"Breaking Free, parts 15-end", a Ranma 1/2 fan fiction, by KaraOhki,
June, 1998
karaohki@snet.net
Ranma 1/2 and its characters were created by Rumiko Takahashi, and are
used here with apologies toh er, and without permission.
This fiction was written for my enjoyment, and for the enjoyment of
others who love Ranma 1/2.

The rest of the tale can be found at
http://www/fortunecity.com/victorian/rothko/228


                          BREAKING FREE

                            Chapter 15

                             Changes


Ranma stopped, listening.  He was still lost.  What had happened to
Akane's voice?

"Akane?"

Akane's head jerked up.  She'd fallen asleep, leaning over onto Ranma's
bed.

"Ranma?"

Ranma didn't look as if he had moved.  Perhaps she'd dreamed that he had
whispered to her.

"Ready to listen some more, Ranma?  I'm sorry that my voice is so bad."

                              *****

"We did a lot of talking over the next few weeks, Ranma, and some of it
was arguing.  Deciding whether or not to move home after graduation was
hard, wasn't it?  But we knew that we'd have to, eventually.  One small
room was all right for the two of us, but for three?"

                              *****

"Akane?  Hey!  Are you asleep?"

Akane's eyes opened slowly.  She was in bed, with her cheek pillowed
against her textbook.  She and Ranma had been studying for finals
together.

"Sorry, Ranma.  I can't stay awake any longer.  If we're not ready for
tomorrow, we never will be."

Ranma took the book off the bed, crawled beneath the blankets, and
turned off the light.

"We're ready, Akane.  Go back to sleep."

Ranma closed his eyes, and smiled.  Since he and Akane had moved into
their own place, both their grades had improved.  Having a quiet place
to study, and being able to work together, had helped both of them.

As Ranma drifted off, he wondered why Akane was so tired.  She'd been
going to bed early for the past few days, and hadn't seemed to be
herself.

                              *****

The broth was simmering, and the vegetables were nearly done.  Akane
sliced up the tofu and added it to the soup, and then went to the
refrigerator for the miso.  Akane knew that Ranma was being diplomatic
most of the time when he praised her cooking, but she also knew that he
truly liked her miso soup.

Akane opened the container, and measured out the miso into a small bowl.
She added some soup from the pot, and stirred it to melt the paste.  A
pungent aroma rose from the bowl, and Akane backed away.  She controlled
her reaction, and cautiously sniffed the bowl.  Had the miso gone bad?

No, there was nothing wrong with the miso, but there was definitely
something wrong with her.  Akane added the miso to the soup, stirred it,
and opened the window to get some air.

Ranma emerged from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel, and shut the
window.

"Akane, whaddya have the window open for?  It's chilly in here!"

Ranma dressed quickly, and pulled the table away from the wall where
they kept it propped during the night.  Akane brought the soup to the
table, and sat down on the floor next to Ranma.

"Sorry, Ranma.  I needed some air."

"You look a little pale, Akane.  Are you ok?"

"I'm fine."

Contrary to what Akane had said, she was not fine.  After two sips of
the soup, she put it down, and pushed it away.

"Akane?  Are you sure you're ok?"

"I'm just not hungry."

                              *****

Akane forced herself to make it through her tests, and by lunchtime was
ravenous.  She and Ranma met beneath their favorite tree, and Ranma
watched, bemused, as Akane wolfed down her lunch, and began eyeing his.

"I guess you feel better, don't you?"

"Much.  Are you going to eat that rice?"

Ranma surrendered.

"Here, take it."

                              *****

After another late-night study session, Akane fell into bed.  The last
of their finals were the next day, and she wanted everything to go well.

To the contrary, the next morning was worse.  When the alarm went off,
Akane sat up, turned green, and squashed Ranma by crawling over him in
her haste to get to the bathroom.  Ranma could hear her gagging, and
opened the door to get to her side.  Afterward, he lifted her up and
placed her back in bed.

"Rest, Akane.  I'll make some tea."

Akane nodded, and lay down.  The room seemed to be moving.  Her mind
kept trying to determine why she was feeling so bad, and she suddenly
sat up, dizzy or not.  Ranma turned around from the stove and found
Akane gazing at the calendar, and counting on her fingers.

"Oh dear."

"What, Akane?"

"I think . . . I think . ."

"What?"

"Can you run down to the  store, Ranma?  There's something we need."

"What?"

"Um, a pregnancy test kit."

"WHAT!"

                              *****

Ranma had always prided himself on how fast he could run, but this time
he broke all previous records.  He found Akane nervously clutching the
blankets when he came back.

A few minutes later Akane was alternately smiling and crying, and Ranma
was holding her so tightly it was a wonder she could breathe.  Then he
let go, feeling incredibly protective.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart.  Did I hurt you?"

Akane wiped her eyes, and kissed him.

"It's okay to hug me, Ranma.  I don't think I'll break."

                              *****

Ranma held Akane's hand as they walked to school.  They were both pretty
much in a state of shock.

Ranma had fixed Akane a simple breakfast, and persuaded her to eat some
of it before they left the house.  He was deathly afraid that she'd pass
out during finals, and reveal their little secret.

                              *****

"We kept the secret well, Ranma.  No one at school suspected, although
you were getting some extra teasing about how close you were sticking to
me.  Dr. Tanaka said I was perfectly healthy, but you were so
protective."

Akane leaned over to hug Ranma, and caress his face.

"At the time I guess it annoyed me, but I think it was because I was so
sick the first few weeks.  I'm sorry I snapped at you all the time."

"By the time we graduated, though, I was feeling much better, and it was
time to move back home."

                              *****

"It seems like it was yesterday that we were carrying these things UP
the stairs!"

Dr. Tofu's good-natured laugh made Ranma smile.

"We owe you a few favors, Doc.  When Kasumi needs to move her things in,
we'll help."

Tofu walked into the wall, and giggled.  Ranma sighed.  Tofu and Kasumi
had been engaged for a week now, and Tofu was still walking on air.

                              *****

"Our last night here, Ranma.  I'm glad we had the chance to be on our
own."

Ranma pulled Akane into his arms, and settled back onto the pillows.

"We'll just have to hang onto our independence, Akane.  Kasumi will be
gone next summer, and Nabiki is away at college.  I doubt if she'll ever
live at the house again.  That leaves you, me, your father, and the
baby.  I think your father will end up depending on us, the way he
depends on Kasumi."

"Depending on us sounds better than bossing us around, Ranma."

Ranma smiled, held Akane closer, and kissed her.

"Never again, Akane.  Now stop worrying, and kiss me."





"Breaking Free, part 16", a Ranma 1/2 fan fiction, by KaraOhki, June,
1998
Ranma 1/2 and its characters were created by Rumiko Takahashi, and are
used here with apologies to her, and without permission.
This fiction was written for my enjoyment, and for the enjoyment of
others who love Ranma 1/2.


                          BREAKING FREE

                            Chapter 16

                       Fighting For Control


Ranma's doctor seemed to spend an extra long time examining him, and
Akane could see his face crease with worry.

"What's wrong, Doctor?  Please don't try to hide it from me."

The doctor sighed.  Mrs. Saotome was more perceptive than he liked.

"The truth?"

"Yes."

"Normally, people in your husband's situation wake up long before this.
If he doesn't come round soon, you may wish to consider transferring him
to a long-term care facility."

"L-long term?  What are you saying?"

"I'm afraid he may not be waking up."

                              *****

Akane was on her way to the waiting room to see her sisters when she
heard whispers behind her.

"That's the one I was telling you about.  She's been here ever since her
husband was brought in.  Poor thing won't admit that it's hopeless."

"Shh!  She'll hear you!"

Akane pretended that she hadn't heard a word, and continued walking.
She kept a neutral expression on her face until she'd closed the door of
the waiting room behind her.  Only then did she fall into her sisters'
arms, and weep.

                              *****

Akane smiled, and kissed Kasumi and Nabiki.

"Thank you.  I guess I needed a good cry."

Nabiki waited until the door had closed behind her sister before she
turned to Kasumi.

"She's needed that cry for a long time, Kasumi, not just since the
accident.  Everyone's been too hard on them."

"I know, Nabiki.  I've been listening to Akane talk to Ranma when I sit
with her.  I never really fully understood what they've been through
before."

                              *****

Akane opened her eyes, and smiled at Ranma.

"I didn't realize how much I missed this bed, Ranma."

Ranma grinned, and pulled Akane closer.

"Yeah, and I don't have to fold it up and shove it in the closet for you
to have enough room to cook breakfast!"

Ranma paused, and kissed Akane.

"Speaking of breakfast, who's going to make it?  You or Kasumi?"

"Kasumi said she would this morning, but we'll do a lot of the cooking
together."

"So you don't have to get up yet, right?"

Akane saw the look in Ranma's eyes, and grinned at him.

"Nope.  What did you have in mind?"

"What do you think?"

                              *****

Soun put down his newspaper as Kasumi put the teapot on the table.

"Where are Ranma and Akane?"

"They haven't come downstairs yet, Father.  I'm sure they'll be along
shortly."

Some time later the pair rushed downstairs, wearing their gis.  Ranma
plopped down in his place, and reached up to help Akane sit down.  Soun
noted Ranma's tender treatment of his daughter, and nodded approvingly.

"All ready to practice.  Good!  The two of you make me proud."

Ranma's mouth dropped open.  He wasn't accustomed to much praise from
his father- in-law.

"There's only one thing the two of you can do to make me completely
happy."

"What's that, Daddy?"

"Give us an heir to the school."

Ranma put his arm around his wife's shoulders, and smiled.  This was
going to be fun.

"You'll have one some time in January, Father Tendo."

Ranma wasn't very surprised to see his father-in-law begin crying, and
quickly supplied him with a box of tissues.

                              *****

Soun sat alone, finishing his tea.  Ranma and Akane had gone to the dojo
to practice, and Kasumi was in the kitchen, washing the dishes.  He
could hear her singing.  Soun sighed.  He would miss Kasumi's singing
when she left home.

A call from the hallway announced the arrival of the Saotomes, and Soun
jumped up to welcome them.

"Saotome!  Wonderful news!"

"What's that, Tendo?"

"Our children are giving us an heir to the school."

Nodoka smiled from ear to ear, and Genma started to swell with pride.

"That's wonderful!  Where are they?"

"Practicing."

"WHAT!"

The dojo door opened, and Genma entered.  Ranma and Akane did not stop
for his entrance, but continued sparring with one another.  Suddenly, he
thrust himself between them.

"Son, are you out of your mind!  Akane shouldn't be doing this!"

Genma grabbed Akane and hugged her, something he didn't do very often.
Akane blushed in embarrassment.

"Ranma should be taking better care of you than this, Akane.  You might
get hurt."

"Pop."

"Yes, Ranma?"

"We're only exercising.  Akane isn't throwing me, and I'm not throwing
her around, or hitting her.  The doctor said is was okay."

Genma frowned.

"What about your students?  Can you trust them not to hurt her?"

Ranma turned red.

"Pop!  Don't you think I know better?  Akane will lead classes, but
she's not sparring with any of our students.  I'll do that."

"Hey, wait a minute!  Don't I get to talk here?  I know better than to
endanger our baby, Father Saotome."

                              *****

After Genma had calmed down enough to accept the reasonableness of what
Ranma and Akane had told him, he joined them in their practice.  They
were toweling themselves off when Nodoka slid the door open.

"I've made some tea.  Won't you come back into the house?"

"We'll be right there."

Genma smiled at the young couple, and slapped his son on the back.

"I'm glad you moved back, Ranma.  Tendo missed the two of you."

"Do I get to stay this time, Pop?  Any farmers coming around?"

"No, no farmers."

"No fiancees?"

Genma muttered something that didn't sound particularly pleasant, and
walked back to the house.  Akane laughed, and put her arm through
Ranma's.

"You can't resist getting in those digs, can you?"

"I just don't trust him, Akane."

Ranma would have trusted his father even less if he'd seen the guilty
expression on his face.

                              *****

"Things were fine at the beginning, Ranma, but little by little as the
summer went on, we began to feel the pressure again.  We'd become used
to independence when we were on our own, and they wanted the control
back."

"Daddy wanted me to slow down, even though I was just fine and following
my doctor's instructions.  Your father was still coming around trying to
tell us how to teach.  Your mother was always bringing over food that
was �for expectant mothers', even though Kasumi and I were cooking
together."

"I think the only times we were completely at peace was when we were in
our room together, but we couldn't live our lives in our bedroom."

Akane played with Ranma's fingers, laughing softly to herself.

"I'd always taken our my frustration on you, Ranma, especially when you
didn't deserve it.  I'm so sorry for all the times I yelled at you or
hit you when you weren't at fault.  One thing I learned last summer was
that we needed each other too much to fight like that anymore."

"So I began taking out my rage on our families."

                              *****

Soun saw his daughter coming down the hallway, and ducked out the back
door.  She'd been on a rampage since early that morning, and he didn't
want to be anywhere near her.  He found Kasumi sitting outside by the
pond, and sat beside her.

"Kasumi, what is wrong with Akane?"

"Don't you know, Father?"

Soun looked totally lost.

"You're treating her like a little girl, Father.  Akane is a married
woman, and she doesn't need you to direct everything that she does.
Give her some room to breathe."

"But Kasumi, she's my youngest, my baby. . ."

Kasumi didn't like to criticize her father, so she tried to express
herself as gently as she could.

"Father, Akane is going to have a baby, but she's not a baby herself.
She and Ranma still have a lot to learn, but they won't be able to if
you keep trying to control them.  Let them make mistakes - it's good for
them."

Kasumi stood and went back into the house, leaving her father to think
about what she'd said.  He took her advice to heart for a few days, but
soon slipped back into his old ways."Breaking Free, part 17", a Ranma
1/2 fan fiction, by KaraOhki, June, 1998
karaohki@snet.net
Ranma 1/2 and its characters were created by Rumiko Takahashi, and are
used here with apologies to her, and without permission.
This fiction was written for my enjoyment, and for the enjoyment of
others who love Ranma 1/2.


                          BREAKING FREE

                            Chapter 17

                     Buildup To An Explosion

Akane was getting worried.  She was nearly to the end of her story, and
Ranma was still not awake.  Her eyes strayed from his face to the bag
Kasumi had brought with her when she'd returned to the hospital.  Akane
gently touched her lips to Ranma's, picked up the bag, and walked down
the hallway to the shower room.  As the door closed behind her, Ranma
smiled.

Akane looked in the mirror.  Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was
greasy, and she generally looked awful.

"I mustn't let Ranma see me like this when he wakes."

Fifteen minutes later, feeling refreshed, Akane returned to Ranma's
room, and discovered that her husband wasn't alone.  Seated in the chair
close to the bed was someone she hadn't seen in a long time.  To her
surprise, instead of the usual bitterness and anger, the words coming
from his mouth were encouraging.

"C'mon, Ranma.  You can't sleep like this forever!  You've got to get up
for Akane, and your child."

"Ryoga!"

Ryoga turned around, and blushed.  He'd been avoiding Akane for a long
time, and he didn't know what to say to her.

"A-a-akane.  A-are you all right?"

Ryoga jumped up, let Akane take the chair close to Ranma, and pulled
another alongside her.

"How did you find out, Ryoga?"

"I bumped into Dr. Tofu.  He gave me a ride here.  What happened?"

Akane closed her eyes for a moment.  This was the part of the story she
was about to tell Ranma.  She may as well tell it to Ryoga at the same
time.

"It really started in late autumn, Ryoga."

                              *****

Akane sat in the corner of the dojo, watching Ranma teach.  She was no
longer allowed to take part in the classes, but she attended all of
them, watching the students, and discussing their progress with Ranma
afterwards.  After the students left, Ranma walked over, and helped her
up.

"You're getting harder to pick up every day, Akane."

"Yes, I know I'm fat."

Ranma flinched.  Akane was looking down at the floor, not at him.  He
put his hand under her chin, and made her look up.

"You're not fat, Akane.  You're pregnant.  Big difference."

Ranma hugged his wife, and chuckled when he got kicked.

"Someone's getting in the way again."

"You should feel it from this side, Ranma."

                              *****

"Ranma's parents came to dinner that night, and the same old subject
came up.  I'd been biting my tongue for weeks, but this time I just
couldn't."

                              *****

"We'll bring up this boy right, Tendo, won't we?  He'll be trained in
the art from the very beginning.  Think of the training trips we'll
take!"

"Excuse me."

"Right, Saotome.  The heir to the school will be a true master."

"EXCUSE ME!!"

Everyone turned to Akane, who had struggled to her feet, and was turning
bright red.

"You two are NOT taking my child anywhere!"

Ranma jumped up, and took Akane's arm.

"We'll train our own child, Pop.  I won't have you disappearing with him
the way you did with me!"

                              *****

"That was the first big scene.  The next one started a few days later
when no one was home but me.  I suppose I should have known something
like this would happen, but it was still such a shock."

                              *****

Akane looked at the clock.  She and Ranma were due to go to their
childbirth class soon, but he hadn't returned from the store yet.  There
was a knock at the door, and Akane went to open it, assuming that Ranma
had his hands full.  Instead of Ranma, she found two people standing
there: A man in his forties, and a young girl, who was obviously his
daughter.

"May I help you?"

"Is this the residence of Ranma Saotome?"

"Yes, I'm Mrs. Saotome."

The man looked at Akane, and then at his daughter.

"Mrs. Ranma Saotome?"

"Yes."

Akane knew that something was very wrong.

"Won't you come in?"

"Papa."

The man looked at his daughter.

"Let's go home."

"No, dear.  Not until I find out what's going on."

"Please, Papa?"

"Hey, Akane, we have company?"

Ranma appeared behind the pair, his arms full of groceries.

                              *****

"Ryoga, Father Saotome had done it to us again, and he hadn't even had
the courage to tell us when Ranma had asked him.  Ranma had another
fiancee."

"Mr. Tanaka was rather upset at first when he discovered that Ranma knew
nothing about the engagement, but he was reasonable enough not to blame
Ranma.  He was going to find Father Saotome and take out his anger on
him, but his daughter stopped him."

                              *****

"Where does your father live, Saotome?  I'm going to take this up with
him.  You and your wife aren't responsible for the situation."

"Papa."

"Yes, dear?"

"Please take me home.  I came because you made a promise, but we don't
have to keep it now.  I can marry Masako now, can't I?  Please, Papa?"

Ranma and Akane watched Mr. Tanaka melt under his daughter's gaze.

                              *****

"We got out of that mess easily enough, but Ranma couldn't forgive his
father.  He didn't speak to him for a long time.  I hated to see him so
upset, and I couldn't blame him for being that way, but I didn't know
what to do to make it better."

"When Ranma's parents would visit Ranma was always glad to see his
mother, but he acted as if his father was invisible.  I would talk to
him a little bit, but I was afraid to look as if I was taking sides with
him instead of with Ranma, so I tried not to be too friendly."

"Then the doctor sent me for another ultrasound, to try to pin down when
I was due..."

                              *****

It was cold and windy as Ranma helped Akane into the cab.

"We could have walked, Ranma.  It's not that far."

"It's too cold, Akane."

Akane snuggled close to Ranma, and smiled up at him.

"Are you upset that the technician told us the baby's sex?  I know we
wanted to be surprised."

"No, it's okay.  I hope she's as beautiful as you are."

Akane blushed.

"We were down to two names for a girl, weren't we?  Which one should we
pick?"

Ranma smiled, and chose one.  Akane agreed completely.

The couple found the Saotomes visiting when they arrived at home.  Ranma
made an effort to be friendly to his father, and Genma took that as
complete forgiveness and began making speeches again.

"We'll have wonderful times with the boy, won't we, Ranma?"

"That's not possible, Pop.  It's a girl."

Genma's face fell.  It was evident that he was terribly disappointed.

"Well, maybe the next one will be a boy."

Akane sat there in shock for a second, and then lost her temper.

"Are you implying that my daughter is worth less because of her sex?
Are you going to brush your grandchild away just like that?  How DARE
you!"

Genma backed off, stuttering, and Akane rose to her feet.  Nodoka jumped
up, and grabbed her daughter-in-law's arm.

"No, Akane!  You'll make yourself sick!"

"Akane, I was just saying that we need a boy to carry on the school, to
carry on the line.  That's all, really."

Ranma had been doing a slow burn all the while, and began stalking
toward his father.  To his surprise, his mother got there
first."Breaking Free, part 18", a Ranma 1/2 fan fiction, by KaraOhki,
June, 1998
karaohki@snet.net
Ranma 1/2 and its characters were created by Rumiko Takahashi, and are
used here with apologies to her, and without permission.
This fiction was written for my enjoyment, and for the enjoyment of
others who love Ranma 1/2.


                          BREAKING FREE

                            Chapter 18

                         Come Back To Me


Ryoga watched as Akane caught her breath.  Her voice was down to almost
a whisper, which didn't surprise him.  The nurses had told him that
she'd been talking to her husband nonstop since his arrival at the
hospital.

"What happened next, Akane?"

"I didn't know Mother Saotome was so strong, Ryoga.  She picked her
husband up, and threw him.  Father Saotome went right through the shoji
doors, and into the pond."

                              *****

Everyone watched in shock as Genma flew through the air and into the
pond.  Or rather, onto it.  There was a thin skin of ice on the pond,
and he landed hard and cracked it.  Soon a soaked panda was struggling,
trying to free himself from the ice.

After a few moments it was evident that Genma had panicked, and was
unable to free himself.  Ranma made a sound somewhere between a laugh
and a snort of exasperation, and ran outside to help his father.

"Calm down, Pop!  Let me help you!"

Genma either couldn't or wouldn't hear his son, and continued to flail
about wildly.  Ranma attempted to duck under his father's arms, slipped
on the ice, and was swept completely off his feet by his father's arms.

Akane watched in horror as Ranma flew forward, hit his head on the ice,
and sank.

                              *****

When they'd pulled Ranma from the pond, he wasn't breathing.  A huge
lump was forming on his head, and it was evident that he'd taken in a
lot of water.  Akane immediately began to work on her husband, breathing
a prayer of thanks that she'd taken a first aid course.  Genma sat
there, shivering, and Nodoka poured hot water on him and her son to
change them back.

Akane was too busy trying to revive Ranma to express her annoyance to
her mother-in- law.  What did it matter what sex Ranma was right now?

"Akane, stop.  Let me take over for a minute."

Akane felt Kasumi pulling her off her husband, and resisted for a
second, but she knew she was too tired to continue breathing for him.
Where was that ambulance?

                              *****

Akane sniffled, and looked about for a tissue.  Ryoga handed her the
box, and watched her wipe her eyes, and blow her nose.

"I couldn't understand how a fall in the pond could do this to Ranma,
but the doctors said that it was the temperature of the water.  He'd
taken so much cold water into his lungs that it was a complete shock to
his system, and the blow to the head wasn't helping."

"Daddy takes good care of the pond, but pond water isn't the best thing
to breathe in, and the doctors were afraid Ranma would get an infection.
So far, it doesn't look like it, but they're so worried because he won't
wake up."

"Ryoga, Ranma's never let anything defeat him!  He's fought you, Kuno,
Herb, Saffron.  He's been in the biggest battles.  A little koi pond
can't kill him - it can't!"

Akane continued to sniffle, and Ryoga just looked at her.  At first,
couldn't think of a thing to say.  Finally he stood up, and patted her
head.  It didn't seem to be enough, and after a bit of hesitation, Ryoga
bent over and kissed Akane's cheek.  She jumped in surprise, putting a
hand to her cheek.

"I don't know if this makes sense to you, Akane, but listen to me.
Don't give up.  Ranma has always won his fights because he was always
fighting for you.  He's fighting for you now.  Tell him to win."

Before Akane could respond, Ryoga squeezed Ranma's arm, and left.

                              *****

Akane was alone with Ranma again.  Ryoga had gone home with her sisters,
her father, and Ranma's parents.  To her, it seemed as if her family had
given up.   Tofu had visited again, but he had patients who needed him.

Akane was tired, and frightened.  Ranma had moved his hands a little
bit, and then seemed to sink deeper into sleep.  Her voice was down to a
whisper, and she only spoke to plead with him to wake.  She put her face
down onto the mattress, and whispered another prayer.

                              *****

Akane put on a thick sweater, wrapped her daughter in another blanket,
and headed downstairs.  She was reaching for her coat when Kasumi found
her.

"Where are you going, Akane?"

"To see Ranma."

"It's too cold for you to take the baby."

Akane wanted to argue with her sister, but felt too weak to make the
effort.  She handed the baby to her, and put on her coat.

"All right.  I'll see you later."

                              *****

Akane spread a blanket on the ground, and sat close to Ranma's
tombstone.

"I'm back, love."

"Kasumi wouldn't let me bring the baby.  I'm sorry.  Maybe when it's a
little warmer."

"I would have come sooner, Ranma, but I was so sick after she was born.
Kasumi has been doing all the work, taking care of her.  If I wasn't
nursing her, I doubt if I'd get a chance to hold her at all."

"Ranma, I'm weak without you.  I didn't realize it.  I was so weak and
cowardly I didn't even fight them when they chose a different name for
the baby.  You and I chose such a lovely name, and she doesn't have it."

"Everyone keeps telling me how much she looks like Mom.  Are they all
blind, Ranma?  Don't they see who she looks like?  Love, all she needs
is a red pigtail, but I think her hair will be as black as yours."

Akane moved closer to the stone, and leaned against it, resting her
cheek on the cold marble.

"It should have been different for us, Ranma.  It could have been.  I
wish I knew what we did wrong.  If I only had a chance to try again."

Akane began to cry, and she let the tears flow, not bothering to wipe
them away.

"Ranma, I'd better go home.  I'm getting too cold.  I promise to come
back soon."

Akane started to lift her head, and found that her tears had frozen her
cheek to Ranma's tombstone.  She tried to pull away, and winced in pain.
Then she stopped struggling.

"Ranma, my legs are asleep, and my feet are frozen.   I can't get up,
and I don't care.  I may as well stay with you forever."

For a second, Akane hesitated. What about her daughter?  Almost as if
Ranma had asked her the question, she answered it.

"Our daughter deserves better than a mother who's only half-alive.
Kasumi will take good care of her.  Let me stay with you."

Akane closed her eyes, and allowed the cold to take her.

                              *****

"Akane?"

"Akane?"

Akane felt a gentle pulling on her shoulder, and resisted.  She only
wanted to be left alone.  Then she heard the hoarse whisper, and
recognized the voice.  Akane opened her eyes to see a beloved pair of
blue eyes looking back at her.  She opened her mouth, and whispered to
him.

"Ran-ma?  You're alive?"

Ranma smiled weakly, and whispered back to her.

"I think so.  You can't talk, either?"

"I lost my voice because I've been talking to you for three days."

Ranma's eyes opened wide.

"Three days?  It's been that long?  I heard you, you know.  I followed
the sound of your voice until I found my way back."

Akane burst into tears, and wrapped her arms around her husband.  He
stroked her hair, and let her cry.

"It's all right, Akane.  It's all right."

When Ranma's doctor came in to check on him, he nearly collapsed in
shock when he discovered Akane sound asleep in the bed, and Ranma
sitting in the chair, holding her hand.

"Saotome?  You're awake?"

"Shh, keep it down.  Akane needs her rest."






                                 EPILOGUE


"You're almost there, Akane, come on!"

"I'm so tired, Ranma."

Ranma took a cool cloth and wiped the sweat from his wife's face.

"I know, sweetheart, but you're strong.  You can do this."

The midwife looked up at Ranma, and gestured to him.

"I can see the head, Mr. Saotome.  You'd better come over now if you're
going to be the one to catch this baby."

Ranma gently pried Akane's fingers from his, and moved around to the
other end of the bed.

"She's right, Akane, I can see . ."

Ranma was interrupted as another contraction took Akane and she pushed
with it.

                              *****

Akane fell back, exhausted.  She heard a soft cough, and then a loud
cry.

"It's a boy, Akane!"

"A boy?"

Ranma looked from the screaming child in his arms to his wife's smile.

"Yes, love.  A boy this time, and you get to name him."

Akane looked into her husband's eyes.  Only one name would do.

"His name is Ranma."

                              *****

Akane sat in bed, holding her son.  She couldn't stop looking at him--he
was so perfect.  There was a soft knock on the door, and she looked up.

"Ready for some company, Akane?"

Ranma pushed the door open and walked in, a daughter in each arm.  Five
year old Noriko jumped down, and ran to her mother.

"Oh Mama, he's so little!  Can I hold him?"

Noriko got into the bed, and Akane carefully put Ranma into his sister's
arms.  She was a little awkward at first, but was soon sitting with a
huge smile on her face.

Ranma put three year old Mayuki down on the other side of Akane, and
grinned as she cuddled up to her mother, and cautiously patted her
stomach.

"No baby, Mama?"

"No, honey.  The baby is there, see?"

At that point Ranma woke.  Mayuki watched as his face turned red, and he
began to cry.

"Too noisy, Mama."

Akane giggled.

"Babies are like that."

                              *****

Two months later....

Ranma looked around downstairs for Akane.  Not finding her, he ran
upstairs and found her in their bedroom, nursing little Ranma.

Ranma sat on the bed, watching.  The rocking chair creaked softly as
Akane nursed the baby.  Once he'd fallen asleep, Ranma took him from
Akane while she buttoned her blouse, and brought him to his room.  Ranma
gently placed his son in his crib, covered him, and returned to Akane.
Taking her hands, he pulled her to her feet, and kissed her.

Moments later, Akane looked down to find her blouse unbuttoned again.
She smiled, and let Ranma remove it.

"Where are the girls?"

"Downstairs with your father.  They're �practicing' with him."

Akane smiled, and moved closer into Ranma's embrace.

"That will keep them busy."

Seconds later, they heard a soft voice on the other side of the door.

"Papa?"

Ranma sighed, and heard a similar one from Akane.  When you had
children, time alone was precious.  He mouthed "later", let go of Akane,
and retrieved her blouse.

"What it is, Noriko?"

"A big box came, and I carried it up all by myself.  But I can't open
the door."

Ranma opened the door, and saw his daughter valiantly struggling with a
box much too big for her to carry.  She had his looks, and her mother's
personality - determined.  Ranma took the box, and put it on the bed.

"Thank you, Noriko.  Now go back down.  You're supposed to be helping
Grandpa watch Mayuki, remember?"

"Yes, Papa."

Ranma pulled a letter off the box, and opened it.

"Akane, it's from Ryoga."

"Ryoga?  We haven't seen him in months.  Where is he?"

Ranma looked at the box again.

"China, evidently."

Akane settled into the rocking chair, and watched Ranma  read the leter.
When tears began to flow down her husband's cheeks she left the rocking
chair, and sat down next to him.

"Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, Akane.  Everything is right - read the letter.  I'll - I'll be
downstairs."

Ranma picked up the box and left the bedroom, leaving Akane staring at
the letter.

  "Dear Ranma,

  I'm sorry I wasn't there for the birth of your child, but I got lost
again.   I hope it was a boy this time.

  I found myself in China a few months ago, and was trying to find my
way home, when I wandered into a village.  Someone grabbed me from
behind, and hugged me, and when I turned around I was stunned to see
Shampoo.  She took me to her home and introduced me to her husband and
children, and asked about everyone back in Nerima.  I filled her in the
best I could, and was surprised to see that she was not only interested
in how you were but glad that you were happy.

  Of course, I asked about the springs, and Shampoo said that the guide
had been
  working on a plan to restore them, without success.  He had approached
the
  government to ask them to grant funds for this purpose.  Ranma, he
told them
  that the springs were a "national treasure" that should not be lost
forever.  They
  didn't listen.

  I didn't want to leave China without speaking to him, so Shampoo's
husband
  walked me there the next day.

  The guide seemed glad to see me, and pulled out a lot of papers and
plans and
  tried to explain them to me.  His Japanese isn't very good, and my
Chinese worse,
  but I began to understand.  Once the flooding ended, the springs had
dried up
  again, and he wanted to restore the source so they would fill.
Unfortunately, he
  couldn't afford to hire help and was trying to do all the work
himself.  At the rate
  it was going, it would take forever.

  That was when I remembered what Cologne had said.  The technique she
had
  taught me was for mining.  Perhaps it was destined that it should be
used for
  something good.

  I volunteered to help, and began right away.  For the past few months
we've been
  digging, and breaking rock, and working very hard.  Then, just a week
ago, I hit
  the source - from a different point - and felt the earth shake.  We
lay there,
  holding the ground, and thinking that we would be swallowed up.  After
the
  longest seconds of my life it stopped, and we pulled ourselves to our
feet and ran
  back to Jusenkyo.

  The ground was trembling, just a little, and at first nothing more was
happening.
  Then we heard a rushing sound, and the dry hole I was standing next to
began to
  fill.

  We ran from spring to spring, watching the water come back, laughing
and
  hugging each other.  Plum came out of the house with the signs she'd
spent
  so long painting, and put them up next to every spring, so that what
they were
  would no longer by a mystery.  When she came to the Spring of Drowned
Man
  she looked at me, and simply pointed.  I didn't need a second
invitation.

  Ranma, I never told you, but I broke up with Akari because I found out
that she
  loved me as a pig more than as a man.  I could not live with that.

  Plum has grown a great deal since you saw her last.  She is no longer
a little girl,
  but a young woman.  Although my job here is complete, I think I will
stay.

  That's why I'm mailing you the water, rather than bringing it in
person.  I've
  also sent it to your father.

  Shampoo has returned here, and cured herself.  I've never seen her
happier.

  Perhaps some day I will visit, with Plum.  Until then, be happy.

  Ryoga"

                              *****

Akane put the letter down, wiped her eyes, and went looking for Ranma.
She was halfway down the stairs when she heard him shouting her name.

"It worked, Akane!  It worked!"

Akane heard Ranma's voice through the bathroom door as she ran towards
it.

Ranma stood beneath the cold shower, teeth chattering.  It was a cold as
it could get, and he was still male.  He turned off the shower, stepped
into the tub, and immersed himself in the hot water.  It was going to
take a few minutes to get the cold out of his bones.

The bathroom door opened, and Ranma went back in time.  To him, it was
the first day he'd met Akane, because she was standing in the doorway
wearing nothing, and holding a towel in front of herself.

Then he was back in the present, because instead of backing out of the
room and running away, Akane dropped the towel, and joined him in the
tub.



End


_____

 A note from the author.

If you've read all the way through, I thank you.

This story came into my head in skeleton form, and it took many months
to make it whole.

It always seemed to me that the Tendo and Saotome families were more of
an obstacle to Ranma and Akane's happiness than a help.  I wondered how
far that interference could go, if permitted to, and thus this story
came about.

Comments are always welcome. - email me: karaohki@snet.net

Heartfelt thanks to my pre-readers - Thomas, Jessica and Jason

check out my page for the beginning of the story
http://www.fortunecity.com/victorian/rothko/228