Disclaimer: I do not own these things, others do.

 

 

 

 

R.5 and Gundam/Nadesico

 

“Fallen Star”

 

Chapter 3: “Why Can’t I Just Forget?”

 

By Gray

 

 

The ability to discern between right and wrong is something we take for granted everyday. We, as humans, pride ourselves on this skill, as it separates us from the other animals of the Earth. But sometimes, sometimes we don’t have the option. In war, the line separating right and wrong, light and darkness, good and evil, man and beast, becomes so blurred, so difficult to determine, that it virtually ceases to exist entirely. It changes people. Molds them into something else, and the transformation, is always painful…

 

"Man, I can't wait to get back to the dojo and not to mention Kasumi's cookin'." Ranma thought to himself as he paced down the trail, smiling despite himself at the beautiful weather of the day. Taking that training trip had been a good idea actually, mainly because it gave him a chance to sort some things out, and make some important decisions about his life. One very important one in particular…

"When I get back, I'm gonna tell her…" He swore to himself, thinking about a certain girl he deeply cared for as he adjusted his heavy pack a bit. Heavy for him of course, it was impossible to lift for a normal person.

"Ah, finally I'm here…" He thought as he stood on a small cliff out looking Tokyo. The sparkling sunlight gave the city a warm glow, and after spending two weeks in the mountains training, it looked like nirvana. Smiling wider, Ranma turned and quickened his pace down the path leading towards Nerima, and his destiny.

"Man I hope she…" He didn't finish the thought as he heard a thunderous sound, the sound of a large explosion. He quickly turned back to the view of the city, and gasped at what he saw. Several mobile suits were battling a single one in the sky above Tokyo. He couldn't make it out, but he could tell that the single suit the others were fighting had…wings. He stared at the battle for a few more seconds, before a startling realization came to him, causing him to gasp sharply.

"They look like they're close to…Nerima…" He whispered. A sense of dread grew in his soul, and without another thought, he was leaping off the ledge, and sliding down the rocky cliffside, gaze still on the raging battle. Another explosion echoed, and he watched a building go up in flames, from stray shots fired by the Earth suits. Ranma knew that the Gundams were from the colonies, and he knew that the Earth was in a war with the colonies as a result. Upon reaching the ground, he quickly dashed towards the city, leaping atop the buildings until he was high up on skyscrapers. He made his way towards Nerima at a speed that would have to be seen to be believed, that is if one could see it considering he was a blur most of the time. When a building in front of him was too high, he simply vaulted off its side and onto another until he reached its roof. Employing every acrobatic maneuver he had ever learned in his life, and a few he invented on the fly, Ranma made his way towards Nerima, and the mobile suits battling above it.

"Please God let me be in time!" He thought to himself furiously as he dashed towards his home.

"Please don't let me be too…late…" He trailed off and stopped his path towards Nerima as he stood on a particularly high building and watched with a sick feeling inside him as the Gundam with the wings, in an obvious last ditch effort to get the Earth suits off its trail, pulled a massive gun out and charged it up quickly, before firing a massive blast of pure white hot death that destroyed all in its path, including the other suits, one of which was quite close to the Gundam when it fired. It also destroyed a significant portion of Nerima, though from his vantage point Ranma couldn't tell which part. All he knew was that the feeling was growing inside of him, and that he needed to get to the Dojo, fast. As he dashed towards the Tendo Dojo, he saw more Earth mobile suits appear and do battle with the Gundam, destroying more of Nerima.

"Damn it!" Ranma cursed to himself angrily. He noted with some relief that the suits were now moving away from Nerima, though the path of destruction they had left made that seem rather pointless to think about. It was only upon actually reaching the district that Ranma realized the true extent of the damage.

"Oh, dear God no…" From afar it hadn't seemed quite as bad, but looking at it up close, was like looking into the gates of Hell itself. Buildings were wrecked shells of their former selves, and others were gone entirely. Flames roared everywhere, and the streets seemed drowned in blood. Cursing, Ranma ran through the still burning streets of Nerima district. Turning a corner, he watched a man run screaming from the wreckage, an arm missing, and blood seeping out of his side. Another sight that greeted him as he made his way towards the Dojo was of a dead body.

"No…" He whispered. It was a little girl, barely three by the looks of her. Her body had a horrible gash across the side, and it looked as if she had bled to death. A small stuffed rabbit was still clutched in her tiny hand. Shaking slightly, Ranma walked over to her, and gently picked up her body, clutching it to himself, he ran towards the Dojo, praying that everything was alright, but knowing that it wasn't. As he ran, he saw other bodies, some familiar. Yuka and Sayuri, Hiroshi and Daisuke, Kodachi, Gosunkugi, even a smoldering bag no doubt full of panties burned in the streets, leading one to believe that Happousai had died as well. Ranma didn't pause to mourn them though; he had to get to the Tendo Dojo, to his home.

"Please, please, please, please…oh…no…" He whispered as he finally reached the gates. It was gone; all gone, scorched and blackened by the flames, there was little left of it save the basic foundation and parts of the wall. The dojo was rubble. He collapsed to his knees, the little girl's body still in his arms. He didn't fight the tears, he barely noticed them. With a detached state of mind, he noted that the bodies of the Tendo's, his Father, and Mother, were probably virtually nonexistent. He did look over at the koi pond, or what was left of it however, and noted with a slight chill that a familiar bandanna was there, charred to a crisp but remarkably still recognizable, its tattered form caught on a jagged piece of wood, billowing in the light breeze. This seemed to bring the reality of it all crashing down upon him, and he wept, he wept tears of sorrow, anger, regret, and so much more. The pain in his heart and soul burned far worse than the slowly cooling flames that surrounded him. The feeling of helplessness and loss in him choked his throat far worse than the smoke drifting through the former Ward of Nerima. Sobbing, and clutching the little girl to himself, Ranma raised his bowed head, and screamed his fury to the heavens.

"Why…ARGHH!!!!!!…WHY!!!!!!!!!!"

 

“WHY!!!!!!!” He bolted up, sweat dripping from his forehead. Shaking, he got out of bed and made his way over to the bathroom. He splashed some water in his face, and stared at the mess in the mirror that was his visage. His hair was everywhere, and his eyes had bags under them. Shaking his head, he made his way back to his bed, and tried to get some sleep. But rest was difficult to obtain, and for one who’s soul was as troubled as his, it was downright impossible.

 

The mountains of China were as rustic as ever, with the clean air, bright blue sky, and gentle sounds of nature. But for one young man, they were simply another part of the living hell he had been thrust into since that fateful day. He sensed others ahead of him, but continued walking along the path he was on. The people he had sensed were a pair of women dressed in attire suited for combat, with breast plates equipped, and swords sheathed at their hips. He paid them no heed, and tried to walk by them. His head was, as always now, bowed, and his gaze was fixed upon the ground. The women took notice of him, and one spoke.

“Hey! Male! What are you doing here?” She barked in rapid Chinese. He did not reply, instead he continued to walk. This seemed to make the two angry, and they stepped in front of them.

“Where do you think you’re going male! Answer me!” The one who had spoken before yelled in his face. He merely continued to stare at the ground.

“Stupid male! When your superior asks you something, you answer!” She roared as a vein appeared on her head. She reached for her sword, and prepared to make her point clear, when a gust of wind blew by her, and she found it missing. Her companion was also missing her sword. They turned to see the young man behind them, their swords held in his hands, still in their sheaths.

“Argh! How dare you! I don’t know how you did that, but I’ll get answers out of you even if I have to beat you within an inch of your life!” The same woman yelled as she leapt at him with a kick, her partner following. The youth casually deflected her strike with a hand, and lightly shoved her into her companion’s path. Cursing, the first girl attacked again, and he simply tossed the swords he held in her way, and then bent down and touched the ground with a single finger. The last thing the woman saw before passing out from the impact of a small explosion, was the young man’s face, which was completely devoid of emotion whatsoever.

“Who is he…?” Was her last thought as consciousness left her.

 

The young man shook his head as he saw that the Bakusai Tenketsu had knocked both Amazons out cold. Turning from them, he continued on his way towards his destination. Soon, the valley of Jusenkyo loomed in front of him, and with grim purpose, he strode into it.

“It won’t be long now…”

 

The guide was helpful enough, and soon, the young man was a whole man once again. Yet he felt no real joy over this fact. Yes it was nice to no longer have to worry about his curse, but at this point, what did it really matter? To be honest, the real reason he had come back to this cursed mountain range, was not to be cured, but instead, to train. He had to get his revenge, and to that end, he would train until he had become a hundred times stronger. Strong enough to destroy the ones who had taken his life away. With a simple nod to the guide and his daughter, he continued on towards the village of the Amazons.

 

The walk was short, and he soon found himself in the place where many of his troubles originated. The Amazon village had not changed much. In fact, the sight of it was somewhat saddening for him. It reminded him of happier times. Times of humor, and times of joy. Not now, now it was only blood and vengeance. He walked into the village, ignoring the stares of the people. No doubt they wondered who the mysterious man entering their village was. A few recognized his status as a fighter, and wondered how good he actually was. He was heading towards one home in particular. It didn’t really stand out other than the fact that it was bigger than most of the houses. He walked up to the door, and knocked. He waited a few moments, and the door opened.

“Yes, who is it?” A familiar voice asked as the door opened. His expression did not change in the slightest as the person came into view. Her eyes widened greatly.

“It can’t be…” She whispered in awe.

“Hello Shampoo, is your Grandmother in?”

 

Cologne was used to a lot of sights. As a human being who had lived for several centuries, she had witnessed things that would boggle the mind of others. Yet, when she saw why Shampoo’s cry of surprise had sounded so odd, she had to let her wizened eyes widen in disbelief.

“It…cannot be…” She whispered. There was Ranma, the boy still looked roughly the same, and yet…

“Nerima was destroyed, the dojo was vaporized, how can you be standing here?” She asked in awe. His expression didn’t change at all.

“Vengeance…that is how I can be standing here…” He said simply. His voice was so cold. It was as if the very essence of a soul had been swept away from him.

“No…burned away…” She amended mentally, recalling the reports of how Nerima had been in flames for days. She, Shampoo, and Mousse had been taking care of some things in China at the time, and when they had heard the reports…Shampoo had wanted to return anyway, and search for survivors, but Cologne knew better, as did Mousse, and through pressure points, Shampoo was restrained until she could come to grips and deal with her grief in the correct manner. It was painful obviously, for all of them. Living in a place for years, especially one like Nerima, and then being told it was gone forever, it hurt, it hurt a lot. To never be able to go back, never see the familiar faces, hear the familiar sounds, and breathe the familiar air, it was difficult for even one as old as Cologne to keep a stoic face when the news spread of the destruction of that little Ward in Tokyo. Yet now, a ghost from the past had shown up, quite literally, on their doorstep. It boggled the mind that someone could survive that nightmare, but Cologne knew that if it were possible, then Ranma would do it. Because that was what made him who he was. Yet now, his aura was frigid, like the snow, and yet, fierce, powerful, like a raging blizzard. Truly, Cologne had never seen him so powerful, and she knew he was masking his true strength, as he always had. Standing before her was not the Ranma who got beaten up by Akane, matched by Ryoga, and tricked by Nabiki. Standing before her was the mighty, indomitable living embodiment of the martial arts, who had defeated a dragon, and slain a god with his bare hands. This was the true Ranma, and he was a fearsome sight indeed.

“I need a place to train for a while Cologne. I need a skilled teacher who can help me become stronger. I came to you. Please, do not turn me away.” He asked in a measured voice. She noted the subtle changes in his speech. Respect when he said her name, the absence of roughness in his tongue, and the utter lack of warmth present.

“Bah, of course I won’t turn you away. You’re practically family you know. Come in, we can discuss the matter in more detail over a meal.” She turned to Shampoo, and the girl got the hint, moving to fetch their guest some food, a haunted, yet slightly hopeful look on her face. Cologne shook her head at that. Couldn’t the girl see that any chance for romance with the pig-tailed youth had been shot down the instant Nerima was torched? She couldn’t be that foolish could she? Ranma craved only one lover now, and that was the alluring mistress known as revenge. To think otherwise was to think the sky was not blue.

 

In the weeks that followed, Ranma improved his skill to the point in which he could be easily labeled powerful enough to defeat Happousai, were he still living, with relative ease. Even Cologne could not spar with him at his full level anymore, as he would beat her with ruthless efficiency. He was so driven to improve his already vast skills, that his almost legendary learning curve increased even further, to the point in which he would understand even the most sophisticated techniques with only one demonstration in just one or two tries. All the while, Shampoo tried in vain to gain his affections. She was a bit more sedate about it naturally, as even she could see that he would not respond well to her usual routine of amorous prepositioning. Mousse, who had been shocked to see his old rival, actually seemed to get along decently with Ranma. Mainly because, when he first attacked him for trying to “steal” Shampoo, Ranma beat him with one blow, and then made it very clear that he had no interest in a relationship with anyone, by hoisting the blind boy up by the neck with one hand, and holding a flaming ball of ki beside his face to drive his argument home. Needless to say, even the thickheaded hidden weapons user got the point. So it was, that things fell into some semblance of a routine around the Amazon village. Shampoo, and eventually other young Amazons, would attempt to win the favor of the young warrior who trained relentlessly within their walls, said warrior would not pause in his regimen for anything save food and rest, and even then he would work himself to death beforehand. The various elders were in awe of the young man, and while they knew of the exploits of the legendary Ranma Saotome, nemesis of Happousai, rival of Prince Herb, and slayer of Saffron, they had no idea that all those stories were true and then some. Yet, seeing his level of skill, they knew it was fact. Ranma paid no heed to his surroundings for the most part. He had come to train; he would leave when he felt he had learned what he needed from this place, end of story. Then, a series of events occurred that changed everything for him once again.

 

It was not strange for Ranma to get up before most of the other villagers. In fact, with the exception of a few farmers and watchmen, he was the only one up at dawn. He would begin the new day by watching the sunrise and reflecting on his training and on life in general. He was never one for meditation, but that didn’t mean he never thought about things deeply. In fact, he had spent many a time upon the roof of the Tendo home, watching the sky and pondering the meaning of his life, or lack thereof. At the thought of his old home, Ranma grew somber, and if one looked closely, they would see the beginnings of tears in his expressive, yet now frigid, eyes.

“So many memories…” He whispered. He was shaken from his thoughts when a loud rumbling was heard. Blinking in confusion, he glanced up, and felt his jaw drop. Above the village, a mobile suit was hovering, firing its gun at an unknown assailant. Ranma recognized it as an OZ Leo, and winced as its arm was blown off. He then gasped as he realized said arm was falling at an incredible rate towards the village. Acting on instinct, he charged a tremendous amount of ki into his hands, and let loose with a blast of ki double the size of his old ones. The ki bolt lanced through the sky, and met the arm head-on. An explosion occurred, and when the smoke passed, Ranma noted that the arm had been virtually vaporized, though a few smaller bits did slip by, which he quickly obliterated with smaller shots of ki. By now, the noise had stirred the entire village into alert, and the Amazons had gotten to where he was just in time to watch him destroy the arm. As for the mobile suit overhead, upon losing an arm, it started to retreat, igniting its thrusters, it blasted in the direction of Jusenkyo. Soon, a second suit, this one a colonial Zaku mark II, followed, its single eye observing the village for a moment, before passing. Ranma could have sworn it stared right at him.

“Those damn colonial bastards just can’t leave me alone can they?” He thought with a fearsome scowl on his face. Without a word, he charged after the suits, not heeding Cologne’s cry of warning. The old woman, seeing that the boy would not listen, sighed and shook her head.

“You fool, why be in such a rush to die?” She muttered.

 

The suits had resumed combat a short distance away from the village, in the nearby forest. Ranma came upon the scene of the Zaku pumping the downed Leo with machine gun fire, and when it ran out of ammo, it pulled its Heat Hawk axe weapon from it’s side, and raised it for the killing blow. With a resounding crunch, the cockpit of the Leo was no more, and the pilot within as well. Ranma snarled and ran to a tree. With a grunt, he ripped it from its roots, and hurled it at the Zaku, watching in satisfaction as it smashed into the thing’s leg, causing the limb to buckle slightly. The Zaku’s eye swept the area.

“HEY! I’M RIGHT HERE ASSHOLE!” Ranma yelled. The pink eye came to a stop on him, and almost seemed to glare. He just glared right back. The Zaku slapped a fresh magazine of ammunition into its rifle, and aimed at Ranma. Ranma snorted, and charged a ki attack.

“Sorry, not gonna happen!” He yelled as he fired it off. The ki energy lanced towards the weapon, and struck it hard, blowing over half of the gun apart, rendering it useless. The Zaku seemed to hesitate, the pilot obviously unsure of just what the hell he was facing. Ranma smiled cruelly.

“Gee, you look a little hesitant. What’s the matter? Lost your nerve? Suddenly not so tough now that you don’t have a big bad gun? Gee, how do you think all the people of Nerima felt when your kind murdered them in cold blood?” Ranma yelled angrily. The Zaku didn’t respond, and instead, pulled its Heat Hawk out again, preparing to crush Ranma with it. It didn’t work too well, for despite the thing’s impressive speed for being so bulky, it was nothing to Ranma’s blurred form. He dodged nimbly to the side as the axe struck the spot he was standing a moment ago. It made a deep indention, and before the pilot could raise it up again for a follow-through, Ranma had raced up the Zaku’s massive arm, and began slamming his fists in the armored head. The resounding clangs echoed through the forest as Ranma’s powerful blows made large dents in the side of the MS’s head.

“Die bastard!” He yelled, almost crazed with the need for vengeance. The pilot, knowing his armor was taking a beating, raised his arm and tried to swat Ranma off. The pig-tailed martial artist simply dodged, leaping off the MS, and landing lightly in front of it.

“Alright, the kid gloves are off…” Ranma muttered. Closing his eyes, he placed his hands near each other. Cupping them, he focused. All his anger, vengeance, sorrow, and hatred, coalesced into a flaming burst of energy, which he channeled into his hands. His eyes snapped open, and he whispered one word.

“Die…” The blast of ki that erupted from his hands, so potent was it, that when it hurtled towards the Zaku’s cockpit, the pilot didn’t even have time for a prayer, and when it struck, it not only blew through the cockpit hatch, but burst out the other end, blowing a hole the size of a mobile suit head through the Zaku, and continuing to travel, smashing through several trees, before it finally vaporized a massive tree, reducing it to dust.

Ranma just turned, walking away as the destroyed Zaku crashed to the ground. He could have sworn he heard the pilot’s scream. For some reason, it made him shiver slightly.

 

When he returned to the Amazon village, the air was thick with tension. Indeed, it seemed that not a single person could stand still for long. Once within the gates, he was stopped by Cologne, who examined his body for injury. Finished, she turned to his unreadable face.

“What happened Ranma?” She asked simply. He shrugged.

“I blew the cockpit out. It was pretty easy actually.” He said as if he were discussing the weather. Cologne blinked. It would require an enormous amount of ki to punch through a MS’s armor. That fact that he had done so and still seemed to be strong and full of additional strength spoke highly of just how powerful the boy had become. When Cologne had first come to Nerima a few years ago, she had been astounded at the amount of powerful auras present within, but one had shined brighter than all others, and that, of course, belonged to Ranma. His aura had possessed so much untapped potential; it quite simply boggled the mind. At his young age, he could give her a challenge. To say that was uncanny would be an understatement. Shampoo had been the strongest fighter the Amazons had in her age group, yet Ranma, and to a lesser degree Ryoga, had made her look like an amateur by comparison. She had been eager, to say the least, to make Ranma an Amazon. And so yet another person sought the mighty young man for an heir.

“Ah, those were the days…” She thought, her mind wandering. She snapped to the present when she noticed Ranma walking away.

“I hope this isn’t a sign of senility.” She thought with a chuckle. She watched Ranma fend off a few Amazon suitors, and Shampoo as well, and make his way back to the house. Leaving the other young Amazon girls to glare at each other venomously.

“Some things never change.” Cologne thought, a sad smile tugging at her mouth.

 

Night fell on the Bayankala Range, and as young Amazons, Musk and Phoenixes alike were tucked into bed, a solitary figure watched the sky from the roof of her house with a forlorn look upon her face.

“He’s so different now, so cold…Why? Why is he so changed?” Shampoo asked herself. She knew that Ranma would be grief-stricken over the death of his family and friends. Anyone would, but his complete reversal in terms of personality was almost eerily frigid.

“He’s like some vengeful God of ice and revenge. Hell-bent on avenging his fallen loved ones.” Shampoo sighed. She hated it. She hated the war; she hated the mobile suits, the uncaring leaders. She hated it all. But the biggest reason she hated them, was because they had taken her beloved from her. Yes he was with her physically, and she was thankful for that much, but for all intents and purposes, Ranma Saotome had died the day Nerima burned.

“What are you doing out here Shampoo?” The cold voice chilled her like an icy wind, but she pasted a smile on her face and turned to her “husband”, though she wondered if he could truly be called that anymore.

“Nothing Ranma, Shampoo just thinking, is all…” She despised her broken Japanese, and resolved to learn it fully someday. Ranma stepped out from the shadows, his new permanent poker face illuminated slightly by the moonlight.

“Aren’t you cold?” He asked, no concern present really, just curiosity, but she could pretend…

“Oh, no, Shampoo is no cold, actually, is quite nice out.” She replied, watching his face carefully. He seemed to accept her explanation, and turned to regard the stars with her.

“A beautiful night huh?” He whispered almost to himself. She nodded.

“Yes, is lovely.” She glanced up at the stars with him, watching them silently.

“When I was little, I would watch them, and think about my Mother…” He was still whispering, but she heard.

“Is same for Shampoo. She miss Mother very much.” She said, a trace of old pain lingering.

“Now…now I think about everyone…” His voice was so low, and contained so much sorrow, she barely heard, but it made her heart sink regardless.

“I…so sorry Ranma…” She whispered, bowing her head slightly. He sighed and nodded.

“I’m sorry too Shampoo, I didn’t mean to come out here and depress you. I’ll leave you alone now…” He turned to go.

“Wait!” She cried softly. He blinked at her in confusion.

“What is it?” He asked. She sighed.

“Shampoo need know…did Ranma…Did Ranma ever feel…for Shampoo?” She asked, cursing the language barrier between them once again. She gaped however, as he smiled slightly, just enough to notice, and an odd light shone in his eyes.

“Shampoo, I would give anything to have things the way they were back then…And that includes you…” With that said, he left, making nary a sound to mark his departure, but leaving a softly smiling girl behind anyway.

“Ranma…maybe you’re alive after all…”

 

The next day, Ranma awoke later than normal. He frowned at this. It wouldn’t do to become lax in his training now. He decided he would make up for it by training twice as hard today. Later, after getting dressed and ready, he was out by a stream in the forest, practicing a more basic kata as a sort of winding down from a more intense earlier workout. He was startled when he heard a twig snap nearby. Instantly he slid into a ready stance, pausing his kata in mid strike and waiting for his unseen assailant to show themselves. He reached out wit his senses, trying to ascertain who it was. His eyes snapped open and he relaxed.

“Come out Shampoo, it’s too nice of a day to be hiding in the bushes…” He didn’t bother to face her as she rose from her hiding spot, instead choosing to clean his slightly dirty face with some water from the stream. 

“So, what do you need Shampoo?” He asked, wiping a particularly stubborn smudge of dirt.

“Oh nothing, Shampoo just wondering if Ranma want practice with her…” She had an odd quality to her voice. It reminded him of the times she used to try to come off as sexy and alluring back in Nerima, but it didn’t seem as forced. He turned to her at last, and noted that she had brought a blanket and basket with her.

“Hungry?” She asked, and began to set up a picnic of sorts without waiting for an answer. He shrugged indifferently. He was, truth be told, quite hungry, but he didn’t really want to risk eating passion spice or something. He was pretty sure she was beyond that type of behavior now, but no one could fault him for being wary. Soon the food was laid out, and Ranma was devouring it with his usual method of shoving it down his throat without giving the taste buds much of a chance to identify the substance. Shampoo smiled at the fact that at least this facet of Ranma was still present.

“Wow, that was good, thank you Shampoo.” He said honestly. He then realized something.

“She didn’t try to slip anything weird into the food! That is amazing.” He thought. Shampoo smiled happily.

“Is glad you like it Ranma.” She said. As he watched her sitting there, Ranma came to a startling realization.

“She really is beautiful…” He thought to himself. As if entranced, he allowed her to lean closer to him, until their breathing was mingled.

“Sh-shampoo…” He whispered. She said nothing, surging forward and kissing him. Ranma struggled for a moment, his mind at war with his body. He felt like he was betraying Akane by doing this, but at the same time, a part of him felt the loneliness he had felt since that day, and wanted to be rid of it, if only for a little while. So with the drive of a man drowning in pain in search of a beacon to light his way out of it, he kissed her back.

“Forgive me Akane…” Was his last thought before he succumbed…

 

It was quite a while before they finally began to head back towards the village, walking rather close to each other no less, smiles on both their faces. That’s when they saw the smoke…

“Ranma! That Amazon village!” Shampoo cried fearfully, before dashing towards it. Ranma cursed and took off after her.

“Shampoo! Wait!” She didn’t hear him or just didn’t care. He gasped as he saw something else as they got closer to the village.

“Mobile Suits…” He whispered to himself. There were two normal colonial Zaku’s, plus a more powerful-looking one painted blood red…

“Who the hell is that?” Was his thought as he ran towards the village gates. He could hear people yelling from within.

“Why has this happened to us?” One voice cried. That caused Ranma to gasp.

“No! By killing that Zaku pilot, I must have led them to this place!” He could feel the familiar weight of guilt slam down onto his heart with even greater force then ever before.

“I…I’ve doomed an entire tribe to death…” He felt the depression building, and bowed his head. It snapped up as he heard a voice come from the red Zaku.

“You refused to tell us why our comrade is dead, and you have paid the price…Never anger the Colonial Forces of almighty Zeon!” The voice was eloquent yet distinctly cold and cruel sounding. It chilled Ranma’s blood.

“Damn it! Why didn’t they turn me in?” He thought angrily. He watched as the two green Zaku’s opened fire on running people. He watched as a woman carrying her baby was cut down by machine gun fire and fell, smashing her baby’s body upon the ground with a sickening crunch. He saw the few matriarchs still alive attempting to destroy the mobile suits with ki attacks, but they were killed before they could prepare the energy. He then saw Cologne rushing towards him.

“Ranma! We must leave now!” She grabbed his arm from atop her cane.

“What the hell are you saying! We have to help them!” He indicated the dying villagers.

“Are we just going to abandon them!” He screamed over the gunfire.

“STUPID BOY! Will you really make our village’s sacrifice be in vain? You need to live Ranma! Live and gain your revenge upon them!” He scowled at her words, broke free from her grip, and ran towards the suits.

“Stupid boy…” Cologne muttered sadly.

 

“I don’t care what the old woman says! I’ll kill these three with my bare hands! Just like the last one!” That said, Ranma leapt atop a house that was still standing and not on fire, and charged a ki blast in his hands.

“ARHGG!!” He roared, shooting the collected energy at one of the green Zaku’s. It was struck in the chest, and though it didn’t create a hole like last time, the blast did knock it off its feet. Ranma prepared another.

“I’ll destroy you all!” He yelled, the bloodlust starting to get to him. He wanted to crush these colonial bastards. He could just imagine that Gundam’s face imprinted over their own. His rage and hatred grew…

“I won’t let you leave here alive…” He whispered. This time, the blast caved in the cockpit, killing the pilot instantly. The other two Zaku turned to this new threat, and the red one trained its gun on him.

“And who might you be boy!” The pilot asked.

“I’m Ranma Saotome! And I’m not going to rest until every single Zeon is a rotting corpse under my feet!” He yelled hatefully. He could almost sense the pilot smirking.

“Quite a vow! But tell me…How do you expect to do something like that with your bare hands? Without even a mobile suit to fight with?” He asked. Ranma almost smiled.

“Like this!” He cried, firing another ki blast made up of depression and hatred. The blast blew the head of the other green Zaku clean off. It tumbled to the ground and lay there.

“Impressive. I don’t know how you did that, but it was impressive nonetheless. But I’m afraid that I can’t allow you to live. Goodbye Ranma Saotome.” With that said, the red Zaku opened fire on Ranma. He leapt off the house, and cursed as the gunfire struck the building, causing a large piece of it to come hurtling towards someone he saw out of the corner of his eye. Turning to shout a warning, he paled as he saw who it was. She had long purple hair.

“Shampoo! No!!!!!!!!!!”

 

Once again he awoke gasping for breath. Panting, he clenched his fists.

“Damn it all…Damn me and my weakness…My stupidity…” He fought it, he really did. But one tear did escape and he watched it shatter upon the ground.

“Everyone…who gets close to me…suffers…” He bowed his head sadly. He could still hear the screams…

 

Author’s Notes: Yes it was depressing, but I wanted to show how Ranma became the way he is now. Though this isn’t the end of his past experiences. No sir. Anyway, just so you know, Shampoo isn’t dead. I’ll go into what happened to her soon enough…And as for what she and Ranma did by the stream…well…let’s just say that they weren’t holding hands (cough cough)…Take that as you will. Oh, and I’d just like to take this opportunity to apologize to various people who have sent me e-mail and haven’t received replies. My hotmail account is acting screwy, and I’m trying to sort it out, but at the moment I am incapable of sending out e-mail for some reason. So you have my sincerest apologies for that. It seems that with hotmail, you get what you pay for…which is to say, nothing and nothing. And uh, sorry for taking so long with this and other fics. I’ve been sick lately, and writer’s block + school is no fun. Anyway, happy holidays, and stay tuned for some action in the next chapter, as Ranma must confront a new Gundam, but why the heck is the pilot claiming to be a Federation member? Let’s just say that it isn’t one of the Wing boys. And yes the pilot of the red Zaku was Char Aznable. Thank you and goodnight…