Here is my challenge... write a fic that can plausibly end with the
following scene

Here goes...

Akane was dead.

There was nothing that Ranma could have done about it, but still, he held
her lifeless body against his chest, his hand tenderly stroking the hair
back from her pretty face.

She had died in his arms, quietly, her strength slowly failing her until
her head fell against his chest, her last breath left her lips...

As Ranma's tears fell, he rememberd their last conversation. He had
finally found the courage to admit that he loved her, just when she was
dying. What a fool he'd been. How easy it had been to say to her, to watch
her face, though pained, light up with a radient smile.

She had told him that she loved him, too.

They spent a few precious moments kissing - their first and only kiss. As
Akane's strength started failing, he just held her and they talked softly.
Both were crying bitter-sweet tears.

Then she had died, leaving him.

Ranma clutched her body to his chest and cried out with grief. Something
within him had died with Akane.

Defeated, unable to cope, he let his hot tears roll unchecked down his
cheeks.

[A week later]

Ranma knelt in front of Akane's bier. He was dressed in a black hakama and
montsuki. On the bier, Akane lay out, dressed in a beautiful kimono of
pure white. Both seemed to be dressed for their wedding...

One look at Ranma's face told otherwise. His expression was blank, lacking
a spark of life.

Staring at Akane, his eyes never even flickered when the rest of the
family entered the doujou.

He hadn't said a word since Akane's death. Nothing the others had done
could even catch the slightest interest in him.

He hadn't touched Kasumi's cooking, and Genma couldn't even goad him into
anger.

Nodoka suspected that her son was already dead inside, and had died with
his fiancee. She was so worried for him, and it tore at her heart that she
could do nothing for him... even Toufuu-sensei couldn't do anything to
bring Ranma back to them.

The doctor had examined the unresponsive Ranma, and found that there was
little he could do. Ranma's ki - his energy - was dead. Pressing the tsubo
had not been able to stimulate the ki, but the doctor had hoped...

Ranma's clothing seemed ill fitting, hanging off him just a little. He had
lost weight, in the short time since Akane had died, and his face was
guant and drawn. His previously healthy skin was sallow, and his pigtail
was unkept.

Toufuu knew that if Ranma stayed this way, that he would die.

But the funeral had to be attended to.

Before too long, all of Ranma and Akane's friends and old rivals silently
started to file into the doujou, to wish Akane a final goodbye.

Ranma didn't even notice them as, one by one, they came up to the bier,
knelt and bowed, then paid their respects to him. He just stared at
Akane's face, not thinking, not feeling.

He was oblivious to the looks of concern that passed between the others -
he didn't see Ukyou's pained look at seeing him like this... Ryouga's
consternation for his ex-rival... Shampoo's frown ... Mousse's look of
pity... Kunou's slight softening of the face as he looked at the younger
man... The slight sigh that came from Kodachi's lips.

It all passed un-noticed. And he wouldn't have cared even if he had of
seen it.

Everything was worthless now that Akane was dead. There was nothing left
for him. He'd failed to save her... failed to be there when she needed
him. It was all over.

Soon, everyone left. The family lingered for a while, before they, too,
turned and went to bed. They mourned, using each other for strength... but
Ranma stayed on, alone next to his love's body.

[The Cemetary]

Akane had been cremated, her ashes placed in an urn. This the budist
priest had taken and performed the last rites. He seemed a sinister figure
to the Saotome and Tendou family. The last time that stuck in the Tendou
family's minds of a budist priest had been with the death of Mrs Tendou.
Now the priests had taken Akane's body away, too.

She was truly gone, and only a tombstone - small and rectangular, more
like a pillar, remained to remind them of her. Next to her mother's
tombstone, the two short pillars were covered in flowers. The flowers had
come from far and wide - from the school, from China, from one end of
Japan to the other. All friends of Akane's and the families.

After a time, the family turned away, guiding Ranma with them. His eyes
were dry... he was unable to cry.

A very bad sign.

[A month later]

The Tendous and Saotomes had done everything that they could to try to
snap Ranma back into life - nothing had worked. Ranma had moved into
Akane's room, and just lay there, in her bed, staring at nothing.

The family was pained over him, as much or even more as they were over
Akane. Helpless, no-one could do anything but watch Ranma's slow, internal
death.

It was only after Genma physically picked up Ranma, and dunked him in the
pond outside, that Ranma showed any emotion at all.

The female Ranma stepped out of the pond, dripping. Genma heard a muffled
sob, and the bedraggled girl darted back inside the house.

Genma sighed heavily. It had taken a lot out of him to even think of doing
that to his son, but ... there had been _something_ there. Some feeling...
At least there was a reaction. It would take a lot, but maybe Ranma would
one day be able to feel again.

[A year later]

Ranma's mind was a total mess, but he was alive, and willing to live. He
didn't fight any more, it was true, but he often went outside for walks,
even if it was just to Akane's grave.

Withdrawn as he was, he would talk with the others. Ukyou, Kodachi and
Shampoo had tried to get close to him after a while, but their efforts
were rebuffed, sometimes violently. He saw less and less of them, and even
the most stubborn of them had to give in. This was no longer the man that
any of them had loved - he looked the same, but he just wasn't Ranma.

One day, as Ranma wakled to the cemetary, he paused by the school oval.
There was a soccer match being played, and it seems that the cheerleaders
were being more violent than the actual soccer players.

In fact, the cheerleaders of the away team were knocking out all of the
Fuurinkan soccer team.

He watched for a moment, then sighed and turned to continue to spend some
time at Akane's grave.

[Near by]

A lone girl watched him walk off. She was part of the cheerleading team,
but she hadn't been cheering.

She hadn't been cheering because she was depressed. She didn't have a
love, and the only man she had loved before hadn't even dated her. She had
given up on him, but had not yet found another man to equal him. She'd do
anything to get someone who loved her ..... she couldn't live out the rest
of her life as a life of loneliness.

With a slight frown at the handsome man who walked away, she got up and
started to follow him...

[Akane's grave]

"Akane, today oyaji had a fight with ofukuro, and oyaji went on a training
trip. She's still got the sword, so you know what it was like."

Ranma talked as he sat by her grave, his mind only coping by imagining her
there, listening. He talked for a while, telling her of his day and what
had happened, before turning to talking of his love and how he missed her.

"Oh, Akane ..." his face filled with pain and he whispered in a broken
voice, "Why did you leave? If you're a spirit, please come back to me..."

After a while of silent crying, Ranma picked himself up. Turning away, he
left.

>From the bushes, the cheerleader watched him go.

[A month later]

Ranma stood by the grave, talking to Akane's tombstone as was his custom.
It was the only thing that he really got up in the morning for - his talk
to Akane's spirit. He felt that she was there, listening... she *had* to
be.

But this time, there was a girl sitting there, near by.

As Ranma spoke Akane's name, almost calling for her, the girl near by gave
a start, her body shook, and she collapsed.

Ranma turned to her aid, and moved towards her. She was the cheerleader
girl that had loved Kunou before. He'd seen her around a few times in the
last month, but right now she needed help.

He went to her side and helped her to sit.

She seemed vacant for a moment, her eyes opening and she stared around.
She looked up at Ranma's face, and suddenly cried, "Ranma!"

With that, her arms wrapped around him and she started crying against a
very startled Ranma.

"M...mariko?" He was astounded at this, but didn't know what to do.

With shimmering eyes, she looked up at him, "Ranma, it's not Marik. It's
me, Akane!"

Time passed...

Ranma contiued to stare at the girl, shocked.

"A..akane?" he finally managed.

"Hai!" Mariko continued to hug onto him, "I heard you ever day you came to
talk to me, and I asked the kami to let me see you... I begged them, and
finally they gave in! I'm in this body, but I am still me, Ranma."

So desperately did Ranma want to be with Akane that his mind accepted his,
seizing it as a drowning man would seize onto a life line. From that
moment, this girl was no-one but his Akane.

"Akane, oh I love you!" he started to cry and hugged her back.

Mariko, enfolded in his arms, gave a sigh. She had found love, finally.
Maybe it wasn't the way she should have won his love, but it was her
chance and she had to take it. The only woman he would love would have
been Akane, so a little white lie wouldn't hurt... Her lips twisted into a
half smile, a little bitterness at how she had done it... but she wouldn't
be alone. Maybe it would even help Ranma... her second true love.

[A year later]

It was the anniversary of Akane's death, two years ago. Ranma was, once
again, dressed in the montsuki and hakama that he wore to her funeral. A
girl was dressed up in a pure white kimono, standing next to him.

This time a shinto priest stood before them, with the marriage sake for
them to sip.

Despite the protests of the Tendou and Saotome family, no-one could
persuade Ranma that it wasn't Akane. Toufuu was afraid that if they did,
Ranma would end up worse than he was at Akane's death, and might even
comitt seppuku. So they kept their peace.

Ranma smiled with love at Mariko, never realising that it was someone
else. To him, to his eyes, he saw his Akane... dressed as on the day of
her death, but this time sparkling with life and energy. He could see her
beautiful face, her expressive dark eyes, and hear her voice as Mariko
spoke. He was so happy to be with her. His Akane.

The shinto ceremony finished, the couple retired to change costumes.

The Saotome and Tendou family sat in the doujou, not one happy of the
course of events. And they were unable to do a thing. Mariko had come in
and defined the memory of Akane. Maybe the girl's insanity over having to
give up Kunou excused her a little, but how could she be so callous? She
didn't even seem fazed when she found out about Ranma's curse. She even
seemed to love the female form more than Ranma's male one. Her sickness of
the mind, or maybe her natural sexuality, had made her come onto the
female Ranma even more than the male.

Ranma didn't seem to notice, or care. He said that as long as he was with
Akane, he'd make her as happy as he possibly could. He would be the best
husband that he could ever be and this time be there for her, always.

Before too long, they came back, this time dressed in beautiful, expensive
western wedding costumes.

The shinto priest started to perform western wedding vows for the couple,
as they wanted an elaborate wedding, a perfect wedding.

But the room seemed empty with Kasumi and Nabiki sitting, staring at the
ground. Souun with tears rolling silently down his cheeks, watching Ranma.
Genma and Nodoka glancing at their son, pain clearly shown on their face.
The doctor stood back, watching the goings on sadly.

To save Ranma's life, they had to keep up the act...

Ranma and Mariko said their vows, Mariko's face covered with a veil.

Ranma's heart sang with happiness and love - this was the only love of his
life. Only two years ago, he'd never have believed that this day could
have happend .... but now... he was overcome with joy.

Akane's shrine sat in the corner of the doujou, unlooked at by Ranma.
Akane's grave was deserted, the last flowers Ranma left having died and
crumbled to dust a long time ago...

The wedding concluded, Ranma's poor heart and mind tricked into believing
in a lie... the real Akane, dead and forgotten...

	"I do."
	Ranma Saotome gazed at his new wife with a look that spoke of 
true, pure, love. He lifted the veil and stared at her beautiful eyes.
	"I love you." He whispered.
	"I love you to, R-A-N-M-A."
	And Ranma and Mariko Saotome shared the first of what would be many
passionate kisses in the years to come.

The End.

P.S.  For bonus points:  No drugs, herbs, spices, spells, potions...
etc. etc. etc. and it isn't a dream sequence.

If someone can write a fic where Ranma winds up with Happosai of (pretty
much) his own free will, I think that you can do this.

"I think everyone has a photographic memory.  It's just that some of us
don't have film."

?_?

P.S.  A wish come true, chapter 2.  Released Reeeeeal soon

Brian, Signing off...

Kun-chan...
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