Fighting Blind

Disclaimer: What can I say that will make any difference?

<>: Thoughts

<" ">: Chinese Language

In part one, Kasumi had just encountered Ranma and had been told

of the crimes that Genma had committed in his name. She had also

deduced that Ranma is blind, thereby gaining his respect. Nabiki had

been tailing the blind martial artist in hopes of learning his secrets.

What she finds are more questions than answers. Kasumi is unable

to keep what she learned about Ranma's past to herself and tells

Nabiki, which shocks the middle sister to the core. Meanwhile,

Akane, in her preoccupation to defeat Ranma had unintentionally

wandered into a bad part of town and was attacked by a street gang.

Despite her best efforts, she was defeated by the gang leader and

was nearly raped when Ranma appeared on the scene to save her.

Using his skills as a healer, Ranma tended to her wounds and is now

carrying her to Pepper's Place

Chapter Eight

Akane and Her Sisters Part 2

(Secrets and Confirmations)

"Ranma is� blind?!" Nabiki couldn't believe what her elder sister

had said.

Kasumi nodded. "Yes, it's true. Ranma is completely sightless. He

admitted it to me when we met yesterday."

"He just� told you?" Nabiki asked, still in shock.

"Well�" Kasumi's cheeks reddened a bit. "I� sort of figured it

out for myself, and when I told him that I knew, he admitted it."

"YOU figured it out?!" The middle sister couldn't believe that she

could miss an important detail such as this when her normally

oblivious sibling noticed it from the start.

"I'm not as dense as some people think I am. "Kasumi said with a

small smile. "Haven't you ever noticed that his eyes don't react to

bright light or that he doesn't focus on anything in particular?"

Nabiki paused as she thought back to that last fight with Kuno

when Ranma used his flute to blind the kendoist. She then recalled all

the other times when Kuno tried to ambush Ranma from behind. The

blind boy never had looked in Kuno's direction whenever he was

attacked. In light of this new information, it made sense. Why would

a sightless person look in any direction in particular?

She began compiling the other information she had amassed about

Ranma and made the connections. The way he always let his

opponents make the first move. Why he never seemed interested in

movies or anything on television. Why he always ran his fingers

across whatever he was reading. Nabiki had found it especially

strange when she had seen him one time running his fingers across

the sign of the boy's restroom before going in. However, being blind

did not explain a few other things, such as the displays at the archery

classes and basketball court.

"It� can't be. I mean, some of the stuff about him fits in with a

blind person, but the way he handles himself� he can't be blind."

"He is blind, Nabiki." Kasumi affirmed. "He couldn't tell you what

color your shirt was or read a distant traffic sign. He couldn't see the

images on a television screen or see anything on the monitor on your

computer. I'm not at all certain at how he accomplishes other things,

but he did tell me that he had trained in a martial art called the Unseen

Light."

"Unseen Light? He mentioned that before." Nabiki paused as she

thought about it, then shook her head after slapping her forehead as

she realized the irony. "I've always wondered what that name meant,

but now, it's funny. Blind people practicing a fighting style that has

the word 'unseen.' in it. Talk about missing the most obvious clue."

"Yes, he had us all fooled for a while, although I am rather

annoyed at Mr. Saotome for not telling us an important detail like

Ranma's blindness. After all, he was the one who caused Ranma to

lose his sight!" Kasumi's voice raised in tone as she remembered

Ranma's story.

"Nani?"

"It's true. Ranma's father is not a very good man, and I'm rather

ashamed that our father is associated with someone like that."

Nabiki couldn't believe what she was hearing. Kasumi was always

the dutiful daughter and never once objected to Soun's wishes.

Whatever Ranma had told her that day must have had some impact

for her to express her own ideals.

Meanwhile, at Pepper's Place�

Cologne and the other Amazons were getting worried. Ranma had

yet to return from what was supposed to be a short delivery. They

had begun to suspect that the blind boy had run into another one of

Genma's ambushes. When it was almost nine o'clock, they were

ready to assault the Tendo dojo. It was then that Shampoo heard a

knock at the service entrance.

<"Hey! Open up! It's me!">

"Ranma!" Shampoo gleefully ran toward the back to let her cousin

and intended love interest in. The other Amazons breathed a sigh of

relief as they waited for the purple-haired girl to return with their best

warrior. A moment later, they heard her shout.

"Aiya! Great-grandmother! Come quickly!"

A few minutes later, Akane was placed on a bed in one of the

spare guest rooms on the second floor where Pepper made her

comfortable. Near the doorway, Ranma finished with his story to the

others about his run-in with the gang that assaulted Akane.

"�so you see, I couldn't just leave her there and I certainly

couldn't take her to the dojo. Not with Genma and Soun there."

Cologne nodded as she said, "You did the right thing Ranma.

However, we still must contact her family and let them know that

she's here."

"I know. I'll be on the phone." Ranma left the room and went to

the front counter. Taking out a phone book from under the cash

register, he began flipping through the pages until his fingers traced

the number belonging to the Tendo family. He then began dialing on

the phone beside the register.

At the Tendo residence, Kasumi had just finished telling Nabiki

what she learned from Ranma when the phone rang. She went to

answer the call, leaving her sister to consider what she had been told.

<Good grief� I never suspected something like this. Daddy's

friend must be the biggest idiot in the world to have pulled those

stunts! Throwing his son into a pit of cats?! Selling off his son for a

fish?! Engaging him to all those girls?! I can understand now why

Ranma doesn't want to fulfill the promise to unite the schools.>

Nabiki started thinking about all this information about Ranma.

She had her answers, but there were still more questions. How is

Ranma able to do what he does, despite his inability to see? Does he

know some kind of special techniques? That could prove very

profitable if she could discover his secrets. Then she remembered her

promise to Kasumi. She had sworn that she would not use this

information to exploit him. She sighed as she realized that her promise

might have just caused her to lose a valuable resource. But then

again, the pledge didn't really specify which Tendo girl was to marry

him. Her father had been stressing that Akane would be the one to

marry him, but with a few well-placed words, that could all change.

Nabiki decided to give it some more thoughts. In retrospect, she

didn't find it too difficult to be place herself standing before the altar

next to Ranma.

Her train of thought was broken when she heard Kasumi's shout.

"WHAT?! WHAT DO MEAN?! OH NO! YES, NABIKI AND I WILL BE RIGHT OVER!"

Nabiki could tell that something big had just happened to make

Kasumi so upset. She raced toward the next room and saw Kasumi

frantically dialing on the phone.

"Kasumi? What's going on?"

"I'm calling Dr. Tofu! I need to tell him to meet us at a restaurant

called Pepper's Place! We have to get there right away!"

"What's wrong?" Nabiki was very concerned. She had rarely seen

her sister in this state.

"It's Akane! She's been hurt badly!" As she waited for the young

doctor to pick up the phone, she took out a pad and pencil and began

writing a note to notify her father and Genma as to where they would

be, should they arrive later.

Fifteen minutes later at the restaurant, Kasumi and her sister were

sitting at a large table with Cologne and Ranma, while Dr. Tofu and

the others were upstairs with Akane. Kasumi was trying her best to

keep a level head as she and the group waited for the physician to

finish examining her sister.

At the time, Ranma had finished retelling his story to the Tendos.

"On behalf of our family, I would like to give our thanks to you for

saving our sister." Kasumi and Nabiki gave Ranma a small bow. "On

that note, I would like to also give our apologies with the way Akane

had been acting against you. She had no right to judge you the way

she did."

Ranma nodded. "I'm only glad that I was able to save her in time.

As for her attitude against me and boys in general, although I do not

care for it, I can understand why she doesn't like the opposite

gender. Perhaps, I too have been quick to judge her."

"Oh?"

"Yes. After this attack, I can now see that she has some basis for

being afraid to let a boy come close to her. She was scared of me

when I tended to her injuries and carried her here. I suppose she

feared that I was going to do the same thing that those thugs almost

did to her. Furthermore, I can understand why she saw my skills as a

martial artist as a threat. She was afraid that if she got beaten, then

she wouldn't be able to stop me from taking advantage of her. I

guess that I was a bit too hard on her since I beat her that first time."

"Yes, well in any case, I must agree that she does need to improve

in her manners. I will endeavor to teach her better etiquette." Kasumi

replied.

"That would be appreciated, but for now, Akane needs to have all

the support she can get." Ranma said. "She's been through a

traumatic experience and will need the support of her family."

At that moment, Dr. Tofu Ono came down the stairs and took a

seat beside Ranma. Because of the severity of the case, the good

physician was able to keep his sanity in the presence of the eldest

Tendo sister.

"Well Dr. Tofu, will Akane be all right?" Kasumi asked.

The chiropractor nodded as he replied, "Oh she'll be fine. The

physical injuries she sustained are mending very nicely." He then

turned toward Ranma. "Pepper has told me that you were the one

who treated Akane's wounds."

Ranma nodded as he extended a hand. "Ranma Saotome of the

Joketsuzoku, healer and warrior of Nieuchiezu, at your service."

"Joketsuzoku? Nieuchiezu?" Tofu repeated as he shook his hand.

"You're from the Chinese Amazons?"

"You've heard of us?" Cologne inquired.

"Yes I have." Tofu replied with a bit of awe in his voice. "My

sensei had told me about the legendary warriors and healers of the

Joketsuzoku. The Chinese Amazons are among the best in both

martial and healing arts."

"Why thank you." Cologne said in a pleased voice. She liked this

young doctor and from what she could read from his aura, he had

considerable skill in the martial arts as well. He would make a fine

addition to the tribe. The matriarch put away that thought for later.

Dr. Tofu turned his attention back to Ranma. "I must admit, your

skills as a healer are most impressive. Akane's ki energy is already

replenishing itself and the way you treated her wounds are exactly

what I would have done. In fact, there was nothing more that I could

do for her that you haven't already done. You even set her shoulder

properly."

"Thank you Dr. Tofu. I owe it all to my sensei and my mother

Jasmine. She happens to be the best healer in the village. In any case,

going back to the subject of Akane, I would recommend that she

remain here for the night. She's been through a lot and I'm afraid that

her experience may have left her emotionally distressed, to put it

lightly."

Tofu nodded as he turned to Kasumi and Nabiki. "I tend to agree

with his assessment. I would prefer that she was not moved, at least

until morning. I used a sleeper point to help her rest, but I would be

more at ease if you two were to stay with her. I believe she would be

more comfortable with some of her family was with her."

"Of course Dr. Tofu." Kasumi agreed. "But, my father and Mr.

Saotome should be already home by now, and I would think that they

would be worried about us being gone."

"Do not worry Miss Tendo. I'll make a call to your father."

Cologne said as she got up. "I will explain everything and tell him

that you and your sister will be spending the night here to keep

Akane company. I'm certain that he can do without you for one

night. You and your sister may sleep in the spare guestroom. We'll

make all the necessary arrangements."

"Elder Cologne."

The aged matriarch turned back to Ranma. "Yes?"

"You will explain EVERYTHING to them?"

Cologne smirked. "Do not worry Ranma. I'll make certain they

understand that their presence would not be required."

"Thank you Elder." Ranma paused to listen as Cologne hopped

away on her staff.

"What did she mean by that?" Tofu asked. "Shouldn't Akane's

father be with her as well?"

Ranma gave a long and tired sigh as he replied, "Well, to put it

mildly, I really have no desire to face Mr. Tendo or my father any time

soon. That was the main reason why I brought Akane here instead of

her own home. You see, my father and her father are bound and

determined to make me fulfill a pledge of theirs and if I ever showed

up at the dojo, they would do anything and everything to keep me

there."

"So what is this pledge?"

Kasumi spoke up to answer. "I'm afraid that father and Mr.

Saotome had promised to unite the schools of the Anything Goes

Martial Arts. To that end, Ranma was supposed to marry one of us."

"R-R-Really?" Tofu was a bit staggered by this news. His mind

began to fill up with images of Kasumi and the familiar madness that

usually came with being in close proximity with the eldest daughter

began to surface.

"However, my father and his father had decided that Akane

should marry Ranma, being that they are both martial artists."

As suddenly as the madness appeared, it disappeared. It was

unnoticed to all except for one person. Ranma's acute senses picked

up Tofu's sudden change in behavior. He had heard the doctor's

heart rate jump from fifty beats per minute, to a hundred and twenty

and then back down to fifty again. His breathing rate had almost

tripled in that brief instant. His body temperature had gone up several

degrees and Ranma could almost feel the slight flushed look in his

face. His personal aura was the dead giveaway. The blind boy could

feel the aberrations in his ki energy and the heavy emotions

emanating from it. The feelings were all directed toward where

Kasumi was sitting and Ranma noticed that Tofu was trying very

hard to keep them in check.

<Well now. It seems that the good doctor has a bit of a torch for

Kasumi. I don't blame him. If she weren't a Tendo, then I would have

snatched her up myself and� what am I thinking?> Ranma shook his

head slightly to clear it of such thoughts. He had already promised to

himself that he would not wed a Tendo. He would never give that

stupid panda the satisfaction of fulfilling the one promise that Genma

intended to keep after breaking so many others.

"Excuse me, Ranma-san?"

Ranma snapped out of his train of thought at the sound of Tofu's

voice. "Yes?"

"When I was examining Akane, I noticed that some anesthetic

shiatsu points were used on her."

"You saw them?" Ranma was impressed. If Dr. Tofu could see the

almost invisible signs of pressure point manipulation, then he must

be a very good specialist in that field.

"I did. You must be a very good shiatsu expert to have hit those

particular points. They happen to be some of the most difficult areas.

You used just the right amount of pressure and all in the right

places."

Ranma blushed a bit at the comment. "Well, among my tribe, I'm

considered a fair acupressure and acupuncture user."

"Now don't you be modest Ranma-san. You're quite good. In fact,

I also noticed that you used Akane's Mute point on her. It would

take a high level expert to have been able to affect so small a nerve

cluster. I've only seen one other case like that recently. Tell me, were

you the one who froze the vocal cords of a certain Tatewaki Kuno?"

Ranma was a bit surprised, then he smirked as he replied, "I will

answer that question with this question. Were you the one who

unfroze Kuno's big mouth?"

"Touch�"

Ranma and the others discussed a few things for a while before

Cologne returned.

"I have spoken with Soun Tendo and he has been told

everything."

"And what did he say?" Ranma asked.

"It was hard to tell. He started bawling at full force and he kept on

saying Akane's name in a whining voice."

"That's Daddy all right." Nabiki affirmed. "Is he still on the line?"

"Yes."

"Let me talk to him." Dr. Tofu went over to where the phone was

and picked up the receiver. After five minutes of what seemed to be

an eternity, He returned and said, "Well, I've explained it all and told

him that Akane will be back by tomorrow afternoon. As per your

wishes, I also told him not to come near this place until then. He'll call

Furinkan and tell them that Akane and me won't be in class tomorrow

because of this. It's all set."

"Very good Tofu-san." The elder then turned to the Tendo sisters.

"Now let me show you where the two of you will be sleeping. I

believe that the girls have some spare night clothes that you can

use." Cologne began hopping up the stairs, leading the other Tendo

girls.

The night went by without incident as Akane slept in the

establishment. By morning, she awoke to the sound of the morning

birds and the first rays of sunlight appearing through the bedroom

window. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she noticed was

that her body was sore in many places. She moaned a bit before

attempting to sit up. Her head throbbed as she got up. One hand

went up to rub her right temple and she noticed that her head was

wearing a bandage. When she looked out the front door, she saw a

familiar person entering the room.

"Good morning Akane. How are you feeling?"

"Kasumi! W-W-Where am I? H-H-How did I get here? I�" Her

head began to throb even more as the terrible memories of the

previous night came back to her. The fight, the humiliation and her

clothes being torn off as her opponent and his friends prepared to�

"Akane?"

The youngest sister's face turned pure white as she recalled the

events of the previous day. Her body trembled and she began to

breathe faster. Kasumi noticed her sister's agitation and put the

breakfast tray down. She went over to comfort her sibling by

wrapping her arms around her just as she started to cry.

"Kasumi! They� they� almost� I couldn't stop them!

Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh!!!!"

"There, there Akane. It's all right. It's all over. You're safe now."

(Whimper) "I� tried to� fight them off, but that guy was too�

strong. I� couldn't� beat him. If� if� Ranma hadn't shown� up

then�" (sob).

"Yes. I know. Nabiki and I have been here with you since Ranma

had brought you here. He saved you. You're safe. That's all that

matters."

Akane nodded, albeit reluctantly as she recalled that it had indeed

been Ranma who had rescued her from being raped and probably

killed. She continued to sob into her sister's shoulder and after a few

minutes, she began hiccuping and finally went back to sleep. Kasumi

laid her back onto the bed and quietly exited the room.

Sometime later, after Ranma and the other girls had left for school,

Pepper had decided not to open the restaurant as she, Cologne and

Akane's sisters took turns caring for Ranma's patient. It was around

noon when she went up to give Akane some lunch.

Akane awoke to see a strange woman enter the room. She was

about around her mid-thirties and had jet-black hair tied in a bun. Her

eyes were a warm, hazel color and she had a pleasant figure. She was

wearing a red silk kimono and she moved with nary a sound. She

smiled warmly at her as she presented a tray that had a large bowl of

steaming ramen on it.

"Hello Akane-san. I am Pepper, the owner of this building. I have

your lunch all ready for you. Ranma has told me that your injuries

should be all healed by today, so it would be good for you to keep up

your strength."

"Where are my sisters?"

"They are downstairs having lunch right now, but they'll be

coming up shortly, so don't worry. So how are you feeling?"

Akane paused for a moment, assessing her body's injuries. "All

right I guess. I don't feel as much pain as I did this morning."

"Excellent! Ranma had done his job well."

"Yeah� I guess he did." Akane didn't like the fact that she was

indebted to a boy, but it had been a far better outcome than what

would have happened, had the Unseen Light martial artist not arrived

in time. The young girl was still in mental conflict. She hated boys,

right? They were nothing but perverted jerks, yet the one person she

despised the most had just saved her and didn't take advantage of

her. His personality had changed from the arrogant, smart-talking

martial artist, to a gentle and understanding healer. He didn't give

any snide remarks, other than that time when he used that Mute

pressure point on her. It was just so confusing.

"Akane-san?"

"Huh?"

"Aren't you hungry? You haven't eaten anything since last night,

and you didn't have any breakfast."

Akane looked down at tray in front of her and realized that she

was hungry. The smell of the ramen before her made her stomach

rumble. Giving a nod of thanks to Pepper, she began to consume the

meal before her.

"This is really good."

"Thank you Akane-san. It's my own family recipe."

Akane ate for a while in silence as Pepper watched. Her mind was

still occupied with thoughts of Ranma. Just who was he? She had

thought that she had him pegged down as just another stupid boy

but now she wasn't so sure. When her father had announced the

engagement and had been pushing her to marry up with him, she had

become extremely angry at the fact that she was being forced to be

engaged to someone she had only just met. To make matters worse,

her status as the best martial artist in Nerima had been destroyed

when the very same person defeated her. She had become resentful

of his higher skill level and it had become a bit of an obsession to

beat him and regain her title. Yet, his later battles with Kuno and

Ryoga had shown her that he was far more skilled and powerful than

she had first thought. She had trained hard to try and catch up to

him, but when it came right down to it; her martial arts had improved

very little. That fact had been made painfully clear when she went up

against that gang leader. He had not come from any dojo, nor

practiced any particular style, but his street-fighting skills were more

than a match for Akane. It was also because that he had cheated to

win that really made Akane furious. The girl shivered at the memories

of his cold, cruel hands as he ripped her clothes off and almost

violated her. If Ranma had not saved her, then�

"Akane-san?"

Akane snapped out of her reverie at the sound of Pepper's voice.

"Yes?"

"May I ask you a few things? You don't have to answer if you

don't want to."

"Uh� okay. What do you want to know?"

"Ranma has told me about your attitude toward him and I must

admit that I'm surprised."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, that Ranma is a very good catch and I would have

thought that you would be glad that you have an engagement to

him."

Akane's automatic denial surfaced at once. "Me?! Happy to be

engaged to that jerk?! No way! Why would anyone want that

arrogant, smart-aleck?"

"Now Akane-san, I do not think that you're being very fair. As far

as to what Ranma and the other girls have told me, he hasn't done

anything to you to deserve such treatment. What exactly did he do to

you that he warrants such hostility?"

"Well he�"

"Is it because he defeated you so easily and showed that you

needed to improve?"

"Well he�"

"Is it because he has gotten so much attention at school since he

stopped the morning fights against his fellow Amazons and showed

great respect toward the rest of the girls?"

"I wouldn't say�"

"Is it because he called you an ill-mannered brat, though your

oldest sister had admitted to me that your social skills need a lot of

improvement?"

"Now he had no right to�"

"Or is it the fact that he had saved your life, gave you the proper

medical treatment, brought you here to be cared for, and is even

taking extra notes in class for you so you wouldn't miss anything?"

Akane became silent at that last comment. A minute later, the last

bit of information hit her. "What? He's taking notes for me?"

"Yes. Ranma took a tape recorder with him when he and the others

left for school. He's planning to give you that tape when he returns.

Since you both share many of the same classes, he thought that you

would need it to keep from falling behind."

"But� why would he do that for me?"

Pepper looked at Akane's confused expression, then smiled. "He

of course will not admit it but he doesn't think you're all that bad."

"Really?"

"Yes. You don't know much about Ranma, now do you? Well, I'll

admit that I'm not an expert on him myself, but I've received many

letters from his mother Jasmine over the years. In any case, Ranma

was not born in the Amazon village. He was adopted by Jasmine

when he was eight and let me tell you, it wasn't easy for him. Being a

male and an outsider to boot, Ranma found it very difficult to make

friends with the village children at first. The Amazon society

generally viewed the male gender as inferior before Ranma arrived."

Akane couldn't help but smirk at that one, but she quickly

smothered it when she saw Pepper's expression harden. She nodded

for the restaurant owner to continue.

"Anyway, Ranma fought hard to gain respect from the others. He

was constantly picked on and beaten up several times. Through it all,

he never gave up on trying to fit in. Since our village prided itself on

strength, Ranma trained to become a warrior. He showed remarkable

talent in that field, and it wasn't long before he began to outperform

the rest of his generation. This proved to be quite detrimental to his

attempts to make friends since the others became jealous of his

ability. Fortunately, Jasmine was there to train in him in another art.

The art of healing."

"What's does that have to do with anything?" Akane asked.

Pepper chuckled a bit as she replied. "In many of the fights that

Ranma got into later on, after he had beaten up his opponents, he

would then use his healing skills to tend to their injuries." She

paused for a moment to break into a small laugh. "By doing this,

Ranma showed that he respected the others enough that they began

to return his kindness. He began making friends out of enemies."

Akane had to agree with that one. Ranma had become very

popular with the boys at school since he had tended to their injuries

after they had tried to battle Shampoo, Lilac and Perfume.

"This went especially well with the females of our tribe." Pepper

continued. "Ranma has� a certain charm that they find very

attractive and since he shows great respect toward their gender, they

couldn't help but fall for him. He treated them as his equals, if not his

betters. As of now, just about every unwed girl in the village,

between the age of fifteen to twenty-five, is trying to land him as a

husband! And I can understand their attraction to him. He's tall,

handsome, a great warrior and healer, gentle, kind and shows respect

to those who deserve it."

"He's never shown any respect to me!" Akane retorted.

"That's only because you've never given him any reason to."

Pepper responded. "He may not think that your martial arts or social

manners are deserving the respect that you demand, but he still

respects you as a person. If he didn't, then he wouldn't have done all

those things such as save your life, heal your injuries and take extra

notes for you."

The youngest Tendo sister became silent at that. Pepper's words

made sense. In the past, she was proud of her skills as a martial artist

and she had to admit that she had been a little cocky about it. A little

bit, mind you. She was always saying that she was a martial artist to

anyone who would listen and she had felt a certain pride when

people would acknowledge it. Was that her problem? Was she too

wrapped up in just the title? Was she really that conceited? Then

something scary hit her. Images of herself became superimposed with

images of Kuno. In her mind, she saw him posturing and declaring to

all that none was better than he was. Then she remembered her own

comments about her being second to none. Was she just like Kuno?

Only wishing for others to acknowledge her superiority? She

shivered at that thought, then thought of something else.

<Oh no! It's not true! I can't be like Kuno! I'm nothing like Kuno!>

Pepper confirmed her fears as she said, "Ranma had told me that

you took great pride in your skills as a fighter, but he wasn't really

impressed. If there's one thing that Ranma dislikes, it's a person who

tries to force others to acknowledge that that he or she is better than

he is, simply by saying so. He had enough trouble with Mousse. I've

heard that he's had quite a bit of problems lately from some idiot

named Kuno." Pepper noticed that Akane had winced at the

comment. "Akane-san, is something wrong?"

"No!" Akane blurted out then calmed down. "It's nothing."

Pepper looked at the girl on the bed with a thoughtful expression,

before getting up and taking the tray of empty dishes. It was then

that she heard a gentle knock at the door.

"Come in."

The door opened revealing Kasumi and Nabiki.

"Kasumi! Nabiki!"

"Hi sis." Nabiki greeted as the two entered the room. Pepper

nodded to them and left the three sisters to be alone.

Akane's older siblings went over to her and sat down beside her

on the bed.

"So how are you feeling Akane?" Kasumi asked.

"A little better Kasumi, thanks. I don't feel any more pain."

"That's good. Ranma told us that you'd be well enough to come

home with us tonight. He's been very thoughtful and he's even

taking notes for you in class so you wouldn't miss anything."

"Yeah, Pepper told me about that."

"So Akane, how do you feel about him now?" Kasumi asked out

of the blue.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Akane was surprised the Kasumi

would be this direct.

Kasumi wasted no time in getting her point across. "Ranma had

just saved your life and healed you. He didn't ask for anything in

return and even now he's making sure that you don't fall behind in

class. After the way you treated him since he came here, he's doing

all this for you. Don't you think that you should let go of this

hostility toward him? The least you can do is thank him. It's only

proper."

"Well I�" Akane began.

Nabiki joined in. "Oh come on now Akane. It's not like he's going

to demand that you marry him or something. We've been talking with

Cologne and she assures us that Ranma wants nothing in return."

Remembering what Kasumi had told her, she added, "Besides, he's

got enough problems as it is."

"What do you mean?"

Nabiki looked at Kasumi and said. "Should we tell her? I mean�"

Kasumi took on a thoughtful look. She had already been skating

on dangerously thin ice by telling Nabiki, but then again, she would

have figured it out eventually. However, after thinking about how

unfairly Ranma had been treated by her youngest sister, she just

couldn't stand the thought of him being subjected to Akane's rage.

With that in mind, she decided that it was time that Akane's eyes

were opened. Saying a silent prayer for Ranma to forgive her, she

said, "Ranma� has a condition in which we had just recently

discovered."

"A condition?"

"Yeah." Nabiki nodded. "I was more than surprised when Kasumi

told me about it. She made me promise not to use this information to

exploit him, but after hearing his story, I don't think it would be right

for me to do that to him."

Nabiki was actually turning down a chance to make money? Just

what did Ranma have that was so important? Akane held her breath

and waited for Kasumi to give her the answer.

"I admire him for overcoming his disability."

"Oh yeah. I was impressed too." Nabiki admitted. "I never would

have guessed that Ranma was like that."

"Like what? What are you two talking about?" Akane was getting

bewildered.

"I'm not surprised that you didn't pick it up Akane." Nabiki said

with a slightly smug look. "You've been so busy trying to beat him,

that you didn't notice the clues."

"Will you please tell me just what you are talking about?" Akane

said in an exasperated voice.

"Akane� Ranma is blind." Kasumi said in a quiet voice.

As soon as Akane heard this, her entire view on the world was

forever altered. She just couldn't believe what she had just been told.

<No� it can't be! He can't be blind! Nobody could be that good and

be blind! A blind boy can't have beaten Kuno all those times! And

that fight with that Ryoga person.> It was then that she realized

something else. <I was beaten by a BLIND BOY?! It� it's

impossible!>

Kasumi noted her sister's disbelief and confusion. "It's the truth

Akane. Ranma admitted it to me after I had deduced it. We spoke with

Cologne downstairs and she too had confirmed it. Ranma has been

blind for more than ten years now, and it was all the fault of that

friend of father's."

"It is?" Akane asked, still in shock over what she had been told

about Ranma.

Nabiki continued the explanation. "It seems that Daddy's panda

friend had not told us all the details." She then began to tell her

younger sibling on the trials and tribulations of Ranma's life.

Unfortunately for Kasumi, her revelation of Ranma's blindness to

Akane would have serious repercussions for the eldest Tendo sister.

Some time later, Akane made her way down the stairs when she

felt she was well enough to get out of bed. She was still in a bit of a

shock over what her sisters had told her about Ranma. She was still

dressed in the pajamas that were borrowed from one of the Amazons

and she was slightly annoyed that the chest was a little loose and the

hips were a bit tight. The figures of the warrior girls had every female

student in Furinkan jealous and the males panting. When she got to

the first floor, she saw Shampoo's great-grandmother sitting in a

booth, organizing some papers. The Amazon elder saw Akane appear

and gave her a warm smile.

"Good afternoon Miss Tendo. I see that you have recovered from

your ordeal."

"Thank you. " Akane said as she took a seat opposite to where

Cologne was sitting. "Please, call me Akane."

"All right. You may call me Cologne. I am Shampoo's great-

grandmother." She looked down at the bandages and noted their

condition. She then used her senses to assess her ki levels and

nodded. "Do you feel any pain Akane?"

"No. I feel great! I feel as good as new."

"Then you shall no longer be needing those bandages." With one

quick motion of her staff, she stabbed forward and removed all of the

wrappings in the blink of an eye. Akane was dumbfounded at the

speed in which she moved and wondered if she could learn a trick like

that. Cologne had removed all the wrappings without even taking off

her clothes. She then looked down at her leg and saw that the ugly

gash she had received in her fight was gone without even a trace of a

scar. All of her other injuries were also totally healed.

Cologne nodded as she assessed her body. "Ah, Ranma had done

an excellent job. His mother would be pleased. Though I would

advise you take it easy for the next day or so."

"Yeah� I guess he wasn't bad." Akane admitted as she tried to

think up a way to ask the matriarch her next question. Finally, after a

long pause, she decided to ask her straight out. "Cologne-san, may I

ask you something about Ranma?"

"You may, though I have a feeling that I already know the

question."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, while you were upstairs, I had a discussion about Ranma

with your sisters. It seems that they too had found out a few�

unexpected things about him."

"Then� it's true, isn't it?"

Cologne made eye contact with the Tendo girl for a long time

before finally answering. "Yes. Ranma is blind. I was there eight years

ago when Jasmine brought him to the village. The doctors that

visited our village every few months had confirmed that Ranma was

clinically sightless."

"But� how is it possible? He doesn't act like he's blind at school

and I've seen him fight against Kuno, Ryoga and� he even beat

me." Akane said the last part with great reluctance.

Cologne smirked a bit. "Ranma had taught us all that the world

doesn't end when it goes dark. He practices a martial art known as

the Unseen Light which allows him to 'see' in a way that is far better

than a normal sighted person would. He has also learned other skills

that have made him extremely formidable, both as a warrior and a

healer. I have nothing but the utmost respect for him."

"Unseen Light? I've heard him mention that before."

"It is an ancient fighting style that has been around for about

twenty-five hundred years now. I had been acquainted with Ranma's

former mentor in that discipline and he told me of its history. It was

created by a band of blind Zen monks, who had developed a way of

sensing not only the ki of others, but also objects as well. They had

also developed their senses to the point in which they could detect

things hidden beyond the surface of objects and even things of a

mystical nature. It was so secret that none of the techniques were

ever written down and were only passed down from master to

student. As of now, Ranma is the sole master of that nearly lost art."

"He is?"

"Yes. Ranma's sensei, Koga Shinura, had passed away a few

months ago, leaving Ranma as his only heir. His mother Jasmine has

raised him to be a fine, young man and many of the girls in our village

are quite taken with him."

"I see." Akane said as she thought about the hardships that

Ranma must have gone through to reach his current status. She

began to understand what Kasumi meant when she said that her

tendency to judge others by appearance would be insulting to

someone like Ranma. Then she realized that some of the other things

that she said about him were inappropriate and perhaps� just

perhaps, she may have been wrong about him.

Akane put that last thought away as she sat up. "Thank you for

your time Cologne." She then headed upstairs to think.

At the end of the day, Ranma and the others returned from school,

just as the Tendo sisters were preparing to leave. Ranma stepped up

and handed Akane a cassette tape, telling her that it contained all the

notes that she needed to catch up in class.

Akane looked down at the cassette in her hands and then gave

Ranma a polite bow. "I would like to thank you for all you've done for

me Ranma Saotome."

Ranma's senses had picked up no hint of anger or the usual

hostility toward him in her aura. He was a bit surprised at the sudden

lack of resentment against him, but didn't question it. "You're

welcome."

"Ranma-san?"

"Yes?"

"Could� we start over? I� would really like it if we could forget

all that's happened and I would really like it if�we can be at least be

friends?"

Ranma considered her words carefully before replying. "Maybe."

Akane gave him a questioning look before nodding. It wasn't a

definite answer, but it was a start. She would just have to work on

building on it.

The three Tendo sisters left Pepper's Place and headed back

toward the dojo.

To be continued�

Author's Notes

Well, the rewrite has made a few changes as I am taking some

suggestions form my readers. As a result, I am adding a third part to

this chapter. I will give my final comments on it later. Ranma is

currently unaware that all three sisters know his secret.