Okay here is the second part of the Legacy. I am posting it in two sections 
because it is rather large.

	I hope you enjoy. C&C is always welcome, encouraged, nay demanded.

	Thanks for previous coments, I am working on changing the first part. I 
will release a complete form all together once the whole thing has been written in 
rough draft.

	The Legacy 
	a Ranma 1/2 fanfic 
	by Joseph "Ashira" Kohle

	All characters are the products and property of Rumiko Takahashi and are 
used without her consent.

	     Part II:

     The Curse of Jusenkyo

     Akane hurried out of her apartment and into the street. Too much
was happening too fast.  Ranma's return had just created so many
problems that she did not know how to deal with, and she could not even
talk about it with anyone. Her promise would keep her silent no matter
what. She loved Ranma and would not betray or hurt him.
     <Then why won't you tell him about Ryoga?> her mind asked. She
knew the answer. She did not want to hurt either. In a way she loved
Ryoga. He had been there for her over the past four years. He had been a
friend. Someone she could talk to, who would hold her when it was just
too hard to go on. That had been the Ryoga who had slowly entered her
heart. 
     There were still problems. He was lost most of the time, and his
anger was still there, threatening to explode when things went wrong
between them, but she still cared for him. He had found a place in her heart
that Ranma's death had left empty. A hollowness that had needed to be
filled. After time had passed, she had realized that nothing could take
Ranma's place, but Ryoga had been a buffer protecting her from the hurt
and emptiness. His care and love had allowed her to continue living, when
she had wanted only to die.
    In her own way, she loved Ryoga, but when he had proposed to her she just could 
not accept. Nor could she refuse him. When he had asked her, she had been flattered 
and had wanted to blurt out yes, but Ranma's face had entered her thoughts and made 
it impossible for her to say yes. His promise to return and marry her had still 
held. The engagement ring worn on her necklace a constant reminder of the hope that 
he had not died, and would return. She just could not break that promise.
	It had saddened her watching Ryoga walk out of the room when told that she 
could not give an answer. His eyes had been a mask of grief, anger and 
understanding. She had cried after he had gone, the gold ring still cupped in her 
hand. She had not seen him since, but knew that he would return when he could, and 
when he did she had decided that she would marry him, at least until now.
     Now Ranma was back in her life. And things were so much more complicated. She 
still loved, and always would, but it was not the same. He had changed. Having a 
daughter was just a small part of it. She was just so confused. What could have 
caused him to have a child? A child by himself no less. It was so drastic of a 
change that it boggled her mind. She wondered if the Ranma she loved was even alive 
within this new one.
     He was so much more kind now. Not once had he lost his anger
this morning. She knew the old Ranma would have completely flipped and
shot back her arguments and insults until she would have had to smash him
with something. Yet he had calmly talked to her, made her listen to reason. 
Something he could never have done before.
     <Oh this is so confusing,> she thought, <I don't know what to do. I
just hope tonight helps. I need to figure everything out.> She sighed and
continued walking. Lost in her thoughts she did not even notice the
restaurant she was supposed to meet Ukyou at, as she walked past it.
Luckily Ukyou had been watching for her, seeing as Akane was nearly an hour late.
     "Akane," Ukyou's voice cut through her thoughts, dispelling the haze of doubts 
and misgivings slightly.. She shook her head and looked over at the restaurant and 
smiled sheepishly, realizing what she had done.
     "Konnichi wa, Ucchan," Akane said as she walked over to her
friend, "Sorry I am late. It has been a bad night and morning for me."
     "No problem, Akane-chan," Ukyou said comfortingly. She watched
Akane closely. She knew something was bothering her friend, but she
could not guess at its source. She looked haggard and out of touch. Her
eyes kept clouding as if something was vying for her attention, making
her ignore the world. She watched as Akane shook her head, and gave
Ukyou a wan smile.
     "Let's eat," Akane said quietly, "I am starved."
     Nodding Ukyou led her to the table she had reserved and sat down
across from Akane. Akane simply sat down and picked up the menu and
starred at it without moving. Ukyou was getting worried, and asked her friend, 
"What is wrong, Akane?"
     Akane was almost oblivious to her surroundings. In front of her the
menu was a meaningless page of random scratches. Her mind was still on
Ranma and Ranko, mulling over the problem. How she felt. How she
should feel. It was so confusing. Being so lost in her thoughts she did not hear 
Ukyou's question the first or even the second time. The third time she caught a bit 
and looked up at her friend. "W-what?" she asked confused.
     "What is wrong with you today Akane?" she asked again her eyes
reflecting her concern. This was not like Akane. She had not seen her like
this since Ranma had died. Her heart seize up at the thought as it always did, but 
she pushed down her feelings, concentrating on Akane.
     Akane opened her mouth and just said the first thing that came into
her mind, not really even realizing she was answering. "Ranma," she said.
     "What!?" Ukyou said her eyes lighting up. Hoping Akane had heard
something about Ranma, but then it died as she saw how distraught Akane
was. It could not be good. "What about Ran-chan, Akane?" Ukyou
pressed.
     Suddenly everything came into focus. <Oh no! What have I done? I
promised Ranma I wouldn't tell. What did I say?> 
     Ukyou answered her unspoken question, "What do you mean
Ranma?"
     Sighing in relief, Akane quickly pulled together a story, with
enough truth in it to be real. "I-I thought I saw Ranma last night," Akane
said, "I chased after him calling his name, but when I caught up with him I
saw that it was just some guy with a pig-tail. When I saw the guy, everything  just 
hit me. I would never see him again. The tears just came and I ran home. Most of 
the night I spent crying on my bed. I don't remember falling asleep, but I woke up 
late this morning, and I could just not stop thinking about Ranma I'm sorry Ukyou, 
I'm just not up to anything today. I have had a rough time of this."
     Trying to comfort Akane, Ukyou reached out and grasped her
hand. Ranma's death had affected both of them greatly. Ukyou had almost
killed herself when she had heard. It had taken her months to even be able
to think of Ranma without breaking down. Finally she had accepted it with
the help of her friends and started to move on with her life. Of course it had
taken time, but today she could think of Ranma and remember the happy
times and stop seeing his face in death, buried in some unknown place.
     No matter how hard it had been for Ukyou, she knew Akane had
suffered the most. She had blamed herself for Ranma's death. Somehow
she had decided that she should have stopped Ranma from going on his
quest. Especially since Ranma did it so he could marry Akane as a full man.
	As the years passed, Akane never got over it. She still blamed herself and 
could not think of Ranma without crying or just shutting herself off to the world. 
Ryoga had helped a bit, but the smallest thing could trigger Akane's dark 
depressions.
     This was the most distraught Ukyou had seen Akane in a long time.
It probably did not help that yesterday was the anniversary of Ranma's
death. That was probably why she had reacted so strongly. Ukyou truly felt
sorry for her. "Do you want to talk about it, Akane-chan?" she asked.
     Shaking her head, Akane responded, "No, Ucchan, I think I just
need some time by myself. Besides my final is in an hour. I should probably
get over to the university." She smiled and started to get up.
     "Are you sure, Akane?" Ukyou asked, "I hate to see you in pain."
     "I'll be fine," Akane insisted, "I just need some time to work things
out. I'll call you tonight. Thanks for the concern though," Akane grabbed
her purse and books and started for the door when she turned back  "Sorry
about lunch, maybe tomorrow?"
     "Hai," Ukyou responded, "That would be nice." She watched as
Akane walked out of the restaurant. Worry gnawed at her. Maybe she
would stop by and check on Akane tonight. Yes, that was exactly what she
would do. Smiling Ukyou paid the check and walked out, heading home.

     Akane walked into the maison and up the stairs to her apartment. After her 
meeting with Ukyou, her thoughts had settled down to a low murmur, allowing her to 
get through the rest of the day. The exam had been simple despite the four hour 
length, but that was it for her college career. She had finished and would graduate 
soon.  
     After the exam she had accepted the invitation of several friends to
go out for a celebration. Akane had accepted more out of desire to avoid
her apartment and Ranma then any sense of celebration. They had gone out
for a movie and a few drinks afterwards. Akane had excused herself so she
could get home in time for dinner.
     It was a little past eight now as she walked up to her door. She
hoped Ranma would not be mad that she was late. As she reached the door
a shriek of laughter came from her room. Curious, Akane opened the door
quietly and sneaked in hoping to see what Ranma and Ranko were doing.
What she saw surprised her, bringing a genuine smile to her face for the first time 
that day.
     Ranma was in the center of the room, the furniture having been pushed
against the walls. In his arms he held Ranko as he spun about the room in a
complex series of turns, leaps, and flips. Ranko laughed out loud as she
spun with her father. Akane could see her bright eyes shining and her
mouth open with glee as she spun through the air with her father. It seemed
that the more dangerous the combination, the more Ranko loved it and the
harder she laughed in glee.
     Never in her life had she seen such a sight. Father and daughter
moved together in graceful arcs and turns. Leaping into the air, Ranma
somersaulted and landed on one hand, Ranko cradled in his other arm. Pushing off he 
flipped back onto his feet, then flipped backwards again into a fast turn, lifting 
Ranko over his head as he did. Ranko's head missed the floor by only a few inches, 
but Ranma did not even flinch, trusting in himself, and Ranko just laughed 
gleefully clapping her hands in excitement, trusting her father completely.
     Landing on his feet, Ranma launched Ranko into the air. Without
breaking a movement he somersaulted on the ground and sprung to his
feet. Pushing off  backwards, he caught his daughter at the apex of her
ascent and continued the flip to land on his feet, Ranko securely in his arms
hugging her father tightly as she laughed.
     "Again, Otoosan!" she shouted gleefully.
     "Not now, ohimechan," Ranma said kissing his daughter's
forehead, "It is time for dinner. Akane's back." He looked up and smiled at
her wide-eyed expression.
     "Hm," Ranko nodded, and dropped from Ranma's arms and ran
into the bathroom.
     Standing up Ranma, walked towards the kitchen, "You are just in
time, Akane-chan. Dinner is almost ready," Ranma said as he started
moving about the kitchen putting together serving plates, while checking
the pans and pots on the stove. 
     Putting her stuff down in a nearby chair, Akane walked into the
kitchen smelling the delicious aroma coming from the stove, "Mmm, it
smells good, Ranma," she said moving about, picking up dishes and taking
them out to the table. 
     "Arigato," Ranma said as he put the food in their proper dishes,
"Do you think you could put the table back into its proper place?"
     "Hai," Akane said as she pulled the table back into its original
position. As she was doing this she asked a question that was bothering
her, "Aren't you scared of hurting Ranko when you do that with her?"
     "I was the first time," he answered bringing the food out to the now
positioned table, "but not anymore. There is a special bond between us.
When I am practicing with her like that, I know where she is like she was
part of my body. It just becomes natural after a time. I can keep her safe
and still let her enjoy herself. She really does love that kata."
     "Kata?" Akane asked curiously, it was the only bit of what he had
said that she remotely understood.
     "Uh-huh. It is a kata I learned while training after I left," he
explained, "It was important for me to learn how to dodge better and use
those dodges to my advantage. By using the flips and acrobatics I could
confuse my opponent. He would not be able to accurately guess how I
would land, and he would not be prepared for a counter-attack. That kata
was a simple one that Ranko likes a lot, and it is one of the few I can do
inside a room." 
     This surprised Akane. Ranma used to go for the new attacks. He
was fast and agile so he had not really worked on new dodges and
avoidance techniques, preferring more power and a greater variety of
attacks. <Well at least he has not lost his enthusiasm for martial arts,>
Akane observed. 
     "What else did you learn?" Akane asked curiously. Surprisingly
Ranma laughed out loud, his head thrown back.
     "I-it would take me days to explain my new techniques, Akane-chan,"
he said, still chuckling, "Maybe weeks. Let's just say that I gained a lot of
knowledge and improved beyond my wildest dreams."
     <Well at least his ego is still there,> Akane thought sullenly.
     "I'll make you a promise," Ranma said, "I'll spar with you
tomorrow and then show you a few new things. You have been keeping up
your abilities, haven't you?"
     "Hai," Akane replied. That was one of the few things she had kept
up with. Katas and training had been her only release for a long time. She
knew she was much better than before Ranma had left. <I'll give him a
surprise,> Akane promised herself.
     Ranma was looking curiously at her, "Did I say something wrong?"
he asked. Akane suddenly realized her aura was glowing slightly.
     Blushing, she calmed herself down and answered, "No, I just was
thinking it will be fun to spar with you. I've sort of missed our fights."
Ranma laughed out loud again. <He has changed,> Akane thought for at
least the thousandth time.
     "Come on," Ranma said, his laughter dying down to an occasional
chuckle, "Let's eat and then we can talk. I did promise you an
explanation."
     "Hai, you did," Akane said while thinking <At least he hasn't backed
out.>
     "Ranko," Ranma called, "Time to eat." Ranko appeared out of
Akane's bedroom and rushed to the table. Akane suddenly realized she had
never seen Ranko move slowly. She was either running, sitting in
someone's lap or sleeping. Another thing she would have to ask Ranma
about she reminded herself.
     Climbing into the chair between Ranma and Akane at the small
table, Ranko smiled brightly at Akane. "Konnichi wa, Akane-chan," she
said, her voice bubbling. 
     Akane started again. She was not used to children being so informal
with her. Actually as she thought about it she realized Ranko had called her
that all along, simply imitating her father. Ranma seemed to notice the
discomfort and suggested, "Why don't you call her Aunt Akane,
ohimechan?"
     "Hai," Ranko responded, the rebuke not seeming to bother her. She
smiled at her father and began to eat as he placed rice, stir-fried vegetables
and a meat that looked sort of like pork on her plate.
     Akane watched for a second as the child picked through her food
picking out what she liked best. Turning back to the table, Akane served
herself, as she saw Ranma wasn't going to eat until she had what she
wanted. Finally they were all eating.
     Akane was surprised at the taste of the food. She knew Ranma
could cook stir-fry, but he had actually done wonders with this meal. The
vegetables were lightly spiced to match the spicy sweet taste of the meat.
After her first bite she complimented Ranma, "This is excellent. It's like
eating Kasumi's cooking."
     Ranma smiled at the compliment, "Arigato. Having a child sort of made me 
realize I needed to know how to cook. A few women were willing to teach me, so I 
learned. My first meal actually made your cooking taste good." 
	Akane's anger  was on the verge of exploding at Ranma, when she suddenly 
realized that he had not meant to insult her. He had said it as if he understood 
how hard she had tried to cook well for him and wanted her to realize that. She 
smiled shyly at him across the table and forced a small laugh. Ranma smiled in 
return.
     The rest of the meal passed quickly, Ranma mostly listening to
Akane tell about her time at the University and some of her friends. He
listened and asked questions about the family. Happy to discover that his
parents were finally back together, and everyone else seemed to be doing
fine.
     "That's great," he exclaimed when told that Dr. Tofu and Kasumi
had finally gotten married, "What is Nabiki doing?"
     "Oh she is making a killing on the stock market," Akane answered,
pushing away her empty plate. Ranko was in her lap again, having climbed
into it after finishing her meal.
     "Figures," Ranma said, "I wonder if she still has all my debts on
account?"
     "Oh she did, but erased them when we heard you had..um you
know," she finished lamely.
     "Well I guess being dead does have its advantages," he laughed.
Then stopped as he saw Akane's hurt expression, "I'm sorry, Akane-chan.
I did not know. There was just so much going on. So many changes I had
to get used to. I just could not come back. Believe me, I never wanted to
hurt you."
     Sniffling, Akane said, "Well you did. I'm juts glad your back, actually I
am overwhelmed. My only dream was to find out that you were alive
somewhere, trying to get back to me. But.. But now your back, and
everything is so confusing. You have Ranko, you don't act the same. It's
like you are someone I never meet with Ranma's memories. It is really hard
to understand Ranma." She was crying now, the tears running down her
face. She was not angry, just confused and frightened.
     Ranma stood up and went to Akane. Picking the now sleeping
Ranko up, he said, "I think it is time we talked, Akane-chan."
     "Hai, I would like that," she answered, sobbing softly  as Ranma stepped into 
her bedroom and put Ranko down for the night. 

	Okay this if the first section of part II, I am sorry my e-mail service 
won't take a large document for mailing.  Read both before you comment

	Arigato

	Joseph "Ashira" Kohle