The Ferret Farm BBs
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Ranma 1/2:  Acceptance


Produced by: Horde O' Hentai Productions, Literature Division
     Darren Demaine: Chairman of the Horde, President for Life
               (chance of parole in 20 years)
     Lee (Grey Wolf): Pun Minister, Guy we rub for luck
     Rob (Barbarian): P.U. officer, Breath weapon specialist
     Craig (Dr. Ruminhui): Minister without parole
Planned by: Darren Demaine (who doesn't get out nearly enough)
Written by: Darren Demaine (yes, him again)
People who actually have the right to sue me over using these
characters: Takahashi Rumiko-megamisama, Pony Canyon, Sohnen Sunday,
Shogakukun, Viz Communications.
------------------------------

     From dark, billowing clouds that obscured the sky overhead,
torrents of rain fell upon the two figures that struggled forward. 
The lights of the street lamps tried vainly to bring any glow to the
bright red hair of the shorter figure.  Dressed in a white martial
arts gi, and bowed under the weight of an enormous backpack over her
shoulders, the girl was wet, cold, miserable, and angry with her
companion.
     "Baka!  You should have checked the weather forecast before we
left on this damn training trip!  A week in the mountains getting
rained on the whole time is no damn fun Oyaji!"
     Beside her the large, soaked panda growled something and
rummaged around in its own backpack for a moment.  From it the panda
pulled out a large wooden sign and held it up so the girl could read
it through the driving rain.  [Suffering brings growth!]
     "This curse makes me suffer, so how come I _lose_ about a foot
in height!?"  Ranma-chan grilled her father, too miserable to bother
and see if he responded.  Since her first visit to China, Ranma had
formed a serious dislike of rain showers.  Today's was especially
bad, with the heavens pouring a torrent of unending, icy cold water
down upon her.  Each droplet hit with the feeling of a miniature
hailstone and her over-large gi, the one that fit her male body so
perfectly, left folds in the opening that allowed rivers of water to
get inside and run frosty streams against her skin.  In the distance,
the flickering glow and rumble of approaching lightning and thunder
could be picked out.
     Right now, Ranma was feeling really rotten; a week with the old
man, by themselves training in the lost reaches of Japan and being
rained on the whole time had taken their toll on her. As far as Ranma
was concerned, the whole thing was just another attempt by her father
to get away from Happosai for a week.  Either that or some bill had
come due and the old man had decided to sneak away till the heat died
down.
     It was odd, she thought, shivering as the rain continued down on
them.  Before, she'd always liked the training trips with her father:
it was the only kind of life she'd ever known. However, since
arriving at the Tendo's the trips had become less and less frequent. 
At first, Ranma had to get used to living in one place for a long
period of time, but as time passed she found that she wasn't missing
the trips.  It wasn't like she ever had time to.  For all the trouble
that happened at the dojo, Ranma had to admit it never had been
boring.
     Not boring, she amended, hunching her shoulders against the cold
rain, but not always fun.  Like this 'working vacation' Genma had
dragged her off on; at first she'd been glad to get out of town for
a few days.  A change of scenery was always nice, at least for a
little while, and she'd looked forward to some stress-free training. 
Especially since Akane had been ticked off with her for some reason. 
Ranma couldn't even remember what it was she'd done that had set her
iinazuke off this time.  Whatever it was, it had made leaving the
house an attractive option.  In fact, Akane had sent her off on her
trip with a good boot to the butt.
     But then the rain had set in and Genma had spent most of his
time trying to sneak food away from the locals in the region.  The
only training they'd gotten done was when Ranma had attacked her
father just for him being himself.  That had kept them busy for a few
days, however the rain had only increased and they'd gotten colder
and more miserable.  Finally, after his panda form had nearly gotten
washed away in a flash flood, Genma had decided that it was time to
go back.
     Whatever the reason, Ranma was glad to be heading home.  The
cold was getting to her and she missed some good home cooked meals,
rather then the stuff her father managed to steal. As well, she kind
of missed seeing her mother.  Having Nodoka around was a new
experience, but despite not having known her mother for years, Ranma
was discovering the woman to be someone she was growing to care for
quite a bit.  In just the week she'd been out training, Ranma had
started to feel the separation; and knowing that Nodoka had been all
but abandoned by her husband and son for years made Ranma feel
guilty.
     Turning the final corner, the two drenched travelers started to
trudge in the shadows cast by the dojo's outer wall.  The
white-washed stone was muted into a depressing gray by the gloomy
clouds overhead and the harshly beating rain, but Ranma still felt
her spirits spark up a bit upon seeing them.  It would be good to get
away from Oyaji and see her mother.  With a little luck, she could
convince Kasumi to make seconds for tonight's dinner; that along made
coming home attractive.  Heck, Ranma was even looking forwards to
seeing someone else as well...
     Under the continuing assault by the falling rain, Ranma-chan
forced one of the wooden gates slightly open.  Slipping in, she
deliberately left the opening too small for the panda.  While her
father struggled to get his bulk through the small crack, Ranma
looked up at the place she had admitted to herself was starting to
feel like...'home.'
     It was dark.  Rain drove hard against the building, covering the
whole thing in a sheet of water that obscured sight beyond a few
feet.  From what Ranma could see, the front lights were off while the
upstairs windows were blank and empty.  There might have been lights
on in the back of the building, but she couldn't see that far through
the crashing rain.  It was odd that the house would be dark this time
of night: Kasumi usually kept the whole place warmly lit, and it
would be unusual for all the six remaining people to be out at once. 
Instead, the whole place seemed to emanate a chill.
     The wind drove a particularly cold sheet of water against her
numb skin and Ranma would have shrugged if she hadn't been busy
shivering.  The weather easily banished such thoughts when they were
compared to how nice it would be inside.  Stepping up to the front
porch, her fingers shook as she groped for her keys and thrust them
at the lock.  After an eternal instant of messing with the door she
finally unlatched and shoved it aside, almost getting run over as the
panda tried to follow her in.
     "Taidaima!" Ranma-chan muttered through chattering teeth, glad
to be out of the damn rain.  Her gi still clung to her curvy figure,
making her feel damp, cold, and uncomfortable.  After a moment of
standing there and dripping water over the front entry, Ranma frowned
as she noticed just how dark and quiet everything was.  The stairs to
her right were quickly lost in black shadows as they reached towards
the second floor, and no light spilled from the hall leading into the
main part of the house.
     Ranma glanced suspiciously at her father but he was too busy
shaking himself off to pay any attention to the world around him. 
Turning back to the house, Ranma flipped the lights on and loudly
called out, "Taidaima!!" as she undid her black belt and removed her
soaked top.
     Silence answered them until they heard the sounds of sudden
motion from deep in the house.  Footfalls reached them as someone ran
their way, turning on the lights in the hall as they approached, a
wash of colour added to the room as they did so.  Behind the lights,
Nodoka rounded the corner into the entryway and gazed intently at her
newly arrived family.
     "Thank heavens," she breathed; after a moment rushing forward to
tightly hug her shirtless 'daughter.'  Ranma-chan blinked, not too
sure what to make of her mother's rather emotional reunion.  After an
uncomfortable span of time and silence Ranma tried to say something,
but her mother suddenly released her and stepped back, hands a flurry
of motion as she untied her apron while talking.
     "I'm so glad you're home now.  We've be worried sick that you
wouldn't get back soon.  Now just drop those packs...don't worry
about the floor getting wet.  I'll clean it up later.  Is that what
you're going to wear?  Never mind, it doesn't matter.  Come on now
Ranma, put your shirt back on; it's cold out there and I wouldn't
want you to get a cold when we go out.  Where's my umbrella?"
     "Go out?" Ranma finally found her voice.  She shook her head and
tried to calm her mother down.  "Ofukuro, look; we've just been out
in a storm I wouldn't feel right sending Kuno out in.  I'm cold, I'm
wet, I'm miserable and all I want right now is a warm bath and a hot
meal.  Whatever it is we have to go out for, it can wait."
     Her mother glanced at her, something about the size of her eyes
and the worried expression there giving Ranma pause.  Very quietly,
Nodoka turned to face her son straight on, apron dangling from her
hands.  "I'm afraid not Ranma.  I don't think this is something
you'll want to put off.  It's time we got going."
     "Why?  Where do we have to go?"
     "The hospital."





     The doors slid aside and the Saotome family stepped out of the
elevator, Ranma-kun bringing up the rear.  The hallway was painted in
stark, clinical white that was almost jarring to the eye.  Doctors
and nurses in white, as well as the patients in colourless blues only
reinforced the spartan environment as they walked their rounds or lay
on the wheeled beds placed in the hall.  His red Chinese shirt
disagreeably loud against the surroundings, Ranma walked down the
hall following his parents.  Up ahead, they could see a familiar face
talking to someone.
     Soun looked over as they arrived and nodded to in their
direction but didn't take his attention from the doctor speaking to
him.
     "-so Tendo-san," the doctor continued, not stopping for the new
arrivals.  "All we can do now is keep up the treatment and observe. 
Please don't worry; although we can't be sure about it right now,
we'll do everything we can."
     "Arigato sensei," Soun replied, his voice calm, his words even. 
The doctor nodded to him once, then opened up his clipboard and
started to walk away.  After a moment, Soun turned to great the
newcomers.  "I see they finally came home."
     "Yes.  I brought them as soon as I could, Tendo-san."
     Calmly, Soun nodded to Nodoka.  "Thank you, Oku-san. 
Saotome-kun, Ranma-kun; I'm so glad you've returned."  He reached out
and grasped Genma's hand in a solid handshake.
     "What's going on Tendo-kun?  Is everything alright with
Akane-chan?"
     Soun gestured with his head to the nearby door labeled '4'. 
"Akane's in there right now.  Her sisters are with her."
     "Is she OK?  What's wrong with her?"  Ranma asked suddenly.
     "She's...she's fine right now," Soun replied, turning to look at
the young man.  Despite his own unease, Ranma was surprised to see
just how calm the gaze Soun gave him was.  From his mother's concern
he'd thought something important was happening, but Ojisan was taking
this far too well for it to be anything major.
     Ranma took a slow, deep breath and let it out through his nose. 
<Can't be too serious, but she's still in the hospital.  What's going
on here?>  After a moment of thought, he decided that _this_ probably
was how Soun-ojisan was overreacting to the situation.  Rather then
crying a river, this time he'd sent his little girl off to the
hospital.  <After all, Akane can survive anything.  She's built like
a horse...in more ways then one.>  A small grin crawled its way onto
his face at the thought, but quickly disappeared.
     "Umm...is it OK if I...went and saw her?"
     Soun didn't respond for a moment, then nodded once.  "Nabiki and
Kasumi are in the room with her, but I don't think they'd mind if you
joined them."  Ranma nodded in return and moved off to the room.  He
stepped up to the door and paused for a second; then he rapped his
knuckles against the numeral '4'.  A muffled "Come in," could be
heard, then Ranma pulled the door aside and slipped in.
     Still in the hall, Soun turned and started to walk towards a
series of chairs placed a little ways away.  His forehead creased
with concern, Genma caught up to his friend while his wife fell in
behind the two men.  For a moment Genma struggled to say something.
     "Ah...y-you never said what was wrong with her."
     "No, I didn't," Soun responded, very quietly and very calmly. 
He kept walking.





     Nabiki looked up as Ranma uneasily edged himself through the
door.  His red shirt bright against the austere whiteness of the
walls, he glanced around the room, rather then look at the people
present just yet.
     "Amazing," Nabiki muttered dryly.  "Look who finally returns." 
Beside her, on the bed, she could just catch sight of her younger
sister turning her head to look at the new arrival.
     "Ranma!"
     After a few heartbeats of looking worried, Ranma broke into a
lopsided grin.  "Yo, Akane!  I'm back."
     "Well," Nabiki threw in, more from force of habit then from
anything else.  "if you hadn't told us I don't think we ever would
have guessed."  Both kids looked blank for a moment, then promptly
fell into an uncomfortable silence.  On the other side of the bed,
Kasumi put down the hair brush she'd been holding and stood up.
Seeing this, Nabiki got to her feet as well.
     "Akane-chan," the eldest sister said quietly as she smiled at
the girl in bed, "Nabiki and I are going to go out and get ourselves
a snack.  We'll be back in a few minutes if that's all right with
you."
     "Sure oneechan...and thanks." Akane replied, smiling up at her. 
Kasumi returned the smile and moved around the bed towards the door,
nodding to Ranma as she passed him.  Nabiki reached down and patted
Akane lightly on the shoulder and gave her an encouraging grin. 
Straightening up, she turned and passed by Ranma, giving him a long
once over that made him squirm under the scrutiny.
     Reaching the door, Kasumi held it open for Nabiki then followed
her out.  Just before the door shut, she leaded her head back in. 
"Don't take too long.  You need your rest," she instructed.  Smiling
once more she let go of the door and it closed behind them, making a
quiet but solid and final -thump-.
     After the door closed, she didn't move for a moment; her form
perfectly still.  Then Kasumi took a sharp, sudden breath; one hand
went up to her eyes while the other reached into a pocket and started
searching.  Before the hand could find what it was looking for,
Nabiki reached over and handed her sister a handkerchief.
     Pausing for only the briefest of moments, Kasumi took the
offered piece of cloth and dabbed her eyes lightly.  "Thank you
Nabiki."
     There was a moment of silence, then the other turned away, her
jaw set.  "Just give it back when you're done, oneechan...I still
need it."





     Ranma watched as the door closed behind the two sisters.  Now
alone with Akane, he turned back slowly, his eyes again going over
the little room in detail.  Lacking windows, the chamber was lit by
sharp fluorescent lighting that seemed to amplify the bleakness of
the room.  A single bed occupied the middle of one wall, and a
curtain able to encircle the bed was bunched up in the far corner.
     There was a small panel of buttons, switches, and microphones
above the head of the bed; while beside it stood an IV stand that
held a bag of clear liquid slowly dripping down into a tube.  The
tube snaked its way over to the figure on the bed before disappearing
into her forearm.
     "So, Akane...I...uh...hear you've been having some trouble since
I left."  He tried to throw as much cheer as he could into his voice;
after all, there was no reason to depress her, was there?
     Actually, he was rather shocked at Akane's appearance.  Being a
tomboy had always meant that she was outside a lot doing distinctly
unfeminine things, but he grudgingly admitted that it gave a nice,
vibrant colour to her skin and cheeks.  Now however, it seemed as if
the walls and lights had drained the colours from her features,
leaving her as pale and as white as the place around them.  The only
bright spots on her were her eyes and her dark hair, the latter
carefully brushed and shining as if newly washed.  What startled him
as much as her pale colour was how thin she looked; her face seemed
to have sunk in on itself during his absence.  He was surprised at
just how prominent her cheekbones were in this state.
     "It's nothing really," Akane replied, a small smile returning to
her pale lips as she looked up at him.  Her head was resting against
the fluffed up pillows, and she made no effort to rise from them.
"You know what doctors are like: they found something unusual in a
check up I had just after you left, and they decided to keep me
around to do some tests.  It's really a nuisance.  I mean, how am I
suppose to get in shape for volleyball if I'm stuck in bed?"
     "So...what exactly do they think is wrong with you?" he asked as
he sat down in the seat Nabiki had vacated.
     "Oh, I'm sure it's nothing," she said, bushing the question
aside.  "Tell me, how did your training trip go?"
     "Heh?  Oh that; well, it was OK for the first day or so, but
then it just started to rain all the time.  It's sure no fun being
stuck female out there in the wilds of the countryside."
     "It's raining outside?"
     "What do ya mean 'is it raining outside?'  It's coming down for
days!  How long they been cooping you up in here anyway?"
     Akane glanced down for a moment, the silence broken by the
sounds of an intercom paging a doctor.
     "It's been...five days I guess."
     "Five days?"  Ranma repeated, surprised.  Stunned, he let the
moment drag out into an uncomfortable silence.  "Uh...well...ya know,
for being shut away for that long...you're...you're not...looking too
bad."
     Akane turned her eyes back to him, light sparking from them and
the smile returning to her lips.  "I mean," he continued, getting
flustered and nervous all of a sudden.  "Y-your hair's all...n-nice
and washed...a-and you s-seem really...clean..."  He shut himself up.
     "Kasumi-oneechan gave me a bath today and did my hair for me. 
It was really nice of her to do that; it's been years since she had
to do anything like that, back when we were really young.  Right
after our..."  Akane suddenly cut herself off and licked her lips,
her smile disappearing.
     "Kasumi-san had to do it for you?  Why couldn't you bathe
yourself?"
     Akane gestured weakly to the IV bag on the pole beside her.  "In
order not to upset the...tests...they're running on me, I'm not
allowed any solid food.  I've been on this for the last few days and
believe me, it doesn't do anything for keeping your strength up."
     The ball now firmly in his court, Ranma struggled for anything
to say.  He shifted uneasily in his seat, and tried to resist the
urge to fidget.  "So...when are you suppose to be out of this dump?"
     Akane's eyes fell from his face for a moment, then returned to
meet his gaze.  "I'm sure it'll be soon.  They can't keep me here
forever."
     "Who'd want you anyway," Ranma replied, trying a very small grin
in her direction.  Fortunately for him, Akane returned it.
     "Just you wait, before the week is out, I'll be back in the dojo
kicking your butt."
     "Ha!  As if you ever could!"
     "I'm not kidding Ranma, I'll come out of this a whole new
person."
     "Well that's good, the old one didn't know how to act feminine
if her life depended on it."  As the words slipped out, Ranma
grimaced.  Akane's face closed in on itself and she turned away from
him.
     Struggling to say something, Ranma didn't notice the door had
opened until he felt a hand on his shoulder.  Looking around he saw
a nurse standing behind him.
     "I'm sorry, but it's time for her treatment.  I'm afraid you'll
have to leave."
     Ranma blinked for a moment and glanced at Akane.  "Umm...can't
I stay?" he asked the nurse, turning back to face her.
     The nurse started to reply, but Akane spoke up first.  "Ranma,
could you step out for a moment...I...I don't want you to cause any
trouble."
     "What?  Me cause trouble?  What are you talking about?"
     "Look, would you just please leave?"  She asked, a little too
abruptly.  Hearing that tone caused irritation to rise as an
automatic response in him.
     "Hey!  Don't rush me!  I'll get going when I'm good and
ready...I don't even see why someone with the stamina and body of an
ox would need any kind of treatment."  
     Akane fairly blazed at this point; rather then go red however,
her face lost whatever remaining colour had been it in.  A little
unnerved at how white she suddenly became, Ranma blinked while hot
tears gathered themselves in the corners of Akane's eyes.  "Just get
out you jerk!  And don't bother to come back!"
     Ranma stood up and opened his mouth to say something, either in
anger or apology, he wasn't sure, but the nurse placed her hand on
his shoulder again.
     "Saotome-san," she said, quietly but firmly motioning him
towards the door.  "It's time."





     Lying on his back alone in the room he shared with his parents,
Ranma stared up at the unlit light fixture above him.  Outside the
window and through the structure of the building he could hear the
clatter of rain as it impacted against the house, broken sometimes by
the loud crash of thunder.  A second before each roar, a flash of
lightning would chase the shadows from the room to leave everything
starkly outlined.  Then, the light would fade and the darkness would
rush back into place to cover everything.  His arms stretched out
away from him, Ranma listened to the rain, the thunder, and the sound
of his own heart.  Alone, he watched the game the shadows played with
the light; running away to hide in dark corners for a moment, then
return to lay claim to their domain once more.
     He hadn't come right here after returning from the hospital. 
First, he'd gone to the dojo and run through a whole set of katas
while the rain poured down around that small enclosed shelter.  The
beating of the rain however had disrupted his normal rhythm, coming
down too fast and too tedious to work with.  Unable to find the calm
center he usually experienced while training, he'd given up the
attempt and headed inside for dinner.
     Kasumi's dinner had been more then just her usual excellence; it
had been exquisite.  He could taste the care and effort she'd put
into that evening's meal, as every part had been done to perfection. 
He'd been dreaming of her cooking after eating his father's scraped
up left-overs for a week, and she hadn't disappointed him.  It was
obvious that she'd been working hard since they arrived home in order
for the meal to be the best anyone could remember.  He supposed it
was probably Kasumi's finest work ever; he really hadn't eaten all
that much of it.
     In fact, no one had really felt like eating.  For some reason he
couldn't identify even his father hadn't attacked his food with much
vigour.  He'd just sat there and chewed his food slowly, spending
most of his time talking to Nodoka who'd smiled at him sadly in
return, eating only a little herself.  Kasumi had seen how people
weren't eating and apologized for the meal not being any good, but
everyone had assured her it was excellent.  Nabiki and Soun had sat
there quietly, taking only small amounts and continually praising
Kasumi's work, even if they didn't have very much of it either.
     All the while rain and thunder roared down outside.
     Once dinner was over, Ranma had collapsed down on the mats in
the living room and lay there as the other family members went about 
various routine tasks.  The two fathers had dragged out their go
board and set themselves into a game.  Tonight they'd been playing
quietly and intently, with no sign that either one of them was
cheating.  Both stared hard at the game board for long moments, as if
thinking over their moves in great detail.  The only movement from
either occurred when they had to reach down and grasp a new counter.
     Nabiki had opened an economics book and begun to read.  She
hadn't looked up when Kasumi put a bowel of cookies before her, nor
did she take one.  After bringing in the plate, Kasumi had settled
down into knitting a sweater; beside her, Nodoka commenced to prune
a single flower.  The sounds of the storm outside had covered the
noises from each small group completely.  The go pieces being laid
down, the pages turning, the click of the knitting needles, or the
snap of the scissors were all drummed out by the thundering rain.
     Feeling more and more uneasy with the enforced silence of his
companions, Ranma had excused himself and headed up for his room. 
Going up the stairs he hadn't turned on any lights, leaving the whole
second story in darkness.  With everyone below it should have been
quiet enough, but the rain was worse up here and he believed he could
hear each and every drop hitting the roof outside, and the thumping
of his heart inside.
     He knew he'd blown it at the hospital today, it didn't take much
knowledge of human nature for him to realize that.  But that really
wasn't the issue; sure he'd blown it, but he'd screwed up before and
hadn't felt the kind of brooding pressure he was feeling now.  There
was something that was bothering him since he'd learned about the
hospital, something gnawing at his insides.  He could feel how
un-right everything felt, but just couldn't conjure up the conviction
to try and work it out for himself.  To do so would require him to
consider things he wasn't sure he was yet ready to.  It hurt to just
lay there, but it was a numbness that he could better deal with then
the sharp knife of introspection.  The others weren't any help
either; he could feel their unease, but couldn't just dismiss it
concern over the youngest daughter.  There was more going on here
then what he knew, and comprehension danced mockingly outside his
reach.
     He didn't know how long he lay there, just listening to the
noise of the downpour as it crashed against the roof, but the sound
of someone knocking softly at the door to his room startled him. 
Blinking for a second, he curled his legs in and leaned up into a
sitting position.
     "Come in."
     The door slid aside and a shadow detached itself from the dark
hallway to move into the darkness inside the room.  Closing the door
behind herself, Nabiki stood there, watching Ranma as he looked back
at her.
     Outside, lightning crackled.  For an instant white light bathed
the room, outlining everything in grays and blacks, but no colour. 
Then the light was gone and shadows restored.
     Into the uncomfortable drumming of the rain, Nabiki took a
breath.  "I guess you couldn't take the family room any more, huh?"
     "Uh, it's not that," Ranma lied.  In fact he'd come up here to
get away from the unfocused unease he'd felt with the others nearby. 
"I just wanted a little time by myself, that's all.  You know, away
from everybody else."  He glanced at her suspiciously.  "It's not a
crime is it?"
     Nabiki was silent for a moment, then evenly replied, "Maybe." 
Thrown off balance by this, Ranma's jaw worked for a second but
nothing came out.  Before he could formulate a rejoinder, Nabiki left
her place by the door and walked past him to look at the covered
window, almost as if she was staring out into the storm thundering
around them.
     Closing his mouth, Ranma waited for her to say something.  As
like down below, he felt the same unfocused sense of foreboding
lurking.  It hadn't necessarily returned with Nabiki's arrival, it
had just stalked out of the corner from where it had been staring at
him, waiting.
     "You know, she'll be alright."  Ranma finally said to her back. 
"Akane's built like a brick; she can survive anything."
     Rain was his only answer for a long moment, then Nabiki turned
her head to look at him over her shoulder.  Lightning flashed just
then, but because of her position the side of Nabiki's face that
Ranma could see was still left in shadow.  "Do you have any idea why
she's there?"  Nabiki asked, the thunder rolling in just behind her
last word and driving him silent in the crash.
     "No," he replied when the crackling died down and the sounds of
the rain once again reached their ears.  "She never said anything." 
Nabiki turned away to face the window again, her hands held together
behind her back.  Nothing was spoken between them, and the rain
filled the void, preventing silence.  Finally she turned and faced
him head on, her face still lost in the shadows of her short hair
despite the lightning that suddenly blazed through the window behind
her.
     Outside, thunder crashed against the building, driving the noise
of the rain away.





     Despite having heard every word clearly, Ranma couldn't believe
it.  "What?" he asked softly.
     "I said: right now, Akane's fighting the same thing that killed
our mother."
     Ranma looked up at the older girl, eyes wide and concerned.
"I...I didn't know," he whispered, letting the rain almost swallow
the statement.  "No one told me," he amended, looking down at the
mats beneath his legs while thoughts chased themselves through his
head.  Except for the rain there was silence for a long series of
heartbeats, then Ranma returned to look at Nabiki, a hurt expression
in his eyes.  "S-she didn't tell me."
     Nabiki bit her lip and looked down at the mats between them. 
"Of course not.  It's not something you can easily talk about.  Like
our mother, we: Akane, Kasumi, and I...we all...we all have a
predisposition for getting this.  We may get it, or we may not;
there's no way of knowing."  She swallowed hard for a moment. 
"Hearing that you might have it is bad enough, but knowing that your
mother died from it isn't something that makes it any easier.  It
hasn't been easy for the rest of us either.  Haven't you noticed how
Otosan is taking all this?  He's quiet, controlled, calm...dead calm. 
He's not acting like his normal self; things that would normally set
him off aren't having any affect on him.  He's been through losing
someone he loves once already, and this is how I remember him acting
right before Okasan died.  And Kasumi: she's the oldest, I think she
knew Okasan the best; she certainly knew her longer then either of
us.  Seeing Akane go through this is just a reminder of what happened
before.  Didn't you notice how perfect dinner was tonight?  That's
her way of trying to cope.  Otosan's trying to shut it all
away....Me?"  Nabiki's lips twisted into a parody of a grin at this
point.  "I'm feeling a little like Akane right now.  I'm mad: mad at
the world, mad at everyone, mad at nothing, mad at myself.  How dare
this happen to my litte sister....I want to hit something and keep on
hitting it till either it breaks or I do."
     "Why didn't she tell me?" Ranma asked himself, rather then the
girl before him.
     "Fear.  Pride.  Concern over how you'd take it.  Mostly fear. 
Who cares.  So she didn't tell you; but now you know.  So what are
you going to do about it?"
     Ranma looked up again and blinked.  "Well...ah...there-there's
not really a whole lot I can do."  He replied, his voice uneven and
hesitant.  One hand self-consciously wandered over his headful of
hair as he spoke.  "I mean, she's in the hospital, she's got a lot of
doctors to look after her, I guess-"
     Although he couldn't see her face, he could feel Nabiki's brows
drawing together.  The air around her, already heavy with the weight
of the storm, grew more threatening as his voice trailed off into
nothingness.  For a moment, the rain was his only reply.
     "Well," she began, her voice dripping venom.  "I guess I
shouldn't have expected any more from you.  You're right, what good
could you do here?  You're certainly not much of a help to her
normally."  
     He recoiled almost as if struck.  Stung, Ranma rose to his feet. 
"And just what do you expect me to do?!  There isn't anything I can
do here!  If it was anything else, I'd do it!  You think I let stuff
happen to her?!  I'm here when cruses or princes or other jerks do
something to her, and you don' t think I care?!"
     "So then do something," Nabiki instructed harshly.  "After all,
action seems to be the only thing you're good for."
     Ranma looked pained.  "I'd like to do something.  But
this...this..."  Biting his tongue, Ranma turned from the girl and
walked away a little.  Suddenly turning back to face her, a new note
crept into his voice.
     "This...this is about diseases and medicine and doctors and
stuff.  That's nothing I'm good at.  If it was something I could
attack or beat up or anything else I'd do it...but what good can I do
here?"  He held his powerful hands up before him and stared down at
them.  "I can fight anyone who tries to do anything, but this isn't
something I can stop with my fists.  I'm no good at this sort of
thing."  He looked up at Nabiki helplessly.  "I...I don't have
anything to offer her right now.  For this...she needs medicine and
knowledge and stuff; things I don't have.  What she needs...I...I'm
not capable of giving...to anybody.  Even...to..."  He shook his head
sharply.  "I just can't...Right now I'm so...so useless."
     Silently Nabiki listened, not making a move as he rambled on. 
Finally, the words wouldn't come any more and he fell silent; the
rain continuing to punish the building around them.  They were both
silent in the driving rain, neither moving nor speaking, just facing
each other across the dark room for a long time.  Gradually, the
glare marring Nabiki's features eased into a weary, understanding
expression.
     "You're right Ranma-kun, this is a battle you can't fight for
her.  This is something Akane is going to have to do."  Moving
silently, she stepped over to the doors and slid one aside.  Before
stepping through however, she turned to face him once again.
     Very softly she spoke, "Ranma-kun, remember that I said being
alone might be a crime?"
     "Yeah?"
     "Well, there's no reason why she has to face it by herself." 
With that, the middle Tendo daughter disappeared into the shadows of
the hall.  If she slid the door shut behind her, Ranma didn't notice:
darkness claimed the doorway and the rain masked any sound.
     Outside, the sky continued to cry down upon the land.





     It was very late that evening when the elevator doors opened and
Ranma-chan stepped into the stark, bleak halls of the hospital. 
Several sets of lights were off, leaving lonely pools of bright
whiteness to compete against stretches of gray darkness.  Most of the
patients had been moved back into their rooms, leaving the halls bare
and forsaken.  Instead, a single nurse and doctor talking at a lonely
station brought any sign of life to the place.
     The doors of the elevator closing behind her, Ranma-chan
straightened her short-skirted nurse's uniform for the last time. 
Visiting hours long since having been over, Ranma had rooted through
her collection of disguises and put on the uniform to sneak inside. 
So far she'd managed to make it to Akane's floor with no trouble; no
one had even bothered to give the red-headed nurse a second look. 
Finally arriving, Ranma-chan returned again to a struggle she'd been
waging with herself all the way here.
     She could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she wondered
what she was going to do.  Akane might not even be up at this hour,
and would she really want to be awakened if she wasn't?  And even if
she was up, what would Ranma say to her?  For all the talk with
Nabiki had pushed her, Ranma still didn't have any idea what good her
presence here would have.
     Up ahead at the station, the nurse looked down at her desk and
suddenly stiffened.  She grabbed the doctor's arm and pointed at
something.  The doctor dropped his clipboard on the desk and ran down
the hall, throwing a door open and disappearing inside the room.
     Slowly, Ranma edged her way down the hall, her legs moving of
their own accord but being fought by the rest of her body and mind. 
She hated to feel this helpless; Akane was fighting a desperate
battle, but was fighting it alone.  This was something that no matter
what Ranma tried, the outcome couldn't be changed and for her, that
was just wrong.  She'd been brought up to believe that if enough
effort was applied, anything could be done.  Genma had made it
perfectly clear that a man did not just struggle against the
inevitable: he altered it, mastered it, bent it to his will.  Ranma
firmly believed that; she'd based her life around that point, having
faith that anything could be changed if she tried hard enough.  
     But this, what was happening now was something that...no, it
didn't scare her.  Nothing scared her, except cats, and that involved
extenuating circumstances.  No, it didn't scare her, it couldn't; men
didn't get scared.  This was just...beyond her, a part of the world
that couldn't be mastered, wouldn't submit to her will.  It wasn't
right...yes, that was what the problem was...it wasn't right that
there were choices that weren't hers to make.
     "Nurse!  Resuscitation team to room four, stat!!"  The doctor
called from inside the room.  Ranma-chan looked up in surprise, she
hadn't realized she'd come so far down the hall during her
introspection.  She was standing beside the nurse's station,
listlessly watching the nurse's fingers fly over a switchboard and
rapidly request something.  Finishing speaking and recradling the
phone in the same motion, the nurse bolted from her station and ran
to the room the doctor had disappeared into as well.  A moment later
Ranma-chan shrugged passively and turned her attention away, trying
to remember which room Akane had been in.  
     That's right, room four.  Her legs started to carry her forward
again, slowly.  Room four.
     It just wasn't right...
     The room the doctor and nurse had just rushed inside.
     Before she knew what was happening, Ranma-chan was running down
the hall as if her life depended on it.
     Outside, the rain continued unabated.





     Ranma-chan lurched through the door frame, fear lighting up her
eyes and shaking in her voice.  "Akane!!"
     Inside, she stopped as if she'd crashed into a brick wall.  She
could see the doctor and nurse hovering over the bed, their motions
furious and seemingly chaotic, but with hidden direction behind them. 
This didn't matter to Ranma, all she cared about was that these two
were blocking her view.
     "Akane!!"
     "We're losing pulse sensei."
     "Give me epinephrine, 20 cee cees."  Barreling forwards, Ranma
was about to shove her way between these two when the nurse stepped
aside to rummage on a tray beside the bed.  Looking in the space
between them, Ranma froze in shock.
     An old man, gray and wrinkled lay there.  Thin wisps of white
hair clung stubbornly to his scalp, and his eyes were closed almost
as if he were sleeping.  It took a stunned Ranma moments to notice
that his chest wasn't rising or falling.
     "Where's the damn resuscitation team?" the doctor asked,
glancing over his shoulder.  Upon doing so he saw a short red-headed
nurse just standing there, looking stunned.  "You!" he  called
harshly, causing the young woman to jump in surprise.  "Get over here
and watch this monitor!"
     "B-but I don-"
     "Now!" the doctor barked, in no mood for any argument.  "Just
watch the screen and tell me if anything changes!"  He turned his
attention from the newcomer as the ward nurse passed a needle into
his hands.  Peripherally he was aware of the red-head awkwardly
moving to stand before the monitor, but he had no attention to waste
on her.
     He pumped the injection into the man just as a group of men and
women pilled in through the doorway with a wheeled cart full of
medical equipment.  Instantly they fell into their assigned tasks and
began to work feverously on the bedridden figure.
     "Status!" the doctor barked towards the red-head several times
during the next few frantic minutes of work.
     "Ah...N-no change," the nurse would reply, sending the
collection of people in white off into another frenzy of activity. 
Despite all they tried, the man on the bed did not respond to
anything; finally the doctor broke out the paddles and yelled,
"Clear!!"  Everyone moved away as the doctor placed the two pads down
on the man's chest.  There was a soft buzz of electricity and the
body jerked up, the motion startling the girl who turned from the
monitors to watch.
     "Any change?" the doctor demanded.
     The girl shook herself and tore her eyes away from the body that
had just moved as if in pain.  Swallowing hard, she looked at the
monitor.  "A...ah...s-spike for a moment...but it's gone-"
     "Again!" cried the doctor, warning the others working around the
body.  As one, they backed away and another electricity-induced
tremor shook the body.
     "Status?"
     "N-no c-change," came the reply.  Looking down at the man laid
out before him, the doctor scrunched his features as he thought hard
for a moment.  Gradually however, the look of determination bled away
from his features, leaving him looking drained and resigned.  After
a moment he slowly placed the paddles down, releasing his grip them. 
Then he looked around the group of people crowded there and pursed
his lips, making eye contact with every member of the team.  One by
one, each moved a step back from the figure on the bed until the old
man was laying there by himself, eyes closed and totally, utterly
motionless.
     "Time," someone called quietly.
     "11:49, pm." another person answered.  The doctor stripped off
his latex gloves and rubbed his eyes while the team began to quietly
and efficiently pack their stuff away.  Stepping forward, the ward
nurse pulled the blanket from where the workers had thrown it aside
to cover the man's limbs and torso.
     Running one hand through his hair, the doctor happened to glance
over at that red-headed nurse.  Now that he was actually paying
attention, he was surprised to see how young she was.  Since it
ended, the girl hadn't moved at all; she was just standing there,
looking down at the dead man, trembling slightly.  Her expressionate
blue eyes were wide and he could see the fear and disbelief in them. 
Moving a little closer, he picked up a white cloth lying on a nearby
chair.  "First time you've been involved in a terminal case?" he
asked.
     The girl tore her gaze from the body and looked up at him, shock
numbing her and preventing any response.  Gently, the doctor reached
in and placed the cloth over the lifeless man's head, covering the
last of his body from sight.  "Yeah, well, all I can say is that it
gets easier the more of them you do."  He tried a reassuring, yet
roguish grin.  "Don't worry, you'll get the hang of it eventually."
     The ward nurse began to fill out a chart as the resuscitation
team filed out of the room.  The doctor gave the red-head one more
grin before he too started for the exit.  "Uh...s-sensei?" the young
nurse broached quietly, looking down at the covered body.
     "Yes?"
     "T-the girl who was in here earlier today...W-what happened to
her?"
     "Uh...oh, you mean Tendo-san.  She was just here until we could
free up some beds in a ward closer to her department.  She's on third
floor, room 39 I believe."
     "A-arigato."
     "Don't mention it," the doctor replied, flashing another roguish
grin at the girl and nodding to the ward nurse. 
Walking out the door, he turned on his heel and headed off in the
opposite direction from the departing team.  Reaching a branch point
in the corridor, he turned down the hall until he was out of sight of
anyone.
     There, his pace slowed and eventually stopped, leaving him
perfectly still and in the shadow of an overhanging archway.  The
grin no longer on his lip, he slowly curled his fingers into a tight
fist.  Raising the hand, he silently drove the base of his fist into
the cold, hard metal of the archway.
     "Damn," he muttered softly, emotion colouring the word.  
     It was however, heard by no one; swallowed up instead by the
darkness that surrounded him and silenced by the rain that echoed
even there.





     Carefully, Ranma-kun eased the door open and peaked inside. 
First thing he'd done after watching that man die had been to get to
the nearest washroom and change back into a guy.  He didn't care if
anyone stopped him to ask what he was doing here, he just didn't want
to repeat what had just happened.  Although he hadn't had a sheltered
life, seeing something like that firsthand had left him shaken.  That
poor man, surrounded by people who had been quick to respond and
apparently well trained, that guy had nevertheless died.
     Maybe there were some things that couldn't be changed, couldn't
be altered, but no matter how painful they were, just had to be
accepted.
     Fine.  But tonight, Ranma was determined there was something he
could do.
     This room was slightly larger then the previous one he'd been
in; there were two other beds present, both with lumps of sleeping
figures on them.  As well, facing the beds was a large window that
ran the length of the wall.  It looked out upon another wing of the
hospital, the lights from it shining through the rain to cast a pale
glow throughout the room.  In the silver light Ranma could make out
the figure on the central bed, lying there silently.
     Gently he maneuvered the door closed and snuck around the first
bed so as not to awake the person sleeping there.  Tip-toeing up to
the middle bed, his eyes passed over the gaggle of instruments on the
wall, then looked down at the slip of a girl there.  Her eyes were
mostly closed, only the fluttering of the eyelids giving away the
fact she wasn't asleep.  The bed sheet was drawn up tight around her
mid-section, leaving the top part of her colourless blue hospital
gown visible.  Her bare arms were lying by her sides above the
sheets, and he could see the IV tube connected to her left forearm.
     For a few moments he just looked down at her, watching the slow
rhythm as her chest rose and fell regularly.  Bathed in the silver
colour of the outside lights, her face seemed to glow ashen when its
whiteness was compared to the dark hair framing it.  Like before, he
was shocked at just how much the features of her face were outlined
by her slightly sunken skin.  The silver colour of her skin and
sharply defined features reminded him of pictures he'd seen of marble
statues; like them, she was beautiful.
     But it wasn't a beauty he felt any joy in.  Lying there pale as
a ghost, she was as beautiful as he could ever remember her...but she
wasn't cute.  It was a cold, austere beauty, something that brought
tears to the eyes rather then a smile to the lips.  There was no sign
of life, no fire in the expression, no show of teeth in either a
fearsome snarl or a joyful grin.  Nothing that brought life to her
figure, showed her soul, or said that a living, breathing person
lived here as a little cuteness would imply.
     Ranma desperately wanted her to be cute.
     On the bed, Akane's eyes fluttered open partway.  She looked out
towards the window for a time, her face expressionless and blank. 
Then, slowly, her head rolled slightly to one side and she looked up
at him, not showing surprise that he was here, not showing anything
at all.
     "Ranma," she whispered, barely audible above the sounds of the
rain.
     He gulped and sat down on the chair beside her.  "H-hi there,
Akane...hope I didn't wake you."  Her head gently rocked from side to
side, her eyes never leaving his.
     "No...I'm tired, but I wasn't sleeping..."  Her eyes drifted off
focus for a moment.  "So tired..."  Ranma felt his heart thudding;
not at her words, but how she spoke them without any change in her
expression.  Almost as if she didn't have anything left to show them
with.
     "Ah...well...it is kinda late," he spoke to fill the void her
silence had left.  "And I know that...ah, visiting hours are over..." 
His hand hovered over one of hers for a second, fluttering there
awkwardly.  "But I...I..."   He gently let his hand fall to cover her
fingers.
     "I wanted...to see you.  Again."
     There was the silence of the rain for a moment as neither of
them spoke.  Akane's expression didn't change but eventually her lips
moved.  "You did..." she asked quietly.  "...that's nice...thank you
Ranma..."
     Ranma gulped and tightened his grip on her hand.  He couldn't
feel her returning the action at all. 
"Uh...Akane...I want to tell you that...that Nabiki told me why
you're here.  Told me about...everything, and all...I'm...I'm really
sorry."
     "Not your fault," she whispered quietly, forcing him to lean
down to hear her over the rain.
     "Yeah, well...I still should have been nicer when I saw you
earlier today; I just wasn't thinking."
     Something that might have been a smile touched one corner of her
lip, then faded as if she couldn't find the energy to continue it. 
Instead, she said something that was lost in the rain outside.
     "What?"  Ranma asked, leaning closer, his grip on her hand
getting tighter.
     "I said...no different from normal."  She was silent for a
moment then gave a soft swallow.  "I'm sorry...I shouldn't have said
that."
     Ranma almost had to put his ear to her lips to hear that last
comment.  Glancing around fearfully, he took a difficult deep breath.
He straightened up a little and again looked down at her. 
"Umm...Akane?  I'm having a little trouble hearing you, so I'd...like
to try something...if that's all right with you."
     After a moment her lips moved; Ranma leaned down as she repeated
it.  "OK...just watch out...for my dance partner..."  Ranma pulled
back and looked at her in confusion, but she was displaying another
ghost of a smile as her eyes fixed on her IV stand.
     Ranma followed her eyes and smiled slightly in recognition. 
"OK, I'll be careful."  Taking his hand from hers, he slid one behind
her head to cradle it, and the other reached over to slip around her
narrow waist.  Bringing the blanket along with her, Ranma eased
Akane's torso up from the bed, being careful not to pull or pinch the
IV tube.  He moved her till she was resting against him; her head
rolled loosely against his shoulder and her body lightly pressed
against his.  Wrapping her snugly in his arms, he shifted her into a
comfortable position.
     "I-is this fine with you?" he asked, feeling his face get warm. 
He could feel her chest against his rise and fall with her slow
breathing, and the places across his body where her light weight
pressed against him.
     "It's nice..." she breathed, her words carrying to his ear. 
Ranma gulped again; he'd held Akane before, and he knew how much she
was suppose to weigh.  He'd always thought it had been too much, and
he'd spent a lot of time bugging her about it.  This time however he
was shocked at how light she was: he could barely feel her as she
leaned against him.  Worse, he could feel the beating of her heart,
not pounding uncontrollably like his, but thumping out a slow, weak
rhythm all its own.
     Ranma breathed deeply, trying to match the slow rhythm of her
breaths; but unable to as his body rebelled against the sluggish
inhalation.  Gently, he moved his upper hand into the soft strands of
her short hair.  All they did for long moments was listen to the
sounds of the rain coming down outside, and the thunder crashing in
the distance.
     Eventually, Akane took a deep breath.  "Ranma," she said
quietly.
     "Yes?"  He answered.  For a moment more she was silent.
     "I'm scared..."
     Ranma felt his jaw start to shake.  Clenching his teeth
together, he didn't speak for a moment.  "I-its g-going to be fine,"
he soothed, fighting the waver in his voice.   "You're strong, why
would you let anything like this slow you down?"
     For several moments, all that reached his ear was the warm air
of her soft breath.  "My mother couldn't fight this...how can I?  I'm
all alone here...I'm scared that there's nothing I can do...that I
don't have any control over this...that I can't do...that...that...oh
Ranma..."  It seemed as if that small speech had drained the
remaining strength out of her and she sagged against him even more. 
"...I'm so tired...so tired..."
     His hand now starting to gently stroke her hair, Ranma felt the
unusual condition of his eyes beginning to burn.  He wasted no time
on that, but instead gently soothed her.  "You don't think there's
anything you can do?  W-what about me?  All I can do is sit here
and...and hold you while you do all the work.  You always were
selfish."
     "I'm sorry..."
     "No Akane, I'm sorry.  Sorry for not paying attention to you
earlier, sorry for not trying to get along with you before, sorry
for...well, sorry for just about every stupid, dumbass thing I've
ever done."
     She didn't reply; alarmed, Ranma looked over at her face.  Her
head was limp and her eyes were fluttering, almost closed as she lay
against him.  "Akane!" Ranma said a little loudly, starting to rock
their bodies back and forth gently.  He could feel her heart slowing,
or maybe it just was his thumping more wildly; he didn't know, but he
was scared.
     "Ran....ma..." she breathed, "...promise... me..."
     "Anything Akane, anything!"
     "Promise me...you'll always...always look after me...like
this...if you do...I...won't be...scared..."
     "Yes Akane!  Yes!" he said forcefully, not noticing the tears
running down his cheeks.  "I'll be here for you, but you've got to be
here for me as well!"
     "...I'm...so glad...so...tired..."  With effort, a small,
heartfelt smile appeared on her face while a single tear rolled from
her left eye, bringing life to the sterile beauty that had been there
a moment before.
     "Akane!"
      A single tear not lost in the torrent of water already falling.
     "...so tired...so..."
     With that, Akane's eyes closed completely.





     Walking up the stairs in the house, Genma was dressed in his
best suit, an unreadable expression on his face.  Behind him his wife
followed him up, also clothed in her finest.  Together, the two
slowly walked the short distance to their room and paused.  Genma
raised a hand and knocked for a moment. 
      No one answered.
     "Ranma," Nodoka called out quietly.  "Ranma honey, we're coming
in."  She slowly slid the door aside and leaned to look inside. 
Sitting there with his back against the far wall, Ranma was dressed
in a fine, dark suit.  He was cross-legged and staring down at the
floor before him, a deep, troublesome look clouding his features. 
     Upon his parents entry, Ranma didn't move his head, but did
glance up at them through his thick forest of black hair.  "I-is
it...is it..." he asked uncomfortably.
     "It's time," his mother said quietly.  Ranma gulped and
awkwardly pushed himself to his feet.  He looked around uneasily and
started to tug compulsively on the lapel of his dark jacket.
     "I...I'm not really sure I can do this," he admitted.  "I mean,
to go through with this...I just...I...I don't want to do this!" he
suddenly shouted.  Hearing this outburst, Genma's features, which had
been carefully controlled, turned very black.
     "Ranma!  How can you say that?!  After everything they've done
for you, everything we've been through, you're now trying to say that
you don't want to go down there and show yourself?!  What kind of son
have I raised?!  You will go down there, you will show the proper
respect and you will behave yourself!  Do I make myself clear?!"
     "You can't force me, Oyaji!"  Ranma shot back angrily.  "If I do
go down, it's not because of you, or them, it's because...it's
because of me!  It's because I want to go!  Can't you understand
that?!  What if I don't want to go!?"
     "Ranma," Genma threatened, stepping forwards.  "As a man, you'll
go down there and-"  He was stopped as Nodoka gently placed one hand
on her husband's shoulder and looked at him as he turned to face her. 
After a moment of contesting wills, Genma swallowed once and relaxed
his stance, but not his angry look.  Nodoka stepped towards her son
and looked at the man before her.
     "Ranma, you're absolutely right.  You needn't explain yourself
to us.  If you don't want to go down for the service, we can't force
you."
     "Dear!"  Genma wailed painfully.  Nodoka turned to give him a
glare that shut him up.  Ranma sighed in response but didn't seem to
relax any.
     "However," she continued.  "if you don't go down, there _is_
someone you'll have to explain your reasoning to."  She taped his
chest just above his heart; Ranma looked chagrined.  He seemed to
wage a short internal war with himself, then lowered his head in
defeat and nodded.
     Nodoka returned his nod, her lower lip starting to quiver a bit. 
Seeing this, Ranma paused for a second then moved forwards and
wrapped her into a hug.  She returned it as tears started to roll
down her smooth cheeks.  After a moment, she released her boy and
moved off to one side to try and get herself together.  Ranma walked
towards the door, but paused beside his father who'd lost the look of
anger he'd just worn.
     Struggling for a moment, Ranma swallowed once and began to
speak.  "Look...Oyaji," he began gruffly.  "I know I haven't agreed
with much you've done in my life...but I just wanted to say without
you I...I never would have m-met..."  Ranma scuffed his feet a bit,
then held out his hand.  "T-thanks."
     Genma looked down at the offering, then into his son's eyes. 
Firmly he clasped the hand and returned a solid shake.  Another
moment of silence followed, then Ranma turned to leave the room. 
Once he'd left, Genma reached up to wipe away a tear, then went to
collect his wife.
     "Now dear," he said quietly, patting her shoulder.  "Be strong. 
You promised you wouldn't break down."
     Nodoka wiped the last of her tears away and nodded to her
husband.  With him helping her along, they left the room and went
downstairs.  Going out the side door, they walked down the short
stone path to the dojo steps.  Climbing up, they entered through the
sliding door and looked upon the interior.  The place was packed with
friends and acquaintances, all dressed in their finest.  People
they'd only heard about were there, along with the regulars they'd
come to know so well.  Standing off by himself, Ranma still looked
uneasy, unable to meet anyone's gaze.  In the crowd itself, there
were many sounds of sniffling and here and there the sounds of a
broken sob could be heard.
     Seeing all this, Nodoka's eyes instantly watered up again and
she grabbed her husband's shoulder in one hand as she reached for a
handkerchief with the other.  While she choked back sobs, Genma gave
her a stern, yet tender glance.
     "You promised."
     "Yes I know," Nodoka said, wiping her eyes.  "But I can't help
myself."  Taking a big sniff, she turned to her husband face on and
couldn't help but break out into a big grin.
     "I always cry at weddings."





     "It's all your fault."
     "My fault?"  Ranma repeated, careful not to look down at the
girl he was holding in his arms as they moved across the dojo's floor
to the music.  "How is it my fault that Nabiki conned the family's
way into the hospital after they found out I left the house?  How is
it my fault the staff left the intercom system for your bed on?  Am
I to blame that the whole thing was pumped into the rest of the
hospital across the P.A. system, or that your dad was taping it all
along?"  He finished more then a little annoyed; five hundred
witnesses listening in on what had been their supposedly private
conversation had pretty much sealed their fate.
     "What possessed you to say such things anyway?"
     "I thought you were dying!  Can't a guy be nice to someone who's
about to croak?  You certainly didn't seem very alive when I got
there."
     "Ranma, I hadn't slept in four days!  Between the drugs they
were running through me as a precaution and worry about whether I
actually had the condition or not, my system was really out of whack;
sleep just wouldn't come.  Finally, after four days of insomnia you
show up and start saying these nice things that made me feel all safe
and warm...of course I fell asleep in your arms!"
     A few more bars of music flowed over them and whatever anger had
coloured Akane's words faded from her soul.  Lying her head against
his chest as they moved, she quietly asked, "Is that the only
reason?"
     "What?" he asked, still not looking at her; finding the angry
glares or sad gazes of others in the crowd easier to deal with.
     "You though I was dying...was that the only reason you said
those things to me?"  Ranma didn't respond, instead keeping his eyes
firmly on others and his mouth shut.
     "Ranma...look at me."
     He fought it; he knew what would happen if he looked at her.  It
had happened before, he vowed not to let it happen again.  Not now. 
This was something he had control over.  "Ranma," she repeated. 
Against his will, his eyes snapped center and his head stiffly leaned
down to look.
     Like before, he couldn't help himself.  Seeing her there, the
rich, healthy glow to her pink skin, the dark brown to her large eyes
and the deep blue of her hair all framed by the soft white of her
wedding dress.  His throat closed up and he unconsciously tightened
his grip on her body.  Her face, so alive, so full of energy and
inquisitiveness looked back up at him.
     As before, he experienced an instant of the fear he'd felt as he
held her in the hospital room.  It was gone in a flash, leaving him
only with a renewed sense of how precious what he was now holding
was.
     "No," he said, his voice sounding throaty and emotion filled
even to him.  "I didn't say those things to you just because I
thought you were leaving.  I...I meant it.  Everything."
     More colour touched Akane's cheeks as she heard this, and she
turned to lay her head against his chest once more.  Free from
looking at her, Ranma jerked his gaze away to something else.  Damn. 
It had happened again, just like last time.  Seeing her so left Ranma
not at all sure what would pop out of his mouth.  Last time it was
the words, "I do."
     "I'm...I'm glad," she said quietly, hugging him a little
tighter.  After another moment of gentle swaying  to the music, she
timidly asked, "So...so now what?"
     Ranma didn't reply for a time, then muttered quietly, "Now we
get on with out lives.  Together."
     "You think we can?"
     Without even looking at her, surprising words popped out of his
mouth.  "I know we can...we just have to accept it."





_______________________
Author's Notes:

     Just so you know, I wrote this thing grinning inanely the whole
while.  My way of dealing with too many death fics on the net.
     For those who believe otherwise: I didn't 'cop out' when I wrote
this, I'd always planned to have that twist at the end to show that
I can write a story as bleak and as depressing as anyone, yet still
remain true to my kind of ideal.  (Kinda like holding a baseball bat
as you approach someone, then sicking your pet alligator on them
instead.)
     Just for your information: one way of pronouncing '4' in
Japanese is 'shi'; that is also a word for death.  Thus, Akane is in
room 4 but is moved out and lives, the man who is in that room dies. 
I heard somewhere that some Japanese hospitals don't have rooms
numbered 4, but I could be wrong; anyway, it was good for the story.
     No one knows what Mrs. Tendo died of (Takahashi never said), so
I just took it as something that she was pre-disposed to get and
passed that trait down to her daughters.
     If any real medical people read this, please don't cut into me
for the scene of the man dying and the actions of the staff.  I don't
know about medicine and I don't watch shows like ER or St. Elsewhere,
so I'm not up on proper medical practices.  The scene was based on
what I remember from the hospital shows I have seen.
     As well, I've actually spent time in the hospital myself and
have quite a bit of respect for health care professionals.  (My mom's
a nurse and she'd kill me if I didn't.)  While I do agree the
hospital environment is kind of sterile and heartless, my use of
scenery for the hospital was designed to be especially harsh so as to
fit the mood I was creating.

Mail to:

     ddemaine@gpu.srv.ualberta.ca  (my university account, may not last)
 or
     greywolf@ffarm.ampr.ab.ca  (Lee's account and Horde mail bag)

all Horde O' Hentai fics can be picked up from

  http://www.worldgate.com/~greywolf/


Darren Demaine
Chairman of the Horde
Horde O' Hentai Productions

--
greywolf@ffarm.ampr.ab.ca
greywolf@worldgate.com
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