Last Time
Everyone goes on a camping trip to try and relax and Ranma ends up falling off a cliff when the bridge he was on collapsed. Akane regains her memory and drives after him. As they waited for the others to find them, Akane learns the truth about Ryouga.Chapter 7: Tragedy Remains
Disclaimer The Ranmaverse and all of it's characters are property of the brilliant Takahashi-sama and I claim no ownership of them. Only the story belongs to me.
AN: This is a pretty sad chapter, in fact the saddest chapter of the fic.
Edited 02/23/08
"Just keep the cast dry and we'll take it off in about six weeks." Dr. Tofu said with a smile as he finished up.
"Thank you Dr. Tofu." Akane said with a smile.
"Just glad to have you back to normal." Tofu said as he gathered his things and headed out.
"Yes it is good to have you back to normal." Soun agreed nodding his head.
"It doesn't get you out of trouble." Akane warned him as she turned to look at the others who were still around the table. "So tell me Dad why didn't you tell me the truth about P-chan?" Akane asked jumping right into her interrogation.
"Umm let's not worry about that for now, you need to get some rest." Soun insisted changing the subject.
"Don't change the subject, why didn't you tell me the truth? You are my father you know what it would do to my honor. So tell me what was so important about keeping the secret that you didn't mind ruining my honor in the process?" Akane asked unrelenting as she slammed her fist down on the table causing everyone just jump.
Soun mumbled something under his breath that Akane wasn't quite able to catch. "What was that?" Akane asked raising her voice.
"I said it was to make Ranma jealous. I knew Ranma wouldn't let Ryoga do anything inappropriate and it helped to bring you two closer together." Soun repeated keeping his eyes on the floor.
"Inappropriate? Nothing inappropriate? He slept in my bed! Saw me undress! You don't think this is inappropriate? And closer together? No Dad it caused us nothing but problems." Akane screamed at him, his only reaction was to start weeping of course, and Akane knew she would get nothing more out of him.
Turning toward Nabiki she held her sister's gaze for a minute before asking, "Why didn't you tell me Nabiki?"
"Money." Was all Nabiki said with a shrug of her shoulders.
"You were blackmailing him with the secret?" Akane asked to make sure she had it right.
"Yep." Nabiki replied keeping her cool expression.
"Don't know why I thought you would be any different from that." Akane said coldly turning away from her sister toward Shan Pu, Mu tsu and Ukyo. "You three, now I know we haven't always gotten along, but why didn't you tell me?" Akane asked looking from each of them to the other.
"Shan Pu just no think about it." Shan Pu said with a shrug.
"I have no excuse." Was all Mu tsu had to say.
"Truthfully Sugar, in the beginning I was just waiting for the right time to tell you to cause problems with you and Ran-chan. Then I didn't want to tell you because it would cause problems with you ad Ran-chan and you guys had enough to deal with as it was." Ukyo said bowing her head.
"Fair enough." Akane replied after thinking about it for a minute.
"Ryoga?" Akane asked as she turned toward him. "I want the whole story, from beginning to end." Akane said coolly.
"I followed Ranma to China, after he had gotten cursed he knocked me in while running after his father. It was an accident but I didn't see it that way and blamed it on Ranma. When I got here you took me in as your pet before I could get away. I know I should have told you the truth from the start but I was ashamed and for the first time someone was showing me love, even if it was only as a pet. I tried to leave a few times but I always just ended up back here as P-chan and I started thinking that since it was the only place I could ever seem to find that it was meant to be. I know it's not now." Ryoga said looking at the floor in front of him.
"Tell me Ryoga, why didn't Ranma tell me?" Akane asked after thinking over what he said for a minute.
"He was honor bound not to. Before I became P-chan he swore not to tell anyone since he was the one that knocked me in." Ryoga replied looking up at her.
"Very well. Outside Ryoga." Akane said as she stood up from the table and headed outside, with the help of her crutches, with Ryoga and Ranma following. "When you get back, I may still be mad but I wont hate you." Akane said as she turned toward Ryoga.
"When I get back?" Ryoga asked confused turning toward Ranma.
"RYOGA NO BAKA!" Akane yelled as she swung her mallet and sent him flying into orbit.
"Ya okay 'Kane?" Ranma asked placing his hand on her shoulder.
"No but I will be." Akane said as she started away from the house. "Stay Ranma, I need some time to myself." Akane called over her shoulder when she heard him start to follow.
"Where's Akane?" Soun asked when Ranma walked back inside alone.
"She wanted ta be alone for a while. I think it's time e'eryone went home. We could all use a rest after our vacation." Ranma said with a laugh looking over at the others. Shan Pu, Mu tsu and Ukyo nodded in agreement before standing up and heading out.
"I'm gonna go take a nap." Ranma said as he turned and started upstairs.
"How long do you think she's going to stay mad Tendo?" Genma wondered as he pulled out the Go game and started setting it up.
"No way to tell with Akane, but she normally doesn't stay mad for too long." Soun said as he made his first move on the board.
"Well your six weeks are up, let's get that cast off of you." Dr. Tofu said with a smile as Akane sat down on the table. "So what is the first thing you are going to do once this is off?" Tofu asked as he started up the saw and began cutting through the cast.
"Get away from everyone from a while. Think I'll go spend some time at the river." Akane said as she watched him work.
"Still having problems at home?" Tofu asked as he looked up at her.
"Yeah everyone but Ranma is acting like they didn't do anything wrong by keeping the truth about Ryoga away from me. They still don't seem to understand what it did to me and I don't even think they care." Akane said shaking her head sadly.
"Well all done here." Tofu said as he pulled the pieces of cast off. "It maybe stiff for a while so try not to over do it." Tofu warned her as he helped her down off of the table.
"Alright Dr. Tofu. Thank you." Akane said with a smile as she started out of the room.
"Ready to go home Akane?" Soun asked as she walked into the waiting room.
"No. Think I'll go spend some time to myself for a while." Akane said as she passed by them and started toward the door.
"Akane you can't stay mad forever, we were only what we thought was in your best interest." Soun insisted stopping her at the door.
"Yeah right." Akane spat back before walking out the door ignoring her father's pleas for her to come back.
"I can't believe those guys." Akane mumbled to herself as she climbed down the hill and sat down next to the river. "They don't care what it does to me as long as they get their way." Akane complained to the empty air around her as she watched the wind cause slight waves on the water's surface.
Akane would have kept complaining if the ground beneath her feet hadn't started shaking. "What the?" Akane wondered out loud as she stood up, but the shaking knocked her back off of her feet. "An earthquake?" Akane asked the earth around her as she watched it quiver. "The dojo!" Akane called out as jumped to her feet again and fought her way back up the hill.
"Oh please let them be okay." Akane prayed as she was knocked off her feet again and struggled to stand back up. "Kami let them be okay." Akane whispered as she reached the street and began running back toward the dojo as fast as her feet could carry her.
"Ranma!" Akane screamed out when she saw him climbing out of the rubble that used to be the Tendo home.
"'Kane! Ya okay?" Ranma asked as she rushed over to him.
"I'm fine. Where are the others?"
"Still inside, help me fine them." Ranma said as he turned around to the rubble and started to dig through it.
"Someone's here!" Akane called out a few minutes later when she saw a hand reaching above the surface. "I got you. We'll have you out in just a minute, hang on." Akane told one of her sisters as Ranma rushed over to her and started digging the rubble away from the hand as she held onto it.
"Almost there." Akane reassured her as more of the arm was exposed.
"Be ready to pull." Ranma informed Akane as he lifted a large piece of debris up and Akane pulled on the arm until Kasumi was pulled free.
"Kasumi are you okay?" Akane asked as she dusted her sister's face off.
"I'm okay." Kasumi whispered through coughs.
"Got another one o'er here." Ranma called out a little ways away bringing Akane's attention back to the rubble.
"I have to go help Ranma. Are you okay by yourself?" Akane asked as she looked from Ranma back to her sister in her arms.
"Yeah, I'll help in a minute just need to catch my breath." Kasumi said with a smile as she climbed out of Akane's lap. Akane just nodded and rushed over to Ranma, who by now had Nabiki half way out of the rubble.
"Help pull her out, she's not breathing." Ranma said in a rushed as he grabbed onto one of Nabiki's arms and Akane took the other. Pulling her back, they were able to get her out completely and laid her flat on the ground.
"Kasumi can ya start CPR? I need ta find our dads." Ranma said turning toward her.
"Sure Ranma." Kasumi said as she crawled over and started working on her sister.
"I have ta go inside, 'Kane I want'cha ta stay out here and help Kasumi." Ranma said turning back to her.
"No Ranma I..."
"No arguing Kasumi's gonna need ya help." Ranma said sternly as he turned and started toward a hole in the rubble that allowed him to get into the house.
"Oh my an after shock." Kasumi called out as the ground around them started to shake again.
"We need to get off the rubble." Akane said as she picked up Nabiki and rushed away from the house.
"I can walk you know." Nabiki complained in her arms before Akane put her down.
"Too slow." Was all Akane replied, she was too busy watching the house.
"It's going to collapse." Kasumi cried as the last of the remaining foundation that was standing started to buckle on itself.
"Ranma!" Akane cried out when the house was nothing more then a pile of rubble on the ground. "Ranma!" Akane screamed again as she rushed toward the house and started moving debris out of her way to try and find him.
"Ranma where are you?!" Akane cried as she threw the larger pieces over her shoulder.
"'Kane?" Ranma's mumbled replied came from just a few feet away from where she was digging.
"Ranma!" Akane cried as she rushed over to his voice and started clearing the way toward him. Within a few minutes she had cleared enough of the debris that she could see his hands, and grabbing onto them, pulled him completely out.
"Ranma are you okay?" Akane asked as she searched him making sure there weren't any serious injuries.
"I'm okay 'Kane." Ranma assured her as he wrapped his arms around her.
"Our dad?" Nabiki asked walking over to them. Ranma looked up at her sadly and just shook his head.
"Oh my." Whispered Kasumi as she passed out into Nabiki's arms.
"What about your dad Ranma?" Akane asked looking up into his eyes. The unshed tears visible in his eyes was the only response he needed to give her. Akane took a deep breath trying to steady herself.
"Nabiki get Kasumi to Dr. Tofu's. Ranma you should go check on your mom." Akane said after a moment as she stood up and helped him to his feet.
"Where ya goin'?" Ranma asked as Akane started toward the gate.
"I'm going to check on the others." Akane called back over her shoulder as she rushed out of the yard and away from the scene.
"Daddy!" Akane cried as she rushed around the corner and dropped to her knees. She held onto herself for a minute while she trembled but allowed no tears to fall.
"I will cry after." Akane promised herself as she stood back up and started off toward the cat café. "Shampoo! Mu Tsu!" Akane yelled a few minutes later as she went inside the café looking for them.
"Shan Pu here." Came Shan Pu's replied from one of the tables as she tended to the cut on Mu tsu's arm.
"Are you two okay?" Akane asked as she rushed over to them. Looking them over, she found nothing more then a few scraps and bruises.
"Shan Pu fine. Mu Tsu one cut, no bad." Shan Pu said nodding toward Mu tsu as she finished dressing his cut.
"It was pretty minor here. Only one wall has any damage. Other then that it's just broken dishes." Mu tsu said looking up at Akane.
"You two were very lucky. You guys okay to walk?" Akane asked as she looked back toward the door.
"Yeah where are we going?" Mu tsu asked as he stood up, helping Shan Pu to her feet as well.
"We need to go check on Ukyo." Akane said as she started out of the café.
"Dr. Tofu!" Nabiki called out as she entered the clinic still dragging Kasumi with her.
"Kasumi!" Tofu cried out as he made his way over to them.
"She's okay just passed out. Can you wake her?" Nabiki asked as she looked around at all the people who were waiting to be treated.
"Just a moment." Tofu said as he rushed back to get some smelling salts. After running it under Kasumi's nose, she woke up with a start.
"Oh my." Kasumi whispered as she looked around the room at everyone.
"Nabiki can you find out who is serious and who is minor and start sending the serious back to us." Kasumi said standing up as she looked over at Nabiki before starting toward the back.
"Kasumi you should rest." Tofu informed her as he started after her.
"Rest will come later. Right now you need my help." Kasumi said as she turned the corner and the rest of the conversation was lost to Nabiki.
"Alright everyone as I come around tell me what your injuries are and we will get you out of here and back on your way as soon as possible." Nabiki said as she grabbed a clip board and started heading around to the people. "Gos anything wrong with you?" Nabiki asked as she walked up to him.
"No it's my mother." Gos said nodding toward the woman in the seat next to him.
"Good then I need you to do me a favor while we take care of her. I need you to round up Ranma and Akane and let them know we need them here when they are done. Here's the address of Ranma mom's place and Akane should either be at the cat café of Ucchan's." Nabiki said handing him a piece of paper with the address on it.
"Got it." Gos said as he stood up and headed for the door before turning back to look at his mother.
"She'll be fine Gos and you'll just be in the way if you stay here. Now hurry I need their help." Nabiki said not bothering to turn to look at him while she started writing down what was wrong with his mother. Gos just nodded his head before taking off out of the clinic and down the street.
"Oh Kami!" Akane cried out as they arrived at Ucchan's which was in no better shape then her own home. "Mu Tsu get an ambulance while we go in to get her." Akane called over her shoulder as she rushed toward the rubble with Shan Pu following.
"Alright." Mu tsu called back to her as he rushed off in search of some help.
"Ukyo!" Akane called out as she started making her way into the ruined restaurant. "Ukyo say something if you can hear me!" Akane yelled as she and Shan Pu had to get down on their knees to crawl around with what little space was available to move around in.
"Ukyo?!" Shan Pu called out following along behind Akane.
"Mother?!" Ranma cried out as he arrived at her house to find the paramedics bringing her out on a stretcher. "Mom!" Ranma screamed when he noticed the sheet was pulled over her head.
"Sorry kid there was nothing we could do." One of the paramedics said as he tried to stop Ranma from seeing the body. Ranma just ignored him and pushed past, stopping them from loading her onto the ambulance.
"Kid you don't want to see that." The paramedic assured him as Ranma started to pull back the sheet. Ranma just ignored him and pulled it back anyways to revealed his mother's mangled body.
"She was decapitated by a falling beam." The paramedic informed him as Ranma backed away from the sight and he recovered her with the sheet.
"Ukyo can you hear me?!" Akane cried out as they continued to search for her.
"Shan Pu find something." Shan Pu called over to her and Akane rushed over to her side.
"It's Konatsu." Akane said as they pulled a large chunk of wall off of him.
"It too late." Shan Pu said sadly as she looked up at Akane. Akane just nodded her head sighing.
"Hearing that a lot today." Akane whispered as she started back the way she had been going.
(Wonder what she means by that.) Shan Pu thought to herself as she continued her search for Ukyo.
"Ukyo?! Damn it Ukyo answer me!" Akane screamed getting frustrated.
"Akane?" Came a weak replied from about ten feet away from Akane.
"Shampoo over here!" Akane screamed as she rushed over to Ukyo and started pulling pieces of debris off of her with Shan Pu joining in a moment later. "Hold on Ukyo almost have you." Akane assured her as the pile of rubble above their heads started to become unsteady. "We have to get her out of here now!" Akane said turning toward Shan Pu as they pulled the last piece off of her.
"I can't feel my legs." Ukyo said as they pulled her over to them.
"Don't worry about it. We'll get you out of here." Akane assured her as they started dragging her back the way they had come.
"Konatsu." Ukyo said sadly as they passed the place where he laid.
"I'm sorry Ukyo it was too late." Akane said sadly as she kept her eyes from going to the ninja.
"I know he saved my life." Ukyo said softly as the tears started to fall down her cheek.
"We're almost out." Akane said trying to get her mind off of him for at least a minute.
"The ambulance is here!" Mu tsu called out to them as they started to push through to the outside.
"Let them know she can't feel her legs!" Akane called back to him as they climbed out to the outside.
"Get back!" Mu tsu yelled as the ground started to shake with another after shock. Akane grabbed Ukyo into her arms and jumped away from the rubble with Shan Pu right behind her as the rest of the restaurant collapsed on itself.
"Ranma?" Gos asked quietly when he found him sitting on the ground outside of what was left of his mother's house.
"What'd ya want?" Ranma asked not bothering to turn around to face him.
"Nabiki-san sent me. Says she needs you guys' help at the clinic." Gos replied softly.
"Where's 'Kane?" Ranma asked as he stood up and turned to face him.
"I'm not sure. But I saw that Mu Tsu guy over at Ucchan's and Nabiki-san said Akane was heading there after checking in at the cat café so she was probably there with them." Gos said nodding his head.
"Thanks Gos." Ranma called over his shoulder as he took off running down the road toward Ucchan's.
"Do the rest of you need any medical attention?" A paramedic asked the others as they were loading Ukyo into the ambulance.
"No we're fine just get her to the hospital." Akane said nodding toward Ukyo as they closed the doors.
"Very well." The paramedic said as he headed around to the front and got in, taking off down the street with the siren blaring.
"Is Ucchan okay?" Ranma asked as he rushed over to the Akane.
"She'll be okay. Konatsu didn't make it though." Akane said sadly as she rushed into Ranma's arms.
"Shampoo, Mu Tsu you two okay?" Ranma asked looking over at them as he held onto Akane.
"Shan Pu fine. Mu Tsu small cut, but fine." Shan Pu told him as she nodded her head.
"Ranma how was your mother?" Akane asked as she looked up at him wiping a tear off her cheek.
"She didn't make it." Ranma replied quietly as he took a deep breath to keep himself from starting to cry again.
"Oh Ranma I'm so sorry." Akane cried as she held onto him tighter.
"We're needed over at Tofu's. Nabiki says they're over run and could use some help." Ranma said after a moment trying to change the subject. The others just nodded in understanding as they started walking toward the clinic.
"Why are so many people outside?" Akane wondered as they walked into the clinic.
"Minor injuries are out there. No room in here." Nabiki informed them without even stopping as she rushed around the room, still writing down injuries. "Need you guys to fix up the people outside. Mostly just cuts and scraps. Nothing you guys aren't used to already." Nabiki said as the phone started ringing and she rushed over to answer it.
"Tofu's office Nabiki speaking. It's ready? Good it's about time. Yeah I'll start sending them over there when we're done with them here. You tell him that he wants to complain he came come over here. I don't care if he is. Right now we need a place for these people." Nabiki said hanging up the phone before turning to the others who were looking at her confused.
"Principal Kuno is being a pain. When you get them fixed up out there send them to the school. We have it fixed up as a shelter since it didn't take much damage in the quake." Nabiki informed them as she handed them medical supplies and started ushering them outside.
"Nabiki are you okay?" Akane asked as she stopped in the door way and turned back to her sister.
"I fine. I don't have time not to be at the moment. How are the others?" Nabiki asked nodding toward the door.
"Shampoo and Mu Tsu are okay. The café didn't take too much damage so they were lucky. Ucchan's is destroyed, Ukyo's okay but her legs might be broken. Konatsu didn't make it." Akane said shaking her head sadly.
"How is Aunt Nodoka doing?" Nabiki asked as she looked up from the patient she was talking to.
"Auntie didn't make it." Akane said keeping her eyes on the ground in front of her.
"Oh poor Ranma." Nabiki said softly as her cool and collected expression on her face slipped for a moment and a tear started down her cheek. Quickly wiping it away, she put back on her business expression as she took a deep breath.
"I should go help them." Akane said nodding toward the door as she turned and headed out.
"That was a beautiful day." Akane said softly as she pushed Ukyo down the street with the others.
"Yeah it's about time we have another good one. These last few weeks have been hell." Nabiki agreed nodding her head.
"So what is this big surprise ya wanna show us Nabs?" Ranma asked turning toward her with his eye brows raised.
"You'll see." Nabiki said with a smile as she winked at Shan Pu and Mu tsu. "Well here we are." Nabiki said with a grin when they stop outside of the 'cat café'.
"It's finished?" Ranma asked looking up at the newly fixed café.
"Yeah they finished it this morning." Nabiki said with a nod. "And for the finishing touch." Nabiki said as she pulled a sheet off of the new sign.
"What's Ransum?" Ranma asked turning to her confused.
"It's an acronym. It stands for Ranma, Akane, Nabiki, Shampoo, Ukyo and Mu Tsu." Nabiki said with a smile as she turned around to face everyone.
"Okay but why is Ucchan on there and no Kasumi?" Ranma asked after thinking for a moment.
"Well Kasumi has decided to work at Tofu's since he proposed and they'll be getting married soon." Nabiki informed him.
"And I can't really run a restaurant by myself while I'm in this chair so for the time being I'm going to be helping out here." Ukyo said with a smile as she looked up at Ranma.
"Why am I not surprised you managed to work money into the name?" Akane asked with a laugh as she looked from the sign to her sister.
"Yeah well." Nabiki said with a shrug.
"I don't get it." Ranma said looking over at Akane.
"Ransom is an English word that means 'to free from captivity by paying a price'." Akane quoted from the English-Japanese dictionary she had been reading.
"Ah I get it, so in other words ya gonna charge them a ransom for dinner?" Ranma asked with a laugh as he turned back to Nabiki.
"Pretty much." Nabiki said with her money making grin visible on her face.
"How are you doing Ranma?" Akane asked later that night as she climbed up on the roof of Ransum.
"Not sure yet 'Kane. Ask me again in six months when the house and dojo are rebuilt." Ranma said looking over at her as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
"Everything will work out. I don't know how but it will Ranma. It always does." Akane said softly as she rested her head on his shoulder.
"I know 'Kane, I know." Ranma whispered in her ear as he stared up at the stars above them.