Chapter 2

"RANMA! It's all your fault that we missed the connecting flight! Why you- had- to go and get something to eat to feed that bottomless pit you call a stomach...I'll never know!" Akane ranted as she saw their plane taking off. She was very upset about missing it since this was her one and only time for stardom. Not to mention all that money that she'd make going towards her college fund. All of those missed opportunities vanishing right before her eyes made Akane angry.

"Hey! It's not like I could grab somethin' on th' plane! I mean, have ya tasted their food!" Ranma yelled back, getting angry himself. He was tired from the nine-hour flight from Japan to Tupal. During the flight he had kept watch for anyone who looked crossways at Akane and didn't get much sleep. Twice, while Akane slept in-flight, he had to remind some pervert to keep their hands to themselves. And they still had another six hours to go in order to reach the island of Hauhine.

Akane admitted to herself that the food was gross but that was no excuse to miss their flight. Sighing, she decided to try and get along with Ranma or die trying, taking a deep calming breath Akane replied tiredly, "Ranma, I really don't want to fight right now. We need to find a way to get to Hauhine for the photo shoot. I've got to get there before tomorrow. Do you have any ideas?"

Ranma thought for a few moments and remembered chartering a flight with his father when he was still on his training journey. "Um...Akane?"

"Yes Ranma, what is it?"

"Back when me an pop were training, we had ta charter a flight from one island ta another when we visited th' islands around Hati. I remember that pop wanted me ta learn their fighting style an' incorporate it into Anything Goes."

"You mean we could get someone to fly us out to Hauhine?"

"Uh, Yeah."

"Do you think we have enough money?"

"Don't know until we ask," Ranma replied before he started looking around the terminal for anyone who looked like a pilot. Spotting someone off to the side, Ranma made his way over and tried to get his attention, "Excuse me, sir?"

The pilot glanced up from drinking his coffee and spotted a kid with a pigtail and a young girl following right behind. "Yeah man, what you want with Spinner?" he asked in heavily accented Japanese.

"We missed our flight an' I was wonderin' if you're lookin' ta make some extra money?" Ranma replied, as he looked the guy over. He had noticed the cut of the man's clothes were out of date and that he looked to be in desperate need of the cash.

"Man, Spinner could take you were you want to go. Ain't no job too hard for Spinner!" the pilot announced proudly while thumbing his chest. Squinting his eyes, the pilot named a price that was a little bit too steep, "One thousand."

"Too much," Ranma barked out and then came back with his own. "Four hundred."

Akane stood next to Ranma watching the proceedings and was amazed at how good he was at haggling the pilot down to a fair price. As she pondered this she could feel the exhaustion asserting itself. Her eyelids began to droop and her chin started gravitating towards her chest. She decided to lean against Ranma to rest for a bit.

Ranma had noticed that Akane was leaning against him but he was too busy concentrating on getting them a flight out to Hauhine to complain about it. It wasn't until her full weight slumped against his side that he had to split his attention for a few moments and put an arm around her waist. Ranma smiled briefly before turning his attention back to the pilot, catching his answer to the counter offer he had just given.

"Deal!" the pilot shouted and held out his hand to seal the agreement. They shook on it and the pilot told him that he needed to fuel up his chopper in order to get to Hauhine. "Wait here for half an hour and I'll come and get you.


*****************************************************************


Akane was awakened suddenly when the sound of thunder shook the heavens. Blinking the sleep from her eyes and looking around, she could see that she was in some type of vehicle. Judging by the sound it's makingit must be a helicopter. I'm glad Ranma was able to get us a charterspeaking of which, where is he, Akane muttered to herself while searching for him. Akane finally spotted him fast asleep in his own seat and began to relax until a shudder shook the aircraft. Quickly she unbuckled her seatbelt and made her way over to his side.

Ranma! Wake upcome-on you big jerkwake up, Akane pleaded with the pigtailed boy while shaking his shoulder roughly. When he still wouldn't awaken, Akane resorted to her usual way of getting him up by screaming into his ear, This is no time to be sleeping when there's something wrong!

Mmm...whazit, `Kane, Ranma mumbled sleepily as he smacked his lips together and tried to roll over in his seat. He didn't get to far due to the grip Akane had on his shoulder as she continued to shake him.

Ranma! Get UP! Akane yelled one more time and raising her voice to the point where it could be considered a sonic boom.

he screamed as he leapt straight up from his seat. I'm upI'm up, Ranma yelled as he clung to the ceiling of the chopper. Then, noticing that it was Akane who'd scared him out of several years of his life he dropped down to the floor and yelled, Whadja do that for!

Akane started her explanation while completely ignoring his last question. Good. Now, if you haven't noticedwe seem to be caught in a storm. Akane pointed out to him while struggling to get the last of her thoughts out before she lost her courage, and I don't like it one bit. I have a really bad feeling about this. Can you go check on the pilot?

Ranma glared at Akane for a few moments in resentment and thought, "Why'd she have ta go'n wake me up for...I'll make her eat her own cooking for wakin` me up." Finally, he noticed how nervous she was and that with each rumble of thunder that echoed inside the cabin, Akane flinched. It was so slight that an ordinary person wouldn't have noticed. But, since he was adept at reading his opponents, he noticed it right away.

Grudgingly, Ranma gave in, sighing he replied, Alright, fine. I'll go check ta see what's goin on. Turning, he made his way towards the cockpit and just as he was about to step inside there was a bright flash of light and the helicopter swung violently to the right. Ranma grabbed for anything that he could steady himself with and pulled himself back towards the cockpit where he could hear the pilot yelling franticly.

"May day, may day! Echo Charlie 2990_34 B. Fuel running low...line busted lightning struck rear propellerdon't know if can make it to... Suddenly the radio went dead. Aww Shitstupid radio," the pilot started to curse in his native language which Ranma had trouble understanding what he was saying but, the pigtailed youth didn't need anyone to translate for him since he had a sudden premonition that they were in deep trouble.

"Hey Spinner!" Ranma yelled as he stuck his head inside the cockpit. "What's goin' on?"

"Man...Spinner here say we hit big storm...not hear on radio about any storm but, out here in the islands, the weather do sometimes be very strange!" Ranma could see the pilot start to sweat as he fought to control the helicopter against the strong winds while the pilot continued talking, "Spinner think we hit very, very bad storm...maybe even typhoon. I try to get close to land so we can stay over night!" the pilot yelled over the noise of the storm.

What's going on! Akane yelped as she grabbed the chair back for support. The chopper shuddered and swung to the right this time and another flash of light lit up the sky accompanied by a booming noise, then the motor went silent.

"Shit!" Ranma yelled when he heard the motor go dead. His blood turned ice cold in his veins. He was afraid, not for himself, but for Akane. Ranma hoped that the pilot would manage to get them close to a landmass before they crashed.

"Boy!" the pilot yelled from the cockpit.

"Yeah?"

"Open the sliding door...we over land now. I try to get to clearing and close to the ground before you have to jump," Spinner called as he fought to control the shuddering helicopter and preying that he could keep it on a steady course.

"Ok!" Ranma replied as he made his way over towards the door. Quickly, he slid it open and was hit by violent wind gusts that he had trouble standing. Turning towards his fiancée he yelled, "Akane! Hold on tightly ta anything that's nailed down!"

"Ranma what's going on!" Akane yelled frantically as she struggled to make her way over towards him and the bar that Ranma was currently gripping.

"We're goin' down Akane! The motor's gone an' the fule line's broken! The pilot says that he's going ta try ta get as close ta th' ground an' in a clearing so`s we can jump!"

"Okayieeeeeeee!" Akane's answer turned into a scream as the helicopter tilted violently towards the right, which was the side of the opened hatch. Ranma watched in horror as Akane slid out of the cabin and into open air.

"AKANEEEE!" he screamed and lunged to try and grasp her outstretched hand as she fell. Suddenly, the chopper tilted in the opposite direction, flinging him against the opposite side of the chopper. Then, just as it tilted left, it reversed itself and tilted to the right, flinging Ranma out of the cabin as well. "Aaaaaaa!" he screamed as he fell. Looking down, Ranma knew that this was going to hurt when he hit the trees. "Akane, where is she! I'm going ta have ta find her an' she might be really hurt when I do! Ranma thought to himself as he scanned the forest as he fell the last few feet. When he looked up for the helicopter, it had disappeared from the sky.

"Thank kami, we weren't that high up...." was his last thought before he fell through the trees and struck a branch and tried to ricochet off of it to lessen the impacted but he misjudged it and slipped. When he hit the ground, Ranma felt a sharp pain in his wrist, side and head, and then everything went black

************************************************************************

Akane screamed as the helicopter tilted violently towards the right. As Akane slid towards the opening she scrabbled for purchase on the slick flooring but it was no use. "RANMAAAA!" she screamed again, as she fell out of the cabin and into open air but the wind carried her voice away, unheard.

Akane heard Ranma screaming her name as she fell rapidly towards the trees. She knew that this was going to hurt a lot if she didn't push out any other distractions and concentrate on making a decent landing. Pulling together all of her martial arts skills and abilities, Akane straightened her self out and tried to see where she was headed.

Closer and closer she came until she was level with the treetops. Quickly, reaching out her hands, Akane tried to catch herself but as her hands grasped the fist branch, the force of her fall snapped it in half, sending her hurtling towards the ground. Determinedly, Akane kept trying to slow her fall but each time her fingers grasped a branch, it broke. As Akane tried one more time she managed to stop her fall but she could feel a sharp pain stinging her palms and blood started to drip onto her cheek. Looking down, Akane could see that she was very far off of the ground and her arms were starting to ache with the strain of several pulled muscles and of trying to hold her weight. Slowly her hands started slipping, she tried to get a firmer grasp on the branch but it was no use, Akane fell screaming towards the ground. As she fell her head impacted painfully with a branch, she fought back the pain until she struck the ground; Akane felt something snap in her leg before everything went black.


*********************************************************

Dawn finally broke over the shore of a small island in the Pacific Ocean, shining its rays onto the figure of the unconscious girl lying on the ground deep within a forest. Groaning, she opened her eyes and tried to get up while checking for any injuries, her stomach rebelled as the world around her spun crazily. When everything calmed and her stomach stopped churning, she decided to try to stand. As Akane placed her full weight on her right leg, pain was the first thing that registered in her psyche, causing her to yell, "AAAAAhhhhhhh!"

Running her hands down over her injured leg, she could detect a slight irregularity in the alignment of the bones. Akane knew then that her leg was broken. Tears of pain and frustration ran down her cheeks as the events of the past few days came crashing down on her. The Tendo girl cried silently for a few moments before the dam of the last ten years finally broke. In moments she was sobbing her heart out. Part of it was in the fear that she would never see her family again. Another part of the fear stemmed from the fact that she was alone in this place with only Ranma for company. . .

"RANMA! Oh my god, where's Ranma?" she said as she franticly turned her head in every direction while trying to locate him. There was nothing in site except trees and more trees for miles around. She could distantly hear the surf pounding against the shore. This led her to believe that she was close to the beach. Akane knew that she had to find Ranma if she wanted to survive out here. She wasn't used to being away from home and she knew that her cooking was less than stellar. She also knew that Ranma knew how to survive off of the land since he had always rubbed it in during their training trips. But, first she needed to set her leg properly and find a walking stick.

Akane glanced around herself and spotted a tree root sticking out of the ground and forming a half circle before being immersed in the ground once more. "Perfect," Akane muttered as she carefully maneuvered her injured leg closer towards the root. This would help her hold her leg immobile. She needed to use all of her weight to push against the tree root in order to set the bones. She didn't have a doctor to do it for her so Akane decided that she needed to do it quickly or it might cause further problems. "I've broken my arm before so I know this is going to hurt a lot. The only thing I'm worried about is infection setting in. I remember Dr. Tofu giving me a shot to fight any infections the last time," she murmured quietly as she inserted her foot under the root and making sure it was lodged tight. Satisfied that it wasn't going to move, Akane braced her other foot and gave a quick prayer. Breathing deeply, Akane suddenly pushed with all of her might. Feeling the bones shift sent excruciating pain up her leg and Akane couldn't help but scream in agony, "Aaaaaaaaa!"

Startled from their foriging, the native birds suddenly took flight. Their shrill screams were muted by Akane's scream of pain as she once again set herself and pushed, this time she managed to set the bone properly but when the pain reached its peak, Akane passed out. The unconscious Tendo's scream echoed throughout the forest and reached the other side of the island.

**************************************

Ranma-chan awoke to hear the last echoes of a scream fade from the air. Every muscle on her body hurt and her head and wrist throbbed with pain. Ranma-chan grabbed her head and groaned, "Oh man, it feels like `Kane used one of her mallets on my head." Groaning, she rolled over onto her stomach then to her knees just a little bit too fast. Everything started spinning and she could feel the gorge rising into her throat. Ranma-chan braced herself, as she became violently ill. When her surrounding stopped rolling and spinning she managed to gain control of her stomach and panted. "Must...have...a...concussion," she murmured while swallowing and forcing down the rising bile that continued to plague her.

After twenty minutes she felt good enough to try and stand and finally managed to get a good look at her surroundings. "Ok, I see trees an` more trees...great I have no idea where I am at the moment `cept I'm lost on an island in a friggin forest and Akane's lost," Ranma-chan muttered before starting to trudge in the direction she thought that Akane might have landed. After an hour of walking Ranma-chan began to get worried since she had yet to see any sign of Akane. "I've got ta
find that tomboy, there's no way she could survive out here by herself," she whispered feeling the worry deep in her gut. Pausing, Ranma took a look around and spotted a nearby stream.

It was around late afternoon and the heat in the forest was oppressive, Ranma-chan welcomed the chance to quench her thirst and ran over to get a drink. As she was bending down and reaching for a handful of water, Another scream echoed through the forest, Ranma started in surprise. She knew that scream anywhere. "Akane!" Ranma yelled while quickly jumping to her feet and listening for more. When she didn't hear another scream she began to get really worried. She could tell the general direction where it had come from but it sounded so far away. Ranma figured that this must be a very large island.

Ranma-chan took a quick drink of water, and was surprised when she changed, "The water's warm!" Satisfied and no longer thirsty, Ranma set out in the direction of where the scream had come from, he estimated that he was maybe a few days travel before he could find the area over where Akane had fallen. Already he could hear the strange calls of the nocturnal animals as they started to stir. One sound in particular made him cringe. It was a deep-throated roar. "That sounds like a c-c-cat," Ranma muttered while looking around for what had made the noise. The sound came once more causing him to look up, Ranma relaxed as he realized it wasn't a cat but a strange creature he had never seen before, it looked to be a cross between a monkey and its face had slightly feline-ish features. But that was were the noise was coming from, he breathed a quick sigh in relief before glancing over towards the darkening sky. It would be night soon and he was very worried about Akane. "I wonder what other types of strange animals are on this island? And I hope the tomboy will be alright until I find her," he whispered to himself as he continued to trudge into the darkening forest.


*************************************************

When Akane awoke she gingerly felt her leg. Satisfied that her leg had been set she removed it from the root that still trapped it. Looking around, she spotted a few sturdy branches that would keep her leg immobilized, grabbing them and placing them by her side, Akane proceeded to tear strips out of her shirt. When the task of binding her leg was completed, Akane started searching the ground for branches that were suitable enough to be used as a walking stick. Spotting one just out of reach, she tried to stretch herself out to the fullest in order to reach it. When her fingers only gripped leaves she cursed, "Damn, that didn't work. I think I'm going to have to crawl over there in order to get it...thisis _really_ going to hurt." With those muttered words, the youngest Tendo proceeded to pull herself towards the sturdy looking branch about a hundred yards away.

With each movement, pain shot up her leg and almost caused her to pass out. Akane gritted her teeth against the pain and pushed it back while concentrating on getting that branch and then finding Ranma. By the time she reached the branch she was covered in sweat and trembling from exertion. Her leg was killing her and she had tears running down her face. Above all else, Akane wished that she could have some pain medication


Finally reaching her goal, Akane attempted to stand and wobbled unsteadily. As she stood up, her head started to pound and the scenery around her spun crazily, Akane felt like she was going to throw-up. Breathing deeply, she waited for everything to settle before she finally turned around searching for the easiest path out of the undergrowth. Spotting a small beaten path leading away from where she stood, Akane proceeded to make slow progress away from where she had fallen. Her stomach growled in hunger, startling a few birds from their perches. I'll find us something to eat soon, she murmured quietly while searching for anything that could be edible. After several hours of slow travel, Akane finally spotted a few fruit trees that she thought she recognized. She briefly remembered watching a nature show about what types of trees grew in the tropics and which ones were safe for human consumption. Picking a few fruits that looked ripe, Akane continued her search for Ranma. It was getting dark and the forest echoed with a loud roar, Akane started, quickly glancing around as she tried to located the source of the noise. Not finding anything, she knew that she couldn't stay out in the open. I don't like the sound of thatit could be a dangerous animal. I'd better start looking for a place to sleep, she muttered while searching for any type of shelter.


Spotting a giant hollow tree, Akane smiled at her luck and quickly made for it in the fading light. As she got close enough, she saw that the opening was too large and would probably allow a predator to get to her if she didn't block it with something. Looking around, she spotted a small boulder that would just about cover the gap but would leave enough room for air to pass through. It was only a matter of pushing it the last few feet to get it close enough so that she could pull it over the entrance to be safe.

It took her well over an hour and a lot of pain from her injured leg to get the boulder to the right spot. Panting from the exertion, Akane slowly crawled into the hollow and with the last of her strength, pulled it over the opening. The youngest Tendo closed her eyes and tried to get some sleep.

During the middle of the night, loud growling and scratching sounds awaked her, as something tried to get to her from the other side. Snapping her eyes open, Akane listened carefully as she tightened her grip on her walking stick. Focusing her eyes on the opening, she waited there in the dark came a brief flash of glowing eyes. Not waiting for the thing to stick its paw through the opening, Akane lashed out with the tip of the branch and was rewarded by a loud roar of pain. Akane didn't get much sleep the rest of the night as she stayed awake, ready for the thing to return. Oh, Ranmawhere are you, she whispered quietly as she shivered in fear waiting for dawn to break.


*********************************************************


The next morning found Ranma high in the treetops, sprawled between two large branches that formed a cradle. Yawning, the pigtailed boy stretched before rubbing the sleep from his tired eyes. He hadn't slept all that well last night; he kept jumping at all the strange noises. Every time he heard a sound that he failed to recognize his fear for Akane's safety escalated. He knew that he needed to find her and he was determined to make sure he accomplished it today.

Quickly, the pigtailed boy climbed down from his high perch in the treetops. Once on the ground he headed off in the direction that he had heard her scream originate from. During his trek, he found more fruit trees, so he took advantage of the fact and took some for the journey. As he traveled he absently noticed that the ground had started to slope upwards. Must be climbing a mountain or somethin, he muttered to himself as he stepped over a large downed tree trunk.

Soon the traveling became difficult as the underbrush became thicker; Ranma had to continually push it aside to move forwards. Dammit! Stupid forestStupid plants! Ranma yelled getting frustrated. His frustration reached new heights when he stopped the fiftieth time to push the brush aside. This slowed down any progress he was currently making. Hang on Kane, I'm gonna find ya! Ranma growled. He was determined to not let her stay out here alone another night. Sides, if I don't find her.an she gets hurtMr. Tendo'll kill me!


Finally, Ranma spotted a patch of sunlight coming through the brush, he was so relieved to finally be able to get out of the thick underbrush that he didn't even think about where he was going. "Alright! Finally, I'll be out of this stupid forest!" Picking up the pace, Ranma burst through and into a small clearing at the edge of a cliff. His balance was off slightly, windmilling his arms; Ranma managed to regain it in the nick of time. Fhew! That was close, he muttered as he glanced downward. Well, I'm not gonna find Akane from up here so I'd better go over there, he said to himself as he turned around to head off towards the ocean. Unfortunately, his foot slid out from under him, Ranma screamed as he tumbled off of the cliff. Then he was airborne for a brief few seconds before his back slammed into a hard surface, his head connected with something hard, then he knew nothing more as unconsciousness took him.


***********************************************************

As Akane crested the rise of the mountain she blinked in wonder at the beautiful site spread out before her. She could see the beach and its pristine carillon waters to her right and to her left she could see all the way to the other side of the island. Suddenly, she heard a groaning noise. Akane glanced around as she tried to find where it had come from. There it was again, glancing down, Akane saw Ranma lying on a ledge about thirty feet down. Oh, my God! she exclaimed in shock. He must have slipped and fell. I've got to get him to wake up,' Akane muttered to herself, she was very worried that if she didn't wake him up soon, he might roll over and accidentally fall off the ledge.

"Ranma! Akane called loudly as she lowered herself to the ground. Please wake up!" she pleaded with him, but he still didn't move. "That's it! I'm going to have to climb down there to wake him up," Akane muttered to herself as she scanned the rocks for any hand holds. As Akane climbed down she almost lost her grip when the small crack she had inserted her fingers into, crumbled. Quickly, she scrambled to find another one; she sighed in relief as she located it just a few inches below the first. Shifting her grip, Akane selected another spot and then moved her good leg to try to locate a place to put her foot. It took a while for her to make it half way down the cliff face due to her broken leg. Akane had only gone a few more feet when she lost her grip and slid painfully down the rest of the way. She was lucky to land on the ledge but the force of the landing jarred her injured leg. "AAAAA!" she screamed before pushing aside the pain and crawling as fast as she could to Ranma's side.

"Come on, Ranma get up!" Akane said as she shook him gently then more roughly when there was no response to her prodding. "I hope he's not hurt too badly," she said to herself as she continued to shake him. After a few more minutes of shaking him her arms were starting to get tired but she doggedly continued, "Ranma!"

When she still received no response, Akane thought she should check him over for any bumps on his head just in case of a concussion. Turning him over onto his side since there wasn't much room on the ledge that he had landed on, Akane noticed a cut just below his hairline. It wasn't serious as it could have been but what worried her is that it was close to his temple and there was a bit of blood seeping from the wound. Biting her lip in concentration she tried to remember the lessons she took in first aid class about how to treat a concussed person. But, every time she tried to think farther than a few days ago her head started to pound.

"I might have a slight concussion too," she murmured placing her right hand to her brow briefly before reaching out and gently running her fingers over Ranma's wound, bringing a response from him that was quite unexpected.

"Akaneee. . . ," he groaned as he turned his face into the caress. After a few minutes his eyes started to flutter, then he started to move his left arm towards his head groaning a bit more to express the discomfort he was in. "Owww, did anyone catch th' number of that bus?" he muttered.

Akane laughed as tears ran from her eyes, that caused Ranma to snap his attention directly in her direction. "Akane?. . . Wha' happened? Where are we. . . th' last thing I remember was bein' on the helicopter and fallin' out. Then when I woke up I started ta look for ya. I musta slipped and fell," Ranma said as he sat up with his hand to his head.

"I'm not sure Ranma. I think that the pilot got us as close to one of the islands before the chopper rolled and I was thrown out. Thank kami...we landed on the ground in stead of in the water," Akane said thinking about how she always sank like a stone when she was in the water. As she shifted in place, Akane tried to keep as much weight off of her injured leg as possible, but even though she tried not to jar it, she let out a wimper of pain.

"Akane! What's the matter? Did you hurt your leg?" Ranma asked her as he turned in her direction and started to lean his weight on his right wrist. This proved to not be such a good idea as he hissed in pain. "Oww! Damn that hurts," he said as he sat up straight while grabbing his wrist. Turning his attention to his wrist, Ranma hoped that he hadn't damaged it further in the fall. Satisfied that it wasn't broken, he ripped off a few strips of cloth from his favorite shirt to make a makeshift brace.

"Ranma what's the matter?" Akane said as she turned to face him while reaching out her hands to see if there was any real damage.

"Awww, its nothin' Akane. I just sprained my wrist really badly when I fell out of th' chopper, that's all," he said as he tried to wrap the brace tightly around his wrist.

"Here, let me do that," Akane said as she snatched the cloth away from him and started to wind it around his hand, concentrating on the task she was performing with such care as to not move it anymore than she had too. "To answer your question about my legwell its broken. I reset it the first day here. I'm pretty sure I did it right. Glancing up from what she was doing Akane suggested, While I'm doing this, why don't you look around to see if you can spot the helicopter. You can see for miles from this height," she said.

Ranma nodded his head in agreement and turning his attention towards the scenery around them he started scanning for any indication of the helicopter while he said absently, So tha's why ya screamed. I thought somethin' was attacking you. As his gaze roamed over the thick brush, he spotted some smoke drifting through the trees just below what looked like a volcano.

Yeah, it really hurt. I passed out from the pain and when I woke up later, I bound my leg with these branches, Akane replied pointing towards her leg.

Ranma winced sympathetically, before spotting somethin in the distance and squinted. What the. . . he muttered while raising his hand to block the bright sunlight from his eyes. 'Kane. . . I think I've located th' chopper. Oh, an' I see a volcano

Akane asked him, getting excited about seeing their only ticket off of the island. Is the helicopter in one piece?

I can't see it all that good from here, Ranma replied squinting his eyes from the bright sunlight.

Suddenly, they heard a low rumbling noise and the ground started shaking. Akane's eyes widened, What the hell is that?

Um, I don't think you're going to like this butithnklmph, Ranma started to explain but mumbled the last bit out since he really didn't want to scare her.

What was that you said? Akane asked as she gave him a particularly evil glare.

Ranma saw how serious she was at wanting to know and heaved a sigh, I think th' volcano is active

Akane shouted.

Ya heard me, he replied wearily.

she blinked a few more times before it finally sank in. Then she screamed in near panic, We have got to get off this island! What if it blows up!

Ah, don't worry 'bout it Kane, it's not like we're goin' anywhere right now. I'll have ta go check it out first thing tomorrow mornin'. But, first we have ta get down from here. Come on," Ranma reached out his hand and helped Akane to her feet, staying as close as possible to the face of the cliff. "Ya think you can climb up on your own...I'll...ah..make sure you don't fall," Ranma stuttered while blushing.

"Sure that will be fine," she replied, totally missing the rush of color to his face since she was looking for handholds on the rocky ledge just above them.

he replied as he positioned himself in back of her. Ranma waited until Akane had climbed up a few feet before following right behind her. They had been climbing for a good ten minutes and he was getting irritated. Ranma knew Akane could do better than this even with a busted leg so he decided to motivate her a bit, Hey! Ya think you can go any slower! I think I jus' saw a snail pass ya by!

Akane heard this got angry. Shut up, Ranma! I'm doing the best I can right now.

Gee, an I thought that with that tomboy strength of yours you'd have been over th' top by nowheck, Shan-Pu woulda beet ya there already, he teased her.

Akane growled, picking up the pace she reached for another handhold and managed to pull herself up by the sheer strength of her arms alone. Her thoughts centered around the comment of that amazon hussy being faster than her. This made Akane furious. Glancing down over her shoulder, Akane panted a reply, Hufff, when we getto the top, I'm gona brain you

Ranma grinned as he saw the glare she shot him. He stuck out his tongue at her while giving her a raspberry, Ha, I'd like ta see ya try! Then, Ranma concentrated on climbing; he could hear Akane's angry growls as she pulled herself up the cliff face. Chuckling, he admitted, "it's fun to push Akane's buttons like that." After five more minutes of climbing, he glanced upwards to see Akane disappear over the lip and onto solid ground once more. Ranma followed two seconds later, throwing himself on the ground beside her; he let her get her breath back before standing.


Come on, Tomboy! We gotta get to th' place where I saw that smoke comin' from, Ranma said as he held out a hand to help her rise.

Akane panted for breath, her sudden energy burst had tired her out more than she would have liked to admit. Grinning ruefully, she even admitted, "Arrg! I'm so tired that I don't even have the strength to pull out my mallet." Seeing Ranma offering to help her warmed a small corner of Akane's heart and she was grateful for it. Reaching out her hand, she allowed him to pull her up, Thanks, Ranma. Walking beside him, Akane thought, "I'll pound him later....when I get my strength back."

Hey, no sweat, he replied as he began walking.


It took them most of the day to reach the edge of the forest since Ranma had stopped frequently to allow her to rest. He'd noticed the pained grunts she had emitted with every step. Glancing up, Ranma noted the position on the sun and sighed. It was getting dark and he had hoped to find a place to set up camp. We need to start setting up a place to sleep for the night. This is just as good as any, right now, he said glancing around the sandy beach.

I guess this is fine, Akane replied absently as she gazed out over the ocean.


"Can ya stay here for a bit? he asked as he started walking back into the forest. I gotta get some fire wood.

Ranma! You can't just leave me here! There are wild animals on this island! Akane yelled to her fiancé's retreating back.

Ahh, there's nothin ta worry about Akane, it's an island and the only wild animals it might have are snakes and maybe if we're lucky, some wild boars. `Sides you said ya could take care of yourself `member? Ranma replied as he glanced back over his shoulder towards Akane who just glared at him while grinding her teeth in frustration.

Akane yelled as he disappeared from sight. She didn't really want to admit that she was scared to be left behind, she remembered the thing that had kept her up late the other night. Akane shuddered in fear, she knew she hadn't gotten a good look at it but she was determined to not become its next meal. Akane thought, This is my first time so far away from home and I'm determined to show Ranma that I can take care of myself. Muttering a few obscenities under her breath, Akane compared Ranma to the worst things that she could think of while trying to get her thoughts in order.

Okay, one. I'm injured and so is Ranma. And two, we seem to be stuck on an island with no food, water or shelter! What else could go wrong! Okay. . . Akane you have to calm down. . . When he comes back I'm sure that everything will be fine and we can leave after repairing the helicopter. Nodding to herself, Akane grabbed a large pointed stick before she crawled over to a downed tree a few feet away. She decided to sit there while leaning against the trunk to wait for Ranma to return.

He might take awhile to get back here. . . I wish he would bring back some thing to eat though, Akane said as she covered her growling stomach with her hand and directed her gaze out to sea. Might as well enjoy the scenery.

***************************************************************

As Ranma trudged through the thick underbrush of the tropical jungle, he couldn't help but wonder what he had gotten himself into now. It would be just my luck ta end up stuck here with that macho chick of a tomboy, he muttered to himself as he pushed aside an overhanging branch then ducked beneath the biggest snake he had ever seen. Man, when Akane sees that there are snakes of that size on this island she'll probably freak out. Oh man, I gotta stop talking ta myself and find where th' chopper landed, he said as he jumped over a rotted log and landed in a clearing.

As he landed, Ranma looked around and saw a few hot springs to the right and further on in that direction he could see the smoke much better now, and just behind the smoke he could see the volcano. He turned to the left to further inspect the area as a faint sound caught his attention. Squinting in the bright light he tried to look a little deeper into the forest. There! A waterfall! All Right! We've got fresh water and hot water! I don't have to worry about being stuck as a girl now! he said, smiling he turned towards the right and started to walk in the direction the smoke was coming from.

After fifteen minutes of walking he finally saw the chopper, or what was left of it. Ranma tried to see if the pilot had survived and began searching around it and that it was apparently engulfed in flames. His searching proved to be disheartening as he walked towards a pile of rocks where he though he saw some suit cases lying on the ground. As he got close enough to see if it was their clothing, he noticed a hand sticking out from the bushes two yards away. "Man I hope he's alive. Th' chopper's a goner an' so is th' radio. If this guys not alive I'll be alone on this island with...Akane."

When he got close enough to see the pilot, Ranma suddenly wished that he hadn't. He could see that the pilot had somehow been thrown from the chopper. The condition that the body was in made him sick to his stomach. Covering his mouth and dashing over to the nearest bush, Ranma threw up his dinner that he had picked on the way. Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand Ranma turned around and glanced at the destruction and lost hope, "Now we'll never get off th' island."

Shaking his head to rid himself of such gloomy thoughts, Ranma hoped that the pilot had radioed their last known location to the nearest air traffic control station. It may take some time for rescue ta come, I hope it comes soon thoughI know what Pop and Mr. Tendo would be doin now, planning a weddin' for when we get back is what their doin'. Man, I better get back to `Kane and build a shelter for th' night. It kinda looks like it might rain, he thought as he dashed back towards the beach.

*********************************************************

As Ranma emerged from the lush tropical forest and stepped onto the sandy beach he could see that the sun had begun to set. He must have been gone for hours without even noticing it. "Man, Akane's gonna kill me for leavin' her alone for such a long time. Good thing I brought her some dinner," he said as he tossed a banana up into the air and caught it as it fell.

Squinting in the fading light, Ranma spotted a dark shape leaning up against a downed tree. Smiling as he recognized what it was, Ranma picked up his pace to give Akane the news about the plane. Just as he rounded the end of the tree and took a deep breath to call her name, he noticed that her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and steady. Peering closer, he saw the slight curve to her eyelashes, her lips parting ever so gently with each exhalation. Gulping, Ranma quickly snapped his attention elsewhere while denying that he thought she looked very cute like that. "Oh kami, good thing she's asleep, cause if she saw me lookin' at her like that she'd likely pound me," he said as he glanced around the beach for anything that could be used as a wind break. "It'll give me enough time to get a fire going an maybe catch some fish for dinner before she wakes up and starts ta bug me with questions." With those thoughts in mind, Ranma set to work on making a decent camp before nightfall.

***********************************************************

As Akane slowly returned to the world from her deep slumber, she could smell the most delicious scent wafting through the air to tickle her nostrils, it made her stomach growl in anticipation. She could hear the crackling sounds of a fire going not too far from where she lay. Suddenly, a cracking noise echoed into the night air causing Akane to sit up straighter, Akane looked around for the source of the noise.

What Akane saw as she glanced around was that Ranma had apparently built a fire, caught some fish for dinner and it was obvious that he was the cause of the cracking sound. She watched through slitted eyes feigning sleep as Ranma, his shirt off, ran though a kata while using a tree as a sparring partner. Each time he hit the tree a coconut would fall to the ground to smack against the shells of the previous ones that had already fallen some time ago. As her attention wandered down the path of what could happen in the near future, she was snapped back to reality by the smell of their burning dinner. Gasping, she quickly tried to stand up and run over to the fire pit to remove it, but had forgotten about her leg. "Aaaaahhhhhh!" she yelled as she fell back against the tree.

"Akane? Are you ok? Ya know you shouldn't have tried ta get up with that leg of yours," he commented as he squatted down next to her and eyed her facial expression. He wasn't sure if she would except help from him since most of the time when he tried to help she would take it the wrong way and he'd get pounded for it.

"I'm ok, Ranma. I just forgot about my leg while I was trying to save dinner from burning but...," Akane said as she tried to explain what had happened but only got so far before he quickly jumped up and dashed over towards the fire to rescue their dinner. "Shimatta!" he yelled, as he brought the fish close enough to Akane to see that it was mostly burnt but still edible if you liked charcoal. Sighing, Ranma eyed what was left of his hard-earned catch and grimaced. "I forgot about th' fish. Damn it! One of these days I'll learn not ta forget about certain things while I'm practicin'," he muttered as he sat down next to Akane with a muffled thump.

Akane noticed his expression and started to giggle. With each gasping breath she tried to cheer him up but every time she looked at the remains of their dinner she started to laugh harder. Finally she got enough control of herself to comment. "II thought I was the one who's the bad cook Ranma, but it looks like you win with this one," then she lost control of herself once again and fell over laughing when she noticed Ranma making a funny face.

"Har har, very funny 'Kane. Next time you cook an' we'll see who gets th' last laugh," he replied as he reached over his shoulder and grabbed a couple pieces of fruit that he had left there just in case Akane was hungry before he got back from fishing.

"Ranma," she growled menacingly as she stopped laughing and glared at him for his comment on her cooking. Akane knew that she wasn't the best cook in the world. Sure, she knew that anything she cooked could down an elephant with a single bite, but that didn't stop her from trying. She wanted to be able to cook a good meal without the risk of poisoning someone and sending them to the hospital. Although, she remembered that one time when she got her revenge on one of Ranma's other fiancées by actually cooking something that looked, smelled and even tasted normal. But for all intent and purposes it wasn't normal when Akane cooked it. "He he. They didn't know what hit them until after they had eaten it," she muttered to herself as she grinned at the distant memory.

"What's so funny Akane?"

Oh, I was just remembering something that made me laugh. I don't think it would be something you would be interested in though," she replied.

Fine, don't tell menot that I care, he muttered as he put down the remains of dinner and grabbed a couple pieces of fruit. he said as he handed her a piece. Thought you'd be hungry.

Akane accepted the fruit from him with a strange expression on her face. He always confused her like this. One minute he'd was mean to her, and the next he could be surprisingly sweet and gentle. Ducking her head down, she shyly thanked him, Thanks RanmaI was getting hungry. Now, can you tell me what you found when you went searching for the plane?

Ranma sighed. Then he gathered his thoughts before he asked, Do you want the good news or the bad news first?

The good news please, Akane replied, returning her gaze back to his face to try to read his facial expression.

Ok, here goes nothin', he muttered. Then in a louder voice so that she could hear him. Well, I found a great place ta set up a hut ta live in ta get out of th' weather. An' I came across some hot springs an' there's a waterfall with fresh water. Oh yeah, I also found a grove of fruit trees `bout two miles back, he said pointing over his shoulder in the direction he remembered. I also took a look at that huge volcano an' it doesn't look like it's active right now. But just th' same, I think we should be careful, ok? he said, glancing at her, seeing her nod, he continued to try to get to the bad news in a tactful way. But as we all know, tact is not one of Ranma's strong points.

I found th' chopper a little further out. It was engulfed in flames and th' pilot is dead, had to bury him, he muttered with a grimace on his face. Then when he didn't hear any comments forthcoming from Akane he continued with his detailed explanation all the while not looking at her except for the occasional glance. Never want ta see somethin' like that again. Ugh! And I thought a dead demon was gross. Anyway, I lost my lunch when I saw th' pilot impaled on a jutting rock Ranma would have continued except for the retching noises coming from his side.

After it looked like Akane had finished loosing her dinner she turned to him and yelled, Ranma! That's gross! And while I'm trying to eat my dinner no less! Baka!

he said as he rubbed the back of his head. Heh...heh. I thought ya could handle it, what with you bein' a tomboy an' all. But no, you went all girly on me and lost your dinner.

Akane being Akane took that comment the wrong way and started to search for anything she could throw at him. Since I can't walk, I might as well hit him with something! she angrily thought to herself as her eyes scanned the sandy beach only to stop when she saw the discarded banana peal. Picking it up, she hauled her arm back and let fly when Ranma's attention turned elsewhere.

Akane watched in fascination as the peal flew straight towards the back of Ranma's head. At the last second before impact, Ranma turned to face her again and got a face full of banana peal. To say that he was surprised would be an understatement. His eyes widened to the size of oranges, as he crossed his eyes to see what had just hit him.

Raising his hand, Ranma wiped the offending object from his face and saw the leftover part of Akane's dinner. He was very surprised that Akane hadn't hit him with her mallet. Although his face did sting a bit, he was glad that it wasn't the mallet that she had hit him with. Man, she really must be scared, he thought to himself as he eyed her expression turn from angry to full out amusement.

Wha'd ya do that for ya uncute tomboy? he asked her in a knee jerk reaction. Then, realizing what he had just said, he scooted back a few feet as he saw that her face began to darken to a bright red color. It was a color that he recognized as one of her calm moments before the storm. I'd better watch what I say next or I might bring on hurricane `Kane, he muttered quietly, too quietly for Akane to hear him. Now, A...Akane, that didn't come out right. I meant to ask you why ya hit me? he said.

Akane breathed deeply for a few minutes, clenching and unclenching her fists before she felt calm enough to speak. You just insulted me again! she screamed at him as the days events finally caught up to her. Hearing about the pilot's death and both of them being trapped on the same island together sounded like a plot that their parents would have thought up. Akane knew that it wasn't their parents this time that had brought about the present events. All she wanted to do at this moment is down a few painkillers for her leg and find a nice warm place to sleep out of the chilly breeze coming off of the ocean. Akane began to cry quietly, turning her back to Ranma so that he wouldn't see.

Ranma noticed and silently cursed under his breath as he made his way over to her side and hesitantly reached out his hand while he tried to apologize. "I...I'm sorry Akane. I just didn't think about what I was going ta say," he said, slightly worried when she refused to face him. When he placed his hand on her shoulder she flinched but relaxed a few seconds after.

"I'm tired, my leg hurts and I'm cold, Ranma...and on top of that...we're stranded on a deserted island. We're all alone with no shelter and we can only hope that the pilot radioed our last known location before he crashed," Akane whispered shakily as she scooted backwards to lean against him.

Ranma was surprised but he knew that she was feeling the effects of the past few days and needed comfort. He was surprised that he needed to feel her against him too. "Don't worry Akane, I've found th' perfect spot ta start building a place ta live. We'll be ok...now let me look at your leg," he said as he released his hold on her and scooted around to examine it. After a thorough examination, Ranma said, "Ya should stay off of your feet for a couple of weeks. Th' last time this happened ta me, it was about six weeks. I'll keep track of it by scoring a tree. Now, let's get some sleep an' I'll show ya the place I found."

"Oh," Akane said as she felt herself being lifted and carried over towards a lean to that she hadn't noticed. After he lowered her onto the leafy floor, Ranma set about lighting another fire in the pit closest to their make shift shelter. When he finished he crawled behind her and Akane felt herself being pulled firmly against his chest. "Ranma...what are you doing?" she asked apprehensively.

"Ah, I figured you'd be cold so I'm taking the outside and you'll be closer ta th' fire. Good night Akane," he said before he closed his eyes and dropped off to sleep.

"Oh, gee thanks. Goodnight Ranma," Akane said just before she too fell asleep.

*****************************************************************