Altair and Vega (Pt. 1)

"Did you know?" Akane asked with gritted teeth as the flower pot in her hand continued to drain murky water onto the floor.

"Akane, it's not like that!" Ranma hurriedly replied in a pleading fashion. "You can hit me if you want," he conceded as he mimed smacking himself in the cheek.

"Did. You. Know." Akane repeated, voice like ice, "Answer me, asshole!"

"I couldn't say anything. I gave my word and -"

Akane laughed bitterly, "Your word, was it?" Her hands clenched into tight fists, and Ranma thought about running back to China - or maybe Russia, America, or somewhere that wasn't the Tendo dojo - or anywhere in Japan, for that matter. "So your words to me meant nothing - is that it?"

"We were kids then, and how I grew up - it seemed important, that's all!"

"Let me understand, then," Akane growled. She threw the pot on the ground, and he watched the shards scatter and the flowers he had gotten her swam across the floor. She took a step towards him, and he shivered. He had never seen her so angry. "You thought there was a warrior code - okay, I can understand that sort of - but after four fucking years, you didn't think that code got trumped by your wife?" His eyes widened at her words - Akane didn't swear like that. She reached for the table and, in one flick, threw that at him as well. Ranma dodged but thought momentarily that it may have been better just to take the hit.

"I was a kid then, Akane!" He argued, "And P-Chan hasn't been around for a few years - I just figured there was no point in bringing it up anymore!" Akane's head dropped, and a part of Ranma thought it would be better to run for the hills. He could feel the family's presence one room over, and he knew they were listening, ears pricked. Thinking they would be the perfect scapegoat, Ranma quickly added, "Your whole family knew, too! I wasn't the only one who acted like they didn't know!"

"My family has nothing to do with this," Akane said in a low tone as her chin remained tucked against her chest, "I trusted you."

Ranma felt the smallest pang in his heart. Akane suddenly snapped her head up and glared at him. "I'm going back to my apartment," she said coolly.

"Akane!" He went to grab her, and in a blink, he found himself across the backyard as his body hit the concrete.

He could hear her say, "I never want to see you again." He peeked open an eye to see her walking away, almost out of site. "Any of you!" Akane shouted as she threw open the door next to the main room. The family - all having returned for the holidays - quickly moved from against the wall and were feigning ignorance to the current argument. He peeled himself from the wall and went to run after her.

As he hit the lip of the deck, Kasumi wheeled around to stand in front of him. For the briefest of moments, he thought of pushing her aside, but the kind and understanding look she gave froze him in his tracks. "Maybe you should give her some time," she suggested, "Daddy is already on his way to talk to her, and Nabiki is calling your mother right now to help."

"Mom?" Ranma asked as he almost fell over himself.

"Well… she's the only one who didn't know about Ryoga's… predicament." She sighed and looked down as she placed a thoughtful palm under her chin, "We all, unfortunately, are guilty-"

"And besides," Nabiki chimed in as she temporarily placed her hand over the phone's receiver, "she already knows what betrayal like this is like—she thought Ranko was just the cute girl who was like a daughter to her for half a year." Ranma winced at the suggestion.

"But if I could just explain to her why-"

"Ranma," Kasumi chided as Nabiki spoke softly over the phone, "I think it would be wise that we should step aside, for now."

Ranma swallowed thickly as he wondered where the lost boy was.

He would kill him.

—

Ranma had been training with his father and Soun. Ryoga was originally supposed to come with - the only rival in both fighting and romance Ranma had ever considered a real threat (and friend) - but never did. Originally, the three had assumed that the lost boy had once again simply done what he did best. All the same, it had been a decent time. While Soun and Genma were no longer in competition (how could the two middle-aged men hope to one-up someone who had defeated a literal god?) Ranma enjoyed their company.

Soun especially was someone Ranma had grown particularly close with. As time went on, he usurped Genma's role as a father figure. Soun was kind. Soun cared about Ranma's hopes and dreams. Soun didn't constantly try to push Ranma as Genma did - though honestly, Ranma appreciated that part of Genma as it made him such a great martial artist. Soun, most of all, considered Ranma's feelings. Ranma supposed he had considered Soun as his true father the moment he had presented Ranma with his ceremonial robes when they thought he could finally meet his mother as himself. The man had chosen to be forced into a sailor suit for Ranma, for god's sake - that was something Genma would have never even considered!

Ranma liked these trips with Soun. Genma had always turned into a Panda after training and would zonk out for hours. It was at times like these that Soun would open some sort of alcoholic drink and give some to Ranma, and they would talk over the fire. Sometimes, they talked about Akane and him; sometimes, it was about the neighborhood meetings Soun would attend where he would have to feign ignorance about a particular panty-thief wreaking havoc. Sometimes - rarely, but when he was feeling particularly wistful - Soun would tell stories of him and his wife - how they had met, and he immediately realized he loved her. The time Soun had taken her out to eat and had to constantly fight Happosai without her knowing. The time they had finally gotten married. The time they had Kasumi, and he realized in one big burst that he no longer cared about the anything-goes school of martial arts, and all he wanted was to be by his wife's side and needed nothing more than family.

'Martial Arts is important. It's a skill all men should learn. It teaches discipline and being strong for the people who matter most - but martial arts will never be family. Martial arts will never make you happy. It will never compete with my wife or seeing her memory live through my daughters.'

Ranma had understood what Soun had meant in that thoughtful moment, and he knew he had wanted that with Akane. He never wanted to get rid of his natural-born gift or his tenacity for learning martial arts, but he also thought it wouldn't be too bad to settle down and teach the next of kin. He wanted his children (surely, they would have children, right?) To choose their path like Soun had done with his daughters. He wanted them to be happy like Ranma was finally happy.

But then Ranma had returned from their trip, and within a second of opening the door, Akane had thrown a shoe towards him that he quickly dodged. "Ryoga came by today…" she had seethed.

—

Now Ranma was running through the forest of unusually sized animals. He had hoped never to return to this place, but on his hunt for Ryoga, he had somehow found himself back here. How he had even found Ryoga was a mystery even to himself. Somehow - luckily - a guy who spouted fangs with a large umbrella that could stop any man or wild animal in his path made quite the impression.

The day Akane had blown up had been weeks ago and he hadn't seen her since. His mother had scolded him and threatened Seppuko for his dishonesty and cowardice. She had strewn silent tears as she explained what he had done couldn't be undone - not without taking his own life (which, luckily, she had been talked out of). She explained that while she understood why he felt he couldn't reveal himself to her, the fact Ranma had let another man spend night after night with Akane was unforgivable. She had explained that she understood the warrior's code and that she blamed herself for letting him be raised solely by his brute of a father - but to let his fiance stay with Ryoga unaware was unacceptable.

He had silently wished that Nabiki and Kasumi would just lay down and die for including his mother, but he also knew that anger was misplaced.

So now Ranma was running through a forest, trying to find a newly 21-year-old man with a sunset-colored bandana and teeth that belonged to Count Dracula.

"You there!" A voice rang behind Ranma. He turned on his heel to see a familiar face. "You should turn back. Monsters roam this forest. Be careful, I've laid traps everywhere and-" Within a second, the man with a bandage on his head fell through the ground as several stones hit him on the head, knocking him out.

"Shinnosuke…" Ranma breathed. He hurried to the other young man and quickly pulled him up as he inspected him. Seeing the slightly older man always filled him with an unjustifiable rage. It reminded him of the time he truly thought he had lost the person he would love more than he thought he could ever love someone - somehow even more than his mom. Even though a childish part of Ranma's psyche told him to leave the young man to rot, there was still a stronger part of him that was eternally grateful for him saving Akane - even though, in his opinion, they had repaid the debt tenfold.

Ranma lifted Shinnosuke on his back and carried him to his shack. He entered without greeting but was surprised to see the shack was empty, save for a pot of stew hanging above the fire in the middle of the ground. It had almost turned into no more than a puddle of sludge with how much it had cooked down.

Ranma laid Shinnosuke down on his mat and turned to the pot. He grabbed it, emptied the remnants outside, and returned. Silently, he went to work. He cut up vegetables and meat, searing it before he began to cook the broth with the rest of the meal. It took an hour or so before Shinnosuke stirred. The strange man propped himself on his elbow and looked at Ranma wearily. "I don't have anything. You must be strong if you could have brought me here, so you must know this forest is filled with ferocious beasts. If you think you can steal from me, you're incorrect." Ranma watched as Shinnosuke reached for his broom.

"What happened to your grandfather?" Ranma asked softly as he continued to stir the stew.

Shinnosuke faltered and lowered his broom. Ranma watched as Shinnosuke's eyes downcast and a confused yet hurt smirk pressed against his lips. "He died about two years back, I think." He looked over to Ranma curiously. "Do I know you?"

Ranma stirred the stew once more before he grabbed a bowl and shoveled some rice from another pot into it. He grabbed the ladle for the curry, "We've met before - but you have a terrible memory." He poured the curry over the rice before he handed it to Shinnosuke. He looked at him warmly as the anger subsided. "Ranma Saotome - Sorry about this."

Shinnosuke stared at him wearily as he sat up and carefully reached for the bowl. "If you know I have a bad memory, then you would understand why I'm hesitant to eat this."

Ranma shrugged and, as if trying to prove his innocence, made his plate, turned to Shinnosuke, and made a spectacle of eating the dish. Shinnosuke watched him for a few moments before he finally took a hesitant bite. After a moment more, he placed down the bowl and bowed. "Thank you for your help. You should leave, though. There are a lot of dangerous-"

"Animals in the forest, and you've set traps - I know." Ranma finished with a roll of his eyes. Shinnosuke looked at him, shocked.

"How could you have possibly known that?" He breathed in admiration.

"I already told you," Ranma huffed as he took another bite, "I've met you before! I actually saved your life!"

Shinnosuke faltered, "You did?" He took a bite of the food in front of him and stated, "This is delicious! Thank you! Did we order in?"

Ranma gritted his teeth and turned his eyes to his meal. "What Akane ever saw in you…" he muttered.

Shinnosuke's bowl clattered to the floor and his hands gripped Ranma's shoulders. "Akane?" He asked, hopefully. "Is she here?"

Ranma faltered and felt an annoyance creep into him. "No," he answered curtly.

Shinnosuke's shoulders dropped. "That's too bad," he said wistfully. "I never told her I loved her."

Ranma snorted but decided against telling Shinnosuke he had, indeed, told Akane this.

"Not that it would make any difference," Shinnosuke said in a forlorn tone, "she told me she already had a fiance." He sighed, took another bite, and swallowed before he looked back at Ranma. "What's your name again?"

"Ranma. Ranma Saotome." Ranma placed his now empty bowl beside him. "Tell me something," he started as he leaned back and rested his hand behind him, "You have a crap memory - how could you remember Akane after all this time?"

Shinnosuke looked at his bowl and moved the rice around, trying to find the answer there. "I made a promise…" he said softly before putting the bowl down again, "that I would remember her." He sighed and looked back at Ranma. "She is the only woman I've ever loved. I could never forget her." Now he looked hopeful as he asked, "Is she here?"

Ranma frowned. "No."

"Who are you again?" Shinnosuke asked. He looked back at his bowl of half-eaten food and looked delighted. "Oh! When did I make this?"

Ranma sighed and went to stand. "This is probably a waste of time, but you haven't happened to see a man about my height? He wears a bandana and carries a big umbrella. The locals told me he headed into this forest about a day ago. Guys got a terrible sense of direction, so I assume he's lost somewhere in here."

Shinnosuke shrugged. "No idea."

Ranma stood and turned from Shinnosuke. He made it to the door before he stopped. His hand rested on the doorframe. "Shinnosuke. I know this won't mean much to you, but thank you for taking care of Akane." He looked down at his feet. "If she had chosen you… you would have been good for her. That's it."

"What was your name again?"

"Don't worry about it."

—

Ranma found himself about a mile into the forest and away from Shinnosuke's hut when he saw the smoke from the treelines. He b-lined it, running blindly towards the smoke. He knew it had to be Ryoga - who else would bother to hang around here?

It had only taken about 30 minutes to get to the smoke. Ryoga was sitting and stirring his meal. His tent was propped up, and he looked thoughtful. Without greeting, Ranma leaped in the air and went to hit Ryoga with everything he had. Unsurprisingly, at the last second, Ryoga jumped from his stump and raised his fists. When he saw it was Ranma, he dropped his hands. "Ranma," he started. He dropped to his knees and bowed his head. "You can do what you need to. My conscience is cleared."

Ranma's hands fisted tighter, and he went to punch Ryoga, but his hands stalled. "Tell me why you decided to ruin my life."