A dull rumble sent a flock of forest birds flapping out from
the treeline to take flight across the red, sunscorched sky.
Their cries alerted other birds quickly soon joined them, and
soon a mass exodus took place, with birds scattering to far
corners of the forest to escape the source of the loud noise.

The rumble moved through the forest, zigging and zagging
left and right seemingly at random, advancing inexorably through
the trees.  Where it passed, trees splintered and fell, each
adding to the din.

This continued for some time; the rumbling noise moving, trees
falling, birds scattering away as their safe places were
threatened.  After a time, the advance of the noise seemed
to slow, and then stop; as it did, silence fell upon the
forest.

Had there been any observers to this event, they would have
been surprised to discover that, at the end of the trail of
fallen trees stood a man.  A boy.  His eyes locked on the
ground, his chest heaving from the effort of his exertions,
a thin sheen of sweat upon his skin.

He could feel his heart beat in a dull throb around his head,
beneath his bandana.  His eyes hardened as they stared at his
shadow, stretched far in front of him by the reddish light of
the setting sun.  Hands tightening into fists, he spun and
punched powerfully at the nearest tree; the wood disintegrated
beneath his fist and with a loud creak, the lofty tree tipped
away from him and fell to the earth below, accompanied by a
mighty crash.

He had, that day, demolished no less than four hundred and
sixty-three trees.  Not that he had kept count; nor had he
cared in the slightest about the destruction he had caused.
It did not matter to him.  What did matter to him was the
intense fire that burned within him, a sum of all the rage
and hate he felt for the world and everything upon it.  He
had marched on a rampage for a week since hearing the news.

The very moment that Ranma awoke Akane had taken her into
her arms and held her, tears cascading from both of their
faces.  Akane had sobbed her thanks that Ranma had awoken;
Ranma sobbed hers that the ordeal was over.  It was over.

The rage had taken him then.  He stormed out of the clinic;
out of Nerima, out of Tokyo.  Away, far away, destroying
as he went.  Buildings, trees, moutains, it did not matter.
All that mattered was that he inflict as much pain on the
world as it had on him.

As he stood alone in the forest he felt the anger again
welling up inside him.  A thousand hatreds burned in his
heart; he cursed the fates for what they had done to him,
he cursed the earth for bearing witness to the torment
he suffered, he cursed the sky for mocking his grief by
looking exactly as it had on the days he had spent with
Ranko, he cursed Akane and Ranma for taking her from him.

Most violently of all, he cursed Ranko for betraying
her promise to him.  It was that betrayal that burned so
hotly in his heart, like a blade of fire stabbing him
in the very soul.

Throwing his head back, he cast his fists into the air
and let loose an anguished cry of despair, the full fury
of the anger which so thoroughly enveloped him exploding
out between his lips in one moment.

"Damn this world!  DAMN THIS WORLD!"

And when the sound finally faded, Ryouga still stood,
alone, within the circle of fallen trees.  His anger and
desire for destruction temporarily sated, he dropped to
his knees and fell forward, sobbing bitter tears of grief
into the soft earth below him, his face buried in the dirt
of the clearing.

Not even the white-hot rage of the hell he had seen could
keep him from his grief forever.

* * *

Ranma knelt quietly in his room, his backpack open before
him.  He worked quickly, folding a sleeping bag in half
lengthwise before rolling it tightly.  He briefly considered
packing a blanket as well, but decided against it.  The
material of the sleeping bag was thick.  He would be warm
enough to sleep.

Next, he neatly folded two pairs of boxer shorts, two pairs of
pants and two long-sleeved shirts, a wool sweater, and a scarf.
He wasn't sure how long he would be gone, or exactly where he
would be going, but he knew it sometimes got extremely cold out
in the wilderness. Next came a canteen, and a thermal flask.
Kasumi had cheerily  obliged him when he asked if she had a flask
he could use; she seemed pleased at the prospect of the trip he
was planning.

He sighed quietly as he unscrewed the cap and screwed it shut
again, twisting it tightly to ensure it was properly sealed.
If only the other members of the household had been as positive
about the whole trip idea as Kasumi, he would have felt better.

Soun had, of course, immediately burst into tears at the
thought of his future son-in-law running off to chase some boy
around instead of spending time with his youngest daughter.
Nabiki had responded with relative indifference to the news.
Genma reacted with a stoic silence, although the faint signs
of a smile had appeared on his face.  The old man might have
been completely irresponsible for a lot of the time in the past,
but he *did* understand what it meant to fulfil a promise and
keep your honour.  He had backed away from Ranma while Ranko
was around - Ranma suspected he was ashamed of what had
happened to his son - but in the past couple of days their
relationship had begun to resurface.

That left Akane.  She had taken it surprisingly well; there
was no anger, no shouting of words.  Instead there was a
quiet admission of surprise, and concern.  He knew she didn't
want him to go.  He knew she was worried about him, and he
hated to make her feel that way, but he had no choice in the
matter.  This trip was something he simply had to do.

"All packed?"

The words came over his shoulder as he placed the flask into
his backpack.  He turned his head and looked over his shoulder
at the door.

"Akane..." he said, watching her pull the door open and lean
agains the frame.  He turned back to face the pack and pulled
it closed, then reached down for the umbrella that lay beside
it and tucked the heavy object under the straps atop the pack.
"I, uh... yeah.  All packed."

"So this is it?  You're leaving right now?"

He stood, and turned to face her.  He nodded.  "Yeah."

Stepping into the room, Akane pulled the door closed behind
her.  "Are you sure you won't reconsider, Ranma?" she asked,
clasping her hands together in front of her, "I mean, it's
only been a couple of days.  He might come back.  And you
don't know if you're fully recovered yet."

"We already talked 'bout this," he replied, turning to
pick up his backpack.  "I can't wait."

"Please?"

He sighed, and slung his backpack up over his shoulder, and
looked back at her.  He stopped, however, when he saw tears
in her eyes. Placing the backpack on the ground, he stepped
over to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Hey, c'mon, there's no need to cry..."

"I don't want you to leave me," she said, softly, looking
down at the ground between them.

"It's only for a little while, Akane.  I'll be back."

"What if you don't come back?  I nearly lost you the other
night, I don't want--"

"Hey, hey, hey," he interrupted, "we both know I'll be fine.
I'll be back before you know it.  I promise."

"But..."

"But nothing, Akane.  I keep my promises.  That's exactly
why I gotta do this.  I made a promise to Ryouga, and he
thinks I broke it.  I gotta talk to him, tell him I didn't."

"What was the promise?"

"That ain't important.  He needs my help.  He stood by Ranko
the whole time an' helped her when she needed it.  Now it's
my turn to help him."

"But why *now*?  You don't even know if you're okay yet!"

"Ryouga's out there with a broken heart an' I gotta go talk
to him before he does something really stupid."

Akane sighed, and closed her eyes.

"And it's Ryouga.  If he does somethin' really stupid he
could wind up hurting a lot of other folks.  He's got a
habit of blowing stuff up when he's mad."

"And who do you think he's going to be mad *at*?  He
might try to hurt you!"

"No, he won't."

"How do you know?"

"Listen," he replied, and reached up to stroke Akane's
hair gently, "I know him better than you think.  Trust
me, okay?  I'll be back before you even know I'm gone."

"Why don't you let me come with you?"

"I can't.  This is something I gotta do alone."

"I..."

"I know you're afraid I won't come back.  You're worried
I'm just gonna vanish and leave you on your own.  It's not
gonna happen, okay?  There's something here that'll always
make me come back."

"What?"

"You," came the reply, with a smile.  He gently squeezed
her shoulders, "I've never actually *said* it before,
but... well..."

"But... what?" Akane asked, her eyes glimmering with both the
tears she had shed and the sudden hope she felt.

"I, uh... love... you," he managed, eventually.  His face
flushed a bright red with the last word, and his eyes flicked
down to the floor, before slowly creeping back up to Akane's
face to see her reaction.

Akane took a moment to register the words.  He'd actually
*said* it.  Even on the night when they had shared their
first kiss, he hadn't actually told her he loved her.  But
now, he had.  There was no romantic buildup, no angels
flying on scented wings across a starlit sky, no soft
shared moment spent together basking in the golden glow
of their mutual love.  Just three words, spoken simply
by the person before her, the person who loved her.

The person who was watching her daydream, with a mixture
of concern and amusement.

She realized she was staring, and blushed.  She'd always
imagined the first time she shared her feelings of love
for somebody would be a magical moment, infused with the
wonderous feelings of happiness and contentment, a moment
that would be illuminated by a perfect white light and
accompanied by the voices of an angel choir singing the
virtues of their love; but no, it was an ordinary moment,
a moment like any other.  A moment with Ranma.

She fell against him and wrapped her arms tightly around
him, gratefully.

"I love you too, Ranma."

He slid his arms around her shoulders gently and smiled.
The smile grew from one of simple fondness to one of
mischief.

"That and Kasumi's cooking.  I sure love Kasumi's cooking.
The way she gets the rice juuust right, it's--"

"Ranma!" she scowled, her face forming a frown.  They'd
finally admitted they loved each other and here he was,
acting like an idiot, spoiling it as usual.  But, hey,
that's who he was.  That's who she loved.  The frown
disappeared, and Akane smiled, and began to laugh.

* * *

Ryouga watched the droplets of rain falling in front of
him, each little ball of misery splashing against the
cold, stark rock of the mountain that sheltered him.

It had been raining for hours, and the cold wind that
rippled over the mountain range chilled him to the bone,
but he was far too miserable to care.  So wrapped up in
his depression was he that he couldn't be bothered to
heft his umbrella and move to somewhere warmer than a
clump of boulders beneath a craggy outcrop of rock on
a bleak mountainside.

And so it was that he stayed where he was, sitting against
a smooth boulder with his knees pulled up against his
chest, his shoulders hunched forward, his arms resting on
his knees and dangling limply before him.  The icy mountain
wind swept past him time and time again, ruffling his hair
in and out of his eyes, the eyes that stared coldly out at
the raindrops and the black sky that spawned them.

His all-consuming rage - the anger that had fuelled him for
a week - had deserted him, leaving him alone, weary, his
heavy heart hanging over him like the black storm clouds.
The bitter feelings of anger that once saturated his soul
had drained away, taking his physical strength with
them; he was left with nothing.  A dull throb in his heart
and an overwhelming feeling of abandonment were his only
companions.

A sigh ushered softly forward from his lips, the breath
fogging quickly amidst the cold mountain air, and drifting
away to be lost amongst the rain.  Summoning up what little
strength he had, he managed to push back the blanket of
apathy that weighed so heavily on him and reach into his
backpack.

His hand withdrew a moment later with a small leather wallet,
a wallet he had not looked at for some time.  Bringing
it closer to his face, he pulled it open and stared inside.
A solitary tear rolled down his cheek; he wiped it away.
Pulling his eyes from the pictures inside the wallet, the
only source of warmth on the dark mountain, he stared out
once again over the rain-filled landscape before him.

With another sigh, he returned the wallet to his backpack.

* * *

Ranma walked on, listening to the squelching sound his shoes
made as they sank into the mud with each of his steps.  The
rain had subsided a day ago, but the soil in the forest was
still wet.  It had taken him a long time to walk this far;
part of him had considered turning around and heading home
days ago, but no.  A promise was a promise.

When he stumbled across the forest he knew he'd found the
right place.  Not many forests have a path of shattered
trees carved into them.  Although a little daunting a trail,
it was a trail nonetheless, and the first real clue he'd found.

He'd set off into the forest, following the path of fallen
trees.  His suspiscions were confirmed by the oddly twisted
path the trail took; it even curved back across itself on
several occasions.  Only Ryouga would leave a trail like
that.

It had been a lengthy walk, and he was well and truly sick
of walking in the mud.  His frustration was only compounded
when he found a small circular clearing, a rather abrupt ending
to the trail.  Stepping into the mud, he looked around at the
bent and broken tree trunks around him, then up at the mountain
range in the distance.

"Dammit, Ryouga, where *are* you?"

Tilting his head back to look up at the mountain range, the
scarf he was wearing came loose.  He quickly grabbed it, before
it had a chance to fall off his neck.  Squinting to make out the
details of the mountain, he let out a sigh, which immediately
fogged in the cool air.

<He's gotta be up on that mountain,> he thought to himself,
wondering whether to start climbing or settle down for the
night and continue tomorrow.  Either that, or turning around
and walking home, which part of him wanted to do.  He missed
Akane.

He missed Ryouga, too.  A lot.  He couldn't leave him out to
suffer alone on some desolate rock.  Swinging his scarf back around
his neck, he trudged through the mud toward the rocky base of
the mountain.

* * *

Ryouga picked up a small pebble and turned it over and over again
between his thumb and forefinger.  The storm had long ended; in
fact, this day had been quite sunny, although the sun was now barely
peeking above the red horizon.

Still, even if the weather was good, Ryouga was in no mood to move
from his solitary perch.  The storm may have lifted, but his spirits
had not.  The rumblings of hunger had joined the pack of spectres
that haunted him, but he did not care enough to indulge it by
searching for food.

As he ran his fingertips over the smooth surface of the tiny
pebble, he secretly envied it.  It had probably been alone on the
mountain for years, untouched, undisturbed.  It was solid, impervious;
it weathered the frequent storms that attacked the mountain, it
was not affected by summer, winter, day or night.  Nothing could touch
it, or change it, or break it.

<Almost nothing,> he thought, as he broke the pebble in two with his
fingers. With a snort, he flicked his fingers out, sending the two
fragments flying outward momentarily before gravity took over and
sent them tumbling down the mountainside.

He listened, closing his eyes as the sound of the pebble pieces
falling echoed back up to him, growing quieter, and quieter, and
quieter still, and louder, and louder and... louder?

He opened his eyes, curious as to why the tapping noise was growing
louder.  It sounded odd, for rock hitting rock; almost as if...

A clump of black hair appeared, suddenly poking up on the other side
of a nearby boulder.  Ryouga turned his head toward it, blinking
in surprise.  Four fingers poked up to the left of it and gripped
the rock; then four more to the right.  The fingers turned white
as weight was applied to them, and then, a moment later, the face
below the hair popped up.

"You!"

Ryouga's cry startled Ranma, who had been paying more attention to
the cracks below him that supported his feet than anything above him.
His eyes flicked up, widening as they caught sight of the lost boy
sitting up against a boulder.

"Ryouga!" he exclaimed, "I found you!"

"What the hell are *you* doing here?!"

"I came," Ranma replied, hoisting himself up until his waist was
above the rock, then pulling himself fully up onto it, "to find
you."

"You found me.  You can go now."

"Geez!" Ranma exclaimed, standing and putting his hands on his
hips, "I climb all the way up this mountain and that's the welcome I
get?"

"Just leave me alone, damn you!"

"Ryouga, you can't go on livin' alone like this."

"I *wouldn't* be living alone if it wasn't for you!  Go to hell!"

"From the looks of you, I'm already there," came the reply.  "Why
the heck did you run off like that?  And to here?"

"Why do you *think*?" Ryouga spat, his tongue dripping with
venom.

"But you didn't even let me talk to you!  I didn't even get a
chance to explain."

"Explain what?  'Oh, hi, Ryouga, I'm back.  Problem solved!  Oh
yeah, Ranko's gone, sorry about that.'  Sorry if my leaving
meant you couldn't brag, but I didn't expect even *you* to follow
me all the way here to rub it in my face."

"That's not why I'm here!" Ranma replied, with a frown.  "I'm
here to explain--"

"Explain how Ranko died?  Give me every detail?"

"No!  Would you just listen?"

"I bet you enjoyed it.  Damn you, Ranma!" Ryouga yelled, tears
coming to his eyes, "You just had to take her from me!  You
couldn't stand to see me happy!"

"Dammit, just LISTEN to me for a minute!"

"She meant everything to me and you took her away!" Ryouga cried,
jumping to his feet, "You've ruined my life!"

"Would you just let me expla--"

"Get the hell off this mountain!  You've taken everything I have,
leave me alone!"

"Ryouga!" Ranma yelled, clutching his hands into fists in frustration,
"Just let me--"

"GO!  LEAVE!"

"Dammit," Ranma fumed.  He had tried to get Ryouga to shut up and
listen, so he could take his time and say what he wanted to say in
the way he wanted to say it, but he couldn't get a word in edgeways.
And so it was that he was forced to blurt out what he had been
worrying him for the past week, without any preparation.  "Ryouga!
I didn't take Ranko away.  She isn't gone!"

"Damn you!  Why can't you just leave me alone?"

"She isn't gone," Ranma repeated again, quietly.  He looked away
from the enraged boy before him, and let out a sigh.  He didn't
want to admit it, but it was true.  He couldn't pretend anything
else; it wasn't fair, to Ryouga, to Akane, to himself, or to
Ranko.  "She's me."

"You?!"

"That's what I've been tryin' to tell you.  I'm Ranko.  Happy now?
I admitted it.  I'm a girl!  Now would you just shut up for a minute
and let me talk to you?"

Ryouga's shoulders slumped; he turned and faced the boulder behind
him.  "Talk.  Then go."

There was a dull thud behind him, then a rustling noise, then a
splash as cold water hit the rocky surface they were standing upon.
He turned, and saw Ranma before him, holding a now empty canteen
upside down over her head.

"It's easier to explain... like this," she said, shivering from the
chill of the water.  She shook her head back and forth, sending dozens
of droplets flying from her hair, then sat crosslegged and placed the
canteen down next to her backpack.

"Sit down," she said, gesturing to a space in front of her.

"No," Ryouga replied, shaking his head.  "Say what you're going to
say and then go."

"Please?  Just sit down.  I'm gonna tell you something, and then
if you want me to go away I'll leave and never bother you again.
Just sit down... please."

* * *

Ranma talked for almost an hour, telling Ryouga exactly what
had happened; the dreams, joining with Ranko.  Ryouga's anger stayed,
but it faded somewhat as Ranma related his story.  It was a bizarre
story, to be sure, but something about the way she told it seemed to
ring true to him.

"So Ranko *is* gone," he said, quietly, his eyes fixed on his own
feet.

"No," Ranma replied, shaking her head, "she's not gone.  I'm Ranma,
and I'm Ranko.  It's kinda hard to describe, but... I'm both of us."

"So... what?  You remember--"

"Getting hit in the head by your umbrella, I remember that very
well."

Ryouga said nothing.

"Talking to you on the way to school, I remember that too."

"I'll never forget it," Ryouga whispered, his eyes moistening as
he closed them.

"Sittin' with you up on the roof and talking.  Walking around
the lake with you, going to the fair with you, fighting you in
the dojo, watchin' you stuff sushi into your face even quicker'n
me."

Ryouga bit his lip, opening his eyes again as tears streamed down
his cheeks.

Ranma smiled.  "Pulling your porky behind in out of the rain that
one night," she said, and giggled.  His eyes shot up from his lap
to her face, a sharp frown hovering menacingly over them.  How dare
she laugh at a time like this?

She met his stare with her own, the smile gone from her face.  "You
know what I remember the best, Ryouga?"

He said nothing; instead he continued to stare at her, his wet eyes
hard still.

"I remember falling in love with you.  I remember that perfectly."

Ryouga's frown disappeared, and his eyes again sank to his lap;
a sob escaped him as he buried his chin in his chest.  Ranma watched
him for a moment, then looked down at her hands as she clasped them
together in front of her.  She twiddled her thumbs for a few
moments, blushing as she tried to make a very important decision.

Ryouga sobbed again, and again; Ranma returned her eyes to him, the
light of the rising moon illuminating only half of his face, the
other still hidden in shadow.  With a sigh, she looked down again,
and spoke, very quietly.

"I still love you."

"Wh... what?" he stammered, quickly looking up.  "What did you say?"

"I said, I still love you," Ranma repeated, looking up at him, her
eyes locking on his, that were as wide as the full moon beside them.
"Ranko fell in love with you, and now I love you.  I wasn't sure
if I wanted to come and find you.  I mean... I don't want to love
you!  But I do, and I can't lie to myself and pretend I don't."

"But you're not Ranko!" Ryouga exclaimed in surprise.

"What did I just spend an hour explaining?"

"I mean, even if she did join with you, you're not her!"

"That's just the thing," Ranma replied, quietly.  "I am.  It took
me ages to figure it out.  Well... Ranko figured it out."

"Figured what out?" Ryouga asked, bewildered.

"That Ranko is me, and always has been."

Ryouga said nothing for five full minutes; he just stared at her
in wide-eyed shock.  Eventually, the power of speech returned to
him, and he managed to utter one word.

"What...?"

"Ranko was the bits of my personality that I pushed away and
didn't let anyone see.  Y'know?  Pops took me on that training
trip an' he was always saying I had to be a man among men.  He
made sure that any part a' me that wasn't manly was pushed away.
So I had this whole side of my personality hidden away.  I was
unbalanced.

"Then when I hit my head on that rock," she continued, "it all
just split away and formed a personality of its own.  I guess
Jusenkyo had somethin' to do with it, but I dunno.  Anyway, she
split off and grew on her own, an' then I came back and grew
away on my own too, an' we ended up as two people who seemed
totally different."

Ryouga suddenly had immense difficulty breathing.  He closed
his eyes and panted, trying to clear his head.  Ranko was Ranma
all along?  But... but...

His eyes opened as he felt a familiar warmth on his hand; he
was greeted by the sight of Ranma's hand closing on his.  He
swallowed, and cried out for his instincts to tell him what to
do.  His mind stayed silent, however, and after a moment he
found himself reciprocating, squeezing Ranma's hand with his.

"I came to tell you that I didn't break my promise," Ranma
said, softly.  "I survived."

"Thank you," Ryouga replied, little more than a whisper.  Tears
dripped down from his cheeks, and gently struck Ranma's hand,
and his own.  "Thank you."

* * *

Ranma leaned back, the middle of her back pressing against
Ryouga's side.  He was again sitting against the boulder,
and she sat sideways next to him, leaning on him, his arm
around her waist and her head tilted backwards, resting on
his shoulder, her face pointed at the sky.

"You have to understand," she said quietly, "I can't love
you like I love Akane."

"I know," Ryouga replied.  "I know."

"I'm going to marry her one day.  I love her."

"So did I, once."

"But that doesn't mean I don't love you.  I will always
love you, and I'll always be there for you.  Always."

"Thank you... Ranma."

"You're not alone anymore."

Ryouga tilted his head back a little, and allowed a smile
to cross his lips.  His greatest fear had always been that
he would be forever alone.  Only someone who knew him as
well as Ranko did could know that, and understand.

"Can I ask you something, Ranma?"

"Of course."

"I'd like... um..."

"Like what?"

"It's kinda hard to ask..."

She turned, until she was facing the same direction as he,
and turned her head to look at him, her eyebrows arched in
curiosity.  He looked at her, then blushed and looked
away.

"Just ask."

"I... uh..." he tried, looking up at her again.  His
cheeks reddened further, and for a moment his eyes looked
away; but they quickly snapped back to her face, a new
look of determination behind them as he stared into her
milky white eyes.  "Oh, forget asking.  You only live once."

With that, and with no other warning, he launched his
face at hers.  She barely had time to blink before his lips
were pressed against hers in a kiss, his eyes closed as his
arm held her against him.  She flailed for a moment, wide-eyed,
but slowly, gradually, stopped resisting.  Her eyes closed,
and her arms wrapped themselves around him as she returned
his kiss.

They kissed for a long time, and for a brief moment, Ryouga
and his beloved Ranko were together again, a young couple in
love under the bright eyes of a billion stars.

The kiss ended; Ryouga pulled back a fraction of an inch,
and Ranma briefly tried to touch her lips to his once more.
She stopped, however, and for a time they sat together, panting,
their warm breath washing over each other's face, their noses
and foreheads touching, their eyes closed.

"Ryouga... you shouldn't..." Ranma breathed.

"I know... I just had to, one more time.  I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she replied, squeezing him gently in her arms as
her eyes opened.  "I just don't know if it was the right thing
to do."

"Don't worry," he said, quietly.  "I won't do it again.  I won't
make you choose between me and Akane.  Just... knowing that you
care is enough."

A smile came to Ranma's lips.  "Thank you.  I can see why Ranko
fell in love with you.  It scared the hell out of me at first,
but... I'm glad that I love you, Ryouga."

"I love you too..." Ryouga began, and fell into a moment of
silence.  Ranma pulled back, and looked at his face.  He met
her with a smile.  "Ranma."

"Will you come back to Nerima?  You don't have to stick around
all the time if you don't want to, but I want you to visit from
time to time."

"I will.  To tell the truth, I was getting fed up of this rock
anyway."

She laughed, then turned to her side and again rested her head
on his shoulder.  A moment of companionable silence was shared
between them, neither speaking; neither needing to.

Ranma looked up at the night sky and watched the stars twinkle,
each not alone in space, but part of a magnificent galactic
orchestra; the light of each, tiny as it was, adding to the
spectacular symphony that illuminated even the darkest of
nights.

"Tell me a story, Ryouga."

"A story?"

Ranma smiled, and took his hand in hers again.  "Yeah.  A story
about the stars."

And so the pair stayed together that night on the mountain, keeping
each other's company as Ryouga spoke and Ranma raptly listened, both
bathing in the light of the moon as it made its journey across the
sky.  For that night, just one more night, they belonged to each
other, and the night belonged to them.
---
FIN