Everyone I know

Says I'm a fool mess with you

Everyone I know

Says it's a stupid thing to do

I have your love on call

And yet my day is not so full

And I did not know what to do

And so I ran away from you

"I Ran Away", Coldplay

Every time she seemed to get into trouble I had been there for her. I was always alerted and expected to be that knight, no matter how rusty my armour was. It kinda makes me wonder what she did when I wasn't around to save her.

I sure hope she survived.

I was at her apartment in less than two minutes. I walked up to the elevator, stared at the "Out of Order" sign taped on haphazardly on lined paper with something that seemed to be gum, and decided to take the stairs. It did help you live longer.

I sprinted up, still worried about the distressing note, and knocked roughly on her door.

"Akane? Open the hell up!" I hollered.

I heard a squeak behind me and swivelled, anger still apparent on my face.

An old woman holding a cat stared hard at me. She had a purple house coat, with the flower print on our walls back at the crappy hotel room on it, and her hair in curlers.

"What's your business with Akane?" She snooped, sticking out her pointy nose.

I raised my hands, tried to smile, and lied through my teeth. "I'm her doctor, she's been hurt and I can't get in, have ya got a key or somethin'?"

She stared at me, the door, and then back at me again. "Doctors don't call their patients by the first name!"

I sighed. What the hell was wrong with chicks?

"This is the twentieth century lady; I can call her whatever the hell I want." I snipped. I had my arms crossed over my chest and rolled my eyes.

She clutched her cat, eyes wide in anger, ready to throw the damn thing at me.

Okay, was it just me or was she losing holding of that darn cat?

"Who are you really?" She asked, stepping out a bit, bringing the cat closer.

"Ah, uh, I'm, um, well . . . I'm Akane's husband." I resigned, throwing my hands up in defeat, laughing like a madman. I trailed off, " . . . isn't it obvious?"

The woman stopped, her face suddenly becoming neutral. "Oh, hmm, I suppose. Well I wouldn't want to admit that either I guess. There's a key on top of the door frame. Good luck."

And she turned around and hobbled back to her apartment, looking a bit bored that I didn't turn out to be some assassin looking to use my gun.

Poor her, the one time I wasn't . . .

I turned back to the door, got on my tippy toes and felt around above the door frame. "Of all the places . . ." I muttered to myself. "She had to choose the most obvious one. . ."

It was lucky she didn't have a doormat because that would be far too obvious.

Something finally touched my fingers; cool, metallic, and key shaped. I didn't have to be Einstein to figure it out.

I shook myself out and quickly fit the key in the lock. Then something made me pause. Who was I to go into this apartment? Who was I to barge into a life I had abandoned so many years ago? Hell, who was I to have dreams about someone without their permission and be a incoherent bastard about it? Oh right, I chuckled, I was Ranma Saotome.

I turned the knob and stepped in.

There was darkness everywhere. Every orifice that could let some light in was blocked. The hall illuminated the five feet it could reach and I saw the out line of a phone lying on the ground. It was off the hook and was making that annoying beeping sound specifically used for when it's off the hook. I bent down to pick it up and heard a cool click behind me, then the press of a gun to the back of my head. It wasn't wavering in the least.

I paused for a second, slowly standing up with my hands raised high.

Then I heard her voice, right before I was going to punch her in the nose.

"Now stay put, whoever the hell you are." She warned, getting through it with almost certainty.

Did she think I was her secret admirer attacker?

I let out a growl that sounded like a muffled laugh.

What, you think this is funny, huh? Do ya? Well guess what; I've got a trained professional, right in the next room. Yeah, and when I wake him up he is gonna be pissed at you!"

She stuck it farther into my head. Now, no matter how harmless this chick could be, she had a temper like a rhino and a gun to my head.

This was just so fun though.

I stayed silent to let her continue, now fully aware she couldn't shoot that gun.

"Jin!" She barked to no avail. Jin was a very heavy sleeper when need be.

She took the silence as cockiness and, exasperated by Jin's dual silence, growled. "And I know a cop too!"

At this I straightened up, tensed by instincts.

She noticed and thought this affected me; maybe this character she had in her head was afraid of cops. Hell, maybe he was one.

She continued. "And he's gonna," she trailed off. She sighed and continued, a little defeated, "Damn it, why do I only know pathetic bastards? Aside from the guy in my bedroom asleep and not answering my cry for help; he's wonderful. Every other guy though, what is with you men? You're all a bunch of stupid, incompetent jerks. Y'know I used to have this fiancé, yep that's right, and he's all 'So, I'm gonna leave without saying anything then come back when things start getting better and make them crap again' and I just won't take that. What is with you men? Jeez, I need another drink."

She spent this entire time talking bad of me and yet, as I sat here and listened to her whine, all I could think was how much more I wanted to hear.

'I love you.' I thought.

It was plain and simple now; it didn't really bother me anymore to think about it. She was a dream and I was allowed to love a dream.

Plus, love didn't hold the bearing it used to. I love a lot of things, and I have loved a lot of things and then, decidedly one day, stopped. It wasn't as big a deal as it used to be. It was so overused it had no bearing anymore. I loved Akane and I loved dish towels, end of story.

Now, she sat behind me, barrel of a gun to the nape of my neck and I couldn't comprehend the smile broadening across my face as she told her "attacker" about her love life, in weird detail.

"Oh, and there's this guy named Hiroshi, he's my cop friend," she paused to hiccup, "oh, but he is scrumptious. Not in a pie way, of course, but in a boy way."

I nodded my head, feeling like I should probably go before this got any worse. Just like that night.

She used her free hand to pat my shoulder. "Now don't get me wrong, Ranma is scrumptious too, but in a sort of . . ." she paused to think, "a sort of fleeting way, I suppose; like the five minutes you spent just standing and staring."

She rustled her hair while nodding ecstatically. "Yes, those five minutes, that explains everything."

I resigned and turned around, she still couldn't see my face, neither I hers, but I could feel it.

She tried to move the gun in time but I had it in a second.

I moved closer and could hear her heavy breathing.

"So, let me get this straight." I proposed.

She gasped a little at my voice, which made me feel all proud inside that she could tell it was me. It definitely wasn't what I wanted to be feeling right about now.

I was still angry though, which had brought me through a lot ore than this.

"So I'm a read out on a digital watch and my competition is a pie?"

She gulped and, even though I couldn't see them, I knew her eyes were popping out.

I had to grin. "Akane, you are one messed up chick."

I got out of there as fast as I could, slammed the door as I left, and locked the door with my new key.

As I pressed the elevator door button I remembered it was closed and took the stairs again, all the way to the lobby and out the front door.

This put me in a great mood for going to work. Well, going to Akane's work and talking to the wonderful staff there again. I decided to walk so a getaway car was not needed as to prompt me into keeping people alive to use later.

Nabiki might get mad, but I was a me person; and there was no 'Nabiki' in 'Me'.

I walked up the ratty steps and swung open once of the great doors. It slammed behind me and almost caught my pant leg. I swung forward and was checking my trousers when a hand rested itself upon my shoulder. I grabbed it, flung it over my shoulder and waited for a second for movement.

I heard a groan.

"What in the devil's fury!" Creepy Merv yelped.

I stuffed my hands in my pockets and shrugged. "I don't like to be touched."

Oh but I was good at covering things up.

Creepy Merv smiled an oily grin and coughed while laughing rashly. "Sure ya don't."

I sighed. "I didn't come here to swap stories, Mervithan."

He was shocked. "How do you know my real name? I demand to know!"

I shrugged. "I know lotsa crap, like when you went out with that nice little daughter of the Mayor and left her broken hearted. Unbeknownst to him y'know, but things can change."

Creepy Merv gulped. "What do you want? If it's money I don't have it, I'm . . . um, in financial trouble at present."

Sweat droplets collided off one another from his forehead in the dim lights of the hall way.

I laughed wickedly. "No, I'll just erase that information if ya tell me somethin' I wanna know."

He squirmed and smirked. "What would that be? A free coffin for your last victim?"

I shook my head seriously. "Naw, the government takes care of that."

Hmm, it seemed he was joking. Oops.

"Then what?" He asked; hands clenched into fists at each side.

We were still in the entrance hallway.

"Is anyone else here?"

He scoffed. "Please, I'm the only one that's here at noon, the others are out to lunch, Tendo didn't even show today."

I grabbed him by the scruff of the neck and slammed him against the poor wallpapering.

"Who's after her?" I yelled, pounding him into the wall.

He blubbered something and then spat at me.

I didn't flinch. "The call came from this place, which means they had to be in here. Who was it?"

He smirked. "Whatever do you mean? I haven't the faintest," but I nicked him in the neck before he could continue his routine.

I upholstered my gun and brought it to eye level with him.

"Unless you wanna get real up close and personal with yer job you tell me who's after her!" I screamed, choking the little bugger.

He coughed and spurted and then finally nodded.

I released him.

He rubbed his sore neck. "I will never tell you her name."

" . . . her?" I murmured.

Well, this seemed to be enough information for the day. This 'her' would probably have given him an alias anyway.

I back handed him with my gun and left him passed out on the floor.

Hmm, I felt like a crepe.

Crepes were delicious. They are such a brilliant invention. I could go on about crepes for days and days. I was in Paris this one time, and this cook who was serving these exquisite ones was going on about some government crap, complaining to me and going on and on, and I was just amazed how he kept dishing out these amazing things while he wasn't even watching. I suspected it was the dough and he saw me spy it. He let me have a try and doing the same but mine turned out sad, and probably embarrassed to be in existence for the short time before I ate it. Surely, he was an artist.

I was sitting in the back of the restaurant went the waitress came over and took my order. She had her pad and pen in hand and wrote them down quickly.

She then looked back at my face and stalled.

"Wait," she craned her neck closer, "Ranma? Ranma Saotome?"

I nodded.

Who the hell was she?

"Ranma! Oh my gosh, it's Natsuki!" She gleamed, fanning herself as she stared me up and down.

"Wow, you've aged really well!" She said, scarcely a whisper. "So what've you been up to?"

I shrugged. "Big business, six, seven figures, y'know."

Her jaw dropped.

There was an awkward pause until someone in the kitchen yelled her name and she jumped.

She chewed the gum I had previously not seen in her mouth. "You goin' to the reunion, Ranma?"

"Uh, yeah, that's why I'm here," I smiled banefully. She was blocking my view of the door and it was starting to bother me.

She frowned. "Hmm, woulda thought you'd be here for Akane."

I flicked my gaze upon her. "Why would I do that? I'm the one that left, right?"

She shrugged. "Right, well, see ya at the reunion. I'm off shift now, care if I join ya?"

How many different ways could I say no?

I opened my mouth to speak, but a voice interrupted me before I even spoke.

"Actually," it purred, "this seat is taken."

Natsuki turned to the girl, eye rolled her and then skirted away to the kitchen.

The girl clawed at the air as she swirled and sat across from me.

I instantly knew who it was.

"Hello Ranma," she whirred, "how's my favourite cold blooded killer. Well, aside from myself of course."

Her tinkled laugh made me wince and feel my shoulder blade. I pretended to massage it absently as I stared her down.

"What the hell do you want, Kei?" I asked angrily, rubbing my shoulder even more agitated.

She rolled her golden brown, probably with a fake colour, eyes. "Oh Ranma, I only shot you once, stop being a drama queen."

She brought a file out of her small black purse and set to doing her nails.

"I've come here for a reason Ranma."

I glared into her eye sockets, hoping I suddenly had laser vision, the kind that shot rays. Sadly, I didn't just yet.

"I got that. You wouldn't have anything to do with a certain assassination attempt would you?" I questioned, twiddling my thumbs on the table top.

She smirked and if I got the chills I would have.

I have a lt of those, but you know that."

I couldn't take it anymore, this evil conniving cow had done something no one could ever forgive.

"You shot her, you selfish, cold hearted bitch!" I spat, pounding my hands on the table.

Her faced remained bored. "I got a better offer from the competition. Plus, I didn't see anyone else up there with her. Oh yes, that's right, you were with Jin heading away, right?"

Arg!

"We were waiting for her at the bottom when you killed her, you turn coat!"

She shrugged. "Thus is business. Anyway, I just thought I'd let you know, I'm assassinating your other partner now too. Please stay out of the way, you're making it rather hard for me."

My other partner? Jin?

"What's on Jin's head? Wouldn't anything on his head be on mine too?"

She stared me done, raised an eye brow and scoffed. "I'm no idiot Ranma; I know this girl's your new third wheel of a partner. Jin must be so jealous."

"New girl?" I stuttered.

Oh shit.

"yeah," she grinned, "this Akane Tendo chick."

I nodded for her to continue.

"Yeah," she shrugged, staring down at her nails, "she's pretty much dead."

I stretched my hand out flat and squeezed at the table.

"Don't you lay a finger on her, ya got that?" I seethed through my teeth.

This chick was bad. I mean, she double crossed us at the last moment and killed one of my two best friends, my two only friends.

"Why, you fucking this chick, or something?" She spat sickly.

And that's when I did something I really shouldn't have.

I slapped her across the face, as hard as I could. Everyone stared.

I looked around meekly, had to say something and decided to be defensive.

I looked her in the eyes, saw her reaching for her gun out of the corner of mine, and started to walk away.

"How could you cheat on me?" I screamed loudly, nervously watching everyone around me stare open mouthed. I decided to go on, "with the vicar!"

Murmurs erupted as I fled the scene, more confused than when I went in.

Why the hell had she turned up? Why did she think Akane was my partner? And why the hell didn't she just kill me?

Things were getting more confusing by the minute, and I didn't even get my crepe.

Obviously, I needed to do the only sane thing when everything is going wrong; I needed to see my Mom.

A/N: Well? Faster than before, this update be. I tried to write that in Pirate-Speak, but it came out more Horribly-Wrong-Yoda than anything else. Sorry about that. So, how's the story?

Jace3: Ooh, same day you review a new chapter is up!

WhiteTigress666: Yeah, that's exactly what I wanted to get across in their relationship; they loved each other, but they knew they weren't meant for each other.

JohnnyG: Thank you very much; I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well.

Ikerana: Yeah, you'll learn a little more each time the story is updated. At the end, I'm pretty sure you'll know everything that happened that night.

Innortal: Hopefully this will show he's not just a killer robot that looks great in silk boxers, eh?

Please read and review because it makes my fingers write the next chapter faster!