A collective groan was heard around the dinner table as everyone sat back, full of that night's feast.
"Kasumi, that was d-delicious as always! H-haha! Thank you for the nice dinner!" Dr. Tofu gushed to Mr. Saotome, with a hand behind his head, glazed eyes and a silly if not slightly crazed smile on his face. Pumping the panda's hand up and down.
Annoucing it was time for him to go, Dr. Tofu proceeded to stand up and walk towards the door.
"Oh, my! Ok Dr. Tofu! Thank you so much for coming, don't be a stranger!" Kasumi said politely as the poor man walked into the wall for the third time.
Everyone else seated at the table just shook their heads at the scene.
"Gee Daddy, maybe you should walk Dr. Tofu out before he gets a concussion banging his head on the floor like that." Nabiki stated, an amused smirk gracing her face.
Ranma popped up out of his food coma suddenly, "I'll do it! I'll uh, walk Dr. Tofu back to make sure nothin's wrong too, hehe."
Everyone shrugged their shoulders and went back to what it was they were doing. Kasumi cleared the table, Nabiki got up and sat in front of the tv, looking for her favorite soap opera. Akane just sat at the table pretending to be interested in what was being said.
Mr. Tendo and Mr. Saotome where the last left at the table, staring down each other.
"Saotome, what say you to a little game of shogi…?" Tendo smirked.
The panda pulled out a kettle of hot water and upended it over his head. The two men sat in front of each other, laughing maniacally, their shoulders shaking with evil intent.
"A fine idea Tendo, as long as you don't cheat again of course..." Mr. Saotome stated.
"CHEAT? I swear on my honor, there was a giant smiling prune right behind you! I'll have you know anyone could have mistaken the master as that..."
The arguing had begun.
Ranma just shook his head, "alright time to go Dr. Tofu."
Grabbing the good doctor's shoulders, he steered him out of the front door and into the dark night. After they had walked past the gate, Dr. Tofu's eyes returned to their normally clear state and he stopped twirling around.
"Is something on your mind, Ranma?" Dr. Tofu asked as he studied the silent bo- no, MAN, next to him.
Ranma glanced over and tensed his muscles. "Doc, it's about Akane, somethin' ain't right with her."
"I noticed. I meant to ask about it but dinner just didn't see the time or place to do so and with K-Kasumi looking so lovely, I ju-"
"Doc, focus. What do you mean you noticed? Noticed what exactly? Because I tell ya, she's getting too skinny, she doesn't go on her usual runs in the morning, she won't stop looking at her freakin' hands and half of the time she's awake, she looks like she's going to fall over! You gotta check her out! Please…" Ranma ended with a whisper. The emotions on his face at war with each other. Anger, self-loathing, fearful.
Dr. Tofu sighed, "Ranma, I noticed all of those things and more. The aura around her is dull and keeps flickering. It's also the bluest I've ever seen. Have her come see me tomorrow morning. I fear if we wait much longer…"
"Don't say it. I can't. Just don't say it. I'll bring her tomorrow but promise me she'll be ok."
"Ranma, you know I will do everything in my power to make sure she's ok, she is like family to me as well." Dr. Tofu stopped walking and turned to face Ranma, putting his hand on Ranma's shoulder and looked him in the eyes. "We will figure out what's going on and she will be fine. Trust me."
Ranma stared into Dr. Tofu's eyes, searching for a sign that he was lying. Not finding one, he sighed and bowed deeply to the doctor. "Thank you, Sensei."
Lifting his head, Ranma turned around and left the doctor at the clinic's door. Picking up his pace to get back to the Tendo residence. Now he had to convince Akane of what was good for her. Stubborn tomboy, he thought.
Flashes of light blinded her, making her reach out and grab onto the wall as she made her way upstairs. Squeezing her eyes shut and opening them helped her focus a little as she stumbled down the hallway to her room. Closing the door behind her, Akane let out a barely audible distressed sob. Lowering herself onto the cool floor, she put her head in her hands and took shaky breaths, trying to calm herself.
"I'm home!"
"Welcome back, Ranma, is Dr. Tofu alright?" Kasumi asked slightly worried.
"Yea he's fine but uh where's Akane?"
"Oh she said she had a headache and headed up to bed, I do hope she's feeling better, maybe you can take this up to her?" Kasumi handed Ranma a glass of water and a couple of pills. Ranma knew that tone, she wasn't asking anything, she was telling. Frowning, he bounded up the stairs, careful not to spill a drop of water and padded down the hall to stand in front of Akane's door.
"Akane? I uh have some stuff for you here, you awake?" Ranma asked worriedly.
"Y-yes come on in…" Akane answered.
Ranma opened the door, took one look at the state Akane was in and quickly shut the door behind him, placing the water and pills on her desk and knelt in front of Akane. His hand under her chin, he forced her to look at him. Her face was so pale and drawn but still she gave him a half smile. "Akane, I know something is going on, it's time for you to tell me yourself." Ranma stated.
Sighing Akane lifted her shaky hand and placed it gently on his cheek. "I'm dying Ranma and I don't know why or how to stop this…" She let her hand slide from his face and fall onto her lap. Ranma sat back on his heels stunned. "No you're not." "I saved you, you came back to m-me, you're MINE." He said angrily.
Akane's chin trembled with tears threatening to fall as she looked into her fiance's eyes. "I feel like I'm burning from the inside out. I can barely get out of the bed in the morning anymore and I can't seem to find my appetite. I WANT to live, Ranma, I'm s-so sc-c-cared…" With that she threw her arms around his neck and let body wracking sobs shake her as she clung to the one thing she was always able to draw strength from.
"No. "
Akane found herself being swept up into strong arms and being carried out of her open window. "Ranma? Wha… Where are you taking me?"
"Dr. Tofu. We're going to fix this and you're going to be ok. You're going to get angry at me again and hit me and make me laugh. You're not going to give up like this." Ranma ran as fast as his legs could take him over the rooftops of Nerima in the dark night.
"Dr. Tofu!" BANG BANG "Dr. Tofu! Open it up!" BANG BA-
Dr. Tofu wrenched open the door in alarm, taking in the martial artist and the fiancée he carried.
"Ranma? Akane? Come in! I assume she's gotten worse?" The question directed towards Ranma as the good doctor ushered them into the clinic and down the hall to an examination room.
Ranma laid Akane down gently on the bed and tried to back away so Dr. Tofu could take a look at her. Quick as lightening she grabbed Ranma's hand, desperate to hold on to her strength. Ranma squeezed her hand gently having no intention of letting go.
Chuckling Dr. Tofu regarded them with a soft smile playing on his lips. "Akane, I hear you haven't been feeling very well? Tell me, when did this all start?"
Akane shifted her gaze away from Ranma towards the floor. "Since after the water of Jusendo restored me…" biting her lip she looked up and sucked in a breath at the anger swirling in Ranma's eyes.
"Why didn't you tell me? That was ages ago! You stubborn, uncute, tomboy!" Ranma shouted. Akane flinched and bit her lip to keep the tears at bay.
"Ranma, why don't you go wait outside for just a moment?" Dr. Tofu suggested as he laid a hand on the young man's shoulder. Ranma opened his mouth, about to protest but saw the steely determination in the doctor's eyes. Sighing he walked towards the door, throwing a backward glance at Akane before he went into the hall.
Turning back to his patient, Dr. Tofu smiled gently. "Akane, close your eyes and lay back please, I want to see if my theory is correct and to do that I need to tap into your ki."
Akane wiped her eyes and did as the doctor asked, laying back slowly on the bed.
"Now this won't hurt so don't worry." Dr. Tofu closed his eyes and placed one hand on her forehead and the other on her abdomen. After a moment or two of concentration, he sucked in his breath and yanked his hands off of her. "Akane, do you feel like you're somehow burning? Maybe from the inside?" He asked, as he studied the redness of his palms.
"Always, I feel like I can't get stop burning, like when I died I brought the flames of hell back with me…" Akane responded, eyeing the doctor with curiousity.
Frowning, Dr. Tofu rubbed his forehead lost in thought. Standing he went into the hall and called Ranma back in. "Sit down, Ranma, I need you both to listen carefully to me."
Akane sat up nervously and Ranma sat next to her on the bed, his fists clenching in agitation. "What's going on, doc? Do you know what's wrong with her? What do I need to do to fix this." Ranma asked, almost afraid of the answer. Akane glanced at her fiancé, seeing the worry on his face, she laid her hand over his fist, willing it to relax. Surprised, Ranma turned to his fiancée and saw the small smile she offered him. She's the one who's in trouble and here she is, again, trying to reassure me. Great guy I am… Ranma sighed at the thought and nodded to the doctor to continue.
Dr. Tofu readjusted his glasses and looked at the young girl. "Akane, you are dying-"
"NO! I WONT LET TH-" Ranma shouted but quickly closed his mouth as Dr. Tofu shot him a disapproving look.
"Ranma, calm down and listen to what I have to say first." He waited for Ranma to sit down before continuing. "Akane, the reason you feel like you're burning up inside is because you are. I heard what happened at Jusendo and my theory is that when you were restored with the water, it may have revived you and brought you back but your ki, your aura were irrevocably changed. It's so hot, I could only feel it for a couple of seconds before it too, burned my hands. I assume this has been getting almost intolerable recently?" Akane nodded at the question and imploring the doctor to continue.
"We need to reverse the damage to your ki before you get much worse. Luckily, you have a strong body so it's been fighting off the damage as best it can but you're losing the fight now…"
"Doc, just tell me what to do?" Ranma interrupted, standing up and pacing the small room.
"Ranma…" Akane whispered softly to the restless young man, wanting to ease the tension in his body.
"Well, I'm not sure exactly what to do. I've never seen something like this, no one has ever come back from having their body drained of life like that. I do however know of someone who has…" Dr. Tofu trailed off.
"What are we waiting for? Call the guy and get him to come here and restore her ki!" Ranma half shouted.
Dr. Tofu shook his head gravely, "Ranma, I must consult with Cologne before we attempt contacting him. It's a trip that can't be made on foot and you may not come back from it…"
Akane wide eyed immediately shouted, "No! He's not going to do that!"
Ignoring her, Ranma stopped pacing, crossed his arms and regarded the doctor with solemn eyes, "Doc, let's do this."
Akane about to protest was cut off by the determined look in his eyes.
Nodding, Dr. Tofu stood. "I guess I will make a call then."
Author's Note:
Thanks again for the reviews and encouragement to keep going with this! It definitely helps keep that motivation going. I am hoping to turn out at least a couple of chapters a week on here (best laid plans and all…). With a family, it can be challenging doing this inbetween taking care of my small boys and going to work but I won't let you down!
I have to give a shoutout to purse! You make my writing better so thank you for all of your help!
Anywho, hope you enjoy this chapter, more to follow soon!