�For every wraith who breaks his
faith
                  Must wander without cease
                  And, cold perform what he did, warm,
                  And never rest in peace.�

	There was no reply.  She floated into the remains of
the cottage to find Shinnosuke sitting on the ground,
staring at what had been the ceiling.   �We have work
to do,� she said coolly.
	�Us?  Work?   Akane, I hate to break this to you, but
you�re dead.�
	Her eyes seemed to pick up light from some unholy
source.    �I broke my vow long ago, Shinnosuke.   I
won�t let that hurt another person, though.�
	�What do you want?� he asked.
	She looked at him, not quite believing what she was
seeing reflected in his eyes.   Even after the
centuries of unlife, Shinnosuke still loved her.  She
wondered why she had never noticed before.  Right now,
though, a sense of urgency gripped her, and she knew
that for once, there was something she could do. 
�We�re going to go guard the East,� she said softly. 
She wouldn�t let Kasumi do it.
	Shinnosuke flinched.   He had never returned to that
land since Ranma had destroyed his body.   He feared
what he would see- that land was still under the sway
of the spell that held so much of the wood captive.  
�I...� he began, then decided to let the words fall
away.  There was no point in objecting.  He would do
whatever Akane wanted him to in the end.
	The two spirits raced through the forest towards the
East.  Akane grew more and more concerned the closer
they got to the edge of Darken Wood.   �Something�s
not right...� she said, more to herself then to
Shinnosuke.   
	He nodded.   �One of us should warn someone,� he said
softly.
	�Who would listen?� Akane asked.   �We need to find
out what exactly is wrong.�
	She pressed onwards, feeling the twisted land cry out
in agony.   Her spirit became more attuned to the
earth, and she looked back, finally realizing what was
threatening the wood.   She looked back and her eyes
met Shinnosuke�s.  He held her look steadily,
understanding.   �Demon,� they whispered in unison. 
And by the feel of it, it was a major demon.  The
mortals patrolling this edge of the wood would have no
chance of stopping it.  Only the Forest Master, Ukyou
or Ryouga would be able to destroy this creature- and
the later two were injured.   She shut her eyes,
trying to make a decision.
	Then she decided, and she felt clean for the first
time since she had told Ranma of her love.   Ranma, we
need you! she telepathed to the Forest Master, calling
on a bond she had denied when she had led Shinnosuke
on a hunt.
	A wave of utter astonishment flashed at her, and she
almost laughed as Ranma reached into her mind to find
out what was wrong.   She felt his concern, then heard
his voice whisper back into her mind. I can�t be
there- but you and Shinnosuke can be, he replied
softly.
	A wave of pure power flooded across the link between
Master and Servant, and Akane gasped, crumpling to the
ground.   She clenched her fist, amazed.   She was
real again!   She looked down at her body, amazed that
she could feel the wind on her body.  It was so
pleasurable to be alive again that she almost lost
herself in the pleasure of physical sensation.   
	Then she felt the heat pick up and she looked up, her
eyes widening in fear.  The demon was approaching, and
she could feel the trees cry their agony as the demon
ripped them out of their soil.   Akane saw flashes of
the creature that towered at least thirty feet high.  
Beside her she could feel Shinnosuke prepare himself
for the battle that they would soon fight.
	After what seemed to be eons (but in reality was no
more then a minute) there was nothing blocking their
site of the abomination.  She looked at it, glad that
she hadn�t had anything to eat in centuries, for if
she had, she would have embarrassed herself.
	Repugnant.  It was a carriture of a huge man, yet she
could feel the evil that seemed to roll of the things
in  wave after revolting wave.   Its sickly white skin
was covered in brilliant postules, and she could see
small slotches on it that were green.   Its eyes,
though, were a brilliant violet, and it was the eyes
that triggered a sense of familiarity.
	She had seen those eyes before.   Only one other
creature had such eyes, but that had been a human. 
Finally the pieces of the puzzle fell into place.  
�Dimanche,� she whispered.
	Shinosuke was preparing for the battle, standing
agressively.   When he heard her whispered the
monster�s name, he studied it carefully, trying to
match it to his now-perfect memories.   �It is...� he
whispered, horrified.
	�I AM!� the creature bellowed at the two warriors who
were the only defense against it.  �So you finally
understand the purpose in my performing the Curse of
the Carrion Wood on your precious Shadow Wood?� he
asked, reading her surface thoughts with ease.
	She did indeed.  �You won�t succeed!  Ranma will
destroy you!� she exclaimed angrily.
	The creature laughed, a sound that mocked everything
that was right and pure.  �Like he did last time?  
Remember, it was I who killed him... without me, he
never would have been the Forrest Master!  Now events
have come full circle... but this time, when Ranma and
I duel, not even the Earth will be able to save him!  
This wood is evil, and thus, answers my call!�
	Shinnosuke had heard enough.   He threw himself
forward, landing on the Creatures mishappened upper
body.   �Forgotten Realm Nullification!� he called,
summoning the energies available to one of the
Servants.   His hands lit with a green aura and he
rapidly stuck the demon in a manner reminiscent of
Ranma�s earliest special attack, the Chestnut Fist.
	The demon roared in rage and flund Shinnosuke from
him, combining the blow with a surge of amazing
magical energies.  Shinosuke hit the ground heavily,
and Akane could tell that bones were broken, and he
probably had internal damage.  
	Now Akane was all that stood between Dimanche and
Shadow Glade, the very heart of the Forrest.  If he
got there, then all would be lost.
	The battle was joined.   Akane and Dimanche threw
attack after attack at each other.   Each time one of
his attacks struck her, she groaned in anguish, her
body wearing down.   Finally Dimanche had her
cornered.
	Akane breathed heavily, one of her lungs punctured.  
Her lips were stained with her own blood, and she
realized that this time, she was going to die for
real.   She shut her eyes, wanting to deny that she
had failed to protect the Wood for the second time.
	Without thinking, her hands raised in unison.  Her
feet shifted so she was balanced lightly, and she felt
the energy begin to flow through her.  �Shi-� she
began softly.
	One of Ryouga�s main charecter traits was depression.
  He had developed an attack based on that, and it was
something to behold.   His power was amazing.  Akane,
though, had something he didn�t- five hundred years of
regret and anger that hadn�t had a release.  She
called on her regret for betrayal, her sadness at
leading Shinosuke along the same path.... �Shi-� her
voice became louder.
	Her memories of Ranma and Ryouga, Kasumi and Ukyou,
and yes, even Shampoo... �HOUKODAN!� she yelled, then
let the power surge through her.
	It was like the sun had exploded; brilliant and
beautiful and deadly.  She was thrown back into the
ground, but it was Dimanche whose fate was the more
terrifying.  He simply ceased to exist- no body,
nothing.
	Akane looked at her battered body, her eyes widening
with wonder.   It seemed her betrayal was forgiven;
she watched as the darkness of the Forest seemed to
melt away, and listened as birdsong filled the Forest
for the first time in centuries.   
	She glanced over at where Shinosuke was, surprised to
see him watching the eastern horizen.  �It�s almost
dawn,� he whispered to her.
	�I think we�ll live to see it,� Akane replied,
crawling painfully over to Shinosuke.   She rested her
head on his chest and listened to his faltering heart
beat.  She had made ammends with Ranma, but now she
needed the forgiveness of the man she had wronged in
the worse possible way- abusing his love for her own
twisted purposes.  �I�m so sorry, Shinosuke,� she
said, hot tears flowing down her face.   
	He seemed to understand.  He tangled his hand in her
hair and caressed her cheek lovingly.  �There�s
nothing to forgive.   I love you.   I always have, and
I will until the end of time.�  His gentle words
caused her to sob even louder, feeling unworthy of his
devotion.  �Hush now,� he said.   �Let�s watch the
sunrise.�
	They lay together, arms wrapped tightly around each
other.   They watched the sunrise as though it was the
first sunrise, and in a way, it was.   As the sun
finally passed the horizen, Akane and Shinosuke shut
their eyes as one, their breath stilled forever.
	An hour later, Kasumi entered the grove, followed by
Ukyou.   The injured warrior stood in shock at the
sight that met her eyes.   �They�re- they�re dead,�
Ukyou whispered.  �Truly dead.�  Her good hand grasped
the spatula that she still wore on her back, as though
Death was an adversary she had to fight.   
	Kasumi walked over to her sister and smiled down
gently at her body.  �Yes, they are,� she asnwered.
	�Damn it!� Ukyou cursed angrily.   �I should have
been here!   Akane wasn�t ready for a battle!�  She
looked at her former friend�s face and was struck by
the peace that was on it.  A tear formed in Ukyou�s
eye and she was about start crying when she felt
Kasumi�s hand on her shoulder.
	�We do not mourn for those who have fulfilled their
destiny,� Kasumi said softly.
	The two woman stood quiet for a moment.
	�Do you know that she recently became obsessed with
that old song that told of the hunt?� Kasumi asked.
	Ukyou shook her head, the chestnut curls flying. 
�Akane and I haven�t been close since the betrayal.�
	The Servants of the Forest Master of Shadow Wood
looked each other in the eye, and of mutual accord
began to sing the final verse together.   Ukyou�s alto
was a beautiful counterpoint to Kasumi�s soaring
soprano.  

                 �And so they shall betray and hunt,
                  Until the day they show
                  That they somehow fulfill the vow
                  They broke so long ago.�

	It was a fitting dirge for their two fallen comrades-
and friends.

***

        	A few months later, the Forest Master
appeared in a glade that could only be found by
creatures with magic in their nature. With their final
death, Ryouga had finally forgiven Akane and Shinosuke
their trecherous actions.   They had redeemed
themselves, almost at the cost of their very souls. 
So Ryouga had buried them in marked graves, out of the
sight of mere mortals.   This was the graveyard of the
Seven Servants, as Shampoo�s and Mousse�s graves lay
slightly beyond.  Ranma walked over to the newer
gravestones after briefly touching Shampoo�s.
        	The Forest Master looked down on the grave of
Shinosuke, the man who had once been his rival.    He
laid a flower on it, and wished him well.
        	Then he turned to Akane's grave.  Fresh
flowers were already laid; Ranma was willing to bet
Kasumi had been the one to place them there.  To this
he added a photo; one of Akane and him back-to-back. 
It had been taken after they managed to defeat the
Dojo Destroyer, working together.  He had never told
her he had kept it, and now wished he had.  Ranma rose
with the grace that had always been his trademark, and
began to sing in a haunting tenor.   The song was an
old one, but he had recently heard new verses added on
and wanted to share them.  He told Akane's story,
mangled though it was.  Finally he came to the new
verses:
                 
                 "The shadows in the woods are plain
                 And mingle now with light;
                 They flow and play with sun by day
                 And dance with moon by night.

                 From Darken Wood has Shadow Wood
                 Been granted its release,
                 Those who were killed in vows
fulfilled
                 Have there been granted peace."

        	No one was there to see the tears that
decorated Ranma's face.   He bent over and kissed the
gravestone.   "Sleep well, beloved," he whispered. 
Then he was gone.
        	

THE END

Notes:  What happened to Ukyou?    This originally was
supposed to be an UKYOU story after all... but after
writing the first draft of part one (and posting it to
the FFML) I realized that it wasn�t working.  Ukyou
didn�t have enough relationships between the key Ranma
characters- why would she feel betrayed by Ryouga
(unless I wrote ANOTHER thread/time period in, which
would distract from the main story)? Why would
Shinnosuke agree to follow her?   Kasumi would talk to
her but not in any special way.... and so forth.   It
became clear that this was an Akane story- after all,
Ranma 1/2 is about Ranma and Akane�s relationship
(growl- and here I am an Ukyou fan!).  Thanks to
everyone who replied to the rough of the first part-
it�s much better now!
If you MST or review this lemme know so I can look
(and laugh!).  I think there�s plenty of MST room for
this, especially for a DRAGONLANCE board of reviewers
(how about Raistlin, Tas, Sturm and Caramon?  Acidic
wit, curiosity, honesty/stick stuck up you-know-where,
and stupidity!) Or even a xover MST....
As for my next project, I have a few things up my long
sleeve- one is "Up Like a Kite, Down Like a Lead
Ballon"- a story of a Ranma with bipolar disorder. I
posted a teaser and the feedback was positive enough
to merit continuing it- it's just very difficult to
write, as it's a topic that strikes close to home.
Then we have VIRGO- a story of Sailor Moon during R-
rather then diverge at the usual point, it takes off
during "Saffir dies!   The Wiseman's Trap!"... it's my
fav, and part one should be out before the time of the
Virgo has past (Sept 22)... the thing is LONG, though!
Enough rambling- I hate long author's notes, but I do
it myself!   Well, at least I admit I'm a hypocrit
(and a lousy speller).

Until Later!
QS 

===
Quicksilver
Lady of the Labyrinth
Full time student and part-time writer
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Capsule/3342/
"Rage, rage against the dying of the light."
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