"Ranma-sama?"
Ranma turned around, facing quite possibly the last girl he would have expected to comfort him.
"Kodachi?"
The Black Rose nodded, and scooted back so Ranma could turn and face her. "Hai. I know you have little love for me, and I have given you little cause to, but you look like you could use a friend."
Ranma sighed. "Yeah. I seem to be right out of those at the moment." His eyes, usually so full of life, darkened slightly more. "I just found out that all the girls chasin' me have been sleepin' with each other. I guess it's been goin' on for a while now. They're just chasin' me so nobody notices."
"Even Akane Tendo?
Ranma shrugs. "Yeah. She doesn't want anything to do with me. She just wants..."
"Your female form."
Ranma's head snaps up quickly enough to give a normal person whiplash. "You knew?"
"I have a confession to make, Ranma-sama. To start with, the Black Rose you've known and run from for the last year is nothing more than a role I play."
Ranma is confused. "Why? It sure hasn't won ya any friends."
Kodachi nods. "Unfortunately true. But it has helped keep people away from me...my brother in particular."
Ranma surges up, anger suffusing his features. "You mean he..."
"No...but he did try once. I was 13, and had only just started learning Martial Arts Rhythmic Gymnastics. Fortunately I had my ribbon to hand when he tried. Since then, I built up the Black Rose, using her to shield myself from his advances. If he found out that I was sane..."
"He'd answer to me!"
Kodachi is astonished. After all the hell she'd put him through, the attacks, the paralysis powder, the pretending his female form was an enemy to be destroyed, her showing up at what was to be his wedding in a black wedding gown...He was still willing to defend her? "Ranma?"
"I know we ain't been the best of friends, Kodachi. Hell, before tonight, I'd'a run at the first hint you were comin'. But nobody deserves to be treated like that, and anybody who tries to treat you like that gets to find out why a god in China is scared of me!"
Kodachi gulps. He didn't just say..."A god?"
"His name was Saffron, King of Phoenix Mountain. He was tryin' to stop me from gettin' some water to save Akane's life. I killed him."
Kodachi shakes her head. "Some people can be so unappreciative, don't you think, Ranma-sama?"
Ranma shrugs again. "Feh. Story of my life."
Kodachi stands up, putting her hand on Ranma's shoulder. "Well, maybe it's time to start a new chapter."
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(Posted Thu, 28 Aug 2003 07:43)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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