Notes: Hokay, one too many people haven't read the first bit, so here it
is... everything in one grand holiday gift package. I hope you enjoy it.
Please don't let the title scare you away, it was my hope to give the
Ranma crew a terrifying enemy for this fic, one that could put a chill
in all their hearts... but this is not about death... it's about a fight
for life. A reader summed it up nicely, since he posted to me privatly,
and most likely doesn't want anyone to know he reads my stuff ^_-

    I'll withhold his name...

    "Nice warm, tingly feeling. A mixed sorrow, pity, anger, fright,
remorse, hope in the chest. I know looking for a cheesy happy ending is
too much, but I still pray for Ryoga's redemption. Somehow. "


Disclaimer: Ryouga, Ranma, Akane, Ukyo, Cool and the Gang and associated
parties all belong FIRST and foremost to their creator, Rumiko
Takahashi... Secondly to Shogakukan Inc for putting it out there...
thirdly to Viz for putting it out here... and FINALLY to it's fans, your
love makes it grow, like a Chia pet... but different!

Special Thanks: to Gary Kleepe, Mr. Otakki, Ronny Hedin, Mike, Thomas
Schmidt, Firvulag Firtharn, K-chan... I handed them a fic, they handed
me back confetti... unbeknowst to them but beknownst to you, I had Duct
tape! To my other prereaders... ummmm, donchta like me no more?

Beg and Plead for Your Symphonies: Please C&C, MST, NYPD Blues
Brothers... whatever...

BTW, if you have the Ruoroni Kenshin sound track at home, play the Theme
for the Darkside of Your Soul <aka, the Oni Wa Banshu theme song>
whenever Ryouga uses the Jiatsu Bakuha.

OtakuNXS presents...

        Suicide Blast

...oooOOO(  )(  )(  )

    Ryouga let the wind blow coolly across his face. It caressed a face
that was no longer creased in anger, no longer twisted in grief. A
gentle wind that had no knowledge or care of the past, it just whispered
sweet contentment, and a final peace. The mind that had once been a
tumultuous storm, ever raging against itself and the world, had come to
rest. Was it the calm before the storm? Another whirlwind of pain, even
more flailing then the one he had endured these past long years? Or was
it simply the peace he had spent a lifetime searching for . He knew it
wasn't a good decision and he knew it wasn't fair, but his life had
neither been good nor fair so it all seemed to make sense.

    Ryouga had come to terms both with himself and his soul, and it all
seemed right. A question whose obvious answer had eluded him through
untold hours of sobbing in the darkness, alone. He thought back to the
phone call. The phone call that had congealed all his fears and
destroyed what little hope he had been able to tear from his godforsaken
life. It also had set him free.

...oooOOO(  )(  )(  )

    "Yo Ryouga, I see you finally got to Akari. Only took you a month
too, not bad. Owww! Hey quit it, I'm being nice, geez Akane." Ranma's
voice had ended a month long stupor for Ryouga. He had been beyond care
ever since the whole wedding fiasco.

    Maybe the others hadn't been able to see it, but he was used to
searching Akane's face. How often had he searched that lovely visage,
waiting, begging for a sign, a look, a smile, anything that said, I love
you too? He knew her anger, he knew her tears, and he knew her smile,
like a desert wanderer knew the sweet taste of water. He watched shock,
then confusion and finally joy play about her perfect features as
Ranma's words made their way  to her heart. Lips had parted to return
the love, breaking into a tearful smile that could melt the hardest
heart. Or break it, who would of thought a smile could be so fatal?

    "Listen, me and Akane are finally gonna get hitched and I... awww
man, quit crying already Mr. Tendo, I can't make these kinda
arrangements with you blubbering every time we mention it... anyway we'd
like you for the best man." Ranma paused, continuing with a chuckle.
"Doesn't that just say it all. My best man and best friend all rolled
into a neat little 'Ranma, I'm gonna kill you' package. What? Lay off
would'ya, Akane? He's used to it by now."

    Ryouga just listened as Ranma and Akane yelled at each other over
the phone. Part of him noticed that their fighting had a playful edge to
it that had been absent before. Most of him, though, just wanted the
whole thing over, all of it.

    "So anyways, just stay where you are. Me and pop'll be by to pick
you up in a couple of days. We can go training and stuff, you know, like
the old days." Ranma continued in a whisper, "She's been cooking for
days now and we just gotta get some real food... Oh nothing Akane. Look
I gotta go, she's yelling again and  waving a deadly weapon around. My
god, it's a western omelet... wish me luck. See ya."

    He had placed the receiver down, a little surprised he hadn't
crushed it. It just didn't hurt as much as he thought it would, his
decision giving him comfort already. Was that when he had decided? Or
had it been when he first saw the smile on Akane's face? It had been a
spring of pure sweetwater, given to a man who already owned the river.
Meanwhile the sunlight cracked Ryouga's tongue, now, not even able to
beg. A figure hugging him tightly stopped his musings short.

    "Who was it Ryouga-sama?" Akari asked sweetly, eyes full of life and
a smile on her lips.

    Ryouga looked at her with new eyes and he absently traced the smile
with them. He tried to conjure up the love he had for Akane, comparing
it to his love for Akari. She knew his secret and still cared for him,
loved him even more because of it in fact. She had been there when _she_
had not. Her tears fell for him, and the smile he hungered for was given
with healthy doses of hugs and kisses for dessert. But was simply
filling the void enough? If so, then why was it still so damn hungry?

    It was just like when Ranma had dressed up as his _fiancee_. Ryouga
had been willing to let Akane go just for the selfish need of someone he
could have as his own. Someone with whom he wouldn't have any fears of
rejection. Akari's love was a bit selfish too, here was a boyfriend and
a pig all in one, a dream come true for someone like her. Still, he knew
what she did out of innocence, he did out of fear. A fear for the hole
inside of him, a hole he tried desperately to feed with her love. But it
couldn't be fed with one person's love and another's fear, and soon, it
would swallow them both whole, body and soul.

    He had calmly pushed her away and excused himself, saying he needed
fresh air.

...oooOOO(  )(  )(  )

    Looking up into the stars, Ryouga wondered at how it was going to
feel. Painful of course, but after that, sweet and total peace. How to
do it though?

    The methods open were many and varied, some that hurt, others that
were little more then closing one's eyes and never opening them. Still,
he was being selfish enough as it was, and guilt stabbed deeper then any
tanto. There was no need in spreading his pain to others, in fact, that
was half of why he was doing this. Maybe he could just fall off a
mountain, they'd never know what had happened to him then. If they ever
did find him it would just be some tragic accident, a fitting end to a
tragic life. How hard would he have to throw himself to make sure it was
fatal?

    Ryouga laughed at himself. All his training, his desperate attempts
to fill the void with something, had made his life a very hard thing to
end. Ironic that the one thing that had gotten him through his personal
hells to begin with, before he met Akane, was also prolonging the agony
of his existence. He'd just have to use those strong hands of his,
strong enough to end a life. Yes, definitely strong enough for that, but
why hadn't they been strong enough to at least hold onto a little
happiness? While looking down at his open hands, Ryouga caught sight of
a small blue shard of light that had formed in his palm.

    Strange, he hadn't called upon the Shi Shi Houkouden, he didn't even
feel that bad. Actually, the hole in himself silently waiting to be
given it's fill, his mind as calm as the night's breeze and a peace long
since lost, now found, he was as happy as he could ever remember being.
Why had he summoned a physical representation of his pain?

    Still, the ball of light was small, more like a snowflake then a
massive build up of heavy chi energy. He'd simply fire it off and
continue with his thoughts. A strange little idea formed in his head and
he aimed the sphere at Akari's pens. That would be one way for him to
leave without making her cry, flash fry one of her prized piglets.
Better to feel angry then betrayed, that was one thing he knew a lot
about. Of course, a ball of chi this small wouldn't even make it to the
pens before fizzling out.

    He let the force go, straight at a cute little piggy who had peeked
up over the fence.

    The sphere hurtled from his hands with more force then any Ryouga
had ever been able to summon before, almost knocking the martial artist
to his knees. As it streaked through the air, the pressure of its
passage tore an incredibly deep gash into the ground.  The pig had just
enough time to duck out of the way as the energy slammed into the pens.
Matter in the middle of the explosion didn't burn, didn't explode, it
just vaporized.

    Ryouga's dumbfounded stare was cut short as he felt his chest
squeezing in on itself and fell on his side, unable to even scream.
Squeals of pain erupted from the pig pens as he tried desperately to get
up, rolling in agony, tears soaking his face and the earth below him.
When he finally found a his voice again, he did moaned until his lungs
burned, digging huge furrows into the sod below him. Akari, having heard
the commotion, not to mention having a part of her house blown apart by
the aftershock, came stumbling out.  Just what the hell was going on?

    She gagged slightly at the smell of cooking meat and stared in
horror as her beloved pets writhed in pain. Who could have done this? A
moaning sound seemed to answer her question as she turned to see her
beloved stumbling towards her, his hand on smearing dirt on his chest.

    "Ryouga-sama, are you okay?" Her mind raced between concern for her
two greatest loves, but one won out out a thousand times over. She ran
to Ryouga, mentally cursing herself for her pause.

    His head cradled in Akari's lap, he tried to focus his thoughts. He
had felt his heart tighten. Years of training his body far beyond the
normal levels of human endurance had given him a great sense of his own
physical health. Even more so, he had sensed his own chi weaken, his own
power diminish and then released in physical form. He realized that the
blast had torn into his life force.

    Akari looked down at Ryouga in shock and concern as he started to
laugh uncontrollably, tears came again, staining his face with mud. Even
with the weak light of the stars she could see that he looked horrible.
The light in his eyes had seemed to dim, his face had a gauntly, almost
starved look about it, and his lips and skin were more blue then pink.

    He had mastered it! Now, of all times, he had mastered the
Depression Blast. Of course, this was the only way he could have
mastered it. The Shi Shi Houkoudan was a force of pure pain and
inescapable misery. The final use of it was the end of all pain. A
technique designed to end the suffering of those who used it. To master
it meant to master your own pain, to lump it with your life-force and
then fling it all to the emptiness beyond, to go out with a bang as it
were.

    It was perfect. He'd fight Ranma one last time, and he would win, a
final decisive victory before falling into death's sweet embrace. No one
would know why, Ranma was in for a world of hurt, but he had Akane after
all. He deserved a little punishment. They would heal, curse him for
being a monster and go on with their lives, guilt free.

    �Ryouga-sama? Who did this?� Akari voice was trembling as she looked
pleadingly into his eyes, begging for a smile with parched lips. Ryouga
winced, but he knew his role well enough, and he knew what had to be
done.

    �I did, Akari.� He braced himself for her anger but she just stared
at him, begging with her eyes begging him for anything, just not that
emotionless face. Ryouga felt his heart begin to reform, he felt pieces
begin to take shape, he felt a smile curling on his lips. He smashed the
glass structure with a mental blow, crushing what was left to dust.

    Ryouga bent down and gently kissed Akari on the forehead. �Tell
Ranma when he gets here that I'm coming for him. Not for Akane, not for
bread, not for any curse, just for him.�

    �You're leaving me?� she whispered. Ryouga simply nodded with the
cold expression resting easily. She slapped him, faster and harder then
the young man had thought possible, not that he would have blocked
anyway. She ran back to her house, tears welling up and stinging her
face more then any open palm could, and a kiss still burning on her
forehead.

    Ryouga felt his cheek and bowed as far to the ground as he could,
sinking to his knees and planting his hands firmly on the ground below.
�Gomen nasai," he whispered but knew better then to expect an answer. He
was leaving everyone, he knew there couldn't be any for forgiveness for
that.

...oooOOO(  )(  )(  )

    "He said what?" Ranma asked a weak eyed Akari. "Man, I thought we
were past all that." Sighing, Ranma turned to go, mumbling something
about stupid pig headed people.

    Akari caught him by his sleeve. "Ranma, this time it's different,
you didn't see him. He's different now, I think he's gone over the
edge."

    "Aw, don't worry about it. We do this kinda stuff all the time. I'll
bring him back to ya, just you wait and see." Ranma smiled down at the
girl, then his face changed from confidence to concern as he noticed her
lower lip was trembling.

    "No," she started quietly, "he's not welcome here anymore, Ranma. I
don't... don't want to..." Akari had trouble finishing.  She screwed up
her courage, set her resolve, and closed her heart against the pain.  "I
don't want to see him... not ever again."  Akari finished in a hoarse
whisper before retreating into her house.

    Ranma shook his head, why'd Ryouga have to make everything so damn
difficult. He walked over to his father, the panda. Ever since Akane had
started cooking again, he had newfound admiration for the subtle
sweetness of bamboo. Now, he was staring at the destruction Ranma's
friend had left behind, at the approach of his son, he held up a sign
<Look at this, boy>

    Whistling appreciatively, Ranma surveyed the devastation. No doubt
about it, this was definitely a Shi Shi Houkoudan blast site. The only
thing was, he'd never seen this much destruction from what looked to be
a single shot. Ryouga must have been almost out of his mind with
depression to do something like this.

    <Are you sure you're up to this?> read the new sign. Ranma thought
about this, this kind of destruction was on a Herb or Tarou scale, could
he really get that serious and not hurt Ryouga?

    But all he said was "Sure thing Pop, I can handle Ryouga no
problem."    Ranma would find a way to calm him down, even if he had to
beat the hell out of him to do it!

End Part One


                   OtakuNXS presents...

     Hiroshi couldn't quite figure it out. The cologne and aftershave he
was wearing was all the rage amongst most of the top athletes. Why the
fact that he even needed aftershave should have let loose an unending
tidal wave of babedom. Then there was his outfit, disheveled in that oh
so rebellious fashion, popular among the pretty boys of his favorite
manga, that was still somehow methodically well maintained and clean.
This was extremely important to it's overall effect, saying he wasn't
the sort to leave underwear scattered about the house. It just didn't
make any sense, he could even do that leg up on a chair while sipping
your beer and looking debonair that had eluded his friend Daisuke thus
far... why was he still having so much trouble?

    His musing might have garnered some positive effect, his far off
stare being mistaken for actual interest in what the girl was saying.
Unfortuantly, open eyes and shut ears have a tendency to focus on the
wrong things at the wrong time. "Baka!" cried the young woman, a fist
knocking him to and from senselessness like a bucket of cold water,
gender change optional. His optics regained clarity in time to see
another potential girlfriend storming away. What did he do wrong this
time, he wondered, slightly exasperated.

    "Just a guess, but most likely you were leering at her breasts... or
worse, some other girl's." A voice called from behind. "Being a male, I
was focused on the same so I'm not sure which."

    Hiroshi sighed, "And I wasted some of my best lines on her too."

    "I could tell, smooth, and oh so effective. Come on Casanova,
there's something you might want to see." Daisuke smiled as he helped
his friend up to his feet.

    "Not interested," Hiroshi lied, already he could see people starting
to run to the empty field, clambering to get a view of some rather
familiar characters. "I've got a lost love to chase down and impress
with my manliness and just how white my teeth are."

    "It can wait, believe me. Let's go." Daisuke gestured over his
shoulder as he made his way to the building crowd.

    "Humph, fine, what's the big deal anyways?"

    "Ryouga's back. Him and Ranma are having a little chat. Boy, does he
look pissed." the black haired straight man sat down at a perfect
vantage point, both combatants in plain view.

    "Is that all? Ryouga always looks pissed." Hiroshi pouted, seating
beside his companion. Turning, he got a real good look at the lost boy.
"Oh man..."

                    A Mad Bad Bishonen Lad Production....


   "Ryouga, if you'd just calm down for a sec. We don't have to go
through all this cra..."

    Ryouga's eyes stopped Ranma cold. "Two weeks," he said, emphasizing
with a pair of outstretched fingers. "You've got two weeks to prepare."
He kept his sight steadily fixed on his opponent. He knew better then to
look at Akane.

    The pigtailed martial artist sighed, pushed Akane behind him and got
into a lazy stance, determination suddenly strengthening his voice.
"Look, I dunno what's got you all out of whack, but if it's a fight you
want, I'm ready right now." Ranma cracked his knuckles menacingly,
"Maybe you'll listen to reason after I've beaten some sense into you."

    "Ready, Ranma? You're ready?" Ryouga's face went calm as he looked
down into his open hand. A slight grimace worked its way around his
lips.

    "You..." A small pinprick light appeared in his palm.

    "Are..." The blue shard swelled slightly, forming a small blue
sphere. Tendrils of white energy erupted from it's surface, reaching out
and crackling like a miniature sun. Radiated light danced about Ryouga's
features, to some kaeladascopic music only he could hear.

    "Not..." Slowly, he let his hand come up, palm facing the field
beside them. The boy's hair began to writhe and leap about on the wildly
twisting air currents, caused by the ball as it spun and poped. Ranma
backed up, the glow piercing his eyes and the force increasing till it
even blew his own black locks about.

    "READY!" with a snarl, Ryouga let loose the orb.

    And the world exploded.

                     Suicide Blast Part 2


    Sweat glistened off of Ranma's exposed chest. A telltale welt burned
it's way across his rib cage and his breathing was erratic and hindered.
Still, the fire in his eyes spoke volumes. He would not give up, not
here, not now. This fight he would not lose. "Anymore tricks, old
Ghoul?"

    "The tricks end here, Son-in-Law." Cologne said, mentally chiding
herself for the habitual referral to him as family. Ranma had staggered
into her restaurant only a few hours ago, battered and weak, yet
defiantly asking for training. Of course he had denied her first offer,
techniques in exchange for a marriage to Shampoo. The boy was lost to
her. Love had finally taken hold over the boy's soul as well as his
heart. There was no use arguing over it anymore. Besides, only Mousse
knew where her charge had headed, and he wasn't being very open about
the whole affair. "There will be no quarter given in your fight, you
will be facing a dead man. A dead man who has put his neck in the noose
himself. You can not fight him, he is beyond you. The only recourse left
is to send him the rest of the way to hell's embrace."

    "No!" screamed Ranma, his aura burning bright with rage and denial.
With a wordless cry, the young martial artist lashed out at a nearby
boulder; stone smashed to rock, crushed to pebble, ground to dust. "I
ain't gonna accept that." He wiped a gravel encrusted hand across his
face, washing away the tear in a smear of dirt. Then, shoulders falling
and brilliant glow fading to a faint glimmer, he continued quietly. "I
can't accept it. Killing my friends was not why I learned this stuff.
I-I wanna be the best, sure, but I wanna think I learned it to protect
the guys I care for, not hurt them." Shaking his head slightly and
smiling bitterly, "No matter how pig headed they may be."

    Cologne sighed and lit her pipe. The boy had the very soul of the
Tiger, but his heart was still very much the fragile affair shared by
most of humanity. She mused this over while Ranma simply looked at her,
eyes pleading. They had been fighting for two hours straight, all for
him to earn the privilege of her as Sensei. No one else could teach
someone fast enough or train them hard enough to be ready for what he
had to do. But the boy was asking too much. He wanted her to teach him
how to fight death itself.

    Cologne had seen other warriors fall under the sway of the Jisatsu
Bakuha, as they called it here in Japan. A man who denied himself life
courted death in more ways them one. Nothing short of the death they
sought could stop them. And this particular warrior was thousands of
time more powerful then most. She had seen the depths of that one's
emotions when she had first witnessed the Shi Shi Houkoudan. Why
couldn't Ranma accept that his friend was already dead?

    Because it just wasn't his nature to give up. Cologne had never
known someone like Son-in... Ranma. There was power in that belief,
power in one who didn't take no for an answer. He would leave a battle,
run from what he couldn't quite match, but always he returned, fresh and
determined to win. Even now, his body beaten by the best she could dish
out, without killing the poor boy, his eyes said only one thing. You
will not defeat me, I came here to learn how to help Ryouga and nothing
in Heaven or Hell is gonna stop me!

    "It begins." she conceded "Show me what you intend to try."

...oooOOO(  )(  )(  )

    "So then what happened?" Ukyo asked, beating an egg with the absent
ferocity of an angry cook. Most people will tell you not to drive angry,
emotions blindsiding you as surely as the oncoming traffic. Good chefs
will also tell you the same applies to cooking. One of the fine lines
that seperated Akane and Kasumi was in that special spice of the
heart... that and knowing the difference between sugar and salt.

    "He fires the glowing ball to the side, like he's just blowing it
off. Then this... thing, about the size of a coin, goes barreling like a
bat out of hell, only he's taking most of hell with him. Just it running
above the ground tears this ditch through the field." He demonstrated by

taking a one yen piece from his pocket and rolling it toward the other
wall. "And when it hit the opposite side," The coin smacked the side of
Ukyo's shop. "Boom!" Hiroshi exclaimed, hands gesturing in an expansive
motion, acting out the explosion in body language. "What was that he
called it, Daisuke? Jiason... Jisumo...?"

    "Jiatsu Bakuha, a suicide blast. Did you notice something weird
about the way he keeled over?" Daisuke asked, grimacing as he watched
batter get... well... battered.

    "Yeah, look, he blows a crater the size of the school gym, just
stands there as this aftershock right out of Akira throws most of us
about like carboard buildings in a Gojira flick. Heck, even Ranma
grabbed some sky." Hiroshi noted the sudden silence and the deep
transfixation of Ukyo's eyes on his own, "I told you, he came out of it
fine. Ryouga shot this Kamikaze thingy away from everyone. Anyways, he's
not even phased, just rides the wave, and doesn't flinch as he's
pummeled by shrapnel. Then... he just hits the ground, clutching his
chest." The young man grabbed his chest dramatically, called for Camille
and hit the ground.

    "The guy was coughing up blood like he'd just drowned in the stuff,
and his face... his face. It sort of... drew in on itself, like it was
suddenly too tight for his own skull." Daisuke shook his head, staring
in the distance. "Guy looked worse then Gos did when he had pnuemoina."

    "Humph, it's none of my affair anymore. Eat up guys. It's on the
house." Ukyo gave them a terse smile, eyes daring them to say no thanks.
Daisuke and Hiroshi looked at the mangled, shattered remains of school
lunch ala pissed chef. Sighing, they got out forks and dug in... where
they could, chiseling what they could not.

...oooOOO(  )(  )(  )

    "No! No! No!" Cologne cried in exasperation, tossing her stick to
the side. "That will not work! You cannot use the Rising Dragon
Ascension against someone who knows nothing but the final calm of
eternal peace."

    "But it's just about my best shot. Don't worry about it. Ticking off
Ryouga is one of my special skills." Ranma gave her a small smile, "You
could say I've been practicing that little maneuver since we were kids."

    "This is not Ryouga you fight, boy! How many times must I tell you
that? He has tossed everything into the flames of his pain, burned it
all to ash till only the calmness of the grave remains. You won't make
him mad, you'll just give him a better target!"

    "Then what the heck am I supposed to do? You said it'd be too
dangerous to get near him for any of that shiatzu stuff." Ranma was
getting frustrated. The new battles had been practice sessions only but
each time he had met with defeat. A defeat punctuated by Cologne
pointing a finger at him and saying... boom, you're dead.

    Cologne sighe. One way or another, the boy was going to get hurt
during this fight. He refused the options she gave him on the same
grounds that she would not use them on Ranma. His opponent was just too
damn determined to be stopped by any technique short of one that
promised the final reward. But that's not really what either of them
wanted. It was the strangest sort of battle. Not a fight to the death,
but one to the life. For the boy, defeat or triumph was to be found in
the last heartbeats of his opponent.

    "I'm afraid there's only one option I can see for you. You must find
the same peace that he has. You must transcend your body and fight with
nothing more then your soul."

    "I can't do that either. Death ain't an option. Maybe I could just
chunk it all before, back when the loneliness used to eat me alive. Back
when I couldn't even see my mom or after some of that cat fist stuff.
But I got people who care about me now. I can't do that to them, I can't
give up, not as long as," he gulped and continued slowly, "Akane cares
for me." Ranma seemed to shake that thought out of his head, tears
slowly welling in his eyes. "There's gotta be another way."

     "Not one that doesn't lead to your death, and Ryouga's as well."

     "Damn it crone! You're askin' me to just give up. I can't do that.
I won't give up on Akane... or Ryouga!" Ranma's aura flared again.

    Was it her imagination or did it glare a tad brighter when he
mentioned Akane? "You don't have to," Cologne smiled, resting on a rock
and examining him anew. It seems she was always doing that, and always
finding something new, each time she looked.

    "But you just said..."

    "I said you need to transcend your pain and find true peace, as
Ryouga had. I did not say that you must find it in the same place as he
had. There are many paths and not all of them easy. You must find the
right one for you, and you must hurry. A destination must be reached
before you meet Ryouga again, otherwise," Cologne pointed her
outstretched hand in his direction again. As she opened her mouth to say
boom, she realized she was pointing at thin air. Suddenly, she was off
the ground and being swung about.

    "Thank you! I'll find that path no matter what it takes!" He began
dancing with the elder about in his arms. Cologne was about to call for
his respect when she caught a glimpse of his eyes. Though the boy was
smiling and laughing, his eyes told of more fear then she would have
though possible for Ranma. Still, if even a part of him laughed, for
even a few moments, she would not rob him of that. The boy would have
time enough for tears.

...oooOOO(  )(  )(  )

    Akane continued chopping vegetables for Kasumi. Ever since Ranma had
proposed to her, she had been filled with an all new desire to find her
way about the kitchen. Not that she was really going to have to cook for
their family; her soon to be husband was quite good, even better if you
attacked him with chi maneuvers while he was doing it. Still, she would
not have her children wondering which one of them was their mother. She
groaned inwardly at the thought, love was turning her into a giggly
little girl, filled with dreams of playing house. A smile lit her face
and she blushed at the thought of it.

    Then her memories drifted back to yesterday. She remembered again
what all the housekeeping in the world couldn't make her forget.
Ryouga's eyes, as they begged for... for what? Release? She had seen
animals at the kennel like that once, they're bodies hunkered and
quivering against the cage. But, when you reached out to them, they were
all teeth and saliva.  Just what had happened to him?

    The days events came flooding back...

    "Ranma!" Akane screamed. He had landed on top of her, shielding her
from the worst of the shockwave. She still couldn't quite see right, her
eyes burning with the after image of Ryouga's chi. "Ranma, wake up, get
off of me, say something!"

    "Hey," he smiled weakly, "I'm not on top of ya' cause I like ya' or
nuthin." Carefully, he pulled himself and her up. Turning slowly, he
looked to Ryouga. "Just what the hell was that?" he asked, voice
forcibly calm.

    "Jiatsu Bakuha, Ranma, like it? I made it myself." Ryouga smiled, a
proud gleam dancing about his eyes, almost manically. Then, he went
down... hard.

    "Oh god, Ryouga!" Ranma and Akane rushed over to the young martial
artist as the boy vomited a red ichor, blood and phlegm falling in spats
about the ground. She covered her face with both hands, stepping back
and shaking her head horrified. He was in another world of pain, one
that young ladies, smiling parents, laughing children and butterscotch
sundaes had no place in. Even worse, it didn't seem new to him, it
almost looked like home.

    "Get away from me!" He hissed, landing a fist on Ranma's jaw that
sent him flying almost half the length of the field.

    Ranma painfully sat up, pulling himself out of the rivulet he had
dug on impact. Damn, Ryouga was strong, he thought. Akane reached out to
him but looked down nervously to the bandanna clad boy, tears making
their way down her lower lids, over her cheeks and falling off a
quivering chin. "Ryouga, stop it, why-why are you doing this?"

    Ryouga reeled from the impact. He had hardened his body to the point
that most four door vehicles hardly gave him pause, but his heart... no,
he didn't have one of those anymore. Idily, he sifted through the powder
left from his encounter with Akari. Was there anything left? He looked
at those pleading eyes, meet them with his coldest stare and smiled
slowly, mockingly.

    "Go to him Akane, you've already made your choice. Your body is his
now. Just remember that it once belonged to me." He saw the
incomprehension on her face, the doubt entering her mind, he could end
it though. End this whole stupid charade, apologize and go weeping into
Akari's arms. Was there anything left?

    Then, a year later, maybe longer... he'd be back here again,
bleeding from a wound that just would not heal. And here before him was
his assailant, still holding the smoking gun in the form of a perfect
face, and a warm smile that promised home, yet always slammed the door
when he started to walk in. He was like some wretched mistress,
wondering when the man of the house would throw his wife out at her
approach instead of the other way around. There couldn't be anything
left.

    "And you might as well stop calling me Ryouga, P-chan will do." He
would be the monster, there was nothing left of his heart. He'd let
himself be slayed like a beast and let them have their blasted happily
ever after. "You know Ranma, there really is nothing better on a cold
night then some brainless girl's chest, don't you agree?"

    Ryouga felt the hot wave of battle aura cresting in Akane, he saw
her fist clench, saw the energy gathering and prepared for impact. This
was it, in one pulverizing left hook, the door was going to be forever
nailed shut. He'd have no choice but to go forward, alone, but free.
Then she looked up, eyes filled with... with... it was supposed to be
anger damnit! Why weren't they filled with anger? He needed her anger!
Why couldn't she just give him what he wanted for once in his existence!

    "Oh Ryouga, I'm so sorry, I never knew."

    Pity! "Damn you Akane! Damn you to hell!" Ryouga screamed and leapt
as far backwards as his powerful legs could propel him. Pity! He turned,
running with the frantic scrambling steps of a warrior who was defeated
to the very core of his being... there had been something left, a shard
of heart still intact amongst the glassy powder... and she had stabbed
him with it... pity.

...oooOOO(  )(  )(  )

    Ranma collapsed on his futon, clothing still on, blanket still off.
He was drained to his very core, emotionally, spiritually, physically,
and any other ally's he could think of. Mentally; there was another one.
Whimpering slightly he wondered just how it was possible to feel that
closing his eyes was more then he was currently capable of. With a
supreme act of will and just a little help from Kami-sama, he got his
lids to enfold him in darkness.

    The door slid open silently, Akane creeping in on tiptoe. She
carefully removed his shirt and shoes and tucked his blanket under his
chin. Don't work too hard, I need both of you to make it out of this in
one piece, baka. She smiled at the last and bent down, brushing a lock
of hair from his softened features. There wasn't a doubt in her mind,
Ranma would win, she believed in with all her heart. She placed a gentle
kiss to his forehead and left as quietly as she had snuck in... give or
take a stubbed toe and an expletive or two.

    Ranma sleep on nosily, unknowing of the golden glow that was softly
encircling his body.

The End of Part Two

To be continued of course...

Ending song... If you don't know the tune, it's the "M.A.S.H." Theme
song...

 The game of life is hard to play,
 I�m gonna lose it anyway,
 My final card, I�ll some day lay,
 And that's all I have to saaaaaaaayyy...

 Suicide is painless,
 It brings so many changes
 And I can take or leave it if I please,

Paraphrased Neitzche (I think) "the thought of suicide is a great
comfort, it has kept many a man company through many a hard time!"