|The past can be two things.  It can be full of sweet reminiscences, of
|fond memories of days gone by.  Usually, however, such recollections are
|tinged with melancholy, of a wish that the present would be better.  The
|past is also filled with regret, of sometimes painful longing for the road
|not taken, misgiving for the ill deed committed, remorse for the wrong
|never set right.

It is also filled... with the creme inside Twinkies...

<whap bam pow crunch shove clunk c-LICK>

There. I'm better. On to the fic.

|One young man cursed the past almost daily.  He strode down the road next
|to his love - he was one who happened to be quite happy with his present -
|and thought over and over again about what he might have done differently.
|He sighed and spoke so softly that the woman walking with him didn't hear.
|"Please... I wish she'd find peace.  She doesn't deserve-"  His voice
|caught, and this time the woman noticed and reached out to hold his hand.
|He turned and smiled at her, drawing strength from her presence and for a
|moment forgetting all about the past.

The only light at the end of "The Bitter End". 'Tis faint, but 'tis there.
At this point, I began to suspect what you'd done.

|The past, however, did not forget him.
|
|The past had heard his words, and felt the regret behind him.  The past,
|despite appearances, was not capricious.

This is URD we're talking about. She makes capricious look like a little boy
flipping a coin to choose between chocolate and vanilla. Then again, given
what you've been able to find in other characters, I shouldn't be surprised.

|The past knew full well the pain
|of regret.  How often others remembered the past with bitterness,

Or a couple pints of bitters. Or the bitterness of cold rice wine. Or...

<shove trip screeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaam splash>

I thought I got rid of him...

|and how
|seldom they found joy in it.  It was time that this particular piece of
|history was healed over before it hurt any more of the present.
|
|Besides, the young man had made a wish, and he was worthy.

I suppose this is in lieu of actually trying to track him down.

|Plus there was a possibility of preventing tragedy in the future.  The
|future might be a little hard to deal with at times, but should still be
|protected as much as possible.  The past had a responsibility for the
|future, after all.

In both the philosphical and familial sense. Although it's anyone's guess as
to which Urd is thinking of.

|The past smiled, and began.
|
|
|
|O, for my sake do you with Fortune chide,

The past is Kuno? :>

Nah, I know a dedication when I see one.

|The guilty goddess of my harmful deeds,

You like taking your titles from Shakespeare, don't you?

|That did not better for my life provide
|Than public means which public manners breeds.
|Thence comes it that my name receives a brand,

Considering the adjectivized nature of yours and Zen's work, this line makes
a world of sense. I still mark off fics by TIL and TBE, them being the first
examples of their genre I looked at...

|And almost thence my nature is subdued
|To what it works in, like the dyer's hand:

Zen's (Sur)real World entry, with the Demoness Akane, abruptly springs to
mind.

|Pity me then and wish I were renew'd;
|Whilst, like a willing patient, I will drink
|Potions of eisel 'gainst my strong infection

I suppose you might call this foreshadowing of a sort. Though I have no idea
what eisel is, it can't be worse than a nice barbiturate cocktail.

|No bitterness that I will bitter think,
|Nor double penance, to correct correction.
|Pity me then, dear friend, and I assure ye
|Even that your pity is enough to cure me.

Yet more foreshadowing.

|-William Shakespeare
| Sonnet CXI

How long did it take you to find this, by the way?

|Goddess of My Harmful Deeds

Also known as "The words in the title area of this post."

|by Richard Lawson

Also known as "The words in the 'From:' area of this post."

Yes, I'm making jokes here. It's an attempt to lighten the mood of this
piece. This is actually WORSE in some ways than "The Bitter End"... at least
there, you SAW it coming, and Akane sort of deserved what happened to her.

|Akane stretched, feeling uncomfortable for some reason.  Still, being able
|to sleep in was a luxury.  The baby wasn't crying - not yet, anyway - so
|any moments of peace were precious.
|
|She smiled, her eyes still closed, and turned on her side to hug her
|husband.  Reaching out, her arm smacked the wall instead.
|
|Wall?

Yes. There are usually four of them in the typical room, though that may
change if the architect so desires. However, why this wall should
unexpectedly decide to move is the first indication that Things Are Not As
They Seem.

|Akane's eyes flew open.  She was facing a soft wall of some sort.  She
|wasn't in her bed, she was on a cot.
|
|She threw the blanket off of her and scrambled to her feet.  The room was
|quite small and covered with dull gray cushions.

Ladies and gentlemen, the archetypal "padded cell". This is when I began
thinking that this involved TIL and TBE. I have a weird aptitude for
crossovers...

|"What the hell?"  Akane shook her head, wondering if she was still
|dreaming.  She slapped herself once, hard.  It hurt.  A lot.

Well, when you've been wasting away for the past few years...

|She cursed, then stormed over to the door, only then realizing that it
|didn't have a handle.  She grit her teeth and began pounding on it.  "Hey!
|Let me out!"

We've secretly transferred a sane Tendo Akane to an insane asylum and
haven't informed the guards of the switch. Let's see if they can tell the
difference...

Actually, this was the focal point of a few psychological studies, where
sane people faked a few things and were admitted to insane asylums. Amazing
what they found...

It's also one of the plot devices central to "Harvey", a wonderful movie
starring Jimmy Stewart which sort of raises the question of what insanity
really is.

And then there was the article I read saying everybody's insane to one
extent or another. Food for thought.

|A window on the door was pulled open.  An impassive face stared at her
|through the Plexiglas.  "Akane?  Up already?  And so active.  Time for
|your medication."
|
|"Medication?"  Akane looked down at herself, seeing that she was
|physically unhurt.  "What medication?  What's going on?"

Of course, she would react the same way if she had forcibly repressed the
memories of her trauma.

|The window was closed.  She heard the sound of a lock turning and she
|stepped back.  The door opened, and a man nearly the size of the Dojo
|Destroyer entered.  He had a small paper cup in one hand, a baton slung
|through his belt, and a patronizing expression on his face.  "Come, time
|to eat your candy.  Just like every day.  Then you can have breakfast and
|maybe sit out in the yard for a-"
|
|There followed the sounds of a surprised yelp and a cot being smashed.

Okay. True to Akane and very helpful to me the reader, who is sure that
either Akane will get out or get shot and spend a few days unconscious. Sane
people do NOT belong in insane asylums.

|Akane stepped cautiously out into the hallway.  She had no clue as to what
|was happening, but she was certain she needed to get out of this place,
|and right now.

Here's hoping she does.

|---
|
|Ranma blearily examined Nouma.  Why the boy insisted on waking up at five
|every morning was beyond him.  Ranma loved his six-month-old son but
|wished he'd sleep until at least eight.

Oh. Eight in the MORNING. I thought he meant, you know, eight YEARS. When
the kid turns two or three, then they'll wish he slept 'till he was eight.

|Nouma finished his bottle and tossed it aside as best he could.  Ranma
|picked him up and held him over his shoulder.  Nouma began playing with
|his hair.

"No! Not the Dragon's Whisker!..." Oh. Wait. It wore off. Nevermind.

|Ranma smiled and walked out of the nursery and down the hallway.  He
|decided to go sit on the porch for a while and watch the sun come up and
|let Akane sleep.
|
|He looked in the door as he passed the bedroom and stopped.  Akane wasn't
|there.  Ranma shrugged mentally

Because, y'know, shrugging physically would kinda upset the baby.

|and continued on to the porch.
|
|He stepped outside and froze.  Akane was wandering around the yard in her
|nightgown, without so much as a robe or slippers.  She seemed to be
|mumbling to herself excitedly.  Ranma took another step forward and
|realized she was clutching a pillow while talking to it.

Sleepwalking, I thought. Then I remembered the sane Akane in the insane
asylum...

|"Isn't this nice, P-chan?  Home again, home again.  Is this home?  It
|seems so familiar.  Must be home, must be home, that other place isn't
|home.  Time for breakfast?  They'll come to give me breakfast, the nice
|colored candy, and then some other stuff like eggs or rice."

Very true to the little girl persona that Zen had Akane take up in his
prologue. At this point, Ranma is probably trying to remember who cooked
last night. This, BTW, is where I cemented the connection between TIL and
TBE.

|She stopped and brought the pillow close to her face, speaking in a
|whisper Ranma could barely hear.  "You know what, P-chan?  I hate the
|candy.  I hate it."

Why you take somebody with a slight chemical imbalance and give them a
massive chemical imbalance is beyond me.

|Ranma's head was buzzing slightly.  This was so... weird.  Even more so
|than usual.

Considering everything Ranma's seen, that's pretty darn weird.

|"Akane?"
|
|Akane snapped her head to the side and looked at him.  Shock covered her
|face and the blood drained from it.  "R-Ranma?"

Let's see... katana through the heart, burial ceremony, months spent six
feet under, and he's not even moldy. Even if Akane's insane... well, how
would YOU react to the walking dead?

|"What's going on?  Are you feeling okay?  Come inside and put a robe on."
|
|Akane continued to gape at him.  A small kind of squeal started in her
|throat.  It began to build in volume and intensity until she was screaming
|loud enough to wake the dead.

Yeah, that's about how I'D react to the walking dead. "The Monkey's Paw"...
brrrr...

|Ranma ran over to her, mindful of the baby on his shoulder.  He clutched
|Akane to his other shoulder.  She was as stiff as a statue.  "Akane! Calm
|down!  Everything's okay, it's okay!"

Well, for YOU, sure it is. And just because you THINK things are fine with
her doesn't mean they actually are.

|Akane collapsed into him.  Ranma wasn't sure if she was conscious or not.
|
|Ranma swallowed in a mouth gone dry, very sure that something was horribly
|wrong.

Why can't something ever NOT be horribly wrong when someone thinks that
things are going horribly wrong? P. G. Wodehouse is probably one of the only
authors who takes this up... oh, and the person who did the slight crossover
between P. G. Wodehouse and Ranma 1/2 is a literary genius. It's like one of
his stories exactly. Sorry... rambling...

|---
|
|Akane shivered in the morning air.  These strange pajamas she was wearing
|did not insulate her from the cold very well.

Well, the walls were insulated... ouch, reaching.

|Yet, as she had sneaked
|through the building she'd awakened in, she had the distinct impression
|that she should not ask anyone there for warmer clothing.

Or for the time of day. And ESPECIALLY not for directions to the exit.

|The place had
|seemed very much like a prison.

Ain't it the truth?

|Akane had no idea how she'd ended up in it, but was certain that she
|didn't belong.

Well, your MIND doesn't, but your BODY sure does. At least in this reality.

|She'd found a barred window and had attempted to rip it open.  That had
|proven much harder than she'd thought; for some reasons, her muscles
|hadn't responded with the brute strength she was used to.

Let's review: A woman has been admitted for slicing her husband and former
best friend open with a katana. She tears a door off on the way in. Are YOU
going to allow her access to the weight room? All those who said yes,
there's a lovely bridge in Brooklyn, going cheap...

|It had taken
|several attempts and a judicious use of leverage, but she had eventually
|gotten it open.  She'd run through the parking lot and out a gate,
|ignoring the shout of a guard.

Why they shout "Halt!" from miles away, when only the most demented people
would (halt, that is), is beyond me. Of course, considering the nature of
this place, a good percentage of the people inside probably would stop, if
only to consider what was being yelled at them.

|Running was something else she was good at, and she'd quickly made her way
|through the city.  Now she was still jogging, doing her best to keep warm.
|She was still in Tokyo, she was glad to note.  She got her bearings and
|headed towards home.

Cue "Twilight Zone" music.

|---
|
|Ranma had his son on one shoulder and his wife slung over the other.  He'd
|tried, but he had not been able to come up with a better alternative.

Let's see... juggling... no... footbag... no... balance them both on my
head... no... wait for her to come around, scream, and pass out again...
no... teach the kid to walk... I don't have THAT long...

|He came to the nursery first, and gently set Nouma in his crib.  Nouma,
|fortunately, appeared to be in a good mood and began pulling at his
|stuffed animals.
|
|The master bedroom was next door.  Ranma gently laid Akane on the bed.
|She sprawled on it gracelessly.  She *was* unconscious.

Faking it... actually, that would be a distinct possibility, considering
what Ranma's just seen.

|Ranma examined
|her face.  The same familiar features, but there was something wrong with
|it, something he couldn't put his finger on.  As if the slack expression
|she had in sleep was the one she used most often when she was awake.
|
|Ranma shook off these strange thoughts and went over to the phone.
|Whatever was wrong, he was in over his head, and he needed help.

THIS is definitely the TIL Ranma. You start the first story with him being
"in over his head", as you put it. And he goes for help. Naturally.

|---
|
|Akane sighed in relief as the Tendo home came into view.  Her feet were
|numb and she was cold and miserable.  The sooner she got out of these
|stupid clothes and into a hot bath, the better.

Continue "Twilight Zone" music. Or maybe the theme from "Jaws" would be
better.

|She pulled on the gate, but it was locked as usual.  She growled and took
|a step back.  She wasn't quite in Ranma's leaping league, but she could do
|okay.  Focusing her mind, she blew out a breath and jumped.  She grabbed
|the top of the wall and pulled herself up and over.

She's got the strength to do this? Although I suppose she's driven by
desperation as much as anything else...

|She walked around to
|the back door, which was usually unlocked in the morning when Ranma went
|to the dojo to train.
|
|The smell of breakfast cooking caused Akane's stomach to rumble as she
|stepped inside.

Something tells me Ranma would be doing the cooking... heh...

|She went to the master bedroom to change out of the
|strange pajamas and to gather her bath things.  Her plan was to think
|things through while soaking in hot water.
|
|She stumbled into the bedroom and over to the closet.  She opened the door
|and blinked.
|
|Someone else's clothes were in the closet.

Continue mysterious, ominous background music.

|She ran her hand through the dresses.  They looked familiar.  She stopped
|on a blue one and frowned at it.  Kasumi.

No, dear, that's a dress.

|They were Kasumi's clothes.

Oh.

|Akane was getting very angry.  The world was conspiring against her,
|trying to find ways to make things as difficult for her as possible.  It
|had been a long time since she'd last felt this way, and she'd forgotten
|how much she hated it.

This is "Bitter End"-ish. Perhaps Akane is the same in TIL, but the first
domino never falls. Something for us to think about...

|She whirled and stormed out of the room.  Time to find out what the hell
|was going on.

Baaaaad idea. You not gonna like it, that's a promise.

|"Yes, sensei?"  A voice from further on down the hallway.  Akane turned to
|see Kasumi's back.  She was on the phone.  Akane started towards her.
|
|"Oh my!"  There was real shock behind Kasumi's usual exclamation.

Tending towards the profane end of the translation for "Ara...".

|Akane
|slowed and stopped just behind her.
|
|"Was anyone hurt?"  Kasumi sounded a little frightened.  After a few
|seconds a pained sigh escaped her lips.  She leaned forward, putting her
|hand on the table and supporting herself with it.
|
|Akane took a step backwards, trying to be as silent as possible, fighting
|back a feeling of dread.

Let's see... was anyone hurt... terror... apparently, I don't live here...
and Kasumi's afraid...

Definite grounds for a feeling of dread.

|"Yes."  Kasumi sounded on the verge of tears.  "Yes, I will let you know.
|Please try not to hurt her."
|
|Akane swallowed heavily.

Continue ominous background music.

|"I understand.  Th-thank you, sensei."  Kasumi slowly hung up the phone.
|She stood for a minute with her head hung.  Then she began sobbing, her
|shoulders shaking with their force.

Force of the sobs, that would be.

|Akane took another step backwards, then turned and ran lightly down the
|hall.  She ran into the master bedroom and tore off the pajamas.  She
|hastily put on some of Kasumi's clothes, including a pair of her tennis
|shoes.
|
|She walked back to the door.  She carefully looked up and down the
|hallway.  Kasumi was nowhere to be found.
|
|Akane briefly considered her options.  Confronting Kasumi struck her as
|being the wrong thing to do.

Considering that everyone thinks she's INSANE, confronting ANYONE would be
Extremely Unwise.

|She was under no circumstances going back to
|that place she'd awoken in this morning.

This is another "well, duh" moment.

|That left her one choice, as she
|saw it.  Ranma.  She had to find Ranma.  No matter what was going on, he
|would stand by her.  He always had.

Continue ominous background music. Lady, just take my advice and give up
NOW. It's a world better than the alternative. Of course, coming from a
universe where you and Ranma are nigh-inseperable, yin and yang, so to
speak, you probably don't think that he could be dead.

Although I imagine the possibility might be creeping up... I mean, if
Ranma's dead, Akane probably goes postal against whoever killed him. In
either universe.

|She nodded to herself, then ran down the hallway.  She almost made it,
|too.
|
|Kasumi's short scream spun Akane around.

Actually, Akane probably did that when she HEARD the scream...

<bamf>

Yes, I'm quite aware that it's a metaphorical construct. It's one of those
mood-lightening things. Sheesh.

|She looked up at her sister at
|the top of the stairs.  Kasumi had both hands covering her mouth, as if
|she had used them to block the scream.
|
|Akane felt fear from Kasumi.  Real fear.  From Kasumi, who had never had
|any reason to be afraid of her.  Who had been a mother as much as a sister
|these past few years.  Kasumi.

This is where that feeling of dread kicks into overdrive. It's like when you
scream at a horror movie "Don't open that door!" knowing full well that
whoever's there is dumb enough to do it anyway.

|Speech was difficult, but she forced herself.  "What's wrong, Kasumi?  Why
|are you afraid?"

Of course, this is different from opening a door. Namely because whoever
opens the door isn't the monster.

|Kasumi merely trembled where she stood.
|
|Akane drew another breath.  "Please, what's going on?  Where... where's
|Ranma?"
|
|Kasumi lowered her head until her hands covered her face.  She began
|sobbing again.

This is reminding her, perhaps, of when she went to visit and saw that Akane
was just a child and had lost all her memories. Pure speculation... but to
see someone you loved like that would tear you apart. Kasumi's tearing apart
all over again.

|Akane couldn't stand it.  She turned and fled.

It was either that or faint. And Akane doesn't strike me as much of a
fainter.

And for those who think this is abrupt: How would you feel if you woke up in
a world where everyone treated you as some sort of lunatic monster and the
one person who had been anything even remotely close to a rock of stability
treated you the same way?

|---
|
|Tofu felt Akane's head carefully, then turned to Ranma.  "There seems to
|be nothing physically wrong with her.  She may have just been dreaming."
|
|"Sleepwalking?"  Ranma furrowed his brow.  "She's never done that before."
|
|Tofu looked behind Ranma.  Ranma turned to see Kasumi shake her head.
|"Never to my knowledge," she said.

That's what it would seem like, wouldn't it?

|Ranma felt himself regaining his balance.  He knew that calling the Onos
|was the right thing to do.  They were here to help, and together, he and
|they would make things all right.

That'd be nice, wouldn't it? And that's how it's always been, hasn't it?
Just go talk to Kasumi or go to Dr. Tofu and everything makes sense and
things are patched up and time does the rest. Well not anymore, wild horse.
Not anymore...

<This message brought to you by the Dark Side of the Falcon.>

|"Hmm."  Tofu sat back.  "I would like to wait and have her wake up
|naturally.  Give her mind a chance to rest from whatever shock it
|experienced this morning."

Well, what else is there to do? Until the good doctor knows exactly what's
going on, he has no choice but to let nature take its course. Then again,
Ranma probably thinks there are other alternatives.

|Ranma nodded just as the baby started crying.
|
|Kasumi quickly rose to her feet.  "Allow me."  She waited for Ranma's nod,
|then rushed out of the room.
|
|Ranma chuckled.  "I bet she can't wait for her own.  How much longer?"
|
|"Six months, give or take a few days."  Tofu spoke in an affectionate and
|slightly awed tone of voice.  "I, too, am looking forward to it."

This is completely unrelated and yet, somehow, necessary.

|"I'll bet."  Ranma clasped Tofu's shoulder.  "You guys are probably going
|to be the best parents in Japan.  Much better'n me and Akane."

And what follows is maybe WHY it's necessary.

|"I would not say that."  Tofu spoke with a slight smile.  "I happen to
|think that Nouma is quite fortunate to have you two as his parents."
|
|Ranma grinned, then sobered.  "I dunno.  Sometimes I wonder why we did it.
|I mean, just out of high school, we could have waited a few years, at
|least long enough for Akane to graduate from college.  But she wanted to
|get pregnant and... well, I couldn't deny her."

Odd, that this sentiment is slightly more common among the "Akane and Ranma
married" scenarios. Then again, if Ranma could hold out against Shampoo, he
could probably deny anyone... 'ceptin, of course, the woman he loved.

|Tofu lifted an eyebrow.  "Do you have any regrets?"
|
|"No," Ranma said quickly.  "I mean, I like the little rugrat.  But...
|well, I sometimes worry that we weren't quite ready to be... good parents
|for him."
|
|"Ranma."  Tofu spoke in a chiding tone of voice, but with a smile.  "I
|have seen men twice your age who have no idea how to be a parent.  I've
|seen you with Nouma, and Akane too.  You both dote over him, and do
|everything you can to make sure he never wants for anything.  Which, given
|your curse and Akane's course schedule, is remarkable.  Don't ever sell
|yourself short as a parent, Ranma.  I think you're going to have a
|wonderful family life."

To those of you who think this is a bad thing... letting your kid know that
he can change things by his actions is a lot better than letting him know
that he has to put himself in danger before you'll care. At least when the
kid's not even a year old yet.

|Ranma smiled at Tofu, letting him know that he was grateful for the words.
|
|The sound of Akane's groaning cut through the conversation.  Ranma whipped
|his head around to see his wife stirring restlessly.  She was frowning and
|mumbling incoherently.  With a small shout, her eyes shot open.
|
|Tofu immediately bent over her.  "Akane?  Are you all right?"
|
|Akane focused on him, her face confused.  "Sensei?"

And back we go, to the strange dance of sanity and insanity. The previous
few paragraphs were pure you, Lawson. Now, it's back to the strange
crossover...

|Tofu put his palm on her forehead.  "Do you know where you are?"
|
|Akane chewed her lip.  "Home?  I think I remember being home."
|
|"Very good.  Can you tell me what day it is?"
|
|"Day?  Um..."  She bit her lip again, being to look a little frightened.
|
|"Never mind."  Tofu spoke in a calm, utterly soothing voice, and Akane
|relaxed a little.  "Can you tell me your name?"
|
|"S-Saotome Akane."
|
|Ranma blinked.  Saotome?  Why did she think her name was Saotome?

Yeah, him taking her name is a MINOR plot point at best. Everyone who reads
"The Bitter End" will walk away knowing that Akane killed Ranma and Ukyo and
was committed. Tack on "He had taken HER name when they married." and you've
cleared up a lot of confusion.

|"I see."  Tofu seemed to take it in stride.  "And can you tell me who this
|is?"  He indicated Ranma.

Bad move, doc.

|Akane met his eyes.  As before, shock covered her face.  "No," she
|whispered.  "No.  No no no no NO NO NO NONONONONO!"  She began screaming
|and violently thrashing on the bed.

The walking dead. Perhaps a vengeful spirit. What would YOU do?

|Ranma's gut wrenched again.  He moved over to try and calm her down, but
|his approach only sent her into greater convulsions.

Little songfic called "Death Is Not the End" makes it REALLY clear why Akane
is so scared. It ain't TBE canon (oh no, it's its own series now), but it
makes a world of sense.

|Finally, Tofu
|applied a pressure point, and she lapsed back into unconsciousness.
|
|Tofu spent a few minutes examining Akane again for signs of injury while
|Ranma sat on the bed next to her, holding her hand and feeling her slip
|away.

Watching her chi slowly retreat inside its shell... if he's gotten that
good, as you seem to think he has.

|Finally Tofu sighed and sat back.  "She didn't hurt herself, thank
|goodness.  This is very serious, Ranma.  We need to admit her to a
|hospital right away.  She's had a trauma of some sort, and I cannot tell
|what it is."
|
|Ranma looked into Akane's face.  Once again it looked peaceful but...
|haunted.
|
|Ranma shook his head.  "No."
|
|Tofu clearly hadn't been expecting that.  "What?"
|
|"No.  She stays here."
|
|"Ranma.  She may have had a stroke, or beginning to suffer from an
|aneurysm, or any of a thousand other things that might be
|life-threatening.  We need to get her to a specialist right now."

Umm... "be in the first stages of an aneurysm" would fit the tense better.
But Tofu's recommnedation is medically sound.

|"No."  He looked up at Tofu.  "She was fine until she saw me.  I think...
|I think this might be a spell of some sort.  Or something like that."

Given Ranma's life, he's got every reason to suspect that. Particularly if
his chi sense is as well-developed as you make it out to be, Lawson-san.

|"Ranma."  Tofu was able to convey professional urgency quite well.  "I
|know that many of the things that you face are... unusual in nature.  But
|this may not be one of them.  There may be sound medical reasons for this
|behavior.  Please, you must let me take her to a hospital.  If nothing
|else, we can eliminate the physiological possibilities, and you can work
|on the... more esoteric explanations."

Compromise. Wise move on the part of the doctor.

|"No."  Ranma had some difficulty meeting Tofu's gaze, but he did.  "I...
|it has to happen here.  And now.  Whatever's gone wrong, I have to be the
|one to set it right."
|
|Tofu thinned his lips, looking very sorry for what he was about to say.
|"Ranma.  Such an attitude may kill Akane.  Are you certain you want to
|take such a chance?"
|
|"Ranma-kun."  Ranma turned to see Kasumi standing in the door, holding
|Nouma in her arms.  "Are you saying that you're willing to risk my
|sister's life based solely on your intuition, disregarding Tofu's medical
|advice?"
|
|Ranma grit his teeth for a second, then spoke slowly and calmly.  "Kasumi.
|I know she's your sister.  She's my wife, too.  I would never put her life
|in danger if I can help it.  But this thing... I... I know that it's
|nothing... nothing a hospital can help with."  Ranma swallowed.  "I can't
|explain it any better than that, but I know it's true.  You gotta trust
|me."

Very TIL. To say nothing of what waking up surrounded by doctors and tubes
and sterile walls... with Ranma at her side, of course... might do to
Akane's already fragmented psyche.

|Kasumi looked into his eyes for a long time.  Ranma looked back at her, at
|the same time squeezing Akane's hand.
|
|Finally Kasumi looked down at Nouma.  "Will you allow me and Tofu to stay
|here?  I can watch over the baby and Tofu can be around in case he can
|help you in any way."

The Mistress of Compromise strikes again.

|Ranma smiled.  "I'd like that a lot.  Thanks, Kasumi."

Very similar to the scene where Kasumi talks Ukyo into coming to the beach.

|Nodding serenely, Kasumi turned her gaze to her husband.  "I'll take Nouma
|with me and go back to our house.  I'll pack a few things and return here
|in time to fix lunch."
|
|Tofu looked at Kasumi evenly.  It was the first time Ranma had ever seen
|anything like tension between them.  Finally, Tofu spoke in a cool tone of
|voice.  "Very well."
|
|Kasumi lowered her eyes, and Ranma could see flickers of regret in her
|usually serene manner.  Then she turned and left the bedroom.

Well, Kasumi knows Ranma a bit better than Dr. Tofu does, and if he's
willing to risk something more precious to him than his own life "on a
whim", then I think she'll back him.

|Tofu looked at Ranma's face, and again Ranma saw a first: Tofu looking
|slightly angry.  "I truly hope you know what you are doing, Ranma.  It
|would be a terrible tragedy if Akane were to die.  Terrible if it could
|have been prevented."

"Very tragic story..."

|"I know that!  Don't you think I don't know that!"  Ranma pounded his free
|hand on his thigh.  "I'd like nothing better than to take Akane to the
|hospital, have them give her a pill or something and cure her on the spot.
|But I know that won't fix it; it'll make it worse.

Very true. See above.

|If I wasn't sure of
|that, I'd be on the way to the hospital with Akane right now."

That he would.

|Tofu spoke softly.  "You are certain, Ranma?"
|
|"It's my wife's life we're talking about!  Of course I'm certain."  Ranma
|looked down at Akane's face.  "As certain as I can be."
|
|"Which means that you may be wrong."
|
|Ranma spoke in an agonized whisper.  "Yes.  Damn you, yes.  I might be
|wrong.  But if I always took the safe way, I might be dead - or worse - a
|dozen times over already.  Akane, too.  This feels right.  Right enough
|that I'm betting her life on it."  Ranma looked into Tofu's eyes again.
|"Mine, too."

As I said above. If something this important weren't at stake, Ranma would
play it safe.

|Tofu winced.  "Very well."  This time the words seemed a lot more
|conciliatory.  "We will speak no more on this.  You have experience I have
|trouble conceiving of, but you are right: it has stood you in good stead
|before.  Please know, however, that I stand by my opinion that she needs
|to go to a hospital, and that you have merely to give the word and I can
|have half a dozen specialists examining her within the hour."

Also known as "The REALLY big safety net."

|"Okay.  Thanks, Tofu-sensei."
|
|"You are welcome.  If you will excuse me, I would like to talk with my
|wife before she leaves.  Call me if you need anything."
|
|Ranma nodded.
|
|Tofu left the room.  Ranma stayed with his wife and prayed to whomever
|might be listening that he hadn't just condemned her to death.

Yeah. Definitely a lot of psychological conflict going on for Ranma. But
then again, your TIL Ranma trusts his instincts (well, in the sequels and
epilogues and such) and this fits him perfectly.

|---
|
|The Saotome home was quite small.  Ranma's family was by no means rich,
|and sustained itself on the commissions Nodoka earned in her work.  Still,
|it did well enough for Nodoka to support herself and her husband.

Right. You're going to need to come out with that side story or whatever it
is at some point, since Genma and Nodoka are the only ones you haven't given
the full treatment to.

|Akane glanced at the familiar family name next to the door, then gathered
|herself and knocked on it.
|
|After a moment, the door was swung open.  A familiar face looked out at
|her.
|
|She bowed.  "Father-in-law.  I am sorry to bother you this morning.  Can
|you tell me where I might find Ranma?"

Baaaaad move. Again.

|Silence.  She straightened and looked into his impassive face.  Sometimes
|it was quite difficult to figure out what he was thinking.  This time was
|no different.
|
|He continued to stare at her until she shifted in place.  "Please.
|Something's gone wrong.  I know I can set things right if I can find
|Ranma."

You know, this is about the worst thing she could POSSIBLY say, and yet it
makes perfect sense for her to say it.

|Genma closed the door.

As opposed to slamming it and knocking it off its hinges. Which wouldn't be
that unreasonable.

|Akane felt it like a blow to the gut.  Genma had always liked her, even if
|he had sometimes acted like a jerk.  He had been so eager to see them
|married, and had been as proud as anyone on the day of their marriage.  He
|had never been this... cold to her before.
|
|She was about to knock again when there was a cry from inside.  A shout of
|anguish and anger.  It was followed by the sound of something being
|smashed.  Akane wondered if she should rush inside to see what was wrong.

Is this Brave Sir Genma running away, perhaps through a window? Or is it
just him trying to control his rage? Or is it him at all?

|Another cry and sound of destruction dispelled all such notions.  Akane
|clutched her hand in her heads, feeling like she was going mad.  The whole
|world was askew and blaming her for it.

Well, it's true, in this case.

|She turned and walked down the street.  She felt like a coward for fleeing
|from one place after another.  But she seemed to be causing pain with her
|very presence.  She needed to understand what was happening, and she
|needed to find Ranma to do that.

Ominous background music swells.

|"YOU!"  Akane whirled to see Nodoka standing on the street behind her.
|Her face was bright red and she pointed at Akane as if to smite her with
|her anger.  "You took my future!  The future of the Saotome clan!  And now
|you come back to... to torment my husband, to further ruin my family!"

Well, YOU gave her the sword. Oh. Ohhhhhh boy. Nodoka probably has more than
one reason to hate herself as well as hate Akane.

|Akane spread her hands.  "Please, Mother-in-law..."

Baaaaad move. Again.

|"DON'T CALL ME THAT!"  Nodoka was now screaming at the top of her lungs.
|"GO AWAY!  GO AWAY AND NEVER COME BACK!"
|
|Akane clenched her jaw.  She had had enough.  If this was about the damn
|family name, they could talk about it, but Akane was certain she didn't
|deserve Nodoka's unreasoning hatred.

Well, YOU don't. But... man, the time she must have making sense of this.

|She began to take a step forward.
|
|A strong hand clasped her shoulder.  A voice called out to Nodoka.
|"Saotome-san, please, allow me to handle this.  She will bother you no
|more, I promise."
|
|Nodoka heaved a couple of breaths, spluttering, trying to get something
|out.  When she couldn't, she spat on the ground and stalked back into her
|house.

"I despise you, do you know that?"

|Akane sighed.  She glared over her shoulder at the couple behind her.
|"Well?  Are you going to treat me like that too?"
|
|Ryoga sighed, looked into Akari's eyes, then back at her.  "Akane-san, we
|must talk."

Right. Ryoga and Akari are the good guys in this crazy, twisted world.
(Crazy and twisted from Akane's perspective.)

|---
|
|Ranma sat on a chair next to the bed where his wife lay sleeping.  He had
|yet to let go of her hand.
|
|Tofu was looking at the alarm clock next to the bed.  "She should be
|waking up very soon now, Ranma.  I don't think you should be here."
|
|Ranma started.  "What?"
|
|"If what you say is true, she has reacted very badly to your presence
|twice already.  Let me try and talk to her first.  Let's see if she can
|stay coherent for more than a few minutes."

Makes sense.

|Ranma bristled at the suggestion.  Yet, he could find nothing unreasonable
|in it.  What's more, while he had felt quite strongly that taking her to
|the hospital would be disastrous, he had no such feelings about Tofu's
|latest suggestion.

Exactly how comprehensive is this danger sense of his? Never mind, if it can
follow Kodachi's mind, it should have no trouble understanding that of a
fellow nutcase.

|He stood up, leaned forward, and kissed Akane.  Then he walked over to the
|door, took one step out, one step to the side, and slid down the wall
|until he was sitting on the floor.

Simple, but it paints a very vivid picture. The look on his face... let's
just say I never want to have that.

|Almost on cue, he heard Akane stirring.  Tofu spoke to her in that same
|soothing, professional voice.  "Akane.  How do you feel?"
|
|"Where- where am I?"
|
|"Don't you remember?"
|
|"Home.  Home again.  But it can't be home.  Nope, not home."

The child returns...

|"Why not?"
|
|Akane spoke with a kind of scared urgency.  "It just isn't!  Not home, not
|home!"

This is probably the worst thing they could be doing to Akane... taking her
back to the scene of the murders... but they don't know that.

|"Okay, Akane, relax.  Where is your home?"
|
|"The nice place with the candy."
|
|"I see," Tofu said after a few seconds.  "And how long have you lived
|there?"
|
|"How long?  Long.  Forever.  Except I hate the candy."
|
|"Do you remember ever living here?"
|
|"Will you feed me candy?"
|
|"Do you want me to give you candy?"
|
|"I hate the candy."
|
|"Then I won't feed you any."

The little girl again. It's scary, in a blood-chilling
this-can't-be-happening sort of way.

|"This... I think... it looks familiar.  Do I know you?"
|
|"Who do you think I am?"
|
|"A sensei."
|
|"Yes.  I am."
|
|"Everyone's a sensei.  Everyone."
|
|"Are they?"
|
|"Except when they aren't."

This is the sort of statement that the words "half-hearted laughter" were
invented to respond to.

|"Oh.  Do you remember ever calling me Tofu-sensei?"
|
|"Tofu-sensei?"
|
|"Yes."
|
|"You... you wouldn't... no.  I don't know you."
|
|"What wouldn't I do?"
|
|"Do I know you?"
|
|Silence for a long while.  Ranma wrung his hands, trying to make sense of
|the conversation.  Even he could tell that Akane was avoiding something.
|What, he couldn't guess.

Not that he would be able to if he could... strike that, that made no sense.
But what are the odds that Ranma would think up a "Bitter End" scenario?

|Tofu spoke again.  "Akane, what is the last thing you remember?"
|
|"Remember?  I... I don't like remembering."
|
|"Why not?"
|
|"Because!  Remembering is remembering.  Isn't that right, P-chan?"

And she proceeds to lose it again.

|"Who is P-chan?"
|
|"This is P-chan.  He's my pet."
|
|"I see.  He's a nice pet."
|
|"The man named him for me.  It was the right name, too.  The man was very
|smart."
|
|"Which man?"
|
|"The man."

Sage words from someone with an apparent mental age of six or so.

|More silence.  Tofu was evidently running out of ideas.  Evidently he
|decided to try a more direct approach.  "Do you remember your husband?"
|
|The change in Akane's voice was immediate.  It bordered on hysteria.
|"Husband?"

Oh god, what's tied to that word...

|"Yes.  Do you remember him?"
|
|"What's a husband?"
|
|"You know what a husband is, don't you?"
|
|"Someone you marry."
|
|"Yes.  Do you remember marrying someone?"
|
|"Marrying... someone?"
|
|"Yes."
|
|"No.  No.  No no-"

Hmm... imagined betrayal, hatred, excessively violent death... it's a
miracle she's not screaming now.

|"That's okay, Akane.  Do you remember your son?"
|
|"Son?"
|
|"Yes.  Your baby."
|
|"I don't have a baby."
|
|There was something different about this denial.  While the others had
|seemed slightly forced, this one seemed to be pure puzzlement.  Ranma
|tried to think why that should be.

Well, it's 'cause she's from a parallel universe where you two married but
then she killed you because she thought you were fooling around with Ukyo.
But what are the odds of you figuring THAT out?

|"Akane.  I know you don't like to remember.  I know it's painful.  But
|please, try for me.  I'd like to know what you remember."
|
|"I... I was walking around the yard.  I was here, at my not-home, instead
|of my home.  And it felt kind of good, and then... and then..."
|
|"Yes?  And then?"
|
|"He... he shouldn't have... she was trying to... the brazen hussy wanted
|him, but he... he was *mine*!"
|
|Ranma rose to his feet.  Akane's voice was turning dark and ugly.  Angry
|and hateful.  It chilled Ranma to the bone and set off all sorts of
|warning bells.

Oh yeah. Encountering a bloodthirsty Akane from a parallel universe can do
that to you.

|A touch of alarm colored Tofu's voice.  "It's all right, Akane.  Relax."
|
|"He spent all his time with her!  They were lovers and laughing at me, and
|he's mine!  And then she showed up and they stood there and laughed at me
|while they held hands.  Flaunting it!  They WANTED ME TO DIE SO THEY COULD
|BE MARRIED BUT I WOULDN'T GIVE THEM THE SATISFACTION!"

I think she's remembered. The question is, did she want to?

|"Akane, please-"
|
|Tofu's impassioned plea was cut off by the sound of something crashing.
|
|Ranma ran into the room to see Akane standing on the bed, her arms in a
|position that indicated she had just thrown something.  Tofu was on his
|hands and knees, the remains of the bedside table around him.  Ranma put
|himself between him and Akane, quickly ascertaining that Tofu had no
|serious injuries.
|
|"YOU!"  Ranma looked up into the face of fury.  "YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER!"

Oh great... here it comes.

|Ranma stepped onto the bed, carefully watching her.  "Who?  Who should I
|stay away from?"
|
|"DON'T PLAY GAMES WITH ME, RANMA!"  She gave him a vicious open-handed
|slap.  Ranma was so mesmerized by her total fury that he didn't try to
|block it.
|
|"ADULTERER!  YOU HATE ME, YOU'VE ALWAYS HATED ME, YOU NEVER TOLD ME THE
|TRUTH!  DIE, RANMA!"  She reached her hand back to slap him again.

Hmm... odd thing here. Your TIL Ranma thinks he had a one-night stand with
Ukyo and runs away from Akane for it... after they've had a fight and she
kicks him out. The exact same thing happens in TBE, except it's AKANE who
does the thinking and imagines Ranma running away.

Food for thought.

|Ranma brought his hand up and blocked it.  The blow had a lot more force
|than he'd expected, and he was forced back a step.  Akane stepped into
|him, trying to pummel his stomach.  Ranma reached down and grabbed her
|wrists.  She tried to wrench them away but he held them firm, this time
|not surprised by her unexpected strength.

He wouldn't do this to Akane, but I think he knows that whatever is in front
of him isn't the Akane he knows.

|Ranma took a quick look behind him.  Tofu was now on one knee, preparing
|to stand up.  He had one of his hands pressed to his forehead, with blood
|dripping through his fingers.  Ranma knew enough about such things to know
|that Tofu would be out of it for a minute or two.  He'd have to do this
|alone.
|
|He looked back at Akane, whose face was still fury personified.  "How DARE
|you!"  Her cheeks were flushed and she had spittle on her chin.  "Ranma,
|you do NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO-"  She stopped and her eyes widened, her
|expression melting from fury into shock.  "Ranma?"

Her rational mind has just informed the rest of her nervous system of recent
developments, i. e., Ranma is alive. That it should take so long is further
confirmation she's lost it.

|Ranma bit down hard on the impulse to snap at her.  "Yes?" he managed
|calmly.
|
|Akane's lower lip began trembling violently.  She lowered her face into
|his chest and began to cry, sobs that were half screams.  Ranma released
|her wrists and put his arms around her.  Akane almost flung herself at
|him.  They fell on the bed, Akane landing on top of him.  "R-R-Ranma."
|She clutched him tightly.

This, I imagine, is how some of those nightmares she has go. He's alive and
he's hers. Then the blood starts gushing.

|Ranma tightened his grip on her and let her cry.  This was at least
|different from her previous reactions to his presence, but he wasn't sure
|if it was a good one or not.

Well, she's conscious. That, in and of itself, makes a world of difference.

|But at least she was letting him try to help her, and that had to be all
|right.

It's getting there, wild horse. It's getting there.

|---
|
|"Dammit, Ryoga, just tell me.  What's going on?"
|
|"Akane-san, your sister Kasumi called me and told me that you had escaped.
|That you had been to her house, and would likely try to visit Ranma's
|parents."
|
|"Her house?  Since when is it her house?"
|
|"Akane-san..."  Ryoga sighed, apparently at a loss on how to proceed.
|
|"Akane."  Akari was standing slightly behind Ryoga, clearly keeping him
|between her and Akane.  "What is the last thing you remember before this
|morning?"

Well, if Akari could talk Ryoga out of hunting down and killing Ranma, she
stands a chance to be able to calm down what she thinks is a homicidal
maniac.

|Akane glared at her.  Akari paled slightly and Ryoga put his arm out to
|cover her.  This only made Akane angrier, but she attempted to control it.
|"The last thing I remember is going to bed, of course.  What does that
|have to do with anything?"

This is probably the most protracted mistaken identity in the history of
fanfic. Akane is acting almost exactly as her cracked counterpart would.

|Akari still look frightened, but she continued to speak gently.  "Where
|did you go to bed?"
|
|"At home of course.  *My* home.  The Tendo home.  The one Kasumi thinks is
|hers."
|
|"And... and was there anyone else in the house with you?"
|
|"Of course!  Ranma and Nouma.  Who else would there be?  Dad's in Kyoto
|this week."
|
|Ryoga looked confused.  "Nouma?"
|
|"My son, idiot.  Where is he?  Where is Ranma?"

I believe the phrase "be careful what you wish for" applies here.
Extensively.

|Akari and Ryoga looked at each other for a long time.  Finally, Ryoga
|turned back to Akane.  "We'll take you to him."

Just, y'know, not how you expected.

|Akari drew in a sharp breath but said nothing.  The three of them moved
|down the street.  Ryoga began to turn in one direction but Akari quickly
|pulled on his arm and pointed another way.  Ryoga nodded impassively and
|moved where she indicated.

Good to know that SOME things remain constant.

|Akane growled.  "Tell me, Ryoga.  Tell me what's going on."
|
|Ryoga didn't look at her.  "This morning, Akane-san, you escaped from a
|mental hospital where you've been staying for almost two years."

Boot to the head. I can hear the world shattering from here.

|Akane froze.  Ryoga stopped but didn't turn to face her.  Akari looked up
|into Ryoga's face, concern etched onto her features.
|
|Akane tried to get her brain to work.  "M-mental hospital?"

Her mind is whirling with possibilities and she doesn't like all of them. Or
any of them, for that matter.

|"Yes," Ryoga spoke into the air in front of him.  "Kasumi tells me that
|they were quite surprised by your attack.  That you've been so completely
|passive for so long that they were fooled.  They need to get you back
|inside before you hurt someone."
|
|"Hurt someone?"  Fear everywhere she looked.

Umm... gulp. This is not a good thing for Akane.

|"Yes."  Ryoga began to move forward again.  Akari stayed with him, and
|after a moment Akane ran to catch up.
|
|"How did I end up in...," it was unbelievable, "...a mental hospital?"
|
|"It began after your marriage to Ranma."
|
|"What did?"

Good question.

|Ryoga spoke with a touch of anger.  "You don't remember?"

Equally good question.

|"Remember what?  What started?"
|
|"The beatings."

Good answer!

|"Beatings!"  Akane shook her head.  "Ranma would never lay a hand on me in
|anger.  And if he tried, I'd knock him silly."

The words "rude awakening" come to mind...

|"You misunderstand, Akane-san.  Ranma never beat you.  You beat Ranma."

...and this is about as rude as it gets.

|Moisture fled Akane's mouth.  "I... I beat him?  As in hit him?"

No, your demented twin from another dimension did. But everyone thinks that
you are said twin, so in a manner of speaking, you DID beat him.

|"At first it was just hitting.  Then it became assault.  Ranma was never
|without bruises somewhere.  The beatings increased in intensity and
|frequency."
|
|"No!"  The denial sounded false for some reason, even though she knew it
|was genuine.  "I... even if I were to... beat on him, he'd never allow..."

Welcome to "Akane's World Falls Apart."

|"He allowed it because he loved you, and he thought that if he was passive
|enough that you would stop.  He was wrong, of course."  Ryoga clenched his
|jaw.  "That damn support group should have told him that.  They didn't.
|Either that or he wasn't listening."
|
|"Support group?"
|
|"Yes.  Ukyo took him.  She was hoping that it would help him to deal with
|your abuse.  It did absolutely nothing.  Months and months of ineffectual
|talking before you found out about it."

Stick an ellipsis between talking and before... that'll give you your pause
which seems significant.

|The pause seemed significant.  Akane forced herself to ask.  "And what did
|I do when I found out?"

I don't think you want to know.

|"You beat him so hard that he was in the hospital for days.  He stopped
|going to the meetings after that."

You definitely didn't want to know.

|Her head was buzzing.  The unreality of the conversation was making it
|hard for her to think.  "And... and what happened to my son?"
|
|"You don't have any children, Akane.  You never did."

You know, this is just WRONG. Akane is getting her world torn to shreds for
no apparent reason.

|"That's a lie!"  Akane found a bit of relief in her anger.  "He's six
|months old, and beautiful, and his name is Nouma..."

But are you a maniac dreaming you're a mother, or a mother dreaming you're a
maniac?

|"You never got pregnant, Akane.  You were too busy fighting with Ranma all
|the time."
|
|"No!  That's not true!  Wait until we get to Ranma, he'll tell you."
|
|"Yes, I suppose that's true.  We're nearly there."
|
|Akane blinked and looked around.  She had been so intent on the
|conversation that she had paid no attention to where they were going.
|What she saw froze her heart.  She wanted to deny what she was seeing, but
|she couldn't.  "Mother's buried here."

This is Akane's hell. You know, how you put your TIL Ranma through TOP and
vice versa? TBE would be TIL Akane's hell. Especially if she comes into it
now.

|"Yes."  A bit of sympathy was beginning to leak into Ryoga's voice.
|
|Akane reached and grabbed Ryoga's arm.  "Tell me.  Tell me now.  What
|happened to Ranma?"
|
|Ryoga pointed.  Akane followed his arm, and saw two new markers next to
|her mother's.
|
|Her breath came in ragged gasps.  She meant to stay still but her feet
|carried her along.

"Don't open that door" syndrome strikes again. Although I imagine in this
case it's laced with a touch of "Ghost of Christmas Future" syndrome.

|Ryoga spoke softly, sadly behind her.  "You were practicing one day.  Both
|of you were.  Ranma with just his fists, you with your katana.  Ukyo came
|by, we think to try and convince him to leave you.  We think that's what
|set you off."
|
|Akane looked at a marker, a marker with letters that should spell a name,
|but somehow she couldn't make them, there was a name on them that couldn't
|be there.

The world is going to pieces on her and no one seems to care... poor girl.

|"You started shouting.  And then you took your katana and stabbed Ranma in
|the stomach.  And when Ukyo tried to help him, you stabbed her, too.  They
|both died very quickly."

A nice capsule summary of "The Bitter End", by Ryoga Hibiki with assistance
and moral support by Akari Hibiki, nee Akari Unryuu.

|And now the words formed, they told of Ranma Saotome and how he had been
|born on one day and died on another.

Good image. Chilling, but good.

|Akane fell to her hands and knees, staring at the ground, underneath which
|Ranma was buried.
|
|It isn't true.  It's a lie, it has to be a lie.  Ranma is alive, I slept
|with him last night.
|
|And all during the engagement you hit him, didn't you?  Beat on him with
|your fists or whatever weapon was convenient.  And sometimes he didn't
|deserve it, sometimes you did it because you got mad at the world in
|general and he was a convenient outlet.

And now Akane actually starts accepting the hell she's been thrust into.
This is bad for her, very bad...

|But it never hurt him.  He healed so quickly, he always recovered and went
|on and lived.
|
|Not so easy to recover from a stabbing wound, is it?  And if a sword had
|been available, would you have used it?
|
|No!  I love Ranma, love him so much.  After we got married I stopped
|hitting him so much.
|
|But you didn't stop, did you?

That's what sent him to Ukyo, isn't it? In both universes. Your Ukyo
epilogue has happened already, but it's strange to see how the same events
turn out so very differently. Once the dominoes begin to fall...

|But it never hurt him!  Never!  I never beat him so hard that bruises
|appeared.  I never sent him to the hospital!
|
|That's the way you remember it.  What if reality is different?  What if
|you *did* hurt him, but you don't want to remember it that way?  What if
|you created a new fantasy world in your head, one where you and Ranma had
|a wonderful marriage, and a son, and happiness.  An idyllic world where
|everyone lived happily ever after.  Certainly more pleasant to remember
|than a life of misery and pain that ended with you murdering two people
|and winding up in a mental hospital, isn't it?

TIL is MUCH more pleasant than TBE, for everyone involved. And again, we
want to lose the fourth wall and rush in and tell Akane that someone's
playing a terrible trick on her and this isn't really happening. At least, I
do. It's just so... wrong to watch someone lose everything when faced with
facts which aren't really facts.

|"NO!"  She lifted her head to yell at the marker with her husband's name
|on it.  "It *is* true!  I remember you, Ranma!  I can feel you lying next
|to me as I fell asleep last night!  I can smell our baby, feel the
|softness of his skin, listen to him crying and burbling, *see* him being
|carried in your arms!  It's real, it *has* to be, *no one* can create a
|fantasy world that elaborate!  DO YOU HEAR ME, RANMA!"  She grabbed the
|marker with her hands.  "YOU'RE ALIVE!"

And the sad part is that he IS, but Akane has no way of knowing that.

|She felt the grip on her shoulder again.  She looked over her shoulder at
|Ryoga.  "Yes, I got angry at him.  Yes, I hit him.  Yes, I got jealous for
|no reason sometimes.  I won't make excuses.  But it never got out of hand.
|If it had, Kasumi would have gotten help for me, or Nabiki, or... or
|*anyone*."

That's what you'd like to think, isn't it?

|The stone in her hands threatened to crumble under her grip.  She released
|the marker and stood up to face Ryoga, putting her hands on his chest in
|an effort to make him believe her.  "And I would never have killed him.
|Never.  I love him, and I would never... never hurt..."
|
|And she leaned forward and sobbed into Ryoga's chest.  She *had* hurt
|Ranma.  Beaten him.  Pounded him with mallets and rocks and whatever was
|handy.  How far a step from those weapons to katanas?  How far from a
|temporary bump on the head to a marker in the ground?

How far indeed. I can just feel her world dissolving. It's unpleasant, to
say the least.

|But Nouma was still set firmly in her mind, and she grabbed at him like an
|anchor.  She controlled her sobbing.  "I'm not lying and I'm not crazy.  I
|*do* have a son.  I remember him too vividly for him to be a delusion.  No
|matter what, Ryoga, I am not going to let go of that."

Good. She's convinced herself that this isn't real. Maybe.

|Ryoga sighed and put his arms around her.  "All right, Akane-san.  But we
|do need to get you back to the hospital.  Please."
|
|She lifted her head to look into his eyes.  She saw in them sadness and
|disbelief.  And... hope.  Akane decided she liked the hope.  "Okay.  But
|first... give me a few moments here."

Yeah. Hope is good.

|Ryoga nodded, released her, and stepped back.
|
|Akane turned back towards the markers.  She looked at the other new one
|and saw Ukyo's name on it.  A sad sigh escaped her lips; Ukyo was so happy
|with her new boyfriend.  They'd had dinner, the four of them, and it had
|been wonderful, Ranma and Ukyo acting like old friends, Ikaru being drawn
|out almost despite himself, Akane feeling a wonderful peace at how great
|everything was going for everybody.

Yeah, that's kinda how I felt at the end of your story and all that
entailed.

|She ignored the two new markers, because they were false and painful.
|Instead, she prayed to her mother for strength and help, in the hope that
|the truth would find her again.

I was praying at this point, too. No one deserves to have their life grossly
parodied, their own inner demons stretched and magnified until there is
nothing left of their own personality but the hate and rage and...

Ugh. I'm going to need to read TIL again, or maybe some Joseph Palmer. This
is getting me wayyyy too down for my own good.

|---
|
|Akane's sobs slowed and eventually turned into sniffing.  During that time
|Tofu had come over long enough for Ranma to nod slightly at him to let him
|know he was all right.  Then Tofu had left, presumably to treat the gash
|on his forehead.
|
|Ranma waited until Akane had stopped trembling, then spoke.  "Are you
|okay, dear?"
|
|A muffled, tired voice came from his chest.  "You are not Ranma."

Which he isn't, in a way. These parallel universe things are getting awfully
confusing.

|Ranma's first impulse was to insist that he *was*.  He stopped himself and
|tried to remember how Tofu had dealt with this.  "Why not?  Uh, why am I
|not Ranma?"

Good boy. Stop and think.

|She began quivering again.  "Because... because Ranma... Ranma..."  She
|clutched him tightly.  "Blood, so much blood, everywhere, on the ground,
|on the katana, on my clothes, on my hands, blood blood blood..."

This is where the nightmares come into play. Again, "Death Is Not the End"
gives a very chilling picture of what might run through Akane's mind.

|"Akane."  Ranma tried to cut her off before she could become hysterical
|again.  "Hush, the blood is gone."

Which is what he'd say, in the dreams, even as it came spilling from his
heart...

|"No it isn't."  Agony in her voice.  "It's everywhere.  It covered my eyes
|when I got angry.  It welled up in your body if I hit it hard enough.  I
|couldn't stop until I saw blood.  And then it was too much, I needed to
|see *all* of your blood, and I did, and it's everywhere."

Probably how the TBE Akane felt at times. She's going through her own
hell... actually, her life has become one, she's only now realizing it.

|This was so confusing.  Ranma tried to work it through.  "Akane.  I'm not
|bleeding now."

One of the best things he could possibly have said.

|Akane pushed him away.  She grabbed the bottom of his tank top and lifted
|it up.  Her hand rubbed his stomach for a few seconds.  Then she looked
|into his face.  "No blood?"
|
|Ranma nodded.  "No blood."

Meanwhile, Akane is either wondering when she's going to wake up or when
this dream will go bad.

|She rolled off the bed and walked quickly to the window, staring out it.
|"Blood, my whole life is blood, blood and candy... and I don't know which
|is worse."
|
|Ranma didn't move for a second, then slowly clambered off the bed and
|walked up behind her.  "There's a lot more to life than that, Akane."

For her... there isn't.

|She flinched.  "Not to *my* life.  Not after I... I... NO!"  She lashed
|out with her fists and smashed the window.
|
|"Hey!"  Ranma grabbed Akane's shoulders and pulled her away from the
|window.
|
|She turned around and held up her hands.  Each of them had several small
|cuts.  "See?  Blood.  It always comes down to blood."

And what's left of her rational mind is telling her that this can't possibly
be a dream because she got hurt and WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!

|Tofu came rushing in, a bandage on his forehead.  Ranma flicked his eyes
|over to him and back to Akane.  Tofu stood in the doorway for a second,
|then left.  He quickly returned with a first aid kit.  Ranma gently guided
|Akane to the bed and sat her on it.  Tofu took her hands and silently
|began to treat them.
|
|Ranma sat down next to Akane.  "See?  We can stop the blood from flowing.
|Just let me help."

Very powerful, building around one metaphor.

|She turned her head and looked up into his face.  "Ranma.  Ranma."  Tears
|began to well in her eyes.  "I'm sorry.  I'm sorry.  I... I *knew* that
|you were good and nice and honorable but... but I couldn't get past the
|anger, the anger that lived inside me and made me think bad things about
|you and made me hit you, harder and harder and harder and HARDER..."

And that tiny bit of reason is saying that, whatever this is, she'd better
make good use of it.

|Ranma rushed in.  "I'm fine, Akane."

Wrong thing.

|"No you're NOT!"  Akane's voice became shrill.  "YOU'RE not fine, I'M not
|fine, it will never be 'fine'."  Her brow began to furrow again.  "Who
|*are* you!  Why... why are you doing this to me!"

The mind is trying to make sense. Her world's being rebuilt and revamped and
she doesn't now why and I imagine it's a little bit frightening.

|Ranma swallowed.  "I'm your husband, Akane."  He paused for a second, and
|memories of the beach came flooding in.  "I will serve you and you alone
|with every last breath as lover, provider, and shield, and not forsake
|you, no matter how the winds may blow, for as long as we two shall live."
|He smiled.  "Remember, Akane?"

The vows from TIL part 10. They meant that much to him...

|"No!"  She squeezed her eyes shut.  "We... forsaken, I'm... *you* did
|this!  You were with *her*, you were *her* friend and you were *never* my
|friend and I hated you and loved you and hated you and... and... and I had
|a katana in my hands... and *she* was there and I hate her, I hate her
|*so* much and... and..."

Again, she's getting everything out. Some instinct is probably telling her
to do it before she wakes up... or before this whatever-the-heck-it-is comes
to an end.

|Ranma looked at Tofu.  He was just finishing up the last of the
|bandaging - Akane had stayed remarkably still - and met Ranma's gaze.
|Tofu looked as much at a loss as Ranma felt.  No help there.
|
|Ranma looked back into Akane's eyes.  "What?" he prompted gently.  She was
|on the verge of something, something important, he was certain of that
|much at least.

Oh yeah. Something VERY important. Like her whole life changing.

|"And... I stabbed forward.  And the blade went in.  And the blood came, so
|much of it, but it wasn't enough, I'd seen all of your blood already.  But
|her blood... I had never seen her blood.  So I stabbed her, too, and her
|blood joined yours.  And you died and she died and blood was
|everywhere..."

That's right. Remember. Know what you did, lady anger. Know what you did.

|She began wailing, and Ranma hugged her again, trying to fight off the
|cold lump settling into his stomach.  "Akane, it's okay, I'm here."
|
|Akane spoke through her sobs.  "No, you're not here, you're dead, dead and
|buried and I killed you, I was so angry and it was my fault, I killed you
|I killed you you're dead oh God you're dead..."

She's also trying to make sense of the world. Said it before, say it
again... she thinks this is a dream and doesn't ever want to wake up but
knows she'll have to.

|Ranma looked at Tofu again, pleading with his eyes.  Tofu grimaced and
|spoke in a tone that made it clear he was guessing.  "Akane appears to be
|describing some sort of psychosis."

Give the man a cigar.

|Ranma spoke softly to him.  "What kind of psychosis?"
|
|"Intermittent Explosive Disorder, also known as rage disorder.  It is
|often indicated by several discrete episodes of failure to resist
|aggressive impulses that result in serious acts of assault or destruction
|of property.  The degree of aggressiveness expressed during the episodes
|is grossly out of proportion to any of the precipitating psycho-social
|stressors."

This is Akane speaking? Whoa. Then again, children often parrot what they
don't understand.

|Ranma blinked at the clinical tone in Akane's voice.  "Is that what you
|have?"
|
|"I don't know!"  Her voice was almost child-like in its anguish.

Almost. She's growing up, so to speak.

|"Words,
|just words that they say sometimes.  All I know is I killed you, you're
|dead, and it's all my fault, I wouldn't listen I wouldn't believe you, you
|were trying to help and all I saw were reasons to be angry and then I saw
|your blood..."
|
|"Akane."  Ranma had at least figured out when to cut her off.  "If... if
|you were suffering from this... this rage thing, then... then it's not
|your fault."

I think this is maybe what she needed to hear.

|Akane shoved him away.  She looked up into his face, anger coloring her
|features.  "If it's not my fault, then whose fault is it!  It has to be
|somebody's fault!"

And this is what she would say. Odd... I think Ranma confronts her with it
in TBE and she denies it. Perhaps she's ready now...

|"No, it doesn't."  Tofu spoke a little more insistently.  "You could just
|as easily blame yourself for having the flu.  It's a mental disease, and
|they can be the most difficult to diagnose and treat.  And it is *not*
|your fault that you developed one."

This is definitely what she needs to hear.

|"Yeah."  Ranma felt good about Tofu's words.  "That's right.  No one came
|blame you."

CAN blame you. But no, it's not entirely her fault. KILL ZEN! Umm... no.

|Akane studied him closely, her face fearful but with a kind of hope in it.
|"You don't blame me?  For killing you?"
|
|Ranma suppressed a twinge and instead smiled gently.  "I... well, I
|forgive you."

He would, in this world. And, most likely, in the other one too, if he were
alive.

|"Or Ukyo?"
|
|With a remarkable effort of will, Ranma kept himself from flinching.
|Instead, he tried to stay on track.  "Didn't you hear Tofu-sensei?  It
|wasn't you that did that, it was your disease.  I forgive you.  I love
|you."

This is what she needed. More than anything...

|Akane once again drew him in and began sobbing.  "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I
|didn't want to kill you, I just wanted us to be in love and it all went so
|wrong, I started to sink and I kept on sinking and I couldn't get out and
|now I'm drowning in blood, oh please please I want to die..."

Yeah. She's finally realized it, finally broken out of her delusions. But at
what price freedom?

|"NO!"  Ranma was surprised at the anger in his own voice.  He swallowed it
|and spoke again, more gently.  "No.  I forbid you to kill yourself, Akane.
|If you feel like you owe me something, then make it up to me by getting
|better.  Only when you get better will... will you have... put the ghosts
|to rest."

Odd, that that's what she'll have to do when she goes back. If she goes
back.

|"But it hurts, it hurts too much, I need to run away so the pain won't
|find me..."

The child comes out again.

|"Akane, that's not the way a martial artist acts.  Eventually we have to
|face our enemy."  Ranma reached down and lifted Akane's chin until she was
|looking at him.  "For me, Akane, please.  Get better.  I know it will be
|hard and I know it will hurt, but I'll always be with you, helping you.
|Depend on that."

Oh, if only she could...

|Akane looked from one of his eyes to the other.  Ranma hoped she could
|find what she needed in them.
|
|Then she smiled, a small, happy smile that lit her whole face and made her
|beautiful.

What is the sound of one worldview shifting? Whatever it is, it's happening.

|Ranma smiled with her, putting all his love in it.
|
|And then she rolled her eyes up and collapsed back onto the bed.

Cue the deus ex machina!

|---
|
|Ryoga let out a breath.  This was the hardest thing he'd ever had to do,
|and he had no idea if he was doing it right.

Sorta like what Ranma had to do in the other world, ne?

|A hand was gently placed over his.  He looked at Akari, seeing reassurance
|in her face.  He relaxed and smiled, thankful for her presence.  He'd
|never have been able to do this without her.

Yeah. At the bitter end of TBE, they do draw strength from each other...
they're the only two who can.

|He looked back over at Akane, who was still kneeling in front of her
|mother's marker and praying.  He wondered how much time he should give
|her.  Already it had been half an hour.
|
|Ryoga shook his head.  Akane was so... ill.  She had caused so much
|damage, devastated several lives and was completely unaware of it.
|Instead she went out and hurt more people.

No, that wasn't her, that was her good twin from... oh, why bother
explaining?

|If only she would get better.  Then maybe healing would begin.

The words "dramatic irony" come to mind.

|Suddenly Akane fell forward.  Her head hit her mother's marker and she
|lolled on the ground.


Cue deus ex machina, again.

|Ryoga sprang over to kneel at her side and cradle her in his arms.
|"Akane-san!"
|
|She fluttered her eyes open.  She spoke in the detached, distant voice he
|had come to know when he had visited her in the hospital.  "Oh.  Hi."  She
|frowned slightly.  "You're Ryoga, right?"

She remembers. She knows his name. This is good.

|Ryoga nodded sadly.  "Yes.  Ryoga."
|
|"You keep coming to visit me.  You're so nice."  She struggled to her feet
|with Ryoga's help.  She looked around, frowning.  "Where am I?"

Good question.

|"You don't remember?"

Equally good question.

|"I don't like remembering."

Oh no... don't let that whole ordeal have been for nothing. C'mon girl, you
ARE strong enough to face what you've done!

|Her eyes found a marker.  "Mother's grave."
|
|"Yes."
|
|Her eyes moved over to the other markers.  She flinched and looked away.
|"No," she said softly.
|
|Ryoga cocked his head.  "What?"
|
|Tears began to fall from her eyes.  "No!  He was alive.  I saw him and
|talked to him and he was alive, oh God oh God no no no NO!"  She covered
|her face with her hands.

The dream is over, lady anger. Your life awaits you, even though you do not
await it.

|Ryoga rushed over to her.  "Akane, it's okay.  Please, don't... don't do
|this."
|
|She trembled, lowered her hands, and studied them carefully.  "Blood.  My
|hands were bleeding just now.  Ranma... Ranma's stomach was... was..."

She remembers.

|Slowly, with considerable effort, she turned to face the markers.  She
|stared at them for a long time, breathing heavily.  Ryoga didn't know what
|to do, so did nothing, praying that something good would happen.

It did happen, lost boy. It did happen.

|Finally she looked back at Ryoga, tears still running down her face.
|"Ranma's dead.  Isn't he?"

...she remembers. I cried here. Heck, I AM crying here. She's getting
better...

|Ryoga slowly nodded.
|
|Akane looked down at her hands.  "And... and I killed him, didn't I?"

Yes.

|A bit of relief flooded Ryoga.  At last she was acknowledging it.  "Yes."

That's my line! Umm... nevermind.

|Akane went over to Ranma's marker.  She put a trembling hand on it.
|"Ranma.  Thank you for... for what you said, for helping me, for being
|alive even though you're dead.  I promise I'll try.  I'll get better
|because you want me to."  She leaned over Ranma's marker and spoke in an
|agonize whisper.  "But it hurts so much."

A dream. Somehow, she knows it's not a dream. But try telling that to the
people behind you, lady.

|Ryoga's brain whirled with the many different aspects of Akane he'd been
|seeing.  This version was closer to what he'd seen in the hospital.
|Curiously now she seemed less rational than when she had insisted that
|Ranma was alive and they had a son.  Less rational, but closer to reality.

Well, the latter is true if not the former. Closer to her reality, anyway.

|He stepped up to her.  "Akane-san.  You must go back to the hospital now."
|
|"Okay."  She straightened and turned towards him.  "You're Ryoga, right?"
|
|He sighed heavily.  "Yes.  I'm Ryoga."

She's a child.

|"You're so nice."  She smiled tremulously.  "Will you keep coming to visit
|me, Ryoga?  I'd like your help.  I'm not sure, but I think you're the only
|one who can look at me without hating me.  Other than Ranma, of course.
|But Ranma's dead, even when he's alive, so you're the only one who can
|come see me."

...or not. She's ready. Maybe.

|Ryoga felt a strange kind of hope.  Akane was still vague and unable to
|focus and almost childlike in her personality, but she was hanging on to
|the fact that Ranma was dead.  Ryoga was no sensei, but he thought that
|perhaps it was an excellent place to start healing.  "I will keep coming
|to visit, Akane-san.  I promise."

Hope. Yes, hope is good. Especially after TBE, hope is good.

|"Thank you, P-chan."  Akane smiled, then looked forward and begin humming
|softly as she walked.  Ryoga looked over at Akari in surprise, finding
|relief and amusement in her eyes.

Facefault. I know this wasn't comedic, but that's about the only reaction...
although I suppose we'll never know if it's her raving or her remembering.

|Ryoga felt good.  The hope grew stronger in him that Akane was eventually
|going to be whole.  And, no matter what else had happened, that had to be
|good.

Has anything you've written NOT turned out good? Or at least hopeful? Or at
least... well, meaningful? Never mind, I keep remembering "Transistions."

|---
|
|Ranma gently released Akane, and turned to look at Tofu.  He was about to
|ask him a question when Akane spoke.  "Ranma?"
|
|Ranma turned back.  "Yes, Akane?"
|
|"Ranma!"  She grabbed him and hugged him fiercely, pulling him back into
|the bed with her.

She's baaaaack....

|Ranma grimaced slightly, wondering how many times he would have to play
|this scene out.
|
|"Ranma."  Akane spoke in a rush, fear in her voice.  "I'm sorry.  I'm
|sorry that I was unfair to you, that I hit you all the time.  I was so
|mean to you, I would get so angry and beat on you, but I never... I
|never..."

Now SHE's the one thinking that maybe this is all a dream.

|"Hush, Akane."  Ranma shook her.  "I forgive you.  I mean, I wasn't no
|good either.  I insulted you plenty of times."
|
|"But your insults never drew blood.  Your insults would... would never...
|kill me."
|
|Ranma drew a big breath.  "Okay.  You're right, hitting wasn't so good,
|especially when you did it out of anger.  But Akane... you'd never kill
|me.  I know that.  If you were to ever get *that* carried away, I would
|stop you.  But you never did.  Even in your rage you had control.  Please,
|don't worry that you'd ever really hurt me.  You haven't.  And you won't."

As far as he knows, no.

|Akane sighed loudly.  "Th-thank you, Ranma.  I will never... never strike
|you in anger again."

After what she's been through, can you blame her for saying something this
idealistic?

|Ranma smiled gently.  "Okay.  Sounds fair.  But do remember to keep
|calling me an idiot when I deserve it.  Hell, I hope you'll hit me over
|the head with a mallet *once* in a while, for old time's sake, even if you
|don't do it out of anger.  It wouldn't be the same otherwise."

Cue gentle laughter from the audience.

|Akane reached up to grab Ranma's face with her hands.  "Tell me.  Do we
|have a son?"
|
|Ranma sobered.  "Yes.  Of course."

Akane's world comes back to her. Film at 11.

|"I never want to hit him, Ranma.  Never.  Promise me you'll stop me before
|I do."

This, perhaps, as a result of seeing what could have been.

|Ranma swallowed.  "I don't think you ever will.  But yes.  I promise."
|
|Akane sighed again, this time in relief.  "Oh God, Ranma, I had the most
|horrible dream."

Just be thankful that it can seem that way, lady anger.

|"Yes.  I know.  I heard some of it."
|
|"Everyone was afraid of me.  Even Kasumi.  Your parents hated me."
|
|"And I was dead because you killed me."
|
|Akane nodded miserably.
|
|"Well, it didn't happen.  I'm here.  And glad to be married to you."

You know, after all the times Ranma's said the WRONG thing, it's good to see
him doing something right.

|Akane smiled up at him.  She moved her head up and kissed him
|passionately.

Just, y'know, to make sure he's for real and not some dream. Heh.

|Tofu coughed slightly.  "I would still like to have Akane undergo some
|tests, Ranma."

And a little bit of comedy relief. Again. You know just when to do this,
don't you, Lawson-san?

|They separated in a rush.  Akane smiled a promise to him.
|
|Ranma smiled it right back.

We'll save this one for Kun-chan.

|Then he turned to Tofu.  "Well, I got no more
|objections.  But I'm sure you'll find nothing wrong.  She's okay now."
|
|"More than okay."  Akane grinned affectionately at him.

Yeah. She just got out of hell free. I think that's more than okay, don't
you?

|The sound of the front door opening interrupted the conversation.
|"Kasumi's back."  Ranma turned to Akane.  "She's got Nouma with her."
|
|Akane needed no further encouragement.  Together they ran past a smiling
|Tofu so they could be reunited with their son.
|
|---
|
|The past sighed happily.  She loved happy endings.

I think we all do.

|"You did that very well."
|
|The past looked over her shoulder at the present, who had somehow sneaked
|up on her.  "Don't I always?" she said testily.

Oh, this is BEGGING for it.

|The present's mouth turned slightly down.
|
|"Don't answer that."

Wise move.

|The past stretched luxuriously.  "Well, enough
|solving every mortal's problems, time for Xena."

What, no Baywatch? :>

|A smile returned to the present's face.  "I saw what else you did.  Kept a
|potential problem from developing in the future.  Our sister will
|appreciate that."
|
|"What can I say?  I'm great.  Let's get back to your boyfriend's place.
|When are you going to marry him?"
|
|The present blushed and didn't answer.
|
|The past chuckled throatily.  "Well, leave it to me.  A potion or two
|will-"

Hmm... Urd and Shampoo... nah.

|"That's not proper!  It will happen if Kami-sama wills it so."
|
|"Oh, like *you're* one to always obey Father's will."
|
|The present's blush deepened.  "Let's just go home.  I... I want to be
|with him."

If ya know what I mean!

|The past grinned affectionately.  "And you know what, Sis?  I want to be
|with you when you're with him."
|
|The present laughed gaily.  Together, they left to rejoin the ones they
|loved.

Whee! Another happy ending!

|~*~
|
|AUTHOR'S NOTES
|
|"The Bitter End" is by Zen.  He has kindly allowed me to use his
|characters in this story.  If you haven't read it, do.  It's an excellent
|piece of work.

Excellent, but LONG. A weekend blaster if ever there was one.

|"Thy Inward Love" is by me, of course.  Consider TIL and TBE to be the
|bookends of possible endings to a Ranma/Akane marriage.  :)

Actually, I prefer "dipoles of a continuum", but whatever works for you.

|Thanks to White Wolf for inspiring the OMG angle.  Tell me if it works or
|not.

Yeah. It works. So when are you gonna do an OMG fic?

Another great story. Heh. Only in the world of anime could you have two
continuation fics cross over. I should talk; I'm doing one to maybe parallel
or something else Jeff Wong's fusion of his own "Ranma's Girls" with the
main storyline.

Anyway, been nice reading it. Though how I'll pass my Philosophy final now
is beyond me...

--G. Falconar