On Thu, 05 Jun 1997 08:42:55 -0500, Keener wrote:

All right, the answer to the pertinent question, could Ranma hurt Akane
if she turned into a monster (metaphorically) is THIS.... A fic that
came to me while all this was being discussed. Please stick with it as I
think the end justifies the means, so to speak. C&C if you like, it's
kind of short. I WOULD like a better title and suggestions on whether or
not I should flesh it out a bit or leave it for the crows. Oh and any
ideas for a decent title would be appreciated.

Oh and it's a trifle on the Dark Side (I couldn't help it, the setup was
PERFECT!)

		Final Embrace

[mega-snip]

That was a nice uplifting story!

But what it needs is a real shock ending.

Like this one:




	"Akane? This truly is a dark and lonely place, let's find a new
place." Ranma's palm began to fill with a radiant azure light. "A place
where we can be happy...forever."

	"What?" Akane's eyes went wide as she registered the incredibly
powerful sphere that was forming in Ranma's outstretched hand.

	"Jisatsu Bakuha..."

	< BOOM! >


		EPILOGUE

	It's finished.

	The darkness that is my soul emerges from its hiding place. No
need for concealment now. My spirit expands, looking over what it has
wrought. It is good.

	Police officers are surveying the devastated dojo. Ranma Saotome
and Akane Tendo are pronounced dead. Two young lovers, perished in a
double suicide. How romantic.

	Tough luck, Akane. No doubt wherever you are now, you've learned
your lesson. Dark power isn't easy to control. It's not for amateurs to
play around with. It takes a lifetime to learn. A lifetime of broken
promises, of abandonment and betrayal, of having the light within you
run away leaving you behind. You need to have nothing left to lose. So
sorry you found that out too late.

	Had I the capacity for it left in me, I would be feeling a touch
of guilt over the way things turned out. After all, I was the one who
called the forces of darkness to Akane. Her anger was the hole in her
defenses. Anger easily turns to hatred, and hatred to black. I know that
all too well.

	What a fool you were, Ranma Saotome. All my life I only wanted
one thing, and that was you. It was not getting you that made me this
way. When I found you again, I would have given it all up for you. Well,
maybe not given it *all* up -- but at least you would have been spared.
In the end you wouldn't have wanted any more than that anyway. But you
had to stand by Akane. It was she whom you truly loved. Bah! What is
love? Where did it get you in the end?

	My soul flows back to my lifeless body. Tapping into its dark
power, I quickly undo the deterioration that my shell has undergone
since my leaving it. The heart begins to pump, and blood circulates. I
emit a low moan.

	One of the police officers on the scene notices me. "Holy -- Get
a medic over here quick! I think we've got a survivor!" He turns to me.
"Take it easy, lady, it's gonna be all right."

	I move over to my dear departed fiance, and crocodile tears
begin to flow. "Ranchan!?! He's -- He can't be -- NO!!!!" I grab his
body in a final embrace, as I gloat inwardly.

	The acting comes easy to me; but then, I've had a lot of
practice. For years, I played the perfect fiance: cute, understanding,
always sweet and kind. Ranchan, I would say, I'll always be there for
you as your friend. I only want what's best for you. If you really love
Akane, if being with her instead of me is what will make you happy, then
I'll support your decision. But think it over carefully. You might be
making a mistake.

	Told you so.


___________________________________________


Sorry, Keener. This was just my way of saying, "I'M @#$%#$ TIRED OF IT
ALWAYS BEING AKANE!!!"

Comments welcome; flames will be laughed off.

Gary Kleppe
kleppe@execpc.com, Home page http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe
My fanfics and the FFML map are on my comics/manga page,
       http://www.execpc.com/~kleppe/comics