She felt so tired, her body groaning and complaining, making it so hard to simply rest, she must have done a lot more training than usual for her body to be so heavy, what had she been doing? Then it all came back to her, the terror took her once more and pushed herself up, looking at her hands, she was human again, but how?

Her memory still wasn't complete, but how could this have happened? Did Ranma… had he done it then? Was he victorious, that… that baka! But as she looked up she just stood gawking at the world around her; there were no mountains, no trees, no nothing, except an endless expanse filled with a sky with clouds that seemed to move faster or slower than physically possible depending on how she looked at them. Even the ground underneath her was completely impossible, blue as the ocean, but it was as soft as the most luxurious of beds and as beautiful as space. There was only one answer for this, only one thing that could explain the complete impossibility of this place.

"Am I… am I dead?" Oh, please no, not like this, please kami, not after everything that had happened, she just couldn't be dead, what about her family? She didn't want them to go through that again! Not after mother! What about her friends? What about the life she wanted to build with… Ranma… oh dear lord, Ranma!

"Not yet," that voice… it couldn't be, she could recognize that voice anywhere, a voice that could be the scariest when the owner was angry, but also as soft as a kitten when you got to know that sweet boy.

Sitting down not too far away from her she could see the unmistakable figure of the boy that never stopped walking, forever lost in the world; she looked at him as if she were seeing him for the first time, probably because she had never seen him like this. Every time she had seen him, whenever she returned to Nerima, it was always with that same look, one that was tired, stressed and with absolutely no patience. Ryoga's shoulders were always tense, never allowing himself to relax, always with a cloud of gloom hanging over his head, but she had reached to the conclusion that being perpetually lost out in the world with absolutely nothing to call your own, well, she would have probably been worse if she had suffered like that.

Just like the rest of the eclectic residents of Nerima, she had grown to know him, maybe even better than any of the other martial artists around Nerima, and she had never met someone that was as confusing in her life, maybe except Ranma. He was her friend, but Akane will tell you that sometimes he scared her a bit, after all, he was a boy known for his emotional outburst, full of rage against the world, but mostly Ranma, but she knew that he was also kind, patient and that he would never hurt her.

"R-Ryoga?" She just couldn't understand what was going on, was she dead, was Ryoga real or was it just an illusion created by her mind? Probably the last, because Akane had never seen Ryoga like that, completely relaxed, he was… at peace, but how?

"You are not dead Akane, well, not entirely, the doll… what you were transformed into… its eyes were closed… for all purposes you should be dead… but I guess I'm stubborn, too pigheaded Ranma would say," he then smiled, finding humor on his rival's words for the first time in his life, as if finally finding it funny in someway, making Akane even more surprised, even more scared about what was going on "no, you are not dead, this is a threshold, for souls ready to cross, I didn't think I made it in time, what irony, me, Hibiki Ryoga reaching the right place at the right time," if the situation wasn't so dire, so confusing she would have smiled too, happy that Ryoga had made a joke, that he was if not happy, at least content enough to make one, but not now, she felt dread growing inside of her.

"But if this is… the threshold, why are you here? You said I had closed my eyes, is Ranma okay?" at the name of the other boy Ryoga's smile simply grew.

"Yeah, he is alright, you should have seen it Akane, he beat that jerk, you gave him the time to do it, but you… I don't think Ranma would have been able to do it without your help… I also don't think Ranma will be able to keep on going without you at his side."

He could still see it if he closed his eyes, how the two… lovers, really, there was no other way to refer to Ranma and Akane except by calling them what they were, they were true lovers. He could see them, Ranma, grieving over Akane, the two side by side, one breathing, while she wasn't. What would be the point of their victory if she was gone? For the first time in a long time, Ryoga had known what to do.

Everything seemed as if in slow motion, his senses at the max; never before he had felt like this, no self-doubts, no second guessing, nothing except one clear idea and plan. He felt no sadness, no grief, nothing like that, after all, he knew he could bring her back, after all, who else but him could do something this stupid? Leaving the guide and Mousse behind, still in shock, he got closer to his… friend and his fianceé, both lying down side by side, as if they had gone to bed together, but he knew well, after all, with one hand over her heart he corroborated the worse, indeed, Akane had not survived the fight, but not for long, he will make sure of her survival, even if he had to go into the gates of hell to bring her soul back.

Just as the others got out of the shock, Ryoga was already preparing himself for what had to be done; on his hand, hovering over Akane's heart a ball of pure ki began to form, usually deep green, the color that showed the taint of depression, but instead, this time the ball was of pure white, devoid of negative emotions, or any really, maybe it had been created by pure concentration, Ryoga didn't know, but he had finally done it. After reading countless texts, trying to find a new technique to beat Ranma once and for all, every single lesson written in them, of how to use ki, how it was a vital force in the world finally clicked on his head, he now understood how it could be used, and now… he will do this to bring her back.

He lowered the ball into Akane's torso, but instead of bursting or exploding, the ball slowly disappeared inside of the body, as if absorbed by the empty vessel and just as he did it, Ryoga had to bite back a scream. He was no stranger to pain, it was a daily thing for a martial artist, but he had never felt a pain so potent before, it was as if every single tooth, every bone and every nerve of his body were being torn apart, pulled in every single direction by invisible forces; it was clear that what he was doing was working, there was no other answer for the kind of pain he was feeling at the moment, but he didn't stop, there was no way he could stop now.

"Oh no, Ryoga, what are you doing!" amongst the pain, Ryoga heard how desperate Mousse's voice sounded, of course he will know what he was doing considering his own knowledge about it , so there was only on thing to do unless he wanted to be stopped, he touched the ground with one finger, exploding the rock underneath Mousse, sending him flying backwards, by the time Mousse recovered this would be done, in fact, Ryoga felt already light headed, it was getting harder and harder to focus on what he was doing, and then… nothing but darkness.

And that was the last thing he remembered, before finding himself on this endless road, understanding well that what he had done must have worked, because right at his side was none other than Tendo Akane, as beautiful as ever, and looking at her, he knew that what he had done was worth it just to see her one last time.

"But why? What is going on? You still haven't told me why you are here, Ryoga… what did you do?!" The youngest of the three Tendo sisters was confused, but more than that worried, if it was true that they had won, then why Ryoga was also on this threshold? Had he been injured in the fight? Oh, please, not Ryoga.

"The right thing, for what feels like the first time in my life… there was an old medical technique, the complete opposite to the technique your teacher does apparently, I just never saw the need to master the lessons I found in an old book," Miss Hinako? What was he talking about? Then she understood what he was talking about; if Miss Hinako's technique allowed her to absorb other people's energy then Ryoga… he gave her his energy? If he was here then… he gave it all?

"No… Ryoga, please, don't tell me you-" then she saw his eyes and she understood what he had done "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"

"What was needed to bring you back… I gave you all the energy that I had, after all, you were so close to dying, your body… your soul, it was empty, so I just used it all," he laughed, but it did sound hollow "guess I used enough to stop you from crossing, but I also ended up here."

"Then, we can go back, right? If you gave me your energy to bring me back to life, then we can find our way back Ryoga!" But as she said that, she saw something that made her gasp in horror; Ryoga's hands began to dissipate, slowly turning into light particles "wha-what is happening?"

"When I told you I gave you everything that I had I wasn't lying, guess it means I'm taking your spot in here," no wonder he felt like this, he had achieved complete peace, guess that happens when you are ready to die. Looking into those sweet eyes that he had fallen in love with, it pained him to see them full of tears, he preferred to see her smiling, a smile so beautiful that it always made his heart and brain lose control.

"But why? Ryoga, why did you do that?"

"If not for you, then for whom? Akane… there are so many people waiting for you back on Nerima, all your family, your friends… I'm not sure what would happen to Ranma and everyone else if you died here."

"So you then went ahead and did something so incredibly stupid, without even thinking about those that will miss you?"

"Whom?" His clear question took her by surprise, it was a simple word, but it just made her recoil by the force of it "I haven't seen my parents in close to a decade, I'm not even sure if they are alive at this point, friends? You and Ranma are… the closest things that I have as friends, no… I think this was for the best," he seemed, so at peace with everything, as if they weren't just talking about his own sacrifice, how could he be so calm? Akane could feel the tears falling from her eyes, her own vision blurring, but she quickly cleaned them with her arm. If this was truly the last time she could see him, then she would not cry.

"I still think you are wrong, there must be someone out there that will mourn you, like Akari!"

"All this time I've been thinking that, maybe I just love her because she thinks she loves me… or maybe because she reminds me so much of you," his words just made her want to hug him even more, but she couldn't move, her body felt as if it was made of metal; at her look of compassion and confusion at his words Ryoga simply laughed again, as if he found their situation, if not funny, at least amusing "lord, I never thought it would happen this way, or at all to be sincere, but oh well, Tendo Akane," the intensity of his voice made Akane pay extra attention to what Ryoga was telling her, and for a second, she felt as if she had lost her breath, metaphorically speaking considering they were both dead, or almost. There was something in his eyes that made her pay complete attention to him and as she got lost in the depth of his eyes, she… she found so much feeling behind them, so much emotion "I love you, with every fiber of my being, I tried to leave these feeling behind, but no matter what I did, I always found the same answer, that no matter what happened, how much time passed, I am now, and forever more, in love with you."

This was not the first time Akane had heard someone declare themselves to her, so much that she thought she had gotten used to that, but she had never before heard one like this; it weren't the words, well, they certainly helped, but it was the intensity and the honesty behind them, but most importantly, it were his eyes, they were as naked as the heart of the boy in front of her, the sweet, amazing boy that had just sacrificed his own life just so she could have her own back, they were shining with such intensity, showing exactly how much love he had for her. Those were the eyes of one who saw every part of her, who saw both the good and the bad and in the end, even knowing all of that, accepted her for who she was.

"Ryoga," she wanted to say something, to do something, she wanted to… what? She didn't know, shouldn't she tell him? That she loved Ranma? Wasn't that the truth? But she couldn't, she couldn't turn him down, reject him, why? Why couldn't she do that? She could with every boy that she had known that tried to declare themselves to her and yet, there was a part of her that wanted to accept those feelings, even if she knew it was wrong, she already loved Ranma so why? Maybe… maybe because… it was Ryoga?

"So please," his voice took her out of her thoughts, it seemed that he wasn't asking for an answer, this was just to vent his feelings at last "so please Akane, live your life, don't let pride or egos stop you from living the life that you want… don't be afraid to love who you want to love, please, do that for me," she couldn't answer back, she knew that if she tried to say something, she would start bawling her eyes, lose control of her emotions, so she could only nod. She will try, she will definitely try, she couldn't let his sacrifice be in vain, and it seemed that he was content with that, because he smiled fully for her; for the first time, she had seen Hibiki Ryoga smile, contently and happy, it wasn't fair, how could she say goodbye to that face? How could she smile back knowing what was happening? "Thank you Akane… well, guess this is it then," he said looking at his hands that were starting to become see through, well, it was his whole body that was starting to lose cohesion "don't take this the wrong way, but please, I don't want to see you on this side for a very long time."

And just like that, he stood up, and without losing more time he began to walk into the distance. For the first time in a very long time, Hibiki Ryoga knew exactly where he was going.

"Ryoga! Please don't do this! Please don't leave! RYOOOGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Without turning around, only with one hand in the air as farewell, Ryoga's soul left this plane, leaving behind Akane, who without any fanfare, was pulled back into the world of the living.

"See you later, Tendo Akane."

In a flash of light, she was once more breathing, she had to breathe, her lungs were working and she was welcomed once more with the most horrendous desire to cough; she was so tired, her body felt as heavy as lead, her head was spinning and she was trying to fill her lungs with air after stopping for who knows how long.

She tried to concentrate on what was around her, but filling her sight… was that Mousse? She tried to focus, but it felt so hard, still, she couldn't lose consciousness right now; moving her hand, she felt a hand, one that was rough, with callouses from her years of training, she could recognize those small hands and moving her head to the right she saw the unconscious body of a beautiful redheaded girl, but where… was the other boy? What she had seen must have been a dream, right?

Her hopes were shattered, because at her other side, she found out that no, she hadn't been making it up. Right there at her side, kneeling down, was the life-like statue of the one that had paid the ultimate price for her.