Here's the next part of the fic.  Since I failed to explain a few things
(Ethan no baka?) before posting the last time, I'll try to now.

The question mark on the title means (of course) it's a temporary
title.  It's all I could think of that seemed to fit.  I'd also like to
note it has 15 chapters now, but I don't know if I should go any
further.  It ends on a sad note (sorry to spoil it), and I kind of like
it that way.  Of course, I can always change that. ^_-

If you want to see the fic in its formatted state (which should make
reading easier), please check the site:

public.carleton.edu/~tsaie/fanfix.html

for more stuff.  C&C is always appreciated (I hate having English as my
second language).


As usual, Ranma and Co. are the property of Rumiko Takahashi. 
Distribution rights are owned by large companies that could effortlessly
wipe the floor with me in a legal battle.  This is not meant in any way
as an offense to anyone.
The characters introduced are those of my own making and are actually
copyrighted to me.  Hopefully, I'll be able to put out the original fic
that puts everything together.

I'd also like to note that the characters may be acting OOC, but this is
my interpretation of things after volume 38 of the manga.

Happy reading!
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chapter Two

	Shampoo looked at the thin band of gold in her left hand and the wrist
band and attached ring in her right.  Something so simple, yet her great
grandmother said it was a very complicated work of refined jewelry and
mysticism.  The band of gold looked like it would fit around her head at
the temples.  The wristband and ring, joined by loose silver thread,
would easily slide on her wrist and her middle finger easily.  They both
looked very elegant despite their simplicity.  A thin "crown" made of
gold, and a small blood red ruby on the ring.  Simple, yet alluring. 
Shampoo was about to don the circlet, wristband, and ring when her great
grandmother's warnings repeated themselves in her mind.
	"Beware of those pieces of jewelry, Shampoo!  Do not wear them or I
will be extremely angry at you, and you will suffer greatly from it. 
Stay here and make sure they are not lost.  If all goes well we will
learn a great deal tonight."
	Shampoo sighed.  Things became horribly complicated all at once. 
Mousse had gone to lock up the doors to the cafe when he saw two people
dueling in the street.  They had come up to the restaurant, one had
collapsed and she had punched the other into unconsciousness.  One died
on the spot, but not before giving them this "gift" whispering "xin"
before dying.  The other they had dragged into the cafe, tossed into the
stockroom, and then promptly lost as he broke out into the night.  They
had given chase, but it was impossible to track him in the dark.  Great
grandmother had become very upset at that.  She yelled at Mousse at
great length because of it.
	"You imbecile!  How could you let him escape?!  Didn't you realize he
had regained his senses when you went to get the bucket and mop?!"
	Mousse had of course denied any liability.  Shampoo sighed again and
looked up at her great grandmother from inside the kitchen speaking to
the policemen gathered at the front door.  Mousse had done a splendid
job cleaning up any indication that a duel had taken place.  Some police
had arrived asking about an incident, but had left after Cologne had
said that nothing happened.  Cologne had "disposed" of the body and even
Shampoo had no idea what had happened to it.
	"I've brought the old scrolls and books you wanted." called Mousse as
he walked into the kitchen.
	"Very good.  Perhaps you will be allowed some reprieve from your duties
tomorrow morning, Mousse.  Now leave us in peace.  Perhaps you should
fly about the city and search for our guest.  The rain is dying down
anyway."
	Mousse turned towards the back of the restaurant dejectedly and walked
to the back door.
	"Very good.  Now we may speak with some privacy.  I do not truly care
if Mousse should listen to us, but I would rather he be preoccupied than
attentive.  I believe that Mousse's interests may conflict with our
own."
	Shampoo looked at her great grandmother intently.  There was a troubled
look in her eye, but also one that reflected a kind of hope.  She opened
one of the books in front of her. 
	"Careful, great granddaughter.  These books are old and fragile. 
Handle them with a great deal of reverence."
	"Why do you needs these books?  They are mostly children's tales and
stories."
	"You will see in a short while, Shampoo.  Search for any stories of the
Monkey King.  You will see once I find what I need."
	Shampoo turned to the tome of folk tales and lore in front of her.  the
printed characters were of a dialect long forgotten; but a few of the
characters were legible.  After browsing through the book, she was able
to find nothing.  She turned and began searching through another book. 
Again, nothing.  Another book, and yet another disappointment.
	"Great grandmother, I can't find anything in these three books.  Should
I look through the scrolls?" Shampoo asked.
	"Yes, but look through the scrolls to find any records of a young monk
traveling to India.  I am sure there must be a reference to his travels
somewhere."
	Shampoo went through four scrolls before stumbling upon a barely
legible sentence noting the travels of a young scholar on his way to
India to discover the truth of the Greater Vehicle.
	"Great grandmother, I've found what you wanted.  I think this is what
you were speaking of."
	Cologne looked up from the text she was reading, and motioned for the
scroll.  shampoo stood and moved so that Cologne could see.  Cologne
nodded her head appreciatively.
	"Yes, Shampoo.  This is what I wanted to see.  Now look at the picture
here.  Do you see something?"
	"It's just a picture of the Monkey King, Tsu-Ba Jieh, a dragon horse
and a monk riding it.  It's a simple picture from the stories of the
Monkey King.  Everyone's mother has spoken of the story many times
before.  I see nothing special great grandmother."
	"What do you see before you on the table, besides the books and
scrolls."
	"Do you mean the jewelry the strange man gave us before he died?"
	"Yes.  What are they?"
	"It's just a simple circlet and a wristband with a large ring attached
to it.  It's all in gold, except for the ruby in the ring.  It's
simple."
	"Now what do you see in the picture?"
	"I told you already."
	"Look closer, Shampoo.  Do you see what the fabled Monkey King is
wearing?"
	"It's hard to see great grandmother.  It's faded, but it looks like a
crown."
	"Not a crown, Shampoo.  A circlet.  A simple circlet made of gold."
	Shampoo's eyes widened in disbelief.
	"But this is just a story!  How can such things be true?"	
	"Shampoo, all stories must have their foundations in truth, no matter
how shaky it may be.  The monk was a real person who traveled to India
to learn the Bhuddist teachings there.  This scroll notes that he took
with him simple provisions and nothing else; yet when he returned, he
returned with Bhuddist relics.  These must be a part of those relics.  I
do not understand how they work, but given the story, I believe I can
understand how they might be used."
	"Great grandmother, are you going to make Ranma fall in love with me?"
	"Perhaps it is unnecessary for me to intervene.  I am sure you could do
that yourself.  It will be easy to bend the will of your future husband
with these items."
	Shampoo smiled.
	"I can't wait for morning, great grandmother.  I can hardly wait to
hear Ranma tell me how much he truly loves me."
	"Be patient, Shampoo.  All good things will come in time.  Go to bed,
for tomorrow will be another business day.  I do not want you tired,
since we have a great deal to do."
	Shampoo raised an eyebrow.
	"Are we going to use these so quickly?"
	"No, Shampoo.  We must find our 'guest' and make sure that this
information does not fall into the wrong hands.  As for you Mousse, you
may come around from behind the corner.  Your foolish eavesdropping may
get you into more trouble."
	Mousse walked into the room with a red face.
	"Do not even think about using these on Shampoo.  I do not want to risk
trying these items on an inexperienced fool such as yourself.  Do not
bother alerting the Akane or Ranma either.  I'm sure you will use your
vacation time in a more productive manner."
	Mousse looked startled.
	"Vacation time?  What do you-"
	Mousse was cut short as a glass of cold water was dumped on him.  The
sudden transformation caught him by surprise.  He was quickly pinned
down and thrust into his cage.
	"You will remain here for some time Mousse.  Should you interfere, I
will have no reservations about making cursed Peking duck."
	Mousse's eyes went wide and he sat down depressed.  Shampoo looked at
him with a sense of pity.  Cologne had never openly threatened him
before until now.  Perhaps the evening's events had been tough on
everyone.
	Shampoo went to her room and changed into a simple nightgown.  As she
sat down on her bed, she smiled to herself.  She couldn't wait to make
Ranma tell her how much he loved her.
	Make him say he loved her.  Shampoo frowned.  Was that what she was
going to do?  Force Ranma into saying he loved her?  She shook her
head.  It was all wrong.  She was helping him admit his feelings for
her.  There wasn't any way Ranma could hate her; but why did she need to
force him into admitting something he already felt?  Shampoo flopped
onto her bed and sighed.  Why did it seem so wrong?  Perhaps the circlet
was used to help release hidden emotions and show the true person
underneath.  After all, the Monkey King was a truly good being, but was
a foolish one at heart.  The circlet helped show the true hero he was
inside.  Perhaps that was what the circlet was for.  Revealing an inner
truth that was there from the beginning.
	Shampoo smiled.  That had to be the answer.  As she drifted into
slumber, thoughts of Ranma smiling down at her filled her mind.
	"Ranma...  I love you..."

	Kasumi looked at the unconscious figure next to her on the dojo floor. 
She sighed as she brought up the blanket to cover him.  Things had
become so awkward, even for life in Nerima.  First Ranma had become
depressed at his mother's arrival, and now a strange man wearing strange
armor.  He had dropped out from the shadows muttering in a foreign
language before collapsing in front of her.  She had come out to put out
the lamp in the yard since she had forgotten to after dinner.  It was a
wonder he didn't simply vanish again by the time she had run back to the
house for help and returned; but there he was, lying there bleeding all
over the grass.  Everyone had run out with electric lamps and
flashlights.  It was a pity the power had gone out, but the electric
lamps were enough.
	Kasumi stood up from her kneeling position on the ground and turned to
Ranma who leaned in the frame of the doorway staring at the body on the
ground in front of him.
	"Is something wrong Ranma?"	
	He shook his head.
	"No, but I can't believe you just patched that guy up.  I mean, he
comes from nowhere, he's bleeding everywhere, and you just bring him in
here, strip him down and patch him up.  What if he's some murderer?  Or
an escaped convict?"
	Kasumi smiled and shook her head.
	"I don't think he is Ranma.  Besides, that's why I ran in to get you
and father out of bed.  I knew that having martial artists in the house
would come in handy." she said and smiled her knowing smile at him.
	"I dunno Kasumi.  He looks awfully strange.  I can tell he's a fighter,
Kasumi.  Nobody's that toned from eating junk food and watching
television all day.  And don't tell me you didn't notice.  I saw you
blushing when you took off his clothes."  Ranma immediately clapped his
hand over his mouth.
	"I- I'm sorry, Kasumi.  I didn't mean to...  I mean..." he fumbled.
	"That's okay, Ranma-kun.  I understand.  I did notice, I guess, but I
was concerned about the injuries he had.  With all the power out, we
couldn't get a hold of Tofu-sensei, and I was worried about having a
dead body in our house."
	Ranma nodded his head.
	"I guess so.  So are you going to sit here all night, Kasumi?"
	"I don't want to, but he seems to be in so much pain.  I feel I should
stay here to make sure everything is fine."
	Ranma smiled.  Kasumi's generosity and humanitarian feelings were
something he valued.
	"I guess I'll stay here and make sure everything is safe."
	"Thank you, Ranma-kun.  Would you mind if I called Akane in help?"
	Ranma blanched slightly.
	"I- I guess so."
	Kasumi suddenly had a pensive look on her face.
	"Ranma, there is something very wrong, isn't there?  Is that why you
went to bed so early?"
	"I- I- I don't know." he said.  He could never lie to Kasumi.  "I can't
help but get nervous whenever Mom's around now.  She wants me to get
married as soon as possible.  It's so important to her, but I don't know
if I can get married so soon."
	"Do you love Akane?" Kasumi asked.
	"What?  I- I- I-  Why do you have to ask?" Ranma sputtered.
	"If you love Akane, then why is the decision so hard?"
	"Kasumi, I don't hate Akane.  I think she's a really nice girl and all,
but I always get into fights with her all the time.  I mean, I don't so
often anymore, but there's always this feeling like she expects
something from me that I can't give her.  I really like it when she
smiles at me.  She's so beautiful when she does; but when she doesn't,
then it's like everything wrong, and it all gets blamed on me."
	"Don't you think that's behind you now?"
	"I don't know."
	"Have you been fighting lately?"
	"No, not really."
	"So what's wrong?"
	"I don't know." he said again.
	"Is it so hard to tell her that you care?  That seems to be your
problem."
	Ranma looked up at Kasumi.  She had a small smile on her face and a
thoughtful look in her eye.
	"No.  I suppose it shouldn't be; but I don't know about this anymore. 
I care about Akane a lot, but I don't want to hurt her either.  Whenever
we fight now, it hurts more.  I'm afraid something will happen, and then
she'll hate me.  What if she never liked me at all?"  Ranma sighed. 
"And then there's the others too."
	"Do you love them?"
	Ranma looked at Kasumi carefully.  He decided that of all the people he
knew. Kasumi could be trusted.
	"I guess I do.  I've never really been in love before.  I guess that's
the problem.  If it's actually love, then I love all of them.  I care
about each of them differently, and I'm so scared that if I hurt them,
they'll all hate me.  Well, Kodachi is an exception, but I wouldn't want
to knowingly break anyone's heart if I didn't have to."
	Kasumi nodded her head.  Now she understood why he had so many people
that loved him, even Akane.  Despite the rough edges and the spines
Ranma put out to keep himself from getting hurt emotionally, he truly
cared about everyone he touched.
	"I think Shampoo's a great cook, a beautiful woman and a great
fighter.  Potions aside, I'd think that Shampoo would make a perfect
wife.  She's devoted and loving.  Maybe even too loving." he continued. 
"But then there's the potions, and Cologne.  I can't stand the old
ghoul.  She's always got something up her sleeve, and when she looks at
me, it that look that Nabiki has when she's looking to cut a deal."
	"Now Ranma, don't pick on Nabiki like that."  Kasumi gently admonished.
	"You know what I mean, Kasumi.  I love Shampoo because I see in her a
kind of kinship among fighters.  Comrades, you know?  That sort of
thing."
	Kasumi nodded.
	"Then what about Ukyou?" she asked.
	"Ukyou's like someone I can depend on.  She's beautiful too, but not
like Shampoo.  Shampoo got that kind of kinky, sexy look to her," Ranma
blushed, but kept talking.  "But Ukyou's different.  She's got a kind of
plainness that's great.  She's doesn't need all the makeup or the tight
outfits.  She's just naturally really beautiful.  I'm not saying that
Shampoo needs makeup, it's that Ukyou's just beautiful in a different
way.  She's down to earth beautiful; but it's not like I-"
	"Ranma, you're babbling." Kasumi noted with a small laugh.
	Ranma turned a very deep red.
	"I'm sorry.  I guess you know what I mean."
	"Yes.  Ukyou's beautiful in a cute way, not a ravishingly sexy way."
	Ranma began moving through all the shades of red he could.  Kasumi
could always say things so easily, he thought.  I wish I knew how to do
that, he mused.  He cleared his throat loudly, coughed and kept talking.
	"Yeah, but it's more than that.  She's been my best friend for a long
time.  It's like we know everything about each other.  We don't hide
anything and we don't need to.  I can talk to Ukyou about anything
without getting pounded first."
	Kasumi winced slightly at the reference to her younger sister.
	"I think Ukyou and I are the best of friends and more.  I love talking
to her and we love keeping each other company.  I don't know who I'd
talk to without her.  She cooks, she's a good fighter in her own right
too.  I think she's just a really perfect person for a wife; to live an
entire life with.  It's just so comfortable to be with her.  I don't
need to pretend to be something else.  I love her for all that."
	Kasumi nodded again.
	"So what separates Akane from all of them?" she asked.  "She doesn't
cook well, she isn't as ladylike as Shampoo, and she isn't nearly as
proficient a cook as Ukyou.  She fights very well for someone in our age
group, yet isn't as good as your other fiancées.  You say you don't get
along with her as well as you can get along with Ukyou or Shampoo, so
why do you stay?"
	"Because she's just Akane."
	Kasumi looked perplexed.
	"She tries so hard to be impressive sometimes; and when she does it
right, she has that look.  She's got that smile that changes
everything.  She doesn't cook well, but she really doesn't need to I
guess.  She doesn't need to fight, either.  That really doesn't matter
to me.  I just- I just-"
	"Love her?" Kasumi continued.
	"Yeah," Ranma said ruefully.  He scratched the back of his head
nervously.  "I love Akane because she's Akane.  That's all there is to
it, really."
	"Then it sounds like your decision should be easier than you think."
	"What do you mean?"
	"Should you need to think about all the reasons you like someone?"
	"No.  I guess not.  What does that have to do with anything?"
	"You'll see, Ranma."
	Ranma looked down at the flooring of the dojo.  Kasumi looked at their
guest.  The only sound they could hear was the gentle pitter-pattering
of the rain drops as they fell gently on the roof of the dojo.  Ranma
sighed.
	"It's not going to go away, is it?"
	Kasumi looked to Ranma as he stared at the ground.  There was a faraway
look in his eyes.
	"No, Ranma.  Of course it isn't going to just go away.  You must make
your choice, and you must make it soon.  If you wait too long, nobody
can possibly come away without being hurt."
	Ranma sighed again.
	"I just wish I knew what to do to make the right choice."

	Daylight broke over the Tendo dojo, framing the dojo in a pleasant halo
of color as the light played off the drops of rain on the roof.  The
rain had stopped and the yard looked like a small wetland and the water
level remained close to flooding.  The koi pond seemed to be ready to
burst, but the clear sky and the sun seemed to be ready to bring things
back to normal.  A bird sang a morning song.  It was a lone, but
welcomed voice in the morning.
	Kasumi blinked the sleep from her eyes.  It had stopped raining and the
sun was beginning to shine outside.  The dojo door was curiously ajar,
and a small ray of sunshine fell through.  Kasumi smiled and stretched
quietly.  She cast a sideways glance at the  body laying on the floor. 
It hadn't moved, and appeared as though it hadn't moved the entire
night.  Kasumi furrowed her brow.  Is it dead, she asked herself.  She
kneeled down next to the pile of stained armor she had put aside when
she tended to his wounds.  She ran her hand over the light chestplate. 
The rain had washed off a great deal of the mud from the front of the
armor when she had discovered him.  The was a dark green circle in the
center of the black armor with calligraphy on it.  She couldn't read
it.  Perhaps it was Chinese, or Korean?  She couldn't tell.  Since she
had no expertise in that area, she let it be and put it on the ground
again.  It was a good thing it was Sunday.  No school, and everyone
generally slept in late, that is, except for the Saotomes.
	"Oh my." she said to nobody in particular.  Kasumi felt it would be
wise to keep them from sparring to close to the dojo in fear of waking
the "guest."  She got up to leave, and took one last look at the body on
the ground.  It was still stock still.  She could barely even tell it
was breathing.  I wonder when he'll wake up, she thought idly to
herself.
	She was about to open the door when the thought she heard some
movement.  Kasumi turned and saw the man's face start to crease as if in
pain.  Then suddenly, he sat up rigid with a cry of pain.  Kasumi
panicked.
	She whirled around and shoved the doors of the dojo open and stumbled
outside.  She promptly ran into Ranma.
	"Ranma!  It's awake, and I think it's in a great deal of pain.  Please,
try to keep it from hurting anyone.  I'll try to wake everyone and see
if I can get Tofu-sensei."
	Ranma nodded and turned to go back into the dojo when he heard another
animal cry from the dojo.  It sounded inhuman, and it sounded like it
was in agony.  He cautiously moved to the door and looked inside.  The
figure had shrugged off the blanket that Kasumi had laid over him during
the night.  The bandages and dressings she had administered were still
on him, but they were a dark crimson, instead of the clean white the
night before.  Whoever he was, he was curled in the fetal position and
had his arms clutching his head as if in mental pain.  He was whimpering
quietly.
	Ranma quietly opened the dojo doors completely and took a cautious step
inside.  The way he could see the muscles twitching visibly under the
figure's skin set off warning bell's in the back of his mind.  This one
probably knows how to fight, he thought.  Better keep a good distance
away from him.  Ranma slowly circled the curled up person and tried to
take in the entire situation.  It didn't help him having his father
burst in.
	"Boy!  What's going on!  Where's the killer?!" Genma shouted as he
jumped in the dojo.
	The figure on the ground suddenly uncurled from his position on the
ground and rolled into a crouching position.  There were beads of sweat
all over him.  Ranma cursed silently at his father's intrusion.  The way
it looked to him, they had completely surrounded the person; Genma in
the front at the dojo entrance, himself behind the mystery man.
	Genma was taken aback at the completely wild look in the crouching
figure's eyes.
	"Be careful son!  He's not all there!" Genma yelled over to Ranma.  The
crouching figure's eyes suddenly shot to the side.
	Ranma cursed his ill luck again as the figure swiftly turned and leaped
at him arms outstretched.  Ranma deftly stepped aside and moved onto the
defensive.  Whoever, or whatever the person was, he was fast.  Ranma
didn't want to hurt him, but he didn't want to get hurt either.  They
were both back to circling each other.  Now both were standing, but
there was a very offensive stance to Ranma's opponent.
	"Ranma!  What's going on?!"
	Ranma couldn't believe his luck.  First his father ruining everything,
and now Akane busting into the dojo.  Things were getting hairy fast;
and they were just about to get worse.  Ranma turned his head for split
second to shout a warning to Akane.  The wild-eyed character took the
advantage and moved in to punch Ranma in the gut with lightning speed. 
Ranma didn't even have time to think of his next move as a flurry of
punches and kicks were showered all over him.  A punch in the stomach. 
Kick to the knee.  Knee in the stomach.  Elbow to his back.  Kick to the
face.  It rained on him faster than he believed possible.  Before he
could feel the pain from the first blow, the next made contact. 
Suddenly, he was flying backwards towards the yard.
	Akane couldn't believe what she had seen.  As soon as Ranma had taken
the first punch to his stomach, time slowed down to a crawl.  It seemed
as though Ranma couldn't even put up a fight as a man she had never seen
before pummeled him.  As soon as Ranma tried to block a blow in one
place, another came at him from another angle.  It was worse than when
she had seen him fight Saffron.  Then, there he was, flying into the
yard.
	There was a splash and there Ranma was, in his girl form, wiping a
trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.
	"Get outta here you idiot!" Ranma yelled.
	The stranger bolted from the open doors of the dojo, flipped neatly
once and landed in front of Ranma.  They took to circling each other
again.  Akane looked around for Genma.
	The coward must have run for it when he had the chance, she thought
grimly.  There was a loud 'ki-yaii' and the sounds of fighting again. 
Akane turned to see Ranma being beaten again.
	Ranma couldn't believe it.  This new fighter was fast, and strong to
boot.  Everything he was doing was inhuman.  Ranma could tell his
opponent was counting the seconds between blinking.  He was being timed,
and he still wouldn't avoid it.  Blows from every angle rained on him. 
It was completely inhuman.  Then he felt the same combination of moves
coming again, kick to the side of the knee, elbow to the base of the
neck.  Ranma anticipated the next blow, a knee to the face and quickly
lifted his head to dodge.  The knee flew past his face and he grabbed it
and the ankle and twisted, flipped his opponent onto the ground.  He was
weaker in his girl form, but Ranma knew he still had speed on his side. 
He quickly put in a barrage of punches at blinding speed, followed by
kick to the gut.  It had its desired effect.  He heard his opponent
grunt and choke as he coughed up blood.  Ranma wasn't injured badly,
while his enemy had bandages everywhere.  It wasn't an advantage Ranma
liked to press, but it was all he had; and it had forced his opponent to
one knee, giving Ranma the upper hand.
	The stranger's eyes seemed to flare up and Ranma thought he saw sparks
arc to each.  Ranma backed up and put up his best defense.  Ranma's
opponent shouted out something Ranma couldn't make out and a bolt of
lightning seemed to appear between the distance separating them.  It hit
Ranma square in the stomach, knocking him down.  Ranma writhed on the
wet ground as he felt the electricity surge through him.  He saw stars
flying past him in all directions, disorienting him.  Suddenly he heard
Akane's voice.
	"Get away from him you monster!"
	Ranma wanted to shout something, but nothing came out.  He tried
moving, but nothing would work.  He watched in shock as he saw Akane
running towards the stranger, ready to fight.  She never made it.  The
strange man had seen Akane and turned and shouted something again in a
strange language.  He pounded the ground with both fists and a cylinder
of flame burst from the ground underneath Akane.  She was stopped cold. 
Akane hit the ground without a sound, yet completely untouched by the
flames.
	Ranma finally found the ability to stand and shakily did so.  He felt
rage welling up in his heart as he saw Akane lying on the wet ground
unconscious.  He wanted to pound this guy into the ground without
mercy.  Without stopping until he was a bloody heap in the dirt.  He
felt his ki building up into an inferno.  He never got to use it.
	The stranger suddenly doubled over and began gagging uncontrollably. 
There were a few wet noises, and then the vomiting of blood.  The
mystery figure crumpled to the ground with a groan.  Ranma ran over to
Akane's side and cradled her body in his arms.
	"Akane!  Oh jeez, wake up, Akane!  Akane!" he shouted.
	There was a gasp and cough, and then she was blinking her eyes.
	"You- you-" Ranma's insult died in his throat.  His battle with Saffron
immediately replayed in his mind.  "Why did you do that, Akane?  You
almost died.  Again."
	Akane turned her head.
	"I'm sorry, Ranma.  I just saw you getting hurt and I wanted him to
stop.  I wasn't thinking again."
	Ranma looked down at Akane and managed a small smile.
	"Thanks, Akane."
	Akane turned her head in amazement.  Ranma had changed in the past few
days, but was he actually showing some appreciation?  Akane manage a
small smile in return.  Ranma felt a familiar feeling build up in him
again.  He was tired and he was exhausted.  What the hell, he thought. 
He kissed her.  A featherlight brush of his lips on hers.  Akane eyes
opened in shock; yet, it felt so natural.
	"C'mon let's get you inside."  he said, breaking the kiss.  "We should
see how badly you got hurt."  Akane dumbly nodded her head.  He kissed
me, she shouted inwards.  She exulted silently and allowed herself to be
carried indoors.  As she passed the doors to the house, she saw everyone
awake and very stunned.  Nodoka gave a knowing wink and a smile.