"Of Loss, Life, & Love"
Chapter 2
A Ranma 1/2 Fanfic by Luna12


Ranma watched the suffering girl before him. "Akane, I'm ..." his mouth went dry. What do you say to a person whose beloved father had just passed on? What could he say? He felt partially in shock himself. He knew he had to say something, give some type of comfort, but he felt as if his tongue were made out of clay.

Akane turned her back on Ranma -- and the truth that had smacked her hard in the face -- and ran down the hall, eagerly wanting to escape the reality she found herself in.

He was gone. She hadn't been able to say goodbye. He was gone and she hadn't said goodbye.

She ran until she reached the end of the corridor. The pristine white wall mocked her pain and she kicked it. Repeatedly. The loud thud each collision made was only a distant sound to her ears. Akane felt utterly disgusted with herself. She had been outside, peacefully sleeping and enjoying the night sky, while her father died.

"Akane?"

He was several feet behind her, knowing better than to be directly within arms reach of his temperamental fiancée, but not willing to leave her, either.

For a moment she felt her temper change target. She wanted to scream and yell and hit at him. He dragged her out of the hospital. He took her away from her father; her family. And because of that, she didn't get to say goodbye.

Her head whipped around to accuse him, eyes blazing with anger. In an unexpected instant the heat she felt evaporated. Ranma was standing there looking equally miserable, if that was even possible. His normally cocky head hung low, his shoulders hunched over. Ranma had never experienced death so closely before and it was clearly affecting him. The hateful words caught in her throat.

"I'm sorry, Akane. You can be mad at me, if you want." His once cheeky voice came out low, hesitant and unsure.

Akane shook her head, feeling deflated at the sight of Ranma's thoroughly miserable face. "You...you didn't force me to take a break, or to actually enjoy myself, Ranma. I-I want to blame you, but -- but I know it's my own damn fault!" She kicked the wall again. At this point the entire side was lined with cracks that reached the ceiling.

"Hey! What do you mean it's your fault?"

Akane was staring intently at her sneakers. "I should've been here."

Ranma didn't know what to say to that. "At least you're here now..."

Akane made a sound in the back of her throat halfway between a laugh and a sob.

"What good does that do now?" Her voice cracked from the combination of hopelessness and guilt.

He thought for a moment before answering firmly. "Your sisters."

She remembered the image of Kasumi-- the joy of the family, sobbing-- and Nabiki, who prided herself on her emotional control, openly crying genuine tears. She opened her mouth and this time her voice was whisper quiet, but firm. "You're right, Ranma." Akane let out a deep breath and looked back up from the ground. "I'm here now. Might as well make some use of myself, ne?" Her voice was bitter and her velvet brown eyes shone with tears she refused to shed.

Ranma watched as Akane straightened her back and marched purposely back towards the waiting area to her sisters, admiring her inner strength more than he ever had before.

- - - - - - - - - - - FLASHBACK - - - - - - 7 days earlier - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Tendo Soun watched attentively from outside the dojo window. The figure leaped and lunged and smoothly moved from kata to kata, dueling a shadow on the wall.

His daughter had the gift. He remembered how foolish he had been years ago, worried that he had no sons and therefore (he had thought) no heirs to his precious Art. It was his youngest daughter, his baby girl, who proved him wrong. She was as good as any son. He knew she still had much to learn, but the potential and innate talent was clearly there.

Akane was not the best martial artist in the world, and no longer even the best in Nerima. His best friend's son, Ranma, was proof of that, but as the saying goes, there is always somebody better -- and the important thing to realize was that his Akane wasn't too far behind them. Long before the Saotome heir had entered their lives, Akane had been winning local martial arts tournaments for years. It was with more than a little pride that Soun remembered how his baby girl single handily defeated a horde of high school male athletes each morning.

Soun knew that as much skill as Akane currently possessed, she had much more to go. Their encounter with the enchanted do-gi had taught them all that. If she ever reached her true potential, as the do-gi had shown, she would be even better than Ranma was currently. As he watched her move in the dojo, it hit him how much he never taught her. He had lost all passion for teaching after his wife had passed, but seeing Akane skillfully move across the dojo... he felt compelled to at least teach her something.

As the sliding doors opened behind her, Akane stopped halfway through her kata to turn around and meet her guest. She smiled when she saw him. "Anything the matter, Daddy?"

Soun repressed the urge to smile back. He was here to teach, to pass on his legacy.

"I realized I have not done my duty as your former sensei."

Her right eyebrow rose in question, but she knew better than to interrupt her father when he used his "teacher voice". She hadn't heard him sound this serious in years.

He cleared his throat and continued. "There is an advanced kata, a perfect blending of adaptable defense and attack, known only in the Tendo-Ryuu. Are you ready to learn it?"

Akane's eyes shinned with eager enthusiasm. "Hai, sensei."

Soun allowed himself a small smile.

The main advantage of Makubetsu Kakuto Ryuu was that it was entirely unpredictable. Its very nature was to constantly change and adapt to do "anything that goes". This particular kata, the henkan-henkou, naturally masked the artist's moves. The actions were horribly complicated and combined from a dozen different styles, then strung together in such a unique way that it was impossible to perform it the same way twice. It had taken him years to develop the technique, and he had never shown it to a living soul -- even Genma Saotome-kun.

"Watch," he commanded.

Soun executed the henkan-henkou, and his body became a swirl of punches and kicks. He felt his muscles protest and ache, reminding him of his age and how long he had been out of practice. A trickle of sweat came down his brow and he cursed himself. There was a time when this was a simple exercise and not the intensive effort it took him now.

Akane's eyes were wide as she watched. She knew her father's moves and style well and she prided herself on being able to read the moves of her opponent. Although Ranma was always frustratingly too fast for her, she at least (usually) knew what his next move was going to be she just wasn't able to react fast enough for it to matter. Although her father wasn't moving as quickly as Ranma, his movements were both entirely unpredictable and yet still fluid.

He stopped, unexpectedly to Akane's eyes, and looked at his daughter-student. "That is the henkan-henkou. Now, repeat what I did."

Akane's eyes widened. She had no idea what her father had done. How in the world was she supposed to duplicate it?

Akane took a deep breath and began.

"Stop!" She had only just started and he was already stopping her. She let out a long breath of disappointment mingled with frustration.

Her sensei remained patient but firm. "Watch me again and then tell me what you see."

She nodded and studied the impressive display of agility, strength and art. It seemed as if it was a completely different technique! No two moves were the same. The only thing in common was that his movements appeared just as wild and unpredictable. No, wild was not the right word. It only appeared wild on the surface, but under careful scrutiny it was clear her father was in complete control of his actions.

Again, he halted without apparent warning while remaining perfectly balanced in his stance.

"Report," he commanded.

Akane wracked her brain for an answer. There had to be some underlying theme. She replayed both demonstrations in her mind, all too aware of the stern gaze demanding a reply. Suddenly, like a magic-eye poster, the true image came to her.

"Your attacks are not like the Saotome-Ryu -- which is based on speed, or being aerial," she began. Soun nodded his encouragement and she continued. "Henkan-henkou relies on the Tendo style -- flexibility and strength. The real trick is that you never make the same move twice. Every part of your body shifts and is never stationary. You're usually halfway through one kata and then you switch to a completely different one. You never complete a full move, so it feels as if you're feinting an attack when in reality you're not. You're just picking and choosing parts of a kata to perform at any time at will -- or inspiration?"

A larger smile broke through Soun's controlled face. He never was good at controlling his emotions. "You understand the theory. Now, put it in practice. Show me."

Hopeful and determined, Akane began anew. Within moments she felt her father's strong arms blocking her every move. He was actually sparring with her? 'Well, not quite,' she admitted to herself. He was only blocking and not attacking.

"You're communicating your moves! Again."

They continued in a strange and beautiful dance. Akane jumped, punched, and kicked through motions that soon became unreadable, despite the fact that her speed had remained the same. She was starting to land some blows and her father disengaged himself from the dance, becoming spectator instead of participant.

Soun breathed heavily as he watched his student with bursting fatherly pride. She had it. Granted, it was not a perfect execution of the henkan-henkou. Her movements were a little clumsy and not as fluid as his but he knew the grace would come with time and practice. Akane had already learned in a few hours what took him years to develop.

Soun, still feeling out of breath and a tightness in his chest, felt his left arm tingle with virtual pins and needles. He ignored it as he watched his student.

"Are you feeling alright, Dad?" Akane had stopped, looking at her father with concern. Soun's face was turning pale and his breathing was coming in rapid short breaths. Her father's face scrunched in pricked pride and he tried to laugh it off. "Of course I am. I may not be the age I used to be, but I'm still fit as a fiddle! Let me see the henkan-henkou again."

Akane executed the technique, pleased with herself. She finally felt more comfortable with the oddness of breaking set rhythms. She turned around to see if her sensei approved, but he was no longer standing there.

"Dad?"

As if in slow motion, Soun felt himself fall to the floor. His vision swam and the heaviness in his chest exploded in a burst of pain. He could vaguely hear his little Akane scream his name before he knew no more.


Author's Note:

I know nothing about martial arts. I apologize for talking out of my a$$. Then again, Takahashi also made up completely fictitious moves, so maybe my cruddy explanation isn't too bad.

Many, many thanks to my original beta-reader, Sabrina-Neo.