Notes: *~* - signifies thoughts
~ - signifies Mandarin Chinese
*~* signifies Mandarin thoughts
A WOMAN'S TOUCH
Lately I've been lookin' through the windows of my soul
And I can see there's not much left to hold
Just an empty space surrounded by the pieces of
A badly broken heart that's forgotten how to love
What my heart needs is a woman's touch
A tender had to fix it up
It's rough and ragged edges sure could use some love
What my heart needs is a woman's touch
When I look in the mirror, the only thing I see
Are traces of the man I used to be
Late at night I hear it, it cannot be denied
A lonely voice is crying out from somewhere deep inside
What my heart needs is a woman's touch
A tender had to fix it up
It's rough and ragged edges sure could use some love
What my heart needs is a woman's touch
What my heart needs is a woman's touch
A tender had to fix it up
It's rough and ragged edges sure could use some love
What my heart needs is a woman's touch
Yeah, it's rough and ragged edges
Sure could use some love
What my heart needs is a woman's touch
What my poor heart needs is a woman's touch
A woman's touch
- Toby Keith -
LIVING LIFE ANEW
CHAPTER II
GRADUATION
When he got up, Dr. Tofu saw that Ranma was still asleep. The previous night had utterly exhausted the young man. Leafing through his notebook, he found the number he wanted. Dialing the number, he heard the phone ring on the other end. It was answered with a tired-sounding greeting, "Moshi moshi. The Saotome residence." He was relieved to hear Mrs. Saotome answer the phone.
Responding to the greeting in kind, he said, "Ohayo gozaimasu, Saotome-san. I have some news that I'm sure that will set your mind at rest. Ranma is over here at my place." He heard the relieved sigh of the mother. Continuing, "He's still asleep right now, but if you can, would you be able to come over as soon as possible? Ranma appears to have had a rough night. Maybe, after you've spoken with him, the two of you can settle things. It appears that he was rather upset." He didn't want to say too much over the phone, but he didn't want to downplay the situation.
On the other side, Nodoka was thanking Dr. Tofu profusely for what he'd done for her family. Agreeing with him, she said, "I'll be over soon. Arigato gozaimasu."
Going into his room to finish dressing, he heard a shout from the living room, which caused him to rush back in. He saw Ranma in the throes of what appeared as a nightmare. Not wishing to startle the martial artist out of sleep and cause a violent reaction, Dr. Tofu could only watch.
Ranma was thrashing, muttering incoherently in his sleep. "No…Akane, why…Dad, don't hit…Akane, no-…" He fell silent as he suddenly bolted out of sleep. Sitting up, he took in his surroundings. Every muscle of his body was tensed. The emotional strain from the previous night showed itself in how stiff he sat, as well as the fact that he wasn't in his usual bed.
He could only look around him in puzzlement. This wasn't his room. Seeing Dr. Tofu brought last night's events back in a rush. Embarrassment flushed his features, remembering that he'd cried. He was glad that his mother hadn't seen him in such a bad state. He gave Dr. Tofu a weak smile and swung his legs around so that he sat on the couch. Seeing that Ranma was all right, Dr. Tofu went back into his room to finish what he was about. Since it was Saturday, he was in no rush. The clinic was closed for the day and he had more important matters to attend to, it appeared.
When the knock on the door sounded, Ranma was still sitting on the couch. Looking up
from where his face had been nested in his hands, he looked curiously at Dr. Tofu as he answered the door. Dr. Tofu stepped aside to let Nodoka into his home. Her eyes instantly sought out Ranma. What she saw caused her to catch her breath. As a mother, she knew instantly when a child was in pain. Ranma's face was like an open book to her.
What she saw broke her heart. She knew that he had a strong character. Not much had phased him in the time she'd been around him the past several months. Even having dealt with his other iinazuke had not caused him such grief.
Ranma felt like a trapped animal as soon as he saw his mother. He mistook her expression to be disappointment. She knew. He could see it in her eyes. He saw the ever-present katana in her hand. Fear gripped him. With an inarticulate cry, he rushed for the bathroom, which he saw as the only escape for the moment.
The sudden movement of Ranma brought Nodoka out of her reverie. She took a step forward, saying, "Ranma…" But he was gone before she could finish.
Ranma was shaking like a leaf. When he'd seen the katana, he knew that he'd have to commit seppuku for having dishonored the Tendo and Saotome families. And for having acted in an unmanly manner. Sure, she'd said that he was a man among men, but that hadn't stopped her from carrying the katana with her. Men don't cry. The thought of ritual suicide sent a shiver down his entire frame. Death was almost too appealing right now, considering what he'd have to face at school on Monday. His mother took honor seriously. Looking up into the mirror, he saw himself for the first time that morning.
Salt stains crusted his cheeks. His eyes were red and puffy, making him look feverish. It was evident that he'd been crying. That's what she'd seen, he knew. Anybody who saw him would know. Mortified at how he looked, he washed his face. Finished, he gathered himself together. He knew he couldn't stay in the bathroom forever. It was time to face his judgment.
When Ranma had rushed into the bathroom, Nodoka and Dr. Tofu had looked at each other in puzzlement. Something caught Dr. Tofu's eye. Looking down, he saw that Nodoka had the Saotome's katana. With a weak smile, he pointed at it and said, "Ah, he may have had a bit of a scare having seen that."
Looking down at the katana with a reflective look, Nodoka nodded and reluctantly set it down by the door. Nobody would bother it.
They heard the water running in the bathroom. Patiently waiting for Ranma to clean himself up, they sat themselves in a couple of chairs. Eventually Ranma came out, looking better, but not in the best of shape by far. Nodoka stood and embraced her son. Ranma stiffened at the unfamiliar gesture, but relaxed when he realized what was going on. After he returned the embrace, his mother gestured for him to take a seat.
An uncomfortable silence ensued, all three of them waiting for the other to say something first. Nodoka was the first to break the spell.
"I was worried about you last night when you weren't home when I got there." She arched an eyebrow his way.
Sheepishly, Ranma hung his head. "Well, I…um, I started to go home, but…I started wandering around, not paying attention to where I was going. I found myself here after a while. When I saw Dr. Tofu's place, I realized that I didn't want to go home and see Oyaji. Especially after I beat him up so bad. I knew he'd be sore at me for that, so I came in here. It was fortunate that Dr. Tofu has come back from his own mother's home and let me stay here." Looking over at Dr. Tofu, he bowed. "Arigato gozaimasu, Tofu-sensei. What you did for me has put me in your debt."
Dr. Tofu waved off the thanks. Leaning forward, he said, "It was nothing, Ranma. You seemed to have had a tough night and I couldn't just turn you away. Besides, you're one of my most regular patients. I couldn't let you wander the streets in the state you were in."
Ranma smiled his thanks and turned to his mother. Dropping the smile, he felt shame for his actions descend upon him. "I'm sorry. My actions were unprecedented last night. I-"
Nodoka shushed Ranma into silence with a raised hand. "Your father overstepped his bounds last night and you just defended yourself. There is no honor lost in that. The problem, however, is what happened between you and Akane. I think that you can at least give me an explanation for that, ne?"
At the mention of Akane, Ranma's face assumed a caricature of pain. With an effort, he turned his expression into a neutral mask. Shifting uncomfortably he outlined the previous evening up to the point of the fight. "I don't know why she got mad. All I told her was that I was going to college. I thought it would be nice to tell her first, but she blew up on me."
The mention of Ranma going to college had raised one of Nodoka's eyebrows. Apparently more had been going on with her son than she knew. She let him continue.
"When I told her that I was going to Seko University and that I'd gotten a scholarship, she got mad. For no reason at all, she said that I wanted to go find some more iinazuke for myself. Or something like that. Then she said that our engagement was over and pushed me into the pond, throwing the corsage at me. While she was running away, I saw her trip. Other than what I've told you, I didn't do anything." Pain filled his words as he trailed off. He'd intentionally left off what had happened at the top of the stairs, hoping that his pounding had gone unheard. Unlikely, but he hoped that she wouldn't press for details.
Nodoka pursed her lips together, wondering what had gotten into Akane and why she'd acted irrationally. There had to be a reason. She stood up and bowed to Dr. Tofu. "I thank you again for helping Ranma. We will be going now."
She missed the pained look that Ranma had when she mentioned him going home with her. Dr. Tofu, however, saw this and an idea struck him. "It seems to me that it's going to be a little strained between Ranma and his father for a time. Your husband does stop by from time to time, yes? I don't mind having Ranma-kun here. If you've no objection, he may stay here for a time. This way, Ranma can go to school with less stress, as I know how hard it is during this time of the year and the situation at home."
Ranma's heart had skipped a beat at what Dr. Tofu was offering. This was a chance for him to get away from all the chaos. Going home with his mother would only bring him in close proximity with his father, which would undoubtably lead to another fight. And going to the Tendos would only make matters worse with Akane. He waited breathlessly for his mother's decision.
Nodoka was surprised at the offer. Looking at Ranma, she saw her son's eyes shining hopefully. Thinking for a moment, she realized that it probably would be best for Ranma to get away from his father and the Tendos for a time. With a resigned sigh, she nodded.
Ranma almost let out a whoop of joy at the pronouncement, but maintained his seat. A smile cracked his features, showing his pleasure. Retrieving her katana, she stopped at the door. "If you have any trouble with my son, Tofu-sensei, let me know. I'll take him off of your hands. You mind the doctor, Ranma. I'm off to the Tendos now so that I can figure out what the problem with Akane is." Saying this, she turned and left. Ranma blanched at the mention of her next destination. He turned to Dr. Tofu.
"Domo arigato gozaimasu, Tofu-sensei. I'm eternally in your debt for what you've done for me." Ranma bowed to his benefactor, grateful for the respite. Dr. Tofu shrugged off the thanks, feeling embarrassed at the boy's profuse gratitude.
"It just allows me to have company for a while. It's too quiet here sometimes. I don't get much company. Besides, you can do some of the cooking." At the mention of him cooking, Ranma could only laugh. Dr. Tofu was glad that he'd been able to change the young man's outlook in such a short time. "Well, since you're going to be staying here for a time, you can be a little more relaxed. I have a spare room for your use. You were too exhausted last night to move from the couch to the futon into there. And I wasn't about to carry you into there." Putting words to action, he went into the spare bedroom, Ranma on his heels to help. Ranma was soon set up in the house for a temporary stay, not knowing how long it would be.
But, all in all, the young man was satisfied with his arrangements. In a short time he'd be taking the tests and graduating. Hopefully. Then he'd be going to college.
When they finished, they set about making breakfast. When he finished his food, he was shown the back yard. It was a large area covered in grass with a small peach tree in one corner of the fence and several rose bushes going out to either side of it. The yard was large enough for him to practice the Art here. He saw that there was a slightly worn area in the grass where, apparently, Dr. Tofu practiced regularly. Finding everything to his liking, he went out and began to practice his katas.
Dr. Tofu watched him for a time before going to his reading. Before long, he was feeling restless and decided to join Ranma. Ranma was pleasantly surprised to have Dr. Tofu join him. They circled each other, finding each other's weaknesses and strengths. Satisfied, they began to pound each other.
An hour later, panting, the two walked back inside. Ranma was glad to have found a skilled sparring partner. He hadn't know how good Dr. Tofu really was, but had expected what he received this morning.
Dr. Tofu was also appreciative of Ranma's abilities. He'd been very hard pressed most of the match because of Ranma's speed. Ranma's punches had been pulled, he knew. He'd needed a good workout for some time. Having Ranma here would ensure that.
Ranma's arm was stiff where Dr. Tofu had hit him, hitting a pressure point. The numbness was fading as the nerve came back to life. Seeing Ranma's dilemma, Dr. Tofu came up to him and motioned for him to turn around. Complying, Ranma felt Dr. Tofu's able hands apply the remedy for Ranma's ailment. As he rotated his arm at the shoulder, an idea popped into his head. Turning back to Dr. Tofu, he said, "Say, would you show me some of those points? I've never really gotten a chance to learn too many of them. I know the ones that I needed to touch in order to defeat Hinako-sensei and a few others spots. Other than that, I haven't learned much about 'em."
The request pleased Dr. Tofu. Thinking that the training would get Ranma's problems off of his mind, he nodded. The light of gratitude sparkled in Ranma's eyes. They both entered the house, Dr. Tofu pulling out an anatomy chart.
Ranma listened attentively as Dr. Tofu explained which areas would affect which body function. The morning wore on and they both felt they had spent it productively. The entire time Akane had only intruded into his thoughts occasionally. Dr. Tofu had sensed these times and had found a way to distract the young man, knowing the images would only hurt Ranma more in his current state of mind.
When they finished with the lesson for the day, Ranma decided that some studying was in order. After an hour, he was restless and decided to go somewhere, anywhere. As he stepped out of the house, he knew where he wanted to go.
**********
While Ranma was at Dr. Tofu's keeping his mind off of Akane, she was having a harder time of it. After she had cried herself to sleep last night, she'd woken to find the house to be strangely silent. Worried, she got up and dressed. Walking downstairs, she found Kasumi in the kitchen making breakfast. If Kasumi was fine, there was no need to worry. Still, though, something nagged at her mind.
Walking to the back, she found her father and Uncle Saotome playing shogi. Seeing the panda started something percolating inside of her mind. The previous night began to rush her. With a low moan as she realized what she'd done to Ranma, and she sank to the ground.
The entire time that they'd been sitting there playing shogi, the two fathers had been glancing fearfully at Akane. They were afraid that they would be on the receiving end of Akane's anger this morning. But her current actions brought great alarm to them. Instantly, Soun was at his daughter's side and crying. Trying fervently to console his daughter, he only heard her saying 'he's gone' to herself.
She realized that she'd never let Ranma say one word in his defense. She'd only jumped to the conclusion that he was only trying to get away from her so he'd be able to find another 'cute' fiancee. But he'd only said that he was going to another college, a few minutes from her very own. It disturbed her that she'd done it again. It seemed like it would never end, her catching Ranma off guard with her anger and accusing him of something when he tried desperately to explain. So many times she'd done that, only to learn later of Ranma's innocence. Ranma wouldn't be troubled now that they weren't engaged anymore.
Her father's voice penetrated her thoughts and she finally stood. Looking around, she saw that she was making a fool of herself in here. There was one place she knew she could go to be alone. With a reassuring smile to her father, she said, "I'm fine. I'm just going to the dojo to work out." Turning around, she went back upstairs and changed into her gi. Rushing back downstairs, she passed her father and Genma, who had gone back to playing shogi. With a heavy sigh, Soun turned back to the game, drying his tears.
Akane set up one of the sparring dummies. Taking a stance, she started to pound on it. Something about it was bothering her, however. A kick to the head caused her to stop all further attacks. Staring at the dummy, she realized what had been bothering her. On the head was a wig with a ponytail. She remembered that she'd been using the wig for quite some time, taking her frustrations out on it.
A painful memory came up to the surface. One of her kicking Ranma while he tried to protect himself as he lay on the floor. With a muffled sob, she pulled the wig off of the dummy and threw it into a corner of the dojo, collapsing to the floor. Her own words from the night prior haunted her. She'd said them with a vicious cruelty, wanting to sting Ranma for…for no apparent reason at all. Her entire frame shook with the remorse she felt. Things had finally gotten out of hand and it was all her fault, she realized.
Hugging herself, she fought the tears back. It took her some time, but she willed her tears away and she began to practice again. Finally losing herself in the exercise, she never noticed the knock on the shoji to the dojo until it was repeated loudly.
Turning, she found Nodoka standing in the doorway.
Unsure of herself, she bowed to the shrine and exited the dojo to join the waiting Nodoka. It was Nodoka who started the conversation.
"It seems that last night was a bit hectic for some of us last night. If you would, could you please explain what happened? This may help settle a few problems that seem to have cropped up."
Akane flushed, wondering where this had been leading to. Her actions the previous night shamed her. Hanging her head, she said, "I seem to have made a horrid mess of things last night. It's all my fault."
Nodoka looked at Akane, her eyes penetrating. Akane noisily swallowed the sudden lump in her throat. "Let's not lay any blame yet, dear. Not until we get all of the facts, at least. I just want to hear your side of the story. We'll reserve blame until all of the pieces are on the table."
Nodding, Akane couldn't resist under the older woman's will.
She told the entire side of her story up to the point of her getting home, halting occasionally to reflect on the worst parts of her behavior. She shifted uncomfortably under Nodoka's silent stare. Nodoka's mind was reviewing both stories. They both seemed to match. But everything wouldn't have brought Ranma to the brink he'd been at last night after having arrived at Dr. Tofu's. What Akane said next brought her thoughts to a halt.
"After Ranma had packed all of his things last night, I got mad again. For no reason at all but my own anger, I knocked him down and started to kick him." Nodoka had heard a scuffle upstairs last night and had wondered. She hadn't wanted to press Ranma when he'd told her his side of the story, reserving some questions for later. This confession had answered one of the unspoken, though. She sensed that this wasn't all of what was chewing a hole in Akane's conscience. She waited patiently for the younger woman to continue.
Akane's next words brought a flush to her skin because of the shame she felt. "Then I…said one of the worst things I could think of at the time." Her resolve broke and she fell to her knees, clutching at Nodoka. Kneeling, Nodoka tried to hush Akane's lamentations. Regaining some control of herself, Akane continued, "I told him sniff that I ha-sniff and low sob hated him."
This new information opened a few doors for Nodoka she hadn't considered existed. She now knew what had caused her son to have lost his control. Added to that was the fact that his father had accused him of rape. It seemed that there were a lot of apologies that needed to be given to her son. Trying to put on a good front for Akane's sake, she said, "Come on, dear, cheer up. I'm sure that everything will be fine. When Ranma comes back, you two will make up and be happy again."
Akane stared at her incredulously, her crying having stopped instantly. "How can you say that? He must hate me now, especially after what I've done to him. He's always said how much he didn't want to get engaged to me, anyway. Always calling me a kawaikunee tomboy. Now that I've called off the engagement, why would he want to come back? He didn't even want to get married the last time."
Her words sent Nodoka's mind awhirl. How could the two of them be so blind? Everybody saw how the two of them looked out for each other. Realization slowly dawned on her as she thought about the situation. Naturally, she'd heard how they had met. It had privately amused her that they'd started out on rocky ground. But it truly alarmed her now. That start had caused their relationship to plummet before it had time to get a firm base. When they'd finally gotten to like each other, they had been into the routine of having insulted each other at every turn that their relationship had been stunted.
Something as small as the words 'pervert' and 'kawaikunee tomboy' had compounded itself until they had grown calluses towards each other. Added to that, they were too headstrong to tell each other how they really felt about the other. They wouldn't even admit it to themselves! Unable to think of a solution, she decided that keeping them apart for the time would be necessary. Trying to force them together again would only compound the problem and cause more grief. They'd done enough by having forced the issue until it had caused this latest incident.
Akane shifted under Nodoka's unseeing stare. The movement brought Nodoka out of her reverie. "I may have a temporary solution to your problems, dear," she said reassuringly. "The two of you need some time away from each other, it appears. I'll talk with your father and Genma and have them leave the two of you alone. Until then, try to be positive. Until we can find a solution to the problem, it'll just have to be this way."
As she listened in silence, relief flooded her and she hugged Nodoka, murmuring her thanks. She disengaged herself and stood with Nodoka.
"Why don't you go get cleaned up, dear? You've been working out this morning and it has a bit of a fragrance to it," Nodoka said as she wrinkled her nose. Laughing, Akane bowed her thanks and took her leave. Humming quietly to herself, she went inside to take a refreshing bath.
Nodoka watched Akane skipping away, glad she'd made some progress, but at such a price. Her attention swiveled to take in her husband. During the entire conversation with Akane, the two men had been watching covertly from their game. They tried acting innocent. When her eyes went steely, she saw Genma flinch. Good, she thought, he knows that our business isn't finished. Like the tiger pursuing the faun, she stalked her quivering husband with the intent of inflicting more damage on him. Genma's punishment last night just didn't seem to be enough at the moment.
**********
Ranma stepped into Ucchan's, seeing the restaurant in its usual busy state. Ukyo was behind the grill. She saw Ranma and gestured for him to take his usual seat at the counter right next to her. With flair, she set about getting Ranma an okonomiyaki made up. Ranma's stomach rumbled in anticipation at the smell.
As soon as the okonomiyaki hit the plate, it was wolfed down. Rubbing his stomach, Ranma said, "That hit the spot, Uk-chan." He gave her one of his million-dollar smiles. It was straining his abilities to make it look like nothing was bothering him, but Ukyo somehow saw through it.
"What's wrong, Ranchan?" The question caused Ranma to lose the smile. She noted how fast it slipped away. *This was really bad.* "Did something happen last night after the dance?"
Looking down at the plate in front of him, he nodded. His whole posture spoke volumes to Ukyo. The slight slump in the shoulders, the sagging into the chair, and the downcast look he had on his face. He wouldn't even make eye contact with her. Not much affected Ranma in this way except for Akane. She gestured for Konatsu to come over. When he saw Ranma, he knew what was needed and took over at the grill. Ukyo grabbed Ranma and pulled him to an empty booth, away from the customers.
He didn't complain about being drug around. Ukyo sat with her back to the wall, making sure nobody would unexpectedly come upon them. Focusing her undivided attention on Ranma, she said, "You look like hell. Wanna talk about it?" He obviously did, since he'd come here, but he needed a kick-start.
"Akane and I aren't engaged anymore. That's what she says, anyway." The simple statement left Ukyo speechless.
She recovered. "Why don't you start from the beginning? I think that'd be best."
Ranma nodded. Hesitantly, he started. As he continued with his narration, Ukyo couldn't believe her ears. He finished by saying, "I didn't really want to burden you with this, but you're the best friend I've got and I had to tell somebody."
Friend. That's what Ranma desperately needed right now, she knew. Those two had been inseparable since they'd met. Now they weren't engaged.
She felt her heart rise into her throat as she started to tell herself that Ranma might now accept her as his fiancée. But she quashed the idea. He'd made it clear that he couldn't care for her in that way. She was his best friend, he'd said, and had always thought of her as such. She repeated the word like a mantra, trying to convince herself.
Ranma shuffled his feet, bringing Ukyo out of her thoughts. *Back to the problem at hand, baka.* "So your father thought you—" The idea seemed to catch in her throat, but she choked it out, "-tried to molest Akane? Why would he think such a thing?"
Ranma had thought about it quite a bit since the incident with his father. Thinking back to when he'd seen Akane last, the realization struck him. "Well, I guess it's probably because Akane's dress was torn where I'd put the corsage on her. She was pretty dirty, too. As I said before, she fell when she was running away. She looked pretty messed up when I saw her upstairs." Another thought caught his attention. It seemed that Genma might not have been the only one to have thought he'd done something like that to Akane. That disturbed him. *Had mom thought that, too?*
"All he did was attack you after you got back to the dojo?" Ranma nodded. She still didn't like Genma, and this only added another notch to her belt.
"When he said it, he totally surprised me. Otherwise, he wouldn't have gotten that first hit in. After that, things went way downhill. I went upstairs to get my things and Akane tackled me and started to kick me. I'm still a little sore from it, too. But, when I realized she wasn't going to stop until I lay still, that's what I did. And then…" His throat constricted. He tried to swallow, but was unable to. He'd left this part of the story out, but he couldn't keep it in any longer. It seemed to last forever, but it finally passed. He gave Ukyo's hand a squeeze, as she'd grabbed his when he was struggling with himself. Disengaging his hand from hers, he continued. "She said that she hated me. I know, she's said it before, but this time I think she meant it."
It was obvious how upset Ranma was about all this. A fire began to smolder in her breast. How dare they treat her Ranchan like this? Didn't they know that he'd cut off his arm if he thought it'd save his family some grief. And, as for Akane's sake, he'd give his own life to keep her safe. He'd risked it enough for her in the past. There was no denying that. How could she say she hated Ranma for wanting to go to college? And what was this of him dating other girls? He'd always avoided his other iinazuke and sticking around Akane whenever he could. He'd always come to her only because of the okonomiyaki and to unload his burdens. It had taken a while to realize that, but it had finally sunk in.
Ranma groaned inwardly as he saw Ukyo getting mad. It could only lead to more trouble. He needed to head it off. "Well, as I said before, I talked to my mom and she's letting me to stay with Dr. Tofu, at least until I graduate, I think. I sparred with him this morning and we had some fun. He's pretty good, too. He taught me a little more about shiatsu points this morning."
Ukyo barely heard him speak. Her mind was on how she'd deal with Genma and Akane. Akane, especially. They'd have a few words together. Ranma had to snap his fingers in front of her face to get her attention. "Oh. Sorry, Ranchan. You were saying?"
"Nothin'. I guess I should get outta your hair and let ya get on with work. Thanks for letting me talk to you. Ja mata." He left with a lighter step, Ukyo was glad to see. Maybe lending an ear wasn't too hard this time.
"No prob. Ja mata." She thought of the ways she'd get Akane back. Genma was no problem. A simple beating would suffice.
**********
Kasumi dressed in the predawn light. Her status within the household left her only short moments throughout the day to relax. That didn't bother her, however, since she enjoyed it. The recent events were stressful to all concerned. It was her duty, as she saw it, to help alleviate as much of it as possible.
As she started down the stairs, she heard someone moving in Akane's room. Hearing sniffles, she decided to knock on the door. "Are you awake, Akane-chan," she asked.
From the other side, she heard, "Hai. I just woke up a little while ago."
Opening the door, Kasumi entered to see Akane propped up by a pillow and holding a pillow in a death grip. Her knees were pulled up to touch her arms, the blanket making a tent on her bed. It made her look several years younger than what she was. Her face was puffy from recent crying. It was apparent that she hadn't slept well. "How long have you been awake," Kasumi asked.
Akane looked at the clock on her dresser. "About fifteen minutes, I guess," she replied wearily. Looking back at her oldest sister, her eyes shimmered, threatening another bout of weeping. "What am I going to do, oneechan?"
Kasumi smiled sweetly. With everybody else asleep, it was the perfect time to talk with Akane. Walking overt to Akane's, she pulled out the chair and sat in it. Sitting beside Akane on her bed wouldn't be as productive as she wanted. There had to be an air of authority maintained as she talked with her younger sister. "What do you think you can do," she asked.
Akane looked everywhere but at her. "I guess I should go find Ranma and bring him back." It was half statement and half question. She had no idea of how to approach the situation.
Luckily, Kasumi had had time to think upon the problem. "I don't think that that would be a very good idea." This caused Akane to look up at her. Before Akane could interrupt her with questions, she continued. "You weren't very nice to him. Now, Ranma is a very forgiving person, but I think you went just a little too far. Running after him and asking him to come back will just make matters worse."
"But…What do I do in the meantime?"
"Nothing. With your actions, both past and present, I think you have no say in the matter anymore. It's all up to Ranma now."
Akane's mouth worked as she tried to formulate both questions and answers to the statement at the same time. Kasumi waited patiently until she was able to think coherently. "I was pretty cruel, wasn't I," she stated.
Kasumi nodded. "I'd have hoped that you two would have gotten past your little squabbles, but I see that such wasn't the case." Akane hung her head. Most of the fighting had been because of her and her own pride. Allowing Ranma too close to her hadn't been an option, considering she'd been forced into the engagement. And, with the denial of his feelings during the wedding fiasco, she'd just started pushing him further away. "I see that you have a few things to think through. But I see that you have no more say with the relationship between you two. If he wants to get back with you, then it's his choice."
"But what about the engagement between the Saotome line and Tendo line? That leaves you and Nabiki, doesn't it?" The fathers would want to continue the line. If Ranma wouldn't be marrying Akane, there were two other candidates.
"I don't think there's a problem there. You were about the only logical choice for the marriage. Father won't try engaging either of us to Ranma. If they tried, they'd find life most displeasing." There were ways that Kasumi could exact her displeasure upon the two. Though her nature tended to be overly-sweet, she had her own feelings and desires. Marrying Ranma wasn't in the equation.
And Nabiki wouldn't go for it in an instant. She'd shot that idea down before it had become a topic to discuss between the two fathers. And they wouldn't want to cross her.
Standing up, Kasumi headed for the door. "Why don't you get some more sleep? I'll come get you when breakfast is ready."
Akane nodded, sliding down into her covers.
Closing the door behind her, Kasumi sighed. It had been a hard day and a half. She went about her usual duties with a smile. Things would get better, she knew. They always did.
**********
Ranma spent Sunday studying his schoolwork. At least a couple of hours worth. The rest of the time was spent practicing his martial arts. He learned more about the human anatomy than he'd ever imagined with Dr. Tofu's help. There were a lot of spots on the body that would cause someone to heal faster and others to render someone immobile for long periods of time. The latter would come in handy if he had to fight Ryoga again, which hadn't been too recently, he reflected thankfully.
There was nothing untoward that happened throughout the day, only getting some water splashed on himself once. Nothing unnatural. Towards the end of the night, though, he began to worry about the next day. Monday would bring him within range of Akane. He tossed and turned for about an hour before finally going to sleep.
Another teenager was having problems getting to sleep for the same sort of reasons. Akane was sitting on her bed, holding one of her stuffed animals tightly. Her concern was how Ranma would react to her presence. They would be in the same class most of the day, so they wouldn't be able to avoid each other. It was going to be a rough day for them both, she knew. She eventually dozed off, curled up in a ball under her covers, clutching her stuffed pig in a death grip.
When morning did come, both youths woke with foggy heads from having had disturbing dreams. They readied themselves and headed to school. Ranma made it to school in record time, as Dr. Tofu had risen early and woken Ranma when he needed to get up. Ranma hadn't had a fight with his father or Akane, so there was no reason for him to have a hard time of getting to school on time.
Ranma was standing on the other side of the courtyard when Akane arrived. He was being stared at by most of the student body because he hadn't arrived with his fiancée. A few remarks drifted his way, but he tried to ignore them. Akane didn't see him when she came through the entry. She hung her head, not looking around. Avoiding everybody as best as she could, she went to class. Ranma was watching her when somebody touched him on the shoulder from behind. Trying to cover his surprise, he turned to find Ukyo standing there. She smiled, having seen his reaction. It wasn't often that somebody got the better of Ranma.
"Going to stay out here all day?" Ukyo pointed up at the clock tower. "Only a few minutes until classes start and it'd probably be a first for you to actually be early, ne?"
Ranma smiled at the remark. "Yeah. Why not try something new?" Saying this, he headed into the building with Ukyo at his side. Other students were streaming into class, casting curious looks at Ranma as he continued on his way. He made it to class without incident, though.
The entire morning strained the nerves of both Ranma and Akane. They avoided looking at each other, not wanting to confront the other with the previous events that had caused them such grief. The air seemed to crackle with the tension. Most of the other students noticed the way the former couple were acting towards each other.
By the end of the morning the entire class was abuzz. Notes were passed around, many of them ending up on Ranma's and Akane's desks. They chose to ignore the notes after a time, which only caused the students to raise their eyebrows and create some of the most absurd assumptions. When the lunch bell rang, the students gathered into small groups, discussing strategies of how to extract information from their recalcitrant victims. Ranma allowed Akane to get out of the class before him, seeing her being pulled away by some of her friends. The girls surrounding her were all full with questions.
"What's the deal with you two, Akane?"
"Did Ranma have another fiancée show up?"
"What did Ranma say for you to give him the cold shoulder?"
"Are the two of you still engaged?" Akane whirled in the direction of the question, a stricken look on her face. This wasn't lost on some of the students.
"If you two aren't engaged anymore, can I have a shot at him," one of them ventured.
"He's fair game now, isn't he," another shot.
A few of the girls had a predatory look when these questions were thrown out. They hadn't liked it when Akane had been the center of attention for the guys. Now that she wasn't engaged to Ranma, they could exact their revenge and date her ex-fiancée.
Sofi managed to squeeze in next to Akane, latching onto her arm. With a bit of impolite shoving and a few muttered curses, she got Akane out of the crowd that was mauling her with questions. By the time they got away, poor Akane was looking like a hunted animal.
With Akane looking wild-eyed, Sofi thought it would be best if she didn't expose her to the student body again for a little while. Thus, she took her to the locker room to settle the poor girl down.
The locker room was empty, thankfully. Sofi took Akane to a sink and began fussing over her, while Akane just stared at the ground. While she was doing this, they heard a couple of girls enter. They were talking animatedly about the latest gossip.
"—and you know that she deserves it. Especially after all of the guys were fawning over her last year. Now it's her turn to feel the sting of being ignored. It was obvious that he was so stuck on her that he wouldn't even bother to look at any other girls."
Sofi's breath caught. Now was not the time for Akane to hear these things.
Another girl's voice said, "Yeah, she does deserve getting the treatment she's getting from Ranma. Everybody knows that she's always hitting him for the smallest reasons. If he were my fiancée, I'd make sure that he didn't have any others. I'd have taken care of it a long time ago. It just goes to show that she really never had him in the first place." Her laugh was chilling.
"If he were mine, I'd have laid claim on him long before now. Just think of all that man there is there." A wistful sigh.
By now, Akane's cheeks were flaming from embarrassment and indignation. Sofi walked around the lockers to confront the girls. It was Midori and Oyuki. They looked surprised to find somebody else in the locker room. It wasn't obvious why they were here during the lunch hour, but it wasn't any good, as far as Sofi was concerned.
Without giving them a chance to utter anything, Sofi slapped both across the face. Their stricken looks flashed into anger and they were about to jump Sofi when they heard a voice behind them.
"Lay one finger on her and you'll have to fight me." Akane stood there, her aura surrounding her in a ruby glow. The girls dropped their hands to their sides, not wanting to get pummeled by an angered Akane. It wasn't that they were unwilling to fight, but they knew that Akane could beat up any of the guys in school, except Ranma, which meant that they would be minced meat in only a matter of seconds. They decided that another location would be in the best interest of their continuing health. Fleeing, they passed by Sofi, who just watched the spectacle.
When the two were gone, Akane unclenched her fists and her aura flared out. Her shoulders slumped and Sofi heard a sniffle. Taking Akane back around the lockers to the sinks, she helped Akane calm down, uttering soothing words.
Akane eventually got a hold of herself.
"Why can people be such cruel creatures, Sofi-chan?"
"I don't know, Akane-chan. Some are just like that, I guess. Besides, it doesn't matter what they think, now does it? The only ones that do matter are you, family, and friends. The others can just go take a long walk off of a short pier, ne?"
Akane smiled at the visualization of the last remark, as Sofi had intended.
Meanwhile, the other half of the subject of school was having problems of his own. When he had exited the class and the girls had whisked Akane away, the guys had rushed Ranma.
"Yo, Ranma, you get into another fight with Akane?"
"What did you do this time, Ranma?"
"Did Akane finally give up on you?"
Sick of all the questions, Ranma chose the most expedient way out of the hall. A window was open nearby and he leaped out of it. Looking down, he saw his worst nightmare come back to him. Water. The pool was just below him. He turned it into a graceful dive. Sputtering, Ranma-onna climbed out of the pool and dashed off in the distance. Her fellow students watched the spectacle and some more outrageous rumors began sprouting up.
Ranma-onna was heading towards Dr. Tofu's so that she could change into some dry clothes and change back. She hoped that she could do it before class started. Holding a pail of water in the hall for being late wasn't fun by any stretch of the imagination. Granted, it didn't affect her as much as the other students, but it was so boring.
Rounding a corner, the clinic came in sight. Pulling a key on a string from her shirt, she unlocked the door of the private entrance and found some dry clothes. Changed, he sat down for a moment to collect his thoughts. He knew that today would be rough, but the questions had been shot at him all through the day. First in the form of notes, which he'd tried to ignore, and then by the shouts directed at him. The general din had just been too much for him to handle.
He was tempted to just stay right where he was until tomorrow, but that idea was quickly discarded. Getting up, he stepped outside and locked the door behind himself. Hopping up onto a nearby fence, he headed back to school.
Back in the locker room, Akane realized that she was keeping Sofi from having lunch. Without a word, she grabbed her friend by the arm and headed out to find something to eat. The retrieved their bento lunch boxes and found a shady spot to sit for their meal. Wolfing down their food, they were able to witness Ranma's return. Sofi watched Akane intently.
Akane tracked Ranma as he crossed the school grounds. He had changed, she noted. She decided that he'd probably gotten wet again. She started to get up and intercept her former fiancée. Ranma happened to see her movement and stopped. His look stopped her. It held no emotion, as far as she could tell. Turning, he went into the school, leaving Akane half-standing. Recovering herself, she plopped back down and looked at her lunch. She had no appetite.
Sofi catalogued the incident for future reference, intent to find out exactly what it was that had happened. So far, however, Akane had refused to talk about the bad blood between the two.
The warning bell rang and the two closed their boxes, dashing into the building so they wouldn't be late for class.
When all of the students were seated, there were a few subdued students. Midori and Oyuki were avoiding looking at Akane, trying to prevent her wrath descending upon them. They didn't know that Akane had put the incident behind her, since her friend had convinced her that they really didn't matter.
A student started to pass a note to Ranma, but only received a cold stare from him. A look of trepidation crossed the student's features and decided that passing a note to Ranma at the moment wouldn't be the wisest decision of the day. Returning his eyes to the front, Ranma began to pay attention to the lecture. It couldn't hold his attention, however, and his eyes wandered to Akane. With a start, he realized what he was doing and jerked his gaze to the window.
Sofi, who had been watching him out of the corner of her eye, caught this, though. The day eventually ended.
Akane was walking home alone, feeling the emptiness. Ranma should be there, with his usual japing. But it was different today. He wasn't walking above her and calling down insults…or just watching her. That's what she'd liked best.
On impulse, she leaped to the fence. She'd always wanted to, but had been afraid that if she fell that Ranma would never let her hear the end of it.
It felt good to look down on the world from here, she realized. Granted, she had to spend a lot more of her concentration on the balancing than Ranma, but she now knew why he liked it up here. Pausing for a moment, she stood looking towards the western horizon where the sun was falling.
Her thoughts swirled around the subject of why she had blown up the way she had on prom night. There was no explanation, as far as she could tell. That's what scared her. Why had she just gotten so angry and taken it out on Ranma? And what she had said to him afterwards had been so unnatural. The words had tasted like bile in her mouth, but she had uttered them. She really didn't feel that way about Ranma. Granted, he could be so exasperating at times, but she didn't hate him, really.
The sun had made its way much closer to its eminent extinguishing before Akane brought herself back to the present world. With a sigh, she decided that she'd just have to talk to Ranma and apologize once and for all. She just had to find the right time to do it. Her actions were out of order and the situation needed to be rectified before they could continue with their lives. Jumping down from the fence, she dashed off to the dojo.
**********
A place in the shadow of Mount Fuji. The cavern was spacious. Stalactites hung near the ground, enticing the stalagmites to reach up and touch them like the fingers of lost lovers. Only a few had made the attempt and succeeded. There was a cleared area in the center of the cavern where a shrine was constructed.
Before the shrine was a withered creature in an age-faded robe. His bald pate reflected the torch flame. Only a faint whisper could be heard from the hunched figure, a sound that repeated itself over and over. It sounded like a mantra, drawing it into a deep meditative state. Time passed, as it always does. The chanting slowly faded as the figure drew deeper into itself, focusing on its own life force. Ghost-fingers touched vital areas in the globe of light, emitting flashes that triggered more radiant bursts from the orb that was the life of the tiny being. Thus, its life was extended for a longer time.
When it was done, it brought itself back to the land of the living and awareness of its surroundings became ever sharper. A soft rustling alerted it that there was something behind it, causing its body to tense. A familiar smell, however, caused it to relax. It turned to look into the eyes of the visitor.
"I'm glad to see you after all this time. What is it I can do for you this time?" The small being relaxed into a modest repose. The visitor did likewise.
"I have come to make a request of you. There is a young man that will be traveling in the near future. I would like it if you would train him for a short time. He has great potential, but he needs a worthy instructor for the task. You are one of the best in this mortal plane. Would you be willing to shoulder the task?"
"And what might be the training this youth may need?" The request had piqued its interest.
"To find his weaknesses and cure them. Also to improve on his strengths. I see that he may surpass even you. He has a unique way about him, though. He learns quickly, but he has a hard time with other things. There are many issues with this youth. Find them and heal the wounds he has acquired through the years. I know that only you can do this. He'll be traveling by himself. You will be able to direct him here through one of your associates in the outskirts of Kyoto. It is assured that he will be stopping there."
"It sounds like a difficult task. I must say that I will accept the challenge." The blood rushed through its veins. *Something worthwhile to do after all of these years of puttering about. Ah, training again. What a joy it is to do so.*
"Keep this for me, please." The visitor dropped a rose in front of the reposing figure. "Do not handle it for more than a moment. The magic that has been imbued within is quite powerful."
"Were you the one who bespelled this rose?"
"Nay. The two who touched it were the ones that put the power there. It was only I that brought about the catalyst for its transformation. It was only a petal before. I only hope that it will be able to use its power for the two when I have need of it. I...I did something that was less than honorable. Therefore, I must atone for it. It will be a while before I see you again. Farewell, and may the Kami bless you."
"And you, old friend. Do not be too harsh with yourself. You only do what you see that needs to be done. Do not overdue your own punishment." Taking the rose, the small man put it onto the altar where it would wait for the time it would be used for its singular purpose.
**********
Ryoga was confused. He didn't know where he was…again. Everything looked unfamiliar. The only things that seemed to be familiar to him anymore were the Tendo dojo and Akari's. But he hadn't seen them for a few months. His rations were running low. It was high time for him to stock up again. But where?
Spying a shop, he headed towards it. Opening the door, he found that it was exactly what he needed for once. It was small, but it should have what he required for his travels.
The shopkeeper saw the young man and pulled himself away from the counter to help him.
"Is there anything that I can help you with, sir?"
Looking up from the small ration pack he was inspecting, Ryoga asked, "Do you have any iron rations? Something that'll keep a little longer than this kind here?"
A thoughtful look crossed the clerk's face. "Just one moment, please. Let me check my inventory." Rubbing his hands together, he went behind the counter and started punching on a keyboard. A listing of items appeared on the monitor. "You're in luck, sir. I have only a week's supply of the rations left of what you need. How will you be paying? Cash, check, or credit card?"
Ryoga smiled. "Cash. I don't need a bag or anything. I'll just be putting them in my backpack." He received the goods and paid for them.
Something caught his eye. Walking over, he saw a matching pair of walking sticks. An idea struck him and he decided that they would be great for a couple he knew. They were collapsible, so he could put them in his backpack without having to carry them around or worry about them whacking him in the head as they stuck out of his backpack. The clerk smiled and took the proffered money, giving the change back. Ryoga put them up and headed for the door. Surprisingly enough, he was able to find the right door.
In short order, he was back outside and feeling better about the world.
After a few moments of wandering, however, his opinion changed. Once again, he was lost. The sun was starting to dip to the horizon and he knew that he'd have to find somewhere to camp for the night. Putting his head down, he headed off in a random direction. He knew that he would eventually wander somewhere that would accommodate his needs.
An hour later, he finally looked up to find himself…in front of the Tendo dojo. *YES! Now I can sleep in a nice, warm room.* Joy filled his heart as he found the spot where he could stash his backpack. *Now, to find some cold water.* He'd promised Ranma that he'd sleep at the foot of Akane's bed if there was no way of getting out of the room and find Ranma's room, but that didn't seem to work all of the time. Besides, if he went in as himself, it was bound to happen that he'd get splashed by cold water and be forced to stay as P-chan, anyways. They both knew the chances of that happening, so Ranma had reluctantly agreed to let him stay as P-chan when he invariably wandered to the dojo. 'What were friends for,' Ranma had said.
Looking around, he spied a water spout that would do the trick. Turning the faucet, he was transformed from a muscular young man to a small, black piglet. Grabbing as much of his clothes in his teeth, he dragged them over to where his backpack was at. He had no trouble finding it because it was in sight of the faucet. Thus, he never got lost.
When the clothes were stashed with his backpack, he found the entrance of the dojo. Looking around, didn't spy Ranma anywhere about. With his little heart pumping, he sprinted for the front door. He began emitting loud squeals and scratched at the door. It opened to reveal Kasumi, who picked him up.
"Oh, P-chan. Akane will be happy to see you after this last weekend. It's been awhile since you've been here, hasn't it? She'd almost given up hope of ever seeing you again." She walked upstairs and knocked on Akane's door. Akane answered the door in her pajamas. Seeing P-chan, she gave a squeal of delight. Kasumi handed the piglet to her younger sister.
"Thanks, Kasumi. Where did you find him?"
"He was scratching at the front door. Maybe this time he'll stay around." She didn't sound convinced of her own words, however. How many times had P-chan disappeared in the past two years?
Akane was too delighted to let herself be concerned about that at the moment. Cuddling P-chan to her, she hugged her sister and closed the door. She practically leaped to her bed where she started to squeeze the life out of the poor animal. Eventually, though, she set him down and picked up the plate of cookies that were sitting on her desk. She began to feed the piglet.
P-chan began munching contentedly on the sweet morsels, savoring them. It had been a long time since he'd had anything remotely as fresh. Granted, they were a little stale from having sat out for a few hours, but they were better than rations.
When he was fed, Akane found the corner of the wall and the bed. Taking P-chan and laying him in her lap, she began spilling her heart out like she always did with him.
It was obvious from the start that the center of the problem was Ranma. But there was a different tone to the way Akane was speaking. She was talking about how she had behaved towards him. P-chan had trouble placing the feeling he was getting from her. It seemed more like…remorse?
This caught his attention more than the words she was saying. His usual conclusions about Ranma were put aside as he began focusing on the words she was saying.
"…I did something really horrible just a few days ago. Poor Ranma didn't even have a chance. I was so mean to him that he'll never forgive me."
This perked P-chan's ears up. Ranma not forgive Akane? That was like saying that the sun wasn't going to come up in the morning. Sure, Ranma had his faults, but P-chan knew that Ranma was one of the most forgiving people. Especially when it came to Akane.
"I hurt him, I know. Then I added insult to injury by saying that I hated him. How could I be so cruel?"
She was always saying that she had some dislike for Ranma. This whole situation was confusing P-chan. Why was she so distraught about her hitting Ranma and then saying she didn't like him? It was nothing new to him.
"All he said to me was that he was going to college somewhere else and then I blew up on him. There was no reason for me to get mad at him. Why did I do it, though?" With a soft wail, she grabbed P-chan and crushed him in a rough embrace. He knew not to struggle, considering where he was. He knew the anatomy of Akane very well, having been in this predicament many times. Something warm landed on his ear.
He realized that Akane was crying. It was all Ranma's fault…or was it? She'd admitted that it was her fault. The revelation confused him. He reviewed what had been told him.
One: Ranma told Akane he was going to college somewhere else. Okay, no reason to fault him there. Granted, he should be going to the same college, since they were engaged. It didn't hurt his feelings too badly that he wasn't, but that was besides the point.
Two: Akane got mad at him. Nothing new. Exactly why, though?
Three: Akane said that she 'hated' him. Okay, that seemed a little extreme, even for her, but not altogether out of character.
Four: Why wouldn't Ranma forgive Akane for what she'd done. He got worse treatment from everybody else. Even him, he knew. They'd rectified that misunderstanding a little just before he'd gotten lost last time. They weren't on the best of terms, but he wasn't out to kill him anymore.
What was the problem?
Akane finally released her death grip on the little piglet and set him back in her lap. "Now I can't even get close enough to him to tell him I'm sorry at school," she said. "Since he's not here anymore, I can't just go down the hallway to talk with him."
P-chan's thoughts came to a screeching halt. *What did she just say? Ranma wasn't here anymore?* He sat back and looked up at Akane. She was staring off into space, lost to the world. Her idle pronouncement more than startled him. *What exactly had happened for him to actually leave the Tendo dojo?*
Her next words shocked him even more.
"And now that we're not engaged anymore, the both of us are having a hard time at school. I'm getting hounded by the girls and the guys are giving Ranma a hard time as well. It'll be the other way around here shortly, I'm sure."
This was entirely too much for P-chan.
They weren't engaged anymore? After all of the times everybody else had tried to break them up, they weren't engaged? And over a simple little fight about Ranma going to a different college? P-chan's brain began working beyond its capacity at all of the questions that were popping up. Shutdown occurred. With a small squeal, poor P-chan passed out cold.
Akane realized the little piglet had passed out in her lap. Picking him up, she said, "You must be exhausted. Here, let me get you a little more comfortable." She turned out the light and snuggled up with P-chan, falling asleep soon afterwards.
P-chan never woke the entire night as his body tried to repair the damage to the brain cells.
**********
The next morning dawned clear, to the relief of Ranma. He wasn't in the mood for getting soaked on the way to school. Finishing his breakfast, he headed out.
He was running on the fence. Hearing his name called, he stopped and turned in the direction of the sound. Ukyo jumped down from the rooftop to land beside the fence where he stood. She was breathing hard, trying valiantly to even out her breathing and wiping the perspiration from her forehead.
"You huff run too darned huff fast, Ranchan." Ranma hopped down from his perch.
"Whatcha come all the way over here for? You could've been to school already."
"I just wanted to walk to school with you today. Got a problem with that?" Unable to respond with anything, Ranma shrugged and continued on his way to school. Ukyo matched the pace he set. After a time they were sprinting to school, Ranma holding back for Ukyo.
As he was watching Ukyo run, a thought intruded on him. *Akane wouldn't be having this much trouble. She may not be as fast as me, but at least she doesn't have as much trouble.* It seemed that Ukyo wasn't training like she should lately.
Ukyo looked up at him and threw a smile his direction, though a little strained. He gestured in kind. Looking forward, Ranma saw the school coming up rapidly.
He slowed down, to the relief of Ukyo, and began walking beside her.
Akane was waiting just inside the gates of the school for Ranma. Seeing him, she stepped forward to intercept him before he could enter the school. Upon seeing her, his smile fell off and was replaced by one of seeming indifference. His thoughts, however, were whirling tumultuously. Akane saw this and she looked down meekly.
"I'm sorry for what I said the other day, Ranma. It was-" She was cut off by Ukyo, who stepped between her and Ranma.
"I think you've said enough. Why don't you let it lie and leave Ranma alone? After what you did, you still have the nerve to talk to him? What, you want to kick him some more? Or maybe even send him into Low Earth Orbit?" She was ticked. After what Akane had done to Ranma, trying to corner him was inexcusable. It didn't matter whether or not she wanted to apologize. The time for apologies was past.
"I know that what I did was wrong. And that's why I'm trying to apologize. I-"
She was quieted by a rough shove from Ukyo. Stumbling backwards, she landed on her posterior. Ranma saw this and his ire began to rise. Even though they weren't engaged, he still felt the need to protect her from anybody.
Ukyo was standing over Akane, ready to continue the fight. An idea formed in Ranma's mind and he acted upon it.
"If you two want to fight, don't let me stop you. I'm tired of you all fighting over me, though. I don't have any fiancées anymore, so there's no reason for it as far as I can tell. But, by all means, act like alley c-cats and fight each other. It's all that's ever happened around here." Then, stiffly, he walked into the school. Ukyo and Akane just stared at his retreating back. Feeling the admonishment like a physical slap, Ukyo caught up with Ranma. She hung back a little, saying nothing.
Akane got up with the help of some of her friends. Brushing herself off, she went in the school. Class started soon after the students entered their classes. Only a few students deigned to comment on the incident. A few girls sent notes to Ranma, to his disgust, asking if he would like to go with them to a café. It was only an irritation at the moment, so he let it pass. Akane, on the other hand, was not appreciating the requests for her to go on a date with the guys.
After a while, though, the guys left Akane alone. She had begun to rip up the notes without looking at them. They took the hint.
The morning wore on, draining the students. School was always a chore. Only a few could manage to keep themselves even slightly interested in the subject matter. Eventually, though, the morning ended and lunch was the next subject of the day, to the delight of all those concerned.
By the time ten minutes had passed, Ranma had been approached seven separate times by some of the young ladies that attended school with him. They ranged from freshmen to seniors. The younger ones wanted to have a raise in status among their peers. The seniors, on the other hand, wanted to have Ranma. Sure, it would be a step up for some of them within their own circle of friends, but Ranma was a good catch for anybody. He would be a prize that could be paraded around school. Ranma, however, would have none of the hounding.
That's why he lost his cool on the eighth girl. She was only a junior. A couple of her friends had dared her, seeing if she had the guts to approach someone of Ranma's legendary status in school. He hadn't been able to find Ukyo, to his dismay, who might have staved off the barrage of girls that seemed to surround him.
"Ranma-sempai?" The girl's voice had a small tremble. Someone didn't just approach Ranma and ask him out without a little anxiety. "Could I have a moment, please? I-I mean is…would you consider going to, uh…" By this time, Ranma's blood was boiling. She saw the cold expression on his face. Backing up, she didn't get away in time.
There was a small explosion in the middle of the cafeteria.
"I'm sick and tired of you all thinking that I'm just some piece of meat! Can't you all understand that I'm not interested! Not a day goes by that I'm not hounded by somebody else! First one fiancée and then another. Then, when I don't have any, all the girls line up!" He wasn't looking at the terrified teenager. Instead, he was looking at his clenched fists. For some reason they fascinated him. All that power contained within could probably decimate the entire school grounds. And yet he couldn't control the social events that continued to tangle its web around him.
In a voice that froze those that surrounded him, he said, "First I get engaged to Akane. Fine. Then Kodachi wants me, then Shampoo, then Ukyo. I'm sick of it. Just plain sick of all the fiancées. Seems like a month doesn't go by when another shows up, trying to lay a claim on me. Well, no more. Anybody tries, then they've got another thing comin'." Looking up, he saw the faces of those surrounding him, which was practically the entire school.
"Everybody thinks I'm either some kind of pervert or womanizer. I didn't want the fiancées, but they just showed up. Now that I don't have any fiancées, I want to be left alone." Feeling that his point had been bashed into their heads, he walked out. A path was made for him instantly. He felt that he couldn't face the rest of the day at school. Getting his bag, he decided that the park would be a quiet place. Everybody was either at work or school. Nobody would be there to bother him.
He settled down in the shade of a tree, relaxing. The soft caress of the wind brought about a peaceful feeling within. Closing his eyes, he began his meditation. After a moment, he felt himself falling into the familiar lethargy.
**********
While Ranma had been getting harassed by the females, a couple of others were confronting each other in a hallway of the school.
Ukyo stood a few paces from Akane. Her stance wasn't friendly, yet it wasn't threatening, at the moment. Akane read this and assumed a relaxed stance. She was still prepared for an attack.
"I'd like to have a word with you, Tendo Akane. I offer a challenge to you. At five o'clock tomorrow on the exercise grounds. We will discuss what you did to Ranma at length. I don't appreciate what you did, so I plan to teach you a lesson you'll not forget for quite some time."
Akane felt a chill run down her spine. Ukyo had always been pretty nice to her before, even when she'd been a rival for Ranma's affections. Now, however, she seemed seriously ticked off. She couldn't blame her. *I'd be mad at me if my best friend had been hurt like I'd done to Ranma. Nothing to do but to accept.* "All right. I'll accept your challenge. But I want to make myself clear. I don't want you harassing me afterwards. This one fight and it's over. Not like it's been with everybody else in the past. Agreed?"
Ukyo took a moment to consider this. When she defeated Akane in battle, she wouldn't need to make her point any clearer. "Agreed. Remember. Tomorrow at five in the afternoon." Turning on her heel, she walked away.
Akane turned around to find several students staring at her. Undaunted, she went downstairs to the cafeteria. There was a slight commotion, which attracted her attention. It usually wouldn't have, but Ranma seemed to be the topic. She listened intently.
"Yep, he just got mad and started yelling," she heard someone saying. She focused on the voice.
"What for? Him and Akane get in another fight or something? Or did another fiancée show up?" It irked her that some people still thought that all she and Ranma ever did was argue. She granted the fool this one time to continue his existence so she could hear the rest of the story.
"Nah. It was just Haroko Mishi. She asked if he wanted to go out with her. A little bold, if you ask me. But she did, so I don't really blame Ranma for getting mad. What with him being asked several times already. C'mon, the guy just broke up with his fiancée of two years. You think he's gonna want to go out with somebody right after? I know I didn't want to go out with another girl after I broke up with my old girlfriend."
"Aw, you're joking. Right? Ranma's always looking for girls. Not so long ago he had four fiancées and had more show up every once in a while."
"Nope. I know for a fact that he likes Akane better than any of the others that he ever had. Think about it. He got rid of all the others and still kept Akane. How they broke up is still a mystery, but I think that he likes her still. It's always looked that they fight because he can't get a word in edgewise with Akane. Whenever he gets glomped by a girl, she takes it the wrong way. Usually it's not Ranma's fault." Akane got a glimpse of the student that had been talking on Ranma's behalf. There was something out of place about him, she sensed, but couldn't place it. What he was saying was striking true, by her reckoning. The truth still hurt, though.
"So he really said that he was sick of all the girls thinking he was some piece of meat, huh?"
"Un. I don't think any of the girls around here are going to ask him out anytime soon. At least for their sake, I hope not." He turned his head a little as he was talking. She saw that he had a small gold earring in the shape of a horn dangling from his left hear. Jewelry wasn't authorized while in the school uniform for boys. It appeared he was done talking to his friends. He stepped away from the other student he had been talking to. Seeing him round a corner, she decided to ask him a few questions.
This fellow seemed to have a pretty good insight about what Ranma felt. Maybe she could use the information from him to make up with Ranma. What he'd said so far would be invaluable. She probably couldn't get back with him, but she could at least make it so he didn't dislike her so much. Rounding the corner, she saw that the hallway was empty. She's only lost sight of him for a second, she knew.
Bewildered, she looked around to find no trace of the fellow. She was a little disturbed at this but decided that she had better get herself some lunch.
**********
Ranma felt refreshed after his meditation. It could be useful for many things. Calming down after a hair-raising battle, thinking disturbing problems through, and even paying attention in school. That last had been a shock to him. Who'd have thought that a simple mind exercise could keep him alert in class to pay attention to the teacher? It'd helped in the past several months as he'd tried to get his grades up.
A smile split his face. He'd made sure that all the others wouldn't know about how his grades had miraculously skyrocketed. That had been what prompted him to take the entrance exams for college. The test had been difficult, only because he'd increased his knowledge about what he'd studied thus far with the mental exercises. It hadn't been that he slacked. His problem had been the fact that he couldn't put forth the simple effort of paying attention to a boring lecture, as he saw it. He wasn't a genius, by far. It was that he didn't have the problem with school like before.
Even being out this afternoon like this wouldn't put him behind much in class. All that English was getting predictable by now. Math wasn't so hard, as long as one didn't get the equations crossed. Many other subjects had opened themselves to him as he'd tried different exercises to learn more.
Even now, as he reflected on it, it was similar to how he'd learned all the difficult martial arts attacks to date. He'd wanted to claim the find as his own, only to find that a lot of people had a measure of the same control. They may not be martial artists, but they had the mental discipline that could be used for studying.
It was still good to relax after having yelled at the poor girl. She hadn't deserved being humiliated in front of everybody, but he'd been feeling the pressure unbearably. An apology would be in order, but it would have to be in a way that wouldn't endanger him in getting a new fiancée or incurring the wrath of yet another female.
His danger senses suddenly kicked in. There was somebody approaching. The cadence of the feet on the grass sounded familiar, but he hadn't heard it in quite some time.
He opened his eyes. Standing not far away was Ryoga. He seemed to look a tad bit ticked, as usual. Ranma stood.
"What is it, P-chan?"
Ryoga visibly flinched at the insult. "I've come to ask what you did to Akane."
"What, not going to say 'Die Ranma' and attack as usual?" Ranma watched his foe's body language, trying to gauge whether or not a battle was to ensue. Seeing no eminent attack, he relaxed with his back against the tree.
"No. I've given it some thought and decided that you need at least this one chance to explain yourself. It seems to me that there's…I don't know. Akane kept saying how she hurt you. I found out that you weren't staying at the dojo anymore, so I thought something was wrong. So I decided to hear the story from you, too. Care to explain?" He'd left this morning, wondering if he could ever find Ranma. It was only luck that had brought him here after a few hours of roaming aimlessly.
Motioning for Ryoga to sit, Ranma gathered his thoughts. "Hmmm. Where to begin? Well, I guess that from the start will do." Ranma pulled a blade of grass up, shredding it with his fingernails. Staring at what his hands were doing but with a distant look, he said, "Here a few months ago I decided that I wanted to do more than just take over the dojo after I graduated high school. Never really gave it much thought before, considering I was always on a training trip or fighting with everybody. Then, after everything seemed to settle after the wedding attempt, I had time to think.
"I didn't want to let anybody catch on that I was going to take the entrance exams to go to college. My grades weren't the greatest, so I didn't want to see them disappointed in me when I failed. But that's the thing. I didn't fail, and I even got a decent score on the exam. Never really paid attention to school all that much, so I was worried the entire time. Then, when the scores came out, I'd made sure that nobody else would know. That was with the help of the school counselor, Mr. Ohibari.
"Well, one thing led to another and I got enrolled into a college. I looked at some of the schools and decided that they were too close to Nerima. It's nice here and all, but I need to get away from it this place for a while. Eventually, I found a college that would be great for me. It had the program that suited me if I took over the dojo, but it also had a lot of other things that I might enjoy. Only problem is, it was only a few minutes from the school Akane's going to go to."
Ryoga's eyebrows shot up at this. Ranma didn't want to go to school with Akane? After all they'd been through, it was unbelievable. Ranma saw this and smirked.
Continuing, "Yeah, well, I kinda know how you feel about being Akane's P-chan. After awhile I began to feel that she was only going to marry me so that I could get the water her father promised would cure me of my curse. But even that failed, as you know. I soon came to realize that she really didn't care about me. I didn't know how to deal with it, so I just started going out. I tried to get away from the dojo so I could study without any interruptions. There was one time where Akane followed me, so I just went to the park and practiced one of the katas I'd made recently. Usually, though, I'd just go to the library and study something. I made it look like I'd been out training or something when I came back. You know, get a little dirty, maybe even changing into my female form every once in a while. Nobody suspected me. That's part of the reason I passed the exam. I studied more than I'm used to."
"I got accepted to the college. But I decided not to tell anybody for a while. When I finally did, it was on prom night." A dark shadow crossed Ranma's face as he remembered the night. "Akane and I were at the prom and I asked her if she'd like to take a walk. Well, she said okay and so we went. When I started to tell her what I'd been doing, she got really mad. Something about me wanting to get some more girlfriends or some such."
Ryoga frowned. It sounded like Akane to jump to conclusions, but this seemed to be a bit much, even for her.
"She never let me say anything after I told her I was going to college. She wouldn't even listen when I told her that it was only half an hour away. Well, instead of her mallet, she just pushed me into the water. Kinda ruined the tux I was wearing. Mom isn't too happy about that. Akane ripped her dress when she pulled the corsage off of her dress and threw it at me. Then, when she was running away, she fell down and got all dirty." Ranma's voice dropped almost to a whisper. "She's clumsy, but I really wish she hadn't fallen as bad as she had. Then half of the mess I'm in wouldn't have happened."
This last remark perked Ryoga up. What was it that had made Ranma sound so bitter? "What do you mean by that?"
It prompted Ranma to say more. "When I got back to the dojo, well, things had gotten all out of proportion. Oyaji jumped to the conclusion that I'd-" The words choked off. It was still fresh in his memory of the rage that had consumed the old man. "He thought that I'd dishonored her, or at least tried."
Ryoga could only stare. Even he knew that Ranma wouldn't stoop to that level. After having chased him the past several years, it had finally beaten it into his head that Ranma would always be honorable. Something of that magnitude would have…There was no way, simply put. Ranma had always kept his secret from Akane, even though he'd hated it when he slept with his fiancée as a pig.
"From what I saw when I went to the dojo, there was a pretty big fight. What happened when he accused you," Ryoga asked. This whole situation just kept getting worse as Ranma told the story.
"Yeah, there was a bit of a fight. I beat up Oyaji and then went upstairs. He was unconscious when I left him. Well, when I got everything packed, since I wasn't engaged to Akane anymore and really didn't want to stay, Akane…attacked me. She blind-sided me as I was coming out of the room. When I was able to get up, she jumped me again. Well, after she was done and I'd stopped her, I left.
"I don't know how long I was wandering, but I eventually showed up at Dr. Tofu's clinic. He's letting me stay there for now. Don't know why, really, but it's pretty nice of him."
Ryoga was totally flabbergasted. There was no denying that Ranma was telling the truth, but it was still hard to swallow.
Ranma, meanwhile, had started staring off into space. This puzzled Ryoga to no end when he finally noticed. After a minute of this, Ryoga became alarmed. He knew what was going on, for he'd done it many times himself. The memories had taken over and would replay in the mind until some outside source would interfere or the memories would jolt them out of their reverie.
Deciding that it wasn't in Ranma's best interest to be doing this to himself, he reached into his backpack to get a canteen. With no remorse, he dumped the entire canteen on Ranma.
The reaction was as fast as lightning. Ranma-onna was sitting on a tree branch, looking like one of the wet cats that she abhorred. "Whatcha go and do that for? Lookin' for a fight?"
Ryoga smiled. It sounded good to spar. He stood, cracking his knuckles. Backing up a few paces, he stood ready for his opponent to attack.
Ranma-onna dropped to the ground. She became a blur, trying to confuse Ryoga. He was watching too intently to lose the redhead, though. Tracking Ranma-onna's movements, he launched an attack of his own before one could be landed. He missed, though.
Ranma-onna jumped back, landing on a rock. Poised with one leg up and hands looking like claws, she studied Ryoga. He just stood there in a ready stance. Deciding to use one of the attacks that she'd made up, she took off after Ryoga.
It was a credit to Ryoga's stamina that he was able to withstand the micro-bursts of ki that came from Ranma-onna's hands. One of them stung his fist, making it hard for him to use one of his knuckles effectively. Taking it in stride, he launched a kick at the darting form. He just couldn't keep up with her. As she neared him again, he yelled out "Shishi Houkodan!" A small crater gaped before him with no Ranma-onna in sight.
Ranma-onna crouched on a tree limb behind Ryoga, assessing the situation again. She hadn't been able to get past Ryoga's defenses like she'd wanted, but was pleased with some of the results.
Ryoga appeared to have burn marks all across his arms. He'd been blocking the majority of the ki blasts with them. Only a few had gotten past. Those few, however, had done some damage. One had landed on his solar plexus, knocking his breath out of him for a moment. It hadn't stopped him, but it had slowed him enough for two more to have landed on his chest. If it had been anybody else, they'd have been knocked off of their feet.
Ranma-onna decided to change tactics. With an evil grin, she flexed her fingers and made a fist, with only the index and middle fingers straightened. She became a blur again.
Ryoga threw a punch where he'd seen Ranma-onna. She grabbed his left wrist and sent one of her stiffened fingers at the base of his shoulder. Ryoga felt his arm go limp. Unnerved, he tried to grab Ranma-onna's hand, only to find that it wasn't there anymore. His arm was totally numb, which disturbed him. He was still tracking the smaller form. Darting in again, but lower, Ranma-onna landed a blow on Ryoga's right thigh.
To his consternation, Ryoga found himself kneeling. It was harder to follow Ranma-onna's movements this way.
One final blow sent him falling face-first into the ground. He never landed, as Ranma-onna caught him and leaned him against a tree.
"That was fun. We should try it again sometime." Her eyes sparkled as the feeling of triumph coursed through her veins. It was always good to win.
Ryoga, however, wasn't in the mood. He'd just lost to his rival…again. "You cheated." He sounded like a sulking child, even to his own ears, but he couldn't help it.
Ranma-onna threw back her head and laughed. She wished she could take a picture. Ryoga couldn't even move a muscle and was accusing her of cheating. Her mirth soon caught him up in it and he was laughing with her.
"Here, let me help you." Ranma-onna leaned forward and started poking various places on Ryoga's body. After a moment, Ryoga was able to move again. Flexing his arms, he sat up straighter.
"Where'd you learn to do that?" Ranma-onna had never used such tactics on him before.
"Oh, here and there," was the cryptic reply.
An idea came into Ryoga's head. "Didn't you say before that you're staying with Dr. Tofu?"
"Yup. Sure did." Her eyes twinkled. A grunt was her only response. "Hey, how about coming with me? I don't thing Dr. Tofu will mind if you camp out in his back yard for the night."
He thought about the offer. After the revelation of the recent events, he was leery of going back to the dojo. It wasn't that he was afraid of going back, but he wanted to have some time to sort his own feelings out. With Akane and Akari on his mind, he couldn't think straight half of the time. "Why not? Lead the way."
They both stood, Ryoga retrieving his backpack and umbrella. The two friends made their way to Dr. Tofu's clinic, so that Ranma-onna could change and Ryoga could have a place to stay for the night.
**********
Ranma woke up early the next morning to make breakfast for the three of them. He and Ryoga had been up late into the night, reminiscing. The smell of the food cooking woke the other two. Walking in with pleasant smiles, they sat down at the table to await the meal. In short order, the three of them were eating.
Not a single piece of food was left, even after the battle for food had ensued. Dr. Tofu had found out that Ranma had fought over the food with his father and had decided that it was a good way to keep one on one's toes. He'd started to fight Ranma for the food, to the young man's delight. This morning had resulted with three people fighting over the food, since Ryoga hadn't wanted to be left out of the fun.
Sitting back, the three looked at each other for a moment before bursting out into laughter.
Ranma's eyes caught the time on the clock and his face paled. Jumping up, he grabbed his bag and headed for the door.
"See you later, Ryoga. Gotta go. Bye," he threw over his shoulder.
"Later, Ranma," was the reply.
Dr. Tofu and Ryoga cleared the table of the dishes. "Where are you going from here, Ryoga," Dr. Tofu asked as they dried the dishes.
"Dunno yet. I'll know when I get there, though."
Dr. Tofu smiled. "Don't we all. Well, let me give you something for your travels before I forget." Shuffling through some cabinets, he eventually found what he was looking for. Handing over the camp stove, he said, "I saw the condition yours is in. I don't use this all that often, so I'd like you to have it." Ryoga started to protest, but they were waved away. "I insist. What you did for Ranma by showing up is payment enough. He's been moping around a lot the past few days. The remedy you brought by just from showing up has helped. He's going through a rough time, and I appreciate what you've done. Now, take this and don't complain."
Bowing his thanks, Ryoga took the proffered gift and put it in his backpack. "Thanks for letting me stay and for the meals." Dr. Tofu left to attend to his appointments.
Ryoga began working on a kata. He'd wait for Ranma to show back up from school. He'd been offered a place to stay for a couple of days before he'd take off. In the meantime, he'd work on his martial arts forms.
**********
Ranma barely made it to class on time. Akane raised her eyebrow at his near tardiness and the smile that was plastered on his face. Keeping her questions to herself, she turned her attention to the teacher.
Ranma was enjoying himself immensely. Last night had been a release. It wasn't often that he was able to sit down and talk, just for the sake of it. Most of the time he'd talked to Ukyo, but that had been hindered by the fact that she was female. After he'd found out, he'd had a little trouble talking about guy-stuff. With Ryoga, though, it was easy.
Turning his attention to the teacher, he almost missed the whispered conversations around him.
Several students were discussing the eminent fight this afternoon. Ranma picked up on the fact, trying to glean more information from his surroundings. When one mentioned who was going to fight, he almost jumped out of his seat. *Maybe I should let them? Nah.*
With a grin, a plan began forming in his head.
The day ended and Ranma made his way back to Dr. Tofu's. Flying through the door, he found Ryoga in the back yard. He appeared to be reading from a scroll. Skidding to a halt in front of Ryoga, he began talking animatedly. "Hey, I need your help with something real fast. The girls are going to do something stupid and we've gotta stop 'em."
Ryoga looked up from the scroll. "What do you mean, stupid?"
"Oh, Ukyo challenged Akane and she accepted. They're going to fight at five o'clock. We gotta stop them before there's too much bad blood between them. They get along too well to be fighting like this. Besides, I don't want either of them hurt. So, you gonna help or not?"
Ryoga stored the scroll, hopping to his feet. "Lead the way."
Ranma smiled his thanks and leaped to the roof. Ryoga followed. They made their way across the rooftops. In short order, they were at the appointed place that Ukyo had designated. A crowd was forming and the two would-be party crashers tried to blend in.
Both girls entered the area simultaneously. Akane looked around. A large crowd had arrived to see them fight. She could only hope that she could put up a good enough fight. Her own martial arts were good, but it had been a while since she'd fought against Ukyo.
Ukyo, on the other hand, was looking forward to this moment. She was still ticked at how Akane had treated her Ranchan. Nobody, not even his favorite ex-fiancée, would do that and get away with it.
Akane was the first to speak. "Remember, after this, there's no more challenges. One fight and that's it. Agreed?"
Ukyo let out a puff of breath. "Yeah, sure. Let's get on with it already." Unslinging her battle spatula, she got herself ready.
Akane readied herself. She'd changed into her gi. Expecting the worst was always best.
Ranma was watching for the right time to make his move. "Just stay here for the moment, Ryoga. I'll have this settled in a sec." As soon as the girls were about to leap at each other, he became a blur.
They never saw him coming. Both were poised on the balls of their feet, ready to leap at each other. Only a blur, which they ignored, was seen to surround them. They felt a few pokes on various parts of their body. Their muscles stiffened. To their amazement, they were unable to move.
As soon as his handiwork had taken effect, Ranma had stopped in the middle of the two combatants. The only part of their body that could move were their heads. They swiveled to glare at the grinning Ranma.
"What did you do to us, Ranma," Akane growled a question.
"Stay out of this, Ranma. She deserves to get beaten, especially after what she did to you," was Ukyo's response.
"Nope. I don't want either of you fighting. It's stupid." Taking on a sarcastic tone, he said, "Girls shouldn't fight." Turning, he motioned for Ryoga to come over and he joined them soon after.
"Ryoga, stop Ranma from doing this. Make him release us."
Ryoga had other ideas, however. "Nope. I tend to agree with Ranma this time. The two of you shouldn't be fighting."
The two girls stared at Ranma incredulously. Ryoga was agreeing with Ranma? It was unheard of.
"Hey, Ryoga, why don't you take Akane home? I'll take Ukyo. Akane can give you directions while you carry her, that way the two of you won't get lost." Ranma walked over to Ukyo. Taking her battle spatula out of her tight grip, he placed it in the sheath on her back. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Ryoga place Akane on his back in a piggy-back style. Ranma did the same.
The crowd, by this time, had realized that there wasn't going to be a fight, to their displeasure. The students dispersed, leaving the four alone.
With Ukyo on his back, Ranma turned to Ryoga. "Thanks for the help. I'll be over after I drop Ukyo off and pick you up. 'Kay?"
Ryoga nodded and headed out, with the help of Akane. She was embarrassed by the situation. It was nice of Ranma to help, but it had been her fight. Ryoga had even agreed with him, when he'd usually disagree and start a fight for some obscure reason. Giving Ryoga the directions over his shoulder, the two made it to the dojo. He took her into the living room, placing her on the couch.
Kasumi came in with a soft, "Oh my." Turning back to the kitchen, she went to make some tea.
"Thanks for the ride, Ryoga."
Ryoga blushed, unable to respond.
Akane felt some of her limbs start to function. "You know, I didn't think that Dr. Tofu would teach Ranma all of the shiatsu points. I wish he hadn't interfered, though."
This last remark brought Ryoga out of his stupor. "You're wrong. He cares about the two of you too much to see you get hurt. It's a stupid reason to fight, anyway."
Akane was taken aback by his vehemence. He'd never really disagreed with her, as she recalled. Now he was outright telling her that she was being stupid. She began ruminating on how things were going against her lately. First, she'd treated Ranma badly. Second, Ukyo wanted to make her into an imprint in the ground. Now, Ryoga was giving her a lecture. It was something to think deeply about.
That didn't change the fact that he'd helped Ranma stop the fight. While he was looking away, her mallet appeared in her hands. With a practiced swing, she smashed Ryoga onto the floor. He just groaned, trying to get up. She whacked him again for good measure, making sure that her displeasure was evident. "I'd suggest you don't do anything like that again." With a disdainful sniff, she sat back down on the couch. Ryoga regained his feet, only a little unsteady.
Kasumi came in, just in time, with the tea to break the uneasy mood with her sunny smile. The two youths took the proffered tea.
"Is there anything the matter," she asked.
"Not anymore there isn't," Akane replied after a sip.
"Oh, that's good. Well, it's nice of you to stop by, Ryoga."
"Eeto…Arigato," he said. Finishing off his tea, he decided it was time to go outside to wait for Ranma.
**********
Ranma jumped from one rooftop to another. In the meantime, Ukyo was giving him an earful about how she felt. "Your interference is inexcusable. I don't care what your reasons are. That was a fight between Akane and me."
He let the words slip off of him like oil on water. As far as he was concerned, he'd had all the say in it. What Ukyo wanted didn't matter right now, anyway. There was nothing she could do at the moment to stop him.
They finally arrived at Ucchan's. He flitted into the restaurant and placed Ukyo in one of the booths. Konatsu saw the predicament that Ukyo was in and came over.
"Is there anything wrong, Ranma?"
"Nah. I just had to stop a fight and Ukyo got in the way."
Konatsu raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And who were you fighting this time, Ranma?"
"It wasn't me who was fighting. I just stopped one. It was between Ukyo and Akane."
"Ah." Konatsu looked over at Ukyo with a withering look. She had the temerity to look embarrassed. It was obvious that Ranma had things under control, so he went back to work.
"Ranma," Ukyo called. "Could you take my bandoleer off for me, please? It's digging into my back and I can't move." Her expression looked a bit pained.
With a smile, Ranma let Ukyo fall forward unceremoniously so he could administer a remedy for her condition. She was able to move after a moment, shifting her position on her previously uncomfortable seat.
"Arigato."
Konatsu brought a couple of sodas for the two of them. While Ukyo was sipping on hers, Ranma spoke up. "I know you don't appreciate me butting in, but I felt that I had to. I don't want it to be like it was where everybody was fighting over something stupid." It looked like Ukyo was going to say something, but Ranma raised his hand to stop her.
"Why you were going to fight Akane isn't good enough for me. We aren't fiancées anymore, so there's no reason to get into fights for any reason. I'm not an object for you all to fight over. I'm a guy, a living person. I can fight for myself, too. I don't need anybody to do it for me." He gave her a piercing look. Feeling that his message had been received, he stood.
"I'd better go get Ryoga before he thinks I abandoned him. Take it easy. See you in the morning."
Ukyo muttered a weak, "Ja mata." Ranma turned away to leave.
He never had a chance as the gargantuan spatula landed on his head. It flattened him like an okonomiyaki. He twitched. "Ranchan, if you ever interfere with one of my challenges, you're really going to regret it. Just don't let it ever happen again." A few swings later, she decided that enough was enough. Scooping him up, Ukyo proceeded to use him for batting practice. Taking aim, she sent him in the direction of the dojo.
Ranma showed up only minutes after Ryoga had exited the dojo. He was leaning against the wall, waiting for his guide to arrive. Ranma pulled himself out of the hole in the ground a few feet from Ryoga. Taking a look at his companion, Ranma saw a couple of bruises sprouting on the Lost Boy's head.
"That didn't turn out too badly, if I do say so myself," he said in mock bravado. "C'mon. Let's go back to Dr. Tofu's and get something to eat. I'm starved." Then both were off.
The remainder of the night was uneventful. Ryoga left in the morning and was lost after turning the first few corners.
Ranma sought out the girl he'd yelled at the next day.
It was during lunch when he caught up with her. She was sitting with some of her friends. They fell quiet one by one as they noticed who was standing not too far away. "Fubuki, right?"
She looked up at him timidly. "H-hai."
"Look, about yesterday. Eeto…I've come to say I'm sorry about yelling at you. There was no call for it. I guess I got a little too mad and took it out on you."
Her relief washed over him like a tidal wave, as she realized she wasn't going to be the brunt of yet another outburst. "Iie. I should apologize. It was insensitive of me to ask you right after you broke up with Akane. You had every right to yell at me like you did."
Ranma couldn't understand it. Here he was, trying to apologize, and she was saying how she was sorry. *Women.* "Well, I feel like I owe you one for my behavior. So, ah, would you like to go get something to eat after school?" He was treading on dangerous ground, he knew, but it couldn't be helped. He needed to satisfy his own sense of honor. He'd wronged her, so there needed to be some way so that he could feel better about himself. A little selfish, sure, but he wouldn't be able to live with himself otherwise.
Fubuki's friends began talking among themselves. He couldn't quite catch what they were saying, but it was bringing a bright blush to young woman's face that he was talking to.
"Mmmm. Sure. I'd like that."
"Great. We'll meet after school. See ya later."
After he left, the girls exploded with suggestions for Fubuki on her date.
The final bell rang and the students rushed home. Ranma was waiting for Fubuki at the gate. She detached herself from the group of giggling friends. He thrust his hand in his pocket, holding his bag on his shoulder with the other.
Fubuki, with the feeling like she was leaping into a fire, clasped a hand at Ranma's elbow, making it look like he was escorting her. She didn't know how he would take it, only praying he wouldn't go ballistic again. She missed him tighten his jaw at this simple gesture.
He knew exactly what she was doing. It wasn't that he was a total social incompetent. Some things he did know. Her illusions would be ended shortly. He'd anticipated this sort of action and had made preparations. He would make sure that there would be no doubt left in her mind after tonight.
He lead her to Ucchan's. The idea had struck him as genius when he'd thought of it. The perfect place for him to enjoy a meal. And, if he felt himself losing control of the evening, he had Ukyo to back him up and pull his proverbial fat out of the fire.
Taking a booth, the couple sat down. Konatsu came over, took their order, and left. He brought their drinks to them. He'd been briefed by Ukyo what was transpiring, so it wasn't a surprise for Ranma to be in the restaurant with a strange girl.
Their food came shortly thereafter.
When they were finished, they began chatting about school, as it was the only thing that they seemed to have in common.
Ranma's hands were clasped in front of him, lying on the table. Fubuki was gesturing expansively as she told him about one of the things a friend of hers had done. She innocently brushed his hand with one of hers. Thinking nothing of it, he let it pass.
She stopped gesturing, but still talking animatedly. Her hand seemed to creep, of its own volition, towards his. A finger started drawing circles on the back of one of his hands.
Ranma began to sweat. She wasn't playing fair. It appeared she wanted to make tonight go further than he had intended.
Making it look like he needed to scratch an itch on his neck, he moved his hands away from hers. Her smile drooped for a fraction of a second. His other hand slid to the edge of the table. Drumming his fingers on the outside edge of the table, he used the prearranged signal that he needed help from Ukyo.
She saw this and pulled Konatsu over to cook. Taking her apron off, she headed over to the booth where her friend was sitting.
"Hey, Ranma, why don't you scoot over so I can sit? It's slowed down, so I can take a break for a minute." Fubuki looked around. It didn't appear that such was the case.
"Sure." He moved over to the inside. Ukyo now sat across from Fubuki.
"Who's your friend, Ranma? I don't recognize her. Not another fiancée, is she?"
"Ukyo, meet Fubuki. Fubuki, meet Ukyo. Fubuki's the girl that I yelled at yesterday. I thought it would be a nice way of an apology if I took her out. Nothing more." Fubuki's heart sank.
"Oh, how nice. Glad you picked my place to do it at. Such a gentleman." She looked around. "Well, I guess I'd better get back to work. Nice meeting you, Fubuki."
*Whew! Maybe now Fubuki won't try anything else.* Ranma finally relaxed. Rehearsing their lines in class had made it easier for this exchange.
Fubuki saw no reason to stay at Ucchan's. Several minutes later, Ranma was escorting her home. As they stopped at the door, she turned to him.
"I was being stupid again, wasn't I," she asked, looking him in the eye.
Ranma blushed at her directness. "Well, I wouldn't say it that way. But I think you get the point that I'm not interested in anybody right now."
"You made it quite obvious. Baka," she berated herself. "Well, thanks for the dinner. It was still nice of you. Even if we don't go out again, I'll be pretty popular with my friends. Thanks. You don't know exactly what you've done for me. Good night."
She took her leave of him, slipping into the house. Ranma touched his chin where she'd kissed him. Shaking his head, he left.
**********
A mountain range somewhere in China.
"Ah, Shampoo, the leaves are almost ready to be harvested. Soon you will have Ranma as your husband," Cologne said in Mandarin.
She was looking at a small herb growing at the shore of a small pond. They'd journeyed here over a month ago, the traveling hard on the old woman. Finding this secluded valley had been difficult, as it was one of the most inaccessible areas. But it was also one of the most fertile in the world, with an abundance of the magical life force flowing through it.
With the spring feeding the herb with the magic, the herb would be imbued with enough power to eradicate the will of the one who imbibed the tea that would be made from the leaves. The herb was strong in its own right, but with the power it was being fed, it would surely work beyond belief.
*This will teach Ranma not to snub the laws of the Amazons.* It irked her how Ranma had scorned the elderly matron on their last meeting. It hadn't been a pretty sight, as she remembered it.
The scene had been a week after the failed wedding attempt. Shampoo had been told that she was not to go near the dojo ever again by Tendo Soun. She had complied, grudgingly. That didn't stop her from trying to see her fiancée. When the boy had gone to school, she'd be waiting to press her suite upon him.
He had begun to have a sixth sense, it seemed, where Shampoo would show up. Just as she was coming down to glomp him, he'd jump out of the way. It had irritated the girl to no end. She'd expressed her feelings when she returned to the restaurant. His attitude seemed to be one of extreme irritation.
The final straw was when Shampoo had taken a special ramen lunch to Ranma while he was at school.
She stopped her bike centimeters from Ranma. Perfectly balanced in one hand were two boxes holding ramen. Akane was standing nearby, slowly getting angry. Or, perhaps, not too slowly. She didn't do anything at the moment, though.
Jumping off of the bike, Shampoo held out one of the boxes to Ranma. "Shampoo brought husband lunch for today. Should try some. Husband like."
Ranma looked at the proffered food. "Just ate, Shampoo." He really didn't want to deal with this today.
His stomach, however, had other ideas and growled its displeasure at the obvious lie.
"Oh. Husband always hungry for ramen, no? Here, try some." She lifted the top, handing him some chopsticks.
"Eeto…Why don't you have some first?" Shampoo smiled and opened the other box, taking some for herself. She chewed, delighted at the taste. "That's not what I meant," he said, his voice firming.
Shampoo began to sweat.
Ranma waited, tapping his foot.
With great trepidation, Shampoo reached into the box she'd proffered to Ranma and took some ramen out. Slowly, she inched it to her mouth.
With a muffled cry, she dropped the ramen back into the box, rather than eat it. "Shampoo no eat. Is for husband. Specially made it for him."
Ranma's suspicions had been confirmed. He started to turn. An idea came to mind.
Turning back, he said, "Be expecting me tonight. Your great grandmother and I have a lot to talk about."
Dread filled Shampoo. The way he'd said it meant that there was going to be trouble, most assuredly. Getting back onto her bike, she wheeled out of the area at top speed to deliver her message. She dumped the ramen into the trash when she arrived at the restaurant, fleeing to her room. Cologne followed after her.
"What is it, Shampoo," she asked as she entered. Shampoo was sitting on her bed, staring out the window. She looked troubled.
"Husband say he come tonight. He say that the two of you will talk. H…He no want to eat Shampoo's ramen." It was obvious that Shampoo was upset about it. "He tell Shampoo to eat ramen before he eat it. But Shampoo no can eat."
She'd cooked it with another of Cologne's concoctions. That's why she'd had a problem even considering eating the ramen. It was supposed to leave Ranma open to suggestion. With this, Shampoo would be able to lure Ranma back to the restaurant so he could marry the young Amazon.
"Is that all?" A jerky nod was her answer. She left the girl alone.
Ranma did show as he'd said. Cologne was waiting for him, having closed early so they wouldn't be disturbed. He walked in, looking around. Only Cologne and Shampoo were present. Mousse was nowhere to be found. He took a seat across from the women at a booth.
He was the first to initiate the conversation, shattering the silence like crystal.
"We have a few things to settle. Shampoo has no claim to me anymore. After what she did at the wedding, there is no way we can go on like this." Cologne just sat there, letting him finish with his speech. "Therefore, I've decided that the only engagement that is valid is the one with Akane." He was beginning to feel the pressure of the silence, as she intended. He faltered.
Looking between the two sitting across from him, he fell silent. The silence seemed to stretch for eternity.
Finally, she decided it was time to speak. "Son-in-law, the laws of the Amazons supersede any and all other laws. The engagement to the Tendo girl was nullified as soon as you defeated Shampoo. There is no way you can get out of it. None."
He scowled at this pronouncement. "The Amazon laws are as dried up as you, you old ghoul," he retorted. "There's no way in hell that I'm going to go back to China as Shampoo's husband."
"Oh, you will go, Son-in-law. You will go. There is no way in getting around it. When you became engaged to Shampoo, there was no turning back for you. Any man that is not from the Amazon tribe and defeats an Amazon, is instantly subject to each and every law of the tribe. I've given you a lot of leeway. It seems that I may have been mistaken to allow this farce to continue to this point."
"As I said, I'm not going to China with you."
"Yes, Son-in-law, you will."
"Over my dead body."
"We can arrange that."
This stopped him cold in his tracks.
It was unknown exactly what the Amazons were capable of. Their laws dated back centuries. Only in the past hundred years had capital punishment slowly become more lenient in the outside world. But still, he had to try.
"Well, that'll be the only way you'll get me to China. And even that will be hard for you to do. I don't care about the Amazon laws. We're in Japan and the laws here are what matter. My engagement to the Tendo family was made before I was born, so my honor demands that I fulfill that obligation. All other claims are null and void. After the stunt a week ago, there's no way anybody will have me."
He started to walk out.
"We have yet to see about that, Ranma. Give me time and I'll bring you around." Her voice chilled him to the bone. She saw him try to suppress a shudder.
He was gone.
"Great grandmother, what we do now?"
She thought about the question. It was a valid one. Her eyes wandered about. Spying the trash can, the glimmer of an idea began. "There is something that may bring Ranma around to our way of thinking. It will be hard to accomplish. But, with a little effort, everything should go as planned."
Two weeks later, the Nekohanten had been sold.
It had taken them some time to convince the tribal elders to agree to the plan. They saw that this was yet another delay in the acquisition of Ranma. Cologne explained to them, using her immeasurable influence and the support of her political allies, to allow her to use one of the special seeds that was the treasure of the tribe. Obtaining the seed was easy.
How she wanted to grow it was the hard part.
In order for her to have the seed grow within a short time, she needed to plant it in a special place. That was to be one of the few valleys that harbored the unadulterated soil and water of the earth. The only reason these were so powerful was because of the societies that protected them from outside influences. The past several centuries had marked the loss of some of the best areas. Not one human foot was allowed to enter without a great need.
What Cologne proposed was for her and Shampoo to journey to one and live there for a time so she could grow one of the seeds. Their presence would likely disturb the balance of the ecosystem that had been preserved for millennium.
It took three weeks to get them finally agree with her. They'd insisted that she take certain charms so that she wouldn't have a resounding negative effect. Also, as a requirement, they were to live on the outskirts, trekking into the area to tend to the plant and then exiting the same way, as to alleviate the disturbance.
Now, after a month and a half, it was nearly ready.
Shampoo came up beside the aged woman. Silently, she knelt down and added more compost to the soil surrounding the sprout. It stood almost a foot tall. The upper leaves were still a bright green, whereas the lower ones were almost ready to be harvested.
Cologne had to restrain herself forcefully to keep from taking what was ready and heading back to Japan. No, she could use all she could get. Plus, the seed that would be given by the single bud would have to be returned to the tribe.
Each plant produced only one seed, so it was necessary to wait for it. But that would happen soon, as the special magic of the valley would speed its germination.
*Soon. Yes, very soon.* Her cackle could be heard for miles around. And she didn't care.
**********
The next two weeks were hectic for the students. As the school year ended, so did the day that the finals came closer. Many were sure that large patches of hair were missing from their heads as they seemed to pull it out in their frustration. The stress mounted.
Ranma seemed to be one of the few that were calm. Not letting the pressure get to him, he studied at Dr. Tofu's and with Ukyo. With Dr. Tofu's help, his science and math classes were understood. Ukyo seemed to help with a couple of others. To her surprise, he seemed to help with her English and history. She commented on this one night.
"When did you get better grammar? You never speak proper Japanese. And your English always stank. No offense intended, but it is true." This seemingly sudden change baffled her.
"Well, it's like this. A short time after the failed wedding," Ukyo looked down self-consciously, "I found a way for me to study better. People think I'm stupid since I don't talk right. Nobody ever noticed I started speaking correctly about a month ago. It's no surprise. Oyaji never thought a school education was necessary. The Art was the only thing he cared about. As well as his stomach."
Ukyo sat back. It was obvious he was going to take a while to explain this.
"After I started getting better with my Japanese, the English seemed to open up for me, too. That's when I decided to start going to the public library to study. I made sure nobody knew about it. I'd show up at your place for some okonomiyaki so nobody would get suspicious and then head to the library. I also visited some of my other haunts. My other subjects seemed easier, too, so I started working on them.
"Realizing that there's more to running a dojo than teaching, by Nabiki's example, I decided that it'd be nice to get a better education. Going to the library paid off. When I took the exam, I passed it better than I'd expected. Seems to me that nobody expected me to have a brain. All they saw was the brawn, as I was constantly fighting until a few months ago. I love the Art, but I feel humiliated when people think I'm stupid. How am I going to talk to one of my student's parents like I'm some numskull?
"So I decided to make a change. When I can manage the finances for a dojo I'll be able to keep myself afloat. Besides, nowadays, people want to take classes from someone who has a degree. If I get a Physical Education degree, I may be able to pull in more students." He smiled. That explanation satisfied him.
"Wow. You really thought about this, didn't you?" She was one of the guilty ones who'd thought his mental faculties were not up to par with his martial arts skills.
"Yeah. I kept it secret so I wouldn't embarrass myself when I goofed up, which I did a few times. I can even give Kuno a run for his money when it comes to Shakespeare. He's a weird guy, but his plays are cool. I especially liked Taming of the Shrew. I probably should have read that one a long time ago. It'd probably have helped with Akane. But it's too late now." His voice dropped into a dark chasm.
Trying to bring him back, she said, "You really went through that gaijin's plays? After your run-in with Romeo and Juliet, I'd have thought you'd keep away from that kind of stuff."
"Mmmm. I wanted to know what people saw in what he'd written. It was hard to understand the first few. But, after a while, I began to pick up on what he was saying. You should check some out. Some of the other gaijin authors are pretty good, too. I read more in the past few months than I've ever read in my life. Kinda fun, actually. It's nice to sit back with a book and let the images form in your head as you're reading, living them yourself."
This blew Ukyo's mind away. Ranma seemed to have matured recently. First, he studies and gets better at his school work. Then he is able to make it so he doesn't get another suitor. The plan he'd made for that Fubuki girl was brilliant.
The revelation made her look at Ranma in a different light. Here was a young man who had come to realize that life didn't revolve just around the Art. There were other pursuits in the world. Sure, he'd probably be one of the best martial artists in the world, but he would be one of the best educated, too. She envied him his drive for bettering himself.
"But that doesn't really explain how you learned so fast."
"Let me start on how I'd learned my technique first." He preened at the attention and the chance to show his stuff. "Akane and I'd just gotten into one of our fights. Well, one thing led to another and I got malleted. I wasn't in a good mood at the time, so I decided to do a kata I was learning to cool my blood. When I calmed down, I remembered I had a test coming up in a couple of days. I really needed to get a good grade on this one, so that meant I needed to study a little more.
"Now, when I learn a new kata, I open my mind and let myself go, absorbing my surroundings and recording the experiences as I learn it. I was still in this state of mind when I started to study. By the end of my studying, I realized I'd picked up more than I'd ever had before. The next day came and I tried using it during class. And it worked. That's when I started to explore the possibilities. Seems to have worked out so far." His smile was a little more smug this time.
"Another question. When did you start learning how to deal with girls? Before, you'd have bungled what you did with Fubuki and have had another fiancée or another enemy."
"Oh. That. I didn't learn anything. I just read of a similar situation. I needed to apologize to her. But, at the same time, I didn't need another problem on my hands. That's when I thought of using your place to keep her under control. She was getting out of control, so I called you over. When she had another female there, she started to behave herself. It was easy. I learned from the time I went after Shampoo when she had that pin that I was only causing more problems for myself.
"If I'd left Shampoo alone, she'd probably have gone back to China. But stupid ol' me just couldn't let someone say they didn't like me, especially after they'd been telling me a few moments before of their undying love. Boy, I was stupid." Ukyo could only agree.
He looked up at the clock. "I guess it's time for me to go. Gotta get up early so I can practice with Dr. Tofu. He wanted to show me some more stuff and I agreed, so I need to get my rest." Putting his books in his bag, he headed for the door. "Thanks, Uk-chan. You've always been a good friend. You've lent me your ears more times than I can remember. I envy the guy who gets you." Saying this, he left.
Quietly to herself in a bitter voice, she said, "Yeah. If I ever catch someone. Coulda had you, but you said I was your best friend and couldn't feel romantic towards me. 'Sure, you're cute, Uk-chan, but every once in a while I catch myself thinking of you as a guy.' Still doesn't stop hurting, Ranma." It rankled, but there was nothing she could do about it.
Her thoughts roamed back to the day he'd said those words.
It had been a clear night. The stars were unusually bright, even with the glare from Tokyo. A shooting star made a track across the peaceful night.
Ukyo was watching the Tendo dojo intently. Her patience paid off as she saw Ranma leap to the roof. Stealthily, she dropped to the ground and entered the compound. Making sure that nobody had seen her, she leapt to the roof.
Ranma stiffened, forcibly relaxing himself when he realized who was standing behind him. The silence lengthened. She stepped forward hesitantly.
"It's been three days, Ranma. Why haven't you called or anything?" Her voice held a hint of a quaver.
He stood, slowly turning. The moon stood behind him, casting his face in shadow. His head was bowed. The place where his eyes would be looked like the hollow sockets of a skull.
The voice he uttered his words with sounded like the small keening wail of the lost souls that wandered the ethereal plane. "Why, Ukyo?" She fell back a step. He always called her Uk-chan. "You didn't have to ruin it. So why?"
She was at a loss. The solid reasons she had come bursting into the dojo to wreck the wedding seemed to flee her.
"If I'd have wanted you to stop the wedding, I'd have asked you, you know. But I didn't."
Her heart was being torn out of her chest. Hurting her Ranchan had been the last thing she'd intended. Yet it seemed to be what she'd done. She stood rooted where she stood as his next words rocked her world.
"It's all over, Ukyo. All the engagements. No more fiancées. I'm fed up with everything. The only one I'm going to honor will be to the Tendos. It's the oldest and the only one that was made honorably. Sorry 'bout this, but it's gotta be done. I didn't ask for any of the fiancées I've got now, but I have to decide now. Either that or commit seppuku," he said bitterly.
"No," she cried in anguish. Having Ranma kill himself would solve nothing. She would rather lose him to someone else than lose him to the dark underworld where she couldn't see him ever again.
It appeared, though, that he wasn't ready to face such an act, either.
"Don't worry. I'm not gonna kill myself. It would solve a few problems, but it would only make more in the long run for everybody else. And I'm tired of hurting people. Just so tired." He sank to his knees. "I made a lot of mistakes in the past two years. The one I made with you is one of the ones I feel most ashamed about. Sure, you're cute, Uk-chan, but every once in a while I catch myself thinking of you as a guy. That's why I think of you as my best friend. I just can't bring myself to feel anything…romantic towards you. I really screwed up by leading you on. Sorry."
Anguish turned to a simmering anger. "What about my honor? You and your father stole my father's yatai. You took my wedding dowry and left me behind. What am I supposed to do? Who'd wanna marry me? I spent years acting like a boy so I could get my revenge on you and your father. How am I going to get the honor back that my family has lost?"
He looked up at her. She'd taken a step forward. "Lotsa people would like to be with you. There's Konatsu, for one. He'd give his left arm if he thought it would help."
She made a sound of disgust in her throat.
"Well, if not him, there's always other guys who would. Look, you're only seventeen. You've got your whole life ahead of you. Don't waste it on me anymore. The Kami knows you wasted enough on me so far." Standing back up, he took her hands in his. "I'm sorry about your family's honor. It wasn't my doing. If you have anybody to blame, it's Oyaji. We were both six at the time, so we didn't know what we really wanted at the time. I was given a choice I didn't even know about. There's not much I can do for you now but say I'm sorry."
She was defeated. It had been a long time in realizing it, but she was finally being released. Resigned, she said, "I know. Thanks for being honest with me, Ranma. But I gotta know. If you hadn't been engaged to Akane, would I have had a chance?"
His teeth gleamed brightly in the night as he smiled. "More'n likely."
"Ah, well. Such is life, I guess. Better be goin' now." She didn't want to start crying in front of him. She knew how weak he was when it came to girls crying. Giving him a quick hug, she vaulted away. Tears trailed behind her as she rushed home.
She'd known how he felt about her, but it hadn't helped with the blow. There'd always been a glimmer of hope while she'd been 'engaged' to him. Now, though, all of her dreams and hopes were shattered.
Standing in front of her shop, she dried her tears. Squaring her shoulders, she entered. Nobody would say that Kounji Ukyo was weak. She would face the world and throw their own words back into their teeth if they so much as said a deprecating word. It would take a while to get the honor back for her family, but she would. Even if she had to skin that creep, Saotome Genma.
Ukyo's finally came back to the present. *Too many have taken Ranma for granted. He's such a nice guy that they tend to forget that they're stepping all over him.* His happiness was all that mattered. Now that he was free, he could choose his own path in the world. It was for the best. And she would be there for him if he needed her. She was sure that he would…and she would be ready.
Putting her books away, she went to bed.
**********
The day of the of the test came. Ranma and Akane sat in their seats, both feeling confident about what was to happen. Ranma because he had studied better than he ever had before. Akane because she was used to doing so well in school. This was the last for high school. It would be a bookmark in their lives, something they could look back on and laugh about when reminiscing.
The sensei passed the tests out. He looked at Ranma with some trepidation. Granted, he'd improved in the class, but this was one of the hardest tests of the year. Could he hold up? They'd see by the end of the day.
The clock started.
Turning his paper over, Ranma started on the questions in front of him. The first portion was easy. As he continued further, his momentum slowed as they became progressively harder. The college entrance exam had been harder, but this was something he wanted to excel at. That meant that he needed to take his time.
Time passed and he neared the end of the test. Looking at the clock, he smiled. Plenty of time.
The time ran out and the papers were collected. They were given a break in between tests. The other students began chattering among themselves. Ranma became engrossed in watching the birds flying about outside.
Akane watched him covertly. Now seemed the best time for her to make her move. She'd been pondering how to confront him for the past couple of days. Standing up, she walked over to his desk.
"Ranma," she started. He turned to her, expressionless.
"Hmmm?"
She looked around. A few of their fellow students were watching intently. "Um, could I have a moment with you? I…I have something to tell you."
His eyebrows started to draw together to form a scowl.
"Please? Just a minute of your time. I promise I won't hit you or anything."
He relented and followed her out into the hall.
She couldn't look him in the eye. Instead, she was looking at the toes of her shoes. "I've been trying to, um, apologize since…since that night. What I did wasn't called for. I spoke to your mother the next day and I promised I'd say I was sorry. There was no reason for me to act the way I did."
Ranma shifted, causing her to look up. Still not saying anything, he stood there, waiting for her to continue.
"If you hate me, I'll understand. E-especially after what I did to you at the dojo. I don't know what came over me, but I shouldn't have done it." Her voice caught in her throat and she couldn't continue. She began looking at her feet again.
She heard Ranma shifting. His rough hand came into view, cupping her chin. It gently pulled her gaze back up so she was looking in his eyes.
"Forgiven," he said. "We've been fighting for too long now. We can probably find what we want now that we're not engaged." He'd wanted to hear those words from her for so long now. And he'd wanted to utter his forgiveness to her. It was just that he couldn't approach her until she was ready. A weight was lifted off of his shoulders. Hers as well, he saw. "Maybe we'll see each other while we're at college. But I think it's about time we got back to class for the next test."
Thus, he went back inside, followed closely by Akane. He doubted he'd see her while they attended college, though. It would probably be for the best.
The remainder of the day passed with only minor stress for the two. With lightened hearts, they did well on the tests. When Ranma was taking the English test, which was the last, he pulled all the knowledge he'd acquired out of his sleeve and used it for the essay he was required to write.
Finishing with a flourish, he handed the test to Hinako-sensei. He was the first in the class to be done and walked out with a smile plastered to his face.
Hinako-sensei, thinking this would be an easy test to grade, found a three-page essay staring back at her. It explained in detail why Ranma loved to practice the Art. And everything seemed to be in proper English. There were several mistakes, granted, but it was better than he'd done in the past. She set about in earnest to find something wrong with the rest of it, which was hard to do.
The students milled about for the last hour of the school day, waiting for the grades to be posted. Ranma and Ukyo and a few of their friends lounged under a tree.
"Ranma-kun," a sweet voice called. Looking up from his conversation with Ukyo, he saw a bundle of energy shooting his way. Hinako-sensei stopped in front of him, waving his test paper under his nose. "Are you being a delinquent and cheating on the test, or is this actually your work?"
Ranma blinked. A slow smile crept onto his face. "Cheat? Nah. Everything there's what I wrote. Not a thing in there I didn't do myself."
She huffed a sigh. "Well, let me congratulate you. You got yourself a B on the test. Much better than what you've done before. If you keep up this kind of improvement, you may start getting A's." Putting the paper away and pulling out another, she went in search of another victim to harass.
Ranma sat back down. He'd been hoping to get that A, but a B was good. Immensely pleased with himself, he received the compliments from his peers in good fashion. The grades were finally posted on the board and they gathered to find their scores. Some students shuffled away as they saw how poorly they did. Others started jumping about, immensely pleased with themselves.
That night there were many parties in celebration as the last test of the school year was behind them. Summer was only a step away.
**********
It was a Saturday and the last day of school was behind him. It was getting close to the time he'd be leaving.
With mixed feelings, he walked up to Dr. Tofu.
"I think it's about time I get moving on. I want to spend time with my mother before I take off on my training trip, so I'll be staying there for a week or so. If there's any way I can repay you for your kindness, please name it."
"It's been a pleasure having you here, Ranma-kun. There's nothing to repay. You helped me enough while you were here. It's been a while since I had a decent sparring partner, so the pleasure is all mine. Just take care while you travel." They clasped hands. Taking his leave, Ranma left with his backpack and headed to his mother's.
She was waiting for him. As soon as he stepped onto the Saotome property, he found his mother…well, mothering over him. She showed him to his room and went back downstairs.
He looked at the bed as he set his backpack in the closet. It would probably be comfortable. Too comfortable. It'd been a while since he'd slept in it.
Going back downstairs, he found his mother cooking a meal for him. He stepped in to help.
Nodoka would have shooed him out, but felt that it would be nice to have her son beside her for a time. They went to work with the meal, enjoying each other's company. They drank in the domestic air like fine wine. It'd been some time since they'd been able to share time together. Both mother and son sat at the table with their meal, talking about life in general.
She was proud of her son's accomplishments. She was also glad she hadn't made him commit seppuku when she'd found out about his curse. It would have been such a waste. He was one of the finest young men in the world. His sense of honor was fine-tuned, even with the negative influence of her husband.
As she talked with him, she began cataloging everything she could about her son. Not letting anything by, she studied every little nuance.
He seemed to fidget a little more as they touched the more tender subjects. Whenever he became thoughtful, he'd start fiddling with his pigtail. Other things seemed to come to her as she watched him.
These things would help her get through the days when he was gone to college and on his training trips. The Kami only knew when he'd stay here again.
**********
A week after the school year ended.
Nabiki was sitting on the train. Pulling out the letter, she read it again. Kasumi had sent it some time ago. It gave her a general idea about what had happened at home while she was at college. A few phone calls still hadn't cleared the fog, though. That's why she needed to find her contacts and squeeze some information out of them until they were dry.
Her mind wandered back to where she was returning from. College. It had been interesting how she'd gotten in.
After taking the business exam, she'd been approached by some of the corporations in Tokyo. They'd done some background research on her. What they'd dug up had impressed them even more. Then there was the fact that the information had leaked to other companies.
That had led to one of the largest companies in Tokyo to come in search of her. Seizing the opportunity, she'd started dealing with them mercilessly. Playing one off of the other, she began setting down her demands as they vied for control.
In the end though, it had been one of the smallest that had won. Not because of what they'd offered directly. But because they were only about a decade old and weren't so set in their ways to be inflexible. When she came to work for them full-time, she'd work her way up the corporate ladder rapidly, she knew. With a larger company there would be more competition and that would mean less promotions.
The company also was paying for her education. And that meant that she had more money for herself. Whatever she made on the side meant that what she got could be a luxury. It wasn't that she was a spend-thrift, but an occasional indulgence was nice.
Any money left over, of course, went to the dojo. It had to be maintained somehow. With her father not teaching and the freeloaders, it was difficult to pay for all of the repairs. But those would be stopping soon, it appeared. Without Ranma there, it was likely that more than half of the damage would not be dealt. But Ranma had felt like family only after a few weeks living there. And that's why Nabiki wanted to find out what had caused the massive rift between her sister and Ranma.
As she mulled over the possibilities, her stop finally came. Grabbing her bags, she stepped off with the rest of the passengers.
It felt like a small locomotive had hit her as soon as she was no more than ten steps off of the train. Akane was squeezing the life out of her, and it looked like she wasn't going to let go.
"C-can I breath sometime this year, Akane," she managed. Guiltily, Akane released her hold.
"It's so good to see you after all this time, Sis."
Kasumi and her father came up. Exchanging hugs with each, she was rained on by her over-emotional father as he cried about having all of his daughters with him again. Feeling a little embarrassed by the show their father was displaying, the Tendo daughters made their way to the taxi that was waiting for them, dragging their father along behind them.
On the way back home, they started to catch up on each other's lives while they were parted. Nothing about Ranma popped up, however.
**********
Nabiki's first priority after settling down at home was to find her contacts. A few phone calls ensured that she could have a majority of them assembled within an hour. In the meantime, she asked Kasumi about the current relationship between her sister and Ranma. Kasumi couldn't shed any more light on the subject, however. Realizing that she couldn't get any information out of Kasumi, it was time for her to go to her meeting.
Five people sat at the large table when she arrived. They varied in appearance and capabilities. All were students at Furinkan, though. She had left the operations in the capable hands of Shinji-san. He seemed to have held up to her expectations.
As he finished his report, she looked over her little group again. What information had been given was useful, to be sure, but it didn't outline exactly why the two erstwhile lovebirds would have had a tiff like they had.
She released them. All but one left.
Noriko looked directly into Nabiki's eyes. It spoke a lot about someone who could look at her without any emotion showing. The wisp of a girl moved closer so she couldn't be overheard as she reported her portion. She was the best at the information gathering. Her features were so plain that people tended to have a hard time describing her, even after haven spoken with her for any length of time. Added to that was the fact that she hardly spoke, unless she had a need. No mindless chatter from this girl. That's what Nabiki liked about her.
It was also an arrangement for her to spy specially upon Ranma and Akane, as she was one of their classmates.
"I don't know how much this will mean to you, but…" She left the question in the air.
Nabiki pulled out a wad of bills. Drawing one out, she held it just out of reach. Her eyebrow motioned for Noriko to continue.
Assured of her payment, she went on. "The two have avoided each other as much as possible just after the prom night, as you know. The incidents with Ukyo and Akane were the only times Ranma became active. When they were about to fight, he did something to the both of them. It didn't appear to have harmed them, but it did make the two of them mad.
"Another occasion was when Akane asked Ranma out into the hall during the exams. I managed to get by the door without anybody noticing. It appears that Akane asked Ranma for, ah, forgiveness. Ranma appears to have forgiven her for whatever she did. That's what I could catch, anyway. I still haven't found out exactly what caused them to break up. But, as I understand it, it was Akane who was at fault this time. Ranma was the victim, it appears."
Nabiki also took great stock in her opinion. It wasn't very often she gave it, and that was only when she was sure when she would be correct in her assumptions. Another bill was added to the one. Handing it over to Noriko, she thanked her and left.
**********
With this new information, Nabiki decided it was time to confront Ranma about what had happened. All of her information would not help her find a solution if she couldn't get if from the source. To go in blind wouldn't have been prudent, however.
Knocking on the door, she was soon greeted by Mrs. Saotome.
"Oh, Nabiki-chan. It's so nice to see you again. Is there anything that I can do for you?"
Nabiki let a small smile crease her face. "Everything's fine, thanks. Ahem, is Ranma around? I heard he moved back in here from Dr. Tofu's. If he's not too busy, I'd like to have a word with him."
Nabiki's cool demeanor wasn't lost on Nodoka. She knew how much of a predator this young woman was. But to deny her access to Ranma might cause more problems than it solved. "Yes, he's here. It just happens to be that he's practicing in our dojo at the moment. He's been doing if for a while now, so it wouldn't hurt for him to take a break. If you'll follow me, please."
Doing so, they made their way to the back where the Saotome's dojo was.
Ranma was literally bouncing off of the walls as he practiced. Suddenly, he was flying in Nabiki's direction. With a little 'eep', she took a step back.
He stood in front of her, only a faint sheen on perspiration marring his brow. It was about time for her to show up. He'd been wondering if something had happened to her. "Hey, Nabiki! It's nice to see ya. What can you do me out of?" She raised her eyebrow at this. Looking at his mother, who was hovering behind Nabiki, he said, "Thanks, mom. I'm sure Nabiki wants to talk to me in private for a while." Reluctantly, she left.
"Thanks, Ranma. I did want to talk to you privately." Getting to the point, she said, "Why, exactly, have you decided to move out of our place?"
Putting a hand behind head and turning away slightly, he said, "Oh, I'm sure you know why." He allowed a smirk to form on one corner of his mouth. The side she couldn't see.
"I know a bit." She didn't want to let him know exactly how much yet. "My sister's still pretty upset about it all. How much would it be worth to you for me to help patch things up between you two?"
Ranma stiffened. He'd been expecting her to start asking about money. But for her to help get them back together? "I think I'll pass this time. Besides, I probably couldn't afford it this time."
"Maybe. We can probably work out a mutual agreement. Payments. You know, that sort of thing."
*Why is she so interested in getting us back together?* Aloud, "Tempting, but I don't think it'll work out this time. You see, your sister is the one who broke off the engagement. As far as I know, your father hasn't contested it yet. Don't know why, but it's that way."
"Daddy never was one to stick up against Akane too much. He's probably waiting for a time that he can get a good argument in. Probably make her feel guilty or something. Or get you within reach of his demon head so he can persuade you to come back and get married to her."
Ranma was getting bored with this conversation. It was time to liven things up a little.
Nabiki could have sworn she hadn't blinked. Ranma was suddenly standing no more than an arm's length away. She reached to rub her nose. It had just been…tweaked.
This unsettled her a little. He'd never done something like that to her before. He also appeared to be grinning mischievously.
"It's been kinda dull without you around, you know? The constant blackmailing, selling pictures of me, even selling me some hot water. You get to miss those sorta things."
Nabiki felt her control of the situation start to slip.
"Sometimes, though, you feel good about a screw-up because you know you're not going to owe somebody. Never really liked it when my pictures were taken. Especially when I was female and only partially clothed. It got expensive buying those back after a while." He started advancing on her. She started to move back away from him.
His face had lost its expression and now looked to be carved out of stone.
"It's not like I didn't enjoy living in the dojo with you all. It was wonderful for a while. But getting malleted, blackmailed, shoved around, and getting blamed for everything is not too much fun. Starts to wear thin after a while, you know? I don't think I'm willing to go back to something like that again. So you can keep you offer."
Nabiki couldn't see where she was going. Ranma did, but didn't comment on it. He wanted it to add to the effect. That's why she was surprised to fall onto her posterior just outside of the dojo. The grass cushioned the impact, but the shock was still there.
Ranma knelt down, looming over her. He lost the edge to his voice and the cold expression. "Look, Nabiki, I don't want to be mean. It's just that the two of us weren't too happy with the arrangement. Ever since we met, Akane and I have been fighting. Now that we're not engaged, maybe we can get on with our lives. I just hope she finds someone who makes her happy." A sad look crossed his features. "The Kami knows I couldn't."
She stared at the vacancy before her. Ranma was gone, but she was still shaken. He'd changed quite a bit since she'd seen him last. It'd been the first time that he'd bested her at her own game. Somewhere in there he'd turned the tables in his favor. Where, she didn't know.
Deciding it was time to leave, she stood and brushed herself off. At least she knew that he didn't hold a grudge against the Tendo family. He had forgiven Akane, as Noriko had said. More information needed to be gathered. Then it would be time for her to try again.
*I won't give up until I've won,* she swore to herself. *Nobody bests Tendo Nabiki and gets away with it for long. Besides, those two are meant to be together. Everybody knows that.*
**********
Nodoka and Ranma spent most of the time together the two weeks he stayed at home. This was the place, he decided, that he would come to when he wasn't at school or training. It was where his life had started and would be where he would go when he needed a safe haven.
Finally, a real home.
Ranma felt relief when this revelation came to him. He'd found the place where his roots were. He wasn't a vagabond anymore. There was someplace that he could go back to if he ever needed it. The Tendo dojo had felt like home, but hadn't in a way, actually. He and Oyaji had always been freeloading from them, even though he was engaged to Akane at the time. Oyaji was still there, but that was Soun's problem. *Until mom decides he can come back here, at least.*
The time with his mother ended for him. Having decided some time ago, he was going on a training trip on his own. There were a few places that Oyaji had avoided. It'd been apparent that he wouldn't have been welcome because of previous visits. Probably with Happosai and Soun when they were in training. He hadn't shown up the entire time Ranma was living with his mother, which suited him just fine.
Ukyo had wanted to come, but he'd had to explain to her that he wanted to do this on his own. It'd prove to himself that he could get along in the world without somebody hovering about him constantly. She'd accepted the explanation, though a little disappointed. But she was going back home to confront her own father about her engagement. She hadn't told him about the break-up yet, so now was the time. Ranma had encouraged her, wishing her luck. That had been a week ago.
Everything was packed. Food, clothes, emergency equipment…Nothing was missing. Hefting his pack, he went downstairs.
Nodoka held out a bundle. "I made this for you. Have fun on your trip, son."
Taking the package of food, he hugged his mother. The physical contact had come to be natural as he'd lived here with her. It felt good. Opening his pack again, he placed the food on top. "Thanks for everything. I promise to stop by before I go to school."
Giving her another hug, he stepped outside. The early sun was just starting to peer over the horizon. Shifting the backpack on his shoulders, Ranma set out on his journey.