It never left him. The one moment in his life that was absolute perfection. He remembered it most vividly at night when he lie alone in his room late at night. What had he done to make her come to him.  What had he done to make her leave him. He held in his hands the note she left him, but it gave him no clues. In the letter she told him things were too difficult to explain, she didn’t want to ruin the memory of their night together.  Finally, she wrote not to follow and that she hoped to be able to come back someday.

He kept the letter with his few precious belongings, but brought it out on more occasions then he cared to admit. The night before thoughts of their time together had kept him awake staring at the ceiling. He recalled that day an ordinary day of school and fights.

She hadn’t been acting that unusual, they fought mildly, she got mad because his other fiancées had been lavishing affection on him as usual. Everything seemed as ordinary as everyday. Maybe it had been the failed marriage. Weeks had past and Akane had seemed more or less unaffected. He was sure there was something that he was just too stupid to see.

He had certainly done nothing to deserve the affection he received. It was late at night and he had been fast asleep dreaming of food, tons and tons of food, when he felt her presence in his room. Normally, he slept like a brick, but there was something about her that always turned him upside down and that night had been no different…

The young woman placed both bundles on the ground before her. The first was a large pack that she leaned against the house, the second a small boy that she set down in front of her adjusting his clothes. Then she stood up before him adjusting her dress a fussing mildly with her hair.

“Well do I look ok?” She looked down at the boy apprehensively. He smiled up at her and nodded his head enthusiastically. Smiling back she wrapped her knuckles against the front door of the house before them. As the door opened the little boy hid behind his mother holding her leg.

“Hello-” Kasumi gasped as she looked at the young woman before her smiling faintly. They stared at each other neither saying a word nor moving a muscle. Kasumi looked the girl over she wore a loose fitted sundress with slender straps, the skirt gently swaying just above her knees in the wind. Her hair was long and pulled back in a loose braid her long bangs framing her face. The little boy’s head suddenly peaked from behind her leg looking up at Kasumi.

“Hello there, what’s your name little man?” Kasumi bent down bringing herself to the boy’s level and he offered her a shy smile his mother placing a hand on his head.

“Kasumi? Who is it?” Ranma walked up to the door and froze in the doorway behind Kasumi. “Akane…”

Thorns

Nerima was much as she remembered it a few new shops opened replacing the old, so was the way of the world.  Endings and beginnings. The Kuno mansion stood towering in front of her. Ringing at the front gate she waited for a response.

“Yes, who is it?” A male voice asked from the ugly green box fixed to the large rot iron gate. The static distorted the voice, but Akane was fairly certain that it was Sasuke, the Kuno’s faithful manservant.

“I wish to challenge this estate’s mistress in anything-goes martial arts combat.”

“In what name do you issue this challenge?” Another male voice asked over the static of the metal box, which could only be Tatewaki Kuno himself.

“I battle I the name of the Tendo dojo and for the hand of Ranma Saotome.” The gate opened automatically without another word from the box.

Akane heard some commotion from the building ahead as she made her approach, a short ninja was roughly kicked through the door by a young man dressed as a samurai.

“Kuno, it’s nice to see you again.” For the first time in his life Tatewaki seemed at a loss for words.

Author's note:  Ok I know this is a SHORT teaser, but well, my stories are always short to begin with.  I'm not exactly sure why I always write them so short, I think I am stuck in some weird anime episode/manga volume length rule or something.  I am sitting here not having slept the night before and with a massive head cold, Nyquil is speaking to me, so don't pay me any heed.  As you can tell I didn't expend too much time on this, once I don't have to devote so many brain cells to Never, I'll really start working on this story.  I didn't send this to the 'Grammar Nazi' so I'm sorry if the grammar/spelling is atrocious.  If she knew she'd probably put on her black leather boots and beat me with her riding crop.  Ok definitely time to sleep, nightie, night.