Chapter 13

As the night passed quietly without notice, Akane slowly lost each piece of her memory until she could only remember Ranma. Even then she struggled with her mind to try to keep that memory intact. "I must try to...remember him and not forget. He is ...he is Ranma and he is my f…f...my mate," Akane struggled to remember the proper words before they disappeared completely. The one thing that she knew for sure was that he was hers and she wouldn't let anyone take him away from her without a fight. Eventually she drifted off to sleep.

A gnawing hunger woke Akane-cat from her restless slumber. Even though Noduka had given her something before she went to sleep, it seemed like it wasn't enough to satisfy her. "Hungry," Akane-cat though as she rolled over and stood up. Quietly she padded out of the tent and into the pre-morning stillness of the forest. Yawning she stretched her stiff muscles before taking a deep breath and sniffing the morning air. Akane-cat paused in mid sniff as a tantalizing odor tickled her nostrils. Licking her lips she took a deeper sniff of the scent. "Food...maybe have to hunt for it," she thought then decided to follow it as it seemingly smelled like something she could eat. She could hear her instincts clamoring for her to follow the trail. Taking one last longing look back towards the tent over her shoulder she thought to herself, "Maybe Ranma-mate will like what I bring back after I’ve had my share." Then turning back to the shadows of the forest Akane-cat silently trotted off.

After twenty minutes of following the trail Akane-cat spotted what she had been following. "Breakfast," she thought as she spotted a deer that looked to be in the prime of its life. Quickly and quietly she crouched down as the urge to stalk overcame her human sensibilities. Slowly she inched her way down the mountain sticking to the dark shadows so she wouldn't be easy to spot. Finally when she was within ten meters of the animal Akane-cat froze, waiting for the deer to make its way closer so that she could deliver the fatal bite to end its life. Suddenly the deer stopped in its tracks, lifting its head it gazed in the direction that Akane-cat had come from before turning on its hind legs to bound off into the woods.

Akane-cat didn't bother to look in the direction that the deer was looking because she could smell him. It was Ranma and he had just scared her breakfast. Strangely these thoughts didn't bother Akane-cat at the moment because her cat's instinct was far too strong for what was left of her human intellect to counter. Growling quietly to herself in displeasure, she rose and gave chase before the deer got out of range.

In five swift running bounds Akane-cat slammed into the smaller animal with the force of a truck, breaking its legs and neck when she hit. "I did it!" Akane-cat thought in triumph as she backed up slowly, not taking any chances incase the animal was playing dead. When it didn't move Akane-cat took a deep breath and roared her joy up into the sky before she quickly started to feast on the deer. “It tastes funny,” Akane-cat thought as she took her first bite of raw meat. She could hear Ranma as he came closer, but she ignored him until she judged him close enough before spinning around and snarling at him. "Mine!" she thought as she bared her teeth at Ranma before she could get herself under control. Akane watched as Ranma froze in fear but he didn't back away.

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Ranma slowly fought his way back to consciousness from his peaceful slumber. As he opened his eyes he noticed that Akane was missing. Panicking he quickly jumped to he feet and ran out of the tent to see if she was nearby. The only thing he saw were her tracks leading out of the camp and into the forest. "Man Akane, why'd ya have to go off by yourself now?” he asked himself, then continued to comment. “The tomboy will probably get lost," he muttered just before his eyes caught a distinctive path made by a large animal. Kneeling down for a closer look at the slight indentations in the ground. Ranma saw that Akane had recently passed through here and decided to follow her tracks. Standing, he took off at a fast walk in the direction that the trail lead.

It took him at least a half an hour to finally catch up to her. When he peered through a break in the thick underbrush, he saw her crouch down and freeze. “What is she doing?” he muttered as he scanned the area ahead of her. He finally saw what it was that she was stalking. It appeared that Akane was hungry and at the moment since she couldn’t cook, she had decided to hunt for her breakfast. It was at that moment that Ranma’s stomach decided to make itself known.

“GROWL!” Ranma’s stomach protested, glancing down, Ranma covered it with his hand. When he looked back up, he saw a sight that took his breath away. Ranma saw the deer take flight, then saw Akane give chase. As she ran, he could see just how fluidly her muscles moved beneath her fur. How she kept her balance, she never stumbled once. It was over in less then thirty seconds as Akane slammed into the deer. Ranma winced as a cracking noise echoed though the air. “Must have broken its neck,” he thought as he made his way down to her side. As he got close enough, he noticed that Akane had started eating.

When he was within a few meters Akane suddenly turned around and growled at him. “Grrrrrr!”

“Ack!” Ranma said, freezing in fear as she continued to glare at him. Her mouth, he saw, was covered in blood. Gulping, Ranma slowly pushed down his fear of cats and tried to calm her down. He knew better than to get between an animal and its meal. Akane apparently was acting on her instincts at the moment and had slipped deeper into the mind of a cat. “Oh, Akane…,” he whispered as he slowly reached out his hand, not making any sudden movements to startle her. Ranma continued to talk to her quietly, trying to get her to come back to herself.

“Come on Akane, you remember me don’t you? It’s me, Ranma,” he whispered as he slowly inched his way closer, swallowing a huge lump in his throat as he saw the expression of fury in her eyes slowly fade away as recognition finally registered.

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“He wants to take my kill. I won’t let him!” Akane-cat thought angrily, growling again as she stood protectively in front of the downed deer. Then she heard his softly spoken words. Slowly they began to penetrate and reach into her the part that was Akane the human and not the cat.

“R…Ranma? Oh, I’m sorry! I got a bit carried away. I think I kind of lost myself,” Akane thought as she loosened her protective stance, walked over to him and purred apologetically while brushing up against his side. Then walking behind him she gently nudged him forward towards the kill, as his stomach rumbled again.

"Mwrr," Akane said as she peeked at him from over his shoulder. When Ranma turned to her, pointed at the deer and asked, "You want me to eat that raw? You've got to kidding me."

Akane looked at him and rolled her eyes, then she slowly shook her head no, walked around him and over to the kill. Looking down at the partially consumed deer she made a face of disgust while thinking, "I can't believe I actually ate that raw...Yuck! Oh well, I'd better show the baka that I want him to take it back to camp. If I have to carry that..," she thought as she tried to get him to come closer. Akane enjoyed seeing Ranma flex his muscles. So, when Ranma stood next to her, Akane tried to demonstrate that she wanted him to pick it up. Unfortunately she didn't have hands, so that made the task so much more difficult. Sighing she bent her head, and lifted the kill, turned back towards camp and started walking back. When she was about fifteen steps ahead of him, Ranma finally got the hint. "Oh, ya want me to bring it back to camp, right?"

Dropping the kill, Akane growled an affirmative while nodding her head, then she left it on the ground to walk ahead of him. She glanced back to see if he had picked it up. Akane watched, as he bent down and heaved it over his shoulder, it was obvious that Ranma had amazing healing abilities since he was able o pick up the kill and carry it. Satisfied that he was following, Akane turned and continued back towards camp at a much faster pace.

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As Akane got closer to camp she froze as she detected some strange scents. It smelled like they had visitors, but she didn't know anyone except Ranma. Crouching down, Akane stalked her way back towards camp taking the roundabout way to come from behind them. When she was close enough to see the intruders, she stopped to study them. "Who are they? I've got to get a better look before I get rid of them," she thought as she crept closer, then ducking behind the tent she peered around the side to get a better look. Two of the figures appeared to be older than the others. One balanced on a stick, the other was much younger and had a funny looking thing perched on his nose. The young one with purple hair stood next to a slightly older person carrying something strapped to its back. Akane-cat cocked her head as she studied that one intently. Something pricked her memories but she couldn't seem to remember why this was so. Shrugging, she dismissed it as nothing and continued to watch them.

They seemed to be talking about something, but Akane-cat couldn't hear a word of what they were saying. Flicking an ear back towards the trail she had come from, she judged that her mate would be arriving soon. "Better step out of hiding to see what their intentions are. They can't hurt me before I can kill them anyway," Akane-cat thought as she stepped out from behind the tent and walked into plain view. She waited for them to notice her but it appeared that they were too deep in their discussion to notice her.

Akane-cat decided to make herself known as she took a deep breath, opened her mouth and roared, "ROAR!"

Everyone in the clearing froze. Slowly they turned their attention to the one who had made the noise. When they saw Akane-cat standing in the middle of the clearing, her mouth covered in fresh blood, they assumed the worst had happened. The old one on the stick yelled, "We're too late! She's killed son-in-law! Quickly! We must take her down before she kills us as well." Then the purple hared and old one on the stick attacked.

Akane-cat was too busy staring in disbelief to regain her wits after what the old one had said before she noticed them attacking her. A split second before they got within reach to do serious damage to her vital areas, her instincts took over as Akane-cat dodged to the left and snarled a challenge in anger. Her tail lashed the air as she bared her fangs and hissed, digging her claws into the dirt she called to her mate before she charged the intruders. "RAaannnmmmaaarrrooowwllll!"

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Ranma had been carrying the kill for a while now and his shoulder was beginning to hurt like hell. He was glad that he was almost back at camp when he heard Akane roar his name. Not bothering to drop the kill he ran the last kilometer back into camp and froze in disbelief at the sight of the Amazons attacking Akane. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" he yelled as he heaved the deer carcass off his shoulders. It hit the ground with a loud thud, startling Shan-Pu and Ku-Lon as they were about to resume their attack.

Akane-cat took advantage of the brief pause in the battle to bound to Ranma's side and positioned herself slightly in front of him while growling a warning deep in her chest. Unconsciously, Ranma placed a soothing hand on her massive shoulder to calm her down as his steely gaze fixated on the Amazons. When no answer was forthcoming he growled his question again. "Well, can someone explain why you're attacking Akane?"

Noduka had been standing in the background with doctor Tofu when Akane had come into the clearing. She immediately spoke up. "Son, I think they assumed that Akane had killed you. Her face is covered in blood and you were left alone with her, so naturally they would assume the worst had happened."

"Akane got hungry and went hunting for breakfast. I startled her when she was eating and almost got whacked for it, so she didn't have time to clean up before we came back to camp. I was going to have the rest of this deer for breakfast," Ranma explained as he gestured to the deer lying on the ground next to them.

Doctor Tofu stepped cautiously forward while staring at the huge panther in amazement and froze when Akane growled at him. After a few tries he finally got his voice working and said while gestured towards the cat standing in front of Ranma "I'm sure that it was an honest mistake...is this really Akane?" he asked Ranma while never taking his eyes off of the cat.

Tiredly, Ranma rubbed the bridge of his nose while nodding his head. "Yes doctor Tofu. This is Akane, or what's left of her...," Ranma replied and let the rest of his sentence trail off as he gazed at the Akane and started to scratch her just behind one of her ears. Akane-cat purred in delight and leaned in closer so he would continue his ministrations. Ranma stared off into space while he thought of his next answer. "S...she seems to remember me though. So there must be something left of her, but since she can't talk it's kind of hard to tell. Did you find a cure? That's why you're back isn't it?"

Ku-Lon watched the proceedings with trepidation. But when Akane-cat didn't attack, she realized that Akane had only been protecting herself and Ranma from people that she didn't remember. Sighing, Ku-Lon took a deep breath and slowly hopped forward to within ten feet before hearing Akane-cat's hissed warning. Bowing in apology, Ku-Lon spoke, "I am deeply sorry for my misjudgment of you, Akane. I have brought you a possible cure to what that demon has done to you and I ask that you forgive me and to consider me as your friend," then she waited for any sign that Akane-cat had understood.

Akane-cat cocked her head to the side as she sorted through the odd sounds that the two legger was making, trying to understand her. Finally she sorted it out and slowly nodded her head to the amazement of the Amazon elder, who gasped in surprise. "In all of my years of hearing one of our oldest tales of the demon's minions. I don't ever remember one of them telling of the victims being able to understand human speech. They usually loose everything right after they are transformed and become a beast. This is amazing and it makes her chance of recovery that much greater," Ku-Lon said while gesturing at Akane. "We must prepare for the ceremony and do it tonight, or the Akane you know will be dead, and only the cat will remain," she said, rummaging around in her pack that she had pulled from her shoulder.

Shan-Pu saw that her grandmother was distracted for the moment, decided to greet Ranma. "Airen, Shan-Pu happy you is ok," she said as she walked closer to him.

Akane watched the purpled hared intruder come closer. She had decided that if the old one had apologized then she would give this one a chance as well. When no apology came, Akane-cat started to get annoyed, then angry as the purple hared one tried to grab her mate. Quickly, she pushed Shan-Pu away from Ranma while softly hissing at her. "Mine. This is my mate...you can't have him!" she thought as she eyed the Amazon to see if she had gotten the message.

Shan-Pu was surprised when Akane-cat pushed her away from Ranma and hissed at her. She decided to test her reaction again to see if she got the same result. Slowly this time, Shan-Pu walked around Akane to try to grab Ranma from the other side, she got a repeat performance once again as Akane-cat positioned herself in front of Ranma, preventing her from touching him. "What Akane doing?" Shan-Pu questioned.

Doctor Tofu had been watching and replied, "It seems that Akane is being possessive of Ranma. It's like when Ranma goes cat on us, he won't let any male come near Akane. It appears that Akane is doing the same and considers Ranma her mate. So when a female gets too close for her liking, she will give a warning and block that female's advance."

"M...MATE? Me? You're kidding right?" Ranma said stuttering as he nervously tugged at his pigtail with his right hand while trying to pull his collar away from his neck with his left.

"No, I'm serious about this Ranma," Dr. Tofu replied as he watched the pigtailed boy closely for any reaction. What he got surprised him as Ranma blushed a deep shade of red before he managed to get himself under control. Tofu smiled to himself while glancing back at the Amazon elder before asking her about the ritual. "Ku-Lon? What exactly will this ritual entail?"

Ku-Lon glanced up from setting up the ritual circle and replied, "This will help her regain her human form if the ritual goes well. Only once before, have I heard of the ritual backfiring when it was performed. Sadly the victim didn't live long after." Ku-Lon noticed that Ranma was about to protest and held her hand up to forestall any objections before she had a chance to explain. "Ranma," she said her voice solemn. "This may not be the cure to the problem. If the demon has set stipulations on the transformation." Ku-Lon paused, deep in thought before she continued. "If that is the case, then you must come to terms with that. Now tell me...did the demon do this to Akane?"

When Ranma heard the old Amazons words, his heart felt like it was about to be ripped from his chest. Swallowing, he looked her directly in the eyes and replied in a near whisper just loud enough for the amazon to hear it. "Yes...It said that I would have to admit something to myself. Then admit it to Akane, but it also said that I wouldn't be able to do it" Ranma slowly bowed his head before he said in a strangled tone of voice, "I...I don't know what the demon was talking about, but I...,"

Ku-Lon growled to herself in frustration while thinking. "I can't believe the boy is so dense that he cannot realize that he loves her. I think that is what the demon did to the transformation. Ah, it's too bad that my Shan-Pu won't get Ranma for a husband. On the other hand, being away from the village is letting her know the world a little better." Then she took a deep breath and said. "Are you dense boy! Do you realize what the demon has done! He has taken your greatest weakness and pitted it against you! If you do not overcome this, then Akane is dead by tomorrow!"

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As the sun set over the mountains, Ranma and Akane walked into the ritual circle per Ku-Lon's instructions and faced each other. "Are you ready to begin?" Ku-Lon asked them. Ranma and Akane nodded their heads, signaling that they were ready.

"Good" Ku-Lon said, then she began. She traced a few sigils in the air while she chanted the words of the spell. The circle began to glow as the magic fought against the demon's spell.

Akane was lifted into the air, slowly rotating in a circle as more of the magical energies built to the point of bursting. Ranma could see two images in front of him. One was of Akane the cat and the other was of Akane as a human. He could see Akane gazing in wonder at her human hand, then she looked at him, a slight smile on her lips before she doubled over in pain as the panther faded away. The light from the circle changed from a yellow to a deep crimson red, it shrank to surround her body in a pulsing nimbus. Akane whimpered in pain as her body began to glow. Suddenly she stiffened, her mouth opened in a silent scream of pain.

"Something's wrong!" Ku-Lon shouted as she tried to maintain the spell, sweat ran down her face as she put more of her concentration into the spell. Raising her voice, she chanted quicker, completing the ritual just before she collapsed in exhaustion.

"Oh no!" Noduka whispered as she watched from the sidelines, unconsciously echoing the Dr. Tofu and Shan-Pu's thoughts.

Akane went limp and fell towards the ground. "Akane!" Ranma yelled, reacting quickly, he ran underneath her, reached out his arms, and caught her as she fell. He gently laid her down and tried to wake her up.

"Akane ...Akane wake up," he whispered as he shook her. But she didn't move, so he reached out his hand and placed it in front of her nose to check to see if she was breathing but he couldn't detect anything.

There was none.

"No," he whispered in denial as his heart seemed to splinter into a thousand pieces. "She's not breathing! Dr. Tofu, hurry, ya gotta help!"

Dr. Tofu reacted quickly as he raced into the circle and tried to pry Akane from Ranma's arms. "Ranma! Listen to me! You must give her to me if you want to save her!" He yelled when Ranma glanced at him. Finally, his words penetrated through Ranma's emotional fog as the pigtailed boy blinked a few times before backing away. He didn't go too far though, just far enough away that he wouldn't hinder the doctor as he worked over his patient.

Calmly, Dr. Tofu initiated the standard CPR procedures, as he checked for breathing and a heartbeat. Akane's heart wasn't beating. She wasn't breathing at all, so Dr. Tofu started to breathe for her, after every four breaths he compressed her chest, silently counting in his head. "Come on Akane...!" he muttered, slightly out of breath. Pausing, he moved his hand towards her neck, he placed his fingers on the main artery in her neck and felt for a pulse. Nothing.

"Is she ok, doctor?" Ranma asked hopefully as he pleadingly glanced into the doctor's eyes.

Breaking eye contact he lowered his head in despair, he covered his eyes before glancing back at Ranma's worried face. Shaking his head, "N...no. S...she's d...dead," he chokingly tried to tell the pigtailed boy. "I...I tried...but I c...couldn't get her to start breathing again." He paused and took another breath. "Her heart...it...it stopped," he whispered before he started to cry silent tears of grief. Dr. Tofu had known Akane since she was a little girl and considered her part of his family, so her death hit him very hard.

"Dear Kami...No!" Noduka yelled as she heard the doctor's pronouncement. She covered her mouth with her hand as she shook her head, trying to absorb what had just occurred. Silent tears traced their way down her cheeks as she remembered the Akane that was once alive. Noduka had a great fondness for the youngest Tendo. Even if she had never born her of her own flesh and blood, Noduka considered Akane to be the daughter that she had never had.

Shaking his head in denial, tears running down his face, Ranma crawled over to Akane's side, pushed the doctor out of the way and gathered her against his chest, accidentally brushing the pendent with his hand, unconsciously infusing it with part his soul. "Akane... Nooo! I love you. You can't leave me here all alone!" he yelled, his voice was so laden with grief that it made everyone cover their own hearts in sympathy.

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Suddenly the air pressure around them dropped a few degrees and a flash of light erupted from Akane's pendent. Eyes wide in surprise, Ranma glanced towards Akane's chest to see that her pendant was glowing. Mouth opening, Ranma tried to gasp for breath as the light from the pendent surrounded him as well. As the light surrounded him, Ranma felt like he was slipping out of his skin just before everything went black. He never felt his body hit the ground, never heard the terrified screams of his mother and never saw her anguished face as she realized that her son may be dead as well.

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Dr. Tofu was surprised when both, Ranma and Akane were surrounded by a white light that originated from the pendent around Akane's neck. He saw Ranma's eyes open wide in surprise just before his body stiffened. He watched as Ranma opened his mouth to cry out, but no sound emerged. Then Ranma fell. His body hit the ground with Akane held protectively in his embrace. Then the light winked out like it had never existed. Dr. Tofu quickly checked to see if he was still breathing but he wasn't. Glancing at Noduka, "I'm sorry," he said slowly shaking his head as fresh tears ran down his face.

"Nooooooo! My son! My only son!" Ranma's mother screamed and fell to her knees, her body wracked by sobs. Crawling, she made her way towards her son and his fiancée. Lifting them into her arms she slowly rocked back and forth, face lifted towards the sky. "WHY! Why have you taken them?!" she screamed towards the heavens, tightening her grasp on the pair.

Shan-Pu was not far behind Ranma's mother when she realized that her Airen and Akane were dead. "Oh Kami, No...Airen and Akane not dead! Can't be dead!" She screamed in denial as she fell to her knees, reached out her hand to touch them while they were being held in Noduka's grief stricken embrace. But before she made contact with their skin, she pulled her hand back and covered her mouth, blocking the wracking sobs that wanted to emerge.

Ku-Lon gasped in surprise as she realized that Ranma and Akane were dead. "This should never have happened," she whispered as a tear ran down her cheek to drip off of her chin and hit her hand. To try and save one person but to loose both shocked her to the core. Ku-Lon finally realized that their was more to this pair than even she had realized. The words soul mates whispered through her mind as she shakily rose to her feet.

Making her way over towards the Saotome matriarch, Ku-lon gently laid her hand on Noduka's shoulder. "Come, we must prepare their bodies for travel and bring them back to the doujou so we can perform the proper ceremonies," Ku-lon said pushing her grief aside as she realized that someone would have to take charge.

Noduka, nodded her head and gently laid her son and fiancée back on the ground before standing. Walking over towards the tents, she retrieved one large blanket and some rope, then making her way back towards the circle, she handed them to Dr. Tofu and watched as he wrapped them in the blanket, and tying it securely with the rope.

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Hearts heavy with grief, they made their way back to the city. They could not believe that they had lost two of the most important people that they had cared about. They reached the doujou late the next morning. Noduka paused before opening the doors. She knew that what she had to tell her husband and Soun would break them. Genma had spent the past ten years training Ranma, and even though he didn't show openly how much he cared for his son. Noduka knew that he loved him very much. Soun, Noduka knew, would collapse from grief. He would probably loose the rest of himself because Akane was the last link to his wife before she died.

Gesturing for everyone to follow her, Noduka lead them to the practice hall. Pointing to one of the tables that sat against the wall, "Put them down right there," she said a bit shakily.

Shan-Pu and Dr. Tofu carried them to the table and gently placed them on top. Pulling out a knife, Shan-Pu cut the ropes that bound them, releasing Ranma and Akane's bodies from the confines of their shroud. As she stepped back, she glanced at their faces, taking note that they looked to be sleeping. But knowing that they would never wake again. Stoically she composed her face into a blank mask to hide her grief and waited for more instructions.

"Follow me please," Noduka said as she left the doujou hall, walking directly into the house. Glancing around, she noticed her husband and Soun playing a game of Shoji. Kasumi, she saw, was in the kitchen preparing lunch. Nabiki, sat at the table apparently working on her business schemes. No one noticed her as she walked into the room until she cleared her throat. "Ahem...!"

Everyone stopped what they were doing and rushed over, their worry clearly written on their faces. "How did it go, No-chan?" Genma asked his wife as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah, I heard that our baby sister got herself into a bit of trouble and Ranma had to get her out of it again as usual," Nabiki said while she watched Noduka's face for answers but saw none.

"I know you tried to keep it from me but when I went to see Dr. Tofu about some medication for a overextended muscle, I found Genma here," Soun said strangely calm, pointing to him, "Watching Ryoga and Ukyo. Who, I might add, looked something like they had been in a major fight. When he refused to tell me, I scared it out of him. How is my baby...is she all right?"

Noduka held up a hand to forestall anymore questions before she spoke. "First, before I say anything. I would like for everyone to be here." Noduka turned her gaze back towards the middle Tendo daughter and said, "Nabiki?"

"Yes?" Nabiki inquired.

"Please call everyone and tell them to be here in less than an hour. I have something I would like to tell them and I don't wish to repeat myself," Noduka said and almost lost her composure as the lock on her emotions slipped slightly.

"Everyone Auntie? The Kuno's too?" Nabiki asked frowning slightly, but she knew that Noduka had a valid reason.

"Yes, Ryoga, Ukyo and Mu-Tsu as well. I want them to come to hear what I have to say," Noduka said her chin quivered imperceptibly, but Nabiki, ever so observant, noticed and her heart fell towards her stomach. This, she realized, was very bad. Nodding her head, Nabiki walked out of the room and did as she was asked.

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Everyone sat around the table waiting for Noduka to tell them why she had called. As Noduka glanced around the table, noticing their curious expressions before she began to talk. "As you all know, Ranma and Akane went on a training trip into the mountains," Noduka paused as she watched their faces for any reaction.

The Kuno's, Noduka saw, kept silent for once, nodded their heads for her to continue. Ryoga, Ukyo and Mu-Tsu along with Akane's family followed suit. Continuing, "Recently, a demon was freed and Akane was its victim. Ranma managed to regain her by defeating the demon with the help of his friends.

Mu-Tsu and Ryoga nodded their heads to confirm what Noduka had been saying. Composing herself, Noduka swallowed before she continued. "We came back to get a cure for Akane. Ku-Lon, Dr. Tofu and Shan-Pu helped. When we arrived back at camp, we saw Akane covered in blood and thought that she had killed Ranma. Before you ask why, I will explain. The demon had transformed her into a panther. She was loosing her humanity when Genma and I had returned with Ryoga and Ukyo. Apparently she managed to keep some her memories of Ranma. But, she didn't remember us," Noduka whispered.

"What happened then Auntie?" Kasumi asked, calmly sipping her tea.

"Yeah! What happened to Ranma?" Ukyo asked. Mu-Tsu, Ryoga and the Kuno's echoing her question.

"When we performed the ritual that was supposed to cure Akane...Something went wrong," Noduka explained before her voice broke completely. A...Akane...d...died ...a...and...R...R...Ranma...," Noduka stopped, she was completely overwhelmed by grief and broke down completely. Her sobbing echoing throughout the stunned silence of the house. Everyone came to the same conclusion at the same time.

Soun had a vacant expression in his eyes as he stared at the wall while mumbling, "My baby...my Akane..."

Kasumi just sat there with her teacup touching her lips as silent tears ran down her face.

Nabiki broke down sobbing, loosing herself in the realization that she would never see her baby sister and her baka of a fiancée ever again.

Ukyo, shook her head back and forth while she cried, "Ran-chan."

Mu-Tsu and Ryoga bowed their heads; each lost in thought as they came to the conclusion that they had lost both of their friends. Neither said a word.

Genma took the news the hardest as he seemed to freeze as still as a statue before he rose to his feet and left the room.

Kodatchi and Kuno, sat with stunned expression visible to all around the room. "We will help with the funeral arrangements," they said at the same time.

Everyone sat stunned by their pronouncement and were very surprised at the Kuno siblings ability to remain sane at this moment. Ku-Lon was the first one to get everyone to calm down before she announced, "The funeral will be this afternoon in the doujou. I hope to see you all there as we say goodbye to them. I know why you are all asking yourselves why Akane and Ranma? Why did they both die?"

Everyone nodded her heads in silent confirmation prompting Ku-Lon to continue. "Have any of you heard of the term soul mates?" she asked, glancing around the room for any indication that they understood.

Kasumi, Tofu, Noduka and Soun nodded their heads while the rest shook them. Sighing, Ku-Lon continued, "Soul mates are very rare. I myself have only seen it once in my lifetime. It is when one person finds the other half of their soul, which was split in two at the beginning of time. Once we were a being of two minds, two hearts and so on. We were split for some reason that I do not know of, and flung across the world in opposite directions. We are somehow compelled by some strange unseen force to search for the other half of ourselves," Ku-Lon paused to take a deep breath as she looked at everyone’s' face.

Seeing that they were paying attention for once she tried to finish the tale. "Once we find our other half, we feel complete and will do anything to protect it. Not unlike what Ranma has done for Akane in the past. When one half of the pair dies, the other follows. Sometimes it’s immediately...sometimes it may take days, weeks, months or years. But the other always follows no matter what the case may be. Apparently, Ranma and Akane were one such pair. So I am fortunate to have witnessed seeing another pair of soul mates," Ku-Lon finished in a sad tone before wiping her eyes wit the back of her hand.

Glancing at the clock, she saw that it was time. Standing, Ku-Lon slowly shuffled her way across the room, feeling the total accumulation of her three hundred years of age. She never bothered to check to see if she was being followed because she could here them as they walked behind her.

Upon entering the practice hall, they saw Genma kneeling next to Ranma and Akane with silent tears running down his face, his hand gently stroking Ranma's hair as he wept openly.

As the Nerima gang took in the scene before them, Ranma gently cradling Akane in death as he had done in life, they broke down once again, this time not able to deny that their friends were dead and not just sleeping.

"Why is Ranma holding Akane?" Ukyo whispered through her tears.

Dr. Tofu answered, "We tried to separate them but we couldn't. Noduka thought it best that since they loved one another so much, even if they had never admitted it to themselves or those around them. That they should be buried together." Dr. Tofu glanced around the room to see everyone's reaction and noticed that they all silently agreed with the decision.

"Now, let us begin," Ku-Lon said as she held out her hand towards Mu-Tsu expectantly.

Mu-Tsu reached deep into his robes and removed what looked to be a covering for ceremonial purposes, and handed it to the Amazon elder respectfully bowing when he placed it into her keeping.

No one had seen this side of the Amazons before, so they didn't protest when Ku-Lon laid the blanket across the pair and began to chant a blessing to the deceased martial artists in a strong voice. When she finished her chant, she turned to face everyone in the room, raised her arms above her head and announced in a voice clear of pain but full of pride. "We are proud to witness the leave taking of these two warriors. We will never forget what they meant to us in life and will forever hold them in our hearts, never to be forgotten. Let the Kami guide you to your eternal rest. Ranma was considered part of the Amazon tribe because of his defeat of my Shan-Pu. Akane, I gladly welcome into the tribe because of her bravery and strength of heart. May you forever be together Ranma and Akane of the Amazons."

Everyone gasped in surprise at this turn of events, but thought that it was strangely appropriate. They watched as Ku-Lon turned back, grabbed the ceremonial blanket to cover Ranma and Akane's faces when a strange thing happened. Their bodies began to glow a blinding white. The light started to pulse as if in time to one heartbeat. Then the light grew brighter still, until they all had to look away, or go blind.

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