Akane
by Kirinin
Ten
Akane wandered the streets of Nerima, miserably kicking rocks and cans out of her way. When there wasn't a rock or can in her way, she kicked at the plain air. Her thoughts were running in circles. She wasn't capable of murdering someone, no matter how much she hated them. Or how much she loved them. Perhaps it was an accident that you covered up. No! Impossible. Akane paused. That thought had a 'wrong' feel, too. She had partaken in some sort of deception in regards to Ranma's death. She knew it the way she knew her own name. OH my god. Oh no. But... but just because I covered it up, or helped to cover it up doesn't mean anything! Maybe he committed suicide and I wanted to preserve his honor. That's not so bad - is it? Akane resumed walking, shaking her head and letting out a long, drawn-out sigh. It didn't matter what the truth was. No matter what, it was bad; her only concern was a matter of degree. How bad? Had she done it? Had she helped do it? Had she simply covered for the person who had done it? Or was she wrong about knowing anything important at all? Those were her concerns, but no matter what, the fact remained: Ranma, her fiancé whom she had loved, was dead and gone; and she could not even honor his memory properly. No matter what, things sucked, big-time. It began to rain. Not just gloomy mood-rain or fog, but rain, pelting cats- and-dogs rain. Akane ducked inside the overhang of a nearby restaurant, hoping to wait it out. The door to the restaurant opened with a friendly jingle. "Want to come inside?" the proprietor queried. "Would I ever!" Akane practically flew inside, then shook her hair violently. The proprietor blinked. He was now covered with droplets of water. "I'm so sorry! Just a second, let me get you a towel." Akane moved with confidence into the back. She wasn't worried about getting in anybody's way, as the restaurant was obviously closed. She fetched a towel immediately from the left cabinet. I've been here before. Akane froze, taking in her surroundings. Nothing else could explain the way she knew this place. In her memory, she had never been to this restaurant before. Come to think of it, this restaurant wasn't even here before my memory messed up. Akane emerged thoughtfully with the towel. "Ucchan?" she queried. The proprietor stared at her. "You remember me?" Akane laughed lightly. "It's on the sign out front." "Goodness! Right, 'Ucchan's'. How silly of me." The chef put one hand behind his head. "It's been awhile. I haven't seen you around." Akane shrugged. "I guess I don't hang out at the same places anymore, now that Ranma's gone." She frowned at the chef. There was something about him that she couldn't put her finger on. The chef shrugged. "Yeah." He grew immediately quiet. "So," Akane began, "were you friends with Ranma?" "We were engaged," he answered. Akane blinked, putting it all together: the long hair, the high voice, the slightly feminine gesture. "But we were engaged to be married," she protested. "Here we go again." Ucchan replied. She smiled companionably. "Of the fiancées, you and I were the most friendly with one another, though." "Of the fiancées?!" Akane cried. "You mean there were more?! Goodness, no wonder we argued. Ranma and me, I mean." "It wasn't exactly Ranma's fault," Ukyo began. "It was more his panda's father's." Akane's eyes widened as the chef launched into an explanation of Ranma's basic history. "It's like a fairy tale," she whispered. Ukyo nodded. "Yes, and you and I were caught up in the middle of it. Ranchan’s legend." She quirked a smile. Akane shook her head faintly to herself. "This is like a dream that I keep thinking can't possibly get any stranger. And yet, each time I think that, it manages to do so. Somehow." Ukyo's features were loose and happy, lost in the memories of some younger time. Then, she sobered. "Akane, do you remember anything that happened that first week you were back?" Akane desperately attempted to recall something - anything. All that she gleaned was the fact that Ukyo had to be referring to her trip to China with Ranma. "Not really," she admitted. Ukyo nodded to herself. "Listen, and listen carefully. Do you remember Ranma's dad?" Akane shook her head. "Been seeing pictures, though." "Be careful of him. You know, they only found your DNA near Ranma's body. In fact, it was all over his clothing. Well, hers, at the time. I think it's safe to say Genma blames you." Akane felt the tears coming again but held them back, and wondered how long she was going to be able to stay strong like this. "Ucchan, do you think..." she looked up, desperate hope in her eyes. "Do you think I did something to Ranma?" Ukyo smiled. "Nobody's called me Ucchan in awhile,” she said softly to herself. "Nope, sugar, I don't. Listen, Ranma had plenty of enemies." Her eyes narrowed. "Some of 'em had spells that could've killed him from a distance." Akane's eyes widened, but she wasn't about to ask Ukyo if she were pulling her leg. Not after seeing Ranma 'change' before her very eyes. "Some of them had wings, too," Ukyo continued, looking, if possible, even more deadly than before. "And those folk live in that area. They could have easily left no DNA behind. Just flung an arrow or a spear at him from the skies." Akane thought she might faint. "W-wings?" she stuttered. "Yes, wings. One of them almost killed you once. Ranma went nuts." Ukyo's eyes glazed over with uneasy memory. "He thought you were dead and just - bam. Killed their leader. They couldn't have been too happy with him." Akane was beginning to feel a little bit better. "So... anyone could have done it?" Ukyo nodded. "The Musk, the Amazons..." Her expression grew grim at the word, and Akane filed the group away in her mind; Ukyo obviously thought they'd done it. "Hell, even I could have." She smiled nervously. "And Ryoga, and Mousse, and... the boy just had a fistful of problems, you know?" Ukyo looked even more disturbed. "At first I formulated theories, but after six months I'm beginning to realize that any of them could be true. And any combination of them could be true. I just can't figure it out. But I ruled you out right away. Nobody gets that messed up from seeing somebody dead if they're the murderer. And you sure weren't faking." "No," Akane replied. "But do you know why Ranma and I went to China? Were we trying to cure his curse?" Ukyo titled her head. "That's the thing. I'm not quite sure. I think you two were training, but the thing was, Ranma didn't ever want to train you." "Didn't want to?" Akane frowned, confused. "Why not?" "He was afraid of hurting you. That's what it came down to," Ukyo replied. "Oh, he said it was because you were a weak girl and everything, but he never hesitated to fight me, or Kodachi, or Shampoo, although he fought us less hard than he fought with boys." She shook her head. "He really cared for you, and didn't want to see you hurt, especially after the failed wedding." "The - what?" Akane demanded. "Wedding? Whose?!" "Yours and Ranma's," Ukyo replied. "Don't worry, it didn't happen - you're not a widow." Ukyo looked extraordinarily crestfallen. "I... Shampoo and I..." She took a deep breath. "The wedding didn't pan out. But after that, Ranma said he was taking you on a training trip. Nobody believed him except you and Ryoga - everyone else seemed to think the two of you were off to get married someplace quiet." Akane's eyes widened. "So... kami-sama... You realize you're saying that I might be a widow? What if we did get married?" "No ring," Ukyo pointed out. "And there wasn't one on your finger when you came back either. Trust me - I found out. I had a personal interest in the matter." "Ucchan - there's this big hole in my life. I don't remember Ranma at all. I didn't remember you, though some stuff's coming back, now. But I keep thinking... what else is missing?" Ukyo bit her lower lip and shook her head. "Sorry, sugar, that I can't answer. But if you have any questions that are a little more specific, you let me know." Akane recognized a dismissal when she heard one. "Thanks a lot, Ucchan. It's meant a lot to me to talk with you." "No problem. Drop by whenever you want to talk." Suddenly the teenager looked very weary. "I could use somebody to talk to, also." Akane nodded somberly, placing her hand over the chef's. "See you later." "Ja." Akane thought she heard someone weeping as she walked back out into the rain, but Ukyo had seemed so calm that she dismissed it as imagination.
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