Been a while since I last reposted this.  Several months in fact.  Lots
of changes, all over the place.  Far too many to go into, and they run the
entire length of the fanfic.
  Yes, I'm still writing it.  I've decided to repost things slowly.  This
gives me more time to have new material to post when the repost is done. 
:-P

  Oh, all the changes as of yesterday are archived on my web page, so if
you want to continue along, go to
http://www.tiac.net/users/mattera/anime/rc.

  I'd say something about requesting comments, but that is the entire
point of this list.  :-P.

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

"Ranma-chan"

- Chapter 1 -

Written by Luigi Mattera

Characters copyright Rumiko Takahashi.
Set after Volume 38 of the manga.

<...>  Translated from Chinese.
[...]  Written stuff.  Usually panda signs.
*...*  Thought.
_..._  Emphasis.  (ASCII underline.)


  "The forecast for today calls for, well, you guessed it, rain!  The
hurricane-like weather which mysteriously appeared over Tokyo for the
past day is scheduled to continue well into tonight.  We expect the rain
to lessen and perhaps stop sometime early" _Click._ 
  Ranma turned off the television, bored.  Nerima's weather baffled even
the best meteorologists.  They never came up with a plausible
explanation for the sudden downpours which hit Nerima.  Just like today.
"A few drizzles," they said.  "Nothing to be concerned about," they
said.  The supposed "drizzle" turned into one of the nastiest downpours
to ever hit Tokyo.  "Set new records," they said.  Ranma couldn't care
less about the numbers.  Only the wetness of the weather mattered.
  Minor flooding occurred, but nothing to be concerned about.  People
had a hard time getting anything done.  The rain made life especially
difficult for several people.  Curses which took effect when you got wet
had the natural side effect of causing one to hate rain.  Ranma
considered himself lucky in that regard.  Any of the others he knew with
a curse suffered much more than he did.  At least he remained human
after the change.  He idly wondered what it would be like to be reduced
to a tiny animal.  The weather made it bad enough for a human to move
around outside.. any animals would have a far harder time dealing with
it.
  Ranma sighed.  Three months.  Three long months since the wedding. 
Akane hoped that the problems that Ranma seemed to spur up would
disappear, but no such luck.  Ranma shrugged, long being used to the
events around him.  That subject still caused an argument between him
and Akane.  At least his curse didn't bother him as much as it used to..
but it took a long and difficult effort for him to even begin to think
about accepting it.

  Ranma disliked staying inside.  Being indoors kept him quite bored. 
He had little reason to go anywhere else.  Year end school exams crept
ever closer, and with them so did a steady increase in stress and
tempers.  Akane's irritability increased as the exams ticked ever
closer.  Ranma tried to avoid getting her angry, but it seemed to be a
difficult task.  Ranma noticed Kasumi ducking out of Akane's way. 
Despite the weather, yesterday probably qualified as one of the most
difficult days Ranma suffered through in a long time.
  Akane tried to cook breakfast to start the day.  She even wanted to
serve it to him "in bed", getting the idea from a western television
show she saw.  Ranma for his part decided to be nice about it,
considering the fact that he would be spending the day with her in close
quarters.  He did not want her to fuss over him with all the other
problems she had.. and he still suspected her cooking.  It didn't
satisfy Akane to cook the same things over and over.. she used her
previous "victories" in the kitchen as an exuse to expand her knowledge. 
Akane's cooking improved, but the moment she tried anything new - her
skill
immediately dropped back to nothing.  Ranma treated Akane nicely in the
morning when she appeared with her tray of "food," but politely tried to
wave it off.
  This surprised Akane, who immediately questioned Ranma's lack of an
appetite.  She knew just how much he gobbled down in the morning.  Ranma
could not think of anything to say or do, and he wanted to tell the
truth - that he did not want to get into any arguments with her.  Ranma
scratched his head in confusion, trying to come up with a plausible way
to get himself out of the situation.
  In the end, it didn't matter.
  Before Ranma could either speak or break down and accept Akane's
offering (or even both), he found the meal missing.  The plates vanished
from his tray in a blur of motion.  His father, who up until a few
seconds ago snored blissfully on the futon next to him, leapt up and
grabbed everything right from under his nose.  It took scant seconds for
him to gulp the entire thing down, while Ranma and Akane watched in
complete shock.
  Ranma looked back at Akane, who grew angry at what happened.  Picking
up the futon, she used it to heave Genma through the bedroom window. 
With Ranma's luck, he found himself airborne as well since both he and
Genma shared the same futon.  Akane reacted so quickly that Ranma simply
had no time to realize what happened until well after he found himself
airborne.
  By the time Akane realized her mistake, both Ranma and Genma were long
gone.. and the rain and wind fiercely tore through the bedroom.  Akane
left the room and closed the door behind her, completely soaked from the
downpour, and feeling very embarrassed.  She hadn't meant to toss Ranma
outside like that, but in her anger she forgot that Ranma and his father
slept on the same futon.
  Ranma came back fifteen minutes later, soaked to the bone, her room's
window shattered and unrepairable until after the storm ended.  The
weather made it impossible for anyone to even enter the room.  Kasumi
managed to get Soun to cover up the window, but conditions dictated that
no one slept in there that night.  Kasumi wanted the room to dry out,
and no one disagreed with her.
  Genma-Panda arrived a few minutes later, his fur completely soaked.
Genma, more exhausted from the trip, immediately scurried into Nabiki's
room since she currently attended a business seminar in Kyoto.  Ranma
found it interesting how Nabiki always avoided the worst situations by
disappearing before anything started.  Ranma thought of battling her
father for the rights to use the bed, and stepped up to Nabiki's door.
  She changed her mind a few seconds later as she heard her father start
to groan.  Apparently whatever Akane cooked still showed her skills. 
Ranma did not want to be nearby when Nabiki returned and saw what
happened to her room..   she had this feeling that an accident would
occur very soon.  This left Ranma without a bed to sleep in, so she had
to contend with the couch in the living room.  Ranma also remembered
that Nabiki's train arrived tomorrow morning.. and she wanted nothing to
do with her once she got back.
  Ranma yawned from exhaustion, having battled the storm to make it back
to the Tendou house.  Soun called it "good training", and wanted to toss
Ranma back out into the storm.  Ranma instead tossed Soun out the door. 
She decided that Soun certainly deserved to suffer a bit.  Apparently he
hadn't been outside. Ranma quietly shuffled along to the bath, wanting
to soak for a while to rejuvenate her body.
  Ranma caught Akane in the bath.  Akane's face flushed red with
embarrassment, unsure how to act.  She knew very well that she tossed
Ranma out into the storm outside.  Ranma pointed outside, acknowledging
the expression on her face.  Akane gulped and quickly bolted out the
door.
  Ranma smiled to herself, and settled down into the tub.  He won that
little exchange.  Ranma jerked up surprised a few seconds later as
something wrapped around his head.  Ranma flailed his arms around for
a few seconds and yanked the towel off.  He spun around, looking for
who threw the towel.  "Ranma you jerk!  Pay attention when you enter!" 
Ranma looked into the doorway.  Akane stood there laughing.  She stuck
her tongue out at him, and he just sulked in response.
  She stepped back out of the room.  Ranma sighed, glad that things
finally calmed down.  They still argued back and forth, but the
skirmishes didn't seem to be quite as mean (or violent) as they used to
be.  The failed wedding did do something good after all, it seemed.. 
Even as Akane fumed about the results of the wedding her anger didn't
quite feel the same to him.
  He idly wondered how many more times he would find himself wet before
the day ended.  He attracted water like a magnet.  At least the hot
water worked.. but Ranma didn't really care for water to begin with.
  Akane spent the rest of her day in her room, doing homework.  A bored
Ranma risked a quick run through the storm carrying a tea kettle to the
dojo.  Ranma made it to the dojo with little effort, and used the tea
kettle to change her gender back.  Ranma examined the dojo's structure
for a while, wanting to make sure that it did not collapse on him. 
Despite the weather, the dojo seemed perfectly able to withstand the
rain.  It might have something to do with the fact that the walls were
rebuilt several times over the past year, each time a little stronger
than before to hold off extra repairs.  Of course, Ranma got stronger
far quicker than the dojo did, so the place kept on getting damaged
regardless.
  Ranma finally gave up on looking at the walls, and decided to try a
warm up kata to get his blood going to lift his spirits.  As Ranma
turned around to begin, he noticed that the tea kettle vanished.  That
confused him, and he had his confusion answered by Hibiki Ryouga
standing in front of him.
  Ranma glared at Ryouga, who grinned for once.  "Kicked out of the
house, eh Saotome?"
  Ranma shook his head.  "Too boring in there.  Only Akane is around, and
she tells me to do my homework."
  Ryouga chuckled.  "How is she holding up?"
  Ranma grinned.  "I'm not dead yet."
  Ryouga laughed.  "Good reply."
  Ranma looked around.  He sighed.  "So now what?"
  Ryouga picked up his umbrella.  "This is a dojo, right?"
  Ranma smiled evilly.  "I get it."  He pointed over Ryouga's shoulder.
"Look!  Akane!"
  Ryouga spun around.  "What?  Akane-san?  Where?"
  Ranma laughed and charged Ryouga, who jumped away at the last minute.

  That set off a long fight, which lasted fifteen minutes.  Back and
forth the two went, Ranma trying to keep the power levels down to keep
the dojo intact, and the fight going.  Fighting someone always
invigorated him, and he wanted this to last.  Ranma knew that Ryouga
could be easily stopped with the bad weather.  One errant strike from
either of them would bring the battle to an abrupt halt.
  Unfortunately for Ranma, Ryouga usually forgot everything except the
battle in front of him.  He just took things too seriously.  Ryouga
became excited during the battle, and launched a Shi Shi Houkoudan at
Ranma.  Ranma dove out of the way, and the blast of energy wrecked the
wall of the dojo.  The rain and wind immediately changed both Ranma and
Ryouga, and it tossed P-Chan into the air.  Ranma watched P-Chan sail
off, but she couldn't do anything about it.  She did not believe the
strength of the storm until she saw P-Chan get blown away. 
  Ranma walked back to the house, tired yet exhilarated from the fight. 
She figured that Ryouga would be fine.. he'd survived far worse without
a scratch.

  Ranma sat down in front of the television.  She turned on the
television, tuning in to a Chinese off the wall marital arts action
movie.  Those things were always good for a laugh, and Ranma sometimes
would even try and steal a technique from the movie just to see if it
really worked.
  Ranma happily watched television, when a few minutes later something
bounced off of her head.  She turned around, to see an agitated Akane at
the top of the staircase.  "What is the problem?" she asked.
  "Ranma, turn the television down.  I need to study."  She glared at
him.  "Unlike some people around here."
  Ranma shrugged.  "How can you be bothered by a television?"
  Approaching exams had a negative affect on Akane's mood.  "I don't
care what you think, turn it down or turn it off!"
  Ranma sighed.  "Okay."
  Akane turned around to leave, but halted when Ranma spoke again. 
"Can't you at least be polite about it?"
  Akane blushed, but she didn't turn around.  "You know how I much I
hate tests."
  "Yes."  Ranma turned her head around.  "So why don't.."  She blinked. 
Akane left her alone at the television.
  Ranma did have exams to study for.  In the past, she simply did not
bother to study and yet still managed to pass.  Getting into a good
college did not concern her, but Akane pushed herself to get started
early.  She wanted to compete with Nabiki, whose good scores were
guaranteed.
  Ranma tried to tell Akane to stop taking everything so seriously, but
it didn't work.  Akane only bristled angrily at Ranma's words.  Ranma
remembered Akane's temper from when they first met.. and despite the
recent past, the stress of school caused her to regress back to acting
almost like she did then.
  Ranma found her thoughts wandering away from the movie.  Akane had
been rather stressed out lately.  Ranma found it interesting to note
that she seriously considered doing something nice for Akane.. but
it felt less difficult than in the past when she would never even
consider the idea.. well, at least not directly.  Ranma sighed, and
tried to focus on the television.
  The quiet did not last very long at all after Akane left, much to
Ranma's frustration.  Ranma disliked her soaked shirt, so she pulled
it off.  No one could complain about her being naked, since her choices
were limited with her room off limits.  At the moment, Akane's clothes
were the only alternative.  Ranma would rather run through the streets
naked than have Akane "help" her get dressed.  With the way things were
going between the two of them now, Akane might even dress her up in
something ultra-feminine just for laughs.
  She barely relaxed for five minutes before the cursed form of Ryouga
known as P-Chan attacked her.  Being attacked by a piglet irritated her
at best, and at worst it acted like a practical death sentence because
of the pig's unknowing ally.  There were days when Ranma wished she
never promised Ryouga to keep his curse a secret.
  "Damnit Ryouga won't you be nice for once?"  she hissed.
  P-chan jumped Ranma again.  Apparently he blamed Ranma for his trip
into the storm earlier.  Ranma and P-chan fought more often than Ranma
did with Ryouga.  Ryouga commented once that if P-chan behaved nicely
around Ranma then Akane might get suspicious.  Ranma countered with an
accusation that Ryouga still liked getting in bed with Akane, something
which he hotly denied.  Ryouga's decision to give up on Akane left him
and Ranma neutral allies at best.  Conflict still flared between of the
two of them all too easily.
  Ranma reluctantly engaged in a girl/pig battle, trying to keep the
noise to a minimum.  She just wanted P-Chan out of the house so she
could relax.  Ryouga's stubbornness made it impossible to reason with
him when he got worked up over something.  At least Akane only hit her
once.. Ryouga pounded her into the ground.
  Ranma chased P-Chan around the living room for several minutes, amazed
that nothing broke.  She wanted to be very quiet, or risk the ire of her
irritable fiancee.  Ranma finally managed to grab P-Chan and used the
pig's bandanna to muzzle his sharp teeth. P-chan gave Ranma a dirty
look.  Ranma paid no attention to the pig, her mood feeling quite low.
  She looked P-chan right in the eyes.  "No biting.  I don't want to
deal with this."  P-Chan calmed down a bit, but he still fumed over
being muzzled.
  Ranma grinned evilly.  Finally, something went her way.  Once she
turned Ryouga back into a human, she could relax.  "Wait a second,
'P-Chan'.  I'll take you to the kitchen soon enough."  Ranma looked
around the living room, amazed that nothing broke.
  "Hmm.."  she scratched her head.  "I wonder if there is a martial art
for fighting without damaging furniture?"  she mused.  "I've seen
everything else."
  Ranma did not notice the pink cat which snuck up behind her. It
carried a strange bottle on it's back.  Within seconds, the bottle
popped open, and Ranma found herself glomped by a purple haired
amazon.  "Nihao, airen!" came the veritable shout from Shampoo.
"Shampoo so happy to see you!"

  Akane heard something going on downstairs.  She looked up from her
books, irritated at the noise. Couldn't he be quiet for even a few
hours?  Could something that simple be too much to ask?  Apparently so. 
Akane walked down the stairs into the living room, where she got an
eyeful of the situation.  And what an eyeful she saw!

  Ranma's eyes, darted up, glad to see Akane.  Maybe this time, she
would get Shampoo off of her for once.  Then Ranma remembered: She held
a blatantly tied up pig called P-Chan.  She glanced down at an
unconscious P-Chan.  Fresh blood via piggy nosebleed soaked the bandanna
covering his mouth and nose.  Ranma wondered what happened.. until she
finally bothered to look up at Shampoo.
  The Amazon neglected to wear any clothing.. but that never stopped her
from happily glomping Ranma, gender notwithstanding.  Given the location
of her arm, P-Chan must have gotten an up close and personal look at
Shampoo's reproductive organs..  Wait a second!  Shampoo naked?  Ranma
remembered the weather.  Shampoo must have snuck over as a cat, and
cats can't carry clothing.  Ranma also felt rather embarrassingly
how Shampoo's bare breasts were rubbing against her own very visible
chest.  The feeling caused her to flush, and she looked up at Akane
in embarrassment.

  Akane could not believe what she saw.  Her fiancee obviously enjoyed
_her_self with Shampoo!  The pervert!  She saw P-Chan, tied up and
obviously hurt from the blood on him, and her already thinly stretched
patience and temper exploded.  Ranma panicked when she saw Akane glow
blue, but she could do nothing with Shampoo clinging so tightly to her. 
That didn't stop her from desperately trying to squirm out of Shampoo's
grasp.
  The entire neighborhood could have sworn they heard Akane's shout
through the rain, and people looking out the windows thought they saw a
figure lifting rapidly into the sky.  The rain made it hard to tell
exactly who flew through the air, but all knew the likely candidate. 
They shook their heads, long used to the violence.

....

  Ucchan's restaurant, like most other businesses, stayed closed due to
the storm.  The bad weather made it impossible for customers to make it
to Ukyou's shop, so Ukyou decided to not bother opening.  A few of the
next door neighbors did make it in, so Ukyou decided to fire up a
portion of the grill as a break from classwork.  Konatsu wanted to help
Ukyou, but she sent him back to his room and told him to take a break
for the night.
  Well into the process of cleaning the grill, Ukyou heard a knock on
the door.  Scratching her head, she stood up and peeked outside.  Who
could be outside at this hour?  She saw a half naked Ranma standing
outside in the rain.
  She pulled the door open and yanked Ranma inside.  "Ranchan!  What are
you doing outside dressed like that?"  She pulled a shirt out from
behind the counter, and tossed it to the red head.
  Ranma sighed as she pulled the shirt over her head.  "Long story."
  Ukyou knew _that_ explanation all too well.  "Akane."
  Ranma nodded.  "Yes."
  "I swear, Ranchan, does she have to treat you so badly?"
  Ranma shook her head.  "Exams are causing her quite a bit of stress."
  "Still, that's no right for her to take it out on you."
  Ranma frowned.  "I've never been good at making her happy.  All we
seem to do is get into fights."
  Ukyou smiled.  "You can dump her for me!  I'll treat you much better."
  Ranma blushed.  "No, Ucchan.  I can't just do that."
  Ukyou frowned, and scratched her head.  "You could get her a present.."
  Ranma paid little attention to what Ukyou said.  "Get her a present.."
he repeated.  Her head suddenly snapped up.  "What?  Me get that tomboy
a present?"
  Ukyou glared at Ranma, hands on her hips.  "I thought you were past
that foolishness!"
  Ranma blushed.  "Sorry, Ucchan.  Y'know, old habits.."  She frowned. 
"Shit, I shouldn't even be here."
  Ukyou shook her head.  "No, you're my friend."  *And as long as you keep
coming here, I still might have a chance..*
  "Look, I gotta go.."  Ranma stood up.  "See you around.."
  Before Ukyou could protest, Ranma disappeared through the door.
  "But.. but.."  Ukyou found herself at a loss for words.  Maybe it was
a good thing that he left.. she knew that she still had unresolved
feelings towards him despite her best efforts to change them.  Emotions
just didn't change the way you wanted them to.. and they certainly
didn't change overnight.
  "Who were you talking to?"
  Ukyou raised her head at the voice.  "No one important, Konatsu-chan."
  "Are you sure?"
  "Yes, I'm sure."
  Konatsu's voice didn't seem convinced, but he knew when not to push
Ukyou.  "Very well.  Good night, Ukyou-sama."
  "Good night."

....

  Half an hour later, Ranma snuck back into the Tendou home.  Sighing, she
glanced around.  A quiet darkness blanketed the house.  Ranma frowned. 
She
dumped the wet futon after retrieving it in a somewhat dry corner of the
dojo.  The rain finally tapered off while Ranma walked home.  Shaking her
head, she stepped into the bath to grab a towel and dry off.  Reentering
the
living room, Ranma squinted at the brightness.  Who had turned the lights
on?
  "Who the.."
  "Finally made it back?"
  Ranma blinked, still unable to see.  "Akane?  Yeah, I made it back."
  "So what is up with this shirt?"
  Exhaustion controlled Ranma's mind.  "Shirt?  Oh, Ucchan let me.."
  "You went to go see her?"
  Ranma's eyes focused a little better.  "Sort of."
  "Why?"
  Ranma did not notice the irritation in Akane's voice.  "Your aim has
gotten better."
  "What did you say?"
  Ranma yawned.  "Never mind."
  "So why were you half naked in the first place?"
  Ranma's eyes finally adjusted to the light.  "My shirt got wet."
  Akane frowned.  "From what?"
  "The rain."
  "Why did you go outside?"
  Ranma yawned.  "I went to the dojo.."
  "Is that why there is such a big hole in the dojo?"
  "Ryouga and I, we.."
  "I told you to stop picking on him!  Honestly!"  Akane turned around. 
"I'm going to bed!"
  Ranma wanted to protest, but she decided to get some sleep instead. 
Talking to a mad Akane usually got her nowhere.  No, scratch that.  It
got her a trip through the air.  With that short conversation, Ranma's
day thankfully came to an end.

....

  The next day began as any other in Nerima.  The sun lazily lifted
itself into the sky.  People slowly woke up and began the day to go to
work.  Tendou Akane already left for her morning jog, enjoying what
relative peace and quiet she usually had before her fiancee the human
trouble magnet woke up.  *Serves him right,* Akane thought to herself,
as she recalled the previous night.  *What the hell was he thinking?* 
Letting Shampoo all over him like that made her feel bad enough, but
getting into a fight with Ryouga again?
  Sometimes she wondered why she put up with him.  Akane frowned to
herself as the Tendou Dojo became visible at the end of her street.  She
sighed.  She knew exactly why she put up with him.  If only he didn't
act like such a damned idiot most of the time.  She trotted up to the
doors of the Dojo and called out, "I'm home!"
  "Good morning," responded Kasumi.
  Akane paused in thought.  Ranma and his father were always a sight
to see when they fought.  Akane knew that Ranma usually lost the fight
despite his stating the otherwise.  Ranma always felt bad about losing,
and Akane wanted to tease him about it for once.  "Older sister, how did
the match go this morning?"
  "Match?  Ranma-kun left the house before Genma-san woke up."
  "What?  He's gone already?"  Akane paused to consider what happened. 
Ranma would not have gotten up so early unless he had something in mind. 
Then again, after yesterday's fiasco, maybe he just wanted to hide for a
while.  *He has been trying to keep out of trouble lately.  Maybe he
just cleared out early?*  Akane shook her head.  Ranma had changed very
little.. recent events notwithstanding.  Trouble always found him first. 
Akane whirled around as someone spoke behind her.
  "I'm back!"  Tendou Nabiki called from the house gate.
  Kasumi smiled.  "Welcome back, Nabiki-chan.  How did your trip go?"
  "I had a very interesting time, Kasumi.  I learned quite a bit."
  Akane smiled.  Maybe she could get one on Nabiki for a change.  "Hello
Nabiki.  Think you'll have any trouble catching up?"
  Nabiki shook her head.  "Nah.  None whatsoever.  As a matter of fact,
I'll be staying home today.. I have things to get done."
  Akane sighed inwardly.  She really shouldn't have expected anything
else from her sister.  Nabiki was Nabiki.
  Soun let out a cry from inside the house.  "My little daughter has
returned home already?"  He bolted out of the house and ran towards
Nabiki.
  Nabiki grinned, and took a step to the side.  Soun, trying to hug his
daughter, found himself sprawled over her luggage instead.  "Yes,
daddy.  Want to help me with my bags?  I see that you already have the
idea in mind.."
  Soun nodded, finding himself trapped with no easy way out.
  Akane groaned.  Not one second back and Nabiki manipulated someone to
do what she wanted them to.  At times like this she wished her father
had a backbone.  Akane left the porch and entered the house.

....

  Ranma woke up early this morning, perhaps the earliest in a long time.
Ranma knew that Akane's exams were driving her nuts, and after last
night's discussion with Ukyou he wanted to make it up to her in some
way.

  He knew of a few stores which were having a sale today.  *I wonder how
that ass of a father of mine felt this morning when he woke up and found
out that I had left the house?*  Ranma chuckled to himself as he looked
through the various shops.
  After an hour or so, Ranma walked into another jewelry store, his
third.  *All these places are so expensive, how am I going to find
something?*  Ranma wanted to give up on jewelry all together when an
unusual ring caught his eye.  The ring looked unusual.  It's design
consisted of a smooth clear crystal with a bright green emerald fused
into the center.  It certainly appeared different, and he could afford
it!  Ranma paid for the ring, pocketed it, and walked out with a smile
on his face.
  *If I head to school right now, I'll get there before Kunou and
dodge another irritation.*  Ranma didn't feel too spectacular after
last night's little fiasco.  He walked towards Furinkan high school.

  Akane trudged along her usual route, wondering where her fiancee
disappeared to.  Lost in thought, she neglected to see Shampoo stop on
her bike in front of her.  "Violent girl, where Airen?"  she stated. 
"What you do with him?"
  Akane looked up, irritated.  After last night, she didn't want to have
anything to do with the amazon.  "I don't know where he is."
  Shampoo laughed.  "Violent tomboy needs leash or Shampoo will steal
Airen when not looking."
  Akane turned bright red and lunged at Shampoo, who already pedaled a
good distance between them on her bicycle.  *This day isn't going well
at all,* she thought to herself.  *Why do I have this feeling that
things are only going to get worse?*  She sighed.  *If only that stupid
amazon realized that the battle for Ranma is over..*

  Kunou Tatewaki stood in front of the gates to Furinkan High School,
on the lookout for his two loves, Tendou Akane and the pig-tailed one.
Kunou spotted Akane walking along the street, all alone for a change.
Kunou laughed out loud. "Ah, fairest Akane-san, thou has finally
discarded that foul sorcerer Saotome and announced thy love for me!"
With that, he charged.
  Akane looked up, saw Kunou, and her mood dropped further.  When would
the fool ever learn?  With all the times Ranma and her beat him, you
would think he would get the hint.  Sighing, Akane bashed him in the
head and kicked him in the gut.  Airborne, Kunou sailed high over
Furinkan High School.  "Tendou Akane, date with me......"  he shouted as
he flew off into the distance.

  Akane trudged into class, just barely on time.  She looked up to see
Ranma at his desk, already talking to Ukyou and his friends.  *He's
already here?*  She thought to herself, very surprised.  "Ranma!  Where
were you this morning?  You left me behind."  Ranma looked up startled,
but Ukyou answered her.  "Ranchan finally made it to school on time, and
you have to ask why?  He's not on a leash, you know."
  Visions of Shampoo flashed through Akane's head as she glared at
Ranma.  Ranma surprisingly for his part sat at his desk quietly, not
saying a word.  Akane pondered this newfound meekness in a small corner
of her mind as she stood there. "Good morning class!" came the call from
behind her.
  Akane blinked.  She totally forgot the time.  Ranma just grinned. 
Akane looked up and saw Hinako-sensei in front of her. "Tendou Akane,
please sit down!"
  Akane sat down as she muttered an apology.  "I am sorry,
Hinako-sensei."
  "Don't let it happen again."
  "Yes ma'am."
  "Lucky for you the principal doesn't return until Monday."  Ranma
whispered to Akane.
  Akane growled and Ranma chuckled.  Ukyou shook her head and wondered
if the two of them were destined to argue for life.
  
  Ranma sat in class, staring off into space.  For once, he did not fall
asleep, and Hinako-sensei noticed this.  She thought it to be an
improvement, but Ranma did not pay any attention to the class itself.
Akane scribbled away in her notebook, too busy to notice Ranma still
awake.  Class for her had become rather hectic as of late due to the
upcoming exams.  She had little time to focus her attention on her
fiancee.
  Worry etched Ranma's face.  The Shampoo/P-Chan fiasco of last night
ranked badly as things went on the scale of lunacy in Nerima.  It took
Ranma quite a bit of time to get back to the house from that trip.
Luckily for him it stopped raining just after he left Ucchan's.  Ranma
could not figure out how to broach the subject with Akane, so he decided
to avoid her at lunch to give him more time to think and her more time
to cool down.
  Ranma scribbled a note, and passed it to Ukyou when Akane had her head
turned.  An easy task today.  Akane continued to scribble away in her
notebook.  Ranma didn't care if Hinako noticed.. but Ukyou knew better
and kept the notes hidden from the sensei.  [Ucchan, let's head over to
the new food place during lunch.]
  Ukyou read his note, and sent back a reply.  [New food, eh?  Did
Akane try to make lunch for you again?]
  [I don't want to find out.  Want to go?]
  [Why not head over to my stand?  It's cheaper.]
  Ranma paused at that last message, and inwardly winced at the word
stand.  Genma had stolen her last one.  Cheaper to eat, yes.  Ranma
tried to remember how much money he had, and decided that he wanted to
save it for once.  He sent one final note back to Ukyou.  [Deal.]
  Ukyou read his reply and nodded just as the lunch bell rang.  With a
start, Ranma and Ukyou were up and out of the classroom, leaving a
startled Akane behind.  Akane paused for half a second, and walked out
of the classroom.
  When she got outside, she noticed that Ranma and Ukyou were nowhere
in sight. *What is he up to now?  You would think that he deliberately 
avoided me.  I wonder what he is up to?*  She paused.  *Maybe he's
finally learned to keep his distance after a fiasco like last night?*
  When Ranma and Ukyou returned to class at the end of lunch, Ranma
noticed the perplexed look on Akane's face.  What did he do this time? 
Had he done anything at all?  Akane never made it easy to tell.  She
could be really really nice, then bash him a split second later.

  The day ended quietly, for once.  Akane and Ranma walked home, with
about ten feet of space in between them.  Ranma wondered what to say,
but his mind drew a complete blank.  *Why does she always have to make
things so difficult between us?  It is not my fault that Shampoo loves
to jump me.  Akane should be happy considering the fact that Shampoo
hasn't tried to get me to sleep with her yet.*
  Akane said nothing, curious as to what Ranma wanted to do, but worried
enough about her school work that he did not take the top priority in
her thoughts.

  Finally they arrived at the Tendou dojo.  Ranma jumped into the air
and landed in between Akane and the house.  "Akane..." he began, but
paused, unsure of how to continue.
  Akane simply waited for Ranma to say something.  She thought about
chastising him for being such an idiot, but decided in this case that
she liked watching him squirm better.. ignoring the fact that she
couldn't say a word to him even if she wanted to.  These days you didn't
really know how either of them responded in such a situation.

  Time froze for a few scant seconds, of how things could have been..
but sometimes fate dictates that life take a different path.

  Akane and Ranma stared at each other for a good minute.  It became a
contest of wills to see who would flinch first.  Unable to stand the
silence any longer, Ranma broke first.  "Akane.. I'm sorry."
  "Okay."  Akane deliberately kept her voice neutral, not implying
anything.  She got the best responses out of Ranma when she acted this
way.
  Ranma felt wary, but decided to press on.  "Look."  He paused for what
seemed to be an eternity.
  "Yes?"
  "I.. I got you a present."
  "Oh?"  Akane's voice rose a tiny bit, her excitement showing.  Ranma
never did anything like this.
  Ranma fumbled around in his jacket and produced a small box. 
"Akane.."
  Akane's eyes widened as she saw the box.  Ranma started to open his
mouth, and noticed Akane's reaction.  He had absolutely no clue what
could cause her to react this way.
  Akane couldn't wait for Ranma to even say a word.  Leaping into his
arms, she cried, "Yes!  I'll marry you!"
  The full scope of the situation and what he implied finally sunk in to
Ranma's brain.  A ring.  A _ring!_   Of all the possible things he could
have bought!  Of all the choices he could have made!

  Panic.  Full scale panic.  It gripped Ranma so powerfully, that he
broke away from Akane and stared at her.  He waived his hands, but
couldn't control his reaction.  His feelings flooded through him,
uncontrolled.  "Wait!  Wait a second!"

  Happiness.  Shock.  Fear.  Confusion.  Anger.  Pure, uncontrolled rage. 
Like a clock ticking the seconds away, Akane's face expressed the feelings
coursing through her body.

  Akane had lots of practice in her reaction.  Faster than the eye could
follow came the strike.  With an inhuman speed, Akane threw a leg up in a
side kick, launching Ranma straight up into the air.

  It could be said that Ranma had an affinity for the koi pool in the
Tendou back yard.  He certainly spent an inordinate amount of time in
it.  It could also be said that Tendou Akane had an affinity for aiming
towards water.  She certainly hit Ranma into it often enough.  The few
times she didn't hit Ranma into some form of water, she doused him
with it before slamming him.
  Something didn't go quite right on this particular trip into the koi
pond.  Ranma came flying back down and slammed his head against one of the
stones separating the pond from the ground.  Ranma hung upside down, head
on
the rock, for about a half second or so. He tipped into the pond with a
splash.  Akane paid no attention whatsoever.  Too many uncontrolled
feelings
ran through her.  Too much pain and rage.  At once both angry and in
tears,
Akane stormed into the Tendou house.  So strong were her feelings that she
didn't even resort to calling Ranma any names.

  About a minute passed when the pond erupted into a shower of water as a
very wet and bedraggled female Ranma popped out of the koi pond coughing
up
water.  "Finally rejoined the world of the living, eh Ranma-kun?"  came
Nabiki's cat call as she amusingly watched Ranma struggling in the pond. 
Nabiki followed Ranma and Akane home from school, always a block behind
them.  While interrupting the two of them would have made for a fun
situation, Kasumi made a suggestion to her earlier in the morning.. no
interfering today.  So she did nothing.  Still, Nabiki had a good laugh at
Ranma's situation.  Regardless of what happened, Ranma was always good for
a
laugh.
  His inflated ego got him into more trouble than anyone could
possibly imagine, not that trouble found him on its own often enough,
but Ranma always found a way to somehow make things worse.  Yet he
would survive through the mishap without any problem.
  Nabiki smiled to herself as she remembered those adventures and
wondered how soon the next one would start..  after all, it had been a
day since Ranma's last fiasco.  What she would have given to get a
picture of the scene Akane described to her.  Any of the boys at her
high school would have paid through the nose for a shot of those two
naked women in such an incriminating pose.
  It would have been even more fun had Kunou found out.. his rage over
the "desecration" of his pig tailed goddess would force him to either
buy all of the pictures at a hefty mark up, or gain Nabiki protection
money from those students who wanted to keep Kunou away from them.
Nabiki for her part didn't care what happened then.  She lost interest
after she got her money.
  Nabiki stirred herself from her thoughts as she noticed how slowly
Ranma stood up.  He moved far more slowly than usual, and without any of
his usual verbal malice towards her sister. *What is going on here?*
Nabiki wondered.  Nabiki quickly noticed when it came to seeing things
out of the ordinary.  "So, Ranma-kun, did Akane hit you hard enough this
time?"

  Ranma shook her head as she stood up, and proceeded to look strangely
at the clothes she wore.  She heard Nabiki's voice, and frowned at the
way the girl addressed her.  "Uhm," she started while looking around
slowly, "where am I?"  Her head turned to look at Nabiki, who looked
startled by the turn of events. "Excuse me, do I know you?"  Ranma
glanced down at her hand, and noticed the crystal ring (s)he bought for
Akane earlier.  *Nice ring,*  she wondered.  *Why aren't I wearing it? 
Isn't it mine?*  She slipped the ring on her finger as she heard
Nabiki's voice again.

  Nabiki frowned, especially at Ranma's tone of voice. Ranma never acted
so politely to anyone.. except perhaps his mother.  Even then his voice
still carried the rough edge it usually did if you listened hard enough.
  "Ranma-kun, don't play jokes with me, or I will call on some of the
debt you owe me," she said.
  Ranma blinked once, a bit confused.  "I'm sorry, do you have me
confused with someone else?  I don't recall meeting you before now.  I
don't think I know you, especially not if you insist on calling me
Ranma-'kun', which isn't very polite. I am sorry for confusing you, I
think I will just go along with my business."
  Nabiki could only watch in surprise as Ranma took a single step
towards the exit and collapsed unconscious in a heap on the ground.
Nabiki walked over to her.  *Wow,* she thought.  *How amusing.  Akane
gave Ranma amnesia again.*
  "Akane-chan!"  She shouted.  *This would be interesting to see.
Maybe Akane will blame herself this time.*  She shook her head.  *Nah..*

  Kasumi responded to her call.  "Nabiki-chan, what is it?  Is something
wrong?  Akane went over to her friend's place to study.  She didn't say
anything before she left.. I didn't even see her leave.  Can I help
you?"  Kasumi looked surprised to see Nabiki standing over Ranma's body. 
"Kasumi," she said, "we have to get Ranma to Tofu-sensei."
  "Oh my.  Is it serious?  I've handled his injuries in the past."
  Nabiki looked evenly at her sister.  "Yes, it is."
  "I'll get father and Saotome-san, and we'll meet you there."
  Nabiki smiled to herself.  *If Kasumi shows up at Tofu-sensei's,
we'll never get Ranma any help at all.  Funny, yes, but we don't need
that right now.* "I think it would be better if you stay here."
  "Why?  What is the problem.."  Kasumi paused for a long time.  Her
face went red.  "Oh my!" she stated, he voice suddenly much lower than
before. "I'll call Akane and let her know."
  *Should I be the one to tell her?*  Nabiki wondered.  *No telling how
she'll react to the news _this_ time.*  "Thank you, big sister."

....

  After grabbing her neighbor's car, Nabiki arrived at Tofu-sensei's
clinic with an unconscious Ranma a few minutes later.  Tofuu paused in
his work as he saw Nabiki dragging Ranma in.  "Nabiki-san, what
happened to Ranma this time?"  he asked.
  "Akane hit Ranma on the head.  I think he has amnesia."
  Tofuu paused.  "Does Akane-san know that he is here?"
  Nabiki paused.  "She knows she hit him, but she doesn't know what
happened
after then."
  Tofuu nodded.  "In any case, we should change him back so he isn't
any more confused when he wakes up."
  "Should I be the one to tell Akane?"
  "That is your decision, not mine.  In the mean time, I had better call
the
hospital so they can scan him and make sure there aren't any serious
complications."
  "Right.  I'll get the hot water."  Nabiki walked out of the room.

  Nabiki returned with a kettle a few minutes later.  Tofu-sensei
glanced over Ranma's unconscious form.  "He seems to be fine
physically as far as I can tell.  I've called the hospital and they
dispatched an ambulance which will arrive shortly.  I suggest you change
him
back before they put any neck braces on.  It looks like a concussion as
far
as I can tell."
  Nabiki nodded as Tofu-sensei walked out of the room, intent on
gathering some papers together before the ambulance arrived.  Ranma
had a long history of violent encounters and an even longer medical
report.  *Ranma should be fine, if past history of his injuries is any
indication.*  he thought to himself.  *Although.. I don't know what's
been happening for some time.  Why did they cut me off in the first
place?*

  Tofuu leapt up and rushed back into the room as he heard a sudden gasp
followed by a sound of something hitting the floor.  He saw Nabiki
standing,
her eyes wide with surprise.  He saw the kettle lying on the ground, hot
water pouring out of it.  *That caused the crash, but why did it happen?*
Tofu's gaze lifted up, and he saw a female Ranma sitting on the table.  A
_wet_ female Ranma.  "Nabiki-san, did you splash him?"
  Nabiki nodded quietly.  Tofuu grimaced as he picked up the telephone
and started to dial a number.  "This makes Ranma's injury seem simple
by comparison."
  The grin on Nabiki's face grew.  *Things could get very interesting
now,* she thought to herself.  Possibilities and ideas were already
forming at the back of her mind.  This could be very profitable for her.
  Tofuu continued dialing.  "Hello?"  asked the voice at the other end. 
Tofuu's glasses started to fog over, and he fought for control of himself.

"Kasumi-san, this is Tofuu.  Nabiki-san and I are on our way to the
hospital.  Please meet us there."
  "Oh my.  Is it bad?"  Kasumi replied.
  "It could be.  Please, hurry."
  "I.. understand, Tofuu-sensei."
  Tofuu could only sigh in relief as the ambulance arrived out front
and a minute later the emergency technicians stumbled in.  He pointed
to Ranma. "Concussion, possible brain injury.  Be careful."
  The technician nodded, having seen head injuries all to often.  He
glanced over at Nabiki.  "Any relation to the patient?"
  Nabiki answered him.  "Just an interested third party."
  Tofuu paused.  "Do you want to come with us?"
  Nabiki shook her head.  "I've got people to see.  Let me know how he
is doing."  With that statement, she walked out the door.
  Tofuu frowned.  *This feels like a bad dream,* he thought to himself
as he watched the technicians.

  A few long minutes later, Ranma arrived at the hospital.  The trip
took very little time.  The ambulance drivers muttered something about
an idiot wearing a bandanna and a backpack who stalled traffic on the
way.  Tofuu rushed Ranma into the emergency room, where they
administered drugs and an immediate cat scan. Tofuu wondered how the
hospital bills would be paid for, but brushed it off.  Ranma's life
mattered now.
  Tofuu walked over to the doctor and the gathered staff, and talked for
a long time with them.  He had to make sure that things did not get too
far out of hand.  At least for now he knew that the doctors would have
someone monitoring Ranma while she slept.  They had tried all they
could, and were at a loss on how to help her.  These few hours after a
head injury were the most critical.
  An hour after they placed Ranma into a bed, Tofuu heard wailing from
the corridor.  He knew the sound well, having treated Akane in the past
while Soun cried his heart out.  Tofuu steeled himself, but knew that
the moment he saw Kasumi things would get out of hand.  He sat himself
down in a chair, prepared to hold out as long as possible.  Soun and
Genma entered the waiting area, Soun wailing a storm more so than
normal.  Genma had tears in his eyes, but kept his composure.  Barely.
"Tofu-sensei," he began, "how is my son doing?"
  Tofuu shook his head sadly.  "They are analyzing the preliminary
results now.  We should know in a few hours."  He lowered his voice. 
"Ranma came in as a woman," he said.  "The hospital doesn't know, so.."
  Genma nodded.  "We'll keep quiet about it."
  Soun continued to wail, trying to speak, but his grief prevented him. 
Tofuu wanted to mention what Nabiki said earlier, but all thoughts left
his mind as Kasumi walked into the room.  Kasumi smiled.  "Tofu-sensei,
how is Ranma-kun?"
  "Kasumi!  What a coincidence to meet you here, that is."
  Kasumi giggled at his response. Tofuu suddenly stood up and rushed out
the door.  For him to last so long, it showed a remarkable
accomplishment in his will power.  Kasumi frowned, and looked over to
Genma, since her father still cried.  "How is Ranma-kun doing?"
  "Tofu-sensei mentioned that the tests being done weren't quite finished
yet.  Have you managed to contact Akane?"
  "Her friend's mother said that she would relay the message once Akane
returned to her house.  They had stepped out to take a break from
studying."
  Genma nodded and sighed.  He'd have to tell his wife that Ranma had
been admitted to a hospital.  He idly wondered how the news would go
over with everyone else..  and hoped that the bill for the hospital's
tests and subsequent repairs would not be too high.

....

  Akane returned home, Ranma's idiocy still trapped firmly in her mind. 
So badly had it bothered her that she found it impossible to study.  She
didn't even rant about Ranma to her friends.  They noticed that
something occupied her mind but decided amongst themselves against
mentioning anything.  In any case, it didn't matter.  They knew the
reason, and long stopped asking about details.. since it tired them to
hear Akane rant.  Someone made a suggestion that they go out and have
fun instead.. in an effort to cheer Akane up.  A way of attacking
Akane's moodiness from the side, without directly asking her about it.
  They succeeded - or so they thought.
  Akane's temper tantrums never last long.  If they did, she would have
burned out a long time ago.  As such, she started to think about what
happened between her and Ranma.  She didn't that she could ever forgive
him for what happened - but she came to realize that he never explicitly
said "no."
  Not even once.  Not the slightest implication of it.
  Akane would have never noticed in the past - but three months ago
Ranma reacted the very same way.  Akane complained about the failed
wedding, but he said nothing.  Not a single word.  Only an hour later
did she finally understand what Ranma's silence meant.
  As usual, she didn't give him a chance to get a word in - and the
thought caused her to blush furiously.  That alone calmed her down far
more than her friends ever could.  Now if only she could think of a way
to get Ranma to explain his side of the story without scaring the hell
out him.  The fool probably didn't even know what he implied when he
pulled his "present" out.
  Akane sighed.  Ranma the jerk, as always.  Nothing ever changed.  Akane
walked up to the rear door, and entered the house.  She frowned.  The
clock
said that dinner should be ready, and she usually could smell Kasumi's
cooking from outside.  Maybe the the doors were closed, as the wind still
blew strongly from the storm.
  Akane removed her shoes, and stepped into the living room.  Everything
appeared quiet, the house dark.  The darkness of the house extended into
the kitchen.  Kasumi usually started to prepare dinner a long time
before now.  Akane scratched her head, and called out.  "Kasumi?  Dad?"
She waited, but no one responded.
  The little voice at the back of her head started to pipe up again, but
Akane paid no attention to it.  She walked up the stairs, looking
around.  Genma and Ranma were definitely not in.  The wall in their room
looked like someone had started on it, but her father left everything
scattered around.  Nothing looked neat.  Akane knew that her father put
things away when he finished his work.  Soun had done repairs in the
past, so it didn't surprise her that he wanted to save money.  Akane
couldn't find Nabiki, but she could very easily be out around this time. 
No sign of Happosai either, and that cheered her considerably.

  Akane wondered where everyone had gone.  The house could not be this
quiet at this time of night.  While Genma and Soun might have been out
drinking, Nabiki off with her business associates, and Ranma off doing
who knows what, Kasumi should have been home.  She rarely left the
house this time of night.  Akane decided not to worry about it, since
she had too much homework to finish.  Everyone would return home in
time, and then she'd ask Ranma for an explanation.. after the fact, as
things between them normally turned out.

....

  Two hours passed at the hospital.  Genma had called Nodoka, and the
tone she used scared him.  She did not want anything to impede her son's
eventual marriage.  She did care about Ranma, but ten years apart and a
debt of honor to carry were hard habits to break.  She set out
immediately, but the trains were a bit behind schedule tonight, so she
would not make it to Nerima until very early the next morning.  No one
could find Akane.  She only really disappeared when her temper went past
the boiling point, and that worried everyone.
  Just then, a doctor walked into the waiting room.  "Saotome Genma-san?"
he
queried.
  Genma looked up.  "Yes.  I am him."  Nodoka's tone left him feeling
very meek, and he showed it.
  The doctor bowed.  "Kato Akira.  Your daughter," he began.  Kasumi
nearly spoke, but Genma shook his head.  "Is there a problem?" he asked.
  "No problem at all."  Genma replied.  "Please, continue."
  "As I nearly said, your daughter is suffering from a concussion. 
There is a significant amount of damage to the memory portion of the
brain area."
  Genma frowned.  He did not like the sound of that at all.  "Do you
mean that she may not remember anything?"
  Kato nodded.  "It is possible for her to suffer from amnesia, either
partial or even full memory loss."
  Genma frowned.  Soun managed to speak up through his tears, which
had dried out for the time being.  "Will she regain her memory
eventually?"
  Kato shook his head.  "I am sorry, but you have been watching too
much television.  Memory loss is more than likely to be permanent.
Some of our patients who have had memory loss in the past have needed
to relearn how to speak."
  Soun immediately broke into another wail.  Kato did not seem outwardly
affected.  "Is he a brother of yours?" he asked.
  Genma shook his head.  "A very old friend of mine."
  "I understand.  To continue, she is sleeping rather peacefully.
I've never seen anyone suffer as a bad a blow as she has and not end
up in a coma.. or worse."
  Genma smiled.  A bit of pride crept back into his voice.  "My family
has always been tough."
  "We'll have any new information for you as it becomes available, but
right now we need to monitor her very closely and make sure that there
aren't any complications."
  "Thank you for your help."
  "We do our best.  The hospital will be closing soon, please come
back tomorrow.  If anything happens tonight we will call you."
  "Thank you again."  Genma looked down at Soun.  "Come on, old
friend.  Let us get going."
  Genma and Soun walked out of the hospital, with Kasumi behind them.
"They brought Ranma in as a woman?"
  Genma nodded.  "According to Tofu-sensei, yes."
  "I hope he told them what happens when Ranma-kun gets wet."
  "I am sure he did."

  Nabiki returned home, having completed a few deals with her friends. 
She
wanted to expand her network a little to increase her personal cash flow. 
Finding a few new guys to date so they could spend money on her helped as
an
added bonus.  Her friends wondered how Nabiki's treatment of the guys she
dated affected her reputation, but Nabiki didn't care.
  Nabiki entered the house, removing her shoes and placing them by the
front door.  She noticed a pair of Akane's shoes sitting by the door
as well.  Nabiki made a mental note about that as she walked upstairs,
glancing around the house.  Nothing appeared to be out of order.  She
remembered how Akane behaved in the past whenever Ranma became seriously
injured.  The place looked like a tornado swept through.  The girl did
not know how to deal with grief.
  Akane apparently did not know what happened to her fiancee, and that
did not surprise her.  Her sister could be surprisingly stubborn at
times, even worse than Ranma himself.  The two were more alike at times
than either of them admitted.
  Nabiki walked quietly up the stairs to Akane's door.  She briefly
wondered how to approach Akane, and decided that the direct route worked
the best.  She knew that her sister might collapse, but it didn't really
matter to her all that much.  Of the three Tendou sisters, only Akane
had a serious attempt at a relationship.  If she continued to squander
it so easily, then Nabiki would rub it in as best she could.
  Nabiki walked up to Akane's door, and knocked gently on it.  She
heard Akane grumble as she answered.  "Who is it?"
  "Akane-chan," Nabiki replied.  "This is your sister."
  "Just a second."  Akane walked up to the door, and opened it.
"Hello, sister.  I came home to an empty house.  Do you know where
everyone went?"
  Nabiki nodded.  "Yes I do.  Ranma got into a bit of trouble."
  Akane got irritated at the news.  "It figures.  What did that jerk
do this time?"
  Nabiki shook her head.  Akane the predictable one.  Manipulating her
sister's feelings came far too easily.  Nabiki had to remember not to
over do it.  "Akane-chan," she said quietly, "Ranma is in the hospital."
  Akane paused, barely listening, staring instead at the text book she
held.  "What?  What happened _this_ time?"
  Nabiki smiled.  "What?  You don't know?  He hurt his head badly."
  Akane suddenly had a bad feeling about this.  The book dropped from
her fingers.  She looked up at Nabiki.  "How did that happen?"
  Nabiki grinned evilly.  "Come on, Akane-chan.  You of all people
should know how it happened."
  "What are you talking about?"
  "Please," she replied, turning away from Akane.  "Ranma got hurt by a
certain hot headed individual."
  "Are you telling me _I_ did it?"
  Nabiki laughed.  "I dragged Ranma out of the pool after _you_ bashed
his head in."  She walked into the hallway.  "Honestly, Akane-chan.
You are the only one of us with a fiancee.  You should have learned by
now how to treat him better."
  Nabiki walked off into the house, and Akane collapsed onto the ground.
She could not believe what Nabiki just said.  Could it be that she
actually went too far this time?  She started to cry, tears spilling
down her cheeks.  *No..* thoughts ran uncontrolled through her mind as
sobs wracked her body.  *NO!  Not now!*