I'm usually not much if a C-C'er, usually by the time Ive reformatted a
story so that I can read it and then actually get it read so much time
has passed that I am embarrassed to comment ("uh, I finally finished
that story that you wrote last quarter and...").  But fate shone on me
with an easy reformatting and a chunk o' free time and this story was
one that I just had to say something.

first "sniff, sniff, wahhhhh!" Maybe the happy ending fluff Ive been
writing to try to keep food on the table has softened me (naaahhh), but
this story really hurt (in that good dark fiction way).  It strted out
in a way that raised concern and curiosity (suck 'em in at the start and
don't let go), moved into a brief bit of hopeful seeming events (maybe,
just maybe, it'll all work out), then pulls the reader down into the
death spiral right along with Ranma and Akane.  Well done!

The only proble I had was that I had trouble buying the pathology of the
cycle that led to the end. It seems like a bit of a stretch to me.
However, the fact is that this didn't matter one whit.  My over
analytical mind wasn't able to come up with this until _after_ I read
the fic. Honestly, it is a mark of how much this fic stikes emotionally
that it left me grasping around for all the readons why this... this...
travesty cannot be! If I was able to say "well this was realistic and
that was unrealistic, oh well" and then go on to the next fic without a
glance, then this fic would not be doing its job, so to speak, as a
darkfic.  

I hate what happens, I don;t wan;t to read on to what I know is coming,
but I can't help it. I want to tell Kodachi and Tatewaki that Zen is
keeping Ranma and the Pigtailled Goddess prisoner in his closet and
smile as they wreak my vengeance.  And that effect is why this story is
one of the best darkfics I've read to date, Now, if you'll excuse me,
I'm off in search of "happy happy joy joy" stories to aid in my
recovery.

Thanks for the great story Zen!

C-chan