This story describes an alternate outcome in the lives of Ranma 1/2. The characters and plot devices belong to Rumiko Takahashi and do not reflect anything made but by her. There is a very sensitive situation discussed about cancer which I relate and feel comfortable to write as well.
Sacrificial Love
"Damn it all!. . .Why in the world did I say yes. . .What is wrong with me!" Yelled the teenage boy to no one in particular just as several jeeps chased him among the wilderness of the land.
A few days ago Ryoga Hibiki met wonderful indigenous people struggling to survive in a place he believed to be Russia despite the lack of snow. Wrong. The boy had been on the road for the longest time all thanks to certain nightmares hunting his dreams and keeping him distracted from where he wanted to go.
The elder told him he knew of a way to stop the demons hunting his mind, but in exchange, he begged him to rescue their idol from the local tyrants. Then, after being led into the jungle, the boy managed to find a place filled with old traps and poisonous beasts ready to kill him.
"Looks more like on of those temples I've been before minus those sounds of an engine and the light bulbs." Wondered the teen as soon as he saw a power generator giving life to the mushy and damp landscape.
Everything went easy enough at the beginning, specially when you are able to turn a giant rolling boulder into tiny pebbles, or break the walls through instead of walking in the middle of a rain made of venomous arrows. Yes, the hero in this adventure had the statue safe in his hands and the only step remaining was not to get lost in his way back.
That is until he met "them." The group of diamond hunters keeping a tight operation firmly hidden away from prying eyes. "E-Excuse me. . .Do you know if this is the right path to the village?" Asked Ryoga somehow confused by the machine-guns and the rough looking men closely guarding the area.
"I don't know what are you doing here boy, but by the looks of it you found better loot than us. . .Hand it over!" Demanded the guy who looked like the one in charge when Ryoga had on his hands the idol filled with incrusted gems of all kinds.
And now here we are, back in the present. Ryoga could have tried fighting them, but he knew in a few more minutes his path would take him away from this area, and he needed to deliver the statue before that could happen.
Now, arrows and boulders were one thing, but to avoid several thugs shooting high caliber bullets was something a bit more dangerous, and even if he could avoid them at any given moment, the boy knew retaliation was a method mercenaries loved to punish the innocent. . .In this case, the village.
"Damn it!' Exclaimed once again just before the wild ended at the edge of a deep cliff. "Give it up boy!. . .There is nowhere for you to go, and that piece is worth more than your life, so hand it over." Said the boss while the others started to surround any other escape route.
The lost boy kept thinking on dropping it, but he knew the men would try to kill him anyway, and a promise was something he never broke before, reinforcing the need to not start now. "Sorry, but I must do what my heart tells me. . .Goodbye!" Ryoga jumped off the cliff, gaining speed faster and faster into the chasm far below with no chance to survive, but looking in the distance how his pursuers desisted.
Neither of the men dared follow or even chase around the chasm knowing most villages were close to that region. "have it your way kid. . .Sooner or later that treasure will be dragged by the current anyway. Then, only your carcass will be holding what belongs to me!" They left him to his luck, without a care on the world about who he was or why was he even there.
Close to the ground, a boy plummeted to his death with no apparent option for survival, or so it looked until he focused in the girl of his dreams. "Akane-san, it looks like this is it for me. . .I hope that bastard follow his heart and marry you. Otherwise I'll come back from the death and beat him up personally. . ."
His thoughts? A promise he did before leaving them for good all those months ago. Ryoga had arrived accidentally to the wedding between his platonic love and his greatest rival, and even though he decided to stop pursuing Akane, he vowed to protect her from anything and promised he would try to let her marry the one she loved. . .Which was Ranma Saotome.
As time passed, his heart was healed, and when everything was said and done, the eternal lost boy admitted his friendship with Ranma was the healthiest of therapies he could use to keep a balance between his uncontrolled anger and negative depression.
"Ranma. . .I guess you'll always defeat me one way or another, but I accept it. You are my best friend and for that. . .I thank you." His farewells were done, leaving no regret left behind as the shallow river closed in on his soon to be dead body.
The mention of the pigtailed boy suddenly caused the memory of those dreams to storm into his head, forcing a chuckle of irony when all he really wanted was to love someone special before dying. "Damn. . .To die thinking on him as a friend was a stretch, but to leave this world looking at his curse at my side is just wrong!"
A tear left his eye when he smiled at his spent life. No girl existed thanks to his lack of direction, not to mention his stupid shyness. His parents lost by the same illness, and the only two important people in his life, unaware of what was about to happen.
That made him cringe in pain. . .A pain so sharp, his chest hurt bad. Streams of tears filled his vision and in that fraction of a second the boy smiled defeated by his incompetence as a normal human being. Oddly enough though something happened that altered the perception of his existence.
By all accounts he was supposed to die right there and then, but a feeling swelling deep in his heart whispered this wasn't over. Ryoga could not understand what was happening but something unreal turned the tide towards the most amazing miracle.
There was no more whooshing sounds of air passing through the sides of his head, but the loud crashing of waters forcing him to open his eyes and stare at a cascade. "Wha!. . .?" That's all he could say when he turned to see the highest cliff looking down at him from above and, on the next second, he rested comfortably right besides the base of the waterfall staring back on his way down.
"Wasn't I about to hit my head on the river?" Asked again Ryoga to no one else. "Oh but you were strange one. . .I saw you vanish from sight and appear right there a second later. How did you do it?" Asked the elder with puzzled eyes at the same time the boy delivered his precious god in one piece.
Ryoga gave the idol to the old man, explaining how he sometimes vanishes from one point and pops several thousands of miles away on another when his mind is occupied by grief or worry. "That's how I travel old man but. . .I don't know how it works. I had never done something like this in my life."
"Ah!. . .Then you must come with me and see what is troubling you." Enticed the elder as he grabbed his hand, pulling Ryoga among bushes and wild life until both walked right into the hidden village. "There is some strong magic in you, that I feel deep in my chest strange one, but there is something else you want to understand. . .tell me."
They finally arrived to his hut. The place looked too dark for Ryoga's taste, but after accepting a plate of soup he found amazingly delicious, he started to open up to the man. "I. . .I don't know how to explain this old man."
"I have two very good friends who always look out for me. One, I fell in love long ago, or so I thought until that feeling began to turn into the greatest of friendships. The second I recently accepted him as a friend and I know they are meant to be together. My problem is. . ."
Ryoga choked up nervously when the same nightmares kept pressing the biggest of headaches he cold barely withstand. "I. . ." But there was nothing more he could say. Ryoga refused to even acknowledge such stupidities.
"You want to know why do you dream about "him" as your wife and mother of your children?" The sound itself was beyond preposterous, but it hurt to hear it that way when the nightmares pointed in that direction at some point in his life.
With a fake sense of fear, Ryoga's mouth hanged open, surprised to hear the insane declaration the old man came up with. "B-But that's just it!. . .I know he has a curse that turns him into a girl, but I have no feelings for "her" or him at all. . .I just barely started to see him as a friend. . .An acquaintance at the most!"
The elder laughed out loud by the sheer feeling of fear in the boy's eyes, noting this was something he could not understand now, but he needed to, at least for the future coming his way. With a humming tone and his closed eyes, the tribal Wiseman threw his seven bones into the air, watching as they took different shapes and landed in the curious of ways on the sand.
"Mm. . .I see. I'm sorry young man, but I cannot change those dreams because they are real. You do not love your friend like that. . ."Now". . .But some time in your future, a strange one will be a happy man in love with a happy woman."
Ryoga blinked several times trying to decipher the riddle, but nothing more than a more painful headache made the boy snarl madly and forget what the old man said. "Whatever man. I do not love him and I never will. . .I'm getting some sleep here tonight, but as soon as I walk a few steps, we won't see each other ever again. . .Good night."
After the childish tantrum, Ryoga took a well deserved nap. His dreams were calm and related to about powerful techniques and the privilege of showers done in cold water. When he thought nothing would rob him of his heavenly sleep, that's when it happened again.
"N-No. . .S-Stop it. . ." Grunted the boy as his mind saw an old Ryoga Hibiki laughing and playing with a boy while Ranma in female form prepared some type of breakfast on the kitchen. "Hey you two idiots!. . .Are we eatin' heavy or just the essential before going to the beach?"
"Whatever you want honey. . .I think Ranryu and I would go for the normal plates honey. . .I know you'll pretty much eat the rest and even assault a few stalls by the shore." Said the older Ryoga with a tinge of innocent spite in his words.
"Oh honey, you sure know me so well. . .Light breakfast comin' up!" That was pretty much all the conversation Ryoga could withstand before the boy exploded from his sleeping bag completely soaked in sweat and heavily breathing out of his mouth.
"Why!. . .Why am I thinking in "him" of all people!" Screamed the boy so confused he preferred to stop sleeping altogether and rest by the fire, contemplating how the flames took away the rest of his sanity. Tears began to run again, this time they were bitter and sad tears of loneliness and fear.
"Am I that desperate?. . .I mean, she is cute and every time he plays those damn tricks, it makes me feel so loved. I shouldn't be thinking like this, but I got no one. . .I am so pathetic." Was the last degrading declaration he mustered before falling asleep exhausted, instead of wanting to sleep and remember the nightmares coming back.
"Do you think he has a chance husband?" Asked the oldest of women in the village to the wise-man studying the boy. "I don't know dear. He loves her, but he is not "him". . .Well, you know how all this magic works so, we better wish him luck and pass his case to his village's Elder."
The old couple decided to let the boy rest, doing the same themselves after the woman covered Ryoga back with a blanket. "Poor child. Alone in this world is something I wish to no man." The teen felt her wish comforting, tugging a tiny smile her way as a thanks for her good heart. "Sleep little one, someday luck will shine your path."
After a few hours the day came to the land, bathing its light and filling the air with the fragrance made of hope. Ryoga was surprised by all the kids in the village when they ran into the hut unattended by the grown ups which was a big change in his lonely life. Boys and girls playing in the nearby lake while a small group made of little children played and scrubbed clean a tiny piglet they adored the moment they saw the transformation.
The elders and strong men in the place noted how cheerful Ryoga was around the young, forgetting sadness and pain in favor to enjoy a social event, rare for someone like him. Breakfast was a blast as well, and after the several families thanked him for the rescue of the idol, the old wise man offered him a chest filled with gems of all kinds and several artifacts lying around.
"This is your reward young one. We do not care for such treasure, but our hunters find them anyway and bring them as novelties. . .Chose as you see fit." Said the old man with wonderment in his eyes. Ryoga saw how everything sparkled before his eyes.
There were giant gems the size of his fist, rare coins and even diamonds much bigger than the ones he saw from the black-market traders a few days ago. When he decided to take something nice, he noticed a locket and a red gem. Both beautiful crafted, but one made with nothing more than fancy glass, and the other had such crystalline sparkling unlike other pieces.
"Can I take those two?" Asked Ryoga mesmerized by the crafting detail. "Oh!. . .You have keen eye my young friend. That belonged to one of our most powerful warriors long ago. He already died and that locket belongs to his loved one. I'm afraid they never had a family of their own, but I'm sure they'd be proud for you to have it."
"The gem although beautiful and exotic, was created by an elder who loved giving shape with spiritual means. Take them. . .Take them and used them according to the wishes in your heart young man, just remember. The true gift lies deep within your mind."
Ryoga immediately took the locket and the red gem, admiring their beauty but ready to use them as gifts. "The locket has to look amazing as a wedding gift, and I'm sure the stone can work perfectly as the ring. . .Stupid Ranma better appreciate me as his best man or else."
"Thanks old man, I really appreciate it. Well. . .I think is time for me to leave now." The teen was about to walk away when the older man held him from the shoulder, whispering something Ryoga found strange.
"Young man. I do not know how to help with your dreams, but I believe Cologne can help you. . .She is the official wise woman in your village and she is as capable as me. Here, give this to her and she'll know of you."
Ryoga received a stick tied with a red string and three leaves hanging from it. It didn't look that amazing or mystical, but that must be something old people might think from each other, he thought. "S-Sure old man. . .I'll give her this whenever I see the old ghoul. . .Thank you."
Before the amazed eyes of the village and the gasping sounds from the children, the eternal lost boy managed to walk a few steps before vanishing in thin air without even knowing it. When Ryoga took a deep breath hoping the tears wouldn't betray him, he turned around donning a big smile with hoping to bid farewell at his new friends, but it was too late when he saw nothing behind but sand.
"Damn!. . .I can't believe I can get lost so easily.!" With his fists balled and a nerve popping from his face, the teen screamed into the sky knowing no one would answer his pleads anyway. "Now. . .Where in the hell am I!" Nothing much was left, but to begin his eternal quest to find the cure for his curse, and somehow resolve the issues destroying the last sanity in his newly acquired family.
Still, the perturbing memory lingered in his mind. Ranma as a middle aged woman in love with him was something only an insane person would dream. Ryoga feared at this point a confrontation with the pigtailed boy believing how dishonorable it could be to think that way about his friend and specially when Akane was about to marry him.
"I'm sure I'll meet him sooner or later and I don't want that. . .Not when I see him like that. I need to stay away from Ranma until I can find a way to suppress those damn dreams, but I must see the old ghoul. . .She must know what should I do."
Ryoga kept thinking about his problems without paying attention where he went. There were no constant steps when treading on the deserted areas but more like a skipping of terrain and when his worries turned into a bunch of distracting thoughts, that was the formula for his lack of direction.
He decided for the fist time to experiment with his latest technique, starting by talking himself into calming his train of thoughts and understand where he was at all times. "Ok. . .Focus this time. Think on Cologne and don't let go of it. . ."
He kept repeating the same word again and again, firmly stepping ahead as his feet started to feel lighter and lighter, and moving more by instinct than with a purpose. When he stopped focusing on her name, he noticed there was no more hot wind or dry sand hitting his face, but a rather strange clicking he could not put his finger on.
"It sounds like. . .wheels?. . .Wheels of some type maybe?" Ryoga swallowed dryly one more time before he dared to take a peek. When he opened one eye, there she was. . .Shampoo pedaling at full speed and unable to stop when the lost boy popped unannounced out of no where.
CRASH!. . .Came the sound of her trusty bicycle stomping the lost boy under the wheels. "Stupid lost boy come from no where. . .Move!. . .Shampoo need to deliver ramen to Airen. . ." The teen slid right off her obstacle, and before he could say something else, the girl sped down the street with no wish to stop any time soon.
"Wait!. . .I need you to take me to see the old ghoul!" But there was no response from the Chinese girl. "Man. . .At this rate I will never find the. . ." Said Ryoga just before he turned around and saw the Nekohanten sign staring back at him mere two feet away.
"Wow!. . .I'm really getting the hang of this. . .!" With forced steps, the boy still hoped to get into the restaurant instead of getting lost before going in. When he did so, inside was the elder Amazon serving bowls and plates as the boy walked near a table with hopes to meet the busy woman.
"If you're here for food you need to pay boy. . .Do you ha have any money?" Asked Cologne a bit pushy when she knew the teen always became lost and broke at the same time. "I. . .I. . ." Ryoga looked everywhere except his pack. His shyness always took the best of him, and forgetting the gems and precious things inside was a common occurrence he had all the time. "S-Sorry Cologne Sensei. . .I only have fifteen yen with me." inquired nervously when he emptied the pockets from his pants in front of the elder.
With an exasperated sigh, the woman admitted his lack of direction was something hard to circumvent and so her heart soften by the way he was full of smudges and dirt. Her trusty staff flew from one side of the room to the next, carrying a big bowl of steaming ramen well balanced on the tip.
"Fine Ryoga. . .I'm serving you this time, but only one bowl you hear?" The teen bobbed immediately, accepting the scrumptious food which lasted no more the a few seconds. "My, my. . .Where have you been this time. . .Trapped in some mine or concentration camp?"
The older woman skipped on her staff, laughing goodheartedly when something called her attention back at the boy. Among the coins she procured, the stick carefully crafted lied on the table, completely ignored when the boy was busier cleaning the bowl with a finger.
"Tell me son. . .Where did you get that?" Ryoga saw the stick as well, saying how he helped an old man and a village from some men trying to steal his idol and that was some type of reward he was suppose to give to her.
"I see. . .Well, let's take a look shall we?" The Elder barely touched the strange made object when all the nightmares and depressive dreams affecting Ryoga came crashing into her mind. Cologne saw the old man explaining about what he felt for the redhead and how his power to move through matter and time was more than what he gave credit for.
After the fulminating amount of facts all contained at once poured in, she fell on one of the chairs exhausted by a technique long unused. She saw how the fanged teen took a deep breath satisfied by the food trying to fake no other concern with his journey in the hidden village. "Thanks a lot Cologne-sama. . .I really appreciate you help." The boy stood up, bowed respectfully and prepared to leave when his shame as a worthless person made him apologize for his rude entrance.
"I know I'm a pest, and I promise I won't take more of your time. . .Besides, I need to leave this place as soon as possible." Informed a bit spooked by the fear to meet certain pigtailed menace. Before he could leave though his muscles tensed and he wasn't able to move when the woman chuckled with his demeanor and the secret he tried to hide so carefully, came out bursting by itself.
"Why is that son. . .Is it maybe so you won't see Ranma. . .The love of your life?" Ryoga spun around, falling on his knees and begging at the woman not to say anything about it. "I swear Cologne-san, I don't love him!. . .It's just these dreams I can't get off my mind. . .Please, if there is a way you can help me, I beg you. . .Help me!"
The Elder noted how the boy was so desperate and out of his wits, this was something eating him alive for the longest time. "I will Ryoga. . .After all, I taught you secret Amazon techniques and you are like a dear student to me. From now on we'll be more closely training those strange skills of yours, and in the meantime I'll instruct Shampoo and Mousse to work with that little problem. . .C'mon, there is a place you can stay back by the kitchen."
From that moment on Cologne and Shampoo became constant guards for the boy who seemed so confused with how life was treating him. Mousse on the other hand was always the conniving young man ready to use any means necessary to restore the love Shampoo had for him.
With his sneaky moves and despite his near-sighed vision, the boy who turned into a duck managed to serve the food at the restaurant and at the same time eavesdrop on the conversations of others. "I tell you Cologne!. . .In my dreams I am really old and Ranma is my wife. . .I could choke up to a simple dream, but is so real and it won't leave me away!"
Mousse found the information important and convenient, and after a while hiding behind an annoyed Shampoo thinking it was the decorative statue, the surprise came when a splash of water and a kick sent a duck flying away from the place. "Stupid Mousse. . .Leave grandma and Ryoga alone. . .!"
After the incident Cologne knew this would get out of hand, taking the confused teen away and into a shed she always kept for these cases outside town. "Stay here and keep practicing son. I've been working on this tiny house for some time so, enjoy it and I'll see you in the morning.
Ryoga thanked her for the help but afraid to disappear like previous occasions, the boy used a rope to stay glued at the area at all times, and that way being worry free from his stupid sense of direction. "I'll be here Cologne. . .Thank you."
Back on the Dojo, things became a lot differently than what the lost boy last saw. Ranma and Akane felt somehow alone when Ryoga stopped hanging around the house, and by then, almost seven months had passed since his last visit. The youngest Tendo found very disturbing not being able to see P-Chan anywhere either, forcing her way of thinking into compare two of the closest beings in her life as a possible one being. Thankfully something else had her mind occupied most of the time these and the only one capable to find out what bothered her was in more trouble than what most people realized.
One of those days were you would see both teens fighting and getting ready to go to school early, it did not happen like that. Nabiki and Kasumi had their suspicions for the longest time about her sister, but Ranma was a case no one in Nerima knew with the exception of the local doctor.
This time around the middle Tendo managed to follow Ranma through the streets of the town, noticing he wasn't going to school at all, but at the clinic dr. Tofu owned which was in the way. The ice queen waited patiently when both, the pigtailed boy and the doctor would go in, and after a few minutes later an angered Ranma would bust out of the clinic cursing and ready to kill anyone crossing his path.
"That's weird. . .Usually he goes in there when someone splashes him into his curse, but he keeps going in and out as a male. . .I need to find out what's going on with him." Said the girl as she too, dashed out with the intention to not be late.
School always brought about the same dealings for either Akane and Ranma, but their minds were elsewhere. The Saotome heir enjoyed most days completely lost bird-watching through the window or holding buckets of water, while the girl quietly talked with her friends or stayed out of trouble.
At the end of classes, all the students were glad to leave for the day. Ranma specially more than the others. He would try and goad his fiancée if nothing else, but snap her out of her trance wasn't an easy chore any longer. Akane would simply ignore his taunts and would leave with her several girlfriends out of the busy place with the idea to take a stroll back home. . .Preferably alone at the end of the walk.
"Fine tomboy!. . .Have it your way." Responded daringly the pigtailed teen while jumping on the fence and leaving the girl with her own thoughts. That was the precise moment Akane used to rush into the clinic and had her own secret appointment with the doctor.
"Dr. Tofu!. . .I'm here like you asked." The teenage girl always had a special bond with the older boy. A crush of sorts she developed for the longest time, but knew he was in love with her older sister and at some point, she too corresponded the same feeling back.
"Thank you Akane-Chan. Please, let me take a look at you and afterwards we can discuss about a diagnosis that's been bothering me for the longest time." Akane sat on the medical bed obediently, noting how professional Ono was with his patients which gave her a sense of peace after the last check up.
The pigtailed teen realized his friends were scattered by now, but even if they were with him, his secret screamed on their faces the shame he had been hiding for so long. It started much early than he remembered, and when he noticed the subtle details slowly taking over his mind, he felt only one man would know the answers to this strange new development.
"Oh!. . .You foul sorcerer!, what haft thy done with my precious tea-kettle girl!. I have waited interminable days in hope to profess my unquenchable love and all that besieges me is thy foul self. . .Prepare to meet your doom you miscreant!"
Oh no, thought the Saotome heir. If there was one person in the whole universe he wouldn't want to see now, that would be Kuno and his demented speech disability. "Damn it man!. . .I got nothin' ta do with the tea-kettle girl an' even if I did, she don' like you!"
His wooden sword came into play, weapon so easy to avoid for the boy but annoying as hell when his blinding attacks would hit something else besides him. As a matter of fact it did, and too late Ranma realized the contained rainwater on top of a roof came easily undone when that idiotic boy hit the wall, forcing the stuck body to be released on top of an unsuspecting Ranma.
Splash!. . .Came the transformation causing all the tragedies surrounding this redheaded girl. "Oh, my tea-kettle girl. . .How long haft I waited to feel your candid body and the warmth of your love, cometh at me, reward me with the sweet fruit of ecstasy!"
Again, Ranma sneered in place when water played a part she despised the most, screwing every situation she was in and unable to control those around. The hug came so fast and furious, the redhead tensed completely and her teeth clenched so tight, her brain froze, unable to react for several seconds.
When she did understood what was going on, Kuno already had gone to town, leaving his hands all over her heaving breasts and giving the girl no other option but to turn around and kick him into the air. "Damn it!. . .Why the breasts!. . .It's always up here an' I. . .Hate that so. . .Much!"
After scrubbing her arms and upper torso copious times, the redhead walked angry away, forgetting any other place but home where she could change back to his regular self. "I swear. If I'm in hell by this stupid problem now, being touched like that is just beyond disgusting. . ."
A few feet away, a confused Kuno sat on the landing street he arrived from his beloved's kick. He kept asking to himself why would she reject such example of manliness, luckily for the first time in his life, someone else heed his call.
"Kuno-honey. . .I think is time for you and I to have a long and hard talk about Ranma-kun but. . .This is going to cost you dearly after I explain his unique situation." The business starving teen grabbed his arm, leading him to a restaurant where they could discuss the secret eluding Tatewaki for a long time.
When Ranma found no other opponent he could mess with his mentally weak state, his eyes took him to the Nekohanten where surely Shampoo would be fun to play with and who knows, even get something to eat free along the way.
The shortest of girls in Nerima cautiously stepped into the restaurant, hoping she wouldn't alert its customers like every other day when a sensuous Shampoo loved to touched her some more as a girl and ignoring the perverted looks from old men.
That's when they met after almost eight months from not seeing each other. Ranma arrived near the restaurant when Ryoga was eating happily inside. He looked a lot happier and at ease while Akane and him wondered where in the hell he'd been. "Well. . .We are all waitin' for that idiot an' he don' even comes to the Dojo anymore. . .This time he's hearin' me whether he wants it or not. . ."
Ranma promptly ran into the restaurant before anyone could do a thing. There was a light thumping in the pigtailed teen's chest, something she didn't know why, but decided to leave the effect for what Kuno did earlier and maybe to the problem he'd been treating with the doctor recently, the point was that he needed to get a hold of himself and act as tough as always.
"There you are you jerk!. . .When are you goin' ta come home an' see 'kane!. . .She's been worried sick you know "P-Chan". . .?" The loud burst of words made Ryoga freeze in place, unable to move or react but his eyes stayed glued to those big blue ones staring defiantly back at him.
"Ah. . .I. . .I" Ryoga really tried to stay focused, but the dreams were coming back into his mind and as soon as Shampoo entered from the kitchen, the boy used that moment to jump out of the window without saying nothing else.
"Hey you jerk!. . .Where in the hell are you goin'. . .!" Ranma went right behind only to be stopped at the door by Cologne and hugged by the Chinese girl from the back. "hey!. . .What are you doing. I need to talk with that moron!"
"Sorry son-in-law, but Ryoga is indisposed at the moment, and there is no way you can see him ever. Please, stay and I'll get you something to eat." The pigtailed teen found the offer strange, but he never refused a free meal before and he wasn't about to start now. . .Besides, it wasn't like he would miss him again now that he was in town.
"Sure old ghoul. . .Keep 'em comin'. . ." Cologne regretted the idea, but Ryoga wasn't ready at all and the skill he had developed was something more important for the Amazons than the stalling marriage between Ranma and her great granddaughter.
"Here, eat as much as you want son." After she left Shampoo serving the boy. The older woman hopped away out of town, meeting Ryoga in the place destined in case of such incidents. "Good Ryoga. . .You were able to get here without getting lost, now. . .Stay close by and I'll let you know when Ranma leaves. I'm sure he won't comeback until he gets bored from school or his other friends."
The lost boy accepted her help, letting the elder go back to the restaurant while he stayed there with his tent and portable fire. "I can believe I'm hiding from that idiot, but I can't face him. I need to stay away from Akane-san and Ranma until I can get a hold of these stupid dreams."
On the Chinese restaurant, the atmosphere started to feel heavy for the pigtailed boy when Shampoo loved to climb all over the boy with all manner of hugs. "Shampoo!. . .Get off of that idiot!. Don't you know how much I love you?" Asked Mousse on his knees right in front of the big plant decorating the restaurant.
"Mousse too blind. . .Shampoo no love duck, Airen here to take Shampoo on date. . .Shoo!" At this point Ranma found the place annoying so, after some arguing with the blind boy and a masterful escape from the girl's arms, the pigtailed teen lunged away full and satisfied.
"Gee. . .Can' these guys ever understand I'm already engaged. Then again, is nice ta mess with Shampoo when there's nothin' else around. . .I should see how's Akane after the silent treatment she gave me all week."
The boy left the place immediately, skipping roof after roof until he managed to see his girl sneak into Tofu's clinic. With puzzled eyes he veered close the place, waiting on the corner to see if there was something missing besides his own personal problem.
"Dr. Tofu. . .Were you able to find more about "that". . .?" Asked the girl preoccupied with the past result. "Akane-Chan. I don't know how this happened after all the tests I ran over the years. You see, my father had the honor to attend your mother when she contracted a serious type of cancer."
"The illness was so fulminating, it appeared out of nowhere and before he could do something, well. . .It had been too late. After he moved on and I kept his place, I made a deal with your father to keep you and your sisters safe and healthy, but although Nabiki and K-Kasumi are fine, it seems you are beginning to contract the same pattern."
Akane gasped nervously, thinking how her father explained the speed and toughness that special strand of cancer acted on her mother all those years ago, and now. . .After so many adventures and even a failed wedding, the same illness reared its ugly head after so long.
"I-Is there anything you can do Dr. Tofu?" The reflection of light through her eyes made the fear and anguish look so painful, but when the man in glasses shook his head, the girl plummeted on a chair, those same orbs dying of any light or color by the hopeless response.
"Ever since your mom developed the sickness, there hasn't been many cases like hers. I'm afraid this is a hereditary problem and there is little to no data about it. Please Akane, go with your father and tell him I will convene with other colleagues about this. . .Tell him, I'm doing everything I can to solve this before. . ."
His last words were lost in the conversation, omitted by the Dr. who was afraid to either give up or made the girl feel worse than she already was. "One more thing. . .Talk with Ranma as well. He has very pressing problems of his own and you two need to clear things up before the regular treatments begin."
After the required blood samples and the regular physical was taken again, the girl bowed respectfully before the man, leaving the clinic with the same sad demeanor she had come earlier. "Hey!. . .Is everythin' alright 'kane?" Asked the boy with a legitimate concern he used only a handful of few times with the girl.
Akane tried to act smug and careless like she'd been doing all week, but this was it. . .The last time she had left from enjoying the possibility of a real life. The youngest Tendo found no words to share when her tears engulfed her vision and the desperate need for comfort moved her feet towards his arms, not caring who saw them together.
"Whoa!" Yelp Ranma when he accepted the distressed girl in his arms. Something was really wrong and this was no time to joke or even open his mouth recklessly. "O-Ok. . .Tell me what's troubling you an' I'll tell ya my story. . ." Said with a big blush on his face before both started to walk in direction to a deserted the park.
"Ranma. . .I know I've been a bit stubborn since we've met. I had my reasons or so I thought, but to be honest, I think we need to deal with what we want now, before it's too late. There may not be much time left later on. . ." That comment alone alarmed the pigtailed boy in extreme. He decided to let her talk before he could say anything about his own medical results.
When they arrived to the park, at those hours not many people liked to walk, being the sun still high on the sky, but they found the place cozy enough and the bench near the fountain made the perfect place with the breeze coming from the wind and the splashing water.
The girl sat first, letting the boy sit next and when her eyes couldn't hold the tears anymore she fell on his chest with the pain clearly marked in her tired face. "Ranma. . .I'm dying. . ." Was the blunt and direct way she could find to tell him straight.
"W-What makes you say that?. . .I've never seen you so strong an' energetic like now." Ranma was making an effort trying not to start with a stupid taunt or saying the opposite with the hope to make her mad purposely, all with the idea to snap her out of the sad trance.
"There is a family illness that skips members every other generation. Dad told me my great grandmother had it until the day she died, and so my mom was the only one from all her brothers and sisters. This is some type of cancer that appears when the person is barely passing his or her teenage years, but Dr. Tofu told me it's acting up in me at a much earlier stage. . .Right now."
There was nothing Ranma could say. . .Nothing at all to alleviate the pressure and agonizing feelings Akane was going through. He tried several times to cuddle with some trouble, after all, being close to a girl was something he wasn't good at all. But there was one thing he could actually be able to do and that was to avoid telling her about his problem.
"Gee Akane. . .Cheer up, you'll see that will pass up an' it won't do a thing against you." Empty words he knew and so did the girl who chuckled by his failed attempt, but thanked him kindly by saying nothing and staying there, resting on his chest.
"What about you Ranma. . .Dr. Tofu told me I need to talk very seriously with you. Is there something I need to know?" Ranma stammered for a second which made him look more guilty than innocent, but after some stalling, the girl managed to press him into saying what was in his mind.
Ranma swallowed nervously, waiting on the reaction from the girl after he blurted out the maddening illness his own body was going through. He expected an out loud laugh and pointing of fingers, but no. . .Akane acted so mature, letting her arms do the talk by hugging him. . .It sure felt nice around his waist she thought for a moment. "I can't believe we are so screwed up Ranma. To think we almost get married. I'm sure we were meant to be at some point, but now. . .Now, I don't know anymore."
"I know. I fought for the longest time too. I refused the idea to be dragged into something beyond my decision, but now I see no more exit. . .Unless. . ." The word stayed in the air, forcing Akane to move her head and stare puzzled at the boy. "Unless?" Asked the girl again.
"Well. What if we got married. . .You know. Maybe not tomorrow or next week, but soon. . .I don' know. . .Six months?" Akane crooked a brow, wondering if what the boy said was legitimate and it looked that way, but that would accomplish what? "What would be the point Ranma. . .To be married for a month or so and then single again?. . .I prefer to let you live your life with Ukyo or Shampoo, although there is one more thing I really need before all this gets from bad to worse."
"What is it Akane. . .Tell me what you need an' I'll get it for you" Promised truthfully Ranma with his always prideful ego talking before hand. The girl pulled back some strands of hair, clearing her face before her eyes brimmed with the light of the sun with endearing warmth.
"Ryoga-kun, Ranma. . .I haven't seen him "or" P-Chan in so long and at this point I'm sure they are either together or they are the same." This was it and the boy knew she had finally discovered the secret. "Be honest for once Ranma and tell me. . .They are the same being right?" The boy snapped from the question with a scared look and a tinge of red across his face, hoping not to break what he promised long ago.
There were times when the secret was almost out, but for some reason the lost boy always managed to keep his identity secret. Ranma had many chances as well to turn him in, but honor was the word and despite the fanged teen always acting as his fiancée's pet, at the end of the wedding, he declared his Ranma as the only one for the girl.
"I. . .I. . ." The words got stuck in his throat. The sweat clearly visible on his forehead and after stalling with stuttering babble, the youngest Tendo finally grunted at his indecision. "C'mon Ranma!. . .I'm literally dying here. What's going to take you to tell the truth?"
That pretty much did it. The pigtailed teen closed his eyes, nodded vigorously and opened his big mouth as the last betrayal he hoped never to divulge. "Yes Akane!. . .Ryoga is P-Chan. . .!" Akane could have gone ballistic. Blame him for his indiscretions and even indecency by sleeping at her side, but something more powerful swelled in her heart.
"Look for him Ranma. . .Bring him to me before is too late." Was the only prayer she could muster before falling to pieces at the arms of her beloved fiancé. "Sure 'kane. . .I'll get him even if it kills me. . ." After a while, the park began to fill with all manner of happy people.
Akane decided that wasn't the mood she wanted to be around right now, and after a moment longer she asked her boyfriend to take her home. The couple left just when laughs from children and barking dogs decorating the lively afternoon on the park.
"We're home!" Shouted Ranma when both arrived into the living room. The table was already set, and despite Kasumi and Nabiki waiting close by, the ones arguing about meaningless things were getting off the Shogi board ready to get supper.
"Ranma-kun. . .Akane, what's with the faces?. . .Are you feeling Ok daughter?" Asked Soun a bit worried by the way the teens entered without a fuzz or fighting at all. "Come dad. . .I have some news I need to share with everyone."
At the end of the conversation the Tendo patriarch flew at the arms of his friend, claiming the innocence of his daughter as the ultimate price he wasn't ready to pay. Nabiki and Kasumi felt the news hard as well. The elder of course was the most affected, but the middle one, although strong willed and cold, demonstrated tears for the first time ever.
"How bad is going to be daddy?" Asked Akane after noticing how her sisters were able to see their mother fall all those years ago. "Akane-Chan. . .I. . .I can't say daughter. . .I can't pass through all this again. . ." With sobbing sounds the man walked out of the house, knelt in his favorite spot in front of the water faucet and began his ritual for the safety of her daughter.
"She will be fine. . .I must redeem myself and show my full trust to my girls. . ." Ranma felt inadequate at the moment, unable to either comfort or make the girl feel better until Akane was the one asking with those big, beautiful eyes to stay at her side.
Outside the city, things were getting rather interesting after hours. It was near evening when Cologne massaged the bridge of her nose while a tired lost boy kept panting, hands on his knees and resting by the exertion of strength.
"Again son. . .We need to make sure how the technique works. . ." Said the woman to an almost dead tired boy. "B-But. . .I. . .I tried my best and I can't find a trigger or how to aim the last part!"
"Nonsense son. . .A perfect move like that one must be mastered before you can call it a powerful technique. Now. . .concentrate once again and try." This time Ryoga took a deep breath, positioning his closed fists at both sides of his waist and looking forward.
"Ok, great!. . .Think in me and stay there until I say so." With that last instruction, the old woman jumped away on her staff, disappearing from sight and well hidden among the bushes several miles in the distance.
"Ok. . .I have her in my mind. . .I can get to her. . .Now!" The boy took one single step forward, and noted how everything changed instantly. When he looked around, most people stared at him strangely. Some ran like crazy while others yelled angrily at the ghost appearing out of nowhere.
After a while Ryoga noticed the place and after asking around, the people told him he was in Beijing. "China?. . .I am supposed to be with Cologne!. . .What am I doing wrong. . .?" But there was no point to the question when indeed Cologne and Shampoo walked by him without a care in the world to stop.
"Old ghoul, I made it!. . ." Yelled the boy with enthusiasm when he spotted them walking nearby. When Ryoga ran at the pair, what welcomed him was a bonk on the head with her staff. "Is very impolite to call names at someone you don't even know young man. Now. . .Who are you and why did you call me like that!?"
Ryoga was speechless. He managed to progress with this teleportation technique so far, but even when he moved from place to place before, this time what made him gasp was when he peeked on a newspaper near a stall.
With shaky hands the lost boy grabbed the paper, noting in his broken Chinese the date. "What the. . .This is almost two years old. . .Wait a minute. Are you getting ready to go to Nerima?" That question made Cologne nervous, thinking the boy was some kind of spy, and without any wasted moment she pushed him aside, using the staff to pin him against the wall.
"Tell me again who are you, young one. . ." Her staff started to flare with Chi, fact that made Ryoga nervous and afraid to explain his ability. "I. . ." But before he could talk, the teen darted out of the situation only to step once on the street and the next near the tent, back home.
"Ryoga!. . .I've been waiting for you to pop on the other side of the forest. . .Where did you go?" The boy tried to collect his thoughts, running into the tent where warm tea awaited him and was able to calm his nerves.
"I saw you Cologne-san. . .We met for a few minutes but when I realized it, I saw you and Shampoo in the middle of Beijing almost two years ago. . .You didn't even recognized me though." The memory suddenly became clear, somehow inserted in the elder's mind who was able to remember it the second he mentioned it.
"I see. . .I remember you now, but for some strange reason I didn't before. This is a marvelous power for you to have son. . .We need to tap into it and understand it so you can fix you lack of direction once and for all."
After the training was done, the old woman left the tent, asking Ryoga to stay put until the next day when they could advance on the training some more. Thankfully enough, Ryoga was too tired to dream anything that night. . .A calm and peaceful sleep over was what he needed after so many problems raining on him.
The next day is what changed everything. The atmosphere in the Tendos once again changed back to its former glory. Akane decided to leave everything for later and while trying to cheer Ranma, the girl decided to throw him out of the window instead of his father.
"What did you do that for!" Yelled the redhead, shaking at the same time the excess water from her damp clothes. "It's late Ranma. . .Change and get ready for breakfast, I'm cooking and you are eating it!" The tiny girl wanted to feel nauseous, but the new attitude in her girlfriend sure lifted the gloomy mood the family was in lately.
She ran back in, taking a quick shower and changing back into his guy form. "Fine. . .I'm sure your cookin' can' be that terrible after all this time. . ." Everyone sat at the table, Soun looking a bit tired and with the shades of black under his eyes telling everyone the cold water showers outside were taking a toll in his health.
"Father. . .I think that's enough sacrifice for one week. . .Keep doing it and I may need to ask Dr. Tofu to come and check on you." Admonished Kasumi to her dad who was closer to get a heavy flu. "D-D-Don't w-w-worry about me Kasumi-Chan. . .Akane w-w-will be fine dear, you can count on. . .On it. . .Achoo!"
Everyone laughed goodheartedly for a moment before the food was served. That's when everything changed back to the mood everyone wanted to avoid. Akane felt a sneeze coming up, moving quickly away from the table and reaching a napkin. When she blew loud and clear, the girl pulled a bloodied piece of paper away, trying to hide it too late when Kasumi gasped horrified by the sight.
"Akane!. . ." The youngest Tendo fell on the floor scared by the amount of red, forcing her tears of fear fall down her face uninterrupted. Nabiki and her elder sister took her to the bedroom upstairs while Soun asked Ranma to report her miss from now on from school until further notice.
The pigtailed boy left in a hurry, hoping to be able to come back and be at her side, but what stopped him in his tracks was Ryoga who was brushing his teeth near the edge of the town. "There he is. . ." Ranma veered sharply and darted with such speed, the lost boy had no chance to react when his rival fell right in front of his face. . .Mere inches away.
"Where in the hell have you been!. . .Akane needs you." The teen froze completely, unable to move when his heart began to thump loudly by the pressure of those blue eyes staring into his. "Well? . . .Ain't you goin' ta do somethin'. . .C'mon!"
Ryoga felt the need to be elsewhere. . .Anywhere but here when his flustered face made him look so guilty by those perverted thoughts. "I. . .N-Need to go. . ." Said fearful as he turned around and walked away. "Oh no, you don'. . ." Ranma went after him, this time sure that nothing would stop him from dragging his worthless hide back to the Dojo, but before his surprised eyes, the eternal lost boy took a step and then vanished into thin air.
"What the. . ." Replied to himself Ranma before Cologne jumped from a roof and scolded him angry. "What did you do son-in-law?. . .He was barely getting used to the technique and now there is no way to know where he went off to?"
"Old ghoul. . .I knew you had somethin' ta do when he was at the Nekohanten yesterday. . .Tell me. What's goin' on!?" Asked Ranma furious when people always left him out of the loop in a situation. "Sorry Ranma, but Ryoga is passing for a very hard time right now and he made me promise not to say more. Now. . .Why don't you go back home and attend your own affairs son."
Ranma suddenly remembered the message for class, leaving the place in a hurry but warning the old woman he would be back. "I'll be at the restaurant this afternoon old ghoul. . .I got ta go now. . ." After he left, Cologne waited a bit longer hoping Ryoga would be back, but nothing happened, forcing the elder to hop back to the restaurant to help with the customers.
In the middle of an island, Ryoga popped from thin air. The teen looked everywhere trying to find out where he was or when, but there was no people, only vegetation and wild animals. He ran around the edge of the coast, noticing a few hours later how he was stranded in a tiny island in the middle of the ocean and unable to use his technique again when he tried.
"Damn. . .I feel so exhausted if I try to focus and leave. . .This teleportation thing takes a lot out of me. . .I don't think I can do it again." Once he saw the place with a peacefully point of view, he opted to use it as his escape from reality and after an hour or so, he had a makeshift camp and several fish being cooked on a fire.
"This has got to be paradise for the hell I've been. I'll stay here for a while until I can charge that damn move and be able to get out of here." The idea was appealing for the teen who found the encounter more than what he was prepared to stand.
He had studied the dreams ever since they began, and arrived to the conclusion that the Ryoga in them wasn't him, but a future stage in his life. "I may not love that idiot now, that's for sure, but why would I feel different later and. . .What about Akane?. . .There is no way he'd leave her, specially for someone like me."
His thoughts betrayed him, fact that made him snarl in ire against his way of thinking. "Why in the hell did I say that?. . .I am not attracted one bit and even if I were, I swore to keep him married to Akane-san. That is my ultimate promise for my friend and for her and nothing. . .Not even these stupid dreams will make me change my mind you hear!"
His screams were directed to the heavens, but the person he referred them to was to himself, either now or in a future where he'd be together with the pigtailed girl. "Yuck!. . .I still can't believe I would have babies with that idiot. . .And how in the hell would a prideful moron like him let another man go all the way. . .There has got to be another reason for these nightmares. . ."
The smell of well cooked fish made his problems disappear for one instant, forgetting completely his worries for the flavorful bounty and the nice breeze coming from the ocean. Ryoga was so sure he wouldn't leave this place or vanish from it, that his first instinct was to get all his clothes off and jump in the cold ocean for the first time since he came looking for Ranma ready to exact his revenge.
The cold water bathing the piglet was so soothing and relaxing, his tiny muscles and worries melted even farther away. He felt happy for the first time in so long. Of course, not having a woman who would love him and share his hardships was a burden too heavy to keep to himself.
The piglet finally came back to the camp, dousing himself when warm water awaited in a small pool heating by the fire. Night came and with it, the heavy thinking Ryoga hated himself so much to carry when alone.
"Maybe that's why we end up together. . .Maybe Ranma sees me all alone and miserable and falls for me?" The question itself was so farfetched and stupid, a loud laugh drowned most of the wild life singing at the tune of the waves.
"Yeah right. . .Ranma Saotome feeling sorry for me after he has Akane, Ukyo and even Shampoo as fiancées. Hell, even as a girl he had that Kuno guy, and all those other morons who have courted him during his stay in Nerima."
"I still can't believe it, though if it wasn't because Akane-san told me about the tea ceremony guy, the rich boy with the giant mouth and so many others willing to ignore his real form with the excuse to have the beautiful redheaded girl. . .I'd say he loved being the girl all along. I don't know. . .Maybe we could, but. . .No. . .Nah!"
Ryoga stopped ranting out loud for a moment, taking a better look at Ranma's cursed form. She was really cute and every time he used her to goad him into a false sense of well being he succeeded. "I admit it, Ranma makes a very cute girl I'll give him that. In fact. . ." Said nervously even when he knew he was alone.
"I would love her unconditionally if there was the chance, but c'mon!. . .We are talking about someone who everyone wants. . .There's no way he would look at me in any other way but as a training dummy. Forget everything and move on Ryoga. . .You are destined to die alone, just like you were born seventeen years ago."
With that last thought, the teen sighed defeated, fixed his bed and went back to the only place where he was truly happy. . .His dreams.
The night wasn't very peaceful at the Tendos when Soun stayed all night thinking about the health of her daughter. "What will happen to the schools Tendo-kun. I know this is not the time, but what can we do old friend. . ." Genma always had his back through thin and thick, but his ambition was as terrible and selfish as the mouth in his son.
"Well Saotome-kun, if anything Ranma-kun can take Nabiki or Kasumi-Chan, but please leave that for later. . .Dr. Ono Tofu is coming tomorrow with the preliminary results and I need to be ready for anything. In the meanwhile please stay at my side, you know how everything went with my wife the last time."
Genma apologized too late, but still did out of friendship. When both parents stayed the rest of the night talking about old times with the company of several bottles filled with warm sake, the pigtailed teen sneaked out of the house and on the roof where the moon proved relaxing for his troubled mind.
"What the hell. . .Akane is too weak by the day, an' those symptoms look even worse." He kept thinking about the changes acting up and how would he be able to face them alone if the girl of his dreams would be no more.
"Ok, everythin' seems awful an' I'm sure there's nothin' I can do to make it better, but what 'bout Ryoga. . .I wanted him to be here so he could cheer her up." His thoughts moved from the lost boy as a friend and Akane's confident and into the figure he represented deep in his mind.
"We got a long way from our incessant fights. We accepted each other as friends an' I know he likes me, but why do I feel strange when he runs away from me. There's somethin' wrong an' I must know what it is. . ."
"Maybe I can help you with that in exchange for you leaving my Shampoo alone for good?" Came the reply from Mousse who was able to sneak so easily behind the pigtailed boy. "Mousse. . .What the hell are you talkin' 'bout. . .?"
"Just that Ranma. . .I know why Ryoga's been avoiding you for this long and I'm willing to share the secret if you promise to stay away from Shampoo." Ranma didn't feel like fighting or playing his games, but since he met the old ghoul around the lost boy lately, he figured the blind teen had something real.
"Fine. . .I'll leave her alone, but don' blame if she's the one botherin' me instead. . ." The circus trained teen accepted his word as good, sitting right next to him on the roof. "What I'm about to tell you is the truth so don't blame me Ok?. . .I have been looking closely all this and believe me, the old ghoul is very interested in Ryoga's new move more than his mental problems." After he warned him fair and square, the blind boy began from the time Ryoga arrived all tired and dirty from a long journey, to his late night trainings outside town.
Ranma's eyes grew from time to time, accepting his involvement with Ryoga and his disguises but refusing to think the boy could have feelings for him thanks to those tricks. "You can' blame for that!. . .I was just havin' fun an' I've done it to everyone!. . .From Kuno to most guys around town. . .That's how I get amused. . ."
"I don't care Ranma. . .All I want is for you to leave my Shampoo alone, and if Ryoga fell for you congratulations. . .That is not my problem at all." With that, the teen made his eccentric exit, leaving an even more puzzled Ranma understanding why Ryoga looked so spooked.
"B-But. . .I don' feel a thin' for him. Akane is who I love an' I would never see him any other way but as a friend. I need to find him and set things straight before that moron get the wrong idea. . ." He took a deep breath and hopped into the window of his room ready to call it the night.
Too bad his brain always worked over-time during his lapses of rest, rewarding him with the weirdest of dreams he loathed to remember the next day. Ryoga turned out to be the man of his dreams this time, acting so meek and obedient at the side of a redhead dressed in that white number Akane bought a few months back when he hit his head.
"Ryoga honey!. . .I love you so much." . . ."And I you my beautiful Ranma. I'd give my life in a heartbeat for being at your side until the day I die." The dream kept moving forward for the first time, letting the boy feel the kisses and the love the lost boy poured over his cursed form.
The next morning came by surprise to the pigtailed boy who woke up questioning his mind. "I don' get it!. . .Why didn' I jump sweaty an' scared durin' the night like when it happened with Kuno!?, I don' get it at all, unless. . ." His eyes bulged by the insinuation, forcing a tight lipped smile of frustration.
"Damn it. . .Those hormones are gettin' in my nerves. . .I got to talk with Dr. Tofu before I go crazy. . ." Ranma changed quickly, getting ready to leave when Ono walked in with the results of the tests had taken the day before.
Kasumi was the first to take him to the living room where everyone waited. "Please, come this way." The young man felt a bit tense by her presence, but not like other times. . .This time, the news weren't favorable at all for the family and he considered himself part of the family as well.
Akane and Nabiki on the table, Soun and Genma standing and Ranma nervously by the frame of the kitchen waited for the man to sit comfortably close to the girls. He thanked for the polite welcome but dropped the several papers in a yellow folder and with a tense voice he directed his full attention to the youngest in the family.
"Akane. . .It looks like the cancer is spreading incredibly faster than what my colleagues and specialists thought. They gave me an idea of how it works, but after I searched on every book available, I managed to find a technique capable to slow the process."
"They gave six months for the illness to invade completely, but I might get you I bit longer. . .I'm sorry Akane-Chan. . .But that's all I can really do." His glasses fogged with the tears of pain he could not contain, leaving no much option for her to do something else.
"Oh daddy!. . ." She launched desperate at Soun who embraced his daughter with so much hurt in his chest. "Dear girl. . .I don't know what to do. I can't pass again through this. . .My wife then and a daughter now?. . .I just can't take it. . ."
When he said that, his hand moved by reflex at his chest at the same time his consciousness left him for good. "Father!" Screamed Kasumi when Soun fell down to the floor, leaving Akane's arms floating on the air.
"Quick! help me carry him to a bed!" Genma and Tofu took him to his bedroom where the doctor noted a fainting heartbeat and weak state of mind slowly seeping his life away. "He's been under cold weather Dr. Tofu. He thinks sacrificing like that could help save Akane." The description Nabiki gave helped Ono administer antibiotics and declare the man bedridden for several days of full rest.
"Let him rest and he'll be fine Kasumi-san. In the meanwhile we need to make sure Akane is very comfortable and at peace so cheer her up and keep her close to those she love, that is the best therapy for her illness and the treatment my friends plan to administer."
After a while Ono left, swearing he would find a way to cure her without the use of radiation, but the girl knew those were comforting words more than a sure thing. When he left, she walked closer to Ranma, begging him with sad eyes for the other important person in her life before it could be too late.
"Akane, he won't come with me. . .You see, there's somethin' that happened an' I don' know if you should know." Again, insinuating was not the right way to keep secret stuff she wasn't meant to know but this was Ranma, the boy with the biggest mouth in all Nerima.
"What is it!. . .You better tell me now!" Ranma found no other option left, rolling his eyes at his stupidity, but shrugging defeated when there was no other choice. After he explained what Mousse said last night the girl chuckled at the idea, staring at the boy who presented the biggest blush across his face.
"Don' look at me that way!. . .I've never done nothin' to make him think that way an' I would never feel anythin' more than what a friend feels for another." Protested Ranma with anger in his face. "Well, If poor Ryoga sees you like that maybe is because you played the girlfriend card for so long?. . .Remember how he declared his love for you after that fishing rod incident."
The pigtailed boy forgot about that for good, but when she brought it up it sure made a lot of sense what Ryoga dreamt about him. "B-But he said it was a mistake!. . .You can' seriously think he has feelings for me. . .!"
Akane shrugged carelessly, admitting it would be a good ending in case she would be gone. "Who knows, maybe you two can hitch once I'm not here. . .Would you like that?" Asked with a sly stare the girl, more like a joke, but when the boy stayed quiet Akane realized there was something he denied but couldn't completely ignore.
"Your thinking about your little problem don't you Ranma?. . .Why don't you explain him and maybe he'll understand. . .After all, I'm sure he likes you enough to understand how painful that is for you. . ." Ranma sighed pensive when he thought about it as well, but no. . .This was a time for Akane and nothing else mattered.
"No!. . .I'll find a way to cure you 'kane. . .Even if it takes me to my death." After that, the boy left the house in search of the old ghoul, knowing if someone could know, that would be her.