Last Match
Last Match
A Ranma 1/2 fanfic by June "KaraOhki" Geraci
October 17, 1999
Ranma 1/2 was created by Rumiko Takahashi, and belongs to her. This story was written for entertainment purposes only.
This story was the result of the October one hour fanfic challenge in FFIRC. I've been editing it a little since then.
The students stopped sparring. They arranged themselves in neat rows and bowed to their teacher.
"You did well today."
"Thank you, Sensei," they chorused.
An older man watched from his seat in a quiet corner of the room. He had been there nearly all day observing the classes. As the last student left he slowly got to his feet, wincing a bit. He had been sitting too long in one position and had become rather stiff.
"Spar with me a bit, Son. I need to loosen up."
"Sure, Dad."
The two circled each other, looking for openings. The older man moved slowly at first, but as he warmed up, his speed increased. He began to press harder against his son, who backed off. He held up both hands and frowned at his father.
"Dad, the doctor said not to push too hard."
"Ha! You call this pushing? Are you getting soft?"
"Dad!"
His father's only response was to attack him. At first the younger man refused to fight back, concentrating only on defending himself. Then he changed tactics, trying to find a way to slow his father down.
"That's not going to work."
"You shouldn't talk. You're getting out of breath."
"Who, me?"
Despite his outward show of bravado, his son's words were accurate. His legs ached, and so did his chest. What used to be a simple game of sparring now took the greatest effort, and he wasn't sure how much longer he'd be able to keep it up. Then the pain in his chest went from a dull ache to a sharp knife going straight through him. He sank to his knees.
"Dad?"
"My pills...in my pocket."
Within seconds one of the tablets was melting under his tongue. He could feel the sweat dripping down his forehead, although he felt cold.
"Hang on, Dad."
He nodded and lay down on the floor.
*****
The son raced into the house. "Call an ambulance!"
His mother turned white. "Hideo?"
"It's Dad. I gave him one of his pills, but--"
Before he was finished speaking, his mother handed her newest great-grandchild to her visiting granddaughter and vanished.
*****
Hands lifted him. Whatever he was resting on was soft and warm. He opened his eyes to see what it was.
"Akane."
His wife smiled at him.
"Dummy! What were you trying to prove?"
Then she caught herself. If he was dying, her last words to him should be something she wouldn't regret later.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that."
Her husband managed a weak grin.
"S'okay. You're right."
He closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them again. "I was stupid to try this. Like father, like son, I guess."
"NO! It's not going to be like that. Not again!"
Ranma watched the tears slide down his wife's face, knowing that she was also reliving what had happened twenty years ago--remembering events that still hurt him too much to think about. He closed his eyes, struggling in vain to keep the memories from flooding back to him.
*****
"Come on, Son. Don't tell me you're afraid of me?"
"Pop! I've never been afraid of you! I'm afraid FOR you! The doctor said you have to STOP!"
Genma merely grunted in reply and attacked Ranma again. Ranma kept trying anything he could think of to make his father stop and sit down, but Genma kept getting up again. He was sweating profusely, and his face was red.
"You have a lot to learn yet, Son, and I'm going to see that you learn it!"
Ranma finally gave up and fought his father the way he wanted to be fought. Ranma noticed his father's reactions were off, and his speed was diminished, but thought better of mentioning it. When they finally stopped, Genma looked a little more winded than usual.
"I'm going to soak for a while, Pop. You coming?"
"No, I'll just sit here for a while."
Genma turned his back on Ranma and sat down facing the family altar. He'd been doing that nearly every day since Soun's death. He'd sit for hours on end just looking at the altar. Sometimes Ranma would come in and find him talking to his friend as if he were still there. It looked like that was what Genma had in mind, so Ranma left him there.
That was the last time he saw his father alive. When Akane went into the dojo to tell Genma lunch was ready he was sitting against the dojo wall with his eyes closed. She didn't realize that he was dead until she put her hand on his shoulder to wake him.
As far as Ranma was concerned, it was all his fault. He knew his father was too ill to spar. He should have known better than to have allowed his father to manipulate him into fighting.
*****
Another wave of pain went through Ranma, and he clutched at Akane's hand. He was dying, and Hideo was going to live with the same guilt that had plagued him for twenty years. History was repeating itself. He forced himself to open his eyes so that he could see his wife's face.
"Akane! Tell Hideo...tell him it's not his fault."
"You tell him yourself! You're not going anywhere!"
"Akane..."
His wife's face was pale, and her eyes were full of tears.
"Don't you dare leave me, Ranma Saotome!"
Akane paused and bit her lip.
"Because if you're leaving, I'm going with you."
"What?"
"You're not going without me!"
*****
"I'm telling you, she tried to walk this morning!"
"All she's done is crawl all afternoon, Grandpa. Are you sure?"
Sachiko seemed to sense that the conversation in the room was centered around her. She hauled herself to her feet, swayed a little, and took one uncertain step. Everyone stopped talking and held their breath.
One step led to another, and another. Sachiko finally lost her balance and tumbled headlong into her great-grandfather's arms. Ranma settled her in his lap and gave her a hug.
"Good girl!"
Sachiko burbled happily.
"Next time you'll believe me, right?"
Ranma sat back with his great-granddaughter in his lap, observing his family. The scare he'd given his wife (and himself) months ago had finally convinced him it was time to slow down.
It wasn't as bad as he thought it would be. He still observed as his son taught, and the students still came to him for advice, treating him with the respect they always had.
Akane was never more than a few steps away from him. Ranma didn't mind. She had stayed with him every minute in the hospital, resisting the efforts of her children to force her to go home and rest.
One day in the hospital he'd caught her crying when she�d thought him asleep.
"Akane, why are you crying?"
"It's nothing. I'm just tired."
"I know that look, love. You're scared."
"No I'm not!"
Ranma reached over and pulled his weeping wife into his arms. She held onto him desperately as he stroked her hair.
"Did you mean what you said to me? That you would come with me if I died?"
Akane lifted her tear-stained face from Ranma's shoulder and nodded.
"Of course, baka! I can't be without you. I just can't!"
"We might not have a choice. I promise to try to stay as long as I can. Please don't be in such a hurry to follow me. I mean, what would the kids do without their tomboy Grandma?"
Ranma never did get an answer to that statement. Akane merely nodded, rested her head on his chest, and went to sleep. Since then neither of them had spoken of it again.
He gave little Sachiko another hug and smiled at his wife. Right now they were together, and life was good.
Nothing else mattered.
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Heartfelt thanks to DF Roeder and DB Sommer for editing help.