I know I said I wasn't gonna write any more darkfics, but this one caught 
me early this evening and wouldn't let me go until I finished it. 

It takes place in the same depressing world as my only other completed 
story 'Dropping Anchor' does, I guess, but it doesn't really matter much.

Anyway... More comments after the story.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------


Fair warning: This a darkfic, a dark and depressing interpretation of
the Ranma universe. It is also rather vulgar in places. The characters
do not generally act as they do in the manga/anime or in a regular
fanfic for that matter. Ah well...


			   BURNS BRIGHTEST
		 ====================================
		 [A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by Mark Crewson]



	Ryouga stood in the shade of a tree while Kuno was busy
talking to the two girls sitting on the park bench.
	"Un-fucking-believable," he murmured to himself. He couldn't
hear the conversation from  where he was standing but he could tell it
was going well. The girls were smiling at Kuno.
	"What'd you say to those girls?" he asked his friend as he
returned to stand by him.
	"I was most gracious and invited the young ladies to attend
the party I am having tomorrow night," Kuno replied in formal tones.
	"Just like that?" Ryouga was amazed at the smooth way Kuno
could handle women. "Well, I'm impressed... What a stud."
	"You just open yer yap and go from there," Kuno said, dropping
the formal speech to speak normally. "Blah-blah-blah. It's no big
deal. You are going to be there, right?"
	"Hmmm... Tomorrow night?" Ryouga turned evasive. "Umm... I
don't know... Y'know I gotta--"
	"You gotta do what?" Kuno interrupted him. "Water your fern?
C'Mon! Get out of that rat's nest of yours and have some fun!" He
grabbed his friends had and twisted it to look at a passing girl. "Who
knows? You might just get lucky."
	"Ouch--" Ryouga stared after the young lady.



	"Oh god..."
	"Where?" Ryouga asked her, trying to relax using humour. 
	He was locked in the bathroom of Kuno's apartment with a young
woman about his own age. Her name was Miyuki and she was a
knockout. Her hair was blonde and cut just below the shoulder, framing
her face perfectly. Her nose was small and turned up at the
tip. Combined with her small, sensuous mouth made her look adorably
cute. But the most striking feature of her face where her eyes. Deep,
deep blue-grey in colour, it seems to Ryouga that they stared straight
into him when she looked at him. As for the rest of her body, she
definitely took care of it. Ryouga could tell that easily because most
of her clothes where scattered on the floor along with his. 
	"Hah-- Shuddup-- S'not funny." She leaned against the sink and
pulled him in for a long passionate kiss. "Mmmm... You know..," she
spoke as they came up for air, "I've never done this before."
	"Sex?" Ryouga replied humorously. "Oh, its great. You're gonna
love it."
	"Ha-hah--No, silly. I mean... I just met you tonight. I've
never just..."
	"The ol' one-night stand, eh?"
	"Well, I didn't want to put it that way, but, yeah." She
stared at him with those deep, searching eyes. He couldn't take his
eyes away from hers and he felt like she was looking directly into his
soul. He felt a little uneasy and maybe even a little scared at that
look.
	"Hah, well--trust me--I'm... ah.... I am far from a pro at
this," he said, breaking her gaze. "Um... This... This is my first one
too. I mean, I've never--you know...like this."
	She smiled tenderly at him, feeling reassured. Grabbing him by
the back of his neck she drew him back in for another long, wet
kiss. He responded to her kiss with enthusiasm, then grabbed her about
the waist and lifted her onto the bathroom sink.
	"How long do you think before they miss us downstairs?" He
asked her between panted breaths as he caressed her body.
	"I don't care," she replied coyly, wrapping her legs tightly
around him. 



	Ryouga sat on the edge of his seat as he listened to Dr. Tofu
tell him the bad news.
	"You've been tested positive for HIV--The virus which will
lead to Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome... more commonly known as
AIDS."
	His mind screamed at him as he heard the doctor. NO!
	"The virus can be detected anywhere from three to six months
after the infections, in some cases, as soon as two weeks."
	NO! NO!
	"In some people the illness which will signal the onset of
AIDS, weight loss, severe pneumonia, a form of cancer, damage to the
nervous system, develop within a year or two. Others stay healthy for
as long as ten years before symptoms appear."
	NO! NO! NOOO!!
	"You can become infected with HIV in two main ways. Sharing
drug needles or syringes with an infected person. Or by having sexual
intercourse--vaginal, anal, or perhaps oral--with an infected person."
	NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!



	He sat alone in his apartment with his telephone in his
hands. Gathering his courage about him he dialed the first
number. He waited only a few moments before the phone was answered on
the other end.
	"Hi--Hello, is Miyuki there?" His voice was trembling. "Oh...
well, do you have that number? Do you know how long before her dorm
gets it's phone in? You see its kind of important...could you please
have her call me as soon as possible. This Ryouga. She has my
number. Thank you."
	He hung up the phone and dropped it on the floor, his hands
going numb. He sat there in anguish for several long minutes before he
picked the phone back up and dialed the second number. One down and
two to go.
	"Akari--It's Ryouga. How ya' been? Great, glad to hear
it... And you father? That's cool." He voice was steady this time.
"Um... I've called for a reason. I've been tested positive for HIV."
He closed his eyes, squeezing them shut, trying to control his
emotions. "Yeah, that's AIDS. The doctor said right now it's dormant,
it's... It hasn't actually kicked in yet--He says I'm kinda lucky that
they found it so early...Well, ummm, still no cure--HAH--but thanks, I
appreciate that."
	"No, I don't know exactly who, but it's not like I've been
with all that many people. That's why I'm calling you. I know we broke
up almost a year ago, but you can have it for years before you know
it. I think you should get a test. I am not calling you a slut--Hey I
never fucked around on you either... I said I don't know who gave it
to me, that's what I'm trying to find out...Look, just get tested,
alright. Better safe than sorry. Call me when you find out, ok? --
Bye."
	One more call to go.
	"Hi, is Ukyou there... Hi Ukyou, it's me, Ryouga. Yeah... well
I've been kinda busy. I have something I've got to tell you... I've
tested positive for HIV. AIDS... Thanks, that means a lost. Umm.. I
think you should get a test. Oh you did? How long ago? oh--It came out
negative... Uh-huh, right... Hey, I'm happy for you. Look, I've still
got a ton of people to call. Yeah, great speaking to you too... I
will, ok. Speak to you soon."
	He hung up the phone and threw it across the room. Collapsing
on the chair behind him he covered his face with his hands and began
to sob uncontrollably. Three women. Akari, Ukyou, Miyuki.
	Akari. 'P-Chan. That's what I'll call you.' His mind recalled
her bright face and bubbly personality. And her affection for pigs.
	Ukyou. The quiet, brooding girl he was involved with only
briefly but passionately.
	And Miyuki. The girl he'd spent a hurried few minutes with in
the bathroom at a party. Miyuki....



	"Ryouga!" Ranma practically shouted at him. "Will you pull
your head out of your ass and listen to me?"
	"Huh?" Ryouga grunted as he was drawn out of his daydream back
to reality. They were sitting at a table in the corner of a local
bar. Ranma had the night off from his wife and child and had insisted
on taking Ryouga out drinking. Ryouga really wasn't up to appearing in
public but Ranma had pretty much forced him out the door of his
apartment and down here.
	"--Head up your ass--" Ranma smiled, remember something. 
"Y'know what 'A.I.D.S.' stands for?" he asked his friend, grinning
like a fool.
	Ryouga looked ill. "Stop--I know this one."
	But Ranma paid no attention to his friends protests. "Anally-
Injected-Death-Sentence. --HAH!" He laughed uproariously at his own
joke. "Isn't that great."
	Ryouga smiled a sickly smile. "Hah.. Oh, it's wonderful. Ha
hah." His emotions suddenly grabbed a hold of him and squeezed his
eyes shut in pain. A tear trailed down his cheek. "Ha haha... Oh god."
He suddenly felt sick. "Shit--"
	"Hey man, you ok?" Ranma asked, finally noting his friend ill
appearance.
	"Yeah, yeah. I'm fine." Ryouga got up from the table and
quickly headed for the men's room. "Be back in a minute," he tossed at
his friend before he got to far.
	He stumbled on wobbly legs across the crowded room towards the
restrooms. Entering the men's room and finding an empty stall, Ryouga
collapsed onto his knees and was immediately sick into the toilet
bowl. Coughing and cursing, he clung to bowl like it was a life
preserver. Tears flowed freely down his face. Whispering to himself,
he cursed his life.
	"I'm only twenty-years old... And I've only been with three
girls... And one of them gave me AIDS... And now I'm dead."
	It was a good fifteen minutes before he returned to the table
where Ranma still sat.
	"Christ, what happened to you?" Ranma asked. "I thought you
fell in."
	"Heh," Ryouga ignored his friend's question. "My round,
what're you drinkin'?"
	"Same--Rum and coke. You ok?"
	"I'm fine," he dismissed the question. "Be right back."
	He gathered up the two glasses on the table and quickly headed
to the bar before Ranma could ask any more questions. He sat on a
stool at the bar and signaled the bartender.
	"Rum and coke and a sake, right?" the bartender asked him,
taking the dirty glasses off the counter.
	"Yeah. --No. Make that a double Absolut instead of the sake."
	Ryouga glanced around as he waited for his drinks. Sitting
beside him was a beautiful red-headed girl. She was eyeing him
appreciatively, making him a little nervous. The bartender came to his
rescue with his drinks.
	"That's 500 yen."
	"Here's six." Ryouga tossed the bills on the bar and headed
back to the table. Arriving, he set the drinks down and sat down
across from Ranma again. "Here ya go, drink up."
	"Thanks a lot, man." Ranma said, taking a sip of his rum and
coke. Ryouga, on the other hand, raised his glass in a toast and the
slammed the entire drink down his through. "Jesus, kinda' thirsty,
ain't ya?" Ranma commented.
	"A bit."
	"So what's with the chick at the bar?" Ranma nudged his friend
across the table. "I caught her giving you the eye, man."
	"She's cute," Ryouga admitted.
	"You only live once, go for it." Ranma encouraged him. "Fuck
her. Fuck her brains out. Ha, remember that bit in 'Animal
House'... Y'know with the angel and the devil--'Oh no, you mustn't... 
You shouldn't..." -- "Grab those knobs... Pinch those buns... Fuck
her..."
	Ranma was grinned lecherously at his friend but Ryouga wasn't
paying any attention to him. "You only live once--" he whispered to
himself, echoing Ranma's comment.
	"Or was it 'pinch those knobs and grab those bun...'? I don't
know. Some shit like that." He was interrupted by Ryouga standing
up. "Where ya goin'?"
	Instead of replying, Ryouga strode straight over to the bar,
back to the red-headed girl sitting there.
	"Do you believe in heaven?" he asked her.
	"Excuse me?" She started, not seeing him approach.
	"Do you believe in heaven?"
	"Y..Yeah." 
	"Do you believe in hell?"
	"Sometimes." She smiled casually at him.
	"Do you believe in me?"
	"You seem real enough."
	"Well then..." He smiled at her, a predatory smile.
	Back at the table in the corner, Ranma sat in stunned silence
for a few moments. "Will you get a load of this?" he chuckled to
himself. "Heh... Better late than never." He took a swallow of his
drink.
	Ryouga soon returned to the table to get his coat.
	"Ryouga... I'm in shock. What did you say to her?"
	"Ummm... This and that. We're going back to her place."
	Ranma's jaw dropped to the table. "You--?  No way!"
	"Yeah, me."
	"What's wrong with her?" Ranma grinned at him. "Oh, let me
guess. Uhmmm... She's a hooker, right?"
	"Fuck you."
	"I can't believe this... You picked up a chick..."
	"Believe it."
	"A hot chick at that." Ranma just shook his head in
disbelief. "You got a condom?"
	Ryouga paused at that. "Huh-? Uh...No. Just ran out. Actually,
I was gonna stop--"
	"Here. I got one for ya." Ranma offered. Digging his wallet
out of his pocket he opened it and removed a small square of
shrink-wrapped plastic. "Heh, It's not like I use these anymore. You
gotta be careful, man. You know what they say... No glove, no love."
He handed the condom over to Ryouga. "This your first one nighter?"
	"Second actually."



	Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ryouga hung his head in
embarrassment and shame. "Oh god. I'm sorry. It's not you. Please don't
think it was you."
	The red-headed girl let out a small sigh behind him. "It's
alright. It happens to plenty of guys. It's not the end of the world."
	"Where was the bathroom again?" he asked.
	"Second door on the left," she answered, a little annoyance
creeping into her voice.
	Getting up, he strode nakedly to the bathroom. Closing the
door behind him and turning on the light he stared into the mirror. He
held up the condom and stared at it for a long moment. Her words kept
echoing in his head. 'It happens to plenty of guys'... 'It's not the
end of the world.'  He mood took a decidedly dark turn as he continued
to stare at the rubber. 'Plenty of guys...'  'It's not the end of the
world...'
	Raising the condom to his face, he bit down on the end of it
with his teeth, tearing it slightly.
	When he returned to the bedroom where the red-headed girl was
waiting, he was definitely in better shape. She smiled sensuously as
he crawled back onto the bed and reached for her.
	"Well, look who's back from the dead."



	Riding the bus is where he spotted another one. She was small,
almost petite, with dark, dark hair and a pair of glasses perched on
her nose. She sat on the seat across the aisle from him.
	"Excuse me, do you go to N.I.T.?" Ryouga asked her.
	"Yeah, I do." she replied warily.
	"Do you know this little annoying guy named Gosunkugi?"
	"Short black hair? Dark circles under his eyes?"
	"Yeah, yeah."
	"Maybe... He a friend of yours?" she asked.
	"Friend of a friend, actually," Ryouga replied. "Everything
that guys does is weird. He always has a voodoo doll or a camera with
him--"
	"The camera! Right! I know that guy--god, what an asshole."
	"Yeah, that's him." Ryouga smiled to himself. Gaining her
confidence he now turned the conversation in another direction. "So,
what are you studying, design or illustration?"
	"Well, I'm taking the second two years and I plan on switching
from design to illustration."
	"Representational or abstract?"
	"A cross, kinda. I wanna--" Ryouga tuned out at this point,
knowing exactly where the conversation was headed. It her pants.
	Back at her apartment, they quickly ended up naked on the
couch. Their passion continued for several minutes before Ryouga broke
it off for a moment.
	"What's wrong?" she asked, not wanting to stop.
	"I wanna use your bathroom," he explained. "I gotta put
something on."
	"It's ok. I'm on the pill," she reassured him.
	But Ryouga insisted. "Ummm... Nothing personal, just an old
habit, y'know."
	"Yeah. Sure"
	He quickly went to the bathroom and pulled out a condom and a
safety pin. Unwrapping the rubber, he used the pin to prick several
holes in it around the tip. 'It's ok. I'm on the pill.' That's what
Miyuki had said.



	"So, what's the best line you've ever had thrown your way?" he
asked the girl sitting on a stool at the end of the bar. All he got
from her was a dangerous scowl. Beating a hasty retreat, Ryouga left
her alone. Maybe not, he thought. Your loss, cunt.
	Spotting another lonely girl at the other end of the bar, he
tried again. Advancing on her he revised his plan slightly.
	"So what's the worst line you've ever had thrown at you in a
place like this?" he asked her, a casual smile on his lips.
	"Probably that one," she answered with a smile.
	"Christ--" Tonight was just not his night. "Ok, what about
heaven?"
	"What about it?"
	"Do you think it exists?"
	"Hmmm...." She thought about it for a few seconds. "No. I
think heaven is an invention meant to calm man's fear of death."
	"--And hell?"
	"That's a far more personal question." She stared straight at
him. "Only you can answer that."
	Ryouga stared back at her for a few moments, absorbing her
statement. "Good answer... Well, I'm having a rum and coke, do you
want--I still don't know your name."
	"Natsumi," she supplied. "And you are...?"
	"I'm Ry..." he started to answer her but was stalled when he
took a complete look at her. Her right arm was resting on the counter
of the bar and as he followed it down he realized that she had no
hand. The arm ended in a stump. "I'm... I'm Ryouga," he finally
stammered out. Panic set in, clenching his gut. "Damn. About the
drink. I left my wallet... left my wallet in my car--Damn. It's in my
car... It's right outside--HONEST--I'll be right back in a minute,
ok?"
	He turned and fled, practically running out of the bar and
into the street. He stumbled across the street and into the alley
across from the bar, not really seeing where he was going. His hands
were covering his face and tears were running down his face. He
finally stopped running away when he crashed into a collection of
garbage piled near the wall of the alley. He stumbled and fell into
the refuse still weeping.
	"Oh god... Oh Fuck," he mumbled to himself. "Oh god... This
isn't happening. Fuck--I... don't... god. Oh god..."
	Crying openly he remained in lying in the trash for several
minutes, trying to collect his emotions and get a grip on his
resolve. Finally he forced himself to stand and turn around to face
the street. He stared at the blinking light of the bar across the
street for several moments. Fishing the condom out of his pocket he
held it up to the light and stared at it, his eyes darting back and
forth between the bar across the street and the condom in his
hand. Finally he pulled a safety pin out of his coat pocket, pierced
the rubber through it packaging several times, then wiping his eyes and
straightening himself out he returned to the bar.
	"Hello, Natsumi. I'm back," he said, returned to her
side. "So sorry that took so long. What'cha drinking?"



	It was early evening, just past supper, when Ryouga finally
returned to his own apartment. He'd stopped in only for a quick shower
and a change of clothes before he went out again. That and to check
the messages on his answering machine.
	"Ryouga, this is Dr.Tofu. I want you to call me as soon as you
get in. There's a psychiatrist that I want you to--SKRZZZZ." He pushed
the fast-forward button. Shit like that he didn't need.
	"Ryouga, you prick, where the hell are you? What'd you do fall
of the planet? Call me, man. We'll hang out, ok?--Bye. Oh yeah, in
case you forgot the sound of my voice, this is your long lost friend,
Ranma. --BEEP--"
	"Hi, this is Kinuko, y'know, from last Thursday. Why don't you
give me a call the next time you're free. My number is 793-21--
SKRZZZ." Fast-forward again.
	"Ryouga, Hi, I don't know if you remember me, this is
Miyuki... We met last august at Kuno's party. Well, Kuno's having
an end of school party and I wanted to know if you were gonna be
there... I'd like to see you gain. Call me at 691-6233. Hope to see ya
soon!-- Bye-bye.  --BEEP--"
	Ryouga stood there, stone still as he heard that last
message. He started to tremble and shake as he remembered her. But he
quickly put a clamp on his raging emotions and busied himself getting
cleaned up. He had a party to go to.



	"Hail! Hail! Mine eyes are in disbelief! For it is my good
friend Ryouga, whom I haven't seen in ages." Kuno invited Ryouga into
his apartment, into his party, with a fluid gesture. "It heartens me
greatly to see that you could attend my small gathering. What's up?"
	"Same old shit, different day," Ryouga answered him, taking
off his jacket. "You know how it is. Say, is Miyuki here yet?"
	Kuno took Ryouga's jacket and tossed it into a corner with the
rest of them. "Aren't we the horny bastard?" He smiled as he spoke, a
... gleam in his eyes. "Ranma told me about the girl you picked up."
	"Which one?"
	"'Which one?'--Shit--Hey man, live it up, but be careful. It's
a jungle out there."
	"Then get me a banana and call me fucking Tarzan."
	"Lookout! Our once mild mannered man, Ryouga, has died and
come back as a stud!"
	Ryouga stiffened momentarily but quickly covered it. "Yeah, I
died alright," he said, the sarcasm in his voice apparent even to Kuno.
	Leaving Kuno behind to answer the door for the rest of his
guests, Ryouga drifted across the room to the bar to fix himself a
drink. Pouring a generous helping of alcohol, he turned around and
leaned back against the bar to stare out at the milling
people. Sipping his drink he searched for the blonde head of the one
and only person he had come to this party to see. He soon spotted her
and, setting his drink down, he crossed the dance floor to the far
side where she was standing.
	Miyuki was deep in conversation with another girl when he
approached. "Yeah, right, and then--"
	"Hello stranger," Ryouga interrupted her.
	"What?" she started, turning around to see who had surprised
her. "Ryouga!" Quickly she embraced him. "Shirley, excuse me..." she
dismissed her friend and turned her full attention to him. "My god,
how've you been?"
	"Alright. I tried to call you at school."
	"I know. I'm sorry," she apologized. "This has been, like, the
semester from hell. Nothing went right." Glancing up and down she
inspected him. "You look great."
	"I feel great," he answered her with a grin. "Which is a nice
change for a man in my condition."
	"And that is?"
	He grabbed her and spun her out onto the dance
floor. "Loneliness."



	They quickly left the party together and headed for Ryouga's
apartment. Instead of a quickie in the bathroom like last time, they
spent the long night together on his bed. They made exhausting love
late into the night and then fell asleep side by side. Or at least
Miyuki fell asleep. Ryouga remained awake, staring out into the
darkness, a dark, brooding expression on his face. Early morning found
him in the same position, the same mood.
	"Is that a gun in your lap?"
	"Ah, you're awake." He didn't turn to look at her. "Good
morning Miyuki. And yeah, yeah it is."
	She raised her head off the pillow to look at him, at the gun
he was holding. Her mind was still a little groggy from sleep. "Is
that a toy or is that a real gun?"
	"It's real."
	"Why are you playing with it now?"
	"I was going to shoot you." That woke her up fully. She sat up
to look in his face but his eyes held no expression, no emotion of any
kind. "I'm not going to shoot you now. But I was..."
	"Why?" She tried remain calm.
	"Because you gave me AIDS."
	"I gave you WHAT?!" she shrieked, never expecting an answer
like that.
	"HIV. AIDS. And yes, I'm sure its you. I checked all other
possibilities. Blood test, other girls, and so on... and all the
fingers point at you."
	Her shocked expression slowly transformed into anger. "You
know, you've got a fucking strange sense of humour."
	"S'no joke, love," he replied calmly.
	"You're telling me I have AIDS?" She was still frowning, not
believing what she was hearing.
	"I'm telling you you fucking gave me AIDS," he said, his calm
demeanor finally breaking down into anger. "Whoever you were fucking
before you fucked me must've really gotten around--the scumbag. If I
really was your first one-night stand."
	"Oh christ, I don't believe this." She broke down, raising her
hands to cover her face. "And you were going to kill me?"
	"Uh-huh," Ryouga answered, his calm expression returning.
	"Well, I'm sorry. I didn't--" Her voice rose to an almost
wail. Briefly her anger returned. "Are you serious?"
	"Terribly."
	She broke down completely then, sobbing into her hands. Ryouga
just sat there beside her, not saying anything for a long time.
	"It's funny," he finally said, breaking the long silence. "I
was gonna hunt homosexuals, but I realized that they didn't fuck
me... You did."
	"So what kept you from shooting me?"
	Ryouga shrugged. "I've been up all night trying to figure
everything out... Starting with what to do with the bedsheets after
washing your brains out of them. And from there it slipped into what
would happen to me--And what has happened to me." He paused, thinking
about the directions his life had taken in the past few months. "Man,
I've changed so much. Before I met you I had been with only two
girls. Since last November I've been with another eighteen."
	"You WHAT!?" she exclaimed, shocked at what she was
hearing. "Fully knowing that you have AIDS? If I gave it to you, I
didn't know I had it..."
	"Fuck 'if'--you gave it to me," he scowled at her. He got off
the bed and began searching the floor for his discarded clothes.
Finding his pants he began to get dressed. Miyuki remained on the
bed, still in shock.
	"You know, the world is a different place once you know that
you're soon gonna die," he said, almost philosophically. "You lose
your reservations... your inhibitions."
	She didn't answer him, instead just sat there, a painful
expression on her face.
	"You know who gets laid a lot?" He found his shirt as he
continued his one-sided conversation. "Either really smart guys or
really stupid guys. If you're smart, you'll realize that this worst
that could happen is a girl will say 'no.' Really stupid guys are
smart enough to have second thoughts, so they'll go blindly into
anything."
	"And which one are you," she asked, speaking up for the first
time in a while. "Really smart or really stupid?"
	"Ha-Ha..." Ryouga chuckled, thinking about her question. "I'd
have to say smarter. I mean, we all know that we're gonna die, but how
often do you really think about it? Right now that thought never
leaves my head. The life I had when I first met you is done and
finished. The life I have now might not last as long as the old one,
but it'll shine twice as bright." He turned to look her in the
face. "I'm smarter now because I know that what burns brightest... 
burns briefest."
	"So now you fuck more? Isn't that kind of petty?"
	"I'm dying--So I'm fucking the world--and having the time of
my life." Sitting on the edge of the bed he found his shoes and began
lacing them up. "I'm not sure about heaven and hell, but I do know
this--I'm honestly hungry for the first time in months. I'm going to
get myself some breakfast. You can let yourself out."
	He left his apartment and Miyuki behind. He couldn't see but
he was almost sure that tears were running down her cheeks as he
walked out. He paused momentarily at the edge of the sidewalk in front
of his apartment building to toss the gun he was still carrying down a
sewer grate. Standing up again, he stuck his hands in his pockets as
he began to walk down the street in the early morning. The sun was
just beginning to rise over the tops of the building across the street
and he stopped to admire the rosey sky, a smile on his face. The first
honest smile he'd had in a long time.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

AUTHOR'S NOTES:   This story, if you could call it that, hit me
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   unsuspectedly and forced itself upon me. After
finishing 'Dropping Anchor' many months ago I had no intention of
going back to visit that dark corner of the Ranma universe, darkfics
not being my favorite cup of tea. But this idea proved so compelling
that I just had to write it. The entire fic took about three hours to
write, from start to finish, probably the fastest thing I've ever
written. Now that it's done, I have no intention of editing, revising,
or fixing it in any way. I'll post it on the FFML, RAAC once its back
in operation, and maybe the fanfic remailer and then be done with it.
After confronting this demon, I hope I've sent it on it's merry way
for good.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
  Mark Crewson <mcrewson@mts.net>            http://www.mts.net/~mcrewson