A Wish Come True, part 3: Black Rose, Scarlet Fury

or, Black and Fight and Red All Over

A Ranma 1/2 fanfiction by Brian

*-*-*-*

	Akane reentered the house.  Her photo shoot with Nabiki had 
been almost boring, her sister seeming completely uninterested in 
what she was doing.  She still made certain that the pictures were 
quality, and didn't show too much, but she'd been lacking the vitality 
that she'd once had when sneaking pictures of Akane or Ranma.  She seemed 
rather subdued, and had left shortly after the shoot to go get the film 
developed.
	Running upstairs, Akane paused by the door to her father's room; 
finding it slightly ajar.  She chanced a look inside and was disturbed 
by what she saw.  Soun was asleep in his bed, but that wasn't what 
scared her.  Covering nearly every surface inside the small room, were 
clippings from newspapers, some new, some old.  Mounted on the wall opposite 
her father's bed, amidst the countless pages of newsprint, was a postcard 
with a picture of a panda on it.  Akane was kneeling down to examine her father 
before she realized she'd entered the room.
	Soun Tendo's face seemed a tad harder than it had been, more lines 
no doubt developed from a less peaceful life, but even in his sleep tears 
worked their way down his cheeks.  The pillow that he was lying on was soaked 
clear through with the saltwater from his eyes.  She looked closer, examining 
the papers on the floor, find that they all had one thing in common.  Each of
the clippings detailed the countless battles involving Ranma Saotome or 
a girl using the same name in Nerima.  Akane spotted one from almost a year 
ago. Saotome-Hibiki brawl results in massive property damage, the headline read,
going on to detail accounts from bystanders.
	Apparently Ryoga had jumped from the sky screaming for Ranma's death, 
and the ensuing melee had resulted in minor damage to a storefront or two, 
finally ending with Ryoga crashing into a fire hydrant and dousing the street.
	Akane scowled at the paper in her hands.   The burning rage bled off into 
nothingness, she had no right to hit Ranma now, no right to claim
the moral high ground, no right to anything.
	Anger had gotten her into this, and she wasn't going to let 
that happen again.  Not again.  When she spoke to Ranma she would be 
considerate, calm, and controlled and she would convince him to come to 
the dojo and they would all live happily ever after.
	She stood up, intent on her goal, and turned to find herself 
staring into the stern face of Kasumi, only it wasn't Kasumi.  The 
older sister that Akane knew was full of life, always smiling, and never 
angry.  The young woman standing before Akane seemed drained, 
battle-hardened, and weary in ways that were somewhat unsettling.
	Kasumi leaned close to her sister, speaking in a voice that 
barely qualified as a whisper, "You shouldn't be in here, Akane-chan,  
you wouldn't want to wake father.  He might get upset again."  Kasumi 
turned, exited the room, and began to walk down the hall towards the 
staircase.  She was walking deliberately, and took great care to keep 
her steps steady.  Kasumi was limping, favoring her left leg just a 
little bit when she walked, and the subtle movement was clearly causing 
Kasumi pain.
	"Kasumi, are you alright?  You're limping."
	Kasumi turned around and favored Akane with a smile that was 
obviously forced.  "I am fine, Akane.  Why don't you go change into 
something more... suitable.  I will be in the kitchen making some tea."
	Akane realized she was still wearing her gi and walked gingerly 
toward her room.  She emerged a short while later wearing a very 
conservative blue housedress.  She stopped on her way downstairs, closing 
the door to her father's bedroom and made her way down to the kitchen where 
Kasumi had just poured tea for the both of them, offering one of the
servings to Akane.
	Nodding her acceptance, she took the proffered beverage.  Kasumi 
could have just told her that it was flavored with rat poison, Akane wasn't 
going anywhere until she had the information she desired.  She sipped the 
tea; it wasn't cold, but it wasn't quite hot either.  She decided not to 
drink any more.  When Kasumi walked over to turn off the range, Akane 
noticed the way she was walking once again.
	"Kasumi, what happened?"
	"It is nothing Akane, really.  Mistress Kodachi's pet alligator, 
Midorigame, got loose again.  Someone fell in their pond and he followed them
out.  Fortunately nothing truly terrible occured, just a few broken dishes 
and a bruise on my leg.  She was most generous in her apology." Kasumi shot 
Akane a smile that would have seemed genuine, were it not for the fact that 
it never reached her eyes.
	Akane forced down a shudder at the darkness in her sister's normally
bright face.  "Mistress Kodachi, Kasumi?"
	The older sister laughed at the that, a light sparkling sound.
"I'm sorry, that is just what Sasuke calls her.  Most of my time at the 
Kuno house is spent assisting him with the cleaning.  I guess his method of 
address rubbed off on me."  Kasumi lowered her voice to a hushed, conspiratorial 
tone.  "She insists that I call her Kodachi-chan when we are both there at
the same time.  She believes that it's more appropriate given my age and her 
relationship with you."
	Akane started at that, her head throbbing as more memories came to the 
fore.  She rubbed her temples a little as she digested new information,
her mind still listening to Kasumi's voice as her first few encounters 
with the Black Rose replayed themselves, though slightly altered from what 
she originally remembered.

*-*-*-*

Eleven months ago...

	"Akane Tendo, prepare to die!"  The wild-eyed young lady
in the leotard dropped from Akane's ceiling, hammer at the ready.
	
	The mallet impacted harshly against the pillow Akane's head
had been resting on scant seconds ago, sending feathers billowing into
the air.  Flipping to her feet, Akane assumed a ready position as her
attacker leapt backward and did the same.
	Kodachi twirled the wooden hammer in her hands.  "Hmm, you
are formidable.  I should have expected no less after those three harpies
wailed for you like lost children."
	"So you must be Kodachi, the Black Rose, the one who attacked my
friends."
	The raven-haired gymnast arched an eyebrow.  "My noble reputation
precedes me, it would seem.  Though the facts of the matter might be
disputed.  They ambushed me in that empty lot, three against one if I recall
correctly."  She caught herself before continuing the conversation, remembering
her purpose. "Enough of this, prove yourself!"
	Lunging forward, hammer extended, Kodachi attempted to crush
the smaller girl's knees.  Leaping into the air, Akane launched a spinning
kick which clipped the Black Rose's ponytail.  With a smooth rolling motion
the gymnast regained her footing, bringing the hammer down toward the youngest
Tendo.  Landing, Akane snapped her foot into a sharp kick, knocking the hammer
loose from her assailant's grip.  Following up with a quick punch, Akane's fist
met empty air.
	Not even breathing hard from the quick burst of activity, Kodachi 
stood in front of the window, appraising her enemy and reaching into her 
leotard.  "Hmm, you may be worthy to battle me after all.  We shall meet 
again."  Laughing maniacally, she twirled her ribbon and unleashed a blizzard 
of black flower petals, painting the room in dark flora.
	Akane stared at the holocaust that had befallen her room, black rose 
petals everywhere, shrieking in impotent rage at her vanished opponent.
	"Who's going to clean up this mess!"

*-*-*-*

	The following day at school, Akane arrived to the surprising sight of
the normal horde of desperate young men lying unconscious just inside
the gate, some of them snoring softly, others with obvious bruising.  Stepping 
gingerly around the fallen boys, she sensed an attack from behind and quickly 
reacted to grab the incoming object.  It was a bokken, and at the other end 
was the Black Rose, scowling at her across the blade of the wooden sword.
	The long-haired girl glared at her assailant.  "What's the big idea
attacking me this early in the morning?  From behind no less!"
	Gripping the bokken's tip, and using more strength than she was aware 
she had, Akane threw Kodachi across the schoolyard.  The gymnast twisted in
mid-air and landed on her feet, bokken held at the ready.
	"I have dispensed with my brother's foolish ambush so that our battle
will not be interrupted."  The Black Rose assumed an offensive stance, though
she didn't seem comfortable with the bokken in her hands.  
	"Shall we commence round two, Akane Tendo?"
	A commanding voice rose from nearby as Tatewaki Kuno stepped around
the large tree in front of the school.  "Sister, you shall do no harm to my
beloved."  The kendoist would've continued speaking, but a ribbon wrapped 
around his face and flung him into the stone wall around Furinkan.
	"This is my fight, Brother Dear, do not interfere unless I wish it!"
With a cry of rage, Kodachi charged toward Akane, swiping at her with
the bokken.  Akane leapt over the attacking girl, noting with a grimace
that there was now a split in the front of her uniform's dress.
	Sidestepping a pair of thrown clubs as she landed, Akane rushed
the gymnast with a whirlwind of punches.  "Is that all you've got, some clubs
and a wooden sword?"
	Kodachi cackled darkly.  "I would not waste the full extent of my 
arsenal on one of such low birth as yourself."  Using the flat of the bokken,
the Black Rose blocked what punches she could, evading the rest with an
easy grace that belied the difficulty of the task.
	Akane smirked at her opponent.  "Haven't you swung a bokken before?
You're holding it all wrong."  At Kodachi's offended glare, the young Tendo
launched a powerful haymaker, shattering through the blade of the bokken and 
impacting between the gymnast's breasts.  The raven-haired girl flew backward, 
landing sprawled on the grass.
	Climbing unsteadily to her feet, Kodachi produced her ribbon,
coughing into one hand as she unleashed another storm of rose petals.
	"Round two is mine, Akane Tendo, you would do well to remember that 
in the realm of rhythmic gymnastics, physical contact is forbidden."  With her 
unique laughter sounding behind her, Kodachi leapt off into the city, no doubt
heading toward her own school.
	  Akane scowled at her hands, clenching 
them into tight and calloused fists, they had seen her through so many battles 
she wasn't certain she could envision fighting without them.  After school she'd 
have a talk with those girls from the rhythmic gymnastics team, it looked like 
intensive training would be necessary.

*-*-*-*

	"Well, little piggy, it looks like we're stuck together for the next
little while."  Akane spoke softly to the tiny black piglet that was now chained
to her wrist.  If she didn't know better, she would've sworn it understood what
she was saying.  
	The battle that followed would go down in the annals of Furinkan High
School, remembered and retold for years to come.  For over forty-five minutes 
Akane Tendo fought Kodachi Kuno to a standstill, coping with razor sharp hoops, 
clubs with concealed spikes, and flying objects from around the arena.
	Blocking one of Kodachi's hoops with the wristcuff that chained her to
the pig, Akane was overjoyed as the manacle cracked and fell from her arm.
Kneeling down, she shooed the pig off the mat, taking her eyes off her opponent
for the briefest of seconds, but it was more than long enough for Kodachi.
	The ribbon had barely collected around Akane's torso before she felt
her feet lose contact with the mat and found herself flying toward the audience.
As Kodachi's ribbon released, and the gymnast began to laugh, Akane let fly
with her own streamer, sending a prayer along with it.  The tool found purchase
on a girder overhead and Akane came within inches of touching the ground as she
reversed direction and swung back toward the ring.  Letting go, she landed 
flat in the center of the arena, dazed from the hard stop.  She hadn't yet
stumbled to her feet before Kodachi was upon her, raining down blows with
her clubs which Akane dodged by the thinnest of margins.
	One of Kodachi's clubs poked forward, aiming itself toward Akane's neck.
Bending backward farther than she ever had before, Akane touched her palms
to the mat, dodging under the club and moving into a handstand.  With the soles 
of her feet she grabbed Kodachi's arm at the wrist and flung her toward the 
outside of the arena.
	As Kodachi flew over the audience, a haughty look tainting her beauty,
she blew a whistle that hung around her neck.  Unexpectedly, the ring beneath
Akane moved to catch the gymnast, throwing the Tendo heir off balance.  Before 
the Black Rose could touch down, however, there was another loud whistling sound 
and the ring moved quickly back to the center.
	Kodachi landed hard in the seating area, one of the metal chairs striking
the small of her back in a fashion that looked unquestionably painful, while her 
ankle turned savagely on the cold concrete.
	As the Champion of St. Hebereke clambered to stand, resting her weight 
on the good foot she had left, the blower of the second whistle was revealed as 
the judge at the side of the arena.  Limping back to the ring, the Black Rose 
struggled back onto the mat to hear the ruling.
	Grabbing a microphone, a referee stepped into the middle of the ring
to address the combatants and the crowd simultaneously.
	"The judges have ruled against Furinkan High School."  Akane shrieked,
shaking her head in disbelief as she heard the announcement.
	"By grabbing Kodachi Kuno's arm with her feet, Akane Tendo violated 
the rule of no physical contact between combatants.  St. Hebereke is the official 
winner by disqualification." A loud roar erupted from the pensive audience, 
Furinkan's student body hollering a volcanic shriek of protest, while St. 
Hebereke's crowd of female attendants cheered in joy.  One voice, however, 
rose above the din of the masses, having stolen the referee's microphone.
	"This is insufferable!"
	Kodachi leveled an accusatory finger at Akane's shocked form.
"Akane Tendo I will not tolerate this farce of a victory."  The referee
reached for the microphone, but was rapped in the face by a club from the
wealthy gymnast.  "You are at fault here as well, do not anger me!"  Kodachi's 
back spasmed at the sudden exertion, causing a visible wince, but otherwise 
she ignored the pain.  Akane was probably the only person at the contest 
that noticed.
	The gymnast's voice escalated in both ferocity and volume as she continued 
speaking. "I challenge you to a rematch one week from this day, whereupon 
I shall overcome you in fair combat, and meaningless trivialities such as the 
rules will not be permitted to interfere in that.  The Black Rose will not 
defeat a graceless wench such as yourself with something so innocuous 
as a technicality!"  The proud young Kuno was quite near to shrieking as 
she completed her speech.
	Akane marched up to the gymnast, meeting Kodachi's violet orbs with 
her own dark gaze.  Grabbing the microphone, Akane half-shouted her reply, 
her eyes never leaving her opponent's.  "I accept your challenge, you 
half-crazed, overconfident, cheating, debutante bimbo!"
	Each turned on their heel and marched off without another word.
	The next week, Kodachi won, and the week after that, at the second 
rematch, Akane did.  The unsanctioned battles then took place once a month, 
without fail, while sparring sessions at the Tendo Dojo occured many times 
a week, and sometimes more than once in a given day.
	It took five months for the two to admit they'd become friends.

*-*-*-*

Present day...

	"...she and I get along well enough, I usually don't see her or 
Tate-kun, as much of her time is occupied by your sparring or some boy, 
and Tatewaki has a similar interest," Kasumi said as she finished relating 
the day's events.
	Akane was stupefied.   Her new memories of Kodachi didn't help.  
Her friend had mentioned her crush only in passing, preferring to keep her peace 
about the matter.   However, she retained her calm 
so as not to betray any information.
	"What's this boy's name, Kasumi?"
	"Oh my, I never did hear either of them say his name.  I've always 
been in such a hurry to keep their mansion clean, it is such an enormous household.  
Usually if one of them is planning something or is in the room I am headed elsewhere."
	"Well, I'm sure it can't be that important then," she said, trying
to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
	"I guess not, Akane-chan..." At the sound of Nabiki reentering the house 
and heading upstairs, Kasumi glanced over at the clock.  It read just 
before eleven.  "Perhaps it was time you went to bed, Akane.  You have 
school tomorrow.  I think I need to head upstairs as well.  I'll clean 
up in the morning.  Is Shinnosuke around?  I hope he hasn't forgotten
where we live again."
	"Um, he was in the dojo last I saw."
	"Well, he should be alright, but could you make certain that
he gets to his room before he falls asleep, Akane-chan?"
	The younger girl nodded.
	Kasumi exited the kitchen and headed towards the staircase, Akane 
following closely behind her.  The elder sister wobbled a little as they 
ascended to the top floor, but with help from Akane she remained on her feet.  
After they had reached the top, Akane helped Kasumi to her room.  The older 
sister smiled at Akane as she opened the door, her limp having apparently 
been aggravated by the climb up the stairs.
	"Kasumi, perhaps you should go see Tofu-sensei tomorrow.  He can 
help you with that limp."
	Kasumi's visage turned crestfallen at the mention of the 
good doctor.  "Perhaps, Akane.  I think he could use with some cheering 
up as well.  He doesn't joke around nearly as much as he used to.  For 
some reason he always seems sad whenever I go to see him."  She shut the 
door and Akane could hear her heading to bed.
	Akane gazed sadly at the closed door for a few minutes before 
turning and heading toward the dojo.  Inside, she found Shinnosuke sweeping
the dust and grime from the wooden flooring.  He was still somewhat dirty
from their sparring match earlier, and the pictures of him that Nabiki had
snapped had probably suffered for it.  There had been an odd focus in
her sister's photography on action shots of the forgetful boy.  When she
thought of where those pictures were probably going, she admitted to herself
that Shinnosuke was quite cute, but neither she nor the Akane that had
actually lived this life ever returned his feelings.
	"Hello, Akane, is it time to spar?"  An anticipatory look appeared
in his eyes as he readied his broom.
	Akane had already faced Shinnosuke once today and, while she 
surprised herself by holding her own, it was not something she wanted to
repeat quite so soon.  "Actually I was just letting you know that we're 
heading to bed, do you remember where you sleep?"
	He returned her smile with his own affectionate grin.  "Of course,
I share a room with my grandfather."
	Akane's face fell at Shinnosuke's words, though she masked it
by leading him out of the dojo and into the house.  It was strange to open
the door to their guest room, Ranma's room, and find it empty.  The wrongness
seemed palpable to Akane; Shinnosuke shouldn't be sleeping in here, and it 
should stink vaguely of wet panda fur.  It shouldn't have pictures of Kasumi
and Nabiki, with reminders of who they were, but photographs of herself and Ranma,
shots of Ranma's mother, Ukyo, and the others who brought chaos into her life
on a daily basis.
	Bidding goodnight to Shinnosuke, the long-haired girl turned
toward her own doorway.  The tiny duck with her name was unchanged,
and she found herself wondering what had become of Mousse and the Amazons
in this life.  Other than brief encounters with them when she stopped
at their cafe for food, and their occasional appearances at the high school, 
she couldn't bring up any new memories that involved them.
	Her new life didn't seem to be accessible all at once though, it
was as though she needed something to spark the memories before they would 
come. She flicked on the light and glanced around the room, noticing several 
aspects of it to be different, though it was a subtle thing.  Fewer patches in 
the walls, and a general feeling of emptiness permeating the air inside.
	The only thing that she noticed missing made her want to begin crying 
again.  Some time ago, after he had been Nabiki's fiancee, Ranma had given her 
a bouquet of red roses as a way of making up with her.  Kasumi had shown her 
how to care for the flowers and Akane had done everything she could to keep 
them healthy and standing tall in their vase on her makeup table.
	The roses weren't there now, because they never had been.
	She changed into her nightclothes, flicked off the light, and 
attempted to sleep.
	  She tried not
to remember what she'd done that afternoon, what she'd done a lifetime ago. 


*-*-*-*

One year ago...

	"C'mon Pop, we're leaving this town and we're doing it now." Ranma
tromped through the street, the limits of Nerima nearly visible as the 
marketplace vansihed behind him.  Genma frowned as he followed his son through
the city, glancing back in the direction he was certain Soun's dojo lay.
	If he ran to the dojo, he'd probably be welcomed with open arms, but
only for about ten minutes before Soun realized he didn't have the boy with him.
Silently, Genma hoped his old training buddy hadn't perfected that demon head
maneuver in the intervening years.  
	"Ranma, prepare to die!"  A heavy bamboo umbrella came crashing down,
leaving a crater in the middle of the street where it connected.
	
	The pig-tailed boy assumed a ready stance as he faced his attacker,
idly noticing that the patrons crowding the street had already begun to flee.
"What the hell are you talking about?"

*-*-*-*

	Ranma had officially decided that he did not like police stations,
as not only did the whole place smell like his father after he'd been out too
late, but he didn't like the way the guy behind the desk kept eyeballing him.
	Closing his eyes, he let the surrounding conversations drift over him.
Maybe he could pick up something useful if they thought he wasn't paying
attention.
	"Is this like that Furinkan thing with the army of desperate jocks?"
	"Sounds like a martial arts duel, haven't had one of those in a while,
at least not one with hefty property damage."
	"What about the other guy, the one with the bandanna?"
	The bandanna, something about it rattled Ranma's brain, like a song
he wasn't certain he'd heard before.    More memories filed into
place as he sat in the uncomfortable wooden chair they'd provided him.
	"The store owner says the boy with the umbrella did the damage, and
it was mostly superficial anyway, so what do you say we let my son go for now?"
	
	The desk officer eyed the man in white suspiciously, something about
him seemed familiar.  "Did you say your name was Saotome?"
	"Saotome is a very common name, I'll have you know."
	The man in blue didn't look convinced, but relented anyway.  He had a full
night's work ahead of him, and something like this wasn't a high priority.
There were people out there committing crimes on purpose.
	As Genma and Ranma left the station, the elder Saotome's thoughts ran
at a breakneck pace.  "So the officer said not to leave town for the next couple 
days, so I was thinking that we could just drop by Tendo's place.  Now is as good
a time as any, right?"
	Ranma scoffed at his father.  "I said no and I meant it, pop.  We may have
to stay in town, but no fiancee means no fiancee.  So pick, the vacant lot or the
bridge again."  Leaping backward over Genma's attempted suckerpunch, Ranma bounced
off the older man's head, burying him face first into the dust.
	"Nice try, old man."

*-*-*-*

	Darkness covering his every step, Genma tiptoed silently along the top of 
the fence, nonchalantly adjusting Ranma's hogtied form as he made his way toward the 
Tendo Dojo.    Already they were well past due at the Tendo's, 
and there was little doubt that Soun wasn't happy.
	A soft impact against his face stopped the elder Saotome's forward motion.
  A loud clang resounded through the night as an oversized
baker's peel impacted with Genma's head.  Ranma's bound body hit the ground with a thud,
while his father made more of a crunching sound.
	"I would've sent a formal challenge, pops, but you didn't have an address."
Ukyo spun the utensil into a ready position as Genma rose to his feet, scraping the
okonomiyaki from his face with his hands.
	"Now isn't the time, Ukyo."  His voice was grave, though the intensity was
marred somewhat by the way he licked sauce from his fingers as he spoke. "I have
somewhere to be, and you're in my way."  Genma slipped loosely into a stance as he
stared down the chef.
	"You should've thought of that before your jackass of a son got his name in
the papers.  I've been after you for ten years, do you think I would've missed it?"
Smaller flying spatulas sliced through the air toward Genma, who stuttered backward.
He hadn't faced this strange martial style before, and if he didn't adapt quickly it
might get the better of him.  A cloud of flour enveloped the surrounding area, and 
all he saw was white darkness.

*-*-*-*

Present Day...

	A noise rose from the pitch blackness of the restaurant below, stirring
Ukyo from her pleasant dreams of the future.  Slipping from the sheets and grasping
her battle spatula from its resting place, she silently maneuvered through her room
and down the stairs.
	Noone was there, only moonlight bouncing through the windows and off the
grill, the entire room glowing in the darkness.  A hand dropped onto her shoulder
and she nearly shrieked, but Ranma deftly caught the battle spatula as it whirled
about to meet his face.
	Placing his finger to his lips, he shushed his fiancee and pointed back up
the stairs.  The shuffling sound had returned, and was now in her bedroom, sounding
roughly like the rapid creaking of a wooden dresser.  The chef followed the pig-tailed
boy back up the stairs, to where a diminuitive figure sifted through layers of laundry, 
some dirty, some clean.
	Ukyo's face hardened.  
	Happosai's outraged scream resounded through the night as the tiny pervert
flew over the small suburb of Nerima.
	"The old freak's getting smarter, Ucchan, though I kinda wonder why he keeps
going after your underwear."
	The girl in question sighed as she sorted through the piles of clothing
scattered about the floor of her room.  "Just go back to bed, Ranchan."
	With a shrug, the pigtailed boy turned and began walking back down the stairs,
his fiancee gazing after him longingly.  
	"Jackass," she muttered, as she returned her spatula to its position at her
bedside and settled back into her own dreams.

*-*-*-*

End Chapter 3

    Source: geocities.com/brian_kun