Jeffrey "OneShot" Wong 

Ranma 1/2: Memories lost forever


  "It's me, Akane"
  Ranma looked at Akane, no longer recognizing her "I'm sorry, but I 
don't know who you are?"
  Akane gasped. She was too late. All of Ranma's memory had been totally 
wiped out, and there was no way it could be brought back. She still 
tried, even though she knew it was futile "C'mon, Ranma. It's me, Akane"
  Ranma gracefully got out of the nanichuan and continued to gaze at 
Akane. He never saw her in is life. He would had remembered her. It 
would had been true...if he had met her before he first fell into the 
nannichuan. All his memory had since the time he first fell in all the 
way up till now had been wiped out.
  Akane had found out about the Jusenkyo's other secret too late, that 
if anyone fell into a sping a second time, they would forget everything 
that happened between the time when they first fell in and the second 
time. All that time she and Ranma spent together, totally gone. Everyone 
he met, gone. Not even traces of memories remained.
  Ranma started walking away. He looked around "Now where the hell did 
that panda go?" The last thing he remembered was standing on top of one 
of the bamboo poles when a panda emerged from the spring and knocked him 
into one the spring. But when Ranma emerged, he noticed he emerged in 
some different spring, not the original spring he had fallen into. And 
there was this young girl, somewhere in her teens, standing besides the 
spring.
  He turned around, still wondering who that girl was. When he saw her 
fall to her knees, tears streaming from her face, he was compelled to 
assure her they had never met. He couldn't forget someone as cute as 
her.
  "You have the wrong guy" Ranma said, pausing for a second "My name's 
Ranma Saotome"
  "I-I'm Akane...Tendo" Akane said, hopeful that the name would click 
somewhere in his head, wishing it would, willing it to.
  "You have the wrong guy, Tendo-san" he said with a soft smile "I don't 
recognize you. That's all. You're mistakening me for someone else. Are 
you sure you have the right guy"
  "Yes" Akane said, wiping the tears from her eye "Yes. I have the right 
person"
  Ranma shook his head before turning around and walking away.
  "How do you know me?" he asked, a bit curious, but not by much.
  "You and I...w-we're...engaged" she said through tearful eyes. 
  Ranma gazed at her for several long moment. He didn't believe her. She 
must be some sort of loon. He would definitely remember being engaged to 
someone. It was impossible that he would be engaged to anyone because he 
didn't really care about courting girls. He other things to worry about, 
like his martial arts.
  "I'm sorry, but I don't know you"
  Akane quickly got to her feet and ran after him, grabbing hold of him, 
her arms wrapped around him, her cheek pressed firmly against the middle 
of his back as she cried "Please. You have to remember me. Please. Try"
  He stood there for several moments, unmoving. But when he felt her 
release of him loosened, he turned around to face the young girl, their 
faces inches from one another. He was utterly convinced they had never 
seen each other. 
  "Can you please let go of me?" his voice was cold. He had no idea who 
this girl was. Although it did feel nice to feel her pressed against 
him, there was no reason she should be holding him so intimately. Like 
she knew him.
  "Please, Ranma" Akane reluctantly released her grip "Please try and 
remember"
  Ranma's gaze narrowed. He found it rather disrespectful that this girl 
simply called him 'Ranma'. She should at least address him a bit more 
respectfully.
  "I don't know you. We've never met"
  "Do you know what year this is?" Akane said, coming up with an idea. 
He wasn't listening to her and she needed some time to explain 
everything to him. But first, she needed to get him to stop walking 
away. She would have to somehow get him curious about what was going on. 
She would tell him that it is three years later pased the year he first 
fell in the spring. But since he didn't remember it, it would seem he 
fell into the spring and resurfaced three years later.
  "Year?" Ranma said "No. I don't. I've been living in these mountains 
with my pop for so long I have no idea anymore"
  "It's 1997" she said.
  Ranma shrugged his shoulders "Yeah, so? The year doesn't really matter 
to me. I figure it'd be earlier, but time passes pretyy quickly up here, 
what with all the trainin' and all"
  Akane's face sullened. This wasn't turning out the way she had 
expected "Please. Just stay and listen to me. There's so much I have to 
tell you"
  "No. I'm not staying. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go look for 
my pop" he replied, a bit exasperated. He had no time to stand here and 
indulge in meaningless conversation. She was utterly convinced they met, 
yet he knew they never met. 
  He turned around and ran off, leaving Akane behind.
  Akane placed her face in her hands and started to cry.
  "Ranma"

  Ranma was getting frustrated as he continued to search the forest he 
and his father had just come across just a few hours ago on their way to 
their that training ground "Hey, pop, where the hell are you?"
  He must had been walking for several hours and he was tired. He sat 
down and leaned against a tree and muttered something to himself, 
grumbling about how his father could stay lost for all Ranma cared. It 
was actually nice to have a bit of peace and quiet. Why didn't he bother 
to rest before? 
  He skillfully leaped up onto on of the branches and sat down against a 
random tree, smiling to himself as he caught sight of a beautiful 
sunset. As he continued to watch as the sun slowly disappeared from the 
world, his thoughts lingered onto that young girl he had seen earlier.
  "I wonder who that girl was," he said softly "What did she say her 
name was? Akane?"
  He shrugged his shoulders. It's not like it mattered. Now was not a 
time to be thinking about girls. His training was more imporatant. 
  As he continued to watch, enjoying the serenity, he heard a voice 
echoing from somewhere in the far off distance. It sounded like someone 
was calling his name. Could it be that girl?
  He listened more carefully. He realized that it indeed was someone 
calling for him. And it definitely wasn't his father's voice. As he sat 
there, listening the voice as it got closer and closer, wondering if it 
was that girl. He wondered if it was all right that she be out in the 
woods after dark. Afterall, she would be nowhere near civilization.
  He wondered if what he did was right, to having left her behind. Even 
though he didn't know her, she said she knew him. But how did she know 
him? 
  "Ranma," he heard, the voice definitely closer "where are you"
  Akane felt like she wanted to give up, but she continued to press on. 
She was tired from all the constant walking and she had no idea if Ranma 
was nearby. And it didn't help that she was carrying a backpack full of 
camping equipement. 
  "Ranma," she called out again, her voice a bit parched. She needed a 
drink of water. All that constant yelling was making her mouth dry. She 
stopped a moment to take a quick drink from the small canister of water 
she carried. The water tasted delicious as if she hadn't drunk in the 
longest time.
  Ranma could see that girl from where he was perched. As he watched her 
intently, he wondered if he sould answser. Perhaps she knows where his 
father is. Surely, if he knew he wasn't going to find his father, he 
would have never left her behind in that weird place with all those 
springs.
  He hopped out of the tree, landing quietly on the ground several yards 
behind Akane. He noticed she didn't hear him land. Then again, he could 
move swiftly without a sound. He continued to gaze at her curiously, 
still wondering if he should respond.
  Akane's heart froze. She felt something land behind her. Even though 
it she could protect herself, it was getting dark and she shouldn't be 
out past dusk. She would have no light to guide her through the forest. 
She turned around and faced Ranma, surprised to see it was him.
  "R-Ranma,"
  "Why do you keep talking to me as if you know me?" he said, still 
eyeing her. He couldn't help but smirk a bit, admiring the fact that she 
sensed that he was behind her. She must be a martial artist also. But 
his smirk disappeared quickly. He had no idea who this girl was and what 
had happened to his father. The latter mattered less to Ranma.
  Akane opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out. After a 
moment, she finally spoke "R-Ranma-kun. I-I do know you" She continued 
on, even though Ranma continued to gaze at her with penetrating eyes "Y-
you...knew...me"
  Akane could feel tears starting to form around her eyes as she said 
those last words. 
  "I knew you? How? I don't recognize you. And what happened to my 
father?" he wanted some answers.
  Akane took a deep breath and said, "We're finacees. For the past year, 
you and your father lived with me and my family" 
  She stopped, waiting for all of that to sink in.
  "Are you some nut case?" Ranma said, his voice cold again "I don't 
have a fiancee. And what do you mean me and my pop's been living with 
you and your family for the past year. That's a buncha bull. I've been 
living here in the mountains for god knows how long"
  Akane felt she was already losing the battle "R-Ranma...kun, you're 
mistaken. Your memory has been wiped out. You feel in the naniichuan 
over a year ago and then came to live with me and my family. And today, 
you jumped into the nanichuan and all that you've remembered between 
that time has been wiped out"
  "I don't buy that for one second" Ranma said. He shook his head. This 
girl is crazy, he thought. Where did she come up with something as 
ludicrous as that? He had heard some strange things in his day, but this 
definitely takes the cake.
  "Oh yeah, then tell me what happened to your father" Akane said, 
realizing she should had never said that until it was too late.
  Ranma's visage sombered. His brows creased "Why _don't_ you tell me 
what happened to my father?"
  Akane flinched "I-I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to say that. I'm sorry"
  Ranma took a step forward menacingly "What did you do to my father? 
You know something. Where the hell is he?"
  Akane said nothing. All she could do was look down at her feet, 
ashamed of what she said.
  "Well?"
  Silence.
  Ranma shook his head and said, "Fine. If you don't want to tell me, 
then don't" He turned around to leave. He knew that his father could 
take care of himself. He didn't need to worry about him "It doesn't 
really matter that much to me anyway"
  "Wait. Don't go. Please"
  Ranma stopped, just long enough to say, "Why?"
 Akane remained silent as she watched Ranma walk out of her life once 
again.

  Ranma smiled to Akane.
  "Well, this is it," he said in a soft voice "I've been looking for 
this spring for over a year and now. And now...I've found it." He held 
up his plan ticket "When I come back from China...." 
  "You'll never be a girl again" Akane finished for him. She and Ranma 
were standing in front of the dojo as Ranma said this. 
  He sat down on the front steps of the dojo, which was empty at the 
time. He gazed up toward the gazing sun "I can't believe it, after all 
this time, I'll finally be cured. All I have to do is go there and jump 
in. And there's no way I can't find it. That map the guide sent me is so 
detailed that not even Ryoga could miss it...that is....um...if he 
needed to go there"
  "It was nice of that guide to send you a letter saying he found the 
map of all of the springs in Jusenkyo" Akane said, sitting down beside 
Ranma. She wondered if she should lean up against him but chose not to.
  Ranma and Akane continued to talk for about an hour before Ranma got 
up, and stretched his arms out.
"We'll it's getting late. I better get going"
  Akane smiled as she got up to stand in front of him "When will you be 
back?"
  "I'll be back sometime tomorrow night" he said "All I'm gonna do is go 
to Jusenkyo, jump into the spring, and then come straight back home"
  "Are you sure you don't want to postpone your plans?" she said "I know 
you're set on getting cured, but if you wait until the weekend, I can go 
with you"
  Ranma shook his head and said, "Nope. I want to be cured by tomorrow 
morning. That's why I plan on leaving tonight. Besides, this is my 
problem, and I don't wanna drag you into it"
  "Well, I guess you better get going" she said "I dont' want to keep 
you from you flight"
  "Okay. I'll see you then" he said nervously. He gazed into Akane's 
eyes. He was about to kiss her, but he hadn't the courage. Instead, he 
turned around and said 
  "I'll see you tomorrow night. Bye"
 Akane awoke like freezing cold water had been slashed all over her. It 
took her a few moments to realize that that she had just dreamt of a 
flashback of the other day.
  "Ranma no baka, why didn't you kiss me?" she said to herself. She 
blushed beet red when she realized what she was saying. Her embarrassed 
visage turned somber when she rememebered what she was here in the first 
place.