As always, C&C is anticipated, accepted, and appreciated.
All original Ranma1/2 Characters and Backstory Copyright
Rumiko Takahashi, and are used without permission.
Please Enjoy!
Coutuva.
Junko's Legacy - Part 2 (Original Ending)
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Akane walked home in a daze, her mind still reeling.
Ranma had scared her; scared her to the point that she honestly
thought he was going to strike her. It was a sobering experience.
In all the time she had known him, she had never seen him strike
out in pure anger, especially at someone he knew. She shuddered
as she considerd the implications; something was affecting him
deeply enough to make him forget his principles, and that scared
her even more than she already was.
Finally arriving home, she looked around quickly for signs
of Ranma, hoping he had calmed down and come home. She was
disappointed to note that his shoes were not in the entry, and bit
her lip in concern.
Walking into the main room, she was greeted by the usual
sights. Her father and Genma playing Shogi, Kasumi cleaning, and
Nabiki sitting surrounded by papers and pecking at a calculator.
"Has anyone seen..." she began, only to be stopped by Nabiki
raising her hand and pointing to the ceiling.
"Hai..." she responded, and made her way out into the yard.
Sure enough, as she walked out beside the koi pond, she could see
him sitting on the roof, in exactly the same pose she had seen him
in earlier that day. This time, she noticed that his face was
fixed and distant, telling her he was long lost in his thoughts.
Gathering herself, she leapt to the roof carefully, landing
softly at the other end of the structure. Tentatively, she took a
few steps toward him, only to stop short as she sensed an almost
tangible 'zone' around him. It actually seemed to be warning her
to keep back, and in view of his earlier response to her unwelcome
intrusion, she opted not to push her luck.
Sighing quietly, she settled to her knees just outside
the 'zone' and entwined her fingers in her lap. Worriedly, she
watched and waited, hoping Ranma would eventually speak to her.
Before long, night fell, blanketing Nerima in a cloudless,
star-speckled stillness. Neither Ranma nor Akane had moved from
their respective positions, and neither even noticed the passage of
time. The only sound was Akane's stomach growling quietly,
protesting it's unfulfilled state. She, however, determinedly
ignored it, something inexplicable compelling her to stay.
Midnight came and went, still with no sign of life from
him. Akane caught herself wondering how he could remain so still
for so long, not even shivering against the cool, damp night air.
Within a few more hours, Akane could feel herself losing
the battle with her body, it's desire for sleep becoming more
persistant. Before she could stop herself, she began to yawn,
only to stifle it as quickly as she could. Even so, her eyelids
grew heavier and her thoughts lethargic, edging her ever closer
to the brink of sleep.
With no warning, her eyes feathered closed and she
succumbed to the inevitable. However, as she drifted deeper into
her sleep, her relaxing muscles could no longer sustain their
resistance to the pitch of the roof, and she slowly, haltingly
began to tip toward the edge.
Just before she would have fallen to the tiles and quite
likely rolled off of the building, Ranma leapt over and scooped
her slumbering form in his arms. In his flowing follow through,
he sprang off the roof, touched down in the yard, then leapt back
up and directly into Akane's room, slipping neatly through the
fortunately open window.
Carrying Akane to her bed, he gently laid her out in it
and carefully removed her shoes. As he lifted her comforter over
her, she moaned quietly and nestled into it. Noticing that her
long hair still sported ribbons, he leaned over her and gently
untied them, setting them on her desk.
As he stepped back toward the window, he heard her moan
softly once more, and mumble what sounded like his name. A small
smile crossed his face briefly, only to be quickly replaced by a
scowl. Turning, he reached up for the top of the window frame,
using it to lever his flip back out onto the roof.
The next morning, which fortunately was a Saturday, Akane
awoke in her bed with a start. Throwing off the covers, she was
about to race from her room in a panic when she heard a familiar
yell from the yard. Looking out the still open window, she sighed
with relief as she saw Ranma working out against the practice
dummy. As she watched him for a few minutes, she realized that
he was being far more savage than usual, landing each blow much
harder than she had seen him do in the past. Her brow furrowed
as she watched, again wondering what could be causing him so much
pain.
Stepping back from the window, she noticed that she was
still fully dressed, and her shoes and hair ribbons were gone. A
faint smile crossed her face as she figured out what must have
happened, despite feeling somewhat disappointed in herself for
having fallen asleep.
Changing out of her clothes and throwing on a kimono, she
paused briefly to look back out the window before heading down for
her bath. As she looked again at Ranma mercilessly driving his
fists into the rope coils atop the dummy, she felt her chest
tighten slightly. In that instant, she resolved that she had to
know what was wrong, no matter how she had to find it out.
As the family sat around the low table awaiting Kasumi's
late breakfast, an uneasy silence hung in the room. Ranma had
skipped his morning workout with his father, who somehow knew that
he shouldn't ask why. The others about the table simply remained
quiet, not knowing what to say. Ranma knew they were walking on
eggshells around him, and once Kasumi had brought the food, loaded
himself a plate and a bowl, grabbed a set of sticks and wordlessly
left the table. The combined sighs of relief caused the small bell
hanging in the doorway across the room to tinkle quietly.
Just as everyone had taken their portions and begun to eat,
a strident knock at the door caught their attention. Kasumi rose
to answer it, and everyone's faces fell as she reacted to the
visitors.
"Oh, My..." she exclaimed, then stepped back into the main
room. "The Police are here... and they want to talk to Ranma," she
announced, wide-eyed.
Before anyone could move, Ranma walked back into the room,
already aware of his guests. Walking past the table, he had only
one thing to say: "Wonder what took 'em so long..."
As he headed toward the door, he abruptly stepped into the
bathroom and instantly returned as onna-Ranma. Glancing back at
the dumbstruck family, she turned and went to meet the Police.
Almost as if on cue, Akane came down the stairs and noticed
the stunned faces in the room. "What...?" she asked, blinking.
"The Police are talking to onna-Ranma outside. I wonder
what kind of trouble he's in this time..." Nabiki responded, shaking
her head.
"Ano... the Police?!? *Onna*-Ranma?" Akane blurted,
dashing to the kitchen window and straining to see the conference
taking place just outside. As hard as she tried however, she could
not hear what they were talking about, and frowned deeply in
disappointment.
Almost a half-hour later, onna-Ranma strode back into the
house and straight into the bathroom. A few minutes later, Ranma
stepped out and headed directly for the main entry, slid on his
shoes, and wordlessly walked out the door.
Everyone in the house simply looked at each other in
surprise, except Akane, who raised a knuckle to her teeth and bit
it nervously, fearful of what Ranma was planning to do.
Unconsciously, she glanced at Kasumi, who only flashed her
trademark small, approving smile, and nodded an affirmative.
A heartbeat later she was out the door herself, hot on
Ranma's trail.
The riverside was deserted, and the gusty wind whipped
unrestrained through the aqueduct, playfully churning up little
dust devils from the debris on the concrete. Ranma stood in the
exact spot he had stood in five days earlier, facing the muddy
brown water with sad remorse etched in his face.
He couldn't imagine what it felt like to drown. The water
closing in over you, filling your mouth and nose; your chest
fighting to find air; the abject panic of knowing what was
happening, and being unable to prevent it.
He shuddered at the thought of it.
His chest tightened as he thought again of Junko, and how
she didn't deserve to have her young life come to such a grisly,
tortured end. He knew of no crime that could possibly justify such
a death, which made it all that much more senseless.
Lost in his thoughts, he at first didn't notice Akane walk
up behind him, and come to a stop a few feet away. She made no
attempt to get his attention, and merely stood with her hands
together in front of her, waiting for him to notice her.
She didn't have to wait long.
"Akane," he said at length, more of a statement than a
greeting.
"Hai," she replied, quietly.
"I'm glad you're here," he added, the words for the first
time ever coming easily to him.
"Ranma...?" she responded, her heart thumping loudly at the
tone of his voice.
"Akane... c'mere," he gestured, looking over his shoulder
at her with an odd expression on his face.
Akane stepped forward tentatively, approaching him from the
side. As she drew near, he abruptly sat down on the concrete and
patted the spot beside himself. Blinking, Akane settled beside
him, wondering what was going on.
Ranma stared at the water for several long, uncomfortable
minutes, finally breaking the silence with a long, tired sigh.
"Akane-chan... I meant to thank you for staying on the roof
with me last night. It felt good... to have you there," he began,
his gaze still on the rippling water. More silence followed, as
Akane wasn't sure how to react to him quite yet.
"I was with Junko the night she died..." he abruptly
asserted, even the words causing him to wince. Akane, caught
unprepared, gasped aloud. Ranma only smirked in response.
"Remember the mall trip? I was in my girl form, and you guys took
off on me. I ran into Junko while I was looking for you two," he
continued, pausing to gather himself. "She invited me to go have
a sundae, so I thought it would be okay... after all, I was a girl
then. Anyway, she treats me to two sundaes in a row, and then I
noticed that she was looking at me funny... kinda like Shampoo
does when I'm in my guy form," he related, the crack in his voice
evident despite his efforts to conceal it. "I knew she had no
idea that I change into a girl, 'cause she asked me my name. So,
when I figured it out at last, I got upset, and dragged her from
the shop and down to this place... this very spot, actually.
She was sitting right where I am now when I changed back into a
guy in front of her," he indicated, closing his eyes tightly
and drawing a ragged breath. After another long moment of uneasy
silence, he lowered his head and continued, seeming to Akane to be
forcing himself to say every word. "She freaked, Akane-chan. She
went right off the deep end. I guess... she must have been pretty
far in love with my girl side, because she looked back at me
like I had killed someone," he blurted, the memory loosening an
involuntary sniff. "I guess... I guess as far as she was
concerned.... I did," he added, his voice a strained whisper.
"Ranma..." Akane breathed, stunned at his revelation.
"So then she..." she continued, but covered her mouth with her
hand before she could say it.
"I thought so, too..." Ranma replied, quickly. "I was
damned sure of it, actually. I had myself convinced that I killed
the girl... as sure as if I'd thrown her in the river," he sighed,
lowering his face. "She took it so hard... I figure she probably
never told anyone about liking girls, either... and when I showed
her I was a guy..." he explained, his voice trailing off. "Damn,
she must have been totally destroyed," he whispered, eyes widening.
"And it was all my fault. Just because I wasn't paying attention,"
he added, remorsefully.
Neither of them spoke for a few minutes, Ranma trying to
compose himself, and Akane simply not knowing what to say. She
fidgeted nervously in an attempt to come up with something, but
Ranma saved her the trouble.
"You probably saw the Police talk to me... They wanted to
know what I knew about her last few hours. Turns out I was... the
second-last person to see her alive," he choked, pausing briefly to
gather himself again.
Akane blinked. "Ano... second-last...? You mean...?"
Ranma nodded slowly. "After I told them my story, they
said that she was walking along here, and slipped on something.
She landed in the water, and drowned before anyone could get to
her," he related, sadly. "There was a bunch of witnesses that saw
me leave her here alive, and then saw her fall," he continued, then
again fell silent.
After a few loud heartbeats, Ranma sighed and lowered his
head. "I guess now I know why they call this a 'curse', Akane-chan.
It's like having a weapon you can't control... a damned dangerous
one. Poor Junko fell in love with my cursed form... not just a
little, but too much. I keep forgetting that it makes people do
that," he stated, his voice quiet. "But I know I'll never forget
this. I still feel... responsible, Akane. If it wasn't for this
damned curse..." he trailed off, closing his eyes tightly.
In that instant, Akane completely forgot everything she had
ever known about Ranma. She was seeing, for the first time, the
caring, wonderful person that he really was... that he had the
potential to always be. He was no longer the rude, crude,
egostistical baka that she took him for, the impact of what had
occurred having forced all pretenses aside. Her heart went out to
him, and also for the first time, a little piece of it was going
to stay with him.
"Ranma..." she began, her voice just above a whisper. "I'm
glad you told me. I can see how much this has hurt you, and I
can't imagine going through it," she continued, her eyes shimmering.
"You couldn't have known what was going through her head, Ranma...
so there's no way you should be blaming yourself for any of it.
Junko had an accident... as sad as that is, that's all it was," she
indicated, soothingly but firmly.
Ranma huffed. "An accident that I set her up for. I
brought her down here, y'know," he noted, tightly.
"Baka. Sure, you brought her here... but did you push her
in? Did you know she couldn't swim? Ranma, feeling guilty won't
bring her back. I had to learn that lesson, too..." she mentioned,
pausing for a moment to draw a breath. "It took a long time, but
I finally got it. My mother was gone, and I couldn't change that.
It's the same for you," she indicated, touching his shoulder and
smiling gently.
Ranma drew a breath to respond, but when he saw Akane's
shimmering brown eyes and warm, caring face, he changed his mind.
In that moment, framed by the late morning sun, she looked
completely different.
Perhaps it was the lack of rage in her eyes, or the fact
that she was showing a gentle, compassionate, almost motherly
side that he never knew existed, but as he looked over at her,
whatever it was made him smile. And he liked it.
No words passed between them as they both looked into each
other's eyes, as if trying to figure out what it was that made the
other seem so changed. Finally, Ranma broke the emotional
stalemate with the last move Akane would have expected him to make.
Rising abruptly, he took her hand and urged her to her feet,
then wrapped her in a tight but comfortable hug that overwhelmed
her with it's emotion.
Akane, before taking the time to think about it, smiled
and snaked her arms around his back, and even nestled her head
into his broad chest. For a few precious moments they simply held
one another, Ranma needing the emotional support, and Akane glad
to be providing it.
Far too quickly it seemed, their heads cleared of the
euphoria the moment had granted them, and they began to separate.
Ranma, however, had one more surprise left, and suddenly dropped
his head and kissed the startled Akane on the forehead.
"Arigato, Akane-chan. I really needed that... and I
guess... I needed it from you," he smiled, feeling better than
he had in days.
"Me, too... I think," Akane responded, her face still
flushed. "But if you ever tell anyone..." she followed, levelling
her now famous glare at him.
Ranma simply smirked in response, then turned to face the
water once more. Reaching behind him, he produced a single white
rose from his waistband, and held it up before him.
"Thanks, Junko-chan... and I'm truly sorry - for
everything," he said quietly, closing his eyes for a second.
"The light awaits... " he whispered, and tossed the bloom into the
muddy water below him. As it difted away on the current, Ranma and
Akane both offered a prayer, then turned to one another with mixed
emotions.
"Oh, don't worry about me tellin' anyone anything. Nobody
would believe that about a tomboy like you, anyway," Ranma abruptly
quipped, smirking.
Akane's eyes narrowed. "Raannmaa..." she growled, aiming
a half-speed shot at his arm. Laughing, Ranma sprinted back up the
side of the duct. As Akane gave chase, he found himself thinking
that in some strange way, the two of them might have briefly stepped
beyond their awkward, clumsy present, and, just possibly, glimpsed
what lay beyond.
Secretly, he hoped that was true.
====================================================================
END - Junko's Legacy A Ranma1/2 FanFic by Coutuva
Comments Welcomed, Flames Extinguished!
coutuva@vecdev.com
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