As the Sun Rises
Chapter Three: There She Is
Three days.
It had been three days since he woke up and those three days had been the quietest days of his two years in Nerima. There was no Shampoo, no Ukyo, no Moose, no Cologne, and not even Kuno or his creepy sister. Ryoga is probably lost in Africa somewhere and only Kami-knows where Happosai disappeared to. No one showed up.
So here he was......... sitting in the living room, rereading an old manga, completely bored to death. Two years in Nerima had never been this quite before.
He really didn't care where the others went off to; he didn't felt like seeing them just yet. The only face he wanted to see was Akane's. According to Kasumi, she was sick and bedridden. He tried to pay the sick girl a visit but every time he got near the door, Kasumi would deter him or his father would make him spar somehow. He never even got the chance to touch the door knob. It was as if they're guarding the door. He was her fiancé and damned it if he couldn't visit her.
Ranma was so into his thoughts that he didn't see Dr. Tofu walking briskly pass him on his way out. It wasn't until Ranma realized that the doctor was probably here to check on his sick fiancée did he shot out of his seat and made a run for the hall. When he got there, calling out the doctor's name, the said doctor was already out the door and long gone. Feeling defeated and not up to chasing after the doctor just to ask about Akane, he decided he would go to the dojo for some extra practice. Maybe going through some katas would ease the nagging feeling that something was wrong.
She was only sick, nothing more. She would get better soon.
'I must get back on time!' thought a small panting black piglet wondering the safari of Africa, an oversize box strapped to the poor thing's back. "Don't worry Akane."
He quickly rushed from one tree trunk to another, worried about getting eaten by one of the large cats known to occupy this area.
"We only have one month left and neither Happosai and Ryoga returned yet!!" cried a very frustrated Nabiki by her laptop. Kasumi came in carrying tray of tea for the girl who, at the moment, was typing adamantly on the keyboard.
"Don't worry Nabiki, they'll be back on time. The task you sent them out to do wasn't exactly a very easy thing to do."
"I know, I know," mumbled the girl, feeling remorse for her sudden outbreak in front of her sister. She then cast worried eyes to her sister. "How is she?"
"Fair, looks like she'll recover some of her strength soon thanks to Dr. Tofu," was the quiet reply. Nabiki stayed deep in thought. She may not show it all the time but when it came to her family, the ice queen mask is always cast aside. "There's still hope......... but I'm afraid that if we don't......... and if he found out........."
"It'll be catastrophic." Nabiki understand her sister fully. They were carefully not to talk about the situation in fear of eavesdroppers, especially now that Ranma was fully awake. If he ever found out, there was no telling what he would do in his anger. Her guess was something rash. That was what Ranma was known for anyways. "Man, I wish I could send someone else beside those two!"
Kasumi gave her as much of an encouraging smile as she could muster in such circumstances. "How's the search doing?"
"Not good. This dragon hybrid only grows in the Himalayas. Dried powdered versions of them are sold in the black market but it cost much more then what we could afford. It's the same with the Black ferns. Hopefully Happosai would be able to steal it from the supplier."
Kasumi merely nodded solemnly.
"Ranma!" cried the voice of Kasumi from downstairs. "You'll be late for school!"
Feeling permanently depressed, he dragged himself down the stairs, book bag over one shoulder. He had no idea what was wrong with him. Maybe it was because no one was around to bother him or because he hadn't seen Akane's face at all in the five days since he'd woken up from his two weeks slumber. He just missed her...
And to add to the depression, he had start going to school again. He could no longer use the excuse that he was recovering.
Halfway down the stairs, a crash reached his ears. Curious, he stalked back up the stairs. Such sounds were rather common in this household but with Akane ill and no suitors or unintentional fiancées around, no one was here to destroy the house. He turned the corner, expected to see perhaps a duck fighting a pig or Happosai with his regular load of laundry running around. Instead, he froze on the spot.
There she was........ short hair, lovely warm brown eyes, and all.
He would love to do nothing more than to pull her in his embrace and kiss her senseless, overjoyed with happiness just to see her again. But the paleness of her skin and raggedy breath override that thought. By the look of it, she was still sick and weakened by fatigue. On her attempt to walk out of her room, she had knocked down the pot of plants and stumble onto the small table the plant was on.
She stood up once more. Determined to get a few more steps but failed. She swayed, her vision blacked out, and she begun to fall. Jumping out of his stupor, he was by her side in a flash. Catching and supporting her with worry etched all over his features.
"Ranma...?" was all she said before she went unconscious and limped in Ranma's arms.
At the same moment, Kasumi walked up the stairs. Seeing the sight before her, she quickly ordered Ranma to bring Akane back into her room.
Updates: Sept. 15, 2004