Akane had no idea where Ranma was taking her. Though she'd planned on returning to her room to relax, a luxury she hadn't enjoyed since the Kunos were here, her prickly guide seemed to have other plans. Right when she'd turned to head in that direction, he'd stopped her, telling her he had something important to show her first.

Slightly curious, Akane had followed along, too tired to really fight.

At least he hadn't seen her pendant. If he had, he would've mentioned it by now.

Still, it was strange. Even after entering the main living quarters of the castle, they weren't headed where Akane expected they would go. Instead of east, where the royal family resided, he'd taken a sharp turn west, toward a part of the castle she hadn't been to in years.

"Where exactly are we going?"

"You'll see," Ranma told her as he led them up the stairs to the second floor and through more winding, narrow passageways that were dark and breezy and looked rarely used.

Akane frowned, feeling uneasy. Even with the poor lighting, she recognized this path, these stone walls, and familiar turns. "R-Ranma..."

"Alright, we're here," he said at last as he stopped in front of a plain wooden door that didn't look memorable in the slightest. It was like every other door they'd passed along the way, even though that feeling of unease intensified, as if she should recognize it somehow. But before Akane could question him further, Ranma opened the door and stepped inside.

Akane followed with slow, hesitant steps.

Her eyes swept the room as she entered, fearful of what she might find here. She had good reason to worry. To the left, in the corner, was a small neglected fireplace. But it was the object hanging above it that caught her attention...

Her throat went dry, her heart seizing up at the sight.

She was staring at a decorative emblem of the Tendo family crest.

Finally, Akane realized where she was.

This was one of her rooms, one of several quarters she'd share with her family whenever they came to Wistalia. Her eyes searched the other side of the room where a large bed and table sat, covered in giant white sheets. If she checked, would there still be a dragon-embroidered comforter of silver and blue stretched across the bed?

She expected so.

It was as if the room hadn't been touched since their last visit.

"Well?" Ranma prompted, looking at her expectantly.

Akane frowned, flustered, unsure what to say. Unconsciously, her hand clutched the hidden medallion again to assure herself it was still there.

"Well, what?" she asked, an irritated edge seeping into her voice. "Why did you want to show me some dusty old room? You better not expect me to clean it!"

"A dusty old room, huh?" Ranma repeated, snide. "Really, Akane, how dumb do you think I am?"

"Plenty dumb," she told him, more out of self-preservation than anything else. "Why else would you drag me here? This isn't the best time for a tour, you know. Like I told you already, I want to go back to my room to take a warm bath!"

Desperate to get out of there, Akane quickly turned to head back outside but drew up short. She hadn't realized how quick Ranma could move! Suddenly, the prince was positioned in front of it, blocking her only escape. Staring right at her, he shut the door with the heel of his foot and leaned against it, not saying a word.

At the intimidating gesture, Akane felt her hackles rise. "What do you think you're doing?!"

He nodded towards the fireplace, to the emblem. "Really? That doesn't ring a bell?"

Against her better judgment, Akane followed his gaze back to the family crest and tried to pretend the sight didn't affect her… even though it did. Very much so. She remembered the very first day Uncle Saotome had hung it up for them.

"O-of course not," she lied. Badly. "Should it?"

Ranma rolled his eyes. "Well, yeah. Considering you're wearing the same damn emblem!"

Akane went cold, colder than she'd felt in a long time. And she'd recently taken an unexpected swim!

So he had seen it then. No, no, no, no, her mind screamed.

"R-Ranma," she spluttered, desperately trying to backpedal, her mind awhirl. "I-it's not what you—"

"Save it," he told her, raising his hand. "I don't want to hear more excuses. I want the truth, Akane. If you even know what that is anymore," he pointed out, his eyes piercing.

Even though he was right, Akane couldn't help but be put off by his tone. "What does that mean?" she demanded, raising her voice, even as another quieter voice screamed at her to shut up.

Ranma laughed without humor. "Geez, I don't know. Where should I start? Your identity? Your family? Your past? Your necklace? Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if you lied about being engaged, too! I mean, what HAVEN'T you lied to me about, Akane?!"

"MY NAME!" She shot back, not thinking. "It really is Akane!"

Ranma stood there, staring at her in disbelief. Akane glared back, defiant and ready for a fight.

Finally, almost unwillingly, the dummy lowered his head, and his expression cracked. Was he—was he laughing?! "Man, you really haven't changed," he said between quiet chuckles, sounding awe-struck. "You're still as stubborn as a mule and ten times as dumb."

"Hey!" she protested, her face turning red at the age-old slight. "Did you come here to get answers or to INSULT me?"

"Well, jeez, can't I do both? I think I've earned at least that much!"

"You haven't earned a thing!"

"SERIOUSLY? You made me think you were DEAD, you idiot!"

At the reminder, Akane had the good sense to flush. "Yes, and I'm sorry about that. But that doesn't give you the right to stand here and YELL at me, Ranma! This isn't exactly easy for me either, you know!"

"Fine," he allowed as he took a deep, calming breath, nice and slow, struggling to rein in his emotions. When he spoke this time, it was much more controlled. "Just, answers then. Please? I need to know why you lied, Akane."

His gaze was so sincere this time that her resistance began to crumble.

Not that she had a choice. He was still standing in front of the door. So, muttering under her breath, Akane turned and trudged over to the fireplace and collapsed onto the dusty old chair. A plume of dust greeted her, but if she was going to do this, she was going to do it sitting!

"I didn't lie about everything," she told him again with a heavy sigh. "When we first met, I was just trying to get away from Kuno and ran into you by mistake. The truth is, I never meant to return to Wistalia."

"But why?" Ranma interrupted, hurt, confused, and a bit annoyed. "Whatever happened, whatever made you guys run and hide, we would have protected you! Why did it take a stupid mistake to finally get you to come to us?!"

The answer wasn't an easy one, so Akane hesitated.

"Because," she told him, her voice choked with guilt and frustration, bogged down by another memory she didn't want to revisit. "We already tried once before... and it got two people we cared about killed."

Ranma fell silent, his face ashen. "W-what?" he managed at last, gutted.

Akane stared at the empty fireplace. If she stared hard enough, it almost looked like it was flickering, like the scenes from that day were playing among the soot and the ash. "I guess I should probably go back to the beginning," she sighed.

Starting now, she had to unravel this carefully—her concerns from before hadn't changed. It wasn't safe for him to know everything.

She needed to be smart; she needed to be like Nabiki.

So, taking a deep breath, Akane carefully began to unravel her tale. "I'm sure you already know about the Amazons attacking," she said, turning to look at him again. "Most of what you heard about that was true. They invaded our kingdom one night and took over the castle, and in the battle, w-we lost..." She shook her head, finding it difficult to go on.

"Your father?" Ranma finished for her, his voice gentle.

Akane nodded, relieved to skip over that part. Some memories were too painful to relive.

"After that," she continued. "My sisters and I were saved by Ono Tofu and his parents. They helped us get out."

"Tofu?" Ranma repeated as if trying to place the name.

Akane smiled. "I said he was my brother before, and I guess, technically, he is. He's married to Kasumi now." She lifted her chin proudly because that was one of the good things that had come out of this mess. With him, she'd never seen her sister so happy. "Everything I learned about medicine, I learned from him."

Which, admittedly, wasn't much.

But Ranma's expression softened. "They were your servants," he said, realizing that the only people who'd know her castle that well would be the ones who lived and worked there.

"They were," she confirmed warmly, even though they had ended up being so much more than that. "While everyone else was fleeing for their lives, they stayed to help us escape through one of the hidden tunnels in the castle. If not for them, I probably wouldn't be here right now."

"Hmm. I doubt that. You're a fighter, Akane. Always have been. Maybe not in the traditional sense, sure, but I never knew you to be a quitter. You would've found a way."

Akane blushed at the compliment, then laughed. "Says the guy who thought I was dead an hour ago?"

He flushed but held firm. "I must've known. Deep down. Why else do you think I fell for you so fast?"

Her heart beat erratically at his declaration, even as she wondered how he could possibly say that so easily. The Ranma she knew as a child was shy and awkward with his feelings, just like her. Had losing her really changed him that much?

"But there is one thing I still don't get," he said, his brow furrowed. "The way we heard it, your stepmom gathered what remained of your guards and drove all the Amazons out of Lumeria. So, if you guys won, why have you stayed hidden? Who are you still hiding from?"

At his question, Akane's eyes hardened. It was disgusting how her stepmother had tried to paint herself as some sort of hero. "Well. She didn't drive them all away," she muttered, allowing her words to trail off so he'd draw his own conclusions.

And Ranma didn't disappoint.

"They're still there," he finished quietly, having put the pieces together himself. "It was a lie. Hinako must be their prisoner, right? They're using her to control the kingdom, like a shadow puppet or something!"

Akane's eyes really did widen in surprise. "That's right!" She said, a little too quickly, more than happy to let him fill in the blanks, to write his own narrative.

"Damn. Those selfish, evil bastards!"

"It's like I said," she continued, clutching her damp tunic. "We managed to escape, but we've been on the run from the Amazons ever since. They're determined to hunt us down and eliminate the threat... because if the truth ever got out, our allies would come to our aid."

"And you guys are trying to protect your stepmom," he added, nodding to himself, having put what he thought were the final pieces of the puzzle together. "You knew if they lost their leverage, they'd have no reason to keep her alive."

Wow, he was really making this easy.

"But, how did you guys keep yourselves hidden for so long? Everyone was looking for you!"

Akane heaved a sad, heavy sigh. "Auntie Tofu thought it would be best if I cut my hair and pretended to be a boy," she admitted, unconsciously fingering her short locks, recalling the pain of that first harsh cut. "Since they were looking for three sisters, they thought it would be easier to avoid detection that way. And, well, it must have worked," she added, self-deprecatingly. "Guess I looked the part a little too well."

"Nah. I happen to like your hair short," he told her, and then, feeling embarrassed, added, "I mean, not that MY opinion matters much..."

Surprised but touched, Akane smiled gratefully up at him.

"Anyway, it took us about two years to convince Auntie and Uncle Tofu that we were safe, that we should finally try to contact your family in Wistalia. They didn't think it was a good idea, but I—I had stupidly insisted. I was tired of running, of dressing like a boy. I-I wanted my old life back," she admitted, lowering her head in shame. "We made it to the southern border of Lilias, but even then, the Amazons were waiting. They recognized us and attacked, surrounding us at the southern border village. And-and that's when, when t-they died trying to protect us, fighting, and…"

The tears came again, so Akane slammed her eyes closed, fighting against the burning pain, the guilt. Even though it didn't help. She could remember the scent of fire and ash, the sight of blood-stained grass, of Auntie Tofu's weakened voice commanding them to run.

Their deaths are on my hands too...

"It's not your fault," Ranma told her, and then he was there, wrapping his arms around her, enveloping her in a tight hug. That's when she lost it. Akane finally stopped struggling, allowing the tears to flow freely as she leaned into his warm chest, clutching his tunic in two tight fists. "I'm sorry, Akane-chan," he told her, releasing a shaky breath as she cried pathetically in his arms. "I-I didn't know. You don't have to remember. You can stop here, alright? It's okay."

If only it were that easy.

It took several more minutes before Akane managed to pull herself together and draw away from him. She wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand, still sniffling. "S-sorry," she mumbled, suddenly embarrassed and unable to look at him. "I-I didn't mean to fall apart like that..."

Ranma's touch was feather soft on her cheek. "Hey. Anyone in your place would, dummy. Don't apologize."

Rather than comfort her, though, his words only made her feel worse. Here he was, being sweet and supportive, and she was lying and intentionally misleading him! She really was the worst.

"Don't worry, I'm fine now," she insisted, forcing a smile as she abruptly stood up, in need of a change. Moving away from the constricting chair, she stretched her arms above her head, trying to appear unbothered and carefree as she fought to regain control of herself. "Aah! Nothing like a good cry," she lied. "I feel better already."

"Don't do that, Akane," Ranma told her. "It's obvious you're not fine. I bet you haven't been fine for a long time now."

Something about his tone had her on edge. "R-Ranma?"

"But it's okay," he told her as he climbed to his feet. "I know what we need to do now."

A sinking feeling settled in her gut as Akane stared back at him, noting how his jaw was tightly clenched. She'd never seen him look more serious. "What are you talking about?" she asked, almost afraid to hear his answer.

"Obviously we're gonna take back your kingdom," he told her, beginning to pace. "First, we'll have to clue pops in. He may be an idiot, but he's got a TON of connections, and our army's nothing to sniff at either. While someone sneaks in to rescue your stepmom, we'll take 'em by surprise. Since the Amazons don't know you're here, they won't be expecting—"

"Ranma, wait!" Akane shouted, panic rising in her chest. "You can't tell your father! You can't tell anyone!"

The war-hungry idiot frowned at her, puzzled. "What? Why not?" he asked and then narrowed his eyes. "You don't honestly expect me to hear all that and do nothing, do you?"

"OF COURSE I DO, DUMMY! If I wanted your help, I would've told you the truth right from the start! Ranko and your mother found out by accident, but no one else was ever supposed to know! I promised Kasumi and Nabiki!"

"Well, sucks for them, but I'm not gonna let you keep ruining your life, or hide away like some coward!"

"COWARD?!"

"YEAH! We can handle a couple of measly Amazons, stupid!"

"A couple of measly Amazons?" Akane laughed incredulously, the sound dark and forbidding. "You don't know what you're talking about. And even if you did, Ranma, YOU don't get to make that kind of decision! That choice belongs to me and my family. Not you!"

He stared at her in disbelief, his mouth slack. "So, what, then?" He countered, voice raised. "You're going to do nothing? After all this time, you're still afraid to face them?!"

"OF COURSE I'M AFRAID!"

"Akane..."

"You have no idea what they're capable of, Ranma! None at all. There's hundreds and thousands of them, and all they know how to do is to fight and to kill—If you tried to take them all on, you'll lose and you'll die!"

"Sorry, but that's horseshit. Everyone bleeds the same way, so I'd say my chances are pretty damn good!"

Akane stood there fuming. What did she have to say to make this hot-headed idiot understand?!

Now more than ever, she couldn't gamble the truth. The dummy would probably take Hinako's abilities as some sort of challenge!

"It's not that simple," she insisted lamely, at a standstill. "But like I said before—this is MY fight, Ranma. Butt out!"

"And if I don't?"

Forced to show him how serious she was, Akane stepped towards him, leaving barely an inch of space between them.

"I'll make sure you regret it," she answered, eyes cold and hard and full of fire as she poked him right in the chest. "I'd rather turn myself in than see you and your family go to war over a fight you can't win. So if I mean anything to you, Ran-Chan, then promise me. Promise you'll let this one go…"

"T-That's a low blow," he murmured, thrown off by the use of his nickname.

But Akane noticed he still hadn't promised. "Well?" She pressed, not falling for his non-answer.

It took him a second, but slowly, some of the fight left him.

"Fine, I'm backing off," he muttered because he didn't have a choice. "But you must have some sort of plan, right? I don't buy for a second that you'd let them get away with this. I know you're training for a reason. Does it have something to do with Saffron?"

Akane looked away. "Yes," she admitted slowly, "but I'm not going to talk about that now. Not tonight."

"But—"

"No!" She interrupted, drawing a firm line. "I told you already, Ranma, I'm tired, I'm cold, and I can barely stand—I just want to get back to my room and rest. Everything else can wait for tomorrow!"

Ranma crossed his arms and leveled her with a look. "You sure you'll still be here by then?"

"I'm not going to run away," she told him, even though he certainly made her want to. "You and Ranko would track me down again anyway. So yes, I promise."

This time, he didn't make a fuss or try to block her way, so Akane hurried ahead, afraid that if she hesitated, he'd change his mind and try to block the door again.

But seconds later, she heard his voice anyway. Imploring.

"Akane, wait a sec…"

With her hand safely on the doorknob, she turned to glance over her shoulder. "What?" She asked, still on guard as annoyance seeped into her tone.

She was silly to be nervous.

Looking embarrassed, Ranma awkwardly rubbed at the back of his neck. "Sorry. Just, with all that other stuff, I didn't get a chance to say that I'm really glad you're back. That-that you're you. You have no idea how much I've missed you, Akane." He was blushing now and barely able to look at her. "So, um, thanks for finding me again. Even if, ya know, it wasn't intentional."

Akane's mouth fell open, not expecting such a sweet, sincere comment after the tense conversation they'd just shared.

Flushing with pleasure and embarrassed by her tone, she smiled gently in return. "Dummy," she replied, happy tears welling in her eyes this time. "I should be thanking you. If you hadn't jumped over that wall when you did, things would be so different for me right now. I wouldn't have found you and Ranko, and Auntie Nodoka again. I wouldn't have been able to train. I might have been stuck with Kuno," she added with a small, disbelieving laugh. "Without you, I wouldn't be here right now. So thanks. Thanks for not forgetting me either, Ranma. You being here for me… it, it really means a lot."

Finally, he turned to look at her again, and Akane's heart stuttered at the soft, fond look in his eyes.

A look that was probably reflected in her own.

Embarrassed by how quickly her heart was racing, Akane pulled open the door. "Right. W-well then, I'll see you tomorrow."

"Right," he echoed, returning a weak smile. "See you tomorrow."

As the door closed behind her, that same smile stayed firmly in place, all the way to her room. And, despite her aching, weary legs, Akane couldn't recall a time her steps had ever felt lighter.

…

What joy she found didn't last long.

When Akane had reached her room at last, it was to find another Saotome waiting for her—and all that good energy instantly vanished. "Ranko," she greeted, all her exhaustion returning with a vengeance.

By this point, she didn't have the energy to fake enthusiasm, so instead, kept right on walking, silently praying her friend had taken a wrong turn somewhere and would let her pass.

She didn't. Of course, she didn't.

The dummy moved fast, positioning herself in front of her door. AGAIN.

What was with these two?!

Akane gave a long-suffering sigh as dark brown eyes rose to meet cerulean blue; though her eyes were so much like Ranma's, she couldn't help the feeling of déjà vu.

And just like her brother, Ranko had no intention of letting her speak first.

"Oh no, you don't! Don't you DARE act all innocent," she complained. "Just what were you thinking, Akane? Do you have any idea how dangerous that little stunt was?!"

"I know, and I'm sorry," she said, hoping to end this quickly. After Ranma, she was too tired to argue, and Ranko was determined to yell at her no matter what she said. "It was very wrong of me to make you worry. I'm a terrible, horrible person, and I promise to never nearly drown again. But can I please do my penance tomorrow? I'm tired."

To further prove it, she slumped against the barrack wall, leaning her head against it, allowing her eyes to close ever so briefly. After everything, all she wanted to do was lie down on her slightly lumpy bed and sleep for several days.

But Ranko wouldn't budge.

"I'm not talking about nearly drowning!" She told her, which was actually so surprising Akane managed to open her eyes again.

"Wait. You're not?"

"Of course not," she snapped as if Akane were an idiot for even suggesting such a thing. But then she paused, as if finally realizing they were out in the open and that anyone could overhear. So, with an annoyed grumble, Ranko headed into Akane's private bedroom, then looked back at her, expecting her to follow.

That suited Akane just fine. It was where she'd been headed before she'd been so rudely waylaid twice.

Couldn't the jerks have confronted her together and saved her the time and trouble? Honestly!

Once they were inside and the door had been closed behind them, Akane quickly stripped off her damp clothes and began to change into dry ones."So, what's got you so mad?"

"Don't get me wrong," Ranko told her. "I'm mad about the drowning too. But I knew Ranma or Shinnosuke would save you, so you were never in any real danger."

Akane nodded smartly, having thought the same thing. "Exactly! I had the whole thing under control," she agreed.

"Well, I wouldn't go that far," Ranko told her, her voice taking on an accusatory edge. "I mean, you did manage to do something even STUPIDER."

Akane had no idea what she was talking about. She couldn't know about Ranma or about her secret being exposed… if she had suspected anything, she would've followed them after they'd left.

"I'm too tired for this, Ranko. Just tell me what you're talking about," she begged as she settled onto her bed, all of her energy going towards keeping her eyes open.

"I mean, how could you trust your life to a psycho like Saffron? The jerk just STOOD there while you were drowning! I mean, yeah, sure, the others had your back—but HE didn't know that! I'm telling you, Akane, that jerk can't be trusted!"

"Oh. Is that all?" She replied, relieved. For a second there, she thought she was going to complain about something important. "He's always been like that. It's not a big deal."

Ranko was looking at her like she'd just announced her plans to marry an octopi. "Seriously?" she replied, incredulous, her blue eyes impossibly wide. "That's a HUGE deal!"

It really, really wasn't.

Ranko just loved to be dramatic.

"Thanks, but I'll take my chances. So are we done here?"

"You're unbelievable," Ranko pouted, crossing her arms. "Fine. Just promise me you'll be more careful, alright? It's dangerous to keep trusting that sleaze-ball blindly. I bet if he told you to jump off a cliff, you'd go and do it, too!"

Honestly, she probably would.

There was probably a special technique in there, somewhere.

"I promise. I'll be careful, and I won't go diving off of any cliffs," she assured her because that was the only way to get her to leave. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to bed. I think I've earned it." With a yawn, Akane collapsed onto the mattress, crawled under her light blanket, and tightly closed her eyes.

"Wow, rude. I guess I know when I'm not wanted..."

"Glad we're on the same page. Goodnight."

Thankfully, her friend didn't argue or attempt to join her.

"Yeah, yeah. Hopefully, your conscience lets you sleep," Ranko huffed. But then, Akane heard the wonderful sound of the door creaking open and banging shut behind her.

And just like that, the sweet oblivion of sleep carried her off to dreamland…

…

At least, at first.

It wasn't sweet for long.

…

Despite her exhaustion, or perhaps because of it, Akane's mind wouldn't let her rest.

All her dreams were plagued by visions of Ranma.

Ranma, charging headlong into an army of Amazons. Ranma, throwing himself in front of her and getting stabbed in her place. Ranma, facing off against Hinako and getting the life drained out of him.

It was all she could think about.

Over and over again, she watched him die. Stood there, helpless and frozen, forced to let it happen. It was a never-ending cycle of pain and death, and her body stubbornly refused to let her wake up.

She had tried, of course.

But every time she shot up in bed, believing she had escaped, her stepmother would emerge from the shadows... pulling her back into this endless, awful nightmare... for it all to begin again. How many times had she already been fooled? Twice? Three times?

Maybe she deserved it.

Guilt gnawed at her like a thousand tiny pin-pricks. If you had only guarded your pendant better, it whispered in her ear, in Kasumi's sweet voice. Because none of this would have happened if she'd kept it secret, if she'd buried her precious heirloom somewhere in her bedroom, beneath the floorboards, where he'd never, ever find it.

Because even Ranma knew this was all her fault.

Thirteen times, he had used his last dying breath to blame her, whispering words of disgust as his eyes gleamed with hatred and loathing. Akane had faced his wrath and death so many times now, that the sweet, supportive Ranma she'd left in that old dusty room in the west wing, was nothing but a shadow now.

And though she knew this was all a cage of her own making, she wanted desperately, desperately to wake up…

Just once, to wake up...

…

This time, waking was like nearly drowning again. Akane shot out of the water, breathing hard, her heart beating out of rhythm with the pounding in her head.

Only, she wasn't in the pool behind the castle anymore.

She was back in her bedroom. Back in the barracks.

Nervously, Akane scanned the shadows surrounding her bed, expecting Hinako to step out of them any minute, for the nightmare to drag her back, kicking and screaming, like it always did. By now, it was inevitable.

But this time, she didn't see her stepmother at all.

She only saw Ranma.

Ranma, who was kneeling beside her bed with a concerned look on his face. "Akane?" He breathed, the worry in his eyes so real. "Are you okay?"

Oh good. He wasn't angry with her. Not yet.

Grateful for the repreive, she shook her head, too tired and drained to lie. Because she wasn't fine, she wasn't fine at all.

"No," she whispered, misty-eyed and still focused on the back of the room where it was darkest. "Not at all."

Would Hinako pull him under the bed this time? Drag him away too fast for her to stop him? His fisted hands were resting beside hers on the blanket, but she couldn't bring herself to grab them, to hold them—too afraid of feeling him be ripped away once again.

But this Ranma didn't know the danger.

He didn't know how easily they could be torn apart.

So he took her hand in his, the expression on his face not wavering one bit. Not yet. His hand was unusually warm. Not clammy and cold as he followed her gaze. "What is it? Were you dreaming?"

Akane laughed, the sound harsh and bitter and—and wasn't that shadow just a little darker than the rest? "Uh-huh," she told him. "A very bad dream."

As he returned to looking at her, she stared back. His eyes in the gloom, the brightest she'd ever seen them.

"There's no one else here," Ranma assured her, his voice low but surprisingly strong. "You're safe, Akane."

"It's not me I'm worried about."

He smiled for her, and there wasn't anything fake or threatening about that look. "I'm okay, too. Promise. I'm right here."

Akane wanted so badly to believe him, but she'd been fooled before. More times than she could count. "But for how long?" she whispered, wiping at her eyes as she tightened her hold. "Hinako's too strong. She always wins."

His eyes widened in surprise, and Oh, Akane thought to herself. This is when I lose him again.

"H-Hinako?"

She nodded. "I'm so tired, Ran-Chan," she said as she rested her head against him, trying to brace herself for the inevitable. She fit perfectly into the crook of his arm; it wasn't fair. "I just want to wake up. For real."

"Then I'll help. You go ahead and sleep if you need to," he told her, his other hand stroking her hair. "I won't let her bother you this time."

Even in a dream, Akane's eyes felt heavy, as if they were being pulled down, down, dragging her deeper. "Thanks. I like it when you don't hate me…"

"I could never hate you," he told her, strong and fierce, his breath skimming the shell of her ear.

"Liar," she said, pulling away.

This was going too well. Hinako still hadn't struck… so feeling brave and a little reckless, Akane decided to take advantage. She grabbed his arm and, using her impressive strength, pulled him up onto the bed along with her. Dream-Ranma gasped in surprise but didn't protest.

"There," she said, yawning, as she pushed him down. "Now we can both sleep. Maybe then she won't bother us."

"Y-y-yeah."

He felt a little stiff, but Akane didn't mind. She was going to take advantage of her good luck while she had it. So with a contented sigh, she snuggled up against his side and allowed the comforting lull of his breath to lull her back to sleep.

Only this time, when she closed her eyes, strangely, she didn't dream at all.

…

When Akane awoke the next morning, Ranma was nowhere to be found.

She hadn't expected to see him, of course, but the dream had been so pleasant, so real, she almost expected to see him lying beside her, his hand still in hers.

Although, on second thought, maybe it's a good thing he wasn't! He WAS engaged, after all! Besides, only a creepy pervert would sit around in an unmarried girl's room and watch her sleep…

Which is why she was so surprised when she sat up, rubbed tiredly at her eyes, and heard, "It's about time you arose," from her right.

Glancing over, Akane saw Master Saffron perched primly on her desk chair, looking bored and impatient and like he'd rather be anywhere else.

"M-Master?!"

Even without a drop of water, it felt like she'd been doused—Akane had never woken so fast in her life. Scrambling, her feet hit the floor, followed by her knees, as she hurried to bow deeply.

"I'm so sorry! Have you waited long?"

"Not too long, I suppose," he said as he uncrossed his arms and gracefully stood up, surveying her coolly. "I trust you slept well?"

"Yes!" She answered quickly, even though it was a lie. She hadn't slept so poorly in a long time. "I'm sorry," she continued, climbing to her feet as she searched her memory. "D-did I forget something? Is there going to be another test?"

To her surprise, her master shook his head. "No. The time for testing is over," he told her and then went on to explain: "You've proven your commitment many times over, little one. Now it's time for me to deliver on what I promised."

Akane held her breath.

Could she still be dreaming?

"However, this… special technique," he continued elusively, "requires absolute secrecy. What I'm about to show you must never leave this room."

"It won't. I swear it," Akane vowed, breathless, as she put a hand to her heart.

Beneath her hand, her heart raced.

Saffron nodded once to acknowledge her oath. "Contrary to what you may believe, what I intend to show you is not a sword technique at all. In truth, it is something much more powerful. More ancient."

"Oh. . ."

She had no idea what it could be. But as long as it helped her defeat Hinako, Akane didn't care. She only hoped it was more useful than the perverted trick Master Happosai had taught her.

Please don't be a special groping technique, she silently begged.

"You see when I told you I could supply you with the necessary tool to bring your enemy to her knees, I meant exactly that." From his pocket, he removed what looked to Akane to be nothing more than a small white egg.

Upon closer inspection, it was an egg.

Akane stared at it blankly. "Um, is that…?" She raised her eyebrows, struggling to figure out exactly what she was looking at.

Did he want her to poison her food?

"It is an egg. Yes. However, do not let its appearance fool you." He balanced it carefully in his palm. "This is a secret that has been passed down in my tribe for generations. It's known as an imprinting egg, and though it looks harmless, I assure you, it is one of the most powerful and frightening tools in existence."

Akane didn't intend to be rude, but the words slipped out before she could stop them: "It certainly doesn't look very frightening. . ."

"Then perhaps a demonstration is in order."

Before Akane could even ask what he meant, Saffron had thrown the strange-looking egg straight at her—and as promised, it only took her a second to realize this was no ordinary egg. Immediately, it began to break apart, expanding quickly as strange white silken threads shot out of it, headed straight for her. They wrapped around her body, her mouth, her eyes, and ears, like a spider engulfing its prey—leaving no time for her to cry out.

Her mind went blank as darkness consumed her.

Then there was nothing.

…

The girl without a name wasn't sure how long she had been trapped within that infinite darkness. She only knew that a spec of light suddenly appeared from above, and as she reached for it, her hand broke through a strange white film, and she pushed harder and harder, struggling to get free. When she emerged at last, bright light exploded all around her, blinding the girl, forcing her to close her eyes against it…

But then, upon opening them, she saw a vision.

Standing before her was an angel.

Its eyes were the color of saffron. Its hair spun gold and flames. And instantly, the girl knew she'd do anything the angel asked of her.

"You're to follow my orders explicitly," the wonderful being ordered, and the girl nodded eagerly, all too happy to comply.

She didn't know that her willpower had been stripped away, that she could no longer think for herself. Her master was everything! Whatever he asked of her, the girl hurried to comply.

Fetch him some water from the pitcher. Of course! Sing him a song? She felt like she could sing forever! Smile, frown, cry? She'd make any expression he asked of her!

After fulfilling his latest request to bring him her shoes, Akane sat back on her heels, eager to serve.

"Alright, I believe you now know the extent of its power." As her angel spoke, the girl sighed dreamily, enchanted by the soothing sound of its voice. "I release you from my service, little one. You will return to yourself and recall everything that you experienced."

It was instantaneous.

Like a light-switch being flipped.

One minute, Akane was kneeling and subservient on the floor; the next, she'd collapsed, breathing heavily, her palms bracing the ground.

She felt sick. Violated.

That—that had been terrifying!

"I believe you now understand why I had to wait so long to reveal this to you. Entire kingdoms have fallen due to this innocuous object, so it is absolutely imperative it not fall into the wrong hands. So I ask you once again, Akane Tendo: Are you prepared to bear the responsibility of possessing one of the most powerful devices in existence?"

Akane didn't hesitate. Not even for a second. This is what she'd been waiting for.

She extended both hands, palms up.

"Please, Master. May I have one of those eggs?"

…

At the very moment Saffron was placing a ticking time bomb carefully into Akane's outstretched palm, Ranma was on a mission of his own.

He needed to talk to his sister.

If he'd been thinking straight, he would have confronted her last night, the second Akane left the old guest rooms. Instead, stupidly, he'd wasted time pacing his rooms like some love-sick jerk, going over their first meeting and all the clues she'd dropped as he struggled to understand how he'd managed to miss something so obvious.

Eventually, he'd found himself drawn back to the tomboy, too keyed up by all he'd learned to wait until the morning to see her again.

Yet even when he'd been in Akane's room, soothing her from her nightmares, promising to protect her, sleeping beside her—he couldn't stop thinking back to what she'd said before—that Ranko and his mother had both learned her identity by accident.

The more he thought about it, the more it stung.

How long had they known? And why hadn't they told him?

But more importantly, after seeing Akane, another question was even more pressing: Why the HELL hadn't they burned that usurping bitch Hinako's throne to the ground yet?!

Akane had been fucking terrified!

Ranma was so impatient for answers that he couldn't wait for Ranko to wake up on her own. When the sun had barely risen, he found himself standing outside the door to her rooms, knocking on lacquered wood like a madman, his blows so heavy and loud he was probably waking up the entire east wing.

Actually, good. He HOPED he was waking everyone up! It would sure serve the bastards right.

Finally, unable to take the racket any longer, his sister must've dragged herself out of bed because she threw open the door. Ranko was wearing one of her long, fancy nightgowns, her hair loose, feet bare.

"Okay. Somebody better be dead," she told him as she leaned tiredly against the doorframe.

"I can arrange that," Ranma muttered as he pushed past her, forcing his way into her room.

"Sure, Ranma, come on in," she muttered as she swung the door shut behind him. "Geez, what's got you in such a tizzy?"

Ranma wasn't in the mood to mince words. "How long have you known?"

Ranko blinked. "Gonna have to be a tad more specific than that. I know lots of stuff."

"Akane," he told her, his voice, his stance, his eyes—all of it accusing. "How long have you known she was alive—AND LIVING WITH US—and didn't bother to TELL me?!"

"Ohh, that."

"Yeah. THAT."

It was a good thing Ranma had smartly curled his fingers around the back of her girly vanity chair. Otherwise, his hands would be around her throat right now.

"I don't know," she said with a shrug. "I guess, probably, since she got here?"

"Since—SERIOUSLY? That long?"

"Yup," she told him as she gave him a quick, comforting pat on the arm. "I mean, was it any surprise though? We both know I got the looks AND the brains."

"I didn't realize red-headed hellcats were considered attractive these days, but okay…"

"Hah," sniffed Ranko, even though she'd stopped being sensitive about her red hair when she was, like, nine. "Funny."

"Does it LOOK like I'm laughing?!"

"I'm just saying it's your own dumb fault for not noticing. Don't take your stupidity out on ME. Besides, it's not like I'm the only one. Mom knows, too."

"Yeah, I know. But I can't get mad at her so I'm grilling you instead, so you might as well tell me already—why couldn't I know? What are you all hiding? It has something to do with her stepmom, right?"

"Maaaybe," his sister said, coyly toeing the ground.

"CUT THE BULLSHIT, RANKO!"

"Oh, alright. Fine," she relented, finally becoming serious. "I wanted to tell you the truth straight away. For real. But Mom and Akane swore me to secrecy. Akane threatened to run away if I said anything, and Mom thought it would be too dangerous if more people found out. And seriously, who cares? She's here. She's safe. We should be happy with that."

"Yeah, and for how long? The dummy's so freaked out, she can barely sleep!"

"I know," she acknowledged with a sigh. "The whole thing sucks."

"Then at least tell me why she's really so freaked out. I can't help if I don't know what's going on."

His sister hesitated for a moment as if weighing her options. But then, looking at her brother, she must've realized she didn't have any.

So finally, Ranko told him. She told him all of it. About Hinako's power, her betrayal, Akane's plan, and Saffron's promise. By the time she was finished, Ranma was so overwhelmed he had to sit down.

Damn, she'd been hiding so much.

"I knew something was wrong," he muttered, running a hand through his hair. "When we talked earlier, she made me think her stepmother was some kind of victim—but when I visited her hours ago, she seemed scared shitless of her."

Ranko raised her eyebrows at that. "And what, pray tell, were you doing in her room in the middle of the night? Hmm?"

"I'm not a pervert," he snapped, even though, okay, maybe he could've left her bed as soon as she fell asleep again, but he hadn't wanted to wake her! "I just had some follow-up questions after figuring out who she was, alright?"

"Lame," she complained, legitimately disappointed. "You're sooo lucky I wasn't born a guy, Ranma. If I were you, I would've sealed the deal ages ago!"

"Yup. Being a girl must suck," he told her, rolling his eyes.

"Anyway, yes, I agree," she continued, running a hand through her long red hair, unconsciously copying him. "Her stepmom's a real piece of work. That's why I don't want Akane anywhere near her!"

"At least we agree on something."

"There's always a first for everything," she said with a grin but then lost it just as quickly. "It's just too bad that jerk Saffron showed up when he did. If he hadn't, we could've kept things the way they were a little longer. Now, if he does give her what she wants, I just know Akane's gonna be gunning to go on that dumb suicide mission of hers. Then we're really gonna have to keep an eye on her!"

"Well," Ranma said, climbing to his feet with determination. "It's a good thing two is better than one."

Matching his grit, Ranko leaned against her dressing room table, her blue eyes dancing with mischief. "For sure! She may be able to fool one of us, but two? No way."

Ranma nodded, much more confident now that he finally knew what they were up against. They definitely had a better chance at protecting the dork if they worked together.

If they kept the upper hand, that is. . .

"'Course, we can't let her know that I know everything. If she does, she'll just push back even harder. . ."

"Psh, you're telling me," Ranko said, forcing a laugh. "So then, together?"

She moved so they were standing across from each other, a perfect mirror image—yin and yang in every sense of the word.

"Together," Ranma agreed, nodding again.

To seal the deal, the twins did something they hadn't done since they were kids: they planted their feet, locked their arms, tightened their jaws, and gave a quick, firm nod—acknowledging their sacred vow without saying a word.

Akane may have convinced herself she had to do this alone, but the Saotome siblings would be standing behind her every step of the way. And if she ever needed help burying this life-draining monster six feet under—they'd be there to provide the shovel.

Hinako and the Amazons had chosen the wrong family to mess with!

They were going down.

End of Chapter 17