Three Days to Say I Love You

By Angela Jewell

 

Summary: At Jusendou, Akane came back to life... But at what cost?

 

Disclaimer: As most people know, I don’t own these characters (unfortunately!) and am merely borrowing them for this story. So, if you bother to sue me, you’ll lose and still be broke…


Reviewers comments are following the Authors Notes...

 

Thanks to everyone who reviewed! All of you gave me the motivation I needed to write! ^_^

 

Chapter 5

The Power Within

 

Akane stopped to rest, breathing heavily. Wiping away the tears, she leaned her head against the fence and closed her eyes. “Ranma, you dummy,” she whispered brokenly. The image of him kissing Ukyo played once again in her mind, like a broken record that refused to move on…

 

And then she remembered the Hannya’s words.

 

The remains of the dream she had tried to push forever out of her mind came back in a rush. Everything had happened as before: Again, she was surrounded in darkness, back at Jusendou. And once again the Oni was there, waiting for her answer. The same familiar questions—the doubts plagued her as she asked for more time…

 

But there, the similarity ended.

 

This time around, when she needed to hear him—when she longed to hear him—his voice was there, calling out to her, pleading for her to come back. But midway through, Akane noticed that the voice had slowly begun to change. It grew higher and lighter; and she noticed with alarm that she was no longer listening to her fiancée, but to the familiar voice of the Oni.

 

I invaded your mind, Akane, the Oni had said, laughing; the cruel, mocking sounds echoed all around her. What makes you think my ability is limited solely to reading the mind? Do you think I am not able to influence it as well? Now, Akane let the words sink in—something she hadn’t allowed herself to do earlier that morning; her heart felt heavy with the effort.

 

What if it was true?

 

What if she had just imagined Ranma’s voice calling out to her? What if everything she had heard—everything she had felt was a lie?

 

What if the Hannya had the bet rigged from the beginning?

 

She pulled away from the fence, fresh tears gathering in her eyes.

 

She needed to find Ranma...

 

*           *           *

 

Ranma ran thru the streets of Nerima, his eyes searching, straining for any sign of his short-haired fiancée. The rain had long since stopped, but even that wasn’t enough to cheer him up. He kept the umbrella clutched tightly in his hand, reluctant to let it go. It felt like he had been running forever…

 

… But still, he refused to stop.

 

He had to explain it to her—he couldn’t let her misunderstand—not this time.

 

Then he saw her.

 

A few yards away, leaning against the chain-link fence was Akane.

 

Right when he was about to call out to her, he stopped. A sudden fear gripped him as he watched her. Even though her eyes were closed, he could tell she looked miserable and heartbroken. Her shoulders were slumped and her head hung down as her back leaned lightly against the fence piping. He was suddenly glad she didn’t now the Shishi Höködan; at that moment, it looked like she was depressed enough to level the entire district of Nerima.

 

And then, just as quickly, her head was rising as she leaned away from the fence and began to walk away.

 

Ranma hesitated briefly, unsure what to do next. Finding her had been the easy part—explaining to her what had happened, however...

 

“Akane, wait!”

 

His fiancée stopped at the sound of his voice. Slowly, nervously, she turned to look at him, and for an instant he could see a flicker of relief on her face as her eyes met his. But it didn’t last long. Soon it was replaced by cold indifference; as if she had suddenly remembered she was mad at him.

 

“Ranma,” she said. He could tell she sounded pleased, despite her best efforts to conceal it.

 

He ran to where she stood and stopped in surprise. He had to force back a sudden wave of guilt at the sight of her. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying, and her hand was quickly wiping away the last traces of wetness on her cheek. “Akane…”

 

“I was just coming to look for you,” she said, carefully averting his gaze.

 

Ranma could feel his heart tighten in his chest. “Akane,” he said again, taking another step towards her. “I know you think you saw something, but I swear nothin’ happened. We were just talking, and… I mean, yeah, she kissed me,” he admitted, angry at his inability to prevent it, “but I didn’t ask her too.”

 

He looked at her hopefully, waiting for her reaction… but none came. She continued to stare at the floor, not meeting his gaze, not saying a word. Why wasn’t she yelling at him, or pounding him into the pavement?!

 

“Come on,” he pleaded, “say something—anything. You can even hit me if you wanna.”

 

Finally, Akane lifted her head. “Why didn’t you push her away?” she asked. Her eyes were wide and troubled, and he could see the pain that lay just beneath the surface.

 

“I did,” he replied softly, frowning.

 

“Not right away,” she accused. “You were just—just sitting there. You weren’t even trying to stop her—“

 

“Look,” he interrupted, choosing his words carefully as he set the umbrella down. “I was really surprised, alright? I didn’t have any time to react. I just… panicked, I guess.”

 

Akane laughed bitterly. “Panicked, he says.”

 

Ranma narrowed his eyes. “Yes,” he said evenly, trying to keep his anger under control. “And it’s not like it’s my fault that she kissed me. I didn’t ask for it or nothin’...

 

She turned away, not saying a word.

 

“Come on, Akane,” he pleaded, stepping closer. “I really am sorry it happened.”

 

Nodding her head, she sighed. She knew she shouldn’t be making such a big deal out of the kiss, but she just couldn’t help herself. The thought of Ranma kissing anyone—especially Ukyo—was just too much to take in, especially now…

 

And how could she expect him to be in love with her when he would rather spend time with his ‘cute’ fiancée? Why couldn’t he just meet her in the park like she had requested—like she had needed him too?!

 

Ranma looked at her nervously. “Akane…?”

 

Slowly, she turned around to face him. “Why did you go to her?” she asked at last, no longer able to hide the pain in her voice. “You were supposed to meet me.”

 

Ranma looked at the ground guiltily. “Well, it was raining…” he finished lamely.

 

Akane turned away from him, visibly shaken. It was raining?! That was the best excuse he could come up with?! She was so angry—so hurt—she didn’t trust herself to speak. She wanted nothing more than to slap the insensitive jerk—

 

But for once, she couldn’t even bring herself to do that.

 

She felt so tired. Of all the fighting, the arguing, the misunderstandings… things that had become a constant in her life ever since Ranma had arrived in Nerima. But now, with her time running out, those things didn’t seem to matter as much any more…

 

…And out of the corner of her eye, Akane caught a glimpse of her watch—the one she had borrowed from Nabiki so that she could keep track of the time she still had remaining…

 

And her body grew cold as her eyes focused in on the time.

 

It was almost up…

 

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Ranma asked suddenly, turning her around. “Why did you get so pale all of a sudden? Are you okay?”

 

Akane nodded mutely, as she tried to smile. “I’m fine,” she said. “Just tired, I guess.”

 

Ranma continued to watch her, the worry plain on his face. “Do you want to go home? I could carry you…“

 

Akane quickly shook her head. She definitely didn’t want to be home when it happened. She didn’t want her family to be there—to worry—to relive what had happened to their mother… “I’ll be fine,” she told him, trying her hardest to sound reassuring. “But Ranma, can I ask you something?” she questioned.

 

Ranma shrugged, nodding. “Sure,” he said.

 

Akane took a deep breath as she prepared to say what she needed too: she knew he wasn’t going to like it. “At Jusendou,” she began quietly, nervously. “Did you—did you say anything to me—anything you can remember?” She looked up at him, her eyes, pleading. “I really need to know,” she finished softly.

 

Ranma lowered his eyes. “I—I can’t really remember,” he said at last, frowning. Akane felt her heart fall as Ranma continued. “To be honest, most of that day is kind of a blur. I can remember bits and pieces—seeing you disappear when you grabbed the dragon tap, finding out you were alive from the Jusenkyo guide, fighting Shampoo for the water, and—and then Saffron…” he paused, as he breathed deeply. “But once you had closed your eyes, even after I had gotten you the water—when I thought you were dead—” he shuddered at the memory. “I was pretty out of it, Akane.”

 

“I see…” she said, downhearted. So, it couldn’t have been Ranma’s voice, after all. And that meant that Ranma never…

 

Akane stopped, unable to complete the thought.

 

Suddenly, she felt empty, disoriented. How could she have been so wrong? How could she have been fooled so easily?

 

…And why did she feel like there was a large, gaping hole where her heart used to be?

 

Akane lifted her eyes to meet Ranma’s, and she found herself unable to look away. He was staring back at her, his eyes, questioning. And for a moment, she was almost tempted to tell him everything. About the Hannya, about the promise… but most of all, she longed to tell him that she loved him—that she had always loved him...

 

Slowly, reluctantly, she looked away.

 

No matter how much she longed too, she knew she couldn’t.

 

For one thing, it was too risky—too selfish. The last thing she wanted was to burden him with her feelings… or, a part of her feared, die or collapse right in front of him. After all, the Oni’s warning was still fresh in her mind.

 

No, she told herself. She couldn’t lose. Not that way.

 

It took all of her effort just to smile “Why don’t you go on ahead,” she told him, motioning in the direction of the Tendo Dojo. “I’ll be there in a little while.”

 

Ranma looked at her with uncertainly. He wanted to tell her that there was no way in Hell he was gonna just leave her there, but the words, like so many times before, refused to come. He shook his head. “I’ll wait with you,” he replied.

 

“No,” Akane answered quickly—a little too quickly. The look of fear that had passed briefly through her eyes at his suggestion had not gone unnoticed by Ranma. “Sorry,” she said, laughing uncomfortably. “I just really need to be alone right now.”

 

Reluctantly, Ranma nodded his head, sighing. “Okay,” he replied, grudgingly. “But don’t be too long. It’s gonna be dark soon.”

 

Akane nodded in reply.

 

And then Ranma had turned and was walking away.

 

Every instinct was screaming at her to go after him—to do anything but stand there and watch him walk away forever… and yet, she was torn and confused, being pushed and pulled in too many different directions, too fast. And she knew she couldn’t tell him how she felt, but maybe she could show him in some other way…

 

…The only thing she knew for certain was that she couldn’t let him go just like that.

 

“Ranma, wait!” she yelled suddenly.

 

Ranma stopped in surprise as he turned to look back at his fiancée—his fiancée who was walking towards him that very second.

 

It didn’t take Akane long to close the remaining distance that lay between them. He looked at her in confusion, his eyes wide. And then, without a word, she leaned forward and kissed him.

 

Ranma simply stood there, his arms glued to his sides; his heart racing. His mind was a mess as he tried to decide what the best course of action would be in this situation…

 

…The thought of pulling away, however, never once crossed his mind.

 

And then, much too soon, she was pulling away.

 

Ranma blushed as she looked up at him, smiling sweetly. “I forgot to say thanks,” she told him.

 

Although his face was still red, and his heart wouldn’t stop pounding in his chest, Ranma slowly began to come back to his senses. “Um… th—thanks for what?” he asked.

 

Akane looked at him in earnest, a faint blush on her cheeks. “For everything,” she replied sincerely. Blushing furiously now, Ranma watched as Akane turned her gaze to the ground, too embarrassed to meet his gaze.

 

He continued to stare at her, unable to tear his eyes away.

 

When did she become so cute, he wondered?

 

Akane, for her part, was staring fixedly at the floor, her heart racing. She couldn’t believe she had actually done it. She had kissed Ranma! She felt her face growing redder at the thought, and she only prayed he wasn’t too angry with her…

 

…And once again her eyes found their way to her watch.

 

She felt time come to a screeching halt as she found herself forced back to reality. When she had seen him walking away, she had allowed herself to forget about everything for an instant: but she couldn’t do that any longer…

 

“You should probably get going now,” she told him, quietly. “Kasumi should be getting dinner ready, and—and I still have some things to take care of.” Her voice trailed off, and his mouth fell open in surprise.

 

What is with her?! He wondered angrily. First she tells him to leave, then she kisses him, and now she’s telling him to leave again?! Ranma groaned in frustration, quickly growing angry.

 

He would never understand women.

 

“Fine,” he said simply, turning away. “See ya later.”

 

Akane looked up in surprise, astonished by the anger she had heard in his voice. Was he really that angry with her for kissing him?

 

This time, when he walked away, Akane didn’t try to stop him.

 

*           *           *

 

After making it far enough away, Ranma had quickly doubled back, but this time, he took to the rooftops. It hadn’t taken him long to find the perfect place where he could watch Akane from a safe distance without fear of being seen.

 

If she thought he was going to leave her alone after that little performance, she had another thing coming! He knew there was something bothering her… there had to be. Ranma blushed as he remembered the brief kiss they had shared. Akane wouldn’t act that way without a good reason, he told himself.

 

He just knew something big was going to happen: he sensed it. He had felt that way ever since Jusendou…

 

And he wasn’t going to leave the roof until he found out why.

 

Ranma lay down on his stomach to wait, his eyes never leaving his fiancée.

 

It wasn’t long before his patience paid off.

 

His battle senses were screaming in warning as he watched a strange woman slowly approach Akane… Of course, that alone hadn’t been enough to alert him that something was wrong.

 

Perhaps it was the fact that the woman had horns on her head… or that she had appeared out of thin air…

 

Dammit, Akane, he thought angrily as he moved to stand up. What the hell did you get yourself into this time…?

 

*           *           *

 

“I’ve been waiting for you,” Akane said as she turned to face the Oni.

 

The Hannya smiled, her teeth bared. “Ready to give up already, are we?” she asked.

 

Akane lost all traces of amusement as she glared angrily at the Hannya. “You tricked me,” she deadpanned, her eyes accusing.

 

The Oni looked at her innocently. “Me?” she asked. Her eyes were shining and there was a hint of a smile on her face. “How so?”

 

Akane continued to glare at her. “You made me think that he— that he—,” she stopped, still having trouble saying the words. The Oni stood before her, silently gloating. And that’s when she felt it…

 

…For the last three days Akane had made a habit of keeping her anger locked away, under control—afraid of losing her temper and fighting with Ranma.

 

But Ranma, she noted, wasn’t here…And she knew that even if he was, she was tired of holding back...

 

She looked once more at the Oni, who if anything, looked even more superior and condescending than before.

 

And that’s all it took.

 

Akane felt her hands ball into fists at her sides, and then felt the familiar flow of anger returning, giving her strength. “You made me think that he loved me,” she said, her voice dripping venom. “You even used his voice to trick me into agreeing to your bargain.”

 

The Oni smiled coldly as she took a step towards her. “You really shouldn’t read so much into dreams, Akane.” She told her. “They have a way of… misleading you.”

 

Akane continued to glare at her, not understanding the Hannya’s words. Misleading? What did she— her thoughts trailed off as her eyes widened with realization. Akane watched as the Hannya’s face slowly broke into a mocking grin.

 

So it really had been Ranma’s voice she’d heard?!

 

Akane quickly shook her head in confusion, afraid to believe the Hannya’s words.

 

Her thoughts were a jumbled mess as she took a step back, grabbing a hold of the fence to steady herself. It wasn’t long before she felt her anger draining away, only to be replaced with… something else.

 

The Hannya stepped towards her, her hand outstretched. “I must admit,” she said, placing a long, slender finger under Akane’s chin so that she was forced to look up at her. “I really didn’t think it would be this easy,” she said laughing. “You practically handed yourself over on a silver platter.”

 

Akane could barely hear her.

 

Again. She had been tricked again

 

And then the Hannya’s words finally registered. Hey, wait a minute! Did she just refer to her as easy pray?!

 

It wasn’t long before she felt the familiar stirs of anger… And that’s when she heard him.

 

“Akane, what the HELL is going on here?!”

 

Even the Hannya turned in surprise as both girls saw a very confused—very angry—pigtailed martial artist standing behind them, his eyes narrowed in fury.

 

Akane’s eyes were wide as she looked at him. When did he…? Her surprise quickly returned to anger as she glared at her fiancée. “Ranma, you idiot!” she yelled, her fists shaking. “I TOLD you to go home!”

 

Ranma rolled his eyes. “Yeah, like I could leave an uncute chick like you alone,” he told her. Akane fumed as he stuck his tongue out at her.

 

The Hannya turned cold, angry eyes on Ranma. Her horns seemed to grow brightly for an instant. “Leave,” she ordered in a voice that left little room for argument. “I have no business with you.”

 

Ranma didn’t even flinch as he glared at the Oni. “If ya got business with Akane,” he told her, “then you’ve got business with me.”

 

Akane frowned. Although a part of her was happy to see him, she couldn’t ignore the larger, more insistent part of her that was embarrassed and hurt at the fact that she might need his protection after all. “Stay out of this Ranma,” she told him. “I can handle this myself.”

 

Ranma crossed his arms against his chest as he turned his full attention on Akane. “As soon as I find out what’s going on here, I’ll be the judge of that,” he told her. Narrowing his eyes once more, he continued to glare at the Hannya. “What do you want with Akane?” he asked again.

 

“We have an agreement,” she told him.

 

“What kind of agreement?”

 

The Hannya abruptly turned away from him, not bothering to answer: Her eyes were focused solely on Akane, who, if she could have, would have taken another step back if the fence hadn’t been blocking her escape.

 

Akane froze as a familiar sensation washed over her. The Hannya’s eyes were staring intently into hers, and she felt herself falling into their depths. She tried to fight against the sensation, tried to tell herself to keep up the walls, but again, like before, she felt them crumbling under the force of the Oni’s power. She tried to pull her eyes away, tried to signal to Ranma for help, but she couldn’t look away, no matter how hard she tried.

 

Ranma glowered, angry at being ignored. What was going on?! They were just staring at each other. He looked at his fiancée again—but this time, he really looked at her. There was something… strange about her eyes. They looked empty, and unfocused. He couldn’t see the Oni’s face, but he had no doubt that her expression would mirror that of his fiancée’s.

 

“Uh, Akane?” he asked with uncertainty, “Are you okay?”

 

Akane, for the life of her, couldn’t answer.

 

Ranma watched her nervously. There was definitely something wrong with her, that much was obvious.

 

And he knew it was the demon’s fault.

 

Without thinking, Ranma shoved the Oni firmly from behind, but just enough to startle it. He normally made it a point not to hit girls, but since the thing standing before him wasn’t even human, he decided to make an exception…

 

The Hannya, enraged, her concentration broken, turned towards Ranma, her eyes black with unleashed anger.

 

“You okay, Akane?” Ranma repeated. He looked at her worriedly, completely ignoring the Hannya.

 

Akane nodded her head, her mind, whirling.

 

She tried to smile reassuringly at him, but before she could properly answer, she was knocked against the fence as a strong wind began to blow around them. Akane watched in amazement as the Oni slowly began to lift herself off the ground.

 

Her once beautiful, pale face was now contorted and twisted with anger, her eyes burning with rage. Her mouth was curled into an angry snarl, and her horns had grown several inches more. Even a few of her teeth had suddenly grown longer—much too long to be contained within her mouth. Two of her canine teeth now hung over her lips, protruding out.

 

Akane stood frozen in horror. Now this she recognized.

 

Suddenly, she felt Ranma’s warm hand on her wrist as he quickly pulled her behind him, shielding her from the Oni.

 

“Hmm, maybe pushing her wasn’t the right thing to do,” he said off-handedly. “Sure has a tempter though. Kinda reminds me of you.” He stuck his tongue out at her as she elbowed him in the ribs.

 

“Very funny, Ranma.”

 

The Hannya remained in the air, her hair flying around her. Slowly, she turned her gaze on Akane. “I was hoping you’d tap into your power on your own,” she hissed, her voice no longer soft and lilting, but low and gruff. “But,” she added, smiling cruelly. “It appears you’re going to need a little help. This time you better not interrupt,” she said, throwing a threatening glare in Ranma’s direction.

 

Akane felt Ranma’s hand on her wrist tighten at the Oni’s words…

 

Then she felt it; the Oni once again was capturing her eyes in her own, drawing her in. It wasn’t hard for the Hannya to invade her mind this time: it was already weak and defenseless from her earlier attempt. Unconsciously, Akane squeezed Ranma’s hand tightly in her own, as her brain grew foggy and muddled.

 

She could hear Ranma calling out to her, but her voice felt dry, empty. It was like she was dead again, alone, afraid, and unable to speak. She felt dizzy and confused, and then she heard the voice of the Oni once again in her mind.

 

*           *           *

 

Ranma shook Akane, trying to snap her out of it. But nothing seemed to work.

 

His fiancée was too far gone.

 

He wondered why it was so hard to snap her out of it this time. Before, all it had taken was a small shove to the Oni’s back, and a lapse in concentration… Ranma’s eyes widened with realization.

 

To snap her out of it, he needed to disrupt the demon’s attention—not Akane’s.

 

He looked up to where she was floating, far out of his reach. He considered throwing a Möko Takabisha at her, but a quick glance at Akane made him change his mind. He wasn’t sure what the Oni was doing to her, but it looked like some kinda mind control… if he tried to stop her in the middle of it, he knew he might end up hurting Akane instead. It was better not to mess around with someone who was that deeply under…

 

So Ranma stood waiting, watching his fiancée worriedly, his hand holding tightly to hers.

 

He’d fix whatever the Hannya did to her after she’d snapped out of it.

 

And then he’d make the demon pay.

 

*           *           *

 

Once again, Akane found herself trapped in the surrounding darkness, and for one horrifying a minute, she feared that the last three days had all been a dream—that she really had died.

 

She never thought she’d be so relieved to hear the Oni’s voice…

 

No one can hear us in here, Akane, the Hannya told her, her voice suddenly soft and reassuring—like a mother comforting her child. Just listen to my voice—concentrate on it alone—and I’ll show you all you need to see. She could feel the Oni in her mind even as she spoke, drifting in and out of memories, twisting them, changing them—she could feel her satisfaction as she worked. Then, you will have more power than you have ever dreamed of...

 

Power… Now, Akane found herself listening intently. She could be powerful again?

 

She remembered all of the different times she had acquired strength—the super soba, the battle dogi. She had been so powerful then, so strong. Even Shampoo and Ranma hadn’t been able to beat her. But in the end, it was always taken away from her…

 

Because of Ranma, a familiar voice in her mind whispered.

 

Akane nodded sadly. Yes. Because of Ranma…

 

He was jealous of your power, the Hannya told her sympathetically. He wanted you to stay weak and helpless forever, Akane… that’s how he controls you: how ALL men try to control us. She could hear the bitterness in her voice, the disgust as she spoke. Don’t let him fool you, Akane. Men are all the same. You give them everything—and in the end, they betray you.

 

You’re wrong, Akane replied, shaking her head. Ranma, he’s not like that—Ranma’s—

 

The same, the Oni replied angrily. You are nothing but a toy to him, Akane: you mean nothing. Can’t you see that? You are one of many, and you always will be. Akane tried to close her mind to the words, fighting against the Oni’s voice. She saw Ranma kissing Shampoo, and then suddenly Shampoo had turned into Ukyo—and once again she was there, watching them from outside the door, her umbrella held in lifeless fingers. Akane shook her head, as she willed the memories away.

 

He had explained that, she told herself. Ukyo kissed him—he didn’t want too. She could hear the Oni laughing in her mind. What man will admit to cheating, she asked her. Again, the memory came at her, but this time, she watched as Ranma made the first move, drawing Ukyo to him as he began to kiss her. That’s not what happened, a part of her mind whispered, but then the Oni’s voice was there, drowning it out, twisting her mind with her words.

 

You saw what you wanted too, Akane, the Oni told her sadly. Do you really think that was the first time Ranma’s ever chosen Ukyo’s side over yours? At those words, a rush of memories came flying at her from every direction—times when Ranma had ganged up with Ukyo to tease her about something: her cooking, her strength, her inaptness as a wife. And then, the people were changing even as the insults stayed the same. Ranma and Nabiki, laughing at her, and then Ranma with Shampoo—she shut her eyes against the onslaught.

 

Even happy memories turned out the same: she tried to bring to mind memories of Ranma—happy memories—moments the Oni had showed her the first time. But nothing came. Everything she brought to mind, the Oni grabbed and twisted. Ranma, calling her cute after cutting her hair… He did that to alleviate his guilt, the Oni told her, smirking. He did it so you wouldn’t be mad at him. Do you really think he meant it?

 

…Sitting on Ranma’s lap after he defeated her battle dogi—she remembered everything that had happened before that point, how angry and hurt she had been with him for tricking her—using her. He was laughing at you all that time, said the Hannya. You never meant anything to him; you were just another challenge…

 

To emphasize her point, the Hannya brought to mind every insulting name Ranma had ever called her. Uncute, sexless, unfeminine, violent, clumsy… the words echoed in her head, taunting her. And after awhile, she couldn’t help but be pulled in by the Oni’s words…

 

Every memory she tried to recall the Hannya warped and altered, until Akane felt her heart slowly breaking under the force alone. Sadness, however, was quickly replaced by anger as she relived all of the times Ranma had used her—all the times she had tried to help him, only to be betrayed in the end.

 

And the instances were easy to come by as the Hannya worked her magic; tainting the memories Akane had, up till then, always cherished.

 

It’s okay to get angry. The Oni assured her. After all, he deserves it. Akane could only nod. Finally she felt like she was seeing things clearly. Every time she had ever hit him, every time she had been tricked, hurt, or humiliated because of Ranma…

 

Yes. She had a lot of good reasons to be angry.

 

And the fact that she still loved him, even after all of this, made her all the more furious.

 

But the Hannya wasn’t done yet. Do you recall all the times you caught him alone with one of his other fiancées? Akane burned at the question. She didn’t need the Oni to remind her of any of those memories— they were still fresh in her mind—as if every betrayal had happened only yesterday. She had caught Ranma in so many compromising positions—she didn’t even have to convince herself that what she was reliving was real. Whether it was in the bath, in his bed, whether he was naked, or they were kissing.

 

He was always nicer to them, than he was to you…

 

She felt the jealousy completely consume her. She felt all of her sadness, all of the pain and betrayal wash away, only to be consumed and replaced by her sudden, all-encompassing anger.

 

That is your power, Akane. The Hannya told her, smiling a crooked smile. That is how you can exact your revenge. Embrace it, she commanded her. Use it, and forget everything else—concentrate only on your hatred, your jealousy, your anger.

 

And Akane did as she was told.

 

She opened her eyes to see Ranma staring down at her, his face and eyes filled with worry. She felt her hand held tightly in his, and angrily, she wretched it away. He looked at her, shocked and hurt… and then his eyes grew wide as he noticed the two small horns that had started to grow out of the top of her head…

 

And the Oni smiled.

 

*           *           *

End of Chapter 5

*           *           *

 

Authors Notes:

 

Ooh… Akane’s turning into a Hannya! How many of you saw that coming?! (watches in disbelief as every single person raises their hand.) Humph. Liars. And don’t worry, the Hannya’s plan will be revealed in the next chapter—you’ve only seen a fraction of it so far! ;)

 

And I’m sorry this was a couple of days late—I intended to have it done and posted by Sunday—really I did, but alas, I got sick, so it set me back a little… Oh well, the length should more than make up for it!

 

Only 1 chapter left to go! YAH! A story I’m actually going to finish!!!

 

There may or may not be an epilogue. I might just throw it into the final chapter, depending on how long or important it is, or if I have one at all… I’ll decide when I get there, I guess.

 

Okay, if you couldn’t tell already, this story takes place during the Jusendou story arc—right around the moment when Ranma’s trying to get the cold water for Akane, and her eyes have closed completely…

 

This story is based completely off the manga, so if I referred to any moments that you haven’t read yet, or that left you completely confused, then feel free to go to my website and read the MANGA MOMENTS section.

 

Either way, I hope you’re enjoying this story so far... ^_^

 

Reviewers Comments:

 

UY: Aww, thanks! I’m really glad you liked it.


Gwen : Don’t worry, I didn’t really feel rushed—In fact, feel free to tell me to hurry up whenever you want—I could use the extra push every now and then. ;)

 

pokey: hehe. He is, isn’t he?! Oh well, it’s what I love about him. :D

 

The Liz: Don’t worry, you’ll find out in the next chapter! Lol.

 

tabbercat: Thanks! And here’s more!

 

Abc: I’m really glad you find the plot original, and I’m really glad that you like it so far! I hope this chapter lived up to your expectations!

 

avolare: I hope you didn’t mind a little more drama. But really, what would a story be without it, right? ;)

 

jade30: Thanks! I’m glad you like it. I left a little cliffhanger for this chapter too, so I hope you enjoyed it!

 

elisteran: Wow, thanks! I’m flattered! Yeah, I wanted to include some of the zaniness from the series, but it just didn’t work in with the plot. I’ve saved that stuff for my other fanfic, The Protector. And thanks for the Kunnoichi information! I thought it was something like that, but it’s nice to know for sure!

 

Makotojs: hehe. Thanks for the motivation! It worked! ;)

 

Pogo: I’m glad it’s different from the other ones. I haven’t read that many after-Jusendou stories, so I was afraid something similar might have been done. Luckily, it hasn’t!

 

Lady Mokodane: lol. Let me tell you, it’s horrible. I don’t know how I sleep at night. Hehe, thanks for the compliment. If anything in this chapter doesn’t make sense, I blame it on my sleep-deprived mind as well. ;)

 

Ruth: Thanks! I… think it’s accurate. From what I understand, the Hannya was actually a kind of mask used in Noh theatre, to depict a female Oni. It expresses the fury of a woman turned demon through jealousy and anger and who uses her powers to exact revenge by attacking those who wronged her. That’s actually where I got the idea to turn Akane into one. After all, her anger is her main characteristic, and I could totally see her becoming one… or at least coming close. ;)

 

Luna12: Thanks! I’m glad you like it! Actually, I got this idea from a dream I had—and to be honest, I’ve always loved The Little Mermaid, so I’m sure sub-consciously that’s where I got the 3 day-thing. I was wondering when someone would mention that, though. Hehe. I was REALLY tempted to have the Hannya say, “Before the sun sets on the third day…” But I held back. ;)

 

Minako-chan4: hehe. Thanks! I’m glad you appreciated my sacrifice. Actually, I worked on this one at work too. Lol. I am SOOO going to get fired. Oh well… all for the joy of writing Fan Fiction. And as for the length, it’s going to stay short. I really need to get back to my other fanfics: before everyone who has been waiting a year for chapter 8 of THE GAME comes hunting me down… ;)

 

marisha: Thanks! Here’s the update you requested! Hope you like it!! :D

 

compman44: Thank you so much! I’m really glad you like it! And thanks for the info about a Kunoichi—I was beginning to think I had made the word up or something.

 

bittersweet-memory: Ahh!! No, no, no! Don’t think that way!!! Hmm… maybe I haven’t made The Hannya be evil enough. I hope you change your mind after this chapter… although, now that I think about it, I may have hurt my case, rather than helped it. Aw, shoot. Err, wait till the next chapter—I promise he’ll redeem himself!!!!

 

And thanks to everyone else who reviewed! All of you gave me the motivation I needed to write! ^_^

 

ajewell@alumni.nmu.edu

jewellangela@yahoo.com

 

http://ranma-romance.com

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