It had been a week since Akane and Mrs. Saotome's talk. Akane had done her best to talk to Ranma during that time but there is only so much you can say to someone who is mute. That is, there is only so much that they can say. Conversations were normal, so to speak. They discussed martial arts, things that were going on at school, things that teenagers were doing these days. At no time did Akane bring up Ranma's condition. She wanted to but wouldn't let herself so as not to loose the friendship. As the days went by Ranma began to open up more. He would tell her a little more about himself everyday. At some points he would talk about his father and some of their past adventures. Akane, in return would talk about her mother. Slowly, Ranma would smile more often. He wouldn't always have a sad look on his face like he just wanted to die. This not only made Akane happy, but the entire family happy; especially his mother. Every time she saw her son smile she looked like she was on the verge of tears. And then…one day…all of that work was wiped away.

He woke up like any other day. He would brush his teeth and go for a solo work out session after a quick jog, followed by a nice bath and then of to school or whatever he had planed for the day. But not today. Today he stayed in bed. He stayed all morning and through the afternoon and even till night. He didn't eat nor sleep. Just lying in bed; staring at the ceiling. The family was worried but the only one who seemed to know what was going on was Mrs. Saotome. She was the most worried of all. She later told them that it was the anniversary of his father's death. When the family heard this they decided to let it go.

That night everyone slept soundly…except for Akane. She was tossing and turning thinking about what had happened to Ranma's father. She wondered, 'what if my father had died?' She quickly waved that off due to the fact that her mother had died. Then she thought, 'what if my father abused me like Ranma's father did him? Would I be like Ranma? Would I be mourning his death today like he is or would I just hate him and let it be?' Pondering it some more Akane rolled over and fell asleep.

The next morning the Tendo and Saotome families came down for breakfast. After they started to eat they noticed that they were missing a family member. Search the dojo for any sign of him working out they found nothing. The street was empty and the bath hadn't even been used yet. When at last they checked his room they found a note. All that it said was,

Gone to pay my respects
and ask for forgiveness.
Don't follow me.

-Ranma

Although she understood she couldn't fully comprehend it. Akane just stared at the note and then looked at Mrs. Saotome like she had no idea what it meant.

"What does he mean by 'gone to pay my respects' Mrs. Saotome?"

Mrs. Saotome just looked at her and said, "I think he is going to see his father."

Akane just stood in place. "How will he get there?"

"We don't have the money for a plane ticket so I think he will go the old way"

Akane looked puzzled. "What's the 'old way'?"

"The same way that he and his father went. Knowing him he will make this into his personal pilgrimage. Going from our old house, he will follow the same trail that his father took him when he was young. It will lead to the ocean and then he will swim to China."

"SWIM TO CHINA" They all yelled.

Mrs. Saotome just smiled. "Yes. Swim. That's how they got there last time and he will do it again. Genma thought of it as training, that and its cheaper then a boat or plane."

A few seconds went by and no one said anything. Then Akane spoke up.

"Mrs. Saotome, which way to your old house?"

Thinking for a bit, Mrs. Saotome pointed north. "Up north for about 100 miles. A nice long hike. Took us a while to get here."

"And which way will Ranma go when he leaves your house?"

Understanding where Akane was going with her questions, Nadoka smiled. "He will likely go east. Genma was never good with directions."

Without thinking Akane dashed for her room. Tossing in a backpack some extra cloths, a few spare gi's, some camping supplies, a tent and a sleeping bag she started out of the door. Only to be stopped by Mrs. Saotome. In her hand she had a few bento's prepared for her and few easy to prepare meals to be used when camping.

When they were in her bag, she pushed Akane out the door and gave her a solemn wave goodbye. Akane could have sworn that she even heard her say "thank you" as well. Marching down the street she headed towards the woods to the north where she would later come across Ranma's old home. No matter what she was going help Ranma on this journey. She was going to understand Ranma's pain, even if it killed her.

Author's Note:

Well now. It has been quite a while. I have been wanting to work on one of my works of writing but i just could force myself to sit down and do it. But after watching the movie "Spanglish" i couldn't help thinking about writing something and so i thought i would do this. My other writing need more brainstorming before i touch it anymore. I have to thank all of you who have reviewed this so far. I love to hear what you have to say and it makes me feel happy that people are reading this. It makes me think that others think like me and that i am not alone in this world in the way that i think. I have a great idea planed for how the story will progress. I just hope i remember it the next time i work on this. Guess i will just have to write my idea down. He is a tidbit. I will be writing the story as a walk down memory lane sort of way. Ranma and Akane will be following his old training route and be meeting people from the series. He will reminice about the "old days" and will open up more to Akane. They will eventually end up in China. Whether Ranma will speak again you will have to wait to find out. Enjoy XD

-Unspoken Flame