All right, the answer to the pertinent question, could Ranma hurt Akane
if she turned into a monster (metaphorically) is THIS.... A fic that
came to me while all this was being discussed. Please stick with it as I
think the end justifies the means, so to speak. C&C if you like, it's
kind of short. I WOULD like a better title and suggestions on whether or
not I should flesh it out a bit or leave it for the crows. Oh and any
ideas for a decent title would be appreciated.

Oh and it's a trifle on the Dark Side (I couldn't help it, the setup was
PERFECT!)

		Final Embrace

	Kasumi's limp from crumpled raggedly as it made wet contact with the
concrete wall. She had been one of the last of the survivors and had
thought her voice could reach into that bottomless void which had been
her sister. Casually, her mind drifted off as her lifeforce ebbed away.
My, the house was so dirty, mustn't let the company see this, and she
really should make something for when the fighting was over. They would
be hungry after all that exercise.
	
	Akane strode though what was left of her house and surveyed the
devastation. All that was left was a half eaten shell of the old home, a
fitting place for her last victim's final moments. A yellow bandanna was
wrapped loosely about her head. Ryouga's last gift, he too had made the
mistake of trying to reach out to her. 

	But her eyes bore the real testament. They swallowed the light and
greedily begged for more. Not even the love of her own father had been
enough to fill the emptiness. Only darkness dwelled in her heart now.
But, she chided herself, that was why she must feed, now where had Ranma
gotten off to, she wondered. Then, she felt his presence; a lifeforce
like no other, her new masters would be pleased.

	Ranma simply let the wind scourge him clean. His clothes in tatters, he
stared out towards where the koi pond once was. Where a tree had stood
and he had trained, fought and lived. Now there was nothing, his friends
were long gone and he hadn't the strength to save even one of them. No,
no use trying to fool himself now, even if he had access to the strength
needed he wouldn't have been able to use it. 

	Made impotent by love, he had stood by as the dark force had consumed
her soul. Had watched passively as friends were killed. Ukyo screams for
help still reverberated throughout his soul. He fell to his knees
screaming as loud as his lungs would allow. Hoping to burst them, or at
least drown out their screams for help.

	"How much do you love me?" Asked a voice, gentle as a cherry blossom.
Akane smiled at Ranma's back. Whatever his answer, it wouldn't be
enough. Ranma shivered and slowly turned to meet his destiny.

	"Enough to save you my child, even if he doesn't know it yet." Nodoka
walked carefully out of the shadows, her blades held limp at her sides.
"Enough to give you the redemption you seek."

	Akane smirked at the warrior woman, once Ranma's mother had been a
source of awe for her. A mother and wife without giving up any strength
in the bargain, everything that she had ever wanted to be. But that was
then, now the woman was below contempt. The women's strong words were
filled with sound and fury, but after Akane has torn the life from her
body, they would signify nothing. With a feral growl, she leaped at
Nodoka, her eyes blanketing her face in shadow.

	Nodoka moved swiftly and slashed hard at the young girl. Her blades
working hard and close but never seeming to break through Akane's
defenses. But arms draped in a deep shadow blocked the swords, and she
could gain no ground. When the girl struck back at the swordswoman, she
found herself forced to her knees. The martial artist broke from the
fight and stood up to her full height. 

	A smile that radiated beyond the shadows dared Nodoka to take
advantage. The older women got to her feet and raised her swords to the
heavens. Then she struck; as Ranma screamed!

	Mocking laughter told him that he shouldn't have wasted his breath.
Akane walked up the length of the blades, having already exposed a great
deal of length from her back and she placed her hands on either side of
Nodoka's face. Mist began to pour from of the woman's eyes and mouth, as
the shadow girl seemed to drink in her very essence.

	"This ends now." Ranma whispered. Akane turned and amused glance toward
her new challenger and was surprised at his lack of aura. No blue or red
flames sheathed his body. No irrepressable light shone off him like a
beacon and his body wasn't quivering with rage. In fact, his shoulders
took on a resigned look and the only stress visible on his face was a
single tear.

	Confused, yet confident, Akane sneered at the little man. "Of course it
ends, you are the last. If only you had been stronger...pity."

	"Akane, I love you. I always will. I once asked my mother why she had
let dad take me away, I asked her how she could leave me alone, do you
know what she said?"

	"What?" Akane sneered.

	"No matter where you went, I was always with you. When you climbed the
mountains, I followed. When you swam the great oceans, I was there. I
will follow you to hell, because love connects us soul to soul. No
matter what happens to you, I shall always accompany you. I never
thought I'd meet someone I'd want to tie my soul to. Someone I'd follow
in life and in death." Ranma said as he reached out to Akane with his
palm outstretched to her.

	"Until you met me? My how touching." Akane laughed.

	"Akane? This truly is a dark and lonely place, let's find a new place."
Ranma's palm began to fill with a radiant azure light. "A place where we
can be happy...forever."
    
	"What?" Akane's eyes went wide as she registered the incredibly
powerful sphere that was forming in Ranma's outstretched hand.

	"Jisatsu Bakuha..."

	< BOOM! >