[REPOST] Well, Well part 2 of 6

Hello all!  This is part Two of Well, Well (a sequel to The Second).  
C &C welcome ^_^

"Well, Well - Part 2"


Ranma 1/2 Fan Fiction
"Well, Well - Part 2"
by Suds-kun (suds1964@tir.com)

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Ranma 1/2 characters are created by and copyright Rumiko Takahashi.  
Published by Shogakukan Inc. and VIZ Comm. and are used without 
permission.  Intended for the sole non-profit use of R.T. fans.
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Previously, Ryoga went on a quest on behalf of Happosai.  He was within 
reach of his goal.  But like Happosai, he was unable to come anywhere 
near the well.

He looked around.  There was a clearing just ahead.  He looked at the well 
worn map and realized that the well was just ahead.  With joy he ran towards 
the clearing, hit something hard and landed on his back.  "Nani?" he shouted.  
He stood up and held his hand out.  He could feel something, like a steel wall, 
but could not see the wall.  It was as if the wall was invisible.  Then a bird 
flew by Ryoga.  "The bird is going to hit the wall," Ryoga thought.  But the 
bird flew on, as if there was nothing there.  Ryoga could feel that the wall 
was still there, even where the bird had flown through.  "This must be what 
Happosai said about being 'unworthy', " Ryoga choked.  He fell to his knees 
and felt the old despair engulf him.

"My joy of being cured was taken by Ranma killing himself!"  Ryoga 
shouted.  "And now, when I am so close to solving my problems, I am 
denied!"  Ryoga's screams filled the air and were then replaced by sobbing.  
"I'm not noble enough," he thought.  "I just want to be happy."  Ryoga 
remembered Akari and began to smile.  She had been there for him.  He 
didn't get as depressed as Ukyo thanks to Akari.  "Akari loves me," Ryoga 
said quietly, "and I love her."  "Everyone could tell that Ranma and Akane 
loved each other,"  he thought. "They just never told each other, and I'm 
one of the people who should be blamed.  I would sleep with Akane, while 
I was a pig.  At the time, it felt good torturing Ranma like that.  He deserved 
it.  He was the one who caused me to be cursed.  But he also was the one 
who cured me.  Not just me, but also his father.  He could have cured himself, 
but cured us instead.  I just want Ranma and Akane to have another chance 
at love.  I have Akari, and the others are gone or have found someone else."

Ryoga stood and began to walk home.  A hand grabbed his shoulder and 
pulled him away from a well that he was about to stumble into.  "Nani?"  
Ryoga said as he looked at the small old priest who was pulling on his arm.

"I had been waiting for you."  He said.  "I could feel your emotions since 
you started your journey.  Not until you came to an understanding of 
yourself and your wish, were you able to enter this clearing.  Your quest 
for the well is almost at an end.  Remember, only noble wishes are 
granted.  When a wish is granted, there are no strings attached.  No 
horrible twist of fate, just a pure and simple answer to your wish."

Ryoga looked on in astonishment.  He reached in his pocket and pulled 
out the five yen piece and walked towards the well.  Standing at the well, 
Ryoga dropped the coin into the well and closed his eyes.  "I wish that 
Ranma and Akane were alive."

Ryoga kept his eyes closed.  "I said the wish just the way Ukyo and I 
agreed," he thought.  "But nothing happened.  No clap of thunder, no 
earthquake.  Nothing!"  Ryoga stood, turned and opened his eyes.  
Standing before him were Ranma and Akane!

They just stood there looking at each other.  "What was the last thing 
you remember?"  Ryoga asked.

Akane wrapped her arms around herself and said, "I remember being 
a doll and not being able to move and Ranma was about to douse 
everyone in water from the Dragon tap.  Then standing here looking 
at you."  Akane turned to look at Ranma.

Ranma had one hand on his stomach and another on his throat.  
"I . . . I . . remember the tanto in my hands and this coldness going 
through my neck.  My head hit something and then I saw you were 
kneeling in front of me."  Ranma turned and looked at Akane.

"AKANE!!!!" Ranma shouted as he grabbed his iinazuke.  He hugged 
her as tight as he dared.  "Akane, I thought I had lost you forever!" 
Ranma said, just before Akane punched him in the face.

"What do you think you are doing, you pervert?"  Akane shouted at a 
stunned Ranma.

"B, buh .. but!" Ranma stammered.

"Ranma!  Akane!  Stop!"  Ryoga shouted.  Ukyo had warned him that 
this would happen.  Akane wouldn't know that she had died.  "I want 
you two to listen to me and understand what has happened."

Ryoga explained to Akane about her death and about how Ranma blamed 
himself for not saving her.  He also explained how Ranma talked Kuno 
into being his kaishaku when Ranma committed seppuku.

Akane was in shock.  "He killed himself?  What a macho, jerk!"  she 
thought.  "He still was alive!  He could have lived another 80 years!  
What a self-centered, egotistical pervert!"  Akane started to glow blue.

Ranma recognized what was going to happen.  He grabbed Akane's 
arms and looked into her eyes.  "I love you, Tendo Akane.  You were 
everything to me... happiness, life and honor.  When you died, I lost 
everything."  Akane's battle aura started to disappear.

"Nani?" she said.

Ranma started to explain.  "When you died, I finally realized how much 
I loved you.  I would never again be able to tell you that.  To hold you.  
To ... kiss you.  There was nothing else in my life.  It was empty, without 
you there to share it with."

Akane stared at Ranma, "Oh, Ranma."  she quietly said as tears started 
to fall from her eyes.

Ranma reached over and hugged her.  They looked into each others eyes 
as their faces drew closer together.  And then they kissed.  Eyes closed, 
nothing else in the world existed except their hearts beating in unison 
and their kiss.

Ryoga coughed to get their attention.  All three blushed.

Ryoga remembered the other thing Ukyo said that should be done.

"Akane, I have something important to tell you."  Ryoga began.  "Shortly 
after Ranma fell in that cursed spring at Jusenkyo, I fell into one of the 
springs.  I was ... accidentally knocked into the spring while Ranma was 
chasing his father."  Akane gasped.  "The spring was that of 'drowned pig.'  
Akane didn't move or breath.  "When I first met you as a pig, Akane, I fell 
in l ... luh ... love with you.  But all you saw in me was your pet P-chan."

Akane's thoughts were as follows:  "Cursed?" "Ranma?"  "Puh, pig?"  
"Puh, P-chan?"  She started to glow blue again when Ranma grabbed her 
hand and gently squeezed.  "Let him finish, please?"  Ranma said, with 
the most sorrowful of eyes.  After looking into Ranma's eyes, she turned 
to Ryoga and nodded for him to continue.

Hesitantly, Ryoga resumed his story.  "I never wanted to hurt you, Akane.  
I only wanted to be with you.  I blamed Ranma for my condition and 
hated him for it.  When you died, I blamed Ranma for that, too.  I was 
going to kill him.  Honestly, I was not going to rest until I killed him.  
When I showed up at the dojo, Ranma stopped me.  He then splashed 
me with some Naniichuan water.  Ranma had cured me.  All my pain 
and hurt was replaced by shock.  Why didn't he use it on himself?  I 
then followed him into the house and he poured the rest on his father, 
curing him as well."

"Ranma?"  Akane said as she turned to face her fiancee.

"I was only thinking of honor."  Ranma replied.  "I was responsible for 
Ryoga being cursed.  That is why I never told anyone about him being 
a pig.  And that's why, when pop gave me the Naniichuan, that I cured 
Ryoga first.  After that, I cured pop.  I felt that I no longer had any 
honor and didn't deserve to be cured."

"And because of that stupid honor, you killed yourself!"  Akane shouted, 
as she glared at Ranma.  "How selfish can you be?  Don't you realize 
that your parents love you?  That your friends care for you?  That, 
that ... that _I_ love you?"

"Akane, I .. I'm sorry.  Please forgive me."  Ranma said as he reached 
for her.

Akane hesitated.  "I died.  Ranma throws his life away and probably 
destroyed our families' live in the process.  And he wants me to forgive 
him?"  Akane starts to back away.  "That baka!  What is he thinking?"  
Looking at Ranma's face, and the hurt she sees in his eyes, she remembers 
what he said earlier, "I love you, Tendo Akane."

"Ranma,"  she breathed as she grabbed hold of her love.  "Don't you ever 
do that again.  I don't want that hurt anywhere near me."

"I promise, my love."  Ranma whispered into Akane's ear.

Ryoga smiled.  "It worked!" he said to himself.  "It's time to go home."  
Ryoga announced.  I need to fill you in on what happened while you two 
were, uhmm, away."

The three friends giggled nervously as they left the well.

The old priest smiled at them and entered his shrine.

End Part Two

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In Part Three -

Venom dripped from her every word as she looked at Ranma.