(This
pic also edited by me ^o^! Sorry I had to use this Raiha pic time and again.
I didn't have too many Rai-chan pics when I was making these images. Pics
courtesy of Hokuto Hanabishi of Hokage
City).
This is where
I write an essay on why I think these two were meant to be. I suppose it's
some sort of summary of all the pages contained herein and what was written
in my Friends section.
When I first
became a pro-Fuuko/Raiha pair, I had not read any Flame of Recca manga.
Why I chose to support this duo is supported by that anime episode where
Raiha rescues Fuuko and Domon from a water dungeon. He tells her of fate,
of destiny, where his raijin and her fuujin will meet in battle. Of course
it wasn't much to put a foundation on, but it was *something* to start
a romance with ^_~. Of course I found out that he *never* said anything
like this in the manga. More on the manga issue later. Throughout the anime,
if you ignore the obvious Fuuko-Domon affair the animators are obviously
pushing for(Heaven forbid!), you could see, albeit subtlely that there
is something more than meets the eye between these two. For one thing,
Raiha can be seen watching at the arena itself during Fuuko's match with
Gashakura instead of merely observing at the monitor. And he knows more
about the fuujin than she does! There was even a time you could find him
at the side of Team Hokage in the match of Fuuko-Mikoto. (Good thing Kurei
didn't spank him *_*!) The lack of any real romantic inclinations in the
anime made me write my first fanfic for them, Destiny
(to quote Raiha-kun). And the longer I knew Flame of Recca and Fuuko-san,
the more I found out that these two have indeed something to work a relationship
on. Analyze this (this can also be found in my friends
section of The Fuuko Shrine)
*******
Complementary
looks. (You know Geometry, you know what I'm talking about)...She looks
boyish, he looks girlish. She's got short hair, he's got long hair. She
wears short clothes, he wears long clothes. Her hair is dark, his is light
(in the anime anyway, its hard to tell in manga) both both in shades of
purple. She is bishoujo, he's bishounen. They both sport headbands. Her
hair is messy, his hair is neat (see anime).
*******
Complementary
personalities. She speaks loud, clear cut and commanding (just ask Raiha,
volume 9). He's soft spoken and generally quiet. She's active, jumpy, and
brash. He's passive, gentle with a mild demeanor. Fuuko needs a man
who can balance her out. If she ended up with somebody whose as hyperactive
as she is, they're going to be bickering til they're in their death beds.
*******
Complementary
weapons. The fuujin and the raijin are counterparts, one said to be good,
the other evil. Apparently their owners are complementary too. Why do you
think it wasn't Kaoru or Tokiya who owned that fuujin? Because it was meant
to be. The fuujin and the raijin are part of a pair, separated by time
and circumstance but are bound to be reunited one day. Apparently the same
goes for their owners ^_^? I think its these weapons that will eventually
"...draw us closer together..." to quote Raiha-kun.
*******
(edited,
for the nth time, by myself. Pics provided by Bottou-chan of the Flame
of Recca Museum)
And then there
was manga.....
You can't
believe how overjoyed I am when I found out that in the manga, there is
more than a mere *hint* that these two were indeed for each other. In the
manga, Raiha doesn't just seem to like Fuuko-san...but he's OBVIOUSLY SMITTEN!
There was instant attraction when they first ran into each other in Volume
6! More on Raiha's part actually, but you know Fuuko-san, whose the ultimate
in denying her feelings. She's not quite as transparent as he is. She actually
*blushed* when she first met him. And we all know she doesn't do that often.
In fact, I don't remember her blushing at all running into Recca/Tokiya/Domon/Kurei(???)
or any other male in the series. And we all know what a *blush* means in
the unspoken language of anime-dom or even manga-dom for that matter. Like
Usagi on meeting Mamoru or Yanagi meeting Recca. CALL IT *THE
BLUSH OF APPARENT AFFECTION.* Of course this
may sound biased coming from me, but it isn't just once that Fuuko blushed
when she meets him. See my How Do I Love
Thee section for more instances when she turns red. Fact is, I think
there isn't an instance she doesn't turn all crimson when she sees him
or talks to him or talks about him.
*******
The way she
is when he's around. I know I'm not the only one who notices she gets a
little edgy when he's around. Remember how she yelled at him when she found
out she's being watched by him? Of course you can attribute this to not
liking to be watched ^_^. We all do get self-conscious under scrutiny.
But we all regain our composure in a minute. Fuuko doesn't seem to. Normally,
when she gets confronted, she answers straight and sure. But see how she
seemed to have gotten knocked off her perch when he said, "Don't you like
me?". Instead of retaliating in her usual peeved fashion, as in, "Don't
flatter yourself! Get lost!" What does she reply? "You...you idiot! Why
did you ask that out of the blue?". This and getting a strange feeling
in her chest while considering his query ^_~. Oiya! Doesn't that hint up
something already?
*******
He's saved
her life a load of times already. Of course this part had also been done
by Recca (during their battle) and Domon (when he caught her from falling
into the cliff during the final round of the Urabutosatsoujin). Raiha had
done this noble deed twice. Of course in the anime they make it look as
if he's doing it out of duty/obligation. BUT NOT IN THE MANGA! In there,
he does it out of *sigh* love. ^_^. And funny to note, he always referred
to himself as the "prince" who had come to save her. In reference to the
first time he saved her life, where he overhears her dreaming about the
prince who comes to save her. Hmmm...Recca and his "princess" and Fuuko
and her "prince?" Pretty obvious if you ask me. Anzai Noboyuki has a thing
about this royalty sutff. So Recca can have his princess and Fuuko has
her handsome, noble prince ^_~!!!!! Thrills me even just thinking about
it.
And then we
have manga no. 20 and that infamous "touching" incident. As I've said,
I don't understand a word of Chinese so you know how *clueless* I am regarding
the translations (So all I do is await from the translations in the web).
Whilst trapped in Soukakousai's infamous cauldron, Fuuko looked rather
dazed. Perhaps the husk-turning incident has begun its process. Raiha attacks
Soukakousai, and the latter seemed to have mentioned putting Fuuko under
his spell. Here you find Raiha, while he's being absorbed in the cauldron,
screaming with happiness while being sucked in. Much to his captor's disbelief.
When he enters, he kneels before his beloved and declares again, "I am
the prince who has come to save you." (Migosh! Isn't he such a romantic?
Even in the most dire of circumstances!) When she doesn't seem to get it,
he waves his hand in her face. When she still appears "deadma (dead malice)"
he slaps her. And when she STILL seems "lost in space" he does what we
all see in page 64. Uhhhmm...yeah...uh...well. It does show he was freakin
nervous while doing what he does...apparently a desperation move. He did
get quite a walloping response from her though ^^;;;. But I think he apologized
later on...and judging on how everything looks, she seemed to have forgiven
him. Raiha frees her from Soukakousai's evil little cauldron and he confronts
the Uruha assassin who's apparently scared to death. Raiha said something
before he made mincemeat out of the latter. I suppose he's mad at Soukakousai
for treating Fuuko like such. His dialogue prior to getting sucked in the
cauldron goes, "Girls are not lifeless toys. They should be treated with
respect and a certain degree of morality." Wai! What a sweet guy ^_^. I'm
beginning to fall in love with him myself (in the anime sense, you know....).
Fuuko would skin my hide if I stole him...ha ha ha ha ha.
SPOILER WARNING
IF YOU HAVEN'T READ MANGA NO. 24 (pic courtesy of Bottou-chan
^_^)
This scene
is taken from volume 24 where there is a major Fuuko spoiler. In here,
Raiha, in the guise of an old man, lures Fuuko into the forest to train
her, sharpenign her skills. this is in preparation for a battle, probably
a final one against Mori Kouran. Here, he trains her for a full 3 days
to enhance her battle skills since the fuujin, with no more kodamas left,
is literally useless. And he puts up with her beating him from beginning
to the end ^_^. As a final gift, he gives her the central stone of the
fuujin which he had *all along* with which he sealed the raijin with. He
says he will fight side by side with her, using his raijin. Oiya, isn't
he a sweet guy????? Imagine putting up with Fuuko (and her vile temper
) to train her so she would not be rendered helpless in the final battle!
And he even gives her the fuujin's central orb...and he's willing to fight
with the raijin!!! And you know why he goes into all this trouble? (Now
don't give me that "Fighting is our destiny Look"). IT'S
BECAUSE HE CARES FOR HER, A LOT!!!!
*******
So there...have
I convinced you yet? That they are a pair that was meant to be together
from the very start? That they are meant to be? The circumstances point
to nothing but such. Even the pics. Aaahhh....don't they look beautiful?
I probably sound like a parrot already, perpetually repeating myself. But
then you know, repetition is the key to memory (learned that from my Physiology
professor Dr. Alan Baroque ^_^). Sick of my eternal ramblings? Then click
on that links below so you can leave this section.
