Eulogy
by Jai-kun

"There is not much that cannot be said about Ranma Saotome... He was an honest boy, cut down in his prime. I took the liberty of speaking to his friends, who remember him as a confident soul, always leaping into the fray, always there to help his friends. It was a similar act that took him from us..."

The priest droned on and on, eulogizing Ranma Saotome in the kindest of words as the crowd listened, half of them sniffling and sobbing softly, the other half merely stunned into silence. Three people in the front were stony silent, two clutching handkerchiefs in their white knuckled hands, the third merely impassive, almost stoically. If not for the tears running freely from beneath his glasses, one would have thought Genma Saotome just didn't care.

On either side, next to him, his wife and the fiancée of the boy being buried sat in almost identical poses. Leaning forward, as if expecting Ranma to leap out of the coffin and laugh at everyone there. Or, more in character, to wonder what the fuss was about. "Geez, I was DEAD, fer cryin' out loud... we all knew it would happen eventually."

Nodoka bit her lip fiercely, nearly to the point of drawing blood, not hearing the priests or the weeping around her. Her attention was focused only on her son's casket. Closed, cutting her off from him when she'd only begun to know him. He was gone now, again, gone forever. Genma slowly reached for her hand and squeezed it, and she found herself clinging to it, fighting the racking sobs that threatened to overwhelm her. She had hated Genma after the body had been found. Hated him for taking her son away, making him so prone to danger, and not keeping him alive. But now, at the funeral of their son, she couldn't let her hatred remain. He was all she had left in the world.

Akane, on the other side, was rocking slightly, fighting the tears with whimpered groans. They ran through her stomach and chest in waves, at one time small, then building to threaten tears again. She wanted to lash out, kick over the stupid priest and his stupid words, open the coffin and drag Ranma out and tell him to stop being such a jerk and hurting everyone. And after she had done so, she would cling to him and beg him to give her one more chance, not to leave her, ever, because she couldn't bear to be without her. What hurt worse was that she never gave thought or voice to the second set of feelings. She'd beaten and yelled and badgered him as log as she'd known him, and now, when she realized she wanted to hold and comfort and whisper to him, it was too late. She put her face in her hands and began to sob, a hand touching her shoulder unnoticed as she did.

Ukyou Kuonji looked down at the weeping girl, tears streaming down her face as she did. They had been rivals for Ranma's affections, but in the end, they had been friends too. She was sure... she was almost sure that if Ranma had chosen one or the other, their friendship wouldn't have been affected. She hoped that was the case, but who knew? It was such a stupid thing, now, the rivalry, the infighting, the petty bickering over who he loved more and why. He'd looked at her just before it happened, might have been the last friendly face he saw. She blew him a kiss, then started arguing with Kodachi and Akane and Shampoo when they saw her. When he looked back, he was shaking his head sadly. Back then it hadn't seemed like a big deal, it happened every time they all got together. But now... he'd been sad before he died, and their fighting had caused it. How could they live with themselves now? Carefully, she knelt and hugged Akane, and was surprised when the girl clung to her in return. Both sobbed together, and she whispered "I'm sorry," as soon as she could speak. Akane only nodded.

Xi'an-Pu hung back, frightened. If she had been in cat form, her ears would be back against her skull and she'd be tensed to run. Her Airen, Ranma, was dead. He had lived through Touma and Kirin and Saffron and Herb! He'd lived through HERB! Great-Grandmother's training, years and years of fighting, he'd survived it all... how could he be dead. She didn't understand. What was harder to understand was the crushing weight that had settled on her heart when she had received the call from Nabiki Tendo that they had found a body, that it was Ranma. He was strong, but even the strong die. Great-Grandmother had said so. So why did it hurt when it was just another death? She didn't love him. He had beaten her, fairly, and she had to chase him by Amazon law, make him one of her people, her husband, so that their children would strengthen the Joketsuzoku people. It had been that way since before she as born, it had always been that war. Even Great-Grandmother Ko-Long had done so, to strengthen the tribe. These men always had a way of dying, either trying to escape or by her very nature... why did this one hurt so. She didn't love him... did she?

Mu-Tsu stood behind Xi'an-Pu, not daring to put a hand on her or comfort her in anyway, but there in case she wanted him to. He would stand by her forever if that's what it took. He looked at her, seeing the lines of worry, the tears of sadness, then looked back at the casket. Ranma, a great opponent, but not much of a man, was dead. He knew he shouldn't think ill of the dead, but Saotome had been no end of trouble for him and his beautiful Xi'an-Pu. Now that he was gone, the old mummy would have no choice but to allow him to take Xi'an-Pu as his own. He would defeat her in battle. It was the only way, and neither of them knew he could invoke the law that way. He hadn't followed her simply out of love. He had followed her because he had gotten himself exiled from the Joketsuzoku. Now, if he defeated her, he would do so as an outsider. It wasn't the perfect solution, or even the best, but he would gladly take it. With Saotome removed from the picture, she would have no choice. Saotome had been the only reason he hadn't acted on his plan before. If he had defeated her after Saotome, he would have still been only a concubine until he either defeated the first or Saotome had died. Now she was no longer beholden by the law. It was the perfect time to strike...

Ko-Long looked sideways at Mu-Tsu, then at her great-granddaughter. The poor girl. She had fallen in love with the outsider and hadn't realized it. She had seen the struggle in young Xi'an-Pu's eyes before. Why, not long after she was the girl's age, she had lived it. The man, Himura Kenji, had been much like her son-in-law, strong and confident and fearless. They had had a beautiful daughter together, and he had decided to stay. But in the end, a war with another tribe had destroyed him. It was then that she began to learn the techniques her tribe had to offer, to improve upon them, to teach them to her daughter. When her daughter had come of age, they went together and wiped out the tribe that had taken her husband from her. The children from that tribe that were left were given a choice: Join the Joketsuzoku or die. Mu-Tsu was a descendent of those children. He was unworthy. But Son-in-Law, he had reminded her so much of Kenji... Ko-Long hadn't meant to fall in love with Kenji, but she had. Now she could see the same conflict in Xi'an-Pu's eyes. She should have never let Xi'an-Pu pursue the young man to Japan, but honor was honor. If only honor didn't have to cut so deeply.

Tatewaki Kuno glared at the coffin, dressed in a black hakama. It was the only honor he would allow that sorcerer Saotome. It was not enough that he had met ignominious defeat time and time again to his cursed rival, but now he was forced to stand by as his sister wept empty tears for the craven undeserving boy. No matter. Now he was free to pursue the beauteous Akane Tendo and the pig-tailed girl unmolested. It was destiny that this should happen, a sign from the Kami. Before, only Saotome had been in the way of their happiness, now no one would. He was free, they were free, and soon they would all be together in joyous company, celebrating the passing of their common foe. It was odd, however, that the pig-tailed girl had not come to share in their joy when the news was passed. Should she not be crying tears of joy as Akane Tendo now did? No matter; She would come when the time was right. It was destiny after all.

Kodachi wept, biting her handkerchief and holding it between her teeth, unable to allow the common rabble to hear the wails and moans her soul desired to unleash, for Ranma Saotome, her knight, her God, was dead. At first, when she'd heard, she'd flown into a rage and leapt into the night to find out what that harridan had done to her beloved. Alas, the witch was not at fault, and the large specimen with the bandanna kept her from taking her revenge anyway. The girl was weeping, likely in the joy that she had finally reached her goal in destroying poor Ranma-sama. She would pay, but not today. She would no sooner disgrace the memory of Ranma-sama than she would let her brother do so. No, her revenge would wait, and wait, and wait, as long as needed, but the young girl gloating to the servile chef at the front would pay for what she had wrought on Ranma Saotome before he mercifully was taken from her clutches. Laughter threatened to erupt from her then, but she quelled the desire. It wouldn't do to let them see her so joyous.

Ryouga stood, head hung, fists clenched. It wasn't fair! Ranma was dead, and he hadn't even seen it happen! He hadn't been there, he hadn't caused it... he hadn't stopped it. The last thing he remembered was Ranma tossing him to the beach after chasing him all over it. The wave had hit them both, sweeping him, now in pig form, further out. Ranma had grabbed him, threw him with all of her might before the current had caught her and swept her, almost as if an angry god were punishing her for taking it's meal. She didn't scream, or even seem to struggle, she just let the current take her... maybe she was as tired as he was from fighting the water, from the chase. It had been a stupid argument, a game, really. Ranma made sly comments in front of Akane about pigs and Akane had yelled at him for picking on Ryouga, who responded to Ranma's jibe with one of his own concerning his masculinity. Ranma had attacked when before he wouldn't have. Probably because his mother was there. They had fought, harder and harder with each punch, and eventually had gotten far from the rest. That was when the wave hit, and dragged them. He owed Ranma his life. The fact stung him even now. He owed Ranma his life, and he was the cause of his death. He only hoped that one day Akane could forgive him.

Ranma, now Tenka, stood, brushing the funeral dirt off his knees, and looked at the roses. All he had to do was get her... he felt bad for doing this to the others, but it was for the best, he knew it... there had only really been one choice all along, and the other three wouldn't let it happen... Kodachi was too mad, Shampoo was bound by law, and... he couldn't bring himself to think her name in context with the other two... she had at least been a viable choice... but he didn't love her, not in that way... she would be hurt most of all... it was better for her to think he was dead.

With a final nod, he slipped into the shadows, toward his prize.