Broken Hearts, Mended Souls
By
Nuclear Twinkie

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Disclaimer: In all seriousness, all rights to Ranma1/2 and its characters go to Rumiko Takahashi. In all silliness... Ranma, what do you think of Rumiko Takahashi? "Who? Pops didn't engage me to another girl, did he? Look, I don't know anything about any girl named Rumiko, OK"
"Another fiancée named Rumiko, Shampoo kill!"
"Ranma honey, you'd better be jokin' about gettin' another fiancée!"
"Oh my darling, she's just one more obstacle in the way of our love. OH HO HO HO HO!"
"Another fiancée? Ranma, you jerk!!" --SMASH--

{} = Character Thoughts
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Akane gets up and sits on Nabiki's bed next to Kasumi. All three daughters are looking at their father in amazement and concern. They are all worried about what will come next, yet can't wait to hear it.

{I hope I have the strength to tell them. I have to have the strength. They need to know. I was too weak, too foolish, too...} Soun lifts his head to look at his daughters. Tears are streaming from his eyes, but he remains in control. Soun takes a deep breath. "This story is something I should have told you girls a long time ago. Maybe even right after your mother... You were all filled with such innocence. You were all just children, and I just couldn't tell you."

Kasumi looks at her father with the most caring and understanding look she could convey. "Father, no matter what happens or what you say, we will love you and always be here for you. Have faith in that."

Soun spends a few seconds looking at each of his daughters and smiles. "How lucky I am to have such daughters. Hopefully, as you say, I will still have you after this. Before we begin, could you come in here Ranma? I believe you need to hear this."

The three Tendo girls look at the door as Ranma sheepishly walks into the room. Shampoo is still standing in the hallway. "Shampoo, at this time, this issue is a family matter. I mean no offense to you, but I must ask you to leave."

{This is bad. I just can't leave them to handle this themselves. How did Mr. Tendo know we were here, anyway? I will leave, but only to go get help.} "Shampoo understand Mr. Tendo, but Shampoo be back to help." Shampoo rushes down the hallway and out of the home.

Akane looks over at Ranma "Ranma, at a time like this you were spying on us? How could you?"

Kasumi turns to Akane and says, "Akane, Ranma was just worried about you..." Akane quickly looks at her sister in shock as Kasumi quickly adds, "...and the rest of us. I am sure he just concerned for our safety. Right, Ranma?

Ranma sits down on the floor. "Um, right! I was just about Ak- all of you. That's it exactly." {Man, I can't believe almost slipped and said I was worried about... Am I? Argh! I can't think about this now. There's more important stuff to worry about.} "I'm sorry for interrupting you, Mr. Tendo. Keep going with your story."

Soun clears his throat and prepares to tell the story he hoped never to tell. "Everything begins about ten years ago. Saotome and I had finally come up with a way to get rid of Master Happosai. We both had children at this time, and wanted our families to live in relative peace. We left on a training trip with the master, the one where we locked him in that cave. Our lives were complete. We had our friends, our family, and the future looked bright as ever. Or so we thought."

"When we returned, I came to my home to find it empty. The only thing I found was a note from your grandparents saying to go to their home as soon as I found the letter. I sprinted over as fast as I could. I had feared the worst. Unfortunately, I was right to fear."

Soun stops, wiping the tears from his face and taking a deep breath before continuing. Everyone in the room is intently hanging on his every word. "You children were there, almost totally oblivious to what had happened. The only thing you knew is that you all came home from school to find police all over the house and you couldn't find your mother anywhere. Your grandparents came to get you, and had only been told you your mother was sick, and people had taken her make her better."

Nabiki suddenly remembers something and decides to ask her father about it. "Daddy, what illness did mother die of? I, amazingly enough, couldn't get a copy of her death certificate to see what the cause of death was, and every time I asked you all I got was crying and tears." {It's almost like he is hiding it from us. Has he been lying to us this whole time?} "Daddy, did mother really die from a sickness?"

"No Nabiki, she did not. She died because her husband, your father, was too stupid and foolish not be at home the one time she truly needed me. She died because I was unable to protect her."

Akane looks at Soun and asks with the sense of fear present in her voice, "Daddy, how did she die?"

"Please Akane, let me explain. Back then, I was teaching the art to students as a source of income. There has only been one student I have ever had to refuse teaching. Unfortunately, he was probably the most talented student I ever had. He was using the art to hurt people. Not in self-defense, but in bullying tactics and eventually outright assault and theft. He was furious and swore revenge when I refused to teach him further. He got his revenge in a greater way than I thought imaginable."

Everyone else in the room gasps as they connect the two ideas. "He apparently had been watching the house for some time, waiting for a chance to strike. Then I left on that training trip, and gave him everything he wanted. My ignorance, my egotistical belief that nothing could possibly go wrong cost your mother her life. So you see, it is my fault your mother died."

Ranma struggled with the current situation, and suddenly it came to him. {Man, I'm sure glad I talked to all those masters at the dojos we went to while I was on my training trip with Pops. He wouldn't know how to answer this one, but I do.} "But Mr. Tendo, you can't blame yourself for what someone else did. Look at me. My pops has done a lot of things I am honor-bound to defend, but I'm not to blame for those things. To this day, I still blame pops for just about half the stuff that has happened to me. Not that I believe it, but I guess most of the rest must be my fault, because there's no one else to blame. There are certain things you have to do, and realizing what you are responsible for is one of them. As martial artists, we're required to atone for our mistakes, not someone else's."

Nabiki is still in bed staring intently at Ranma. Her expression becoming the icy business-like expression she uses to hide her feelings. Akane has buried her head into Kasumi's shoulder, silently sobbing away. She lifts her head to look at Ranma in amazement. Even Kasumi looks surprisingly at Ranma. Ranma looks around the room in response a little nervously. "What? I may not be very smart, but I know how a martial artist is supposed to act. Sorry if I said something wrong."

Soun stares at Ranma for a second and reaches over to put a hand on his shoulder. "Ranma, thank you. I don't think anyone could have said that better. I am truly glad to know a martial artist like you is engaged to my daughter."

{Wow. I've never heard Mr. Tendo say anything like that before. I guess I should say something.} "Thanks, Mr. Tendo. I think."

Nabiki turns her attention back to her father. "Daddy, We don't blame you for that, but what does that have to do with those guys attacking Akane and I?"

"Once I found out what happened, I was furious. I had sworn revenge upon the man who had done this to my beloved wife." Soun starts to get angry. Not demon-head angry, but it seems as if he is filling with an uncontrollable, boiling rage. "He didn't kill her. He beat her. He... he raped her. He left her to suffer in pain just so I would watch her die. We hunted him. Saotome and I combed the streets and hunted him down." Soun's anger relaxes back into a depressed state. "Saotome kept me from killing him for what he'd done. We brought him to justice. Even then, he still swore revenge. About three months ago, this man was released from prison. Free to continue torturing my family, and I am too weak to stop him."

During this final part of Soun's story, everyone else in the room became silent. No one is even capable of saying anything. Nabiki's icy gaze has fallen to one of fear, doubt, and amazement. Akane is still clinging to Kasumi, but is staring at her father. Ranma just bows his head and stares at the floor.

Kasumi, however, is in tears. "I remember mother, when she was in the hospital. She was wrapped in bandages, but I never knew why. I never thought to question it." {Since mother has been gone, I have tried my best to maintain this family. I must continue to do so, especially now of all times.} Kasumi untangles herself from Akane and makes her way over to her father. Kasumi hugs her father saying, "Father, I want you to know we still love you, none of this is your fault, we will make it through this."

Soun whispers to his daughter, "Will we truly make it through this?"

"Of course we will father. We will make it through this like we have every other crisis we have faced. Like a family, father. Together, like a family." The other two girls get up and rush to their father to join in the group hug. No one notices as Ranma quietly gets up and leaves the room.

Suddenly, Akane turns to Nabiki and says loudly, "Hey, you're hurt and supposed to be in bed! What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm hugging my father, Akane. You don't have to worry about me that much. I'm fine." Nabiki releases the hug and slowly moves back towards her bed expecting what's coming up.

Akane menacingly approaches her sister, but has a slight smile on her face. "Are you a doctor, Nabiki? NO! Get back in that bed right now!"

"Alright, I'm going." Nabiki climbs back into bed and looks at Akane. "You know, if you yell at me too much, this injury may get worse. Who knows what could happen? Hey, Where's Ranma?"

Akane turns around to look. "I don't know. He was here until we hugged daddy. You don't think he left because he felt lonely do you? He has a family, too. Why would he get upset?"

"Akane, his dad isn't exactly the greatest of fathers, and would you want to hug your mother when you constantly have to worry about being a 'man among men'?"

Akane lifts her head and looks out the doorway of Nabiki's room. "Maybe I should go find him. I'll be right back," Akane points at Nabiki, "and you stay in that bed!" Akane then runs off.

Nabiki looks at Kasumi. "You know, if I didn't know better, I'd say she actually cares about that dense, stupid, socially-challenged fiancée of hers."

Kasumi looks at Nabiki with a perfectly straight face. "Nabiki, be nice. Ranma is not stupid." Both girls stare at each other and laugh out loud.

Meanwhile, Ranma is on the roof trying his hardest to come with an answer to his current problem. {So, we're gonna have to go get this guy, but do I stay here or do I go? If I go, then the guy might come back here, like when Mr. Tendo was on that training trip. If I leave, then this guy might get away and continue trying to hurt Ak... ARGH! Ever since Jusendo I keep doing that. Why am I always thinking about her? I think it's because... ARGH! I'm doing it again! I have to think about how to stop this guy. I don't like either option, so there's got to be another one. I just have to figure out what it is.}

"Ranma."

Ranma looks over to see Akane has made her way to the roof and is staring at him. "Hi Akane."

Akane walks over and sits down next to Ranma. "Ranma, what are you thinking about?"

"I'm trying to figure out how to get this guy. If I go after him, he might come back here while I'm gone, but if I stay then he might not ever stop. I know there's a solution to this, but I'm not sure..."

Akane forcefully smacks Ranma in the back of his head. "You idiot! You can't do everything yourself all the time you know? There are other martial artists here that can help too. You're always trying to do everything yourself! Why don't you try asking for some help? In case you've forgotten, I'm one of those martial artists you could ask."

"You're right, Akane."

Akane looks at Ranma very suspiciously. "I am?"

Ranma stands up and assumes a victorious stance. "Yeah, there are lots of other martial artists that can help. I'll need to find Ryoga. I bet I can get Shampoo and Mousse to help. I know Ukyo will help. Thanks Akane, that's the answer that I...I..."

Ranma is now looking in horror at Akane, who is holding her mallet and encased in a blue aura. "So you ask all your other fiancées, but not me? Ranma you jerk!" Akane brings down her mallet and embeds Ranma into the tiles.

Inside the house, Nabiki laughs, looks over to Kasumi, and says, "Sounds like Akane found Ranma."
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Thanks to Langdz for help pre-reading this.
Author's Notes: [UPDATED 08/11/02] Final draft. This is turning out much better than I orginally thought. Hopefully, I can keep the light comedy and cute moments from making it appear too dark. Anyway, please e-mail me with opinions, criticisms, and suggestions. Please be constructive with all C&C. I don't mind being told what someone doesn't like, as long as they provide some direction to make it better. (ntwinkie@effectnet.com)