PM Productions Presents A Phillip Masters Fanfic Feelings Are Blind Part Five: Endings and Beginnings Everyone turned to the door. Kasumi stepped aside and Tenchi came out from behind her. He looked around the room, confusion and worry alight on his face. His gaze fell on Ranma, and it softened instantly. He began to walk over to the short red hared girl. Ranma stared, dumbfounded at Tenchi. He felt like pounding his head clean through the Dojo wall, save everyone the trouble. He could not believe Tenchi just walked in the door. What of his promise not to show up? Was this some sort of retribution from a god he didn't know he insulted? He sighed and shut his eyes for a moment. In the face of utter annihilation and imminent pain, he just couldn't bring himself to be angry at Tenchi for showing up. "Who are you?" Akane asked suddenly. Ranma had almost forgotten about the two girls who were still glowing next to him. Tenchi, regardless of battle auras, walked right up to Akane and bowed deeply. "Hello, I'm Masaki Tenchi. Pleased to meet you." Akane blinked, obviously not sure of what was going on. She bowed unsteadily, keeping an eye on Tenchi just in case. "Uh... hello... Tendo Akane." He turned to the purple hared girl and repeated the process. She bowed back, though just as suspicious as Akane. "Shampoo of Chinese Amazon tribe." When Tenchi stood upright again he smiled. He looked at Ranma, who seemed to be fighting something inside. "Are you okay, Ranma?" he asked as his brow furrowed in worry. Ranma shook his head and stood up straighter, drawing his lips into a small smile. "Sure, why wouldn't I be?" Tenchi stared for a while longer, trying to dig into Ranma a little deeper. He found his couldn't, if there was one thing Ranma was great at besides Martial Arts, it was hiding his feelings. "I'm sorry I came back Ranma... I saw an explosion on the news and came out to find out if you were okay. Please don't hold it against me." Ranma almost had to grit his teeth. The situation was about to get really ugly. He should have been thinking of a way to get out of the Dojo with Tenchi. Should have been thinking of a story to tell Akane and Shampoo. Should have been doing anything but feeling warm and fuzzy because Tenchi had cared about him! He grabbed his head and moaned lightly, wishing his troubles would go away. As usual they didn't. They simply magnified. Tenchi was almost instantaneously at Ranma's side. "You're not okay... what's wrong?" He toyed with the idea of putting an arm around Ranma for support, but still wasn't sure if it would be met well. Though it was taking all of his will power to stop him from doing it regardless of repercussions. It was then Ryouko decided to happen upon the scene. "Wow, what happened in here?" she wondered as she looked around at the wreckage. Akane and Shampoo looked up at the new arrival. "Now, who's that?" Akane asked, her patience seeming to grow even thinner than it already was. An amazing feat of physics on a par with her mallet handling skills. Tenchi looked over at the pirate turned demon. "That's Ryouko, a good friend of mine." "Oh." the two girls replied, still nonplussed. Ranma was in agony. His head was throbbing like some evil energy was trying to break out of it, and every beat of his heart lent to its power. He felt like yelling out. He felt like... he felt like... He turned and threw his arms around Tenchi. Tears finally squeezed out of his clenched eyelids as he pressed his face against Tenchi's chest. He felt like being close to Tenchi, and damn the world if they thought it was wrong! Tenchi was frozen in place like a mannequin. He wasn't sure what he just did, but it seemed to have an effect on Ranma. He found himself extraordinarily happy that Ranma decided to pick him, however he was also upset at the girl's seemingly unbearable pain. Slowly he brought his arms up to wrap around Ranma slight frame. He pulled her closer to him, feeling their warmth shared between them. Akane and Shampoo looked on in shock. It took their minds a few moments to comprehend the visual signals they were receiving. It just didn't make sense. Why was Ranma in the arms of that... man? "R... Ranma?" Akane whispered as reality caught up with her. Shampoo faced the situation like a true Amazon warrior. After the shock faded she almost instantly leapt to attack. She found a pair of breasts bigger than even her own suddenly in her face. She looked up at a grinning Ryouko, who waved a finger at her and said, "Uh uh, little girl... you leave them alone." Shampoo back away for a moment, assessing the situation. The woman was definitely much bigger than herself, but was she as good a fighter? She lashed out with her right fist in a punch that could easily level a brick wall. Ryouko brought up her hand and caught the punch in her palm, her face didn't even flinch. Ryouko's grin grew even wider as she saw shock register anew on the girl's face. She closed her hand on Shampoo's fist and squeezed softly. "Little girl, I told you to back off." she ordered with a quiet but warning tone. Shampoo winced slightly as heard her knuckles popping slowly. The woman was much, much stronger than she had anticipated. She may be the bravest of Amazon warriors, but contrary to common belief she wasn't stupid. She nodded her head and backed away once Ryouko had released her. She rubbed her sore hand, though fortunately nothing was actually broken. Ranma found himself clinging onto the back of Tenchi's T-shirt, trying to pull himself closer and closer to him. He felt so calm and happy in Tenchi's arms, he just couldn't explain the feeling it gave him. It was as if something was lifted from his mind, and an invisible force began to flow from his chest. It was warm and forgiving, and caused a euphoric sensation whenever he breathed. He moaned softly, the feeling being almost too much for him. Tenchi struggled to keep his knees from turning to jelly. He had never felt such an intense feeling for any one person. It was as though he were holding his life in his arms, and nothing could make him let go. He was afraid it might kill him if he let go... even worse, he was even more afraid he might lose Ranma forever. He didn't know why he felt that way, but it didn't change the reality of it any. He found himself wondering briefly why he felt such an intense love for this girl he had only met a day ago... but he found he didn't care. Why was not important as long as she was with him. "Ranma! What are you doing?" Akane screeched, her faculties finally catching up with her. Tenchi felt Ranma stiffen in his arms, and he looked down. He felt her nails dig into his back lightly, and he took it as a way to tell him to let go. So he did, not wanting to hold her against her will. She fell away from him, then looked up. Her cheeks were stained with tears and red from rubbing against his shirt. She smiled at him lightly, as if to tell him everything would be okay. He relaxed, as he believed her. Ranma turned after smiling to reassure Tenchi. He faced his fiancée... the one girl he would actually call his true fiancée. "Akane," he began, then stopped and breathed. It was not going to be easy to tell her... her of all people. He inhaled deeply and tried again, "Akane, I... I..." He shook his head sharply. Why was it so hard to just come out and say it? He firmed his resolve and opened his mouth for the third time. Unfortunately, he couldn't get a word out because the sky suddenly flashed with a brilliant light. Ranma looked upward through the hole in the Dojo roof at the fading burst of illumination. Everyone else joined him, staring out of at the sky, which was turning back to blue. "What was that?" he asked. "I don't know." Akane answered. Ranma turned to see if Tenchi knew anything, but found him absent. "Tenchi?" he called out while looking around. He saw him standing on a pile of rubble at the back of the Dojo, looking at something outside. He ran over to him to see what drew his attention like that. What he saw almost made him back away again. "What in the hell is that thing?" "A Juraian space ship." Tenchi replied simply. "Juraian? Isn't that what you're part?" Ranma hadn't recalled the name of the alien race Tenchi was supposed to be descended from until he had mentioned it again. He noticed him nod in response. "So, they're here in peace then, right?" "I'm not sure yet." With that, Tenchi stepped completely out into the backyard, still staring up at the strange wooden vessel. Ranma followed Tenchi almost instinctively. They both walked out onto the grass, their hair blowing in the wind generated by the engines of the massive craft above them. Ranma noticed in passing that Akane ran up beside him, Ryouko and Shampoo not far behind. "What is that?" she asked him. "A Juraian space ship." He turned to look at her. "You see, Tenchi is from Earth, but his family is not." He drew his gaze over to Ryouko, getting a really good look at her for the first time. "And something tells me she isn't either." Ryouko huffed up slightly, not sure whether she had just been insulted or not. "What's that supposed to mean?" she exclaimed. "You are alien, aren't you?" "Well, yeah... I am." Ryouko figured, what the hell? She knew about Tenchi, why not herself? She winked, "But don't go spreading it around town." Ranma grinned, then looked at the hovering ship. "I'd think they'd all know by now anyway." Ryouko laughed, a calm sound. "Don't worry about that. You can't see a Juraian vessel unless it wants you to... humans may be tough, but they are especially easy to fool with cloaking shields." Now it was Ranma's turn to wonder whether he had been insulted or not. His pride was not really on his mind for once though. No, they had bigger things to deal with first. "Are they just going to sit there, or what?" "Or what." Every head tilted down to see who had spoken. It was a tall man with greenish hair and a nasty scowl seemingly permanently etched into his face. He deepened his brow even farther as he noticed he had everyone's attention. "Before you ask, I am Veca, a rouge scientist in search of something... obviously I am not going to tell you what that something is. That would be no fun." "Typical bad guy." Commented Ranma, placing a hand on Tenchi's back. "Shouldn't pose too much of a problem." Famous last words. "I'm wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you." Veca laughed, a deep throaty howl. He raised his hand and three foot long silver spike emerged from his wrist. "For one, you don't even know for sure if I am a 'bad guy,' as you so barbarically put it." A blue streak of electricity traveled up the length of the spike with a snap. "For another, you don't know what I'm here to do, even if I am a 'bad guy.'" "You're not Juraian, are you?" Tenchi asked suddenly. Veca smiled, "Very perceptive, Tenchi. I am indeed not Juraian... I am not from any one planet. I am a genetically engineered creation, much like Ryouko there." "How do you know what I am?" Ryouko yelled, stepping forward threateningly. The spike was now beginning to glow red hot, and the static sparks were increasing in power. "How do I know? Don't you think I should know about my own sister, Ryouko dear?" He laughed again at her shock, then his face darkened, "Now, sister," he extended his hand without the spike, "give me the gems." END PART FIVE Whoops... sort of did it again... but I was able to get this out the next day! I am rather proud of myself for that. Comments still greatly appreciated, of course ^_^. Till next time, thanks for reading, PMasters (4-1-98)