Well, I went back and took some of the C&C regarding this to heart,
and changed a sizable amount of it.  Since most of the criticism
seemed to be that Ranma was not behaving "in character," I went back
and added more to show that he wasn't SUPPOSED to be, that was the
point.  Not everything is as it seems.

Anyhow, the most substantial changes are in the scene where Ranma
loses it and starts yelling at Shampoo.  I've expounded on this quite
a lot, I think, and it seems to flow better, IMO.  I've also made a
few alterations to the scene between Shampoo and Cologne, to give a
bit more foreshadowing.  Read and enjoy, please.


                       The Domino Effect
                     A Ranma 1/2 Fanfiction
                by Deuce (deuce@classicgaming.com)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
All characters are the sole copyright/trademark of Rumiko Takahashi
and Shogakukan.  This story is entirely unofficial, blah blah blah.
You know the spiel by now.

----------------------------------------------------------------------
                  Part One:  Pulling the Trigger
----------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was an unusually quiet morning in Nerima.  No victims of
Jhusenkyo had appeared, wanting revenge on Ranma for some reason or
another, for quite some time.  No new fiancees (thankfully) had come
to stake a claim on Ranma in ages.
	Most of the more noteworthy residents had even managed to
avoid getting into fights for inordinately long periods of time.
Why, they could occasionally go for an hour or longer without some
form of confrontation.  Everything is relative, particularly the
adjective "quiet" when applied to anywhere the Saotome clan took up
residence.
	In the Nekohanten restaurant, though, it had been a busy
morning.  The breakfast rush was finally just ending, and the
proprieters were busily cleaning up.  Mousse picked up another used
dish and placed it into the sink, sighing.  More work for him to do.
But still, he could at least be with his beloved Shampoo.
	"Mousse," said Shampoo, "you loafing on job.  You wash,
Shampoo dry.  That is agreement."
	"S-sure, Shampoo!" he said.  He was in a rather good mood
today, actually.  Shampoo had not abused him or splashed with cold
water once today.  Perhaps later he might try asking her on a date.
	Between the two of them, they got most of the dishes done
quickly.  Shampoo was rather impressed.  Mousse had not dropped a
single dish, and hadn't made any of his stupid passes at her all
morning.  Maybe he was finally wising up.
	When the dishes were done, Shampoo looked at Mousse.
"Mousse go sweep floor and clean tables, Shampoo clean kitchen," she
said.  He did as asked, and she was done in no time at all.  He was
just in the process of finishing up the floor, and still had the
tables to clean.
	Shampoo hummed quietly to herself.  She decided to make the
most of the free time she suddenly had, and decided to cook up
something nice for Ranma, to take to him when he got out of school.
Hopefully she could get him away from Akane for a little while.  She
was certain that once he saw the great food that had been prepared
for him, he would gladly agree to go on a date with her.
	So she set to work, preparing a very nice meal.  Whenever
Mousse would poke his head in the door, she'd find another chore for
him.  As long as he was out of her hair, she was pleased.  More time
to think about Ranma.
	The day wore on, and in-between her dealings with the
customers, she made sure everything was perfect for her meal.  She
was also very careful to make sure that Mousse didn't eat any of it.
She did eventually have to splash him with cold water when he kept
trying to peek into the kitchen.

--

	The bell rang, and the students filed out of Furinkan High
School.  Ranma walked out the door, rubbing his shoulder painfully.
"Damn, that's sore," he said.  "Those buckets are heavy!"
	Akane, walking alongside him, looked up at his shoulder.
"It's your own fault, you know.  If you'd pay more attention in
class, the teacher wouldn't make you stand outside holding them!"
	He snorted.  "It's not bad enough I have to endure that
teacher's droning, I also end up with a faceful of chalk dust, sore
arms, and then I get you lecturing me?  Happy day."
	Akane harrumphed.  "It's not like you pay any more
attention to me than you do to your classes.  It's no wonder your
grades are so low."
	He stopped and looked at her.  "Can't you mind your own
business?" he asked impatiently.  "It's not like my grades have any
impact on YOUR life."
	"Well," replied Akane bitterly, "I know you can do better.
If you'd put even half the effort you put into martial arts into
your schoolwork..."
	He interrupted her.  "Martial arts serve me better than
anything this place will ever teach me," he said.  Akane prepared
to respond, but she was interrupted again, this time from another
voice in the distance.
	"Saotome Ranma, prepare yourself!"  Upperclassman Kunou was
approaching in his usual straightforward manner.  He held his
boken at the ready, charging in to attack.
	Ranma waved congenially, knowing today would be simply a
repeat of what happened every other day.  Kuno never stood a chance
against him.  It was somehow comforting to know that the poetry-
spouting idiot would never change.
	"Heya, Kunou-sempai," said Ranma.  "Ready to get your butt
stomped into the ground again?"  He thought back to how everyone
around used to watch these battles with interest... now no one even
took any sort of notice.  And with good reason, they never lasted
longer than twenty seconds.
	Kunou would not be turned away.  He prepared to swing his
wooden sword and called out, "Saotome, today you will fall!  I
demand you release the fair pig-tailed girl from your vile
clutches!"  If he had planned to expound upon this, he didn't get
the chance, as he found Ranma's foot planted firmly in his face.
He fell back, seemingly unconscious.
	"Well, that was even quicker than usual," said Ranma,
glancing down at him.  He turned around, and suddenly Kunou was in
front of him, a very large footprint on his face.
	"Saotome," he said.  "Why must you mock me?  You would
dare to try to shame Kunou Tatewaki, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan
High School, seventeen years old... and to what end?"
	Ranma got up in his bruised face.  "Listen to me, you
idiot, you're the one who keeps challenging ME.  If you don't want
me to kick your ass, don't try to fight me."
	"I will win the pigtailed girl's heart.  You cannot keep
one such as her locked away forever, vile sorceror."
	Akane reached up and poked the swordsman on his bruise.
He immediately passed out from the pain.  She grinned up at him.
"See, what would you do without me?"  The other members of the
Kendo Club suddenly appeared and dragged the hapless poet back to
their building.
	Ranma smirked as he watched Kunou being taken away.  "I'd
probably lead a much simpler life."
	Her grin turned into an angry scowl.  "With one of your
precious fiancees, no doubt."  Why was he always such a jerk?
	He blinked.  "Now hold on a second, Akane," he stammered,
"I didn't mean anything like that!"
	She folded her arms and glared.  "Narrow down your options,
hmm?"  She could feel her battle aura rising as he tried to find a
way out of this little predicament.
	Ranma suddenly allowed his own aura to flare up.  "Go ahead
and put words into my mouth, Akane.  You're good at it."
	She blinked at him, and suddenly backed down.  She'd never
seen him do that before.  Her aura faded, as did Ranma's a moment
later.  "Fine, Ranma.  I don't feel like arguing about it anymore."
	"Fine by meEEEEEEAACK!!!" said Ranma.  His affirmation of
Akane's sentiments had been cut off by a large hoop of rubber which
was grinding into his face.  The hoop was attached to a spoked
wheel.  The wheel was attached to a shiny red bicycle.  Atop the
bicycle sat a bubbly purple-haired Chinese girl.
	"Ni hao, Ranma!" she said cheerfully, and hopped off.
	He extricated his face from the treads of the bike tire
with some difficulty, then glared at Shampoo.  "Damn it, Shampoo,
watch where you're going with that thing!"  The blow had given him
the beginnings of a wonderful headache.
	She hopped off the bike and pointed to the sizable meal she
carried for him.  "Today Shampoo make Ranma very big meal, spend
many hours on it!"  She held it out to him, and suddenly her voice
took on a slight note of menace.  "Ranma eat and enjoy," she said
sternly.
	Ranma stammered a moment.  No matter how many times he had
found himself in this situation, he still never knew how to properly
manage it.  "Properly" was an appropriately vague term.  If it would
allow him to get away without getting hit or making either girl cry,
it counted as "properly."
	Akane glared at her Amazon rival, not very concerned with
Ranma's skewed sense of propriety.  "Shampoo, we have to get home!"
she stated firmly, in a tone that Ranma recognized instantly.  She
was on the verge of pulling out her extradimensional hammer and
laying into the two of them.  Of course, it didn't seem to matter
too much who she hit.  He was always the primary target, even if the
offenders had been Shampoo or Kodachi.
	Shampoo looked back at her rival.  "Akane go home alone,
Ranma going to have meal with Shampoo!"
	Ranma sighed, he knew where this was going.  And it was
undoubtedly going to be rather painful.  His heart began to speed
up, and it was adding to the pain in his temples.
	"Ranma's coming home to eat dinner!" declared Akane.
	Shampoo set down her food and hugged Ranma fiercely.
"Ranma, you want to eat Shampoo's meal, yes?"  She looked up at
him with a mix of disarming cuteness and thinly veiled homicidal
tendencies.  A very neat trick, if you can pull it off.
	"Well, I...," said Ranma.  Stuck in the middle again.  His
head pounded, and he covered his face with a hand, rubbing the tread-
shaped bruise that covered a vertical bar down the center of his
face.  He could have sworn his nose felt out of place, but he'd have
to look at it later.  What was more distressing, though, was that his
entire body felt slightly out of place as well.
	"Is that so!" declared Akane.  "Ranma, you're supposed to
try out that new recipe that Kasumi-oneechan showed me!  It took
me ages to make it!"
	"No, Ranma stay with Shampoo!" said the young amazon.
	Ranma shook his head, trying to clear it.  He was dizzy, a
sensation he didn't like.  Shampoo hadn't hit him THAT hard, had she?
She could be sweet when she felt the urge, he thought, but it seemed
that more often than not, she just caused him problems.
	"I don't think so!" declared the daughter of Tendo-Ryuu.
	"Will both of you just SHUT UP?" yelled Ranma.  They both
blinked and looked at him curiously.  His head was now pounding
fit to burst, it seemed.  Damn them both.  Life had almost seemed
NORMAL for a little while, and now it was back to the same routine.
	"Akane, I'm sorry, but you should know by now how awful
your cooking is," he said.  He saw her expression turn extremely
grim, and was quick to add, "I appreciate the effort, though.  But
it doesn't make it any more edible."
	"You don't appreciate ANYTHING I do for you, you jerk!"
	Shampoo knew what the outcome would be.  She tightened her
grip around his waist.  "Aiyaaa!" she said happily.  "Ranma stay
with Shampoo!"
	"Shampoo, let go of me!" said Ranma in rather extreme
irritation.  He turned to look at Akane.  "If you'd just listen to
me, this wouldn't have to get out of control."  His blood pounded in
his ears.
	"Oh, I don't know, it looks to me like you're having lots
of fun already," said Akane, scowling at him.
	"Damn it, Akane, it's not like that!"
	Akane raised an accusing finger at him.  "I think it is,
Ranma.  If it's not like that, then prove it."
	He glared at her.  What was she, blind as WELL as clumsy?
"Why the hell should I have to constantly prove myself to you,
y'little uncute tomboy?" he spat angrily.  The pain now was intense
enough to almost skew his vision.
	"WHAT?!" yelled Akane.	
	Ranma stared at her.  He had been doing his best not to blow
his top at her again, for all the good it was doing.  She glared back
at him, obviously firmly convinced that everything was his fault...
again.  He was so sick of it.  His head throbbed relentlessly.
	Shampoo was latched onto his waist like there was no
tomorrow, no matter how many times he told her to let go.  Shampoo.
She had started this.  The day had been going reasonably well until
she showed up.  Akane was now completely beyond reason, angry for
no good reason, as usual.  Leave it to her to take a situation in
which he had been LEGITIMATELY blameless (and not just claiming it),
and blow it completely out of proportion.
	He fully expected that Kunou, Ryouga, Mousse and Kodachi,
Ukyou and Cologne, along with everyone else he'd ever pissed off to
some extent or another, would no doubt be making an appearance
shortly.  Maybe Happosai and the Ghost Cat too, and hell, even the
Dojo Yaburi.  Why not?  It felt like almost a routine to him.  Life
was, in short, not at its best for Ranma Saotome.
	Akane didn't understand him.  She seemed to enjoy being
angry at him for any available reason, legitimate or otherwise.
Damned uncute tomboy, why couldn't she be more feminine?  Or at
the very least, TRY to give him a chance sometimes.
	Shampoo kept trying to manipulate him into marrying her, or
at the very least, go out on dates.  She had a difficult time taking
a hint.  She could be nice, but she was usually more trouble than
she was worth... now, for example.
	Kodachi?  Well, she was a non-issue, as she simply kept
trying to drug him.  She was sick in the head, and he had absolutely
NO interest in her.  Try telling that to Akane, though.  Hell, try
telling it to Kodachi.  Either way, the result was usually painful.
	Ukyou... well, she was usually pretty nice to him, but she
certainly had her moments too, though.  She wasn't blameless either.
He recalled a few nasty smacks he'd received from her huge spatula,
just for doing something as simple as telling her she looked nice.
She had an odd way of taking compliments.
	His father didn't care about him, only about food.  He
tried to avoid thinking about the stupid old man.  On either side of
him, Shampoo and Akane argued, while he clutched at his aching
temples.
	Kunou wanted him dead, as did Mousse and Ryouga most of the
time.  He'd occasionally wondered in the past if he was being
paranoid, but then dismissed the idea, because he figured he
couldn't be paranoid if everyone really WAS out to get him.  The
damned principal of his school was even after him.
	It finally became too much for him.  The long months of
nonstop fighting, misunderstandings and arguments finally broke down
the mental barricades that Ranma had kept up to maintain some small
vestige of his sanity.  Something in him simply shattered, and he
pulled his hands away from his head, turning his head to look at
the young Chinese girl holding onto him.
	He grabbed Shampoo's arms tightly.  She cried out in pain,
but before she could protest or ask what he was doing, he pried her
arms off of him and pushed her away roughly.  She stumbled backwards
for a moment, then tripped and landed hard on her rear end.  She
looked back up at him, confused.  Tears shined in her eyes.  She
noticed that she had fallen halfway onto the packages of food she
had cooked, ruining them.
	Akane stood and blinked, completely unsure of what to make
of this sudden turn of events.  Ranma was not normally forceful with
anyone aside from his enemies (and occasionally his father).  She
wondered what had happened, and the accusations which she had been
about to say died before it reached her lips.
	"Ranma," said Shampoo, "Why you do that?  You hurt Shampoo."
	He didn't answer, he just glared at her balefully.  She
thought she saw a hint of something new in his eyes... a power that
had not formerly been there.  Just a glimpse of it frightened her.
	She withered under his gaze, now crying audibly.  "Shampoo
only want to be with you, Ranma.  Why you hurt me?"
	Ranma was too far gone to care.  "Did it ever occur to you,
Shampoo, that maybe I don't want to be with YOU?"  Akane gaped,
and Shampoo practically went into shock.
	"R-Ranma...," she said.  "Why you say such mean things?"
	His voice rose to a shout and the power she saw in his eyes
came to life, causing them to glow a bright red.  Akane took a step
back at the sight.  "Because you won't leave me alone!" he said
angrily.  "You come around every other day, grabbing onto me like
I'm some kind of toy.  I'm NOT a toy, I'm a human being, and I do
NOT belong to you.  I'm not some prize for you to win.
	"You keep trying to trick me into marrying you," he said,
"with the help of that goddamned old woman."  Shampoo was cowering
under his wrath, looking up at him helplessly.  She gradually inched
her way back, wanting to find somewhere to run, to convince herself
that this wasn't really happening.
	But he swept on regardless.  "Every time you show up in my
life, you get Akane and Mousse both pissed off at me, and I don't
need it.  I'm SICK OF IT!"  He was panting, his eyes full of rage.
	Akane looked at Shampoo.  She'd never seen the young amazon
so upset, not even when Ranma had first revealed to her that he was
also female, and that the Kiss of Death could never be fulfilled.
Akane thought that the Chinese girl might simply attack him to make
him shut up, but she sat there and took it.  Akane was speechless.
	"Ranma," Shampoo said, trying to choke back her sobs,
"Sh... Shampoo sorry.  No mean to upset you."
	He held up a fist and cracked his knuckles, "Well, it's a
little late for apologies.  If you ever loved me like you keep
claiming you do, you'd never threaten me.  You would have listened to
me and let me have some say in my own future.  My future doesn't
include you.  Just leave me alone."  He turned his back on her and
started to walk away.
	She blinked and stood up, reaching after him.  "Ranma,
you no leave me!" she cried, a glimmer of anger forcing itself to
the forefront of her speech.  He turned and looked at her, with those
cold, red eyes.  The anger vanished instantly, replaced by fear and a
soft pleading.  "Please...," she said softly, and placed her hand on
his shoulder.  When her hand touched him, she felt him tense up
completely.
	"Don't touch me."
	"B-but...," she said.
	"That's the only warning you're getting, Shampoo," he said
through clenched teeth.  "Keep your hands off of me."
	"NO!" she cried suddenly, tears flowing unchecked down her
cheeks.  "Shampoo no let you go!  Shampoo love you!"  She grabbed
onto him in her usual fashion, but more desperately.  Her arms
encircled his entire body, pinning his arms to his sides.
	She suddenly felt his body grow extremely hot, and his arms
shot out to the sides, breaking her grip on him rather painfully.
She fell down again, her tears coming with renewed fervor.  She
rubbed her arms, feeling the soreness in them where Ranma had
struck her... she dearly hoped that it was not intentional, but she
had a very strong impression that her hope was a futile one.
	Ranma glared at her, his ki flaring up around him.  The eyes
flared brightly, and she shivered.  Ranma seemed like another person
entirely.  He spoke to her one last time, this time enunciating each
word slowly and clearly, with an unmistakable undertone of menace.
"I... said... LEAVE ME ALONE!"
	Finally unable to withstand any more, Shampoo leapt to her
feet and ran off crying.  Ranma didn't bother to watch her go.
His ki no longer burned around him, but he was still incensed.  He
turned back around and started to walk off, not even paying any
attention to Akane.
	Akane was confused.  She certainly couldn't say that he
was trying to sneak off for a date with Shampoo, which was her
original plan of action.  His behavior was totally unlike him... and
what was the deal with his eyes?  The food which Shampoo had prepared
for him lay on the ground, destroyed and tainted... both by the dirt
of the concrete and by the betrayed (albeit misguided) love which had
gone into preparing it.  It was nothing short of unbelievable.
	After a moment's indecision, Akane came to the conclusion
that she had to find out what was going through his head, but now
probably wasn't the best time.  She wrestled with her conscience
for a moment, and her curiosity won out.
	She ran after him and called his name.  He ignored her.
	"Ranma!" she said again, growing irritated.  "Are you even
listening to me?"  It was a stupid question and she knew it.  He was
not paying her any heed.  Evidently, he had no intention of starting
either, as he slowly broke into a jog, leaving her behind for a
moment.
	She sprinted for a second to catch up to him, then matched
his pace.  For a long moment, neither said anything.  He made a few
sudden turns, plainly trying to throw her off.  She continued to dog
his movement, and eventually he slowed down, and finally stopped.
	"Well," said Akane, panting for breath a bit.  "Are you going
to talk to me?  I think what went on back there merits some form of
explanation."  He kept his back to her and still said nothing.
	She felt her anger boiling up within her.  "RANMA!" she
yelled.  "Talk to me!"
	"You're no different," he muttered, too softly for her to
make out clearly.  She leaned closer, but couldn't hear him.
	"What was that?  Speak up!"
	He rounded on her, and she realized she'd made a mistake.
That red glow flared in his eyes.  She had thought she was simply
imagining it, but it was too real to be an illusion.  He was still as
angry as she'd ever seen him, only now, it was focused on her.  She
took a step back involuntarily, and cursed herself for being scared.
	His eyes narrowed as he stared her down.  "I said... you're
no different," he repeated, speaking so distinctly that it was
plainly meant to be condescending.  However, Akane's temper was
nothing to be toyed with, either.  And now, she was angry all over
again. 
	"What's that supposed to mean!" she demanded.
	He held his hands in front of him and stared at them, his
fingers curling into claws.  "It means," he began, barely keeping his
voice in check, "that you're no different from Shampoo.  Your methods
are different, but the end result is the same.  You don't trust me,
you never believe what I tell you, you get angry at me for no
reason."
	She blinked.  He wasn't saying this.  She KNEW he could not
be saying this.  This couldn't be happening.
	But it was.  He took a step closer to her, getting right in
her face and almost-but-not-quite-shouting.  "Every time you're in
trouble, I do my best to help you, but you don't seem to care.  You
don't notice how much you hurt me, and I don't think you even care.
Not to mention that you never seem to notice when Shampoo or Kodachi
are around that I'm not encouraging them.
	"It's so fucking EASY to blame Ranma, isn't it?" he said.
"Ranma's irresponsible, a pervert, insensitive, callous, mean-
spirited, whatever.  You name a bad trait, it's a safe bet that I
have it, isn't it?"
	She stammered, but couldn't get the words to come.
	"ISN'T IT!" he screamed, and she stumbled back.  "Even when
I try to be NICE to you, you always assume that I have some kind of
ulterior motive.  I don't suppose you ever considered the notion
that I might actually have cared about you at some point?"
	She felt a sense of elation at his words.  He cared about
her.  She started to smile at him, but stopped when she realized how
cold his eyes were.  There was no emotion there but anger.  The red
glow.  And she realized that he used the past tense... he didn't
care anymore.
	"I suppose for a thickskulled tomboy like you, it takes
awhile for things to sink in," he said.  When he said that, it
almost sounded like he was back to his normal self.  But that
illusion was dispelled simply by looking at him.
	Akane was determined not to be cowed so easily.  "So what's
the plan now?" she asked angrily.  "Just run off, ignore all your
responsibilities, say 'to hell with the world?'"
	He took a step toward her, and she forced herself to stand
her ground.  She didn't want to admit it, but he was scaring her.
Both with his deeds and with the implications of what he was saying
to her.  Was he going to just leave?  Drop out of her life as
suddenly as he'd dropped in?
	Ranma looked at her from beneath a furrowed brow, and
suddenly laughed scornfully.  "Responsibilities?" he asked.  "What
responsibilities?  To marry you and take over the Tendo Dojo?  To
continue my training with my idiot father?"
	He was smiling at her, but there was no joy in his face,
only scorn and aggravation.  "Those aren't responsibilities, those
are obligations given to me by a man I don't respect."
	Akane had tried so hard to fight down the tears welling in
her eyes, but they would be denied no longer.  "Ranma, please," she
said in a broken voice.  She was losing him, she could feel it.  Not
for the first time, she felt ashamed for always mistrusting him, for
all of the arguments they had.
	And then, he lowered the boom.  "I don't want to marry you
anymore, Akane."  She looked into his eyes.  The red glow was gone,
replaced by a cold deadness that chilled her to the bone.  It was
like a blast of hot air coupled with some extremely cold water.  He
had admitted that he wanted to marry her.  But he didn't want it
anymore.  He didn't want her....  And knowing that tore her apart.
	In a fit of emotion, she ran to him, and leaned her head
against his chest.  Her fingers clutched at the front of his shirt,
and she mumbled almost unintelligible pleas to him, crying hard
into his chest.  She wanted him to hold her, to put his arms around
her and comfort her.  More than anything else, she wanted him to
tell him he didn't mean what he'd said.
	But he didn't move.  He just looked down at her with an
expression like marble.  Inwardly, he was almost amazed at this turn
of events.  Her emotional state had almost managed to breach the
barrier of rage that he had suddenly erected around his heart, but
only almost.
	He had passed the point of no return.  He knew there was no
turning back.  Something... something told him that he must keep
going.  Or maybe it was someone.  It didn't matter anyway.  The
issues in his life demanded closure, and this was the only way.
	Somehow, that didn't sound right.  But he was in no mood to
debate morality with his conscience.  He pushed that small part of
his mind which screamed in protest to the back.  Only the anger was
important.  Only the pain and hurt he felt mattered.
	"Akane," he said calmly.  She gave no response.  He repeated
her name again, this time more firmly.
	She looked up at him hopefully, her eyes red from the
intensity of her weeping.  "Ranma...," she whispered.
	"Let go of me."
	"But...," she began.
	"Let go of me, Akane," he told her, his voice as cold as
ice.  "I won't repeat it again."  His arms were still at his sides,
but she could see that they were clenched into fists now.  Given the
way he had treated Shampoo only a few minutes before, she had no
doubt he would give her the same treatment if she didn't comply.
	Reluctantly, she pulled away, and looked up at him sadly.
"I...," she began.  She sighed and gathered her strength.  She did
not know if anything she said at this point would have any effect,
but she couldn't let him just slip out of her life without some kind
of a fight.
	"I'm sorry," she said.  Ranma just eyed her impassively.  "I
didn't mean to let things reach this point.  If you would--"
	Ranma cut her off.  "If I would just listen, maybe you could
find some way to convince me that it's not that bad, that I should
stay, that this goddamned place is still worth my time," he said.
He was speaking quickly, his anger gradually building once more.
	Deep inside him, some part of him was screaming out not to
do this.  He never lost control of himself.  Not Saotome Ranma.  He
was too strong for that.  Once again, Ranma turned his back on this
part of his mind, and tensed again.
	He saw she was about to speak again, and held up a hand to
stop her.  "Don't say anything else, Akane.  I don't want to hear
it," he said.  She was amazed at how calmly he spoke... as if it
was a matter of no importance.
	He turned his back on her and spoke what she feared would be
the last words he ever said to her.  "I don't want to see you again.
Goodbye, Akane."  Before she could respond, he turned and leaped
away.  She watched him until he was a mere speck in the middle
distance, and then turned to walk home, still in shock.

--

	Mousse looked up from the dishes he was washing as he heard
the door open.  "Shampoo?" he asked excitedly.  Determined not to
let his vanity once again get the best of him, he put his glasses on
and looked out from the kitchen of the Nekohanten.
	There was Shampoo, or at least he assumed.  "Shampoo!" he
cried happily, rushing over to her.  "You're back!"  He glomped onto
her and cuddled her affectionately, wondering only for the briefest
of moments why her skin felt rather cold.
	Shampoo looked at her would-be suitor, who was hugging a
very large statue of a ManekiNeko (Good Luck Cat).  Normally, she
would have hit him, or said something abrasive to him.  But she
hadn't the energy for the emotional expenditure.  She'd never felt
so drained in her life.
	"Mousse," she said in a quiet voice.  "Shampoo over here."
	He looked up and saw a large blur of purple swishing about
near his face.  He adjusted his glasses again, and looked up at his
beloved.  Then he looked back at the statue he was hugging.  He
stood up straight and looked at her.
	"I'm glad to see you, Shampoo," he said cheerfully.  She
looked at the floor, and did not answer.  "Shampoo?  Are you all
right?"
	She wasn't all right.  Nothing was all right, nor would it
ever be again.  Her life had collapsed around her.  Nothing made any
sense, and it didn't matter anymore anyway.  She sighed.
	"Shampoo fine, going to take bath," she said, trying to
muster up some semblance of her usual cheerfulness.
	Mousse may have had poor eyesight, but he was never blind
when it came to Shampoo's mood.  He looked down at her seriously.
"Shampoo, what's wrong?" he asked.  She was forcing her tone of
voice, and it didn't sound natural.
	She shook her head.  "Nothing.  Nothing wrong.  I talk to
you later."  She turned around and headed up the stairs to her room.
When she got inside, she shut and locked the door, and then collapsed
on her bed in tears.
	Mousse stood outside her door, listening silently.  He wanted
more than anything in the world to break the door in and try to
comfort her, but he knew she would probably just throw him out, among
other unpleasant things.  It pained him to see her like this though.
He wished for nothing more than her happiness, but she always pushed
him away.
	But when he heard her mutter Ranma's name between her sobs,
his concern gave way to anger.  "RANMA!" he shouted, causing Shampoo
to look up in alarm at the sudden disturbance outside her door.
	"How DARE you hurt Shampoo so!" he bellowed into the empty
air of the upstairs hallway.  "You will die a thousand deaths for
this!"  He ran downstairs and was out the door in a flash.
	Shampoo rushed to her bedroom door and opened it, trying to
call Mousse back, to tell him not to do anything... but it was too
late.  He was long gone.  She sighed deeply, and started to close
the door again, but was interrupted.
	"Shampoo," came an aged voice.  She looked at the source and
saw her great-(great-great-great-etc.)grandmother, Cologne, looking
at her with concern.  Immediately, the young amazon tried to compose
herself, to hide the fact that she'd been crying.
	"Don't bother trying to hide," the old crone said.  "I know
something is bothering you.  What has the bridegroom done now?"  She
sighed inwardly, he could be so troublesome sometimes.
	Shampoo shook her head violently, trying to blink back tears
and failing.  "Ranma... no want Shampoo," she said.  The words hurt,
even hearing herself say them, because she knew that they were true.
	Cologne raised a surprised eyebrow.  "And what makes you say
that?" she asked.  She knew her great-granddaughter had gone through
fits of depression over Ranma before, but this one was something
entirely different.  The pain ran deeper.
	After a long, shuddering sigh, Shampoo recounted to her
great-grandmother the events of the day.  She had cooked Ranma a
special meal, and was trying to feed him, when Akane had showed
up and started yelling at him.  Shampoo told her to go away, she and
Ranma were on a date.  Akane had, of course, gotten even angrier,
and suddenly her beloved seemed to go crazy.
	As she explained, she had failed to notice how tense her
great-grandmother was becoming.  The old woman's brow furrowed, and
she was, in short, amazed.  Ranma had never demonstrated so much
strength of will, particularly not when it came to women.  Plus, how
could he dare to spurn Shampoo so?  Did he have any idea what the
consequences would be?
	"Ranma look strange too," said Shampoo suddenly, as if
remembering something that seemed minor in light of the major changes
in her life.
	"Hmm?" said Cologne, stroking her great(etc.)-granddaughter's
back softly.  "Strange how?"
	"His eyes glow red.  He look scary."
	The old crone blinked.  "Did he do anything particularly out
of character?"  She had a feeling she knew what might be happening.
	Shampoo shook her head.  "Out of character?  What that mean,
hibaachan?"  As was typical, her tenuous grasp on the Japanese
language tended to slip whenever she was upset.  Cologne sighed and
repeated her question in Chinese.
	"Oh!" said Shampoo, now understanding.  "Well, he yell at
Shampoo... say mean things.  He never do that before."
	"Anything else?"
	The young amazon swallowed a lump that tried to form in her
throat and nodded slowly.  "Yes... he hurt Shampoo.  Have bruises on
arms."  She held her arms out for inspection.  Her grandmother's eyes
widened as they took in the sight of the slight blemishes.
	"Son-in-law did this?"
	Shampoo nodded again, unwilling or unable to speak.
	"Well, child, I think I have an idea of what may be
happening," said Cologne.  "I hope I'm wrong.  But in case I'm not, I
must begin preparing to deal with it."
	Shampoo sighed, sniffling sadly.  "Yes, hibaachan..."
	Cologne held her only family gently, patting her on the
shoulder and trying to comfort her as best she could.  "Something
will be done, child.  I promise to do my best to right this wrong."
This situation simply could not be allowed.  Something would have to
be done, and it had to be done sooner, not later.

--

	Akane trudged home dejectedly, unable to stop brooding about
what Ranma had said and done that day.  She had cried as much as her
body would allow shortly after leaving the alley where she had last
seen him.  Now, she had no more tears to shed for the moment.  She
looked up into the reddening sky and sighed.
	When she got home, she announced a tired greeting to everyone
who was there.  The full complement of residents were there, except
for Happosai.  Probably out on a panty raid at the high school, she
figured.  At least SOME things were constant.
	She walked into the kitchen, hoping to avoid any of the
inevitable questions.  Of course, there was her oldest sister,
preparing dinner, currently chopping up some cabbage.
	"Hello, Akane," said Kasumi with her usual cheerful smile.
She looked behind her and noticed a certain someone missing.  "Oh,
where's Ranma?"
	Akane shook her head.  "He said he wouldn't be back for
awhile," she said.  Then she amended, "I mean, he should be back
later tonight."
	Kasumi returned to chopping up her vegetables and said
absently, "How unlike him to miss dinner...."
	"Yeah," said Akane.  "I guess he had something he had to do.
I'll be up in my room."
	Kasumi nodded and smiled at her, as cheerfully dense as ever.
The youngest of the Tendo daughters trudged silently up the stairs,
and passed by Nabiki.
	"Heya Akane," said Nabiki.  "What's with you?  You look
really upset.  Something happen with Ranma?"
	Akane winced.  Unlike Kasumi, Nabiki had an impeccable eye
for what was going on around her.  It came from her business sense.
She never missed an opportunity for business, and she also never
seemed to miss when a family member was troubled.
	"It's nothing, really," said Akane, rather unconvincingly.
"Just your typical stuff."
	Before her sister could press for more information, she went
into her room and shut the door.  Nabiki stood outside, wondering if
she should knock and try to talk to her.  But she decided to wait.
Of course, she waited outside her door, but one took information
where one could get it.
	Akane sighed and looked around her room.  She heard a small
grunt, and saw a large lump moving around under her bedsheets.  She
smiled when she saw a flat pink nose peek out from the edge and
grunt at her.
	"Hi, P-chan," she said.  He worked his way out of the maze
of sheets, and sat on the bed.  She figured he was just playing, but
in all honesty, he'd simply been lost.  He tried to get out of the
bed by crawling toward the footboard, ran into tightly tucked
corners, and things went downhill from that point on.  Still, he was
free now, even if it had taken him all day to accomplish it.
	He looked up at her with his wide eyes and snuffled at her
as she sat down.  She picked him up gently and held him close.  "At
least I know that YOU'LL always be here for me," she said.
	The little piglet perked up his ears, hoping that she would
explain what she meant.  As usual, she did not diappoint.  She had
developed the habit long ago of confiding in the little pig.  Even
though she knew there was no way he could ever really understand what
she said, it always felt like he was listening to her... something
Ranma had never done.
	Ranma....  Damn.  Why did she have to think of him?  Why did
she have to care so much?  Why couldn't she ever admit it to him, or
even to herself?  So many unanswered questions.
	"Why can't men be more like you, P-chan?" she asked aloud of
the little pig.  He blinked at her, confused.  "People never have to
wonder how pets feel.  You love unconditionally, you never play
games, you never say anything to deliberately hurt anyone."
	She scratched between his ears.  "If you were human, you
would make a perfect boyfriend, you know that?"  She could swear she
saw the pig blush, but dismissed it as a figment of her imagination.
Easy enough, since she didn't trust it much right now in the first
place.
	Ryouga's heart did several somersaults in midair, before
finishing up with a ten-point dive into his stomach.  Could the woman
of his dreams truly mean the incredible things she was saying?  Of
course, she had no idea that he was P-chan, but this salient fact
failed to impress itself on his brain at the moment.  He was far too
giddy for that.
	That elation faded, however, when he took a close look at her
eyes.  She had been crying, a lot.  It had to be Ranma, that
pretentious bastard.  She looked down at the little pig and forced a
weak smile.
	"I suppose it won't bother you much...," she said.  The piglet
nuzzled her, and she seemed to take it as a sign that she should
continue.  "Ranma being gone and all."
	Ranma?  Gone?  What the hell was she talking about?  He tried
to ask what she meant, but it came out as, "Bu-kii, bui bweeeee?"  He
cursed to himself.
	"I don't know what's happened to him," she said, not really
noticing or caring that she was crying again.  P-chan nudged her
gently with his nose, and she sighed deeply.
	"He said he doesn't want to see me again.  I don't even think
he's going to come back here to pick up his things," she said sadly.
The pig's eyes were the size of dinner plates.
	Akane shook her heard again.  "I've never seen him so angry
or upset... not even when Happosai burned him and stole his strength
way back when."
	She held the pig up close to her face and looked at him
intently.  "He even hit Shampoo."  P-chan's eyes got even bigger, if
that's at all possible.  Akane continued, "I was afraid he was going
to hit me too."
	Suddenly, the little pig in her hands seemed to grow angry
and started to squirm.  She hugged him gently and said, "I don't know
what to do, P-chan.  He told me he doesn't want to marry me anymore."
He felt her tears fall onto the top of his head, and his fury
subsided into sadness, for what she was feeling.
	Ryouga longed to comfort her, he wanted to be able to be her
confidant as a human, but this would have to do.  He swore to himself
that he would find Ranma and make him pay for hurting Akane so
badly... and for even INTIMATING that he would ever dare to strike
her.
	Suddenly, there was a knock on the door, and Akane set P-chan
on the bed, and he nuzzled her hand as she stood up.  "Coming," she
said, wiping her eyes.  She went to the door, and just as she was
about to open it, she heard a rustle of sheets, and she glanced back
at her bed.  P-chan was gone.  She wondered sometimes where he went,
but that was a minor consideration at the moment.
	The door creaked open, and Nabiki looked in.  "Akane?"
	"Nabiki-oneechan," Akane said.  "What can I do for you?"  She
hoped that none of what she had been saying had reached Nabiki's ears.
	Nabiki looked at her calmly and said, "We need to talk, little
sister."
	Akane's heart leaped into her throat, and she knew that she
would be unable to avoid telling her sister what had happened.  What
if her father found out...?

--

	Ryouga stepped out of the furo and looked around.  The night
was darkening, but he knew Ranma would be somewhere.  He wasn't going
back to the Tendo Dojo.  And rats like him tended to be most active
when the sun went down.
	Hibiki Ryouga charged off to find his longtime rival... and
to give him a beating he would never forget.  Nothing could make up
for what he had put Akane-san through.  Nothing EVER.

                    *** TO BE CONTINUED ***

----------------------------------------------------------------------

I realize, Ranma's behavior is not "in character," but explanations
are forthcoming.  Bear with me for awhile, please.  Also, regarding
the characters' speech: I do not use anything from Viz as any kind
of reference regarding how the characters speak.  I have only the
original Japanese TV episodes and manga to draw from, and yes, I do
understand/read Japanese.  I will continue to maintain the style of
speech shown for each character, as it best fits the original voices
and text better than anything else, as far as I'm concerned.

Anyhow... part two is well underway, and it should be coming pretty
soon.  The plot thickens quite a bit. :)  Until next time...

-Deuce

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