Stretching, arms overhead, Ranma grimaced at the stiffness along his back and sides. Tichondrius wasn't kiddin. He felt as strong as he did before, but the stiff muscles and sore back just screamed lack of mobility.
He spared the woman a glance, confused only momentarily by her look of shock. He supposed she was pretty, deep brown hair, almost black, framed her head. A thick waist framed her hips, not fat per say, but not pencil thin, either. Nothing to write home about, but not all that bad, either. Hmm, nice legs too.
Ranma blinked, before scowling and bopping himself in the head. Idiot. "Ugh.. what time is it?" he asked, tone lethargic and confused. He made a point of looking the room over, noticing the various machines scattered about the wall. He took a moment to decipher just what they were used for, until he remembered he didn't care, either. "Where am I?"
Yani stuttered at first, before reigning in her sense of shock, "To-to-to-kyo! General Hospital." she inhaled a deep breath to calm her excited nerves, before pressing the 'Emergency Call' button next to the door. She really needed Nanami here. She, in all her months of working, hadn't ever dealt with a coma victim awakening from their slumber.
He blinked, scratching his head curiously, "Uh.. why the heck would I be here?" he eyed the woman seriously.
She grimaced, this probably wasn't the best time, nor the most opportune time to tell him he had been in a coma for two years. "Uh.. you were.. hurt, we've been taking care of you." she answered nervously.
Struggling, his muscles protesting the sudden activity they were besieged with, he forced himself off the bed. Wobbly at first, he quickly recovered his balance, one hand holding on the side of the bed for stability, "Geesh. What the hell coulda happened to me? Last I remember was eatin some of that tomboy's cookin!"
Yani stepped forward, sure as sure can be no coma victim could just stand up after two years of inactivity. It was amazing he was able to do what he had, but even she realized he had to be pushing it.
Ranma blinked when an older woman came rushing into the room. Dressed similarly to the younger girl, she was at least a decade older with pure as black hair down the length of her back, with green eyes and a look of.. "Oh please don't scream!" he cried.
Nanami was an experienced Nurse. Of that there could be no doubt. Yet, even she had never seen a Coma victim come back, and the fact he was standing up and talking shook her world upside down. "OH. MY. GOD!" she screamed, ignoring or unheeding of Ranma's hopeless plea.
***
"Keep it a secret. Don't make no stupid mistakes. Don't give em reason to think yer full of horse shit! Don't tempt fate!" he repeated like a mantra in his mind. Quickly realizing no one in their right mind would believe the truth, that he was tainted soul sent back from hell at the bidding of a demon, on Earth to cause who knows what kind of untold horror and trouble. Oh, and it was all for a selfish reason. Yeah.. that'd work over real well..
"It's unprecedented!" an old balding doctor exclaimed, eyes glued intently on the boy as he walked around the room. He paid no mind of his crazy glances, or sudden, if brief, nervous glances. "You're saying he was up and moving around mere moments after awakening?"
Nanami nodded seriously, "I can't explain it either, it shouldn't be possible. Condition aside!"
Ranma blinked. Condition? Was she just talkin about the coma thing?
"Yes.." the doctor nodded, "Now that you mention that... Mr. Saotome?"
"Yeah?" how long was he going to be stuck here, anyway?
"Do you understand everything that’s happening here? Why your in a hospital, why we are suitably surprised as to your recovery?"
"Gee, ya make it sound like I'm here for my own protection or some crap?"
The Doctor blanched.
Nurse Nanami didn't have a clue.
Ranma sweated. What the hell does that mean? "Uh.. doc?"
Coughing into his hand, "Well.. ah.." he grumbled, rubbing his balding head, "Sorta yes, sorta no."
"Uh.. yeah.. okay.." he really didn't have a clue how to respond to that. Who the hell would be trying to kill em? Oh wait.. never mind, who wasn't tryin to kill him? heh.
***
"..."
"And that's the situation." the doctor finished, not surprised in the least at his patients silence.
"..."
"..."
"... Your sayin Tendo Akane has been tryin to break in here and steal my body?" Ranma couldn't believe that. Why would she? It didn't make any sense.
"After your accident, we learned she was the one who poisoned you." The doctor began, only to be interrupted when Ranma cut in.
"No she wasn't! Well, maybe, no, uh, not really. She's just an overeager cook s'all." Ranma sweated. He really didn't believe that, which was weird, because before today.. he knew he always thought of her that way. Freaky.
"Mr. Saotome.. the details behind Tendo Akane are not my concerned. I'm only informing you as to what I've been told. Shortly after you fell into the coma, Ms. Tendo seemed to go 'nuts'. Constantly saying you were fine, and that nothing she did could have made you this way. On various accounts she even threatened to 'Kill that baka' for the situation. We had to detain her, because of it."
Ranma frowned.. and I mean FROWNED. He knew Akane. Sure, she was slightly nuts, but so was everyone in Nerima. This wasn't something she could do.. he knew it..
***
"Tell me again, why haven't you returned me?" Ranma asked, bored out of his mind. He had been stuck in this white prison for who knew how long. Tichondrius wasn't the typical demon, at least, he didn't think so. He always imagined, if his boss was a normal demon, he would have returned him long ago and just told him to do shit at random. Club a baby seal, steal an old woman's oxygen machine, stuff like that. Oh no, this wasn't the typical bastard demon. He actually wanted more from him then an ass kicker.
Tichondrius shrugged, "I'm not allowed many visitations to Earth. If I returned you now, I wouldn't have a chance to teach you, make you understand everything I require of you. Besides.." he grinned evilly, "The world isn't ready for your return.. yet."
Ranma blinked, "What the hell does that mean? 'The world isn't ready for me.' ?"
Tichondrius sighed, pinched the bridge of his nose, "Did you honestly think I'd let you return, trapped in that quagmire you call a social disaster? It's taking.. quite allot of doing, to clear up most of your old arrangements."
Ranma frowned, "What the heck does my 'arrangements' have ta do with the deal we made?"
The demon shrugged, raising one pointy claw, "The Amazons would likely discover my mark, when it became known you were associated with a demon, you'd be destroyed. Can't have that, yet anyway."
Ranma glared.
Raising another pointy finger, "Ukyo's chemical imbalances have been corrected. It's taken awhile to ween her affections off of you."
Ranma blinked, "Wha? Chemical imbalances? Kinda crock o shit is that?"
"Brain damage. The kid's got a good heart, but her father is a ruthless bastard. Forced her into loving you. Hell, she's so afraid of her daddy that's she morbidly scared to death of not loving you. Or, at least she was before I finished repairing the damage."
Making a mental note to kill said Chef's father, Ranma asked, "What the heck does splittin up my fiancee's got to do with it though?"
"Ranma. You're my avatar. You'll be involved in different situations that will require different actions. I don't want a supreme ass kicker. Despite the strength of your arms, a strong tongue can be just as destructive, and often more the require path."
"Eh.. you want me to run a talk show? Talk all eloquent and stuff?" Ranma didn't like that one bit.
"No." the demon shook his head. "You're not thinking this through." he sighed, deciding he'd have to be blunt, "There will be times you will fight for me. Times you will talk things out for me. Times you will run errands for me." he hesitated for a moment, just knowing the boy's reaction when he heard this, "And in certain, though rare, situations.. you may need to sleep with some one, to get the required outcome..."
"OH HELL NO!!!"
"OH HELL YES!" Tichondrius roared, the force of his voice literately flinging the boy to the ground. "Your ass is mine. Your soul is mine. You're my property, human!" he sneered as he spoke, spatting the last word with so much disgust it would make Genma envious. "Or would you.. rather I return your mother's soul to hell? Hmm? Akane's too."
Ranma dared not answer that question. If it was just him, or so he told himself, he could deal with being eternally damned to the pits of hell. Yet.. Akane.. his mother.. he couldn't let them suffer like that. Not when he could stop it.. but that would mean.. "What.. what's goin ta happen ta Akane?"
Tichondrius blinked, "Eh? What do you mean?" The boy couldn't be that sharp.. yet at least.
He scowled, "Yah said yah were fixin my fiancée situation. Y'know, gettin rid of Shampoo, Ukyo.... what are you doin to Akane?"
The demon chuckled, an evil sound that sent a chill down his spine. "She's being.. dealt with.." he waved his claws, to stave off an argument, "She'll be fine. Trust me. In the end, she'll be a changed woman, more then capable of getting on with her life after you."
***
"She's made a full recovery I'm told." The doctor continued, when the patient seemed to go into a daze. "She's been released from observation, and from all reports, she's reintegrated into her life quite well."
"... Can.. can you leave me alone?" Ranma pleaded, almost desperately. That memory had sapped his strength, sapped his very being.. This is what Tichondrius meant? He.. he destroyed Akane mentally, and had her rebuilt.. he.. that bastard.
"Very well.." The doctor shrugged. He needed to contact the board, anyway.
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(Posted Wed, 30 Jun 2004 07:08)
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