But the report and photos filled in some of the spaces. And she wasn't sure which was worse: Knowing or not.
As she read and looked over the pictures, a weight settled in her chest, of sadness and something else. Guilt. Everything she had done, she had done because she had simply seen a loudmouthed sex-changing pervert who could never treat anyone like she thought he should. Her assumption had been that he had lead a life like a vagrant, just laughing his way through everything.
The report told of a young man who'd gone through trials and travails that she had never dreamed of. She had thought that he'd trained like her for the most part. It was the way it was done after all. But this? She just had never imagined some of the things he had survived.
Yet it was a photograph that had hit her the most. It wasn't the most gruesome, or the most informative, but it said thing that others simply couldn't.
A simple black and white shot, it showed a school yard where a group of grade school children in uniforms played. They were laughing and running, generally enjoying their childhoods without any thought of what was to come. But peering over a fence was a gi-clad Ranma. He looked to be about the same age, but there wasn't any joy on his face. His look spoke of wanting to join in with the children, but the sadness told of how he couldn't. Physically only a fence separated them, but in reality, there was a whole lot more in between.
The youngest Tendo stumbled to her feet and walked out of the room, not noticing what was around her, but still clutching the photograph.
"Akane, is something the matter?" asked Kasumi.
"Yes," she said past a lump in her throat.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not right now. I need to be alone right now."
"Okay, but if you need me..."
"I'll know where to find you," Akane completed quietly, and walked away.
Kasumi watched her youngest sister leave and then looked at the report. She wondered what it had told her sisters, but she was reluctant to pick it up. Not that she didn't think it would give her answers, but simply because she was sure that it would. So she stared at it as:
(Posted Sat, 02 Nov 2002 03:28)
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