The Darkest Secret

Chapter Two: Deadly Decision

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� *What will I do? Should I break my promise to mother? If I don�t then he�ll die! What would he want me to do? Shouldn�t I save him one time? To pay back all those times that he saved me? What would he do in my place? Would he save me or let me die to keep his promise? *

� Akane sat in the far corner of the room, away from everyone; her face was hidden by the shadows her hair cast. She closed her eyes as tears found their way down her face. She remembered all those times that Ranma would risk his life just to save her. *What is life compared to a single promise? It doesn�t matter what he�ll do it matters what I do. What will my life be like with out him there? It would be worthless. It doesn�t matter any more. It�s my fault that he is like this. I should take responsibility to it. * She started to cry harder when the memory came to her mind.

>>>>>>Flash Back<<<<<<

�� Chibi Akane and her grandmother was walking through the park, enjoying the summer sun. A small puppy was running around at their feet barking happily. Both were wearing white kimonos with red flowers, the only difference was Akane�s obi was dark pink and her grandmother�s was blood red. Akane then started to chase the puppy around. The young puppy, happy that it�s master would play with it, ran off. It ran into the street and waited for it�s young master to come. Soon she did.

�� �Akane be careful!� The little girl turned back to her grandmother and smiled and nodded her head. While her head was turned she didn�t know that she was right in front of a speeding car. The driver quickly stepped on the breaks. �Akane!� Her grandmother yelled. But it was already too late.

�� �AHHHH!!!!� The young Akane screamed as the car hit her sending her flying.�

>>>>>>End Flash Back<<<<<<

� *It�s all my fault you died grandmother, if it weren�t for me then you wouldn�t have died. It�s all my fault! I caused you to die just like I caused him and mother to die! Everyone I love and care about is close to dying because I love them. I loved daddy but when you died, he went with you. What he is now is just a shell of what he was before. Nabiki. She went with you too. So did Kasumi. Now all that�s left is a shell of them, Kasumi doesn�t really smiles any more and Nabiki became a money grubber and Father cries all the time, even at the slightest thing. But you left me. You let all of them go with you, even mother, but you didn�t let me. Why didn�t you let me come with you? I really miss you grandmother.

� *If I wasn�t in the fight then he wouldn�t have to take some hits were meant for me, he wouldn�t have been as hurt as he is now. If only I listened to him then he wouldn�t be here right now. So I must do this for him. To repay the debt I owe him. *

� She snapped out of her mental thoughts when a nurse came running in. �Doctor! Doctor! He isn�t responding!� This caused everyone to jump out of their seat. Before the Doctor could get out the door, everyone felt a rush of air and one person was missing. Doctor Tenki quickly ran out of the room followed but the Nermia gang. What they saw when they got there was very surprising.

� Akane was holding Ranma the way that a mother would her child. His head was near her heart and her hand was over his. There was a soft blue glow surrounding the couple. Then Dr. Tofu saw something. �They�re floating!� True, Akane was holding Ranma and neither of them were touching the hospital bed.

� �Please don�t leave, I�m sorry grandmother, mother. I must do this.� Akane said to herself as she started to glow brighter. She started to feel weak with in moments of starting to transfer her energy to Ranma. *Please don�t leave me like grandmother and mother did. Respond! * There was no response from Ranma. Everyone who was watching were astonished to see Ranma�s internal organs were healed and the punctures, closed. His ribs move and rejoin. The blood that was there, slowly disappeared back into Ranma�s body.

� Then the glow started to shift colors. Slowly it turned to a bright green. It seeped into Ranma�s skin and all his injuries were healed. The cuts and bruises that were visible were now healing or they were already healed. His body seemed to be in perfect condition, but what good is a body without a soul? *Ranma! Where are you? Why aren�t you responding? Are you planning to break your promise? *

� The aura surrounding the couple shifted once again, it changed to a golden yellow. Everyone in the room looked on, impatient to see what happens next. As seconds passed, the light grew in intensity; soon everyone had to look away from the light to prevent from going blind. No one knew what happened right then but�.

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� Ranma looked around him; there was nothing but darkness, darkness that held tightly on to him. He felt something grab a hold of him and started to pull him away. He tried to struggle but the pain in his chest and abdominal area made it harder. He was starting to forget�.

� *Pops? Who�s pop�s? Do I have a family? What are friends? * Suddenly a blue glow started to form in front of him and it felt familiar, so familiar. *Akane? Who�s Akane? * Then an image floated into his foggy mind. A girl with long blue-black hair. Or was it short? Her eyes were milky brown that could hold his attention for a lifetime. Her would never tire of looking at the fire that shone brightly in it when she was mad.

� Ranma started to drift towards the blue glow when the darkness reached out to him once more. It tried to take control of his mind. This time Ranma struggled harder since the pain in his chest and abdominal area was gone, well.. not gone but not as strong as it was.

� *No! They can�t take her away from me! I promised her that I would always be there with her! * Ranma thought the last part as a certain memory flashed in his mind. Then a green glow came and covered him like a blanket. It made him want to leave this place. There was something about it that gave him the chills. His mind was still foggy but not as bad as it was when he first woke up. This time at least he could think a coherent thought. He struggled trying to break free from the grip the darkness had on him. He was getting closer to the light when the darkness enveloped him once again.

� This time a wave of pain entered his head. It was worst than that from his chest from the first time. The light shifted forming a golden color. Different from the past times, he went right into the light.

� Ranma opened his heavy eyes to see a girl with short blue-black hair holding him close to her. Her face was pale and she smiled slightly, a smile that didn�t quite reach her eyes, at him and started to fall. He noticed Akane was going to fall and hurt herself if he didn�t act soon. Ranma shifted his position so he was below her and take the brunt of the fall. *I wonder how many time�s this has happened. * The girl in his arms was unconscious and was breathing soft shallow breaths. When he looked around him he noticed that the others in the room was all looking at him with wide eyes.

� �What happened?� Ranma asked as he set Akane on the bed. *The last thing I remember is fighting with the demon. There was also that weird light show� * Still no one seemed to incline to talk at the moment. �What in the world happened? The last thing I remember is fighting with the demon that Taro summoned to kill Happosai. Somehow me�n Akane got into the fight�.� It was then that he noticed that he was completely uninjured. Not even a bruise was evident on his skin. �How come I don�t go no injuries? Quit staring at me like that and tell me what happened!� Ranma yelled out in frustration. That seemed to wake some people in the room up.

� �Ranma! Your all better!� Ukyou shouted out in disbelief.

� �I know that! But how did this happen???� Ranma yelled. Here he was after a fight with some demon from another world with out any injuries, the others had some bandages over their faces and casts over their arm or leg or even a broken lip�. Akane was also unconscious for some odd reason. And no one is telling him what his happening! Unconsciously his battle aura erupted around him causing everyone to snap back to the real world.

� �Ranma calm down!� Doctor Tofu yelled at Ranma. The battle aura was but out like a light and everyone sighed in relief. �I think I might know a little about this.� The doctor paused making sure everyone was listening so he would have to repeat what he is going to say. �When I was younger, I loved to read about mythical stuff and I found a particularly interesting story. It was about the Ma Sha Ha Tribe that occupied China about a thousand years ago. They were not like normal people; they all had a special power of healing. I�ve been trying to get more information about it but never any other books that talked about them.�

� �What does this have to do with what happened to Akane?� Ranma asked.

� �Ranma, You are absolutely clueless.� Nabiki said in esapriation. �Dr. Tofu means that, Akane could have been a part of this Tribe. Doctor Tofu, what are the consequences of healing someone?� Nabiki asked when she turned to the doctor.

� �I don�t know. The book that I read this from only said that they were able to heal and there were no consequences. It didn�t say anything about how they did it.� Tofu replied. �Well not from what I translated.�

� �Is there a certain amount of healings they can do?� Ukyou questioned.

� �I don�t know. Why don�t we all go home and meet again next weekend? That will give me some time to some more of the book at my clinic.� The others agree since they were pretty tired after a big fight and it was VERY late in the night, or it could be morning now�.

� �Ryoga, honey, you don�t have a place to stay so why don�t you go to my restaurant? Konatsu is on vacation right now, so you can have his room.� Ukyou offered the lost boy. He nodded and followed Ukyou out of the room.

�� �We go back to restaurant now.� She quickly left the hospital room with her Great-grand-mother at her tail and Mousse walking after her.

� �I�ll take Akane to the clinic so I can monitor her just in case something happens. Ranma would you help me?� Doctor Tofu asked. Ranma went over to Akane and picked her up and went after the doctor.

� �Wait! You can�t take her! She shouldn�t be out of here, we have to see what caused the strange event!� Tenki yelled after the two men, they would have heard him if they were anywhere near but they were long gone. He turned to the rest of the Tendos and Saotomes. �We have to get her back!�

� �Well, home we go!� Nabiki said as she filed everyone out of the room ignoring what the doctor just said.

******

� In a small house far away from any civilization, an elder woman�s head snapped up as she felt a power erupt. *It is like what I felt when I was younger! * Then she smiled. *That means she was able to survive and pass on the blood of The Ones. * Then she gasped. *Oh no! This isn�t good at all! I must go to her immediately! I just hope I�m not to late. If I am then it just might be the end of everyone in the Ma Sha Ha Tribe. * The woman quickly threw a small pack together and left her home. The home she had been living in for the last two hundred or so years ago.

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� �< Xain Pu! What were you thinking telling them about that?>� The wrinkled old woman yelled in their native language. She was obviously in a very bad mood.

� �< Great-grand-mother, why no tell them what know?>� Shampoo asked Cologne when they entered the Nekohaten.

� �< It is not time to tell them. We have no advantages if we tell them now.>� She paused to think a thought through. �< Xain Pu, You must go and�. >� Outside Cologne�s door, Mousse stood listening intently to the conversation. He gasped in surprise at what the old lady was planning. The young girl inside might not have known what the consequences of the actions might be but he did. It would be very bad. *I always thought that she wanted him for a son-in-law not� * He snapped out of his thoughts when he heard footsteps coming towards the door and quickly left to his room. *The only way to wreck the old hag�s plans is to get Shampoo to realize the truth before it is too late. I must stop her! *

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The next part should be out soon but when? I have no idea�.

Until next time�.