’d taken the squealing duck, Muumuu-chan, and departed with him. Tatewaki stood, bewildered, and bleeding. Ryouga dropped to his knees, and slumped his shoulders, and hung his head. Even now an aura of ki shown luminously around Ryouga.

Tatewaki didn’t know what to expect next, he clutched his arm, trying to stop the bleeding where Ryouga had shaven his skin clean off. His body and mind were in such tatters, he could only managed to stand, and hold consciousness. In a tortuous moment, Ryouga lifted his head, eyes clouded with depression. The Lost Boy looked at Tatewaki, making eye contact. He spoke with slow, deliberate words:

"Take Akane…and get out."

With that, Ryouga’s aura increased, and he rose to his feet. Tatewaki watched him, bewildered, but remained frozen. Ryouga concentrated on the ki energy forming in his hands. This would be the most awesome blast he’d even released. Far greater than the last one he’d tried to kill himself with. Seconds ticked off, and the sphere of light grew in his palms. He raised his head, and saw Tatewaki still there.

"GO." he demanded, the chi ball increasing. He took a firm stance to contain it. Tatewaki blinked. "NOW." Ryouga demanded. With that Tatewaki moved forward. He knelt by the pool, and pulled Akane’s body from it, shaking. He cradled her in his arms, and then venomously looked up at Ryouga. Ryouga’s chi ball was overpowering now. He fought to control it. Finally, his deep voice bellowed:

"FULL"

Tatewaki spoke.

"SHI"

"Hibiki, what you’ve-"

"SHI"

"-done is far beyond-"

"HO"

"-er…what do you do?!"

"KO

Tatewaki turned and hightailed it to the door.

"DAN!!!"

The entire Kunou Mansion went up in a nuclear-like blast. The area at ground zero instantly vaporized. The water in the pool evaporated, the walls and tile vaporized within nanoseconds. The blast destroyed the floor, and a crater formed as the Kunou Mansion went up in a huge mushroom cloud. The dust and debris from the blast blew out in all directions. The house was gone, and the land around it marred by the crater. The trees and plants nearby were yanked from the ground and flung out.

Tatewaki’s flesh melted instantly. His muscles and bones followed shortly. In his dusty grip, Akane’s body turned to ash as well. Tatewaki’s only scream was silenced as his vocal cords vaporized in the heat of the blast. He dropped Akane, but she never hit the floor. The entire area went up in a blast of intense heat, and everything, including the two humans, vanished in a flash of blinding light.

The mushroom cloud rose and spiraled up into the heavens, darkening the sky overhead, and blotting the sun out. Shortly, the fallout began raining down in the form of blackened ashes. For over one-hundred meters diameter, there was nothing but charred earth. What once had been the greatest estate in Nermia, was now but a blacken crater. The grasslands near the house was gone, and the forest was knocked over by the shock wave. All life in the wake has ceased to exist.

All but one figure at the center of the crater. Ryouga was completely nude now; his clothes had been burned off him entirely. He stood a long moment, only a speck of color in the blackened earth. Then he collapsed to the ground, face first, unconscious.

Cologne escaped the blast with only minor injuries. She’d left in time, and moved extremely quickly. She knew Tatewaki could not have survived the blast. But she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Hibiki lived on, in his eternal sleep. And that he’d attempt another like suicide attempt eventually.

Cologne didn’t slow for the Shishi hokodan blast. She knew she could out run the wake of the blast, as she was already far enough from it. MuuMuu-chan had fallen silent upon seeing the mansion go up in a fireball of light. His heart was heavy, knowing that all in the house must have perished. Not only Akane, Ryouga and Tatewaki, but the many servants as well. He wondered if it had been a ki blast, or if Cologne had set up a blast.

The day died along with the blast, and night shrouded the world. A silver of moon shown, and the stars were blotted by a thick over hanging cloud of ash. It was unearthly silent, and unpleasantly warm. The only light was the feeble moon, and even that was filtered by the clouds. Only the sound of silence existed. No birds, not a rustle of wind through leaves, just silence.

And all at once the silence was shattered by a lone voice: "RrrrrrrANMA!!!!!!" Ryouga cried, sitting up in the inky blackness. His breath was harsh and ragged. He’d been dreaming. Ryouga frantically looked around, and vaguely recalled where he was. He remember why he was here as well.

He stood up, and cursed. Eternal sleep, she’d said. "That means I cannot die." Ryouga spoke aloud. The words sounded hollow and cold in the unreal silence. He shivered despite the heat. Then, ever so slowly a smile creeped onto Ryouga’s lips. Cologne had made but one mistake. She’d received her revenge by giving him an eternal sleep. Now he would seek his revenge against her.

When one cannot die, it is easy to fight for a long time. And he had eternity.

Authors Notes