Eternal Sleep:? Part Two
Written by: Son Pan
Ranma ½ Homepage
Eternal Sleep?: Part Three
Ranma awoke and looked around his room. Everything seemed quiet except the beating of his own heart. He stood up and looked around. He didn’t remember falling asleep after his party last night. Stretching he opened his door and headed down stairs. The sun had just risen and he needed to work out a bit before breakfast.
No one was up yet, but he wasn’t really surprised. They’d probably partied really hard the night before and everyone had crashed afterwards. He walked into the kitchen to see if perhaps Kasumi had awaken to start working on breakfast. Oddly enough, several of last nights supper dishes were still in the sink. He didn’t think to much out it though, as he headed outside to start practice.
Knowing that the fattening food he’d eaten last yesterday for dinner was probably gonna start building up, he practiced longer than usual, waiting for Kasumi to call him in to eat.
Looking up from his training stick, Ranma glanced at the Tendo’s house. The sun was rather high over head now, and still he hadn’t been called into eat. He shrugged, absently threw another punch at the pole, and then turned. He headed toward the house, wiping the sweat from his eyes.
He opened the door and looked around. "Hello?" He called. The kitchen was silent. He went into the family room and noticed the presents and wrapping paper still scattered on the floor. "What’s going on here?!" He added. "Akane!?" No one answered.
Smeared cake was everywhere. On the walls, the floor, the ceiling, even the presents. He stooped down and picked up the cake covered guitar.
Upstairs he heard a noise, and looked to the stair case. He set the guitar down and racked his brain. He didn’t remember any cake or food fights . . . what’d happened?!
He headed up the stairs, and increased his pace as he thought he head someone weeping. Clearly enough, he could hear Soun crying, mixed with Kasumi’s sobs. He broke into a run and kicked his door in. The doctor slowly covered someone’s face, lying in his bed. Baffled, he turned to Akane, whose cheeks were fresh with tears. Suddenly his heart leaped as he realized his dad was unaccounted for. Ranma moved towards the bed, silently and knew the body under the covers was too small to be his fathers.
Akane sniffed, and Ranma looked back at her. P-chan was nestled in her arms, leaning against her bosom. Ranma grumbled, and headed over to Akane. Hesitantly he put his arm around her waist, and tried to smile.
"So, what’s up?" He asked. Akane sniffed again, holding her tears back. P-chan opened his eyes and looked up. He focused on Ranma and squealed, almost jumping out of Akane’s arms. Everyone turned to look at P-chan, and Ranma stepped back. Akane tried to calm the pig down, but he kept squealing at Ranma.
Akane looked from where Ranma was standing and then back at P-chan. "Quit acting like that, P-chan." She literally cried, wiping a stray tears away angrily. She smoothed his head down. "You sound as though you’ve seen a ghost"
Ranma chuckled and stuck his tongue out at P-chan. The pig finally squirmed his way out of Akane’s grip and trotted to where Ranma stood. Ranma, curious, kneeled down by the black piglet. He squealed and headed for the door, excitedly. Ranma followed, looking at Akane once more. P-chan followed his gaze, and both were over come, briefly by the pain in Akane’s eyes as she looked upon the sheet covered person.
Ranma turned and placed his hand on the doorknob, when the door swung open by itself. P-chan scrambled out, as Kuno Tatewaki stood in the doorway, a disheveled wreck. Ranma leaped aside as Kuno burst in and ran to the bed, crying erratically Ranma leaned near Akane.
"What’s gotten into him? Kodachi die or what?" Akane didn’t answer. She didn’t even appear to have heard Ranma. He looked at Kuno.
Akane moved over towards Kuno and placed a hand on his shoulder. Kuno looked up, and dried his tears.
"Akane?" Ranma called. Still, she did not answer. "Akane?!" He screamed.
Nothing
"What the hell is going on here?!" He cried. Nabiki, Kasumi, Kuno, Soun, Akane, none of them seemed to realize he was there. He heart thudded and he bolted from his room to the bathroom. He stood in front of the sink, and slowly opened his eyes. Where his reflection should have been, was merely the reflection of the bathroom. He gasped.
"I’m invisible!"
"YOU’RE DEAD!" A voice screamed. Ranma spun around and spied Ryouga standing in the bathroom doorway, dripping wet from his transformation, his cloths sloppily thrown on.
"What do you mean ‘I’m dead!’?!" Ranma furiously cried. "What sort of trick is this!"
Ryouga looked Ranma over, his eyes wide in disbelief.
"I don’t know!" He answered, keeping his distance. "I-I saw you dead with my own eyes! Yet…you’re here!" Ranma turned to look in the mirror again, and winced.
He shoved past Ryouga and back into his room. The doctor was transferring the body from his bed to a stretcher. Beneath the sheet, he saw tendrils of red hair.
The size, shape, and color were right. The was him on the stretcher. He looked back at Akane. She didn’t return his gaze.
"Akane!" He cried, screaming. He waved his hands in front of her face. Nothing. "AKANE!" He desperately called again, but still she didn’t see or hear him.
Ranma clenched his teeth and took a deep breath. Suddenly the door flew open, and both Ranma and Akane turned. Ryouga stood in the frame way. panting.
"Akane!" He cried, moving towards her.
"Ryouga!" Both Ranma and Akane chimed together.
Ryouga reached Akane. "I just SAW . . . Ranma . . ." He trailed off, eyeing Ranma next to Akane. Tears welded up in his eyes. Akane stood a step towards him, mistaking his horror at seeing Ranma alive, as pain from the loss. She tried to keep herself from crying.
"Ryouga, I know . . . its hard to deal with." She sobbed, choking on her tears.
Ryouga looked at Ranma, and turned away from Akane.
"What is the meaning of this!?" He cried, apparently talking to the still body on the stretcher. "You’re dead!"
Ranma patted himself, and then looked at Ryouga. "You can see me?!" He cried, amazed.
"Like hell I can!" Ryouga called back. "What’s the meaning of scaring the entire Tendo family into thinking you died?! You’d better have a good excuse, Saotome Ranma-kun!" Ryouga challenged.
Akane stood dumbfounded behind Ryouga, not sure why he was accusing Ranma’s dead body of being alive. She placed a hand on his shoulder, thinking Ryouga was more grief stricken than she thought.
"Ryouga, you goon! Can’t you tell?! No one else can see me but you!" Ranma cried. Ryouga stopped a moment, as he hear Ranma’s words, and felt Akane’s light touch on his shoulder. Ranma studied him, as did every other person in the room. Kuno stood up, and walked over to Ryouga. He placed his hand on Ryouga’s other shoulder.
"We are all crushed over the sudden loss of my beloved pig-tailed girl, but do not let your emotions lead you to delusions. You must be strong, as I am, and learn to cope with the loss of such a wonderful creature." Kuno started. Ryouga shoved his hands off.
"But Ranma isn’t dead! He’s right THERE!" Ryouga screamed, pointing to Ranma. Kuno turned his head, and saw only the motionless body covered with a white sheet. He inhaled, and wept. Akane turned Ryouga around, and looked up at him.
Ryouga nearly melted in her gaze. She tried to smiled, and then hugged him. Ryouga gasped, and blushed. Akane finally wept into Ryouga’s shirt, burying her head in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, hesitantly and tried to comfort her.
Ranma fumed from in front of them and nearly blew his top.
"Ryouga!!!! Knock it off! You’re the only one who can see me, and you’re all over my fiancee!!!" Ranma jumped up and down and screamed and hollered, but Ryouga simply ignored him. "I’m not going to stand for this, Ryouga!" He continued. Ryouga simply blocked Ranma’s screams, and became lost in the bliss of comforting his one true love.
LATER THAT EVENING
Ranma sat cross legged at the Tendo dinner table. Both Kuno and Ryouga had agreed to stay for a meal, and help cope with the lost of Ranma. Ranma sat in his regular seat, and prepared to eat. No one noticed him, and as the everyone else sat around the table, Akane eventually let Ryouga sit in Ranma’s ‘old’ seat.
Hot tears formed in his eyes as he stood up. Ryouga grinned at Ranma and sat down. Ranma grabbed Ryouga neck, and tried to strangle him, but found his grasp affected Ryouga little. Ranma kicked him, but Ryouga was not hurt. Everyone at the table was silent, lost in though, except Ryouga, who was trying to ignore Ranma’s pestering moves.
"Why you, pig-boy?! Of all the people left on the world, why you?!" Ranma figured hitting Ryouga was useless. He plopped down behind the directionless warrior. "You know, Ryouga," He continued, as Ryouga took a bite of rice. "You’re not going to be able to get rid of me…and you’re not taking my fiancee." Ryouga grunted and leaned back. He softly whispered to Ranma.
"There’s nothing you can do to stop me…in time, you’ll leave." He grinned. Ranma stood up, fuming.
"Ryouga! What about your honor? How can you do this, knowing I’m still alive?!" Ranma screamed.
"You’re not alive." Ryouga whispered back. "As far as I’m concerned, you’re dead."
"Then what the hell do you call me? I’m hear, you can see me, I’ve got feelings still!!" Ranma tried desperately, hurt inside.
Ryouga shrugged. "You’re merely a ghost." He stated. "You’ll go away soon enough." He added, and then completely ignored Ranma for the remainder of the meal.
Ranma, unable to vent his anger at Ryouga, went outside, where he pummeled his training stick. The blows felt hard and solid, but he soon realized that to anyone watching, the stick was taking no damage. Outside, he took a deep breath and yelled as loud as he could and then attacked the stick again.
A hour later he slumped down and leaned against the pole. "If I’d done that in real life, that stick would be splinters!" He looked at the wooden stick. "Not even scratched." He sighed.
He couldn’t believe that he was dead, and on top of that, the only person who could see him was Ryouga Hibiki, and all he was interested in was putting the moves on HIS fiancee!!!
"Augh!" He cried. "Ryouga! I swear! If I ever get out of this, you will suffer!!!!"
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