Wings to Fly Away
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+ WINGS TO FLY AWAY +
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The four fiancees glared at each other, arms militantly folded across their chests, shooting each other looks that could kill. Every one within a fifty-foot radius could feel the tension crackling among them.
Ukyo narrowed her eyes to slits and tried to appear as tough as they come. Inside however, doubts had begun to gnaw at her.
The foursome had finally had enough of Ranma's indecisiveness. They'd confronted him and demanded that he make a choice right then and there. He had looked ready to shatter, so Akane had softly suggested that they'd wait until noon. Then Kodachi had stepped up, and with a dramatic flourish produced a bouquet of red roses to give to the victor. He'd gazed at the bunch of roses dumbly, then fled without looking back.
Now it was noon, and the four were waiting in the park (neutral ground for all of them) for him to appear but he was nowhere to be found.
And Ukyo was having doubts. Of course Ranchan would choose her, but suppose, just suppose, he didn't, what would happen to her? What would she do?
You'd die, an emphatic inner voice told her. The best part of you would just shrivel up and die.
That's right, Ukyo admitted sadly. Without Ranchan, my life would be without meaning.
The rest of her thoughts were interrupted when Ranma himself appeared on the other side of the road. He was grinning and cradling the bouquet in the crook of his arm.
All doubts and worries were swept away at the sight of him. How could she have ever doubted Ranchan? she wondered ecstatically. Of course he loved her, and she loved him.
What happened next seemed in slow motion. He was running toward them - to her - and she spread her arms in joyous welcome. A dazzling smile lit up her face. She was dimly aware that the other girls around her were crying out and doing the same, but she didn't care. All that mattered was Ranma...Ranma...That's when the nightmare began. A yellow taxi appeared out of nowhere and came speeding down the road - straight at him. Their cries of joy turned to frozen gasps of horror. Ranma swerved his head to the side to see what they were looking at -
===BBBAAAMMMMMMMM!!!!=== a huge, sickening crunch - and he disappeared from view.
Ukyo felt her face contorting, molding into an expression of utter anguish.
"NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-

-OOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!" Ukyo sat straight up in bed, gripping the sheets to her damp body. She gasped and closed her eyes, breathing heavily. The darkness soothed her like nothing could. It was easy to let herself believe that the accident was nothing but a bad dream...
Then she snapped her eyes open. Except that it wasn't. Ranma Saotome had died from a car accident exactly a year ago, leaving the world before he could tell it once and for all whom he loved.
She rolled over on her side and crawled out of the cot she was lying on. She glanced around the little room dolefully. How bare and lonely it looked! How different it had appeared when Ranma was alive - back when she'd viewed the world through rose-colored glasses.
She sighed and made her way to the dingy little bathroom in the corner. She splashed her face with cold water, willing that it would erase all signs of last nights crying. Then she ran a brush through her thick brown hair before tying it up with a black ribbon. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. "Efficient and responsible," she murmured to herself. If but a little cold and stern, she added silently. She shook her head as if to shake those thoughts out of her head. Efficient and responsible was what she'd vowed to be at Ranma's funeral, for she could no longer be cheerful and carefree. If she had to be cold and stern as well; fine, so be it.
She strode out of the depressing little room and into her restaurant. Ucchan's was still open for business, and the place would be filling up soon. She flicked the light switch on and Ucchan's became bathed with light. She stood transfixed for a moment, gazing at the place she'd worked so long and hard for. The tables, chairs, floor and counter shone. The dishes, pots, pans, silverware and glassware were all neatly arranged inside the cabinets. Not a speck of dust could be seen anywhere.
Sometimes she admitted to herself that Ucchan's was the only reason she continued to live. She needed to feel needed, and pathetic though it was, her okonomiyaki restaurant couldn't survive without her. It craved for her touch...and her touch alone.
So she put down the chairs stacked on top of her table, ran a perfectly dampened rag across the tables and counter, and arranged the condiments and silverware on the tables precisely.
The last thing she always did was turn over the sign on her door from CLOSED to OPEN. It was a ritual brimming with symbolism. Satisfied that everything was in order, she reached up to do just that...and her hand stilled.
Ranma was walking down the sidewalk.
She blinked. The boy had his back to her so she couldn't be sure, but the broad shoulders and pigtail braid down the back of his head were distinctive. She blinked her eyes again, this time taking longer until opening them.
It couldn't be him, it couldn't be him...
But then, she wondered, why am I running to him?

Shampoo was sitting on the front steps of the Neko Hanten, holding a single rose delicately. She was trying not to cry; biting her lip savagely to keep the tears from falling.
Mousse watched her from behind - knowing that she would fling him if she knew he was watching her right now. He sighed and closed his eyes painfully. True, he had hated Saotome, but he'd never wanted to win Shampoo on default. He wanted to earn her love - not inherit it. And that was what had happened.
Shampoo had clung to him for support this past year, but she was still moody and resentful. Sometimes she would treat him like the love of her life, but when he came upon her alone sometimes, she'd turn on him like a cat and lash at him with her tongue.
He shook his head ruefully. Oh yes...it was a long time yet for him to figure this lady out.
Shampoo leaned her head against the doorway. I miss you, Ranma, she sent out into the clear morning air. Suddenly, she couldn't hold back the tears anymore. They rolled down her cheeks, hot and slick. She let them fall, knowing that it was either that or go crazy.
She had truly loved Ranma, loved him with all her heart. Since that day she had opened her eyes and found him staring down at her, she'd known he was the only one for her. His strength, both inner and outer, compelled her to admire him. In a life full of conquests and triumphs, it shocked her to find herself revel in defeat.
Growing in an Amazon Village was hard, especially if you were the great granddaughter of the tribal head. Not to mention the best young fighter for miles around. Her superior status kept her aloof from her female peers. Their concerns she found trivial. All they talked about was the male youth in the other villages. Being undefeated, she could not join in, and although she feigned disinterest, inside she'd ached to laugh and giggle with the rest of them. She'd always felt as if something was missing in her life.
All that had changed with Ranma. She'd fallen for him well and truly.
And all that had ended with Ranma.
She sighed and the tears continued to fall. Then she frowned and looked down. What in the - a bell?
True enough, the ringing of a bell could be distinctly heard in the distance. Shampoo tensed, and waited.
What she saw made her gasp. Coming down the road, casual as could be, was Ranma. And he was ringing a bell!
Behind her, Mousse gawked at the apparition before him. He must be mistaken, he must be... He fumbled for the glasses on his robe, and shaking, raised them to his eyes. It only confirmed what he already knew in his heart.
Shampoo suddenly realized why Ranma was ringing a bell. He was reminding her of the time he'd rescued her from the Ghost Cat!
His saving her was the kindest thing anyone had ever done for her. He'd rescued her even though it meant facing his worst fear - namely a giant monster cat. That's when she knew he must love her, for only love could have made him do that.
Now he was reminding her of that very fact, telling her to remain true to him. She cried out in joy and ran toward him, knowing it was impossible that it was him but hoping against hope - "Ranma!!! Ranma!!!" she called ecstatically. But he appeared not to hear her and continued walking.
Mousse cursed under his breath. Shampoo's heart was going to be broken again. He chased after her and grabbed her by the arm roughly, forcing her to look up at him. "Shampoo, stop! It's not him! It can't be him!"
Shampoo tried to break away from his grasp. "Let go, Mousse!" Her eyes were full of a wild and desperate hope. "Shampoo going after Ranma!"
"But it's not him!" he screamed, holding on to her for dear life. Shampoo was his now - he knew if he let her go after Ra-- whoever that was - he'd lose her forever. So he gripped her, oblivious to her thrashing and heaving.
Her eyes blazed up at him. "Shampoo love Ranma, Mousse!!!"
He let go, stunned and hurt.
She stood there for a moment, swaying between taking it back and running after Ranma. But Mousse's eyes slowly assumed a shuttered look, and Ranma's figure grew smaller and smaller in the distance - in the end, she didn't have much of a choice.

It was a strange and startling occurrence at the Nerima Mental Ward when Bush and Cole, two of the toughest orderlies, came into the cafeteria trembling and pale as ghosts. They sat down among their friends at their table, but it was awhile before either of them could speak. When they did, their voices were full of awe and reverence.
"Cole and me were minding our business when Boss Summers come running up to us and shouting, 'Ms. Kuno is having a tantrum again.' Well we both dropped what we was doing and followed him as fast as we could.
"Sure enough we came to that room at the edge of the Ward and the Black Rose was screaming bloody murder. She bit and spat and clawed down our backs, and it was all both of us could do to strap her in a straitjacket." Bush shuddered. "And she laughed."
Everyone nodded at this in mute horror. The Black Rose's laugh was known to curdle a man's blood. Everyone but a new orderly, who shook his head in consternation. "I don't get it. Who is this 'Black Rose'?"
He was immediately answered by several voices.
"A nightmare!"
"She poisons your food with arsenic -"
"If she be in a better mood, paralysis potion!" A round of laughter followed this remark.
Bush motioned for them to be quiet, and they did. After all, the honor of the tale was his. "The Black Rose," he began in a low voice, "was brought here, hmmmm, about a year ago. They say her father is rich, that's why she wasn't brought here earlier. Then again, she was only a little unbalanced before... But when her boyfriend or something croaked, she just went over the edge, and her father couldn't keep her quiet anymore. So they brought her here, even though I think she was supposed to be put in a maximum security prison. They paid so she can still get the best life a nut can."
The new orderly stared up at him in rapt attention. "Wow! It must have been something trying to quiet her!"
All pairs of eyes turned to him and Cole.
"Well, we didn't exactly..." Bush mumbled. He stared at Cole.
Cole obliged by continuing their story. "We were standing there, sweating like pigs after the workout she gave us when this doc appeared. At least, he looked like a doc. He had a white coat on and a stethoscope around his neck. But his face was too young. Naturally I was on my guard at once, wondering if the boy meant mischief and thinking too that if he was, well, the Black Rose could punish him better than I ever could. So I starts to open my mouth, give him the famous sneer, when I look into his eyes...and I was struck dumb. I-I-" Cole appeared to be struck dumb now, unable to continue.
"Why?!" the eager audience chorused.
Cole shook his head, in a gesture of disbelief. "Peace. I saw the profoundest peace in my whole life."
Bush nodded his head in vigorous agreement. "I saw it too. He nodded his head toward the door, hinting for us to leave, and we did. You just don't argue with a man like that. Then we thought we heard the Black Rose whimper inside. Curiosity just gets the better of us and we press our ears to the door. We heard him say 'Kodachi' and -"
"What's Kodachi?" somebody interrupts.
"I don't know. Mayhaps a voodoo word. Anyway, he says it, and the weirdest thing happens."
"What? What?" cried their excited audience.
"The Black Rose shut up. She totally shut up. Cole and I, we were staring at each other like you fellows are staring at each other right now, when the door swung open. We jumped back and resumed our places. The guy, he gives us this knowing, sidelong glance. He knows what we been up to."
"That makes me feel ashamed," Cole added. "So I looked down, only for a second, but when I look up, the guy was gone! Poof! Just like that!"
Hushed silence followed. "I wonder who he is," someone mused aloud.
"Or what he is," his friend snorted derisively.

Nabiki approached Kasumi. "Is she still in there?" she inquired worriedly.
Kasumi nodded sadly. Tears filled the warm brown eyes. "Oh Nabiki," she sobbed. "I just don't know what to do anymore."
Her sister hugged her tightly. "There, there, oneechan," she whispered. "If anyone, you're the only one who's kept this family going. I should be the one ashamed. I should be here for you and father."
Kasumi shook her head. "No, you need to study. It's not your fault."
Do I? Nabiki wondered wryly. The truth of the matter is, I just want to escape from this house's oppressive atmosphere. Shame washed over her again in sickening waves. It was a hell of a time for her conscience to come back from the grave.
But Nabiki could do nothing about it. She could not stay in the house for too long. Her face twisted into a bitter mask. Ranma's death had destroyed her family.
Genma Saotome had left the day after his son's funeral. He had scrawled some gibberish on a scrap of paper that he was going on a training expedition. That was pure nonsense of course; Genma didn't have a son left to train. No one knew where he was now.
The future of Soun Tendo's beloved training hall was bleak. His once envied jet-black hair was now streaked with gray. He didn't speak much, spending most of his time smoking and staring into space.
And Akane... The day that Ranma died was the day her spirit left. She was but a fraction of her former self.
Nabiki forced a smile on her face as she broke away from her older sister. She could kill that Ranma for what he'd done to her sister and family. Except it was too late, wasn't it? A drunk taxi driver had beaten her to it.

Akane huddled underneath the bathroom sink, squeezing herself into a tight little ball so she occupied the smallest space possible. She wanted to do more than that. She wanted to disappear from the face of the earth.
Hot tears ran down her cheeks. She knew she had cried too much for far too long and she wanted to stop. She just didn't have the willpower to try. Sometimes she wondered if she had the willpower to continue living. Every morning it was harder and harder to get out of bed, everyday she found herself wondering more and more why she bothered to. Life was just so much harder without Ranma. The days just melted from one into another in a gray haze devoid of color.
Dimly she was aware that she was losing touch with her close friends one by one. It wasn't their fault; Yuka and Sayuri had sincerely tried to be there for her. But she couldn't stand their sympathy, their pity. They just didn't understand, and she felt like shouting at them to leave her alone. Instead, she'd dropped out of her various school activities one by one, first the drama club, then the volleyball team. She'd stopped eating lunch with them at the cafeteria, preferring to eat alone inside their classroom. She went home the minute school was out, carefully averting her gaze from the chain link fence.
It was better this way, she'd decided, even though the isolation hurt her terribly. It was just too big a risk to care for anyone again.
But the real issue of the problem was something she barely understood herself. Or perhaps, refused to dwell on. She felt like she was in limbo, stuck reading the same page over and over again without being able to read the rest of the book. Ranma had died before his time, died just before she could turn to the next chapter. And that was what bothered her so much.
Akane had been trapped once in the body of a wooden doll, she did not cherish the idea of being entombed in a cage of her own making all her life. She had to know if he had cared for her at all - or risk going insane.
She leaned her head against the cool tiled wall, feeling drained. Oh she would give anything...
"Akane..."
She started. The voice had seemed to brush against her cheek like a caress. She looked around the small bathroom, eyes alert. Even though she had been out of shape for a long time now, she still had all of her martial art senses.
"Akane." This time the voice was more insistent, and it rubbed against her cheek instead of merely brushing.
Mesmerized, she got up slowly and let herself out of the bathroom. She carefully checked the outside but found no one. She could hear the low rumbling of her sisters' voices in the kitchen.
"Akane," the voice continued to call.
She glided across the room and turned the knob. A gust of wind blew past her. She gasped and closed her eyes. She stood like that for a long time, savoring the feel of the cool air on her hot skin. Then -
"Akane." This time the voice was much, much closer. It was achingly familiar and full of yearning. She didn't want to open her eyes lest it stop. But of course she did in the end.
What she saw sucked the breath out of her. If there hadn't been the door to support her, she was sure she would have swooned dead away.
She was staring at the back of her dead fiance. She opened her mouth in a scream but found nothing came out. Shaking terribly, she raised an arm and reached out for him. Helplessly, like a sailor drawn to a siren, she followed in his steps.
To her doom...or redemption.

Ukyo paid no attention to her surroundings as she heedlessly ran after Ranma. Everything else ceased to matter. We'll be together again, her mind sang over and over. Together forever.
Then, something in the back of her mind told her something was wrong, very wrong. She tried to push the feeling away but it persisted. Then she spotted them.
She came to a screeching halt.
Standing in front of her were the two women she'd avoided seeing for two years. They looked as confused and desperate as she felt. An irrational impulse filled her to scream at them. It was so unfair! her mind shouted wildly. Can't you leave me to have Ranma to myself for once?! But she suddenly realized what else was wrong.
This time Ukyo did scream.
She was in the park, standing on the same place where she'd watched Ranma die. Before her was the same expanse of road he'd tried to cross. Oh God, she thought, feeling her knees go weak, oh God.
She had vowed never to set foot on this place again. Even when she was going for groceries, she went the long way just so she wouldn't need to pass by it. She'd known that merely seeing it would evoke the memories she'd tried so hard to repress. She felt like vomiting.
Shampoo and Akane hovered beside her, and she watched them out of the corner of her eyes. She was struck by the change in Akane. She was way too thin, looking so frail and fragile she was almost transparent. Their eyes met for a moment, and Ukyo hurriedly tore her gaze away. Painfully.
"Look!" Shampoo suddenly cried, pointing at something excitedly.
Both she and Akane turned to look. Their cries stuck in their throats.
Ranma was standing on the other side. He was grinning and holding a bouquet of roses. Just like before.
What happened afterward was in slow motion, in a twisted sense of deja vu. He was running over to their side, the grin still on his face. Ukyo felt her heart skip a beat. God she'd almost forgotten what he looked like. The sight wrenched at her soul.
Then, a chill ran through her as she unconsciously compared the present with the past. Wait a minute, where was the taxi...?
As if on cue, she saw a cab materialize to her left. "No!" she cried out and she could hear the rawness in her voice. She closed her eyes, not bearing to look any longer.
(Oh no please God I can't stand to see it again not again I'd die oh please please)
Then she heard someone shriek ecstatically - Akane probably - and opened her eyes with a snap. Ranma was still running toward them, yet the taxi was still moving in the opposite direction.She realized that the car had run right through him.
Ukyo went limp with relief. She thanked God inwardly.
Ranma raced the remaining distance, and Ukyo held out her arms in welcome. She had eyes only for him.
The feeling was not mutual. He was staring at Akane with all the love of the centuries shining in his eyes. He handed her the bouquet, a whimsical half-smile on his face.
Ukyo moaned and crumpled to the ground. It was her worst nightmare come to life. He didn't love her! He never had! But like someone struck with morbid fascination, she couldn't look away.
Akane accepted the flowers with numb fingers, eyes sparkling up at him. He smiled again and lifted a hand to brush her cheek gently. She sighed and closed her eyes. Twin drops of tears fell. She reached out to lay her hand over his.
For a moment, flesh touched flesh, and it was a moment where time seemed to stop. But all too soon, the flesh started to fade away into etherealness.
Akane made a choked sound and groped for him helplessly. It did no good. Ranma only smiled back sadly as he slowly disappeared.
Ukyo wept. She cried long and hard, and it felt good to finally let it go. Yet...even as she cried, she discovered something else. She didn't feel half as miserable as she'd imagined she'd be. It was strange but - it was almost as if - as if...she'd known all along this day would come.
With this sweeping revelation came understanding.
A part of her had been relieved Ranma had died. With his passing, rejection had also been eradicated. Somewhere, deep down, she'd been conscious of that relief, and that was the reason why she'd hated herself so much.
Worst of all, it didn't even work. She had found herself, and everybody else, more miserable with the truth denied them.
She heard a sob nearby and remembered she wasn't the only one in torment. Shampoo's purple mane hung about her face, obscuring it from view. But right then, she lifted it ever so slightly and looked Ukyo in the eyes...and she saw the same thing. Shampoo had known it too. Now it was over. At last.
Somehow, somewhere, both pulled up enough energy to share a wobbly smile. Without being aware of it, Ukyo reached out and the two women clasped hands. In that instant, the two established a bond...that would last a lifetime.
"Look at her," Ukyo breathed, nodding towards Akane.
Shampoo turned to look, and they both saw a woman clasping a bouquet of roses to her as if her life depended on it. Tears coursed freely down her pale cheeks, and sadness enveloped her like a fog. But Ukyo thought Akane never looked happier. Akane finally knew.
In awed tones, Shampoo whispered, "We Chinese have our own word for him, but I think...I think you call Ranma an angel."
Ukyo smiled. She turned her tear-stained face to the sky, basking in the warm sunlight. She had hated Ranchan for most of her life...and now she'd spend the rest of it loving him. But with his choice finally revealed to them, they could now find the strength to accept it and move on with their lives. In a way, she felt healed, cleansed...free. "Yes," she told Shampoo softly, "He is an angel, and he's given us our own wings...so we can fly away."
As Akane would have said, a new chapter had begun.


"Ye shall know the truth,
and the truth shall make you free."

All right, all right, I know it's still rough in a few places. This is because I managed to finish this (type and all) in just two days. (I know that that's not going to impress some of you out there, but for me that's outstanding ) So,in my hurry to share this fic with all of you, I haven't been able to go over it very thoroughly. What do you think? Did I hadle the emotional tension well? Please don't hesitate to tell me what you think...


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