This one is set almost immediately after the failed wedding and deals with
how Akane came back from the dead. I can't really tell you much more than
that.
It begins in the chest, a slight tightening and a shortness of breath. Then it invades your limbs. You go numb, but your entire body is aware. You start to tremble and deep inside the pressure begins to build. You feel it build in your chest and the pressure increases and your body tightens. It builds and builds and then it snaps. You try to run and you're crying and the screams are coming in little gasps and even after you wake up it doesn't go away….
Akane sat in her bed trembling. Her eyes were unfocused still seeing the images that had haunted her in sleep. She held her blankets in tight fists, her knuckles turning white. Her door was flung open and her family tumbled into the room. She did not turn her head. Everyone stood there watching her. Ranma pushed past them.
"Akane," he called softly. She jerked as if she had been slapped. Suddenly she screamed. Swinging her fists wildly, she fled past her family. Ranma ducked one miss-aimed punch and ran after her. He recognized her scream. How many nights had he screamed that same one?
She ran down the stairs and outside. She fell to her knees near the pond and scratched at her arms. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Ranma knelt before her and grabbed her hands.
"Akane. Akane. Akane." She started and pulled back slightly. He could see her come to herself, could see her eyes focus and gain intelligence.
"Akane?"
"Ranma? Ranma?"
"I'm here, Akane." Akane gasped and began to sob. She sagged toward the ground, her weight being held by Ranma's hands around her wrists. He pulled her up and to him, pressing her against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he held her and rocked her back and forth. He could feel her tears on his shoulder. Murmuring softly under his breath, he stroked her hair. He could feel her fists grabbing his shirt. Over her shoulder, he could see her family and his father watching them. Kasumi started toward them but he shook his head. She retreated to stand next to her father.
"Akane," he asked too softly for anyone else to hear, "what did you dream about?"
She didn't answer.
"Akane, what did you dream about?"
"I-I'm standing in a dark room. Something's tied to my arms, but I can't see anything. It's not so bad. It's quiet. Then I smell something. It makes me nauseous. Not because I don't like it but because I know what's going to happen. I start to pull at what's on my arms and legs. I kick and swing my arms wildly. Something hisses behind me. And then-and then—" Her words disappeared into sobs again. Ranma closed his eyes. His whole life he'd had that dream. He'd had those memories. And then Saffron and the wedding, and he didn't have them anymore. He thought it was because he had gotten worse nightmares, those where Akane died and never woke up, her ghost angry with him, asking him why he hadn't saved her. He had thought he'd replaced those nightmares, but he'd lost them. Akane had them. But how? She couldn't know that fear. She couldn't have those same nightmares.
"You have the Nekoken now, don't you?" he asked her.
"Yes," she answered softly.
"And my Jusenkyo curse too." He remembered the first time he had gotten wet and hadn't changed. He'd been in the bath and had thought that it had worn off or something. He hadn't wanted to say anything for reasons he couldn't give words to. He had kept silent, not understanding how he had lost his curse, but afraid words would ruin it. He had thought he'd been dreaming.
"Yes."
"How?"
"I can't," she sobbed and pulled away from him.
*****
Shampoo crept into the bathroom, glancing around to see if anyone was there. To her delight, Ranma was. He was in his cursed form, but that was fine. All he needed as well was some hot water. In her desire to prove herself to her Airen, the young Amazon failed to notice the difference in hairstyle. She did not see the way the redhead's hair fell just shy of her shoulders or curl up at the ends. She did not notice that the pigtail was gone. Padding silently across the floor, Shampoo made her way to onna- Ranma. Just as the redhead was about to step into the furo, she became aware of Shampoo. A strangled shriek escaped her and she pressed herself back against the door.
The presence of dream cats was nothing compared to the presence of an actual cat, as Akane soon discovered. The sight of neko-Shampoo was enough to send the inexperienced martial artist into the Nekoken almost immediately. Stark naked and terribly frightened, a young redhead clawed at neko-Shampoo, knocking her back against the wall. Shampoo fought off a wave of dizziness to see neko-Ranma-chan claw open the door and sniff the air.
Neko-Akane inhaled, searching for something. She caught a hint of it, fresh but not new. Moving slowly, the psuedocat made her way around the house, looking for the scent she craved. She caught it finally coming from a place that smelled of sweat and chi. She pawed open the door and bounded in to her mate. Behind her, neko-Shampoo stared in shock as the redhead she knew to be Ranma bounded over to the male she knew to be Ranma. The Amazon watched the cat-girl knock Ranma off his feet and curl up on his back.
Ranma grunted as a semi-heavy weight landed on his back. He felt it curl up and make itself comfortable. Irritated, he rolled over, knocking it off. He rolled onto his feet, crouched facing his 'attacker', and froze. Ranma found himself looking into very familiar brown eyes. But they were not framed in her familiar face; they were framed in a face he was used to seeing in a mirror. They were framed by red hair and not blue. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was that she was crouched down on her hands and feet, her eyes blank of intelligence but ripe with confusion. The third thing he noticed was that she was naked. It didn't matter though, not right now. He *knew* that she had his curses, but knowing and seeing are two very different things. Unexpectedly, tears came to his eyes. Slowly, he sat down and held out his hand.
"Here, kitty, kitty," he called; imitating her from a video Nabiki had once sold to him. Neko-Akane crept forward hesitantly, then more assured as he held still. She climbed into his lap and curled up, purring contentedly.
"Oh, Akane," he sobbed. It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve this. She shouldn't have accepted that woman's deal. He may have been devastated by her death, but he would have survived. The thought made him pause. He tested it again in his mind and discovered that it wasn't true. He realized that he wouldn't have survived her death. He doubted he would have lasted past that night.
It was then that something touched his knee. Ranma started and looked down to find neko-Shampoo looking up at him. He glanced at Akane to find that she had fallen asleep. Shampoo kept looking between him and the girl in his lap.
It begins in the chest, a slight tightening and a shortness of breath. Then it invades your limbs. You go numb, but your entire body is aware. You start to tremble and deep inside the pressure begins to build. You feel it build in your chest and the pressure increases and your body tightens. It builds and builds and then it snaps. You try to run and you're crying and the screams are coming in little gasps and even after you wake up it doesn't go away….
Akane sat in her bed trembling. Her eyes were unfocused still seeing the images that had haunted her in sleep. She held her blankets in tight fists, her knuckles turning white. Her door was flung open and her family tumbled into the room. She did not turn her head. Everyone stood there watching her. Ranma pushed past them.
"Akane," he called softly. She jerked as if she had been slapped. Suddenly she screamed. Swinging her fists wildly, she fled past her family. Ranma ducked one miss-aimed punch and ran after her. He recognized her scream. How many nights had he screamed that same one?
She ran down the stairs and outside. She fell to her knees near the pond and scratched at her arms. Her breath came in ragged gasps. Ranma knelt before her and grabbed her hands.
"Akane. Akane. Akane." She started and pulled back slightly. He could see her come to herself, could see her eyes focus and gain intelligence.
"Akane?"
"Ranma? Ranma?"
"I'm here, Akane." Akane gasped and began to sob. She sagged toward the ground, her weight being held by Ranma's hands around her wrists. He pulled her up and to him, pressing her against him. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and he held her and rocked her back and forth. He could feel her tears on his shoulder. Murmuring softly under his breath, he stroked her hair. He could feel her fists grabbing his shirt. Over her shoulder, he could see her family and his father watching them. Kasumi started toward them but he shook his head. She retreated to stand next to her father.
"Akane," he asked too softly for anyone else to hear, "what did you dream about?"
She didn't answer.
"Akane, what did you dream about?"
"I-I'm standing in a dark room. Something's tied to my arms, but I can't see anything. It's not so bad. It's quiet. Then I smell something. It makes me nauseous. Not because I don't like it but because I know what's going to happen. I start to pull at what's on my arms and legs. I kick and swing my arms wildly. Something hisses behind me. And then-and then—" Her words disappeared into sobs again. Ranma closed his eyes. His whole life he'd had that dream. He'd had those memories. And then Saffron and the wedding, and he didn't have them anymore. He thought it was because he had gotten worse nightmares, those where Akane died and never woke up, her ghost angry with him, asking him why he hadn't saved her. He had thought he'd replaced those nightmares, but he'd lost them. Akane had them. But how? She couldn't know that fear. She couldn't have those same nightmares.
"You have the Nekoken now, don't you?" he asked her.
"Yes," she answered softly.
"And my Jusenkyo curse too." He remembered the first time he had gotten wet and hadn't changed. He'd been in the bath and had thought that it had worn off or something. He hadn't wanted to say anything for reasons he couldn't give words to. He had kept silent, not understanding how he had lost his curse, but afraid words would ruin it. He had thought he'd been dreaming.
"Yes."
"How?"
"I can't," she sobbed and pulled away from him.
*****
Shampoo crept into the bathroom, glancing around to see if anyone was there. To her delight, Ranma was. He was in his cursed form, but that was fine. All he needed as well was some hot water. In her desire to prove herself to her Airen, the young Amazon failed to notice the difference in hairstyle. She did not see the way the redhead's hair fell just shy of her shoulders or curl up at the ends. She did not notice that the pigtail was gone. Padding silently across the floor, Shampoo made her way to onna- Ranma. Just as the redhead was about to step into the furo, she became aware of Shampoo. A strangled shriek escaped her and she pressed herself back against the door.
The presence of dream cats was nothing compared to the presence of an actual cat, as Akane soon discovered. The sight of neko-Shampoo was enough to send the inexperienced martial artist into the Nekoken almost immediately. Stark naked and terribly frightened, a young redhead clawed at neko-Shampoo, knocking her back against the wall. Shampoo fought off a wave of dizziness to see neko-Ranma-chan claw open the door and sniff the air.
Neko-Akane inhaled, searching for something. She caught a hint of it, fresh but not new. Moving slowly, the psuedocat made her way around the house, looking for the scent she craved. She caught it finally coming from a place that smelled of sweat and chi. She pawed open the door and bounded in to her mate. Behind her, neko-Shampoo stared in shock as the redhead she knew to be Ranma bounded over to the male she knew to be Ranma. The Amazon watched the cat-girl knock Ranma off his feet and curl up on his back.
Ranma grunted as a semi-heavy weight landed on his back. He felt it curl up and make itself comfortable. Irritated, he rolled over, knocking it off. He rolled onto his feet, crouched facing his 'attacker', and froze. Ranma found himself looking into very familiar brown eyes. But they were not framed in her familiar face; they were framed in a face he was used to seeing in a mirror. They were framed by red hair and not blue. That was the first thing he noticed. The second was that she was crouched down on her hands and feet, her eyes blank of intelligence but ripe with confusion. The third thing he noticed was that she was naked. It didn't matter though, not right now. He *knew* that she had his curses, but knowing and seeing are two very different things. Unexpectedly, tears came to his eyes. Slowly, he sat down and held out his hand.
"Here, kitty, kitty," he called; imitating her from a video Nabiki had once sold to him. Neko-Akane crept forward hesitantly, then more assured as he held still. She climbed into his lap and curled up, purring contentedly.
"Oh, Akane," he sobbed. It wasn't fair. She didn't deserve this. She shouldn't have accepted that woman's deal. He may have been devastated by her death, but he would have survived. The thought made him pause. He tested it again in his mind and discovered that it wasn't true. He realized that he wouldn't have survived her death. He doubted he would have lasted past that night.
It was then that something touched his knee. Ranma started and looked down to find neko-Shampoo looking up at him. He glanced at Akane to find that she had fallen asleep. Shampoo kept looking between him and the girl in his lap.