On Thu, 28 Mar 1996, Erin Mills version 2.5 wrote:

fast and straight to the chops. The disease takes six days to kill 
it's host and by the third day (where Ukyou is) most of the fight is 
taken out of the victim. I've heard of persons dying of a terminal 
disease suffering some sort of revelation and basically accepting the 
fact. Since this particular disease works so fast, it seemed logical 
that Ukyou would reach that point much sooner than expected. Also, 

I don't know.  I've twice thought that I was about to die. (I didn't)  
If I had, I'm sure I would have felt worse than I did.  And...any 
disease that makes Ukyou resign to death would necessarily be so 
debilitating that the whole writing letters bit is nonsense.  She 
couldn't.  It's unlikely she would even be able to effectively 
communicate or be fully lucid if they did come to Ucchan's.

True, cancer patients and the like do come to grips with their death.  
However, from what little I know of psychology, acceptance is usually 
the seventh step when patients learn of unavoidable imminent death.  The 
other steps being denial, frustration, despair, anger, etc...Ukyou 
wouldn't have gone through all of that in three days.  Particularly as 
she's a healthy 17 year old...

Perhaps more likely is that Ukyou has had the disease for a long time, 
and has wanted to live normally, so she hasn't said anything.  Maybe it's a 
disease which can stay dormant for a long time, striking any time 
between 15 and 40...and these symptoms are indication that the virus has 
manifested and she has six days to live...if that fits into your story.

I'm going on too long on a minor point, but the "six days" things seems 
phony.  You don't know that exactly in any disease I can think of.  Maybe 
"about 6 days." would be better.

the disease acts very much like the flu or, say, a bad head cold. 

A really bad one.  If it's like a flu, only fatal, it's a flu so strong 
she's digusting to look at or be around, not just a little sickly looking.

Half the reason why Ukyou seemed so resigned was because she wasn't 
quite all there upstairs, ya see?

That'd only happen if the symptoms were seriously bad on the mind...bad 
case of vertigo, or body producing poisons to the brain.  She wouldn't 
be capable of conversation if that was the case. 

I did like the story, although I can't believe it's a part one of two.  
It seems like it's going to need at least 3 or 4 more parts...But just the 
mention of death in Ranma fanfics is new and exciting.

                                                ---Erin 2.5

Why 2.5?  How have you been upgraded from 2.0?  And where's "Shock 
Treatment?"  Curious what you've done with that...
To ramble a bit, I estimate I've gone to "Rocky Horror Picture Show" at 
least 50 times in my life.  I'm cool!

****jdrutsch@ucdavis.edu***********************Jeff Rutsch************* 
"Ranma's not a boy...he's a girl!"
"Akane is MY fiancee!  You TOUCH her, and I'll KILL you!"
"Ranma, change back into a boy while I buy you some time."
"But if I seem to act unkind/it's only me, it's not my mind."
"Ranma [sic],/give your heart to Akane [sic]. /Soon,/right away."
**^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^*****^_^**