Ok. Here is the final version of my Ranma fanfic, Dropping Anchor. It is 
far from perfect and far from what I actually wanted, but the stupid 
thing is as close as I think I'm going to get. I am rather fed up with 
actually, so I'm gonna send this version off to RAAS and be done with it.

In recap for those who haven't seen this before, this is a very dark and 
depressing ranma fanfic. It is also rather vulgar in places (apparently 
Ranma has a pretty rough tongue in his head). And the characters in 
general do not act much like they do in the manga/anime or other fanfics 
for that matter. Don't say I didn't warn you... ^_^

Anyhoo... Final comments after the story:
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			   Dropping Anchor
			 ===================
                          (By Mark Crewson)


	The laws of nature say that for every birth there should be a
death. Now the problem with our society is that we try to change that
ratio.
	I wonder what my father was like before my own wonderful
birth? I wonder what the old man dreamt of? Did he have dreams similar
to mine? Did he relish his freedom and carefree lifestyle? No roots,
no connections, nothing to tie him down. Just himself and his
art. Whatever his dream, it had to die so that he could support his
wife and child.
	But marriage is a natural stage of life. Having kids is
natural. Moving on and changing is natural. Sacrifice is
natural. Death is natural.
	I wonder if he ever tried to kill me?
	I've sat Ryo up on the window ledge. The window is wide
open, of course, and it's two stories up. Ryo has just learned how to
sit upright too. But he still has problems sometimes. He over balances
one way or the other and down he goes. Its a good thing I've piled all
the pillows from our bed in front of the window. The last time he
fell he landed on his head.
	"Wrong Way." I mutter at him. "Keep falling that way and
you're going to hurt yourself." Ironic isn't it? I pick him up and set
him back on the window ledge. "I don't want to hurt you. I just..."
	Oh god. This is no way to spend my summer.
	"I ever tell you how I proposed to your mother?" I don't know
why I'm even talking to him. He's just a baby. I don't think he
understands a word I say. "And I do mean when *I* proposed. Not that
stupid arrangement our parents had made. Neither of have ever
considered that a valid proposal.
	"We had been going out together for almost a year. I guess you
could say we were dating. Finally. It had taken both of us about two
years to get up the nerve to admit that we actually liked each
other. And there were other complications like Shampoo and Ukyou and 
Ryouga as well. But by then many of those situations had resolved 
them selves. So, there we were... dating... it was a good time in our
lives. We were both free and happy until she got pregnant.
	"She said 'I'm pregnant.' I said, 'You're what?' Fully knowing
what she had said... 'I think I'm pregnant,' she said, though I'm sure
that in her head there was no room for doubt. Quite stunned, I had to
ask all of the standard questions; how, when, what were our options,
list the alternatives... She wanted to get married. Totally shied away
from the concept of an abortion. 'Is it mine?' I thought, afraid to
actually say it.
	"We could get an abortion. I'm too young for this. We could
get an abortion. I really don't want to get married. We could get an
abortion. I've got my training to think about. We could get an
abortion. You've still got school to think about. You could get an
abortion.  I don't want to end up like my old man..."
	We could have had an abortion. I could've gotten a one-way
ticket to Peru. Could've gotten a nice big bottle of Jack Daniels. Or
a nice big needle. Or a gun.
	"So... it hits me and I go nuts. 'You're going to have a
fucking kid? What about your pills? Did you stop taking them? You've
got to be fucking kidding me! How could this happen? Whore! Bitch!
Cunt! Slut! Asshole!' It was then that she started to cry, which, even
now I can't take. 'Fuck this. I'm leaving,' I thought as I ran out of
my house -- actually it was her father's house, I was still living
there at the time, as do most high school kids. I ran down the street,
in the rain with no jacket, jumping up and down, crying, screaming,
cursing, punching things.  Man, I lost it. It was like, if she
wouldn't get an abortion, what as I going to do? I knew for a fact
that there was no way in hell she would go through the agony of having
the kid and then put it up for adoption... and she wouldn't go for
letting Grandpa raise it. She'd want me to put my training on hold for a
couple of years and get a day job. Get married and shack up in some
little rat hole. But what about all my dreams? My hopes... my
ambitions?"
	Ryo is wobbling again. Whoops. He just fell. Into the
pillows. I sigh as I pick him up. His diaper probably needs
changing. I can smell something unusual, anyway. Fuck it. I'll do it
later. Maybe after I've finished telling him this story.
	"She eventually came out to find me. She was still crying when
she came up to me, leaning against a telephone pole in the cold
rain. I gently tried to bring up the subject of abortion again but all
she could say was 'I love you. I love you...' Ah man, I hugged her. I
kissed her, and without thinking, found myself saying the same
thing. 'I love you.' And I honestly felt it. That hurt like you
wouldn't believe. More than once did I think, hey, I could marry this
girl... But never out of necessity, not right now. While we had known
each other for several years already, we had only been going out
together for less than a year. And I was only goddamned eighteen."
	'Will you marry me?'
	Right there in the middle of the street.
	I proposed.
	I couldn't believe it. It just sort of came out. Looking back
on it, it seems almost romantic. But right then I went totally numb -
it seemed far better not to feel anything than to get all burnt up
over the inevitable. She wanted to be a mother and I had no say in the
matter. 
	She was already pregnant.
	What was I going to do?
	My anchor had already dropped.
	Now I know there is a price for everything; you want to dance,
you have to pay the fiddler... Certain thing you've just got to live
with.
	Abraham slew his own son to prove loyalty to his god.
	I know myself, and I know that I can live with that, but
there's no way in hell I can live with this.
	


	"So, you having a good summer?" Dr.Tofu had asked me last
week. Working for him wasn't too bad. Sure, it was a dead end job, and
the pay wasn't that great. But it was all he could afford to pay me
and Keiichi. With Akane working as well, we got by.
	"Nnnn..." I mumbled. I really wasn't in the mood to talk. I
prefer to eat my lunch in silence.
	"You must be having a blast, what with the heat and those
steaming diapers."
	"Fuck you!" He was a good friend, but I was in a bad mood. He
just laughed it off.
	"Heh heh. Still not used to it? What is he now? Eight, Nine months?"
	"Something like that."
	"Ah, he'll be wiping his own ass before you know it." He
talked with the authority of experience. Kasumi had already given him
two children and she was expecting another one in just a few
months. "Feels great though, doesn't it?"
	"Changing diapers?" No. It didn't feel great. It was
disgusting.
	"No. Having a kid. When Kasumi had Miyabi, everything
changed." You can say that again. He didn't, of course, probably
because I didn't say that out loud. "It's like, she's waiting for me
when I get home from work. She's so happy to see Daddy... You don't
know why you're here until you have a kid. She's everything to
me. She's all I'm living for."
	I gave him a side long glance as if I didn't believe him. He
either didn't see it, or he chose to ignore it. With him you can never
really tell.
	"So, where's Keiichi?"
	Keiichi. The other young man Dr.Tofu had hired to help out
around here. The workload was more than one person could handle, but
Keiichi wasn't much help. He spent most of his time day dreaming and
fantasing.
	"On the phone with his girlfriend... again," I answered him,
not even bothering to hide to contempt in my voice.
	Tofu's eyes crinkled with laughter. "What's that, two times
today?"
	"Something like that." It was probably more, but who's
counting. "Did you ever see 'The Lonely Guy' with Steve Martin? The
bit about him and Charles Grodin talking about nothing. Its like
that. 'Whad'ya have for lunch? What kind of bread? White or whole
wheat? Mayonnaise or mustard? What brand? Are you alive? Am I? I'm
talking, it must mean something...'"
	"Hey, man. They're in love. They're just talking to talk."
	"But they see each other every day! If she lived in China I
could understand it..."
	As if on cue, Keiichi himself came around the corner. "Hi,
guys." He had a bemused smile on his face.
	Sneaking a look at Dr.Tofu to see if he'd play along, I asked
Keiichi, "So, what'd she have for lunch?"
	Tofu caught on. "Ham?"
	"Mayo?"
	"Whole wheat?"
	"White? With a pickle on the side?"
	Glancing sideways, trying to understand the joke, he
answered. "She had tuna-fish?"
	"With a diet-cherry coke?" I smirked.
	"Yeah..." He raised his voice just a little bit. "What's your
problem?"
	I raised my hand to ward him off. "Hey. It's your problem,
man. She's your girlfriend."
	His eyebrows came down in a frown. "And what's that mean?"
	"Uhmmm... Seems you're a tad hen-pecked."
	"WHAT?" 
	"She's got you wrapped around her little finger."
	Keiichi glared at me. "You're just jealous."
	"Huh--?" I was surprised. "Jealous of what? Look pal, I've
seen your girlfriend and she is nothing to write home about."
	He didn't change his expression, but his voice became very
flat and hard. "You're just jealous of the fact that I'm smart enough
not to get my girlfriend knocked up."



	I had to waste that evening babysitting Ryo while his mother
worked late at the restaurant. She spends her days studying in college
and most of her evenings and weekends working at the damn dinner down 
the street. She usually is exhausted by the time she got home. But we
probably couldn't afford to live in this little apartment if she
didn't work.
	"I'm home." She called out late that night. Walking into the
bedroom where we were, I could see that she was tired.
	"Hey, you just missed this great show on television." She
didn't seem to hear me. "So how was the restaurant tonight? Do good in
tips?"
	"Dunno," Akane yawned. "I didn't even count. Too tired to even
shower. I just wanna go to bed." She began unbuttoning her blouse,
getting ready for bed.
	"Ryouga invited me over for a few beers on Friday night, so if
your not working..."  Ryouga. At one time we were serious rivals, now
we were pretty good friends. "I was wondering if you wouldn't mind
watching Ryo."
	"Ok. But don't forget that I'm working Saturday, and on Sunday
we're having dinner with the whole family at the dojo."
	"That's cool." At least I would have a free Friday
night. "Ukyou is back in town. She called me today..." My voice
trailed away as Akane dropped her skirt. "You look great."
	She didn't notice. She simply crawled into bed, turning her
back to me, closed her eyes and tried to go to sleep. God, she looked
good in only her lace bra and panties. And we hadn't done it in such a
long time. Slowly, tenderly I began stroking her side. Then, kissing
her softly on the shoulder, I reached around to cup her breast in my
hand.
	"Please not now, honey."
	I stopped with my hand half way to its goal. Not now? But I
wanted it now. It had been almost two weeks since we had last made
love. Trying a different tactic, my hand changed direction and began
to lightly caress her hair. I nibbled lightly on her ear lobe.
	"Dammit! I am exhausted. How many times do I have to tell you?
Just go to sleep."
	That hurt. "Akane, love, I really missed you... Didn't you
miss me?"
	"I saw you this afternoon," she replied. Thats wasn't what I
meant. "Look. Why don't you just go into the bathroom?"
	"And jerk off?" I raised my voice. "What do you think I've
been doing all week?"
	She turned over to face me. "And you're still horny?"
irritation in her voice.
	"Yeah!" I through my hands up at the ceiling. "You know, I
can't believe I'm married and now I jerk off more than ever."
	She rolled back over and closed her eyes. "Well, I'm so
sorry."
	"Yeah, so am I."
	"Please. I'm too tired for this..." Her voice carried a note
of pleading. She just wanted to get some sleep.
	I glared across the room. Ryo was a wake and staring back at
me. "So am I."
	


	Looking back over the last few years, I see how much everyone
has changed. Kasumi and Dr.Tofu got married and started a family of
their own. Ukyou is now a successful business woman with students
across the globe. But the one person who has changed the most is
Ryouga. For the longest time we were rivals. He blamed me for all the
misfortune in his life. I suppose he was at least partly right, but he
did like to blow it all out of proportion.
	When Akane discovered that he was also P-Chan all his hopes of
him and her ever getting together were dashed. She still distrusts him
to this day. But, once he came to grips with that, he and I actually
became good friends. Probably because we both share the same dream of
opening our own dojo one day. And we work hard on making our dream a
reality. We also party together whenever we get a chance.
	Ryouga almost always had a small party at his place every
Friday evening. Usually just a few close friends. But it was always a
good time and I tried to go whenever I could get free. Of course, this
being one of the last Fridays of the summer, the party was a little
bigger than I had expected. I felt a little overwhelmed after a short
while and I stepped out into the hall of Ryouga's apartment complex to
get a breath of air. Of course, that is where Shampoo found me.
	"Nihao, Ranma. What you do out here?" Shampoo hadn't changed
much since I last saw her almost three years ago. She was still exoticly
beautiful. Her long purple hair and tight fitting chinese uniform
still managed to turn my head. 
	"Oh. Hi. Just need a break from the noise."
	"Is good idea. Mind if Shampoo join you?"
	Yes. I minded. As far as I knew she was still trying to coerce
me in marriage. "Knock yourself out."
	"Thank you." Shampoo sat down on the same step as me. We both
sat and stared off into nothing for several moments. I don't think
either of us really knew what to say to each other.
	"So. What are you doing back in Japan?" I finally asked. She
had been living back in her amazon village in china for the past few
years, or at least thats what I assumed. Apparently she had had to go
back because of family crisis or something. I never did get all the
details about it. "Is your great-grandmother back too?"
	"No. Shampoo came alone." That was a relief. Cologne just
meant more trouble for me. "Actually, Shampoo come back to Japan to
see Ranma."
	"Really? Me? Why would you do that?" I dreaded the answer to
that question. As far as I knew, Shampoo still didn't know that I was
married. She probably still thought she had a chance.
	But she just smiled mysteriously, saying nothing at all for a
moment or two. Instead she changed the subject. "Shampoo saw your show
a few Saturdays ago...  You was great."
	"Oh shit." My mood took a downward turn. "That show sucked so
bad. Kuno kept spouting poetry and Shakespeare instead of following the
script we had laid out for him."
	She frowned slightly. "Really? Shampoo think he just being
funny."
	"Yeah. A little too funny. Ryouga finally got fed up with the
stupid idiot and pounded him into the ground after the show."
	She giggled at that. "Ha. That so funny." Then she turned
serious. Turning slightly, so she could look at me directly, she said,
"But you. You was really hot up there."
	What could I say to that. I managed to stammer out a "Thanks."
I looked up and turned to face her. I suppose I was going to say
something I else as well, but I forgot it the moment I looked into her
eyes. Shampoo has the most beautiful eyes. I've always thought so. We
both just sat there, staring at each other, not saying a word. 
	Until finally she couldn't stand it any more. She quickly
leaned forward and kissed me.
	The kiss started out innocently enough, I suppose. But before
long it turned very passionate. And I started to kiss her back.
	But luckily, I came to my senses shortly. I broke of the kiss,
sitting back out of her reach, my elbows on the stair behind me.
	"We can't do this." I whispered.
	Shampoo slid down to sit on the step below, so she was looking
up at me. "We can't? Why not?"
	"Mouse." That was a good excuse. "Mouse would kill me if he
found out."
	"Shampoo no tell if you no tell."
	"Great." Taking that as a sign of approval, Shampoo leaned
closer for another kiss. "And another thing... I'm married."
	That stopped her. She leaned back, and look up again. "What!"
She didn't know. Sliding down another step, she shook her head in
denial. "Is you serious? Why you get married? And not to Shampoo..."
	Looking down at her, I almost pitied her. "I'm married," I
repeated. "To Akane."
	"But why?"
	"Accidents happen." The truth was the best thing right
now. "And she wouldn't ...  you know.."
	She just sat there, staring at me. Her face was at my waist
level so I had to look down at her. I hoped there was tenderness in my
eyes. I really didn't want to hurt her.
	Finally, after several long moments, she shook her head as if
to clear the cobwebs and spoke. "Well... There is other way to have
fun without that risk."
	She smiled tightly and reached out for my belt buckle. I
should have tried to stop her. I am married. But I didn't. It wasn't
till she open my pants and started lean forward that I spoke up.
	"I'm married," I repeated, but not with any emphasis.
	"Shampoo no tell if you no tell." Then she closed in and
further speech on her part was impossible.
	Yes, my little nympette, but will you respect me in the morning?
Lucky for me I didn't have to face that. I woke up right here, next to
Ryo's mother, feeling as vile as I think I've ever felt. All those
vows... WHAM -- SHATTERED --
	But you know what they say, if you're going to feel like shit,
there's no place like home.



	Ryouga dropped by the following afternoon. Akane had to work,
just like she had promised, so I was left at home to babysit
Ryo. Again. Ryouga and myself, along with Kuno and Takeshi have formed
a sort of partnership. We all have the same dream of one day owning
and operating a dojo. But the problem is a lack of money. Nabiki once
offered to help with that aspect but her .. and stipulations in the
contract she drew up were to restrictive for us. Kuno even offered to
ask for money from wealthy family, a grand gesture on his part when
you consider that he hasn't spoken with any of them in several years.
	Instead we came up with a rather unique plan. We would perform
for money. Kind of like a circus. As distasteful as it sounds, it was
the only thing we could come up with. We put on exhibitions and
performances for various companies and groups. The pay is a little
sparse at times, but I think we are finally getting close to out goal.
	When Ryouga comes over to my place, it usually is to talk
about our "show" and to discuss our future plans. 
	"Hey man," Ryouga greeted me at the door. "How ya' coping with
those summer time blues?"
	"Tell me about it." I responded as I let him into my tiny
apartment. We went into the small room that serves as the living room
and sat down.
	"So how's it going?" He asked again.
	"Ah, a little tight. During the week when I'm at work, she's
watching the kid. When she's either at school or at work I watch him. 
Right now, she's working this weekend so I get to stay home and play
daddy."  He gave a a long bored look. "Y'know, Things are tight, but
we're making ends meet."
	"That's cool." Ryouga wasn't interested in my home
life. Instead he changed the subject and jumped right into the reason
he came over. "Aw man, that fucking artist guy, Fujishima, what a
hard-on! First he agrees to do our poster for 50,000 yen, right? Then,
like, he says - get this - that for only 50,000 yen, all we get is the
"privilege" of printing printing it once. He gets the original back
and if we wanna make t-shirts with the artwork, we have to pay him
some more... and he said he retains the copies of it."
	"The copyright?"
	"Whatever." Ryouga through his hands out in disgust. "What a
prick. 'Only 50,000 yen.' 50,000 yen is a lot of money and we don't even
get to keep the damn thing." He sat back, calming down a little. "Kuno
says we shouldn't give it back... or at least fuck it up on him or
something."
	I shook my head. "Naw, man. You can't do that." We needed that
poster. It was going to be our main source of advertisement. "50,000...
Well, y'know the guys is good."
	"I wonder what Takahashi get," he muttered to himself.
	I smiled. "Probably a steady supply of coke -- guys who draw
are usually weird." He grinned at my little joke. "So what's up with
Takeshi?" I changed the subject. "He get the new moves down yet?"
	Ryouga suddenly became nervous. He stared at the ceiling and
started twitching he fingers. "Ah, well, y'know we're working. We're
working. It's a little rough, but... He's doing' good... Had to change
some small things here and there, but--"
	"WHAT?!?" I jumped out of my chair. "Change what?"
	He let out a small sigh. It was obvious he really didn't want
to talk about this. "It was... holding us up, so, like, we streamlined
it a bit." 
	I exploded. "No FUCKING way! You didn't even ask me! That's MY
fucking routine!! Shit!! Christ, are you kidding me?"
	"Calm down, man."
	"To hell with that--" I couldn't believe these guys, my
friends, had done this to me. I started pacing back and forth. "What
else did you guys change?"
	"Ah, man..." Ryouga looked at me with pleading eyes. He really
didn't want to talk about this stuff. After several long moments of
silence he finally relented. "Kuno's introductory routine... We
dropped two minutes from your sword demonstration..."
	"What!" I interrupted him before he could finish. "Two whole
minutes?!? I don't fucking believe this!"
	"Well, if you were at the practices..." He pointed out, trying
to be logical about this.
	Ryo was sitting up in his crib, watching us with apparent
interest. "I can't go to the fucking-- I gotta watch my kid." I
stopped pacing, my back turned to Ryouga, my frown directed at my
son. "You know that."
	"Y'know, Kuno thinks we've got to rethink everything."
	I let out an almost hysterical laugh. "Kuno? All that prick
can do is bokken demos! He's an idiot."
	"Yeah -- Well, he can choreograph a routine... and we all like
his stuff and we can all do his stuff."
	"Everything he does looks like an old Bruce Lee movies," I
snorted in contempt.
	"In case you haven't noticed, Bruce Lee is very in right now."
Ryouga got up out of the chair and come over to face me. "Y'know the
whole deal with the 70s and all. A wave is rising and we all think
we've a good chance of riding it."
	"FUCK ALL THAT." I shouted in his face. Turning around so my
back was to him again, I tried to explain. "I am sick and tired of
asshole either copying or regurgitating the shit the learned from
their sensei. Do you guys really want to walk in someone else's
shadow? That is not how I plan on measuring my success; not by seeing
how close I can come to copying my fucking idols."
	I spun around to face Ryouga again. "I want to do something
that no one's ever seen before. It's so fucking simple... What
personifies the greats is the fact that they were the first to do what
they did. They did something that only they could do. They took that
risk and gave some measure of themselves to the work and that made it
come alive. You've got to be willing to walk through the fire... make
the sacrifice." I sat down on the couch again. Hopefully I was
reaching him. He just had to understand. "I want to sail off on my
own. No roots. No ties. No anchors. Thats what I want all of us to
do..."
	Ryouga looked sick. "That's another thing. We held a vote
and... I'm sorry man. Things don't look too good."
	I just stared at him for a few seconds. "What are you saying?"
I asked, my voice barely above a whisper. "Are you saying you want to
ax me?"
	Ryouga sat down again, his face in his hands. "It's not me,
man. It's... Y'know, what we think will be best for everyone. We still
want you there. But you're not." He sat back, looking over at
Ryo. "I don't know. Maybe you should find a nanny or something."
	I tried to sit still but I couldn't. I got up again and walked
over to stand by Ryo's crib. "This is crazy. I only form the fucking
group, do most of the demonstrations and choreograph the goddamn
routines... And you guys want to kick me out?" Gripping the rail of
the crib tightly in my fists, I let out a sob. "This isn't happening."
	Ryouga glanced down at his wrist. "Shit. Man, I gotta go." He
got up, getting ready to leave. I could hear him behind me. "Y'know Kuno
wants to... Listen, I'll call ya. And hey, nothing is definite,
so... Just don't take this as personal, ok?" He waited a few moments
for an answer, but I said nothing. "Bye."
	I just stood there, tears slowly rolling down my face. "Don't
take this as personal?" I whispered to Ryo. "I'm the one guy willing
to give blood and they want to ax me. I do not believe this."



	On Sunday, yesterday, we had dinner at the dojo. Actually, it
is just a small house, barely large enough for Soun Tendo and his one
remaining daughter, Nabiki. But in remembrance of the old dojo, we 
called this one the dojo too. It's too bad the old one had burned
down. I really liked that old place.
	As had become the custom, the whole family showed up for
dinner. Its a good thing the house has a back yard, because it would be a
little to crowded inside for all of us. But six adults, six and a half if
you counted Kasumi's swelling belly, and three children could relax
quite comfortably outside.
	It was after dinner, when everyone was relaxing on grass, when
Kasumi came up to me on the porch. "Hey, you old enough to drink
that?" she joked, pointing at the bottle of sake I cradled in my lap.
	"Feels like I am." I sighed. 
	She pulled a chair over to where I was and sat down. "My
sister killing ya' yet?"
	"No. Not yet."
	She wasn't even listening to me. "Oof. I'll be so glad when
this baby finally arrives. I love children, especially my own, but
when this one is born that will be it. Three children is enough for
this girl."
	I merely grunted a reply, not really caring. Kasumi is a
great women, and I love her like a sister, but sometimes I think she
is just a little too self-absorbed.
	She turned her head to look at me. Now she was paying
attention to me. Changing the subject, she asked, "How are you guys
doing with the bills?"
	A nice safe topic. I answered her honestly. "Could be better,
but we're doing alright."
	"If you need and help...?"
	"Thanks but things are cool for now."
	Out on the lawn, Soun was playing with Ryo. On his knees, he
held out a finger from each hand. Ryo had a hold of each finger in
his tiny fists, standing on shaky legs. 
	Smiling I pointed out at him. "Grandparents freak out over
kids. No matter how many more they get they still freak out. You'd
figure he would've gotten his fix off of' your two."
	Kasumi grinned at my remark. "Ha ha. You're a card...  Yeah,
my father goes overboard, ga-ga..." Her voice faded a bit and her brow
creased in a small frown. "But he's alright. Just... Keep your eyes on
him and the kids."
	That got my attention. I turned around to face her. "Watcha
mean?"
	She stared back at me. Almost whispering she said, "Don't
leave him and the kids alone together."
	"What the hell's that mean?" I was getting angry.
	She gave an exasperated sigh. "It means that my father is a
nice person... but he has his quirks."
	"Quirks?" I wanted to shout. Instead my voice dropped to a
whisper. "You telling me he's a child molester?"
	Kasumi jumped at that. "No! Not child molester...  He's just a
little weird." Turning her head to look at the corner of the yard
where Akane and Nabiki were sitting, she asked, "Akane didn't tell you
any of this?"
	"Fuck no...  Shit!"
	Kasumi turned back to me. Her voice returned to its normal
level. "Listen. Akane knows." She grunted as she stood up and prepared
to walk away. "It's no big deal. All you have to do is watch him."
	Watch him. "Sure," I answered, but she was already out of
hearing range.



	I was tense for the rest of the evening. I wanted to go
home. I wanted to talk to Akane about this. I wanted to
scream. Finally, after several hours, we left the dojo and Dr.Tofu
drove us home.
	"I can't get over my dad playing with Ryo's toys." Akane was
in a good mood as she placed Ryo in his crib. It had been a relaxing
day for her after an especially hectic week.
	"I was talking to your--"
	"Wasn't that nice of my sister and Dr.Tofu to drive us home?"
She wasn't listening to a word I said. Tucking the baby in, she gave
him a tender kiss on his forehead. "I mean, they've still got that
long drive back uptown ahead of them."
	I raised my voice slightly. "I was talking to her about--"
	"Shhh!" She scolded me. "No so loud. You want to wake him?"
	"God, no." When Ryo wakes up he usually is cranky. And he
usually doesn't go back to sleep for several hours. 
	She turned around and leaned against the side of the crib. Her
eyes sparked as she said, "I think my father has finally forgiven
you." He had gone through the roof when he found out Akane was
pregnant. Of course, he had been mollified a little bit when we
married, but he still resented that fact that Akane had conceived a
child out of wedlock. "You were quite the gentleman this evening..."
She saunter over to where I was standing. "Reminded me why I love
you." She turned her face downward, her eyes upward and coyly asked,
"Want to lay down?"
	That was a silly question. So I didn't even bother to answer
her. Instead I grabbed her arms and pulled her down onto the bed. She
didn't resist.
	Wrapping her arms around my neck, she began to kiss and nibble
at my neck. I responded by stroking her back and kissing her on her
forehead, her eyelids, her nose. She raised one leg to rub against my
thigh as I tried to find the clasp of her bra through her blouse. With
a slight twang, the hook came undone and I began searching for the
bottom of her blouse in order to slide my hand up under it and caress
her breasts.
	And then, from across the room, came the one sound that could
spoil the mood. Ryo had woken up and he began to cry. He wailed at
the top of his lungs for his mother.
	Akane stopped her caresses as soon as she heard him, of
course. Struggling a little bit, she tried to disentangle herself from
me and go answer his call. My hand was still caught under her blouse
and as she got up and the buttons ripped free as she left the bed and
crossed the room.
	"DAMMIT!" I yelled in frustration. 
	Akane ignored me for a moment, instead comforting the
baby. "Shh, Ryo, shh. It's alright, calm down." Ryo snuggled close
to her breast and turned his wail into a low hiccoughed cry. "What's
wrong with you?" she asked me acidly once Ryo had calmed down.
	I looked at her square in the face. "Your sister told me that
your father is a child molester."
	"What!?" She screeched. "He's not a child molester..." Clearly
she was shocked. "He's just a little weird." She cradled Ryo head
protectively against her breast.
	"That's what your sister said." I was angry. I was fed up. I
was read to burst. "What the hell did he do to you when you were a
kid?"
	Akane just stared back at me. Her mouth moved but no words
came out. The hurt in her eyes was visible even across the room.
	"You should've told me about this," I continued on. I got off
the bed and turned toward the dresser; turned so my back was toward
her. "You should've told me my kid's grandfather would be a child
moles... oh, excuse me... just a little weird."
	Still carrying Ryo, she walked across the room to stand
right behind me. "What difference would it have made?" she
asked. "Nothing has happened. Nothing will happen."
	I barely whispered it. I don't think I even meant to say it
out loud. "Maybe if I had known I'd have forced you to have that
fucking abortion."
	I couldn't see her with my back turned toward her, but I know
she turned red in an instant. "YOU BASTARD!" she yelled. "This is your
son you're talking about!" She turned away and stalked across the
room. "How can you be so damn cold?"
	I let out a sick laugh. "You think that's cold? You should see
what I've been up to lately..."
	"WHAT?!?"
	Fuck. That was stupid. I tried to cover my tracks. "...lately?
Lately I've been banging my fucking head against the fucking wall
because I've been going out of my fucking mind!" At least it was the
truth.
	"You think you're alone in this?" Akane was on the verge of
tears. "This is very rough on me also! You think I like..."
	"SHUT UP!" I shouted her down. Throwing my arm out I pointed
an accusatory finger at her. "This was your idea!"
	Still cradling the whimpering baby in her arms, she said with
all the ice in her voice that she could manage, "Well, I didn't get
pregnant all by myself."
	That did it. I grabbed my jacket and headed for the
door. "Fuck this. I'm leaving."
	"Where are you going? You can't run away from this!"
	"I.. know.. that.. I'll be back later."



	When I finally returned home, Akane was already asleep. I
quietly slipped of my clothes, got into bed, and went to sleep beside
her. This morning, when I woke up, she had already gone to her Monday
morning class.
	But Ryo was awake and he needed changing. After doing that
dirty deed, I opened the window to get rid of the stink. Then, not
really knowing what I did, I sat him on the window ledge.
	We've been like that ever since.	
	I had a dream last night. I was chasing this girl, uphill, at
sunset, through this tall wheat. Everything was golden. She was
wearing this big, multi-layered, flowing white dress, the front of which
she was holding up so that she could run easier. Her hair was long and
all over the place; it covered up her face whenever she would turn to
laugh at her game. All I saw was her smile. She seemed so happy, but
also a touch sad. Sad because I wasn't getting any closer.
	But it was just a dream. At this rate, summer will be over
before you know it. And all I'll have left are my dreams. And I'm not
getting any closer.
	"Ah, fuck," I say to the empty air, my eyes closed
remembering, "Someday I'll write about this..." But Ryo, my only
audience right now is gone. He's not on the window ledge.
	I stare. I glance at the pillows below the window. They are
empty too. I stare at them in dumb struck silence.
	And then. And then.. And then I stand up. "Holy Christ!"
	What was it I told Ryouga? You've got to be willing to walk
through the fire... make the sacrifice.
	I guess I've just made mine.

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

AUTHOR'S NOTES:   I didn't start this. Don't blame me! ^_^   Back in 1989 or
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~   so I read a comic book called Cry For Dawn and in it was a
short story named "Dropping Anchor" quite similar to this one. It was a good
story, I guess, but I completely forgot about it until about August of last
year. I had picked up a trade paperback called Angry Christ Comix and in it,
sure enough, was this story. Only this time when I read it I kept seeing Ranma
and Akane in the leading roles. The idea stuck with me and for the past few
months its been rattling around in my head. Finally, fed up with it, I sat
down and typed it out, and voila, your now reading it. The original story was
written and drawn by a man named Joseph Michael Linser, by the way, and his
trade paperback, Angry Christ Comix, is still available from Sirius Publishing
if anyone is interested. I highly recommend it.




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