A Ranma Nibunnoichi fan fiction by S³

Ranma and Co. is Copyright Rumiko Takahashi/Shogakukan, Inc. 1993

Ranma ½ is a trademark of Viz Communications, Inc.

Bitter, A Tale of Life Everlasting

Part One

Crumbling Walls

Things had gotten off to a bad start the moment he'd carried her in through the front doors of Nerima

General. The place was packed, more so than he'd ever seen it before. Not that the two times he'd

been here counted much in the grand scheme of things. But, in his opinion, the place felt crowded.

Nurses and orderlies were rushing about the place, and none slower than a jog. Just what was going

on around here? Ranma hadn't seen any signs of a crash or a fire from the roofs on the way over.



Thinking back, he couldn't help but recall the horrible look on Kasumi's face just before she

nearly passed out back at the house. Not that he blamed her, once he found out the reason for her

distress. The area around the bite on her hand was puffy, and had turned a nauseating shade of

yellowish-purple. Not only that, but the wound was seeping slightly through the gauze wrap that he'd

applied. No doubt, there was some sort of infection from the bite. Unfailingly, Ranma had pointed that

out to an already woozy Kasumi. In hindsight, that hadn't been one of his brighter moments.

"Hey, can I get some help here," Ranma called out to more than one passing orderly. On what

felt like the fifteenth attempt, his persistence was rewarded in the form of a young nurse. She must be

new, he decided upon further inspection. Though outwardly, she bore the same look as the rest of the

staff, she seemed to be a little more, flustered.

"How can I help you," the nurse asked with a slight frown, as if he were impeding her in some

way.

"Uh, I brought my friend here earlier, and the people at the front desk won't tell me what room

she's in now. I'm just tryin ta find her." Ranma tried to keep his voice even, but the exasperation was

starting to show through.

Bearing a faint, but sympathetic smile, the nurse found him a seat on a bench next to a nearby

window. "Stay here, I'll be back in a few minutes with her room number, there's a few things I have to

take care of first." Taking out a small notepad she looked at him expectantly.

"Oh, Tendou Kasumi. I brought her in about an hour ago."

The nurse jotted in her pad and went on her way after assuring him once more.

Sighing, Ranma settled in for what he hoped wasn't too long a wait. Once he found her room,

he would try to call the Tendou's in case they'd fixed the phone somehow.

* * *

They all but rushed through the front doors of Nerima General, Soun leading the way toward

the front desk. Unfortunately, a line had formed before they arrived, and from the way people were

milling around, the wait was going to be a long one. Not wanting to be around in case her father had

one of his episodes, Nabiki left her sister in his care and made her way past the crowd and into the

hospital. Surely she could find Ranma and Kasumi faster on her own.

For his part, Soun was so preoccupied, he never noticed the absence of one daughter. Akane

decided to wait a few minutes, in case the line started moving faster. If it took too long, she told herself

that she'd just drag her father off to find Nabiki and the others. Tempted as she was to follow Nabiki

herself, she didn't really like hospitals all that much. Especially if she was by herself in one. No, she'd

wait out the line. If Nabiki thought Kasumi was here, then she probably was.

Akane had cooled down on the ride over and was no longer mad at Ranma. In fact, she was

still trying to figure out what had set her off so badly back at home. When she really thought about it, it

must've been the fact that Ranma had somehow let Kasumi get hurt. Or, so it had seemed to her at the

time. Shaking her head, she calmed down and leaned against her father's shoulder hoping Nabiki

would come back soon and tell them where they could find the room.

Finding no real help on the first floor, Nabiki decided to take the elevator up to the next likely

floor. It hadn't taken long for the doors to open, so she had just enough time to glance at the floor plan

and find a suitable destination.

According to the floor chart, the third floor looked to be where the ward for non-critical

patients was located. Pressing the third floor button, Nabiki leaned against the rail and looked out

through the glass pane at the lights of the city beyond. When the door chime sounded, she moved to

step out into the hall, just barely avoiding a pair of doctors rushing past to get into the elevator.

As the doors swished shut behind her, she rolled her eyes at the non-professionalism exhibited

by the two she'd just passed. In her opinion, doctors shouldn't be running just to get into an elevator.

It's not like that would get them to where they were going any faster. That aside, all she had to do was

find a waiting room and ask whomever was behind the desk for directions.

* * *