C. Cowboy: hey, I hope you're liking the story so far! I'll warn you this chapter's got kind of a sad ending. Read and review!

Chapter 3: Ranma's Big Fall

"Umm… question?" Ranma began looking around at his surroundings, "I want to rescue Akane, so would someone PLEASE tell me why the hell we're at the Dock?"

Genma merely pointed at a large floating castle in the horizon, "Something tells me that would be a good place to start looking."

Ranma nodded, "Ok good answer, now lets get a boat." He said as a small figure jumped from shadow to shadow behind him.

A short while later the group made up of Ranma, Genma, Shampoo, Mousse, Ryoga, and Ukyo rode on a boat toward the strange castle. Genma set in the back the splashing ocean water had changed him into his panda form. 'Lets just try to keep quiet till we find out exactly what we're up against.' He said through one of his signs.

"Right Pops." Ranma agreed looking ahead toward the castle. 'Hang on Akane, I'm almost there.' 

Moments later…

The group had made it into the castle Courtyard surprisingly easily, even the massive Genma Panda. Helped a lot that Jubi seemed to have several pet pandas.

"That wasn't that tough." Ranma said from behind a tree.

"Um… Sugar." Ukyo gulped tapping Ranma's shoulder. "I think we have a… problem."

Ranma looked at her, and noticed her pointing toward a small group of guards patrolling. "What is… oh no…" he sighed looking at the small black piglet scampering around the guards' feet like it was lost.

'Ranma that jerk!' P-chan thought as he dodged the guards' feet, 'He lost me so he could take all the credit for saving my Akane!' After a few minutes of dodging, he spotted a fountain. He was pretty good at holding his breath, so that would be the perfect place to hide for a moment to think out his next move, and being a fountain it had to be cool water.

Upon jumping in it became embarrassingly obvious it was actually warm water. And the guards seemed quite surprised to see a young man standing on all fours in the fountain wearing nothing but a bandana. "Umm... Hey guys, nice weather today huh?" Ryoga asked nervously.

"Get him!" one of the guards yelled as they approached him.

"Ryoga you idiot!" Ranma yelled taking down one of the guards along with the others doing the same. He halted for one sec before laughing at Ryoga's situation, which was a sight for many others also. "Get some clothes on, Ryoga!" Ranma chuckled watching Ryoga trying to cover himself.

"Shut up Ranma!" he yelled before turning toward Ukyo. "Can I have my back pack to change, Ukyo?…Ukyo?" he asked looking at Ukyo, who was busy staring and blushing. "Ukyo, please give me my back pack." He said a little firmer bringing her out of her trance.

"Oh…um…sorry Ryoga." She stammered handing him his backpack quickly.  

Meanwhile inside the castle's main hall, Jubi and Akane stood before a man that appeared to be a priest. Akane was now dressed in a long flowing white dress, that hugged her figure perfectly, and her short dark hair and face was hidden in a long lacy veil.  Jubi was dressed in his usual regal clothing.

"Lord Jubi, do you take Lady Akane to be your wife?" the Priest asked.

"I do." Jubi announced proudly.

"Lady Akane, do you take Lord Jubi to be your husband?" the Priest asked turning to her, but got no response. "Lady Akane?" he asked again.

Akane just stood there. She tried to say it, she knew it was the only way for Ranma to keep his cure, but no matter how hard she tried to make herself say 'I do' she couldn't bring herself to.  

She finally took a deep breath and was about to say those two words when the door to the hall swung open. "HOLD ON A DAMN SECOND!"

Akane's eyes lit up. Ranma was standing in the door with a guard in a head lock, "Get away from Akane, Jubi, or else!" he growled pointing at him with his free arm.

"I've given you your cure Boy, what else do you want?" Jubi replied equally angry.

"The only thing I want, Jubi, is my uncute tomboy back!" Ranma challenged, "and I'm not going to leave without her!"

"If you want her so badly," Jubi said grabbing Akane by the waist, "Come and get her!" he then leapt up and landed on a set of stairs with a struggling Akane in his arms and departed up them.

"AKANE!" Ranma yelled running behind them, with Ukyo, Shampoo, and Ryoga close behind.

They followed Jubi all the way to the top of a ten-story tower.

 "AKANE!!!" Ranma yelled slowly moving toward the center of the roof.

"RANMA!" Akane called out grabbing his attention. He spun around and caught site of her standing behind Jubi.

"She's MY fiancée, Jubi!" Ranma stated proudly, "If you want her, you'll have to go through me first." 

"If that is the way you want it, boy." Jubi replied snapping his fingers, "Ok, Ranma, I'll let you have the first blow…"

Jubi's sentence was cut short as Ranma jump kicked him in the face making him step back dazed.

"What's the matter, Blondie, you know how to use magic but not martial arts?"

Before Ranma could make fun of him anymore, he felt a sharp pain in his chest. Ranma took a few steps back before Jubi punched him again this time in the face and sent him scraping the ground.

"RANMA!" all three girls yelled in unison. Shampoo tried to run out to help him but Ryoga stopped her.

"No, Shampoo, he's ok. He's taken worse then that, besides this is his fight." he continued watching Ranma jump back to his feet

Ranma dashed toward Jubi and swung a punch but Jubi connected with a chi blast and sent him sliding along the ground again.

"Ranma…" Akane muttered as she stepped forward getting ready to make her own attack, but Ukyo beat her to it. Before anyone could see what happened, Ukyo was in the air and her oversized spatula coming down toward Jubi.

Jubi caught the Spatula and simply slung the girl to the ground. "That was a mistake, girl." Jubi growled forming a chi blast aimed directly toward the cook.

Just before Jubi could launch the attack, Ryoga jumped to Ukyo's side, took her in his arms, and jumped to safety.

He landed close to where Akane was watching, and she ran to them. "Is she alright?" Akane asked as Ryoga gently set Ukyo down.

Ryoga noticed a small cut on her forehead that was bleeding slightly. "Here." Ryoga whispered soothingly as he removed one of his bandana's and tied it around her forehead as a makeshift bandage. "I… didn't make it too tight, did I?" he asked blushing slightly.

Ukyo shook her head slowly, blushing also, "Thank you…Ryoga."


….

Ranma tried another attack only to be blasted again, and, as before, Ranma slowly got back to his feet.

"What does it take to make you stay down??" Jubi asked in disbelief.

"I'm not… going to… let you have her…" Ranma grunted holding his possibly broken ribs.

Jubi didn't give him time to attack again when he sent another surge of chi energy through his body.

Ranma cried out in pain, yet refusing to lose his footing. "I'm…not…going to let… you have her…"  

Akane was about to go to Ranma's aid, but Ryoga stepped in front of her. "No, he's mine."

"THIS IS FOR UKYO!" Ryoga yelled as he swung a punch in Ukyo's honor, but Jubi read that coming and deflected Ryoga's attack.  Hitting him with a punch that sent Ryoga sliding back the way he came.

 "Ryoga!" Ukyo cried anxiously going to his side, "Are you ok?"

Ryoga just looked around dazed, "look at all the pretty Akane's…" he groaned before slumping on her shoulder.  

Meanwhile, Ranma was still writhing in pain from Jubi's attack.

"You know, boy, if you beg for mercy, I'll let you go."

Ranma glared at him, "I'm… not going to… let… you have her…" he gasped still fighting off the pain.

"Fool." Jubi grunted sending Ranma flying through the air toward a large water pipe. Ranma's back hit hard against it, bursting it open, and covering himself with ice-cold water.

"RANMA!" Akane yelled running to him, but stopped suddenly and gasped when she caught sight of Ranma now in his girl form.

Ranma then slowly got back to her feet and stumbled slightly, "Akane…. I'm…sorry…" she whispered falling to her knees then collapsed.

"All you had to do was give up your claim on Akane, and you could have had your cure." Jubi said looking down on the battered and beaten redheaded girl, "but now you've lost your cure, you've lost Akane, and now…you'll lose your life." 

 "Ranma, no worry Shampoo…" Shampoo yelled, running toward her through spraying water appearing in her cat form after jumping protectively in between Jubi and the unconscious girl.

"It's been fun, my friend," Jubi started, "but it's time for you to say goodbye." Preparing for his final attack at the last second, but stopping when a small figure kicked him in the face, which brought him to his knees.

"Who dares?" Jubi demanded looking around locking eyes with the one who blindsided him.

Happosai stood in front of him in a low fighting stance, "You fight well against students," the little old man growled narrowing his eyes. "Lets see how well you handle yourself against a master."

"What's the old freak doing here?" Ranma groaned setting up slowly, rubbing her forehead. Just then she noticed the cat in her lap, "AH CAT! GET IT AWAY! GET IT AWAY!"

Shampoo looked back at the fear stricken Ranma and mewed sadly. She looked into her fear-filled eyes and mewed again before jumping away.   

Ranma breathed a sigh of relief and tried to stand up, but pain in his ribs wouldn't let her. So she just turned her attention to Jubi and Happosai's battle. Unlike her fight with him, Happosai seemed to make a good opponent, matching Jubi punch for punch and kick for kick.

She turned her attention to Akane, who was standing in the other corner of the roof. She could tell by the look in her eyes she was worried. She was just staring, and looked as though at the first site of opportunity she'd run her way. It was at this time Ranma noticed what she was wearing. The long form fitting white dress made her look more beautiful then both her sisters put together. 

Akane noticed Ranma staring at her and quickly blushed and found the ground very interesting. Ranma blushed also and turned her attention back to the fight. Jubi was struggling to keep up with the smaller and faster Happosai. He finally shot a massive energy blast at the old martial artist, who easily deflected it unknowingly directly at Akane.

Ranma could see the blast going straight toward Akane; the whole world seemed to go into slow motion. Happosai was too busy dealing with Jubi to notice Akane's danger, so Ranma forced herself to her feet and despite her pain and weakened state, pushed herself toward the now frightened girl.

"AKANE!!!" Ranma yelled dashing toward her, "GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!"

Ranma managed to shove Akane out of the way and dodged the blast letting it hit the ground. He then leaned against the stone railing when it began to give way. The entire corner began to fall, and Ranma tried futilely to get on solid ground.

"RANMA!! NO!!!" Akane yelled diving to the broken edge of the roof. She looked down and at Ranma hanging by a brick. "Hang on Ranma! I'll get you!" she cried reaching down toward the pigtailed girl. 

Ranma's fingers we're beginning to slip, and Akane was still several inches away. "Just… a little closer…" Akane groaned stretching as far as she could toward her. Ranma felt two more fingers give out leaving only two fingers supporting her.

'Now or never, Ranma.' She thought to herself as she looked up into Akane's worried and tear filled eyes, "Akane…" she said in a low sad voice. "Listen, I know I may act like a jerk to you, and I've hurt you more then I ever meant to…but Akane…" she said fighting off fears of rejection she's held since they met. "Akane…ever since I met you… I've always…" and just as those words left her mouth the brick she was hanging on gave way, and she fell backwards down the good six story tower.

Akane just lay there looking the way she fell. It took only moment for it to click in her mind what had just happened. "No…" Akane whispered standing up, "Ranma no…" she then turned and dashed toward the stairs. She tried to say things to herself to calm down, but the only word she could form was 'no'.

She shot out the door into the courtyard where Ranma fell, rubble was everywhere and then she spotted Genma near the warm water fountain. "Mr. Saotome! Where's Ranma!" she yelled near panicked running up to Genma.

He simply turned around sadly, "Akane… no don't look!" he said trying to stop her, but she managed to shove him out of the way. When she looked at the fountain her heart, which was beating so fast on the way down, suddenly stopped. 

"No…" she muttered looking down at Ranma lying in the ankle deep water, which had changed him into his boy form. He lay there completely motionless, his eyes closed and his mouth was slightly ajar, almost like he was asleep. "Ranma?" 

She slowly climbed into the fountain and waded to his side, and dropped to her knees. "Ranma…wake up, you lazy jerk." she whispered not getting any response, then to her horror she noticed his chest wasn't rising. Tears threatened her eyes as she brought a trembling hand to his face. He was so cold, so clammy. "Ranma…you idiot… why? Why did you have to go and try to save me like that, Stupid…"

She grabbed his shoulders and began to shake him lightly, "Wake up… Ranma…Wake up…" Akane sobbed tears running down her face. "Ranma… no…not like this… please Ranma… don't leave me like this…"she begged shaking a little harder. "Ranma…stop it… you jerk…this isn't funny…" she cried slapping his face, trying for any kind of reaction, but got none.

"Akane…" Genma sighed looked sadly at her leaning over his lifeless son.

She brought his upper body in her arms, holding his head to her chest. "Ranma…please…don't leave me like this… Please…" she sobbed as memories of times she had by his side, times he'd saved her, and protected her flooded her mind as tears flooding her eyes. All she could think about was not getting the chance to tell him how she truly felt. To let him know how much she loved him, but never acted in fear of rejection. But now she would never get the chance again, so she did the only thing she could do. She held him tighter and released part of her anguish by screaming his name.

To Be Continued…