To reply, post publically or e-mail the author at <karaohki@snet.net>
Enjoy!

The FFML Refugee List

Hi, the only major change is Akane's nightmare.

Enjoy.

June




A Change of Scene, Chapters 91-93
by June "KaraOhki" Geraci (karaohki@snet.net)

May 28, 2001

Ranma 1/2 and its characters were borrowed from
Rumiko Takahashi.  This story was written for
noncommercial purposes only.

-----


Chapter 91

Ryoga sat on the floor of his room, a newspaper in
one hand and a glass of milk in the other.  The
pile of unread papers beside him was finally lower
than the pile of read ones.  His mother always
saved the Sunday paper for him when he was
"traveling," as she termed it, and the pile had
grown quite a lot.

He was opening up another paper when his mother
came into the room with a plate of cookies.

"Thanks, Mom."

"I thought you might like a break," she replied.

Ryoga had a cookie halfway to his mouth when his
eyes took in the picture on the page in front of
him.  Then the cookie dropped from his fingers and
landed on the floor.  Ryoga didn't notice.  His
mother did, and walked around him to see what he
was looking at.  Her son's eyes seemed to be fixed
on a photograph.

"Do you know those people, dear?"

"Yes."

Mrs. Hibiki took another look.  The page was
entitled "Weddings," and the picture her son was
focused on was labeled "Saotome/Tendo."

"And?" she prompted.

"I met Ranma in junior high, and Akane later.  He -
she - well..."  Ryoga cleared his throat and tried
again.  "I liked her a lot."

Mrs. Hibiki smiled.  "Only liked, dear?  I get the
idea it was more than that."

Her son grew even more agitated.
"Well...yeah...but she was already engaged to
Ranma!  And he didn't deserve her!"

"What makes you say that?"

"He was such a jerk!  He never treated her right!"

"Then why did she marry him?"

"Well, it was an arranged marriage, Mom.  Their
fathers planned it before they were born, and - "
Ryoga knew that his mother wouldn't believe him
before he finished talking.

"Is that so?"

"Well, no.  Akane loves him.  He - he loves her
too, and um..."

"Yes?"

Ryoga sighed.  "He's not as much of a jerk as he
used to be."

Mrs. Hibiki nodded.  "I see.  He grew up, then.
Have you?"

"Mom?"

"Think about it, Son."  She rose as she spoke,
leaving Ryoga alone with his thoughts.

Five minutes later she was back.

"What was the name of that girl again?  Was it
Akari?

"No.  It was Akane."

"Then who is Akari?  She calls every couple of days
looking for you."

*****

"Akane, aren't you getting up?"  Ranma was
surprised when Akane pulled the quilt over her head
and whimpered.  "You okay?"

"No."

"You gonna stay home today?"

Instead of replying Akane threw back the quilts and
fled into the bathroom, where Ranma could hear her
being very ill.  He stood outside the door
listening to the sound of Akane running the water
in the sink, wondering if he should go inside.  He
had his hand on the doorknob when it turned and
Akane emerged.  She was very pale and seemed
unsteady on her feet.

"Hey, watch it!" Ranma cried as Akane swayed and
bumped into the doorframe.  He caught her and
carried her back to their futon, but never got a
chance to tuck her in.  Akane put her hand over her
mouth and waved her other hand frantically.  He ran
back to the bathroom just in time.

*****

Akane rinsed out her mouth for the second time and
stood trembling at the sink.  Ranma tried to pick
her up again but she shook her head, instead taking
his arm.

"I can walk."

She leaned on Ranma and made it back to the
bedroom, where she watched her husband pace back
and forth.  It was making her dizzy.  Akane was
about to complain when Ranma stopped and knelt down
next to her.

"We gotta get to the clinic."

"What?"

"You know - you gotta see if - "  He pointed at the
bathroom.  "I don't understand how you could be - I
thought we were being careful!"

As understanding came to Akane, she experienced
another wave of nausea.  Ranma reached for her but
she waved him away.

"Not that careful.  What about when we were in
Nerima?  You know - that time on the dojo floor?"

This time it was Ranma who turned pale.  "Oh, boy."

Ranma helped Akane dress and carried her
downstairs.

"Are you sure you don't want me to call a taxi?"

"The fresh air will do me good.  Put me down, I can
walk."

"Nope."

"Ranma!"

The only reply Akane got was a short laugh from her
husband as he broke into a run.  She gasped and
held onto him tightly as the movement made her
dizzy and a little bit nauseous, and she was very
grateful when he slowed down and entered the
clinic.

Ranma set Akane on her feet and walked her to the
desk.  Although the waiting room seemed rather
crowded it wasn't long before Akane was brought
into an examining room.  Ranma followed, and the
nurse objected.

"Sir, you'll have to stay in the waiting room."

"But - "

Akane grabbed Ranma's arm.  "Please.  I want my
husband to stay with me."

Once Akane explained her symptoms the nurse took
her away to run a few tests.  When she returned,
Ranma was pacing around the examining room.

"You okay?"

"I still feel sick."

"When will they know?"

"Soon."

Ranma waved at the examining table.  "You should
lie down.  The doctor came in while you were out
and he said he'd be right back."

Akane curled up on the examining table, and Ranma
covered her with a blanket.  He put his hand on her
cheek and Akane saw his expression change.  His
hand moved to her forehead, and then he touched her
forehead with his lips.

"You're hot.  You weren't hot before."

Within five minutes Akane was shivering, and Ranma
put another blanket over her.

"You're getting hotter.  Where is that doctor?"

As he spoke the door opened.  Akane was relieved to
see the doctor enter.  He went right up to her and
smiled reassuringly.

"Sorry for the delay, Mrs. Saotome.  I was waiting
for the results of your tests."

"Yes?"

"You're not pregnant."

Akane felt relieved, yet extremely sad, and to her
embarrassment she began to cry.  She also felt
miserably ill.  The doctor had her sit up, and
began to examine her.

"Don't cry.  Let's see what's wrong."  The doctor
took Akane's temperature and blood pressure, and
examined her carefully.  Ranma stood to one side,
watching everything the doctor did.

"Does this hurt?  Yes?  How about here?"  The
doctor put the blankets back around Akane and made
a couple of notes.

"You've got the flu."

Akane was very surprised.  "I do?  But I had the
flu shot, and so did Ranma!"

"That's not surprising.  A new strain came out, and
it's going right through the campus."

*****

Ten minutes later Ranma was walking Akane back
across campus.  He was carrying a small bag, which
contained medicine for the body aches that had
already started to affect his wife, as well as
syrup to relieve the nausea.

"You're sure you want to walk?"

Akane nodded.  "I got really dizzy when you carried
me.  I'll make it."

By the time they got home and up the stairs to
their apartment Akane was drenched in sweat and
totally exhausted.  Ranma undressed her, gave her
the medicine, and tucked her into bed.  As he did,
Ranma saw Akane looking at the clock.

"You should go to class."

"No way.  I'm not leaving you when you're this
sick."

"I'll be okay!"

"Be quiet and go to sleep."

When Akane didn't hit him but instead closed her
eyes, Ranma knew that she had to be extremely sick.
He watched her for a few minutes and then went into
the kitchen to get some breakfast for himself.
Once he had it ready he turned the radio on and sat
down.  The campus station was giving the morning
news, which included a short announcement.

"Campus administration reports that the clinic is
overrun with students suffering from the flu.
Classes have been temporarily suspended, and
students are asked to stay in their dormitories or
apartments and to avoid congregating together in
large groups.  If you have flu symptoms, please
seek medical assistance promptly."

"Heh.  I guess I'm not missing class after all."
He took a bite of his breakfast and made a face.
"Ew.  This tastes awful."

*****

Akane dreamed.

She was running through thick mist.  Her bare feet
hurt as she stumbled over the uneven ground,
forcing her to slow down.

"Ranma?  RANMA?"

Her voice dried up in her throat, making what
should have been a shout turn into a whisper.
"Where are you?" she whimpered.

She tried to run again, but her legs felt leaden.
She forced herself to take another step, but
instead of touching the ground she began to float.
The mist cleared.

Below her was a green field, with a figure lying in
the center of it.  She floated down and hovered
over it.

Ranma lay there, sightless blue eyes staring up
from a face whiter than chalk.  She tried to reach
down to touch him, but her flailing arms just made
her float higher.

Then she saw that Ranma was not alone.  She lay
beside him,  just as white, just as still,  just as
dead.

"NO!"  Akane sat up, gasping for air.  Her hand
touched something hot, and she realized Ranma was
asleep beside her.  He was flushed and sweaty, and
she gently placed her palm against his forehead to
find that he was burning up.

"Oh, wonderful," she muttered.  "Both of us."  Then
the rapidly-fading dream made her shudder.  "At
least we're still alive."  Her stomach turned over
and she struggled to her feet, wondering how she
could be so nauseous when she hadn't eaten a thing
since the night before.

She dragged herself to the bathroom, and then into
the kitchen for more medication.  She was running a
pitcher of water when Ranma emerged from the
bedroom, looking rather green.  He headed straight
for the bathroom and Akane could hear him being
sick.  She had the nausea medicine ready for him
when he came out.

"Thank you.  The doctor gave us twice as much
medicine 'cause he said I was gonna catch this.
Good thing he did."

"Good thing you didn't listen to me and go to
class."

Ranma shrugged.  "Couldn't.  So many students are
sick that they cancelled classes."

"I need to go back to bed."  Akane picked up the
tray she had prepared.  It held a pitcher of water,
a couple of glasses, and some fresh fruit.  Ranma
took it from her and they returned to the bedroom.

A few minutes later, they were asleep.

*****

Things went from bad to worse.  Neither of them
could tolerate the fruit, and the canned broth they
tried next didn't stay down either.  The couple
decided to just sleep, but sleep evaded them
because of the body aches they were experiencing.
After a while they fell asleep from exhaustion.

Ranma slowly came to consciousness.  There wasn't a
bone in his body that wasn't aching, and the last
thing he wanted to do was move, but the sound of
whimpering beside him made him open his eyes and
sit up.  Akane was curled up in a fetal position,
murmuring something he couldn't understand.

"Akane?"

Akane whimpered again, and Ranma bent closer to
listen to her.

"Ranma?  Ranma!"

"I'm right here!"

The whimpering continued, and then Akane opened her
eyes.  She didn't seem to see Ranma, and she
continued to call him.  He felt her forehead, and
it was much hotter than it had been earlier.  Ranma
took Akane into his arms and tried to comfort her,
but she began thrashing around and calling his
name.

"Ranma!"

"Akane!  Wake up!  I'm here!"

His delirious wife didn't hear him.  Ranma lay
Akane back down and crawled out of the futon.  He
rummaged through the bureau drawers and found a
sweatshirt and sweat pants.  Then he went into the
kitchen for some cool water, a sponge, and a towel.
Ranma then removed his wife's nightgown, not
without some difficulty.  Akane continued calling
him, and hampered his efforts to get the sweat-
soaked nightgown off.  Then when he attempted to
give her a sponge bath she fought him furiously,
calling for him the entire time.

"Damn it, Akane!  I'm right here!"

The only response he got was wailing.  Ranma
persisted until he'd managed to cool Akane off a
little bit, and then he wrestled her into the
sweatshirt and pants.  By the time he was done the
two of them were exhausted, and he lay down and
gathered his wife into his arms.  She whimpered a
little bit but soon settled down, holding him
tightly.

"It'll be okay, sweetheart.  Just rest."

*****

Ucchan's was nearly empty, and the few people there
talked about nothing but how sick all of their
friends were.  Ukyo was able to handle all of the
orders on her own, which was good because Konatsu
had gone up to his room complaining of a headache.

Once the last customer left, Ukyo hung up the
"closed" sign and cleaned up the grill and counter.
Then she headed upstairs to check on Konatsu.

She found him wrapped up in every blanket
available, coughing violently, and looking
positively miserable.

"You need to get to the doctor," Ukyo said as she
knelt down to feel his forehead.

"No.  I don't want to be a bother," Konatsu began,
but he didn't say anything further because a large
spatula materialized in Ukyo's hand.

"Did I give you a choice?"

*****

Akane opened one eye and squinted at the sunlight.
Then she looked at the clock.  Her eyes opened
fully and she crawled out of the futon and went
into the kitchen.  She looked up a number and made
a phone call.

"Hello.  Mr. Nagata please."

"Speaking.  May I help you?"

"Good afternoon.  This is Akane Saotome.  I wanted
to let you know that Ranma won't be able to come to
work.  He has the flu."

"I'm not surprised, Mrs. Saotome.  Half the people
in the department are out.  Tell him not to come
back until he's up to it.  Does he have a bad
case?"

"Yes, he has a very high fever."

There was a slight pause before Mr. Nagata spoke
again.  "You don't sound very well yourself."

"We both have it."

The next phone call was to the day care center,
which was in the process of being shut down until
the flu crisis ended.  Akane hung up the phone and
for the first time noticed what she was wearing.

[These are Ranma's.]  Then Akane saw the bowl of
water, towel, and sponge on the kitchen counter,
and concluded that Ranma must have been trying to
get her fever down.  Funny that she couldn't
remember his doing so.

Akane didn't take the thought any further because
she became aware of a faint voice from the next
room.  It was calling her name.

She found Ranma tossing around in the futon and
knelt down to feel his head.  It was a lot hotter
than hers.

"Ranma?  I'm right here."

Evidently Ranma heard her because she found herself
in a grip that would have been impossible to escape
from if Ranma hadn't been so ill.  When Akane
wriggled out of his grasp and got up he protested.

"I'll be right back!"

Akane refilled the bowl and found sweats for Ranma.
He had gone to bed in his shorts and a t-shirt, and
they were soaked.  Over his protests, she got him
out of them and gave him a sponge bath.

"Don't complain!  You did it for me, and I'm doing
it for you!"

"Uncute tomboy," Ranma muttered, and Akane ignored
it.  It had to be the fever talking.  She had never
seen Ranma so ill before, not even when Happosai
had given him his cold.

She got Ranma to cooperate with her long enough to
get him into the fresh clothes, and covered him
while she went after their medicine.  Once they
were medicated again, she crawled into his arms and
tried to sleep.

*****

"I said to stop calling!"  Tatewaki slammed the
phone down and then disconnected it.  "She doesn't
give up, does she?"

His wife smiled.  "Did you think she would?  I knew
Kodachi didn't like me, but I had no idea how deep
it went.  What was her problem this time?

Tatewaki chuckled, making Nabiki wonder what he was
up to.  "Kodachi's in Nerima.  She went home to get
the family register so I couldn't have your name
added to it."

Nabiki stopped smiling.  How could her husband be
taking this so lightly?  "And?"

Her husband left the room, and came back with a
large book.  "She couldn't find it, because I took
it when I decided to ask you to marry me."  He
handed the book to Nabiki.  "You are its caretaker
now.  Go ahead and record our marriage."

Nabiki opened the book, glancing briefly at the
records in it, and noting how many years they went
back.  Her husband's family line was impressive
indeed.  Then she made a new entry in it.  Tatewaki
stood behind her and watched, one hand resting on
her shoulder.

"You haven't told your family of our marriage yet.
Isn't it time we did?"

"I think so.  Would you like to take a trip to Ube?
I'd like to tell Akane and Ranma first."  Nabiki
stood as she spoke, and moved into her husband's
arms.

"I'll call Ranma and tell him we're coming, then."

"No."  Nabiki stood on her toes and kissed her
husband's cheek.  "I want to surprise them."

*****

Ryoga bundled up the newspapers and carried them
downstairs for disposal.  His mother was in the
kitchen, preparing dinner.

"Mom, did Akari leave her number?"

Mrs. Hibiki handed Ryoga a small stack of notes.
"More times than I can count."

Ryoga began to look through the notes.  He couldn't
believe how many times Akari had called him.  That
made him feel very guilty.  He put his hand on the
phone and it began to ring.

"Hello, Hibiki residence."  Ryoga's eyes went wide,
and his mother just smiled at him.  She knew.

"Akari?  I was just about to call you!"




Chapter 92

Shampoo looked up from the stove and saw Shiro
standing in the doorway.  He was leaning heavily on
the doorframe, and looked positively miserable.

"Why are you out of bed, Husband?"

"I need something to drink."

"You should have called me."  Shampoo pushed her
husband into a chair and poured him a glass of
juice.  "Why aren't you sleeping?"

Shiro just shrugged, and sipped the juice.  "I hurt
too much.  Feels like all my bones are broken."

"When you - "  Shampoo grimaced and corrected
herself.  "When did you take your last pills?"  She
glanced over at the notes she'd attached to the
refrigerator.  "Six hours.  Time for more."  She
got Shiro his medicine, and walked him back to bed.
"Go to sleep.  The soup I am making will be ready
for lunch, and maybe it will make you feel better."

"Oh, no.  Lunch!"

"What?"  Shampoo looked very confused.  "What is
wrong with lunch?"

"Remember?  We invited Ranma and Akane to lunch
today!"

"Go to sleep.  I will call them and explain."

*****

Ranma sat on the bathroom floor shivering.  He had
dragged himself out of bed to be sick, and was
trying to motivate himself enough to get off the
floor and back into bed.  It almost seemed like too
much trouble.  Then the phone rang, and the sound
of it went right through him.  That was enough to
get him off the floor and into the kitchen.

"Hello?"

"Hello Ranma!  Airen sick!"

"I ain't your - "  Ranma cut himself off abruptly.
"Shiro's sick?"

"Yes.  Very sick with flu.  So it would not be a
good idea to have lunch with us today."

"Lunch?  I forgot!"  Ranma pulled a chair closer to
the phone and collapsed into it.  "We couldn't have
come anyway.  I have the flu, and Akane does too."

"You too?  I am only one without flu?"

"Yeah.  Guess so."

"I am making soup for Shiro, to make him feel
better.  Will bring some for you and Akane."

"Shampoo?  Don't bother, really.  Shampoo?  Damn,
she's already gone."

"Ranma?  Who was that?"

"Shampoo.  Shiro has the flu, too."  Ranma poured
Akane a glass of juice, returned to the bedroom,
and handed it to her.  She took the glass and
looked at it suspiciously.

"I hope I can keep this down.  Come lie down,
Ranma.  You look awful."

"Thanks.  So do you."  Ranma ignored the face Akane
made at him and crawled back into the futon.  "On
top of that, we're getting company.  Shampoo said
she's bringing soup."

Akane sipped some juice and put it down.  "Tell her
not to bother."

"I did.  When did she EVER listen to ME?"  Ranma
waited for Akane to hit him, but instead she lay
down and buried herself in the blankets.

"Never.  I guess we're stuck."

*****

A young couple exited the Ube train station.

"Do you think we should find a hotel first, or go
see Akane first?"

"Let us go see your sister first.  Perhaps she or
Ranma can recommend a place to stay."

The newly married pair strolled through town hand
in hand, paying more attention to their
surroundings than they had on their previous visit.

"Don't you think it's a little quiet?" Nabiki
commented.

"Quiet?" replied her husband.

"There aren't enough people out on the streets.
Where are all the students?"

"I don't know.  That is quite unusual."

At that point the pair reached the house.  They
rang the doorbell, but got no answer.

"Do you think they're in class?" asked Nabiki.

"I don't know."  Tatewaki tried looking through the
window in the porch door, and jumped back slightly
when it began to open and an old woman came out.

"Hello.  What can I do for you?"

Nabiki smiled.  "Hello.  You must be Mrs. Takai.  I
am Nabiki Kuno, Akane's sister, and this is my
husband, Tatewaki.  I guess Akane isn't home."

"I believe she is.  She and Ranma haven't left the
house for a couple of days."

Nabiki suppressed a giggle.  Mrs. Takai kept close
tabs on who went in and out of her house.  "Then I
wonder why they didn't answer the bell.  Do you
think we should go up and knock?"

Mrs. Takai nodded, and led the way up the stairs.
She stopped halfway up, looking rather worried.  "I
certainly hope they're not sick.  So many of our
young people have the flu."

*****

Akane opened her eyes and listened.  Was that a
knock?  She took Ranma by the arm and shook him
gently.

"Ranma?  I think someone's at the door."

"It's gotta be Shampoo.  You want me to get up?"

"Can you make it?"

"Yeah, I'd better.  Otherwise she'll just come
THROUGH the door."

*****

Nabiki listened for signs of life inside the
apartment, and prepared to knock again.  Then she
heard the sound of approaching footsteps, and the
door opened.  Ranma stood there, looking positively
awful.  He was pale, unshaven, and had shadows
under his eyes.  He also looked extremely
irritated.

"Shampoo!  I thought I told - Nabiki?"

"That's me.  You look like hell, Ranma."

"Yeah.  Nice to see you too."  Ranma glanced up at
Kuno, looked momentarily confused, and then
shrugged.  "Come on in."

"I'll be going downstairs now," said Mrs. Takai,
and she retreated.

Tatewaki entered the apartment behind Nabiki, put
down his and Nabiki's bags, and closed the door.
"Is Akane sick as well?"

"Yes.  She's trying to sleep."  Ranma paused and
looked toward the bedroom.  "She's got it really
bad.  I'm worried about her."

Nabiki reached out and felt Ranma's forehead. "What
about you?  Shouldn't you be in bed?"

Ranma pushed Nabiki's hand away.  "I WAS in bed!"
he snapped.  "But somebody knocked at the door!"

"Ranma?" a weak call from the other room saved
Ranma from a slap.  Nabiki forgave her brother-in-
law very quickly when she saw his expression change
from annoyance to concern before he hurried into
the bedroom.

*****

Akane shivered.  Why was she so cold when her fever
was so high?  And where was Ranma?  Surely he must
have let Shampoo in by now.

"Ranma?"

"Coming!"

Akane got up on one elbow as Ranma re-entered the
bedroom.  He looked more than a little rattled.

"Is something wrong?"

"We have company."

*****

"Cured?"

Ryoga nodded emphatically.  "Cured."

"That's amazing!  You must be so happy!"  Akari put
down her teacup and reached across the table to
grasp Ryoga's hand.  "What are you going to do
now?"

"To start?  I'm going back to school."  Ryoga
paused, and looked slightly embarrassed.  "That is,
if you can help me."

"Oh, Ryoga!  I'd do anything for you!"

That was enough to cause Ryoga to go beet red and
make him completely incoherent for quite some time.
When he finally came to himself Akari was still
sitting there smiling at him.

"You really meant that?"

Akari nodded.

"I want to go back to school, but I can't get there
on my own.  Would you - would you walk me there,
and walk me home?"

"Of course I will!"

Ryoga looked down at their linked hands.  Perhaps
his life was finally getting better.  No more
curse, a chance to finish school, and a pretty girl
who cared for him.

Yes.  Life definitely looked better.

*****

"Company?  You let somebody IN?"

Nabiki heard the annoyance in her sister's tone and
was heading for the bedroom when Akane came flying
out and nearly knocked her over in her haste to get
to the bathroom.  Ranma started in after her, but
Nabiki put her hand on his arm.

"Go back to bed.  I'll take care of her."

"You sure?  She's not too easy to get along with
right now."

Nabiki just laughed.  "I know.  Akane can be bitchy
when she doesn't feel well.  Go lie down."

"Thanks."

Ranma disappeared into the bedroom, and Nabiki
opened the bathroom door and went inside.

*****

Tatewaki watched as his wife walked into the
bathroom and closed the door, leaving him alone in
the kitchen.  He hesitated momentarily before
opening the bedroom door.  Ranma was just crawling
into the futon.  He waved one arm at him in a
dismissive way.

"Sorry, Kuno.  It's not a good time for company."

"I can see that, Ranma.  Is there anything I can do
for you?"

"I don't think so.  Shampoo's supposed to be
bringing us some soup.  I hope we can eat it."

Tatewaki frowned.  "You cannot eat?"

"Neither of us can.  Everything makes us - "  Ranma
didn't finish his sentence, and seemed to be
staring intently at Kuno.

"Is something wrong?"

"What's that on your hand?"

Tatewaki held up his hand and looked at it.  "I
don't see anything."

"Your LEFT hand!"

"Oh!  Are you referring to my wedding band?"

Ranma sat up and put his head in his hands.  "Don't
tell me you're my brother-in-law.  Don't tell me."

It was no more than Tatewaki had expected.  After
all, there had never been anything approaching a
friendship between the two men.  It was time to
make the attempt to change that.  He came forward
into the room and knelt down beside the futon.

"I was afraid of this, and yet I cannot blame you.
Our past is regrettable, yet I would hope we could
put it behind us and leave it there."  As he spoke,
Tatewaki held out his hand.

Ranma looked at the proffered hand for just a few
seconds, and it was impossible for Tatewaki to
guess what was going through his brother-in-law's
mind.  Then Ranma reached out and grasped Kuno's
forearm.

"Welcome to the family."

Tatewaki allowed himself to breathe.  "Thank you."

*****

A pair of arms encircled Akane and helped her off
the floor - arms that weren't Ranma's.

"Shampoo, don't - "

"What makes you think I'm Shampoo?"

Akane whirled around.  "Sis?"

Nabiki smiled at her.  "I told Ranma he looked like
hell.  You're a matched pair."

Akane burst into tears, and Nabiki looked stricken.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"  She turned Akane to the
sink and helped her wash her face.  "I had NO idea
you were that sick!"

Moments later Akane found herself seated at the
kitchen table, watching her sister prepare a pot of
tea.  "How long have the two of you been like
this?"

"I lost track.  Two days, maybe?  I really don't
know."

"Well we're not going home until the two of you are
better, and that's that!"

"We?  Who else is here?"

Nabiki held up her left hand and waggled her
diamonds in front of her sister's face.  "My
husband, that's who!"

Akane stared.  There was only one person who could
afford jewelry that expensive.  She began laughing,
but it came out more like a strangled shriek.

*****

The sound of knocking brought Ukyo out of a light
doze.  She had been sitting beside Konatsu's futon,
watching him sleep, when her weariness overtook
her.

[Stupid people!  Can't they see the CLOSED sign?]
Ukyo decided to ignore the knocking, but it soon
began again.  She dragged herself off the floor and
made her way downstairs, muttering angrily.  When
she saw who was standing at the door it didn't
improve her mood.  Genma backed up a step or two
when she opened the door and glared at him.

"You'd better have a damn good reason for being
here!"

"I do.  Will you give me a chance to tell you?"

Genma's humble response shocked Ukyo so much that
she opened the door wide enough for him to enter.

"Tell me later.  Konatsu's sick and I've been
taking care of him."  Ukyo started to close the
door but a customer put his hand on it.

"Are you opening up?"

"Go ahead, Ukyo.  I'll take care of Konatsu."

Ukyo hesitated.  Every day the shop stayed closed
she lost money, and she'd already spent a lot on
Konatsu's medication.

"Sure.  Come on in."

*****

"Mom, where are you going?"

"Shopping.  Your father is coming home tonight, and
I want to make him something special."

"You've got to be kidding, Mom!  Dad never shows up
when he's expected, and if you go shopping you
won't come back for weeks!"

Mrs. Hibiki just laughed.  "I don't get lost
anymore, dear.  Neither does your father."

"You WHAT?  HOW?"

Ryoga's mother picked up her purse and walked to
the door.  "I'm not sure, but I think it has
something to do with getting older.  I remember
your grandparents didn't get lost much when they
got to be my age.  Are you coming with me?"

"Just don't let go of my hand, Mom!"





Chapter 93

"Akane!"  Ranma came charging out of the bedroom,
followed closely by Tatewaki.  "What's going on?
Why are you crying?"

"I'm not!  I'm laughing!"  Ranma stared at his wife
as she went into a fit of uncontrolled giggling.

"What's funny?  These two getting married?"  Ranma
noted that his new brother-in-law looked rather
hurt.  "I kinda like it!"

"So do I!  But I was SO sure Nabiki would have a
big, fancy wedding.  Especially after what she said
before our wedding."  Akane gasped, and put both
hands over her mouth.

"What did she say?" demanded Ranma.

Akane just sat there and looked at Nabiki.

"Go ahead and tell him, Sis.  It's too late now."

"Well.when Nabiki found out we were getting
married, she tried to talk me into having a bigger
wedding.  She said we'd get better gifts."

To Ranma's amazement, Tatewaki began to laugh.  His
laughter was infectious, and soon everyone in the
room began to laugh.  Unfortunately, laughing had a
bad effect on Ranma, and he hastily started to push
past his brother-in-law, who was blocking the
bathroom door.  He didn't make it.

Tatewaki looked down at the mess all over himself
and the floor and back at Ranma, who wanted to die
of embarrassment.

"I am certain you have wanted to do that for
years."

Akane and Nabiki nearly died laughing.  So did
Tatewaki.

*****

Ryoga followed his mother around the marketplace,
trying hard to resist the urge to hang onto her
like a little kid.  She seemed so sure of herself,
and he was scared to death that he would lose her.
He was extremely relieved when his mother finished
shopping and walked him back home.

"What time is Dad coming?"

"He should be here in time for dinner."  Ryoga's
mother looked up from her cutting board and smiled
at him.  "Would you like to invite your young lady
to join us?  I'm sure your father would like to
meet her."

"S-sure!"  Ryoga tried to cover his nervousness
with a smile.  All he could think of was the time
he had Akane and Akari in the house at the same
time.  If his father ever found out about
that."I'll call and invite her."

"The phone is that way, dear."

"Oh."

Akari was as enthusiastic about Ryoga's invitation
to dinner as she had been about the prospect of
walking him to school.  She asked him three times
if there was anything she could bring, and he hung
up feeling a little dazed.  There had been so many
changes in his life that he didn't quite know how
to handle them.  His curse was gone, he was home
safe with his mother, and he had a girlfriend of
his very own.  Somehow, Ryoga couldn't help feeling
that it might be too much of a good thing.

*****

Genma placed a cool cloth on Konatsu's head, and
pulled the covers up to the young man's chin.
Konatsu shivered, and mumbled Ukyo's name.

"She's downstairs, Son.  She'll be up to see you
later."

Konatsu didn't reply, and Genma got up to stretch
his legs.  He had been sitting beside Konatsu's bed
for hours, caring for him.  It reminded him of a
time many years ago when Ranma was ill and he cared
for him through a very high fever.  He wondered how
his son and daughter-in-law were.  Would they even
want to see him?  Genma pushed the thought aside.
He would wait until Konatsu was well before he
tried to see his son.  He didn't want to bring the
flu to him.

"How's he doing?"  Genma jumped.  Ukyo had come up
the stairs so quietly that he hadn't heard her.

"Sleeping.  His fever is still pretty high."

"I just locked up.  Are you hungry?"

"A little."

Ukyo smiled a tight little smile.  "I'm sure it's
more than that.  Come on downstairs and I'll fix
something for both of us.  Then you're going to
explain to me why you're here."

*****

Shampoo smiled at Mrs. Takai when she opened the
porch door.  "Hello!  I have soup for my friends.
They are sick."

"I know they are, dear.  Akane's sister is
upstairs."  Mrs. Takai stepped aside and waved at
the staircase.  "Go ahead up."

The young woman hurried up the stairs, wondering
which of Akane's sisters was there.  When she got
to the top she was trying to figure out how to
knock on the door without putting down the pot she
was carrying when it opened and someone very
unexpected emerged.  Tatewaki stopped just short of
bumping into Shampoo.  She noted that he looked
rather harried, and a little damp.

"What you--I mean--what are you doing here?"

Tatewaki opened the door wider and waved Shampoo
inside.  "I will let my wife explain that.  Pardon
me, but I have errands to run."  Shampoo simply
gaped at him as he walked past her and down the
stairs.

The sight that greeted her when she walked inside
made her mouth drop open wider.  Nabiki was leaning
out the kitchen window hanging clothes on the line,
the washer was chugging away on what was evidently
another load, and Ranma was sitting at the kitchen
table with Akane in his lap.  The two of them were
wrapped in a blanket, and Akane had her eyes closed
as she leaned against her husband.

Shampoo kicked the apartment door shut.  "Why are
you out of bed?"

Akane opened her eyes and smiled weakly at her
friend.  "Nabiki mentioned that our bedroom smelled
funny, so I told her if she thought so she should
wash the sheets for us.  She's going to wash the
blankets, too."

Nabiki made a face.  "Me and my big mouth.  How was
I to know you guys didn't have any spare blankets?"
She turned to Shampoo and shrugged.  "I had to send
my husband out to buy more, plus he's getting us
something to sleep in.  I can't leave these two
until they're better."

Ranma scowled at his sister-in-law.  "I told you,
we can take care of ourselves!"

"Of course you can.  That's why you haven't eaten
in two days."

That was too much for Shampoo.  She laughed
uncontrollably as she placed the soup on the stove
and turned on the gas.  "Nabiki will be very good
nurse!  Will scold you until you are better."  Then
she stopped giggling and gestured at the pot.
"This will help.  Husband had some and it did not
come back up again.  He is sleeping now."

"I don't think I can handle it."  Shampoo looked at
Ranma indignantly but it didn't seem to work on
him.  "Honestly.  Even the smell is--"  The rest of
the sentence went unfinished because Ranma stood
up, placed Akane in the chair, and disappeared into
the bathroom.  Retching sounds soon followed.  A
short time later Ranma returned.  He looked pale
and exhausted, and was soon sitting at the table
holding Akane's hand.

"I don't understand.  There's nothing in me to come
up!"

"That is why you need the soup!"

"If I say yes, will you at least stop talking?  My
head hurts!"

Shampoo suppressed a grin.  Ranma was still easy to
manipulate.  "Of course."

*****

Ukyo toyed with her teacup, avoiding Genma's eyes.
He had stumbled through his story very slowly,
sometimes unable to complete his sentences.  It was
painfully obvious how embarrassed he was, and she
didn't know what to say.

"So you see," Genma concluded, "my wife had her
reasons for what she did, but that still doesn't
make it right.  She hurt you, and she hurt my son
and Akane.  She also hurt herself."  He sighed, and
put his head in his hands.  "I don't know if I can
ever make it right.  I told No-chan I would try.
In the meantime I intend to pay my debt to you.  I
still owe you."

"Ranma said the same thing," Ukyo murmured.  Then
she laughed softly.  "That's funny, you know.  The
two of you want to pay me back, and all I really
care about is that I didn't lose him.  He's still
my friend."  Tears unexpectedly filled her eyes,
and she reached for a napkin to dry them.  "I don't
know what I would have done if.if he--"

Ukyo suddenly found her hand gripped in one of
Genma's large ones.  "He didn't."

*****

Mrs. Hibiki hovered over Ryoga.

"Would you like some more, dear?"

"No thanks, Mom.  I'm stuffed!"

Mrs. Hibiki beamed at her family.  The table was
piled high with so many of their favorite dishes
that some of them were virtually untouched.

"I'll bring the dessert in."

Akari waited for Mrs. Hibiki to leave before she
whispered in Ryoga's ear.  "Do you eat like this
ALL the time?"

Ryoga grinned.  "Only when we can find the table."

Akari was still laughing when Mrs. Hibiki emerged
from the kitchen with dessert.  She looked
curiously at her husband, but he just shrugged.

After dinner, Akari walked Ryoga to the school,
where he signed up for classes and picked up his
books.  They were silent nearly all the way back
home.  It was impossible for Ryoga to tell what
Akari was thinking.  He wished that he had some
sort of clue.  Girls were such a mystery to him.

"Here we are."  Akari's quiet statement made Ryoga
jump. Then he realized that they were indeed back
at his home.

"Th-thank you.  I'm sorry I'm putting you to all
this trouble for me.  I -"

Akari's finger was on Ryoga's lips, preventing him
from going further.  "It's not any trouble at all."
She paused, and Ryoga could see her blush in the
dim light cast from the street lamps.  "It's a good
excuse, you see."

"An excuse?"

"To see you more often."

"Oh.  Good."  Ryoga half turned away.  "I'll see
you tomorrow, then."

Akari didn't move.  Ryoga felt himself drawn back,
and stared at her.  She wasn't saying anything, and
she wasn't doing anything, but there was some sort
of invitation in her eyes.  He gulped, and set the
books down on the front steps.

Ryoga hesitated still, and the look in Akari's eyes
changed.  He could feel a sort of crackling in the
air between them, and then he recognized the look.
It was the same sort of look Ranma had when he was
ready for a fight, or Ukyo had when she was about
to swing at someone with her spatula.  It even
reminded him of the way Akane would look at Ranma
when she wanted him to eat something she'd prepared
for him.

Challenge.  It was a challenge.  So, Akari was
challenging him?  No one would ever be able to say
that a Hibiki would back down from one.

Without hesitation, he stepped forward and took
Akari in his arms.

*****

Shampoo tiptoed into the bedroom and went to
Shiro's side.  He was still sound asleep.  She put
her lips to his forehead, and smiled to find that
his fever had gone down.  Her therapeutic soup was
very effective.

Shiro stirred, opened his eyes, and smiled at
Shampoo.  "Hi.  I thought you were going to see
Ranma and Akane."

"I did."

"How long have I been sleeping?"  Shiro sat up and
looked at the window.

"A couple of hours.  You want something to eat?"

"Yes.  A little more soup, please."

*****

"She owes me, you know.  They both owe me," Nabiki
groused, as she and Tatewaki fixed up Ranma and
Akane's futon with fresh sheets and blankets.  The
other couple was in the shower, freshening up.

"I don't believe you mean that."

"Damn it, I can't fool you, can I?"  Nabiki
straightened up and kissed her husband's cheek.
"It's just that this isn't what I had planned for
the next few days.  This was supposed to be an
extension of our honeymoon!"

"I'll take you away the next time we have a break
from classes.  Right now we're needed here."

The sound of the shower stopped, and soon Nabiki
could hear the voices of her sister and her husband
as they dressed.

"They sound a little bit better.  I wonder what
Shampoo puts in that soup of hers."

Tatewaki frowned thoughtfully.  "Perhaps it is best
that she didn't tell us.  It is effective, and that
is sufficient."

"It's also good."

Shampoo had insisted that Nabiki and Tatewaki also
have some soup.  "Will keep flu away from you!" had
been her words, and that had been enough to make
them sit down and serve themselves.  Neither of
them wanted the flu.

The bathroom door opened and Ranma and Akane
emerged.  They both still looked pale, but there
was something about them that made the Kunos
certain that they were on the mend.  Nabiki stepped
to one side and gestured at the futon.

"Back in bed, both of you!"

"Bossy woman," muttered Ranma, but the twinkle in
his eye took the sting out of his words.  The pair
was soon tucked in, and sound asleep.


--------------------------------------------------
www.karaohki.com
--------------------------------------------------
     You could turn this way,
I'm also lonely
     this autumn evening

Basho

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
                     desaix@sysnet.net
Sir Desaix, member # 116 of the Knights of the True Fiancee           
              anime  fanfics available at 
  http://www.geocities.com/zednik.geo/fanfics.htm

	     .---Anime/Manga Fanfiction Mailing List----.
             | Administrators - ffml-admins@anifics.com |
             | Unsubscribing - ffml-request@anifics.com |
             |     Put 'unsubscribe' in the subject     |
             `---- http://ffml.anifics.com/faq.txt -----'