And I feel like I knew you before

And I guess that you can hear me through this song

And my love will never die

And my feelings will always shine

- Untouchable by Anathema

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Kimiko smiles at her youngest daughter as she walks into the kitchen with a pensive expression. "Hey mom." Akane says, brushing her short hair behind her ear. "Can we talk?"

Kimiko finishes washing the dishes from dinner and wipes her hands on a towel, then removes her apron. "Of course, dear. Must be serious!"

Akane nods and Kimiko makes some tea and follows Akane to the engawa overlooking the koi pond, kneeling next to her daughter as the short-haired girl sighs and sits. "What's up, dear?"

Akane looks at her mother and shrugs. "There's a girl…"

"Oh, this 'Ranko' that Nabiki was speaking about?"

"That's the one."

"You like her?" Kimiko asks, smiling gently.

"I um… yeah." Akane admits, face flushed. "I've barely known her a week but there's this… weird… connection." She shrugs. "I don't know, but she's nice. And she's really shy. And, Mom, she's beautiful. She's got a lovely face and her hair is a gorgeous shade of red I didn't know was natural but I can confirm it is." Her blush grew more pronounced.

Kimiko laughs gently. "You sound smitten, Akane."

"I guess I am. I'm also just… worried."

"Worried?"

"I… think she's being abused. Or starved. Or both. She hardly eats anything at school, and that's usually something from a vending machine that's cheap or stuff I, Yuka or Sayuri give her from our own bentou. She keeps claiming to eat it before lunch or forgetting it but I think she's lying for some reason."

Kimiko purses her lips. "That doesn't sound good."

"She's covered in bruises and some sores too." Akane says, fists bunching. "Some really, really bad ones. I just… I'm worried, Mom. I don't want her being hurt."

Kimiko pats her daughter's hand as she sips her tea, watching the koi jump. "Be her friend, Akane. And more if she's interested. And if she is or isn't, you know the duty of a martial artist."

"To protect those weaker than ourselves." Akane says softly. "Yeah." She kisses Kimiko on the cheek. "Thanks, Mom. I just needed the perspective."

"You're a good girl, Akane. You always have been." Kimiko murmurs. "I've always been proud of you. Of all three of you, really. But you embody what a martial artist should be."

Akane blushes but smiles at her mother. "…Thanks, Mom."

"I'd say it was all me and your father, but your auntie deserves some of the credit."

"When is Auntie coming back?"

"Right now, actually." Himura Nodoka says behind the two, and they turn. She's in a sharp business suit, flatteringly cut, her auburn hair in a stylish plaited bun held up with sticks. She smiles warmly at the two. "I suppose you didn't hear me come in."

"You suppose right, No-chan. Welcome home!" Kimiko says warmly. "Sit yourself down and have some tea a moment. I was just discussing my daughter's new girlfriend prospect with her."

"Moooooom!" Akane whines as Nodoka laughs gently.

"My, my, Akane-chan, another one?"

"What do you mean 'another one', Auntie? The last one was Arisa and that was months ago!"

Kimiko laughs as Nodoka shakes her head, sipping at her tea. "Oh, you are easy to tease, dear." Nodoka titters. "But please, tell me about this girl of yours. I hope she's worthy of my niece." Akane describes her new friend-stroke-crush to Nodoka and the genteel woman smiles. "Well, well, I think your mother's right, you are smitten."

"I… y—yeah… I suppose."

"You'll have to ask her out tomorrow I think." Nodoka says, eyes twinkling. "But I do have a suggestion."

"What's that, Auntie?"

"Feed her."

"Feed her?"

"Yes. You mentioned she might be lying about having brought or eaten lunch? The simplest answer is to bring her a lunch yourself. That way, even if you do not date she has something to eat. And then perhaps share the food between all four of you if you sit with your two friends."

Kimiko nods. "No-chan is right, Akane dear. Friends don't let friends go hungry. And try to get her back here sometime, I'd quite like to meet a girl who can captivate you so in such a short time."

Akane blushes beet red and looks at the floor. "Alright… Though can you help me, Mom, Auntie?"

"Certainly, dear." Nodoka says, finishing her tea and standing. "Please let me change into my house clothes first."

"I'll run a bath for you, Auntie." Akane says, standing herself. She leans up and kisses the auburn-haired woman's cheek. "Welcome home!"

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Ranko wakes on the bench, the umbrella no longer over her and her overalls still damp. Her head feels scratchy inside and the gnawing ache of her hunger is starting to really take its toll on her. When was the last time she ate?

She thinks she had a croquette and a tamagoyaki a day or two ago, but it's a bit hazy.

Sitting up on the bench, she looks around and spots a familiar face walking around the park with a half-and-half dog. Shirokuro seems at least happy, and Ryouga has a dreamy half-smile on his face. Ranko looks down and kicks her feet. Another one happier without her. She'd hoped, somehow, that he'd be wandering and maybe, just maybe they could meet here and share the tent and make friends and then travel together.

What a vain, pointless hope, just like her life has become. What's even the point in trying anymore?

Shaking her head to clear the thoughts before they spiral, she stands on wobbly feet and makes her way to one of the train station restrooms to change into her school uniform and freshen her face.

On the floor she finds some coins and after looking around to check that no one else nearby had dropped them, she picks them up and counts them. Enough for some melon bread from the vending machine, at least. She can quell some of the tearing ache in her stomach for an hour or two at least.

She shudders to think of how much weight she's lost. The overalls don't fit quite properly anymore and she has to tie the ankles off tighter each day.

Sighing, she emerges from the bathroom and trudges to school, noting that since she's very early she can wash herself and her clothes in the locker room. Thank goodness for the Saotome Clothes Drying Technique, she ponders a moment, a rare (nowadays) smile flitting on and off her face.

Having taken the time to do so, though the hem of her dress is still wet, Ranko feels a little fresher, though it can't really compare to a nice soak in a furo. Or a bed. Or a meal. Or having a world that isn't a living nightmare come true where no one knows you and all you want to do is go home, but home doesn't exist anymore and…

The world greys as she leans against the wall, panting. She'd been having these attacks when her thoughts and emotions ran too long for a day or two now and they were already the most annoying thing ever. Straightening up, she makes her way to the classroom and sits down, pulling out her homework and starting to work on it.

The pages are a little damp, still, it looks like the pack isn't entirely waterproof. Still, the work is still legible, and she'll be damned if she lets her schooling slip while she's here.

"Oh, hey there Ranko-san."

Ranko looks up to see Akane and she schools her expression into a smile from the frown she's constantly had these past days. "Hello, Akane-san." She says softly.

"Early as always, I see." Akane says, sitting down and turning around on her chair, lounging back with one leg crossed over the other. Ranko's eyes travel along her exposed legs, toned and firm and- focus.

"Of course." Ranko says primly. "I thought you were still sparring in a morning?"

"I asked the guys to lay off a few days, get some rest. Got awful close to really hurting a couple the other day when they got slow so figured it's best let them have a break. And Kunou isn't here at this time. I'd bet that's partly why you're always early?"

"Partly." Ranko replies, noncommittal in tone. It wasn't, but it makes a good excuse. She doesn't want to have to hurt the boy, but she has a feeling that at some point push will come to shove and she'll have to demonstrate her considerable talent. At which point she might end up with a hentai horde all her own.

"Hey Ranko-san?" Akane sounds nervous, and Ranko looks over to see her looking unsure, and a little more like the Akane she knew before this nightmare began. "How are you f-finding Marimite?"

"Mari- oh, that manga?" Ranko smiles. "It's very nice. I like the romantic undertones."

"Oh, you picked up on those?"

Ranko actually giggles, a little red. "Of course. They're very sweet. I like Sei."

"Huh, I'd have thought you'd prefer Yumi or Shimako." Akane muses. Ranko shrugs.

"I um, I like people who are confident and strong. And she reminds me of… someone I used to know. My brother, I suppose."

Akane homes in on the tidbit of information. Ranko rarely surrenders such personal things. "Your brother?"

Ranko looks sad. "Y-yes. He's gone now." She mumbles, looking down.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ranko-san, I didn't mean to make you…"

"No, it's alright. I'm getting used to it. Actually, you remind me of him a bit, Akane-san. And I think you'd have liked him." She smiles.

Akane laughs. "Maybe, but only ever as a friend, Ranko-san."

"Why is that?"

"You haven't realised?" Ranko shakes her head and Akane laughs. "Wow, you're kind of oblivious, Ranko-san. I'm gay." Akane giggles. "So are Sayuri and Yuka, though I know you've seen those two being all kissyface."

Ranko blushes. "Oh, I see." She smiles. "I'm glad you're confident enough in yourself to be able to tell everyone."

Akane grins. "No point in lying, even if Mom insists on me bringing a nice girl home sometime to meet her." She laughs. "Anyway, that's why I wouldn't want your brother as anything more than a friend. He sounds nice though."

Ranko shifts. "Yes, I still miss him. Spending time with you is nice, it reminds me of being h- with him."

Akane raises an eyebrow. "Not too much I hope?"

"Oh no, you're very different, Akane-san, in several ways. But you both had this… spark of confidence in yourselves that I can't even begin to touch."

Akane blushes. She clears her throat. A few minutes of awkward silence go by until she breaks it. "Hey uh, R-Ranko-san?" She asks, sounding nervous again. Ranko looks over.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to… go out sometime?"

Ranko blinks. "Ah… Why not? Where to?"

Akane clears her throat again. "I uh… don't mean as friends."

"Not as… Oh." Ranko's eyes go wide. "Ohhhhh. I ah…" She plays with her fingers.

She wants to go on a date? With me? Why? Ranko's mind spins. She's not shy about her feelings. If I were still Ranma, this would be a dream come… But I'm not. But then… Her eyes widen. But then she wouldn't want Ranma, would she? And she's not the Akane I knew, she's… Her cheeks tinge pink. She's beautiful.

Akane sighs. "Never mind. Sorry to have bothered you with silly things…" She says morosely. Ranko shakes her head.

"N-no, I was just… surprised! I um…" She shrugs. "Why not? Certainly, Akane, I could go on a date with you."

Akane's face is a little red, and she smiles. "Great! I uh… tomorrow, perhaps, after school? It's a Saturday after all."

Ranko nods. "Okay. What will we do?"

"Let's… figure out after. We don't need to dress nice, since we'll be in our uniforms so it can be nice and casual. I'd like to get to know you a bit better."

Ranko blushes and nods. "Alright."

Akane grins, some of that self-confidence back now she's pushed past her nervousness. "Awesome. Thank you, Ranko-san. I hope we have a blast!"

Lunch comes soon enough, and Ranko accepts Akane's invitation to sit with her and her friends after she visits the vending machine for the melon bread.

Clutching it like a prize, Ranko soon makes her way to where Akane, Sayuri and Yuka sit, the latter two already engaged in a game of feeding one another.

Akane smiles as Ranko sits down with her usual ladylike precision and unwraps her melon bread. "Is that all you have today, Ranko-san?"

Ranko pauses with the bread halfway to her mouth. "Y-yes. I'm afraid I forgot my bentou again."

Akane doesn't scold her like usual, instead she laughs. "That's becoming a habit." She says, then brings out a box, handing it over. "It's a good thing I can cover you."

Ranko looks at the neatly wrapped box in her hands. "Wh-what?" She asks, looking at it.

"I made you lunch." Akane says, smiling. Ranko's heart quickens. Partly from fear as it's Akane's cooking, and partly through sheer shock of her friend doing this for her. At this point, the biting, clawing ache in her stomach means she'll even eat Akane cooking to stave it off. With relish, even.

Then again… this Akane isn't the same, maybe she's not as bad?

Ranko's eyes fill with tears a moment, and the other three pretend they don't see her wipe her eyes before she opens the box and sees inside. Curry, Akane's curry, the one dish she could always make. Croquettes, tamagoyaki, octopus sausage, rice, pickles. "Thank you." She says softly.

Akane smiles. "Wasn't all me, Yuka and Sayuri'll be the first to tell you I suck at cooking. I can just about make curry without turning it into some kind of radioactive goop."

"Hey, you're getting better!" Yuka admonishes. "It's mostly edible, you just don't think it is!"

"Yeah well, I live with Kasumi, Mom and Auntie. What do you think that's like for confidence in my cooking when I can still burn ramen?"

"That's a good point, you do live with scary good cooks." Yuka mumbles. "How are you so crap at cooking?"

"Beats me." Akane says, picking her chopsticks up and carrying on with her lunch.

Rank starts eating herself, the melon bread already gone. The curry is better than Akane's last one though to Ranko it tastes like the food of all the kami in the heavens. She savours every bite. She picks out the tamagoyaki and other food, noticing a combination of Kasumi and Akane's attempts, and a third person on some chicken pieces that must be her mother. Then she tries one of the croquettes.

The flavour is intense, and she stops a moment, wondering why it's so familiar. She's not even aware of the tears falling down her face as she eats one, then another, then another. These… These are her mother's croquettes. She can taste them, exactly the way Nodoka had made them for her the night before she made her wish.

Mother… Mother, I…

She finishes the last one, and again, finds herself not even sobbing, just tears falling down from her eyes to land in her now-empty bentou box. The other three girls look at each other again.

I want my Mama. The tears splash amongst the box as an ache stabs through Ranko's heart like a lance of fire. I want to go home.

"Ranko-san?" Akane asks, putting an arm about the girl and drawing her closer again. Ranko doesn't fight.

"It tasted like… like Mother's… And I… I…" Ranko says quietly. "I didn't deserve it."

Akane rubs her back soothingly. "Shh, shh. Of course you did. You've been lying to us about your lunches, haven't you?"

Ranko's head shoots up and she winces as a headache threatens to overwhelm her, but she looks back down and nods morosely. "…Y-yes."

"Why?"

Ranko doesn't answer. Her hands wring and twist around each other.

"Why did you lie to us, Ranko-chan?" Akane pauses but Ranko doesn't seem to notice the honorific, or doesn't care, so she keeps going. "We're your friends. We're going on a date tomorrow…"

Yuka and Sayuri look at each other and grin a moment.

"I-I was ashamed." Ranko says. "I don't deserve the help. I caused all this, I have to stand on my own."

Jibakurei.

"Ranko-chan, I've seen how thin you are. If you don't think you deserve it, you at least need it." Akane says, firmly. "That's it. While you're here, I'm bringing your lunch regardless of if you have one or not. You need to eat more anyway."

Ranko squirms. "B-but I…"

"No buts, Ranko-chan." Akane says firmly. Ranko squirms some more but acquiesces, finally.

Yuka and Sayuri look at each other, share a kiss, and then turn to the other two.

"So… You two going on a date huh?"

Ranko goes as red as her hair again, while Akane smiles victoriously.

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"She's back." Mousse says to Ryouga, who pauses in his sweeping.

"Who?"

"That girl." Mousse points subtly. "The one with red hair."

"So?"

"So, she comes by every now and again and just… stands there, watching us or the café."

Ryouga looks at the girl, who starts and looks away. "Huh." He says, scratching the side of his head. "Wonder why?"

"I think it's you." Mousse says. "Maybe she's got a crush?"

"Oho, a remnant, here?" Cologne's voice jars the two of them out of their musing as the elder joins them. "Oh, yes indeed children. She's definitely a remnant. Look at her chi."

"Elder?" Mousse asks.

"She's what's left after a wish negates her existence. Everything has a price. That being said…"

The old woman pogos across to the red-haired girl who starts.

Ranko eyes Cologne and once again feels that spike.

"Hello, child." She says, and Ranko bows.

"Greetings Honoured Elder of the Joketsuzoku." She says, respect in her voice. "I apologise for watching your shop. I was working the courage to speak with you. My name is Ranko and…"

"Ah, a respectful girl who knows my title. Might I assume you knew me in your previous life, Remnant?"

Ranko looks curious. "R-Remnant?"

"That's what you are, isn't it, hm?" Cologne asks, peering at the girl's blue eyes. "A leftover from another world where your wish took you away?"

Ranko shudders and wraps her arms about herself as if in pain. "Y-yes." She says.

"Well, Remnant," Cologne says, her voice soft. "Might I give you some advice?"

Ranko nods, looking at Cologne. Inside, the matriarch softens. This girl had to know her before if she expected wisdom from her. "Yes, Honoured Elder."

Cologne takes in a breath. "Leave." She says.

Ranko looks at her, shock on her face. "Wh-what?"

"Leave this place. There's nothing left for you here but memories that will haunt." She gives Ranko a direct stare. "For a Remnant, hanging around the places you existed in before will bring nothing but pain."

Ranko stares at Cologne a moment, a betrayed, hurt look on her face. But then, before she can say anything further or clarify what she means, the girl runs away from her and by the heavens she is fast.

"Find yourself a new place, Ranko the Remnant." Cologne mutters. But something inside her feels like she's made a mistake in not clarifying her meaning to that girl. "Feh." She mutters. "I'm not going to coddle some girl I don't know." She returns to the restaurant.

Ranko runs and runs until she can't run anymore, collapsing onto a bench somewhere in Nerima.

Pain.

All she does is bring pain.

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I feel you outside

At the edge of my life

I see you walk by

At the edge of my sight

Cologne you dumb old woman, don't try to put things in all 'martial arts master mystery' ways if you don't know how your pupil will interpret the information

Let's talk roller-coasters. There's a theme park not too far from where I live called Alton Towers. In that park (at least I assume it's still there, it's been fifteen years since last time I went) there's a roller-coaster named "Oblivion".

This roller-coaster has a moment where the car just sort-of... Hangs, over the vertical drop into a dark tunnel.

In this fanfic, this is that moment. That breath before the darkness. That hanging moment before the plunge.