Ranma Has Killed


     In hindsight, it was a stupid mistake. A little too 
much force, a half inch too far to the left, and someone's 
son would never call home again. Someone's brother would 
never tease her again. Possibly even someone's father would 
never celebrate his child's birthday again. 

     Genma came home, later that day, from a fruitful day 
of getting food with his 'cute panda' act. Not seeing his 
son anywhere, he turned to Akane. "Where's your fiance?" 

     She just scowled. "Probably mooching food from one of 
his other women," she huffed, "all because I'm cooking 
something special tonight. You're staying, aren't you?" 

     "Umm, no, Akane. I, er, have to observe a special fast 
today," he stammered. 

     "But you just got back from begging!" she said. 

     "Um, yeah, but the fast is from sundown to sundown, 
heh, heh. I'll, um, be in the dojo." He stretched his arms, 
and began trundling to the dojo. "Ah, yes, a workout will 
do me a world of good." *That, and it'll keep me safe from 
Akane's cooking,* he added mentally. 

The first thing Saotome Genma noticed in the dojo was his 
son, slumped against one of the walls, eyes staring off 
into space. He had a vacant expression, but his eyes were 
filled with horror. "Boy, what's wrong with you? Akane's 
cooking isn't _that_ bad, is it?" 

     "..." 

     "Do you hear me, boy? Pay attention to your old man!" 
Genma grabbed Ranma by the front of his Chinese shirt, and 
dragged him to his feet. 

     Ranma finally seemed to notice him. "A boy? I guess," 
he muttered. "A man wouldn't have done what I did today." 

     "What did you do, boy? Oh, the shame, that my only son 
would consider himself unworthy of being called a man!" 

     "I killed." Ranma's voice was quiet, but cut through 
his father's tirade like a katana cuts through a peasant's 
neck. 

     "I see." Genma's voice took on a tone Ranma had never 
heard before. It was not the mock serious tone he had been 
using throughout his two-year engagement, and it wasn't his 
usual jovial tone. It was, in fact, barely above a whisper. 
"I guess it had to happen eventually. Who was it?" 

     "Just some mugger. The guy jumped me in my girl form. 
As I was punching him in the face, something splashed me 
with hot water. I changed in mid-punch. His neck snapped 
from the force. He's dead." Ranma blinked, eyes slowly 
losing what little focus they had. "And I killed him." 

     "Now, boy, there's a lot of things I could say. Soun, 
he might even say them. I won't. Because I know they don't 
mean a damn thing. The only thing I can say is that you're 
not the first." 

     "Go away, Pops. Just go away." Ranma shrugged himself 
out of his father's grasp, and lurched back against the 
wall. "Leave me alone." 

     Raising his hand towards his son once, Genma let his 
arm fall back to his side. Ranma was his only son, his only 
child. And he didn't know how to show the boy he cared. 
Doing the only thing he could think of, he walked back into 
the house. 

     "That was a quick workout, Uncle Genma," said Akane. 
Noticing the look on his face, she asked, "What's wrong?" 

     "Akane, we have to talk about Ranma." 

     ************************** 

     The door to the dojo slid open slowly. Seeing the 
state of the pigtailed martial artist, the young Tendou 
girl walked slowly across the floor, and sat down next to 
him. She didn't dare say a word, or do anything other than 
watch him. 

     "Come to see the killer, huh?" he growled. 

     "No, Ranma. I've come to see my fiance." She put her 
hand on his. "Is he still there?" 

     Startled, he glanced over at her. She could see the 
pain there, and the confusion. One moment's mistake had 
shattered whatever innocence was there, and taken a good 
bit of the young man's confidence, as well. She reached up, 
and pulled his head down to her shoulder, and gathered him 
in a hug. "It's okay, you can let it out." 

     He pulled back slightly, but Akane wouldn't let him 
go. "No, I can't." He pulled out a glass of water from 
nowhere, and splashed himself. "Now, I can let it out." 

     Something absurd about the scene got Akane started 
laughing. She was horrified at her reaction, but couldn't 
stop. Ranma glared at her for all of half a second, before 
joining in with her. They broke down into belly laughs, 
leaning against each other, until the chortles and guffaws 
turned into sobs and tears. Holding her fiance tightly, 
Akane cried, as well. 

     Something precious was lost in Ranma, today. However, 
she, er, he was not alone. He would make it. With Akane's 
help, he would regain his confidence. But it would be a 
long, hard road, a road they were both prepared to face 
together.