***  ###  ***

When Akane awoke the next morning, the sun was bright in the sky, the birds
were singing, and the air was fresh and crisp.  Akane had no appreciation
for any of it.  Her mood was as black as it had been the night before.

She still could not make herself believe that there was anything deliberate
about Ranma's accident.  Despite his odd behaviour, it was just too unlike
him to take the coward's way out.  Ranma was a jerk a lot of the time, her
friend some of the time, her confidant on rare occasions, and her protector
always.  Never a coward.  Still, there existed that nagging little doubt -
just enough to be unsettling.

Akane got up and started to pack her things for a protracted stay at the
Nerima Medical Centre.  As she turned back to her pack with an armload of
clothes, she found Happousai sitting in the pack, fondling her
undergarments.  Something snapped, and a deadly silence descended upon the
room.

When he saw that he had been caught in the act, as it were, Happousai leapt
for Akane, intent on grabbing a quick grope.  As usual, Akane blocked his
approach and slammed the old lecher to the floor.  This time, however, she
followed up with a rabbit punch to the throat that left Happousai gasping
for breath, and a warning.

"Touch me again, you diseased little toad, and I will *kill* you."  she hissed.

Happousai was shocked at the icy fury in Akane's voice.  There was no doubt
in his mind that she meant every word.  He just couldn't understand what
had come over the normally angry but basically sweet baby of the Tendou
clan.  Seeing the expression on her face, he wasn't inclined to argue,
either.  Instead, he invoked the Saotome Ultimate Technique - he ran away.

After Happousai was gone, it took Akane a few moments to cool down to the
point where she trusted herself to be around other people.  The old man had
just picked the *wrong* time to mess with her.  Once she had calmed a bit,
she finished her packing, and took her bag downstairs.  Kasumi had
breakfast just about ready.

***  ###  ***

Akane was on her way back to the Medical Centre when she heard someone
calling her name.

"Tendou Akane," said the voice.  "A moment if you please.  Wilst thou hold?"

Even if she hadn't recognized the voice, there was only one person in all
of Nerima, perhaps even all of Japan, that talked that way.  Akane rolled
her eyes, and replied in an exasperated tone.  "What do you want, Kunou?  I
really don't have time for this right now."

"I shall take but a moment of your time, dear Akane," said Kunou.  "I come
to offer my condolences in your time of sorrow..."

That caught Akane by surprise.  "Condolences," she said.  "Are you feeling
all right?"  She turned to face him.

Kunou stood there, his expression somber, his bokken at his side, and two
large bouquets of red roses in his hands.  He handed one of the bouquets to
Akane.  "Please accept this simple token of my sympathy for your loss," he
said.

Akane's expression darkened.  "What do you mean, my loss?  Ranma isn't dead
yet, you know."  (She fervently hoped that this was true)

Kunou shook his head and sighed.  "The net of heaven is a coarse mesh, but
none escape its grasp.  It is but a matter of time.  Now tell me, whither
the Pig-tailed Girl?  I would deliver these (he indicated the remaining
bouquet) unto her."

"So sure of Ranma's fate, are you?" Akane smirked.  "Well, Kunou, I hate to
be the bearer of bad news, but if I were you, I'd start praying very hard
for Ranma to recover."

"And why should I do that, pray tell..."

"Because, if Ranma dies, then your pig-tailed goddess will surely follow."

"Nani?!  Is that foul sorcerer's spell over her so strong?  I cannot accept
such a pronouncement!  Tell me, Tendou Akane, tell me where I might find
her.  I must go at once to her aid."

There was a cold glint in Akane's eye.  "I'm sorry Kunou, but no one has
seen her since Ranma's accident.  I know her pretty well, though, and I can
assure you that their lives are linked.  If Ranma dies, she will die, and
there is nothing you or anyone else can do about it.  Now if you will
excuse me..."  She turned to go.  Behind her, she could hear Kunou's
lamentations over the fate of his beloved pig tailed girl - in fact, she
was sure that the whole city could hear him.  She sighed to herself as she
walked on toward the Medical Centre, and her own thoughts returned to
Ranma's fate.  <Please, Ranma, you've got to get better.  I'm not ready to
lose you.  Not like this.>

***  ###  ***

Ranma-chan lay on her back panting.  She had finally made it up to the next
ledge, but the climb had been hard.  Every muscle in her body ached, and
she was exhausted.

Wherever she was, she did not approve of the inferior quality of the rock.
Several handholds had broken under her weight, and she almost hadn't made
it as a result.  For once she was glad to be a girl - with the added weight
she carried in her male form, she might not have been so lucky.  If nothing
else, Ranma had learned the value of a tradeoff from the curse.

As she was too tired to resume climbing right away, there was little else
to do but think.  She still could not remember how she had gotten to this
strange place.  Her memories in general seemed a tad hazy, not so much out
of reach as out of focus.  The last thing that she thought she remembered
had been walking back toward the dojo from Ucchan's.  But she was also
pretty sure that she had been a guy at the time.  She (he) had been
thinking about Akane, - there had been a flash of light, and then nothing.
The next thing Ranma-chan remembered was waking up on the ledge below.

The silence was really starting to get on her nerves.  It was so quiet that
she could hear her own heart beating... it was spooky.  Ranma-chan sat up,
slowly this time, and turned her attention once more to the cliff face
before her.  She thought that she could see another ledge about fifteen
meters above her.  <At least,> she thought to herself, <this climb will be
shorter than the last one.>

***  ###  ***

Ukyou and Akane sat in Ranma's room, maintaining their silent vigils.
Ukyou was reading another book, "Sakyu", but she could not keep her mind on
the story.  For her part, Akane was struggling with a pair of knitting
needles, and a ball of yarn that was getting more and more tangled by the
second.  Finally, Akane tossed the mass away from her in frustration.

Ukyou looked up from her book, glad of the distraction.  "Akane-chan?" she
asked.

Akane sighed heavily.  "Gomen nasai, Ukyou...  I didn't mean to disturb you."

"You're not, Akane-chan.  I don't really feel like reading right now
anyway."  She put the book down on the table next to her chair.  "What are
you working on?"

"Nothing, really.  I can't seem to get those damn things (she indicated the
discarded knitting needles) to work.  Onee-chan makes it look so simple,
but all I get is a tangled mess."

Ukyou eyed the mass of green and blue yarn dubiously.  "Maybe you're just
trying too hard."  She said.  "Why don't you take a break, and try again
once you've had a chance to relax a little?"

"It's no use, Ukyou," said Akane.  "I'll never get it right."  She looked
over at Ranma lying in his bed, and sniffed.  "Even Ranma is better at this
than I am.  I guess that's one of the things that bugs me most about him.
He's a *boy* and he makes a better girl than I do.  He's a better cook, he
knows more about crafts, he's better looking as a girl than I am...  It's
not fair!"  Akane was practically in tears.

"You're being too hard on yourself Akane-chan.  After all, which one of you
is it that all the guys are fighting over at school?  There is nothing he
can do that you can't learn - you just have to have the patience."

"HE never seems to have any trouble" sighed Akane.

"That's because he's an eidetic.  Show him a technique, for anything, and
give him a reason, and he'll learn it.  He rarely has to be shown twice.
It's one of the things that makes him such a good martial artist."

"What has that got to do with cooking?" asked Akane.  "What reason would he
have had to learn that?"

"If I had to guess, knowing Ran-chan, either some fool told him that he
couldn't do it, or else they told him that he couldn't beat them at it.
I'm willing to bet that if you could convince him that quantum mechanics
was a martial art, Stephen Hawking would be out of a job.  You know how
competitive Ran-chan can be..."

Akane managed a smile at that.  Everyone who knew Ranma knew how he hated
to lose.  At anything.  And in this case, she had a pretty good idea just
who that fool had been.  Then she sobered.  "Ukyou..."

"Yes, Akane-chan?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?  I mean... After all, we're..."

"Rivals?"

Akane nodded.

Ukyou thought about the question for a moment.  "I suppose it's because
Ran-chan cares about you so much."

The answer caught Akane off guard.  "Nani??  He does?!?"

"Didn't you know?"

"No... I mean... He never said anything to me..."

Ukyou smiled a little sadly.  "No, I guess he wouldn't have.  But he *does*
like you.  A lot."

"He sure has a funny way of showing it," muttered Akane.

Ukyou scowled.  "You really have no room to talk there, you know.  You
don't treat Ran-chan very well either."

Akane's voice was tight.  "Just what do you mean by that?"

"Well, you're always fighting with him.  You always assume that whatever is
going on is *his* fault, even if it isn't.  You never give him a chance to
explain, and you don't listen to him when he tries..."

"But..." began Akane, but Ukyou wasn't finished.

"Look, I know he can be difficult, but you never give him a chance, do you?
On those occasions when he *is* nice to you, you treat him like he's sick,
or lost his mind.  You say you never want him around but you get mad at him
when he spends time with anyone else.  You're always telling him to go off
and die..."

Akane paled. "Are you quite finished?" she growled.

"You *did* ask."

Akane took a deep breath, but bit off her angry reply.  Everything Ukyou
had said was true...  She did have a tendency to assume the worst where
Ranma was involved.  Maybe she should have given him the benefit of the
doubt; been more patient.  Maybe.  "Yes, but... he... he can just be so
irritating at times..."  she answered lamely.

Ukyou's expression softened slightly.  "I know he can...  Akane-chan; it's
my turn to ask you a question."  She paused.  "Why are you here?"

Akane stiffened.  "What do you mean?"

"Do you love Ran-chan?"

Akane started to reply automatically in the negative, but thought better of
it.  "I... I... I don't know," she admitted miserably.  She slumped in her
chair and looked over at Ranma's bed forlornly.  She tried to imagine what
her life would be like without Ranma, but the image repelled her - it was
cold and dark and lonely.  She shivered.  "I just can't imagine not having
him around anymore..."

"That sounds like a 'yes' to me," said Ukyou.

Akane's temper flared, but burnt itself out almost immediately.  "I
guess... I guess maybe it is..."

"That's good.  I would hate to see Ran-chan marry someone who didn't love him."

Akane looked at Ukyou in surprise.  "Nanda?!  Giving up?  You?!" she stammered.

"Certainly Not!" said Ukyou.  "I'll fight to my last breath for Ran-chan -
As long as he is happy, I win.  And I still think that I'm the one that can
make him the happiest."

Akane didn't know whether to be relieved, or disappointed.  She looked over
at Ranma's bed once more and sighed.  "We'll see..." she whispered.  "We'll
see..."

***  ###  ***

Ranma-chan had almost reached the next ledge.  This leg of the climb may
have been shorter than the first one, but it sure hadn't been any easier.
The rock that made up the cliff face was worse than shale - it tended to
break under the slightest pressure or strain.  It was like trying to climb
a ladder where the rungs had all but rotted out.  It made progress
difficult at best.  At least this time she hadn't fallen.  Yet.

Just now, she was stretching her sensitivity to the limit, in an effort to
avoid the near disasters that had almost claimed her on the first climb.
Each new handhold was carefully scrutinized before she trusted it with her
weight - she was *not* going to fall again if there was any way to avoid
it.  She shuddered at the memory - the sickening instant of weightlessness
as a handhold broke and gravity took hold, the moment of free fall, and the
bone jarring impact on the ledge below.

She was also increasingly certain that she was going in the right
direction.  It was vitally important that she reach the top of the cliff.
She had no idea how she knew this, or why it was so, but she was very sure
of it.  It didn't make a whole lot of sense, but Ranma-chan was used to
trusting her instincts.

Finally, Ranma-chan dragged herself over the lip of the next ledge, and lay
for several moments, the only sounds being the pounding of her heart, and
the rasp of her laboured breathing.  As she got her wind back, even these
sounds faded into the stillness.

The first attack came as Ranma-chan got to her feet to begin the next leg
of her climb.  As she reached for the first handhold, several small, hard
objects struck the rock near her hand, sending sharp chips flying.
Ranma-chan turned to face her attacker, dropping effortlessly into combat
readiness.

At first, she could see no one, but a moment later, Ryouga dropped onto the
ledge in front of her, readying another attack.  Ranma-chan was so
surprised, she almost didn't evade as Ryouga rushed her, screaming in
soundless rage.  Ranma-chan did manage to dodge the attack, but just
barely.  She turned once more to face her nemesis.

Ranma-chan was of two minds.  One part of her was glad to find that she was
not, after all, alone in this place.  The other part of her, the largest
part, was cursing whatever god thought it would be funny to strand her with
Ryouga, of all people.  Even if Ryouga knew where they were, there was no
way that he could find his way out.

Ryouga stood a few meters away, his face twisted in anger, his eyes
blazing.  Ranma-chan didn't think she had ever seen him this angry before,
and Ryouga was usually angry.  She wondered what had set him off this time.
Once more, Ryouga charged, and Ranma-chan evaded by the skin of her teeth.
Ranma-chan didn't mind fighting Ryouga, but she usually liked to know what
she was fighting about.  Here, there were just too many unknowns.

"Yo!  Ryouga!  What do you think you're doing?" she called.

Ryouga said nothing.  He just glared at her and continued to circle,
probing her defenses for a weakness he could exploit.

Ranma-chan tried another approach.  "Ryouga!  Where are we, anyway?  How
did you get here?"

Still Ryouga was silent.  He acted like he hadn't even heard her.

Now Ranma-chan was getting mad as well.  "All right.  If that's the way you
want it!"  She charged.  Ryouga sidestepped her attack and tripped her,
sending her crashing into the cliff face.  Ranma-chan dropped and rolled,
narrowly evading Ryouga's follow up attack, and got slowly to her feet.
Again, she moved to attack.

As before, when she reached for him, he was not there.  It was like trying
to grasp at quicksilver - he seemed to flow just out of her reach before
countering with a blow of his own.  Ranma-chan wiped the sweat out of her
eyes and glared at her opponent.  She had never seen him move this
gracefully before; never seen him this good.  <The old ghoul's probably
been giving him lessons again,> she thought to herself darkly.  Still, she
wondered what had made him so angry...

The more Ranma-chan attacked, and the madder she got, the more easily
Ryouga evaded her attacks.  He had not yet managed to land a blow on her,
but she was taking a beating from all of her own near misses.  She was
getting tired as well.

She looked hard at Ryouga.  He wasn't even breathing hard - and there was
not so much as a scratch on him.  Ranma-chan felt the anger welling up in
her again, as she prepared to attack, but before she could, a thought
struck her.  All the damage that she had taken so far, she had done to
herself.  Ryouga had never really touched her.  She was getting angry, and
her anger was making her careless.  With an effort, Ranma-chan managed to
control her urge to tear Ryouga's head off and instead dropped into a
defensive crouch.  <Let *him* take a beating for a while,> she thought.

Ryouga circled warily, once more on the offensive, looking for an opening.
Ranma-chan smiled to herself.  That was it - she couldn't let her anger get
the best of her.  Finally, Ryouga made his move, but this time, Ranma-chan
was ready.  As he charged, she dropped onto her back and brought her legs
up into Ryouga's chest, launching him into the air, and sending him flying.
Too late, she realized that his trajectory would carry him over the edge
and into empty space.  She lunged and tried to grab for Ryouga, but there
was nothing she could do.  She almost fell herself.  "Ryouga!" she cried.

But Ryouga did not fall.  As he sailed out over the void, he simply...
dissolved.  He vanished as if he had never been, leaving Ranma-chan staring
after him with her jaw hanging open.  "Ryouga..." she said again.

Ranma-chan fell to her knees, exhausted and confused.  She stared out into
the emptiness for a long moment.  Turning her eyes upwards, towards
whatever gods might be listening, she cried, "What *IS* this place?!"

***  ###  ***

Akane and Ukyou were sitting in Ranma's room conversing quietly.  There had
been no change in Ranma's condition, but the Doctors had assured them, not
to sound cliche, that while there was life there was hope, and that no news
was good news.  The attitude of the staff at the Medical Centre was one of
guarded optimism, and Akane and Ukyou both took some small measure of
comfort from that.

There was a knock at the door, and Akane got up to answer it.  As she
opened the door, a voice could be heard asking, "Pardon me, but could you
direct me to...  Akane-san?!  At last, I've found the right place!"

"Ryouga!  Hi!" said Akane.  "Please, come in.  It's so nice of you to come
to visit Ranma."

Ryouga entered and Akane closed the door.  "Actually,  I... I didn't come
to visit Ranma," Ryouga stammered.  "I... I... I came to see if *you* were
all right..."

Akane blushed.  "I'm fine, thanks.  I'm just worried about him."  She
turned sadly towards the bed.

Ryouga turned to study the bed's occupant.  He'd never seen Ranma this
badly torn up before - not in all of the years that they had been rivals.
Five years?  Six?  Ryouga couldn't even remember.  "He looks bad," he said
quietly.

Akane nodded miserably.  "He almost died already.  There's a good chance
that he still might."

"That would be... unfortunate." Ryouga agreed somberly.

Akane reached out, intending to comfort her iinazuke's friend.

"I wanted to be the one to kill him."

Akane froze.  She couldn't believe her ears.  "What?  You... you can't
really mean that!"

"Hmm?"  Ryouga seemed distracted for a second.  "Sure I can.  Why wouldn't I?"

"But... he's your friend!  I don't see how you can stand there and tell me
that you would actually want to kill him!"

That startled Ryouga - Ranma was his friend?  It was news to him.  <No.>
His expression darkened once more.  "You wouldn't understand.  And he's NOT
my friend."

Akane's temper flared.  "You're right.  I *don't* understand it.  I've
never understood it.  I just know that I don't like it.  What is it between
you two?  Why would you hate Ranma so much?  And why will neither of you
ever tell me what it's all about?"

Ryouga tensed, exasperated.  "Ranma is the demon responsible for all of my
suffering!"

"Suffering?"  Akane was incredulous.  "What suffering?  Just what did he
*do* to you that would make you want to kill him?"

Ryouga started to answer, and then realized that he could not - not without
revealing to Akane the identity of her beloved P-chan.  "Nothing," he said,
a little sullenly.

"That doesn't make any sense," Akane said.  "If he didn't do anything, why
are you two fighting all of the time?"

"He ran out on a fight.  If he had been there, I would not have... I would
not have been through hell!"  Ryouga was getting angry.

"He was there for your stupid fight.  He waited for you for THREE DAYS.
What more did you want?" asked Akane indignantly.

"I wanted him there on the fourth day!  Why are you defending him?  I
thought you hated him too!  Aren't you always crying yourself to sleep
because of the way he hurts you?"

Akane was shocked.  "No!  I don't hate him!  I lo..."  No... she wasn't
quite ready to make that admission yet - not publicly.  "What would *you*
know about what I do when I go to sleep anyway?"

Ryouga realized that he'd said a little too much so he ignored Akane's
question in favour of asking one of his own. "How can you not hate him?
All he does is torment you.  Would he do that if he loved you?"

Akane flinched.  <would he?> she thought.  But Ukyou's words came back to
reassure her... <"...I suppose it's because Ran-chan cares about you so
much... - ...he *does* like you.  A lot...">  She looked at Ryouga.  "He
might," she said simply.  She tried another tack.  "How can you be so pig
headed?!"  Another piece of a memory came back to her.  "Ranma doesn't hate
you, you know."

Ryouga blanched at the term 'pig headed'. "Who... who told you that?"

"Any fool could see it the first day you came to Furinkan looking for him,"
Akane replied testily.  "Ranma wasn't even angry at you.  Good grief, he
didn't even remember your name!  He just wanted to be friends.  You're the
one who can't seem to handle that!  If it was you that was sick, Ranma
would be hoping that you got well."

"Ranma's an idiot.  You've said it yourself countless times."  Ryouga knew
that he kept saying the wrong things, but he just couldn't stop himself.

Akane smiled coldly.  "Yes, Ranma can be an idiot.  But he's not a
malicious idiot.  You know, I used to think that it was Ranma picking on
you all this time.  I'm beginning to see how that might have been a
mistake."

Ryouga clenched his fists in frustration.  "How can I make you see what a
coward Saotome Ranma really is!?" he cried.

Akane's slap caught Ryouga hard across the face.  "Ranma is NOT a coward!
NEVER say that again!" she said, her tone icy.  "I really think you ought
to leave."

Ryouga held the side of his face, his eyes wide in shocked surprise.
"But... but Akane-san..."

"Good BYE, Ryouga.  Don't come back until you can grow up!"  Akane escorted
Ryouga firmly through the door, and closed it tightly behind him.  When she
heard the click of the latch, she leaned against the door and sighed.
"Kuso!" she said.

Ukyou had watched the whole exchange in silence.  "I thought you handled
that rather well," she said.  "You should try that rational approach more
often with Ran-chan.  He might even listen to it."

Akane scowled for a moment at the implied rebuke, and sighed.  Ukyou was
right, after all.  "I just don't get it," she said.  "I always thought that
Ryouga was such a nice guy."

"There are probably a lot of things about him that you don't know," said
Ukyou wisely.

***  ###  ***

Ranma-chan was almost halfway to the next ledge.  She was having to be
extra careful in testing her handholds - she was still jittery from
Ryouga's attack.  <If that really was Ryouga,> she thought.  The whole
thing had been so weird.

It lent some hope to the theory that this might be some sort of bad dream,
but not much.  It was just too intense.  Barring alien abduction or being
dead left few options.  The most reasonable theory that Ranma-chan could
come up with was that she was delirious.  Not hallucinating exactly, but
trapped in a landscape that existed only in her mind.  Ranma-chan looked
around again at her desolate surroundings.  <I have *got* to work on being
more creative> she thought to herself.

The only problem with that theory was that it created as many problems as
it solved.  For example, why on Earth would she dream up a place like this
in the first place?  <Maybe it's one of those Meta-whatsis that
Hinako-Sensei is always going on about,> she thought.  <But if that were
true, it would have to mean something, and I have no idea what that could
be.>

Ranma-chan felt one of her handholds start to shift and hastily transferred
her grip to an alternate.  <It means,> she thought to herself angrily,
<that you're getting careless.  This place is real enough to hurt when you
fall.  That's all you need to know right now.  Now get your butt in gear!>
With a low growl Ranma-chan resumed her climb.  For all intents and
purposes she had determined her location.  <I am,> she thought as she
glanced downward, <definitely caught between a rock and a hard place.>

***  ###  ***