***
Akane had been surprised when Cologne attempted to comfort her but now it made sense. Shampoo may be Akane's rival but Cologne's actions, no matter how extreme, had always been in her great granddaughter's best interests. It was only natural under the circumstances for Cologne to try to comfort Akane. She was stubborn, not heartless.
One Akane was able to speak again, Cologne asked her what she knew. She recounted what had happened. She said that the doctors had said that Ranma was physically in perfect health, which puzzled them to no end considering where he had been found, but that he was in a coma. It was even worse that he was trapped in his female form.
As Cologne listened to Akane, her expression grew ever more grave, and when she heard of the choker, she was filled with a sense of dread. It couldn't be... as soon as Akane finished talking, she jumped onto the bed. Her worst fears were confirmed; Ranma was wearing the slave choker. And this did not bode well, for Ranma would not have repeated the activation phrase if he was in his right mind. But what surprised her even more was that it was cracked. It was supposed to be indestructible and irremovable. Did Son-in-law do that?
Meanwhile, Akane had stood up and walked over to where Cologne was examining Ranma.
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost," she said. Cologne explained about the choker and how it could not be removed. At this, Akane felt like she was going into shock again.
"But," she continued, "It seems that he has surprised me yet again. That choker is supposed to be indestructible. It's fair to assume that Ranma wasn't allowed to harm whoever enslaved him. He must have intended the Shi Shi Hokodan as a form of suicide. Protecting his master from the blast must have been too much. At this point, Akane asked about Ranma's Shi Shi Hokodan. Wasn't he supposed to have been immune to it's effects?
To this Cologne responded, "The Shi Shi Hokodan did not do this to him. Son-in-law could only have entered this state by choice. The state of soullessness which occurs to protect the user from the blast weakened reality's hold on him. He must have used the last of his strength to cut himself adrift. Whatever happened must have been the essence of all his fears for him to summon up so much despair. Unless we can find some way to return things to some semblance of normality, I doubt he will ever wake up." Holding back her tears, Akane asked what they could do.
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(Posted Thu, 20 Nov 2003 05:52)
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