HELP (LESS)
"Here you are, Ranma."
Dr. Tofu handed him out two documents : the first one was a prescription for several vitamins of the B group, magnesium and iron, all of which were crucial trace elements for memory support; the second one was a list of nutrients that also help maintain a good memory level, such as fish – tuna, mackerel, herring -, all kinds of nuts, linseed oil, rapeseed oil.
Akane leaned forward to read them as well.
"In addition to that diet and those vitamins, you should also train your memory with specific exercises. I will lend you a book that contains such exercises, and you should try to practice them every day, if possible in the morning and evening. You could get up a little earlier and spend a moment on it, before breakfast."
"Thanks, Doc. Thanks a lot for your help !" warmly exclaimed Ranma.
"Yes, thank you so much !" added Akane, and after a brief silence : "Do you think it will be successful ? Will Ranma get better ?"
The practitioner straightened his glasses and observed his two friends with the most serious expression.
"I wish I could reply positively, but alas, in medicine, we can rarely be completely sure of the result of a treatment. There often are good chances of success, if that treatment starts soon enough – before any complications appear -, but we can never be absolutely certain. Sometimes, something might be done to counter the problem but the measures are taken too late, as the patient's condition is already severe. And sometimes, despite everything that is done, there is no chance of success because the disease or disorder is definitely incurable."
That last term blocked any word in the teenagers' throats.
Incurable… hopeless… fatal…
"But we naturally always hope that it IS curable, and that the treatment is undertaken soon enough to yield the desired results."
The good doctor gently put his hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Yet you can be sure that I will do the utmost to help you, in any way I can. You are a dear friend of mine, Ranma, and same for you and your family, dear Akane. Anything I can do for you, I will."
Both teenagers were moved and expressed him their endless gratitude with effusion, Akane shedding a few tears out of emotion, Ranma feeling his mood suddenly boosted by such vital support from a long-time close friend of theirs.
He watched them leave, but the pigtailed boy then turned around and said :
"See you next week, Doctor !"
"Next week ?" repeated Dr. Tofu.
"Yeah, that's what you said earlier, eh !"
"Ranma, I never said that…"
The young martial artist raised a brow.
"Yes. Yes you did."
The good doctor turned to Akane, as if calling her as a witness of his mistake.
"I'm sorry, Ranma, but he never said that. I can ensure you he didn't."
The boy's gaze sank to the ground.
"So I once again remembered wrong… or actually didn't remembered anything : my brain made it up…"
The brunette hesitated, dreading a possible outburst, then decided to go for it, because she loved him, through thick and thin : she seized his hand and delicately squeezed it in hers.
He looked at her and saw her affection… and her worry, all over her face.
"It will be alright, Ranma. I'll be by your side and take good care of you. Always."
He smiled, a weak, tired, unconvinced smile… then turned to the doctor, who observed them, heavyhearted and deeply sorry for his good friend.
"Thanks again for everything, Doctor ! Bye !"
"Take care, Ranma ! And you, Akane, please look after him the best you can !"
To which the girl nodded and thanked him as well for his precious help.
He watched them leave, sadness and doubt clouding up his heart and mind…
-/-
Rain caught them on the way back, and since both of them had forgotten to take an umbrella that day (but then again, sun had been shining that same morning, so who would have thought it would rain in the late afternoon…), they ended up wet before they could get home, no matter how fast they ran.
As they were arriving home, they had the pleasant surprise to meet Ryoga in front of the door, back after a few days away (needless say why it had been several days before his return…).
After greeting Akane, he put his arm up, vertically, for the redhead to catch his open hand, a familiar friendship gesture he would never have used with Ranma only a year ago.
She put her arm up as well and grabbed his hand in hers, squeezing it.
They entered the house and, as they were putting their shoes and bags away, Ryoga turned to the pigtailed female.
"How are you, Ranma ? How are you feeling these days ?" he cautiously asked on a gentle tone.
"Bad. Sorry. And my head starts to ache." she replied with a wince. "What about you ?"
"Rather good. But when I see you feeling so down… not that good anymore."
She gave him the same weak, tired smile as the one she had offered her fiancée earlier.
"Thanks. But my dear Akane is a precious presence in my life, she cares a lot for me and I'm so lucky to have her… she's a darling."
The third Tendo felt her face heat up and she knew she was about to blush… or blushing already.
"It's… it's normal, Ranma. You deserve all that care."
"You think so ? After the way I treated you for so long ?" remarked the small girl, aware of her own past mischief.
Like she had done before with the male Ranma, the brunette seized the hand of female Ranma and gently squeezed it.
"What's past is past. You regret it, and that's enough to wipe the slate clean. Everything is forgiven. We're now getting along just fine, and as I said, I will look after you, the best I can."
Ranma smiled with a bit more conviction and squeezed back the girl's hand.
"We should change you back into a boy, right ?" suggested Ryoga.
"Oh, I don't mind so much about that now… I've got far more important things on my mind right now… And I've got used to my female body anyway…" commented Ranma, before remembering something : "Oh, and by the way, I'm glad you, on the contrary, didn't get stuck in the rain and got changed into your dog form."
The Bandana Boy blankly stared at the blue-eyed girl, who then got nervous and bit her lip.
"Yeah, Ranma is right, it's a good thing you didn't get changed*... under the rainfall ! Anyway, how about we got to the living room for a tea ? I'd like to drink something hot, not you ?" Akane quickly said, trying to cloud the issue the best she could.
*In this story, Akane knows about Ryoga's transformation into P-chan. Here, she was about to say "changed into pig", but managed to avert it just in time, to avoid Ranma understand she forgot something again…yet, as you'll see now, it will still come out.
But her attempt failed.
"Okay… given your look, Ryoga, I guess I fucked up again… so, what did I say wrong ? Which mistake did I make ?" the female Saotome asked, her hands turning into clenched fists. (She wasn't angry at either of them, but at herself and her damn memory…)
Ryoga gulped when he saw her upset stare, and he quickly glanced at Akane, unsure what to do or say, and seeking support.
Her eyes opened wide under her frown and she vigorously shook her head, to urge him to keep it to himself and not reply to Ranma, who would feel pretty bad knowing she had made an umpteenth confusion… and getting either sad or angry.
But unfortunately for her, the annoyed redhead, spotting Ryoga's glance at Akane, quickly turned to face the brunette… and caught her shaking her head while frowning at him.
Noticing Ranma's suspicious look at her, the expression of the third Tendo was replaced by an awkward smile… that didn't fool her fiancé, whose smartness was still intact (contrary to her memory).
As I couldn't see that it's a forced smile…
"What was that headshake for ?" warily asked the pigtailed girl.
"Nothing…" automatically replied the short-haired girl, unease flooding her.
"Akane…" the red-haired one slowly said… on a slightly threatening tone.
"Listen, Ranma… I don't think it's a good idea to –"
"WHAT did you mean with that headshake ?" the smaller female cut her. "Was it a warning for… for… Ryoga ?" It then dawned on her : "That he shouldn't tell me what I did wrong ? That's it ?"
Yes, while memory was challenged, intelligence was still faring well.
"It's… it's not that serious, anyway, you know…" cautiously said Ryoga.
No reply.
"Ranma…"
Still no reply.
He sighed.
"You mentioned my dog form… while it's a pig form. That's all. Nothing really serious…"
But when she turned around at him, her beautiful eyes all wet… he knew it actually was grave.
"Ah no ? It's not ? It's not serious that I forget stuff all the time ? That I "remember" things that do not exist ? That I wasn't even able to remember your name, right before ? It's not serious that my memory is coming apart, slowly but surely ?"
She said all this in a trembling voice, as tears slowly rolled down her cheeks, and at the end, her voice broke…
… and she quickly turned around, heading for the living room.
"Ranma, wait !" Akane called out, but to no avail.
Ryoga glanced at her, as she watched her fiancé abruptly leave, her face twisted by moral pain, and when she finally gazed back at him, he hung his head, feeling almost sheepish for saying it was "nothing really serious"…
When both arrived in the living room, the Saotome daughter was nowhere to be seen.
"What's wrong with dear Ranma ?" Kasumi asked them.
"She… made a confusion, and was distraught about her mistake. She began to cry. Where has she gone ?" replied Akane.
"She quickly went outside. And yes, I heard her briefly sob…" Nabiki informed them.
Without a word, Ryoga left the room, came back with his umbrella in hand and also went outside.
Ranma was sitting in a corner of the garden… well, not sitting : rather, she was installed in kneeling position, head hung, hands in her lap, in a listless attitude.
Drops had been rolling down her face, some of them raindrops… and some, tears.
The Lost Boy cautiously approached her and crouched by her side, his umbrella open over them.
She didn't turn her head at him, but still mumbled : " Don't wanna talk…"
"Ranma, I'm… I'm terribly sorry… I should never have said that, it was really dumb…"
"Forget it…"
"But I feel bad for you… sincerely, I do… it IS serious, you're right… and if there's anything I can do –"
"You can't…"
He opened his mouth to object, but she quickly added :
"…but thanks anyway.""
She wasn't moving at all, except for her lips, to give only brief answers.
"I'll support you, Ranma. We'll all support you through this…"
No reply… but he could hear a distinct sobbing, with a heavy sigh that he could tell cost her a lot, as if it was painful.
He slowly moved his arm forward, stopped, hesitated, dreading her reaction… and finally decided to do it.
She didn't react to his hand on her shoulder : no turning angrily to him, no shrugging it off.
It was as if he hadn't touched her at all.
As if she was a statue.
"You're not alone, Ranma, and you will never be."
Just the sound of the rain falling all around them, while they were protected under the umbrella.
If only they had been protected not only physically, but mostly psychologically, mentally…
After a minute of silence, he squeezed her shoulder, got up and turned to leave.
"Ryoga…"
He immediately looked at her, and this time was at first pleased to see she had finally turned her face to him… but he immediately noticed it was a sad, suffering face… and he then didn't fell pleased anymore.
"I'm relieved I still remember your name, at least on some occasions… Thank you for trying to comfort me, but it won't be enough. I'm afraid…. afraid that what Dr Tofu wants to try won't work, and that my condition will only worsen on and on…"
He reluctantly nodded, well aware it might happen indeed.
Then he extended his arm, with his open hand close to her arm.
"Please don't stay in the rain, Ranma. Come back inside."
The petite girl observed him, then his hand, and him again… but didn't budge.
Her eyes moved to the side.
She remained motionless for a long time, and he started to think it was a lost cause, taking back his hand…
…when she hesitantly held out her own hand, face turning back to him, and grabbed his hand, before slowly getting up.
She didn't smile, not even a small or brief smile… but he did for both of them.
-/-
Knock knock !
Kasumi went to open the door and found herself face to face with the tiny venerable elder, perched on her stick.
"Oh, good morning, Cologne ! How are you ? And what can I do for you ?"
"Good morning, Kasumi. I'm doing fine, thank you. I'm here to see my son-in-law, if he's home."
"Yes, he is. He must be upstairs, I believe, in his room. Please come in and I'll tell him you're here."
"Still an extremely polite and welcoming lady, my dear. A pleasure to see you." complimented the elderly Chinese as she made her way inside.
Two minutes later, the young martial artist entered the living room and went to sit across from the wrinkled woman.
Nabiki was also present, but not Akane, who was running some errands (and had asked her sisters to keep an eye on Ranma). As for the fathers, they were currently in the dojo for a training session, which was kind of rare.
"Hello, uh…" Ranmas started hesitantly, and given that he couldn't remember her name, he didn't insist and continued as good as he could : "…how are you ?"
His hesitation surprised her, but she didn't make any remark.
"Good, good. But what about you ? How have you been doing lately ?" asked Cologne, and Nabiki narrowed her eyes when she heard that cunning tone.
"Well… I've been doing-"
"I'm home !" a voice exclaimed from the entrance.
"Akane, please come join us in the living room…" Kasumi audibly told her.
Cologne waited for her to arrive, thinking that it might be interesting after all to have her around while she was asking a few questions to Shampoo's fiancé…
"Oh hello, Cologne ! Nice to see you !" greeted Akane, and she was sincere when she said that, as she always had been grateful to the old woman for having helped her beloved on several occasions, teaching him techniques that had been of great use for him. "What can we do for you ?"
"I was passing by to know how my son-in-law was doing."
Akane slightly frowned, but then an alarm rang into her brain !
She knows about Ranma's problem ! And she came to see it with her own eyes ! But how did she find out ?
"Really ? Only for that reason ?"
"Mmmmmh…. I will be honest with you : Shampoo told me that Ranma had not been afraid of her, last time she had turned into her cat form in front of him, and that he had even pet her. Yet we all know that he is extremely afraid of cats… isn't it, dear son-in-law ?"
Ranma blinked at her.
"Sorry… you're talking to me ? I wasn't sure when you said 'son-in-law'. I didn't remember being your son-in-law… Anyway, I'm not afraid of cats. Why should I be ? They are such sweet little furballs !"
Cologne stared at him wide-eyed.
Nobody breathed a word, and the pigtailed boy began to feel nervous.
Damn, what did I say wrong, this time ? How come I can't avoid forgetting, each time ?
"So it was true … you have been cured from your fear of cats ! But how ? Who helped you with that ? I was certain that it would last a lifetime, given that you have suffered from it for many years now… So what happened exactly ?"
He shrugged.
"No idea. I don't even recall being ever afraid of cats. So if someone cured me… I don't know who."
The eyes of the Chinese elder narrowed.
"You don't know who… and can't remember about your fear of cats. And you also said you didn't remember about you being my son-in-law. You seem to have memory issues… am I wrong ?"
"Me, memory issues ?" he kinda innocently asked, yet still gulped.
Cologne looked around the table and could clearly read worry over Akane's and Kasumi's faces, while Nabiki appeared more… distrustful, was it ?
"What happened to him ?" she questioned, and her eyes stopped on the youngest Tendo.
The latter cast a glance at her fiancé, unsure she should share his secret with someone external to the family (Ryoga being the exception).
"Ranma ? Do you think I…"
He put a hand up to stop her, took a deep breath and…
"Uh… well… It's kinda embarrassing…"
He didn't continue, his grimace indicating he wasn't too keen on spilling the beans.
"Son-in-law, I'm here to help you. That sudden disappearance of your fear of cats set me thinking, and I knew that something had happened to you. Then you start behaving strangely and your memory seems challenged. And now, you say it's embarrassing. I want to help you, Son-in-law, but I can't if you don't tell me how I can… and what the problem is."
Ranma nodded and opened his mouth to spit it out… but was cut short by Nabiki :
"If Ranma-kun tells you what is happening to him, do you promise not to use it against him ? Like, say, to bring him and Shampoo closer…?"
The venerable one frowned hard at the second daughter.
"Suspecting me of such a vile behaviour when I'm only sincerely worried about him, that's offending, Nabiki. If my son-in-law is in a really bad, dangerous situation, I won't be as despicable as making the most of his weakness without scruples."
"It's ok, I trust her." declared the black-haired boy.
Nabiki nodded, and when he turned to Akane, he saw her nod as well, although after a longer time.
And so, Ranma explained everything to Cologne, who listened with the greatest attention, totally focused on every bit of info.
Once he had finished…
"I see. That's definitely peculiar… and serious. And the fact that the cause remains unknown, and that you don't have the slightest idea about it… all this certainly doesn't help. Now, I can check in my book of remedies and see if I can find anything related to memory loss. I will do all I can to help you, and will let you know about the result of my reading, but in the mean time… I advise you to not let this hardship discourage you. You must be brave and strong, like you always have been, Son-in-law."
"I'll do my best to remain confident and hopeful…" he replied.
But while a part of him did feel hopeful about Cologne's help, another part was still doubtful that anything could be done about it, despite the help of Dr. Tofu and Cologne…
-/-
Ranma decided to hold on and never give up, no matter his doubt about the outcome.
Every day, he would eat either fish or nuts, use linseed on his salad or other fresh vegetables.
Every day, he would try a few memory exercises from the book that the doctor had lent him.
Every day, he would focus and go through the names of the people he cared for and who cared for him, to see if he remembered them all.
And once Cologne had brought him a container of secret mixture that was meant to help him preserve his memory, every day, he would drink a bit of it.
Every day, he lived his life the best he could, hoping that it would eventually work, that his memory loss would decrease, that he would start remembering easier, that he wouldn't hesitate anymore about basic stuff.
Every day…
…but in the end, after weeks of natural treatments and mental training, when came the time to evaluate the new situation, the progress there had been…
…all had to admit that nothing had worked, and that his brain disorder was increasing and worsening !
One day, after both Dr. Tofu and Cologne had asked about the current condition of Ranma, Soun decided, instead of replying to them, to rather invite them together, to discuss the matter with the whole family, and a week later, they were both sitting in the Tendo's living room.
Across from them were female Ranma (not enough will to change back into a boy that day) and Akane, who was holding the redhead's in hers, to comfort and support her during the ordeal of the upcoming discussion.
The pigtailed girl was obviously tired and disheartened, bags showing under her blue eyes, which were currently set on the table, as if she felt sheepish and didn't dare to take a look at the guests… although they had tried their best for him.
"Ranma…" gently whispered Akane, squeezing the girl's hand.
The only visible reaction was a long, deep, visibly effort-costing sigh.
"Ranma ?"Dr. Tofu kindly addressed her. "We are here to check your condition, to see if there was any progress. Soun told us that it would be easier to come and see for ourselves. So… how do you feel lately ? Is there any improvement ?"
The redhead raised her eyes, to acknowledge their presence, and made a wince, but didn't unclench her contracted jaw. Instead, by way of reply, she slowly, reluctantly shook her head.
"My potion didn't work at all ?" asked a somewhat disbelieving Cologne.
Again, no words, just the same slow headshake, that gave away sadness… and perhaps even despair.
"And I think you mentioned headaches… do you still get them ? And on a regular basis ?" the doctor wanted to know.
This time, she did nod… but alas, that often positive movement had a negative meaning here.
Since the petite girl didn't seem ready to talk at all, Akane decided to inform their guests in her place.
"Ranma forgets more things than before… and more often. And he or she also regularly gets those wrong memories, the certainty of something that in fact never took place, or did but differently than what he remembers. So… it's getting more frequent, despite your treatments. And Ranma is losing hope…"
Her voice broke as she sniffled, feeling her throat get painful, and squeezed the redhead's hand tighter than before.
"We thank you for all the time you took to help Ranma, for all your concern for him !" Soun told Dr. Tofu and Cologne. "I know you must feel upset or disappointed that your help wasn't successful, but you did what you could and we are grateful to you for that. What he has must require even more serious, demanding treatments."
The practitioner gave an approval sign and Cologne confirmed it :
"Yes, I'm afraid that, since natural medicine has no effect at all on his strange disorder, my son-in-law will have to turn to technology. Medical examination. Do you have the material for this, Dr. Tofu, or does Ranma have to go to the hospital for this ?"
"Alas no, venerable Cologne. My medicine is a traditional one and there is no advanced technology, no modern scanners or x-rays or any other such kinds of devices in my practice. I'm afraid Ranma will indeed have to contact the corresponding service of the hospital for a medical scan, like MRI or similar."
There was a brief silence, as no one knew exactly what should be uttered next, and in that silence, a slow, drawling voice, that hadn't been heard until now, caught them by surprise.
"Don't wanna go…"
All eyes intensely focused on the red-haired female, whose head was hung again, eyes set on the table.
"What… what did you say, Ranma ?" gently asked Akane, leaning forward to try to look at the girl's face.
"Don't wanna go… to hopital*…"
*That misspelling of Ranma's corresponds to the actual French word for 'hospital', although the original spelling has a diacritical sign over the o : hôpital.
"To the… hospital, right ?" Shrug from the petite girl. "But… but if there's no other way… you'll have to go. And I'll accompany you there."
The redhead bit her lip.
"I'm worried, Akane… worried and scared…"
The youngest Tendo seized her beloved's hand between both of hers and gazed intensely at her.
"Don't worry, Ranma. I'm sure it will be fine. And I'll stay with you the whole time. We'll face this together, I'll support you no matter what."
The distraught teen stared at her in silence, for long, long seconds.
And finally, Ranma took a deep, shaky breath and gave in : "Alright then…"
Then she took a look around, at the two fathers, the two other sisters, Dr. Tofu, Cologne, and finally Akane. Her lips vaguely stretched for a small and very brief smile, as she whispered : "Thank you all…".
And as her eyes returned to the table, with her head hung, a tear rolled down her cheek…
-/-
Not looking too good, is it…? Dr. Tofu and Cologne tried to help… but the mysterious disorder is too "powerful", too complex for their treatments to efficiently work. So… will science be able to block the development of that terrible malady ? Will there finally be any improvement at all ? Read on to find out. ;)
Oh, and about the title of this chapter, it refers to the help offered by Dr. Tofu and Cologne… and to the fact that said help doesn't work ! And that Ranma (as well as the other characters) are helpless about the growing issue of memory loss.
As always, so much gratitude to anyone interested in and supporting this fic'. I do hope you like what you find. I'm not sure I'll be able to continue publishing on a regular basis, as winter time is usually very busy for me work-wise, but I'll do my best to write on whenever I have free/spare time.
Take care and be happy, as happy as you would dream of being !
Till soon !
Léo