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Thanks for the constructive comments, both about my format and about plot
points, I changed some stuff around to reflect things that I was ignorant of
and hopefully this one will hold together a little better.
I am of course making a work of fiction here and it will diverge from
cannon so don't assume that everything that I do differently is a mistake, I
don't object to more C&C but some departures are now more deliberate and made
with forethought.
I don't own Ranma 1/2, nor do I have any wish to infringe on anybody's legal
or finacial rights or well being. This is written purely for amusement and
not for gain.
Saffron�^�^�s defeat had left time for things to calm down before the inevitable
return to
Nerima. The hope of a cure at Jusenkyo was lost to all the cursed parties.
Nabiki was making arrangements for their return, talking to Ranma by
phone in a
small town near the outskirts of the Biankala range.�^�^�... So you have a few
days to get to
the boat. I thought you might want to make the most of your time and get
cured.�^�^�
�^�^�Weren�^�^�t you listening, Nabiki? Jusenkyo was destroyed!�^�^�
�^�^�I�^�^�m not thinking about Jusenkyo, Ranma. Go to the Musk.�^�^�
�^�^�The Musk?! Are you out of your mind!?�^�^� One hand held the phone glued
to his
ear while the other gesticulated wildly. As Nabiki outlined her idea, the
free arm settled
and a smile grew on his face. �^�^�Genius, Nabiki, as always... See you soon.�^�^�
The others were gathered around him, his father, Ryoga, Mousse, Shampoo,
and...
Akane... They all looked expectantly at Ranma. �^�^�All right, here�^�^�s what
we�^�^�re gonna
do...�^�^�
Getting into the fortress of the Musk was easier than anyone had
anticipated. With
only the three members of the Musk remaining, it was simple for Ranma and
Ryoga to
enter undetected.
Lime and Mint were patrolling the outer wall, but the two young men
failed to
notice the shadows that slipped through the hole in their pattern. Within
the great empty
fortress there was only one occupant. Herb.
They found him in his �^�^�Throne Room.�^�^� apparently going over papers. There
would never be a better time.
Herb looked up in surprise as the doors to his Throne room were knocked
off their
hinges. The last thing he saw before the darkness took him was the flying
redhead, and
her sandal covered foot.
Getting out was every bit as easy as getting in.
The small group was gathered around their campfire, the next morning.
They had
made good time getting away from the Musk and tomorrow morning they would
leave on
the boat to Japan. A pot of water was suspended over the fire until it
steamed and
bubbled a bit.
Ranma held the Chuisuiton in his hands. Amazing how something so ordinary
looking could cause so much trouble. You wouldn�^�^�t think to look at it that
it was
anything other than a ladle.
He looked around himself, at his friends and his family. �^�^�Let me go
first, if this
doesn�^�^�t work at least I�^�^�ll still be able to talk.�^�^� Ryoga looked like he
might object at first
but then calmed down.
For a brief moment Ranma and Akane�^�^�s eyes met. There was something that
passed between them at that moment, not as powerful as the moment she had
opened her
eyes after Saffron, but it spoke to each of them of the enduring nature of
that emotion.
Tears filled Akane�^�^�s eyes as he dipped the ladle and poured the contents
over his
head. �^�^�OUCH!�^�^� came his strong voice. No change. Then he dipped his own
cup into the
bucket of cold water, pouring it over his head. �^�^�Brr!�^�^� came his strong
voice. No change.
�^�^�It worked! HA!�^�^� Ranma cartwheeled around the campsite. He flipped
into the
air, landing near his love. �^�^�Akane, I...�^�^�
�^�^�Ahem!�^�^� came a voice that chilled his blood.
Turning, Ranma saw the Lord of the Musk, standing just inside the camp.
They
had all been so intent on the fire and the ladle that they hadn�^�^�t noticed his
approach.
�^�^�All I want is my property, Ranma. I have no wish to fight the man who
destroyed
Saffron.�^�^� Mint and Lime stepped out at other angles, surrounding the camp.
�^�^�But I will
fight it I must.�^�^�
�^�^�Herb!�^�^� Ranma called excitedly. He was before the young man in an
instant.
�^�^�We came up with a cure for Jusenkyo! Hot water and the Chuisuiton!�^�^�
�^�^�A... cure?�^�^� He looked somewhere between impressed and amused. �^�^�Of
course.
How foolish of me.�^�^� He looked past Ranma at his party. �^�^�If I allow your...
cure, will you
return to me the Chuisuiton?�^�^�
�^�^�Sure, got no use for it after that. I was gonna mail it back to you
tomorrow
anyway.�^�^�
A hint of a smile passed over Herbs face. He quickly spoke up, �^�^�I can
always
count on you to try to do the right thing, can�^�^�t I, Ranma?�^�^�
Genma and Ryoga took advantage of the Chuisuiton�^�^�s power, but Shampoo and
Mousse declined. �^�^�Cat body is Shampoo punishment from village. No can take
away
with honor.�^�^�
�^�^�I will not leave you to suffer alone, Shampoo!�^�^� Mousse cried with
tears in his
eyes as he hugged one of the Musk warriors.
Twenty years passed in Nerima. Akane and Ranma were married and lived
lives
full of danger and adventure. Ryoga settled down with Akari and was seen
less and less as
the years passed by.
Once the marriage was settled, Cologne and the Amazons stopped their
chases and
for many years remained a part the lives of the Nerima crew. Eventually,
they decided
that their place was home, in China and they departed.
Ukyo stayed the whole time. She held a bitterness in her that gradually
turned to
hate. Ten years after Saffron and the unification of the Saotome and Tendo
clans, she
attacked Akane. The battle lasted for nearly a day, ending in a draw as
neither woman
could conclusively beat the other.
For Ukyo, it was therapeutic. She settled her differences and renewed her
friendship with Ranma and Akane.
Nabiki never married and eventually went to college, getting a business
degree.
She turned her attentions back towards her family after that, bringing new
moneymaking
ideas to Nerima.
Kasumi eventually followed after Tofu, the two found each other and lived
on the
far side of Japan from the family. There frequent visits, along with their
son, Soun,
brought both joy and pain into Ranma and Akane�^�^�s lives.
Though they had tried, Ranma and Akane seemed doomed not to have
children.
Genma and Nodoka, Soun as well, had pressured them for a time, but eventually
they
stopped when the disappointment and pain to the couple became too much.
Of course there was excitement enough to turn them away from brooding.
Together, they went on to fight old gods; new gods; old enemies, such as
Taro, Happosai-
who seemed to have more energy and stamina the older he got and all new
enemies.
Akane seemed a magnet for lost princes and lonely warlords.
Twenty years passed.
The bedroom was hot. He was sweating under the thick blankets.
Breathing had
become raspy. His lungs were thick and heavy. Still he had that cocky smile
on his pale
face. �^�^�Don�^�^�t worry, Akane, I�^�^�ll be up and about in no time. A little thing
like pnu-�^�^� he
cut himself off with a series of lung scraping coughs that dislodged a small
amount of
phlegm. �^�^�This won�^�^�t keep me down.�^�^� What little strength he had seemed to
be leaking
out of him rapidly.
Akane was at his side as the last rattles of breath left his weakened
body. She sat
there, by his side, crying for a time.
A short time later, the ambulance arrived. It seemed kind of ironic, to
Nabiki that
they sent an ambulance to pick up the body. The medical teams were there to
save lives,
but here and now they were too late and they knew it. The men solemnly
followed Tofu
up to the body.
She couldn�^�^�t make her mind wrap around the idea that it was Ranma. That
he
was.... Ranma always got out of everything. Since they were children,
nothing could
touch him in a lasting way. Not even Jusenkyo.
Noone had thought anything of it at first, just a cough. It progressed
rapidly into
something worse. He was only sick a couple of days. Did people die from
pneumonia in
just a couple of days?
He had been tired from the fight. He was then single-handedly able to
destroy the
tidal wave from within, using the Hiryou Shouten Ha. He admitted that he�^�^�d
swallowed
some water but seemed okay.
Akane was crying into Kasumi�^�^�s shoulder, still unable to speak after
watching her
husband fade so rapidly. Soun had gone to get the Saotomes and bring them
here. Ukyo
looked stricken. Her face was a blank mask.
Tofu and the EMT�^�^�s came back down the stairs. Tofu had a smile plastered
on his
face that only his wife could have seen through. The EMT�^�^�s weren�^�^�t smiling.
�^�^�You do
realize we could press charges. Misuse of the Emergency Response System is a
crime.�^�^�
�^�^�I do apologize again. We can�^�^�t begin to tell you how sorry the family
is,�^�^� Tofu
was saying. The couple and their son had been on their way back when they
heard about
the attack by the �^�^�Son of a Hundred Spirits.�^�^� They had only arrived a few
minutes after
Ranma�^�^�s passing. Getting into and out of Nerima was difficult right now
because of the
property damage caused by the fight.
�^�^�Its only because he lives here that I�^�^�m willing to let this slide.�^�^�
�^�^�I understand, sir.�^�^� Tofu continued placating them even as he ushered
them out
the door.
As soon as he returned to the family, Akane asked, �^�^�Why didn�^�^�t they take
Ran-
why didn�^�^�t they take him?�^�^�
Tofu ran his hand over his mouth, as though massaging it for a moment.
�^�^�Come
with me, all of you.�^�^� He turned without another word and walked up the
stairs to the
master bedroom.
Lying on the bed, breathing softly, was a sixteen year old red headed
girl.
�^�^�Oh, my!�^�^�