Prologue
Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck! I scream mentally, unable to do it out loud. I'm too busy trying to hold my breath as I'm shooting down the never ending pipe with Ryoga, Mousse, and Plum behind me. My lungs are burning and just when I think it becomes too much, when I don't think we won't make it, we shoot out of the opening. I take a glorious breath as we land in an unknown room, wheezing with the effort to breathe normally. We're in enemy territory and there is danger all around us, so I'm still on high alert, scanning the area around us. That is when I spot him.
Saffron.
The pompous demi-god is looking at me like I'm nothing more than a bug that needs to be squashed. I want to wipe that smug look off his ugly face but my overwhelming thirst for violence goes much deeper than just his taunting looks.
In the past when anyone dared to hurt Akane, I made them pay for their mistake. But this was the first person to truly enrage me. That bastard kidnapped Akane! He had Kiima impersonate Akane to manipulate me. The fucker drowned Akane!
I've never hated anyone as much as I hated him.
"Saffron! Now you pay!"
My vision went red and I attacked without a thought. My hands were on the pint-sized asshole's throat, mercilessly. I no longer cared that he looked like a child.
But something was wrong. I tried to squeeze his throat but my hands wouldn't move. I look down to see tendrils of fibrous material swirling off of the demi-god and wrapping around my arms. I could only stare in confusion until I realized the tendrils were solidifying! They had already encased my hands and turned hard. I tried to pull away but my hands wouldn't budge. The tendrils were reaching farther up my arms and I realize that they would encase my entire body soon. My mind raced but I couldn't find a way out.
There is a commotion behind me and I realize Mousse and Ryoga were trying to help. Those idiots! They didn't understand what was happening. The danger they would be in if they came closer. How could they when I can barely understand it? I scream at them to stay away.
Someone needed to get to Akane! Someone needed to save her, and get her home safely if I couldn't. I could feel the energy draining from my body and I suddenly felt too weak, I could barely stand up. I struggled, even though I knew it was becoming useless.
I couldn't give up. I've never given up. But it was more than just my pride this time. Akane needed me.
Suddenly, I heard Ryoga calling her name. I snap my head around and there she was, running along one of the cliffs. I was suddenly filled with elation, she was safe! Alive and unharmed by the drowning. I breathed a sigh of relief. Akane was a horrible swimmer and it was terrifying to think she had been drowned. She could barely save herself from a kiddie pool and he knew from experience how deep those cursed pools could be. But somehow she had escaped on her own. It wasn't surprising since she had escaped every other time she had been kidnapped. The relief only last a moment as I was filled with fear again.
Stupid Akane!
Why had she exposed herself? And where the fuck was she running to? I didn't take my eyes off her as she sprinted along the rocks, jumping off the cliff and landed on the Phoenix head.
What is she doing?!
She turned the thing on top of the Phoenix head and suddenly the water stopped! Realization struck me then. She revealed herself to save me.
Stupid, stubborn tomboy! Always risking herself for me when you should be worried about yourself!
I called out to her when suddenly there was a blast of wind and light and...
She disappeared.
I watched in disbelief as her clothing fluttered down and landed across my arms. My mind froze. I could do nothing but stare at her clothes. My mind trying to process the unthinkable, she was…was…
Gone.
There was nothing left of her but a pile of clothing. My body felt oddly hollow as I stared at the unfamiliar clothing, replaying those last few moments over and over again. My mind trying to process the unimaginable.
Akane was dead.
And I felt dead inside. What was the point of living if I didn't have her in my life?
I had no idea how long I stayed that way. I had no idea what happened around me, no idea how we got out of the cave. All I could do was stare at the empty robes still draped on my arms. The only things I had left of her. I stared and stared at them trying to will her back to me.
My trance was broken when someone tried to take the clothing away from me. Didn't they understand that those clothes were all I had left of her! In a suddenly fit of anger I lunged to get them back but with my useless arms, I could only fall on my face. The anger left as quickly as it came and in its wake, grief and guilt overwhelming me. I've never felt so impotent in my life.
What did it matter if they took those garments? They weren't really hers. It's not how I would remember her. An image of her came so clearly to me then. She was walking in the street in front of me, wearing her school uniform. The wind blowing through her hair and ruffling the bottom of her skirt. She turns around and smiles at me, her eyes twinkling and my heart aches. It's that smile. The one I've always loved. That smile she gave me the first day I met her. She's so beautiful. Why didn't I ever tell her how beautiful she was? She's saying something to me, I can almost hear her telling me to hurry or we'll be late for school again.
But I'll never walk to school with her again. My heart shatters into a million pieces when I realize I would never see that smile again. I would never see her again. I'd been injured so many times in my life but nothing compared to the pain and despair I felt now. I laid there pathetically, hoping the darkness would swallow me whole. Maybe then I could be with her again.
"Ah, very good, still here," the guide said.
"Still there? You can't mean?"
The hopeful tone in Ryoga's voice breaks through my grief. I look up hesitantly yet hopefully, and there in the guide's hands was...was… I couldn't believe it. Trying to be as careful as I could I took the doll in my hands and stared at the tiny figure.
It was Akane and she was alive!
I can feel the warmth coming off her and if I look carefully – and I do – I can see her chest moving up and down slightly. My heart was beating so quickly with relief. She's alive. She's alive! I keep repeating that in my head with, well not happiness because she's small and doll sized, but with hope.
Plum comes over and tries to take her from me. I jerk Akane protectively towards me and glare at the little girl. She speaks to me slowly and softly, as if I was a wounded animal, which I guess I was. She explained that she only wants to put some clothes on Akane. I look down and notice for the first time that she's naked. She would hate that. I slowly hand her over to the little girl and she takes her into her room. I'm anxious the entire time they're gone. I had my eyes glued on the door until Plum came back with a naked doll tucked under her arm and Akane dressed in a cute Chinese outfit. Plum puts Akane next to me on the table and I can't take my eyes off her. She looks so small and delicate.
So breakable.
The guide tells us that the hot water of the Pheonix tap had severely dehydrated her which caused her to shrink. The only way to get Akane back to normal is to get her into the cold water from the dragon tap to rehydrate her. As carefully as I can, I tuck Akane into the front of my shirt, it's the only way I know she'll be protected, the only way I know to keep her safe until we get her cure.
When we get to the cave I come up with a plan. Using the shishi hokodan, Ryoga will blast me towards the Phoenix where I will break its neck, allowing me to avoid touching the Kinjakan. Then I will land on the Dragon, turn the key, and save Akane with the cold water.
The guide objects, thinking I'm not able to do it with my hands frozen but I know I am the only one who can do it. I don't trust Mousse and Ryoga with this, not when Akane's life is on the line. With Mousse's poor eyesight he probably can't tell the difference between the dragon and phoenix taps and Ryoga would probably get lost half way through the air. When it comes down to it; I'm the best.
After Ryoga fucks up the first time – shocker – I'm blasted a second time and head towards the dragon's head. The key falls off in my arms and I'm struggling to find my way to destroy the phoenix head as those fibrous tendrils are trying to get me. The key ends up slicing off the dragon's nose and that is when I realize it's a weapon and I can use it to break the phoenix. I slice its neck and head towards the dragon to turn the tap on when the phoenix beak falls onto Saffron's egg and it explodes. I'm sent flying directly into the cavern wall and am only able to brace my arms in front of my chest to protect Akane before I black out from the impact.
When I wake up, I'm a little groggy and confused. I'm in some strange room I've never seen before. Then I suddenly remember everything that's happened and I look down and see that Akane is gone! Damn it! Did I drop her during my fall? I need to find her. Panicking, I try to jump out of bed only to fall on my face.
"What the…"
I look down to see a ball and chain locking my legs together. Great. My arms are completely useless and now I can't even use my legs. I'm scrambling to find a way out of the chains when I hear someone coming towards the door. I tense and brace myself. If it's an enemy, I'm screwed. I look up to see Shampoo and she's holding Akane in her hand!
Another wave of fear hits me. Somehow, she knows that's the real Akane and is offering to save her. She has Jusen water in a bottle. Her cure is feet from me and I can't do anything about it! Shampoo agrees to give it to Akane as long as I get into the imprinting eggs, which will make me Shampoo's slave. If it means saving Akane's life, I'd do it. I'd be Shampoo's slave.
Only I don't trust Shampoo to keep her word. She's hated Akane ever since they met and would kill her in a heartbeat. With me in the egg, there would be no one to object and after the egg, I wouldn't dare to. So I pretend to agree to her plan but instead I intend to then steal the eggs and encase her in them. Only it doesn't work, she tricks me by putting the Jusen water in the egg and it spills over the floor.
Fuck!
Akane's cure was so close and I lost it.
Suddenly Shampoo is lifting me in her arms and putting me on the bed, going on and on about making one last memory with me. I know exactly the kinda memories she wants to make and the idea of having sex with Shampoo makes me want to hurl. Don't get me wrong, she was attractive enough but that didn't make up for her complete lack of morals. She was ruthlessness and heartless, which was ugly.
But I play along to give me some more time as I try to think up a plan. It's ridiculously easy to convince her to take off her shirt. I get excited, not because of her boobs, but what's between them: more imprinting eggs.
Then all hell breaks loose when Mousse thinks I want to seduce her. Please. He could have her. With Mousse and my father interrupting it takes too long but I finally get her in the egg. Then I have to watch Mousse as he struggles with the idea that he could finally have Shampoo and the guilt that she wouldn't be with him of her own free will. In a stroke of brilliance I didn't think he had, Mousse puts a mirror in front of Shampoo as soon as she comes out, so she was free. He sacrificed his one chance to be with her so she can be happy. He must really love her. The fool. She doesn't deserve him. She would never deserve him.
We finally get back into the cavern with Shampoo's help and I notice Akane's eyes are drooping. That's when the guide tells me that if her eyes close completely we have no chance of saving her, even with the Jusen water.
Of course Saffron's there and gets in the way. There is no choice but to fight him and things blur after that. It's a tough battle, even harder than the one I had with Herb. Even in her shrunken state, Akane risks herself to help me. Twice.
I don't know what I've done for her to care about me so much that she would still protect me in her shrunken state but I know that I'll never deserve her.
I finally win. I think I killed Saffron with that blast but I can't feel any remorse, I'm too focused on Akane. I think she knows what's happening because she smiles at me.
I'm relieved that she's alive but worried because her eyes are starting to close again. We get the tap turned on and I get the water to spiral upwards and finally, FINALLY, I get her into the water. She instantly turns back into her normal size.
I can't believe it, we did it! She's okay. She's back to normal!
But something's wrong. Her eyes are still closed. She's…she's not breathing. We land at the bottom of the cave and she's still not moving. She's just lying there limply in my arms.
She's gone. This time for real. There is nothing more we can do for her.
A tidal wave of emotion floods me. There are no words that can truly explain the grief I feel.
The first time I thought she was gone, it was a shock. There was a brief moment that I didn't understand, didn't want to understand what happened to her. But this time I don't have that luxury. I've been fighting for her life, I knew it was a possibility but I never thought…
I shrug off my shirt and put it on her, gently doing up the buttons. She is beyond caring about her modesty but I need to do this for her. To respect her memory and I know it sounds stupid but I want her to be comfortable.
I don't know how long I sat there just cradling her in my arms, clutching her body to mine. Holding her close, I bury my face in her hair. I take a deep breath, taking in her wonderful scent. She has her own unique scent and I take another breath. This is what home smells like.
I take in her face. I want to remember every last detail, burn it into my mind. The slope of her nose. The shape of her lips with its cute cupids bow. The length of her eyes lashes and the way they lay on her cheeks when I notice a drop of water fall onto it. I wipe it away and find a new one close by, followed by another and another. It takes me a moment to realize that it's coming from me. I'm crying and for once I don't care.
There's so much I've never told her. I know that she can't hear me but I start talking anyway, hoping that in some way she can hear me. I fumble my way through my feelings like I always do. This might be my last time with her and I still can't tell her how much she means to me.
How much I lo…
I shake my head. There is no way I can say how I feel. I don't deserve to. Not when she's gone and it's my fault. Kiima kidnapped her because of me. Drowned her because of me. I've done nothing but complicate her life.
Ryoga, Shampoo, Mousse, Ukyo, Cologne, none of them would have made her life miserable if it weren't for me. I was the one who brought all the chaos and mess into her life. Worse, I've made her miserable. Always provoking her and saying stupid things without thinking. Never telling her how much she truly meant to me. How she was the one bright spot in my life.
But no matter what I did or said or didn't say, she was always there for me.
She flung herself into a chi tornado to help me get my strength back. She was the only one to come see me when I was kicked out of the house and living in a tent in the freezing cold because of Happosai. She set herself on fire to help me learn the soul of ice. She risked herself to save me from the orochi. Even when she was no more than a doll, she saved my life twice. And I couldn't save her, not when it really mattered.
It's my fault she's gone.
If I had never been engaged to her, she'd be okay. If I'd never been in her life, she'd been safe. She'd be alive and happy.
I wish I was never her fiancée! I wish we never met!
There was a flash of bright light and suddenly I found myself alone in an empty white space. Like, completely empty. No walls, no chairs, no ceiling, no floor.
No Akane.
"Akane! Akane! Akane!" I start running, looking for any sign of her but there's nowhere to go. "Akane!" I need to find her, I need to take her home to her family. Where was she? "Where the fuck am I?"
"That's not important."
The voice seemed to come from all around and echoed slightly. It had a calm, feminine quality that sounded oddly familiar but I don't care.
"The hell it's not! WHERE IS AKANE?"
On alert, I get into a fighting stance and scan the area around me.
"That depends on you."
"What the fuck does that mean?! Give her back!"
"Do you really wish to never have been engaged to Akane Tendo?"
"…what?"
"You wished that you were never engaged to her. Do you mean it?"
I frowned. I thought that in the heat of the moment, in the agony of losing Akane. But the truth is, she is the best thing that's ever happened to me. Things were far from perfect between us but I can't imagine my life without her.
But that's what I'm looking at. A life without Akane. Never walking to school with her again. Never sharing another meal with her. Never seeing her smiling face again. My life would be hell without her but maybe…
"Would she be safe? Would she be happy and alive?"
"She would be safe."
The answer is easy. If I could be positive that she'd be okay, I would give up a life without her. She'd be better off without me anyways. Only I don't think I can bare losing her completely.
"Will…will I be able to keep my memories of her?"
"Yes."
"Then yes."
"Wish granted."
Before I could process her words there was another flash of light and I was suddenly being jostled around, my head was throbbing, and I was staring at familiar black and white fur.
"Ahhh!"
I wince at the sudden scream and am plopped on my feet in front of a frightened Kasumi, Nabiki and a confused Soun.
"Father, this is your friend?" Kasumi asked.
Soun shakes his head in denial.
"Oh, so this panda just decided to visit? Happens all the time," Nabiki said acidly.
"You wouldn't happen to be…" Soun asked tentatively.
"Ranma. I'm Ranma."
How can they not know that?
Suddenly I'm being hugged by Soun and he seems surprised that I have breasts.
"You said Ranma was a boy, does this look like a boy to you, daddy?"
Nabiki's poking my chest again and I can feel the vein on my forehead beginning to throb but I'm too busy trying to figure out what the fuck is going on. Am I dreaming? First the cave, then the weird white space and now I'm back at the Tendo property.
The voice said, 'wish granted' but it couldn't possibly… It was impossible, right? But with the life I've lived, it didn't seem so preposterous. It made sense - if any of this could make sense - because the Tendos don't recognize me and are acting like they don't know Akane is missing. I close my eyes and try to block out the voices so I can think.
If I'm truly getting a second chance, the Tendos don't know who I am. They don't know anything about me. I have to act like I don't know them. I have to find a way to make sure I am engaged to one of the other girls or better yet leave, like I originally wanted. The farther away I get from Akane the better. She can live a good life, a safe one if I wasn't around to bring all the chaos into her life. Right, I need to leave as soon as possible.
I just…just need to see Akane first. I need to know that she's safe, healthy, and alive. Then I can leave without any regrets.
Just please, please let me see her one last time.
I look up to see all the Tendos huddled together, the girls behind Soun seemingly for protection.
"I'm Ranma Saotome. Sorry about this but if you give me some hot water, I can explain everything."
After changing myself then pops back, we explain how we got cursed.
"Well, that's not so terrible after all. Kasumi 19 and Nabiki 17, pick one and she'll be your fiancée."
"Wait. Don't you have another daughter? Where is she?" I blurt out without thinking and crane my neck about, almost as if I expect her to come out from behind a corner. I know I look ridiculous and am acting crazy but it's beginning to worry me that she's not here.
"Yes, I do have another daughter."
Mr. Tendo looks at me strangely – and who can blame him? From his point of view, this is the first time I've meet them and I know about a daughter that I've never seen before. I can see a similar questioning look on Kasumi's face and a searching one on Nabiki's but luckily neither one says anything.
"But she's no longer with us."
I can feel the blood drain out of my face and it feels like my heart stops. He can't…he can't mean…
"What are you saying?! She's dead?! She can't be dead!"
I don't realize that I'm screaming at this point or that I've gotten up. My hands are fisted at my sides and I can feel them vibrating, I'm so angry. She was supposed to be alive and safe!
"What?"
Mr. Tendo, who had cowed at my sudden shouting was now staring at me with wide eyes.
"Of course she's not dead! She's fine! She's no longer living with us because she's married!"
A/N: Big shout out to alwaysZutarian for pre-reading this for me even though she's so busy right now!
So this type of story has been done before but usually Ranma gets engaged to another one of the Tendo sister. I think this is unique because it takes Akane out of the equation completely. So if you are thinking you are gonna see her in this, you really won't. Don't worry though, it won't be a scene for scene redo of the entire series, but it will touch on all the parts and relationships I think are important. I'm trying something new, writing in the first person perspective is pretty hard but it's kinda nice flexing my writing muscles.
I know it's been forever since I've posted an original story but things have been crazy for me. I've quit my job, moved, and remodeled our new house. Between the packing, unpacking, cleaning and getting the kids acclimated to their new schools, and a second remodel, I've had zero time or desire to write. However, I am trying to change that. There will probably be a flurry of activity on my account, but don't get too excited, there's a caveat.
In the past I have only posted stories that I have fully intended to finish, but this time I can't guarantee that any of the stories will get past the first chapter. I've had a few story ideas that I want to get out there and hope that your reviews (hint, hint) and enthusiasm will inspire some creativity. I've made pretty good headway on some of them and figure I might as well post what I have. Does this sound familiar? No? Well it will, I'll be posting this section of the footnote verbatim to all my new stories.
As always, thank you for reading!
~PurseMonger