Legacy

Part II:

By Kalio

Disclaimer: From now on, see disclaimer for 1st chapter.

***

Ranma stood outside Akane's door for the second time that night. After some hot chocolate, she had gone back to sleep, having shaken her nightmare. But he wasn't sleepy anymore. Not only was her father acting weird, but she wasn't sleeping peacefully again, and Ranma couldn't sleep when her whimpers drifted through the walls of the house to his ears. So he had gone to find out if she was okay, but he couldn't bring himself to go in. Concern wrinkled his brow as a choked sob came from the other side of the door. His hand hovered an inch from the handle, poised to turn it, but he was undecided. If she was awake, she would be embarrassed and mad. If she was asleep... what would make her cry in her sleep?

Ranma shook his head and his thoughts. He grabbed the doorknob and turned it. As he entered the room slowly, he began to regret letting her get more 'rest'. Akane lay curled up in a ball, holding her arm to herself, whimpering. Ranma's heart broke and he shook her awake.

'Hey, `kane. Wake up.' She slowly opened her tearful eyes, still clutching her arm. She looked startled at Ranma and sniffed, then wiped her eyes, hurriedly.

'Oh... Um, I guess it was just another bad dream, huh? Ow!' She held her arm to her again, and Ranma stared curiously at it.

'What's wrong with your arm?' He held out his hand and Akane let him look at her arm.

'I dunno... they just hurt. This one in particular.' Ranma's eyes widened as he stared at her arm. Red marks littered her skin and heavy bruises were forming over some of them. He rolled up her sleeve to find more on her upper arm, as well.

'What did you do to yourself?' He whispered, examining the marks.

'I didn't... I didn't do anything.' Ranma brushed one making Akane yelp.

'I'm sorry!' He said quickly. 'I didn't mean to hurt ya. Geez... Where did these come from? I mean, I know you're a violent sleeper, but... you were curled up in a ball, when I found ya.' Akane looked confused for a moment.

'Couldn't be...' He stared at her.

'Couldn't be what, Akane?' She shook her head.

'My dreams... but...' He looked at her seriously.

'You dreamed about this?'

'I... never mind... I don't know where they're from.'

'Are you sure?' She gave him a weak smile.

'Yea... I was probably being a violent sleeper before you came in.'

'You okay? I mean, do you want to go back to sleep? Or you want some more hot chocolate? Anything?'

'I'm okay. Just some bruises, right?' He stared at the wall, and spoke detachedly.

'Just bruises... right.' Akane half-smiled.

'Thanks, Ranma. You go get some sleep, too, huh?'

'Yea, sleep.'

'Okay, sweet dreams.'

'Uh, goodnight.'

'Ranma?'

'Yea?' Akane grinned.

'You have to go to your room if you want to go to sleep. That is, unless you want to be a wedded man by tomorrow afternoon.'

'Wedded man? Oh, right. Sorry.' Ranma blushed and got off her bed. Akane laughed. Men...

***

Akane was real sight in the morning. When she looked in the mirror, her jaw dropped. Her cheek was black and blue, and there was dried blood down her chin from her split lip. The red marks were all bruises, now, too. Not only that, she felt like she had a bruised rib, as well. All in all. She looked like she had the crap beat out of her in a street fight. And she felt it, too. Bruised and broken.

'Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God...' She chanted. 'Not good! What will Father say? What will Kasumi say?' She stared wide eyed at the mirror, then carefully cleaned her lip, hissing as the water touched the sensitive cut. At least, she thought, I don't have a shiner. 'Well,' she said, a vaguely familiar phrase, 'they'll find out anyway. Sooner or later. May as well go out like I am.' And so, she walked out of her room, looking for breakfast. It was spring break, so she didn't even bother with changing, yet. Maybe they wouldn't notice and let her catch some toons. Che... as if...

She walked into the kitchen, and Kasumi asked what she wanted for breakfast and told her she was making eggs for Nabiki. Then she turned around. And dropped the frying pan. Akane tried to catch it, and succeeded in grabbing the handle. The only problem was, it was still hot because it was iron, and the pot holder had fallen in another direction. She sucked air through her teeth as she added yet another wound, and dropped the pan, too, fortunately not on her feet.

'Oh my! Are you alright, Akane? What happened to you?' Akane walked over to the sink and ran cold water over her hand, holding her hurting rib with the other hand. Basically, she should have let the pan drop.

'An unfortunate frying pan incident. That's what happened.' Akane bitterly laughed at her own joke.

'I mean you cheek and your lip. Oh! And your arms, what happened to you. Don't tell me you got attacked by someone with a frying pan!'

'No, Kasumi... I don't know what happened. I just woke up, and found out I was a punching bag or something. It's okay, though. I'm fine. Nothing that won't heal in a few days. Besides, I have the rest of the week to get over it.' Kasumi pouted as only she could.

'Now, Akane, you know I'm going to have to take you to Dr. Tofu's.' Akane's eyes went wide with fear.

'NO! I mean, no, you can't... Uh... you have Nabiki's breakfast to make. I'll go by myself... Yea, that's it! I can walk fine. Just let me get a bath.'

'All right, I suppose that's okay. I'll just get Ranma to walk you there when he wakes up, okay?' Akane groaned. All she needed now was him being protective in the only way he knows how... being a jerk about it.

'Alright, alright already.'

***

Akane shivered as she stripped in the bathroom (a/n: is that what you call it? I don't know!). It wasn't very warm in there until a bath was drawn, and then it was just hot. She turned on the water, and filled a bucket. After she washed up, throughly chilled, she stepped in the steamy furo.

'Ah....' She discovered that there were also a few bruises on her legs, too, but not so many. She held her side as she stepped in, thinking that she should have iced it before now. In any case, it was too late now, so she just gritted her teeth as the warm water tried to ease her now tense muscles. She sat back and let her mind wander.

'Lith esgoreth miachmech a domerenth istill.' She whispered, her eyes closed. 'What do you mean? Why do you keep coming to my dreams?' She repeated it several times over, pondering it's meaning, unaware of the phrase's effect on the room or her...

***

'Put me down, God Dammit! I can walk!' Ranma hmphed.

'Kasumi told me to take you to Tofu's, so I'm taking you. Besides, you're the one that looks like a car ran over you, not me.' Akane hit him.

'Take that back!' Ranma growled.

'Hey! I meant you're beat up, I didn't mean you were ugly!' She hit him again.

'Dummy! Put me down!'

'No!'

In his office, Dr. Tofu sighed... His two favorite patients were coming at the same time...

***

'And you say you don't know how these happened?' Akane nodded.

'I just... woke up like this. I mean, the rib's the only thing that's really serious, right? I should be okay.' Dr. Tofu looked skeptically at her.

'Well, I'm not sure how to help you if you're getting hurt while you're sleeping. Tell me the truth, Akane. Did anyone do this to you?' He looked suggestively to the door.

'No! I would have woken up if anyone touched me. In fact, Ranma woke me up when he heard me last night.' Dr. Tofu sighed.

'Alright, then. Why don't you go home, and relax for a while. Nothing strenuous, okay?'

'No problem, Doctor.'

'Right. Let me talk with Ranma for a minute, you go on ahead home.'

'Okay, but it was your idea, remember, not mine. I don't want him accusing me.'

'Very well.' Akane hopped off the examining table and left the room as Dr. Tofu called to Ranma.

'What's the verdict, Doc?'

'Akane seems to be experiencing trauma in her sleep. Is there anything that could be causing it?' Ranma pondered.

'Not really. I mean, nothing really out of the ordinary. She had a weird dream last night before she started getting hurt, but other than that, I have no idea.'

'What kind of dream?'

'I don't know. Mr. Tendo acted kinda strangely about it, but that's not too unusual.' Dr. Tofu frowned.

'Hm. Well, I hope she gets better without any more incidents. Let me know if she gets any worse, okay?'

'Sure, doc.'

***

Cologne paused in her meditation, and took a deep breath. She could feel it's presence growing stronger, and the time was almost upon them. She was hoping that she wouldn't have to live through it, but her hopes would not make any difference. Time to prepare Shampoo, she thought, time to teach her of the legend.

She picked herself up, and walked to the locked room in the back of the restaurant. The answers would be there.

***

Akane lay on her bed, earphones fixed tightly in her ears. She loved the band she was listening to, such intensity... but not enough to keep her awake. Her eyes drifted slowly shut as Ranma knocked on her window. When she didn't hear him, he worriedly let himself in.

'Hey Akane!' She jumped, ripping the headphones from her ears.

'Oww...' Ranma blushed.

'Oops, didn't mean to scare you.' Akane looked wryly at him.

'What's the big idea, anyway? I was just about to take a nap.' Ranma sighed.

'That's what I was afraid of. You know that's how you got hurt to begin with.'

'Hey, a few little bruises aren't going to make me an insomniac, okay?' Ranma scowled.

'I'm not going to let you injure yourself, you uncute tomboy.'

'Oh really? And how are you going to manage that? Watching me sleep for the rest of my life, you jerk?'

'Well I-'

'Hadn't thought of that, huh? I'll be fine, dummy.' Her eyes softened. 'You don't have to worry about me.' Ranma struggled with words for a few moments, then:

'What if I want to.' Akane turned over.

'Whatever. I'm taking a nap, now, so you can go.' Ranma frowned.

'Fine! See if I care!' Akane smiled. She already did.

***

Akane found herself in a mist that swirled around her, circling her ankles, as if to grab them. 'Oh no! Not this again!' A disembodied voice answered her.

'Yes, child. Only if you endure, will you be able to survive the daemon in your future. You cannot rely on the strength of others to save you and your loved ones, no one else will have the power. But you must find it inside of you.'

'Find what? I'm just like everyone else. I'm not a martial arts prodigy like Ranma.'

'Martial arts will only get you so far in this battle. You need to be faster, stronger, and more precise, but even he could not win this fight, only you, child.' Akane looked around the fog, now desperate to find the voice's source.

'If Ranma can't win, what hope do I have? He killed an immortal! How can I-'

'Child, you will train here to become tougher, but you will also train something that he will never possess. You were born to win this fight. Not him, nor anyone else.' Akane answered in a shaking voice.

'Is it my ONLY purpose in life?'

'Child, no person is born for one reason, alone. I'm afraid, however, that it is your last mark on the world.'

'You mean-?'

'Yes, child. You may not live through it.'

A/n: Sorry it took so long to get this out. Major writer's block. Love it? Hate it? Wanna see more? Review!