The Ryoga/Ukyo Chronicles
By Jeremy Sumerlin (aka the Girthman)
Disclaimer:
Okay, you know the deal by now. Ryoga, Ukyo, ect. are not my
creations and are all copyright of Rumiko Takahashi. I’d like to thank
Takahashi-sensei for her great series. I once again claim no credit for
their creation, however, some of the characters are my creations (aka Ryu
and the four seasons masters) and I do claim them, so there!
Chapter Nine: Crimson Tears
*****************************************************************************
Ukyo pressed her body against the thick window that gazed out of her
room and onto the winter landscape below. There was a moderate layer of snow
covering the ground, pure and white. Holy almost, in a perverse kind of way.
The white powder was still drifting down on the winds, falling all about in
a way that reminded her of Christmas movie scenes. The only thing missing
was Santa Claus, she mused, but the dry humor of the thought did little to
comfort her. She presses her forehead against the cold, emotionless glass
and closed her eyes, losing herself in her thoughts as she had done so often
since being shackled into this luxury prison.
He’s out there somewhere, she heard her mind note with a somewhat
worried tone. Indeed, she agreed dryly, she knew Ryoga was out there in
Shurkashuuton Tengoku, and that he was coming for her. She didn’t know how
she knew, but she did. Why he was doing this was still a source of much
heated debate within her consciousness. All right, then, her thoughts
echoed. Hell, I have the time, certainly. Why not go through this now?
Sighing, she began to ponder once more why he was risking his life just for
her.
Well, she began, it could be some macho guy thing. However, this
argument didn’t really seem to hold much water. In the five weeks she had
spent with him, he had turned out to be someone completely different from
who she expected him to be. He was shy, polite, and somewhat introverted. It
was hard for her to tell sometimes what he was thinking, and she prided
herself on being able to do just that. He seemed an overly dark person, but
given the kind of life he had to lead, it was something she could
understand. He frequently had severe bouts of depression, but it was
something she thought she could handle. He was just lost, that’s all. Just
like her. He was searching for a purpose in life just like she was.
Frowning, she brushed these thoughts aside and turned to face the door as
she heard it swing open.
It was Prince Ito, looking at her with his normal imperious glare.
She scowled at him as he strode into the room and looked at the disarray
with distaste. Then his cold eyes focused on her.
"Your friends are coming to rescue you." He said with mild annoyance.
"I knew he-I mean they, would." She sneered, and she couldn’t help but smirk
proudly. Ito shook his head and turned to face the large ornate mirror that
covered the west wall.
"Why?" he said simply, staring at her reflection with his emotionless face.
Ukyo was taken aback. She hadn’t expected him to say something like that.
What the hell did he mean, why?
"Because....well, because they’re my friends...." she said simply, although
she doubted it was a really explanatory answer. He nodded but his expression
remained unchanged.
"I see." He said. He seemed to ponder something for a moment. He spun around
and turned to face her directly once more.
"I don’t understand you." He said. "You are a skilled fighter, yet you fret
and weep over the loss of one man like a common girl. It is unbecoming of a
warrior. It...speaks badly...for you."
Ukyo felt the anger within her rising again, the flowing disgust with
this man and his subordinates and his ridiculous laws and his lack of
compassion. She grasped the hatred, rode it, let it flow through her.
"You honestly don’t get it, do you?" she said with what almost seemed like
amusement. "I love him. I never realized it before, but now I think I do.
I’m not really sure what love even is, but I know there’s something there
between us, something that’s sacred and impossible to ignore anymore. It
started out to be nothing, but it got stronger as our friendship grew. It’s
evolved into something beyond friendship now." She said, releasing most of
her pent up aggression through this admission. Actually, she felt better.
She was glad just to get it off her mind, to say it and get it out in
the open, and to stop hiding it from herself. Ito simply stared at her. He
honestly didn’t seem to understand what she was saying. Despite herself and
her emotional state, she began to laugh at him. Ito raised an eyebrow
quizzically.
"You find something to be humorous?" he said dryly.
"Actually," Ukyo said between laughs, "I do. Look at you, the mighty prince
of mystical Shurkashuuton Tengoku, the legendary valley of the Four Seasons,
and with all your imperious demeanor and ridiculous laws, you can’t even
understand a simple emotion like unconditional love. I can’t help but pity
you." She continued to laugh, and felt the tears coming on again. But she
didn't really mind. Dryly she noted these were sometimes the symptoms of
approaching hysteria.
Ito scowled and looked away from her.
"How dare you pity me, woman." He said simply. "You know nothing of who I
am-"
"On the contrary," she said, still chuckling. "You’re a scared little boy,
that’s all. You hide behind your laws and your responsibilities because
you’re afraid to feel emotions. Because they’re unpredictable. They can’t be
controlled or manipulated by someone who doesn’t understand them." She could
see he was becoming angry, and his calm, cool, collected persona was quickly
fading, but it didn’t seem to matter to her now.
"I came to invite you to a little show." He said, after a few moments of
silence. He looked up at her with his cold eyes, and they seemed to pierce
right through her. "We’re going to watch your lover die."
Ukyo fought back the urge to strike at him with every ounce of
control, but she knew it wouldn’t do her any good. She was without her
spatula, and besides, she remembered the Dragon Column Technique vividly.
Too vividly. Somehow, she stopped herself. He motioned to the door, and
smiled. Drawing in all the resolve she could muster, she stepped out, him
following close behind.
****************************************************************************
Ryu turned his gaze from the distance and glanced over at Ryoga, who
had been walking in silence since they had set off towards the palace. He
was amazingly accurate at following the trail of leaves that Ito had left
behind, but Ryu chalked half of it up to concentration and half to sheer
will. He sighed and looked back ahead.
"Hibiki-san," he said after a few more moments of silence. Ryoga turned and
looked up at him, not straying from his path in the slightest. "Why is you
doing this?"
Ryoga sighed. "I don’t know, honestly." He said. "It seems like the right
thing to do. She is our friend, after all. We can’t just let them take her
away from us."
Ryu nodded inflectively. "Take from us, or take from you?" he said slowly.
Ryoga snarled at him angrily.
"What the hell does that mean?" he snarled, grasping the collar of Ryu’s
kimono tightly. Ryu stared at him with emotionless eyes. Ryoga slowly
released him.
"Do not attempt to hide your own self from your own feelings." He said
coldly. "I knows you is caring for her much."
"Of course I care for her, you idiot!" he snarled. "She’s my best friend!"
Ryu nodded at him, but said nothing. In a way, Ryoga surmised, that
was worse than anything he could have said. They continued on through the
springtime scenery in silence. Distantly, Ryu got the impression that they
were being followed, but chose not to say anything just yet. Suddenly, he
caught a glimpse of five shimmering objects slicing through the air towards
him, turning, he shouted a warning at Ryoga and leapt up, drawing his blade.
He noted the five objects were needles, thick sewing needles, about four to
five inches long each, and were all attaches to steel wires which led back
up into a tree. Ryu slashed, slicing through two of the cords with ease,
but grimaced as another needle dug into his shoulder and his right arm
suddenly went numb. Another struck his right thigh, and his right leg too
became useless. The last needle whizzed past his face, and he closed his
eyes as it slashed a thin canal into his skin. Ryu landed hard onto the
ground, staring down at the needles in amazement. The two that were sticking
into him had both struck paralyzation pressure points. Ryoga watched in
amazement as a familiar figure leapt down from the tree, the two needle
wires clutched in his hands like puppeteer’s strings. He brushed a piece of
his blonde hair aside idly and straightened his tuxedo cuffs in amusement.
"Nobara!" Ryoga snarled, allowing his raw, unfocused emotions to burst forth.
"Where is she?"
"And a fine gashi to you too, Shinnyuusha-san." Nobara said smugly. "But I’m
afraid it no longer matters where she is. This sugoruku ends here, now."
"This isn’t a game, Nobara!" Ryoga shouted, gritting his teeth. "Give her
back to me-uh, us, or I swear I’ll kill you!" Nobara glared at him
imperiously and responded with a smug chuckle.
"I’m afraid not, Shinnyuusha-san." Nobara said smugly, and flicked his wrist
forward in a quick motion. Ryu, already prone from the numbed leg, saw the
needles flying towards him, but couldn’t dodge in time as two more implanted
themselves in his other arm and his leg, sending him unceremoniously
groundward, completely useless. Ryoga leapt to the right as two more needles
soared towards him, and he grimaced as one struck his right arm, numbing it.
He landed and tore it out, not even noticing the fresh blood that now
trickled down his arm. With a flick of his wrist, Nobara withdrew the
needles back into his sleeve, except for those which now paralyzed Ryu.
Ryoga sighed inwardly. It always seemed like he ended up fighting alone at
critical points like this.
"Feh." He said, gripping his still numbed arm ruefully. Despite the needle’s
removal, the damage had already been done. "Your little sewing needles
aren’t going to be enough to stop me." Nobara chuckled again, and suddenly
withdrew the needles piercing the samurai’s skin into his other sleeve.
"We shall see, pig-boy." He mused, and whipped ten small, silvery projectiles
towards Ryoga, who was momentarily stunned.
His mind whispered frantically.
Ryoga’s thoughts were interrupted as he realized his danger, but was
too slow to dodge them all. He grimaced as his legs went suddenly numb and
he fell on the ground on his knees.
"How could I know about Junsenkyo, you ask?" Nobara said smugly as he watched
Ryoga try in vain to stand but collapse again, supported only by his one
good arm.
"It’s simple, really." Nobara continued, straightening his cuffs. "I can read
your mind."
*****************************************************************************
Ukyo watched in horror at the events unfolding before her, reflected
in the dim, eerie glow of the magical pool Ito had taken her to. From what
she could tell, Nobara had crippled him with some kind of needles attached
to wires in his sleeves. It was a technique that was almost Mousse-like in
an eerie way. She looked around quickly at the three other figures before
her. Ito watched the events unfold with an emotionless face she was certain
masked some kind of sick pleasure. Standing on his right was the master of
Summer, the incredibly strong guy in the vest, whose name was apparently
Hisaki Bakajikara. He seemed to be a reasonably level-headed person, which
was something she noted she could possibly use to her advantage. Then, there
was the exotic woman to Ito’s left, whose skin was pale and her eyes were
the color of ice. Ukyo had noticed her glancing at Ito ever so often when
she assumed no one was looking, and in her eyes Ukyo saw the same things she
felt when she had used to look at Ranma like that, a kind of idolized love.
What this mistress of Winter, whose name was Yoiko Hyoushin, could possibly
see in Ito was beyond Ukyo’s reasoning, but then again, everyone had to love
something.
"Please," she said to Hisaki, for she already knew arguing with Ito was a one
way street. "Please, don’t do this to us. Don’t let him suffer...because of
me..."
Hisaki looked at her with an expression of genuine sympathy, and
turned to Ito. The prince showed no signs of acknowledging him. Hisaki
sighed and tried his best to smile.
"I am sorry." He said sorrowfully. "It must be. I wish I could change it, but
I can’t."
Ukyo stepped back at the respite, then gazed back down into the
shimmering pool.
*****************************************************************************
Ryoga struggled to stand, but his legs gave out again, and he hit the
earth hard, grass and soil grinding against his skin and into his mouth,
leaving a bitter taste. Behind him, Nobara laughed in sadistic glee.
"I shall enjoy making you suffer, if only because I’m not the only one
watching." He said snidely, and numbed Ryoga’s last arm, sending him to the
ground. Ryoga glared at him and gritted his teeth in a snarl.
"What the hell are you babbling about?" he growled. Nobara laughed again in
his feathery voice. He whipped five needles out again, and Ryoga fought the
urge to scream with all his willpower as the dug deep into the pain centers
of his body, igniting explosive flares of white hot pain within him.
"Silence, chijin." He said snidely, whipping the needles back out, each
trailing a small streak of blood. "Surely you must realize she is watching
all of this."
Ryoga’s eyes snapped open, despite the pain raging within him. Ukyo
was watching this? No, he was lying. It couldn’t be true. She couldn’t see
him like this, on his knees, weakened and feeble. He couldn’t allow it. He
gritted his teeth again as the needles punctured him again, jolting his
already struggling body with more surges of pure pain.
"You are in no position to permit anything, chijin." Nobara chided, tearing
the needles loose again. "Of course it’s true. She can see you right now,
weak and feeble, kneeling like the subjugate you are. I’m surprised she
loves a weakling like you as much as she pretends she doesn’t."
Ryoga’s mind desperately vied for something to focus on besides the
cloud of pain fogging him. It leapt onto Nobara’s words with a desperate
fury. Love? Him?
"That’s right, fool." Nobara sneered, stabbing the needles into him yet
again, pouring rivers of unchecked pain into his every fiber, and he
screamed out in frustration and suffering. "She loves you, more than you
realize. She sees the bond of love forming between the two of you, and she’s
clinging onto it with the determination of a drowning man. And now she knows
you love her too, just as much."
Despite the suffering, the question did rage in him, just as burning
as the fiery nerves that Nobara’s pins now danced upon. Did he love Ukyo?
More aptly, did he even realize what love was? He thought he loved Akane,
with every breath of his soul he swore he did, but he began to realize it
was more of an infatuation. She was the first girl who was ever nice to him,
who respected him. Then, there was Akari, and she knew of his curse, but
she still cared for him. Perhaps he did love Akari, but he didn’t deserve
her. She needed someone who could stay with her, live with her, and provide
for her. Ryoga didn’t think himself capable of any of these things. Despite
the fact of his wandering, he didn’t see himself as a strong provider. He
wasn’t capable enough.
Ukyo Kuonji, his mind stated simply. She was intelligent, rational,
business-minded, beautiful, polite (sometimes), a skilled fighter, and she
was lonely, just like him. She had fallen for Saotome for the very same
reason he had fallen for Akane, and now the two of them were struggling to
define themselves and their places. Perhaps, he thought, his place was with
her. She was kind to him, she was attractive, and she made him feel happier
than he had in a very long time. He did love her. But, was he worthy of her?
Ukyo deserved a good, strong, intelligent man, and he wasn’t good enough.
She deserved the best, and he couldn’t offer her that.
"How ridiculous of you." Nobara chuckled, digging in more needles, burning
him with even more surging, raw pain, and it coursed through him like
electricity. "To degrade yourself to the point where you’re actually
convinced you don’t deserve her. Your weakness sickens me."
Ryoga glared at him through sweat-burned eyes. Nobara stared back
with an imperious air that bordered on the divine.
"Perhaps you are right, after all. Perhaps she does deserve someone better
than you. Someone...stronger."
Ryoga felt the one thing boil within him that could rival the pain.
Pure hatred. The strength of a madness he could never fully understand. He
grasped it like a raging tether, and pulled himself back from the brink of
death again. For her.
"I can’t wait to taste her." Nobara mused. "I wonder if she’ll squeal or
moan..."
The thin line that desperately held the barriers between strength and
sanity tore apart in that instant. Nobara watched in horror as Ryoga stood
shakily on his feet, trickles of sweat pouring down his brow like the tears
of an angel.
"I-i-i-impossible!" Nobara said breathlessly. Desperately, Ryoga grasped the
cords jutting out of his body and tugged, yanking the tuxedo-clad boy
forward like a fishing line. Summoning all the strength that remained, he
swung, and Nobara barely had time to cry out as he was smashed into a nearby
tree, bone and bark cracking in a twisted symphony. The unconcious combat
acupuncturist slumped to the ground in a heap, a single red rose slipping
out of his lapel and falling to the ground beside him. Ryoga fell to his
knees, planting his hands in the soft dirt for support. Ryu, who had
remained silent for the course of the discussion, began to say something,
but wisely kept it to himself.
Slowly, shakily, Ryoga stood, and walked over to Nobara, staring down
at his prone form. Turning his face skyward, Ryoga sucked in a deep breath.
"Ukyo!" he shouted, and his voice echoed through the valley. "If you can hear
me, I’m coming for you!"
With that final declaration, he slipped into sweet unconciousness.
*****************************************************************************
Ukyo looked at the three stunned figures around her with a chaotic
swirl of emotions within her. The things that she’d just heard tore through
her like a bullet. Did he really love her? The implications were
world-shattering. Slowly, the images faded, and the pool returned to
shimmering, crystal water. A thick silence hung heavy in the air.
"He...defeated Nobara..." Hisaki said, stunned. "His willpower is
incredible."
Ito frowned and turned to Yoiko, who was still staring at the crytal
water’s shifting patterns in amazement.
"Yoiko, take this girl back to her room. I have much to consider. Hisaki,
prepare yourself. He will enter your domain by tommorrow. There, you will
destroy him."
"But-" Hisaki began, but Ito turned and walked off, leaving the three of them
there in the eerie darkness. Hisaki turned to Ukyo and shrugged helplessly.
"I’m very sorry, Ms. Kuonji." He said apologetically. " Please forgive me for
what I may do tomorrow. It is not my desire to see your newly realized love
die, but I am bound by these lands and their laws."
With that, he turned and walked away. She felt herself coming close
to the point of hysterical sobs again, as much as she damned herself for it,
but a cold hand on her shoulder stopped her. She turned to see Yoiko staring
back at her.
"This way, please." She said in a voice that reminded Ukyo of a winter chill,
if one could imagine what that could sound like. Feeling slightly numbed by
the events of the day, she let Yoiko lead her back to her room without
protest. The ice woman guided her back to the luxurious bedchamber and
ushered her in.
"Wait." Ukyo said in almost a hushed tone. Yoiko looked at her quizzically.
"Yes, is there something you need?" she said in her whispy voice. Ukyo turned
to her with pleading eyes, unmistakably full of sorrow. Yoiko looked away
from them, without realizing it. Ukyo’s gaze was more than she wanted to
see. More than she could handle seeing right now.
"Don’t do this." Ukyo said, vying desperately for a last chance at reason. A
last chance to protect the man she loved. "Don’t kill him. Please."
"You know as well as I do that I cannot prevent this." Yoiko said, and turned
to leave. Ukyo searched frantically for something...anything...to say that
could make her realize...
"I know how you feel about Ito." She said in a somewhat dry tone. The door
stopped, as did the cold woman closing. She glared at Ukyo with eyes as
savage as an ice storm.
"I have no idea what you mean." Yoiko said angrily. "I have no time to waste
with you."
"I see how you look at him when you think no one’s watching you." Ukyo
continued, seeming to ignore Yoiko’s words entirely. On the contrary, they
did register in her mind, but she pushed them aside, lost in the moment. "I
see emotion in your eyes. You love him, don’t you?"
Yoiko’s cold demeanor shifted suddenly to a seething rage, burning
brightly.
"Shut up, you...you...mortal wench!" She shouted, clenching her fists in
anger. Normally, Ukyo would have attacked her for a comment like that.
However, she realized that her words were causing more damage than her
attacks ever could.
"You know what it feels like to love someone." Ukyo said, trying to make her
point despite Yoiko’s demeanor. "Please don’t make me lose that. Please."
Yoiko’s raging fury faded as suddely as it had appeared, and she
turned away, arms folded tightly.
"Love is an emotion." She said darkly. "Emotions are for the weak."
Ukyo sighed and looked the mistress of winter over with something
almost like pity.
"You don’t believe that crap Ito fed into your brain, do you?" she said sarcastically. Yoiko shivered with newfound anger.
"Ito- I mean Prince Akikaze- knows well the path of a true warrior. Emotions
make you indecisive. They get in the way. Better not to have them." She said
in a distant monotone. Ukyo sighed inwardly. This would be harder than she
thought.
"Besides," Yoiko added with spite, "Love doesn’t work when only one person
feels it."
Ukyo could almost laugh. If anyone knew about one-way love, it was her.
"Oh, believe me, I know that." She said, gazing out into the wintery
landscape. "But it’s different than that now. He’s different than the man I
loved long ago. Ryoga...he feels something between us too. I’m sure of it.
That’s why I can’t let him go now. Not now that I finally have someone."
Yoiko sighed and closed the door, remaining in the room. Ukyo didn’t
even seem to notice.
"I envy you, girl." Yoiko said coldly. Ukyo turned on her with a confused
expression.
"You have someone who’s willing to sacrifice everything just to bring you
back. I should be so lucky." The ice maiden continued, gazing to the floor,
her voice awash with bitterness.
Ukyo smiled to herself. Perhaps she had an ally after all. It was all
a matter of getting this woman to feel what Ukyo herself was feeling. The
loneliness and the desperation. She turned and placed a comforting hand on
Yoiko’s shoulder and smiled.
She thought as she stared at the bitter girl before
her.
Outside, the winter storm began to abate.
*****************************************************************************
End of Chapter Nine.
Comments and criticisms welcome!
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