"Ranma... Ranma. Ranma? Ranma! RANMA! RAN-MA!" Sick with sorrow, she sobbed raggedly for hours cradling his lifeless body before she was finally discovered, her voice hoarse.

Life After Death (cont.)

By: Ranichan

The funeral was horrible. Friends, enemies, lovers, all gathered to say goodbye to Ranma, the martial artist who had, in his short life, touched so many people... and probably pissed them off too.

No one was as inconsolable as Akane, they knew. She had found him there, as if drawn to him even after death and while she appeared to be calm and collected at the ceremony, it was only because, hours before, she had bawled and screamed and kicked and cried herself into exhaustion. She was silent but she was dying inside, detached from those around her as they grieved quietly.

Death had come and stolen him without so much as a warning, he was gone and it killed a piece of her as well. She was as dead as he was in an emotional sense. Her family supported her and carried her back home where a repast was held. The house and dojo was packed with countless people who had numerous tales of wonder where Ranma was concerned. How he had saved them, challenged them, brought two people together, ate them out of house and home; however, the one person with the most stories secluded herself in her room away from friends, away from family.

No one knew quite what to do, whether she needed to talk or whether she just needed her space so Kasumi, trying to be mindful of what her little sister was going through, took a plate up to her room, left it in front of her door and knocked. A whimper from inside was heard so she left, cringing at her sister's suffering.

Akane lay in a ball, still wearing her black gown from the funeral, tears streaming down her expressionless face. "Ranma..." she breathed, wringing the hem of her dress in her two frail hands. "Why? How could it have been this way!? All this time, no one ever thought that anything like this would happen... least of all to you. I just can't get over it, what am I going to do now? What will I do, now!? I... I never even got to tell you how much I- how much I loved you. Now... now, there's nothing left for me here. What is worth living for when you're not here, Ranma? I never thought that you could move me so much and yet, I knew all along. If only we hadn't fought so much, maybe you'd still be alive, or at least in death, you'd know that I loved you. I just don't know why the gods would do this! As if you haven't been through enough, why!? I just... don't understand!" her mind screamed as fat tears continued to find their way to her chin. "It's not fair!"

She had rationalized herself to the point of nausea, the injustice, the pain, the anguish, all manifesting itself in the pit of her stomach as a growth was pushed up into her throat. She couldn't cry, it would solve nothing because nothing would bring him back. One thought kept sounding in the back of her head, though. "What will I do without you? What will I do without you?" All this time she had known him, she had never known anything but love for him and him alone. Sure, there were times when she hated him but still, she could never imagine loving anyone else. She knew, she lost her soulmate. What would she do now.

The cries and laughter of those attending the repast were slowly ebbing from her ears as she drifted further from home. Her small hands were balled into fists as she determinedly made her way to the very bridge where he had spent so much of his time, where she had found him.

Again, she made her way to the bank of the lake, wary of falling. She silently sat on the shore staring off into the water, formulating what would happen next. Again, she breathed his name, knowing no one would ever answer. "He died without knowing... I loved him... and he died without telling me." She berated herself for being so pretentious, to think, he could ever love her, but she knew it was true. She knew he loved her, in all the things he did for her, there was love. Time and time again, he had risked his life for her and she knew he wouldn't have, had he not loved her. She knew he'd do anything for her. It was with that final assertion that she stood, resolved. She took off her flat shoes and placed them beside her and then she began to walk toward the swelling lake admitting herself to the water, the very water that had claimed his life. She walked steadily on, slowly allowing the water to consume her. She felt the water swallow her and fill her longs as she continued to breathe under water, consciously remembering "inhale, exhale, fight it". Soon, she found herself at the bottom of the lake, the pressure of the water puncturing her eardrums. She was committing herself to the water, just as he had and she knew that if he loved her, even in death, he would save her. If he didn't, then she would finally know and she would not have to live with anymore suffering. "I have to do it," she thought, her mind hazy as she felt herself succumbing to death. Her eyes closed to see him, just as she remembered him smiling back at her, she would die with him on the brain. A small serene smile tugged at her lips as she gave herself to the cold water; however, just then, the water around her warmed.

She was unconscious now, unable to appreciate herself being pulled from the depths of the lake. She was being pulled from the water with speed unaccustomed to anyone she knew. Her body was pulled onto the shore and was administered CPR at once.

"But... who?" she asked, her voice echoing ethereally, as she gazed down on her body, something she had done once before. "Ranma?"

"Ryoga." came another detached voice from behind her. "I led him to you."

"Ranma?" Akane turned to see Ranma staring back at her his face unsmiling yet tender. "You.. led him... the warm water?"

"Well... that was me, too. But, Akane, you must go back." Ranma stated sadly.

"But Ranma, I don't want to. I can't if I can't have you, I won't!" Akane protested.

"You can, and you will because now you know. I love you. I do, and I can't let you do this when there is so much more in store for you." Ranma shook his head solemnly as he held her in his arms.

She couldn't feel him but knowing he was there and knowing that she loved him was enough. "Ranma, I-"

"I know, Akane, I know," Ranma breathed, his voice breaking. "You'll tell me when it's time."

"But, Ranma!" Akane cried feeling herself awake in anothers' arms.

She awoke knowing that Ranma, indeed, loved her and that she would have to wait to hold him again because he would not let her give up, he would make her live. They had been cheated, it's true, but they would reunite once more when it was time, not a moment before. Even in death, he had come for her proving that they were soul mates.

She lived out the rest of her life never committing to another, though proposals came time and time again, because when she died, she only wished to be with him.

A/N: Ughhh. okay. It didn't go QUITE how I wanted to at all. In fact, it was very OOC on Akane's part simply because I've been kind of channeling Miaka Yuki from Fushigi Yugi recently, damn it all. I had this written/planned out totally differently. I'll probably end up scrapping this for another ending but until then, feel free to burn me for my failure :( and if you actually liked it... PLEASE, BOOST. MY EGO!