Draxon's Review Corner Presents
An In-House Production
Ranma 1/2 : A Demon's Delight
Chapter 4 : My Friend of Misery
Theme Song: Metallica Black - Track 11 - Misery

Ranma sat down at the third table in the Cat Cafe'.  Akane seated herself to 
his left, while Apsu sat directly in front of them.  He spotted Shampoo taking 
an order on the other side of the restaurant as he looked past Apsu.
"I guess now is as good a time as any to explain why I was so mad earlier," 
Apsu said.  He crossed his arms on the table and looked at Ranma, then to 
Akane. "You saw what happened to me when I was hit with cold water, right?"
Ranma nodded, Akane simply watched Apsu.
"Well, when you hit me with Sugoiken, Akane,"  he turned to her with a very 
serious face, "I was knocked an extremely long distance, directly at the 
training grounds of Jusenkyo."  He lowered his head for a second, trying to 
decide exactly how to word what he was trying to say.  "I was knocked directly 
into the spring of drowned girl.  The collision knocked me out, and blew the 
spring apart.  As I slept I was tortured by nightmare after nightmare, more 
realistic than any I have ever had before.  When I woke up three days later I 
could not move, every joint in my body was broken."  he slowly rubbed his 
elbow in memory of the pain, "I used my healing technique at very low energy, 
and nearly starved myself on the spot when I should have had at least some 
energy."  Ranma spoke while Apsu was thinking of what to say next,
"Hey man, get the main point across real quick if you can,  the girl behind 
you is going to go crazy when she sees me and our peaceful little conversation 
will probably be ruined."
Apsu nodded, "The guide was baffled by what had happened.  After a day I 
learned that my change was far more complete than anyone else's had been.  I 
not only took the form but everything else that goes along with it.  When I 
change, every male hormone in my body disappears and is replaced by female 
ones.  It makes me sick.  I also learned on the fourth day that I was far 
weaker in female form, another thing the guide thought was strange.  We talked 
for a while, and I told him exactly what had happened.  This is how I learned 
about your technique.  He said that he had not told me earlier, but two others 
similar to me had fallen into the spring after battling one named 'Happosai'."
Ranma glared, he felt a need to crush the two foot perverted martial arts 
master.  Utilizing a large amount of his self control, he suppressed as much 
of his emotions as he could, but a light flickering battle aura still washed 
over his skin.
Apsu looked at Ranma, "Do you know him?"  His tone still carried the calm, 
even tone that had characterized him during the conversation.
"Yeah, I know him," Ranma said, sending chills down Akane's spine with the 
ominous tone he portrayed.  "He is supposed to be the founding master of the 
Anything-Goes School of Martial Arts..."
Apsu's eyes narrowed, "I will speak with him as soon as possible,"  He turned 
to face Akane, "He taught you this, didn't he?"
Akane could only nod meekly in response at first, but after a few seconds she 
regained her voice.  "I-I didn't know that it would do that.... He didn't tell 
me!"
Apsu nodded slowly, at once sending a feeling of reassurance through Akane, 
while at the same time his furious face scared her slightly.  Apsu turned to 
Ranma, who sat quietly, harboring his emotions under a mask of self control.  
"Ranma, when you were first affected by the change, did you have nightmares?"
Ranma looked down at the table as he slowly traced his index finger across 
it's surface.  "Yeah, but not the way you described them."
Apsu closed his eyes for a few seconds, and his head drooped a little.  He 
sniffled, and Akane and Ranma could make out a shivering motion.  Apsu looked 
up, his eyes now glistened with newly forming tears.  His crystal gaze 
distorted behind the liquid, creating a swirling hue of crystalline blue.  
"That's the worst part!"  He wiped his eyes clear, making them puffy red in 
the process.  "I... I can't sleep with these..."  He closed his eyes tight, 
attempting to repress his memories of visions and emotions he had never 
thought he would feel in such power within his lifetime.  "I haven't slept in 
six days.  I used my healing technique to partially sustain me, but I can't 
take it any longer!  It's even worse when I sleep...  I can't stand it.  I 
wake up screaming..."
Ranma listened to Apsu carefully, comparing him with the person he had met for 
a few moments six days ago.  "He's so different,"  he thought over and over.  
The person he had met six days ago had been well reserved, self confident, and 
very much less troubled.  "Is there anything Akane or I can do to help?"  He 
asked, regret once again clawing at his being.
"Welcome to Cat Cafe.  Nihao, Ranma!  You come to see Shampoo?"   Shampoo 
looked happily at Ranma,  "Shampoo so happy!"
Ranma looked up at her, "Shampoo, could you take our orders and give us a few 
minutes?  I'd really appreciate it."  He looked at Apsu, then back to Shampoo.
Shampoo looked over the group of three at the table.  She could tell that not 
everyone was as happy as she was, so she simply nodded and pulled a notepad 
from the sash tied around her apron.  "I take order now."  she said, 
disappointed.
"Large spiced ramen."  Apsu said as normally as he could, failing miserably.  
After he ordered he took some comfort from Akane and Ranma caring about what 
had happened to him.  "Not like it'll help,"  he thought, "I can't carry on a 
normal life like this... Father will kill me.  And what am I going to say to 
Michelle?  'Oh sorry Michelle,  I was gone seven days instead of six because I 
had to use your name in a duel between girls.'  God what am I going to do..."  
He looked up as Ranma and Akane finished ordering.
"Teach me the techniques of your school."  Ranma nearly snapped his own neck 
as he turned to Apsu after hearing the statement.  "I don't mean kicks and 
punches either."
Ranma was shocked, that was completely unlike what he had expected.  "Wait a 
minute, I can't just go teaching my best stuff to anybody!"  He thought for a 
second of teaching Apsu the Shishi Hokoden, but dismissed it after thinking 
back to a few of his experiences with Ryouga.
"Please Ranma," Apsu pleaded, "You of all people should know what this is 
like."  He let the statement hang as he looked deep into Ranma's eyes.  "I 
know you understand."
Ranma looked at Apsu, whose eyes pleaded not to be denied.  He lightly 
clenched his fist, and looked upon it for several seconds.  He then turned and 
looked at Akane, who was silently watching him, waiting for his reply.
"I'm sorry Apsu, but I can't,"  Apsu bit his lower lip and closed his eyes 
tightly.
"I guess I can only ask once," Apsu said as he opened his eyes once again.  "I 
don't know what you can do for me, really..."  his eyes began to puff up again 
with tears, "I'm dead anyway,  it's just a matter of time."  Images of 
Michelle and his father flooded Apsu's mind, breaking the emotional dam he had 
been barely holding up against the torrents of sadness and depression.
"Dead?  What do you mean by dead?!"  Akane quickly stood, knocking her chair 
back.  As it clattered on the floor Apsu gave his solemn, seemingly accepting 
explanation.
"Have a seat," he said softly as the first of the tears dripped off of his 
chin and onto the table.  "When you sleep, your body enters what is called 
R.E.M. sleep.  You have to have it or you slowly go insane.  It's only been a 
week and I've already lost my control once.  If I lose control again someone 
like Ranma may not be around to stop me.  Akane... if he hadn't been with you 
earlier tonight, you would be dead.  So it's only a matter of time before I 
completely lose it."  A bowl of Ramen was placed a few inches in front of him 
on the table, he looked at the girl named Shampoo as she placed everyone's 
orders down.  He looked solemnly into the bowl for a few seconds.  "And I 
intend to take Happosai out with me."
Ranma looked at Apsu, examining him closely.  "I want the freak," he thought.  
He then thought of all of the previous fights he had with Happosai.  None of 
them were life or death, so he hadn't been using his most powerful techniques. 
 "Listen man, I can take Happosai and get away with it... If you go crazy on 
him he will probably kill you," Ranma said seriously.
Apsu looked at Ranma.  "It's better than... than this.  That bastard is going 
to meet a friend of mine who happens to be the Tetsumi ultimate technique.  If 
I do die in combat, consider it suicide with style."  the streams of tears 
ceased as Apsu found a goal, an escape from the hell that was his very 
existence.
"Apsu no!" Akane pleaded as she broke into tears, "I'm sure we can find 
something to help!  You don't have to-"  Apsu interrupted her as he quickly 
stood and walked to her side of the table, stopping shortly behind her.
"Stay still, and see what I have seen, feel what I have felt,"  he grasped her 
head on either side, just above the ears, and summoned a devastating 
combination of images, sounds, smells, pain, and feelings.
Akane screamed in horror at the twisted images and feelings which invaded her 
mind.  A demonic laughing began to resonate throughout her head when her 
connection with Apsu was terminated.  She collapsed forward, barely catching 
herself before she would slam into the table.  People around the restaurant 
leapt out of their seats and watched Apsu carefully.
"And just what is your problem?" he said, with venom dripping from his voice.
"What did you do to the girl?"  Apsu guessed the man was about 34 years old.  
A quick examination revealed a low muscle mass and a seemingly weak structure 
on the him.
"And just who the hell are you to care?"  He raised his right hand in front of 
his face, then quickly clenched it, causing his battle aura to begin to spill 
from his fist in a cascading crystalline color.
Ranma bolted out of his chair, placing himself between Apsu and the man.  He 
looked to the man, who was simply staring over him at Apsu.  "It's okay, my 
friend here has just had a little too much stress recently."
The man nodded, and returned to his seat.  Ranma turned to Apsu to see energy 
spilling out of both his hands and eyes, creating a cloud of pulsating 
crystalline energy that covered his face and chest.  "Apsu!  Calm down!" he 
shouted above the growing roar of a full fledged chi buildup.  Arcs of 
lightning-like energy pulsed through the clouds of energy, before the energy 
stressed and warped as if it were beginning to be harnessed.  "Damnit Apsu!  
Get a grip over yourself!"  A flash of imploding light blinded him.  He 
stumbled back as he desperately covered his eyes with his hands and arms.  As 
the flash of light cleared Ranma opened his eyes and looked at Apsu, who was 
absorbing several streams of energy through his chest.  Apsu looked at Ranma 
with a face of even and controlled anger.
Apsu turned to see a small woman on a cane behind the counter.  She was 
watching him carefully.  "I guess I know where I'm not welcome," he said 
angrily as he turned and walked toward the door.
Akane stood as she finally began to recover from the blast of emotion Apsu had 
bored into her mind.  She slowly stood, shaking wildly with fear, as Apsu 
neared the door.  She felt her chest, which pulsed rapidly with her heavy 
breathing.  She looked at Ranma, who was shaking his head as he walked to her.
"Are you okay?"  Ranma looked at Akane's tortured face, her bruises were now 
acting as crossroads of tears.
"We have to help him," Akane said as the flow of tears lost its initial 
intensity, "C'mon, don't just stand there!" she pleaded as she ran to the 
door.
Ranma shook his head slowly as Akane neared the door, "As much as I would like 
to help him," he thought, "That guy is dangerous.  And here Akane goes getting 
us in deeper.  If Apsu snaps while me and Akane are with him, I'll be the one 
that has to fight him.  Please I hope it doesn't come down to that...  I don't 
want to..." he looked at the table, then to the door, which Akane was now 
clearing on her way out of the restaurant. "kill him."  He ran to the door and 
pushed it open.  Cold air washed over him as he turned to his right and began 
to catch up with Akane.