THE CHOSEN (All characters belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Viz Communications) ** I apologize ahead because the characters tend to become out of character a lot in this fanfic. I tried to keep them in character, but that didn't always happen. Again, I'm sorry!**

*Part 1*

He shook her gently, careful as not to further harm her already frail body. "Akane, please. Please wake up!"

he pleaded to the girl in his arms. Her body remained lifeless, her eyes remained closed. "AKANE! AKANE!!

PLEASE! WAKE UP! WAKE UP, DAMN IT!" he screamed with anguish and frustration. Immediately he regretted

his words. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Akane. I didn't mean to yell at ya," he whispered hoarsely to her, barely able to

contain the tears that threatened to down pour from his bloodshot eyes that had resulted from extreme exhaustion.

"Please Akane, please," he continued to beg, cuddling her closer to his worn, tired body as she remained still and

deathly silent in his arms. Without warning, tears began to stream down his face as they stung his eyes. He wiped them

away furiously; he hadn't wanted to cry, not now. It was not his "manly pride" that wouldn't allow the tears to come;

that didn't matter anymore. The tears would haze his sight of her, of her beauty he may never see again. "No." he

whimpered with hopelessness through his sobs. "Don't do this to me! Wake up! Please! Hit me! Do something.

Anything. anything but leave me." his voice trailed off as absolute emptiness began to fill his heart. He had been

too late, and no matter how fast, how strong, or how skilled he was, none of that could save her now. none of that

mattered now. He held her limp body closer as thoughts of life without her flooded his mind. "No. please." more

tears ran down the tear-streaked face as he begged one last time, his will to live draining out of him with that last plea.

"Akane."

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

"NOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Ranma sprang up into a sitting position, desperately gasping for air. His sweat-

soaked hair plastered to his skin while his eyes were bloodshot with terrorizing fear apparent in them. He looked

around through the deep darkness. He was in his own room, not the horrendous land of China . "It was only a

nightmare. she's still alive" Ranma reassured himself as relief flooded his mind. After gaining composure, he quietly

tiptoed to the bathroom. Closing the door behind him, he turned on the water and quickly washed his face in the sink.

He stared into the mirror after wiping his face dry and shook his head, as if attempting to vanquish the nightmare from

his mind. After pausing a moment of thought, he quietly walked to a familiar door, which proudly displayed a yellow,

wooden duck. On the handcrafted duck a name had been painted in red. Her name. He silently opened the door and

entered the room. Darkness of the night filled the room, interrupted only by the silver moonlight that crept into the

room through the window. The small light sufficiently illuminated the feminine figure asleep in bed. Safely tucked

under her blankets, she remained sound asleep as he approached the bedside. He plopped himself onto her desk chair

and watched her sleep. The moonlight from the window softly accented her facial features against the shadows. She looked beautiful as she lied there asleep, unconsciously soaking in the silvery radiance of the moon. He scooted her

chair closer to the bed for a better view. After a moment of adoringly gazing at her, he reached over and carefully

brushed away some stray hair from her face and smiled. *Alive* he thought as he continued to watch her sleep.

It had been three months since he had defeated Saffron. Three months since the horrifying wedding disaster.

The thought of the wedding made Ranma frowned slightly. He sighed.

If only he hadn't denied his feelings for Akane. If only he hadn't ran out on her to get nannichuan.. If

only Nabiki hadn't invited so many people.

Sighing again, he pushed the thought away. He had thought about all the "what if's" enough to last him a

lifetime of wonder and regret. Right now, he only wanted to think about sitting beside Akane as she slept. .

His smile returned as he stretched out his hand to caress her hair back. He sighed for the third time as his

heart raced in his chest. At times like these, when they shared a blissfully tranquil moment, he wanted to confess the

truth to her. He wanted to pour out his heart to her and announce his true feelings. But, unfortunately, these peaceful

moments were usually interrupted by a spying camera, celebrating fathers, or jealous fiancées. Even without those

distractions, he couldn't declare his true feelings for her. He would become nervous and shove his foot in his mouth,

ruining everything. He could never properly admit how he truly felt to her. Maybe it was a fear of rejection, of hurt and

emptiness. Maybe he just wasn't ready yet. It had only been three month since he'd admit his love for her to himself.

The moment he held her still and deathly cold body, when his world crumbled painfully around him, when he thought

he had lost her forever; it was then he had finally realized he could never live without her. Without his Akane. It

probably should've occurred to him sooner, especially when he thought he had lost her to Shinnoske, and he almost

did. The forgetful protector of the forest had come the closest to stealing her away. But when the little voiced rang in

his heart insisting he truly cared for her, he had stubbornly ignored it. But now, thank goodness, he knew. He knew he

loved her more than anything anyone could fathom. The only problem was telling her.

"Soon," he whispered softly to her as he gently stroked her hair. "I'll tell you soon. I swear," he promised. He

ran his hand carefully against her porcelain cheek before he reluctantly stood up to leave. *If she found me here, I'd be

in the hospital for at least a week* he mentally laughed as he pictured the scene. As he approached the door, he took

one last peek at Akane before closing the door behind him. Leaning against the door, looked down the hall, toward his

room. Deciding against sleeping, he strolled casually down the stairs and into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of

water. The light flickered on as he sat down at the table for a moment, staring uninterested at his cup. Unsatisfied with

the kitchen, he walked into the living room and plopped himself down against the wall opposite of the television. After

finishing off his glass of water, he peered into the darkness of the tranquil room. It seemed like one of the rare moments

of peace that the room experienced since the arrival of Ranma and his father. Ranma soaked it in contentedly. Sighing,

he leaned his head against the wall. Still not ready to sleep, he decided to lie out on the roof. At least there he could

think or gaze at the stars. He went out through the porch and leapt onto the rooftop. Lying down facing the sky, he

pillowed his head in his arms. He had spent most of his nights here since their return from China, thinking of his life --

his fiancée problems, the disastrous wedding, and his relationship with Akane. Tonight, though, the only thing on his

mind was the nightmare.

Shortly after the failed wedding, the first of the reoccurring nightmare came. Since then, it returned to his

unconscious mind nearly every night. It was the same dream with the same frightening result; he always saved her too

late. The worst part of the terrifying dream was that it seemed as real as the day he defeated Saffron in China.

His mind shifted to another thought. He had defeated. no . killed Saffron. He murdered a living being and

he had done it without much hesitation. The thought unnerved him. * It was for Akane.* he mentally reminded

himself. *For Akane.* There wasn't anything he wouldn't do to save an innocent person, but murder was another

story. But he had crossed the line of life and death to save Akane. He knew, though, he wouldn't have taken it back if

he could. It had been the only way he could've saved her life, so he did it. For her. Of course, his guilt overwhelmed

him for a while, but he soon learned to live with the decision, especially after the reoccurring nightmare began.

*Akane.* he thought, closing his eyes as a cool breeze caressed his face. She had been so still, so pale, so

lifeless. He refused to believe she would die on him. She couldn't. She had to be there forever to mallet him, to yell at

him when he said something stupid, and to poison him with her toxic cooking. She had to be there so he could see the

smile that made his heart race harder than a heavily fought battle. But that day, she almost left him to be alone. He had

nearly lost her forever. The moment the thought had crossed his mind in China while holding her lifeless body, his

mind went black as an agonizing yet numb pain settled in his chest. Since the day he met Akane, he had been truly

happy for the first time since he could remember, regardless of what act he tried to pull off. His life revolved around

her. If she were gone, for Ranma, dying would be less torment. Ranma shivered in the chilly night. He yawned as he

focused on a more pleasant thought. *Akane's alive* He jumped off the roof and padded to his room, where he flopped

onto his futon and drifted into a deep sleep.