CAN'T LET GO

(A Ranma 1/2 fic by Cass and GSL)

The DARKEST fanfic of "Ranma 1/2" that I have ever read. It was not me who wrote it but I found it in the forgotten depths of the web. Too good to let it sink into oblivion. Be careful though, NO HAPPY END.

[] = dream sequence

= character's thoughts

Part 2 Turning Tides

(Two days later at the Tendo Dojo)

"Hey, Mr. Saotome," Ukyou called out, with just a hint of disgust. She still hadn't forgiven him for running away with the yattai and ruining ten years of her life. "Where's Ran-chan? I've brought him some tea-time snacks."

"He ain't here. Probably kicking the ass out of some martial artist. Don't want to waste your hard work, so ..." The rest of the sentence was muffled as he was busy stuffing himself with the food.

"Oh that's too bad. I know how much Ran-chan misses his mother."

Genma's eyes widened in shock. He swallowed his food and shouted, "What?"

"I saw Mrs. Saotome just now. She was asking directions to the Tendo's. I offered to show her the way and we had an interesting conversation. She was so happy when I told her about Ran-chan."

Genma's eyes grew impossibly wide as he looked frantically around him. Where is she? Maybe in that corner or maybe behind the door.

Must escape before- His face paled as he thought of his fate. No way was he going to commit seppuku.

Panicking, he grabbed the chef and asked, "Where is Nodoka? In the house?"

"No, she said she'll be here later. She wanted to get something for Ran-chan first."

He heaved a sigh of relief. Maybe he would live to see the sunrise afterall. There was no time to waste. The longer he stayed here, the more chance of him facing the sharp end of his wife's katana. He hastily scribbled a letter, thrust it to Ukyou hands and ran off.

Ukyou looked at the letter in her hand. After making sure she was alone, she read it.

'Ranma, my boy,

There is something I never told you. Your mother forced me to take an oath before I could bring you on a training trip. You were to become a manly man after the training trip or we would have to commit seppuku. Due to your curse, this oath wasn't fulfilled. And so we could never be reunited with your mother. I've received word that she's coming so RUN! Will be taking the first boat out to China. Going to Chengdu Province.

Saotome Genma

PS: Tell Soun not to divulge my whereabouts to your mother.'

Ukyou re-sealed the letter, her face expressionless. She handed the letter to Soun and left.

Dinner at the Tendos was a quiet affair for once. Instead of two greedy men battling for every morsel, only one was present. But nobody noticed. Akane was still mad at Ranma, Ryouga was too busy staring at Akane to notice anything, Ranma was eating like he hadn't eaten for days, Nabiki was calculating the net present value of investing in Microsoft shares and Soun was thinking about getting a husband for Kasumi. Only when Kasumi asked if she should keep some food for Genma, did they notice the empty seat.

"Oh! I forgot. Genma left a letter for you, Ranma," said Soun as he thrusted the letter to Ranma.

Ranma opened it and read it aloud. If there were any information sellable in the letter, Nabiki would find out about it soon enough and tell everyone, anyway. "Ranma, my boy, there is something I never told you. When I was younger, I had made an enemy out of a dangerous martial artist. We fought for days and nights before I defeated him. But he wouldn't give up. Being a kind and generous man, I agreed to a re-match in 25 years' time, which is 4 months from now. So I'm off to train in China. Do not follow. Will be back after my victory.

Saotome Genma."

A brief pause as everyone digested the news. Then, voices were heard almost simultaneously.

"Humph! Who cared what happened to the old man anyway? No more protecting my food from his mouth."

"Wah! Now I have no one to play shogi with. How could he leave without saying goodbye?"

"Ranma no baka!" A crash was heard. "How can you be so uncaring!"

"Good riddance! Without him around, expenses will fall by 30%. In 2 months' time, we can finally air-condition the house. No more suffering through the summer." Upon hearing this, everyone cheered, even Kasumi who was feeling just a little guilty at deriving pleasure from Genma's departure.

A few hours later, a lone figure walked down the street whistling a happy tune. He hadn't felt so happy since... well, since a long time ago. And who better to share in his joy than his best friend? He stepped into Ucchan's and scanned the restaurant for Ukyou. But where was she? Only Konatsu was there to man the fort and the loyal employee had no idea where she had went. I wonder where she went off to. Couldn't find her this afternoon either. Puzzled, Ranma went back home.

(The next afternoon)

Ranma stormed into Ucchan's. He was mad, very mad. If he had to endure another moment seeing how sweet Akane was treating Ryouga, he would... he would... well, he had no idea what he would do. Just whose fiancée was she anyway? She was never that nice to him. And why was he so upset? One less fiancée meant less trouble, so he should be celebrating, right? But he sure didn't feel like celebrating.

And that's why he went to look for Ukyou. He always felt better after talking to Ukyou. But she wasn't there. Now he was getting worried. She was missing for a day and a half now. Never even turned up for school, well he could understand that. But still, where had she gone? It wasn't like her to vanish without telling someone. He frantically searched the whole of Nerima but to no avail. He didn't even know where her favourite haunts were. A real good friend I turned out to be, he berated himself. If, no, _when_ Ucchan returns, I am really going to be her best friend.

But for now, he had no one to confide in. Even his pop was gone, not that he would be of much help. So what now? With his mood growing darker by the minute, Ranma sat down at his thinking spot, for once trying really hard to sort out the mess called his life.

For a long while, he pondered. He didn't know whom he loved. Heck, he didn't even know what love was. So how could he possibly choose between them? If only he didn't have to choose. Maybe... maybe if he married all four women, all his troubles would be resolved. Nah.

Mousse, Ryouga, Tsubasa, Konatsu and Kuno would never let that happen. Besides, Akane would whip out her mallet faster than you can say, "But honey, you'll have me on Mondays and Tuesdays".

"Akane," sighed Ranma, his foul mood increasing in intensity. He didn't want to be engaged to the uncute tomboy but now, when it seemed like Ryouga had a chance, he's acting like a jealous boyfriend. Do I love her or do I just hate to lose?

He balled his fists and punched the tiles. He was no good at this thinking stuff, especially when it came to matters of the heart.

He had always resolved his problems with his fists. Why should this time be any different? He would kick Ryouga's ass back to whichever pig farm he came from. And with Ryouga out of the way... For the first time that day, he smiled.

Just then, Ryouga and Akane came through the gates, laughing. The moment Ranma laid eyes on the happy couple, the fates of three teenagers were sealed. Things would never return to the way they were.

Ranma jumped down from the roof, shouting, "DIE Hibiki DIE!"

"Hey, that's my line! You have to pay me damages for the copyright infringement." Ryouga said as he got into a defensive stance.

"Ranma, what are you trying to do? We are having a nice time until you spoiled it. Stop bullying Ryouga!" Akane shouted.

"Akane, get out of the way! This is between me and him." Ranma swung at Ryouga. In a split second before the punch connected, Ryouga grabbed Ranma's arm and tossed him over his shoulder. A basic judo move. Going for the kill, Ryouga stabbed Ranma with his umbrella but

Ranma wasn't there.

"Looking for me?" Ranma leapt and in one swift motion kicked Ryouga's head.

Ryouga staggered backwards and shook his head a few times. He could feel a mild headache coming. "You want a fight, you'll get it," he growled. He pulled a bunch of bandannas off and sent them flying towards Ranma. With extraordinary speed and agility, Ranma twisted and turned in order to avoid all the projectiles. As Ranma was about to land, Ryouga used his breaking point technique to blast the ground below. Ranma fell into the depression, with his lower body trapped.

Ryouga moved menacingly towards him. "Need a hand? You can have mine!" He shouted as he pulled a punch at Ranma.

Ranma caught Ryouga fist and pulled him closer. "Whoever wins this fight gets to pursue Akane, whoever loses must give up Akane forever. Agreed?" whispered Ranma.

"Agreed." Ryouga yanked his hand away from Ranma's iron grip.

"Stop, Ryouga!" Akane shouted just as Ranma chanted "Moko Takabisha." He unleashed a ball of confidence chi at Ryouga. Caught unaware, Ryouga was thrown back by the force of the blast. "Ryouga, are you hurt?" Akane asked as she ran towards him, anxiety written all over her face.

I'm stuck in a hole and she runs towards him. Just whose fiancée is she? Filled with jealousy and rage, he hit the ground with his palms and propelled himself out of the hole. "Time to end this once and for all!" He closed his eyes and unleashed several balls of chi speeding towards Ryouga's general direction.

Before Ryouga could react, Akane pushed him away but she couldn't get away in time. The chi balls slammed into her body and with a cry of pain, she fell, her head knocking the boulder of the pond.

"AKANE!" Ryouga screamed. He quickly rushed to her side and picked up her frail body. He tried to shake her awake but she was unresponsive. Then, he saw blood on his hands.

"NOOOO!" Ranma yelled, trying to wipe out the image inside his head; the blows, Akane falling, the thud sound when Akane fell. He leapt to Akane's side to get a better look at her but he was pushed away by Ryouga before he could touch her.

"Don't touch her, You murderer!" Ryouga was holding Akane protectively with murder on his eyes. He took out his shirt and carefully wrapped it around Akane's head.

"What's happening?" Kasumi asked as she came to the backyard.

"Oh, my god! Call for the ambulance!" She yelled as she saw that Akane was hurt. Immediately, she ran to Akane and checked for her pulse.

"It's weak but it's still beating." She relaxed a bit but gasped at the sight of the blood-soaked shirt that was tied to Akane's head. She continued to scan her sister's body for other signs of injury. Akane was hit below her ribcage. The dress that she was wearing was burnt at that particular section also, revealing her bruised body. Kasumi winced at the extent of how Akane was badly hurt.

The rest of the family rushed out and were terribly shocked at the scene before them. Fighting was an everyday event but getting mortally injured was not. Nabiki was the first to recover and rushed into the house to call for the ambulance. She also called Dr Tofu and asked him to meet them in the hospital.

Meanwhile, Soun began wailing as he rushed to Akane's side.

"Akane, my precious little daughter." His heart broke a little and anger surfaced. "Who did this to my Akane!"

"It's Ranma." Ryouga spoke, still holding on to Akane.

Soun went into his demon-head mode and screamed, "Ranma, how dare you hurt your own fiancée?!"

Normally, Ranma would have been scared out of his wits by Soun's flare of anger but he was too numb to feel anything. Everybody (including Nabiki who had returned after making the calls) turned to look at Ranma. Their eyes were shooting daggers at him, accusing him of the thing that he would never do. But it was true that he had hurt Akane. His gaze continued to linger on Akane's body, shutting the world around him.

"RANMA!" Soun began to shake him violently. "How could you do this?!" Utterly furious, he threw a punch towards Ranma, who fell to the ground. Looking at what was supposed to be his future son-in-law, he was totally disheartened. How could he push his daughter to a man

who had hurt her so deeply? "Ranma, as of today, the marriage agreement between our two families is off. You are no longer Akane's fiancée and you are not welcome in this house anymore. I don't want to see you again."

Sirens could be heard in the background while Ranma's world shattered into pieces. With a silent anguish cry, he ran away from his 'home', leaving behind his loved ones and his life. Tears began to flow uncontrollably. "Akane." He prayed that she would be fine or he would

never forgive himself.

Nabiki and Kasumi slowly recovered from their shock of their father's declaration. They were angry with Ranma but deep down, they believed that Ranma wouldn't hurt Akane. There wasn't any time for thoughts as the medics arrived to take Akane to the hospital. The family quickly hailed a taxi to the hospital.

Ranma has been walking aimlessly for the past few hours. Scenes of the earlier fight replayed in his mind like a broken record. He seemed to have aged a lot. His face no longer showed the young and confident lad that he was but instead it displayed immense sorrow and despair. He had stopped crying a while ago and began on a trance-like state.

"Ran-chan!"

He continued walking, oblivious to the surroundings.

"Ran-chan!"

Again, he never stopped.

Suddenly, a figure appeared before him, violently shaking him. Her face was familiar but his mind was blank. He saw her mouth moving, probably shouting at him but he couldn't hear. Seeing no response from Ranma, Ukyou quickly dragged him inside her restaurant.

(Meanwhile)

"Now, all of you relax. I've talked to Akane's doctor and he had said that Akane would be fine. He is very optimistic about her condition. Her vitals are stabilized and all we could do now is to wait for her to wake up." Dr Tofu spoke to the anxious group of people that had surrounded him. It was surprising that the sight of Kasumi has not disrupted the workings of his mind.

Everybody heaved a sigh of relief. "When will Akane wake up?" Nabiki asked, concern evident in her voice.

"Uh..." Dr Tofu could feel the questioning eyes upon him. How to put it nicely? "The problem is that we do not know when she will wake up."

"So, Akane is in a coma." Kasumi said as she began to sob, so did Soun. Ryouga was stoned while Nabiki was shocked.

"Don't worry. Akane has a very strong willpower. She is a warrior and her injuries weren't as serious as the cases that we had seen. Those patients had recovered and we believe that she will wake up soon. Have faith in her." Dr Tofu finished, putting on his most confident front.

"Can we see her?" Ryouga asked. He was wearing a doctor's suit as his shirt was soaked with blood.

"Akane is in the intensive care unit. You can't stay there for too long. A glance and that's all." Dr Tofu began to lead the group to Akane. After a couple of turns, they came face-to-face with Akane. Her head was bandaged and her face was very pale. She was also hooked on to an IV unit, looking very vulnerable.

"My dear Akane." Soun started sobbing again as he held on to her hand. Kasumi was about to comfort him but she too started crying.

Nabiki was also affected by the outburst. She cried, the first time since her mother's death.

Ukyou slowly laid Ranma on the bed. She remembered first finding him outside her shop and then dragging him in. He was totally unresponsive to her questions and she was really worried when he didn't even flinch when she poured water on him. She was at her wits end when Ranma (now a she) suddenly turned maniac. She was screaming and was hitting herself repeatedly. She tried to grab hold of her but Ranma was too strong. So, Ranma went on trying to inflict pain on herself while Ukyou tried to stop her without success. After half an hour, Ranma slumped onto the ground tiredly and began to cry. Ukyou then hugged her and slowly coaxed her out of her trance. When Ranma came to her senses, she tearfully retold the tale to Ukyou.

Now, Ranma was asleep on her bed. Ukyou too was very tired. She quickly digested the new information about Akane and went on to make a very important phone call.

(In the Nekohanten. All conversations are in Mandarin)

Shampoo rushed to Cologne, still carrying the bowls of ramen she was supposed to deliver to Table 10. "One of the customers just told me that Akane was hit by several of ai-ren's chi balls. She's now in a coma."

"Is your source reliable?"

"He's Akane's neighbour and saw the whole thing. Apparently, Akane took the hit for Ryouga."

"Well then, my child, you know what to do," said the Amazon Elder.

Shampoo nodded.

"But wait until we close for the night. I can't possibly handle all the customers, with Mousse bungling his orders."

A dark shadow could be seen looming in the corners of the hospital. It had a long and tiring day and what it wanted most was to rest. But no, it had to do this. After completing the work in the restaurant, it had rushed here. It cursed its luck when it saw that the family was still there. So, the next thing to do was to participate in the waiting game.

Yes! They are leaving. It eagerly watched the Tendos, Ryouga and Dr Tofu made their leave. Now, it was action time. With the swiftness of a cat, it moved inside the ICU. An upperhand cut at the neck was all it needed and the nurse was no longer an obstacle.

It then moved gracefully to Akane's bed. Like seeing a prey, the predator couldn't help but give a sly smile. The plan has gone on smoothly. Carefully, it retrieved a bottle and a syringe from its pocket. The syringe was then lowered into the bottle. When the syringe was filled with 1 ml of the clear liquid, it withdrew the syringe and injected it through the vacuum on the IV bottle. It smiled, appreciative of its work, seeing the liquid being transferred from the bottle through the IV tube and into Akane's body.

Deciding that it should not stay here any longer, it jumped out of the window and fled. It would have its much-needed rest.

Ryouga didn't sleep a wink the last night. All his thoughts were filled with Akane. He didn't want to leave the hospital but Dr Tofu had forced them to leave. He also assured them that they would be informed of any progress that Akane made. So whenever the phone rang, the atmosphere was filled with trepidation. Whoever nearest to the phone would make a grab for it, relieved and saddened that the voice on the other line did not belong to Dr Tofu.

He stared dejectedly at the food before him. He wasn't hungry even though he had not eaten anything since the accident. He looked across the table and saw Nabiki. She too hadn't touched her breakfast. She saw him looking at her and she returned him with a why-are-you- looking-at-me stare. He quickly diverted his gaze to Soun.

Soun was reading the newspaper again. Any observer would see that Soun was reading the same page the whole morning. His hands clenched tightly to the papers and his face hidden behind it. Sobs could be heard again and Kasumi was at Soun's side in seconds.

Ryouga turned his attention to the eldest Tendo daughter. It seemed that she wasn't as oblivious to the world as they thought she was. He hadn't seen her trademark smile since yesterday. Instead she wore a worried expression wherever she went. To his surprise and everyone as well, Kasumi had served them slightly burnt food. She apologized but nobody had the mood to eat anyway.

From what he could gather from everybody's faces was that they didn't sleep anymore than him. They were just as listless as he was and easily irritable as well.

RRRIIINNNGGG!

Nabiki was the nearest to the phone, so she ran to pick it up. The others looked expectantly at her while she began talking. Her cool demeanour was replaced by utter horror. The others could only worry anxiously as to what the conversation was. But sixth sense and a bit of deduction had told them that Akane's condition had worsened.

After a couple of nods, Nabiki put down the phone and turned tearfully to the others. "We have to go to the hospital now. Akane is in the OR (Operating Room) now and her life is in danger."

Ukyou was on her way to the hospital. She had spoken to Kasumi earlier and found out about Akane's condition. She had repeated this information to Ranma but he wasn't satisfied. He asked her to visit Akane for him as he was too ashamed to face her or the Tendo family.

She had sincerely wished that Akane would recover. Even though they were rivals, they were friends also. Akane had never schemed against her or try to harm her like Shampoo. In fact, Akane had treated her amiably. She wouldn't wish death on Akane. Shampoo, on the other hand, was another matter.

A taxi drove past her and stopped in front of the hospital. When she saw the Tendos and Ryouga alighting the cab, she ran towards them.

From the distance she couldn't see the worried expressions on their faces, but as she neared, she could feel that something was wrong.

"Ryouga!" She called out. He turned and when he saw her, he motioned her to hurry up.

"Ryouga, we go in first, you wait for Ukyou," Nabiki said in a commanding voice. Without wasting another moment, the Tendos rushed inside the hospital, while Ryouga was left to pull Ukyou along and enlighten her about the new developments.

Dr Tofu was there to meet them in the reception. Before he could say anything, he was bombarded with questions.

"What happened?" Kasumi asked.

"Yeah, you said that Akane would be fine." Hints of accusation were evident in Nabiki's voice.

"My daughter is in danger, WAHHHHHHHH."

Dr Tofu was lost for a moment. Kasumi's presence had affected him but he willed himself to stay calm in a crisis like this. Soun's wailing wasn't helping and they were causing a din in the hospital.

"Please, let me speak. We'll go to the OR and on the way, I'll explain what happened." The others seemed to agree with him and by this time, Ryouga and Ukyou had caught up with them.

Dr Tofu started taking the lead, the others close behind him.

"All I know is that early this morning, a signal was sent to the front desk that Akane's heart was crashing. A nurse immediately went to check on her and the doctors were called. They are in the OR since but I'm sure the doctors will be able to revive her." He wasn't really that confident but no point letting them worry for something they were unable to change.

"What caused it?" Ukyou asked.

"I really don't know. She was doing quite well when I last saw her. But, we are suspecting foul play."

"What!" All of them screamed in unison.

"A nurse was knocked unconscious and when she came to, Akane was still fine. The hospital didn't think much of the intruder as nothing seemed to be amiss. Then, this morning Akane's heart crash. There is no evidence of a connection between the intruder and Akane. But ..."

"I'll kill whoever that person is. Nobody is allowed to do this to Akane and get away." Ryouga was angry.

"But who would want to kill Akane?" Kasumi cried, her eyes had become red and puffy. Ukyou did her best to try and comfort her. The question was left unanswered. Nabiki and Ryouga were deep in thought while Soun did what he did best, he wailed.

Dr Tofu opened his mouth, about to say something but then he decided against it. They approached the OR as the nurses began to stream out. "Dr Greene!" He caught the attention of the doctor who was coming out of the OR. "How is the patient?" The others held their breaths as they prepared themselves for the answer that the balding doctor was going to give.

"She is a tough young lady. We nearly lost her but she is stabilized now."

Everybody started breathing again, relief replaced the gloom previously on their faces. Soun starting thanking the doctor by shaking his hand violently. Kasumi gave Nabiki a small hug. Ukyou and Ryouga just stood at the side, relieved to know that Akane was still in the land of the living.

"Uh. I'm sorry." The doctor said as he finally struggled free from Soun's grip. "You understand that we won't know how much damage isdone until Ms Tendo wakes up."

"What do you mean?" Nabiki was the first to speak.

"Ms Tendo's heart had stopped for a couple of seconds. We are not sure of how that's going to affect her. There could be brain damage but we doubt so as it was only a short period. However, we can never be too sure until she wakes up. There is also a problem as to what had caused her heart to crash. We need to do more tests to determine the cause. There is also a problem of her waking up. She is still in a coma."

Worry invaded all their hearts again. Their spirits dampened further with every word the doctor spoke. They inched closer to each other for support. Kasumi hugged Nabiki tighter. Soun stared blankly at the doctor and he cried again for the umpteenth time. Ryouga was so depressed that he could release a perfect Shishi Hokodan.

"Well, thank you very much, Dr Greene." Dr Tofu said as he bowed.

The others too gave a small bow to the doctor. The doctor returned them with a bow and made his leave.

"Actually, there is something that I haven't told you yet," Dr Tofu started speaking. The others looked at him, fearful of hearing another bad news. "A nurse found a strand of purple hair by Akane's bed."

The response was immediate. Ryouga and Soun started screaming about killing Shampoo while the girls try to stop them from carrying out their threat. At this instance, Akane was pushed out of the OR. Revenge forgotten for a moment, they rushed to her side to take a look at her.

Seeing that Akane was still alive had set them slightly relieved. Once the nurses brought Akane away from them to the ICU, they reverted back to the business of revenge.

"Calm down! I don't want my father to end up as a murderer and spend his last remaining years in a prison. And you too, Ryouga. Do you want to waste the best years of your life for that bitch?" After catching their attention, Nabiki's trained mind sought for a solution.

In a nanosecond, a plan was formed. "Let me handle it. If Shampoo really did that to Akane, I'm going to make her life worse than hell. She would wish she was dead once I'm through with her."

"What are you going to do?" Kasumi starting to get worried for her other sister.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to get myself killed. It's just time for the police to step in." Nabiki replied and kept her last thought silent. And if everything goes right, they are going to get more than what they deserved. "Hey, why are we still standing here? We should go see Akane."

The others nodded in agreement. Ryouga reluctantly abandoned his plans of revenge. He was sure that Nabiki would do whatever to exact revenge on Shampoo. Besides, planning wasn't his forte and the old ghoul would be hard to defeat. And spending time with Akane sounded more appealing to him.

They made their way to the ICU with Dr Tofu taking the lead. They didn't talk much, as each was engrossed with thoughts of their own.

Meanwhile, a cat sneaked into Ucchan's through an open window on the second floor. She turned on the hot water tap in the bathroom sink and transformed back into a naked Shampoo. Not caring about the watery mess she made with her every move, nor about her nudity, she walked towards Ranma's room. "Ai-ren," whispered Shampoo lovingly as she hugged Ranma.

"Aaaah! Shampoo! Get the hell off me!" shouted Ranma as he nervously backed away from her.

"But ai-ren, Shampoo knows you're upset. Want to comfort you." She moved towards him.

Ranma sighed, "Look. I know you're concerned but I don't feel like having company right now, so please leave. I want to be alone."

Shampoo was about to protest when Ranma pushed her out into the corridor and shut the door in her face. She smirked. The fragile Japanese sliding doors could never withstand her brute force. Silly ai-ren, didn't he know that by now? But then she sighed and walked away. She recognized the look of anguish, despair and guilt in his face. She had gone through that all before, when she had almost killed her best friend, Bei Shan, in a competition. She needed to be alone then, just like Ranma wanted his privacy now. Perhaps after Ranma had sorted out his feelings, she could tell him about Bei Shan. Splashing herself with cold water, she padded back to the Nekohanten.

It was almost noon when Ukyou returned. Konatsu was already busy preparing for the lunch hour rush, while Ranma was pacing up and down, his face contorted with guilt and worry. Spotting Ukyou, Ranma's eyes lit up. He grabbed her arms and asked, "How is she?"

"I won't lie to you, Ran-chan. Her condition worsened in the night. If the doctors hadn't operated in time, she would have died. The doctors suspect Akane's been poisoned."

"What! If the old ghoul done it, I'll tear her apart, limb from limb," growled Ranma.

"Actually, a nurse found a strand of purple hair in Akane's room."

Ranma closed his eyes for a moment and when he opened them, Ukyou gasped. They weren't the innocent baby blues she loved, nor the sorrowful eyes that reflected his guilt about his harsh actions yesterday. No. These eyes were determined and vengeful. She doubted Shampoo would live past today if Ran-chan got his hands on her.

Without a word, Ranma walked out of the restaurant. That shocked Ukyou out of her daze. She ran out. "No! Ran-chan," she shouted while hugging him tightly from the back. "Don't do it! Let the police handle the case. Please. Shampoo isn't worth going to jail for!"

Ranma turned to face Ukyou and replied, "But Akane is".

Any doubt as to who Ranma loved washed away that instant. Her heart sank but still she continued. "Look, think objectively for once.

Akane has a high chance of pulling through and she has the best doctors tending to her. Besides, you know how stubborn she is. She won't give up without a fight. But she'll need everyone's encouragement, including YOURS. Now, how are you going to encourage her to wake up if you're sitting inside a jail cell?" She paused to catch her breath.

"The police will convict Shampoo so there's no need for you throw your life away."

"I don't care about my life! Don't you see, I... I owed it to Akane. Because of my actions, she's in hospital and poisoned by that amazon."

"Oh Ran-chan. You got careless and let Akane got in the way of the fight. You're feeling guilty about that and you should be. However, Akane willingly blocked your chi balls. She knew what she was getting into. So, you're not solely to blame. Also, Shampoo could have poisoned Akane at anytime."

"But if I hadn't started the fight with Ryouga in the first place,"

"You never did tell me why you provoked Ryouga. Usually, it was him who started yelling, 'Die Saotome'."

"He and Akane were going out and I guessed I got upset. You weren't around to cheer me up, like you always do. And the more I thought about the two of them together, the angrier I got." His voice trailed off as the fight scene replayed in his mind.

"Oh Ran-chan. If I hadn't gone back to Hokkaido, maybe I could have done something to prevent all of this from happening."

Ranma shook his head. "I don't blame you. But where were you?"

"Visiting my mother's grave. It was her birthday. Maybe if I hadn't spent the afternoon shopping, Akane wouldn't be in hospital right now."

"No. It isn't your fault. I should have controlled my anger. I should have made sure Akane was far away before I blasted Ryouga. I should have..." He cried and hugged Ukyou.

"There there. There's nothing you can about that now. Akane will be all right. You want to be there when she awakes, right? Then promise me you'll let the law deal with Shampoo. Promise me you won't kill her, that you won't throw your life away."

An eternity seemed to pass before Ranma lifted his head from Ucchan's shoulders and answered, "I promise, Ucchan. I promise."

"What do you mean you can't find anything," said Nabiki, just a tad louder than normal. Kasumi looked up from her sewing, surprised to hear an equivalent of a shout from Nabiki.

Nabiki quickly walked upstairs and into the privacy of her bedroom. Once there, she continued talking into the phone. "I paid you, quite well I might add, to do a simple task and you failed. I told you where and what to search for and yet you found nothing! How difficult would it be to find a poison labelled 'bai du san' aka funisisla aka 100 poison powder in Nekohanten?"

She listened to the other party's explanations.

"I thought a person of your skills and experience would be able to handle the job. Or maybe I should have sent a ten-year-old instead?" More shouting from the other end.

"Maybe I will send a ten-year-old. He certainly can't do any worse than you!" shouted Nabiki and hung up. She closed her eyes and tried to calm down. Her ice queen facade that she worked so hard to maintain, was cracking. And that just won't do.

"Nabiki? Can I come in?" asked Kasumi.

"Sure."

Kasumi entered and sat down demurely on the bed. "Is everything all right? I hardly see you getting so worked up about something."

Nabiki was about to deny it when she noticed the look Kasumi was giving her. No, not the vacant, everything-is-wonderful look. The I-know-something-is-wrong-and-you-better-spill-it look.

Nabiki sighed and told her sister about hiring a ninja to search the Nekohanten for the poison that was responsible for Akane's condition, and that the search was futile.

"But why do you bother? The police has recorded down our suspicions and they'll be getting a search warrant. They also possess the purple strand."

"Haven't you noticed the looks on their faces when we told them Shampoo was the most likely suspect? They are afraid of Cologne. It'll be a cold day in hell before they would search the place. And that's why we have to get the evidence ourselves."

"I think you're wrong about the nice policemen but if you're right... I wish you luck, sister." With that, Kasumi left the room, feeling more depressed.

Nabiki leaned back into her chair. If it wasn't the Amazons who had poisoned her little sister, then who did? Kodachi had left on a month long student exchange program to Germany a week ago. Who else could stand to gain from this? Ukyou? Nah, she doesn't use poisons, besides she's too nice. She was genuinely concerned about Akane. So, it must be the Amazons' doing. Perhaps Cologne or Shampoo had gotten rid of the poison already. That must be it. Still, Nabiki couldn't shake the nagging feeling that she had forgotten something important.

He was troubled. Ever since he learnt that she almost died, his inner battles had begun. No matter what he did, he couldn't find peace with himself. He longed to see her again but he was ashamed of himself. He couldn't face her again after what he had did and it was torturing him. He would rather fight the most ferocious monsters and meet his doom, then to be in this state.

Sleep was eluding him and the more he stayed in his room, the more he felt that he was suffocating. So he ended wandering along the streets but almost every turn would bring him to the entrance of the hospital.

His dilemma began again. She was so near and he wanted so much to see her. But his mind was on an overdrive, generating reasons not to see her. Finally after much hesitation, he made his decision, a peek wouldn't harm.

After asking for some directions, he found his way to the ICU. Peering behind the windows, he searched for Akane. Straining his eyes, he saw the familiar figure on a bed quite far away from the windows. His heart skipped a beat. He couldn't see her clearly, but he was sure that was Akane. Maybe it was the dust for his eyes began to water. Sadness overwhelmed him as he stared longingly for her.

"Excuse me, the visiting hours are over. Why don't you come back tomorrow?"

"Huh." He turned towards the source of the voice and saw a nurse.

"Gomen, but could I just stay here and look? I won't make any noise." With that, he gave a bow.

The nurse softened when she saw his teary eyes, sadness evident in his face. It didn't harm if he stayed there but the hospital had been very uptight ever since an intruder knocked her colleague unconscious. He is just a boy. He wasn't any threat and he looked so depressed. "Who are you visiting."

"Tendo Akane."

"Oh. She had quite a number of visitors but I never seen you before."

"I couldn't come." He said dejectedly. "How is her condition?"

"She is stabilized but she is still in a coma. By the way, how are you related."

"I'm her . . . her friend." He was not her fiancée, since Soun had denounced the engagement. His spirits dampened at that thought. A tear started to flow down his face, which he quickly wiped it away.

The nurse suddenly felt sorry for him. She was always softhearted. "Do you know that coma patients recover faster if someone was there to talk to them?"

"Is that true?"

"Yes, studies have proven that. You seem to care for her a lot, so I presume both of you must have a close relationship. Why don't you try to talk to the patient? It will help her."

The prospect of Akane recovering lifted the gloom in his heart. He longed to see her, to hold her hands and to tell her how much he missed her. "You mean I could see her now?"

"Um, actually visiting hours are over now. You can't go in."

"Oh." His gloominess has returned.

"Oh, to hell with the regulations. Come with me."

"Thanks." He gave a smile, a rather awkward one for he hadn't smiled for days.

With the nurse taking the lead, he followed her into the ICU. The nurse then began talking to the other nurse that was in the ICU. When she was done, she motioned him to Akane's bed.

His steps were heavy. He could see her clearly now. She looked pale and fragile, nothing like her old self. Submerged in an array of emotions, he timidly held her hands. His eyes began to water again.

Looking at her, he began to reprimand himself again. How could he bring so much misery to the woman he loved most? He let out a silent sob and pulled her hand to his face. "I'm sorry, Akane. I didn't know what I was doing. It's all my fault." He closed his eyes and continued. "I wished... I wished I could turn back time to right my wrong. But I couldn't. I hate myself so much."

By now, her hand was wet with his tears. "Your father had broken our engagement. You are free to choose whoever you want now." He reopened his eyes while his voice has turned hoarse. "I really regret not treasuring you and taking you for granted. I never thought that we would end up this way."

Her delicate face wore a peaceful expression. He remembered her smile, a smile that he may never see again. NO! He screamed mentally.

Pushing the thought away from his mind, he went back to concentrating on her face. She was very beautiful and he regretted calling her kawaiikune. "Do you know that you are very kawaii when you smile?" Not expecting an answer, his left hand moved to touch her face. Her skin was soft and he had a sudden urge to kiss her but he didn't. "Although I always said that I never wanted this engagement, I never seriously wanted to end it. And by my hands, I have severed our ties." New tears began to form on his eyes again. Reluctantly, he retracted his hand away from her face and went back to gripping her hand.

Closing his eyes, he willed his tears to stop. Images of Akane began flooding his mind. From the first time he met her to the accident, the happy times and the sad times were all replayed in his mind. They had a bizarre relationship and until now did his feelings for her become apparent to him. "I never exactly knew or understood my feelings for you. And I could never guess how you felt for me. You are always angry with me for something or other. We could never let one day pass without a fight and yet somehow we are always pulled back together."

There was a slight smile to his face now as he continued. "I didn't understand why we stayed together despite our differences. But now I finally got my answer. Actually, you are the answer. My mind kept denying my heart. And it was when I lost you that I realized how much you meant to me. But it's all over now." His smile faded as he recalled the blows that he inflicted onto her. "We could never be together again."

Noises could be heard in the background. He could also feel the rising uneasiness of the other nurse. He knew they were doing him a favour and he didn't want to trouble them anymore.

"I'm sorry, Akane. Please forgive me." He carefully laid her hand by her side and took one last look at her. It was time to leave. He had done more than he thought he was able to. He walked towards the nurses and gave a long bow, whispering words of thanks before leaving.

[She had not felt such happiness for a very long time. She was just a fourteen-year-old girl, but she had the worries of an adult. In between schooling and working, she still had to keep a lookout for her father. But as long as she could see her, all her worries would disappear. She was like a ray of sunshine to the darkness of her life. She was the only friend she had, one who didn't shun her, one who didn't know her past or even her true gender. "Ami-chan, do you like the present?"

"Yes, I love it. It must have cost you a fortune, you shouldn't have. But anyway, thanks a lot, UCCHAN." She deliberately emphasized on her last word, taking in the pleasure to see how Ukyou cringed. She laughed as she continued, "I don't understand why you hated to be called Ucchan."

Her frown has not disappeared but she couldn't get angry with Ami for too long. She remembered the day when she met her. Ami's lively nature had set her apart from the rest of the people in the restaurant. She had worked as her waiter and her heart flourished the moment that she set her eyes on her. Those deep blue eyes, her irresistible lips and her soft shiny hair had captivated her.

"Don't be so petty." Ami grinned evilly and reached out her hands to tickle Ukyou.

Ukyou fell to the ground while trying to avoid the tickling. Ami didn't stop. And the house was promptly filled with giggling and laughter. Soon, they were both gasping for air, sitting closely to each other and staring endlessly into each other. Ami closed her eyes and Ukyou understood. She too closed her eyes and leaned forward, expecting the pleasure of the kiss.

But their lips never connected. Feeling something amiss, Ukyou quickly opened her eyes and Ami was gone. She got up and ran around her house to look for her but it was fruitless. Just as she was despairing, the front door opened. Happily, she went forward to greet Ami but the figure turned out to be her father. He was injured, blood flowing freely from his arms. He looked very dirty and had taken a few hits. He motioned her to help him to his room, which she fearfully obliged.

She set him down on his bed and went to retrieve the first aid kit. When she returned, she skillfully dressed up her father's wounds. She had become an expert in such things as her father had regularly got into fights. Her mind began to whirl to Ami. What happened? She was here one moment and gone the next. After rejecting the idea of hallucination, she became aware that she was being touched.

Her father had a lecherous grin on his face. His hands were now caressing her hips. She shifted her position in an attempt to stop what he was doing. But he was relentless. He continued to feel her, one of his hands shifted to beneath her shorts and fondled her inner thighs. He let out a sigh, seemingly delighted by the touch of her naked flesh.

She was disgusted. She wanted to push him away but she was afraid of another beating. The scar on her head that was concealed by her hair was a constant reminder of never to go against her father's wishes.

He continued to explore his daughter's body, soaking in the pleasure of stroking her. He could feel her reluctance but he ignored it. She's just a bitch, he reasoned. So, his hands continued to roam her inner thighs. Not satisfied with just that, his hands went a step further to touch her nether regions through the fabric of her undies.

She jerked back immediately. He was going too far. There was a limit to humiliation that she would take and what he was doing was off-limits. She scampered out of his reach and seeing the anger on his face, she left hurriedly with the excuse of making dinner. She could hear him growl just as she closed the door but she didn't care.

Suddenly, she found herself in the kitchen. On the stove was a pot of porridge. She was hesitant to bring the food to her father. As she stood undecided, a voice could be heard reverberating around the house. "Ukyou! Where are you?! I'm hungry, bring me the food. Dammit!"

In a minute, she was standing outside his room. She put down the bowl of porridge and went to adjust the bindings around her breasts. She tightened the bindings until it hurt but the pain was worth it. The last thing that she needed was for her father to notice how developed she had become. Then, she grabbed the bowl and timidly entered the room.

It was dark and her hands reached to switch on the lights. She could see her father clearly now and fear began to overtake her.

"Where were you?!" He growled.

"I'm sorry. I ..."

"Never mind. Feed me, my hands are hurt."

She carefully took a spoonful of porridge and began to feed him. She was worried that he may try something funny again. And her worries were not unfounded, his hands became naughty again and tried to continue from where they stopped. But she wouldn't let him. She tried to move away from him but he grabbed her legs. She lost her balance and dropped the porridge onto him before slipping to the ground.

He was furious, the porridge had scalded him. He promptly got out of his bed and gave Ukyou a tight slap. He slid off his belt and began to whip her, enjoying the sight of red stripes forming on her arms and legs.

She was helpless. He was too strong for her, fighting against him would only bring more injuries. All she could do now was to absorb the pain and scream.]

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO." Ukyou began screaming, her hands were waving in the air, as if to block something.

"Ukyou. Are you alright?" Ranma had just returned when he heard her, fearing something amiss, he rushed to her room. Seeing her screaming hasn't stopped, he continued to call out her name and shook her a bit.

It was then that Ukyou awoke. She had a confused look on her face. When she noticed how close Ranma was sitting next to her, she pushed him away on reflex. The thud sound when he fell to the ground brought her back to alertness. Seeing what she had done, she apologized profusely to Ranma.

"I'm okay. Are you fine?" Ranma asked.

"Yes, it's just a nightmare. Nothing to worry about." She brandished a smile to him and he left it as that. She chased him off to bed but she couldn't find sleep herself for the rest of the night.

A few days later. Akane was still in a coma, constantly monitored by Ryouga and the Tendo family. A policeman was sent to enquire about Shampoo's activities on the night in question. Although she had no alibi, (she claimed to be in her cat form and was chased by 2 dogs all night), the Nerima police was reluctant to prosecute Shampoo. The official reason being a lack of evidence linking her to the crime, as the strand of hair was missing from the police station. Afraid of what Ranma might do, Ukyou kept this a secret.

"Ai-ren," shouted Shampoo as she rode her bike into Ucchan's.

Ranma, in girl form and wearing a figure-hugging waitress outfit, glared at Shampoo and kicked her out. "Don't you dare ever find me again!" shouted Ranma.

"But ai-ren, I no poison Akane. People put blame on me," pleaded Shampoo from outside Ucchan's.

Ranma stepped out on to the pavement. "You can say all you want but I don't believe you."

"But is truth. Shampoo know ai-ren upset about Akane, so left at night to find you. Got splashed by cold water. Dogs give chase. Ran all night. Only went home after see ai-ren next morning. Swear on honour as Amazon warrior." Shampoo cursed her lousy grasp of Japanese, if she couldn't persuade him, then all was lost.

"Humph! I don't care about your Amazon honour or codes. That's what got me into this mess in the first place. Why don't you just go back to China! I'm never going to marry you!"

Shampoo was about to explain when she noticed Ukyou standing beside Ranma, smirking. Shampoo lunged at Ukyou, realizing who had framed her. Bonbori met spatula with a loud clang. The two girls traded blows as Shampoo tried to reason with Ranma. "Spatula girl done it! Poison Akane and left a strand of purple hair to make people think it's me. Amazons are never that careless. If Akane out of way and Shampoo blamed for it, Spatula girl is only fiancée left."

"You're lying!"

"No. Is truth!" Shampoo began a series of fast blows and kicks that Ukyou couldn't keep up her defense.

"Aah!" screamed Ukyou as a kick from Shampoo sent her slamming onto the wall. Shampoo grinned, she would make Ukyou confess in no time. Ukyou leaned on her giant spatula, trying to ignore the pain. Shampoo advanced menacingly forward but was suddenly lifted up several feet by Ranma.

Ranma growled, "You've gone too far. First Akane, now Ucchan. I've promised Ucchan not to kill you but I never promised not to hurt you." Ranma did his own version of Tenshin Amaguriken. Shampoo fell to the ground and Ranma pulled the Amazon's bruised body up and looked Shampoo in the eye. "Wo hen ni!"

He turned towards Ukyou. "Come on, Ucchan, I'll help you to Dr Tofu's," murmured Ranma as he and Ukyou walked away.

Shampoo looked at the retreating figure of Ranma, her beloved, and cried. She never would have guessed that the first Chinese words he uttered to her would be 'I hate you'.

End of part 2.