Chapter 12 –  Silver Lining

Someone knocked at the door and Akane lifted her head drowsily from her magazine. Ranma had gone home for a change of clothes.

"Come in," she called from her lying position on her back. Doctor Tofu had recommended that she stay in place at least until her back was completely healed.

The door opened and a head popped in and scanned the room. Akane's smile died and abrupt death as Shampoo sashayed in after seeing the empty room.

She placed a smiled back for the Chinese girl.

"Hello Akane," she murmured slowly.

"Hi Shampoo," came the careful answer.

"How is Akane?" Shampoo asked neutrally.

"Fine Shampoo, I'll be out of here soon and then I'll have to start my rehabilitation," Akane's answer was free and realistic and Akane made the mistake of her life.

Shampoo stopped in mid-stride as her brain braked for a second before starting off at top speed again.

"Akane going for reha...?"

"Yeah, my spine was injured and my legs are paralyzed for the time being but with rehabilitation, I'll soon be on my feet and back to normal." Akane replied. The faith in her words that shone in her eyes pricked Shampoo's arrogance. And then Shampoo knew that her chance was here.

Shampoo's eyes glinted before she threw the barb, "Akane not normal person? Akane handicapped?"

"No! I am normal, just hurt for now. I am not handicapped," Akane surged up with strength only to fall back again.

Shampoo slowly shook her head with pity and approached Akane.

"Handicapped Akane Ranma's fiancée?" the barb hit home as Akane's breath hissed and Shampoo smiled inside. Akane turned away.

"Akane woman enough for Ranma like that?" Shampoo added, smiling innocently.

Akane looked deep the other woman's eyes and saw no sincerity, no help there. Shampoo was no here as a friend, the realization came and so came anger. Anger that even hurt, they couldn't leave her alone. And determination rose.

"Get out Shampoo! Now!" her voice was strong and confident.

Shampoo's mask slipped.

"Akane think Airen stay because of love? Airen stay because he pity stupid girl!" Shampoo hissed at her. "Airen feel sorry for stupid girl! Airen full of life, how can love handicapped girl? Need strong woman to help, not handicapped girl to stop from living!"

She voiced Akane's worst fears, she spoke them aloud and something in Akane died, slowly shriveled up and died. But still Akane fought. She would be on her feet soon, she would be alright. And Ranma loved her. That was enough. It would always be enough.

"How stupid girl make love to Airen? No even able to walk..." Shampoo grabbed the bed sheets from under Akane and tugged.

Akane could only scream thinly. Pride prevented her from shouting for help.

"Airen spend rest of life looking after handicapped girl and slowly fire in Airen die," Shampoo tugged harder and Akane's body slid sideways with the bedclothes.

Her fists clenched on the bed sheets and she tried to hold herself back but inexorably, her body slid. No! - her mind shouted but her body did not obey.

Shampoo gave a sudden swing and the bedclothes flew and Akane fell. Fell straight to the floor, her arms breaking her fall, her battered body twisting and the cut in her back opened with a white hot scream of pain. Her bedside stand fell, glass shattering, flowers spilling. For just a moment Akane could not move and then her hand reached for the nearest thing, her bedside stand and she grasped with all her strength and swung. Shampoo never tried to stop the connecting object as it hit her abdomen. Instead she dropped the sheets by the bed and stepped back to freely accept the hit. And stumbled back and the door burst open. Ranma flew in followed by Mousse.

"Akane," his scream brought her around and she let go of the piece of glass she had grabbed and a sob of relief escaping her throat. Thank God! It was over.

"Ranma," Shampoo shouted, "Look out, Shampoo think Akane trying to kill herself!"

Nothing registered in Ranma's mind but the shout "Akane trying to kill herself". He lost all sanity, all reason. Pain rose and he grabbed the downfallen girl and shook her, shook her with all his might, screaming at her,

"What are you trying to do, Akane? What the hell are you trying to do to yourself?"

He just had time to see the heartbroken look that saddened her eyes before she fell forward in his arms. Slowly, so slowly as if he was watching it all standing away from his body, he watched her look her at him, his heart dying a sudden death at the sadness in her eyes, before her body fluttered forward like a flower bending to the wind. And then he saw the ever-growing blood stain in her back. He forgot everything, forgot Shampoo as he picked her up and ran for doctor Tofu.

Mousse stared at Shampoo still frozen where he had stepped in the room. His glance went through the damaged room and came back to the girl standing beside him.

"What is going on Shampoo?" his voice was deep, strong. All his instincts were rebelling against the girl next to him.

"Akane try to kill herself and when Shampoo stop, she hit Shampoo," Shampoo hugged herself, her voice trembling and tears on her lashes even as she looked back at Mousse with huge eyes.

Mousse stared at her for a long time until Shampoo had to force herself to hold up her acting. Mousse's heart felt hard, something felt wrong, so very wrong and he turned away from the girl he had once loved so much. Shampoo stared at his back and mentally swore. What was the duck boy up to? Well - she finally shrugged - she would take care of him later. And she followed him out.

Tofu bandaged Akane up, assured Ranma that the stitches had not been torn open and watched Ranma pick Akane up and walk out. His kept his questions to himself as he watched the barely-leashed anger on the young man's face. Worry, hurt and now that. It was all taking its toll on Ranma. He laid a now conscious Akane on the bed and couldn't keep the hurt inside anymore as he bit out, "What the hell's going on Akane? Have you lost your mind?"

Akane listened to him and somewhere deep inside of her, something told her that he knew her better. He had to or else he did not know Akane. And yet as she listened to his words, she felt so betrayed. And then the tiredness rose in her. Exhaustion like she had not felt for a long time. God – she thought - I thought all of that was over and done with. And yet it still hurt so much, so much. Was that all that there was for her if she stayed with Ranma? Hurt? She wanted so much to reach out to him and end this pain and yet she knew it would not end. It would only end when he learned to have faith in her and right now, he had none.

"Go away Ranma," were the only words she could utter. She clamped down the tears that threatened to overwhelm her, the pain that promised to come as Shampoo's words rang again and again in her mind. The torture that they brought made her bite her lips. And all she wanted was to cry. Now, she wanted to be able to cry in peace, just some peace so that she might cry her heart out. Even if the peace meant sending Ranma away, Akane wanted it. And she turned her face away. The gesture hurt him more than ever. He felt like she was shutting him out. And it hurt; it hurt that she could not believe in him enough to even share her pain with him. And anger filled the wound, banishing the pain as usual.

"Oh yes, I am going! After all, I better thank Shampoo for preventing you from being stupid!" the door banged after him and Akane stared at the closed door for a long time before the sobs drowned out her world.

"Ranma!" Shampoo came running to hurl herself in Ranma's arms and hid her face in his shoulder. Her teary eyes lifted to him and her trembling voice asked, "How is Akane? Shampoo so afraid that she get hit by Akane" and lifted a trembling and to touch her belly. Ranma whispered comforting words and held her. But all that he could see in his mind was Akane turning away from him. Turning away from him and ripping his heart apart.

And Mousse watched it. He watched it all and felt deep grief as he watched the woman he had once loved. Not so long ago. Once he would have fallen for this act, once he would have believed in her. But he had seen the real Shampoo, the jealous arrogant Amazon and now, he felt empty. He watched Ranma get taken by her act and somewhere he couldn't believe that Ranma was being so stupid but then Ranma had always been stupid where Akane was concerned. And Akane was concerned. Akane, the name reminded Mousse of the strong girl. And his heart went out to her. To her courage of accepting to be alone right now. And he stalked away.

A soft hand touched her shoulder and she lifted hurting eyes to the man who smiled down at her so gently. "Mousse," she breathed.

"I know Akane," and her eyes widened at him and slowly a smile came.

"You will never do such a thing," he asserted and deep down it felt wrong to be asserting this when it should have been Ranma. And it felt so right too.

But this girl who looked so hurt, so fragile before him needed faith right now and if Ranma could not give her that now, then damn it! He would not stand back and watch her hurting! He would not! And he gently, slowly gathered her close and let her cry. And she cried, cried until only dry sobs lifted her throat. Her tears soaked his shirt and he murmured comforting words. Words that never in his life he had whispered before. Words that comforted his soul as much as hers. Words that made him forever her friend and opened his heart just a crack for her. And in the minutes that slipped away in time, two people found faith again.

When Ranma walked back in, he found Akane sleeping in Mousse's arms. His breath left his body and his hands clenched. His battle aura flared brightly but tight control pulled it down. Mousse only settled the sheets around the sleeping girl, lifted a finger to his lips and motioned to the door. Ranma silently followed the Chinese man out.

"What's going on Mousse?" his voice was cold.

"Can't you see Ranma?" the low voice was soft.

"What are you talking about Mousse?" Ranma's eyes stared steadily at the Chinese boy.

"Akane was not trying to kill herself, Ranma. She was fighting Shampoo," Mousse slowly explained like he was talking to a child. He looked at Ranma and his eyes begged him to realize the truth, to understand what was going on before it was too late. But Ranma never saw it.

"Why would she fight Shampoo?" Ranma shook his head in bewilderment.

"How many times has Shampoo tried to hurt her?" Mousse's reply was a snap.

"No! Shampoo's my friend, she won't hurt Akane," the denial was immediate.

"Neither Shampoo nor Ukyo are your friends anymore Ranma. Right now, both are fighting to win you. Wake up Ranma and realize that the past is gone and things have definitely changed. You may have said good-bye to your fiancées but they still think they can get you back. Wake up Ranma before it's too late," Mousse repeated gently before turning away and walking out. Walking out with a heavy heart as he thought of the burden that a sleeping girl carried alone.
Ranma stared at the disappearing boy but though Mousse's words were echoing in his mind, he could not help feeling that the latter was wrong. His heart refused to believe somewhere that Shampoo and Ukyo were no longer his friends. Believe in it, his heart told him, or it might be too late. But he shook off the voice. There was so much confusion in his mind right now, so much exhaustion and he couldn't think clearly. He did the only thing he knew, he went back to Akane.


Akane stared at Ranma's back as he stood by the window and stared down in the hospital yard. She had been staring at him for a long time, lost in his thoughts staring out of the window. And finally he turned away and his eyes met hers.

"Hello Akane," the shutters that suddenly came down in her eyes made him feel like he was talking to a stranger.

"Hello Ranma," her answer came.

My Notes :

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