*Ranma 1/2 is copyrighted to Rumiko Takahashi and
other big companies whose names I don't know. Please
don't sue, it wouldn't be worth your effort.*
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
-

Hello all.

Here's my first posted story...thanks for looking at
it!!! :-) I appologize if there are any horrible
formatting errors--I'm still getting the hang of the
FFML requirements...

C&C are welcomed, but not expected. Please don't send
me flames, seeing that I will read them once and then
send them to the internet void using my trusty delete
key. If you hate my writing that much, tell me in a
constructive way so that I can improve upon it. :-)

Japanese words that I've used in this story, through
Part 3:

* baka - idiot
* che - similar to "Shit!!!"
* hentai - pervert
* iinazuke - finance(e)
* kami - gods, spirits
* kawaii - pretty, cute
* kawaiikunee - opposite of "kawaii"
* Mouko Takabisha - I'm not sure what its literal
translation is, but it is an energy blast
* Naniichuan - Spring of drowned man
* Nyanniichuan - Spring of drowned (young?) girl
* Neko-ken - Cat-fist (a martial arts attack)
* onna - woman
* otoko  - man
* seppuku - ritual suicide
* shimatta - similar to "Damn it!!!"
* yamata no orochi - many-headed dragon
(definitions were found at or based upon ones from:
http://linear.mv.com/cgi-bin/j-e/nocolor/dict.html?SASE=/cgi-bin/j-e/dict
,or from boxes of Ranma videos :-)

"<x>" indicates a character's thoughts
"_x_" indicates a stressed word, as if in italics
"{x}" indicates a song
"*x*" indicates an action

This story can also be found at:
http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Harbor/7921/Anime/

_______________________________________________________
"The Things We Do�" 
Part 1- "Actions and Vows"
___________________________

"For the last time, this ain�t food, it�s TOXIC
WASTE!!!"

"How would YOU know what western food�s like, anyway?
And besides, YOU didn�t spend ALL day making�"

Akane�s voice trailed off, and she looked at the
"food" that she�d made. It was supposed to have been
an American "Breakfast-at-Dinner": pancakes, eggs,
toast, sausage, blueberry muffins, and fresh squeezed
orange juice for dinner. If it were anyone else�s
cooking (especially Kasumi�s), that huge amount of
food wouldn�t have been nearly enough to feed Ranma
and his 
father, let alone the _rest_ of the family, too. But
since Akane had cooked, everyone just sat there
wishing the stuff that was placed before them would
disappear to anywhere but their own stomachs. The
pancakes were little black discs, as Akane had had a
hard time even flipping them because the batter was so
heavy. <That could be why they burnt,> she mused
thoughtfully. The eggs looked more like soup, for they
moved on the plate slowly with the breeze from the
open kitchen window. <Maybe I didn�t cook them long
enough.> The toast was as burnt as the pancakes, and
the sausage� let�s not even go there. <How was I
supposed to keep everything perfect when I was cooking
so much at once,> she thought defensively. The
"blueberry" muffins were tinted red, with little
raisins in them. <Well, there were no blueberries, and
I wanted to dress them up with a little color.> Even
her _orange juice_ was flawed. It looked normal, but 
when she�d tasted it in the kitchen, she�d winced.
<The oranges I bought must not have been ripe enough.>
Regardless, Akane said loudly, "But you STILL don't
know that it's wrong Ranma. Eat UP!!!!!" She began to
glow a bright blue. "ARE YOU GOING TO EAT IT OR
NOT?!?!?!?" 

Ranma backed away from the glowing figure cautiously,
looked her straight in the eye, and said 
quietly. "I don't have to know what it is to know it's
toxic." 

Akane glowed brighter as she thought about this
quickly. She couldn't just mallet or kick him out of
the house, because then he'd get away with not eating
her meal. So what on earth could she do?!?!?!

Ranma spoke up, eager for revenge on all the times
when he'd had to shove her slop down his throat, stuff
only a pig would eat. In a resigned voice he said,
"You're right Akane. I DON'T know what this stuff's
supposed to be like, so I'll challenge you. Whatever
you can eat without feeling sick after five minutes�"
He sighed dramatically as he finished, "I'll eat too."
Genma pulled his son aside. "Now Ranma m�boy," he
spoke rapidly, "I know in the past you and Akane have
had your differences, but there�s no reason to try and
_kill_ her!!! Take back your challenge!! NOW!!!"

*SPLASH!!!!*
 
"I _heard_ that!!!" A very angry Akane glared at the
dripping redheaded girl and large panda that stood
where two men, <Ha, _that�s_ using the term loosely>
Akane thought hotly, were a few seconds before.

Ranma-onna spoke up in a taunting voice as she began
to dry herself off, "So Akane, are ya gonna do the
impossible and survive your cooking? Hmm?" 

"All right you hentai, if that�s what it takes to make
you eat this!!!" Akane looked nervously at her food,
and thought, <It can�t be _that_ bad!> She took her
western fork and knife and decided to try a pancake.
Or at least she tried to, but the pancake she chose
was so burnt that she couldn�t get the knife through
it. Akane gritted her teeth, and after a few minutes
of trying hard, she finally gave up on it. After going
through all of the pancakes, and _still_ not finding 
one that was edible, Ranma-onna began to laugh at her.
<Shut up!>, she mentally warned her. She put her nose
in the air and tried to chew a piece of toast, but it
clanked against her teeth as if it were made out of
metal. Ranma-onna laughed even harder, and she felt
her anger starting to build. She�d already tried the
orange juice and found it to be less than
satisfactory, so she tried to scoop up some eggs. It
didn�t work because they weren�t solid enough, and
Ranma-onna was clutching her side as if in pain from
all of the laughing she was doing. Akane glared at her
and scowled some more. "Would you shut up already,"
she yelled at her iinazuke. She ignored the muffins,
and decided to try the sausage links. Akane speared
one with her fork, and bit it. Everyone was silent 
as she chewed thoughtfully, and swallowed. She then
finished off the rest of her sausage link, and gave a
triumphant smile. "You�ve got to eat my sausage now,
Ranma," she said smugly. 

"Not so fast," Ranma-onna replied. "You�ve still got
to last for five minutes before it 
counts." 

They waited, Akane looking at the clock every few
seconds. When there was a minute left, Akane said,
"Face it Ranma, you�re going to have to ea�" She
stopped suddenly as she felt a sickening feeling in
her stomach. She tried to hold it in for the half
minute that was left, but she couldn�t. She ran past
her family, up the stairs, and into the bathroom.
Everyone in the dining room heard Akane throw up, and
saw her stagger down to them. "Oh my! What was the
matter, Akane?" Kasumi said, concerned.

"I didn�t cook it long enough," she replied meekly.
The sausage had been raw inside, and had upset her
stomach. 

Ranma-onna started to laugh so hard that she was
rolling on the floor. She said in a sing-song voice,
"Haa haa, ha haa ha, I don�t have to eat that crap!" 

Akane couldn�t believe her ears. <I�m feeling sick,
and all that jerk can do is _laugh_ at me?!?!?! I�ll
teach _him_ a lesson!!!> 

"RANMA NO BAKA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" 

As Akane wound up to kick Ranma-onna into the Earth�s
lower atmosphere, the large panda handed his
"daughter" a first aid kit. "Thanks, Pop," she said
sarcastically as she put it into her subspace pocket.
"A lot of good this�ll do meeeeeeeeeee�" Ranma-onna
was up in the air and out of the house, leaving yet
another hole to be fixed in the house�s ceiling.

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

After all of Akane�s "meal" had been trashed everyone
went out for dinner except for Ranma-onna, who hadn�t
returned yet from her ride on Tendou Airlines, and
Akane, who had said her stomach was too queasy to eat
anything. As Akane washed the dishes that she�d
dirtied, her thoughts wandered yet again to her
engagement to Ranma. <How would I ever survive a 
marriage to that baka?!?!> she thought angrily. <He�d
be insulting me all the time, and when he wasn�t, he�d
be trying to do something perverted with� no� _to_ me!
There is no way I�m going to spend the rest of my life
living with his abuse!!! Oooh, our fathers!!!!> As
quickly as her anger built, it diminished. <Ah, who am
I kidding?> she thought sadly. <I tasted that� that
_stuff_ I made, and I know _I_ wouldn�t have eaten it
if I was Ranma> She though about her plan, and how
she�d blown it. <I thought making something that
Kasumi had never made before would keep Ranma from
comparing my cooking to hers. Shimatta!!! I should�ve
known I�d do something to mess it up!!! Kasumi would
be able to make even a _western_ meal to perfection!>
She choked down a cry that threatened to surface from
her mouth. <How will I ever be a good wife if Ranma
can�t even trust me to cook a nice, normal meal for my
family?!?! I�d probably poison our kids�like I�d
_want_ kids with that baka!!!> she added hastily.
Noticing that the dishes were rinsed, she placed them
on a rack to dry. All except for one: Kasumi�s knife.
It was part of a special, personal set of knives that
belonged to Kasumi, and it had been an honor when her
sister had given her permission to use one of them.
<Not that I could live up to it> she thought sadly.
<It must be specially dried and put back in its wooden
holder with the other knives.> As she dried it with a
cloth, she noticed how shiny its blade was as the
silver caught the light, causing it to glow. The light
was almost intoxicating, and Akane had a sudden urge
to coat the blade with something to cover up the
shine. Her feelings were hurt and her pride had
suffered because of her failure, so she was not in the
mood for light. Suddenly, Akane realized what she was
thinking about, and jumped. "Could I really do that?"
<It will end the pain> a voice said in her mind.
"What?" she said, surprised at the voice. <Yesss, 
Akane> the voice replied, <make the pain go away> She
smiled faintly to herself and without thinking,
sprinted to the front door, slipped on her shoes, and
ran out into the night.

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

Ranma-onna walked in the house, dripping wet again
because of the swimming pool she�d landed in. <I
_guess_ that was lucky>, she thought with a sigh. <At
least I didn�t wake up the owners.> She slipped off
her flat shoes too quickly for her to notice that
Akane�s were not there. She walked to the kitchen,
feeling uneasy for some reason. As she entered it, her
ears finally alerted her to what was wrong: the house
was completely silent, except for the humming of the
refrigerator. No radios, no TV, no martial arts
cries�nothing. There was a note on the table from
Kasumi. 


"Ranma, 
We went out to eat after you were kicked away. We will
be back soon.
Kasumi

Oh, and Ranma? If you see Akane, do apologize to her."


"Me?!" She thought as she began to heat up some water
in the kitchen. "Why do _I_ hafta apologize??? I�m not
the kawaiikunee tomboy who nearly poisoned us all!!!" 
When the kettle whistled, she put some hot water in a
thermos before pouring some on herself to change. "Who
_knows_ where I�ll be booted when the tomboy sees me.
With my lousy luck, there�s no way I�d get hot water
there�_again_." He added the thermos to his subspace 
pocket, and looked at the note again. Something about
it had bothered him. He thought for a moment, and
realized what it was. "It sounds like Akane stayed
home, but it�s so quiet." He went up to her room to
see if she was there, <I can�t believe I�m actually
_looking_ for that tomboy! Do I have a death wish or
what?> and then checked the bath. When he didn�t find
her, he shrugged, and went to look in the backyard.
When she wasn�t there either, he checked the dojo 
and, finding it empty, Ranma returned to the kitchen.
He vaguely noticed that the dishes were done. <At
least she de-toxidized them after she used them.>
Something caught his eye: one of Kasumi�s knives was
missing from its holder. <Now, where did it go? Oh
well, I�d better tell Kasumi when she gets back.> He
looked around the kitchen again and thought about what
would happen to him if the rest of the family came
home and Akane was still gone. "Shimatta, I�d better 
go find her before Tendou and Pop get home and blame
it on me. Besides, if I don�t do it, who knows what
kind of trouble she�ll get herself into?" He turned on
the faucet and splashed himself with cold water
because he was faster in his female form. Ranma-onna
ran out the front door and jumped on the roof. As she
leapt from roof to roof, she muttered about how Akane
was always running off, leaving Ranma to find the
kawaiikunee tomboy. But as much as she hated to admit
it to anyone, even to herself, she was really worried
about her iinazuke. She had good reason to be.

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

Akane sat on a sandy incline by a brook, and looked at
the knife in her lap. The full moon�s light reflected
off the blade, giving it the same glowing quality as
in the kitchen. She shuddered as the cool breeze
touched her skin; she�d forgotten to grab a coat as
she�d fled her house. But the numbness that was
beginning to envelop her inside was much colder. Akane
kept thinking back to the dinner, and what a disaster
it was. <Ranma is right, I�d _never_ be a good wife.
I�m just not good at that kind of stuff. It�s just his
bad luck that he got stuck with me instead of Kasumi.
Now _she�ll_ be a _perfect_ wife when she marries.>
She though of Dr. Tofu, and of how much he loved her
sister. <I wish _I_ had someone who loved me as much
as he loves Kasumi! Here _I�m_ stuck with that baka
hentai Ranma, and all _he_ can do is _insult_ me! Even
when I try _so hard_ to cook for him!> She�d never
consciously admit it to herself, but getting Ranma�s
approval just once would have meant everything to her.
Deep inside of her mind there was a list of the most
special wishes that she wanted fulfilled, and only one
would bring Akane more joy if it were granted: for her
to see her mother again.

Akane shook her head clear of these thoughts, and
focused on the knife in front of her. She remembered
where her mind had wandered earlier in the kitchen,
and grew tired. She thought about the trials in her
life: her mother�s death, and the struggle it was to
survive it, and her iinazuke, and all of the problems
that came with him. <The engagement�the curse�Shampoo,
Ukyou, Kodachi, Kunou�all of our fighting and
insults�.> Akane sighed, and thought that her life
would _always_ be this crazy if Ranma was in it. <Ever
since he arrived, there�s been one thing after
another! Why can�t it stop!!> Standing up with the
knife in her hand, she looked up at the stars and
yelled to their nonexistent ears. "Please!!!", her
voice cried with desperation as the tears ran down her
cheeks. "I just want some peace!!! I can�t do this 
anymore!!!!! MAKE IT STOP!!!!!!" Sobbing, she
collapsed onto the sand. <I just want the insanity to
stop!> she thought wearily as she cried. <Who
cares�it�s too hard�> With that, she took the knife
and cut two horizontal lines across her wrists. She
winced at the pain the cuts made, but quickly got used
to it as her blood ran steadily down into the brook
and washed away in the slowly moving water.

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

Ranma-onna looked down at the ground below her as she
ran across roofs, trying to find Akane. <Akane no
baka�>, she thought. <Why�d she have to run away
anyway?!> She flew over a gap between two houses, and
glanced to her right as she landed. She could just
barely make out a shape by the sandy bank there. She
stopped to look closer, and noticed that it wasn�t
moving. She listened, and couldn�t hear anythi�<Wait,
there�s something very quiet�crying?> She jumped down
from the roof and ran to the brook. When she was close
enough to recognize the person she stopped,
hesitating. "Akane," she whispered to herself. Akane
was sitting with her back to Ranma-onna, with her
hands clutching the sand to keep her from moving down
the sharply angled bank. Something caught Ranma-onna�s
eyes: two tiny rivers that flowed from Akane�s
hands�rivers of dark fluid that stained the sandy
banks en route to the water...rivers of blood�Akane�s
blood. "Oh, kami�!!!", she exclaimed as she sprinted
to the other girl. She pulled the thermos out of her
subspace pocket and changed back to her guy-form, in
case she had to fight with Akane. As Ranma ran down to
Akane, she turned around in surprise. For a moment she
was angry he�d interrupted her, and wiped her tears
away. Then she just didn�t care, faced forward, and
let her tears flow freely again.

Ranma stood at her left when he reached her, noticed
Kasumi�s knife, which was lying down by the water, and
did the worst possible thing that he could have done:
he insulted her. "You baka, kawaiikunee tomboy!!! WHAT
THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU�RE DOING!!!!!!" She didn�t
answer, only hung her head and closed her eyes to shut
him out. He didn�t know it, but even though he�d
called her an uncute tomboy a thousand times, this
moment of unthinking would do more damage to his
iinazuke than all of the others combined. 

Ranma _had_ been trying to get her angry with him so
that she�d retain some sense of normalcy (namely
flattening him with her mallet and/or punting him into
the sky or the water), but when _that_ brilliant plan
failed, he started to panic. Those blood stains on the
sand were getting pretty wide. <Che!!!!! How much
blood has she lost?!?!>, he thought angrily. He
couldn�t even make a good guess because he didn�t have
a clue about how much blood had washed away in the
brook. Suddenly, he remembered the first aid kit his
father had thrust at him before he was sent flying
earlier that evening. He quickly retrieved it from his
subspace pocket and opened it. There wasn�t much, but
he knew he had to do something. Frantically, he
wrapped Akane�s left wrist with gauze and tape, and he
held her right hand when he finished binding her 
other wrist. She was too tired to resist his efforts.
Having completed that, Ranma sat down beside Akane and
took the time to study her face. It was very pale,
<Nothing like how green it was when she came
downstairs earlier> and her expression was neutral.
<She looks�peaceful>, he thought, surprised. The only
thing that would betray her sadness was her eyes, and
she kept them closed so he couldn�t see the sorrow
that saturated every cell in her body. He spoke softly
to her, "Akane?" Nothing. He tried again, more
forcefully, "Akane, look at me!" She opened her eyes
then, and her hellish depression crashed into him with
a force far more powerful than Ryouga�s Shishi
Hokoudan could ever hope to have. He almost fainted.
Her eyes destroyed every mask, every wall, everything
he�d ever used to protect himself from emotional pain
with one look. He couldn�t speak, only stare at the
brown centers, clouded with a lifetime�s worth of
sorrows and frustrations. 

She spoke to him in a dreamy, far away voice, "Ranma,"
she said breathlessly as her demeanor changed, "I see
my mother! She�s standing right there by the water,
and she�s�waving at me!" Joy filled Akane, and she
squealed in delight. "She�s come for me at last! I
knew she�d come back! I _knew_ it!!! I�m going
home!!!!" All traces of sadness were gone from the
young girl, but Ranma was not comforted. He was even
more worried now because Akane was seeing things. <Her
mother isn�t there by the brook! She�s dead!!!> he
thought, panic taking over his senses. He felt her
forehead and expected a fever, but she was icy cold.
Her hands were stretched out as if to hug someone, but
only the hand that Ranma wasn�t holding could be 
extended. Looking at the outstretched hand with fear,
he noticed for the first time that Akane�s blood had
soaked through the gauze, and was dripping onto the
sand again. <Che!!!>, he swore frantically. <My
bandages didn�t stop it!!!>. She collapsed backwards.
Ranma quickly shifted his position in order to catch
her, and he cried out her name as she lost
consciousness. He realized with a sick feeling in his
stomach that maybe Akane wasn�t wrong after all.
<Maybe�the soul of her mother is here to help her to�>
He froze, and then checked for a pulse. "No�" he 
whispered when he felt it slow down with every beat.

Tha-thump, tha-thump�tha-thump�tha�thump� �tha� � � �
�

<�Nothing�> Tears forming in his eyes as he looked
down at her lifeless face. "No, No, NO, NO,
NO!!!!!!!!! SHIMATTA AKANE!!!!!!!!!!! DON'T YOU DARE
LEAVE ME!!!!!!!!!!!" Anger filled him, and he cried
out as every inch of his heart began to break into 
tiny morsels. The realization of just how badly Akane
was hurt, emotionally as well as physically, finally
reached him. When he spoke, his voice wavered. It was
filled with regret, and something else, too. Something
that he�d never admitted was there. Something that
would have shocked Akane had she been able to hear
him. Something that sounded exactly like love.

"Please Akane!", he pleaded softly, choking out the
words through ragged breathing. The saltwater that had
pooled up in his eyes finally cascaded down his cheeks
and fell onto her face, doing nothing to revive her.
"Please� please don�t go�I never knew what you
meant...s-stay�I c-can�t lose you�not w-when I l-l-l�"
He never finished his sentence. Before Ranma could say

what had been in his heart since a kawaii girl had
offered him her friendship, Tendou Akane joined her
mother at last, and died. She fled a crazy, painful
existence, and left behind a girl who lost the only
friend whose smile could make the pain of her life
bearable, and a man who lost the only woman he would
ever fall in love with.

Ranma could do nothing, feel nothing, say nothing.
Only one thought echoed through his body as he held
Akane�s corpse. <She�s gone�she�s gone, she�s gone,
she�s gone, she�s gone, she�s gone, she�s gone, she�s
gone�> When he found his voice, only two words could
be whispered softly with his vocal cords. "She�s�gone"
The realization engulfed him, filled him completely
and yet, he didn�t really believe it, couldn�t stand
to believe it. He felt numb inside, and stayed that
way for about an hour, just sitting there with her
body in his arms and no emotion left inside. He wanted
to feel something, but he found as he searched the
spectrum of human emotions that his ability to feel
was as dead as Akane. He couldn�t even be angry at the
girl for leaving him because he knew it was his fault.
<If only I hadn�t teased her so much�if only I�d told
her I loved her before this �> As he accused himself,
the pieces of his breaking heart broke down further
until they were dust. He arched his body up to the
heavens, and screamed a cry of rage and sorrow. His
powdered heart escaped through his mouth with the cry
and blew away, but Ranma couldn�t have cared less. He 
sat up straight again and looked at Kasumi�s knife,
nearly forgotten by the water. He almost grabbed it
then to follow Akane, but something stopped him. He
didn�t deserve to die. He could think of no better way
of punishing himself for causing Akane�s death than to
suffer through his life without her.

Ranma spoke to her spirit in an anguished voice,
faltering. "I w-will do a-anything to s-stay alive,
n-no matter what. I will l-live every d-day that the
kami p-planned for me, w-with the kno-knowledge that
w-what I did to you m-made you w-want to�" He closed
his eyes and paused, almost unable to say it, but he
forced himself to finish. "d-die." He opened his eyes 
again, looked wistfully at the knife that would have
granted him relief, and hardened his resolve. "I will
_n-never_ kill m-myself, and a-allow myself an e-end
to the p-pain." Ranma�s gaze shifted to the brook.
"A-also, I will r-return to Jusenkyo and c-curse
m-myself again in the s-spring of drowned g-g-girl. I
will g-give up my ma-manhood for you, Akane. I am n-no
longer a man in s-spirit, and I w-will n-not be one in
b-body. T-this I swear i-in your n-name, Ak-kane." 
Ranma put her body down, and walked to the edge of the
brook. He splashed cold water on himself, and vowed to
remain a girl until she could get to Jusenkyo to make
the change permanent. Ranma-onna then heard the voices
of Akane�s family and her father as they ran down to
her. They�d found Kasumi�s knife missing and, worried
for their family members� safety, went to look for
them. She turned around to face them, wiping away one
last tear rolling down her cheek. And, slowly walking
up the bank, Ranma-onna went to begin her lifetime of 
punishment and atonement, to begin _her_ pain, now
that the other�s had finally ended�
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_______________________________________________________
"The Things We Do�" 
Part 2a- "Reflections-- Ranma "
___________________________

There were stars out, and a moon half full shone down
on the figure walking towards the sandy bank. He was
silent, and only the sound of sand shifting under the
weight of his feet could be heard. Then that sound
faded away into nothingness as he stopped, but the
calm of the night gave him no peace. Ranma stared down
at the two indentations in the sand and blinked his
eyes in surprise, as if he didn�t believe that this
was really happening, and not some excruciating 
nightmare. In reality, he�d wandered to the--now dried
up--brook in his sleep, not aware of where he was or
what he was doing until he looked at the spot where
his�<No�not again>, he pleaded to the unhearing kami.
<Please let it stop�> But he knew that it
wouldn�t�ever. Because as much as Ranma wished the
pain that draped over him would end, he knew the only
way for that to happen would be if he forgot Akane,
and he never wanted that to happen. He didn�t want to
lose the image of his love�s smile or, strange as it
may seem, the look of fury that had always flashed in
her eyes just before she�d hit him with her mallet.
<She�she was always so energetic�so alive>, he thought
wistfully. He couldn�t even afford to let go of the
way Akane looked in the moments before her death.
Ranma needed to remember that to have the strength to
keep his promises. 

<Akane was so _sad_�> 
[Because of you] a nagging voice inside his mind
accused him. 

<And then she was so happy�>
[Her mother made her happy] it spoke again.

<So peaceful�> 
[No, dead]

�So s-still�� Ranma whispered, his voice breaking as
he flinched at the memory. But this time, like all
others since he�d been found by his family, the tears
wouldn�t come. He�d used them all up that night,
before anyone else could see them. There weren�t even
any left for him to shed at Akane�s funeral. Everyone
there had cried but Ranma. <Even Ucchan and Shampoo 
cried!!! And I _know_ Ryouga would�ve if he�d found
out and got back in time�so why couldn�t I?!?!
Shimatta, she�s�> He lowered his eyes in pain as the
truth washed over him again, and swallowed hard in an
effort to even think the word. <�was� _my_ iinazuke!>
All he had done was sit in the temple silently,
feeling hollow as he saw the coffin, knowing she was 
in there, his exuberant Akane, but also knowing she
wasn�t supposed to be...knowing that she should have
been seated beside him, _with_ him, mourning the death
of an old man or woman. But he�d been alone then, as
he was now, not completely, but in every important
sense of the word, and unable to comprehend anything
as the sutras were chanted, the incense was offered, 
and his goodbye was said. All he even could do to that
effect was to cling tightly to her coffin as he draped
himself over it, not willing to say goodbye at all. 
It was as if he was trying to keep her in this world,
and finally her family pried him away from the coffin
so it could be nailed shut and burned�and the rest was
a blur for him.

Since then, they had each coped with Akane�s death in
their own way, in addition to tending to Akane�s ashes
on their alter--Genma stayed a panda always, stuck in
that form because of a severe drought in Nerima�but he
was trying to deny what had happened through his curse
so he didn�t mind playing with his tire and using
signs. Soun cried, not wailing like he usually did,
but shedding quiet tears of pain. Kasumi took it upon
herself to clean the whole house daily from top to
bottom with what non-water based cleaning supplies she
had. The only exception was Akane�s room, which she
wouldn�t even enter. Nabiki had glared at Ranma from 
the moment that she saw her sister�s body, but she
wouldn�t pick a fight because she could see that he
was hurting just as much, if not more, than all the
members of Akane�s family combined. Finally, Ranma
just sat wherever he was, staring off into space, only
speaking when spoken to. Even then he sometimes
wouldn�t answer. The Tendou�s and Genma didn�t hate
the boy because they all accepted that each of their
actions had made Akane�s life unlivable for her. The
fathers� endless pressure for their children to marry,
Nabiki�s money-making schemes that always seemed to
hurt Ranma and Akane, and even Kasumi�s gentle
attempts to bring the two together had brought the
craziness and confusion that had worn Akane down, not
to mention all Ranma's other iinazuke, who'd gone out
of their way to make things difficult for their rival.
Ranma�s behavior had been but a slice Akane's problem
pie, for they�d each had a hand in driving Akane to
kill herself. Some judged their piece to be bigger
than it actually was, though. Ranma thought that he
was totally responsible for Akane�s suicide, and no
amount of logic from the other family members had
convinced him otherwise. Even his remaining
iinazuke/suitors couldn�t get through to him. Ranma
ordered Kodachi, with a deathly calm look on his face
and the Arctic in his voice, to �get the hell out of
this house� when she bounced by to try to capture
Ranma�s heart. And when Kunou stopped by spouting all
of the usual poetry about the pig-tailed girl _in
addition_ to bringing up Akane�s death�well, let�s
just say that a Ranma gave him a beating that put him
in a body cast and that left him with his voice a few
octaves higher than normal. Shampoo and Ukyou were
better received, mainly because they didn�t try to
force themselves on Ranma. They could see how much he
was hurting, and knew that his love for the dead girl
would never die with her. That made them sad, but
after seeing how lifeless Ranma was, they both
unconsciously agreed that it would be better to
support Ranma as friends than to lose him by trying to
become his wife. Ever since, they had tried to help
Ranma get back to normal. It wasn�t working. Even 
though he was grateful for the companionship, he
wouldn�t allow himself to indulge in it too much. He
couldn�t allow the two girls to lessen the pain that
Akane�s death had caused. He had to stay focused on
what he had done, and how he�d attempt to atone for
it. 

Ranma sat down in the spot where Akane had died two
weeks ago and he stared off into space, calm settling
over him like a blanket of fresh snow. Nothing ran
through him as he sat there. No feelings, no thoughts,
no words entered his consciousness as he absently ran
his hands up and down the path of blood-stained sand
that was reachable. He was becoming numb inside again,
and he really didn�t care�almost. There was one part
of him that cried out in protest, a little part, but
it had always been very good at influencing Ranma. It
was his honor, and it branded Ranma�s vow from that
night into his memory. [I will do anything to stay
alive�never kill myself�return to Jusenkyo�give up my
manhood for you�no longer a man in spirit�not be one
in body�I swear in your name�] 

�Oh, A-akane!� he spoke, so softly that his voice
broke. �How could I e-ever forget my p-promise?
N-never! It�s� it�s a-all I have left. I h-have to
f-feel the p-pain again t-to go th-through with i-it!�
He regarded his male body, raised his head to the
heavens, and cursed the kami in frustration. 

�Che!!!!!!,� he yelled up to the sky as he yanked his
braid.  �Why does there have to be a drought
_now_?!?!� It hadn�t rained since Akane�s death, and
the temperature had reached at least 90 degrees
Fahrenheit every day. Thus, there was a shortage of
water. One would think that Ranma could always use the
baths at his house. But no, fate wasn�t that kind to
Saotome Ranma. After a few days of the drought, with
the citizens of Nerima using too much water in order
to keep cool under the blazing sun, the mayor had
declared that no one was to use the water until the
drought was over, except for drinking and cooking.
Ranma had been in the Tendou�s bath when he�d been
called out to listen to the special announcement on
TV, and from then on, no water was used for washing in
the Tendou home. Ranma had been stuck in his male form
and he'd realized that, even if he wasn�t doing it on
purpose, he was breaking his vow to Akane by being a
male. He'd thought about using his drinking water for
the change, but that was only given out a few days
after the ban. Ranma had been extremely thirsty by
that time and he knew that if he didn�t drink his
entire ration, and the ones that he would receive
later, he�d die from dehydration. Then he would have
broken the other, more important vow to Akane: to stay
alive, no matter what. He could have tried to use some
of the cooking water but he hadn't had the heart to
steal from Kasumi, who was keeping it in canteens in
her room. �Akane,� he sighed resignedly, �I�m sorry,
but I�ll have to hold off on my vow to remain cursed
until I get to China, or until it rains. Please
forgive me.� He sat there like he expected her to
answer him and stared off into space, his gaze fixed
on the dried up brook. In fact, even though he never
said it, Ranma thought that Akane�s spirit would come
to him. He needed her to come, to tell her how his
life had lost all joy since she fled it, to tell her�
�Akane,� he whispered softly as the cooling breeze
played in his hair and carried his words. �I don�t
know if you know this...� His voice grew low and
regretful, full of sorrow. �You had p-passed out
already, but�I was gonna say�� He paused--suddenly the
words wouldn�t come. They were as elusive as the
countless other times he�d tried to reveal what he
felt for his iinazuke, but couldn�t. <Why can I say
that she�s dead, but I still can�t say out loud how I
feel about her?!?!?> He almost gave up again, but then
he remembered��That�s what k-killed you �� he
whispered as he hugged himself. ��you never knew�� His
voice regained its strength, and he screamed a scream
that made all awake in Tokyo wince as if they�d been
slapped, and awoke hundreds more. There was that much
pain released with the words that had been with him
ever since he�d met the youngest Tendou. �TENDOU
AKANE, I LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!� Even with a
cry that loud, Ranma wasn�t sure Akane�s spirit could
hear him. He hoped, wished, pleaded that she�d heard
it. <If I can�t ever tell her in person what she means
to me, she has to know that I love her.> He hung his
head, and stared at the dried up brook. 

�Please�� he choked out through the tears that
threatened to finally flow from his eyes. �Please let
me know that she knows�oh kami, let her know!!!!� He
turned his head to the sky and waited. After awhile, a
song�s melody drifted into his ears from the window of
a nearby house. The words were in English but he could
understand the basic meaning of the song. After his
experience at Jusenkyo, Ranma had made it a priority
from then on to learn at least some of the language of
whatever country he was in. They had gone through Hong
Kong twice, once a few years before they went to
China, and then on their way to the Tendou�s. That
experience, plus his classes in school, helped Ranma
learn passable English. The song expressed so
perfectly Ranma�s frustration at the drought and his
regret from always hurting Akane that his eyes started

to spill the tears that had built up there. There were
not just tears of sadness though, but of relief, too.
He�d needed something outside of himself to remind him
just how badly he�d ruined and ended Akane�s life, and
the song did that. Its words reawakened all of Ranma�s
passion for atonement, which had almost been
extinguished by his depression. As he listened
silently, it gave him the strength he needed to
survive his depression and fulfill his promises to
Akane.

{You know I never meant to see you again/
But I only passed by as a friend/
Yeah�/
All this time I stayed out of sight/
I started wondering why/

Now I�/
Oooo now I wish it would rain down�down on me/
Oooo yes I wish it would rain down on me now/
Oooo yes I wish it would rain down�down on me/
Oooo yes I wish it would rain on me/

You said you didn�t need me in your life/
Oh I guess you were right�yeah/

Oooo I never meant to cause you no pain/
But it looks like I did it again�yeah/

And now I�/
Now I know I wish it would rain down�down on me/
Oooo yes I wish it would rain, rain down on me now
Oooo girl, I wish it would rain down�down on me/
Oooo yes I wish it would rain on me/

Though your hurt is gone, mine�s hanging on,
inside�and I know/
Well, it�s eating me through ,it�s eating me through
every night and day/
I�m just waiting on your sign

�Cos I know, I know�I never meant to cause you no
pain//
And I realize I let you down�/
Oooohhhhh/
But I know in my heart of hearts/
I know I�m never gonna hold you again/

And now I�/
Now I know I wish it would rain down, down on me/
Oooo ya know I wish it would rain, rain down on me
now/
Oooo yes I wish it would rain down�down on me/
Yes, you know I wish it would rain down, rain down off
of me/
(Rain)/
(Rain)/
Just rain down on me/
Just let it rain down/
Let it rain down/
(Rain)/
Let it rain down/
(Rain)/
Let it rain down�/}

Ranma sat there silent for a few minutes, thinking
only of how much he had hurt Akane, and how important
it was for him to get to Jusenkyo so that he could
atone for his crime. Finally he stood up with a grim
smile, full of determination, and decided that that
night would be the night he left for China. Nothing
would change his mind now, nor would anyone stop him
from going. He turned to leave, but something stopped
him mid-turn. He paused and looked at the spot where
his iinazuke had taken her last breath. With a deep
breath and tears still in his eyes, he bowed deeply to
it. As he held the bow out of respect, he spoke in a
voice that was barely above a whisper. 

�I�m _so_ sorry Akane-san.� 

He stood up straight again, and as his crying slowed
to a stop, the same cooling breeze which he hoped had
carried his message of love to Akane blew away the
tears that still glistened on his cheeks. He spun
around and ran at full speed up the bank and to the
houses, jumping across their roof tops until he
reached the Tendou home. There he gathered the
necessary supplies, left a note, and began his
journey. He had no way of knowing though, as he
hurried towards his destination that night, that he
had bowed to his love at the brook, and that the
breeze that he�d felt wipe away his tears was really
her gentle, transparent hands�

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
*"I Wish It Would Rain Down" by Phil Collins is
copyrighted and used without permission. Please 
don't sue�it fit so well in the story!!!!*
_______________________________________________________
"The Things We Do�" 
Part 2b- "Spirit's Musings-- Akane"
___________________________

Akane stood there, still recovering from shock as she
watched Ranma rush away from the brook. Finally
knowing that Ranma loved her, and all of the
implications that went with it, had been the most
shocking thing that she�d ever experienced, but her
death had been a close second. She�d woken up outside
of her body after her death, and had begun to see her
life in an objective way. That had been the biggest
reality check of her entire existence. She�d seen all
of the times that she�d blamed Ranma for Shampoo�s
over-affectionate nature, all of the times that she�d 
nearly killed someone with her cooking. 
<Wow, I guess I really did cook badly! Maybe I should
have listened to Ranma more�>, she�d thought
sheepishly. She�d even seen the moment when she first
met the _real_ Saotome Ranma. <Oh no, I guess walking
in on him in the bath _was_ my fault!!! How did he
stand my abuse after that???> Akane had wanted to cry
then, she felt so horrible, but she�d no longer had a
body. 
After seeing the events that led up to her death,
she�d snapped out of her trance and looked up. Her
mother had been there, with a gentle smile on her
face. She�d tried to run to her, only to find that
she�d been unable to move. 

�Mom,� she�d cried. �I can�t get to you!!!� 

Her mother had chuckled softly and replied, �Akane my
dear, you cannot do things as you did them when you
were alive anymore�you�re dead.�
 
�Then how do I get anywhere like this?�, she�d asked
impatiently. 

�Actually,� her mother had said mischievously, �it is
easier now than it was when we were alive. All you
must do is imagine the place that you want to be, and
you will be there.� 

Akane said incredulously, �It�s that easy?�

�Yes,� her mother had answered with a gentle smile. 

Akane had imagined herself by her mother and with a 
gush of wind, she�d been there. She�d given her mother
a hug that would have shamed even Shampoo, and had
asked her what happened next. 

�It�s up to you, my daughter. You can either go right
now, or stay as long as you need to in order to say
goodbye to everyone.� 

Akane had looked at her mother. �Is that what you did
when you died?�

�Yes,� she�d answered quietly. �I stayed at the house
for many days, trying to bring your father out of his
shock. Poor Soun�it hurt me so badly to see him numb
like that. Thank the kami that Kasumi was able to
reach him! Yes,� she�d answered as she�d seen Akane�s
mouth open to ask another question, �I went to each of
you girls as well, and tried to make it easier on you.
Unfortunately, Kasumi became a bit fanatical when I
suggested that she act as a mother figure for you
all.�

�Mom,� Akane had asked curiously. �Why didn�t we
remember you coming to us?�

�Oh Akane,� her mother had replied sadly. �The purpose
of those visits weren�t for you to consciously know
what was being said to you.�

�Then why�� 

�Shhh,� she had silenced her daughter. �We were
allowed to go to our loved ones and speak with them,
to tell them what we needed to. You have always known
on a subconscious level what I told you, you just
could never remember _me_.� 

Akane had just stood there, wondering at what her
mother had told her. �Can you�can you tell me now?�,
she�d asked hesitantly. 

�No,� her mother had said calmly. �If the kami meant
for you to know what I told you, they would have given
you that memory when you died.� Her voice had broken
slightly as surprise had seeped its way into her
facial expressions. �There m-must a reason�� 

Akane had looked into her mother�s eyes, alarmed by
her sudden change in demeanor. �Mom!�, she�d
exclaimed, worried. �What�s wrong!� 

Her mother had just smiled down at her, and had tried
to reassure her. �Nothing, my daughter!� She�d changed
the subject. �There is one thing that I can tell you
about what I said, though.� 

Akane�s curiosity had gotten the better of her, so
she�d completely forgotten what was saddening her
mother. �What is it?� 

Her mother had said softly, �Even since my death I�ve
been able to see the future. Only little bits and
pieces, mind you, but enough. I saw what happened in
_your_ future, and I told you how to deal with
something that would happen to you. I wish I�d been
there personally though, for you still needed me to be
there when things went wrong. For that, I�m very
sorry. I can tell you no more, my little daughter. I
must leave you now.� 

�Wait!� Akane had exclaimed as her mother had begun to
fade away. �Don�t leave me 
again! Mom!!!� Akane had heard her mother�s voice echo
through the night, even though she�d disappeared
completely. 

�Never forget that I love you, my sweet Akane!� 

And Akane had been alone.

<What on earth did Mom mean?>, Akane thought to
herself curiously as she tried once more to decipher
her mother's cryptic words. She couldn�t think of
anything, and instead remembered what had happened
after her mother left her a few weeks ago. �Ranma��
she whispered sadly as the memories flooded her mind.
She�d finally noticed he was there, holding her dead
body. He hadn�t moved for a long time, with his eyes
glazed over as they�d stared out into space, and then
he�d let out a savage cry that had made Akane shudder.
Akane had seen his gaze go to the knife, and she�d
been scared that he�d do something to himself. Then
she�d thought a realization had hit him, by the
expression that had been on his face. The words Ranma 
had spoken then now echoed in her mind. 

<I will do anything to stay alive, no matter what. I
will live every day that the kami planned for me, with
the knowledge that what I did to you made you want to
die. I will never kill myself, and allow myself an end
to the pain. Also, I will return to Jusenkyo and curse
myself again in the spring of drowned girl. I will
give up my manhood for you, Akane. I am no longer a 
man in spirit, and I will not be one in body. This I
swear in your name, Akane.> 

<Oh, Ranma!>, Akane had thought to herself at the
time. <You don�t have to curse yourself again! It�s
not like _you_ cut me!!!> But when Akane had tried to
tell him that two weeks ago, he hadn�t heard her
spirit voice. �That baka�� she whispered softly.
�Why�d he have to go and make that stupid vow.� An
angry scowl twisted her face, and her voice rose 
angrily. �And he�ll do it, too.� Her face softened as
she remembered what he was giving up, and why he would
do that. �He really l-loves me,� Akane whispered as
she hugged herself. �His manhood is the most important
thing to him, and�� 

She shivered as she thought of the sacrifice that
Ranma was going to make for her. She�d been following
Ranma around ever since her death to try to figure out
when he was leaving for China. Akane even went so far
as to follow him into the bath, and she�d been
embarrassed beyond belief each time she did. Even
though she�d just been trying to find out when he was 
leaving, it had still made Akane feel like a hentai.
But since she�d sworn to herself that she�d watch over
Ranma, she never let go of the image of Ranma and
where he was, lest she�d lose her connection to him.
She guarded him as he slept as well, and watched in
wonder the boy that she�d never bothered to
understand. And while she still did not understand
him, a new appreciation for him had developed. She
loved the way his black hair fell onto his closed
eyes, and how calm and peaceful he was in sleep�until
the nightmares started. And they always did. Every
night Ranma had nightmares. He would shake in bed,
with horror twisting his face and causing him to groan
softly, and wake up shouting Akane�s name. Of course,
Mr. Saotome�s sleep was always disturbed by his son�s
nightmares so he had taken to sleeping outside (his
fur keeping him warm), and everyone else still
sleeping in the house had begun to show signs of 
sleeplessness since Akane died. It made Akane�s heart
break to see how much pain he was in and she wanted to
help, but she didn�t know what she could do. She�d
just whisper kind words to him, which seemed to calm
him down enough to either go back to sleep, or work
off some of his excess energy in the dojo. Tonight had
been different, though. He�d gotten up before the 
nightmares started, and jumped out of his window in
his sleep. Akane had lost her link to Ranma because
she�d been caught off guard, so she�d had to visualize
him all over again, which had taken some time. By the
time she�d reestablished her connection to him he�d
gotten to the brook, woken up, and sat down where
she�d killed herself. She remembered seeing Ranma�s
hands drift up and down the blood-stained sand, as if
by doing so he could somehow connect himself to her, 
and she�d never felt so low. 

<If I�d known how much my death would hurt him�>,
Akane thought sullenly. She felt regret slowly pass
through her entire being, engulfing her much like her
depression had right before her death. <I thought the
suicide would end all of my pain�but I�ve hurt Ranma
so badly instead, and I�ll never be able to fix it!!!
Shimatta, everything�s worse than before!!!!!> Not 
knowing what else to do, Akane knelt down and said a
silent prayer to the kami. Then she got up and
remembered what he�d said and done next. <That
scream�> She closed her eyes. <Oh Ranma!>, she thought
desperately. <Why didn�t you tell me you loved me
_sooner_�?> Akane opened her eyes and lowered her gaze
to the twin lines of stained sand that scared the
bank. <If I�d only known�> Her voice wavered when 
she spoke, and it was laced with regret. �R-ranma no
baka!� Then she saw Ranma�s eyes in her memory, wet
with tears that she�d only seen him shed once before:
the night that she�d died, and it all but destroyed
her. 

<After all the pain I�ve put him through in the last
couple weeks, after all of the nightmares and
sadness�> A chill echoed up and down her spirit body
as she remembered Ranma�s prayer. <�all he wanted was
for me to know he loved me!> At the time, that had
shocked her so badly that it almost hadn�t registered
in her mind what he�d done a few minutes later. <And
that bow!!!> It had meant so much to Akane when Ranma
had finally shown her respect, both by his bow and
with her name, that she�d imagined herself next to
him. With her invisible arms shaking, she�d tried to
cup his cheeks in her hands. She�d wanted to reach him
and 
let him know that his prayer had been heard, but the
only thing she�d succeeded in doing was to wipe away
the last of his tears. <The tears that you caused!>
she reminded herself bitterly. Then he�d gone, leaving
her behind and too shocked to follow him.

	Akane shook her head to clear it, and said angrily,
�Oh _great_! I�ve been standing here, surprised,
_forever_ when I should have been with Ranma!!!� Her
voice softened as she calmed down, and she sighed. �I
guess I�d better go find him.� She thought that she
knew where he was so she didn�t bother to take the
time to focus solely on him, but instead, she pictured
his and Mr. Saotome�s room. A few minutes later, and
with a sudden breeze, she was there. What she found
left her stunned. All of his belongings were gone, and
there was a note where he usually slept next to his
father. Thankfully it was not sealed and it was placed
with the written side up so she could read it, even
though Ranma�s handwriting was awful.


�Pop, 
Sorry I left without tellin� nobody but I couldn�t
stay here anymore the way things are. I�m gonna go try
to make up for causing Akane�s death. Maybe I can get
back a small scrap of honor that way. Don�t try to
stop me or you�ll be sorry. I will be back though. I
promise. Tell everyone not to worry, and don�t you
worry. It will be worth it.
-Ranma�


Akane stood there, no doing anything as she processed
the information written on the little scrap of paper
that she�d found. Then a panicked look crossed her
face as she exclaimed, �I�ve got to get to Jusenkyo in
time to stop him!!! I can�t let him do this for me!!!�
Unfortunately she�d never seen the place in person,
and only had Ranma�s description of it as a reference.
She had no idea if she�d be able to reappear in a
place if she didn�t know for sure what it looked like.

Akane had no choice but to try and picture it, though.
<I have to get there first!!!!> she though stubbornly.
So with that she said a prayer to the kami, asking
them to help her. Then she visualized what she thought
the accursed training grounds looked like, all the
while saying its name over and over in an attempt to
locate it. She squinted her eyes in concentration as
her mouth and voice formed the word �Jusenkyo.� After
awhile, Akane felt the increasingly familiar rush of
air surround her as she disappeared from her home. 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
_______________________________________________________
"The Things We Do�" 
Part 3- "Out with the old�"
___________________________

	 At the bottom of a valley moonlight reflected off
the hundreds of pools that laid there, showing them to
be perfectly smooth, like polished glass. The lush
greenery around the area did not rustle; there was no
wind blowing. It was the picture of tranquillity, with
the mountains surrounding the area protecting it from
chaos...for the time being.

In the quiet of this land long forgotten by the modern
world, the Jusenkyo Guide sat on a rock and smoked his
pipe contentedly. There had been no visitors to the
area for sometime, which made his days much easier for
him. It�s not that telling people of the history of
the land was a _difficult_ job, however. Far from it.
He simply hated every time that his warnings about 
Jusenkyo went ignored. Every time, when someone
plunged into one of the tiny pools and his or her life
was changed forever, it affected him. Every time a
panda or a girl or a pig or a cat or a duck fought
their way back up from the deep springs, choking from
the cursed water that had invaded their lungs, he felt
it. The despair felt by every victim as they realized
that their bodies had drastically changed in the
blinking of an eye tainted a little part of his
soul�each�and every�time. And every time another
unfortunate person was transformed into a vision of
the past, he believed that he no longer possessed a
soul in which even the tiniest of parts was still
unaffected by the tragedies that he�d witnessed here.

But even with all of the anguish that he absorbed with
every transformation, he�d stopped weeping for
Jusenkyo�s victims a long time ago. He�d done what he
could to stop them then, and he�d continue to do so
for as long as he lived. But in the end, it was
inevitable that he should be ignored by those people
adventurous -�or unlucky�- enough to make their way to
the cursed training grounds. He�d seen things happen
there that would have destroyed most people�s sanity, 
had they witnessed or experienced them personally. So,
while it was lonely for him sometimes in his solitude,
he was happiest when he was the only person breathing
in this mystical land.

The stagnant cloud of pipe smoke was building above
the man�s head, but he did not mind. He simply sat
there, resting himself in preparation for the next
person that he�d have to face, to attempt to guide
past these dangerous grounds. He tensed slightly as a
gentle breeze passed through the valley, taking his
cloud of smoke with it, but didn�t sense anything out
of the ordinary, so he relaxed one more. However, he
did not realize just what an extraordinary meeting 
his next would prove to be, or that that same breeze
that he�d dismissed as normal was deeply a part of it.

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

The breeze faded out as Akane found her way to
Jusenkyo. She looked around hoping, praying that she�d
made it to the right place, and before Ranma had
arrived. She flashed in and out of the mortal world as
she searched the land around her. <Where am I?> she
asked herself in wonder. She�d never seen a place so
lush with shrubbery, so beautiful, so serene.
<Deceptively calm, if this is Jusenkyo>, she thought
with a sigh. She was beginning to loose hope after an
hour that she was anywhere near Jusenkyo, when through
some bushes she saw a side view of a little man in a
tan uniform smoking a pipe. As she shifted her gaze
from the man to her left, she gasped. <There they
are!>, she thought excitedly. <The springs!!> Akane
imagined herself at the edge of them and when she
appeared there, looked around sullenly. <So this is
where�> She couldn�t finish her sentence, for a memory
invaded her mind as she looked up at the bamboo polls.
It was Ranma sitting with his father by the table,
describing what happened when they were cursed. A
faint vision of Ranma�-as if he was the ghost, instead
of her�-on top of one of the bamboo polls, in battle
stance, showed through her sprit eyes as she looked at
the many shoots out of the springs.  She saw Ranma
knock his father off of his pole, and wished that it
would stop. It didn�t. She saw his father, now a
panda, rise out of the pool that he fell in and do the

same to his son. Ranma falling headfirst into the
Nyanniichuan raced though Akane�s mind, and wouldn�t
stop. While she didn�t know how it was possible, she
_knew_ that what she�d seen in her vision was what had
happened that day, detail for every horrific detail.
<He even had his hair in a ponytail instead of it�s
usual braid, and wasn�t he wearing a white gi?> She
stared at the pools as it finally sunk in that Ranma
had been cursed in this place, and blinked twice in
surprise. <That�that really happened here>, she
realized as that though engulfed her, making all of
the craziness she�d lived through more real. <One of
these pools�> A pool that was anyone of those that
were scattered around her. A pool that seemed so
harmless, so innocent�beautiful even, but that could
scar her love forever if she didn�t stop him. As she
looked around she couldn�t see Ranma anywhere, but she
saw something else. As she gazed her eyes across the
landscape of Jusenkyo she saw ghosts falling into the
pools everywhere�in her spirit form she could see the 
afterimages of the horrors which had taken place
there. She even found out how others she knew were
cursed--Shampoo and Mousse and Ryouga�

<Wait a second.>

<RYOUGA?!?!?!?!?!?!?!>

Akane looked with shock as an image of Ryouga, falling
into a spring and emerging as a little pig, replayed
itself in her mind, over and over and over and over�
"P-CHAN?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!"

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

	The Guide shivered. <Perhaps things are not going to
be serene for very long>, he thought fearfully as he
scurried away from the springs to escape the negative
energy he was sensing. 

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

Akane just stood there as memories of her and P-Chan
superimposed themselves over that of Ryouga's cursing,
creating a macabre collage of betrayal and denial in
Akane's mind. "Oh kami, oh kami, oh kami, oh kami�"
she whispered as she finally understood the biggest 
misjudgment of her life. <If Ryouga's P-Chan, then
RYOUGA was sleeping with�!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!  and that
time in the locker room!?!?!?!?!?!?!?! The martial
arts ice skating contest!!!!!!!!> She couldn't
believe, in retrospect, how obvious it was that Ryouga
was P-Chan. <His bandana, that stupid collar Azusa put
on him, and Ranma even _called_ him P-Chan!!!!!!> 
Akane said quietly, "�when Ranma came to my room that
night�" She suddenly felt very ashamed of herself.
"And I always blamed Ranma, even when he was just
trying to show me it was Ryouga..." 

As she thought about it more, Akane's anger at Ranma
flared up to equal her anger at Ryouga. "Then why
didn't he _tell_ me instead of just dropping hints
that I wasn't seeing?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?" She sat down on
the ground, trying to calm down despite her recent 
discoveries, and trying to ignore the voice inside of
her who was asking if she would have listened to Ranma
even if he'd told her outright. She had no idea why
Ranma would have let Ryouga pose as P-Chan, but she
had learned one thing because of her death--Ranma
loved her, and thus would not have allowed Ryouga to
play her pet without a reason. <Besides, he was 
always trying to show me, I just was too stupid to
realize it> So she decided, as strange as it was, to
trust that Ranma had done this for a reason and to
trust his judgement.

As long as she didn't think have to about it. Yeah,
that's right.

Instead, Akane focused on her goal--to stop Ranma from
re-cursing himself. She though deeply about how to
stop the madness that would surely happen when Ranma
finally arrived, and tried to suppress the urge to cut
up some fresh bacon.

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

It was nighttime, and the new moon did nothing to
pierce the darkness that blanketed a remote region of
China. A determined traveler slowed to a stop as she
got out her flashlight. <It wouldn�t do any good to
fall into one of those things, would it?> Ranma-onna
sighed to herself. <At least, not just _any_ one> She
stopped, before reaching into her backpack, to thank
the kami once more for the sudden rainstorm that had
fallen a few days earlier, which allowed the curse�s 
change. Thus she was finally able to follow one of her
vows to Akane, and she�d been wary of potential hot
water sources ever since. Ranma-chan fished around for
her flashlight, and thought <Oh boy, I can hear Pop
now!> She heard his father�s voice echo in her mind.
<"Ranma m�boy, a true martial artist has no need for
any outside tools to survive in the wild. How do you
expect to carry on the Anything Goes school if you
can�t even get through _one night_ without a
flashlight???"> Ranma-onna snickered to herself as she
thought about what would have probably happened before
they�d come to this place. <I�d of swallowed that load
of bull and moved to put the light away, and Pop
would�ve swiped it from me!!!> Being back in this area
of China, where the worst of her father�s mistakes had
happened, awakened the dormant white-hot rage that
she�d felt as she chased her father along the
mountains around the valley. Ranma-onna had to sit
down on the cold rock beside her, and she tried
desperately to calm down. When she felt that she could

move again without wanting to kill her father on
sight, she got up. She looked around to see if she
recognized exactly where she was. A large tree shrub
blocked her view, so she carefully parted it with her
left arm and, while shinning out her light into the
darkness, looked out at the sight before her.
 
At first, there seemed to be nothing more than a 
clearing, not unlike the one that she�d just passed
through awhile ago. But upon further inspection she
noticed something different, and it took her breath
away. As she scanned her light along the ground of the
area, she saw some it�s glow reflected off of the
land, in circular shapes. She sighed in mixed fear and
relief as she realized what that meant. �Jusenkyo,�
she whispered as she stood there, unmoving. Then, her 
heart weighed down by the knowledge of what she�d be
doing shortly, she set of to find the spring�_her_
spring.

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

Akane stared at the moonless sky, and wondered the
same thoughts that had forced thoughts of Ryouga out
of her mind for the past two weeks: how to stop Ranma
from destroying his future for her. She had pondered
this issue since she�d arrived to Jusenkyo, but had no

answers as to how to save Ranma from his baka idea.
She�d experimented with what she could and could not
do by trying to pick up solid objects, and tried
communicating with the Jusenkyo Guide. Her hands had
passed right through rocks and branches she�d reached
for, and despite yelling until she was sure her
spiritual voice would give out, the Guide had simply
continued to sit and smoke his pipe, if not a little
warily. Even her prayers had gone seemingly unnoticed,
leaving her feeling quite helpless and alone in her
struggle to save Ranma. 

She watched the stars, and noticed idly that she could
see much clearer the wonders in the sky, there in the
remote area of China, than she could ever in Tokyo.
<It�s so much clearer> she thought in almost wonder,
the lingering thought of Ranma�s potential sacrifice
preventing her from enjoying it to the fullest. A
shooting star flickered in and out of existence, but
she did not wish upon it. She was far beyond wishing
and, instead, wondered what Ranma was doing. She did
not have to wonder long, for she saw Ranma-onna step
into the clearing�

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

Ranma-onna walked decisively towards the springs. She
almost didn�t need to have her eyes open, for the
location of the spring of drowned girl would be
forever etched into her mind, but she didn�t want to
risk falling into another pool when she was so near
her goal. Every step she took reminded her of the day
in which her life was changed forever, every step
slower than he last as the reality of what she was
doing finally set in. An inner voice was waking. 
Ranma-onna maneuvered around all of the other nameless
pools until she found it: the spring of drowned girl. 

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

Akane started, for even two weeks of waiting had not
prepared her for when she would see Ranma. <He�s in
his girl form> Akane thought, panicked that Ranma-onna
was so close to the pool. She remembered a time when
Mousse had kidnapped her at the Chinese circus, and
had been re-splashed with water from the spring of
drowned duck. <Mousse wasn�t permanently cursed to be
a duck. I wonder if that was because he was hit with
the water while still in his normal form? If he�d been
a duck, would he have stayed a duck??> Akane's eyes
widened in alarm. <If Ranma gets splashed with the
Nyanniichuan water while in girl-form, will it curse
him again???> She imagined herself between the pool
and the redhead, as if to somehow act as a real, 
physical barrier against this tragedy. But when she
materialized in front of her, she was only able to
look into her love�s eyes as Ranma-onna moved to
destroy herself�and only put some water in a canteen
labeled "Shampoo". Akane looked, puzzled...
 
*******************************************************

{He doesn�t see her anymore and yet, she stands in
front of him / 
No communication, only empty words, spoken / 
Where in the memory she lingers on and on and on� /}

As Ranma-onna crouched by the spring and closed the
canteen�s cap, thoughts of Akane clouded her mind once
more, acting like a shroud soon to cover Ranma-onna�s
manhood. �A-akane�� the strangled whisper escaped from
Ranma-onna�s dry lips. Tears formed pools in her eyes,
pools not cursed with magic like those that plagued
the valley, but cursed all the same. Thoughts of
Akane�s beautiful smile, her fiery passion, all the
indescribable things that had made Ranma-onna
surrender her heart to Akane from the beginning,
invaded her mind as she desperately tried to reach
across the distance to where she thought Akane had
gone when she died. �I�I hope wherever you are now,
y-you�re finally happy�� She took a choking breath of 
air as the sobs racked her body, stood up, and said up
to the heavens, almost in a prayer. �P-please see
this, and know everything� My life as a m-man is
over.� She took a step forward to pay her ultimate
debt, glanced down at the cold water�and it was then
that her resolve weakened�

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

Akane gasped and tried to push Ranma back, but was
only able to watch as her love moved to destroy
herself. 

{And for a moment she�ll just close her eyes, and
drift away�}

She knew, when her hands flew through Ranma's body
with no resistance, that there was nothing she could
do now, no attempts at intervention on her part 
would stop this madness. Not wanting to see, not able
to know the horror that would be in Ranma-onna�s eyes
once she came to her senses, Akane squinted her own
ethereal eyes shut as anguish, acting like a gas,
melded and mixed with her ghostly form, overtaking it
and darkening it�

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

{He doesn�t see her anymore�\
He�s somehow forgotten what it is he promised to be
there for�\}

Ranma-onna couldn�t move, couldn�t speak, couldn�t do
anything. The part of her that had always been visible
before she�d first came to Jusenkyo, but yet had still
been inside her even when she was in her cursed form,
spoke up. It decided that now was a good time to
protest what was happening�her manhood protested its
permanent removal from Saotome Ranma.

<What the hell are you doing!!!!!> Ranma�s manly
instincts screamed at her, without regard to her
promise or her honor, freezing her foot in mid-air.
<You BAKA!!!!! Don�t you REALIZE what you�re
DOING?!?!?!?!> 

She paused as the thoughts invaded her consciousness,
not realizing that Akane was there in front of her,
waiting for her to pass through her invisible wall and
destroy herself. Oblivious as Ranma-onna was to
Akane�s presence, her thoughts returned to the girl
who had captured her heart. Her happy memories of
smiles and vitality blended into the hellish night
when Akane died: the foolish annoyance of having to
look for the tomboy, the icy shock when she found
she�d sliced herself, the numb, silent stillness as
she held Akane�s body, being unaware of anything but 
the death that she could not protect her from, that
she had actually _caused_. The Failure�

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

{But there�s something there, there�s something left
that keeps her by his side\
Close her eyes: she remembers the passion}

<Oh Ranma�>, Akane sighed sadly to herself. <Why? It
didn�t have to be like this, we could�ve�>
 
After a few minutes, when Akane hadn�t yet heard the
splashing of someone into the pool, she dared to open
her eyes. <She�s�she�s just _standing_ there!!!> she
though to herself in disbelief, as a little jewel of
hope began to grow in her heart. <What�s she doing?�>

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

{He doesn't feel the breath, her kiss, and yet she
lies beside him/
No imagination� keeps two steps back�two steps back/
Where in the memory she lingers on and on and on and
on�/}

<I�m giving up my manhood because I�m no longer worthy
to be a man�it�s my fault Akane killed herself>
Ranma-onna�s thoughts increased rapidly, frantically
as the layers of guilt and depression built even more
upon her spirit, threatening release. <Akane.�..I
pushed her too far�I should have had control. I always
have control. I must atone. She deserves better than I
gave.She�llneverbeinloveforrealShe�llneversmileagainand
I�llnevergettaholdherandtheworld�ssobadnow,andit�sallmy
fault�>

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

{And for a moment she�ll just close her eyes, and
remember when�/}

	Akane stood there, watching Ranma-onna, hoping beyond
all hope that she would come to her senses and go home
unscathed. �Please Ranma,� she whispered on the
breeze, hoping, begging the kami to reach him. �Please
don�t do this�I KNOW you�re sorry, you baka! I don�t
need this from you�I don�t even WANT it!!!� She
paused, and looked tenderly into her love�s blank,
unfocused blue eyes�eyes that would only see Akane
inside her tortured mind, no matter how hard the
spirit tried to tell the redhead she was there. �You
DON�T have to do it�please�� She pleaded softer still.
�Please�� No recognition was found in Ranma-onna�s
eyes, and Akane sighed, closing her own eyes in
frustration and regret.

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

{He doesn�t see her anymore�\
He�s somehow forgotten what it is he promised to be
here for�\}

<But what about your life?? Your martial arts??? Your
MOTHER?!?!?> Ranma-onna�s manhood argued frantically
with her, desperately trying to secure its position
within the petite female, and influence her decision.
<Can you live knowing that your mother will never know
you as a man? Never see you as anything but Ranko, the
tomboy cousin who�ll make a wonderful wife once she
settles down??? Can you face her disappointment when
she finds out who you REALLY are???>

With that thought, Ranma-onna started out of her
mid-air stride and, using countless hours of balance
training, pulled herself away from the pool and knelt
beside it. �Mom,� she whispered softly, staring off
into space as she thought about the woman that she�d
known for so little of her life. Saotome Nadoka, who
hadn�t REALLY known her son, only seeing his curse 
and never realizing that the petite redhead had been
born from her womb sixteen years earlier. For an
instant the battle in Ranma-onna�s head, over her
manhood versus Akane, slipped away as the girl thought
about her mother. Nadoka�s wavy auburn hair that
framed her pleasant face, which always had a smile as
she entered the Tendou household. <Smiling because she
hoped that for once she�d see me and Pop there!!> But
that never happened. <Che�stupid vow�Pop you idiot!!!>
she thought bitterly. It was Nadoka�s threat of
seppuku, brought on by Genma�s insistence that he take
their son on a training mission, that prevented it. If
Genma had failed to turn their son into a �man amongst
men,� that both Genma and Ranma would have to commit 
ritual suicide, and because of the curse, they both
believed that he had failed. Ranma-onna had craved
meeting her mother --as himself-- ever since she�d
found out Nadoka was alive, but his father had always
threatened him with the promise. <And now it�ll never
happen> Ranma-onna thought sadly as she shone her
flashlight on the Nyanniichuan, seeing her reflection
in it. <Mom�ll never see me as a guy, the way she
remembers me from when I was little�she�ll only 
know�> Even in her mind the name was putrid to think,
and she almost spat it out of her memory. <Ranko>

Ranma-onna just sat there, looking at herself in the
water. It hadn�t occurred to her until then what would
happen with her mother, and the thought added to her
hesitation as she softly spoke. �I-I owe it to Mom to
get a cure�she deserves to see me as a guy, to see me
as a grown man�that�s all she wants.� A great
revelation passed over Ranma-onna�s face as she 
remembered where she was. �I could do that for her�I'm
gonna cure Pop, anyways. I�m so close to the
Naniichuan now�we could go home and be together with
no fear�finally��

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

{But there�s something left, there�s something there
that keeps her by his side/
Close her eyes, she remembers�/}

Akane�s eyes flew open as she heard Ranma-onna speak.
�Yes!!!,� she spoke excitedly to the redhead kneeling
by the pond, trying once again to reach her. �Don�t do
it, because of your mother!!!! Auntie Saotome would be
crushed if she ever found out!! You CAN�T do that to 
her!!! You CAN�T!!!! I�d rather you broke your vow to
me than hurt her!!! Please Ranma, don�t do this!!!!!!�
She looked into her eyes, saw lines of sadness tracing
Ranma-onna�s blue ones, and felt her heart sink a
little. <Please let this work> she prayed on last time
to the kami as she shut her eyes, trying to send the
message on the intensity that she felt.

{She remembers him�/ 
And she remembers why she came here�/
>From far away, to find her way through fairy tales�/}

Memories of Ranma in _both_ his forms were melded
together with that prayer. Thoughts of the times he�d
saved her, the times when Ranma involuntarily admitted
to her that he loved her: in Togenkyo, when destroyed
his cure to keep her female, at the Doll Inn, when he 
told the doll-Akane that she really was kawaii, in
Ryugenzawa, when Ranma-onna risked her life against
the yamata no orochi to ensure Akane�s own life and
happiness, at Furinkan when he kissed her while under
the Neko-ken� These invaded Akane�s consciousness as
she thought about what Ranma would be giving up if he
did jump in the pool, and it occurred to her then that
if Ranma-onna did this, he would be destroying half of
who he was. Most of who he identified himself as would
be dead, and in Akane�s eyes, the man she loved
_would_ be dead. Of course, the woman she loved,
�Ranko� would still be there, but Saotome Ranma would
be gone� 

She whispered softly, with a perfectly emotionless
face, �He�d be dead�just like me�� 

She prayed harder.

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

{He doesn�t see her anymore�/
He�s somehow forgotten what it is he promised to be
here for�/}

�Mom,� Ranma-onna whispered the light from her
flashlight rippling hypnotically in the breeze as she
looked at her reflection in the water. Her face
softened as she spoke earnestly, �I want to make you
happy, I _really_ do�� She paused, torn. �But to do
that, I must betray Akane. But if I curse myself, I
have to betray _you_!!! And if I do that, I�ll never
regain any honor!!! AAARRRRRRGGGG!!!!!!!!� Ranma-onna
screamed into the night as the frustration pulsed in
dangerous waves through her body. <Why does it always
have to be like this?!?!?>, she thought in anguish.
<Do the kami _enjoy_ torturing me?!?!?!> She took a
deep breath, and tried to calm herself as rational
thought ran through her mind again. <I�ve only ever
loved two people, and to honor one, and regain my
honor, I must betray the other, which is not 
honorable�> She cursed to herself for a moment, and
whispered softly to no one, �So what should I do?� 

Minutes passed with Ranma-onna deep in thought, and
her situation played itself in her mind, begging to be
resolved, adding to her confusion. She tried to find a
possible solution, shifting around the different
factors and trying to make the pieces fit perfectly,
or at least acceptably. But then she realized
something important, something crucial. �There�s just
no way,� she whispered. �No matter _what_ I do, I
can�t honor all of the promises, so I can�t regain at 
least _some_ of my honor.� And she didn�t have many
options. She could not just go back to Nerima, because
the note she left for her father said that she was
going to do something to fix things. She _could_ cure
herself and her father, but she�d have no honor
because she did not atone for causing Akane�s death by
cursing herself again. Or, she could curse herself
again and _still_ have no honor because to be a full
female was grounds for her mother�s threat of seppuku 
to be carried out, but her other vow to Akane, that
she would stay alive no matter what, would conflict
with her mother�s intentions. Either way one of her
promises would have to be broken, making for a
confusing, no-win situation. And Ranma-onna knew it. 

{But there�s something there, there�s something left
that keeps her by his side�/
There�s something there, there�s something strong that
keeps her hanging on�/

Close her eyes�/
And they remember why it is they promised to be
here�/}

Ranma-onna glanced down at the water, and the memories
flashed in her mind like light from a camera, blinding
her from seeing the truth behind Akane�s suicide,
tipping the scales, helping her decide� 

The look of the food
The harsh words 
The kick of her leg
The flight through the sky
The frantic search
The rivers of blood 
The sharp knife
The cold, pale skin
The pain in her eyes
The last words she spoke 
The drip of the blood
The weight of her limp body
The heartbeat�s stop
Her Death
� � � �
And the little voice that judged the case, always
saying, and saying once again�
�It�s YOUR fault!�

{Close her eyes, she remembers the passion�/}

A faint, sad smile passed over the lips of a girl who
knew she would never been a man again, and the
decision was made. Without further hesitation, 
Ranma-onna mouthed the words �I love you� to one that
could not see them, and said goodbye to the only
person she had been for the better part of 16 years.
She leapt into the air, and it was as if she was
floating. Perhaps she was, on a cloud of retribution,
but like all things up, she came down eventually, and
with it came the death�

*SPLASH!!!!!*

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

A single tear of light fell down Akane�s ghostly cheek
as she heard Ranma connect with the water, and she
threw her head back in anguish with a defeated cry.
And as she threw her head back her tear shot into the
sky, becoming one with the shooting stars. And the
wisher who chose Akane�s starlight tear to wish upon
never knew its cursed origin as she faded, in sadness,
forever from the mortal world�

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

�It could have been seconds, it could have been
minutes�it could have been days as far 
as Ranma-onna knew�

She�d hit the water with the mother of all belly flops
not even stinging her resilient body, but a blinding
light, colored like the rainbow�s proud belt across
the sky and a thousand times more intense, had
exploded from the bottom of the spring, a light so
intense that it had overloaded Ranma-onna�s mind,
sending her into unconsciousness. As she awoke, still
drifting neither up nor down in the water, a voice
alerted her to something. Something rather important
to her first vow to Akane�

<Swim up baka or you�re gonna drown!!!!!!!!>

Well, she WOULD, if she could find her way between up
and down�her orientation was completely gone, so that
she could not tell the spring�s surface from its
bottom, and there was no moonlight to guide her
towards safety... 

Or was there? As Ranma-onna glanced around frantically
she noticed a faint, but distinguishable, light from
an area in the blackness and she swam furiously
towards it, her chest on fire from a lack of air.

*Gasp*

Ranma-onna broke the surface, and moved tiredly to the
hard, packed land. She looked up, and saw a pitying
face regarding her behind his flashlight.

�Oh, Ms. Customer, why you go and do that? You fall
into very cursed spring, where young girl drown
there-�

�Yeah, yeah�I know, I know��

Ranma-onna climbed out of the pool, and shook the
water off her body. She asked the guide for some hot
water, who had it in his hand in preparation for the
newly cursed victim. 

Ranma-onna sighed wearily, and poured the hot water
over herself, involuntarily flinching as she prepared
for searing pain that accompanied the change to spread
through her body like a disease. But unlike the times
when she�d felt her real-, no, her _former_, body
emerge from the enlarged breasts and hips, nothing
happened. No tingling as her bones shifted and cells
repositioned themselves, no instant dye-job for her
hair. There was just a short body with curves, crowned
with a halo of fiery red.

The Guide blinked several times, and then remembered
where he�d seen this particular victim before. �I
remember you, Ms. �er� Mr. Customer! Why you go _do_
that? You miss spring of drowned man??�

A resigned sigh answered him. �No, I had to do this,
it was a matter of honor. And there�s no way for me to
be cured now, is there?�

A sad shake of the Guide's head gave Ranma-onna her
answer.

�Good. Then the temptation won�t be there.� Ranma-onna
paused, and thought of something. �Why were there
rainbow colors in the spring when I was cursed this
time? I don�t remember them from the last time...�

�Oh Mr. Customer, this is very, very, _very_ rare, but
you two-times cursed. Your body take all the form of
young girl who drown here, and spring with original
curse taken by person needs a form, so it take
original form of tragic victim��

Shocked, Ranma-onna said, �You mean�?�

The Guide nodded. 

Ranma-onna looked down into the pool she�d just
emerged from and saw a haunted mirror, one that
reflected the face of a man that she�d banished
forever and yet, like so many other times in his young
life, just would not die. 

The spring of drowned Ranma-otoko.

She jumped back in surprise.
AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGG!!!!!!!!! WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO TO
END THIS?!?!?!�

She calmed down as the Guide looked on in terror. With
breaths deep, she spoke softly, almost no sound at all
in comparison to her yelling. �I can�t let this thing
exist. There�d be so much damn confusion if someone
were to take my male-form, and I�m sure as hell not
letting anyone else have my old body, confusion or
not! Who knows, the cursed person might get my martial
arts abilities! NO one is gonna have that kinda power
but ME!!�

With that, she grabbed the Guide in her arms and
hopped then both up to a cliff framing the valley.
�You�re staying here, Guide, until I blow that damn
spring up. I�m not about to get you cursed too.�
Without waiting for an answer, Ranma-onna jumped down
to the spring again, took a deep breath, and backed
away a safe distance from the spring.

�MOUKO TAKABISHA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!�

The attack was aimed at the heart of the pool, as if
to pierce the heart of the person whose form was
trapped there. Ranma-onna laughed as she released the
blast, at the irony of it all. <Akane _really_
k-killed herself, and I�m doing that too, in a
way...I�m killing myself, the person I was�.> She
paused for a second, before screaming her goodbye to
the man she once was. �Rest in peace Saotome Ranma!!!!
Long live Saotome Ranko!!!!!!�

As the waves of water splashed over the ground, Ranko
looked with a stone face. It was done, and there was
nothing left to do to fulfill her second vow. <Akane,
now I just have to live for you�without you�forever�oh
kami�>

Ranko jumped up, her tears falling to merge with the
pools below, and retrieved the Guide, who looked at
her in awe. �Mr. Cust-�

�Shhh��, she silenced him, barely daring to speak. She
took a deep breath, and continued shakily. �Don�t ask.
Now, where�s the Naniichuan?� 

�But Mr. Customer, it won�t hel-!�

She said tiredly, �I know. Just tell me which it
is�please?�

As they jumped down into the valley to find the panda,
pig and duck�s cure, it was painfully obvious that a
chapter of Ranko's life had just ended, and that she
must move on. But she didn�t think about the future
ones, those that she had no clue of, except to know
that they belonged to Ranko, not Ranma, and that they
would be without Akane. A simple future? Anything but�
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

*"Passion" by the Nixons is copyrighted and used
without permission. I've said it before and I'll 
say it again--please don't sue�it would be futile,
believe me.*





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