The Moon by Lovelight
(An alternate ending.)
Akane in the Underworld
The characters of the Ranma 1/2 universe are the
creation and possession of the brilliant Rumiko
Takahashi. They belong to Rumiko Takahashi and her
licensees (Shogakukan Inc., Kitty-Fuji TV, Viz
Communications Inc.) No copyright infringement is
intended.
*********************************************
This fanfiction is an alternate ending to the_ Award Winning_
DarkFic
"The Moon by Lovelight" by KazamaJun.
The author has graciously allowed me to provide
an alternate WAFFy ending to her elegant and darkly
poetic original.
*****************************************
KazamaJun's original story and updates of my
fanfiction may be found on:
http://www.iguild.com/homes/kazama/
*******************************
A heartfelt _Thank You_ to everyone
who wrote to us after Anne's automobile
accident. She is doing fine and we have,
finally, replaced the dead Buick.
***************************
Akane in the Underworld
an alternate ending to "The Moon by Lovelight
**************************************************
Springtime. Walking through the cherry trees was like
being lost in a soft pink cloud. Akane turned and smiled at
Ranma just as a gust of wind caught her hat.
Ranma lunged for the hat, which frisked just beyond his
fingertips on the playful wind. Spitting dirt he grimaced as he
heard Akane stifle a laugh. Dammit, he wasn't going to let
some dumb hat beat him. Rolling to his feet he sprinted after
the hat which danced and spun in the morning breeze.
**************************************************
"You lied to me old man!"
"I didn't lie." Happosai cackled. "I just . . ." he paused
in thought. "Oh, hell. I lied." Laughing he bounded around up
the angry Taro. "But Pantyhose is such a cuuuute name"
Happosai patted Taro insultingly on the cheek. "It suits you----
"You bastard. I'll kill you! I'll kill----
"Gotta catch me first boy." Happy danced away from
the enraged boy. "Gotta catch meeeee!"
**************************************************
Laughing at Ranma being beaten by a hat Akane knelt
and scooped up a great arm full of cherry blossoms. It was like
a huge warm snowfall. Soft, pink, fragrant. Spinning like a
dancer she flung the blossoms skyward, just as she had as a
child. Akane watched the spray of blossoms arch across the
sky to fall in a gentle shower over a fuming Ranma who was
glaring at her hat, now hung in a tree branch. He glared back
at her and she giggled as blossoms pelted him in the face.
**************************************************
The splinter of stone pierced his chest with only
a slight sting. Puzzled, Ranma looked down as a single drop
of his hearts blood, no bigger than a pin head, welled up and
vanished in the wind.
"Geeez," he smirked at Taro. "Ya gotta do better than
. . ." suddenly tired he sat down. ". . .that."
How long is a mans life?
"Ranma. Are you okay? Ranma no baka."
He looked up into Akane's worried face.
"Heh. I ain't hurt. This ain't . . .ain't . . ." He leaned
back against the tree as if resting. A single blossom drifted
from the branches to land in his open eye.
How long is a mans life?
And Master Sakyamlini answered his disciples: "Life is
but a breath."
Akane began to tremble, as if drenched in ice water.
Her body burst out with a great sweat and the roaring of a
thousand years filled her ears.
"No," a whisper. Puzzled.
"No." Louder. Disbelief.
Taro reverted to human as a Happo Fire Burst blasted
hot water from the pond over him.
"No." Denial. Her eyes fixed on Taro. Happossai
beside him; locked in their interminable argument. A squirrel
chittered angrily, white clouds drifted lazily through a crisp
blue sky.
"Dammit, old freak. I want my name."
"Now boy, you have to learn not to get so excited . . ."
The roaring increased, her heart thundered in her chest
and a ball of fire filled her belly until she felt she would burst.
The fine hairs on the back of Taro's neck stood up, as
if someone had walked across his grave. He started to turn.
"No." Rage, grief, love, loss . . .all of this and more
roared through Akane like a wildfire and burst forth in that
single whispered denial.
Taro hadn't completed his turn when Akane's Spirit-
Shout hit him like the hammer of god. He didn't even have
time to scream.
It was a beautiful day, Akane thought. A perfect day to
look at the cherry blossoms.
**************************************************
Stupid people, Akane thought angrily. So noisy . . .they
would wake him. Planting a soft kiss on Ranma's forehead she
smoothed the hair from his face. Cold . . .he was cold. Why
was he so cold . . .dimly she was aware of a cloud of white
drifting through the twilight. Snow. It was snowing. That's
why it was so cold.
She cuddled him against her body to warm him.
"Nenneko, Oyama no," Her mother had sung that to
her when she was tired from playing.
"Sleep baby sleep . . ." As the cherry blossoms covered
them in a soft blanket foxes crept, one by one, from the
shadows. As Akane sang softly she could see, Inari the fox
god, stretch forth his hand.
**************************************************
It was beautiful here. It reminded Ranma of some of
the wild places in China, green and sweet smelling The path
beneath his feet was soft and broad.
Dimly he heard singing. Behind him. A lullaby, soft and
sorrowful. He turned . . .but there was no path back.
**************************************************
"Ranma . . ." He was going away. Leaving her . . . the
fox's melted back into the shadows. Finally, Inari turned to
leave.
"NO!"
She struggled against the lethargy that pinned her in
place.
"You can't have him."
Thrashing and gasping she fought to break the invisible
bonds that held her back. "You can't have him----he's MINE!"
Something tore lose deep inside and suddenly she was free to
move. Racing into the shadows after Inari and his children .
"The under lands are not for the living."
. . .she almost ran into the back of the fox god.
"Where's Ranma! What have you done with him?"
The fox god shifted and wavered like smoke. "I have
done nothing with him." Low and soothing the fox gods voice
caressed her like a warm breeze. "He belongs to Emma Dai-O
now." Inari smiled sadly. "But while he was alive he was dear
to me. I did not wish him to pass over alone."
"Ranma is not dead. He's not." Akane was shaking
with anger. "Don't you say that." She grabbed Inari by the
front of his robes. "Don't you EVER say that again."
Inari stood quietly, looking down at the distraught girl.
"Ranma is dead" Inari repeated gently. "Even now he walks
the banks of the River of Three Roads that flows through the
phantom lands. He is in the domain of the Lord of Shadows
and I have no power there."
"That baka," Akane muttered under her breath. "He's
always doing this to me. Okay." She released Inari and stepped
back. "How do I find him?"
"Find . . .him?" Inari seemed faintly amused.
"Ranma! That baka." Angrily she dashed tears from her
eyes. "He did it on purpose . . ."
"I suggest you travel the Sai-no-Kawara." Inari waved
a hand and suddenly Akane was standing on the banks of the
River-of-Souls. Pulled up on the bank was a natari-bune of the
type that had carried passengers along Japanese waterways for
centuries. "I don't know how you'll pay the boatman though."
With a vulpine smile Inari the trickster faded away into
shadow.
"Wha . . ." As Inari vanished, Akane realized two
things. The approaching boatman was an incredibly bent,
tottering ancient. And she was naked.
It was Ranma's fault. She'd pound him for it when she
got him back. If she got him back, a little voice whispered.
_When_, she told the little voice sternly. The baka had lost her
hat in the pond, ruined their first real date and now she was
naked in the after life. He couldn't escape a pounding just by
dying.
The ancient boatman shuffled up to Akane, his bare
feet scuffing the stony soil with a sound like roaches skittering
through dry leaves. Silently he held out his hand, palm up.
Akane was puzzled for a moment, then understanding dawned.
Reflexively her hand went to her pocket . . .
"I . . .I . . .uhhhh . . .I don't have any money with me."
She said unnecessarily.
The boatman remained motionless, hand outstretched.
"Ummmm, can I owe it to you?" Akane smiled sweetly.
Silently the boatman turned and shuffled away.
"Hey!" Akane grabbed the boatman by one bony
shoulder. The next moment found her thrown roughly to the
ground without ever having seen the old man move. Dazed and
sick from the blow she struggled to her feet and limped after
him. "Gomen. But I really need your boat."
The old man stopped and held out his hand.
"I don't have any money." Akane pounded her fist
against her thigh in frustration. "Please, please . . ." Her words
died as the boatman extended one grimy finger and brushed it
across her face.
"What?" She jerked back in revulsion.
Again the old man brushed across her face, his fingers
dry and brittle like a dead insect.
"I don't understand . . ."
A third time the old man touched Akane's face then
tapped his other palm with the finger.
"My . . .eye?" She whispered. "You want my eye for
passage?"
The sunbaked head nodded once.
"I bet I don't even get a lousy bag of peanuts." Akane
looked around, wishing there was something more to look at
than the dirty old man and the black oily water of the river.
"Do it."
Bracing herself she watched the old man's hand get
closer and closer. The nails were thick and ragged, encrusted
with black dirt. She giggled involuntarily at the fingers gently
feathered around her eye like a butterfly's kiss. Suddenly the
fingers stiffened, sliding around her eye like an ice cream
scoop. Screaming, her back arched in agony as the old man
plucked her eye with a wet sucking sound. Dropping to her
knees Akane clasped her hands over the raw wound. The bony
hand tapped her on the shoulder, motioning toward the boat.
Struggling to her feet Akane stumbled after the old man.
There were two of them, the old man at the stern, and
an even older woman, muffled in robes and wearing an
enormous mushroom shaped hat, at the bow. Akane crouched
in the middle of the boat next to a hibachi heaped with glowing
coals. Before they started sculling the old woman had offered a
pipe and tobacco which Akane declined. The warmth of the
hibachi had helped a little and the pain, agonizing at first had
receded to a dull ache, which sharpened whenever the cold
wind blew into the empty socket.
Expertly the two sculled away from the bank.
Rounding a rocky promontory; the little vessel began to rock
as it hit open water. Akane grasped the sides, white knuckled,
looking at the oily water.
"Hammer girl drowns in River-of-Souls. Film at
eleven."
The woman at the bow looked back on hearing
Akane's low mutter. When no more was forthcoming she
turned back to her work. Shifting restlessly Akane felt an
uncomfortable tugging, as if her underwear were bunched.
Since _that_ couldn't be the problem . . .twisting her head
Akane could see a golden cord stretching away from her,
disappearing into the distance. Looking forward she squinted
her remaining eye and could see, faintly, another cord. Red in
color. Frowning she followed it back toward her body where
it-----"eeeeeep!" Blushing furiously she slammed her legs
together, looking around to see if anyone was looking. The old
boatman and boatwoman remained indifferent to everything
except their task. After a moment she relaxed.
"Baka." She frowned, trying to remember stories her
father had told her. A red thread . . .she felt her face heat. At
least it looked like she was headed in the right direction. The
baka should be at the other end. And the gold thread . . .she
couldn't remember . . .but it was behind her. Maybe to show
the way back?
The water was rougher now and the wind moaned as it
churned the ink black sea. A tremendous line of iron cliffs, the
color of old blood towered sheer from the sea, stark and
lonely. Akane huddled in the center of the boat as cold spray
dashed over the low sides. The moaning increased and she
shuddered as she realized it wasn't the wind. River-of-Souls,
she thought sickly. Now she could see them, darting, twisting,
writhing . . . An ocean of souls . . .men, women, children,
infants----born and unborn----animals, insects. Every soul
since the dawn of time until the end of creation. The moaning
became a shrieking, tearing scream of a million, million voices
crying as one. Akane was screaming now, crying and sobbing
with them as she felt their lives and deaths, their sorrow and
joy in a storm of emotion never meant for the living to bear.
Just as she felt her heart would burst in her chest, just as she
was going to throw herself into the churning black depths,
preferring death over madness----.
Peace.
Disbelieving Akane rose from the bottom of the boat
to see they had entered a sheltered cove.
Behind her, prodigious masses of rock rose in
nightmarish shapes, forming a break water against which the
horrible black ocean of souls dashed impotently. The two
ancients continued sculling through an ever narrowing passage,
rocks rising on every side like dragons teeth. There only sound
was the monotonous creaking of the sculls on their wooden
pegs. Even the small waves from their passage lapped
soundlessly against the shore.
A sudden rhythmic pounding startled her. The old
woman was slapping the side of the boat with a smooth, flat
stone.
"What . . . .ummm . . .what is that for?" Akane asked,
not really expecting an answer.
"Ma." Came the unexpected answer as the old woman
spoke the only word Akane had heard form either of them.
Goblins? Akane jerked her head to the rocky shore.
Looking carefully she could see . . .shadows . . .curious and
weird. Movement where there should be none. A feeling of
. . .wrongness about the landscape.
Akane had found a sleeping bunny in the woods as a
little girl . . .she'd _thought_ it was asleep. Until she picked it
up. And the body burst open, spraying her with maggots and
rotten flesh. This place was like that . . .rotten with evil and
ready to burst.
Blue.
Between one eye blink and the next they entered the
most beautiful bay Akane had ever seen. The water was a clear
crystal blue and the beach was covered with silver colored
sand. Above that were soft green hills , overtopped by far blue
mountains. Gasping with relief Akane started to relax in the
bottom of the boat when she realized the old woman was still
beating the stone against the side of the boat.
Slipping silently through the water they entered arched
mouth of a wonderful cavern; a space that was broad, lofty
and filled with a soft radiance that came from everywhere and
nowhere. Looking down through water as clear as air Akane
could see rainbow crystals scattered across the sea bottom.
Unexpectedly they glided under a shower of water cascading
from the caverns roof. Akane felt suddenly refreshed and the
knowledge came to her, from somewhere, that this was O-
chouzubachi . . .the spring of purification . . .where even the
gods must wash before entering the sacred places.
The pounding of the stone in the old woman's hand
was louder now, echoing from the caverns interior like a giant
bell. In another instant the bottom ot the boat grated against a
white sandy beach. Akane hopped out of the boat, cracking her
shins on the side.
"Iteeeeee." Akane fell on the ground, cursing her loss
of depth perception. She could see the old lady's shoulders
shake . . .with laughter? Biting back a rather bad word Akane
sat up, nursing her bruised shins . . .and bruised pride.
"Baka . . .boat . . .ranma . . .never happens . . .pound
. . ." Muttering Akane rose stiffly and turning stumbled over a
pile of small stones. "Iteeeee . . . .toe . . .Ranma . . . fault
. . .baka."
Something flitted past and she turned quickly to see a
. . .child? No, children, hundreds of children, pale and
colorless . . .all around her . . .piling stone on stone. A tiny
shade in ragged clothes of almost a century past stood looking
up at her. Silently the ghost bent and began rebuilding the
tower Akane had destroyed.
"Gomen, gomen," Akane apologized, bending to assist
her. "I'm very sorry. My name's Akane. What's yours?"
Unpausing the small figure continued remaking her pile of
stones. Surreptitiously Akane looked around, watching other
tiny wraiths carrying stones from the waters edge to make
towers of stone; some a single tower only, others two, three or
more.
*Kore wa komoyo no koto narazu,
Shide no yamaji no suso no naru,
Sai-no-Kawara no monogatari . . .*
The gentle song came to her on the breeze.
*Not of this world is the story of sorrow,
The story of the Sai-no-Kawara,
At the roots of the Mountain of Shide . . .*
There was no other sound, no bird sang, no bee drank
from a flower not even the click of stone on stone as each
pitiful tower was built.
*Be not afraid, dears! Be never fearful!
Poor little souls, your lives were brief indeed!*
Akane felt strangely peaceful, as if she were in her
mothers arms again.
*And he folds the skirt of his shining robe about them;*
Lost in the soothing action of building the small tower
Akane didn't notice the shadows.
*So graciously he takes pity on the infants.
Namu Amida Butsu*
A sudden rustle jerked Akane out of her reverie to see
the tiny ghosts scatter like minnows. Twisted, misshapen
shadows danced and capered out of the gloom with a high
pitched chittering . . .the first sound Akane had heard in this
place.
Goblins! They were on her impossibly fast, scattering
the phantom children and their stone towers.
"Oh no you don't," Akane growled as one of the
shadows approached. She planted herself firmly in front of the
little girl . . .which proved to be something of a mistake as the
goblin hit her with the force of a truck. Her ribs cracked, her
flesh burned from the goblins acid touch. Grabbing it Akane
fell back, executing a head slam that would have stunned an
ox. If the ox _had_ a head. Twisting in her arms the goblin
sank it's teeth in her shoulder, ripping her flesh with it's claws.
She couldn't hold . . .it was too strong, too fast. She couldn't
. . . dimly through her pain Akane could see the tiny girl
standing by her little tower of stones. Prayers to the living,
Akane suddenly remembered. Prayers for the girl's mother,
father, . . .
"NO."
Akane grabbed her left wrist in her right hand where
they met in the middle of the monsters back.
"YOU."
With a scream of rage Akane brought her clenched
hands straight back into her chest.
"DON'T!!!"
The goblin collapsed with a crunch, like a roach under
a boot, splattering Akane with oily rancid blood. Coughing and
gagging she dragged herself clear of the twitching carcass.
*This place is not for you.*
Turning weakly Akane could see a towering figure,
clothed in splendor. Jizou, she knew now . . .protector of dead
children . . .myriad small faces peeped from the folds of his
robes where they had sheltered from the goblin attacks. Where
they sheltered every night, she remembered from her father's
stories.
"Martial artists . . .protect . . .the defenseless." She
licked dry lips. "Why . . .why . . ." She waved a hand weakly at
the remaining goblins, demolishing the small stone towers.
They scrupulously avoided the towering figure of Jizou.
"You are not yet able to understand."
"Huh," Akane laughed sourly, wincing as her ribs
protested. "I . . .got . . .got to go." Bowing as neatly as her
ribs allowed Akane started to follow the red thread out of
Jizou's domain.
"Wait." The god produced a cup and handed it to
Akane. "From my fountain," He explained at Akane's quizzical
look.
Akane drank from the cup, remembering the rest of the
story. Jizou's fountain, eternally supplying mothers milk for the
phantom children.
Her ribs still hurt, her eye was still gone . . .but she
wasn't thirsty anymore. The gods just didn't do miracles like they used
to. Returning the cup Akane stepped forward, past Jisou's
domain and . . .
**************************************************
. . .above her was Amida Buddha, floating in glory.
Serene, merciful, compassionate. Far below surged a lake of
blood filled with drowning souls. The shore of the lake was
studded with sword blades, as thickly set as sharks teeth; up
and down the shore demons drove damned souls with hot
irons, spilling their blood on the ground to fill the lake.
Ahead seated on his ebon throne was Emma Dai-O,
Lord of Death and Judge of Souls. On the left a terrified wraith
struggled frantically in the grip of two demons. Sternly they
placed him before Tabari-no-Kagami . . .the mirror of souls. A
landscape appeared-----cliffs, sand, sea with ships in the
distance. Upon the sand lay a dead man; his murderer standing
over him. One of the demons thrust the naked shade forward,
forcing him to recognize the murderers face as his own.
As Akane watched Emma Dai-O raised his staff of
office and, pointing to the left, rapped three times, slowly on
the floor. A huge blood red demon with iron shod feet and the
head of a lion sprang forth and grasped the murderers soul in
his jaws. Screaming in terror the damned soul was carried out
of the throne room. Shaking the shade, like a rat in the jaws of
a lion, the demon spit the screaming soul onto the stones. Other
demons rushed up to play with it, like a cat with a crippled
bird; chasing the frantic shade, pouncing then letting it go.
Tiring of the game three of the smaller demons ripped off the
shades arms and legs, tossing the wailing remains into a pit of
fire. Below goblins could be seen forcing damned souls into
the bodies of rats, snakes and other vermin before thrusting
them screaming into the living world.
Akane came finally to the throne of Emma Dai-O.
Mirume, the woman who sees all, opened The Book of Deeds.
*THE LIVING HAVE NO PLACE HERE.*
Akane stumbled back from the thundering voice.
"I just came to get Ranma. If you could tell me where
to find him?" She asked, bowing politely.
*THE LIVING---- Mirume started again, only to be
interrupted.
"I heard you." Akane said exasperated. "You don't
have to yell." She glared at the hard eyed woman in the blue
robe. "S A O T O M E. Saotome Ranma. Sixteen, about this
high," She held her hand above her head. " Dark hair in a
pigtail." She frowned. "Unless he fell into cold water, then he's
about this high." She dropped her hand several inches. "red
hair and . . .uhhh." She cupped her hands several inches in
front of her own modest bust. "about out to here."
Mirume slowly turned the pages of The Book.
*DEAD IS HE. RETURN TO THE SHABA, THOU
LIVING ONE*
"I know you _THINK_ he's dead," Akane explained
patiently, rubbing her ringing ears. "But it's a mistake. It's my
birthday. I baked a cake and everything and . . ." Whirling, she
clouted a sniggering demon. "I HEARD that! . . .everybody's a
critic," she muttered. " what's a demon know about good cooking
anyway?" She turned back to Mirume. "So, anyway, now that
you know it's all a mistake----
*MISTAKE THERE IS NONE. SAOTOME
RANMA'S DEATH IS RECORDED-----*
"LOOK," Akane was getting a headache. "Ranma is
NOT dead. This is all a mistake. He's been cursed, fought
demons, demigods . . .a stupid fight in the stupid park with a
stupid . . ." She broke off shaking in anger.
"Ranma. Is. NOT. DEAD." She stomped forward until she
was at Mirume's feet, staring up at the towering figure.
"Now, just get him out here. It's getting late and Kasumi
will be worried."
Mirume's eyes narrowed in thought before she came to
a decision.
*TAKE HIM*
Soundlessly a familiar pig-tailed figure appeared before
Akane. With a glad cry she ran to him, shuddering to a stop in
horror as she saw the rotting maggot eaten face and decaying
flesh.
*DEATH HAS CLAIMED HIM. RETURN THOU TO
THE SHABA. THE DEAD MAY NOT EMBRACE THE
LIVING.*
"Oh yeah!" Sobbing Akane grabbed the decaying figure
in a fierce hug. "Ranma's never left me. If he stays, so do I."
*HE MUST BE JUDGED*
"Judged? What do you mean judged?" Ranma vanished
from her arms to reappear in front of The Mirror of Souls.
Almost faster than the eye could follow scene after scene
flashed by.
*IMPIETY . . .VANITY . . .SLOTH . . .*
"He likes to sleep late, is that a sin?"
* . . .IGNORANCE . . .ANGER . . .GREED . . .*
The mirror showed Ranma and his father fighting over
food.
* FILIAL DISRESPECT . . .*
"Disrespect. . .you mean GENMA!" Akane sputtered in
disbelief.
*FOR YOUR SINS GO NOW TO THE KWAKKTO-
JUGOKU AND THERE BURN UNTIL YOUR SINS SHALL
BE EXPIATED*
With a howl of triumph bleeding rat demons seized
Ranma and carried him to a cauldron of boiling metal.
*ART THOU WILLING TO SHARE HIS
PUNISHMENT?*
Ranma's agonized scream was almost drowned out by
Akane's answering shout of denial. She was already in the air,
diving for the spot where she'd last seen Ranma, before Mirume
finished her question.
This is going to hurt, was her last thought before she hit
the molten surface in a clumsy belly flop. Her flesh burst and
boiled . . .her lungs were seared and she screamed soundlessly
as her mouth and tongue burned to ash. Her blind, flailing hand
touched another and she seized it with the last human thought
left to her.
The agony vanished with a suddenness that took her
breath away as Jizou-Sama descended on one side and on the
other appeared Senjiu-Kwannon, goddess of mercy. Together
the two divinities lifted Akane tenderly from the cauldron, her
hand still locked on Ranma's arm.
*THIS . . .IS NOT WRITTEN*
"You may have to do a little editing." Inari's laughing
voice came from the shadows as the fox god made himself
known. "Unless you plan to cut her arm off."
"YOUR SHRINES ARE TOSSED DOWN, YOUR
IMAGES BROKEN AND YOUR FOLLOWERS FEW AND
SCATTERED* Mirume thundered at Inari. *YOU HAVE NO
POWER HERE*
"True, true. Business has been a little slow lately."
Smiling he looked down at Ranma, cradled in Kwannon's arms.
"So much chaos and love of life. He's one of my children,
whether he knows it or not."
*HE HAS BEEN JUDGED*
"You have a problem then. Because I don't think she's
going to let him go."Inari indicated Akane's death grip.
Mirume turned from Inari with a frown.
*WHAT IS YOUR PURPOSE IN THIS*
"She was kind to my little ones." Jizou replied, smiling.
"She is mine," Kwannon stated flatly. The Mirror of
Souls flashed suddenly with images . . .Akane giving food to
two lost girls . . .fighting the Orochi to save Shinnoseke
. . .bringing tea and buns to a shivering Ranma . . .hanging
Sasuke's bedding out to dry . . . image after image of
kindnesses large and small.
*THIS IS NO REASON . . .*
"The deluding passions are inexhaustible, I vow to
destroy them;" Inari chanted softly.
"The Dharma gates are manifold, I vow to know them;"
Mirume frowned at the slender god of foxes.
"The Buddha way is supreme, I vow to master it;"
Inari gave a vulpine smile as he finished softly.
"Sentient beings are numberless, I vow to save them."
Inari tilted his head back to look up at Emma Dai-O. "
She won't leave without him . . .what are you going to do? Kill
her? Kwannon-Sama and Jizou aren't going to let you burn
her, and by extension you cant' burn him . . .let them go. Think
of all the merit she can build keeping him on the straight and
narrow."
Mirume looked at Emma Dai-O, fierce and terrible on
his throne. Some message passed between them for Mirume
bowed to Emma Dai-O, then turned back to The Book.
*IT IS WRITTEN . . .*
**************************************************
The splinter of stone pierced her eye, driving her to her
knees with a burst of agony.
"AKANE!" Ranma ignored the burning pain where the
stone had slashed open his side on its way to . . .
"Akane?" He gathered her in his arms, gently moving
her hands away from her face. There was a hiss of dismay from
behind him as he uncovered the bloody ruin of her eye.
"Quickly, go call an ambulance."
"Shan Pu go fast, great grandmother. You hang in there
Akane."
"You bastard . . ." Ranma's muscles bunched as he
snarled his hate at Taro. "I'll kill-----"
"No," Akane clutched at him with her free hand, the
other still clasped to her face. "No, it's alright . . ."Her voice
took on a wondering tone. Almost laughing she hugged Ranma
to her . "It's alright Ranma. It's really all right . . .now."
**********************************
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