Disclaimer: These characters are not mine. They belong to the wonderful Romiko Takahashi and her licensees (Viz Communications in North America). This work is strictly for the non-profit enjoyment of fans. No copyright infringement is intended. Into the Woods By RJ The afternoon sun beat down hard on the two martial artist. Akane wiped the sweat from her forehead as she tried to anticipate Ranma’s next move. It didn’t work. Thinking he would try shallow kick, he instead did the complete opposite. Ranma rushed Akane throwing his fists. She blocked and dodge, but only managed to trip backwards landing on her butt. "OH DAMN IT!" She cursed. "Ready to call it a day?" He asked squatting down in front of her. "It’s not fair. How can you not be sweating? It’s so hot out." "I have better control over my body." "Ha, that’s rich, coming from someone who changes sex with little bit of water." "You’re just jealous." "I am NOT! Why would I be jealous of no mannered freak like you." "Oh I see, you’re pissed that I beat you again. You know cursing isn’t very lady like. How do you except to land a husband with a dirty tomboy mouth." He insulted back. "And why would you care!" She yelled standing up. "Not like I’m going to marry you!" "LIKE I want you to!" He yelled back. "Why don’t you go start back home, this is training trip for a serious martial artist!" I’ll show you serious! And it’s not like I came by choice, dad made me." "Sure, sure." "Ahh!" Akane growled. She went over and picked up her pack. "FINE! You can stay here, and I’ll go train somewhere else." She yelled as she disappeared behind the forest’s foliage. "FINE!" Ranma yelled back standing alone in the clearing. "Stubborn, stupid tomboy." Ranma mumbled as he began to collect wood for a fire. In the distance he heard a loan wolf cry. He stood up and noticed it getting dark. "I’ll bet 10 yen that she’s lost. I guess I should make sure she’s on the path." He gathered his stuff and shoved it back into his pack. He then followed the path of broken and trampled branches made by a pissed off Akane. Akane looked at the compass in her hand and then looked up. She was lost and it was getting dark. Now she knew what Ryoga felt like when he gets lost. She probably could go back the way she came, back to the camp she and Ranma made, but he would gloat over her. She would not let that happen. "Well, we were going north before, so I’ll try it now." She said. She started walking north, watching the little red arrow turn. Instead of watching where she was, she concentrated on the arrow. The next step she took, Akane screamed as she walked over an ledge. Frantically trying to keep a hold on the branch , preventing her fall, she screamed. Ranma’s head snapped up as he heard the shrill cry. "Akane!" He yelled rushing through the path she made. "Akane! He called again hoping to hear a answer. "RANMA!" She yelled, "HELP ME!" Akane held the limb for dear life. It was a good fifty foot drop from where she hung. She tried to get her footing when she heard the tree limb crack. Then hearing Ranma call out to her, Akane screamed out to him. "RANMA HELP ME! THE BRANCH IS GIVING AWAY!" "Where are you! He yelled back. "OVER HERE!" Ranma darted over to where he heard her cries. He throw off his backpack looked over the cliff. "AKANE! Are you all right?" He called out. "NO YOU BAKA! I’m hanging over a cliff! Help me up!" "Okay, okay! Ranma reached as far as he could trying for Akane’s hand. Their fingers just touched as the branch gave way. "RANMA!" She yelled as Ranma stretched an inch more grabbing her hand. "I got ya." "Oh Ranma, thank..." Akane watched Ranma’s eyes as he tried to pulled her up, but her weight was to much for his one hand. He brought his left hand, but that was the hand that was keeping his balance. Without warning Ranma fell forward, still holding on to Akane’s hand. Both of them screamed as they drop towards the ground. Ranma pulled Akane close to. "AKANE HOLD ON!" Ranma watched as they a fell towards a group of trees. If they could hit the branches then it would be a good chance that their fall would be broken. They were getting closer and closer. Akane kept screaming as Ranma closed his eyes when the first branch hit. Then the next and then another. He didn’t know how many they hit, he lost track. All Ranma could hear was the branches smacking into him, and finally the ground. Akane opened her eyes and found that they had landed in a thicket of bushes. She turned her head and found that she was on top of Ranma. He had taken most of the impact from her. "Ranma?" She asked, but got no answer. "Ranma!" She panicked starting to shake him "Ohhhh…." He moaned. "Oh that the gods!" She yelled hugging him. "Ahhhh!!" He yelled. "Are you all right?" She asked still laying on top of him. "Yeah, just a little soar. Do you mind getting off of me?" "Oh!" Akane blushed, then moved off of him. "Let me help you up." She held out her hand and helped Ranma up in a sitting position. When she went to pull him up to stand, Ranma screamed and grabbed his leg. "What’s wrong!" She asked with concern. "My leg! I think it’s broken!" "Let me see." She said Ranma tried to reach the cuff of his pants, but the stretch was to much on him. "AHHOOWW!" He cried out. "Let me do it." "NO, I can do...AHHH!" "Would you just let me help!" She demanded. Ranma huffed, but gave up. He pulled his hands back so he was resting on his arms. Akane tried to move the pant leg up, but only seemed to get it to the knee. "I’m going to have to rip it." She removed her backpack, which she was wearing when she fell over, and pulled out a pocket knife. Carefully she cut the pant leg, letting his leg free up to about mid thigh. "Oh my." She stated in a very Kasumi like manner. "Is it bad?" He asked. "Yea, we’re going to have to split it." "Just great." Ranma moaned. Akane stood and searched for pieces of wood that would make good splits. After locating a few, she proceeded in splinting Ranma left leg. Ranma looked down at his leg and had to restrain himself from making any comments about the messy job she did. He didn’t need two broken legs. Even though it wasn’t the best work, it did do the job. It prevented him from bending it. "Thanks." He said laying down in the thicket. "Come on, we can’t stay here." Akane began dragging Ranma into a clearing. "This is much better." "Yea, I guess." He moaned. "Well, we’ll have to stay here for the night and get a good night sleep. Then tomorrow we’ll head home and get you to the hospital." "Good idea." Ranma said as he looked up at the sky. It was cloudy and starting to rumble. "Just great. It’s gonna rain." "Hey I have my tent and sleeping bag. We can both fit." Akane smiled as she pulled out the tan tent, and green sleeping bag. Later that night, Ranma listen to the sounds of the raindrops hitting the exterior of the tent. He laid under on half of the sleeping bag as Akane laid next to him, on top of the sleeping bag. She insisted that they do it that way. The wind blew, which made Ranma shudder, making him move, that caused an intense pain shoot up him. "AHHhhhh!" He cried out, waking Akane up. "Ranma are you all right!" She asked panicky. "Yeah." Ranma looked at Akane and how cold she looked. "Akane you’re freezing, please get under the covers." "But.." "Akane I can hardly move, I’m not going to do anything to you." He said to her. "Fine." Akane lifted the cover and slid underneath it. "Good night." "Good night." The next morning the sun was bright and birds sang their "good morning song." Ranma opened his eyes and found that Akane had rolled over in her sleep and was resting her head on his chest. "Umm Akane." Ranma said with a cracked voice. "MMmmmm..." she said driving her head harder in his chest and ran her hand on his abs, making Ranma slightly unconfortable. "Akane, wake up you’re....AHHH!" He yelled. Akane shot straight up. "What! What’s wrong?" "Your kicked my leg!" He growled. "I’m so sorry, let me see if it’s okay." She said as she began to pull the sleeping bag back. "NO!" Ranma yelled throwing the covers back over him to hide his lower body.¹ "It’s fine." "Ranma, why won’t you let me check?" She asked growing angry. "It’s fine, really. Why don’t you go and make us something to eat so we can get out of here." "Okay." She said with a raised eyebrow. She got up, unzipped the tent and got out. Ten minutes had past and Ranma got out of the tent, by using a large stick as a cane. He looked at Akane stirring something in a sauce pan "Hey Akane, just try not to add poisoning to my list of injuries." He said with a small smile. "Ha, Ha! You are so funny." She standing up and started to walk over to help him, but along the way she tripped over a root that had been sticking out of the ground. Akane tumbled forward into bush off to the side. Ranma laugh, "Hey clumsy are you all right?" "Yeah, I’m fine." She started to get up when she felt it. A sharp pain in her ankle. She went down screaming. "Akane! What’s wrong" "Something bit me!" She said. "Ranma looked around and saw a red thing slither away. "I think it was a snake." Ranma said hobbling towards her. "A SNAKE!" "Yeah, let me see." Akane showed him her ankle and watched Ranma face turn pale. "I think it was poisonous. We have to get the venom out. "How?" She asked as he helped out of the bushes. "lay down flat." He said looking at the bite. "Hmm...Ah, there we go, this will work." Ranma began to undo Akane’s belt. "RANMA! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU’RE DOING." He looked her square in her eyes and asked, "Do you trust me?" "Yeah." She hesitantly said. "Do you trust me?" He asked again. "Yes." "Then let me do what I have to do to help you." he continued unbuckling her belt, pulling it free from her pants. He then took and fastened it tightly on her calf, stopping the blood flow. "Do you have the pocket knife?" He asked her. "Yea, right here." She pulled the knife out of her pocket and handed it to him. Ranma found the part of the knife which was the blade. He picked up a nearby stick and handed it to Akane. "Here, bit down on this. This is going to hurt." Akane did what she was told. She place the rather thick piece of wood in her mouth as Ranma brought the knife to her, she bit down. Akane scream was if someone was murdering her. The pain was intense she bit the stick in half as tears streamed down her face. Ranma trying to concentrate began to suck the venom out and then spitting. He did this about twenty times before he stopped. "There I think I slowed it, but we have to get you to a doctor and the sooner the better." He began unbuttoning his shirt. "Ranma what are you doing.?" Akane asked. "I have to prevent it from spreading even farther. I’m going to use my shirt as a compress bandage. I’m going to wrap it tightly, so don’t be alarmed. Once it’s wrapped I have to spilt your leg also." "Ranma, how are we going to walk?" "I’ll have to carry you on my back." He said as he wrapped her leg. Ranma you can’t with your leg splited." "I’ll break the spilt so I can walk." "Ranma you can’t!" Ranma looked up at Akane. "Akane my broken leg won’t kill me, no more aguements." "Fine." Akane laid quitly until Ranma was finished splinting her leg. "Ranma, my vision is blurring." Akane weakly stated. "Oh shit! Let’s go now." He put the pocket knife back together and into his pocket. Limped over and picked up the pack and throw it over his shoulder. They would have to live with out the tent, sleeping bag, or whatever wasn’t in the bag. He limped back and put Akane on his back. He broke the split at the knee in order to bend his knee and walk. Lifted Akane on to his, so she could ride piggy back. They continued through the forest, hoping to see any signs of inhabitants. "Akane? Talk to me!" He demanded seeing she was growing weaker. "This….is….your…..fault….you …..know…." "Yeah, whatever, just keep talking." "I….don’t want to….I just want to sleep…" "NO! Stay awake! Sing! How about singing, Come on…ummm? I’m a little tea pot short and stout.." "I….am…not…stout…." "Okay….ummm…It’s a small world after all, it’s all small world after all." Akane began to join in repeating the same line over and over again, but at least she was talking. However, she started to fade and stop. "Akane! He yelled. "Akane!" "What?" she said drowsily "Talk to me. Tell me what your thinking, tell me what you like to do. What you love." "Love, I love…. Dad…." "That’s good. Keep going." "I love Kasumi…..and Nabiki… "Yeah, keep going." He said making her continue. "I love….love my…. friends." "Yeah, yeah." "I love….I …love Ranma" "Okay that’s good…..HUH? What did you say?" "I….love….Ranma…I….love Ranma…..." Akane woke up and saw a strange man looking over her. "Where am I? She asked. "You’re are in a hospital." "Where?" "In Tokyo." "What happened?" "You were bit by snake. Luckily you were brought here in time." "In time for what?" "In time to live." The doctor said. "Your family is here. Would you like to see them?" Akane looked up at the doctor, "Ranma! Where’s Ranma? Is he all right?" "Ranma is fine. He is in another room getting a cast put on. "How bad is his leg?" "He’ll have to take it easy for a while, but other than that he’s fine." "Thank the gods." Akane said relieved. "You know he walked about thirty miles on that broken leg to get you here." "He did?" "Yes, and all he cared about was how you were doing. Even through his exams and x-rays." The doctor smiled, "Would you like to see your family?" "Yes, please." The doctor opened the door and motioned for them to come in. In walked Soun crying like a baby, Kasumi and Nabiki. "MY BABY GIRL!" He cried. "Dad I’m fine, really." "You’re going to have to stay in here for a few days, Akane dear." Kasumi said in her motherly like voice. Nabiki just stared at her little sister, lying in the hospital bed. "What’s wrong Nabiki?" Akane asked. "Oh nothing, It’s just bring back memories of Mom seeing you in the bed. So hurry up and get better." Nabiki said trying to force a smile. "Uh hum." Someone interrupted. It was Ranma in a wheelchair with a cast on all the way up his leg. Genma stood behind him as he made his presence known. "Ranma." Akane smiled. "Hey, just wanted to see if you’re okay." "I’m a little drained, but the doctor says I should be fine and I just wanted to……..ummm" Akane stopped talking and looked at her family. "Hey I think we should go and get something to eat" Kasumi said. "Good idea. Come on daddy." Nabiki said. "Food! I’m game." Genma said heading out the door. Ranma waited for everyone to leave and closed the door. He wheeled himself over to Akane’s bedside. "So ummmm…" They both said. "You go first…" they said together. "Ummm…ha.ha. Ladies first." Ranma said placing his hand behind his head. "Thanks. I just wanted to tell you thank you. Thank you for saving my life, twice." "Twice?" "The first time when we fell, you took most of the impact and the second getting me here on time, especially on that leg." "Akane, you don’t have to." "Yes I do, just let me thank you. Now, I don’t really remember what happened after the snake bit me, but.."
Okay here are two different endings....Take your pick or read both, it's up to you.