Shampoo bounced up and down in place, eagerly waiting to go. Ranma was waiting for her and had been for two weeks now. Her grandmother put the finishing touches on the ramen she was preparing and handed it to her.
“Now, Great-granddaughter, just have him eat this and then ask him to return to China with you.”
“Shampoo do and succeed.” Cologne smiled at her granddaughter’s disappearing back.
~~
Shampoo spotted her prey almost instantly. He was sitting in the living room, across from the girl Shampoo would only privately admit to being a rival, her most dangerous rival: Akane. She watched them smile at each and decided that was too close for comfort. She crashed through a wall, her usual attention-getter.
“Nihao, Ranma! Shampoo bring too too good ramen.” Ranma danced away from her hug and smiled stiffly.
“Hey, Shampoo.” She smiled and wiggled her hips sensuously. Ranma appeared not to notice. Akane however did.
“Is there something you want, Shampoo? Ranma and I were busy.”
“Shampoo feed Airen best food. No poison like kitchen destroyer’s.” Akane ground her teeth together and took a step forward. Ranma grabbed her arm.
“Now, Akane, you know Shampoo-” He fell silent under Akane’s withering glare, realizing for the first time before the fact that such comments as the one he was about to make would get him pounded into oblivion. Once she was satisfied that he would keep his comment tucked safely away, Akane settled for sulking. She knew what he had been about to say. Ranma grimaced and tried to search his brain for a way to get Shampoo gone, but not her food. She did make some of the best ramen. ‘Oh, hell, might as well,’ he sighed and sat down at the table. Shampoo suckered herself to his side and placed the ramen before him. Akane glared at him, but he avoided her eyes, praying he wouldn’t get hurt and knowing he would. He started to eat and then offered Akane the bowl.
“You want some?” he asked. Her eyes softened and she shook her head, smiling at him.
“No. That’s okay. I’m not really hungry.” Ranma grinned at her and turned to Shampoo who was glancing between the two of them with an unhappy frown.
“I’m gonna eat this later, ‘kay? It was nice of you to stop by. See ya.” He was on his feet and out of the room before Shampoo could do anything. The Amazon sent one last frown at Akane and left silently. She was not happy with the way they had acted toward each other. She needed to go see Great-grandmother. She forgot completely about the drugs.
~~
Akane smiled to herself as she watched Shampoo leave. Ranma had handled that better than he had ever before. He hadn’t done what she would have liked him to do, but she understood how dangerous the girl could be when properly provoked. Climbing to her feet, Akane went in search of Ranma. She found in him the kitchen preparing to eat Shampoo’s ramen. He paused with the food halfway to his mouth when she entered the room.
“Um, hey,” he said hesitantly. Akane smiled at him softly and headed toward him. He put the bowl down on the counter and watched her, wondering what she was going to do, and hoping it was what he thought it was. It was.
Ranma wrapped his arms around Akane, melting into the kiss. What he had done to earn such a sweet and intoxicating kiss was a mystery to him, but he was not about to protest. She broke the kiss and smiled up at him.
“Good boy,” she whispered and left the room. It wasn’t until much later that he realized she had taken the ramen with her.
“Hey!”
~~~~~~
“Akane, would you come here?”
It was a gentle persuasion.
“Akane, would you help me with this?”
It was unnoticeable to anyone who wasn’t familiar with this sort of magical persuasion.
“Akane, would you run an errand for me?”
It impressed the drugged one with a desire to appease whoever might ask a request of him or her.
“Akane, would you slow down?”
The drugged one would work to fulfill the request till he or she was satisfied that it had been satisfactorily fulfilled.
“Akane, would you...”
The only requirement was a certain word order before the request.
~~~~~~
Ranma sang softly to himself, slightly out of tune but not caring. He let his body mindlessly perform an advanced kata. His mind wandered from thought to thought, not focusing on one in particular. His body slid into another even more advanced kata. Someone cleared their throat halfway through the kata and Ranma twisted to see Akane in her gi. Silently, he groaned. Things had changed between them, but one thing he could not get over was his intense aversion to hitting her. She didn’t understand that he just couldn’t bring himself to touch her like that. They still fought over sparring and normally he would just put up with it, but he did not want to ruin his mood.
“Not today, okay, Akane?” he asked, not watching his tone. He didn’t hear the aggravation. Akane did and she frowned. She still thought he should be more willing to train her now.
“Why not? Today’s as good as any day.”
“I don’t want to.”
“Why not?” She was getting angry, but only because she was hurt. He would have seen it had he been facing her, but he wasn’t. She could sucker him into doing anything with those eyes of hers and he was determined not to fall into that trap.
“Because I just don’t want to, okay? Jeez, you act like I’m keeping something from you.”
“Well, you sound like you are,” she shot back. Ranma spun on her.
“Akane, would you just leave me alone! I don’t want to deal with it today. Great,” he muttered, “now my mood’s been ruined. I might as well train you.” Akane’s lipped thinned.
“No. That’s okay. You want to be left alone, so I’ll leave you alone.” She turned her back on him and returned to her room. Ranma watched her go.
“Damn it! Why does she insist that I train her? She coulda just dropped it, but nooooooooo, she had to push it.” He let out a low growl and began an extremely fast paced kata, hoping to run down his agitation.
~~~~~~
Akane wandered around Nerima, halfheartedly paying attention to her surroundings. She hadn’t meant to upset him that much. Did he really want her to just leave him alone? Did he mean more than for just today? Sudden fear seized her. Was he tired of her? He couldn’t be. He just couldn’t be. It had only been such a short time ago that he’d said he loved her. Tears rose in Akane’s eyes. Had he realized that he didn’t really mean it? That it had been some sort of pressure induced emotion? That he had meant he didn’t love her like that, but perhaps as a sister? They spilled out over her cheeks. She hastily rubbed her hand across her face, trying to stop them from falling. It didn’t work. She could see only one thing to do. Leave him alone. Not talk to him. Give him the space he so badly wanted. A sob racked her body. How sweet their time together had been. She only wished it could have lasted longer.
~~~~~~
Ranma sat in the tree and watched Akane practice in the yard. For almost two weeks now she’d been avoiding him. He hadn’t thought he’d upset her that bad. The thing was though that she didn’t seem upset. He’d tried to read her several times, to look into her face as he had learned to do so long ago with Kasumi’s push, but she wouldn’t let him see. She kept a veil over her emotions or turned away from him. It scared him. He didn’t want to lose her over something so trivial as sparring, but he wasn’t able to talk to her. He needed to talk to her. Ranma put his head in his hands and tried not to cry.
~~~~~~
Shampoo watched as Ranma followed Akane down the sidewalk. He was visibly upset and seemed to be trying to get the blue-haired girl to talk to him. Shampoo could tell that she was listening, but that she was pretending not to. The Amazon crept closer.
“Akane, come on. What’s up with you? Stupid idiot, I’m trying to talk to you! Akane! Akane, would you please stop?” He stopped short when Akane froze in the middle of the sidewalk. Shampoo frowned and leaned forward. Something tickled her memory.
“Thank you. I want you to tell me what’s up with you.”
“You know.”
“No. I don’t. Why do you think I’m asking? Damn it, Akane, would you please look at me?” The girl turned around slowly, almost hesitantly. Shampoo’s eyes widened. So, Akane had been the one to get the ramen. Interesting. She leapt down from her hiding place and sauntered over to where Akane and Ranma were standing. Ranma’s eyes narrowed.
“Shampoo, now is not the time.”
“Shampoo no here for Airen. Here for Violent Girl.” Akane’s head jerked back, surprised.
“Me? What do you want with me?”
“Akane, would you give up engagement to Ranma?” Shampoo asked with a grin. Akane’s face became pained. She was fighting the drug, but it had been in her system too long.
“Yes.” It came out strained. Ranma’s eyes widened. Hurt entered them.
“Akane?” She looked away. Shampoo smirked.
“Akane, would you tell Ranma you hate him?” Akane began to tremble. Tears formed in her eyes.
“Ranma, I hate you.” She didn’t want to say it. She wanted to scream and hit that damn Amazon. What was wrong with her? Oh, what was wrong with her? Ranma swallowed hard. His heart felt as if it had been stepped on and then beaten with a hammer and then set on fire.
“Akane, is that true?”
She didn’t answer.
“Akane, answer me.”
She didn’t answer.
“Akane, would you please answer me?” She sagged in visible relief.
“No, Ranma, it’s not true. I love you very much.”
“Then why did you say you hated me?” She began to cry.
“I don’t know. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” Ranma caught her as she slumped to the ground, still sobbing. He glanced at Shampoo only to find her gone. He knew she was involved in this in some way. Gently, he lifted Akane up and carried her to Dr. Tofu’s.
~~
Dr. Tofu looked up as the door to his clinic chimed. He started as Ranma entered carrying Akane. She was holding onto him sobbing.
“What’s wrong?”
“We don’t know,” Ranma said. Dr. Tofu looked closely at Ranma. The young man sounded and looked angry and tired.
“I think Shampoo did something to her, but I don’t know what.”
“Here, bring her here.” Dr. Tofu led Ranma into an examination room. The young man laid her down gently on the examination table and then sat next to her. Akane held on to Ranma. She didn’t want to let go of him. Saying she hated him had done something to her. She could feel it, but she didn’t understand it. Her body responded automatically to Dr. Tofu’s requests, but she wouldn’t answer any of his questions. Her eyes kept drifting closed. She wondered when she had gotten so tired. She didn’t even notice when she passed out.
~~~~~~
Akane went limp in his arms. Panic filled him and he started to shake her. It was too much like-like before.
“Akane, wake up! Akane! Damn it, Akane!” Dr. Tofu jumped up to stop Ranma from accidentally harming Akane in his panic driven terror.
“Ranma, clam down. She’s just unconscious. If Shampoo drugged her, it could be a side effect. Here, carry her up to a room. She should stay here.” Ranma nodded and picked her up, his cautious actions a contrast to his rough behavior moments before. Dr. Tofu led him up stairs. Ranma lay Akane down gently and smoothed her hair.
“I think, uh, I think I’m gonna go let her family know.”
“Okay. I’m going to draw some blood and test it to see what’s there. If I find out anything before you return, I’ll call you. Oh, and Ranma?”
“Yeah?”
“Don’t go to Shampoo’s yet. If I can cure her, I will. You don’t want to risk alienating them if I can’t get a cure.”
“Yeah, okay. Whatever.” Ranma wandered off, looking half dazed. It wasn’t until he was half way to the Tendo Dojo that he snapped back to himself and took off at top speed.
~~~~~~
{Great-grandmother?}
{Yes, Shampoo?}
{That drug you put in Ranma’s ramen, Akane got it.}
{Oh. Well. That’s too bad.}
{What will it do to her?}
{Same thing it would have done to Ranma. It influences the drugged person and creates a magical persuasion that can’t be ignored.}
{Can it be fought?}
{No. Why?}
{Akane was fighting it.}
{What?}
{Akane was fighting it.}
{That isn’t possible.}
{She was. I asked her to tell Ranma that she hated him and wanted to break the engagement. She fought it. She didn’t succeed but she tried.}
{...}
{Great grandmother?}
{She shouldn’t have been able to fight it at all.}
{What does it mean that she did?}
{I don’t know, Shampoo. It is not a good thing that she did. Shampoo?}
{Yes?}
{What was Ranma’s reaction to her saying she hated him?}
{He looked broken.}
{You know you have lost, then?}
{Yes. He asked her if it was true and she told him no. She told him she loved him.}
{Then, it is truly over.}
{What about Akane?}
{What about her? The drug may have done nothing. It may have damaged her. Either way it is no longer our problem.}
{Yes, Great grandmother.}
~~~~~~
He looked as if his heart was broken. She couldn’t do anything. She couldn’t say anything. She could only look at him and pray that he could see it in her eyes. He couldn’t. He looked as if his heart was broken. He held out his hand. Shampoo’s voice spoke in her ear.
“Give Ranma the dagger, Puppet.” She tried not to. She knew what he was going to use it for. She could see it in his face. Her hand came up easily, the handle held out to him. ‘No, Ranma. Please. Don’t. I don’t hate you. Please. I love you. I love you.’ He took it from her.
“Say it again, Puppet.” ‘NO.’
“I hate you, Ranma.” Tears slid down her cheeks. Tears slid down his cheeks. He lifted the dagger and sunk it deep into his heart. Akane couldn’t even cry out.
Akane sat up right. Tears blurred her vision and she struggled out of her tangled sheets. The tile floor was cool under her feet. Her chin trembled and the tears finally fell down her cheeks.
“Oh, Ranma,” she whispered, “I’m so sorry.” Her hands found the knife of their own accord. And the knife her abdomen.
~~~~~~
Ranma lurched up right, his heart singing with terror. It was worse than Jusendo. Much worse. He didn’t bother to dress. He simply fled into the night.
~~~~~~
Dr. Tofu startled to consciousness at the sound of his clinic door being shattered. He threw on a robe and ran to the main room. His door lay scattered on the floor. No one was there and then the screaming began. He turned and ran up the stairs. He ran to Akane’s room to find her bleeding on the floor, Ranma screaming at her. Dr. Tofu’s heart shriveled at the sound. ‘A human shouldn’t be able to make that kind of sound,’ he thought absently as he stepped toward Ranma.
“She needs to go to a hospital,” he said below Ranma’s screams. Ranma heard anyway and was gone before Dr. Tofu’s mind could process any movement.
~~~~~~
“Do you have any idea about why she might try to commit suicide?”
“I already said I don’t! Why do you keep asking me that? Can I see her?” The doctor before him stifled a sigh.
“Have you noticed any strange behavior lately?”
“Strange? What do you mean strange?”
“Unusual. Not something she would usually do. Some teenagers give away valued possessions.”
“Look, shouldn’t you be helping her?”
“There are other doctors taking care of her. Have you noticed any unusual behavior?”
“I don’t know! Can I please see her? I need to see her.” The doctor looked at the young man before him. He had seen distraught family members before but this young man looked like he was quickly losing a grip on reality.
“I don’t know if--”
“Damn it! I need to see her! You don’t understand! I can’t lose her. I can’t. She’s--” Ranma broke off, trying to not break down. He closed his eyes, breathing deeply. His hands were fisted by his thighs.
“I need to see her,” he said quietly.
“Doctor, you should let him go.” Ranma spun, startled to find Dr. Tofu behind him.
“Doc, you gotta get them to let me see Akane. You gotta.”
“I will, Ranma. Calm down.” He winced even as the words left his mouth.
“Calm down! How the hell can I calm down! Do you have any idea what it’s been like since Jusendo? I can’t sleep without having nightmares! I can’t be away from her for too long without being sure she died. I can’t stop seeing her-there. I can’t-can’t-” Dr. Tofu reached up and placed a hand on Ranma’s shoulder.
“Easy, Ranma. She’s not dead. She’s alive. You didn’t fail her then and you certainly didn’t fail her now. I know it’s not easy, but you do need to calm down. For her sake.” Ranma sagged into the doctor and he held the younger man as he sobbed. The hospital doctor stared at them. His eyes met Dr. Tofu’s.
“Did he say that she almost died before?”
“Yes. They were-fighting...someone. She was nearly killed.”
“How is he related to her?”
“He’s her fiancée.”
“He seems to be...closer to her than...” His voice faded. He didn’t know how to phrase what he was seeing. Dr. Tofu nodded, understanding. He had seen it in them.
“I know what you mean. There is something between them. It is indefinable with words.” The other doctor nodded.
“When he’s collected himself take him to room 206. She’s there. She might not be conscious but he will at least get to see her.” Dr. Tofu gave him a slight grin.
“Thank you.” Again, he nodded.
~~~~~~
Still. Still. Still. Still. Still. Still. Still. Still. Still. Still. Still. Still. Still. Still. Still. Still.
She was too still. And too pale. She looked dead. He held out his hand to feel her breath against his rough finger tips, finger tips that had, only weeks before, brushed at her flushed cheeks as they held each other, had weeks before slid down her back, over her hip, through her hair. He closed his eyes and lay his head down next to her on the bed and cried.
Before he never would have cried. Before she held him and kissed him and gave him her soul. Before she had told him the only words he would ever need in this lifetime.
But now was not before and now he cried.
~~~~~~
Ranma staggered into the Nekohanten. His eyes were red and he was having a hard time getting the spinning to stop. Shampoo appeared before him, a frown on her face.
“What Ranma want?” she demanded. Hands surrounded by a halo reached out and grabbed her by the throat.
“I want the cure to whatever it was you did to Akane.” Shampoo whimpered. Ranma’s hands were too tight around her neck. His eyes weren’t focused. She remembered the mad man that wandered around her village. His eyes had never been focused. She whimpered again. He tightened his grip.
“I want the cure!” he screamed. Cologne rushed into the restaurant from the back, closely followed by Mousse. All the customers had fled already. Reaching out, Cologne restrained Mousse from attacking Ranma.
“What is wrong, Ranma?”
“Undo what you did to Akane.” He let go of Shampoo, blinking several times before reaching out to brace himself against the table. “I want...you...to undo...what you did.... to Akane...oh, kami...Akane...” He slid to the floor unconscious. Cologne bounded over to him. A quick once over revealed a lack of sleep and food.
“Mousse,” she barked, “fix up some ramen. He hasn’t eaten in almost over a week.” The two younger Amazons sprung into action while Cologne began hitting pressure points to revive Ranma. The food was ready by the time she succeeded. She sat him down at a booth and placed the food before him.
“Eat. You haven’t eaten.” He eyed the food warily and but began to eat anyway. He finished off two more bowls before he was coherent enough to talk.
“What did you do to Akane?”
“What is wrong with her?”
“I don’t know,” he wailed. He put his head in his hands and began to sob. The Amazons watched, scared by his reaction. After a moment, Cologne reached out and touched his shoulder.
“Ranma, describe her behavior.” He took a deep, shuddering breath and gathered his thoughts.
“After that day, the day Shampoo made her say she hated me, she started to go all weird. I took her to Dr. Tofu and she wouldn’t talk. She just cried. Then she passed out. She was unconscious until that night when she woke, it was late, and tried to kill herself. I felt it and got to her in time. She’s been in the hospital for the past three weeks and she’s tried to commit suicide five times. She keeps having nightmares and wakes up crying and...” His voice trailed off and he stared into nothing. Mousse couldn’t suppress the shudder that ran through him. The air in the Nekohanten had cooled dramatically since Ranma’s arrival. He suddenly realized that the boy was using the Soul of Ice. ‘And his emotions are still this strong. I hate to see them fully released.’ Mousse shuddered again. He turned to Cologne.
{He’s using the Soul of Ice. What did you do?} Shampoo paled at this announcement, but Cologne merely nodded. She had sensed it immediately.
{I think it might have been the persuasion drug. She fought it when it is not possible to do so. She changed it by fighting.}
{Persuasion drug?} Mousse asked.
{Yes,} Shampoo whispered, her eyes locked on Ranma. {I was going to feed it to him and ask him to return to China. Akane got it instead. I asked her to say she hated Ranma and that she wanted to break the engagement. She fought it until he asked her if it was true.} Mousse closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
{Can you fix this?}
{I need to see the girl.}
“Her name’s Akane.” The Amazons jumped at Ranma’s muttered comment. Cologne swallowed hard.
“You speak Chinese?”
“Yeah. Fix it, please. You don’t know how it hurts.” He faded out again, his face twisted in pain. Cologne sighed and rose.
“We will go to the hospital. I need to see her.” Ranma nodded and led the way, his eyes never once focusing.
~~~~~~
She was asleep when they arrived. She was too still and too pale. Ranma sank down beside her, on the bed that had been set up for him. Cologne wondered if Ranma had been there to see all of her suicide attempts. Shampoo refused to enter the room. Mousse forced himself to. He nearly started to weep at the sight of Akane. Her arms were bound in white bandages. Her legs were also. There was nothing in the room that could cause bodily harm. There was nothing in the room at all. It made Mousse wonder what she had used to scare them into such a precaution. He noticed that Ranma’s eyes had finally come into focus--on Akane. Cologne settled on the other side of Akane’s bed, across from Ranma. She bent over the girl, examining her silently. Silence reigned in the room for a long while. Then, suddenly, Cologne inhaled sharply. Ranma’s gaze shot up.
“What?”
“I know how to fix it. It got twisted. How it twisted into this I do not know, but it can be untwisted and then we can cure her of the original drug. Mousse, send Shampoo out for the cure. This will take a while. Ranma, it is going to hurt her greatly. You must hold her so she does not flail around. She could cause you or herself great bodily harm.” Ranma nodded as Mousse left the room. He spread himself out on top of Akane, pinning her body down with his. Cologne began to work.
~~~~~~
He wanted to run. He wanted to hide. He would do anything to not hear Akane’s screams. He forced himself to listen, to stay rooted where he was. This was the result of his people’s obsessions with the old laws and punishments. He would hear the consequences of his people’s faults.
~~
She had caused this. She had caused a man so strong and vibrant to be reduced to near insanity. She had caused the woman he loved to be driven to suicide. She had fixed the drug. She had forced Akane, not once, but twice, to do something she couldn’t have done shouldn’t have done. She forced herself to listen to the screams long after Mousse had fled, his hands pressed firmly over his ears.
~~
Ranma sagged atop Akane as her screams ceased. He lay there panting. He lay there feeling her breathing even out, her body soften; her heart beat calm to a normal pace. He lay there sobbing, his relief too great.
Chapter4