DISCLAIMER: Ranma Nibunnoichi is the property of Takahashi Rumiko,
Shogakukan Inc, Shonen Sunday Comics, and Viz Video. It is used without
their permission and is not intended for profit but only for the
enjoyment of fans of the Ranma series. All characters within this fic
that are not the property of the above mentioned are copyrighted to the
author, Joseph Kohle, January 1997. This work of fiction is the result
of the author's hard work and is for the enjoyment of others. Please do
not change, modify, or use any segment of this story without the
author's knowing and written consent. Feel free to archive this work.

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

                       Meiyo Ai soshite Nikushimi

                       A Ranma Nibunnoichi Fanfic
                            by Joseph Kohle
       		       
                       Part III: The Golden Apple
		           Chapter I The Chaos Ensues


     The east was burnished in a soft meld of pastels as the sun
peaked above the horizon. With the light of day traveled a warm
easterly breeze. Twisting and curling around the streets of
Nerima, it lifted fallen leaves from the ground to join in it's
invisible dance. The garden trees rustled and swayed in time as
the zephyr caressed their spreading branches. It was a breeze
rarely felt in Nerima. It carried the tang of the sea, the fresh
serenity of the Pacific. The world was wakening from another dark
night, bringing with it the promise of a beautiful day.
     Ukyou carefully opened the door to her restaurant, too
exhausted to even care about the time. Smuggling Ranchan back to
her home had been as simple as flying a kite. No one had seen
her. No one could've even place her at Toufu-sensei's clinic. It
was the perfect crime.
     The door swung open into the dim interior of her home.
Silently she entered in case Konatsu had returned during the
night. She was not worried that he actually had, but she was not
going to take her chances with Ranma. She just wanted to get her
fiancee to a bed and then surrender to sleep herself. 
     The stairs creaked as she quickly ascended them to the
second floor and halted in the hallway, undecided. Where was she
going to put Ranma? It was not conceivable to place him in
Konatsu's room. That only left her room though. Ranma would have
to sleep in her bed, it was the only solution.
     Decided on a course of action, she slipped into her room and
carefully laid Ranma-onna on the floor while she turned down the
sheets on the bed. Bending down she tucked her fiancee in and
gently brushed the red hair from her eyes. Ranma mumbled at her
touch but quickly fell silent as she rolled tighter around the
statue she still carried. 
     Sighing in relief, Ukyou sank back into one of the chairs in
her room. It was not long before the stress and exhaustion of the
last few days caught up to her. The last thing she saw before
sleep won her over was Ranma sleeping peaceful and safe. Ukyou
slipped into pleasant dreams with a soft smile on her face.

     Placing the last dish on the table, Kasumi straightened and
smoothed out her apron. "Nabiki, would you please tell Akane that
breakfast is ready?" she asked. She kept her voice pleasant and
cheerful, carefully hiding the sorrow.
     It was easy to hide from the pain. She had done it through
her entire adolescence and into adulthood. At first, taking care
of the family had been an easy way to distract herself from her
mother's death. Giving her sisters the comfort they needed,
making sure her father ate and made it through each day, working
on the bills, the cleaning, and her school work had pushed all of
the pain away. 
     As time passed, she had found that by concentrating on her
duties she was able to remain happy most of the time. She just
did not have time for herself, that was all. How important was it
to actually have a life to herself? Her family was her life had
always been was the only answer she knew. 
     That had been the way until the Saotomes had arrived in her
orderly house. Like a carnival rolling into a small town, the
serenity of her life was thrown to the wind to be replaced by a
chaotic whirlwind of madness. At first, she tried to take the
changes in stride, but it was simply impossible to do that. Ranma
attracted attention and trouble like a lamp attracts a moth.
     As more and more people came and the more chaotic her
orderly world became, she began to realize how much she had
actually given up for her family. More than that she realized how
inadequate of a job she had done.
     With Ranma came realizations about everyone around her. Her
father regained the vitality he had had when she was a small
girl, still learning martial arts under his loving tutelage.
Nabiki's cold and callous nature had surfaced in front of her for
the first time. She had never asked how Nabiki got the money she
did, but as she watched her manipulate Ranma and Saotome-san like
puppets on a string, she had been shocked by her ways and dubious
about her sister's activities. Nabiki, however, was the one
person in the family she could not influence directly.
     "She'll be right down, Oneechan." Kasumi started at the
sound of Nabiki's voice. She had not even noticed her younger
sister returning from upstairs. Quickly she started the final
preparations on the meal.
     "Arigato, Nabiki. Would you please tell Otousan and Ojisan
that breakfast will be ready in a few minutes?" Nabiki nodded and
started to walk out on the back porch. "Don't forget to have them
clean up before they come to the table, and you might want to
also." Kasumi gave her younger sister an appraising eye. Nabiki
only returned a withering look and shrugged her shoulders.
     That was generally how it was with Nabiki. She listened, but
if she really did not like what Kasumi was asking her to do, she
could easily ignore it. It wasn't that Nabiki didn't respect her.
Kasumi knew there was a deep love and respect between them. In
most instances, like now, Nabiki meekly accepted what she was
trying to accomplish. Nabiki did listen to her when she lectured
her younger sister. The problem stemmed from the fact that Nabiki
acted as Kasumi's equal and therefore was not compelled to listen
to her. 
     The mistake had been allowing Nabiki to run the family
finances. Even if it had been a mistake, it had been a necessary
one. In the midst of her early teens she had just not been able
to keep up with everything, and when Nabiki had shown interest
and even a talent for working with numbers, she had happily
accepted, hoping the responsibility would be beneficial to her
younger sister, and maybe it would bring the two of them closer
together. 
     Kasumi began to remove the pots and pans from the stove.
Dishing out the food into their serving plates, she let her mind
wander back to Nabiki. She had thought that giving Nabiki that
responsibility would help her, but the jury was still out on
whether it actually had.  
     Kasumi had to admit that Nabiki had grown into a very
logical and level headed individual, but one who rarely showed
any emotions, even within the family. And as for them growing
closer, they shared a bond similar to two vice-presidents within
the same company. They were equals. She cared for and made the
house run, and Nabiki supplied the money that helped make the
house run.
     When Nabiki had taken over the finances, Kasumi had lost the
game of playing mother. In spite of this, Nabiki had still turned
out fairly decently as far as Kasumi was concerned. Even though
she followed a mercenary philosophy, she was loyal and devoted to
her family. She was independent and strong willed. If it came
down to it, Nabiki had the most chance of success in the outside
world, but that was because she had worried about the finances.
     It was the lack of emotion and distance within Nabiki, that
worried Kasumi. She now realized that Nabiki had never gotten
over the hurt of their mother's death, or the lack of love from
their father. The added burden of the family finances had been
that much worse on her, dragging her down like rock does a
swimmer. Being rooted in her domestic bliss, Kasumi had missed
the obvious clues.
     Kasumi sighed as she put the dishes down on the table and
returned to the kitchen to get the next set. It had been the same
with her younger sister. Akane was always a disappointment for
Kasumi. She had tried her best to shield the girl from anything
hurtful, from anymore disappointments, and it seemed that Akane
had gotten over their mother's death. 
     For the first few weeks, Akane had spent the time begging
her to bring back their mother. At first, she had tried to
explain to Akane that their mother was not coming back. Like any
child, she had repeatedly denied that for several weeks, but then
it had just stopped as Akane took up the family's martial arts
legacy with a vengeance. 
     From here Kasumi had watched Akane settle into her tomboyish
ways. For one year she had even worn boy's uniforms to school.
Kasumi had put her foot down at that one. There were other
aspects she had missed though.
     Akane had only had a few friends in school. Kasumi had known
this because they had come over a few times, not very often but a
few times. The thing she had overlooked was the distance between
Akane and her friends. They didn't talk about boyfriends or the
latest fashions. They had sometimes gone to movies and Akane had
always tried to interest them in martial arts. In truth only one
of the girls, Mio, had actually been a normal prescence at the
home and even she rarely came over for more than a few hours
every so often. 
     How was Kasumi to know that such behaviour wasn't normal?
She had not grown up like a normal girl. With her other duties,
she had been forced to forego any friendships while she finished
school. She had no clue what was normal, what was considered
healthy. 
     Over the years she had learned to cook and clean. The simple
domestic skills were easy to attain. Years of practice had also
developed the more refined ones of mothering. She was a mediator,
a confidant at times. With her father she was a calming presence.
To her sister's she provided warmth, love, understanding and
compassion. Despite the importance of these, they were nothing if
she could not use them effectively. She had not known about
emotional problems.     
     She had not paid close attention to her sister's exact
behaviours before their mother died; therefore, although she
could see changes in their mannerisms, she had been unable,
unprepared to see beneath the facades children are so good at
creating. On account of this, Akane and Nabiki, and even herself,
though she did not realize it, had not received the help they
needed in the first place. Maybe if their father had not broken
down, things would have been different, but he had broken down.  
     When Ranma blazed into their lives, the affects of Akane's
upbringing became very apparent. She had very little confidence
in herself, or the little that she did have was lost as she saw
how much better Ranma and all the martial artists sitting in his
shadow were. From the get go, it had been a challenge between the
two of them, and there had been nothing she could do about it.
     It had hurt her because she saw Akane try to ignore all that
was going on with Ranma, ignore him, his other fiancees, but then
the anger would flash back into her life and she would lose
control. It saddened Kasumi. She knew that if her mother had
lived nothing like that would have happened, but she had not. The
burden had fallen to her inadequate shoulders.
     She had once voiced this opinion to Nodoka-obasan. Nodoka
had only laughed at her foolishness. "Kasumi, look at what you
have done. You've kept a family together despite all the problems
that you did not know of. You gave comfort and warmth, while
still advancing yourself in school. I don't call that failure.
You are better than most parent's could ever hope to be."
     "But they have so many problems," she had insisted.     
     "Everyone has problems. I would assume that my son has many
problems to still deal with." Kasumi had smiled a little at that,
but Nodoka had not seen it. "No one's perfect. Not you, not me.
Maybe they have problems that seem large now, and seem to be your
fault, but in the long run, if you care about them, and you keep
supporting them, they will get better."
     She had only nodded in response. A part of her wanted to
believe Nodoka-obasan, but another part told her that she was
making too many mistakes. This part of her caused her to seek
them out and correct them. She had first turned to Akane, hoping
to bring her sister some sort of happiness.
     When she saw that Akane was actually falling in love with
Ranma, she had thought that the perfect place to begin to rectify
her mistakes by encouraging the relationship. She had done it
subtly, pushing them together by arranging small mishaps in the
house. She tried to make them work together. That it always
seemed to backfire did not daunt her, since she still saw them
growing closer together in spite of everything.
     Everything had changed though. Akane and Ranma had been
closer than ever, and then he was gone like a shotting-star,
transfixing them forever in wonder as he left them all behind.
Akane was suffering and she was again unprepared to deal with it.
What was she going to do? She had to keep them going on, but to
her, it seemed the spark had finally died in the family. 
     The stairs creaked, breaking her thoughts. She glanced up,
and her carefully placed smile slipped from her lips. Akane was
wearily descending the stairs. It was obvious to Kasumi's
motherly eye that her sister had spent the few hours since the
incident awake and most likely crying. 
     Akane was pale and sickly, but Kasumi realized that this was
because her sister had eaten very little in the past few days.
The combination of grief, sleepless nights, and little food had
finally taken their toll. It was frightening for Kasumi. The last
time Akane had been even remotely this down trodden was when
their mother had died, and even then Akane had bounced back
quickly. She doubted Akane would ever return to her old self.  
     Kasumi put the smile back on her face. It was not a time to
be sad or depressed. She had to be strong for her sister, just
like when their mother had died, but this time she'd do it right.
She knew where her mistakes had been. Now it was only a matter of
rectifying them.
     "Otousan! Saotome-san! Breakfast!" she called out the rear
shoji when she noticed that they had not headed Nabiki's
summons. The sound of two people standing and walking towards the
house reached her ears. She smiled as the two older men entered
the house and took their normal places at the table. Nabiki came
from he bathroom a few moments later and took her accustomed
seat. Once they were all seated, she took her place and began
passing the dishes around.
     "I made your favorite, Akane-chan," she announced. She
passed the simple soup over to Akane, who was looking at the
table. Akane ladled some out and then passed it on to Nabiki, but
as she released the dish, her eyes fell downward and she started
shaking. 
     Confused Kasumi followed her sister's gaze, to the plate she
had set in Ranma's usual spot. Realization slapped her smartly.
"Oh, Akane. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking." Akane only shook her
head and then pushed away from the table. Kasumi saw the tears
glistening on her sister's cheeks as she spun and hurried from
the room. The front door open and slammed as she left. "Akane-
chan." Kasumi whispered desperately.
     "Oh my poor daughter!" Soun suddenly cried, "This is a
tragedy Saotome-kun! How can we go on like this? How?"
     Saotome-san only shook his head and pushed the food on his
plate in tiny circles. Her father began bawling. "My family is
falling apart!" Kasumi watched everything just shatter around
her. She shook her head. Again! She had messed up again. What
would her mother think?  
     The phone began ringing, insistently demanding her
attention, but her father needed her, her sister needed her. The
phone continued ringing, a blaring klaxon in her head, joining
her father's woe-filled sobs Imploringly, she looked over at
Nabiki, who had a sullen and slightly shocked expression on her
face. Nabiki nodded at her older sister's unspoken plea and left
the table.
     The ringing soon ceased and Kasumi went to her father and
put a comforting arm around him. "It will be fine, Otousan,"
Kasumi comforted, "I'm sure everything will work out." She hated
lying, but it was the only thing she could think of.
     "Are you sure, Kasumi?" her father asked.
     "Oh yes," Kasumi replied. She attempted to put her usual
confident optimism in her voice, but to her it sounded hollow and
forced. Her father accepted it though and calmed a little, then
Nabiki returned from the phone.
     Kasumi noticed the tight expression on her sister's face,
the glaring anger, the sad eyes. "That was Toufu-sensei. Ranma
was taken from his office last night. He thinks Cologne did it." 
The statement rocked Kasumi from her precarious perch. For the
first time since her mother's death, she found herself at a loss
for words. Ranma was really gone. What was Akane going to do?
What now? I can't handle this. Okaasan, please help me, but the
only answer to her silent prayer was her father's voice lifted in
a lamenting wail.
     
     With nervous steps, Akane approached the school gates. This
would be her first day back since leaving for Okinawa, and she
was very uncertain about whether school was a good idea in her
condition. She couldn't remember the last time she had gotten a
decent night's sleep. She thought it was just before they found
Ouchi-sensei's grave, but it was hard to tell. The last week had
blurred into a rollercoaster of impressions and let downs.
     Sleep was not what she wanted though. With sleep came dreams
of Ranma and her. Not nightmares, just dreams that might have
been considered pleasant a few weeks ago, but now were a reminder
of what she had lost. Hell, everything reminded her of Ranma.
Where was his comforting presence? He wasn't on the fence or
running to catch up with her. She missed the metallic clink of
the fence links as the fence bent under his weight, the cocky
remarks. Even Shampoo crashing into him or his snide insults
would have been welcomed, anything but this emptiness inside her.
     The empty place beside her at the table had been a stark
reality to her mind. What she had promised during the night
before became reality. What she had given up had confronted her
while she was slightly rational, and it had burned like hot steel
twisting in her innards.
      Since then she had been wandering, slowly making her way
toward school. Though she did not want to go, eventually she
would have to face her friends and all the questions. Delaying it
would only cause her to dwell on the inevitable thereby
magnifying the grief. Besides the longer she stayed away, the
more the rumors would grow. More than anyone, she knew how bad
the rumor mill was at Furinkan. Hadn't she and Ranma been the
primary subject of it for the past year and half?
     "Tendou Akane, my heart leaps in exultation." Akane sighed
at Kunou's words. She had just stepped inside the gates and the
path was already becoming rocky. "It has been a cold winter night
during thy absence. Many are the times that I did long for the
burning fire of thy beauty to shed its warmth upon my beleaguered
and lonely heart; however, in absence is true love tested like a
rough bar of iron, only to be drawn from the destructive fires a
tempered blade of unearthly beauty and strength."
     "Kunou, please leave me alone," Akane asked. 
     Kunou was lost in his glowing praise, oblivious to all but
the beauty of the one in front of him, and the suitable words
with which to address such a personage. "Truly has our love
become like that tempered blade, a melding of two separate souls
into a form made for one purpose. Ah, but the true words escape
thee. Like the blushing maiden of yore, you have not the words to
express thy deepest feelings. Do not fear, my fair Tendou Akane,
for my words doth speak for us both."
     "Kunou, I don't care..."
     "I know, my earthly vision of Athena. This innocent modesty
of thine is most becoming, and is a quality I find most endearing
to thee." He held up his hand as she tried to speak. The entire
situation was beginning to vex her. "No, my love. Words would
only destroy the moment as a thrown stone disturbs the beautiful
tranquility of a pond." Kunou obviously was not going to take his
own advice. Maybe she should help him. As far as she was
concerned, her fist was a great muffle.
     "My presence here is a testament of my love for thee. Unlike
that honourless cur Saotome, I've waited while he has fled from
thy loving presence to mislead another innocent soul." Her
building anger changed course to a icy hatred of the buffoon in
front of her. How dare he insult her Ranma. "And just as my
presence is a testament of my love, let this single rose, though
pale in comparison to thy beauty and my love for thee, be a
reminder of my deepest devotion to thee." 
     With a flourish, he produced a single red rose from within
his clothing. The full blossom was perfectly proportioned, more
like an artist's sculpture than a living specimen. She did not
care though. Everyone was trying to force her heart, and only one
had won it, and now he was gone, and this idiot in front of her
was insulting the one man she wanted to be with.  
     She clenched her fist in preparation to knock Kunou
senseless, when a voice in her head deterred her. Hitting Kunou
had never stopped him. It was almost an encouragement. If she
fought him and defeated him, his warped mind would simply tell
him he was not worthy of her yet. In the back of her mind she
knew  there was a better way. The same thing Ranma had done to
Shampoo. Crush her opponent without a single blow.
   She saw Kunou's pleased and knowing smile as she took the rose
from his hand. Delicately she cupped the blossom with her hand.
She hated him at that instant more than ever in her life. With a
quick jerk, she crushed the perfect blossom within her fist.
Slowly grinding her fingers around the velvety petals, she
mashed the flower, some of the juice and crushed petals dribbling
from between her clenched fingers. 
     "That is what I think of your love, Kunou Tatewaki," she
said quietly, "I despise you. I hate you. Nothing you ever say or
do will make me love you." Opening and turning her hand slightly.
She allowed the rest of the flower to fall to the ground in a
heap as Kunou's face dropped in shock, his eyes going wide in
surprise. 
     Without a second glance, she stepped past Kunou and walked
up the path into the school. Somehow what she had done was much
more satisfying than hitting him. She had finally hurt him. The
pain and grief on his face would tide her through the day. In a
way it was therapeutic. All of the grief and despair she had been
through was easier to bear when someone else was suffering with
her. 
     The door closed behind her, shutting Kunou out of her life
for the first time. It was over between them, and Kunou was left
in the courtyard with his hopes lying with the rose on the dirt
covered walkway. 

     The streets were shrouded in a thick gray mist that clung to
the his legs as he walked. Around him rose the vague, dark forms
of buildings. The air was as still as a tomb, the only sound the
hollow echoing of his steps on the uneven pavement stones,
marking time like a slow metronome.
     A sluggish breeze drifted past him, swirling the mist,
lifting the gray veil before his eyes. A young lady was walking
ahead of him. Her short blue-black brushed the back of her neck
in rhythm to her step as she slowly disappeared into the mist..
     "Akane!" he cried. He reached out to her, but if she heard,
she did not turn to look as the mist obscured her form. "Akane,
wait, please wait!" His voice cracked as he stumbled forward
pushing through the mist like a blind man running down a steep
hill.
     The mist thinned around him, revealing the dark shapes of
trees rushing past him in his headlong flight. Ahead of him,
Akane continued her walk, her head down, her steps slow and
dragging like she walked to a dirge. "Akane," he cried out as he
lunged toward her.
     Ahead of him the ground disappeared into nothingness. With a
surprised shout he stumbled to a halt, his feet on the edge of a
wide chasm that reached down into darkness. On the other side
Akane was disappearing into the mist again, her form steadily
become indistinct to his eyes.
     "Akane! Wait, I need you. Don't leave me!" Frantically he
searched for a way across his eyes traversing the chasm until
they came to rest on a thin line of silver that spanned from one
side to the next. An arcing bridge of pure crystal stretched
across the chasm. Even to his inexperienced eye, the bridge
looked weak and fragile, but it was his only way to her. The only
way to Akane.
     Shouting for her to wait, he sprinted towards the bridge
with a desperation born of fear as the mist closed in around him.
In front of him the gray bulged outward and Shampoo appeared in
his path, a cheerful smile on her face.
     "Shampoo so happy Husband come to her!" she shouted. The
words rang in his ears like a judge's sentence of death.
      "I'm not your Husband!' he snarled. He had to get to Akane.
"I don't love you!" He grabbed her and pushed her backwards.
     Shampoo stumbled and fell heavily. "Shampoo care not if
husband love her," she smiled, her eyes gleaming like two pricks
of light in the gray mist. "Shampoo make Husband love her. Never
will Husband get Akane." 
     She leaped at him, her form blurring, elongating, becoming
sleek and deadly. A lashing tail and dark fur sprouted as the
body grew muscular and thick, ripping her clothes to shreds. The
gleaming fangs in the muzzle reached for him, the slanted, cat
eyes glinting in the dark.  
     Screaming in terror, he spun and fled from the pouncing
feline, only to crash into Ukyou as she practiced with her
spatula. They both fell to the ground in a tangled heap. Still
terrified he grabbed onto Ukyou as if she were a life line.
Slowly, the terror drained from him, leaving him shaking in her
arms. For a moment he was comfortable and serenity slowly painted
his emotions. Then she hit him, sending him sprawling. 
     "I hate you Ranma!" she hissed, "You dumped me. I did
everything for you. I don't want you back." She stood and
disappeared. 
     Incredulous, he watched his best friend disappear into the
mist. What was going on? He was so confused, lost in this strange
world. "Where am I?" he cried out in desperation. A rumbling
growl was his only answer as a hot puff of breath caressed his
exposed neck. Trembling, he turned to see the gleaming eyes of
the jungle cat Shampoo had become.
     Screaming in sheer panic, he scrambled backward on his
hands. There was an amused look on the cat's black face as it
stalked him. He saw the muscles tense, the body lower itself to
attack him as the tail lashed through the air. He pulled himself
backward faster, and then there was nothing under his hands.
Swinging his arms wildly he tried to regain his balance, but it
was too late. The ground disappeared as he tumbled backwards,
falling downward, the dark chasm opening beneath him.
     His cry terror echoed through the walls as he plummeted, the
wind howling past his ears like the wails of the damned. There
was a jolt in his shoulder as someone grabbed him, deftly
plucking him from certain doom. 
     Shuddering in relief he looked up to see his father gazing
at him with a serious expression. "Arigato, Oyaji," he started to
say as he reached up his other hand to his father, so he could
pull him to safety. 
     "You must be willing to give your life for the Art, boy,"
his father said and released his hands.
     "No!" he screamed as the wind rushed past him again, the
dark, rock walls rushing past his eyes. His eyes were drawn
downward by a sudden premonition of danger. He screamed in fright
as he saw the clear pool with the single bamboo shaft rising from
it's center rushing toward him.
     "No!"  He bolted upright in bed, his arms and legs flailing
wildly. The next instant, pain slammed through his head, and his
vision started swimming. Groaning, he sank back on the bed. A
dream. It was only a dream. The thought gave him little comfort
though. It had been so real, and there was something nagging at
him, just out of his grasp. He tried to track it down, but his
mind was swimming in a muddy haze. He could see the pool rushing
towards him again, the look in his father's eyes as he released
him. Not real, he reminded himself, it was not real, but it was
hard to concentrate, hard to focus. Finally he gave in and
slipped back into sleep, the pool rushing toward him again.

     Ukyou started from her sleep and looked around with bleary
eyes. Something had woken her, but what? She pushed herself out
of the chair. Her neck and back were sore from the uncomfortable
sleeping position, and her foot tingled unpleasantly from
sleeping on it. 
     Cracking her neck, she examined her bedroom. Nothing seemed
amiss. She glanced over at Ranma, wondering if her fiancee had
woken up. Ranma was still asleep, although she was now mumbling
under her breath. Worried, Ukyou approached the bed and knelt
beside it. Ranma thrashed a bit as she neared.
     Gently she placed a hand on Ranma-onna's shoulder. "Don't
worry, Ranchan," she whispered, "I'm here for you. I'm not
leaving you." Ranma smiled in her a sleep and settled down into a
more peaceful sleep.
     Wondering how long he was going to sleep, Ukyou absently
brushed a damp lock of hair from Ranma's brow. Her face had a
slight sheen of sweat on it. Most likely from the drug
Toufu-sensei gave him she decide after a moment. 
     Standing, she stretched and glanced down at her alarm clock.
"Shit!" she exclaimed, "I'm late for school." She was suddenly a
whirl of activity as she rushed about her room. Grabbing her
uniform out of the closet and some undergarments, she headed to
the bathroom. 
     There was no time to take a bath so she settled for
splashing water in her hair and scrubbing her face. Quickly
changing into the boy's uniform, she rushed back into her room
and checked on Ranma once more. She was still sleeping peacefully
on the bed. At least that was one less thing for her to worry
about. Well it would be until she returned from school. 
     Turning to go, she halted in her tracks and smacked her
forehead. Returning to the room, she snagged her book bag and
rushed back down the stairs and into the bright, late morning
sun.

     Taking off her apron, Shampoo slipped out the backdoor and
into the side alley. Her bicycle was leaning in its usual place
next to the door. Taking hold of the handle bars, she walked it
to the crowded street before climbing onto it and pedaling away
from the Nekohaten. 
     The events of the previous night were just catching up to
her. Ranma was hers. After all of this time, after all the
heartache and failure, she would be married to the one man she
loved. That was all she had been able to think about since
leaving Toufu's clinic. For the first time in her life she was
deliriously happy at the way things were turning out.
     After Ranma had called off the engagement, after all the
times he had refused her advances, she had been beginning to give
up hope and it had hurt. During the last two weeks she had
despaired even more. In her mind, there had been no possibility
that Akane and Genma would give Ranma up. In truth she had
expected Ranma to die the previous night, and when he had stopped
breathing on the table. She shook her head. She was not going to
think about that. It didn't matter. He was alive, and he was
hers. 
     Even with that knowledge, there was a brooding doubt within
her. It had to do with her great-grandmother. After they had
returned from the clinic, Cologne had disappeared back into the
night, apparently to go to get Ranma or the statue. She had
returned without either after only a short period of time. From
the kitchen Shampoo had watched her great-grandmother enter the
restaurant, muttering to herself.  
     It had been obvious to Shampoo that she was displeased. At
first she had thought Toufu-sensei had interrupted her again, but
then she had caught a bit of her hushed words. "Stupid boy.
Causing me so much trouble. He should've died."
     The Matriarch's words had struck her like a lightning bolt
out of the blue. In one instant everything she had ever thought
about the motivations of Cologne had been shattered. Doubts about
all that happened in the last two weeks had overrun her mind. Was
it possible Cologne had intended to kill Ranma? Had she just
wanted everyone to suffer? Was she punishing her great-grand- 
daughter?
     Killing someone was not an aberrant concept for Shampoo. As
a warrior and an Amazon, she had been coached from an early age
that death was simply a part of life and that unworthy opponents
and worthy ones would at some point fall beneath her hand. Mercy
was not a concept the Amazons were accustomed to, especially with
outsiders.
     Her great-grandmother had taught her those facts. With her
own eyes, she had watched her friends learn the same lessons. At
first it had been a simple fact of life as part of the Amazon
tribe, but death had never meant anything to her until she was
older and her mother died. 
     Of course that had hurt her, but Cologne had been there to
explain. Her great-grandmother had explained how her mother had
been called to fight with the Ancestors and would be reborn into
the tribe when she was needed. The words had eased her heart at
that time, and she had turned to Cologne's training to bury the
rest of the pain. Her mother's dying wish was for her to be a
strong Amazon, so Shampoo had lived up to that.
     From the moment of her mother's death until now, she had
listened and trusted her great-grandmother. Whatever the
venerable Matriarch promised happened. Whatever she said was
absorbed and believed. Whatever she asked of Shampoo was done in
an instant, without hesitation, until now.
     She loved Ranma, and the very thought that her
great-grandmother had tried to kill him filled her with anger.
More than that it left her with a feeling of betrayal. This was
the woman who had helped her in her attempts to obtain her
husband, the woman who had pushed her onward when she wanted to
give up, the woman who had cursed her to become a cat for the
rest of her life because she had not fulfilled her promises.
     That feeling of betrayal was what brought her out of the
Nekohaten. She was scared that maybe Cologne had done something
with Ranma when she went to see him earlier. She had to be sure,
she had to know. If her great-grandmother had killed Ranma, she
would never forgive her. So she was going to check on him at
Toufu-sensei's clinic.
     She pedaled her bicycle quickly through the crowded streets
until she reached the clinic. Parking the bike, she wandered in.
The waiting room was empty and arranged neatly. Obviously
Toufu-sensei had cleaned up since the night's happenings. No one
had noticed her entrance so she called out Toufu-sensei's name.
     "Is that you, Shampoo?" a voice called back.
     "Hai," Shampoo responded, "Shampoo come see Husband."
     Toufu-sensei stepped out of the back room and walked over to
Shampoo. His face was serious, but that did not bother Shampoo.
She had rarely seen Toufu-sensei with anything but a serious
face, but than she had not known him very long or very well.
     "Where Husband?" she asked again.
     "Shampoo, I'm sorry, but Ranma is.."
     "No," Shampoo cried out in Mandarin. Once Toufu had
apologized, she had realized what had happened. She certain
beyond a doubt that Cologne had come back empty handed because
she had made sure that was the only way she could return. "I'll
get you great-grandmother. Why did you have to kill, Husband?"
     Toufu-sensei was seriously confused by this reaction. He did
not know why Shampoo thought Cologne had killed Ranma, he was
just missing, and this reaction proved that Shampoo and Cologne
probably had little to do with it. Things had just gotten a lot
more complicated.
     "Shampoo, Ranma is not dead," Toufu said as he gently shook
her shoulder.
     "But you said.."
     "I was going to say that he was missing. He disappeared last
night. I don't know where he is, or what happened," he explained
carefully.      
     Shampoo watched him curiously, trying to figure out this new
information. She was relieved that she had been wrong about her
great-grandmother, but that still did not solve the new problem.
Suddenly a new idea appeared in her head.
     "Violent girl do this. She no want Shampoo to have Husband.
She take Husband for self. Shampoo kill violent girl."
     Before Toufu could react, Shampoo had raced out of the door
and gotten beyond his grasp. He sighed in defeat. Things were
going off the deep end very quickly, and he was still dubious
about Cologne's role in all of this. "I hope she doesn't find
Akane," he prayed silently as he went to the phone to call the
Tendou's and inform them of the new situation.
     
     Steeling herself, Akane stepped out of the front doors onto
the main stairs leading up to the school. Classes had separated
her from the gossip of her classmates; however, it was now lunch
time, and silly barriers like teachers and the water punishment
were no longer in place. 
     "Akane!"
     Sighing, Akane turned to face the first wave. "Hi, Raiko."
Raiko was striding purposefully towards her. Her shoulder-length
black hair swirled with each step. Behind her, following her like
an Imperial entourage, were Mio, Koiko, and Yuka. Her four
friends were flanked by Ranma's companions Hiroshi and Daisuke.  
     "Where have you been?" Raiko asked as the inquisition party
mounted the steps, "It's not like you to just up and disappear."
     Pushing past Raiko, Mio took one of Akane's hands. "Are you
okay, Akane-chan?" she asked in a worried voice. 
     Raiko butted in before Akane could answer her friend. "Catch
up later, Mio. Nabiki hasn't been very free with the info, and
I'm dying to know what's going on." Turning, Mio withered under
the hostile glare Raiko directed at her. A moment later she was
focused on Akane looking for help.
     Akane shook her head in sympathy. Raiko was the undisputed
head of her little group. Of course, that meant that Raiko took
it upon herself to make sure the others knew what her position
was. To Raiko this meant that she included Akane in their little
clique, despite the fact that everyone, including Akane, knew she
was just an outsider. Akane rather disliked this, and so really
did not get along with the girl. She was much more at ease with
Yuka and Mio. Koiko was easy to deal with, but she was too
attached to Raiko for Akane's taste. Of them, only Mio was a true
friend. Yuka was only an acquaintance.
     Akane had known Mio for a long time. The problem was that
Mio had very little confidence in herself. There was this meek
and submissive attitude to her friend. When Mio was with Akane,
she was lively and talkative, although a little reserved in what
she discussed. When others dropped by she would never speak
unless spoken to, especially if Raiko was around. 
     Akane really did not know why Mio was like that. Having
known her for since her mother had died, Akane had come to know
Mio rather well. She was smart, compassionate, and just a
comfortable person to be around. She was not a stunning beauty,
but neither was she a homely little girl. There was an unassuming
air of innocence about the girl. Soft brown eyes in an oval face
framed by brown hair gave her a child-like quality that was
enhanced by her unassuming and shy nature. It was impossible not
to like her. 
     For some reason though, Raiko had taken it on herself to
dominate over Mio, which angered Akane to no end. She had always
felt protective about Mio and in many instances had stood up to
Raiko for Mio, but now she was not in the mood to argue. She had
her own problems. 
     Her luck held though as Hiroshi stepped in. "Akane, have you
seen Ranma? Do you know where he is? Generally he is never gone
for two weeks, especially if you're not gone too." 
     A slight blush coloured her cheeks a little at that.
Furinkan picked up every nuance of her and Ranma's relationship
and seemed to enjoy throwing it back into her face. The blush
disappeared as quickly as it came though. The mention of Ranma's
name brought back painful memories. 
     "H-he's not coming back," she answered quietly.
     "Nani?" Almost everyone exclaimed.
     "Not coming back?" Daisuke stuttered.
     ""Where's he going?" Hiroshi asked.
     "China," Akane answered 
     "Why the heck would he want to go there?" Raiko sniffed.
     "Probably to get cured," Hiroshi explained, "You know how
much he hates turning in to a girl. I mean that is where he got
cursed in the first place."
     "Oh like it's that bad to be a girl!' Raiko snapped, "Now if
I turned into a guy, that would be something else."
     "You have no clue do you, Raiko?" Hiroshi asked quietly.
     Raiko started at the comment. Hiroshi wasn't one to insult
others, but then Raiko had asked for it. Raiko wasn't one to
culled so easily. "What'd you mean by that?" 
     Akane decided to head of the argument before it got nasty.
"He's not going to get cured. He has to go because he is.." She
couldn't finish the thought. She was not going to admit that he
was going to marry Shampoo. If she did, Akane was dead certain
that she would breakdown again.
     "He's what?" Mio asked in her soft voice.
     "Yeah, Akane. Tell us. It's not like you should care." Raiko
missed the glaring look Mio and Koiko gave her but not the
burning anger that flared in Akane's eyes.
     "It's none of your business, Raiko."
     "I bet he's running away from you, Akane."
     "He has to go. His honour demands it!"
     Realizing this was turning into a test of strength, Raiko
pulled herself up and glared at Akane. "Honour! What a useless
concept. No one uses it that much anymore. I just think he's
using it as an excuse to get away from you. You've never been
nice to him, and I know that Shampoo is much better looking than
you. That is why he's going to China, isn't it?" 
     Akane didn't even realize she was moving. Through a haze of
red, she saw Raiko's face go from smug satisfaction to surprise
and then fear. Her fist connected with her ex-friend's chin,
sending the girl tumbling down the steps to the ground below, to
lie in a cowering heap.
     Not even remotely satisfied, Akane began to steadily move
down the steps like an avenging god. She did not even realize her
aura was glowing a bright red, curses seething between her
clenched teeth. Raiko had brought up the wrong subject, and on
top of her own dislike for the girl, Akane was in no mood for
being reasonable about it.
     "Akane, don't." Mio's soft voice broke through the fog of
rage in Akane's mind. Her friend's gentle hand on her arm pulled
her back from the brink and into sanity again. 
     A stronger hand was then on her shoulder. "She's not worth
it, Akane. She's just jealous because Ranma never paid any
attention to her." Akane was surprised by Hiroshi's words. Mostly
because Hiroshi never showed that kind of insight, but also
because she realized it was true.
        She remembered the first day Raiko had approached her
with an offer of friendship. Actually it had not been much of an
offer as a simple inclusion of herself in Raiko's daily schedule.
Akane really counted only Mio and Yuka among her true friends.
     Mio had been her friend for many years and had been a
companion of Raiko for the last several years. Because of their
friendship, Mio generally spent lunch with Akane. It was through
this contact that Raiko entered Akane's life.
     A few weeks after Ranma had exploded into her life and the
scene at Furinkan, Mio had approached her table with a very
animated Raiko at her side. Without even a greeting, the girl had
joined Akane and Yuka and had started talking to Mio, blithely
ignorant of her existence. Really, Akane had paid no mind to
this. She had had little to do with Raiko for the last six or so
years.
     Ranma had chosen that moment to show up, distracting her
from the reason behind Raiko's presence. As usual he had
forgotten his lunch after being drawn out of the house by a fight
with a very irate Ryouga. Like clockwork they had started arguing
over something stupid resulting in her knocking him out the
window and into the fountain. 
     "He's cute. Don't you think so?" Raiko had commented to her
as Akane sat down again.
     She remembered staring at Raiko in complete shock before
denying that fact. "That insensitive baka? Cute? That's the last
word I'd use to describe that hentai." 
     Surprisingly a small smile had appeared on Raiko's face as
Akane had spoken. Already angry at Ranma, and a little peeved at
Raiko, she had not even noticed it until she thought about it.
More than that, she suddenly realized that whenever she and Ranma
fought in front of Raiko, the girl had been pleased with the
spectacle. Could Raiko have been jealous of her and Ranma's
relationship? 
     With Hiroshi's comment, it made sense to Akane. Raiko was
hoping that she and Ranma would break up so Ranma would be open
game. Anger bubbled forth at this thought. She had always been
jealous of others going after Ranma, and the fact that another
girl had wormed into her friendship just to get at him made her
furious, but the fact that Ranma had never looked twice at Raiko
and often ignored the girl when she spoke held a certain amount
of satisfaction for Akane. With Raiko already lying dazed on the
ground, Akane allowed herself to be held in check by Hiroshi and
Mio.
     From her position on the stairs, Akane watched Raiko
unsteadily climb to her feet and then wipe away the trickle of
blood dribbling from her lower lip. After glancing at the red
smear on her hand, Raiko clenched her fist and glared at Akane.
     The girl's eyes flashed dangerously, and then she smiled
maliciously, "The truth hurts, doesn't it Akane-chan? You can't
stand it because Ranma doesn't want you. It's not like he doesn't
have enough reason to hate you."
     "Shut up! You've no idea!" Akane screamed.
     Raiko took a step up the stairs. "You always hit him. You
call him names. You don't listen to him."
     "Stop it, stop it," She couldn't help the sobs that entered
her voice.
     "Even when he helps you, you yell at him. Then you go and
poison him with you're cooking. Don't ya think he'd rather be
with another girl who wasn't so busu-de? Who was nicer to him?
Ha! You don't even realize how good you had it! Any girl in this
school would've gladly taken Ranma."
     Akane could only shake her head in denial. Even though most
of what Raiko was spouting was crap, it was striking too close to
home. She knew she had never been very nice to Ranma. She knew
she had failings, but Ranma never really complained very
seriously. He just said things because..because they were true.
No, she denied fiercely. He doesn't care. He never wanted anyone
else, but now he wasn't hers.
     Raiko licked her lips in anticipation, obviously enjoying
Akane's distress. "You never deserved Ranma. Akane no kawaisoo."
     "That's enough, Raiko!" Hiroshi shouted, taking a step down
towards the girl, "Your tongue's going to get you in trouble. Now
leave Akane alone. You deserved what you got, don't push it."
     Akane barely heard Hiroshi come to her defense. She was
forcing herself not to cry. There was no chance she was going to
give Raiko that satisfaction. Anger on the other hand was another
thing. Now that Hiroshi was busy, his hand had dropped from her
shoulder, and Mio was easy to pull away from.
     "I got what I deserved? Akane's had all the boys drooling
over her since she came to this school. She deserves a little
dose of reality for once." Raiko was totally focused on Hiroshi,
which suited Akane fine.
     "You're a real..," Hiroshi began. 
     "Bitch!" Akane finished and slapped Raiko in the face.
Turning, Akane stormed away from her shocked friends. Her steps
becoming faster until she was running away from the main entrance
and out to the practice fields where she could be alone.
     "Akane! Wait!" Mio's voice cut through the threatening anger
and grief for a moment, causing Akane to stumble to a walk. A
moment later Mio caught up with her, breathing heavily from the
exertion. 
     For a while the two girls walked silently next to each other
before Akane just sank down to the ground. Taking the cue, Mio
joined Akane and  took her friend's hand.
     Mio didn't say a word, but Akane was accustomed to her
friend's peculiarities. Besides she didn't want questions. She
just wanted someone to comfort her. Raiko's words had hurt her,
but not for the reason Raikoor anyone else might have thought.
Through Raiko's tirade, Akane had glimpsed something she had
missed about Ranma. What she had meant to him.
     The fact that she always fought with him and beat him up
when he made mistakes or was with other girls should have pushed
him away from her. Ukyou and Shampoo were willing to do anything
for Ranma. They brought him gifts, told him he was cute, were
willing to fall over at his every desire. They cooked for him,
and even though she did, it always turned out wrong. If she
pressed the issue, however, he would take a bite. It still didn't
matter, she always saw the fear on his face before he ate any of
her cooking. It was so different from the genuine gratitude he
showed to Shampoo and Ukyou for food.
     Those two were also prettier than her. She shuddered at the
thought, but denying the truth was just as bad. Shampoo had a
better body than her. Ukyou had that wonderful hair and the
beautifully oval face with soft eyes. What did she have to
attract Ranma? She had small breasts and wide hips. She wasn't
like Nabiki who could eat anything and still stay thin. Even
jogging and working out barely kept her at her ideal weight. She
didn't have Kasumi's even temperament. What did she have that
Ranma could possibly like? Nothing as far as she was concerned,
yet he always stayed by her.
     He had to like her. There was something that drew him to
her, and even if she did not know what it was, at least it was
there. Knowing that he cared for her though was one thing, but
knowing what he would do was another.
     There was a bizarre dichotomy in her emotions. On one hand
she realized that she was important to Ranma, but where did those
emotions stand compared to the giri the promises had bound him
with. It hurt even more because she knew that he cared for her.
She realized that when he woke up she would not be able to face
him. If she did, she would crumble. It was better if she just
imagined that he would have stayed than take the chance of him
denying her.
     "I've lost him, Mi-chan," she stated in a hushed voice. With
an unsteady voice she began to tell her friend the story. It took
her a while because she started crying at certain points. Mio
just listened silently, offering her presence as comfort to
Akane. 
     It felt good to get everything off of her chest. She had not
really spoken with anyone about how she was feeling, and Mio was
a  confidant she had used before. When it was all over, Akane
felt a little better. It was like she had put a blanket over her
emotions for a moment, muting them to her battered senses. 
     "I'm sorry for you Akane. I know how much it hurts when you
can't have the person you love." This surprised Akane. Mio had
never spoken about any guys she was interested in, but when Mio
offered nothing else in the way of explanation, Akane let it go.
She simply filed it away for a later time.
     "Akane! I've been looking all over for you." Nabiki's voice
reached her from across the field. Looking up, Akane watched her
sister run across the field to her.
     "Gomen, oneechan," Akane apologized when Nabiki halted next
to her, "I got a little distracted." Nabiki shrugged it off and
sat next to Mio.
     "I brought your lunch. You left so quickly this morning.."
     "I'm sorry about that. It's just..I..it's going to take
time. At least he's alive."
     "Uh, yeah." Nabiki dropped her gaze from Akane' s and then
tried to cover it up by watching the passing students. This was
enough to send warning bells off in Akane's head.
     "Oneechan? Is there something wrong?"
     "I- well you see, it's like this," Nabiki started.
     "Akane!" There was some desperation to this call, and as
Akane turned to face a frantic Ukyou running towards them.
     "What is it Ukyou?" Akane asked. She was not really happy
with the girl. Not coming to be with Ranma showed just how little
she cared. A small voice told her it might also be because she
cared too much to see him like that, but she quashed that
thought.
     "Is-is Ranchan okay? I just couldn't bring myself to go.
He's fine, right?" 
     Akane simply nodded her head. "He's with Toufu-sensei. After
he woke up he was not very coherent, and Toufu-sensei wants him
to be able to say his farewells. He thinks it'd be better that
way."
     Sighing in relief, Ukyou sank to the ground with the other
three. Akane was still a little distracted and considered what
Ukyou was doing to be normal. Mio really didn't know Ukyou, so
accepted her concern at face value. Nabiki wasn't so gullible.
     She knew a performance when she saw one, and as performances
went Ukyou would have made a fourth grade production look like
award winning material. First of all, Nabiki knew for certain
that Ukyou generally came to her for information. Going to Akane
was not exactly in Ukyou's style. On top of that, although she
had shouted and acted frantic, Nabiki considered Ukyou a little
more laid back. She probably would have quietly approached the
group.
     Her bedraggled appearance did not help the poor girls case
that much more. She had obviously only gotten out of bed a little
while ago, and that meant that she had been out rather late last
night. There was only one reason for the girl to have been out
last night, and it wasn't for her health.
     Nabiki's thoughts were interrupted as the shrill cry that
had heralded torment for Ranma so many times rang through the air
as Shampoo crashed into the ground next to the small group,
sending chunks of turf flying. "Where Shampoo husband? Violent
girl give Airen up. Shampoo want what hers."
     "What are you babbling about, Shampoo? Ranma's at
Toufu-sensei's where we left him." Akane was not really in the
mood for this. Even after seeing Shampoo crying nearly a week
ago, she was not exactly ready to be cordial to the girl,
especially since her Ranma was going to the Chinese bimbo.
     "Akane lie. Shampoo just there. Airen not there."
     "Nani?" Akane and Ukyou shouted together. Nabiki smiled to
herself. Ukyou had not been surprised in the least. She had been
a little too quick in her answer, a little to forceful. That
meant that she had already known and was probably responsible. It
didn't bother Nabiki, but it gave her an idea. Akane was not
going to be herself for a few minutes, so now was her only
opportunity.
     "Ukyou?"
     "Hai," Ukyou responded throwing Nabiki a nervous glance.
     "Violent girl took Airen." Shampoo accused.
     "I did no such thing, you stupid bitch!" Akane reacted,
jumping to her feet, "I keep my promises."
     "I'd like to talk to you for a moment, alone," Nabiki said
motioning with her head. A guilty look flashed briefly across
Ukyou's face. Then she was calm again. 
     "What violent girl know bout honour!" Shampoo retorted.
"Violent girl not Amazon."
     "But, Ranchan," Ukyou protested motioning towards Akane and
Shampoo who were beginning to warm into their fight.
     "This is more important," she said in the tone she used for
her more 'sensitive' dealings.
     Ukyou's shoulders slumped in defeat and the girl stood up
and followed as Nabiki lead her away from the growing arguing
between Akane and Shampoo. They stopped a short distance away.
Nabiki turned to face the okonomiyaki chef and put on her
business face. 
     "If you're that stupid, no wonder you still can't speak
proper Japanese," Akane retorted angrily.
     "You've got Ranma don't you?" Nabiki asked, ignoring Akane's
voice.
     "I don't know what you're talking about," Ukyou protested.
     Nabiki just gave Ukyou a level gaze. Few people could stand
up to Nabiki when she really wanted something, and this was one
of those times. Ukyou soon began to squirm under the attention.
She knew the Tendou's had a right to know Ranma's whereabouts,
but she was scared about losing him for good. Could she trust
Nabiki?
     "Shampoo not stupid. Shampoo figure out. Violent girl have
no honour, so plan stealing Husband. Shampoo never give Husband
up like violent girl."
     "You don't care for him! You'd rather see him dead than
alive? I at least can give him a chance to do what he wants. I
don't control him. I won't decide for him. Unlike you" Akane
argued.
     Akane's words broke Ukyou's indecision. What Akane had said
was close to her own feelings. Maybe she could trust Nabiki for a
while. "Okay, I took him last night. I just couldn't leave him
there. It was no fair what all of you were doing to Ranchan. He
doesn't deserve that," Ukyou explained quickly, watching her
feet.
     "Ukyou, I really don't care why you did it."
     "You just want him back," Ukyou concluded.
     "Iie! Well I do, but not for that reason," Nabiki said.
     "Shampoo care for Husband. Else Shampoo not marry
Husband. Now give back." Shampoo's voice rose in anger. 
     "I don't understand," Ukyou admitted bringing her eyes back
into Nabiki's gaze.
     "I don't have him, Shampoo. I wish I did, but I don't."
Akane's voice was near tears and Ukyou saw Nabiki wince at the
sound.
     "I'll make you a deal. You keep Ranchan at your place, and I
forget that you've had anything to do with him. More importantly,
since I told you about the thing last night, I'll just say that
you were out of town and couldn't come."
     "Why Shampoo believe Violent girl? Older sister devious, why
not Akane?" Shampoo's words made Nabiki flinch a bit.
     "If you wanna fight, than we can fight, you stupid bitch!"
Akane shouted, "But it isn't going to get you Ranma because I
don't have him." Nabiki and Ukyou could both see a flickering red
aru out of the corner of their eyes. 
     "But, why?" She had to ask although she thought she
understood.
     There was a silent pause in both confrontations, and than
Shampoo broke the silence, her vice low and threatening. "Violent
girl better tell truth. If Shampoo find differnet, Violent girl
die!"
     "That is my own business, Ukyou. It's between Cologne, me,
and my family." Ukyou however noticed that Nabiki's eyes briefly
flitted toward Akane. Ukyou turned briefly and saw Akane seated
on the ground shaking her head while Mio tried to comfort her.
Shampoo was already halfway across the field, rapidly
disappearing on her bicycle. "Do we have a deal?"
     Ukyou took a moment to decide. Trusting Nabiki was
dangerous. Though she rarely was a fatality of Nabiki's schemes,
she had been cheated and used enough by the girl to know what she
was getting into. Something in the way Nabiki had turned toward
Akane scarred her though. It made her think that Nabiki was only
concerned for her family, not Ranma. Yet at the same time if she
didn't go along with Nabiki, Ranma's location would be leaked and
she'd lose him forever. What was worse? Trusting Nabiki and maybe
keeping Ranma in Nerima, or take the chance that Nabiki would
sell Ranma out and force him to go to China? "Hai," Ukyou
answered finally. She felt she was making a mistake, but she
could not take any chance with Ranma. With his sense of honour,
she knew it was going to be a long shot to keep him in Nerima,
and she knew she was not up to the task. Agreeing with Nabiki
made things easier for her, and at least gave her someone on her
side. On top of that, it would give her time alone with Ranma.
Smiling slightly, Ukyou left Nabiki and headed towards the
school.
     Nabiki returned to Akane and Mio. Her sister was going to
need a few things explained. She had to think of something that
would keep Akane satisfied until she figured a way to break that
old crone's promise. There was no way she was letting that
withered old mummy get away with this.

      Hugging her knees tightly to her chest, Akane watched her
room with vacant eyes. The day had been a roller coaster ride for
her emotions. From the incident at breakfast to the encounter
with Kunou, the betrayal of Raiko, the revelation from Shampoo,
and the catharsis of speaking with Mio, she had suffered through
grief, anger, outrage, and in the end calm acceptance.
     It was bizarre. When she had heard that Ranma had
disappeared, her stress and emotions had drained out of her,
leaving her empty and peaceful, at least after her hatred of
Shampoo had dissipated like so much smoke. The thought that it
was better this way had entered her mind. If Ranma disappeared
and never returned, or at least did not come home for a long
time, Shampoo and Cologne would leave, and she would have him
back. Common sense told her it was a vacant fantasy, but she
ignored that voice. She refused to accept any other possibility. 
     She hung on to the belief that Ranma might walk through her
door at any moment. If he didn't, she would be alone again, and
she didn't want to face that ever again. Throughout her life, she
had been lonely. People came in and out of her life like trains
at a station, only stopping to take on new people and rest before
taking off again, leaving her to await the next train.
     Ranma had entered like that, a blazing bullet shattering the
peaceful calm, but unlike the others he stayed and brought more
to come and circle around him, coming and going around him
instead of her, but he was always with her, never leaving for the
next station. 
     So what had she done? She had been frightened and angry for
upsetting her world and tried to chase him off, to make him leave
her alone. He did not leave though, and even in her attacks
against him, she knew that she did not want him to leave, just
accept her and stay with her. Her anger toward him had turned to
anger toward his actions that pushed her away from him. His
fiancees and rivals became at times her friends and at times her
headaches, but at the center was Ranma by her side every day,
every morning, every evening. After a time it had come to the
point where if she closed her eyes and reached out, her hand
would find him. 
     It was a feeling that she had not had since before her
mother died. That absolute feeling of security, that someone was
there to catch her if she fell. Even in their bitterest
arguments, she knew he would change position to protect her,
turning his rage and anger against another threatening her. Now,
however,t hat was gone. There was an emptiness, a wrongness about
everything. Just like him not walking on the fence with her to
school that morning, she knew he was no longer there to catch
her. She was no longer able to reach out and touch him. She
didn't even know where he was.
     No one knew where Ranma was. Shampoo did not have him, nor
did Cologne. Kodachi was off the list, since she had been on a
trip with her gymnastics team for the last week and a half. Ukyou
had also been dropped from scrutiny, especially after Nabiki had
announced that the girl had been out of town at a family funeral
the day before, and had not gotten back until late that morning. 
     Toufu-sensei doubted that Ranma could have walked off in the
night, but he was not ruling out the possibility. The only other
explanation was her father or Genma-ojisan had come up with a
rather sneaky way of keeping Ranma here, but Nabiki had cleared
them after a grueling interrogation that neither of them could
have endured if they had actually had a hand in Ranma's
disappearance.
     If he had left, Akane wondered where he had gone. Trying to
figure out what Ranma might be planning was nigh impossible. Even
in her loneliness, she prayed he stayed there for a time. It was
an extension of her fantasy. If he came back there was the chance
he would leave her alone for good. With hi gone there was the
chance he might come back to her and to only her. She did not
want her last memeory of him to be a final farewell as he left
her alone to await the next train, which she knew would never
come. Ranma saying farewell to her. She would have preferred to
face a firing squad. 
     That did not mean she did not want to see him. More than
anything she hoped he might send her a letter or something just
to ease her conscience, or give her a place where she could go
see him. What she did not want was to see him stand before her,
his eyes shining and say, "I love you, Akane, but I have to do
this," or even worse, "I prefer this, Akane." To suffer through
that ordeal was too much. 
     She had to trust him. Trust someone she had never been able
to trust. Trust someone she had always thought was doing
everything but going for her. How could she begin to trust him
when she had nothing to base it on. Except what he had done for
her, what he had fought for her, what he had endured to perserve
her virtue. Was that someone who would walk away? Yet in the back
of her mind she saw the lush body of an Amazon fighter clinging
to Ranma like saran wrap. Why shouldn't he enjoy something like
that? What did she have to offer? Problems, insecurities, anger,
but underneath it all, love.
     Unwinding her legs, Akane stood up, and then grasped the bed
as the room spun around her. The last few days were catching up
to her. Lack of sleep coupled with stress was making her dizzy.
She had no appetite, mostly because of the slight nausea that
came and went like an annoying relative. She realized she
probably should go see Toufu-sensei, but she was going to get
some sleep tonight, and she was hoping that she would feel better
in the morning.
     Once the disorientation passed, she made her way to the
window and looked out into the yard. Her father and Genma-ojisan
were playing shogi in front of the dojo entrance. Past the wall
she saw cars go by, and in the distance the burning lights of
Tokyo reflecting off the sparse clouds in the sky.
     "Where are you, Ranma?" she asked quietly. Leaning forward,
she rested her head on the cool glass, her fingers splayed out on
the window pane. "Please don't leave me. I don't want to be alone
again, Ranma." 
     Her words were the truth. What did the rest of it matter?
She could say that she preferred him missing, or that seeing him
would hurt too much. She could rationalize anything, but in the
end her emotions, her feelings were the same. She wanted Ranma,
and she did not care how she got him, as long as she got him.


Author's Notes:

     Translations. 
     Akane no kawaisoo - Akane you're pathetic
     busu-de - ugly (a very nasty insult to a girl)
     ojisan - uncle or older man (in case you did not know)
     obasan - aunt or older woman (also in case you didn't know)      
 
     Well it has been awhile, nearly a month and a half since my
last posting of MASN. Why you ask, well the length of this ios
one thing and the fact that I've been doing moreplotting than
actual writing. I've been working and reworkjing this for the pat
month so that the plot fits welll together and I can set up the
rest of the story. If you're really wondering about Ch4 then
you're not alone. So am I.
     Not really. What I've done is lay some of the ground work
for the rest of the series in her. I've got a lot of material to
work with right now, and so it is going to take some time to sort
things out, and that is what is taking so long, sorting out the
characters I'm creating. Creating you ask. Well I know I didn't
creat Ranma, but I doubt my Ranma characters are the same, and
keeping them slightly true to the original while advancing them
believabnly and creating backgrounds for them is a little
difficult. Yet simply compared with trying to coherently thread
everything together. I've never been very good with making
tapestries, and well I've picked up a reall whopper to start on.  
     I'm not going to explain much about this section. There
really is not much to explain, pretty straight forward. There are
four parts to Chapter Four (hmm, four by four, that's sixteen,
ne? No real reason, just making sure it still adds up ^_^)
Anyway, most of Ch 4 will follow this section pretty closely. Not
in creating new problems, but more solving one problem and
creating more. 
     One thing, I'm taking my time in writng and getting places.
I don't feel the need to rush forward and make the story less.
All of MASN will follow this pattern. I'm not a fast paced
writer, just good at writing fast. Did that make sense? If not
well, read it backwards, maybe it will make more sense.

     Coming next week, 
     
     Ch 4 The Golden Apple Pt 2 Troubles and Tribulations
     
     Until next time
     
     Joseph Kohle <Ashira@worldnet.att.net>
     Comments and criticism still welcome, encourage& appreciated

   ----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----*----
   All rights and priveleges to Ranma Nibunnoichi       
   belong to Rumiko Takahashi. The characters of her        
   series are used without her permission for the       
   purpose of entertainment only. This work of fic-
   tion is not meant for sale or profit.                    
                                                                         
   All original characters are the creation of the
   author. All copyright privileges to these chara-
   cters are reserved for the author.

   This story is a product of the author's hard work    
   and imagination. Do not modify, add to, or make 
   use of any part of this work without the author's 
   knowledge and consent. Please feel free to archive 
   this work.                             
            
   Comments and criticism are welcome.                   
   Written by Joseph A. Kohle, (c) 1997.                 
   Send all comments to ashira@worldnet.att.net
   Find my fanfics at 
   http://www.geocities.com/Tokyo/Flats/index.html