----------------------------------------------------------------------
--
Taking a big breath, Ranma yelled, "Banzai!", and jumped into the
Spring
of Drowned twins. As he entered the water, his yell changed from a
shout of triumph into a scream of agony.
As his body sliced into the spring, Ranma felt the waters surrounding
him begin to boil in agitation. Instead of feeling cool against his
skin, the water felt like liquid fire. He couldn't think, for the
pain
of being boiled alive. For a second, he saw through two sets of eyes
and then with a lurch to the left, he saw onna-Ranma's face separate
from himself. Dimly, he heard a scream, it sounded like his own
voice,
but its pitch began rising until it was a woman's shriek. When the
burning was so intense that he couldn't imagine it getting any worse,
it
intensified. Slowly, oh so slowly, he saw a new body form around the
face. Its neck came first, then its torso and arms with its legs
last.
As each part of the new body formed, he felt the fire reaching into
him
and burning away a part of his soul. Having never experienced pain at
such an excruciating level before, Ranma was aware of every nerve in
his
body signaling, each one telling him that he was ablaze and being
consumed. His entire existence became the inferno around him. Then,
without warning, it stopped. Thanking the gods that he was still
male,
he stood up in a daze and noticed Nodoka moving toward him with a
robe.
He made it out of the pool and into his mother's arms before shock
overcame him.
Had he been asked, Ranma would have sworn that he was immersed in a
block of ice. Feeling as if he was being sculpted, his body bounced
painfully as it percolated in the pool. His mind tried to force his
body to move, to get away, but nothing happened. Ranma had always
been
told that being frozen was painless; it was a lie. He was in more
pain
than he had ever felt before and it was only exacerbated by the
helplessness of immobility. When he thought that he would crack in
half
from being frozen, the pain and paralysis mercifully ended. He, no,
she
stood and saw Kasumi coming toward her with a robe to wear. She met
her
at the edge of the spring and allowed Kasumi to wrap the robe around
her. With the conflicting emotions of self-pity, self-loathing and
jealousy raging in her soul, she stood shivering from remembered cold
as
she watched her new brother collapse into Nodoka's arms. She watched
as
Nodoka motioned for her to come and be held alongside her brother.
Fighting a losing battle to stay awake, blessed darkness soon swept
over
her and she fell into her mother's waiting arms, unconscious.
Genma, standing next to Nodoka, staggered as screams of pure agony
tore
at his soul, triggering his memories of Neko-ken training. He had
sworn
afterwards that he would never willingly put Ranma into such a
situation
again. Yet, because of his greed and inaction, Ranma was once again
going through a torturous experience. Feelings of shame, remorse and
dishonor washed over him and he was forced to turn his back on the
pool
and its horrors. He lay his left hand upon Nodoka's shoulder and
began
gently crying.
For her part, Nodoka stood stoically watching Ranma. Her thoughts,
however, were in complete disarray. She was watching her son undergo
a
transformation as hideous as it seemed painful. He was being split
apart cell by cell. Her first thought was to pull him out, to do
anything she could to save him from what he was undergoing. As much
as
she wanted to help him, she found couldn't. If she did, the
justifications for allowing Genma to take Ranma from her in the first
place would be shown true. Her pride and honor would not allow her
that
seeming weakness. When Genma placed his hand on her shoulder, she
looked into his eyes. The shame and remorse she saw within them
kindled
an anger that only a mother can feel when her child has been
intentionally harmed. She shrugged his hand off and began walking
towards Ranma. She might not be able to stop this process, but she
would be there to love and support her children. As she passed the
pile
of clothes ready for Ranma, she picked up two robes to wrap them in
when
they came out of the spring.
In all of his experiences with the Master, Soun had never seen
anything
remotely like what he was witnessing. Shocked out of his tears, all
he
could do was stare in terrorized awe. His stomach gave out as Ranma's
body split down its torso. As he retched on his hands and knees, he
knew could no longer watch.
After years of being a mother to Nabiki and Akane, Kasumi
automatically
began moving toward the pool as Ranma began screaming. She could no
more ignore the screams of pain being shouted than a doctor could.
She
didn't have the time or the luxury to feel anything; Ranma needed
help.
She might not be a martial artist, but when it came to emotional and
physical support, Kasumi knew that she was more than qualified to give
it. She caught up with Nodoka and gently took one of the robes from
her. She stood beside the cursed spring and awaited whatever would be
needed of her.
Surprised, Nabiki stood and watched the transformation occur. She
kept
thinking to herself, This is magic, it's not supposed to hurt. She
had
gotten marginally comfortable with it and the effects it could have.
Who wouldn't after living with Ranma for a year? Every time she had
seen a curse in action, its effects had been instantaneous and
painless,
but this time she could feel the agony in Ranma's screams. She turned
to Cologne and yelled, "Cologne, what's wrong?"
Cologne never took her eyes off of Ranma. "Child, this is both the
most
blessed and most cursed spring of all at Jusenkyo. This spring
creates
new life. We are watching the birth of a new person. As any mother
knows, no life is brought into this world without pain. The
difference
today is that Ranma must experience the pain of his own birth." She
knew that the experience was supposed to be painful, but never had
dreamed that it would be this harrowing. Feeling only pity for Ranma,
she thought, Son-In-Law, I'm sorry. No one should be forced through
this action.
Kuno and Kodachi were both overwhelmed by the immensity of the event
taking place. They had only just started believing in Jusenkyo's
magic
and now it was tearing Ranma apart. Kodachi felt her stomach tie up
in
a knot as she wondered if she was really worth what Ranma was doing
for
her. Kuno became frightened as he continued watching and realized how
powerful the magic of this land truly was. He turned his back on
Ranma
so that he could control the fear coursing through him. It was not
seemly to be so afraid.
With every agonized scream, Akane felt as if she herself was being
ripped open. Unable to watch, she sank to her knees and cried.
Feeling
nothing but emptiness inside her because she had let her love, her
fiance, her best friend go willingly into that torture, she was unsure
if she could ever forgive herself.
Watching at first in horror and then growing anger, Ukyo knew that she
couldn't let Ranma go through that again just so that she could have a
mate. Before anyone even knew, Ukyo had turned and begun running
toward
the Jusenkyo Guide's hut. You jackass, she thought, you think that
you
can solve everyone's problem by sacrificing yourself for us. Well, I
love you and I will not let you go through this again just for me. I
know another way. I will make this sacrifice for you, whether you
like
it or not.
I must be strong for my husband, Shampoo thought. For an Amazon
warrior, showing any kind of emotion for what Ranma was going through
would be seen as a sign of weakness. It was of paramount importance
to
Shampoo to be seen as a strong warrior, otherwise Ranma might think
her
weak and leave her. She kept repeating this to herself so that she
wouldn't embarrass Ranma by crying in front of her great-grandmother.
As two people staggered from the pond where one had entered, the scene
had completely changed. Genma was staring after Nodoka, a stunned and
hurt expression on his face. Obviously ill, Soun weaved his way to
the
Guide's hut. Nabiki was angrily making her way towards where Cologne
was, for a change, standing flat-footed. Kodachi and Shampoo were
both
still facing in the direction of the spring, but were both lost in
their
own thoughts. Akane was crying on the ground. Ukyo had run past Soun
and was entering the Guide's shack.
Nodoka and Kasumi gently laid brother and sister next to each other on
the ground. Kasumi busied herself with making sure that both would be
as comfortable as possible when they woke. She didn't want to allow
herself a chance to think about what had just happened. If she did,
she
was afraid that she might not be able to help anyone for some time.
So,
instead, she did what she always did. She busied herself in the
minutiae of taking care of them. She made sure that they were shaded
and lying as comfortably as she could get them.
When onna-Ranma awoke, the sun was at its zenith and she lay a few
feet
from the Spring of Drowned Twins. As she started to sit up, she
noticed
her brother was laying next to her, beginning to wake up himself.
Finding that she didn't have the strength to sit up, she propped
herself
on her arms.
"Ranma, are you okay?" Nodoka asked in concern.
"Yeah, I guess so. I didn't expect that. Did you Mom?"
"No, I didn't," Nodoka paused. "Are you sure you're okay?"
"Yeah. I think I remember Ukyo running to the Guide before I passed
out. She didn't fall into a spring did she?" she said worriedly.
With a small frown, her mother said, "No, dear, Ukyo is fine. You
just
imagined it, I'm sure."
"Ugh," Ranma groaned as he woke up beside his sister. "Why am I so
weak?"
"Cologne explained it while you were asleep, dear. To separate one
person into two, the energy required is tremendous. Most people
recuperate from it no sooner than after two weeks. With your stamina
and manliness, she expects you to be able to jump in again by
tomorrow,"
his mother answered.
The others, upon hearing Nodoka's words and realizing that Ranma was
awake, made an immediate rush to where the two lay. Kasumi had set up
a
tarp earlier to keep the sun off of them and she and Nodoka sat next
to
the two. Everyone else was forced to stand just outside of the tarp
and
look in.
After answering the resulting storm of "Are you okay?" questions,
neither sibling wanted to describe what they had experienced.
"So, what is your name going to be? Ranma's not going to fit you very
well, you know," Nabiki asked onna-Ranma.
"I've been thinking about it a lot. I really want to be called Ranma.
I know I can't be called that, that's a guy's name, after all,"
onna-Ranma said with a little unintended bitterness creeping into her
voice. "I guess, I like Ranko. Not Ranko, as in 'Wild Child', but
Ranko meaning 'Little Orchid.' Oh, by the way, the first person to
call
me 'Rankou' (promiscuity) instead of 'Ranko' gets a broken jaw,"
Ranko
was looking at Nabiki as she spoke the last sentence.
"Promiscuous? I would never think to call you that, Ranko," Nabiki
answered with a laugh.
"Ranko, that's not the way a young lady talks," Nodoka chided her.
"I ain't exactly a lady, mom. I may be a girl, but I'm not a lady."
Nodoka was about to launch into a full blown explanation of what a
lady
is, when Cologne suddenly told everyone to be quiet. In the ensuing
stillness, they all began to hear a jingling and a rhythmic beating
sound coming closer.
Suddenly, they spotted twenty soldiers flying towards Jusenkyo.
"Jusendo warriors." Cologne whispered. Turning to the rest, she
said,
"Stay here and be quiet. I'll handle this."
They landed a short way from Ranma and Ranko's shelter. As Cologne
started to go towards them, their leader flew on to meet her.
"Greetings, Warrior," Cologne began.
"I am Flight Leader Unima. We heard that the Spring of Drowned Twins
had been used. We were sent to investigate. Did the Guide approve
and
were you aware of what was going to happen, Amazon?"
"I am Cologne, an Elder of the Joketsuzoku. Wait for a little while,
the soldiers of the Musk Dynasty will soon be here. I prefer to
answer
all of your questions just once." Cologne said dismissing the
bird-man.
She turned and went back to Ranma and the rest.
"What are those people?" Nodoka was the first to ask.
"Those are Jusendo warriors. In a few minutes, a task force of Musk
warriors will also arrive. Use of the Spring of Drowned Twins is
proscribed by treaty. Only with permission of the Jusenkyo Guide and
either the Amazon, Musk or Jusendo people, can one use it. However,
there are always guards watching and its misuse will bring swift
retribution. Being able to fly, the representatives of the Jusendo
tribe made it here first."
Knowing she needed to explain, Cologne continued, "It goes back to a
war
fought two thousand four hundred years ago. The Musk Emperor, Thyme,
was the one who was responsible for having the Spring of Drowned Twins
created. Wanting to create an army large enough to conquer all of
China, he had his twin sons drowned in the spring creating it. We
Amazons were almost too late in finding out what he had done. By the
time we did, his army had been created and was ready to march. The
Amazon and Jusendo tribes had to band together in order to defeat him
and his newly created army. That is a long and involved tale which I
will tell when I have time. Suffice it to say, when the war was over,
the three tribes created what are now the Jusenkyo Guides as watchers
of
the springs. In the event anyone uses this one spring, all tribes are
alerted. In addition, it is unlawful for any except the Guide to have
a
map of the Springs. The acts of the Jusendo people in kidnapping him
to
get the map would have been cause for war, had it not been for Ranma
here."
"Why weren't we told about this?" Nodoka asked with alarm.
"It was of no concern to you. Ranma has the permission of the Guides
and of the Amazons."
"Permission? You mean that you have to have permission to get cursed?"
Nabiki asked in astonishment.
"For the Spring of Drowned Twins, yes, one must have permission, or
there are consequences," Cologne said darkly. Cologne then smiled,
waved her arm towards the rest of the pond-marked valley, and said,
"You
may try any of the other springs, Nabiki, absolutely free of charge
and
with no permission needed."
Eyes opening slightly in fear at the thought, Nabiki took a step back
away from the training ground before rallying herself and answered,
"Thank you, no. I didn't bring my bathing suit,"
"What happens to someone who hasn't received permission?" Akane then
asked to shift Cologne's attention away from her confrontation with
Nabiki.
"They, and all with them, are captured. Sometimes, the punishment is
a
clean death. Sometimes, it is worse, a truly cursed life," as she
spoke,
her eyes wandered to rest upon the direction she knew the Musk
soldiers
would arrive from. "Oh, it can be much worse, child," she whispered,
her eyes partly closing in hatred.
"I'm glad that we have permission then. I can't even sit up without
help," Ranma said.
"Ranma, Ranko, one of the effects of the spring is to disable most
users
from anywhere from two weeks to a month. As I told your mother, I
expect you to be up again by tomorrow. But right now, you wouldn't be
able to fight, much less stand, even if your life depended on it."
"Is there anything else that you know, that we need to know?" Nabiki
sarcastically asked.
"There is much that I know, child, that you will need to know at some
point in your life. However, I do not have the time to teach you
today," Cologne tersely ended the discussion by turning and watching
the
woods.
Within a half-hour, the representative of the Musk tribe showed up
with
thirty warriors. Seeing the Jusendo warriors and Cologne, the leader
walked towards the hut of the Jusenkyo Guide. As if signaled, Cologne
and Unima also began going there. The guide, himself, soon walked
nervously out of his hut to meet the three.
The leader of the Musk delegation was named Myrrh. While not a very
tall man, he was extremely strong and looked almost bovine in
expression. His ancestral mother had been a bull before a dip in the
Nyannichuan. He was not happy at being forced to meet with Jusendo
monsters and Amazon witches.
"What is going on? Amazon, is this your doing?"
Cologne smiled and answered, "I have given permission to Ranma Saotome
to jump into the spring, yes. He has already received permission from
the Guides. His mother has possession of a letter written by this
guide
explaining the use of the spring."
"Is this true?" Unima asked the Guide.
"Yes, Honored One. She wrote asking how to rid one of a curse.
Knowing
who she was the mother of, we decided that he was worthy of the
blessing
of the spring."
"How many times will he jump?" Myrrh asked.
"I'm not sure, two maybe three more times. He only has enough
passports
for seven," Cologne answered coolly.
"We will be watching, witch. Do not overstep what you are allowed,"
Myrrh threatened Cologne.
"It would be well for you to remember that when a bull threatens a
person, it is most often the bull who ends up regretting it," Cologne
said dangerously.
"There has been no infraction of the pact. My men and I will be going
home," Unima said as he turned to go. "Farewell, Elder."
"Safe skies, Unima."
"Hmph, like I would trust an Amazon," Myrrh said. "My men will be
here
until the Saotome brat is finished. Besides," he said with a smile,
"my men need brides and we'll spend the time hunting."
Cologne couldn't imagine a fate worse than being a bride to a man of
the
Musk tribe. When a youth, she would have died before submitting to
one
of the beast-men. Suppressing a shiver, she turned and went back to
the
group waiting for her.
"We can stay here or go back to the village and be more comfortable.
I,
myself, will be going back to the village," Cologne told the others
when she returned from the discussion. She was tired. She looked
forward to being able to settle back into life as an Elder of the
tribe.
"Ranma, Ranko, will you need help to get back?" Kasumi was the first
to
ask.
"Nah, I can handle it. I'll be able to make it back on my own," Ranma
said gamely as he quickly stood up. His face quickly grew ashen as
the
blood fled from it, his knees buckled and he landed unceremoniously on
his face, out cold.
"It looks like Ranma needs some help after all," Nabiki drolly
remarked.
Nodoka, forestalling a rush of fiancees wanting to help, quickly told
Genma to help Ranma back to the village. She was interrupted by Kuno
before she could ask Soun to carry Ranko back.
"Oh, Thy beauty is unparalleled.
Seen by all, it begs to be beheld.
Fragile today, your beast of burden I will be,
Strong elsetimes, I pray thy radiance to see.
Let me, please, o beauteous Ranko,
be thy carriage wherever you go."
As he finished, Kuno knelt down in front of Ranko offering his back
for
her to climb upon. "If you please, my lady true, let my back be your
saddle and my arms your stirrups."
Normally, Ranko would have either punted Kuno away or knocked him out
before he got to the third line of his poem, however she was only just
able to sit up without aid. Embarrassed and not knowing what to say,
she looked to her mother for help.
Nodoka saw Ranko's look and completely misinterpreted it. She thought
Ranko was asking if it was okay for a young lady to take a ride from a
young, unattached gentleman. In reality, Ranko asked her mother to
find
a way to get Kuno away from her.
"Why what a nice, gentlemanly way of offering assistance! I'm sure
that
Ranko will enjoy letting you carry her back to the village," Nodoka
smiled approvingly at Kuno's gracious offer.
"Uh, yeah, sure, thanks Kuno..." Ranko said in a flat tone. Looking
at
her mother like she was someone she'd never met before, she felt anger
at her mother thinking that she would be interested in Kuno, of all
people.
"It is beyond my wildest pleasure, to be allowed to serve you, Ranko!"
"Right, Kuno," Ranko muttered as she weakly clambered upon Kuno's
back.
Once Ranma was upon Genma's back and Ranko was settled upon Kuno's
back,
they all journeyed to the Amazon village. Arriving back in the
village,
it was decided that they should both stay in Cologne's home. This was
so that if any problems arose, Cologne would be there to help them
out.
The room that Ranma and Ranko had been placed was rather spartan in
its
furnishings. It was about ten feet by twelve feet, with two single
person mats upon which each sibling lay. There was one window facing
east and a door in the north of the room. There was no closet in the
room, but a large wardrobe took up a large portion of the western
wall.
The southern wall held a tapestry showing a battle between the Amazons
and some ancient enemy. The walls were painted white and the floors
were of polished wood.
Alone together, Ranko hesitantly asked, "So, what should I call you?
Calling anyone else Ranma, kinda sucks, you know?"
"How about niisan (older brother)? I was first, after all you were
just
born today."
"Okay, niisan it is," Ranko said with some remorse. Looking at him
with
a fierce expression, she smiled and said, "You may be stronger than
me,
but I'm way faster. I can't wait to beat your butt when we spar."
"Give me a break! I don't lose, never have and never will." Ranma
boasted.
"Niisan, I know better than that. Let's just wait and see who wins
our
sparring sessions. Heck, I'll even promise to go easy on you," Ranko
smiled at Ranma.
"Yeah, sure, I hear ya talking," Ranma paused and in a more serious
tone, he continued. "I really don't want to jump in the Spring again.
You know what I mean? I thought I was going to be burned to death."
"Burned to death? I couldn't move and felt like I was a rock being
touched at a Breaking Point. It was the worst thing I've ever been
through," Ranko stopped and thought for a moment.
"You know, you've gotta do it again," she continued with regret. "If
you want, I'll jump in with ya tomorrow. That way you'll have
company.
Of course, it's not like I like the idea of making another girl us, I
just don't want you to face that alone."
"You don't have to do that. Just be there for me when I go in and
come
out, okay?" Ranma was surprised that she offered to jump in with him.
Thinking on it, though, he realized that in her place, he would've
made
the same offer.
"Yes, I will. Thanks for letting me off the hook. I know that you
would do the same for me. Believe me, I know. I am you, just a lot
cuter, faster, and all around better than you, but I am you," she
finished sticking her tongue out at him and laughing.
"Hey!" Ranma replied in mock anger, "Don't forget shorter and weaker!"
Knock Knock
"Yeah, who is it?" Ranma asked.
"It's your mother. I came to check up on you two and make sure that
you're both all right. May I come in?"
"Sure mom, come on in. Me and my imouto (little sister) have been
having fun talking with each other."
As she entered the room, Nodoka asked, "What have you two been talking
about?"
"Oh, mainly agreeing that I'm the better martial artist," Ranma said
with a smirk.
"Says you!"
"I'm glad to see that you both are getting enough energy to argue with
each other. I want to let you know, that when you are ready, everyone
would like to visit with you both." Looking at Ranko and smiling with
pleasure and approval, she said, "Ranko, that nice boy, Tatewaki,
would
like to see you when you're up for it. He's very concerned for you.
In
fact, he's guarding the house from visitors. He said that it was the
sacred duty of a samurai to defend his lady against any and all
villains. Isn't that very manly, Ranko?"
"Mom, I just became a girl today. I am not interested in guys, at
least
not yet. I will never be attracted to a creep like him. Before I got
to Furinkan, he forced anyone who wanted to date Akane to attack her.
How? He told the entire school that they must defeat her in combat
before they could date with her. If they dated her without defeating
her first, he would challenge them and beat them up. She had to fight
almost all of the boys at school every morning."
"He did? That certainly wasn't very manly. I'll have to have a talk
with him. He needs to learn how to be manly. I must admit, he didn't
seem like that today. However, if you're not interested, I won't
force
you."
"Thanks, mom."
"..." Nodoka raised her eyebrows in disapproval at Ranko's language.
"Thank you, mother." Ranko amended after receiving a nudge from
Ranma.
"You're very welcome, daughter. If you are both up to it, and I think
you are, you have some people who would like to see you."
Looking at each other, they both grinned and said, "Bring them in!"
The first visitors were the two fathers, Genma and Soun.
Genma stumbling to his knees facing only Ranma, began apologizing,
"Ranma, my boy, as I saw you today, I couldn't help but remember all
of
the training I've put you through. Some of which, I must confess, was
fool-hardy at best. Will you forgive me, my son?" Realizing that he
had snubbed Ranko, he turned to her and said in an embarrassed tone,
"Er, will you forgive me also, daughter?"
"Jeez, pop. I forgive you for everything but the Cat-Fist. That was
crazy," Ranma felt in a forgiving mood. The reminder of the Cat-fist
sent shivers down his spine. He could never forgive his father that
stupidity.
Ranko, very angry over being overlooked, said, "Pop, I'll forgive you
nothing. You are the reason that I'm a girl. Do you think a few
words
will make the pain go away." As she spoke her voice had risen in
volume
until she had ended in an enraged scream. Catching herself, she
stopped
and glared at her father. In an extremely controlled whisper, she
told
Genma, "Pop, if you want forgiveness, pray to our ancestors."
"I'm sorry, my children," Genma continued to bow in apology. Wanting
absolution, he promised himself that he would find a way to make all
of
his children happy.
Never saying a word, Soun move forward and embraced both of them,
crying. After a few moments, Genma pulled Soun away and said, "Old
friend, it's time that we leave them."
After letting Ranko calm herself, Nodoka brought Akane into the room.
Putting on a smile for Akane's sake, Ranko's voice betrayed her, "Hi,
Akane!" In some ways, it felt as if she were watching a dead person
come into the room. She loved Akane, loved her as her soul-mate. Of
all the fiancees, she had never imagined being married and having
children together with anyone other than Akane. How could they have
kids, when they couldn't even make love the right way? She didn't
like
guys that way and didn't like the idea of sex with another woman, who
would ever be able to get close enough to love her? The person she
was
watching would never be closer than a friend or maybe a sister could
be.
Seeing Ranma and Akane's reciprocated love light up their faces, Ranko
felt the chasm of grief in her heart widen. She couldn't imagine
loving
anyone else enough to want to raise a family with them, let alone
become
pregnant or make love. As Akane moved to sit between the two, tears
began to silently track down Ranko's face.
"It's so strange to see both of you at the same time," Akane said
quietly. Noticing Ranko's tears, "Ranko, what's the problem? Is
there
anything I can do?"
"No, there's no problem. I just am wishing that you and niisan will
be
happy together, forever."
"Imoutosan, that's not all and you know it," Ranma looked at her with
sympathy. He, himself, had felt the same feelings when he had been
trapped by Herb in Ranko's form. Reaching out and holding her
shoulder
in a gentle hand, he sighed in imagined grief as he said, "Tell her."
"What? Tell me what?" Akane asked, afraid of the answer, but knowing
that she had to know to be able to help.
Unable to look at Akane, Ranko looked at the floor and haltingly began
to speak, "A-Akane, I love you. ...
Just because I have a girl's body, doesn't mean that I've stopped
loving
you. I'm still Ranma Saotome, inside. It hurts seeing you and
n-niisan
so much in love. I knew going into this that you would only marry one
of us and I am happy for you. I just always assumed I'd be the one
married to you. I'm just having to get used to idea that I'm not."
Finished, Ranko was unable to control her grief any longer, body
wrenching sobs soon shook her. With a look that Akane remembered
seeing
in the mirror when her mother died, Ranko looked up from the floor and
reached for her. As Akane took her in her arms, Ranko laid her head
on
Akane's shoulder and cried.
Listening to the heartfelt pain in Ranko's words, Akane cried in
empathy. Imagining herself in Ranko's position, she was overwhelmed
by
sympathetic grief. Knowing how much Ranma loved her, she had never
considered the emotional toll giving up that love would cost. She
realized how much her love for Ranma meant to her and what it would do
to her to be forced to give it up. Asking herself if she could go
through for Ranma, what Ranma was going through for her, she found
that
she couldn't give herself an honest answer. Cursed to be a boy
forever?
Watching Ranma and another Akane marry? No, she couldn't say that she
would willingly do that, not for honor, family, anything or anyone
else.
Making a promise to herself and to Ranko that she would always be
there
for her, she comforted her as best as she knew how.
When the sobs from the sorrow-stricken girl subsided, Akane whispered
to
her, "Oh, Ranko, I'll always be your friend. Do you remember the
first
time we met, when I asked you if you wanted to be friends? Well, I'm
asking again. Hi, I'm Akane Tendo, want to be my friend?"
"Y-yes. I do Akane," Ranko looked at Akane with a tentative smile
through her glistening eyes.
Akane hugged Ranko tightly. She then looked her in the eyes and said
firmly, "Friends forever, right?"
"Right, friends. You want to spar?" Ranko said as she wiped the last
of
her tears from her eyes.
Akane laughed a little and said, "Maybe after you're up and about. I
really don't think you'd enjoy getting beaten by a tomboy like me."
Ranma was rubbing at his eyes and sniffling himself. "I need to talk
to
Mom. There's way too much dust in this room; it's making my eyes
water
and my nose run."
Akane sat back up to look at Ranko and at Ranma, "Ranko, Ranma, I am
sorry for what you are going through. I watched you today and all I
could think of was how worthless I was for not being able to help you,
the one... ones I love. I don't want you to go there again. I'll
break
off our engagement and you can marry Ukyo or Shampoo. Please, don't
go
there again," Akane then continued in a tiny voice, "I really can't
bear watching you go through so much pain again."
"Akane, I, no, we have to." Ranma raised his left hand up to her
cheek.
"If we don't, our family and personal honor will be ruined. I can't
let
that happen. I am not my father. Our children will grow up in a
family
that knows love, kindness and honor from being shown it every day. I
must do this for our future."
Akane fell forward onto Ranma's chest and held on tight. She didn't
want to lose him and was afraid that he might die jumping a second
time
into the spring. She sobbed, "Whatever you do, don't die on me! Do
you
understand that, you baka!"
Ranma, uncharacteristically gently, leaned his head down and kissed
the
top of her head. Slowly wrapping his arms around a sobbing Akane, he
turned his favorite insult into a confession of his love, as he
whispered into her ear, "Shh, yes, my kawaiikune tomboy, I promise."
--------------------------------------------------------------------
I hope that you all enjoyed this chapter. I was originally planning
on
making this chapter much longer. Ranma still has visits with his
other
fiancees to face. Kasumi will eventually have to cope with what she
saw. Where is Ryoga?
All this and more, in the next Chapter of Alternatives.
Ja ne,
Mike Allen
http://home1.gte.net/allenmk
PS. Please email me with your thoughts, feelings and suggestions. I
love to know that people are reading what I write.
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