Woo hoo!  A week and a half went into this chapter.....

Still No Title
Michael H. Chen
aka Zenki

**My thanks to Mouse for Proofreading this...  There should be an unusual lack of grammatical errors!

Chapter 5 - Aftermath

      Ranma slammed the door behind him, and he lied down on his cot, his mind trying to 
forget what Akane said.  He surpressed the urge to cry, and he lied there emotionless.  
However, after a couple minutes he gave in to his emotions, and silently lamented.  `Why 
did you say that Akane?  Do you really hate me?'  Ranma laid there, tears trickling down 
the side of his face.  Slowly drop by drop rolled down his cheek, and landed on his cot.  
Ranma turned onto his side, and went to sleep, waiting for the next day.

     The next day was almost normal.  Well, almost normal was an overstatement.  A 
depressed Ranma woke up early in the morning: he just couldn't sleep with so many 
problems whirling around in his head.  So, after making himself an early breakfast, he 
decided to leave the dojo, and head off to school early, before anyone else woke up.  A 
few minutes after Ranma left, Kasumi woke up, and surpressing a yawn, struggled into her 
clothes, and walked downstairs, ready to serve her family yet another day.

      She walked into the kitchen, and was surprised to see some leftovers on the table.  She 
shrugged her shoulders, and started to prepare breakfast.  Some time afterwards, Genma 
poked his head into the door.  "Um, Kasumi, have you seen Ranma?  He's never missed a 
sparring session..."

       Kasumi turned around, her perpetually cheerful face smiled.  "Oh, Mr. Saotome, I 
don't know where Ranma is.  If you like, you can have the leftovers on the table.  
Someone cooked them this morning..."  The moment food was mentioned, Genma's 
stomach immediately growled, and he fell onto the dishes like a predator.  In his right hand, 
the knuckles of his hand turned white as Genma slightly tensed before attacking his 
defenseless prey lying in the dish below.

       However, suddenly a thought entered his mind.  "Um Kasumi, is this Akane's 
cooking?"  Kasumi responded almost laughing, "Oh no!  Akane's still asleep..."  With that 
final doubt erased from his mind, Genma's chopsticks flashed over the food, and he 
consumed it.  After the plates were emptied, he carried them to the sink and rinsed them 
off.  

       "Kasumi, whoever cooked this dish knew what she was doing..."  Genma patted his 
stomach affectionately, and marched off to the dining room.  Kasumi nodded 
absentmindedly as she quickly added some oyster sauce to the wok.  She paused and 
looked around for some sugar.  As her eyes strayed around, she saw Ranma's cap.  
Kasumi's eyes openned slightly.  `Wow!  So Ranma cooked that...'

***

      Nabiki groaned as the alarm clock next to her started to scream like a dog that got 
neutered without painkillers.  Her hand snaked out of her bed, and started to slap at the 
clock, but her aim was off.  After a couple fruitless attempts, she finally found the clock, 
and crawled out of bed.  Her eyes barely open, she struggled into cloths, and staggered to 
the bathroom.  Splashing some ice cold water on her face, she gradually woke up.  She 
almost laughed to herself.  `I wonder what happens when Ranma does this in the 
morning...I'd better wake up Akane and Ranma.'  She walked down to Akane's door and 
knocked on it.

      "Akane, wake up now.  You don't want to be late for class, do you?"  Nabiki could her 
the creak of bedsprings with a couple moans.  Satisfied that she woke up Akane, she 
crossed the hall to Ranma's room.  She knocked on the door.  "Hey, Ranma wake up.  
You're going to be late if you wake up any later..."  Getting no response, Nabiki shrugged 
her shoulders, and went to breakfast.  Seeing Genma, already gorging himself on the food, 
she grabbed a bowl of rice, and proceeded to eat.

       "Mr. Saotome, have you seen Ranma today?"  Genma paused in his rapid siphoning 
of food into his mouth, and answered, his mouth still full.  "Ah no, I guess he already went 
to school.  All the better, more food for me..."  Nabiki grimaced as she saw the half 
chewed food, mostly mashed rice with a hint of mangled pork, in Genma's mouth flashed 
in front of her.

       Akane walked down the stairs, and was surprised to see everyone except Ranma at the 
table.  Silently, she sat at the table and started to halfheartedly eat.  Breakfast was strangely 
silent.  Soun gravely ate, while Genma sat like a vaccuum cleaner, inhaling almost 
everything in sight.  Nabiki delicately picked at her food, while Akane didn't eat much.  
Wanting to break the silence, Nabiki looked at her watch.

      "Wow, it's getting late.  Come on Akane, let's go to school."  Both girls shouldered 
their satchels, and they left.  As the left the main gates to the dojo, Akane ventured to ask 
Nabiki a question.  "Do you know where's Ranma?"  Nabiki shrugged her shoulders, "Mr. 
Saotome said that he probably went to school early."

      Akane, as she ran, felt something eat at her mind as she ran to school next to Nabiki.  
She thought of sitting in class all day with Ranma purposely not looking at her.  `I really do 
not want to be in class today...  I just want to be by myself, and think over everything.'  
She looked at Nabiki who was silently running next to her, amazingly keeping pace.

       "Um, Nabiki?"  Nabiki turned her head to look at Akane, silently glad that the silence 
had been nullified.  "Yes?"  

       "I was wondering, whether you could cover for me.  I feel I need some time alone to 
think, and I want to cut class today, if that's ok with you..."  Nabiki was shocked.  `Akane, 
she wants to cut her classes?  Now that's a new thing...'  Nabiki halted her run

       "Are you sure?  I mean it's pretty serious to miss a class on purpose..."  Akane stared 
at Nabiki, her eyes soaked to the brim with sincerity.  Nabiki coughed, and after a delay 
and against her better judgement, she agreed.

      "Ok, Akane, just this once.  I'll make sure that this absence won't show up on the 
report card..."  Akane smiled, hugged Nabiki, and ran off in another direction.

***

      For the past hour, Ranma sat at a bench outside of the school, his depressed mind 
completely blank, as he waited for school to start.  Life without Akane seemed so moot, so 
unbearable.  His mind contempled dark thoughts as a limosine pulled up to the school.  
The door swinged open revealing Kuno Tatewaki.  Taking a calm step, he took a deep 
breath.

      "Oh the morning, fresh with an energy that belies the..."  He paused a moment in his 
expousing of useless, archaic phrases, when he saw Ranma nonchalantly perched on the 
bench, lost in thought.  Kuno felt the blood boil inside of him.  Before him stood an empty 
schoolyard, and the evil enchanter who had charmed away his two lovers...

      He gripped the wooden sword that always hung on his belt, and drawed it.  He then 
screamed, "Ranma!  Die!" and charged.  Ranma heard Kuno scream his typical battle cry, 
and made no motion, he turned his head, and looked at Kuno straight in the eyes.

      Kuno laughed to himself.  `Oh Ranma finally acknowledges his inferiority to me, the 
Blue Thunder of Furinken High School....' "Omph!"  Kuno lost in thought, had ran past 
Ranma, and tripped on the bench, sending sprawling onto the pavement...  Struggling to 
his feet, he charged again.

      "Ranma!  Fight like a man!  How dare you use your evil magics!"  He swung, and his 
sword connected with Ranma this time.  Ranma was propelled backwards like a rag doll 
and crashed into the wall.  Without a word, Ranma stood up again.  Kuno's eyebrow 
raised slightly, and he attacked again.  And just as before, he knocked Ranma flying a few 
feet, and again Ranma stood up, not willing to fight back...  Pretty soon, Kuno tired of 
fighting a motionless target.

      "Ranma you coward why don't you fight."  Ranma's depressed face scowled at the 
comment.  He coldly replied.  "Whose the coward?  A man who doesn't fight back or a 
man that attacks a man that doesn't fight back."  It took Kuno a few moments of thinking 
to finally comprehend what Ranma, and when the meaning finally dawned on him, his 
anger increased geometrically.

      "How  dare you taunt your superior!"  With that said, Kuno started to beat the pulp out 
of Ranma, who refused to scream, or beg for mercy to pleasure Kuno.  He just stood their, 
and took the damage.  After awhile, Kuno gave up.  Ranma's completely passive 
involvement offered no pleasure, and he walked off grumbling to himself.  Ranma lied on 
the floor, motionless, bruised, bleeding from various points on his body, made no effort to 
get up.  And for some strange reason, the skys quickly clouded over, and started to rain 
hard and cold.  Ranma-chan stayed on the ground.

      Suddenly foot steps came up to Ranma, followed by a gasp.  "Ran-chan!"  Ranma 
made no effort to respond, since the hit to his jaw, had dislocated it.  He couldn't speak.  
Ukyou kneeled in front of Ranma's face, her eyes filled with tears.  "Ranma, don't tell me?  
Akane did this to you?"  Ranma shook his head no.  Reaching up with his bruised hand, he 
punched himself on the jaw, completely shocking Ukyou, but the punch served to relocate 
his jaw.

       Clenching his teeth, and trying to ignore the cold and the bruises all over his body, 
Ranma struggled to leave Ukyou's arms.  "Leave me alone.  If you were my friend, you 
would just leave me out here."  Ukyou looked at Ranma and stared.  Her mind was 
tumultuous.  On one hand, she couldn't leave Ranma outside like this.  On the other, she 
respected Ranma's wishes.  Finally, after staring long and deeply into Ranma's eyes, 
Ukyou sighed and spoke.  "It's against my judgement to leave you out here in the freezing 
rain, but since you wished it, and I am your friend, I will listen."  Ukyou gently placed 
Ranma's head on the ground, and slowly walked to the doors.  

       Ranma laid there, his eyes shut as he felt extremely depressed.  He ignored the sounds 
of passing students, their footsteps, their exclamation at seeing Ranma defeated.  After 
what seemed like eternity, Ranma heard a gasp, and felt someone feeling his cheek.  He 
looked up into the eyes of Nabiki, who was completely shocked by the damage Ranma had 
sustained.

       Nabiki wrapped her arm around Ranma, and struggled to lift him up.  Ranma weakly 
fought against Nabiki, but the icy cold water and Kuno's serious beating had taken all of 
his energy, and Nabiki easily resisted.  "Come on Ranma!  This isn't the time to wish you 
were dead..."  She glanced at her watch... and sighed.  `I guess I'll be cutting school too."  
She then helped Ranma limp to Dr. Tofu's office.
***
     "Not a problem!  Just a couple minor bruises, almost like a wooden sword hit him..."  
Dr. Tofu cheerfully reported to Nabiki.  Nabiki nodded ever so slightly, not revealing her 
burning desire to go out and make Kuno pay for what he did...  And just as a plan was 
formulating in her head, she felt a hand land on her shoulder, which pulled her attention 
away from revenge to the person who touched her.

      "Why did you help me?  You're not thinking of blackmailing me again?"  Ranma 
looked warily at Nabiki who appeared to be shocked.  She managed a little grin.  "Of 
course not, but now that you mentioned it...."  As soon as she saw the look of dismay on 
Ranma's face, the burst into laughter.

     "Come on Ranma, I'm joking.  Come on, let's go home."  Nabiki leaned over to help 
Ranma get out of bed.  Carefully wrapping her right arm around Ranma, both managed to 
sort of walk out the door and return to the Tendo Dojo.
***
     Ranma and Nabiki slowly limped into the dojo, causing strange glances from the others.  
Genma had stopped looked up from his game of go to watch the two.  So did Kasumi and 
Soun, both interested in the fact that Ranma and Nabiki had returned very early.  Kasumi 
smiled.

     "Oh hi Ranma, Nabiki.  Back so soon?"  Kasumi smiled as she carefully washed the 
floor, she suddenly noticed the bandages and such wrapped around Ranma.  "Oh my, 
Ranma.  Are you ok?  What happened?  How come Akane did not come home with you?  
She didn't have an argument with you again?"  Nabiki shook her head, and explained.

     "Apparently Ranma got beated by Kuno.  He should have some rest."  Nabiki helped 
Ranma struggle up the stairs.  Making sure that Ranma didn't trip, she slowly guided 
Ranma to his room.  Hastily sliding the door open with her foot, she and Ranma 
approached the cot.  She laid him down.  Ranma smiled back.

     "Thanks for helping me.  I don't know what came over me when Kuno attacked...."  
Ranma's voice trailed off, lost int thought...  Uncomfortable silence followed, and after a 
couple unbearable moments, Nabiki replied.

     "No problem...   Gotta go..."  Nabiki walked out the door, careful to shut the door 
quietly behind her.  Ranma thought a bit, before he went asleep.  He thought about 
Akane... and Nabiki.  Mildly confused at his mind's interest, he dozed off, into a dreamless 
state.

***

     Ranma woke up when some miscreant gave him a kick.  Ranma scrambled out of bed, 
to see his father, looming over him.  "Ranma you good for nothing, poor disgrace to the 
Saotome name!  You've allowed the family Kuno to taint our family honor!"

      Ranma stood up, ready to argue.  "What?  I ruined our family's honor?  What about 
those countless times where you broke all of those promises?"  Ranma's and Genma's 
mind flashed back to numerous incidents, one of which was Genma's stealing of the 
Kunonki yattai...., another was Genma's attempt to sell off Ranma for some food....

      Genma's face turned red, as he tried to find a counterargument, he stuttered 
incoherently, when Soun backed up his old chum.  

      "How about the time when you, Ranma, did not refuse your other fiancees?"  Soun 
was referring to Shampoo and Ukyou.  Ranma retorted, "Well I did refuse them for the 
record."  Both Soun and Genma, seeing that their attack on Ranma had failed, made a 
strategic retreat to come up with a new plan.  The two men left the room the confered 
quietly outside.

     Soun looked at Genma.  "How will we make Ranma feel guilty about Akane?"  Genma 
added.  "And make him regain our school's honor...."  Soun stared at Genma, who had 
struck a pose, that of a hero about to conquer his goal.  

     Soun tapped Genma impatiently on the shoulder.  "Wouldn't it be better to make 
Ranma want to get back with Akane first?  Then he can seek his revenge?"  A flash of 
inspiration struck Genma.  "Why don't we...."  He whispered into Soun's ear.  Slowly. 
Soun's serious face broke into uncontainable joy.

      "Yes Genma!  Such a plan!  It will work!"  Both men slide the door open again, and 
walked up to Ranma.  Their chests puffed out as they presented their ultimate attack.  
"How about breaking your promise to marry Akane!"  Ranma looked dumbfounded at Mr. 
Tendo and his father.  His jaw slacked, as his mind revolted.  `How could they use this to 
attack me!  It was her fault....'  He managed to mutter and stammer a few 
incomprehensible phrases.

      Genma looked at Soun with a wide grin.  "See, guilt is written all over his face."  Soun 
shook Ranma, and adapted a tone of an overzealous preacher.  "Son, you can repent!  You 
can repent!"  Ranma turned away from Soun, and stared out of the window, at the fish 
swimming in the pond.  His mind was cloved into two separate parts.  On one hand, he 
would give anything to be with Akane again.  On the other hand, his pride refused to 
accept any wrong.  Resting his hands on the table, he looked up at the full moon, and 
sighed.  Eventually the war within him ceased, with his pride emerging as a victor.

      "I refuse..."  Both Soun and Genma could not believe what Ranma had said.  Akane 
and Kasumi, who were eavesdropping, shook their heads in disbelief.  Akane sat quietly, 
slowly clenching her hands trying to fight back the tears.

      "Such disgrace!"  Both Genma and Soun started to trample Ranma, who shouted 
protests.  "Aw!  Pop cut it out....  Ouch!  Mr. Tendo!"  Minutes later Genma and Soun 

gave up, and left, leaving Ranma on the floor.  `Damn you father!'  Ranma thought as his 
wounded dignity and pride took over him.  `If that's the way you feel!  Then perhaps, you 
really would enjoy it if I disappeared....'  Struggling up, Ranma grabbed his old traveling 
backpack, and began to pack.



Author's Notes
(1) This chapter should be better than Chapter 4, where I tried too hard to put some of the zaniness associated with Ranma into this story, which is meant to be serious in nature....(to a degree...)

(2) C&C is always appreciated....  I'll do anything for C&C.   I will take all of my stories and burn them for C&C..  I will walk to the Capitol Building in D.C., and tapdance on the Senators for C&C...  I will swim in a pond filled with pirrahnas for C&C. .....
(Enough with the usual insanity....) 

(3) Notes of gratitude....
I'd like to take this space here to thank the people who have bothered to take the time to C&C my work....
Zen
Odie3100
jeff paul hosmer
Francis Gilbert
fcasper
ramon salvania
Ekisya
Susan Doenime
Mouse (of course!  He proofreads my stories!)
Raephal See
Jorge Flores Topete
brenda02@sprynet.com
Nightelf
Suds-kun (for being forgiving to my story in his reviews...)
St. Suika Roberts (for commenting on The Demoness Within, about a week after the fact....Now that's dedication!)
Sebastien Weinburg (for commenting on my earliest fanfics, roughly four months after the fact...)
MD Price (for replying to my "Sneak Preview")
Adam Barnes (for replying to my spamfic "Cherry"....)

Ok, definitely more people, but this is the list, of the top of my head.... It's possible I forgot a few people... Sorry!

(4) For those who demand that I write more in this Chapter.....
Not to worry.... Chapter 6 is 1/2 done, you'll see it some time next week...hopefully...  It's going to be longer than this chapter...