"I'm done."
Akane sighed, letting out a small hiccup as she rubbed her red, swollen eyes, having spent the better part of the last hour crying again, thrown from a fitful sleep. She remembered those words, clear as day, as if they'd only been spoken to her just then.
It had been nearly three years since Ranma had left the Tendo Training Hall, with simply those two words as his parting explanation. Akane and Ranma's father Genma had searched high and low all over Nerima looking for him, with not a trace to be found.
'Ranma… How did it come down to this..?' Akane thought to herself sadly. 'I knew you were unhappy, but to go that far so fast…' Akane groaned as she sat up and brought her knees up to her chest, hugging her legs with a shuddering sigh. She barely even remembered why they had been fighting now.
It had been a regular evening at the Tendo home. Dinner had been action packed, with Genma and Ranma fighting over food, then Shampoo had come into the dinning room (uninvited, as always!), and she and Ranma had started glomping all over each other. Akane called him out and hit the pervert of course, but, for some reason, it had all come to a head that night. Ranma's face had gone completely blank, and he stood and left without a word. Twenty minutes later, he had reappeared in the dining room, said he was done, and...
'And I never saw him again.' Akane finished her thoughts with another sigh, looking up forlornly at her ceiling. Just a month or so ago, Chinese officials had shown up at the Tendo home, with solemn looks and horrible news. They had found a shredded, bloody traveling sack, and had found Ranma's Japanese ID inside, as well as Ranma's signature silk clothes in just as bad a shape. They never found a body. Akane remembered quite vividly the stricken looks on everyone's faces, as they lay an empty funeral urn into Ranma's grave.
Genma had barely spoken a word since, and if it weren't for Soun, Akane wasn't sure what he would do. Nodoka, Ranma's mother, had been told everything about Ranma. She had been so shocked about finding out about the curse, how her amazing man amongst men son, and the Tendo's cousin, the clumsy, beautiful redheaded tomboy, were one in the same. She had screamed, cursed, and swore to the heavens in her grief, showing the Tendo's the adoption papers she had planned to surprise Ranko with. But, alas, even the second child she considered as her daughter was lost to her now as well.
Akane flopped back onto her pillow, wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She paused as she heard nearly silent sniffling, and strained her ears to listen again. She could hear now, two different sets of lungs shuddering for breath, two different noses sniffling and emptying into tissues. It seemed she wasn't the only one still crying. She gave another sigh and pulled herself out of bed, walking out of her room and down the hall downstairs, where the most subdued sniffling was. She poked her head into the kitchen, where Kasumi was leaning heavily against the counter, her shoulders heaving with quiet, heavy sobs and the occasional suppressed hiccup.
She had a death grip on a bottle in one hand, and a shaky grip on a flute filled with dark red wine in her other. Akane cleared her throat softly, making Kasumi jump with a small yelp and whip around to face her. Her eyes were puffy and red as well, and tear stains streaked down her cheeks. "A-Akane-chan..! I thought, I thought you were asleep…" Kasumi quickly stood straight, offering a kind, but shaky smile and attempting to subtly hide the wine bottle behind her. "Onee-chan… I'm sorry, I couldn't sleep, and I heard you crying…" Akane eyed the bottle as Kasumi hid it, and Kasumi slumped a little, swaying slightly as she let out another sniffle. "Akane..? What's going on?" Nabiki snuck up behind Akane, following her gaze and examining her swaying, guilty looking big sister.
"Oh Kasumi..-" Nabiki felt a fresh tear escape down her recently dried cheek. "N-Nabiki, Akane, it's not… I mean, it is, It's just… That is…" Kasumi hiccupped again and hung her head in shame. "C'mon, let's take it to the dining room." Nabiki finished, Akane and Kasumi looking at her in surprise. "We're all awake and crying. Let's just, have a drink and talk, like… Like we used to, back then…" Nabiki tried to keep her face level, but even she knew her face couldn't hide her sadness as they all suddenly remembered the first time they had all been like this. Kasumi nodded and brought the bottle and a couple more glasses out to the dining table, setting them down as Akane and Nabiki sat with her. She poured her sisters a drink and took another small sip from her flute, letting them sit in silence for a little while while Akane and Nabiki took their own sips of wine.
Kasumi set a fresh box of tissues down as well, and Nabiki offered her a rare smile in thanks as she took one, wiping away her rogue tear and taking a shaky breath. "Do you two, you know… Have trouble remembering sometimes?" Nabiki spoke softly, pulling the attention of her sisters' understanding, sad eyes. "Sometimes…" Akane admitted just as softly. "I know we never really got along, but I did love him, I think. But, I can barely remember his voice now..." She whimpered softly as her voice broke. Kasumi shook her head adamantly, bringing her glass to her lips and taking a ghost of a sip shakily. "Never." She answered firmly, her sisters looking at her in surprise. "But, Kasumi, out of the three of us you spent the least amount of time with him." Nabiki tilted her head in confusion. "Maybe directly, but you forget just how much I blend in with the background of your lives," Kasumi explained quietly. Her eyes were closed and twitching slightly, as if she was dreaming.
"I watched you all grow, more than you realize, more than even Ranma knew. I love all of you, including Ranma." Kasumi held up her hand, fresh tears streaming down her cheeks slowly as she held off Akane's shocked look without even looking at her. "Not like you loved him to be sure Akane, but to me, Ranma was my little brother. And sometimes, another little sister. And now that he's gone… Well, it makes me feel like a part of my soul has been torn away from me. I would feel the same way if either of you were to… Were to... " Kasumi's lip trembled and she covered her mouth as a pitiful, sorrowful keening noise tore free from her throat. Nabiki and Akane were at her side instantly, throwing their arms around her shaking shoulders. "O-onee-chan..!" Akane whimpered, burying her face in Kasumi's shoulder as Nabiki swallowed a hard knot in her throat, resting her head on Kasumi's other shoulder as they all sobbed together, three sisters mourning and grieving their loss, as one.
Author's note
Hey guys! Sorry if this is too short for a proper introduction, but it's my first time actually uploading one of my little shorts! This originally was an idea that popped into my head, but I've got a brainstorming notepad a mile long for things I could add, so don't worry; If you guys like this little short, I'll be expanding on it as often as I can!
Until then, any reviews, tips or advice is always welcome and desired, and I hope you'll stick with me every step of the way in this long, strange trip!