** I do not own Ranma 1/2. That masterpiece is the property of Rumiko Takahashi.**
Ranma sat nervously across from Dr. Sato, the psychiatrist his mother insisted he visit. Ranma felt violated by the way Dr. Sato was inspecting him and writing in his notepad. The room looked comfortable and clinical at the same time. There were some bizarre paintings on one wall and a series of diplomas on another.
"Don't be nervous, Ranma. I'm not here to judge you, only to help. Why don't you tell me what's been going on in your own words." Dr. Sato started.
"Well, I guess I've been having panic attacks, some nightmares and acting out lately," Ranma explained.
"Why do you think you are experiencing these panic attacks and nightmares?" Dr. Sato asked. He has already heard Mrs. Saotome's version, but wanted to hear from Ranma.
Ranma's hands were fidgeting as he looked away from the doctor. "I was recently in China. When I was there, I had to save Akane, the girl I'm supposed to marry to join the two family schools, from.. the Prince of Mount Phoenix who is a God-like creature. Twice I thought she died- once by her trying to save me and her body being dehydrated from all its water, then again when I thought I didn't save her from that state in time and her eyes closed. I ended up defeating the guy, killing his adult form and causing him to be reborn. I don't know. I just feel like I'm going crazy and everyone's freaking out about me." Ranma didn't look at the doctor once through his explanation.
"You believe these panic attacks and nightmares are happening because of this traumatic event?" Dr. Sato asked.
"Well, that's what I'm seeing in my dreams and panic attacks. It's like I'm reliving it all the time." Ranma confessed.
Dr. Sato looked thoughtful. "Is there anything else bothering you?"
Ranma blinked. "I guess.. I'm scared. Akane was kidnapped and used against me in this battle. She wasn't even supposed to be there. I thought I wasn't able to save her. I'm scared that if I marry her, then these crazy things will keep happening and one day I won't be able to save her and she will die." Ranma sunk into his chair.
"That's a pretty heavy burden to carry. You clearly care about this girl a great deal." Dr. Sato sympathized.
"Akane and I are the heirs to the Anything Goes School of Martial Arts. It's expected that we marry to join our two family's versions into one to secure the legacy." Ranma explained.
"That's a lot of pressure. How have you been coping with all this?" Dr. Sato asked.
"Not well, apparently. I'm being a jerk to Akane. I started drinking. I did meet someone a few days ago that I have been able to talk to and she's helped me feel a lot better. Problem is, I seem to get myself into trouble when she's around." Ranma answered.
"I see. Tell me about your childhood." Dr. Sato continued writing in his notepad.
"Well, my dad took me away from my mother when I was 2 years old to go on a very long training journey. My dad put me through some relentless martial arts training for my entire life. I didn't see my mom again until a couple months ago. To be honest, I didn't really have a childhood. Not a normal one anyway." Ranma explained. Man, I hate this.
Dr. Sato sat across from the Saotome family after Ranma's appointment.
"It was a good thing you called, Mrs. Saotome. I believe Ranma is suffering from CPTSD or Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Ranma exhibits symptoms related to this disorder and has the history of childhood trauma paired with a recent significantly traumatic event. This disorder can cause difficulty controlling emotions, trouble keeping healthy relationships, intense flashbacks and nightmares, and is very well known to lead to substance abuse and even suicidal thoughts." Dr. Sato handed Ranma's parents a booklet. "I'd like you to read about this condition thoroughly so you can support Ranma in his treatment. I am going to recommend a series of medication and therapy for Ranma starting as soon as possible. Please watch Ranma closely, as medication can be trial and error and could make things worse if not the right dose or medication. I want to see Ranma back once a week until he is in a more stable condition."
Ranma looked at his parents. His father looked confused while his mother was listening and taking in everything the doctor said. Medication? Therapy? Do I get a choice?
"Ranma, it is highly recommended that you do not drink alcohol while taking the medication I am going to prescribe. Alcohol can have some negative effects when mixed with the medication." Dr. Sato gave him a stern look.
Ranma nodded slowly. He felt defeated.
Dr. Sato handed the prescription to Nodoka then turned to look at Ranma, "Ranma, this medication will make you feel tired and sluggish at first, but it will pass. If you have any suicidal thoughts, I want you to let me know right away. This may feel like a lot right now, but I promise things will get better."
Ranma smiled weakly at the doctor.
"Thank you, Dr. Sato," Nodoka bowed to the doctor.
Ranma followed his parents in the door of the Tendo household, head down.
Nodoka walked into the kitchen to grab some water for Ranma. Ranma walked onto the back porch overlooking the koi pond where Akane, Ryoga and Ukyo were all sitting, quietly waiting for Ranma to return.
"Hey, how did it go?" Akane asked.
"I don't really want to talk about it," Ranma answered.
Nodoka came out with a pill and a glass of water for Ranma. Ranma sighed, "Thanks, Mom." Ranma took the pill. Nodoka smiled at her son and put her hand up to his cheek. "We will have to talk to everyone about what's going on soon. I love you, son."
"Love you, too, Mom." Ranma half smiled back as Nodoka turned to go back inside.
Akane, Ryoga, and Ukyo just watched quietly.
"Ran-chan, just tell me you're going to be okay," Ukyo pleaded.
"I'm fine, Ukyo." Ranma insisted.
Just then, the telephone rang. Akane looked at Ranma, "She's called a hundred times already."
"I'll go answer it then." Ranma walked inside and picked up the phone. "Hello, Tendo residence."
"Ranma?! Are you okay?! What happened? I've been so worried." Miyuki cried from the other end of the phone.
"I'm okay. I can't really talk too much. I'm being highly supervised at the moment. I'm not allowed to go out by myself for a while, either. My mom is freaking out." Ranma explained.
"Why? What is she freaking out about?" Miyuki asked.
Ranma looked around to make sure no one was in ear shot, "Well, last night for starters. I got in pretty big trouble for that. The doctor said I have CPTSD. Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. I won't be able to drink with you while I'm on this medication they prescribed to help, he says, and I may feel crappy for a bit while I get used to it." Ranma sighed.
"CPTSD? Oh my gosh. I'm coming over!" Miyuki announced.
"No, Miyuki. Not tonight. It's been a really long day and, as much as I'd like to see you, I'm going to go to bed soon." Ranma stopped her.
"I miss you and want to be there for you," Miyuki insisted.
"And I appreciate you so much for that. I promise I will find a way to see you tomorrow. Deal?" Ranma asked.
"I suppose so. I'm going to worry about you all night, but I guess it makes sense. I will see you tomorrow! Goodnight and sweet dreams, handsome." Miyuki ended the call.
Ranma went back out to the back porch to sit with his friends. "Hey guys." He sat down. "I just want to say I'm sorry about how I've been acting. I've been a real idiot. Even after talking to the doctor, I still don't really understand. I promise I'll tell you guys what's going on tomorrow. It's just.. a lot to take in right now. I promise I'm going to be okay, though." He smiled at the group.
"You're smiling! That's a great start!" Akane felt overwhelmed with relief.
"Don't you ever scare us like that again, Ran-chan!" Ukyo joked, slapping Ranma lightly on the arm.
"If I ever have to rescue you from a drunken stupor again, I'm going to clobber you," Ryoga said sternly.
Ranma lightly chuckled, "Thanks guys."
The next day, Ranma woke up feeling very tired. He felt an almost fuzzy sensation that seemed to be wrapping itself around his body. Despite this, Ranma used all his strength to get up and find the little bit of freedom that going to school would give him. His mother was smothering him with her good intentions.
Throughout the school day, Ranma found himself drifting off to sleep during lectures, fighting this new state of being. It was still worth it to be out of the house for a while. So tired.
Ukyo found Akane at lunch. "How are you doing? Seems like he's turning a corner after yesterday." Ukyo asked Akane.
Akane smiled at Ukyo. "I'm alright. They haven't told us what's going on yet, but they promised they would after school. I guess Ranma needed some time to process. Honestly, I'm a little nervous."
Ukyo nodded. "I just hope things start getting better for him. Even Ryoga has stuck around. I know they are friends, but they are also rivals."
"I wonder what happened to Akari?" Akane pondered.
"She's back at her farm, raising her sumo pigs." Ukyo mused.
Akane giggled. "She was really nice, though. They made a really cute couple."
"I wonder if they are still together," Ukyo pondered.
Akane smirked, "Why? Are you interested?"
Ukyo blushed profusely. "Well, not if he's dating someone else!"
Akane giggled. "I could see it. You'd make a cute couple, too."
Ukyo giggled, too. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves."
They sat quietly for a few moments, taking in the scene of the school field under the warm sun.
"Hey Akane?" Ukyo asked.
"I'm really happy you forgave me. I really like having you as a friend." Ukyo smiled.
"Me too." Akane smiled back. "It's also nice to have someone who understands Ranma around right now. This has been hard on everyone. I went through a lot at Jusendo, too, but I guess my experience was very different than his."
Ukyo nodded. "I'll be here for you both, as long as you need me."
"Oh, my." Kasumi expressed after hearing the explanation from Mr. and Mrs. Saotome.
"So, if he has CPTSD, how do we all help him?" Akane asked at the family meeting held after school.
Ranma sat off to the far side of the group, looking very uncomfortable with the entire subject of the meeting.
"We are all going to have to be on the same page about his treatment while he battles this," Nodoka explained.
Soun Tendo had tears pouring down his face. "The heir to the Anything Goes School needs to be healthy in mind and body. We will help anyway we can. It's the least we can do for saving my little girl."
"Right now, we can just be understanding and supportive," Nodoka looked to Akane and Nabiki, "and don't let him anywhere near alcohol. It can interfere with the medication he will be on for the time being."
"Ugh, Mom. Come on. This is embarrassing. No one has to babysit me. I won't drink, promise." Ranma shifted in his seat.
"Sorry, son. This is serious. We can't take any chances." Nodoka explained.
"Doesn't make it any less humiliating," Ranma sulked.
Genma smacked his son on the back, "Just think of this as training, my boy! Another challenge to defeat!"
"You're an idiot, Pop." Ranma sighed.
Nodoka gave her husband a sharp look. "No training or sparring for a few days, either, Husband. He needs time to adjust to his medication." Genma started to protest, then stopped as Nodoka's eyes narrowed. She then looked back to the group and smiled."I think we can conclude this meeting and let Ranma recover from all this love and concern." She winked at her son.
"Can I go out now?" Ranma asked.
"No. As I said before, you are to bring someone from the family with you every time you leave the house for the next two weeks." Nodoka crossed her arms.
Ranma looked to the Tendo sisters, "Any takers?" All three sisters shook their heads no. Ranma sighed, "that's what I figured."
Akane approached Ranma, who was now relaxing watching TV. She sat down next to him.
"Hi." She said.
"Hi." He responded.
They sat in silence for a few minutes.
"How are you feeling?" Akane asked.
"I wish people would stop asking me that. Embarrassed, anxious, awful?" Ranma answered.
"Sorry. We haven't had a real conversation since the day of the wedding. It's a little awkward now." Akane apologized.
"Sorry. That's my fault. I still have a lot of things to work out. You're part of it." Ranma admitted.
"Me? What about me?" Akane asked.
"Lots of things. You getting kidnapped again, my ability to keep saving you, this engagement.. " Ranma trailed off.
"You don't always have to save me, Ranma. I'm a martial artist, too. I can save myself sometimes." Akane reassured him.
Ranma smiled weakly. "I know. What happened with Saffron really scared me. Thinking you were gone and I would never see you again.. it broke my heart and shattered my world," Ranma blushed.
Akane smiled reassuringly. "Ranma, I'm okay. I'm going to keep being okay. I am not going back to Jusenkyo and especially not Jusendo. I don't care how many Pheonix People show up to try and take me- it's not happening."
Ranma looked at Akane, "Maybe not, now that Saffron is just now reborn. What about the next crazy villain that turns up? There always seems to be something. I'm a chaos magnet. What if I'm not the hero everyone expects me to be?" Ranma closed his eyes.
Akane blinked then reached over and hugged Ranma, who was stunned. "Ranma, you're a good man who tries hard to protect those he cares about- and that's what truly matters."
Ranma felt the instinct to pull away, but stopped himself. I don't need to keep doing this to her. He returned the hug. I need to sort this all out as soon as possible. None of this is fair to Akane.
Later that evening, there was a loud knocking at the door.
"I'll get it!" Nabiki called to the others. Man, whoever is there has no patience. Nabiki opened the door. "Hello. Can I help you?"
"Is Ranma home?" Miyuki looked frantic.
"Yep," Nabiki looked the girl up and down, "somewhere. Come in." Nabiki turned while Miyuki followed her.
Nabiki walked into the living room. "Akane, do you know where Ranma is? He has a visitor," she asked.
"What?" Akane looked over and saw Miyuki, "Oh. Hi Miyuki. I think he's in his room."
Nabiki smiled at Miyuki, "So, you're Miyuki. I've heard your name a few times recently. I'll show you where his room is." Nabiki led Miyuki to Ranma's room. "Here it is. I'm going over to my own room, so I'll leave you to it!"
Miyuki watched Nabiki disappear into her own room before turning back to Ranma's door and knocking lightly.
"Come in," was the quiet reply.
Miyuki smiled to herself and slowly opened the door. "Ranma?"
"Miyuki? What are you doing here?" Ranma sat up on his elbows, as he was laying on his futon reading a manga.
Miyuki fought back tears and ran to Ranma's side, hugging him. "You said you would see me today and I couldn't wait any longer. I had to see for myself that you were okay!"
"I'm sorry, Miyuki. I tried, but I couldn't get out. I'm really okay. You didn't have to come all the way down here." Ranma reassured her, returning her hug.
"I know. I just needed to see for myself. I missed you so much." Miyuki started to cry.
"Oh, Miyuki," Ranma stroked her back, trynig to calm her down. Why is she so upset? We've only known each other a few days. How can she miss me so much in a day and a half? "Listen, I'll talk to Akane and see if we can set up a time to go out, all three of us. I'll call you and let you know when. Is that okay with you?" he asked.
"I guess so. I don't want to get you in more trouble." she sniffed, digging her face into Ranma's chest, "Can I just stay here with you for a while?"
"Sure." Ranma smiled, "I think I'd like that."
Akane knocked lightly on Ranma's door to call him for dinner. After a few moments of no response, she gently pushed the door open to reveal Ranma and Miyuki laying in his futon sound asleep. There didn't appear to be anything sexual going on. The scene looked purely innocent. Does she really care about Ranma? She barely even knows him.
Akane approached the futon quietly before reaching out and gently shaking Ranma's leg.
Ranma groaned, but didn't wake up. Akane tried again. Ranma groaned louder, then looked up at Akane. "Akane?"
"Kasumi says it's time for dinner. Should I tell her you will be down later?" Akane asked.
Ranma looked around, then down at Miyuki, taking in the situation. "Oh, we must have falled asleep. We were just talking. I'm so tired, though, and definitely not hungry right now. Can you please let them know that I promise I will eat something a little later? I know they will make sure."
Akane smiled at him. "Sure." Akane's eyes lowered. "Will.. she be going home soon?"
Ranma frowned. "Let her sleep a little longer. I will send her home soon. I promise nothing happened here, Akane."
Akane nodded. "I can tell. However, Ranma?" He looked at her, "You still have another girl in your bed. Innocent or not, it's not proper. We are engaged and you are in my family's home."
"I know. It wasn't really how I expected our chat to go. I'm sorry. I think Miyuki and I need to have a really good talk about all this soon. I'm just not feeling up to it quite yet. Honestly, she was just really upset and I was just trying to calm her down." Ranma explained.
Akane sighed. "I think we may need to have a pretty big chat about this soon, also." Akane got up to leave. "I'm not going to go through this this engagement if you're going to be in a relationship with someone else. This isn't just a little fling anymore, Ranma. It's quite obvious to everyone you are both getting attached to each other."
"Okay, Akane. When I'm feeling a little better, I promise we will have a real talk, too." Ranma declared.
"Good. I guess it's a good thing our wedding was ambushed. You are clearly not ready for a commitment of marriage to anyone right now. Also, I wouldn't let our parents see her in your bed, either, unless you want to cause a big scene." Akane reminded before leaving his room.
Ranma looked down at Miyuki. He knew Akane was right about everything. He wiped a few strands of hair from Miyuki's face then gently shook her shoulder. She didn't budge. Ranma sighed. A little longer won't hurt anyone. I'm so tired. He rested his head back down on his pillow and quickly drifted back to sleep.