Miss/Fortune

Disclaimer: Takahashi created the paints, I used my own easel. And maybe diluted some of the colors...

Akane stared at Ranma dumbly, then shook her head. "I was hit... with a toy fishing rod? So? That doesn't mean anything..." she trailed off, seeing everyone, including the seemingly unflappable Kasumi, wince. She swallowed, guessing more, but too afraid to test her memory. "What... did it do?"

Kasumi began, her voice trembling momentarily, but hardening with her resolve quickly, "Well, that's... it didn't do anything, at first..."

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

Akane yelped, as Ryouga gracefully snatched her out of the air and set her on the ground, the suction cup still struck to her chest. She stared at him in bewilderment, as he flushed, and mumbled an apology, head bowed.

Confused, she yanked the suction cup off, as Kuno dashed around the corner, shouting for her while he skidded to a halt, "Tendo Akane, I would date with--" Kuno cut off suddenly, staring at Ryouga in confusion. Scowling, he drew his bokken, declaring, "What fiend are you who assumes such closeness to the fair blossom of Tendo Akane?"

Ryouga's flush deepened, and he stammered, "Um... friends... we're... just friends."

Akane cocked her head to one side, considering, then shook her head. "Um... Kuno-senpai, I -- Gah!" She made a choking noise, as the kendoist attempted to lunge at her and gather her into an embrace.

The lost boy quickly snapped his umbrella to a position at the base of Kuno's throat, growling, "And just what do you think you're doing?"

Flicking his bokken up to deflect Ryouga's umbrella, the two began sparring, but only briefly before Akane settled the problem by simply smashing Kuno with her elbow. She shook her head, feeling an odd tingling spread through her body, and an itch on her chest that she wished she could investigate. She'd have to ask Ryouga about that toy fishing rod later.

Ryouga flushed, grinning idiotically, and mumbled an apology.

Akane smiled brightly at him. He was such a nice boy... and a good friend of Ranma's, too. "Ryouga, would you care to come over for tea?"

***

Ranma stepped into the house, still mulling over what had happened between him and Akane earlier. It wasn't much compared to most of the trouble that happened between them, lending him some hope that it could be resolved quickly.

He looked up, startled, when Akane announced, "Ranma, you're just in time for tea."

Ranma smiled; glad that Akane wasn't angry with him for the moment. Taking a seat at the table, he noted uncomfortably how close Ryouga was to Akane.

Nabiki nudged him with an elbow, teasing, "Hey, Ranma. Did you see all the gifts that Ryouga brought Akane?"

Ranma shrugged, preferring to focus on the pastries on the table.

Annoyed by his lack of response, Nabiki needled, "I mean, isn't it nice that he comes all this way to date Akane?"

The pigtailed martial artist fought back the urge to yell, and choked down a mouthful of his biscuit. He glared at Nabiki wordlessly, looking away from the couple in reference.

Kasumi frowned thoughtfully, noting how... awkwardly close Akane seemed to be with Ryouga, considering that Ranma was her fiance. "Oh my," she remarked. "Do you really want to date Akane?" Her tone seemed ambivalent, but to Ranma, appeared to be directed solely at him.

A warning from Kasumi was not to be ignored, so he turned to look at the couple. Ryouga was blushing furiously, and staring at nothing, while Akane batted her eyelashes at the lost boy coyly.

Ranma suddenly found himself not wanting to finish his pastry, as a cold lump settled into the pit of his belly, and began sending out creeping tendrils of worry. He swallowed nervously, watching the pair. Akane's eyes definitely held a certain sparkle in them that they hadn't held from him any time he could recall in recent past...

He turned to Kasumi, whose expression had gone from 'serene damage control' to 'what the hell is this!?' He blinked at that, realizing that he had seen an expression on her face that... expressive... only once before, and that was the first day they had met.

The pigtailed martial artist hung his head, not knowing what to do, as Akane and Ryouga flirted unashamedly. Rather, Akane flirted, while the last boy simply built his blush up higher and higher. Ranma clenched one fist beneath the table, his hand tightening until his tendons made quiet 'snapping' noises, being pulled at taut as they could, then his knuckles whitened as his nails bit into the callused flesh of his palms. Each giggle and word from Akane seemed to drive a dagger into his heart.

He looked at them, then away again quickly. Was this her idea of a joke? Had the argument that Ranma couldn't even remember upset her enough to abandon him? He cast his gaze about the room, desperately seeking an answer in the faces of the other family members.

Nabiki's eyes were wide with mingled shock and confusion, while Kasumi's eyes held worry and doubt. Soun stared incredulously, not believing that his daughter could be this close to someone aside from Ranma. The panda slowed the pace of its pastry consumption, watching in confusion. After Akane began holding Ryouga's hand, the tension got to be too much to bear, and even the panda and Mr. Tendo were staring, slack-jawed.

Ranma slammed his fist against the table, upsetting the teacups, and stood quickly, his battle aura standing just below the visible range, only barely held in check. In a low voice, he commanded, "Ryouga. Come with me." With that, Ranma stalked into the yard, reversed direction, and vaulted towards peak of the roof.

Akane glowered at him, but said nothing at a reassuring smile from Ryouga.

The bandana-clad boy lost his flush, instead claiming a look of smug superiority, as he strode to the backyard, and followed Ranma's leap to the roof.

Ranma stood on the sky-blue tiles in a loose stance, the hint of barely restrained violence trembling though the air around him. Ryouga smirked, crossing his arms over his chest. "So," he said, unable to hide his look of smug satisfaction. "What seems to be the problem, Ranma?"

Not relaxing his stance in the slightest, Ranma snapped, "What the hell did you do to Akane?"

Ryouga's grin widened, displaying his fangs to good effect. "Why, Ranma," he sneered, unable to keep a note of delight and joy out of his voice. "Do I detect a note of jealousy in your voice?"

The pigtailed martial artist bristled with barely restrained rage, but made no move to attack. "Just tell me what you did," he snarled.

Turning away, the lost boy smirked, calling out over his shoulder, "Don't think so, Ranma... You should have been nicer to Akane when you had the chance."

Before Ranma could attack, Ryouga hopped off the roof and disappeared from sight, getting lost immediately after.

Ranma sank to the rooftop in a deep funk, miserable and angry, as the truth of the reality bore down on him. Ryouga won. Ryouga won.

And even worse, Ranma didn't even know he had wanted to win. Unable to stand the situation, Ranma leapt to his feet, grinding his teeth together so roughly that they creaked under the pressure. He trembled, needing to lash out, needing to scream, and needing to yell, to destroy... needing... to cry.

He flung himself off the roof in a fury, diving for the koi pond. Men didn't cry.

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

Nabiki sullenly walked down the stairs, explaining, "And he spent a lot of time that way, too. Depressed and angry, I mean."

Akane could only stare, as Nabiki sat near Ranma, even while the redhead pointedly ignored the middle Tendo sister. Nabiki scowled, but shook her head. "I want to blame you, Akane... I want to say it's your fault. But..." she trailed off, looking at Ranma.

The redhead sighed, "Nabiki... don't do this to Akane. It's going to be hard enough as it is."

Grumbling, Nabiki acquiesced, "Fine... fine. Akane, it's... I can't blame you, as much as I'd like to. It the rod's fault." Grimacing, she spat, "And more than that, Ryouga."

Akane shook her head, not understanding. "What do you mean... so... I fell in love with Ryouga because of a magic fishing rod?" She was frightened to hear a faint tone of panic in her voice, and nervously bit her tongue before she could say anymore.

Ranma nodded, staring at her hands in silence, slowly clenching and unclenching them.

Nabiki frowned, then resumed, in a calmer tone, "You told Ranma what happened, but... Shampoo had to use the formula 110 on you, to dull your memories until you could come to grips with it, and..." Licking her lips, Nabiki trailed off, looking guilty.

Kasumi picked up the thread of story, setting down her teacup. "You tried to kill yourself. Luckily, Ranma stopped you first. We couldn't have that, so... we're hoping that this helps you a bit."

Nabiki scowled at her younger sister balefully for a heartbeat, then relented, her expression melting into remorse. "I hate... losing... but I don't know if I ever came close to winning-" Shampoo coughed pointedly, staring at nothing. Nabiki bit her tongue, then hung her head, releasing a sigh. "Let me tell you what happened to Ranma before everything comes back to you... it should give you some sense of perspective." After a moment of silence, she shrugged, adding, "It's not like we know much of what happened to you while you were gone anyway."

Akane nodded mutely, tracing a finger across the line on her throat she had seen in the furo, and stunned by Kasumi's casual attitude concerning the apparent attempt at suicide.

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

Akane disappeared the next day after school, along with Ryouga.

Soun and Genma wasted no time in cornering Ranma, who was already packing his bags. Soun wailed, "Ranma! How could you-"

Ranma's coldly angry voice carried across the room, overriding the Tendo patriarch's shriek despite it's low tone, "Shut up. I'm going."

Genma frowned nervously, then sighed, "I'd better go with you, Boy. No telling what's going to happen."

The boy grunted, throwing Genma's pack to him. Genma had the good grace to look surprised that Ranma had already packed for him, then grumbled, and shouldered the burden. Ranma nodded curtly, fury and betrayal burning in his eyes. Hoisting his own pack, he commented, "I'll need someone to spar against."

Soun blinked, worried at Ranma's attitude, but unable to bring himself to stop them... his daughter was missing, after all. He called out as they departed, "Just... if you can't find her, come back..." It sounded weak, even to him.

Ranma just grunted sourly, and trudged out the door, trailed by his father. If Akane wanted... wanted... if this was what Akane truly wanted... He prayed to whoever would listen that it was a trick, a joke, a cruel mistake, or even some horrid nightmare... anything but the truth.

***

Two weeks. Two weeks had passed. No sign of Ryouga; he was lost too well, at this point. He hadn't been to his home, though Ranma had actually bothered to check. There wasn't any trace of him that Ranma could find there, or anywhere else Ranma could think to look.

This was bad for the union. Even worse, it was bad for his son. Genma was worried. Ranma fought and trained harder, spending much of his time looking for fights... but that critical spark at the core of Ranma that made him... well... Ranma... had burnt out. He was sometimes little more than a shell of his former self, merely pushing himself as hard as he could, and training to his breaking points.

Genma was beginning to realize that there was a good chance... they weren't going to find Akane. No sign of either Akane _or_ Ryouga... and they were last seen leaving Nerima together.

Looking towards his son, Genma watched the boy trotting forward on the muddy road with steady, even steps. The cold fire that burnt in his eyes told Genma that suggesting they turn back would be unwise. Worried about his son, and his son's fiancee, he turned his eyes back to the path ahead.

***

Four weeks. And still no sign. Genma gathered himself, placing one hand on Ranma's shoulder. "Bo..."

The syllables died in his throat, and he started again, "Ranma." The pigtailed martial artist turned towards his father, feet bleeding from where his shoe soles had worn out days ago. His eyes seemed... empty, dead, somehow... except for the cold fire in the very depths of his gaze...

Genma swallowed nervously, stuttering, "I think... I think it's time for us to go home."

The pigtailed boy stared at his father, the cold fire guttering... guttering... and failing. Spent, he collapsed into his father's arms, convulsing with the sobs that a man couldn't release. The part-time panda mournfully carried his son back towards the Tendo dojo, wondering at his own blame in the situation.

***

The Tendo family had assembled to hear Ranma and Genma's explanation of their attempts. And four weeks was an awfully long time for trained martial artists -- used to survival in the trackless depths of China -- to not find any trace. Ryouga was simply too good at getting lost.

Soun was displeased, as Ranma became increasingly despondent... but could not ignore the fact that Ranma had tried -- had really and truly tried -- despite his failure.

With no small amount of regret, he explained, "Ranma... I'm terminating your engagement to Akane." The boy flinched at that, then nodded acceptance, realizing his responsibility in the situation. Soun droned on, ignoring Ranma, "Instead, you will be engaged to Nabiki."

Nabiki coughed, spraying her drink across the room. She collected herself quickly, then turned to level a fierce, angry glare at Soun. In a chill tone, she hissed, "What?"

Soun, however, refused to back down. "I stand on my decision. You were engaged to him before, after all."

Kasumi frowned, giving her father a disapproving look. "Father... are you certain that's wise?"

Soun swallowed nervously, saying, "Well... we could ask Ranma if he'd prefer you instead..." He stopped, noting that Ranma had already dismissed the entire situation as being unimportant, and left.

The sisters exchanged a worried glance, trapped in an unexpected and confusing situation. The light stayed on in the dojo until late at night, when Ranma had finally decided that he'd done enough training for the day.

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

Akane sniffled, fighting back tears at the pain she could see in Ranma. The redhead didn't show it in her face, but Akane could sense it, a palpable, real, tangible force. It was oppressive enough to feel suffocating, as though it was radiating in solid waves from her form. Akane fought down the urge to hug Ranma, wanting them both to feel better... but she had a dark suspicion that Nabiki's retelling of what had happened would yet to turn worse, and was deathly afraid that her attempts would not be appreciated.

The stony faced redhead stared at the ceiling blankly, then spoke, voice thick with emotion, "It was... the beginning of a very bad time for me. I can only imagine what things were like for you... you didn't like to talk about it much after... we found you."

Akane huddled into herself, wishing that Ranma would show her warmth, or even show warmth to one of the other girls... The stoic anger that Ranma displayed seemed... off. Unlike Ranma. It frightened her, and she wondered just how much else had been lost, aside from her memories.

Shampoo toyed with her teacup, seeming to have tensed with each word. Shaking her head, the Amazon relaxed somewhat, saying softly, "It was a hard time... for all of us." Akane caught the look Shampoo gave Ranma, which the redhead seemed oblivious too.

There was a glimmering in Shampoo's eyes that spoke of better days... when things hadn't gone so badly, and... The Amazon shook her head, dispelling Akane's attempt at reading her gaze. Swallowing, Shampoo mumbled, "There's... a lot you missed, Akane."

Nabiki drew in a ragged breath, then said, "Ranma... trained, after you left. He threw himself into the art... Ukyou and I tried to help him through it... but..." She frowned, leveling a particularly unhappy stare at Akane. "You really hurt him... and... kami, I wish I could blame you-" She clenched her fists together, placing them on the table, while a tear squeezed out from her tightly shut eyes. Sniffling, she said, "You hurt him... so much... but it's not your fault... it's not your fault... It's that... kami forsaken Ryouga..."

She took a deep breath, and opened her eyes, wiping them with a tissue after Kasumi handed it to her. Mumbling a brief thanks, she stated, "I'm still trying to forgive you for what you've done to Ranma."

Akane's eyes widened at the admission, and she reeled. On top of everything else... It somehow seemed too much, a nightmare, or a bad dream, or perhaps... but something nagged at her, worried at her memories, told her that as much as she wanted to deny it... it was real. Not a dream. She released a strangled sob, weakly gasping, "Oh... I understand."

Whatever Ranma had gone through before must have hurt terribly, and Akane had a sinking feeling that she wasn't strong enough, wouldn't be able to take the pain as well as Ranma had... She already bore the scar of an attempt to kill herself, would she bear another, when everything came clear to her? Or would there be no scar, and her next attempt be successful?

Ranma frowned, then shook her head. "It's not like that, Akane. Nabiki, Shampoo, and Ucchan are like sisters to me... they helped me..." She scowled suddenly then started again, "They helped me a lot. I'm... not the one we should be worried about."

Akane nodded somberly, still too off-balance to reply.

Shampoo licked her lips nervously, explaining, "Where Nabiki left off... at that point, Great-grandmother..."

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

Cologne stared at the scene before her. Ranma had stormed into the restaurant, furious, on the tail of the Musk who had foolishly grabbed Nabiki.

Lime looked over his shoulder confused. He easily out-massed Ranma, probably by several times, but the smaller boy still wanted to fight?

He shifted his feet uneasily, and released the still struggling Nabiki, to turn his attention to the smaller boy who glowered at him.

Lime cracked his knuckles, and gave his best, menacing smile. Ranma gave his own feral grin in response, and Cologne saw something in Ranma's expression that unnerved her, making her wonder what had happened over the weeks that Ranma had disappeared.

Ranma spoke in a low tone, malicious and sinister, "You know... you look a lot like... a cat... don't you?"

Confused, Lime nodded, as the first tremors of worry began to skitter along his spine. Ranma continued speaking, slowly drawing himself into an odd, cat-like stance. The pigtailed boy's voice became a sharp, sibilant hiss against the quiet backdrop of the restaurant. "I... know how cats fight..."

Cologne cautiously stepped away, moving towards the rear of the restaurant. Ranma's hackles were rising in a manner that suggested that he was about to push himself into the neko-ken. The boy's aura radiated enough malice to give her pause, and Nabiki slowly edged away, joined shortly by Mousse and Shampoo. Ranma droned on, drawing himself further into his pose, "Cats... bite and scratch..." Ranma's eye twitched slightly, as he seemed to almost... shift... and become less human, more cat.

Lime took a step back, confused and afraid. Ranma abruptly stood up straight, no longer seeming remotely cat-like. Sneering, he declared in a quiet, violent tone, "Damn punk. Don't mess with friends of Saotome Ranma, unless you want a good ass-kicking."

He turned then, as a form approached from the back of the room. The cloaked figure clapped its hands together slowly, announcing, "Good job there, 'Saotome Ranma.' You put on quite the show... However, the true masters of the Shokei Fist understand the ways of animal forms perhaps... better than you do."

The cloaked figure drew itself up into an offensive stance, and Ranma instantly flowed to a counter-stance, his smile widening in grim anticipation. Cologne shook her head, very worried about the outcome of this battle.

The figure paused, then tossed its cloak off, revealing a boy of about Ranma's age, with oddly colored hair. He sported a blue forelock, with a pair of white stands of hair hanging on either side of his face. He smiled slowly, his golden eyes flaring with a luminous glow. "My name is Herb, 'Saotome Ranma.' Be sure to pass that on to the gate-keepers of hell, after I send you down."

Ranma didn't flinch, simply holding the same stance. "Less talking, more fighting."

Scowling, Herb gestured absently, flinging a bolt of compressed air into Ranma with enough force to slam him down, splintering the floorboards around him and sending up a cloud of dust as the dirt beneath the restaurant bore his weight.

Nabiki scurried to the edge of the hole in the floor quickly, worried about her theoretical fiance. Ranma's arms were crossed over his face, covering his eyes, but a trickle of blood was present on the part of his mouth that she could see. A pink bit of tongue wiped at the blood briefly, then Ranma's smile widened further, as he leapt back up to the floor, ignoring everyone but Herb. He released a low chuckle, dropping his arms to reveal a glint in his eyes that spoke of unrestrained violence. "Oh, so you like throwing around ki, eh?"

Herb blinked, surprised, as Ranma brought both hands together, focusing himself. There was a sudden inrush of air, as it was condensed into a small sphere between Ranma's hands, seeming to suck slightly at everything in the room. "Let's see how you like _this_!" Ranma shouted, releasing the super-condensed air towards Herb.

He raised his own arms to block, and the ki bolt slammed into him, then exploded, releasing the compressed air to hurl him back against the wall of the Nekohanten. Cologne's eyes widened significantly, as Herb dazedly climbed to his feet, a tear in his clothing revealing that 'he' was really a 'she.'

Ranma frowned at that, taken aback, as Herb swiftly refastened her shirt. The Musk Prince snarled, "Now you've _offended_ me, Saotome Ranma." Her eyes narrowed in a spiteful glare, as she declared, "I will _kill_ you, slowly and painfully."

The pigtailed martial artist snorted indignantly, and turned his back to Herb, calling over his shoulder, "I don't fight girls."

The Amazon matriarch's eyes widened to their fullest extent after that condemnation, and she scrambled over to the assembled teenagers as Ranma strode towards the door. "Leave now," she hissed towards the trio of Nabiki, Shampoo, and Mousse.

Nabiki needed no further urging, already frightened by Ranma's rather extreme behavior.

***

Looking over her shoulder, Nabiki faltered in her flight. Mousse swore something briefly, then swept her off her feet and ran down the street with her in his arms. Shampoo paced her great-grandmother, occasionally shooting a glance back towards the Nekohanten.

They came to a halt in Sakura Park, Cologne peering back towards her restaurant fearfully. Nabiki thumped Mousse on the shoulder until he regained the presence of mind to release her. She immediately snapped at Cologne, "What the hell was that!?"

Cologne shuddered, then turned a stern gaze to Nabiki. "That," she stated. "Would appear to be Son-in-law's final, most grievous error."

A flash of light came from the Nekohanten, as the building was reduced to fragments, preceded by a low, rumbling 'Boom!' Cologne swore beneath her breath, "Idiots! Both of them... damnable idiots..."

Nabiki's eyes widened in horror, and she exclaimed, "Ranma! What the hell-" She wheeled back to Cologne, narrowing her eyes in fury. "What's going to happen to Ranma?"

Cologne shook her head sadly, wiping at some moisture in the corner of her eyes. "Son-in -- Ranma challenged someone he shouldn't have. Herb is of the Musk dynasty..."

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

Nabiki's eyes took on a hardened gleam. "By all rights, Ranma should have died there... but he didn't."

Ranma grunted noncommittally still staring at something without seeing.

Shampoo shifted her position, seeming uncomfortable on her cushion. "Ranma... was not killed... but Herb thought he was." She shook her head sadly. "Ranma chased after Herb, I think..." she trailed off, glancing at the redhead.

Ranma stared at the table, then released a heavy sigh, "Yes. I was. I was trying to die. I wanted to die in battle. So I chased after Herb just to fight him." She snorted, "The bastard's got a ki attack that created _fire_, not just compressed air... he burned me something fierce, but I won in the end."

Nabiki shuddered at a half-remembered image. "He was... pretty badly scarred after that. He wanted to continue chasing Herb into China, but-"

Akane interrupted, confused, "What about Cologne? Why isn't... Why isn't Shampoo acting like she normally does?"

Shampoo winced at that, then heaved a sigh. "Well..." she offered. "Great-grandmother thought that it would be better not to annoy Ranma after... that. She thought that maybe forcing Amazon law would... upset him."

Ranma nodded once, her only contribution to that point of the conversation.

Akane returned her gaze to her feet, confused. In a faltering voice, she asked, "Can... can I go? I think I need... to lie down."

Kasumi nodded warmly, overriding everyone else. Ranma wordlessly rose, and trod off to the dojo. Shampoo and Nabiki stared after him with matching forlorn expressions. Nabiki snapped herself back to the present as Akane stood, and warned her younger sibling, "He may only see me as a sister, but... I _do_ love him, Akane. If you hurt him, so help me..." She left the rest of the message unsaid, trusting that Akane would understand regardless.

Akane shivered, and ran to her room, chased by a look from Shampoo that said the same thing as Nabiki's words.

Once alone, in the safety of her room, she found pajamas laid out on the bed for her. Not thinking, she donned them, only realizing after the fact that they were Ranma's. Feeling somewhat comforted, she curled herself up under the covers of her bed that somehow seemed too large, and sobbed herself to sleep.

***

Akane woke the next morning to a feeling of nausea again, and dashed to the bathroom to void what little her stomach had in it. Kneeling over the toilet, memories suddenly flooded into her, the conversations from yesterday slamming into place hard enough to cause another bout of retching.

Covering her mouth with both hands, she sobbed quietly, realizing just how much she had lost. And Ranma... Ranma had lost so much, too. Because of her.

The nagging voice in the back of her head told her that there was worse news to come, because she had obviously tried to kill herself before... and this wasn't enough to drive her to that. Not yet.

Once she had regained her composure, she thoughtfully replaced Ranma's pajamas in her bedroom, fearful of loosing what little she had of him still. That done, she made her way to the family room, to see Ranma and Nabiki staring at the table intently.

Akane blinked, seeing nothing more remarkable than the compact Ranma had been toying with the day before. Ranma shifted his gaze across the mirror with a bemused interest, while Nabiki openly glared at it.

Akane stood quietly in the hallway, watching the pair watch the table, until Kasumi entered the room. The eldest sister made a 'tsk'ing noise, and began to place the breakfast settings.

The youngest Tendo's eyes widened in confusion, as Ranma shook his head decisively. Taking the compact in one hand, he retrieved a box and a letter from beneath the table, and put both the compact and the letter within the box.

He bounced the box on his hand twice, smirked to himself, then strode into the backyard. Akane blinked as Ranma disappeared around the corner of the building. Haltingly, she asked, "What... what was that?"

Nabiki scowled, staring after Ranma, but bit back whatever she was going to say. After a moment, she relented, explaining in a single word, "Daddy."

Akane's expression of confusion and incredulity deepened, as she asked, "What?"

The middle Tendo sighed, "Daddy started... acting up... when you came back. Ranma thought that it would be best that he be, ah, put away until you got better. He trapped Daddy in the mirror..."

Ranma re-entered Akane's field of view, sans box, and smiled politely at the sisters. "Done."

Nabiki twitched nervously. "What did you do?"

"He's being sent to Pop and my mother with instructions. They should get him in a day or two."

Kasumi smirked at that, quickly replacing the expression with a placid smile. Akane ate her breakfast, despite the gnawing fear in her belly, and a growing sense of trepidation. Halfway through the meal she sighed, and set her chopsticks down, unable to continue. It tasted like ashes, and sat uncooperatively in her stomach, causing her to feel ill all over again.

Ranma glanced at her, seeming much more animated than he had the day before, which helped relax Akane slightly. Once they were done eating, Kasumi moved to clear the dishes, but Ranma waved her back to her seat, collecting them himself.

Akane watched Ranma depart, then turned to Nabiki. "Big sister? What's... what is going to happen... between us?" she asked, stark concern echoing in her voice.

Nabiki lowered her head, and swore, "Damn it. That's... Ranma..." She lapsed into silence, staring at the table in front of her. Momentarily, she resumed, "You know... it's... I feel sorry for you. You've been through a lot, and... had to deal with a lot of... nasty stuff. Truly... ugly stuff. But at the same time it's so hard not to resent you for what..."

Kasumi placed a hand gently on Nabiki's shoulder, prompting the younger sister to relax, and start over. "What I'm trying to say, Akane," Nabiki explained. "Is that... Ranma's not been this... pleasant to be around since you left. Don't hurt him, or..." she trailed off, giving Akane a pleading stare.

Akane swallowed nervously, then nodded. "I'll..." her voice cracked, and she swallowed again, trying to regain her composure. "I'll do my best."

Kasumi smiled brightly, then chirped, "Wonderful! And Ukyou will be coming over today, too."

Akane frowned slightly at that, mulling over what she had been told before. How would Ukyou treat her, now?

Ranma returned from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dishtowel that quickly found a home around his neck. "So," he asked. "Where were we?"

Akane dutifully recalled, "You mentioned you were fighting... Herb?"

Ranma scowled, then shook his head. "I'm afraid time is... somewhat short. I'll have to give you the abbreviated explanation."

Nabiki shuddered, and looked away as Ranma pulled off his shirt, baring his back and chest to the room. Akane flinched, seeing the scars more prominently now that Ranma was male, and unmoving. Nabiki edged away, staring at the table in front of her uncomfortably.

Jerking a thumb towards the burn marks across his back, Ranma explained, "Herb." He then placed two fingers at the waistband of his pants, against the long, jagged scar that -- by all rights -- should have neatly bisected him and intoned, "The Orochi." He trailed his fingers across the line, stopping at his shoulder. Gesturing to the myriad slashes, he said, "Kumon Ryu."

Nabiki cringed when Ranma mentioned the Orochi, staring steadfastly before her, intent on not seeing.

Akane found her voice, "The... Orochi? What... what was that?"

Ranma scowled, then shook his head. "I trained a lot. Hard. You don't need to know the details of my battles... But the Orochi was a dragon. It bit me. Should probably have torn me in half, but Pops got the moss right after, and used it on me... lucky there was enough for Shinnosuke afterwards, too."

Akane blinked at that, but Ranma waved off her question before she could form it. In clipped tones, he said, "Not important at the moment. What is important, is that about two months ago, Nabiki was able to find out where you were. I caught up with you and brought you back here few days ago.

"Nabiki thinks that you should know about what I went through... but I don't. I think you need to focus on what happened to _you_."

The girl licked her lips nervously, fearing to break the barrier in her mind and investigate. At Ranma's encouraging nod, she closed her eyes, and reached back...

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

...ourse I do. How could I no...urt, but at the same time...didn't know, but...andering aimlessly with her be...uminating his face for a moment, sinister in the mo...ifted his stance, bringing his fist to bear against h...

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

Her eyes flew wide as she tried to steady herself, assaulted by the stream of images, trying to make sense of the jumbled visions. Gasping, she said, "Ryouga.... Ryouga was..." Her expression shifted to mingled horror and disgust, and her voice shrank to a level that could barely be heard across the table, "P-chan... he was..."

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

Akane stared down at the piglet in confusion. "P-chan? Where did Ryouga go?"

The pig loosed a soft 'bwee!' as Akane picked it up, concerned. "He was here, just a moment ago...

Summoning what little courage he could, the piglet jumped out of her arms, and knocked over the water kettle that Akane had set up, splashing itself and changing back into Ryouga.

Akane's eyes widened in surprise, as she exclaimed, "Ryouga! There you are! I was worried about you. Wait..." Confused anger washed across her face for a brief moment, before her expression settled back into a smile. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Ryouga stammered nervously, franticly re-dressing himself while he flushed. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Laughing unconcernedly, Akane waved off Ryouga's fears, "I... didn't know, but why didn't you just tell me?"

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

Sickened, Akane reeled, not liking the memory of... she shuddered. "I... He was..." She lowered her face into her hands, pleading, "What... why didn't you tell me, Ranma?"

His reply was cut off in a surge of reawakened memories.

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

"Hmm... Ryouga-chan, why do you suppose that Ranma never told me about your curse?" Akane looked at Ryouga, giving him her best 'cute' look.

Ryouga grinned, as the two wandered hand-in-hand down the road aimlessly. Akane hadn't wanted to give up her home and her family at first... but it was easier this way, really. Much easier than trying to deal with Ranma, and the problems in Nerima... and if she was _with_ Ryouga, then him getting lost wouldn't be a problem. But there was that constant nagging voice at the back of her mind...

He shrugged, replying hesitantly, "Er... he... promised not to... on his honor."

Akane sighed, pulling herself to Ryouga's arm and nuzzling against him. "You silly. Why would a thing like that bother me..."

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

Akane shuddered curling up on the floor as a wave of revulsion swept through her. She whimpered softly, until Kasumi pulled the smaller girl into her lap and began murmuring to her soothingly, "It's over now, and you're here again."

Ranma stared pointedly at a blank spot at the wall, the muscles on the sides of his face twitching as he clenched his jaw.

After collecting herself somewhat, Akane climbed to her feet, and staggered to her room.

Ranma sighed, hanging his head. "You know," he commented. "This isn't going to help matters. It's going to be just like before we had Shampoo use the formula 110..."

Nabiki glared at nothing in particular, then slammed a fist against the table, snarling, "Damn it! Why can't..." She softened her demeanor at Kasumi's sharp glance. "I wish we could get this to work..."

Ranma nodded at that. "I agree. Ukyou is going to be here shortly... could you please tell her I'll visit with her some other time? I think I should talk to Akane..."

Nabiki sighed, rubbing a hand across her face. "Yeah... and... Ryu?"

Ranma stood, stating, "I'll be seeing him later. I am not going to miss out on training."

Kasumi frowned, watching Ranma march up the stairs. "Well," she remarked to Nabiki. "At least he's not fighting the mirror clone anymore."

***

Akane had wrapped herself in the faint comfort of Ranma's old pajamas, and buried herself as deeply under the covers of her bed as she could, still weathering the assault of having her memories returned. Shampoo had placed the memory block well, in that her memories were returning slowly, instead of all at once, but the flood was still overwhelming.

A knock at the door sounded, and she whimpered, "I'm fine... go away."

She heard the door open, a soft footstep, and the door close. She tried to ignore the presence, as a weight settled on one edge of her bed, and a reassuring hand patted her shoulder through the sheets.

Collecting herself, Akane forced herself to be strong, and slowly emerged from the covers, even as another memory of time she hadn't wanted to spend with Ryouga swept through her.

She looked up slowly, flinching away from Ranma. Ranma merely looked at her somberly for a moment before collecting her in a gentle embrace.

Kasumi was a wonderful person, but she couldn't reassure Akane nearly as much as Ranma did at that moment. Bawling, Akane finally released all of her tension, and clung to the boy... or was it man, now? The man who was once her fiance, who had weathered being bitten by a dragon rather than face life without her. The man... her tears soaked into chest, as he murmured something soothing, and gently stroked Akane's hair.

Finally relaxing, Akane felt the cold knot of tension within her slowly unwind, leaving her weak in it's wake, as relief flooded through her like a physical sensation. Heaving a single wavering sigh as the tension passed from her, she gave a violent series of hiccups, before falling asleep in his arms, content for the moment that any problems could be overcome.

***

Ryouga looked down at Akane, the young couple basking in the glow of the moonlight. "A... Akane... do you love me?"

Akane rolled her eyes, giggling, "Of course I do, Ryouga-chan. How could I not?"

*

"But... Akane-chan, what do you think-mprh!!" She muffled him with a kiss, long ago having decided that that was the most efficient method of dealing with his awkwardness. She preferred this life, in the end, simply wandering aimlessly with her beloved.

Emboldened by her forwardness, he responded, nervously at first, then more intensely.

*

Ranma's voice rang out, quietly traveling to reach them, even though they should have been far enough away that it wouldn't be heard from where they were. A soft glow was illuminating his face for a moment, sinister in the moonlight.

His eyes stared directly at Ryouga, as the lost boy dropped Akane's hand, surprised. Ryouga growled, grabbing Akane's hand back tightly. "What do you think you're doing here, Ranma?"

Ranma said nothing, seeming to traverse the distance between them in an instant. He stood a few feet away, the tall grass waving behind him in the night breeze, and untouched by his passage.

Ryouga shifted nervously, even as Akane clung to her lover, scowling at Ranma. The pigtailed boy glowered at the bandana-clad boy before him, snarling, "Hibiki Ryouga! Prepare to fight!"

Akane seized onto Ryouga's arm, shouting crossly, "Ranma! Go away! Why are you trying to come between us?"

Ranma's gaze turned apologetic, as his hand snapped out, flinging a small object towards Ryouga. Akane selflessly threw herself in its path, allowing it to strike her unprotected chest.

Ryouga spun Akane around, looking at Akane wordlessly, but seeing only a single, perfectly inscribed Shinto ward. Akane slapped one hand to her chest, holding the ward to herself and looking around in shock.

Ryouga stared dumbly, then shook his head, looking towards Ranma and sneering, "What do you expect a piece of paper to do to us, Ranma?"

Akane stared forward, then raised her head slowly, mouthing a single word, causing Ryouga to flinch. She mouthed, 'Ranma.'

The pigtailed boy said nothing, as Akane's eyes widened, and she turned around slowly, the color draining from her face. She stumbled towards him, a wild, pleading look in her eyes. She stopped before him, collapsing to her knees, and clutching the ward to herself. She seemed oblivious to the smoke that was rising from the paper held in her hand, as the edges slowly seemed to darken and burn. Whimpering, she stared at Ranma, "Please... I... please..."

Ranma's hand shot out again, blurring towards Akane's neck for only a moment, before blackness overtook her.

***

Shifting groggily, Akane wondered at the dream, before curling back around Ranma and settling back into restfulness. Something was missing still, and the nagging voice insisted that she would learn it soon.

***

Her dream was fuzzy, unconnected... somehow unreal.

A look of tenderness. A soft touch... things escalated, in the natural progression of things.

It was clumsy, and awkward, and it hurt, but at the same time, it was-

***

Akane jerked awake, enveloped in a cold sweat as she realized what she had done. The memories flooded through her -- not once, but several times. Ranma sat on the bed, a short distance away, back in his 'stoic-angst' pose. Akane climbed to her feet, disentangling herself from her sheets, and tottered to the bathroom to retch again.

Then the memories washed through her again, leaving her feeling unclean and impure. She shuddered, remembering that she had _asked_ for it. She had _enjoyed_ it... She had...

Choking, she curled up on the cold tiles, sobbing, and ignoring the line of drool and bile that worked its way down her chin to pool on the floor beneath her.

A soft sigh sounded, and Akane felt gentle hands propping her up, dabbing at her face, wiping away the mess. "Hey, there, sugar. Long time no see."

Akane clamped down on her depression, not wanting to expose more people to the pain she'd already showered them with. Voice quavering slightly, she managed, "Hello... Ukyou..."

Ukyou rocked back on her heels and shook her head. "Oy... poor girl. How are you holding up?"

Akane shrugged, trying to look as relaxed as she didn't feel. "Fine... how about you? How... what did..." she trailed off nervously, considering. "Why did you give up on Ranma?"

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

Class was boring. You could sugar coat it as much as you wanted, you could say that the teachers were just doing their job, you could say that is was a necessary step towards building your future... but when you got right down to it... class was boring. Plain and simple.

Which left Hiroshi and Daisuke wondering why Ranma stared at the board listlessly instead of sleeping, like he normally did.

They approached him as the lunch bell rang, worried about his absence -- and the fact that he had returned without Akane. Daisuke jostled Ranma in a companionable manner, forced cheer in his voice, "Hey! What's up, Ranma? Haven't seen you around much!"

Ranma turned, aiming his dull gaze at the Average Pair. Frowning slightly, he muttered, "Not much," and turned to stare listlessly at the board again.

***

From across the classroom, Ukyou studied Ranma carefully, deep in her own thoughts. She hadn't been able to be... close... to Ranma since the incident with the ten-year secret sauce -- or the reversal jewel -- and there was a worrisome feeling that she probably wouldn't get another chance at him. Something in his demeanor spoke frighteningly little of the boy she loved.

She considered, for once, very carefully. Then she rose, and left the classroom. Whatever the problem was, approaching it uninformed wouldn't help matters at all. Nabiki had a fairly steady stream of people asking questions, which could be answered for a price. Usually. Today, however, she was sulking, and the students who normally frequented her services found themselves shying away.

Ukyou considered again. Very carefully. Akane was gone... had been gone, for four weeks. Her Ranchan had been missing that same length of time, and he had returned... like that. Something was wrong, obviously, but to put the typically impervious Nabiki at odds?

Dreading the answer, she made her way across the schoolyard to Nabiki. Clearing her throat nervously, she asked, "Nabiki... what's up with Ranchan?"

The middle Tendo sister looked up sharply, then lessened her scowl upon seeing who it was. Face falling, he sighed, and gestured vaguely towards the school building. "You know. Stuff."

Ukyou flinched at that. Under normal circumstances Nabiki would simply give her trademark grin and...

These were obviously not normal circumstances. Ukyou swallowed nervously, and sat down heavily next to Nabiki. Staring at the ground between the two, the okonomiyaki chef mumbled, "This isn't gonna be good, is it?"

Nabiki raked a hand through her hair, looking as frazzled as she probably felt, then sighed. "No... This is what happened..."

***

Ukyou stumbled back towards her classroom in confusion. Whatever had happened to Ranma... the trouble he was having with -- no, _over_ -- Akane had obviously affected him deeply. She reflected briefly, realizing that his sullen attitude was a reflection of the depth of his feeling for Akane.

He had reacted when Shampoo was wearing the reversal jewel, but not nearly that badly.

Things began to click into perspective for the okonomiyaki chef, as she realized that -- admitted or not -- Ranma cared about Akane. He obviously cared for Shampoo, in some way. But whatever it was, was not nearly as strong as his feelings for Akane, for them to have... destroyed him like this. And Ukyou knew that Ranma cared about her, too... but not nearly as much as Akane.

It was at this point that Ranma's feelings became clear to her. Ranma said that she was his friend.

Belatedly, Ukyou noticed that she was sitting on the floor of the hall, halfway to her class.

Dragging herself to her feet, she stumbled back the opposite direction, towards the exit. She was going to have to think about this a lot.

***

It was much later, after nearly a full day of contemplation. Ukyou paced behind the counter nervously, then turned to the phone, a seldom used device. She needed to get an answer... one-way or another.

Taking a deep, calming breath, she steadied herself, and made a phone call.

Nabiki's voice sounded on the other end of the line, seemingly disinterested. "Tendo family."

Voice nearly cracking, Ukyou announced herself, "Um... this... this is Ukyou. Is..." She trailed off lamely, unsure of what more to say.

There was a moment of silence, broken by a muted burst of static, then Nabiki's voice came back, "I'll... ask him to talk to you. Don't... push him, okay?"

Ukyou nodded several times before remembering that the gesture wouldn't be seen over the phone. "Um... that'd be great, actually. I... have to ask him."

This time Nabiki's response came quickly. "I understand. I'll talk to him now."

"Thanks... goodbye."

"No problem." There was a firm click, and Ukyou hung up the phone nervously, wondering at the deserted state of her restaurant.

She paced again worriedly. Tonight, then... she'd put everything on the table. She'd make the final call, either way. She would ask him who he would choose, and then... if he chose her, there was nothing to worry about.

And when -- _if_ he didn't choose her... what then?

It had been a topic she'd always ignored, and hoped to never have to deal with... but it was a possibility, and considering Ranma's attitude at the present... a very strong possibility.

There was a subtle knock at the door, causing her to jump, and look at the clock in alarm. How long had it been? She shivered, not remembering, and opened the door for Ranma.

He stepped in, wearing a solemn expression. "Yeah, Ucchan?"

She stepped away, studying him closely. "Um... thanks for coming, Ranchan."

Nodding, his gaze shot about the room for the briefest instant before coming to rest on her again. She swallowed at the barely concealed rage she could feel radiating from him. "Um... Ranchan... I... don't want to push you... I really don't... but I have to know, Ranchan do you-"

He raised a hand, silencing her. "I'm sorry, Ucchan. You're my friend." He raked a hand through his hair, then heaved a sigh. "Probably you're my best friend, Ucchan... but..." he trailed off, saying nothing more.

The answer that she had feared, then. Ranma saw her as a friend, and nothing more.

There was a stabbing pain in her heart, a feeling of betrayal... but at the same time, a feeling of relief. It hurt, but she knew that this was for the better. Ranma had never seen her as more than a friend; Akane had captured his heart long before she arrived, and... taken it with her when she left. Chasing after him further wouldn't help either of them.

Feeling suddenly very alone, Ukyou realized that she could use a good friend. Someone who knew what it was like to suddenly learn that the one you loved... didn't love you back the same way. Someone like... Ranma, perhaps.

She stared at him, tears welling up. Choking back a sob, she nodded. "I see."

Hesitantly, after a moment, he approached, giving her a tentative hug. She whimpered into his chest, holding him tight for a moment, and wishing -- wishing with every part of her being -- that it could have been more. His rumbling voice fell to her ears, "Is this... goodbye, then?"

Ukyou shook her head, pushing Ranma away. "This is... I guess, Ranchan. But we're still friends."

He nodded, then released Ukyou and began to walk away. She fell to her knees, watching him leave. Whispering, she managed, "I love you, Ranchan..."

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

Ukyou flinched, and looked away. Her reply was soft, as she explained, "I... could tell that I had a choice, Akane. I knew I couldn't get Ranchan... not... like I wanted him." She wiped a tear away absently. "I could see that I had two real choices, when you get right down to it. Either chase him, and make him angry... or let him go and be his friend." Her eyed hardened, as she looked directly into Akane's own. "I love Ranchan... I'll take him anyway I can get. If 'friend' is the best I can get... then it's what I'll take... "

Her expression softened slightly as she murmured, "It took a lot longer than I thought it would have... but I'm glad he's my friend, now. You have no idea how lucky you are, to be the one that Ranchan cares about..."

Akane flinched, staring at the tile near her.

Ukyou sighed, "Oh, dear. What's wrong, Akane?"

She sniffled, unsure, then hung her head. "I... I'm not good enough for Ranma... I... I'm not clean anymore."

Ukyou blinked at this, startled, then snapped, "What?"

Akane swallowed, then mumbled something softly.

There was a long moment of silence before Ukyou said, "Oh... shit. I did _not_ hear that. I _know_ I did not hear that just now."

Akane whimpered, then shook her head and snarled, her voice filled with self-loathing, "You heard me right, Ukyou. I fucked Ryouga. I'm not clean enough for Ranma anymore..."

Ukyou took a deep breath, then shook her head. Collecting herself, she said, "You know... I don't think that's your fault. Remember, _Ryouga_ is the one that... took advantage of you."

Akane stated at the tile before her, disconsolate. She had betrayed Ranma. And the memories... there was always a small part in the back of her mind that insisted that it wasn't true, wasn't right, wasn't... _real_... and now that she was in control of herself, she knew that small part was correct. She sighed, staring at the ceiling with moist eyes. She had shed enough tears, and hit rock bottom.

Acting childish about the situation wouldn't help matters. Steeling her resolve, she forced back the urge to crawl away and run from her problems. She regained her composure somewhat, still shaken by her remembered actions, and returned Ukyou's level gaze unsteadily. "I suppose you're right... I... want to train."

Wearing a pensive expression, Ukyou nodded. "Alright. I think you should train with Ranchan, though... he's going to be training with Ryu-chan, later today, so it's going to have to wait... but more about that later."

Despite herself, Akane blinked. Ranma had labeled some of his scars as being from Kumon Ryu... was it the same Ryu? Ukyou caught the question in Akane's gaze, and smiled bleakly. "Yeah, he and Ranchan got into a mutual ass-kicking contest when they met... but they managed to find out that they have a lot of similarities afterwards, and... well, Ranchan could use another friend."

Akane blinked in spite of herself a second time, then rose to her feet unsteadily. Ukyou frowned at the girl, then clicked her tongue. "I bet you haven't been eating too well recently, have you?"

Akane shook her head slowly, trying to remember the last time she had eaten. "I... don't remember very well."

Ukyou raised an eyebrow. "Haven't been able to keep much down?"

She shook her head, looking up at the other girl as Ukyou stood. "Not... much," she admitted.

The brown-haired girl winked, displaying the friendly smile that had previously seemed to be reserved just for Ranma. "Let's get you fed, then. And get your mind off of... that, for a bit."

Weakly protesting, Akane allowed herself to be dragged to the dining room, where Kasumi had already set up a tray for her. Kasumi hummed to herself, sitting nearby and sewing up the holes in one of Ranma's spare shirts. Akane was nearly overwhelmed by the sense of tranquility, and found herself finishing the meal before she had realized she had started.

Ukyou smirked, patting Akane's shoulder companionably. "Feeling better?"

She nodded, restored to some degree. Staring at her hands, she asked, "Where... what happened to Ryouga?"

All of the softness leaked out of Ukyou's eyes instantly, leaving her to glower at nothing. "Ranma," she enunciated carefully, obviously focusing on keeping her voice in control. "Said that he got away. Apparently Herb's back in Japan, and wants to take Ranma down. Herb saved Ryouga..."

Akane blinked, remembering the story. Shaking her head, she asked, "Why? Didn't Ranma beat Herb, and send him back to China?"

Ukyou winced at that, smiling weakly. "Actually... heh... it turned out that Ranma did a lot more to piss of Herb than you probably thought..."

Akane listened closely, as Ukyou explained, "You see, Herb had this magic ladle that locks Jusenkyou victims in their cursed forms... And Herb accidentally used it on himself, or something. So he was in Japan looking for this kettle, that would cure him..."

Staring at the cup of tea that had appeared before her in dismay, Akane looked over her shoulder towards Kasumi. The eldest sister hadn't seemed to move, but... shaking her head to dismiss the thought, Akane sipped at her tea, noting an odd flavor. She peered back into the teacup for a moment, murmuring, "Ginger..." Pulling her attention away, she looked back at Ukyou, who was staring at the cup in front of _her_ with frank suspicion. "What does that have to do with anything? Ranma's not stuck in his cursed form."

Ukyou smirked at that, briefly. "Well, it turns out that Cologne didn't want Ranma to fight Herb without proper training... so she taught him a few more tricks. He learned the Breaking Point before he faced off with Herb again." Pausing to sip her tea, she sobered. "It's a damn good thing he learned the Breaking Point. He made Cologne take twice as long to teach it to him, just so he could get twice as tough."

Akane flinched at that, remembering Ryouga's own training... while she no longer felt pity for the damage Ryouga had taken, if Ranma had taken worse... "Oh... that must have been painful."

The okonomiyaki chef's expression soured at that. "How else do you think Ranchan managed to live through being _bit_ by the Orochi?" She grimaced, and shook her head. "Sorry. Getting sidetracked. Back to Herb... I was there... almost all of us were. At that point, Ranchan was looking for a fight. He wanted to always be in battle. He seemed to enjoy hurting himself." She shook her head again, in irritation. "But that's not the point... when Ranchan finally caught up with Herb, Shampoo and I were with him... Those Musk warriors are pretty tough, but me an' Shampoo got 'em... Ranchan was having a tough time with Herb, and in the fight, Ranchan used the Breaking Point on Herb's magic kettle."

Groaning, Akane rubbed her head. "That's stupid! Why did Ranma do that!?"

Ukyou chided Akane, "At this point, we all still thought that you had left of your own free will. Nabiki's investigations hadn't turned up anything yet. Ranchan wanted to piss Herb off... At any rate, there was still some magical hot water, which Herb got splashed with before it all poured away. Then Herb had to destroy the ladle, too." Akane frowned, and Ukyou added, "My guess is that he didn't want to run the risk of having the ladle around if the kettle didn't exist to stop it anymore."

Relaxing somewhat, Akane nodded. "I guess that makes sense."

"Anyway... Ranchan won the fight by pulling some kind of reversed hiryuu shouten ha, which smashed into Herb and knocked him out. Ranchan figured it was over at that point, and Herb's flunkies didn't seem like much of a match for him, so they grabbed Herb and ran." Ukyou leveled her gaze at Akane across the teacup as she lifted it for another sip. "Which is why Herb hates Ranchan. "

Akane nodded, asking hesitantly, "Do... do you think that he could train me... so I could fight Ryouga?"

Ukyou bobbed her head vigorously. "Oh, I'm sure he can train you." She smirked, waggling a finger towards the timid girl. "Ranma has an amazing gift, Akane. When he wants to be, he's a better teacher than you would ever imagine possible."

"So what was the Orochi, then? I saw the scar, but... how did that happen?"

Face falling once more, Ukyou began, "It was the hardest thing I've ever had to watch someone do... He... used the breaking point on the teeth that had torn into him."

Akane blanched at that. She had no idea of the scale of the Orochi, but if Ranma had fit in it's mouth, and it had nearly bit him in half...

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

Genma gawked for a single moment before being galvanized into action. Seeing his son get beat up was one thing, but watching his son get chewed on was another thing entirely.

The girls huddled near Shinnosuke, as he gave another weak spasm. Ignoring them for the moment, Genma grabbed a rock -- more like a boulder -- and leapt into the fray. The monster blinked at him as he flung, with all of his might, a stone weighing easily twice his own weight, right into the gap that Ranma's weakening grip was maintaining.

The redhead unleashed a feral snarl, one hand gripping the base of a tooth on the upper part of the Orochi's mouth, the other pressed firmly into the gums on the lower part, trying to ignore the pointed tooth goring her. The stone flew true, gagging the monster and making it open its mouth a fraction while it choked.

Wasting no more time, Ranma screamed, "Bakusai-ten-ketsu!" And stabbed into the upper tooth with the hand that had been gripping the tooth previously. At that, the tooth that stabbed into her belly exploded, sending serrated disks of dragon bone ripping through her in a line that should have torn her completely in half.

Falling free of its mouth, she gave a grim smile of victory, as blood from the dragon's own wound spilled out of it's howling mouth, spattering on her and the surroundings.

She blacked out before Shampoo caught her, but the intense Breaking Point training gave her enough strength to survive until Genma returned shortly after, with enough moss to heal both her and Shinnosuke.

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

Ukyou shook her head, continuing, "The scars disappeared from his girl side, but stay on his male side. Oddly enough, his female side doesn't get any new scars, either. Cologne thinks it has something to do with the Orochi's blood..."

Akane blinked at that. "How the heck did you stop that thing, then?"

Ukyou shrugged. "Nabiki said she found a whistle in your room, with an old pamphlet from Ryugenzawa... she blames herself for not showing up sooner... but for whatever reason, there was a whistle that put the thing to sleep, even with one of it's teeth blown up."

"Ranma fought a dragon..." The admiration in Akane's voice was apparent.

"Yep. You ever seen a boy like Ranchan punch a dragon out? It's pretty weird. One of the heads is dozens of times his size, but he just jumps up and -- whack! -- knocks it out."

Akane managed a giggle at that. "That does sound kind of weird. Is Ranma still here?"

Ukyou rolled her eyes. "I don't see him, so I'm pretty sure he's sparring with Ryu-chan."

Savoring a moment of peace, Akane falteringly said, "Ukyou... I... thank you."

Ukyou smiled warmly. "It's good to have you around. Try and be more cheerful. Konatsu's watching the restaurant for me, so don't worry too much about me missing work." Her expression turned thoughtful for a moment. "Tell you what. Being cooped up in here isn't much fun. Let's go out, do a little shopping, and have some fun, eh?"

Akane nodded hesitantly, already having absorbed too much information to ask who 'Konatsu' was. "O...kay... what if we run into..."

Ukyou waved a hand dismissively, saying, "No-one we run into can give us trouble. If you're worried, we can grab Shampoo on the way. Ranchan and Ryu-chan are nearby, and I'm sure that we can hold anything off until they reach us."

Confused, Akane asked, "How would they know to reach us?"

Ukyou shrugged, and handed a scrap of paper to Akane. "This is Nabiki's cell phone number. If there's a problem, call her."

Akane stared at the paper, not bothering to ask how Nabiki would contact Ranma. "Oh. That's... good... let's go, then."

***

The weather was slightly chill for spring. Other than that, once she was away from the oppressiveness of home, it might have been the day after she... Ryouga... they... Akane forcibly focused her attention on the building in front of her.

She never would have imagined it, but it was appropriate, somehow. With the restaurant destroyed by Ranma and Herb's battle (gas leak, according to the insurance company), the new building was neater, cleaner... but most notably, it wasn't a restaurant.

Akane resisted the urge to laugh, as Ukyou walked towards the door. "'The Cat Bookstore'?"

Ukyou snorted, "I get more customers, so I'm not going to complain. I guess Cologne wanted a change of pace, or something. Come on. You can ask her, if you want."

Once inside, Akane browsed briefly though the store. There were a number of cozy nooks set aside where a group of three or so could squeeze in, and leaf through their books. The atmosphere was soothing, with the majority of the lighting being dimmed, unless you were sitting down.

Cologne herself sat on a big chair behind a counter near the door, nodding absently as they walked in. Ukyou knocked on the counter to get the old woman's attention. "Hey! Where's Shampoo?"

The old woman looked up from a book, then smiled somewhat when she saw Akane. "Ah. I see you've returned. Shampoo mentioned that." Glancing to Ukyou briefly, she said, "She's in the back." Turning back to Akane, the old woman climbed to her feet, and slid a small box across the counter. "This is something that Ranma requested... if you could give it to him, I'd be grateful." Ukyou disappeared into the back of the store, leaving Akane alone with the old woman.

Akane accepted the box, not much larger than a jewelry case, and slipped it into a pocket without opening it. "Um... thank you. And... thank you for helping Ranma..."

Cologne sighed, shaking her head. "I wish I could see how little good I was doing earlier." She clicked her tongue suddenly. "Still, there's hope. Ranma has the most potential of any fighter of any generation that I've ever seen..." Smiling softly, she said, "I wish I could have added him to our tribe... it was awfully hard to convince Shampoo to leave him alone. You're a very lucky young lady, you know."

Akane flushed, embarrassed, and momentarily shamed by her memory of betraying him. "I... uh... don't know about that. Um. Ranma... I... he..." she stammered, trailing off and uncertain of what to say.

Cologne raised an eyebrow at the display, then shook her head. "I consider Ranma an ally to our tribe. But all great fighters need something, Akane." She paused and blinked owlishly, peering at Akane intently. "Do you know what they all need?"

Akane shook her head, suspecting, but not knowing.

Leaning back into her chair, the old woman said, "Something to fight for." She nodded once, giving Akane a knowing look. "Or some_one_."

The feeling of shame returned, leaving Akane to wonder if she was worthy of Ranma. He had done so much... He had fought a dragon with his bare hands, he had mastered a technique that must have caused him horrid, staggering amounts of pain to learn, made a mortal enemy out of the prince of some obscure Chinese tribe... And after all that, his reward was some... girl who had spent the last seven months of her life with another man?

This brought Akane to a worried realization. She was used goods. She didn't even know him that well -- at least, what he had become was foreign to her. He was... he was more than she deserved, that was certain. But what could she do? She wasn't good enough for him, and he wouldn't accept anyone who was. He still wanted her... but he didn't know that she had... slept with Ryouga.

Would he still accept her if he knew that? She wasn't certain, but she realized something else that frightened her more. Defying any pretence of logic, or rationality... she loved him. And what did he feel for her?

Even if he loved her... could she burden him with someone like her? Unclean, used... not even a good cook, and a lousy martial artist... hell, she wasn't even cute, and she knew it. Ranma had told her that repeatedly before she left. The only people who told her that she was attractive were Kuno, who she didn't care about, and Ryouga, who she had even less regard for.

Cologne tapped the end of her stick against Akane's head, jarring her out of her reverie. "Something wrong, dear?"

Akane shivered, then shook her head, wondering if the woman could see through her. "No... nothing wrong..." Changing the subject quickly, she asked, "Why do you have a bookstore now?"

Cologne cackled, shaking her head. "You know," she commented. "Few people understood why I had a restaurant in the first place."

Akane nodded, though she wasn't really surprised. Cologne was Chinese, after all. It was only natural... she cut that line of thought off.

Leaning back in her chair, the old woman explained, "Most Japanese expect us to run a restaurant, or a barber shop, or some simple shop that sells oddities... And I wanted to present a facet of out lives that wouldn't jar with Ranma's own too roughly. In addition, it served mostly as a training facility."

Blinking, Akane stared incredulously. "Training... how?"

Cologne shrugged, drawling on, "Oh, you know. Teaching Shampoo to be a good cook, how to act around men, and how to be attractive to Ranma... we hoped." She shook her head sadly. "Once I saw Ranma gone, I realized that I was grooming Shampoo to be something that had no more purpose... I wasn't going to capture Ranma, and there was no reason to train her to be a sex object. Heh. Ranma never seemed to be lured in by that anyway."

Waving a hand, Cologne indicated her surroundings. "So I changed our image. The restaurant was destroyed anyway. I wanted to present a place where Ranma could come to learn, or be alone with his thoughts... And a place where I could train Shampoo to be a leader. Not a waitress."

Ukyou and Shampoo emerged from the depths of the bookstore, now seeming ominously gloomy instead of cozy. The young Amazon's eyes flickered across Akane only a moment before she picked up her pace -- not quite rushing, but certainly moving faster -- and led the other girls out of the former restaurant.

Once on the street, Akane resolved that, no matter what, before she made any permanent decisions, she would at least try to pretend to have fun. That was what the other girls wanted, after all.

***

Her attempts came across as weak, even to her. Ukyou sighed, stepping out of an ice-cream parlor. "This isn't good, you know. What's bothering you, Akane?"

Akane shifted her feet, uncomfortable at being outside, and exposed to so many people, now. "Well... um... I... don't want to talk about it here."

Shampoo frowned worriedly. "I think that maybe we should go watch Ranma. Would that cheer you up?"

How could it? "Yeah, that'd be nice, Shampoo. I have to give something from Cologne to Ranma, anyway." She managed to keep the bitterness out of her voice well enough that the other girls didn't comment. Seeing him... she knew she couldn't possibly deserve him, now.

Ukyou hummed to herself quietly, then began marching towards a nearby temple, on the outskirts of Nerima. "Ranchan and Ryu-chan like to practice up here, since it's got lots of room." Akane wordlessly followed the other girls to the temple, noting a small crowd at the top of the steps.

Shampoo was unsubtle in her method, simply elbowing her way through the small knot of people, but they parted around her, leaving the three girls room to peek in and watch the commotion.

Akane peered around confused, while Ukyou and Shampoo scanned back and forth across the temple grounds repeatedly. There was a noise not unlike a particularly heavy sigh of wind, then two figures revealed themselves, flinging cloths over their shoulders to billow like great capes in the wind.

Her gaze flickered across the newcomer for a moment. He was about Ranma's size, and had a similar build, dressed in American combat fatigues and a tank top, black gloves and close-cropped hair, completing his image as some rough-and-tumble street fighter.

The real point of interest for Akane was Ranma. His Chinese pants a marked contrast to the American fatigues of the other, with his pigtail seeming to mock Ryu's short hair. His features were set in a somehow serenely grim smile, matching the one Ryu leveled at him, his scars prominently showing where his skin was exposed.

Akane felt her knees grow weak, watching him stand there, one hand holding the large cloth over his shoulder as the wind tugged at it playfully. Ranma looked like some anime hero... and Akane was beginning to realize that he was just as far beyond her undeserving reach.

Tensing briefly, both men wrapped their cloaks about themselves, then seemed... to fade... mottled transparent patches swept over them to leave nothing visible to her. She blinked, as Shampoo shook her head in admiration. The Amazon sighed, "Ranma's father created that technique. It's amazing, really."

Akane watched, stunned. The courtyard appeared to be empty, but... at the edges of her perception, something seemed somehow off. Much like her misplaced memories, which were still trickling in. She fought down the urge to choke, as a particularly intense recollection overwhelmed her.

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

Ryouga's painstaking attention to detail when assembling his portable stove was obvious, even to a casual observer.

Akane was not a casual observer. She watched him intently, drinking in every aspect of him and storing the images away to review later, as he carefully fitted the small pieces together. Smiling at the boy, she studied his hands as he ignited the stove, then smiled brightly, like a child with a new toy.

His smile faded into a look of concentration, as he rummaged around for the small pot of water he had filled earlier. Finding it after a long moment, he set it on the stove, the adjusted the flame higher. Nodding in satisfaction, he turned to face Akane, grinning brightly when he saw her watching him.

Relaxing against a tree, Akane continued observing him, as he prepared a simple meal. She wasn't sure where Ryouga came up with the money to buy the supplies he did, but she enjoyed spending time with him... even if he never let her cook.

Smiling to herself, she decided to thank him again for his kindness later than night.

And yet... there was that odd, nagging voice in the back of her head that insisted that this wasn't right... that it should have been someone else... not Ryouga.

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

Shuddering, Akane glanced around, as Ranma and Ryu both uncloaked themselves again, then bowed to one another. Ukyou shook her head slowly, sighing, "Ranchan is such a great teacher... he taught Ryu-chan the Umisen-ken in just a few weeks."

Shampoo turned to study Akane for a moment, before turning back to the pair of fighters, as they trudged towards the crowd side-by-side. "Ranma trains. A lot. He's always sparring against someone, and if they aren't good enough... or don't keep him busy enough... then he will go to fight the mirror clone."

Akane couldn't tear her eyes from Ranma, as his met hers briefly, and he smiled. A warm, gentle smile. It seemed almost foreign on his face, they appeared with such rarity the last few days... "What..." Akane licked her lips, finding them suddenly dry. "What is the mirror clone?"

Ukyou shook her head. "I'll explain in a moment." Ryu stepped in front of Ukyou, and they hugged briefly before she pushed him away and wrinkled her nose, stating, "Bath. Now."

Ryu grinned, and ran a hand through his hair, winking as he responded, "With you? No problem!"

The okonomiyaki chef flushed, swatting Ryu on the shoulder, then handing him a large towel-wrapped bundle. "Go on," she chided. "Get cleaned up, will you?"

The boy walked away, while Ranma snorted, and fell into step beside him, calling over his shoulder, "We'll meet with you at the cafe."

Akane found her tongue, once Ranma and Ryu were moving down the stairs in tandem, seeming almost like brothers. Then she realized. Comrades. Brothers in arms. What was Ranma preparing for that he trained himself that intensely? Trained an ally that closely? Ryouga hadn't gotten much practice, and in her estimation, Ranma could probably tear Ryouga into little pieces with a minimum effort. Whoever Herb was, he must be incredibly strong to push Ranma that far.

Ukyou sighed longingly, watching them depart. Shaking herself back to attention, she turned to Akane. "Anyway... Ranchan was on a training trip when he found a cursed mirror... a copy Ranma came out of the mirror, but it was his girl side. He wasn't amused, but one thing led to another, and he ended up with a copy of his boy side, too. So he agreed to let them stay out of the mirror as long as they would help him train... for a while, at least. They had to go back into the mirror anyway, after a while. We were afraid he was going to keep bringing them back just to spar... but Ryu agreed to train with Ranchan."

Shampoo nodded, moving down the stairs as the crowd began to disperse. "We trained with Ranma, too... Ranma has a powerful enemy, so he needs powerful allies. Great-grandmother taught Ranma a lot of our techniques, to help him. It's a good thing, too... the Orochi would have killed him, otherwise."

Stumbling down the steps, Akane winced. "Ukyou told me about that, actually." She slowed, regaining her footing. "Ranma's expecting to have to fight Herb? What about... Ryouga?"

Ukyou snorted, indignantly. "That worthless... Ranma could probably have killed him, if Herb hadn't shown up. But yeah, Herb's going to come here at some point; it's inevitable. That's why Ryu-chan came back to Nerima... I asked him to stay with me for a while, so Ranma would have allies nearby."

Akane frowned, focusing on that. "So... do you think Ryouga's coming with them?"

Shampoo nodded, scowling. "Yes. And... We're all going to do whatever it takes to keep him from you."

Nabiki wordlessly joined the trio at the bottom of the steps. Shampoo's eyes flickered over the girl for a moment, before returning to her passive scan of their surroundings. Akane shook her head. "Um... where's Mousse? I thought he'd be ecstatic now that you weren't..." she trailed off lamely, giving the Amazon an apologetic smile.

Shampoo's demeanor changed in a heartbeat, and she smirked, obviously holding back laughter. Ukyou giggled, explaining, "Mousse beat up some girl's pig, thinking it was Ranma, and then the girl insisted that he had to marry her. She hauled him off, with Cologne's help. She said that the girl was using Amazon law, and Mousse was an outsider to her culture. Haven't seen him since, but Cologne seems to think that he's probably happy."

The Amazon nodded quick agreement, while Akane fought down the urge to snicker. The totally alien situation was bewildering, and she was torn, not knowing if she should laugh, or cry. Finally giving in, she loosed a giggle, wiping at her eyes. "He beat up a pig? And she wanted to marry him for it?"

Nabiki remarked, "Oh, I've heard of weirder things. Not many, but I have." Shaking her head, she gestured to a small cafe on the side of the road. "Let's have something to eat while we're waiting for the boys to finish cleaning up."

Ukyou shrugged, and flung herself into a chair at a vacant table. She gestured vaguely to the building on the other side of the street. "That's the bathhouse they use." A loud yell rang out from the aforementioned building, followed shortly by several more distressed cries. Ukyou simply rolled her eyes. "Ranchan seems to not pay attention to using cold water in the public bath. I think he gets a kick out of it."

Akane smiled softly, then shook her head, concentrating. The girls at the table knew Ranma better than anyone else, most likely. Time to test the waters... Ukyou knew, so... "Um..." she began, hesitantly. "Do you think that Ranma would accept me after... being... with Ryouga?"

Nabiki stared over Akane's shoulder, towards the bathhouse. "I don't see why he wouldn't... why do you ask?"

Ukyou flinched, remembering Akane's revelation earlier. Clearing her throat, she leveled a stern glare at Nabiki, and spoke concisely, "Not that, Nabiki. After Akane had _been_ with Ryouga." The stress on that word was unmistakable.

Nabiki's composure cracked, and her eyes bulged as she stared at her younger sister. After a few minutes, she smacked herself on the forehead, clenching her eyes shut. "Of course. It was stupid of me to think that it _wouldn't_ have happened," she grumbled. As a waiter meandered in range, she snapped, "Tea. Now," sending him scurrying away to do her bidding. Collecting herself somewhat, she mumbled, "Well. I don't know... and Akane... I don't know that he needs to know, anyway."

Shampoo frowned, looking between Ukyou and Nabiki with suspicion. Pulling her attention to Akane, she opined, "Ranma probably wouldn't care. He might already have guessed. And lying to him would be bad."

Akane flushed, staring at the table in miserable frustration. "I... I should tell him, but..." she trailed off nervously, raising her head to shoot a pleading glance at Ukyou.

Ukyou shook her head, glancing behind Akane to check for Ranma's presence. "I gotta agree with Shampoo on that one, sugar. Not telling him is a bad idea, and we all know that it's Ryouga's fault anyway. I... yeah, it's bad, but I can't see him holding it against you."

Head bowed, Akane managed a slight nod. "Then... I'll... tell him. Do... Am I good enough for him?"

Nabiki flinched visibly, and rested her face in her hands. Voice muffled, she whimpered, "Kami... I'm... Akane, you're my sister. I'm sorry about... how I've been, but this has been a really messy situation for all of us. I... I want Ranma to be happy, more than anything else in the world... and I think it takes you to make him happy. I shouldn't have lashed out at you when you came back. I'm sorry... It's just..." She lowered her hands, ignoring the waiter as he set a tea service on the table and scuttled away again. Unmindful of the public atmosphere, she wiped at her eyes, saying, "Ryouga's gone and fucked up everything... he did a damn good job of screwing up our lives... I can only think that if he hadn't gotten you with his love spell, that everything would be so much better right now.

Shaking her head, she finished, "I want Ranma to be happy, and... It's hard, because it wasn't _you_ hurting us; it was what Ryouga did to you... I want you to be happy, too. If you and Ranma can... get together... then I would be really happy."

Moved, Ukyou released a sniffle, and slipped from her chair to give Nabiki a reassuring hug. Akane choked back a sob at the sight, moved by Nabiki's words, and more that Nabiki, of all people, was reacting this emotional in public. Gathering her confidence, she croaked out, "Thank you, Big Sister."

Nabiki sniffled, smiling, and pushed Ukyou away gently. Ukyou reclaimed her seat, while everyone concentrated on ignoring the stares they were slowly accumulating. Ranma and Ryu arrived then, prompting everyone one in the cafe to find something more interested to study. Ranma had a reputation in the area, and it was best not to be on his bad side.

Ranma took a seat between Akane and Shampoo, while Ryu found a chair and dragged it over between Nabiki and Ukyou. Akane fought back the urge to scoot over the few inches separating her from Ranma. Something to fight for, or some_one_, Cologne had said. Was she the one for Ranma? Her fears flatly told her 'no way in hell,' while her hopes whispered... 'maybe...'

Would Ranma be upset when he found out? What could she do to make herself worthy of Ranma?

A hand settled on her shoulder in a comforting manner, and she relaxed, noting that it was Ranma, the hardness seeming to disappear from his persona for the moment. She belatedly noted that a waiter was waiting for her to say something, and mumbled, "Um... I'm fine, thanks." The waiter nodded, eyeing Nabiki worriedly as Ranma declined anything aside from tea.

Gathering her courage again, she turned to Ranma, and managed to whisper, "Can you take me home?"

Ranma looked to her, then nodded. "No problem." Turning back to the table, he smiled softly. "Akane and I are going home. We'll see you later, okay?"

There was a general murmur of agreement, broken only by Ukyou's squeal as Ryu goosed her. She glared at Ryu balefully, growling, "Try that again, mister..." She let it trail off there, but everyone could see the smile playing at the corner of her mouth.

Akane hurried a short distance down the street, unsure if the display was for her benefit or not. Ranma exchanged a few words with Ryu, then joined Akane, walking towards the Tendo home.

There was a brief, companionable silence, before Akane asked, "Ah... Ranma?"

He glanced towards her, only a few steps to her side. "Yes?"

"Can you..." She faltered briefly, then restarted. 'Can you... ever bring yourself to forgive me?' "Can you... train me?"

His eyes stayed on her for a moment, seeming to peer deep into her, before he replied, "Yes. I'd be pleased to train you. When would you like to start?"

She swallowed, cursing herself for not saying the words she wanted to. "Whenever... you think I'm ready."

He nodded quickly, patting the bundled length of cloth hanging at his waist. "Then tomorrow, I think. When you wake up, come to join me."

Akane nodded, then something occurred to her. "Ranma?"

"Yes?"

"What about school?"

His step faltered momentarily, then resumed. "Well, you've missed the last seven months. I'd imagine that there's going to be a problem with that. I suppose we'll have to find a tutor, or something."

Akane smiled at that. He had said 'we' and that counted for something. It was just a matter of how _much_ it counted, and if that amount was _enough_.

The rest of the walk was in silence, straining at Akane's willpower. She again battled the constant indecision. Should she run? Should she try and reach out to Ranma? She had to tell him... he needed to know.

Resolving herself, she made the decision. She would tell him.

Tomorrow.

***

Again, Akane woke to a feeling of nausea, and fled to the bathroom. Kneeling over the toilet, she gasped a few times, heaving, as her body reluctantly came to grips with the fact that it had nothing to give up.

She whimpered, after cleaning herself off. Was she sick? She didn't feel ill. Chalking it up to waking to another unpleasant memory, she allowed herself a brief soak before seeking Ranma in the dojo.

The redhead was meditating, seemingly calm and unaware of the outside world. Akane knelt on the wooden floor in silent contemplation of the person she would have as her lover, and an answer to one of her questions came to her.

She could do something for Ranma -- maybe -- that would help restore the balance between them. Maybe it would even be enough to overcome her betrayal of her love... And Ranma _was_ her love, no single part of her mind or heart nagging or doubting otherwise, as it had with Ryouga.

Shuddering, she pushed the thought of Ryouga away, not wanting to deal with it at the moment. She wanted to think about the girl in front of her. Come to think of it, why was Ranma a girl? She opened her mouth to ask, then hesitated, deciding instead to simply enjoy her presence.

Ranma sighed softly, her eyes slowly opening, then stood, leveling a stern gaze at Akane. "Eat. Then train. Come on, Akane."

Akane accepted Ranma's hand to her feet, and obediently followed the smaller girl into the house. Akane's heart threatened to stop, as she saw someone she hadn't seen since... her return. Ranma sat at the table, unconcerned, while Akane tried to decide how best to approach the situation. Finding her voice, she unsteadily warbled, "Ah... hi, Auntie Saotome..."

Nodoka's perfect, serene smile twitched slightly, threatening to slip, before it reasserted itself. "Hello, Akane." Akane. Not Akane-chan. The young girl dimly noted several alarm bells shrieking in the back of her head, shrill warning that things were, once again, going to get worse. "Have a seat, I suspect that we have a lot to talk about."

Ranma's gaze hardened slightly, as she looked at her mother. She said nothing, instead serving a healthy portion of Kasumi's cooking onto a plate, and handing it to Akane.

Swallowing nervously, Akane took a seat, as close to Ranma as she could. "Um... what did you want to talk about, Auntie?"

Nodoka's smile remained, mask-like, as she spoke, "So, where have you been for the last few months? Ranma didn't tell me much."

Akane blinked at that, looking at Ranma for guidance. The redhead squeezed one of Akane's hands beneath the table gently, reassuring her. She faced her mother, seemingly impassive. "Mom, I don't think that we need to have this conversation right now. Akane's recovering. I think that's enough."

Her mask failing her, Nodoka stared at Ranma blankly. "What?"

Ranma said nothing for a long minute, slowly taking a sip from her teacup. After taking a moment to sigh contentedly, she peered over the rim of the cup at her mother, and pointedly stated, "I said, 'we don't need to talk about this now.'"

Nodoka glowered briefly before recovering herself. Setting a small compact on the table, she stood. "I see. Your father promises me that you've become a man... but I'm afraid I don't see that in you right now."

The girl smiled serenely, setting her teacup down. "I'm sorry to hear that. Too bad you've already decided I've fulfilled the contract."

Nodoka's expression darkened in irritation, and she snatched for her katana -- which was not there, Akane was relieved to note -- before stomping towards the door. Pausing in the doorway briefly, she looked back over her shoulder and shot back, "I expect you to respect your mother more, Ranma."

Ranma snorted in response, serving herself breakfast as Kasumi's voice wafted in, too indistinct to make out. Akane could make out Nodoka's muffled and annoyed responses to Kasumi's voice before the elder Saotome woman began to calm, but not the words of their conversation. Staring at Ranma in confusion, Akane hesitantly asked, "What was that?"

Waving a hand dismissively, Ranma said, "Nothing to worry about right now." She stretched across the table, snatching the compact up and opening it with one hand. Akane watched, confused, as Ranma shook it a few times, then nodded in satisfaction and snapped it shut.

"Um... sorry for repeating myself, but... What was that?"

Ranma smirked, then pocketed the compact and began eating. "Finish your breakfast, and then I'll tell you."

***

Akane stood in the dojo in a ready stance, while Ranma walked around her in a slow circle. Nodding decisively, he explained, "I don't want to teach you how to fight... we simply don't have enough time for that. No... your strength is decent, but we can't train your speed up enough." He clicked his tongue, stopping to stand still in front of Akane. "I'll train you properly later, if you'd like. What I'm going to teach you for now is actually pretty simple. How to produce a ki attack."

The young Tendo blinked at that, surprised. Ranma was thinking that it would be easier to teach her _that_ than to teach her how to fight? He thought it was simple? "O...okay," she quavered. "What do I do?"

Ranma walked to Akane's side, and examined her critically. "Well, the first thing we'll need to do is get somewhere were we don't have to worry about structural damage. Come on, we're going for a bit of a walk." Akane obediently walked behind her one-time -- and maybe once-again -- fiance, studying the pigtailed martial artist intently.

***

After they reached a secluded wood, not far outside of Tokyo, Ranma vaulted up to a tree limb at the edge of a small clearing, and peered down at Akane. "First things first. Close your eyes, and concentrate."

Akane nodded, turning to one side, and doing as she was told. "Okay."

"Now," explained Ranma. "Gather your strongest, most driving emotion, think of it as... floating around inside you. You want to gather it all into a single point, and focus in at that point, between your hands. Can you do that?"

Akane concentrated, focusing. Her most driving emotion? What was it? Was there any one emotion that drove her? She searched, confused, then found her answer, and drew on that emotion, gathering it as she was told.

"Okay," Ranma's voice called down to her. "Now concentrate, and squeeze that force into as small a space as you can, then... when you think you're ready, give it a name, and throw it out. It'll probably take a few tries, but let's see how much of it you can get on your first try."

Beads of sweat slowly working down her face, Akane nodded. Give it a name... focus... concentrate, and name...

There. She felt it, tingling on the edge of some inner sense. Her ki. Now, focus... Focus on what? On the emotion that drove her. It crawled through her, flowing like contaminated molasses through her veins. She shuddered in revulsion, and lost her grip on it.

She opened her eyes, and turned a pleading stare on Ranma, who smiled encouragingly at her. "C'mon Akane, you can do it. I know you can."

Gulping nervously, Akane took a deep breath to steady herself, and squared off against a tree, readying herself again. Her hands rose before her cupped around an empty point of space. The feeling came to her with less resistance this time, seeming to seep through her like some congealed taint, which she focused, trying to draw out of herself and push into her hands. She felt it coalesce, like some tangible, filthy substance.

Shuddering, she released her control. Relief flooded through her when the sensation faded, and she looked up to Ranma nervously. His smile had faded somewhat, and he studied her intently, motioning her to try again with one hand.

Reaffirming her resolve, Akane turned back to the tree, and focused again. This time it came easily, though the sensations made her flesh crawl. Holding the feeling in her hands, she focused, concentrating the sensation. She could feel it, but knew, somehow, that for all its intensity, it wasn't _enough_.

She had to focus harder, reach deeper... fuel the power that seemed to contaminate the space between her hands.

Ryouga.

Ryouga and Akane... together. What Ryouga had done to her. Her pathetic, hopeless inability to fight back. Her weakness. She hurt everyone around her, even the ones she loved. And she couldn't even tell Ranma that she loved him, because of her betrayal...

The power and the sensation of uncleanness built, threatening to make her reel and vomit.

She couldn't even handle the simple feat of focusing her strength. She was pathetic...

Gritting her teeth she clutched at her control, trying desperately to contain the force before her, seeming to seep into and taint her skin.

She gave herself to a man she didn't love. And Ranma was still there for her. And she wasn't good enough for him.

A tear trickled across her skin, threatening her concentration as its salty tang touched one corner of her mouth.

She was a failure, and couldn't even get this right. She wasn't even able to tell Ranma the truth.

The building power before her was released suddenly, a cry flying from her lips, seemingly of its own volition, "Shishi houkodan!"

Knocked back by the force from the projectile, Akane dizzily noted Ranma's arms supporting her, as he stared at the tree that had been her target. Blinking, Ranma shook his head slowly. "Well. You picked that up a hell of a lot faster than I would have thought possible." Smiling down at the girl in his arms, he remarked, "I thought we'd have to try for a couple of days before you got it."

Dazedly, Akane pulled herself to her feet, seeing the twisted, splintered remnants of the tree, several shattered chunks of wood laying on the ground about it... and the sense that flooded through her on her success was not joy, or elation, but depression. She had proven herself adept at the most pathetic ki attack she knew of, the one _Ryouga_, of all people, used...

Lowering her head in shame, Akane pushed herself away from Ranma. "I... I need to go home, Ranma. I'm done for now."

Ranma shook his head once more, eyeing the destruction. "Yes... I suppose that would be a good idea."

***

Ranma closed the door behind him, glancing over his shoulder as a sudden downpour managed to just miss him. He frowned thoughtfully, listening to the rain, then shook his head and turned to face Akane, a bemused smile playing across his face and replacing the frown. She returned the smile weakly, noting that -- for once -- Ranma had beat the rain.

Turning again, Akane felt her worries begin to return, and plodded up the stairs to her room, deep in thought.

Akane's room was oddly comfortable to her. Somehow it felt insulated from the rest of the world, and the worries that the rest of the world held. Ranma followed her, watching as Akane sat on her bed slowly. Swallowing, she turned to Ranma, as he hovered in the doorway. "Ranma... there's something you need to know..." She stared at her hands in confusion, wondering idly why they were trembling so violently. Her voice sounded oddly unstable in her own ears, barely louder than the patter of rain against the roof beneath her window. "When... When I was with Ryouga..."

Her voice suddenly disappeared, leaving her too weak to do anything other than wheeze unsteadily. Ranma carefully closed the door, his expression shifting to neutrality again. Sliding across the floor, he sat on the bed next to her, and put a comforting hand on hers.

Swallowing, she found her voice, which was only a high-pitched, unsteady whimper at that point. "I s-s-s-s-slept w-w-with him."

Ranma blinked, seemingly unaffected by the admission. After a long moment of simply staring he stood, releasing Akane, and strode to the center of her room. One hand came up slowly, palm facing the ceiling, and he inspected it closely. "It's funny," he said, voice quavering. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised. He probably didn't even wait long before he took advantage of you, huh?"

Akane curled up into a little ball on her bed, sobbing, "I, g-g-g-gave myself... I'm s-s-s-sorry, Ranma... I'm not... c-c-c-clean."

The man in the room, back still turned to her, seemed to convulse, as though an invisible hand was striking him. Akane's mind dimly noted that he was sobbing himself, and her unsteady hand found its way to her nightstand. "I h-h-h-have some cold water..." she trailed off, hiccuping into another sob.

The glass of water found its way into Ranma's hands, and he quickly splashed himself, before dropping the then-empty container.

Akane found herself wrapped in a firm embrace, the redheaded girl shedding tears enough to match her own. "It's... not your fault, Akane. It's not your fault. I won't let that come between us." She repeated it, soothingly, into Akane's ear, until she calmed slightly, comforted by Ranma's refusal to abandon her.

Clinging desperately to the smaller girl, Akane hiccuped, "Ranma... I l-l-love you."

Ranma's arms tightened around Akane, and the redhead seemed to sag, as the tension holding her together drained. "Akane... Akane-chan. I love you, too. And I'm never going to let something like that come between us. I swear it."

Akane shifted herself until the embrace was more comfortable, with Ranma's chin resting on Akane's shoulder, her mouth near Akane's ear. Whispering, Akane pleaded, "Ranma... I don't ever want to lose you. I don't... I don't even care about your curse anymore... Ranma, would you... will you make love to me?"

Ranma's breath against Akane's ear suddenly stopped, and with it, Akane's heart. Both began a moment later, equally unsteady. The redhead pulled away, looking into Akane's eyes, as she stuttered, "A... Akane-chan... are you sure? I mean... like this? Right now?"

Akane nodded, then leaned in to kiss Ranma's lips, tasting the salt of her shed tears. Ranma kissed back, tentatively at first, then more intensely as Akane encouraged her.

Pausing to consider, Ranma pushed away, and held Akane in her arms, studying the girl before her intently. Akane's eyes stared into her own, pleading desperately, and promising to return every feeling that Ranma had fully, and more. The small, moist tracks on Akane's face shone under the light, giving her an odd, almost ethereal beauty, as Ranma's vision distorted from another tear of her own.

But was this something that was a good idea? And... like this? But... Akane wanted it; wanted _her_... and more than that, wanted Ranma to want her.

Ranma balked, wondering what damage would be done by continuing, but then froze, seeing the wild, frightened light in the depths of Akane's eyes. What damage would be done by abandoning her?

Gulping nervously, the last remnants of Ranma's angry mask crumbled away, leaving her to squeak out, "Yeah, sure Akane. If you want it-" Akane leapt into the redhead's arms, silencing any further words with an exuberant kiss.

Breaking away from the kiss for a moment, Akane cursed her fumbling hands, and their inability to remove her clothing fast enough. Her skin burned with a need for Ranma's touch, craving that contact to wash away memories of tainted sex with a purer and truer love. "I... need this, Ranma. I need you."

Ranma nodded, not knowing how her skin seared the unclean feelings from Akane, leaving her to soak in the achingly sweet luxury of Ranma's touch. She whimpered softly, needing more, and touching Ranma back, guiding her hands in a hesitant exploration of this new territory.

An agonizing eternity later, Ranma's top was completely removed and Akane's own shirt was opened, leaving her free to taste of Ranma's lips again, as they fell to the bed in a tangled heap, warm flesh lying against warm flesh. Akane felt the signs of Ranma's arousal press into her own chest, perversely exciting her, and bringing more urgency to their kisses.

She was not able to drink deeply enough of her lover, and they broke apart again, Ranma kneeling next to her, face flushed and eyes shining.

Ranma stared down at the girl -- woman, truly -- of her dreams. The one she truly loved, was offering herself to Ranma, and promising to accept her both as her and as a him. Accepting the curse without reservation, willing to go this far...

She swallowed, seeing the raw, barely restrained passion in her lover's eyes, as Akane's shallow gasping breaths caused her chest to heave. Ranma pulled away from Akane, causing the fire in Akane's gaze to turn to panic briefly.

After a moment of fumbling, Ranma managed to undo the ties of Akane's pants, then slid them down -- too slowly for Akane's tastes. The larger girl sat up, kicked off her pants and panties, then pulled Ranma down to her, while the redhead slowly wriggled free of her own last articles of clothing. Once completely unclad, Ranma again lay against Akane, kissing away the salty remnants of her tears of worry.

As the two loved one another, Akane felt something deep inside her -- nothing as base as a sexual orgasm, but something deeper, fuller... more meaningful. It welled up, seeming to fill her to capacity. She arched her back, pressing herself into Ranma as completely as she could. Her body's memories rebelled, as the unclean, dirty part of her mind was busy indicating that this was _wrong_ and that she already knew the right way to do it.

She reveled in replacing those memories with her current actions. And it was lovemaking, not anything shallow, like mere physical pleasure. It was _love_.

After a time that seemed without end... it was over. Exhausted, and wholly sated, they collapsed into each other's arms, and slept blissfully, listening to the rain.

***

Akane woke, this time not to a feeling of nausea, but a feeling of contentment. The redhead draped across her muttered something in her sleep, and reflexively pulled Akane into a tighter embrace before she fell back asleep.

***

Sleep with a loved one can be a beautiful thing. Two young lovers lay loosely coiled about each other, content to wile away the quiet hours of the night in repose.

Akane woke again, no longer tired, and luxuriated in the sensation of being held by Ranma. Man or woman, Akane loved Ranma. And apparently Ranma loved Akane.

Ranma grumbled something in her sleep, and turned her head, pressing her face into Akane's chest.

Resisting the urge to giggle, Akane stroked Ranma's hair. Perhaps all of her worrying had been for naught. Maybe, everything was going to be alright, and she could feel... like she was forgetting something.

Frowning, she thought back, trying to fix whatever was missing firmly in her mind. She sat up suddenly, leaving a drowsy Ranma to slowly sit up next to her, mumbling, "Wazzat... Mmm..." Ranma's eyes opened, as full wakefulness settled in, and she looked at Akane, cocking her head to one side to consider things.

Akane smiled shyly, fully exposed to Ranma, and not caring for the moment. Ranma's eyes roamed across Akane, finally settling on her face, as the redhead smiled. "Akane-chan... how are-"

The door to Akane's bedroom burst open, slamming into the wall with jarring suddenness. Akane shrieked and dove beneath her covers in spite of herself, while Ranma just groaned.

Heavy footsteps sounded, and Akane heard Nodoka's voice snarling, "Ranma.... _son_... what is the meaning of this?"

Ranma stretched, seemingly unmindful of her nudity, then vaulted out of the bed and began gathering clothes and dressing. Fuming, Nodoka waited until Ranma was dressed, then snapped out, "Well?"

The girl leveled a stern glance at the older woman. "I slept with Akane-chan. Is there a problem?"

Nodoka's scowl deepened, her serene mask having disappeared long ago. "Yes," she hissed. "There is a problem, _son_. It is _not_ manly for you to behave this way. I certainly hope you don't harbor any plans to marry this girl, surely she must have-" The loud 'smack,' of flesh meeting flesh cut off any further words from the Saotome matriarch.

Akane poked her head out of the covers, staring in shock as Ranma absently inspected one palm, and Nodoka clapped a hand to one reddened check, a look of furious rage and stunned amazement on her face. Nodoka dropped her free hand to her katana, glowering at Ranma warningly. "Ranma..." she said, voice trembling with barely restrained anger. "You are pushing the bounds of my patience."

Ranma shrugged, seemingly uncaring. "You know," she commented. "You're my mom. I love you dearly, but don't think for one second I'm going to let that come between me and Akane-chan. I don't care what you say, she's more important than anything else." Ranma's gaze darkened, and she returned her mother's glare, giving back every bit of anger and threat pound-for-pound. "_Anything_ else. And that," she growled. "Is all I care to speak of on that subject."

Paling, Nodoka tottered away, unsure of how to deal with Ranma in this kind of mood. Akane did not miss the scowl that Nodoka shot at her before disappearing into the hall.

Akane stared at her lover, considering. Had she cost Ranma this? Just when things were beginning to get better, and they were piecing their lives together...

Ranma calmly closed the door, then returned to sit on the edge of the bed. Her face was scrunched up, moving closer to the mask of irritation that Ranma typically wore of late, instead of the warm smiles of the previous day.

Akane's heart sunk. She was causing this to happen to Ranma. After all was said and done... did she deserve to call Ranma her lover?

Akane crept out of her bed, and began to dress, worriedly glancing at Ranma. The pigtailed girl stared impassively for a long moment, then shook her head, managing a smile for Akane that seemed only slightly strained. "We'll get through this, Akane-chan."

With those words, the worries that gnawed at her let go, and Akane felt herself slowly drifting back to a calmed state. Heaving a sigh of relief, she walked over to her nightstand, and retrieved the box from two days ago. "Um..." she began, apologetically. "Cologne asked me to give this to you. I'm sorry, I forgot..."

Ranma quirked an eyebrow, and accepted the small box. Her eyes traced the construction of the wooden container, and she turned it over, examining it from every angle before nodding slightly and opening it a crack. Smiling softly at the contents, she snapped it shot and rose to her feet, pocketing it. "Excellent. Now all I need to do is talk to Tofu-sensei about getting another ward..."

Akane frowned, puzzled at Ranma's behavior, and hesitantly asked, "What is it? And what do you need a ward for?"

Ranma waved a hand dismissively, saying, "The box is nothing to worry about. I'm going to Tofu-sensei's clinic today. Turns out that Tofu-sensei actually knows how to make wards for almost any situation... I have a few on hand, but I want to get more, just in case."

Akane's hand flew instinctively to her breast for a moment, remembering the mark. "What do you mean 'just in case'?"

The redhead gave Akane a level gaze, all humor gone from her expression. "Ryouga will show up again, and probably with the Musk. I'm surprised we haven't seen them or heard from them already, honestly."

Akane paled, realizing. He had tagged her once before with the koi rod, and he had always kept it with him, saying, 'just in case,' which she thought was silly. Feeling suddenly unwell, Akane grimaced. "I... don't feel so good."

Frowning thoughtfully, Ranma studied Akane. After a moment, she shook her head, saying, "I can't imagine the stress has been good for you. Well, we could take you to Tofu-sensei then. We're going to see him anyway, so you can ask him for a check-up."

Relieved, Akane nodded. "That's a good idea. We should probably go, then."

Ranma scowled and shook her head, frowning grumpily at Akane. "Food. Eat, then work."

Akane opened her mouth to complain, then reconsidered, and said, "Bath, then food."

***

Ranma had disappeared by the time Akane exited the furo, though she was surprised to see Mr. Saotome sitting on the edge of the porch, looking at the koi pond thoughtfully.

She frowned, wondering how he would treat her now. He turned towards her, detecting the movement behind him, and smiled softly. "Good morning, Akane."

Akane looked around worriedly for Nodoka before responding, "Um... Good morning Saotome-san."

The man's smiled broadened a tad, and he turned to look out at the pond again. Back turned towards her, he spoke quietly, his voice carrying in the stillness of the morning. "I trust you're feeling well?"

Walking slowly to sit near the man, Akane nodded, before realizing that he wouldn't see her gesture. Tremulously, she began, "I'm okay, I think... though I've had better days..."

The man snorted, still in contemplation of the pond. "'Better days,' she says. Feh." Akane felt a twinge of pain from her heart, and winced. Mr. Saotome continued, unperturbed, "You're probably the only woman with the strength to handle my son." Blinking, the girl slowly digested that, before realizing that his first statement was a gesture of respect.

"Oh." Akane smiled, feeling better that at least Genma accepted her. "Um... where is Ranma?"

Genma gestured vaguely towards the dojo. "Off somewhere, probably having a long and quiet talk with your father. I wouldn't worry about that too much... Tendo- Sorry. Your father will come around."

Cocking her head to one side, Akane studied her potential future-father-in-law. "What does that mean?" she asked, confused.

Mr. Saotome turned to look at her, surprised, then smiled again. "Well," he began. "I know that... No-chan doesn't approve, but... I _am_ the clan head, so she's just going to have to learn to deal with it. I know... this is a tough time. But after seeing my son get bitten by a dragon... after watching the way he trains, and how hard he fights, and seeing behind his every action... that you are what he strives _for_... I can't turn my back on that." Akane blinked, completely stunned. The man reached out a hand and ruffled Akane's hair, mussing it horribly before turning his gaze back to the koi pond. "And I've always thought that you were the best for my son, really."

Akane felt a warm feeling spreading inside her, delighted that she had found not one, but two Saotome men who accepted her without reservations. Wiping at her suddenly moist eyes, she managed, "Thank you."

The Saotome patriarch grumbled something that might have been 'you're welcome,' but was too quiet to be heard.

Akane grinned at that, away from her fears and worries for the moment. Sighing contentedly, she asked, "What are you watching?"

He glanced at her for an instant, then smiled again, returning to peer into the shimmering surface of the pond, as the sun's morning rays scattered dappled points of light through the cherry tree's softly swaying branches. "Water. Instrument of change... the Saotome School is based on water. Able to adapt to a situation... that's why I was able to realize the full potential of the Umisen-ken... and not make as much of the Yamasen-ken."

Akane nodded attentively, glad for the opportunity to bond with someone she had never really gotten to know. Or even realize that he wasn't as shallow as he appeared. She frowned, realizing something. "You're the head of the clan?"

He smirked at that. "Of course. If Nodoka was the clan head, I wouldn't have needed to sign a contract over Ranma's training." He sighed, gazing at a distant memory. "If she were the clan head, then she wouldn't have needed the contract... she could just do as she wished."

Akane leaned back, surprised at his sudden depth and... maturity. Frowning slightly, he admitted, "I'm not a particularly brilliant man when it comes to anything except martial arts." He turned a warning gaze to her before she could laugh. "But I do know one thing." Akane nodded, trying very unsuccessfully to hide a smile. "In the light right, a shallow pond may seem bottomless. And in the right light, a deep pond may appear to be shallow."

Akane blinked at that, confused. "I... don't understand..."

The man smirked broadly, and raised a single finger in the manner of one who knows something, and is about to explain it. "Lighting can change, but a pond's measure can always be obtained one way."

She frowned, still not completely understanding. "O...kay..."

The man drew in a breath, to explain, then tucked himself in a ball, and flew towards the pond, aided by a kick from Ranma.

Splashing into the water in a cannonball, the panda managed to soak Ranma even from the porch, but nothing else. The pigtailed girl pulled her shirt away from her chest in feigned exasperation, unable to hide a great smirk.

Sitting in the pond, the panda seemed to laugh, it's eyes glittering with mirth.

Akane suddenly released a giggle of her own, realizing that whatever wisdom Ranma's father seemed about to impart, he had intended to be splashed then. "I think I understand..."

Ranma sighed, sinking to sit near Akane. "Yeah. When you want to know what the water's going to be like, just looking won't answer any questions. There's more too it, depending on how you think about it."

Akane shifted her position, so that she was facing Ranma. "What do you mean?"

The pigtailed girl shrugged, tugging off her shirt to wring it out. "He's saying he's not as dumb as he acts, but he's not as smart as you probably think he is."

Sobering at that, Akane considered. "So... it's saying... what people see in others isn't always the truth?"

Ranma grunted, pulling her shirt back on. "That too. It's saying if you want to impress people, act below your ability, like a shallow pond. That way, when they step in, they get a shock at how deep you really go."

Unable to help herself, Akane laughed out loud. "I bet Jusenkyou looked really shallow."

Ranma smirked, stating, "Let me just say this about that, Akane-chan. It's a lot deeper than I thought it was." Rising to her feet, she offered Akane a hand. "Let's eat."

The meal was spent in silence, as Akane considered her lover's words. How deep were _they_?

***

Ranma re-entered the living room after clearing the dishes, striding purposefully towards Akane, and once again male. He dusted his hands together, then frowned. "I wonder where Kasumi went."

Akane stood, unsubtly moving to be closer him. "I don't know..."

Grumbling, Ranma turned towards his father. "Pop, where's Mother?"

The man raised an eyebrow thoughtfully, then shrugged. "Probably out shopping with Kasumi."

Sighing, Ranma put on a particularly pained expression, then shook his head. "Never mind about that now. Let's go see Tofu."

"Ranma," the elder Saotome called out warningly.

Ranma turned in place, halfway to the door. "Yeah, Pop?"

His father's expression became solemn. "The master called us this morning, looking for you."

Eyes narrowing, Ranma asked, "How soon?"

The response was heavily stressed, "He's not sure, but probably today or tomorrow."

Ranma ground his teeth for a moment, then nodded. "I wish you told me earlier. We're going to Tofu's. If you can, get Ryu to meet me without the girls. I don't want them involved, if we can help it. We'll be prepared today."

Akane frowned apprehensively, wondering at the instant return of Ranma's angry demeanor.

Ranma gathered her in his arms wordlessly, and sped down the street. "Sorry, we've got to hurry. I wasn't expecting them so soon."

Initially alarmed, Akane settled into his embrace. After a heartbeat, she asked, "Ranma... why can't I remember what happened after you found Ryouga?"

Ranma's expression darkened, and he shook his head slightly as he slowed his pace in front of clinic. "Only Kasumi knows that, now."

Stunned, Akane opened her mouth to question Ranma again, but was interrupted by Tofu, as the doctor rushed out of the clinic. "Ranma? You're late, I was worried... how is the seal holding?"

Ranma gently set Akane on the ground, then reached into one pocket, withdrawing a small beaded bracelet. Peering at it intently, he rotated it around until a slim strip of paper with painstakingly precise writing came into view, wrapped around one of the beads. Akane leaned close to examine it, realizing that the cord of the bracelet was crafted from woven hair.

As the young man began speaking with the doctor, Akane was again overwhelmed by a surge of memory.

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

She clutched the ward to her chest, sobbing wordlessly, while Ranma stood to one side, externally impassive.

There were others there, but Ranma was the only important one, and he was angry... he burned with a cold, consuming anger... but it wasn't directed at her, she knew, as little as she deserved to be free of his anger.

Kasumi made a soothing noise. "Now, Akane... hold still. I need to trim some hair off, okay? Once we do that, you won't have to hang onto the wards anymore."

Still weeping, Akane nodded once, then held her head still, while Kasumi carefully trimmed the ends of her hair, and collected the severed strands in a small paper bag. Once done, Akane maintained her stillness, trying desperately to ignore the burning pain on her breast, or the slow singeing of the paper in her hands.

The dull stabbing pain in her heart from her betrayal echoed the burning sensation. Betrayal of her older sister. Betrayal of her whole family. Her actions were foolish and had cost her... everything.

Kasumi placed the bag of severed hairs on a large silver tray, which Ranma accepted and set on the low table in front of him.

Akane gulped for breath, watching Ranma kneel next to the tray, and use his speed to tie all of the hairs together in long strands. Two hundred and forty-three strands in all. Then Ranma took a deep breath, flexing his fingers, and took three long strands, braiding them together in a single strand, and repeating the process exactly with another group of three, and another... and another...

When that was done, he was left with another eighty-one braided strands. He rubbed at his hands, scowling as he massaged the callused palms of his hands. "Akane." His voice was solemn. "Are you sure you want this? We could remove the wards... you were happy, weren't you?"

Gibbering, Akane clutched the ward tighter, tears streaming again, as she shrieked, "No, NO! I need... Please! I don't want to be... Please get rid of it! Finish the seal!" Collecting herself, she whimpered, "Don't call me Akane... I don't... deserve that."

Ranma flinched as though he had been struck. "As you wish, Akane-san."

Kasumi handed Ranma a knife, whispering, "You remember Cologne-san's instructions, right?" Ranma nodded wordlessly, accepting the knife. "I'll leave, then. Tofu-sensei should be here soon, but you can do the next part before he arrives."

Ranma nodded again, not even sparing a glance for Kasumi as she left. He flipped the knife over in his hand, catching it by the blade before setting it on the tray. He then collected a small earthen bowl from beneath the table, and placed it on the tray, near the hairs. After glancing at Akane, he scowled, and retrieved another ward, handing it to her.

The girl snatched the ward from Ranma desperately, as Ranma took the old ward, already blackened at the edges. Frowning, he set it in the bowl, watching it crumble to ash. Shaking his head, he collected the knife in his left hand, and made a small incision near the base of his thumb. He held the wound over the bowl, though it took a moment before the blood began to seep out.

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

The memory of the bloody ritual faded, and Akane stared at the bracelet with its clay beads in fascination. "That's..."

Ranma broke off his conversation with Tofu, and nodded. "Looks like the rest of your memory is coming back, then. Yes... as long as this is intact, and one of us carries it, you're safe. Tofu's going to replace the ward, because we can never be too certain." Tofu nodded, and took the bracelet from Ranma, walking into the back of his clinic.

The young man turned back to Akane, explaining, "The koi rod that Ryouga found is more powerful than we had expected. We had to do this much... and it's only going to last for a few months."

Akane's jaw dropped. Just when things were coming together, again there was trouble. Voice unsteady, and an expression of horror fixed on her face, she asked, "What... what can we do?"

Ranma patted Akane's shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry. Cologne says that all we have to do to break the spell is get the rod, and use it on you again. If we hit the same spot, we can remove the mark."

Pressing on hand into the spot that had once borne the koi mark, but was now distorted to a mere discoloration, Akane nodded, still fearful. "Oh... I... hope we can take care of that, then."

The pigtailed boy nodded absently, as Tofu emerged from the depths of the clinic. Voice calm and level, Ranma said, "It shouldn't be a problem. Ryouga's coming to us, one-way or another... I only wish I had taken it from him earlier."

Akane's frown deepened. "How did that go? All I know is... I guess you knocked me out?"

Ranma raised an eyebrow, then shook his head, growing pensive again. "It's not important, really. I had to grab you and leave before I could do any permanent damage to him... Damn Herb."

Shaking himself out of his funk, Ranma accepted the bracelet from Tofu. "Anyway, Akane-chan... I'm going to do everything I can to break that spell on you." His voice carried a promise in it that spoke to Akane's heart, calming her again.

There was the sensation, not unlike standing near a tree as a breeze rustled through it, and Ranma glanced sharply over his shoulder, smiling grimly. "Ryu is here. You won't see us, but we'll be nearby, Akane-chan. I need to speak with him..."

She opened her mouth to question him, but he produced a bolt of cloth from his pocket and swirled it around himself as he faded from sight again. She frowned thoughtfully, watching where he had been, and remembering.

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

The furo was the ideal location. Kasumi would be the first to wake, and she would understand. It would make the least mess, and all things considered, would taint her family's lives the least.

She spent a long moment kneeling on the tiles, and looking at the family tanto longingly, as it lay on the tile... but she didn't want to sully the family blade with her filthy blood. Instead, she had retrieved one of Kasumi's older kitchen knives, the one she would actually be using. The family blade would be present to tell Kasumi that she had known how little she deserved.

It took her a long hour of fumbling attempts with a whetstone before she thought that the old kitchen knife was sharp _enough_... but it would be done, and then... Ranma... Ranma could get on with his life.

Gasping for breath, she ignored the tears that tracked down her face, cursing herself, and her weakness for bringing things to this. Ranma could buy her time, with the seal... but eventually she would fall prey to the spell again.

Hands trembling unsteadily, she stared into the darkness of the furo, and brought the pointed tip of the knife to her throat. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she tensed her muscles. It would be quick, a mercy that she felt undeserving of... but why... why wouldn't her hands co-operate?

She knew, of course. Her body was fighting her, fighting to protect... She hardened her resolve, and drew the knifepoint away before driving it towards her throat with all her might.

Gasping, her eyes widened as a hand formed from the darkness, shooting out to deflect the knife's edge at the last instant, drawing a short, shallow line across her neck. The hot point of pain then arced sharply downwards as she lost her grip on the blade, and Ranma coalesced into visibility, frowning intently. "Akane-san. What are you doing?"

She shook her head, knowing that she could never tell him what Kasumi had told her that morning; that she could never tell him-

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

Akane winced, as a stabbing pain preceded the memory being cut off. Whatever that memory was, it was locked away much more solidly than the others were. Tofu cocked his head to one side, concerned. "Akane? Are you alright?"

She nodded, still unsteady from the pain. "I... think so. Just something that's locked away... I can't remember."

The man scowled slightly at hearing those words, then shook his head. "Yes... that. Kasumi will tell you in due time. I hope." The doctor seemed uncharacteristically calm -- if not outright upset -- at the mention of Kasumi.

Akane frowned, nervous curiosity worrying at what she could piece together. "It's something medical, right?"

Tofu snorted, "I could tell you exactly what it was, Akane, but you won't remember." After a moment of fuming at nothing, he relaxed slightly. "Yes. It's medical."

The girl found herself losing her curiosity the harder she tried to remember it, preceded by sharp pains whenever she came close to remembering-

She winced again at a particularly painful flash, then shook her head. "What were we talking about?"

Grumbling, the doctor said, "Your condition. You should be fine..." With that, he sat at his desk, and began shuffling through some papers. "Ranma?"

A pair of boys seemed to materialize on either side of Akane, causing her to instinctively leap to Ranma in surprise. He caught her effortlessly, a faint smile on his face. "Sorry. Ryu... try to keep the other girls from finding out. I'm worried about involving them."

Ryu nodded, seeming to flow out the door as he called back over his shoulder, "I understand, but Ukyou... we'll see."

Ranma sighed, still holding Akane. She flushed slightly, too comforted in his embrace to let go, and secretly pleased that he wasn't trying to set her down. He moved to a seat across the desk from Tofu, and sat, placing Akane gently in his lap. "What was that about Akane-chan's condition, Tofu-sensei?"

The doctor frowned, then shook his head. "I'm sorry... I gave my word of honor to Kasumi. Only she can reveal that information. Suffice to say I don't believe that it's a danger to her life."

Ranma nodded once. "Very well, then. If Kasumi thinks that it's nothing to worry about. Ryu is at our chosen battle-ground tonight... we'll lead him there once Ryouga shows up."

Akane shifted slightly, pressing herself into Ranma more firmly. "I want to be with you."

The man holding her gave her a gentle, reassuring squeeze. "Of course. I wouldn't dream of abandoning you, Akane-chan -- not for a heartbeat."

She breathed a sigh of relief, closing her eyes and relaxing. Ranma snorted, jostling her slightly. "I suppose I'll carry you home, then?"

She nodded, face pressed into his chest, and uncaring at the scene they would present to anyone who saw them on the streets.

***

Nabiki was sitting at the table when they got home, flanked by Ukyou and Shampoo, all of them wearing decidedly neutral expressions as Ranma entered with Akane. He set her down carefully, then sighed. "I thought as much."

Ukyou snorted, then her expression melted into a smirk. "Of course not, Ranchan. Even if things were different, Ryu-chan's still involved."

Bobbing her head in agreement, Shampoo added, "You're a friend, Ranma. Friends do not abandon one-another in times of need."

Ranma again sighed softly, shaking his head. Akane merely turned a questioning gaze on Nabiki, who pulled her shirt up to reveal a large bandage. One edge nearly crossed near her navel, while the opposite edge spanned another three inches of flesh. Nabiki gazed down and studied it for a moment, then sighed. "This is Ryouga's fault." Her eyes met Akane's briefly, then she looked away from her younger sister, tucking the cloth back in.

Ukyou and Shampoo exchanged a surprised glance, while Ranma studiously looked away. Akane found her voice after a moment, "What... did he do to you?"

Nabiki's only answer was, "He got my little sister with the koi rod."

Akane gazed at Nabiki intently, trying to remember.

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

Akane woke in her room groggily, wondering why she was there.

Her memories returned to her in a flash; Ranma had kidnapped her! Wait... she wanted Ranma... why on earth had she wanted that? A small voice in the back of her head complained that she _did_ want it, and wanted it still.

She climbed out of bed, noting the ashes of some piece of paper marking her clothing. She made a face and brushed them off, dropping into a defensive stance as she heard a movement at the door. She relaxed, seeing that it was her older sister. "Hey, Nabiki... what's going on here? Where's Ryouga?"

Nabiki scowled, setting a tray on her younger sister's nightstand. "Ranma will take care of him, don't worry about it."

Akane felt a tremor in her heart. Was this her family's plan of forcing her together with that... that... jerk? She frowned, shaking her head. Under her breath, she murmured, "Ranma's always picking on Ryouga." But... that small voice that she was always working to press down... it told her that _this_ was what she wanted, not Ryouga. But that was stupid.

She shifted her attention to Nabiki, as she babbled on about something while buttering a piece of toast from the tray. "...anyway. Once that's done with, we're pretty sure that the spell can be broken, and then... everything's going to be okay."

Nabiki turned to see her younger sister studying her intently. Akane shook her head, reaching towards the tray and taking a slice of bread. "How are they planning on breaking the spell?"

The middle Tendo sister frowned, deep in thought. "I'm not sure about that," she confessed. She shook her head, glancing over her sister briefly. "Ranma's got a few ideas, though. Until they, we'll just keep the wards on you..." she trailed off, seeing that Akane wasn't holding a ward, and leapt, trying to tackle the slightly smaller girl. At the top her lungs, she shouted, "Ranma!"

Akane was a martial artist, while Nabiki was not. The smaller girl twisted to one side and lashed out with the knife she had grabbed earlier, neatly deflecting the larger girl. Staggering, Nabiki kept her balance with one hand going to the wall to support herself, and the other going to examine her new wound. The elder sister stared down at the shallow gash in her stomach, as a flow of red blossomed forth. She slumped to the floor, off-balance and in shock. Akane raised one hand to strike again, then hesitated. This was her own sister... but she was trying to keep her away from Ryouga!

Shaking her head, she dashed towards the door, pocketing the knife swiftly. Family or no, these people were trying to keep her from Ryouga, and that was unacceptable. Hurting them should be avoided... but she had to escape at any cost. She had to be with Ryouga.

Ranma appeared before her, confused, as she windmilled her arms frantically to stop before she collided with him. He reached out and grabbed her shoulder, beginning to pull her into an embrace. "Akane, what's going on?" His tone was concerned, as he looked at her, worried for her safety.

Repulsed by the man before her, and deeper by the small part of her mind that begged her to return his embrace, she found her knife and slashed towards him as fiercely as she could. While swinging the knife, she unleashed an angry scream, "Don't touch me you _pervert_!"

An angry light flashed in Ranma's eyes, and he sidestepped the strike, disarming her with no apparent effort. Akane gaped as she felt her arm go to sleep, and the knife clattered to the floor. He stared at her for a moment, giving her a chance to realize how hopelessly outclassed she was before sweeping a hand towards her neck.

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

Akane's eyes widened as she stared at her sister. "Nabiki?" she breathed, barely more than a squeak. "I did that to you?"

Nabiki's expression darkened, as Ukyou and Shampoo's surprise registered on their faces. Clearing her throat, the elder sister shook her head. "I thought so at first... but after thinking about it for a bit... I think this is Ryouga's doing." She nodded once, expression still dark. "If Ryouga hadn't cast that spell on you, then this never would have happened."

Akane shook her head numbly, whimpering, "No... no... no... it was me... I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..." Then her eyes widened in horror, and she spun to face Ranma, an expression of shock on her face the reflection of the deepening betrayal she felt she had done towards him. "I tried to... Ranma! I'm..."

She was dimly aware of Ranma embracing her, pressing her face into his shoulder while she sobbed uncontrollably. Again, just when things were bearable, they worsened further. What more horrid news would taint her life? Why... why... why couldn't things have been different? Why did they have to be this way?

For a heartbeat, merely an instant, Akane felt a hot point in her chest, a spark of anger. If Ranma had been nicer to her before Ryouga... if Ranma hadn't always been causing so much trouble between them... But the spark died quickly, because she knew she was just as much at fault as Ranma. "I'm sorry..." her voice was muffled, as twin points of hot wetness trickled down her cheeks, soaking the fabric of Ranma's shirt.

Ranma made a soothing noise, and stroked her hair gently, while the other women looked away uncomfortably. Akane shivered, feeling an odd combination of desire and revulsion, remembering how she had pressed herself into Ryouga the same way, and pushed herself away, stomach churning.

The man before her released the embrace, frowning gravely. "No... I don't think you should be sorry, Akane-chan. It wasn't you. It was the spell. But... we should be going. I wish we had more time, but they could be here at any moment, assuming that Herb doesn't let Ryouga lead the way."

The other girls nodded, Nabiki's nod following the other nods by a moment. "Um... Ranma," she began hesitantly. "I can't run as fast as you, so-"

Ranma shook his head, waving a hand to forestall her. "No. You're wounded, and you can't fight as well as us. You should stay here with Pop."

Nabiki scowled, and opened her mouth again to protest, but Shampoo interrupted her. "Ranma's right, Nabiki. It's going to be very dangerous."

Shaking her head in agitation, Nabiki grumbled, "This sucks. Ryouga owes me too."

Ranma shrugged, patting the bolt of cloth at his side unconsciously. "I don't think that will be a problem."

Shaking his head, he checked his pockets, producing the small wooden box Cologne had told Akane to give him, the seal, and the compact that he had been playing with earlier. He frowned, then pocketed the items again while giving a decisive nod. "Akane-chan... It's going to be very dangerous. Are you ready?"

She looked up to him, still unsteady from the constant riptides of emotion that couldn't decide whether or not to drown her in their depths, or dash her against their boundaries. Collecting herself, she managed, "Yes, Ranma..."

He swirled his cloth out once, slinging it over his shoulder, and met Shampoo and Ukyou's gazes. The girls nodded in unison, not needing to speak. Ranma released an unsteady sigh, then swirled his cloth out again, enveloping himself and Akane.

Her world became a dizzy blur, with everything becoming diffuse and disoriented. Ranma's voice whispered to her, "Close your eyes and relax, Akane-chan."

She did as she was told, until Ranma set her down. She gasped, seeing she was on the roof of the house. "How did you do that? I didn't even feel us moving up!"

He smiled faintly, cloth slung over one shoulder. "Yeah... just a side-effect." He narrowed his eyes, twitching slightly at the twin 'thud' of Shampoo and Ukyou's respective landings. Ranma grinned wickedly, seeing something no one else could, and he murmured, "Happi."

Akane looked up at him, her arms still wrapped about his neck. "What do you mean?" she asked, confused. "Is he actually helping you?"

Ranma nodded, then frowned slightly. "Yes... when you came back he said something about 'defilement' and agreed to help." He jerked his head around to stare at Akane suddenly, from his scan of the horizon, and blushed faintly. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I shouldn't have brought that up."

Akane shook her head, not meeting Ranma's eyes. "He could tell?" she asked in a weak voice.

Ranma shifted his feet nervously for a moment before responding. He sighed brokenly, "I didn't realize before- I'm sorry."

Akane shivered, hugging him tightly for comfort. "Don't be... just... be there for me."

He kissed her on the forehead, while Shampoo and Ukyou were scanning the horizon for Happosai. "Always. I promise." She felt warm inside, as he set her on her feet, wishing she could kiss him, and hold him, and be held by him... but now was not the time. "I want to you keep this with you, okay, Akane-chan?" He withdrew the small wooden box from his pocket, and held it out to her, cautioning, "Don't open it unless all else is lost... you'll know what to do with it when the time comes."

Akane accepted the box, confused. "What is it?" she asked, turning it over without opening it.

Ranma opened his mouth to answer, then grimaced, pointing towards a nearby building. "There they are. Hide that, Akane-chan."

The girl hurriedly hid the box in her own pocket, turning to see what Ranma indicated. A small speck was being chased by four figures, the lead figure glowing with an ominous yellowish aura. Ranma's face twisted in distaste, as he spat, "Herb."

Ukyou and Shampoo moved to draw their weapons, but Ranma shook his head. "No. Pop will help Happi out, we're going to lead them away from here... we want to keep Herb away from the house as much as we can."

Grumbling, they began to drift towards the far edge of the roof, away from the swiftly approaching attackers. Ranma took a deep breath, steadying himself, and muttered, "Ryouga..."

Akane trembled and placed a hand against his arm, though she wasn't sure if it was to calm herself, or Ranma.

Ranma shook himself abruptly, and swept her off her feet. "Come on. They've seen us. Herb and Ryouga will come after us no matter what... Pop and Happi can handle the other two, but they'll probably follow."

He charged to the edge of the roof and vaulted off, trailing Shampoo and Ukyou, as the other fighters glanced backwards occasionally. Akane bit back a yelp, clinging to Ranma tightly, then asked, "Why did you have Happosai lead them to the home if you're going to fight them somewhere else?"

Ranma grunted heavily, as he launched himself skyward again, then answered, "Happi left before we figured out what we were doing. He called us when he got Herb's trail, and-" He cut off suddenly, landing, shifting, and hurtling upwards again. "And then we told him the plan. It's nothing special, but there's no buildings around to mess up, and we think this fight might get ugly." Another landing and jump. "No people around to get hurt, either."

And no witnesses, Akane realized. Was she willing to take things that far? Hesitantly, she asked between landings, "Ranma... are you going to kill Ryouga?"

He snorted in midair, "No. As much as he may deserve it."

Akane swallowed, staring at Ranma's suddenly stony visage above her, with only the background of the endless sky behind him. She felt a great pressure welling up within her at that moment, causing her to realize how lucky she truly was. "Ranma..."

He grunted, rebounding again, then coming to rest on the roof of a moving train. Sighing, he set her down, even as the pursuing forces tried to catch up. Shampoo and Ukyou collapsed on either side of the roof ahead of them, gasping for breath.

Ukyou managed to wheeze, "Good timing... from the letch... next time... I wait... Ryu-chan runs..."

Shampoo moaned something that sounded like agreement, then added, "Or have Ranma carry Shampoo and Ukyou." She grimaced, still breathing hard, and corrected herself, "Carry you and I."

Ukyou flopped onto her back, while Ranma gazed after their followers. Akane blinked, realizing that Ranma was hardly even winded. Shaking her head, she studied Ranma, recapturing for a moment the sensation of being carried by him, and a timeless instant where it was just her, him, and the sky.

The feeling flooded through her, melting her heart, and she wiped away a tear at how strongly the emotion resonated through her. This was the battle they were heading towards... where Ranma would save her. Ranma would save her. She was confident about that.

But... Shoving down her apprehension, she managed, "Ranma?"

He instantly turned towards her, giving her his full attention. "Yes, Akane-chan?"

Hesitantly, against the swaying of the roof, she began to stand. Ranma quickly helped her to her feet, and she leaned into him, grabbing him as tightly as she could, trying to crush herself into him. He returned her embrace, whispering, "Akane-chan? Are you alright?"

Sniffling, she shook her head. "Ranma... I love you. More than anything. You are my universe."

Ranma seemed to sag at that, an incredulous expression on his face. "What... I know, but... why are you telling me now?"

She pulled away, and dragged Ranma down into a brutal kiss. When he dropped to his knees, startled, she sank with him, worried about slipping off. Looking firmly into his eyes, she said, "If Ryouga... if something happens, and the seal breaks... I love _you_ Ranma. You are everything to me. I... I just want you to know that."

Ranma blinked a few times, then nodded, glancing back towards their pursuers.

Shampoo groaned heavily, muttering, "Too wordy. Seven."

Ukyou sat up slowly, and shook her head, eyeing Akane. "Good duration, excellent form. Eight."

The pigtailed man before them hung his head, then snapped, "I swear... this is a battle, not a joke."

The okonomiyaki chef shrugged, looking away. "Okay, maybe humor wasn't what we needed. But... Akane said something important there. You should be thinking about it."

Ranma jerked his attention back to Akane. "Oh," he said belatedly. "Um..." Pausing for a moment to collect his thoughts, he ventured, "I don't know what I would do without you, Akane. You mean everything to me. Everything." The intensity in his eyes warmed Akane all over again.

Shampoo snorted, "Men."

Ukyou loosed a guffaw, then calmed herself, saying, "We're there. Everyone ready?"

Ranma jerked back to his feet, instantly the warrior again, and Akane found herself in his arms. Her warrior, then. In a terse voice, he mumbled, "Figures that Ryu told you... Okay, let's go."

The three leapt as one, Akane clinging to Ranma again, off the side of the train and into dry scrub. Ryu was waiting for them, an apprehensive look in his face. He schooled his features as the others approached, slowing slightly.

Congregating for a brief moment, around Ryu, they stood in a semi-circle. Akane was set down, as Ranma surveyed the area. A flat, fairly nondescript earthen field, with the occasional scrub or brush poking up. There was a thinly wooded patch to one side, separating the field from the train tracks, and further away, opposite the tracks, a low stone wall.

Ranma looked around, then nodded. "They're going to wait a few minutes to catch their breath, then they'll be coming. Shampoo, Ucchan... be careful." The pair nodded, and drew their respective weapons. He frowned, briefly, then shook his head. "The flunkies have probably been training too, so..." He glanced to Ryu before continuing. "I have the pocket mirror if things get too dicey, but I'm not sure if it'll hold Herb. Akane... be very careful, and stay behind Ryu. He's going to take care of Ryouga."

Akane blinked, as Ranma turned away to study the line of trees again. She felt something being pressed into her hands and looked up, startled. Ukyou had a no-nonsense expression, and was handing one of the smaller throwing spatulas towards her. Akane snatched it after a moment, and hid it in a pocket thoughtfully. Ukyou gave an approving nod, then peered ahead to look at Ranma again.

Ranma nodded to himself. "I'll take care of Herb." Shaking his head, he turned back to the others, "Okay, everyone get ready."

Ranma stepped forward, and Akane moved to follow, but was halted by Ryu. He shook his head grimly, remarking, "Keep your cool, girl. There's too much riding on this battle..." Akane shrank back, worried, as Ryu snapped his cloth around him, like a thick belt. "Just have faith in Ranma, and keep your cool, okay?"

Shampoo and Ukyou spread out, about twenty feet to either side. The amazon twirled a bonbori experimentally, then asked, "How close, Ranma?"

Ranma shifted his stance, his cloth flung over one shoulder and blowing back against him in the breeze. After a moment, he shook his head. "Right now."

Four figures emerged from the trees simultaneously. Akane's eyes took them in and tried to assess how much of a threat each one was. There was a small boy with an odd sword, and wolf-like ears, and a large young man -- but not quite a man -- to his side, with cat-like eyes, and tufted tiger's ears. Between those two strode the imperious seeming Prince of the Musk, in dragon-scale armor. His face was a mask of barely constrained rage, as he stared at Ranma.

Herb growled low in his throat and it carried -- a deep, grating sound -- across the field, though it was directed towards the fourth figure. "Extract what vengeance you can from my leavings, commoner."

Ranma spared a single glance for the fourth figure, then focused on Herb. "We begin." And with that, the battle was joined. Ranma and Herb disappeared almost instantly, Ranma with his cloth, and Herb into the trees, to try and thwart Ranma's techniques.

Ryu studied his opponent, while watching Ukyou out of the corner of his eyes. Lime and Mint charged towards Akane, only to be intercepted by the other girls.

But beyond that, the din of battle, the knowledge that Ranma, was... there... somewhere, fighting Herb... Akane's attention was drawn to him. Ryouga.

He stood there, looking disheveled, and worn, and he stared at Akane... with a sense of joy radiating from him, and that smile that she loved. Akane shuddered violently, and resisted the urge to step away. She did not love Ryouga. She loved Ranma. But... there was a drawing in Akane's heart, an urge to be with Ryouga, not... Akane shook her head again, fighting back the impulse to run to the lost boy. She did not love him... she did not... not... She loved Ranma. Gasping, she wrapped her arms around herself. "W... what's going on?"

Ryu's attention darted around, and he responded to a signal that Akane couldn't discern. Ranma appeared, seeming to fly out of no-where, with Herb in pursuit. Ranma landed lightly, did a half-cartwheel, and grabbed Herb's leg between his ankles.

Herb shouted, and twisted around, flinging Ranma directly towards Ryu. The fatigue-clad boy threw out a rope, and Ranma caught it, yanking on it as hard as he could. Ryu flipped into the air, passing inches above Ranma as the pigtailed martial artist somersaulted to land near Akane.

Ryu picked up where Ranma left off, battling with Herb, while Ranma removed both the seal and the compact from his pocket. The blood drained from Akane's face as she saw the seal, which was fraying as she watched, more and more strands breaking, curling away to fall to the ground. "Ranma..." she quavered.

Ranma shook his head, and held out the compact. "Akane, look into the mirror. And... I love you, Akane-chan. I'm sorry."

Akane looked into the mirror, seeing only her reflection, as she murmured, "I love you Ryo... Ranma..."

***

Ryouga approached, looking irate and worried. "I won, Ranma. Give Akane back to me."

Ranma surveyed the surroundings. Herb had been beaten back by his strength and skill, combined with Ryu's. Mint and Lime would have won, but Ryu's intervention had saved them. And for all that...

Ranma stared at his hands, marveling at the way the trembled as he held them up. He had planned... fought... trained... lived... for one thing, and one thing only. And he had lost it?

There was the koi rod, Ryouga must have had that, but... "What if I simply break every bone in your body and take the rod back, Ryouga?"

The bandana-clad boy shook his head, looking worried and apprehensive. "The magic becomes permanent after a week. You lost, Saotome. Give me back my Akane."

Ranma's eyes dulled, as he considered. Was it merely the rod's presence that had destroyed the seal, or Ryouga's? He stared at Ryouga, considering. Ryu was leaning heavily on Ukyou behind him, and Shampoo was nursing a few wounds of her own... but they couldn't stop Ranma from... from... anything, really. They probably wouldn't, either.

Ryouga shook his head again, seeming to have already read Ranma's thoughts. "Then she dies with me, Saotome." The lost boy fidgeted uncomfortably, waiting for Akane to be returned to him.

***

There was an endless array of mirrors before Akane, surrounding her on all sides. She could feel her 'self' slipping away, to be replaced with Ryouga's Akane, slowly... eating away at herself, her emotions... her control.

And the blocks on her memories.

Her eyes widened in shock, as the final memories became clear.

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

Akane couldn't believe it. It made sense... she had had suspicions... but she had hoped... somehow...

She swallowed, and looked up at Kasumi, eyes large and vulnerable. "I'm..."

Kasumi sighed, giving Akane a comforting hug. "Now... come on, Little Sister. We've gotten this far. We've got a seal on the spell, so you have control back... this is just a little thing. I don't... I don't think Ranma will be upset, even."

Akane shook her head numbly, staring at the papers in front of her. Of course she was suspicious. She had even told Ryouga, before she had the seal and the wards. But... she was... "Pregnant."

Her elder sister sighed, enfolding her in an embrace. "Don't worry, Akane. I'm certain things will work out."

Akane nodded slowly, planning on solving one problem for Ranma. And herself. And her family's honor.

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

Akane's eyes opened again, as she remembered what Ukyou had given her before it began. She fumbled in one pocket, already feeling her control slip. The spatula had a sharp edge... it would be enough.

Ranma deserved that... to be free, at least, and know that it was on her own terms. Ryouga deserved nothing, and she would leave him with just that.

Her hand closed around the article, and she pulled it out of the pocket, the sensation of heaviness in her limbs not unlike the nearness of sleep.

She had to hurry... time was running short, and it was getting... to be... so easy... to... let go of her... control...

***

Ranma nodded once. "I'll let Akane-chan out then. And she'll make her own choice."

Ryouga smiled hopefully, showing his fangs. "Of course. So give her to me."

"Akane-chan is not a possession, Ryouga. She is not yours, she is her own." Ranma's voice carried subtle threats in it that could not be mistaken. Ryouga shrugged off the glowers from Ranma's allies, confident that Akane would be restored to him.

Taking a fatalistic breath, Ranma opened the mirror and tapped it, invoking the release spell.

In a swirl of light and color, Akane was sitting on the ground, looking at her surroundings with a stunned expression. She climbed to her feet slowly, dropping a sharp edged throwing spatula.

She studied Ranma for a moment, while an emotion that may have been regret washed over her face for a moment, before she smiled sadly and turned away.

Her choice was made, and she turned to face Ryouga.

Ranma screwed his eyes shut. Not like this. He hadn't wanted it to come to this. He released a strangled sob, "I'm sorry... I'm sorry, Akane-chan."

Ryouga laughed in relief, smiling joyously, "Come on, Akane. Let's get out of here." He turned away confidently, ready to leave.

"No."

Ryouga's smile faded. Akane was not supposed to disagree with him. He whirled to stare at her, confused, and wondering why she was simply standing still. Finding his voice, he asked, "What?"

Akane stared at the bandana-clad boy in front of her the same way someone might have looked at a bug that she was about to step on. "I said, 'no'."

Ryouga's jaw dropped, while Ranma gestured his allies back. Stricken, the lost boy pleaded, "What do you mean, 'no'? Don't you love me?" In the background, Shampoo gasped, then began urging the others to flee.

With a scowl, Akane responded, "I hate you." Her voice carried absolute conviction in it, and nothing else.

Ryouga's face fell in shock. How could this be? He'd had her! He'd had her! "What... what about our child?"

Akane stared down at herself, considering, then raised her eyes to meet Ryouga's. Her voice was thick with malice, trembling with a near loss of control. "I hate it almost as much as I hate you... but it adds to the hate I feel for you..."

Ryouga collapsed to his knees, stunned. "What... what about... You said you loved me!" he whimpered. "You always said..."

Hate. It echoed through her, like the depression had earlier, but stronger -- oh, so much more sweetly powerful. The taint of it flowed through her, came to her easily, as she gathered her essence, her ki, into one force, a single burst... and then... to name it. Her voice came across as a whisper, "Akuma doki dan."

Ryouga's eyes widened as a blast of compressed air slammed into him, knocking him to the ground. He groaned weakly, feeling pain blossom throughout his body that even the breaking point training couldn't compensate for. As he dazedly regained his feet, he saw her hands, wreathed in a nacreous black and red glow, like some horribly infected wound. The air about her seemed to ooze hate and malice.

He could only stare miserably, as Akane grinned down at him, channeling her rage into a physical force... showing what she truly _did_ feel.

Ryouga was left with only one choice, and he took it. Akane hated him. After all he'd done, all they'd had... she hated him. He felt the depression that she had banished in their time together return full-force. He had nothing to live for; she hated him.

And he didn't want to live, either. He built up his, ki, climbing to his knees and staying there. There was no reason stand on his feet, there was no room for pride, only depression. The fact that Ranma would be left with nothing wasn't any satisfaction to him anymore. He felt it build, rising, flowing through him like a thick corrugated steel cable, tearing him apart in it's rush to pool in his ki reserves...

He realized than that his ki reserves weren't even very great, compared to what he had seen, and threw more dejection into the mix. Failure. Hated. Loser.

Akane studied him, contempt apparent on her face, and began to build a charge to counter his own. She hated him. It was an absolute thing. The koi rod left room for nothing other than love, pure or otherwise, everything was removed to make room for love, an obsessive love... and she could feel nothing else.

Except for the box that Ranma had left her with.

But Ranma was nothing to her, now. There might have been, once... but there was room for nothing but hate, now. Ryouga was destroying his ki slowly, burning into a single charge, making himself a vessel of depression as he stared at her.

She sneered, already being a vessel of hate, and two overlapping columns of ki began to build. An angry red, and a sickly green, both mottled through with writhing black strands, seeming indistinct, but slowly building.

Ryouga's shishi houkodan built, the heavy ki coalescing above, while Akane's hot, angry ki built from somewhere beneath the ground. Staring at Akane with already dead eyes, Ryouga said, "I guess we both lost."

The earth begin to crack and heave near the pair, as a malevolent red glow rose to meet the diseased green, both massive with pure, unbridled emotion.

But it wasn't enough for Akane. She focused, pouring herself, her ki... _everything_ out, and into this one, final blast, throwing everything into it, until she was empty. The small voice in the back of her head said that this was for the best, all things considered. And she agreed.

She felt a brief surge of blood and bile rise in the back of her throat, and fell to the ground, still channeling herself into the technique, and spat.

Akane sneered, and released her cry at the same time as Ryouga. "Perfect akuma doki dan!" and "Perfect shishi houkodan!"

There was a moment of pure silence, and then the simultaneous noise of rending flesh and cracking stone, power tearing through her and destroying her unborn child in one final burst of spite. Then another moment of charged silence, as the color of the ki intensified, and two forces of pure emotion met.

***

Ukyou's eyes widened in terror, as the two forces clashed with cataclysmic violence, spraying up dirt and rocks in a blinding wave. Ryu snapped his cloth out, shielding both her and the amazon, while Ranma dashed into the center of the storm.

He swirled his cloth about him, his own aura flaring out brightly in an attempt to stave off the affects of the other two. The actinic blue held its own against the malevolent red and sickly green, seemingly impervious... but the sinister blackness began to approach, tainting his ki as he charged, until he found her.

Her eyes were glassy, as a bloody stain on her chest expanded slowly. The koi mark.

Ranma wasted no time, gathering her up in his arms and charging free of the final orgy of destructive forces.

Earth, stone, and tainted ki exploded, sending bright streamers of color and energy forth, and leaving nothing but a vast crater. Ranma spared no attention for the sight, instead looking down at Akane's chest. Beneath the stained cloth of her shirt, the mark had been torn off, leaving a wide, bloody gouge, and there were further wounds marking her stomach.

Ranma hung his head, and closed Akane's eyes, as she coughed, and began breathing quietly. He carefully collected Akane in his arms, and rose to his feet.

Clutching her to his chest, he surveyed the battlefield. Herb would think twice about attacking in the face of what had happened here. He frowned, eyeing the vast crater for a moment, then turned his back and began marching away.

Shampoo called back to him, "Ranma! What... what about Ryouga?"

Ranma shook his head, not looking at the smoking depths of the crater. "I don't care. He's not worth Akane-chan. If he's still alive."

Akane shifted slightly, and whimpered, "Ran... ma..." That done, she collapsed back into Ranma's arms bonelessly.

Ukyou sighed, shaking her head, as Ryu limped around, testing his leg. The okonomiyaki chef looked after Ranma as he strode towards the city. "I guess it's over. We won?"

Shampoo considered for a moment, then nodded. "I think Akane won, really. But... it's over. Herb isn't stupid enough to mess with Ranma after this. Ryu beat him just as bad as Ranma did."

Ryu grimaced, deciding his leg was well enough for the time being. "Yeah, I know. I'm just too much of a bad-ass for him to mess with, right?"

Ukyou sighed, and Shampoo just rolled her eyes, saying, "Let's just go home."

Ryu paused for a moment, peering into the crater before they caught up with Ranma, and shook his head sadly. Ryouga wouldn't be bothering anyone, now.

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

Akane stared at the box in her hands. Not... not the spatula. She had reached into the wrong pocket after all. She opened the box with trembling hands, wrestling for control with each movement. There it was. A jeweled pin.

She gasped, recognizing it, and slowly losing what remained of her control. She began to slide, and fought back desperately.

She needed to wear the pin.

She grabbed it in one trembling hand, and slowly raised it to her chest. It was already unhinged, only needed to be pushed through the cloth, but her hand refused to cooperate.

Why?

She needed to wear the pin... because it would turn love to hate... it would let her...

Why? She loved Ryouga. She didn't love Ranma...

She needed it... to hate... Ranma... yes, that was it.

Why?

Because Ryouga hated Ranma, and she loved Ryouga... she needed to wear it to prove her love for him.

Of course.

Her hand slowly began to rise, then quickened its pace, and pinned the jewel to her shirt.

There was a moment of confusion as magically forced emotion meshed seamlessly with true emotion. She didn't love Ryouga. She hated him. She loved... she loved... she used to love Ranma. But now... through all the koi rod's magic, and through the reversal jewel... even then, she still wanted Ranma to be happy.

There was no logical reason for her to wish Ranma to be happy, but even beyond her hate for Ryouga, she felt a sad, silent wish that... somehow... Ranma could be happy.

Placing the box back in her pocket, she grabbed onto the spatula, and considered. What could she do to Ryouga? And would it make Ranma happy?