Chapter 4 -- Conflict

     Daylight finally turned back the darkness, and another typical day in
Nerima began again. Ranma and Akane ran into the schoolyard to be swamped by
a huge horde of people.  Akane was swarmed by girls, and Ranma was swarmed
by boys.  Ranma was angry.

      "What's the meaning of this?"  He shouted into the throng of people.
The crowd of boys around him began to murmur.  "Hmph, figures he doesn't
know."  "Damn, and I thought he was the playboy..."  "Akane, who would of
thought she..."   Finally a boy shoved a black book at Ranma.  "Hey!  Look
at this."  Expecting nothing to happen, Ranma casually openned the book...
and fell to his knees.  Furiously, he flipped through the entire book, each
succeeding page infuriating him beyond normal limits.  His mind filled with
unexplainable rage.  `How could she!  How could she!  I offered her my love,
and she just purposely goes to destroy me!'  He dropped the book, it's pages
turning in the wind, revealing photographs of Akane kissing other boys,
Ryoga, Kuno, and a lot others.  Ranma had the look of a broken man, his eyes
streamed tears.  `She betrayed me!'

     Meanwhile, Akane was stuck in the middle of a crowd of girls.  Her ears
picked up bits and pieces of conversation.  "Does she know?"  "Oh, Ranma's
gonna get it when she finds out."  "I really feel sorry for her."  A book
was shoved at her, and looking around, she decided to open it.  One look at
the photographs of Ranma kissing Shampoo, Ukyou..., various other classmates
was enough.  She screamed in anger.  Her calm face broke into a picture of
Hell itself.

     "Ranma!"  She screamed, and she was surprised to see Ranma already
marching to her.  He was also evidently angry at her.  To be more accurate,
he was half way between angry and depressed.  She saw how stiffly Ranma
approached, his face red, his eyes red from tears.  Ranma stopped about two
yards away from Akane.  Akane instantly walked up to him, and gave him a
hard punch.  Ranma, not expecting the punch, felt his chin go numb from the
impact, and the taste of blood entered his mouth.  `How could she!  She
betrayed me!'  Enraged even further, Ranma spat blood right in front of Akane...

     "Akane! How could you?  I thought I loved you..."  Ranma shouted as his
eyes began to flood with tears.  His energy drained, he whispered "I trusted
you..."  Ranma bursted into tears, and was led off by a friend who tried to
comfort him.  His friend looked back at Akane and gave her a mean stare.
Akane was stood still, surprised at Ranma's sudden out burst, he had never
talked back to her before.

     For the rest of the day, Ranma was completely depressed.  His mind,
still in shock, was trying to will himself to another parallel dimension
where these problems didn't exist.  Classes became such a bore, that Ranma
slept the entire morning away, and he felt that life was not interesting any
more.  Lunch was unbearable, and Ranma ate with his friends, all of whom
tried to cheer him up, but he stayed as depressed as ever.  To him, ever
since he openned that book, the entire world had been torn asunder.     

     Likewirse, Akane didn't have an easy time.  During the entire day, she
fought the urge to burst into tears.  She couldn't concentrate in class, and
she tried to forget the entire issue, but she couldn't.  She couldn't
believe that Ranma would explode at her, ever.  Her mind constantly replayed
Ranma's anguished voice:"I thought I loved you..."  his slouched figure, his
eyes filled with pain.  Some how, some where in the back of her mind, a
little voice spoke.  `Ranma would never betray you...'  Her mind instantly
recalled the photographs, Ranma kissing Ukyou, Shampoo, Kodachi, and her
blood began to boil.  `Hmph! What a lecher!  And just when we were beginning
to warm up...  Maybe this is some terrible nightmare...'  During the entire
morning, Akane constantly stole glances at Ranma, who was obviously trying
to avoid looking at her.

     Her fears were finally verified at lunchtime.  Ranma was not sitting at
the usual bench waiting for her.  Alone, she was rejoined by her friends who
all tried to comfort her.  Saying phrases such as "Ranma's such an
insensitive clod, I always wonder why you put up with him....."  or "If I
were you, I'd kill Ranma..." or "You deserve someone better than him..."
These phrases were counterproductive, and further shoved the stake that had
split her heart.  She bursted into tears, her mind thinking about the
previous night.  One of her more observant friends, Chiaki, had been
pondering about the "coincidence" that Ranma and Akane had simultaneously
accused each other of infidelity.  

       "Umm, Akane, why don't we look at it from Ranma's point of view.  My
boyfriend said he saw a book filled with photos of you playing around with
other boys..."  Akane suddenly stiffened, her mind reeling from the obvious:
Ranma thought that she was unfaithful to him...Her heart basically stopped
beating for a moment, and she felt the urge to go apologize to Ranma, but
her pride prevented her.  `Why should I apologize for something I didn't
do...'  Akane then remembered the punch she gave Ranma...  `Oh!  Why do I
always react without thinking?'  

       Ranma sat alone at the lunch bench, his mind so angered by the events
that his sense of rationality was completely skewed.  `How will I cope, I
love Akane, and she purposely has fun with others.  Damn you, Akane.  Damn
all the women who make my life insufferable.  If I had a mind to I
would....'  Ranma stopped, his mind telling him that this was some dumb
result of his emotional unstability that will not help at all.  However,
Ranma's emotions were controlling him, and on the spur of the moment, Ranma
finally made his decision: he vowed that he would always stay a bachelor,
and that women only got in the way of his freedom.  `I shall never love any
woman, as long as I live...'  He stood up from his friends, his mind made
up, and left school.  `I can't stand being in class with Akane anymore...'
He quickly jogged out of the schoolyard, heading to some private place where
he could think.

      Akane was surprised that Ranma had disappeared after lunch, his chair
was empty.  All the boys in the class seemed to take this in stride, as if
they had known that Ranma had left.  Miss Hinako wasn't taking it lightly,
her childish voice dripped with anger.  "Where's Ranma?  How dare he cut my
class?  I will have words with the principal, and I'll have to discipline
him later.  Does anyone know where he went?"  She went to a person in the
first row, and standing on his desk, grabbed his collar.  "Do you know?"
Well, after she terrorized a few other students, she finally calmed down
enough to start teaching.  Akane mentally sighed, and fought back her tears
and emotions.  

***

      Nabiki had never seen her sister so devastated in her whole life.
Almost immediately, Nabiki felt her conscience stab her heart with a jagged
dagger.  Almost coming to tears herself, she managed to calm herself by
thinking about Ranma.  As she walked home with Akane, she constantly spoke
soothing words to Akane, and allowed Akane to find support in her.

      "Akane, come on.  What's wrong?  You can tell me..."  Nabiki slung her
arm around Akane's shoulders and gave her a tight squeeze.  Akane still
sobbing uncontrollable stammered a jumbled response...

       "It's that stupid Ranma, he betrayed me..."  Akane couldn't continue,
her body shaking with each sob.  Nabiki shushed her, and tried to comfort her...

      "I love him, and he rejected me!"  Akane shouted out to the world.
Nabiki continued holding Akane, guiding her home.  Akane continued, "But I
don't blame him.... I really hurt him this time..."  Akane continued
sobbing, and she was still shakened when she reached home.  Nabiki again
felt a twist of the dagger in her heart.

      Eventually, the sisters reached the dojo.  As they entered, a silence
washed over them.  Feeling something amiss, they both wandered around until
Kasumi cheerfully poked her head out of the kitchen.  "Oh hi, you two!  How
come Ranma came home early?  I hope nothing wrong happened in school.  It's
not like him to ever abandon you Akane..."  Kasumi's cheerful face quickly
turned into a face of concern, as she watched Akane's calm demeanor
disintegrate into sadness, crying, and tears within seconds.  Akane then ran
off, mounted the stairs rapidly, and locked her self in her room, and cried
into her pillow.  Kasumi gave a long stare at Nabiki as if trying to read
something.  

      "What happened Nabiki?  Did you make a move on Ranma in front of
Akane?"  Nabiki was indignant.  "Me?  Make a move?  Nah!  I didn't,
apparently Akane got angry because Ranma accused her of being unfaithful..."
Kasumi's eyebrow raised ever-so-slightly.  `That's usually Akane's line'

       Kasumi sighed, life as usual was having one of its weirder twists...
"So what forced Ranma to that conclusion?"  Nabiki paused, wondering whether
she should include her involvement in this issue.  She decided to withhold
that information.  "Apparently, someone gave Ranma a book filled with
pictures of Akane kissing other boys."  Kasumi thoughfully suggested, "They
why don't they make up?  It would so much easier if they talked it over..."

     Nabiki cutted her older sister off.  "Too late.  Akane also got an
album filled with pictures of Ranma kissing other women, and she got angry
as usual.  She actually punched Ranma really hard, and made him bleed..."
Kasumi's mouth formed a small oh, and she returned back to the kitchen.
`Now, how do I get the two together...'  Nabiki, her conscience ripped her
heart into little bits, could hear her little sister bawling her eyes out
upstairs.

      She slowly went up the stairs, as if a weight had been placed on her
shoulders.  And as she passed Ranma's room, she thought she could also hear
crying.  Quietly knocking on the door, she was surprised when the door was
jerked open by a red wet face.  Nabiki was surprised by the sudden change in
Ranma's attitude...`Gosh, so many tears, and he hasn't metamorphasized yet?'
The tears served to drive a sword through Nabiki's heart.  Feeling sorry,
she entered Ranma's room.

     Almost immediately Ranma cried into her shoulder, and despite the
situation, Nabiki liked the feel of that.  She lead him back, and both sat
on Ranma's cot, side by side.  Ranma still cried uncontrollably.

     "What did I do to deserve this?  Was it something I said?  Was I making
Akane angry?"  Ranma.  "But I've decided not to worry about this...I've
vowed never to love a woman any more, and I promised to stay a bachelor for
my entire life..."  Ranma disengaged himself from Nabiki and stood up,
forcing himself to stop crying.  Nabiki frowned when he said this.  "Umm,
Ranma are you sure?  What would happen if you fell in love with another woman?"

      Ranma shrugged his shoulders.  "I'll ignore my emotions, and will
refuse to fall in love with her."  Nabiki's hopes of an easy conquest of
Ranma were shattered.  `I must prove to him that he can love me.  That's
going to be challenging...'  Ranma didn't ever look back, when he left the
room to do the one thing that could offer some control when his life was in
shambles, practice martial arts.  Nabiki quietly stood up, and followed him
out, interested in what he was going to do.

       Ranma setted up a metal sparring dummy in the backyard.  `Why not?
Challenging practices are always interesting...'  Taking ten paces
backwards, he stood still, concentrating his thoughts for the moment, his
mind picturing his fist blasting the statue into dust.  Nabiki peeked around
the corner of the house, amused with Ranma's seemingly foolish attempt.
`Ranma, ha!  You won't make a dent in the statue...Oh! I hope you don't get
hurt.' Ranma's mind focused on his fists, his heart, his arms, but his mind
couldn't concentrate.  `What?  I could concentrate yesterday....  What's
wrong today?'  In anger, Ranma charged the statue, and lashed out with his
hand.  Nabiki stilled herself, when Ranma suddenly moved.

      "Owww!"  Ranma fell to his knees, clutching his hurt hand.  Nabiki,
her concern for Ranma, overwhelming her desire to stay hidden, ran up.
"Ranma, are you ok?"  Ranma looked and was surprised to see Nabiki's
concerned face.  Smiling briefly, he answered curtly.  "Ah, it's no
problem."  He winced as Nabiki took his hand.  Nabiki bent down, her head on
equal level to his.  "Come on, you're lying.  I'll get Kasumi to look at
your hand.  As Nabiki helped him up, and followed him in, his unfocused mind
began to think.  `Since when did Nabiki become very nice?'

****

       "Stand still Ranma."  Kasumi was gently massaging Ranma's hand,
causing pain to ripple up his arm.  "Owww, Kasumi could you be more gentle?"
Kasumi ignored him, and continued to massage his hand, while Ranma continued
to squirm, and complain about pain.  Finally Kasumi stopped, and looked at
Ranma expectantly.  Ranma flexed his fingers, hardly feeling any pain.

      "Gee thanks, you're almost as good as Dr. Tofu."  Kasumi blushed, her
mind thinking about that strange doctor, who some how managed to always be
fun.  With a smile on her face, she returned to the kitchen to resume her
chores.  With that said, Ranma decided that a jog would be good for him.  He
dashed out the Tendo Dojo, and took off down the street at a respectable
pace.  He made it to the intersection, when he stopped suddenly, his mind
filled with a combination of terror, anger.

      "Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.  Ranma, your princess is here!"  Kodachi
leaped out of nowhere, ribbon trailing behind her, and she landed in front
of Ranma.  Her eyes were definitely not happy.  "Ranma!  You've been a very
bad person.  What's the meaning of this?"  She flung pictures at Ranma,
showing him kissing Ukyou and Shampoo...  While Ranma caught these pictures
and looked at them in shock, Kodachi screeched, "I must punish you."  She
swung her ribbon, which unfurled at Ranma.  Surprised, Ranma dropped the
pictures, and he ducked the ribbon.  As it passed over head, he grabbed it
and yanked it really hard.

      Kodachi not expecting Ranma's counterattack, felt herself leave the
ground uncontrollably, and she landed on top of Ranma.  Suddenly her anger
was overwritten with pure joy.  "Oh ha hahahahahahhahahaha!  Ranma, so you
declare your unconditional love for me!  I forgive you!"  Kodachi plastered
her body onto Ranma, who really got angry, his anger clouding his judgement.

     "Get off, you *woman*"  He said woman with such venomous undertones,
that a few passing girls were scared and crossed to the other side of the
street.  He peeled Kodachi, and slammed her against the wall, his body close
to her, his face in anger, his breath heavy.  Kodachi misinterpreted his
intentions.  "Oh Ranma!  Control yourself, we can not do this in public!"
Her hands began to caress his chest.  Ranma got further enraged at the
thought of making love to this sick minded woman.  He pushed her to the
ground, and started to yell.

      "Why don't you ever leave me alone!"  Kodachi, however wasn't
listening to Ranma.  For some reason, she started to laugh uncontrollably.
She leaped up and grabbed Ranma into her arms.  "Domination?  I'm completely
intrigued!  Come, let's make love!"  Ranma completely repulsed, broke free
of her grasp, and ran as fast as he could down the street.  Kodachi only
laughed.  `Oh Ranma so romantic, trying to make me work to get him...'  A
sickly pink tongue snaked out and wetted her lips.  Laughing insanely, she
took off in close pursuit.

      As Ranma ran, passing pedestrians, dodging obstacles, he took a chance
and looked over his shoulder.  `Darn!  Kodachi's still following me."  He
decided to take evasive manuvers.  Quickly turning, Ranma started to head
down a narrow maze of alleys, and after 20 minutes, he had not managed to
throw off Kodachi, however, he did manage to make himself disorientated.
Still not willing to surrender himself to a woman, Ranma continued to push
himself, and eventually he rejoined a main street.  

       "Hey this road looks familiar..."  Ranma's eyes quickly glanced all
over the place, but he didn't notice the Neko Haten, as he passed it.
Meanwhile, inside the ramen shop, Mousse was worried about Shampoo, who had
been brooding the entire day, ever since she saw the photographs.  For no
particular reason, she decided to look up from her cooking, just in time to
see Ranma pass the front of the story at high speed, followed by ....
Kodachi!  With a shout of rage, Shampoo picked up her bonbori, and exited
out of the store, prepared to punish Ranma for cheating on her and for
trying to elope with Kodachi!

       "RAN-ma!"  Ranma shuddered when her heard that voice.  `Oh no! Not
Shampoo!'  "Shampoo punish Ranma!"  Shampoo charged after the fleeing
figure, brandishing her bonbori, her well-endowed chest heaving as she ran
hard.  Kodachi, hearing Shampoo, turned her head and shouted back.  "Away
from Ranma!  We're going to my place to make love!"  Kodachi laughed
maniacally for the umpteenth time, driving Shampoo's anger beyond rage to
crazed-Amazon-woman-ready-to-split-your-skull-in-two.  Shampoo shouted a
battle cry, and she charged.

      "Psycho-girl, Shampoo kill you!  Ranma is Shampoo's husband!"  Shampoo
rapidly started to gain on Ranma and Kodachi.  Ranma, completely angry at
the annoying people who were chasing him, decided to stop running.  `I have
to face them like a man...'  Ranma screeched to halt, and turned around in
time have Kodachi crash into him....

      Both tumbled on the ground, their arms and legs virtually tangled
together, Kodachi making purring noises...  "Oh Ranma, let's do it now!"
Ranma fought hard to extract himself from the mess, and he almost succeeded
when a bonbori smashed into his chest , propelling him against a fence.  He
slid to the ground choking in pain.  Shampoo easily punted off Kodachi, who
was so excited that she didn't notice.  "Oh Ranma, what a rush!"  and she
continued to laugh as she sailed off into the distance.  Shampoo slowly
approached Ranma, her normally cheerful face frozen in anger.

      "Ranma!  Shampoo now carry you to China and marry."  Ranma tried to
fight, but a pain in his chest, prevented him from moving.  Shampoo slowly
approached, her hands holding her bonbori, obviously prepared to knock out
Ranma and steal him off to China....  She raised her bonbori, but she never
got to swing.  Out of nowhere, a cascade of water fell on Shampoo.  Ranma
cringed in fear, but instantly a hand clamped itself over his eyes, and he
heard a voice...

      "Boy, you'd think that your prospective fiancees would treat you with
more dignity...."  Ranma was shocked.  "Ummm, Nabiki?  What are you doing
here?"  Nabiki thought.  `Well, I can't admit that I was also following
you...I was lucky that Shampoo bursted out so early....If she had seen
me....'  Nabiki decided not to tell the truth, and she spoke as she helped
Ranma up.

      "I happened to be passing by, and I couldn't help but notice the mess
you were in."  Ranma was still wary, it was rare that Nabiki did a good deal
without expecting anything in return.  Ranma's arm draped around her
shoulder, and her arm around his shoulder, they walked off.  Ranma decided
to be direct "So what do you want?"  Nabiki looked up at him, as if shocked.
"What do you mean?  I want nothing in return for this.  Do you remember, I
quitted my `business'."  They silently walked off to Dr. Tofu's.

***

     "Minor flesh wound?"  Ranma muttered incredulously as he left the
clinic with Nabiki. "That hit knocked the wind out of me...minor flesh
wound...bah!"  Nabiki silently followed Ranma, her head looking down at the
ground.  Ranma then looked at Nabiki.  Ranma openned his mouth to say
something, but he closed it immediately afterwards.  After a minute delay,
he finally forced himself to speak what was on his mind.

      "Nabiki, thanks for bailing me out today.  I would never like being
married to Shampoo or Kodachi."  Ranma looked at Nabiki, whose head was
still looking at the ground.  "Hey, what's wrong?  It's not as if you had a
lot of annoying fiancees, all of whom are fighting for you..."  Ranma smiled
briefly at Nabiki, but the smile quickly dissolved when he thought about
Akane...  Slowly, they walked home together.

     After entering the Dojo, Ranma was greeted by his father.  "Ranma!
Defend yourself."  Ranma, seeing his father charge him, charged his father.
Genma stared at this approaching son.  `Ha, I'll get him this time. Heh
heh.'  As they approached, Genma made a sweeping sidestep, completely
avoiding Ranma's punch.  Ranma's face became a look of surprise, that even
his father had outsmarted him.  Becoming possessed by rage and
irrationability, Ranma went berserk.  Screaming, he charged his father.

      Genma looked with dismay at his son charging him.  `Oh no!  Now
Ranma's really going to trash me.'  Almost completely filled with fear,
Genma debated whether to retreat, but he suddenly realized that Ranma was
completely unfocused in his attack, there was an openning!  Ranma reached up
to his father, and launched a broadside of attacks.  He punched, kicked,
elbowed, and openned into a bunch of attack forms, but was surprised to see
Genma duck his fists and launch his fist into his stomach.  Ranma fell back,
gasping in pain.

     `What?  This is not possible!  First I hurt myself on the practice
dummy.  Now, my father's beating me!'  Genma's success served to piss off
Ranma even more.  Getting up, Ranma charged his father again.  Genma, stared
at Ranma, and said to himself, `That's strange, Ranma usually is very
focused in his attacks...'  Genma charged Ranma.  

      Father approached son, and as each passed, a quick volley of attacks
were exchanged.  Genma blocked fiercely, his hands successfully holding back
Ranma's unorganized attacks.  As both completely their pass, Genma let his
arm fly at Ranma's departing body.  The base of his hand slammed into
Ranma's back, right between Ranma's shoulder blades.  Intense pain shot to
Ranma's brain, his anger burned through all sanity in him.  He felt rage.
Rage against Akane who cheated on him.  Rage against his father who managed
to be winning.  Rage at his inability to focus or concentrate.  Using
momentum from his father's attack, Ranma tumbled on the ground, and as he
exited the tumble, his body spun 180 degrees.  He landed on his feet facing
Genma's back.  Ranma again mindlessly charged his father, only to be turned
back.  Ranma charged again and again and again, each attempt his father
succeeded in turning him back.  Ranma finally quitted, his exhaustion
overtaking him, and he lied back on the ground breathing hard.  

     Genma approached his son, surprisingly not rejoicing at his victory.
"Ranma, is their something wrong?  You seemed to be unfocused in your
attacks..."  An idea crept into Genma's mind.  "Did you do something wrong
to Akane?  She usually hangs around when you spar..."  Genma looked about to
look for Akane, the only people he could see were Nabiki, who was sitting on
the porch next to Soun who was reading the newspaper.  Akane was not to be
seen.  When Genma mentioned Akane's name, and the assumed that Ranma had
wronged her, Ranma's defeated look was quickly replaced with rage.

      "I wronged Akane?  I wronged Akane?  No, Old man, she wronged me!  She
left me for other men!  How could she!"  Ranma screamed, and as anger
possessed him, his hand shot up, and he tried, unsuccessfully, to grab his
father's throat.  Genma shocked by the anger flaming in Ranma's eyes, easily
dodged the clawing hands, and he picked up Ranma, and dragged him off.

       "Yah!  What are you doing?"  Ranma shouted, blind with rage.  "Hey!
Hands off!  What's wrong with you?  I said let go!"  Nabiki watched with
semi-interest as Genma picked up Ranma, and tossed him into the pond.  Genma
calmly took off his glasses, quickly polished them, and put them back on.
His voice was unnaturally calm.  "Ranma, cool off."  He turned around, and
headed back to the house.

     Ranma spitting out a mouthful of water, stood up indignantly, and he
stalked off to the house, his luscious woman body quivering, only to walk
into Soun, who happened to hear Ranma's raving in the backyard.  "How dare
you blame Akane?"  Soun's head had inflated to a monstrous size.  "You will
go and apologize and makeup with her!"  Unlike before, Ranma shouted back.
"Make me!  And I made a promise never to marry anyone for the rest of my
life!  So there!  Ha!"  Soun, after hearing Ranma's vow of celibacy, got
enraged, and his hands locked around Ranma's throat and started to strangle
and shake him crazily.

      Punctuating every word with a shake.  "You will marry one of my
daughters!  You will marry one of my daughters!..."  He repeated this until
he felt a tap at his shoulder.  "Yes!  Nabiki!  What! Do! You! Want!"

     "Eh, Dad, I think you shouldn't kill Ranma, or else he'll never be able
to marry...at all"  Soun looked at Ranma's red face, and dropped him on the
ground.  Ranma had fainted while his slim neck was in Soun's hands, and fell
to the ground with a thump.  Soun didn't stop his anger, he started sobbing
when he turned to Genma.

      "Genma, how will the Anything Goes School live?  Your son is becoming
celibate, and refuses to marry Akane!"  Sobbing uncontrollably, Soun's eye's
started to gush water.  Kasumi hearing the commotion, rushes into the room.
"Father!", looking at her father's extreme greiving, "Ranma!", looking at
Ranma's unconscious female body on the floor, Nabiki kneeling beside him,
"What happened?"  Kasumi placed her hand lightly on her father's shoulder,
trying to sooth him.  Soun sniffled.

      "Oh the terror!  Ranma has made a vow that he will never marry a
woman!"  Kasumi tried her best to comfort Soun.  "There there, There's
nothing wrong, I think Ranma's just angry and he's jumping to conclusions.
Never mind father, things will work out.  How about this, father, why don't
you go to bed, and rest..."  Kasumi led a still sobbing Soun off.  Genma
stared at the clock, and muttered something about "being late" and he ran
off, leaving Nabiki and Ranma, alone, sort of.  Nabiki sighed, and she
shouldered Ranma, surprised how light Ranma-chan was.  

     Slowly, Nabiki teetered up the stairs, the weight of Ranma-chan threw
her balance off slightly.  Struggling silently, Nabiki managed to carry
Ranma up the stairs, open to door to his room, and carefully place him on
the bed.  `To think a week ago, I would have killed to have this opportunity
to take photographs...'  Nabiki quietly walked to the bathroom, soaked a
towel in cold water, returned to Ranma's side, and patiently dabbed his
forehead.  As she tended to Ranma's inert form, her emotions were in
conflict within her.

      It seemed that her conscience was bothering her about how she forced
Ranma and Akane apart, and she felt guilt for Ranma's current desperation,
and Akane's pain.  But another part of her was feeling pretty good, because
she felt that her personality had undergone some change.  Granted, she could
easily be her old self again, but she felt a desire to be nice and do good
deeds.  Her mind flashed to various episodes at school:  she helped a
classmate pay off his debts.  She unconditionally lended some money to a new
friend, and donated some to a wandering beggar.  So Nabiki existed in a
strange state.  A half of her was happy, because her new personality was
exposing her to the joys of life.  Another half of her was sad, sad for
messing up the lives of her sister and Ranma...

       As Nabiki sat there, her mind in conflict, Ranma's eye's fluttered,
and finally open, revealing a hazy image of Nabiki lost in thought while she
dabbed his forehead...

      "Oh ohh" Ranma groaned, "My head is pounding with pain...."  Nabiki
looked down at Ranma, and sort of smiled.  "Well, sorry about my dad, he
kind of overreacted to your announcement of your vow of celibacy..."  Ranma
smiled weakly, his head hurted, a lot.  He thought to himself, `Why all of
these changes?  First I'm no longer engaged to Akane.'  He felt another bout
of depression, but he managed to fight it back.  `Father beated me for the
first time in three years. and Nabiki's become a nice person.'  And as he
thought of Nabiki, he felt a weak, unknown emotion evoked within him...

     "Um, thanks Nabiki, I think I want to be alone for awhile."  Nabiki
nodded, and she left without a word, closing the door behind her.  Ranma
stared at her departing body, and he closed his eyes to sleep, as if his
pains were really a dream.

***

      Akane, who was still on her bed, but not crying, heard a gentle knock
on her door.  Her voice slightly shaky replied. "Come in."  `Please be
Ranma....Please be Ranma....' she wished, but it was Nabiki, and she carried
a tray of food.  Shocked, Akane's head quickly turned to the clock, it read
6 o'clock.  Nabiki who managed to balance the tray with one hand, smiled
sheepishly.

      "Kasumi didn't want you to miss your dinner."  Nabiki presented the
tray containing a bowl of rice and a smattering of samples of Kasumi's
dishes.  Akane smiled at Nabiki, and she took the tray.  "Thank you Nabiki,
you've been really nice..."  Nabiki felt an urge to leave Akane, but some
how, her newly found humanity made her sit next to Akane.

      "So do you want to talk?  It might make you feel better..."  Akane,
who daintily picked her food with her chopsticks, and carefully chewed,
nodded.  After chewing completely, and swallowing, she turned to Nabiki, her
eyes looked as if she could burst into tears in any moment.

      "Why is Ranma so angry?  He usually comes back after any fight we
have...  I mean it seems that he thinks that I did something wrong this
time.  Usually it's his fault, and now it's so confusing."  Akane held her
head with her hands, her mind in lost in the fog of emotions.  Nabiki felt
sorry for her younger sister.  "And why did father freak out this time?"
Nabiki paused before she answered, knowing very well the answer might make
Akane really sad.  Akane, noticing the pause, stared into Nabiki's eye.
"Really, I want to know."

     Nabiki took a breath, collected her thoughts, and decided how to say
it.  "Well, Ranma was hard hit because he thought you were unfaithful, and
his anger clouded his judgement.  He promised that he would never marry...I
think he's just being irrational."  Akane didn't know how to react to the
news...  One part of her wanted to laugh hysterically: `Ranma Saotome, a man
with 3 fiancees finally decides that he would be celibate.'  Images of
Ukyou, Shampoo, and even Kodachi beating on Ranma filled her mind.  But a
sadness also crept in...`That must mean, he doesn't love me...'

     Nabiki who looked at Akane, seemed to understand what Akane thought,
her sympathy took over, and she placed a hand on Akane's shoulder.  "Oh,
Akane, you don't need to panic, I think Ranma still loves you...  You should
talk to him..."  Akane looked at Nabiki.  "Me?  You want me to talk to
Ranma?  After all the pain he caused me?  He should come to me..." 

     Nabiki, thinking about Ranma and Akane, she omniously whispered, "I
don't think you meant what you just said."  She openned the door, and exited
just in time to see Ranma walking down the hall to his room with a cup in
his hand.