Revenge: Part Three

Written by: Liz Donovan

He’d been changed. He’d been molded and marred by her. He was hers now. She owned him. She was his commander and his master. He bent to her will. He did what she asked. He had no choice. It was his destiny. And it was all for the good of his future. She knew it. It was for the good of them. It would gain their powers. It would ensure his

Revenge

She was certain of it. He was certain of it. Nothing could fail them. This was who he had been born to be. This was the occupation he had grown into. She had such a fine way to manipulate things. Only, her stupid mistake. Didn’t she realize what would happen? He knew she wasn’t that stupid. She wasn’t stupid. She was brilliant. She was his master. He would die for her.

But she has still made a mistake. And now, as he worked on his mechanical device, he was striving to correct that very mistake. Her singular flaw in life. It had been perfect. And he was going to make it perfect again. For his Revenge. Revenge, because the one he love had died. Revenge because she hadn’t hurt him enough. Revenge, because that was his life now. A servant unto her. A slave of her ideas. A mindless working slave, bent on his own revenge.

He pushed a loose strand of hair from his eyes. The piece too short to fit in the ponytail at the nape of his neck, to long to be out of his vision. He simply tucked it behind his ear, and crouched forward more, peering into the sea of electronics. The cords, and wires, and chips that sparked with sub natural intelligence. He found a subhuman comfort in the electronic depths now. They gave him a sense of security, something to look forward to working on, when all else had been stripped from him, and robbed. Focusing on his machines he could escape the burdens of his life. His grief and remorse. His fury.

If he couldn’t push that from his mind, he would certainly go insane. She had trained him so well. He was her fighting machine. Without a place to seek sanctuary at he’d snap. Though this wasn’t apparent to any of his colleges. He was very good at masking his emotions. He was good at hiding a great many things. And a smile crept onto his lips. He’d get his revenge. He would avenge her death. He would please his master, and he would fulfill his obligation. There was nothing else.

"Doctor Mussu?"

He snapped his head up, the smile vanished, and was replaced with a cold stare. His eyes hard, and almost angry, looking down at the woman who had spoken to him. She was dressed in a white lab coat, with blue pants, much like his. In her hand she held a clip board with papers on it. She had black hair with a blonde streak through it, on a tight bun about her head, and her bangs hanging lightly in her face.

"Miss Ikage! How many time must I tell you to knock before coming into my lab?!" he bellowed, standing a bit away from the huge cylinder a his side.

They both stood in a huge white laboratory, though it was barren. In the center of the room stood a long tall cylinder where he stood on a scaffold, working on the electronic parts. She stood in front of the large double doors, about eight feet below him, peering up, almost scared.

"I’m sorry doctor, " she muttered, bowing her head. "but the Lady is on the phone for you. She demands it is urgent."

He set down the tools he was using and cursed in his native tongue. Urgent for her was never urgent for him. "Take a message, Miss Ikage. Tell her…I’m working on my project….and do not want to be disturbed." He stated, and stared down at her. Ikage hurriedly wrote his words, bowed and left.

"Idiot." He muttered, turning back to his machine. His thoughts scattered.

She might be his master, but he wouldn’t allow her to ruin his concentration. He built this thing for her. He did his job for her. Everything he did, he did to please her. Because she asked it of him. But he would not stop. He finished it for himself. He worked on it to please him. She gave it to him, but he would not stop for her. He would not stop until he was certain it would work. Until he knew, without a shadow of a doubt that he could fix her mistake, and obliterate what she had screwed up on.

She had so not wanted him to spend his life as a kitchen boy. And this job certainly paid far better than what she gave him. So he had taken it for her. To please her. Because she enjoyed to hear of the advances in technology. She called it magic. He refuse to agree with that. He knew magic. He made technology. She was too old to understand the difference, he thought. So he let her have her ideas.

He turned back to the cylinder, picking up his tools again. He knew she would not be pleased once she found out his motive, but he couldn’t let it be the way she had left it. One day, she would thank him. Thank him for making this machine. It was only a matter of time before the one he sought revenge on would realize exactly what the Eternal Sleep had done to him. And he would make sure he was there to remedy it.

The wind howled now, blowing the cherry blossoms through the air, scattering paper and trash. The sky was dark, cloudy and dreary. The sun had vanished, no only behind the clouds, but it was receding in the sky as well, as night approached. The few trees blew in the wind, and people hunched up in jackets, having thought the winter was over, but still getting the cold winds of April. Back in an alley way between two building, where the wind couldn’t reach, Mitake and Miyoko walked. Miyoko on top the brick wall, hands behind her head, not watching her feet, knowing she wouldn’t fall. Mitake walked next to her, on the ground, not looking up at his sister, looking at the pavement beneath him.

"Sure did get dark quick." Miyoko stated, noting the cloudy sky above her. Mitake nodded, but didn’t look up.

"I wonder if the weather is like this where Haha is…" he muttered. She shrugged.

"Who knows. Doesn’t matter. We aren’t there, so why should we care." She stopped, at the end of the alley way. Mitake stopped as well. They both looked to the right. Then turned looking to the left.

"Yeow!" Miyoko cried out, as a orange and black stripped cat pounced onto the brick wall, right in front of her. She skipped back, and dropped into a defensive stance, hands up, eyes narrowed.

Mitake burst into laugher, seeing the cat and his sister. Between laughs, he muttered. "Its just….Tora, Miyo."

Miyoko narrowed her eyes at the cat, and chuckled, then looked around. "Where is he…?" she muttered.

"Hiyo!!!" a small voice cried out, from behind. Miyoko whirled around, and then dropped, flattening herself on the brick wall as Jiyu soared over head, one leg extended in a flying attack. He missed her and then landed behind Tora on the brick wall. Mitake clapped.

"Migoto! Migoto!" he cried, pleased, leaning back against the far wall, watching Jiyu and his sister duke it out. The two so loved to fight each other.

Jiyu was definitely smaller than Miyoko, in size and age, but he was a strong kid, even at ten, and his father had been a kempo martial artist teacher before he died. Miyoko on the other hand, had had very little professional training and had taught herself everything she knew. Still the two were evenly matched, and today they were duking it out on the wall.

Jiyu slid forward and attempted a round house kick to Miyoko’s head, but she dodged back, and while he continued the kick through, she came in and punched him in the back. He stumbled forward, off balance, then pivoted and smirked. Miyoko watched him, then charged, leaping up and trying to knee him, but he side stepped, and she flew past. He fell and landed on the pavement, in a crouch, not too far in front of Mitake.

Miyoko cried out, as she saw him move, then yelped, as the wall ended in front of her, and she braced herself for hitting the pavement. She curled up and hit the pavement, then rolled into it, absorbing the impact all over her body instead of just on her ankles. She turned as she got up, and remained in a crouch, looking back into the alley way.

"Face it, Miyoko! I’m better than you!" Jiyu cried, happily, laughing as he stood up. Tora pouched off the wall, and rubbed between Jiyu’s legs, purring approvingly. Mitake walked up behind the Jiyu.

"Hey, I dunno. Miyoko’s gotten you pretty good sometimes yourself." He said. Miyoko nodded, and stood up. Jiyu smiled and nodded, and walked over to Miyoko. Mitake and Tora followed behind.

"That’s true, but I’m getting better now!" he said with his small boy voice. Jiyu was wearing a pair of casual brown pants and a tan shirt with one long baggy sleeve, and the other sleeve ripped off. He had a brown leather belt tied about his long baggy tan shirt, with a few pouches hanging off it. He had on a small traveling pack with some plain necessities, and a beige head band holding back his unruly dark brown hair. He had dark blue eyes and dark tanned skin. He looked dirty and wore worn leather brown boots, scuffed and dirty. He smiled at the two of them and kicked a rock, as the all began walking down the street together.

As usual people stared at the three as they walked. Wondering whose they were, and why they weren’t in school, and as usual Mitake ignored them. Miyoko always stared them down, and glared at them. Jiyu just seemed to act like they weren’t there. Mitake and Miyoko got the worst stares. They were dressed identical, and often if you looked at them, you couldn’t tell them apart. They both wore high school uniforms. Both boys uniforms. Miyoko refused to wear the dresses. They wore dark blue pants and dark blue shirts with collars and buttons up along the front. Mitake’s was always clean and crisp. Miyoko’s hung on her loosely, and bagged. Comfortable, and seemed as if it’d never been pressed and rarely washed. Underneath they both wore white shirts with their school name sewn on the above their right breast.

They got stares, because they were from a popular private high school. They were both only twelve and in high school, and then, when they were stared at they weren’t in the school when they were supposed to be. Miyoko shook her head. In front of her, Jiyu stopped.

"Okay guys, I gotta show you something. Come follow me." he said. Miyoko and Mitake looked at each other and nodded. Jiyu took off running, and the twins speed off after him, Tora trailing behind. The people they past all turned and watched the kids running down the street, expecting to see authority chasing after them.

She folded her apron and picked up the tray, and sighed to herself lightly. She walked out of the restaurant and locked up. Her hair was back in a ponytail, tied with a white bow. She wore her work uniform and black pants. Outside, she looked up at the dark clouds and shook her head, and started off in the direction of the Tendou’s.

Kuonji Ukyou was tired and had worked hard today, but she was still taking over a couple of her okonomiyaki to Soun Tendou and Kasumi. Certainly she had to obligation towards them, but she had been Ranma’s fiancee. Once he died, she still somehow felt tied to the Tendou’s. Especially how just years later Akane had died.

She, Kasumi, and Nabiki had been the only ones to help Soun through his recovery, after he’d been so injured by the blast that’d killed Akane. She felt like she was part of the family now. It was the only family she had now. She couldn’t give up her ties to them. If she did, then she would truly mean nothing anymore. And that would crush her. She had tried so hard to be successful and conquer the difficulties in her life, but things never seemed to go her way.

She paused, at the gates to the Tendou’s. She stepped through, the wind blowing her hair and her okonomiyaki sellers outfit. She brazenly walked up the steps and knocked on the wooden frame of the house. Stepping back, and waiting.

Shortly the door open, and Kasumi stood there, dressed in her apron, her hair up in a tight bun at the back of her head. She smiled brightly seeing Ukyou. "Ukyou-chan! Hello! How wonderful to see you, won’t you please come in?" Kasumi beckoned, and stepped aside, allowing Ukyou to enter.

She entered and nodded. "It’s great to see you too, Kasumi-chan. I brought you and your father some okonomiyaki." She said. She didn’t mention it was because she thought they were poor and needed to save their money for more important things than food. "I had some leftovers after work today…thought you two might like them." she nodded, and smiled a bit. Kasumi happily took the okonomiyaki’s and bowed.

"Thank you very much, Ukyou! Won’t you stay a bit?" she questioned, heading towards the kitchen to cut the okonomiyki’s up for Soun. Ukyou removed her shoes and nodded a bit.

"I’d love to Kasumi, but I really can’t stay for long." She knew she didn’t need to give Kasumi an excuse. The woman was too nice to ask. Kasumi paused and turned to look at her, holding the box by the string.

"Oh. Well you’re certain welcome back anytime Ukyou." She smiled and nodded.

Ukyou looked at Kasumi. Her eyes were tired and dark underneath. Her skin was light and wrinkling. Her long brown hair was up in a tight bun, and a clip, it was all streaked with a multitude of gray. It hurt to see her. She was aging beyond her time. She shouldn’t look like this. She shouldn’t be stuck in this house. She needed to get married, find a perfect man, have a family of her own. Ukyou knew how much Kasumi loved Soun, but she wished the old man would die. He kept too much a rein on Kasumi. She was suffocated by him. It wasn’t fair to her, she deserved more. She needed help taking care of the old man. Her children and sister didn’t help her any. They didn’t even live in Nerima anymore. She shook her head, those inconsiderate fools. She’d always known Nabiki was greedy and didn’t really care much for other peoples feelings, but to just leave her sister to take care of her father…that was just wrong. "Thanks, Kasumi. If you ever need anything…just call me." she said, softly and sadly.

Kasumi nodded, then turned and walked into the kitchen. Ukyou looked about the house, then turned and walked back to the door, stepping into her shoes. She paused at the exit to the door, and looked at the staircase. Where Ranma once had always run up and down. She wiped her eye, where a few tears had begun to gather.

She turned away, bowing her head and exited the house, sadly.

To Be Continued…