Broken Hearts, Mended Souls
By
Nuclear Twinkie

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer: In all seriousness, all rights to Ranma1/2 and its characters go to Rumiko Takahashi. In all silliness... "Hello you two" "Washu!" YOU! Do you know what hell I have been through trying to get this fic written! I can understand sending Tenchi here to hide, but why everybody else? "Now what fun would that be?" Fun? Why I ought to... "Now now, behave yourself." Bzzzt! Hey, let me out of this thing! I have a fic to write! "Only after you promise to behave." I'll only behave if you promise to take everyone back. "Hey, I was beginning to like it here." Sorry Tenchi, it's you or me. "I agree, but only if ask nicely." Please, pretty please take everyone back Washu-chan. "Oh, I like you. Very well." POP! What the? When I said everyone that did not include me. ARGH!

{} = Character Thoughts
------------------------------------------------------------------------

Akane is stunned. She grabs his arm. "Why, why doesn't it matter Ranma? Why?"

Ranma completely turns and faces Akane. His face is a mask of pain, anger, and determination. "Even if I do care about you, there is nothing I can do about it."

Akane is confused, and quickly starting to get angry. "What do you mean there is nothing you can do about it? Ranma, what in the world are you talking about?"

"Think about it Akane. How many people get hurt if I suddenly announce I care about you? Not to mention the trouble your dad and mine will cause us. We'll most likely be married the next day. It just can't happen Akane." Ranma doubles his fists in frustration and turns back towards the sunset. "I'm sorry about Ryoga. I should have told you. You were right."

Akane's jaw drops in amazement. {First he writes me a letter saying he cares; then he says it doesn't matter; now he's apologizing. This is just too much.} Akane reigns in her anger. "Ranma, so much has happened, so much I want to ask about, but I don't even know where to start."

Ranma never turns his face from the horizon, which is now fading into darkness. "You'll just have to trust me Akane, I have a plan."

"A plan?" Akane grabs Ranma's arm and pulls him so he is facing her. "Ranma, what are you talking about?"

Ranma looks at his fiancée for a moment before getting that cocky grin on his face. "Look Akane, I have a plan to fix everything, but I can't tell you. If I do, something might get messed up. Hell, I don't even know what the entire plan is yet."

"Did this have something to do with that training trip you took with Mousse and Konatsu?"

Ranma puts his hand behind his head and chuckles as he obviously looks for a way out of answering this question. "Training trip? Oh yeah, that. Heh heh."

Akane stares at Ranma for several long seconds. {He's definitely hiding something. That training trip was for more than just training. People hurt? I suppose he's talking about the other fiancées. He always thinks about them before me. That baka! He did apologize for the Ryoga thing, and he actually admitted he cared for me. Now there's some plan he won't even tell me about. Do I care about him, or hate him? ARGH! Well, if I'm confused, he should be too.} "Ranma?"

Ranma lowers his hand and looks at Akane. She is smiling and staring up at him with bright brown eyes. {Man, she's really cute all of a sudden. Should I be happy, or scared?} "Uh, yeah Akane?"

Akane steps closer towards Ranma. "This for the letter." Akane reaches up and kisses Ranma on the cheek. While Ranma is stunned, "And this is for everything else!" As Akane pulls out her mallet and raises it to smash Ranma once again, the figure in the shadows reaches a critical point. Her weapons are drawn. Her anger unleashed. Her conscious dwarfed by the pain of what she just saw. A scream of primal rage escapes her as she leaps into the air. She throws a handful of sharpened mini-spatulas at Akane and comes down with an overhead swing of her two-handed battle spatula.

Akane looks up in shock as Ranma grabs her and pulls her from the line of fire. One mini-spatula manages to cut Akane's arm as she is barely pulled out of the way in time. Ukyo's battle spatula comes down and smashes into the roof.

Ranma, seeing the cut on Akane's arm, is not happy to say the least. "Ukyo, what the heck are you..." Ranma's words are cut off as Ukyo brings her weapon around to swing at both Ranma and Akane. Ranma jumps backwards with Akane into the backyard of the Tendo home. He sets Akane down in time to dodge another swing form Ukyo's spatula. Ranma now gets a good look at Ukyo. He is shocked to see tear-stained cheeks on a face filled with hatred and pain.

Ukyo swings again, but Ranma dodges to the side and executes two quick hits to Ukyo's wrists, disarming her. Before the battle spatula can hit the ground, Ranma grabs it and hurls it to the side. The spatula embeds itself into the wall around the Tendo home. "Ukyo, what are you doing?" Ukyo's response is to attack Ranma barehanded. Ranma ducks and sweeps Ukyo's feet out from under her. By the time she hits the ground, Ranma is already sitting on her pinning her legs and arms. "Ukyo, what is wrong with you? Why are you doing this?"

Ukyo turns her head to the side in defeat, tears streaming from her face. As Ranma gets up to try and help Ukyo, she jumps up and over the fence to disappear into the night. Ranma starts to chase after her, and then turns to Akane. He runs over and checks her arm, which is now thoroughly covered in blood. Ranma picks up Akane and runs into the house, yelling for Kasumi.

Later, Akane is lying in bed with Ranma and Kasumi in the room. Akane has the shirtsleeve of her school uniform torn off and a large bandage on her arm. Kasumi looks at Ranma and Akane with concern. "Do either of you have any idea why Ukyo would do such a thing?"

Ranma shakes his head. "I certainly don't. She just showed up out of the middle of nowhere and attacked us. She normally uses the flat of the blade when fighting, but this time she was using the sharpened edge. She was seriously trying to hurt us." Ranma punches the floor next to him. "Why would she do something like that?"

Akane, in very quiet voice says, "I think I know."

Ranma jumps from the floor to Akane's side. "You know? Really?"

Akane nods her head and then looks to Kasumi. "Kasumi, can I talk to Ranma alone for a sec?"

Kasumi gathers the first aid kit and stands up to leave. "OK, but call me I you need anything. Don't get her too excited Ranma. She's had a long day." Kasumi walks out of the room and shuts the door.

"Akane, what is it? What made Ukyo go crazy like that?"

Akane looks at Ranma sadly. "I think she heard us talking Ranma."

Ranma looks confused. "Why would that... Oh."

Akane sits up and turns to Ranma. "Yeah, and if she heard your answer to the question I asked you, that could explain it."

"There's just no way Akane. Ukyo's my friend. She wasn't herself. She was actually trying to hurt us. Maybe the old ghoul drugged her or something."

Akane starts yelling. "What?? Ranma, do you remember the wedding? Do you remember who threw explosives into a room filled with people because she thought we were getting married? That WAS Ukyo, whether you want to admit it or not, and for the second time, your friend tried to kill me. Ranma, when are you..." Ranma jumps up and runs out the door of Akane's room.

"Ranma, where are you..." {I guess your going after Ukyo. You do care about everyone don't you?} Akane looks at the door to her room and sighs. "Ranma."

Ranma sprints thru the Tendo house and straight out the front gates. {Ukyo! I can't believe she was hurt enough to attack Akane and me. I have to make sure she is OK. Oh man, who am I kidding? She probably hates me now. I have got to do something. I have to try and make it right!} Ranma slides to a stop in front of Ukyo's restaurant. {Well, here goes.} Ranma slides the door open and steps inside.

The restaurant is definitely closed. Lights are all off, chairs are turned upside down onto the tables, and the place is awfully quiet. Ranma slowly walks in and looks around. He spots a light up the stairs on the far side of the restaurant and slowly ascends the stairs.

Ranma reaches the top and sees the light is coming from Ukyo's bedroom just ahead of him. "Ukyo. Ukyo, it's me Ranma."

"GO AWAY!!"

{Aw man, she sound so hurt. I knew this was going to happen.} "Ukyo, please give me a chance to explain. I didn't want to see you hurt like this."

Ukyo comes storming around the corner. Her eyes are puffy from crying, her hair is in disarray, and her voice is scratchy from heavy crying. She stomps up to Ranma and punches him in the chest, who doesn't even block it. "Didn't want to see me hurt? You bastard! I spend years in hell because of you, but I put it all aside when I met you again, only to find out you are choosing Akane over me! You son of a bitch! I hate you! I hate you! I hate you!" Each iteration of 'I hate you' is joined by another punch at Ranma, who just puts his arms in front of his chest and lets her hit him.

This continues for quite a while until Ukyo loses the strength to hit Ranma anymore. She finally looks up at him. All her pain is clearly visible on her face. "Why? Why not me? What did I do wrong?"

Ranma attempts to put a hand on Ukyo's shoulder only to have her bat it away. He sighs, and then responds, "Ukyo, it's nothing you did. If anything, it's my fault. At first, I didn't worry about it because I didn't expect to marry anybody. Pops and Mr. Tendo were trying to force Akane on me, and then there's the old ghoul. It was starting to get kinda depressing until you showed up. You were, no you ARE, my best friend. It was great having one of my best friends around to hang out with. After a while, I realized you wanted to be more than just my friend. I also realized choosing anybody would hurt people, like it's hurting you. I'm really sorry, Ukyo. I just didn't know how to make it so no one would be hurt."

Ranma bows his head and sighs again. Ukyo puts a finger under Ranma's chin and slowly raises his head. "That's not what I meant when I said why. Why not me, Ranma? Why did you choose Akane instead of me? What is wrong with me that's so horrible that you don't want me part of your life?"

Ranma Looks up stunned. "Ukyo, you're my best friend. I want you part of my life. I wouldn't be here if I didn't. You gotta believe me Ukyo, it wasn't anything you did wrong. Look, I don't know what I can do to make this right Ukyo, but I swear I'll do what I need to do. You just have to help me figure out what that is."

Ukyo is still looking up at Ranma. "I don't know if there is anything you can do to make this right, Ranma." She turns around and starts walking into her room. She stops long enough to say, "For now, just leave me alone." She continues into her room and turns off the light.

Ranma remains standing in the hallway. {She's so, so hurt. Why did I have to go and do this? Is causing anyone this much pain worth my happiness? Man, I sure messed up this time.} Ranma turns around and slowly walks downstairs and out the door of Ucchan's. He turns to start walking home and sees Akane standing next to the entrance. "Akane, what are you doing here?"

"Ranma, I knew where you were going. It didn't take much for me to figure it out. How's Ukyo?"

Ranma bows his head in sadness. "She's so hurt Akane. This is why I didn't want to do this. I'm... I'm afraid she won't want to be my friend anymore."

Without saying a word, Akane walks up and hugs Ranma in an effort to comfort him. Ranma stiffens in alarm for a moment and then returns the hug. Ranma then looks at Akane and smiles. They both begin the walk home. Akane reaches out to hold Ranma's hand. Ranma looks at Akane and smiles as he accepts her hand in his. Ukyo looking out the window at both of them falls onto her bed and cries herself to sleep.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Author's Notes: Thanks yet again to Langdz for pre-reading this. 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. (NuclearTwinkie@MindFlayers.net)