Second Thoughts - Chapter 1: Ranma's Ego

A Ranma ½ fanfiction by Kaihou Toriyama

Ranma Saotome is caught with his 'cute' fiancées hanging all over him and is malleted by Akane once again. While Ranma is fuming in his room, Akane gets a lecture on love by Ukyo. Akane thinks Ranma hates her, and what's gonna happen? Ranma takes action, that's what!

Disclaimer: I did not create nor do I own Ranma ½! Rumiko Takahashi does and I do not take any credit in that. If I did, then I would do so with some dignity and would have actually worked with Rumiko Takahashi! Not. xD

I flop down on my futon and fume.

Holy crap! Why does that girl always have to get so mad? I never do anything to her and she goes ripping my head off… okay, maybe I didn't do anything this time, but she's still out to kill me!

I sit up and rub the back of my head where Akane whacked me… Damn, she can hit hard for a girl. Why do I let her hit me all the time? I'm the master at martial arts! I'm not gonna let some uncute fiancée whack me repeatedly all the time. And someday I have to live the rest of my life with her as a wife? I think not! By the time the wedding would be over, I'd be dead for not tying my shoe or something!

...Wait… wedding? Ugh… I'm starting to think like Pop and Mr. Tendo. Akane does hit hard. Why couldn't Pop get a hot babe to marry me? I'd be happy with that. Akane is soooo not a hot babe. What, I saw her naked at least twice—she ain't so hot. Soooo not a hot babe.

…Yeah…

I snap myself out of it and try to disregard the huge throbbing at the back of my head to remember what had just happened. Ah, yes…

Shampoo.

Ukyo.

Attack.

Yeah, that about sums it up. I was just minding my own business after school when I see Shampoo and Ukyo fighting over me… again. So, trying to make myself invisible, I slyly ducked behind the bushes and started running from there—well, tried to at least. Clever, right? I know. But you know what? Ukyo's smart too and she knew the rustling from the bushes wasn't just some bird or something.

So. Ukyo runs from the battle to, well, glomp me. Then Shampoo sees this and tries to tear Ucchan off to glomp me too. Maybe I'm just too hot for my own good.

Then came Akane, trying to make me eat some of her toxins once again. She sees me. With Shampoo glomping me from behind and Ucchan wrapping her arms around my neck. Bad image, right? Both were begging (more like seducing) me to go eat their restaurant for edible food. After that, I could've sworn she would have killed all three of us right then and there. But she didn't touch us. No, she had to do something worse.

Much, much worse.

She calmly asked Ucchan and Shampoo to try some of her so-called cookies. Of course, they make the lamest excuses.

"No thank you, violent girl! I insist you give to spatula girl! She look very hungry and cannot wait to try violent girl's food!" Shampoo said, though Ucchan really looked like she was about to die.

"Well, Akane, I'd really love to, uh, have some, but, uh… I had a huge lunch! And I don't want to spoil my appetite for dinner! Oh, that reminds me, I have to make it! Right now. Yep." Ugh. What a great best friend I have there. It's not even near dinner time! Fine, Ucchan. Be that way.

Akane stared at Ucchan. She had this hilarious expression on. "But it's only four o'—"

"Oh! Stupid Mousse is coming! Have to lead him to nowhere so he get lost for while." I looked around. I saw no Mousse. Nice plan, Shampoo. I feel some pity for the duck-boy though. They both run off at the speed of well… they run off really fast—leaving me, the lone soldier, to die alone.

Then Akane looked at me.

Oh Kami-sama. I thought my life was over. I mean, that look in her eyes. You'd think that I'd be dead with a knife in my eye by just looking at her.

So, I figured that getting my fiancée back to thinking who I was just with and what I was doing would be better than committing suicide via her 'cookies'.

"Look Akane, it wasn't what it looked like." Explaining was as easy as singing a song. And I definitely cannot sing. "Ukyo and Shampoo grabbed me when I was trying to get away! I didn't glomp them! They glomped me!"

And Akane looked wayyy ticked. Damn, sang the wrong note.

She malleted me to the ground with one swift hit and then kicked me hard so that I flew up high, well over the school.

"I so did not deserve that! Not one bit! I wasn't doing anything. Just innocently walking home… Stupid tomboy! She never lets me explain! If she'd just let me explain once, then maybe—"

Someone knocked on the door. Knocked for once. I knew it wasn't Pop so it was probably Kasumi with the laundry.

"Come in!" Oh wait, was I just ranting out loud about Akane? Maybe not, 'cause if it was Akane, she wouldn't have bothered to knock and just came right in dressed as Death…

"Ranma…?"

To my surprise, I do see Akane at the door. She's not mad; in fact, she looks miserable. My heart beats faster. But for some reason, it wasn't out of fear. That always happens when I see Akane if she's not out to get me… But that would mean—no, it's gotta be fear.

"Uh, hi 'Kane." Oh yeah, smooth, Romeo. Wait, Romeo? What the hell's wrong with me? Keep a straight face, idiot!

"I heard you talking about me…" Crap. "You're… right. I have been unfair and I never let you explain anything…" Oh Kami, it's worse than I thought! She must be possessed again!

"Are you feeling all right, Akane?"

She snaps. "Of course I am, baka! Just explain what happened before I change my mind!" Ah, there's the Akane I know and… WHAT?! Stupid voice in my head. I never asked for some uncute tomboy as a fiancée. Snap out of it!

…I notice that Akane is beginning to get impatient and is about to mallet me to oblivion. I then explain to her the whole incident. Throughout it, Akane looks like she was guilty of killing someone. I tense up.

"I did that…?"

"Wait, it's okay, 'Kane. I'm used to it! You think I could ever get physically hurt by you? No way! I'm the best martial artist around! Don't… don't make yourself feel guilty. 'Cause that didn't hurt one bit!" the statement came out less forcefully than I planned it to. Actually, it came out way less forcefully; more like a good-hearted tease. For a second, I thought she would kick me and my stupid ego sky-high, but thankfully, she didn't. The least I can hope for is that she cheers up from my idiocy.

She does something completely unexpected—she collapses onto me and cries. Aw, man… "I'm sorry, Ranma…" She sobs. "I guess I really am a violent tomboy." She starts to clutch my silk Chinese shirt and cry more. The only time she's ever done this was… in my daydreams. Am I even awake? Well, if it is a daydream, I don't ever wanna wake up.

Something tells me to wrap my arms around her and hold her tight, and I do. I feel pretty awkward just holding my arms out while a chick is crying on my chest. It feels… right, anyway. "Hey, I said don't worry about it, 'Kane. If ya gotta blame someone, blame my old man for getting all these extra fiancées!" Man, she's soft—and warm too. I have the slightest feeling that she'll hurt me and call me a pervert, so I reluctantly let go. I hold her away from me to show her my smiling face. She smiles back at me.

"You know, around the time I first met you, I promised Kasumi I wouldn't hurt anyone in anger again," she suddenly gets sad again and looks down. "I guess I'm really not living up to my promise." She sighs sadly.

Say something, macho man! "Hey, feelings make up the Art!" My finger somehow finds its way to lift up her chin. I look at her shining brown eyes… oh crap. That was a bad move. "Like what makes you fiercer is anger." I can feel my voice start to stutter. "…what makes you reckless is depression, and the things that make you d-distracted are worries and daydreams, and what makes you stronger and gives you a will to fight is…" luckily I stop myself from getting too sappy… but I can't get myself to tear my eyes away from hers. At least I have the self control to restrain my lips from pressing against hers.

Barely.

I have this slight hope that she'll say "Oh Ranma! I love you so much!" and then she would throw herself into my arms and kiss me deep and passionately. Then I would kiss her back and go "Akane, I love you too and I want to spend the rest of my life with you" and I would sound so dramatic like the hot guy I am. Then we would live happily ever after.

But she doesn't. She's still looking up at me with those beautiful eyes of hers. So I continue, slightly disheartened. "So don't worry about it, its okay! Apology, accepted." Once again, I try to take my eyes away from hers, but I can't. I think there's like some invisible glue, if not, there's an evil side of Akane trying to hypnotize me. How was it even possible to call this girl 'uncute'?

I pull her into another embrace. It's the only thing I can think of to keep my lips from steeling hers. Part of me wished for her to mallet me to oblivion so then I would actually know what to do. The other part wished that we could stay like this forever: me holding Akane tightly, all alone with no interruptions—or at least advance—the situation is like a dream come true, anyway. "Thanks for listening…" I somehow manage to say. Pathetic.

She looks up at me and smiles. "I'm glad I asked…" C'mon, you insensitive jerk, say something! I could easily imagine her saying that. I gather up my courage... this was a perfect time.

"Akane… I—" that damned door suddenly bursts open.