Red Threads, Frayed Ends

by Konatsu's Secret Scroll

Two years on, Ranma and Akane are finally getting married. That's where the story begins. But Ranma and Akane are not the only ones affected, and now everyone around them must cope with growing up and moving on. Multiple POVs, various pairings. (May feature unorthodox pairings down the line, so if that doesn't float your boat.. well, that's that.)

1. Ranma

{NOTE. I've been rereading Ranma 1/2 for the first time in over a decade. If you notice any glaring factual errors, feel free to point them out. Otherwise, I ask for your indulgence. This is my personal response to these characters, who I'm just getting to know again, but who have lived in my head for a long long time. I don't have a clear plan but I'm not obsessed about any particular pairings and might explore various relationships as I go on. If that's not your thing you might not love this - I'm letting you know now so that no one will feel surprised or annoyed later. But if you're cool with that, I'd love to have you along for the ride!}

I. Ranma

"Say it."

Ranma shook his head, sucking his lips inward.

"Say it!" Akane tried to sound flirtatious, but there was a threatening note in her voice. Ranma found it enthralling. He popped a piece of candy into his mouth and shook his head again, making a show of being unable to answer.

"Say. It." Akane leaned forward menacingly, clenching her fists.

"All right, all right! You're... cute."

Akane leaned back on her heels, beaming.

"Kind of. Sometimes," Ranma amended, and was promptly rewarded with a pinch on his arm. "Ow!" he yelped.

Akane tackled him, and both dissolved into laughter. The insults they traded had moved from anger to habit, from habit to a sort of game. Ranma loved to see Akane smile, loved laughing with her, but sometimes he wished he didn't have to play the game. The worst was knowing that he had done it to her. He had called her uncute so many times – how many more times would he need to cancel that out? He wanted to tell her that it didn't matter, but he wasn't sure he could make her understand. Having a pretty wife, a sweet wife, a wife who can cook – all of that sounded nice enough, but he didn't think it was enough to base a marriage on. Just look at how his parents ended up.

How could he tell Akane that he wanted his children to train – not to be the best, but to protect themselves and others? How could he tell her that he didn't want to end up like his pop? How could he tell her how much that thought terrified him?

How could he marry her if he was too afraid to tell her what he really thought?

But he and Akane had never done things the ordinary way. They had come so far, it could only get better from here, right? So he cracked jokes – "I can't wait 'til we're married, I'll get to have take-out every night!" – and she fumed, and they laughed, and he hoped she understood what he was really saying, and prayed she wouldn't run out of patience.