Hero Needed
By Kanne80
Disclaimer: Ranma and all characters from the Ranma1/2 series are the sole property of the Queen of Anime Rumiko Takahashi
Chapter 4: A Quiet Warning
The touchdown in Vancouver was a smooth one as they coasted into the terminal. The rental clerk at the counter handed the keys to a sleek town car and a large manila envelope to Nabiki. "Here you go ma'am, I hope everything is to your liking."
"Thank you Hiro. I'll probably keep it for at least a month this time. Is this the package from Erica?"
"Yes ma'am."
"Good."
As they got into the car Ranma again let out a low whistle. "Wow, you really don't do anything by halves."
"No, I like my numbers evenly rounded up. Here this is for you." She handed him the envelope then continued, "It's all the latest information we've been able to scrounge up on Ryoga. As you can imagine it's mostly a list of places he's been to. Unfortunately he seems to prefer cash so it can be a bit tricky tracking him at times. The tape from the attack is also in there. You can review it later. As of right now I am unaware of any new attacks he has mastered, but that's why I brought you in, you seem to be the only one who can survive his attacks and find counters to them. We'll stop at the hotel first so you can drop your things off and we can order you some clothes. Then I'll show you where the bookstore is and where Akane lives now… then we can go to the hospital. It's been a long couple of days since I've been staying at the hospital and I need a break, but more than that I need to make sure Akane is OK. Kasumi should be with her. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to see you. Oh yeah, there should be a cell phone in there too. Keep it with you, if anything happens I want to be able to talk to you right away and if you need to get a hold of me or need anything my private number is on speed dial. Do you think you will need a car?"
"Probably not, roof hopping is usually faster and definitely quieter."
"Do you have any questions?
"Why am I not staying at the hospital?"
"I suppose you will, but I figure it won't hurt for you to have a room, somewhere to put your things and take a shower, you know, that kind of thing. Your room is on the same floor as mine. Kasumi and Tofu are also on that floor, just down the hall. The Nekonron team has rooms on that floor and the one below it."
After stopping briefly at the hotel they passed Akane's apartment and stopped at the bookstore. The yellow tape on the door designated the area as a crime scene still. Peeking through the window Ranma surveyed the store not so much studying what had happened there as looking at the place that Akane had chosen to call home. He kept his face as expressionless as possible as memories flooded through him, first from the box of pictures earlier and now this. He hadn't seen her in six years yet he could see hints of her in the orderly displays and brightly colored murals as well as the cute garden boxes in the windows and cozy furniture.
The rest of the drive to Hannah Williams Hospital was quiet as they each reverted to their own thoughts. Nabiki was concentrating on her to do list to keep from thinking too much about Ryoga. Ranma was still traveling memory lane.
As they entered the grounds to the hospital they met the diminutive Ebiten atop Jasmine as he inspected incoming traffic. When they entered the hospital they were greeted first by a harried nurse who pointed to a sign that plainly stated that visiting hours were for family only and had ended the hour prior. Nabiki shot the nurse a glare then said, "We are family. We are going to room 612." "Oh, go right ahead Miss Tendo I was told you were coming."
Minutes later they stepped off the elevator and were met with Wu and Bishamonten standing guard. Together they were a very intimidating looking team to anyone who didn't know them. They greeted Ranma warmly, happy to see him after so much time. Bishamonten then reported to Nabiki that Monlon was in the room with Kasumi and Lychee, while Daihakusei and Daikokusei were patrolling the grounds outside. Prince Kirin had elected himself as the doctor's guard and Ebiten was with Jasmine at the gate as a first defense against an attack from Ryoga.
Bishamonten opened the door for them and Nabiki entered first. Inside the room Monlon sat near the window watching Daihakusei and Daikokusei patrol the grounds. Kasumi and Lychee sat to each side of Akane watching for any signs of her waking. On seeing them enter Kasumi stood and hugged her sister. Then she turned to Ranma and bowed, "Thank you for coming Ranma." Ranma returned her bow and said, "I could do nothing less. I will do my best to stop Ryoga." Though his tone was formal and his etiquette was much improved none of the ladies in the room missed the longing look that crossed Ranma's face when his gaze swept over Akane. Kasumi made eye contact with the other females in the room and one by one they filed out. When just the sisters remained she said, "I know you will Ranma. It's good to see you again. I only wish the circumstances were better."
"Yeah, me too. It's good to see you too Kasumi."
"Ranma, I was wondering if you could take the watch for a while? Monlon has been here all day and I promised to help the kitchen staff for diner since there are so many more people here than usual."
He grinned at her and said, "Gladly if you are cooking. I've missed your diners."
"I'll make sure to bring up extra for you."
"Thank you."
When Kasumi left the room she pulled Nabiki out with her. "Nabiki, I want you to leave them alone for a while. Even if she isn't awake right now I think he needs it. Do I make myself clear."
Nabiki stared at her sister in shock, then composed herself. "Of course I understand… I wasn't even thinking of intruding. I need to sleep for a little bit. Besides, Wu and Bishamonten will do a good job of ensuring no one disturbs them."
"OK then. Well, I think there are clean linens in the room next door, I know Lychee is on one of the beds. You take the other for now." As Kasumi walked away she mused aloud the same thought Nabiki was contemplating, "Maybe Ranma can bring her out of her coma. He's called her back from the dead before… maybe he can again."
Left alone Ranma slowly approached Akane's bed. He twined his long calloused fingers with her smaller ones. Absently he noted how soft and smooth her hands had become. He bent forward slightly and brushed her bangs away from her forehead then gently ran a finger along the line of her jaw and his thumb lightly over her lips. When he finally spoke it was a whisper that barely moved the hair next to her ear. "Akane, it's me, Ranma… Please wake up. Your sisters need you… I… I'm sorry I wasn't here to protect you. I will find and stop him. I'm not really sure your sisters realize it, but from the sounds of it Ryoga might come after them too. You know I've… missed you. I miss being friends. I mean we did have fun sometimes, didn't we? And it was easier when it was just us… don't you think? Can you hear me? Please come back. I should have told you about Ryoga… I'm sorry… I'm such an idiot. None of this would have happened if I had just told you… please Akane, come back."
Ranma sat down in the chair Kasumi had vacated and leaned his head next to Akane's to watch her breathe. He continued to talk to her aloud though he didn't believe she could hear him. "So, do you like it here? Did you want to stay here when this is over, or will you want to go back to Nerima? Maybe you could come with me… but you gotta wake up… You know I used to check on you while you were sleeping… just to make sure you hadn't been kidnapped or anything… It helped me get to sleep at night… You wouldn't believe how much sleep I've lost worrying about whether you were ok or not." He leaned over a little farther and brought her hand to his lips. "Please come back."
Ranma combed his fingers through her long hair. "Wow, the last time I saw you with hair this long was back when I thought he still was mad about that stupid bread feud… I didn't know he had followed me to Jusenkyo. That was before you took him in."
Akane's eyes slipped open a little and she cringed away from the brightness of the late afternoon sun streaming into the room. Her quick intake of breath instantly got Ranma's attention and he was suddenly hovering over her. She closed her eyes again and slowly opened them to adjust to the light. She tried to speak but all that came out was a reedy whisper "R-Ranma?" Ranma helped her to sit up and brought a cup with a straw to her lips. "Here drink this." Parched she didn't hesitate to take the drink. When he saw that she wasn't drinking anymore he took the glass away. "Here, give me a sec… let me call the doctor and your sisters, they will be thrilled to know you are awake." When he looked back from the open door he saw her looking at the room with a perplexed expression. "Where am I? What happened?"
"You are in a hospital… and Ryoga is what happened…"
The sudden caged look in her eyes was enough to let him know that she remembered. And a moment later when tears started to leak past her attempt to look strong Ranma was at her side pulling her into a comforting hug, as he made soft calming sounds to soothe away her tears. Kasumi rushed forward and pulled the two younger adults into a stronger hug. Nabiki followed her in and settled for clasping Akane's hand in her own like a lifeline. That was how Dr Kwan, Dr Tofu and Prince Kirin found them minutes later when they entered the room.
After a space of time, when the tears died down, Dr Kwan broke the hug so he could assess Akane's condition. All the monitors appeared to be normal but he wanted to keep her under observation in case of possible brain damage. Before he left he called for a nurse to bring up some soup for Akane. Then he took Dr Tofu with him to discuss Akane's current state. Kirin expressed his well wishes and followed the doctors out of the room as his wife pushed past him into the room.
Nabiki watched Akane carefully for a few minutes before speaking. "Akane, we need to let the police now that you have woken up. Do you think you can answer any questions they might have? Or do you want me to wait to call Detective Oneha in the morning?"
Akane's hand tightened almost imperceptibly in Nabiki's. "Has Ryoga been captured yet?"
"No."
"Then bring them in, the sooner he's stopped the better… Akari and the other girls… I think he might have hurt them…" Fresh tears slid down her cheeks as she remembered what Ryoga had said about taking everyone to see Akari and then hunting down Ranma. Nabiki immediately dialed the detective's number.
Nearly forty minutes later when the sun had sunk behind the horizon Detective Oneha and a young officer entered the room. They asked questions and took notes as Akane confirmed what was said on the tape. Before leaving they informed Nabiki that a team had been sent to the Unryuu Farm with a warrant to search for the missing girls. Nabiki thanked them for coming and walked them to the door before turning back and re-entering Akane's room.
"Akane, they are on their way to Akari's farm right now, so we should know soon where the girls are."
Dr Tofu walked in shortly after the detectives had left and took up the seat next to Kasumi who was again seated to Akane's left. Nabiki and Lychee sat to her right while Monlon was once again keeping a vigilant eye on the window. Ranma who had stayed to hear the full interview sat at the foot of her bed with his head hung low in guilt. A couple moments of silence passed and finally Akane spoke again. "Ranma… I don't know if he found more of that soap or what he did to lock the curse but he didn't change when I threw the water on him… and I don't think he was even remotely lost… do you remember how he used to wander away whenever he took his attention off of something… he knew exactly where the store was… and I think he's known for a while…Ranma, I think he's serious about killing you this time…"
