*****Well. Guess who's back? It's me, Elidibus. A few of you may recognize this story as the first one I ever published on FF.net. If not, you're in for a real treat I think. During the past few months, I've been pursuing my goals of becoming a professional writer. I just finished my first original story, and am in the process of editing. I've been wrestling with the thought of posting again on FF.net for about that long as well. But…If I'm to become an author, I must get used to criticism…you know. I really don't like doing this…in fact; I'd rather not post…but hey. Even if everyone flames my first chapter, it would still be a better day than I had today. I just found out I may have failed my Quarterly audit. It's not good seeing the third most powerful guy in your company looking around for errors. So I thought, screw it. I'll just go ahead and post this. I do have the first set of reviews, and I calculated it at 95% approval. I got about 5 flames out of 100 reviews. (Flames that had criticism that was justified counted as positive reviews) I figure that's pretty good. I have since edited this story about three times. I hope it's even better than before!
And another thing. These little notes tend to get long winded, but will normally appear at the bottom. I would like you to read them, but I can't make you. They do tend to answer a lot of questions, however.
And just a bit of history. I pulled this story rather quickly, having found an opportunity to publish it in a real magazine. That has since fallen apart due to a bunch of stuff that I really don't care about. Now I know of at least 5 people that wondered what happened because they missed the ending. It is my hope that those people will stumble on this and enjoy. And I hope you too enjoy. If you like it, by all means, leave a good review. Think it's unoriginal or any number of other complaints I got on the first posting, flame me. At this point, I don't care…well actually I do. I tend to get a bit nervous with stuff like this. But if you do flame me, at least leave an email addy, so I can have fun too!
Ok…enough of this from the author crap. People wanted it, so here it is. I sincerely hope you enjoy this story, and constructive criticism is appreciated, as is anything else you feel like leaving. I gotta get used to this kinda stuff, ya know?
So…without further ado, I present Obsessions!
(Oh, and forgive the lousy formatting. It looks a lot better on my actual documents, and most things are underlined and stuff. Somehow, I can't seem to get it to do right. Any suggestions and you could email me or something.)
Enjoy!
Obsessions:Brought to you by:
Elidibus
Chapter One: RevelationsIt's nighttime at the Tendou Dojo. A few days have passed since the fiasco of a weeding and things have returned pretty much back to normal. Soun and Genma still expect a weeding in the near future but Ranma must dissolve all of his relationships before another wedding can take place. Easier said than done…
Ranma lay awake in his room staring at the ceiling, thinking back to that day.
"What if Akane had not woken up from the brink of death? What if I had actually told her how I felt? What if the wedding had actually happened? She was pretty cute in that wedding dress…too bad all those people had to show up and ruin everything…what in the world was Nabiki thinking when she invited all those people? She was probably thinking of yen. I wonder what Akane was thinking through all that? Would she have said, "I do?" What did she mean by saying " we didn't have to be forced into this but I would be sorry if I didn't marry her?"
Ranma suddenly got a bit tense.
"What could that un-cute tomboy do to me anyway? She prolly would have hammered me again, and then we would start arguing again, just what all those wedding crashers wanted. Yea that made me a bit mad. Actually, it really pissed me off how everyone was acting so stupid; as if I was gonna get together with any of them in the first place. And I also have the three stooges to deal with. Yea Mr. Tendou was right. Maybe I should start dissolving all those one-way relationships…that way me and Akane can…"
Ranma trailed off his thoughts, not wanting to admit his true feelings again, even if it was to himself.
"Well, I better try to get to sleep, I hate holding those buckets in the hallway; it's like an accident waiting to happen. Too bad pops always snores so loud."
Ranma turned on his side and tried to put the snores of his old man out of his mind, his thoughts wandering on all the people around him he would eventually have to confront.
Akane, lying sleeplessly on her bed, is also thinking to herself, P-Chan sleeping next to her.
"That Ranma…why did he have to go and ruin that day? If it weren't for all those wanna-bes who can't accept fate, Ranma and I could have…well it's not like it was my idea to marry him. Two stupid fathers are to blame for that. Well one in particular with his stupid promises. I wonder if Ranma would have gone though with it? Well I guess he practically said "yes" when he saved my life back in China."
Akane sighed to herself, rolling on her back.
"I was so sure of our feelings back on that day…but now I'm not so sure. Maybe I was mistaken. That stupid pervert, why can't he ever tell the truth? True. our fathers had to knock him out to dress him for the wedding. Did that mean that he didn't want to get married? Well which is it Ranma? Either love me or hate me, you can't have it both ways."
P-Chan stirred about, changing positions on Akane's bed. Akane looked over at him, seeing only a black silhouette highlighted by the moon and the few stars that were out that night.
"I wonder why P-Chan has been acting so distant lately? Come to think of it, he started acting that way the day that we almost got married. It's like I try to talk to him and he runs away. He finally started coming back to his senses about a day ago. I wonder how P-Chan feels about Ranma and I? He doesn't seem to like Ranma that much. He might take it kind of hard if we did go through all of this wedding business. "
Akane let out a soft sigh, realizing what she was doing.
"I'm just going in circles. What if Ranma really does love me? Maybe he's just scared…I know I sure was, not that he noticed or anything. That stupid Ranma, always acting so calm and collected, especially when his concubines show up. Always hanging off of him like we was some sort hero or something, and always acting so nice to him."
Akane paused for a minute, thinking on what she just said to herself. She turned her head and looked outside her window. A few streetlights were on and there was that ever-present moon, presiding over all the lights that went about the city.
"Maybe…I should try to treat Ranma a little better, just like his concubines do. Yea…that would show them. Maybe they would finally leave us alone, or better yet, find something else to do, rather than try to seduce Ranma. After all, we are engaged and Ranma doesn't seem to have a problem with that idea. The whole marriage part seems to be bothering him. I'll try treating this as an official relationship."
Akane smiled to herself, having actually come up with a plan of her own to keep Ranma hers. Then suddenly something hit her, waking her up fully. Her smile quickly turned into a look of concern.
"Wait a second! Does this mean that I actually want to marry Ranma? Does that mean I actually love him?"
Akane turned her head away from the lights and pulled her blankets up to her neck, looking into the darkness on the other side of the room, that one word still ringing in her head. Did she really love Ranma? There were certainly a lot of "awkward" moments between the two. Suddenly, Akane thought of another idea, one more like Akane.
"Or maybe this is just revenge for all those times I caught those women with Ranma. Yea…that's it. It would really make them angry if they saw Ranma and I getting along. That would serve them right too!"
Akane realized that she was gripping the edge of her blanket so hard her hand started to hurt. She relaxed, having convinced her self yet again that she wasn't acting out of love but for revenge. Revenge sounded a lot better than love, and besides, it was more believable. Who could love a stupid pervert like Ranma any way? On second thought that number was up to three. Thinking of this, Akane rolled over to P-Chan and placed an arm around him, forgetting the revelation she had.
Morning came a bit too soon for Ranma. He struggled to wake up. Genma was already up and wandering about. Ranma sat up in his bed, smelling the sweet smell of breakfast. That was enough to wake him up most of the way. He got up and dressed for the day. Just as he was about to leave his room, he bumped into Akane, carrying P-Chan.
"Oh sorry Ranma," Akane said in a cheerful tone "Kasumi has breakfast ready, I just wanted to let you know before it got cold" she said with a big smile.
Ranma looked at her, confused. "Well, uh…thanks Akane." He finally managed.
"Hurry up now Ranma or we will be late to school again." Akane said, turning away and heading down stairs.
"I wonder what's up with Akane." Ranma said to himself. "I've never known her to be so cheerful in the morning, except when…"
Ranma suddenly had a terrible thought, one that made him fear for his life.
"Oh no…did she help Kasumi…cook breakfast?"
Ranma's stomach got weaker as he neared everyone else at the small table, huddled around what smelled like a normal meal. Ranma carefully looked around at everyone.
"Well it looks like everyone is ok." Ranma thought to himself. "No one has passed out yet and they all look like they've had at least two mouthfuls. Akane couldn't have made a meal that would last for two servings."
"Hey Ranma, what are you doing standing there with that look on your face?" Akane asked, again in an unusually cheerful tone. "Do you think I cooked breakfast today?"
"N…No, of course not Akane,'' Ranma said with a nervous chuckle. "I was just thinkin' about…school today. I didn't sleep that well last night." He said as he knelt down at the table, thanking whatever God had stopped her from cooking.
"Well, you know what happens when you get caught sleeping in class, you'll have to stand in the hall way with all those buckets of water."
"Yea I know. I don't mind the buckets; it's the water inside them that frightens me. You never know when Kuno will show up with his "Pig-tailed girl" crap again."
Everyone chuckled at that last statement, as Ranma finally began eating breakfast, a meal he hadn't had in a few days.
"So Akane," Soun started "I've noticed today that you seem to be acting nicer to Ranma then in previous days. Is something going on?" Soun asked, half way looking across to Genma, who obviously approved of the "new" Akane.
"No dad, nothing is going on today. It's such a nice day out there today that I would hate to waste it." Akane said, looking outside in the sunshine. Soun and Genma eyed her suspiciously.
"Maybe, she's been bitten by the jealousy bug." Nabiki said, not seeming to believe Akane for a minute.
"Well I think it's nice that Akane is trying so hard to be kind today." Kasumi said before Akane had a chance to speak. "It's almost like a new Akane woke up today and decided to replace the old one. Isn't that lovely?" Akane nodded towards her with a smile.
"Yea, I'll second that one Kasumi." Ranma said. "That old Akane could be so un-cute sometimes, especially when she would hit me for no reason. It's hard to believe that they were the same person: And the way that she would always argue with me, now that was un-cute. "
Akane's smile wore off and her temper started to rise.
"He wants un-cute? I'll give him un-cute!" Akane thought to herself, with Ranma still going on about how she "used" to be.
"…And hittin' me over Shampoo and the others was definitely un-cute." Ranma continued, oblivious to the ever-seething Akane. Soun, and Genma started to look worried.
Akane clenched her fists. "Won't that idiot shut up already?" She continued to herself. "Here I am trying to be nice but he keeps leading me on, almost like he wants another kick to the face. No, I have to keep calm. I have to show all those fiancées that I can be nice too! In fact I can be nicer than they can!"
Akane forced a smile, as she had done numerous times before. "Ok Ranma, we're gonna be late for school if we don't leave now." She said, grabbing Ranma's hand and yanking him outside. "Goodbye everyone!"
Soun looked at Genma. "What do you think is up with those two Saotome?" He asked, puzzled
Genma thought for a moment. "Well I don't know Tendou. Ranma was his brash self as usual, but something must have gotten into Akane."
"Yes, after hearing what Ranma said about her, she should have killed him by now."
"I already told you, daddy," Nabiki said, getting her school bag together. "Akane has become jealous over all the other fiancées Ranma has. You can't really blame her though."
"I just think it's wonderful that Akane respects your wishes, Father. Maybe those two will start to get along better after today." Kasumi said with a big smile, as Nabiki closed the door behind her.
"You may be right, Kasumi'' Soun agreed. "But Ranma will have to learn to control his tongue as well. After all, Akane could revert back to the way she was if Ranma kept up his insults."
Genma nodded as Kasumi started to clean up the table. "We will just have to wait and see, Tendou."
At school
Akane started down the street with Ranma still in tow.
"Hey Akane!" Ranma said "You can let go of me now. I think I can find the way to school without your help."
"Oh, sorry Ranma, I didn't realize I was still pulling you." Akane said as she let go of Ranma's hand. "It's just that our fathers were beginning to act kind of suspicious of me all of a sudden."
"Well I'm not surprised." Ranma said, walking along his usual fence, looking into the sky with his arms behind his head. "When a tomboy like you suddenly starts acting like a lady, it kinda just weirds everyone out. I'm surprised that they didn't take your temperature or somethin'. You even had me wondering what happened to the real Akane."
Ranma suddenly noticed that Akane had stopped walking along side him, and stood in the street fuming and gripping her book sac. Ranma instinctively responded to the sight by trying to dodge a projectile that had never missed to date. After a few seconds he noticed that he was not in severe pain, but still standing where he was last. Akane walked past him, with a smile.
"Yea I guess you're right Ranma. I mean…I guess I could be considered kinda hasty when it came to my temper. But I'm trying to change that now for the better. Come on you slow-poke! I'll race you to school!"
With those lines, Akane took off towards Furinkan High, leaving Ranma with his mouth ajar, trying to figure out what just happened.
"Wait a second…Akane didn't even touch me." Ranma thought to himself. "Man, she must really be trying hard. That sure was a close call. I hope she keeps up like this. She's a lot cuter this way."
Ranma suddenly realized that he was being left behind. "Yo, Akane!" He yelled, "You're kiddin' yourself if you think you can beat me in a race!" With that, Ranma took off after her.
After a few minutes of running, Ranma and Akane arrived at Furinkan High, where they met almost the entire male student body.
"Oh great, not this again." Akane thought to herself. "I wonder when Kuno will show up."
No sooner than she had thought that, Kuno showed up with Nabiki walking behind him.
"It's about time you two made it here." Nabiki said with a sly smile.
Ranma and Akane looked at her, confused.
"But how did you get here before us Nabiki?" Akane said after a moment. "We left the house before you didn't we?"
"Well you should know by now sis that money talks, but this girl doesn't walk. Isn't that right Kuno-baby?"
Kuno did not take his eyes off Ranma, whom was unaware that Kuno was staring at him.
"Well Kuno-baby, I'll have your "delivery" tomorrow. Same time same place?"
Kuno just stood there.
"Ok then, Ciao" Nabiki said as she walked inside the school.
"I wonder what that "delivery" Nabiki was talking about was." Ranma thought to himself, still unaware that Kuno was eyeing him. "I'll bet she took more pictures of me and sold them to Kuno so he could pick her up and bring her to school."
Kuno interrupted suddenly. "Ranma Saotome!" he shouted. "We have all heard of your failure to wed Akane. That is why I, Tatewaki Kuno, the Blue Thunder of Furinkan High, hereby dissolve your relationship with Akane."
"Yea, whatever Kuno." Ranma said, not impressed in the slightest.
"But wait a minute everyone!" Akane burst in. "Ranma and I are still engaged, so you can't dissolve our relationship." Ranma looked at her, surprised. Akane returned a "trust me "look.
"Nevertheless my beloved Akane Tendou," Kuno continued "Ranma has cut you severely, raking wounds across your heart that will never heal. He must answer to his hideous crimes. Ranma, you curr, will you step forward and accept my challenge in front of all these men, knowing that any one of them could be in your place."
Ranma smiled at Kuno. "Yea Kuno, I accept your challenge. Too bad you have to lose in front of such a large crowd."
"Enough of your stalling Ranma Saotome!" Kuno yelled. "Feel the Vengeance of Tatewaki Kuno!"
With those words, Kuno dashed to Ranma's position in the courtyard, sword drawn and yelling something about divine retribution. Ranma dodged his first swing. Kuno swung a second time, Ranma side stepped his attack and planted a knee in his chest. Kuno gasped as the air got pushed from his lungs. Ranma followed up with a swift elbow to the back of the head, effectively putting Kuno face down in the pavement. Ranma stood over him, looking kind of disappointed.
"When will that Kuno learn that he can't beat me no matter how much of his "feel the wrath" junk he spits out?" Ranma said, not seeming to be affected by the sight of Kuno in the pavement.
Akane stared at the seemingly lifeless Kuno.
"Wow Ranma." Akane said, staring down at him, knocked out. "You really let him have it that time didn't you?"
"Yea I did Akane. I figured it was time to settle some past scores I had with some people. Besides, Kuno has no chance with you. Better for him to learn now while I'm still in a good mood." Ranma suddenly noticed that the male populous was still staring at the "broken up" couple.
"You heard Akane, We're still engaged; just a minor setback is all. Sorry guys, better luck next time, huh?"
With that having been said, Ranma cut a path for him and Akane to the school, still wondering if Akane was serious about what she said earlier.
"Hey Ranma, thanks for the help back there." Akane said with a smile. "It's not like I'm afraid of fighting all those guys, it's just what I didn't want to be late for class again."
"No problem Akane," Ranma said, returning a smile. "I should be the one thanking you." Ranma paused for a second. "Hey Akane? Are you…still in favor of our engagement?" Ranma finally asked. "Because I…uh…"
Akane looked up into his eyes, puzzled. Why would he ask such a question? Didn't he already accept what our fathers were doing?
"Well, I think that…um…"
Akane's answer was cut short by the ringing of the school bell.
"Uh oh Ranma, we better hurry, because of that little stunt Kuno pulled we're late again." Akane said, with almost an air of relief on her voice.
The two darted off for class, with maybe a few more questions than answers.
Akane sat in class, trying to pay attention to the math teacher. However, her wandering mind successfully prevented that.
"I wonder what Ranma is up to." Akane thought to herself, staring outside to the courtyard. "What did he mean "old scores to settle? Does that mean that he is going to finally put an end to all this "fiancée" stuff? Or maybe he's trying to protect me from all those other suitors out there…" Akane switched her gaze to her desk. "I never saw this engagement thing as something I could choose. I always thought of it as something we had to do. Maybe Ranma is just exercising his right to choose. I wonder what he will do."
Akane looked over to Ranma, sound asleep on the other side of the classroom.
"Or maybe he's just sick and tired of all those people bothering him. I never stopped to think what Ranma was going through, what with three people wanting to marry him and three people trying to kill him. Come to think of it, I've never seen him flatten Kuno like that before. Usually he just kicks him around a bit and Kuno limps off like a wounded dog. Ranma might have killed him if he wasn't careful. I sure hope he knows what he's doing."
The sound of the lunch bell ended any further thought as the whole classroom rushed out the door. Akane walked over to Ranma and shook him gently.
"Come on Ranma, it's lunch time." Akane said.
Ranma lifted his head and looked around. He made it to lunchtime without being sent outside. "Yea, ok Akane." Ranma said drowsily, and the two walked to the lunchroom.
The lunchroom was filled with its usual loudness. Accompanying that loudness were muffled "did you see what happened to Kuno" lines, and "man, Ranma must have been pissed."
Ranma sat down in his usual spot and Akane sat next to him, followed by Akane's friends, who were equally amazed at Ranma.
Ranma sat quietly while Akane talked and joked with her friends, still a bit sleepy from his earlier nap. He sat there, looking at her, smiling with her friends.
"She definitely has a cute smile." Ranma thought to himself. "Maybe this "good Akane" thing is for the better. I'll bet it gets tiring always staying angry and always hitting a person. I hope she stays like this, it will make confronting everyone that much easier when they see that we can actually attempt to get along."
"Hey Ranma." Akane said, turning to him. "What are you staring at so?" Ranma blinked, not realizing what he was doing.
"Oh…I…was…just thinking about Kuno is all." Ranma recovered. "Yea that Kuno is bound to show up some time and challenge me again. Maybe I was too hard on him."
"Yea, I'll say Ranma." Akane said. "You planted him face first into the pavement back there. His nose might have been broken."
"Yea, maybe I treated him a little rough. A martial artist should take into consideration his opponents level of skill and his own."
The conversation continued and soon the lunch bell rang a second time, signaling the students to return to boredom. The rest of the day went pretty fast as far as Ranma was concerned. He just slept all day, as he had usually done. Akane took notes for both of them. Well, Ranma would end up asking her for notes any way so she went ahead and made a second copy for him. The dismissal bell rang and the two headed back for home, walking side by side.
Before they could leave the courtyard. Kuno appeared again, his nose a little redder than usual and a few scratches on his face.
"Ranma Saotome!" Kuno yelled in traditional fashion. "I here by challenge you again!"
Ranma rolled his eyes
"I already planted you in the ground once, you want to feel the pavement again?" Ranma countered.
"Ranma Saotome! I will continue to challenge you as long as you deprive me of my beloved Akane Tendou."
Ranma's mind when back to the Akane in the lunchroom, sitting there smiling cutely. "Your Akane Tendou?" Ranma said, cracking his fists. "Akane Tendou is mine. If you want her then come get her!"
By this time, the whole student body noticed what was happening and formed a circle around the three people. Akane, stunned, looked up to Ranma with a questioning look. Ranma pushed her behind his back, his eyes focused on Kuno. Akane had never seen Ranma this focused.
"Now's my chance to put an end to all this misery," Ranma thought to himself. "Get back Akane." Ranma said, his fists still clenched. "This is between me and Kuno and I don't want you to get in the way. You might get hurt."
"But Ranma…" Akane tried. Ranma cut her off.
"Go Akane!" he said, turning around and looking into her eyes. Ranma seemed very…determined about something.
"Ok Kuno, this is it…" Ranma said, returning his focus on Kuno. "You have been doing this junk for months now and I'm just sick and tired of it. I'll settle this once and for all right here, right now!"
"Have it your way you vile curr you." Kuno said.
Kuno unsheathed his sword and dashed towards Ranma. Ranma leaped over him, placing a foot on his head and leaping away. Kuno stumbled a bit before falling face first on the pavement, dropping his sword.
"Is that all ya got Kuno?" Ranma asked, mocking the fallen body.
"I have not yet begun to fight, Ranma Saotome." Kuno said, retrieving his sword. "Prepare to die!" He shouted as he tried to skewer Ranma. It was at this point that Ranma realized that this was the same sword Kuno used back on the "wedding day." Ranma sidestepped the blow, but not before it left a small bloody gash on his side. Kuno, looking satisfied, lifted his sword and swung at Ranma's head. Ranma easily ducked the common attack and planted a fist in his stomach that nearly lifted Kuno off his feet. A muffled crack could be heard coming from Kuno. He gasped as his sword fell from his hands. Ranma followed his fist with a palm strike to Kuno's jaw.
"Had enough Kuno?" Ranma said looking down at him.
Kuno lay sprawled out on his back, fumbling around for his sword. After a few moments, Kuno managed to clamber to his feet, holding his sword half-heartedly.
"It is the love of my Akane Tendou that keeps me fighting. I shall smite thee, Ranma Saotome."
"Geeze…this guy…just won't give up," Ranma said to himself
Ranma now took the offensive, charging Kuno and kicking him in the chest. A second crack emanated from Kuno. Ranma, oblivious to Kuno's condition, followed his kick to the chest with a swift roundhouse to the side of his head. Kuno swaggered and dropped his sword, but did not fall. Ranma moved in for the final blow. He walked up to the wounded Kuno and grabbed him by the shirt. Ranma yanked his face right next to his, noticing for the first time what a number he had did on him.
"For the last time Kuno." Ranma said. "Akane is my fiancée. She loves me and not you. Got that Kuno?"
All eyes immediately turned to Akane, who stared in disbelief.
"I will…never give up…Akane Tendou." Kuno said, his voice now showing signs of his pain.
Ranma rolled his eyes. Nothing was going to change Kuno's mind about Akane. Ranma had tried everything, including beating him to within an inch of his life. He was just too stubborn. Ranma, frustrated, just dropped Kuno. He would settle things with him later, once he figured out how. Ranma whirled to Akane.
"Come one Akane!" Ranma said grabbing her arm rather hard. "Lets get outta here. I've had enough of that Kuno today." Ranma practically dragged the now stunned Akane out of the courtyard and towards the Dojo, his eyes still on fire. Some of the students went to Kuno's aid while others, their blood lust satisfied, continued home.
"Ranma!" Akane pleaded, "Let go of my hand, you're starting to hurt me." Ranma looked at Akane, struggling with his heavy grip. He came to his senses and let go.
"Sorry Akane, I just got a little wound up back there." Ranma suddenly noticed that Akane was not walking beside him. He turned around to find Akane, staring sadly at the ground.
"What's wrong Akane? Did I hurt your hand that much?"
"Ranma you…idiot! What were you thinking back there?" Akane yelled, on the verge of tears. "You didn't have to massacre Kuno like that! He was just acting like his old stupid self. What you did was uncalled for!"
Ranma, now stunned by Akane's words looked in her eyes, now filling with tears.
"I'm…sorry Akane." Ranma said, trying to comfort her. "I had just had about all I could stand of Kuno's "My love Akane" crap."
"That's not the point Ranma!" Akane yelled, looking up at him. "You could have killed him, and then where would your reputation as a martial artist have been?" Ranma was at a loss for words. "And besides, I belong to no one, especially stupid perverts with over-sized egos!" Akane yelled one last time. She then ran off, her hands covering her eyes.
"Hey, wait Akane!" Ranma called, but to no avail. Ranma turned around and punched a wall in anger, cracking the wall a bit.
"That stupid tomboy! Who does she think she is anyway?" he thought to himself, picking up Akane's book sac. "It's not like I meant to destroy Kuno. I just wanted to teach him a lesson. Besides, I was nowhere close to killing him…maybe I should have though… Geeze, Akane can be so un-cute sometimes, and here I was thinking she had changed. I should have known better than that!"
Ranma looked back to the school. An ambulance was now there, for Kuno no doubt.
"Maybe I did go a little overboard on that last one." Ranma thought to himself as he walked towards the Dojo with a sigh.
Confrontation
Soun and Genma sat quietly, playing GO and hoping that Ranma and Akane would return just as they had left: in good spirits. Kasumi was just then starting dinner.
Suddenly, Akane burst through the door in tears. She ran up stairs, her feet pounding on the wooden steps. A door slammed shut, shaking the entire Dojo.
"Oh my!" Kasumi said, emerging from the kitchen. "What happened to Akane this time?"
Soun and Genma looked at each other. They then turned to Kasumi. "How did you know that was Akane,?" Soun asked.
"Well, I just assumed that was Akane, since slamming doors are pretty common around here." Kasumi returned with a smile. "Oh dear!" She exclaimed. "I hope all those vibrations didn't ruin the cake I was baking."
"Why were you baking a cake?" Soun asked, returning to his game.
"Well father, since today was such a nice day for Akane and Ranma, I decided to commemorate it with a nice cake. It's a recipe I just found and I wanted to see if they would like it."
"That is very thoughtful of you Kasumi, but something tells me we may not need a cake today."
"Ok father, I'll just save it for later then. Oh, the pork buns are almost done." Kasumi said, going back into the kitchen.
"Hmm…things don't look to good for us Tendou." Genma said, concentrating on the board.
"I believe you are right Saotome, Ranma must have said some awful things to get Akane that upset."
The door opened again, revealing an angered Ranma, carrying both book sacs.
"Akane is upstairs, Ranma, " Genma said, concentrating on his next move.
"Feh" Ranma said, throwing down Akane's book sac. "Why would I wanna see that tomboy now? All she ever does is annoy me."
"It is your duty as her fiancée to try and comfort her, especially when it's your fault, Ranma!" Genma returned
Ranma, looking angrily at his father, grabbed Akane's book sac and started to ascend the stairs, slowly contemplating what he would say. Soun and Genma looked at each other again, shaking their heads and return to their game.
Upstairs, Ranma headed for Akane's room. The sound of a door opening came from down stairs. That must be Nabiki. She would surely tell everyone what had happened.
Ranma approached Akane's door and knocked lightly.
No answer.
Ranma knocked a little harder the second time. "Hey, Akane." He said, "Are you in there?"
''Go away Ranma!" Akane shouted.
"Can I come in?"
"No!"
"I brought your book sac, Akane. You dropped it back there when you ran off suddenly."
A few moments passed. The door opened slowly, only enough to let Akane's hand out. Ranma rolled his eyes and handed the book sac to her. The door promptly slammed shut. Ranma was taken aback.
"Look Akane…maybe that was the wrong way to go about it back then…but Kuno just won't listen to anyone."
No answer.
"Akane, stop being so un-cute and come out, dinner will be ready in a few hours and besides, I forgot to take notes today, so could you…"
A few pieces of paper slid underneath the door. Ranma gazed at them angrily.
"Fine, you want it that way?"
"Yes!"
"Fine, be that way you un-cute, sexless, flat-chested, tomboy!" Ranma yelled through the door.
"Oh yea?" Akane yelled back. "Well…well…have a nice day!" Akane said with enough sarcasm to stop a clock.
Ranma snatched up the papers and stormed down stairs. Akane poked her head out the door to make sure that Ranma had left.
"That stupid jerk!" Akane said to herself. "Sometimes he makes me so mad I could just kill him!" Akane fell down on her bed, tears stinging her eyes once again. Such harsh words from Ranma had left a scar worse than the sharpest sword. Akane sat on her bed, face planted in her hands, sobbing quietly. P-Chan emerged from under her bed and jumped up next to her, offering his condolences.
"I was only worried about Ranma, P-Chan" Akane said sadly. "What would have happened if he had killed Kuno? Our fathers would have had to find another heir to the Dojo. That Ranma only thinks of himself. Who the hell would get engaged to an idiot like him?" Akane suddenly realized that she was one of those people, which made her a bit sadder. P-Chan jumped into Akane's lap and looked up with a "don't cry, it will be ok" look. Akane picked him up and gave him a gentle hug.
Back down stairs, Nabiki had told everyone what had happened at school.
Soun looked at Ranma with tears in his eyes.
"Oh son! This is…excellent!" He said, hugging Ranma. "This means that you really do care about Akane and your engagement!"
"W…wait a minute, I never said…" Ranma tried.
"This is indeed a good day, huh Tendou?" Genma said, smiling at him. "Hey Kasumi, you can finish that cake you started. This is indeed a cause for celebration."
"Oh good!" Kasumi said, peeking out from the kitchen. "I'm so glad! I hope everyone likes it."
"Hey, pops wait just a minute. I only did what I did because I was tired of Kuno always actin' so stupid."
"Yes, Tendou, things are definitely starting to look up now!" Genma said, ignoring Ranma's take on the whole event.
"I'll agree to that Saotome. We will indeed have an heir to the Dojo soon, and then we can finally relax."
Ranma gave up on trying to explain and parked himself in front of the TV, waiting for dinner. Soun and Genma continued to praise his actions while Nabiki sat, counting the money she had won while placing bets to see if Kuno was dead or alive.
A few hours had passed without a sign of Akane. Kasumi served dinner in her usual, cheerful way. Everyone was eating and talking about wedding plans and whatnot. Ranma just sat there. It was four against one.
"Yea daddy," Nabiki continued. "Ranma sent poor Kuno to the hospital." Soun and Genma looked over to Ranma and smiled
"The doctors said that he had two broken ribs, a broken nose, and a sever case of "Fallen Ego""
"Oh my!" Kasumi exclaimed. "I hope this Kuno will be alright. Sometimes Ranma doesn't think his actions through to the end. Maybe we should invite him over for some cake? Just to show him that there are no hard feelings of course. Maybe Kuno and Ranma could become friends."
"Not thinking things through huh?" Ranma thought to himself. "That was my problem, I actually did think all this through. Kuno won't listen to words. Maybe with all those broken bones, that message will finally find a way through his thick skull. Yea, me and Kuno friends, that's gonna happen." A thought suddenly hit Ranma, turning his look of indifference to a look of worried ness. " Even if he did get the message about me and Akane, he would still fall back on his "Pig-tailed girl." Maybe "she" should pay him a visit sometime in the near future.''
"Hey boy. What's with that look on your face?" Genma noted.
"Oh…I was…"
"He must be worried about Akane." Soun said, cutting him off.
"Yes boy, go up there and take this with you." Genma said, handing Ranma a plate full of food.
"Oh father!" Kasumi exclaimed. "Don't forget the cake I made for those two."
"Of course not my dear Kasumi. It would be only proper that the fiancées have the first few pieces."
"Ok Ranma, here you go." Kasumi said, handing him a plate containing two pieces of cake. The cake looked extremely good; the white frosting covered in rainbow sprinkles, each slice having its own candle.
"I wonder what's goin' on with Akane?" Ranma thought to himself as he went upstairs. "Usually Akane at least comes down and eats with us. Of course she would never look at me the whole time she was down there. Maybe I should at least say I was sorry, after all she went through all that trouble earlier with her "niceness" stuff." Ranma approached Akane's room. Nabiki stopped him as he neared Akane's door.
"Hey Ranma? What do you plan on doing with that cake?" She asked.
"Oh, pops and Mr. Tendou wanted me to take dinner up to Akane. You know she never came down to get it herself."
"Well Ranma…" Nabiki said, folding her arms with a slight smile. "You know daddy and Mr. Saotome will come to spy on you two right?"
Ranma looked at her. She did have a point. "How much is it gonna cost, Nabiki?" Ranma asked.
"Oh…well I don't know. I normally charge by the hour for this kind of thing, but today I'll give you a special one-time flat rate of 300 yen."
Ranma looked defeated. If it was gonna cost 300 yen than so be it. It was a small price to pay for peace of mind.
"Ok Nabiki, you got a deal."
"Wise choice. I'll expect payment tomorrow; you seem to have your hands full…in more ways than one." Nabiki walked down stairs, saying something about renting Soun's favorite movie.
"Good, now its just me and Akane." Ranma though to himself, tapping his foot against her door.
"Go away Ranma!" Akane yelled.
"Oh come on Akane, stop being so un-cute." Ranma said, rolling his eyes.
"Don't forget, Ranma, I'm also a sexless, flat chested, tomboy!"
Ranma was knocked back by those words. "I had no idea she would've taken it so hard." He thought to himself.
"Well, Akane, I'm…sorry." Ranma managed. "I didn't mean it when I called you a sex-less, flat-chested, tomboy. I was just a little excited, what with me having destroyed Kuno like that. Besides, I don't think you're flat chested. In fact I think they are…"
Ranma promptly shut himself up to keep him from getting into even more trouble. Akane's door slowly opened. Ranma cringed as a furious Akane emerged, fists clenched. Akane just stood there, seeming to let Ranma inside. Ranma slowly crept forward with a nervous smile. He could hear Akane's stomach asking for food but didn't acknowledge to Akane that he knew.
"Here, Akane." Ranma said, handing Akane a plate of food and setting the cake down on her desk. Akane took the plate without much hesitation and began eating.
Ranma looked about, nervously. The silence was killing him. Akane was not even acknowledging his existence at the present moment. Ranma caught sight of P-Chan. The two eyed each other for a few moments. "P-Chan" would surely have something to say about all this.
"Look, Akane" Ranma finally said. "What was your problem back there? All I was trying to do was teach Kuno a lesson. You know he wouldn't have listened to reason."
"My problem back there was you never think about anyone but yourself." Akane said calmly, not taking her eyes off her plate.
"But I was thinking about you when I did that Akane! I thought you wanted me to get rid off all my suitors. I didn't think it mattered whether it was my male or female suitors."
"No, Ranma, your weren't thinking of me, your were thinking of only yourself. What made me even madder was the fact that you didn't seem to care about the Dojo." Akane was now even calmer than before.
Ranma, noticing Akane's calmness and the storm that would follow, started to sweat. "W…What are you talking about Akane?" He asked, dreading the words that would follow.
"What I'm talking about, Ranma is what would have happened if you had killed Kuno?"
Ranma just sat there. "Well for one thing, he would have stopped bothering me." He though to himself, knowing fully that if Akane could read minds he would be dead.
"See Ranma, you had no idea what you were doing."
"Well are you gonna tell me or do I have to go and ask Kuno what I was doing. I'll bet he could tell me exactly what I did." Ranma suddenly realized that he had spoken his thoughts, yet again, but he did not show any signs of weakness.
"Ranma you idiot!" Akane said, whirling on him. "If you had killed Kuno, your reputation as a martial artist would have been shot! Our parents would have had to find a new heir to the dojo!" Akane quickly turned her head away from Ranma, trying to hide her tears. Ranma was knocked speechless. Did Akane really worry that much about their engagement?
Ranma went over to Akane and sat next to her on the bed. "So…does this mean that you want to get married?"
Akane sniffled a bit, stalling.
"N…no, that's not it." She said, turning to Ranma. "It's just that, who knows who dad would have picked to replace you."
"So, you don't wanna go through with this marriage thing with me, is that it?"
"No…I didn't say that. It's just that I…" Akane looked up into Ranma's eyes. "I've, gotten pretty…used to you by now. Another fiancée would just complicate things all over again for me.
"So…what are you talkin' about, Akane?"
Akane paused for a moment. What was she saying? What was she talking about?
"You know Ranma, maybe you're right." Akane said, offering a smile, wiping away her tears. "Maybe I was being un-cute back there. I shouldn't have worried you about it. I'm really sorry about all this Ranma."
Ranma sat quiet for a second. Why was Akane apologizing? Wasn't he the one that messed up?
"Now what is this cake for?" Akane asked, changing the subject
"It was a new recipe she wanted to try." Ranma said, a little confused at the whole situation. "She also said something about commemorating this day…"
"Yea, sometimes Kasumi can be real thoughtful." Akane said, taking a bite out of the cake.
"Well, I better go and study tonight. Oh, and Akane, thanks for the notes." He said with a smile. Akane returned his smile and finished her dinner as Ranma walked out and closed the door.
A sick feeling passed through Akane as the door fell closed. "What did you almost do to yourself?" She thought, sickened that she had almost admitted her true feelings for Ranma. "You almost told him that you wanted to marry him." Akane paused for a minute, realizing that Ranma was right earlier today. She did love him. That grim reality made her stomach weak. She set the half eaten cake down, noticing that her hands were shaky and starting to sweat.
"I need to lie down." Akane said to herself, getting ready for bed.
*****Ok, how about that for starters? Hope you liked it. Guess the little description thing gives away the ending, but hey. You'll never guess how they get there Never! Not in a million years!
However in all truthfulness, this is my least favorite chapter. But I couldn't think of anything else. So I just wrote something down, rather than let writer's block strangle me with its cold, bare hands. Writer's block is deadly, isn't it? Well, don't agree with something here (as was pointed out the first time I posted) then blame it on writer's block. And I promise, it's all up hill from here. Actually, the middle chapters are my favorite, but everyone liked the ending too it seemed. So…as always, tell me what you think (Man…that's really asking for it…) I'm not sure how often I'll update this, as a year can make a big difference in a person's life. But I'll try to keep them coming regularly. If this works well, I might post the other two fics I wrote that only two other people know about. So…until next we meet! :D:D:D*****