Ranma felt like screaming. Akane was dying in his arms and there wasn't a damn thing he could do about it. He hated feeling helpless. He knew, no matter how much he yelled or pleaded, it wouldn't do any good.

     But that didn't mean he was going to stop trying.

     "Akane... wake up." Ranma pleaded. "This isn't funny anymore..."

     Ranma felt his eyes begin to water, and began to wipe the tears away with the back of his hand. "I promise I'll be a better fiancee. I'll-I'll even eat your cooking, and I won't call you names anymore... just wake up." Ranma paused, unable to go on. "Please? I-I can't lose you, not after I just found you again..."

     Ranma started as he felt Akane move slightly in his arms. "A-Akane?"

     Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Akane slowly opened her eyes.

     For once, Ranma Saotome was silent. He didn't know how to put all of the feelings he was experiencing into words.

     "Ranma..." Akane said softly, her voice barely audible. "I-I'm sorry... but... I think I'm dying."

     "Naw..." Ranma replied softly, his voice faltering. "It would take more than some crazy amazon to kill you. You'll be back to hitting me with that stupid mallet of yours in no time..."

     Akane shook her head sadly. "No, I won't."

     "Akane... you're stronger than this. Just... don't give up, okay? Fight it."

     "I-I can't." Akane said as tears continued to stream down her face. "I'm sorry."

     Ranma felt the tears begin to flow, but this time, he didn't try to hold them back. "Don't do this Akane!" He yelled angrily. "Don't you dare give up! You can fight this! You've-you've cheated death before. Just-just do it again."

     Akane shook her head, and looked sadly into Ranma's eyes. "I can't. Not this time."

     "Akane..." Ranma said, his voice trailing off. "I-I know I don't have the right to say this, especially after everything that's happened... and, I'll understand if you hate me, but... I-I love you." he whispered, his voice filled with emotion. "I'm just sorry it took me so long to admit it, or remember it, or-or whatever."

     "Ranma, I could never hate you." Akane replied as she reached her hand towards Ranma's face and began to caress his cheek. "I've always loved you... and I always will."

     Ranma leaned down towards Akane, and brushed his lips softly against hers. "I'll always love you too."

     Ranma watched helplessly as Akane closed her eyes for the final time, and took her last dying breath.

     "Akane... Akane no."

     Ranma felt himself go numb, he couldn't feel anything. He felt empty, like a piece of himself was gone, or missing. Ranma pulled Akane's dead body closer to his, brushing the hair out of her eyes.

     This time, when the memories came, Ranma was oblivious to the pain...

     "I can't believe it!" Akane said happily. "We're finally alone!"

     "I wonder how long it'll last." Ranma muttered. "Dammit, I'm so sick an tired of all this!"

     "Of what?" Akane asked confused.

     "Everything!" Ranma said sweeping his hands in front of him. "This whole mess! Akane, I hate having to sneak around like this and pretend nothin happened between us."

     Akane sighed and moved to sit next to Ranma, taking his hand firmly in hers. "I know what you mean. I wish we could be like a normal couple too. Go on dates, go to parties... Ranma, we've never really gone on a date before, have we?"

     "Nope." Ranma replied flatly, putting his arm around Akane and pulling her closer against him. "Every time we've come close, Shampoo, Ukyo, Kodachi, Kuno, or Ryoga ruined it."

     "Ranma..." Akane began uncertainly. "When are we going to be able to tell everyone, about us, I mean?"

     "I don't know Akane." Ranma said quietly. "I definitely don't wanna get married right now, and that's _exactly_ what would happen if either of our fathers found out about us."

     Akane pulled away from Ranma's embrace, her eyes boring into his. "You don't want to marry me at all, do you?" she accused, tears streaming down her face.

     "No! No! You got it all wrong!" Ranma said, putting his hands on Akane's shoulders to calm her down. "Of course I want to marry you! I love you Akane! I... I just don't wanna get married right _now_ while we're still in high school an all."

     "R-really?" Akane asked between sobs.

     "Really." Ranma said reassuringly, pulling Akane back into his embrace.

     Akane wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, and leaned comfortably into his embrace. "Oh. Then I'm sorry I jumped to conclusions." she replied sheepishly.

     "Awe... that's ok." Ranma said with a grin. "I'm use to it by now, anyway."

     "And just WHAT does THAT mean?" Akane asked angrily.

     "Um... nothin." Ranma said, putting his hand behind his head and laughing nervously. *STUPID! Why do you ALWAYS OPEN YOUR BIG MOUTH?*

     Ranma watched Akane closely as she continued to glare angrily at him, her beautiful brown eyes sending sparks flying in his direction. For some reason he found that incredibly cute. Ranma smiled at Akane, putting her off guard.

     "You know Akane..." Ranma began teasingly. "You're really cute when your mad."

     Akane's face softened, and she found herself at a loss for words, unsure of how to react to such a compliment."Um... thanks Ranma. I think."

     Ranma leaned down and kissed Akane softly on the lips, and groaned in disappointment when she quickly pulled away.

     "Akane," he whined. "What'd you do that for?"

     "Ranma, we should be more careful. Shampoo, Ukyo, or Kodachi could show up at any minute. It would be bad if one of them found out about us before we've had the chance to warn them."

     Ranma sighed in disappointment, realizing Akane was right. He didn't want all of his other fiancée's to find out about his and Akane's relationship before they've had a chance to tell them. Besides, he didn't want to hurt their feelings. Even after everything they'd gone through, he still considered them his friends. Well, maybe not Kodachi, but definitely Ukyo. Shampoo wasn't that bad either. He actually liked spending time with her when she wasn't glomping onto him, or trying to slip potions into his food.

     Ranma smiled as an idea began to form, a way to solve all of his problems.

     "Um... Akane. I'm gonna need your help with something." Ranma replied nervously.

     "With what, Ranma? Do you need me to spar with you?"

     "Um, no. Not exactly..."

     "Well then, what is it?" Akane asked curiously.

     "I need your help gettin rid of my fiancée's."

     Aphrodite felt a pang of sympathy, as she watched the young man refuse to let the dead girl in his arms go. Slowly, the young man bent down to kiss the girl softly on her cheek, his lips reluctant to leave her face.

     The pictures in the pool began to swirl around, distorting the images. Slowly, the scene began to fade away, until only her reflection remained in the clear, shallow pool.

     A sound from behind her, startled Aphrodite out of her train of thought and she quickly turned to come face to face with her father, Zeus.

     "You wanted to see me?" Zeus asked concerned. It wasn't very often that his daughter, the goddess of love and beauty, needed his help.

     "Yes, daddy." Aphrodite replied, as she moved away from the pool, to face her father. "I kind of have a teensy, weensy, favor to ask of you."

     "What is it?" Zeus asked intrigued.

     "Um... well... you see..."

     "Get on with it Aprodite. Do you want my help or not?" Zeus asked impatiently.

     "Of course I do daddy! Well... you see, there's this couple... and... I've been trying to get them together for a long time now, and well... one of them kind of um... well, she just died."

     "And I suppose you want me to bring her back from the dead, right?" Zeus asked flatly.

     "Well, um... It-It DID cross my mind." Aphrodite admitted as she gazed nervously at the stern expression on her father's face.

     Zeus released a sigh as he looked up at the hopeful expression on his daughter's face. He didn't know how to tell her that he couldn't do what she had asked.

     "Aprodite, you know the rules. I can't bring someone back from the dead! It would mess up the entire time line, and change the fate of the future. It's not smart to mess around with destiny or fate. If the girl dies, it's because it was her time to go, and there is nothing I can do about that! Besides, maybe the two of them weren't meant to be together in the first place."

     "DADDY! I'M THE GODDESS OF LOVE! OF COURSE I KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THEY BELONG TOGETHER!" Aphrodite shouted angrily. "I don't tell YOU when you should or shouldn't throw thunder bolts! Besides, you don't know what I've been through to get them together!" she whined.

     "Why are you so concerned about these mortals anyway, Aphrodite?"

     "Well, before they even met, I knew that they were soulmates." Aphrodite said with a casual shrug. "I thought it would be a fun challenge to get them together, because when they finally did meet, they were ALWAYS fighting, and calling each other names."

     "If they were soulmates, why weren't they getting along?" Zeus asked puzzled.

     "Daddy, not all soulmates get along perfectly." Aphrodite said with a giggle. "Actually, sometimes they don't even end up together. Sometimes, they just can't handle the strong emotions, and everything else that goes along with sharing someone else's heart and soul."

     "Oh, I understand now. But, why weren't you able to get them together?" Zeus asked confused.

     "Well, me and the goddess of mischief, made a bet about whether or not I could get them together. She's been pulling dirty tricks to keep them apart, ever since. She even made the boy, Ranma, fall into the cursed springs of Jusenkyou!"

     "Jusenkyou, huh? What does he turn into?"

     "A girl." Aprodite replied angrily.

     "A girl, huh?" Zeus said with a laugh.

     "That's not even the worst part, daddy!" Aphrodite exclaimed. "He has two fiancées besides Akane, and a lunatic named Kodachi who wants to marry him too!"

     "Akane?"

     "She's Ranma's fiancee, the one who died."

     "Oh, I see..."

     "And that isn't even the worst part, daddy!"

     "Oh, its not?"

     "Oh, no, not at all. There's also a bunch of people who are out to kill him too!"

     "Kill him you say? Why would they want to do that?" Zeus asked.

     "Oh, for different reasons." Aphrodite said with a shrug. "Most of them are just jealous that he's engaged to Akane, and others blame him for getting curses in Jusenkyou too. It's very complicated."

     "I guess it is. So, how did this Akane die?"

     "She sacrificed herself to save Ranma. Isn't that romantic?" Aphrodite asked dreamily. "That's a very noble way to die, isn't it daddy?" Aphrodite asked innocently.

     "Yeah, it sure is. What does this Ranma and Akane look like?" Zeus asked curiously.

     Aphrodite turned towards the shallow pool that stood behind her, and moved her hands, in a circular pattern, until a small whirlpool appeared. After a few seconds, a large image began to form in the center of the spiral. The deformed image, slowly formed into a solid picture of Ranma holding Akane's still form in his arms. They're family and friends gathered around them, staring in shock.

     "That's Ranma and Akane." Aphrodite announced as she pointed to the small couple in the center of the group.

     "Akane certainly is beautiful." Zeus stated, as he continued to stare at the dead girl in Ranma's arms.

     "Don't even think about it daddy!" Aphrodite replied angrily.

     "Don't be absurd, Aphrodite! I wouldn't do something like that after you've worked so hard to get the two of them together."

     "Yes you would." Aphrodite replied flatly, as she crossed her arms against her chest. "Daddy, promise me you won't try anything stupid."

     "Alright, I promise. I wasn't going to try anything anyway." Zeus grumbled.

     "Good. So can you help me?" Aphrodite asked hopefully.

     "Well, I suppose there is a way I can help..." Zeus trailed off.

     "There is? Oh thank you, thank you daddy! You're the best!" Aphrodite exclaimed as she hugged her dad excitedly.

     "Now, now... I'm not even sure if I'll be able to. I'll have to talk to Athena about it first."

     "Daddy, your the king of the gods! What ever idea you came up with will work. Well, I have some things to take care of. Thanks again for your help, daddy!" Aphrodite kissed her father on the cheek and then disappeared into thin air.

     Zeus looked to the place where his daughter had stood only seconds before, and sighed. "What am I gonna do with that girl?" he mumbled. "Well, time to get my plan into action. The first thing I should do is consult Athena. I'm going to need her help if I'm going to pull this one off." and with that Zeus disappeared into mid air, leaving the room completely empty...or so he thought.

     A lone figure stepped out from behind a large statue. Her cloak wrapped securely around her body. Then, moving with the grace of a panther, she stalked up to the shallow pool, and leaned down, touching the water with her fingertips. The figure dragged her fingers lazily through the water in a circular motion, until a small whirlpool appeared. Slowly, a bleary picture of Ranma, began to form, until the image became crystal clear. The images began to shift and change, as it focused on another figure that floated close by, unseen by any mortal eye. The figure narrowed her eyes as she observed the ghostly figure of Athena who stood watching the despairing young man.

     "I was so close!" the goddess of mischief complained, as she slammed her fist into the pool and destroyed the image. "If Aphrodite hadn't gone to Zeus for help, I would have won!"

     Mischief, threw off her hood and began to stamp her feet angrily. Not satisfied with only stomping her feet, she began to pull at her long, purple hair, as she kicked the sides of the pool angrily.

     "Its not fair!" she whined. "No one can go against Zeus!"

     Mischief stopped abruptly in the midst of her rampage, and began to giggle happily as an idea came to mind. "Unless..." Throwing off her beautiful blue cloak, she began to dance around the room, throwing rose petals that had appeared, into the air around her.

     "I have an idea!" she sang happily, as she clapped her small hands in delight. "This plan will work for sure!"

     Slowly, the goddess of mischief began to disappear into thin air, leaving only a trail of rose petals swirling around the place where she had stood only seconds before.

     For once, the room was completely empty and quiet. The only question was, for how long?

TO BE CONTINUED