"Akane?�Akane�" Ranma called as he knocked on Akane�s door. "�Can I come
in?" There was no response. "�I take that as a yes then." Ranma said. He
twisted the doorknob and stepped in. The room was completely dark, the
blinds were drawn across the windows not allowing any light in from the
outside. He could see Akane lying face down on the bed. She appeared to be
sleeping until he heard soft, muffled sobs coming from her. He immediately
felt a wave of guilt surge through him, knowing he was the one who made her
this miserable. In his entire life, he�d never liked fighting girls for the
reason he was afraid of hurting them. That was true for relationships as
well, he never wanted to get into a commitment for fear of ruining
friendships and more importantly hurting his friend. He stepped into the
room and shut the door behind him. "�Think I�ll turn the light on."
"Leave it!" he turned when he heard Akane�s muffled yell. "�What do you
want, pervert?!? Get the hell out!" she screamed again. Ranma was thankful
she had her face buried in her pillow, it muffled her yells rather well.
"Akane�I�" he began but stopped when words wouldn�t come. <Kuso! What am I
going to say?!? Better not stuff up here, Ranma> he thought. Akane abruptly
sat up and glared at him with tear-filled eyes.
"You what?!? You�re here to gloat? You�re here to tell me that you and Ukyou
are an item now? You�re here to�" she tried to continue but words wouldn't
come and she simply buried her face in her hands and sobbed. 
Ranma walked slowly up to her and tentatively laid a hand on her shoulder.
He half-expected her to violently shrug it off but was grateful that she didn't.
"Akane�I�I�m sorry�" he said, his voice soft and comforting. Akane slowly
looked up. "�I�m sorry I said what I said back at dinner and I�m sorry for
insulting you like that�" he took a deep breath and continued. "�It�well, it
just came out�It seemed like a good thing to say at the time�"
"Oh, so it was a good thing to insult me is it?!?" Akane retorted. Ranma
winced at the venomous barbs in her voice but he didn�t falter. "�Well,
obviously it wasn�t�Like I said, I'm sorry�" he took his hand off her
shoulder and turned to go. "�Thanks for hearing me out Akane�Good night�" He
was surprised when Akane jumped up and hugged him from behind.
"No wait!�" she said, almost desperately. Ranma turned around and their eyes
met for a moment. "�Don�t go now�Stay a while ok?" 
"I�I don�t think that�s such a good idea�"
"Please?" she pleaded. Ranma found that he couldn�t refuse her, not with her
looking so sad.
"Ok�" he let her guide him back to the bed and they sat down. After a while,
Ranma hugged Akane to him, she leaned against his chest while he stroked her
hair gently.
After a few minutes, Akane broke the silence. "So�So are you, Ran-ko and
Ukyou going to be teaming up?"
"Nah, it was just an idea�" Ranma replied, still gently stroking her hair.
"�I don�t even know if I want to team up at all really�I may just go solo,
like Ryoga is."
"Ryoga is going alone?" she asked, looking up at his face. Ranma nodded.
"Yeah, that�s what I figure anyway�I just can�t picture him going in a team."
"Ranma�I�" Akane found herself at a loss for words. Ranma hugged her a
little closer.
"Hmm? What is it?"
"I�I�m sorry too�" she said, tears beginning to form again. Embarrassed, she
pushed away from him and walked over to the window.
"For what? I�m the one who started it all�"
"No Ranma, we�re both to blame�I hit you without listening first�I should
have listened�I probably poisoned poor Ryoga too! God knows where he is
now!" She sobbed. 
"Akane�please don�t cry�" he said, walking over to her. She tried to stop
but she couldn�t. She felt like such a fool, an unskilled, no-talent,
good-for-nothing idiot.
"Ranma, maybe you�you should go�go find another girl to love!" she cried.
Ranma put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around before pulling her
into his arms. She held him tight this time, crying into his chest.
"Hey�Hey�" Gently, he stroked her hair again. "Calm down, Akane-chan�I don�t
want another girl�" he said soothingly.
"You�You don�t?" she replied, still sniffling. Ranma shook his head. 
"No, I don�t�I just wouldn�t be able to�to love another girl like I�I�"
Akane held her breath. "�I�I�I�I�L�" Ranma stammered, unable to complete the
sentence.
"Ranma�" Akane said softly, pushing away from him.
"Y�Yeah, Akane?"
"Thank you, that�s nice to hear�" she said, smiling through her tears.
Ranma�s heart began to beat faster.
<She�s so cute when she smiles�> he thought. "Err�Y-you want to go outside?
I think everyone�s asleep by now�" he suggested, quickly changing the subject.
"Okay, if you like�" Akane replied. Ranma smiled at her and took her hand,
leading her out the door.

**************
"The stars sure are beautiful tonight, ne Ranma?" Akane commented, gazing up
at the night sky. Ranma sat on his favorite rock by the koi pond. Akane lay
on the cool grass beside him. Slowly the clouds above them parted, revealing
a beautiful full moon shining down upon the two. Ranma allowed a content
smile to creep onto his face. 
"Mmm, they sure are�" Ranma replied, sliding off the rock to lie beside her.
"�You know, I wonder sometimes�"
"What about, Ranma?" 
"The stars, I�ve always wondered�just how far away are they?" he said.
"Well, our astronomy teacher said that each one of them is a sun�Like ours�"
Akane said, watching the tiny dots of light twinkle high above. "�And the
reason they are so small is that they�re so far away that even at the speed
of light it�d take years to reach one�"
"Seems you�ve been paying attention in astronomy�" Ranma said, grinning at her.
"Hey! I always do!" she had just been about to add �unlike you�, but decided
against it, she wanted to enjoy the peaceful mood as long as possible. Ranma
grinned but didn�t reply. They lay silently for a while, gazing up at the
stars and enjoying the overwhelming feeling of peace that washed over them.
"Mmm, I could get used to this, you know�" Akane said after a while. Ranma
turned to look at her.
"Used to what?" 
"This, you know, us just being here together like this�Not fighting or
anything�"
Ranma smiled warmly at her and nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean�It�s so
peaceful isn't it?" he took exhaled sharply and took a deep breath. "�It
makes me wonder sometimes�Why do we fight?"
"You asking me?" Akane replied, she rolled over onto her stomach and propped
herself up on her elbows.
"No, I'm just posing the question�Why do we, as in people, have to fight?"
he asked, still gazing up at the stars. "�In a week�s time, the tournament
will begin�Who knows what will happen there? People get hurt in fights,
there�s nothing glamorous about it Akane�" he said, turning to look at her
as he propped himself up on one elbow.
"My my, this is new! Who would have thought I�d be hearing the great Ranma
Saotome, Master of the Anything Goes Style of Indiscriminate Grappling,
saying this!" she teased. Ranma reached out and ruffled her hair playfully.
"Well, it�s true you know�" he said in a soft voice. "�Pop began training me
ever since I could walk, I�ve spent my whole life learning the Art�Pop,
while he�s a lousy father, he�s a good teacher�Though I never liked some of
his ideals�" Ranma paused and took in a breath. "�He spent his life training
me to be a �man among men� as he puts it�At first I liked the idea of being
strong, being the best and all�Then, it starts to wear thin, you know?"
Akane listened intently, this is a side of Ranma she�d never seen before.
She�d never really known him beyond the cold, arrogant image of the proud
unconquerable martial artist that he projected. She�d always seen him as an
arrogant jerk who�d do anything to win a fight, though at times, she got a
glimpse of the kind, caring person beneath the hard exterior. Ranma isn�t
immediately likeable, she�d be the first one to say that, though it�s
different once you get to know him. <Why can�t he this nice all the time?>
Akane asked herself. He tries to be, sometimes, but you always have to push
it back, why? <�Because�Because I�m afraid�>
�Afraid? Of what?�
<Afraid�of falling in love with him�I could you know�>
�You probably do already.� Her conscience told her. She didn�t deny it. 
<Yeah, I probably do�>
"Akane? You there?" Ranma waved a hand in front of her face, snapping her
out of her trance.
"Uh? What?�Oh sorry, please continue�" Akane said, a little embarrassed. 
Ranma sighed but continued anyway. "I was saying, I liked the idea of being
strong, being the best�I was willing to do anything to achieve that goal at
first�" he said, smiling and frowning at the same time as he recalled some
pleasant memories and some not-so-pleasant ones. "�But after a while, it
starts to wear thin, you know?"
Akane nodded. "�Fighting isn�t glamorous, like you said." She replied. He
nodded.
"Yeah, I mean, look at Ucchan for example�She spent ten years hunting Pop
for revenge after he ran off with her father�s yatai�She wasted ten years of
her life pursuing something that wasn�t even there to begin with."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, if you recall, I never knew Ucchan was a girl until the day she
challenged me at school, and I wouldn�t have known if I didn�t accidentally
cut her breast binding�"
Akane�s eyes widened at this. "�Accidentally�? You sure you didn�t do it on
purpose�" she asked, voice starting to rise slightly.
"Akane, calm down, please�" he said in a soothing tone. "�Yes, it was
accidental, if you remember, she tried to make an okonomiyaki out of me on
that special ring. I kind of lost my cool and I tried to slash at her with
her spatula which I wrenched away from her during the fight, she dodged back
but not far enough, that�s how it happened."
Akane nodded, she felt ashamed for doubting him. "Ranma�I�I�m sorry, I
shouldn�t have doubted you�I" Ranma reached out and ruffled her hair playfully.
"It�s ok, don�t worry, it�s all in the past now ne?" seeing Ranma smile
reassured Akane slightly.
"I think I�m starting to see what you mean�" Akane flipped off her elbows
and lay on her back. "�It�s a nice feeling knowing that you�re the best and
all, but there�s always someone better out there�" she turned and held up a
hand, cutting off Ranma�s protest. "�Come on Ranma, you have to admit,
you�re good but you�re not that good�There�s many strong fighters out there,
around the world�Who knows?" 
Ranma nodded but Akane could still see something lingering in his eyes.
"�What is it?"
"A lot of this stuff�I didn�t start thinking about all this until that fight
with Ryoga a few days ago�" Ranma said, sighing as the memory unfolded
before him. "�Look what happened, we both beat the crap out of each other,
and look what good it did�" 
"About time you realised that!" Akane snapped. "�I�ve been killing myself
for years trying to get the two of you to stop fighting and just get along!
Why can�t you just do that?" she asked.
"Hey! Ryoga�s the one who keeps attacking me!" Akane made to comment but
Ranma held up a hand, cutting her off. "�C�mon Akane! Think about it! How
many times have you heard him yell �Die Ranma!� and jump me? How many times
has he started a fight by butting in when we have an argument? It�s none of
his business yet he still does it!"
"That may be so but still�" Akane began.
Ranma let his breath out in a long, tired sigh. "�Nevermind, it�s a moot
point anyway�" he stood up and walked over to the koi pond. "�Can you answer
my question now?" Akane stood up and walked up beside him.
"What one was that?"
"My original question �Why do people fight?��" he re-stated. Akane thought
for a moment.
"I guess, because of anger�Or the need to have power over others?" she
suggested.
"Well, those are answers I guess, and you�re correct for the most part�I
guess, it�s just in our nature to destroy ourselves�" Ranma said, sitting
down on his favorite rock.
"Ranma, just what is wrong?" Akane asked, unable to contain her curiosity
any longer. "�I�ve never seen you talk or act like this before�If
something�s bothering you, please tell me�" she said, her voice almost pleading.
"Nothing�s wrong, Akane�I�ve just been thinking�For as long as I can
remember, I�ve always trained to be �the best��If anyone ever asked me what
I wanted to do with my life, I�d always say martial arts�I�ll give Pop
credit there, he kept most of his promise to Mom�But that fight a few days
ago got me thinking, what is the point to it all?" he asked no one in
particular. "�Every time I won a match, every time I beat someone, I�d get a
feeling of elation, I�d feel proud that I�d won, that I�d defeated my
opponent�But that fight with Ryoga, even though I won, I didn�t get any
satisfaction out of that�Just�"
"Just what Ranma?"
"Just�well�nothing�I didn�t feel anything, that victory gave me no pleasure,
just emptiness�I regretted doing what I did to him�" he said, burying his
face in his hands.
"Ranma�" Akane began, laying a hand on his shoulder. "�You shouldn�t blame
yourself�I�It was partly my fault�I shouldn�t have said what I did�"
"Well, I�ll admit, that was the reason why I went off on Ryoga like I did�"
Ranma said. He stood up and walked over to the big tree by the pond, Akane
followed him. "�Like you said, I fought because I had to take it out on
someone else, because of anger, hatred�I�m starting to understand how Ryoga
feels every day, that deep, empty feeling of depression�The only reason why
he hasn�t attempted suicide by now is that he takes it out on whatever he
can, if he didn�t, I don�t know where he�d be now�" Akane shivered at the
thought. "�You cold?" he asked.
Akane nodded. "A little�" she lied. Ranma reached out touched her on the
arm. Not sensing any resistance, he pulled her into his arms. She responded
by leaning into his chest. Ranma leaned onto the tree for support.
"Better?" Akane nodded and shut her eyes, enjoying the close, warm feeling
of hugging.
"Ranma�"
"Hmm?"
"The tournament starts in a week, will you be entering?" she asked.
"�"
"Ranma?"
"I don�t know�" he said finally. "�Normally, I would jump at a chance like
this�But after what happened a few days ago and after tonight�" he
punctuated that last statement by stroking Akane�s hair gently, eliciting a
sigh from her. "�I don�t know anymore�If I do, it will mean having to fight
against friends at one stage or another�I don�t want to, we shouldn�t fight
amongst ourselves�" he faltered in his explanation, trying to find the right
words. 
"I know what you mean Ranma�" Akane said, interrupting. "�Nothing good can
come out of it, right?" Ranma nodded.
"It only breeds contempt between us�Someone has to win and someone,
ultimately, has to lose�"
"Well everyone else seems pretty hot on going, from what I remember at the
table�Toma is going to be in it too�" Akane said. The heat generated from
their closeness was starting to make her sleepy.
"Yeah, well, that�s them�" he said, seemingly uninterested.
"If you do enter, who would you go with?" Akane asked. Ranma shrugged.
"I dunno, I�ve never been one for team competition�If I did pick a team
however, It�d probably be you and Ran-ko�" Akane smiled at this. 
"You sure you want me? I�m not as good as you or you sister you know�" she
said, trying to find out if he really meant what he just said.
"That isn�t a problem, we�d have one week to train, in that time we could
train you�" he released his hold on Akane and held her out at arms� length.
She sighed when he did so, it was so nice being held. "�Properly that is�"
Akane nodded and smiled warmly up at him. Ranma could feel his heart-rate jump.
"Ranma�T-that�s nice of you�" she said, stammering slightly. 
"Well it�s about time someone did something, you�re good and have a great
deal of potential, with proper training you could really go far�I don�t see
why I shouldn�t try if anything else�" he said. "�That�s if you let me�"
Akane responded by wrapping him in a tight hug. "Mmm�" she said. Ranma
hesitated for a moment then returned the hug as best he could. After a
while, she turned to look up at him, their eyes met and time appeared to
stand still. 
<Man, she really is cute when she�s like this> Ranma thought. He could feel
an urge to do something pulling at him. The longer he looked into those
deep, brown eyes of hers, the stronger the urge became. He desperately
wanted to kiss her, to hug her, to do something except stand still and go
crazy. The only thing stopping him was the thought of being punted into the
nearest star system alongside the Sol System. Slowly, their faces moved
closer, closer to one another. Ranma could feel the passion flowing between
them, he fought desperately to keep down the urge that was telling him to
kiss her. <�Ah what the heck, if she hits me, she hits me�> he thought after
a while, unable to bear it any longer. Akane shut her eyes as their lips
drew closer together, thinking <Will he do it? Will he kiss me?>. A part of
her mind was saying <I hope he does�>. As their lips were about to touch, a
cry rang out across the courtyard.
"STOP!! I, Tatewaki Kuno, 17 years old, the �Blue Thunder�, the �Shooting
Star� of Furinkan High, will NOT allow this�this mockery, this sacrilege to
continue!" Kuno yelled, jumping over the fence followed by Kodachi.
"Oh, Ranma-darling, how could you??�" Kodachi cried, tears streaming down
her face. "�How could you do�that�with that vixen! That mynx!�When you are
promised to me?!?" 
"RANMA!!! Shampoo not allow you to kiss Akane!" Shampoo shouted, standing
atop the wall with a sword drawn. "�You already say you belong to Shampoo!"
>From her silhouette in the moonlight, everyone could tell she wasn�t joking.
Ranma and Akane quickly broke the hug and stood ready.
"Ranma! What the hell is she talking about?!?" Akane gasped, peering around.
"You asking me?!?" Ranma replied, hastily getting into a stance.
 "RANMA!!!. You�you CAD!�" Ryoga hollered, running out into the garden from
inside the dojo. It was amazing he didn�t get lost on the way out! "�You�You
DARE to toy with Akane like this?!?�I WON'T HAVE IT!�PREPARE TO DIE!!" Ryoga
leapt at Ranma who barely got out of the way in time, the tree which he was
leaning against crashing to the ground under the impact of Ryoga�s blow.
"N�Now wait a moment here!�" Ranma stammered. "�I said no such
thing!!�Shampoo, don�t you dare lie like this!" Ranma shouted to Shampoo. He
knew she had wanted to get him back for slapping her back at the Nekohanten.
Shampoo knew full well that if anyone found out that Ranma and her had gone
and �done it�, his engagement to Akane would be screwed. Though Ranma still
had no idea, thanks to the �Xi Fa Xiang Gao Shiatsu�.
"Why? Shampoo no lie�Is true�Yes?" She asked, a smirk on her face.
"I don�t know what you�re talking about!" Ranma yelled back, unable to form
words as he dived out of the way of Kuno�s bokken which parted the wall
behind him. 
"Shampoo�Is this true?�What you say about my son?" Nodoka asked. Behind her,
everyone who had been awakened by the noise came out to see what the
commotion was. Shampoo, still atop the wall, nodded.
"Is true�Ranma make love to Shampoo�" Shampoo then proceeded to elaborate on
the events that had transpired.
Ranma snarled. "WHAT ARE YOU SAYING?!? I DID NO SUCH THING WITH YOU!!!" he
screamed, pointing a shaking finger at Shampoo.
Shampoo cringed at the force of his denial. <Grrr�I forgot! I wiped his
memory!> she thought furiously.
"R�Ran�Ranma!!!�" Akane yelled, storming over to him and slapping him hard
across the face. "�H�How�how could you?!?�" Akane shook with anger as she
tried to get the words out. She wanted to kill him, she wanted now to hurt
him so bad she could taste it. But something inside was stopping her. Images
of the tender moment they shared just moments ago flashed through her mind.
There was no way she could hit him now, not after hearing that. Akane turned
and ran into the dojo, crying her eyes out. 
"Akane!!�Oh my poor baby�" Soun wailed. Kasumi looked shocked at this new
turn of events.
"Oh my! Ranma, did you really do�that with Shampoo?" Kasumi asked, concern
etched on her face.
"NO!" Ranma screamed, shaking with anger. "�She�s lying! She just wants to
cause trouble because I hit her back at the Nekohanten!"
"You vile sorcerer! With my holy blade, I shall free the virtuous Akane
Tendo and the Pigtailed Girl from your evil clutches!" Kuno exclaimed,
hefting his bokuto in a defensive stance.
"Ranma! You come back with Shampoo�You not run now that Shampoo yours!"
Shampoo yelled, jumping down from the wall.
"You�You�You�" Ryoga struggled form the words unsuccessfully, his rage
blinding him. Already his power level was at it�s maximum. Some real damage
would be done here, no doubt about that.
"RAAAAAAAAANMAAAAAAAA!�" Demonic Soun exploded, his head expanding to
immense proportions.
"Son, tell me the truth�" Nodoka said, her voice strangely, was not one of
anger, but sadness and disappointment.
"SHUT UP!!!!" Ranma screamed at the top of his voice, everyone immediately
froze at his authoritative tone. "�I�ve HAD IT with all of you jerks messing
up my life!�Ryoga! You go on about how you have seen Hell�YOU HAVE NO
IDEA!�" Images of his conversation with Akane just moments ago flashed
through his mind. Why do we fight? Is because of anger? Hatred? Because of
the need for power over others? No, the answer became clear in that one
moment. Because there was no other language that your enemies will
understand. Ryoga flinched but his expression did not waver.
"You�you DARE mock me, Ranma Saotome?!?" Ryoga said in a low and dangerous tone.
"�So what if I do?!?" Ranma retorted. It was obvious to everyone now that
Ranma had been pushed past his breaking point. Every man has his breaking
point, Ranma�s, to his credit, was extremely far from the surface, he could
take a LOT before finally exploding. Ever since he�d met Akane, his life had
been one living hell. Sure, there were the good moments and times, but
Kodachi, Shampoo, Ryoga, Kuno, Mousse and yes, even his dear friend Ukyou
sure made up for the difference. All his anger and frustration that he�d
kept bottled up inside him all these years had finally exploded. Even Ranma
has a breaking point. "�All you jerks come in here and sprout lies like
water from a fountain! You expect me to stand here and just TAKE THIS?!?"
"Do not deviate from the truth you cretin! You blackguard!" Kuno spouted.
"Ranma-darling! Ohhhhh�" Kodachi broke down crying.
"YOU NO LONGER HAVE THE RIGHT TO CALL YOURSELF AKANE�S FIANCEE!!!" Ryoga
screamed, partly in triumph that it was true and that now he had a chance at
Akane. Ranma shook his head. There really was no cure for stupidity, bottom
line, in bold and italics and twenty-point font.
"Ryoga�" Ranma said evenly.
"What?"
"SHUT UP!" Ryoga backed off at this outburst.
"Why�you! Mock me do you?!? TAKE THIS!" Ryoga lunged at Ranma again, Ranma
swept aside Ryoga�s outstretched arm and aimed a counterpunch. Ryoga deftly
blocked and, crouching low, aimed and elbow and a modified Dragontail at
Ranma�s ribs and the back of his knees respectively. Ranma backflipped out
of range, right into Kuno�s waiting bokuto.
"An opening!�Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike!
Strike!!" Kuno yelled, thrusting his bokuto with lightning speed at Ranma.
Ranma yelped and dove aside, right into Shampoo�s waiting embrace. Shampoo
latched onto Ranma and kissed him.
"Mmmmm, wo te airen�You no say you no remember you do with Shampoo now,
Ranma?" Shampoo mumbled. After a few moments, Ranma recovered enough if his
senses to push Shampoo away. He glared at her in disgust and as he raised a
hand to slap her, he felt someone restrain him. He turned to look at
Nodoka�s face in surprise.
 "Son�stop this now�We shall find out the truth�" Ranma nodded in
understanding and powered down. Nodoka then turned to the group advancing on
Ranma. "�STOP! ALL OF YOU!" Everyone winced and ran back when Nodoka
unwrapped the Saotome Clan�s Dai-Katana.
"Shampoo has made an extremely serious claim, that my son has engaged in
sexual act with her�" she paused for breath, her face impassive. "�Whether
this is truth or lies I cannot be certain�"
"We can fix that�" Nodoka turned at the sound of Cologne�s voice. 
"You have proof on this claim your grand-daughter makes?" Nodoka asked.
Cologne nodded.
"I have witnessed with my own eyes, the act that this man, Saotome Ranma
committed with my grand-daughter Shampoo�" Cologne stated. Ranma�s face
contorted in rage.
"WHAT�RE YOU SAYING, YOU PRUNE-FACED OLD GHOUL?!?" he screamed. "YOU LIE!
ADMIT IT, GHOUL!" Cologne smirked at him and shook her head.
"This is no lie, Son-in-law�" she then turned to Nodoka. "�I have a way of
proving to you that what I say here is true�if you will allow me to do so�"
Nodoka nodded.
"Do what you must, but no more." She stated flatly. Cologne hopped on her
staff over to Ranma who immediately dropped back into stance and powered up.
"Get back! Or you will regret it!" he snarled, voice full of anger. Cologne
turned to Nodoka.
"What I must do includes extracting certain memories from parts of your
son�s mind, if he will not allow me to do this, then it will prove him
guilty�" Cologne stated simply.
Nodoka lain a firm hand on Ranma�s shoulder and said. "Son, let her do as
she wishes, if you really are innocent you have nothing to fear�" Ranma
grudgingly nodded and reluctantly dropped his power level to a
less-dangerous level.
"Get it over with, Ghoul!" Ranma snarled. Cologne reached out a hand and
touched Ranma on the forehead, at the same time holding a strange
blue-crystal pendant hung around her neck with the other hand. The pendant
began to glow as she chanted and Ranma could feel a strange presence invade
his consciousness. In a moment it was gone and Cologne withdrew her hand.
She then removed the pendant and handed it to Nodoka.
"Wear this, and you will see all�It contains your son�s memories, the ones
in question�" she stated. Nodoka nodded and slipped the pendant around her
neck. Almost immediately she was bombarded with waves of mental energy.
Struggling with the forces, she was able to organise them into some
semblance of order�And was shocked to the core at what she saw. Ranma saw
his mother falter and he quickly ran to support her.
"I�I�" Nodoka stammered, at a complete loss for words. Cologne smirked.
"Do you see now? I, as a Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku do not lie�" Nodoka
nodded and handed back the pendant with a shaking hand.
"I�I now know the truth�" she said, her voice shaking slightly. "�And I
declare that the claims of the Amazon Shampoo and her great-grandmother
Cologne are truthful�" Ranma was shocked at what he heard.
"Mom! What�re you saying?!?" he asked desperately. Nodoka turned to face him.
"Son, I have seen your memories with my own eyes�Please do not deny it any
longer�" She said, her voice and her face betraying the sadness and
disappointment she felt.
"Mom!! I swear I did no such thing!�" Ranma yelled back, confused as to how
it could be true. "�If I indeed did do such a thing, why can�t I remember it?!?"
"I don�t know son, but the proof I have seen far outweighs your claims, even
though you are my son�" Nodoka said, her voice filled with sorrow.
"Mom�" Ranma said, his voice cracking. "�I swear that�" Nodoka raised a hand
to cut him off.  
"Ranma�Much as it pains me to do this�I have to�Please understand�" Ranma
nodded solemnly at his mother. Honor was always Nodoka�s focus in life. Life
without honor is nothing, as is power without perception. 
"I understand Mom�" Ranma said softly, his voice full of sadness. He knew
full well what his mother was going to say. In his mind, he knew he was
innocent, but he could not fight magic. Nodoka choked back tears. After ten
long years, she was finally reunited with her son, only to be forced to pass
judgement on him now. "�You�" Nodoka took a deep breath, forcing her
emotions down. "�You have two choices�One: Relinquish your engagement to
Akane and become Shampoo�s by honor, or Two: commit seppuku�" In the silence
that followed, you could hear a pin drop as waited for Ranma to make his
decision.
"What is going on here?!?�Ranma?�Dad?�Auntie Saotome??" Akane demanded,
running out into the garden. She�d observed all that had transpired from her
window and from the looks of things, she didn�t like what she was seeing.
Ranma turned to look at her, still kneeling on the ground.
"Akane�I�I�m sorry�" was all he could say as a lone tear trickled down his face.
"Ranma?!? What�re you saying?!? You didn�t?" Akane gasped in shock.
"I know I didn't Akane�But whatever the ghoul has shown Mom, she believes it
and I have no reason to not trust my own mother�" he said, on the verge of
breaking down in tears. "�Please believe me, Akane�" he begged.
"Akane-san! Don�t believe that lying cad!" Ryoga yelled. Ranma turned and
glared at him with death in his eyes.
"Ryoga�I swear�One more word out of you and it will be the last thing you
take with you to the afterlife!" Ranma said, his voice barely controlled.
Ryoga winced at the look in his rival�s eyes and shut up.
"Enough talk�" Nodoka said solemnly. "�Choose your path, my son�" she stood
back and lowered the point of the katana so that it was positioned just
above Ranma�s head.
"Ranma�" Akane cried, tears flowing down her face. "�I believe you! I
believe in you! Please! Don�t die on me now!�" she pleaded. She ran up
beside him and knelt on the grass beside her fianc�. "Auntie Saotome! Please
don�t make Ranma commit seppuku! I�I�" she was unable to say any more and
broke down crying.
"Akane-san�Believe me, I don�t want to do this any more than you do�" Nodoka
said, choking back her own tears. "�But honor and the Bushido code demands
that I do, I�m sorry�My son must choose�"
Ranma turned and laid a hand on Akane�s back, she sat up and looked into his
eyes with ones filled with despair. He nodded solemnly to her before speaking.
"I choose neither�" he stated in a voice that carried. "�I cannot choose to
accept Cologne�s claim as I myself have no recollection of the event nor do
I wish to die for their causes�" Cologne�s eyes narrowed at this. "�However,
honor demands that I accept my punishment for my actions�" he paused for
breath and peered around him. He could clearly see Kuno and Ryoga smirking,
and Kodachi passed out on the grass. "�Therefore, I shall renounce my
engagement to Akane�" Akane looked at him with horrified eyes before
breaking down crying again. "�To preserve what honor remains of the Saotome
name, I hereby relinquish my right to use the name�" He then turned and
bowed to his mother. "�From this point on, Saotome-aruji�" Nodoka almost
broke when she heard the term he used. Ranma himself was doing little better
than his mother at controlling his emotions. Tears flowed freely as he
continued speaking. "�I am no longer your son�Ranma Saotome, of the Saotome
School of Anything Goes Style of Indiscriminate Grappling�is dead!" Nodoka
didn�t like this option any more than she liked the other options, though it
was better than having her son commit seppuku. Cologne, on the other hand,
was fuming.
�I do not accept this outrageous excuse for a settlement!" She screamed.
"�Ranma must choose Shampoo or die!" Nodoka turned and stared right at
Cologne, pure fury in her eyes.
"It is enough!" she replied in a commanding voice. "�My son has fulfilled
the demands that honor has asked of him, you shall torment us no more�" she
turned to face Ranma who nodded and held out his right arm. Nodoka raised
the katana above her head and slashed downward, cutting lightly into Ranma�s
exposed wrist. "�With blood we seal the pact�" she said, repeating the
process with her own wrist. The blood of the Saotome clan flowed freely that
night. "�Leave us, and pray we never meet you again�For the next time we
meet, it shall be as enemies�Farewell, Cologne-san�" Cologne raged but knew
that there was nothing more she could do, her plan had backfired horribly
and there was nothing she could do to salvage it.
"Very well�I, as a Matriarch of the Joketsuzoku�Accept this settlement�We
shall not speak of it again�" she said with equal formality.
"No! Shampoo not accept! Shampoo want Ranma!" Shampoo screamed. Cologne
turned to face her.
"<Xian Pu, we must leave now, there is nothing more we can do here�Our plan
has gone wrong and we must now work to see what we can salvage>" she said in
Mandarin.
"<But great-grandmother�Why doesn�t Ranma have to follow us?>" Shampoo
asked, fists shaking in frustration. 
"<Because the matter of honor has been resolved�We must go, if we stay we
shall be viewed as dishonoring the blood pact�>" she said. Cologne turned
and bowed to Nodoka before hopping away, dragging Shampoo with her. After
they�d gone, Ranma stood up and had Kasumi dress his and Nodoka�s wounds
before walking back over to Akane. He helped her up. "Don�t worry Akane,
there will be another time�I promise you that."
"R�Ran-ma�I�I�Ohhh�" she managed to get out before collapsing into his chest
and breaking down once more. He hugged her tenderly, knowing that this would
probably be the last time he would be able to do so for a long time to come. 
"There, there Akane�Be strong�You must be�" he said, choking back his own
tears. Ran-ko and Genma, both just waking up, ran outside and was shocked to
see the blood staining the grass.
"Okaachan, Oniichan, what happened? Why is there blood?" she asked.
"Is something wrong, dear?" Genma asked Nodoka who, now that Cologne and
Shampoo had gone, was letting her tears flow freely. He saw the blood
staining the blade of the katana and gulped. Soun, after watching the whole
episode, was strangely enough not bawling his eyes out. He walked over to
Genma and laid a hand on his shoulder.
"Saotome-kun, the gravest tragedy has befallen us this night�" he said. He
then proceeded to relate the events which transpired to a shocked Genma and
Ran-ko. Meanwhile, Kuno watching Akane cry, had made several attempts to try
and console his distraught lover, and as a result was appreciating a tour of
Nerima at ten-thousand feet. Ryoga walked over to Ranma and tapped him on
the back.
"Ranma! You now are no longer Akane�s fianc�, so leave her alone and depart!
You are not fit to associate with us!" he said, a smirk on his face. Ranma
released his hold on Akane and turned to face him.
"It seems the tournament starts one week earlier then!" he snarled, falling
back into a stance.
"Fine with me! I shall complete your disgrace by defeating you in battle!"
Ryoga stated, taking his own stance.
"STOP!" both martial artists turned at the sound of Soun Tendo�s voice.
Behind him, Genma stood, open-mouthed in shock. Ran-ko promptly ran up to
her brother and hugged him, tears streaming down her face.
"Oniichan! Don�t leave! Please don�t go!" she cried. Ranma smiled sadly and
patted her gently on the back.
"I have to, Ran-ko�It�s the last honorable thing I can do�" he replied.
"�Though I won�t stop until I find out the truth behind this
whole�plot!�Until I do, I have to go�I'm sorry, Sis�" he wiped away a few
tears before hugging his distraught sister back.
"If you�re going then I'm coming with you!" she stated flatly. Ranma shook
his head.
"No, you stay here with oyaji and okaasan�"
"NO! I�m coming with you!" Ran-ko yelled back, tears streaming down her
face. Ranma smiled weakly at her and wiped a few away with the back of his hand.
"Don�t cry, Sis, please�" he said. "�it hurts to see you like this." Ran-ko
nodded and took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. When she was
calm, Soun began to speak.
"Due to the events that has transpired here tonight�I regretfully make this
announcement�" he cleared his throat. "�Ranma�s engagement to Akane is now
officially void and Ranma, no longer being a Saotome, is hereby asked to
leave the dojo�" Soun paused, he�d been about to say �never to return� but
stopped himself. He still held hope that someday Ranma could redeem himself
and come back to marry Akane. "�Until such time that he has redeemed himself
of the shame which he has inflicted upon the Tendo and Saotome names�" After
giving his speech, Soun broke and ran into the house wailing. Ranma turned
and walked over to Nodoka and Genma.
He fell to his knees before them and spoke. "�I now depart in shame for the
disgrace I have inflicted upon you�" he said solemnly. "�If I am able to
redeem myself of this shame and disgrace, I will return, if not, then I will
never return�I bid you, a final farewell�" he said. Nodoka choked back tears
as she touched Ranma on his head.
"Ranma�Son�Please take care�No matter what happens, you will always be my
son�" she sobbed. Ranma nodded and bowed three times to her before standing.
He then walked over to Akane. 
"Akane�I�m sorry you had to see this�" he said, forcibly keeping his
emotions in check. "�Believe me when I say, I�ll be back for you one day�I
will find out what it is the old hag is pulling, she won�t get away with
this!" Akane nodded and buried her face into Kasumi�s chest, sobbing.
"Kasumi�Thank you for taking care of me while I was here�Please take care,
the family needs you�" Kasumi nodded and wiped a few tears away. 
"I will, Ranma-kun, take care now�" she said. He then turned to Nabiki.
"Ranma-kun�I never thought I�d be sad that you�d be leaving us someday but
now�I can only say, it was fun while it lasted�" she shot him her trademark
grin. He grinned back as best he could. "�Take care Ranma, life�s no fun
without you."
"Thanks Nabiki, Ill see you around�Tell the teachers at school they probably
won�t see me for a while and tell them to drop my classes ok?" 
Nabiki nodded. "It�ll cost you, you know?" she said before giggling. "�I�m
just kidding, Ranma-kun." The look on his face was priceless. He then picked
up his backpack and turned to leave. As he did so, Genma called out. "What
about me? You ingrate?!?"
Ranma turned and spoke in as calm a voice as he could muster. "Oyaji, I have
no reason to bid you farewell, in many ways I'm glad to be leaving you!"
"You ingrate! After all I�ve done for you!�Fine! Leave, you are a disgrace
to the Saotome name!" Genma yelled back. Ranma clenched his fists.
"You DARE to speak to ME of honor!?! You! Who sold me many times for food
then running away when it was time to pay!? If anything, YOU are the biggest
disgrace!!�" Ranma gulped in air before continuing his tirade. "�If you
still cannot see your faults and admit them, then you are in no position to
lecture me! Goodbye!" Ranma flashed his mother a sad smile before turning
and walking out the gate. Ran-ko broke down crying and clung onto her mother
for support.
"Ran-ko-chan �" Nodoka said after a moment. 
"Y�Yes, okaachan?"
"Go with your brother�He needs you now more than anything else�" she said.
Ran-ko nodded and quickly ran to catch up with Ranma. The gate shut slowly
behind her.

***************

To Be Continued�..

Author�s Notes: Well, after a LONG delay (gomennasai, gomennasai,
gomennasai�) Chapter 4 is finally done. Please let me know what you think
about this turn of events. Especially on how I handled the bit regarding
honor as I'm not overly familiar with how it really works. Chapter 5 is in
the works and the first draft should be done soon. Let me know if I should
bother posting drafts to the FFML or not, I usually don't as people might
not appreciate the amount of spam it generates.

Thanks�C&C greatly appreciated. ^_^



      K  u  s  a  n  a  g  i       K y o
      --|---|--    --|---|--     ----+----
       +-----+     /-, +-+-       +-----+
       |-----|      |  |-|-       |     |      
       +-----+     -|- |-|-       +-----+
      ----|----    / \ +-+-       /  J  \
 -----------------------------------------------
  "Kusanagi Flames, Yagami Tears, Orochi Blood"