For those of you who remember my first fanfic, "Honor Lost", this is sort of
a sequel. If you have yet to read it, It should still be available on the FTP
& the fanfic archives. 

After the dismissal of Ryoga in the last �fic, I've thought up several new
situations and cast members that have yet to be contended with.

Until I can get back to the YARF story line (still no C&C from anyone on the
last installment :( ), I thought I�d torture fellow Ranma fans with this
concoction.

I also have a bad habit of setting up new & interesting inner demons for
Ranma to wrestle with, and no way of getting out them, as you will soon see� 

But enough out of me� 
Are you ready??
Here we go�
Enjoy!
Paul the Hentai ;)
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HONOR  SOUGHT-very beta part 1
A Ranma � Fanfic
by Paul G. Meaney
IMAFREEK@aol.com


     "I thought I�d find you here, Ranma" Akane said.
     Ranma sat on the grass in front of the tombstones, lost deep in thought.
Akane broke whatever Ranma had in his mind. "Hi, Akane."
     "Ranma, you�ve got to get over this. It�s been three months now. Let it
all go."
     Ranma thought the whole adventure through. After running to China on a
wild goose chase, he and Nabiki had admitted a lot of things to each other.
But Akane was dying. Poisoned by who he thought used to be his best friend.
The situation had made some truths come to surface. Ranma could not bear to
keep it to himself any longer. "It�s not that simple, Akane. Nabiki and I�"
     Akane had a suspicious look on her face she didn�t like where this was
going.
     "� got.. close� in those two days. I found out I never really knew her
at all."
     "What do you mean by �close�, Ranma?" Akane snarled. 
     Ranma had to find the right phrasings, or surely Akane would not only
thrash him within an inch of his life, but leave him as well. The thought of
Akane�s death was one thing, but to have her reject him and leave him was
inconceivable.
     "Akane.." he started, taking her hand. "We all thought you were going to
die. Honor dictated that I was to be remarried to carry on the dojo.. It was
a really rough time for me. I couldn�t think straight. The thought of going
on without you was unbearable.."
     "So you chased after my sister, Ranma? Of all the sick, perverted�"
     "Akane.. She talked me out of seppiku." He quietly said.
     "What? Ranma.. I.."
     "For a while, anyway. Had I failed on that trip to China, we both would
have been here instead of Nabiki. I had no intentions to marry her."
     "So you would dishonor our parents then?" Akane scolded. Ranma realized
he was working himself into a trap. "I thought you said you knew what honor
was, and where they lay, Ranma."
     "So did I, Akane." Ranma started, "But knowing where your honor lies
doesn�t help you any when you�re a human being with feelings.. and a
conscious."
     Akane looked at him. She tried to sort out her thoughts. She had loved
Ranma for a long time, she started to run assorted scenarios in her head.
Ranma looked at her, waiting for her to say something. She couldn�t find
anything . "Ranma.." She started.
     "Akane� Pop keeps telling me that learning about honor was one of the
paths to becoming a true martial artist� I think I still have a long way to
go." Ranma said.
     "You�re damned right." Akane replied, and walked away.
      Ranma sat dumbfounded as his wife left him. "So," he thought, tears
welling in his eyes, "it�s� over."

     Akane stormed into the house. 
     "Akane? Did you find Ranma?" Genma cried form the back room.
     "Yes." She said.
     "So where is he?"
     "I left him there."
     "Why?"
     "Because we both have a lot to think about."
     "Nabiki?"
     "Of course, father. I can�t believe you told him about my father�s last
wish before I was even dead!"
     "I never told him. Ranma said Nabiki approached him first. I wouldn�t
have ever told him otherwise."
      Akane thought it all over. None of this was really Ranma�s fault. She
didn�t know what to do. 
     "Akane." Genma started. "When Ranma comes home, promise that you two
will work things out. No one wants to see anything come between you two. And
I don�t think you want that, either."
     "You�re right. When he comes home, we�ll straighten things out."

     Ranma wondered the streets of Nerima in a daze. Had he really lost
Akane? He needed someone to talk to. His supposed best friend, Ryoga, tried
to have Ranma bumped off and take Akane for himself in the process. Shampoo
and Mouse had settled their differences with Ranma and moved back to China to
get married. There was one last person he could talk to.. as fate would have
it, he looked up and found himself in front of  Ucchan�s restaraunt. With a
deep breath, he walked in.