Ranma 1/2:  Dreams and Realities; Part 3--**Awakenings**
By:  Numbski
Last Updated:  12/15/96
 
Legal Stuff:  All these characters were created by Rumiko Takahashi and I
therefore take no credit for them.  All I did was place a hypothetical
situation upon them.
 
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Ranma slowly opened his eyes from the sleep he had been in since...

<Since what?  What the heck happened?>  He looked around and found himself
in a very sterile environment, white seemed to be the predominant theme
surrounding him.  "Where am I?"  He tried to sit up in his bed to get a
better look, but he was brought back down by the pain that shot up through
his back.  Indeed, what had happened?

*******

Ranma and Akane walked up the stairs arm in arm.  Akane was in his arms,
shaking rather violently from the careening emotions she was feeling.  Why
hadn't either of them come forward and told her the truth?  Now she had
slept with...with....HIM in her bed all this time.  The thought absolutely
disgusted her.  She hated him now.  She also had Ranma to blame as well,
but for some reason she couldn't bring herself to do it, not right now.
She looked down and at the ring on her left hand and back up at the one
that had given it to her.

The two walked into Akane's room.  The sun had gone down by now, the
bright moonlight illuminated the room enough that neither of them cared
enough to turn the lights on.  They sat down on the floor in each other
arms.  Akane was leaning on Ranma's shoulder, trying to steady herself.
This was all too much for her to bear right now.  She finally gathered up
her emotions enough to attempt speaking.

"Ranma....why?"  She feebly attempted to keep from breaking down in tears.
"Why didn't you tell me P-chan was..."  She finally couldn't take it
anymore.  The tears came down worse than a tsunami now.  Ranma held her in
his arms and didn't dare let go.  He finally had her, and now he wouldn't
let anything tear them apart.

"Because it was my, it was my fault.  Ryouga chased Pop and I to
Jusenkeyo.  I was pissed off at Pop for dragging me out there. Ryouga got
in the way of me kicking Pop, so I knocked him out of the way."  He was
trying hard himself not to fall into tears.  He had kept this from her for
so long, he wasn't sure if he could take it himself anymore.

"That still doesn't mean you couldn't have told me."  She was still
crying, this sharp remark came from the absolute bitterness she was
feeling.  Ranma and Ryouga had dishonored her and made a fool out of her.
She was so embarassed.  There were so many times she had dressed in front
of P-chan, or told him things that she told no one else.  Now she knew the
truth.

"I was bound by my stupid honor Akane.  I didn't like it.  You saw how
much I abused P-chan and how much I tried to keep him away from you.  Now
you understand why I acted the way I did."  He to had now broken down into
tears.  They embraced each other tightly.  Neither of them wanted to let
go of the other.

"Akane, I love you.  Please Forgive me..."  He was trying so hard to
regain his composure.  Men didn't cry, this was no way for him to be
acting, but he couldn't help himself.  The tears continued to come.

She looked up at him and managed to force a weak smile at him.  "Baka..."
She leaned over and kissed him tenderly on the lips.  She was still bitter
about the whole situation, but she was starting to feel close to Ranma for
the first time, and that emotion was taking priority over all others at
the moment.

"Kawaiikunee iianazuke..."  He leaned over and returned the kiss, enjoying
the feeling that the emptiness he had been feeling for so long was finally
being filled.  The two kissed for a long time, enjoying each other's
company more than anything.

The two jumped apart startled at a knock that came from the door.

"Hey sis, can I talk to ya for a sec?"  It was Nabiki.  Leave it to her to
interupt a sensitive moment.

"Uh, could you wait a minute Nabiki, I..."  She was cut off by a yell from
downstairs.

Suddenly, everything around them began to crash and burn....

*******

<Whoa.>  Ranma thought to himself as he lay there in bed.  Things were
starting to come back to him.  The blast, where had it come from, and why?
The ceiling had caved in on top of them, but for the life of him he
couldn't piece it together.  

His head was bandaged, and he had inumerous wires and tubes running from
him.  Finally, someone would be able to answer his questions.  A nurse
walked in to check on him, seeming somewhat startled to see him awake.

"Mr. Saotome, how are you feeling?"  She tryed to look as normal as
possible to hide her surprise to see him conscious.

"Well, everytime I try to sit up my back starts to kill me, but other than
that I feel okay."  He was somewhat confused, mostly from his abrupt
awakening, also from being called Mr. Saotome.  That wasn't normal.
"Where am I?"

"You're at Tokyo General Hospital, and have been for the last 2 days."
She looked at him thoughtfully.  "Hold on a moment so I can call a doctor
in to speak with you."  She walked over to an intercom and spoke into it,
Ranma not listening carefully enough to hear what was being said.  When
she was finished she walked back over to his bedside, checking his blood
pressure and doing some other routine checks.

"Do you happen to know what happened to me?  I'm not really sure I
remember right."  He looked hopefully up at the nurse tending to him.  

"I really don't know much.  You came in from a massive explosion that
occurred in the Nerima district.  It originated at the Tendi residence.
We don't know what happened."

"Tendo.  Was the house destroyed?"  He was starting to feel a coldness
come over his body.  A thought had come to him that scared him so much
that he began shaking.

"What about Akane?  Akane Tendo?"  He held his breath waiting for a
response.  He realized that he had just rapidly blurted out a slur of
questions.

"Well, I don't know about the house, but Akane and Nabiki Tendo are right
across the hall.  They are both unconscious yet, and in critical but
stable condition.  It looks like they are both going to make it, but you
are the first to awaken."

The cold feeling continued up his body.  Finally, just as the doctor and
someone that looked like they were in a police officer's uniform walked
into the room, he slipped back into unconsciousness, satisfied that Akane
was safe, or at least as safe as he was.

*******