Everything contained within is copyrighted to someone else.  Any 
comments would be greatly appreciated.  Should I continue the story or 
end it now?  This story is coming to you via the good graces of Mr. 
Lawson as I am unable to post it properly.  Please send all C&C to the 
FFML or to Ranchan@mail.accent.net.

Ran-chan

************************************************************************Lucas "RANCHAN" Muzzatti
Science student at U of T     LONG LIVE RYOGA HIBIKI!!!
ranchan@mail.accent.net
                 
                 Member of the Church of Ryoga:
   Protector of Akane while Ryouga's Lost and Ranma's not Around

     "If you killed me right now I'd die a happy man." Ryouga Hibiki
************************************************************************
___________________________________________________________________


P-P-Pchan production proudly presents...

Lost Love:
A Ranma 1/2 story.
by Lucas Muzzatti

"I love you Akane."  Four simple words, but said with sincerity.  Why
had he denied her those words?  For that matter why had he denied them
to himself?  He had always loved her.  Sure she had her rough spots, she
had a hair trigger temper, was always hitting him and was so jealous it
hurt, yet through all that he still loved her.  But now she would never
hear those words...because Akane Tendo was dead.  She was dead and he
could find no-one else to blame but himself.  He looked at the picture f
Akane again and then held it tightly to his chest.  It happened five 
years ago today, June 3rd.

As she had done so many times before Akane ran off on another of her
fool errands.  She just up and left, leaving only a note saying that she
would be home shortly and for the family to not worry.  As always Soun
and Genma had shoed him out the door to find her.  "It is your duty as
her fiancee." they had said.  So off he went, grumbling all the way
along about how she was so stupid and look at all the trouble she was
making him go through.  When he finally caught up to her Akane was very
angry at being followed, but saw that there was nothing she could do.

She explained that a village had called the dojo asking for help.  There
was a creature that was causing havoc in their town.  He had laughed at
her, laughed at her story.  Later when they came face to face with the
monster Ranma was no longer laughing.  It had been a huge thing.  They
confronted it and the battle had been long and hard.  Both Ranma and
Akane were badly hurt, still they continued on unabated.

Finally Akane made the mistake of getting too close to the creature.
It grabbed her and tossed her into a nearby pond.  Ranma dove in after
her.  She knew Akane could not swim and that she had to save her.  Just
as she reached Akane and was about to grab her hand she was pulled away
by the creature.  Ranma fought desperately to free herself from the 
monster's grip the whole time Akane calling her name begging her to 
help.

It was then that Akane sank below the surface.

For the first time in her life Ranma felt true fear.  She mustered up 
enough strength and broke free of the monsters grip and dove underwater 
after Akane.  Again just as she was about to grab Akane's hand she was 
grabbed from behind by the creature.  And she was held there, mere 
inches from being able to grab her fiancee's hand.  Whenever one of them 
would lunge for the other the reature would pull her back just far 
enough that neither could not grab hold.

Ranma could feel her lungs burning for air and knew that Akane must need
air even more.  She was panicking now, she could not reach Akane nor 
could she break free of the creature.

Akane must have seen this fear in Ranma's eyes because hers softened.  
Ranma saw a look of forgiveness and understanding appear on Akane's face 
and knew this was the end.  Just then Akane succumbed to the maddening 
urge to breath, exhaling all the air that remained in her lungs and 
taking in a lungful of water.  It was then that the light went out of 
her eyes for the last time.  Akane became still and began to sink.

Ranma screamed.  Had they been on dry land the scream would have been so
intense that it could have toppled mountains.  She fought the monster's
grip even harder now.  The creature effortlessly dragged her to the
surface and threw her onto dry land.  Then, it laughed.  A long mocking
laugh.  Mocking the sorrow she now felt.  And then it was gone.

Without thinking she dove into the water again.  There was still a 
chance, wasn't there?  People had been revived after being under water 
for some time hadn't they?  It took her a while but she finally found 
Akane's body and brought it to the surface.  Ranma did everything in her 
power to revive Akane.  After some time she gave up hope.

Akane was dead.

The mere acceptance of this drove her into hysterics, and before she was
through she had laid waste to everything around her.  Ranma was spent.  
But she knew what she had to do.  She had to take Akane home...for the 
last time.  The last action that she performed before beginning her 
return trip was to boil water so that she could change back to a boy.

The trip back to the Tendo dojo was the most difficult he had ever 
taken. He carried Akane's body with him the whole way stopping neither 
to rest nor eat.  He ignored the looks he got from the people he passed. 
The trip could have taken days.  Weeks.  Hours.  Ranma didn't know.  
Ranma didn't care.

When he arrived back at the dojo he went straight to the backyard.  He
stopped before the patio holding tightly onto Akane's still form.  
Soun and Genma looked ecstatic.  Finally their children were home and 
it seemed that they had grown closer.  Then they saw the look in his 
eyes and they knew.  Kasumi dropped the plate that she had been holding, 
Nabiki and Genma stared slack jawed and Soun began to wail.

At that Ranma fell to his knees and began to sob.  He began mumbling
that it was all his fault and that he had dishonored the family, he 
should have saved her, he loved her.  He pounded his fists on the ground 
and cried.  The Tendo's continued to look on in shock.  What had 
happened had yet to sink in.

At that moment a familiar figure came out into the yard "Kasumi, did
someone drop a plate?" it was Ryouga.  He walked onto the patio and 
suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.  He saw the collective looks of 
sorrow on the faces of the inhabitants of the dojo.  Then he saw Akane. 
His heart shattered.

The next person he saw was Ranma.  The rage that grew in Ryouga was
unparalleled and he launched himself at his friend/foe.  He was 
surprised when Ranma made no move to defend himself but did not think 
on it long.  If Ranma wasn't going to fight back all the better.  
"Ranma, I'm going to kill you!!!"  In all the times he had said it 
before he had never really meant it, but now was different, now Ranma 
deserved to die.

He unleashed a fury of attacks on Ranma that left him bruised and 
battered. On several occasions one could hear Ranma's bones breaking.  
Every time Ranma was knocked down he would simply get back up to take 
more of a beating.

Finally when Ranma was unable to stand Ryouga prepared to strike the 
killing blow.  "Ranma," he said in a menacing tone, "now at the end of 
your life there is one thing I would like to know.  Why won't you fight 
back?  Why won't you fight for your life?"

"I don't deserve to live."  Ranma said it in such a resigned tone one 
would think he was asking Ryouga to finish the job.  He began to cry.  
Ryouga was shocked.  "I failed Akane, I couldn't save her!  She was 
right there and I couldn't do a damn thing.  It's my fault that
she's dead.  I should be dead not her.  Ryouga...I loved her."  Ryouga 
was shocked doubly. <He loved her?  B-b-but that would mean...>  His 
train of thought was again broken as Ranma spoke. The tone was 
unmistakable, he was begging. "Ryouga...please finish the job."

Ryouga fell back, a look of pure shock on his face.  He was actually 
begging Ryouga to kill him.  Ryouga faltered, his hatred leaked away to
be replaced with the most heartfelt pity.  It was then that he knew.  
Knew that Ranma had done all that he could.  This realization was hard 
for him.  Ryouga was confused and heartbroken, he lept from the yard 
and ran off, unable to face Ranma any longer.  Unable to face what he 
had almost done.

The next few days went by slowly and painfully.  Ranma had been 
admitted to Dr. Tofu's clinic and was recovering from his wounds.