From: skeezy5 skeezy5@mit.edu Subject: [Ranma][FanFic] Birthdays - Ryouga Michael Won skeezy5@oocities.com ======================= Birthdays - Ryouga by skeezy5 ======================= Ranma 1 / 2 etc. all belong to Rumiko Takahashi... ======================= A solitary snowflake descended from the sky in its chaotic dance. It spun about in circles, leapt from point to point, and navigated the currents of air as skillfully as a trout up a stream. A final gust of wind brought the snowflake to a gentle rest upon Ryouga's hand. He looked up. As if the landing of the first snowflake had signaled the beginning of a race, the sky was filled with contesting snowflakes, each trying to outdo the others in their chaotic dance. *Snow on my birthday. At least the heavens have remembered.* Ryouga picked up his pace, deciding that it would be a good idea to reach shelter before the dark clouds caught up with him any further. Though he tried to keep his attention on the road in front of him, he soon turned away, unable to look at it much longer. He had always found it interesting how a road looked like it had an end, a place where it finished off. But if you squinted a bit harder, looked a bit further, you always saw that the road kept on going, that your goal was never in sight. What looked to be finite, what should have been finite, became infinite the more and more you studied it... Ryouga found it much more comforting to gaze at the sky, which he at least expected to be endless, or at the ground, which was familiar and solid beneath his feet. Of course, that made following the road a bit difficult at times, but... Birthdays. Birthdays were always a lonely time for him. Though they had all made a special effort to try to be there for each other on special days, he had only celebrated his birthday four times with his parents, and never with both of them at once... In fact, it was a full four years ago that he'd had his last birthday party... ^_^ "Hey Ranma!" Ryouga ran after him as quickly as he could, not wanting to lose sight of him. Though the final bell had rung only a minute ago, Ranma was already at the school gates. He turned to glance at Ryouga, then with that famous smirk, picked up his pace. "Argh! Wait until I get my hands on you, Ranma!" Ryouga jumped over the wall in an effort to cut off Ranma, only to discover that Ranma had reversed directions and was heading back the other way. "Ranma! Wait!" Ryouga quickly lost track of where they were, concentrating only on catching up with Ranma. Slowly, he closed the gap, inch by inch, until Ranma was merely an arm's length away. Making up his mind, Ryouga jumped forward to tackle Ranma, only to see Ranma ascend out of his grip. "Ooh. That's gotta hurt." Ranma sat on top of the wall he had jumped on to, watching as Ryouga extracted his head from the hole that he had made in the wall. "You should watch where you're going." "Damn you! If you'd only waited like I told you to, none of this would've happened. It's all your fault, Ranma!" Ryouga shook his head, getting some of the concrete out of his hair. "I'd beat you to a pulp, but I need your help getting home." "In case you haven't noticed, that's where we are, Ryouga." Ryouga finally looked up to realize that the wall he had made a hole in belonged to his own house. Much to Ranma's surprise, instead of attacking him, Ryouga suddenly grabbed his hand and pulled him along into the house. "Come on, hurry up!" "What the heck is this all about?" "Tadaima! Mom? Dad? Anybody?" Ryouga's excitement quickly withered away as he realized that nobody was home. Finally getting to the kitchen, he picked up a note and read it. Dear Ryouga, Your mother and I are going to the movies. We'll try to be back by your birthday. Love, Dad It was dated a month ago, which meant that in all likelihood, Ryouga wouldn't see his parents for another month or so. He plopped down on a chair at the kitchen table and buried his head in his arms. *Another birthday alone...* "Yo, Ryouga! What's wrong? Why are you so down?" "Go away, Ranma." "Aww, come on, man. I brought you all the way home. Don't I at least get to know what all the fuss was about?" Ranma poked Ryouga in the side, trying to prompt a reaction. "Go away." "Hey, whatcha gonna do? Cry your eyes out?" Ranma took a mocking tone, knowing that it guaranteed a reaction out of Ryouga. "It's my birthday, okay?! And my parents aren't here! Now leave me alone." Ryouga yelled and then buried his head again, expecting Ranma to make fun of him. A few moments later, he was filled with surprise to hear the softness in Ranma's voice. "Then why didn't you say so? Come on, let's celebrate!" With that, Ranma grabbed Ryouga by the arm and dragged him out of the house. Ranma practically carried him down the street and finally came to a stop in front of where Ranma and his father lived. "Ranma, what are we doing here?" Ryouga asked with an annoyed tone, as Ranma peeked through the door to his house. "Shh... I'm making sure Pop's not around." Assured that nobody else was in the house, Ranma opened the door and dragged Ryouga in. He quickly led him to small practice room in the back. With a conspiratorial wink, Ranma pulled up a loose board and pulled out a wad of money. "Wow! What's all that money?" Ryouga's eyes grew wide, never having seen that much money at once. "Shh! Its Pop's stash." Ranma counted out a few bills and put the wad back underneath. "We'll just be borrowing a bit of it." "Won't he be angry when he finds out?" "Well, then we won't be here when he does! Come on, let's go!" "Go where?" The lost boy looked on in confusion. "You are so dense Ryouga. Its your birthday, let's go celebrate." Ignoring Ryouga's protestations, Ranma grabbed him again and pulled him out of the house. Cutting across town over the roofs, Ranma quickly got them to the traveling carnival which was in town. "Come on, Ryouga! I heard this place was fun!" "Uhh... Okay." "Hey mister! Two adolescents for admission." Ranma tapped his foot impatiently as the cashier gave him his change. He carefully counted it before stuffing it back in his pocket and said, "Come on, Ryouga! Don't lose sight of me!" The two boys ran into the carnival, eyes wide in wonder. There were dozens of rides, shows, game booths, food stands, and even more. Squealing like children half their age, the two of them tackled the carnival, starting at one end and working their way across. They quickly found themselves on the main attraction of the carnival, a huge rollercoaster. As the rollercoaster thundered through a loop, Ryouga yelled, "Ranma! This ride is awesome!" "Yeah! I never knew it was this great!" Ranma yelled back as they coasted through a cork-screw. "Really? Why didn't you try the ride before?" "Eh, didn't want to." Ranma shuddered slightly, remembering the thrashing Genma had given him the last time he had stolen some money. ^_^ Breaking out of his thoughts, Ryouga looked to see that he had come to a bridge. *Bridge? I don't remember there being this wide a river in the Sahara.* Ryouga brushed some of the snow off his hair and stepped on to the bridge. He walked, lost in his memories, glad that at least the chances of his getting lost on the narrow bridge were... less than the usual. It wasn't until he glanced at the sign marking the middle of the bridge, that he snapped out of his reverie. *Damn, this is a long bridge. Oh well, at least the second half is shorter than the first.* Though Ryouga knew that to be untrue, it came from a folk-tale that he had been very fond of as a child. The story was about the Bridge to Hell. The Bridge to Hell was supposed to be a gargantuan structure, with a traveler being able to barely see the other end. In the middle of that bridge stood an Angel set there by Heaven. She warned those who passed by, that they had reached the center of the Bridge to Hell. Some would turn back, but others would venture forth a bit more, curious to see what Hell was like. The story said that the second half of the bridge was much shorter than the first, and that people often found themselves in Hell and unable to leave. The story was supposed to be a warning, of course. The Bridge to Hell represented the path of darkness. It was a warning that hatred, selfishness, despair, and anger would slowly suck you into a downward spiral which would end up pulling you down faster and faster. After passing a certain point, your descent would accelerate even more, and by the time you saw the demon that you had become, it would be too late. Ryouga stopped when he reached the sign. But how was one supposed to know which side was Hell and which side wasn't? What if you were trying to leave Hell? Would you turn back at the half-way point, fearful of the unknown on the other side? What if Paradise awaited for those who got there? How would you know until you crossed? How were you to know that one direction was filled with the poison of hatred, while the other direction was filled with righteous vengeance? How were you to know that one direction was filled with lust and desire, while the other direction was filled with love and selflessness? Ryouga added a thought with a smile. *Perhaps one could ask the Angel? Then again, I'd probably go the wrong way from which she told me to go.* ^_^ "Oh, wow! Look at that!" The two boys peered through the window of the shop to look at the new ZZ-Gundam model. It was twice as large as any of the other ones, and created only as a limited edition. The price tag reflected this. "I wish I could have that..." Ryouga muttered, resigned by the astronomical price. Ranma counted out the money he had left carefully and saw that he didn't even have half of what it would cost to buy it. "Hey, Ryouga." A quick plan was formulating in Ranma's mind. "What?" "You want that?" Ryouga's heart soared at Ranma's question, but he tried his best to suppress it. "Yeah. But you couldn't buy that for me, it's too expensive." "I agree." "So, why'd you ask, then?" The resignation entered Ryouga's voice again. "Let's steal it." "What?!" "Come on. Go distract the owner with questions. I'll grab the thing and run out. If the owner chases me, I'll lose him. Just sit tight for a while, then come out here. I'll meet you in... half an hour. Tops." "Ranma... I don't know if this is a good idea..." Ryouga was really nervous, never having stolen anything in his life. "Ryouga. Do you want that model?" "Yes..." "Then let's go." Ranma boldly entered through the door to the shop, and Ryouga was left with no choice but to follow. As if browsing for something to buy, Ranma went from display to display, humming and hawing. Ryouga stood in the doorway, his feet rooted, not sure of what to do. Finally, Ranma shot him an annoyed look that got Ryouga moving. "Umm, excuse me..." Ryouga walked up to the counter. A mountain of a woman was behind it, rearranging one of the shelves. "Yes?" The owner turned around and looked at Ryouga. Though Ryouga was tall for a fourteen year old, this woman towered above him by at least two heads. "Uhh... Uhh... Umm... That is... ahh..." In a coordinated attempt to distract the owner and steal something, it is necessary that the decoy be a fast talker. Unfortunately for Ranma and Ryouga, Ryouga was not a fast talker. Furthermore, Ranma had chosen the exact moment that the woman had turned around to grab the ZZ-Gundam model. "Oh crap! Ranma, run!" As Ryouga spun about to break for an escape himself, he felt a massive hand grab him by the scruff of his neck. *Oh god! She's going to kill me! She's going to kill me!* "So you little pipsqueaks. Try to steal from MY store, did you?" Ranma had started to dash out of the store but had stopped, seeing that Ryouga was caught. "Hey lady, its not his fault. I wanted to steal it and made him come with me. You can thrash me all you want, but let him go." "No, no, no. Its my birthday, and I just wanted that model really, really badly. Its all my fault. Don't hurt him!" Ryouga cursed inwardly, wanting to yell at Ranma to run away. "My parents aren't home right now, but they can pay when they get back!" "Oh?" The woman seemed amused by this. "Okay, I'll let one of you go. You guys can choose." "Let him go!" Ryouga pleaded. "No! Let him go!" Ranma's hand clamped down on Ryouga's mouth. "Look, Ryouga, if you stay, I'm going to stay also, so you might as well go." The woman let go of her grip on Ryouga's neck and studied the two boys for a few seconds. "Is it really your birthday?" "Ye... yeah." Ryouga squeaked out. The woman looked at them for a few more moments, and then smiled. "If you guys will stick up for each other that much, you can't be that bad of kids... All right, since its your birthday, I'm letting you and your friend go." "Re... really?" "Yeah, now get out before I change my mind!" The two boys bolted out the door like a pair of deer. ^_^ Ryouga smiled as he turned away from looking at the water. He was about to begin his journey across the second half of the bridge, but his feet came to a halt when he heard a familiar voice cry out, "Ryouga- sama!" *Akari-chan* Ryouga turned around and saw the world's number one pig lover running across the bridge towards him. "Ryouga-sama! It is you! I'm so happy!" Dropping the bags that she was carrying, Akari quickly enfolded Ryouga in her arms and held him, almost sobbing into his shoulder. Her muffled voice whispered, "Its been so long since I've seen you." "Akari-chan, what are you doing in the Sahara?" Ryouga scratched the back of his head. Wasn't he in Africa? "The Sahara? Oh Ryouga-sama, you're just so funny!" The smile that was on her face created a warm glow in the chilly winter air. "Oh, I'm so glad I found you. I thought my eyes were tricking me when I saw you standing here, in the middle of the bridge. I was just on my way back home..." Akari's home. That meant that once he crossed this bridge and followed the highway for another hour, he would arrive at the outskirts or Tokyo. From there, it was but a two hour walk to Akane's home. "I was looking for you all day! Ranma had called... Oh my! The cake!" Akari's face assumed a mask of terror as she turned around and began looking through one of the bags she had dropped. When she opened a box, her eyes filled with tears as she realized that the cake was ruined. "Oh, Ryouga-sama, I'm so sorry. I just ruined your cake." "My cake?" Ryouga kneeled down next to her, looking at the lopsided chocolate cake. Uncertainly, he put his arm around Akari as she cried. "Yes. I got one just in case you showed up at my place. Ranma had a surprise party planned for you at the Tendo Dojo, but... Oops, I shouldn't have mentioned that..." Akari's face was filled with horror. "Oh, I'm sorry, I just ruined the surprise!" ^_^ Ryouga was quickly growing impatient waiting for Ranma. Half an hour ago the idiot had left Ryouga at his house and told him to wait, saying he'd come back with a surprise. "Stupid Ranma. He probably got lost or something." "Aren't you talking about yourself, Ryouga?" "What?" Ryouga whirled about to see a slightly battered Ranma. "I left you in your room. What are you doing in the kitchen?" "I was looking for the bathroom, okay?!" Ryouga grimaced, but was glad that he had at least found the bathroom before getting lost. "What the heck happened to you?" "Eh, I got in a fight with those bullies at the highschool. Showed them, I did." Ranma puffed up with pride, but from the welts on his skin, it was obvious he hadn't had an easy time. Ryouga's eyes narrowed in suspicion that Ranma hadn't been able to beat them easily. "Why'd you get so bruised up then?" "Oh, I was trying to protect this." Ranma pulled out a crushed box from behind his back. He sheepishly added, "I guess it doesn't matter, your cake got ruined... I'm sorry Ryouga." Ryouga stared at the chocolate cake that had been destroyed. Slowly, his body began to shake a bit. "You got beaten up for my cake?" "Hey! Who said I got beaten up? Those three guys aren't going to be bullying anyone for a while!" Ranma lowered his voice. "I'm sorry I ruined your cake, Ryouga. Hope you're not mad or nothin'." "Ranma..." Ryouga choked, trying to hold back the tears. "Hey, come on, its nothing to cry about! Come on, I think I have enough money left. I'll get you another cake." As Ranma turned, Ryouga grabbed his hand. "No, Ranma. I don't need another cake. You got beaten up trying to protect my cake..." Tears were openly streaming down Ryouga's face at this point, but he didn't care. "Oh, Ranma! This has been the best birthday I've ever had!" "Hey, come on, don't get all mushy." Ranma was embarrassed as Ryouga fiercely hugged him, but looking to make sure that nobody was watching, returned the hug. "Come on, let's have the cake." "Huh?" "Aww, who cares if its kinda smushed. It'll still taste good! Come on, its chocolate, your favorite!" Ranma was about to grab a bit, but then stopped himself. "Oops, can't forget the candles!" Ranma dug around the box a bit and came up with a few candles. He quickly plunged them into the cake and lit them. "Hurry up, Ryouga! If you blow all of them out, you get a wish!" Ryouga looked at Ranma with his tear filled eyes, and then turned to the cake. *Yes, that's the wish I want.* With that, he closed his eyes and blew. "Yeah! Nice, Ryouga!" Ryouga peeled his eyes open to see that all the candles were out. Ranma cut the cake as best as he could and the two of them dove into it. They probably set the world record for finishing a cake that evening. After licking the last of the icing off his fingers, Ranma asked, "Hey Ryouga, whaddya wish for?" "Huh? Oh. Nothing much." "Aww, come on, tell me!" "Okay, fine. I wished that..." ^_^ *Ranma and Ryouga, best friends forever.* Ryouga's mind reeled. *What have I become?* "I'm sorry Ryouga-sama, I've ruined everything for you today." Ryouga snapped back to reality and looked at the weeping girl that was standing in front of him. *I need to go apologize to Ranma. I need to say sorry for all the things I've done... What kind of a man am I that I would try to hurt my best friend? But Akane... What about Akane? But Ranma...* Ryouga was torn, split between love and friendship. *I need to get there first, though. I'll make up my mind once I get there! But how... Akari! Akari can lead me there without getting us lost!* "Akari-chan." Ryouga said as he put his hands on her shoulders. "Yes, Ryouga-sama?" She looked up, almost fearfully. "Don't worry about the cake. It's okay." "Oh, Ryouga-sama..." The girl buried her head in his chest. Ryouga couldn't help but notice how small and helpless she seemed in his arms. "I... Uh... You said Ranma had called you?" "Yes. They're all waiting for you at the Tendo Dojo." Even to Ryouga, one of the denser people in the world, the disappointment in Akari's voice at his question was obvious. "I..." "I can take you there, Ryouga-sama, if that's what you really want." Akari looked away from him, not wanting to hear him say it. *How can this girl care so much for me? How can she put my desires before every thing she wants? Before her love? She truly is an...* At that point, Ryouga knew what he had to do. "I guess they'll just have to wait a while before they see me, then. A long while." Though Ryouga had been uncertain saying that, the joy that filled Akari's eyes told him that he had done the right thing. He bent down and scooped up Akari's bags. "Come on, let's go to your house and have this cake." "But..." "Aww, who cares if its kinda smushed. It'll still taste good! Come on, its chocolate, my favorite!" "Oh Ryouga-sama... I... I..." Akari was crying again, but this time in tears of joy. The two of them walked back down the bridge in the direction they had come from. Though Ryouga still did not know what was on the other side, he realized that he didn't care. He took his Angel's hand in his own and gave it a gentle squeeze. ======================= [Author's Notes] Mmm... Okay, for those of you who think Ryouga's OOC, he's not. By the end of the series, he's a lot less angry, IMO. For those of you who think he's too introspective, I think you should give him more credit. After all, if I walked around that much, I'd be like that. (Oh wait, I already am...) Anyway, I thought this up while running. For those of you who live in Boston, I was doing Bridge Loops and hating it. The Bridge to Hell is an inside joke for MITers. That's right. THAT bridge. (Can somebody say "Tech is Hell"?) ^_^ Anyway, some of my pre-readers thought this should have a super-sappy ending. So did I, but I held myself back. This is the story of Ryouga's realtionship to Ranma. I bring closure to the Ryouga-Akari relationship, but that's not the focus. Thanks for reading. If you like my "Birthdays" stuff, I've got 5 more or so planned. I'm not sure which will be next, but I've got two great candidates... |