CAN'T LET GO (A Ranma 1/2 fic by Cass and GSL) Authors' Notes aka stuff we wanna say now or we might end up being sued or flamed: We have written this story out of fun. In no way do we own the characters of this story, they belong to Takahashi Rumiko, Shogakukan Inc, Shonen Sunday Comics, and Viz Video. This story is meant for entertainment, non-profit purposes. This story deviates from the Ranma universe after Ukyou arrived in Nerima. Some of the characters have been given mind-altering drugs by us and that's why they act out-of-character. 8-) This is generally a dark fic. Comments, criticisms and MSTs are welcome. You can reach us at chiaty@singnet.com.sg You can view this at http://web.singnet.com.sg/~chiaty/fanfics.htm We also would like to thank our pre-readers, Justin Baugh, King Chan, Jed Bidwell, Sam Vere and Arthur Edwards. [ ] = dream sequence < > = character's thoughts { } = conversations in chinese PLS NOTE: We have decided to alter a tiny bit of Part 1. Originally: When Ranma went to look for Ukyou at Ucchans, he found Konatsu there, tending the restaurant. Now: He went there and found Ucchans closed. With a sign stating that, "The owner of this establishment has gone for a short holiday". Part 3: Deceptions ----------------------- (In the Nekohanten. The restaurant is closed for the day.) Shampoo was the most important person in his life. Since he was young, he had made a vow that he would make her his wife. He didn't understand why she didn't feel the same way for him. So, he thought that by trying harder, he would win her love eventually. While he showered her with love and dedication, she rained blows onto him, hurting him physically and emotionally. But he would not give up. If this method would not work, he would try another. No matter what, he would fulfill the vow. He would make Shampoo his. A figure entered the Nekohanten. He knew it was her. Without a minute of hesitation, he leapt to glomp her, and at the same time spouting words of love for her. His action was rewarded with a punch in the face and a phrase that he heard often. "{Stupid Mu Tsu.}" He slumped onto the floor, wondering if it was stupid for him to love her. He observed that Shampoo's steps were heavy, and would lean on the nearest objects for support. Then, he heard a cough and immediately, he was up on his feet and by Shampoo's side. "{Shan Pu, are you sick?}" His hands rose to Shampoo's waist. A backhand nudge and he was on the floor again. Her melodious voice echoed in his ears. "{What do you think you are doing?}" He put on his glasses to have a better look at her. Beautiful was the only word he could think of. But he then realized that she looked pale and there were traces of blood on her mouth. Again, he rose to her side, concern written all over his face. "{Shan Pu! What happened to you?}" He wanted to wipe away the blood on her lips but he was sent flying for a few meters. "{Stupid Mu Tsu, this is of no concern to you.}" "{But Shan Pu, you are hurt. Who did this to you? Tell me, I'll kill him for you. Nobody treats you this way and gets away.}" He got up and walked towards Shampoo. "{I don't need your help. And stand there, don't come near me.}" Mousse stopped and was merely a few paces away from Shampoo. "{I only want to do 2 things now. First, I want to rest. And, secondly, I want you to be as far away from me as possible.}" "{But, Shan Pu...}" "{No buts. I don't want to hear your voice.}" She gave him a cold stare that should have froze his heart. Seeing that he had not made any moves, she tried to make her way to her room. Mousse looked at her retreating figure. He knew who had injured her and he wouldn't let the matter rest. "{Is it Ranma? You said you were going to see him. Did he hurt you because he thought that you had poisoned his Akane?}" "{NO.}" She almost shouted and turned to face him. She fumbled for words to continue but was interrupted by Mousse. "{I know it's him. And I'm going to kill him for that.}" He made a dash for the door and was blocked by Shampoo. "{You can't kill Ranma and don't you dare disturb him. So what if he had injured me, it was just a misunderstanding. And this is none of your business.}" "{Shan Pu, I will not forgive him for doing this to you.}" He tried to force his way out but was met with a punch on the face. "{I do not care about you, Mu Tsu. I know that you can't even come close to hurting Ranma but I won't let Ranma think that I've sent you there. I won't let you make Ranma hate me more.}" Blood was bleeding from his nose. His nose may be broken but the physical pain was nothing compared to the emotional one. "{Why did you let him do this to you? Why did you choose him even though he showed no interest in you? I'd cared and loved you since I was 3. Why not me?}" "{Mu Tsu, listen carefully, I will NEVER love you. If I ever had any feelings for you, let me have a horrible death.}" Shampoo gave him a deadly stare that showed him how much she meant her words. Distraught, he just stood there, making no attempts to wipe the blood away from his face. He stared blankly at Shampoo who showed no ounce of remorse. She moved away from the door, probably to her room. He continued to stare into space until he could no longer feel her presence. Letting out an anguished cry, he fled away from the Nekohanten into the night that mirrored the darkness in his heart. --------------------------------------------------------- (Hospital) "Where doth the fair maiden, injured by the evil wizard, rest? Tell me quick, my lovely angels in white, so that I may shower my love and affection upon her. And she will awaken from her slumber just as Sleeping Beauty was awakened by a kiss from her prince. For I, Kuno Tatewaki, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan, am her handsome prince!" "Huh?" wondered the nurse as she stared at this strange man, holding a large bouquet of red roses and spouting nonsense. Whispering to the head nurse, she asked, "Did Psychiatry lose one of their mental nutcases again?" "I'm not sure. Let me check," replied the head nurse as she slowly inched away from him. Just then, Nabiki emerged from Akane's ward. "Why hello, Kuno- chan. Here to visit my sister, no doubt." "Yes. Would you lead the way to where the fair maiden, who has captured my warrior heart, rests?" He was about to quote Shakespeare when Nabiki pulled him past corridor after corridor. They soon arrived at the hospital cafeteria. "Why have you brought me here? Have you not heard what the great Blue Thunder had said? I desire a visit with your lovely, graceful sister." "Just shut up and listen to me," interrupted Nabiki. She was in no mood to listen to one of Kuno's speeches. "If you want to punish the one that has poisoned Akane, then you have to keep quiet." Kuno opened his mouth but a warning look from Nabiki made him immediately shut his mouth. "Good. Now, I have a plan but I need resources. Resources that you have plenty of. Are you willing to sacrifice a small part of your resources for Akane?" Kuno nodded, eager to help. "I thought you might. Here's what I need from you..." --------------------------------------------------------- (Nerima, the next day) He was a troubleshooter. He solved problems for his clients and in his line of work, he had met many people. Some of them were rich and famous while some were scumbags. But this was the first time that his expertise was needed by a schoolgirl. He found it amusing at first but after having some background check on the girl, he found it refreshing to work for such a person. He glanced around the coffeehouse. He had never met this girl before but a young woman sitting at the back of the coffeehouse caught his attention. The unreadable expression on her face stood out from the laughing teenagers around her. She smiled and beckoned him to join her. "Good morning, Mr. Seiyu." "You must be Ms Tendo. It's a pleasure to meet you." "Same here." "You know, I've heard a lot about you." "Oh, good or bad?" "Mostly horror stories that I could tell to my children when they are naughty." "Thanks for the compliment. But enough of chit-chat, let's talk about what you're here for." Nabiki took a file out of her bag and handed it to Seiyu, who is sitting across her. "This is the information that I have about the subject." He took the file and began to read the contents. The documents were neatly organized and contained information that was not readily available to the public. Her serious, business-like manner spoke of professionalism that signalled that he should not take her lightly. "I know you have contacts on both sides of the law and that is the reason I'm employing you. They said that you are the best in this field and I demand the best services," Nabiki began. "Don't worry, your money will be well-spent." "Now, this is what I want. I want all the dirt that you could find on the subject. And at the same time, I want you to make life difficult for her." "Considered it done." "But first, you have to get rid of the dried mummy. Brutal force is going to get you killed. Battle of the wits is more appropriate. See if you could use your contacts and make her visa expire earlier." "Shouldn't be a problem." "Okay, I would want daily reports on progress that you have made. I will give you further instructions on the phone." Seeing a nod, she continued, "There's a letter in the file. You are to make sure that that letter is published in the newspaper." Flipping through the file, he found the letter. He did a quick glance to get an idea of what it is about. "Smart. Using the media to help you achieve your goals. Cheap and effective." "Thank you. Half of the money will be wired to your bank account tomorrow and the other half on completion. A word of advice. Don't get into a direct clash with her." "I understand." "Any other questions?" "No. But, it's been a pleasure talking to you. I've to get going now." Seiyu got up and went off. Nabiki was left alone in the coffee house again. Her eyes wandered to the busy street outside of the shop while she recalled the morning's events: "Ranma." She found him in the Ucchan's. Strangely, Ukyou was nowhere to be seen. "Nabiki?" He was clearly surprised to see her. "Do you have time? I want to talk to you." "Sure." They went to a nearby park. They found a bench where they could sit on and continued with their conversation or rather Nabiki's interrogation. "I want to hear your side of the story about the fight. Let's start with 'why you initiated the fight?'." "I... uh..." "Come on, spit it out. I've got no time for this." Her expression was one of anger and seriousness. "I was angry. Angry that Ryouga and Akane are getting along too well." "So, jealousy was the thing that started all this." "Hey!" Before he could continue, he was interrupted. "Let's stop this charade. Next question, 'on the night Akane was poisoned, were you with Ukyou the whole night?'." "Yes." "All you sure? She could have gone out while you were sleeping." "Are you suspecting Ucchan?" "I just want to have my bases covered. So, tell me." "She tried to put me to sleep and I slept for about half an hour before I was awakened by a nightmare. She was with me instantly when I called out her name and we spent the whole night talking since I couldn't sleep." Soaking in the information, she bid her farewell to Ranma and had adjourned to this coffee house. Returning to reality, Nabiki sipped on her coffee and began to think. Half an hour was too short a time for Ukyou to rush to the hospital, poison Akane and rush back to the Ucchan's. She couldn't be the one that poisoned Akane. Shampoo must be the one. There was no one else. --------------------------------------------------------- (1 day later. A port in China) Cologne heaved a sigh of relief as she stepped down from the boat. The boat had rocked violently even in calm seas, resulting in many passengers, including several sea hands, vomiting all over. she thought as she stifled her own impulse to vomit. If she wasn't in such a hurry, she would have taken the time to find a luxurious ship to hitchhike and not this barely floating and crammed piece of junk. She stopped her mental complaining before she wasted any more time. (If she had learned anything in all of her three hundred years, it was that complaining was counterproductive. That and the fact that you can still bear a grudge after a century has passed.) She picked up her bag and moved quickly in the direction of Joketsuzoku. Hours past. Cologne had travelled past the city and several small villages and was now in a flat, slightly forested area. Its name: The Sian Sian Slightly Forested Area. It's next to distinguishing landmarks, like Sian Sian Giant Tree Turned Giant Hole In The Ground, Sian Sian Not Very Deep Valley and Sian Sian Village of Boring Statisticians.) As she travelled, she thought about the letter that was delivered to the Nekohanten only a day ago. In it was a thinly veiled order by the Amazon chief to return to the Amazon village posthaste, yet there were no reasons given. Even though it was prudent to keep things hush hush, she still would like to know the reason, especially since Shan Pu needed her aid now. Cologne suddenly stopped in mid-step, her raised right foot an inch above the ground. Her instinct was shouting 'danger' and she learned to trust it implicitly over the years. She leaped back a few metres and threw a stone at her former location. "Boom!" A crater of roughly a metre in diameter was formed. She picked up several more stones and threw them at the area near the crater, triggering more explosions. She allowed her instinct to take over as she used her staff as a pogo stick, jumping rapidly. Suddenly she stopped. Her instincts were telling her that there were no more mines ahead. But she had better make sure. A couple of pebbles bounced onto the grass unharmed. Not knowing the answer, Cologne adjusted her backpack and kept walking. --------------------------------------------------------- Cologne had reached the end of the Sian Sian Slightly Forested Area. She paused as she wondered which route to take. One would lead to the Sian Sian Not Very Deep Valley, the other to the Black Forest (so named for the owner's penchant for blackforest cake). The valley route would be an easy path but she would be clearly seen by anyone perched on the other side, while he or she remained unseen. Taking the path through the Black Forest, would take her longer to reach the village but her chances of being ambushed would be less, especially if she kept to the shadows. Her mind made up, she turned to the path on her right and walked. --------------------------------------------------------- Ryouga sat in the Akane's hospital ward. How long has it been since Akane's accident? He didn't know. He spent most of the past few days and nights in here, keeping a vigil on Akane. He only left to bathe, change clothes and rest (with one of the Tendo sisters leading the way back to the Tendo house). He wanted to avenge Akane by pummelling Ranma and Shampoo until they had to seek intensive care but he didn't. Not because Nabiki said that she would deal with it. But because he wasn't sure if he could find his way back to Akane's hospital ward if he left to fight them. As much as his heart wanted vengeance, his heart needed to be with Akane more. He stared longingly at Akane. Why hadn't she come out of her coma yet? The longer she remained in this state, the lesser the chance that she would eventually wake up and the longer her recovery period would be when she awakened. Ryouga held one of Akane's hands and raised it to his cheek. Falling to his knees, he pleaded, "Please Kami-sama, please make Akane wake up. Please. I'll do anything if you grant me this wish. Please..." Unable to continue, he broke down and cried. He didn't know how long he knelt there, still holding onto Akane's hand and sobbing. Only when he heard a girl's coughing, did he become aware of his surroundings. "Akane?" he asked hesitantly. "Uh no. It's Sayuri actually," replied Sayuri gently. She saw as her words took away the light in Ryouga's eyes. Blinking away tears, she quickly placed her bouquet of pink tulips in a vase, dumping away the previous occupants. "Have you eaten?" she asked Ryouga as he sat in the chair next to the bed. Silence. Uncomfortable silence. Ryouga was again in his own world, a world that only housed Akane and him. Sayuri sighed as she began telling interesting and funny events that occurred today in school to Akane. Neither Akane nor Ryouga had any reactions to her tales. When she had ran out of stories, the hospital room was once again silent, except for the machine that kept on pumping oxygen into Akane's body and the EKG machine. Feeling terribly out-of-place, she rose from her seat and was about to leave when she heard Ryouga whisper to himself, "I wish I could do something for Akane". Sayuri felt hot tears streaming down her cheeks as she imagined how Ryouga must be feeling right now. She placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "There is something you could try. I'm not sure if it would work but ". "Anything. I'll try anything" interrupted Ryouga. Sayuri nodded and grabbed her purse. "I'll go buy the supplies we need. Stay here." She glanced at Ryouga, his eyes filled with hope and determination, and she ran out of the room. --------------------------------------------------------- (China, The Black Forest) It was half an hour before nightfall by the time the ancient one had covered half of the Black Forest. She had been in the woods for hours and yet no ambush. A glint in the treetops caught her attention. She swung her staff and deflected the dagger that was sent flying towards her heart. She eyed the nearby trees as she adopted a ready stance. "{Who dares to attack an Amazon Elder? Come on out!}" Leaves rustled as a figure leaped down. He wore a floppy green hat, a black mask and was dressed in loose army fatigues, enabling him to blend with the surroundings. Further thoughts were interrupted as the man started throwing daggers and darts at her. Cologne rapidly whirled her staff in circles in front of her, deflecting all of the aerial weapons.