Part Three

 He swam in a blackened sea of confusion and pain. That’s all there was to his existence. No up or down, no awake or asleep, and no peaceful death to take him fully into the dark night. There was only pain, hurt and agony that mushroomed from his chest in tight ever-widening waves. Something was wrong with his heart, and that was as far as he could think in that direction. There was also disappointment. He had hoped to be dead by now, but obviously he wasn’t. He could hear her talking, her trill little voice rising and falling as she chatted about this or that, things he couldn’t possibly care about. This was all he knew, all he was aware of.

Beyond that, there existed only torture. Only the games of a sick and lonely mind that had decided to make him into her plaything.

As soon as she saw that he was nearly dead from strangling on the collar around his neck, Azusa removed it. It was a big ugly black thing anyway, and she didn’t like it. Letting him sleep, she gently fastened a small delicate pink collar in its place, very similar to the one she had given him before. This one also said "Charlotte" in scrolled fancy characters, and it locked with a key which she tucked away for safe-keeping. She had also unchained his legs as she devotedly cleaned him up from their lovemaking. She left his arms bound, and changed the messy bloody tape that covered his mouth, replacing it with a fresh piece. Azusa liked it better when he didn’t talk, because the only things she’d ever heard him say were negative, and she wasn’t interested in listening.

She took a quick bath, so that she would be nice and fresh when he woke, but he was asleep for far too long, so she took it upon herself to wake him. He was so precious, with the lost expression in his dark eyes as they fluttered open, and the soft moan of pain that somehow escaped from beneath the tape on his mouth. Azusa was very happy to finally have him all to herself. He was everything she had dreamed he would be, and she knew that they would be very happy together.

He wasn’t awake very long before he passed out - - no, before he fell asleep again. Azusa felt a bit irritated that he didn’t seem very interested in paying attention to her, but that was okay too. Very soon, Azusa knew that he’d fall asleep and never wake again, and then he would truly be hers forever. Humming softly to herself, she slipped on one of her pretty dresses and danced into the next room, the lovely place where she kept all of her cute things. She’d keep Charlotte here too, as soon as he fell asleep for good. He would like being with all of her other precious treasures, she just knew that he would.

********************************************

Ranma had been feeling rather uneasy all day, but he couldn’t pinpoint why.

In all respects, things had been pretty typical. He’d argued with Akane, gone to school, fought with Kuno, argued with Akane some more, and avoided two late afternoon rain showers. Akane snubbed him to go shop with her friends, which was more than fine with him. She’d been in a snit ever since Ranma had privately told her that he thought he was gay.

Boy, that had been a mistake. Still, at least she’d kept her promise and hadn’t leaked the information to any one yet. Ranma knew that he’d disappointed her badly, but she had actually surprised him with her restraint and acceptance. Now, things were strained between them, but at least there were no more pretenses. She knew, he knew, and separately they were both already exploring other possibilities. Of course, neither of them were too keen on breaking the news to their respective fathers yet. By mutual unspoken agreement, things around the Tendo house remained the same.

Except for the tension. That had melted away, and Ranma had the feeling that, once she got over her initial shock and requisite annoyance, he and Akane might actually become friends. That was kind of a nice feeling, though today it was quashed by the unsettled fluttering in his stomach.

He decided to chalk it up to hunger and stopped at one of the neighborhood restaurants before heading home. Knowing better than to risk his luck with either of his other iinazuke’s establishments, Ranma strolled instead into a little sushi shop that he often frequented.

The chef greeted him as he took a seat, and got to work right away on Ranma’s usual. While he waited, Ranma flipped idly through some magazines that another customer had left, resting his hand against his cheek. Some spectacular shots of the Himalayan Mountains, tucked away in the pages of a travel publication made Ranma think unexpectedly of Ryoga.

Ryoga . . . now I wonder where he’s gotten himself lost at? Been awhile since I’ve seen him. I’d like to talk to him, and I think he’ll be the next one I come out to. Heh, the news will probably give him an aneurysm, but wouldn’t it be great if . . . damn . . . if he were gay too? Fat chance, but its nice to think about, anyway. I’m sure that the next time he shows up, Akane will attach herself to him like a leech. I mean, she’s not into Kuno, that’s for sure. And who the hell else is there?

"Saotome-san?"

Ranma blinked his way out of his thoughts, looking up to find Mikado Sanzenin standing beside him. Eh, now there was a guy he simply was not attracted to. But he grinned widely. "Hey, Mikado the Molester! How are ya?"

Mikado smirked in his usual superior way, giving his sandy-colored bangs a light toss so that he could see Ranma better. He was dressed impeccably, wearing a lightly colored casual suit and a striking black shirt beneath it. "The name is Sanzenin, Saotome," he replied in a good-natured way.

"I know. Where’s your rabid little pink shadow?"

Mikado smiled slightly, apparently taking well to the description of his partner. "Ah, Azusa. Actually, she’s what I need to talk to you about. Well, not you really. I’d like to talk to your sister."

Ranma frowned, puzzled. "My sister? I ain’t got a sister."

"The red-headed pig tailed girl isn’t your sister?" It was Mikado’s turn to frown.

Ranma looked lost for a few seconds, then laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "Ooooh! You mean -that- sister! Yeah, right. That sounds good. She’s my sister. Heh."

Mikado eyed him dubiously for a moment. "Well, do you know where I can find her? It’s a matter of some urgency, concerning her boyfriend."

Ranma derailed again. "Um . . . boyfriend?"

"C’mon, Saotome," Mikado said, obviously getting irritated. "Where is she? There really isn’t time to play around here."

Ranma picked up on the stressed undertone to Mikado’s words, and for the first time he noticed that the handsome young skater looked a little tired. There were faint circles of unrest beneath his striking blue eyes and tiny lines of gravity on his face. Something serious was wrong. Something about Ranma-chan’s boyfriend? That didn’t make any sense. Ranma decided that the quickest way to get to the bottom of this was to play along.

"Look, Mikado, Ranko’s not around right now. She’s . . . ah . . . visiting relatives. If there’s a problem that concerns her, I’ll help. Tell me what’s wrong."

Mikado pressed his lips together tightly, glaring down at Ranma for a long moment. Did he dare trust Saotome with this? Well, one thing was for sure, after listening to Azusa torture that poor kid, he certainly couldn’t stand by idly anymore. His conscious had gotten the better of him, and Mikado knew something had to be done. Ranma had proven himself an excellent martial artist. Chances are, he would need every bit of his skill if he faced off against Azusa. She was small, but much stronger than most people gave her credit for. Coming to a decision, Mikado nodded.

"Come with me, Saotome-san," he said, lowering his voice so that other customers in the restaurant wouldn’t overhear. "If you value your sister’s happiness, then please come with me. Her loved one is in danger."

Ranma stood, but plastered a frown on his face as he followed. "Hold on there, Mikado. I’ll help, but you gotta tell me who I’m helping. Just who do you think Ranko’s boyfriend is? As far as I know, she doesn’t have one." And cripes, he -should- know.

Mikado paused. Had he read the situation wrong? The pig tailed girl and Hibiki weren’t a couple? He glanced back at Ranma, sliding the door of the restaurant open as he did. "Ryoga Hibiki? The boy with the fangs?"

He was startled to see Ranma turn several shades paler, and stop in stunned surprise. After a few brief seconds of shock, Ranma’s eyes narrowed, and their blue color adopted the same stormy traits as the rain clouds that had darkened Nerima that afternoon. He tightened his hands into a firm fists, and Mikado could have sworn that a blue battle aura rose from Ranma for just an instant, testimony of his sudden rage.

"Ryoga’s in trouble?" Ranma hissed lowly. "Take me to him, Mikado. Right now."

************************************************

Well, at least I now have Saotome, and he seems eager to help, especially now that he knows that its Hibiki in trouble. I wonder why that is? I think perhaps I have misinterpreted the situation between Ranma, his sister and Ryoga, though I’m not entirely sure how. Well, that’s a mystery for another time.

As we sprint across town, I fill him in on what’s going on. Well, not entirely. I hesitate to tell him exactly how far Azusa’s taken her little obsession, for some reason still feeling some sense of loyalty to my misguided little partner. After all, she and I have been together for many years now, both as friends and a skating couple. The skating will undoubtedly come to an end now, but I find myself grieving for our friendship. Maybe . . well, maybe I can get her some help.

So, I just tell Saotome the basics, that Azusa has kidnaped Hibiki and is holding him in her room. I tell him that she seems to think the boy is her Charlotte, and Ranma reacts strangely to that. Its like I just crossed a barrier into a forbidden subject, because he stops asking questions and clamps his mouth shut. He doesn’t say another word until I finish giving him the details. Of course, I don’t mention my part in all of this. There’s no reason why he has to know that I was the one who drugged Ryoga in the first place. I tell him that he’s probably going to have to be the one to fight Azusa. As angry as I’ve been at her occasionally, I’ve never been able to lift a finger against her. She’s my friend, my partner.

I can see that Saotome isn’t keen on fighting a girl. That’s a credit to him and his honor, and my estimation of him is raised considerably. But he tells me that he’ll do what he has to help Ryoga, and I can tell he’s sincere by the sound of his voice and the determination in his eyes. He must consider Hibiki a very good friend. Just the same, I ask him for a promise, that he try not to hurt Azusa too much. I’ll get her help.