(REPOSTED BECAUSE THE OLD ONE GOT KILLED BY THE NEW FORMATTING)
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic Trilogy:
"The True Meaning of Love"
By: s16thunderjet
Story 1
"The Search for Atlantis"
Chapter 2:
The Beginning of a Mystey: Akane has Disappeared
Akane and Ranma were sparring in the dojo. As usual, Akane was losing. None of her strikes were able to touch Ranma. When she throws a punch or a kick, it hits nothing but thin air.
Ranma was always able to avoid her punches and able to move away. Just as she throws a punch, Ranma has already moved to another direction, making her miss miserably.
That's always how it is, Ranma, always winning whenever they train in the dojo. It's funny, because whenever they're practicing, she can't even lay a finger on him. But outside, he always gets the bottom of her mallet or hits the bottom of the pond.
Yes, it is funny, but at the same time frustrating.
"I can't take it anymore. Let's have a break, Ranma." said Akane as she took in deep breaths with thoughts of defeat in her mind.
"OK, Akane." said Ranma as he sat down on the floor, in the middle of the dojo, and meditated.
*How will I defeat him in a real match. You can't possibly consider our regular fights as matches.* she thought. After a few more minutes of rest, Akane stood up, brushing some dust off of her gi and said, "Let's continue Ranma."
Ranma's eyes were still closed and was still meditating when Akane decided to attack. But even though he was in deep meditation, he was still able to dodge Akane's attack and pin her down to the floor.
He bowed down at her, eyes still closed, and said, "Remember Akane, attacking up front is still better than attacking from behind. That is one lesson you should learn."
Akane's expression was one of utter surprise. She couldn't believe the calmness of his voice as he said that. Before she could say a word, he stretched out his hand and pulled her up. He moved back away from her as she stood.
Eyes still closed, "Now, let's try that again." he said. *Is he joking, or has he really become so proud of himself, what a jerk.* she thought, anger burning in her.
Ranma stood in the middle of the training hall. Akane moved from left to right, trying to distract Ranma. Then she finally attacked. Again, her attack was dodged by Ranma who, to her utter disbelief, still had his eyes closed.
"But how..." she said in frustration. Again, she was lying flat on the floor. She looked up at Ranma whose eyes were still closed.
"How in the world was he able to dodge that..." she said softly to herself. He finally opened his eyes and again reached down to help Akane stand.
"How could I dodge your attack you ask, well, you simply lost your concentration. Remember, focus your mind. Concentration has a lot to do with our training." he said with a lot of confidence.
It happened, she couldn't take it anymore. *Why did Ranma suddenly turn into Mr. Nice Guy all of a sudden?* she asked herself. There was already a blue aura forming around her body. She was on the brink of explosion.
Ranma could see it and feel it. He raised his hands in front of him trying to cool her down and said as calmly as possible, "What is wrong Akane? Did I hurt my fiancée. Forgive me."
Akane backed down and moved away from him. She couldn't believe it. Instead of insulting her, Ranma even said sorry.
Ranma had apologized to her.
A hundred different and outrageous thoughts filled her mind. *Is he sick? Has he gone mad? Is the world gonna end?* she thought. She was still in a state of shock when she heard a disastrous scream.
Two bodies came flying into the training hall, one slamming into the wall. The person had long black hair and was wearing something white over his body.
The other landed on the floor just before Akane, all bloody. The person was wearing a bandanna and was wearing a yellow shirt. It came to her, it was Mousse and Ryoga.
*What's happening?* she asked herself, a sudden tremble passing over her. She looked at Ranma, surprised at the horror now plastered on his face.
"What tha..." said Ranma as he saw the two bodies land.
"What's going on here?" asked a panicking Akane. They can still hear some fighting and battle cries outside of the dojo when two new figures came flying into the training hall.
One had long chestnut colored hair and had a giant spatula that was hard to not recognize. The other had the unique purple hair, with a bonbouri held by each hand. Unmistakably, they were Ukyo and Shampoo.
"I'm sorry Ranchan..." said Ukyo in a low and tired voice, gasping for air as she spoke. Her eyes suddenly went blank as she fell unconscious.
"We try stop them. We fail Ran..." added a half conscious Shampoo, who was starting to go unconscious as well. Ranma looked at the four injured bodies laying in the dojo. He swallowed hard and made his way to Akane.
Ranma suddenly pulled Akane away from the unconscious bodies of their friends. He swept her up in his arms and started to run, jumping from the ground to the roof, and leaping from rooftop to rooftop.
"Ranma, what are you doing. Shouldn't we be fighting whatever's out there!" said a confused and angry Akane, hoping that this conversation won't end up just like the others.
"I should be fighting back there. But I should get you to a safe place before I fight them." replied Ranma.
He kept on running away from the dojo, ignoring Akane's complaints and battering, and finally made it to his favorite bridge. He looked around first to see if there's anyone or anything has followed them.
He ran under the bridge and said, "Stay here and don't come out! Ya here!" shouted an equally mad and concerned Ranma.
He put Akane down and was going up the bridge when she spoke, "Why are you trying to protect me, I'm a martial artist, too, you know." Ranma looked at her in dismay. As much as he wanted to protect her, he didn't want her to take it as an offense.
It was like this everytime.
She proclaims herself a martial artist but he doesn't acknowledge it. She is a martial artist, but never as good as Ukyo or Shampoo. She had brute strength and skills that would be incredible and insurmountable to an ordinary person. But Ukyo and Shampoo are not as ordinary as they come.
She looked up at him waiting for a taunt or an insult. But it never came. Ranma leaned closer to her and said, "I know that Akane. But now is not the time to talk about this. Just promise me you'll stay here until I come back." He looked at her with so much concern.
"But why? I mean, who were they fighting?" she asked him, with a little fright in her voice.
"I don't know for sure. But all I know is that... " he broke off, not wanting to continue.
"What? What is it Ranma?" she asked again, almost begging for him to tell her.
"All I know is that, they're after you, Akane." he finally said. There was a look of surprise and fear in Akane's face. Questions filled her mind. She wanted to know more but knew that no one could answer her questions, not even Ranma.
Ranma held her hand and closed his eyes. "Promise me Akane. Stay here and take care of yourself, OK." he said as he reopened his eyes and looked at her.
Akane felt her heart jump a bit at the sight of Ranma before her. He need not say anything, for his eyes told her everything she needed to know. His eyes showed care that had always been there, and maybe something else that could be called love.
Akane nodded and said, "Please be careful Ranma." She looked into his eyes and saw some kind of fear.
*Is it fear of losing to the enemy ( because it defeated Ukyo, Ryoga, Shampoo, and Mousse ) or fear of losing me to the enemy?* she thought. She wanted to ask, but suppressed it almost instantly, not really wanting to know the answer.
Ranma squeezed her hand, tighter this time, both his hands enveloping hers protectively. "I promise I will. I have to go now Akane." he said as he looked at her, concern written all over his face. He stood up and turned around to go back and face whatever's chasing after Akane.
While sitting there, Akane could hear moans and cries of someone she hoped would not be Ranma. She thought nervously, hoping against hope that Ranma would be fine.
As she thought, something shining caught her eye. She found some sort of broken mirror. She picked it up and used it to reflect some images from the street just before the bridge. Just then, her eyes widened with horror.
She saw Ranma, all bloody now, and seemed to have lost a lot of energy. She put down the mirror beside her with a trembling hand. She wanted so much to run to him and help him. Or at least take care of his wounds.
As she was about to go and help him, she remembered Ranma's face when he made her promise. That's right, she made him a promise to stay there and take care of herself. She even remembered how concerned he looked just before he left.
She couldn't do anything. She's seeing her fiancé get torn apart by unknown men and she can't do anything. She wanted to scream at that point.
But she heard a different scream. And it seemed to have echoed in the whole neighborhood. She suddenly realized, that was Ranma's scream.
That was it, she stood up and ran up to the street, not caring what would be the result of her actions. She saw Ranma, lying face down on the ground. His shirt was torn apart and his pants had some holes in it, with blood covering most of his skin.
She ran to her fiancé, ignoring all the other men standing near him. As she turned him over, Akane felt like she was being torn into pieces. She almost vomited when she saw how Ranma looked like. It was as if he got ran down by a bus or tractor.
"Ranma, Ranma! Wake up! Please..." said a horrified Akane. She started crying hard again while holding Ranma in her arms. She lay his head on her lap, gently brushing away the hair that covered his blood stained face.
Ranma could feel Akane's trembling and tried his best to open his eyes and make her see that he's fine, or at least to calm her down. He moved his hand and touched her face, which was wet with all the tears.
"A... Akane..." said a weak Ranma, coughing in between.
"Ranma, Ranma, you're alive. Thank goodness." said a delighted Akane who momentarily stopped weeping. She held his hand tight and brushed off some dust from his face with her other hand. She looked at him with great concern.
"Akane... A..." said Ranma before going through another round of furious coughing.
Akane put her finger softly upon his lips and said, "Shhhh. Please Ranma, don't talk. Try to conserve your energy."
Ranma turned to look at her beautiful though tear stained face. He again reached up his hand to touch her again. He smiled at her, the sweetest smile that could melt anyone's heart, and said, "Akane, I'm sorry I couldn't protect you. Please forgive me."
Akane's eyes began to water because of what he said. "There's nothing to forgive." she said in soothing tones, happy that Ranma would be fine.
At least she thought so.
Ranma's grip on Akane's hand begun to loosen as he said, "Akane, just always remember that I... I love... y..." then he fell back on the floor.
Akane's eyes were wide with terror. She shook him a few times, but to no avail. She felt her skin brush across his, now cold and lifeless form.
Ranma is dead.
She embraced his slaughtered and bloody body, not minding the dust and blood which started to bear marks on her dress, only wanting to hold him in her arms forever. But knew it would be impossible.
"RANMA! NOOOOOOOOOO!" she screamed with all her might, hands tightly clutching Ranma.
"Akane, Akane! Wake up!" said a troubled Ranma. He has been trying to wake her up for a few minutes now, but she hasn't woken up yet. Something was telling him that she was having nightmares again.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" she still screamed as Ranma shook her harder. She finally woke up, opening her eyes as the tears started to flow.
"Oh Ranma." she said as she ran into Ranma's arms and embraced him fiercely.
Ranma, still a little jittery and nervous about holding her in close proximity, put his arms around her and stroked his hand up and down her back, trying to calm her down.
Akane was crying so hard when everyone else in the house came into her room. All were amazed at the sight of Ranma and Akane in each other's arms.
"Ranma, what happened?" asked a deeply agitated Soun.
"Akane, are you alright?" asked a worried Kasumi.
She was still enjoying Ranma's sweet and caressing embrace, not wanting to ever let go of him, like that in the dream. She held him tightly to her, savoring the feel of his solid chest and his arms wrapped around her trembling body.
Much to her dislike, she finally moved away from him and said, "I think I'm fine. I just had another dream, that's all."
She sniffed a couple of times and gave out a weak smile, some tears still trickling down her cheeks. Ranma gave her a distrusting and at the same time, disturbed look.
"Are you sure you'll be fine, Akane?" Nabiki asked in her normal neutral tone, not really wanting everyone to notice that she was really worried about her younger sister.
Akane looked at her sister, who stood by the door, and said, "Don't worry, I'll be fine. As long as Ranma's with me."
She held Ranma's hand under the sheets, who in return, squeezed her hand. They looked at each other and smiled.
"It's alright, you guys go back to sleep. We'll see you in the morning." said Ranma assuring them of Akane's safety.
With his words of confidence, the others left Akane's room and went back to their own, everyone oblivious to Akane's true feelings.
Everyone, except Ranma.
As the door closed, Ranma quickly turned to Akane and said, "Nice try, but you can't fool me. You're not fine at all."
Akane moved back a little, letting go of his hand and said, weakly, "Whatever gave you that idea, Ranma? I'm fine, really." She knew, as soon as she said it, that it sounded so lame.
Ranma crossed his arms on his chest and gave her a doubtful stare. He slammed his hands on the bed, a bit irritated at Akane's stubbornness, trying to deny the obvious.
"Do you think I'd fall for that pathetic excuse. I know you're not alright." he said with anger in his voice.
Akane just sat there, stunned. *Could it be that it was all a dream? Could it be that the kind and caring Ranma the day before was just a dream. Ranma was back to his old self again, the insensitive jerk.* she thought to herself.
She started crying again and said, "Fine, if you don't want to believe me, then don't. You never cared about how I felt before, why should you care now." She pulled the sheets to herself and cried harder.
Ranma was taken aback by her words, and felt guilt wash over him almost immediately. He couldn't bear to see her cry again, and this time, it was all his fault. He moved closer to her, attempting an apology. He touched her hands but she shoved them away.
"Look, Akane, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scream at you. I was just, was just worried about you." he said with an apologetic look in his face.
She turned to him and could see in his eyes that he was really sorry. She was about to say something to him when restlessness and fatigue finally caught up with her. She fell into unconsciousness.
Ranma caught her just in time before she fell out of the bed. He laid her on her bed and pulled up the sheets. He went to the bathroom and soaked a towel in a basin of water.
Ranma, now Ranma - chan went back to her room with the wet towel and basin. She walked up to Akane's bed and sat. She wiped her face with the damp towel. She kissed her forehead and then put the moist towel there. She smiled as Akane's face looked more relaxed. Taking one last look at her angelic face, Ranma - chan slowly stood from the bed, and went to her futon to sleep.
The next morning, Akane woke up with a towel on her forehead. It was Saturday morning and everyone was already up judging by the sounds that could be heard downstairs.
She looked down at Ranma's futon but he wasn't there. Meaning he too was already up. Akane sat up on her bed and still felt a little dizzy.
"Feeling better now, Akane?" asked a familiar soprano voice.
Akane was surprised, and turned to her desk. Ranma, in girl form, was sitting there, feet dangling beneath the table, watching her.
"Don't scare me like that." she said. Ranma - chan hopped down from the desk and sat on Akane's bed, beside her.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." said Ranma - chan, who now was smiling because Akane seems better. Except for the non - appearing mallet, Akane was back to normal.
Akane looked at her, smiled and said, "Thanks for taking care of me. I know you don't like doing it, but you still did."
Ranma - chan held her hand tightly, feeling a bit funny that Akane's hand is now bigger than hers, and said, "I may not like doing it, but it's still my responsibility. So, you want to talk about what happened, or do you want have something to eat first?" asked an eager Ranma - chan.
Akane gave her a curious look. "What are you so pumped up for?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
Ranma - chan gave Akane the innocent look and said, "Nothin'. I'm just in a good mood."
"Oh really? Anyway, I'll go grab something to eat." replied Akane, who could see her hiding something, but she didn't push her to tell.
"Let's go." said Ranma - chan as she opened Akane's door like any normal gentleman ( as of now a lady ) would. They went out of Akane's room and started to walk down the hall.
"You go ahead Akane." said Ranma - chan as she pointed to the bathroom. "I gotta go change." she added.
"OK. See ya at breakfast." Akane said as she walked to the dining area, already humming a tune to herself for the beautiful morning.
It didn't take long for Ranma - chan to change back into Ranma. After a couple of minutes in the bathroom, Ranma came out, his hair still a bit damp. He then walked into the dining area and sat beside Akane.
"Finally." said Nabiki, who obviously has been waiting long enough. Ranma looked at her, confused, and then looked at Akane as she started talking.
"OK, now that Ranma's here, I can start." she didn't sound quite enthusiastic about it, but at least she wasn't as depressed and tormented as before.
But you can still see her pained expression, the anguish she felt whenever her dreams were brought up. She became teary - eyed at the thought of going over that terrifying dream of hers. She told them the whole story, which wasn't exactly the amusing and nice, and especially not for Ranma.
"Ranma died again?" asked Soun.
"Oh my." said Kasumi. Akane nodded as her future father - in - law asked her a very disturbing question.
"Just what is it with Ranma that he always tends to get hurt or die?" asked Genma, who had both confusion and concern written all over his face.
With that comment, Akane's eyes went watery again, almost on the brink of crying. She closed her eyes, trying to hold the tears that were threatening to shatter her control. With a choking sound, the tears came full force as Akane cried uncontrollably once more.
Ranma was speechless.
Despite the fact that he was the topic of their conversation, he was all quiet. Even he was all confused with what Akane just told them. But it wasn't because of the dream, well partly. But mainly because, because Akane was crying because of him.
It was unexpected.
Usually, Akane would be the one hurting Ranma or retaliating from what Ranma may have done or said. But now, she's crying because he got hurt.
Ranma felt good and at the same time bad at the thought. Good because now he knows that he has a chance with Akane. He sort of had hoped for something like this, that Akane would show that she cared for him.
But not like this way. He never wanted to see her so sad and distressed just to know if she cares. Then, he felt Akane's weight bear down on him as she slump down on his lap.
She had fainted again.
He laid her down on the floor, with her head on his lap. He kept fanning her with his hands, making the air circulate around her more.
"I think we should bring her to Dr. Tofu." said Nabiki, who, surprisingly, didn't have a camera with her to catch that moment between Ranma and her sister.
"You're right." said Soun, who couldn't help but agree with his middle daughter. His eyes began to water, emotions flowing through him at a rapid pace.
"I'll just change. I'll go with them father." said Kasumi, already starting to rise from her seat.
They all looked nervous for Akane.
If Kasumi comes with them, Dr. Tofu will be panicky and might just worsen Akane's state right now. They had to think of a way to tell her that she can help more by staying home without hurting her feelings.
"No, I'll go with them." said Nabiki, who couldn't believe she had just volunteered. She's not that good with emotions and stuff, but thought of it as a way of showing Akane that she really cared.
"Here's a blanket." said Kasumi as she handed Ranma the blanket.
Ranma smiled as a form of thanks. He placed it over Akane and wrapped the warm blanket around her tightly. He carried her gently in his arms as he stood up.
"Let's go, Nabiki." he said, walking slowly towards the door.
Nabiki nodded and quickly followed, opening the door for Ranma as he passed, her unconscious sister in his arms. Not bothering to close the front door, they hurriedly walked up to the gate, which Nabiki again opened for Ranma.
As they were outside the Tendo dojo, Ranma turned to Nabiki and said, "Nabiki, I'm gonna run to Dr. Tofu's. It'll be a lot faster that way than taking a taxi. You take a cab and I'll run." Nabiki gave him a distrusting look.
*Why is he so nervous, Akane couldn't possibly that sick just because of this. Or does he have something else in mind.* she thought to herself, thinking of every possible conclusion.
"C'mon, there's no time for this. Meet us there OK." said Ranma as he held Akane tighter but not to the point of crushing her. He abruptly jumped to the nearest roof top, ignoring Nabiki's mild protests. He leaped from roof top to roof top, carefully and gently cradling Akane in his arms until they finally reached Dr. Tofu's clinic.
KNOCK! KNOCK! "I'll be there." said Dr. Tofu as he heard such hard knocks on his door. *Who could that be?* he thought. To his surprise, it was a panting and obviously exhausted Ranma carrying an unconscious Akane in his arms.
"Ranma, what happened? Come in put her down on the bed." said an alarmed Dr. Tofu. He led Ranma to his office, pulling of the sheets to prepare the bed for Akane.
Ranma placed Akane gently on the bed and then gave out a big sigh. Sweat was running down from the top of his head, to his neck, to his body. His shirt now bore a chest shaped mark made of sweat.
"Here, change your shirt. You look like you went through a war or something." said Dr. Tofu as he handed Ranma one of his old shirts. Ranma nodded and took the shirt.
"After you change, you can tell me what happened." he added. Ranma walked to the bathroom and opened the door. He turned around and looked at Akane again before he went inside.
*I hope she's alright*, he thought. He closed the door behind him and began to change. He took of his shirt and replaced it with the one Dr. Tofu lent him. He folded his sweaty shirt and used it to wipe his face.
He smiled.
He can still smell Akane's sweet fragrance in his shirt even though it was already very sweaty. He went out of the bathroom and looked out to see Akane, now breathing regularly, but still lying down and apparently sleeping.
"Ah, you've come back. I did some shiatsu that is sure to make her feel better in no time." said Dr. Tofu, noticing Ranma's expression and assuring him that she will be fine.
"Now, tell me what happened." instructed Dr. Tofu.
Ranma, whose expression now looked a little bit better, gave out another big sigh. He was about to say something when Nabiki knocked.
"Hello, Dr. Tofu. Is anyone in there?" she asked.
"That should be Nabiki." said Ranma, who was still breathing restlessly.
Dr. Tofu smiled at him and said, "I'll get it, you calm yourself." Ranma looked up at him as he placed his hand on his shoulder.
"Thanks." he managed to get out. Dr. Tofu gave him the 'thumbs - up' thing and went out to answer the door.
Ranma moved closer to Akane as the doctor went out. He sat beside her on the bed and caressed her sweet, gentle face with his hand. She looked so angelic and peaceful Ranma almost cried at the sight. She was the most beautiful person he'd ever seen.
*You'll be fine Akane, I just know you will.* he thought, wanting to assure himself that she really will be fine. Then he kissed the top of her hand and gave it a comforting squeeze. Kissing her forehead, he smiled at her even though she couldn't see him.
Just then, Nabiki and the doctor came. "Hey Ranma, how is she?" asked Nabiki giggling a little at the sight.
"Huh?" said a surprised Ranma, who started to mumble excuses. He almost fell out of the bed trying to explain and ward off Nabiki.
He got his composure back and said, "Oh... ahhh... Nabiki... I think she's gonna be fine." Nabiki and Dr. Tofu just laughed at Ranma.
He too giggled a little, then lost his smile as he recalled Akane's state. Nabiki noticed Ranma's expression and turned to her sister. Seeing her lying there saddened her a little as well.
"Sit down Nabiki. Now, let's continue with the story Ranma." said Dr. Tofu, who sounded eager enough to make Ranma continue almost instantly. His stomach said otherwise when he felt it cramp up a bit, making little grumbling sounds.
"Look, I'll take it from here Ranma. You go get breakfast, OK." said Nabiki. Ranma smiled at her and ignored his stomach.
"Thanks, Nabiki. But I'll just stay here for a while." he said, proceeding with the story.
Nabiki gave him the sympathetic look. She knew how much Ranma wanted to eat at that point, but the fact that he was willing to sacrifice that much for Akane made her smile. *Ranma, Ranma. So concerned for my sister. Shocking.* she thought to herself.
"C'mon Ranma, I know you're very hungry. Go and grab a bite. I'll stay here with Akane." she insisted. Ranma gave her the but-but-but look, not really wanting to leave Akane even though his stomach was pleading for some attention.
"No buts, Ranma. Go!" Nabiki said, still very insistent.
Dr. Tofu reached over to touch Ranma's shoulder and said, "Don't worry Ranma, she'll be fine. You'll have to take care of yourself. You don't want to be the one on sick bay when she gets well."
With a feeling of assurance, Ranma nodded and stood up to walk to the door. Just before he left the room, Ranma turned around and looked at Akane with concern. Then he turned to the door and walked out.
Ranma walked slowly from the clinic. It was now 11:00 AM and the sun's harmful rays were burning his skin. Sweat started to drip from his head, to his face, to his neck and down to the shirt Dr. Tofu lent him.
His stomach grumbled once more catching his attention. He started to think where he could get something to eat.
"I think I'd go to Ucchan's." he decided.
KRING, KRING, KRING, BOOM! Shampoo came flying from the fence with her bike and landed on top of Ranma, her arms instantly around his neck.
"Nihao Ranma! Today beautiful. Ranma take Shampoo to date, yes." she said as she embraced him while lying on the ground.
To her surprise, Ranma immediately (and I mean like in a flash) stood up and removed her fixed arms from his neck.
"Sorry Shampoo, but I'm not in the mood for your any of your antics today." He gave her a hard look, more like a glare, and turned to the direction of Ucchan's Okonomiyaki.
Shampoo just sat there, dumbfounded and frustrated at the same time. She slowly stood up, brushing dust from her dress and picked up her bike. She muttered as she slowly made her way back to the Nekohanten.
She couldn't understand him. Usually, he would just let her embrace him for a few minutes before he decides to push her away, of course, making Akane really jealous.
Dropping her bike once more, Shampoo ran after him and stood in front of him. She needed to know why he was mad all of a sudden.
"What wrong Ranma, you and Akane have fight?" she asked, showing a bit of concern.
"No, we didn't. Shampoo, I don't want to talk about it, OK." he said in a stiff manner. He continued to stalk off, ignoring her completely as he made his way down the road and towards the Ucchan's.
Shampoo looked at Ranma's retreating figure with sadness in her eyes. Turning around, she walked towards her bike and picked it up once more. Feeling a bit bad with the way Ranma treated her, she slowly walked back to the Nekohanten, part - angry and part - sad.
There, Shampoo was not at all in the mood. Her battle aura could be felt even if the person was at least three feet from the Amazon. Some of the customers were starting to get bugged by Shampoo's actions. Some had already left to avoid her tantrums. Mousse noticed it too as Shampoo entered the kitchen.
"What's wrong Shampoo?" he asked, worried.
"Nothing wrong Mousse. Go back to work." she said in a low voice. ( lower than her hyper - soprano type voice )
She sat down on a stool and slouched, placing her arms on top of the table. Mousse could sense that Shampoo was really bothered than usual. As usual, he concluded that it was Ranma's fault. At least this time he did have a point.
"What did that vile Saotome do to my precious Sham... " he didn't finish as Shampoo's bonbouri slammed into his face.
He was given another close encounter with the wall. He slowly slid from the wall and landed back on the concrete floor. He then looked up at Shampoo, who glared down at him.
"Mousse no right say bad things about Ranma." she snapped at him.
Cologne entered the kitchen upon hearing the impact of a body slamming into the wall. "Now, now, what's the rumbling about?" she asked as some cracks on the wall came to view. She shook her head as she saw Mousse lying on the floor.
"I think I already know what happened here." she stated, knowing that Mousse just opened his big mouth again.
*This place is a mess.* she thought. Walking over to the battered Mousse, she managed to glance at Shampoo who looked very disturbed. She looked like someone just died or something.
"What's wrong child?" Cologne asked.
Shampoo looked at her great grandmother and wiped the tears off her face with the back of her hand. She knew that it was disgraceful for an Amazon to cry like that, but she couldn't hold it in.
"Ra... Ranma..." she said, almost choking on the name.
"What happened Shampoo? Tell me." Cologne said, sitting on the stool beside her great granddaughter.
"He very, very sad. You know Shampoo no want see Ranma so, so sad." replied Shampoo.
"Why, what happened?" Cologne urging her to go on.
Shampoo sniffed and wiped off all the tears on her face and started her story.
Meanwhile, at Ucchan's Okonomiyaki, lunch hour was on its way and the restaurant was starting to fill up when Ranma came in.
Ukyo was having a bit of trouble in taking the order, cooking the food, and serving the customers all at the same time. She needed help, and she needed it fast.
She was behind the counter when someone called, "Excuse me, will someone get my order please."
That was it, she couldn't take it anymore. She was about to get off the counter and strangle that customer when, "I'll take your order, Sir. Yes, that would be two okonomiyaki specials." said Ranma.
Ukyo looked up, recognizing the voice and smiled. "Thanks, Ranchan. I needed that." she said, with a lot of appreciation on her face.
"Don't mention it, that's what friends are for, right." he said while handing the order slip to Ukyo who gladly took it from him.
"Lots of customers today, eh Ucchan." he said with a smile, trying to cheer her up a little. His smile grew as his statement served its purpose.
Ukyo smiled at him and said, "Well, it is lunch hour." while she was cooking the okonomiyaki.
"Well I guess I'll be staying here for a while. You're gonna need all the help you can get." he said, getting the order slip and a pencil. Known to be a fast and excellent cook, Ukyo had some of the orders ready in a minute.
"Thanks, Ranchan. Here's some of them now, table 4 and 9. Be careful, they're hot." she said reminded him.
Ranma nodded and took the food from Ukyo with another smile. He gracefully made his way through Ukyo's crowded restaurant without bumping into any of the customers.
As he turned to serve the others, Ukyo thought about what it would be like if they finally got together, Ranma and her. She was imagining the two of them owning the restaurant, she was cooking while Ranma was serving. And then, there was a little boy sitting on Ranma's shoulders, their son. Ukyo was still day dreaming when Ranma came back with another set of orders.
"Hey, Ucchan. Here's another set of orders." he said called but Ukyo seemed to not hear him. She was still in cloud nine.
"Hello! Ucchan..." he said again as he waved his hand in front of her face. She finally returned to reality and said, "Wha... Oh, sorry Ranchan. Got something on my mind." she said, her face blushing red.
Back in the clinic, Nabiki had just finished relating the whole story to their friendly neighborhood doctor, along with the nightmares.
"So, here she is now." said Nabiki.
"Hmmm. You're saying that in both her dreams, Ranma died and there were men in ancient clothes running after her. And that Ranma died because he was trying to save her." he asked trying to make sure of the situation. Nabiki nodded to what he said, confirming his thoughts.
Suddenly, Akane began to move.
"Oh, my head." she said, clutching the side of her head with her right hand as if it were in great pain. Before she could speak again she fell back to sleep.
Dr. Tofu looked disturbed. Something about Akane's ki confused him. He approached her and examined her ki.
"That's strange." he said, his hand latched on his chin as he thought of a possible conclusion.
"What? What's strange doctor?" asked a curious Nabiki.
"Hmm... not sure. I'll check again." he said. He examined her ki once more. This time, he was very sure that something was different about Akane's ki. Nabiki gave him the questioning look.
"There's something awkward about her ki. It seems that there are two different ki's building inside her body." he said, knowing he was right but not knowing how to explain it.
Nabiki scratched her head in frustration because she couldn't understand a word he was saying. He saw the look on her face and started to explain. He got a pen and a piece of paper and drew a body.
"Look at this diagram, Nabiki." he said, holding out his drawing. Nabiki looked at it, still uncomprehending.
"The blue one is Akane's ki." he said pointing at the blue dots all over her body. She noticed some red dots on it as well.
"What is that red one?" asked Nabiki.
"That is the other ki." answered Dr. Tofu.
Nabiki raised an eyebrow. She may not completely understand what he was saying, but she knew from Dr. Tofu himself that a person only has one corresponding ki. She was about to open her mouth and ask when Dr. Tofu spoke.
"That other ki is not at all Akane's, but is somehow related to her. I'm pretty sure that it's what's causing all those nightmares." he continued.
Nabiki looked at him again in confusion, then asked, "What do you mean related, how?"
Just as he was about to explain to her, there was a bright light that completely blinded both of them, knocking them almost unconscious. Dr. Tofu was able to open his eyes a little and saw a group of men wearing white clothes come inside the office.
They stopped over the bed and then took Akane with them. He tried to stop them, but before he could do anything to stop them, he had already fainted.
Lunch hour passed by the Ucchan's and it was peaceful again. It was already 1:00 PM when they were able to restore peace in the restaurant.
"Thank you. Come again." said Ranma as the last customer went out. He closed the door and turned around, sighing a bit to himself. *I never knew that owning a restaurant could be so much work.* he thought as he made his way to the counter.
The place looked better then when he first entered. It was a lot cleaner for starters and it was quiet, very quiet. He walked to the counter to see how Ukyo was doing.
"That wasn't so bad, right Ucchan?" he asked.
With a sigh of relief, "Well, it wasn't. Maybe because I had help." she responded.
Ranma sat down in front of her and just stared. Ukyo's face was red in blushing, she looked like a volcano waiting to erupt.
She finally regained composure and asked, "So what were you supposed to be doing in here?"
Ranma took of the apron and said, "I was gonna have some late breakfast here. But with the time, I think I'll be eating lunch."
Ukyo opened the stove and whipped up something for him. One was pork and the other was beef okonomiyaki covered with a layer of cheese, some mushrooms and spices.
"And for helping me earlier, this one's on me." she said. Ranma sat down and looked ashamed. Then she realized, it's always on her. She always serves him food without asking for payment.
"Oh, C'mon Ranchan. I'm not trying to embarrass you or anything." she said. Ranma looked up at him with a feeling of comfort.
"I know that." he started.
"But sometimes, I feel that I'm going over the limit. Ya' know, like abusing your kindness or somethin'. I gotta pay for this one." he said, as he reached inside his pocket.
Ukyo smiled at him and stopped his hands before he got some money out. "Your presence is fine with me. Just seeing you here, happy and eating is payment enough for me, Ranchan." she said, happiness filling her eyes.
Ranma squeezed her hand back and smiled at her. "Thanks, Ucchan." he said. She smiled back at him and said, "Start eating while it's still hot." He started eating the pork and then the other okonomiyaki. In seconds, he was already finished.
"Still hungry?" she asked.
"No, I think I'm already full. Thanks." he answered. She picked up the plate and went into the kitchen to clean herself up. After a few minutes, she walked back out.
"Ucchan, can I ask you something?" said Ranma, a little hesitation in his voice. Ukyo eyed him, noticing his nervous form.
"What is it Ranchan?" she said, her eyes starting to glow. *Could it be that he's gonna ask me about, about...* she thought to herself.
"Ya' now, Akane's been having dreams lately." he said. A big sigh came out from Ukyo. *And I thought it was about me and him...* she thought.
"I always die in her dreams. But the funny and overly unbelievable thing is, she's getting depressed because of it." he continued. Ukyo just listened to his story while trying to figure out what to say after.
"I mean, she does hit me around almost all the time, but when it comes to this, she always becomes a softy for me." he continued still.
"But don't you become a softy for her, too." said Ukyo, not really wanting to accept that fact.
"Yeah, well, maybe I do. But my point is that I want to, for a change, make her happy this time. I mean, she's been crying for the past few days because of me." he finally ended, swallowing a lump past his throat and looking hopefully at her.
"And you want me to help you." said Ukyo in a voice a little louder. Ranma nodded a yes and Ukyo wanted to be like Akane in that moment and hit him flying to space.
*What a guy. He knows that Akane's my rival, and now he's asking me to help him cheer her up, not a chance.* she thought angrily.
"What do you say, Ucchan?" asked Ranma who was smiling at her yet again.
"Why does he have to smile?" she whispered to herself. *He's so handsome when he smiles.* Ranma's handsome face almost made Ukyo's heart melt. She knew she couldn't resist him at this point.
"OK, I'll help you." she finally got out, hoping she would not regret her decision. *I love him so much that I just can't stand seeing him bothered by this.* she thought.
"Thanks! I owe ya' again. So what should I do?" he asked her eagerly. Ukyo thought for a while as silence filled her restaurant.
"Well, I think you should start by being nice to her. You know, no insults and all that." she advised.
"I have been nice to her. You're not gonna believe it but I haven't teased her or made fun of her for the past few days." he replied almost instantly, sounding even a bit defensive.
*That is a miracle, Ranchan not making that overly violent Akane mad, this should be a world record.* she thought. She began to think of another idea.
"Maybe you should give her a gift, something that she likes." she said. Ranma looked confused.
"I know she likes to pound me and send me to orbit..." he said softly, but not soft enough for Ukyo to hear. She shook her head at him and began scolding.
"Go on. Keep on saying stuff like that and you'll get nowhere." she said. She mentally slapped herself. *What in the world are you saying Ukyo? Are you nuts?* she berated herself.
"But I don't know what girls like, especially her." he responded, frustration all over his answer. Suddenly, a question formed in his mind.
"If you were in Akane's place, what would you want your fiancé to give you?" he asked her with curiosity for what her answer might be.
Ukyo frowned a bit and bowed her head. *I'm your fiancé, too, you jerk.* she thought. Ranma's eyes widened as he realized what he had just said. As usual, he had said the wrong thing.
"I'm sorry, Ucchan. I didn't mean it like that... I..." he began to stutter. He reached over to take he hands in his and squeezed it. She looked into his eyes and returned the squeeze.
"I know you didn't. I'm sorry for acting this way." she said. She smiled and the said, "If you want to know, a ring will do it, at least that's good for me."
Ranma looked at the table and then asked her, "Why a ring? I mean, there are lots of other mumbo jumbo stuff out there."
She giggled a little. "You really don't know anything about women don't you. A ring may mean friendship or may mean love. But it just gives us assurance that we always have a friend in that person, or a loved one." she said.
"It's kinda like something that binds two people forever." she added.
Ranma suddenly stood up and kissed Ukyo on the cheek. "Thanks for the food, and the advice. A ring it is." he said as he took off.
Ukyo just stood there, frozen like a statue, and then fell to her seat, her hand reaching up to where his kiss had landed earlier, her face flushing red as an apple.
Ranma was running from roof top to roof top in search for a jewelry store. He wanted to buy the ring as soon as possible so he could give it to Akane.
He was heading near the city proper when he saw Ryoga sitting down in an alley. He looked like he was hit by a hurricane or something. He stopped and hopped down to see if he was alright.
"Hey Ryoga, what's up?" he asked. Ryoga looked up, surprised that someone noticed him. Seeing that it was Ranma, he gave him a weak smile.
"I just happened to pass by a storm in Kyoto before I got here." he said. *It figures.* Ranma thought.
"I think you should stay in the dojo tonight. I mean, at least in our room. You need help pretty badly." Ranma said, looking over Ryoga's wrecked form. Ryoga looked at him in confusion.
"Ranma, do you have a fever or something?" he asked.
"Nope. I was just trying to help you." he said.
*What's wrong with him? Why is he helping me? Does he have some plan up his sleeve or is he just being friendly? Either way, I do need a place to stay.* he admitted to himself.
"Gee, thanks Ranma. I never thought you'd actually help me." he said, putting one hand behind his neck.
"Good. But you have to come with me first. I'm going to buy Akane a present." he said.
"A present, what's the occasion? Is it her birthday?" he asked, already panicking and angry for himself at having forgotten something very important like Akane's birthday.
"Aw nuthin! I just wanna give her something to cheer her up." he replied. Ryoga gave him the suspicious look.
"C'mon, I have to get back to her. It's already 1:30 PM. I'll explain everything to you later." he said and dragged him off to the jewelry store.
It was already 2:00 PM when Ranma and a very tired Ryoga arrived at Dr. Tofu's clinic. When they saw the wrecked door, they immediately ran inside and saw Nabiki lying on the ground.
Then they saw Dr. Tofu leaning on the wall, unconscious as well. Ranma quickly looked for Akane. But he couldn't find her, not a trace.
All he found was a piece of white cloth, seemed to be used a clothing, lying on the ground. It looked like it got torn off or something.
Then he saw a mark, some kind of emblem. It was like green leaves connected to each other sticking out from a crown. It looked ancient. His eyes opened wide and crushed the piece of cloth in his hands as his cry of anguish echoed through the streets of Nerima.
"NOOOOOOOOOO!" he bellowed.
End of Chapter 2
From the Author:
Ok, sorry. But I don't know what you call the leaves on the heads of the Greeks. You know, that thing that sorta looks like a crown.
Why did Ukyo just help Ranma?
Like I said, I made some modifications. Ukyo would pound Ranma into paste if this happened in the Rumiko Takahashi storyline. But I didn't want to make Ukyo take advantage of a situation like that. If she were a real friend, she would give Ranma the best advice she could, even thought it would break her heart. That is how I perceived Ukyo in this story.
Why Akane has two ki's?
I cannot answer this question yet. By doing so, I would give away the whole plot of the story. It would be explained in the future so just watch out for it. When explained, it would reveal a very big part about the history of Atlantis. Ooops! I think I've said too much already.
Funny for Ranma to realize that he had done something wrong and apologize for it... Well, I believe that Ranma, along with the other characters, has matured enough to realize his past foolishness... Um... I guess Ranma would have to say "I'm sorry..." someday...
All comments, suggestions, criticisms and the like, please click the link below.
All Ranma 1/2 characters copyright to Rumiko Takahashi. They are used without permission. Please do not sue me, I don't have money.
©1998 Shirley Joy Gadia, all other characters mentioned above and the story, all rights reserved.
Thank you!