"A Thousand Words"

By Jivia dae Silna
	A.k.a.
Mark Fritz

Disclaimer:  I don't own Ranma 1/2, Takahashi Rumiko-dono does.

Epilogue
Final Session


	This is an outline, an outline of experience.  Everything must have
parts. 
Everything must be disassembled.  And here are the parts of an
experience.  A world 
that has been torn, darkened, and is painful because of this
experience.  A world with 
one common thread tying it all together: the death of a Mighty Hero.

*-*-*

	Tendo Akane stared at the fading inscription of the marker standing
before 
her.  She read the words to herself like she always did: "Here lies
the shell of a man 
among men."  He hadn't come back.  Not this time.  She angrily swiped
her tears aside.  
She would not lament what was lost; she would not bemoan her loveless
existance.

	She turned around quickly and took that first fateful step away. 
Running away
always dullened the pain.  Akane kept her eyes focused on the ground
before her as she 
took another step away and bumped into her older sister.  She
muttered an apology as 
she walked past Nabiki hastily, her pain momentarily forgotten. 
Akane stopped as she 
felt her sister's light touch on her shoulder.  "I'm sorry."

	It should have been raining.  It should not be so unbearably cheery.
 It was 
too damned sunny.  It was hard to hide tears in the light.  "You
didn't do anything 
Nabiki."

	"I... "

	They both stood there while the delighted squeals of children mocked
their 
solemnity.  The birds sang and the sun shone with relentless cheer. 
"I... I know 
that.  But... but... what the hell do want me to say, Akane?"

	"You don't have to say anything."

	Nabiki sighed heavily and placed another bouquet of flowers on top
of the 
already large pile.  "It's been three years."

	Nabiki's simple statement nettled Akane, it somehow _annoyed_ her. 
Her 
clenched fists quailed at her sides and she counted from ten to one
to calm herself.  
"Drop it."

	"You need to move on."

	"Shut.  Up."

	"Akane, it's been three-"

	The snap of flesh hitting flesh sounded so very hollow.  Nabiki
gingerly 
touched her cheek and winced.  She turned and looked at the bowed
head of her sobbing 
sister.  She had tried being cautious and had, this one time, tried
directness.

	Akane's sobs shook her thin frame.  She kneaded her stinging palm as
her 
tears hit the ground.  She could not, however, knead her stinging
heart.  The pain 
rarely left her alone.  She turned away from her sister and the
source of the pain.  
The hurt faded to a throb as she ran away.

	Nabiki stood there, helpless as ever, and watched her sister run
away from 
her.  The distance was always widening.  Her leaden feet and soul
didn't allow her 
the comfort of closing the cleft.  Always widening.

	"Hello."

	"Hello Kuonji-san."

	Nabiki didn't bother facing Ukyou.  She kept her eyes on the dying. 
A whisper 
of a wind flowed by, rustling the scant leaves on the ground.  The
mundane sounds of 
traffic and the useless chatter of pedestrians filled the air with
buzzing, constant 
sound.  All so very _mundane_.

	"So... how're things?"

	"As good as they can be, Kuonji-san."

	"Oh.  Well... that's good," Ukyou offered lamely.

	 Both women fell silent as small talk had never been either woman's
strong suit.  
Ukyou walked slowly past Nabiki and stopped before the modest marker
and pile of 
flowers.  After a near silent and half-hearted prayer, Ukyou placed
her own bouquet 
atop the other offers of consolation.  She turned and walked away,
stopping right 
behind Nabiki.

	"Goodbye Tendo-san."

	"Goodbye."

*-*-*

This is the epilogue, yes.  It is not, however, the end.  This is
merely how I
want the reader to read it.

Jivia

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
The New Yahoo! Search - Faster. Easier. Bingo.
http://search.yahoo.com

             .---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 -----'