This is half of ANK part 4, the other half has little to do with
this one and I haven't written it yet so I'm posting this seperately since
I've taken so long getting back to ANK.  This section is a bit different
from the rest of the story anyway so I wanted comments on it.  HINT HINT
        Shameless plug:  Read Ranma 1/2: Sliders, I still don't have any
comments on it.  Oh well, gotta go to work now.



Chapter 4------------------

        The sky over Nerima was dark, clouds covered most of the stars.
The street lights gave off enough illumination for Ranma to plot his flight
path.  He was heading towards the business district.

        He could still picture the look on Akane's face.  He should have
stopped while he was ahead.  He probably could have gotten away with a few
nights sleeping in the dojo.

        'I guess it was still too soon to think about having Spice over for
dinner.'  Ranma mused.

        Trust.  That word was etched into Ranma's ears, everything boiled
down to a matter of trust.  It was something he lost, and he wasn't sure he
could get it back.

        It landed on a roof a few blocks from the Nekohanten.  He was
actually a little closer to Ucchan's but Ukyou didn't live there anymore.
Besides that going to Ukyou now might be like throwing gasoline on a fire.

        He could hear the distant sound of thunder, a rainstorm was coming.
He got to the Nekohanten just as the first drops began to fall.

        Ranma started banging on the door, "Mousse!  It's me Ranma.  Let me in!"

        It took a little while for the door to open.  Mousse yawned and
took a good look at Ranma, who was now female.  "You told Akane I take it."
He stood aside and waved her in, "snore too loud and I slit your throat."

----------------------

        Akane crept into the room her daughters shared.  Megumi slept with
a blissful expression on her face while hugging her blanket forcefully.
Noriko looked up to Akane.  Despite the darkness she could tell her mother
had been crying.

        She hid it well, but Noriko overheard the talk her parents had.
Noriko felt many things at once.  Fear that her parents would break up,
curiosity about another sister, sadness for her mother, anger and sympathy
towards her father, annoyance at Megumi's snoring through the good parts.

        "Still awake Noriko?"

        "Yeah mom."

        "How long have you been up?"

        "Long enough."  Noriko sat up a little and looked at her mother,
"is dad coming back?"

        Akane took a seat on her daughter's bed.  "He'll be back, we just
needed a little time apart to think things over."

        "Are you two breaking up?"  Noriko asked point blank.

        Akane paused for a moment.  She hadn't thought of it previously,
but the thought scared her.  "Ranma and I have been married for almost
twenty years, most of them pretty good.  We've raised two beautiful
daughters and I like to think there's something special between us.  I'm
not about to throw that away just because your father's an idiot."

        Akane felt a little better having said that.  She still needed some
time to cool down but she finally felt that everything would be alright in
the end.

        "What are we going to do about the hole in the roof?"

        Akane winced.  "Umm.. I'll have Uncle Ryouga look at it later.  Get
some sleep, it's late."

---------------------

        Shampoo looked longingly at Ranma.  If nothing else he was
predictable, she found herself anything but that.  'Is this love?'  She
asked herself silently.

        Ranma thought idly about how things might have been different.  He
knew his choice would affect everybody.  He prepared himself for weeks.
Tears he expected from Ucchan, not Shampoo.  Looking back he could only
remember seeing her cry once, when she was still trying to kill his girl
form and he showed her the transformation.

        He never gave it much thought, and it seemed like such a long time
ago.  Here she was again, losing him for the second time.  Ranma thought
silently again he wished that things could have been different.  Many
people spend entire lives searching for someone to be with, someone to fill
the emptiness born into everyone.  Here he was with three of those
someones, two of which who would return to that empty place within
themselves, alone again.

        Shampoo drank the mixture she brought for Ranma.  There was a
slight pause as it began to take hold.  She doubled over clenching her
stomache as she gasped for breath.  Ranma dropped to her, placing his hands
on her shoulders.  "Are you okay?"

        She took a few deep breaths and relaxed a bit, "Shampoo okay, use
too much oregano maybe."

        "Huh?"

        "Not worry Ranma."  She looked up into his eyes, "Shampoo love,
Shampoo let go.  Leave for China in morning, Shampoo promise not to return.
Goodbye my love."

        Ranma felt a strange empathy as she stood up.  He looked down to
the ground and then back to Shampoo.  He took her wrist as she was leaving
and gently pulled her back to him.  "I want you to know if things were
different..."

        Shampoo placed a finger on his lips.  Some things she felt were
better left unsaid.  She took her finger down slowly and replaced it with a
kiss.

        Ranma hesitated a moment but for the first and only time in his
life returned it without reservation.  Some things were understood, some
things were better left unsaid.