A short piece I wrote for no good reason.  It is not really "dark", but there is some blood in one scene.  It's also got some WAFF-y elements to it.

Any responses, especially C&C, would be appreciated.

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

BELOVED

By Irene Ying

***
This fic explores a quick little �what-if�, taken from the 
subtitled version of a certain episode.  To tell the title 
would be too quick to give away the ending. 
***

Disclaimer

Ranma et al belongs to Takahashi et al.

[Name] refers to the point of view.  If it changes and no 
POV is given, it�s in third-person.


********************************************

Beloved


[Ranma]

�Ranma?  Ranma?� A sweet voice called to me, floating on 
the sweet, summer air.

I turned, and saw her next to me.  My dear wife of twelve 
years. . .how we�ve both changed, since we were eighteen.  
We married, out of some strange affection for each other, 
but also, honestly. . .a little of pushing and shoving from 
our respective parents helped it along.  Love only grew 
from there.

The clock next to me reads eleven o� clock, at night. Stars 
are shining outside the window, their ethereal light 
filtering through the thin linen curtains of our bedroom.  
We had stayed up to sit on the porch to play a few rounds 
of cards.  My playing sucks as much as ever, but she never 
teases me about it.  She only smiles and gently tries to 
teach me a few strategies.

Yeah, we�ve both changed.  I can�t believe how much.  But 
of course, some things can�t change.  She still gets angry 
a lot, just like when she was younger and hit me for 
everything.  Now, she doesn�t lash out.  I�ll know when 
she�s mad.  She gets more upset than mad these days.  
That�s a good thing.  I still got this cursed big mouth, 
same as always.  When I can, I watch myself and say the 
right thing.  It wouldn�t do to pass these things on to our 
children.  When we have children.  Soon.

�Time to sleep?� I looked at her.  Akane smiled at me and 
tugged a little at the collar of her new nightgown.  It was 
a peachy-pink shade of satin, long and flowing, with bits 
of dainty ribbon and lace decorating the various hems.  It 
looked beautiful, next to her soft white skin, her blushing 
cheeks, and her beautiful, silky blue hair.  Then there was 
me. . .dressed in an old set of Chinese clothes, light-
blue, with fraying golden knot-ties.  She never seemed to 
complain.  �Cute� was the only word she had for the outfit.  
I don�t know why she does it, but I�m grateful.

�Uh-huh.  You set up that hammock this afternoon.  Care to 
try it?�

�No, that�s all right.  Maybe tomorrow, for an afternoon 
nap.  After training, of course.� I still trained fifteen 
or so hours a day, and went on training trips all the time.  
I intend to live long, and to become a martial arts legend.  
Never mind that Akane chides me and laughs, calling me an 
egotist, as always.  It�s been my goal since childhood.

A martial artist has more than skill, I thought as I 
climbed into our bed and pulled a few thin blankets over 
me, in case the night breezes turned chilly.  There is a 
mindset that he or she must have.  Something of honor.  
There were actions besides just fighting that had to come 
out of a martial artist.

I closed my eyes, and wondered.  Wondered if I had thrown 
it all away, on that one day.

When I found her there, lying dead, I didn�t know what was 
going on at all.  I hadn�t seen anything.  I�d heard a few 
cries, a shout, even.  I had heard the crash of trees and 
seen birds and animals fleeing from that clearing in the 
forest.

But when I reached the spot, nothing was left, except for 
her bruised, battered. . .dead body.  Lying there, in the 
usual, pretty clothes that she always wore.  They were 
torn, dusty, and bloody.  Her hair. . .rather beautiful, 
now that I think of it.  It was all around her.  Haphazard.  
A real mess was all that was left.  Her weapons. . .broken 
and smashed next to her.  Trees all around the destruction.

Even the challengers, whom I wanted to pound into the 
ground.  They were gone.  Back home, I suppose.  No, no one 
was left.  I never did find out why.  Everything connected 
to her disappeared without a trace. . .Cologne, Mousse. . 
.the restaurant was empty by the time I went back to 
Nerima.

Because I wasn�t there. . .because I was too stupid to help 
her. . .

~~~

�Ranma!  Aren�t you going to help her?� Akane�s brown eyes 
bore into Ranma-chan�s blue ones.

Lin-Lin and Ran-Ran had been gone for perhaps half an hour.  
Cologne had dropped in and offered her advice--which was 
clearly, go help Shampoo.  She had employed a little guilt 
tactic, which Ranma did not appreciate.  She hated feeling 
guilty, whether or not she was in the wrong.

�Why should I?� Ranma and Akane had gone through this 
conversation just before Cologne popped in.  �Like I said.  
If I did, Shampoo�d never get over me.  Ya want that?� 
Ranma privately hoped for a little jealousy to creep into 
Akane�s response.

�It wouldn�t hurt. . .just to help a little.� Akane 
fidgeted.  Yeah, she did want Ranma for herself, but. . 
.�It�s for her life.  Not. . .well. . .for, um, her.� That 
sounded weak, and Ranma sensed it.

�It�s for her, ain�t it?� Ranma pouted a little.  �Two 
little girls challenging one your age, and she�s a hundred 
times the martial artist you are, Akane.  I don�t worry 
about her too much.  Granny�s just exaggeratin� it so I 
help her.� She folded her arms and stared out 
belligerently.  �That�s how I sees it, anyhow.�

Akane, for once, ignored the insult thrown at her.  �Okay, 
so she�s skilled.  Doesn�t mean that she�ll do well in two-
against-one.  And that technique really does sound 
dangerous.  Grandmother said that Shampoo hadn�t trained 
lately.�

�Whatever.  She�s too violent to not train.  Doin� those 
acrobatic stunts with her bike counts as practice, don�t 
it?  She can almost do gymnastics as well as I can.  Well, 
not really.� Ranma�s ego kicked in.  �But she�s good.  She 
can beat you, Ukyo. . .heck, how good can those girls be?  
They�re young.�

�How good were you at that age?� Akane looked at him.

�Pretty good, but I did nothin� but train all day.� Ranma�s 
mind winced at the recollection of training.  Working out 
until his muscles screamed murder. . .fighting his father 
for everything. . .facing wild animals for his food and 
shelter. . .yes, it was training.

�And you think they don�t do the same?  They�re a village 
of warriors, Ranma.� Akane thought about it.  �I mean, you 
trained with your dad all the time.  They�ve got a couple 
hundred women egging them on to train.  I bet they trained 
just as hard as you did.�

�Whatever.  Maybe, but they�re still just women.�

Akane�s nerves snapped on that point.  �Chauvinist pig!� 
She slammed her elbow into the smaller girl.  �How dare you 
say that!�

Ranma flopped to the ground.

�Jeez, how uncute can you get?!  Jus� for that one, I�m 
goin� ta help Shampoo!� She got up from the ground, where 
her face had just been buried.  �How�s that sound?�

Akane saw a chance to protest.  But Shampoo might really 
need that help.  And what if those sisters had something 
Shampoo couldn�t stand against?  Wasn�t that what 
Grandmother had said?

�Yeah.  Go help her.�

Ranma turned mocking.  �Okay, I�m going.  See ya!�

*//*

Half an hour later she was still running, going to the 
place she guessed Shampoo would take up the challenge.  
There were some nice forest-covered mountains within good 
range.  The clearings were private and very conducive to 
martial arts battles.  That was the most logical area for a 
fight.

Leaves were rustling overhead, a pleasant enough sound.  
Birds were flying in flocks towards Ranma.  Rabbits were 
running on the small, grass-covered paths.  Odd, Ranma 
thought.  You�d think they were fleeing from something.  Is 
there an earthquake coming?  Better be careful.

�Honestly.  Why am I even here?� Ranma grumbled to herself.  
�Shampoo can take on those two girls, no problem.  I ain�t 
needed here. . .�

She heard crashes up ahead.  Ah, those were the sounds of 
battle.  Some shouts reverberated through the thick, hot 
air of summer.  A scream came through.  Ranma wondered who 
was winning.  That had sounded like Shampoo.

Ranma ran harder.  Maybe Shampoo was having a harder time 
than she had expected.

*//*

Ranma knelt, and cried.

Shampoo lay on the ground, knees drawn slightly towards her 
abdomen, and her pale, nearly bloodless arms sprawled on 
the dirt.  Ranma stared at her, and winced at the numerous 
cuts, abrasions, and even burns that covered her abused 
body.  The once-shining silk of her blouse and pants was 
sliced up.  Blood, half-red and half-black, was still 
oozing from the cuts.

Ranma wanted to vomit, but suppressed the urge.  Tears and 
bile choked her swollen throat.  Sticky liquid coated her 
face.

�How did she die?� Ranma, morbidly, started to wonder to 
herself.  There was some blood on the ground.  The dusty 
earth was drinking up the lifeblood of another, greedily.  
The salty, metallic smell of blood was lingering in the 
space.

Picking up the girl, Ranma gently placed Shampoo�s head in 
her lap.  She brushed the purple-blue hair, mussed and 
tangled, out of Shampoo�s face.  The garnet eyes were 
closed, and the charming mouth was still, frozen in an 
expression of neither happiness nor sadness.  Just. . 
.nothing.  At least she looked peaceful.  Whatever pain she 
had experienced in those last moments hadn�t lasted too 
long.  If there had been any pain at all.

Something wet and still warm oozed out, making a dark 
stain, spreading on Ranma�s blue cotton pants.  In shock, 
Ranma brushed aside the long, sticky locks of hair that had 
covered Shampoo�s midsection.  The hair was sticky and 
chunky with dried blood, which crumbled and broke off in 
bits as Ranma swept the strands aside.  There was a clean-
cut gash, the size of a dagger�s cut, under which Shampoo�s 
heart lay.  Her pierced heart had stopped, and blood was no 
longer pulsating, but still slowly flowing, from the stab.

�Shampoo. . .� Ranma whispered.

The body, limp and unresponsive, lay there.

I killed you.  No, your sisters did.  Those cursed girls.  
They came and got you.  I was too stupid to listen and I 
let you get killed.  I thought of you as a nuisance and not 
a friend and now it�s too late.  Couldn�t you have waited?  
Just held on a little longer, then I could have gotten help 
for you.

Oh, Ranma!  Why didn�t you just come?  Surely you could 
have helped. . .surely. . .well, why torture yourself now?  
You idiot, you jerk!  Now is too late. . .

Didn�t love her in that way, ever. . .but still. . .felt 
like she was a friend. . .always helped me when she could. 
. .loved me. . .wish she didn�t. . .

~~~

My eyes stared at the ceiling.

My wife was long asleep.  That dang flashback.  Haven�t had 
it for a while. . .I tried not to think about things like 
that if I can avoid it.  Too dark.  Too dreary.  Although I 
can say I�ve seen more gory scenes than that one, I haven�t 
been hit so hard again.

Never want to.

What happened there, I started to wonder to myself.  How�d 
they kill her?  Why?  They couldn�t really hate her.  And 
she could have easily defended herself.

Right?

~~~

[Shampoo]

�Ranma.�

I have been in the mountains of my ancestors for the past 
fourteen years.  I have watched over you.  Saving you when 
I could, lessening the damage when I could not.  Always 
looking at you, the person I always wanted but never could 
have.

You never did learn how much I loved you.

But I can read your thoughts.  They make me laugh 
sometimes.

Now, right now, they only make me cry.

It was not your fault.  If you had come. . .well, you might 
have held them off, but you would only have had more 
trouble from that point on.  I would not have died, that is 
true.  You would have had the village of Amazons after you.  
For it was a battle to the death.  You knew that, did you 
not?  They would have been after you for the death of two 
villagers.  No forgiveness.  I would have been punished as 
well.  That did not matter.  Your life mattered more.

I prayed you would not come, those last moments.  I am glad 
you did not.

Every fifty years, I am allowed to leave the mountains for 
one day.  I begged this, to use up my allotted time early.  
How it hurts me, to use it now, and with you completely 
unaware that I am still here.

You mourn for me in your mind.  I wish you did not.  It 
always makes me feel as though I had a chance at securing 
your heart, although I know that I did not.  You wanted 
her.  I wanted to change that, but in the end, your 
happiness took priority.  Certainly, I did not always act 
like that.  But when push came to shove, I tried to secure 
your future. . .

. . .and look where it took both of us.

No, that is not true.  You are happy.  That is good enough 
for me.

But for now, I want to let you know.  Just to let you know 
is good enough.

You must know what happened there.

You shall know, if nothing else, the depth of love I had, 
and still carry, for you.

~~~

[Ranma]

�I gotta sleep.� I groaned and flipped over.  �I can�t 
think of that much longer.  I�ll. . .I�ll freak out, and 
Akane�s going to ask me what�s the matter.�

That�s right.  I never did tell her.

Anyhow, I don�t know how long I stayed in that forest, 
holding Shampoo and looking at her.  Not watching her die.  
No last moments.  She was already dead when I got there.  
Whatever they did, it was quick and effective.  I only 
watched her, trying to store the memory in my mind.

I went home and told her that they were in China.  She saw 
the blood.  No questions were ever asked.  I don�t know 
what she thought, or thinks, happened in that forest.  No 
one ever asked.

I had to bury the body myself.  After I got a hold of 
myself, I dug a hole in the ground, extra-fast, using the 
Chestnut Fist.  I dumped her in, kinda unceremoniously.  
There weren�t any flowers in the forest.  If there were, I 
might�ve tossed in a few.  There weren�t any, so I just 
piled the earth over her and threw a lof of dead leaves and 
tree branches.  Then I went onto the path and knocked over 
enough trees to ensure that no one except really persistent 
people could ever get into the clearing again.  A couple of 
boulders finished the job.  I got home real late, dusty, 
bloody, torn up. . .man, I musta been a sight.  But I guess 
Nerima has seen enough of these things.  I didn�t get any 
stares.

Why do I keep thinking of these things?

Though he had not been sleepy or even tired the entire day, 
a haze came over him.  Something wrapped itself around him, 
warm and comforting, soft. . .lulling him. . .

. . .why. . .do I. . .sleep. . .and dream. . .

~~~

[Shampoo]

Because I�m here.  He does not know it, but when I am 
watching over him, a piece of him will feel it, and he will 
start to think of me. . .what he remembers.

I am so ashamed.  The only memories I left him were of the 
selfish, immature child in me.  But I suppose that is all I 
was.  All he can think of is a silly girl who had nothing 
better to do than to hang on to him and to make his life 
miserable.

I want him to know.

I place my hand, my spirit, upon his heart.  The place 
where I was pierced.

Surely, it will let him know.

And that should be enough.

~~~

[Shampoo.  Ranma watches this from Shampoo�s point of 
view.]

~ Why am I here? ~

~ Oh, dear God. . .I�m in Shampoo�s body. . . ~

~ Those are my sisters. . .and they look as though they�re 
out to kill me. . . ~

~ I can�t speak!  Can�t control my body.  Can�t do 
anything. ~

~ Can only watch. . . ~

�Amazon women falling in love with men is the most shameful 
thing!  They supposed to make men suffer!  Big Sister 
Shampoo once was best at that!�

�That true.� Shampoo�s expression turned sad.  Memories of 
tormenting lovesick young men immediately sprang into her 
mind.  �But--�

�You no is old Shampoo!  We retrain you all over again!�

The tiger fork and the staff came swinging and slashing 
through the air.  The staff and sphere of Shampoo�s twin 
bonbori managed to stop both, while she flipped in midair 
and went backwards.  When she landed, instead of two girls, 
she saw a whirling tornado.  Well, that was easy enough to 
fix.  Shampoo leapt high in the air, thrust her metal 
spheres through several tree trunks, and buried the 
whirlwind under considerable wood and foliage.  The storm 
stopped, and Shampoo landed easily in front of the trees.


�I hear you two get very strong in martial arts.� She said 
it in a very matter-of-fact tone. �But I still better,� she 
added silently, in her mind.  �I have to be.  I cannot lose 
to you.�

�Enough talking!� Ran-Ran took up a stance next to her 
sister, both having climbed out of the dense leaves.  �You 
no talk like that much longer.  We use three-thousand year 
old, too-terrible attack!  The Dance of the Great Fire 
Dragon!� Red and blue ki swirled around them, as they 
raised their weapons and positioned their bodies in 
parallel to one another.  Shampoo only smiled.  Great-
Grandmother had told her about this attack before, as a 
joke.

�You think you play music and blast Shampoo with fire!  
Stupid girls!� Shampoo ran and jumped, and her foot neatly 
caught the tape player.  It crumpled and a tape came flying 
out.  Her sister, below, gaped.

�Filthy rebel against Amazon law!� Lin-Lin roared in rage 
as her paper dragon collapsed.  Her sister, angry as well, 
brushed off some debris from her war outfit.

�You no call me that.� Shampoo stood her ground.  Events 
rushed through her head.

Bitter defeat at Ranma-chan�s hands, at their first 
meeting.

Ranma-kun knocking her out, unintentionally.

Letting Ranma-chan go free.

Facing her village�s punishment upon returning.

The curse at Jusenkyo, and the humiliation she suffered.

Her forced exile from her village, shame upon her once-
proud name.

Her first kiss with him.  The sweetest.

Finding him, naked, in the bathtub.

Helping him find the Three Urns.

Protecting him against Mousse and his wrath.

Being alone, all this time, with no one by her side, just 
for his sake.

She could have had any man she wanted in the village.  
Destiny had seen it fit to make her fall in love with a man 
she could never have.

�I love Ranma.  It true.� There.  Shampoo had uttered the 
words that Amazon women scorned above all, perhaps even on 
equal plane with defeat by an outsider.  �He is life to me.  
You no go after him.  First you come through me.�

�That what we doing right now,� Ran-Ran spat in scorn of 
her older �sister�.  �We fight in pure physical combat?  
You no throw Hiryuu Shoten Ha at us.� She had never 
mastered that technique.

�Shampoo accept.� She was good at physical fighting.  
Making deliveries had boosted her speed.  The heavy bike 
had helped her strength and stamina.  Catfights with Ukyo 
and Akane had helped her improvisation.  There was no way 
she was going to lose.

�Then here we come!�

Lin-Lin rushed at her with a whirling maneuver with her 
weapon.  Sunlight glinted off the needle-sharp ends of her 
three-pronged fork as the staff spun in complex circles, 
designed to slash through the body of the opponent.  She 
aimed the cuts for Shampoo, who dodged most and blocked the 
rest.

Ran-Ran joined in.  She went for Shampoo in the opposite 
direction, and used her sister as a diversion.  She tried 
to land a hard knock on Shampoo, but was too slow.  Shampoo 
saw it, and jumped high enough to avoid both sisters� 
attacks.  She watched as the weapons collided, sending 
sparks flying.

A tree came crashing towards her.  Shampoo grabbed a thick 
branch with her legs and rode the tree as it fell down.  
Hidden by the leaves, she launched a surprise attack on 
Lin-Lin.  She crushed the fork with her bonbori, then 
jumped to avoid retribution.

The sisters jumped after her, and Lin-Lin, her arms free, 
launched an impressive fist-fighting combination at 
Shampoo.  Each blow aimed for a critical spot, and Shampoo, 
slowed by her weapons, could nto block all of the hits.  
She took a blow on the shoulder, and some slashes from a 
makeshift dagger--on of the prongs of the fork.  Grimacing, 
she noted the blood soaking onto her nice shirt.

Ran-Ran was calculating time.  Ranma was going to show up, 
and soon.  She had to finish Shampoo off before that 
happened.  With that in mind, she sent the staff flying, 
intending to pierce through Shampoo�s  heart from behind.  
She underestimated her sister, who simply reached back and 
knocked away the staff.  Ran-Ran took a dive to the ground 
to fetch her weapon.

With this distraction, Lin-Lin stabbed Shampoo in the leg, 
reminding her sister to turn back to her.  With a shout, 
Shampoo sent a bonbori crashing into her sister�s same leg, 
in retribution.  Brute force worked.  Lin-Lin howled in 
pain, and grimaced as she carefully jumped into some other 
branches, pondering her next move.

Shampoo groaned.  The blood wasn�t bad, and it wasn�t as 
painful as other injuries had been.  The problem was, it 
was going to cripple her attacks.  If her muscles were cut, 
she couldn�t kick as effectively.  There was no way her 
sisters were going to miss out on that.

She was correct.  Lin-Lin jumped into the air and came 
down.  Only an upward kick or jump would have made a match.  
Shampoo glanced at her sister�s bruised leg, and repeated 
the blow.  This time, she made it.  Lin-Lin�s leg was 
broken, and she went down.

�Sorry, my sister,� Shampoo whispered as she faced Ran-Ran.  
�I no want to do this to you.�

�Then you are foolish,� Ran-Ran growled in return.  �I will 
not hesitate to kill you.�

�It a fight to the death, I know.� Shampoo nodded.  There 
was a glint in her eyes.  �It for Ranma�s sake, not mine.�

�More foolish than I thought,� Ran-Ran retorted.  Her staff 
came in for a wide swing, and evaded Shampoo�s more clumsy 
bonbori.  �And can�t fight worth a darn!� The pole landed a 
hit on Shampoo�s arm, and was hard enough that Shampoo 
dropped one bonbori--which managed to land on the 
unconscious Lin-Lin.  Ran-Ran took a look in that 
direction, and Shampoo sent her last bonbori at her.

It made its mark.

Ran-Ran crumpled and fell from the branches, and joined her 
sister in the dust.

Shampoo, breathing hard and feeling her wounds, slowly came 
from the tree.

�I. . .I won,� she thought with relief.  Her hands were red 
from handling the weapons.  The fight couldn�t have taken 
more than five minutes.  It had been intense, grueling.  A 
good workout with nasty results.

�Kill us,� Lin-Lin rasped, now fully awake.  �Kill us and 
face your punishment.�

�Excuse me?� Shampoo, now slightly fearful, asked.

�You kill two Amazon sisters.�

�In fair combat.� Shampoo knew her laws.

�Over a man.�

Shampoo gasped.  She hadn�t thought of that.  Accidents 
occurred plenty of times back at the village.  But never 
over a man.  They were not considered worthy of fighting 
over.  If she sent them home. . .well, the stories they 
brought would sent Amazons on the warpath, right to Nerima.  
Right to Ranma�s door.

�You no do this.  You no conspire against Ranma.  He 
strong, he fair.�

�He is still man!  It make no difference how good he is; he 
is still a man!� Ran-Ran stumbled as she got up.  She 
pointed to her sister.  �We trade.  You want?  It only 
thing to do.� She smirked.

�Trade what?�

�Life for life.  You want save him, you die.�

Of course, Shampoo thought, a wave of dizziness swirling 
over her.  If she died, in �fair combat�, and not really 
over a man. . .then honor would be preserved.  Ranma�s life 
would be preserved.  Amazons liked to torture man, but only 
under the law.  If Shampoo was dead, then there was no 
reason to kill Ranma.  Only the one defeated was allowed to 
take such revenge.  He would be safe.  Thank the gods, he 
had not come yet.  If he had. . .he would be dead already.

So, if she died, Ranma would live.

An easy choice.

�You tell Great-Grandmother everything.  You leave anything 
out, Shampoo came back to haunt you.  You tell truth.  
Understand?�

Two nods.

Love for him surged through her heart.  She loved him.  A 
foolish, irrational, stupid, ill-fated love.  But love 
nonetheless.  It knew no reason, nor rationale.  It seized 
her and pulled on her heart, until every beat was only 
painful.  She loved him.  How she wished she didn�t!  It 
would have saved her all this trouble. . .But her love had 
brought her so much.  She had seen the world beyond her 
tiny village.  She had experienced elation as well as 
grief.  These were things that came in pairs.  To known 
happiness, one must first know sadness.  To know love. . 
.she had to know pain. . .Ranma had brought it all to her.  
No matter what his flaws were, she still loved him.  Good 
reasons or not, she still loved him.  She thought of all 
his qualities, and then, it all went back to the man she 
loved.

Just him.  She loved him.

�I do this for love of Ranma.  Tell her that.  You can tell 
village that.  Make my shame complete.  Just spare Ranma�s 
life.  That all I ask.�

�You more stupid than we ever imagined.� Lan-Lan spat, with 
some blood, in contempt.

�Never mind that.  It the only course of honor left.� 
Shampoo hauled up Lin-Lin.  She had to speak fast, lest she 
lose her resolve. �Kill me.�

With blank eyes and no expression on her face, Lin-Lin drew 
back the dagger, and plunged it into Shampoo�s heart.

~~~

[Shampoo]

Enough.  He does not need to know the rest.

How the girls went to my grandmother and they went back to 
China.

How my spirit cried on his shoulder as he held me, and then 
buried me.

I feel the pain all over again.

I did it for him.

Was there another way?  Yes, but every way would only have 
led to his ruin in the end.  This. . .at least he has his 
life�s love.  With Akane, he can face everything.  The gods 
and goddesses have told me so.

They have been merciful to me.  On account of my feelings 
for him, I am his guardian.

I watch over him.

Good enough.

Always so close to you. . .

All I ever wanted. . .

I will be there for you.  When Akane is not at home, I will 
bring comfort in your soul.  When you quarrel, I will 
soothe your grief.  At your last moment, I will make it 
easy and painless for you.

As always, I will take the burden upon myself.  I have the 
power to do such things now.  I can help you when I could 
not before.  I will do what I can.

So that I can truly say, �I loved Saotome Ranma.�

~~~

[Ranma]

I woke up, in a cold sweat.

I could still feel the pain from the chest wound. . .that 
stupid, stupid dream!  My mind just had to go and make up 
something totally weird like that.  Why had I thought about 
her?

It ain�t like I ever loved her.  Naw.  She was a friend, 
nothing more, if that.  Always kind of annoying. . .but 
energetic, I guess.  Good martial artist.  Pretty.  
Cheerful.  Good cook.

Didn�t love her.

What was that?  In the last moments, a rush of emotion had 
surged through Ranma�s--no, Shampoo�s--heart.  Something. . 
.warm, comforting in the face of death, something that 
served to numb the pain.  Overwhelming her and paralyzing 
Ranma, as she watched the events happen, unable to lift a 
finger or give a whisper to help.

Wish she hadn�t died.  But I didn�t have to have that 
dream!  Man, it gave me the creeps just to think about it.  
There was no way the Amazons could be that harsh.

How did they ever handle it?  Murder would have been there 
anyway.

After that whole event, I was pretty shook up.  I realized 
how much Akane meant to me.  Imagining her dead made me 
cry. . .so I told her, quickly, that I hated fighting with 
her.  Because I liked her.  Sort of.  Of course I can say 
it now, but back then. . .no, couldn�t manage anything like 
that.  I was just lucky that she got the message and we 
finally agreed, tentatively, to the engagement.

Ucchan took off after that.  Don�t know where she went.  
Back to Osaka, perhaps.  Man, I felt horrible.  She was my 
best friend.  I still wish I knew what had happened to her.

Just like I wish I knew. . .what happened to Shampoo.  
Screw that dream.  I gotta forget it somehow.

But then my eyes turned, and I saw my wife, sleeping 
peacefully.  Her short, glossy hair was spilled all around 
her pale face.  Her warm, chocolate eyes were closed 
peacefully.  Her soft chest rose and fell with each breath 
she took.  Her expression was a sweet, comforting smile.

I realized that I was lying down, and that her right arm, 
slender and pale, was around my shoulders.  A warm feeling 
surged up in me.  That�s right.  No matter what, as long as 
she is mine and I am hers, I can face anything.  Anything 
at all.  Because. . .

�I love you, Akane.�

With that whisper, I closed my eyes.

~~~

[Shampoo]

Good.  He is at peace.

May it always be so.  I will do my best to secure it for 
him.

I am back at home.  The mountains are peaceful, shrouded in 
thick mists.  None save the spirits enter here.

There is a little pool in front of my house.  I like being 
there.  The waters are green, like glass, deep and still.  
Lilies, pale, powder-pink flowers and emerald-green leaves, 
grow there.  There is a moon bridge, carved of marble, 
going over it.  On the bank is an ancient weeping willow.

Each guardian has his or her way of observing the charge.  
This is mine.  I stand on the bride and lean over.  I stare 
into the clear, sparkling water and I see his face.  I see 
his dark hair, his blue eyes.  When I try hard enough, I 
can see those connected to him, especially Akane.

I wear a Chinese dress, as usual.  Some things do not 
change.  My long hair blows back in the breeze.  The willow 
trees� soft, lithe branches dip into the water, and a few 
slender leaves blow off and float about on the sweet, 
fragrant air.

When I see my face in the water, I am smiling.

The little leaves, so soft and tender, land on the water 
and distort the reflection.

I keep on staring, smiling as I do so.

I love Saotome Ranma.


***
End
***

�Love knows no race, species, nor logic.� -- �All I Ever 
Needed to Know, I Learned from Anime�.


That's it. . .


---Irene

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