First off, this is the second version of the third chapter of my story, To
Know Pain.  I haven't posted any other chapters on the FFML, but if you want
to see them, they're at www.fanfiction.net under the pen name Depraved
Sociopath.  Just FYI, and all.
The third chapter that is on FF.net is the original chapter 3.
I like C&C.  It makes me very happy.

++++++

Again, none of this is legally mine.  You should know that by now.

++++++

Ranma stepped through the door to the Tendo home.  She was shivering.  For
some reason, she was very, very cold.  That didn�t bother her much, though.
What she was worried about was the filth that saturated her to the very
bone.

She needed a bath.

She moved to the bathroom and entered, closing the door quietly behind her.
Gods, she was dirty.  She�d have to spend an extra long time in the bath.  

The girl quietly stripped and entered the bathroom proper, again talking
special care not to wake anyone when she closed the door.  She was so dirty.
And cold.  So very cold.  

Ranma found a bar of soap and proceeded to get into the tub before even
filling it up.  Screw washing first.  Besides, she was so dirty that it
wouldn�t even work.  She had to soak for a long time to loosen the dirt.
Not to mention the fact that she was so very, very cold.

The young Saotome turned on the how water, not even bothering to turn on the
cold.  After a few moments, the then-male Ranma started to work at his legs
with the soap as steam filled the bathroom.  God, he was dirty.

+++

Kasumi stared at the ceiling.  She hadn�t been able to sleep, and her
alternatives were severely limited.  She couldn�t watch TV for fear of
waking someone up; besides, there wasn�t anything good on that late at
night.  She couldn�t read, because she had no books with which to do so.
She couldn�t�well, she couldn�t do anything that wasn�t staring at the
ceiling, really.  

Maybe a glass of water?  It was worth a shot, at least.

As she walked down the stairs, Kasumi became aware of water running
somewhere in the house.  Odd.  No one should have been awake.

The sound appeared to be coming from the bathroom.  Who could have been
taking a bath so late at night? 

Stepping into the changing room, Kasumi softly called, �Hello?�  When no
answer came, she shrugged to herself and walked towards the door to the
actual bathroom.  Someone must have left the water running after they had
bathed that evening.  Why hadn�t anyone noticed it before, though?  No
matter.  There was no use in fretting about the past.  She snorted to
herself.  The story of her life.

When Kasumi entered the bathroom proper, she had to bite back a scream.
Ranma was in the bathtub, the water running, but he wasn�t awake, nor was he
okay.  The water was red with his blood, and his head lolled dangerously
close to the water in which he sat.

The woman with long, brown hair hauled Ranma out of the bathtub and turned
off the water.  Ranma didn�t look too good.  She had to do something.  He
was going to die if she didn�t do something.  Able to think of nothing else,
she grabbed a bathrobe off of a nearby shelf, placed it on Ranma and pressed
lightly, hopefully inhibiting the blood flow somewhat.  Kasumi had no
illusions about the situation; Ranma was going to bleed to death if she
didn�t do something.

She ran out of the house, hoping against hope that Dr. Tofu was awake.

+++

Kasumi ran through the darkened streets of Nerima, winding her way towards
Dr. Tofu�s office.  As her bare feet slapped hard against the pavement, she
felt a familiar surge of emotion: helplessness.  Ranma was lying on the
bathroom floor, bleeding, and she knew for a fact that the flimsy bathrobe
she had laid atop Ranma to help staunch the blood flow would do no good.
The only thing Kasumi could do was run to get Dr. Tofu.  And run she did.
Despite the sinking feeling in her stomach and the well of tears threatening
to spill over at any moment, the eldest Tendo sister ran as fast as her legs
would carry her.  She was not going to let Ranma die.

The girl reached the good doctor�s office and tried to open the door.  It
was locked, of course, so she proceeded to bang loudly on the door.
�Doctor!  Hello, Doctor!!�  The pounding and screaming echoed through the
silent streets, giving the sounds an eerie quality and heightening Kasumi�s
fear.  �Please, open up!  Ranma needs help!�

Suddenly, the door opened.  There stood Dr. Tofu, wearing only a dark pair
of pants and his glasses.  �Hello?� he said, not a hint of fatigue in his
voice.  

Then he saw who it was.

Before Kasumi could even form a sentence in her mind, Tofu was stammering,
�K-K-K-K-Kasumi!  What b-brings you here?�  

�Ranma�s been hurt!  I need you to come with me!� Kasumi all but screamed.

�Well, we can�t have that, can we?� said Tofu.  He turned around and went
back into his office, leaving Kasumi to hyperventilate by the front door.  A
few moments later, the good Doctor returned, carrying a picnic basket.
�Let�s go!� he said.  �We�ve got to save Akane!�

Kasumi swore.  Of course Tofu would be crazy.  He was always that way when
Kasumi was around.  �No, Doctor, it�s Ranma!  And that�s not your bag!�

�It�s not?� the man asked, glancing down at the picnic basket in his hand.
�What is it, then?�

�Never mind what it is, just go get your bag!�  Kasumi felt a tear slide
down her face.  They wouldn�t make it if they didn�t hurry.  

Tofu, of course, returned with his suitcase and said, �Okay, where�s
Nabiki?�

Kasumi�s hand shot out and struck Tofu�s face with enough force to turn his
head.  �Damn it, Tofu, we don�t have time for this!  Ranma is bleeding to
death!�  Her face was contorted in anger, and her cheeks were covered with
tears.  �Pull your shit together and go help him!  If you don�t, he�ll die!�
Kasumi began to sob, her shoulders heaving and her hands covering her face.


Tofu was shocked out of his Kasumi-induced stupor.  He calmly looked to the
sobbing girl.  He then looked to his glasses, which had fallen to the ground
with Kasumi�s slap.  He looked to his suitcase.  What had he been doing?
Why did he always act like that around Kasumi?  Emotions were such confusing
things - especially around the eldest Tendo girl.  Tofu swore under his
breath.  How could he let his emotions mess with him like that when a life
hung in the balance?  Never again.  Never, ever again.

Kasumi turned when she felt a hand on her shoulder.  Her eyes met Dr. Tofu�s
through his now beat-up glasses.  �Where is Ranma?�

+++

Ranma woke up and opened his eyes.  He saw an unfamiliar ceiling.  He tried
to sit up, but pain shot through his entire body, so he decided to stop.
Lying down was just fine with him.  He did turn his head, though, so he
could see where he was and what he looked like.  The pain that had
accompanied his efforts to sit up apparently had cousins in his neck and
head, but they weren�t as strong as their kin, so Ranma was able to turn his
head far enough to see bandages covering his entire body and Kasumi sleeping
in a chair by the head of his bed.  At least no one could see his hideous
body.  Was his face covered, too?  He painfully turned his head to the left
so he could gaze into the mirror opposite him.  The window next to the
mirror showed the pre-dawn sky lightening to a dark gray.  The sun would be
up soon.  He shifted his focus to the reflective surface.  No, his face was
fine.  A bit pale, but fine.  Not that paleness was anything to worry about,
either; he wasn�t attractive in the first place.  He looked back to Kasumi.
Behind the Tendo girl, he could see what looked to be Dr. Tofu�s office.
Strange.  How did he get here?  The last thing he remembered was being in
the bath, washing himself raw.  Oh, no.  Had Kasumi found him and taken him
to Dr. Tofu?  Had she carried him here, getting all of his dirt onto her
self?  He hoped not; Kasumi wouldn�t understand the fact that the dirt was
really under the top layers of skin.  She would probably have overreacted.
Damn it, he couldn�t even clean himself without messing someone else�s life
up, could he?  God, he was so worthless.  Had Dr. Tofu examined him?  Had he
gotten dirty, too?  Two people dirtied by his own carelessness.  Why did he
always screw up like that?  There was so much he could have done to ensure
that nothing bad happened to anyone else, but had he done that?  No, of
course not - he was careless and stupid.  What a complete waste of flesh.
He turned his head to the left in order to see what else was in the room.
He saw an IV bag with blood in it that appeared to be connected to his left
arm, and one filled with water connected to the tube running from the first,
but other than that, the room was sparsely decorated.

Ranma felt something stir to his right and turned his head to see what it
was.  His neck felt stiff, as if it were swollen.  It was probably the germs
in his system.  He still needed a bath.  Before he could see what was
stirring, he heard a familiar voice.  �Ranma?� it softly asked.  He saw
Kasumi�s red, puffy eyes, and wondered why she had been crying.  �Oh, thank
God you�re okay, Ranma.�  Kasumi made it seem that she was actually glad
that Ranma was okay.  Yeah, right.  It�s not like he was worth sympathy.  He
was just a piece of gum on the bottom of Kasumi�s boot, and they both knew
it.  Still, it was nice of Kasumi to lie to him in order to make him feel
better, even if he could see through it.  As Kasumi started to cry, Ranma
wished she would stop with the charade.  The crying was a bit much.
Besides, the lies were getting kind of old.  He really wished people would
start treating him like the piece of dog meat that he was instead of lying
to his face all the time.  �Don�t you ever scare me like that again, Ranma,�
he heard the girl sob.  Great.  She was pissed.  Just great.  She probably
carried him here, too.  Geez, he was such an asshole.  Making her carry him
all this way.  What the hell was wrong with him?  Not only that, but she�d
been tainted by his dirt; Dr. Tofu had probably been soiled, too.  Why did
Ranma always have to mess things up?  Whatever the reason, Ranma had to
apologize.  He wouldn�t feel right if he didn�t apologize.  He lifted his
arm slowly and painfully, pantomiming writing.  How easy it would have been
had he been able to speak.  

Kasumi was so relieved to see Ranma awake that her tears wouldn�t stop.
Even as she handed him the pad of paper and the pen, she had tears running
down her face.  She waited patiently for Ranma to finish writing, wiping her
eyes and willing the tears to stop.  Finally, the Saotome boy held up the
pad, which said �I�m sorry for bothering you.  I didn�t mean to make you go
to all of this trouble.�  Kasumi replied, �Ranma, what are you talking
about?  I found you unconscious and bleeding in the bathtub.  What was I
supposed to do, let you bleed to death?  It was the only thing I could do to
bring you here and get you treated.  Don�t apologize.�  A few moments later
Ranma held up his reply.  �You should have let me die.  I wouldn�t be
bothering you, then.  If you touched me, you should bathe.  I�m unclean.�

Kasumi was speechless.  Silence hung in the air as the girl�s tears were
renewed in strength by the Saotome boy�s statement.  Eventually, she moved
to give Ranma a hug.  There was nothing else she could think to do. 

As she reached for Ranma, he held up his hands in a gesture for her to stop.
He quickly scribbled out something onto the piece of paper he had been
writing on before.  �Don�t touch me.�  The Tendo girl was shocked.
�Wha�why, Ranma?�  His reply read �I�m dirty.  Could you please remove my
bandages and help me to the bath?  I need to wash.�  

Kasumi�s only reply was to, after a moment of awkward silence, calmly and
slowly reach for a pressure point on Ranma�s body that would put him to
sleep.  He seemed disturbed as her finger neared, but soon he was asleep,
with the weeping form of Kasumi lying on his chest.

That was how Dr. Tofu found them, almost twenty minutes later.  He stepped
silently next to Kasumi.  �Kasumi?� he asked softly, which caused the girl
to look up.  �How are you doing?�

She looked up at him with huge, tear-filled eyes and choked, �Hold me.�  She
stood and laid her head against Tofu�s chest.  As his arms awkwardly
encircled her, she sobbed, �He�s hurt, Tofu.  He�s hurt so badly.�

Tofu�s arms tightened around Kasumi�s shoulders as the familiar haze of
lovesickness began to overwhelm him, but he mentally shook it off.  Instead,
he said, �I know, Kasumi.  I know.�  

�No,� she whispered in between sobs.  �No, he�s hurt mentally.  It�s a
psychological wound.�

�What do you mean?� asked the Doctor.

Kasumi just cried.

+++

It was about six thirty in the morning.  Kasumi�s �discussion� with Ranma
had occurred almost an hour previously, but she had not talked with Dr. Tofu
yet.  That was partially due to the emotional instability she felt.  In the
last hour she had started crying for no reason six or seven times, and she
didn�t feel up to discussing what Ranma had �said.�  But she knew she had
to.  Dr. Tofu had to know.  He might be able to do something for Ranma.  

Dr. Tofu re-entered the room with two cups of tea and set one down in front
of Kasumi before taking the seat across the table from her.  �Thought you
might like some tea.�

Kasumi�she had to get it over with, or she�d never be able to do it.  �Ranma
woke up earlier.  He spoke with me - metaphorically, of course - and the
things he said disturb me.  First he apologized for bothering me.  He
apologized because he saw my coming here to get you in order that you might
save his life as bothering me.  He described it as �trouble� that I had to
go to in order to save his life.  I replied that there wasn�t really
anything less I could have done except let him bleed to death, and he said
that I should have let him die.�  The girl looked sadly into the Doctor�s
eyes.  �I should have let him die, Tofu.  He�s not even seventeen yet, and
he doesn�t care if he dies.  What kind of kid doesn�t care if he dies at the
age of sixteen?�  Tears were running down Kasumi�s face again, and she wiped
them away with another tissue from the box by her right hand.  

Tofu thought on this new information for a couple of minutes, and then
asked, �Did he say anything else?�

Kasumi delicately sniffed before saying, �Yes.  He kept saying that he was
dirty, and then he asked me to help him to the bathroom.  He said he needed
to wash.� 

Tofu nodded his head once.  �Last night, when I first saw him, I thought the
wounds were strange.  It looked like Ranma had scrubbed his skin clear away.
We now know that�s exactly what happened.�  Kasumi nodded, and Tofu went on.
�Obviously, something happened to him that caused him deep psychological
pain. - he apparently feels dirtied by the experience.�

Kasumi�s face showed concern.  �What do you think happened?�
 
�I don�t know, Kasumi.  I just don�t know.�  He stood up.  �Well, I think
you�d better get home.  The rest of the house will be waking up soon, and it
would be awkward if you were missing.�

�Why?  Because they wouldn�t have breakfast waiting for them like usual?�
she spat.  �Well, screw them!  They can make their own God damn breakfast
this morning!� she screamed, causing Tofu to take a step back.  This wasn�t
the Kasumi he knew.  �I�m not leaving Ranma�s side until he gets better,�
she said quietly, half defiant and half concerned.

Dr. Tofu moved to the girl and laid a hand on her shoulder.  �Are you okay?�
he asked softly.

�No, I�m not okay, Tofu!  Not at all!�  She looked up at him, and for the
first time, he could see the real Kasumi in her eyes.  She had lowered her
defenses, and anyone looking into her eyes could see the emotions that had
previously been hidden by her mask.  �Ever since my mother died, Tofu, I�ve
had to take on the role of the mother for Akane and Nabiki.  Hell, I�ve even
had to play the mother for my own father!  Do you realize how pathetic that
is, Tofu?  Do you have any idea how many times I�ve wished that my dad would
just act like a real father and not like some permanent houseguest, always
hiding behind the newspaper and watching TV?  Too many to count, Doc!
That�s horrible!  A girl should be able to rely on her father for at least
the simple things, like the occasional hug or an encouraging word now and
then!�  Kasumi�s eyes were beginning to fill with tears again, so she shut
them tightly and plowed forward.  �For Akane and Nabiki, I knew they had
bright futures ahead of them, and I wanted to make sure that they could
concentrate on their schoolwork so they could realize their full potential.
But to do that, I had to suppress my own dreams, and that is too steep a
price to pay, Doctor.  I didn�t realize that until too late, but the fact is
that I cannot just give up on my dreams to play mother to my family.  So,
from now on, I say screw them!  They can do their own damn thing, for all I
care!  I�m gonna study to be a doctor, damn it, and that�s that!�   Kasumi�s
face was defiant, but the single tear that ran down her face betrayed the
emotions running beneath the surface. 

The Doctor gently squeezed her shoulder and wiped away the tear.  �That�s
something only you can decide to do, Kasumi.  If you want to do that, go
right ahead.  I�m sure your family would support your decision either way.
But the important thing is to tell them how you feel.  If you don�t, then
they�ll continue to expect you to be what you aren�t, and nothing will get
accomplished.�  Tofu gently pulled on her hand, indicating that she should
stand up.  When she did, he took a step back and smiled at her.  �Kasumi,
whatever you decide to do, I�ll be here to help.  If you need me to talk to
your family for you, I can do that.  I know them well enough.�  Kasumi
smiled slightly at that.  �If you need me to help you study medicine or
anatomy or anything, I�ll be here to help you do that, too.  I�m already a
doctor, and if you need anyone to help you study, just ask.�

Another tear ran down Kasumi�s face, but the smile on her face told Dr. Tofu
that it was not a tear of sadness or bitterness.  �Thank you, Doctor.  And
I�m sorry for yelling at you, but this situation with Ranma has my emotions
running in overdrive.�

The Doctor smiled.  �I understand.  Don�t worry about it.�

Kasumi continued, �But I did mean it when I said that I would like to stay
with Ranma until he�s better.�

Dr. Tofu nodded.  �I understand.  I�ll just call the house sometime today
and tell them what happened, and you ca-�

�No!� insisted Kasumi, interrupting Tofu.  �Do you think that Ranma would
want anyone else to know what happened?  I think not!�

The Doctor held up his hands in a placating manner.  �Alright, you�re right.
I won�t call them.  But they will be wondering where you and Ranma are as
soon as they see that you�re not home, you know, so I will have to tell them
something.�

Kasumi bit her lower lip.  �I know, I know.� The girl smiled apologetically.
�I�m sorry for interrupting like that, but I don�t want anything else to
happen to Ranma if it can be avoided.�

�I understand.  But you do realize that it could be as long as two weeks
before I can allow him to go home, right?�  Kasumi nodded, and Tofu
continued.  �Well, I suppose that I could say that I wanted to study
something about Ranma�s Jusenkyo curse, so I asked him to come and stay for
a while.�  The Doctor and Kasumi both smiled.  �Yes, that would work.  And
you could say that you, being the sweet person that you are,� Kasumi blushed
a bit at that, �wanted to stay with Ranma and make sure that he wasn�t
uncomfortable.  Would that work?�

Kasumi launched herself into Tofu�s arms and gave him a quick kiss on the
cheek, saying, �Thank you, Doctor!�  She pulled back from the blushing and
flustered Tofu.  �Well, I guess I should go back to the house and at least
tell them in person that Ranma and I are going to be gone for a while, so
I�m off.  I�ll see you in about an hour, doctor?�  Tofu nodded dumbly.
�Okay.  Bye!� said Kasumi, smiling a smile that would rot your teeth from
across the room.

As the Tendo girl left the Doctor�s office, Tofu giggled to himself and
walked over to his skeleton, Betty.  �Hello?  May I help you?�

+++

Kasumi was just putting the rice on the table as Akane walked into the
dining room.  �Good morning, Akane!�  The eldest Tendo daughter smiled,
causing Akane to smile, as well.  Kasumi had that effect on people.

�Good morning, Kasumi.�  Akane�s smile was replaced with a worried frown
quickly.  �Have you seen Ranma?  After he didn�t come back last night,
well�I checked his room just now, and he�s not in there, either.  Do you
know anything?�  Her eyes were wide, and her hands were clasped together at
her waist.  She was the quintessence of worry.

Kasumi sighed, forming her words in her mind.  �Ranma�s at Dr. Tofu�s right
now.�  Akane�s eyes shot open, even more so than they had before, and she
rushed out of the room.  �Akane!  Wait!  Let me explain!�  It was too late,
though; the younger woman was already out of the door.  Shit.  Kasumi ran
past a groggy Nabiki, into the street, but there was no sign of Akane.  Shit
and double shit.  

Nabiki walked up behind her older sister.  �Whaz hpnin?� she mumbled
sleepily.

Kasumi frowned.  Damnit!  �Nothing, Nabiki.  Come on back inside.  Breakfast
is ready.�

+++

Akane ran through the streets of Nerima, speeding her way toward Dr. Tofu�s
office.  What had happened?  Had he gotten into a fight with someone?  He
probably would have won, but she hadn�t seen him fight, really, so�what had
happened?  Oh, she hoped he was all right.  She didn�t notice the tears of
worry streaking down her face as she rushed up and into the Doctor�s office.
�Dr. Tofu?� she called out, worriedly.  �Hello?�  She sniffed and wiped at
her eyes.  She hated crying.  It made her feel weak.

�Yes?� came the reply.  �I�ll be right there, please wait a second.�  The
Doctor�s voice was coming from behind a door somewhere toward the back of
the office.  Soon, the door opened, and Tofu walked out, drying his hands on
a white towel.  �Oh!� he said, a bit surprised.  �Hello, Akane.  Shouldn�t
you be at home, getting ready for school?�  

�Where�s Ranma?� she asked anxiously, dabbing at her eyes again.  Lord, she
hoped that Ranma hadn�t done anything rash, like�no, she wasn�t even going
to think about that.  He didn�t�couldn�t�suicide?  Had he�no�NO!  He
couldn�t have!  Ranma�Ranma wouldn�t�would he�?  Damn tears, why wouldn�t
they stop?  She HATED crying!

The man hesitated briefly.  �Akane, I don�t think��

�WHERE IS RANMA?!?� screamed the girl.  �Something happened yesterday,
Doctor, and he didn�t come home last night, and I need to talk to him, and
I�ve been worried, and now I find out that he�s in your care, and�just�where
is he?�  Akane was still crying.  Why couldn�t she stop?

Dr. Tofu was taken aback. THIS was a new development.  The last he had
known, Akane wasn�t too interested in the boy.  Well, that certainly seemed
to have changed.  Tofu sighed.  He couldn�t say no to that sweet, worried
face.  So much for his and Kasumi�s plans.  �Okay, Akane.�  He hoped Ranma
would forgive him.  He moved back to the door he had just vacated and opened
it.  �He�s in here.  Please don�t excite him.  He just woke up, and he�s
kind of��  

The rest of the sentence was cut off as Akane rushed by him and into the
room.  She stopped and gasped as she caught sight of Ranma, completely
covered in bandages.  Oh, Lord, she hated crying so much.  �Ranma!� she
exclaimed as she rushed to his side, stared at him in amazement.  �Ranma!
What happened?�  She looked back to the Doctor, her eyes wide with shock.
�What happened?�

Ranma closed his eyes as Dr. Tofu explained how Kasumi had found him in the
bath.  Of ALL the people he didn�t want to know about this�damn it damn it
DAMN IT!!!!!  His eyes closed, Ranma strained to cry out, to scream in rage
and pain, but his wretched body wasn�t able.  He didn�t want her seeing how
weak he really was!  She already thought he was a freak, and now he had to
go and prove it to her?!?  God, why couldn�t Ranma just die?  It would have
been so much easier had he just died.  Damn it all, he didn�t want Akane�s
pity!  

Akane�s back was to Ranma as she listened to Doctor Tofu�s hypothesis on
what had happened.  He had tried to kill himself?  By washing his skin away?
All of her fears and anxieties about Ranma came crashing into reality, and
Akane could barely stand.  Her knees wobbled, and she swayed as she stood in
front of the Doctor.  Why had Ranma done that?  The raven-haired girl
unsteadily turned to Ranma, not even noticing the fact that she was cutting
Tofu off mid-sentence, and whispered, �Why, Ranma?  What happened?  Why
would you ever do this?�

Ranma�s eyes shot back to Akane at that question.  Why?  Why would he do
that?  What the hell kind of question was that?  He was a dirty freak,
that�s why!  She had said as much to the entire school!  What the hell was
she thinking?  Ignoring the pain accompanied by the movements, Ranma reached
for the pad of paper and the pencil that rested on the table next to his
bed, but Akane reached them first, handed them to the bandaged boy.  He
closed his eyes to stopper the well of tears threatening to spill over.  He
didn�t want her fucking pity.  Slowly, he wrote, trying to minimize the
physical pain of his actions.  After he finished, he gingerly held it out to
Akane, who read it out loud.  ��I�m a dirty freak, Akane.  You should know
that.  You told it to the whole school, after all.��  As soon as those
words, Ranma�s words, left Akane�s mouth, and he saw the look in Akane�s
eyes, he regretted ever penning them down.

Akane�she wanted to cry, she wanted to hit something, she wanted to scream,
she wanted to��Ranma, that�s not what happened at all,� she croaked through
her sobs.  When had she grabbed Ranma?  No matter.  �Ranma, they found out
about our engagement, somehow - I didn�t tell them - and they were saying
horrible things about you!  They were calling you names, and asking
questions about how you looked, and�oh, Ranma, I was going to yell at them,
and scream how they shouldn�t judge someone they don�t know, but then I saw
you leaving, and�and�Ranma, you have to believe me!�  She realized she was
wailing, but she really didn�t care.  She just wanted Ranma to feel better.
�I�m sorry, Ranma!  I�m so, so sorry!�  Her words trailed off into sobs.
Ranma didn�t deserve that kind of hurt!  He didn�t deserve so much pain!

Ranma was crying, too.  Partly because of the pain Akane was causing, but
mostly because of the emotion he was feeling.  He WAS dirty; they both knew
it, but Akane was still apologizing.  She was crying, too!  God, he wanted
to believe her!  She was crying!  He didn�t want to hurt her!  He always
hurt other people, only caring about himself.  Worthless piece of�no, this
was no time for that shit.  Akane�oh, he wished Akane would stop crying for
him.  He didn�t deserve that.  He tried to stop crying, but Akane�s sobs
just brought more tears to his eyes.  He had hurt her, Goddamn it, and she
was blaming herself for it.  Ranma wanted to throw up. 

The Doctor watched with not a little surprise as the events unfolded before
him.  Yes, this certainly was a new development.  �Akane,� he said quietly
as he took the girl by her shoulders and gently pulled her away from Ranma,
�I don�t think you should be grabbing him like that.�  As soon as those
words left his mouth, Akane practically leapt away from Ranma, barreling
into Tofu and knocking him back a couple of steps.  The man shook his head
slightly in amazement, a wry grin twisting his lips.  �The times, they are
a-changin�,� the doctor whispered to himself.

Akane�s arms flew from around Ranma and she hurled herself backward.  Ranma
was in a hospital bed, completely covered in bandages, and she was squeezing
the life out of him?  �Oh, Ranma, I�m sorry, Ranma, I didn�t mean to�I
forgot that�I�are you okay?  Did I hurt you, Ranma?  I�m sorry.  Are you
okay?�  She was babbling, but that wasn�t even concerning her at the time.
She just hoped Ranma wasn�t in too much pain.  Stupid, clumsy Akane, always
fouling up�oh, God, he was crying!  �Ranma��  Was he in that much pain from
her �tender ministrations?�  Probably.  Clumsy oaf.  �Ranma, I�m sorry for
grabbing you like that.�  She could barely make out Ranma�s face through her
own tears.  She wiped at her eyes vainly, trying to clear away the effusion
of wetness there.

Doctor Tofu silently watched.  Akane certainly wasn�t going to grab Ranma
again, and Ranma didn�t look to be in too much pain, so he judged it best if
he left the two fianc�es to themselves.  They probably had some personal
things to talk about.  He quietly slipped out without attracting the notice
of either teen, then walked to the phone to call Kasumi.  She�d have to know
about this.

Akane delicately sniffed and snorted a laugh.  �Ranma, look at us.  We�re
crying like five-year-olds with skinned knees.�  She grabbed a chair from
across the room and pulled it next to the bed.  Before she sat down, though,
she grabbed a box of tissues that was sitting on the table next to Ranma�s
bed and dried her eyes as best she could.  �Here, Ranma, let me help.�  She
reached over and dried his eyes for him, too, then sat back to again dry her
own eyes.  She still hadn�t stopped crying, fully.  �Ranma,� she started,
and then sneezed violently.  

The Saotome boy had just managed to get his tears under control when Akane
dried his eyes for him.  What was she doing?  She was being nice, that�s
what she was doing.  Why?  He didn�t deserve that.  He had just made her
cry!  Maybe it was pity?  Most likely.  She felt sorry for the freak, so she
was trying to help him out, to make his life less hellish.  Like that would
help.  She sat down in the chair that Kasumi had earlier been using and
dried her own eyes again.  Yeah, she just felt sorry for him.  Nothing more.
He wished it were more, though.  He wished that someone would actually want
to be his friend.  But that wouldn�t happen, not with what he looked like.
Not with what he was, and what he had done.  Akane sneezed.  He thought back
to what had almost been friendship with Akane and started to chuckle.  After
a few seconds, he was full out laughing.  Silently laughing at himself, at
his life.  He was so worthless.

Akane wiped her nose, throwing the used tissue toward the wastebasket and
missing.  She�d pick that up later.  When she looked back to the bed-ridden
boy, she saw that he was laughing.  She smiled, too.  She was a bit
embarrassed at sneezing like that, but it WAS funny.  Ranma�s quiet laughter
intensified, and Akane was caught up in it, and started laughing herself.
She couldn�t help it.  It was as much for the situation being funny as it
was for a relief from the tears she had just finished shedding.  Her
therapeutic laughter echoed off the walls of the small room, drifting out
the window and into the street.  When she finally stopped laughing - it must
have been two or three minutes! - she noticed that Ranma was still laughing
just as hard as he had been before, if not harder.  That was good; she liked
seeing Ranma laughing.  It made her smile.  Something about his expression
bothered her, though.  Something wasn�t quite right.  As she peered closer,
she realized that Ranma wasn�t laughing anymore; he was crying!  She hadn�t
been able to discern because of the lack of sound coming from the boy, but
he was crying again!

Ranma sobbed, his eyes closed, his head resting on the pillow.  Worthless.
Completely worthless.  No use at all.  He felt someone - Akane - dry his
cheeks with another tissue, heard her murmur some words she probably thought
were comforting, and he wept.  But he didn�t open his eyes.  He didn�t want
to see the pity on her face.

+++

�Yes, Doctor.  I�ll be right over.�  Kasumi hung up the phone and sighed.
Already, things were going wrong.  It wouldn�t be too long before Nabiki
found out as well, that conniving bitch.  No, that was just the stress
talking.  The girl walked back into the dining room, where Nabiki, Soun, and
Genma were eating breakfast quietly.  �Dr. Tofu asked me to go to his office
for a little bit, so I�m going to head out.  Nabiki, your lunch is in the
kitchen.  I�ll see you after school.  Father, Mr. Saotome, I don�t know how
long I�ll be.  You might want to consider going out to lunch.�  She said all
of that without a smile, which was incredibly strange for the eldest Tendo
sister.  

Nabiki�s semi-conscious state barely allowed her to register what was going
on, but her subconscious filed away everything for later reference.  ��Kay.
Bye, Kasumi.�  Tea.  Tea was good.  Nabiki liked tea.  She filled her cup
for the seventh time that morning, hoping to be conscious by the time school
came around.

Soun frowned and looked up at his daughter and frowned.  This was highly
unusual.  �Is everything all right, Kasumi?�  

Kasumi smirked awkwardly, then nodded.  �Yes, Father; everything is fine.�
She turned and left the room.  A few seconds later, the front door opening
and closing could be heard.  Hmm.  This was definitely strange.  He hadn�t
seen Ranma or Akane since the day before, and now Kasumi was going off to
Dr. Tofu�s?  What was going on?  The gears in Soun�s head began to turn,
ever so slowly.  

Nabiki stood up and drained the last of her tea before exchanging the cup
for her book bag and saying, �I�m off.�  She turned and left the room.

Soun frowned.  What was going on with the children?  Could Akane and Ranma
have�?  �That�s it!� he shouted as he sprang to his feet, tears streaming
down his face.  �Genma!� he exclaimed as he turned to his oldest and dearest
friend, �your son and my daughter have conceived a child!�

Genma frowned.  �How can you be sure?�

�Why else would they both have been missing since yesterday?  Why else would
Kasumi be going over to Dr. Tofu�s office so early in the morning?  It�s
obvious!� he shouted, his face to the heavens.  �Ranma and Akane have had
sex, and have conceived a child!  They went to Dr. Tofu to make sure, and
they want Kasumi�s advice as to what they should do!�

Genma nodded solemnly.  It made all too much sense.  �Oh, happy day!� he
exclaimed as he leapt to his feet and embraced the patriarch of the Tendo
family.


///////////////////////////////////////

AUTHOR�S NOTES:

TKP Ch. 3 version
1.02.13.54.36.12.34.97.93.126.456.153.059.003.007.555.645.378.666.oh, who
cares?
So, yeah, this is the first revision.  I had to cut out some stuff that was
in the first version because the rewrite was a bit longer than the original
version.  Of course, that means that it�ll take that much less time to get
chapter 4 out, right?  ;-)
Anyway, again, C&C is appreciated, and in your case (yeah, I�m talking to
YOU), is demanded.  You WILL C&C this.  Period.
Okay.  That�s pretty much all I have to say.  Thanx.

A Depraved Sociopath with Psychotic Tendencies

Humanity: A Haiku
Tiny floating leaf
Calmly drifting on water
Under mushroom clouds


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