Chapter Three
The Breaking Point
"Ugh! That stupid Akane!" Ranma said, brutally beating a wooden punching pole. "It wasn't my fault what Ukyo did! Why did she go overboard like that, just when I was starting to…who could ever love a violent woman like that any way? Gettin' all pissed off at something I had no control over!" Ranma's punched again, snapping the pole in two. He stood there, staring at it, seeming to remember seeing this scene before. Akane was always breaking stuff down here whenever she got mad. Looks like the tables have turned. Ranma remained standing there, breathing heavily, but his anger not extinguished.
"Why did she have to go and ruin everything!" He shouted, throwing a punch at the nearest wall. His hand easily went through the wood and out the other side; Ranma flinched as a pain shot up his fist. He pulled his hand out; it was bloody, with a wooden splinter stuck in the very side of his first finger, near his thumb.
He stood there, staring at his palm, the blood flowing down it and dripping upon the dojo floor.
"Akane…" he whispered to himself. Suddenly he felt a tear roll down his face. Was he crying? Why did he feel so hurt at Akane's words? He took his left hand and wiped away the tear, turning his focus from his injured hand to the darkness above the Dojo hall.
He loved Akane.
"Dammit!" He whispered to himself. There was no use trying to fool himself, or lie to himself. No matter how he put it out of his mind, no matter what he did to distract himself, he had always loved Akane. That was a fact that made him feel even worse. All that wasted time…time he couldn't get back. All the words he had said. Sometimes words hurt worse than and sticks or stones. He finally gave up on his farce and laid his head against his left hand, trying to cover his eyes from some unknown watcher. More tears were making their way out. Why couldn't he stop them? He suddenly realized what he had actually done to Akane. His mind was clearer than ever before. Akane had loved him too. All the signs were there. That was why she was being so nice to him. That's why she was so nervous right before Uc-Chan's kiss. This had nothing to do with revenge.
"I was so stupid!" he said to himself. "Why didn't I just follow my feelings, instead of playin' all those stupid games? Now I may have lost Akane…forever." Ranma was overcome with sorrow over his last thought. Tears now flowed from his eyes. He looked at this injured hand again and pulled out the splinter. The blood was starting to dry and the bleeding had almost stopped. What was he going to do?
"Ranma Saotome!" A voice yelled from the door. Ranma's anger started rising, his fist automatically clenched itself.
"Ryoga…" He said, turning to his rival. He had not bothered to collect himself after his event. "What the hell do you want?" Ranma's eyes were burning, with a fire of regret, rage and resentment. Didn't Ryoga know when to fight and when not to?
"This is the last time you hurt Akane Tendou, Ranma Saotome" Ryoga yelled. He soon realized that Ranma was in no better shape than Akane was. Ryoga continued, determined that Ranma had not had enough. He would make him feel his pain.
"I challenge you, Ranma!" Ryoga said, raising a fist.
Ranma stood there, he forced himself stop crying and look up at Ryoga like a man. "Fine, I accept your challenge" he said simply, no witty remark or comment. What did he have to lose? Who cares about status? He had already lost the greatest gift he was even given. He had nothing else to lose.
"Follow me to the school. I would hate for you to miss out on what is in store for you." Ranma said, the fire in his eyes had doused the tears and the blood on his hand was dry. Ryoga followed Ranma out the dojo and to the lot. They would settle things there, once and for all.
Akane was awoken by a large crash. She got up and rubbed her eyes, they were a bit red still. She looked over to her alarm clock. 10:29. "I wonder what that was?" She thought to herself. Another sound, this time a massive crack, came from below her bedroom. Those sounds were coming from the training hall.
"That must be Ranma!" She said to herself. "He must be really angry…Well serves him right for ruining our moment, and to think I loved that jerk." Akane sat in the quiet for a few minutes, listening. She thought she heard voices. Who else was in there with him?
"That voice sounded like Ryoga" Akane concluded. She got up from her bed, and decided to see what was going on. She looked around her room. "Funny, P-Chan doesn't usually leave at night." She noted, opening her door and going down the stairs. The stairs were unusually quiet, as if trying to aid her in her quest.
The training hall light was on and the door was cracked a bit. She approached to door, and peeked through the crack. Ranma and Ryoga were standing there, staring at each other. They both looked extremely mad. Ranma said something about the school.
"They must be going to a duel," Akane thought, watching the two warriors exit through the door that led outside. Akane slowly opened the door and looked around. A punching pole lie broken and flung into a corner. A hole in the wall was near by that, with some red stuff around it. Akane approached the hole and noticed it was blood: Ranma's blood. A small puddle had formed underneath. Akane stared in both worry and amazement.
"Oh, I better follow those two" she said to herself. "There's no telling what they would do to each other. Besides, I need to find out why Ryoga was here. Did this have any thing to do with our date?"
Akane stepped outside, her yellow kitten pajamas highlighted by the moon. "I can manage to sneak around, even though it's going to be pretty hard. I'll just have to be careful" And Akane ran off to catch up with the two.
Ranma and Ryoga stood in an open field, staring at each other. They had selected the ball field of Furinkan High, because of its superior lighting. The moon did its best to provide another source of light, making the near by fence and trees seem a bit ominous. Akane hid just out of sight in some shadows that were placed there by a large tree. She could just about make out Ranma and Ryoga's conversation.
"Ranma Saotome! For too long you have tormented the beautiful Akane." Ryoga started. Ranma just stood there, having heard all this before. He crossed his arms and smiled a bit, having regained his composure.
"Ranma…I…trusted you with Akane. I knew I could never take her heart, but I still gave her mine. The only reason I was able to sleep at all at night was hoping that you would make her happy. If she was happy then that was enough for me. But Ranma…all you have done is bring Akane pain and suffering. I know this because she told me so."
"No, she didn't tell you, she told that runt of a pig P-Chan! You have the nerve to challenge me when you've been sleeping with my fiancée? That's not too honorable, is it Ryoga?"
Ryoga smiled, eyes still fixed on Ranma. "Maybe you're just jealous that it was me in her bed and not you? All she ever wanted was an ear to listen to her. I gave her that; maybe that's why she loved P-Chan."
"Jealous?" Ranma shouted. "Why would I be jealous of some damn loser that got lost in China trying to chase me and used his curse to get him in the bed of a woman?"
Akane continued to listen. "What are those two talking about and why are they talking about P-Chan? Come to think of it, how did Ryoga know all those things that went on between Ranma and I? I didn't know that Ryoga went to China." Akane's jaw dropped, having heard about a "curse". "Ryoga must have went to Jusenkyo, looking for Ranma and fell into a spring. Ryoga…was P-Chan!"
Akane felt a pain shoot through her chest, a pain of hurt and rage. There was no doubt about it the more Akane thought on this. All the times P-Chan would vanish, Ryoga would show up and say things like he knew what was going on. "Maybe that's why I saw him in all those places away from home with Ranma and everyone." Akane continued. A sick feeling suddenly washed over her. "I changed in front of P-Chan…was Ryoga using his curse just to see me? Good thing I never took him into the shower." Akane's attention switched back to what the two were saying. Maybe listening would answer a few questions.
"Enough of your words, Ranma Saotome. What I did was nothing compared to what you did. At least when I was around, Akane would smile and not run off crying."
"No, what you did was nothin' short of a crime. I had my reasons for arguing with Akane, but now things have changed. You say that I did all these horrible deeds when you were the one spying on her when she was changing in her room. How about we go ask Akane what she thinks?"
Ryoga clenched his fists. "What I did, I did because I loved Akane. I was too scared to be honest with her. I just wanted to be close to her."
"You didn't love Akane, if you did you wouldn't have abused her feelings toward you, P-Chan."
Akane stared at Ryoga. "So it was true, he was P-Chan. Wait a second!" she thought to herself. "Ranma knew about Ryoga being P-Chan? No wonder he was so jealous and arguing all the time."
Akane looked down to her hands. She was unusually calm, even though had Ryoga been a few steps closer she would have decapitated him. "That poor Ryoga. He…loved me? I just can't get mad at him. Somehow I feel sorry for him." Akane shook her head, turning back to the upcoming battle.
"I loved Akane more than you ever did!" Ryoga retaliated.
Ranma was wounded at those words. "Ryoga, enough of your stalling! Let's just finish this once and for all!"
"Fine Ranma, prepare yourself!"
Ryoga dashed towards Ranma. Ranma remained still, calmly looking at the charging warrior. Ryoga threw a punch to Ranma's head, which Ranma easily dodged. Another punch soon followed. Ranma changed directions. Ryoga attacked again with a swift roundhouse, Ranma leaped backwards with a flip and landed a few feet away from him.
"Is that all ya got P-Chan?" Ranma said, making Ryoga even madder.
"I can end this fight in one move if I can get him just a bit more angry." Ranma thought to himself.
"Ranma, prepare to die!" Ryoga said, rushing towards Ranma with his finger extended.
"Bakusai Tenketsu!"
Ranma leaped over the attack and used Ryoga's head as a point to launch himself in the air. The resulting jump forced Ryoga into the ground, making him skid across the grass and sand. Ranma landed, in perfect form, waiting for Ryoga to get up.
Ryoga slowly got up and turned to Ranma, whom was smiling slyly. He wiped a bit of sand and blood from his lip.
"Come on Ryoga, you're not gonna win Akane's heart face first in the ground."
Ryoga went back on the offensive, launching volleys of attacks without end. Ranma seemed to not be taking this seriously, ever backing up with each successive attack, not even trying an offensive move. Akane looked on, puzzled. Ranma was just taking Ryoga around in a circle. Those circles seemed to be getting smaller. Akane suddenly gasped. She had seen this action before. In fact, she had felt its full fury once: The Ascending Dragon's Heaven Blast. Ranma was going to make this fight short.
"Ok Ryoga, just a few more steps. That's it, stay mad of at me," Ranma said, smiling.
Years of going around in circles taught Ryoga one thing: He may not know how to get out of circles but he sure knew them when he went around in them.
Ranma took the final step back. He planted his foot in the ground and lowered his fist. His eyes narrowed as he took careful aim at Ryoga.
Ryoga was stunned, having stopped his onslaught. "This is one of Ranma's techniques and I fell right into it!"
"Hiryuu Shoten Ha!"
Ranma thrust his fist at Ryoga, wind swirling around and forming a giant twister, heading right for him. Sand and rocks started hitting him. Desperately, Ryoga threw him self to one side, just barely avoiding the torrent of wind that passed him. He rolled away and ended up on his back, his arm kind of hurt but at least he was still able to fight.
The twister continued to the fence, cutting a clean swath through it and a few bushes before it diminished. Akane looked on. A rock grazed her face, leaning a thin trail of blood. She didn't even feel it, still looking at the duel.
Ryoga got up and dusted himself off. "I should have figured out what you were doing Ranma." He said with a smile. "It wont happen again"
"Yea Ryoga, that's why you will always lose to me."
"This time, I won't lose!" Ryoga clenched his fists, remembering the look of sorrow on Akane's face earlier that night. The air around him started to shimmer, like pavement on a hot day. Ranma narrowed his eyes at this sight. Ryoga had gotten stronger since the last time they had fought.
Ryoga leaped into action, planting a fist firmly in Ranma's face. Ranma was sent reeling. Ryoga attacked again, this time with a kick that landed right in Ranma's chest. Ranma flew backwards as Akane gasped from the sidelines. Ryoga started to chuckle at Ranma.
Ranma sat up, rubbing his head. His lip had started to bleed. He wiped off the blood and stood up "Man," he thought to himself "Ryoga has never done that to me before. Maybe he's serious this time."
"Ok Ryoga, enough games!" Ranma took the offensive. He ran to Ryoga, whom was prepared to defend himself.
"Kachu Tenshin Amaguriken!"
Ranma unleashed his attack on an unprepared Ryoga. Ryoga shielded his face from the torrent of fists that seem to come out of nowhere. All he could do was back up to avoid the blows. One of the punches caught Ryoga dead center in his right eye. He was sent reeling backward, landing on one half of the gate that still stood. Ranma pinned him to the fence with a few more blows before he placed a solid kick to his stomach, bending the fence posts that held it up. Ryoga caved inward, falling to his knees, desperately gasping for air. Ranma stood there, wiping more blood from his lip.
Ryoga slowly got to his feet, propping himself up on the fence. His nose was bleeding and his eye was red. He leaned against the fence, the fence protesting by rattling.
"It's over Ryoga" Ranma said, relaxing a bit. "See? You will never be able to defeat me. I don't know why you insisted in this duel to begin with, knowin' that you would lose."
Ryoga looked depressed, straightening out his legs and managing to stand without help of the fence. Memories of Akane flooded his mind. Happy. Sad. The times they spent eating dinner.
"No Ranma!" Ryoga said.
The wind started to pick up.
Akane looked on, they were right across from her. "Wow, these two are giving it all the have." She thought, in awe of the techniques she had seen. "I can hardly believe that Ryoga is continuing the fight. Did he love me that much?" Akane noticed the wind pick up, blowing her short hair. The wind had a strange aura about it. It's almost like each time the wind blew, she got a little sadder.
Ryoga smiled, standing upright now. He placed his wrists together, with his palms open and facing Ranma. He spread his fingers out…
Ranma, confused, took a step back, wondering what Ryoga was doing.
The air began to shimmer again and the wind carried an air of sadness, almost depression. Ryoga's hands started to glow, ever so slightly.
Ranma took another step back. He knew this attack. All he could do was shield himself as best he could
"This is it Ranma" Ryoga said with an almost evil smile.
"Shi Shi Hokudan!"
Ranma had let his mind escape himself, something that happened all too often. He did not realize that, instead of becoming demoralized at his jeers, Ryoga was in fact, drawing of his words. He used Ranma to power up his Lion's Roar Shot to its ultimate level.
A giant tower of light shot up vertically from Ryoga, who was aiming the energy at Ranma. Ranma put his arms in front of his head just as the wave hit. He was sent flying back, being burned by the attack. Akane ducked behind the tree she was hiding behind, the force of the blast tearing away at everything not anchored to the ground. Akane heard a sickening thud-crack against the tree.
When the dust had cleared, she peeked out from behind the tree. Ryoga was now standing in front of Ranma, who was lying against the trunk of the tree. All Akane could see was one of Ranma's hands, the fingers moving ever so slightly.
Ranma let out a moan as he forced himself to look up at the victor. He tried to get back to his feet, but he lost too much strength defending against the attack.
Ryoga smiled down at Ranma. "At last, I have beaten you Ranma. But just beating you is not enough. You will pay for making Akane cry!"
"Bakusai Tenketsu!"
Akane over heard the brief dialogue. Her eyes widened. Ranma was too drained to defend himself from Ryoga's attack. What would happen if he… A vision of life with out Ranma entered Akane's mind. No, she couldn't live with out him. She had to do something…
Without thinking, Akane jumped from behind the tree trunk, and landed in front of Ranma. "Ryoga, Please stop this!" She pleaded, holding her arms out.
It was too late.
Ryoga's finger sunk deeply into Akane's chest, aimed right at Ranma's heart. Akane screamed in pain as both Ranma and Ryoga heard a sickening snap. Blood sprayed from the open wound. Akane's limp body was thrown down against Ranma's. Her pajamas now turned red. Ranma did his best to catch her head before she hit the ground. She lay there, lifeless in Ranma's arms.
Ryoga took a step back, utterly destroyed by what he had done. His anger…had got the better of him. He looked down on his shirt. That was Akane's blood that had stained it. He brought his hand closer to his face, eyeing it…trying to believe it wasn't her blood. The red liquid ran down his arm, finally dropping off at his elbow. It seemed to cover his entire arm.
Ranma placed his hand over Akane's wound, trying his best to stop the bleeding. He could feel the life being drawn out of his Fiancée.
"Akane?" He asked, shaking her head gently. "Akane, please…say something."
Akane slowly opened her eyes and offered a weak smile. "Ran…ma…" She whispered, her voice trembling with pain. "What you said…back when you fought Kuno…was…true. I…Lov…" The rest of her words were lost, as she started to cough up blood, violently.
"No Akane…"Ranma sobbed. "You…can't leave me like this. What about our wedding?"
"Don't…worry…you big dummy…you'll be fine…without…me" Akane coughed one more time, making blood come from her wound. Her eyes closed and her breathing became very shallow.
"Akane…I…can't live with out you. Akane, please say something! Akane!" Something stirred on the inside of Ranma. All the pain he felt after Ryoga's attack left his body.
"Akane, I will save you!" Ranma promised. He ripped off his shirt and wrapped it around Akane's chest. He placed a hand over her stomach. She was still breathing, but just barely. He gathered Akane's limp body in his arms and raced off to the hospital, leaving Ryoga standing there, all alone, wondering what his life was worth now.
A Loosing Battle
Ranma burst in to the hospital with a mighty kick. The door flung open, violently hitting the wall. The safety glass had cracked. Everyone in the waiting room turned to see Ranma, carrying a bloody Akane. No one needed an explanation. Nurses called a code blue and a doctor ran up, wheeling a stretcher.
"What happened here, young man?" The doctor asked, helping lay Akane on the table.
"She took a hit for me, Doc, " Ranma said, "You have to help her, she is my fiancée.
The doctor looked Ranma in the eye with an air of determination. "We will do all we can, young man. The best thing you can do now is try to relax, she is in good hands" The doctor turned to the nurses, as Akane was being wheeled to the emergency room. "Ok People, we've got this young lady's Fiancée in the waiting room and he expects a miracle. Lets give him one!" The rest of the doctor's words were hidden as they turned down the hall and out of sight.
Ranma stood in the waiting room, reliving that horrible accident, wondering what he could have done differently. "If only I hadn't yelled at her." Ranma thought, blaming himself. "Maybe she wouldn't be fighting for her life right now."
There was nothing else he could do…except one thing. Ranma walked over to a near by phone and called the Dojo. It rang a few times before someone answered.
"Hello! Tendou Residence." Kasumi said happily, even though it was past midnight.
"Hey Kasumi" Ranma tried.
"Oh my! Ranma! You sound just awful, where are you at so late at night?"
"The hospital. Kasumi you should wake everyone and tell 'em to come over. Somethin' bad happened to Akane."
"Oh Dear…" Kasumi said,. "We will be over in a little while, Ranma." With that, Kasumi hung up the phone and proceeded to her father's room. She knocked a bit harder than she usually did.
"Yes?" a sleepy Soun demanded, "What is it?"
"Father, Ranma just called, Akane is in the hospital. Ranma sounded just awful too. I feel that something bad has happened to the both of them."
"What! My Akane is in the hospital?" Soun exclaimed, leaping from his bed and changing clothes.
Ranma told everyone what happened. About the argument, the challenge, and his loss at the hands of Ryoga. Everyone was stunned, even Nabiki, who tried her best to remain pretty mellow.
"So where is Akane now, Ranma?" She asked, concerned
"They carted her off the ER. That's the last I've heard of her." Ranma returned.
"That Ryoga needs to pay for what he's done to our Akane" Genma said, looking over to Ranma.
"No Pops, Akane took that attack for me. It's my fault for yelling at her. Its my fault for not realizing…" Ranma broke eye contact with Genma in disgust.
"Well something must be done about Ryoga." Genma demanded.
"No, Saotome, Ryoga has been punished enough, having stained his clothes with Akane's blood. Any thing we do would only hurt him more."
"You may be right Tendou…" Genma said, thinking to himself.
Ranma walked over to an empty chair and sat down, trying to hold back his tears. Kasumi sat next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Please don't worry, Ranma. It's not like you to be so…serious."
"Yea Ranma, " Nabiki said, sitting on the other chair next to Ranma. "Akane will be fine, you know better than to be sad. She has faced worse stuff that this."
"Yea, like what?" Ranma asked.
"Well…like the time…Uh…" Nabiki was at a loss for words, which didn't happen often.
"Please Ranma, try to relax a bit. It's not healthy for you. You want to be healthy for your wedding don't you?" Kasumi asked.
"Well you try relaxing when your fiancée is dieing!" Ranma shouted back at Kasumi. Kasumi was hurt at those harsh words.
"Ranma…I was just worried was all." she said, utterly stunned.
Ranma suddenly felt like he had kicked a puppy. The look of rage in his eyes vanished. "Sorry, Kasumi. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. It's just that…I'm so worried about Akane. You've been like a mother to me and pops while we stayed at the Dojo." Ranma said, a tear rolling down his cheek.
"It's ok Ranma. I understand. Everyone here is worried for Akane. We just want what's best for you is all."
Ranma had never felt this way before. This wasn't like him at all.
"I'm just scared, Kasumi." Ranma said. He laid his head on Kasumi's shoulder, as if she were his mother, tears of sorrow now flowing, He was crying again, this time in front of everyone. He didn't care. All he wanted was to see Akane again.
Soun and Genma looked at each other, seeming to realize more about Ranma in those few minutes than they had ever known.
A few more hours passed before a nurse approached the household. "Akane is stable, for now. You may go see her."
Everyone silently agreed that Ranma should go in first. They would give him a chance to be alone with Akane. He needed it.
Ranma walked in. Akane lay across from the door, with a few tubes and wires attached to her still body. He approached her and took her hand into his. It was a bit cold.
"Hey Akane" he whispered. "It's me, Ranma. Can you hear me?" Only the machines' beeping could be heard.
"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I yelled at you. The truth is I do want to marry you one day." It was useless. Akane just laid there, eyes closed. Ranma's tears started to come back, realizing that Akane was in worse shape than he had thought.
"Come on Akane, say something, anything! Tell me how stupid I was or what a pervert I was."
Nothing.
A tear rolled down Ranma's cheek and landed on Akane's face. Ranma looked at her face. Her eyes twitched just slightly. Her mouth opened.
"Ran…ma" Akane said, almost inaudibly.
"Akane!" Ranma gasped. "Akane you are in there! Please, say something!" Akane closed her lips and continued to lie there. Ranma shook his head, sadly. Overcome with sadness, he set Akane's hand down and left her to her sleep.
"Ranma…you dummy…" A voice whispered from behind him. Ranma whirled around, looking at Akane. Still nothing. "It must be my imagination" Ranma concluded, exiting the room.
"Kasumi, maybe you should stay with Ranma while we visit with Akane. Ranma could use your presence." Soun whispered to her.
"Ok, father" she said, sitting next to Ranma.
The Tendou family and Genma had their time with Akane, not staying too long. A Doctor approached the group as they exit Akane's room.
He looked at Soun. "Are you the father of Akane?" The doctor asked, holding a folder.
"Yes" Soun said.
"Could you come with me, I have something to explain to you."
Soun looked over to Ranma. He just sat there, sulking next to Kasumi.
"Of course. Can you accompany me Saotome?"
"Yes Tendou."
The two fathers started whispering something to each other. "Maybe we should leave Ranma here, I doubt he can withstand another blow to his heart." Soun whispered.
"Yes, I think that is best" Genma added.
The two followed the doctor, leaving Ranma with Nabiki and Kasumi for moral support.
"Things don't look good." The doctor explained. "It looks as though your daughter was hit with a high caliber bullet, but we could find no trace of a bullet in her chest."
"It was an attack aimed at my son." Genma said. "It's called the Breaking Point Attack, used to find the breaking point on rocks for miners. That is what my son told me."
"I see. Such an attack should not have been used against another human. She must love your son very much to sacrifice herself."
"They are to be wed soon."
"Oh, that's what that young boy said when he carried her in."
"His name is Ranma Saotome, the fiancée of Akane Tendou."
"Well…" The doctor said, getting back on subject. "Akane had lost a lot of blood. That "attack" just missed severing her pulmonary artery, which would have done a great deal of damage. It seems though that it is just a deep flesh wound. The only problem is that your daughter seems to be in a sort of coma. We have no idea why. She should have recovered by now…"
"Will she ever recover?" Soun asked, seriously.
"I don't know. As I said we don't quite understand why she is in that comatose state."
"Thank you doctor" Soun said, rising. He looked over at Genma, who nodded. The two left the room, bound for the lobby. The doctor continued on his way.
"Oh dear" Kasumi said. "Father, you look just terrible. Is everything all right with Akane?"
"Yes, Akane will be fine." Soun tried, his tears giving away his lie.
"Its ok, Mr. Tendou, you can tell me the truth." Ranma said solemnly
"Well, if you must hear the truth Ranma, Akane is in bad shape. They don't know why, but she is in some sort of coma."
Kasumi gasped and Nabiki turned to Ranma. Ranma's face now showed determination.
"Akane is gonna make it!" He asserted. "I'll…stay here until she does."
"That is very good of you, son" Genma said proudly. "You will make an excellent husband to one day.
"Come everyone. Lets try to get some rest. Ranma you should rest too, it's been a long night for everyone." Kasumi offered
Ranma didn't answer.
The family left Ranma in the lobby. Praying for both of them
Retrospect
Akane, having been stabilized, was moved into a real room, complete with TV and window. The machines were taken away. The nurses brought Ranma a blanket and pillow for him to sleep in the chair. Ranma fell asleep quickly, his mind was tired and his body was sore.
Akane found herself amidst a great plain, covered in darkness. She looked around. She saw nothing but gray clouds and the black pavement. The clouds floated overhead, ominously.
"Did I die?" She asked herself. "This sure doesn't look like heaven. This can't be hell either, no flames or demons." She suddenly realized what happened.
"Ranma…I wonder if Ranma is alright." She called his name out a few times. No answer. "This is hell." She thought to herself, not finding Ranma. A large fog soon rolled in.
"Oh Great…" Akane said audibly. A flash of red appeared in front of her and a shadowy figure stood, masked by the fog. That was Ranma. "Ranma!" She shouted, running after the shadowy figure. The figure ran off into the fog. Why was Ranma running from her?
Akane continued after the figure, emerging from the fog bank. She found herself back at the Dojo. Akane looked around, inquisitively. "Wait a second!" She said, looking down at her chest. No wound was present. "What am I doing back here at the Dojo?" Just then she saw a Panda, carrying a very angry female Ranma up to the entrance of the Dojo. She called over to the two
"Hey Ranma! Mr. Saotome!" They did not respond. Akane approached to two, yelling. Nothing.
"This is weird. I better follow those two."
The giant panda knocked on the door and Kasumi greeted them, not seeming to notice the screaming and cursing Ranma. "Oh Father, you have some visitors." She said cheerfully, allowing the two to enter. Akane followed behind. The panda walked into the dining room and set Ranma down. Everyone looked confused. Just then, Akane saw herself, sitting at the table. Her hair was very long.
"This must be my life passing before my eyes. Does this mean I'm dying?" Akane shook that thought out of her head, watching the red haired girl.
"I'm Ranma Saotome…Sorry 'bout this." The young girl said.
"This is the first time we met." Akane thought to herself, seeing her alter ego challenge Ranma to a match. "Ranma was a better fighter than me. I couldn't even touch him. I wonder what this all means." Suddenly the fog returned, making the Dojo vanish. The figured returned, seeming to wait for Akane. "This is weird." Akane thought to herself. "I guess I better follow that guy again. Maybe I'll learn something about Ranma like this."
Ranma awoke suddenly, hearing the heavy hospital room close.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I just need to change Akane's dressing on her wound and give her a bath. Breakfast will be served in about an hour if you want to wait there." The nurse began.
"Oh, ok then." Ranma said, rising and heading for the door.
"Aren't you her fiancée?" The nurse asked, wondering where Ranma was going off.
"Uh, yea…"
"Well you can stay here if you want. In fact, I could use a hand with the bath, if you want to help me."
"What is she talking about?" Ranma thought for a few moments. "Was she seriously gonna let me help her?" Ranma thought back to their first encounter in the bathroom back at the Dojo. "Well, she did look cute. Nah, I can't do that, knowing that Akane is not able to say otherwise. It would be wrong."
"No, Akane would never forgive me if she found out what I did while she was out." Ranma explained.
"Well, ok then." The nurse said as the door closed behind Ranma.
Ranma walked around, trying in vain to clear his mind. He was a bit hungry too. He continued to explore to hospital a bit, his mind still wandering on the accident. "I wonder if Akane will make it?" Ranma thought to himself, doubt rising in his heart. He clenched his fist. "Of course she will make it. There can be no other outcome."
Not one he wanted to think about any way.
Akane followed the figure. They returned to the Dojo, this time snow was on the ground and lights were strung about. "This is last Christmas, when Ranma gave me that picture of everyone." Akane said to herself. "Too bad I'm all thumbs when it comes to sewing, or that scarf would have come out great." Akane watched the party unfold, wondering what this all meant. She saw herself and Ranma exchange gifts.
The figure returned, this time leading Akane through numerous scenes of the two fighting. Akane got a little embarrassed. "Wow, I had no idea I was doing that to poor Ranma… But there were some nice moments between us." She said to the figure. The figure moved on. This time they were at Uc-Chan's.
"This is the last place I wanted to go to," Akane said to the figure. Akane was forced to watch the scene over again. She then noticed something that she hadn't before. Ukyo was eyeing them the whole time. It looked like she was plotting something.
"Did…Ukyo kiss Ranma on purpose?" Akane asked herself. "Come to think of it, Ukyo really wasn't acting like herself that day. Is this the point of all this? To show me that I may have jumped the gun on that argument." Akane shook her head. "That was putting it mildly, I let that stupid kiss get in between us, and now Ranma has to live without me…and I with out him." A tear formed in her eye.
"Akane, it's me, Ranma. Can you hear me yet?" Asked a voice, seeming to come from everywhere. Akane perked up. That was Ranma's voice.
"Ranma Yes! I can hear you! Please wait up." Akane called to the voice, running, and seeming to go nowhere in the vast, empty plain.
"Akane…please…say something…"
"Ranma, where are you? Can't you hear me?" Akane continued to run for a few more moments before she stopped in her tracks. The voice had not called. Was Ranma talking to her just then? Was he next to her? She continued to look around the wasteland.
"I've got to find a way out of here. I…have to find Ranma" She then began to get tired, almost sleepy. Yes, she needed to sleep; it felt like she was up for days. She was tired of all the traveling and tired of fighting. Akane did her best to shake the sleepiness from herself. "I've got to at least try for a little bit longer." She said, continuing her walk into nothingness.
Ok, Mr. Saotome, I'm all finished in here. I'll have your breakfast in a few minutes."
Ranma entered the room and continued his vigil. "Hey Akane" He said, trying to elicit a response. He looked into her face. She seemed a bit lost, as if struggling to find her way. He grabbed her hand again. It was still a bit cold. He sat there, holding her hand and begging her to wake up.
It was almost lunchtime now, Ranma still keeping his vigil on Akane. A knock came from the door.
"Come in" Ranma said, dryly. It was Kasumi, carrying a basket.
"Hello Ranma" she said "I thought that you could use a little lunch to help keep you going. How is Akane doing?"
"Well about an hour ago her heart stopped. All these nurses came in a kicked me out the room."
"Oh, My! Weren't you worried?"
"No Kasumi, I felt a bit worried but somehow I knew she would be ok. They restarted her heart and said that she was doing a bit better."
"Well that is certainly good news. Everyone is going to visit you at dinnertime. I'll bring you some."
"Thanks Kasumi" Ranma said, his mind more on Akane than lunch.
Kasumi left Ranma there, quietly.
Three days passed. Ranma did not bother to go to school, fearing Akane would awake without him near. Kasumi continued to bring snacks, while the family visited whenever they could.
Another knock came from the door. Ranma was used to knocking by now. "Come in" he said. The door opened and Ranma saw a flash of long, blue hair.
It was Shampoo.
"Shampoo? What are you doing here?" Ranma asked, getting on the defensive.
"Nihao Ranma!" Shampoo returned. "Shampoo so worried. Shampoo not seen you in long time."
"Yes, son-in-law, Kasumi was nice enough to tell us where you were at." Said a voice coming from behind Shampoo.
Cologne was here too.
"Why have you come here? You better not be plotting against Akane. I've had just about all I can stand of your tricks."
"Shampoo no plotting. Was just worried about Ranma and Akane. Shampoo wanted Akane out but not this way." She said, observing the still Akane.
"Son-in-law, what happened?" Cologne asked, hanging off her walking stick.
"Well, me and Ryoga were fighting and Ryoga used his Perfect Shi Shi Hokudon on me. I was launched into a tree. Akane was spying on us from there. Ryoga was about to use his Breaking Point attack on me when Akane jumped in front and took the full force of the blow."
"Oh my…the breaking point attack should have not worked on a human. Can I see her?" Cologne asked, hopping over to Akane. She observed her a minute, not even touching her.
"I see now…the breaking point worked true to its nature, despite the fact that it was used on a human. Akane cannot win this fight."
Ranma looked Cologne in the eye. "What are you talking about, Akane will survive!"
"No, she cannot. Take a look at her"
Ranma turned his head, looking at Akane. She lay there, motionless. Except her face. She seemed so distant. Ranma turned back to Cologne expecting an explanation.
"The heart is the weakest point in the human spirit. Ryoga's aim was a bit off target, but enough of the attack got through. The attack broke Akane's heart. She is probably somewhere, all alone, wandering in circles. Soon she will give up. Then there is noting we can do for her."
"No…Akane would never give up."
"Listen carefully, son-in-law. Akane was been wandering that emptiness for three days. Even the most stalwart spirit will eventually tire."
Ranma looked at her, horrified. "Well, does that mean she's doomed?"
"No, there may be a way to revive her. It's a Shiatsu technique called, "Fierce Lion's point" That spot should revive Akane, reversing the damage done. That technique works by summoning all the courage inside a person, and using that courage as a kind of energy. With a boost of energy, Akane way find her way." Suddenly, a thought occurred to Cologne. Ranma was trying awfully hard to revive Akane. How far would he go to have her back?
"Well, what are you waiting for? Please help her. I…I'll do anything"
"I will help her on one condition, son-in-law. If I am able to revive Akane, you must marry Shampoo."
Ranma's eyes narrowed, in anger. "How dare you say that kind of thing, while someone's life is in the balance!" He got up and yanked Cologne to his face.
"What other choice do you have son-in-law?"
"This isn't some stupid game! This is for real. Akane needs help and the only thing you can think about is Shampoo's stupid old law."
"It's your choice son-in-law. We will return tomorrow to accept your proposal. Could you let me down?"
Ranma stared at Cologne for a few more seconds before setting her down. The two turned and left.
Ranma collapsed on the near by chair. "Man, those two sure have nerve trying to force me into that marriage thing with Shampoo." Ranma turned and looked at Akane. She was still "asleep." "There must be somethin' else I can do for her. Who else knows a lot about all that pressure point stuff?"
Ranma thought for a few minutes. It suddenly hit him. "Dr. Tofu knows all about that stuff. I'll bet he can help Akane with that "Fierce Lion's point" thing." Ranma turned to Akane. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon. " He said to her. Ranma shot out the door and rushed to Dr. Tofu's place.
Ranma threw open the door to the clinic. "Hey, Tofu-sensei, you in here?" He called.
"Yes, just a second…Hello, how may I…Oh, hi Ranma, what brings you here? Why do you look so serious all of a sudden?"
"Well, Dr. Tofu, its Akane. I don't know if you heard but she had a little "accident" a few days ago. Me and Ryoga were dueling and Ryoga was about to use the Breaking point attack, but Akane jumped in a took the hit for me. Cologne and Shampoo said they could save her with some "Fierce Lion's Point" Shiatsu technique, but I would have to agree to marry Shampoo for them to save her. That's when I thought about you and all the help you had given us."
"Say no more Ranma. Where is she at?"
"She's at the hospital. I'll take you there."
The two arrived at Akane's room. Dr. Tofu set his medicine bag down and went over to her. He walked around the bed a few times, studying Akane's condition.
"Hmm…this is pretty serious. Her spirit is indeed starting to break."
"But the Breaking point attack shouldn't work on humans should it?"
"No, but Ryoga is a powerful fighter. He seemed to get much stronger over the last few weeks, according to the mark he left on Akane." Dr. Tofu said, indicating her wound.
"That still doesn't explain anything."
Dr, Tofu examined Akane's wound. "Hmm…It would seem reasonable that if Ryoga could plunge his finger through rocks, then he surely could do so to a human, especially when he was as enraged as he must have been."
"So what's happening to Akane?"
Dr, Tofu did a few more "tests" moving his hands over a few key spots.
"It looks like Ryoga had hit Akane near her heart."
Ranma started to get a bit annoyed. "I know that Dr. Tofu, do you think I'm blind? Cologne was saying the same thing. The doctor said it hit near her heart but they don't know why she's in that coma…."
"No, I'm not talking about that kind of heart. I'm talking about your heart, like your spirit. It's a pressure point believed to represent one's complete being. It's different in every person, so there has been no conclusive proof, except a few cases such as this."
Ranma listened on, a bit confused.
"Akane was always fighting. She was a strong warrior. It would make sense that her "Spirit Center" would lay close to her heart, the part she tried to cover up the most. She was dealt a tremendous blow there. The finger from Ryoga's Breaking Point attack "broke" her Spirit Center. It looked like the spot was almost completely wiped out by Ryoga's attack. As a result, Akane is loosing her fighting spirit. She is probably very tired now, wherever she is."
"Well, can't you do something? I…need to have Akane back."
Dr, Tofu turned to Ranma, the sun glinting in his glasses. "The Fierce Lion's Point should work on her. It is on her back."
Ranma went to Akane and sat her up, exposing her back to Dr. Tofu. Dr Tofu approached, his hand going over a few of the vertebra. "I think this is the spot." He said. Ranma took a deep breath. Dr, Tofu studied the spot carefully, making sure it was the right one. He set his finger on the spot. "Would you hand me the small hammer in my medicine bag?" Ranma went and searched in the bag for a few moments. He pulled out a small hammer, with a very fine point on it. Dr. Tofu grabbed the hammer and checked his placement one last time. Ranma watch nervously as Dr. Tofu raised the hammer and stuck the spot. It made a little thunk sound. Ranma and Tofu lay Akane back down on her bed.
"Come on Akane, wake up!" Ranma pleaded Dr. Tofu took a step back, removing his glasses and shaking his head.
"It didn't work Ranma." Ranma looked to Dr Tofu, his heart was not used to all these ups and downs.
"I'm sorry Ranma." Dr Tofu said, putting his glasses back on. "The pressure on the Fierce Lion's point needs to cover a very specific surface area. Hundreds of years ago, special tools were made with the exact surface area on them, but the technique was lost and so were all the tools."
"So…now what?" Ranma asked.
"Well Ranma, Cologne certainly knows a lot more about this kind of stuff than I do. Unfortunately, to get back the one you love, you must give your freedom to another. I can't help you decide. It's your decision. However, I will leave you with this thought. I have known Akane for many years. In all that time, she has never given up, especially when she set her mind to whatever challenge was present. You can trust me when I say that Akane will solve whatever problem she faces. I'll be at the clinic if you need me." With that Dr. Tofu gathered his things and left a contemplating Ranma alone in the room.
Ranma sat back down and tried to think of something. "Maybe if I find one of those tools Dr. Tofu was talking about." Ranma turned to Akane. She seemed to be getting worse. "I have no time for a scavenger hunt." Ranma got a sick feeling in his chest. "Cologne is right. " He continued. "I can't live without Akane, this is the only chance I have to get her back. It doesn't look like she can last much longer. Akane, please find a way to get me back." With a heavy heart, Ranma tried to get some sleep. Tomorrow would be a very long day.
Morning seemed to come too soon for Ranma. He got up and looked at Akane again. No improvement. A knock came from the door. It was no doubt Cologne and shampoo.
Ranma opened the door, revealing the two. Cologne cut right to the chase.
"So, son-in-law, what have you decided?"
Ranma thought to himself. "This may not be so bad after all. I could use those two to revive Akane, then just stall while me and Akane figured out something. There were lots of laws in this culture after all."
"Well son-in-law?"
"Fine, I agree to marry Shampoo, under one condition of my own. Akane must be revived and in perfect health." Ranma said with a confident smile.
"Wise choice-son-in-law. The wedding is tomorrow. Would you lift Akane up so I can get to her back?"
Ranma obliged not hearing Cologne's last few words. Cologne examined her back, feeling around some of the vertebra. "Here it is," she said indicating the same spot Dr. Tofu had said. She raised her walking staff and hit Akane with the tip. Ranma kicked himself when he saw that one of those ancient tools was right in front of his face. Well, no turning back now.
Akane began coughing violently. Ranma, stricken, placed her back on the bed.
"Yay, Shampoo so happy. Now you marry Shampoo." She said, grabbing Ranma's hand. Ranma remained fixed on Akane
Akane stopped coughing. Slowly her eyes opened. At first, everything was very fuzzy. A figure stood next to her, wearing a red shirt. So dizzy…Her eyes focused in on the figure. Who was that? It was Ranma, smiling.
"Ranma? Ranma!" Akane shouted, tears of joy starting. Akane sat up in bed, overjoyed. Ranma placed his arms around her.
"Akane…I was so worried."
Akane returned the hug.
"Oh Ranma, it was horrible. I was all alone in this empty field. Then I saw my life pass before my eyes. I missed you Ranma."
"I missed you too Akane." Ranma felt a tug at this shirt.
"Come on Ranma, Shampoo have big plan for wedding."
The joy on Akane's face turned into disbelief "Wedding…?"
Ranma's smile melted away. "I'm sorry Akane, this was the only way to get you back."
"What's going on?" Akane thought to herself; Ranma turning his back, heading out the door. "I just got Ranma back. I already lost him once. I can't lose him again."
"Ranma, Wait!" Akane pleaded. "I love you!"
Ranma turned around. "Akane…I…love you too." Ranma smiled, in his usual, confident manner. "You'll figure out somethin', I'm sure of it. Just don't give up!"
With that, Shampoo dragged him out of the room.
***** Heh…guess there's not much to say after that. Sorry for the mushy stuff, but as you know/will come to see, I'm just a big ol softy at heart. Hope I didn't disappoint. To date, this might be the chapter I have changed the most. Oh…the memories of that…
Ne way, just to clarify a few things, I work at a grocery store. I'm a "scan coordinator" I have to make sure all the prices in the store are right for the customers. After my audit of 990 items, I had 9 errors. Which is just borderline. But that guy that did it didn't do it randomly like he was supposed to. That jerk… And I want to give out a hearty congratulations to my all time favorite singer: Megumi Hayashibara-sama…and her new arrival. That's right, she's pregnant! Isn't that great? I can't wait to hear the good news! I worship her like the goddess she is, incase you're wondering. I also worship Rumiko Takahashi-sama. And…if you don't know who Megumi-sama is, she's the voice of Ranma-Chan on the Ranma ½ anime. And she has a lot of other famous characters. Lina Inverse. Rei Ayanami. Lime. And too many to list.
So, without anything else, I believe that is it. I've got a brand new idea for a Fanfic. But that is going to have to wait until I finish my original story. I took time off of that to get about 4 chapters in my latest Fanfic Grateful Days. But it's time to finish my story once and for all. And hey! Denkou-dono! I know you're reading this! I am getting your emails. I hope you're getting mine. If not…um send me another and we'll think about what we could do to fix the problem.*****
Until next we meet!