Personal thanks:
Aqua Rosewater: I don't think Tylenol will cure him and remember: he still has the chicken pox, so Kasumi can't get to close to him. Ranma and Ryoga are closer then they think they are. He is Ranma's best friend, in my opinion. After Akane, that is.
Animalman: I freely admit it, I love keeping my reader in suspense. Thank you for the compliments! I never thought I was that good.
Dacl73: My parents are both doctors, yet I know nothing. I almost passed out while getting my blood drawn. I'm just making this up as I go along, using what I know and asking about what I don't. About the respiratory thing, yes that was a typo. Stupid spellcheck. It should have read my mind and known what I want!
Vixen: Yes, yes. You caught me. It was supposed to be "I have more bad news then good news." I stink at spelling and grammar, ask anyone. I do my best.
Azurite: Remember, I am trying to keep this as G as possible! I'm terribly sorry is I damaged your psych, I just can't help myself. If you want to know the answers to your questions, you just have to keep reading.
Sacchi: If I tickle you, then you will laugh, and then you will breathe. Problem solved.
abc: I was trying to see if I could pull off a little bit of angst. I suppose I did, by everyone's reviews. I think this needed a bit of sadness. The fic is called 'Ill' after all..
Katsu-chan: Thank you for brightening up my day. Your reviews always make me laugh. Ranma and Akane forever! None of this other fiance stuff. It is a bit inconsiderate of Ranma to just die all of a sudden. Make everyone else work harder. The nerve of some guys.
Ranchan: Are you trying to tell me how to tell my story. You'd have better not. What was wrong with the ending I told you? What ending did I tell you? Tell me at school, don't write it in a review and spoil it for everyone else.
V-chan: You sound like me when I watched the Shinnosuke OAV. I was like, poor Ranma, poor Akane, poor Ryoga, poor Shinnosuke, poor everyone. That was one of my favorite stories. Yep, you're just gonna have to wait.
Lil Washu: What will happen? I'm gonna have to think about that.
Legolas007: Drama is good. Happy endings are nice too. Sad endings that are happy in a way are also nice. I just like everything I guess. I'm so easy to please. It scares me sometimes.
butterfly: Ryoga will always care for Akane, no matter what happens. That is something I rule my life by. By the way, I love your stories! They are awesome and I hope you update soon.
Maura: I'm positive you cook better then me. I can't even boil water and this is not an exaggeration. Maybe I should make that into a one shot after I finish this. That would be pretty funny. I'll think about it, but it'll be more towards yes.
Disclaimer: Insert a disclaimer here and pretend I wrote it.
Thoughts are in 'quotations'.
After they had no more tears left to cry, Nabiki stood up. "I should go call the school and say that there was a family emergency, and that is why we aren't at school." She strode out of the room, trying to boost her confidence and be the normal Nabiki that everyone knew and owed.
"I'll go make something to eat. Once I have something, will you try to feed Ranma? I don't think he has enough strength." Kasumi smoothed her long skirt.
"Sure, Kasumi. I'll do anything that might help." Akane felt herself on the brink of crying again, though she choked it back. "I'm going to go see how he is."
Akane was about to open Ranma's door, but it was already ajar. She could hear voices coming from inside.
"You know, Ranma, you have to get better. You owe me a couple photo shoots." Nabiki's voice wafted to Akane's ear. The older girl chuckled. "Seriously though, I might really miss you if you were gone. It would certainly be more quiet around here, but we are so used to it we would get bored quickly." She sighed heavily. "You have no idea what it would do to Akane if something really horrible happened to you. It would break her heart. She really does care a great deal for you, even if you can't tell each other; I guess you must have figured that out already. I know you love her. Anyone with eyes could see it in the way you look at her. You have to get better, ok? If not for the rest of us, for her. If you are gone, our lives wouldn't be the same. I think we would lose Akane also, one way or another. You don't want that to happen. I'll let you rest now. Just think about what I said. Maybe you will understand, even in your sleep."
"Who said I was sleeping?" asked a groggy Ranma as he sat up and exchanged a smile with Nabiki.
As Nabiki left, she was swept up in a hug by her younger sister. "It is good to know that you realize how much I care for him, it's wonderful to know that you care." Akane said with a large smile.
"Yeah, yeah, go and see him, I think he is waiting for you." She pushed her younger sister into the room, shutting the door soundly. Akane blushed as Ranma's grin expanded at the site of her.
"Hey, Ranma, how're you feeling?" She rubbed his back comfortingly.
"Better now." He beamed at her, then winced, his headache finally taking over. "My head hurts though." He rubbed his forehead, trying to massage some of the pain away. "Can I have some aspirin or something?"
"Of course! Anything, anything at all that you need, I'll get it for you. All you have to do is ask." She held one of his hands in both of hers, surprised by the size difference and warmth his body gave off. 'Anything Ranma. You name it, I can do it for you. Just don't leave me!'
"Gee, thanks Akane. All I want is some Tylenol or something to make this headache go away, though. Thanks for offering. If I think of anything I want I'll let you know." He blushed at her forwardness to do anything for him.
"How about something to eat?" Kasumi said from the doorway. "I brought you some aspirin and a bowl of miso soup. If you don't feel well enough to feed yourself I'm sure Akane wouldn't mind helping you." She handed the Advil and a glass of water to Ranma, watching him swallow the pills and finish the water in two gulps.
"Uh, well, I think, I, well I.." Ranma stammered. 'Since when does Kasumi suggest such a thing? I can feed myself, I'm not a baby. Then again, raising that glass was hard enough. I feel just like when I got the moxibustion from Happosai that made me weak as a baby. These chicken pox are worse then I thought.'
"Let's just let him try and if he has trouble then I'll help him. Thank you, Kasumi." Akane put a hand on Ranma's shoulder.
Kasumi excused herself with a smile, albeit a sad one. Ranma began to eat, but soon felt too tired to hold the bowl and feed himself. "Oh, give it here!" She took the bowl from him and lifted up a spoonful of soup. "Open wide for the choo-choo!"
He glared at her, but opened his mouth anyway. It was good soup. After she had set the spoon back in the bowl to refill it, he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. She blushed profusely, but didn't respond other then that. "What's wrong? Do I get any kind of reaction? Are you feeling alright?"
Akane nodded. Then she took his head in her hands and kissed him on the lips, crying the whole time. He kissed her back, enjoying the sensations that were flowing through his body. He knew something was up though. Everyone was acting so weird around him. But who was he to complain, when he was kissing the woman he cared about.
She broke the kiss and picked up the bowl to get ready to feed him again. Ranma made her put it down and scooped her up into his arms. She didn't resist, wanting to be with him for as long as he had left. "I'm not hungry anymore," he whispered into her hair, lips brushing her ear lightly.
"Alright then, can we just stay like this?" She was happy in his arms and she never knew how much time Ranma was going to live. 'I never realized how fragile life is, but now that I might lose the most important person in the world.. All our fights just seem so trivial and idiotic.'
"Of course we can. We're perfect." She agreed as she murmured something about not letting go. 'Nothing can ruin this moment' was the thought that ran through his head as he realized how beautiful she was.
Except maybe..
"Nihao, Ranma! Aiyaa! What you do with violent girl?" She stood stock- still, wondering how this had happened. 'Maybe violent girl find some of Great Grandmother spices.'
Akane opened her eyes slowly. "Hello, Shampoo." She sighed, knowing it would have to be her duty to inform the Amazon of Ranma's condition. She slowly and tenderly pulled out of his grasp, standing as she put a light hand on Shampoo's shoulder. "I have to talk to you about something really important. Privately."
The other two occupants of the room gave her strange looks and the female backed away from Akane's touch. "It is something you really need to hear. What I have to tell you is about Ranma." She looked into the purple-haired woman's eyes so seriously, with such sincerity that Shampoo couldn't say no. Instead she just nodded and followed Akane to her bedroom.
"What I am going to say is very important. Please don't interrupt; it is hard enough to say as it is." She took a deep breath. "Shampoo, Ranma is sicker then we thought. He has also contracted a severe cold, which is making his fever higher and higher. If we can't find a cure, Ranma could die." The tears were flowing again.
The Amazon stood there, not knowing what to do or say. Finally she croaked, "Akane no lie?"
"I'm just telling you what Dr. Tofu told me. He should be back later if you want to speak with him yourself." Akane said as she watched Shampoo head towards the window.
"Shampoo return later. She promise. Watch airen for Shampoo." Then she hopped out the window.
'I won't let him out of my sight.' Akane left to fulfill her promise and spend time with the man she cared for more than life itself.
A/N: Shampoo knows, but how is everyone else going to take it? We will find out more in the next chapter. Which I should be getting out in 24 hours or so. My knee is ok; I just have to take some medicine for it. Which I don't mind. I found out today that our school elevator talks! It tells you what floor you are on, whether you are gong up or down. Maybe I am just easily pleased. :P Questions, comments, reactions, and reviews are greatly appreciated.
Aqua Rosewater: I don't think Tylenol will cure him and remember: he still has the chicken pox, so Kasumi can't get to close to him. Ranma and Ryoga are closer then they think they are. He is Ranma's best friend, in my opinion. After Akane, that is.
Animalman: I freely admit it, I love keeping my reader in suspense. Thank you for the compliments! I never thought I was that good.
Dacl73: My parents are both doctors, yet I know nothing. I almost passed out while getting my blood drawn. I'm just making this up as I go along, using what I know and asking about what I don't. About the respiratory thing, yes that was a typo. Stupid spellcheck. It should have read my mind and known what I want!
Vixen: Yes, yes. You caught me. It was supposed to be "I have more bad news then good news." I stink at spelling and grammar, ask anyone. I do my best.
Azurite: Remember, I am trying to keep this as G as possible! I'm terribly sorry is I damaged your psych, I just can't help myself. If you want to know the answers to your questions, you just have to keep reading.
Sacchi: If I tickle you, then you will laugh, and then you will breathe. Problem solved.
abc: I was trying to see if I could pull off a little bit of angst. I suppose I did, by everyone's reviews. I think this needed a bit of sadness. The fic is called 'Ill' after all..
Katsu-chan: Thank you for brightening up my day. Your reviews always make me laugh. Ranma and Akane forever! None of this other fiance stuff. It is a bit inconsiderate of Ranma to just die all of a sudden. Make everyone else work harder. The nerve of some guys.
Ranchan: Are you trying to tell me how to tell my story. You'd have better not. What was wrong with the ending I told you? What ending did I tell you? Tell me at school, don't write it in a review and spoil it for everyone else.
V-chan: You sound like me when I watched the Shinnosuke OAV. I was like, poor Ranma, poor Akane, poor Ryoga, poor Shinnosuke, poor everyone. That was one of my favorite stories. Yep, you're just gonna have to wait.
Lil Washu: What will happen? I'm gonna have to think about that.
Legolas007: Drama is good. Happy endings are nice too. Sad endings that are happy in a way are also nice. I just like everything I guess. I'm so easy to please. It scares me sometimes.
butterfly: Ryoga will always care for Akane, no matter what happens. That is something I rule my life by. By the way, I love your stories! They are awesome and I hope you update soon.
Maura: I'm positive you cook better then me. I can't even boil water and this is not an exaggeration. Maybe I should make that into a one shot after I finish this. That would be pretty funny. I'll think about it, but it'll be more towards yes.
Disclaimer: Insert a disclaimer here and pretend I wrote it.
Thoughts are in 'quotations'.
After they had no more tears left to cry, Nabiki stood up. "I should go call the school and say that there was a family emergency, and that is why we aren't at school." She strode out of the room, trying to boost her confidence and be the normal Nabiki that everyone knew and owed.
"I'll go make something to eat. Once I have something, will you try to feed Ranma? I don't think he has enough strength." Kasumi smoothed her long skirt.
"Sure, Kasumi. I'll do anything that might help." Akane felt herself on the brink of crying again, though she choked it back. "I'm going to go see how he is."
Akane was about to open Ranma's door, but it was already ajar. She could hear voices coming from inside.
"You know, Ranma, you have to get better. You owe me a couple photo shoots." Nabiki's voice wafted to Akane's ear. The older girl chuckled. "Seriously though, I might really miss you if you were gone. It would certainly be more quiet around here, but we are so used to it we would get bored quickly." She sighed heavily. "You have no idea what it would do to Akane if something really horrible happened to you. It would break her heart. She really does care a great deal for you, even if you can't tell each other; I guess you must have figured that out already. I know you love her. Anyone with eyes could see it in the way you look at her. You have to get better, ok? If not for the rest of us, for her. If you are gone, our lives wouldn't be the same. I think we would lose Akane also, one way or another. You don't want that to happen. I'll let you rest now. Just think about what I said. Maybe you will understand, even in your sleep."
"Who said I was sleeping?" asked a groggy Ranma as he sat up and exchanged a smile with Nabiki.
As Nabiki left, she was swept up in a hug by her younger sister. "It is good to know that you realize how much I care for him, it's wonderful to know that you care." Akane said with a large smile.
"Yeah, yeah, go and see him, I think he is waiting for you." She pushed her younger sister into the room, shutting the door soundly. Akane blushed as Ranma's grin expanded at the site of her.
"Hey, Ranma, how're you feeling?" She rubbed his back comfortingly.
"Better now." He beamed at her, then winced, his headache finally taking over. "My head hurts though." He rubbed his forehead, trying to massage some of the pain away. "Can I have some aspirin or something?"
"Of course! Anything, anything at all that you need, I'll get it for you. All you have to do is ask." She held one of his hands in both of hers, surprised by the size difference and warmth his body gave off. 'Anything Ranma. You name it, I can do it for you. Just don't leave me!'
"Gee, thanks Akane. All I want is some Tylenol or something to make this headache go away, though. Thanks for offering. If I think of anything I want I'll let you know." He blushed at her forwardness to do anything for him.
"How about something to eat?" Kasumi said from the doorway. "I brought you some aspirin and a bowl of miso soup. If you don't feel well enough to feed yourself I'm sure Akane wouldn't mind helping you." She handed the Advil and a glass of water to Ranma, watching him swallow the pills and finish the water in two gulps.
"Uh, well, I think, I, well I.." Ranma stammered. 'Since when does Kasumi suggest such a thing? I can feed myself, I'm not a baby. Then again, raising that glass was hard enough. I feel just like when I got the moxibustion from Happosai that made me weak as a baby. These chicken pox are worse then I thought.'
"Let's just let him try and if he has trouble then I'll help him. Thank you, Kasumi." Akane put a hand on Ranma's shoulder.
Kasumi excused herself with a smile, albeit a sad one. Ranma began to eat, but soon felt too tired to hold the bowl and feed himself. "Oh, give it here!" She took the bowl from him and lifted up a spoonful of soup. "Open wide for the choo-choo!"
He glared at her, but opened his mouth anyway. It was good soup. After she had set the spoon back in the bowl to refill it, he leaned over and gave her a soft kiss on the cheek. She blushed profusely, but didn't respond other then that. "What's wrong? Do I get any kind of reaction? Are you feeling alright?"
Akane nodded. Then she took his head in her hands and kissed him on the lips, crying the whole time. He kissed her back, enjoying the sensations that were flowing through his body. He knew something was up though. Everyone was acting so weird around him. But who was he to complain, when he was kissing the woman he cared about.
She broke the kiss and picked up the bowl to get ready to feed him again. Ranma made her put it down and scooped her up into his arms. She didn't resist, wanting to be with him for as long as he had left. "I'm not hungry anymore," he whispered into her hair, lips brushing her ear lightly.
"Alright then, can we just stay like this?" She was happy in his arms and she never knew how much time Ranma was going to live. 'I never realized how fragile life is, but now that I might lose the most important person in the world.. All our fights just seem so trivial and idiotic.'
"Of course we can. We're perfect." She agreed as she murmured something about not letting go. 'Nothing can ruin this moment' was the thought that ran through his head as he realized how beautiful she was.
Except maybe..
"Nihao, Ranma! Aiyaa! What you do with violent girl?" She stood stock- still, wondering how this had happened. 'Maybe violent girl find some of Great Grandmother spices.'
Akane opened her eyes slowly. "Hello, Shampoo." She sighed, knowing it would have to be her duty to inform the Amazon of Ranma's condition. She slowly and tenderly pulled out of his grasp, standing as she put a light hand on Shampoo's shoulder. "I have to talk to you about something really important. Privately."
The other two occupants of the room gave her strange looks and the female backed away from Akane's touch. "It is something you really need to hear. What I have to tell you is about Ranma." She looked into the purple-haired woman's eyes so seriously, with such sincerity that Shampoo couldn't say no. Instead she just nodded and followed Akane to her bedroom.
"What I am going to say is very important. Please don't interrupt; it is hard enough to say as it is." She took a deep breath. "Shampoo, Ranma is sicker then we thought. He has also contracted a severe cold, which is making his fever higher and higher. If we can't find a cure, Ranma could die." The tears were flowing again.
The Amazon stood there, not knowing what to do or say. Finally she croaked, "Akane no lie?"
"I'm just telling you what Dr. Tofu told me. He should be back later if you want to speak with him yourself." Akane said as she watched Shampoo head towards the window.
"Shampoo return later. She promise. Watch airen for Shampoo." Then she hopped out the window.
'I won't let him out of my sight.' Akane left to fulfill her promise and spend time with the man she cared for more than life itself.
A/N: Shampoo knows, but how is everyone else going to take it? We will find out more in the next chapter. Which I should be getting out in 24 hours or so. My knee is ok; I just have to take some medicine for it. Which I don't mind. I found out today that our school elevator talks! It tells you what floor you are on, whether you are gong up or down. Maybe I am just easily pleased. :P Questions, comments, reactions, and reviews are greatly appreciated.