Personal thanks:
Katsu-chan: So pirates read my fanfic too? Cool! Yes, poor everyone. Insanity is fun. So is oddness. I don't mind it makes reading reviews fun.
Silver Angel: I'll be responding to your review from chapter 14 also. If you want me to preread your fanfic before you post it, I would be more then happy to. That way I can see how much you understand it and help you with anything that you don't know since you haven't actually read the manga or seen the anime. I hope that you do read it, because it is very good.
Azurite: Yes, I have an evil plan! Evil plans are wonderful and I like to include them in my fanfics.
Sacchi: I'm sure there was a point in that review somewhere.. No, no don't see it.
animecartoons: If you really wanna know what happens, you'll have to read on, wont you?
V-chan: We have to have an elevator, because one of our teachers is in a wheelchair. Students only get to use it if they are hurt or they need to bring something big up or downstairs.
oneechan19: I only just had this posted on a website, like two days ago. I thought that this was pretty original, but I guess not, since you have seen something like this.
butterfly: I always hate it when you find a really good fanfic and you realize that they haven't updated in months or years and they don't mean to, even if they left it at the best part. I try to update daily, so my readers are happy and continue to read. I always have time to write, I use my computer application period, or I blow off my homework until the new chapter is out.
Ranchan: Even if the window wasn't open, she would have opened it. She didn't feel like walking downstairs to leave. The window is just another exit. I don't think Sacchi said that, but then again, maybe I wasn't listening.
Disclaimer: Insert a disclaimer here and pretend I wrote it.
Thoughts are in 'quotations'.
'I really should tell Ranma.' Akane thought yet again as they lay down to watch their third Disney movie. 'He deserves to know, but it is so hard to say. Just telling Shampoo was like ripping my heart out of my body.'
"I wonder if this 'Mulan' is any good. You did say it had some fighting in it, didn't you?" Ranma asked Akane, a little concerned about the fact that she was so quiet.
"Yes. It has martial arts, and war training, all the stuff that you like." Akane sat up and sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?"
"Yes. It smells really good, like-" He was cut off by the door opening.
"Fresh okonomiyaki, straight off the grill! Hi Ranchan, Akane! Are you feeling any better today?" Ukyo asked as she set the boxed between the two.
Akane groaned inwardly. 'I don't wanna have to tell Ukyou too!' She sighed. "Funny you should mention that. May I have a few words with you?"
Ukyo frowned. "Ok, I guess. Will you be alright here, Ranchan?" Ranma ignored her as he moved on to his second okonomiyaki. The chef just shrugged and moved into the hallway. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about, Akane?"
"It's about Ranma. This is very hard for me to say. It isn't a joke or anything either, so don't think I'm just trying to get you out of the way or anything." Akane was stalling, doing everything she could not to tell the girl who also cared deeply for Ranma.
"Akane, just spit it out already!"
"Ukyo, he.. that is, he.."
"Ukyo, he is dying."
Both girls turned to see Ryoga at the stairs, hand on Nabiki's shoulder. They had both been crying.
"You are lying, Ryoga!" Ukyo said harshly. "That is a dirty lie! Tell me that he is wrong, Akane!" The browned hair girl looked to Akane for strength. She needed to be told that Ryoga hadn't been telling the truth. "Akane? Nabiki?" She looked towards the older girl, who kept her eyes trailed on the floor along with her sister. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no!" She succumbed to tears, as Ryoga moved forward to comfort her. He wrapped her in a hug and let her cry against him.
"Come on, Ukyo. I'll walk you home." As they started to exit, Ryoga told Nabiki, "I'll be back as soon as possible."
"Ukyo, do you want to say good-bye to Ranma first?" Nabiki asked after she had nodded back to Ryoga.
"I don't think I can face him right now. Tell him that I'll see him later though. Kamisama, how? Why?" The sobs started again.
"I'll explain everything on the way back to Ucchans." The boy whispered in her ear.
"I suppose you told Ryoga everything?" Akane guessed once the two were out of earshot.
"Yes, I did. He really is a sweet guy. He cares about Ranma too, in a brotherly sort of way." Nabiki smiled at Ryoga's retreating back.
"Nabiki, how are we going to tell Ranma? I don't think I can do it. How do you tell someone that they might not have a long time left?" Akane asked painfully.
"I don't know, Akane. I just don't know what to do anymore. This is one of the few times when I just have no idea of how I can help anyone. Even if I like to collect money from people, it is to help out my family, to pay bills and repairs. But I can't help Ranma. I can't pay to have him repaired. Or even if I could, I don't know who to turn to." Nabiki sat down on the stairs, head in her hands.
"We don't thank you nearly enough for all you do, Nabiki. We take you and Kasumi for granted so much. I guess I just want to say thank you. For being my big sister. You mean a lot, and you might not be here tomorrow for me to tell you. I love you." Akane hugged her elder sister tightly.
"I love you too, Akane. I know you appreciate me, even if you don't tell me daily, and I'm sure Kasumi knows also." She returned the hug and smoothed out her short blue-black hair.
"Of course I know." Kasumi stood in front of them, Genma and Soun behind her back. "We wanted to see, Ranma. I take it you haven't told him yet."
The two younger girls shook their head and rose to their feet. Akane led the party of five into the Saotome bedroom, where Ranma was still lying down, watching the video.
The pig-tailed martial artist laughed at a joke before noticing he had visitors. "Hey, what's going on?" He paused the movie. He noticed everyone's sober look. "Did something happen to mom? Is she ok?"
"Your mother is perfectly fine. You are the one that isn't." Nabiki corrected.
"What are you talking about? I may have the chicken pox, but they should be gone in a few days or so." He looked at the crowd. "Why do I get the feeling that you aren't talking about chicken pox?"
"Because we aren't, boy." Genma inserted gruffly. "The truth is.... I can't say it! Not to my only son!" Genma started a new Niagara Falls, to match the one Soun already had.
"It can't be that bad! Nabiki, tell me what is happening. I'll even pay you. Here, 600 yen. It's all I got." He was startled when she refused the money, just looking away so she wouldn't have to meet his eyes. "Akane, you won't lie to me, will you? Fill me in here!" He noticed slow tears were falling down his fiancé's face, and it hurt him to know that something was paining her.
"Ranma," Kasumi said softly, her smile disappearing for once. "You are dying."
A million thoughts went through his head at once. 'I can't be dying! What about Akane? But Kasumi wouldn't joke about something like this.' "You have to be kidding me. How?"
"Dr. Tofu said that you contracted a respiratory disease. The fever from that was making your original one from the chicken pox raise higher then it should. If it gets higher, who knows what could happen. You don't have a strong enough immune system to fight both illnesses at once." Kasumi continued.
"Isn't there some sort of cure?" Ranma pleaded.
"Dr. Tofu said he would call his colleagues and look through all of his medical journals to see if he could find anything at all that might help."
Ranma felt his barrier for emotions breakdown. He started to cry. Akane moved towards him and wrapped her arms around him, rocking him like Kasumi always did when she was upset. He hugged her close to him, needing her presence in his arms. "Oh, Akane."
The rest of the family felt it was a good time to leave the two lovers alone. "Ranma, I would have told you earlier, but I couldn't say it! It's so hard."
"Akane, I don't want to die! I should live to a nice old age. With you. I don't want to leave you." He said the last two sentences quietly, just so she could hear.
"I don't want you to die either. I want our lives to be how they were last week. Sure, we fought a lot, and I was always hitting you, but you were healthy. I would give anything for you to be well again."
"I'll fight it. Fight it harder then I ever have fought anything before." He held her tighter.
"I'll be supporting you the entire time." She kissed him deeply. "I'll always be here for you, Ranma."
A/N: So now Ranma and Ukyo know. And if you didn't notice, Kasumi didn't say "Oh, my" once. I think that there is so much more to her then that. Dr. Tofu will be back, as will Shampoo. Questions, comments, reactions, and reviews are greatly appreciated.
Katsu-chan: So pirates read my fanfic too? Cool! Yes, poor everyone. Insanity is fun. So is oddness. I don't mind it makes reading reviews fun.
Silver Angel: I'll be responding to your review from chapter 14 also. If you want me to preread your fanfic before you post it, I would be more then happy to. That way I can see how much you understand it and help you with anything that you don't know since you haven't actually read the manga or seen the anime. I hope that you do read it, because it is very good.
Azurite: Yes, I have an evil plan! Evil plans are wonderful and I like to include them in my fanfics.
Sacchi: I'm sure there was a point in that review somewhere.. No, no don't see it.
animecartoons: If you really wanna know what happens, you'll have to read on, wont you?
V-chan: We have to have an elevator, because one of our teachers is in a wheelchair. Students only get to use it if they are hurt or they need to bring something big up or downstairs.
oneechan19: I only just had this posted on a website, like two days ago. I thought that this was pretty original, but I guess not, since you have seen something like this.
butterfly: I always hate it when you find a really good fanfic and you realize that they haven't updated in months or years and they don't mean to, even if they left it at the best part. I try to update daily, so my readers are happy and continue to read. I always have time to write, I use my computer application period, or I blow off my homework until the new chapter is out.
Ranchan: Even if the window wasn't open, she would have opened it. She didn't feel like walking downstairs to leave. The window is just another exit. I don't think Sacchi said that, but then again, maybe I wasn't listening.
Disclaimer: Insert a disclaimer here and pretend I wrote it.
Thoughts are in 'quotations'.
'I really should tell Ranma.' Akane thought yet again as they lay down to watch their third Disney movie. 'He deserves to know, but it is so hard to say. Just telling Shampoo was like ripping my heart out of my body.'
"I wonder if this 'Mulan' is any good. You did say it had some fighting in it, didn't you?" Ranma asked Akane, a little concerned about the fact that she was so quiet.
"Yes. It has martial arts, and war training, all the stuff that you like." Akane sat up and sniffed the air. "Do you smell that?"
"Yes. It smells really good, like-" He was cut off by the door opening.
"Fresh okonomiyaki, straight off the grill! Hi Ranchan, Akane! Are you feeling any better today?" Ukyo asked as she set the boxed between the two.
Akane groaned inwardly. 'I don't wanna have to tell Ukyou too!' She sighed. "Funny you should mention that. May I have a few words with you?"
Ukyo frowned. "Ok, I guess. Will you be alright here, Ranchan?" Ranma ignored her as he moved on to his second okonomiyaki. The chef just shrugged and moved into the hallway. "What is it you wanted to talk to me about, Akane?"
"It's about Ranma. This is very hard for me to say. It isn't a joke or anything either, so don't think I'm just trying to get you out of the way or anything." Akane was stalling, doing everything she could not to tell the girl who also cared deeply for Ranma.
"Akane, just spit it out already!"
"Ukyo, he.. that is, he.."
"Ukyo, he is dying."
Both girls turned to see Ryoga at the stairs, hand on Nabiki's shoulder. They had both been crying.
"You are lying, Ryoga!" Ukyo said harshly. "That is a dirty lie! Tell me that he is wrong, Akane!" The browned hair girl looked to Akane for strength. She needed to be told that Ryoga hadn't been telling the truth. "Akane? Nabiki?" She looked towards the older girl, who kept her eyes trailed on the floor along with her sister. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no!" She succumbed to tears, as Ryoga moved forward to comfort her. He wrapped her in a hug and let her cry against him.
"Come on, Ukyo. I'll walk you home." As they started to exit, Ryoga told Nabiki, "I'll be back as soon as possible."
"Ukyo, do you want to say good-bye to Ranma first?" Nabiki asked after she had nodded back to Ryoga.
"I don't think I can face him right now. Tell him that I'll see him later though. Kamisama, how? Why?" The sobs started again.
"I'll explain everything on the way back to Ucchans." The boy whispered in her ear.
"I suppose you told Ryoga everything?" Akane guessed once the two were out of earshot.
"Yes, I did. He really is a sweet guy. He cares about Ranma too, in a brotherly sort of way." Nabiki smiled at Ryoga's retreating back.
"Nabiki, how are we going to tell Ranma? I don't think I can do it. How do you tell someone that they might not have a long time left?" Akane asked painfully.
"I don't know, Akane. I just don't know what to do anymore. This is one of the few times when I just have no idea of how I can help anyone. Even if I like to collect money from people, it is to help out my family, to pay bills and repairs. But I can't help Ranma. I can't pay to have him repaired. Or even if I could, I don't know who to turn to." Nabiki sat down on the stairs, head in her hands.
"We don't thank you nearly enough for all you do, Nabiki. We take you and Kasumi for granted so much. I guess I just want to say thank you. For being my big sister. You mean a lot, and you might not be here tomorrow for me to tell you. I love you." Akane hugged her elder sister tightly.
"I love you too, Akane. I know you appreciate me, even if you don't tell me daily, and I'm sure Kasumi knows also." She returned the hug and smoothed out her short blue-black hair.
"Of course I know." Kasumi stood in front of them, Genma and Soun behind her back. "We wanted to see, Ranma. I take it you haven't told him yet."
The two younger girls shook their head and rose to their feet. Akane led the party of five into the Saotome bedroom, where Ranma was still lying down, watching the video.
The pig-tailed martial artist laughed at a joke before noticing he had visitors. "Hey, what's going on?" He paused the movie. He noticed everyone's sober look. "Did something happen to mom? Is she ok?"
"Your mother is perfectly fine. You are the one that isn't." Nabiki corrected.
"What are you talking about? I may have the chicken pox, but they should be gone in a few days or so." He looked at the crowd. "Why do I get the feeling that you aren't talking about chicken pox?"
"Because we aren't, boy." Genma inserted gruffly. "The truth is.... I can't say it! Not to my only son!" Genma started a new Niagara Falls, to match the one Soun already had.
"It can't be that bad! Nabiki, tell me what is happening. I'll even pay you. Here, 600 yen. It's all I got." He was startled when she refused the money, just looking away so she wouldn't have to meet his eyes. "Akane, you won't lie to me, will you? Fill me in here!" He noticed slow tears were falling down his fiancé's face, and it hurt him to know that something was paining her.
"Ranma," Kasumi said softly, her smile disappearing for once. "You are dying."
A million thoughts went through his head at once. 'I can't be dying! What about Akane? But Kasumi wouldn't joke about something like this.' "You have to be kidding me. How?"
"Dr. Tofu said that you contracted a respiratory disease. The fever from that was making your original one from the chicken pox raise higher then it should. If it gets higher, who knows what could happen. You don't have a strong enough immune system to fight both illnesses at once." Kasumi continued.
"Isn't there some sort of cure?" Ranma pleaded.
"Dr. Tofu said he would call his colleagues and look through all of his medical journals to see if he could find anything at all that might help."
Ranma felt his barrier for emotions breakdown. He started to cry. Akane moved towards him and wrapped her arms around him, rocking him like Kasumi always did when she was upset. He hugged her close to him, needing her presence in his arms. "Oh, Akane."
The rest of the family felt it was a good time to leave the two lovers alone. "Ranma, I would have told you earlier, but I couldn't say it! It's so hard."
"Akane, I don't want to die! I should live to a nice old age. With you. I don't want to leave you." He said the last two sentences quietly, just so she could hear.
"I don't want you to die either. I want our lives to be how they were last week. Sure, we fought a lot, and I was always hitting you, but you were healthy. I would give anything for you to be well again."
"I'll fight it. Fight it harder then I ever have fought anything before." He held her tighter.
"I'll be supporting you the entire time." She kissed him deeply. "I'll always be here for you, Ranma."
A/N: So now Ranma and Ukyo know. And if you didn't notice, Kasumi didn't say "Oh, my" once. I think that there is so much more to her then that. Dr. Tofu will be back, as will Shampoo. Questions, comments, reactions, and reviews are greatly appreciated.