Ranma 1. Prologue

So, here it is! The final installment of the WAT series! I present to you:

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**Fix You**

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If you are new to my stories, please take a moment to read _Without a Trace_, and then _Far Away_, first. Otherwise, you will be as lost as Ryouga when you read this.

If you are not new to my stories, welcome back! I'm glad to see you here, ready for more drama, and to read the conclusion of the life Akane and Ranma began four and a half years ago. Without further ado, here is the beginning of the end :P

**Prologue**

The title of _tribe_ for the Amazons was just a formality for their name. One would think that a tribe would be secluded from the world around them, and most especially, not in tune with technology. The Amazons, however, understood that keeping up with the constantly changing world was of utter importance for keeping their way of life. Without knowing how the world changed around them, they would surely fall victim of global events they would not know of had they not embraced the benefits of technology and its advances.

Keeping up with old friends was another benefit of owning a television and a phone line. In the case of Mousse, a simple VCR made his day better every time he returned home from work at sunset. Shampoo had taken it upon her to make her airen happy by providing a way for him to record his favorite shows while he was out so that he could watch them once he returned home.

This time, however, both Shampoo and Cologne enjoyed the show he had asked her to record for him. The Amazons were not strangers to world tournaments of martial arts, and when they had heard Japan was holding its greatest one ever, they just could not miss the event. Their excitement had increased when they realized that their favorite pigtailed boy was participating in such event, next to his recently recovered fiancée.

Cologne and Shampoo had been first-hand witnesses of the power Akane had acquired over her years in China when they first thought her to be a cursed Kiima. Once they had realized that she was the real deal and had stopped at their village before she left to Japan to meet with Ranma, they had spent some quality time with their once love rival. Time had healed their severed ties, and as Ranma had spent a good time talking to the Matriarch, Akane had done so as well as she shared with them what she had been doing in the past year.

Including, of course, the actions she took to claim Saffron's life.

Shampoo had a difficult time believing that the _violent-girl_ had the guts to end someone's existence on Earth. Cologne, however, did not share her doubts. The leader of the Amazons had years of experience in spotting and training great warriors and martial artists, and she had always known that Akane could match up to Shampoo's rank. All the girl had needed was the proper training, and the unquestionable motivator that was saving the one you loved.

As they watched the product of both equally important elements required in the creation of a worthy opponent, Cologne could not help but wonder when the consequences of Akane's desperate action would begin to show. After Akane had left the Amazon tribe to bring the cure to her fiancée, Cologne had had a lengthy talk with one of the new members of her tribe.

Koruma, along with ten other Phoenix members, had joined the Amazon tribe after the Phoenix tribe split up. Despite his young looks, the Phoenix servant had extensive knowledge of Phoenix customs and magic, so Cologne had befriended him with ease. After Ranma had abandoned the tour guide's cabin, she had made it her personal task to gather the literature that resided within, and brought the books back with her to her tribe.

Many nights had Cologne and Koruma studied the books of Phoenix magic and history, reading the same passages repeatedly, hoping their suspicions were incorrect. The spell that Akane had used to defile Saffron's soul had been a very powerful one, and its practice limited to members of the royal family for a very good reason.

A human could _not_ satisfactorily, and completely, lock-up a soul in limbo. Not the soul of a demigod, at least.

While Akane had played the part of a Phoenix for two years, in reality, the blood that coursed through her veins was not of pure Phoenix origin; it was plain, simple human blood. Successfully wielding nature techniques was one thing; using your human body to filter a demigod's soul in order to send him to oblivion was a completely different animal.

After a year of no incidents, Cologne began believing that perhaps Akane's intentions and will to protect them all had been sufficient to escape the use of the technique, unscathed. Now, however, as she and Shampoo followed her every move on TV, they soon realized their worst fears would soon become a reality. An uncomfortable silence fell upon Shampoo's humble dwellings when the scene on TV showed Akane's final attempt at winning the trainer fight in ART.

_"__**Landling**__, do you really think you can defeat us with that puny technique?" Akane smiled at Shigeru who had already gathered a considerable amount of energy in his hands. He watched her as her eyes had a tint of gold, and her aura began flaring red. Shigeru could only look dumbfounded at her attitude._

At that moment, Shampoo dropped the bowl of food she was holding, sending it crashing down on the floor and breaking into a million pieces. She turned around to see the same look of concern she carried on her face reflected back in her great-grandmother's eyes.

"Did you see that, great-grandmother?" Shampoo asked in fluent Cantonese.

"I did, child. Our prayers have not been heard."

Cologne and Shampoo observed as Akane stood in front of the massive Shi Shi Hokodan without a care in the world. To the innocent bystanders, she was just showing off her skills. To the trained eyes of the Amazon members, Akane was not the _only_ one standing in front of the opposing trainer during that fight. An ethereal force that had reached Earth through her body joined her in her fight. The force was not of a lost relative or Mother Nature in disguise. The force was one to be reckoned with; it was the unmistakable force of a demigod.

A demigod the pigtailed boy and the blue-haired girl thought dead.

"What now, great-grandmother?"

Cologne held tightly onto her staff. They had finally seen the signs of the inevitable happening before their eyes. The lives of the Tendo girl and Cologne's former son-in-law were in danger; grave danger.

"There is only one thing we can do, Xian Pu."

"Are we warning Ranma?"

Cologne ignored her question. She looked up to one of her servants and ordered her to bring Koruma, immediately. If anyone was able to assist the Amazons with determining how much time they had before the Lord took complete control of the Tendo girl, it was Koruma.

"Great-grandma," Shampoo insisted with her last question. "Are we warning Ranma?" she pleaded in her native tongue.

"Not yet, Xian Pu. We need to have a plan to offer him, first. I'm certain he would like to keep his fiancée unharmed."

Shampoo nodded. She did understand. Depending on what stage Saffron's possession of Akane's body was at, the odds of completely extracting him varied greatly. There was only one sure way to prevent Saffron's complete takeover of Akane's body, and based on what they had seen on TV, it was probably too late for that at this point.

"Xian Pu, I want you and Mut Su to train every day now. We will leave for Nerima once we have all the information we need."

Shampoo returned her gaze back to the TV to see Akane carry the defeated trainer off the stage. Her heart clenched when she saw Ranma get on stage, completely unaware of how close he was to the being that had attempted to take his life, four years ago.

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**A/N:** YAY! Shampoo and Cologne are back! And this time, to help Ranma. For those of you who guessed that Akane was possessed by Saffron, I send you virtual cookies. You may wonder why I gave out that clue at the beginning of the story, and that is because it was obvious in the epilogue of Far Away, and because the possession will be the least of Ranma's concerns.


	2. Chapter 1

**UPDATE 2/12/13**

_**I have added more to this chapter as it seemed to flow better with this chapter than the next. I'm sorry for those of you who had already read it and have to come back, but it will make more sense for the story to be here. To make thing easier, please do a ctlr+f search for:**_

_(NEW) xxxXXXxxx (NEW)_

_**This is where the new section starts. The first portions of this chapter remain the same; the only addition is anything after the label listed above.**_

_**Thank you for understanding :D**_

**Chapter 1  
**

Ranma breathed heavily as he completed his morning workout at the recreation center of Tokyo University. Having the dojo responsibilities taken away from him while he attended college left few very reasons to stay in shape, but yet he continued to train. With no fiancées or rivals to chase him down, and no students to train, his only motivator to workout was that it helped him take his mind off _her_.

He powered through the last set of push-ups before he stood up, drenched in sweat. He took off his damp t-shirt and threw it haphazardly inside his gym bag. He then took out a towel and patted the sweat off his body, welcoming the cold air coming from one of the A/C vents. The involuntarily provoking scene was not lost to the eyes of the surrounding female athletes, who had begun to gather near the area where he would usually work out every morning, every day.

_"I can't believe that guy is single," _one of the young women close to him thought to herself. She had been extremely excited to see him move-in to the student dorms by himself, with the only woman close to him being his mother during move-in day. After a few days of following him around, she had gathered the courage to talk to him, eventually trying setting him up to ask her to out on a date. Her efforts had been in vain, however, when the man had flat out rejected her.

_"A guy that hot and single, he must be gay."_

At this juncture, she was not certain if Ranma was gay or not, but he had done some pretty non-gay things to her, at least in her mind. Every single one of her friends was after him since they laid eyes on him, but none had been able to get anything more than a greeting or assistance to carry boxes from him. The woman's thoughts were disturbed when Ranma looked at his watch and realized he had less than an hour to hit the showers and go to his first class of the day, causing the object of her badly behaved imagination to wrap up his workout. He grabbed his belongings and walked out of the premises, earning him every set of present females' eyes to follow his path.

He hit the showers of the recreation center and was out in less than five minutes. He dressed in jeans, tennis shoes and a plain, red t-shirt before exiting the locker rooms. As he made his way out of the building, his eyes caught the sight of a blue-haired head. He instinctively turned to face her, and saw Akane practicing a routine on the balance beam. She had not noticed his presence, so he just stood there, resting his back on the wall and dropping his gym bag on the floor as he admired her form.

Her movements were precise and enclosed by a natural flow. Her eyes displayed her concentration when she jumped high above the balance beam and landed back on it, with no problem at all. She twirled upon it on one foot before performing a hands-free double somersault. She then proceeded to perform a handstand, flexing her legs back to fro, as if dancing upside down. She reached the edge of the beam and prepared for her dismount. She took deep breaths and focused on her task. With a quick leap, she began a combination of complex jumps, somersaults and twirls that lead her high into the air before she landed on her feet, without hesitation, and raised her right arm above her head.

Ranma's admiration of the captain of the female gymnastics team was cut short when a pair of hands clapped for the flawless execution of her routine. Ranma's eyes followed the sound and found himself staring at the captain of the _male_ gymnastics team, Satoshi Nakajima.

Gone were the days of Ranma being the one supporting Akane in her projects and moments of need. After he had left the restaurant at the Tower of Tokyo that night when she ended their engagement –and thus their relationship, he had only seen her when they went home every two weeks to visit the dojo. While the dojo certification process was all squared out, they were required to monitor its progress as often as they could, and had decided to make a personal inspection every couple of weeks.

The ride home was always silent, with Ranma at the wheel of his car, and Akane staring at nothing in particular through the passenger's window. As soon as they would arrive to Nerima, Ranma would stop by the Tendo home to drop off Akane before he went to his own home. They would then spend Saturday sitting at the office of the dojo going over student records and the accounting of their funds.

Before they split up, Ranma had enrolled in the Business program, and Akane had enrolled in the Physical Education program. Ranma did not see the need to obtain a Physical Education degree seeing as he was already well known as a Dojo Master after the ART, and was more concerned about handling the finances of the dojo to keep it afloat. Akane, on the other hand, had chosen Physical Education because she was the one who tended to the injured students at the dojo. After her experience as a trainer, and her sudden loss of interest in performing martial arts herself, she had decided to pursue a career that would teach her how to enhance her students' natural abilities, and learning how the human body developed and evolved while performing sports and athletics, allowing her to expand the use of her physical abilities beyond her father's teachings of the art.

The families had been surprised at the turn of events of their relationship, but had not pushed the subject to prevent more damage than what was already done. They hoped that as long as Ranma and Akane came home very two weeks, and the dojo was registered under both of their names, there was still a possibility of them getting back together and joining the schools as previously arranged.

"_It's just a phase,"_ Nodoka had said. _"Soon they will realize they are better together, and will reestablish their engagement."_

So far, four months after their breakup, they were yet to see things Nodoka's way. Ranma had tried to question Akane about her decision, stating it was irrational for her to just suddenly fall out of love. He had repeatedly asked her to tell him what had bothered her enough that she felt there was no other solution to the problem than to part ways. She always gave him the same response: _"Marrying you is not in my plans."_

How true that statement was, only the Amazons knew for now.

After two months, he had stopped trying to make sense of what had happened between them, and decided that when she was ready to talk, he would be ready to listen –at least for a little while longer; even Ranma Saotome had his limits. He had focused on his studies and maintenance of the dojo, as well as the occasional meeting with Ukyo, which he used to distract himself from his shitty luck. It had been through her that he had learned she and Satoshi were no longer engaged, as his father had broken up the engagement when Ranma defeated Satoshi at the ART. Ukyo had been relieved, and Satoshi had not even bothered to stay around long enough before he began courting Akane. Ranma was not sure if Akane was corresponding to his courting, but they did spend a lot of time together because of their roles in the gymnastics teams of the University. Such thoughts brought him back to reality.

He continued to observe them as Satoshi handed a towel to Akane, and she used it to pat her face dry. When she was done with it, she threw back the towel to Satoshi. He grabbed it and buried it inside a gym bag, which Ranma assumed was hers. Ranma noticed the couple was getting ready to leave, so he made his way out of the gym and headed to class before they spotted him watching them.

Akane and Satoshi wrapped up their practice by putting away the rest of their belongings. Once their gym bags were zipped closed, they each grabbed their own and walked outside the gym together. After a brief moment of silence, Satoshi stole a glance in the direction Ranma had taken to go to class. "Did you see him? He was watching us."

Akane gave Satoshi a small smile. "Of course I did. He keeps following me wherever I go. Which reminds me, how is our arrangement developing?"

Satoshi shrugged. "I have the locations written down, and I will start this weekend."

"That's _not_ what we agreed upon, Satoshi. We agreed you'd start last month. I need to have everything ready before the end of the semester. Have you forgotten what's at stake here? I can't have you waste time! Unless, you aren't interested in your reward, anymore."

Satoshi frowned. "I still am interested. It's just not as easy as you think."

Akane scoffed. "I could take care of it over a weekend if it wasn't so risky. I need you to start on this, and report to me when you're done."

Satoshi nodded. "As you wish, Captain."

Akane grinned. "The Captain is not available right now. You can leave her a message, and she may return your call."

Satoshi stared at his partner's body up and down. If he did not know any better, he would swear Akane was just an average girl with an air of overconfidence. Everyone knew her in the college from the tournament, and the seemingly preferential treatment the University officials gave her. Plenty of guys had asked her out, only to be politely –and some not so politely, declined in their invitations. No one was certain if there was anything between the owners of the Tendo Dojo anymore, and more than a handful of young men had taken their chances with her. Ranma did not seem to be dating anyone, and Akane was not officially dating anyone either. They would leave together every two weeks, and had sometimes interacted at the school. Yet, their relationship status was unclear, and no one other than the family and Satoshi knew of the failed marriage proposal.

Satoshi noticed that Akane noted his staring, so he cleared his throat and asked the question that had been in his mind.

"Is she…still in there?"

"Sporadically. I thought I had completely taken over her body, but she comes out sometimes. Especially when _he's_ around. For the most part, she believes her actions are her own."

"When do you think it will stop?"

"When I finally kill the landling."

"I thought that was my job."

"It won't be if you don't hurry up."

Satoshi nodded. He had been putting off his part of their business deal because even though he knew he did not have a chance in hell with her, he still wanted to have around the real Akane. Sometimes she would act as before to the point she was kind to him (and he had wondered if these moments were due to Saffron's great acting, or if the real Akane had come out), and it was in those moments that he wanted to run to Ranma and tell him the truth. Even if she would return to Ranma the moment her little problem was fixed, Satoshi would rather have Akane as a friend than no Akane at all. However, while Saffron existed inside of her, no one, not even Ranma, would have a remote chance to be with Akane, in any way, shape or form.

_"How can you be with someone that isn't there?" _Satoshi wondered more than once every now and then, then realizing every time that this was Saffron's way of keeping Akane all to himself.

Akane looked down at her watch seeing as Satoshi was lost in his thoughts. She had a couple of hours before her next class, giving her more than enough time to refresh herself.

"I'm gonna go clean up. I don't want to hear from you until you have good news to deliver. I'm heading to Nerima tonight. Nabiki has some offer for me and Ranma for who knows what."

"Nabiki?"

"Yeah. I think she's plotting to get Ranma and Akane back together. Nodoka is starting to get on my nerves, too. It's becoming difficult to control her thoughts, as I did before."

"I'm sure you'll get her," Satoshi said as he himself realized he had only half an hour until his next class. "I gotta go, too."

Akane nodded to Satoshi, hurrying her step towards her single dorm room; individual rooms were scarce at the campus, but the university had been more than happy to provide a single room to their outstanding gymnastics captain and athlete. When she arrived, she took off her clothes, took out the dirty ones from her gym bag and dumped them in a hamper. She jumped in the shower, turned on the scalding hot water, and stood under it for a while.

Akane sighed. When she returned from death's grip at Nerima Hospital, his grip on her had seemed absolute. He had been extremely satisfied with his ownership over her, especially after they had been able to decline Ranma's marriage proposal, even though she had screamed bloody murder in her head only seconds later.

However, after Ranma's insisted attempts to discuss what had gone wrong, he could feel his control over her becoming weary. Sometimes he was able to play it off to her as a dream, or as a nightmare, but his options were running thin. At times, he had gone as far as fully paralyzing her body when she tried to run away to search for him. Lately and until recently, any time he had tried to shower, Akane had fought him to turn on the cold water. Being able to stand under hot water this long was an incredible accomplishment for her –_him_. He hated cold water, and she _knew_.

She had tried to push him out of her body by bathing with cold water once, even as unaware as she was of his presence back then at the Tendo home. He had suffered through it, knowing nothing she did would expel him from her body, at least while he had a say in it. All he had to do was go back to the corner of her soul where he had resided before, the same corner of her soul that had saved him from being sent to limbo. He would reside there for a while until she forgot about him, and then he would strike again.

"_Why do you resist me, Akane?"_

The Lord of the Phoenix tribe thought about his journey here. After Akane had extracted his soul from his body, she had used her body to channel his soul away from this world. She had almost been successful if he had not been a member of the royal family himself, and she had not.

He had clung to a piece of her soul and remained there for weeks. At first, he had not known what had happened to him. Everything around him had been dark and quiet. A few days after that, he had begun to relive the battle with Akane, but his mind would not show him how it ended.

After almost a month of waiting in the dark, he had heard his name being called. It had woken him up from his darkness as he focused on the voice.

"_Lord Saffron is gone. I've killed him."_

"_Are you sure, child? How did you do this?"_

"_I'm dead?" He thought. "How the hell did I die?"_

The water began losing its warmth, so she turned around and shut off the shower. She grabbed the closest towel and began patting herself dry as he remembered the culmination of his reappearance. The bits and pieces had turned into a big picture after three months in the dark, and he had been able to become a spectator of her life. He had sat back and learned every strength and every weakness in her body, Ranma's, and everyone who had any involvement with her life.

He had learned that her father and uncle were a joke of martial artists, and that they would always do whatever the women of the household demanded of them. They had been the easiest ones to manipulate since all he had to do was control the women to force them to do his will. He had learned that Ranma had a soft spot for his mother, and while he rarely showed it, her expectations of him played an important part in Ranma's decisions…unless the decision involved Akane. Ranma was as devoted –or more, to her than Akane was devoted to him.

The simple thought of their seemingly unbreakable bond made his godly blood boil. He could see their connection in their eyes, feel it in their touch; their auras had been the most intermingled he had ever seen until he had shown up to destroy them.

He had also learned that Akane's middle sister was a soul-sucking bitch who loved the smell, feel and power of money. The Lord of the Phoenix people had had his moments of terror when trying to fend off the manipulative sister, but thankfully he had escaped her attempts at blackmailing the younger Tendo girl. He had learned that Kasumi Tendo had no mean bone in her fragile body, but had the most stable, centered, and sane mind of all. He had, however, quickly dismissed her influence when he found out about the twins. Her motherly instincts had been redirected to her own offspring; leaving Ranma and Akane to deal with the cruel realities he had made them live through.

Then, there was Nodoka; the unofficial matriarch of the Tendo and Saotome families. Her word was the law, and even Kasumi feared her when she took out her katana to make her point. Even though her mind was a strong one, she had been easy to manipulate once he figured out that Ranma was her world. Her poor, poor son had been taken away from her hands while still young, and had been taken high up above and down below, facing dangers and all kinds of perils, just to fulfill her husband's promise of making him a man among men.

Once he put it in her mind that Akane was no good for her son, everything else had fallen into place on its own. He spent weeks –months, gathering information as he set his plan in motion. After a few months, he was ready to begin his strike, but he still had one more obstacle to overcome: Akane herself. The woman had resisted his manipulations as much as she could, and without her full cooperation, his time of gathering data from the families would become useless; Akane would never harm her own kin, especially her beloved fiancée.

Then, one day, when he had almost given up hope of ever controlling her without them knowing what had hit them, he heard the most wonderful news he had heard since he became trapped in her body. Akane's mom had died of a terrible and unknown disease; one that had been almost impossible for the doctors to determine its cause or consequence until it was very late, and one that had been confused with a simple pregnancy. It took him a few weeks, but he had been able to extract the partial memories from the members involved in the life of Akane's mother until he pieced together the entire ordeal. All he was left to do was to replicate the illness, with more efforts to aim it towards a human pregnancy, and then control her once her body was devoid of life.

And, his plan had worked. God, had it worked! Even when her return to life at the operating room had been done much faster than he had anticipated, thanks to Ranma's desperate attempts to revive her, he had succeeded in taking over her body. At first, he had not cared of the hurried revival caused by his rival. However, now that he had realized that Akane's body and actions were not 100% under his control, he had determined that it had to be Ranma's doing when he brought her back to life before the ritual was completed. Yet, he also knew that as long as he kept her away from Ranma, her screaming voice would continue to be unheard by anyone but him.

Yes, she screamed every now and then when she remembered what had happened to her. Yes, she had tried to expel him by trying to take her own life, on more than one occasion, and more often since college life had started. Yes, he had had to break her soul in tiny pieces every now and then in order to keep his governance over her. But it was all worth it in the long run. Soon, Satoshi would carry out his part of the deal, and nothing would be left to remind her of who she was, or what she was, before him.

And only then would he transfer himself to Satoshi's body and convert him to a full Phoenix by being reborn. He would take Akane back to his lands with him, and take her in all the ways Ranma could not. He would own her mind, her soul, and her body; her body being what he awaited the most. He would claim her, just as he wanted since she woke up from her attack-driven slumber and became his Captain. She would not remember the night Ranma tried to make her his; she would not remember how the Phoenix Lord had stopped their encounter with a simple shake of her soul.

She would only know him and him alone. And Ranma and his family would be long gone.

"_I won't let you."_

Saffron was shaken from his daydreaming by a voice inside his head. At first it confused him, making him turn around everywhere, searching for its source. After a moment, however, he remembered where the random voice came from.

"_Not only will you let me, Akane; you will help me, too."_

"_Over my dead body! Over my dead body will I allow you to hurt my family, or Ranma!"_

Saffron scoffed._ "We both know I won't let you kill us, Captain. Why do you insist in protecting what is no longer yours to protect?"_

"_Ranma's still mine, and I'm still his."_

"_You can try your best, Captain, but you won't succeed. I will make sure you watch Ranma in his final moments before I strip your memory of him from you, forever."_

"_Why do you do this to me, my Lord? Why do you wish to see me suffer, if you claim to love me?"_

"_My Lord?" _Saffron was intrigued by the title she used to address him.

"_Old habits die slowly. You still kept me alive, and I still cherished you. Even though it was all a lie, you still kept me going long enough so I could reunite with Ranma. This, I will never forget."_

"_He was never supposed to come back into the picture."_

"_But he did; he would not let me down. He kept his promise. You, you didn't."_

"_You're so naïve, Captain. I did always love that about you."_

"_And I loved your devotion to your people, until I remembered I actually loved another man."_

Saffron frowned._ "I think you've spoken enough for one day, my dear. Just wait a little longer, and we shall be reunited again._

"_And you wait a little longer, and Ranma shall kick your ass back to China, again."_

A loud beep near Akane allowed the conversation to stop, and Saffron pushed Akane back to her inner jail. She looked down and saw her cell phone was beeping as it received a text message.

"This darn piece of technology! I should've gotten rid of it long ago."

She picked up the phone and flipped it open, seeing Ranma had sent Akane a text message regarding their meeting tonight.

_"Lst cls s cndl. Wn2 leav erly?"_

Saffron pinched the bridge of his nose. He had no idea what Ranma was asking. Regretfully, he called on Akane's knowledge of pop culture to translate the message for him. Once Akane had deciphered the message, he pushed her back to her cell.

"Is he not attending an institution of higher education? Why does he type as if he were a brute?!" Saffron yelled at no one in particular before composing a response to Ranma's inquiry.

_"Sure,"_ Saffron texted back.

"C u 4. My plce."

"For God's sake!"

Throwing the cell on the bed, Saffron proceeded to dress up before he exited the room to attend class.

xxxXXXxxx

Akane sat on the floor of Ranma's hall, waiting for him to return from class. She knew he would show up soon, any minute now, as her powers of mind control allowed her to track his every move around campus. Even though he had said to meet at 4 at his place, she had nothing else to do since 3, so she decided to show up earlier than anticipated to analyze his surroundings once more. Saffron liked to keep a close eye on everyone who had close contact with Ranma, as he believed it to be vital to properly carrying out his plans.

After buying them both a couple of burgers to eat before leaving or during their way back to Nerima –in an attempt to distract Ranma from over analyzing their relationship, she arrived at his place about fifteen minutes before he finally showed himself at 3:30 in the afternoon.

Needless to say, he was surprised to see her on the floor, resting her back against his door, looking as indifferent as always. She was wearing a pair of blue jean shorts, a white V-neck blouse, and white running shoes. Her hair was as short as ever, and her face showed hardly any cosmetics on it, other than the usual shiny lip balm she carried around everywhere she went. Her luggage was resting on her left side, and a paper bag rested on her right. She gave him a smile as she stood up and grabbed her belongings from the floor, patting her rear to remove any dust that might have accumulated from the ground.

As every time he saw her after their breakup, he was enchanted by her presence and was not able to move freely. It was as if his body was experiencing a malfunction brought on by the lack of touch from her. He did not have many opportunities to admire her this closely anymore, and he took advantage of the chance whenever it made itself present. He swallowed hard as she walked up to him, staring directly into his eyes. In an instant, Saffron heard Akane scream his name inside her mind, and her pores itched with the need to touch him. Yet, using all of his might, Saffron shut down Akane from seeing him as he carried out his task.

"Are you hungry? I got us something to eat."

Ranma nodded, still unable to say a word as he walked next to her to unlock his room door. Akane followed closely behind, glad to have something more comfortable to sit on as she waited for Ranma to get ready to leave. As soon as Akane walked in, she made herself a-home on his bed, reaching inside the paper bag to take out the burger, fries and drink she had gotten for him. Ranma threw his schoolbag on a chair before returning to Akane and grabbing her wrist, pulling her off the bed while she still held the food in her hands.

"It'd be more comfortable to eat over here, don't you think?" he asked as he pointed to a small two-seat table he had in a corner of his dorm room. Akane followed the direction of his finger before nodding and joining him at the table. She brought out the rest of the meal on the table, as well as the needed utensils, before she concentrated on unwrapping her burger. Ranma took a moment to tear the wrapping off the straws and placed one straw in her drink and one straw in his.

They both remained silent as they ate, Ranma never taking his eyes off her for an instant, wondering if this meal was an invitation to talk about their relationship or lack thereof. Fearful that he had misunderstood her intentions and would push her further away from him, he decided to simply engage in small talk and allow her to say what was in her mind in her own terms when she decided the time was right.

"So, what do you think Nabiki has up her sleeve this time?"

Akane chewed on the piece of meat in her mouth. She then took a huge sip of her drink to help her swallow it down as she thought about his question.

"Who knows! Knowing her, though, she probably has some money-making scheme she wants our help with."

"I thought as much, too. Though, this time, we'd better ask for more than a 10% commission. We do more work than she does, but she gets to keep most of the profits."

Akane chuckled as she grabbed a single fry and smothered it with ketchup from a small packet. "Did it take you enrolling in business-related classes to figure that one out, Ranma?"

Ranma shrugged, obviously embarrassed by his lack of money sense in the past. "Would you believe me if I said I was never good with percentages?"

Akane laughed out loud at this, especially when she saw Ranma's classic physical response to embarrassment: a slight tint of red on his nose, accompanied by the scratching of the back of his head. For the quickest moment, Saffron almost forgot that the man standing in front of him could switch from an incredibly embarrassed individual to a deadly force to be reckoned with, in the blink of an eye. He wondered, if the situation had been different, whether he and Ranma could have been great allies for his cause. Then again, as long as Akane was present in their lives, Ranma could never be more than his sworn enemy, in more ways than one.

"Clearly; I can't imagine how much money Nabiki has taken from you, if your math skills are any indication of your ability to close a deal. Maybe I should double-check your accounting at the dojo?"

"Oh, come on!" Ranma retorted in a higher pitch of voice that he would have liked. "The dojo is important to me; I don't risk what is important in my life," Ranma said, his voice tinted with the sudden urge for Akane to understand his hidden meaning.

"Relax, Ranma, I'm not accusing you of anything different," Akane said a she finished her food and cleaned up after the both of them, seeing that Ranma had also finished his meal. "Are you all ready to go?"

"Almost, I just need to grab some books so I can study over the weekend. I have a big test on Monday."

"Alright."

As Ranma took a few minutes to sort through his notes and textbooks, Akane laid down on his bed, waiting for his task to be over. As soon as her head hit the pillow, his scent left behind in the sheets reached her nostrils, opening a small window of opportunity for Akane to come to the surface. With all the strength she had within her, she pushed aside the control Saffron had over her, allowing her enough time to grab the closest piece of paper and pen she could find.

She wrote the only word that came to her mind before shoving the paper under his pillow. As Saffron regained control, Ranma had finished packing his books and was now heading to the door. He grabbed Akane's luggage and his car keys before opening the door for her. "Ready?"

"Yeah."

Akane and Ranma walked next to each other down the hall of the dorm, ignoring the murmurs and stares of the other male inhabitants of the building. Ranma sometimes wondered what the rest of the university thought about them, and if Akane even gave a damn about the rumors and gossip that spread like wildfire around the campus regarding their relationship. Some of these rumors were not very polite, especially towards her. The female population of the university had mixed feelings about her presence in the school grounds. Some admired her strength and character, while others –particularly the group of girls who had hit on him and been turned down, had started rumors that Akane had slept her way to the top.

The male students of the university, however, were not far behind in the gossip area. He had been forced in the recent past to threaten a few of his classmates when they spoke about how they would show Akane a good time. Their descriptions had been rather undignified to his former partner, and even though he knew they were venting out their frustrations regarding not being able to date her, he still hated hearing how his former fiancée was reduced to nothing but cheap material to be used for a one-night stand. He had no idea if Akane had been dealing with her share of subtle or passive confrontations from her peers, but he had heard that no one had yet mustered up the guts to tell her anything to her face.

"I'm parked over there," Ranma said as soon as they reached the parking lot. Ranma opened the trunk and carefully placed their luggage inside. Akane opened the passenger seat and waited for Ranma to start up the car to begin their journey home for the weekend, as quickly as possible. Her head was filled with the thoughts of the people who had seen them walking out of the building and to the car, and she could not stand to hear another promiscuous thought from any of them. If there was a way to end their inappropriate thoughts without giving away her real identity, Saffron would have burned each one of the culprits to nothing but ashes with his bare hands. He knew Ranma heard them too, and the common rage that filled them both when Akane's decorum was scandalized always put them both in the worst of moods.

As soon as the car left the school grounds, Ranma turned to face Akane as she stared through the window as every other time they drove home. Her attitude towards him always changed when they headed home, and he wondered if it was due to the fact that returning to their city of origin reminded her of all the things they had overcome to be who they now were. Akane still showed interest in the dojo and its development, and when needed, she also showed devotion to her students as before. However, Ranma knew that her heart was no longer in the arts, and it pained him to think that her near-death experience and his inability to react sooner than he had, had struck a chord within her which made her reconsider the path her life was taking. He sometimes wondered if he again had the opportunity to cherish her as much as he did in the past, if she would come to her senses and see what a waste of time this breakup had been. It did not matter to him that she had declined his proposal of marriage; he would ask her again in a heartbeat. Yet, the more time passed, the least likely he saw another opportunity presenting itself for her to recover the feelings she used to have for him.

"Thanks for dinner, Akane," Ranma said, attempting to break the endless silence that always accompanied them back home.

"No problem," was her only response. Ranma had hoped that a more personal conversation would take place this time; however, her breathing soon became even, and her body limped on the seat to show that she was deep in her sleep. Ranma cursed himself mentally at the lost opportunity to straighten out their situation. He was losing his patience and had come to the realization that if he and Akane did not talk things out, they would never be together again. In fact, he had set himself the challenge to patch things up with her and win her heart once more by the end of their first year in college. In the event that he could not be with her any more, he would request his transfer to another university for his remaining three years of college life. Even he knew that moving on was an option that needed consideration if she refused to love him back.

Yet, above all things, and all situations, and all people involved, Ranma desperately wanted to know why Akane had changed her mind about their future together. Answers, however, would be slow to come to him, perhaps too slow for him to be able to make any difference in the matter at hand. With a last quick glance towards his companion, Ranma took a deep breath before concentrating on the road before him. Nerima was still an hour away from their current location, and with nothing but silence around him, he hummed a song to himself for the remainder of the drive.

Unbeknownst to him, Akane's body lightly convulsed next to him with every sob she kept from coming out.

(NEW) xxxXXXxxx (NEW)

The familiar streets of Nerima were always a welcomed relief for Ranma. Driving by Tofu's office, the park, the water canal, even by his former school, brought Ranma a much needed sense of belonging he did not experience during the work week while at the university. He hardly allowed himself to enjoy the perks of campus-living –which were many being the well-known Martial Artist Master he was, and had not yet even taken the time to make any real friends. The very few friends he had made in Furinkan were two years ahead of him, worrying about internships and other junior/senior duties in their trades, and way too busy to hang around the previously known, much older-than-usual college freshman of their campus.

Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, he slowed down his vehicle as he approached the Tendo residence in all its glory. It seemed strange to him how in the past, arriving at Akane's home was a relief, but now, visiting the place where she lived made his stomach clench. He noticed the dojo entrance door was wide open, and it took him a second to realize why. Since his last class of the day had been cancelled, the official owners of the dojo had arrived earlier than usual, matching up with the afternoon session of martial arts practice. The idea of being able to see his old students and meet the new ones gave him the little grain of hope and enthusiasm he needed to survive another dull weekend at home.

As the car came to a full stop, Ranma took out the keys from the ignition, unbuckling his seat belt and stretching his sore limbs. The drive was only two hours long, but he hated the feeling of constriction that driving a small vehicle gave him. Seeing Akane had not woken up yet, he leaned over to the passenger seat and lightly shook her arm.

"Akane, we're here. Wanna go see the kids?"

Akane's response was to curl up even more, mumbling a response he was not sure even she knew what it was.

"Akane, wake up. Why are you so tired, all of a sudden?"

Akane growled as she forced herself to open her eyes and face the daylight still present around her. She stared at nothing in particular for a few seconds before realizing where she was. Ranma pulled himself back to his seat as she straightened herself out on her own. She stretched her neck from side to side and relished at hearing bones pop back into place. "That was quick," she finally said.

"Only if you ain't driving," was Ranma's response.

"Hey, I've offered to drive before, you know?"

Ranma nodded, acknowledging her efforts to assist in the drive home. "Oh, I remember, but I'd like to make it home in one piece, thank you very much."

Akane narrowed her eyes at him and punched his shoulder with a little bit more force than he expected from her.

"Jerk."

"I love you too, Akane," Ranma said before he realized what he had said.

Akane did not look amused by his lighthearted response, prompting Ranma to raise his hands in the air showing he had meant no harm by it. Akane had over time learned to despise any comment, gesture or slight indication that she and Ranma were still together. Ranma, for the life of him, could not understand why something that had been so well received just a few months ago had turned to an action similar to asking Akane to drink battery acid.

"Sorry, 'kane, old habits die slowly."

Akane opened her mouth to retort to him, but the phrase he had used made her hesitate longer than she would have liked. The phrase sounded so familiar to her, as if she had heard it recently used around her but she could not place it at all. As quick as the feeling of déjà vu had come, it went away, leaving Akane to shake her head in disapproval and opening the passenger door of the car, exiting the suddenly suffocating environment of the vehicle.

Ranma took the hint regarding the end of their _sociable_ discussion as he got out of the car himself and headed to the trunk. Akane stood close enough to the trunk, but as far away as she could from him, not wanting to give him any ideas that would incite another comment like the one she had just dismissed. Ranma took his time rummaging through the contents of the trunk, thinking of how to make it up to the obviously upset Akane. It was cruel enough that she seemed not being able to put up with his presence, but the feeling of giving her more reasons to loathe him was something Ranma detested.

He finally opted to grab her luggage and ignored her expecting extended hand by plopping the bag over his shoulder and closing the trunk. Akane gave him a new look of disapproval, which caused him to sigh as he grabbed her still open hand. She immediately tried to pull it away from his grip, but he held onto it as fiercely as he could without hurting her.

"Akane, please, I want to see the kids. Can I stay for a little while?"

Akane exhaled deeply through her nose to remain calm. For a minute she felt as if they were a recently divorced couple in which she had kept custody of the children, and he was the estranged father retuning home after a long search for cigarettes, pleading to see his kids. She measured him up for another long moment before he walked closer to her, guiding her hand in his to rest on his chest. "I won't be long; I just want to see how Pop is treating them."

It was moments like these that Saffron detested and actively tried to avoid between them. He could feel her pulse suddenly quickening at Ranma's closeness, and her defenses crumble with his simple touch. He could hear her inner voice calling his name with a hunger he had never heard her state her Lord's name with before. He could even feel the tingle that ran down her spine at feeling his breath so close to her face. Saffron tried his best to keep her eyes from meeting his, as this had been how he had lost his power over Akane many times before, resulting in Ranma's lack of believing that Akane felt nothing for him. Feeling Ranma's grip loosen, she pulled her hand away from his grip and nodded. "Fine, but don't let my dad talk you into staying, OK?"

"I promise."

With that understanding, Ranma followed Akane to her home, still carrying her bag on his shoulder. The couple entered the residence to find it empty, as expected. Ranma handed Akane her bag as he made his way to the back of the house to reach the dojo. Akane walked upstairs to her old room to deposit her bag on the bed before making her way to the dojo herself to see her students and her dad.

By the time Akane had reached the dojo, Ranma was already observing their most enthusiastic students perform a kata for him. Soun and Genma stood in the back of the room, allowing Ranma to correct and encourage students in performing their katas. Akane reached the two elder artists and stood next to them as she observed Ranma enjoying his time with the students.

"You kids are early, Akane," Genma said as he watched with pride the traits of a great dojo master that Ranma unconsciously displayed for them.

"Yes, Uncle Genma, Ranma's last class was cancelled."

Genma shook his head. "I still can't believe my boy didn't choose a physical education degree, much like you did. Everyone knows he has no brains for business."

A small part inside of Akane made her feel wounded by Genma's comment, provoking her to lash out at the unsuspecting man before Saffron could intervene. "Well, Uncle, everyone knows you had no brains for parenthood, and yet here we are."

Soun held back a chuckle while Genma opened his mouth to show his disbelief in her comment. Thankfully for Genma, Soun stopped him before he could say anything else to tease Akane's bad temper. "Come on, Saotome. I think our kids can handle the rest of the class. Kasumi and Nodoka will be here any minute with Nabiki, let's get ready for them."

Soun gave Akane a quick hug on his way out, and welcomed her home before following Genma out of the dojo and into the home. Akane waited for the two men to leave before she waved at Ranma to get his attention.

"Hey, look who else is here!" Ranma said as he pointed to Akane. The class turned around and the students who already knew her beamed at her, happily waving at her. "Akane-sensei is also paying a visit!"

Akane waved back at her students as she walked towards the front of the class to stand next to Ranma, hands behind her back. She eyed every single student present, making note of the new students they had yet to meet since they always arrived after the classes had ended, and of the returning students who she could not wait to catch up with. Their school had grown so much since its humble beginnings, and she knew it was mostly due to reputation the ART had provided them. She was slightly disappointed, however, that the class was mostly composed of young boys and young male adults rather equally distributed between males and females. Yet, while there were only a handful of girls in the class, Akane was glad to have at least some female representation in their dojo as opposed to when they started teaching last year. Dealing with testosterone while training was something she did not look forward to very much.

"For those of you who don't know her," Ranma began, "Akane-sensei is the co-Master of this dojo. She deserves the same respect you'd give me or Soun- or Genma-sensei."

Most of the students took Ranma's word as law, many of them having already witnessed Akane's strength and equally impressive abilities during the tournament. Whoever had not had the opportunity to see her in action first-hand had been personally informed of how she had produced a wall of ice out of thin air to protect her and some students from Ranma's Hiryu Shoten Ha. To speak of either one of the masters' abilities without involving the other one was impossible to do.

One of the new non-believing teenaged students, nevertheless, raised his hand at hearing such a command from Ranma, asking for permission to speak from the only person the boy considered his sensei. Ranma nodded to him, inviting him to speak up, yet dreading what a boy full of hormones would have to say about his pretty martial arts partner, seeing as Soun had already warned him about this particular student in the first two minutes Ranma had stepped into the dojo.

"Ranma-sensei, Akane-sensei is only training the girls, correct?"

The students who already knew Akane rolled their eyes at the newcomer, some of them even shook their heads at his obviously biased question. This particular student was known to have masculine supremacy tendencies, and Genma's teachings and beliefs did not help deter him from his narrow-minded ideas. Ranma had an idea of where the conversation was headed, and hoped the student would take a hint.

"Akane-sensei can train anyone that needs it, same goes for me."

"But, Akane-sensei is a girl. Girls are not as tough as boys."

A few chuckles were heard throughout the classroom, as the new student continued to showcase his immaturity to his peers. "I mean, I wouldn't be able to train with her. What if she, I don't know, broke a nail or something?"

Ranma kept his anger in check, as he was quickly reminded of his own attitude regarding hitting girls. He knew that this boy was just young, testing the waters, and trying to prove himself to others, but it still irked Ranma to think that his dad and uncle had allowed such behavior to continue in his dojo. Before Ranma developed a response to the boy, Hisoka Endo –his most quiet student, retorted back at his annoying peer.

"You're right, Satoshi. She might break a nail while kicking your ass back home."

Ranma held back from hitting his forehead with his hands. Of course the annoying little brat's name was going to be Satoshi! It was as if it were in the stars! If he ever had a son, he would never, ever name him Satoshi; and, if he had a daughter, she would never, EVER, date anyone by the name of Satoshi. How he had learned to despise the wretched name!

"Thank you for the input, Hisoka, but let's stay away from insulting our peers."

"Sorry, Ranma-sensei."

Ranma waved his hand at Hisoka to show him that there were no hard feelings. Satoshi, however, rolled his eyes at the situation and then looked at Akane with the utmost condescension she had ever witnessed in someone so young. Akane kept herself from throwing the kid out from the dojo, knowing she had to show she was beyond his teasing. However, Saffron was not as willing to let go of such impudence from a mortal. He made a mental note to circle back with the little brat, sooner rather than later, and allowed Akane to proceed with her decision of kindly smiling to the boy before returning to address the class.

"Anyway, the next ART will be in about a month. We will need a third person to defend the title of our school with Ranma-sensei and I, as well as our team of five students to represent us in the regular tournament, who's interested in going?"

All hands in the class went up immediately –even Satoshi's, prompting Akane and Ranma to smile at each other, delighted with their students' eagerness. Their quick interaction did not go unnoticed by the students who of course were intrigued by their senseis' relationship, but Akane quickly cleared her throat and returned to the matter at hand.

"How about Ranma and I come back in two weeks, and have a quick internal tournament of our own to choose our team?"

Some students nodded in agreement, and some –more vocal, yelled their approval and excitement. Ranma and Akane knew they did not have to worry about their team of five students not working their way up to the finals, as the registration of the dojo was not in danger unless they themselves lost against the new unregistered challenging dojo or failed to follow an NRD directive. They wanted, nonetheless, to make sure the group of students had enough experience and demonstrated the good teachings of their school to increase the popularity of the school.

"I guess it's settled, then. The Saturday two weeks from now, Ranma and I will be back to choose the team to go with us to the ART."

And with those words, the students were dismissed. While a handful of them stayed behind to catch up with Ranma and Akane, most of them left as soon as their parents arrived for them at the door, excitingly relating to their parents about the ART. The two dojo masters briefly interacted with some of the parents of the students and reassured them of their dedication to the success of their children, meaning every single word they said. Ten minutes later, the dojo was empty save for Ranma and Akane who still stared at the opened doors.

Akane did not waste another moment and quickly made her way to the door, locking it from the inside. At the same time and coming as a surprise to Akane, the entire dojo was dark thanks to Ranma's will, having been waiting for an opportunity like this to have Akane all for himself. Akane slowly walked towards the exit to the garden of her home, extending her arms in front of her as she waited for her eyes to adjust to the sudden dark, but she was suddenly stopped by Ranma's arm around her waist.

"What do you think you're doing?" Akane asked with a threatening tone, but did not attempt to fight him off her.

"What does it look like?" he said, pulling her closer to him and bringing his lips to her ear. "I want us to talk. I'm tired of not knowing what's going on between us, Akane."

Akane's back was facing Ranma's face, so he missed her mischievous smile and the tint of gold in her eyes. Once she composed herself, she twisted her body so that she faced Ranma while he still held her body with his arm. She closed her eyes as she tilted her head to the side, showing him that she was considering his request. She finally opened her eyes and exhaled, nodding as she did so.

"Alright, but if we're having this conversation, you have to promise me this will be the last."

Ranma swallowed hard. The last? As in he could never again ask about them getting back together? He considered his options, which weren't that many. He knew he had been the one to ask for this conversation, and he desperately needed answers from her.

"I promise it will be the last if you answer like a normal person and not diss me with excuses."

It was Akane's turn to consider her options. With so many activities pending completion from Saffron's plan, he could live without Ranma's incessant questioning. Besides, Ranma would never know what was real and what was not, and as long as Akane made it sound convincing, the pigtailed boy would finally move on.

"Alright, but I intend to keep my promise; I hope you intent to keep yours."

"On my honor, Akane."

This was enough for Saffron. Akane pulled herself from Ranma's grip and walked away from him. Ranma, confused by her actions, followed her as she made her way out of the Tendo residence. He silently walked behind her until they reached the water canal where their first date had taken place. The couple sat on the edge of the river, watching the sun beginning to set.

"Why are we here, Akane?"

"We needed a safe place to talk. I can't imagine being able to do so at home. You know our parents are dying to find out what happened to us and wanting to know when are we supposed to get back together."

"I guess you're right."

Akane picked up a rock and threw it towards the water, skipping three times before it sunk. Ranma had never seen Akane be able to skip a rock that much, and for a brief moment he wondered what other things Akane could do now that she had not been able to do before.

"So?" Akane finally asked.

"So, what?"

"What do you want to know?"

Ranma thought about her question. She seemed to be willing to open up about their situation, so he wanted to make sure he asked everything he wanted to know.

"I guess my main question is: why you broke it off?"

"I figured that'd be the main concern."

"So?"

"So, what?"

"Why did you end it?"

"It's…complicated…"

"Remember your promise, Akane," Ranma reminded her.

"Fine, uhm –well, you know everything we've been through. Clearly our relationship was not normal. When I was China, believing I was someone I wasn't…I…Let's just say you will never know what it was to be there, for two years, by yourself."

"What does that have to do with us?"

"You see, when I saw you there, and then had my memory return to me, I was so happy. I was happy that you found me. I was happy at the possibility that I could return to my real life. I couldn't wait to get back here and be with my family, my friends, and you."

Ranma nodded, understanding where her point was heading. He too had wanted to get back to his real life when he woke up at Nerima Hospital, only to find out he had lost two years of his life tied to a bed. He could see her point regarding this, but even if his friends had moved on, even if his old life was nowhere to be found, Akane –his constant, was enough for him to hold on.

"And now," Akane continued, "my friends are long gone, way ahead of me, living the life I should've lived. Kasumi is married and with kids. Nabiki has a great job in America, probably coming back home on vacation today as an engaged woman, and my dad is growing old; he won't be around for long.

"I know it sounds selfish, and sudden, but after coming back from the dead almost a year ago, I began to wonder what had I done with my life, and where it was headed, and I couldn't list one thing I had done that I had wanted to do since I was a kid. I had devoted my life to the arts for the sake of my father –who probably won't be here to support me with it much longer. I had studied so hard in school to one day become a doctor, and yet the closest I am to it is being a future simple P.E. instructor. I saw myself dating and marrying a man who supported me, in all the ways I needed to be supported, and I saw myself dating a man who loved an art I had detached myself from. Do you see what I'm saying?"

"Marrying me wasn't in your plans; that's what you meant when you told me that before."

Akane nodded. "I'm not saying what we had together wasn't good, or memorable. It was; it really was. And I will fondly remember all the adventures we had together, and everything we learned together, Ranma. But, why should I chain myself to a future I never looked forward to have in the first place?"

Ranma felt as if a truckload of cold water had been poured over him. He completely understood what she was saying, he respected her for it…and he hated that he did. He was –for the most part, doing everything he had aimed to do when he was young, with the exception of going to college and getting a degree in business, that is. Yet, he could see every piece of the life puzzle falling into place. How would he feel if he was forced by circumstances beyond his control to live his life in a way he never saw fit for himself? He would have been left with two choices: deal with it and move on, or do what Akane was doing now.

"So, you're just trying to follow the plan you had since you were a kid, as close as you can?"

"Yeah."

Ranma swallowed the knot that was forming in his throat, but it refused to go down all the way. It bobbled up and down his chest, competing in space with his pain-filled heart. He turned around to face Akane, lifting his hand to caress her cheek; staring in awe at how beautiful she looked when the last rays of the sun hit her face. Akane allowed him to savor the moment, knowing he understood it was their last. "Akane, haven't you considered that I could be that man for you? That you could still be a doctor? You…you can change majors…I can take care of the dojo 100%. I can get a good job so that you can study full time. I can give you that life that you want. If you would just let me…"

Akane shook her head, inciting Ranma to cup her face with his hands. He rested his forehead on hers, closing his eyes as he felt his eyes sting with unshed tears. Akane closed her eyes as well, taking in his scent, and welcoming his warmth. "I'm sorry, Ranma. I really am. But, how fair would it be to ask you to give up your plans if I'm not willing to drop mine?"

"I –I can adjust. I can adjust to whatever as long as you're with me."

Akane's heart broke. She knew he would adjust. She knew she would adjust, too. Yet, a voice in the back of her head told her not to give up now. She had made a decision that was for the best, and she had to own up to it regardless of how tempting the alternative was.

"I couldn't live with that burden, Ranma. Why can't you understand? I've always done what I thought was right, wasn't that why you fell in love with me?"

Ranma responded by embracing her and resting his chin on her shoulder. Akane froze on the spot for a second before surrounding his waist with her arms. She closed her eyes and felt his body tremble in their embrace. She knew he was trying his best not to crumble in front of her; he was trying his best not to completely fall apart.

"It was, Akane. I've always admire that of you; going against all odds, doing what you think is best. I just thought I could admire it forever, and not from afar."

"I know, Ranma, and I'm really sorry. But, if I never try I'll never know what my life could've been."

It was then than Ranma's hope dissipated completely. He could not force her to stay, and she had every reason to leave his ass. How could he have been so blind to understand what she had meant back then? She was telling him her valid reasons why they couldn't be together, and while to him they seemed as if all her supposed problems could be solved by staying with him; he could just not bring himself to be the cause of any unhappiness in her life. He had no choice but letting her go. He had no choice but to let go of himself, too. His determination of transferring to another university at the end of the school year was reinforced. If he was ever going to move on without her, he had to go live his life somewhere else.

"I just hope whatever guy you end up with knows just what you're worth so I don't have to kill him," he finally said to her as a matter of showing his understanding.

Akane chuckled at his response, tightening her grip on him to show her appreciation of his vigilance. She loosened her hold on him and kissed his cheek as she began pulling herself away. Her face, however, did not get far from his when he pulled her closer to him by the back of her neck and pressed his lips on hers. Akane closed her eyes and fervently returned the kiss, wanting it more than she thought she should. After a long kiss, Akane finally broke it off before taking her hands to his face and drying up his tears.

"It's hard for me too, Ranma. Please don't make it more than it should be."

"I won't."

Ranma detached himself from her, standing up as he prepared to leave and to walk around the city for a while before heading back to the Tendo residence for his car. He was in no mood for seeing his family just yet, and he could only think of one person with whom to vent his frustrations. He looked at his watch and saw that Uc-chan's would be opened by now, and he felt he needed a drink.

"I, uhm…I'll be back for my car later. Is that OK?"

"Yeah," Akane responded as she stood up and cleaned her clothes from dirt and leaves. She dried the tears from her face in an attempt to compose herself. She could not return home in this state without causing an uprising of the Tendo and Saotome families. The last thing she needed was to deal with the tears of her father, the teasing of Nabiki, and the condescending looks of Kasumi and kin.

"I'll see you tomorrow to go over the dojo's status."

"Yeah, I might be a little late, though."

"That's OK. I'm expecting Nabiki's visit to cause a celebration tonight."

"Tell the bitch we aren't accepting anything else other than 30% commission, _each_."

Akane could not help to laugh out loud at his comment, secretly agreeing with it completely. Saffron was not fond of her either, and making her life miserable was one of the everyday goals for the Lord of Phoenix tribe. "I will make sure she is informed."

Ranma turned around and began walking away from Akane, but stopped after only a few steps. Without facing her and putting his hands in his pockets, he asked the other question that was in his mind.

"Akane?"

"Yeah?"

"Are you and Satoshi…?" he was unable to finish the question, but the intent was clear to Akane.

"We…he's in my plans…"

How cryptic her answer truly was Ranma would later understand.

Without another word, Ranma jumped to the fence of the canal, and then jumped on rooftops –much as he did when he was younger, and wandered aimlessly until reaching his friend's restaurant, which he would not leave until the next day.

Akane saw him leave, and with him her heart went. When Saffron could not feel Ranma's aura anymore, he concentrated to find the scent of another boy who needed her attention. Facing the opposite way Ranma had headed, Akane walked down the street, her golden-color eyes showing her determination to exert vengeance on her prey.

* * *

**A/N:** A slow start, I know, but this story is kind of difficult to write. I have too many ideas, some rather unconnected, so it has been very difficult to piece together what fits and what needs to be thrown out. This chapter was primarily meant to help readers recall knowledge from the other two fics without having to re-read them, and fill gaps between the time elapsed and the beginning of this chapter. BTW, I have nothing against gay people, nothing at all, literally half of my friends are gay, but it is true that some people use homosexuality as a reason to judge someone who is alone and not seeking (I know my parents did for me, for a while). I have an outline already written for all the chapters, including the epilogue. Can anyone find the four lines adapted from the song "Fix You," used in this chapter? Virtual cookies for those who do!


	3. Chapter 2

**STOP!**

**In the name of love, during hammer time, so that you can collaborate and listen.**

**DO NOT READ CHAPTER YET!**

**READ NOTE HERE BEFORE READING CHAPTER! IMPORTANT!**

_**So, after writing this chapter and looking at my outline, turns out I'm anticipating chapters of at least 10K words EACH. This chapter had turned into 15K+ words, so based on this fact and how the first half of Chapter 2 blended better with the ending of the first chapter, I have edited the first chapter and added the missing portion towards the end.**_

_**If you have already read Chapter 1 before today (2/12/13), please, please, please go back and read the last portion after the section divider labeled **_**(NEW) xxxXXXxxx (NEW). **_**Do a quick ctrl+f search so that it is easy to find.**_

_**I apologize for this, and I hope you can forgive me.  
**_

**Chapter 2**

Saturday morning found Akane tired, hung-over, and moodier than she had ever been. She had slammed her alarm a little bit harder than intended, and she now had to buy a new one next time she came home. She had yet to do her laundry, and had fallen asleep in the same clothes she had been wearing last night, making her feel that she had to wash her blankets which now reeked of sake, noodles, and –for some odd reason, smoke. When she heard Nabiki screaming that it was noon and there was no food in this home, she realized she had to get up or her inappropriate sister would walk in and somehow trick her into buying everyone something to eat for breakfast.

Akane twisted and turned on her bed, determining sleep time was over and she had to face the day. She got up from her bed and threw the blankets on the floor, covering her face from the bright sunlight that was coming through her window. She hung a blanket on the curtain rod in hopes the annoying light would not worsen her already excruciating headache. She walked to her drawers and took out fresh clothes she had not used in months before sneaking out of her room and heading to the furo.

After taking a hot bath and dressing up in a pair of black and white flannel pants and a black sleeveless blouse, she headed to the dojo's office with a basket of bagels in her hand. As soon as she arrived at the office, she turned on the coffee maker, sensing she would need at least three cups to make it through her audit of the day. Last night's party had turned into a full-blown celebration when Nabiki had announced she and Tatewaki Kuno were to be wed.

_"I knew she would marry a wealthy man, that money-sucking sister of mine."_

Akane's only hope was that Nabiki was so happy with her money-making marriage –read _scheme_; she would never try to intervene in Akane's life ever again. Well, at least until the contract she had agreed upon without Ranma's consent last night was over, that is. Such agreement was still lying on her desk, beautifully decorated with her signature of approval. She set it aside for Ranma to read over once he showed up at the dojo later on today. She knew he was going to dispute the fine print on it, but she had at least bargained the 30% commission Ranma had so kindly demanded from her yesterday.

After her short but eventful stroll around the city last night, she had come back home to find the party well on its way. Genma and Soun were already as tipsy as they always got when celebrating any special occasion, and were slurring their words as they sung foreign love songs for the future bride. Nodoka and Kasumi spoke tirelessly to Nabiki, providing her marriage advice and their womanly pearls of wisdom even though they knew perfectly well that Nabiki took advice from no one other than herself. Even the twins –who by now had learned how to walk, had joined the celebration. They were, of course, closely monitored by Ono as they ran back and forth around the house, showing off the stamina of their little legs. All the while, Akane had randomly jumped from group to group, feeling oddly unable to fit into one category for the entire night.

As much as Saffron did not want her to realize, she knew the reason why she had felt so out of place in her own home was because during such family gatherings, she had always spent her time with Ranma, having random conversations with him and secretly mocking their unusual families and their traits. Needless to say, she had not expected him to return to the Tendo home last night after their painful conversation, but she had expected him to at least respond to her text messages or her calls, which consistently kept going straight to his voicemail.

Akane groaned as she imagined how much more dreadful she knew her day would turn out to be. She anticipated that the true weight of her decision to set Ranma straight and the logical explanation he got from her yesterday had finally set in deep within him, luring the martial artist into ignoring all her attempts at communicating with him last night. In addition, she knew he was going to have a fit when he found out the terms of the contract she signed them up for. At the end of the day, however, these complicated situations she found herself involved with reinforced her need to get as far away from him as she possibly could. They both knew that if Ranma was not in her life, the largest source of uncommon situations would be gone. As much as she hated admitting it, her life had turned into chaos because of him.

Unbeknownst to her, a few miles away from the dojo, an also cripplingly hung-over Ranma was just now opening his eyes, still unaware of how his problem-attracting tendencies had earned him a few more hitches he had to handle with haste. The deep throbbing of his head was the first thing he felt as he attempted to get up from…

_"The floor? Fuck…!"_

Ranma immediately knew his body was going to bitch at him all day for permitting himself to fall asleep on such a hard surface. He looked around and was surprised to find that he had not even attempted to ease the impromptu sleeping accommodations with a nearby pillow or blanket. In fact, looking down at himself he realized that he was still wearing the same clothes he had on yesterday, but were now tainted with the strong scent of cheap sake.

_"At least I'm still dressed…"_

Now fully upright –or at least as much as possible with a headache and slight vertigo, Ranma felt the nausea coming to him. He covered his mouth as he stumbled his way to the closest trashcan and unceremoniously heaved the contents of his stomach into the wastebasket. As he struggled to sit on the floor next to his new best friend –the trashcan, he scanned his surroundings; the faint memories of last night made themselves known.

He remembered walking around the city for about an hour before he felt confident enough to show up at Uc-chan's with a straight face, coming in as the crowd was getting loud to celebrate the beginning of the weekend. Most of the patrons at Ukyo's restaurant were older men and women who were ready to disentangle from their dead-end jobs and have a good time enjoying the perks of their passing youth. Ranma had been quick to join them in a sake-drinking competition, which quickly turned into a _who-can-stay-standing-the-longest-without-falling-on-his-ass_ competition.

He had lost, appallingly; the worst part of it all being that he had not given a rat's ass that he had.

He had then helped Ukyo escort out the customers when closing time came, while making sure those who did not have a sober friend to drive with left their keys behind and either walked home or took a cab. Once the establishment was clear, Ukyo joined Ranma's intoxication level and they both shared laughs, pains, and overall walked down memory lane together. For the first time in months, Ranma had felt free from agonizing fears; free from adulthood commitments, and free from her.

Free to tell Ukyo what he thought and felt about the entire situation, and how he was going to move on, regardless of how difficult it seemed.

Free to weep and cry with his friend, citing his failed relationship as the source of his pain.

Free to make out with the closest woman in sight, forgetting for an instant that she was his oldest pal.

_"Oh, shit."_

Recalling this last memory made him snarl in exasperation and regret as he realized the implications such actions would have today. Maybe he could sneak out from the restaurant right now, run as fast as his legs would take him, and never speak to Ukyo again. Or, maybe, he could pretend that what had happened never did actually happen; denial was an easy escape route. Or, perhaps, he could avoid the conversation altogether and send an earnest apology via e-mail once he returned to the university, sad face smilie included.

"_Two sad face smilies, included. TWO!"_

"Good morning, Ran-chan!"

As if on cue, an exceedingly cheerful Ukyo appeared next to him, kindly extending her hand to him to help him stand from the floor. He reluctantly accepted her assistance and stood up, feeling the headache grow more intense as he did. Ukyo knew what his face meant, having experienced it herself before, so she grabbed his hand, squeezing it lightly.

"Come, Ranma. I will make you my famous hangover cure drink. You better take it before my customers return today for their car keys and their own serving of the drink. It will run out quick!"

Ranma allowed her to guide him to the bar, only now noticing how impeccable she looked. He knew she had been drunk as hell last night, as he had, but she did not show any signs of being affected by it as much as he was. He could hardly stand straight and she was already getting ready to cook for all the people that would show up today to her business. Ranma wondered how many times and how often had Ukyo been drunk to the level they both were last night; she seemed to have gained a strong resilience to alcohol over time. He covered his face with his hands before quickly changing their position to cover his unusually sensitive ears when Ukyo turned on the blender to mix his drink.

After what felt like an eternity of torture, Ukyo presented the counteractive drink to him. Ranma sniffed the horrible concoction and made a face. A stern look from the chef, made him chugged it down until it was completely gone. As goose bumps crawled on his skin, he handed back the glass to Ukyo, not without making gagging sounds and asking for water to wash down the terrible taste in the process. Ukyo complied with his request and then called out to Konatsu to come down to begin cleaning up the remnants of their late rendezvous.

Konatsu finally arrived to the first floor after ten minutes, blatantly throwing daggers at Ranma with his eyes. Ranma knew why Konatsu was so upset at him, but at this point there was nothing he could do to make it right to him, or to anyone, especially for himself.

"What time is it, Uc-chan?"

"Time for you to take a bath, honey! You can use my shower while I wash those clothes for you, if you'd like."

Ranma shook his head. He knew he needed to get out of the place as soon as possible to not give Ukyo other ideas or start attaching a meaning to their make out session of last night. "Is it past ten?"

"Uh, it's almost one in the afternoon."

"WHAT?"

Ranma stood up much faster than he should have, causing another wave of pain in his head. He closed his eyes and cursed as he felt the pain go back to its normal magnitude. He rubbed his face and felt some sticky substance on it, as well as stubborn crust in his eyes. "I'm gonna use your restroom, Uc-chan."

"OK," Ukyo said, concentrating on getting everything ready for her morning clientele. Ranma wobbly walked to the small room used for guests and locked the door behind him. He stared at his reflection in the mirror and was shocked to see his state of disarray. His pigtail was all over the place, and he had lipstick stains on the sides of his mouth and on his neck. His pants' zipper was undone, and part of his boxers stuck from the opening.

_"So much for being dressed."_

He had dark circles under his eyes and a few small bruises on his arms, although he could not recollect where they had come from.

_"I think it's better that I don't remember."_

He took a few minutes to wash his face and rinse his mouth. He redid his pigtail and zipped up his pants. He could not do much about the bruises or dark circles, but he already looked much better than what he did five minutes before. He searched around for some form of air sanitizer, but all he could find was the spray bottle of air freshener, which he used on himself to try and remove the smell of drunkenness from his body.

After one last check on himself and straightening his collar, he walked outside to find that already some patrons from last night were waltzing in, looking much worse for wear than he did. As Ukyo had predicted, they were sorting through a box looking for their car keys, while some of them were already drinking the blend Ukyo had made him drink just moments ago.

He walked towards a busy Ukyo and patted her back to get her attention. "I have to go. Akane's waiting for me."

The look of pain on Ukyo's face did not go unnoticed by Ranma, meaning she did remember their session last night. _"Great,"_ he thought, _"Now I have to tell Ukyo I didn't mean anything by groping her last night, after all."_

Electing to postpone the awkward conversation for now, he cleared his throat and clarified to Ukyo that they had to go over dojo matters as requested by their dojo certification agency. Believing that he was excusing his behavior, Ukyo smiled brightly, which made Ranma flinch even further.

_ "Dammit! Now she thinks I'm trying to explain myself to her for our sake! I need to shut up, now." _

He knew he could not let this situation get any worse than it already was, but he shrugged it off for now and decided to deal with it before he and Akane returned back to school. "I'll see you tomorrow afternoon, OK?"

"OK, Ran-chan!"

The nickname added insult to injury as he dragged his feet when exiting the restaurant and headed to the Tendo's home. The walk was the longest he had ever experienced, and the cold wind that had picked up overnight made the trek much less pleasant. His mind was filled with possible conversation starters for tomorrow's chat between him and Ukyo –which, he knew, that regardless how well he planned it, he would forget every word he could practice as soon as he met with her, making the entire ordeal turn ugly pretty soon.

_"Story of my life."_

He picked up his pace once he saw the entrance to the Tendo's home. He jumped over the fence of the premises as he had done for many years, and ran around the garden to reach the back room of the dojo. He walked inside and he welcomed the heat it provided, as well as the smell of freshly-made coffee. He almost missed Akane's frowning face as he walked up to the coffee maker and served himself a cup of coffee as if he was not too terribly late to perform their dojo duties.

"Long night?" Akane asked as neutral as possible, pretending to be looking down at the documents she had in her hand. Ranma chuckled as he took a sip of his coffee and dragged a chair to sit in front of Akane's desk. Akane tossed him a bagel and the bottle of aspirin, which he thanked her for before biting into his breakfast and swallowing two tablets of the miraculous medicine. He closed the lid of the bottle and handed it back to Akane. She grabbed it and tossed it back inside her desk' drawer, slamming it shut a little harder than she had meant.

"You could say that," Ranma finally said, not missing her attempt at masquerading her anger. "Though I don't remember much," he lied.

"Must have been good; you're wearing the same clothes as yesterday."

Ranma shrugged as he took another sip of the coffee and held the warm cup in between his hands to speed up his thawing. Akane picked up the slight smell of sake coming from him, spiking her curiosity of his whereabouts the night before. "I tried calling you last night; it was kind of important."

Ranma patted himself looking for his cell phone and took it out once found. The outer screen read he had 10 missed calls, 5 unread text messages, and three voicemails marked urgent. "Sorry," he said as he flipped open the phone to read the messages and then putting it away again. "What's Nabiki's proposition?"

Akane handed him the contract she held close by, having already read it one too many times to the point she had highlighted the important points for him.

"I already accepted it. Your signature's just a formality."

"Did we get –?"

"Yes," Akane interrupted him. "She made an initial deposit to our bank accounts today."

"Nice! So, what's the job?"

"Why don't you take the contract home with you today, and ask me any questions tomorrow. It's a simple deal," she said, evidently trying to avoid any confrontations today.

"Alright," Ranma said as he folded the contract and put it in his back pocket. He got up from his chair and headed to his desk. He turned on his computer and began running reports on the dojo's accounting status so far.

"Did you get a chance to tell our dads that they need to hand out the liability and parent consent forms to the students on Monday for the ART?"

"Not yet. They're still pretty hung-over from last night."

"Oh? What was the occasion?" he asked as he took the cup of coffee to his mouth and sipping a good amount of it.

"Nabiki's getting married."

Ranma spat his coffee all over the place as a response to Akane's answer. He wiped his chin with his hands before getting up and grabbing a rag to clean his desk.

"Who the fuck is crazy enough to marry her?!"

"Kuno."

"What? As in the _Blue Thunder of Furinkan_?"

"The one and only."

"Damn! I guess, yeah, crazy enough. When's the wedding?"

"Six months from today."

"Wow! Well, good luck…"

"Yup."

After failing miserably from trying to remove the coffee stains from his clothes, Ranma drank the rest of his coffee in one sip and dropped the rag and the cup in the sink. The office, while small, provided all the commodities of a home, with the exception of a restroom. There were two desks, bookcases, several filing cabinets, a mini-kitchen with a small fridge included, a sink, bulletin boards, a telephone, two computers, a multi-functional printer, a few chairs, and other random equipment used in the management of the dojo. Ranma looked around the mess on his desk his father had undoubtedly caused, making him want to beat his father into an organized man. Seeing the reports he was running were going to take a while, he decided to shower before he could get any work done.

"Akane, do you mind if I use your shower? My car's still outside and I _need_ to clean myself up."

"Go ahead. I still have a while to go, so I'm sure you will have more to do than me."

"OK, thanks. I'll be back soon."

As soon as Ranma walked next to her desk as he headed for the door, a strange vision made itself known to Akane. It felt as if time had stopped for her and a sequence of random images pieced themselves together inside her mind. She saw Ranma drinking ridiculous amounts of sake with Ukyo, then seamlessly making out with her, and then spending the night at her place. Akane's head slowly turned toward the exiting form of Ranma, and glared at his back until he became out of sight.

Returning to her work on her desk, she felt herself confused, relieved, sad and shaking in anger, all at the same time. She felt her headache coming back to her, and the feeling of anger overcoming every other emotion she had just felt. She stared at Ranma's desk, replaying the detailed images in her head, not once wondering where the hell they had come from or if there was any doubt they were even real. It all made sense, however; he had been late because he had spent the night with Ukyo. He smelled like sake because he had gotten drunk, and he had claimed that he did not remember much of what he had done last night so that she would not question him for not answering his phone.

"_Who does he think he is?"_

She grabbed her cell phone and flipped it open, rapidly typing and sending a single text message: _Ukyo Kuonji – Sunday night._

An affirmative response was immediately received by Akane, making her lips turn into a smile in anticipated success. Knowing that the one seemingly unknown obstacle would be quickly taken care of, she continued working diligently in sorting out the financials of the dojo. After half an hour of working non-stop, she stood up with her now empty cup of coffee and headed to the sink to wash hers, his, and the dirty rag Ranma had left behind. Immediately after she deposited the washed cups on the drying rack, Ranma's upset voice was heard from the entrance of the office.

"What the _hell_ is this, Akane?" he asked as he walked in toward her with the wrinkled agreement in hand. He had already showered and changed clothes, his hair still damp from meticulous scrubbing and rinsing, but he was close to ripping out his clothes in overpowering anger.

"I don't agree to this stupid contract!"

Akane rolled her eyes, already feeling exhausted from spending her life arguing with this man. She had hoped that he would at least wait until tomorrow to yell at her, but luck was not on her side today. "What exactly don't you agree with?"

"You know damn well what! Yesterday you asked me to let you go and I agreed, and today you want me to pretend we're still together? What the fuck, Akane? Do you get off on this kind of thing? I don't like to pretend anything!"

"Look, I already signed and agreed for both, and we already got paid in advance. You're just gonna have to deal with it, OK?"

Ranma threw the contract on his desk and rubbed his face with his hands. He could not believe that she agreed to this contract; it placed an enormous dent in his plans to move on and transfer colleges next year. "Well, it's not OK, Akane. I'm _not_ doing this. Nabiki can have her money back and shove it up…"

"Hey! That's my sister you're talking about. Yeah, she's a bitch, but we could use the money! Besides, it's an NRD directive, so we don't have much choice, now do we?"

Ranma kicked his desk as hard as he could, knowing that if they deviated from any directive the NRD imposed, all their hard work from the past year to get the gym registered would be in vain. Grabbing the contract and reading it again he verified that in fact the request had come from the NRD. "I doubt the NRD demanded you and I hold hands and act as if we are still together, Akane. This is Nabiki's doing."

"It's Nabiki's company's doing. They're doing the sponsoring for us, so they're setting the rules. Apparently, it's very marketable for a couple to join forces and face the world."

"But we are NOT a couple! You made that perfectly clear last night."

"I KNOW! Do you think I want to sit there and look happy with you when clearly I'm NOT happy with you?"

"This is just…can't we find another sponsor? I don't want to…if it's not true…then what's the point…ugh!" Ranma was now rambling on, not being able to concentrate on one feeling at a time.

"Too late for that! You should've answered your phone last night."

"You didn't have to agree with it on the spot! You coulda waited for today!"

"No, I couldn't. This is Nabiki we're talking about; it was a take-it-or-leave-it deal."

Ranma exhaled as he tried to think of a way around this situation. Yes, he still cared deeply for Akane, but he was getting tired of being used as her stomping mat whenever she felt it was appropriate to do so. After discussing with Ukyo everything he had given up for her, and done for her, he had become upset at what she was doing to him. Yes, she did not have to marry him, but she could at least treat him like a human being, and not a positive carrier of leprosy.

"I can't do this."

"We have no say in the matter, Ranma. Get over it."

"You don't understand, Akane! This is an insult! A plot from our families to get us back together."

"You think I don't know that? Don't get too excited about it, Ranma. I have no interest in…"

"I know. You don't have to remind me."

"Good. Besides, I'm sure Ukyo won't mind if you explain it to her."

Ranma's head titled to his side as he stared at Akane, trying to decipher what she had meant. The mental image suddenly came to him, making him look away from Akane and to find something interesting on the floor or anywhere else that was not on her. "I don't know what you mean."

"Sure you do. She called the office while you were bathing and left a message for her _fiancée_ to call her back ASAP."

"Who took the message?"

Akane gave Ranma a look that said he was asking stupid questions, making him even more uncomfortable with the entire situation. He knew he should not care what Akane thought since they were not together anymore and she had made it clear they were not going to be together ever again, but something inside him still felt as if he owed her an explanation.

"It was nothing…"

"I don't care."

"You're acting as if you do."

"I don't. I just don't want to be the butt end of jokes at school if your_ affair_ gets out after our press conference."

Oh, yes, the press conference. And the interviews and public speaking, and book writing and signing, and media appearances, and demonstrations. The contract had it all: a well thought out plan to profit from Ranma and Akane's underdog story, in America and around the world.

"Why the hell did you agree to do this, Akane? I thought you didn't want anything to do with me?"

Akane walked up to Ranma who by now was resting his back against his desk. He followed her movements with his eyes until he could not do so anymore because her lips were on his. Ranma was shocked at first, but quickly allowed her hands to roam all over his body while he did the same. Ranma lifted Akane by her legs and turned her around so that she sat on his desk, craving for more than what he was getting. He walked closer to her so that he stood between her legs, continuing his explorations of her body.

Before the situation became even more heated, Akane broke the kiss and pushed Ranma away from her, immediately jumping off the desk and straightening out her clothes, acting as if nothing had just happened between them.

"See, Ranma? We can pretend."

Ranma's look of disbelief and pain was a wondrous sight for Saffron, especially when Ranma grabbed the contract, crumpled it and threw it in the trash. He walked up to Akane on his way out of the office and spoke to her in a rancorous tone he had never once directed at her before, even when they argued in the past.

"I _wasn't _pretending," he said before he left the office and her house.

"The first conference is on Wednesday!" she yelled at him as he headed out. Akane scoffed at his martyr actions and realized she would have to do the accounting of the dojo all by herself this time.

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma slammed the door of his home, catching the attention of his mother who was expecting Genma to arrive soon. "Oh, Ranma! I'm glad that you remembered that you have a home and a mother and father," she began, soreness filling her tone of voice. "You have been back for almost a day and leave in less than a day, and I'm just now seeing you. Where have you been?"

"Mom, I'm sorry, but this is not a good time…" he said as he made his way to his room.

"Of course it is! Ranma! Get back here and honor your mother!"

Ranma sighed internally as he turned around and returned to the spot his mother stood. He stared at her in brief intervals, not sure what she was expecting from him.

"Ranma, you look terrible. Have you not been sleeping well?"

"Not lately, no. I've got a…test coming up."

"Is Akane helping you with it?"

"No, why would she?" he asked, his tone becoming more aggravated by the second.

"Because, Ranma, a wife must support her husband all the time!"

Ranma's patience was running thin. This was the last conversation or topic he wanted to discuss with anyone, especially his mother.

"Mom, I've told you that Akane and I ain't together anymore."

"But, Ranma, this is only in passing. I'm sure that you and she will patch up things soon."

"No, Mom, we aren't. We had a talk last night and we've decided it's time to see other people."

Nodoka was taken aback by his declaration, biting her lip to keep herself from gasping in shock. Nodoka walked closer to her son and lifted her arms so that she could place her hands on his face. Ranma stared at his mom, seeing how much she truly cared for him behind that neutral face of hers.

"Oh, my dear son! Don't lose hope. Love overcomes any obstacles, and the two of you will see this through. You may not see it, but you two have been through much more than_ anyone_ should struggle with in their entire lives. Give her time, Ranma; she just needs to remember why you need each other in your lives."

Ranma avoided his mother's stare, fearful that he would break down in front of her if their eyes met. The last thing he needed was his mother chasing him around with an eager katana in her hand to end his unmanly display, even though he knew she was not as single-minded in her seppuku enforcing phase as everyone thought she was.

"I hope you're right, mom, but I wouldn't hold my breath."

Nodoka nodded to her son as she released him from her grasp. Ranma decided this final interaction was as much as he could take for the day, and headed straight toward his room. He walked in and crashed on his bed, hoping the restful sleep he had lacked last night miraculously returned to him. Instead, he found himself staring at his ceiling, recapping the events of the last 24 hours. He felt guilty for not staying at the dojo and helping Akane with its review, but he did not feel as if he could be around her after her offhand display of sadistic acting. The kiss they had shared just moments ago had been as intense as all the ones before; he could not believe she had faked her way through it. There was no way someone could pour themselves into a kiss as she had, and not feel anything for the person they were sharing it with. Or, could she?

_"If she can pretend that well, how long has she been pretending?"_

The possibility that she had been humoring him for a long time nagged at him. He had, however, agreed not to bring up the subject anymore, so he could only take a wild guess regarding when she began seeing him as her friend and nothing more. He turned to his right side and grabbed the only photo frame he had on his desk. He grabbed the frame with both of his hands and stared at it, recalling the moment where the picture had been taken. The family had gone to the annual carnival to enjoy their time off. Nabiki had sneaked around the couple for a long time until she was able to snap a picture of them together. Nabiki had caught the exact moment Akane was sitting on a horse on the carrousel, both of her hands grabbing hold of the pole attached to the mechanical animal to keep herself steady. Ranma stood next to her, one of his hands holding on to Akane's hands on the pole, and his other hand cupping her cheek as they kissed.

Ranma smiled at the picture, remembering the feel of her lips, and the churning of his stomach whenever they kissed like this. This picture had been snapped just a week before Ranma had proposed to Akane. He could not believe that a week afterwards she had told him she had no feelings for him anymore. He could not understand how just a few days could make such a great difference in someone's life. How could they have gone from long-standing bliss to abrupt hate? It was painfully obvious to anyone who had seen them together that they were meant to be. Why wasn't it painfully obvious to her?

He returned the frame to its place, becoming unsure of how long he would be able to keep such mementos of them in plain sight. Eventually the stupid contract he was now stuck with would end, and their pretending would come to a stop. He had been thinking about how his life would change again before finding out about the contract, and had actually looked forward to a fresh start after everything that had occurred this morning. Yet, after this last incident, he was not very sure he could. He would still transfer colleges by the beginning of the summer, leaving Akane free to do whatever she wanted with whoever she wanted. He also needed to transfer the ownership of the dojo to her, knowing that their business relationship would eventually turn sour as a result of their even sourer personal relationship. He did not think he could withstand her frequent mood swings for much longer.

He took his hand to his neck, reaching inside his shirt to tug on his hidden necklace only to find it missing. Ranma sat on his bed as he pulled the front of his shirt away from him with both hands, frantically staring inside the clothing item to find his necklace was nowhere to be seen. He stood up from the bed and shook his clothes, hoping it had gotten caught somewhere in his pants, but he had no such luck. His mind raced as he back-tracked his steps, attempting to remember when was the last time he had known to have it with him. The necklace was very important to him, as its pendant was none other than the engagement ring he had bought for Akane. He had been holding on to it, easily accessible in case he one day convinced her to change her mind.

He paced around the room, searching in drawers, in between the covers of the bed, his closet, and his luggage with the intense adrenaline that comes to a person when you lose something you can't replace.

"Crap! I remember I had it on when…Damn!"

Ranma placed his hands on his hips, cussing himself out for being such an idiot. He had not planned to return to the scene of the crime until tomorrow, but he had to recover the ring before Ukyo used it for her benefit. It was then that he remembered Akane's comment from a while ago.

_"She called the office while you were bathing and left a message for her __**fiancée**__ to call her back ASAP."_

Ranma smacked his forehead. Surely, she did not think that the ring had been meant for her, correct? Who, in their sane mind would think a random engagement ring is meant for them? Then again, Ranma was not a stranger the uncommon assumptions his former fiancées concluded in order to finally snatch him for good. This fact, combined with his innate ability to attract misunderstandings, was all he needed to realize what kind of trouble he had set himself in.

_"Oh, shit! Could it be worse?"_

Ranma grabbed his car keys before speedily running out the door of his room and his home, heading to the last place on Earth he wanted to be right now.

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma arrived at the entrance of Uc-chan's, sweating bullets as he prepared to tell his friend that they were not dating, or anything remotely similar to it, to apologize for giving her the wrong idea, and ask for his former fiancée's engagement ring back. He felt as if he should take a beating from himself after everything was said and done; he had surely earned it. How in the world had he allowed such stupid mistakes to occur?

_"Akane's right. I do draw in trouble."_

He stood at the entrance without moving an inch closer to the door, unable to make his legs move in the direction they needed to go. He lightly slapped his cheeks with his hands and exhaled quickly to calm his nerves. He then cleared his throat and straightened out his clothes before opening the door for an unsuspecting departing customer he quickly recognized, making him flinch at the view.

"A-Akane…what are you…doing here?"

"Dad wanted okonomiyaki."

"Oh. OK. Uhm, well, bye?"

"Sure…hey, since you're here, let me tell you that I don't need you to pick me up me tomorrow. I'll be catching a ride back with Satoshi."

"What?"

"Yeah, back to the university. I told him I didn't have a ride back and he offered to take me."

"What makes you think I wouldn't drive you back?"

"The fact that you stormed out of the office and left me to do all the work?"

Ranma scratched his head. Was he just not supposed to argue with one woman at a time, per day? He could see why Akane would think he would not come back for her, but she should have also known by now that as long as he was around, she could count on his help.

"I was thinking of coming back for you tomorrow."

"Don't worry about it. In fact, I might as well just travel with Satoshi from now on."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"I said no."

"And why not?"

"I don't know, but no." He knew he sounded foolish, resorting to the antics of a petulant child, but he could not accept the fact that Satoshi would get to bring her back home and take her back. Perhaps their rides were not the most pleasant or conversational, but it was all he had until he left. Satoshi had already taken away so much from him; he could not allow him to take away this particular privilege he had thought he still had.

"I'm sorry, Akane, but it doesn't make sense. We live in the same city!"

"So does he."

"We go to the same school!"

"So does he!"

"We share responsibility of the dojo!"

"One day he will and you won't."

An uncomfortable silence surrounded them. Akane was anxious to get back home so she could eat, and Ranma felt as if she had just stabbed him in the back with no regard for his crumbling sanity. What had happened to the weekends were they would part ways and then drive back with no trouble in between? Had he truly been home for only a few hours? Was she thinking about marrying him? Was she planning on Satoshi inheriting the dojo? Did he not already have one, anyway? Why did he need two? Was this how it was going to be from now on? He would have to relinquish the rights of the dojo to him, without a fight or a say? He would have not been so bothered by the insinuation if it had been just Akane, or Akane and her new non-Satoshi future husband.

_"Anyone but him," _he thought, bitterly.

When Ranma's silence extended for longer than usual, Akane took it as a sign that their minor argument was over. Not saying anything else, she turned around and left, leaving Ranma standing as he stared at her retreating figure, still unable to come up with a retort. Once she doubled the corner and was lost to his eyes, he again opened the door to the restaurant and walked in to find it full.

Ukyo was busy at the back of the room, yelling orders at Konatsu as she cooked four different types of okonomiyaki at the same time. Ranma sat at the closest empty table he could find, and felt pathetic for not being hungry so late during the day he had only had a bagel and a cup of coffee for sustenance. Ukyo could not be bothered with bad news at the moment, so he decided to wait until the crowd died down. After five full minutes, Konatsu reluctantly approached the new customer to take his order. Ranma asked for a bottle of sake, and left it at that.

Konatsu quickly returned with the bottle, leaving it on the table for Ranma to serve himself at his leisure. Ranma did not even bother with a glass and drank straight from the bottle as he –for the second time in one day, thought about the crisis he called his life.

"_This is the longest day of my life."_

He was at a loss, plain and simple. He had a major test coming up in two days, and he did not have the energy or the will to study for it. He was in a room full of people and he had never felt so alone. He was so damned tired, but he could not sleep. He was about to lose his only friend after losing his only love. His days as the Dojo Master at the Tendo Dojo were numbered. And, if that was not enough, he was going to college for a degree he did not care about!

He felt as if he was stuck in reverse. As if he were standing there, the shell of a once proud man who was ready to take on the world. He felt hollow inside, void. He took another sip of the sake and continued on until the shaking of his arms made him realize he had passed out on the floor, again.

"Ran-chan?" Ukyo asked with a look of worry plastered on her face. "Are you alright? I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow. Is everything OK?"

Ranma stared at Ukyo as if he had never seen her before in his sorry little life. His mind had been severely affected by two days of drinking, so he was having trouble connecting all the dots at the drop of a hat. Yet, eventually the reality he had been trying to drown with the sake came back to him, hitting him much harder than before.

"Ukyo, I left something here this morning. I was wondering if you found it."

Ukyo helped Ranma stand from the floor and sat him on the chair he had originally being sitting on before he passed out. She took the other chair in the same table and sat across from him, staring at his partially intoxicated state.

"I didn't know you drank this much."

"I don't."

"Oh! What's the occasion?"

Ranma looked around and saw the sun had already gone down, and while the restaurant was still considerable full, the patrons were entertaining themselves with the television and personal chats among themselves. He looked back to Ukyo and was about to ask about the ring until a familiar sparkle coming from her hands caught his eye. He blinked a few times until his eyes agreed to focus, and he was able to see she was wearing the ring he had come to look for.

"Thank you for holding that for me, Ukyo," he said as he attempted to shrug off the importance of the ring. "I can take it back now."

Ukyo pulled her hands away when he tried to reach over to grab it, folding her arms in front of her chest and shaking her head.

"Oh, no, Ranma Saotome! You can't take back a marriage proposal!"

"Ah, what?"

"Marriage pro-po-sal. You proposed to me last night."

Ranma's eyes widened so much he thought he was going to go blind. He shook off his shock from him by slapping his face, before he leaned over to Ukyo's side of the table.

"I'm sorry. I'm not all here. Who's getting married?"

"You and I, silly. You proposed and I accepted."

Ranma opened his mouth to refute her statement, but the only sound that came out of his mouth was something that was a combination of a shriek, a cough, and a yelp. For the life of him he could not remember if she had been wearing the ring this morning when he left. He had been more focused on getting to the dojo as soon as possible that he failed to look at the details. He remembered not having on the necklace when he showered at Akane's place, but he had not realized it was gone until he went home. Was this the reason why Ukyo was so happy this morning? Had he really proposed to her?

"Ukyo…I…_we_, were really drunk last night. But, I think I'd remember if I asked you to marry me, don't you think?"

"I hoped you did, but I can totally let that slide if you don't, baby."

"Ukyo, I…I'm sorry, but…"

"Hey, guys!" Ukyo interrupted him as she yelled at her customers to get their attention. "Look whose back!" she said as she pointed to Ranma.

"Hey! It's the groom!" one of the customers yelled back.

"Yes! He's back!" another customer said before starting whistling the wedding march to them. Ukyo was nothing short of beaming at all the attention the couple was getting from the bystanders.

"Groom? Me? No! NO! I'm not a groom!"

"Aw! Don't be shy, Ranma-honey. They all know. You proposed to me in front of everyone present last night."

Ranma swallowed hard. "I…what?"

"It's OK, my customers were happy to be part of it."

Ranma began pulling on his collar, suddenly feeling dizzy and warm. "Ukyo…shit, I don't know how to say this."

"What?"

"I…now, I don't think you're lying but…I don't think I'd ask you to marry me…I couldn't have been that drunk to make such a mistake."

Ukyo flinched. "A a-mistake?"

"I mean, not that you are a mistake, but the situation, I…I wasn't very aware."

"You were aware enough to make out with me!"

"Yes! And, I'm sorry we did… I mean, you did…it was terrible…for me…for you…uhg! What I'm trying to say is that…"

"Ranma Saotome! Are you saying that next month when these same customers come back for our wedding, you are NOT going to be here?!"

"Next month!?"

"YES! You said you couldn't wait to marry me!"

"And you didn't realize I was drunk and probably lying out of my ass!?"

"NO! You said you and Akane are over! You said you wanted to move on!"

"Yes, I'm sure I did. But, I don't think I said I wanted to move on with you, did I?"

"Oh, my god! You're such a jerk!" Ukyo said, standing up and throwing the remaining of the sake in the bottle on his face. "How dare you do this in front of my clients?"

"I thought you said they were OK with it?"

"Yes, with the marriage! Not this embarrassing scene!"

Ukyo began walking towards the back door with Ranma close behind. He was stopped, however, by an incredibly angry-looking Konatsu. Ranma tried to go around the ninja, but eventually gave up and decided to let Ukyo blow off some steam. He took out a few yen from his pocket and handed them to Konatsu. He made no effort to grab the payment, so Ranma stretched his hand and left it on the closest table around.

"Keep the change," Ranma said as he turned around and walked towards the exit, all eyes staring at him in disbelief of what he had just done. He walked straight to his home as he did not want to be in the middle of another misunderstanding, or be the cause of one. Once he arrived at his home, he decided he had no reason to stay any longer. He ran straight to his room and packed his belongings before writing a note to his parents who were out, possibility at the Tendo home, letting them know he had to leave early.

After he was sure everything he needed was in his bag, he grabbed the photo frame he had so carefully admired earlier today and threw it without care in his trashcan. He then exited through the open window of his room and got in his car, driving as fast as he could towards the university, turning up the volume of the radio to drown the screaming voices in his head that told him how much involvement he had had in calling all these the problems to himself.

xxxXXXxxx

The middle Tendo sister coolly walked to her parked luxury car after waiting for three long hours at the airport for her luggage to finally appear in the lost claims section of the La Guardia International Airport. Her long wait had come after another long wait in the airplane where she and 150 other people had been stuck when the runway was deemed too icy to be used right after they had managed a shaky landing. She despised traveling in second-class, but by the time she had decided to go to Japan to let her family know about her engagement, second and third class tickets were all that were available. She was still building her network of American minions, so she lacked the string needed to snatch herself a first-class ticket on such short notice.

However, if this deal with Ranma and Akane worked as well as she knew it would, the first thing she would buy with her millions of dollars earned would be a private jet, effectively ending her travel arrangement issues, and all the other crap that came with flying across the ocean to see one's kin.

She looked down to her purse as she looked for her keys, pretending that the cold breeze of a Yankee winter did not affect her. Finally finding them, she unlocked the empty trunk and deposited her luggage inside. She closed the trunk and walked to the driver's door, opening it swiftly and closing it behind her once she was in. She placed her purse on the empty passenger seat next to her and was ready to turn on the vehicle and get out of the lonely parking garage when a familiar voice coming from the backseat startled her. She should have expected him to pay her a visit, and she should have been more careful showing any sign of emotions to him, but she really had not seen him coming just minutes after he disposed of the okonomiyaki chef.

"This is a very nice car, Nabiki Tendo. If I didn't know any better, I'd say you are selling drugs to kids."

Nabiki adjusted her rear-view mirror to observe him without having to turn around. She gave him an annoyed look before she stared down at her watch and then continued turning on her vehicle so that she could take advantage of the heater. "Just cut to the chase; my fiancée is waiting for me to arrive and I have a long drive ahead of me."

"Ah! Of course! I should've known a woman of your caliber would require an appointment set up at least a month in advance. My apologies, Ms. Tendo. I didn't mean to be inconsiderate of your time."

"Seriously, what do you want?"

"Information, that's all. Don't we all come to you for it? I need to know if they bought it."

Nabiki scoffed. "As if there was ever a doubt I can still manipulate my little sister and her loser of an ex-boyfriend. I had to haggle with her in terms of the commission, so that's gonna cost you, but the deal is sealed."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from you. Now, remember, you can't tell them anything until they find out themselves. We wouldn't want to ruin the fun, uh?"

"Whatever, just get out of my car. I've got better things to do with my time."

"What a coincidence? So do I!" The man said before grabbing Nabiki by the neck. That night, Nabiki Tendo never made it home, and her loving fiancée suddenly forgot she had ever been in his life.

* * *

**A/N:** YAY! Reviews, views, follows and favorites galore! Welcome back, all! Much inspiration comes from your interest in the story, and I'm trying my best to get it all out in the next month. The chapters will probably be much longer than before, but that is just how much the muse is living off your support. To answer the question about the lyrics in the previous chapter, there were two initial ones and two new with the addition to the chapter: "High up above and down below," which was correctly identified by readers, and "[You] can try your best, [Captain,] but you [won't] succeed. I can see why the second line was difficult to find since I had to adapt it to the dialogue, but those who got the first one correctly still get virtual cookies! The new two with the addition of the last part of the chapter are: "But, if [I] never try [I'll] never know [what my life could've been.]" and "[I just hope whatever guy you end up with] know[s] just what you're worth [so I don't have to kill him,]". Can you find the two lines in this chapter? ;)


	4. Chapter 3

**Hi, folks!**

**I'm just gonna put it out there: this story sucks when it comes to making everyone's life miserable. If you thought the other two and Wish were bad, you ain't seen nothing yet. The good news? It does turn out well for all of them, believe me. How many of you thought I couldn't possibly fix the eff ups in Wish, and I still did? This is the same, but worse ;)**

**This story will have one prologue, ten normal chapters, and then the epilogue, so please hang in there. As a token of my appreciation (and guilt for making you sad and scared with this story), I have begun a side story called **_**Behind the Scenes. **_**It is NOTHING like I have written before, and since everything I have written for Ranma has been angsty, I'm trying to repent my sins here by providing you a fluff-only story.**

**For real.**

**No joke.**

**Pure. Simple. Fluff.**

**So, if you need to cheer yourself up after I smack the crap out of Ranma in this story, please feel free to stop by **_**Behind the Scenes**_** and read something nice, easy, and happy.**

**Thank you again all for reviewing and sticking around until Ranma and Akane live happily ever after.**

**Chapter 3**

As promised, Akane had hitched a ride back to the college with Satoshi, officially ending the last bit of normal interaction she and Ranma had shared until now. Needless to say, the rumors of Akane cheating on Ranma had spread like the flu, making it more difficult for Ranma to ignore the facts. His mysterious return by himself in the middle of the night coupled with Akane's late return on Sunday with Satoshi had earned him a sympathetic look from everyone, including his _Introduction to Business_ professor when Ranma handed back the test to him, completely blank. Thankfully for him, the professor had offered him a second chance to take the test on Friday, so if he was able to do well on it, he would not ruin his opportunities of switching majors and leaving this God-forsaken campus as soon as he could.

After he had walked out of the failed test attempt on Monday, he had received a reminder text message from Akane to stop by her placed on Tuesday to rehearse their responses to the press conference they had on campus on Wednesday. Since Nabiki had been avoiding their calls since they left Nerima, they had to figure out on their own, with whatever information they received via email from the sponsors, how to approach their responsibilities outlined in the infamous contract. Thankfully for them, Ranma had been paying attention in his _Law of Contracts_ class and had assisted them in translating the business jargon held in the dozens of foreign language instructions they had received so far about their upcoming conference. Akane, in turn, had worked in translating the documents from English to Japanese, for Ranma to then explain the already translated terms to her.

After being stuck in the library for hours studying for his test, Ranma had decided to get his meeting with Akane out of the way sooner than they had anticipated as he still had more studying to do and he could not concentrate while knowing he had to see her again so soon after their last fight about how to answer certain questions in the press conference. He sped up across the campus to reach the all-girl dormitory, ignoring the curious looks of the women standing outside said building. He remembered a handful of them asking him out after class at some point right after he moved in, and if it had not been for the contract he had to fulfill with Nabiki's marketing company, he would have asked out any of them on a date when he returned from Nerima two days ago.

He finally arrived at Akane's floor, quickly finding her door and standing outside of it dreading her reaction to his early visit. He looked around to make sure no one was following him in case she screamed at him for coming in earlier than anticipated and unannounced. When he was certain no one was going to become a witness to another one of their fights, he raised his hand to knock on her door only to find it opening on its own.

Well, not entirely on its own; Satoshi was behind it.

Barefoot.

Without a shirt.

Wearing nothing but a pair of sweat pants.

Both men were surprised to see the other, but Ranma became even more surprised when he saw the deep scratches on Satoshi's back when he turned around to face an also surprised Akane on the bed. Akane was only wearing a satin nighty, which Ranma was sure he had never seen her wear before; at least not for him. As if running on autopilot, Satoshi walked back inside the room and quickly got dressed before walking out of the room without saying a word to either of them. Ranma waited until he heard the door close behind him before he ventured to stare at her again.

He swallowed hard at the view, finding it difficult to not deem Akane incredible attractive as she lay on her bed. Her accentuated legs were exposed to the elements, taking him on a long ride which culminated at the beginning of the small, pink item of clothing she wore. Her hips were outstandingly noticeable as the fabric hugged her natural curves, including the ones belonging to her partially exposed breasts. Her cheeks were flushed and her hair was in complete disarray, but she had never looked so beautiful to him.

He would have expressed his thoughts to her had he not remembered that she had taken the time to look beautiful for another man; a man he hated with every bone in his body. A man that had clearly taken advantage of her inviting looks and had done to her whatever he damn-well pleased, or so it seemed based on how he had found them. He half expected to discover a torn package of contraceptives thrown somewhere on the floor, but he was glad that they had at least taken the time to clean up after themselves. Unless, they had not even bothered with the contraceptive at all; standing to reason that this was why no evidence of used packages could be found anywhere. It was then that Ranma realized that if someone found out about this little encounter, they would be in violation of the terms of their contract and they could lose the registration of their dojo. He was not sure what enraged him the most: the idea of Akane losing her innocence to a man like Satoshi, or the fact that she did not seem to care if her actions jeopardized her family's inheritance.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" he finally asked as he dropped his bag on her bed and approached the still seemingly uncaring form of Akane.

"You're early," was her indifferent response, "I wish you'd called."

"What for? So that you could fuck him faster before I got here? Were you guys not finished, yet?"

Akane rolled her eyes, but did not deny his assumptions. "So that I would have had breakfast before we rehearsed our stupid lines," she said as she stood up and grabbed her bath robe, hurriedly covering her body with it to prevent Ranma from seeing more than he already had. The last thing she needed was rising suspicious of the activity that had taken place in her room. Ranma noticed her actions, confusing them with a sudden concern for her dignity, and he scoffed at her. "Give me a break, Akane. I've seen you in much less than that, too many times."

"Regrettably so, I must say."

Ranma narrowed his eyes at her, taking a deep, long breath to calm his increasing anger. He could not recall a time of mutual agreement where she had complained about him seeing her body wearing nothing more than the smile on her face. Regardless of her attitude, he could not help but watching her with obvious longing as she ran around the room grabbing clothes to put on, not bothering to cover herself as she changed from her nighty to underwear and then a pair of jeans and a t-shirt. She turned around to find Ranma staring at her, just as she had wanted it to be with her blatant display of flesh to him.

"Did you bring any food?"

"No, I didn't know that was a requirement," he spat at her. "I guess you must be hungry after _exerting_ yourself. Want me to order something?"

Akane ignored his shameless jab and busied herself with brushing her hair. "Yeah, I have a coupon for the new restaurant that opened around the corner. Can you look up their menu online?"

"Sure."

Ranma did as told, taking out his laptop from his bag and browsing the menu of the eatery. He could have continued demanding an explanation for what she had just done, but he figured it would be easier for this to be over with if he just kept his mouth shut and finished the job that had brought him here in the first place. Meanwhile, Akane was cleaning up a table for them to review the interview questions and requirements before the food arrived.

"What do you want, Akane?"

"Find something for me. I'm gonna get some drinks from the vending machine downstairs, OK? What do you want?"

"Whatever you get me is fine."

Akane grabbed a few yen from her purse and left the room to head to the first floor of the building where the vending machines were stored. Ranma reached over for Akane's cell phone which was closer than his as it still swam somewhere inside his backpack. He flipped open the phone and his heart stopped.

He was mesmerized by the image present on the phone; the background picture of him and Akane was still present as the wallpaper of her phone. He remembered how he had customized her phone before giving it to her, and this had been the picture of the both of them he had chosen to use for both their phones. Suddenly, he felt regret for throwing away the picture of them at the carnival he had kept on his nightstand all these months. He hoped his mother would have more sense than him and would save it for him instead of throwing it away with the trash.

After the initial shock was over, he dialed the phone number of the restaurant and placed their order for delivery. Once the order was complete and he returned the phone to its location, Akane walked in with the drinks in her hands, closing the door behind her, and placing the drinks on the table where she had laid the paperwork they needed to go over. Ranma walked towards the table and sat opposite to Akane who was busy taking out the change from her pockets and throwing it inside a jar.

The relishing feeling of knowing she still held onto their picture made Ranma immediately forget what he had walked himself into just minutes ago when he arrived at her door. The hope that maybe, just maybe, somewhere within her she still held feelings for him, and perhaps the chance of them someday getting back together, made him rethink his long-term plans. Perhaps leaving the university was not the answer he was looking for. Perhaps moving on with his life, even if she was around and growing close to someone else, was the real challenge he was meant to overcome. Or, maybe, this was just another test of the strength of their feelings, and they would soon be laughing at the absurdity of the entire situation.

"Yo, Akane. I don't know what you and Satoshi were doing…"

"Don't start, Ranma."

"I'm not. I'm really not. I just, ah…let's…let's just be careful with what we do, OK? This contract will be more difficult to fulfill if we have rumors spread around, right? I know it's your life, and all, but…let's try and keep it simple, OK? For our sakes."

Akane stared at Ranma's face for a few seconds before nodding. "You're right. Satoshi and I work together a lot of the time, especially with the gymnastics competition coming up. I'll try and be more careful, if you promise to call before you butt my door open."

Ranma nodded to her. "Thank you, I will. So, I ordered you some yakitori, and some rice balls. Is that OK?"

Akane nodded, separating the press conference instructions from the preset questions and the answers they had come up with. "If I don't like it, I'll just take yours."

"Over my dead body!" Ranma joked, knowing that Akane knew she was one of the very few people he would share his food with.

Akane looked up and smiled at him. "_That_ can be arranged, Saotome."

"Hardy har-har, as if you could defeat me, Tendo. What do we got here, anyway?"

Akane handed him a couple of pages that were labeled with her name on the top right corner. She kept with herself a similar stack of papers with his name on the top right hand of the first sheet. She cleared her throat and motioned for Ranma to ask a random question on the paper for her to answer. They alternated their turns so that each one was able to recite the answers to the questions, making sure to stop and restart when they stuttered too much or when they began rambling on.

Before they realized how much time had gone by practicing their answers, a loud knock on the door startled them, signifying their food had arrived. Ranma stood up and headed to the door, taking out his wallet as he did. The young boy on the other side of the door had a bag with their order, and seemed as if he was antsy to end his shift for the day.

"Tanaka's Restaurant at your service; I have one number 4, and one number 8, a double order of number 3, and extra sauce. That will be 2500 yen, please."

Ranma handed the delivery boy more than enough money to cover the food and left over for a generous tip before grabbing the food and closing the door. Akane had already cleaned up the table again to allow space for the food. Ranma took out the items and handed her food to her, to which she dug in as if she had not eaten in weeks. Ranma grabbed his own food, already seeing he was going to be ordering food from this particular restaurant more often.

"I gotta say, Akane. This contract is not such a bad idea, after all. It's nice to have some money in my pocket."

Akane nodded. "Yup, tell me about it. Paying for books and uniforms is gonna be so much easier now."

Even though they had both been given a few random scholarships, most of the funds to pay for costs of their education came from the dojo earnings. Soun and Genma could only handle so many classes in their old age –and their innate inability to commit to hard work, so their income had been slightly less than what Ranma and Akane had been able to get when they took over the dojo a year ago. However, with this new contract and its legacy, they would be able to have enough funds to finish paying for school and perhaps potentially hiring more trainers to help them with the school in the near future.

Ranma took another bite of his food, washed it down with his drink and stared at Akane until she took notice. She wiped her face with a napkin, swallowing her food before she asked him what he was staring at.

"You? Do you see anyone else around?"

"Well, don't. You make me feel uncomfortable, and I'm trying to eat."

"Sorry, I just…I've missed this. Us hanging around; not fighting. It's hard to make friends when half of the school hates you."

Akane scoffed. "You're having trouble? The other half of the school wants to fuck you. I can't imagine finding some company can be that bad."

"Are you in that other half?"

Akane slammed her fists on the table. "RANMA! For god's sake! I can't be having this discussion every time we see each other. You PROMISED!"

"I know I did, and we're technically not. Just because you sleep with someone, it don't mean you love them."

Akane sighed, knowing his technicality was valid. "What are you wearing for the conference?" She asked hoping he would get the hint that a change in conversation was needed.

Ranma shrugged, taking another bite to his mouth. "Whatever I wear to class, I guess."

"Good. I think it's a good idea we don't dress up too much. We're supposed to be normal, not wannabe celebrities."

"I have class right before the conference, so I will meet you there as soon as I can."

"Sounds good. Arriving with your backpack would be even better, makes us seem as part of the student body."

"As long as that body is yours, I'm in."

"RRRAAANMMMAA!"

Ranma laughed, clearly happy with his teasing. He knew he was playing with the boundaries of their promise, but finding the picture in her cell phone had truly lightened up his somber mood. "Oh, hey, Akane. I've got something for you."

"Uh?"

He stood up from the table and walked to his backpack. He rummaged through it until he found a small box held close by a bright ribbon. He returned to the table and handed it to her; half expecting her to shove it back to him. She did not, however, and carefully grabbed the box with a look of confusion on her face. He sat back on the chair again and shrugged. "Today would have been the anniversary of our first date. I couldn't help myself and I got something for you, even though…well…you know."

Akane held the box in her hands, feeling tears coming to her eyes even though some part of her wanted to throw the gift out the closest window. She had remembered the anniversary too, but when Satoshi arrived she had used him to forget all about it until Ranma showed up and it came back to her all over again.

"I probably shouldn't accept it."

"Maybe, but that'd be rude, don't you think? I mean, even with all this shit, I hope that at the end of the day you're still happy that we met. I know I am."

Akane could not hold back a couple of tears that streamed down her face. Ranma stood up and walked up to her, kneeling next to her and drying her tears with his hands. "I'm sorry, Akane. It was supposed to be a happy surprise. I didn't mean to upset you. Please, please don't cry."

Akane hiccuped as she tried to stop her crying which just seemed to increase. She did not know why she felt the need to cry her eyes out for such a simple gesture from him. Ranma slowly leaned closer to her as he gauged how much she would allow him to do. When she did not fight back, he embraced her tenderly, placing soft kisses on the crown of her head before resting his chin on her head and rocking her back and forth, begging her to calm down.

Saffron suddenly felt dizzy, his vision becoming blurry with every tear Akane shed. He tried to force her limbs to push Ranma away from her, but he felt as if he was slowly losing consciousness himself. He tried to hold on to her soul, and for the most part he succeeded, with the exception of a brief moment where Akane had complete control over her body and completely blocked his ability to visualize her actions.

At the same short-lived moment when Saffron lost control of Akane's soul, Ranma's mind was hit with random images accompanied with feelings of dread, despair, and sorrow. He saw Akane relentlessly fighting Saffron for her life until she resorted to kissing him as she used the final technique on him to finally end his existence. The image that followed Saffron's demise involved Ranma attempting to resuscitate an already far gone Akane as she lay on the bed of the operating room at Nerima hospital after the ART ended. He then saw Akane holding her head in pain in her room, and screaming to be left alone to no one in particular, something that he did not recall seeing or hearing about at all. Finally, he saw Akane declining his marriage proposal, seeing something he did not recall noticing when the actual scene had transpired: a quick flash of gold shining in her eyes.

As quick as the images came to him they were gone, leaving a stunned Ranma trying to piece together what had occurred. He felt his body shivering as if he was fearful of some unknown fate that was about to befall him. Was he going insane, he wondered? He had never had such an experience before, and he was sure as hell he did not want to have it ever again in his life. His bewildering thoughts were interrupted by Akane, telling him she had to start getting ready for class. She had been speaking to him for a while now, but he was not reacting to her voice at all until she shook him lightly as she spoke.

"Ranma, are you listening to me?"

Ranma pulled away from her, but still held on to her by her waist. He opened his mouth to ask her if she had seen the same images that had come to him, but the look on her face did not match his own jumbled state. He closed his mouth and looked back towards the door, wondering if someone had attacked him from behind without him even knowing. Akane's voice forced him to face her once more as he tried to control his shivering.

"Ranma?"

"Uh…yeah…I…I gotta go."

He stood up and grabbed his answer packet, his leftover food, and his backpack , more out of the necessity to concentrate on something other than the images than pure consciousness. He saw Akane had yet to open the gift he had given her, but she had at least not thrown it at his face yet. "I'll see you tomorrow, Akane."

"Alright. Thank you, Ranma."

"No problem," he said, not sure what she was thanking him for –the food, the company, the comforting or the gift. He walked out of the room and carefully closed her door behind him. He stood in the hall in awe before he ran down the hall, not bothering to care for the looks he was getting from the bystanders. He ran nonstop until he reached his room. He closed and locked the door behind him before grabbing a piece of paper and jotting down the images he had just seen with as much detail as he possibly could. Once he was done, he placed the paper inside the drawer of his nightstand, wondering if the images had been an omen warning him that something terrible was about to happen to Akane.

xxxXXXxxx

The crowd cheered as Ranma and Akane walked into the location of the press conference, hand-in-hand as if nothing ailed them, towards the impromptu stage at the cafeteria of the university. Reporters, investors and the general public had gathered inside the building to witness the press conference that was being televised to launch the Dojo's marketing efforts. Internally, the two dojo masters felt uncomfortable with the overwhelming attention, and wanted nothing more than to run away from the situation they were certainly not used to. However, no one could even image these feelings were running inside them since their faces showed the complete opposite emotions with their smiles and their relaxed postures. The couple waved their hands and thanked everyone for their support and attendance before taking a seat at the table that was placed for their use. After the crowd finally calmed down, the initial speech was begun by Ranma.

"As some of you may know, I'm Ranma Saotome, and this is Miss Akane Tendo. We were fortunate enough to be the winners of the NRD's ART event last year after a lot of hard work from the both of us. This year, we will be returning to the competition, which takes place in about a month or so, to defend the title of our dojo. We're here today to invite anyone interested in martial arts to attend and support the tournament, and of course, to also invite you to follow the launching of the new products that will be coming soon to help aspiring martial artists get better in their practice. At this point, we open the floor for questions."

All the hands went up at the same time, and Akane chose one at random. The young reporter was shaking, indicating he was nothing more than a rookie looking for a chance at the spotlight. He scratched the back of his head as he chose a question from the long list he had in his hands.

"Is…is it true that this is an NRD directive?"

Both trainers expected this tricky question as some competitors had already started calling the entire marketing strategy a bluff and a money-making scheme to force unregistered dojos go through the tedious process. Since Akane had chosen the interviewer, she responded his question without as much as breaking sweat thanks to the hours of practice.

"Absolutely! The NRD is always looking for ways to unite the MA community, and after the huge success of the first ART, it seemed logical to provide encouragement to other aspiring dojos by sharing our story and success. We're delighted to be part of these efforts."

The reporters wrote down Akane's response as Ranma used his turn and pointed at another reporter who had just raised his hand.

"What kind of products will you be offering or supporting?"

"The NRD has always had its own line of products and services that they wish to make known to the MA community, such as training equipment, health supplements and the like. The Tendo Dojo and its members of leadership have created –over time, our own products that we hope can be available to the public at some point during this intense campaign."

After a few nods and note-taking from the reporters, Akane chose the next interviewer: a small woman with a set of enormous glasses that almost covered half of her face.

"What other events will we be seeing you in?"

"We have other press conferences in line to announce products and invite the public to NRD-hosted events. We also have some demonstrations coming up, and free classes for beginners starting next year at the Tendo Dojo. We'll be pretty busy for the next three years, you can say."

After providing another moment for the reporters to take down their notes, Ranma took a sip from the water that had been placed on the table before he pointed at another reporter who had raised his hand twice already.

"Are you bringing in the same team to compete in the ART this year?"

"We would like to bring everyone in our school, as we think they all have something to bring to the tournament. However, in the interest of fairness we'll be hosting an internal tournament in two weeks to choose who will be coming with us to this years' tournament."

The same reporter asked if he could ask a couple more questions that related to Ranma's response, and Ranma agreed.

"The tournament is set to occur around the same time every year. Is there a particular reason why you waited until just two weeks before the tournament to choose a team? Were you planning on not attending at all, perhaps?"

Ranma noticed the man belonged to a news station known to publish bogus articles which ended up being hoaxes most of the time. He made a mental note to read the interviewer's ID before blindly providing opportunities to answer questions. "Our dojo trains students year-round and pushes them to do their best every day. We didn't see the need to prepare months ahead of time since everyone at our school gets the same personalized attention and high-quality training, on a daily basis."

"OK," the seasoned reported said, unhappy that his question had not had the desired effect. "And, finally, Mr. Saotome: are both of you attending the tournament?"

"Yes, both Akane and I will be defending the title at the tournament."

The reporters took the time to write down the answers as Ranma and Akane had a few bites of the snacks left for them. They exchanged an unreadable look for the bystanders, but they had just communicated to each other be mindful of the increasingly accusatory questions to come.

"Ms. Tendo, a question for your, if I may?" another young reporter asked.

"Sure."

"Is it true that you were declared legally dead for about 5 minutes last year after the ART ended?"

Ranma held back his tongue and clenched his fist under the table at hearing such a personal question being asked. They both knew that there was a possibility that private questions would come up, and they had prepared for them, but it seemed to Ranma that this reporter's question was rather distasteful, compared to all the other questions he could have asked.

"Yes, it's true. I inherited a genetic disease from my mother, and I was very sick for a while but everything turned out OK in the end."

"Don't you find it irresponsible of Ranma to allow his ill fiancée to compete in a martial arts tournament, Ms. Tendo?"

Akane felt Ranma's popping of his knuckles as he readied to jump the unsuspecting reporter. Akane smiled to him and patted his knee under the table to try to bring him down from his anger.

"You must not know me very well. Just as Ranma did, you will soon learn that you cannot expect a Tendo to understand what's best for them. Both Ranma and I agreed that we wouldn't allow my illness to put a dent on our long-term plans, so he begrudgingly, and vigilantly, allowed me to compete without much protest from him."

"Any remaining effects of the ordeal?"

Akane smiled at the loaded question as she stole a quick glance at Ranma, whose aura was beginning to spike again with anger toward the current conversation. She placed her left hand on his to calm him down, causing him to turn and witness the precise moment a familiar spark of gold crossed her eyes. Memories of his odd experience came back to him, reminding him that he had some questions to ask her himself when the time was right. Akane returned her attention to the awaiting reporter and chuckled.

"If by effects, you mean being spoiled by Ranma and my family, then, yes, plenty of remaining effects are left."

The crowd chuckled at her response, clearly amused at how she had easily redirected the malice intent of the reporter. Ranma did not waste any time in choosing another reporter as he was growing tired of the one that had been questioning Akane so far.

"Ms. Tendo: with the responsibility of running your family dojo, attending the university as a full-time student, leading Tokyo's University's gymnastics team, and now participating in this NRD campaign, do you have any time to spend with your fiancée?"

Akane was surprised she was able to respond without flinching or throwing a chair at the interviewer. "From all the things you mentioned, the only one I don't expect Ranma to be around with me is the gymnastics competition. Thankfully, all those other events you listed involve me and Ranma spending time together, doing what we both like and enjoy."

"I see," the reporter continued. "So, what you're saying is that for all those events you have Ranma to support you, but for the gymnastics competition you can rely on your other _special_ friend, Satoshi Nakajima?"

The disapproval of the couple's fans was immediately known to everyone, delaying Akane's response. Once silence made itself known again, Akane answered the question.

"Satoshi is the captain of the male gymnastics team; how stupid would I have to be to not have a great relationship with him? Only a fool would try to work with someone you can't stand."

"I guess, Ms. Tendo, what I'm trying to ask is: are you or are you not having an affair with Mr. Nakajima? Our reliable sources say that you have been seen with him in his dorm room or him in yours and that you hardly spend any time in Ranma's quarters compared to how much time you spend at Nakajima's."

Akane could not help but to laugh. "I wasn't aware guys and girls rejected by Ranma and I were part of your _reliable_ sources, sir. As opposed to other couples, Ranma and I trust each other unconditionally, so unless Ranma is uncomfortable with the situations you just described –which he is not, I don't see any reason why such a question is relevant to this conference."

"You're probably right, Ms. Tendo. Mr. Saotome, have you ever cheated on Ms. Tendo?"

Another round of disapproving comments took over the anxious crowd. Akane and Ranma understood why the reporters were so fixated in finding some dirt, as this was how most of the media providers increased their ratings. Yet, this press conference was quickly turning into a judging contest rather than an introduction of their upcoming campaign.

"Let me ask you something first, Mr.…?"

"Hakudoshi."

"Mr. Hakudoshi. Did you happen to see Akane in action at the tournament last year?"

"As a matter of fact I did, sir. She did a marvelous job for someone so young."

"OK, so you saw how much damage she causes when she's in a good mood, right? Can you imagine how much damage she can cause if she is mad? What kind of idiot do you think I am to cheat on a woman who can easily kick my ass?"

The bout of laughter from crowd did not wait to be heard, irritating Hakudoshi at being the center of Ranma's joke. "That still doesn't answer my question, Mr. Saotome."

"Want a straight answer? No, I have never cheated on Akane, Mr. Hakudoshi. Next question?" Ranma asked as he pointed to a woman standing next to Hakudoshi's crew.

"Since we're in the topic of romance, Ms. Tendo, is it true that your engagement with Mr. Saotome was pre-arranged without your consent? How did you both take the news?"

"I'll take that one, 'kane," Ranma said, earning him a small smile of approval from his partner who disliked talking about this topic since she broke up the engagement. "Our parents decided we'd be engaged even before we were born, so when they told us on the first day she and I met, you can image how against the idea we both were. It was hard, for the both of us, and we struggled much through it, but it was worth every fight we had. Going back to it now I realize that even if our parents hadn't arranged it, I knew since they day I met Akane that she'd be the only woman I'd ever want to marry," Ranma finished by staring at Akane as he said the last words, swallowing the lump in his throat.

Approving nods followed Ranma's statement as fans awed at his declaration. The reporter wrote down some notes before being granted permission to continue her interview. "If you have made your peace with the engagement, how come she doesn't have a ring?"

Akane felt Ranma tense up at the question that brought back some hurtful memories for him. She felt it was only fair that she answered the question he did not want to answer himself as he had done for her just now. "Ranma and I both agreed that even if our engagement was arranged, we'd still go through the normal channels of burdening him with popping the question. I can't make it too easy on him, now can I?"

"I understand," the reporter said. "Any idea of when you're popping the question, Mr. Saotome?"

"I can't tell you that! How can I make it a surprise if she hears it ahead of time?"

The crowd laughed at his response, and the reporter stated that she did not have any more questions. Seeing that neither of them were going to cave in at their inappropriate questions, the press conference attendees returned to questions related to the tournament and products, leaving alone the topic of the relationship between the owners of the Tendo Dojo. After half an hour of more questions, the press conference conclusion was called and Akane and Ranma spent a few minutes signing autographs and taking pictures with some of the attendees who were avid fans. Ranma and Akane were not aware so many people followed their lives, proving to Akane –and Saffron, that she did have to be more careful when implementing her plans.

"Please! One final picture of the happy couple!" the same reporter that had asked Ranma if he had cheated on Akane yelled above everyone's conversations. Ranma and Akane held hands and posed for the picture, but the reporter had another pose in mind.

"How about one with a kiss? Everyone loves a good kiss picture, neh?"

Ranma looked at Akane with a nervous face. He knew they had also anticipated the chance of such a request being brought up, and Akane had been upset at the proposition.

"Ranma's kinda shy," Akane finally said.

"Oh, come on! Your fans will love it!"

Grudgingly, and with the pressure of their present fans, the two trainers leaned forward to each other and shared a kiss worthy of the front page of Tokyo's news. The crowd's catcalls did not help ease Ranma's nerves, and as soon as the picture was taken and the kiss was over, Ranma grabbed Akane's arms so that she piggyback rode on him as he ran out of the building and began jumping on fences and roofs until they were far away from the cheering crowd.

xxxXXXxxx

Akane stared at her dorm's ceiling surrounded by the dark of the middle of the night. It was the Friday after the press conference, and tomorrow she had to attend practice all day with the gymnastics team. Saffron was not looking forward to hanging around with the passive-aggressive bitches that had made the cut for the renowned gymnastics team, so his anxiety was keeping them both awake regardless of the comforting silence around them. The only positive outcome he was looking forward to this upcoming weekend was the execution of another pivotal step of his plans, bringing him closer to the awaited moment of his rebirth.

Akane turned her face to the side and saw the pile of books that rested on the table, waiting to be used for studying at some point this weekend. Underneath the table lay her gym bag ready to take a beating in a few hours, and on her nightstand lay the recently arrived instructions for the martial arts demonstration that would take place in a week, courtesy of the Masters of the Tendo Dojo. The Lord of the Phoenix tribe felt overwhelmed with the amount of mortal responsibility on Akane's shoulders and grumbled as he asked himself how much longer he had to deal with completing the mundane tasks.

"_How does she do all these things and not get tired?"_ he wondered as he finished listing all the events that Akane had to participate in for the next few months. Then again, he already knew the answer to his question: her devotion to the things that matter to her was one of the reasons why he was fighting to keep her by his side, anyway. Ranma's presence in her life was only momentary; the closer he got to his rebirth, the closer he became to eliminating the last anchor Akane had to a life away from the Phoenix tribe.

Saffron closed his eyes to concentrate his mind and energy in the task at hand. It had been a while since he had spoken to the Captain and it had been a while since she had made any attempt at breaking free from his grasp –at least not since Ranma had given her that stupid charm bracelet a few days ago in commemoration of the anniversary of their first date. He took a deep breath as he relaxed his body, quickly finding himself walking down a narrow path inside her mind. The room he was walking through had no visible dimensions, and a dense, white fog made it impossible to see anything past one's body. His slow steps loudly echoed in the empty room as he walked towards his destination. He knew where she hid; he had hidden there himself for a long time before he was released back to the living world. The thick, white fog eventually turned dark until blackness was all that surrounded his soul. His steps came to a sudden halt when he finally found her curled up body lying on the ground in front of him.

"Captain, it's so nice to see you, again."

Akane opened her eyes and stared blankly at him before getting up from the ground and standing in front of him. She fixed his collar and patted flat some of the wrinkles on his clothes more out of habit than true concern. Saffron lifted his right hand and tucked her bangs behind her ears, then lovingly stroked her cheek with his index finger. "Are you still upset with me?"

"Only when you give me reason to be."

Saffron grabbed her hands in his, kissing each one as he kept a tight grip on them. He lifted his eyes and stared at hers, delighting in their beauty much like how had done before, countless times. "Do you think I like to see you in pain, Captain? This could be a lot easier for us if you just went willingly."

Akane smiled and tilted her head to her right.

"Are you saying I asked for this, my Lord?"

"I'm saying you didn't choose to avoid it."

Akane pulled her hands from his and surrounded his waist with her hands, pressing the left side of her face onto his chest. Saffron responded immediately by embracing her, remembering how much he had missed moments like this with her.

"Is this not much simpler, Akane? Wouldn't you rather spend our lives like this?"

"I did, but it was all a lie."

"We can make it the truth. Just say the word and we can leave now, forget about those who keep you in this commonplace life. You can be the Lady of the Phoenix tribe; they already cherish you;_ I_ cherish you."

"You remind me of the man you used to be before you got your past lives' memories back. Why? Why did you use that spell on yourself?"

"I needed to know the truth. My council wouldn't let me be with you, and I needed to know why. I thought I could fix whatever it was that prevented us from being together. I thought I could keep you with me, but it turned out they were correct."

"You never needed anyone with you before, you can continue that way and you know it. Don't you think that having to look after someone makes you weak? Do you want to be seen as having a weakness in me?"

"If that were the case, if you were in fact the cause for a man's weakness, Saotome would have given up on you a long time ago."

Akane sighed, realizing that Ranma and Saffron were much alike than they themselves believed so. "So you think punishing him for what you would have done in his place is fair for all of us?"

Saffron's grip on her tiny body tightened at her words. He had hoped that she had changed her mind, but the more he proceeded with his plan, the more distant she became from him. "Why is it so difficult to understand that all I want is to have you in my life, Captain?"

Akane pushed herself away from him so that she could see his face; a face she had become accustomed to seeing in her life every day when she lived in China. She cupped his face in her hands and gave Saffron a small smile. "My Lord, the woman you fell in love with was never truly there. I would have found out the truth, eventually, and I would've left your tribe sooner or later. I don't belong there, and you don't belong here with the humans. You're a god…your life is meant to be so much better than this."

It was Saffron's turn to chuckle. "If I'm a god, how come I can't make you return my feelings? How come I can't make you see how much better you would have it with me?"

Akane returned his smile. "Who said I didn't know? I just…he…he's the one I want to spend my life with. He's the reason why I can't go back with you to Jusendo. He's the one that owns my heart."

"And that is _why_ he has to die."

Akane closed her eyes, inhaling his scent that was so familiar to her and had calmed her troubles on so many occasions. Akane was everything but ungrateful and part of her heart did cherish the moments she and her Lord had together before she realized she did not belong with him. He had been nothing but attentive and kind to her, until his past memories came back and he had grown vengeful, mistrusting, possessive and even hostile towards her. If Akane had never met Ranma, and had not had the life she knew she was meant to live, she would have stayed with the kind side of Saffron for the rest of her short life.

"I can't promise you I won't hate you if you do. But, I can promise I will mourn you when _he_ ends your life."

"Why do you have so much faith in him? He doesn't even know I'm around! Even now it is too late for him to defeat me unless he accepts that he would have to destroy you, too."

"True, but his mother once told me something about him, that he proved when he brought me back to life when everyone else had given up on me. It's why I _know_ he will find a way to make things right. He will fix this, fix me, and then he will make sure to take care of you, too."

"Fix you? Nodoka is a fool! She is too blinded by her pride over her son's supposed manliness to see his numerous faults."

"In that case, my Lord, you too are a fool. You're too blinded by what you want but can't have, instead of seeking what you need so that you can realize the imminent failure of your plans."

Saffron frowned down at her, wondering how he had not decapitated her on the spot at her insolent words. "How can you stand here in front of a powerful being such as I, tenderly sharing an embrace with him, as you insult his pride?"

Akane's grip tightened, holding back a chuckle. "Because, I remember a time when this powerful being gave me the two most comforting years of my life; his pride being the furthest thing from his mind when he did."

A moment of silence engulfed them until Akane broke the embrace, giving Saffron one last glance. Saffron knew what this conversation had been; a goodbye. She was officially declaring war with him, having already exhausted her efforts to reason with him. She had spent the last few months captive in her body, trying to mend his heart so that he did not continue with his plans, so that he left her family alone. Yet, all of her efforts had failed and this was the last civil conversation she would allow them to revel in.

"There is no turning back from here, is there? Your mind has been made, hasn't it?" he asked.

Akane shook her head. "If Ranma has to murder me, so be it. I'd gladly give up my life so that he can move on with his."

"What makes you think it won't be the other way around?"

"Because Ranma would _never_ let me down, and he's not going to allow _you_ to get away with it."

Saffron leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss on Akane's cheek before retracting his imposing figure away from her. She watched him as he turned around and left the dark room without another word, leaving behind an Akane who was planning how to spend the last moments of her ethereal life.

xxxXXXxxx

_"Did ya gt da eml?"_ was the content of the text message that woke up a still tired Akane the next day. She randomly hit and dropped several items from her nightstand with her uncoordinated hand as she tried to find her cell phone to make it stop ringing. After she read the text message, she saw the sender had been none other than Ranma himself –only he would have the gall to wake her up at such an ungodly time on a Saturday. She blinked a few times to adjust her tired eyes to the small print of her phone's time display, and realized she was very late for her practice of the day.

"Son of a bitch!" she yelled as she kicked off the covers from her with her legs.

She rolled over the bed until she reached the edge, grabbing a hold of anything that was nearby as she made her way to the shower. She quickly stripped from her clothes and dumped them in the hamper, which reminded her she had to do the laundry, yet again.

She took an amazingly quick shower to awaken her senses, and in less than five minute she was out the door, fully dressed and on her way to the gym. She knew her peers would glare at her with disapproving eyes, as they constantly searched for any reason to force her to step down from her position as captain, and she was not looking forward to an argument on an empty stomach. As she picked up her pace to the gym, she flipped open her phone and responded to Ranma's message.

"Lte 4 practc, what hppned?"

"Fmly trp."

Akane sighed. It was around this time of the year that her family tended to rile up the Saotomes to embark in some sort of family-bonding trip. This was definitely not what she or Ranma needed at the moment with all her other obligations to fulfill.

"When?"

"Nxt wknd. Alrdy sd no."

"4 bth of us?"

"Always."

"Tks. Hngry n lte. Bye."

"K. Mom cllng. Bye."

She flipped close her phone, seeing the entrance to the gym close by. As soon she walked in, the comments of her tardiness made themselves painfully present. She had already changed into her outfit before she left her room, so she dropped her bag on the floor before rallying up her team.

"Look who has graced us with her presence, team –_Ms. Popularity_. We were already voting on choosing another captain for the team since you're too busy making out with your boyfriend in front of the cameras to bring anything productive to practice."

"Well, tough shit. The day any of you can beat me in gymnastics, you can claim the captain place. For now, since you're nowhere near my skill, why don't you just shut up and start running ten laps, uh?"

The girl in question rolled her eyes before calling the rest of the squad to begin their warm up. Satoshi –who was also present at the gym with his own team, already deep in practice, walked up to her and gave her a questioning look.

"Where were you?"

"Asleep?"

"This late?"

"Tweaking up my plans last night. What's your report?"

"The contract is serving as the distraction we expected. Ranma has no idea Ukyo is…well, you know."

Akane nodded. "Who's next on your list?"

"Actually, I wanted to…"

"AKANE!"

Akane's face turned to the location of the voice and saw Ranma running towards her, his gym bag in tow. She turned back to Satoshi and dismissed their discussion of the next victim on his list before Ranma arrived to where they stood. Ranma did not bother to greet Satoshi, and Satoshi did not bother to stay long enough to hear the conversation between the two trainers.

"What's wrong? I told you I was busy."

"I know, Akane, but, my mom just called me."

"About the stupid trip? You already told them we can't go. We have the internal tournament at the dojo next weekend, and I have the gymnastics tournament, and..."

"It's…not about that," he interrupted her.

"So, what is it?" Akane's patience was running thin.

"It's…Kasumi…she…she had an accident at work…a bad one."

Akane froze on the spot. She grabbed Ranma by his shirt, shaking him as she demanded to be told if her sister was alright.

"It's too early to tell. We gotta go, Akane. We've got to see her in case…"

"Don't say it!"

Ranma nodded, understanding that if he was having a difficult time accepting that the woman he had learned to love as a sister could leave this world at any time, Akane was definitely on the edge of losing her mind. Ranma grabbed Akane's hand and guided her to her bag, which he picked up and tossed over his shoulder.

Seeing as the rest of the team stopped their warm up and stared at them with disapproving looks and shaking of their heads, Ranma turned to face Akane and asked her to stay where she was. After Akane nodded even though she seemed as if she was spacing out, Ranma walked back to where Satoshi stood, placing a hand on the man's shoulder to get his attention.

Satoshi turned around and glared at Ranma, distrusting already whatever Ranma had to say. Satoshi crossed his arms and shrugged in a way to ask Ranma what he wanted.

"Look," Ranma began, "We obviously hate each other's guts and all that, but Akane's sister was stabbed at work by a patient, and we are needed back home immediately. Can you deal with the bitches of the team for her? She's in no state to put up with their shit right now."

Satoshi looked beyond Ranma and watched as Akane covered her face with her hands, keeping tears from coming out. He then stared at the women gymnastics team as they had begun to point at Ranma and then at Akane, clearly getting ready to jump into action with some sort of cruel plan. Satoshi's eyes returned to Ranma's pleading ones, wanting nothing more than to decline his request. However, if Ranma had been man enough to swallow his pride and ask for help from him, he too could do the same for Akane's sake.

"Go. I'll deal with the snake pit."

"Thank you," Ranma said, meaning his appreciative response before he turned around, ran towards Akane, and raced with her to his car.

Satoshi saw as some of the members of the female gymnastics team had begun to follow Akane's path, but he called them back, thankful that he had gotten their attention just in time to avoid Akane burning them alive.

"Why did you stop, didn't you hear Akane? Ten laps! Get your flabby assess back to the track!"

If looks could kill, Satoshi knew that he would have dropped dead where he stood, but he kept his ground and gave the females an exasperated look. Luckily, the snakes knew Satoshi and Akane had equal authority over the gymnastics team and either one could easily demand their dismissal from the competition, so they reluctantly returned to the track to continue the warm up exercise.

Far away from the university's gym, Ranma and Akane were speeding out of the campus' parking lot, heading home to find out first-hand how severe the attack on Kasumi had been. They knew she was a trained nurse and an innate good one at that, and that hospitals hardly ever became the center of fights or the scene of life-threatening conflict, but it did not mean that the chance was not still there. Akane's hands were shaking as she tried to dial home to find out more than what Ranma had already told her. After a few rings in her phone, the machine picked up, making Akane realize no one was home.

"Ranma, when…when did it happen? How come they didn't call me, first?"

Ranma shook his head. "I don't know why they didn't call you. I guess they're too busy worrying about her. Mom said it happened just a few hours ago. Kasumi was called this morning to cover for a nurse who called in sick, so she went in at around 5 in the morning. Ono was called at about 8 a.m. to come to the hospital to give consent for Kasumi to go into surgery."

"Surgery? How badly was she stabbed?"

"I don't know, Akane. I'm sorry. My mom stayed behind to watch over the twins, that's when she had the chance to call me. In fact, can you call Nabiki? They haven't been able to get ahold of her."

Akane nodded, sniffing and drying her tears. She dialed Nabiki's number and was surprised to find that the phone had not even rung once. A second later, her voicemail had kicked in saying that the inbox was full and no more messages could be left.

"What the hell? Nabiki's inbox is full."

"That's odd. Text her?"

"I'm on it."

Akane sent Nabiki a text message, begging her to call her as soon as she could, stating that Kasumi was in the hospital and was very ill. After five minutes of waiting for a response, Akane dialed again and the _voicemail full_ message made its appearance again.

"Where the hell is she?"

"I don't know. Stuck in a meeting? Who knows! She'll get the message, or maybe she's already on her way here and had to turn off her phone."

"I hope so. Daddy will be absolutely upset if Nabiki doesn't show up."

"Are you kidding? If your sister doesn't show her ass soon, I will fly to America and drag it back here."

"And bring Kuno and Kodachi back?"

"Uhm…never mind, then."

"I just hope she gets here in case…before…oh, Ranma…what if?"

Ranma placed a hand on her leg, patting it lightly in an attempt to calm her down. "Kasumi is very careful; I'm sure she was able to stop anything from truly hurting her."

"I know but, I just have this awful feeling that something's gonna go terribly wrong."

Ranma nodded to her, hiding his own matching feelings for the situation. He had not been able to take away from his mind the images of Akane in pain, and wondered if they had been simple premonitions of the impact Kasumi's incident would have on Akane.

_ "But, I saw the glow in her eyes. I've seen that glow before…I just…"_

"Ranma?" Akane called out to him, noticing his lost-looking eyes. "Are you alright? Do you want me to drive?"

"No, Akane. I'm just…thinking about Kasumi."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I know it's hard but why don't you take a nap? We're two hours away from Nerima, anyway."

Akane nodded, feeling the lack of sleep from last night catching up to her. She placed her phone in between the two seats as she grabbed the blanket that he always had in the back of the car before almost immediately falling asleep.

Ranma waited half an hour to make sure she was asleep, and when he could feel her aura in a complete state of relaxation, he slowly and quietly grabbed her phone. He flipped it open and began blatantly invading her privacy, determined to finding out what was really happening to her before he was too late to help her out.

* * *

**A/N:** A little less friction between Ranma and Akane in this chapter, I hope you liked it. Next chapter: the Amazons make their appearance! MUHAHAHAHA! Any takers on the lines from the song being used here?


	5. Chapter 4

**WARNING: ****Hey, readers! Thank you for coming back for more! Needless to say, Behind the Scenes and Fix You are complete opposites, so they kind of complement each other, in a way. So, if you haven't read the latest chapter for BTS, I suggest you read it AFTER this chapter of Fix You. Please mind the rating of this fic; it's there for a reason. Reader discretion is advised for this particular chapter. You have been warned!**

* * *

**Chapter 4  
**

Shampoo worked diligently in her kitchen, preparing more tea and snacks for the recurring guests at her home. It was nearly midnight and no one in the household dared to catch a wink. The current was the tenth consecutive month in which the highest members of the Amazon tribe's mighty council spent their entire weekend in assembly. Shampoo and Mousse's home was the largest one in the entire tribe's region, and the one with the best accommodations including, but not limited to, the latest technologies and tools in the entire province; thus, it was often used as the meeting place for the council's needs.

After serving the delicacy tea in the cups, Shampoo carefully and skillfully maneuvered the silver tray out of the kitchen and into the main room of her home, promptly placing a cup on the table next to each attending member. She then placed a new batch of egg rolls and warm rice in the middle of the table, which many members raided almost immediately. Acting as a hostess and carrying food and drinks to her guests reminded her of the time she used to waitress back in Nerima at the Nekohanten. Who would have known such a tedious job would come in handy, one day? The only immediately visible gesture of gratitude towards Shampoo's hospitality, however, came from her husband, who grabbed her hand and kissed it briefly before returning his attention to the heated debate between Cologne and Koruma.

Mousse had arrived home a few hours ago, tired from the long day at the fields, but as always he had joined the discussions and research taking place in his house. Deep down, he felt proud that the council favored his home for such important events, and hoped that this honor was due to the hard work he had put into creating a wonderful home for Shampoo, and not because Cologne's great-granddaughter lived here. Cologne was, after all, the leader of the Amazon tribe, and wherever she felt like dragging the council to meet, they followed. No one dared to contradict the elder without a good reason and the readiness to support an opposing argument. With that thought in mind, Mousse watched as said leader and the current highest-ranking Phoenix tribe member –since Saffron was technically gone and Akane had resigned her Phoenix form, bumped heads regarding the actions needed to stop whatever Saffron's plans were to be.

"There _has_ to be another way, Koruma! Ranma will NOT accept the fate of the girl to be death!"

Koruma bared his fangs again for the umpteenth time. He meant no disrespect for the elder of the tribe that had taken himself and his peers in, but having the same conversation over and over again was becoming nauseating to everyone involved.

"I understand, Cologne, but we've spent the past several months looking for an alternative, and there's none. In order to weaken Lord Saffron's link to this world, the host must be eradicated."

"But, how can I share this information with Ranma and not even provide him a guarantee that even if Akane's body is destroyed, Saffron will in fact join the world of the dead? You yourself can't even guarantee me that murdering the host would assure Saffron's incarceration in limbo!"

Koruma rubbed his eyes in obvious exasperation. Every weekend shortly after the ART took place they had gathered here, reviewed the Phoenix's history scrolls and books of Phoenix black magic and came up with the same solution: killing the host –Akane, was the only way to stop –_slow down_, Saffron at this point. Yet, Cologne always insisted in finding another way because she knew that Ranma would never allow such a deed to happen. She knew that Akane was sacred to Ranma, and that if anything or _anyone_ tried to destroy Ranma's sanctuary, there would be hell to pay.

"Ranma will just have to live with the truth. It's either the girl or his and hers' entire family," Koruma said, exhausted of partaking in the same discussion every time they met. He could not believe how much time had been wasted discussing the solution to the problem –a problem that he had not considered his until Cologne made it clear that whatever ailed Ranma, ailed all of them. He even remembered her exact words to him when he had questioned their involvement in the entire ordeal: _"Saotome, Tendo, as well as you and your kin, are all honorary members of our tribe. We, Koruma, watch the backs of our own, no matter where they are."_ Cologne had set the record straight the first time he had lost his patience trying to find an alternative solution he knew did not exist. Koruma was not without feelings in the matter, however, –he did not want his former Captain to die, but the alternative was allowing Saffron to take away all of their lives because Akane had foolishly attempted to take his.

"You don't understand, dear Koruma. If the boy knows of the solution, he'll _never_ let us execute it. The moment he finds out we're out to slay her we all become his enemies, as much as Saffron is to him. He will not stop until we're all as dead as Saffron's physical self is if we threaten to lay a finger on her with malicious intent."

"Not to mention Saffron would do the same," Mousse added, seeing how their conversation was leading to another wasted weekend at his home. "If he was as close to Akane as you have told us, Koruma, then we'll have _two_, very powerful men trying to skin us alive."

"Then, we're back to square one, again."

"Indeed. I think we've done what we can for the night. Why don't we all thank the hostess as we depart to our homes, yes?"

Understanding that Cologne was dismissing them, each present member of the council exchanged words of gratitude with Shampoo on their way out. After every member, save for Cologne and Koruma, were gone, the two leaders stared at the other, knowing another more personal conversation between them was overdue. Mousse immediately excused himself from the main room, stating he was going to help Shampoo in the kitchen. He could sense the auras of the two powerful beings clash, and he sure as hell he did not want to play a part in their belated outing. As soon as the man was gone, Koruma sighed and spoke.

"What's going through your mind, Cologne?" Koruma asked the elder in his native Phoenix tribe tongue.

Cologne stared at the man with questioning eyes before staring behind her to make sure Shampoo and Mousse were out of hearing reach –not that either of them understood Phoenix tongue, anyway, but she wanted to make certain their conversation was not overheard by anyone. She took a sip of her tea before she responded to Koruma in his mother tongue.

"I wonder who your loyalty is to, Koruma. Why are you so eager to kill the girl? If I didn't know any better, I'd think you're making time for Lord Saffron to come back to life through Tendo."

Leaning forward and raising his voice, Koruma immediately put a stop to Cologne's implication. "If you truly do think that of me, then you really _don't_ know any better," he responded as his fists hit the table with too much force. Cologne, however, was not impressed nor did she felt threatened by the irate Phoenix.

"What else is there to think? Surely you miss your leader as much as I miss my former leader of our tribe."

Koruma scooted back to his chair, taking a sip of his tea and thinking how to best explain his stance to Cologne. He, Saffron and Akane were the only surviving members of the tribe that had truly known how everything had gone down in their reign. He did not think anyone would ever understand the tribulations they had gone through to reach the freedom they had once not wished for but now wholeheartedly enjoyed.

"Cologne, my Lord…he was a great lord, for many generations. Any other day, even three years ago, I would've done anything in my power to bring him back to us –to rule our mighty tribe. But, today, I wish nothing more than to see to his permanent death."

"Why is that?"

Cologne stared at the Phoenix as he struggled with his words. She could feel his conflicting emotions taint his usually clean aura. His eyes displayed his many thoughts as he tried to find some sort of coherent order in his mind. Cologne knew what troubled him, wise in her old age as she was, but also knew that with the young kind, all an elder could really do for them was to let them find their own way by themselves. Otherwise, the advice of an _old hag_ such as her would be worth naught to him. Finally, after a long moment of silence, Koruma spoke again.

"Saffron, he…he was a kind and devoted Lord for a long time, much like every other Phoenix Lord before him. However, when he met Saotome, it all changed. Thankfully, the landling managed to kill him, so when he was reborn he didn't remember the pain that Ranma had caused to all of us. Then the Captain came around, and he was so _happy_; we were ALL happy. We thought we would never have to worry about having to revive him after only a short existence, but when he recovered his memories of the landling, he became a different man. He was vengeful, he was distrusting, he was always angry. The moment he found out that Akane would never be his, he…Well; he took out his anger on anyone that dared cross his path, even our Captain, too. When we saw what he did to the Captain…all the pain he put her through because of his anger…we began to see him in a different light."

"Do you blame Ranma for this? Is this why you won't help him?"

"No. If our lord had minded his own business, and left the Captain alone, Ranma would have returned to Nerima without killing him. Yes, the cursed springs were important to the landling, but the moment he involved Akane, our Lord marked his grave."

"So, you do understand why our current solution will do nothing for us?"

Koruma sighed, nodded, but remained quiet.

"I know you know another way," Cologne began, "Why haven't you brought it up?"

Koruma looked up at her, gauging how honest Cologne was being with him. Had she really found the other solution? The solution he had kept to himself for selfish reasons?

"Why haven't you brought it up yourself?" He finally responded.

"Because, I want your support in order to execute it. I had hoped that you would've mentioned it by now, but we're running out of time, so unless you know a third solution I'm not familiar with, I have to relay it to Ranma when we finally meet with him."

The room was silent for an eternity. Yes, the second solution was a no-brainer, and an absolute guarantee that Saffron would not return, but at what cost? He wanted his tribe to rebuild and return to their former glory. The second solution would place a dent in their tribe's opulence plans. He knew what the right thing to do was; he had known it all along. Yet, the cost of putting what was left of his tribe in danger plagued him. Then again, his tribe was now free because of what the Captain –Akane, had done for them, had it not?

The two leaders sat in silence for a very long time, each listing in their mind the pros and cons for each solution. How far would they go to stop the angered Lord? Could they afford to waste more time? They needed a definite answer, a final commonly agreed upon approach. They needed to make sure their efforts and sacrifice would not be in vain. There was no guarantee a rancorous Saffron would stop his vengeance with exterminating the Tendo and the Saotome families. What would stop him from taking other innocent lives? What would stop him from committing even more heinous crimes? The bottom line was that only Koruma and the Amazon had the power to put a stop to the Lord's plans. What would future generations think of them if they had had the means to stop him, and had chosen not to do so?

Koruma, tired from running around in circles only to come right back where he started, stood up and began his trek towards the door. As he neared the exit, he stopped and spoke to Cologne one last time before departing the elder's great-granddaughter's home.

"Cologne?"

"Yes?"

"If we carry out the other solution, I want you to promise me something."

Cologne smirked, already knowing what he was about to ask. She knew neither solution was favorable to everyone involved, but as she had always said: You win some, you lose some. The current situation could not be a better example of such a saying. She did not wait for Koruma to make his request; she could already discern what a man in his position would demand from her.

"Consider it done," she finally said as he silently nodded and left the room.

xxxXXXxxx

Akane opened her eyes to a familiar scene. The white folding doors of her closet lay closed in front of her. Her desk stood to her right, just as she had left it the last time she had been home. Her dresser was as impeccable as always, and the comfort of her bed made her feel more at home than she had ever been. For a split second, she was unaware of anything other than her lonely self in her room, enjoying the rays of the sun filtering through her curtains, and providing an extra amount of warmth while under her covers. She twisted her body so that she lay on her right side, staring at the door relishing in the bliss of ignorance she was currently experiencing.

However, the feeling of breeziness did not last long. By the door, and partially covered by her bookcase was a bag: _her_ gym bag: the bag that Ranma had carried for her because she was too shocked to do it herself; too shocked because Ranma had just told her that Kasumi had been stabbed at work.

_"Kasumi!"_

Akane jumped up from the bed and searched for the closest pair of shoes she could find. It was then she realized she was still wearing her leotard and training shorts she had put on before she left her dorm room. She grabbed her wallet and cellphone that had been neatly left on her desk and put them inside her pockets. She patted herself as she checked her mental list of items needed to leave as soon as possible before she ran out the door of her room and stomped down the stairs.

The loud noise caught Ranma's attention. He was in the kitchen making them both something to eat as he knew Akane had not eaten anything all day. He abandoned the stove for the moment and walked out of the kitchen to see Akane rushing down the stairs. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, ready to stop her with all his strength, if needed.

"Move out of the way, Ranma. I gotta go see my sister."

Ranma shook his head and grabbed her by the shoulders, shaking her body with little force so she would have no choice but to listen to him.

"Akane, hold on. Kasumi's out of her surgery and she's been stabilized. We can't see her until 6, though, because that's when visiting hours are. Let's eat something and then we'll be out the door, OK?"

Akane's eyes stared directly at his, searching for the smallest hint that he was lying to her. When all she found was worry for her, she nodded and stopped resisting his presence. "How long was I out?"

"A while. I made some soup. Wanna to eat with me?"

"Sure."

Ranma's hands slid from her shoulders down her arms and into her hands, placing them in his as he slowly walked backwards toward the kitchen with Akane in tow. Akane did not seem completely aware of her surroundings, blindly following his lead to the nearest chair. He carefully pushed Akane into the chair where she sat motionless and speechless. He placed his left hand on her cheek while his right hand checked her head for injuries and for the first signs of a fever. When he was satisfied that Akane's current inability to find herself inside an empty room was not due to an injury or illness, he walked back to the stove to turn it off.

Akane followed his movements with her eyes as he made his way around the kitchen gathering two bowls, two cups, and the kettle full of tea. He placed in front of her a bowl filled with steaming chicken soup, a hot cup of tea, a set of chopsticks, and a napkin. He repeated the process with himself and in a matter of seconds the couple was sharing a hot meal in absolute silence. Akane's stomach silently cheered for finally being given some sustenance, and a rather tasty one at that. The more she ate, the more eager she felt to finish her food, and before she even realized what had happened, her empty bowl was in between her hands, extending them towards Ranma as she asked for seconds.

Ranma nodded and swallowed the bite he had in his mouth before grabbing Akane's bowl and filling it again. He returned the bowl to her and she immediately began eating again. Ranma observed her from the corner of his eye as he recalled the text messages between her and Satoshi that he had read from her unguarded cell phone. He knew Akane and Satoshi worked closely together to keep afloat the gymnastics team, but the messages they exchanged with each other were not normal for co-captains, or lovers for that matter. Truth was that he did not know what to make of what he had read on her phone on his way back home.

When he finally finished eating, Akane had finished her second bowl as well. He got up from his chair and grabbed all the dishes to deposit them in the sink. Akane, feeling much better now that she had eaten, offered Ranma to wash since he had cooked. Ranma declined her offer, but she insisted, and he finally gave up on trying convincing her to rest.

"I rested a lot, it would seem. Why don't you go get ready for us to leave?"

"Alright, but don't do more than you can do for now."

"I won't. I just want to see that Kasumi's alright."

"OK."

Ranma left the kitchen and headed to the bathroom to freshen up and brush his teeth. He locked the door behind him, more out of habit than necessity; he knew it was only he and Akane in the home. He brushed his teeth as he mentally navigated the streets to Nerima Hospital; the last place in which he wanted to be, but had to. Once he was finished with his mental trip, he bent over the sink to rinse his mouth, but stopped when he saw he had spat blood all over the porcelain sink. Ranma panicked and turned on the faucet, trying to stop the bleeding by further rinsing his mouth. The more he tried to rinse, the more prominent the blood became, slowly turning into clots of blood. The scene was gruesome, but he did not feel any pain in his gums or mouth. He knew he did not have any sores or cuts that could cause so much blood, but it just kept coming until it was dripping down his chin. He looked up at himself in the mirror and almost screamed in shock when he saw his eyes were gold.

He blinked and the odd eye color was gone…and so was any trace of blood.

"What the hell?"

He stared at himself in the mirror and the blood that had just moments ago made his entire mouth and teeth red had completely disappeared. The sink was as pristine as when he had walked in, and no trace of red stains marred his chin or his toothbrush. Ranma threw cold water on his face, trying to make sense of what had just happened to him.

_"An illusion? A day dream? A…__**vision**__?"_

Ranma patted his face dry with the closest towel he found before dumping it in the hamper.

_"Golden eyes…where have I seen golden eyes before? Akane…I saw them…but…"_

Ranma rested his weight on the sink by holding onto the sides of it, breathing deeply to calm his nerves. His mind was working at a thousand images per second, sorting through as many memories as he could. An insistent knock on the door surprised him, derailing his train of thought.

"Ranma! It's almost 6! Can we go now?"

"Yeah, I'll be right out."

Straightening out his clothes, he opened the door to find Akane standing outside. Ranma moved aside when he saw her walking inside the bathroom and began brushing her teeth. Ranma stood at the doorway, staring at her and expecting the vision he had experienced to repeat with her, but when she finished rinsing her mouth and drying her face, he knew the strange encountered had been meant just for him.

"Ready?" she asked him to shake him out of the trance in which he was. Ranma nodded and turned around, heading to the front door of the home. He picked up his keys, cell phone and wallet from the table by the door. Akane followed him close behind, and after making sure the door was secured, they got in the car and drove to the hospital. By the time the couple had arrived at the entrance of Nerima Hospital, visitors' time had already began. Ranma dropped off Akane at the entrance so she could start the processing of visiting hours paperwork while he drove around the lot and found a place to park his car.

A few minutes after he had dropped off Akane, Ranma was walking inside the hospital, feeling bilious at the memories such a scene brought to him. Nearly a year ago, he had been walking inside these same doors, following an almost lifeless Akane to what would have been her deathbed. The smell of sterility that accompanied all hospitals made his stomach churn. He strongly believed the smell of hospitals was worse than the smell of death. At least with the smell of death, he thought, you knew you were in the company of the Grim Reaper. With the smell of a hospital, you could never tell if you were in the vicinity of Heaven or Hell, or a Twilight Zone version of their intersection on Earth.

As he walked towards the waiting room, his mind played tricks with him, showing him images of the families gathering at this same location as they waited to hear from Akane. He saw the images of the doctors and nurses as they walked in and out of the OR, kindly ignoring the families' questions and concerns. He watched as doctor Tofu told them Akane was sure to suffer her late mother's fate, and he even felt the same feeling of despair he had felt back then when he heard her heart flatline. Months had passed since then –almost a year, in fact, but the feelings were just too fresh within him, still. At least for him they were. Akane did not seem to be experiencing the same discomfort he clearly showed, and he wished it would have been as easy for him to leave it all behind.

He finally arrived to where she sat, waiting silently for her turn to see her sister. Ranma sat in the chair next to her, staring at the same double doors that held her life within their confines just months ago. He looked around and noticed that his dad, Soun and Ono were nowhere to be seen, making him wonder if they had come to the correct location. He knew his mother was back at Kasumi's home watching over the twins, and Nabiki was probably still back in America doing whoever knew what, making the three men the only ones available to be at the hospital, and yet, their absence was all he could make a note of.

He faced right to watch Akane pop her fingers and knuckles in nervousness, making him feel even more miserable than he already did. He extended his arm so that he could place his left hand between the two of hers to stop her from crushing her own fingers, and at the same time he circled her shoulders with his free arm. Akane jolted at first, not expecting the gesture from him and half wanting to push him away, but she decided against causing a scene for only an honest comforting sign from her ex-fiancée.

When Akane leaned closer to him and rested her head on his shoulder, Ranma's tension instantaneously melted, understanding she was allowing him this one privilege despite their situation. Ranma looked around again, expecting any of the old men to start bouncing of the walls at their little interaction, but no one other than other patients, visiting families, and nurses surrounded the small room.

"Where's your Dad?"

"He's with Kasumi. I'll go in after him."

"How about Dr. Tofu?"

"He's in a meeting with Kasumi's doctor."

Ranma nodded, making a mental note of his current role in the situation. "Any news?"

Akane shook her head. "The nurse said that Dr. Tofu has been in that meeting for over an hour now. No one here has heard from Nabiki, either."

"I called her again, while you were asleep. She didn't answer, and her voicemail's still full. I sent her an e-mail from the dojo office, though. I'm hoping she gets that and gets her ass here, ASAP."

Akane pulled back from his shoulder to stare at him, thinking about their latest conversations, and wondering why the hell she had broken up the engagement with him. Ranma was not the perfect example of pertinence, but when it truly mattered he never let her down. For the briefest moment, she questioned and regretted her reasons for parting ways, but a second later she remembered that being apart from him was for the best. She despised moments like this when her resolve would crumble upon his touch, his care, his love for her. It felt as if she was in a wheel of fortune, going up and down while being pulled apart at the same time. Sometimes, she wondered if it was really her conscious mind making all of her decisions, or if she was just reacting to her near death experiences from the past.

"Thank you, Ranma," she finally said after her internal debate.

Ranma nodded before redirecting his eyes away from Akane's and down the hall. Akane followed his line of sight and was on her feet before she realized her body was reacting on its own. Ranma was behind her in a second, holding her in place, and keeping her from falling on her butt if the news the doctor was about to give them was not good.

"Dr. Tofu, how is she?" Ranma asked from afar as the doctor walked closer to them.

The doctor in question looked nothing like Akane remembered ever seeing him in her entire life. His usually pristine ponytail was untidy, more to the left than in the center of the back of his neck. The dark circles under his eyes accompanied with the redness on them told her he had not stopped worrying since he had gotten the call earlier in the day, and although she could not blame him for not caring about his appearance, she felt responsible for putting an end to his current misery. His clothes were wrinkled and haphazardly put together, clearly showing that he had just put on whatever was available and had not worried that the outfit he wore did not match in the slightest. His steps were slow as he dragged his feet, and he looked as if he was about to drop dead where he stood.

"Akane, Ranma, thank you for coming," he said when he finally stood next to the awaiting youngsters.

"Doctor Tofu, is she gonna be alright?" Akane asked, intertwining her hands in front of her chest.

Tofu nodded to them as he opened the file he was carrying in his hands. He did not feel the usual confidence within him to recite to them an accurate diagnosis without the aid of the words on the papers he held. He re-read the same lines he had been reading for hours now before he elaborated on his nod.

"The stab didn't puncture any vital organs, and other than a life scar, and the shock of it all, she will be fine. It was a little scary for a while because the bleeding suggested major internal damage, but it turns out some of the blood on her body belonged to the attacker himself. She…inflicted some damage on him before she passed out."

"How did it happen?" Ranma asked, carefully guiding the doctor to sit down in the nearest chair, analyzing how dreadful the doctor looked. He knew as well as Akane that the doctor needed rest, immediately, before they had two people in a hospital bed instead of just one. With only a quick glance to Akane, the couple exchanged an entire plan to care for the tired doctor. When it came to helping those in need, the couple did not need any spoken words. A quick nod or exchange of looks between them would always suffice. After all the trouble they had gone through together, Ranma and Akane could speak volumes to themselves without ever uttering a single word. In fact, such a skill had proved lifesaving in more than one occasion, or two.

While Tofu relayed the story to Ranma of how Kasumi had ended up attacked, Akane casually walked to the closest coffee maker around and poured the good doctor a full cup. With her back still aimed at the two men, Akane whispered and asked the vigilant nurse for a sedative for Ono, to which the nurse immediately complied. The entire staff had tried to make the doctor rest, but no one had been successful yet. The doctor, while not part of the medical staff of Nerima Hospital, was well-known around these parts, and everyone had been as shocked as he was when Kasumi had been attacked. Everyone's hearts went out to them, especially to Tofu, for having to go through such a terrible time. Many of the nurses had tried to aid Tofu, but he had not heard it from anyone. This was the perfect opportunity they had been waiting for to allow the distressed man to sleep away his worries, now knowing that his wife would be just fine.

Akane grabbed the powder from the willing nurse, mixed it in the coffee, and thanked the nurse for her aid before returning to stand in front of the doctor and Ranma. She stole a glance at her ex-fiancée and nodded to him, letting him know that his part was up. The unsuspecting doctor grabbed the cup from Akane and thanked her, slowly drinking every ounce inside.

"So after he arrived," the doctor continued his story, "It was determined that the patient had overdosed on anti-depressants, so the doctors assumed he would remain unconscious for quite some time until he was detoxed. Kasumi walked in his room to take his vitals and a blood sample and he just suddenly woke up, screaming and throwing punches everywhere. Kasumi tried to stop him but her foot got caught in the wires of the IV line and tripped. The patient pulled the sensors of him and the IV line, setting off the alarms and causing security to be called. So he ran to the cabinets and found a scalpel to defend himself from whatever hallucination he was having, but he ended up using the scalpel to…well…, you know…"

Akane and Ranma stole another glance at each other and then back at the nurses to confirm their plan before speaking again.

"I'm sorry, Dr. Tofu. If you need anything from us, just tell us, OK?" Ranma said as he placed a comforting hand on Ono's shoulder. The doctor nodded, truly thankful that Ranma and Akane had arrived. He had tried to remain strong for everyone, but with Soun in tears and Genma crying with Soun, he really had not had anyone he could actually rely on until now. The feeling of togetherness he had tried to hold on to was quickly fading away with every sob he heard from Soun and kin.

"When will they let her come back home?" Akane asked as she noticed that half the coffee in the cup was gone. She knew the effects of the sedative would kick in soon, so she moved closer to the doctor and sat on the chair next to him.

"They usually don't discharge a patient who suffered this type of injuries any sooner than a couple of weeks," he answered before drinking the last half of the coffee in one sip. "But, since I'm a doctor and have my own clinic, they'll allow me to bring her home in a few days."

"That's great! I know I'll feel a lot better if Kasumi was with you and not alone in this hospital. I really wanna see her, though."

"I can imagine…Akane…" the doctor said in between yawns. "Let me…go tell…Soun you're h-hereee..."

Before the doctor could stand up from his chair, the effects of the sedative combined with his already accumulated fatigue took their toll on him. His head lolled from side to side until it limped forward as Akane and Ranma held the rest of his body in place on the chair. The nurses let out a sigh of relief when they saw that the poor man would finally get to go home for the day.

"That was quick!" Akane said as she stood up and helped Ranma place the doctor on his shoulder to take him back to his car. The nurses asked the couple if they would prefer a wheelchair to take him out, but Ranma shook his head and thanked them for the offering. Now that they were certain Kasumi was going to be OK, they knew their role in the tragedy was damage control. If they did not drag their family back home to rest, they would end up taking care of more ill people than they should. They knew Kasumi was in good hands, and if the doctor were to take care of the elder Tendo sister, he had to rest as long as they could help him.

"I'll say, Akane. He must be exhausted. So, your place or his?"

"Uhm, take him to mine. The twins will probably just wake him up again sooner than he should."

"Alright, I'll call my mom, drop him off, and then I'll be back for you, OK?" Ranma asked as he took out his cell phone to tell his mother not to bring the twins to the Tendo home for any reason.

"Try to get your dad to come with you, Akane. We gotta knock him out, too." Ranma said as he turned around and began walking to the door with the unconscious doctor in tow. He knew Akane was dying to go see her sister, and he did not want to be the reason to hold her back.

"I will," Akane began, "…and, Ranma…"

"Yeah?" He said, partially turning around to face her.

"Thank you…for everything."

Ranma gave her a small smile, wishing he could say what was truly in his mind. He wanted to tell her that he'd do anything for her, anything to see her smile, but he knew this was neither the time nor the place.

"Don't worry about it."

Akane watched Ranma leave the hospital, and she stood at the hall until she saw his car drive by the entrance of the hospital. When she was certain he was long gone, her smile disappeared as she took out her cell phone and sent a text message to her partner in crime.

"_U didnt kill'er"_

A few seconds later, her text message was responded to.

"_Ptient got ahd of me. Didnt expect it"_

"_Dont care. Finish this"_

"_I will."_

Akane snapped her cell phone shut and placed it back inside her pocket before turning around and heading upstairs to Kasumi's room.

xxxXXXxxx

Ono stepped out of the furo feeling clean and refreshed. After patting himself dry, he put on his bathrobe and walked out of the bathroom. He had to acknowledge that what Akane and Ranma had done to him a few days ago had been for the best, regardless of the methods they had implemented to force him to sleep. Had he not passed out, he would had not have had the energy required to move Kasumi back home after preparing the place for her arrival.

He also had to admit that his job of helping Kasumi heal was much easier since Nodoka had offered to watch over the twins as long as needed. She had even offered to take them with her on their annual trip –which Ono insisted they did not cancel on their account, and he had accepted her proposal. While knowing that taking a trip when a family member was ill was not the best act of caring, he also knew that Soun would be hovering all over Kasumi and perhaps needlessly extending her recovery time even if he did not intended to. The old man wanted nothing but to see his daughters happy and healthy, but he had no clue how to assure they were, sometimes leading him to get in the way of their progress.

The Tendo and the Saotome would leave on their trip in just a few days, while Ranma and Akane would remain behind to prepare for the ART and wrap up their semester at school. Ono wanted nothing more than the chance to nurse his beloved wife back to health, and the absence of everyone else he was involved with would assure him he would succeed in his task.

After arriving at the entrance of his bedroom, he tiptoed inside to avoid waking up Kasumi, but the elder Tendo sister was already awake.

"Who are you trying to avoid?"

Her soft voice stopped him in his tracks, forcing him to flatten his feet back on the floor. He had not heard her voice since the morning of the incident, when she told him she had to go in to work to cover for another nurse. She had been unconscious since the accident and he had tried to keep her as such to help her avoid the worst of the pain of the surgery. Today, however, he had been selfish. He had not given her a strong dose of sedatives in hopes she would wake up and speak to him.

Feeling just a little guilty for his unethical approach, he slowly walked up to their bed where she lay, and sat on the edge of it. He grabbed her frail-looking hand and tenderly kissed it, staring back at his wife's tired eyes. "How are you feeling?"

Kasumi was not sure how to answer the question, and her perplexed face showed her doubt. She was not sure how or why she was still in bed, since the last thing she remembered was going in to work. The look on Tofu's face, however, told her something else had occurred. Even though he had clearly just gotten out of a bath, his weary stance spoke volumes of the stress and anxiety that he carried on his shoulders. She felt slightly dizzy and nauseous, just as she had every morning during her pregnancy. The thought made her look past his husband's face and into the entrance of their room when she realized the house was too quiet for her taste.

"Where are the twins?"

"At Nodoka's."

"Why?"

Tofu tightened his grip on her, realizing she was not aware of her current situation. He leaned closer to her and gave her a kiss, trying to ease her confused state.

"Kasumi, you had an accident, at work. You're OK now, but…you'll need to rest for a while."

"An…accident? Did a car hit me?"

"No, but it's not important anymore. I brought you home to take care of you, but you have to promise me you will let me help you."

Kasumi stared at her husband, wondering what kind of accident she was involved with that would force her to remain in bed. Her mind replayed the last events she could recall, and nothing pointed to an accident. She blinked a few times and shook her head to make sure she was not having a bad dream. When nothing around her changed, she looked down at her body and realized she had bandages around her stomach and back.

"What in the…Ono!" she yelled to him as she tried to pull apart the gauze to see what was underneath it. Ono quickly stopped her by grabbing her hands and holding them tight inside his. "Honey, it's alright. You don't have to see it, yet."

Ono's attempt at calming her only unnerved her even more. She tried to pull away her hands from him but he shook his head and held on tighter. He had wanted to stay strong for her, be the man she needed him to be. However, the pain and suffering he had held back for days was now rapidly clawing its way out of him as she realized the extent of her damage. Seeing her alive and hearing her voice call his name had unmade him. His fear of losing her after how long it had taken him to confess his feelings for her was overwhelming him, pushing tears to his eyes.

"All that matters is that you're OK, right?" he said in a final attempt to push back his fears from his person. Kasumi, however, could read him like an open book. She did not understand or recalled the severity of her accident, and even though Ono always exaggerated the upkeep of the well-being of his little family, Kasumi had never seen him cry since the birth of their children.

Understanding the pressure that was threatening to break apart her husband, she raised her hands to his face, begging him with her touch and her eyes to tell her the truth. She was not going to allow darkness in her home, nor was she going to allow such a caring man to suffer alone. "My dear _otto_, please tell me what ails you."

Ono could not hold back anymore. He closed his eyes and let out a sob before embracing Kasumi, kissing the side of her face. "God, Kasumi, I was _so _scared."

Ono's broken voice broke Kasumi's heart. She tried her best to return his embrace but the effort alone caused her indescribable pain. Hearing her discomfort, Ono immediately pulled back and resorted to holding her hands again and kiss every inch of them.

"I thought I'd lost you. The doctors, they weren't telling me what was wrong. I had to barge in the middle of the surgery to see it myself!"

"I had…surgery? For what?"

"I don't…I can't…I…I love you, Kasumi. Thank you for not leaving me behind."

While Kasumi did not understand everything he was saying and doing, she understood enough to know he needed comfort and reassurance. She pulled him closer to her and guided his face to hers to give him a long kiss. Ono instantly reciprocated the gesture as they whispered to each other words of love. Feeling satisfied for the moment, Ono pulled back once more and gave Kasumi his first honest smile in days.

"Are you hungry? Do you want a bath?"

The mention of food made Kasumi visibly flinch. The anesthesia was still wearing off and the possibility of having to digest anything solid or liquid did not appease to her at the moment. "I'm not hungry, but I'd like to take a bath."

"I can only give you a towel bath, but it's better than nothing, right?" He said in an attempt to lighten the mood. She knew that her condition was severe if she was not able to remove the bandages for a bath just yet, but Ono was correct in his assumption: a partial bath was better than no bath at all. When Kasumi nodded in agreement, Ono smiled again, stood up, and left the bedroom to prepare for Kasumi's bath. He made sure the path she would take to the bathroom was free of obstructions, and then ran to the closet down the hall to grab fresh, clean towels for her. After dropping off the towels in the sink at the bathroom, he walked to the kitchen and grabbed a chair so Kasumi could sit down during her bath.

In about five more minutes, everything was ready for Kasumi to bathe, but Ono's task was suddenly put to a stop when he heard a loud knock coming from the entrance door. He looked up at the clock on the wall and realized it was really late for anyone to be walking around in the night. He quickly came to the conclusion that whoever was at the door probably needed some medical assistance, and being the renowned doctor he was, he was ready to assist regardless of the time.

"Who's at the door, Ono?" Kasumi asked from her spot in the bedroom, also wondering who would come by, unannounced, at such an ungodly hour of the night.

"I don't know. Let me go check!" he responded back to her as he made his way to the door. He stood in front of the closed door as he peeked through the peephole, but the young man behind the door was not immediately recognizable to him. The doctor opened the door anyway, and was greeted by the young man with a courteous bow.

"Dr. Tofu, you may not remember me. I'm Satoshi, Akane's…friend."

The doctor searched his mind as he tried to place a name with the face, and it was then he remembered the man from the martial arts tournament last year. This was the son of the woman who had used pressure points against Ranma during the match.

"Oh, yeah, that's right! How can I help you?"

Satoshi looked behind him to the darkness that surrounded them before facing the doctor again, giving him a forced smile. "Yeah, uhm, Akane told me what happened to her sister, and she sent me here to drop off something for her."

Ono's eyes scanned the outside world, searching for whatever item Akane could have sent with this unusual messenger, but he found no visible flowers, box, bag or anything remotely close to any of that. He could not explain why, but he had a gut feeling that there was more to the story than what Satoshi was leading on to him.

"Oh! Well, I have to say, I'm surprised she didn't send Ranma instead. It's kinda late, don't you think?"

Satoshi gritted his teeth. He had not anticipated the trusting-looking doctor to give him trouble during his mission. Saffron was already livid at the fact that it had taken him longer than promised to take care of the doctor and his family. Yet, with Akane and Ranma being around the premises lately, it was difficult to sneak around, and Saffron should have considered that. Then again, Saffron did not see Satoshi's reasons for his delays as nothing more than excuses for "not doing his job."

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I just got here, myself. I wasn't the first choice for Akane either, but Ranma and she are busy with the ART and classes, and I was coming home today, anyway."

"I see," Tofu said, still feeling on edge regarding his unexpected visitor, but also silly for feeling threatened by a boy with whom Ranma and Akane hung around on a daily basis. "Well, why don't you hand me what Akane sent so we can both finally call it a night, uh?"

"Oh, of course! Let me go get it. I left it in the car in case you weren't home. It's kinda heavy."

"OK. I'll wait right here," the doctor said, not realizing there was no car around.

Satoshi nodded to the doctor, now accepting this was not going to be an easy job. The Jusenkyo-cursed young man turned around to give the doctor his back for a brief second before he turned back to face him and braced for impact. Satoshi pushed the doctor inside the home with more force than required and slammed the door behind him, catching the older man off guard. The doctor, however, still being a martial artist after all, quickly gathered his footing, standing between Satoshi and the hall that lead to Kasumi's room.

"Tofu, what is that noise? Are you OK?" Kasumi called from the bedroom.

Tofu's eyes darted behind him for a second and then returned to stare down at his opponent, the instinctive duty to protect his wife kicking in immediately. "It's nothing, dear; I just…tripped with the belt of the robe."

"Oh, my! Be careful!"

"I will, honey."

Satoshi took a step toward the doctor, who immediately lifted his fists and took a defensive stance. Satoshi chuckled at the doctor's actions, believing the old man had everything to lose, and nothing to gain. "So, do you wanna see what Akane sent you?" the half-Phoenix whispered to the doctor.

"You're still going on about that?" Tofu whispered back. "I should've never opened the door for you!"

"Oh, come on, doctor! I would've gotten inside, anyway. Or, do you prefer me getting to your twins first? You're lucky they are being guarded by Nodoka and her crazy katana."

At the mention of the twins running into any kind of danger, Tofu dropped his medical oath to save lives. If this man dared to barge into his home and threatened his family, he was getting no resuscitating efforts from him.

"Don't you dare touch my kids, or Kasumi for that matter! I don't know why you're doing this, but Akane and Ranma will find out, and so will the police. Now get out of my house!"

Satoshi laughed, louder this time, so that Kasumi could hear his presence in the home.

"Do you really think Akane gives a fuck about this? She's the one who sent me here!"

"You LIAR!"

"Ono, what's going on? Who's that?"

Satoshi took another step toward the doctor, smiling as he did. He took out a small canteen full of cold water from his pockets, taking his time to unscrew the cap.

"Akane sent a message to you both," he began as he poured the water on himself, instantly changing to his cursed form. Even though Tofu had seen Ranma and his friends change into their cursed forms countless times, and had seen Satoshi change in front of everyone at the tournament, the man's fangs, talons and claws were, frankly, much more threatening-looking from the short distance between them.

"What…what message is that?" Tofu asked, not truly believing Akane had anything to do with this attack, but attempting to keep their assailant speaking while he figured a way out of the situation without risking Kasumi's life.

"She wanted me to tell you…to…DIE!"

Satoshi's last word was followed by a punch directed at Tofu's face. Tofu evaded the attack and crouched down, staring at Satoshi's midsection. The doctor punched Satoshi in his stomach three times before Satoshi responded by grabbing the doctor by his waist and lifting him up from the ground and throwing him over his head. Tofu had not expected Satoshi to be so strong and did not have time to stop him. If only Tofu had known that Satoshi's Phoenix-curse side was constantly in training with Saffron, he would have thought twice before taking on the man by himself.

"You could've made this so much easier for the both of us, Tofu!" Satoshi yelled as he threw the doctor against the wall before running towards the bedroom where Kasumi lay. At this point, Kasumi knew of the intentions of the intruder in their home, and while she knew she was powerless to stop him, she could at least try slowing him down. Hearing his steps come closer to her, she ignored the pain caused by the ripping of her stitches as she stretched to the other side of the bed to grab the phone. She dialed the emergency number, but before anyone could answer her call, Satoshi was already on her back, snatching the phone from her, and crushing it in his hands.

Kasumi's scream sobered up Tofu, who got up from the living room floor's pile of broken glass and furniture and ran towards the bedroom. His eyes widened in terror when he saw Satoshi's hand completely inserted in Kasumi's now open wound as they both lay on the floor.

"NOOOO!"

Satoshi bared his fangs at the doctor in a self-satisfying smile before he pulled his hand away from Kasumi's insides. Kasumi's whimper was almost lost to Tofu, had he had not been shocked silent by the gruesome scene.

"What's the diagnosis, doctor? Death by bleeding?"

"You…son of a bitch!"

Enraged, Tofu charged towards Satoshi, who proceeded to fling Kasumi's blood from his hand by flicking it towards the doctor's face. Tofu closed his eyes to prevent the smeared blood from affecting his vision, and when he opened them, he saw Satoshi's foot aiming to his face. Tofu grabbed Satoshi's leg and pulled it to the side, effectively sending the attacker slamming head-first, into the dresser.

"Why are you doing this? What's the matter with you?!" Tofu yelled at the slowly recovering half-Phoenix as he checked on Kasumi's pulse. "Come on, Kasumi. Hang on there for me, OK?"

Kasumi's eyes stared at him, but their pupils were dilated to the point that no color was visible in them. Satoshi was gradually recovering from the impact, pulling pieces of wood from his back. "You're stronger than I thought, doctor. Akane wasn't joking when she said you could kick my ass."

"Why do you keep saying Akane is doing this?! You're insane if you think I'll believe Akane is behind this!"

"But, she is, doctor. And, she's good at getting things done, too. Tell me, when was the last time any of you heard from the _bride-to-be_?"

"What are you talking about?"

"N-Nabi-ki…" Kasumi said, coughing up blood as she tried to make her husband understand what Satoshi was referring to.

"Nabiki? What? What have you done to her?" the doctor demanded.

"Oh, nothing much. The same thing I'm about to do to you."

Tofu stood up from where he knelt, still keeping Kasumi's body behind him. Satoshi walked towards the doctor, wiping sweat and blood from his face. "I'm tired of games, doctor. This has gone on long enough."

"My sentiments exactly."

With a battle cry and faster than the doctor had imagined, Satoshi ran towards the doctor, punching him square in the face before kneeing him in the stomach. The doctor bent over in pain, but did not falter; knowing Kasumi's life depended on him gave him the strength he needed to keep his ground. He straightened out again, skillfully stopping Satoshi from placing another blow on his body. Satoshi responded by using one of his talons to cut Tofu's right leg, forcing the doctor to fall to his knees. As he fell, however, the doctor's dexterous fingers found the perfect pressure points he was searching for, sending both fighting men down.

"What the hell did you just do to me?" the confused half-Phoenix asked as his legs failed him and sent him to the floor.

"Just a little something to slow you down. Strength isn't everything, you know."

With Satoshi partially decommissioned, Tofu turned back to Kasumi. He lifted her head and placed it in his lap. He then grabbed the closest cloth he could find and placed pressure around the wound. The lack of complaint or gesture of pain from Kasumi at such a rather painful approach was not a good sign in the doctor's tear-filled eyes.

"Kasumi, don't give up. I'll get you out of this, I promise," the doctor said as he picked her up and placed her on the bed. He stared at the phone base and pressed the recall button to find the missing handset, only to find it broken into pieces on the floor. Tofu's mind was racing, thinking of the possibility of dragging Kasumi to the closest neighbor's home and calling an ambulance from there. His plan of action was interrupted by the laughter coming from the still struggling Phoenix apprentice.

"Do you…really think you'll get out of this, alive? She'll be gone any minute now, and then I will take you out, too."

"Even if you do, someone will come searching for us, find out what you did."

"Sure they will, but when? How long will your bodies rot here before anyone realizes what occurred? For all the outside world knows, the Tendo and the Saotome are on vacation, are they not?"

"Not us!"

"Oh, that's not what I heard, my dear doctor."

THUD.

The loud noise coming from the entrance shocked both men as their eyes stared at each other and then at the entrance of the bedroom. The sound of the closing entrance door led to noises of steps coming closer to where they stood. Whoever was coming to them, was taking his time moving around the debris left behind from their initial fight. Before they could say anything else, the second stranger of the night arrived at the entrance of Tofu and Kasumi's bedroom. Tofu's eyes widened even more, alternating his sight from Satoshi to the newcomer, more shocked than he had been just a while ago. He swallowed the knot in his throat, realizing he was not getting out this situation alive.

"What the fuck were you waiting for?" Satoshi asked the newcomer, "A fucking invitation?"

The man scoffed as he walked closer to Satoshi, assessing the damage done so far. "You said you could take them out on your own. If our Lord finds out about this…"

"HE is NOT going to find out, got it?"

The second member of the Phoenix tribe lifted his hands in a sign of peace. He had surely not traveled this far to listen to the complaints of an overconfident boy.

"Alright! Alright! But, did you really have to make a mess? Your fingerprints are probably all over the place. You're not making my job any easier by leaving all these clues behind, Satoshi."

Satoshi, who was finally regaining back the strength in his legs, shakily stood up and rested his back against the closest wall. "Well, _boo-fucking-hoo_, Koruma! You got the easy job! Holding back the Amazons is easier than murdering entire families, you know?"

Koruma smirked. "You obviously have never sat through one of their council meetings."

"Whatever! Just help me finish the job!"

"Of course; it is always me coming to save your butt."

"Shut up!"

And without another word, the two men stared at the speechless doctor. No one heard the screams coming from the clinic. No one heard or saw the struggle the doctor put up to protect his wife. And, how could they, if no one even remembered the good doctor and his family ever lived at that house.

* * *

**A/N:** O.M.G. This is not the worst or bloodiest chapter I have ever written in my fan fiction-writing life, but it is one of the bloodiest you will see in this fic. Well…maybe not, we'll see. Anyway, if you are a fan of gore, go read my Teen Titans fics, if you dare ;) Will the events of this chapter be any better if I threw another chapter of BTS, soon? Thank you for reading, and understanding that the night is darkest before dawn.


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclosure: **I'm sorry if I have, in any way, made this story seem as if it is an Akane-bashing story. It is not. I recognize her actions in this story may lead some readers to believe Akane is being a bitch because she wants to be, but she's not. I'm truly sorry for this, and expect flames to follow this announcement.

* * *

**Chapter 5**

"WE'RE LOSING HER!"

Ranma's eyes looked around as he saw a pair of nurses running towards the OR, rolling a defibrillator with them. Ranma stood up and ran after them, punching and kicking anyone who tried to stop him. He stood inside the OR, watching Akane's flat line, and the doctors trying to revive her. No one attempted to remove him from the room, recalling the earlier incident in the hall. He was not doing anything, anyway. He was just standing there, watching the scramble of doctors and nurses racing to save her life.

"CLEAR!" one of the doctors said as he shocked Akane's chest with what looked like two smooth metal plates. Akane's body slightly arched with the intensity of the shock. Her heart beat one time and flatlined again. The doctor stared at the flatline and rubbed the metal plates together before yelling his orders again.

"We'll do it again. CLEAR!"

Her body had the same response. He saw the doctors shock her five more times, stopping every time to see the small beep on the monitor and the continuous flatline that followed. They attempted five more times until they finally gave up, turned off the defibrillator, and gave Ranma a sympathetic look. At that point, they did not bother making him leave the room as they began leaving themselves.

"Time of death: 2:25 a.m."

"She's mine, landling," Ranma heard a guttural-sounding voice in his head that no one else seemed to hear. When no one else made a move or responded to the voice, he decided to ignore whatever that voice had been.

Ranma took small steps towards her, not believing she was gone. Her eyes were closed, making her seem as if she was only asleep. She wore a hospital gown, which was in complete disarray after the chaos that had just occurred. The blanket that had been covering her lay sideways, half on her body and half hanging from the table. He noticed the scratch marks that covered her body, some of them still dripping blood. She had a few bruises on her face that he did not remember seeing there before, perhaps earned when she fell on the floor of the lockers at the stadium.

"Ranma! It…hurts!" He heard Akane's voice say to him, but her lips had not moved.

Ranma grabbed her hand as if doing so would make her stay in this world. He caressed random places of her body, as if attempting to convince himself that she was truly gone this time. After a few seconds, the initial shock was replaced by anger, and he began screaming at the doctors to stop.

"Help me, Ranma. Help me!" He heard Akane's voice again.

"Where the hell do you think you're going? Shock her again!"

"Son, she's gone," one of the doctors said, tired and defeated after hours of being stuck in this room, attempting to win at a lost cause.

"No, she's not. Shock her again," Ranma said as he handed the metal plates to whoever would grab them. When no one did, he got on his knees and began to beg. "Anyone, please. Please, shock her again! I can't…" Ranma said, sobbing deeply as he did. He looked up at Akane and shook the table she laid on, attempting to wake her up.

"Akane, what makes you think you can just leave me?"

"I don't want to, Ranma. He's making me, stop him, please!" Her voice in his mind responded to his question.

He again begged to the departing doctors to help her, but they paid no heed to him, knowing nothing else could be done. When he finally accepted that everyone in there thought their job was completed, he stood up and unplugged the metal plates from the machine. He proceeded to turn on the machine and stared at Akane.

"You're _not_ getting away that easily, Akane! I'm NOT letting you go without a fight!"

One of the nurses saw him throwing the plates to the floor seeing as he could not figure out how to make them work. She tried to stop him, but he kicked her out of his way before placing a firm grip around the defibrillating machine. Seeing his aggression had escalated yet again, other doctors tried to stop him as they made time for security to arrive. He screamed as he gathered enough of his aura to send them flying away from him before placing an open palm on Akane's heart.

He closed his eyes as he concentrated in reproducing the technique Akane had been teaching him. He felt the energy from the machine run through his arm, across his chest and reach the hand that was pressing on Akane. With a sound of pain coming from his lips from the energy running through him, he channeled the energy to shock her heart.

Not being able to control the intensity of the shock, Akane's back arched so high it almost made her seem like she was sitting upright. Akane's heart beat once, and then flat lined, just as before.

"Akane! Come back!"

At his command to her, the shock hit him too, sending a flashing image of Akane enveloped in chains inside a white room. The image was too quick for him to see anything else. He disregarded the image and returned to his task of saving Akane.

He shocked her again, and the heart monitor's activity did not change. He saw that his effort had not paid off, so he tried again, and again, and again, until he had shocked her a dozen times, non-stop. With each image, he saw her again in his mind, surrounded by the chains, screaming her heart out while the guttural-voice told her to shut up.

"He cannot hear you. It's too late for you."

Exhausted from the efforts, and losing control of his spasmy muscles due to the electricity traveling through him, he slid down to the ground, holding her hand as he did so.

"Akane," he said between sobs.

His clothes were torn, and he sobbed uncontrollably, his laments sending shivers down all of their spines. He cried, shamelessly. He cried with all his might. He cried, and screamed, and cursed and sobbed. The pain was unbearable to him.

"Akane, don't leave me! Akane! I love you, Akane. Please don't leave me behind!"

"I won't Ranma. I won't leave you behind."

"Akane," he whispered, thinking of ways of taking his own life. He could not go on without her, not all over again. It had nearly killed him the first time. He knew he could not do it all over again.

His grip on her hand became tighter than he thought possible. He kissed her hand before placing it on his chest, near his heart. He used both hands to crush her hand in his as a new wave of pain surfaced_. "Akane, wait for me. I'll be with you now."_ He thought as he began gathering his energy to stop his own heart.

"No, Ranma! Don't! NO!"

BEEP.

He remembered all the times they had spent together, and thought about how they would never come back.

BEEP.

He felt his body become cold at the thought of not feeling her hands explore his body again.

BEEP BEEP.

He remembered himself kissing her, and how her lips tasted on his, every time.

BEEP BEEP BEEP.

His mind showed him a slideshow of her face, her smile, he heard her voice and it soothed what he felt were the last moments of his life. When he gathered enough energy, he felt the grip of her hand tighten one last time, only that he was not doing the tightening. He opened his eyes and saw that her fingers were moving. He released the energy he had gathered and it made the guards who had just recovered and were aiming back at him, be sent flying backwards yet again.

He saw her hand shaking in his, and it was then he realized the heart monitor was no longer flat lined.

"A-Akane?

He stood up and saw her eyes fluttering open and close, then finally opening wide and scaring him within an inch of his life. Her eyes were bright red, tears of blood dripping from them, and a small yellow dot shinning where her pupils should have been. She smiled menacingly at him as she bared her fangs, her gums bleeding and the blood trailing down her perfect chin to drip on her clothes. Ranma took a step back away from her but she swiftly stopped him by grabbing onto his shirt, her claws easily tearing holes into it. She growled loudly at him, sniffing him as if she were a prey animal before she charged forward, biting deeply into his throat without mercy. The pain he felt when her fangs cut deep into his skin was indescribable; it was the kind of pain that makes you forget how to breathe. When she pulled back her face from tearing him apart, a chunk of his skin was caught between her teeth for a brief second before she sucked it in and swallowed it whole without even bothering chewing it.

"You taste delightful, _landling_."

The last thing he saw was Akane's body charging at him once more, this time ready to finish the feast. The last thing he heard were the munching sounds of Akane devouring him alive.

"NOOOO!"

Ranma sat upright on his bed, sweat dripping down his face, into his eyes and mouth, its salty taste making his nightmare even more real. He looked around the room, half-expecting Akane to show up somewhere in his room, still in her hospital gown, gnawing on his rotting, detached leg. When silence and peace were his only companions, he sighed deeply and used the back of his hand to wipe his sweat from his forehead. "What the _fuck_ was that?!"

He turned to his right to stare at his clock to check on the time. He knew he had gone to bed early yesterday, but given the darkness outside of his dorm room, he knew it probably was still too early to get up.

_"2:25 a.m."_

Ranma shuddered.

"_Coincidence?"_

After taking deep breaths, he slid to the side of his bed, realizing that he would have to wash the sheets again. His blankets and pillow cases were drenched in sweat caused by his recurring dreams, and this would be the third time he had to wash them in the last week. While he had dreamt about Akane's death before, many times since it happened, none of his previous recalls of the ordeal had been as vivid and altered as the dream from which he had just woken up. He knew some of the voices he heard in his dream where not present during the actual events, and the messages he heard did not make much sense to him either. While the yellow color in her eyes prevailed in what he had now begun to call _fucked up hallucinations_, the dots connected to form a shape he could not discern. He had attributed the return of the dream to his recent visit to Nerima Hospital for Kasumi, but the chains, the blood, and the cannibalistic instincts of the Akane he had dreamt about he could not attribute to anything else other than his overactive imagination and the lingering fear of losing her for good.

"_I have to talk to someone about this, or it ain't gonna go away,"_ he thought, knowing the only person he would trust with these disturbing images was the one person he had pissed off more than Akane: Ukyo. He had not seen her since their fight regarding their supposed drunken engagement and the giving of the ring, and while he had visited Nerima more than usual lately, he had not had the guts to face her again just yet. Seeing as Akane and Ranma had recently agreed to visit Nerima every coming weekend until after the ART and the gymnastics tournament, he knew he was bound to run into Ukyo at some point during their dojo duties and inspections. Perhaps, he figured, he should just man-up and seek her out by himself before having no other option than to engage in the awkward conversation on a random street; yet, the decision was not as easy as he thought.

"_Not yet. She's hasn't called. She's still mad at me. Maybe next weekend I will, but not this one."_

It was finally Friday, and Akane and Ranma would be leaving back to Nerima today as soon as his last class of the day ended. They needed to wrap up the last details of their internal tournament to decide the team they would take to the ART, and since their families had gone away on their trip, Akane and Ranma had to oversee the preparation –this weekend, and implementation –next weekend, of the internal tournament all by their lonely selves. After seeing to the well-being of Ono and Soun –by knocking them both unconscious, Akane and Ranma had returned to Tokyo Monday morning –just four days ago and just in-time for class, only to have to return to Nerima again today. The next five weeks were going to be dreadfully stressing for the both of them, especially for Akane who had to attend the gymnastics competition the weekend after the ART took place.

Ranma growled as he thought about his upcoming responsibilities, causing him to feel even more awake than anyone should at such an early hour of the morning. He knew that after the horrible nightmare and with so much pressure on his shoulders, sleep was not going to come back to him tonight no matter how much he tried, so he did not attempt to get some shut-eye again. He kicked the sheets off him with his hands and legs and stood up, pulling on the string that held his pigtail in place to undo it, and took the string with him in his hand. He grabbed a set of clean clothes from his closet and underwear from the drawers before heading to his private bathroom and washing away the remnants of the dream with a long, cold shower. He made a mental list of things to do for the day, which reminded him that he and Akane had another conference to attend to today during lunch time.

"_I can't believe Nabiki. She gets us into this annoying deal, and then she disappears. What a bitch!"_

After standing motionless under the cold spray of water for several minutes, he hurriedly soaped and rinsed his body and hair before shutting off the shower and stepping out of the bathroom. He patted his body dry with a towel and then wrung his hair with it enough times to easily be able to hold it back in its usual pigtail. He brushed his teeth feeling grateful no fake blood poured out of him this time, and then dressed himself in a pair of workout pants and t-shirt, not feeling up to getting dressed up for the events of the day, regardless of Nabiki's possible complaints later. He threw the used clothes and towels inside the hamper before grabbing it and taking it out of the bathroom with him.

He slowly walked back to his bedroom, turned on the lights, dropped the hamper on the floor, and began pulling the bed sheets off the mattress, planning to do his laundry next since he knew no one would be fighting him for the machines at the laundry room this early in the day. Once the bed sheets were off the bed, he continued the baring of it by removing the pillow cases. It was then that he saw a small piece of paper he had missed before, caught between the mattress and the headboard, and effectively flying off the bed with the movement of the sheets. He crumpled the pillow cases inside the hamper before crouching down to the floor and examining the piece of paper.

He grabbed it and flipped it over, silently reading the single word written on it. He did not have to take a guess as to who had written the message on the paper; he would recognize her calligraphy anywhere. However, he could not recall seeing her writing this or leaving this message in his room any time recently. Perhaps she had done it when he was not around, since they both had copies of the keys of the other's dorm room. Not being able to find any pressing reason why she would write this random note to him and not mentioning it, he threw the paper on his nightstand, next to his clock, before he lifted the hamper off the floor. He grabbed his wallet, keys and his shoes as he made his way out of the room and headed to the laundry room of the dorm building, hamper in hand.

As Ranma walked down the stairs to the basement of the building where the laundry room was located, he thought about his recent hallucinations, wondering what everything meant and if these events even had a meaning at all. Maybe he was making too much of something out of nothing. Maybe he was being affected by the anniversary of their shared battle with death. Or, perhaps, he was not the only one suffering from the lasting effects of the events that took place in that hospital's operating room almost a year ago. In fact, maybe it was not just him who wondered if something else had happened to her in that operating room that night. Maybe he was just sharing the feeling of dread Akane was also feeling. Maybe her agony was so obvious it had somehow extended to him. It was this last thought that made him remember the seemingly out-of-place question that Akane had been asked at their first contract conference regarding her health.

"_You must not know me very well. Just as Ranma did, you will soon learn that you cannot expect a Tendo to understand what's best for them. Both Ranma and I agreed that we wouldn't allow my illness to put a dent on our long-term plans, so he begrudgingly, and vigilantly, allowed me to compete without much protest from him."_

_ "Any remaining effects of the ordeal?"_

_ Akane smiled at the loaded question as she stole a quick glance at Ranma, whose aura was beginning to spike again with anger toward the current conversation. She placed her left hand on his to calm him down, causing him to turn and witness the precise moment a familiar spark of gold crossed her eyes. Memories of his odd experience came back to him, reminding him that he had some questions to ask her himself when the time was right. Akane returned her attention to the awaiting reporter and chuckled._

_ "If by effects, you mean being spoiled by Ranma and my family, then, yes, plenty of remaining effects are left."_

Ranma finally arrived at the laundry room, quickly sorted his clothes, and ran the washing machines. He walked to the closest chair and sat down. The television sets around the room were on, but the sound was on mute, so he could only imagine what the tiny people inside the boxes were talking about. At three in the morning, however, he figured most of the activity in television involved infomercials of products that were said to be _revolutionary_ but never seemed to work as expected once bought.

He looked away from the suddenly uninteresting monitors and pulled out his cellphone from his pocket. He flipped it open and stared at the picture of he and Akane that he had as the wallpaper of his tiny device. He tried to think of anything else other than the nagging feeling that something was happening with Akane, but his efforts were in vain.

"_Any remaining effects of the ordeal?"_

The question the reporter had asked her repeated inside his mind over and over again. Had the media discovered something about Akane that he did not know about? What could Akane possibly be hiding from him, and how? Why? Even though they had been relatively distant compared to how close they had once been before, they still ended up in the same place at the end of the day, so hiding something important from him would have been difficult for her to do. The media, however, always had ways of finding a person's deepest secrets to expose them when they least expected, and perhaps they had found something about Akane that they had expected her to disclose by now. Was she still ill? Was she hiding a terrible illness from him because she did not want him to suffer the effects of her death, three times in one lifetime?

Then again, what did a potential illness have to do with his _visions_ –now swiftly ranked above _fucked up_ _hallucinations_ given the new circumstances, with the note she had left in his room? Had she picked up a seemingly incurable disease while staying with the Phoenix tribe and she now had to find a way to cure herself? Why was she not asking him for help, or anyone, for that matter?

Then again, maybe she had asked somebody for help, someone who could potentially have the same problems as her; someone who would probably want to solve the same problem as she.

_ "Satoshi…the text messages…not lovers…"_

In a way, for Ranma, it all began to make some sort of sense. Satoshi was still carrying the curse of the Phoenix tribe and since the cursed springs were gone, he would keep his curse for the rest of his life. And, even though Akane had freed herself from it, perhaps it had not been sufficient or quick enough to prevent any side effects it may have caused her, or Satoshi. Perhaps, Satoshi and Akane truly were not dating, or screwing each other on the side. Maybe, they were nothing more than two people united by a common cause that they believed no one else but they would understand.

The text messages he had read on her cell phone while she slept did imply that some sort of plan of action was developing between them, and they were periodically carrying out the steps to complete it. Perhaps they were planning their escape from the _illness_ they both suffered from. Perhaps Akane had never been ill with her mother's disease in the first place. Maybe, just maybe, it was all an issue they had both picked up from Jusenkyo when they were both taken there against their will. Their curse was not a normal one, not that the curses could be considered normal, anyway, but becoming a Phoenix involved more than just falling into one of Jusenkyo's spring. Now that he thought about it more, Satoshi had been displaying bruises and scratches not typical of a gymnast, but a martial artist, and Ranma knew damn well that Satoshi had not been publically practicing the art since his defeat at the tournament. Actually, had Akane not displayed similar bruises as well when he saw her lying motionless on the operating table after the doctors had given up on her?

_"But, why, Akane? Why won't you tell me?"_

Maybe –he continued the mental listing of possibilities, she had already told him, and he had just not listened. Maybe she had tried to involve him in her problem, but he had not delivered what she had expected or he had just simply not understood. Or, maybe, she was just saving him the suffering, believing that he would feel guilty that she could be in utter distress because of him.

_"She's right. I would. She was dragged to Jusenkyo because of me," _he thought as the memory of the last bit of their conversation regarding why she had broken up the engagement came back to him.

_Ranma turned around and began walking away from Akane, but stopped after only a few steps. Without facing her and putting his hands in his pockets, he asked the other question that was in his mind._

_ "Akane?"_

_ "Yeah?"_

_ "Are you and Satoshi…?" he was unable to finish the question, but the intent was clear to Akane. _

_ "We…he's in my plans…"_

Ranma mentally slapped himself at the realization. Of course Satoshi would be in her _plans_ if they both shared a common interest! Of course they would be planning to try and get better! Why wouldn't they try to fix themselves? Who, in their right mind, would not want to be cured of an ailment?

It was then that Ranma realized that Akane's actions did have some sort of fucked up rationalization. She clearly did not want him to suffer with her. She did not want him to find out what was wrong with her, unless she was able to make it better, just as she had done so before. She did not want him to be engaged to a woman who might not make it to walking down the aisle, so she had decided breaking up the agreement was for the best. It all made sense to him now. Whatever Akane was hiding from him, was greater than all of them and their petty differences, and even if she did not want him to be there every step of the way, he was going to be, in his own way.

The loud beep announcing the washing machines were done with their cycle interrupted Ranma's long overdue epiphany. He stood up, took out the clothes from all three machines, and loaded them inside the closest dryer. He ran his debit card through the magnetic reader, and in an instant the dryer had started its course. He returned to the chair he had just left, and stared at his phone again.

_"Akane, if I promised you I would learn from my mistakes, will you come back to me?"_

He closed his phone again, thinking what his life would be like if Akane did not find what she was looking for. Was it worth not being with her? Was it worth not having her in his arms one last time? What could be worth more than their happiness together? He was not certain about Akane, but whatever short amount of time they had spent together had been precious to him. He had never devoted his life to the happiness of anyone else before, and once he had learned the meaning of true love and companionship, he found it difficult to ever care for someone else in his life as much as he cared for her.

xxxXXXxxx

_Ranma used his free hand to hold onto Satoshi's leg, tightening his grip when Satoshi tried to set himself free. Ranma held him in place as he invoked water and fire, and showered Satoshi with the hot liquid, turning him back into his human form. Satoshi tried to call on the cold water again, but Ranma kicked him away from it and quickly pinned him down._

_ "Go ahead, beat me! Do you think that means you've really won? Akane will soon realize that you're a good for nothing, and she will leave you for a real man."_

_ "Shut up!"_

_ Satoshi did not struggle to set himself free, but continued his verbal assault on Ranma._

_ "Does the truth hurt? How long do you think it will take before college life shows her there are other men out there? How long until she decides to leave you for one of them?"_

_ "She won't! She won't leave me! Stop talking or I'll slit your throat!"_

The end of the class caught him by surprise and interrupted his mental examination of the battles they underwent during the ART. Ranma had been trying to focus on his classes for the day, but the realization that neither he nor Akane had thoroughly prepared for their conference today had him on edge. He anticipated that they would be answering questions about the tournament again, perhaps more specific questions at this point since it was closer to the anticipated and well-advertised competition, and their lack of planning made him uncomfortable to attend. As a result, he had been replaying moments of the tournament in his head, breaking them up in pieces and scrutinizing them to prepare for his interview and for their internal tournament at the dojo next weekend.

Seeing his peers were abandoning the classroom, Ranma put away his supplies and books and stood up, heading for the exit. He was greeted by the sight of his favorite person in the world, resting her hip and shoulder against the doorway, staring at him with an incredulous look on her face.

"How you pass your classes while you daydream during most of them is beyond me, Ranma."

"What do you mean?" he asked as he finally reached her and grabbed her hand in his, guiding her away from the classroom. Akane complied with his gesture, having made an agreement to act more as a couple when in public and in school grounds for the sake of the contract they had signed. While Ranma had been completely against the terms, he had come to agree that this contract was not going to fulfill itself on its own, and the difficulty in completing it to the T was up to them.

"The professor asked you_ two_ questions and you didn't even acknowledge him. What the hell were you thinking about?"

Ranma chuckled, not realizing he had been caught red-handed in his mental spacial tours. "If I told you what I was thinking about, you'd punch me in the face."

Akane shook her head in disapproval, taking the cue and deciding against asking the details of such a compromising-sounding day dream. They remained silent as they walked out of the building and headed toward the cafeteria to partake in the short interview they had been scheduled for. The reporters were already present, as well as some of the general public, students and their fans, some of which were waiting for the one slip up from the famous couple to make their day. Some people did just live to watch the others burn, and Ranma and Akane were very aware of this fact.

As before, Ranma and Akane waved towards the crowd as they walked to their seats. This time, there was no table on the floor for them, as the interview was supposed to be more demonstrative of their abilities rather than verbal like last time. The only two items at the front of the room were two uncomfortable metal chairs in the middle of the stage, placed next to each other, and one microphone.

As soon as Ranma and Akane sat down, the hands went up for questions. Ranma, wanting this theater act to be over with already, pointed to one random person who immediately took his opportunity and spoke.

"Ranma, Akane, we want to see you fight."

"I'm sorry, but we already had a fight this morning because of the way I dressed today," Ranma joked pointing at his laid back outfit, knowing that terms of his contract restricted a serious combat between them without sanctioning from the NRD.

"Not an all-out fight, of course. We just want a peek of what to expect for the ART. A teaser, you know?"

As the crowd got riled up at the prospect of seeing the couple kick each other's asses, Ranma and Akane leaned closer to each other and whispered their plan of action to make the best out of the situation. They knew that some sort of demonstration had to be completed during this conference, but they were limited as to what they could do without getting in trouble with the sponsors. The main attraction with their presence in the campaign –other than the usual fascination with a couple's life, was the constant questioning from the public regarding who was stronger between the two. The public was divided, half stating Ranma was clearly the stronger of the two, since he was the representing Dojo Master of their school. The other half, however, believed that Akane had yet to show them what she was made of, and that she was stronger than she looked.

"Should we do some katas for them?" Ranma asked, eyeing the impatient crowd before them.

Akane shook her head at his idea. "I don't think that'd quiet them down. We can do some of the nature techniques, just to show off, and maybe they'll move on."

"OK. Do you want to attack each other, or…?"

"I'm not sure, maybe not. Let's just see what happens, OK?"

"Alright."

With a sketchy plan in their hands, the couple stood up and walked away from each other to stand on opposite sides of the stage. They faced each other for a moment before and bowing. The action riled up the crowd even more, and cheers were quickly heard once Akane took a defensive stance and Ranma remained casual, as usual. By this point, followers of the tournament knew Ranma never took any stance –defensive or offensive, making it more difficult for his adversaries to plan ahead.

"We don't want to spoil the tournament for you," Akane began saying from her corner, effectively quieting down the loud audience. "But, we can definitely show you a few of the techniques we used before."

The crowd did not seem to like the idea, asking for something different. Ranma and Akane did not give in, shaking their hands at the crowd's petition to witness unseen techniques.

"Believe me," Ranma said to calm down the complaints. "Television doesn't do justice to us."

And with that, Akane yelled as she released a large ball of fire from her hands, sending it straight at Ranma. Ranma smirked at her predictable technique –which seemed to be her favorite as of latest, before he responded by expelling ice from his body, traveling down his legs, onto the platform he stood on, and forward to the flame Akane had thrown at him. The ice thickened around him until it lifted from the floor and created a wall of ice in front of him, exploding on contact when the fire hit it, sending a wave of energy and steam everywhere in the room.

Akane responded by lighting her body on fire, charging towards Ranma. Ranma protected himself from the heat by covering his body in a thick shield of ice, much like Akane had done when she had fought Shigeru. With every strike Akane tried placing on Ranma, more steam and energy was released on contact. The bystanders covered their faces with their hands, and some took cover under their chairs while the couple performed advanced katas while surrounded by their own favorite nature techniques. The camera men struggled to keep up with their speed, and were glad when the couple finally slowed down to a stop. When the steam finally cleared, Ranma and Akane were standing in the exact same position they had been just seconds ago, not showing any signs of exertion. The public stare at each other as they stood up from the floor, some shrugging when asked what had just occurred. The same reporter who had asked for a preview raised his hand again, this time Akane allowing him to speak.

"What just happened?"

"This is a small demonstration of a technique Ranma and I used in the last tournament. Ranma has a very powerful technique where he uses heat to produce enough power to strike an enemy, just as I released just now. Using this technique here, however, would be nearly deadly to anyone not trained in the arts. When he used this technique in battle, our students and I were too close to it, so I used a barrier of ice to protect everyone close by, similar to the one he just used to stop the flame I threw at him and my consequent attacks. The techniques we just used, of course, weren't as powerful as the ones we used in the tournament, but we couldn't risk using more energy because we didn't want to hurt anyone."

"Yeah," Ranma added to Akane's explanation. "Besides, our legal counsel told us last night that our liability insurance wouldn't cover destruction of property. So, sorry!" he joked.

Feeling released from the initial shock, the bystanders chuckled at Ranma's response as they returned to their seats, now more excited about seeing the two martial artists fight.

"What other techniques can you do?"

Akane and Ranma stared at each other until Ranma nodded and gave Akane the lead to answer the question.

"The Anything-Goes-School of Martial Arts has practiced many techniques, some of them older than our parents. Our most recent addition, however, are what we call the Nature Techniques. I learned these during a training trip to China, and they are quite handy, I must say."

"What can these techniques do?"

"Well, you saw the fire and the ice techniques. There's also the water technique," Akane said as she called upon said technique and converted the oxygen and hydrogen in the air to a waterfall of water around her, sprouting from the floor towards the ceiling for a few seconds before it disappeared as quick as it had come.

"There's the wind technique," Ranma said as he created a wind gust that he aimed at Akane's location, drying up the water that had been left behind from using her technique just seconds ago while Akane remained in place by using the metal technique to nail her feet to the floor.

"And there are other techniques, such as metal-invoking techniques that my co-captain Satoshi Nakajima also knows how to use, and displayed in the ART last year."

The reporters and public stared back and forth between Ranma and Akane while they straightened out their clothes and hair after being unsettled by the raft of wind Ranma had just created. Some of the bystanders were in awe at the easiness with which the artists manipulated the elements to their advantage, while other, more skeptical viewers, searched the premises with their eyes for signs of special effects being used to defraud them.

"Will we see your team executing such techniques in the tournament?" an overly excited reporter asked without waiting to be given permission to speak. The couple, however, overlooked the breaking of the rules as long as it made the conference go by faster. They both had better things to do than to amusing the common crowd.

"Unless it is I or Akane fighting, no, you won't. We limit the introduction of these techniques to graduated students of our school, and since we have just started our teaching, it will be years before members outside the family are taught these powerful techniques. As you can see, limiting this knowledge to those who can control them appropriately has its advantages."

"Indeed, I wouldn't want to be held responsible either for teaching a criminal how to better their intents, either," one of the reporters stated, understanding why the techniques shown were not available to learn by anyone just yet.

"Miss Tendo?" a female reporter said to catch Akane's attention. "We just learned that you have a busy month coming to you since the gymnastics competition will be taking place after the ART. How do you feel about that?"

Realizing that the reporters and public had had enough of their demonstration, Ranma and Akane walked towards their seats. After they were seated again, Akane leaned closer to Ranma's ear, whispering into it.

"Can I say I feel like crap for having two events to deal with back-to-back?"

Ranma chuckled, whispering back to her. "I'm sorry, 'kane, but that'd be in violation of our contract. Remember, we're happy to be here," he said, emphasizing the word happy to denote to her he understood her feelings of annoyance with the tight schedule in which they were.

Akane half growled, half laughed, knowing Ranma would not allow her this one privilege for their sake. "I figured. I just don't know how you landlings do all of these things every day."

Before Ranma could react to her use of the word landling, she returned her attention to the reporter and answered the question she had been asked. More questions regarding their expectations for the tournament followed, and thankfully for them, the reporters stayed away from personal questions this time around. Ranma, nonetheless, remained for the most part uninvolved in the remainder of the conference, waiting anxiously for the completion of it so he could have the chance to talk to Akane about what he had figured out about her problems this morning. He had made a decision earlier today to silently support her in whatever problem she was trying to solve by herself, but now that she was next to him and she seemed clearly overwhelmed with it all, he had changed his mind and was going to confront her with the knowledge he had learned. The opportunity, however, did not present itself since before he knew it, the conference was over, and she had a class to attend. The next time they saw each other, they were heading to Nerima, where Akane would pass out as soon as Ranma turned on the ignition and she closed the car door. Ranma cursed under his breath at the missed opportunity, but at least somehow relieved that Akane had decided to come home with him after all.

xxxXXXxxx

Akane opened her eyes when she felt the car come to a full stop, realizing she had fallen asleep throughout the trip yet again. Satoshi had been charged with other pressing personal _duties_, so this had given her a reason to return to Nerima with Ranma to keep an eye on him, rather than sending him back by himself, without raising further suspicion on his part. She heard Ranma shift the gear to park, but did not turn off the car. She languidly stretched her limbs in her seat as Ranma opened the trunk and walked outside the car to grab her bags. Akane followed him to the back of the car and after she collected her belongings, thanked him and waved goodbye to him, walking quickly towards the entrance of her home.

The porch's lights were off, which the unaware side of her found odd since she knew the house was to be empty. She figured her dad had just been distracted enough to forget to leave them on so she immediately rectified the mishap as soon as she went in and locked the doors behind her. With the little light coming from outside, she guided herself to the bathroom where she flipped her bag upside down, shaking it up and down to dump her dirty clothes in the hamper. She crumpled her now empty bag and walked out of the bathroom but stopped when she heard him walking closer to her. She did not need the light to know who he was, and to know that he had not yet completed his task. She waited patiently as he approached her, not bothering to pretend she did not know he was there.

"I sincerely hope you are here to tell me you have completed your mission," she said as she stood by the entrance to the bathroom, even though she knew the answer to her question would be a negative one.

The other presence in the room took a step closer so that his shadowy figure was visible with the moonlight coming from outside. He had not bothered to change back to his human form this time around, seeing as it did not matter since no one else was around. "Almost, my Lord. I have found out where the rest of the family is vacationing in for now, and I will be paying them a visit, very soon."

"Very well. I guess it's better than no progress at all. Though, I have to say I'm running out of patience, Satoshi. This was supposed to happen before the tournament took place. Now I have to involve myself with these petty mortal responsibilities for longer than expected, and you know how angry this makes me. Do I need to remind you what happens when I'm angry?"

Satoshi internally flinched as he remembered the last time he had told Lord Saffron that he had inadvertently, yet again, been delayed in taking out the doctor and his family. He had been so upset when he had showed up at Akane's dorm room early in the morning while she still slept, to tell him he had failed once again. The memory was still fresh in his mind, as were the scars left behind by their confrontation.

_ Satoshi flew back to the campus still in his cursed form with his normal clothes in his hands, dreading to report his failure to Lord Saffron. He had been supposed to kill Kasumi and her family days ago, but the family was still alive and kicking, enjoying freedom and life. He truly felt like an idiot now, thinking the doctor was an easy prey even though Akane had warned him of the opposite. He should have just believed Akane, and asked Koruma for backup days ago, but he had refused to believe the doctor posed any threat to their plans. However, after days of observing the doctor's early morning martial arts practices, he had decided to postpone their encounter for a few more days until Koruma was available to help. Lord Saffron was unaware that the other Phoenix tribe member was assisting Satoshi with his tasks, simply because Satoshi did not want Saffron to think he was completely useless, and kill him on the spot since Koruma was around to do a better job._

_ As he landed on the ground next to Akane's dorm building, he desperately thought of a possible way out of relaying his lack of expected action to the angry Lord. He had noticed that Akane had lately been giving the Lord a difficult time –more than usual, and he was more anxious than usual to move on to the next phase of their plans. Finally realizing that no good would come from delaying the inevitable, Satoshi flew up to her dorm room's window, slowly opening the unlocked window to her room when he reached her floor from the outside. Akane was inside; still asleep, lounging on her bed in her intimate clothes, completely unaware of the intruder reaching inside her room._

_ His bare feet hit the floor of the room as lightly as he could, then he tiptoed to the bathroom to get hot water to change back to his human form, leaving his clothes on the floor by the entrance. The morning chill had been strong enough to make it uncomfortable even for him, but his wings and talons made it impractical for him to wear nothing more but a pair of pants when he was out on missions. He counted his blessings when he arrived to the bathroom without waking her up, immediately changing back to his human form and relishing the few seconds of warmth._

_ His good luck, however, ran out when he stepped out of the bathroom and found Akane sitting upright on her bed. Her hair was still a mess from her deep sleep –deep sleep being the only way Saffron could completely keep Akane at bay, and even thought her body was completely exposed to him under the nighty she wore, she did not seem to care. When her confused eyes suddenly turned bright gold at his presence, he knew Saffron was in control at the moment, and not Akane._

_ "What are you doing here so early?"_

_ Satoshi took a step forward, pointing to the clock as he did._

_ "It's not that early," he said, attempting to humor the Lord before his wrath befell on him._

_ Saffron rolled his eyes at him before standing up and walking up to him, stretching his arms and back. He stopped in front of Satoshi and stared at him up and down with a displeasing look Satoshi could not help but fear._

_ "I don't see any blood on you, did you fail, again?"_

_ "My Lord…I?"_

_ But Saffron was not having any of it this time. He did not allow Satoshi to list his numerous excuses as to why Kasumi was still alive, and grabbed roughly him by his neck, pressing his claws into his skin. Satoshi's eyes widened when he felt his airways being closed by the grip, instinctively reaching out to Saffron's hands to try and remove them from his neck._

_ "My Lord…I…can't breathe."_

_ "That's the idea, stupid. See how simple it is, taking someone's life? Someone who is inferior to you, in fact?" Saffron asked as he tightened his grip on Satoshi's neck. He lifted Satoshi's body from the floor with an ease and strength Satoshi knew Akane did not possess, further pointing at a total overtaking of Akane's body by the Lord of the Phoenix tribe. Satoshi was always terrified when no sign of Akane was visible to him. He could not count the number of times Akane's intervention had saved his butt before._

_ "Just…give me a chance…I will…"_

_ "You will what? Fail me again?" Saffron asked as he released Satoshi, dropping him on his face on the floor. Saffron was obviously frustrated with the entire situation, and he took out his anger on the closest animated object around: Satoshi. Satoshi watched from the corner of his eyes as he coughed air back into his lungs when Akane's nails grew to become longer than a regular Phoenix's claws before scratching the hell out of Satoshi's back to release his frustration. Satoshi tried to crawl his way away from Saffron, but he just effortlessly followed him behind._

_ Satoshi was finally able to lift himself from the floor, and ran towards the door to escape. He knew Saffron would be further pissed if he just ran away and not took his punishment, but Satoshi did not care at the moment; all he wanted was to make it out of Akane's room alive. Seeing this, Saffron ran after him in an instant but before Satoshi realized what had occurred, her eyes returned to her normal color and she ran to her bed, sitting on it in the same position he had seen her when he had walked out of her bathroom just moments ago._

_ Not wanting to waste his opportunity, he opened the front door of Akane's room only to find Ranma standing on the other side of it, looking as shocked as he himself probably felt. Satoshi looked back to Akane for a brief moment, realizing that she had sensed Ranma's approaching presence and this was why he had spared Satoshi's life. Without a word to anyone, but silently thanking Ranma for showing up unannounced, he picked his clothes up from the floor, put them on in a haste and walked out of the room and as far away from the object of his death as he could for now._

Satoshi swallowed hard at the memory, not wanting to experience it again, especially since Ranma would not show up this time around to save him.

"When are you carrying out the final step?" Saffron finally asked the half-Phoenix, seeing as he had become lost in his thoughts.

"Next weekend. I figured Ranma will be too busy carrying out the internal tournament to call his family or wonder how they are."

"He will be, I'm sure, especially when he finds out one of his students has had a little…accident." Saffron said, recalling a trip he had taken the first night he had met the ungrateful little bastards that Akane dared to call students. "Anyway, he's beginning to suspect something's happening to her."

"Really? How do you know?"

Saffron smirked, pointing to his temple with his right index finger and tapping his head twice. "Mind reading, remember?"

"Oh, yeah," Satoshi answered, wondering if Saffron knew what he had been thinking of just now.

"He thinks she might still be sick, and that you might be too, something you both could have picked up in Jusenkyo. I'll just let him believe whatever he wants as long as it's not what our plans really are."

"But, he'll figure it out eventually, when his family doesn't return from the trip or call, or when you don't show up to the ART. We're lucky they think Nabiki is just being her unappreciative self and avoiding them."

Saffron scoffed. "It will be too late by then, and I don't really care. The only thing preventing you from getting your reward and me returning back to my body is your inability to carry out a simple order. I'm not attending that tournament, Satoshi, and you better make sure it is because I'm being reborn, far away from here."

"I will, my Lord."

Understanding that their conversation was over, Satoshi bowed to Lord Saffron before he made his way out of the Tendo home and back to his own. He had to make sure he did not delay their plans much longer, or he would never become a full Phoenix if Saffron could not find a way to be reborn back in his body. He had no idea how Saffron intended to regain control over a body that had been destroyed years ago, but he figured the books of dark magic he and Akane had read were the key. The last thing he wanted to see was a rotten, maggot-infested corpse walking around him and Akane, prancing like he was the king of the world.

Either way, he only had to wait one more week and everything would be finished. The months of work would finally pay off, and not only would Ranma be out of the picture and Akane finally be separated from Saffron's body, but he would become a full Phoenix, worthy of joining the tribe he had admired since he had forced himself to become cursed. He knew becoming a real Phoenix would not automatically make him stronger than Saffron, but he hoped that in the reborn process Saffron would be weakened by how long he had been out of his body, enabling Satoshi to perhaps end his existence, and keep Akane all for himself. In the end, this was all Satoshi wanted: Akane belonging to him. Not to Ranma, not embedded with a vengeful demigod, or alone by herself in some filthy dungeon in the Phoenix tribe; he just wanted her, plain, ol', simple Akane; the woman he had fallen in love with when they met in night school. The woman that had chosen a nobody such as Ranma over him. He just wanted to be happy with her, nothing more or simpler than that.

And, whatever Satoshi wanted, Satoshi got.

xxxXXXxxx

The next morning found Ranma and Akane going over the dojo matters at the Tendo office, surrounded by boxes of unfinished takeout food and mounts of paperwork regarding the ART restrictions, the internal tournament, and the intramural gymnastics competition at Tokyo University. They had just finished making sure their spot at the ART was secured by submitting all of their documents via the website, and had narrowed down the internal tournament competitors to just to ten students out of the hundred that were enrolled in the dojo. With their hopeless parents out of the way, Akane felt as if they had all the time in the world to solve all of their problems, one problem at a time, just as she had hoped she would since she was able to determine how much caring for others set you behind.

Ranma, unfortunately, did not share the feeling of freedom that Akane enjoyed. He had been thinking about his dreams and visions, only to come back to the same resolution: talking to Akane about it was the only thing that would make the nightmares go away. While he knew confronting her was the only way of finding out what was truly in her mind, he had not found a way to start the conversation that would not immediately lead to an argument between them regarding why he did not trust her to solve her own problems on her own, or why the hell he had been secretly reading her text messages. The only option he had come up with was to ask her what she had meant by the note he had found in his room, but even that idea was not foolproof as she could easily deny any involvement in the matter.

While Akane was blissfully unaware of Ranma's internal conflicting contemplations, Saffron was watching his every move. He had yet to hear from Satoshi regarding the elimination of the last bit of family Ranma and Akane had, so he was unable to give the final order for the both of them to leave. He had allowed Akane's naïve side to take over the responsibilities before him while he sat back and monitored Ranma's thoughts, not truly looking forward to completing such mundane and unnecessary tasks knowing she would not be around to execute them. He took pride in being ahead of the game when it came to the battleground, and while there were no true hand-to-hand combats taking place just yet, he wanted to prepare for whatever curve ball Ranma was thinking of throwing Akane's way.

At this point of the game, he could not afford losing control of Akane again, and even if she had managed to send some visions to the pigtailed boy, the artist had not connected the dots in the matter she had wanted him to. She had become frustrated with Ranma's lack of action, and thus had become easier to manipulate. Saffron recognized she had bested him a few times since their conversation in her mind when they had declared war on each other, but winning a few battles did not mean winning the entire war. Akane's hold on her own soul was becoming loose, which could mean that either she was giving up trying to take control of her body, or she had found out that if she let herself die so far into his reign on her body, her body would follow her, leaving Saffron unable to complete his attempts at being reborn.

He was not sure how much dark magic Akane had learned while he was not around to monitor her, but he would not put it past her that she had recalled a way to stop his control on her. Regardless of the reason why she had taken a step back as of late, he was not going to allow her to force herself to die after everything he had done to be with her, but he was also not going to allow her to ruin his plans either. This information he had not shared with Satoshi, though, as he did not entirely trust the man. He knew Satoshi intended to kill him to save Akane from his grip, and he was going to allow him to believe he had a chance as long as he was of some use to the Phoenix Lord.

Nevertheless, the spoiled brat's useful life was coming to an end soon, and Saffron could not wait to rid himself from the pestilence he had been forced to mingle with for the last few months. Saffron could not help but smile as he could almost feel the sense of satisfaction and fulfillment that came with knowing no one could stop you from carrying out your plans. He had made sure each and every member of the Tendo/Saotome family suffered until their last breath, and even though he had not been there personally to witness their end, the memories he had scanned from Satoshi had been enough to make his day.

_"Soon, my dear Captain. Soon, we will be together, at last."_

The rest of the weekend continued to seem quite uneventful, as Ranma continued to be unaware of the slayings happening behind his back. Saffron, on the other hand, was counting down the days until he would be reunited with his body, and his Captain, after all this time. Unbeknownst to both, though, was the presence of the group of Amazons that were heading towards them, slower than they would have liked, with a solution to their problem in their hands.

* * *

**A/N:** The goal is to finish this story before the end of the month, and finish BTS before the summer hits. I am reaching the end of this era in , and while I have enjoyed writing these stories that had been in my mind for years, I am looking forward to taking a break. Thank you for sticking around . As always, bear with me as the $%* #& hits the fan, here, it WILL get better. We're halfway there…oh, oh, living on a prayer! ^_^


	7. Chapter 6

**Disclosure: **This is it. The last chapter before everything unravels. It is time for everything to come out in the open, and after the events of this chapter, in the open they will be!

* * *

**Chapter 6  
**

The scene inside the Tendo residence could be easily summed up in one simple word: chaos. Half full or empty boxes were scattered around the living room, as well as a handful of first-aid kits, partially full bottles of water, unopened bags of snacks and the occasional dirty cloth or sweat-drenched rag that had survived the series of battles that had taken place in the home not long ago. Akane had tried to organize and clean up the home before their guests arrived, but as usual, nothing went according to her plans and she was now one of the three people standing in front of the mess that was left behind. Earlier in the day, and immediately after she had cleaned the seemingly empty residence, Ranma had showed up with more materials in his hands needed for the tournament, quickly dumping them in the closest room to the dojo in the home: the living room and the hall leading to the backyard.

Despite her boisterous complaints, Ranma had left the items behind on the floor, claiming there were more to bring over from his car, and that he could definitely use the help. Not wanting to start off their busy day with a scene and an argument, Akane dropped down her shoulders in defeat and ran behind Ranma to help him gather the other items that would further pollute her home for the next few hours. Before they knew it and before they had finished preparing, the eager young martial artists had begun showing up at the dojo's doorstep, each accompanied by their family and friends who had come to provide the support they knew they needed to succeed in the internal tournament at the Tendo Dojo.

It was at that moment that Ranma and Akane had decided to split up the unfinished jobs, knowing that they could not accomplish their mission otherwise. He had gone to the dojo to welcome the participants while Akane had ran back and forth from the dojo to the living room to set up the tables of offerings and other items needed to carry out the tournament. After everything was completely set up, Akane had just enough time to take a deep breath before joining Ranma at the dojo, assisting him in setting up the teams and the order in which the students would battle each other. Once everyone had been seated and the students had been told the rules of the matches, the tournament had finally begun.

The matches had been rather intense for such young students, as everyone wanted to go with the two Dojo Masters to the ART. Finally, after four long hours, the Tendo Dojo team had been decided upon. The only two returning students from the previous group that had dared challenge the rest of the team –Hisoka Endo and Shinji Oshiro, had easily made it to the finals, and three new students had joined them, making the team of five. After the competitions were completed, and after a quick match between the two dojo masters and the elder of the students who had joined the group last year –Satoru Murakami, said student had been chosen to be the third high-ranking member of the team that would compete in the finals with Ranma and Akane. After witnessing how much Satoru had improved since last year, the couple believed they could have not chosen anyone better to join them in their match.

An hour after the awards were given out to the students, and the parents and students had left, the three high-ranking members of the Tendo Dojo stood at the entrance of the living room, cringing as they regarded the landfill that used to be the living room. Now that everything had been said and done, the adrenaline that had rushed through them just hours before had abandoned them, and they were left with very little willpower to carry out cleaning services.

"We should've made it a competition to clean up the house, eh, Tendo-san?"

Akane nodded to Satoru, agreeing with him 100%. Ranma rested the right side of his body on the entrance door to the living room, feeling even more tired than he looked, and also dreading to begin the cleaning efforts the three of them had been left to complete.

"We can always hire help, Akane."

"I wish. On a Saturday? Last notice and this late in the day?" We're better off burning down the house and just forgetting the mess existed."

The comment caused Satoru to visibly flinch, shaking his head at Akane. "Oi, Tendo-san! Don't ask for it, or it might come true."

"What? What do you mean?"

"I guess you haven't heard. How about you, Saotome-sensei?"

"Heard about what?"

"Remember Satoshi, that little, annoying bast- I mean, uhm…socially challenged boy?"

"Good save," Ranma said.

"Thank you."

"Anyway," Akane said, rolling her eyes at the two men's unbecoming antics for dojo trainers. "What happened to him?"

"Well, his house burned down to…pretty much nothing. Actually, it happened that same day you guys showed up early. Nobody knows how it happened. The family made it out alright and all, but they lost everything they had. That's why Satoshi wasn't here today. They've been living with relatives while their home is rebuilt."

"Are you serious? Wow, I didn't know," Ranma said, honestly feeling sorry for the boy for having his home destroyed. Ranma knew, first-hand, what it felt like to not have a home.

"Hey, Akane, maybe we should set up a fundraiser for his family or something?"

Akane nodded. "You're right, Ranma. He was a little bit annoying, but that's just terrible."

"Hey, actually, why don't we let Satoru here start getting the hang of dojo administration by organizing it himself?"

"I like the sound of that!" Akane said, pleased to not add another task to her list.

"Oh, hey! That's not fair. I _just_ got the job!" Satoru mock-complained, yet felt eager to begin performing well in his new job. When Ranma and Akane had offered him to join them as the third in command, he had agreed thinking that it was just a one-time engagement for the ART. However, when they had further explained that they needed someone to help run the dojo when they were gone, and that it would turn into a full-time position, he had been thrilled.

While he still had the dream of running his own dojo one day, the opportunity Ranma and Akane were giving him was priceless, and he had accepted without much question. Ranma and Akane had discussed the topic last week when they organized the tournament, and had come to the conclusion that with so much going on, they needed somebody they could trust to watch over the dojo while they were away. Their parents had been doing the best they could, but they knew they were easily distracted and always looking for a way to get out of doing the job, so Satoru had been the answer to their prayers.

"Oh, come on! You don't got nothing better to do."

"As if! I have a life, you know?"

Ranma narrowed his eyes at him, not believing for a second what he had just said. Satoru turned to Akane for support, but when he found that she was grinning as much as Ranma was smirking at him, he knew he was caught.

"Fine! So I have no life, happy?"

"Very," Akane replied with a big smile on her face, "So, why don't we get this over with. I'm exhausted and I want to shower, eat, and crash."

"Amen," Ranma said before walking inside the home and into the kitchen, returning with several trash bags. While Ranma sorted through trash and still usable items, Satoru began categorizing the usable items and placing them inside boxes. Akane grabbed cleaning supplies and began sanitizing and cleaning the locations Ranma and Satoru cleared for her. After an hour, the living room of the home was completely cleaned, sending the three artists to move their efforts to the dojo to complete the same tasks there.

At the dojo, their chores were repeated as in the home, and after half an hour, the dojo was as good as new. Ranma carried the trash bags outside, while Akane and Satoru carried the boxes of items to the office of the dojo. After a few minutes, Ranma returned to the office to find Akane sorting through papers on her desk, and Satoru creating an inventory of the items left behind while adding the leftover items from the tournament.

Ranma dragged his feet to his desk, finding it in disarray once more, and began to sort through his own papers as well. After the office resembled some sort of order, Akane lifted her eyes from her computer and addressed the two men in the room.

"Hey, are you guys hungry?"

"Do you have to ask?" Ranma joked.

"Guess not. Why don't we order something and eat while we fill you in regarding the duties of the dojo?" she addressed Satoru. Satoru stared at the clock to pretend he had something else to do before nodding. "Sounds good. Do you mind if I use your shower? I have a change of clothes in my car, and I don't want to aromatize your house when we eat."

"Sure! Let me place the order and I will get the furo started. Ranma, do you mind waiting for the order while I shower?"

Ranma nodded to her, relishing for a second in the feeling that they were acting as if nothing was wrong in their world. These were the moments he had hoped to experience with her, every day until the end of their lives, and the reminder that he might not have the chance to enjoy them as he had planned was bittersweet.

"Of course, Akane."

Akane picked up the phone and placed the order. She then stepped out of the office and headed straight to her room. Once inside, she locked the door behind her before grabbing one of largest gym bags she could find and filling it with enough supplies to last her for a while, yet not too many items as to cause immediate suspicions. After grabbing a clean set of clothes she ran downstairs to shower, glad to remove the sweat and grime from her body.

As Saffron waited for the hot water to fill in the tub, he held Akane's cell phone in his hand, waiting anxiously for the notification he needed to walk away from the landling's life forever. He was aware that Akane had witnessed the slayings of the remaining members of the Tendo and Saotome families through their psychic connection with Satoshi, and had expected her to violently act out on it, but she had not. Her screams and pleas for mercy had been heart-wrenching to a part of him –the part that was driving him to do anything and everything to keep her by his side. She had eventually stopped sobbing and had quieted down just a couple of hours ago, and he expected her to resurface once the notification was received that their presence in Nerima was no longer needed.

Once the furo was filled with hot water, he walked inside it and soaked in, relishing in the fact that these were his last moments in the Tendo home, living a life he despised. He closed his eyes as he went over his plans, completed and pending, and he could not help to smile at his undisputed triumph over Ranma and his kin.

_"Are you happy, my Lord?"_

The tiny voice in the back of his head was no surprise to him, making him open his eyes and stare at her face that only he could see. She had sworn to him they would not speak to each other until he was back in his body again, but after seeing Satoshi slit the throats of her family, he had expected her to come to the surface, even if just to curse him out.

_"I am, very much so, my Captain. Though, I'll be happier once it is just the two of us."_

Akane's floating face turned into an entire ghostly body. She was wearing the hospital gown she had died in, blood stains still on it, and Saffron immediately knew she was trying to appease to his better nature. Akane could wear whatever she wanted inside her mind, but she had chosen this particular outfit to incite pity in the demigod. She walked towards the furo and sat on the edge of it, watching Saffron's superimposed image on where her physical body had just been. He was facing the wall behind her, and she was facing him.

"_When I fell in love with you, I didn't know it came with a death sentence for the ones that are dear to me." _Akane casually said to him with an amount of self-control that, given the circumstances, he had not expected from her.

_ "And when I did for you, I didn't know your heart was already taken."_

Akane closed her eyes, remembering the moment she had realized Ranma was her true love. Had it not been for the kiss they shared when they both thought she was still Kiima, Akane's memories would have not returned to her in time and led to her rejoining him.

"_Saffron, do you really expect me to just sit around and be with you after what you've done to my family?"_

The Lord of the Phoenix tribe gave her a smirk. He had not allowed anyone in his reign to address him by his name without the use of his title until Akane had come apparent intimacy between them he felt when she used his given name was something he had learned to yearn.

"_I do."_

Akane opened her eyes, staring at the Lord as he looked back at her in a way she had seen before on someone else. Saffron's current expression resembled the same smug look Ranma had on his face whenever he was about to achieve the impossible; just as when he had brought her back to life when everyone else had given up on her.

"_I thought you knew me better than that."_

Saffron took out his arm from the water to grab Akane's hand. He stroked her knuckles with his thumb, trying to bring some comfort to the woman he loved.

"_Again, Captain, I do, which is why I am prepared to cut you a deal."_

_ "What is that?" _The frail woman before him asked, tilting her head to the side to show him she was eager to hearing him out.

_ "If I…if __**we**__ were to leave tonight, and I don't kill the landling in the process, will you stay with me, willingly?"_

_ "You mean you wouldn't kill Ranma, if I accept to stay with you?"_

_ "Indeed."_

_ "Can I say goodbye to him?"_

_ "No. For all he knows, you already did when you explained to him why you ended the engagement."_

_ "You know damn well that wasn't me."_

_ "It doesn't matter; he thinks it was you, and that's what counts, correct?"_

Akane closed her eyes as she thought about the offer Saffron had just set on the table for her. She had been trying to expel the invading Lord from her body ever since they had established she would do anything and everything to stop him, but so far nothing she had tried had been successful. The more she had tried, the weaker she had become.

At this point, there was nothing else for her here in Nerima –just as Saffron had intended it to be; her family and Ranma's were dead. The only two members left of said families were her and Ranma, and for all technical purposes, Akane was not even herself, so that left Ranma to fend on his own.

"_Alone, as he was before we met. He'll be alone, again," _she thought bitterly to herself. _"But, alone and alive is better than dead."_

She truly did not want Ranma to have to resort back to his nomadic ways, but this time it would not be the same –or so she wished. Perhaps this time around, it would not even be as bad as when he grew up. He would have a home, two in fact, a dojo, and an education. He would have everything he needed to move on, find someone else, and for once in his life, be as happy as he could be –as he _deserved_ to be. Yes, the pain of losing his family would be great, as would be her sudden disappearance, but he would come around. He was Ranma Saotome; he would bounce right back. Yes, he would probably search for her, for years possibly, but she knew he would not find her, and not because he would not be successful, but because she would not let him waltz into danger for her ever again.

Any other day, she would have declined the offer she knew she would never be sure if Saffron would keep, but after seeing all the damage Ranma had to endure, and knowing that more was to come if she did not play her part, it was an easy decision not to continue putting Ranma through more pain.

"_You promise you won't touch him?"_

"_I promise."_

Akane nodded, accepting his deal without question. Saffron was not able to say anything else as Akane disappeared from sight. The Lord of the Phoenix tribe rested his back against the furo, delighted that his plans were even more successful than he had ever thought possible.

"_I will keep my promise, Captain, as long as you keep yours."_

xxxXXXxxx

The owners of the Tendo Dojo watched as the new member of the group said his goodbyes to them before turning around and heading home. It was late in the night –much later than they had anticipated, and it was time to finally call it for the day. Then again, it was probably appropriate to call it for the weekend as well, since they had to return to the campus tomorrow afternoon. Akane had received a communication from Satoshi letting her know that they had run into trouble with the registration requirements of their team to the gymnastics competition, and she was needed at the Dean of Student Activities office first thing on Monday.

After Satoru disappeared from their line of sight, Ranma followed Akane inside the home to gather his belongings to leave to his home. He grabbed the container that held their leftovers from delivery from the fridge and stuck them inside his gym bag. After making sure nothing else was out of order due to the tournament, he walked inside the living room where Akane lay on the floor, watching the late news.

"I think I'm done here, 'kane. I'll be back tomorrow at noon to pick you up."

"OK. Thank you for your help today."

"It was our job; no need to thank me. I'll see you tomorrow," the pigtailed martial artist said as he turned around and headed for the door. The hurried steps behind stopped him and forced him to turn around. The air was immediately knocked out from his lungs when Akane rammed into his chest, hugging him tightly without saying a word. After recovering from the shock, he dropped his gym bag on the floor and returned the embrace, closing his eyes and feeling his heart tightening up inside his chest. He realized he had not truly accepted how much he missed her touch until now, and even if he did not know what had brought on the gesture, he was not going to complain about it or question it.

Once Akane lessened her grip on him, she pulled back her face from his shoulder but did not release him. Ranma was taken aback when he saw her eyes were red and puffy, and rivers of tears slid down her face. He did not bother to ask her why she was crying, and she did not need to hear the question either: his contorted face told her everything he wanted to ask.

"I don't know why," she said to his unspoken question.

Ranma nodded to her to let her know he did not need any further explanation. He allowed her to hold on to him as long as she needed, hoping that perhaps she would relay to him the reason for her sadness so he could make it go away. Unbeknownst to him, the reason for her sadness was him. Saffron had told her she could not say goodbye to him, and while she did not utter the exact words, she was not breaking her agreement with the Lord.

Akane leaned forward and kissed Ranma as close to his lips as she could without actually touching themm before taking a step back, turning around and returning to the living room. Ranma stood there in awe, feeling her lips on his face as if it was the first time she had kissed him, and feeling an enormous void where her body had been just moments ago. He bent down and picked up his bag before opening the entrance door and exiting the home. Behind the locked door, Akane's cell phone vibrated as it received the message Saffron had been waiting for all day long.

_"Final step completed."_

The lack of text speak used in the message from Satoshi told him the seriousness of the statement he had made. Satoshi was done with his job; it was now Saffron's turn to seal the deal. Akane stood up from her place on the floor of the living room and walked upstairs, not bothering to turn off the television. Once she reached her room, she grabbed her bag, and left the home. As she walked the path to her final destination, the memories of her trek to this moment came back to her.

_She walked inside the lockers of the stadium, happy that the tournament was complete. Her headache had just gotten worse and worse, however, and even though she was ready to celebrate their victory, the pounding ache made her flinch at the noise outside. Nodoka had followed her inside the locker room immediately after Ranma had been declared the winner of the match, to her dismay._

_ "Dear, are you sure you're alright?"_

_ Akane nodded to her future mother-in-law before walking away from her and locking herself inside a stall. Once inside, she rested her back against the door to prevent Nodoka from barging in. She did not put it past the crazy woman to try and decapitating her as a means to end her headache._

_**"God, my head…"**__ Akane thought, holding the sides of her head with her palms. Suddenly, the outside noise was tuned out, and her ears began to ring. Akane closed her eyes tightly but opened them again when she heard the voice._

_**"I've been waiting for you, Captain."**_

_ Akane gasped feeling the air being sucked out of her lungs. She felt a warm feeling surrounding her neck, pressing deeper into her skin, cutting off the air flow. She opened her mouth to call for help, but her small whimpers were muffled by the cheering crowd outside._

_**"Did you really think you could kill me, Love? I've been with you…this entire time. Watching you…waiting for the right time."**_

_**"Right time for what?"**__ Akane asked in her mind, knowing the voice all too well and quickly putting the pieces of the puzzle together._

_**"The right time for you to die."**_

_ Akane's eyes widened as she felt her body drop on the floor and began convulsing. The noise caught Nodoka's attention, forcing her to run and slide under the door only to gasp at the scene. With all the strength she could muster, Nodoka struggled her way underneath the stall and grabbed the convulsing girl, pulling her out of the locked stall from the opening at the bottom._

_ Akane's body was not reacting to her commands, but she could hear and see everything around her; especially when Nodoka screamed for paramedics to be called. Akane watched as paramedics came in, strapped her on the stretcher and hauled her away from the lockers, Nodoka following closely behind. Her family quickly realized something was wrong with her, but for the life of them they did not know what. Akane screamed to them to help her, but no one seemed to hear her. It was then that his voice shocked her again._

_**"My dear Captain, we were meant to be together, and now, we will be."**_

_** "No! I…how did you survive?"**_

_** "Akane, how could you possibly think you could rid of me? I'm a god, my dear. I CANNOT die."**_

_ It was then she felt her body convulse again, and her mouth fill with foam. Akane cried inside, wondering if these were her final moments. Was she really going to die without seeing him one last time? Without telling him how much she loved him?_

_ Everything became dark around her, and while she tried to hold on to the light, she no longer felt in control of her body and soul. Random voices reached her ears, and she heard doctors talking to each other about her status. She heard her family's cries for her, and Ranma telling the doctors he would give her the blood the doctors said she needed. She did not need any blood, for fuck's sake! She needed Ranma to help her out!_

"_**Help me, Ranma. Help me!" **_

_** "He's not going to help you, Captain. He doesn't even know I'm here."**_

_ Akane suddenly felt her body burn, her muscles spasm in pain, and her insides wanting to be outside of her body._

_**"Do you feel it? This is what it feels like for your soul to be sucked out of your body. This is what you did to me, and now you will feel it, too."**_

_**"What do you want from me? Do you want to kill me?"**_

_** "Kill you? Why would I want to kill you; you belong to me, and we will be one."**_

_** "O-one? What do you mean?"**_

_**"Your body belongs to me, Captain. It always has."**_

_** "What? No! NO! RAAAAANNNMMAAAA!"**_

_ And she felt the exact moment her heart stopped. The noise around her stopped, and the pain was gone. She now lay on the floor of her mind, battered and tired but ready to flee, hungry but nauseous, confused but alert; she was simply stuck in reverse._

_ The silence that had befallen her was broken by footsteps approaching her. She knew who it was, and she had no idea how to stop him. She could not run away, but she could not wake up either. Why were the doctors not trying to revive her? Why had they let her die?_

_ The footsteps came to a stop next to her. Her eyes followed the pair of feet next to her until she was staring at the face of the man she had tried to kill not long ago. She watched his every move as he kneeled down to her, towering over her broken soul, his face inches from hers._

_** "I've missed you."**_

_** "I…have not,"**__ Akane said, struggling with her words._

_**"I never intended to kill you back then, you know? I just wanted you unconscious so I could take you back with me to Jusendo. To live the life we promised we would."**_

_**"I didn't know any better when I made that promise."**_

_**"Oh, but you did. You knew that we only had each other. I just couldn't believe you'd leave me behind…for him."**_

_**"Actually…I had left him behind…for you…I needed…to fix…that…"**__ she said, feeling her soul slipping away with every forced breath she took._

_**"He doesn't deserve you. He will never love you like I do."**_

_**"I…I'll never…love…you…like…I love…him."**_

_**"Don't make me do things I don't want to do. I don't want to see you suffer anymore, Captain."**_

_**"Fuck…you…"**__ she said before her eyes closed, her soul finally giving up trying to stay awake. Saffron cupped her face in his hands and closed his eyes as he began reciting the incantations needed to lock up her soul in her body. Akane's limp body seemed like a rag doll in his hands. He knew he just needed a few minutes to finish the incantation and he would then bring her back to life._

_ He concentrated in uttering the long prayers to match every word of it, making sure everything was completed as needed for the technique to work. Had he not been so concentrated on his task, he would have heard Ranma barging inside the OR and demanding Akane to be revived. It was not until he felt her convulse in his hands and felt the shock of electricity emanate from her that he realized Ranma's attempt at getting Akane back._

"_Akane, what makes you think you can just leave me?"_ _Saffron heard Ranma's voice coming from the outside._

_Akane's eyes opened wide at hearing his voice, feeling a rush of energy running through her. "I don't want to, Ranma. He's making me, stop him, please!"_

_Saffron snarled, rushing into his incantation faster than he could assure it was being followed properly. He could not risk losing his control over her. It had taken him months to get this far. With every word Saffron uttered, Akane felt her body being pressed together. It was then she saw chains surrounding her, reflecting Saffron's increasing control over. She tried to send the images to Ranma, but she was too weak to establish the kind of psychic connection needed for that._

"_He cannot hear you. It's too late for you."_

_Akane's heart clenched when she heard Ranma sob over her dead body until his own slid down to the floor. She could not allow Saffron to do this to her. She had to stop him, somehow. She closed her eyes to concentrate her energy, gathering enough to push Saffron away from her. In a few seconds, she was ready to attack, but the chains had gotten much tighter, and she felt her soul beginning to deteriorate once more. She held on to the energy as long as she could, almost giving up on her quest until she heard Ranma's voice again._

"_Akane, don't leave me! Akane! I love you, Akane. Please don't leave me behind!"_

_"I won't Ranma. I won't leave you behind."_

_ She closed her eyes tight before she opened them again. Ranma's pleas had given her the final push she needed to try to free herself from Saffron. She screamed in agony as the energy flowed out of her, combined with the clamping of the chains around her. Saffron lost his grip on her, sending Akane to hit the ground. She ignored the new pain and continued expelling all the energy she had, forcing Saffron to stop his incantation before it was completed. When she heard Ranma thinking to take his own life to follow her, all her self-control was gone, unleashing so much energy her heart began beating once more._

_"Akane, wait for me. I'll be with you now."_

_"No, Ranma! Don't! NO!"_

"Akane, are you ready?"

The voice startled her out of her memory, realizing she had been standing outside Satoshi's home for a while. With a simple nod, Akane extended her hand to Satoshi. As soon as the half-Phoenix grabbed her hand, the two martial artists disappeared in a cloud of smoke left behind.

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma arrived home, feeling as if he had been stepping on clouds the whole way to his house. His heart was still beating fast in his chest, and he could still smell Akane's scent on his clothes. Even if her salty tears had stained his shirt, and Akane had seemed to be saddened by something he could not understand, the fact that she had opened up to him as she had in the past was enough motive for Ranma to hold on to the new ray of hope.

Perhaps running the dojo together was the break they needed to rebuild their relationship once more. Perhaps Nabiki had been correct to push them into this contract he had initially abhorred. Perhaps time was all that Akane needed to come back to her senses, just as his mother had told him not long ago. Whatever the reason for her change or whatever the future between them was, he could not help to feel empowered by the short moment they had experienced a while ago and expected much more.

Seeing his home was still impeccable, Ranma headed to the laundry room of his home and began sorting through his dirty clothes but then stopped. Realizing he could buy a new gi if his usual one was stained by his other clothes, he dumped all of the contents of his gym bag inside the washer, and added the clothes he was wearing now into it as well. Once the washer began its cleaning cycle, Ranma grabbed the closest towel to cover the bottom half of his body and made his way to the furo.

As he waited for the hot water to fill the tub, he took a close look at his gums and teeth, still wondering if he had imaged their damage when he had brushed his teeth at Akane's. Such thoughts reminded him that he was still to ask Akane why she had left the single-worded note at his place, and inquire about any secrets she could have been keeping from him.

Satisfied with the level of water the tub had gathered, he removed the towel from his body and sunk his body inside the furo. The steam around him was a blessing to his sore muscles, and he wondered if Akane was also enjoying her time off. It had been a while since they had hung around without the interference of their families while at home, and he had almost forgotten what it felt like to be in charge of the dojo. Having either home to themselves resembled to him as some sort of practice for when he became the man of the house at the Tendo's home.

"_The man of the house,"_ Ranma mused, feeling more confident that everything between him and Akane was not completely lost. Maybe tomorrow Akane would return to her new icy self, but today she had given him more than faith with her embrace. Today, she had paved the way for Ranma Saotome to fight for their future together he had always hoped for.

Ranma's thoughts were interrupted by the sudden realization that he had a tournament to attend in two weeks, which meant having to further train his team. Even though they were confident in the abilities of the team they had chosen, it was never superfluous to review their previous performance in the ART. In fact, now that he thought about it, reviewing the video of last year's tournament with the students would probably turn out to be a great learning experience for everyone involved.

Feeling the exhaustion he had accumulated throughout the day suddenly dissipate with the adrenaline produced by Akane's unexpected gesticulation, Ranma enjoyed only a few more minutes of his quick bath before jumping out of the tub, wrapping a towel around himself, and heading to his room to dress for the night.

He patted himself dry and threw on a pair of boxers, a tank top, and pair of sweats before returning downstairs to the laundry room to transfer the clothes from the washer to the dryer. He initiated the cycle, hung the used towel on the available rack for air drying, and headed back to his room.

He headed straight to his closet, moving boxes aside and out of the small room until he found what he was looking for: a box labeled _ART_. He placed the box on his bed and returned all the remaining items to his closet, closing the doors of it and taking the box of mementos downstairs with him.

When he arrived in the living room, he sat in front of the television set, turning it on and not bothering to pay attention to the channel as he was more concerned with making the VCR work. Once he found the appropriate setting to make such an archaic piece of technology function, he put in the videotape that he had received from the NRD as a complementary gift for the winner of the tournament. The VCR immediately began running the video he had yet to see once since he received it in the mail. As the introductory credits were rolled on the screen, Ranma walked to his kitchen and prepared himself a midnight snack consisting of a sandwich and a tall glass of lemonade.

When he returned to the living room from raiding his almost empty kitchen, he sat in front of the television again, listening to the pre-tournament interviews the videographers assigned by the NRD had gathered from the attendants. He took small bites of his food as he rummaged through the box of items belonging to the tournament and reviewed the rules of the contest and observations of the team given by the judges of the competition.

A voice he recognized coming from the television made him stop in his tracks and look at the screen. Akane was being interviewed by the NRD reporters, looking radiant and happy as she answered the questions she was asked. Ranma could not recall her speaking to any reporters, but he figured it had happened when he was busy setting up. Ranma set aside the box of items by placing it behind him, wanting nothing more than to concentrate on the familiar face on the screen.

"_Miss Tendo, how do you feel about being here?"_

"_It's an honor, I have to say, and I'm glad to finally have the chance to show the NRD what my team is made of. Ranma and I have been working really hard to be where we are, and we promise to give everyone a great demonstration of our skills."_

"_We're looking forward to it, Miss Tendo. Everyone is. How does it feel to work with your significant other? Is it difficult to come to agreements?"_

"_Not more than any other business partnership. Ranma and I have the luck to think alike when it comes to where we want our dojo to go, so it makes it easy to set our goals. I wouldn't want to do this with anyone else but him."_

"_Is that love talking, Miss Tendo?"_

Akane's image on the screen smiled, making Ranma smile as well. _"Maybe, I love martial arts, and I…love him."_

The reporter chuckled at Akane's statement and Akane shook her head before continuing her statement. _"And, you'll love __**us**__ once we show you what we can do."_

"_Well said, Miss Tendo. We can't wait to see you kick butt."_

The interview finished with Akane smiling and waving at the camera before disappearing in the crowd as the reporter moved on to another person to interview. Ranma picked up the remote to the VCR and rewound the tape, freezing the image where she smiled at the camera. As he stared at the image and finished his food, he realized that he had indeed had no chance of realizing she was ill at the moment; she had hid it from him so well, and so had everyone else. If she had done it before when he was around her every breathing moment of her life, it would be so much easier for her to fool him again if they were as separated as they were in school.

After washing down the food with the lemonade, he pressed play again and watched as the interviews concluded and the tournament rules and expectations were explained in detail. The screen showed a diagram of all the dojos that had registered, listing the names of the teams, dojo masters, locations, establishment date, and such. Ranma paused the video on the screen listing the dojos' names before getting up from his spot and taking the plate and glass to the kitchen to be washed.

Once he dried his hands, he grabbed the keys to his car and walked outside. He opened the passenger seat of the vehicle and rummaged through the back of the car until he found the folder he was looking for, containing copies of the information submitted and listed for this year's ART. He grabbed a pen he always kept in the cup holder of the car, closed and locked the door of the automobile, and returned to the living room with the papers in his hands.

He sat crossed legged in front of the television again, balancing the folder on his lap. He sorted through the papers and found the sheet that contained the name of the dojos entering the contest this year. He then turned around to sort through the box of last year's tournament and found the paper with the names and final standings of the dojos. He placed the two lists in front of him to compare the lists as he continued to play the video which was now displaying the introductory ceremony of the ART.

He began crossing out on the new list the names of the teams that had participated in last year's tournament but had not returned this year. He was surprised to see that Satoshi's father's dojo was not returning this year.

"_That's odd."_

Even though Ranma had defeated the dojo last year, the previously registered dojo was able to keep their name on the NRD's list due to their seniority. Ranma had expected to face the team again, even if just to redeem themselves, but their name was nowhere to be found on the new list.

"_I hope that means Satoshi won't be there, that sumbitch."_

Pushing all thoughts of Satoshi from his mind, Ranma continued analyzing the list until he was done narrowing down the list. From the 75 dojos attending this year, 55 had attended last year, including the Tendo Dojo. This meant that almost three quarters of the dojos attending this year's tournament could be analyzed from the video he was watching tonight.

"_Good odds! Maybe my luck is finally turning around."_

As the introductory ceremony finished on the screen, the tournament began. Ranma watched with attention to every movement the participants made, taking notes and writing them down on the back of the sheet containing the names of this year's teams. Before he knew it, though, he had run out of space on the single sheet so he paused the video again, running upstairs to his room and grabbing several loose leaf sheets of paper and returning downstairs.

He took a moment to transfer the information he had already written down on the participant list to a new piece of paper. He labeled the top right corner of the paper with the number 1, and he continued making notes on the consequent sheets as he watched the video. He constantly paused, rewound, fast forwarded and played frame-by-frame the tape so that he could get a better idea of what points he would want to discuss with his team. Perhaps tomorrow he could meet with Satoru in the morning to review the data with him so that the new dojo master could begin training the students on his findings while Ranma was away at school.

After a couple of hours of analyzing the battles, Ranma arrived at the match that had meant everything for him and Akane last year: the tie-breaker match between Akane and Shigeru, the trainer of the Red Lion School of Martial Arts. Even now as he knew how everything turned out, he could not help to be in awe at the determination, strategy and strength Akane had displayed during the match. Even though his match had been the one that got them the registration in the bag, he knew he would not have had the chance to fight the School of the Ascending Dragon if it had not been for Akane's victory.

Ranma rewound the tape to before the beginning of the match between Shigeru and Akane. He had not expected the final cut of the video to show a close up of his and Akane's final words before she fought their way to the final round, but he was surely glad they had not removed the scene. He watched himself finish talking to the referee before running towards an approaching Akane, meeting her halfway. Their conversation could not be heard from the recording, but he clearly remembered what had been spoken on the spot.

"_Are you sure you want to do this, Akane? If you're not up to it…"_

"_I am, Ranma. I can do this. I'll get us that spot in the finals, trust me."_

_Ranma placed his hands on her shoulders, holding her as tight as he could without hurting her. "I trust you, Akane. I don't trust anyone more than I trust you. Just…be careful. Knock him out but don't kill this one, OK?"_

_Akane nodded, chuckling at his joke and giving him a bright smile. "I will. I promise. Just, believe in me, Ranma."_

_Ranma leaned closer to her, ignoring the catcalls coming from the crowd as it become obvious was he was about to do. "I believe in you, Akane," he whispered to her before their lips met. Akane returned the kiss fervently, also visibly attempting to tune out the increasing teasing from the audience. Once they broke the kiss, he placed his forehead on hers and smiled._

"_Kick his ass, Akane."_

_ "I intend to," she responded._

The video showed Ranma returning to his spot on the sidelines, next to the dojo master of the opposing dojo. Ranma rewound the last scene once more, feeling his lips tingle at the memory of their kiss. After he felt he had done enough reminiscing to outdo a schoolgirl, he allowed the tape to play again, aiming to paying special attention to any opportunities of improvement he noticed on Akane's technique. The sound was amplified for the fights, so he was able to hear the conversation between Akane and Shigeru that he had not been able to hear before.

"_Where is my opponent?"_

_The referee flinched, knowing Akane was close enough to hear him. The referee pointed to Akane, which caused the male trainer to frown again. "Is this a joke? Women cannot properly practice martial arts."_

_ "Well, she…is the trainer. So…" the announcer tried to explain._

_ "Let's get this over with," Shigeru said._

"Well, that sexist bastard! She SHOWED your ASS, didn't SHE?" Ranma said to the screen, feeling appalled at the opposing trainer's words. Had he known that the trainer had been teasing Akane, he would have personally kicked his ass after Akane finished moping the floor with him. Ranma paused the video again, grabbed the paper with the new list of dojos to attend, and smiled as he remembered the Red Lion School of Martial Arts was returning to the tournament.

"_Perfect! Pay back's a bitch!"_

After quickly listing ways to take care of Shigeru only to remember that he had bowed to Akane after the battle had ended, he scoffed at his inability to find a good excuse to challenge the trainer and decided that Akane's triumph over Shigeru would have to be punishment enough.

_The two trainers stood in the middle of the ring, facing each other as the announcer let the crowd know the fight was about to begin. Shigeru scoffed at his opponent, ridiculing the outfit she wore._

"_Aren't you a little bit too dressed up for a match?"_

_ "Don't tell me you were in the middle of a date, and that boy convinced you to fight his fight. He thinks he is so strong. It's a shame my master would not have a chance to wipe that smug smile off his face."_

_ Akane frowned. "Are you gonna fight or stand there chatting like parrot all day?" _

_ "Insolent, girl. I hope your boyfriend still finds you attractive after I'm done with you."_

_ "TRAINERS! FIGHT!"_

_ Akane jumped towards him as soon as she had the go from the referee. Shigeru also ran towards her, screaming as he did. He aimed a kick towards her, but Akane ducked low enough to avoid the kick and end up facing his stomach. The height difference between them was considerable; Akane's head barely reached his elbow. She tried to punch him in his stomach but he was faster than she was, and grabbed her hand. He lifted her and swung her above him and behind him until she hit the ground. Akane recovered from the hit quickly, and held his hand with both of hers before pushing herself back up and using the short distance from his arm to his face to double-kick his head. She felt his grip loosen so she jumped above him, and landed a few feet behind him, already in a defensive stance._

_ The man rubbed his jaw as he turned around to face her. "You're clever. I'll give you that."_

_ Shigeru opened his arms and then slammed his hands together. The force of the special technique made a blade of wind appear in front of him, sending Akane flying backwards, almost leaving the ring._

_ "Oh no! If either of them is kicked out of the ring, they lose the match!" the announcer said to the crowds._

_Akane flipped so that her back was against him and she created her own whirlwind to push her back towards him. When she was far away enough from the edge of the concrete ring, she did a back flip, twisted her hand on the ground, and ended up facing him again._

_ "I didn't think you were desperate enough already to use ki attacks," Akane spat._

_ "Don't flatter yourself. I just don't want to waste more time with you."_

_ "Why don't you show me what you've got? You're making this really easy on me."_

Ranma observed the match, amazed at Akane's conceited attitude in battle. She had never before acted so arrogant in a fight, but he realized that hanging around him was finally rubbing off on her. As he watched Shigeru used his Rage of the Lion technique on Akane, he again flinched when she fell to her knees after the attack. The feeling was only highlighted when he saw Shigeru wipe Akane's blood from his fingertips.

_Akane stood up from the ground, massaging her back. She then peeled off the fabric from her wounds, before the blood made it stick to her skin. She turned around and saw Shigeru, standing there with his hands on his hips. "Are you going to give up now?"_

_ "No."_

_ Akane ran towards him and stopped a few feet away from him. She kneeled on the ground and placed a single finger on the ground. "Bakusaintenketsu!"_

Reliving the fight was even better than being there, since he already knew she had won it, it was easier for him to admire her techniques. He felt proud of her as she made a hole in the ground where she stood before attacking Shigeru until he was the one on his knees. The fight seemed longer on video than it had seemed on real-time, and he could not help to pause and rewind the attacks, finally realizing how complex they had really been.

_ "Wow, Akane. I'd hate to fight you for real," _Ranma thought, wondering how much was left of the Akane at whom he was staring. He knew perfectly well that Akane had defeated Saffron with her own two hands, but hearing the description from her and seeing her in action were two completely different things. The Akane he had met when he had been dragged inside her home by his dad's former panda form had grown so much since then. He knew he had gotten better as well, but for Akane to improve significantly was something he had not taken the chance to actually analyze.

_"I wonder if she really knows how proud I am of her,"_ he thought but quickly dismissed the idea when he saw Akane's ice shield technique in action on the screen. Even though he had not been amused at the moment it occurred, he now chuckled as he saw Shigeru's confused reactions to Akane not visibly blocking any of his moves but yet not incurring any damage. He paused the video again and watched it frame-by-frame and saw the shiny specks of the ice spots she created on her body where Shigeru attempted to strike. The technique itself was more amazing in slow motion where it could truly be appreciated from beginning to end.

_Shigeru took an offensive stance, with his hands in front of him as if he was holding the shape of a sphere._

_ Akane took a step closer to him, which Shigeru did not like._

_ "What are you doing, girl? Are you in a hurry to reach your doom?"_

_ Akane took another step towards him._

_ "Your choice, girl. I give to you, our ultimate technique. Shi Shi Hokodan!"_

_ "__**Landling**__, do you really think you can defeat us with that puny technique?" Akane smiled at Shigeru who had already gathered a considerable amount of energy in his hands._

Ranma paused the video. He had a view from Shigeru's vantage point, allowing him to see something he had not noticed before. Akane's eyes had a tint of gold, and her aura was glowing red.

_"Gold…her eyes are gold…just as my visions…just as the day I walked in on her and…"_

Ranma rewound the scene once more, feeling on the verge of something important. Maybe the answer to her illness was on this video. Maybe this video would clue him in as to what was happening to her, and why he had been suffering bad dreams and visions.

"Perhaps…"

Ranma played the scene once more, pausing again after Akane's golden-eye display. He rewound the tape and leaned toward the speaker, concentrating on paying closer attention to her words more than her eerie appearance.

_"__**Landling**__, do you really think you can defeat us with that puny technique?"_

_ Landling_. He remembered her using that word during the match, and he had dismissed it completely attributing its use to her survival instinct kicking in and sending her to act out her Phoenix-form. He rewound the tape again, listening to her words once more.

_"__**Landling**__, do you really think you can defeat us with that puny technique?"_

Ranma looked up to the screen, for the first time realizing Akane had referred to herself in plural form. He rewound the last scene and pressed the play button, paying even more attention to her presence now. When the golden eyes made their appearance on the screen and the view of the camera panned to his right, showing Akane and Shigeru standing on either side of the ring, Ranma's eyes caught the glimpse of something he could not quite describe. He rewound the tape again and played it, and his eyes locked again on the quick flicker of the screen.

With trembling hands for a reason he could not quite place yet, he rewound the scene again and paused it just before Akane's aura flared. He placed his index finger on the frame-by-frame button, and pressed it once.

From the corner of the screens, a river of red began flowing towards her. He found it unusual for her aura to be so far spread away from her, but he pressed the button again anyway. In the next frame, the river of red aura was halfway between its starting point and where she stood. The next frame showed the red energy reaching her feet and starting its upward motion around her.

After three more frames, the red aura was somewhat surrounding her, but it seemed to concentrate most of it behind her. He wondered if the flicker he had seen was just the reflection of the aura on the camera lens, but he did not recall seeing the red river on her feet until it was being expelled from her body. The camera began slowly panning out with every frame he played, and his eyes were glued to the screen as the events unfolded. He was determined to find the cause of the flicker, believing it could be a clue of Akane's sudden collapse in the locker rooms of the stadium.

_ "Akane was attacked during my match. Maybe they threw something at her during hers, too."_

The next frame showed a quick flash of energy being expelled by Akane, taking over the entire screen, followed by the color changing in her eyes. Ranma pressed the button once more only to gasp at the view. The flash of red was now gone from the screen, and the aura that had concentrated behind her was forming a shape. With another push of the button, the next frame showed the aura spiking once more, and the shape taking a more defined form.

Swallowing hard, Ranma hesitated for a moment but pressed the button once more, his eyes widening as he began to recognize the features appearing closely behind Akane's body. He saw the figure was taller than her, allowing Ranma to have a full view of its face…_his_ face; a face belonging to a person that sported a set of golden eyes to match Akane's, as well as wearing a similar smirk on it as hers in the scene. The next frame showed the aura spike once more, which he had been able to see during the actual fight but had thought nothing of. The aura that followed the spike had settled, leaving behind the distinctive outline of…

"Wings…"

Ranma, growing more and more tense with his discovery, leaned closer to the screen, just to make sure his eyes were not playing dirty tricks on him. He licked his lips that had suddenly gone dry, and dared to press the button once more.

The movement of the scene felt slower than all the previous ones to Ranma, only dragging on his suspicions of what…or who, would appear behind the blue-haired girl. Once the frame stopped, Ranma felt the blood in his body drain down to his feet. He was kneeling on his floor, in front of the television, so close to it his hairs were standing up due to the static energy coming from the screen, staring at the image of someone he thought he would never see again.

Him. He was there. He was back. He was…

"Oh, God! Akane…"

Unconsciously, Ranma pressed the frame button one last time. The scene transitioned to the completion of the panning of the camera, which showed three figures on the screen: Shigeru, Akane and…

"Saffron…"

The action had been too quick for the naked eye, but the camera had caught the glimpse of the Lord of the Phoenix tribe standing behind –no, not _behind_: _in…between_. _In between_ was the best description Ranma could fathom. Saffron was standing in such a way that half of his _transparent _body was superimposed over hers, and his other half was standing behind her.

Helping her.

Protecting her.

Guiding her.

_Being_…her.

Ranma took his hand to his mouth in disbelief. Suddenly, the visions…the _signs_ were painfully obvious to him. The golden eyes, the bleeding gums, the changing moods…the…

_Ranma stood up and walked up to her, kneeling next to her and drying her tears with his hands. "I'm sorry, Akane. It was supposed to be a happy surprise. I didn't mean to upset you. Please, please don't cry."_

_Akane hiccuped as she tried to stop her crying which just seemed to increase. When she did not fight back, he embraced her tenderly, placing soft kisses on the crown of her head before resting his chin on her head and rocking her back and forth, begging her to calm down._

_Ranma's mind was then hit with random images accompanied with feelings of dread, despair, and sorrow. He saw Akane relentlessly fighting Saffron for her life until she resorted to kissing him as she used the final technique on him to finally end his existence. The image that followed Saffron's demise involved Ranma attempting to resuscitate an already far gone Akane as she lay on the bed of the operating room at Nerima hospital after the ART ended. He then saw Akane holding her head in pain in her room, and screaming to be left alone to no one in particular, something that he did not recall seeing or hearing about at all. Finally, he saw Akane declining his marriage proposal, seeing something he did not recall noticing when the actual scene had transpired: a quick flash of gold shining in her eyes._

"She…it's…it can't be," Ranma mumbled to himself, not being able to remove his eyes from the scene on the screen.

_He blinked and the odd eye color was gone…and so was any trace of blood._

_ "What the hell?"_

_ He stared at himself in the mirror and the blood that had just moments ago made his entire mouth and teeth red had completely disappeared. The sink was as pristine as when he had walked in, and no trace of red stains marred his chin or his toothbrush. Ranma threw cold water on his face, trying to make sense of what had just happened to him._

"_**An illusion? A day dream? A…**__**vision**__**?"**_

_ Ranma patted his face dry with the closest towel he found before dumping it in the hamper._

"_**Golden eyes…where have I seen golden eyes before? Akane…I saw them…but…"**_

His dreams. He had seen the eyes in real life and in his dreams. He had seen the eyes in his nightmare; the same nightmare when he had heard _his_ voice.

"_She's mine, landling," Ranma heard a guttural-sounding voice in his head that no one else seemed to hear. When no one else made a move or responded to the voice, he decided to ignore whatever that voice had been._

The voice in his dream, it had been warning him, mocking him, torturing him; letting him know she was now his.

_"Can I say I feel like crap for having two events to deal with back-to-back?"_

_ Ranma chuckled, whispering back to her. "I'm sorry, 'kane, but that'd be in violation of our contract. Remember, we're happy to be here," he said, emphasizing the word happy to denote to her he understood her feelings of annoyance with the tight schedule in which they were._

_ Akane half growled, half laughed, knowing Ranma would not allow her this one privilege for their sake. "I figured. I just don't know how you landlings do all of these things every day."_

"Landlings…she said…_you_ landlings. Akane…I…"

Shivering more than he had ever before in his life, Ranma took a step back, causing his foot to get caught in the box of mementos from the ART and for him to trip down to the floor. With the movement, his finger pressed the frame-by-frame button for one last time, showing him a scene he would not forget for years to come.

Saffron's eyes had shifted from staring at Shigeru, to staring at…_him_.

Saffron was staring at Ranma, or at least in the direction Ranma had been standing when he was at the tournament. Saffron was smiling at him, taunting him with his eyes, knowing that Ranma was blissfully unaware of the danger following Akane around.

He had been standing mere feet from him, and he just now realized the fact. Ranma could not believe the hatred the scene emanated. His golden eyes were pierced on him, and all Ranma could do was stare back. If Saffron could be there without anyone finding out, where else could he be? Could he be here now?

Ranma moved his right arm behind his back to help himself stand up, but he froze once his fingers grazed someone's leg. He held his breath as his fingers moved slightly downwards, feeling the leg attached to a foot, and the foot attached to a shoe.

"It's about time you figure it out," said the familiar male voice behind him.

Ranma's scream was caught in his throat as he turned around to face the intruder in his house.

* * *

**A/N:** I think I just earned a prime spot in hell for this chapter, anyone want to sublease it? I don't intend on staying there for long. Anyway, four more chapters and an Epilogue, and this story is done for good. Anyone not shocked enough to have been still searching for the lyrics of the song in the chapters? No? Boo! Well, the cat (no offense to Ranma) is out of the bag, but might it be too late? Read and find out!


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Ranma swallowed hard, attempting to push back the scream caught in his throat. The voice's statement repeated inside his head, reminding him he could not just stand there and do nothing to protect himself from any incoming attack.

"_It's about time you figure it out_."

He had turned around to face the reality taking place behind him, but so far he had been unwilling to open his eyes to stare at the trespasser. At the lack of physical reaction from the unexpected guest in the room, Ranma moved his hand closer to himself, using it to catapult his body away from the man behind him. After a mid-air somersault, Ranma landed on top of his television set, ready to attack. Instead, he was taken aback when he saw that it was not just one, but a couple of intruders present in his home, and neither of them were unknown to him.

"You're getting lousy, Saotome. We all sneaked up inside your house without you even realizing it. We could've eaten all your food and raided your house, and you wouldn't have even noticed!"

Ranma lowered down his guard, jumped off his T.V. set, and landed on the floor in front of the white-robed man. He then crossed his arms in front of his chest, staring up and down at his old rival as he tried to compose himself. Partially setting aside his recent discovery for now, he finally addressed the Amazon member standing in front of him with a condescending tone to match his.

"I _ain't_ lousy. I just didn't think you were the kind of person to walk in, _uninvited_, to someone's home, _Mousse_. And what's this 'finding out' you're talking about? Do you _know_ what's happening to Akane?"

Mousse nodded. "Why don't you sit down so we can tell you, let me go get the others."

"We? The…_others_?" Ranma said in disbelief, wondering if he was truly out of touch. Even if the constant fighting for his life he'd had to endure in the past had been tiresome, it had at least guaranteed he stayed in shape. With no one to fight or to run away from, he had very little means to keep up with his daily training other than working out at the university's gym.

Ranma's eyes moved from the parting Mousse to the Phoenix member standing at the end of the room, resting his back against the wall, arms crossed and clearly amused at the scene. Ranma recognized the man back from his stay in China, having interacted with him a few times, and remembering he had served his former fiancée.

"I'm surprised to see you here…Koruma, was it?"

Koruma nodded to Ranma, bowing down slightly to return the uncommon greeting before attempting to capture the pigtailed man's attention with this next statement. "You'll be even more surprised once we tell you the reason we're here. I think you should listen to Mousse and take a seat."

Ranma's retort was interrupted when they directed their attention to the door to stare at the incoming members of the Amazon tribe, making Ranma feel even more suspicious of their visit. He followed Mousse's movements with his eyes as he walked back inside the living room with Shampoo and Cologne in tow.

"Nihao, Ranma! You miss Shampoo, yes?"

Ranma internally flinched at the memories brought back at seeing and _hearing_ the young, voluptuous Amazon, but deep inside he knew that her greeting was nothing more than a sign of unforgotten habit since Mousse and Shampoo were now happily married.

"Nihao to you too, Shampoo. And, if it isn't the _old ghoul_," Ranma said, emphasizing his joke by giving the elder Amazon a small smile.

"Joke all you want, Ranma, but we bring grave news with us. Why don't we all sit down and talk, uh?"

What was it with everyone wanting him to slow the fuck down and sit? Ranma tapped his fingers on his leg as he looked at the clock, realizing it was almost two in the morning. Any other day he would have not minded sitting down and having some tea with the party of guests, but right now what he truly wanted did not involve hanging out with any of the present members of his home at this time. Especially after what he had just seen on the screen.

"I'd love to, but I'm kinda in a hurry. I gotta go talk to Akane."

"That's what we've come to talk to you about in fact," Mousse said as he followed the steps of the other guests and sat on the floor, surrounding the dining table that lay in the middle of the room.

Ranma hesitated for a moment, staring at the nearest exit, wanting to make a run for it thinking about Akane's wellbeing. He finally decided to stay for a while longer, realizing that if the Amazons had traveled all the way from China to Nerima rather than giving him a phone call or sending him a letter, whatever they had to say had to be important.

"Fine, but I ain't got long."

"We _know_."

The perceptive tone in which Cologne had uttered those words did not sit well with Ranma, but for now he ignored his first instinct to skip this impromptu meeting and call Akane, even if it was just for her to cuss him out for calling her so late and hanging up on him. In the end, he ended up sitting down at the head of the table. Shampoo sat on his right, with Mousse to her own right side. Cologne and Koruma sat to his left, with Cologne sitting immediately next to Ranma. After a few seconds in which everyone just silently stared at him, he rolled his eyes and became impatient again.

"Well? Spit it out! I ain't got all night!"

"Yes, we don't either, but this is not easy for us to say," the former duck-cursed man said as he adjusted his thick glasses to make sure he was speaking to the correct person.

Ranma's fingers tapped the table, waiting a few more seconds for anyone to justify their visit. When the Amazons just stared at each other without saying a word, Ranma smacked his palm on the table.

"Just say it! You're wasting my time!"

Knowing there was no easy way to relay the information to him, Cologne cleared her throat to catch his attention before she spoke. "Very well," Cologne began, preparing for Ranma's upcoming shock. "I assume that by you watching the video of Akane's match that you've figured out that Tendo is not herself, as of late."

"No shit. What do_ you_ know about it? How long has Saffron been around?"

"I'm afraid he has been around for a long time. And, it's not only that. That, in fact, is the least of our troubles, boy."

"Wadja mean?"

Cologne looked down at the table, regretting to be the one to let Ranma know the truth. Yet, this was the reason why they had come to Nerima in the first place. This and…well, the other reason for their visit would just have to wait on the backburner for now.

"Tendo is…gone."

"What do you mean _gone_?" Ranma said as he unconsciously reached for his cellphone only to find it not near him. "Where did she go?" He asked as he tried to remember where he had left the darn thing.

"Not her_ body_…_her soul_. The image you saw of Saffron, it was there because Saffron has been living in Akane's body since his body was destroyed."

Ranma narrowed his eyes at the elder, for a second questioning the soundness of the present members of the Amazon tribe. It took him another moment to realize that such a farfetched idea was not out of place in his insane life, and that perhaps the Amazons were headed somewhere with their actions and words. He remained silent for a while; processing the information he had just been given. He looked away from Cologne to face Koruma, then to Mousse and Shampoo before returning his eyes to face the elder of the Amazon tribe. When Cologne did not attempt to explain herself further, Ranma looked back at the screen at the still frozen image of Saffron staring back at him. As he watched the image, the memory of how Akane had described how she had killed Saffron returned to him.

_Saffron stood a foot away from her, and stepped on her open hand, pressing her palm to the ground. He charged his hands with energy that would blow her body to pieces before speaking to her one last time._

"_Any last words, Captain."_

_Akane nodded._

"_Well?" he pressed._

"_Baku…saiten…ketsu."_

_Saffron stared at the girl, unsure of what she had just done. Before he could realize what had happened, the ground below them began shaking and shinning. The small rocks and pebbles on the ground began jumping up and down as the earth beneath them cracked. The light was shining so bright it blinded Saffron as the ground began erupting, covering them in waves of rocks. The impact made Akane's body fly up on the air, and impact Saffron, making them both fall on the ground as rocks hit them from every side. Akane landed on top of him, sitting on his stomach. She placed her open palms on his neck to hold his head as still as she could._

_She then lowered her face to his and locked their lips together, making Saffron lose sight of what she was about to do. With her lips still on his, she called on the last trick she had in her bag. It was a technique she had never used, and had only read about in the books of dark magic of the Phoenix tribe. She knew her human body would probably stop working after she used it, since it was a technique that was strictly created for the Royal Clan._

_She closed her eyes and uttered the chant in her mind._

"_**Noroi Seishin Bodi Inai Ki Rinku."**_

_ In an instant, Saffron felt himself lose control of his body. His eyes opened wide, only to see Akane still locked on his lips. His body began burning inside and expanding as if he was going to explode. His body went limp and though he could no longer feel any part of his body, the pain remained. He felt as if he himself was being dehydrated by the sacred tool, just as had Akane been two years ago. It was not until Akane opened her mouth on his, and he felt his life being sucked right out of him, that he was able to understand the technique's true goal._

_ Saffron's spirit transferred to Akane's body, leaving a wide-eyed lifeless carcass that used to be Saffron's body. Once his entire spirit was in her, she raised her head and opened her mouth, releasing his spirit towards the sky in what could only be described as a ray of light coming from Akane's mouth, and eyes. As the spirit traveled through her, she performed a binding spell to prevent Saffron's spirit from ever returning to his body, and to forever remain in limbo. She used the last of her energy to lock the portal to limbo, effectively ending the rebirth of the Lord of the Phoenix tribe._

_ Saffron's body turned to dust once the light in the sky disappeared, only to be blown away by the wind that remained from the Bakusaintenketsu attack. His existence turned into a memory. His soul was what allowed his body to be reborn from the ashes. Without a soul, Saffron would never be able to return, and therefore his body would not be able to heal itself. Akane felt the last of her Phoenix powers leave her, having just used the ultimate murder technique. The technique that had been used for generations against the anterior members of the royal family of the Phoenix tribe, effectively narrowing it down to just one. _

_ Lord Saffron of the Phoenix tribe._

_ Lord Saffron, who she had just pulverized._

_ With a final sigh, her body finally shut down and fell on the ground, only to later be found by her loyal followers of the Phoenix Clan._

Ranma blinked away the memory, turning his body back to the table where the four guests just stared at him as if they expected him to lose his self-control –and sanity, at any moment. His brain, however, was still connecting the dots of what he heard and what he had seen, until the completed mental image presented to him formed a clear picture of the situation at hand.

"It's because of the spell she used on him, isn't?"

Cologne nodded, letting Ranma know his assumption was correct. "Indeed, it is. The Soul Transferring technique is extremely powerful –even for a demigod, and she made a mistake using it, herself being a mortal. We understand she had no choice, and we can't blame her for trying, but in the end the side effects of the technique far outweigh the benefits. Saffron's body was destroyed, but his weakened soul attached itself to Akane's in order to survive the technique. He's been living there, slowly taking over everything and now living inside of her as he did when his own body was alive and breathing."

Ranma nodded, more to himself than to show acceptance of the facts presented to him. He _understood_ the logic behind Cologne's statement and the connection between the technique Akane had used and the image of Saffron on the screen behind him, but the part that Akane was gone did not seem plausible to him. The fact that Akane's actions all made sense to him now was an irrelevant argument to support the elder's idea that Akane was no more.

_She_ –Akane, had not broken up their engagement; it had been Saffron acting through her. _She_ did not reject his marriage proposal either, or stopped loving him altogether; it had been Saffron all along. Yet, for every action that Saffron had taken through her, another action that only Akane could have performed, existed in his book. The ray of hope that had been born a while ago when Akane had hugged him as he left her home grew even bigger than before. Ranma just knew in his gut that Akane was still around, that she still loved him, and he would do anything necessary to assure she overcame Saffron's control over her body to come back to her senses.

"So, how do we get her back?" Ranma asked, looking up at Cologne. The elder shook her head, not daring to utter the words that she knew would unravel Ranma's inner wrath. Ranma, on the other hand, refused to acknowledge Cologne's dismissal as the final word. He stared at Shampoo, her eyes filling up with tears for him. Even if it hurt her to admit it, she knew how much Ranma cared for and loved the _uncute tomboy_.

"_How_…do we get her back?"

"Ranma," Shampoo said, leaning forward to grab his hand. "Akane no come back. Ever."

Ranma's breathing became ragged, snatching his hand away from Shampoo. Shampoo tried to move closer to him to comfort him, but Mousse held her back, knowing Ranma could probably end up inadvertently hurting her in his rage.

"What do you mean she's not coming back? She's not _gone_!" he said while emphasizing the gone part with air quotes. "I just talked to her today!"

Everyone remained quiet, not sure what else to say to make the boy understand. Ranma growled, slamming his fists on the table. It really irked him when people did not keep him in the loop of things.

"What is this shit? Did you come all the way here to tell me that she's gone and I've gotta accept it? Is this what this is? Or did you come here on vacation and to casually drop this bombshell on me?"

"Ranma, I know it's hard to understand, but…" Koruma began before Ranma grabbed the table from its edge and lifted it, throwing it against the opposite wall and shattering it instantly without ever leaving his place on the floor. The bystanders followed the trajectory of the piece of furniture before returning their attention to the angry man before them. Ranma then stood up, walked up to Koruma and grabbed him by his collar to force him to quiet down his attempt at comforting him. If there was something else he needed to know, he knew that the only Phoenix member present would be the source of this information.

"But what? But I gotta take it and move on? Did you really come here to tell me there ain't _nothing_ we can do?"

"Son-in-law…" Cologne said, instantly regretting her poor choice of words. Habits died slowly, and at the lack of any other term of endearment to address the hurting man, the expression had just come out of her mouth before she could stop it.

"I AIN'T YOUR SON-IN-LAW, YOU HAG!" Ranma spat, clearly upset and not releasing the Phoenix while he addressed Cologne. "Now, tell me what I need to do to help her!"

Cologne shook her head again, choosing to stand up and hang from her staff so that she could be closer to Ranma's eye-level. Ranma finally let go of Koruma's collar before walking menacingly toward the elder. His mind was working overtime, easily getting clouded, making him believe that everyone and everything was plotting against him right now.

"You bitch! You planned this, didn't you?"

When Cologne did not dignify his incorrect assumption with a response, he turned around and faced Shampoo and Mousse. "You two ain't married, aren't you? You…you lied to me so I'd let my guard down and then come and take me back to your stupid village!"

"Ranma. Sit. Down." The elder commanded, growing more and more irritated with the youngster's actions. However, Ranma was having none of it, and he was going to make it clear to them that he was not taking no for an answer. He turned around to face Cologne again, his fists shaking in anger. "I trusted you, you witch! You just let it all happen so Akane would be out of the way, didn't you? Well, you got another thing coming to ya if you think I'm going to just return with you to China!"

"You fool! You got it all wrong! SIT DOWN!"

"NO!" The pigtailed boy yelled, his aura beginning to flare around him. The remaining three Amazons stood up as they began to feel the burn of Ranma's aura. All four of them took a step back, resting their backs against the walls as Ranma's energy began shaking the room. The floor section on which he stood was slowly sinking deeper into the ground, creating a crater around him. Chunks of the ceiling began crashing down on them, forcing them to cover their heads to avoid being hit.

"Ranma, stop this right now!"

Ranma's response was to growl, his eyes glowing red in his effort to not blow up his own home in anger. He slowly panned around the room, staring at each Amazon directly in their eyes until he laid his eyes on Koruma. The Phoenix-turned-Amazon tried to take another step back but there was nowhere else to go. With each step Ranma took towards him, Koruma felt his skin scorch with the shock of energy approaching him. When Ranma finally stood face to face with the former aid to the Captain of the Phoenix tribe, Ranma's aura surrounded the man, making it impossible for him to move.

"I'm going to ask you _one last time_. _How_ do I get her back?"

Koruma swallowed hard, almost losing his resolve. One quick side glance at Cologne reminded him he had to stick to his horses. The Amazons and he had worked too hard and too long to ruin their true plans now by revealing the truth to Ranma so soon in their quest.

"You…you…y-y-you can't," Koruma said, trying to ignore the suffocating feeling that was taking over him. Ranma took a moment to analyze the man, hoping his intimidating look would crumble the Phoenix defenses. When Koruma just continued to speechlessly stare back at him, Ranma took a step back and headed to the door as he spoke to everyone in the room.

"Just _watch _me. I'll get her back. She's _not _leaving me. And, he's_ not_ going to take her away from _me_…and neither are you."

As soon as Ranma placed a foot out of the living room, he felt a small prick hit the base of his skull. At first he thought of dismissing the small pain, believing a piece of the crumbling ceiling had gotten to him. However, when he was unable to take another step, and his muscles grew weaker by the second, he knew immediately what had occurred to him.

"You fucking…_bitch_…" Ranma cursed the elder as he felt his body give up on him. He slowly slid down to the floor to reveal the Amazon leader behind him, still pointing her staff at where his neck had been just moments ago. Ranma's body finally hit the ground with a loud thump, breathing heavily as he tried to lift himself back up, knowing he would only fail miserably but angry enough to still try.

"You left me no choice, Ranma. Now you have to listen to what we have to say."

"You're so lucky I can't move."

With one quick nod of Cologne's head towards Mousse, the male Amazon walked up to Ranma and lifted him off the ground, dragging his body to the middle of the room where the table had once been. Once he was laid out on the floor, facing up, the other members of the tribe sat around the fallen martial artist, each taking a turn to tell him what he needed to know. It was no matter a question of whether he wanted to hear it or not, or whether he believed or not. There was no more time to sugarcoat the information for him. If they did not tell him everything now before he was able to move again, there would not be another chance. Ranma took deep breaths, his anger getting the best of him as he glared at every Amazon as they spoke to him.

"Ranma, we've been trying to figure out a way to get her back, we truly have. But at this point in the spell Saffron used to take over her, it's just too late. We knew you would react like this if we had no solution for you, but the truth is that the damage is done," Mousse said, trying to be as objective as possible, but a part of him sympathizing with his old rival. He knew that he himself would react the same way if it had been Shampoo who was in Akane's shoes.

"I know it's hard to understand," Koruma began as he touched his neck to make sure it was still there. "But we've tried for months to find another way. There isn't one, and we waited too long to come to tell you. We thought we had more time, but now Saffron's power over Akane is irreversible."

"Shampoo sad to say this, but only way to stop Saffron is kill Akane. Saffron no can return if body not alive."

"And, since there is no proper or kind way of saying this, I'll just go ahead and say it: Your family is dead, and so is hers. That lackey of Saffron's, Satoshi, has been killing each of them, one by one," Cologne declared

Ranma's glare at Cologne disappeared, replaced with utter shock. He swallowed hard and waited for Cologne to start laughing, confessing to a terrible joke and taking back what she had just said. But when she did not, he mentally shook his own head in disbelief.

"You're lying…" he said, clenching his teeth. "You're just trying to get me to leave with you."

"No, we're not. From all the years we've known each other, don't you think that if we wanted you, we'd just up and grab you and take you without explanation? Think about it, Ranma. When was the last time you saw them? Your family?"

Ranma eyes denoted how fast his mind was running, trying to sort through memories and dates. He wanted to say that he had just spoken to his family this morning, and that Soun had been sweeping the entrance of the Tendo home, whistling an unknown tune. He wanted to say that Kasumi was recovering from the stabbing she received, and that Tofu was busy trying to work and watch over his ill wife. He wanted to say that his mother and father were having a handful with the twins, and that Nabiki was doing what she did best: plotting another money-making scheme.

However, he could not. Nothing in his mind gave him any hope that Cologne was lying to him. He knew that losing track of your family was normal when a young person left home for the first time and immersed himself in the struggles of college and personal lives. He knew that not speaking to your family for a couple of weeks was something to be expected when trying to find your place in the world, and that it was a natural step in the search for independence. He knew there were dozens of reasons why he had not heard of or spoken to his family as of yet, but for the life of him he could not think of a reasonable one right now.

"Nabiki…" Ranma began, remembering how the manipulative Tendo sister had not returned anyone's calls, and had not come to visit Kasumi when she was attacked. Even that was far too low for her, and while he had not even considered the possibility of something happening to the money-crazed woman, the probability that Cologne's reason for her absence was somehow beginning to look justified terrified him. He admitted he was not fan of Nabiki, but she was part of the only family he had known.

"Nabiki was strangled to death in her vehicle when she returned to America after leaving here for the last time," Koruma informed him.

"Kasumi…"

"Kasumi and Tofu were slain in their home a couple of weeks ago, a few days after Kasumi had been sent home from the hospital," Mousse explained. Ranma felt bile rising up to his throat, but he swallowed it back down. It would not serve him to vomit when he could not move his body to save his ass from choking.

"Pop…my mom…Mr. Tendo…the…twins?"

"Their throats were slit, on their way back from the vacation they were on, bled to death," Cologne said.

Ranma held back a sob, but the tears in his eyes betrayed him. He felt like an idiot for not noticing something was happening behind his back. Why else would his mother not call him? She always did, she always called. He could not believe that he had just found his mother only to lose her to a cruel twist of fate. Shampoo's heart went out to him, understanding how it felt to not have a mother or a father. If it had not been for her great-grandmother, she was not sure how she would have fared in life by herself. She again held his hand in hers, holding it tightly as his body shook with his partially controlled weeps.

"Is…everyone gone?"

"Yes, even your friend Ukyo. She was…well, you'd rather not know what happened to her. It's best that she's dead after it."

Ranma closed his eyes, not helping to picture in his mind the gruesome scenes of how his family had been mercilessly massacred. He could not fathom what in the world had driven Satoshi to follow Saffron's orders and kill innocent people that had nothing to do with whatever grudge they held against him. The text messages between Akane –Saffron, and Satoshi made even more sense now. Every notification of steps completed in Akane's cell phone had been a notification that another family member had been tortured or beat to death.

The pain he felt was like no other he had ever felt before, not even when Akane had been presumed dead. Every single person that he cared about was dead. They had been murdered in his name, away from him, away from his protection and care, away from his defense. He had been so absorbed in his life and his supposed unstable relationship with an Akane the Amazons claimed no longer existed, that he had not noticed that his family was disappearing, one by one, right under his nose. Saffron knew him _very_ well, it seemed, and he wondered how much of that knowledge had been ripped from Akane's mind. Saffron had known that Akane was the center of Ranma's world, and by keeping him focused on trying to bring balance to his center, Saffron had been able to carry out the mission he had wanted to carry out since he was reborn and claimed back his memories, years ago.

_"I'm a fucking idiot!"_

This plan was exactly what Akane had told him Saffron wanted to do. She had sent him back to Nerima with one of her spells to protect him, to have him warn the family of upcoming peril, to give him a chance to prevent this exact same thing from happening, but he had not. Instead, he had cowardly hidden in the shadows as he pitied himself for a year for losing his manhood, staying as far away from his family as he could until Akane – Saffron, returned to Nerima in disguise. If his family had known that there was danger surrounding them, if he had known that the real Akane had been lost to him years ago, if he had…

"NOOOOOO!" Ranma finally screamed as the guilt, pain and desperation took him over. He hated to show any sign of weakness to anyone, especially to the mighty Amazons, but what was he supposed to do? At the end of the day, he was still human; they all were. And, within the confines of his strong chest, still beat a destroyed, human heart.

"It's best if you rest for now."

"NO!"

"There's nothing else for you to do now, Ranma! They're gone! They are as dead as Akane inside her own body."

"She's not _dead_! I know she's still inside," Ranma retorted, clinging on to the hope that the note he had found in his room was enough proof of that.

"Impossible. Akane would have never allowed for her family to be killed if she had been around."

Ranma blinked away tears, sniffing and clearing his throat before he spoke again. Cologne had a point, but it did not do anything to clear her hands from the blood.

"No, she wouldn't have," Ranma began, wishing he could move just to have a cleared view of Cologne's reaction. "So, why did you?"

"Ranma…"

"WHY DIDN'T _YOU_ STOP IT?"

"We didn't know what he was doing until...We thought he was just waiting for the best time to…"

"BULLSHIT! You knew about it, and you did nothing! You let my family DIE! You should've warned us sooner! You said you've known for months!"

The Amazons lowered their heads, feeling ashamed for their actions. Yet, there had been no other way. If Saffron had known that they were onto him, he would have changed his tactic and they would have been out of luck to stop him.

"We were late, Ranma. Every time. But, you'll be able to honor them. We…we took the bodies back to China. Satoshi was not very concerned about not leaving evidence behind. I guess he knew no one would suspect him."

Ranma growled, wanting nothing more than to have the ability to jump on his feet and kill every single one of the Amazons present, tear their limbs apart and feed them to starving dogs. In his heart, he felt they deserved that and much worse. He felt that it was completely justified for him to swim back to China, and destroy every single man, woman and child of the Amazon tribe, while their helpless families watched in awe. His hatred was quickly overwhelming, making him desire to commit atrocious actions against others that he would have never let anyone else do to him, or his kin. And, after he was done killing every living Amazon in the tribe, desecrating their graves, and burning down their village, only then he would take out Satoshi and his family in a similar fashion. And then, when there was no other mortal to murder for his cause, he would kill Saffron; slowly, torturing him, making him suffer until his very last breath.

_"And then…what?"_

The small, quickly vanishing logical and sane portion of his mind asked him. So what if he did all of that –which he probably could with his strength and determination, what would he accomplish in the end? It would not bring his family back. It would not bring him joy or happiness, and perhaps regret in the end. And, more importantly, in order to eliminate Saffron –the root cause of all his pain, he would have to destroy Akane's body to achieve the task. Ironically, this last step was exactly what the Amazons were trying to make him understand that needed to be done, and he hated the fact that their plan of action was warranted.

"Undo the pressure points, Cologne."

The Amazon was taken aback. The serene tone of a man who had nothing else to lose was more terrifying than one of a loud madman. "I'm afraid I can't do that until you've calmed down."

"I'm not gonna kill you, if that's what you're afraid of."

Cologne scoffed. "You could try, but you're two hundred years too early for me, sonny boy."

"And you were two hundred years too late to help my family stay alive."

Cologne nodded, acknowledging his point. "I can appreciate you're upset, Ranma. But you're not good to us if you're blinded with rage."

"I'm not good enough to anyone when I'm wide awake either, so it would seem."

"Will you stop it? There was nothing anyone could have done. Now, if you want Saffron to get away with living his merry life, then fine, pout for the rest of your life. Or, if you want to stop him before he causes any more damage, then I suggest you suck it up for now and sulk later!"

Ranma nodded, knowing Cologne was correct in her statement. He could not image how much more damage Saffron could resort to, seeing his primary targets were down for the count, but he did not want to sit by while it happened. Besides, regardless of what the Amazons said, he still believed Akane was alive, trapped somewhere inside her body and even if he was wrong, he was still going to try and free her. He knew she had been trying to warn him with the visions, his nightmares, and especially with the note he had found in his dorm room. The Amazons would never understand the connection between them. He had brought her back to life from certain death when everyone else had given up on her not just once, but _twice_. The third time was always the charm. He was not about let go of his lifeline just because a walking and talking mummy told him it was the best alternative they had.

"Fine, knock me out. I know that's what you're gonna do anyway."

Cologne looked up to consult with the other three members, who nodded back at her. It was very late in the night, and they had just arrived from China –a feat that always exhausted the Phoenix member present. It seemed prudent for all of them to call it a night before they discussed how to stop Saffron now that there was nothing holding him back.

"Very well. We'll regroup in the morning."

Ranma closed his eyes, waiting for Cologne's pressure point technique to knock him out. Once she performed the technique, the four Amazons stood silently for a minute to make sure Ranma was unconscious before leaving the living room and finding a location around the house to rest for the night. Shortly after everyone had settled in for the night, Shampoo came back to the living room to lay a pillow underneath Ranma's head before she returned to the room she and Mouse would take for the night.

If Shampoo had stayed just a second longer, she would have seen Ranma's finger twitching, and his small smile. Ranma knew how the Amazons thought, too well. As soon as he'd realized his muscles were failing him and that the old witch had incapacitated him, he knew he had to act fast. Unseen by his uninvited guests, Ranma had quickly pinched a particular spot on his hand, ensuring that he would remain conscious and aware long enough for the paralysis to wear off. He had not been related to a doctor who knew pressure points without learning a thing or two from him. He would certainly miss the kind man.

xxxXXXxxx

After sneaking out of his own house, Ranma headed to the closest location to his home: Ukyo's restaurant. Even if the Amazons had made a little bit too much sense with their facts, Ranma had to see with his own eyes the damage Saffron had done. Shortly after leaving the Saotome residence, Ranma arrived at the entrance of Uc-chan's, finding the front door unlocked and the outer building beginning to show signs of deterioration, visibly and painfully unkept.

"Ukyo…" he called from the front door, loud enough for anyone in the building to hear, but low enough for the neighbors to be unaware of noises in the early hours of the morning. The sun would be up in a couple of hours, so he did not have much time before the Amazons began searching for him.

The pigtailed martial artist cringed when the front door creaked as he opened it wide. He walked inside the obviously abandoned building, not bothering to close the door behind him. The very little light that came through the windows was enough for him to see the scene of destruction that was now the once famous okonomiyaki restaurant, in addition to the crunching noises that came from his feet stepping on the floor.

The tables and chairs were either upside down, partially broken, or simply pushed aside into piles of small pieces around the floor of the establishment. The flat screen television was gone from its mount, either because it had been broken or had been stolen. The once pristine kitchen at the end of the room was unrecognizable, littered with several colored stains he dared not to examine up close to determine their origin. In his current fragile mind, a red stain which was nothing more than spilled ketchup could be something worse. A trail of shards of broken glass on the floor led him to the back room of the restaurant, only to find more chaos and destruction inside. Had nobody even bothered to clean up? Had no one called the police at the obvious fight that took place here?

His last question was answered when he saw the leftover crime scene tape crumpled inside the trashcan of the bathroom. At this point, he was unsure of how much destruction had been caused by Saffron –or Satoshi, and how much had been the result of vandalizing after irresponsible people found the place to be up for grabs.

He took a step back and away from the bathroom he had used weeks ago to cure his hangover state, turned around, and headed upstairs. He held onto the walls to prevent him from tripping on the trash left on the steps, but soon regretted the decision when he felt a sticky substance cling to his hands. He retracted his hands back to his body, and slowed his trek up the stairs to Ukyo's home.

As soon as he arrived, he ran to the closest window to examine his hands. Whatever dried liquid had tarnished his skin was the color he had not wanted it to be. He wiped his hands on his shirt, hoping that whatever the taint had been would go away from his memory soon. As he looked through the window down to the alley behind the building, he saw more evidence of devastation, leading him to believe that whatever or whoever had fought here, had had a difficult time completing his job.

_"I'm sure Ukyo didn't make it easier on him."_

He turned around and faced the remnants of the place that had been his temporary home on more than one occasion, making him feel as if part of his life had been destroyed along with it. He closed his eyes and tried to forget the fact that the last words he and Ukyo had shared had been irate words, words of confusion, and words of sadness. Why had he not called her before? Why had he not tried to talk things out?

_"Because Akane was all I could see."_

Akane; the person he had been trying so hard to keep in his life, but had inevitably become the first one to disappear under his watch. Was she, wherever she was, angry at him? Disappointed? Did she resent him for not being her knight in shining armor and saving her just as every time before? In the end, when she had truly and absolutely needed him, he had let her down. If he had not been so stubborn and blind and had paid attention to her when she begged him to be careful around Saffron, he would have not ended up losing his male form and effectively passing the burden of the fight to her. If he had been with her, supporting her, protecting her, she would have not had to resort to the spell that cost her her life. Ironically, Saffron had been around her when she needed him, albeit unrequested by her, but still. He had saved her from being hurt in the match, had he not?

_"There're a lot of things I should've done. And now…they…"_

Ranma took a deep breath, not wanting to break down again. His family did not need him to curl up in a corner of the room, bawling like a helpless child, but he still felt the need to mourn them before he avenged their deaths, even though there would be plenty of time later to do honor their passing.

Yet, the time was not now; not by a longshot. No. Right now they needed nothing else from him other than to see him man up and do what he should have done since the start: take matters into his own hands. He should have known better; Saffron was a demigod, Akane is –was, a human. No human could permanently defeat a god –no matter how low-ranked.

Not even Ranma Saotome himself did, and both of them were now paying the cost.

Yes, he had destroyed Saffron with that final blow to his body, but he had needed Akane's invaluable help. Yet, the damage he had inflicted to the demigod had been temporary at best, for all practical purposes. Saffron had been reborn, had he not? He came back to life from the dead, did he not? How silly of he and Akane to believe their strength and techniques could overpower generations and generations of pure kami blood. He had heard of, challenged, and overcome all types of mystical beings plenty of times, but no of them were the descendent of a long line of powerful deity-like creatures.

Staring at the home of his best friend for one last time and saying a small prayer for her eternal rest, Ranma made his way out of the building as the stench of death finally hit him, sending him out to run towards Tofu's clinic. He knew he would probably find a similar scene to what he had witnessed at Uc-chan's, but it felt wrong not to visit all the places his family had once occupied. He did not stay long at Tofu's, however, unable to stand how much more gruesome the scene had been. Obvious signs of blood and torment that he had found in the married couple's bedroom repeated everywhere throughout the house, giving Ranma a pretty good idea of what had taken place in the doctor and family's former home. How could a home that held a location erected for the promotion of health now host the evidence of brutal death? It seemed Saffron's plan was full of ironies.

Before the very little food that he held in his stomach made its way out through his mouth, he left the Tofu residence and then headed to the one place he had wanted to visit since the Amazons appeared at his doorstep; since he saw the ghostly image of Saffron standing behind Akane; since he realized that his ex-fiancée needed his help.

The trek to the Tendo's home did not take long since the clinic and the dojo were very close to each other. Before he knew it, he was standing at the entrance of what had been his genuine first and only home for a long time. Even though all the evidence was laid at his feet, he wanted to hear from Akane –Saffron; he kept reminding himself, that he had in fact ordered to kill everyone he knew. He wanted to ask him why or what the hell had he done to him to hate him so much. He wanted to know what in the world was so atrocious to him that he felt compelled to take away everything and everyone he held dear. Even at this stage of anger mixed in with resignation, the pigtailed martial artist could not fathom any reason good enough to provoke such a response from the demigod. Had Saffron overlooked the fact that demigods came back to life, and mortals did not? Or was proving this fact the sole purpose behind his plans?

Taking a deep breath and preparing for the worst, Ranma jumped the fence of the building, making his way to the entrance door with small steps. He carefully scanned the area around him, keeping a watchful eye in case someone, namely Satoshi, was watching him from the shadows, ready to attack.

_"I shoulda killed the bastard when I had the chance."_

Then again, he should have done plenty of things when he had the chance. When he finally made it to the entrance porch with no problem, he counted his blessings so far. He dug his hand inside his right pocket and pulled out the keys to the home, only to find the door had been left unlocked.

"Oh…no…"

He opened the door and walked inside the home, immediately turned on the light, and allowing its brightness to guide him around the home. He straightaway noticed the state of the residence to be as immaculate as it had been since he left it hours ago, and as the home had been when brought back to life by him when he had first thought Akane to be dead and his feet had taken him back here.

"Akane?"

His treacherous heart betrayed him, uttering the single most beloved name he knew. The silence that followed his voice was eerie; it was the type of silence you expect from haunted homes, not from vibrant homes as these.

He walked to the living room and turned on the light there as well, finding the room as empty as it had ever been. There was no pair of almost retired martial artists pretending to play shogi by the hall when truly they were just eating the pieces of their opponent. There was not a cruel-hearted woman counting her earnings with an old-school abacus in hand while thinking of other ways to screw him up. He back-tracked his steps and headed to the kitchen, repeating the same procedure of turning on the lights and walking around the room. There were no wonderful smells of food coming from the stove, and no sign of the homey apron Kasumi always wore.

He redirected his search to the bathroom and the result was exactly the same –no cats or pigs or ducks or pandas or pretty redheads taking a bath there. He then moved upstairs, turning on every light he could find on his way up. He did not know why but he did not want to be in the dark, even though the more he searched the place the more it seemed no one was even around to attack him in the absence of light. He opened every door to every room upstairs, hall closets included, looking behind and underneath the furniture, especially under the spacey bottom of the beds and inside the roomy closets, hoping against hope to catch Akane hiding in one of these places ready to give him the scare of his life by jumping out of somewhere to him.

Then again, after everything he had been told, and what he had seen and imagined, he doubted anything else could scare him as much as the thought of finding himself alone for the rest of his life.

As he reached her room, he called her name again with a heart wrenching tone he had never heard himself use. He knew it was useless, and possibly dangerous, to announce himself to a potential enemy, but at this point he could not make himself care enough to stop his words from coming out. He had everything anyone –even he, could want: a home, a dojo, and future in martial arts; and yet, he did not have what he needed: his family, his friends, Akane; a reason to live.

The missing clothes from the empty hangers, personal effects and a bag from Akane's room told him what he needed to know: she _was_ gone. She had no reason to stay behind anymore, with Satoshi's job complete. He had secretly hoped that they were still around, planning the demise of the last living member of the Saotome-Tendo clan, but what was the point? It made more sense to him –in a sickening kind of way, for Saffron to leave him alive, as it was the only way to guarantee Ranma would really appreciate the beauty of his plan, and suffer for what he had lost.

He walked to her bed and sat on the edge of it for a long time, staring at nothing in particular, silently reminiscing the past. The once proud residence of the Tendo resembled nothing more than an unusual tombstone for its former owners. The silence in the home was unbecoming of it as chaos, drama and screams were definitely more commonplace than the nothingness that now haunted the structure. Only memories remained of the adventures he had lived here, reminding him of the amount of times he had cursed his teenaged life, finding it annoying to be chased by a group of maniacs and a long line of fiancées.

No one would chase him now. No one would force him to eat some ungodly toxic meal. No one would tease him with a cat. No one would love him enough to call him names when he was acting stupid. No one would chase him around, katana in hand, making certain he was a man among men.

No one would give a damn about him, anymore.

"Mom," he sobbed, feeling his broken resolve taking over his sanity with each name he uttered, his mind plaguing him with images of the faces of each. "Pop…Mr. Tendo, Kasumi, Nabiki…

AKANEEE!"

He stood up from the bed, screaming and cursing out his life as he had never cursed before. He wanted to punch holes in the walls, kick everything in sight, and throw the chair at the window…simply put: burn down the damn house!

But he did not.

He could not force himself to go through with it. It was not right.

This home was all that was left of his family, how could he just destroy the only physical memory of their lives?

So he didn't.

He held his anger in check.

He asked for forgiveness from them.

He prayed they were well, wherever they were.

And he cried. He cried until he could not cry anymore.

And then, just then, he lay back on her bed, remembering the last time he had felt as miserable, and had too sought out the comfort of her room. The similarities between the two situations were ironic, and he knew someone Out There was laughing their ass off at him.

_Ranma felt tears forming in his eyes again, but he blinked them way. He was tired of crying and sobbing like a…girl. It was time to move on and take action. It was time to continue searching for what he was looking for. And, yet, achieving his unresolved goal would bring him only a fourth of the happiness it would have otherwise brought him, had she still been around._

"_I'd give anything to see you right now."_

_He stood up and walked around the grave so that he could place the bouquet on top of the stone. "I know you didn't care about this curse, but you did whatever you could to help me cure it because you knew that was what I wanted, and you paid with your life."_

_Ranma's hands turned to fists in order to control his anger. "I will do that, Akane. I will go back to Jusenkyo and find the Nannichuan. I __**will **__be a full man, for you. I __**will **__come back from China and I __**will**__ make the Tendo dojo everything you ever wanted it to be."_

"_**Fuck everyone else. I've got nothing to lose. I don't care what Ma or Pa have to say. This promise I intend to keep."**_

_After a small prayer in honor of Akane, he returned home to Kasumi. It was well past midnight, so he was sure she was asleep. He carefully went in and tip-toed to his room. He stood behind the close door and decided that his room was not the place he wanted to be in today. He turned around and walked to the other side of the stairs. The friendly swan with her name greeted him at the entrance. He walked in and closed the door behind him. The room still smelled like her. He took off his shoes and crawled on her bed._

"_**Goodnight, Akane."**_

And, with this last memory in mind, he closed his eyes and allowed his body to rest. There would be time tomorrow to plan his next move, but for tonight, he wanted nothing more than to forget about it all, and enjoy a good night's sleep.

xxxXXXxxx

Ryouga Hibiki cursed the hot weather of China as he walked to the river for the tenth time in the day, ready to carry buckets of water back to his home again. It did not matter that he had lived in the damned place for years now, he still missed the cold weather of the island he grew up on. There would have been no way that he would have to resort to carrying water up a hill if he was still back in his first home.

Even though he had built Akari a primitive water and sewage system, such adjustment had never been intended to keep up with so many guests at one time. In fact, many of the adjustments Ryouga had made to his home for the comfort of his wife and himself had been designed with only the two of them in mind. It wasn't that he was complaining about his responsibility per se, but the extra effort had prevented him from righting the wrong the Amazons had made.

_"That old ghoul. She knew I'd be busy taking care of her guests so I don't get a chance to talk to him! Curse that dried-up, manipulative, old b—"_

"Ryouga! Come back! I need your help!"

Akari's voice made him stop on his tracks, turning around to face his approaching, and also visibly tired, wife.

"What is it, honey?"

"I need you to stay with them while I go to the market. We're out of supplies again."

"That was quicker than last time. I can go for you, if you rather take a break."

Akari gave him a small smile, placing a hand on his shoulder as she always did before when they discussed Ryouga's inability to find the exit in a one-door room. "I'll do it. You remember what happened last time you went to the market by yourself, right?"

Oh, remembered he did! He had not come back from the market for a month; his groceries had either gone bad or had been eaten by him during his hike back home. When he had finally returned home, he was shocked to see the elder of the Amazons had dumped a huge responsibility on them, not truly caring if the Hibiki residence had the manpower to do what he was being asked to do.

"Come on, Akari! I can handle myself. I'm going to the river and back with no problem, aren't I?" he said as he placed the buckets on the ground.

Akari gave him another sweet smile as she bent down and picked the thick rope that lay on the ground by their feet. "I don't think we can find a rope long enough to get you to and from the market and back home."

Ryouga's cheeks tinted with a slight hint of red before he crossed his arms and looked away to hide his embarrassment.

"Uh…fine," the man with the bandana finally said, pulling the rope from his wife's hands and dropping it on the ground again. It had been Akari's idea to tie a rope between her home and a tree close to the river to help Ryouga find his way back home every time without needing her to be around. Ryouga had complained at first, instinctively denying he needed a guide for such a simple task, but he had to admit that the idea had worked well so far.

"Oh, come on, now. Don't be mad. I just don't want to be without you for so long. I miss you."

Ryouga sighed, knowing his wife was indeed correct. He hated how his innate curse with direction cost him so many opportunities to be of any real help to anyone, but he had learned that there was nothing he could do to make it go away.

Seeing that her husband was not going to continue their argument, Akari grabbed one of the empty buckets from the ground. "Let me help you with the buckets so we can come back faster. We don't want to keep our guests waiting. Cologne will have our heads for daring to mistreat Amazons."

"Alright," Ryouga said, not really fearing the wrath of Cologne, but wanting to avoid a stupid argument with the elder. Once he realized Akari was ahead of him already, he followed her –and the rope, as they ran down to the stream. After carefully pouring water inside the buckets, the couple returned to their home with their goods in hand. Standing outside the entrance, Akari gave Ryouga a quick kiss on the lips and the second bucket before leaving towards the market by her lonely self to get the supplies they needed. Ryouga, in turn, carried the two full buckets inside the living room, leaving them in the exact same spot at the entrance of the home that he always placed them. He wiped the sweat off his brow with the back of his hand before lifting up his head to speak to the man standing before him.

"Will this be enough, Doctor Tofu?"

The man in question adjusted his glasses, causing light to reflect on them for an instant. He stared at the water for a moment and nodded, making a mental note to carry the water himself next time to cut the directionless man a break. "That should be enough for now, Ryouga, thank you."

And with a quick nod, Ryouga returned to his task for the day, happy that he had assisted the kind doctor once again.

* * *

**A/N:** A few of you have been calling me evil for no reason (suuuure), so here is a reason to be called evil. Then again, I have the feeling evil will be the last adjective that will be used towards me for this :P Confused? Intrigued? Can't wait for more? Neither can I, but first I will release a new chapter for BTS. Thank you for everything, and see you soon! :D


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

After spending half an hour in the kitchen as he got ready to begin cooking for his guests, the eternal lost boy returned to his living room, seeing the doctor was still sorting through the remainder of the supplies they had at home. Akari would not be back with more supplies for at least another hour since the market was far away from their secluded location, and he could only hope that their patients could survive longer without the doctor's tending and needed supplies.

"Is everything OK, Doc? Akari will be home soon."

"Yes, I'm fine. I'm just determining who needs what for now. Only Kasumi and Nodoka need most of the supplies at this point. Soun, Nabiki, Ukyo and Genma are free of bandages now."

Ryouga gave the doctor an honest smile. The poor man had been working day and night for weeks to help in the recovery of the injured members of the Saotome-Tendo family, only recently feeling confident enough to state they were all going to make it out of their misery. It had been difficult and frightening for a while for everyone involved, especially when it came to Kasumi who had been the most injured of them all.

"I'm glad!" Ryouga began, walking closer to the doctor and placing a comforting hand on the doctor's shoulder. " I'm gonna start dinner soon. Is everyone off the restricted diet?"

The doctor stroked his chin as he thought about the status of his patients before he spoke again.

"I think so, though the twins will only have their apple pure."

"Of course. Well, let me get this started, then."

"Thank you very much, Ryouga. I don't know what we would've done without you. I'll make sure to repay you, somehow."

Ryouga shook his head. "No need, Dr. Tofu. As long as I can help them, I don't mind."

"We still owe you, Ryouga. You've been doing this for weeks now. You deserve something in return, and we'll repay you either way," the doctor insisted, feeling incredibly in debt with the former love rival of the pigtailed boy. Ryouga walked back to the kitchen, followed by a concerned-looking doctor as the thought of the pigtailed martial artist's presence made it to the doctor's mind, though he was not sure of asking the lost boy about it would be the best idea.

The silence in the room was broken when the doctor spoke again after observing Ryouga making his way around the kitchen, finally deciding that there was nothing to lose if he asked about the whereabouts of Ranma Saotome.

"Is he here?"

Ryouga shrugged, knowing exactly to whom the doctor was referring. Cologne had been very secretive as of the timeline to be followed with her plan, other than when Ranma should be told about Saffron's existence. The details of when Ranma would be brought to China to help with the eradication of the Lord of the Phoenix tribe had been considered trade secrets that needed to be kept under wraps for the sake of the success of their plan.

"I'm not sure. Cologne and the others went to get him already, but we both know how that conversation is going to pan out."

Ono nodded, being fairly familiar with the intentions of the Amazons. He knew they needed all four of them –Mousse, Shampoo, Koruma and Cologne, to keep the martial artist under control. The conversation between the five of them was going to be everything but a pleasant one. The doctor had suggested other options to carry out their plan, but the elder of the Amazons had shut them down immediately.

The doctor and Ryouga, however, were _not _idiots; they both knew the elder was hiding valuable information from them even if they had not talked to each other about it yet. Nevertheless, at the end of the day, they were all at her mercy, and her word was law in these regions. They could only hope that whatever Cologne had in store for Ranma was for the best of everyone involved in this distressing tribulation.

"I don't know why they're hiding the truth from him. It's not gonna make it better for anyone," the doctor said, knowing damn well that Ryouga shared his feelings on the matter and feeling comfortable enough in confiding in him.

"Tell that to Cologne. She thinks Ranma will earn the guts to attack Akane's body if he is mad enough to do so. Personally, I think that Cologne will have a pissed off Ranma up her ass when he finds out, especially if Akane…well…"

The doctor hung his head, recalling the sad fact of Akane's fate. "I know. I just wish there was something we could do for Akane. It just seems unfair that she will pay the price for everyone," he said, his eyes momentarily showing how far away from his body his mind truly was. He savored in the freedom he had to think about anything he wanted without fear thanks to the charm and ritual the Amazons had made them all go through to prevent their minds from being manipulated by the Phoenix Lord. The doctor still believed that Ranma should have been given the same privilege, but he also understood that the moment Ranma's mind became blocked from Saffron's mind reading abilities, the suspicions would rapidly arise and possibly cause their plans to be discovered ahead of time.

"Actually," Ono began, "Do you still have that book you showed me earlier? I'd like to review it once more just to make sure I didn't miss anything."

Ryouga looked around the room, wondering where he had placed the important manuscript. Both he and the doctor had been secretly reviewing one of the books of Phoenix dark magic that had been accidentally taken from the tour guide's home at Jusenkyo by Ryouga Hibiki himself.

When Ryouga had visited the location at Ranma's request, he had recovered Ranma's belongings and had sent them to him. During his visit to the cabin, however, he had become lost inside the small cabin, and in his boredom, he had grabbed an ancient book that had caught his eye. By the time Ryouga realized he had found the exit, he had taken the book with him outside. Fearing that if he returned to the cabin at this point he would become lost again, he had taken the book with him back home and forgot all about its existence until recently when the revelation that Akane's body had to be destroyed was relayed to him.

Suddenly remembering that Akari had put away said book in the basement to avoid the elder from discovering it, Ryouga nodded to the doctor, pointing to the door that led to the temporary location of his guests.

"Akari took it downstairs with her last night for her round," Ryouga finally answered, referring to the night rounds they all took to monitor the health of the most gravely ill patients.

"Alright, I'll look for it."

"OK. I'll continue with dinner. I'll call you when I'm done."

The doctor bowed to the lost boy, unable to contain his gestures of gratitude from him. He had to admit that even as much as he disagreed with Cologne's plan, if it had not been for her crazy ideas, none of the Tendo-Saotome family members would have made it out alive from their assassination attempts. And, if it had not been for Ryouga's presence in China and his kind heart, none of them would have survived this long on their own.

"Thank you, again."

Ryouga waved his hand in a dismissive matter; he still felt uncomfortable with so much gratitude directed towards him and his humble home. "Ah! Don't worry about it."

After nodding once more to their host and giving him a small smile, Tofu exited the kitchen, grabbed the buckets of water, and made his way to the hidden basement of the Hibiki residence. He took careful steps down the stairs until he finally reached the bottom. He placed the buckets next to the bottom step before walking toward the closest bed.

"Hey, Kasumi," he said in a low voice as he held his wife's hands. "Is the pain any better?"

Kasumi nodded slightly, mostly drugged up with ancient Chinese herbs to prevent her from feeling any considerable amount of pain. Satoshi had dug in his hand so deeply into her wound that the doctor had honestly believed she would not make it out alive. Thankfully for him, the Amazons had centuries of medicinal knowledge, and Kasumi was bouncing back from what should have ended with certain death.

After checking the pulse and temperature of his wife, he headed to the next bed. The middle Tendo sister was still sound asleep, courtesy of Tofu's strong sedative potion combined with Amazon remedies. He had begrudgingly agreed with Cologne that the members of the family should be kept at bay, and in the case of Nabiki, drugging her was the only way to keep her from running away. The middle Tendo sister had been enraged when she had found out about Saffron's plans, especially after she was informed that her company and fiancée would not remember her for a while.

No one had seen the usually cold-hearted woman lose her temper so quickly, thus sedating her had been their only choice to prevent Nabiki from calling Japan's National Guard on the Phoenix Lord –which everyone knew would do them no good. They had tried calming her down by promising her that after Saffron had been taken care of, she could return to her normal life in America. Even after explaining that the effects of Shampoo's Shiatsu technique, that she had used to remove the existence of the Tendo and Saotome from close friends and relatives, were completely reversible, her anger had not been extinguished by the fact. Nabiki's reaction had left them no option but to confine her to the small bed in the basement of the lost boy.

"_I'm with you, Nabiki,"_ the doctor thought as he checked the girl's vitals. _"But we have to follow the Amazon's advice for now."_

The doctor then moved on to the next bed, startling its user when he reached to grab her hand.

"Doctor Tofu, is it morning already?"

The doctor nodded to the okonomiyaki chef. "It is, Ukyo, almost night again. I think you're ready to be off the medication for now."

Ukyo's drowsiness immediately disappeared. After her battle with Satoshi in her restaurant, she had been left seriously injured, and had had to resign herself to staying in bed for a while. She had desperately wanted to return to Nerima but she had been informed it was not the best of times to do so, so she had stayed behind. In the end, it had been beneficial for her to remain where she was, since her recovery had gone much smoother with the doctor around.

"I think you're good enough to cook. How about you go help Ryouga with dinner?"

Ukyo smiled widely, thanking the doctor as he wrapped up his checkup on her. "I'll cook you all the best dinner you've had in a while!"

The doctor nodded to her, glad to see the sad girl perk up at the idea of being of some assistance. Once she had found out about Saffron's influence in Akane's actions, she had quickly understood that Ranma had not meant to propose to her while drunk, and that the chance she thought she had with Ranma had been nothing more than a huge misunderstanding on her part. She was unaware, however, that the solution the Amazons had gathered for stopping Saffron implied Akane's death –as were all of the others with the exception of Tofu, Akari and Ryouga. Tofu knew that if any of them found out the truth, the location of their hideout would be compromised. Even if Tofu was determined to find another solution for Akane, he had kept the vital information hidden from the rest of the family to not hinder their recovery.

"I'll go help Ryouga, but let me know if you need me down here, OK?"

"I will."

And with that, the chef left the basement, leaving Tofu to move on to his next patient. The matriarch of the Saotome home was awake but slightly sedated, though today would be the last day she would have to be kept under such conditions. The bandage on her neck would be coming off today, as Tofu had decided it was time for the wound to be exposed to the elements to speed up the recovery of it.

"Nodoka-san, can you sit up?"

Nodoka blinked slowly at the doctor, allowing her mind to interpret his words. When he saw her nod in understanding, the doctor held the woman by her back, helping her sit up on the makeshift bed. Nodoka shook her head, trying to ease the effects of the sedatives. "Is my son here yet?"

Tofu shrugged. "We're not sure. But we know he's alright, at least."

"How about Akane? Is she OK?"

Tofu nodded, not daring to answer her question with actual words. He carefully peeled off the bandage from the junction of her neck and shoulder, and Nodoka bit her tongue to not whimper when the tape pulled her broken skin. Tofu examined the closing wound as he adjusted her neck and his glasses to get a better view in the dark room.

"This is healing up pretty well, Nodoka-san. Be careful when you bathe, though. We don't want the stitches to come off before they do on their own."

"Yes, doctor. How is my husband?"

"Genma is doing great. His arm should heal in a few weeks, if he doesn't take off the cast again."

Nodoka nodded, remembering how stubborn her husband had been, saying that he was alright even though she knew, first-hand, that he was not. The look on her husband's face as he defended her from their attacker would be an image she would take to her grave. She knew she had married a man that was always watching out for his own behind, so when she witnessed his uncanny display to protect her, she had seen a side of him she was not aware existed, making her fall in love with him all over again.

"_It was as if I was looking at my Ranma, trying to defend Akane from the evils of this world. I didn't know my beloved husband had it in him."_

"I will see to it, doctor. Is Soun, OK?"

"Other than crying over the entire situation, he'll be alright, too. We just need to keep those two together so that they help each other get through this."

"I understand. Is it OK for me to go see them?"

"They're still asleep, but we will be waking them up to have dinner soon."

"Does that nice young man need additional help?" Nodoka asked, feeling as a huge burden to Ryouga and his wife.

"I think Ukyo's help will suffice for now. Rest a while longer so that the sedative wears off."

"Alright, doctor. Thank you."

As soon as Nodoka closed her eyes, the doctor headed to the small crib that rested in the corner of the room. The twins had outgrown their cribs back at home, but this had been the only bed small enough for them while allowing the larger ones to be used for the injured adults. It had been easy to keep the kids asleep with the Chinese herbs, and it had been a blessing to be able to keep them from seeing the ill, but he could not wait to have the chance to see them run around his legs again. He truly missed the comfort of his home and he wanted nothing more than to return to it with his family so that they could begin regaining what was left of their normal life.

After tending to the sleeping twins, and making sure Genma and Soun were still resting, the doctor returned to the buckets of water that he had left at the bottom of the stairs to use them to clean up their current living quarters. It was difficult to cram so many people in such a small place, but he hoped that their entrapment would soon come to an end.

The doctor continued his chores in the basement until Ryouga called them all upstairs to eat. After everyone had filled their bellies and had gone off to bed, Tofu had requested a favor from Ryouga that he could not say no to, knowing their options were limited and shrinking in size by the hour. They were running out of time: time needed to save Akane from certain death.

xxxXXXxxx

The next morning, the Amazons ate in an uncomfortable silence in the Saotome kitchen as they waited for the pigtailed boy to return home. They had been surprised to wake up to find him gone, and even though the three young members of the tribe had wanted to search for him as soon as they had discovered he had left at some point during the night, the elder had held them back. She knew where Ranma had run off to, and she allowed him the liberty of visiting these locations without anyone bothering him at all. Cologne knew that witnessing the crime scenes first-hand would be the last piece of motivation Ranma needed to carry out their plans.

"Great-grandma, shouldn't we go find Ranma now? We're wasting time here," Shampoo asked in her native language.

"No need for it child, he will be here very soon," was the elder's response, which not surprisingly matched with the sound of the front door being opened and then closed. Everyone stared at the kitchen entrance and watched Ranma walk in, going straight to the stove and serving himself some of the food the Amazons had made. He then sat on the closest chair he could find, eating his food slowly and pensively, acting as if the Amazons were not even there.

"Good morning, Ranma. Had a nice stroll around the city last night?" Cologne asked the martial artist when he showed no sign of wanting to interact with the guests. Ranma shrugged to the elder, not bothering to voice an answer other than chewing the food inside his mouth, followed by sipping down a good portion of his tea to wash it down. When he finished his meal, Ranma stood up and dropped his plate and cup in the sink before turning around and facing the Amazons, finally feeling in the mood to speak to them.

"_So_, when do we leave for Jusendo?"

The Amazons all exchanged silent glances amongst themselves before staring back at the pigtailed young man. All of them with the exception of Cologne were surprised to hear the boy behave in such a neutral manner after the scene he had caused last night.

"When you're ready, and after we clean up our stay," Cologne responded, grateful that his emotions had not clouded his logic enough to prevent him determining the obvious destination to which Akane and Satoshi had headed off.

Ranma nodded, tapping his foot on the floor to silently let the Amazons know he had nothing better to do than to be on his merry way to kick some Phoenix ass. Taking the hint, Cologne ordered the three youngsters to leave Ranma's home in the same clean shape it had been before they arrived. Ranma, seeing he still had time, excused himself and decided to take a quick shower before they left.

By the time he was ready to leave, the Amazons waited for him outside the home. Ranma locked up his home for what he now believed it to be the last time. He was not certain if he would make it back home from China this time. Even though he had thought the sentiment would be one of sadness of leaving behind his life, knowing he had nothing else to lose was incentive enough to find the unspoken farewell anything but bittersweet.

China, particularly Jusenkyo and Jusendo, had brought him nothing but trouble every time he had ended up visiting there. The first time, the cursed springs had taken half of his manhood, earned him a few enemies, and a future and unwanted fiancée. The second time, the residents of Jusendo had tried to take away Akane from him as leverage for his efforts in trying to stop Jusenkyo's springs from being drained. The third time, the Lord of the Phoenix tribe had taken away his complete manhood and had almost killed his girl, who he had just found. This time, it seemed the damned place was coming back to finish the job by taking his family's, Akane's and his very own lives.

After a quick moment of reflection, Ranma sighed deeply and turned around to face the Amazons behind him. "So, how are we getting to China? I ain't swimming back there again."

"The same way _we_ got here," Cologne said before pointing to Koruma. The said Phoenix-turned-Amazon was stretching his limbs and breathing deeply as if he was concentrating to do some extreme task.

"Is he _flying_ us there?"

Mousse shook his head. "He's gonna use a Phoenix technique called…"

"Ryoko Homu Pasu," Ranma said in an annoyed tone of voice, interrupting the Amazon's response.

"How do you know about that technique?"

"Akane…she used that on me to…to send me back here...when…"

Ranma was unable to finish his sentence, and unable to look at them for a few seconds as he recalled the feelings of desperation that had taken over him when his body had begun to dissipate into thin air. Even though he had tried to claw his way back to Akane's saddened face, he had been powerless to do anything to stop Akane's will.

_Powerless_. He despised that word.

It, however, summed up pretty well how he felt that day, and he how he felt last night before his warrior-side kicked in on overdrive, pushing him forward to make things right. He could not bring his family back to life, and he could not go on knowing Akane was on her way to become Saffron's wife, but he was going to make sure that if Akane did end up in China as Saffron's queen, it was only because Ranma had failed in killing the son of a bitch. He cleared his mind and soul of the pain the situation caused him before fixating his eyes on the ready Phoenix.

"So, you know dark magic, too? Like Akane?"

Koruma shrugged. "Just a few tricks, here and there. Lord Saffron was not very open to the sharing of the family secrets, except with the Captain. She taught me and Masara some tricks, though, because we were both her closest subordinates, and she said she wanted us to be safe."

"I see," Ranma said, still unable to come to terms with the fact that Akane was indeed _The Captain_ that Koruma referred to. She had lived in China by herself for two entire years, while thriving in a life that was not her own. To him, she was just Akane Tendo –violent girl extraordinaire. However, for the Phoenix people, she was Kiima; the Captain and right-hand of the Lord of the Phoenix tribe. The two lives she had lived contrasted each other in superlative terms; yet, he had expected her to return to her life in Nerima as if her servitude in Jusendo had not turned her world upside down.

It had been his inability or unwillingness to see beyond getting her back from the dead that had made him blind to the impact of her decisions and actions in her life as a member of Saffron's reign. If he had not been so happily oblivious to the fact, he perhaps would have been able to see the signs of trouble she was giving him all this time.

"So, how do we do this?"

"I can take with me one person at a time. Sometimes I can take two, but it tires me faster."

"OK, so who goes first?"

After taking turns, one by one the five of them disappeared from the Saotome residence and made their way to the Amazon tribe. Once the entire party was standing at the entrance of Shampoo's home, Mousse welcome Ranma to it, taking the opportunity to gloat over the magnificence of his built-from-scratch home, and all the perks it included. Immediately after making their way inside the house, Mouse let Ranma know where he could stay for the night. Ranma's response was to cross his arms and stare at all of them as they stared back at him, not making any effort to move from his current spot.

The Amazons turned to face Cologne, showing clear signs that they were tired of Ranma's defiant attitude and their unwillingness to put up with more of it now that they were so close to finishing off Saffron. The elder nodded back to them, letting them know they were going to humor their guest for now, hoping that once he was shown that their plan was the only viable plan to end Saffron's existence, the martial artist would back down and agree to help them with the task.

Koruma, on the other hand, was too tired from using the tele-transportation technique to argue with the pigtailed boy, so he sat on the floor in a corner of the room to slowly regain his strength. While the technique itself was not difficult to perform, it required for you to know where you were going, and had previously been present at the location yourself. The effort of dematerializing and materializing the complex bonds that composed the human body was always tiring, and after performing the task four times for two individuals at a time, Koruma was ready to count sheep for the day.

The tele-transportation technique worked under a similar principal as the nature techniques, manipulating, converting, and combining the chemical components of the body to travel through any available medium and then put them back together somewhere else. Koruma was not able to perform the technique to the level Akane could –sending someone away without having to guide them herself, but his limited knowledge and ability had proved useful so far.

"So? Why are you convinced that the only way to kill that bastard is by killing my fiancée?"

Cologne rubbed her forehead, knowing how this conversation was going to end, but still asked Shampoo to gather the books needed to explain the plan to Ranma. Ranma waited patiently as Shampoo disappeared from the room only to return shortly with a handful of books in her hands. Cologne grabbed one of the books at random and showed it to Ranma.

"Do you know what these are, Ranma?"

The boy in question nodded to the elder. "Yeah, I read a few of those myself when I was here watching over Jusenkyo."

"I figured as much. Anyway, our council has been studying these books for months, trying to find a solution to Akane's predicament. Based on the information on these books, the takeover is complete by this point, and Akane's soul can no longer be recovered."

Ranma shook his head. "I don't believe that. Akane has been sending me signals…visions. She has been trying to tell me she still alive."

Cologne sighed deeply, placing the book she had been holding back on the stack. "Really? And what are these _signs_ that you think you saw?" she asked, growing tired of Ranma's inability to accept their terms. She knew he would bring it up again, but she had hoped he would not do so immediately after arriving to China.

"Visions of things that had happened to her; some that I knew, some that I didn't. She showed me how Saffron took over her while she was pronounced dead at the hospital, before I brought her back."

Cologne nodded. "We agree on one thing: your efforts in bringing her back to life slowed down the process for Saffron's complete takeover, but not by much. We thought we had more time when we found out you had slowed him down, inadvertently. Clearly, we underestimated the time and your family had to pay the price for it. Why is it so difficult for you to accept it?"

"Cologne," Ranma said, approaching the elder and uncrossing his arms as he tried a different approach to make his point known. "I _know_ Akane is alive. We can't just kill her if she's still in there. I won't do it, and I won't let you either. You know this, and I don't know why you brought me here thinking you can convince me to kill her. I won't."

"We brought you here because other than Tendo, you're the only other person who can match his power. He may not be physically strong, as we all know, but your speed and cleverness won you the battle. None of us, not even I, can take him down at this point."

"You're wrong."

"What do you mean?"

"It was me _and_ Akane. If it hadn't been for her showing me the way, I'd have never defeated him. But that's not the point. The point is that as long as I know Akane's still there, you're not laying a finger on her."

"Why are you so blind? She's gone! Whatever you think you saw, it was Saffron's doing."

"NO! She used our keyword! She wrote it on a piece of paper I have back at my dorm at school!"

"KEYWORD? What in the world are you talking about?"

Ranma stood erect again, pacing around the room as his mind raced, trying to find ways to convince the Amazons that saving Akane was still a possibility in their hands.

"Look, she…we had a code word we came up with when we found out there were people trying to pose as the other; Kiima, a cursed bastard, whoever. Only she and I knew it, and she used it a few weeks ago when she stopped by my dorm room."

"What's this code word?" Mousse asked.

Ranma looked away, suddenly feeling silly at revealing such an intimate matter of him and Akane.

"Romeo."

"R-Romeo? Juliet? As in the play?" Cologne asked.

"Yes. She wrote it on a piece of paper and left it in my room. She was telling me she was still her, regardless of whatever Saffron thinks he's done with her."

Mousse shook his head, not believing his ears. "Are you stupid, Saotome? Didn't it occur to you that _maybe_ Saffron knows about your _code word_?"

"No…he…he was not around when we came up with it," Ranma said, trying his best to defend his point, but knowing that the Amazon's logic was flawless.

"But he has access to her memories, Ranma. He's just trying to mock you into believing you still have a chance to get her back. It's over. It is OVER," Cologne retorted, angered at his stubbornness, but also sad at realizing the fact that Ranma was never going to be completely on board with their plans.

Ranma's fist impacted the wall closest to him, causing a crack to travel from the origin of the punch to the sides of the wall. He turned around and headed for the door only to be blocked by Shampoo.

"Ranma no stupid. Ranma understand violent girl is gone."

Ranma cracked his knuckles, focusing all his energy into not pushing the girl out of his way. He respected that he was in their home, and her husband was just a few feet away from them. He knew he could take them all if he wanted to, but he did not want to waste any energy he could use to help Akane.

"Get out of my way, Shampoo."

The girl shook her head. "Ranma no understand. This too too big now. Saffron must be stopped, and we need your help."

Ranma snickered, rubbing his temples with his index fingers. "Shampoo, being pretty doesn't help with the brains, uh? I already told you all, I'm NOT hurting her."

"Look, Saotome. I'm going to overlook the fact that you just insulted my wife in my home, and made a fucking hole in my favorite wall, but I'm not going to overlook the fact that you're _not _thinking as a martial artist. The Ranma I remember would have not allowed a personal matter to get in the way of a war!"

"This is _not_ a WAR! This is YOU telling me that I have to MURDER Akane, and expecting me to sit back and accept it!"

"Saotome, do you think we want to kill her? She's our friend, too, and…"

"Friend? What kind of friend decides it's OK to kill his friend, uh?"

"We never said it was OK to kill her; we said there was no choice!"

"Well, THERE HAS TO BE! I don't care if your stupid books say otherwise. There is no way in fucking hell that you're killing her."

"So, if we're not killing her, does that mean that you are?"

"What? NO! I'm not doing it. Get it through your thick skull, bird brain!"

"I'm no longer cursed, you idiot!"

"That don't mean you're still not full of shit up there!" Ranma said as he pointed to his own head.

"Stop it, you two!" Cologne yelled above them, but neither of them paid her heed.

"You know, it's all your fault, so the least you can do is end her misery."

"_My_ fault?"

"Yes, if you'd been watching over her better than you did, she would've never been kidnapped in the first place."

"What? I wasn't even in Nerima when she was taken!"

"No! You were in China, following my Shampoo."

"I wasn't following Shampoo! I was trying to save the springs!"

"What you say?" An insulted Shampoo added to the argument, crossing her arms and looking taken aback by Ranma's confession.

"Sure. Whatever. You couldn't save those either, it seems."

"Will you shut the fuck up? I don't think you even know what the hell you're talking about, since half of the time your glasses were out of place, you BLIND FOOL!"

"ENOUGH!"

This time the two men stared at the elder, who was fuming at their petty argument. "Are you done being idiots? We have a plan that works and we're sticking to it. So you," she said as she pointed to Mousse, "Sit down and shut up. And you," she said as she pointed to Ranma, "accept the facts and move on!"

Ranma shifted his eyes from Cologne to Shampoo, who was still standing in front of him.

"Shampoo, move yourself before_ I_ move you."

"Shampoo no afraid of you."

"Clearly," he said as he waited for her to make a move. When she did not so much as blink to indicate she was moving, Ranma sighed. He turned to Cologne and addressed her in the most menacing tone he could muster.

"Read my lips, you ghoul. None of you are hurting her. If it comes to having to kill her, I will do it myself. But NONE of you are touching her unless you manage to pry her out of my _cold fingers_. You got that?"

"It'd be best if we worked together, you know."

"I'd rather be killed by her than to work with you. You've already given up on her, and I have no intention of doing the same, if I can help it."

"Ranma, it's four against one, and three-thousand years of Amazon history. Do you really want to wake up in a few days to find out you didn't even get to say goodbye to her before we killed her?"

Ranma chuckled, taking a step back, making the four members take a defensive stance. "You can claim all the experience you want, but you need me, or you wouldn't have brought me here in the first place. I'm not doing your dirty work, and I'm not staying here either so…see ya!"

The Amazons jumped towards him to stop him, but were surprised to see their hands going right through him. Ranma's angry smile was the last thing they saw before he disappeared completely from their sight. The silence in the room was deafening until a chuckle turned into a loud laugh coming from the Phoenix member still standing in the corner of the room.

"That bastard," Koruma said as he stared at the spot Ranma had been just seconds ago, laughing even harder now.

"What the hell did he do?" Mousse asked, confused as the other two Amazons and glaring at the Phoenix member who was having a laughter attack.

"You gotta give it to him; he does learn fast. He just used the wind nature technique to mimic the tele-transportation technique. He just…breezed his way out of here through the open windows and door."

"What? Shampoo no see nothing."

"Precisely! Since when does the wind have color or shape?"

"So, now what?"

Cologne sighed deeply. She had anticipated Ranma fighting back, but she had underestimated his ability to always find a way to do things how he wanted them to, and not following orders from anyone. Then again, was this not the reason why they needed him to defeat Saffron in the first place?

"We'll let him roam for now. Jusendo has been destroyed anyway, so it will take him a while to find out where Akane and Satoshi are hiding." The other Amazons agreed, knowing that trying to attack him would not be the best way to get their plans into action. Cologne and Koruma knew they still had time to finish the last step of the plan _they_ wanted to pursue, and not share it with anyone else in the group.

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma felt his knees give up on him, forcing him to hit the ground on all fours. Sweat traveled down his forehead and onto the ground as he took in deep breaths to recover from the technique he had just used. He had not even been sure if it would work as he had modified it on the spot, but he was glad to see that he had been able to escape the Amazons' grasp to land in front of Ryouga's doorstep.

_"Fuck, I'm…so tired…not doing that again for a while…"_

It took the pigtailed boy a few more minutes before he was able to mostly compose himself and stand up from the ground. He could not image how Akane had used a similar technique to send him back and then fight Saffron right after it; it was so exhausting!

He slowly walked towards the front door of the home, and once in front of it he knocked on it three times, briefly resting his forehead on the door as he took in another deep breath. A few seconds later, a smiling Akari was opening the door, trying her best to hide her surprise.

"Oh, hi…RANMA-KUN! IT'S SUCH A SURPRISE TO SEE YOU HERE!" she said in a loud voice. Ranma's brows furrowed, wondering how much of Ryouga's craziness had finally rubbed off on the poor girl for her to yell for no apparent reason.

_"Well, at least she ain't yelling: RANMA, PREPARE TO DIE!" _he thought to himself before addressing the girl.

"Yeah, Akari-chan…uh…listen, I need to speak with Ryouga, is he home?"

"RYOUGA? YES, HE'S HERE. LET ME GO GET HIM FOR YOU, RANMA!" she said before slamming the door closed in Ranma's face. He did not recall Akari displaying such manners the first time he had visited them a long time ago, but he figured he had probably interrupted something important between the married couple.

_"Oh, man, if Ryouga and Akari were in the middle of…shit, he's gonna kill me!"_ Ranma thought, making sense in his mind that Akari's screams were serving as a warning to Ryouga so he did not show up naked at his door step.

"Ugh!" Ranma flinched at the mental image that quickly popped in his mind. A minute later, the door opened again and this time it was Ryouga –fully dressed, who was standing before him.

"So, the old hag finally brought you here, uh?"

Ranma narrowed his eyes, wondering how many people were involved in the plot against Akane. He did not believe Ryouga would be in favor of such action, but at this point he was not sure who he could trust with her safety.

"I take it the ghoul told you what's going on?"

Ryouga nodded, looking behind him and extending his arm to grab something Ranma could not see. The lost boy then waved goodbye to his wife, stating he was going to take a walk with Ranma, and closed the door behind him.

"I was expecting you sooner, you know? Akane doesn't have much time."

Ranma felt a small weight being lifted off his shoulders, making him feel stupid for doubting for a second Ryouga's intentions regarding Akane.

"Do you have something for me that doesn't involve choking Akane to death?" Ranma said as he stared at the book in Ryouga's hands. Ryouga had promised Doctor Tofu he would make sure the manuscript ended in Ranma's hands, but he needed to make it sound as if the idea had come from him and not the doctor.

"Maybe, but I'm not sure. Let's find a place to talk. The hills have ears around here."

Ranma nodded, knowing Ryouga was referring to the Amazons and their sometimes questionable ways of finding information they needed. Even though Ryouga was strong enough to defend himself, Ranma did not want to place Ryouga or Akari in any unnecessary danger that could come over them due to the assistance they were providing Ranma at the time.

The two friends walked in silence for a while until they reached the edge of the river Ryouga had been traveling to for weeks now to increase the supply of water for his home and his guests. While Ryouga was making sure Ranma did not find out his family was around, Akari was making sure their guests remained even more inconspicuous than usual. Ryouga found a boulder close by, and sat on it while Ranma stood in front of him, waiting for whatever information Ryouga had for him.

Ryouga opened the book and browsed it until he reached a particular page that had been dog-eared, and apparently read one too many times as it was slightly more torn that the rest of the book. Ranma recognized the book as one of the Phoenix books that the Amazons had gathered from the cabin he had called home for a few weeks. The books the Jusenkyo tour guide had owned did not go into detail regarding the use of dark magic by the Phoenix members, but it did provide a good reference book to what the tribal members could do. That, combined with the knowledge and books the Phoenix tribe members had brought to the Amazon village had been the source of information that had lead the Amazons to decide Akane had to be eliminated.

Ryouga handed the book to Ranma and pointed to a specific paragraph on the page. Ranma grabbed the book and immediately began reading to himself the particular passage Ryouga was referring to while the lost boy provided Ranma with his thoughts.

"This is the only book I have, so it might not be of much help, but it's a start. That particular section you're reading talks about the technique that Akane used on Saffron, and possible ways to reverse it without affecting the host. This book references the other books, though, which we haven't been able to get a hold of from the Amazons, so some steps are meaningless because they cross-reference to other books. So, unless you know what Book 3, Chapter 7, Section 25 discusses, the instructions on this book are only partial."

Ranma nodded as he read the small paragraph and listened to Ryouga at the same time. Ranma had read a few of the other books, but not completely. However, he had read enough to understand what Ryouga was denoting. In fact, this cross-reference need was the reason why Ranma had not been able to read them all because he would spend a great deal of time trying to find the next reference to make sense of the material he had begun reading in the first place.

"How did you get this book?"

Ryouga cleared his throat, looking away from Ranma's questioning eyes. "I…I stumbled upon it…"

Ranma narrowed his eyes and gave the lost boy a mocking smirk. He knew that when Ryouga _stumbled upon something_, he truly meant to say he had gotten _lost_ and lucky.

"You got lost in the cabin? _Really_?"

Ryouga's temper rose immediately, making him stand up from the boulder and lean forward to yell directly at Ranma's face. Ranma did not feel threatened at all, and could not help his smirk growing bigger by the second.

"It was a very confusing cabin, OK?"

"Confusing? Ryouga, I _lived _there. You can't come up with anything better than that?"

"I…Look…I got bored looking for the exit…so…I picked up the book and before I knew it I was outside and far away from the place."

"_And_…?"

"_And_…I didn't want to go back and get lost again."

Ranma could not help to laugh out loud at his friend's misery, triggering Ryouga's action to snatch the book away from Ranma's hands. The gesture was not lost to the pigtailed boy, immediately causing his laughter to stop.

"Look, do you want the book or not, Ranma?"

"I do! I do! I'm sorry, OK?"

Ryouga eyed him up and down, waiting for the second burst of laughter to come, but when it did not, Ryouga handed the book back to the pigtailed boy. Only Ranma would know how difficult it was not to laugh at his friend's direction curse again.

"Fine. There isn't much time. The Amazons plan to attack Akane in the next day or so, so you better get to reading."

"What? So soon? Why? Why haven't they done it before, anyway?"

"Well," Ryouga began, internally deciding how much information to give Ranma. He knew that Saffron could easily access the information Ranma was being given right now, but he had no other choice to get the book into his hands. He could however, leave out special details that Saffron could use against them in the long run.

"You know how Cologne is. She didn't tell me much other than they were going to attack as soon they brought you here. How long have you been here?"

"About an hour."

"Yeah…They'll probably attack tonight or tomorrow."

"Shit. I can't let them go through with it."

"I know what you mean. I don't want them to hurt Akane either, but if I had complained, Cologne would have not let me in the few details she gave me. I was hoping you'd stop by so I could give you this book. She doesn't know I have it."

"I see. Well, I need to start reviewing this now," Ranma said, holding on to the book as if it was the last bucket of water in a huge desert. "Thank you, Ryouga," he finally said as he turned around and headed in the opposite way Ryouga's home was located.

"Wait, where are you going?"

"I'm gonna keep an eye on those bitches, from afar. I don't know how much time I have to come up with a way to stop them, but I have to try."

Ryouga nodded, understanding what Ranma meant. Ryouga wanted to do more than just handing him a half-assed answer, but his responsibility was to keep the Tendo-Saotome family in one piece as long as he could. Ranma noticed Ryouga's hesitation in letting him go alone on this mission, but he also understood that Akari was Ryouga's responsibility as well. He was not going to let anyone else go through the same mistakes he had gone through with Akane's wellbeing.

"Well, Akari must be waiting for you. I'll see you later, OK?"

"Sure," Ryouga said in a soft voice, looking down at his feet to prevent Ranma from seeing the desperation in his eyes. Without anything else to say, Ranma jumped on a tree and began his trek toward the Amazon tribe. After a few minutes, he was making himself comfortable in a secluded location within the mountain behind the tribe's location that allowed him a good view of the activities, but kept his presence a secret.

Realizing he only had a few hours before the night set, he began reading the book he had in his hands. He hoped that with the information he had read while he played tour guide and whatever he found in this book, he would be able to prove to the Amazons that exterminating Akane was not the only answer.

_"I'll save you Akane. Just wait for me; I __**will **__save you this time."_

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma's head hit the hard ground, making him startle awake and realizing he had fallen asleep despite his attempts to remain awake and active. He could not believe he had been so careless, but he could not blame his body and mind for demanding some sleep. The book had been more difficult to follow than he had thought, and he could see why Ryouga had read it several times. Even with the additional knowledge Ranma had over Ryouga, the instructions had been difficult to follow. However, the moment he had realized that an alternative option to killing Akane to rid her of Saffron's control existed, the exhaustion had become worth it.

It also meant, however, that his body had felt it had accomplished its task, and had sent him into a deep sleep without him even realizing so. Thankfully, the hit that would undoubtedly leave a bump on his head had brought him back to reality just in time to notice movement coming from the Amazon's tribe. Ranma placed the book on the ground of the small cave he had claimed as his temporary home, and jumped down to the ground where the homes of the Amazons lay. He had no idea how late or early it was, but the silence that surrounded him and the fact that the moon was the only source of light at this time, suggested to him that it was the early hours of the morning.

Every light inside the homes of the Amazons was off, with the exception of one small hut next to Shampoo's home, which had a small candle burning brightly in the dark. Had it not been for his vantage point, he would have never seen it go off. Ranma snuck around the homes, making sure his presence was not known to anyone but himself as he made his way to the back of the active hut. Once he arrived, he bent down under the back window and listened as noise engulfed the single room inside the small building.

_"Who lives here?"_

Ranma had no idea who was responsible for what in this tribe, but he was not going to let any movement or action that could have been nothing more than usual or common for the tribe escape his close inspection. For all he knew, the Amazons had already left to kill Akane while he was asleep, but something inside of him told him he still had time.

The movement inside the hut became distant, telling Ranma that the person was moving away from the back of the home. Ranma slowly walked around the edge of the building until he reached the front side of it. He crouched behind a bush and waited for the homeowner to walk outside. After only a second, the stalked person stepped out of the home, closing the door behind them and heading down the path that lead to the exit of the tribe.

Ranma allowed the man to gain some distance before he followed him closely enough to know where he headed, but not too close to be discovered. The man walked for a couple of miles until he reached a clearing in the middle of thick forest that surrounded the tribe. Ranma cursed as he realized he could not hide any closer than he already was, so he stayed behind the last line of trees to remain in the dark. The man, who he now identified as Koruma when the moonlight hit his face, walked to the middle of the clearing. Ranma lowered his head even more, trying to keep his presence a secret as he observed the Phoenix look around himself. After a minute or so, he could see a second presence reaching the middle of the clearing to meet up with Koruma. Ranma narrowed his eyes when the moonlight shone on the new night crawler to reveal his face.

_"Satoshi! He's working with them!"_

Ranma felt his blood boil. He should have known Koruma could not be trusted! Why would a Phoenix do anything else other than to help his own Lord? Ranma saw the two men stand in front of each other, but he was too far away to hear anything that was said. He resorted to remaining hidden and watched as the two men discussed whatever had been important enough for Koruma to betray the tribe that had taken him in.

xxxXXXxxx

"I was beginning to suspect you wouldn't come, Koruma."

"I shouldn't have. It's a risk for me to leave the tribe in the middle of the night to meet up with you, Satoshi. You know that. It was difficult enough when I had to travel all the way to Nerima to help you clean up your mess-ups!" the former aid of Captain Kiima said as he stared at the transformed cursed man in front of him. He had never seen Satoshi present himself in front him in any other form than his cursed form, and he knew it was simply because the half-human felt inadequate to show his true side to the full Phoenix. In fact, the entire reason Satoshi was following the murderous commands of the Lord of the Phoenix Tribe _was_ to become one of them.

What the youngster did not know, however, was that the method the Lord planned to use to fulfill his reward to him did not entail Satoshi being himself anymore. Koruma knew that no one, not even a royal member of the Phoenix tribe, could convert anyone to a full-fledged Phoenix (otherwise, the Lord would have converted Akane a long time ago). They could, nonetheless, take over the body of a willing person and use it to be reborn as a full Phoenix. Since Saffron had no body to come back to, Satoshi had been the perfect unknowing human that the Lord could use to be brought back to life by using the cursed water of the magical faucets of Jusendo.

Both of the two men stared down at the other, each secretly wondering when their partnership would see its end. While they had been working together for weeks now, Koruma was not fond of the weaselly man in front of him. It was clear to him, without a doubt, that Satoshi did not trust him as much as he pretended he did. Clearly, the half-Phoenix felt threatened by the presence of the Phoenix, knowing damn well that he was no match to the power of a full-fledged Phoenix tribe member on his worst day.

"That was different. That weird family fights back a lot, but they're all gone now, anyway."

"So, when is the Lord going to give you what you came for?" Koruma asked, knowing precisely well the answer to his question but was curious to find out what Satoshi thought about the promised reward.

"Soon, he said. He was pissed off earlier today because he found out that Akane destroyed the faucets he needed to revive himself. He said that my reward of becoming a full Phoenix will have to wait because of it."

"I see," Koruma said, knowing that without the faucet, Satoshi had just become expendable. "So, what did you call me here for?"

"Information; what else? Lord Saffron says that Ranma is here in China. Is it true?"

Koruma nodded. "Yes. The Amazons brought him here this morning, with my help of course."

"So, is he staying with you?"

Koruma analyzed the man's body language. If Lord Saffron knew that Ranma was here, then he would also know that he had left Shampoo's home quick, fast, and in a hurry. Koruma wondered then, how long Satoshi had been searching for Ranma, and why the Lord had not told him the information he himself could obtain in the blink of an eye.

"No. He ran off on us soon after we arrived."

"Lord Saffron said that he saw him talking to Ryouga, that he was given a book."

Koruma titled his head, taking in the information Satoshi was giving him, and raising his suspicious regarding the true reason for this meeting. Either Satoshi was fishing for information because he did not know where to go, or he had been sent here by Saffron to do something else other than chitchat with the former aide to Akane. Either way, whatever true intentions Saffron had for him, they were not going to be either pleasant or decent.

Koruma had never been so grateful to wear the charm that allowed his mind to be free of the control Saffron was known to have over anyone near him. Cologne had been correct in her assumptions: if they had told the truth to Ranma, Saffron would have known by now that his plans were not going the way he had wanted them to be. He was also grateful that Shampoo had used her Shiatsu technique on the half-Phoenix to give him memories of events that never occurred.

"What book?"

"A book of Phoenix dark magic. Ryouga told Ranma that the key to stopping our Lord was in that book, and it must be true because Saffron was even more pissed off at that than the fucking broken faucet."

"Even if the answer was there, I doubt Ranma or Ryouga will figure out in time what the answer is. Besides, our Lord is not letting go of the Captain's body that easily."

"So it seems," Satoshi said more to himself than to Koruma as he recalled his anger over finding out Ranma had followed them to China. "Anyway, our Lord said that we're going to attack the Amazons tomorrow at sunset. He wants me to make sure they are all present when we arrive."

"Alright. I'll make sure they are all in one location away from the tribe itself; it'll make them easy prey."

The half-Phoenix smiled honestly for the first time. When Lord Saffron had tasked him with getting the Amazons to be trapped in one location by tomorrow night, he knew he would not be able to do it on his own. He had hoped that Koruma would be willing to assist him one last time before he became his equal, and he was glad to hear that his expectation had become true. "That's what I wanted to hear, Koruma!"

"Indeed," a voice behind the two men said, startling them half to death. Their faces turned to their right to watch as Akane Tendo appeared from the shadows in her traditional red and black Captain outfit, sans her swords. The body and the voice belonged to the Tendo girl, but the attitude and actions completely belonged to the Phoenix Lord, and the combination of the two had shocked not only the two men standing in front of her, but also the hidden form of Ranma that Saffron knew was around them watching their every move.

"So, Satoshi…this is how you have been completing your missions, is it? With the help of Koruma? I don't recall you ever mentioning it to me."

Satoshi swallowed hard and cleared his throat. He had somehow managed to keep this secret from Lord Saffron for a long time –due to Shampoo's use of the Shiatsu technique on the cursed man, but it seemed he had overlooked the fact that they were now in China, where Akane had nothing else to do but be the clay doll carrying Saffron's soul. With no distractions, Lord Saffron was free to roam around as he pleased, and thus closely monitor whatever actions Satoshi decided to carry. This fact scared Satoshi a great deal. Back in Nerima, he had easily avoided the Lord's ire with Akane's responsibilities falling into the Lord's lap. However, here in China, he had nowhere to go or hide, and no one to turn to if their relationship suddenly turned sour.

"Y-yes, my Lord. Koruma has been _guiding_ me to use my Phoenix powers to their full potential," Satoshi lied and hoped the Lord would not pick up on his attempt at hiding the truth. Satoshi had given up more than he could count for his full Phoenix prize: his old life, his family, his right to the family estate. He was now becoming even more desperate to attain a full Phoenix body, but at the same time he was becoming more doubtful that he would attain his goal at all with the presence of Koruma known to Saffron. If he failed, he could not return home anymore since, due to his actions, he had effectively been disowned by his parents two nights ago when he and Akane had traveled to China. And, if he succeeded, he would have to fight Koruma in addition to Saffron once he was given full Phoenix blood so that he could stay with Akane as he had wanted to since they met in night school, years ago.

"Or…" Satoshi continued his charade, "As much as I can use them before you generously make me a full member of your tribe, my Lord," Satoshi finished.

"I see. And, how long were you planning on keeping me out of the loop?"

"I…I didn't see the need to let you know Koruma was around, my Lord. He has been _civilizing_ with the Amazons, for the most part, anyway."

Lord Saffron's eyes shifted from Satoshi to Koruma. Koruma swallowed hard, praying the charm was still working at full potential and that Saffron could not read his thoughts –or at least just the ones he wanted him to. He put on his most neutral face as the Lord approached him. Even though Koruma was much taller than Akane's petite form, Koruma could feel the Lord's aura trapped inside of her as a raging beast demanding to be let loose.

"Tell me, Koruma. What _else_ have you been assisting Satoshi with?"

Koruma's eyes traveled behind Saffron to observe a pleading Satoshi, who begged him not rat him out. Koruma silently weighted his options as he felt Saffron's aura spike in quickly draining patience. He could lie to Saffron and run the risk of becoming his next victim, which he could not allow him to be since he was needed to carry out the plan to stop Saffron. Cologne's plan would not work without his assistance. The other option was to tell Saffron the truth, and let Satoshi deal with the wrath of the Lord. He knew Satoshi was not an evil person per se, but he had made some bad decisions that put him on the evil list of many people around here.

The decision became easy for Koruma at this point. His eyes traveled back to Saffron, who had a smile on his face as if he knew Koruma was going to give him the final push to rid the world of his useless lackey.

"Just watching over your interests, my Lord. I've been offering my services to the Amazons to assure our mighty tribe is brought back to existence."

Lord Saffron leaned back away from Koruma, smiling widely as he did. "I'd expect nothing less from a royal member, Koruma."

"Royal member?" Satoshi asked in an unbelieving tone. All this time he had believed he had been working with the last royal member of the Phoenix tribe, and it turned out that there were _two_?

"Lord Saffron is my cousin, Satoshi," Koruma said in a surprisingly and unexpected menacing tone, which did not go unnoticed by Saffron or Satoshi himself. "And," Koruma continued as his claws and teeth elongated even more to show that he was about prowl, "I don't appreciate you betraying my own blood."

"What do you mean, Koruma?" the awaiting Lord asked.

"What I mean is that the job you gave him of killing the Saotome and Tendo was not done."

"WHAT?"

"I'm sorry to report, my Lord, that the Amazons have tricked Satoshi into believing he killed them all. The truth is that the families are alive and well in a hidden location they refused to disclose to anyone other than themselves."

"That is NOT true!" Satoshi defended himself, sure that he had seen to the job, albeit with Koruma's help. "He's lying, my Lord. I got the job done, I swear!"

Saffron stood in between the two men as they glared at one another. On one hand, Koruma had been living with Amazons, and the Lord himself was not unaware of the acts the woman-lead tribe would resort to watch over their interests. While Koruma was not an active royal member due to never showing any interest in the title, Saffron knew that his instinct in preserving his kind would force him to take any actions needed to preserve their way of life, even it meant associating with the enemy.

On the other hand, Satoshi had desperately wanted to become a full-fledged Phoenix, though Lord Saffron knew it was only due to him believing he had a chance against the Lord in snatching Akane from his grasp. Whether or not Koruma was telling the truth, Satoshi was useless to the Phoenix Lord now that the faucets were gone and it would take centuries to rebuild.

"Who should I believe, then? You," the Lord said as he pointed to Satoshi, "or you?" he said as he pointed to Koruma.

Koruma shrugged as he attempted to not be concerned with the Lord's final decision of who was correct and who was not. Between the two of them, he knew Lord Saffron more than Satoshi did, and he was willing to take advantage of this fact to maintain his status of being alive.

"I'm sure our Lord can see through this farce this human thought he could put off on you."

"FARCE? You son of a bitch! You were there when I took out the fools!" Satoshi said, growing increasingly afraid of becoming the next victim in Saffron's plan. Koruma furrowed his brows and shook his head in a dismissive manner. "You mean I showed up to help you and you managed to somehow still screw it up after I left."

"W-what? No…you…you're lying!"

Koruma shifted his eyes from Satoshi to Lord Saffron, knowing that the Lord was searching both their minds as they spoke in order to find the truth. "With all due respect, my Lord, have you seen any bodies to prove his claims?"

Satoshi felt the blood in his body drain down to his feet. He had never bothered to clean up; he had left the job to Koruma, every time. What if Koruma was telling the truth? What if he had not finished the job? Then again, he was certain he had seen the family members take their last breath before he had left the disposing tasks to Koruma. Had he been incorrect? Either way, Satoshi was not going to let his dream escape from his hands.

"My Lord, I—"

From his hiding spot, Ranma's eyes became wide and his mouth hung as he watched Akane's hand take the shape of a metal sword, just as Satoshi had used on Ranma when they battled at the ART, and aim it straight at Satoshi's neck. The decapitation had taken only a second, and before anyone realized what had happened, the thud sound of the body and head hitting the ground was overcome by the charring sound and foul smell of a human body being burned down, courtesy of Saffron's fire technique.

And, in that quick instant, Satoshi Nakajima, former heir of the Ascending Dragon School of Martial Arts, was reduced to nothing more than ashes and a faint memory of his short life left behind.

* * *

**A/N:** Anyone happy he is gone? I think I could have been nicer to him, uh? Anyway, this Koruma guy keeps swapping sides, who does he really work for? I already wrote the Epilogue so that I can post it with Chapter 10. Chapter 9 is on its way!


	10. Chapter 9

**A/N: Warning! Gore and descriptive situations ahead.  
**

* * *

**Chapter 9**

_"Goddamn you, Saffron!"_

Ranma ran away from the clearing as fast as he could, as if running away from the scene of the crime would remove the carnage images from his mind. Granted, he had wanted to kill the treacherous son of a bitch himself, but the way Saffron had so nonchalantly disposed of his enemy as if he was nothing more than an animal had been an eye-opening experience to him. The event had shaken Ranma to the core, making him realize the severity the action of taking someone's life entailed; the same action he had wanted to take against everyone and anyone who tried to take Akane's own. He had taken Saffron's life once, yes, and so had Akane, but Satoshi did _not_ have the privilege of coming back to life after a well-placed punch. It was not the same when there was no reset button that one could press to be brought back to life.

"_He fucking didn't even see it coming! He didn't even have a chance!"_

While Satoshi had definitely had a death sentence coming for all he had done, the poor bastard hadn't _quite_ deserved to perish in such a humiliating way. Having witnessed such a violent execution made Ranma feel the slightest bit of sympathy for his fallen enemy and his hatred for Saffron only grew.

Without realizing where his feet were taking him, and after what seemed like too much running, Ranma arrived at the cave where he had monitoring the Amazon tribe's activities. He picked up the Phoenix book he had left behind, and abandoned the makeshift command center he had claimed as his just hours ago. His mind raced as he recapped the knowledge he had gained last night as he ran toward the only other location he could claim as safe haven for now, or at least until he carried out his plan.

By the time Ranma arrived at the old cabin, the daylight had made itself present, illuminating the once peaceful region which would soon host a battle between good and evil. He found the door of the cabin to be unlocked, so he ran inside, slammed shut the door behind him, and prayed no one had witnessed his sloppy escape. Taking in deep breaths, his eyes scanned the familiar location, bringing back memories of the beginnings of the trouble he had gotten himself into.

The bookcases had been ransacked, for the most part, but a few books remained here and there, which he knew held no value to him at this point. The bed, dining table and modest kitchen still lay intact in their assigned locations, though the place had accumulated much more dust that the last time he had been here. As opposed to last time, some items of the cabin were now held inside partially filled boxes, as if someone had been getting ready to clean up the place and then had decided against it. He figured it had been the Amazons' work, making space to walk around the small room in preparation to taking back to their tribe with them the Phoenix books.

Ranma rested his back on the door, feeling a sense of dread overcome him. What if Saffron had seen him? What if Koruma had been sent to follow him? Was he outside, waiting for Ranma's defenses to come down? He hoped they were not, as he still needed one more piece of the puzzle he had put together to be ready to challenge either of them.

_"That traitor!" _Ranma thought to himself regarding Koruma, and how he had just stood there and watched Satoshi be cut apart. Then again, Ranma had just stood there as well, but for completely different reasons –or so he wanted to believe. Either way, Koruma was nothing more than a traitor to Ranma's eyes. Yet, the pigtailed boy wondered as he listed the recent actions from Koruma, to who was the man a traitor? Was he a traitor to Satoshi? A traitor to the Amazons? A traitor to Saffron or traitor to himself? For all he knew, the Amazons could be in on it as well, seeing how adamant they were of ridding the world of the life of his once future wife. He was not comfortable with the inability to listen to the conversation between Akane, Satoshi and Koruma, but he guessed in the end it did not matter since images spoke a thousand words.

And the image of Akane decapitating Satoshi without a second thought had been a pretty expressive one; the most expressive he had seen in a long time.

Feeling his shaking body come to a calm state, Ranma walked to the dining table and laid the book on it, opening it up to the page he needed it to be. It was not the same page Ryouga had referred him to, but the page that had helped him finding the cure to Akane's possession. He skimmed down the page until he found what he was looking for before beginning raiding the cabin himself to find the supplies he needed. He had never thought, in a million years, that his job as Junsenkyo's tour guide would be the key to saving the woman he loved, and yet, here he was meddling in the world of spells and magic, as if it was second nature to him.

Or, so he hoped.

It was as if the entire tribulation had been written in the stars. From Akane coming to China and learning the techniques she did, to her close encounters with death itself. He felt as if his ending up in China to recover his manhood had been necessary for him to learn the tricks of the tour guide trade. As if competing in the ART had been essential for him to learn of Saffron's presence in their lives via the video, and as if Ryouga's lack of direction had been vital to him in finding the damn book Ranma now held in his hands. It seemed as if all of the horrible things they have been cursing themselves about had been required to be present in their lives to come to the point where he stood now: on the verge of taking back Akane from Saffron's hands.

Then again, if neither of them had ever been to Jusenkyo, none of this drama would have occurred in the first place. Or, again, so he figured.

Blessings in disguise, these little obstacles had been for them. And these pretty well disguised blessings were going to show him the way to accomplishing the one goal he had in mind: taking back what he had already claimed as his from the moment their eyes had met. Even after all the denials that had once been spoken between them, there had always been an implicit agreement that she belonged to him as much as he belonged to her.

It too, was written in the stars, along with her inability to cook, sew, or decorate a fucking Christmas tree, or his own inability to express his feelings with words. Someone out there had been watching them, guiding them to making certain decisions in their lives so that in the end, their flaws and their strengths completed each other in a way neither of them thought possible.

And all these little things that made them who they are today were the primary motivators for him to give it all he had, even if all he had was his own life, and nothing more.

_ "Where the hell are they? I know they're here!" _He thought desperately as he continued to flip over the small home until, finally, under the pile of garbage that had once been the storage place for maps, he found what he was looking for. The small box was staring back at him, willing him to come closer to it and take what was inside. Ranma dutifully obliged, and as soon as the box was within reach, he opened it and stared at the contents inside. He smiled in true happiness, feeling relieved that he had everything he needed to execute his rescue mission. All he needed now was the perfect location to carry it out.

xxxXXXxxx

A wide awake Shampoo lay on Mousse's exposed chest as they rested on their bed. She enjoyed the same feeling of the rise and lowering of his breathing in his sleep that had lured her to rest just hours ago. Last night, she and her husband had gotten into an argument due to Ranma's presence in their lives. Mousse had become worried that Shampoo's old feelings for the pigtailed boy had resurfaced, and Shampoo had made it clear they had not. And, as with all of their arguments, the couple had used hitting the sheets as a way to calm the other's concerns. However, now that Shampoo was again conscious on the day they were to fight Akane, she wondered if she would ever get the chance to be with her husband again after it. She knew that Saffron was powerful on his own, and had come to terms with the fact that Akane was powerful as well –maybe even her equal, so she could not imagine the amount of strength the two of them combined could conjure.

The careless movements under her told her Mousse was finally awake when he reached for his glasses on the nightstand. Shampoo lifted her upper body to stare down at the male Amazon as he adjusted his spectacles to stare up at her.

"You need to fix your vision. You look much better without them on."

Mousse smiled at the woman, keeping it to himself that he had already made arrangements to improve his vision in a month from now. That is, if they were able to make it out alive from today's mission. The reminder of their overdue task made his smile disappear from his face, pulling down Shampoo back on his chest and kissing the crown of her head.

"When are we leaving?" he asked her as he combed her long tresses with his fingers.

"Great-grandmother said that as soon as Koruma comes back from meeting with Satoshi, we will have an exact time."

"So, he did meet up with him after all?"

"Yes, it was early this morning when he summoned him. He should be here soon."

Mousse nodded in acknowledgement before kissing his wife one more time. "Well, might as well get up and about. I don't want your great-grandma sneaking up on us again."

Shampoo giggled at the memory Mousse was referring to: that of their wedding night when Cologne had snuck up on them to make sure Shampoo was indeed going through the last step that would bind her to Mousse forever. It had definitely been a mood killer for the both of them, but they quickly got over it after Cologne had left and had consummated their marriage immediately after.

"Alright!" Shampoo said in an energetic tone that did not reflect her fears of today's events.

The two of them got up from bed and got dressed before stepping out of their room. Cologne was already making the morning tea and breakfast, as she patiently stared at the wide open door, waiting for Koruma to arrive and give them some news. So far their plans were not going as they had intended them to, but she hoped that his meeting with Satoshi last night was as fruitful as she expected it to be.

As soon as Shampoo and Mousse entered the kitchen, Shampoo relieved her great-grandmother of her duties while the elder moved away from the stove to sit in her rocking chair, smoking her pipe and pretending she was not as anxious as the rest of them.

"Is everything ready, Mut-su?"

"Yes, Ku-Long," the male Amazon said as he walked to the stove.

Shampoo finished breakfast quickly with Mousse's assistance, setting the table for all of them while they waited for Koruma to come back. Halfway into their meal, Koruma arrived at the home, visibly upset and sporting both fresh and drying bloodstains on his clothes. He walked inside and sat in the closest chair, staring at the elder with grave-looking eyes.

"Satoshi is dead," he deadpanned in his Phoenix tongue. The two youngsters present stared at each other, wondering what was so important that the Phoenix member thought they should not be included in the conversation.

"How?" Cologne responded in the same tongue, trying to keep a straight face for the sake of the other two Amazons present.

"Saffron showed up when I was talking with him, so he killed him last night when I told them both the family is alive."

Cologne stood up from her chair, using her arms to push her body above the table. Her harsh eyes made the other two Amazon nervous about their plans, and they wondered whether or not they should be present for the argument they saw coming between the two.

"You _told_ him? Why did you tell him? Do you know if Ranma found out?"

Koruma shook his head. "I had no choice. Saffron surprised us both when we were talking about it. It was either him or me. Besides, Satoshi had become obsolete to Saffron when he discovered the faucets were destroyed; he would have killed him anyway, sooner or later. And as far as I know, Ranma doesn't know yet, but we must warn Ryouga and the others. Saffron wants to attack you tonight at sundown. I have no doubt he will aim for the family, next."

"Curse him! What did he say when he saw you?"

"What we expected he would when he did. He thinks I'm working for the Phoenix tribe and not with you."

"At least that's working well."

"That's not all."

Cologne snarled, not sure if she was ready to receive more bad news so early in the morning. "We need to leave for Ryouga's NOW. Saffron knows Ranma is here and apparently the idiot went to talk to Ryouga and got the book from him."

"Book? What book?"

"The book that lists the technique we're trying to use."

"What? How did he get it? I thought you had hidden the book!" Cologne said before she snapped at Shampoo, switching to speak in their native tongue. "Xian-Pu, collect the Phoenix books and bring them here, now!"

Shampoo dropped what she was doing and ran outside to the living room. Mousse ran after her to help her, as he had never seen Cologne look so concerned. When they returned with the books, both Cologne and Koruma counted them one by one.

"Five! There's only five! When did we lose one?"

"Great-grandma, there's always been five."

"No, look," she said as she put the books in order to show them the fourth one was missing.

"The group that visited the cabin only brought back five, great-grandma."

Cologne growled again. She thought the missing book had been hidden by Koruma to prevent them from finding out the alternative technique they were going to use behind Shampoo and Mousse's back. She had not expected the lost boy to play a fast one on them behind _their _backs.

"Koruma, does that book show the steps?"

"Yes, but the technique can't be used by an amateur unless…"

"Unless, what?"

"Unless they have the sutras."

"What sutras, great-grandma, what's going on?" Shampoo asked, confused at the partial conversation she was hearing, and making Cologne realize they had not switched back to Phoenix tongue for the second part of their conversation, but she ignored her kin's demand to know what was happening; they did not need to know.

"Are there any sutras left?" Cologne asked without bothering to speak in Phoenix tongue.

"Yes."

Cologne closed her eyes, having an idea of where such relics would be left behind if their worth was not known to the common eye. She shook her head before opening her eyes again and staring at Koruma who was nodding to answer her unspoken question.

"Xian-Pu, Mut-su…we leave for Ryouga's home now."

Without further possibility to question the elder's order, the four of them exited the home and headed as fast as their legs –and wings, could take them to the safe house of their Japanese guests.

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma took small but decisive steps toward the clearing that had once held the proud mountain where the Phoenix tribe had thrived for centuries. Armed with a last resort, and not fearing for the consequences of his actions, he marched towards the unknown. He knew he did not have to search for his target, as he somehow knew his target would find _him_ here, in the same location where he had met his untimely death. Ranma suddenly stopped in the middle of the almost deserted open space when he saw her from emerge from the skies.

She was still wearing her red and black outfit from last night, but her back now sported a perfectly placed set of wings –Phoenix wings. Her nails were now sharp claws, and as she slowly landed a few feet away from him with a smile on her face, her fangs flashed at him. Her golden eyes stared back at him, and if Ranma had not known that he was staring at Saffron in Akane's body, he would have thought that she had never looked so menacingly beautiful in her entire life.

"I knew you'd come."

"You would've too, if I'd taken something so valuable from you."

Inside, Akane's heart skipped at beat at Ranma's warm words, but outside, Saffron held her at bay by mocking the martial artist's comment.

"You're too late now. As you can see," Saffron said extending his clawed hands towards Ranma, and nodding toward the wings on his back, "the transformation is almost complete."

"Maybe, but I _know_ that's _not _what you want."

Saffron narrowed his eyes at Ranma, wondering if the martial artist knew of his plans of wanting to transfer his soul to Koruma now that Satoshi was useless and gone, and perform it so before he became one with Akane's body with no opportunity of turning back. He took a step closer to Ranma, to which Ranma reciprocated by taking a step of his own. His heart wanted him to run to her, hold her in his arms, and tell her that everything was going to be OK now; that he had come to her rescue as every time before. His mind, however, reminded him that in order for him to be able to do all those things, he had to get rid of Saffron first.

"And what would_ you_ know about what I want, Landling?" Saffron asked, still confusing Ranma when he heard her voice speaking the words of a demigod.

"I know you want her to live as much as I do."

"Do I?"

Ranma gave him a determined nod, clenching his fists as he did so. "And, you may have taken everyone else from me. But, Akane…she's _mine_."

Saffron narrowed his eyes at Ranma once more, realizing that Ranma was unaware that his family was still alive, if they truly were, as Koruma had said. Now that he had thought about it further, he recognized he had let his anger blind him momentarily earlier today, and he came to the conclusion that he had killed Satoshi prematurely. He should have allowed the half-Phoenix to take care of Ranma for him first to allow Saffron to end the job Satoshi had been assigned to do. It was too late for that now, and he only hoped that Koruma would gather the Amazons in one location tonight for him to easily get rid of them. After Ranma and the Amazons were gone, the Tendo and Saotome were free game, as were the lost boy and his wife.

_"If he doesn't know they're alive, though, this will be much easier for me."_

_ "NO! My Lord! You promised you wouldn't hurt him! You promised me!"_

"She hasn't been your property since you left her for dead here in Jusendo, Saotome," Saffron said out loud to Ranma at the same time he responded to the screaming Akane inside his head.

"_My dear Captain, he's the one who came looking for trouble; I'm certain you can appreciate that. Then again, I promised __**I**__ wouldn't hurt him…and __**I**__ won't. Whatever happens to him, will come from __**your**__ hand, would it not? I have no true physical form, but __**you**__ do."_

"You know damn well that's not what happened, you ass, and Akane is not property!" Ranma retorted, feeling the anger rising up inside of him. "When are you gonna get it through your thick skull that she never loved you? Why do you hold on to her if she was never yours? She doesn't want to be with you! What are you gonna do when you win and she hates you, anyway?"

_ "You son of a bitch! You tricked me!" _Akane continued their mental argument.

_ "No, you merely overlooked a technicality. Besides, I was willing to let him rot in his self-pity had he not come to my lands."_

"Who are you trying to convince, Landling? Me or yourself?"

"Shut up! You thought you had trouble coming to you when I killed you the first time; well…you ain't seen nothing yet!"

Saffron laughed as his wings began flapping, rising him up in the air and forcing Ranma to cover his eyes to avoid the flying dust. "If you insist, we will battle," he said before moving on to the next step of his plan. "Though, I have to say, it's amusing to me how well you resemble your father before he died."

Ranma kept as straight of a face as he could, but had been truly affected by the retort. He did not want to know the details of the massacre, but at this point it was not his choice to make. It was bad enough that his visits to their homes and his overactive imagination had already given him plenty of nightmare content for years to come; he did not need to add the gruesome description he knew Saffron would eagerly provide.

"I said shut up! I don't have time for your stories."

"Really? So, you don't want to know what your family's last words were, is that it?" Saffron asked, placidly floating in the air above Ranma, and enjoying the reactions the pigtailed boy was trying to pretend were not there.

Ranma closed his eyes for an instant, hoping he could somehow close his ears as well. When he opened his eyes again, Saffron had taken advantage of the mistake and was now flying towards him with his extended claws aiming at his eyes to gauge them out. Ranma gasped in surprise but quickly recovered, dodging the attack and jumping away from the Phoenix Lord.

"Huh, that trick worked on your father," the Lord said as he turned around in the air and remained suspended on the opposite side he had been flying on just seconds ago. "It is difficult to fight when your eyes have been taken out of their sockets. Didn't do much for your mother either, to have a blind husband trying desperately to save her life."

Ranma bit his tongue to prevent a snarky remark from coming out. He knew what Saffron was doing, and he was doing a damn well job at it. Saffron knew he had the upper hand: Akane's form, his royal member's strength and magic, the information of the families' deaths, and nothing to lose. Ranma's only advantages were his cleverness and his ability to give a fuck about what happened to him during this battle.

"Then again," Saffron continued, "It was less painful for your father when Nodoka stabbed him through the chest with the katana she likes to carry everywhere she goes. He didn't even get to see what killed him."

Ranma wanted to close his eyes again and curl up into a ball to ignore Saffron's taunts, but he could not let his guard down now. He had made this mistake just seconds ago, and it had almost turned into the shortest-lived battle of all. Even though he felt his anger getting the best of him, he continued to stare at Saffron as he kept his distance up in the air, relating to Ranma how his family had begged for mercy until their last breath.

"Their deaths weren't as amusing as Nabiki Tendo's, I must say. Slitting her throat in her own vehicle, bleeding all over the expensive upholstery…well, I have to hand it to Satoshi. He had a sense of humor."

Ranma did not miss the use of past tense for Satoshi's life, but he decided against bringing it up to Saffron to not raise suspicious in the Lord regarding Ranma's presence last night, though Ranma suspected he already knew. However, Saffron did not need to know that Ranma had learned a trick or two last night either, one of which allowed him to select the images he did not want Saffron to see, including the details of his plan against him.

"Do you think I came here to chitchat with you? Why don't you come down and fight me like a man?"

"Funny you say that! That's the same thing Ukyo told Satoshi before she ended up cut in half in her room."

"_Uc-chan!" _Ranma thought, taking in deep breaths.

"I'm gonna miss her. Her food was the only human sustenance I was able to tolerate. Isn't that terrible that she died thinking you hated her?"

Ranma felt a knot form in his chest, threatening to come out in the form of tears; he did not know how much trash talk he could take. He took ragged breaths to control his quickly rising desperation and anger; he could not afford to lose his restraint, no matter what Saffron threw his way, but it was becoming more and more difficult to resists. His best efforts went unnoticed, though, as Saffron could feel every emotion in his body, no matter how well Ranma tried to hide them behind his mask of anger.

"Why are you still talking? You weren't even there!"

"I didn't need to be. Satoshi's mind provided a beautiful front-row seat view of their pleas to spare their lives without the need to stain my garments with their filthy blood."

"If you think this is going to give you an advantage, you're dead wrong!"

Saffron chuckled. "I may be wrong, but I am definitely not the one who is dead. But, do you know who is? Do you know the best way to silence crying infants?"

"Don't…"

"You crush their little heads with your hands. What kind of uncle were you to the two brats, not being there when they needed you by their side?"

Ranma held back a sob, seeing the images in vivid color as Saffron sent them his way. He felt shivers run down his spine and his legs grew weaker as he heard his mother's cries, and Kasumi's screams. His breath caught in his throat as he witnessed Satoshi digging his hand inside Kasumi's wound, and the efforts of doctor Tofu to protect his wife. He watched as Soun had tried to cover the twins with his body, and how he had paid with his life for it. All of them, every single one of them, had been mutilated before their deaths, and Satoshi had not shown one ounce of regret.

He thought he had imagined the worst ways to end their lives and thought he had prepared for whatever gruesome scene Saffron tried to show him, but he had been outstandingly wrong in his calculations. The grisly images repeated in his head, one by one, over and over again, resembling the defects of a skipping tape.

"And, do you know what the last thought was that crossed your mother's mind?"

Ranma did not have to ask as he saw the scene play in his mind: His mother on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood, blood stains on her hands and clothes, and blood dripping from her mouth as she choked out his name for the last time, asking him why he had not been there to save her.

Blood.

The vital substance needed for life.

Blood.

The common denominator of every aspect of _his_ life.

_Blood._

What he was willing to spill from his own veins if it got Akane back.

The pain that coursed through every cell of his body was indescribable, and it increased with the repeating scenes playing in his head. Every ounce of air he took in burned his lungs, and every ounce of air that came out of his mouth burned his lips. The tears he had been holding back were now streaming down his face, in rivers, the images of sorrow and death becoming their strong current. He fell to his knees and then immediately had to rely on his arms to hold himself up on all fours as best as he could. His nails dug into the dirt under him, causing the skin under them to break open thanks to small sharp debris left behind from the battle that had taken place before between Akane and Saffron.

Ranma closed his eyes, not caring if Saffron attacked him once more. From all the things he had prepared for before he came here to fight Saffron, he had not imaged this torture to be one of them –or at least not be taken this far. The grief that was building inside of him was too much for him to bear, and it demanded an escape route, immediately. He leaned back and sat on the back of his legs as his arms went limp at his sides. With his eyes still closed and mostly unaware of his actions, he opened his eyes again and stared up at Saffron. His anger was not able to let him see that it was in fact Akane who was flying above him; his blurry vision only saw the wings and the golden eyes staring back at him.

The golden eyes that he had learned to loathe.

Saffron mistook his submissive position for one of defeat, so he flew closer to the pigtailed boy, slowly closing the distance between them. Ranma allowed the Lord to come closer, calling onto his ki to crawl its way to his hands and reside there for as long as it could hold back. Once Saffron was just a couple of feet away from him, Ranma extended his arms in front himself and screamed as he released Ryouga's trademark technique with a force he did not believe the bandana boy could have mustered up himself on his worst day.

Saffron's eyes widened at the surprise attack, sending him flying back as the energy partially burned through the clothing, leaving charred remains all around. When his body landed on the ground, facing up, he called upon the ice technique to provide his scalded skin some comfort, even though he hated the ice. A burning flame would have not had any effect on him had Akane's body been nothing more than human.

Ranma's hands came down from their attack position, watching as the body he had just attacked laid on the ground, unmoving, possibly injured to death. He slowly stood up, using his arms for leverage until he regained his footing. He took a few steps towards the hurt person lying ahead of him, blinking away the tears, and this was when he remembered that it was not truly Saffron who received the attack, but his beloved tomboy instead.

"A-AKA-NE!"

He ran towards her as he mentally calculated the amount of energy he had released via the Shi Shi Hokodan. The despair had been immense; blinding him enough to forget it had been Akane's who he was fighting now. He skidded on his knees as he got near her, his hands hovering over her body as if he was afraid of causing even more damage by simply being near her.

"Please, stay with me! Akane, I'm sorry!" The irony of the situation did not escape the pigtailed boy. The only difference between today and the events of a year ago was that no group of medical professionals was standing behind him, armed with the latest technology to give him a hand.

Akane's small whimper of pain was enough to break Ranma's heart. He cradled her head in his lap as his eyes scanned her burned body. He could not believe he had allowed Saffron to manipulate him like this. The last thing he had wanted to do was to hurt Akane in the process of dealing with Saffron, and five minutes into the battle it was exactly what he had done. Ranma's concentration on examining his doing was interrupted when he heard familiar voices approaching him from afar.

He looked up just in time to see Mousse throw one of his well hidden chains towards him, the sharp point of them looking anything but friendly as it made its way to its destination.

"_They've come to take her. They've come to…"_

"NO!"

Ranma's response was to hug Akane's body closer to his, and erect a small ice dome to protect him and Akane from the hit. Mousse's chains bounced back to him, causing the Amazon group to split into two groups to avoid the hit.

"Do you think we're too late?" Koruma asked the Amazon in Phoenix tongue. He doubted Ranma would kill the girl, but the scene of Akane's torn clothed body cradled in Ranma's arms did not scream the word _protection_ to him.

"I don't know, but I think it's best that Ranma knows his family is alive, just in case he has planned to do something stupid," Cologne retorted. They had hid the fact of the living family due to Saffron finding out the truth. Now that Saffron knew that the Tendo and Saotome family members lived and breathed, there was no point in hiding the truth from Ranma. If Saffron had not known, she would have not wanted to shock the pigtailed boy with such a revelation until after the battle, but at this point most of their careful planning had gone straight to hell.

Once the ice dome disappeared, the Amazons watched as Ranma slowly loosened his grip on Akane's body. He gave them a warning look, letting them know without words that he was not going to let them come near her. Ranma then looked down to face Akane at the exact moment her eyes snapped open. Her arms lifted toward him, placing each palm on either of his ears and at the same time holding onto the back of his head. Ranma's surprise prevented him from stopping her actions until it was too late.

"Saundo nakunatte," Akane whispered to herself, making Ranma nervous that she was about to pull his head out of his body using some witchcraft he should have been more careful to prevent.

"Ranma!" Cologne yelled, trying to get the pigtailed boy's attention, but his eyes were glued on the golden shine of Akane's. He wanted to move, but he just could not. Before he knew it, a loud ring hit his ears, making him scream in pain and his back hit the ground with the aid of a rising Akane.

"Ranma, your family's still alive!"

Akane still held onto his head but now by his neck as she flipped in the air and over Ranma, leaving him on his back on the ground, holding onto his pounding head.

"_What the hell did he do to me?"_ Ranma thought as he tried to shake off the ringing in his ears. When it finally did stop, he lifted his head to watch Akane aim for the incoming Amazons. She gained some speed and jumped in the air, sending a _Thousand Wings of the Seabird Attack_ on them, catching them all by surprise.

As the Amazons jumped out of the way, Ranma realized something was wrong with what he was seeing. Akane had just been lying on the ground and she was now attacking the Amazons as if he had never attacked her at all. Then again, with Saffron's power running through her, it was not as farfetched to believe she would bounce right back after his attack. Moreover, he slowly came to the realization that it was not what he was _seeing_ that was wrong, it was what he was _not_ listening to that was wrong.

"What the hell," he said out loud as he hung his head, but his voice did not come out.

Or did it?

He raised his head again to watch Akane taking on the Amazons and Koruma –but not truly attempting to injure the latter, and it was then that it hit him that their battle cries and attacks had no sound. He opened his mouth and uttered random words, but no sound came out. His hands flew up to his ears and he tapped on them, but the same response was once again repeated: no sound.

"_What the fuck did he do to me?! Am I deaf now?"_

"_A little something to keep the conversation between us, Saotome."_

Ranma looked up to stare at a flying Akane at the exact same time she looked back at him with a smirk. Her quick distraction from the battle caused one of Shampoo's chúi to hit her in her stomach and then one on her head, sending her body crashing to the ground.

"AKANE!" Ranma yelled even though he could not hear himself. He ran towards her at the same time he used the wind technique to send her attackers twirling inside a small whirlwind, pushing them away for now. He did not care where the Amazons landed as long as they were not near them.

Saffron smirked as Ranma approached him, immediately lifting his body from the ground and flying racing fast down to Ranma's running form, stopping only to punch him in the stomach a couple of times before jumping in the air once more and placing a roundhouse kick directly on Ranma's face. Ranma's instinct was to punch back when he saw an opening in between the three movements, but the moment he saw Akane's face staring back at him, he could not force himself to do so.

"_Dammit!"_

Ranma's body twisted in the air with the energy of the kick before he landed on the ground, face down. He turned over just in time to see Akane coming down on him, with her knee aimed at his chest. He placed his hands in front of himself, stopping Akane's knee inches before impact. He then pushed her body up and away from him by sending her flying backwards before quickly standing up and taking on a defensive stance.

As he had suspected, Akane performed an air somersault and landed gracefully on her feet, charred clothes and all, but still in enough good shape to fight. Saffron knew Ranma would not dare to touch Akane again if he did not have to after seeing how affected she had been after the first impact. However, seeing he could become unnumbered since the Amazons had arrived before he had anticipated, he decided to switch his initial plan to having Akane do the talking for him while he found the best time to take over Koruma's body.

Ranma observed as Akane's face changed from plotting, manipulative bitch to a saddened look in the blink of an eye. He wanted to push aside the remote possibility of Akane coming back to him without need for his intervention, but the look she was giving him was one that he recognized. It was the same look she gave him when she had sought out his comfort so many times before. It was the look that made him feel invincible against whatever ailed her so. It was the look that pleaded him to be a man for her, and take away the cause of her pain. His already crumbling resolve was broken when she opened her mouth and called his name in that tone he loved, resounding in his mind at the same time as she spoke.

_"R-Ran-ma?"_

Ranma swallowed hard, unconsciously lowering his fists in front of him. His ears could not hear her, but his mind could.

_"Ranma, I'm still here. Please help me."_

_"Akane? Hang in there!"_

_ "I can't. He's too strong for me. Help me before it's too late."_

_ "I will, Akane. Just, please…wait, wait for me, OK?"_

_ "RAAANNMMAAA!" _the true Akane screamed inside of him, calling his name the only thing she could think of to force him to snap out of his trance. The tone of her voice was shocking enough for him to come back to reality to watch Saffron resurface and send a spike of ice towards Ranma. Ranma responded by jumping away from Saffron, creating a sphere of fire to melt the ice as he did so.

_"Damn her for teaching you the nature techniques!"_

Saffron then used Kiima's signature technique on Ranma, and the martial artist erected a thick barrier of ice in front of himself. Saffron modified the technique during half use to swap to flaming feathers rather than just sending razor sharp feathers down to the ground, quickly melting Ranma's ice defense.

When the steam that was caused by the shock of the opposite elements hitting each other dissipated, Ranma was left to stare at the nothingness in front of him. It was then he cursed his luck at losing his hearing. He tried to find Saffron using his aura reading abilities, but Saffron was not that stupid to provide an easy way to find the Phoenix Lord despite Ranma's impaired sense.

_"Damn him! Where is he?"_

On the opposite side of where Ranma stood, the Amazons argued with one another as the whirlwind created by Ranma had finally disappeared. They debated on whether or not Ranma needed their help, and if their interference would hinder their plans. They patted the dirt off their clothes as best as they could, and rearranged their garments that had been twisted or blown away by the wind at the same time they argued their points.

"But, great-grandma, Ranma needs our help!"

"No, child! We have to stick to our plan!"

Shampoo's watery eyes turned to Mousse, who was also fighting the urge to jump into battle again and help the only enemy he had actually respected in his life. He could sympathize with Ranma, and even though they did not usually see eye-to-eye, he agreed with Shampoo that Ranma needed their backup now more than ever.

"Xian-Pu is right. We can't just leave him there to die."

"If that's how it has to be, so be it. We can't save Ranma and risk the only way we have of stopping Saffron."

"So, are we just going to stand here?"

"Yes, Ranma will tire Saffron enough for us to attack him, and then our job here will be done."

"But…"

"Silence, Xian-Pu! The boy knew what he signed up for when we brought him here!"

The Amazons looked back at Ranma, as he stared at their stationary forms ahead of him. He knew that they were not here to help, but to scavenge on the winner of the battle between him and Akane. If he lost, Akane would be torn apart, limb by limb, by the Amazons. And, if he won, Akane would be dead. No matter how he saw it, the Amazons would win either way, unless he carried out his final trick on the unsuspecting Phoenix Lord.

_"Ranma, turn around!"_

Akane's true voice warned him just in time to face the incoming form of Saffron, aiming his claws at his back. The moment the pigtailed boy turned around, Lord Saffron knew that Akane had warned him, forcing him to shock Akane into submission inside his mind. The effects of the technique he had used on Ranma to take away his ability to hear would last for days, so he knew Ranma could have not possibly heard the Amazons confessing his family was alright, or the sound of his wings flapping in the air behind him. Ranma's reaction to his incoming attack had to be the result of Akane's meddling.

_ "Stop helping him, Captain!"_

_ "No! If you do anything else to him, I will make sure you stay right where you are."_

_ "Don't tempt me, Akane."_

Instead of moving out of his way as Saffron had expected Ranma to do, he jumped up in the air, twisted around his body, and then grabbed onto Akane's back. He held onto the origin of the Phoenix wings and ignoring the pain that would surely cause her, he pulled on the wings until he ripped them off her. Once in his hands, he burned the wings into ashes with the fire technique. Akane's scream was lost to his deaf ears as he surrounded her body once more with his, making sure the fall did not injure her now that she could not keep herself up in the air.

It had taken Saffron days to grow the wings it had taken Ranma seconds to remove, and he was not happy his advantage had been removed from him so quickly.

_"You're paying for that, Landling!"_

_"You're gonna have to make me!"_

_ "Do you think I don't have the power to make you do what you don't want to? How else do you think I manipulated your pathetic little family into thinking Akane was ill?"_

_ "Shut up! I told you I don't wanna hear it!"_

Before hitting the ground, Ranma flipped around his body, taking most of the hit for Akane's incapacitated body. He then twisted his body so that he was kneeling behind the blue haired girl, his arms holding down Akane's arms as they rested tightly to her sides, and his legs pressed on her bent ones to limit her movement. Akane tried to wiggle herself free from his grip, but the more she struggled, the more Ranma held onto her.

_ "Do you have any idea how long Akane suffered in silence? How long I made her ill? She kept it all to herself, trying to keep you from suffering. Isn't that sad that she had to suffer alone?"_

_ "She didn't suffer alone! You made her suffer, so she suffered because of you!"_

Saffron screamed in another attempt to free himself from Ranma, but when the effort was in vain, he tried a different approach that had worked for him in the past.

Distractions.

_"You know, she thought she was pregnant with your child for a while."_

_ "What? Don't be ridiculous! Why would she think that?"_

_ "Because she thought you two had…"_

_ "Shut. UP!"_

Ranma pushed Akane on the ground, glad that he could not hear her cry when her face hit the rocky area.

_"What is it, Saotome? Are you ashamed that I know about it? I was there when you woke up in the middle of the night after that dream. I know what you dreamt. I know because I put the dreams there for you. I was there when you began taking her, and I was the reason you couldn't finish it. It was me who jolted her to unconsciousness. It was me that made her stop before she was filled with your dirt!"_

Ranma remembered the exact moment Saffron was talking about. The memory of what would have been their first night together was still fresh in his mind.

_His suffering ended when his eyes opened and he sat up on the bed. He hyperventilated and clenched the covers within his fists. Akane, not certain if he was awake or just sleepwalking, reached over to him to place her hand on his face._

_Ranma's reflexes kicked in and he grabbed her arm before it ever reached him. He growled and glared at her, tightening the grip on her hand. She did not dare to say or do anything, afraid from his response. After a few seconds, his eyes softened and he uttered her name._

"_Yes, Ranma. It's me. You were dreaming. I'm alright."_

_Ranma loosened the grip on her arm, but did not release her. Instead, he pulled her closer and kissed her. Akane responded to his kiss, which only made his desire increase. He grabbed her with both of his arms and flipped her, so that she was under him. He pressed his body onto her, and held her in place without ever letting go of her lips._

_When he finally broke the kiss, he began placing kisses on her neck and she felt his hand move under her pajama shirt, slowly moving up to touch her breast. Akane gasped at his bold move, but did not stop him. They had made out in the past, but it was usually during commercials when watching a show, or after watching a movie at her house, on the couch._

_Seeing that she was not stopping him, his hands became more liberal as to where they explored, making her realize this was not a normal make-out session. He took turns kissing her lips, her neck, and every inch of her face. When he began unbuttoning her shirt, his intentions became very clear._

"_Ranma…"_

"_Akane, do you want me to stop?"_

_She shook her head and gave him the OK to continue. He did not miss a beat and finished removing her shirt before allowing her to remove his. He continued his kisses to her as he lifted his body and sat on the bed, pulling her with him and helped her sit on his lap, with her legs wrapped around his waist._

_He held her in place by using his right arm to support her back, and kissed her neck while his left hand pulled down one of the straps of her bra. He continued his assault on her neck and chest until the piece of lingerie fell down on the floor. He had seen Akane in less than this before, but knowing this time not only was it voluntary, but that it was also going somewhere, made him moan in pleasure. _

_Akane pushed him down onto the bed, cradling on him as she did. He let out of soft moan, which she cut short when her lips locked on his. She was returning the favor to him by taking her time exploring his exposed torso and neck, and using her hands to pull the string of his pants, allowing her to lower them just enough to graze on his manhood without making him go over the edge._

_Ranma's senses heightened at his, pulling her closer to him and stopping her one last time before there was no turning back. "Are you sure you want to do this?"_

_She stared at him, breathing as hard as he was, her cheeks flushed, and sweat beginning to form on her skin. She nodded to him, allowing him to let go of any amount of self-restraint he had left in him. He laid her down on her back before he removed any trace of clothes from him. He lay on top of her and continued exploring her body with his lips and hands. Akane arched her neck. He began his way down her body, finally reaching the last vestige of clothes she had on. Staring at her face, he slowly slid down her pants and undergarments before staring at her nude body, without shame, for the first time._

_She observed him stare at her body as if it was the first time he had seen it. She waited as he rolled his hands on her legs and hips, kissing his way up to her stomach. When he did not make any move to continue his ministrations, she took the initiative and flipped them around, sitting on him but not allowing him to enter just yet. She began rubbing herself against him, randomly bending down and kissing him._

_Ranma closed his eyes. His hands found her behind and he dug his nails in her flesh. When he could not take it anymore, he lifted himself and her, and pinned her against the wall. He placed her legs around him, allowing the space he needed to finish their dance. He searched for the entrance and readied himself to begin sliding in. Akane then gasped and push Ranma off her._

_Ranma, who had not been expecting that response, fell on the floor of his room, only to quickly recover and join her on the bed. Akane's eyes were closed and no amount of shaking woke her up. He thought she had backed down at the last minute, and was too ashamed to let him know._

_Ranma sighed, letting his frustration go. He covered them both with their blanket, and hugged her as they went to bed. The next day, he woke up to find Akane gone. He had tried to talk about it with her, but she avoided the subject, and he eventually let it go._

Ranma's grip on Saffron diminished slightly, just as the Lord had suspected it would, allowing him to break free from his grasp, elbowing Ranma in his stomach, and then turning around completely and kicking him in his chest. Ranma did not stop him and allowed his back to hit a nearby tree, sucking out the air from his lungs and then sliding down to the ground with a lost look on his face.

His head rose up to watch Saffron walking slowly towards him, smiling widely at the pigtailed boy who was beginning to show signs of downfall. Saffron knew the impact of knowing your worst enemy had been controlling your life for months without your awareness was more than just a hit to your pride; but what affected Ranma the most was to know that he had allowed it to happen for so long. For Ranma, who was someone who craved being in control and aware of everything around him, the slap in the face was too much to stomach, and his physical reaction told the Lord everything he needed to know.

_"Want to know what else I did? Do you remember that fever that almost killed her? She was trying to get rid of me. Somehow she knew I was around, and YET, she didn't tell you."_

And he did remember. It had been the night he and Akane had been charged with watching over the twins. She had cursed him to no end when he had forced her inside the furo with the cold water, acting in a way he had never seen on her.

_"Stay with me, Akane. I'll get you cool in no time," he said as he began undressing her until she was left only in her bra and panties. He carried her again and then slowly took her down to the ice water. As soon as her back felt the water, she screamed, and attempted to jump out of his arms._

_ "Akane, stop! Stop!" he pleaded with her as he used his strength to push her down into the water, leaving only her head above it. Akane began waving her arms and legs, crying in pain and asking him to let her out of the tub. Even though Ranma was hurting seeing her like this, he wanted her to get better while experiencing a little bit of pain, rather than dying for not helping her out at all._

_ "Ranma, it hurts! Stop, please!"_

_ Ranma saw tears fill her eyes, making his heart clench. Her voice, while strained, made her sound so weak and helpless, a way he had never seen her before –and he never wanted to see her again. She began regaining some of her strength as adrenaline kicked in, and pushed harder on him, almost making it out of the tub. When Ranma saw that he had to keep her there by different means, he hastily took off his own outer clothes and jumped inside with her, pinning her down between him and the bottom of the tub. _

_ The ice had begun to melt, and while her temperature had gone down, it was still not enough to help. He could not leave her to get more ice, knowing she would jump right out and probably injure herself in the process, and even if he found a way to leave her while she was still here, there was no more ice left. Feeling he was running out of choices, he turned to the only thing he could do at the time._

_ He closed his eyes, and took deep breaths, attempting to calm himself and meditate while ignoring Akane's struggling and screams. "Ranma! I hate you! Let me out!"_

_**"She doesn't mean it, Ranma," He told himself. "She doesn't mean it. She's in pain. You have to help her out."**_

_ Returning to his meditation, he slowly reached the point he needed to call on the technique they had been practicing in the morning. He was yet to attempt the ice technique, but if there was ever a chance to prove his ability as a martial artist, this definitely was it._

_ Ranma's body began absorbing the elements around him, and filtering them through his body. His arms and legs began pouring ice around him, slowly lowering the temperature of the water in the tub. As the temperature lowered, Akane's hits and screams got harder and louder._

_ "Fuck you, Ranma Saotome! Fuck __**you **__and your guts!"_

With every word she said, and every action he remembered, his determination became smaller and smaller. How was it possible for Saffron to defeat him so easily by placing the mere thought of losing her in his mind? Or, the mere thought of being_ useless_ to her? Was he truly that predictable? Would he be able to go on if she was not around? Would she be better off _without_ him?

The feeling that the last couple of years of his life had been a lie, nothing more than a manipulation of Saffron's, made Ranma feel as the greatest fool to ever set foot in these lands. And, worst of all, Akane had not trusted him enough to share with him her thoughts and fears, as silly as they would have sounded to the both of them back then.

Saffron's steps had now taken him to stand in front of Ranma. He looked at him up and down as the Lord admired his handiwork. Whether Ranma wanted to accept it or not, he was led by his heart, and not by his head. And, when it came to Akane, his heart's pain was all that was needed to make him lose all his strength. What good was he to her? He was just a stupid, blind –and now deaf, man with an incredible amount of brute strength. He was no better than Saffron, and Saffron's actions just proved to him that there was some logic to the Lord's madness, after all.

_ "She did so many things for you…and you couldn't do anything for her. If only she were here to tell you how much of a failure you have been," _The Lord continued his taunting, not feeling completely convinced that Ranma had suffered enough.

_ "Akane…"_ Ranma knew that the voice he heard was not hers, even if it sounded just like it. However, hearing her recriminations that he himself believed made him feel as if the carrying out of his plan and surviving it served no true goal. Had he truly been useless to her? Was his worst fear of being nothing but an obstacle to her happiness actually true?

_ "Ranma…I love Saffron. Please, just stop this. I love him, not you."_

Ranma lowered his head in defeat. There was no getting through Akane without using the technique he had learned last night. There was no getting her back to him; there was only getting her back.

_ "Watch, Ranma. Open your eyes and see that Saffron and I were in love until you got in the way. He made me happy, happier than I could ever be with you."_

Ranma's head was filled with images of Saffron and Akane, as the Captain, spending nights watching the stars from the Lord's balcony. He saw the two of them sharing kisses and caresses that he thought she had given only to him, and it tore his heart in two. Akane's face was one of happiness and delight, and it seemed to him that she had smiled much more when she was oblivious to the tiring life she had carried on in Nerima when she had met him. Was this truly the best for everyone? Was it better for her if he just…died?

The Amazons walked closer to them, wondering why neither of them spoke or moved. Saffron had the upper hand and could end Ranma's life in an instant, but he just stood there, relishing in the scene of a broken man. Ranma, on the other hand, stared at Akane's face with tears in his eyes. He had never felt so vulnerable in his entire life, and his entire reason for being was being shattered in front of him.

_"Is this what you want, Akane?"_

_"I want you out of my life, Ranma Saotome."_

As much as Ranma wanted to believe that Akane was not the one uttering these words, he was too tired and too wounded to care. The strongest physical hit he could ever withstand would not hold a candle to the emotional aching sustained by hearing Akane reject him and wanting him to disappear from her life. He continued looking up at her as he slowly stood up from the ground, leaning his back against the tree for support. He wiped his sweat and tears from his face with his sleeves, as he regained composure in preparation for his final attack.

_ "You know, I'd do anything to keep her with me, too, just like you have." _Ranma addressed Saffron now, hoping Akane's voice would stop referring to her as his former fiancée and opt to speak as the monster that resided within her by force.

_ "He has not done anything wrong, Ranma. I'm staying with him because that's what I want."_

Ranma remained silent; staring at the woman he had given his heart to a long time ago, hoping for Saffron to come back to the surface once more so that he would deal with him, and not speak to the broken version of Akane that Saffron played.

"_No, that's not what you want, Akane. You and I, we are meant to be together, remember?"_

_ "No, Ranma. Saffron is the only one for me."_

Ranma shook his head, walking closer to Akane, daring to place his hands on her arms, bringing out the first inch of the weapons he held in his sleeves. The movement was not lost to the eyes of Koruma and Cologne, as they stared at each other with wide eyes.

"The sutras! He has them!"

"What sutras, Cologne?" Mousse asked as he shared the same blank look with Shampoo.

"He's going to…" Koruma's sentence was interrupted by Cologne's command to Koruma to stop Ranma from making the last mistake of his life, but her command came in too late.

Saffron wanted nothing more than to push Ranma away from him, but for some reason he was unable to do so. Ranma watched as Akane's eyes changed from gold to her natural hazel brown that he loved so much. He could feel her battle aura diminishing, giving him the opening he needed to strike.

_ "Don't tell me you forgot about us, Akane? We're meant to end up together, in life or death. Just like…"_

_"Romeo and Juliet,"_ Akane finished for him.

"_Ranma…" _Akane thought to herself before her eyes turned gold again, shocking Ranma for an instant, and preventing him from doing anything to stop the attack.

And, at such close distance, Ranma felt the full impact of Saffron's hit. Ranma felt his chest compress, making it difficult for him to breathe. He had felt this pain once before, when his father had been teaching him how to swim and he had almost drowned. The feeling of lack of oxygen and a liquid replacing the space in your lungs that was meant to hold nothing but air was a sensation he had not wanted to feel ever again, but here he was.

"A-Aka-n-n-ne…" he uttered aloud as he looked down to see Akane's hand between them.

Or, to be specific, Akane's hand in the shape of the metal blade Satoshi had used on him before.

The same blade that had taken Satoshi's head off his neck.

The same blade that was now crossing from Ranma's front to Ranma's back, right through his chest.

_ "Why, Akane?"_

The Amazons were stoned shocked into place. The sudden use of force made everyone stop in their tracks, including the eager Phoenix member that had been heading to the Lord to assist the pigtailed boy. The blade that stuck out from Ranma's back was long and thick, and dripping in blood; Ranma's blood.

The common denominator of his life, so it seemed, once more.

Shampoo and Mouse tried running towards him, but Cologne stopped them, knowing attacking the Phoenix Lord right now was not what needed to be done and could cause more harm than good. She in turn looked back at Koruma, nodding to him to let her know she was ready for his part, and both understanding that their original plan had to be slightly modified.

Saffron smiled widely at his victory, relishing in the pain that filled Ranma's soul. Akane screamed inside his head, pleading him to stop, begging him to spare his life.

_"He asked for it, Captain. This was his doing, not mine."_

_"NOOO! RRAANNMAA! PLEASE, DON'T TAKE HIM! OH, KAMI! STOP!"_

Saffron knew that the only thing keeping Ranma alive longer than he should have was the fact that the blade was preventing him from rapidly bleeding to death. The moment the blade was removed from his body, Ranma's minutes would be numbered. He wanted nothing more than to end his enemy right now, but seeing the look on his face was too priceless to not enjoy for just a moment longer.

Saffron lifted the blade ever so slightly so that it was at a smaller angle if viewed from the side, thus lifting Ranma from the ground and making his body slide closer to Akane's, widening the size of the wound. Ranma flinched and coughed out blood as he felt the blade readjust inside him, but he did not make any attempt at stopping the pain it caused.

_"Tell me, Saffron. What angers you the most? The fact that even though you you had her, she still loved me, all this time? Or that she was never yours from the start?"_

Saffron narrowed his eyes at him, twisting the blade inside of Ranma as his first response.

_"Why don't __**you**__ tell me what angers you the most, Saotome? That you never saw it coming, or that all this time being her lover, it was me __**inside**__ of her instead of you?"_

_"Fuck…you."_

Saffron lifted the blade even more so that it almost achieved a 90º angle, causing Ranma to slide even closer to Akane's face. Ranma slowly, and with quite an amount of struggle, lifted his arms once more and cupped Akane's face with his hands. The sutras slid down from his sleeves and attached themselves to Akane's neck, causing Saffron to freeze on the spot.

"What the hell are you doing to me?" he yelled as he felt the same paralyzing feeling he had felt years ago.

_"It can't be…you're aren't even a…how did you?"_

Ranma closed his eyes, ignoring the pain as he concentrated his energy in the spell he had learned last night. The irony was not lost to him as he remembered the exact memory that had given him the idea for this plan.

_After all these thoughts put his mind at ease, he leaned closer to her and grabbed her hands in his. She lifted them to his lips and kissed one hand, and then other. He then pulled her hands to his chest, and stared at her with a small smile._

"_I just…have one question."_

"_What is it?"_

"_Did you really have to __**kiss**__ the guy?"_

Akane graced him with her frown, head tilt and repetitive blinking. She then shook head and a light chuckle escaped her mouth. "From everything I just said, _**that **__is the only thing you can ask about?"_

_Ranma shrugged, joining in the laughter. "Well! What did you expect? That's a good way to go, if you ask me. If, for whatever reason, we have to end the other's lives, let's do it that way, with a kiss, uh?"_

_Akane pushed him away and stood up, not wanting to partake in the silly conversation, but doing so anyway._

"_Do you really want __**me **__to kiss you before I kill you? Did you not just hear what happened to the __**last**__ guy I kissed in battle?"_

"N-NO! Not again!" Saffron cried out loud, sending the Amazons into action. Their actions, however, were too late to stop Ranma from using his last resort. The last resort he had been planning to use if only to weaken Saffron enough so that the Amazons could dispose of the Lord and Ranma's body.

"_Noroi Seishin Bodi Inai Ki Rinku," _the pigtailed boy recited in his head, setting off the technique that was not appropriate for him to use; the technique that had started this mess. The Amazons watched in awe as Saffron and Ranma were enveloped in a blinding light, which caused them to miss the moment Ranma bent down and placed his lips on Akane's, effectively creating a bridge between her body and his. While the shining light lasted for only a few seconds, it felt as if lifetimes had passed by for Ranma, Saffron and Akane.

Once the light disappeared, the Amazons were left with a ghastly scene. Before anything else could be said or done, the Amazons sped down to Ranma and Akane, mentally reciting their own tasks and hoping against hope that their clashing ideas had not caused more damage than they had thought. With one last glance at Akane, Ranma eyes lost their shine and his body shut down, knowing an entire new battle was waiting for him on his way to the other side.

* * *

**A/N:** WOOT WOOT! One more chapter to go! How many of you were shocked when Akane T-1000ed Ranma like that? Ready for the conclusion? Click the button!


	11. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10  
**

Akane felt a sudden jolt of electricity of unknown origin encompassing her, simultaneously giving her strength and incapacitating her. It was a similar feeling to what she had experienced when Ranma had used the modified electricity technique on her to bring her back to life almost a year ago. However, as familiar as the sensation was to her, it was also somewhat different than before. This jolt was accompanied by a tingling sensation in her limbs, and a dizziness and disorientation she had only experienced when standing up too fast after one had been sitting down for too long.

"_Where am I?"_

The darkness that had been surrounding her for months had suddenly disappeared, and it was now replaced with a bright light that made her close her eyes shut for protection. When she was finally able to open her eyes again, she had to blink several times to adjust her pupils to the array of shapes and colors that surrounded her. She wet her lips with her tongue, suddenly feeling as if her mouth was dry as a bone. She continued to blink as the distorted-looking images began taking form, and slowly but surely her other senses began waking up from their long hibernation.

She lightly shook her head as her eardrums started to do their work, slowly coming back to life as a machine that had not been used in a while and needed a moment to warm up. The sounds that her ears were receiving were scrambled, leaving their true messages unclear to her. With a couple more blinks, the figure closest to her began taking a more definite form, forcing her to narrow her eyes at it to get a better view.

The red color of the cloth in front of her tugged at a faint memory in her mind, and this faint recollection only reinforced itself when her eyes recognized the dark colored _pants_ that complemented the outfit, invoking a single and familiar phrase in her mind.

_"You're so uncute!"_

"…hear…go…"

Her ears picked up the sound of someone's scream coming from somewhere around her, but the entire sentence was not immediately making sense to her. She could hear other words said in the long sentence, but they were not being interpreted in an order she could follow.

"…me…go…"

Akane's eyes caught a sudden move, making them stare upward, locking themselves on a particular item of interest that dangled in front of her face. The rich dark color and the intertwined pattern slowly took shape and form, pushing her brain to work as fast as it could in her state of mind to categorize the item and give it a name.

_"Pigtail…"_

"…Akane…go…"

_"Go where?"_

Another blink focused her vision even further, allowing the face that was inches away from hers to become defined, adding yet another known variable to the equation forming in her mind. Even if the eyelids were shut, the deep blue color that was held behind the skin-made curtains was extremely well known to her.

"Ranma?" she finally uttered, her throat feeling scratchy as if it had not been used in days, causing her to cough some moisture into it.

"…let…go…"

The direction of the sound was clearer for her now, making her head turn to her left side to see Cologne, Koruma, Mousse and Shampoo approaching her at a fast pace, all looking in disarray and concerned.

_"What are __**they**__ doing in Nerima?"_

A small drop fell onto Akane's forehead, forcing her to look away from the incoming forms. The liquid slid down her face and set on the tip of her nose, causing an unbearable itch to emerge. Her brain ordered her right hand to wipe it off so it would stop tickling, but her right hand seemed to send back a response that it was occupied at the moment.

She thus used her left hand to wipe off the annoying liquid, but on closer examination it was not clear-looking as she had expected it to be.

It was red.

And it was not water.

It was blood.

"What the…?"

And then it hit her as she gasped and closed her eyes.

"RANMA!"

The shock of the multiple images and sounds coming back to her made her take a step back, unconsciously pulling back the blade from Ranma's chest, removing the one thing that was keeping him hanging in the air, and the flow of blood to a minimum. The thud of his body as it hit the ground in front of her brought her back to reality to see her fiancée lying on the ground, face up, eyes open wide and unblinking, and his torn clothes quickly filling with blood.

"No…"

She bent down and held Ranma's head in her lap, shaking him and begging him to react. The color was quickly being drained from his skin, and the peaceful look on his face was a sick joke to the mutilated state of his body. Akane's eyes immediately filled with tears, sobbing loudly as she examined his chest to find the wound she knew she had caused him. Her hands became drenched in blood as she pressed on the wound, trying to stop the flow of blood, but it was useless. Whatever drainage she was able to cover from the front was simply pressed down to come out of his back, as the wound had traveled right through him.

"Ranma…you…you _fucking_ idiot! Why did you have to go and do that?"

"Akane, move aside," the elder asked of the Tendo girl as soon as they arrived to the spot. Cologne's voice was not as shaken-sounding as Akane's, but she was still as scared as the young girl.

"NO! He…he's..."

"Move or he'll die!"

Akane raised her head to watch the demanding eyes of the leader of the Amazons. Akane reluctantly let go of Ranma's body, not knowing what else she could do for him now, and carefully placed his head back on the ground. She took a step back and held back sobs as she watched the Amazons spring into action to do who-knew-what.

"We don't have much time, Koruma, are you ready?"

The Phoenix nodded, sitting on the ground next to Ranma's head. He held the martial artist's neck in his hands with a delicate touch one would use to hold a porcelain cup. The Phoenix then closed his eyes at the same time Cologne took out sacred parchments from her robes and attached them to Ranma's body.

"Saffron will be weak for only a few moments; we've got to make this quick. Shampoo, Mousse, hold him down!"

The Amazons did as told, wondering what in the world was happening, and why holding down an almost dead Ranma was of any use. In a matter of seconds, however, Ranma's body began glowing yellow as his and Koruma's aura began to fuse.

xxxXXXxxx

Ranma opened his eyes and exhaled deeply. The floor underneath him was not very comfortable and his back complained about it, but it served its purpose of allowing him to take a quick nap. He yawned loudly as he stood up, stretching his arms high above his head. It was then that he felt something hit him on his already aching back, sending him crashing down to the floor.

"What the hell?"

He turned around and watched Saffron's full adult form kneeling on the ground where Ranma had just stood up from, taking deep breaths as if the effort of pushing Ranma had been too great for him to withstand.

"You…_filthy_…landling…how _dare_ you!"

"Saffron? How did you…oh…_shit_!" Ranma said as the realization of where he was and what was occurring dawned on him. He took a step back and raised his fists in front of himself ready to attack, his brain working in overdrive.

"Ah! It seems my trick worked, uh? How does it feel to be fucked over, _twice_?"

"Shut up!"

Ranma chuckled. "Isn't that what I was telling you to do just moments ago? Oh, man, payback's a bitch. You're on _my_ turf now!"

Saffron slowly stood up, having a difficult time regaining his balance. The extraction from Akane's body had been terribly sloppy in execution, but it had nonetheless effectively pulled his soul from Akane's body. The careless enactment, however, had weakened him even more than the first time the oblivion technique had been used on him by Akane. He cursed the pigtailed boy's audacity with every inch if his now disconnected soul.

"This may be_ your_ mind, Saotome. But I still have the advantage of knowing how it works."

"Really?" Ranma asked, feeling a sense of empowerment at having Saffron at his mercy and disposal. While he understood that the reason that Saffron and he were now trapped in his mind was due to him being on the verge of death, and that he would not see Akane ever again other than in his thoughts, the fact that he had accomplished the goal of liberating her from the monster inside her was enough for him to feel relief and happiness.

"So, I guess you've seen this before, uh?"

_They remained standing in each other's arms for a while. Afraid to break the mood, Ranma began humming a nameless song and slowly began swaying his hips, attempting to entice her to do the same. She smiled as she followed his lead and danced to a random tune orchestrated by him, never letting go of him as she did. After a while, she finally pushed herself away from him and cupped his face in her hands. "Mr. Saotome, if I didn't know any better, I'd think you are trying to seduce me."_

_ Ranma scratched his nose. "Now, what would give you that idea?"_

Saffron snarled at the image, but remained silent, holding onto his left shoulder, which had suddenly began to hurt for an unknown reason.

"Or, how about this?"

_"I swear Ranma," she said between laughs. "I thought you really didn't want to come see me at the hospital. Everyone, and I mean EVERYONE had come to sign my cast, except you!"_

_ Ranma laughed along with her, remembering the situation. Gosunkugi had been taking pictures of her while in P.E. class, and Ranma had somehow aided him in distracting Akane enough to cause her to fall and injure her leg. He had tried to visit her many times, but his mind played all these crazy scenarios that made him stay away._

_ "Well, by the time I did see you, I had __**somehow **__signed your cast. I don't recall doing that before. How did my signature get there, uh?"_

_ Akane blushed lightly. "Come on, Ranma! I was upset!"_

_ "Oh, I remember that! If it hadn't been for you covering my eyes, the entire population of Nerima wouldn't have run all over me!"_

_ "I said I was sorry, already!"_

_ "I know, babe. Just messing with ya."_

_ Akane blushed, this time harder, as she realized the nickname he had used for her. He finished cleaning up after themselves before stretching out and resting his head on her lap. Akane shifted positions so that he was a little bit more comfortable before running her fingers through his hair._

_ "I can get used to this," he said, closing his eyes._

_ "I think I could, too."_

"What are you attempting to do? Show me the little pathetic moments you two had together? I'm not as childish as you, Saotome. Seeing these does NOT affect me!"

"Unfortunately for you, I'm a _slow learner,_ Saffron. Let's try this again, OK?"

_Akane and Ranma lay on the couch of the Tendo residence after their long day. The only light in the room came from the moonlight outside filtering through the thin parchment on the doors to the garden. The cool breeze made them hold onto each other even tighter as their bodies sought the warmth of the other, but neither wanted to get up from their spot. After the long celebration of Ranma's manhood returning, and the future joining of the schools, the Tendo family had decided to leave the two love birds alone and had left only a couple of hours ago, claiming they would continue the party at the Saotome's residence._

_ Akane and Ranma knew exactly what the family was doing, but at this point they did not care if the family thought the two youngsters were getting it on in Akane's room. All that mattered to them was that they were together again, after almost a year of Ranma living as a woman and praying to see Akane one more time._

_ Akane rested her head on his chest, partially lying on top of him. His left arm surrounded her shoulders, keeping her from sliding down the couch and falling on the floor. His mind kept replaying the sensation of her lips on his back at their encounter in Tofu's clinic, and every time the memory came back to him, he smiled like a complete fool._

_ "Why do you keep smiling, Ranma?"_

_ Ranma looked down at her. She was smiling as wide as he was, so he knew she did not need an actual response. She slid up her body so that she now lay completely on top of him, obtaining better purchase of him by resting her legs on either side of him as she sat on his stomach._

_ She stared down at his face, alternating between using the back of her hands and her fingertips to trace his face and neck, sending shivers down his spine with her playful contact. He unconsciously closed his eyes to enjoy her delicate touch, taking in every second of it and loving all the wonderful sensations she made him feel. When she stopped her caressing, he opened her eyes to watch hers staring down at him intently._

_ "I missed you so much, Ranma."_

_ Ranma grabbed her hands in his, bringing them closer to his lips and placing small kisses on them._

_ "I missed you, too, Akane. I thought I'd never see you again."_

_ "I know. I was scared about that, too, but I had to take care of some things before I came back."_

_ "Like, Saffron?"_

_ Akane nodded. "Yes, like Saffron. I didn't want to kill him, but…he left me no choice."_

_ "I'm sure he didn't. I know he didn't leave me one when I killed his ass."_

_ Akane shook her head. She grabbed Ranma's hands in hers, kissing every inch of them as he just had, and stopping only in between her words. _

"_It's not the same, Ranma. I actually respected the guy for a while. I even thought I loved him."_

_ Ranma frowned, not at all liking the fact that Akane could have loved another man. Akane noticed his distress, and eased it by leaning down and kissing him deeply on his lips. Ranma immediately responded to her, keeping her in place by holding on tighter by her hands. After a few moments, the kiss ended, and she straightened her back again while remaining on him._

_ "So, did you or did you not love him?"_

_ Akane shrugged. "I said I thought I did. Now that it's over, I know I didn't. I just felt comfortable confiding in him because we were both so lonely in China. I didn't remember most of my past, and he had no past to remember. I thought what I felt for him was love, but in fact it had been pity for the life he had to live."_

_ Ranma's eyes widened at her confession. "Pity? You pitied that spoiled brat?"_

_ "Well, yeah! He…he doesn't…__**didn't **__have anybody, Ranma. Do you remember how it was with you before you came here? You only had your dad, and he kept trading you for food. Didn't you feel lonely sometimes, moving from place to place all the time?"_

_ The look in Ranma's eyes denoted he agreed with Akane's statement. He had felt alone sometimes, even with his father close by. His father was not a man of affection unless it came with the prize of saving his own behind, and now that Ranma was an adult, he regretted not having the normal childhood most of the people around him had have._

_ "I guess, but…he's a fucking demigod. How lonely can he really get?"_

_ "Very. I saw it with my own eyes. He is…was," she kept correcting herself, "Nothing more than a method to keep the tribe alive. Everyone worshiped him because their existence depended on him; but, no one truly gave a damn about him, in the end."_

_ "Well, it worked well for you since they turned on him very easily when they had the chance."_

_ Akane chuckled. "They turned on him because I made him mad."_

_ "You? __**You**__ made __**him**__ mad?"_

_ "I did! He wanted us to get married, and have kids and…all that jazz. But the council wouldn't let him. Then, when he found out the truth about me and you…he…just lost it."_

_ "Akane, are you trying to tell me that you actually feel bad for killing him or that you loved him more than you love me?"_

_ Akane rolled her eyes at him. "He was a bastard to me in the end, but I understand why he acted the way he did. How would you react if after falling in love with me, you find out I'm not who you thought I was, and to top it off, I actually love someone else? Someone who happened to kick your ass and killed you at some point?"_

_ Ranma lifted his upper body, grabbing onto Akane and flipping her over so that she now lay flat on her back instead of him. Ranma rested most of his weight on his left arm that was leaning against the back of the couch, and used his free hand to move Akane's hair from her face._

_ "I don't know how you do it, Akane."_

_ "Do, what?"_

_ "Care for the people that hurt you. Shampoo, Saffron…me…"_

_ "People hurt other people because of love, Ranma. Shampoo hurt me because she loved you. Saffron hurt me because he wanted me to love him, and you…"_

_ "I hurt you because I'm an idiot. An idiot that'd been too blind to see the wonderful woman I had by my side."_

_ Akane's cheeks flushed. Even though Ranma had been nice to her in the past and even complimented her a few times, he himself was surprised at how easily the words were coming to him. He figured the fear that had accumulated in his heart for the past year after her fight with Saffron had opened up a door that he thought would remain shut forever._

_ "Are you fishing for compliments, Ranma?"_

_ Ranma shook his head, leaning down and kissing her once more._

_ "I'm just lucky to have found you, and even luckier that you'd want to come back to me."_

_ "I told you I would, didn't I?"_

_ "You did. But, Akane. I don't want you to suffer for Saffron. He doesn't deserve your pity; he doesn't deserve you."_

_ "I know, but if only I could have done something more for him, maybe he would have been happier than he had been in all his past lives, and maybe he would have not resorted to…well, you know. It's sad that he will never learn the true meaning of love."_

_ "Well, why don't you redeem yourself by teaching me?"_

_ Akane snorted. "I'm a lousy teacher…I killed my last student."_

_ "It's alright. I'm a lousy student…I can handle a lousy teacher. You're just gonna have to show me over and over again."_

_ Akane giggled before Ranma pressed his lips on her once more, spending their last awake moments of that night showering each other with words of love._

Ranma smirked at seeing Saffron's angry face. The Lord could claim he did not care about anything that had occurred between the pigtailed boy and the tomboy, but the truth was that he had locked up all of her memories of them to prevent his heart from breaking in two. The fact that Akane pitied him was too much for the proud Phoenix leader to deal with. He was not one to be pitied; he was one to be loved and worshiped by all.

"This vision thing ain't too much fun when it's done to ya, uh?"

Saffron had no words other than a loud scream as he ran towards Ranma, pushing him to the floor and clawing at his chest. Ranma tried to push the Phoenix off him but the rage that had overcome Saffron had giving him a boost of energy he should have not had so soon after being dragged out of Akane's body.

"You lowlife human! You dare to pity me? What about you? What about the fact that you've hurt her too!"

Ranma's aura spiked, forcing Saffron off him and sending him to the ground away from Ranma's recovering form. He stood up, breathing hard, wondering why he was suddenly feeling tired while Saffron looked full of life. The man in question stood up again, flying towards Ranma as they danced together to the nameless tune of fast kicks, punches and blocks.

xxxXXXxxx

"What…what are you doing?" Akane asked as she peeked over to watch the elder work on her fiancée. Only a few seconds had transpired since she had taken the blade out of his body, but the pool of blood underneath him was growing at an exponential rate.

"Ranma's stupidity altered our plans. If we didn't have enough time before, we don't have it now."

"What are you talking about?"

Cologne opened her mouth to retort but the conversation was stopped when Ranma's back arched up for an instant before sending his body crashing down to the ground again, in an eerily similar fashion to Akane when she had laid on the cold table a year ago. The action repeated itself several times, and every time it happened, it was synchronized with a spike of Koruma's aura.

"What are you DOING to him, dammit?!" Akane asked, ready to start punching people's faces if she did not get any straight answers.

"What Koruma was supposed to do for us."

"What?"

"Remove Saffron from your body."

"You mean…"

"Yes, Ranma just performed the same technique you used on Saffron before, but since he is not trained and had to use the sutras, he cannot expel the soul, only keep it inside of his."

"But…but you didn't _tell_ Ranma that could be done! If he knew he wouldn't have…oh, Kami! You set him up!"

"No, we didn't. We couldn't tell him because we didn't want Saffron to know we knew how to cure you! You know that he was keeping an eye on you and him. He thought he was the only one with knowledge of the technique, but he failed to realize Koruma knew it. He has royal blood running through his veins, after all."

"But…How? I didn't know Koruma…why was he a servant?"

"Saffron outranked him. The last time there was a battle for the throne between the two most powerful Phoenix families Koruma's family lost. Their punishment was to remain low-ranked soldiers for the rest of their lives."

Akane stared at Koruma, finally dawning on her why he had been able to learn the spells she had taught him and Masara much faster than his counterpart. She had believed that Koruma was just a fast learner, but the royal tie he carried with him allowed him to have a natural tendency to manipulate Phoenix magic easier than other members of the tribe.

"What about Ranma? Can you save him?"

"We can try to take Saffron's soul out of his body, but…the wound is very grave, to say the least."

Akane flinched at the comment. The wound was grave indeed. It was a deadly wound; a deadly blow that had come by her hand, regardless of Saffron's control over her.

"How far are we from a hospital?"

"Too far."

Ranma's back arched again, causing the wound to be agitated and increase the rate at which he was bleeding.

"Are you sure Saffron is inside of him right now?" She asked, wanting to know if aggravating the wound with whatever spell they were doing was worth the risk.

Cologne nodded. "Yes, they're probably battling for control as we speak, though it won't do much good for either of them if the host body doesn't survive."

"This should've never happened! He did this because he thought there was no choice and because our families are dead!"

"They're not."

"W-what?"

"They're not _dead_. We've been taking them with us here to China. Koruma pretended to work with Satoshi, and we manipulated Satoshi's memories by using Shampoo's Shiatsu technique. Everything Satoshi thought he had done was a lie, well, almost everything."

"I…I can't believe you kept this from us…I mean, yes, Saffron would have found out but…God! Wait, I…I killed Satoshi! I burned down a kid's home! I told Ranma I didn't want to marry him! And…I…" Akane mumbled the last part to herself as the memory came back to her. She stared at her hands that were covered in Ranma's blood. Even if she washed the stench with chlorine, the mark of death would remain with her for the rest of her life. She had now killed three men: Saffron, Satoshi, and the man she loved.

Akane bent down and sat between Mousse and Koruma, slightly at an angle from Ranma's chest. She placed her hands on his wound, feeling as the gush of blood covered her slim hands in even more of the red substance than she thought she could stomach. She looked up at Cologne with tears in her eyes, feeling Ranma had no pulse, and that his usually warm body was nothing but a block of ice.

"If…if I can give him some time, and Koruma can take Saffron out…will he live?"

Cologne swallowed hard. Koruma was almost done with his technique, and then the second part of her job would be up. However, Ranma's body was more dead than alive at this point, and even if Saffron was expelled, with no medical aid or equipment around, she doubted Ranma would make it out alive.

"We'll do what we can for his soul…but, it's up to you to heal his body."

Akane nodded, calling onto every weapon she had in her Phoenix-background arsenal. She closed her eyes and concentrated on her task. Ranma had just given up his life for her, and this was something she had promised herself he would never, _ever_ have to do for her again. It was her turn to make things right.

xxxXXXxxx

"I don't understand, Saffron! Why do you insist on killing me? What the fuck is your problem?"

Ranma narrowly missed Saffron's talon from scratching his eye, and had scratched his cheek instead. Even though any seemingly physical damage either of them was receiving was major, the actual combat they were fighting now was truly nothing more than a battle of their souls; each wanting to gain full control of the host body. When Saffron had taken over Akane's body after her encounter with death at the hospital, he had had plenty of time to prepare for the incantation, and had been able to weaken her body and soul to the point that taking over was an easy deed.

This time, however, Saffron had not been prepared to be transferred to another body, and Ranma had not yet given him the chance to carry out the takeover spell. Ranma was much more aware of his surroundings than the unsuspecting Akane had been as she lay on the OR's table, and Ranma's limited knowledge of Phoenix dark magic was proving useful in deterring the intents of the angry Lord.

"You'd never understand, Landling! You, a common ranked human, have it all! And I, a GOD, have to scrounge for what you leave behind!"

"Scrounge? Scrounge, my ass! You STOLE! _STOLE_ what is mine!"

"SHE WAS NEVER YOURS!" The Lord said as his rage commanded a shower of fists with a speed faster than Ranma's Chestnut Technique to be delivered to the pigtailed boy. Ranma felt the impact of each punch as if each one was packed in a dense shield of metal surrounded by sharp glass. By the time the rage buildup had stopped, Ranma's skin was covered in cuts and bruises that stung with the slightest move.

"Of course she wasn't mine because I claimed her to be. She was…IS, mine because she wanted to be."

"Words! Excuses! You just showed to me that you truly don't comprehend the true motivation behind my actions, you fool."

"What exactly is it that you think I don't get? You think I don't understand how you feel about her? That I don't understand the lengths you will go to keep her by your side? Believe me, Saffron. I do understand. Why else do you think I'm here?"

The Lord stared at Ranma as they both took deep breaths to regain some energy that had been quickly spent with their fighting, each soul still clinging onto about the same amount of power on the dying body of the pigtailed boy. They both knew that neither of them could go on for much longer, and they both questioned the random spikes of energy and tiredness that had ailed them both since they arrived. Neither of them were aware of the work that was being done on the outside, directly impacting their energy levels as a result of the mingling aura's and souls.

Saffron's mind told him that the man standing in front of him had no opportunity to truly understand him; to know, first-hand, what it was to find that special someone that made you whole. Yes, Ranma loved Akane as much as Saffron loved her, but he was just a human, and this was what humans did. They masqueraded their natural instinct to reproduce by calling it love, and glorified their relationships by establishing what they believed to be sacred social institutions they called marriage, family and home.

However, the Lord saw them for what they truly were: a set of strict rules to keep their activities at bay; a way to keep them from having to fight for what they believed was their right as the dominating species of the world. Pathetic, was what Saffron thought of their guidelines and rituals. They were so concerned with giving their life meaning that they never stopped to appreciate the sanctity of true love.

Even though the thought of love had once nauseating him, there was no doubt in his mind that after experiencing it for the first time he had been opened to understanding the value of protecting its existence. Akane had been the first person to ever see him for what he was, melting his carefully built barriers and warming his heart at the mere sight of her. She had given him companionship and a helping hand, and had accepted him with every strength and flaw that made him who he was.

Saffron and Akane were more similar than anyone in his reign had thought; they both were hungry for understanding, happiness and love. They both had built a wall to protect themselves from pain, rejection…_pity_, and had quickly learned to act out their pain as anger or indifference towards others. And underneath that façade of overconfidence and strength lay a small person begging for acceptance and reciprocated feelings from the person that held their heart of glass.

A heart of glass that had shattered in a million pieces when Saffron realized he had been living a lie. The Captain that had held his hand, and had pushed him to become what he truly wanted to be was just another human; another one of _them_. She was one of the species that he had grown to despise due to their weaknesses and mundane desires, and their need to waste their time and energy in tasks that gave them the bogus feeling of having meaningful roles.

And, yet, everything that made him hate human kind was what had made him fall for the girl. The fire in her soul, the passion she carried in everything she did. The easiness with which she put aside her most basic needs to fulfill the selfish desires of the ones she loved. Regardless of what anyone else would say or believe, Saffron believed she had loved him. He believed their short time together had meant to her as much as it had meant to him. There was no way someone would put in so much effort and work into making a relationship work if they were not truly invested in it.

Then again, hadn't his own progenitors done the same for the sake of keeping the crown on their side of the road? There had never been any real affection between his mother and father; it had been their duty and thirst for power that had allowed them to work so well together, as if they were one, to acquire everything they owned. Even he was not a product of love, but a necessary evil to maintain the pure blood line and guarantee that the almightiness of their power continued beyond their lifetimes through him.

Saffron, the Lord of Phoenix tribe had never truly experienced love.

So, it had been no surprise that when Akane landed at his doorstep, whether by accident or destiny, he had clung onto her as a dying soul clings to the last vestiges of his life. He had been reborn for millennia, and had more millennia available to him before he was unable to be brought back from ashes again, and in all that time he had not experienced or learned what Akane had so kindly laid out for him in such a short amount of time. What was he supposed to do when his house of cards was blown away by the reality of her origin? Was he supposed to pretend the exchange had not been life-changing and go back to his old way of being?

Absolutely not! Who, in their right mind, closes their eyes after just regaining their sight?

What kind of ungrateful soul rejects the aid of a device to improve their world?

Only a fool would; only a man who did not appreciate the greater things in life would return to being crippled again. Only a soulless, coward son-of-a-bitch would be satisfied with the natural order of things after relishing in the finer points of existence. He was neither a soulless bastard, nor a coward, and definitely not a son-of-a-bitch in the true sense of the word. He was a motherfucking demigod, and he was not going to let go of the happiness he had worked his ass off to achieve.

But, even with all his might and influence, with all his knowledge, skills and power on his side, Ranma had simply and so easily swooped right in, taking her back to a life he knew had nothing to offer her. He knew she deserved more than to be the lover of a poor man with no title or important societal role. He wanted –he demanded, that her needs and wants be met at all times, taking advantage of any available action to make her want to stay, and he doubted the life of a simpleton would be enough for her. And because of this attitude of his, he knew he and Ranma were alike; more alike than what either of them had accounted for. He knew the same motivator that drove them to walking to hell and back came from seeing the smile on the girl's face, from knowing their actions were approved by her, to being able to rest in her arms at the end of the day.

Saffron wanted to tell Ranma all these things. He wanted to show the pigtailed boy that he was not as clueless or senseless as he portrayed him to be. However, proving his worth to the man was not a priority in his book. And if neither of them made it out of the confines of the dying body of the man, he would at least take with him the satisfaction that Ranma never fully understood the reason why his life had to end.

"You want to know why I want to see to your end, Saotome?"

Ranma did not respond, but his natural curiosity was easily peaked by the offering of a reason behind Saffron's never ending hate for him. Saffron smirked, feeling his energy replenished. He took advantage of his enemy's awaiting stance to melt his body into water, traveling at incredible speed on the ground and confusing the heck out of the pigtailed boy until it was too late.

Saffron materialized himself behind the martial artist, converting his left arm into his favorite metal blade, aiming at Ranma's back. Ranma had only a second of time to react, jumping up in the air to try to avoid the hit. The miscalculation on his part cost him greatly by allowing Saffron an open space to cut off his legs from his knees down.

Ranma screamed as his body fell on the floor with no true support, immediately rolling onto his back and looking down at the mutilated limbs. The removed body parts resembled the lost control of his own body and soul. Ranma felt his energy disappearing, and the same time the feeling of losing the ability to breath he had just experienced before he had died returned to him. He laid back and took forced breaths, concentrating on keeping Akane's face in his mind.

Saffron walked closer to the downed man, staring down at him with every ounce of mockery he could muster. He wanted Ranma's last memory to be of his enemy relishing in his victory over him. He wanted Ranma to die with the feeling of defeat. Saffron smiled widely when he witnessed the pool of blood under the pigtailed boy, just as his body resembled on the outside. Ranma looked down at his chest, seeing the wound was slowly appearing, forcing him to stay in place as he slowly lost his ability and will to move.

Ranma felt his eyes lose focus but he forced them to properly function just a little while longer. He wanted to hear Saffron's reason for them to become life enemies for years to come. When Saffron remained quiet, Ranma knew the bastard was not going to give him the pleasure of knowing why all this had to happen to him, to everyone involved. His question had just been a distraction, a well thought out one, and had served its purpose of breaking the last piece of the hold he had on his soul.

But Saffron, seeming to sense what Ranma was thinking, surprised him by giving him an inadequate, overly-simplified answer.

"I guess it's because… there's just something about you that pisses me off."

Ranma chuckled lightly at first, trying not to choke on his own blood as it filled his lungs. Saffron did not understand why the man thought dying was amusing until Ranma's finger pointed at the Lord.

"What is so funny, Landling? You have a deadly wound all over you."

Ranma laughed this time, pounding his fist on the ground as he did. "That's…what's funny…you…you have it, too!"

"What?"

Saffron looked down and realized Ranma was simply pointing at Saffron's own wound; a wound that mirrored Ranma's –a wound that not been there just moments ago.

The Lord took his left hand to his chest as if the small cover would stop the leak. He felt his legs give out on him and his body began convulsing itself to the floor. The scene was ironic. Both men were on the floor, neither fully understanding what was happening, but knowing neither of them was winning this war. Ranma closed his eyes before he took his last breath, glad that his fight was finally over.

xxxXXXxxx

"Grab him!"

"AAAAHHH!" Koruma yelled as he stood from the ground, holding his head with his hands as if it would ease the pain. Shampoo and Mousse stared at the Phoenix as he screamed and thrashed, sending waves of energy toward the shocked bystanders.

"This is not how it's supposed to happen!" Cologne screamed as she tried to approach the Phoenix herself. Mousse and Shampoo stood behind the elder, not sure what Cologne expected them to do to contain the rage of the new Phoenix Lord.

Akane had her back to the scene as she was still on the ground with her hands on her fiancée's chest, attempting to heal Ranma's wound. The stress of the battle and her months in captivity had meddled with her magic, and even though she was putting all of her energy into sealing off Ranma's injury, the spell was not working as fast as she needed it to be. Yet, she had been able to restart his heart, at least.

"What's wrong with him?" Akane yelled at the Amazons over the loud noise of energy clashing in the atmosphere caused by Koruma's inability to control himself.

"Saffron is trying to control Koruma's body! He is counting on the royal ties to help him be reborn!"

"So this will make it easier for him to come back? Why the hell did you let him take his soul?!"

"We had to do it! It was supposed to be quick; it wasn't supposed to take this long!"

"Well, this is not…AH!" Akane's retort was cut short when a wave of energy hit her back, burning her skin. She refused to remove her hands from Ranma's chest, and instead used her body to shield Ranma. She could not call onto any other technique while she attempted her healing on him, or it would take away energy she knew she needed to have a chance at saving his life.

With every unleashing of energy, the Amazons were blown back farther and farther away from Koruma. Cologne was growing nervous, unsure that their adjustments to their original plan would work. Their initial action plan was to wait until Ranma had debilitated Akane before they would perform the transfer of souls. Cologne was to perform the final blow on him before the fight of souls began, but Ranma's action had thrown their plans out of whack.

Now, with Saffron's soul having been transferred to Ranma instead, the spell had to be modified and the process had been delayed too long for Koruma to be able to get a good grip on the Lord's soul.

_"I promised him,"_ Cologne reminded herself, _"I've got to keep my promise."_

_"So, you do understand why our current solution will do nothing for us?"_

_ Koruma sighed, nodded, but remained quiet._

_ "I know you know another way," Cologne began, "Why haven't you brought it up?"_

_ Koruma looked up at her, gauging how honest Cologne was being with him. Had she really found the other solution? The solution he had kept to himself for selfish reasons?_

_ "Why haven't you brought it up yourself?" He finally responded._

_ "Because, I want your support in order to execute it. I had hoped that you would've mentioned it by now, but we're running out of time, so unless you know a third solution I'm not familiar with, I have to relay it to Ranma when we finally meet with him."_

_The room was silent for an eternity. Yes, the second solution was a no-brainer, and an absolute guarantee that Saffron would not return, but at what cost? He wanted his tribe to rebuild and return to their former glory. The second solution would place a dent in their tribe's opulence plans. He knew what the right thing to do was; he had known it all along. Yet, the cost of putting what was left of his tribe in danger plagued him. Then again, his tribe was now free because of what the Captain –Akane, had done for them, had it not?_

_ The two leaders sat in silence for a very long time, each listing in their mind the pros and cons for each solution. How far would they go to stop the angered Lord? Could they afford to waste more time? They needed a definite answer, a final commonly agreed upon approach. They needed to make sure their efforts and sacrifice would not be in vain. There was no guarantee a rancorous Saffron would stop his vengeance with exterminating the Tendo and the Saotome families. What would stop him from taking other innocent lives? What would stop him from committing even more heinous crimes? The bottom line was that only Koruma and the Amazon had the power to put a stop to the Lord's plans. What would future generations think of them if they had had the means to stop him, and had chosen not to do so?_

_Koruma, tired from running around in circles only to come right back where he started, stood up and began his trek towards the door. As he neared the exit, he stopped and spoke to Cologne one last time before departing the elder's great-granddaughter's home._

_ "Cologne?"_

_ "Yes?"_

_ "If we carry out the other solution, I want you to promise me something."_

_ Cologne smirked, already knowing what he was about to ask. She knew neither solution was favorable to everyone involved, but as she had always said: You win some, you lose some. The current situation could not be a better example of such a saying. She did not wait for Koruma to make his request; she could already discern what a man in his position would demand from her._

_ "Consider it done," she finally said as he silently nodded and left the room._

"I WILL KEEP MY PROMISE!" Cologne yelled, scaring the two other Amazons next to her. Her battle aura grew bigger and wider, coming out of her body and engulfing the aura of the Phoenix. Her aura was great, greater than either of them had ever seen in their lives. Akane was not able to see it, but she could feel it behind her, and she was happy that she was not going to be on the receiving end of such a powerful soul. Cologne's eyes glowed white as she released a wave of energy that blew Shampoo and Mousse away from her, and made Koruma's body remain static on his spot.

Koruma slowly opened his eyes, and Cologne immediately knew that the last strings of control Koruma could have on his soul were disappearing. Armed with a promise to fulfill, Cologne jumped in the air, raised the tip of her ever-useful staff and aimed it at the center of Koruma's forehead.

"Bakusai…tenketsu…niku!"

_"The Breaking Point technique?" _Akane thought as she continued her efforts to save Ranma._ "What good is that going to…"_

Shampoo and Mousses gasps, followed by the sound of a splash, forced Akane to turn around to face the scene. Cologne was just now coming down from the air, landing softly on the ground. Behind her, a headless Koruma stood wobbling in place for a few seconds before it hit the ground. Cologne then walked up to the body, placing a sutra on his chest, causing the body to be turned to ashes, blown away by the wind, just as Saffron's body had once ceased to exist.

Now that Cologne was facing them, Akane could see the blood splattered on her clothes and face, surely originated from the exploding head she had just caused.

"Great-grandma! Shampoo not know Breaking Point technique hurt people. Shampoo think it just break rocks!"

"This was not just a simple Bakusai Tenketsu technique, Shampoo. This was the Bakusai Tenketsu _Niku_ technique."

"Niku? Flesh?" Mousse asked as he pieced together the goal of the technique.

"Yes, this technique is a modified version of the Breaking Point, known only by a few due to its power. I haven't used it in a while, but its effectiveness remains."

"You…you've used it on someone before?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"It doesn't matter," Cologne said, remembering that her own husband had been the victim of the technique. Her husband had betrayed the Amazon tribe, a long time ago, before Shampoo's mother was of age, and the atrocities the man had committed had earned him the punishment of death. Cologne had requested to be the one to deliver the final blow, and the technique had been taught to her in secrecy to complete her mandate.

"But, why did you…do it?"

"When Koruma took the responsibility of giving up his life to kill Saffron, he made me promise one thing in return."

"What was it?"

Cologne wiped off some of the blood from her body as she walked to see the progress of the Tendo girl on Ranma. "I promised him he wouldn't suffer."

Mousse and Shampoo stared at each other, then at the location where the body had landed before it was turned to ash. They figured that in some twisted way, disconnecting the nerves was a way to guarantee a quick death.

"So, Saffron is gone, for good?"

"Yes, he's gone."

The moment of silence the Amazons gave to Koruma's passing was broken when Akane screamed Ranma's name. The faint pulse she had been able to regain on him was now gone, and she was nowhere closer to saving him. "No, Ranma! Please, hold on!"

The Amazons surrounded the two youngsters, knowing that they had tried their best to save everyone but it seemed that in the end they had failed. They feared Ranma was beyond help, and even the mighty Cologne could not help to draw tears for the pigtailed boy.

"Akane, it's too late. There is no coming back from this one."

"No! It's not too late! Everyone thought it was too late for me, too, but he didn't give up! I'm not giving up on him either!"

"Akane, look at him!"

And look at him she did. Ranma's eyes remained open and lacked the usual spark that they always had. His slightly parted lips were dry and slowly turning purple. The blood that he had lost had begun coagulating; giving it a gross-looking gelatinous consistency that meant it was devoid of all life. Everything she saw screamed death to her, but she refused to give up on him.

"Listen, Ranma. I'm still here. I'm not giving you up. Are you with me? Please, please, please, help me help you."

Mousse bent down and tried to take Akane away from Ranma, but she did not budge.

"Get off me!"

"AKANE no be STUPID! Ranma GONE!"

"No, he's NOT gone!"

"Akane!"

The Amazons tried to get closer to her again, but she was having none of it. She held onto Ranma's head in her lap, and copied Ranma's technique of building a dome around them. In her case, however, the dome was made of steel and not ice, as she did not have the time to deal with the chatting people behind her.

"I'll save you, Ranma. I swear to you I will."

Akane tightened her grip on his cold body, shocking him with electricity to restart his heart, just as he had done for her once before.

"Come on, Ranma! Don't you want to marry me?"

"_Akane, I've been trying to tell you this since you came back from China, but something always gets in the way. So, I'm just gonna go out and say it before Satoshi decides to come back."_

_ Akane knew where this was going, and it was exactly what she was waiting to hear from him. He lifted his eyes from their intertwined hands, and stared at her brown eyes._

_ "Akane, I love you. I am truly, madly, and deeply in love with you. And…and I want you to be my wife."_

_ As he said so, one of his hands reached for his pocket, and he took out the ring, extending his arm so that the ring stood a few inches away from Akane's face. "Will you marry me?"_

She shocked him again, causing his body to shake within her arms.

"I do. I want to marry you. Why wouldn't I want to marry you, you baka? I want to be your other half."

Half.

_"Of course!"_

And then the idea came to her. Her energy was almost gone, but she knew that if she did not try this last effort, she would regret it for the rest of her life. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling only to whisper the incantation words.

_"Itai Danketsu Sa Seru."_

And the pain began. She clenched her teeth to not scream in agony as she felt the blood fill her lungs. The tearing of her skin almost left her speechless and knocked out but she remained awake. She knew his life depended on her remaining as aware as she could. Specks of blood trailed their way up her throat, making her cough loudly. The cough caused her head to hurt, but again, she remained.

"R-Ranma…come…back," she whispered, placing her open palm on his chest as she renewed her shock therapy on him. The jolts hurt her more than before as her body grew weaker by the second. The transfer of half of his injury to her as invoked by the technique was slow, but she could already feel his wound shrinking in size.

She thanked the gods –Saffron included, that had allowed her to learn the technique of transferring and sharing injury or pain from one person to the other. This had been the same technique that had saved her from the twister Saffron had enveloped her in when they fought, and it was now enveloping her with half of the pain and wound that Ranma was sporting on his own body, giving her a last sense of hope to bring him back to life.

Immediately after Akane's last shock, she thought she felt Ranma's body wiggle, but she did not want to lie to herself and gain a false expectation. Before she shocked him again, he wiggled once more confirming she had not mislabeled his action. He wiggled a third time, and this time the movement of his body was followed by a loud cough, splattering blood all over his face as he took in deep breaths to catch as much air as he could.

"Can't…breath…it…hurts…"

Akane sobbed at the sound of his voice, holding on to him as if he was suddenly going to disappear from sight. She messily kissed his forehead, praying her victory would not be short-lived.

"Ranma, hold on…I'm getting help…just, stay with me…"

"A-kane…are you…OK?"

Akane chuckled at the irony of it. Here he was lying on his deathbed and he was asking her if _she_ was alright.

"I am, Ranma. I am, and you will be too, if you just hang in there for me, OK?"

Ranma nodded slightly, feeling some of his pain disappearing as it was being transferred to Akane. "Is Saffron…?"

"Yes…he is now truly gone," she said, holding back the pain. After kissing Ranma's forehead one last time, she closed her eyes as she concentrating on the last step of her attempt to save them both. Ranma had an idea of what she was planning on doing, so he relaxed his body to allow the transfer to be as smooth as he could for her.

_ "Ryoko homu pasu."_

And the dematerialization began the instant the last word was stated. Akane held onto Ranma's decomposing body as she concentrated on traveling the far distance to the only location she could think of. She concentrated on grasping onto the man's aura, focusing on taking her and Ranma to him. It was a long shot, and she risked sending them to him at a location where he could not help them, but she had to try. There was nowhere else she could go to now, and landing in the middle of any other location –as similar as his own, would do them no good if no one in there had their history at hand.

Slowly, the steel dome began dissipating, and the Amazons thought it was due to their efforts in breaking it. However, when the dome disappeared and neither Ranma nor Akane were there, and the only evidence of their presence was the blood on the ground, the Amazons looked at each other in blatant confusion.

"Where the hell did they go?"

xxxXXXxxx

"Nurse Takahashi, can you take these papers to the patients in A102 so that they can be discharged?"

"Yes, doctor."

"And also, can you please give our patient in room B113 their second round of morphine?"

"Absolutely, doctor. Uhm, doctor, are you taking your lunch break?"

The doctor looked down at this watch and realized he had been working for ten hours straight. It was against hospital policy to work more than ten hours without a break, but it seemed the work at the hospital was never ending. His shoulders ached from all the exhaustion in his body, but he loved his job and every life he saved was worth the pain.

"I probably should, but I'll eat in my office," the doctor responded, knowing his short break would turn into a working lunch with the pile of overdue papers on his desk. In all his years in practice, he would never understand why there were so many politics involved when it came to saving lives.

"Alright, then. I'll get to these patients ASAP," the nurse said. "_And_, I will file the reports for you, too."

"Thank you," the doctor said, glad that the nurse empathized with the useless filing that came with his line of work. He opened his mouth to ask the nurse if she wanted him to pick up something to eat for her but was interrupted when he heard the commotion coming from the other side of the entry hall. Both of them turned to face the noise, and watched as other nurses and doctors ran in the direction of the entrance.

"What's going on?"

The doctor, followed closely by Takahashi, ran to witness the cause of the disturbance. His mouth hung open when he saw a bloodied young man and woman on the floor of the reception hall. The girl was holding onto the young man's upper body, looking in no better shape than he, herself. She patted the chest of the pigtailed boy to confirm his heart still beat as she looked up and stared directly at the doctor's eyes.

"Please, help him," Akane said before her eyes closed and her body fell forward on top of Ranma's unconscious one. Everyone present turned to face the doctor with a questioning look, wondering what involvement, if any, the doctor had with the couple staining the floor with their blood.

The doctor took quick steps toward the would-be patients, verifying their weak pulses were still present. Now that he was standing closer to them, he recognized the two of them as their most stubborn patients of all.

"How the hell did they get here?" the doctor asked to no one in particular, knowing no one truly knew how they had ended up on the floor. It was as if they had just appeared out of thin air, which seemed impossible. Then again, as he recalled the experience of tending to these two, he would not put it past them to accomplish the feat.

"What are you all doing just standing there! Get them to the OR! NOW!" The doctor finally ordered, causing everyone to move to get the injured couple some assistance. As the nurses and surgeons scrambled around, the doctor shook his head, wondering just what kind of trouble his former patients had gotten into. Weren't they supposed to attend the ART next weekend?

Knowing his lunch was going to be yet again delayed, the doctor dismissed the hunger he felt. His personal state had taken a back seat for now, as all his time and energy would be used in saving the fragile lives of his two favorite practitioners of martial arts.

* * *

**A/N:** Cliffy? Not really! Read the Epilogue to find out what happened! The exciting conclusion of this long story waits for you! Click…CLICK! What are you waiting for?!


	12. Epilogue

**Epilogue****  
**

Akane's eyes scanned the scenery around her from her seat at the table by the large window, taking in the recent renovation of the restaurant located in the tower of Tokyo. The feeling of déjà vu crept up to her, realizing how years ago she had admired the last renovation the management of the prestigious eatery had executed in this same location. Despite it being the same place, they had somehow given the location an entirely different look and feel.

_"I guess we just have to roll with the changes, uh?" _she thought to herself, not missing the irony of how the renovation matched her renovated life as well. She peeked outside to admire the view from her exclusive table in the restaurant. Being married to one of the most powerful men in all Japan had its advantages, and being able to walk in to the now limited membership restaurant without a reservation and get the same table she always used with no problem spoke volumes of her husband's influence in the business world.

She sometimes felt jealous of her husband's fame, knowing she could have been as persuasive as he was, if she had chosen to change her major to business rather than sticking with Physical Education and Pre-med. Yes, she was well on her way to become a renowned doctor, but no doctor she knew could just waltz inside this restaurant and expect to be tended to with no questions asked. If it had not been for her father's memory that she had honored since his passing, she would have not stayed in the Physical Education program at all.

She glanced at her watch, sighing at how late her party was, but knowing that it was his usual custom to keep her waiting. They had met here once a month, at the same time, at the same table, for the last six years to discuss the workings of the dojo, but he always arrived late even though no detail of their meeting ever changed.

_"That baka!"_

The sound of the clunking melting ice in her iced tea made her stare at it in disdain. She extended her index finger of her right hand and touched the edge of the glass, sending a wave of ice to the drink, cooling it off as she always did. The admiration of her handiwork was interrupted when the candle in the middle of the table flickered and its wick was put out by a mysterious wind.

She rolled her eyes, knowing what had just happened, already extending her index finger to produce a small flame from its tip and lighting the wick once more.

"Why do you always have to make an entrance to cover the fact that you're late, Saotome?"

Ranma smirked as he played waiter and deposited a cup of coffee and a piece of chocolate pie in front her, then repeating the motion with the other side of the table before sitting at the table with the blue-haired girl.

"Well, duh, Akane. I'm tryin' to avoid the annoyance my tardiness causes you."

"One of these days it is NOT going to work," she said as she began slowly eating her pie. Ranma chuckled before sipping a little of his coffee, and staring at his companion's left hand to stare at the damn ring he hated with all his guts.

"So, what news do you have for me, Ranma?"

"Nothing different. Satoru had nothing but great things to report about the dojo, and assured me that he is keeping up with the maintenance of the house."

Akane nodded, believing Satoru would have no reason to not do his job, before taking a bite of her pie and allowing the chocolate to melt inside. After Soun had died of a massive heart attack shortly after they returned from China, they had not known what to do with the estate. Nabiki had moved to America for good to live with her husband, Kuno, so she was unable to watch over the home. Kasumi, Ono and the now much older twins had not wanted to move out of their small home, and Akane could not find it in her heart to force them to.

Since Akane had moved to Okayama a few years ago, and Ranma had moved in to a condo in downtown Tokyo, neither of them were able to keep up with the Tendo residence either, but selling the property was not an option. They had eventually agreed to have Satoru move in to the home to run the dojo from there, and make sure the home did not deteriorate.

"Oh, Ranma. I almost forgot!" Akane said as she looked through her purse and pulled out an unsealed envelope. She handed it to Ranma who opened it and fondly stared at its contents. He thanked her and placed the envelope inside his pocket, making a mental note to deliver it to his parents whenever he visited Nerima in the next few days.

Ranma stared at Akane's left hand once more, grabbing it with his own and stroking with his thumb the wedding ring she wore.

"I really hate this ring, you know?"

"Yeah, well. It's not my problem. I love it," she said as she pulled her hand from his, knowing that if she allowed the hand-holding to go on longer, he would snatch the ring away from her as he had tried countless times before. Ranma held his chin on his upturned hand as he stared at the beautiful woman in front him, realizing the term girl did not apply to her anymore.

"Everything you do now is for_ him_, you know?"

Akane nodded, knowing how unbecoming of Ranma it was for him to show his jealousy over her new love.

"Well, I've done enough for you for now. You just have to accept that my heart now belongs to him."

Ranma narrowed his eyes, scoffed and blew out the candle once more as a sign of rebellion.

"We'll see how long that lasts; I will wait until you come back to me."

Akane rolled her eyes at him for the third time before she promptly lit up the candle again.

"Don't hold your breath."

"'Whatever," Ranma mumbled under his breath. "Do you want anything else?"

"No. I wasn't even that hungry. I had a big snack on the plane on my way here."

"When does your plane leave?"

"Tomorrow at 10 a.m."

Ranma could not help to smile broadly at learning this new piece of information. Akane shrugged at the ideas she knew were crossing his mind. "Don't even think about it Saotome. I'm not stopping at your place. I want to go see my sister, and that's where I'm spending the night."

Ranma tried to look hurt, but he failed miserably. He knew very well where she was spending the night tonight, and it was not going to be at Kasumi's.

"Kasumi and Tofu are out of town on a conference. My mom's watching the twins."

"What? You're lying."

"Would these baby-blues lie to you?" he asked in that tone that he knew made her giggle. "I sent them to the conference to represent some of my investments. I wanted to make sure the money was being used properly. So, yeah, you ain't got nowhere to go tonight, Akane."

"You're terrible, you know that? You know nothing's gonna happen, right?"

It was Ranma's turn to shrug. "Never say never."

At the lack of response from the woman, he stood up, took out his wallet, and dropped a generous yen bill on the table. He then extended his hand towards Akane to help her stand up from her seat. The movement caused him to brush over the ring once more, reminding him again of the pebble in his shoe that seemed to go with him everywhere he went with her.

"I don't understand you, Akane. There are rings much prettier than that piece of shit," he said as he offered his arm to her to hold on to on their way to the elevator. Akane accepted his invitation as she shook her head at his comment. "You know damn well why I wear it, Ranma. If I didn't, Satoshi would be disappointed."

Ranma scoffed. "He doesn't have to know you have two rings, you know? Besides, Satoshi won't be in your mind that long in a few months, and neither will I." he said as he stared down at Akane's bloated belly.

After Akane had realized Saffron had made her burn down the boy's house, she had made sure he and his family was taken care of upon their return to Nerima from China. In turn –and oblivious to Akane's reason for helping them, Satoshi's mother had offered to pay back for her help. Akane had declined, but the family had insisted to give her something for her trouble. A few days later, Satoshi had shown up at her doorstep with a ring in his hands. The ring had been passed down through generations in his family, and his mother and father had agreed to give it to Akane to use for her upcoming wedding. Akane had been unable to decline when her guilt had gotten the best of her with Satoshi's heartfelt request for her to keep the family heirloom.

"Why do you complain, Ranma?" Akane said as she placed a hand on her belly. "You're gonna forget all about me when he is old enough to train with you."

Ranma shrugged and opened his mouth to retort, but their path to the elevator was interrupted by a voice.

"Mr. Saotome! Mrs. Saotome! Your coat! You forgot her coat!"

The couple stopped their trek and turned around to face the nervous waiter holding Akane's garment in his hands. Ranma thanked the young man before grabbing the cloth from him and carefully placing it over Akane's shoulders. Akane gave him a warm smile as they finally made it to the elevator and Ranma pressed the button to head down. When the doors closed, he turned around to the love of his life and placed his hands over her belly. Akane watched her husband in awe, wondering if his jealousy over her attention drifting to their son was just an act.

"Come on, Akane! I'd rather his dad show him the ropes of the world than his grandpa doing so, don't you?"

Akane smiled, knowing that even if Ranma and their son bonded and did not include her in the process, she would not have wanted anyone else watching over their child other than her husband himself.

"You got that right. Uncle Genma would take him away for 10 years and come back with him turned into a llama."

Ranma shuddered at the thought, knowing his father would probably take his kid to another cursed training ground and ruin his son's life. "Besides," he began, abandoning his belly rubbing to hug his wife. "I'll always have things to do, but, at the end of the day, I'll always come back to you."

"I know, Ranma. I know."

And she did know it to be true, especially now that she still had a year to go until her medical residency in Okayama ended before she could return to Tokyo to live with Ranma again, and they had somehow managed to keep their marriage afloat. Akane smiled lovingly at the man she would spend the rest of her life with before leaning forward and meeting his lips halfway on their way to hers.

"I love you, Akane," he said in between kisses.

"And I love you."

By the time the elevator reached the ground floor, a man was already waiting for the couple by the entrance to drive the CEO of Saotome Enterprises and his beautiful wife to their home.

* * *

**A/N:** Oscar. Mike. Golf. Is this really over?! I think it is! This chapter brings me closer to wrapping up my extended stay in , and with my business launching soon, I think I will be away for a loooong time. I hope, however, that you and future readers enjoyed/enjoy the exciting life our couple had, and will have in years to come. It has been great writing them, and seeing you stick with them through their ups and downs. Thank you, thank you, thank YOU! I can't say it enough. And also, a big thanks to my husband, my beta, who had to set aside his Teen Tyrant handle here in to proofread my stories. I wish you all the best, and stay in touch Goodbye!


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