Story Arc 1: "Byouki"
Part 3: Too Good to be True
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AN: a scene description is reverently paraphrased with all due respect to Vince in his amazing "Taming of the Horse".
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Ranma mulled on Akane's words as he walked. She did have some points. The town gossiping about them was nothing new, but he felt angry that they were specifically targeting Akane. He got crude cracks from the guys at school about his curse, or the number of fiancées he had, but nothing that was directly insulting. He had heard some of the girls poke fun at Akane on being "dumped" at her wedding, but he never thought about how much that would hurt her feelings until now. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that he was making the gossip worse for her.

'Not that I asked to be engaged to 3 different girls!' he thought huffily.

As upset as he was, he failed to notice Shampoo approaching him on her bike.

"Airen!" she cried, jumping off her bike and groping him. Ranma was really not in the mood tonight. "Shampoo, get offa me!" he yelled, forcibly prying her hands way from him.

Shampoo could tell her "husband" was upset. "Ranma still mad about rain and cat today?"

Ranma signed. "Yes, Shampoo. I'm hungry, I'm upset, and Akane's not feeling well right now. So leave me alone, okay?"

"Ugly, violent tomboy sick?" Shampoo asked.

For some reason, this time hearing Shampoo slur Akane struck a nerve. "I don't want to hear ya insult Akane, Shampoo. And yes; she has a cold."

He continued walking toward Ucchan's, hoping Shampoo would take the hint and leave him alone for once.

Wheels were frantically turning in the Amazon's head. Tactics and attitude suddenly shifted. Shampoo bowed to Ranma apologetically. "Shampoo sorry about morning. Make up to husband with nice dinner, okay?"

Ranma sighed, but his stomach answered for him.

"Alright…"

"Will even make soup for ugl—uh, Akane."

Ranma smiled. Things were looking up.

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Ranma knocked on Akane's door, his feelings a jumbled mixture of content and apprehension. He always felt comfortable after having a hearty meal in his stomach, and Shampoo didn't even grope him while he ate in the Nekohanten. She claimed she was too busy in the kitchen to even join him for the meal. The source of his apprehension came from Akane. He knew he needed to be upfront with her. He also knew Akane would take the news that he spent the evening with Shampoo badly, but it would be better if she heard it from him rather than the town gossips.

"What is it?," came the muffled response through the door. It didn't sound angry, as he expected it to, but instead strained and melancholy.

"I brought some food back for ya," he answered uneasily through the door.

Slowly the door opened. Akane stood there in her yellow pajamas, looking much better than she did earlier in the day – except for her eyes. They were slightly red and wavered with freshly shed tears.

Ranma's heart thudded loudly in his chest. He hated it when girls cried. It always made him feel useless and awkward. It was even worse when it was Akane who cried – especially when it was over him.

He clutched the to-go container of hot soup and held it out to her as a peace offering.

"You okay?" he asked cautiously.

Akane put on a fake smile and opened the door wide enough to let him enter. "Of course. It's just a cold."

They both knew he hadn't been asking about her cold, but he let it go.

Akane sat at her desk and unwrapped the soup. "Thanks, Ranma."

"I couldn't let ya starve, could I?" was his reply.

"So, where did you get it?" The question was barbed.

Ranma gulped. He knew this was coming. "Look Akane, I went to the Nekohanten but NOTHING happened. You got to believe me. I mean, Shampoo tried at first, but I made her back off. Are you still gonna be mad at me?"

Akane looked at Ranma and the soup disapprovingly, but then shook her head and relaxed. "It's not worth fighting over. I believe you."

They talked casually as Akane finished her soup, the tension from before vanishing as all was forgiven.

Akane shivered in her seat, and Ranma noticed that she was looking pale again, even though her coloring had perked up when he first entered.

Akane closed her eyes to keep the room from spinning too wildly. 'Stupid cold' she thought to herself. She noticed Ranma looking at her worriedly.

"I think I'm going to turn in early, Ranma."

Ranma rubbed the back of his head with his hand, feeling out of place. "Good idea. Uh, feel better, will ya?"

He walked toward the door and left the room, glad to catch Akane smiling weakly at him before she fell asleep.

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Sunday morning came to an eerily quiet Tendo household. With Genma away, Ranma wasn't brusquely awoken to train and spar with his dad. With Kasumi gone, the house was without the pleasant sounds of the kitchen and the aroma of breakfast being served.

Ranma went to the kitchen and fixed himself a simple breakfast of tea and leftovers from the fridge. The world felt off as he sat at the table by himself. It wasn't just the lack of commotion or absence of the entire Tendo family. It was the absence of the person who always sat next to him for meals. He looked at the clock on the wall. It was already past ten in the morning -- late by his and Akane's standards -- and he hadn't heard a peep from her room. Could she still be sleeping?

Ranma knocked on the door gently before pushing it open. "Akane?"

Ranma's hair stood on end. He could sense that something was wrong. He opened the door fully and stepped in, and hoped Akane wouldn't smack him barging in like this.

"You awake?" he asked softly then stopped as he saw her. Akane's eyes were closed, but her face was furrowed in discomfort as she shivered and moaned quietly.

Ranma went to her bedside, concerned. "Akane, can you hear me?" he asked as he placed his hand on her forehead. She was burning up. It wasn't even that warm when he first brought her to Tofu's. He didn't understand. She had been feeling so much better yesterday, but now she was looking more ill than the day before. Akane's face was as white as a porcelain doll and looking equally fragile. It was nothing how Akane normally looked. Her tomboyish and athletic pursuits kept her complexion rosy, her figure solid and strong.

Ranma left the room quickly and fetched a bowl of ice and a small hand towel. He wrapped the ice in the towel and applied it to her forehead, careful to avoid too much contact with the melting ice water on his own person.

He felt unnerved by Akane's vulnerable appearance. There was only one other time he remembered seeing her this way. He shuddered involuntarily as memories of Jusenkyo flooded his mind …

He sat on a ledge of tortured stone by enchanted waters in a smashed cavern, holding a young woman clad only in his shirt. She lay limp and unbreathing in his arms. Part of him realized that she was dead, and the other half vainly tried to believe otherwise. He knew that he had been able to save her, and had failed utterly. His tears fell on her face, and he screamed her name: "AKANE!!"

He shook his head fiercely, clearing the remembrance out of his mind. He never wanted to relive that again. Those were memories he would rather forget.

Akane grew more fitful, murmuring indistinctively. It was obvious that she was in the midst of a bad fever dream. She started to call out in her sleep, "No…yamete… Ranma, watch out! … Nigete!…"

"Akane. Akane, wake up." He shook her shoulders gently, trying to end her nightmare.

Akane's eyes opened wide, dilated with fever. She recognized his face instantly and took a deep breath of relief. "It … was a dream ... sort of…" she squeezed Ranma's hand, surprising the boy. "Don't you ever worry me like that again!" she scolded, her voice still weak but firm.

Ranma was confused. He was worrying her, now of all times? "What are you talking about?" he asked.

Akane was already falling back asleep. "In Jusenkyo… I thought I'd lost you…" her eyes closed, exhausted.

Ranma stared dumbly at Akane. It was strange that she was also thinking of that time. And of all things, her recollection of the events had her worried about him. Akane had saved Ranma from Saffron, nearly killing herself in the process. Yet her nightmare had nothing to do with reliving her own ordeal, but the near death experience Ranma had.

"Dummy," he whispered to her peacefully sleeping form without any malice. But he was still confused. Only hours before, she was playing checkers and laughing with him. Now she was worse than when he first brought her to Tofu-sensei.

Ranma was still holding her hand from when she squeezed his, and through their contact he felt her shiver. He grabbed an extra blanket from the closet and gently placed it over her. He recognized the print. It was the same blanket Akane had used to keep him warm not so long ago. Less than a year before, he, the "unbeatable" Saotome Ranma, was horribly ill from catching Happosei's flu. Akane had tenderly taken care of him, painstakingly hiding him from his mother, (and imminent seppuku), while trying to bring down his fever. He never did thank her for that, he realized.

Time ticked by slowly with no improvement on Akane's condition. The only change, if any, was that Akane was growing worse. Her breathing was labored and the fever was still climbing, despite Ranma's best efforts. Unconscious, Akane's face scrunched in anguish as she moaned softly.

She was in obvious pain, suffering right before him and nothing he was doing seemed to help. Ranma left Akane's room and called Tofu sensei. He was suddenly very glad Kasumi wasn't in the house. He wanted the doctor to work his practice accurately.

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Tofu existed Akane's room looking very grave.

Ranma was waiting for him. "She'll be okay soon, right sensei?"

Concern etched every line on Ranma's face. Tofu wished Akane could see him. It was times like these when it was obvious that the two stubborn young people were in love, but they were too insecure and too prideful to normally show it. The pressure placed on them by their families and rival fiancées only made it worse.

"I've done my best, Ranma, but she's not responding to treatment. She's taken an unusual turn for the worse. It's almost as if she's… well, the blood test will tell me what I need to know." Tofu put a concerned hand on Ranma's slumped shoulder.

"Can you contact Tendo Soun and the rest of her family? They might want to come back sooner than planned."

Ranma's face paled. Was Tofu saying that Akane was…

Tofu saw the panic in Ranma's eyes and tried to reassure him without sugarcoating the truth. "Her condition is serious Ranma, but don't give up yet. I'll be back in a few hours."

Ranma felt stunned. He stood there in the hallway outside Akane's door in a mild state of shock. She couldn't be dying. She just couldn't. He wouldn't let that happen!

Ranma didn't know how long he stood there like that, or how much longer he would have remained that way, if it wasn't for the gentle, motherly voice that brought him back to reality.

"I came as soon as I could, son."

Ranma turned and saw his mother standing before him.

Nodoka continued to speak while her son remained tongue-tied. "Tofu-sensei called and told me everything. But I want to hear it from you: how is Akane-chan?"

Ranma threw off his shock, grateful for the calm and steady presence of his mother.

"Not so great, Okaa-san."

Ranma opened Akane's door slowly, for once wishing his tomboy fiancée would spring up and pound him for entering without knocking. But she didn't. She was still lying in bed, a cold cloth on her head vainly attempting to keep her fever at bay. Her soft cries tore at his soul and even from the doorway her shivering was visible.

Nodoka rushed in with a mother's care, checking Akane's cold compress and blankets. She picked up the ice bowl, which was now a puddle of lukewarm water. "I'll be back with more ice. You stay by her side, son."

Ranma nodded. He didn't need to be told, but it was good to know his mother didn't think caring for Akane was un-manly.

He pulled up the desk chair so he could sit beside her. Akane was mumbling in her sleep again, her hand twitching as if reaching out for something, and Ranma could have sworn he heard her call his name. He grabbed her hand and held it in his own. "I'm right here, Akane." He spoke softly, hoping she could hear him. Her face visibly calmed and he felt the slightest squeeze from her hand.

"C'mon, Akane. You can pull through this." Ranma tried to suppress his anxiety, an emotion he was not used to dealing with. Things like this he couldn't defeat with his fists, making him feel restless and useless at the same time. He was a man of action, but here he was forced to wait on the sidelines while Akane did all the work. "Don't do this to me again, Akane. I can't go through Jusenkyou again. I can't – I won't lose you again."

"Son, I think it is time you told her, don't you?"

Ranma jumped at the sound of his mother's voice. He didn't even notice when she reentered. He tried to gather the usual excuses and insults of how Akane was too violent, too uncute, too tomboyish for him, but his voice caught in his throat. He always was a terrible liar, especially to his mother. The truth, they both knew, was that he loved Akane. Nodoka knew the faults of her to-be daughter-in-law, just as well as she knew the faults of her insensitive, stubborn, immature son. Akane and Ranma were two imperfect people, who could often rub each other the wrong way -- but when they didn't, they were perfect friends, companions, and more.

The phone rang, saving Ranma any further embarrassment as he ran to pick it up.

"Tendo Dojo."

Now, Nodoka knew ease-dropping to be a very unlady like act. She also knew that overhearing a conversation of her son's was only what any good mother would do. She perked her ears and listened to Ranma's voice.

"Did you find out what's wrong with her, sensei?"

There was a pause and then a loud cry of "WHAT?!" rang through the hall.

Another pause followed.

"Do you have the antidote?"

There was an additional pause. "I don't think so… uh, we had the same thing at breakfast and then we both had … the soup!"

Nodoka glanced out into the hallway to view her son. His battle aura had flared around him. She felt so proud to have such a manly son, though she was concerned as to why he was so upset.

"Just finish the antidote as soon as ya can, sensei." Nodoka could hear the phone slam. She went into the hallway to speak to her son.

He was already running toward the door and putting his shoes on.

"Ranma, where are you going?" she called out.

He was at the doorway, and he turned quickly to face his mother. "Akane's been poisoned. Tofu-sensei's bringing the antidote over."

"But where are you going?"

"I have business to settle in the Nekohanten." His voice was dangerously low. He turned to face his mother.

"Take care of Akane for me, Okaa-san."

Ranma ran off, leaving a very puzzled Nodoka behind.

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A/N: Please REVIEW. This is my 1st Ranma fanfic! I'll even take negative comments! :-)